#and like. 10 minutes later he meets jane and is like WHY IS THIS HUMAN HERE GET THIS FILTH OUT OF MY KINGDOM like???????

[heller-castiel]

Shhh dont let the crazy loki fans hear u hate the dark world

he’s literally the only good thing about this movie and that’s it. he can’t redeem this mess

[worstloki]

Top Forty Thor-Being-Thor Moments from Thor 1

just absolute dumb*ssery that this 7yr old kid’s life goal is to “hunt down the monsters and slay them all”. I’ll go easy on him here and let the Thor/Loki expressions do the talking because of “...just like you did Father” but seriously can his hands even fit around a sword handle??? this kid isn’t even punching the air right??? if there was a sword in his hand he would’ve cut his head with the way he’s moving???? pure tiny-himbo energy here just look at that >:o face he’s making. contrasts very nicely with Loki’s ‘,:|. 10/10. such a baby idiot.

“the jotuns must pay for what they have done! they broke into the weapons vault! if the frost giants had stolen even one of these relics!” thor. thor please. can you even name one of these relics. thor. hey thor. thor. shut up. “well, what would you do about this?” odin asks him. “march into jotunheim! like you once did! break their spirits! so they’ll never try anything like this again!” wow okay so we’ve fast-forwarded by like a thousand years and thor is still going on about genocide. huh. that’s funny, i thought loki was the genocidal one. hmm. i also just realized that the loki exclusive clip gives loki the same hairstyle thor has here so do what you will with that information.

0/10. horrible. terrible. i dont care how angy thor is about not getting to kill some jotuns or become king today this very instant, that is a tremendous waste of food. an absolute fool. how can he just remorselessly throw the bread to the floor. if loki stabbed him when he was 7 he would deserve it for this table flip alone. what a privileged white *ssh*le.

loki came skulking around a corner and suggested not to go to jotunheim and not only did thor not suspect anything but he also then went on to decide to go to jotunheim. 10/10 himbo material. 

if tumblr didn’t have a picture limit i would put every instance of thor smiling in this list because look at that stupid smile. he’s such an idiot. 11/10. this is the thor content i’m here for.

“I have no plans to die today” thor says with the stupidest open-mouthed smirking smile ever captured on film. right after he also told heimdall not to tell anyone they’re gone. he’s literally planned to strand them on jotunheim. thor’s grand plan was to strange themselves on jotunheim and also start a fight. i repeat: thor’s plan was to successfully slay all the frost giants and not need to return until they’re all gone. what an absolute d*mb*ss. this is getting ridiculous. this was originally a top-ten-thor moments list but i’m not even twenty minutes in so i’ll have to extend the list. thor. thor are you listening? thor, you’re such an idiot.

“HOW DID YOUR PEOPLE GET INTO ASGARD?!” thor you sweet sweet summer idiot, please, i am beggin,g you,, learn to rea,d , a room,, literally everyone else who came with you is regretting it, there is complete silence and only the rumble of the opposing king is meeting your “I AM THOR, SON OF ODIN”s, please, please take some notes from Loki, or, you know, literally anyone else in the room, since everyone is asking you to get out of this realm while you still can,

thor’s stupid smile makes an appearance after he gets called a princess and decides to fight a whole realm over it. you know what? thor is a princess. he’s the prettiest princess in all the lands. what’s thor gonna do about it? is he going to fight me too? I hope he does the stupid grin first. minus 15 points for the sexism. thor is a complete and utter sadistic fool who needs to get a hobby. seriously, he’s 1500 years old and still going on and on about slaying all the frost giants. boi, i hate to break it to you, but your dad is not the best or only example of greatness out there. i don’t think your dad even qualifies as an example of that. 

“THEN. GO!” 🥰 ahh yes, just thor thingz 🥰🥰 like when one friend has had his arm burnt 🥰 and another friend has been impaled and needs medical attention, 🥰🥰 and all the rest of your friends are yelling for you, 🥰 and your brother is telling you they must go, 🥰 and you decide to buy everyone time by laughing maniacally and killing more frosties because you care for them and dont find joy in destruction like a loon 🥰🥰🥰 

THIS is the iconic Thor moment that makes my day whenever I think about it. Just Thor, an absolute bumbering 6′6′’ giant boodlusting dummy sees Odin and just decides to yell “FATHAA!! WE’LL FINISH THEM TOGETHAAA!” as if the last thing Odin told him wasn’t “no, thor, we’re not going to do anything to the frost giants, do not go after them and try to kill them all.” 11/10 d*mb*assery right here folks, I couldn’t ask for Thor to be more of a fool. This is PEAK Thor energy. Look at that face. I feel like Thor spends half this movie with his nostrils flared. I love it.

okay i gotta give thor credit for rightfully calling odin “an old man and a fool” but also there was not even 1 frame of the scene where Thor had a decent face so now all i see is >:O >:| >:o >:[ when i watch that scene. yelling at odin was great, not yelling at odin after he HUAERGHed at loki was less great, but to be fair it’s thor and he is the definition of Peak D*mb*ss. 

thor literally GROWLS and starts yelling “HAMMAA?? HAMMER??” over and over. He was hit by a van, he fainted, he woke up and started growling. I don’t know what else there is to say about this.

“you dare threaten me? puny human?”. so. uhh. basically. Thor knew she was threatening him? He KNEW she had a weapon? instead he made a face and started yelling as he tried to walk his way closer????? thor you complete and utter dum dum. you frickin hairball-for-brains. im not even surprised darcy tasered him. with that kind of face, i’d taser him too.

when you wake up in an unknown place to a person smiling at you without a stupid smile, the first step is always to attack first and ask questions later 😌😌😌 (but seriously thor you imbecile why didn’t you ask where you were instead of throwing multiple people around the room and getting your butt needled. you clueless buffoon. you’ll remain a clueless buffoon if you don’t listen to anyone.)

just a quick recap but thor was knocked unconscious by a van and these people kidnapped him aboard and the next scene we see him in he’s checking himself out in  mirror after presumably changing right there in the open?????? these are the things that make thor thor. any other character and i’d question it so much, but this is thor, and i truly believe this is in-character for him. just change in the open because why not? thor is a beefcake and that’s his only redeeming quality and he knows it. 10/10 thor moment. 

I am now convinced that Thor saw Jane and “5k van-hitter to lover slow-burn height-difference himbo-scientist trope” flashed through his mind.

“but no more smashing!” Jane says, and then Thor proceeds to check her out and smile unlike an idiot and like a douche. was this his version of flirting???? i’m not one to decide, but yes, yes it was. He threw a cup to the ground and broke it, and she’s getting mad at him and berating him about it, and he’s liking it. y’all i’m sorry to break it to you like this, but thor has a canon fetish. i am so, so sorry.

im DYING. THAT ISN’T EVEN A KISS, HIS MOUTH IS OPEN. he SMUSHES his mouth around her knuckle???? WHY. I can’t keep noticing things like this. send help. please. Jane’s response makes so much more sense now; she’s laughs for a solid 3 seconds and shakes her head and is like “uhh, thank you? ahaha,” and then she keeps looking back longingly when walking away. they are doing this in PLAIN sight of EVERYONE. Darcy and Erik are standing RIGHT THERE, and Thor is doing weird things to her with his mouth. I’m out. I am done here. goodbye. 

return of the stupid smile AND the douche smile in quick succession through the entire trip. their entire dialogue is peppered with innuendo. “I’ve never done anything like this before. have you ever done anything like this before?” “many times, but you are brave to do it.” “I have nothing else to lose.” “ah but you are clever, far more clever than anyone else on this realm.” “realm? rEaLm?” “you think me strange?” “yes” “good strange or bad strange?” “I haven’t decided yet.” I AM DYING OVER THIS. plus, we get Return Of The Himbo with Jane asking after Einstein Rosen bridges and Thor is like “uh, actually, more like a rainbow bridge 😜🤪” i feel so sorry for jane here, didn’t know how much of a d*mb*ss Thor was when signing up for this van-trip and knuckle-sucking 😭😭😭 i also no longer have questions about how the trip that SHOULD HAVE BEEN A HALF-HOUR ONE turned into one that LASTED TILL THE SUN WENT FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE SKY TO SETTING by the time they arrived. I have no questions. please. I don’t want to know what they were doing in that van. please no. don’t make me think about it.

thor’s plan had 3 steps and they were 1. give jane his jacket 2. walk in and get his hammer 3. fly out. that was literally his plan. he had the first “I have a plan. attack.” moment in the MCU. pure concentrated 0-brain-cells energy right here. how can you not stan this king of d*mb*ssery. look at him, flaunting his big boy muscles. he’s about get his hammer and fly out, like he just told jane with a trademark stupid-smile.

crop-top hair-mop thor is my favourite thor. the way the entire fight scene parallels a hamster in a maze only exemplifies the thor vibes for some inexplicable reason.

“you’re big. fought bigger.” + Thor douche-smile + subtext from earlier + rolling around passionately in the mud = not a happy me. 

I swear i’m not making up this romantic subtext but it’s barely even subtext. the entire scene leading up to Thor’s attempt at lifting the hammer is actually filmed erotically. I’m not kidding. First there’s a shot where Thor pulls aside a hamster-cage-wall blind which mirrors a shower-curtain, and THEN he walks around the hammer while smiling douche-ly at it, we get a few close-ups to his face which are shot from angles slightly lower than himself, giving him an aire of superiority, plus the music adds to this, he reaches out for the hammer’s handle with a mud-covered arm in the rain, in non-slow-motion slow-motion, and he wraps his arm around it, like, he fully twists his arm, unecessarily sexually, around it as he grabs the hammer. This is not okay. On the plus side, it makes the movie much more entertaining,, on the down side,,.

im not going to call Thor dumb for not knowing he’s not worthy. im not going to. because odin literally whispered the enchantment to mjolnir after he’d thrown thor to midgard. it is very funny watching thor grunt in frustration though. he starts yelling because he couldn’t lift the hammer and just lets himself get caught. like, dude, get a life, go buy a new weapon from the store, seriously. he mourns for the hammer on-screen longer than he does for loki. he also looks like he’s in far more pain here. he becomes catatonic and unresponsive after this, but when loki dies he’s already feasting the same afternoon. 10/10 dum dum thor material. never change thor, never change. (that’s code for please change, thor, please,)

thor trying to establish dominance wherever he goes is the funniest thing because at this point he’s being a complete asgardian *ss about it and it’s reaching points of pettiness never seen before. side note: he is possibly flirting with selvig too. maybe. i’m not saying anything happened, but Thor’s openning lines when bringing him home carried over his shoulder are “he’s fine, not injured at all,” followed with an apology to selvig, and an explanation to jane which consisted only of “we drank, we fought, he made his ancestors proud,” and then he puts the man to bed and before he falls asleep erik says “i still don’t believe you’re the g*d of th*nder, but you ought to be,” so... your choice, i guess...

thor’s got his trademark stupid smile and stupidly takes jane’s life’s work notebook and starts doodling in it about trees. the last time his father told him this story about Yggdrasil was when he was 5 and he clearly hasn’t payed attention to any lesson about anything since and it shows so so much. thank you thor. very insightful knowledge you’re passing on hear. ‘i come from a world where [science and magic] are one and the same,’ ok great, now elaborate on that please. oh, right, you can’t because you’re thor, my bad, 20/10 thor behaviour. he couldn’t even doodle nicely. all his lines are wobbly. epic art fail. i wouldn’t trust him near my sketchbook with a 2B pencil.

THIS is thor’s realization face. in case anyone was interested in what ‘dawning truth’ looked like on him. 😰😪 THIS is the face of a thinker, of a man betrayed by his own beloved brother for unprecedented reasons. look at the nuance in his expression. 😩😩😩 so many emotions, I can’t even count them all 😩💯😪

stupid smile and “do not worry my friends, i have a plan,” he says, “i’ll just try and abuse the fact that Loki’s super selfless and kind and has no self worth to my benefit as i have countless times before which is exactly what he’s rightfully angry about this time,” he doesn’t think to himself because that is NOT the smile of someone who is thinking... like, at all. +10000 points to gryffinthor. the d*mb*ssery really jumps out.

“im sorry bro for whatever i did and whatever you’re blaming me for as an excuse to do this, im sorry bro, but you’re disturbing innocents that i don’t really care about but you’re the one making a scene in front of them so why don’t you admit you won’t kill me and are just having a temper tantrum and we move on? hmm?” and then he proceeds to get slam dunked in the face with a metal arm like yEAAAA BOI that’s what you GET for going up against the SENTIENT LAVA-SPEWING metal-man ya absolute dunderhead clod. thunderhead clod? yeah, that. he’s just so dumb, your honour, please, you must understand, the victim pleads guilty on all charges of d*mb*ss and d*mb*ss alone.

I can NOT describe the emotions I feel knowing that Thor is suck-kissing Jane’s knuckles. Like, his mouth is literally jelly-ing it up against her hand. There is suction there and it shows when he is placing and removing his mouth. I promise that’s what is happening. I’m not any happier than you about this. I regret everything. This is why Loki should be what is focused on and not Thor; Thor’s going around trying to frick frack everything in sight even if it’s just Jane’s hand. He’s maintaining eye contact with Jane while he licks her fingers. Why did I decide to rewatch this movie. 

i’m only adding this in as a thor moment because of how desperately and badly they kiss. seriously. 2/10 kiss. im not surprised jane broke up with him. they look like two actual seals fighting over an actual grape. while i’m here i’m going to criticize every fic ever that decided thor is an experienced gentle lover. what were y’all on when watching this movie. thor can and will f*ck literally everything in sight and he won’t even do it well because he is the peakest of peak d*m d*m. look at this man. look at his face. that is the face of an absolute himbo idiot, and it’s the face of an absolute himbo idiot who knows it. he’s been stranded on earth for 2 days, max, and his flirt-count is at 69 people because his name is one letter away from thot. i bet his terrible use of a pen from early means he writes his ‘r’s like ‘t’s and he doesn’t even care. 1000/10 thor moment. doesn’t get much more romance-thor than two individuals smooshing their faces together after some finger sucking. that finger sucking is gonna leave jane simping for years. and that’s true love babey. <3

“I’ll handle my Brother!” Thor says, as if Loki didn’t send a metal-murder-bot that quite virtually killed him less than ten minutes ago asdfhkhsdgsdjf Thor, you horrific himbo you, Loki’s weapon of choice is literally throwing knives he will literally kill you before you enter the room if he’s on his game and wants you dead which he just proved he would do and you’re just gonna???????????? jog on over to him????? Thor??????????? bruH???????????? buddy??????? pal???????? you really wanna go 1v1 the brother you very clearly underestimate and know nothing about????????????????? im loving the confidence, but, no.

Loki: “you literally can’t stop this from here.” Thor, immediately: “i’m going to hit it with the hammer and see if that works” and then it does in fact work later... technically speaking, even if it ends up causing chaos destruction and death and loki falling off the bifrost 😔😔😔 but Big Brain Thor is the Biggest Brained Thor!!! The plan worked!! in a messy-Thor-ish way, but it did!!!

“you can’t kill an entire race!!!!” Thor yells, teeth gritted, as he faces his brother, his coward pacifist brother, who has suddenly decided he wants to join the age-old family tradition of realm-destroying, when this is supposed to be Thor’s dream, Thor’s, not Loki’s. How dare he, Thor thinks to himself, fist clenched around Mjolnir in anger, the pain of the handle pressing against his palm perhaps the only thing preventing him from lashing out at this thought, that’s my planet of monsters to slay, he should go get his own! Loki hits Thor across the face with the back-end of his spear. “Now fight me,” Loki says, but Thor, well, Thor cannot fight, as he remains stunned that of all things Loki would dare steal his life’s ambition, and he is sent sprawling backwards across the observatory, slowly but surely sliding to a stop despite his catatonic, very symbolic silence.

the elegance, the poise, i see your time on earth has made you no less graceful, Thor. the simple magnitude of this sprawl. the spread of the arms. the turn of the feet. this is not a dude, this is a man.

sometimes your brother starts vehemently talking about he’s gonna kill the race of monsters and about how he’s only ever wanted to be your equal and about how he’s not your brother and never was and sometimes you just have to say “this is madness” instead of addressing the issues or asking for any of the  deets 🔥 👊💯😩

Loki is whipping Thor’s butt. Both literally, and metaphorically, Loki is whooping Thor’s d*mb*ss. Earlier he knicked Thor’s face, now he’s just pushing Thor around, he uses the spear as a pole and later kicks Thor’s face by kicking vertically up, and Thor, bless him in all his blond golden muscled glory, doesn’t think anything is up with this, gosh he’s such an absolute utter idiot

sometimes your brother laughs way too much and also cries too much in a fight and there are also too many of him so you just need to blast lightning so you get a shot at all of them 😌😌😌 and then put your magical infinitely-heavy hammer on his chest 😌😌😌 but it’s okay because Thor left holes in Loki’s container 😌😌😌

now THIS is the meat to Thor’s funny bone, just the pure unadulterated humour that is Thor saying that there will never be a “wiser king” or a “better father” than Odin, it cracks me up every single time without fail, just the way he says it with a straight face and— what do you mean he wasn’t joking

look at Thor’s stupid smile as he asks Heimdall to spy on jane every single day while conveniently never asking after Loki ever. This is Thor’s face in mourning after he attended a feast after everyone was celebrating after Loki’s death. Look at his stupid smile. I love him your honour. He’s just,, he’s just so frickin stewpeed, just Thor being Thor, just the purest of d*mbest of *sses. 

[mggpleasedontlookhere]

what i knew

summary: sometimes curiosity doesn’t kill the cat, it kills relationships; and in the worse cases it kills people                        

word count: 2,612                                                                                     reading time aprox: 10 mins   

warnings: character death (not any of the protagonists), angst, and loss/grievance (this is the first time i had to use one of these, wow)

a/n: this is my celebration post for reaching 2k followers here, so i decided to celebrate the way i know best: through angst! thank you all very much for reading

masterlist

Coming home to Spencer was the sanctuary I needed after facing the trials and tribulations that the day demanded me to endure. He was the soothing whisper in my ear as I embarked on the uphill of life while a blazing storm was afire. He became the chief of defense whenever malicious thoughts infiltrated the purest parts of my mind. 

He became my security blanket. A blanket I would comfortably drape over my bare skin at the times where I needed him most.  

But nothing could’ve prepared me for the single night that I couldn’t restore what he lost. 

-

I flipped through the pages of Jane Austen’s most profound work, my eyes trailing over every word with intent and curiosity. Although in my peripheral view, Spencer was a few steps away as he was also engrossed in a book. But with my attentive instinct, I noticed the subtle flicker of eyes from the pages of the novel to the screen of his cellphone on the arm of the chair he sat in. 

Taking a moment to linger at the sight, his fingers had been more fidgety, the lines etched on his forehead were creased, and the intense stare he held as he read could’ve burned holes through the pages. A thought was obviously crossing his mind--well maybe a few million were. 

“Spence? Are you well?” I tucked my book neatly into my lap, giving Spencer my full undivided attention. 

“Yeah--uh I’m just checking up on my mom--yeah” He nodded unconvincingly, letting his eyes stray away from the page he’s been stuck on for the entire time, checking his phone once again. 

“Really?” I hummed, raising my eyebrows at his vague response. 

He nodded in response, momentarily raising his eyebrows at me while he nodded apprehensively. “Yup” He assured. 

“You know Reid…” I began, tracing the quilted fabric that was stitched onto the arm of my chair. “I may not be a profiler but you’ve been on that same page for approximately six minutes now, your knuckles are twitching which is usually a clear indication of anxiety, and your eyes have been more interested on whatever is plastered on your phone rather than the words in your book, but again I’m no profiler” I declared my observations eloquently, only looking up at him in satisfaction as fascination crossed his eyes. 

He shook his head, humming in amusement as he set his book on the side table. “Okay Sherlock” He relinquished his facade, gesturing at me to continue.

“So Spencer Reid, are you going to tell me what’s going on in that brilliant mind of yours or am I going to have to pick it out of you?” 

He laughed at my threat casually before a more melancholy expression crossed his visage. He exhaled a heavy breath, taking one last glance at the device beside him before meeting my inquisitive stare. “I wasn’t--um--lying about it being my mom…” His voice trailed off with a choked breath in his esophagus. “Uh, I got into sorts with her and we just got into his argument about sending her into another study and--gosh Y/N she told me no more studies an-and that got me angry because it seems like she’s ready to...ready to…” He breathed, taking a longing pause as his face contorted into anguish. 

“Hey...you don’t have to--if you don’t want to say it, you don’t need to” I reassured, standing up from where I was planted, skipping over to where he was situated. I kneeled before the chair, resting my head at the side of his knee. His hands made its way to the tangled mess of my hair, soothingly running his fingers through the tousled locks. 

I watched as his chest heaved and fell at a rhythmic beat, signifying the evident weight that was present on his shoulders. “It just feels like all the hope--all the effort--I’ve put into making sure she’s lived a happy life was futile” He vulnerably confessed, his finger running down the side of my cheek, caressing it gracefully while he spoke. “I just...I don’t know what or how to process that” He tapped on the apple of my cheek, gesturing for me to climb on next to him. 

“Maybe I’m just overthinking-” 

“No Spencer, you absolutely have the right to worry about this. She’s your mother after all” I climbed into his open arms, settling my legs over his laps as I nudged my head into the crook of his shoulder. I relished in his scent, basking in the soft warmth that naturally radiated from him. “If..if you don’t mind me asking, why do you keep checking your phone?” I tentatively ran my fingers across the side of his abdomen, tracing mollifying circles to ease his tense muscles. 

He carelessly tossed the device next to me, cautious about hitting me by accident. I grabbed the phone out of the small crevice it landed in, scrolling through the various voice messages Diana had sent Spencer in the last couple hours. 

“YOU UNGRATEFUL CHILD”

“I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN”

“I WISH I NEVER HAD YO-” 

My heart jumped at the heinous comments; the venom spilling over her words came as a surprise. Never would I have thought that anything of this sort would inhabit Diana’s mind--well despite it not being there most of the time. 

“I--Spencer, I don’t even know how to--” 

“She’s in the middle of a break--or at least that’s how she was when I left her” He paused, shifting his eyes to the frosted window in our living room, taking small glances at the phone in my hand. “But those messages were from a few hours ago” He sighed, pulling me into his side, laying his chin on my head as he breathed into my hair. 

“Well…” I pulled his chin down gently to level our eyes, pressing a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. “I know that your mother loves you with all her heart...the same way that I love you with all of mine...” I brushed a few stray hairs away from his face, letting my palm fall down to cup his cheek. “Maybe even more. I know it hurts now Spence--and I’m asking you not to hide from me because I’m here--but in the small time I got to know your mother, I know that she has a big heart like her son and I’ve felt the same unconditional love that can radiate from it” I finished, pulling him down in a sweet kiss. 

I felt his lips curl into a timid smile, breathing out a hefty exhale before blessing the top of my head with a grateful kiss. “Thank you Y/N” He hummed, descending down to my shoulder, nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck. “Really...thank you”

-

It had been a tiring week to say the least. Ever since Diana left those voice messages on Spencer’s phone, he’s been leaving the device at home, sometimes even forgetting to charge it. I hummed a continuous melody, letting the tune of Hamilton buzz through the living room as I cleaned. I leaned over the couch to fluff up the pillows, folding the blankets that were thrown carelessly on the floor. 

An exasperated huff escaped my lips as I spotted the neglected phone tucked in between the cushions of the couch. Pulling the phone out of the crevice, I inspected the power button, soon discovering that the battery was indeed dead. 

I skipped to the kitchen counter, plugging the phone into the charging port before shuffling back to the living space. Although not even a second later, the ringtone sounded while various notifications blared out simultaneously. 

I cringed, plugging my ears in the hopes that the horrendous symphony of chimes stopped. After a few minutes had passed, the screen turned on displaying an array of text messages, emails, and voicemails. But the one particular message caught my eye despite the cesspool of notifications. 

‘Bennington Sanitarium: 13 new voicemails’ 

The cold bit at my fingers as I held the phone, like it was a forbidden relic.The eeriness ran up my veins at an unfathomable pace, sending a warning shock to my shoulder. I instinctively dropped the device on the marble counter, shaking my head out of disorientation. 

Why would the sanitarium--?

Should I even be seeing this?

No--I shouldn’t, everything’s okay, this isn’t my business. But what if--no. 

I walked away from the counter, ignoring the lingering feeling of curiosity scratching at the back of my neck. I grumbled, trying to hide the impulsive grimace forming on my face. 

Don’t do it Y/N

I took in an intermittent breath, turning around to stare at the tempting device sprawled out on the counter

But what if something--?

 No...No?

I bit the inside of my cheek, letting the battle between my conscience and my temptation ensue. 

Well...Spencer should be home soon

Maybe just a little look…

My curiosity camouflaged the growing guilt in my stomach, rushing off to take the phone in my hands once again. I felt like Eve in the garden, the serpent drawing me in by manipulating my eagerness to know. I knew once I made that decision, there was no way back. At that time I was completely fine with those odds--I comfortably accepted the unknown. 

But that was it…

It was what I didn’t know, that should’ve stayed unknown. 

I crossed a boundary that I was too ignorant to recognize

“Good Afternoon Dr. Spencer Reid, this is the Bennington Sanitarium, I am Charlene, Diana’s nurse, and...I--there was--uh--” The woman choked in between her words, making the pit in my stomach grow. “There was an incident regarding your mother and I have to inform you, sir, that--” 

I swiftly pressed the pause button on the voicemail, feeling an overcoming wave of fear wash over me. My hands shook at my sides, frustrated at the underlying curiosity that still nipped at me. 

Was it even human of me to snoop through Spencer’s privacy?

Was it merciful for me to deliver a message that might cause pain? 

Moral dilemmas flooded my head once again, but I pushed that aside, unable to deal with the raging battle occurring in my conscience. With a shaky breath and a quick glance at the door, my finger hovered over the screen and let the message play out. 

“The staff of Bennington Sanitarium regret to inform you that Diana Reid has...passed away at 9am this morning. She had suffered a stroke from an insurmountable of stress and passed peacefully in her bed. I understand that this is a difficult time but we need you to…” 

The cold had infiltrated my entire body, guilt weaving itself in between the tendons of my heart. A nauseating ring permeated my ears, but nothing could’ve been the cause of the emitting sound. My entire body melted into weakness, my limbs turning into jello. 

“No…” I whispered. 

This wasn’t real...I...Spencer

Spencer...oh my god Spencer--what is he going to--

I covered my mouth as a distinguished sob of anguish left my lips. Tears fell freely from my eyes for Spencer, for Diana who had been a second mother to me, to the regret of my actions. I held myself up on the counter, the deafening ring still not leaving my ears. It bounced around my headspace like a punishment, like it was torturing me for venturing into an abyss I never should’ve been tempted to explore. 

Shock invaded every corner of my body, making me feel lightheaded. 

She was…

She was gone… 

Diana...she’s… 

Spencer never got to say goodbye

This call was his goodbye and I took that from him. 

I took away his goodbye. 

Another sob reverberated through the room. It was heavy and choked like it was a place where solace could never thrive. Pain was evident in the guttural emission, challenging the strings that kept the heart open to hope. 

Although the sob hadn’t left my lips…

It left the mouth of a mournful brunette who stood in the frame of the door, unbeknownst to the news he would soon uncover. 

It seemed that I failed to hear the cheery footsteps of his while he entered the apartment, too entranced by my own shock that still pounded against my chest. My mouth hung agape as the feeling intensified by the mere appearance of Spencer himself. 

His autumn colored eyes dulled into a sully grey, his prominent shoulders hung with a thousand weights attached to him, but it was the way he looked at me that pulled me apart the most. His eyes longed for comfort, but the anger beneath them told another tale. 

My breath had been caught in my esophagus, unable to form any incoherent words. 

I--I didn’t know what to say

“S...Sp....” I tried my hardest to push the words off of my tongue but my fear decided against it. 

He shook his head at me in defeat. 

It was hopeless

His knees threatened to buckle before him. I noticed this and took an instinctive step towards him, but when he looked up to meet my concerned gaze, I knew there was nothing I could do. 

A glassy film casted over his doleful eyes, the corners of his lips twitching into a frown as his head ran a thousand miles per hour. His breaths were heavy and intermittent, only coming out of his lungs as choked air. 

“I…” He brokenly whispered. “She--I--no…” His voice cracked, giving away the scornful weight that he harbored inside him. “No no no no no no...no she can’t--no…” He grabbed fistfuls of his hair, pacing back and forth while he looked to the sky for solutions. 

“No no no no no mom no please” He cried, crashing onto the floor as his knees finally gave out. Deep rooted cries racked his chest as he pulled his knees to him. “No no no no no” He continued to repeat like a haunting mantra. “Y/N no, please tell me it's not…” He begged. 

“Spencer...I’m so sorr--” 

“NO! NO! DON’T--” He heaved, lifting his face from his knees to send daggers my way. “Don’t...don’t fucking lie to me y/n” His voice softened, sounding like the broken boy that hid behind that brain of his. “Please...please just tell me she’s okay? Y/N? Please…” He begged once again. “I never...I didn’t tell her I loved her. You...you took that away from me...”

My own cries mixed in with his as I resentfully shook my head. “I’m sorry Spencer…” I meekly whispered, bringing myself onto the floor across from him. “I wish that I could do something---I really wish I can---please let me help, let me do anyth--” 

Before I could finish my sentence, Spencer stood up and ran for the door, leaving all his belongings behind. I called out his name--I cried out for his presence.

 I was desperate. 

Desperate to console him, desperate to love him again and to make him feel safe, but I was mostly desperate to selfishly know if he was going to come back. 

What have I done? 

I was powerless

What have I DONE?

Left on the floor like broken porcelain that was swept under the rug, I let the broken fragments pool around me. I wailed for his return, but deep down I knew that he would never want to go back to a place that reminded him of a tremendous loss. 

It was then that I realized that what I knew would plague the entirety of my existence. 

It was what I knew, that I wish I had never come know.

-

hope you enjoyed <3

taglist: @rexorangecouny @honeymilk-4 @linthebinbag @howdycharlie

[raindancer2004]

Alec and his Cinderella

Word Count: 3,195 Alec x reader Part One Warnings: Alec is aged up. Fluff, Angst

Alec was sitting his room reading although he wasn’t enjoying the book; having read it many times before. He came to the realisation that he was bored; he needed a change of scenery, something new to do but he wasn’t sure what. “Are you ok brother?” Jane asked “You’ve been looking at the same page for ten minutes” Alec didn’t answer her right away “I’m just…a little bored. I mean I’ve read this book many times before….” “Well of course it’s your favourite” Jane cut him off “I know…but…oh I don’t know…” He ran his fingers through his hair “I suppose I’m…bored. We haven’t had a mission in weeks” Alec continued, Jane nodded “I didn’t realise it had been that long brother.”

Aro called a meeting with the elite guard “Thank you for coming dear ones. My brothers and I have something we would like to discuss with you. Renesmee is now fully grown and has requested the chance to go out into the human world; attend High School, see what it’s like but doesn’t wish to do so with her family. She got in touch to ask if it was ok for her to do so seeing as her father told Caius that he would keep her hidden from the human world” “Glad to see one of the Cullen children has a brain cell” Caius said snidely, causing the guards to smirk; Aro rolled his eyes at his brother and continued “She has agreed that one of you accompany her instead. I just need a volunteer” “No chance” Felix mumbled “I’ll go master. I think a change of scenery will be good” Alec replied “Fancy your chances with her do you?” Demetri asked winking at Alec “Oh yeah totally” Alec replied sarcastically and rolling his eyes.

“Will you be coming too sister?” “No. I couldn’t possibly leave Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum on their own for that length of time, imagine the chaos” Jane replied nodding in Demetri and Felix’s direction “Ha…I do love the affectionate nicknames you give each other” Aro said smiling “I doubt he’d say that if he knew some of the names we call her” Felix said low to Demetri, who choked back a laugh.

“That’s settled then Alec will be going to forks and the three of you will stay here and cover his duties. Although I might get Afton to cover Alec’s guard duties” Caius said with a wicked smile. “How soon do I need to be in Forks?” Alec asked “In a rush to see her are we?” Felix asked grinning “Grow up” Alec glared him. “You can leave as soon as you are ready, my boy” Aro answered “Give our best wishes to them won’t you Alec” Marcus said low “Of course master” He replied and returned to his room to pack.

Sometime later Demetri, Jane and Felix stopped by “So how come you volunteered so quick to go High School? I thought you hated humans” Demetri asked “Not to mention the Cullens” Felix added “I came to the realisation recently that I am bored and would like a change of scenery…and well this will provide me with that” Alec answered “Rather you than me mate…I mean the Cullens are bad enough but to be around that Dog all the time, no thanks” Felix said scrunching up his nose at the thought of the Wolf pack. “Just remember you have to play nice with the humans Alec…They’re your friends now so that means you cannot eat them” Demetri says smirking pointing his index finger at him; Felix and Jane cant help laughing “Get bent” Alec growled “Really sister?” He asked turning to face her “I’m sorry but that was funny, it was like weird dad advice” She said giggling “Don’t eat your friends…ha” She continued to laugh “If you need me to attend parent / teacher conferences, you only have to call” Demetri added smiling, Jane was practically doubled over with laughter “Can you…i-imagine it…Demetri attend-attending…those meetings...he’d flirt with all your teachers” “At least Alec would get good grades then” Felix added laughing “Thank you so much for your support in this…it’s truly overwhelming” Alec said not sounding amused “Sorry brother…you have my full support…honest” Jane said trying to sound serious now “Yes…you have my full support too…son” Demetri smiled and gave Alec a playful wink. “Mine too” Felix adds.

A few days Alec arrived in Forks, Esme collecting him from the airport “Hello Alec. It’s nice to see you. I trust you had a good flight?” She asked him “Hello Mrs Cullen. It’s nice to see you too. The flight was ok if you don’t count the child that spent half the flight crying and screaming” He replied “Sorry to hear that. No need for Mrs Cullen, you can call me Esme” “Thank you Mrs…Esme” He replied “We have set you up in Edward’s old room, there’s a bookcase full of books, a desk even a TV and a bed, should you wish to relax in your own space” She told him with a smile “Thank you for letting me stay with you” “You’re very welcome Alec. It’s the least we can do seeing as you are helping out Renesmee. I do have to tell you though there is one rule that must be followed during your stay. You aren’t allowed to…satisfy your dietary requirements shall we say in Forks. You will need to leave the city for that” “I understand…we have a similar rule back home…Volterra is out of bounds when it comes to...satisfying our dietary requirement” Alec responds.

Esme pulls up on the drive and sees Renesmee waiting for them “I should warn you Renesmee is really excited you’re here so…be prepared for a hug” Alec nods ‘surely she wouldn’t’ he thought to himself. “Alec! You’re here” Renesmee calls out; running and wrapping her arms around his neck giving him a hug, Alec hesitantly wraps his arms around her waist “Told you” Esme says smiling as she walks past them. “Ha…you owe me $10 Jas” Emmett calls out laughing.

That night Carlisle, Esme, Alice and Jasper sat in the family room with Alec and explained the cover story the school were told regarding himself and Renesmee. “It has been several years since any of our children have attended the school here; so we had to come with a plausible cover you and Ness, especially as no one really knows about her and I still work at the local hospital” Carlisle began, Alec nodded “Just a bit background for you first regarding us. Jasper poses as Rosalie’s twin and they use her last name Hale and it is known that they are the niece and nephew of Esme’s late brother. Emmett, Alice and Edward all use the name Cullen as Esme and I adopted them” Carlisle added. “Ok, so how do Renesmee and I fit into the family?” Alec asked “So Jasper had the idea that you and Ness should pose as siblings and use his last name of Whitlock. You would be the Carlisle’s niece and nephew and after losing your parents recently you have come to live with us” Esme explained. “That sounds alright actually. You’re good at this” Alec smiled. “Oh and we thought it would make sense if you and Ness were twins so you’d be in the same year at school” Alice added smiling “I have your new ID too courtesy of a friend” Jasper said handing Alec a birth certificate and passport “Thank you Jasper”

The day before school starts Renesmee pays Alec a visit “I’m going to hunting, would you like to come?” She asked him “You mean animals?” He asked in return his nose wrinkling at the thought “Not necessarily…I mean prefer your diet to ours…so I game either way” She smiled and he noticed the mischievous glint in her eyes “As much as I’d love that, I do not think your family would approve of you switching to my diet during my stay” Alec answered “Well then that means you can try our diet during your stay. Come on I’ll show you how to hunt animals” She sounded excited at the thought of showing someone how to hunt so he didn’t tell her that he had hunted animals previously on a mission albeit decades ago.

“Oh my god! You were so fast and you took down that Mountain Lion quicker than dad usually does” Ness said grinning as she and Alec entered the house “You taught me well Ness” Alec praised her “Thank you Alec” Edward chuckled having read Alec’s thoughts that he had hunted animals before but he appreciated Alec’s little lie and the hunting trip had helped them bond a little.

“Where have you been? Why are you with him?” Jake almost growled giving Alec a disgusted look “Shit” Emmett said from upstairs “Get lost Jake. Where I go and who with is none of your business” Ness replied “Come on Alec” She grabbed his hand and went to walk around Jake but he side stepped blocking her path “That is where you are wrong. It is my business” Jake raised his voice and before Ness knew what was happening Alec pushed her behind him and squared up to Jake “You have a problem with Ness, you have a problem with me! And for the record Ness doesn’t report to you, she can do whatever she likes. NOW MOVE!” Alec growled and stood his ground ready to defend Ness if needed, after all she was his ‘sister’ and no one was going to hurt her. Jake snarled at Alec and began shaking “Take it outside Jake!” Jasper warned from the top of the stairs “Don’t make me tell you a second time” “FINE!” Jake shoved past Alec on the way out “This isn’t over” He mumbled as he slammed the door behind him. “Thank you Alec” Ness said low “You’re welcome. Come on you promised me a movie night remember” Alec replied walking upstairs and Ness followed.

“I didn’t expect him to protect Ness like that” Emmett said to Jasper and Edward “Posing as siblings is easier if you think of one another as siblings” Edward replied “You mean he…he thinks of her a sister?” Jasper asked “Kind of. Think of it like this he is so used to having Jane around and doing things with her and although he knows she can take care of herself, he still protects and defends her. He has fallen into that brotherly role easily with Ness because A) she is alot younger than he is B) he didn’t like the way Jake spoke to her and C) he’s unsure if Ness could fully defend herself against Jake’s wolf form if she was ever put in that situation” Edward answered. “It’s a good thing he’s here then, maybe Jake will back off and respect her decision” Jasper replied.

Alec and Renesmee start High School the following week, the start of a new school year and Alec was surprised to discover that he was excited about this new venture. Although he missed Jane it was nice having Ness around and he had to admit he liked her company. Her view on things, on life was different; refreshing, as she was seeing everything for the first time, experiencing everything for the time and he had become fascinated by her and her reaction to the world. Ness introduced him to the world of Disney and the many princesses that lived within it. He decided to introduce Jane to the world of Disney once he was back at the castle.

The atmosphere at the Cullen house was quite relaxed compared to the castle; it definitely had a ‘family home’ vibe that he got used to very quickly, Esme and Carlisle making him feel as though he was part of their family from day one. He got along with Jasper easily as they would talk about history for hours; exchanging ‘war stories’ at times too. Emmett and Alec bonded over Emmett’s computer games; Alec would often beat him at Mario Cart, but would lose to him when playing Killer Instinct. Alice reminded him of Jane when it came to her knowledge of fashion trends; the season’s newest colours, her love of shopping and having her nails painted. Rosalie taught Alec about cars and he was amazed by her knowledge and love of them.

The first term of school went by rather quickly; Alec and Ness joined the chess team and Alec is elected the team captain. They both scored top marks in their ‘team project’ for history; Alec having been around during that time gave them an advantage.

They went to a school field trip to the Seattle Museum; something Alec and Ness found interesting and amusing “Hey, I’ve just realised something” Ness said low to Alec; who raised an eyebrow at her “You’re probably older than some of the exhibits Alec” Ness whispered “Are you saying I’m old?” “No not at all Alec…I’m saying you’re ancient” Ness said laughing “You say ancient, I say experienced, young one” Alec replied smiling “Young one? – Ha. You’re funny Alec” Ness responded.

A few days later Jake arrived at the Cullen house whilst everyone was out except for Alec and Ness “Ness! Ness! Where are you?” Jake yelled as he made his way through the house; Ness purposely ignoring him “So Alec, I’m struggling with question four, can you please explain it?” Ness asked as she and Alec were doing their homework together. “Of course. So…” “What the hell Ness? Did you not hear me call you?” Jake cut off Alec “And why are you here with him?” “I did hear you call and I chose to ignore you and what does it look like I’m doing?” Ness replied “Don’t take that tone with me!” Jake growled out “You should be at home not here” “You don’t own me Jacob and I don’t have to answer to you” Ness replied “That is where you are wrong! You belong to ME” He growled getting closer to her “And I forbid you to spend time with him outside of school. Is that clear?!” Ness didn’t answer “IS THAT CLEAR?!” He growled louder, mere inches from Ness when black mist swirled around him removing all of his senses but one – hearing “Listen to me Jake. Ness doesn’t belong to you, she doesn’t belong to anyone. Ness can do what she wants, when she wants and with whomever she wants. If you ever speak to her that way again I will RIP you to pieces and burn them. Is that understood…DOG?!” Alec got louder as he spoke. “Ness doesn’t want you. You should leave…NOW!” Alec added calmly but authoratively and returned Jake’s senses; Jake was preparing to lunge at Ness but Alec was quicker he pushed Ness out of the way and threw Jake across the room. Jake crashed through the glass balcony doors and landed in a heap outside, right at Emmett’s feet. “I think that means you’re not welcome here Jake” Emmett smirks as he steps over him making his way inside. Carlisle and Esme flash to Alec’s room to find Ness crying and being in Alec’s arms “You’re ok…I’ve got you. You’re safe…I promise” Alec whispered and tightened his hold on her. Carlisle and Esme took a seat on the bed and Alec filled them on Jake’s visit and apologised for the damage to the doors.

The High School decided to throw a ‘Winter Masquerade Ball’ with the emphasis on being the ‘mystery behind the mask.’ As ball got nearer, Alec and Ness went shopping for their outfits and masks. Ness picked a deep purple sleeveless floor length dress, a purple and black mask, and a pair of black shoes. Alec chose a dark grey suit with a deep purple shirt, a light grey tie and black shoes. His mask was black and grey. “I’m really excited, I’ve never been to a ball before” Ness said grinning ear to ear “I must admit it has been a long time since I attended a ball. The masters used to hold them regularly at the castle, but there hasn’t been one in quite some time” He told her.

Y/N attends the ‘Winter Masquerade Ball’ at the High School and Alec noticed her the moment she entered the school hall dressed in a pink sleeveless prom dress with white flowers scattered over the dress with a pink and silver mask. “Sorry Alec, am I keeping you from something or someone?” Renesmee asked with a smile when she noticed him look over shoulder towards the door “No…I…Er…What was you saying?” Alec responded “I was just asking if you think you’ll dance with anyone here tonight?” Renesmee replied “Well…erm…a girl in a pink dress just came in on her own, so I could ask her…but what about you?” “Go ask her to dance, I’ll be ok. I can ask Matt from English class” Ness replied “Thank you Ness. How will you which one is Matt, the whole point of tonight is the ‘mystery behind the mask’?” Alec asked curious “I heard Matt tell Lee what colour mask he’ll be wearing” Ness replied.

Alec approached the girl in the pink dress “Would you like to dance?” He smiled and held his hand out to her. “That’d be nice thank you” Y/N placed her hand in his and he led them to the dance floor.

They danced and spoke to one another throughout the night; never exchanging names. Alec found himself becoming intrigued by her; the way she moved elegantly around the dance floor with him, the warmth he felt holding her in his arms during the slow songs, her voice was soft and her laugh was quickly becoming his new favourite sound. “Would you like a drink?” He asked her “Yes, please a drink sounds good” She replied “Wait here. I’ll be right back” Alec made his way to the drinks table and got the girl a drink, making himself one too. He turned and started to make his way back to her when he saw her look at the clock and then turn and run from the room. Alec set the drinks down on a table of full of teenagers and followed her out; being careful to run at a human speed. He couldn’t see her; she had disappeared before he was able to say goodnight, before he could get her name or number, something he was going to do at the end of the Ball. He tried to pick up her scent, follow her to ensure she got home safe but that’s when he realised that he hadn’t recognised her scent whilst dancing with her, so that meant they didn’t have any classes together. ‘wait she had no scent, not one I can remember anyway’ he thought to himself. He felt frustrated as he had never felt so at peace around a human before and now he’s lost her;  the only reminder that she was real, the only clue he had to try and find her was a silver shoe she left behind as she ran off into the night.

[prorevenge]

He Ruined My Sister's Only Birth Experience So I Made Sure He'd NEVER Forget Her

Kinda my revenge, kinda my sisters, both of us really proud. This is gonna be long so TL;DR at bottom. Here's our cast:

My sister - we'll call her "Sara" for the story Sister's Ex-BF - "Paul" Ex-BFs New Wife - "Jane" Ex-BFs Parents - "Mr. And Mrs. Doe" Oldest brother - "Zeke" Our parents And Me :)

When I was 14 and my oldest sister, Sara, was 22 we found out that she was pregnant with Paul, her boyfriend of 4 years. They immediately got engaged and they were really happy. For a time. Sara had a horrible pregnancy, about 16-18 weeks in the "wonder of creating a human life" evaporated within her. She developed hyperemesis (which if you don't know is really bad morning sickness), she was constantly in pain, she developed gestational diabetes, and just all around hated the experience. Around this time Paul, the then-fiance, started getting sick of the complaining. I believe the argument was "your body is built to do this, it can't be that bad".

Sara was due around Valentine's Day and Paul's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Doe, were very excited, both about the grandkid and the fact that he could be born on a holiday. She was very against that and really really hoped that her son wouldn't be born on a holiday, even one as small as Valentine's day (her birthday sometimes falls on Easter and she hates it) because it might make him feel that "his day" isn't very much about him. Well, Mrs. Doe says something like "Well if you name him Valentine or Valentino then that'll make the day even more special to him!" Again, sister HATED the idea. She thought it was tacky, he'd be bullied for it, and just really didn't like the name Valentino. Paul loved it, but agreed to go with a more average name like Daniel or Jared.

Fast forward to February and she was ready to Get This Over With. Sara had officially been put on bed rest because while standing or walking her blood pressure took unexpected spikes and dips. I look back now and goodness do I feel bad for her. She was doing her best to avoid giving birth on Valentine's day because, again, she didn't want him born on a holiday. Unfortunately, births happen when they happen and that baby was going to come on Valentines day whether she wanted him to or not.

I remember waiting out in the waiting room with my dad, brothers, and Paul who couldn't stand to be in the delivery room because it was "gross". I was so mad that he could have gone in but wouldn't because he thought my sister was "gross" while giving birth, whereas I had to stay outside because I was "too young" to go in with my mom and other sister. Dad went home with the youngest two brothers while the oldest, Zeke, stayed to watch me because I refused to leave. 16 hours after Sara went into labor my little nephew was officially part of the family on the evening of Valentine's day.

Unfortunately, Sara was not okay. She had to have an emergency cesarean section and while doing the operation discovered that the back of her uterus (facing her spinal cord) had a very large and very severe (thankfully non-cancerous) tumor. When I say large I mean it was twice the size of a standard uterus. The doctors were shocked and didn't understand why nobody had noticed it on an ultrasound. It accounted for her severe backpain and blood pressure issues. The doctors immediately went in for more surgery to remove the tumor, but sadly ended up having to perform a full hysterectomy. This meant that my nephew would be Sara's only child.

Now while Sara was in for surgery Paul was taking care of everything baby related to make sure his son was okay. In my 14 year old self's memory I remember him being suitably distraught, but I didn't really pay him much mind and spent my time in the waiting room with my mother and other sister. Zeke, however, wanted to be a good future brother-in-law and make sure that Paul was okay. He found Paul filling out the baby paperwork on his own looking (in my brother's words) "like he had not a single worry in his mind". Zeke asked why Paul didn't wait for Sara to fill out the paperwork as she should have been put of surgery within the hour, and Paul said that he just wanted her to get her rest and heal. That checked out with Zeke, as he was 16 and didn't know any better at the time.

Now I know what you're probably thinking. "No, he wouldn't. He knows how much she hates that name. And still, she'd need to sign the paperwork too!" My fellow peoples of Reddit, I regret to inform you that Paul forged Sara's signature on the paperwork and waited until she was out of surgery to hand said paperwork over. My sweet nephew, that was born on Valentine's day, was named "Valentino" on his first official birth certificate. I still to this day don't know why Paul and his family were so insistent about the name. He had even picked out a different one with my sister! And before you ask, no he was never brought up on forgery charges because his parents were "witnesses" to her signing the papers, even though they only got there at the last minute.

So Sara dumped him and got her son's name changed a month later. She was willing to do split custody with him because that's her son's father and she wants the kid to know him, but Paul vanished and she never heard anything back, which seemed weirdly out of character to us. Until a mutual friend on Facebook was tagged in his wedding pictures 6 months later. Paul had apparently started cheating on her not long after she got pregnant. Sara was livid but there wasn't much she could do so she filed for child support and continued to liver her best life.

Until 6 years later. This is where the revenge starts, my friends. So Sara has been a single mother for the past 6 years and has been amazing at it. At this point in my career I've been a hairdresser for about 8 months at our local GreatClips. I'm working one day and who is seated before me but Jane, Paul's wife, herself. I take her back for a trim and she clearly has no idea who I am. That adds up because a mutual friend that still keeps in contact with Paul said that Jane doesn't know a thing. She has no idea about Sara, that she was the other woman, or that Paul actually has a kid that he's been (infrequently) paying child support for. She's in the dark on it all.

I told myself not to be an ass and treat her like a normal customer, which I did. Now at this point, Jane was heavily pregnant, so a lot of our conversation was about that. She loved being pregnant but it was hard, her husband was so unsympathetic (big shocker), and she was due in 10 weeks and they still hadn't picked out a name for their baby girl.

Ladies and gentlepeoples, this was my chance.

I asked what kind of name she was looking for and she said "I want something unique and unusual, but not ridiculous like Brayntleigheigh" (you know the ones I'm talking about) and Paul had suggested so many already and she didn't like ANY of them. So I, conniving little weasel I am, said "what about Sara?"

My sister's name isn't actually "Sara" she was named after an older family member that passed not long after she was born, but there was no female equivalent for his name so our parents created one. It's a beautiful name and just what Jane was looking for.

She loved it, she stuck by it, and I found out by stalking her Facebook months later that she had put her foot down about it and that was their daughter's name. Now Paul has a daughter with his ex's name to remind him every day about her (and to also remind him to pay his ******* child support).

Little nephew is 10 years old now with a new name and no contact with his biological father, though we do still sometimes call him Val as a family nickname. He likes it but doesn't want to bring it to school so it's staying a family nickname. Sara pretends to hate when we call him that, in a joking way. As long as he likes it she doesn't have a problem with it. And she's seeing a new guy who's really great and like a father to Val. :)

TL;DR: My sister's baby daddy forged her signature on paperwork while she was in surgery to name their son a name that she had been avidly against from the beginning, then broke all contact when she dumped him and married the girl he was cheating on her with while she was pregnant. 6 years later I meet his wife and convince her to name her daughter my sister's name because the wife has no idea my sister and her son exist.

(source) story by (/u/AngelGuideIndi)

[luciferpens]

No one tells you where you went wrong || Aurora & Kass

What: Two people who never thought they’d see one another again -- meet up by accident and drama and pain come from it.  Where: Icaria Airport When:  March 10, 2021 Who: Aurora, Kass @kassmeifyoucan​ TW: Abuse, death​

Why the fuck was it this cold in Greece? She had checked her phone, it was barely warmer here than it was in Portland. Despite the grumpiness she felt, the woman continued her jog towards the airport. She was in such a good mood, hell, she didn't even care to cover up the mostly faded bruises from that stupid fight. Music pumped loudly in her ears as curly brunette hair swung back and forth in the ponytail she'd set it up in, making sure she didn't run into anyone along the way. Sure, this made her ribs ache and yeah, Zoey would probably scold her later but it was worth it. Everything just seemed worth it, now. Kassandra had even gone so far as to look up the local therapists and see who would be a good fit for her to talk to. She hadn't even felt the need, or desire, to write in her journal to her father. Not like he was actually paying any attention. Maybe this would be her chance to see if he actually did care for what she was doing here. Or maybe it would show her that another parental figure didn't give a shit. As she jogged to a stop in front of the airport, Kass stretched before looking down at her attire. Running shoes, black athletic tights, and a sports bra? Oh yeah, she definitely had to stop by Zoey's before she headed back to the Inn. With a smirk she moved into the airport. It didn't take long, talking to a representative about canceling her return trip back to Portland was actually rather easy to cancel. Feeling even better than she had before, she thanked the man before getting ready to head out the doors to get back to her jog. That was, until she ran into something very solid.

"Oh Gods, I'm so..." Kassandra started to say as she reached down for her phone that had fallen out of her hand, at least it had been what she'd started to do until she realized who was standing in front of her. "Sorry..." The last word was whispered as her mouth went dry, stomach doing flips as she stared into eyes that she never thought she'd see ever again. Dread instantly filled her entire being as she stood to her full height, a chill sweeping over her as she came face to face with her ex girlfriend. "Rory?"

— 

Aurora had just spent the past 17 hours between a plane and airports.... Dear gods she could not spend another second in a sardine can without wanting to rip her own hair out. It was 17 hours of crying children, whiny passengers, stuffy air and not as much entertainment.  It was 17 hours of people complaining about their legs being stiff, about the air being dry and running out of things to watch. Aurora had spent most of the time either sleeping, mediating or looking over casework so she hadn't quite realized all the issues until the last three hours -- when people's complaints became more loud and annoying.

She had spent ages now getting used to long fights, low entertainment value and tight spaces. Running a hand through her hair she slowly made her way off the plane after most of it was emptied and into a bathroom. Fifteen minutes was spent touching up her appearance and just stretching her body out before she strolled out of the room and towards the luggage pickup. She had narrowed down Jane's location to three places. The American government had bought her an apartment to stuff her things in while she found the woman and that was her first heading. Dump her stuff -- then find the girl. ��What she hadn't been expecting was to run directly into a physical human. A small oof escaped pink plump lips as Kassandra slammed into her chest. A warmth, a strange misplaced feeling fleeted in and out of her mind as quickly as it came. She bent down to pick up her passport which had slipped from her fingers at the impact, when she heard the familiar voice. "Kass....." she said as her eyes rolled up the woman's frame and to such a familiar face that without the years of training might have brought tears and pain to her eyes and face

— 

No. No, this wasn't real. This wasn't happening. Her ghosts were not coming back to haunt her on an isle that felt like a million miles away from the only place she'd ever called home. "You're not... No. You're not here. This isn't..." Kassandra took a step back, suddenly feeling sick. Or like she couldn't get air. Yeah, that one. Definitely that one. Blinking rapidly, she stumbled backwards until her back hit a wall. Everything began to blur as she felt her chest rise and fall too quickly. Before she could even realize what was truly happening, flashes filled her vision. For the first time in her life, they weren't visions of the future but flashes of her past. Grass stains on jeans as green eyes met light brown. Tears staining cheekbones as she cupped that gorgeous face in her hands. Children giggling as they pulled back from a kiss as innocent as they were. Teens gasping as they pulled away from the other, realization sinking in at how much they felt.

Kassandra stumbled outside, grabbing onto a nearby bench as she gasped for air. The panic in her lungs made them feel like they were on fire. Why was she here? Icaria wasn't allowing humans here so why the hell was her ex girlfriend here? Part of her wanted to ask but the other part wanted to run far, far away. "I'm seeing ghosts. This has to be some kind of... Trick." Had her father done this? Was this some kind of elaborate ruse to control her? To make sure she didn't stop siphoning him intel? "She's not here. She's not really--" Another gasp tore through her as her vision blurred once more, more flashes coming through. Climbing through a window after a car was safely down the road to turn out of sight. Heated kisses trailing down skin as a back was pressed up against a nearby bedroom wall. A playground and a duffel bag. "We’re in love. You told me that you… That you loved me.". Green eyes opened, head cloudy as she stared up at the sky to try and get her bearings.

— 

Seeing her ex, her childhood crush, best friend and confidant go through what almost appeared to be panic made Aurora's heart and stomach churn. She clenched her jaw just slightly, forcing herself to stop from moving forward, to stop herself from reaching out for Kass's hand to tell her it was okay. She knew she didn't have the right to do so. But damn was it hard to stop herself. "Kass... breathe." She said as the woman moved away till her back hit the wall. She placed her own hand on her chest "Deep in -- slow out." She said just barely above a whisper. 

She dragged her bag behind her, its wheels bouncing along the breaks in the sidewalk as she followed Kass outside. Aurora didn't want to overwhelm her -- but she did want to make sure she was okay. "Kass -- Kass please -- deep breath." She continued. Her brow furrowed as a frown formed upon her lips. "I --" She caught herself her own mind racing just as much as Kass's was -- how the hell her ex was here? She didn't know, didn't understand but she could assume. She could make the connections and GODS did she hate herself more for it. "Please Kass--" she said a hand out as if reaching for the familiar fame, wanting to caress and pull her close but hesitating before she could touch. "I'm not some sort of illusion"

— 

Kassandra heard that voice again, heard her voice again and it was like she was sixteen years old all over; like she was standing in that playground as the girl she'd fallen in love with ripped her heart from her chest and stomped onto it repeatedly. Slowly her breathing began to calm down and the panic began to leave her body. Unfortunately for the both of them, a calm rage replaced it. Green eyes darkened, snapping to Aurora as she stood up and ignored the way her hands shook by her sides. "So you're actually here." Her voice came out cold, calm. As if the small breakdown she'd just had, never happened. Her jaw moved back and forth for a moment, arms coming to cross in front of her chest. "Why are you here, Aurora? You shouldn't be able to... Did my father do this?" Kassandra took that moment to round on the other woman, eyeing the bag that Aurora had with her. Their faces were inches apart and it almost made her die a little inside because she could--Gods, how did she still smell the same? This was not fucking happening. " Did he send you?"

—

Sucking in her bottom lip her brow knitted together as she saw Kassandra's body language change from panic to -- something else entirely. Something some part of her brain recognized and instantly recoiled from. She felt adrenaline flood her 5'7" frame as her breath caught in her throat. Her hands squeezed tight causing her knuckles to whiten. The look in Kassandra's eyes and the tone of her voice didn't scare her like it might have once but it still caused her heart rate to spike momentarily. "I am?" she said with a bit of a tense questioning tone. "Shouldn't be able to what?" she asked blinking as her head tilted to one side. Her hand was starting to sweat from the tension that could be cut like a knife. The smell of old spice mixed with her own orange cinnamon lotion and caused a momentary flash of a memory to pierce Aurora's mind. High school gym class, Kass putting on her old spice deodorant as  Aurora carefully and quickly covered up a bruise on her side after a shower. Kass' smile as she closed her locker and snuck a peek at Aurora in her underwear. She sucked in a sharp breath shoving the memory off to the side, now was no time to think of that. "Did who send me? I came here because of work" she added a moment later.

—

That familiar scent of cinnamon and orange infiltrated her senses like a fucking ninja and Kass was transported back to yester-year. Not like the flashes she'd had previously, no, those were something much more tangible. This was just a fond recollection. Until it wasn't. Because anything to do with Aurora always ended in pain. There was no happy ending. Not for them. Not ever. And that most certainly had never been her choice. Eyes focused on the other gi--woman. Fuck, they were women now. It had been so long since she'd seen her, maybe not long enough. Curious, she thought as she noticed how Aurora flinched at her once she got into her space. She didn't like that feeling swirling in her gut, that blaring siren that was telling her to not invade her space. To not be such a bitch even though it hurt. Taking a deep breath to center herself, Kassandra moved back from out of Aurora's immediate vicinity. "Sorry... I don't... This is just a lot. You have to understand that." Pinching the bridge of her nose, the older girl let out a shaky breath as she tried to remain calm and not utterly hostile. "You're here because of work? That doesn't make any sense. You're not... Who exactly told you about this place? This island hasn't allowed..." Kass trailed off, swallowing thickly as she put two and two together far slower than she would have liked. "You... All this time?" Her face was incredulous, hoping that the grief and betrayal wasn't apparent there as well.

— 

Aurora ran a sweaty hand through her hair trying to control her breathing, to remember what the institute taught her about emotions, and control. She had to be in control. Or at least some semblance of control over her own emotions and actions. That was what she told herself, her only way to never end up in the same situation as she had spent most of her childhood. Flinching, showing vulnerability as Kass got close to her face was the opposite of that. How this woman, this one woman still had such power over her made something coil in her belly. A slow breath released as Kass took a step back and nodded her head. Oh she understood, she understood good and well how awkward this all was. How could she not? She had lied her ass off the last time the two had actually talked and for years after that she had to pretend she wasn't broken whenever she saw the other woman. "Yes work...." She said softly. "I -- I found out about this place because a charge of mine was brought here." she licked her lips eyes staying glued to Kass' "Humans?" she asked with a bit of a chuckle. "Unknowingly yes. I'm guessing the same was true for you?" Aurora said her tone even, barely a hit of happiness or surprise there. "My mother -- my biological mother," she corrected "Came to me after my father told me the truth. That was four years ago."

 —

That made it better at least, knowing that Aurora hadn't been something from her as big as that their entire childhood. But it still didn't make her feel any better, in fact it made her feel worse. She thought the lies had started after her mother found out she was gay but the more Kassandra thought about it.. The more she came to understand that they'd never fully been honest with each other. Not even from the start. Her eyes squeezed closed, grimacing as she thought back to every lie she'd ever told Aurora. None of them malicious. All of them with intent to protect her from whatever the hell kind of freak she was. And then she found out about herself but by that time it was already too late, they were broken up and it didn't matter anymore. They didn't matter anymore. Still deciding to keep her eyes closed, Kassandra desperately tried to keep her breathing under control. "I'm trying to wrap my head around this. Around you being here. I never thought I would see you again and yet... Here you are. Standing in front of me." Green eyes finally opened once more, landing on her ex, not realizing how her hands immediately did that thing they always did when she was antsy. As her fingers twisted together, pinching and pulling, Kassandra took this time to give Aurora a quick once-over. "I haven't seen you since... Since my mom." Kass cleared her throat, desperately trying to not let her memory go back to that day

 — 

Aurora could see the gears turning in Kassandra's head, she could understand the questions and pain rolling through her -- and she so wished she could just take it away. All these years apart -- and apparently she couldn't let go of wanting to protect Kassandra. She sucked in her bottom lip and lightly chewed on it. A nervous habit she had had since she was a toddler. "I'm -- not in a better situation." she said sucking in a long breath through her lips.  She wouldn't lie, she really never had expected to see Kass again -- but she was happy to see her. "Seeing anyone I knew, much less you .... here on this island was not something I was expecting." she said swallowing hard. Feeling and seeing Kass's eyes trail over her body warmed her cheeks ever so slightly. She returned the look glancing over Kass and stopping on her hands. "I'm sorry my presence is upsetting you...." she said quietly, "I swear, I didn't come here to interrupt your life or mess with you. I had.... no idea." Her voice had gone from more cold to more sad the longer she talked especially as she started to think of Kass's mother. She hated the woman for kicking Kass out; how anyone could disown a child for that -- disown Kass for that infuriated her. "Yeah....It's been a long... time" she said pushing her own memories of the funeral and that time away from her conscious thought. "H--How have you been?"

— 

'What life' she wanted to mutter out. She'd barely started anything here and now she'd gotten rid of the one thing that could take her far away from her ex because of what... Some kind of hopeful whim that she could be better? How the hell was she supposed to get better when one of the people that destroyed her was standing in front of her like nothing had ever happened. Kassandra tensed when Aurora asked how she was, looking at her former love incredulously. "Are you serious?" Once more her walls went up and the woman went on the defensive, arms crossing over her chest again. "You don't get to ask me that. How do you think I've been, Aurora? Do I look like I'm okay to you?" Kassandra raised her arms in a swooping motion of her body, fully forgetting that she still had bruises and healing wounds from the fight. Tears sprung to her eyes, whether they were out of sadness or anger, she couldn't quite tell which. "You don't get to just walk back into my life and pretend like you care. I buried us. I buried her. And look what I've become because of it!" Her voice rose only to break on the last word, lower lip wobbling. What had she become... Oh Gods.

 — 

“I was just — trying to be polite...” Aurora said her throat closing up as Kassandra snapped, and her arms swooped upwards. There was another flash, another adrenaline boost from the movement. She had to repeat to herself the mantra her therapist taught her to calm down Deep in, deep out, you are safe she repeated before actually taking a moment to truly look over  Kass’s body. The bruises — the pain in Kass’s voice. It was so familiar so painful she felt a bit more of her heart snap and ache to reach for her. “Kass — why? What happened?” she said a hand moving as if to reach for her, then clenched shut and fell back to her side. “Its not pretending. I do care. I’ve always cared Kass.” she said her voice dropping, and for the first time pain and hurt danced their way into her tone. “I dont know what you’ve become Kass, I just know who you were. I know that burying your mother was fucking hard and I should have known you wouldn’t have been there you— didn’t need to be there to deal with that bullshit. But Kass, you weren’t the only one who buried multiple things that day.”

 — 

Kassandra shut her eyes, trying to ignore the memories that flew through her mind of the fight. Of those words that horrible woman had thrown her way, bringing all the darkness of her past to the forefront. "My demons came to haunt me, that's what happened. And now the one person I thought..." She stopped herself, not wanting to say the rest out loud. Not with how Aurora was looking at her with those brown eyes, like she was broken. For one brief and shining moment she had thought that that wasn't the case. That maybe she could be better. That things with Zoey were a precursor of things to come. Progress to be had, progress to be found. Except that had all flown out the damn window the second she'd ran into her. Green eyes flashed as they shot open at Aurora's remark about how she has always cared. She felt herself beginning to tense up, beginning to brim with white-hot anger. She wanted to shout at her but her ex kept talking and kept saying things that made her heart feel like it was being torn out of her chest piece by piece. "You've always cared." Her lip quivered, this time not out of sadness but out of thinly-veiled rage. "You destroyed me! You broke me until I couldn't breathe. I was so utterly and hopelessly in love with you. I wanted no one else but you. Ever. It was you when we were five and it was you when we were fifteen and you..." She took a sharp inhale, tears now streaming down her cheeks. "You took all that love and when it got hard you threw it away! You threw us away! Whatever you buried that day... It wasn't us. You did that when we were sixteen.”

— 

Her brow furrowed as she listened to Kassandra talk, the idea that someone had hurt Kass -- that someone had the audacity to hurt her... She sucked in a breath. How did she still care so deeply about this woman after so many years away? After she had hurt Kassandra so damn badly. She had had good reason.... but that didn't negate the pain Kass felt, or the pain she felt from it as well of course. The hatred and vitriol that Kass felt towards her was well earned. She just so wished she could explain without sounding like she was making excuses.  She clenched her eyes shut as Kass spoke, it wasn't loud, but it was harsh and sharp and --- her breath was blown away. Aurora continued to repeat the mantra, continued to tell herself she was okay, that this would be okay if she just fucking breathed.  "I -- " she kept her eyes shut taking one last deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth before she let them flutter open and lock on with green eyes that made her stomach flip and her body ache. The tears on Kass's face only made it worse. "You're not wrong. I buried us the moment your mother showed up at my house after kicking you out and told my mother what happened. I buried us the moment my mother gave me this scar" she motioned to her cheek where a thin scar was unable to be fully covered by makeup, " and threatened me and you within an inch of my life" She started as the uber pulled up, the driver stepping out. She glanced over her shoulder and then glanced to her bag -- apparently the driver could even feel the tension and he quietly moved to her and took the bag loading it up and then slipping back into the car as Aurora's attention refocused on Kass.

"I had to burry us to keep her rage in check. I buried any hope of ever explaining to you that truth when you didn't show up to your mother's funeral and I was finally free of both of them. I buried your mom, my mom and our relationship in one evening." She said her tone cool and calm. "I'm sorry Kassandra, I will never stop being sorry for the pain I caused you.  I will never stop being sorry for breaking both our hearts that night in the park. And I'm sorry for showing back up here-- now in your home and throwing all this at you. But I swear I'm here for work and I will do my best to leave the moment I can so you never have to see my face again." She moved to the car and opened up the door. "I'm sorry Kass. Really. I am. I'll do my best to avoid you while I'm here. I -- hope your bruises heal quickly" she said biting her lip, as she sucked in a breath. Her eyes lingered on green for a moment; taking in every detail trying to remember -- to erase the bruises and the pain and just see the girl she loved so long ago.

 —

People talked about when they felt their heart stop in the movies or in books. Kassandra had never known that feeling. Nothing written on pages or emulated on a screen could prepare her for the whiplash that hit her as her eyes trailed to a scar on that beautiful face that she'd tried for so many years to forget. Her heart crashed in her chest, squeezing painfully and it was like... Like the breath had been ripped from her lungs. Her vision was spotty as she stood there, mouth opening and closing in shock. It didn't even register to her that Aurora was getting into the car and driving away until someone else walked out of the airport, walking in front of her. "I..." Her voice broke out, all the rushing in her ears crashing down around her as she stumbled away until she was out of sight of the airport. Of anyone. Her legs carried her to a section of the coastline that didn't get much foot traffic. The second she knew she was alone was when she finally broke. A loud and painful scream tore from her throat. Anguish felt from the depths of her soul as another soon accompanied it. Falling to her knees, she sobbed brokenly as she held her head in her hands. Fingers dug at her scalp, threaded in her hair while yet another scream left her. Her chest heaved up and down, faster than it should have as she stared out at the ocean. Tears felt like waves as they ran down her cheeks, hands now moving to clench into sand as if trying to find some kind of hold on reality. But just like the remnants of her former life, the sand slipped through her fingers until she was left clawing at nothing but her own skin and bones. Clawing until her palms bled. Until her hands ached. How had she never known that about Aurora? How had she been so fucking blind? Her stomach churned, bile filling her throat until she swallowed it down. Buried along with her sins.

"What have I become..." The words were whispered to no one but herself as she fully collapsed on her side, face laying on the sand as she stared out at the waves that began to gently lap against the shore. "I really... She was right." Kassandra took a ragged breath, eyes red from crying as she remembered the word her mother had called her before she'd kicked her out. She hated the word but it was true. It was the only thing that had fit. "I am so... Worthless..." Her breathing slowed as she let her eyes fall closed, not caring as she let darkness overtake her vision. The ocean waves lapped calmly on the sand as Kassandra fell asleep from pure exhaustion, thankful for a reprieve from the demons she'd thought she had buried.

[pierrotdameron]

Of all the roles in James McAvoy‘s character Rolodex, which includes Xavier in the X-Men movies and Bill in this year’s It Chapter Two, the actor is most precious when it comes to Lord Asriel in HBO’s His Dark Materials. “I’m probably even more precious about Asriel than they may want me to be sometimes,” the actor tells EW, speaking of the show’s executive producer Jane Tranter and writer Jack Thorne.

The creators were in a bind. As McAvoy tells it, two actors previously backed out from playing Asriel “at the last minute,” leaving Tranter and Thorne “scrambling” to find a replacement. McAvoy, as it happens, visited the home of Kathleen Crawford, the show’s casting director. They were just casually “waxing lyrically” about the source material, author Philip Pullman’s Dark Materials trilogy.

[...]There are so many layers to this story. There are daemons, physical manifestations of human souls that exist outside the body as talking animal companions; the Magisterium, this world’s reigning religious institution that claims an authoritarian hold over the populace; and the journey of a child discovering herself while on an inter-dimensional journey. “I was fanboying,” McAvoy recalls of that meeting with Crawford. “Really just getting in deep as fans.”

Two weeks later, McAvoy got the call to take over the Asriel role — on the Friday before filming was to begin that Monday, no less. “I was like, ‘Look, I can give you 10 days worth of filming if you can make it work.’ And they made it work,” the Glasgow-born actor says. “I had to go up and do It 2, so they squeezed in 10 days of filming before It 2 and then squeezed in 10 days of filming at the end of It 2.”

Now, after shooting his part in the first two seasons, which shot as close together as possible for logistical reasons, McAvoy “really knows the part inside out” to the point where he drives everyone “slightly nuts.” His words, not ours. Game of Thrones actress Indira Varma first introduced McAvoy to Pullman’s novels during work on 2001’s London theater production of Privates on Parade, and he quickly transformed into a “humungous fan.” It’s why he and the creative team on the series have “a thousand, gazillion” conversations on certain elements of the adaptation.

“The narrative drive you need for a TV show or a movie isn’t the same as the focus and attention that you can pay in a novel,” he muses. “Missing things isn’t necessarily the worst thing, you’ve just got to do it right. If you do change something, if you take something away, you’ve got to show everything else tip-top and spick and span.” Asriel only appears in a few episodes — in the beginning of season 1, which adapts a small portion of Pullman’s Book of Dust prequel novel, and one in the finale — but McAvoy’s biggest conversations were about getting such a high fantasy concept across to viewers so that finale would make sense. “In episode 8,” he explains, “there’s a lot of work to do, and incredibly intellectual and metaphysical conversations that Asriel has with Lyra that the audience needs to understand in order for them to have more than a ‘what the f— is going on in this crazy multifaceted and multilayered multiverse that is His Dark Materials?'”

One scene he shot, though it’s unknown if it will make the final cut of the season, is an interaction between Asriel and his snow leopard daemon Stelmaria (voiced by Helen McCrory) that he found intriguing. He describes it as a “slightly argumentative nature” between the two characters. “Asriel really won’t let anyone argue with him,” McAvoy points out. “He doesn’t really accept anyone else’s opinion except his own. So, it was quite interesting to have him warring with himself and have her warring with herself. They are still very much allies, he’s not at odds with his own soul in the way that the [younger Asriel] from The Book of Dust is, but there’s a bit of antagonism between the two of them.”

It’s really in season 2, adapting The Subtle Knife, the second installment of Pullman’s trilogy, that McAvoy can deeper explore aspects of Asriel that aren’t laid out in the source material. “His absence is a big original factor for Lyra and it’s important to be mysterious,” McAvoy says. “So, we can explore further but actually you end up demystifying him somewhat. He needs to remain an enigmatic and slightly mercurial figure in Lyra’s view. His personal journey is huge but he’s very static in his movement, he’s very solid in his position up to the very end and then everything changes for him.”

At the time EW spoke with McAvoy in mid August, a few weeks after the show’s presentation at San Diego Comic-Con, this super fan said he still hadn’t met Pullman in person, though he expected to at some point. “I’m not bothered about that. That’s alright,” he says. “I’ve had bad experiences meeting the authors that I’m dramatizing in the past, so if I don’t meet him, I might be okay. I sometimes feel it’s better not to meet your heroes.” That, however, is a story for a different time.

[alicedoessurveys]

Doctor Who Tag

yes im a nerd...

CHILDHOOD

1. Did you like DW as a child?

I was 10 when it came back on telly with Eccleston and the first episode with the autons scared me so much my mom wouldn't let me watch it again until a couple years later, but yeah my teens I was obsessed with DW... still am at age 25

2. Your age at the time of the revival?

10

3. First DW episode you ever saw?

‘Rose’

4. Did you have any of the toys?

I still have the eleventh doctor’s screwdriver... I used to have some of the figures but there in storage now somewhere

5. Which DW character did you play on the playground?

didn't play it on the playground

6. Monster(s) that scared you most as a child?

all of them! the ones that still scare me now are the Cybermen and the Autons... genuinely cant walk past a shop mannequin without being suspicious 

7. Joke/story you didn’t get as a kid?

as a kid, any of the innuendo type jokes

8. DW opinion that has changed since you were a kid?

idk I think I still have the same opinions

9. Who introduced you to DW?

parents

10. Did you like Sarah Jane Adventures as a child?

I LOVED SJA!! I miss that show, and Elizabeth Slade :(

DOCTOR

11. Who is your Doctor?

Ten was the doctor that made me fall in love with Doctor Who 

12. Your favourite Doctor?

omg why not just ask me who my favourite child is... (I don't have kids but you know what I mean) if I had to chose my top three are ten, eleven and thirteen

13. Least favourite Doctor?

purely just because he doesn't have enough episodes... nine...

14. Best regeneration?

none of them I hate regenerations :( they make me sad, im too emotionally invested in every single one

15. Do you like “Doctor-Lite” episodes?

they're not my faves

16. Who is the most human Doctor?

I think nine maybe? or twelve?

17. Best multi-Doctor story?

the 50th anniversary special 

18. Best Doctor monologue?

“Hello Stonehenge! who takes the pandorica, takes the universe. but bad news everyone, cause guess who? HA! You lot you're all whizzing about- its really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute because I AM TALKING. Question of the hour is, who's got the pandorica? Answer, I do. Next question, who's coming to take it from me? Come on, look at me! No plan. No backup. No weapons worth a damn. oh and something else, I don't have anything to lose. So, if you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship with all your silly little guns and you've got any plans on taking the pandorica tonight... just remember who's standing in your way. remember ever black day I ever stopped you and then- AND THEN- do the smart thing... let somebody else try first.”

not copied and pasted, remember that from the top of my head... its always there waiting in my mind incase I ever need an epic monologue :’)

19, What do you think TenToo/MetaCrisis Doctor is doing now?

hopefully living his best life with Rose

20. Best Doctor/companion pairing?

ten and donna 

COMPANIONS

21. Favourite companion?

Donna, Clara, Amy

22. Favourite secondary companion?

is Mickey classed as secondary? idk

23. Least favourite companion?

Ryan

24. Best TARDIS Team?

Doctor, Amy and Rory

25. Most underrated companion?

Graham, but that may just be cause I love Bradders

26. Most overrated companion?

Rose... I like her but idk, I think she gets more hype than she deserves.. don't @ me

27. Favourite companion’s family?

Rose’s mom

28. Who should have been a companion but wasn’t?

idk I cant think of anyone

29. Favourite (canon or non-canon) DW universe relationship?

Amy and Rory

30. Who did you not used to like, but really like now?

wasn't keen on Bill at first but by the end I really liked her, same with Rory

EPISODES

31. Favourite episode ever?

girl in the fireplace

32. Least favourite episode?

most of Chibnall’s episodes tbh sorry not sorry 

33. Which episodes do you skip?

the regeneration episodes

34. Best two-parter?

Human Nature - Family of Blood

35. Historical, present day or futuristic episodes?

I like them all in there own way but I think present is fave, then historical, then future

36. Episode that will always make you smile?

all of them

37. Episode that will always make you cry?

Rory and Amy’s last episode :’(

38. Best run of episodes?

ugh I cant answer this theres too many 

39. Best cliffhanger?

the end of Spyfall part one when the Master reveals who he is... I was SHOOK

40. Favourite Christmas special?

Voyage of the Damned

SERIES

41. Classic Who or New Who?

new who

42. Favourite series?

four or five

43. Least favourite series?

eleven, I just cant with the writing

44. Which series do you skip?

none

45. Favourite series opening?

eleventh hour

46. Favourite series finale?

Doomsday

47. Best series arc?

Bad Wolf

48. Thoughts on series 11/12?

I adore Jodie Whittaker and her doctor, and although I think 3 companions is too many I do love Yaz and Graham (Ryan is hit & miss). I just think theyve been massively let down by the stories/writing... they’ve tried to hard to tick certain boxes and completely missed what Doctor Who is about for a lot of people.. an escape from the real world into these outrageous unbelievable but lovable fun alien adventures 

49. How much of Classic Who have you seen?

not a lot

50. Who should have had another series?

NINE NINE NINE NINE NINE 

MONSTERS

51. Favourite monster/villain?

the master 

52. Most creative monster?

Weeping Angels, whoever came up with monsters that look like statues and only move when you're not looking at them is genius 

53. Monster(s) that scares you most?

Autons, Cybermen, the creepy dolls from Night Terrors, the ones from Waters of Mars, Weeping Angels

54. Monster you think is too easy to defeat?

idk

55. Least favourite monster/villain?

absorbaloff

56. Monster you want to return?

The Master, I really hope that isn't the last we see of Dhawan

57. In your opinion, what makes a monster good?

being genuinely scary, 

58. Daleks, Cybermen or Weeping Angels?

Weeping Angels

59. Best Dalek story?

Daleks in Manhatten

60. Best one time villain/monster?

my brain has gone blank I cant think of an answer right now 

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL

61. Torchwood or Sarah Jane Adventures?

SJA

62. Favourite Torchwood Team member?

I haven't watched it all so I couldn't say 

63. Which Torchwood death made you saddest?

again, not watched it all 

64. Do you rewatch COE or MD?

huh

65. Favourite SJA Team member?

Sarah Jane

66. Mr Smith or K-9?

K-9

67. Maria or Rani?

Rani

68. Do you read the comics/novels or listen to Big Finish?

Nope

69. If you do, your favourite additional stories?

n/a

70. Do you like DW analysis (video essays, fan theories, etc)?

yes

DESIGN/PRODUCTION

71. Favourite piece of alien tech?

the sonic, I love how it is so multipurpose except for when it comes to wood 

72. Favourite piece of Murray Gold music?

I am the Doctor - gets me pumped every time 

73. Favourite TARDIS design?

Ten’s Tardis 

74. Has the 2005 era CGI aged well?

actually yeah, I was rewatching the ‘are you my mummy’ episodes the other day and my God when the gas masks emerged from the faces... ooooooof I was like omg how 

75. Favourite Doctor outfit?

eleven or thirteen

76. Monster with the best design?

not really a design more of a costume.. I live Dhawan master’s costume. that shade of purple, oof he so stylish 

77. Best show runner?

idk

78. Best writer?

Gatiss

79. Best opening titles?

eleven’s titles where the Tardis is flying and being zapped is cool but thirteens music hits different 

80. Will DW age well/stay popular in the future?

I hope so, I feel like its lasted this long surely it can last forever.. if the writers don't fuck it up... 

IF YOU WERE IN THE SHOW

81. Time period you’d want to go with the Doctor?

whatever time means Id get to wear the most beautiful costumes

82. Planet/place you’d want to go with the Doctor?

Galifrey, pre-desctruction

83. Doctor you’d most like to travel with?

any of them, please and thank you

84. Companion you’d most like to travel with?

donna, sceso a good laugh but also I feel like she’d look after me 

85. Monster you’d like to defeat/fight?

The Master 

86. If you could go back on your own history (like Father’s Day), where would you go?

back to when I was a toddler, I wanna see what I was like 

87. If you could ask the Doctor anything, what would you ask?

theres too many to ask 

88. Historical figure you’d like to meet?

Shakespeare

89. How do you think you’d meet the Doctor?

id probably be rescued from doing something stupid and then the doc would be like you know what the bitch clearly needs supervision she's coming with me 

90. Would you travel forwards or backwards in time first?

backwards

IF YOU MADE THE SHOW

91. Historical event would you like to see in DW?

Hamilton

92. Issue you’d like to see addressed in DW?

idk 

93. Who would you completely erase from the DW universe?

Ruth

94. One unanswered DW question you’d love to know the answer to?

where is Clara now?

95. Actor/actress you’d like to see play the Doctor?

Phoebe Waller Bridge (or Lin Manuel Miranda)

96. Actor/actress you’d like to see play a companion?

Andrew Scott (yes I did just basically recast fleabag and hot priest)

97. Is DW “too political”?

series 11 got a bit like that 

98. Which characters fate would you changed?

Danny Pink

99. What about DW could be improved?

I think ive made my options about Chibnall pretty clear... 

100. If you could write an episode of DW, any ideas for what you’d do

bring back Jenny, the Doctor / Daughter adventures they would have. I’m actually writing a fic about it if you wanna read.... here

[is0gild]

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 10

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 7,783

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

It’s times like these that I really do wonder which is more nerve-racking: being thrust into a social interaction unwillingly with a whole bunch of people? Or unwittingly with just one single, solitary person?

With the large group, it was definitely and without a doubt overwhelming. Just finding the strength alone to speak up and join in the conversation was a skill that still escaped me. And even if you did manage to get so much as two words out, that meant all eyes were suddenly on you. What if you talked too much? Or too little? What if you forgot what you were saying at all? Or worse, what if you said something stupid? What if you embarrassed yourself so bad that there’d be no showing your face ever again in the light of day, much less to another human being?

Which, if I’m being totally honest, I would probably find kind of amazing.

Hermit for life, yo.

But then, there were also advantages to the crowd. The biggest one being that an antisocial, cave-dwelling troll like me? More often than not could get away with saying nothing at all. Everyone else could handle all the chit-chat while I simply faded into the background and soaked up the ambiance. That way, I could just make an appearance and give the illusion of being socially active without actually being socially active.

One-on-one exchanges, on the other hand? Now those were a whole other beast. No, make that whole other species.

There was no fading into the background here. There wasn’t even a background to fade into. All there was was you and the other person. A person you were expected to carry half of the conversation with. When put on the spot like that with someone I barely knew, forget having a back-and-forth dialogue like a normal and well-adjusted friggin’ adult, I was lucky if I got anything out of my mouth more sophisticated than “uh” or “um.” Then there were the awkward silences where I’d frantically try to come up with something, anything to say only to have my useless lump of a brain play possum and draw a total blank. I died a thousand and one deaths in those damn silences.

And okay, sure, this was Lea we were talking about. An individual who by now I’d shockingly, and on more than one occasion no less, made reasonably successful small talk with. But a few minutes of a lunch break here or some brief, friendly banter while I was taking his order as my customer there was completely different than now finding myself alone with him in a booth at some random pub on a Friday night.

And besides, it was Lea. Lea, who I’d seen shirtless and slathered in ice cream. Lea, whose lips my lips had thrown themselves at within the first five minutes of meeting him. Lea, who-

Damn it, brain, really? Was now really the best time to be playing the highlight reel of Elsa’s Greatest Embarrassing Hits?

Needless to say?

I.

Was.

Terrified.

Anna Fryse, if you could please report to the table in the back right corner, your older sister is waiting for you and is in desperate need of someone to hide behind right about now.

Also, Anna, if you were ever planning on developing the ability to psychically read thoughts, particularly mine, now would be the time to do it.

...of course, for her to hear that message, she’d need to already be psychic.

And if she was, that meant she was ignoring me.

Which she totally would do.

Brat.

Checking back into reality momentarily, it was in this second that it came to my attention that I was staring at Lea without realizing it. Well now I realized it. Particularly because he was looking back at me with a smile. My heart flatlined, my face paled and my eyes darted away.

Oh god, I had been staring. Did he know I’d been staring? ...of course he did, Elsa you dope! That’s generally what two people do when they're sitting together at a table talking.

Talking. Right. That was a thing I should be doing.

Alright, brain, I know you’re doing your best impersonation of the sound of a mime convention in there right now, but I’m going to need you to work with me here. Think of a word. Any word. Just something to get the conversation rolling. Oh yes. I can feel it. Here it comes. And that word is…

Flamingo.

...seriously, brain? Hadn’t we already said all that there was to say on the subject of flamingos earlier during the little palm notes debacle? Need we bring that back up again? I mean, I do see where you’re coming from - once you ask a man what he does in his flamingo, what else more is there to discuss with him, really? Might as well just-

“Fabracadabra?”

Lea’s voice broke through my thoughts, drawing my eyes back to him.

Wow. Now that was a really good word.

Way better than my lame word. Pssh, flamingo? What was that even about?

Wait… his word was also the name of another one of our ice cream flavors.

He took a swig from his ale as he studied me for a second, cocking his head before at last shaking it. “Nope. Too fruity sweet. You’re the type o’ gal who likes something with a lil more...” he clicked his teeth together with a smirk, “...bite to it.”

I blinked, some of my tension relaxing. Then my lips were doing something strange. Was it that crazy thing all the kids were doing nowadays, what’s it called? I believe the term was… grinning? “You’re… still trying to guess which one is my favorite?”

“Just you wait and see,” he scooched around the booth to sit closer to me, sliding the Ifrit bottle along the table with him, “I’m gonna get it. Mark my word.”

Turning my head slightly, I gave him some side-eye. “...you seem pretty sure of yourself.”

“With good reason! I’m twelve-and-oh, baby. Haven’t been wrong yet. Trust me, your top pick off the Ice Palace menu is as good as called.”

“Who ever said it was an Ice Palace signature flavor?”

His head rocked back at that, then he narrowed his eyes, “You play dirty.”

I hid a smile behind my fingers. “Want a hint?”

“Nah,” he leaned back, propping his elbows on the high back rim of the booth and stretching his long legs out under the table, crossed at the ankles. “Hints are for game show contestants and lame-os who lack self-confidence.”

“And you certainly have no shortage of confidence.”

He beamed, closing his eyes. “Nope! Who has two thumbs and is one cocky ass mofo?” Said two thumbs pointed at himself. “This guy.”

A soft snort escaped me and I shook my head. “No doubt about that,” I murmured as I looked away.

You know what? Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad afterall. Actually, it was turning out kind of... nice.

My gaze settled on Anna and Kristoff out there. It was all the poor boy could do to keep up with my sister on the dance floor. She even tossed him out into a spin at one point, much to his surprise if the face he made was any clue. But he seemed to be coming around to the whole experience. It even looked like he might be, dare I say it, having fun. They both did. Watching the two of them had me feeling an upward tug at one corner of my lips.

“So how ‘bout it?” I heard Lea ask.

I looked back at him, quirking an eyebrow. “How about what?”

His eyes crinkled as he nodded towards an open spot out in the middle of the pub. “Wanna dance?”

Cue sound of shattering glass.

“Ack! My drink!” Rayne yelped from the booth behind me. “Sorry, I’ll pay to replace the cup!”

As for me? I’d choked. On what? My heart launching itself up into my throat would be my guess.

“W-with you?” my mouth blurted out without consulting me first.

“No, with Grand High King Fuddy-Duddy over there sporting the scar,” he tapped a finger to the bridge of his nose, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, with me.”

Why? Why would he ask-? What could he possibly be- Oh! Oh I get it now! He was just being nice! Yeah, that had to be it. He just wanted to make sure I had fun tonight. That I felt included. He was being a good friend. He really was a very sweet guy.

But me? Dance with Lea? Me? Who cowered and fled at the first sign of any form of human contact? Nope. Couldn’t do it. Quite simply no way, no how. Dancing with Lea meant I’d have to get close to him. That I’d have to touch him. Er… not to say that there was anything wrong with touching him! I mean, it actually might be quite pleasant to-

Wait, what?

Uh… let’s just put a pin in that wayward thought there and come back to it later, like say, oh I don’t know… never. In the meantime, Lea was still waiting on my answer.

I opened my mouth to give it.

All that came out was a squeak.

...let’s try that again, shall we?

Clearing my throat and snatching a wisp of my hair to tangle around my fingers, I at last got out a hasty, “No, I don’t think so.”

Was that harsh? It sounded harsh. Ugh, this is why I don’t do people!

He tsked and sighed. “It’s cuz I’m ugly, isn’t it?”

“What?!” I blanched before quickly shaking my head. “No! No, no, no! That’s not it! Not because you’re ugly! I mean, you’re not! Ugly, that is! Not at all! Far from it, you’re very-” I slapped both hands over my mouth, face roasting.

Shut up. Shut up right now.

I watched him bend forward, planting one elbow on the table and chin in his palm as he now eyed me with a wide, cheshire grin. “Do go on, I’m all ears. I’m very…?”

Oh this smug, son of a…

My eyelids drooped and I lowered my hands. “...very manipulative in fishing for compliments.”

“Guilty,” he snerked, leaning back once more and slouching a bit into the cushions. His grin twitched wider, “So, that’s a hard no then?”

I couldn’t help a tiny smile of my own. “Sorry. I... just don’t dance.”

“No worries. Figured you might say something like that. But couldn’t pass up the chance to ask either,” he winked, taking another sip of his drink. Then he paused, pursing his lips to one side and rubbing the nape of his neck. “...so what is your story anyway?”

Brow furrowing, I asked, “My story?”

He struck up a finger, “You’re twenty-two. Fresh outta college. Guessing Ivy League no less just by the look of you, but total shot in the dark there. And you just got your first job… in a mall food court. Which, ya know, absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it’s the type of gig that only teens, university students, and college dropouts go for. Take it from me, a dropout twice over now, but back at it again for round three hoping it sticks this time,” up the hand went again, now with index and middle digits crossed.

“Why didn’t it the first couple times?” my head tipped to one side.

Who, me? Trying to take focus off myself? Deflecting? Psssh, I would never!

He splayed a hand out over his chest, “Believe it or not, I wasn’t always the well-adjusted, level-headed and responsible individual that you see before you today.”

“Really?” I snorted, squinting at him. “Is that what I’m seeing before me? I hadn’t realized.”

“Shush, you. Trust me, six, seven years ago? I was a real punkass troublemaker. The kind of boy you don’t bring home to your parents, all about the sex, drugs and rock-n-roll scene, ya know? That whole college thing sounded lame to me, but all my friends were doing it, so figured hell,” he shrugged, “why not give it a shot? But me and college didn’t really play well together. I didn’t take it seriously, not really. So eventually decided it wasn’t for me and kicked it to the curb. Few years later? Thought myself older, wiser, ready to give the big ol’ four years and a diploma deal a second chance. But I was just fooling myself, I hadn’t changed one bit. Wasn’t long before we were parting ways once again.”

I folded my arms on the table, “So what’s changed? Why is try number three going to be different?”

Lea frowned up at the ceiling. “I guess you just hit a point in your life when you realize you don’t want to be slinging pizza dough at minimum wage forever. Even a screwup like me’s got dreams. Nothing too fancy... just maybe something like owning and operating my own place. Maybe a lil ice cream parlour by the beach, a real mom and pop kind of store.

“Ah, it’s silly,” he chuckled, shaking his head, “but either way, I know jackshit about running a business. And that’s why I’m back to hitting those books once again and this time I’m doing my damnedest to hammer some knowledge into this thick skull of mine,” he pointed to his temple. “I’ve really buckled down and, uh…” his eyes darted away, “...shall we say, kicked some old habits.”

“You sound like you really want to make it work this time.” I propped one elbow next to the Shiva, leaning my cheek into my hand. “I haven’t known you that long, but based on what I do know about you, I’m guessing there isn’t much you can’t do once you’ve really set your mind to it.”

“Thanks!” he laughed. Then his smile turned a shade wry, “Don’t think I didn’t notice you trying to change the subject on me.”

...fudge.

He went on, “You got my story, now I’d love to hear yours.”

“I told you already,” I frowned, my hands reaching for a napkin to start twisting between them. “My, er… my major didn’t work out. This job… it’s temporary and-”

Lea cut me off with a wave of his hand, “Yeah, yeah, I know what ya said. I’m more interested in what wasn’t said.”

I grimaced, my fingers strangling the poor paper napkin harder. “It’s… a long story.”

“I got time. Loads of it. Only if you want to talk about it though. No pressure, it just looks like you need it.”

Did I? What was that supposed to mean anyway? “...It’s kind of personal. I’m not even sure if it’s something I really should be talking about.”

His forehead wrinkled. “What, like it’s a secret?” Then his face brightened. “I love a good secret! Okay, how about this. Let’s do a trade. I’ll give you one of my secrets, you give me one of yours. Could be anything, big or small, just whatever you want.”

I blinked at him.

Apparently, he took that as a yes, for now he was hunching forward, bringing his face closer to mine and whispering, “So here’s one that only one other person knows and only cuz he’s known me since he and I were in diapers. Not even the kiddos are in on it. Okay, so, my first name?” He gave one more quick glance around to make sure the coast was clear before lowering his voice even further, “Not actually Lea.”

My eyebrows knit together. “It’s not?”

“Nope,” he shook his head. “Middle name. Go by it cuz I hate my first name.”

“Which is?”

His face pinched. “Axel.”

“...Axel,” I repeated flatly, one eyebrow arching.

“Yup. Apparently, my folks were total diehards for Guns n’ Roses. But the real kicker? The couple o’ useless junkies that gave me life were apparently too high off whatever drug o’ the week they were on to even make sure the name was spelled right on the birth certificate. So instead of having a rockstar singer for a namesake, I’m named after a goddamn skateboard trick all thanks to one stupid E that wasn’t s’posed to be there,” he grumbled, throwing himself back into his seat and slumping down, crossing his arms.

I just stared at him for a second, silence stretching. Then I spluttered and burst out in laughter, trying to smother it behind my hands.

“Wow, rude much?” he deadpanned.

“I’m sorry, I really am! It’s just, with the name and that whole story and your pout…” Oh gosh, that pout! I thought he was supposed to be twenty-five, not five. Still giggling but sobering somewhat, I continued, “I just couldn’t help myself. I really am sorry though, I know I shouldn’t have found it funny.”

“Bah, it’s fine,” he brushed off with a grin. “I’ve had my whole life to get over it and yeah, it’s a lil funny. But now it’s your turn, Missy. Gimme a secret. Anything’ll do. And don’t worry, I’ll be a lot nicer about it than some insensitive clods at the table,” he gave me a pointed look, smirk still in place to show he was only teasing.

Oh. Right. That. I’d almost forgotten. Though technically, I’d never agreed to anything. Then again, he did just kind of bare his soul to me. And I did just kind of ridicule him when he did. So maybe… in a way, I sort of owed it to him?

“I…” My voice wavered as I hesitated, hands mangling the napkin again. I gnawed my lower lip, looking down, hearing the thudding in my ribcage get louder. Finally, I squeezed my eyes shut and opened my mouth, not fully sure what was going to come out. “My parents… have no idea where I am right now. They haven’t for a while.”

His eyes widened slightly at that. Whatever he’d be expecting, apparently it hadn’t been that.

Hey, same boat here, buddy.

“Oh… I see,” was all he said at first, taking another slow pull from his drink now as he turned this new little tidbit over in his head.

And that wasn’t even the half of it. I hadn’t mentioned the type of family I was from. Or that’d I’d been in a relationship, no, engaged with a fiancé. Or that’d I’d left him at the altar on my wedding day. Or that when I had, I’d made the split second decision to abandon the only existence I’d ever known and was now stumbling through life with absolutely zero clue as to what the frick I was actually doing.

...yeah, that would have been a lot. Perhaps a bit too much for sharing time. I think I’d made the right call with dropping only this one tiny piece of the puzzle. At least for now. And who knows? He seemed pretty perceptive, maybe it’d be enough for him to read between the lines and answer some of his questions about me. Then again, maybe not.

At last he leaned forwarded onto his elbows, one arm tucked behind the other, and said, “Alright, I’m gonna take a crack at this and you can let me know if I’m right. Or not. You don’t even have to say jackshit, you can just let me blather on like the big lunkhead that I am who likes the sound of his own voice too much, which I’m used to so no worries, totally your call.” He paused, steepling his fingers to his lips as he seemingly gathered his thoughts. Then, “Up ‘til now, I’m guessing you’ve probably led a pretty sheltered life. One where you were maybe used to having all the decisions made for you. But then, for whatever reason or other, you recently decided to cut the cord. So now you find yourself out in the big, bad world that no one really prepared you for, scrambling to find a foothold, scared shitless and just trying to figure out what the hell to do with yourself, let alone with your future.”

Holy… how on earth did he…?

Swallowing hard, I fiddled with the straw in my cocktail and mumbled, “Wow, you are good. Ever consider becoming one of those windup psychics in a box that spits out fortunes on little cards?”

He snorted. “Sure did, but was too dang tall to fit into the glass case. Too bad, those lil dudes have it made.” Then he tilted his head. “...want some unsolicited advice?”

I shrugged, now absently stirring the blue liquid of my drink. “Sure, why not.”

“Get out there. Explore. Try new things. Right now, I’m guessing your worldview is very small, so you need to expand it. It’s the only way you’ll figure out what to make of your life. Cuz as glamorous as it is, I suspect you’re like me and don’t exactly want to be working the food court all the way up into your golden years.”

Now I looked up at him, a crease forming between my eyebrows. “...are you telling me to get out of my comfort zone?”

Lea chuckled, scratching his cheek, “Sure, I guess that’d be one of way of putting it.”

“That’s actually something I’ve been hearing a lot lately,” I sighed, sinking further down into my seat. Sure, it sounded good in theory. But in practice? Easier said than done. “...any suggestions on where to start?”

He gave a low hum, rubbing a curled knuckle to his chin. Then his eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers. “Got just the thing! Be back in a jiff!” Then he sprung up to his feet, one hand on top the table to catapult himself over it and out the booth. As soon as his shoes hit the floor, he raced off, disappearing into the bar crowd.

...okay?

Should I be afraid? Yes, I think I should be afraid. Very, very afraid.

My eyes squinted, scanning the crush of soberly-challenged people out there, searching for that distinctive fiery head of hair. Should have been easy given Lea was a living embodiment of Mount Fuji, but even so, I was having trouble spotting him.

A sudden blur darted out of the throng and landed hard on the cushion beside me, crashing into my side and distracting me from my hunt.

Said blur was Anna. Surprise, surprise.

“Whew!” she puffed out happily, sweating and fanning herself with one hand while the other crammed fries into her mouth. “That boy… Kristoff, was it? Man oh man, would he be in trouble if I didn’t already have a boyfriend!”

Both eyebrows shot up my forehead.  “Boyfriend?” That was news to me. “Since when?”

She froze mid-bite, shoulders stiffening and eyes going round. Then she snatched up her drink, slurping it down as her eyes shifted rapidly about. Then with a loud gulp, she at last let out a weak laugh, “It, uh… it’s new! Yeah, we… met… at the wedding! Sorry I didn’t tell you, I just didn’t want to say anything because I, er… felt bad! With, ya know, your love life all in the toilet and the bombed engagement and whatnot, so… heh…”

“Oh,” I averted my gaze with a tiny frown. At the wedding, huh? Was it someone from his side of the family? Or maybe a friend of his? Regardless, it didn’t really matter I supposed. I directed a soft smile her way, “I’m fine, really. There was no need for you to hold back. You know you can always tell me anything.”

“I know that!” she laughed, flicking one hand dismissively. “But please, it’s me. I have a new beau like every other week, so it’s hardly anything to stop the presses over! No, the real scoop here is what’s the deal with you and Lea? I wanna know everything!”

“Lea?” I creased my brow, making another quick visual sweep for the guy in question. Still no dice, but I did see Yuffie across the way playing a game of Darts with Meg and Terra. Though… could it still really be called Darts when the projectiles being used were more of those little ninja stars? Either way, it came as little to no shock when next a scowling Leon could be glimpsed making a beeline for the trio. “What about Lea?”

“Don’t play coy! I saw you two getting all cozy-like in this booth here all by yourselves just a minute ago!” her eyebrows waggled.

I scoffed. “There was nothing cozy about it. We were just talking.”

“And smiling. Like, a lot.”

“So? People smile when they talk.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Yeah, people. You don’t. Except for with me and Ray-Ray.  Plus,” and here she got in my face, jabbed a finger into my collarbone and paused with all the drama of Sherlock Holmes about to reveal the key piece of evidence at the climax of an epic murder mystery.  “...you laughed.”

Eyelids drooping, I grumbled, “I laugh all the time.”

“Nu-uh! And not like this, you don’t! Gawd, it’s been… I don’t even know how long since I heard a noise like that out of you. You can’t fool me, there’s definitely something between you two. A… a spark!”

A half groan, half huff escaped me. Anna was always like this. She’d binged one too many romantic comedies in her as of yet short existence on this earth. I’d been considering telling her about the Kissident, but now? Bad idea. Like, in all the history of bad ideas, it would just be the absolute worst. She’d have a field day with that one. Better to keep it on the hush-hush for the time being. “There is no spark! There’s not even a… a flicker! Or a glimmer! Or a glint! Not even a fizzle, okay? We’re just friends. Besides, I just broke up with a fiancé not even a month ago, so alleged sparks are the furthest thing from my mind, understand?

“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” she slyly brought the Golden Chocobo back up to her lips.

Eyes narrowing dangerously, I cracked my knuckles, “Methinks if the little sister doth enjoy breathing, she’ll knoweth when to zip it.”

“Methinks the little sister is zipping it forthwith!” Anna chirped with a two finger salute. There was a lull as she plucked another fry to give it a nibble. Then, “Sis, can I just tell you how amazing this is?”

My head dipped to one side. “What is?”

“This!” Her arms spread out wide before bringing both hands in to gesture at me, “You! Being out in the real world! Making it on your own! Meeting new people! Having a job! All of it! You’re different! It’s a good different! And this is just the start too, I can already see it, you’re gonna do great things. I’m so proud of you,” she cooed, pinching my cheek.

I swat her hand away, “Great things? Please, Anna… I scoop ice cream at a mall.”

“Yeah, for now! But that alone was a huge step for you. I mean, c’mon, if someone had told you a year ago that you’d be out from under Mom and Dad’s tyrannical thumbs and doing the whole independent thing, you’d probably would’ve just thought that person was spouting crazy talk.”

“I suppose that’s true,” I murmured, feeling the hint of a grin pulling at one side of my mouth. “I guess… I never knew what I was really capable of.”

“Well, now you’ve had just the kick in the rear you needed to find out!” Her smirk then slowly faded into a tiny grimace. “Listen… I’m so sorry about what happened. If I’d known how unhappy you were, I never would’ve let you get all the way up to the day of wedding bells before-”

“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize,” I shook my head, putting my hand on top of hers. “It wasn’t your job to save me, it was mine. I just… should have done something about it sooner. Then maybe things wouldn’t be the disaster zone I imagine they are now back at home,” I puffed out a heavy sigh.

Anna laughed, “You got that right! Mom and Dad? Still hella pissed! So any thoughts on when you’re gonna talk to them?” I winced, looking away. She hastily tacked on, “No rush or anything! And you don’t have to worry about me spilling the beans to them either about where you’re laying low! Take all the time you need. I just think-”

“Sorry to interrupt ladies!” We both jumped slightly in our seats as Lea made a sudden reappearance, skidding to a stop beside our table, eyes bright and ear-to-ear grin splitting his face in two. “But I’m gonna need to borrow El here for a minute!”

“Of course!” Anna giggled, standing up from the booth to clear a path out for me. “She’s all yours!”

Um… excuse me?

Don’t I get a say in this?

“Thank you!” he singsonged before snatching my hands in his and yanking me up out of the booth and onto my feet. “Come on, we’re up next!”

Up? Up where?

He started to turn but stopped, tapping a finger to his pursed lips. Then the smile was back with a vengeance as he picked up the Shiva and shoved it into my hand. “Lil liquid courage never hurt!” he gave a firm nod before taking my other hand in his once again and sprinting off, me doing my best not to spill the drink as I stumbled and tripped after him.

I had a bad feeling about this.

“Where are we going?” I called out as we weaved a path through the crush of people, ignoring the soft, weird buzz I was feeling where my fingers were interlaced with his.

Not breaking stride, he turned his head just enough to glance at me out of the corner of his gaze, eyes crinkled. “You’ll see.”

My bad feeling now had an added side of gut-wrenching dread thrown in on the house.

Particularly because I was pretty sure we were heading straight for the-

“Next up on the karaoke stage,” a female voice suddenly rang out over the speakers high above while the music coming from the jukebox faded away, “we have Elsa and Lea here to sing a duet for us! Please welcome them with a round of applause, everyone!”

The room erupted in cheers and clapping as we at last broke out of the dense crowd to find ourselves directly in front of the stage.

Aka my worst nightmare.

Well… at least at the moment.

My nightmares had a tendency to pass around the highly coveted and sought after “Worst” title, depending on which one was most pressing at any given second of the day.

There wasn’t that much to it. The stage was made of dark, polished hardwood with maroon, heavy velvet curtains hanging behind it to decorate the back wall. There were a couple of stands for the cordless mics accompanied by a lone barstool between them. And of course, the karaoke machine itself, front and center with a large screen on top of it for displaying the lyrics. As a whole, it was almost deceptively innocent looking in its simplicity.

But I knew better.

I’m on to you, you miniature torture chamber cleverly disguised as fun for the whole family.

“Surprise!” Lea beamed down at me. Then another tug at my arm and I was staggering to keep up once more as he brought me around to one side of the stage and up its stairs. I tried to put on the brakes, but my legs had turned to jelly, rendering them useless. Instead, it was all I could to stammer and splutter as he chipperly explained, “So as far as available songs go, it was slim pickings when it came to duets, nothing but cheesy love songs. But I think I picked the best one of the bunch, super energetic, should be loads of fun and-”

“No!” I at last managed to get out, jerking my hand free, whirling on my heel and marching back down those steps at warp speed.

He was quick to follow, grab me by my shoulders, spin me back around and guide me up again, still with that stupid grin in place. “Aw, c’mon! You asked me for ideas on new things for you to try! So here you go!”

“Who says I haven’t done this before?” I hissed, feet now scraping across the stage as he slid me along it.

Lea snerked through his nose. “I took a wild guess.”

“That was awfully presumptuous of you.”

“So what, you telling me you’ve sung karaoke?”

“No, but that doesn’t make you any less presumptuous!”

We came to a stop now next to the mics. He stepped in front of me and bent down to my eye level, his hands still firmly gripping my upper arms to keep me from bolting. “Come on, El! Do it for me! As a favor to a friend!”

I shot him a deadpan look. “Fun fact: we’re no longer friends.”

“Since when?”

“Since ten seconds ago when you dragged me up here against my will.”

“Pfft, you don’t mean that,” he finally released me, ruffling my bangs and rolling his eyes before stepping over to the mics, unblocking my field of vision. That’s when I saw it.

All.

Those.

People.

Watching. Murmuring. Waiting. I’d already known the bar was packed, but now, up here, sensing every single last one of those eyes on me, the place seemed to be all but bursting. There were just… just so many! I-

Wait, was the crowd shrinking? And not as is thinning out, but were the people actually getting... smaller?

“Oof!” I wheezed out a surprised grunt as my back collided with something.

Oh.

That’d explain it.

Apparently without me even realizing it, my feet had taken it upon themselves to back me away from the edge of the stage, away from the people and straight into the curtained wall behind me. My hand started groping about, looking for the edge of said curtain, latching on when I found it and sweeping it out for me to hide behind. Everything went dark.

I am stealth.

A ghost.

A ninja.

Sneakiness personified.

Unseeable, unknowable, and-

The curtain whipped away and I winced as light returned, revealing Lea standing before me. He laughed, “There you are!”

I squeaked, grabbed the curtains and yanked them in front of me once more.

Now where was I? Ah, that’s right… ahem! Unseeable, un-

The velvet curtain flew to the side once more and Lea hooked his hand in my elbow, pulling me out and back towards the karaoke machine. “Trust me, you’ll be fine!  You got nothing to worry about! I’ll be there the whole time, hamming it up and just in general making a big idiot outta myself, so no one's even gonna be looking at you. All you gotta do is stand there and sing your parts when they come up, 'kay? Song’s super short too, so it’ll be over before ya know it!”

My lips parted to tell him exactly where he could take his “super short song” and stick it, but was interrupted by the spotlights suddenly flicking on. One zeroed in on Lea, the other blasted me like a paralyzing ray and I just stood there, eyes wide and unblinking, mouth hanging open and alcoholic beverage still in hand.

Another wave of applause went up for us as Lea tossed me a mic. Frozen stiff, I made no move to catch it, instead just watching it dumbly as it arced up through the air before streaking straight down in front of me to clatter against the stage. He snorted, bent down to pick it up and put it in my free hand, pressing my numb fingers to close around it before he moved to stand in front of the other mic.

My breathing was shallow, my heart was a jackhammer and my feet no longer seemed to work, now just glued to this spot.

Oh god, was this really happening?

 That’s when the music started.

Apparently, yes. Yes it was.

The tune was led in by a quirky, rubbery bassline and a playful piano. Wait… I knew this song. Yeah, it was from a musical. The one full of leather jackets, summer lovin’ and grease lightning. Musicals were a good thing. Musicals were a thing I knew. Kind of a guilty pleasure of mine. Used to sing along with them all when I was little. It could actually be considered kind of pathetic, the sheer percentage of my brain that was still to this day crammed full of all the words to famous Broadway hits.

All that said though… it did absolute friggin’ zilch to calm me down.

“I got chills, they’re multiplying,” Lea started off, dipping his mic stand dangerously low and giving it a wide sweep around before straightening back up and removing the mic from the base. He was no Travolta, but his voice actually wasn’t half bad. “And I’m losing control,” he sang on, spinning on one foot once, twice, three times before abruptly stopping to point at me with a smirk, working some hip action. “Cuz the power you’re supplying… it’s electrifying!” His whole body spasmed from head to toe as he fell to his knees then full on faceplanted at my feet, causing me to jolt back a step.

 ...hamming it up? Please, more like going whole hog! Jeez!

My part was coming up in about five seconds. I could hardly hear the music anymore over the thundering of my heart or the hiss of breath hyperventilating in and out of my nose. That’s when it happened again.

Everyone and everything around me was suddenly in slo-mo.

Man, I really needed to get a handle over my powers of time control!

It was in this uncanny second of my wildly burgeoning mutant ability (ha, if only) that I spotted them. Rayne and Anna, in the front row of the crowd with big smiles to root me on. As I locked eyes with one then the other, my sister gave me an excited nod of encouragement while my roommate was mouthing something to me. Couldn’t be sure, but it looked suspiciously like the words ‘comfort zone.’

Then I looked down at my hand holding the Shiva.

...liquid courage, huh?

...fine. Let’s do this.

Nostrils flaring, I raised the drink to my mouth, knocking back several gulps before slamming the glass down on top of the barstool. Still shaking, I jerked the mic up to my lips, knuckles white around the handle. Like a dam bursting, the words started flooding out before I could even think them. “You better shape up,” oh gosh, was that a quiver I heard in my voice? My free hand down by my hip clenched tightly. “Cuz I need a man, and my heart is set on you.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Lea still flat on the floor but now propped up on his elbows and gawking at me. I looked away, heat flooding my face. Come on now, I know it’d been a while since I last sang so I was rusty, but I couldn’t be that bad. Stubbornness flaring, I took a deep breath and continued, words stronger now, “You better shape up! You better understand to my heart I must be true…”

“Nothing left, nothing left for me to do,” Lea came back in with a fierce grin as he scrambled up onto his feet. “You’re the one that I want!” we both sang the chorus as he landed to my right, doing the iconic dance from the scene in the movie, with a thumb hooked in the waist of his pants and swinging his hips to and fro. “Oo-oo-oo, honey, the one that I want!” In a shuffling side-gallop, he passed by in front of me to my other side and repeated the move. “Oo-oo-oo, honey, the one that I want!” Again with the side-gallop, this time behind me, and again with the little jig. I was biting back a smile. Well, at least he was true to his word… he really was making a big idiot out of himself. It was getting harder to stay mad at him. Harder… but not impossible. “Oo-oo-oo, the one I need, oh yes indeed!”

Lea now moved several steps over to his side of the stage, giving me room as the song shifted in preparation for the second verse that I was going to be starting off. I tensed, spine ramrod straight as I recalled what the next lines out of my mouth were going to be. Feeling my blush creeping all the way down to my toes, I wrung the mic in both my hands now as I stiffly brought it back up and squeezed my eyes shut. “If you’re feeling affection,” I wasn’t here, I wasn’t me, “you’re too shy to convey.” No, I was Olivia Newton-John at the school carnival, oozing confidence in a smoking, skin-tight outfit showing off her killer bod. “Meditate in my direction.” Oof, the next part. How did Olivia pull off that breathy purr? Maybe something like, “Feel your way.”

Harsh feedback screeched through the speakers, making my eyes snap back open. Apparently it had come from Lea’s mic, which he was clumsily fumbling to keep from dropping it. Now having it firmly back in grip, he brought it back up in time to croak out, “I better shape up!” He cleared his throat, banging a fist to his chest and now looking a little red in the face. I guess all that prancing around must have been catching up to him. “Cuz you need a man…”

“I need a man who can keep me satisfied,” I sang back, quirking an eyebrow at him.

Whatever his malfunction had been, he was now bouncing back, face brightening as he ran into a knee-slide, stretching a hand up towards me, “I better shape up if I’m gonna prove-”

“You better prove,” I rolled my eyes and shook my head at his antics, “that my faith is justified.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, hopping back up before my voice joined with his, “Yes, I’m sure deep down inside! You’re the one that I want!” The chorus started again and Lea grabbed my hand, catching me off guard and twirling me into a spin. “Oo-oo-oo, honey, the one that I want!” Now he pulled me up against him, flashing me a cheeky grin as one hand wrapped around my waist and the other took hold of mine, mic sandwiched between them. “Oo-oo-oo, honey, the one that I want!” Unable to resist any longer, a laugh bubbled out of me as he swept us around in circles in time with the upbeat music, bringing his mic up between our lips whenever we needed to sing the next line. “Oo-oo-oo, the one I need, oh yes indeed!”

The chorus repeated a couple more times, Lea continuing to dance us about the stage the whole time. Once when I was able to catch a glimpse out into the audience, I even spotted Rayne and Anna busting a move themselves on top of one of the tables, Riku on the ground frantically gesturing for his wife to get down. When the song finally started to fade, the room erupted in applause and whistles. Lea released my waist, but didn’t let go of my hand, instead tugging me towards the edge of the stage. There he raised my arm up high before he bent into a flourishing bow for the adoring fans, pulling me down into one as well. As we both straightened back up, a smile tugged at my lips and I breathed a sigh of relief as my heart rate finally began to calm down.

I’d done it. I’d actually sung in front of all those people and lived to tell the tale.  And oddly, I was even... almost kind of giddy about it? It couldn’t be that I’d actually enjoyed that? No. No way. That was just the adrenaline talking as it still coursed through my body which was finally getting to relax now that the danger had passed. I was just happy it was over with! Yeah, that’s all it was. It had to be.

As the bar quieted down once more, Lea returned the mics to their holders before jumping down off the front of the stage and pivoting around to smirk up at me, “Damn, El, why didn’t you tell me you were packing a gorgeous set o’ pipes on you?”

There that blush was again, creeping back up my neck. I gave a soft harrumph, “Stop, I do n-”

I was startled into silence as he picked me up by the waist, my hands hastily going to his shoulders as he lowered me down off the stage and deposited me on the floor beside him.

Okay… so that happened.

“I’m serious!” he pulled his hands back, planting them on his own hips as he hunched forward slightly. “You’re trying to figure out what to do with your life, right? Well, I think we hit a ringer here! Ever consider being a singer?”

I turned my back on him with a snort and walked away, heading towards our booth. “Oh, sure. I’ll just have to hire professional wranglers to drag me kicking and screaming up to the mic for every performance.”

“Oh, c’mon, it wasn’t that bad, was it?” he caught up and fell into step beside me. “You had fun and really got into it, I could tell!”

Only because Lea had been distracting me the whole time. “It doesn’t matter either way, only fools try to make a career out of singing. Do you know how hard it is for most people to make it big in the music industry?”

“Yeah, but most people don’t have a voice like yours.”

I groaned, “Please, can we just drop it?”

“Fine, fine, dropping it,” he raised his hands in surrender.  Then, “So… are we friends again?”

I side-eyed him, wrinkling my nose. “...probationally.”

One corner of his mouth twitched upward and he slipped his hands into his pockets. “I’ll take it! And hey, at least something good came outta our lil musical adventure.”

I gave him a questioning look, to which he grinned wider.

“I got to dance with you after all.” 

Author's Note: For those who don't know it, the song they sang is called "You're the One That I Want" from the musical "Grease" - a rather problematic musical at that (as I discovered from rewatching the movie while writing this chapter after not having seen the movie in over a decade) but I still love this song and you can pry it from my cold, dead hands xD Also I may or may not have watched 50 (thousand) youtube videos of couples singing this song at karaoke for IMPORTANT RESEARCH reasons before writing up this chapter. I must say, just simply writing the karaoke scene felt almost as mortifying as if I'd actually had to go up on stage and physically sing the damn song myself! I don't normally write songs lyric for lyric in my stories, but I just figured with what an anxious bundle of nerves Elsa is in this story, it was kind of important not to just gloss over and hand-wavy the karaoke. So yeah, I don't usually write singing scenes, but hopefully this one turned out halfway okay? Anyhoo, on another note, Elsa is a lot better at this whole holding-a-conversation thing than she gives herself credit for… once she gets over her crippling anxiety at the very idea of stringing more than two words together! And lastly, I found a way to give Lea both his names in this fic, woooooooo!

Next chapter, this thrilling night out continues! What further adventures in Friday night drinks await our hermit heroine? Is a career in singing ACTUALLY on the table for consideration or will it forever remain a pipe dream? Will Elsa ever perfect her ninja skills, which seriously leave something to be desired currently? Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you hit that like button last chapter, seeing that always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

[imagine-loki]

The Slutty Webs one Weaves

Title : The Slutty Webs one Weaves

Chapter NO. 3 of 10?

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki’s Asgardian wife learns women write fanfiction about him on a trip to Midgard. She’s edgy for the duration and lets him have it when they get back.

Author: lokilover9

Rating: M

Notes: Hello everyone. I will get to writing another chapter of Irked, but for now, here’s a mini crack fic. Should be good for a laugh or two.

Thor was bodybuilding to a song by Right Said Fred, when his phone rang. ...'I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy, it hurts…' "Hello?"

Tony held the phone from his ear and yelled. "DO YOU…" The music suddenly stopped. "...ever look at your call display?"

"Sorry, flying human. Was working my gluteus maximus."

"To the detriment of my earius drumius."

"Oops. How's life?"

"Riveting in the last twenty four hours. You alone?"

"Jane's in Vegas with Darcy."

"Perfect. Think you can you put aside selfies with groping seniors and visit me ASAP?"

"The cougars are more troublesome. Their claws resemble a bilgesnipes. Bloody frightening."

"Buy Hulk bandages. Well?"

"Sounds serious."

"It is. I've a friend that wishes to meet you and it's mandatory you oblige."

"Who?"

"Can't say until you agree to abide by our terms of said meeting."

"Tony, are you in cohorts with an enemy?"

"Thor, are you on crack?"

"Don't know what that is."

"The universe is grateful. Please listen. You cannot hitch a ride with Mjolnir, or come by plane. You must drive here and take every precaution to avoid being recognized or followed. Most importantly, keep it secret."

Thor gave his word and was blown away by what he learned. "Spoil her rotten if need be, I'll foot the bill. Do 'not' let her leave."

"I'm a billionaire ya silly arse, remember? Start packing."

After gathering his suit pieces from the sixtieth floor, Stark went to tell Brianna, but she'd fallen asleep following a bathroom break, halfway through the movie. When Pepper went in there to clean, it looked like a photo from Architectural Digest.

Upon waking, Little Warrior was thrilled to hear the news. "Thanks, Iron Man. Where's Pepper?"

"Out buying you clothes."

"Yaaay!" *****

Thor arrived two days later and instantly fell in love with the girl. She showed him similar acts of magic Tony saw, but still wouldn't reveal anything more about herself. Her abilities and resemblance to Loki were so uncanny, he was ninety percent convinced she was his.

"Your quite talented, Brianna. Why is it you wish to meet my brother?"

"Based on in-depth research, I believe he's a sorcerer, yes?"

"He is."

"Good. I was hoping to ask him some questions about my abilities. Do you think he'll come?”

"I'm sure of it. Will you please stay with Tony and Pepper until we return?"

“I’ll be here.”

Tony rode the elevator down with him.

"How did she know Loki is a sorcerer?"

"I'm questioning the same. Only Fury, his bosses and the other Avengers know. None of us would spill the beans. I suspect Brianna's abilities are more extensive than she's letting on. How will you convince Prince Jezebel?"

"Who?"

Tony deadpanned. "Loki?"

"Threaten to tell Astrid."

"If it comes to that, have mercy and offer the guy some earplugs. Her drama queening is like fingernails down a blackboard."

"My sister in law's wrath will be a walk in the park compared to our Mother's. She's my backup plan."

Stark recalled Ellen Ripley's experience with an angry, Alien queen then pictured a seidre in its hand. "Have a nice trip, big guy." ***** On the morning Thor returned to Asgard, Astrid woke early to find Loki pensively staring out their bedroom window. "What's wrong?"

"There's no easy way to say this, my lovely. You continuously speak of longing to start a family, but this sneaking off realm without a word..it's left me hesitant to believe you're ready."

"Why?"

"Your temper flares and you often act without thinking. I keep questioning had we children…"

"They would've stayed with your Mother." She angrily started searching for attire. "But no problem. I'll stay on the pill."

"Is this reaction not a perfect example?"

"Maybe I'm insulted you think me so dumb!"

She slammed the bathroom door, started the shower and he walked out. "Nice talk, Astrid. Love you too."

Following a meeting with Odin, Loki saw Thor hastily approaching within the corridor. "Brother!" He called in a disingenuous pronounced tone. "How art thou?"

Loki was dragged by the collar into a side room and assertively shoved him off. "I've repeatedly warned your bullying days are over. Do that again and find yourself in another dimension. Painstricken."

Thor locked the door. "I'm disappointed in you."

"I've an extensive list of mutual sentiment. Make an appointment and we'll talk."

"We'll talk now. Stark and I believe you've fathered a child on Midgard."

Loki proceeded to laugh. "Impossible...ludicrous. There isn't a female there nor here I haven't used a termination spell on."

"While they slept?"

"Precisely."

"What about the time you woke naked in a dumpster in California? With no recollection of how you arrived there after leaving a club with three women? Which one did you fuck?"

"None. The last thing I remember were two pleasuring each other on a bed while the third was on her knees pleasing me, when everything faded into blackness. Crazy bitches drugged me. I never saw the route travelled, the house number, nothing, but the inside of a bedroom and then the dumpster when a pigeon rammed its beak into my nostrils."

"You aren't making sense."

"I let them blind fold me in the car."

Thor choked back a laugh. "Midgardian females tricked the trickster?"

"Do I look amused? That was the last time I drank from a bottle I didn't personally open."

"Just listen?" ~ A half hour passed. ~ "I understand your lingering skepticism. At least come help the child. If you don't, Tony fears she may leave without him knowing."

"Fine, but what exactly am I to tell Astrid?"

Loki returned to his chambers to find a note on their bed; 'Gone to my parents for a week to cool off seeing as though you think I'm always angry.' He tossed it in the trash and left one for her; 'My turn to disappear. Janes on vacation so I've returned to Midgard to bond with big brother. Do say hello to your parents, my lovely. Kisses.'

"Satisfied, Thor? Now how do we keep Heimdall from tattling?"

"By leaving immediately. His new trainee is on duty."

"Maxome? That nincompoop will send us into orbit."

"Don't let appearances fool you. He looks like a troll, but knows his job. And Maxi Waxi takes bribes."

Loki's eyes narrowed. "Who are you? Impersonating a Prince of Asgard is punishable by death." *****

The bifrost vanished and Thor's phone immediately rang. "Slow down, Tony. We can take portal taxi to…" The call suddenly ended. "...the Towers underground."

Stark exited the elevator in hyperdrive. "Holy shit, am I glad to see you guys!" He poked Loki's arm. "E..specially..you, fornication fabler. Whatever big guy here told ya? I've an update. Not only is my guest up there adorable and a bonafide genius, but definitely of a life form I've yet to encounter."

"Have you been eating Count Chocula again?"

"No, but I know what you're thinking and get in line. Pepper already threatened to duct tape me to a wall."

"Relax, flying human."

"I'm relaxed every second I'm around that kid. Can't a guy unwind a little? This is me unwinding, okay? Stop talking because I'm talking."

Both Gods locked their lips with imaginary keys.

"The day after you left, Thor, I suggested Brianna and I bake cookies with M&M's, but asked she not tell Pepper as I get in trouble for sugar highs. Then I jokingly asked if she'd ever hidden cookies in her pockets and she said yes. 'Interdimensional pockets'."

Loki cocked a brow.

"Pshh, yeah, hello? The next day, she demanded to know where the clothes she'd arrived in were. Pepper had put them in the wash and Brianna raced to the laundry room, swung opened our front loader with magic, gathered them into a ball and screamed at us while her skin turned blue and eyes Ruby red. 'DON'T TOUCH MY STUFF! DON'T 'EVER' TOUCH MY STUFF!' I just about fucking shit myself!"

The God sighed. "You 'have' encountered that life form."

"Notta, buddy boy. I would've remembered."

"Are you wearing a diaper?"

"Huh?"

"Maybe you should be." Said Thor.

Loki stepped away and partially revealed himself. His skin turned blue, but remained human in texture and eyes reddened like Brianna's.

Stark backed into a pillar. "What the hell are you?"

"Remember I said he was adopted and later educated you on the nine realms?"

"Uh hu."

Loki returned to Aesir form. "I'm a Frost Giant from Jotunheim."

"Ha! I'm not a loon, after all!"

"No one thought you were."

"I knew Brianna was yours and Pepper wouldn't believe me! Wait, isn't that realm mostly ice? Can you conjure it out of nowhere?"

"Yes to both questions, but it's exhausting without the Casket of Ancient Winters. Why?"

"Whatever that is. Little Warrior can too."

"What did you just say?"

"After yelling at us she ran into her ensuite and we followed to find ice crystals forming around the edges of the closed door. It wouldn't budge and with our calls going unanswered for a good ten minutes, I panicked, took an axe to it and hacked into a thick inch layer of ice on the other side. Brianna was out cold in the tub, slept through the hacking to reach her, then for another seventeen hours. We were frantic."

"Take me to her, now." He commanded.

"Why the sudden urgency?" Asked Thor.

Loki had a foresight he opted not to share. "Shouldn't we both be eager to meet a child so skillful without the casket?"

The trio entered the elevator.

"You better not be thinking of turning Heimdall into an icicle again."

Loki bypassed him and eyed Tony. "Eh he he he."

"Screw you, Snowflake. These are jeans and a shirt. Not a silk, pink robe and yes I'm wearing underwear."

Thor smirked. "Ah, the Boopsicle story."

"That's nice. I'll bet he told you the pink fishnets story too."

Loki pursed his lips and Thor stopped smirking. "No. No he didn't."

Stark tried a witty save. "Pepper looked great in them. Sucks to be you for missing it."

"You let my brother see your lady in fishnets? I'd never let another guy see Jane in lingerie."

Thor was being so daft, Loki laughed harder and Tony frowned at him. "Asshole."

They exited and as Virginia approached with Brianna, amusement never left Loki so quickly. Thor had said she was young, but this child craning her head to look up at him barely reached the height of his hip. From everything learned of her, he'd imagined one sturdier, yet she resembled a miniature ballerina. So delicate and beautiful, how was she the daughter of a Frost Giant? Yet the evidence couldn't be denied. He was staring into a mirrored image of himself in female form. Her body structure, ivory skin and elegant features. The striking eyes, thick lashes and hair so black, hints of blue danced upon it like the feathers of a Ravens in daylight.

'"Hello. I'm Loki."

She offered a tiny hand to shake which vanished amidst his as her voice invoked a strange sense of familiarity. "Hi. I'm Brianna."

'Og Min Lille.' He quietly whispered. Then as overwhelming guilt struck from not knowing of her existence, she made him chuckle.

"Mythology states you're the God of Mischief, right?"

"Correct."

Her smile was enchantingly impish. A perfect replica of his own. "Then I believe we'll get along splendidly." She addressed the others. "Kindly excuse us. I wish to speak with Loki alone. Right this way." Brianna closed her bedroom door gesturing to a chair, then sent a blast of light from her hand towards the ceiling.

He watched it spread in a clear ripple down every wall and politely asked. "What did you do?"

"Created a special sound shield. We'll hear them, but they can't hear us. Unless I allow it." That and bypassing Jarvis, was how she'd snuck back to the sixtieth floor the previous night to retrieve a backpack hidden there.

Loki concealed astonishment as he hadn't mastered that trick until his early teens. "Very impressive."

"Thanks and for coming."

"A worthy venture to meet a fellow magician."

Brianna sat on the bed and gave him the strangest look. A combination of curiosity, bewilderment and resentment were he to guess. "I did tell Thor my questions regarded sorcery, but those can wait. First, tell me everything about your ancestry."

She couldn't have asked an odder question based on his secret foresight. "Why do you wish to know?"

"Because you're the only person who can explain exactly what I am, 'Dad'. Now start talking or Jarvis bites it."

[ivory-haired-queens-blog]

I just played ep 3 and you wanna know what things fucking ripped my heart out and fucking stomped on it and tried to shove it back in with scotch tape and glitter glue? SPOILERS, DUH.

*Also this might be the most in-depth and analytical thing I've done so... it's long.

A) When Louis picks up Minnie's crossbow and fucking accidentally shoots that woman and he's like "i..I didn't mean...fuck" or something like that. That fucking voice acting shredded me and I will never be over that. Louis, Louis of all people, the lighthearted jokester that just wants everyone to be happy was forced to shoot a woman in the skull! In one of the most grisly deaths in the season at that! Skybound can throw hands with me for that one. Also when Clem goes to get Aj Louis, even as broken and torn as he is at this point, he still tries to come with her. The best boy honestly.

B) Look, I know Lilly is the villian of this season. I'm fully aware of this. But she obviously still kinda cares about Clementine, as in ep 2 she said, and I quote "this SHOULD be easy." But it's not. It's not easy to shoot clem. But then she just fucking takes Aj? And then tries to strangle Clem on the side of the boat? And then when I mercied her and tried to let her live, she just???fucking kills James??? Like, I already didn't like James (I'm sorry James stans) but he didn't deserve that. And then the bomb goes off and we don't even get to Aj in time??? Like, 👊👊👊 throw hands.

C) When Aj talks about Clem getting bit and how he'd want her to bite him. Like, fucking James just had to say something. This boy is 6, maybe 7 at the absolute latest. He's impressionable, he learns from what he hears. You can't just tell him that walkers are still kinda human. If they had any shred of humanity left, they would not kill people. Especially those close to them, like Lee's brother tried to kill Lee when he was under that lamppost. Just fucking stop I'm crying.

D) LOUIS' STORY. If you did the Violet path and didn't hear Louis', basically he was rich. Like, filthy rich. But the only thing his dad wouldn't buy him was singing lessons. Louis got so mad at what his dad said to him, "You can either be happy or you can be rich," that he wanted to teach his dad a lesson. He started buying things on his dad's credit card that eluded to his dad having an affair (jewelry, hotel rooms, etc.) And when this worked, his parents got the divorce, he came clean. He told his dad "You can either be rich or you can be happy." A week later he was at the school. And just fucking??? How much his character has grown in the 8-9 apocalypse years??I'm so proud of him. Sure, younger Louis was a little shit, but he knows how fucked up what he did was. If you watch the scene, it's so....heartbreaking. like it's his biggest regret, even with all the Marlon shit thrown in. I love Violet with my whole heart, but I fucking love Louis' storyline.

E) VIOLET WHAT THE FUCK??? As I stated before, I love Violet. She's my favorite gay/gal in the whole apocalypse. But what the fuck? Like, you...I get it. I saved Louis instead of you, but wait a fucking minute I made it blatantly obvious that I love Louis (my son) and when you see me in the prison cell you're like "fuck you I'm staying here with my psychotic gf." Like??? I think the writers made a huge character mistake with that because there's no way Violet would have actually done that to me. Also especially after Minnie admits to killing Sophie, which I'll touch on later. Like, her character would NOT do that. Idgaf if she still loved Minnie or not, she'd be fucking pissed.

F) We have to talk about Minnie. Just....ugh. Props to telltale/skybound because holy fuck. That got me. That got me good. She just??? Is completely brainwashed by the delta and lilly? She killed her own sister, and despite me telling her what Tenn told me to she still locked me in the cell? Also she doesn't say one loving thing to Violet, who literally is willing to get herself blown up just to be with her. And when that woman tells her her family is the delta and to forget about Tenn she just fucking accepts it? Like??? Fuck off bitch?

G) Louis' date was the cutest shit

H) I'm sorry but at the party that first bio sounded a fuck ton like Marlon and Idc what anyone else says you cannot convince me that my love Ruby ever did such things.

I) I hate that the story is so compelling that, even after all she's fucking done, I still care about Lilly. I call this "the Kenny effect." We have history, and that matters a lot to me. Even if I don't agree with her ever, I still don't want her to die. (Like with the Kenny/Arvo thing) I see her as family, which is why in s1 I let her stay after she shot carley and in ep 2 of this season I told her we were family. I do care about Lilly, and then she just kills James??? Like, ugh. I wish she would just fucking stop and I could hug her and everything would be fine and Lee isn't actually dead and Christa and Molly and Kenny and everyone's alive and AAHHHHH.

J) The scene where Minnie has clem's knife against clem's chest and is pushing down is so fucking similar to the Kenny/Jane situation is s2. Minnie is Jane and Clem is Kenny, this time all of the kids from the school is clem. Both Minnie and Clem want them to be safe, but they have very different ideas on how they'll be safe. Clem wants to protect them at all costs, and Minnie wants to protect them by getting rid of clem. (Like how Jane wanted to get rid of kenny) I'm crying in the club.

K) James fucking making me walk in the barn full of walkers to touch the wind chime. I was literally so anxious during this and I knew that it's a game but just??? That would have been a pointless death.

L) ABEL. NO! Look I don't like this guy as much as the rest of ya'll, but they way he just breaks down??? I refused to torture him, and I put out his cigarette. He begs to be killed because he doesn't want to turn. This is so visceral and raw that I almost cried when my knife went through his head. Then the screen thing told me I tortured him in front of Aj?? Hello? When did I do that??? I gave him mercy, I gave him peace.

M) Louis toasting to the fact that he thinks he's gonna die at the boat just fucking destroys me.

N) Rosie is the goodest girl and didn't get enough screen time.

O) Louis helping clem up when she gets pulled under water by a walker is cleansing for my soul

P) Omar and Aasim got like 4 lines between them and that's fucking breaking the law

Q) I literally only found 1 collectible where the fuck where they all???

R) I was legitimately going to not kill any of the walkers when James was getting his mask, but I honest to God kept dying over and over so I literally had to kill one of them.

S) the fact that James kept bringing up how much of a heartless bitch I am for not caring about dead people that are walking and killing the living and everyone I've ever cared about.

T) The sheer genuis of the dialogue option that asks James if he knows the names of the walkers and he's confused and clem is just like "Omar, Aasim...Violet." like, he doesn't know the walkers. They're killing machines that he has no attachment to. Clem's friends are alive, and she cares about them deeply. Like fuck off m8.

U) Aj is so broken and confused and scared I don't know how to fix him he's a murderer but he's trying to atone and I just hope to God Lee would actually be proud of Clem and I just wish he was alive and Clem and Aj and him were a family and he could meet the boarding school kids at then Louis would learn about history, something I hc him as never being good at in school, and Louis teaches him how to play the piano and he teaches Violet how to actually map the stars and she teaches him all the fighting skills she's learned and Lee takes a liking to Tenn and makes sure to thank Omar for cooking and appreciates willy and mitch and what they do and supports and learns medicine from ruby and stops Aj from killing Marlon and talks him through the bad shit and helps him atone for his sins and then he meets Rosie and when he sees Lilly again she stops being a hateful cunt and we kill all the delta people and go back to the school and everyone, including mitch and James and Minerva and Sophie is alive and this is getting way to long aahhhh.

V) When Louis is freaking out about the responsibility of planting the bomb, and it gives you to either slap him or kiss him and that's the fucking cutest shit

W) the fact that it never let's me hug Tenn or Willy, nor have a funeral for Mitch. Like I know we were crunched for time, but it would've taken 10 minutes tops.

X) to my knowledge, Tenn and Menerva never see eachother. Maybe she would have changed if she saw him? I don't know...

Y) I don't have the option to cuddle with Rosie and that's an actual crime.

Z) When the kids are talking about all the people they've lost. 34 people. 34. We've lost a lot, don't get me wrong, but I don't think it's 34. It might be close, but some of those people we weren't close to nor knew for very long. Also the fact that they've lost 34 but only have like 5 graves. Wtf?

*) AND THE BIGGEST THING THAT TORE MY HEART INTO PRICES WAS THE LEE SCENE, AND THE DIALOGUE OPTION OF TELLING LEE HE'S NOT REAL AND HE TELLS CLEM THAT IT'S OKAY TO BE A LITTLE NUTS AND THEN THE HUG AND THE "LOOK AT YOU..." FROM LEE AND AAAHHHH I MISS HIM SO FUCKING MUCH.

*Edit: I'm not saying I love Lilly as much as I do Kenny, I could never like her that much, even if she had a change of heart and died protecting clem or Aj. I'm saying "the Kenny effect" because he was being an asshole, however you try to defend him. He wasn't in the right, and harmed an innocent kid (Arvo) just like Lilly does. Cool? Cool.

[hitchell-mope]

First film

Mals looking in the mirror inside her locker

Mal: you can do this. You know you can do this. Just tell him. Doesn’t have to be good. Doesn’t have to be bad. Just tell———— HEY WATCH IT ASShey Ben didn’t see you there (chuckling nervously) buddy

Ben: sorry. Wasn’t watching where I was going. Heading to the showers. Tourney practice

Mal (under her breath): that explains why there’s no nutmeg

Ben: hmm?

Mal: you smell like nutmeg and the thing that nearly killed your dad

Ben: roses?

Mal: yeah. It’s weird and vaguely disturbing dragon senses. It’s...it’s stupid

Ben: it’s quite cool really. Wish I could do that

Mal: believe me. You don’t. 99% of the time it’s not a gift. Anyway. Where were we?

Ben: ummmm...shower! I was going to the showers

Mal: right! Right. Uh. See you later then

Ben: bye

He heads off

Mal: uhhhhh. Hey Ben?

Ben: yeah?

Mal: can we talk when you’re done?

Ben: sure. I’ll meet you in your room?

Mal: actually I was thinking jays room. If it’s possible

Ben: of course. Definitely. As long as you’re comfortable

Mal: thank you

Ben: you’re welcome

Mal: what is hades realm did I just do?

10 minutes later

Mal: jay I need your help

Jay: what is it this time

Mal: I need to tell him. I need to tell him...everything. And I need you to talk me out of it

Jay: why?

Mal: because. Because he’s sweet and...and kind. And and d argh!!!! That face. That damned face. He trusts us. And we’ve given him no reason too. The four of them trust us. Lonnie...made sure I was alright. Doug for some reason is enchanted by Evie. Chernabog knows why because she’s infatuated with that limp haired wretch who’s only using her for homework

Evie: hey! Chad said he’ll take to the movies if I get him an A++.

Jay: oh honey

Mal and jay: he won’t.

Carlos: nah. He’s a c

Mal (parent voice): Carlos

Carlos: 🎶sorry🎶

Jay: so what do you want me to do.

Mal: give me a reason not to tell him. Cause I really want to

Jay: I actually think it might be a good idea.

Evie and Carlos: WHAT

Jay: he knows how the system works better then us. And it gives Ben and Mal time to get to know each other

Mal: you’re enjoying this far too much

Jay (smug): I know.

Mal: Carlos. Can you hand me my book

Carlos: sure

15 minutes later

Jay: so... how’d you feel

Mal: I don’t know. How long until the gummy kicks in?

Jay: unknown could be a few minutes or a few hou

Mal: do you ever wash that damned beanie?

Jay: or it could start right now

Mal: surely you must have a bald spot by now?

Jay (fighting a smile): no.

Mal: sorry.

Jay: no. No no. Don’t be that means it’s working. Keep going

Mal: why can’t I be you. Not in charge. Second in command. Less things to do. Able to make sleeveless jackets work.

Jay: not what I thought you’d say but...that’s nice of you.

Mal: Carlos!

Carlos: oh boy.

Mal: I know. I know I mother you. I k ow I coddle you. I know you don’t always appreciate it. But I’m not gonna stop. I feel responsible for you.

Carlos (pleasantly surprised): really. Thanks. And I. Uh. Don’t really want you to.

Mal (rounds on Evie): and you!

Evie (already bored): oh here we go

Mal: you couldn’t have let me have the window seat?

Evie: you snooze you lose. Anything else?

Mal: you’re hairs drab and flat and you’re shoes look hideous.

Evie (overly dramatic look of shock on her face): I beg your pardon you little

Jay: Evie shut up. Mal. What about Ben

Mal: I don’t wanna hurt him. I do t wanna hurt any of them. Not Ben. Not Lonnie. Not Jane. Not Doug. Not fairy godmother. Not even Audrey. Even if she’s got a rancid personality. I don’t want to steal the wand. I don’t want to let him down. I like him. And I don’t know what to do

There’s a knock on the door. Jay opens it. It’s Ben.

Cue collective “oh crap” moment front the core four.

Jay: 🎶hey ben🎶 (nervous laugh) just out of interest. How much did you hear?

Ben (looking guilty): everything from “bald spot” onwards

Mal looks like she wants the ground to swallow her up

Evie: well we’re hosed. (Claps Mal on the left shoulder) see you in hell sister.

Ben: can I say something?

Carlos: well we owe you an explanation so go for it

Ben: I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have eavesdropped. It’s rude and impolite and unkind and w really nasty habit. And I’m sorry I

Jay: Ben. It’s ok. Mal asked you here. Didn’t you

Mal nods remaining tight lipped

Ben: Mal are you ok

Jay: the stuff you heard was the after effects of a truth gummy.

Ben: ohhhh. Ok. Ca can I come in?

Jay: oh yeah sure

Ben: question?

Jay: go for it

Ben: why do want, or need, to steal the wand?

Mal (hoarsely): my mother. (Clears throat). My mother

Ben: ohhhh. That’s why you came here. She wants you to steal the wand so she can break down the barrier and take over Auradon. I knew you wouldn’t be here if you had a choice

Evie: you knew?

Ben: there’s a reason I believe you all deserve a chance at a normal life.

Jay: ok. Umm. I don’t know what Mal has planned for after this.

Mal is still silent.

Ben: Mal are you ok.

She doesn’t answer. She just gets up and walks to the bathroom.

Jay: I’m not sure throwing up will get rid of the gummy.

Mal: not gonna throw up. Gonna flush myself into the Auradon sewer system

Ben: how long does a truth gummy norllay last?

Jay: 36-72 hours.

Ben: ok. Mal?

Mal looks at him

Ben: I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. So how about we don’t talk for as long as the gummy is in effect. And if you want to talk. I’m sure Jay Carlos and Evie can relay messages to me?

Jay and Carlos: were we can do that

Evie: urgh fine.

Ben: I need to go to my office. I’ll see you guys later?

Jay Carlos and Evie: yeah sure.

Mal squeaks.

Jay: hey um I’ve never seen an office before. My dad only has a clunky typewriter that spontaneously bursts into flames at inappropriate moments. Can I walk back with you?

Ben: sure

On the way to bens office

Ben: so is guessing that you don’t really want to see my office?

Jay: you guessed correctly. I could sense you have more questions

Ben: just one question

Jay: ask away my friend

Ben: I could sense a kind of hierarchy between you Mal and Evie. You’re the most powerful aren’t you?

Jay: yep put me in a lamp I’d end you all

Ben: oh I’d never put you in a lamp. It sounds horrible.

Jay: well I’d only be able to end you all in your say so. Oh master of the lamp

Ben: ok that’s a little funny

Jay: I pride myself on being a little funny. So anyway it goes me Mal Evie. And Carlos is fully human.

Ben: sure.

Jay: now I have a question for you

Ben: go for it

Jay: are you sure you know what you’re doing by helping us

Ben: yes. Helping my new friends get out of an impossible situation

Jay: ok. Good to have you on the team your majesty

He shakes bens hand

Ben: thank you jay. If I may be so bold. Can I ask you another question

Jay: sure

Ben: how would you feel if I asked Lonnie Jane and Doug to help us?

[cinenthusiast]

Previous Top Ten By Year lists:  1935, 1983, 1965, 1943, 1992, 1978, 1925, 1969 1930

Previous Top Ten By Year: 1949 Posts: Top Ten By Year: 1949 – Poll Results 100 Images from the Films of 1949 What I’ll Remember About the Films of 1949: A Love Letter #10. The Queen of Spades (UK/Dickinson)  #9. Rendezvous in July (Becker)/Au royaume des cieux (Duvivier) (France) #8. Too Late for Tears (US / Haskin)  #7. The Heiress (US / Wyler)  #6. The Set-Up (US / Wise)  #5. Caught (US / Ophüls) #4. The Passionate Friends (UK / Lean)  #3. Puce Moment (US / Anger) #2. The Third Man (UK / Reed) 

For those unaware of my Top Ten By Year project:  The majority of my viewing habits have been dictated by this project since September of 2013. Jumping to a different decade each time, I choose comparatively weaker years for me re: quantity of films seen/quantity of films loved. I use list-making as a way to see more films and revisit others in a structured and project-drive way. I was sick of spending too much time trying to decide what to watch, or watching films just to cross them off another dumb canon list. I wanted to engage. I wanted films to be enhanced by others, by looking at a specific moment in time. I wanted something that led me to seeing or revisiting things I might not have gotten to otherwise. Lastly, my lists are based on personal favorites, not any weird notion of an objective best.

This is the first year I’ll be doing separate posts for each film. #9 will go up Monday. After that, one will go up each day until the end. Then I’ll post them all together so they are gathered in one place. There are a lot of films I loved that did not make the cut. In particular, Flamingo Road, Such a Pretty Little Beach, On the Town, Inspirace, The Reckless Moment, Reign of Terror, The Rocking Horse Winner, and Samson and Delilah are all films I thought at one point would be on here. Of all of these, Flamingo Road was a sure thing until it wasn’t at the very last minute. Please go watch it.

#1. Bitter Rice (Italy / De Santis) (first-time watch)

Two women and two cultures intertwined.

There are two sides to Bitter Rice. One has neorealism, Silvana, and Italy. The other has film noir, Francesca, and America. When all is said and done these two women will have swapped places, for better and much worse. And when Italy’s other neorealist filmmakers see Bitter Rice, they will take it as a betrayal of truth and the political. In short, they hated it. In this time of crucial political upheaval when neorealism carried legitimate cultural cache, director Giuseppe De Santis had made something too slick, too tawdry, and too American. The message was tarnished by the method. But De Santis was a Marxist who happened to admire and study John Ford, King Vidor, and the visual patterns of Hollywood studio filmmaking. He saw mass appeal as a way to both entertain and denounce, and made a film in which neorealism is hijacked and reconfigurated to be a noir melodrama.

Bitter Rice has a lot of recognizably neorealist markers; location shooting, a focus on labor and economic struggle, the tactile particulars of rice worker life, and the use of the specific cultural practices such as the choral Coralita. The sound of women wading through water, the way it would around their legs, and the strain of being hunched over day after day — it’s all made vivid. But it is easy to see why Bitter Rice would seem a betrayal. Its mutinous synthesis of “authenticity” and artificiality was a signpost towards neorealism’s end. Soon there would be stars, genre, production in the Italian film industry.

The synthesis is clear from the very first scene. The authenticity of the mondine (female rice workers) is introduced with grandiosity and sweep. There are no docu-elements here, but plenty of elaborate tracking and crane shots to go around, the kind of gradually encompassing images you’d be more likely to find in a DeMille epic. Watching the very first scene I thought: “Wait — what am I in for?”. All preconceived notions were immediately scrapped, and I realized my trip to the rice fields of Po Valley would be a very different one indeed. Then, a couple carrying stolen jewels are chased into the station waiting to transport the workers to the fields. Their arrival feels like an alien invasion, as if some freak chemical accident at the film lab spilled one film into another. This dichotomy plays throughout with electric and arresting cohesion, making it so distinctly unlike any other film from its movement. 

While De Santis was inspired by the Hollywood narrative format, he also uses American culture’s insidious postwar presence to illustrate the dangers of breaking from solidarity for hollow (the fake jewels!) individual gain. This is done using the two incredible and complex women of Bitter Rice‘s center. After Francesca the Moll (Doris Dowling, an American actress) is forced to assimilate in the rice fields, she finds purpose among the mondine. In order to stay in hiding, she has to advocate for the rights of her fellow non-contract workers. But this is never done as a means to an end. Francesca never schemes to stay on; she is always shown as sincerely leading the protests for the group. Life becomes bigger than herself, and she learns to stand both as her own woman, and as part of the mondine.

Francesca also begins to see her personal life more clearly. You get the sense that despite loving Walter (Vittorio Gassman), she is not blind to how reprehensible he is (I mean, in the first scene he literally used her as a human shield so….). But she had nowhere to go, and no strength to pull away. Life in Po Valley gives her that strength. The value of the collective is present throughout, with choral scenes, aerial shots showcasing the lines of working women linked together, and fragments of peripheral characters and their various troubles. They push themselves to the brink under oppressive conditions just to make it to the next job, and there is power in their (at times friction-filled) solidarity (I was also reminded of last year’s Support the Girls, also about a community of women united by unforgiving labor).

Then there is the shrewd but naive young Silvana (Silvana Mangano, who I’ll talk about later), a peasant that dreams of wealth. She is seduced by all things coded America and money (she should talk to Caught’s Leonora!). We first meet her doing the boogie woogie (she does a lot of dancing, employed for seduction and statement). In this group of women, where everyone is introduced as part of a whole, she immediately stands out as modern. She chews gum, loves big-band, and is seen reading photo-romances, the then-popular prepackaged fantasies that were read by lower and working class Italian women. Silvana wants out; she longs for adventure, riches, and a certain kind of romance. But the way out that presents itself is a different kind of way out, and she is too blinded by inexperience to understand it.

The camera links Francesca and Silvana all the time. Whether in two-shots or individual spaces, there is an invisible tether between them. Their lives and fates take part in a film-length body-swap. Silvana talks about fate a lot, but is seen making deliberate choices towards certain doom. She can’t see Walter for what he is — an exploiter and a monster. But Francesca gives her an out, replaying about her life with Walter and the terrible things he has done. She tries to take the abuse and hardship she lived through and save someone else from making the mistakes she did. But Silvana can’t see past the jewels and the suit. There is only the potential for excitement, for something that is not this. After all, Walter “looks like a gentleman” (aka a hotshot gumshoe); so he must be, right? While Francesca’s transformation is one of victorious camaraderie, Silvana’s (both actress and character) is altogether much murkier; one marked by punishment.

Silvana Mangano never wanted her body to represent the whole of Italy, but it did. Audiences were scandalized just seeing the unapologetically full female form (au natural, code for Armpit Hair), the kind that becomes sexualized simply by existing. She was the prototype of the “earthy women” that would cause such a stir overseas (later embodied by Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren). She started out by winning Miss Rome, a post-war contest that further enhanced the idea of body-as-nation, and an honor that became synonymous with future screen tests. Unlike Lollobrigida and Loren, Mangano didn’t cash in on overseas notoriety for a Hollywood career. She became resentful of her image, and of fame, eventually giving herself a drastic reinvention (her figure was now svelte and arch, her look cold) and starring in art films by Pasolini and Visconti in the late 1960s and 1970s (and Dune!).

The camera doesn’t ogle Mangano Tex Avery style; this isn’t Jane Russell in The Outlaw. But it aims to stay back, taking in the whole of her whenever possible. And you can’t help but take part in that — I love looking at her. She is the textbook case for why the male gaze is not an open-and-shut. For all its appallingly absolute authority on the almost-whole of filmic language, women enjoy it too! One of the great joys of watching films is watching bodies, both male and female. I am hypnotized and, yes, completely turned on by Silvana Mangano in Bitter Rice. The camera may not be that Tex Avery wolf, but I’ll admit that I am. 

Critics felt her body, and Bitter Rice’s eroticism as represented by her, cheapened the film and nullified its political message. Yet a crucial part of its political message is the punishment her and her body endures for betraying the homeland (a tactic that opens up a whole other can of worms). She is eroticized, symbolic, made into a cautionary tale. Her final fugue march is just like Ann Todd’s in The Passionate Friends. Claude Rains gets there in time. Francesca cannot.

(TW: rape)

She is raped. It is a rape that takes away her body. We don’t see much of it after that. In those last thirty minutes she is made up of haunted black pupils, lit like she’s telling a ghost story. She is immediately ostracized by the filmmaking, quarantined off in shots of the mondine in ways you feel more than see. It’s not obvious, but intrinsic and heartbreaking. The most startling example takes place immediately following her assault. It is pouring out (during these scenes a stunning rain shower falls right in front of the camera like a curtain) and the women have banded together, refusing to let the weather set them behind schedule. Silvana walks in a daze, confused and in shock. Ahead, a sick woman who shouldn’t be out in her condition begins having an attack. She howls out, and begins writhing in pain as the women surround her and hold her down. They begin to sing in an attempt to calm her (they are all one). Silvana looks on in horror. This is a mirror image of what she just went through, her trauma reflecting right back at her. She is watching herself. She begins to scream. She is drowned out, not part of the coralita, not part of anything anymore. Her cries go unheard.

The meat locker finale is one last compare-and-contrast session. Both women have guns. Both women have a man beside them. One is shaking and shaken. The other is determined and resolute. Francesca is still trying to save the other end of the tether. There is something so moving and uncommon in Francesca’s committed efforts to protect Silvana despite the harm she causes and rivalry she insists on. It’s hard to put into words how much I love these women, these characters, these performances. Bitter Rice pays such close attention to how women communicate with each other (in both speech and body language, the silent glares and stares may as well be full conversations), and to the breadth of female experience, struggle, and loyalty. We see how hard it is for Francesca to break away from Walter. We see that Silvana’s sense of right and wrong are muddied by what she wants out of life. We see that Silvana’s actions are not unfeeling; there is such pain on her face as she undoes the mondine’s hard work. The list goes on as more layers are pulled back. 

Watching Bitter Rice is that all-too rare sensation of not knowing where a film is headed, or what story it will tell (unless you’ve read this before watching). Francesca and Silvana are often hard to read. By the end, that body swap trajectory is clear, but only at the end. And despite the larger-than-life symbolic statuses they represent, they are two of the most layered and human women I’ve ever seen onscreen. They don’t fit into any neat box — not within neorealism, and not within noir. Francesca and Silvana are with me now, and I’m the better for it.

Top Ten By Year: 1949 #1 – Bitter Rice (Italy / De Santis) Previous Top Ten By Year lists:  1935, 1983, 1965, 1943, 1992, 

[raindancer2004]

Vacation on Isle Esme

Word count 6,363. Demetri x OC  Part One

A few months after the confrontation with the Volturi Carlisle decided that the family should take a vacation to Isle Esme and he would invite Aro, Marcus, and Caius as an olive branch to try and resolve current tensions between the two covens. He also knew they would bring Demetri, Felix and the twins. He sent an invitation with the details and that’s when things got interesting. The moment they accepted the invite Alice had a vision that would change everything for Alyssa Swan, Bella’s younger sister. After her vision she spoke to Carlisle who decided that Aro needed to know about what Alice saw and to get his permission to tell Alyssa about the vampire world. Aro agreed on the condition that Alyssa joined them on the two week vacation so with that Esme invited Alyssa to vacation with them.

Aro decided not to tell anyone about what Alice saw as he knew her visions were subjective and he wanted to see for himself first hand and have Marcus confirm it. Aro had told his brothers and the four elite guards that Carlisle was bringing a human and that noone was to touch or harm her. Caius wasn’t pleased to have a human around especially if she knew the Cullens. “I thought Carlisle wanted to build bridges, so why is he bringing a human with him?” Caius said sounding displeased “Because I gave him permission brother and she isn’t just any human, she’s family” Aro responded grinning at Caius. “Family? Who’s family?” Caius demanded “Bella’s but hopefully she will bring us closer to the Cullens” Aro replied still grinning “What are you up to Aro?” Marcus asks “Nothing brother. I’m just looking forward to our vacation” Marcus was suspicious as Aro seemed far too happy to meet this human. Demetri and Jane had heard this exchange as they were the only guards in the throne room as Aro had dismissed the others. Jane was intrigued to find out if Bella’s relative would be immune to her gift whilst Demetri was curious as why Aro was allowing the Cullens to bring a human on vacation with them.

Later that night Aro called Felix and Alec to the throne room “Now the four of you are here I have some news to share. We have been invited to join the Cullens on a two week vacation, on Isle Esme. There will be a human relative of Bella’s joining us, therefore, there is a house rule in place that must not be broken; Noone is to touch or harm the human girl. Is that understood?” Aro said looking at the guards “Yes master.” Felix replied, the other three nodding in agreement.

One month later the Cullens and Alyssa arrived at Isle Esme; the Volturi were already inside the house waiting for them, Aro being excited to meet Alyssa. “Afternoon Aro, Marcus, Caius” Carlisle greeted. “Carlisle so nice to see you again” Aro said shaking his hand. “Esme my dear, thank you for inviting us to your lovely home” Marcus said smiling “You’re very welcome. We’re glad you could come” Esme replied. Demetri tuned out this conversation the second he saw Alyssa; her long brown hair, the blue denim shorts and pink strappy top she was wearing and the leopard print sunglasses covering her eyes. She was standing beside Bella and he was amazed at the self-control Bella had around her, even if she was family considering Bella was still a newborn.

“Aro this is Alyssa Swan, Bella’s sister” Carlisle says pointing to Alyssa; she lifts her sunglasses to rest on top of her head “Hello Aro, it’s nice to meet you” She holds out her hand to him. Demetri notices her chocolate brown eyes “She’s really pretty for a human” Jane whispers to Alec “Prettier than Bella was when she was human” He responds, Demetri smiling as he agrees with the twins ‘She’s beautiful. Shame about the ‘no touching the girl’ house rule’ He thinks to himself, a low growl came from Edward, causing Demetri to smirk in his direction ‘Don’t like my thoughts, stay out of my head’ He thought.

 Meanwhile, “Amazing, I see nothing, much like your sister” Aro says smiling “Jane” Caius says raising a hand to call her forward “That won’t be necessary my dear” Aro interjects, and Jane steps back beside her brother. “Alyssa, these are my brothers Marcus and Caius” Aro says pointing to his brothers. “These are our elite guards; left to right we have Felix, Demetri, Jane and Alec” They all nod, Demetri smiling at her “It’s nice to meet you all” She responds smiling.

“What I don’t understand is why another human knows about us and why is she here on vacation with all of us?” Caius asks, clearly irritated “As I said before brother, Alyssa knows about us because I gave Carlisle permission to tell her on the condition that she comes on vacation with us” Aro replies smiling “That still doesn’t explain why she had to know about us” Caius says “All will be revealed in time dear brother” Aro replies whilst looking at Alyssa and smiling. “Alyssa come with me and I’ll show you to your room” Esme says smiling and placing her hand gently on Alyssa’s back as they leave the room, Demetri watching them leave. Marcus stayed quiet observing the interactions of everyone in the room.

That evening Felix, Demetri and the twins are playing cards in the dining area; Emmett and Edward are playing chess with Bella shielding Emmett and Rosalie watching them, Jasper and Alice were reading outside on the beach, whilst Carlisle and Esme were talking with Aro and Marcus. Caius was reading on the sofa but couldn’t help smirking when he noticed Alyssa reading ‘A Vampire for Christmas’, not that he had heard of or read the book, but the title amused him.

 A little while later Alyssa got up to get a drink and on her way back to the front room she passed the guards seated at the dining table playing poker. She stood behind Demetri and observed them for a few minutes; it was clear he was losing to the others, and that Felix was clearly winning. “I see your $10 and raise $10” Felix says; Alec replies “Fold” Demetri just stares at his cards but before he can do anything Alyssa picks up two $5 chips and places them in the middle “Call” She says and smiles “Fold” Jane replies. “Ok, call” Felix says smirking at Demetri as he lays down his cards and reaches for the chips in the middle “Good, but not good enough” Alyssa smiles taking the cards from Demetri and laying them down. Felix looks shocked as she collects the chips, placing them in front of Demetri. “You’re welcome” She looks at Demetri and smiles before she starts to walk away; she then feels a cold hand grip her wrist “Please stay” She stops and looks at him surprised; he gently pulls her onto his lap so she’s facing the table “You’re my good luck charm” He says letting his left hand rest on her hip. “Yea Dem’s lost most of the night” Felix laughs, Demetri growling low in response “Did you just growl?” Alyssa asks Demetri over her shoulder, he just nods and she smiles “Ok then” Felix and the twins can’t help laughing. They continued playing poker although Demetri was more interested in the human seated on his lap than the game, but Alyssa had it covered, giving Felix and the twins a run for their money. “Full house” Alec said smiling thinking he’d won, Demetri looked at his cards “No good Alec” He responded as Alyssa laid down their cards showing they had four of a kind.

Demetri couldn’t help inhaling her scent ‘Coconut and Pineapple’ “You smell good” He whispers in her ear, but the others heard. “Thank you” She replied, Jane looked at her confused “I’m pretending he meant my perfume, even though I know he didn’t” Alyssa felt him rest his chin on her shoulder and Jane nodded. Alyssa still sitting on his lap turned to face him slightly “I’ll make you a deal” He raised an eyebrow “I’ll let you smell me, take in my scent whenever you want over the next two weeks if you promise to protect me and not eat me” “Deal” He replied quickly, smiling at her as he took in her scent again. “My own personal vampire bodyguard” She chuckled and Demetri shook his head a little still smiling “Strange little human” Alec added.

Felix dealt out new cards; Jane starting the new round said “$20” “I see your bet and raise you $30” Felix said confidently to the table; Alec matching the bet “All in” Alyssa states confidently “Fold” Comes the reply from Jane “Ok, I see your bet” Felix responds pushing his chips into the centre of the table. “Fold” Alec replies. “Ladies first” Alyssa says smirking at Felix, Demetri chuckles. Felix laid down his cards – straight flush “Good, but just not good enough” Alyssa lays down their cards – royal flush.  Demetri smiles as he and Alyssa pull the chips towards them “Thank you cara” He smiles at her “You’re welcome. Goodnight” She got up from Demetri’s lap “Goodnight” He responded watching her walk away to her room. Marcus smiled to himself seeing the start of a bond forming between the tracker and the human.

It was around 03.00am and Felix and Demetri were out on the beach looking out at the ocean “You ok? You seemed distracted tonight D. You don’t usually lose so much” Felix said “I don’t know I just couldn’t focus on the game, but I still won though” “With the help of a human” Felix replies nudging him “With the help of a beautiful human Fe” Demetri responds smiling, Felix nodding. “What had you so distracted D?” “I can’t help thinking about why Aro allowed Carlisle to tell Alyssa about our kind and why he insisted she come on vacation with us” “It is a bit strange, it’s as if he knows something we don’t and doesn’t feel like sharing the information” Felix responds “He’s definitely keeping something to himself Fe, that much was obvious when he first told Marcus and Caius about Alyssa and the vacation. Jane and I were the only guards in the throne room at the time as Aro had dismissed the others” “Whatever it is, Caius is not happy about her being here and I doubt that will change anytime soon” Felix added.

The following morning Alyssa walked into the kitchen wearing a pink bikini with a mid-thigh length black cover up that was slightly see through due to the crotchet pattern. “Morning” She greeted the room with a smile; grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and preparing a quick fruit salad for breakfast. Demetri stopped reading the second he caught her scent and watched her walk into the kitchen “Good morning Alyssa” He said smiling from the other side of the kitchen island “Sleep well?” “Er kind of” She replied “I found it a little weird, hard even to sleep knowing there are 15 vampires in the house” She looked down starting to eating the fruit. “I’m sorry to hear that” He didn’t like hearing that she didn’t feel safe enough to sleep ‘I made a promise to protect her and I will keep that promise, ensuring she feels safe’ He thought to himself. “I’m going out to sunbathe” She made her way outside and found a nice spot on the beach and after laying down a beach towel she removed her cover up and got comfortable.

About five minutes later he made his way outside and sat beside her. “I know you guys probably don’t sunbathe but can you at least put some shorts on? You are way too overdressed to be outside” She said looking up at him, he nodded “I’ll be right back” He sped inside and changed into a pair of beach shorts and was back outside sitting beside her quicker than she thought possible “Better?” He asked “Much” She leant in towards him and whispered “Sparkles” He raised an eyebrow at her “Sparkles?” She smiles nodding at him; lying back down, Demetri laid down beside her his hand lightly brushing hers. “Favourite colour” She asked “Red, you?” He replied “Blue... Favourite animal?” “Cats, you?”  He replies “Tigers, I even asked for a tiger for my 6th birthday” She giggles at the memory. “Not sure they’d make great pets cara” He laughs “That’s what my mum said funnily enough” They continued to ask questions as a way to get to know each other. “Do you have any hobbies Demetri?” “I like reading and travelling. I’ve seen quite a bit of the world, but there are places I’d still like to see. What hobbies do you have?” “I also like reading, shopping and baking. I’d like to travel when I’m older, see the world” She replied ‘I could show her the world’ He thought looking at her.

She rolled onto her front and Demetri did the same “Can I ask how long you’ve been a vampire?” “Over 1000 years” He replied “Wow! How old were you when you were turned?” “I was 21” He answered and she smiled “You look good for your age” He chuckles at her response “Thank you. Can I ask how old you are?” “I’m 17. I was wondering do you have a gift? Is that why you are an elite guard with the Volturi?” He nodded “Yes, I have a gift. I am a tracker and yes that is why I am an Elite guard. Although there are other trackers out there I am the best at what I do” “Really? How does your gift work?” She asks curiously “I pick up on the essence of someone’s mind and can follow it like a scent over any distance. To be able to do this I have to either have met that person physically or anyone who has met the person in the past” “Oh my god that sounds so cool. It’s also good to know if I ever get lost I can just call you; the best tracker in the world and find out exactly where I am” She says smiling at him, he smiled back “I’m unsure if I can track you” Alyssa looked confused “I cannot track Bella because of her shield, even when she was human” “Are you able to track me? I mean I know Aro and Edward can’t read my mind” “I haven’t tried, but I will later when we are apart and will let you know” She nods in response.

Marcus had spent the day reading inside but every now and again he would look outside at Demetri and Alyssa and smile at how well they’re getting along. “Are the Cullens really expecting us to let Alyssa leave here alive?” Caius asks Marcus “I think so yes and I don’t think Aro is going to give the order to kill her either” “Are you going to give the order?” “No Caius I am not. I do not believe her to be a threat to us” Caius huffed but said nothing, still not happy that Alyssa knew their secret and was on vacation with them.

That night Alyssa sat on her bed reading her book A Vampire for Christmas when there was a knock on the door “Who is it?” “It’s me Demetri” He replied poking his head round the door, she smiled “Come in” Demetri came into her room and closed the door “Just wondered what you were up to?” “Just reading” She replies holding up her book “What about you?” “Nothing much. I was reading but it’s gotten a bit noisy in the other room” He chuckles softy “You’re welcome to stay in here and read with me” She replied, he smiled at her “I’d like that. Thank you Alyssa” He sat on the bed beside her reading; thinking about how they’d spent the day together on the beach. He noticed her heartbeat was slowing down and looked to his side to see she had fallen asleep sitting up reading but with her head down. He took the book from her and gently laid her down; laying down beside her and continuing to read. “Goodnight cara” He stroked her hair and felt relaxed knowing she was with him, her heartbeat slow and steady and her scent filling his nostrils. ‘I hope she sleeps better tonight’

 Alyssa woke lying on her side and when she opened her eyes she saw Demetri “Morning” Her voice sounded sleepy "Morning cara” He replied smiling “You stayed?” “Yes, hope you don’t mind” “No, I don’t mind” She smiled at him. “You didn’t get bored whilst I slept then?” He shook his head “Nope. I spent most of the night reading. I’m used to spending my nights alone so it was nice to have some company, even if you were sleeping” He winked at her and she blushed slightly “So does that mean you don’t have a mate then?” “That’s correct, I have yet to meet her” She noticed that he looked and sounded a little sad “1000 years is a long time to be on your own” Alyssa said sympathetically resting her hand on his arm, Demetri felt a warm feeling run through him at her touch and he smiled at her before placing his cold lips to her forehead; both their eyes closing in the moment. “I hope you find her soon, you’re too nice to spend forever alone” She said quietly “Thank you. You are very sweet” He replied softly ‘I could spend forever with you’ He thought looking at her lying in front of him; he’d never thought that about anyone before. “I plan to look around the island a bit and maybe go swimming; did you want to come with me? I mean if you don’t have plans or anything” She was blushing again, he smiled at her “Sounds like a good day, I’m in. It’ll give me a chance to see if I can track you too”

Demetri showered and changed in a pair of grey shorts and a white t-shirt whilst Alyssa had breakfast; then waited for her in the front room whilst she got ready. “Fancy a game of chess?” Felix asked Demetri “One game as I’m waiting for Alyssa. We’re going out for the day” Felix raised an eyebrow “I think he’s traded you in for someone better Felix” Jane teased “And she’s human” Alec added laughing; Felix put a hand to his chest and feigned a hurt look “How could you D? After all these years” Marcus was smiling at the guards’ behaviour and was happy that Demetri was spending time with Alyssa, even if he hadn’t realised what she was to him yet. Alyssa stepped out of her room dressed in short blue denim shorts, a blue strapless top and her leopard print sunglasses, she had a black bikini on underneath. Felix smirked when he saw Demetri eyeing Alyssa as she walked towards them. “Ready?” Demetri asked her completely forgetting he was part way through a game of chess with Felix “Yes, I’ll just grab a bottle of water from the fridge. Have you finished your game?” She asked nodding towards the chess board “Alec can take over for me” He said getting up and taking her warm hand in his cold one and leading her out of the house.

“Master is she his…” Jane started but Marcus cut her off “I think we all know the answer to that, even if they haven’t figured it out” “How is it that he doesn’t know?” Alec asked “Not all mate pairings are ‘love at first sight’ sometimes the bond forms over time. He likes her and is clearly drawn to her as he has spent the last 24 hours with her and she likes him too. They’ll figure it out soon, don’t worry” Marcus replied smiling “I’m glad he’s finally found her. He deserves to be happy” Felix added. “Wonder how Bella and the Cullens will react when they realise Demetri and Alyssa are mates” Jane mused “It doesn’t matter what they think and anyway they are in no place to judge or object” Alec responded. The Cullens were all off doing their own thing; some had gone to the mainland to hunt.

Demetri and Alyssa walked hand in hand exploring the island until they came to cliff edge that was opposite a waterfall. “That’s an amazing view” Alyssa said smiling before looking up at Demetri, he smiled too looking down at her “Yes it is. Want to go for a swim?” He asked nodding down to the water below, before removing his t-shirt “Yes but how are we going to get down there?” She responded whilst removing her shorts and top “Do you trust me?” He asked holding out his hand “Yes” She placed her hand in his and he pulled her to him; wrapping an arm around her waist he lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist “Good girl” He smirked “Don’t let go” “I won’t” He felt her arms wrap around his neck before he jumped, landing in the water below. They came up to the surface Alyssa giggling “What’s funny cara?” “I just can’t believe we jumped off the cliff” She responds looking up “It was the only way down. Thank you for trusting me” “You’ve given me no reason not to Demi” He liked hearing the nickname she gave him and kissed her cheek causing her to blush. He put her down and she swam away from him going under the water; he watched her resurface and turn to face him “Come on Sparkles” She smiled and in a flash he was in front of her wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into his side whilst his other hand began tickling her. She started laughing and squirming in his hold “D-Dem…s-stop” “No” He continued to tickle her enjoying seeing her squirm in his hold “Pl-please…Spar-Sparkles” Sounding breathless from laughing “Sparkles. Really?” He replies smirking, continuing to tickle her and she nods resting her head on his shoulder trying to catch her breath; he pauses tickling her and starts stroking her hair whilst gently resting his head upon hers.  

After spending a few hours in the water Demetri picks Alyssa up and jumps up on the cliff above “Thank you Dem” “You’re welcome” They both put their clothes back on and continue to explore some more of the island, walking hand in hand. “How are we going to find out if you can track me?” She asked “I’ll stay here whilst you go hide somewhere and I will try and track you to find you. I’ll give you 5 minutes and please be careful” “I will” Alyssa went and hid, waiting for Demetri to find her. Demetri closed his eyes and tried to reach out to pick up the tenor of her mind only to find he couldn’t find her tenor which meant he couldn’t track her; this made him feel uneasy, anxious even. He took an unneeded breath to calm himself before setting off find her by tracking her scent ‘This may take a while’ He thought. Ten minutes later he found her “I’m guessing you can’t track me?” “Correct cara mia. I had to find you by your scent which takes longer” “I’m sorry Dem” She looked down, his fingers lifted her head up “No need to apologise cara, if I ever have to ‘find’ you it’ll just take me longer than normal but I will always find you” She nodded and took his hand in hers “Thank you for coming with me today” She said smiling at him “Thank you for inviting me” He smiled backed at her.

That night Alyssa makes herself a pasta dish for dinner and Demetri offers to help “You know how to cook?” He shakes his head “No, not really, but I’d still like to help though” She smiles at him “Ok then, if you want to fill that pan with water till it’s half full that’ll be good. Thank you” Felix is watching them from the front room and can’t help laughing “What’s funny Felix?” Alec asks “Demetri trying to help Alyssa cook when he has absolutely no idea what he’s doing” Felix started laughing again, Alec joining in. “Oh leave him alone, he’s just trying to bond with his mate” Jane says quietly causing Felix and Alec to look at her confused “Since when did you start defending him sister?” “I’m just saying he’s making an effort so you shouldn’t laugh at him” “But sister it’s funny to watch” Alec chuckles and Jane shakes her head.

“Have you seen Bella?” Alyssa asks Marcus “She went with Edward to hunt on the mainland earlier today and have yet to return. In fact all the Cullens have yet to return from their activities” “Oh, ok. Thank you for letting me know” She sounded a little disappointed, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Demetri “I’m going to read outside” She went into her room grabbed her book and sat outside on the veranda attached to her room. Demetri followed her grabbing the blanket from the sofa as he passed; he sat down beside her placing the blanket over them “Here let me” He said taking the book from her and began reading to her; she moved a little closer to him and rested her head on his arm. She fell asleep whilst he read to her feeling comfortable with him. He picked her up gently and laid her in the bed, covering her with the duvet before changing into a pair lounge pants and climbing in beside her “Good night cara mia” He placed a kiss to her hair and spent the night reading whilst she slept.

The following afternoon the Cullens and the Volturi were split between the beach and the front room all doing various things “Hey Bells, what are you up to later? Want to do something?” Alyssa asks “I’m sorry Ally, Edward and I are going out tonight. Actually we’re going out with Jasper, Alice, Emmett and Rosalie” Bella replies “It’s a date night” Emmett added “The six of us are going over to the mainland” “Oh ok. No worries. Have fun” Alyssa responded trying to hide her disappointment and got up deciding to go for a walk on the beach. Demetri put down the book he was reading; got up from the chair and ran after Alyssa “Hey, wait up” He called out and she stopped “Hey Dem. What’s up?” “Are you ok?” “Yea, I’m fine. Why?” “You seemed a little disappointed when Bella said she had plans for tonight” He replied “Well it’s just… they invited me to come here with them and yet they don’t want to spend time with me” She wasn’t smiling and he didn’t like it “Well their loss is my gain” He smiled at her “I like spending time with you Ally; so much so I wondered if you wanted to go out with me tonight?” He asked “What? Like a date?” “Yes Ally. I’d like to take you out on a date” “I’d love to” She replied smiling and gave him a quick hug, he felt happy knowing he had made her smile. “What did you have in mind?” She asked “I was thinking dinner and dancing” “Sounds fun. Dinner, wait… you can’t eat anything?” “Don’t worry about me, I have that covered” He took her hand in his and they continued walking along the beach.

Later that night Alyssa got ready in her room; having decided on a black mid-thigh length dress with spaghetti straps and black stilettos; natural looking make-up with her hair curled and in a half up/half down style. Demetri had decided on black jeans, a grey shirt and smart black shoes. “How come you’re all dressed up Demetri?” Emmett asked curious “I’m taking Ally out for dinner and dancing” He replied “You’re taking my sister out on a date?” Bella questioned “Yes, Bella, I am. Your sister is a lovely girl and I enjoy her company” He replied; Marcus smiling at the tracker as he could see the mate bond was getting stronger between him and Alyssa. “I don’t think I like the idea of that. Edward…” Bella started but trailed off when Alyssa entered the front room; Demetri gasped “Wow! You look amazing Ally” She blushed looking down and taking her bottom lip between her teeth she looked up at Demetri through her lashes “Thank you” “Ready?” He asked looking her up and down ‘Beautiful, absolutely stunning’ He thought to himself smiling and placing a hand on the small of her back they made their way to the dock where the boat was waiting for them.

“Edward I don’t like the fact that he has taken her out, I mean if she had ended up on one of their ‘tours’ he would have killed her without a second thought” Bella said loudly “Bella, calm down. He isn’t going to hurt her, trust me. I’ve read his thoughts and they are…” “His thoughts are what Edward?” Rose asked joining the conversation “His thoughts are private!” Jane shouted entering the room “He would not appreciate you reading them let alone sharing them Edward” She continued. “She’s my sister and I have a right to know” “No Bella! You don’t. None of you have a right to know his thoughts just as none of you have the right to object them going on a date” Alec added “I mean they have spent the last few days together, not to mention he has stayed in her room the last two nights” Felix said smirking. “How did I not know she has spent so time with him” Bella said the last word with disgust “Probably because you have been too busy to talk to Ally, let alone spend time with her” Jane replied “You heard Demetri Bella, he likes spending time with your sister” She added smirking “You make it sound she’s his mate” Emmett responded; the twins and Felix didn’t answer, they just turned around and left the room. “Don’t worry about Demetri and Ally, let’s get ready for our own date” Edward said holding out his hand to Bella.

Once on the mainland Demetri and Alyssa made their way to a restaurant for dinner. Once seated their waiter came and took their order; Alyssa ordered Mango and Lime Chicken with Rice and a glass of water, Demetri ordered the same. “I didn’t think you could eat food” Alyssa said quietly “We can eat food, it just doesn’t taste very nice and we have to…deal with it later” “Oh Dem. Don’t make yourself uncomfortable just for me” “You are the only person I would eat food for and anyway it’s a date; you can’t eat alone” She smiled “Thank you Demi, you’re very sweet.”

After dinner Demetri and Alyssa made their way to a club; he ordered them some drinks and then took her hand and led her onto the dancefloor. They spent a few hours dancing and drinking before making their way back to the house. “Thank you for tonight Dem, I had fun” “You’re very welcome. I had fun too and thank you for coming out with me” “Anytime Dem” She responded “Will you stay with me again tonight?” She smiled at him “Yes Ally I will” He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his side burying his nose into her hair and breathing in her scent.

They both got ready for bed and climbed beneath the duvet and Demetri began reading to her “I’m getting sleepy” She said quietly “I can tell” “Goodnight Demi” “Sweet dreams Ally” He kissed her forehead and she fell back against the bed and tried to ignore the pleasant warmth spreading through her.

The following morning Demetri woke Alyssa up with breakfast in bed “Ally wake up” He shook her arm gently and she opened her eyes and gave him a sleepy smile “Good morning cara, I’ve made you breakfast” “Good morning Dem” She sat up in bed and he placed the tray on her lap and climbed back into bed beside her “Thank you for breakfast” He had made her pancakes with strawberries. Once she finished eating he took the tray and placed it on the floor; he then put his arm around her gently pulling her closer and began to reading aloud. That afternoon they played a game of Chess before Felix, Demetri and the twins left to go hunting. “I’ll see you soon Ally” Demetri said before placing a kiss to her forehead. “Ok and don’t rush, I’ll be fine here with Marcus and Caius”

Once they left Ally got up and sat in the chair near Caius “Can I ask you about what you do?” Caius looked up from his book “Sorry, did the Cullens not tell you about us?” She shook her head “I kind of got a crash course in Vampires, if you get what I mean” “I’m not sure we do understand my dear” Marcus replies “They told me that Vampires existed; that they are vegetarian and that the Volturi rule the Vampire world and that you are not vegetarian, They also said Humans are not allowed to know of your world unless they are to become one of you” Ally replies “What?” Caius asks confused “I thought Aro told Carlisle to tell you about us” “He did, just a quick version. I don’t think he wanted to overwhelm me. After all I thought Vampires only existed in books and movies. He was also a bit vague when it came to telling me about the Volturi and what you do” “When you come and visit us at the castle I will give you a history lesson all about us Ally” Caius replied “You mean I’m welcome to come to the castle for a visit?” “Yes Ally and you will be the only human to leave the castle still human, apart from Bella, of course” Caius said with a little smile. “Thank you” She replied smiling “I think you’re starting to like her brother” Marcus said too quiet for Ally to hear “I’m able to tolerate her that is all Marcus” He replied quietly “It’s a start Caius”

A few days later Demetri and Alyssa were back at the cliff edge ready to go to swimming; he wrapped his arm around her lifting her up and she wrapped her legs around him, arms going round his neck. They landed in the water below with her still in his arms and he leant his head down; nose resting against her neck as he breathed in her scent. Her fingers playing with the hair at the base of his neck; he purred and placed a chaste kiss to her pulse point, she smiled and kissed his neck in return. “I should put you down so we can go swimming again, but I really don’t want to… Not yet anyway” He said low in her ear, arms tightening around her “Then don’t. We can swim later, we have all day” She replied running one hand down from his neck to rest on his chest; the other hand still playing with his hair, she gave it a gentle tug. He growled moving one hand to the back of her head threading his fingers into her hair; gently he pulled her head back exposing her neck to him. He ran his nose up and down her neck then left a trail of open mouthed kisses against her neck; she gasped and a soft “Mmm” left her lips, he purred again and felt her fingers brush through his hair, nails gently scratch his scalp. “Mine” He whispered into her ear before placing a kiss just below it. “What?” She breathed “Am I…?” She looked into his eyes “Yes Ally, I’ve never felt like this about anyone before” He looked unsure of himself and took an unneeded breath “Will you be my mate… and… accept me… as your mate in return?” Hope shone in his eyes although his face said he was scared of her answer. She nods and smiles “Yes” She kisses his cheek and wraps her arms around his neck; he sighs in relief tightening his hold on her before kissing her temple “Thank you amore. Thank you” “You don’t need to thank me Dem” She chuckles “I’m happy that I’m yours because it means that you are mine… as long as you accept me… as your mate” She winks at him and he smiles “Of course I accept you as my mate, 110% cara. I’m looking forward to spending forever with you” He kissed her lips and continued to hold her in his arms happy that he finally found his other half.

That evening they took a walk along the beach enjoying the warm night air; stopping to look out at the calm sea as the sun sets. “I feel safe with you Demi” She wraps her arms around him “I’m happy to hear that” He kissed her hair “I will always look out for you Ally, no matter what” He sat in the sand and gently pulled her down with him so she was sitting in front of him, his arms wrapping around her from behind.

Marcus smiles as Demetri and Alyssa walk back into the house hand in hand; seeing the mate bond in effect “Good evening you two, had a good day?” “Good evening Master, we’ve had a great day” He smiles down at Ally lovingly, a look that doesn’t go unnoticed by Aro and Carlisle. “Brother?” Aro asks looking to Marcus; who just nods in response, causing Aro to smile widely. “Demetri, may I?”  Aro asks holding his hand out and Demetri steps forward and places his hand in Aro’s letting him see the moment Ally learnt she was his mate and accepted him.

[magratpudifoot]

Anti-Love Collection Track List

Below the cut is a list of every track on every disc of the Anti-Love Album. I thought pretty seriously about going through and linking to music videos and bandcamp and whatnot, but, yeah, that’s not happening tonight.

Disc One(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises)

1.  Could You Use Me?                            Harry Groener and Jodi Benson 2.  Hit the Road, Jack                           Ray Charles and the Raelettes 3.  Down with Love                                                Caxton Swing 4.  You're No Good                                              Linda Ronstadt 5.  It Ain't Me, Babe                                              The Turtles 6.  Already Gone                                                    The Eagles 7.  Paradise By the Dashboard Light                                   Meatloaf 8.  Don't Believe a Word                                           Andy Taylor 9.  I Will Survive                                               Gloria Gaynor 10. I've Done Everything for You                              Rick Springfield 11. Love Stinks                                              The J. Geils Band 12. Don't You Want Me                                         The Human League 13. Goodbye to You                                                     Scandal 14. Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me                           Juice Newton 15. I Could Be Happy                                            Altered Images 16. What Do All the People Know                                    The Monroes 17. Jukebox (Don't Put Another Dime)                                The Flirts 18. No More Words                                                       Berlin 19. She Don't Love Nobody                                            Nick Lowe 20. So In Love                               Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark 21. Let Your Love Go                                                     Bread

Disc Two(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Would I Lie to You                                              Eurythmics 2.  Keep Your Hands to Yourself                         The Georgia Satellites 3.  Twisting                                              They Might Be Giants 4.  I Don't Want Your Love                                         Duran Duran 5.  One More Minute                                          Weird Al Yankovic 6.  What Part of No                                             Cactus Country 7.  Itty Bitty Little Single Solitary Piece O' My Heart             Lari White 8.  That Was Yesterday                                            Wynonna Judd 9.  Jane                                                      Barenaked Ladies 10. Better Things to Do                                            Terri Clark 11. Bury the Shovel                                                Clay Walker 12. No News                                                           Lonestar 13. Spiderwebs                                                        No Doubt 14. She Won't Change Her Mind                           The Band with Rocks In 15. Me Neither                                                    Brad Paisley 16. Waste                                                          Smash Mouth 17. Goodbye Earl                                                  Dixie Chicks 18. Giving up on Love                                                   Ataris 19. Kiss This                                                     Aaron Tippin 20. Last Chance to Lose Your Keys                                    Brand New 21. It's Only Me (The Wizard of Magicland)                    Barenaked Ladies

Disc Three(Aberration, Inc.) 1.  Can't Hold Us Down                        Christina Aguilera feat. Lil Kim 2.  The Frug                                                        Rilo Kiley 3.  A Man/Me/Then Jim                                               Rilo Kiley 4.  Nothing Came Out                                        The Mouldy Peaches 5.  All That She Wants                                             Ace of Base 6.  You Oughta Know                                          Alanis Morissette 7.  The More You Ruv Someone                                          Avenue Q 8.  Roses                                                              Outkast 9.  Day Tripper                                                    Live 10. Sexx Laws                                                             Beck 11. Vienna                                                          Billy Joel 12. Sunday Girl                                                        Blondie 13. You Don't Own Me                                          The Blow Monkeys 14. You Give Love a Bad Name                                          Bon Jovi 15. Protons, Neutrons, Electrons                                    Cat Empire 16. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun                                     Cyndi Lauper 17. Mix Tape                                                          Avenue Q 18. 31st & M                                            The Daycare Stranglers 19. Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)                                      Eamon 20. Inside Out                                                           Eve 6 21. Beep                                    The Pussycat Dolls feat. will.i.am

Disc Four(Aberration, Inc.) 1.  Just One of Those Things                                     Frank Sinatra 2.  Just Friends                                                  Gavin Degraw 3.  Defying Gravity                         Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth 4.  Sugar                                                  Tick Tick Boom Cast 5.  Gold Digger                                    Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx 6.  Bag of Money                                                  The Low Life 7.  Scotty Doesn't Know                                                 Lustra 8.  I'm So Alone                                               The Mad Caddies 9.  World at Large                                                Modest Mouse 10. Get Over It                                                          OK Go 11. People Got to Be Free                                          The Rascals 12. Tainted Love                                                     Soft Cell 13. Don't Do Me Like That                                            Tom Petty 14. What's Love Got to Do with It                                  Tina Turner 15. He Wasn't Man Enough                                          Toni Braxton 16. Undone (The Sweater Song)                                           Weezer 17. Funny Honey                                                Renee Zellweger 18. I'll Never Be Jealous Again                   Reta Shaw and Eddie Foy, Jr. 19. Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me                       Ambient Irony 20. Dirty Little Secret                                   All American Rejects

Disc Five(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Will you Love Me Tomorrow                                    The Shirelles 2.  Desperate But Not Serious                                         Adam Ant 3.  Ready to Run                                                  Dixie Chicks 4.  I'm Gonna Miss Her                                            Brad Paisley 5.  Love Is Hell                                                    Ryan Adams 6.  It Ain't None of Your Business                             Missing Persons 7.  Stupid Boy                                                     Keith Urban 8.  Before He Cheats                                          Carrie Underwood 9.  You Don't Love Me Anymore                                Weird Al Yankovic 10. The Song That Goes Like This           Christopher Sieber and Sara Ramirez 11. (I'm Gonna) Run Away                         Joan Jett and the Blackhearts 12. I'm Not in Love                                              Talking Heads 13. You Keep Me Hangin' On                                           Kim Wilde 14. Don't Let's Start                                          Common Rotation 15. That's Enough of That                                           Mila Mason 16. Leave in Silence                                              Depeche Mode 17. Sign of the Times                                          The Belle Stars 18. Break Your Heart                                          Barenaked Ladies 19. Signs of Life                                                      Journey 20. Cell Block Tango             The Six Merry Murderesses of Cook County Jail

Disc Six(Aberration, Inc.) 1.  Designated Drinker                          Alan Jackson and George Strait 2.  Video Game Heart                                  All Girl Summer Fun Band 3.  Twisting                                              They Might Be Giants 4.  Fighter                                                 Christina Aguilera 5.  Found Out About You                                            Gin Blossom 6.  What Is This Feeling                    Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel 7.  Therapy                                      Amy Spranger and Raul Esparza 8.  Since U Been Gone                                           Kelly Clarkson 9.  Number One                                    John Legend feat. Kanye West 10. Material Girl                                                      Madonna 11. Build Me Up, Buttercup                                           The Goops 12. Schadenfreude                         Natalie Venetia Belcon and Rick Lyon 13. Happy Now                                                     Gwen Stefani 14. Why Don't You Get a Job                                          Offspring 15. Cry Me a River                                           Justin Timberlake 16. Ugly Ugly Mustache Girl                                      The Skakabobs 17. You Don't Know How It Feels                                      Tom Petty 18. Pink Triangle                                                       Weezer 19. Let Me Be Lonely                                                 Will Hoge 20. Buttons                                                 The Pussycat Dolls 21. My Love (The Christian Bale Experience)                 Sweet Tired Kitten

Disc Seven(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Let's Hear It For Love                                       Smoking Popes 2.  She Hates Me                                                Puddle of Mudd 3.  In and Out of My Life (In a Day)                              The Pandoras 4.  Cry of the Wild Goose                                        Frankie Laine 5.  Way Away                                                        Yellowcard 6.  Blue Monday                                                      New Order 7.  Kerosene                                                   Miranda Lambert 8.  Don't Shed a Tear                                             Paul Carrack 9.  Ghost of Love                                              The Proclaimers 10. I Write Sins Not Tragedies                              Panic at the Disco 11. Smile                                                           Lily Allen 12. Goodbye Says It All                                              BlackHawk 13. Careless Memories                                              Duran Duran 14. Nowhere Girl                                                       B-Movie 15. Hard to Be a Husband, Hard to Be a Wife      Chely Wright and Brad Paisley 16. Not About Love                                                 Fiona Apple 17. Take Out the Trash                                    They Might Be Giants 18. U + Ur Hand                                                           Pink 19. Good News                                               Neurotic Outsiders 20. Love You                                                       Jack Ingram 21. Time for Me to Fly                                          REO Speedwagon 22. What Is This Thing Called Love?                             John Barrowman

Disc Eight(Aberration, Inc.) 1.  Stripped, Part 2                                        Christina Aguilera 2.  Girls Lie, Too                                                 Terri Clark 3.  What Goes Around Comes Around                            Justin Timberlake 4.  Believe                                                               Cher 5.  Subtract One Love (Multiply the Heartaches)                           Cake 6.  Knock 'Em Out                                                   Lily Allen 7.  All That She Wants                                             Ace of Base 8.  You Don't Love Me                                                The Kooks 9.  You're So Damn Hot                                                   OK Go 10. Billie Jean                                                Michael Jackson 11. Losin' You                                                      Amy Millan 12. Oh, Goddamnit                                                 Hot Hot Heat 13. You Oughta Know                                          Alanis Morissette 14. You Don't Own Me                                          The Blow Monkeys 15. Girls                                                         Beastie Boys 16. Next Ex-Girlfriend                                        Bowling for Soup 17. Never There                                                           Cake 18. You Are Everything                                            The Low Life

Disc Nine(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Love Potion No. 9                                            The Searchers 2.  My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)                             En Vogue 3.  Liberty                                                        Duran Duran 4.  Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha               Trio 5.  Hole in My Head                                               Dixie Chicks 6.  Your Woman                                                      White Town 7.  Murderess                                                    Power Station 8.  Good as Gone                                               Little Big Town 9.  One Night in Bangkok                                           Murray Head 10. Endicott                                         Kid Creole & the Coconuts 11. Kiss You Off                                               Scissor Sisters 12. I'll Take You Back                                            Brad Paisley 13. New Toy                                                        Lene Lovich 14. Every Word Means No                                           Let's Active 15. Broke in Two                                          They Might Be Giants 16. My Friends                            Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter 17. He Can't Quit Her                                               Gary Allan 18. When You're in Love                                        The Proclaimers 19. Don't Think You'll Be Missed            Aileen Stanley with the Virginians 20. Why Say Anything Nice?                                    Barenaked Ladies

Disc Ten(Aberration, Inc.) 1.  Don't Trust Me                                                       3OH!3 2.  Atari                                                 Lucky Boys Confusion 3.  Get Over It                                                          OK Go 4.  So What                                                               Pink 5.  Have I Been a Fool                                             Jack Penate 6.  Flavor of the Weak                                          American Hi-Fi 7.  There's a Fine, Fine Line                              Stephanie D'Abrazzo 8.  99 Problems                                                          Jay-Z 9.  Don't Want You Back                                        Backstreet Boys 10. You Turn the Screws                                                   Cake 11. Breakin' Up                                                     Rilo Kiley 12. More Boys I Meet                                          Carrie Underwood 13. They'll Need a Crane                                  They Might Be Giants 14. Should've Said No                                             Taylor Swift 15. Hound Dog                                                    Elvis Presley 16. Take Me or Leave Me                                                   Rent 17. Your Kisses are Wasted on Me                                  The Pipettes 18. Just a Girl                                                       No Doubt 19. Bust Your Windows                                         Jazmine Sullivan 20. Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)                           Beyonce Knowles 21. There You Go                                                          Pink

Disc Eleven(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  I Hate Myself for Loving You                     Joan Jett 2.  Her Royal Majesty                                             James Darren 3.  What If I'm Right?                                              Sandi Thom 4.  I Hear You Knockin'                                            Fats Domino 5.  Go Your Own Way                                              Fleetwood Mac 6.  He'll Have to Stay                                            Jeanne Black 7.  Du Hast                                                          Rammstein 8.  Ampersand                                                    Amanda Palmer 9.  Another Girl                                                   The Beatles 10. Can't Do It Today                                               Gary Allan 11. No Scrubs                                                              TLC 12. Cold Cold Heart                                               Tony Bennett 13. Gunpowder and Lead                                         Miranda Lambert 14. True Romance                                             She Wants Revenge 15. Brand New Lover                                              Dead or Alive 16. Ex-Girlfriend                                                     No Doubt 17. Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit                    Neil Patrick Harris, et al 18. Don't Say You Love Me                                              Erasure 19. Red Rubber Ball                                                     Cyrkle 20. Strange                                                      Reba McEntire 21. Mr. Spock                                                      Nerf Herder 22. See You Later Alligator                          Bill Haley and His Comets

Disc Twelve(Aberration, Inc.) 1.  Right as Rain                                                        Adele 2.  She Ain't Got                                               LeToya Luckett 3.  Fly on the Wall                                                Miley Cyrus 4.  Telephone                                          Lady Gaga feat. Beyoncé 5.  Love Drunk                                                 Boys Like Girls 6.  Bye Bye                                                      JoDee Messina 7.  Analysis of a 1970s Divorce                                  David Dondero 8.  I'm Not Crying                                     Flight of the Conchords 9.  Every Breath You Take                                               Police 10. You Owe Me an IOU                                             Hot Hot Heat 11. It's Over                                     John Legend feat. Kanye West 12. Mood Ring                                                        Relient K 13. Picture to Burn                                               Taylor Swift 14. Gives You Hell                                        All American Rejects 15. Hit Em Up Style                                               Blu Cantrell 16. Beautiful Girls                                              Sean Kingston 17. It's Oh So Quiet                                                     Bjork 18. Pastures                                                      Lil' Justice

Disc Thirteen(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Fox on the Run                                             Sweet 2.  Angel in Your Arms                                          Hot 3.  Say It Right                                                 Nelly Furtado 4.  Gimme Three Steps                                           Lynyrd Skynyrd 5.  Heartbreaker                                                   Pat Benatar 6.  Don't Bet Money, Honey                                       Linda Scott 7.  Two Out of Three Ain't Bad                                        Meatloaf 8.  Too Many Fish in the Sea                                   The Marvelettes 9.  Pet Name                                              They Might Be Giants 10. Cold as Ice                                                 Foreigner 11. Jezebel                                                      Frankie Laine 12. Dark Lady                                                             Cher 13. (She's So) Selfish                                               The Knack 14. Evil Woman                              Electric Light Orchestra 15. Lipstick on Your Collar                                     Connie Francis 16. Stereo                                                         John Legend 17. Too Fast                                                    James Marsters 18. I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That                          Elton John 19. It's My Life                                                     Talk Talk 20. Cold Hearted                                                   Paula Abdul

Disc Fourteen: Suck It, Marshall(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Told You So                                               Barenaked Ladies 2.  The Sign                                                       Ace of Base 3.  Bulletproof                                                        La Roux 4.  Victim of Love                                                     Erasure 5.  I'll Never Fall in Love Again             Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes 6.  Are You Fucking Kidding Me?                             Kate Miller-Heidke 7.  Leeds United       Amanda Palmer and the Born Again Horny Men of Edinburgh 8.  Bringin' Me Down                                               Andy Taylor 9.  Alejandro                                                        Lady Gaga 10. Go Where You Wanna Go                              The Mamas and the Papas 11. Hate on Me                                                      Jill Scott 12. Shop Around                               Smokey Robinson and the Miracles 13. Anti-Love Song                                                Raven-Symoné 14. Don't Come Around Here No More                                   Tom Petty 15. King of Anything                                            Sara Bareilles 16. Endgame                                  Tommy Körberg and Barbara Dickson 17. I Am a Rock                                            Simon and Garfunkel 18. Don't Ask Me                                                         OK Go 19. Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now                       Patience and Prudence 20. I Quit                                                             Hepburn 21. The Mixed Tape                                            Jack's Mannequin                                                                

Disc Fourteen-and-a-Half: The Robot Falls in Love                             (Static Cling)                                                                                                                  1.  Rolling in the Deep                             Adele 2.  Rolling in the Deep                                             David Choi 3.  Rolling in the Deep                                            Jodie Aysha 4.  Rolling in the Deep                                           Kina Grannis 5.  Rolling in the Deep                                             David Cook 6.  Rolling in the Deep                                             Wonderland 7.  Rolling in the Deep                               PS22 Chorus feat. Denise 8.  Rolling in the Deep           Adele, Jay-Z, Biggie Smalls, and Voodoo Farm 9.  Rolling in the Deep                                             Tahj Mowry 10. Rolling in the Deep                                           Tim Halperin 11. Rolling in the Deep                                        Melissa Tojones 12. Rolling in the Deep                                            Mike Posner 13. Rolling in the Deep                                             Chris Ning 14. Rolling in the Deep                                         Haley Reinhart 15. Rolling in the Deep                                           Darius Dante 16. Rolling in the Deep                                            John Legend 17. Rolling in the Deep (live on Ellen)                                  Adele

Disc Fifteen(Aberration, Inc.)

1.  Just You Wait                                                 My Fair Lady 2.  You Can Make Him Like You                                  The Hold Steady 3.  Like a Boy                                                           Ciara 4.  Marionette                                                 The Marvelettes 5.  Through with You                                                  Maroon 5 6.  Bye Bye Baby                                                  Janis Joplin 7.  Let It Die                                                    Foo Fighters 8.  Blow It Out                                                       Ludacris 9.  Take It Easy (Love Nothing)                                    Bright Eyes 10. The Line                                                         Skakabobs 11. Fuck You                                                      Cee Lo Green 12. Grenade                                                         Bruno Mars 13. Jar of Hearts                                              Christina Perri 14. Love the Way You Lie                                  Eminem feat. Rihanna 15. Potential Break-Up song                                           Aly & AJ 16. Cooler Than Me                                                 Mike Posner 17. What the Hell                                                Avril Lavigne 18. Tired                                                                Adele 19. My Give a Damn's Busted                                      JoDee Messina 20. Ignorance                                                         Paramore 21. Hot and Cold                                                    Katy Perry

Disc Sixteen(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Almost Sorry                               Scissor Sisters 2.  Drama!                                                             Erasure 3.  Stop Draggin' My Heart Around                   Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty 4.  Runaway Baby                                                    Bruno Mars 5.  I Have Learned                                            Barenaked Ladies 6.  All Cried Out Redux                       Jill Scott (feat. Doug E. Fresh) 7.  If Only                               Grey Delisle and Neil Patrick Harris 8.  Nobody's Side                                 Elaine Paige and Murray Head 9.  Human                                                        Charlene Kaye 10. Maneater                                                      Hall & Oates 11. Mr. Big Stuff                                                  Jean Knight 12. Used to Love U                                                 John Legend 13. Bad Medicine                                                   Bon Jovi 14. Treat Me Right                                                 Pat Benatar 15. We'll Sing in the Sunshine                                    Gale Garnett 16. The Last Song                                                 Tim Halperin 17. Bills, Bills, Bills                          Darren Criss and the Warblers 18. Modern Girl                                                  Sheena Easton 19. Chain of Fools                                             Aretha Franklin 20. Dreams Be Dreams                                              Jack Johnson

Disc Seventeen(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Dead Memories                                                     Slipknot 2.  Poison                                                        Alice Cooper 3.  Paper Gangsta                                                    Lady Gaga 4.  Maneater                                                     Nelly Furtado 5.  These Boots Are Made for Walkin'                             Nancy Sinatra 6.  50 Ways to Leave Your Lover                                     Paul Simon 7.  Stutter                                                         Joe Walker 8.  Solitaire                                                   Laura Branigan 9.  Runaround Sue                                        Dion and the Beltones 10. Life Goes On                                                  Little Texas 11. Me Party                                       Amy Adams and Eric Jacobsen 12. Coin-Operated Boy                                        The Dresden Dolls 13. Smoochy Smoochy Pukey Pukey                          Harry and the Potters 14. I Know There's Something Going On                                    Frida 15. Evil Ways                                                          Santana 16. Your Cheating Heart                                             Joni James 17. Harden My Heart                                               Quarterflash 18. Rest in Peace                                               James Marsters 19. That'll Be the Day                                          Linda Ronstadt 20. (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone                                  The Monkees 21. Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye                         Steam

Disc Seventeen-Plus(Static Cling) 1.  Ready to Go (excerpt)                    Nicholas Strauss and Brian Holden 2.  Please Don't Touch Me                                       Megan Mullally 3.  I Want You, But I Don't Need You                                     Momus 4.  The Longest Text Message                                  Childish Gambino 5.  Makin' Whoopie                                               Amanda Palmer 6.  Fuck You/Gonna Get Over You                                    Sara Bareilles 7.  Getting Rid of Britta     Eric Christian Olsen, Chevy Chase, and Tom Wolfe 8.  Geek in the Pink                                                Jason Mraz 9.  Look It Up                                                 Ashton Shepherd 10. Poison                                             Bel Biv DeVoe 11. Used to Love Her                                             Guns N' Roses 12. Irreplaceable                             Beyoncé (feat. Ghostface Killah) 13. How to Write a Love Song                                   Axis of Awesome 14. The Girl Next Door (To Everybody Else)                 George Watsky 15. I'm Tired                                                    Madeline Kahn 16. Jubilation Day                   Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers 17. Making Circles                                              Christian Kane 18. Tyrone                                                         Erykah Badu 19. The Rake's Song                                           The Decemberists 20. The Succubus                                   Isaac Hayes and Trey Parker 21. There Ain't Nothing Like a Dick           Nicholas Strauss and Devin Lytle

Disc Eighteen(Static Cling) 1.  She Runs                                                      Tim Halperin 2.  Boy Toy                                            Tanya and the Hot Girls 3.  Misery                                                            Maroon 5 4.  Grown Man Cry                  Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra 5.  Ooh La La                                                   Counting Crows 6.  The Truth About Love                                                  P!nk 7.  Bones                                                           Gary Allan 8.  Good Girl                                                 Carrie Underwood 9.  I Don't Think She's in Love Anymore                          Charlie Pride 10. I'm Not Your Toy                                                   La Roux 11. Kids                                                      Childish Gambino 12. Lesson in Leavin'                                           Jo Dee Messina 13. Mockingbird                                                     Rob Thomas 14. Say You're Sorry                                            Sara Bareilles 15. Can't Wait to Say No to You                                       TalkFine 16. You Lie                                                     The Band Perry 17. I'll Feel a Whole Let Better                                     The Byrds 18. Turn on the Radio                                            Reba McEntire 19. Bye Bye Baby                                                         OK Go 20. Leave the Pieces                                              The Wreckers

Disc Nineteen(Static Cling) 1.  Rumour Has It                                                        Adele 2.  Woman Up                                                     Charlene Kaye 3.  No Surprise                                                       Daughtry 4.  Nylons in a Rip                                                Nikka Costa 5.  How Am I Doin'?                                             Dierks Bentley 6.  Hermione                                               The Moaning Myrtles 7.  Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me                                      Mac Davis 8.  The Apartment Song                                               Tom Petty 9.  I'm Like a Bird                                              Nelly Furtado 10. At Seventeen                                                     Janis Ian 11. Le Disko                                                    Shiny Toy Guns 12. Strippers                                               Ghost of the Robot 13. You Don't Like Me                                     They Might Be Giants 14. Shame on You                                                   Jerry Minor 15. The More I Learn (The Less I Understand About Love)           Ronna Reeves 16. Bad Blood                                                  Natalie Lungley 17. To Be a Man                                 Brian Holden and Joseph Walker 18. Her Daddy Was a Dalek, Her Mummy Was a Non-Stick Frying Pan  Martin Gordon 19. Men                                                   The Forester Sisters 20. Rashida Jones                                   Prometheus Brown and Bambu 21. All You Really Need Is Love                                   Brad Paisley 22. Alone with You                                                   Jake Owen 23. Wind It Up                                                Barenaked Ladies

Disc Twenty(Static Cling) 1.  You Will See Me                                dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip 2.  Pumpkin Soup                                                     Kate Nash 3.  Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble         The Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff 4.  Sigh No More                              Catherine Tate and David Tennant 5.  Tough Goodbye                                                   Gary Allan 6.  Survivor                                                   Destiny's Child 7.  Trade Mistakes                                          Panic at the Disco 8.  I Don't Wanna Be in Love                                    Good Charlotte 9.  Poison Apple                                                 Charlene Kaye 10. Hey Robin, Jolly Robin                                     Paterson Joseph 11. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing                                     Jack Johnson 12. Blow Me (One Last Kiss)                                               P!nk 13. Better off with Him                                                      A 14. Let Her Rip                                                   Dixie Chicks 15. Don't Think Twice It's All Right                                 Bob Dylan 16. Shut Up                                                    Black Eyed Peas 17. I Hate Everything About You                              Three Day's Grace 18. Eden                                                        Sara Bareilles 19. Amsterdam                                                           Guster 20. Erase Me                                                    Ben Folds Five 21. Good Day                                                 The Dresden Dolls

Disc Twenty.Five: Keep Your Hands off Will You Damn Fancy Cannibal(Static Cling) 1.  Goldberg Variations: Aria                                      Glenn Gould 2.  Sympathy for the Devil                                  The Rolling Stones 3.  Fee Fi Fo                                                  The Cranberries 4.  Civilized Man                                               James Marsters 5.  A Place Called Home                                             Kim Richey 6.  Gravity                                                  The Dresden Dolls 7.  For Reasons Unknown                                            The Killers 8.  A Formidable Marinade              Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen 9.  Your Own Worst Enemy                                  They Might Be Giants 10. Temptation                                                            VAST 11. Exterminate, Regenerate                                  Chameleon Circuit 12. Thankless Job                                         Anthony Stewart Head 13. Demons                                                              Guster 14. Let's Kill Tonight                                      Panic at the Disco 15. Crime and Passion                                              Duran Duran 16. Polly                                                              Nirvana 17. Hello, My Treacherous Friends                                        OK Go 18. I Know Things Now                                         Danielle Ferland 19. Monster                                                          Lady Gaga 20. One Tiny Thing                                                        8in8 21. Stand By Me                                                           Mona 22. Vide Cor Meum                                              Patrick Cassidy 23. Hannibal (Censored)                                              oswinlost

Disc Twenty-One: The Oklahoma Legacy OR Musical Anachronism(Static Cling) 1.  Girl in a Country Song                                        Maddie & Tae 2.  Mister Nice Guy                                             Invisible Inc. 3.  You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told) The White Stripes 4.  What You Call Love                                                  Guster 5.  Because It's Not Love (But It's Still a Feeling)              The Pipettes 6.  Upside Down                                               Barenaked Ladies 7.  Lasso                                   Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds 8.  Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)                                 Nico Vega 9.  If Your Kisses Can't Hold the Man That You Love                  Rasputina 10. Epiphany                                                 Chrisette Michele 11. Wishing He Was Dead                                               The Like 12. Stunner                                        dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip 13. Forgot to Laugh                                            Bridgit Mendler 14. Delayed Devotion                                                     Duffy 15. Switch                                                                 TLC 16. I Love It                                       Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX 17. Leaving You Behind                                            Amanda Blank 18. Love Don't Love You                                               En Vogue 19. Drowning                                                             Banks 20. Building a Wall                                         Brian d'Arcy James 21. Truce                                                    The Dresden Dolls

Disc Twenty-Two(Static Cling) 1.  Dickhead                                                         Kate Nash 2.  Love Is Like a Bottle of Gin                           The Magnetic Fields 3.  Same Old Love                                                 Selena Gomez 4.  Burn                                                          Phillipa Soo 5.  Turn Me Loose                                                     Loverboy 6.  So Long                                                             Guster 7.  Free Fallin'                                                     Tom Petty 8.  Love Sick                                                        Bob Dylan 9.  Look for the Woman                            dan le sac and Scroobius Pip 10. Opposite of Blue                                              Raining Jane 11. Leave                                                     Barenaked Ladies 12. L.A. Devotee                                            Panic at the Disco 13. How to Be a Heartbreaker                           Marina and the Diamonds 14. The Sad Truth                                               Shauna Carrick 15. Here                                                          Alessia Cara 16. Hungover Heart                                                  Gary Allan 17. Cupid's Got a Shotgun                                     Carrie Underwood 18. Ex's & Oh's                                                      Elle King 19. If This Is It                                      Huey Lewis and the News 20. You Rascal You                                             Hanni El Khatib 21. Merry Happy                                                      Kate Nash

Disc Twenty-Three(Static Cling) 1.  Casanova (Your Playing Days Are Over)                         Ruby Andrews 2.  You Finally Said Something Good (When You Said Goodbye)     Teddy Thompson 3.  Allez-vous En                                       Kate & Anna McGarrigle 4.  By the Sea                            Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp 5.  One Night Stand                                               The Pipettes 6.  You Can't Go By That                                              Ricochet 7.  Goodies                                            Ciara feat. Petey Pablo 8.  Neutron Dance                                              Pointer Sisters 9.  Trouble                                                             Avicii 10. Smoke Rings in the Dark                                         Gary Allan 11. So Gone                                                        John Legend 12. You're Easy on the Eyes                                        Terri Clark 13. Better to Leave                                               Jordan Brown 14. Second Chance                                                    Shinedown 15. Ballad of Mr. Steak                                            Kishi Bashi 16. Hunter's Kiss                                                    Rasputina 17. The Jeep Song                                            The Dresden Dolls 18. My First Stalker                                                    Watsky 19. Parasites                                                       San Fermin 20. End Love                                                             OK Go

Disc Twenty-Four(Static Cling) 1.  Doin' It By Myself                                                  Guster 2.  Me, Myself, and I                                  G-Eazy feat. Bebe Rexha 3.  Duct Tape Heart                                           Barenaked Ladies 4.  Instant Pleasure                                          Rufus Wainwright 5.  Please Don't Tell Her                                           Jason Mraz 6.  Mr. Know It All                                             Kelly Clarkson 7.  Set Me Free                                                    Leela James 8.  Turning Tables                                                       Adele 9.  Hard Hearted Hannah                                             Bea Arthur 10. Here I Go Again                                                 Whitesnake 11. 455 Rocket                                                     Kathy Matea 12. She Had the World                                      Panic! at the Disco 13. Heartbeat                                                 Childish Gambino 14. Your Love Is a Lie                                             Simple Plan 15. Flake                                                         Jack Johnson 16. Little Rock                                                  Reba McEntire 17. Four Little Diamonds                              Electric Light Orchestra 18. What Makes You Cry                                         The Proclaimers 19. The Fog                                                          Overcoats 20. Sorry                                                              Beyonce 21. Motherfucker Got Fucked Up                                        Folk Uke

Disc Twenty-Five(Static Cling) 1.  Welcome to Hell    Saoirse Ronan, Cecliy Strong, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant 2.  A Kiss Is Not a Contract                            Flight of the Conchords 3.  Leave Me Alone                                                The Veronicas 4.  Simple Machine                                                       Guster 5.  I'm Moving On                                                Chyvonne Scott 6.  Daddy Lessons                                                       Beyonce 7.  As the Crow Flies                                                Gary Allan 8.  Five Minutes                                   dan le sac vs. Scroobius Pip 9.  Love Will Tear Us Apart                                        Joy Division 10. Now I Know                                                       Lari White 11. That's My Girl                                                Fifth Harmony 12. Bling Bling                                                     Junglepussy 13. Bye Bye Bye                                                          *NSync 14. It Was a Shit Show                                          Santino Fontana 15. Paper Mache (Single A.F.)                                        Miss Eaves 16. Daria                                                                  Cake 17. Sleeping Beauty                                            Helen Trevillion 18. Justice for Lavender                                         Shauna Carrick 19. Philosopher                                                      San Fermin 20. No Means No (But So Do Other Things, Too!)                  Grumpy Princess 21. Flirtin'                                                             El Pus 22. Pink Lemonade                                    Watsky with Invisible Inc. 23. Stake a Claim                                  dan le sac vs. Scroobius Pip

[multi-fandom-imagines8]

Save Me

part 2

You can read part one here

Summary: After Loki faked his death, he came to earth to see a special someone.

Word Count: 2538

It was a normal day, you went to work at the hospital. Then you grabbed something to eat with Nat and checked on the rest on the team. Finally, you went home and read a book before falling asleep. You had a weird dream about someone you haven't seen for a year or even heard from. You woke up in the middle of the night, after your heart beat so fast. You placed your hand on your heart and noticed the window was open, even though you closed everything before reading the book. But now you weren't sure, since you you weren't planning on falling asleep. You closed the window and lights and went back to sleep.

When you woke up the next day, there was a weird feeling in your stomach that you couldn't explain. You ignored it and went to work. It was the same hospital where you treated Loki. Now it was rebuilt and more modern. You happened to be in the exact same room you treated him, but of course you didn't remember, for you had many things to do and were very busy. As you were treating a patient, you saw a shadow of a man lurking in the shadows of the ally. When you stood up to take a closer look, the figure was gone.

You ignored it again and  thought that you were imagining stuff.

As you were waiting for the next patient, your phone rang and as soon as you picked up, Tony said “Meet me at the tower in 10”.

“Good afternoon to you too. Tony you know I'm working, I can't just leave my patients. I have a tight schedule unlike you” you explained.

“Come on, I'll talk to your boss. I'm sure he'll let you take the rest of the day off” he said.

“Oh no, no no. You are not doing such a thing. You hear me Stark? I'm not rescheduling just because you can't wait 4  more hours. I'll come when I'm done, alright?”.

“Fine... You're boring. See ya” he hanged up.

- - -

You were stuck in traffic jam, when you looked at the rear-view mirror and saw Loki.

“Loki?” you immediately looked back shockingly, but alas he was gone.

“Oh no,no don't you try to deny it. This time you really saw him” you confronted yourself.

“Aah y/n you're here. I was falling asleep” Tony joked.

“ Ha Ha,  very funny Stark. I was stuck in the traffic jam. This is what happens when you live in New York” you explained.

“Evening y/n!” Steve greeted.

“Hey cap!” You greeted back. “Did any of you talk to Thor recently?” you asked.

“No, why? If you miss him, call him yourself” Tony teased.

“It's not that. Does any of you know what happened to Loki?” you asked again.

“Don't tell me you like him” Tony said.

“No, of course not” you scoffed.

“I heard a rumor saying that he's dead” Steve informed you.

“Huh, weird” you muttered.

“What did you say?” Tony asked.

“Nothing” you didn't feel it was necessary to share what you saw.

- - -

“Hey Thor, long time no see or should I say look time no hear” you called Thor or rather made Tony give you Jane's number.

“Y/n? It's nice hearing your voice again but how did you get this number?” he asked.

“Stark. He probably hacked the system or something. Don't ask me how” you explained. “Hey listen, I wanted to ask you something. What happened to your brother Loki, after you took him to Asgard?” you asked.

“Long story short. He redeemed himself, but died protecting me” he said.

“Oh I'm so sorry. I didn't know that. How are you holding up?” you asked.

“He died in my arms. I never thought the day would come where I'll watch my brother die, as much as I wanted him dead sometimes  I still loved him. But there's a new or rather old dark force that's threatening the universe, so I'm kinda busy defending the earth now, it keeps my mind off of him” he explained.

“Again, I'm sorry. Why didn't you call the avengers for help?” you asked.

“Oh no, I can deal with this one on my own. Besides, I don't want to lose another person I care about. Alright, talk to you later, gotta go save the world” he informed you before hanging up.

“Be careful”.

You locked the door and made sure all windows were closed, before going to bed. You continued reading until you fell asleep again. You had the same dream as yesterday and when you woke up the window was open again. You felt Loki's presence but couldn't see him.

“Loki? I know you're here and that you've been stalking me for the past couple of days. So why don't you come out and we could have a civilized talk, huh?” you questioned the air. But to your surprise, he actually showed up. You had the same weird feeling in your stomach.

“Hello love” he greeted from behind you.

“Jesus, you scared the hell out of me. Don't do that again” you sighed.

“No, not Jesus. I'm Loki son of Laufey, God of Mischief. You said to come out” he was confused.

“I didn't mean you-, never mind. I didn't think you'd actually show up” you explained.

“So, what do you want to talk about mortal?” he asked.

“Seriously? Mortal? Did you run out of words? Or is that the only word you know for us humans?” you questioned.

“Well... You are mortal. So, I don't see why you're offended by that human” he said.

“I'm not offended. It's just, we have names you know, Jotun or Asgardian” you poked his chest.

He looked at your hand and then at you “I prefer Loki or god of mischief, thank you very much” he told you.

“See,point's proven. Even you prefer people to call you by your name or nickname” you said.

“There's something different about you this time” he expressed.

“No, I'm the same, but you've changed” you informed him.

“No, there's definitely something different about you” he examined you with his eyes, held your hair in his hand and walked around you in a circle.

“Ok, stop! What are you doing?” you confusingly asked.

“I'm trying to figure out what's different about you” he answered.

“Alright, while you do that, why don't I get dressed and maybe get you something to eat or drink.. Do you eat? Or drink? Human food and drink?” you asked.

“It doesn't taste like much, but whatever you have I'll take” he said.

“Good to know. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere. In fact, don't touch anything. You know what? Just stay where you are and don't move” you demanded.

You took a dress that was on the chair in your room and went to the bathroom to change and then went to make him a sandwich. You didn't know what he liked so you made him your favorite, and water.

While you were making all that, he didn't just stand still. Instead, he moved around in your room. Sat on the bed, then got bored and started looking through your stuff. He opened the drawer next to your bed and found your diary. He started reading it, but got bored real quick. You didn't really write very important stuff in it. Just some nice moments you had with friends or some patient's story or even sad moments. He moved on to the drawer under your desk. There were perfumes and make up. He started spraying some in the air and liked each one of them. Then he opened your closet and saw many dresses that he imagined you wearing. Finally, he opened the drawer in front of your bed. He saw some pretty interesting stuff. There were many different kinds of lingerie. You really liked buying Lingerie. When you walked in, he was holding a bra.

“What on earth are you doing with that?” you asked.

“Finally, took you long enough” he ignored your question.

“I've been gone for like 10 minutes, probably less and you think that's long. And here I thought you were immortal and didn't care about time or feel it” you said.

“Aaah. I know what. You're braver and more confident” he informed you.

“What? Did you hear a word I said?” you asked.

“Yes yes. This is what's different about you. And now you're dressed nicely. Not that there was anything wrong from what you wore before. But this suits you” he told you.

“Thanks?”.

“You're welcome. Aah, you brought human food!” He took the plate from your hand. “And human drink” he added.

“It's just water. Or don't you have water on Asgard?” you weren't sure anymore. This guy keeps getting weirder and weirder.

“So, what were you doing with my bra?” you asked again.

“I beg your pardon?” he had no idea what you're talking about.

“That thing, that you had in your hand” you pointed at the bra.

“Ooh so that's what it's called. I was exploring your human room”.

“I thought I told you not to touch anything. And you're not gonna stoop calling me human or mortal, are you?” you asked.

“You told me to stop calling you mortal, so I did. I don't understand what you want me to do. You humans are complicated” he explained.

“Yeah, because I have a name and it's not mortal or human. My name is y/n. And why were you exploring my “mortal” room?” you asked.

“why shouldn't I? Is it wrong?” he asked.

“yeah, very. It's called privacy. And you never do that if it's the first time you visit someone” you explained to him.

“So, if I visited you more often, it would be okay to explore your room?” he asked.

“No, no it's not like that. Usually if two people are dating, they're allowed to touch the other person's stuff or if they're friends” you explained.

“Dating?” he didn't know what that is.

“Yes. It's when two people go out together and get to know each other and sometimes they get food” you informed him.

“Just like what we're doing?” he questioned.

“Oh no, no no. That's different” you chuckled.

“How so? I'm getting to know you. You brought me human food and I'm in your room” he said.

“Yeah, but people usually do that, when they want to see if they want to be in a relationship with that person in the future. It's kind of like courting but less serious. And by the way, people don't just come out of nowhere and sit in another person's room, but out of hospitality I offered you food” you explained.

“I see...” and both of you sat in awkward silence.

Suddenly he threw the plate on the ground and broke it “Another” he demanded.

“What did you do that for?” you jumped out of your seat at the sound of the broken glass.

“Because I want another. It was better than I expected it to be” he explained.

“People don't do that on earth” you informed him.

“Then what do you do or say when you want another plate?” he asked.

“You just ask politely” you said.

“Just like that?” he asked.

“Yeah, it's very simple. You see, we're not as complicated as you think we are” you told him.

“Loki?... Why are you on earth?” you finally asked.

“What do you mean? I'm here because I can go wherever I want to” he said in confidence.

“Really? So you just decided to visit earth because you so love humans?” you asked.

“I despise them!!!....” he yelled.

“Then why are you here?” you asked.

“I'm sorry, I forgot, you're human too. I don't despise you. You're alright” he said when he noticed your sad facial expressions.

“This still doesn't answer my question” you reminded him.

“As I said. I can go wherever I want to” he said again.

“So you're not here because you're trying to keep something hidden?” you asked.

“Hidden, like what?” he scoffed.

“I don't know. Yourself, maybe” you stated.

“Why would I want to do that?” he pretended not know.

“I heard a rumor that said you're dead” you informed him.

“I'm right here, aren't I?”.

“Yeah I can see that. But it doesn't change the fact that you faked your death” you added.

“Now where did you hear that?” he asked.

“I can't seem to remember” you lied.

“Lies! All lies!” he denied.

“Alright. I'm just gonna call Thor and inform him of your arrival” you teased and walked towards the door. He followed you and put his hand on the door not allowing you to open it.

“What do you want?” his tone changed.

“The truth” you demanded.

“Fine. Yes I faked my death. Is that what you wanted to hear? Are you happy now?” he finally admitted.

“Why did you do it? Your broke your brother's heart. He mourned you. He loved you, you know?” you told him.

“Right. Did he say that?” he asked.

“Yes. He told me he wished you were dead sometimes but that he still loved you, even after everything you did” you added.

“My fool brother” he sarcastically said.

“You find that funny? You enjoy people being hurt because of you?” you raised you voice.

“ You misunderstand. Emotions are overrated. I was saying he's a fool for feeling for me” he explained.

“Is that what you think? You wanted power, you wanted to rule the earth. This means you wanted attention, you wanted to be acknowledged. You wanted people to see you, maybe fear you. All those are feelings Loki. Hatred, Anger, these are feelings too. Everybody wants to be loved. Even you Loki. You may try to deny it, hide it from the world, but I see through you. Otherwise, why would you be here talking to me, if not to spend time with someone who doesn't despise you?” you explained.

He stood there in silence for a moment. The two of you were so close that your chest and his touched. It was harder for you to breathe with every second he came closer.

“I've never met anyone like you. You're something else” he told you as he caressed you cheek. You turned away from him.

“But why are you here?” you asked in a very low tone.

“Because-, because I like you” he finally admitted.

@markusstraya @legolasothranduilion @raeology