#both have huge fallen angel coding

[goopygeiger]

The flower is gone.

[lenaellsi]

we really need to be able to separate "demon as species" and "demon as political affiliation" in good omens, because that is at the core of why so many people (including the characters in the show, especially aziraphale) are reluctant to acknowledge crowley as a true demon.

demon means BOTH "an angel who has fallen from heaven, has an animal aspect, and is weak to holy water and resistant to hellfire" and "an employee of hell who is loyal to satan." there is one word for both of these concepts. crowley fits one, but not the other. it's why he's simultaneously a "former demon" by his own words and also incredibly resistant to the idea that he is anything else.

not working for hell doesn't mean he's not really a demon. it doesn't mean he's in any better standing with god. it doesn't mean his fall wasn't something that changed him deeply, both on a physical level and as a person. it means he is struggling to find the vocabulary to define himself, because the system is not built for someone like him. it is impossible, in the minds of every character in the show except for crowley, to be a demon without being one of "the bad guys." it's impossible to have fallen without joining team hell.

the same is also true of angels. michael refers to aziraphale as a "former angel" in the same episode that crowley refers to himself as a "former demon." I don't think aziraphale would ever use that language for himself--he's very attached to his identity as an angel, and the closest he ever gets to calling himself anything else is when he's so upset at the end of the job minisode--but just as there's no word for a demon who is not associated with hell, there's no word for an angel who has been alienated from heaven.

but these identities still mean something for both crowley and aziraphale. a huge part of crowley’s personality and his moral code is his resistance to authority and his disdain for rules and predestination. likewise, a huge part of aziraphale’s personal code is still his allegiance to some sort of “greater good,” whether that be god or just a nebulous concept of a heaven that doesn’t exist.

and in addition to the philosophical divide, there are real tangible differences between the angel crowley used to be and the demon he is now. the distinction between “angel” and “demon” is not important in that it dictates whether a celestial being can be Good or Bad, but it is important in how it functions as a descriptor of the person’s prior life experiences, their relationship with god, and their physical characteristics.

[brykp]

THEORY: Lucifer Morningstar in Hazbin Hotel... Might Actually Be a Star

I was thinking of what Sera said to Charlie when she was first welcomed into Heaven... "Greetings, Daughter of the Morningstar"... or, did she enunciate morning-star? This is a real thing in the world that exists for us people on earth, in fact you can walk outside and see it very early every morning --- it is the last star shining in the sky. Tangent oncoming, but it gets back to the main point ----- Lucifer means "light-bearer", or, "light-bringer", because it calls forth the rising sun. In symbology, this has been interpreted as a man holding a torch. In Hazbin Hotel, we not only see Lucifer literally can produce fire from his hand, but this has been passed down to his daughter as well. They're light-bearers --- literally. Also, that is precisely what stars do... they produce light! Now let me advance to next bulletpoint of this post... Vivienne Medrano ALREADY used a "living" object, that can terraform into a more active form, in this web show. And that is none other than Kiki, the literal key to the hotel. She turns into a cat-semblant body.

On the same note, Vivienne Medrano is no stranger to humanoids or beings naturally being another thing. This was a primary feature of her extinct webcomic, Zoophobia, where every animal naturally has a humanesque form they can convert to whenever necessary. For example, Jackie is a great macaw (this isn't the parrot's true appearance, this is a format she takes alternatively):

Now, I know Lucifer is snake-coded, but I couldn't help but acknowledge how well-versed Vivienne Medrano seems to be in demonology and religion, to an extent, based on some videos from YouTuber cartoon analysis channels. And (I'm going to repeat, excuse my drawling), it is a common fact that the morning star.... in the sky... can be seen every morning. Hence, Sera uttered; "Greetings, daughter of the morning star". So, here's the next bulletpoint --- the acknowledgment of celestial bodies as sources of worship (astrology) is a key point in this universe. Stolas, a major character in the same world, studies and is a sort of regulator of the celestial bodies.

That's his whole schtick. Plus, he is royalty in Hell, so astrology is probably a no-shit presence of fact among the general population in Hell. On the the next bulletpoint: YouTube theorists and fans of both these web shows in general have expressed how they think Hazbin Hotel + Helluva Boss take place somewhere in 'outer space'. From the Pride Ring alone, we can see other celestial bodies IN the sky, like Heaven and a weird moon with a copy of Pride Ring's Pentagram on it. While I don't think the Hellaverse is in outer space exactly, I really think it's code for 'the heavenly realms'. Now on to the next and probably most important fact... now, what might the Pride Ring be? What does its parameter resemble? (Btw, follow this person on Tumblr and X, they are a great Lucy fan artist):

Not to mention the pentagram (which is also, coincidentally, and non-coincidentally a star-shape) floating right above it. What is a meteorite? A falling star. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What is my final say on this? I might say Lucifer is... well, a fallen star. He may or may not be a literal star in the show, but this is a huge probability in the Hellaverse considering it IS Vivienne Medrano's brainchild. This is my headcannon now... that because these are the heavenly realms, the most powerful beings/ characters can and do exist likely in alternate/ first forms in the same existential plane. Charlie is half human and half angel... or further, half star. Also, this means Lilith fucked a star. (And Eve too, oop.)

[fellthemarvelous]

"I forgive you."

I can't help but wonder...

And I have a lot of feelings around "I forgive you" because, to me, it goes so much deeper than that.

I think we need to go back to the very first scene of season two.

Before the Beginning

Aziraphale is the first one to reach out. Yes, Crowley called him over for help, but Aziraphale is the one who introduced himself. Crowley wasn't expecting him to stick around for so long. He probably didn't think to introduce himself in return because, as he said in episode 6, angels are like bees (and the universe is huge).

When Crowley becomes upset at Aziraphale's explanation of people and Earth, Aziraphale is confused because "you can't just ask God this shit, how rude", but you see the look on his face when Crowley asks how much trouble he can get into for asking a few questions.

It was more than the fact that Aziraphale said something that made Crowley want to question God. He was looking at Crowley. He saw Crowley's wings become darker. It made him anxious, but why?

He was scared of Crowley getting into trouble, but why would he worry about that? What did it mean to him? How would he know? Why would he know? Had Aziraphale already been scolded for being curious?

And the thing he was scared of came true. Crowley got into trouble and he became one of the fallen.

"Unforgivable. That's what I am." (Unforgettable. That's what you are.)

As far as I can tell, Aziraphale never even learned Crowley's angel name (unless Crowley was so famous as an angel that he needed no introduction), but their chance meeting still changed the trajectory of both of their existences.

Why did Crowley fall? Why didn't Aziraphale?

It is something that weighs heavily on Aziraphale's mind. The name he goes by on Earth is A.Z. Fell, and the humans refer to him as Mr. Fell. He chose that name for himself.

He was unable to save Crowley from Hell in Edinburgh and it changed both of them once more. I've already talked about Edinburgh being Aziraphale's Greatest Failure™️ in this post a little bit, which feeds further into the guilt that Aziraphale probably feels when it comes to Crowley's status as a demon.

For 6,000 years, they have had to speak to each other in code.

"Unforgivable. That's what I am." (Unforgettable. That's what you are.)

I think when Aziraphale is saying "I forgive you" he is telling Crowley that it doesn't matter what Crowley does, Aziraphale is going to love him anyway.

Aziraphale can't say "I love you" though because Heaven is always watching. Hell is always watching. Someone is always watching. The last thing Aziraphale wants is for Crowley to suffer more than he already has, and that's where Aziraphale struggles the most.

But I also think that, deep down, Aziraphale is asking Crowley to forgive him. Aziraphale freely forgives because even though he's never fallen himself, he struggles with the guilt of what happened to Crowley. He sees Crowley's fall as unjust.

He tried to warn angel Crowley against the idea of making any suggestions because he feared what would happen.

He lost Crowley in Edinburgh because they had fallen into a pattern of role reversal and Crowley did a good deed in front of Gabriel's statue, which I've also discussed before.

Aziraphale is saying "I forgive you" the way humans say "I love you", and I think that deep down he wants to hear Crowley say "I forgive you too" because Aziraphale can't forgive himself for the part he believes he played in Crowley's fall.

The Metatron was watching when Aziraphale said "I forgive you". Aziraphale is already in enough trouble, which I have discussed before. Twice we have seen Aziraphale say "I forgive you" to Crowley, and both of those times were after Crowley insulted him.

"How can someone as clever as you be so stupid?" "You idiot, we could have been...us."

"I forgive you" is and always has been "I love you" in coded language because Aziraphale worries nonstop about Crowley getting into trouble with Hell (again). He's telling Crowley that no matter what he does, Aziraphale will always forgive Crowley because he loves Crowley.

But I also think he's looking for forgiveness himself because he internalizes his own failures so much that it's eating him alive. (This is common for people who have suffered religious abuse.)

And this is something I don't know that Crowley understands just yet because neither of them talk about what's really important.

[still-a-morosexual-help]

I wonder why Simeon's blessing was taken away and he wasnt turned into a fallen angel like the brother's..? Like, is the Celestial Realm trying to keep angels from turning into demons, so they turn them "human" to rehabilitate them? Are the angels trying to keep their numbers up? How come we have never heard of any more angels to demons after the brother's fell? Surely there were bound to be angels that didnt fit the Celestial Realm. Where did they go?

I have so many questions and thought id share them with you to see what you thought! 👻

I honestly don't know...I can speculate but there's a huge chance whatever I say now can and will be proven false

But whatever:

I definitely don't think the Celestial Realm anticipated the brothers turning into demons. They were the first of their kind, and you probably don't think losing a certain aspect of yourself will just turn you into another race yknow. Also considering how the Angels were very obviously shooting to kill during the Rebellion (the angel aiming an arrow at Belphie & Lilith) I think they didn't expect any of the siblings to survive. If they were willing to kill Lilith over giving food to a human/healing a human then defying and fighting against that order and the Celestial Realm seems pretty inexcusable.

As to why Simeon isn't a Fallen Angel or Demon, I don't think losing your Blessing is what turns you into one. The brothers (and probably even Lilith given what we know about her) were all showing signs of Sin in the Celestial Realm. They all had a predisposition towards causing mischief just for fun. They were already demon-esque long before they Fell.

Simeon, despite not being all sunshine and rainbows, isn't like that. Despite having something of a temper at times and being somewhat mischievous he's still eons more angelic than even the mildest and most composed of the siblings (whoever that may be)

The siblings' Blessing was, at the point of their Fall, the only thing separating them from Demons

Simeon losing his Blessing won't have the same effect.

Also given how much Michael regrets the siblings' Fall he probably doesn't want to permanently lose more people he was close with

(Assuming Simeon's loss of his Blessing is Michael's doing) Michael may see this as a suspension. Punishment for lying and stealing from him (in S2), HOWEVER,

I have this idea that losing your Blessing isn't something someone else can do. It's something that happens as you change. Angels are very opinionated and seem to have a strict code/set of rules on what makes them an angel. Straying too far from that, questioning too much, losing sight of your "angelic self" would cause you to lose your Blessing - thereby becoming less Angelic until it's all gone and you've completely transformed

Michael might have suspended Simeon in S3 - which was why he was in the human world. But in the human world Simeon seemed truly happy - surrounded by all the people he loved (both humans and demons). Doing something he loved. Being made to confront the fact that he missed the Celestial Realm from back when the siblings still lived there. That he missed Lucifer and that this time with Lucifer (even as a demon) was limited. That his greatest fear was associated with the Celestial Realm.

If my theory about how one's Blessing is lost is correct then all this would have contributed to it.

It'd also explain why Raphael was so worried about Simeon because despite all their problems they still care for each other (and they already lost the siblings who they also cared for). They probably never expected this would happen.

About more angels not fitting the mould:

There probably are a lot.... even the siblings never fit the mould. They were troublemakers and showed off their Sins as angels long before they Fell. They were able to live long, full lives in the Celestial Realm. They even got promoted and held high/important positions in the Celestial Realm. But there was a tipping point. The siblings outright defied the Celestial Realm. They started a Rebellion. And then they Fell. I don't think anyone else ever reached that point.

[nerdymariamania]

MAJOR UNDERTALE AND DELTARUNE SPOILERS!

So, I was watching a playthrough of Undertale because I need some happiness through my seasonal depression. It got to Alphys' lab, and the amalgamations, and it made me think of Rudy from Deltarune and his lack of counterpart in Undertale. We know from a cut monologue of Asgore (from the Undertale alarm clock that was never made) that Rudy did exist and has since fallen down (aka monster talk for died.) Asgore confirms that he has two daughters and his youngest daughter with a kind face (Noelle) will make friends one day. And says that Rudy's cottage was like another home to him. He also talks about how they would dress up for Christmas, him as Santa, and Rudy as (in Asgore's words "his") Rudolph, setting presents side by side together in the snow.

From this and how Rudy's daughters in Deltarune are named Noelle and Dess (short for December), we can take it that he (UT version) is also Christmas themed and a deer. We never see him in Undertale because he is dead. Who else is a deer in Undertale? Gyftrot, the Christmas themed deer. Gyftrot is found in Snowdin (where it is speculated the ledge where you can see the cottage in the distance with the lights on, is The Holiday's cottage.) And when spared, Gyftrot gives you a present.

I suspect Rudy's body was also used to be apart of the Alphys amalgamations determination extraction experiments. The Determination Extraction Machine (or DTEM) has the same shape as Gyftrot's head AND Omega Flowy's head. How was Flowey created? Through Alphys' experiments with the DTEM. But, Alphys didn't design the DTEM, she states she "followed the blueprints." So obviously Gaster made the machine.

Here's where I'm going nuts. All numbers associated with Gaster/Mystery Man in the code of Undertale have to do with 6's. All of his stats, fun values, everything. He only appears in Undertale if you get a fun value of 666. The bunker sound is mus_smile (the sound that plays in Gaster's entry 17, that is also called garbage noise [in reference to multiple telephone calls and Spamton and Jevil's descent into madness]) slowed down by 666%. Spamtom, (who is implied to have gone mad by Gaster telling him the truth about their world.)  mentions heaven, and refers to Noelle as an Angel. Who do angels usually fight against? The Devil, and his calling card number 666.

(Also, in Entry 17, he says "Darker, Yet Darker." On the Snowgrave run of DR, the Queen says Noelle has to go into a "Darker yet Darker sleep."

And, [grain of salt here] almost every fun value is related to Gaster. One of them changes the word search Sans gives you to include Ice-e with the word "Nightmare." Noelle thinks the Dark world is a dream. And Noelle's worried sprite looks similar to Ice-e's sprite.

And this is just speculation, the person calling out in the code of Deltarune is Dess, who might have even more of connection to Gaster at some point. I mean, Gaster literally took over Undertale/Deltarune's Twitter to announce Deltarune and we know it's him because of the similar typing, all caps, and "very, very interesting." He might even be the person at the beginning of chapter 1 when you make your vessel.

So, Gyftrot is Rudy amalgamate in the Undertale world, Noelle and Gaster are linked in both worlds for varies reasons, and I also have a huge theory that Rudy and Asgore in the DR world had an affair (because of the aforementioned cut monologue where Asgore talks so highly and fondly of Rudy, plus DR!Rudy literally calling him a fruit and getting flowers from him.) and the mayor (Rudy's wife/Noelle and Dess' mom) pinned her eldest's daughters disappearance on Asgore to get back at him (quite possibly in her grief)/find a legal reason to fire Asgore off of the police force (since Alphys in DR says the cops aren't really useful and just eye candy and the Mayor has all the power.) And ruin Asgore's life. But that's a whole other bucket of worms!

Anyway, Rudy is Gyftrot, change my mind, you can't!

[safertokiss]

Concentrated Interests

A/N: Hola my friends! This fic was my entry for the Secret Fic Swap I participated in with a couple of close friends on here and it was written and dedicated to @nerdgirljen​. It was so much fun to write and thank you guys so much for all the support and love!

Pairing: SPENCER x READER

Category: Fluff and SMUT

Word Count: 3.3k

ENJOY:)

~~~

MASTERLIST

~~~

Spencer had never really understood the concept of soulmates or love at first sight.

In his mind, it defied pretty much every scientific law about human interaction out there and was simply a coping mechanism for those who were romantically unlucky. At least that was what he had thought until a certain tech analyst walked through the BAU’s doors and into his life. 

He was frozen. Totally and utterly enamored by the woman his eyes were currently attached to. He watched her stumble into the bullpen, a large box situated in her arms, seemingly impairing the entirety of her vision and coordination, evident by the way she kept bumping into things in her path. It wasn’t until she hit a particular desk corner and spilled the contents of the box, her belongings scattering across the floor, that Spencer broke out of his stupor and took action. 

“Woah there, let me help you with that!”, he exclaimed, immediately rushing to her side and starting to collect some of the fallen items to put back into the box.

“Oh, thank you so much. Gah, this is so embarrassing. I promise you I’m not always this uncoordinated and clumsy”, she explained with a nervous chuckle. After everything was picked up and they both had stood up from their crouched positions, she hurriedly straightened out her skirt before outstretching her hand. “Hi, I’m Y/n.” She immediately noticed the slight panic that crossed his features at her gesture and was momentarily confused.

“I-uh-I kind of don’t, um, do the whole hand shaking thing. Yeah, uh, the number of pathogens spread through a handshake is staggering. It’s actually safer to...oh god I’m sorry you didn’t ask for a full-out science lesson. It’s, um, really nice to meet you, I’m Reid. Doctor. Spencer”, he sputtered out nervously.

Chuckling softly, Y/n retracted her hand, opting to instead lightly nudge his shoulder. “Well Reid Doctor Spencer, it’s nice to meet you too”, a teasing smile adorning her face as she spoke. Spencer quickly felt a warm blush spread across his features at the absurdity of his introduction.

“S-sorry about that. What I meant to say is that my name is-”

“Pretty boy!”

Both of their heads swiveled towards the sound, searching for the source, before landing on a man across the room.

“Hotch needs us in the briefing room. Stop flirting with the new girl and get your ass in here!” They watched him walk away chuckling before turning back to each other.

“Pretty boy huh? Well I guess it’s fitting, I mean you do have really nice cheekbones and dimples. And your eyes are kind of beautiful. Not that I ummmm-not that I think you’re beautiful or anything, it’s just uhhh...um...I’m gonna stop talking now.” Spencer could feel the blush returning to his features, watching the same happen to her, from the frenzied rambling that had just poured from her lips, but he found it endearing on her and quite honestly, really adorable. 

“I-uh I gotta go, you know, um deal with that, but it was very nice meeting you”, he sputtered out, sending a small wave in her direction. She shyly giggled at his nervousness which was surely reflected on her end as well. “See ya around Reid Doctor Spencer.”

“Spencer. It’s um-it’s Spencer.”

“Spencer”, she repeated back softly, nodding him off with a gentle smile on her face.

~~~

Spencer Reid was in love. The longer she was around him the more he realized he was completely and utterly in love with her, all of her. She was perfect in his eyes, intelligent, funny, a bit nerdy and just so adorable. The problem was just that he had absolutely no idea how to tell her how he felt. He had never really been the type to express his feelings to someone, especially to a girl as beautiful as Y/n. 

The female species wasn’t exactly his strong suit and he was very aware of that fact, painfully aware. However, he stayed hopeful that someday soon he’d muster up the courage to express his affinity for her. Realizing that today was definitely not that day, Spencer tried to push his conflict to the back of his brain so he could try to get some work done. Not before noticing that Y/n was slightly late, though.

Less than a minute after he noticed her absence, she came bursting into the bullpen with the largest grin adorning her features, an obvious pep in her step. Spencer watched as she skipped over to the rest of the team who were gathered around Emily’s desk, close enough where he could pretty much hear the majority of the words exchanged and profile their reactions.

He heard JJ ask what was making her so chipper this morning, and he chuckled softly to himself as he heard her immediately start rambling about whatever had her so elated. 

“Oh my god guys, you’ll never believe it! So a couple of weeks ago a good friend of mine asked me to help her with her website, because well...tech geek and all, so I got to mess around with all the software and went crazy! I was able to fiddle with the source code a bit and authorize a super high CRO and SEO to get her website out there. Not to mention all the growth hacking I was able to curate! Cool right?”

Y/n stopped to take a breath and noticed that the entirety of the team was staring at her with vacant expressions on their faces. She looked on with widened eyes as she asked, “What?”

“CRO?”, JJ questioned. Morgan awkwardly chuckled out a similar questioning tone, “SEO?” Of course that left Emily to bring up the rear. “Did I hear growth hacking in there?”

Her face scrunched up in confusion at all the questions that had just been hurled her way so suddenly. “Huh?”

“Baby girl we have absolutely no idea what any of the things you just mentioned are or what they do”, Morgan explained with a sympathetic smile on his face, as the other members nodded in agreement.

Spencer watched as Y/n’s face quickly morphed into one of utter disappointment at the knowledge that her colleagues had no clue what she was going on about. She had seemed so excited when she entered the bullpen earlier so he assumed she was probably very much looking forward to getting to talk all about it with her friends.

“Oh...that’s ok. Sorry for bothering you guys, sometimes I just get a little too excited and tend to ramble. I’ll um-I’ll talk to you guys later.” Y/n flashed them a small smile before making her way over to her desk, situated across the room near Spencer. 

“Hey Spence”, she shyly waved as she passed, a deflated look on her face. Trying to lift her spirits at least a little, he returned her gesture with a huge grin and wave, happy to see her smile brighten a bit at his enthusiasm. 

Once she was seated and facing away from him, he immediately found himself feeling overwhelmingly upset over her predicament. He hated seeing her look so defeated and down, she didn’t deserve to ever feel like that. She was simply too angelic for those kinds of feelings to permeate her mind. 

Spencer wished more than anything that he knew what she was talking about so she could go to him. He’d let her ramble to him for hours on end if it meant he could listen to her melodic voice and see her beautiful face up close. 

All of sudden Spencer slapped his hand against his head and groaned, “Of course you dipshit”, before pulling up a couple tabs on his computer.

For the next few hours his work was forgotten as he studied and learned pretty much everything there was to know about technical analysis and the programming that Y/n seemed so ecstatic about, anxious to give her, at last, a companion to discuss her passion with. 

~~~

“See you later Reid!”

Spencer’s head snapped up as he heard the people around him saying their goodbyes and goodnights, realizing that he had been distracted by his screen the entire day and that it was already time to go home. He watched as his friends walked out together, all laughing about something that Morgan had said, before noticing movement in the corner of his eye. 

As he turned his head he noticed that the only person who was still there in the bullpen with him was Y/n, and she was staring at the posse that had just exited the room, a longing look plastered across her features that broke his heart. Taking a deep breath and deciding it was now or never, he rose up from his seated position and made his way over to her, hoping that he had learned enough to lighten her mood.

“Hey there!”, he exclaimed when he had found himself right behind her. As soon as the words started escaping his lips, she jumped in her seat, her hand flying to her heart.

“Jesus Christ Spence! You scared the complete shit out of me!”

Chuckling softly at her overreactive response, he moved to sit on her desk, facing her heavily breathing sitting figure. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just saw you that you were still here and was wondering why you hadn’t left with everyone else?” She quickly looked down and blushed at his questioning, embarrassed of her answer.

“Oh I-um they just looked like they were having a lot of fun and I didn’t really want to interrupt so I thought I’d stay back for a little bit to-uh finish up some stuff.” Once she finished her unconvincing explanation, Spencer leaned back a bit and studied her. While this was something he found himself doing often, always getting distracted by her spectacular figure, he focused on her body language more than anything, noticing the dark circles underneath her eyes.

“Y/n, you look absolutely exhausted. Have you even been sleeping lately?”, he asked, genuine concern laced within his words.

“Y-yeah I haven’t really. I’ve kind of been pretty preoccupied in the last few days helping out a friend. It’s really fun, but it’s also very time consuming”, she stuttered out, a small smile gracing her lips.

“Oh right! I had heard you mention that earlier today! That must be awesome getting to basically build your own website!”

“I swear I feel like a kid in a candy store doing that kind of stuff. I just find it so relaxing and exciting at the same time!”

“I totally get it. I was really impressed with how well you were able to manipulate the site’s conversion rate optimization-did you know that a site’s CRO and SEO are considered as two of the most essential tools required to run a thriving website or online business. It’s actually astounding how much the results differ between competition depending on their efficiency.”

All Y/n could do, while Spencer rambled on and on about her most passionate subjects, was sit there in complete awe. The sound of the tech-geeky words that spilled from his beautiful lips was simply orgasmic. Never had she met someone who seemed as enthused as her when it came to all her technical endeavors, and she didn’t know exactly how to react. Her biggest crush on the entire planet was sitting in front of her spouting off facts like they were going out of style.

However, amidst all the wonder that circulated through her being, confusion washed over her.

“Wait hold up! What’s going on Spence?”

“Uhhh, what do you mean?”, he questioned shyly, a blush coating his face.

Narrowing her eyes at him she expanded her questioning. “I’ve known you for months now and I can guarantee I have never once heard you mention anything even remotely technical. In fact I’ve heard you explain time and time again how confused you are by the complexities of the simplest of technology. Spill, pretty boy”, she demanded, maintaining eye contact with him.

Figuring out that he had been caught, he shyly lowered his head as the blush on his face deepened, embarrassment coursing through his veins. “I-I noticed how excited you were this morning when you came parading into the office, the wide grin that adorned your face, the skip in your step. And I heard you ramble on and on about your friend’s website and you just seemed so damn happy and then they basically just shut you down right away because they didn’t understand and I-uh I hated seeing you like that and wanted you to have someone to talk to. So I spent all day today researching and learning so you could have someone to talk to, so you wouldn’t feel alone. I-I’m sorry if that’s creepy or if it’s too-”

Spencer was suddenly cut off mid-sentence as lips smashed against his own, effectively shutting him up. His eyes immediately widened at the bold action, before he melted into the kiss, desperately responding to her fervent advances with an equal passion. 

Y/n moaned into his mouth as his tongue probed at her wet lips, begging for entry. The feeling of their tongues entangling was euphoric and they both wanted, needed more. Spencer gently grabbed her and, turning so they were both facing it, lifted her onto the desk and stood between her legs. As the kiss deepened, their hands began to tear at each other’s clothing, Y/n hastily undoing his tie and dress shirt as he all but ripped off her blouse, groaning at the sight. 

“God Y/n you’re so fucking beautiful.” He watched her eyes roll back into her head at his words as she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him even closer. “Please Spence, I need you. I need you so much baby.” His eyes sparkled at her desperate plea, mirroring her need wholeheartedly.

Backing away slightly he unzipped her skirt and dragged it down her legs along with her panties, quickly reaching up to also unclasp her bra. “You’ve got me baby, you’ve got me.”

She surged forward and reconnected their lips, her hands weaving their way into his hair and tugging hard. The groan that escaped his throat lit her body on fire and further ignited her need for the man in front of her. His hands, that had been cupping her face, drifted downward stooping to briefly toy with her breasts before reaching his intended destination.

She moaned loud and deep as his hands cupped her sex, gently rubbing his fingers against her. He could feel her buck her hips slightly, searching for more. Receiving the message loud and clear, he inserted his pointer finger into her, reveling in the throaty groans that poured from her lips. As he added more digits into her and gently rubbed her clit, their lips moved rapidly against each other.

Y/n needed more, letting her hands lower to the obvious bulge that was straining against his slacks, palming him incessantly. Moaning hoarsely, he pulled away and quickly undid his pants, desperate for some sort of relief. As he stepped out of his slacks and boxers, he watched her eyes widen as they took in the sight in front of her.

“Woah.” He nervously chuckled at her response.

“Uh t-thanks?”

Giggling at his uncertainty she reached out and dragged him in once again, feeling his swollen tip bump against her, both of them moaning at the euphoric feeling. Realizing how fast things had moved, he pulled back slightly to search her eyes. “Are you sure baby?”

Falling even more in love with him, her smile widened as she nodded. “I am so very sure Spence. I-I love you.” She watched the grin that spread across his face at her confession.

“God Y/n, I love you so fucking much.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he lined himself up at her entrance and swiftly thrusted into her dripping heat. The overwhelming feeling caused both of them to let out matching groans of pleasure, Y/n latching onto Spencer and wrapping her arms around his shoulders to get a grip. Once he was sure she was ok, he started slowly thrusting in and out of her, soon setting a steady pace.

“Oh Spencer! You feel so perfect inside of me! So, so good!”, you exclaimed, cries of pleasure leaving your mouth.

“Baby you’re so warm and tight around me, I love you so much!” 

“I love you t-too!”

He gradually increased his already brutal thrusts, Y/n feeling herself fastly approaching the brink of ecstasy at the hands of the resident genius. Leaning back on her elbows, Spencer used the opportunity to pound even harder into her wanting body, his own release just around the corner. 

“Are you going to cum for me pretty girl?” She couldn’t control herself after hearing his dirty words, unaware that he was capable of such a thing, feeling her eyes roll back once again. She nodded fervently, about to crash over the edge. All rational thought was out the window once his fingers found her throbbing clit, rubbing incessantly, catapulting her into her climax, her pussy clenching around his rigid cock as she came.

“Oh my god Spencer!”

Her reactions were simply too much for him, groaning and moaning uncontrollably, finding his thrusts sputtering out of control as his cock twitched deep inside of her, quickly reaching his highly anticipated orgasm. She felt his seed fill her up completely as he panted out her name over and over again, both of them coming down from their highs, breathing deeply.

“Wow. Fucking wow,” she blissfully sung, a wide grin coating her lips.

“Y/n, baby, that was insane. You’re insane.”

He helped her off the desk so they could redress and finally leave the office, noticing how late it had gotten. They couldn’t help themselves from sending each other giddy smiles as they put on their clothes and eventually made their way down to their respective cars. 

Neither one of them seemed ready to leave each other just yet, some unspoken feeling crackling in the air between them. Taking the initiative, Y/n leaned forward, gently connecting their lips in a kiss that held the same passion from earlier, but was much more relaxed and romantic. Pulling back after a few moments, Y/n’s eyes sparkled up at Spencer’s as she spoke.

“Spence, what you did earlier...no one’s ever done something like that for me. You have no idea how much it means to me that you would go out of your way just to make me feel comfortable and happy.”

“Y/n, I promise you I wanted to wholeheartedly. Nothing matters more to me than your happiness. I just-I just love you so damn much. I think I have since you walked in and dropped all your shit on the floor”, he said chuckling. 

“Heyyyy, that was one time jerk”, she defended, a matching chuckle evident in her voice. “But I know what you mean. I think I’ve loved you since you introduced yourself as Reid Doctor Spencer, that memory will forever be embedded in my mind.” She couldn’t stop the light giggle that fell from her lips at the thought of their first meeting.

Meeting her eyes, suddenly a bit shy, he gently cupped her face, “What if, from now on, I introduced myself as your boyfriend?”, he asked cautiously, anxiously waiting to see how she reacted to his proposition. Instead of answering right away she jumped forward, throwing her arms around his neck and connecting their lips once more.

“I would love nothing more, my gorgeously intelligent boyfriend.”

Taglist: @hopebaker​ @pastathighs​ @psychedellic-phase​ @gloryekaterina​ @sleepysnapesnake​ @racharr​ @etherealgubler @furiouspartyrebelhoagie​ @andiebeaword​ @liaabsurd​ @cielo1984​ @starkeybaby​ @victomizedbyreginageorge​ @rainsong01​ @moonlight-jukebox​ @gretaamyk​ @httpnxtt​ @rachelxwayne​ @watermelonstyl​ @goldnratio​ @peakyblinderficrecs @cheyxminds​

[urisk-factor]

Creedock Headcannons!

Alastor sometimes refers to Dock as "his fiend" in an affectionate manner.

Bandy, after finding out that Dock and Alastor are married, secretly started referring to Dock as a dalf instead of dilf (dad Alastor would like to fuck). If either ever found out he'd surely be in deep shit. (The person who started the whole Dock dilf thing knows who they are.)

Dock will, when he's gone without sleep for a while and is tired, sometimes just boop Alastor's nose. Alastor doesn't mind, and honestly thinks it's sweet.

Alastor is the only person who's seen Dock without a shirt. Dock doesn't like being seen shirtless because of some scars on his chest, stomach, and shoulders that he's really ashamed of. Alastor doesn't know the source of these scars because Dock refuses to tell anyone, and Alastor doesn't push it.

Dock is one of the few people who can get Alastor to smile an actually happy smile, and laugh and actually joyful laugh.

Once a month, they have a movie night. They'll sit on the couch, usually Dock will lie down but arch his legs a bit in a triangle, and Alastor will sit on Dock's belly and lean on Dock's legs. Alastor prefers crime, while Dock is 100% horror. They usually watch a mix of both.

If Dock has his mask on and they've been separated for a while, instead of kissing, they'll just gently press their forheads their foreheads together. Sometimes they do this even if Dock doesn't have his mask.

Dock is kind of self conscious about his appearance, and constantly doubts himself, and thinks that anyone complimenting him is lying (totally not me projecting). Alastor is the only person he believes.

Dock has this big warm dark green wooly (?) jumper that he wears out of work. Alastor is constantly stealing it. It's big on Dock but absolutely huge on Alastor.

They constantly steal each other's pens/pencils/other writing tools. I like to imagine Alastor writing something in a pen that's covered in dried blood, and someone points it out, and he's like "oh, I'm borrowing it from my husband."

Bandy once called Alastor Mama, and Dock Papa. Lance joined in. Alastor is officially the Jury Mum and Dock the Jury Dad. (Lorelei and Diana are wine aunts.)

Both Kings of zoning out.

Sometimes Alastor and Dock will just quietly hook their pinkies. It reassures them.

Dock always greets Alastor with "Ceud mìle fàilte!"

They sometimes jokingly mock each other's accents. Alastor's is a very posh English accent from the London area, while Dock's is more Highlands in Scotland area. (Or the Heartless equivalent).

Alastor is a city boy while Dock is from a small village surrounded by extraordinary hills and vast lochs. Alastor visited Dock's home town and literally fell in love with it.

Alastor was the one to ask Dock to start dating, Dock was the one to pop the question.

Dock has a weighted blanket, and once put it on Alastor. Alastor liked it, even if he couldn't actually move.

Dock has to hide his snacks in high up cupboards, because Alastor will randomly crave very bitter and sour sweets, and there is no stopping that little man.

Their wedding was small, virtually no one was there sans for a few old friends (Diana was among that group). They didn't have a honeymoon, but didn't want one. Every anniversary, they make a big meal and dine by candle light.

Sometimes Dock will fall asleep on the couch and Alastor will stumble across him after a while, and join him.

They both have a very dark and morbid sense of humour.

They both like listening to the other talk about their interests, even if they themselves don't understand it. They're just happy to see the other happy.

Dock likes to drop little Gaelic phrases into conversation with Alastor, and Alastor likes to do the same back. Dock usually starts it.

They both have their own little version of morse code so they can communicate without others knowing so.

Sometimes Dock puts little braids in Alastor's hair, like Astrid with Hiccup in httyd, and Alastor leaves them in until he has to wash his hair (which is a lot or else it gets really greasy).

Ok but just a thought, what if Alastor was a vampire and Dock was half giant half fallen angel. Immortal husbands.

Alastor wasn't very fond of the colour green before he met Dock, now it's his favourite (although he'd never admit it because he thinks the concept of having a favourite colour is unprofessional).

Alastor absolutely cannot pick up Dock's boots at all. (They're big, as I mentioned in another post, reaching Dock's knees. They're all black, with steel toes and soles, and there's a little plate at the heel. They have several straps and buckles, and one has a chair around the ankle from some idiot's attempt to contain Dock. They have some complicated lacing, the soles are large and made to be durable, and there are a few silver markings on them.) Dock makes sure to always put them away carefully so they don't block anything Alastor might need access to.

They have a massive pride flag in the living room.

Neither likes summer. It's too hot. Alastor because he has to take off his coat - the very coat that brings comfort to him. Dock because look at all the layers he's wearing.

Alastor is sometimes too nervous to ask Dock to bend down for a kiss, so he'll either climb up onto a counter or just climb Dock.

[goldenpeonys]

Fallen angels my main world where I have all my beloved ocs

I’ve realized that there’s a lot of errors and it’s out dated now I’ll fix it when I’m not lazy

Fallen Angels(outdated)

Summary

In a world where magic exists where you can fly, heal others or even be invisible. But magic always has a price, monsters coming up, factions were made and wars raged on.

How the terms Angel and Devil came about

In a world where there are monsters that can corrupt people who have powers and make the corrupt attack other people. Some people didn't have any powers so the government made a group of people to protect the weak and to kill off the corruption, they were called the angels, while some people think that they don't need protection and thought it was not moral to kill them off because they used to be humans. they're called the devils.

At the beginning of The war

It's been years since the system was created, some angels used their power for fear and killed tons of devils. The main evil devils that caused destruction were mostly killed off. But Some angels killed off family members of devils, even the innocents who did nothing wrong. So the kids of devils grew up in fear thinking that angels were bad and were killing people for no reason. So the devils protected themselves by killing more angels. While the angels were still killing off monsters but now most of the devil population too, each side thought the others were bad, as a civil war came up, society has split up.

The fear

Now everyone lives in fear and all schools now must train students on how to protect themselves. The angel economy was going up fast while the devils were failing. The term devil was now used as a word to insult someone. The devil economy is slowly declining, they have to steal stuff to survive and have to hide from the angels by going into their society by hiding and waiting to win the war. The devils only knew how to cause destruction and were called villains now. While the angels were now "heroes" in society and were now "making the world a better place".

The present

All of the devil's beliefs were thrown out, in the past few years, the devils now want equality and no poverty. Most devils lived in poor living conditions and now live in fear because of the war. The angels still think all devils are bad because of how many criminals were devils and most people that are corrupted are devils. The angels have taught kids that all devils are bad and should attack them no matter what they are doing.

What's corruption?

Corruption is a black goo where it can infect people with magic and make them their host until the host dies then the black goo goes to find another host to take their magic. It's very infectious and if you touch one it will infect you no matter if you're wearing clothes. It's everywhere and when the host gets infected the person is no longer considered a person.

Types of corruption

The common ones

They're very common and are in the streets daily and are the most mindless.

The spitters

They spit corruption everywhere, they're kinda rare and there very dangerous

The giants

They are very rare and are huge. They cause deviation in cities and destroy tons of homes.

The planers

They are Super rare and are super dangerous. They know what they're doing and are smarter than the common corruptions. They're mostly the host's

Types of Class

Defence: This class can protect themselves using any type of way to protect and can attack but they're weak.

Offence: This class attacks using aim and other ways to fight but their defence is very bad.

Mix: This class has 2 or more classes or powers mixed. e.p the person has fire and ice powers. This class is very rare.

Physical: This class is when a person can change an object to their body or heal people

Mentel: It deals with powers that can change someone's emotion or can mind control. It deals with the brain or can cancel the powers. This class is rare

Unknown: This class is super rare. They don't fit in any classes. It's said that it's a mutation of powers. This class is super rare and there’s only one count of it.

What's the G.L.A(Angels)

The G.L.A (Government assassination squad) Is a group that keeps tons of governmental and criminal secrets. This agency hunts down criminals, kills corruption and investigates areas that cannot be seen by the public eye while on secret missions. They protect people and doing hard missions. These missions consist of assassinations, getting very important info and dealing with class A, S and SS devils.

These people are all class A, S and SS angels. You don't have to be in this agency to be a high-class angel, most angels don't even join it. The agency teams people in squads of 4.

Rules

They must wear a mask while on secret missions. Each group has a captain and people must obey their orders. These people all must have code names and are not allowed to mention their real names while on a secret mission. Most people don't even mess with this agency and are afraid of the people that are in it. This agency is also all around the world like G.M.A. To join you must pass a really hard test. Each squad has a team name, they're named after a number while code names are related to a category. For example, the team code names will be related to flowers like lily or cherry. Then the team will be called team (any number) flower. The G.S.A also deals with the dead bodies of the corrupted people.

G.M.A(Angels)

What's the G.M.A

The G.M.A(Government mini assassins) Is an organization that's like the G.L.A but they deal with assassinations, smaller corruption and criminals. They sometimes work with the G.L.A with harder missions. Most of the people in the G.M.A have weaker powers, some have stronger ones but it's rare. These people are most likely G.L.A In training and are trained by the captain of the team who is in the G.L.A

What they do

They deal with corrupt people like The G.L.A. Most of the members are orphans who don't have homes. These orphans can decide to join G.M.A if they want. They are mostly kids and are sent to war when they are 14.

The G.L.A and G.M.A(devils)

In the devil's G.L.A they consent of 1-4 people per group but it's only on special missions when they group up. Most of the time the groups split up to do their own thing. They are mostly underpaid because of how poor the devil economy is and most people get killed by corruption. The reason why there are supposed to be 4 people per group is so they can back each other up. There is no such thing as the G.L.A in the devils they don’t get training so they die way faster than the angels. Most of the members of the G.L.A in the devils are homeless or poor.

Messengers

people who send mail to angels and devils. Their uniforms change depending on the side they are on.

Why are they important

You may think they're just mailmen or women, but they're not, they only send mail to angels and devils. They send top secret info and packages sometimes they even send out messages between factions. It's illegal to hurt them or even attack them even if they're in another faction. They all have wings to travel faster and be more noticeable for factions not to attack them.

Devil messenger uniform

White vest with any colour undershirt. Black pants and brown boots with a black hat that has a picture of an envelope

Angel messenger uniform

Brown vest with any colour undershirt. Black pants and brown boots with a brown hat that has a picture of an envelope

Meeting’s

Every year a representative in each faction meets up to discuss peace. There are 3 representatives from the Devils, Angels and the Neutrals. The Neutral representative is voted by the civilians while both the angels and devils are voted by the government. The meeting never works out and always fails.

Angel and devil HQ’s

Both angels and devils have an HQ where they report corruption and sort out teams to deal with it. There are always 5 bosses and one main one who governs all of the workers. The bosses always have magic while the workers don't have any. The angel/devil representative can boss around the main boss but they can't sort teams. HQ sorts out work deaths and reports the deaths to loved ones of the person who died; they sort out teams every year to a captain and can take 3 months to sort out teams.

[bangtiddies]

okay i know most of my posts have been about one specific character but damn i love the comedy that chapter 8 in cafe enchante has so far, despite the situation. considering this it's written by the same person (people?) that wrote code: realize, i'm expecting a huge turn around as i progress through this chapter. but i'm honestly loving the scenes of humour. kinda gives me a breath of fresh air from the looming threat that's yet to come.

i'm not one to compare and i loved code: realize's 8th chapter, despite it being heavy with not only the twist near the end but also a sad backstory in the first half, as it was important to the plot. but since both games have a similar pattern of 8 main route chapters before love interest routes, i just thought that's it's a fairly refreshing contrast. although i feel that the setting has a lot to do with it.

it's not like 19th century steampunk london can have an otome game loving fallen angel skdjdjisdjdjsmsj

[imonlyhereformyclass]

Sin City Bombshells

For this post, I am going to be analyzing the following female characters: Nancy, Wendy, Gail, Miho, and Shellie. I am going to be going in depth about Lucille in another post, when I discuss lesbians. I know it’s a lot, but each of these characters represent a different spectrum of female sexuality, and to a certain extent, objectification. Most of the significant female characters are in the sex industry, as prostitutes or strippers, respectively. 

First, we have Nancy Callahan, played by Jessica Alba. Her story is brought by Bruce Willis’ character, John Hartigan, saving her when she was a child from a child predator. They part for several years and meet again in the future when Hartigan gets out of jail. He sees her as a 19 year old working as a stripper. She tells him that she never stopped thinking about him and has fallen in love with him. It is implied that they start dating afterwards. I don’t mind an age gap in relationships but this one rubbed me the wrong way. Hartigan met her as an 11 year old and he was grown. Now that she is older, she is viewed as a sexual object. I think that this represents the barely legal fetish that a lot of men carry. Along with this, Nancy is the perfect example of the stereotypical image of a stripper. She is a young woman (college age, fresh out of high school) with a heavy baggage of childhood trauma mixed with potential daddy issues. I think she fell in love with Hartigan because he saved her as her lowest. A savior, of sorts. I expected her to have a bigger role in the story because she is a huge name and is even on the cover. She only appears for a small bit and was only accompanied by Hartigan. She is constantly sexualized by her now stripper job and her kidnapping. I think it would have been a cool idea if Hartigan and her teamed up, like a Batman and Robin situation. Her role as a film noir trope is the “The good-bad girl stands in between the girl-next-door and the femme fatale, which highlights her moral ambiguity” (Barroso). Nancy has an innocent image (as we remember her from the beginning of the movie as a child), however, is now grown and had a darker moral code. Her becoming a sex worker also ruptures her moral ambiguity. Some still believe that being involved in the sex industry is immoral and evil. 

Next is Wendy. She is played by Jamie King. Wendy is the twin sister of Goldie, Marv’s prostitute lover. The reason she is given that name is the striking image of her soft golden billowing hair. Goldie was killed, hence Marv (Mickey Rourke) going on the hunt to find her killer. He blames himself for her murder and goes on a revenge spree to avenge her as he couldn’t save her previously. Since the beginning, she is framed in a sexual lens. She is described as an angel sent from heaven. She is naked the second the audience sees her in a passionate lovemaking scene. She is enveloped in light. Dana Leventhal observes, “The men idealize, romanticize, pine for the women by placing them on impossible pedestals (circumscribed by sexuality and desire) as cherished imaginings and visions, and through this possession make it their duty to guard and safekeeping them, especially since the women are jeopardized or victimized by brutal crime and injustice” (Leventhal). He finds out that Goldie has a twin, Wendy. Wendy is hardened and dead set on revenge, as she should be. She is a no nonsense type of woman. Wendy is tough and willing to bring the murderers to justice. She is still sexualized, nonetheless, as Marv always compared her to her sister, and viewed her the same way. Donaldson writes, “The women of classic noir are often alluring, moral ambiguous, and two steps ahead of the men in the story” (Donaldson). Wendy is alluring, as she starkly resembles her prostitute twin sister. She is morally ambiguous as she is dark and calculating, yet she joins Marv (the anti-hero) on avenging the wrongful murder of her sister. Wendy is one of my favorite characters as I liked how merciless she was. 

Gail, played by Rosario Dawson, serves as one of two women of color characters. That is a discussion for another day, as I am going to be analyzing her character. She is the femme fatale. Barroso defines the trope as, “The femme fatale...is mysterious and seductive, known for using her charms to ensnare men and get them into dangerous, and most often, deadly situations. Her main characteristic is using her feminine sexual traits as a way to achieve hidden purposes” (Barroso). She is tough and isn’t going down without a fight. She is the epitome of female empowerment in the eyes of men: tough and battle ready, and looks good doing it. From the picture alone, she is scantily clad. She looks great and I like her outfit but I know the reason why she is dressed like this. She is cunning and commanding. She resembles and reminds me of a dominatrix. Sexually dangerous and isn’t afraid to beat down men. She has masculine traits like being the leader of the gang and she is gritty and domineering. She kills men in a severely violent manner and is strong and self sufficient. 

I freaking love Miho. She is, by far, my favorite character in the film. The movies that Devon Aoki appears in, her characters always reign supreme. There is a reason Suki from 2 Fast 2 Furious is still so popular and raved about. However, there is something I hated about her character. She didn't say a word. Her character is the epitome of age old Asian stereotypes: the silent ninja. Miho would strike her sword on her opponents in the same “badass” manner as a ninja would. Her character had so much potential and I feel like it was a waste to have her be silent the entire time. Both her and Gail are the tough girls in the film. Leventhal writes, “The women are not helpless, powerless, or weak; rather, they are cunning and battle-ready. Not only do they refrain from asking for help from the male protagonists, but they either resist or fight to save themselves from their enemies” (Leventhal). Miho is presented differently from the other girls of the film. Her, along with Gail, are not the average damsel in distress, which I like. Laura Woodhouse rants, “Miho...initially appears to be the only truly powerful woman in Sin City. She is not possessed by a man, she is not a victim, she is certainly not physically passive as she goes on to kill many more men and can easily win a fight with any man...It is almost as though Miho is a different creature, a member of a race of silent killers that exist only to perform acts of violence. Quite simply, she cannot be presented as a ‘normal’ female because she has superior killing skills to a man and this threatens the patriarchal nature of Sin City. The creators of Sin City rob Miho of a voice in order to justify her power” (”The F Word”). 

Last, but not least, there is Shellie. Played by the late Brittany Murphy, she is a prostitute. Her costume in her major story arc is a black underwear set with a white oversized button down shirt. Given that she was in her own home and she is allowed to wear what she wants, but it rectifies the stereotype that women walk around their home scantily clad, sexually available for overnight guests. Along with that, it fits her day job of being eyed on by the voyeuristic audience. Shellie is conceived as the victim character; she needs the help of her boyfriend to save her from her deranged pimp of a boss. Leventhal notes, “the traditional formulations or projections of femininity as sexuality are retained, as are the concomitant age-old misogynistic conceits of male domination/paternalism in the guise of safety and defense of women, i.e., the cliche that women are weak and need rescuing by men from other men” (Leventhal). Shellie mirrors the poor princess locked up in a tower, needing her Prince Charming to come and save her. 

Barroso, Malu, et al. “The Representation of Women in Film Noir.” High On Films, 10 Oct. 2019, www.highonfilms.com/women-in-film-noir/.

Donaldson, Kayleigh. “Problematic Faves: Sin City.” SYFY WIRE, SYFY WIRE, 24 Apr. 2020, www.syfy.com/syfywire/problematic-faves-sin-city.

Leventhal, Dana. “Superwomen? The Bad-Ass Babes of Sin City – or Are They?” Bright Lights Film Journal, 28 Apr. 2019, brightlightsfilm.com/superwomen-bad-ass-babes-sin-city/.

Woodhouse, Laura, et al. “Sin City.” Word, 18 June 2005, thefword.org.uk/2005/06/sin_city/.

[wanna-b-poet31]

Crowley’s Truth and Aziraphale’s Lies (A 3-part series) Part 1: Crowley’s Heartbreaking Honesty

So I could do a whole series about why Crowley (in all his piety) is fallen and Aziraphale (in all his temptations) is not. However, I wanted to focus this series strictly on the use of honesty and lies throughout Good Omens. I argue that honesty (and the irony of an honest Demon and a lying Angel) is a tool for establishing their place in-between Heaven and Hell.  They serve as hybrids, a liminal space between holy and hellish, allowing for their supposed “flaws” to shine, and enable them to form their own side.  

Crowley’s Motivation:

One of Crowley’s defining traits is his imagination. Unlike any other celestial entity, he can create ideas, questions, and fabrications at a moment’s notice.  Crowley’s no Saint, he lies to Hastur easily (about calling the demonic counsel), he impersonates Aziraphale stunningly, and (if Aziraphale recalls correctly) he takes credit for all of the horrendous things humanity has done throughout the years (even earning himself some commendations along the way).  So he CAN lie, quite well actually, so long as he has the proper motivation.

And, without fail what IS his motivation? Who (or what) inspires him and allows him to focus his thoughts even when he’s panicking (and possibly trying his best to cope with his piles of trauma)?  Certainly not humanity alone, and certainly not because he has any sense of self-preservation. The man ran into a burning building head first without a second thought; he drove his beloved car through literal hellfire; he walked across consecrated ground despite being burned simply because he told himself he could.  No, he there’s only 1 thing that motivates him.

Aziraphale (of course) 

Crowley: Would I Lie To You?

Crowley lies at least 5 notable times throughout the series.

His reports about the ill-deeds he’s responsible for are riddled with lies and half-truths (which is a general fuck you Hell kind of lie)

He fails to tell the higher-ups in Hell about his knowledge about the Anti-Christ, the location of the Anti-Christ and neglected to correct Hell about it (a Fuck you Satan kind of lie)

He hides and ignores the agreement he’s made with Aziraphale from Hell (A Fuck you Heaven and Hell kind of lie) 

He deceives Hastur, several times but most notably after Ligur’s death (a fuck you Hastur kind of lie, and he’s murderous so he deserves it sorta)

He Impersonates Aziraphale (An F to the U to Heaven kind of lie) 

The notable exemption from this list is Aziraphale. 

Unlike the demons who he deceives at any given moment (particularly in defense of Aziraphale), he refuses to lie to Aziraphale. 

Are you Satan and have just “blessed” Crowley with the staring role in the Apocalypse?  Yeah, great (lies through his teeth about wanting to partake). 

 Are you a Duke of Hell inquiring about where the Anti-Christ is and trying to confront Crowley about his relationship with Aziraphale? “So Longggg Suckaaas” I’m gonna lie lie lie and possibly kill you for coming towards me. 

Are you heaven trying to torture my best friend >lover< with hellfire that will surely kill him? Not today motherfucker, because guess what? Now I’m him and I’ll lie my ass off to protect him. 

Are you an Angel who shows free will and loves humanity as much as he does? 404 Error lies not found. 

This is not to say he’s always straightforward with Aziraphale. because God, Satan, Someone knows he’s got a flair for the dramatic. But not even does he lie through omission.  Whenever Aziraphale asks a question, no matter how light-hearted or series Crowley’s being, he will always give an honest answer, even if it sometimes goes over the angel’s head. >see: Crowley being a blubbering mess because his best friend died and Aziraphale not quite understanding that the best friend is him< 

He’s also oddly cryptic when he’s asking for holy water, but never once does Crowley lie. Sure, he’s trying to speak in code “because the trees have ears”, but when he says it’s for insurance, not a suicide pill, it is for insurance. 

He can tell that his relationship with Aziraphale has morphed in such a way that it would put him and Aziraphale in danger if Hell ever found out about it.  Aziraphale, simply, does not believe him that his only motivation is protection because it is too close to his own fears about Crowley being destroyed. 

Which is why I think he’s so upset about the word “fraternize”. First, there is a class element involved with the Victorian use of the word (usually referring to someone of a higher class interacting friendly to a lower class member). Where Aziraphale may have meant comradery (and brotherhood, which also not how Crowley views their relationship) Crowley certainly acts as if he took it to mean Aziraphale was speaking to him like an enemy or an “inferior” species. 

This is only further supported by Aziraphale’s accusatory “we may have both started out as Angels, but YOU are fallen”, placing (in my opinion) too much emphasis on Crowley’s fall (a huge trauma trigger for him). But this whole characterization of their relationship is a lie Aziraphale tells himself to repress his fears about Heaven’s traumatic treatment of him. By this point in their partnership (as we’ve seen) both he and Crowley go out of their ways to treat each other as equals. To deny it, to repress their feeling is a slap. in. the. face. 

Further, the audience for lying clearly matters to Crowley.  In the relative privacy of the park, Aziraphale says “fraternize”, which doesn’t do enough justice for the kind of intimacy the uniquely share. It implies they could be enemies or strangers (which they aren’t, they’re at least friends). Crowley is so intimately aware that even now, in the 1800′s, it’s them (and humanity) against divinity.  And, Crowley refuses to lie to Aziraphale, especially about the sort of relationship they share. Sure he won’t tell the other demons, and sure as hell won’t tell the angels how deep their relationship goes, but in this private moment, where he’s approaching as a partner (not an adversary)? It would be the worst kind of lie. It would ignore or erase the new space they’ve created for themselves where they can be equals. 

In the above gif, we see Crowley angry and lash out. He says harsh words and insists that he doesn’t need Aziraphale. Since we’re counting, I don’t think this is a lie. Now no, he clearly does need Aziraphale in his life, but he’s just been smacked in the face with the insinuation that they are not equals, they are not friends, they are enemies, and I believe him at this moment, a very hurt Crowley, decides if that’s how Aziraphale is going to treat him, then he will treat him like all his other enemies. At the moment he says I think it he means it because Crowley cannot make time for someone who won’t take his concerns seriously and thinks so little of their relationship.  If he can’t be seen as an equal, he’d prefer not to be seen at all. 

Although, this is a temporary truth, and one Crowley is willing to correct Aziraphale about in a way he never does for his hellish counterparts. Crowley cares too deeply to wish Aziraphale any real harm, even if Aziraphale can’t call a spade a spade. Crowley sure as Hell would move heaven and earth to demonstrate the extent of his love. He shows as much in his rescue in 1941, and again when Aziraphale once again lies and says “we’re not friends...I don’t even like you” in the bandstand. These lies actively hurt Crowley but not once does he retaliate with.  Instead, he meets Aziraphale with blunt honesty. Saying “yes you do” doing everything he can to get Aziraphale on the same page, and share their truth. 

Look at the above gif. Not only does Crowley KNOW Aziraphale is lying, but Aziraphale knows it too. While he clearly loves Crowley and has loved Crowley for some time, his inability to work through his anxieties and rely on Crowley as a support system, as a partner, he can’t come to terms with his own trauma. 

So, he lies. 

He lies and he hurts Crowley. He lies and he dismisses Crowley’s honesty. He lies and he harms himself because they both know this is a facade he can’t keep up much longer. He lies, and Crowley still meets him with honesty and forgiveness. 

And honestly, it breaks his heart to be lied to, but he knows the alternative solution would be no best friend at all. Under normal circumstances, Crowley could be patient. He could wait for Aziraphale to come to terms with their relationship almost for forever. But, shit hits the fan, and he needs to show Aziraphale that two of them need to stop dancing, stop being cryptic, and cut through the bullshit for once. 

Which brings me to the first Gif of this section. Take a moment, scroll the ridiculous amount up, and just look at the indignation on his face. in the earlier gif “Would I lie to you?”, he clearly consciously makes a point to never lie to Aziraphale, despite it supposedly being “the demon’s way”. Not in anger (like at the bandstand) not even if it’s uncomfortable (like when he’s criticizing Aziraphale for being so clever and so stupid), not even if the angel is (knowingly or unknowingly) hurting him with his lies. 

Crowley draws the line at tainting his relationship with the kind of lies Heaven tells, and the kind of disregard Hell tells.  Because despite the lies he’s told by Aziraphale, Crowley knows who he can trust, who he needs on his side, who he wants to spend the end of the world with, and it sure as hell isn’t Hastur or Beelzebub.  

Because at the end of the day, Crowley knows what the two of them share together.  One great way to see this comparison is to checkout @theladyzephyr ‘s meta on Crowley and his glasses. Because while he does let his guard down for Aziraphale (even if only drunk), his autonomy, his consent to wear/not wear his glasses is taken from in by Hastur in the above gif’s scene.  Aziraphale, for all his lies, does not cross the same boundaries as Hell does, and genuinely cares for Crowley. He shows remorse for his actions and is clearly just as hurt by his own lies as Crowley is. 

A Very Crowley’s Conclusion

But what does this mean in terms of his Honesty? Well, for starters, demonstrates that while he has the power to lie, and could lie to Aziraphale (functionally I mean) he chooses not to.

He might, every now and then poke him and partake in some friendly banter, but never is it mean spirited, not even when they’re both at their breaking points. His ability to lie but restraint from lying; his ability to deceive, but his choice to trust, sets him apart from the rest of the demonic mold.  

Quite honestly, He probably could tempt (like really tempt) Aziraphale to his side. He could manipulate and push the Angel into situations they both know he would be uncomfortable with. But, he doesn’t. He doesn’t become the abusive force Heaven and Hell have pushed on the two of them because that’s not how he wants or needs to cope with his loss. No, he needs an equal, not a lackey. He needs an equal, not a boss. He needs love, not control. 

It becomes clear that his loyalties have never (at least not in the series) been with Hell. Crowley doesn’t trust or care about his fellow demons. He kills one (permanently) and another (not so permanently) without hesitation. He defies (actively and with little regard for the safety of other celestial creatures) the desires of Hell, working with his bestie to ensure the world breaks even. 

Consequently, he’s creating a “third” option with Aziraphale. It is distinctly not a human space (neither of them is human). It’s is not heavenly or hellish, but space for them to be who they are, fight for what they love and feel safe knowing they are a team (romantic or otherwise). And it’s clear based on who he lies to and how he lies, that he’s not cut out for the Demon frenzy or the demon.

Their third space is what Crowley’s been working for since day one because Aziraphale is worth lying to others to protect and worth telling the truth to love. 

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk

[idkwhatimdoinghere89]

Snow Day

Elliot Alderson x Female reader 2,125 words Warnings: Marijuana use, Alcohol use, Mostly fluff, mild to moderate suggestive sexual situations. ***** Sunday, December 1 My phone buzzed.

"Im on my way"

Elliot lived about 10 mins from my apartment, so it normally wasnt a bad walk except tonight the snow was expected to total about 14" within the city. Snow wasnt my cup of tea but its one of those few things that made Elliot happy. Like a school boy who just learned he didnt have to go to school and would run outside to build a snowman or flop down and make snow angels and just rejoice in the cold flurries that floated around him, the flakes softly landing on the tip of his nose and quickly melting away.

"Okay, see you soon" I quickly typed before setting my phone down on the kitchen counter

I had just gotten home from work and all I could think about was cracking open a bottle of red and snuggling with my boyfriend on the couch under a big fluffy blanket, watching old movies as the snow came down, tommorow being a guaranteed snow day for us and all.

I changed into a warm, ribbed henley shirt and bulky grey sweatpants that im pretty sure belonged to Elliot that I had aquired.

'So much better' I thought to myself. I opened the linen closet in the hallway to retreive the blanket and tossed it into the dryer on high just to fluff and warm it up a little. I went to the bathroom to quickly brush my teeth and check my hair and face. A few minutes later I came out and grabbed a bottle of red from the wine rack on the counter when my phone buzzed.

"Hey, Im here." I grew slightly confused.

"Okay, come on up!" I responded.

"Will you come down and take a walk with me?"

My heart skipped a beat. Elliot was in a rough patch with his mental state, I knew this weather made him happy.. so I obliged. I loved him more than myself so, naturally, I would do anything to make him happy. Just to keep him like this. This was my Elliot.

"Sure just give me a minute, Ill be right down."

I ran to my room and grabbed a pair of jeans and a bulky hoodie and threw them on. I got to the front door and slipped on my boots as I grabbed my beanie and slipped my coat over the hoodie. I despised the cold and snow, but like I said before.. anything for him. I grabbed my keys and headed out to the elevator.

I walked out of the small lobby and saw Elliot standing right on the sidewalk near the edge of the street, hoodie off, face torwards the sky. It was unusual, normally he tries to blend into the concrete or the side of the buildings in this city but tonight his demeanor was so childlike, it made my heart melt. I opened the door and was met with a blast of arctic air that immediatley sent chills thru me. I shivered as I approached him. He turned just as I got to him.

"Hey" he smiled, that warm, happy, content smile that damn near took my breath away.

"What are ya doin out here? Having fun?" I teased with a smile as I leaned in to give him just a quick kiss, PDA not being his favorite thing.

As our lips pressed, he lingered a little bit longer by putting both his hands on my head, cradling my jaw lightly. We kissed lightly for another few seconds before he pulled back, my jaw still cradled, and he smiled once again. I could feel the pure bliss radiating off of him.

This is my Elliot.

He softly grabs my hand as he smiles down at me. And off we go.

We chatted about our weekend, I hadnt seen him in a couple days so I was really looking forward to seeing him tonight and just relaxing together. The snowfall was that very quiet, relaxing, almost eerie snowfall. It was bizzare for the city to be this quiet. Him and I just strolled hand in hand for a few blocks, taking our time, chatting and what not. That was when a gust blew by, stinging my skin. I flinch and squeeze my eyes shut in response.

"Jesus it got 20 degrees colder!" I laughed while in pain

"Aw, come on, lets head back." he said.

By the time we got back to the entrance to the apartment complex it really did feel like it dropped a substantial amount in temperature. We finally got to the front door to my apartment as I entered the code to unlock the door. I audibly shook the cold air from my body and dramatically shivered as we stood by the entryway, flopping our boots off. I headed to the thermostat to up the temperature.

"You are such a baby" Elliot teased me.

"Im sorry, you know I love being warm!" I immediatley responded.

I walked over to the fireplace in the living room, turning it on. It was a fake but it certainly was nice ambiance.

Elliot shrugged off his hoodie and hung it by my coat near the front door. He then promtly took his seat at his spot on the couch. Giving a light stretch, he extended his arms and folded them behind his head, leaning back, just staring blankly at the dark tv. I yanked the hoodie off the threw it over a barstool next to the counter.

"Hmm." I said loud enough to grab his attention.

He looks over at me, snapping out of whatever day dream he was in with the powered down tv.

"Whats wrong?" he asked curiously.

"I know how we can get a little warmer.." I said with a grin.

"Oh yeah? Hows that?" he asked with a slightly devilish grin.

I smiled and headed down the hallway torwards the bathroom. Pulling the shower curtain out of the way I began to run hot water in the tub. I grabbed some lavender bath melts from a glass jar on a shelf, plopping them into the steaming water. I grabbed a lighter from a drawer and lit some candles, illuminating the bathroom.

Before I knew it the tub was nearly full. I turned it off and dimmed the lights and I headed out to the living room where Elliot had seemingly resumed his daydreaming until he heard me and glanced over at me with a content smile on his face, fully knowing my intentions. I said nothing but extended out my hand to him. He softly grabbed it and followed me to the bathroom.

"Go ahead, Ill grab some towels." I said.

He obliged and pulled his shirt off, followed by his pants, and boxer breifs, tossing them in a pile. I grabbed them and threw them in the washer, starting a small express load immediatley. I came back into the bathroom a minute later where he was fully submerged with just his little head poking out from the bubbles.

"Youre too good to me." he said with the same smile that melted me.

"Well its pointless to get clean then put on dirty clothes again, babe." I lightly teased.

"Oh wait!" I said while running to my room. I returned a few seconds later with a freshly packed bowl I had prepped that morning, anticipating Elliots arrival. He hummed in approval at the sight of me holding the bowl. I handed it to him as he reached up, shaking any excess water from his hands. Taking a huge hit, slowly blowing the smoke outward. Setting the bowl on a nearby shelf.

His eyes began to scan my body. Clearly it was my turn to hop in.

I smiled lightly and pulled my shirt from my body, tossing it to the floor. I unhooked my bra and slowly slid it off, exposing my chest. I made eye contact with him as my hands went to my button on my jeans, I tilted my head down a little and my long, dark, tousled hair flopped delicatley just past my cheek, past my collarbone landing on my breast in the worlds most perfect timing. I smiled to him an innocent little grin as I pulled my jeans down along with my underwear. Standing fully and dragging my jeans with my foot to its designated pile. His eyes blinked softly, matching his sweet smile. He never once stared at any particular part of my body, just my face.

"Youre so beautiful." he nearly whispered. I shyly smiled back and slowly eased into the hot water.

A little time goes by as we laugh and joke around, taking turns taking a few hits off the bowl, talking to eachother about absolutley whatever as we faced eachother from opposite ends of the tub. My foot in his hand, as he rubbed it lightly.

"Thank you" he said after a solid minute of blissful silence.

"For what?" I asked curiously.

"For taking a walk with me. I know you dont exactly love the snow." he said.

"I dont mind as long as im with you, El." I said flashing a content smile. "..thanks for warming up with me." I continued.

He responded with another smile. A few minutes later, we decided pruning wasnt a cute look. We both got out and wrapped up immediatley in a couple huge fluffy towels.

"Im gonna throw your stuff in the dryer, in my top drawer theres a pair of breifs you left here a few weeks ago..." He nodded and went to my room.

I dried off completley before wrapping the towel around my body and walked over to switch his clothes. I threw the fluffy blanket on the couch, it was still nice and warm from being in the dryer. He emerged a minute later wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer breifs. I tried but failed miserably to hide my eyes as they scanned his toned chest and stomach. He practically frolicked by me and laid down on the couch, exhaling lightly as his body plopped down.

'Im gonna cuddle that so good tonight.' I thought to myself.

I went to my room and put on what I originally had on before I met him earlier in the tundra that was outside. Along with some thick fuzzy socks.

I came out and stopped to grab a couple glasses from the cabinet, using a corkscrew to open the bottle of wine I had selected earlier.

"You want some, baby?" I glanced over to him as he was staring out the huge window, watching the snow fall. TV still off. He looked so peaceful.

"Sure." he said, barely audible.

I smiled to myself and poured.

I set both glasses down on the coffee table and headed over to the window to get a glance outside. A very noticable amount of snow had fallen since we came up. I was snapped out of my observation when I heard his voice crack ever so subtly.. "come here.."

I looked over to him and was met with bright blue/green eyes. The flicker from the fireplace cast a beautiful reflection. I got lost in them as they were the most blissful Ive ever seen him look. I slowly walked to the couch and laid next to him and snuggled in, pulling the blanket over us. I positioned myself half on top, half off of him inward torwards the back of the couch with my hand resting on his bare chest, and my head nuzzled just under his shoulder. We decided on an old black and white movie.

About half way thru my eyes became heavy from the marijuana/red wine haze when I suddenly felt the heat that was his hand running up and down my back, under my shirt. As he ran his hand back down, it hugged my torso, running along my hip bone.

"Mmm.." I exhaled with a closed mouth. I nudged my head into him, lightly kissing the skin around his pec. I could tell he was awake by his breathing. His right hand gently covered mine that was resting on his chest, squeezing it lightly. I looked up to him to be met with half hooded eyes, as If he was already watching me. I reached over and pressed my lips against his. Reminicent of our kiss earlier, just.. way heavier. Way deeper. It was certainly getting warmer. His hand began to trail up my back once more, only on the downward stroke he reached in a little further. My hand now matching his movements as I softly stroked down his chest, then his stomach...

Our breathing slowed down, but I certainly began to wake up.

[in-class-daydreams]

Parlay | (Kuroo x Reader) | Chapter 7

- Pairing: Kuroo Tetsurou x Reader (ft. Roommate Kenma)

Word Count: ~3,800

Genres: Fluff, angstiest chapter thus far, general buffoonery

CW: Swearing

Summary: (Y/N), a first-year student attending Tokyo U, is living with her best friend, Kozume Kenma. Little did she know, her life would be turned upside down after being exposed to Kenma’s volleyball teammate and close friend, Kuroo Tetsurou. One wrong move, and the parlay’s stakes only get higher each time.

Chapters: First | Previous | Next

Kuroo tried. He really did. For his best friend’s sake, he wanted to distance himself a bit from (Y/N) and her feminine wiles. Earlier that day, he’d lounged at home watching TV. The news reported that a serial mugger was at large around Tokyo U. Kuroo, being a rather large male, didn’t think much of it. Besides, all he had on him was his phone, his notebook, and a wad of gas station receipts, and a boatload of student debt that he’d love for someone to take off his hands. To him, it wasn’t really a big deal.

What was a big deal was that today was Tuesday, and it was also the first day he resolved to stop walking (Y/N) to work. She was a big girl, she had pepper spray, and he shouldn’t be giving people the wrong idea. But that plaid yellow skirt was making him nervous.

Despite his reservations, he managed to choke out that he wouldn’t be able to walk her to work that day, and (Y/N) gave no indication that she minded. They talked as normal before going their separate ways after class.

Kuroo Tetsurou was a weak human being. The girl hadn’t gotten more than 20 steps away from him before the memory of that god-awful news story got to him, and he was sprinting after her.

“Kuroo-kun? I thought you had somewhere to be?”

“I-- Uh, I have a little time?”

“But I don’t want you to be late! I can text you as soon as I get there?”

Kuroo hesitated. He really needed to put some distance between them, but could he really leave her to walk by herself? It was getting dark. Would he be able to forgive himself if anything happened to her?

“Look, a dog!” she excitedly pointed out a woman walking her corgi across the quad.

“He’s super handsome!” she called out to the owner, who offered to let her pet him. (Y/N) wore an expression of pure joy as she played with the little dog who was basking in the attention. Kuroo looked from her, to the dog, to her pretty yellow skirt, and he cursed himself for being so weak. Standing up, she thanked the owner, and brushed the nonexistent dust from her skirt.

“Please, Kuroo-kun, I’d never want you to be late because of me.” She was too sweet for her own good.

Kuroo meant to say either, “You’re fine, don’t worry about it,” but decided to say, “It’s a pretty short walk.” Then, he made the mistake of looking down at the tender look she was giving him.

The next thing he knew, he had mixed the two and said, “You’re pretty.”

‘Welp, I’m gonna curl up under than bench over there and never move again.’

“Oh! Ahh,” (Y/N) cupped her cheeks in her hands. Avoiding eye contact, she stared down at her shoes, “Well, ah, Kuroo-kun, you’re not bad looking, yourself… Okay, I’m walking away now! Come with me or don’t,” she squeaked and walked briskly in the direction of Chisai. On instinct, Kuroo got his legs to follow closely behind.

‘At least she’s flustered too. But that’s not the point! Come on, Tetsu. Fix this!’ he scolded himself.

“Sooo… about that test next week--”

“Yes! I meant to talk to you about that! Okay, so what I was thinking is--”

Kuroo was bewildered by the sudden shift in mood. She’d been passionate about school since day one, but right now she was… radiant.

“--and since your notes are so objective, I think it would be a huge help for me if we studied together!”

“(Y/N)what’syourmajor?” he rattled out.

The girl beside him quirked an eyebrow, “Pardon?”

Kuroo cleared his throat, “What’s your major? You just-- You just are so obsessed with--! Wait, not obsessed, I didn’t mean that! I just thought--”

“Kuroo-kun, it’s alright,” she chuckled. “I get what you mean. I know I can be a bit much when it comes to school.”

“It’s really--”

‘--endearing’

“--not a bad thing, though!” She waved him off with an easy laugh. They observed the setting sun over the horizon. The shining light of golden hour hit her just perfectly to give her face an angelic glow. She looked stunning against the autumn leaves.

“No, it’s not a bad thing, though it can be a bit troublesome sometimes. I’m undeclared.” That wasn’t the answer he expected. If she had said, ‘criminal justice’ or ‘neuroscience’ or ‘making people adore me,’ he would have accepted any of those answers as legitimate majors he could see her in.

“Undeclared? But you’re so… So…”

“So, what?” she looked up at him expectantly.

“So… passionate. About learning. I thought you’d thrive in whatever major.” In fact, her insatiable thirst for knowledge was one of the things that drew him to her.

(Y/N) gesticulated wildly with her arms, “That’s just the thing! There are so many things I want to do, I think I could be happy with anything! But there’s so much to worry about, like whether I’ll get a job after university, how long I’ll have to be in school, how much money I stand to make. There are a million things I have to take into account, but… I dunno, I don’t want to make the wrong choice. I don’t want to wake up one day, and wish I could go back to where I am now and make a different choice. Does that make sense?”

Kuroo stared at her with wide eyes. He never would have guessed that the sweet, caring girl who could make friends with a pebble would be feeling so uncertain about her future. Strangely, though, he quite liked it. The fact that she was having such a crisis made her more human, for lack of a better term. Right then, she wasn’t Kenma’s perfect sweetheart of a girlfriend. She was just (Y/N). She must have taken his silence for confusion, as she broke into his thoughts.

“Ahh, Kuroo-san, I’m sorry for going off on you like this. I think pre-finals week is frying my brain, and I’ve just been babbling like an idiot all day,” she recomposed herself.

Kuroo grabbed one of her hands and clutched it in both of his. The taller male looked deep into her eyes.

“No! Don’t apologize. I’m glad you shared this with me.” “That’s sweet of you, Kuroo-san, thank you for--” “And you don’t have to go back to calling me Kuroo-san. Use -kun or you can even just call me Kuroo. I don’t mind.”

Realizing the position they were in, he dropped her hand abruptly. Their walk continued in embarrassed silence. They bid each other farewell at the front steps of Chisai Tea House, and Kuroo made sure he saw (Y/N) get through the shop’s doorway. His amber eyes lingered at the spot she was standing for a moment longer. At peace from his time with her, he turned his back on the shop and decided he might as well be late for this one practice. Behind him, the front door jingled. He turned.

“Good, you’re still here,” (Y/N) panted, “I was serious about studying together. Are you free tomorrow?”

“All day,” he heard himself say.

She made a face like she was trying not to smile too wide, “Great. I’ll text you later this evening. Have a great night, Kuroo,” and she was gone. He ended up not being late to practice at all, and his teammates were commenting on the stupid shit-eating grin he wore the whole time.

~~

Kuroo’s eyes snapped open. When had he fallen asleep? The last thing he remembered, he was on (Y/N)’s bed poring over lecture notes and study guides reviewing the concept of binary fission and how DNA is read from the 3’ end to the 5’ end. If the pastel yellow walls were any indication, he wasn’t in his own bedroom, and the comfortable weight on his chest was definitely not normal. His heart nearly stopped when he looked down at his chest and saw a familiar head of sweet-smelling hair. The girl’s cheek was pressed against his muscular chest and she had one hand over his heart. One of their binders was wedged under her thigh and Kuroo felt a couple highlighters digging into his back. She was breathing softly, and Kuroo couldn’t help but notice how comfortable he felt in that position. Through the door, he heard plates and bowls being shifted around, but if (Y/N) was here, then who was out there?

It suddenly hit him, “Shit,” Kuroo hissed, ‘Oh my god, this isn’t Bro-Code, this is the exact opposite of Bro-Code. Crap, she’s so cute and-- No! This is my best friend’s girl! What happened to distance, Tetsu!? I fucked up I fucked up I fucked up.”

As gently as his haste would allow, he lifted the girl’s head and shuffled out from under her. Deciding he could come collect his stuff later, his mind went into overdrive, and he made a break for the door. He stopped mid-way and looked back at the girl’s sleeping form. Against his better judgement, he found himself removing his Tokyo U team jacket and draping it over her before making a swift exit.

“Hi, Kenma. Bye, Kenma.”

“Kuroo,” Kenma’s quiet voice stopped him from throwing himself out the front door. The middle blocker turned sheepishly.

“Yes?” he squeaked.

Kenma looked up from his breakfast, “Relax. Really, it’s not something to freak out about.”

“You saw that?”

“The door was open this morning.”

Kuroo sighed, “Kenma, I--”

“Stop,” his best friend cut him off, “You’re not a bad friend, Kuroo. Actually, about (Y/N)--”

It seemed the universe had a way of hitting Kuroo with the worst timing possible when the girl that was currently turning his emotions into a jumbled mess waddled down the hall sleepily, draped in his jacket with his name emblazoned on the back.

‘Nope. No, absolutely not,’ he could not have walked out the door any faster. It slammed closed behind him.

“Was that Kuroo that just left?” she yawned.

“Mhmm.”

“Thanks for your jacket, Ken-Ken, I was cold this morning.”

“(Y/N), that’s not mine,” he said through a mouthful of cereal, “It’s way too big.”

(Y/N)’s brow furrowed into her signature look. After a look of realization crossed her face, she raised her hand to her mouth with a quiet ‘oh.’ Her eyes drifted towards the door.

“But why would he--”

“Lately he’s been coming to practice sweaty and completely out of breath,” he told her.

“What does that have to do with me?”

“It’s only ever on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

“Kenma… What time are your practices?”

“5:30.”

(Y/N) gasped.

“You mean he--?”

“He’s never actually late if that’s what you’re worried about. I just thought you might like to know. Can’t you see how much he cares about you?”

(Y/N) slid into the nearest chair. She sat in stunned silence for a long while, with his jacket still wrapped around her, processing what Kuroo had been doing for her. Kenma waited a while before bringing her back to reality.

“I think you need to tell him about the bet,” he advised.

His roommate nodded, “I will. He really did all that for me?”

“Honestly, (Y/N)? I think he’d give you the moon, if you asked for it.”

~~

“Do you need something, Tetsu-chan? Or are you just admiring my handsome face?” the setter asked. Kuroo’s stare had been burning holes in Oikawa’s back all practice, and it was really starting to get old, which is why the brunette waited until all the other guys had exited the locker room before rounding on his teammate.

Kuroo jumped in surprise. “Don’t-- Don’t be so full of yourself, bastard,” he grumbled. The boy hadn’t realized how long he’d been starting at his teammate.

Oikawa clicked his tongue. He waggled his finger at the taller male.

“Ah, is that any way to get the answers you want? You want to know about my relationship with (Y/N)-chan, don’t you?” Aoba Johsai’s former captain smirked evilly.

“Fine. Yes, I do,” Kuroo growled, “But I didn’t think it was any of my business.”

“That’s definitely true, my dear Tetsu-chan, but because I am a man so pure of heart--” Kuroo rolled his eyes, “--I can’t blame you for being curious about the ex-boyfriend of the girl you have feelings for.”

“I don’t have feelings for-- Wait, what? You two were together?” the taller of the two asked in disbelief. It just didn’t make sense. He understood how anyone at all could fall for (Y/N), but he couldn’t understand how (Y/N) could like the shallow, dramatic man-child before him.

“Yup! For a whole two and a half years,” Oikawa crooned. Two and a half years was a long time. Was it possible the two of them still have feelings for each other?

“I still love her, you know.”

‘Well, that answers that question.’

Honestly, Kuroo was disappointed, but not one bit surprised. If she and Kenma fell through, (Y/N)’s handsome and talented ex-boyfriend still had feelings for her. It wasn’t like he stood a chance when kind, doting Kenma and passionate, charming Oikawa were options.

“I hear you’ve been avoiding her lately. Is that true, Tetsu-chan? Because I know (Y/N) very, very intimately,” he purred that last word, “And I know for a fact that if you distance yourself from her, she will not chase after you. The choice to be in her life is one you alone have to make.” Oikawa’s chocolate eyes were dead serious, his tone was nothing like anything Kuroo had heard from him before. But he was right. After that disaster in her bedroom, Kuroo had been dead-set on cutting contact with her until he could keep his emotions in check. He ignored her texts, stopped walking to work, he even hung out with Kenma at his own apartment instead of theirs. Every minute of it made his heart ache. Her texts increased in frequency as she grew more and more concerned until one day: nothing.

“I can’t do that to Kenm--”

“Get your head out of your ass, Kuroo,” Oikawa snapped. “You wouldn’t be on this team if you didn’t have a good head on your shoulders. So tell me, has anyone explicitly stated that (Y/N) and Kenma were dating?”

Well, it was-- Wait. Kuroo cycled through a hundred different conversations with the two of them and could not come up with a single utterance of the words ‘boyfriend’ or ‘girlfriend.’

“You don’t know, right? Okay, have either of them hugged, kissed, or done anything that cannot be anything except romantic?”

Now that Kuroo thought about it… No. Not once. But what was he trying to say? Oikawa walked over and got right in the blocker’s face.

“If (Y/N) still wanted to be with me, she would be. But, she doesn’t look at me the way she used to. Now she looks at you the same way she used to look at me, so you need to stop acting like a middle-schooler with no problem-solving skills and actually talk to her!”

“And who are you to tell me all this?” Kuroo bit back. “I thought you still loved her. Why are you telling me to go after her?”

Oikawa took several deep, shuddering breaths and looked up determinedly. Kuroo was taken aback by the tears shining in the Grand King’s eyes, “I promised I’d do anything to make her happy. Apparently that involves you now. So, what’ll it be?”

The shorter male backed off first, “Are you going to face whatever the hell you’re so afraid of, or will you keep ignoring her and punish her for your own insecurities?”

With that, the brunette snatched up his belongings and stormed out.

~~

The bonfire burned brightly and it felt like the entirety of the Tokyo U student body was there. After that conversation with Oikawa, Kuroo wasn’t sure what to think. Were Kenma and (Y/N) dating or not? Did (Y/N) have feelings for him? Did he have feelings for (Y/N)? He had spent so much time either being freaked out by her general existence or vehemently denying that he thought about her very much at all, that he hadn’t been able to work out his own feelings.

From: Kenma [9:36 pm]: Where r u? (Y/N) wants to talk to u

Kuroo wasn’t quite sure what he wanted. If he entertained the idea of being with her romantically, all he could picture was him giving her his heart and her deciding she doesn’t want it. Now, he was at this dumb bonfire watching (Y/N) party it up with her friends while he sat at the water’s edge getting sand all over himself. He felt the sand shift beside him and taking the drink offered to him, he said, “Whatever it is, I don’t think I’m in the mood right now, Kou.”

“Oh no, Bokuto-san’s been over there doing keg stands with his frat brothers,” said the absolute last person he was ready to talk to right now. Glancing over, he was met with moonlit eyes and a gentle gaze.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

(Y/N) set her drink in the sand beside her. Leaning back on her hands, she tilted her head backwards and stared at the stars. They sat silently in the cool night air for several minutes, each waiting nervously for the other to make the first move.

“Kuroo-kun? Did I do something wrong?” she asked quietly, as if she hadn’t meant to speak aloud.

He sighed. This wasn’t what he wanted at all.

“No, it’s-- It’s not you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then why have you been avoiding me? It’s been three weeks, Kuroo-kun.”

The boy beside her ran a hand through his unkempt hair and exhaled harshly through his nose.

“I know, I know, it’s just. I thought we needed some distance. I was just thinking about you and Kenma, and I don’t know what the hell is going on with that confusing mess of a relationship, and I recently found out that you and Oikawa were together for fucking two and a half years.”

‘That’s enough.’

Kuroo couldn’t stop. All his confusion and frustration was coming to a big, ugly head.

“We were getting close and Kenma is smart and basically internet famous, and Oikawa could have whoever he wants on this campus and he’d get back with you if you just said the word.”

‘Why am I saying this?’

"Every single one of my teammates has commented on how cute you are at some point and I just-- I didn’t want to be involved, you know?”

‘(Y/N), I don’t mean that, I swear.’

Beside him, he heard a loud crunch of plastic. (Y/N) had her red solo cup clenched tightly in her fist. The ripped plastic had cut into her palm and cheap beer was mixing with blood and dripping all over her exposed legs. Her jaw was clenched tight and the girl was shaking with rage.

“What the fuck, Kuroo?!”

“Huh?”

“You got all that crap about me and my relationships with Tooru and Kenma, and you’ve made all kinds of assumptions about me from shit your teammates say about me? Are you kidding me right now? You haven’t bothered to ask me shit! You’ve been skirting around me, asking the men in my life all about me and my relationships, and you say that I’m soooo cute and soooo smart, but apparently not cute and smart enough for you to come to me about stuff that concerns me!”

‘I didn’t know you felt that way.’

“And you know what? You should be fucking confused about me and Kenma because we’re not dating.” (Y/N) snapped to her feet and glared down the bridge of her nose at Kuroo.

“What, you broke up?” Kuroo asked, bewildered.

‘Shut up, shut up!’

“No, it was a bet, okay? Kenma and I made a bet that if we didn’t correct you, you’d never notice we weren’t actually dating.” It was Kuroo’s turn to stand up.

“I-- What-- You--? (Y/N), you made a bet over me?” he fumed.

“Yes, we did, and I admit, it was sort of shitty, but you know what? It wouldn’t have been a problem if you didn’t think you were so damn clever and actually ask me instead! If you were so confused, then why didn’t you just ask, Kuroo?”

He threw his hands up and huffed.

‘You’re right. I’m sorry.’

“I didn’t think it was any of my business!” he yelled back.

“Oh yeah? But my relationship history is your business? I try to be kind and friendly and keep out of people’s way, and my kindness somehow gives people the impression I’m like some shiny handbag that someone may-or-may-not ‘deserve’ to have, but guess what? I’m a human being, and you know what else? I can make my own damn choices.”

If Kuroo was in his right mind right then, he might’ve thought she was right. He might’ve said so and the argument would have been over. Sadly, his mind was reeling from the anger and betrayal over a bet that had him in emotional turmoil for months now. He couldn’t stop now.

“Well, if you hadn’t--”

“I’m not done. I thought you liked me, Kuroo-san, and I can’t believe you think I’d run back to my ex at the drop of a hat. You think I’d go back to Tooru, what, because he ‘could have anyone on this campus’? It fucking blows my mind that we could spend so much time together and, you still think I’m that shallow?”

‘No, you’re not. I’ve never once thought that. I don’t know what I’m saying right now. Why? Why? Why can’t I stop?’

“Well--” he began.

‘Please don’t. Just apologize.’ Kuroo hated feeling so trapped in his own body. It was like he’d been possessed.

“--you were with Oikawa Tooru for over two years. You know what they say about birds of a feather.”

‘No. Anything. Anything but that.’

The (Y/N) he knew, or thought he knew, was gone. She’d completely lost her composure and she gaped at him, wide eyed at his audacity. He thought since she was subdued most of the time, that meant that she only had one layer to her personality, and that was a mistake. The girl in front of him was all fire and passion and burning hot rage.

“How fucking dare you? You barely know him. You just know him by the mask he shows others and the way they treat him. Just like me. You don’t know either of us.”

(Y/N) stormed off towards the parking lot. Her friends tried to intercept her, but they soon pulled back after seeing the irate expression on her face. Kenma reached for her hand, which she snatched back. Looking over at where she was coming from, the dyed blonde locked eyes with his childhood friend. The setter shook his head in disappointment and took off after his roommate.

~~

Taglist: @joyful-jimin @nekomas-kuroo

[paodequeijofeliz-blog]

I would do it all again

Ride or Die Fanfiction (characters and main story belongs to Pixelberry Studios).

Pairing: Mona and MC (Annie)

Information: this takes place after the first book.

Summary: After what happened at the parking lot, each member of the crew tries to build a new life, following the “every man for himself” motto. But Annie doesn’t agree with that and tries to pull them back together, especially Mona, who she has been waiting for too many years.

Warnings: none.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

I would do it all again - Part 5

      “There’s paint in your… Everything.” Annie started to giggle, herself also covered in dark blue paint. “Gee, Avery, I think you’re right. We’re gonna be blue for the rest of our lives. Like little Avatars.”

         “I told you!” the other girl laughed too, trying to clean the paint out of her face with a towel, but only made it spread even more. She was shorter than Annie, with puppy brown eyes and an adorable big smile. Didn’t look nothing like her uncle Dominick. “But worth it. Look at this room. It’s perfect.”

         They stopped to admire the results of their morning’s work for a few moments. After days watching tutorials online and searching for the right materials, the room was finally finished. Mona had confessed to Annie her wishes to turn it into some sort of studio, where she could draw or practice her guitar skills again. Of course, the last time the Lebanese did either of those was even before meeting Annie in the first place, so it could be hard to catch up again. But her eyes lightened so beautifully at the idea, the girl couldn’t wait to have the room ready for Mona to start.

         That’s why backup was required, and who better than Avery? It was about time for Mona to meet her anyway, especially now that she had just returned from Italy after a family visit.

         “Do you think we have time to clean up before they arrive?” Annie peeked over the window, but there was no car to be seem in any side of the road.

         “Yeah, I think so. Let me call my uncle and check if he can hold back longer.”

         Dominick picked up the phone immediately, mumbling and pretending it was a work call. Between codes, he was able to reassure them it would take a while to get home, maybe an hour. That was the right amount of time for both girls to clean the room and themselves. When the car finally parked outside, Annie was brushing her wet hair while Avery finished putting the paint cans away in the mess room.

Mona’s voice was audible in the distance.

         “… never trust ‘em. Those supposedly safe economical cars are always a headache, they don’t survive a single storm on the road. If you gotta change cars, go for something with higher resistance, especially you who need to ride through this bumpy road every day.” The door was opened to reveal both Mona and Dominick carrying grocery bags inside. “Hey, babe. How are… What did you do?”

         The Lebanese narrowed her eyes, scanning the room for something dangerous. She knew that look on Annie’s face meant trouble.

“Nothing. Why?” the girl tried to put on an angelic smile.

         “You’re jumping in the same place. Why are you so excited? Should I be worried?”

         Avery popped her head from the hallway before Annie could answer the question. “Hi, everyone.”

         “Oh hey, cookie! Come here. Let me introduce you. Calil, this is Avery, my niece.” Dominick held the brunette girl from her shoulders, placing a kiss on the top of her head. “Cookie, this is Malika Calil. Or Mona.”

         “Or boss” Annie added, teasing.

         “Nice to meet you” Avery answered after a brief laugh. “It’s good to finally put a face to your name.”

         “Same here.” Although Mona wasn’t normally friendly, she got very fond of Avery. “So, what did you two do today to make Annie look like she’s about to shoot fireworks from her ass?”

         The teacher rolled her eyes, still too damn energic to stay still. “Ok, ok. C’mon. Avery helped me to do a surprise for you.”

         “Uh-oh.”

         “Don’t uh-oh. It’s a nice surprise, promise. Or I hope so, at least. If you hate it, we can change everything. No worries. It’s reversable. Most of it.”

         “Stop explaining, Ann.” Avery put a hand on her forearm, trying to prevent her friend from jabbing. “Just show her. Trust your guts. Be confident.”

         Mona arched her eyebrows in surprise. “I liker your attitude.”

         “Alright, c’mon. Close your eyes.” Annie held both the woman’s wrists and started to guide her in the right direction. “Wait. Not yet. Not yet. And… Okay, now. Open it.”

         Those dark eyes started to open slowly, a little bit afraid of what Annie had done, but then widened at the sight of the room. “Oh. My.”

         Mona was startled. Her soon-to-be studio had two of it’s walls painted in a dark shade of blue, with tiny sprinkles of silver that made it look like the night sky. The sprinkles would get bigger as it reached the ceiling, forming stars and constellations on it. The other two walls remained white, one of them with a huge drawing table by the window, favouring the natural light. The other, though, as soon as Mona approached, appeared not to be a simple white, but a paintable kind, like a white board where the Lebanese could write and erase anything as it pleases.

         It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

         “You said you’re a creature of the night. That the night sky inspires you. So… I… I hope it’s good. Like I said, we can change it, paint from scratch again, no problem. The important is for you to be comfortable here.” Annie hesitated, trying to work on her confidence like Avery suggested, but Mona was awfully quiet, and they couldn’t see her face, since she had the back turned.

         “Uhm… I’ll make some coffee. Help me, cookie?” Dominick pulled his niece gently by the elbow, closing the door behind them to leave the couple alone.

         Silence continued afterwards.

       Annie was slowly getting more and more terrified, especially when noticed Mona’s closed fists. She approached her carefully, hands lifting, but too afraid to touch. Mouth opened, but no word could be formed. Has she gone too far? Was the woman mad because the room was painted without her? Annie thought she had been so careful to listen to the signs, make a good choice…

      “Mon… I’m sor…” 

      “I love you.”

      When Mona turned around, there were tears in her eyes. The last time Annie remembered seeing her cry was six years ago, after the shooting, when they said goodbye to each other between blood and promises. Today, it was different. The woman wasn’t sad. Her black eyes were glowing with a sweet form of love, this time no longer afraid of cops breaking them apart. Fists still clenched, posture tense, but a warm expression. It was like her body didn’t match her heart at all… Like it was fighting against it’s own feelings.

        Annie approached her, breath caught on the throat, a sheepish smile emerging. Without sudden movements, she held Mona’s fists and brushed them with her thumbs, causing it to relax and slowly given up on the fight, obeying the heart’s commands. The girl only stopped when they were inches apart, diving in those beautiful Lebanese eyes like jumping in the night sky with no parachutes on. Their fingers intertwined at the same time Mona’s posture eased a bit, leaning in for a tender kiss that made Annie melt down in her arms.

     “I love you too.” Whispered Ann, eyes closed and foreheads together. “Did I hurt you somehow? Did I…?”

     “You could never hurt me. Not even if you wanted to.” Mona opened her eyes again, causing the girl to do the same. “I’m sorry I frightened you, I’m not mad or upset, far from that. I’m… It’s just… No one has ever done things like this for me before, Ann. I know this room is nothing compared to the other huge sacrifices and battles you have been fighting for so long, but it hit me hard. It’s so personal. So perfect. It’s not only safe, or careful, or well-planned, it’s also me. The real me. Like you can read me through and through. I don’t think anyone ever got so deep.”

       “I know you hate to talk about this kind of stuff. But I hope it’s already clear that I’m not standing here just ‘cause you’re hot and funny, although those are qualities worth mentioning, might I add.” Mona couldn’t stop smiling mischievously over that observation. “I’m not playing around or seeing where it goes, Mon. I worry about you. I want you to feel comfortable and free to be yourself again. Even if ‘yourself’ means not sharing the silly-feelings talk you dislike. I love you the way you are. I’m all in, babe. Head over heels. Sorry if it scares you, but that’s the truth. Deal with it. And my love comes with things like these surprises attached.”

       Annie gulped, afraid her statement had been too straightforward, but Mona didn’t back up, tense or hesitate at all. On the contrary, her arms involved the girl’s waist, bringing her closer into a not-so-tender kiss. It tasted like fire and sweetness at the same time, the type of kiss that could make someone falter between rip their clothes off or shout “I love you”. She didn’t know how much time that continued, since her full attention was captured by Mona’s lips and hands, until finally they ran out of breath and needed to break it for a second.

     “Man, I’ll repaint the entire house if it leads you to kiss me like that” Annie chuckled, hands entangled on the back of the woman’s neck.

      “Are you complaining I don’t kiss you passionately on a regular basis?” Mona arched her eyebrows, turning around to press the girl against the door, one leg between hers. “Well, let’s see what we can do to solve it…”

      Annie felt the air escape her lungs; knees so weak she would have fallen on the ground if it wasn’t for those tattooed arms sustaining her body. “Don’t tease me, we have guests waiting for us in the kitchen.”

      Mona growled, placing a last bite on the girl’s neck before finally releasing her. The way she trembled forward, still shaken up, made the Lebanese open a cocky smile. “My, my. Have I taken your strength so fast? I barely touched you yet.”

       “You know…” Ann held herself on the door handle, eyes locked with the woman in front of her. “It’s the ‘yet’ part that’s almost causing me a freakin’ heart attack right now.”

       Avery’s voice came from across the apartment. It smelled like fresh coffee even from the hallway. As Annie went to the kitchen to take a mug, she saw Mona’s phone lighting up on the balcony. Some random number was calling. “Mon, you’re phone’s ringing.”

      “She’s in the bathroom.” Dom was resting against the back of the chair, a half-empty package of biscuits on his lap. “You should answer, it could be her parole agent checking in.”

     The girl nodded, cleaning her throat before picking up the phone. “Hello. Can I help you?”

      A woman’s voice came from the other side of the line. “…Oh, yes. Hello. I am looking for Malika.”

     “She’ll be here in a minute. Who’s this?”

     “I am a… Childhood… Friend. We used to be very close. My name is Ada.”

     “Hm, I don’t remember your name, but Mon doesn’t talk a lot about her childhood.”

      “I see. And you are?”

     “Oh, sorry. Annie. I’m her girlfriend.”

     “…I can say I have been looking forward to meeting you. I’ve heard a lot about your story.”

     “Aww, that’s sweet, thanks. Hey, she’s here. Just a sec. Babe, it’s a friend of yours.” Annie offered the phone to Mona, watching her frown in confusion.

     “A friend of mine? Who?”

      “Ada.” She gave her girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to sit by the balcony, never catching how Mona’s eyes widened.

      “Hi” the Lebanese said, her heart pounding against the chest.

      “Hi to you, baby girl. Guess who else got out on parole too?”

      For just a moment, Mona felt like her whole world was about to fall apart again.

[tcm]

The Influence of Ruth Chatterton by Susan King

Ruth Chatterton was so much more than a two-time Oscar-nominated actress (MADAME X [‘29], SARAH AND SON [‘30]). She was a great friend.

Back in 1936, she supported her BFF and DODSWORTH (’36) co-star Mary Astor at a custody trial despite being told by executives and other friends not to attend the hearings. The scandalous hearings revolved around Astor trying to gain full custody of her daughter from her second husband, Franklyn Thorpe, proclaiming he was abusing their child. The problem was her ex-husband had Astor’s diary in which she wrote in detail of her love affair with playwright George S. Kaufman.

Chatterton was more than a supportive friend. She was also a mensch. A young Bette Davis was a huge fan of the actress and wrote in her autobiography The Lonely Life about working with her in the 1932 comedy-drama THE RICH ARE ALWAYS WITH US, in which Chatterton played the richest “girl” in the world. Chatterton made Davis so nervous she “literally could not get a word out of my mouth. I’m so damned scared of you I’m speechless.”

The veteran put the young Davis quickly at ease.

“She was the most helpful in her scenes with me after that,” Davis recalled. “I never forgot that experience and in later years, when young actors were terrified of me, I would always help them get over it.”

Both of the women were enamored with co-star George Brent. It was Chatterton who married Brent after the film was completed. Two films and two years later they divorced. Years later, Davis and Brent had an affair.

Chatterton also took a young Christopher Plummer under her wing in New York in the early 1950s, where she introduced him to the right people. “She might have been created by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sinclair Lewis,” he wrote in his autobiography In Spite of Myself.

At the height of her career, she took to the skies and became an accomplished aviatrix and good friends with the legendary Amelia Earhart. She flew across the U.S. several times, sponsored the Ruth Chatterton Air Derby and even opened the National Air Races in Los Angeles 83 years go. And this renaissance woman also wrote four novels including the 1950 best-seller Homeward Borne.

By the time she made her first silent movie in 1928, Chatterton, who was born in 1892, had been working in the theater since she was 14. She made her Broadway debut in 1911’s The Great Name and became star on Broadway in 1914 with Daddy Long Legs.

The first Oscar-winning actor Emil Jannings saw Chatterton on stage and helped her get a role in his film SINS OF THE FATHERS. In 1929, she began playing a string of fallen women roles with the melodrama MADAME X. She earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for the role and Lionel Barrymore received a nomination for his direction.

Though it’s a bit of a creak to watch, 80 years ago Mordunt Hall in The New York Times thought Chatterton was the greatest thing since sliced bread, writing: “…without a doubt the acting of Ruth Chatterton in the title role is the outstanding achievement of the picture. She portrays the emotional spells of the saddened woman with intelligence and artistry…Miss Chatterton lends to her part acting rarely beheld on the screen.”

Though some of her films are dated, Chatterton is still fascinating to watch. Because of her long history on the stage, she had a voice that was made for talkies and when a lot of actresses and actors had a hard time taming their over-the-top histrionics, Chatterton was very natural and engaging. And she was tailored made for the pre-Code era.

She left Paramount and moved to Warner Bros. in 1932, where she starred in several films beginning with THE RICH ARE ALWAYS WITH US. She made two more films with her then-husband Brent. First 1932’s melodrama THE CRASH, which finds her and hubby Brent losing money in the 1929 stock market. She’s the best thing about the film and wears some fabulous clothes.

Second, and a year before they divorced in 1934, they teamed up for the fabulous gender-bender drama FEMALE, which even in the pre-Code era was considered pretty steamy. Chatterton played the CEO of an automobile company who has plenty of men in her life but no wedding ring. Enter handsome engineer Brent who initially rebuffs her advances but eventually falls for her charms. But considering it’s the 1930s, love wins out with Chatterton telling Brent she’s willing to risk even her company’s bankruptcy for the man she loves.

Her last film for Warner Bros. is the undistinguished crime drama from 1934, JOURNAL OF A CRIME. Two years before her film career came to an end, Chatterton gave her best performance in William Wyler’s 1936 film DODSWORTH, in which she plays the spoiled, social climbing wife of a retired midwestern auto manufacturer (Walter Huston) who decides to take her on a cruise to Europe. Because Chatterton’s Fran is over 40 and is trying to keep middle age at bay, she engages in several flirtatious encounters with younger men which leads to a deep chasm in the couple’s marriage. The film earned seven Oscar nominations including Best Film, Actor and Supporting Actress for Maria Ouspenskaya as the grim mother of Fran’s much younger fiancée who puts the yet-to-be divorced Fran in her place. Surprisingly, Chatterton received no nomination.

Though her film career was over by the late 1930s, Chatterton returned to the stage and even did some live TV including a 1950 production of DODSWORTH with Walter Abel in the title role. Chatterton was married for 19 years to actor Barry Thomson, who died in 1960. And she died a year later of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 67.