#and that quentin is a bad father sometimes

[coraniaid]

It’s not until Season 3’s Helpless that the Buffy writers really started to lean into the idea that Giles is a father figure to Buffy.  After Season 3, it comes up a lot, sure.  It becomes a key part of his character.  But it’s something of a retcon.  It’s not exactly the role Giles plays early in the show.

(Yes, it’s possible to cast Giles as the parental figure of the Scoobies much earlier than that, and fandom often does.  But I’ve never been entirely comfortable with that reading. 

If nothing else, the first three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer take place in a high school.  It feels weirdly reductive to assume the only possible way an adult in this setting can interact positively with children is by acting as a parent.  And early series Giles is not a parent.  He’s a mentor.  He’s a teacher.)

Partly that’s because, until Season 3, Buffy already has a father.  Hank Summers doesn’t appear much, but when he does (in Season 1’s Nightmares and the Season 2 opener When She Was Bad) he seems cast in much the same mold as Buffy’s mom Joyce.  He seems to be nothing more than a well-meaning parent who just doesn’t understand his daughter.  Yes, we see in Nightmares that Buffy is worried that he might secretly resent her and not want to be around her – fears that, retroactively, will turn out to be true – but in that first episode those fears tell us much more about Buffy Summers than they do her father.

But Helpless sets up the comparison with Giles pretty directly, by firmly establishing Hank as a bad parent.  Hank is meant to come and visit his daughter on her birthday, only to cancel his plans at the last minute.  He does so because, as Joyce says, “his quarterly projections are unraveling and he can’t afford to take off right now”.  He chooses his job over his daughter.  Meanwhile Giles is meant to do his duty as a Watcher and send Buffy off powerless to fight a vampire as part of the Cruciamentum, even though this is likely to lead to her death.  He doesn’t go along with it.  He choose his daughter over his job.

And yet.

Well, I lied.  That isn’t actually what happens in Helpless.  Not exactly.

Giles does not choose his surrogate daughter over his job.  Not consciously, anyway.  He doesn’t refuse to drug her.  To drug her repeatedly, even when he sees the effect it’s having on her.  He doesn’t tell her about the Cruciamentum when she starts losing her powers. Even when he sees just how afraid she is.  He doesn’t do anything but privately moan to Quentin Travers until after the vampire Buffy’s meant to fight escapes.  

Then, yes, he tells Buffy about what’s happening.  Then he confesses to what he’s done.  But only because, as he tells Travers, “your perfectly controlled test seems to have spun rather impressively out of control”.  The implication, surely, is that if the vampire hadn’t escaped, if the test had proceeded as the Council had planned, then Giles would have kept his silence, however reluctantly.

And even then, even while telling Travers that he doesn’t “give a rat’s ass about the Council’s orders”, a part of Giles seems to think he can do this and not risk his status as a Watcher.  Rewatch the scene where Travers fires him.  Giles is surprised.  “On what grounds?” he asks, when Travers tells him he failed the test.  He doesn’t think he’s done anything a Watcher shouldn’t do.  He didn’t know that telling Buffy would cost him his job.  He never does make that choice.

And that’s part of why I always get slightly irritated by fandom readings that uncritically cast Giles as Buffy’s Dad. About people who even sometimes act as though he’s a better parental figure than Joyce Summers.  Because that’s just not supported by the text. 

Yes, Giles clearly cares deeply about Buffy, and has done since the first season (witness his own fears in Nightmares, or his attempt to take Buffy’s place in facing the Master in Prophecy Girl).  

He’s prepared to die for her, he’s prepared to kill for her. After being fired by the Council, when he's no longer her Watcher, Buffy's still clearly very important to him. Possibly the most important person in his life. 

But he’s not a perfect father figure and he repeatedly treats Buffy really badly, even before copying Hank’s “shiftless absentee father” routine in Season Six.  He lies to her, he hides things from her, he doesn’t trust her instincts. Even when she asks, he’s not prepared to take her to the Ice Capades.  He repeatedly tries to distance himself from her. He’s not prepared to actually be her father.   Even in Season Six's Life Serial, when Buffy offers him the role of substitute parent, he asks instead if there’s another part he can play: “is there some sort of, um, rakish uncle?”.

Yes, of course, Rupert Giles is a much more developed character than Joyce Summers – possibly the most developed character in the first three seasons of the show after Buffy herself.   And yes, the audience are clearly meant to sympathize with him more than they are with Joyce.  But I think it would be a mistake to think that this means the character of Buffy herself also feels this way.  Giles is part of the story of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in a way Joyce isn’t, but equally Joyce is a fundamental part of her daughter’s life in a way that Giles never is.  In a way he repeatedly turns down the chance to be.

(Just look at how often Buffy worries about her mother getting hurt or about having to do something that makes her mother disappointed in her. Think about how much Buffy's desire to be "normal" is tied up with Buffy wanting to be a daughter her mother would be proud of.  Look at how much she misses her after she dies; how afraid she is that she never knew how much she meant to her.  This is a constant part of Buffy’s characterisation, from the first season until the last.)

Giles is not the uncomplicated Good Dad that some of the fandom wants him to be.  He never has been.  He can’t possibly be that person, when his role in the narrative is to prepare Buffy for her destiny of dying young, alone in the dark, fighting monsters.  And that’s a smart writing choice! It’s what makes Giles a good, compelling character. 

The Giles that appears in the show is much more interesting to think about than the sanctified fandom reading which ignores or downplays his flaws.  And I just think people should talk about that version of the character more.

[princesssarisa]

Character ask: Veruca Salt (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)

Requested by @comma-after-dearest

Favorite thing about them: The humor of her constant demands and tantrums, and how perfectly she embodies a child's id. As a character, she's easily the most memorable of the four bratty kids; it's no wonder that in the classic 1971 film, she's the only one who gets her own song to sing. She's also the only bratty kid whose flaws are just as bad by modern standards as by 1964 standards. Augustus's overeating, Violet's gum-chewing, and Mike's TV obsession seem like tame vices today, but the selfish, greedy, materialistic Veruca still holds up as a bad, bad example.

Least favorite thing about them: Well, obviously, she's a nasty, spoiled little brat, the worst of all the kids on the tour. (Except in the 2005 film, where Mike is nastier.) It's ironic that her fate is the mildest of them all, just being dropped into a pile of garbage while Augustus, Violet, and Mike all have their bodies permanently altered; nonetheless, she richly deserves it.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I'm a female only child.

*My parents sometimes spoiled me when I was growing up.

*I was slightly prone to throwing tantrums when I was little (though in hindsight, I realize they weren't really tantrums, but meltdowns).

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I've never been as spoiled as she is.

*I don't wear fur.

*I wouldn't want a pet squirrel or goose.

Favorite line:

From the book, when she wants one of Wonka's squirrels:

"All I've got at home is two dogs and four cats and six bunny rabbits and two parakeets and three canaries and a green parrot and a turtle and a bowl of goldfish and a silly old hamster! I want a squirrel!"

From the 1971 film:

When her father has all of his peanut factory workers opening Wonka bars from dawn till dusk, but they still haven't found a Golden Ticket:

"I won't talk to you ever again! You're a rotten, mean father! You never give me anything I want!"

From the 2005 film:

"Daddy... I want another pony!"

To Violet's mother, when Violet turns into a blueberry and her mother, with skewed priorities, asks how she can compete now:

"You could put her in a county fair."

brOTP: None, not even her parents; not only have they brought her up badly, but she abuses them too much, especially her father in the 1971 film.

OTP: None.

nOTP: Willy Wonka or any adult.

Random headcanon: When she grows up and inherits her father's peanut factory, she might strike a deal with Charlie to supply the chocolate factory with peanut butter to use in candy. Whether this leads to friendship between them, or even romance, will depend on whether she's reformed, though. If she hasn't changed, then Charlie had better steer clear!

Unpopular opinion: I wouldn't mind seeing a British-made adaptation that portrayed her as American, rather than the usual American-made adaptations that portray her as British. So far only Eric Idle's narration of the audiobook has done this, but some people argue that it was Dahl's intent, based on certain "Americanisms" in both her speech and her father's in the book, and the fact that her father's peanuts are typically more of an American snack than a British one. Dahl arguably meant for her spoiledness to be a product of crass American capitalism, not of the British class system as usually portrayed in adaptations. Still, her standard adaptational portrayal as a snooty upper-class British girl does feel right, and it makes her contrast especially well with the tour's other girl, the brash, tomboyish Violet who's usually portrayed as American.

Song I associate with them:

"I Want It Now" from the 1971 film... and the Oompa-Loompa song that follows it, after she and her father fall down the garbage chute.

The Oompa-Loompas' song about her from the 2005 film:

Favorite picture of them:

This illustration by Joseph Schindelman:

These illustrations by Quentin Blake:

Julie Dawn Cole in the 1971 film:

Julia Winter in the 2005 film:

And these photos from the 2013 stage musical:

[totouchthcstars]

Look who just woke up- is that JASON RALPH? No, I must have been mistaken, that’s QUENTIN COLDWATER from THE MAGICIANS. I heard he is 28 and stuck here just like everyone else. Even in the 20’s, they still give off a A BEING SHY AND ANXIOUS AND OFTEN NOT BELIEVING IN HIMSELF; DETERMINED TO MAKE UP FOR HIS MISTAKES; EVEN WHEN IT COMES WITH A HIGH PRICE; SOMETIMES NOT KNOWING WHEN IT WOULD BE BETTER TO LET SOMETHING GO impression. They’re known to be quite INTELLIGENT, but have a tendency to be INTROVERTED on their bad days.

Gender/Pronouns : he/him

How long have they been in Sydney : in reality, Quentin arrive only recently, however, in his fake life, he came to Sydney for treatment and college

Which suburb do they live in? tba

Personality description : Quentin is always shy and insecure, worried to say or do the wrong things and generally, not trusting strangers very much. While he is loyal to the end towards his friends on the other hand, he still has troubles to express his feelings and needs on most days

Memories of their real life :

Quentin… my poor precious boy who always thought there should be more in life than what the eye can see

he did always believe the fictional world of Fillory does really exist

Q was suffering from isolation anxiety, and did even spend some time in a Mental Health Clinic because of major depression (medication included)

He is still pretty anxious at times, and not very self-confident either, but it is getting better: He is having good and not so good days at this point

Q does remember Brakebills, the friends he made there - especially Eliot and Alice - and the struggles and hardships they got through.

He remembers how they all managed to bring magic back into the world, however, he has no idea what the price of it was (loss of memories and a fake life) and he also does not know anything yet about his later death.

What was their fake life like : 

Q's fake life had not really been much better than his real one. As a boy, he did not really have any friends expect those hiding between the pages of books. He was shy, uncertain, and an easy target for bullying.

Maybe it was because of the early death of his mother and his father not knowing how to raise the boy himself, seeing the man was having his own mental issues since that day.

When Q started to talk to his imaginary friends, his father did send him to a lot of doctors, but nothing really helped.

It was only when Q turned 18, and got the money from his heritage, that things got a little better. He found a place at a college in Sydney, and a therapist he was going to regulary to work on his trauma.

Quote: "Most of my life I've been in and out of hospitals, and you know, just suicidal thoughts and notes, and…a lot of notes. Attempts, and meds, and therapy, and then I found Brakebills, and all that went away. I thought that…Did I do something brave to save my friends? Or did I finally find a way to kill myself?"

Hobbies: Books, books, and.... a lot of books. And self-tought magical tricks

personality type: INFP - Quentin is fiercely loyal, he's thoughtful and caring. He'll solve any problem in order to help save his friends and even the world. People with an INFP personality are analytical yet idealistic

theme song: Secondhand Serenade - Fix You

[awritingcaitlin]

Tyrysian Politics

Under the cut 'cause it's long.

Berthingtonn is a constitutional monarchy. Nobles are hereditary, parliament is elected. The line of succession is clear and Parliament goes on cycles. It's ruled by King Quentin Teel and his wife Marie.

They've been on the throne since Quentin's father died. It's been a bit since a parliamentary election but that oncoming war is going to make for some political turmoil.

Berthingtonn nobility is via lineage with a direct succession, sometimes they have to employ a regent. The parliament via election.

The King and Queen of Berthingtonn are well-liked, though everyone could do without the Prime Minister since he has done absolutely nothing he said he was going to do on his election platform.

The King of Berthingtonn has a small set of trusted advisors but has to listen to Parliament too.

The Berthingtonn Crown mints their currency. Gold coins are even delineated by weight and called Sovereigns and Crowns. Silvers have "heavy silver" and "light silver" (plus regular silver). There's also "coppers" and "half-coppers."

Berthingtonn's military is a combination of their police force, militia, and army-which fold together during war times. It's controlled by the government.

Beyond the king and elected officials, shield technicians are important and require specialized training. The shield protects Berthingtonn from everything from assaults by other countries to particularly bad weather. Technicians require a lot of specialized training. And security clearances!

Voting requirements for elected officials and policies are citizenship and being 18 years old, no special exceptions for military. And, if you're an astral (angel or demonic) you must earn additional citizenship credits.

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Schmiedland is an elected monarchy + Reichstag. The royal pair is elected and rules until one or both of them die. If one passes before the other, elections must be held again while the remaining monarch rules incumbent. If both monarchs of the pair die, the Reichstag rules during a rushed election.

To qualify to be king and queen, the pair must be married and be a blend of human and elf. Is this fair to literally any other race in Schmiedland? No. But here we are.

The Reichstag is family-based for the upper house, someone has to sit in the seat. The lower house is done somewhat via election, but some families can get as entrenched as they do in the upper house.

It should be noted that Esternia, which is a subset of Schmiedland, has its own mini-government within it because that's High Elves for you. They tend not to pay too much attention to greater Schmiedland politics. They do have a few seats in the high house though.

Schmiedland is currently ruled by Gervase and Eileen Cresthower. They've been ruling for about 150 years.

They are well-loved by the general populace and the military. Both Gervace and Eileen served in the army and navy respectively. While not a requirement, it certainly does help their reputation. There are some opposing houses who would like them gone, but assassinations are a game in Schmiedish Politics.

While the Kings and Queens of Schmiedland don't have to interact with the populace at all, this set actually does a fair bit of it, which makes them popular.

Eileen regularly would go out in disguise to see how the people in the capital city lived. While this technically did not help anyone outside the capital, she was able to shift policy for the common folk rather than the loudest voices in the Reichstag.

Okay, currently, on paper they're still ruling, but neurological poison has both of them very ill and the country is basically being run by the country's spymasters instead.

The Reichstag is aware that something is wrong...But there's enough corrupt officials in the government who like the changes that no one is speaking out particularly loudly. The military is planning a coup though.

Unrelated to current events, the Schmiedish government regulates currency, but as Schmiedland has both paper and coin currency, it's largely managed locally or regionally.

The Schmiedish government controls the larger structures of the military-the King commanding the Army and the Queen the Navy. However, because Schmiedland is large, counties, parishes, and larger cities control a lot of the subsections.

Schmiedland is actually supposed to be faction-less (have no political parties). That could not be further from the truth.

There's basically as many factions as there are noble houses, some of them are public, and some of them sneak around in the shadows, with back room deals, backstabbing, assassinations, and a bunch of other court intrigue.

To take someone down, it needs to be another member of the government who accuses them. Enough public outcry might be enough to circumvent that. Schmiedland specifically has everyone so locked into their roles with certain permitted "crimes" (House Politics) that it almost doesn't matter.

Schmiedland runs elections for their monarchy and citizens can vote on laws as well. Requirements for voting are citizenship, and being at least 18 years old (or have joined the military, which you can do at 16.)

There are technically no age restrictions for government in Schmiedland, but it's rare to see people younger than 40 succeed with the amount of networking and other work that goes into it.

Schmiedland hasn't always been a unified country. Before that, they were a smattering of different countries and cultures that fought for what would be best. This is what they eventually came up with.

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Edansa is a monarchy, but is currently being ruled by a regent because the monarch is an adolescent. Other government officials are appointees or got there via being an Admiral in the Navy.

Edansa is ruled by Lady Regent Maile Waterflower, who will abdicate power at some point in the next decade to Princess Kenna Oceancliff who is still only a teenager. Kenna was orphaned as a child to a severe illness that plagues the land.

Edansa nobility is via lineage. The rest of the government is the Admiralty and then elected officials.

Both the Princess and the Lady Regent are well-liked. The Lady Regent is doing a good job keeping things running smoothly on bahalf of the young princess. And she is starting to get a handle on the politics as well.

Edansa's government controls the Navy and Marines. Local towns control their own militias.

In Edansa, you cannot promote to higher ranks in the military until you are at least 50, and sometimes over 100 because the elves expect a certain amount of experience.

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Timernis is a democracy with their 20 representatives being elected via lottery. Every Great Family is in the lottery. A person serves for five years. The lottery rotates with elections running once a year, replacing representatives on a rotating basis.

However, the master of contracts is elected. He's the guy who controls all of the mercenary contracts.

The Timernis government handles both their army and mercenary groups.

There are issues and laws up for public vote. Anyone who has passed the citizenship trials can vote, regardless of age. (The youngest person to pass the citizenship trials was 9.)

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Perinathia is an oligarchy, with the top ranked people actually functioning as avatars for their pantheon of gods. The government in Perinathia is all chosen by their gods and appointed by people working for the gods.

As such, good luck seeing a Perinathian royal ever if you're not part of the upper echelons of society.

Perinathia's government largely controls their military, with some branches of militia handled by far-reaching towns.

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Eswaisil is a theocracy run by the Queen Matron and a Council. They control the military, the Temples, the schools, and pretty much everything else.

The Queen Matron supposedly can talk directly to their goddess, Nidtrix. She is the head of the Council, though she does not frequently make rulings as the Council is designed to have an odd number of people so there are no ties.

The Queen Matron is also an astral and has been in power for many, many years. She does not look old, however. She isn't planning on going anywhere soon.

Generally speaking, she only makes herself seen to the High Council and high-ranking military officials.

The Senior High Council is made up of 9 priestesses who no longer work for the Temples or the military, which is where they would have worked before to qualify for the position.

They serve ostensibly until they die. Though they could retire. Replacements are made through either the rest of the Council, or a Temple or military appointment.

Whether the Queen Matron in Eswaisil is liked or not, no one says they don't like her because that's a great way to end up dead.

Eswaisil's military is controlled by their government/church.

Prior to Eswaisil being Eswaisil, they were the South Efrium Confederacy, with a somewhat Democratic Republic in place.

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The Yurels are currently a set of semi-united city states. They cycle through governments depending on city states and unification status.

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Most governments stay out of churches, except Eswaisil where the church is the government. Primary schools are state run in countries like Schmiedland, Berthingtonn, and even Timernis.

Upper education tends to be more privatized, though Berthingtonn's government does control both of the universities.

Hospitals are a mishmash of government and private. Some hospitals are run out of Temples, others are state sanctioned, others are run by donors and families.

The military has more control in Edansa rather than the government. They run hospitals and schools. The military also runs a lot of schools in Schmiedland as well.

Various countries have unofficial "state-approved" religions: gods about justice, purity, harvest, the sea, etc. Most of this is done through social stigma.

Eswaisil, again, being the biggest exception where the religion is also the government.

Also, Perinathia does basically have a cult running their government.

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Most countries have a pretty balanced systems of power. Timernis is probably the most balanced, but Schmiedland and Berthingtonn aren't bad off either. Eswaisil is not balanced but that's by design.

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Trade is pretty open across the world. Notably, Edansa does not trade with Eswaisil unless they absolutely have to. Thadenopolis supplies most of the world's grain in exchange for oddities and curios.

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In general, Schmiedland, Berthingtonn, and Edansa have an accord that means they will come to each other's aid without much question. It's been like that for decades. Perinathia and the Yurels have a bit of an alliance, but it's more of a 'we both dislike Schmiedland, so...'

Timernis does not have alliances with anyone, but will send mercenaries everywhere but Eswaisil, because Eswaisil violated a previous contract.

[warlockcd-blog]

let’s agree that Arrow’s season 2 was good, villain-wise and plot-wise for the most part. we had Slade Wilson and Sebastian Blood, who were very different and both really interesting because of that fact. we were properly introduced to the League of Assassins for the first time, Nyssa made her first appearance and we got to see a bisexual Lance woman. 

but it was a terrible season for women. from Shado and Moira Queen dying for Oliver’s man pain, as well as Slade’s, to Laurel’s descent to hell, to Thea being betrayed and lied to by everyone to Felicity becoming Oliver’s new love interest, to Helena Bertinelli being once again reduced to the “psycho ex-girlfriend” and heartless murderer that she wasn’t in the comics. but very clearly, Laurel is the one who had it the worst — don’t try to contradict me on that, i’ve got receipts and this what this post is all about. 

i rewatched season 2 for my characterization of Laurel and because there were quite a few things that i had forgotten about her development during that season, and i decided to write down all the bullshit Laurel was put through. the bad things that happened as well as the crazy things she has herself done ( but Laurel doing crazy things is one of the most Dinah Lance things ever, so it mostly is a ‘suck it, Fefe stans, Laurel’s always been a badass who lives in danger and strives in darkness ).

having to deal with the loss of Tommy all on her own, without Oliver ( one of the very few friends she has ) to help her grieve

the City Hall under attack during a ceremony she attended

she watched the Mayor get shot and die by ‘the Hoods’

 disarmed one of the men and knocked him out ( wearing a dress and high heels, bravo )

was then held at gun point ( only the first time of the season )

tried to get the Hood — a man she used to trust and believed to be a hero until she saw him in the building where Tommy died — because Tommy died

used herself as bait but the attempted arrest was interrupted by a blonde in leather. shots were fired, her work place was partially destroyed in the process

“[...] dodging bullets twice in three weeks”

Quentin confronted her about the Hood’s arrest being a personal vendetta after she tried to call him out on his own vendetta with the Doll Maker ( one of the things that led him to heavy drinking )

her father getting arrested for obstruction regarding the Doll Maker case after he escaped from Iron Heights because of the Undertaking

got kidnapped by the Doll Maker ( serial killer who ruined her father’s career ) because he wanted to get revenge on Quentin

had a tube forced in her throat ( with the purpose of drowning her with polymer ) and was saved just in time by the Hood

went from blaming the Hood for not saving Tommy to blaming herself for his death because Tommy was in the building that collapsed to save her

started to drink pretty heavily

got pulled over after a date with Adam Donner ( her boss )

“I’m the best me when I’m working.” “You wouldn’t want to meet her [ herself outside of work ], she’s not good company.” — Laurel to Adam during dinner

was confronted by her father ( who was called by the officer who pulled her over, like she is a child ) about her potential drinking problem — a fight ensued

denied her problem with alcohol and started taking pills

quite drunkenly got confused over Oliver walking her back home, got rejected

“I got the message. I get it loud and clear every day. Run. Run. Run away from Laurel. Run as fast as you can.” “What is so wrong with me that everybody [ Oliver, Sara, her father, her mother, Tommy ] leaves?”

worked a case against Moira Queen ( a woman she had known most of her life )— against Oliver and Thea, her friends, knowing that Moira could get sentenced to death for the Undertaking

was kept in the dark about Adam’s secret card to win the trial ( despite the fact they were working together )

under peculiar circumstances ( Adam being poisoned ), was forced to act as prosecutor instead of Adam. “Everything is at stake for you and I don’t want to be the one to take it all away.” — Laurel to Moira

barely present at least in episode 08 and 09 ( there were a few more episodes later on, but this in in chronological order )

got close to Sebastian Blood despite the fact that she thought he was dangerous ( and a killer ), purposely endangering herself to get information to discredit him

went as far as going to a mental institution so she could talk to Blood’s “aunt” ( who really is his mother who witnessed him killing his father and called Blood the devil )

went to the DA’s office to talk to Adam about Blood without any proof, a move that put her career at risk

broke into government property with the help of the Arrow to steal the proof that she needed

got shot at ( again )

got nothing because the file on Blood was empty

her apartment was searched and Laurel was arrested because of non-prescription drugs ( that she took from her father )

“You can’t pit it on Sebastian Blood.” — a very disappointed Quentin Lance who then left Laurel at the precinct   

kidnapped in her own apartment right after she got arrested, was trapped in a disaffected factory, was pushed around and thrown to the ground when the Arrow intervened

repeatedly shot the man wearing the Skull Mask and killed him

man who was not Sebastian Blood like she would have bet her whole career on

right after the incident, was brought to the precinct and it was there that Adam Donner confronted her about her substance abuse problem

he told her she couldn’t work at the DA’s office anymore

Quentin tried to trick her into going to an AA meeting by pretending he was treating her to dinner

he tried to make her understand that she needed to attend the meeting, that she needed help

when Laurel said that she thought nobody at the meeting would understand what she was going through, is answer was basically “people are going through the exact same thing and they have it worse than you, get your shit together”

convinced that her old friend ( Joanna from s1 ) would help her get a job at the firm where she works but was instead told that she was going to get disbarred because her conduct could affect her ability to work

went to Verdant and drunkenly trashed everyone, especially Thea, jabbed at Oliver and his partnership with Felicity, 

fell on the floor passed out when she got home, thought she saw Sara ( her “dead” sister ) ( who she actually really saw and did not hallucinate )

passed out not because of an overdose ( unlike what was first believed by literally everyone ) but because she was poisoned by a member of the League of Assassins

her mother was kidnapped by Nyssa while Laurel was still at the hospital

“Laurel’s inside, shes losing her mind.” — Quentin about Laurel

found out that her sister didn’t died during the ship wreck and that she was very much alive and back in her life after six years

“You stole my life away from me.” — drunk Laurel to Sara just before she threw a glass at the door ( drunk Laurel has a really good aim tho 

decided to organize a family dinner at her apartment to make amends and try to make things better ( especially between her parents )

Sara invited Oliver without permission

Laurel realized that her parents would never ever get back together even though she had briefly hoped they would ( and was extremely happy and excited about it )

found out that Sara and Oliver are together

fled her own apartment because she couldn’t take it anymore, Oliver followed after her, Laurel blamed him for things going badly

“And is you losing your job, doing drugs and being a drunk my fault? Is that your family’s fault? Or are you gonna blame Tommy for dying?” — congrats on victim-blaming Oliver

“Why don’t you have a drink? Get wasted. Go to Verdant. I’ll pay for it.” — Oliver doing the equivalent of Quentin pushing a bottle in Laurel’s hand in s3

“And so, when I saw you... so beautiful and so alive... I realized that I’m not those things. Not anymore.” — gorgeous Laurel apologizing to Sara ( followed by almost begging her not to hate her )

two AA meetings a day

offered back a place at the DA’s office as the prosecutor on the Frank Bertinelli trial — trial which was a sham and a trap to get Helena Bertinelli to Starling so they could arrest her

caught in a hostage situation by Helena Bertinelli

almost threw out thirty days of sobriety and called herself expendable decoration ( the woman in black, aka Sara, is the one who told her to be strong and prove her sister, aka Sara, that she was strong )

honest with Helena about Tommy’s death and her addictions with the hope to stop Helena from killing people

“Once you let the darkness inside, it never comes out.”

was held at gun point by Helena and was once again caught between the vigilantes and the police shootings

blackmailed the DA so she could get her job back

learned through Slade Wilson that Oliver ( formerly the love of her life and best friend ) is the Arrow

her father was arrested and sent to jail because of his work with the Arrow

blackmailed the DA ( again ) to get her father out of jail after he was beaten up there, and got him back on the job

loss of a close family friend ( Moira Queen )

faced with Oliver wanting to offer himself up and die to save her and the ones he loves

which happened after she discovered that she had been right about Sebastian Blood from the beginning, meaning that she lost her job for basically nothing

almost got killed by one of Slade’s Mirakura soldier after she hit him with a pipe to save Oliver

was separated from Oliver and trapped in a collapsed tunnel after Oliver shot an explosive arrow so the debris would stop Slade’s soldier

had to shoot an explosive arrow to save her own life despite having never in her life learned archery ( knowing that messing up could have killed her )

was knocked out at the precinct by Nyssa

was kidnapped by one of Slade’s soldiers right after getting back to consciousness because Slade had beef with Oliver

heavily implied that if Slade hadn’t mentioned also having Felicity, Oliver wouldn’t have “played Slade’s game” and would have left Laurel to him

held at gun point ( again )

had to say goodbye to Sara, who was going back to Nanda Parbat with Nyssa ( Sara giving her jacket to Laurel being their second to last interaction before Sara gets killed in s3 )

her father nearly dying in her arms because of internal bleeding caused by one of Slade’s soldier ( the one who kidnapped her )

[moonlit-imagines]

Father of the Year (Part 4)

Tony Stark x child!reader

Quentin Beck x Stark!reader (platonic)

warnings:

a/n: yaddah yaddah. tony is fictional and this is an AU, dont be mad at me. yeah. i can tell already that this bitch is abt to flop, hoping it doesn’t tho

prompt:

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 5 part 6

Work didn’t feel like work with the brilliant team of disgruntled ex-Stark employees, they made you feel like you were invincible. And visible.

The way you all functioned around each other, it was like you were made for this. Sometimes you’d even burst into tears thinking about how lucky you were to be taken in by them, even if you were a Stark. But they knew you were different.

Every so often you would be extremely aware of your actions, though. You’d say or do something and think, “wait, that seems familiar,” and realize you picked it up from Tony. But Quentin pulled you aside and told you that just because you were raised one way didn’t mean you were destined to become that, and it stuck with you.

“Y/N, I need to pick your brain on this one.” He called to you from across the warehouse. You climbed the stairs and saw him diligently working on the screen.

“What’s up?” You squeezed yourself in there and Quentin draped his arm around you, something you were quite used to by now.

“Okay, so if I were to, let’s say, put a laser beam here...and here,” he pointed with his free hand and peered over to you, “do you think that would work for this drone?”

“I mean, yeah, it could.” You nodded, moving the schematics around and moved his points of interest a bit lower. “But is it a laser for calibration or a laser for cutting and burning?”

“Good question.” Quentin grabbed the bottle of water beside him and took a long sip, offered it to you (who declined) and set it back on the stool beside him. “For now, calibration.” He answered.

“Right.” You pulled the item on the computer-generated blueprints farther out and made sure it would be able to reach all angles. “That should be good.”

“Fantastic, now a follow-up question.” He smirked at you and you cocked an eyebrow, knowing he was about to ask something of you. “Could you build the prototype? If anyone could build it without a flaw, it’s you.”

“Yes, fine, I’ll do it. Just send these to my setup so I can work at my station.” You told him and watched him get right to work on that.

“Guys, come check this out! Y/N’s on the news again!” One of the team called you over and you saw the TV playing a video of you when you were younger, reporting that you’d been “missing” for over a year now. Then Tony appeared on the screen and made you nauseous.

“I haven’t been able to get in contact with y/n, no. My only hope us that they’re safe out there and they come home when they’re ready. Y/N, if you’re hearing this, I love you.” Tony told the newscaster and your blood went from a simmer to a boil. You had to step out, but just before you did, you heard:

“Miss Pepper Potts was asked to make a statement, but declined without further explanation.” It’d been a long time since you’d seen Pepper, but anyone who excused your father’s actions was no friend to you. “Y/N Stark has yet to be seen since their violent demonstration more than a year ago outside this very building.” One of the reporters recounted, which gave you an idea. Someone might as well have placed a lightbulb above your head.

“You’re in a better place now, y/n. You know that, right?” Quentin followed you away from the TV and leaned against the wall. “I know that we didn’t know each other while I was working for Tony, but that didn’t mean I never noticed you. I honestly felt bad when I saw you, I’d never seen you smile.” You leaned against the wall with him and you both slid down. “Ever since I met you, you’ve seemed so happy and free. You don’t need that shithead back in your life!” He jokingly punched your arm and you laughed.

“I think I need to make another robot.” You told him. “Just to send another message, if you know what I mean.”

“Use the one I designed, but don’t be afraid to add your special touch.” Quentin proposed, leaning you a little dumbfounded.

“Are—Are you sure? What were you going to use it for? I’m sure I could make yours first and then get to mine later, it doesn’t have to be now.” You rambled on and Quentin patiently waited for you to finish.

“Y/N, any jab at Tony Stark is a win for us. If the drone helps you, I want you to use it. We can put my stuff on hold for a while.” He assured you in a tone that you’ve heard few times in your life. “If you need me to help, I’ll be there.”

“Beck, how the hell did you create the ‘Tony Stark Hate Club’ and still manage to be one of the nicest people I’ve ever met?” You asked he crawled up from his spot and hoisted you up by the arm.

“Easy, you don’t know many people.” He shot back and you pushed him the moment you got onto your feet.

“I take it back.” You giggled and led him down to your work station. “Well, time’s a-wasting.”

—————

You had to leave base to antagonize your dad, but that was fine by you. Couldn’t risk anyone finding your fun little operation. You went alone, even as the others insisted they’d come for moral support, but this felt more like a family matter. So you drove and drove until you reached the destination, a parking garage near a park that Tony and Pepper frequented.

“Showtime.” You said while activating you newest drone, courtesy of Quentin’s mind. It booted up and flew straight out to your targets, and as soon as Tony saw it, he knew exactly what was going on.

“Pepper, honey, stay back.” Tony commanded as he faced the drone. “What the hell do you want, y/n?” He asked the drone as your lasers focused on his chestpiece, having him feel threatened enough to activate the nanotechnology.

“Oh, cool feature!” You sarcastically shouted into your mic. “Remind me now, wasn’t it my idea?”

“You know what, y/n?” Tony blasted at your robot and watched it do a barrel roll to dodge. “I was just starting to get used to you not being around. Should have stayed that way.”

“Used to?” You laughed. “You always acted like I wasn’t around...and you’ve been on TV begging me to come home.”

“What can I say? I’m a good liar.” You got sick of hearing Tony’s voice again and pointed the laser at his armor to scan for a weak point. Just as you were about to strike, Pepper jumped in the way to reason with you.

“Y/N, please don’t hurt him.” She begged you. “I know he wasn’t the best dad to you, but that doesn’t mean you have to do this.”

“I remember when he used to make you ‘take care’ of me, Pepper. Do you?” You asked her and watched her eyes widen through the camera feed. “You’re no better than him.” You actually revved up your drone and sent it full force into Tony’s head, protected only by the Iron Man armor. It was hilarious watching him flip around midair, and the bystanders seemed to enjoy it a bit, too. You weren’t done yet, but your time was cut short when a portal opened behind you and the man stepping through crushed your robot with ease. There was nothing left for you to do.

“Come on, pick up...” You muttered as you lifted the phone to your ear. “Quentin?”

“Yeah, did your plan work?” He asked immediately.

“It was going just fine until some...some guy just crushed my bot. I—I don’t know how.” You got back into your car and slammed the door, unconditionally upset that your father had seemed to win this one. While Quentin tried to calm you, another portal opened and you were tugged through, face to face with your dad. “Wha—”

“You should hang up that phone.” The man in the cape instructed.

“Shit...I have to call you back.” You ended the call and felt all the blood drain from your face as you noticed Tony standing in the room. “What the hell is going on?”

“Oh, well, my magic acquaintance needed my help with something, hence why Bruce is back. Say ‘hi,’ Bruce.” Tony told him.

“Hi...” He timidly waved.

“Anyways, I figured my help could be exchanged for a favor, that being that I get my ungrateful child to show their face again, whether they wanted to or not.” Tony explained to you while pacing around the room. “Now, what possessed you to attack me twice and run off where no one could find you?”

“You’re a shitty dad.” You blatantly told him and watched his cheeks heat up.

“Are you hearing this, Bruce? I’m a ‘shitty dad.’” He put in air quotes and Bruce looked like he didn’t want to be involved at all.

“I—I mean, I’d believe it. You might be a shitty dad.” Bruce backed you up. “I mean, the whole Ultron thing didn’t really reflect well on you.”

“Thank you.” You nodded and before you could continue this argument, there was an ominous booming sound from outside.

“We’re going to have to cut this short.” The wizard told the group.

“This isn’t over, brat.” Tony jogged outside with his people and you immediately dialed Quentin once again while checking the dangers outside. And of course, it was aliens.

“Hey, what the hell just happened?” He asked as soon as he picked up.

“There are aliens in New York. Again.” You felt weak in your knees. Last time this happened you got ditched, and I guess that was the case again, but you could handle yourself this time around.

But it wasn’t long before Tony was taken off planet and deemed missing. It was a real relief until Bruce started chasing you down.

“Y/N, wait up!” He tripped and stumbled over the rubble and you kept walking with your back turned to him.

“Sorry, Bruce. Any friend to Tony is no friend to me.” You stated when he caught up to you.

“You don’t have to go out there alone. Listen, I know Tony is a piece of shit, he’s not exactly my favorite person, and I know that he’s probably not the best dad.” That was an understatement. “But this is not the time to get picky over friends. We can help each other.”

“No thanks, Bruce. I have friends.”

—————

When you parted ways with Bruce, you were a ghost again. You stayed hidden for about two years the last time you ditched your dad, so when you dusted, not many people would know the truth.

Tony didn’t seem to mind, though. It was a load off to him—until Pepper told him she was pregnant. Then he lived in fear, fear that you would attack him with his guard down and ruin his “perfect family,” one that you’d never be apart of.

During those five years that you were gone, Tony swore that he would never teach Morgan about you...your own sister. Tony made himself out to be a victim of your hatred as if you were not a product of your environment. And now that he had a new child, he wanted to be a better father without acknowledging that he was awful the first time around.

And when the Avengers asked for his help, the one thing stopping him was that you might come back and ruin his happily ever after. The slight chance that you actually were one of the dusted was preventing him from saving half of the population.

But he got over himself and died in the process, bringing you back to a world without him in the way of your happiness. Things were not all perfect, though. You had a sister, Pepper had a restraining order, and Peter had tech that belonged to you and your long-lost team, who were happy to have you back.

This isn’t over yet.

taglist: @hc-geralt-23 // @dancing-tacos-23 // @huntective-kyeo // @angeldreifics // @coollemonsaresour // @directionerlarryzi // @babycarrot-1 // @alwaysananglophile // @rorybutnotgilmore // @locke-writes // @sweetheartliz07 // @queen-destenie // @natasha-danvers // @lokihiddles // @frostedficrecs // @johnmurphyisqueer // @teenwaywardasgardian // @pappydaddy // @captainshazamerica // @freya-xo // @ravenmoore14 // @xuxinoir // @ofthedewthesunlight // @canarypoint // @zoeyserpentluck // @randomawesomeperson102 // @brutal-out-here // @wonderful-writer // @of-a-chaotic-mind // @groovyfluxie // @procrastinatingsapphictrash // @lxncelot // @swanimagines // @randomfandomimagine // @petersgroupie // @dindjarinsspouse // @werewolf-himbo // @lost-fantasy // @legolas-with-hearing-aids // @moobrvoobl-moobmoob-oobmpoobroom // @summersimmerus // @cipheress-to-k-pop //

[dearrrabbit]

for @trevsawriter who’s hcs are the absolute coolest and i really really hope i did them justice in this !!!! :]

The first time Steve almost lets it slip past his lips, he’s got a flashlight in his hand, and an ache in his thighs from crouching next to Felix, who’s patiently explaining what he’s doing as he fiddles with the light switch.

It comes so naturally he only catches it when the syllable is halfway out.

Felix had furrowed his eyebrows, muttered, and Steve just.. leaned in and tweaked the wires right again. Above them, the fixture in the hallway fizzles into existence again, and Felix has one of those rare not-quite smiles on his face, and goes “Ah-hah, got it. Thank you, Steve.”

Steve got caught up in it, so sue him. It’s just the fact that Mr. Harrington never seemed to give his son more than a passing glance, and he spent a lot of time in the houses of friends’ with those sternly caring fathers, he’s heard the grumbles about having to hold a flashlight steady, and lug plywood from the store to the car to the house. Steve knew he’d never have any of this, and when he was younger, it definitely curled beneath his heart as jealousy, anger even at points. But mostly, it was just sadness. He’d kill to have a sad like that. And Felix wasn’t a dad, or his dad, but.. He sometimes sort of reminded Steve of that.

It’s no wonder that when they all started this new, tremulously safe, murder-free life, he’d gravitated towards the only family he’d really forged in the realm. (Mostly, Steve went where Quentin went. And Ace and Felix made room in their house and their hearts, as cheesy as that sounds, for the strays they picked up along the way.) In that time, Felix and Steve had grown closer, something like a quiet understanding forming between them. Which is how he ended up having a crisis in the hallway of his pseudo-father(?)’s home on a Sunday.

“No prob, Da-.. uh, Doorknob. The doorknob. You said it was loose?” Steve clears his throat, and fuck. There was no way Felix didn’t catch that. He doesn’t want to look up, or acknowledge what he almost just called Felix, because he’s embarrassed, and okay, maybe a little scared of his reaction.

It won’t be.. bad. Felix isn’t a bad guy, he’d understand, maybe. But Steve’s braced himself for rejection far too much in one lifetime, and he thinks, sadly, exhaustedly, he can’t take any more of that. He’s had his fill, thanks. He’s honestly not even sure why he said it, how he let himself be so distracted to say it, and he definitely doesn’t want to make a big thing of it, and-..

“Steve.” Felix’s voice is gentle. Softer with a quality that he’s not able to discern, almost strangled by it. “I left the slotted screwdriver in the kitchen, do you mind going to get it quickly?”

Steve winces internally, but is quick to nod. “Sure, can do.”

He pads down the hall, and is doing a very good job, at least he thinks to himself, of not seeming hysterical like he feels. Because maybe not acknowledging it is worse. Maybe, this is when the other shoe drops. He stands stock-still in the kitchen, where Ace has begun dinner, and Quentin is trying not to doze off in front of his essay, the toolbox open on the kitchen island.

“Hey, what’s he need?” Ace snaps him out of it, not turning to face Steve, but instead nudging Quentin, who starts with a little noise of complaint, wiping at the corner of his mouth.

“A slotted.. uh, a slotted screwdriver, he, he didn’t say anything else so. I don’t know if it’s like, the head, or.” Steve flounders, and Quentin squints at him, shaking his head.

“You need to build more Ikea furniture.” He mumbles, sleep addling his voice, but he rummages through the toolbox and presents Steve with a red, slotted screwdriver, “Let’s buy some. Hands-on learning for you, fancy-pants.”

Ace lets out a breath through his nose that could have been a laugh. “Felix hates the stuff from Ikea. Don’t let him catch wind of this.” Quentin shakes his head, like questioning Ikea is a foolish thing to do, lets out a jaw-breaking yawn, and Steve can’t help but soften considerably at the sight of him, feeling some of that earlier tension ebbing away.

Of course, Quentin catches him, and scrunches up his nose, as if he’s extremely offended Steve would look at him with love in his heart. “Stop oogling me and go help Felix.”

“I was not oogling.”

“I’m not turning around, but there had better not be any oogling going on in my kitchen.” Ace puts a pan onto the flame, and something starts to smell really good, “Or you can both go help Felix. See how he likes it.”

They both laugh, and Quentin reaches out, tugging Steve between his legs as he perched on one of the tall barstools. He whispers, face turned away from Ace, “You alright?”

“Yeah! Yeah, yeah, I’m.. I’m totally alright, very cool.” He nods, a little too enthusiastic because Quentin flattens both his eyebrows in his ‘i’m-so-sure’ face.

“IcalledhimDad.” It comes out in one breath, and Quentin just.. stares at him.

The longer it goes on, the itchier Steve’s skin feels.

“Why?” Is the only question Quentin asked, and it’s not really harsh, but Steve winces anyway and Quentin’s hand finds his in a physical reassurance.

“Just.. slipped out.” Steve waves his other hand and rakes it through his hair, “I know, it’s weird, I’m.. I’m really weird, I don’t know.. I just. Hm.”

Quentin shakes his head, nudges him gently. “Hey, you’re not that weird. That’s not even a bad thing, but..” He trails off, shaking his head, resolute. “You’re not weird for that. I’m sure he’ll get it.”

Steve lets out a despairing little noise, because he’s a drama queen, and even if this isn’t a big deal in the grand ‘we’ve-literally-died-for-and-beside-each-other-before’ scheme of things, he still would rather crawl into a hole and waste away than acknowledge the situation, which he has to do eventually. Quentin, ever-persevering with his shenanigans, kisses it from him and tugs him closer to kiss his temple, which Steve has to hunch to make work.

“You’ll be fine, Steve, seriously. It’s okay. You’re allowed to think of this as home, you know?” Is muttered into his hairline.

Steve feels a lump in his throat, which, fuck, that’s embarrassing, but he also can’t contain himself and nods thickly. Quentin rolls his eyes good-naturedly, and nudges him to the door again, “OK? Now, stop making the bambi-eyes at me and go finish the doorknob.”

“OK.” He kisses Quentin’s knuckles before he relinquishes his boyfriend’s hand, and palms the screwdriver, padding back down the hallway.

Felix has set the flashlight on the entryway table, aiming it just at the doorknob, and nods at Steve, who hands him the screwdriver with a little flourish.

They work in the same easy silence as before, and Steve thinks for a moment, perhaps the gods have listened, perhaps Felix really didn’t hear him. The screws of the doorknob are deposited in the bowl that Steve holds in one hand, paying rapt attention to Felix’s movement’s and the doorknob is wiggled back into place.

Just as Felix begins the first screw, without looking up, he just says, “..You called me ‘Dad’.”

Steve doesn’t really know if it’s a question, or an acknowledgment, or something else that he’s not hip to pick up on, but he immediately opens his mouth and lets the babble rush forward, because that’s what he’s good at. “Yeah, uh, yes. I didn’t mean to, though.. Not to say like, I don’t think you’re a good dad -not that you are a dad, well, maybe the dog’s dad. Not really, but you know how people say that?- but, uh,”

“Steve.” Felix prompts gently.

“Because, you’re probably great at that! But, you know I kind of had a dad, even if I didn’t see him a ton, and..”

“Steve.” This actually manages to catch his attention, he shuts his mouth with a weak ‘Sorry.’

Felix sighs, and shakes his head, “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. I didn’t want you to feel as if you had done something wrong, is all. I do not mind it.”

“Oh.” Steve’s shoulders slump from where they had drawn up in tension. “I’m.. sorry?”

Felix raises a single eyebrow, “Sorry for what?”

Steve screws up his nose, and waves his hand off to the side, “The word salad. I don’t know why it made me so nervous.”

Felix looks back down at the doorknob with a small laugh. “I’ve noticed.” It lapses back into the easy silence, before Felix, still faintly amused, mutters, “..The dog’s dad.”

Steve groans, “Oh my God. I’ll just go back to kitchen.”

(+ Quentin contemplates submitting his essay and thumps his head against the marble miserably.

Ace is looking down the hallway, under the guise of retrieving cutlery to lay out on the table, and mutters to Quentin.

“They do know that doorknob wasn’t even loose, right?”

Quentin shakes his head, “I don’t think they care.”)

[red-doll-face]

I just found your blog and I LOVE IT.

If I might ask: What’s your saddest dbd headcanons (killers or survivors)

Call me crazy, but I must know! ❤️

Ohh this one was a good one but it hurt me so badddd, ahhh. I’m glad to share , I have some bad dbd brain rot lmaooo I didn’t do every character so I hope these are ok 🥺 these are a bit long too

Sad Dead by Daylight Hcs

Claudette Morel:

Claudette is one of the criers. Probably cries while getting mori’d and can't help the tears during the really bad matches. Her pain tolerance isn’t very high, hence the willingness to waste time healing herself if it means she can stop being in so much pain.

Meg Thomas:

Spends time alone thinking about her past life. Her mother is a subject that makes her really frustrated. People mentioning their moms makes her a little standoffish. Wishes she had a chance to say goodbye in some way.

Ace Visconti:

Ace doesn't have much family to even miss him. He wonders if they noticed he’s gone or hasn’t come back. Maybe they think he hit big bucks and left them behind. Ace is stuck really. Even if he were to go back, he’d be dead or working off his debt.

Feng Min:

Gets super mad when she loses, it makes her so angry that she doesn’t control the trials. She blames other people for her losses but actually is very critical of herself. Casts the blame on others so she doesn't have to face her own mistakes.

David King:

All of his perks are about putting his ass on the line for his teammates yet everyone seems to think he’s selfish and a dumb brute. David doesn't know what to do to be more approachable; genuinely wants to be seen as a friend.

Laurie Strode:

Laurie never got the chance to mourn her friends. She thought she won. Finding out she’ll never truly escape Michael or be able to forget him makes her so mad. When she gets Michael in trials she makes sure the glass in her pocket is extra jagged and serrated.

Jane Romero:

Jane only wanted recognition and acknowledgement. Everything she's worked so hard for feels like a waste for her now. She should have spent more time on herself or with her father. Jane feels like she has no purpose anymore besides running and screaming for the enjoyment of the entity.

Yui Kimura:

Yui can’t stand the Clown or the Stealth Killers. Reminds her of bad memories. When she loses against killers like ghostface, she is especially angry.Her fighting spirit can’t help her actually get back at them.

Zarina Kassir:

Spent so much time fighting inequality only to spend the rest of her life where the odds are never in favor of the survivors. Where the oppressed are destined to lose. Each one of the people is subjugated, both killer and survivor and there's nothing she can do to free them.

Cheryl Mason:

She's been through literal hell and back just to end up in a weird recurring nightmare. At least Silent Hill had an escape. She's killed a god and somehow someone her size with a boxcutter can kill her? Huh.

Élodie Rakoto:

Feels guilty over the loss of her parents and feels extremely disillusioned by this realm. It's so much more boring than she thought it would be. All of her searching and traveling was not worth this shithole.

Steve Harrington:

Steve, though 18, is very much still a kid. Steve is naive about certain things and his optimism gets chipped away at a lot. Wasn’t too enthusiastic at having to care or look after Dustin and his friends but misses having people to protect.

Jeff Johannson:

Someone who definitely ends up taking hooks for people and ends up dying. Has a reputation among the killers as a survivor who is easy to leverage during the endgame because he will try for that save.

Kate Denson:

Feels very lucky to even have her guitar. The other survivors didn't get to bring many things with them. Makes her feel a little bad when she Often feels too worn out and exhausted by the trials to play it.

Quentin Smith:

Unfortunately stuck in pseudo-hell with his abuser. Gets really anxious against Freddy. Leans on his fellow survivors. Will sometimes accidentally bring Freddy to others in an attempt to get Freddy the hell away for him.

Evan ‘The Trapper’ Macmillan:

Actually has tried on numerous occasions to remove the metal rods and shrapnel embedded in his skin. It hurts like hell and just when he thinks he’s got it, he loses grip. These attempts never work.

Philip ‘The Wraith’ Ojomo:

When he’s alone, Philip will try and talk to himself. His vocal cords are warped, his voice a scratchy growl and garbled gurgle. He remembers what he used to sound like but he tries talking less and less.

Max ‘The Hillbilly’ Thompson Jr.:

Besides being named after someone who locked him away for most of his life? Max has to rest a lot between trials. The constant movement puts strain on him and causes him dull pain. His back causes him a lot of grief. The Entity is barely merciful.

Michael ‘The Shape’ Myers:

Meant to be forgotten by everyone who ever knew of him and he knows it. Loomis, after deciding that Michael couldn't be ‘fixed’ just hoped that the system would swallow him. If it weren't for the entity, Michael knows he'd either be dead or caught and back with Loomis.

Bubba ‘The Cannibal’ Sawyer:

Used to be one of the nicer killers to go against and might have been sweet to certain survivors who deserved kindness. But the Entity punished him for it. Bubba isn't very nice anymore. Probably a little meaner to avoid being in trouble again.

Amanda ‘The Pig’ Young:

Another one down to give second chances, much like the second chance she saw in John Kramer. Doesn’t do this a lot however, therefore escaping the ire of the Entity. She’s spent a lifetime hurting others emotionally and physically. Now, she’ll spend an eternity.

Rin ‘The Spirit’ Yamaoka:

The pain and anguish is so heavy but time is no cure in a place where time is nonexistent. No happiness to replace her rage. Especially in a place where her anger is a weapon for a greater power. Also has tried to pull the glass out of her skin and press her limbs back together. Can’t stand to see herself in the mirror.

Adiris ‘The Plague’:

Her body is always on the precipice of falling apart. Her skin rots; her flesh aches and feels like it will tear away at any moment. She is immortalized yet so close to death. Her body hurts so much but she has a purpose to serve. (makes me even sadder bc jannneeeee my mainnnnn😔)

Kazan ‘The Oni’ Yamaoka:

Misses his son. Never got to see him grow up, considering he;s already met his descendant. Proud from a distance because that's all he can be. The beginning of something so angry that it passes down his family line.

Caleb ‘The Deathslinger’ Quinn

During his life, was under the control of people who made him work for their gain who used him. The Entity emphasizes the killers as a position of power but Caleb does much of the same here. Works and works. Never for himself.

Pyramid Head ‘The Executioner’:

His existence has always included pain. He’s not quite sure what it’s like without it. He’s made several efforts to take the pyramid off. It pulls painfully at his neck. Makes awful groaning noises and roars.

Ji-Woon ‘The Trickster’ Hak:

Has never been much more than entertainment for other people since he was a child. Never expected to be much more. To the point that now, if he doesn't feel impressive in some way, he feels incomplete. The entity is his way to really indulge his ‘true artistry’.

Yun-Jin Lee:

A bit selfish when it comes to surviving. A few people around the campfire dont like her for that reason. Some of the meaner people will even leave her behind because they remember all of the times Yun-Jin might have done something similar.

Thanks for reading!!! I’m sorry I don’t post often but I have Shit ton of hw and I recently started a new project sooo ya know 💖💖💖

[fangirl-imagines]

Dating Donny Donowitz Would Include...

A/N: Quentin Tarantino characters just hit differently I guess. Also there is some slightly NSFW stuff in here.  

I would like to preference this by saying that for some reason I always, always picture Donny with a really cute plus size babe so here are some specific DonnyxPlusSize!Reader headcanons to start us off. 

This man practically worships you

Seriously he loves every inch of your body and thinks you look like a fucking goddess. 

He loves every curve on you and thinks they’re hot as hell.

He loves to grip onto your curves when the two of you are getting frisky

Think you’re too heavy for him to pick up or to sit in his lap? Haha! He is the fucking bear jew, he is definitely strong enough to pick his girl up and would love to prove that to you any chance he gets. 

In fact that's one of the things he likes about his strength is how well you fit into his arms and how easily he can make you feel safe and pick you up. 

Donny is a boobs man and my busty plus size gals he would love to lay his head on your chest when you two fall asleep. 

If you want to lose weight he would totally be there to workout with you and pump you up too. 

Some nights the two of you will dance in the living room. Not for any real occasion, just if a soft song comes on the radio, Donny will pull you up off the couch and pull you against him until the song is over. 

Surprisingly, Donny is actually so gentle with you. Especially in the bedroom. He knows that he sometimes forgets his own strength and his worst fear is hurting you so he tries to keep his touches gentle just in case. 

He calls you his princess a lot in that deep voice and Boston accent and just wow it makes me melt to think about. 

I could definitely see Donny being the type to bring you flowers all of the time, just because they were pretty and reminded him of you and because he knows you’re going to light up when you see them. 

He can’t sleep unless he’s flat on his back so when you two spend the night together he is always pulling you on top of his chest to sleep and keeping his arms wrapped around your waist. 

He is also a heavy sleeper and will not let you go until morning so if you need to get up you have to seriously find a way to maneuver yourself out of his grip. 

Also I just fully believe that this man snores in his sleep but he will deny this fact for life. 

He wants to think he’s not the jealous type but holy cow is he the jealous type?! More like possessive really. 

Never with the other basterds really because he trusts them and knows they would never even think of trying something with you. But other men however…

Other men have to have a death wish or something to try something with the Bear Jew’s girl. 

Like he knows you can take care of yourself and everything but he it still bothers him to the point where he thought you were even a little uncomfortable with the way some guy was being towards you he is there and ready to scare the guy off. 

He’s a smart enough guy and all but he isn't great with emotions. Like when you're upset he goes into panic mode and isn’t sure what to do to make it better. 

If you tell him what you need when you’re upset he will try his best but otherwise he just panics and is trying whatever he can to cheer you up. 

If you are sick he would go full on mother hen. Like his mother was always codeling him when he was sick so that's just how he responds. Plus like I said, he goes into panic mode when somethings wrong with you. 

Do I even need to say that Donny’s favorite dates involve going to Fenway Park with you? The Red Socks, his girl, a beautiful day, some cracker jacks? What more could he ever ask for?

If you don't know how to play baseball he would love to teach you! 

Seriously imagine him standing all close to you and trying to show you how to hold the bat right and swing. 

He might give you your own bat to keep at home for when you're alone, instructing you to swing first and ask questions later.

If you ever REALLY want to get him riled up there are two ways to go about this. Flirting with someone or bad mouthing the Red Sox

He is a huge flirt. It does not matter how long the two of you are together he will flirt with you/hit on you every chance he gets. 

Donny would probably move pretty fast in your relationship too. Like he knows he wants to marry you after a couple of months kind of fast. 

He carries around that damn ring in his pocket for almost a month trying to get the nerve to actually ask you too. 

He loves when you come visit him at the barber shop during the day. 

Like sometimes he forgets his lunch on purpose so you'll bring it to him and he has an excuse to see you during the middle of the day. 

His father and the other guys in the barber shop would probably make fun of him for it too. 

Donny definitely has a physical size kink. Like he loves if you're smaller than him, especially like how he can pick you up easily and how small your hands are in comparison to his.

[ahtsumu]

the mystery of love ; kuroo tetsurou

pairing: kuroo tetsurou x f!reader

synopsis: kuroo tetsurou does not believe in soulmates. he believes in science, himself, and sometimes other people. but that doesn’t mean he can’t believe in love.

tag(s): sweet summer lovin’, friends to lovers, inspired by call my by your name, university student!kuroo tetsurou, lab intern!kuroo tetsurou, so much pining lol, fluff, angst, slow burn ; warning(s): profanity, mentions of alcohol ingestion (it’s legal bc they’re in italy!), suggestive themes ; wc: 4.8k

a/n: happy birthday tetsu!! i hope you guys like this. i really enjoyed writing it ♡

Kuroo Tetsurou does not believe in soulmates. He believes in science, himself, and sometimes other people. At least, that’s what he tells you. Sometimes you treat this information as a source of hope; other times, you’re not sure what to make of it.

This, you realise with his shoulder pressed against yours and both your bodies sprawled across his wrinkled bed sheets, is one of those other times. You turn your face to look at his.

“What?” he asks, one side of his mouth curling up in a smile.

For a moment, you wonder what would happen if you just said it. You could blame the alcohol. Get away with it scot-free. While you mull the option over in the dead silence of his room, your brain suddenly registers the music still playing from the living room. The low bass reverberating through the walls. How close your lips are. The sound of his breaths.

“Earth to Y/N?”

And like that, the little what-if that rose in your mind falls back with its tail between its legs. You bite your lip, look around his room like the walls have a script printed on them. Unfortunately, they do not.

“I was just thinking about my shirt.” It’s not great, but it’s the best you can do while still feeling the vodka and orange juice burn in your stomach. And smelling it on yourself.

Kuroo’s laugh booms through the room and you can’t help but giggle along with him. “I said I was sorry!” he says, hazel eyes twinkling with mirth. He pauses and glances at his closet, then nods his head in its direction. “Take a hoodie. Your pick.”

A smile–– one you try to downplay but fail miserably to–– creeps up your face. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Kuroo replies. “You can also shower here if you want. It's the least I can do after spilling my drink all over you.”

When you emerge from Kuroo’s bathroom in one of his thinner hoodies, a lot soberer and drying your hair, he’s not on the bed anymore. Quietly, you step out of his room and look for him through the house. People are crashed everywhere–– on the sofa, over the kitchen counter, even propped up against walls. The floor is covered with plastic cups and mysterious pools of liquid. Wrinkling your nose, you try your best to step around the messes, looking in every corner in the house for the raven-haired boy.

You find him back in his room, actually. He’s back on his bed scrolling through his phone, the light illuminating his sharp features. When he hears you close the door behind you, he looks up, eyes immediately zeroing in on the black hoodie over your torso. The corner of his mouth twitches up.

“Where’d you go?” you both ask at the same time. He chuckles; you grin. Crawling back onto the bed, you tell him to go first.

“I went around to make sure nothing’s broken,” he explains. “Perks of being the only sober intern in the house, I guess.”

A beat passes.

This house is rented. You forgot about that. All his expenses are paid for by your mother’s lab. You forgot about that. He fits in your world so well, like maybe he’s always had a spot there, that you forgot that Kuroo Tetsurou is only here for the summer.

“Right.”

Kuroo raises a brow. “And you?”

“I went to look for you.”

He smiles and holds his hands out like a magician at the end of a trick. “Well, you found me.”

“Yeah,” you muse. “I guess I did.” Aren’t you lucky.

With that, something shifts in the air. A contemplative expression crosses Kuroo’s face. Maybe he’s realised how his words come out sometimes. Kuroo often says things that sound like they have more than one meaning and it used to throw you off, but now you just go with it. You’ve even picked up that habit yourself. “Do you ever wish that you’d met someone earlier? Maybe under different circumstances?” he asks.

Sighing, you fall back against his mattress and stare up at the ceiling. Telling the truth feels easier when you can’t see him. “Yeah. All the time.” A few seconds pass. “Do you think we would’ve been friends if we went to the same college?”

He also lies down. You’re both back in the same positions you were in an hour ago, but something’s changed. “No,” he admits. You’re not surprised–– that’s what you’d expected. “I’d be a junior and you’d be a freshman. We probably would’ve never met. And even if we had, I wouldn’t be caught dead hanging out with a… freshie.” He chuckles softly at the end. “And look at me now,” he adds softly, more to himself than you. You look over at his face. A contemplative smile rests on his lips.

That urge to just say it returns.

“Kuroo, I think––”

“You’re my favourite p–– oh, my bad. You first.”

And it goes away again.

“Um, uh,” you stutter, “how long do you have left here?”

Kuroo raises his brows. “On this planet? Hopefully a while, Y/N.” He sees your unamused expression and drops the front. “Three more weeks.”

Your eyes widen. Eight weeks have already passed. Blood rushes to your ears. Eight entire weeks have already passed, meaning that in three weeks, Kuroo Tetsurou will leave forever. And in four, you will, too. Except you’ll come back. You’ve done so every summer since you were born, probably will do until you die.

But this place will never be the same as it used to. Not after him.

“Y/N?” Once everything comes back into focus, you see the concern riddling his features. “Everything okay?”

“Hmm? Yeah.”

Say it.

“You didn’t have too much to drink, right?”

Say it.

“I just got buzzed. What about you?”

“The only drink I was planning on having all went to your shirt.”

Say it.

“Kuroo.”

“Yeah?”

Not yet.

“Let’s go on an adventure.”

At two AM, everything is different. The streets feel different, the villas look different, and you–– you can’t put your finger on it but Kuroo Tetsurou has changed, too. He sits behind the wheel of your father’s white 1953 Cadillac with the convertible roof down, unruly hair blown back by the breeze, a euphoric grin stretched over his face. In the passenger’s seat, you sit with an equally large beam and your hands raised into the dark sky.

“Where to, Miss?” he shouts over the wind.

“The stars,” you shout back with a laugh. Kuroo’s cat-like eyes briefly flit over to your side profile, lips curving to form a smaller, more tender smile. But you miss that–– your gaze falls on him just a second after his return to the road.

“I heard you say Jack’s,” he says, smirking.

The 24/7 diner sticks out like a sore thumb in the row of sun-baked stucco and stone buildings with its bold neon lights and shiny exterior. During the day, it seems gaudy, way too American for a small town in northern Italy. But at night, this place feels like home. You’ve been stumbling into Jack’s completely shit-faced since you were sixteen. Of course, all those other times had been with the kids of your mother’s coworkers. All those other times, you could hardly remember what you even ordered when you woke up hours later.

But this time, you walk in with Kuroo Tetsurou at half-past-two in the morning, the chemicals running through your bloodstream epinephrine and dopamine, not ethanol; if you’re drunk then it’s on a feeling and your only poison is the boy next to you. You study his face and consider that thought. No, he’s not poison. He’s the antidote.

“Y/N!” the server exclaims, rushing over with two menus. “And Kuroo! My two favourite customers, but together this time!” Giovanni ushers you two to a booth by the window and takes your orders, purely for show, of course. He knows your orders by heart: the Lorenzo for Kuroo and the Quentin for you.

“With fries on both, please,” Kuroo adds, throwing you a wink. “Aren’t I a gentleman?”

“You only did that to have more for yourself,” you reply drily. Having him over at your house for dinner every night made picking up his idiosyncrasies so unbelievably easy. You know them like they’re your own. You know him like he’s your own.

Kuroo clutches his chest and pretends to be offended, then changes the conversation to what happened at the lab today, or rather, yesterday. That your mother and the other researchers are so close to finding a cure for the strain of virus that’s recently hit crickets in southern Italy.

“You should drop by again sometime,” he says. “Last time you came around was, what, two weeks ago?”

Your face breaks in a grin. “Are you saying you’ve missed me? Chemistry getting boring?” you tease, drawing a loud laugh from him.

“Sodium hydrogen, you little shit.” Your mother’s used this one on you before, but hearing it from him makes you giggle anyway.

Giovanni comes back with two plates, each loaded with fries. You both say your thanks and he retreats to the kitchen again, but not before wiggling his eyebrows at your reddening faces. Wordlessly, you grab your fork and knife and transfer at least half of your fries onto Kuroo’s plate. Kuroo stares at you with the slightest smile. That look sends your stomach into flips.

“What?” you question nonchalantly, cutting into your burger.

“Nothing,” he says, mirroring your actions. “Nothing at all.”

It’s hard to imagine that after spending almost every day together for eight weeks straight that there’s still more to learn about each other, but there is. You tell him more about your real home. Your best friend who called you at 3 AM last night because of timezones. Stories from every summer before this one, when you were a different person in the same place you are now.

He tells you more about Kenma, his best friend from high school. How they played on one of the best volleyball teams in Japan. Stories from training camp, literature class, the metro ride home after school–– you listen to every single one in rapt attention. There’s not enough time in the world for all the things you want to know about Kuroo Tetsurou, so you take what you can get. If only you’d known him before you’d known him.

“If we’d met earlier here, do you think we would’ve been friends?” you ask after paging Giovanni for the check.

“No,” he replies, picking up a few remaining fries with his fork instead of his fingers. The corners of your mouth turn up. That’s your thing. He considers the scenario seriously. “I think we met right when we should have.”

“What about the future?” you press, leaning into the conversation. “Let’s say we meet in two years here, instead of now. Would we be friends?”

Kuroo sets his fork down, eyes you steadily. “What’s this about?”

You blink. “What?”

“What’s with all these hypotheticals today?” Perhaps worried that he came off too harshly, Kuroo adds, “I thought I was the scientist.”

“I just… it feels like I’ve known you since forever.” This feels like it was meant to be, you don’t say. And I want to know you forever.

A sigh–– fond, but still a sigh–– blows through his lips. “Don’t tell me you believe in soulmates,” he says with a wicked grin.

“Are you calling me your soulmate?” The question, shamelessly genuine, painfully hopeful, leaves your mouth without you intending it to and you regret it instantly. Because Kuroo Tetsurou has told you many times that he does not believe in soulmates.

Is it so bad to dream, though?

You watch him carefully but he doesn’t say anything, just continues smiling wryly like you’d intended to tease him. Like he knows that you know better. But you don’t.

“Are you?” he suddenly replies. Sharp eyes hold yours, daring you to respond. Do you dare?

At that moment, Giovanni returns with the check. “Who’s paying?” he asks, unaware of the tense exchange that just occurred across the table. Inaudibly, you sigh in relief. Kuroo is about to say that it’s on him when he catches himself in the middle of his sentence, looks your way, then back to Giovanni. He says you’ll go Dutch. You nod in approval.

“So,” Kuroo drawls once you’ve both paid for your meals. “Where do we go from here?”

Good question.

Kuroo Tetsurou has never been to an outdoor club period. And though he’s been clubbing, he has never once gone dancing in his lifetime. You tell him that’s about to change as he parks the car in a lot near the venue. Before him, all your summer nights were spent here.

“You’ve been here for two months and you haven’t been to an outdoor club yet?” you ask while unbuckling your seatbelt. That can’t be possible. If you’d been in his shoes… an attractive college student in a foreign country for the summer, you would have gone wild.

“Nope. I’ve been a little busy, y’know, spending my days in a lab, handling chemicals, studying viruses, washing lab equipment, writing up reports for your mother and her colleagues, working on my own research on the side… the usual.” He flashes you a bright, sarcastic smile.

“Poor baby,” you coo, ruffling his hair. Kuroo laughs while you continue messing with the dark locks. “Was your first full day here the only tourist-day you’ve had so far?” His weekends, you already know, are spent either lounging around cafés, pools, or the great outdoors with you or the interns. But you’d assumed he’d had time to do some exploring on his own.

Kuroo nods. “And my guide wasn’t even that great,” he mutters, shooting you a dark look. “She sped through every attraction and hardly spoke a word outside of the tour to me. I think she hated me.”

You giggle and open the door, letting the music from the outdoor speakers infiltrate the bubble inside your car. “Maybe she was just nervous!” you say as you get out. That’s a lie.

“About what?” Kuroo follows suit, the gravel crunching beneath his feet. “I was so friendly to you and you just brushed me off each time.” He pouts.

But you don’t reply. Instead, you just grab his hands and pull him towards the venue. As you step into the boundaries marked by fairy lights and rustic wooden fences, Kuroo stops in his tracks and tugs on your intertwined hands. You glance down before up, trying to memorise how his hand looks around yours in the few seconds you can steal.

“Y/N,” Kuroo says. The strobe lights paint his skin pink, blue, purple like it’s a canvas. “Tell me why you were nervous.” Grammatically, it’s a command. And yet it sounds like he’s begging.

“What’s it mean to you?” you ask, feeling your heartbeat speed up in your chest. So what if you just… said it? What would happen?

“Everything?” he replies with a cheeky smile. The odds that he seriously means that are slim. But… they’re there. You shake that possibility out of your mind. That’s just the hope talking.

“Depends how convincingly you say it.” You tug on his arm. “C’mon. Let’s dance.” But he doesn’t budge–– he just continues to stand by the entrance of the club with an expectant look on his face. People are starting to stare.

“Fine,” you say with an eye roll. “I’ll tell you." Kuroo smirks, something self-congratulatory ready to leave his mouth, but then you let go of his hand and dance backwards into the throng of moving bodies. “But first, you’re gonna have to dance with me!” 

You allow yourself to be swallowed by the lively music, the people, the moment. Seconds later you’re deep enough into the crowd that you lose sight of Kuroo. Something in you says that he’ll show up soon, though. For now, you let yourself breathe. Forget about the heaviness of what-if’s, the itch to confess, the dread of the aftermath. Feelings are a lot like gravity. Sometimes they keep you grounded, other times, they weigh you down. This is one of those other times.

You dance up to a friendly-looking group of teens your age. Three guys and two girls. You shout your name and follow up with how it’s nice to meet them, hoping one of them finds you nice enough to keep around. Dancing alone in a club is one of the worst things that can ever happen to someone. Luckily, one of the girls–– the one wearing a purple wig–– pulls you in for a hug, drunkenly shouting back, “Bianca!” Bianca pushes you into their circle next to one of the guys and, just like that, you two start moving to the beat, feeling it in your feet, shoulders, hips. At one point, you turn around and take a good look at his face. The guy’s cute enough, but he’s not Kuroo. Still, you say nothing as he moves closer to you and grabs your hand, lifting it up and motioning for you to twirl.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grip firmly onto your waist and pull you out of the circle. “Hey!” You look down, suddenly realising they’re Kuroo’s. A shiver runs down your spine. He spins you around to face him. His lips are set in a firm line, eyes completely devoid of humour, nostrils slightly flared.

“Hi,” you say quietly, testing the waters.

“Hi,” he replies curtly. His hands are still on your waist. Selfishly, you choose not to point that out. Instead, you try to defuse the situation with a light question. Playful tone.

“Where were you this whole time?”

“Looking for you.”

“Well… you found me.” You flash him a sheepish grin. A peace offering of some sort.

“I did.” He doesn’t take it.

“Lucky you.”

Irritation finally seeps through his features. “You just left me on the dance floor!” he snaps. “And then when I find you after searching the entire venue, you’re dancing up on some random guy!”

“It was in good fun!” you retort, wriggling out of his grip. “And I wasn’t dancing up on him.” You want to ask if he’s jealous so badly, but you take a good look at his face and decide against that.

“Fun?” he asks incredulously. “Worrying about losing you, worrying about myself getting lost, then having to worry about that guy after finding you isn’t very fucking fun to me, Y/N!” The words fly out of his mouth like daggers without pause. Once finished, he looks at you with a disappointed gaze, shaking his head lightly, chest rising and falling with each heavy breath.

“I’m sorry,” you say, looking down at your shoes. It doesn’t matter if you disagree with him–– a sort of shame drills itself so deeply into your conscience that all you can think about is making things right again. “I didn’t think my actions through.”

A second passes. You wonder what he’s thinking.

“Hey, look at me.” Kuroo lifts your chin up with an index finger. Your wide eyes meet his narrow ones. Just as a pink beam glides over his face, his gaze softens, falls down to your lips. And then you feel his thumb on your chin, barely grazing the skin of your bottom lip. His Adam’s apple bobs up and down. The revelry in the background fades to dull beats against your eardrums. Suddenly, you register that he smells of, as usual, blackcurrant and amber.

But now you also smell of blackcurrant and amber.

You’re wearing his clothes. You smell of him.

Kuroo’s eyes crawl back up to yours, wide like he’s just been caught in the middle of a crime. You blink expectantly, ignoring the furious way your heart pounds in your chest. Shallow breaths puff through your slightly parted mouth.

“I am.” It comes out barely a whisper. C’mon. Kiss me. Kiss me. Kiss me kiss me kiss me kiss me kiss me kiss me––

You gently touch the hand he has on your chin. Kuroo jolts back like he’s been burned. “I’ll, uhm, I’ll be in the car,” he stutters, looking away from your face. He pushes through the sea of people, leaving you all alone on the dance floor, body doused in blue light, fingers touching the area his thumb had been as if preserving its print.

Kuroo hardly notices you slip into the passenger’s seat minutes later. He’s got his forearms hanging over the steering wheel and gaze fixed ahead into the darkness, mind probably running off to a place he wishes his body was, too.

As soon as you’ve buckled yourself in, Kuroo starts the car.

The entire drive home is silent.

Once Kuroo pulls into your courtyard and parks, he turns off the engine, unbuckles his seatbelt, and steps out of the car. Wordlessly, you follow his actions and meet him by the stairs to your door.

“Hi,” you say quietly. He doesn’t look at you.

“Hey.”

The two of you stand outside your front door in silence as you both consider what to say next. This can’t be the way it ends.

“I shouldn’t have… done that,” Kuroo says first.

“Done what?” You choose to play dumb. Call it selfish, but you want to hear him say it. Maybe then it’ll feel as real as it had been. Kuroo sighs and leans his shoulder against the stone wall, crossing his arms over his chest. There’s no way he can dance around what happened. Perhaps the past two months can be summed up as the development of a strong friendship with skilled doublespeak and metaphors and just enough artistic licence, but this can’t. And Kuroo knows that. He can’t feed you an alternative truth like he’s done so many times before. What’s more, he can’t lie to himself anymore. So maybe it’s better just to not speak at all.

Your eyes burn holes into the side of his face. Fine. You’ll concede first. “I was never nervous.”

Kuroo blinks, turns his head around to look at you. “What?”

“I was never nervous. I was playing it cool because I didn’t want to risk befriending you and getting attached.” I’m still playing it cool, you don’t say. And I’m already attached. “Guess I just came off as a bitch instead.” You laugh. “But can you blame me? You were this cute, older guy. Smart, too, since you were interning with my mom. You were my dream guy.”

An amused breath blows out of his nose. “Were?” he questions, grinning, only remembering the fragility of your platonic relationship a second later. “Um––”

“Are.” It slips out of your mouth without you realising. Fuck. Kuroo stills. It’s too late to take back your words now, so you might as well just keep going. “You still are my dream guy.”

Seconds pass and neither of you says anything. Sweat gathers in the palms of your hands. You start to feel your heartbeat through your neck. The buzz of the cicadas grows louder. Oppressive. Behind Kuroo, the sky is starting to turn pale blue and pink in the horizon. That means it’s almost sunrise. The night is almost over, and, hopefully, so is this awful conversation.

“And… you don’t feel the same.” Funnily, you feel like you’re lying. You’re telling Kuroo how he feels and you think you’re lying. Does that make sense? None of this night even feels real. God, you hope this has all just been a dream. Mustering a soft smile, you say, “That’s okay. Thank you for the party. And the adventure.” It was fun while it lasted. You feel the house key in your pocket and turn to unlock the door. “I hope this doesn’t change anything between us, Kuroo. Can we still be friends?” The words leave your mouth feeling like barbed wire. You know damn well you can’t still be friends.

And suddenly, you feel his calloused hands around your cheeks. Suddenly, his hot breath fans over your face.

“Can I kiss you?” he murmurs.

Your eyes close instantly. “Yes, please.”

And suddenly, his soft lips are on yours.

Kuroo breaks the kiss seconds later. “Fuck,” he whispers, resting his forehead against yours, touching the tips of your noses together. “Y/N, I don’t want to be friends. Fuck.” A dry chuckle leaves his mouth. He pauses to collect his thoughts but decides that that can wait. Instead, he presses another kiss to your lips so fervently that he backs you up against the wall with no space between your bodies. You wonder if he can feel your heartbeat like this, chest to chest. Kuroo’s hands travel down your waist and rest on your hips. His tongue runs across your tongue, your teeth, the insides of your mouth. You gently suck on it, drawing a satisfied moan from him. When the kiss ends, you see that his lips are red and cheeks are swollen. A warm feeling spreads through your chest. “I thought I could be happy just being friends with you but I can’t. I want you so bad it hurts. Not to mention, when I saw you in my hoodie?” His fingers pinch the material. “I thought God was testing me or some shit.”

“Sure didn’t feel like you wanted me that way,” you retort, still breathless.

“In my defence,” Kuroo says, thumbs tracing your cheekbones, “I was very scared.”

“Of what?”

It looks like he’s about to tell you, but he changes his mind and doesn’t answer. He grabs your hand and pulls you back to the car with a cheeky grin. “I’ll tell you only if you tell me where we can watch the sunrise.”

Kuroo holds your hand, stroking your thumb the entire drive there.

After a short hike, you plop down on the grassy hillside, supporting your body with outstretched arms in the back. Kuroo sits down beside you with one of his hands covering yours, fingers intertwined like a honeysuckle vine around a hazel tree. You tell him that you grew up running along this hill with your parents. It used to be your playground. Maybe, you think, it’s time to make new memories here.

“Beautiful,” Kuroo breathes, a wonderstruck look in his eyes. The sun’s just risen halfway above the pink and blue horizon, the saturated orange casting the entire city below gold. It’s not just the city, though. He’s also gold. He’s just as beautiful. You watch him with a soft smile on your lips, noting how his wide eyes and slack jaw return to normal as he stares off into the distance. After resting your head on his shoulder, you fix your eyes on the sunrise ahead. You wonder what he’s thinking so quietly about.

“Penny for your thoughts?” you finally ask once the sun has finished revealing itself.

Kuroo blinks, returning to reality, but continues to stare straight ahead. “I was just thinking about… soulmates.”

You lift your head off his shoulder. “Don’t tell me you believe in soulmates now,” you tease.

“Hmm.” He turns to look at you, the sun turning his hazel eyes the colour of honey. That same wry smirk from Jack’s returns to his face.

“You wanna know why I was so scared?”

“Pray tell.”

“Because I’ve never felt this way towards anyone.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“No,” Kuroo laughs, laying his head down in your lap, looking up into your eyes. “I’m serious. I used to purposely stay away from girls in high school. Same in college. Same all the way until you somehow wormed your way into my life. That’s why we wouldn’t have been friends.” You cock your head to the side.

“Why?” you ask, running your fingers through his hair.

Kuroo’s eyelids flutter shut. He inhales deeply before talking. “My parents are divorced. The years before the divorce were… very ugly.” 

(He spares you the details of the midnight arguments, the smashed plates, the holes in the walls. He spares you the details of how he only ever knew how to fall asleep with his head sandwiched between two pillows, how he hasn’t seen his sister in a decade, how he’ll curse and snap but never yell because he always feels like a child again around the noise. That’s for another time, if you’ll have any.) 

“I still remember all the fighting and yelling. For the longest time, that’s all I knew about marriage and relationships.”

“Did you think all relationships were like that? Fighting and yelling?” you ask.

“For a while, yeah. I’m still a little scared of that, to be honest. Ending up in a relationship where all you do is fight.” Kuroo sighs. “But that’s not the only thing. I thought I wouldn’t know how to love someone, growing up like that.” At that, your fingers pause in his hair.

“Wait,” you say, furrowing your brows. A wave of immense sadness (not for yourself, for him) washes over you. “You think you wouldn’t know how to love someone else?”

“Thought.” Kuroo cracks open his eyes and smiles up at you. “I’m in the process of changing my mind.”

[nonbinary-alien25]

was tagged in this post by @puppetavasharpe to try my hand at writing some avalance wedding vows for fun, so,, let's do it! we'll see how this goes lmao

Vows

"Ava," Sara started, voice filled to the brim with love and eyes shining with adoration, "My life has been one giant rollercoaster of ups and downs and highs and lows. I've done a lot of things that I'm not proud of, and I've been through more than any one person probably should in a lifetime... or a few lifetimes, I guess."

Their friends and family chuckled at the joke, and Sara smiled, letting out a watery laugh and taking Ava's hand in her own before continuing.

"I am the sum of every decision I've ever made. A lot of them were questionable at the time, or even incredibly bad, but they all brought me here, to this wonderful group of misfits that I'm lucky enough to call my family, and even more importantly, they brought me here to you." Sara paused, taking a deep breath and squeezing Ava's hand gently. "Ava, you are, by far, the best decision I've ever made in my entire life. When I first met you, I knew you were going to be special. I didn't know how, and honestly you were too much of a pain in my ass for me to think about it, but I knew."

Everyone chuckled again, and Ava let out a laugh this time, shaking her head amusedly.

"What I didn't know at the time was just how important to me you would become. I said this to you when I proposed, but in case it didn't quite sink in then: you, Ava, are my North Star. You are my guiding light. You're my home, my safe place, the person I run to. I didn't know back then that you would make me happier than I've ever been in my life, and I didn't know that you would help me find a light inside myself that I thought I'd lost forever."

A lone tear slipped down her cheek, and she smiled as Ava brought a hand up to wipe it gently away.

"Before I died, I didn't believe something like this was ever in the cards for me. I didn't think I could ever deserve it after everything I'd done. After I was brought back, I still didn't think I would ever be able to have this, because I was trying to pick up all the pieces from my death, and I didn't experience much in terms of feelings. But then... you came along."

Sara smiled up at her fiancée (very soon to be wife, she thought, unable to hide how giddy she was), stepping closer just slightly.

"You... are everything. Safety and comfort and warmth and home. Ava, you are my heart, and I love you so much more than I ever thought was possible. Your eyes are my favorite color, your voice is my favorite sound; your scent is my favorite smell, and your arms are my favorite place to be. Everything that you are, I love it all. Whenever I'm with you, and wherever you are, I'm home. I'll always be home as long as I have you."

Ava smiled, bright and beautiful, her eyes shining with love and unshed tears. Sara smiled back, wanting nothing more in that moment than to kiss Ava, to hold on tight and never let go.

"I could go on and on forever about how much you mean to me and how much I love you, but for the sake of time, I'll quit now before I get too sappy, and instead promise that I will do everything I can, every single day, to show you how important you are to me. And thank you, Ava, for taking a chance on me. Because I know sometimes it isn't easy, but I hope to be worth it. I love you more than anything, babe, I really do."

Sara took a deep breath, wiping at her eyes and letting out a watery laugh.

"Wow, uh, I don't really know how I'm gonna top that— don't even think about making a joke, babe, our friends and family don't need to hear about our sex life," Ava said, smiling as rubbed her thumb over the back of Sara's hand, "And before I say anything else, you are so worth it, Sara. You always have been and you always will be."

Sara sniffled, wiping at her eyes again. Thank Beebo for waterproof makeup.

"If someone had told me years ago that this is where my life ends up, I would've laughed in their face and told them they were crazy." Ava shook her head, looking lovingly at Sara, and then all around at their friends and family. "But now I can't imagine my life any other way. I'm happiest with you, flying through time and screwing things up for the better."

Everyone laughed loudly at that, and someone, probably Spooner or Astra, muttered yeah, that's accurate, under their breath.

"I'm not always great with words, and I don't always know the right things to say, but I do know this: I want to always be the person you run to, for anything; no matter how big or small, or whether it's happy or sad. I always want to be the person who's there with you through it all. We're co-captains forever and ever, baby, I can promise you that."

Ava smiled, bringing her hand up to cup Sara's face, rubbing her thumb gently over her cheek.

"I told you once that neither of us needs anybody. That's still true. You don't need me, and I don't need you, but you will always be the person I want more than anything. You have always made me feel things in depths that I was never meant to, and in depths that I didn't think were possible. I love you so, so much Sara, more than words could ever hope to describe."

Ava paused, taking a moment to bask in the feelings and the love and the joy of their wedding day, to drink in every detail of Sara's face, committing it to memory in hopes that she'll never forget this moment.

"With you, I found family, something that I had never really had before. That's just one of the many things I love about you: you take in those who don't belong, who don't have anyone, much less a family, and you make it your mission to give them a place to go, somewhere to call home, and people who love and accept them no matter what. You did that for me, and you've done it for countless others too."

Tears flowed freely down both of their cheeks (they had been for a while, but neither of them were paying attention to that, too wrapped up in the moment and each other to care).

"It amazes me how sometimes you still can't see just how wonderful you are. Your kindness, your humanity, your strength... I admire all of that and so much more. And I know you struggle to believe it sometimes, and honestly I wish I could give you the power to see yourself through my eyes, but you are so, so good. You're not only one of the best people I've ever known, but you are also without a doubt the strongest. I need you to know that I am so incredibly proud of you, Sara. I always am. And like you, I could go on and on, but just know this: I love you more than you could ever possibly know, baby, and I will spend every single day trying to show you just how much, even though I'm pretty sure it's impossible because I swear, I just fall more in love with you every day."

Sara let out a watery laugh, and Ava swore it was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever heard.

As soon as their rings had been exchanged, Sara stepped closer, snaking her arms around Ava's neck, face adorned with the widest smile Ava had ever seen on her. Sara looked up at her through eyes filled with tears, and there hadn't ever been a moment where they wanted to kiss each other more than they did then.

"I now pronounce you wife and wife. Brides, you may kiss."

Ava pulled Sara impossibly closer as their lips met each other's in a passionate, loving kiss, both of them trying to pour everything into it that they hadn't been able to say in their vows. Their friends and family cheered all around them, and as they pulled back briefly, smiling brightly at each other, they both thought to themselves, This is the happiest I've ever been. Forever starts today.

Extra Bonus Thing (because I made myself emo about it earlier and just remembered it)

okay so originally for this extra bonus thing, I was gonna write a little drabble about a Sara & Quentin father-daughter dance, but I don't have the energy for that right now (and also I made myself emo enough with the vows lmfao)

so instead, i will present you with the song I was going to use as inspo to write it (and also a few songs that I think would be lovely for sara and ava to dance to at their wedding)

Sara & Quentin's Father-Daughter Dance

imagine sara and quentin dancing to I Loved Her First ~ Heartland ,,, i just think it would be a good song for them to dance to :)

Sara & Ava's Dances

okay there's a couple different songs i think would be really cute for them to dance to.

first one I thought of is Forever Starts Today ~ Tim Halperin , which was the inspo for the last line of the vows ficlet.

second one I thought of was Never Stop (Wedding Version) ~ Safetysuit because I just think it's an awesome song and I feel like it just,,, Fits

third (and last) one I thought of was Second Star to the Right ~ The Devil Music Co. because it is Absolutely a very fitting avalance song

[thatsbucknasty]

she used to be mine waitress au

summary: Inspired by the broadway musical. Y/N Beck is a pie baking force to be reckoned with. She’s pregnant with her lazy ass husband, Quentin Beck’s baby. As everything around her turns upside down, Doctor James Buchanan Barnes charms his way into her life.

pairing: Y/N x Bucky

characters:

Y/N Beck as Jenna Hunterson

Bucky Barnes as Dr. Pomatter

Wanda Maximoff as Dawn

Natasha Romanoff as Becky

Sam Wilson as Cal

Steve Rogers as Ogie

Nick Fury as Joe

Quentin Beck as Earl Hunterson

Maria Hill as Nurse Norma

a/n: some of the dialogue I got straight from the play/songs to preserve the witty essence of Waitress, but keep in mind this is an au, so I will change things up regarding the storyline and ending. Enjoy!

p.s. let me know if you wanna be tagged c:

p.s. ii this chapter is merely introductory so we won’t get to meet Bucky just yet but he’s coming soon, I promise!

prologue: what’s inside?

My hands pluck the things I know that I need. Peaches, creme fraiche, brown sugar, butter and of course, flour. Today’s a simple one. What should I call it? “Simplicity is key pie”. Nope. Might get confused with “Love’s the key lime pie”. “Some things never change pie”. Yup. That’s it.

“Y/N! What’s the special pie today?” Sam yells at me like every other morning. I don’t complain, I like that grumpy weirdo though I would never admit that to his face. I tell him the name of my newest recipe.

 “I was having a creative block, you see. But then it struck me! Peaches! PEACHES, SAM!!!” I throw my hands in the air.

“No, I get it. Kinda.” He ignores my excitement but I know he actually understands how peaches are nobody’s favorite,but they’re good, they’re simple and they offer everydayness. Sam and I were in High School together and we both wanted to go to culinary school, so I know he gets me.  Neither of us got to make it though, somehow we  ended up here. Working at Nick’s Pies in the same town we grew up in, a town where nothing ever happens.

Nick is already at his table, that’s odd. He’s never here this early. Maybe he’s been watching spy movies late at night again. That “old fart” (Nat’s words, not mine) is adorable if you ask me, even if he gets on everybody’s nerves. Wanda’s cleaning the counter, menus and sugar dispensers. Thoroughly cleaning them. And Nat’s late. As always.

I like working here. These people are like family to me. The only one I have left. Oh, except for Quentin, my husband. I’ve been thinking about how he used to be, you know, when we first fell in love. Things have changed over the years. But it’s all fine. I have it good. Better than my mom at least. And I’m grateful for Quentin, I really am. I just wish he would be more, I don’t know, empathetic? Anyway. I have a weird feeling today. As if things were about to change. Let’s hope it will be for the better.

-

chapter 1: the negative

warning: vomit

Peeling peaches isn’t my favorite part of the pie making process, that’s for sure. I’ve always loved the smell of them, so why are they making me sick now?.

“Someone’s a little fussy today”. Nat says after noticing my state of distress. “Do you need any help, sweetie?” She rounds the table and snatches the peeler from me. “Seriously though, you look pale”.

“I’m fine, Nat. Thank you, but I think I just need some air. I’ll go take Nick’s order”. I walk across to old Nick’s table and he puts his paper down.

“Oh hi, I was wondering when somebody would offer me at least a cup of coffee here. It’s hot, isn’t it? My diner. My own diner doesn’t have any decent air conditioning!” Oh, here we go.

“Sorry, Nick. I’ll tell Sam to fix it, I promise. What can I give you?”

“Well, let’s see. I would like an omelette, with tomato on the side and some fruit salad, on a different plate. And some orange juice. But bring me coffee before you bring the orange juice. And a slice of your… “Some things never change pie”, but bring that after I’m done with my omelette”. It is hot here, he was right. “Oh and also… Jesus, are you okay? You look pale”. 

“I’m okay, Nick”. Oh god. “I think I just… need to…  restroom”. I almost collapse with Wanda on the way to the ladies room and throw my arms around the toilet in the span of ten seconds.

“Y/N! Honey, you okay in there?” I hear Wanda’s voice, or was it Nat’s. Oh here it comes again. “Gosh, I’m washing this stall right after she’s done, we don’t want any patrons catching whatever she’s got”. Wanda. Definitely Wanda.

“Oh scoot! She doesn’t need you being a neat freak right now, Wanda”. Mother Nat scolding the children. 

“I’m okay girls, I may have had a bad sandwich from the gas station last night. That’s it” I wash my hands and mouth over the sink while the girls fuss around me. “Really, everything’s… oh shit”... and here it comes again. I don’t even know if I have anything left inside that actually needs to come out.

Wanda rubs my back gently and says “Honey? Um, when was the last time you got your period?” After I’m done emptying my guts I do the math. “Shit. No, this can’t be happening.” I can feel my heart in my throat. I’m not ready for this. I can’t be.

“Y/N, time to pee on a stick!” Nat helps me up and calls Peter, the diner’s delivery guy. “Okay, Parker, time to be the hero. I need you to go to the drug store and buy a pregnancy test. Here’s twenty bucks, keep the change and don’t tell a soul about this or I’ll have your head, ya hear me?”

-

Two lines. Two pink stupid lines and I’m out of my body. I’m packing my things and going on a plane far from the diner, far from Quentin Beck and his beer smelling, curse yelling, guitar playing ass!

“I thought you don’t sleep with your husband much anymore”. Wanda is brushing my hair with her fingers.

“Stop it, I think she’s in shock”. Nat is washing the test stick. God bless her, she thinks I want to keep it. I shudder, still a little dizzy.

“Shut up, I’m inventing a new pie in my head. Tomorrow’s special. I’ll call it “I don’t want Quentin’s baby pie”. I take my little notebook out of my apron and start writing ingredients down.

 “I don’t think we can put that on the menu board, Y/N”. 

“You could still leave Quentin, you know? If you can bake 27 different kinds of pies every day, you can do it.”

“You’re funny, Nat.  I don’t want a baby right now, but above all, I don’t want a fatherless baby. Girls, I can’t do this on my own. And please don’t tell Sam or Nick yet”. They both grab my arms and Wanda leans on my shoulder.

“Hey, we ain’t saying a word to anyone but we’ve talked about this. Quentin isn’t a good husband, you know that. You think he’ll be a good father?”

“You could come and live with me! It’s a studio but-” I cut Wanda off.

“Okay, girls, enough. Nat, I know he’s difficult sometimes but he’s going through a rough time, he’s in between jobs and I couldn’t do that to him. And Wands, you’re very sweet, but thank you. I’ll figure it out”.

-

chapter 2: what baking can do

-

I already have chapters 2-4 written, so expect them soon. Thoughts?

[k1ng-for-a-day]

DBD Headcannons #2: What do the survivors think about Élodie Rakoto?

Again no one requested this, but I don’t really see this one often. Anyways I hope you enjoy this. If I miss a survivor please tell me! I may miss a few since there’s so many and I have a terrible memory, so please bare with me.

❤️Dwight Fairfield: Dwight is definitely the person to empathize with Élodie; for a quick minute. He’s mainly suspicious of her, due to his protective instincts, but will later accept her as another acquaintance. Other than that he has no interest in her romantically, nor does he really care for her.

❤️Meg Thomas: When Meg first met Élodie, she was immensely excited! She was immediately interested in what Élodie was into, her hobbies, etcetera. When she did find this all out, however, she slowly cooled down a bit. These two became friends somewhat quickly, but they need to refresh from time to time.

❤️Claudette Morel: These two were automatically hooked with each other. Literally and figuratively. These two were definitely meant to meet since they both have such an interesting bond. One focuses on healing and the other built to distract. These two were easily compatible within matches! Additionally, Claudette felt bad when Élodie had the courage to tell her about her parents. She had immense empathy towards her, and would always ask if she was ok. Course Rakoto would say yes, but Claudette knew she was lying majority of the time.

❤️Jake Park: When they first met, Jake was a bit iffy about Élodie. To elaborate he was bewildered by her capabilities, and not wanting to camouflage herself within walls or something. Other then that he found her to be a decent person who he would talk to when he was bored.

❤️Nea Karlsson: Nea...she doesn’t mind her at all. She does think she is pretty, but doesn’t really talk to her much. Usually she chats with Feng, Yui, and Zarina but not the others much. Like at all.

❤️Ace Visconti: Honestly Ace attempts to flirt with her a lot, but always gets slapped. They don’t like each other much.

❤️William Overbeck (Bill): Bill doesn’t mind Élodie at all. He’s very cautious about himself more then others, but he’ll chat with her about stories and what not. He’s kind of the father figure that she missed.

❤️Feng Min: Feng is kind of jealous of Rakoto actually. She sees her as this person who can seemingly escape anything. About to be hooked? Look at that! A palette! An enemies approaching your gen? Quick, make a distraction! Besides this slight envy towards her, she doesn’t actually mind her much. Like Nea she’ll talk to her time to time, but never have any lengthy conversations. Additionally she’ll try to get Rakoto into difficult situations, but it usually backs fires. This will later become a sort or like-dislike relationship that could effect them both immensely or barely at all. It really depends on Feng’s next move.

❤️David King: Similar to Ace, David is somewhat attracted to Élodie. Instead of flirting with her, he’ll simply talk to her like a normal person would. Sometimes he’ll make some risky jokes, but she won’t understand them most of the times. The times she does, she’ll roll her eyes and walk away to Claudette or anyone she can find. Overall these two have a decent relationship.

❤️Kate Denson: Similar to Claudette, these two were instantly hooked with each other. They would sing and dance to simple tunes, and just have a great time. They were both well suited with each other, and had some fun while doing so.

❤️Adam Francis: Like Tapp, Adam found Élodie to be a sister of his and nothing more. He was very nice to her, and would offer her some lessons here and there.

❤️Jeffrey Johansen: He doesn’t really care for her. At all. She’s just another survivor.

❤️Jane Romero: Like Jeffrey, Jane doesn’t care for Élodie much. I mean she will say, “you look very pretty” or “you are very gorgeous dear”, but she’ll never say anything much after that. However when she is in a chase, she definitely wants Élodie to use her locker perk. She is somewhat envious of that.

❤️Yui Kimara: Honestly Yui is very happy with Élodie being here. She always talks to her time and time, but isn’t as close as Claudette is with her. She’s somewhat distant, (since she talks to Nea and Feng a lot), but she’s very sweet when with Rakoto.

❤️Zarina Kassir: Like Yui, Zarina is happy with Rakoto. They talk sometimes, but not always.

❤️Felix Richter: When they finally saw each other again they forgot who they were, until they introduced themselves. Once Élodie found out that Felix was alive, they started to argue for a bit. The reason for this was due to her past, and how the parries started to depart slowly. She was honestly hurt. Later on she would apologize to him for her actions, and they would make up. Currently these two became as close like Claudette, but do not want a relationship any time soon.

❤️Cheryl Manson: When she first saw Élodie she was immensely nervous. Heather stared at her with a worried expression, and rubbed her arms slowly. She was scared. Rakoto noticed this and attempt to calm her down, but to no avail. Later on they would attempt to chat with each other, and Cheryl became very happy to be with her. She was very accepting of her after a while.

❤️Nancy Wheeler: Nancy is very documentation of Élodie; she notes her every move. The reason for this is to find out what her strengths are, weaknesses, and how she acts. Additionally she wants to get to know her better, so she interviews Claudette after every session they have. Morel thinks she is insane, but Élodie finds her weird. Very weird.

❤️Steve Harrington: Unlike Nancy, Steve is IMMENSELY SANE and DOESN’T STALK PEOPLE. However he will act very arrogant towards Élodie, and sometimes piss her of by accident.

❤️Ash J. Williams: When Ash saw Élodie he mainly talked to her about shit he’s tired of. He usually mentions his daughter, a bit of his past, and nothing more. They don’t really talk much but when they do he always brings up something from his past. He can also be a bit flirtatious, but that rarely happens.

❤️David Tapp: David sees Élodie as a sister figure that he needs to take care of. They both want to hunt down dangerous fiends, and want to avenge someone or something in order to free their misery.

❤️Quentin Smith: (This one will be a special case since he got released to the consoles a month ago so I’ll have two versions)

PC Quentin: When he saw Élodie he simply waved at her and never more. He never really spoke to her much, since he’s kind of shy, but the times he does is when she’s busy.

Console Quentin: Once he reached this new dream, he saw another person with him. It was Rakoto. She was really pretty and caught his eye quickly. After a couple of rounds with the killers, he decided to talk to her for a bit. They had a small chat and enjoyed each other’s company. It made him really happy actually.

❤️Laurie Strode: Similar to Dwight, Laurie has a very protective nature but not towards herself. She finds Élodie to be a nice addition to the family, even though she becomes overprotective of her.

Thank you so much for reading this! Requests are opened!!

[aaronhart93]

incompleted discord thread featuring: Aaron & @river--holloway

When: march 2021

Mentions: @sxojun

Triggers: none

Description: river visits aaron at work and they catch up 

Aaron.BOT — 03/28/2021

Aaron was hunched over his large desk at Club Delilah, trying to focus on this paperwork that was long overdue. Ever since getting back from Milan, he couldn’t seem to get on top of all of his paperwork. He’d been pulled later nights just get things for the day done. He knew he needed to delegate more, but his father always told him that if he wanted something done right, then Aaron had to do it himself. Even to this day, Aaron couldn’t get his dad’s voice out of his head in everything he did - the way he parented, how he worked, his dad seemed to be whispering to him about his relationship too. He knew he was disapprove, but Aaron was successful. He knew that’s what his father would care about the most. Aaron’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock at the door. “There’s someone here to see you.” His assistant told him. @Nix | Dorian & River & Amani

RiverBOT — 03/28/2021

River hadn’t seen or spoken to Aaron in quite some time and, truth be told, the professor missed his friend. Did their history make things somewhat complicated? Admittedly, yes. But, at the core of it all, the two were friends. And River preferred to keep it that way. He didn’t have many people that he considered his friends, after all. Arriving at Club Delilah and asking for Aaron, he waited to be allowed entrance into his office. When access had been granted, he stepped into the office and smiled politely at the younger male. Immediately, though, he could sense a disturbance within his friend that caused the corners of his mouth to droop slightly into a frown. “Hello, Aaron. Are you alright? I hope I didn’t come at a bad time.” @em || 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 & 𝐒𝐤𝐲 & 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬

Aaron.BOT — 03/28/2021

It had been a minute since he’d seen River. In fact, if Aaron recalled correctly, the last time he actually say River was when they were fucking. He’d actually spoken with Seojun about his relationship with his former professor. Aaron was cool with it, of course. He’d had a relationship that was more than a friendship with both of them in the past, but Aaron was happy in his relationship right now. Besides, both River and Seojun were great guys. He was happy they’d found each other. “River…no.” He set his pen off to the side to give the older male his full attention. “How are you? Thanks for stopping by.” He smiled. @Nix | Dorian & River & Amani

RiverBOT — 03/28/2021

It was true that the last time that he and Aaron had seen each other, it had been in a much different context. With that in mind, the professor could admit that there was some slight awkwardness. But, overall, he was glad to see Aaron. The older male cared a lot about the businessman and considered him a good friend, despite the fact that their relationship had been more than platonic for quite some time. Not to mention they were both in relationships now, River’s in particular being one that he knew Seojun had recently made Aaron aware of. “I’m well, thank you. How are you?” River asked, taking a seat across from the other male. @em || 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 & 𝐒𝐤𝐲 & 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬

Aaron.BOT — 03/28/2021

The small talk felt a little strange. Even though he genuinely cared about how River was doing, he could feel the elephant in the room. Aaron had a relationship with both Seojun and River that he wouldn’t exactly called platonic or casual. He had been friends with Jun for quite some time and there was always something…else there that Aaron couldn’t quite explain. And River was one of the most exciting flings he’d ever had in his life. Thinking about it made him excited even now. “I’m well. Des is in the talent show at school so she’s getting ready for that. How’s your kid? And, erhm….how are you and Seojun? I’ll admit I was a little surprised when I heard the news.” He confessed to the other male, a small smile on his face. @Nix | Dorian & River & Amani

RiverBOT — 03/28/2021

The interaction did feel strange. It was so much different than all the other times they’d interacted. He nodded his head, smiling as Aaron informed him of his daughter’s upcoming talent show. Sometimes, he forgot that Aaron was also a father because it wasn’t something they talked about often. He loved that they were both girl dads, though. “Oh, how lovely. What’s her talent? I’m sure she’s going to do a wonderful job at whatever it is,” He told him. “Haven is well. She’s coming home for Easter break on the 29th and then her sixteenth birthday is on April 2nd. I’m planning a nice sweet sixteen birthday party for her.” At the mention of Seojun, River chuckled a bit nervously. He supposed he should’ve figured that he would come up somehow. “We’re great. Were you? I didn’t know that you two were friends until he told me.” @em || 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 & 𝐒𝐤𝐲 & 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬March 29, 2021

Aaron.BOT — 03/29/2021

"She's a woman of many talents." He joked, chuckling to himself softly. "She's singing and dancing. I think that's where she's meant to be actually. Got her talents from her mom that's for sure." He smiled because there was never a time that thinking about his daughter's relationship with her mother didn't want him smiling. He missed her, he really did. "I don't even want to think about Des turning 16. Damn, that's something I just don't ever want to have to do. Be a dad to a teenage girl. You're going to have to give me some pointers." He gave the older male a tiny smirk. It was a bit flirtatious, but he was also being genuine. Haven was a great kid, so River must have been doing something right there. "I was." Aaron nodded, pressing his lips together. "We go way back. You guys seem happy though. So I'm happy for you." He told his former lover. @Nix | Dorian & River & Amani

RiverBOT — 03/29/2021

The professor listened fondly as Aaron gushed about his daughter. He could relate. His own daughter was undoubtedly his favorite person on Earth and he could go on and on about her for days on end if given the opportunity. “That’s fantastic. I’m sure she did inherit those gifts from her mother. And did she inherit your intelligence and wit as well?” He chuckled as Aaron talked about fearing the day that Des turned sixteen. “I can hardly believe that I’m going to have a sixteen year old myself. I’m blessed though, Haven is an angel. She’s never given me the typical teenage rebellion. We’ve always had very open dialogue, so she has no trouble expressing her feelings to me in a healthy manner. I do have to worry about boys though, on occasion. I mean, naturally. She’s a beautiful young lady.” He smirked back at the businessman, not missing the slight flirtatiousness of Aaron’s comment. “You’ve got a ways to go before then, but I’ll give you pointers when the time comes.” River nodded as Aaron gave a brief explanation of his and Seojun’s history. “I see. He did mention that you’re his best friend. Well, thank you. We are happy.” @em || 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 & 𝐒𝐤𝐲 & 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬March 30, 2021

Aaron.BOT — 03/30/2021

Aaron smirked over at the professor because of course Des had inherited Aaron's intelligence and wit. The kid was one of the wittiest and sassiest people he knew...including the adults. Of course she got it all from him. And now that she was living with Roman and Quentin too - she was even picking up some of their isms as well. Aaron was luck that his kid wasn't super weird considering all of the different adults she had in her life. "She got that all from me. Her good looks too." His smirk grew, then he started listening to River. "You know...Lan and I have always told each other that we were going to make sure Elle and Des got married. Like parent trapping them...but like...with our kids." He joked, knowing that idea was really twisted and wrong. But he and Landon still hoped for it anyway. It wasn't like he was going to force his kid to be with Elle or anything, and of course he wanted Des to do whatever made her happy, but the thought was still nice. "You know...I thought I had a long time until Des turned 6, and now here i am. I swear I'm going to blink and she'll be 16." He ran his hand through his hair because the idea of his kid getting old almost stressed him out. "Has Haven met Jun yet?" he asked, curiously. @Nix | Dorian & River & AmaniApril 4, 2021

RiverBOT — 04/04/2021

River laughed softly, shaking his head playfully. Something the professor had always admired about Aaron was his confidence. Sure, he’d been set up for success due to the family he’d been born in; but, without that charisma of his, he wouldn’t have that same flair and his businesses probably wouldn’t be quite as successful. He grinned as Aaron confessed to him and Landon fantasizing about their daughters ending up together. When Haven was born, he didn’t have any other friends with kids; and, now that he’s older, the other parents he knows still have much younger children than his. Sometimes, he can’t help but wish that he had more people in his life that he could closely relate with. That didn’t change the fact that he was very grateful for the friends like Aaron and Quentin that he does have. “I wish I could comfort you and say that’s not how it is, but that’s exactly how it goes. Children grow up so quickly. That’s why it’s so important to cherish every singular moment you have with them.” He shook his head at Aaron’s question. “Not yet. But she’ll meet him when she comes home Monday. They’ve spoken over the phone though.” @em || 𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 & 𝐒𝐤𝐲 & 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬April 6, 2021

Aaron.BOT — 04/06/2021

No matter how old he got, he still valued that knowledge that River gave him. Even though this wasn't in a classroom setting, Aaron always found River so sexy because of how intelligent he was. He loved just looking at the man when he was delivering any type of information. Even if it was about how fast his daughter was going to grow up and leave him - at least the person who was delivering this terrible news was some excellent eye and ear candy. "C'mon, man. Don't get me all emotional in the middle of the day like that. I have a meeting later." He laughed, but he almost did feel himself getting a little upset at the thought of Des getting older. "Oh..well...I'm sure she won't like him as much as she liked me." He joked and even added a small cackle, though he wasn't sure if that was exactly a funny joke. @Nix | Dorian & River & Amani

[smkkbert]

Time for a story - Lost in the Floods

To read before:  Present tense & Missing & So it begins & Level Two 

Oliver didn’t have time to look for a free parking lot, so he just stopped the car right in front of the SCPD precinct. The three officers that had gathered in front of the front entrance were looking in his direction, frowning slightly as it wasn’t actually allowed to stop a car here. The oldest of the officers already took a step towards the car, probably intending to tell the driver that it wasn’t allowed. As soon as he noticed that it was Oliver getting out of the car, he stepped back though.

“Your honor.”

Your honor. Oliver would never really get used to being called like that. He wasn’t honorable, not if you looked back into his past, so he shouldn’t be called that. It was tradition though, and he felt bad for correcting people about it.

The man nodded his head in greeting when Oliver hurried up the stairs to the doors. Oliver remembered him from the day of the earthquake that had hit Starling City a couple of days ago. Just like Oliver, Officer Timothy had been driving around the Glades to help the people that were in need the most. Together, they had found a dozen of dead bodies and helped at least twice as many people out of the wreckage they had been buried underneath.

“Officer Timothy.”

The officer seemed almost surprised that Oliver remembered his name. He probably wasn’t used that the mayor remembered the name of a simple officer. With Oliver, that was different though. He was good at remembering names and faces. He would forever do his best at remembering the people that were fighting on the frontline. They were the ones worth remembering, not the people that were sitting comfortably behind their desks while others were risking their lives.

As soon as Oliver had crossed the doorstep, he saw Dominic. He was standing at the counter, his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his pants. Some colleague, a young guy that Oliver didn’t think he had ever met, a rookie maybe, was talking to him, but Oliver could see in Dominic’s face that he wasn’t really listening. He just let that colleague talk to him while he was waiting for Oliver, sparing the energy it would cost him to tell that guy to go away. There was no energy to waste. It was all needed to find Felicity.

It took a moment until Nick noticed that Oliver was there. Once he did, he brushed his colleague off with a quick excuse that Oliver didn’t understand. Patting him on the shoulder, he brushed past him and took a couple of steps towards Oliver. Instead of approaching him, he nodded towards one of the long hallways though.

Although it wasn’t exactly a secret to anyone here that Dominic was Felicity’s half-brother, they all tried not to make it too obvious. Oliver knew how important Nick’s career was to him. He loved his job, and he wanted to earn his position. It was why he hadn’t been mad when Oliver and Quentin had chosen not to make him Quentin’s successor in the office. He had known that he wasn’t ready, and he hadn’t wanted the position in charge just because of trust he had only really earned by being Felicity’s brother.

Oliver followed Nick into one of the interrogation rooms. He didn’t doubt him about it thought. They were on the same side. Felicity was the only real family Nick had after his mother had been killed by a former friend.

As soon as the door was closed behind Nick, Oliver turned around to his brother-in-law. He had a lot of reason to distrust that man’s agency as there had been a time not that long ago when he hadn’t wanted anything to do with Felicity or their family. He had wanted to live free of the blood ties his father had put on him by father not only him but Felicity too.

Despite the little time they had had to get to know each other, Oliver knew that Dominic regretted that he hadn’t wanted anything to do with Felicity at first. Just like Oliver, he had been through some trauma of his own and, just like Felicity, he didn’t have the best opinion of his father. The combination of both had driven him to travel the world alone, chasing something he didn’t know what it was. Not anymore.

“There has been a raid downstairs after some shops have been robbed,” Dominic told him with lowered voice, “and one of the officers noticed an old caravan parking downstairs in the alley. A team went down. They thought that it belonged to the gang they got busted. Instead, they found Tockman.”

A caravan sounded a lot like where Tockman would set up his control center. He could move it to wherever he wanted, so he could easily be close to where he was playing his game. Although his access to tech probably allowed him to hack into the traffic surveillance and other things, but it wasn’t the same as really being present to where the chaos he had created was spreading and destroying people.

Why had he let himself be arrested though?

Oliver knew that it couldn’t be an accident that Tockman had been arrested. With his knowledge of tech, he knew how to make himself invisible, and he knew how to always keep an eye on everything that was happening around. There was something suspicious about the fact that he seemed to have missed the raid that was going on just a couple of feet away.

“I want to interrogate him.”

Maybe if it was someone else that he was talking to, Oliver would say he wanted to talk to Tockman or maybe question him. With Nick, he knew that wasn’t necessary though. He understood exactly what Oliver intended to do and if the expression in his eyes was any indication, he was feeling the same way.

“I already did that.”

Oliver formed his hands to tight fists next to his body. The nails of his fingers were digging into the palms of his hands. He was sure it was leaving red marks on her skin and maybe even thing scratches. His spine straightened, and his jaw tensed to an almost painful point.

He needed to see Tockman, and he needed to make him tell him where he had buried Felicity alive before it was too late. Only a little more of four hours were left, so there was no time to waste. He would make him tell him, even if he had to beat it out of him.

“Then I will do it again.”

Oliver’s voice was dark and sharp. He looked at Nick urgently, wanting him to understand that he wasn’t going to play the bad cop. Even though he was wearing jeans and a Henley, he would meet Tockman as the Green Arrow. He would make him talk with the skills he had learned on the island, in Hong Kong and Russia. He feared the consequences of letting Tockman get away with this more than he feared his punishment.

Why didn’t Nick understand how far Oliver was willing to go?

“Oliver.” Nick’s voice was incredibly low but all the more dangerous now, a low growl even. “I already did that.”

Only now Oliver realized how full of anger Nick’s eyes really were. There was a fire burning inside of them, one that was meant to burn down everything and everyone that got in his way. Oliver knew that expression exactly. He had seen it in his eyes too when he had looked into the mirror the last time.

Nick had put his hands on his hips when he had started speaking. Olive hadn’t noticed it before, but he caught sight of the bruised knuckles of Dominic’s hands now. His skin was cut at several spots, dried blood covering the bruises. More dried blood was spread all over his hands, but Oliver was sure that it wasn’t his.

When Oliver met Nick’s eyes this time, he knew that Nick had really done everything he could. He had wanted to know where Felicity was, and he had done everything possible to make it happen. Although it went against everything he believed in as a cop, he had used to physical violence to get that piece of information out of Tockman. He had broken all the rules there were, endangering every chance at a career he had to save Felicity because she was his family and he loved her.

“What did he say?” Oliver asked intently. “What did Tockman say?”

“Nothing.”

Oliver frowned. “Nothing? Really nothing at all?”

Nick shrugged his shoulders, his hands still on his hips. He looked exhausted and tired. Oliver knew why. It really was exhausting, beating people up, whether they were good or bad guys. The human body wasn’t necessarily made for beating the shit out of people. Still, it was nice that it allowed them to do it nonetheless.

“He said that we – all of us really, but you the most – deserved it.”

Not surprising. Tockman was blaming them or at least Felicity for not getting a chance at saying goodbye to his sister. He had risked everything for her, trying to save her from sure death by a terrible disease. He was looking for someone to blame. Since the universe – for cursing his sister with that disease – or his own actions – as none of this would have happened without his crimes – were too difficult for him to blame, he went for Oliver and Felicity. They had been responsible that the judge had been able to put him behind bars.

There was something in Nick’s face, something that told Oliver that there was more to this. He had said more, but Nick wasn’t sure if he should share it.

“What else did he say?”

Oliver could see the split second that Nick wondered if he really should tell him. He probably knew Oliver well enough by now to know that sometimes it was better to tell important things to him to someone close to him – Felicity or John mostly – first, so they could help Oliver deal with it. There was nobody here but them though, so he couldn’t call for help. He had to give this piece of information he was holding to Oliver or otherwise Oliver would beat him up. It didn’t matter that he was Oliver’s brother-in-law. If he knew something that he knew but that he refused to share, Oliver would make him tell it.

“He said the countdown didn’t matter anymore.”

Oliver pressed his teeth together tightly and sucked in a deep breath. A thousand thoughts were rushing through his brain. It could be a good thing, and it could be a bad or maybe even the worst thing. If the countdown didn’t matter anymore, Felicity could already be dead.

“He said Felicity was as good as dead.”

Oliver felt his heart drop into his stomach. Everything inside of him hurt at the thought that Felicity’s heart whose beat he had always liked to listen to as it has calmed him down enough to find some peaceful sleep. He had less likely been haunted by nightmares when he had fallen asleep with Felicity’s heartbeat in his ear.

What father would he be without her? Could he even be a father? He had barely been ready to take the job when she had told him that she was pregnant with Emmy. He had only managed to find himself into the role because had had her with him, telling him what to do and what instincts to ignore. Was he even human if he lost her?

There had been a time that Felicity had believed he was dead. She had lived through long hours of thinking she was never going to see him again and their kids were never going to see them again. She had needed to tell William that he was dead. She had prepared for telling their little ones that they were never going to see him again. It had broken her to a point that even finding him alive hadn’t been enough to repair her.

If Felicity really died, Oliver knew that he was damaged beyond repair. He would hold on for his kids as long as he had to. As soon as he realized that his kids were old enough and ready to live without his hep, he would join Felicity wherever he was. He wasn’t sure if he believed in an afterlife, and he wasn’t sure that he was going to get a chance at going to heaven where Felicity was certainly waiting for him, but he would use the chance if it was his only one. Felicity’s belief in a righteous and forgiving death just had to be enough for both of them right now.

Felicity wasn’t dead though. It was crazy, but Oliver could feel it deep inside of him. Deep in his heart, he knew that Felicity wasn’t dead yet. Maybe it was only his wishful thinking or his inability to accept this possibility, but he refused to believe that she was dead already. He still got a chance. He had to believe that.

“We need to find Felicity.”

Nick nodded his head. “I know.”

Reaching into the pocket of his pants, he pulled out some keys and lifted them in front of Oliver’s eyes. They dangled from his fingers, right in Oliver’s reach, but Oliver didn’t know how they could possibly help them. Unless those were the keys to where Felicity was hidden, what should he do with those?

“I made sure that nobody will look at the caravan for now,” Nick explained, “making it the last priority of the Crime Scene Unit.”

Oliver grabbed the keys, looking at them resting in the palm of his hand. Nick was overstepping the borders of the laws once more. He was risking his promising career once more because he wanted to find and save Felicity as much as Oliver did.

“There have to be traces there,” he continued intently, “and maybe we can’t see them, but Bruce will make them visible. We are playing against time now more than ever. We have to find her, whatever it takes.”

Oliver nodded his head, forming his hand to a tight fist around the keys. He knew Nick was right. It was them against time now. Whether it made things better or worse now, Oliver wasn’t sure.

Either way, Nick was right. They had to find Felicity, whatever it took.

 → → → → →

 “Did you talk to that bastard?”

Oliver wasn’t surprised that Bruce was the first to approach him as soon as he stepped into the bunker. His eyes were dark and just as angry as Dominic’s had been and as Oliver certainly still was. Everything about his body language screamed that he was willing to go how ever far he had to if it meant saving Felicity.

“No.” Oliver shook his head. “His attorney was present, and Captain McHall didn’t let anyone talk to him.”

While Oliver had been in the caravan, looking for anything suspicious or anything that could help them, he had called Bruce. Given his experience and skills, Oliver had been sure that he had some ideas where to look and what to look for too. Besides, Bruce needed something to do too. Oliver knew that since Felicity never got tired telling him that they are quite alike.

Bruce had asked him whether he had had a chance at talking to Tockman, so Oliver had told him what Nick had said. Although Bruce knew what Nick was capable of, it simply hadn’t been enough for him. He had wanted Oliver to try again and try harder than Nick had before him. Despite the bruises Oliver had seen on Nick’s knuckles, he had let Bruce’s words infect him.

Once he had gathered the stuff that he had thought could be useful and put it to his car, he had stepped into the precinct once more. He had looked for Dominic, but he hadn’t been able to find him. Instead, McKenna had stepped towards him and taken him aside. She had told him that she knew something was going on although she didn’t know what it was. Since Tockman’s attorney had already been there, she hadn’t been able to give him access to him, and she had doubted that it would be a good idea anyway.

Of course Oliver knew that McKenna had been right. If he had seen Tockman, Oliver wasn’t sure if he hadn’t crossed some boundary that he would have been unable to come back from. If they found Felicity alive – and Oliver needed to be optimistic that they would – he needed to be able to look her in the eyes. He wasn’t sure if he could do that when he tortured Tockman.

“Give me the boots.”

Oliver was surprised that Bruce just dropped the subject like that. He had expected him to go at him for that because Oliver was sure that Bruce wouldn’t have taken no for an answer. He wouldn’t have cared.

“Do you think you can use the analysis of the earth in the profile to find Felicity?”

Bruce shrugged his shoulders, already sitting back behind the microscope. “Possibly.”

Although he didn’t say it, Oliver knew that Bruce was mad at him. Bruce was too focused on doing his job and using his tech skills to find Felicity, but he was angry deep down nonetheless. Once this was over, he was certainly hold it against Oliver.

Sitting back against the edge of the desk, Oliver reached out his hand for the tablet that was the only connection he currently had to Felicity. His thumb was already hovering over the button to see Felicity. Instead of pressing it, he clutched the tablet to his chest and held it like the precious treasure it was to him.

As much as Oliver would love to see Felicity and talk to her just to see that she was alright, he didn’t want to come to her with bad news. She had to feel bad enough down there as it was. He wanted to offer at least a glimpse of hope. Right now, he couldn’t do that because it really wasn’t looking good.

When Bruce got up, Oliver frowned.

“Found anything yet?”

“Not really.” Bruce put the sample into a test tube and put it to one of the machines in Felicity’s working area. Pressing a couple of buttons, he got the machine going, turned around and crossed his arms in front of his chest while his eyes locked with Oliver’s. “But maybe a more professional analysis can help us.”

Oliver nodded his head. Analyses like that weren’t exactly Bruce’s strength. They had never been Felicity’s strength either. Years back, they had used to send those things into a laboratory. Given how long it could take and how fast-going their business was, Felicity had set up her own laboratory here. Thanks to Barry, it was mostly working on its own though.

Looking at Bruce more thoroughly, Oliver realized that the other man was looking at him intently and with his eyes dark.

“What?”

It was a stupid question to ask, but Oliver couldn’t help himself. Being defensive seemed smarted to him than to go into offense. Because of how similar he and Bruce were, they understood each other quite well, but they also were bound to bump heads rather sooner than later. They just shared the same impatient and hot temper. It was destined to get difficult between them.

“Why didn’t you just tell Hall to shut the fuck up about things she knew nothing about and go to Tockman and beat the crap out of him until he finally said something?”

“Nick already beat the crap out of him, and it didn’t help at all.”

It didn’t seem to be enough of an answer to Bruce. His eyes glinted, and he pressed his lips together. He was in for a fight. Oliver could see it. He wouldn’t back away from a fight. A good physical fight could clear his head better than anything else. Maybe it would offer him some new perspective on all of this.

“And you thought you couldn’t do better than Nick?”

Oliver perked up his eyebrows. Bruce’s jaw tensed even more, and he straightened his spine. He really looked like he was readying himself for a fight too.

“Nick is Felicity’s brother, and I don’t doubt that he is on our side,” Bruce added eventually, “but he is a cop nonetheless. I am sure that his moral boundaries are a lot higher than yours or mine.”

Oliver doubted that, but he didn’t say a word. He just kept looking at Bruce with his arms crossed in front of his chest and his jaws clenched tightly.

“You should have gone at him and make him talk.”

Maybe a couple of weeks ago, Oliver would have agreed. Now, he wasn’t that sure anymore. It wasn’t that he wasn’t willing to do whatever it took to save her. It wasn’t even the consequences he himself would have to take. It was the consequences his family would have to take that made him doubt that it was the right choice.

If he tortured Tockman until he talked, Oliver wasn’t sure that he could let him stay alive. If he killed Tockman, it was certainly going to get him into prison for some long years though. Felicity and the kids would have to live without him. They would have to protect themselves without him which was difficult, at least when it came to Green Arrow’s enemies. They might have to go into witness protection.

A cold shiver ran down the length of Oliver’s spine when he remembered that this was exactly what Felicity had dreamed of during her Vertigo induced hallucination. Even when losing Felicity was the alternative, this really wasn’t a small price to pay.

Oliver glanced at the countdown. They were down to a little less than two and a half hours. It was bad, really bad. They didn’t have the slightest idea where to go to or where to look for Felicity. They didn’t even have any traces other than the things he had gathered from the caravan, but it didn’t mean that they could find out anything within the next 150 minutes.

If Tockman’s stuff wasn’t going to help them finding her, he would go to the precinct once more and punch the words out of him. He wouldn’t shy away from it, but he wanted to look Felicity in the eyes and tell her that they had done everything they could before he had crossed the limits of law like that and risked everything they had built.

“Felicity tortured that Human Target guy that impersonated you during your supposed death.”

Sucking in a deep breath, Oliver felt his muscles tensing once more. He knew how terrible his supposed death had been on Felicity, so he knew how terrible her death would be for him. He wouldn’t make it through it, not without losing everything he was and everything he believed in.

“And she suffered a lot after that.”

“You are wrong.” Bruce’s voice was tense. “She never regretted that. She always said it was a necessary mean, something that just had to be done to find you and bring you back home.”

“Yes, she said that,” Oliver agreed, “but you weren’t the one that had to held her when she was screaming and crying at night because she heard Chance’s screams of horrors echoing through her dreams.”

The time after he had come back from the dead had been hard on all of them. He and Felicity had had a lot of things to go through. Oliver had tried processing the hours of thinking that he was never get to see Felicity or his kids ever again. He had needed to get through the thoughts of all the chances he had missed and all the thoughts that had stayed unfinished. Felicity had needed to get through the grief that had been so real for her even though it had been almost unnecessary looking back. She had needed to work through her anger with the team for refusing to help her. The trauma his death and her own actions in the light of her supposed loss. They had started therapy to help them with it, and they were still going there. Once this was over, they’d probably go more often again.

“I would have gladly held her if it soothes you.”

Of course he would have. He had been into Felicity for a long time. Usually, Bruce was good at pretending that he believed Felicity was in good hands with Oliver. He had probably talked himself into believing that Felicity wasn’t only happy but really better off without him.

Those thoughts seemed to be forgotten though. Now, he believed that her life could be a lot happier and probably safer if she was with him. He wanted a chance at proving that he was better than Oliver was.

Bruce’s eyes took him in derogatorily. His gaze moved up and down Oliver’s body. His lips were pursed, and is nasal wings were blown wide. No matter how much he was rolling his shoulders, trying to make them relax, his arms and hands tensed. Oliver didn’t miss it.

“Maybe I should tell Felicity how you refused to do whatever it takes to find her when she was willing to give her soul to the devil if necessary. There was nothing she would have shied away from.”

“It still won’t make her love you if that is what you hope for.”

“Who says she is not already in love with me and just holding onto you and your pathetic, little picture-perfect family-thing you are trying to put up? I mean you son wants to study somewhere far away, and Felicity’s death it certainly going to break the rest of your family apart. She is the glue. You can never hold a family together.”

Oliver pushed his chin forward, looking at Bruce challengingly. He wanted to give Bruce a chance at taking it back. He understood that he was angry and scared. Oliver was angry and scared too. If he didn’t take this back, Oliver was going to punch the words out of him. He loved his family and even if Felicity’s death broke him – just the thought of it did already – he wouldn’t let it break his family. He didn’t know how, but he wouldn’t let it happen.

Instead of taking it back, Bruce just grinned. It was the grin of a bully that new exactly that it had hit a sore spot. He knew that he had finally said the one thing that would make Oliver bust a nut. Only thoughts of his family ever managed to do that.

“You really want me to beat the shit out of you, don’t you?”

Bruce grunted. “Like you could possibly do that. You are just as halfhearted as a vigilante as you are in everything else.”

Loosening his arms in front of his chest, Oliver pulled at the sleeves of his Henley, pulling them up his arms. He didn’t want them in the way if he broke Bruce’s nose and every other bone in his face. After her hadn’t been able to let off steam on Tockman, maybe Bruce was a good replacement. After all, he had done everything to deserve this.

“We will see.”

Bruce’s grin widened. He took off the jacket of his suit and let it drop to the floor carelessly. He opened his cufflinks and rolled up his sleeves.

“Gladly.”

With that, the two men approached each other – fists balled and ready to fight.

 → → → → →

 She was running out of songs to sing. Her voice would certainly thank her as it had given up hours – or was it days or maybe just minutes? – ago already.

As a mother of five kids and a dog that loved to use his loud barking to make sure everyone got how frustrated he was then he didn’t get enough food or attention, Felicity had always known how to appreciate silence. Sometimes, when she had been at work particularly early, she had just sat behind her desk and enjoyed the silence.

Now, the silence was deafening and terrifying. She’d give everything to be woken up by the noises of roadworks right under her window for the rest of her life. She was never going to ask the kids to turn down the volume of the TV again. She was never going to complain about Hawk barking for several minutes straight because he didn’t get his way. She was going to enjoy even the most annoying noise.

Closing her eyes, Felicity took some deep breaths. As much as she tried to relax, it became increasingly difficult to stay hopeful and be relaxed.

Everything in her body ached. She was sure that ulcers were going to grow on her skin if she was lying like this much longer, unable to move. Then again, who knew how much longer she was going to be in here? How much longer was she going to survive in here?

Felicity tried to push that thought away. She couldn’t think like that. It was only going to suck away even more of her energy and make it incredibly hard to keep holding on for longer. She felt like she was going crazy already, but she couldn’t allow herself to go crazy. She needed to stay strong and focused. She needed to believe that she was going to be alright.

Oliver would find her. He had found her before, and he would always find her. She didn’t doubt that he would find her because he was Oliver, and Oliver wouldn’t give up. Ever.

When Felicity felt tears burning in her eyes, she quickly squeezed her eyes shut and sucked in another deep breath.

“Don’t cry,” she whispered to herself, “don’t cry, don’t cry.”

She repeated the words again and again. It wasn’t that she believed that crying was a weakness nobody should see. It was quite the opposite, and she knew how important the relief was that came with crying and letting out your sadness. If she cried now, Felicity just wasn’t sure if she ever found the ability to stop again.

It was better to spare her tears for when she had been saved. She could be crying in Oliver’s arms, pressing herself as close to him as possible while he was holding her. He would comfort her, making it at least a little bit easier for her. She wouldn’t feel this alone and this desperate when he was with her.

Still trying to hold on to the thin thread of self-control she had, Felicity felt a single tear on her cheek. She lifted her hand and brushed it away quickly. Before she had put her hand back to the ground of the coffin next to her hip, another tear dropped onto her other cheek.

It wasn’t until several drops landed on her cleavage that Felicity finally got that something was wrong here. She wasn’t crying. Her eyes were dry. The water had to come from somewhere else, but where?

Felicity looked around although she knew it was stupid. Since she had woken up, her eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness at all. There wasn’t anything for her to see or at least there wasn’t anything she could see.

More and more drops of water covered her. While it had been solely on her face and cleavage at first, it soon covered all of her body and part of the ground she was lying on. Something wasn’t wrong here.

A thousand thoughts were rushing through Felicity’s head. She wondered if the time was running up and this was Tockman’s way of making sure that things ended in time. She had watched that new series with Stana Katic. Felicity couldn’t remember the name, but she did remember that the protagonist had been held captive for years until, eventually, her husband had gotten a call with her location. He had had a little time to find her alive. The glass case she had been held captive in had felt with water in the meantime.

Was this what was happening to her too now? Was her coffin filled with water until she drowned in here? Was this going to happen to her now too?

Thrumming her fists against the ceiling of the coffin, Felicity screamed from the top of her lungs. She tried to kick her feet against it too, but she could barely lift them off ground. It only frustrated her more.

Felicity squeezed her eyes shut once more. With every other of her senses deafened, she was almost sure that she could smell rain, but she wasn’t sure. Her senses had betrayed her before already. She had heard things that weren’t there just because she had wanted to hear them.

“Focus.” Felicity took a deep breath and released the air through her nose slowly. “Focus.”

Once her heartbeat had calmed down a little, she took in another deep breath through her nose. The smell was still there.

“Focus harder.”

Felicity imagined the smells of all the good food Oliver was going to make for her when she came back from this nightmare.  Her memory was so vivid that it felt like it was real. She could almost taste the food on her tongue.

Again, Felicity took in a deep breath through her nose. The smell was definitely still there, so maybe she had been wrong. Maybe, for once, this was real.

“Oliver, I think-“

Felicity stopped, remembering that Oliver couldn’t hear her. He could only hear her when he was the one reaching out for her. Since he knew that the light hurt on her skin, he was probably doing his best not to contact her too often. As long as their time wasn’t running up, he probably thought that she was somewhat safe where she was.

He wouldn’t check on her until he had news or time was running up, and he needed her advice too much to resist the urge to see her.

Felicity squeezed her eyes shut once more and started praying. She prayed that Oliver would contact her – whether it was for good news or bad news. He just needed to contact her, so she could tell him what was happening here.

“Oliver, please.”

 → → → → →

 Oliver had already lunged out his fist, about to punch Bruce until he took back every single one of the words he had said before. Bruce had held his face out for Oliver’s fist, ready to be punched. Right before his fist could hit his face, the alarming sound from the computers made him stop.

“What is that?”

“The analysis of the ground came back with some conspicuity.”

Bruce shot Oliver another brief glance. Although their eyes locked for barely longer than a second, Oliver realized something his angers had made him miss before. Bruce had wanted to be hit. He had provoked this on purpose, probably thinking that getting hit was going to distract him from the pain of fearing that Felicity was dead.

Just like Oliver had hoped punching Bruce was going to help him with the same thing.

Although both of them needed the feeling of being alive again, the need to save Felicity and find her alive was more important. It was all they really wanted, all they really needed.

With large and quick steps, Bruce hurried over to the desk. His fingers danced over the keyboard of Felicity’s computers to call up the results of the analysis and specify these results. The frown that formed on his forehead told Oliver that there was something that might either help them or lead them in the wrong direction. Either way, there were some traces to follow which meant that there was something to do for them. They didn’t have to let out their frustration on each other.

“What is it?”

Oliver stepped closer to Bruce, looking over his shoulder. Whatever was displayed on the monitor, Oliver didn’t get it though. Felicity had her own system of having results displayed. Bruce probably got it as he and Felicity were thinking alike, but Oliver had no idea.

“There are some particles in the samples we took that can only be found in ten locations around here.” Bruce didn’t even look at Oliver, continuing to work his way through more and more data that he called up. “If we can narrow this down, maybe we will find Felicity.”

Ten locations. They had six active members of the team available right now, including Bruce. Thea wasn’t an option. They could call in Quentin though, and McKenna was certainly going to help too if Oliver told her what had happened. That meant they only needed two people more. Maybe with Barry’s help they could do this. As a speedster, he was easily going to be here in seconds, and he could bring help with him.

“You should tell Felicity.”

Oliver perked up his eyebrows, surprised about Bruce’s suggestion. So far, he had done his best to prevent Oliver from looking at Felicity or talking to her too much, reminding him of the pain she was going through. If he thought that this was a good occasion to contact her, it had to be. It also meant that they were close to find her which was something Oliver couldn’t estimate objectively anymore.

Not wasting a second, Oliver grabbed the tablet and pushed the button to finally see Felicity again. He wasn’t sure when they had spent this much time apart, never mind when they hadn’t gotten a chance at looking or speaking to one another. He couldn’t wait to see her again and hear her voice. He needed to know that she was okay and-

“Felicity?”

The moment he saw he face with her eyes screwed shut and a frantic whisper coming from her lips, Oliver knew something was wrong. He knew Felicity’s face too well to miss that that there was something going on. His heart skipped a beat, panic spreading in every cell of his body.

“Felicity, are you alright?”

A sob of relief fell from Felicity’s lips. Her gaze moved from right to left and back again like she was looking for him. Oliver wished that he was there with her, so he could hold her and make her focus on him and only him.

“I am here,” he whispered to her soothingly, “I am here, and I will be with you soon.”

“Oliver, it’s raining.”

“What?” Oliver frowned, now quite getting what exactly she was talking about. “What-“

“It’s raining, and it’s leaking.”

“What’s leaking?”

“The coffin.” Felicity took in a breath that told Oliver how nervous she was. “The water is gathering in here.”

Since Oliver had put his phone on speaker, Bruce had been able to hear everything Felicity had said. From the moment he had heard that it was raining, he had worked on trying to narrow down the number of locations.

“I think I have got her,” he said, not looking at Oliver, “because there is rain in only one of those ten locations rights now.”

They had her. They might actually have her!

“There are heavy rains,” he continued, his voice lowered to make sure Felicity didn’t hear him, “and we might be too late.”

Oliver didn’t want to think about that. For the first time, they had a real hint at where Felicity was. There was no way that he was going to take that hope away from him – or Felicity for that matter.

“We have some traces,” he told her, “we have some traces, and we are on your way to you already. I will be there. Just hold on some more minutes, and I will be there. I promise.”

He promised, and there was no way he was going to break that promise.

* * *

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[spiders-hth-is-an-outlier]

Even if you believe -- LIKE I BELIEVE -- that bisexual people are bisexual people and valuable members of the queer community even when they’re in monogamous heterosexual relationships, you are allowed to take a hard look at how a story deploys bisexual characters and their relationships, and you are allowed to notice and be displeased when the story seems to reinforce homophobic and biphobic bigotry.

Like. Okay.  I really like the way Roswell, New Mexico has navigated this with Michael’s character.  He is clearly bisexual; his emotional and sexual involvement with Alex and Maria are treated as real and legitimate and honorable, unequivocally Good Things, at least potentially, in Michael’s life.  Yes, he does choose (as of this moment -- future seasons are future) to pursue a relationship with Maria but not Alex, but what I think is important and effective is that Alex is always shown not as the bullet he dodged or a wrong road he briefly went down in his youth, not as some confusion or derail or detour from his life, and certainly not as the kinky sexual experimentation of Someone With a Complicated Dark Side.  Alex is always, always, always shown, by the way the characters discuss him and by his function in the plot, as some combination of Michael’s Ex Who Is Still a Dear Friend and The One Who Got Away (and on his own, separate from his relationship with Michael, as a capital-h Hero who is also a gay man).  They had a youthful relationship, full of youthful intensity, and life kind of happened and things just -- didn’t work out.  But the relationship was real, the closeness remains, and the legacy of that intensity continues to color their interactions.  Nothing about Michael and Alex make me feel like being with Maria is something that saved Michael or, uh, set him straight, as it were.  She’s just the next big relationship in Michael’s life, and he’s bisexual.

In contrast, I really, really, really do not like the way Crazy Ex-Girlfriend navigated this with Darryl. I do not deny that Darryl is bisexual!  The show did not “make him straight” when they wrote him breaking up with his boyfriend and marrying a woman.  But it’s -- really -- pretty fucked up, the arc they give Darryl.  Here’s a character who is above all things a warm, big-hearted family man, whose distinguishing traits are his sweetness, his loyalty, and the joy he takes in being a father.  He’s in a bad marriage, which ends, and his earliest plot arcs are about maintaining his relationship with his daughter.  He has a sexual awakening and a fairly LTR relationship with a younger gay man, which is portrayed as overall quite positive...except that the gay man is entirely unwilling to go in on the one thing that has always defined Darryl -- he doesn’t want to marry Darryl or have kids with him, he is not interested in the traditional family stability that Darryl so clearly loves and craves.  Okay, well -- that happens sometimes.  They break up so that Darryl can pursue having more kids on his own, but remain friendly.  I don’t love that an otherwise rewarding queer relationship is depicted as something Darryl has to extricate himself from to have the family he wants, but -- I’m not writing it, okay. It’s a choice.  But at the very end of the series, when it’s wrapping up everyone’s plotlines, the show does two things: it abruptly introduces a woman with a daughter (who receives no real characterization other than Woman With a Daughter) that Darryl quickly marries, creating a lovely large-ish blended family with a mom, and dad, and three kids -- and it makes WiJo, the only specifically gay character on the show, appear in the final scene as an isolated, bitter figure, sitting apart from his friends, bitching about the character everyone else is here to celebrate, not just single but deeply alone.  He’s so alone that the fact his fucking house recently burned down is delivered as a throwaway line by a “friend” of his who has clearly all but forgotten about it.

And that’s -- so fucked up!  It’s not fucked up because Darryl is not allowed to be with a woman.  It’s fucked up because the show has hammered in this clear distinction between Happy Family Man Darryl, whose every wholesome dream of being a husband and father has come true, and Bitter Lonely Queen Josh, who began the series as a jovial and successful, if a little sharp-elbowed, character, and now sits alone in a bar having lost everything.  That’s not just a neutral character choice. It leaves the viewer with the distinct taste in their mouth of queerness being a life detour for Darryl, in between the birth of his two children and his two heterosexual marriages, and it leaves Josh -- who again, has been a series regular all along! That we liked and rooted for! -- as some kind of fucked-up cautionary tale about queer loneliness.  Did the show intend for that to be the takeaway message, that queerness ruined Josh’s life and could have ruined Darryl’s if he hadn’t managed his escape?  Almost certainly not!  But the fact that it does, just coincidentally!, perfectly replicate that string of homophobic narratives -- that queerness is an exploratory phase for bisexual people, that real families are straight families, that gay people end up drinking alone and unloved in a bar -- is really fucking bad, no matter what the intentions were, and it can’t be handwaved away by saying “well, sometimes bi people end up in straight relationships!”  Yeah, they do!  But that’s not a get-out-of-jail-free card for literally writing a story that adheres to the ugliest homophobic and biphobic tropes you can think of.  “Sometimes that happens” is never actually a get-out-of-jail-free card for replicating shopworn and harmful stereotypes about marginalized people in your fiction.

I could add a paragraph here about The Magicians, too, but like.  I feel like I’m on record already.  Long story short: see above.  It’s not inherently biphobic that Quentin ends his life (well, the last ten minutes of his life) with a woman and not a man; it is biphobic that the show goes to enormous lengths to code his relationship with Eliot as a “complicated” detour occurring entirely in the space after his straight relationship fell apart and before he was able to restore it, as literally Another Life from Quentin’s real life, and it is homophobic to end a series with your gay series regular living out some kind of retrograde Evangelical scared-straight tragedy of separation from his loved ones and substance abuse, while the bisexual character’s straight love interest is portrayed surrounded by friends, excited by her future, and at peace. (Oops, I added the paragraph.)

It’s bad.  It’s not good.  Even if it wasn’t intentional, it speaks to something real dark that this is the pattern that creators who think of themselves as queer allies just accidentally trip and fall into without even realizing it.  It speaks to how pervasive these narratives  -- of queer relationships as an interlude or a detour for bi people, of straight relationships as more wholesome and more healing than queer ones -- are even among people who would never think of themselves as hating gay people.  And it’s okay to call this shit out, because it is not biphobic or hostile to bi people’s RL straight relationships, to see what’s right in front of us.

Long story short: do not fuck this up for me, Roswell.  I’m counting on you.