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4loyalist · 4 years ago

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Fic Recs

July 10, 2021

Other Fic Rec Lists

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This list includes fics for:

Tom Holland & character(s)

Mathew Gray Gubler & character(s)

Sebastian Stan & character(s)

Chris Evans

Henry Cavill

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Tom Holland

'Goofy For 8 Minutes Straight' by @spacebarnes

Summary: when a video has your name, it catches your full attention.(Fluff)

---🌻---

by @blindingdutchy

'Devilish' || Summary: Costume parties are usually reserved for halloween, but when your friend throws one for his birthday party in july, you go all in. how the hell does that guy Tom get his wings to look so real, though? (Smut)

'Switch' || Summary: you may be the boss at work, but in Tom's bed there's not a chance in hell he'll ever let you take charge. (Smut)

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'Sleppy Babies' by @watchmegetobsessed

Summary: “Hey there, sleepy boy,” you smile at him and he huffs at you with tired eyes matching his tired smile, blinking a few times before glancing down at Rosie. (Fluff)

---🌻---

'Quizzes' by @waitimcomingtoo

Summary: You and Tom take a Buzzfeed quiz. (Fluff)

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Peter Parker

‘He Doesn’t Share Food’ by @ironxprince

Summary: Where Peter keeps stealing or taking food off of Tony’s plate and Tony’s not batting an eye at all, while everyone knows Tony Stark doesn't share food. (Fluff) (Irondad Spiderson)

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‘Spidey Kiss’ by @tomhollandd

Summary: where the reader and peter and hanging out (in peter's room w/ his bunkbed) and the reader's on the top bunk, wearing the spidey mask, and they hang upside down on the bunk and peter does the spider-man kiss to them (Fluff) (x reader)

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'I’ve got you now, Kid' by @irondadgroupie

Summary: I love the idea of Peter first having great notions of Tony Stark. Like the man is perfect, can do no wrong, is superhuman and such, with no flaws whatsoever. (Fluff)

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‘Would Have Loved Her’ by @imaginingfandomsxo

Summary: Peter thinks he’s finally met the one. The first person he wants to tell is the man who meant the most to him. (Angst)

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'Indebted' by @youandtom

Summary: The city despised Spiderman after Mysterio's death and it destroyed Peter, but you knew better. When both Spiderman and Peter are proven innocent of all of Mysterio's accusations, Peter does what he can to make sure he gets his revenge on the city that betrayed him and take back what he is owed. (Smut, Angst)

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'Break Up With Me Please' by @vendettaparker

Summary: Peter does a favor that lands him the girl (Fluff) (Text)

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MGG

'After Party' by @fictionfunshop

Summary: You never expected to like him. Well, at least not in the way you're thinking about him now. (Smut)

‘For The Very First Time’ by @eideticmemory

Summary: You’re a virgin, Mathew just wants to change that. (Smut)

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Spencer Reid

‘Didn’t See It Coming’ by @railmereid

Summary: Y/N Jareau learns that sometimes a great loss is needed to experience an even greater love. (Fluff)

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by @juniorgman187

'A Sunday Kind Of Love' || Summary: Reader wakes up to Spencer Reid making breakfast, a seemingly perfect image of a Sunday Kind of Love. (Fluff)

'Fighting Fire With Fire' || Summary: Reader must lower her pride after a date goes wrong and the only one who can rescue her is her mortal enemy - Spencer Reid. (Angst)

'Be Forever Young' || Summary: After Penelope’s resignation from the BAU, she attempts to set up her tech protégé, Reader, with Reader’s intellectual match yet much older counterpart - Dr. Spencer Reid. (Fluff)

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'Little Moments' by @90spumkin

Summary: Spencer thinks about some of the little moments that y/n’s light has chased away his darkness. (Fluff)

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'The Luckiest' by @reidingmelodies

Summary: Big brown eyes similar to his own looked up at him, her little lip sticking out in a pout as she pushed the book towards him in a silent question. She was only five, but she was fully aware that he was incapable of saying no to her; after all, she learned the puppy dog pout from its creator: his wife. (Fluff)

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'Love Has A Learning Curve' by @homoose

Summary: Reader learns that being loved by Spencer Reid has a learning curve. (Fluff, Angst)

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'What Plot!?' by @moon-light-jukebox

Summary: Reader is a new member to the team who has developed a slight crush on one of her co-workers. She also has a proclivity for reading certain kinds of books. What happens when our favorite speed reader takes a peak over her shoulder? (Smut)

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'When Death Knock On Your Door' by @strawberryspence

Summary: Some trauma tears people apart, while some brings people together. SSA Doctor Spencer Reid and SSA Doctor Y/N Y/L/N is brought together by the death of SSA Emily Prentiss. (Angst, Fluff)

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'10 Days' by @boldlyvoid

Summary: It's spencer's first father's day and he's extremely emotional about the little love of his life that he's only just met. he spends the day with his baby, Edwin, and his wife, crying and happy about how wonderful new little lives are. (Fluff)

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'An Eternity' by @iwritefandomimagines

Summary: You and spencer had gotten into the habit of going to the bookstore together and meticulously selecting a book for each other once a month for the entire duration of your four-year relationship. today, though, would be different. (Fluff)

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Sebastian Stan

'Prună' by @lipstickbisous

Summary: Sebastian just like blankly speaking romanian to you. (Fluff)

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'We Are Avengers' by @itsallyscorner

Summary: Basically what happens during James Corden’s Star Star Tour (Fluff)

by @watchmegetobsessed

'Sit On Me' || Summary: “So my question is…” she starts, taking a deep breath. “Sebastian, this is for you. If you were a chair, who would you want to sit on you?”(Fluff)

'A Step Further' || Summary: “Sebastian, my question is: What do you love most about Y/N?” (Fluff, minor Angst)

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'3.10' by @duuhrayliegh

Summary: The reader is a singer being interviewed on the late late show and is surprised by the second guest. (Fluff)

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Bucky Branes

'Possession' by @revengingbarnes

Summary: On your 25th birthday, for twenty four hours, you are allowed to possess your soulmate; a process called The Possession. As you look at the world from their eyes, you find out everything you can about your soulmate so you can locate them when The Possession is over. But you have a slight problem: you wake up in a cryo freezer. (Angst, Fluff)

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'Drunk Buck Running Amuck' by @coffee-with-bucky

Summary: Bucky is drunk and absolutely giddy with affection and you don’t know whether to thank or kill Thor. (Fluff)

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'I Was Made For Loving You' by @buckycuddlebuddy

Summary: “Having miles on the stage with me today felt amazing, but i miss him as a baby.” he kissed the spot right under your ear. “i want another.” (Fluff, Smut)

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'Lavender, Yellow & You' by @loveaffaire

Summary: Bucky’s journey from sleeping on the cold, hard floor to sleeping on the warm, lavender scented bed, all because of you. (Fluff)

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‘Father To Be’ by @skyeisawizard

Summary: Bucky Barnes is expecting to be a father. He’s terrified of himself and their living situation isn’t exactly perfect. So, he does something to change it. (Fluff)

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Chris Evans

'Naturally' by @stallingdemons

Summary: Chris and [Y/N] are a married couple doing an interview for their film together and the interviewer makes a joke and the response [Y/N] gives, makes Chris chuckle. (Fluff)

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Henry Cavill

'Delicate' by @cruelfvkingsummer

Summary: First Kiss with Henners! (Fluff)

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#tom holland fic rec #tom holland x reader #peter parker x reader #peter parker #sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #chris evans #chris evans x reader #henry cavill #henry cavill x reader #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #mgg #mathew gray gubler x reader #mathew gray gubler #fic recs #sebastian stan smut

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lollytea · 2 years ago

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huh, i don't understand why everyone thinks the timeskip is several months long when it has been probably one month at most. the show starts with luz being sent off to summer camp, probably at the very beginning of july or maybe even late june. furthermore we know that reaching out happens on august 22nd, so the day of unity was most likely in september. we're having a halloween special too, so it's OCTOBER...

and it's not unusual for certain design changes to happen in such "short" amount of time. amity's hair could've easily gotten those few inches during that time (hell, during s2 finale luz's hair suddenly was long enough for a ponytail and it wasn't questioned much). and camila's graying hair? girl she's been dealing with a pack of lost traumatized teens i think it's reasonable to assume she was under a LOT of stress

Thinking about this show's timeline gives me a headache because its so vague and hard to make sense of that I feel like it is in our best interest to stop thinking about it too hard because I don't believe the crew is really keeping track of it.

I have such a hard time believing everything that happened in those two seasons was only like 3-4 months. It's just too wild to think about. In episode 1, Camila said Summer Camp would be 3 months long. Vee was home with Camila by Keeping Up Affearances and with the "You always know what to do." line, it's implied that this new Luz has been around for a while. This was season 2A.

I always figured (though I have NO evidence to back it up, except for the Camp line) that the three months Luz should have spent in Summer Camp was roughly the duration of season 1. Meanwhile season 2 is like anywhere from 4-6 months. But then Reaching Out happened and it was suddenly only August 22nd and I'm pretty sure Luz says something along the lines of this being the first anniversary without her mom so it has only been 4 months at most, which seems so wrong and unnatural to me that ALL of this shit happened in such a short amount of time. See THIS is why it gives me a headache. Time isn't real.

(I like to believe time passes way slower in the Demon Realm. For the sake of my own sanity.)

Anyway it's definitely gonna be Halloween at some point in the special but that's not to say for certain that there won't be a timeskip. There is no way I can believe that Amity's hair grew THAT MUCH in 30 days. There is no way. So I'm thinking it will be like. The first third of the special takes place fairly recently into Luz and the other's predicament (in October) and then it skips ahead a little for the rest of it.

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trinketprince · 4 years ago

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All the Youkaimatsus so far

JExcept sets that have all of them as the same youkais (Nekomata, Tanuki and the various Kitsune sets from Tabimatsu)

Pinup Poster from the Osomatsu Character Book #6 (July 2016)

A classic. The very first iteration of Youkaimatsu. Kind of hard to find since it was a bonus poster from the character book, so unless you were actively looking for the book, you wouldn’t find this.

Osomatsu - Kitsune (unknown how many tails he has but is often depicted in fan artworks as 6 or 9, 9 meaning strongest/wisest a kitsune has been, Spirit Fox)

Karamatsu - Karasu-Tengu (pun on Kara, Bird Man)

Choromatsu - Dodomeki (usually a woman cursed with long arms littered with many bird eyes because of greed. Most popular one imo)

Ichimatsu + ESP Nyanko - Nekomata (Two-tailed cat, legend says that cats who live longer than a 100 years gain a second tail)

Jyushimatsu - Rokurobi (available in two flavors. Long Neck and Floating Head. He is the former. Theorized to not actually be a youkai but created for entertainment. Also used as a literary device for a wandering soul.)

Todomatsu - Yukki Onna (Also a joke on Todo being scared stiff. Yuki Onna pull tricks on humans that usually end on the person’s death via cold. Has a harsh and soft side)

Youkai Units from The Great Youkai War event from Hesokuri Wars (November 2016)

Most popular Youkaimatsu set, this baby could get milked for miles, but for some reason isn’t. Has a lot of variants (Awakened, Darkness, Snow, Sakura and Hyakki Yagyou) and connected to a lot of other sets: Denki Mystery, Colorless Overalls, Mononoke and a bunch of others. She is the top DOGG set.

Osomatsu - Shuten-Douji (Oni Leader with a penchance for Sake, literally carrying a big ass bottle of it on his back, since he is the leader of the sextuplets and the one seen drinking beer the most)

Karamatsu - Aoandon (Summoned after 100 supernatural stories are told. Originated from the blue (ao) paper lanterns (andon) that were sometimes used to give a chilling atmosphere)

Choromatsu - Daitengu (Great Tengu, Tengus were theorized to be ascended souls, but also has its origins in a Dog Beast that looked like a comet. For some reason Dog Beast turned into Bird Man. The bird man’s beak is often anthropomorphized into long noses. Tells humanity to behave by throwing invisible stones at them)

Ichimatsu - Nine-tailed Kitsune (So wise. So powerful)

Jyushimatsu - Inugami (Dog God that possesses people)

Todomatsu - Bake-Danuki (also known as tanuki, mischievous spirits, mostly known in pop culture for their BIG FAT NUTS)

Dayon is a miko, a shrine maiden. Hatabou is an Onmyoji, an exorcist, Dekapan is a kannushi, a shrine priest. Totoko and Iyami are regular civillians

Youkai Hyakki Yagyou merchandise from Animate Girls Festival (September 2017)

One of the lesser known sets, considering that it’s just designs for a line of merch but their designs are so good? Why don’t people use these designs more often.

Osomatsu - Karasu-Tengu

Karamatsu - Nine-tailed fox

Choromatsu - Shuten-Douji (A possible reference to Season 1 Episode 2 where he gets the most drunk?)

Ichimatsu - Mizuchi (Legendary Water Serpent/Dragon)

Jyushimatsu - Kamaitachi (Beast that rides on dust devils. Cuts people using it’s scythe-like nails. The wounds are sharp but painless)

Todomatsu - Ungaikyou (A haunted mirror that can be used to trap spirits. The spirits in the ungaikyou can manipulate the reflection shown on it’s reflection.)

Kitsune Servant Set from Tabimatsu (September 2017)

Ok I know I said I wouldn’t cover the Kitsune sets from Tabimatsu since there are like 5 different Kitsune sets, but this one is noteworthy cause they have secondary Youkai traits other than the regular kitsune traits.

Osomatsu - Oni’s horns

Karamatsu - Tengu’s wings

Choromatsu - Orochi around his neck

Ichimatsu - True Kitsune (Or Nekomata’s paw?)

Jyushimatsu - Wanyudo (Flaming Wheel)

Todomatsu - I don’t know, but there’s something around his neck?

Japanese Youkai set from Shimamatsu (January 2018)

Shimamatsu was such a good game, what a shame it ended so soon. The 3D models were so cute. Edit: The two designs are from before and after evolution!

Osomatsu - Enma-san (A wrathful god in charge of judging souls in the afterlife. Resides over hell)

Karamatsu - Yamato no Orochi (Eight headed and Eight-tailed serpent/dragon)

Choromatsu - Kamaitachi (wields an actual scythe)

Ichimatsu - Youkai Catman or a Bakaneko (Catboy, furry)

Jyushimatsu - Yobuko (lives in the mountains, repeats whatevers shouted into the mountain, explains the phenomemon of Echos)

Todomatsu - Yuki Otoko (Snowman, a Yuki Onna basically)

“Inn” Osoma and Choroe from Osomatsu Season 2 Episode 17

A BUNCH OF PEOPLE REMINDED ME AND HOW COULD I FORGET THE BEST YOUKAI EVER. Osoma baby,,,, I’m so sorry..... Srsly, this skit was so good, I hope they make more skits like this where they make entirely new characters out of the framework of the sextuplets.

Osoma - A Zashiki-warashi, child spirits who live in store rooms or extra rooms, they died buried in their homes. Pranksters but meeting one is said to bring good fortunes to families. Osoma gets crossovered a lot with the other Youkai sets in JP fanart. A popular pairing is Dodomeki Chorosuke (from Denki Mystery) and Osoma also Kitsune Osomatsu (from the poster) and Osoma.

Choroe - Not necessarily a youkai, in fact in the episode she’s presented as just a regular human. But is theorized often to be a Yama-uba. An old woman banished to the mountains. She provides shelter to weary travelers (in the myth it’s just a humble shelter but you know. an inn is also considered a shelter) before eating them. In one story she eats the recently birthed baby of a woman who had to give birth in the mountains.

Mononoke from Hesokuri Wars (May 2019)

Technically they are all the same type of being, Mononoke, but they look different from each other. Mononoke can posses individuals and cause suffereing and even death. And technically they aren’t Youkais but Onryos, vengeful spirits. But Onryos can also be used to refer to youkais and truthfully I just wanna include this set cause their designs are so cool looking. This set’s attacks contain glimpses of units of other sets.

Osomatsu - Bear themed

Karamatsu - Wolf themed

Choromatsu - Rooster/Chicken themed

Ichimatsu - Spider

Jyushimatsu - Boar

Todomatsu - Bull or Ox

Edo Rock The Great Youkai Harvest Festival from Tabimatsu (October 2019)

This set is interesting cause rather than youkai alone, they are also musicians. This set also has another set like Hesokuri called The Great Youkai NEET which is basically the awakened versions, properly showcasing more of the youkai traits.

Osomatsu - Shuten-Douji (Again, we need to stage an intervention for you damn)

Karamatsu - Karasu-Tengu (Again)

Choromatsu - Mizuchi (actually riding said serpent)

Ichimatsu - Black Kitsune (Hot Topic, Goth version)

Jyushimatsu - Frog. Just. Frog. (could be a reference to the legend of Jiraiya, the ninja who could shapeshift into a frog/ride big frogs. His mouth is cover just like a ninja is too.)

Todomatsu - Kamaitachi (could be a reference to season 1 where Todomatsu wields a scythe)

Iyami - Oni (not sure if he’s any particular oni but he does have the horns and metal club)

Atsushi - Ibaraki-Douji? (White hair and singular horn, most imporant servant of Shuten-Douji)

Promo Merch from Sega Cafe collab (September 2020)

Edit: Thank you @zenryokubatankyu for notifying me! Another set of promo youkais! You can get them by random by ordering a drink or meal at the now-defunct Sega x Osomatsu collab cafe. And the return of F6? Damn I haven’t seen you since Season 2!

Osomatsu - Oni

Karamatsu - I’m not exactly sure but he seems like a Mizuchi, a water serpent/dragon. He also could be another legendary serpent/dragon though.

Choromatsu - Kappa

Ichimatsu + ESP Nyanko - Karasu-Tengu

Jyushimatsu - I’m not sure, at first i thought it might be a crab youkai judging from the legs, but upon closer inspection he has spider webs on his robes, so they may be spider legs instead. Could be a Jorogumo, a youkai that wields fire breathing spiders with it’s spider legs

Todomatsu - Bakaneko (I think? The veil could be the napkin a bakaneko puts on it’s head)

Ayakashi Sextuplet’s Retro Halloween Cafe merch from Web Kuji (October 2020)

Thank you @gradelstuff for telling me about this! Ayakashi are Youkai that appear above nearby bodies of water. Although the youkais they’re dressed up as (or are?) aren’t really what you would call ayakashi? Although it’s cafe themed, it isn’t actually from a cafe collaboration. These designs are merchandise meant to be won through lottery. So if say you really love Kara and Choro’s designs (I do), then tough luck buddy!

Osomatsu - Oni

Karamatsu - Now you may think he’s Dodomeki since he’s covered with eyes, but turns out there are two other eye-relateed youkai! Mokumokuren is a youkai phenomenon where eyes appear from torn paper walls and tatami floors, initially i thought this was it given the checkered pattern he was wearing. But he might actually be a Hyakume, a youkai covered head to toe in yellow eyes specifically. Underneath those eyes is a body of flesh roughly in the shape of a man. This Youkai isn’t particularly malicious, only detaching one of it’s many eyes to follow you and survey you for criminal activiy. He might also be a BackBeard, a youkai allegedly from the US, err that would make him a cryptid I guess? A Backbeard is often characterized as a shadow with a Yellow eye with a red iris in the center. Note: Backbeard’s true origins are not known as there doesn’t seem to be any cryprid called a Backbeard, it first entered the Japanese public eye as an antogonist in the show Gegege no Kitaro. Although ever since then this “yokai” has appeared in other media and games in Japan.

Choromatsu - He isn’t exactly dressed as it (only themed as it) but the youkai he represents is the one he’s holding, a Kasa-obake, One of my favorite youkais and it’s literally iconic. Thought to be a Tsukomogami, an object that gains a spirit after it turns 100 years old.

Ichimatsu - Edit: I’m not sure but he might be a Kuchisake-Onna. In the description attached to his teaser, it makes mention of specifically his wide smile, his dos dagger and his beautiful shirt. A kuchisake onna is a yokai that wanders in the street covering her face with a mask (skull mask for ichi) and a sharp object (his dos dagger). TW GORE DESCRIPTION: She asks you if you think she’s attractive and depending on your answer she muders you with her scissors, plunging it into you OR she takes off her mask showing her wide smile, her mouth slit at the corners to her ears and asks “how about now?” and depending on your reaction she cuts you in half with her sharp object OR she slits the corners of your mouth to look like hers. END DESCRIPTION. Ichi has the mask, sharp object, wide smile and “attractiveness”. Obviously it would be inappropriate to portray ichi in the same fashion as the kuchisake onna so he was probably given the internal organ tattoos to represent the gory yokai. (internal organs usually = gore in japan). This is speculah and he might be another youkai but this is all i can think of rn.

Jyushimatsu - sailor themed Jiangshi. Jiangshi are basically Zombies originally from Chinese culture. They hop around, and crave for life force. this little jyushimatsu has taken to tomato juice instead. (Bonus: the zombie that osomatsu is in the zombie set in hesokuri wars is also a Jiangshi)

Todomatsu - Kitsune (sly fox)

“The Night Path” Youkai from Osomatsu-san Season 3 Episode 6 (November 2020)

The latest and what sparked me to make this post tbh. This set reuses the Rokurobi design from the very first Youkaimatsu iteration! Full circle yo! I like to think of this set as an addition to the original youkaimatsu, since they’re both from the primary sources.

Jyushimatsu - Rokurobi (Again)

Totoko - Amabie (mermaid with three legs? prophesized about either good harvest or an epidemic, trivia: “Amabie” trended when Covid 19 hit the world)

Hatabou - Azukiarai (a youkai that originated from the sound of something like beans being washed near a river, anyone who comes near will fall into the river)

Dayon - Nopperabou (Faceless spirits that take the form of humans. They are harmless usually, they just scare humans)

Dekapan - Kappa (Mischievous River spirits)

That should be all of them!

Recap:

Osomatsu has been a Kitsune, Shuten-Douji (twice), Karasu-Tengu, Enma-san and an Oni

Karamatsu has been a Karasu-Tengu (twice), Aoandon, Kitsune, Yamato no Orochi and a Mizuchi (?)

Choromatsu has been a Dodomeki, Daitengu, Shuten-Douji, Kamaitachi, Mizuki and a Kappa (No repeats!)

Ichimatsu has been a Nekomata, Kitsune (twice), Mizuchi, Bakaneko and a Karasu-Tengu

Jyushimatsu has been a Rokurobi (twice-ish), Inugami, Kamaitachi, Yobuko, a Frog from Jiraiya and a Jorogumo (?)

Todomatsu has been a Yuki Onna (twice), Bake-danuki, Ungaikyou, Kamaitachi and a Bakaneko

You can definitely see a trend (lmao), I’m looking forward to more Youkaimatsus from Osomatsu-san!

bonus:

Osomatsu-san cameo from Yokai Watch!!!

#Osomatsu san #Youkaimatsu #Yokaimatsu #妖怪松 #Hesokuri Wars #Shimamatsu #Tabimatsu #I'm not tagging all the matsus lmao #long post

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forestlingincorporated · 4 years ago

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How old is the Batfamily (in New Earth)?

These are my personal calculations. Comics are bad at continuity, I’m sure we’re all aware.

I use Tim as my north star in my calculations because we have a couple sure fire ages for him, unlike people like Dick or Bruce whose continuity is less concrete. Tim was 3 when the Graysons died, 13 after Jason died, and he just turned 16 shortly before Jason turned 18.

Tim’s birthday is July 19th, and Jason’s is August 16th. Since Tim turns 16 the same year Jason would turn 18, Jason is exactly 1 year, 11 months, and 3 days older than Tim - almost 2 years. Jason’s death certificate says he died April 27, at 15 years old; this means Jason was turning 16 that year, and it also means when Tim arrives at 13, it’s not yet summer, so Tim is turning 14 soon. Batman #436 confirms Jason was with Bruce for 2 years, making him 13-going-on-14 when Bruce adopted him, and Tim the same age when he comes in behind him.

Dick has multiple dates presented for his birthday, so exact age is a no go. In 1940, Dick was 8 years old when he became Robin. That is impossible now, if Tim attended Haly’s Circus when he was 3, and Jason was between them as Robin. In Final Crisis, Dick’s depicted as 12 when his parents die. This would make him about 9 years older than Tim, and 7 years older than Jason. That would mean when Jason was adopted, Dick would be 20, and he’d be 22 when Jason died, and 26 when he became Batman.

Tim is 9yo when he realizes Robin is Dick Grayson. That makes Dick about 18yo. Two years later, Jason is Robin for another two years, take 6 months for his training. These ages fit together nicely.

Bruce was 25 when he finished his Batman training. Batman: Year One is probably a full year, and The Long Halloween is DEFIANTELY a year, so let’s say Bruce adopts Dick (Dark Victory) two years after returning to Gotham - 27yo. This makes Bruce 15 years older than Dick. This works for their fuzzy awkward family dynamic, where Bruce is something between a big brother and a dad, getting more parental as Bruce gets older, and grating on Dick’s growing independence as he’s being given MORE restrictions as he ages, not less. It makes Bruce 22 years older than Jason (35yo when he adopts him), a more reasonable age gap for a parent and child, which plays into Bruce’s more immediately parental relationship with Jason (and thus Dick’s jealousy over it). It then makes Bruce 24 years older than Tim (37 after Jason’s death and upon meeting Tim). Bruce’s birthday is Feb. 19th, early in the year, so its not as awkward to juggle months into the equation. This makes Bruce 41 at the end of New Earth; I was honestly surprised, it’s a pretty reasonable age for a fit man to be Batman-ing, if there is ANY age considered reasonable to be Batman-ing.

Cassandra Cain is already 18 when Jason turns 18, and her birthday is January 26, so Cass is exactly 6 months and 21 days older than Jason.

Early on, Stephanie says she’s “older” than Tim, though I don’t know how she’d know that at the time. Later, Stephanie’s attending freshman year of college when she first becomes Batgirl, so I think it’s safe to say she’s about 1 year older than Tim, making her 15 when they meet when Tim is 14, and 18 when Tim is 17 at the end of the New Earth run.

Damian... I feel like someone told me Damian was slightly hyper-aged as a toddler, but I can’t find that information r/n, and also I don’t care, so I’m moving forward as if Damian was born naturally, and not artificially altered at all. I’m convinced the more we see Damian drawn to look more like Thalia, the more we’re just casually being asked to kindly forget about the racist “genetically modified to be perfect, i.e. look more like Bruce” Thing. So I’m gonna.

Since I think the fathers day comic between Tim and Bruce occurs before we meet Damian, and father’s day is in June, and his birthday’s in July, I’m going to assume Tim is 17 when he meets Damian for the first time, who is described as 10. This means Damian is 7 years younger than Tim, 9 years younger than Jason, 16 years younger than Dick, and 31 years younger than Bruce. This is particularly interesting, because Bruce and Dick’s age gap is about the same as Dick and Damian’s age gap, which draws more of a parallel between Bruce and Dick’s awkward pseudo-big-brother/actual-adopted-dad relationship and Dick and Damian’s pseudo-dad/actual-big-brother relationship.

And then there’s Barbara. What to do with Barbara. Barbara's got de-aged over the years to make her a more palatable ship for Dick (no hatin’, just true). It’s cute for a teenage boy to have a widdle crush on his adult friend/big sister figure who’s old enough to have a doctorate, and then have him fall in love with an alien girl closer to his own age, but when they decided they wanted this ship to be viable, they had to close that 8-10 year age gap, or Babs was gonna look like a creep. Detective Comics 871 aged her all the way down to Dick’s exact age, having them go to prom together, but you can make Barbara anywhere between 26 and 36+ by the end of New Earth and I’m not sure anyone can say you’re wrong. I have Much Fear they’re going to try to de-age her again, though, with this potential Jason romance hanging in the air.

And Alfred... look, man, I don’t know, he was 18 when he joined the British military, and that’s the extent of my understanding of how old Alfred is.

And, you know, Duke didn’t exist in New Earth, and the Prime ages are all fucked to hell. Usually, I make Duke about a year or two younger than Tim, just because it kinda sounds right.

tl;dr: By the end of New Earth, the Batfam is probably: Alfred (???), Bruce (41), Babs (26-36+), Dick (26), Cass (19), Jason (19), Steph (18), Tim (17), and Damian (10).

#batfamily #bruce wayne #Alfred Pennyworth #barbara gordon #dick grayson #Jason Todd #cassandra cain #Tim Drake #Damian Wayne

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fromthedeskoftheraven · 4 years ago

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Visions of sugarplums

Pairing: Agent Whiskey x female reader

Content: Pining, workplace romance, fake dating if you squint, oh no we’re snowed in, mention of food, kissing, making out, mostly-non-explicit sex (under-18s, jog on), so many sweet pet names you’ll get cavities, romantic Jack because apparently I'm a sucker for that

Word count: ~4800 (yeah. Jack is a demanding muse)

Prompt: “Hoping one day you’ll make a dream last” (Let Her Go, Passenger), for @yespolkadotkitty‘s follower celebration writing challenge 🎉

Note: I said canon Whiskey who? This cowboy drinks respect women juice.

Part two: Kentucky welcome Part three: Just say you will

Taglist (if you’d like to be tagged, un-tagged, or make a request for future fics, feel free to let me know): @writemessystarwars @keeper0fthestars @flightlessangelwings @yespolkadotkitty @emesispo @songsformonkeys @beccaplaying

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A whirl of snow stings your cheek like a slap as you hurry through the grounds of the posh ski resort that sprawls across the valley, dotted with cozy cabins and million-dollar chalets.

Your sheer stockings, low-cut dress, and teetering heels are no match for snow bursts and the wind that cuts through you like a knife. Inwardly cursing your alter ego and her penchant for skimpy fashions, you tug your thin coat more tightly around you.

This mission was supposed to be a piece of cake. A few days at a luxe resort, posing with your partner as an arms dealer and his girlfriend to get close to your target, and everything was going swimmingly...until your search of the target’s study during a cocktail party was interrupted by two of his security staff making their rounds ahead of schedule. The adrenaline rush of your narrow escape is still humming in your veins.

Beside you, long strides making quick work of the path, Jack Daniels has transformed himself from intelligence agent to wealthy gun runner with the world on a string. The cashmere overcoat that cost more than your first car is the perfect finishing touch to his sharp suit, and his dark good looks stand out even in the hazy moonlight.

Rounding the corner of a chalet, Jack slows his steps to a stroll. A strong arm pulls you flush against his side as he walks, letting an easy laugh float on the wind like you’ve said something witty. Before you have time to wonder what’s going on, another couple materializes in the pool of light from a lamp, squinting against the gusts that throw fresh powder into the air like confetti.

“Evening,” Jack says with a tip of his hat and a winning smile, the very picture of a genial Southern gentleman. “This weather sure is pickin’ up, ain’t it?”

The couple mutter their agreement and hurry on their way. Once they’re out of sight Jack’s hand slides to the small of your back, guiding you as you both quicken your strides again. Your teeth are chattering by the time the wind blows you onto the porch of your own cabin, and in a fumble of hands on the doorknob you step together into the blessed stillness of the spacious room.

A cheerful whistle pierces the air and you turn to find Jack brushing snow off of his black Stetson and favoring you with a lopsided smirk. Even damp with melting snow he manages to be striking, all sultry eyes and dashing mustache and wayward strands of dark hair curling over his forehead.

“Nothin’ like a little skirmish to get the blood pumping.” He carefully sets the hat on the fireplace mantel to dry. “I feel like...”

“...A tornado in a trailer park,” you finish with him, earning one of those wide, dimpled grins that always dazzles you a little in return.

“Just so,” he says.

“That’s another one in the ‘win’ column.” You try to suppress a shiver as you pull the flash drive that might as well be a smoking gun from the cleavage of your dress. “A few bumps in the road, but we got what we needed.”

Jack ignores the congratulations, stepping close to take your chilled hands between his large ones. His hands aren’t much warmer than yours, but the thrill that trickles down your spine has nothing to do with the cold.

The frown lines between his brows deepen. “Darlin’, you’re colder than a well-digger’s belt buckle. Go on and have yourself a hot shower while I get a fire started and check in with HQ.”

“I can wait, I’ll help you,” you offer.

He shakes his head, already moving toward the fireplace. “Don’t you worry, sugarplum, ol’ Jack’ll have this place snug in no time. You just get comfortable.”

Helpless against the lure of hot water and fuzzy socks, you rummage in your suitcase for a change of clothes. Still, you stop at the bathroom door to look back at Jack where he’s stacking logs with the same determination furrowing his brow as when he’s reviewing dossiers or cleaning his guns.

The two of you have been almost inseparable for the year that you’ve been working for the Statesman agency. Even your code name was assigned with your partnership in mind, a little inside joke Champ never gets tired of telling when he introduces the two best agents in the New York office: “...Because you can’t have a Manhattan without Whiskey and Vermouth!”

Jack comes on as strong as his namesake liquor, but you’ve seen the steely nature under his flashy Southern charm, the practice behind the effortless shows of skill, the tender heart he hides with bravado.

And he has no idea you’ve fallen in love with him.

As though he can feel your gaze, Jack looks up, his stern expression relaxing. He gives you a wink and waves one hand to shoo you along before getting back to his task.

With a sheepish smile, you duck into the bathroom and turn on the shower before you can do something stupid.

Like asking him to join you.

***

"Mission report, Agent?”

Champ’s projection flickers into the armchair across from Jack, looking like some kind of Halloween effect with the flames dancing over the logs in the fireplace behind him.

“We’ve got all the intel we need.” Jack adjusts his glasses, stretching his legs out in front of him with a sigh. “Agents ready for pickup.”

“Glad to hear it. Where’s Vermouth?”

Jack glances toward the sound of running water. “She’s just showerin’ to warm up. We got caught in a snow flurry coming back to the cabin.”

“That so?” The ghost of a smile flits over Champ’s face. “I thought you’d want to be the one warmin’ her up.”

Jack’s not sure if he’s more annoyed by the teasing, or how quick he is to take the bait. “Champ, this ain’t a Fourth of July picnic. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m on a delicate mission with my partner.”

“Now, don’t get your feathers ruffled, son,” Champ says mildly, reaching for a highball glass. “You confided in me about your feelings, and I’m just givin’ you a little nudge of encouragement.”

“I did not confide in you.” Jack leans forward to jab a finger at the hazy image of his boss. “You tested Ginger’s new truth serum on me.”

Champ’s grin is distinctly unrepentant. “Well, you looked like a man who needed to get somethin’ off his chest. ‘Sides, I won twenty bucks from Tequila for being right.”

Jack only grunts, slumping on the couch again. “Your granny’s special mint julep recipe, my ass.”

“Jack, she’s a pretty girl. Smart as that whip of yours. You think you’ll be the only one to notice? Anybody can see Vermouth thinks the world of you, but one of these days she’ll be wearin’ another man’s ring if you don’t stop pussyfooting around and make good on all that flirtin’ you do.”

That idea settles in Jack’s stomach like a bad oyster.

Of course, Champ has a point.

You are pretty. No, scratch that...beautiful. You’re a hell of a good agent -- the quickest route to Jack’s bad side is to suggest otherwise -- but you’re so much more than that. Your sweetness and spirit are more than a man like him can hope to deserve, but damn if the way your eyes light up when you smile doesn’t thaw something long dormant in his chest.

If he’s been hell-bent on keeping things professional between you, his dreams are anything but. When he closes his eyes he sees you, soft and yearning and his. His to have and hold until he wakes up aching, with your phantom touch lingering on his skin.

He’s starting to forget why professionalism was so important to him in the first place.

“Champ, you got anything else related to this mission? Been a long day here.”

“Matter of fact, I do.” Thankfully, Champ has the grace to go along with the change of subject. “That storm’s kickin’ up too much snow to get a jet in there. You’ll have to hunker down and wait for a pickup in the morning.”

Well, if the universe wants to hand Jack another night in your company, who is he to argue?

“Copy that,” he says out loud. “We’ll await contact in the morning.”

Champ smiles. “Plenty of time for any long-overdue conversations you might want to have.”

“You’re startin’ to break up. Whiskey out.” Jack pulls off the glasses and tosses them unceremoniously onto the coffee table, scrubbing a hand over his face.

Sparing a glance at the darkening sky outside the window, he hauls himself off of the couch to put another log on the fire, trying not to think about how Champ just might be right.

***

When you emerge from the bathroom in a cloud of fragrant steam, Jack is lounging on the couch in front of a crackling fire. He’s traded the designer clothes for jeans and a faded button-down shirt and managed to tame his tousled hair. You know he takes pride in his trademark hat and bespoke suit jackets, but there’s something about him when he’s dressed down and softer around the edges that tugs at your heart.

He looks up when you come into the room, cheek dimpling with a smile. “Well, don’t you look like a new woman? Thought you were fixin’ to turn into an icicle on me for a minute, there.”

“Here’s hoping our next assignment involves sandy beaches and umbrella drinks.” You hug your sweater around yourself. “What’s the word from Champ?”

“Looks like we’re here for the night on account of this storm.”

As if on cue, a gust of wind rattles the windows, making you jump.

“Come and have a seat by the fire, sweetheart.” Jack picks something up from the coffee table and waves it at you. “Got a protein bar and some water for you. I don’t know about you, but a handful of damn canapes ain’t going to see me through to morning.”

“You sure know how to wine and dine a girl, cowboy,” you tease, dropping onto the couch.

His laugh is as good-natured as ever. “When we get back home, I’ll cook you the best steak you’ve ever had.”

“The best steak since the last one you cooked for me?"

“Well, a man should always be improvin’ his technique to keep a woman happy.” His dark eyes twinkle with mischief, and you roll your eyes but can’t quite smother a laugh.

The protein bar tastes something like chocolate-flavored chalk but you’re hungry enough to make quick work of it, washing it down with gulps of water. Jack nudges your shoulder and you find him offering his flask with a wry smile.

“’Fraid it’s all I've got in the way of dessert.”

The whiskey inside burns its way down your throat and mellows to spread its warm glow through your chest. With a sigh, you hand back the flask, watching Jack’s throat ripple with the swig he takes before reattaching it to his belt.

The liquor’s fire contrasts with the chill of the day in your bones, setting off a shiver that shudders through your shoulders and arms.

“Honey, you still cold?” Jack’s voice is rough-edged with weariness and whiskey.

“Well, I like a nice walk in the snow as much as the next girl, but I was half naked in that ridiculous outfit,” you say dryly.

One corner of his mouth quirks upward. There’s something unreadable in those fathomless eyes as he watches you for a moment before opening one arm, arching a brow in invitation.

Some tiny, winged creature takes up residence in your chest where your heart should be, and you immediately scold yourself. Jack’s your partner and your friend. Of course he has the decency not to want to see you miserable after a long, cold day.

So you tell yourself, even as you go to him, nestling into his side and letting his arm come around you to hold you close. His hand is relaxed on your shoulder, his thumb trailing back and forth in a gentle rhythm.

“Better?” he murmurs.

You feel like home, you think.

“Better.”

With Jack’s heartbeat steadfast and comforting under your palm, the last of your reserve dissolves. You tuck your head into the crook of his neck and melt into his warmth, breathe in his scent, musky and tinged with leather and sandalwood.

Quiet descends on the room, fleece-soft and a little sleepy, as you stare into the fire and let your mind wander. The hypnotic trace of Jack’s thumb over your shoulder is the only indication that he’s still awake.

You sneak a look at him. His eyes glitter black in the gathering dark and his profile is regal, carved into the stern dips and hollows of a Roman sculpture by the play of light and shadow from the fire.

He’s beautiful. You wonder if anyone’s ever told him.

“Jack?”

He hums in answer, almost the purr of a contented cat.

“Do you ever think about retiring?”

A soft snort of laughter rumbles against you. “You callin’ me old?”

“We both know I’d punch anyone who did,” you scold, giving his chest a playful swat. “I just mean...do you ever imagine doing something else? Something more peaceful?”

“Well, I’ve got a patch of land in Kentucky with a farmhouse. One day I suppose I’ll give up the apartment in the city and trade the Silver Pony in for a ridin’ mower.”

You frown. It’s a jarring reminder that after all this time, Jack still has his secrets. “You do?”

He nods. “It’s been in my family for generations, my granddaddy left it to me. Always thought I’d raise a family there. Houseful of kids, dogs, the whole nine yards,” he says ruefully.

He doesn’t have to tell you why he never did.

The tragic loss of Jack’s wife and unborn son is no secret in the agency, and you might know better than anyone about the hole they left in his life. It’s always broken your heart for him, but the idea of this family home that sits empty but for his ghosts makes it suddenly, achingly easy to imagine Jack building a cradle in the barn and reading bedtime stories and teaching little ones to ride their first horses.

“Maybe it’s not too late,” you offer. “You never know.”

He squeezes your shoulder for an instant, a silent recognition of your kindness, before going on with a breezy sigh. “What about you? You fixin’ to go plant yourself by a pool somewhere with a fancy drink in one hand and a book in the other?”

“What, and not get to play fake criminals at cocktail parties with you?” you scoff. “Not a chance.”

His smile is sharp and sweet as molasses. “Well, I'm always happy to escort the most beautiful woman in the room.”

There’s something so plain and sincere about the sentiment that you’re taken aback.

Jack throws around compliments like other people talk about the weather. But you know when he’s just greasing the wheels of conversation, filling the space between words...and this isn’t it.

Ignoring the rush of heat into your cheeks, you default to the safety of humor. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Agent Whiskey.”

The smirk, the laugh, the sly innuendo you’re expecting don’t come. He shifts to look at you, so close and so handsome it hurts, and the naked admiration in his eyes makes your breath catch in your throat.

“Ain’t flattery, sugarplum.” His thumb travels fleetingly to the bare skin of your neck above the collar of your sweater. “You’re as pretty as a Kentucky sunrise and twice as bright, and that’s the truth.”

“Jack, that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me...that anyone’s ever said to me,” you blurt out, and mean it.

His dimple deepens, and a dash of his usual devilish charm flashes across his face. “Well, if we’re bein’ honest with each other, I must confess to thinkin’ lots of complimentary things about you.”

You can barely hear him over the hammering of your heart.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he drawls. The flicker of his glance to your lips is so quick, you could almost miss it.

But you don’t.

Maybe it’s the whiskey, maybe it’s the wind wailing in the eaves, maybe it’s the thrill of almost being caught by the bad guys, but something prods you on, dares you to play with fire. Your hand shifts almost imperceptibly on his chest, letting the tip of one finger find the warm, tanned skin at the open neck of his shirt.

“And what are you thinking right now?”

Something hot and swaggering flares in his eyes and you know, you know he’s picked up your gauntlet.

“Well, sweetheart...” His hand moves from your shoulder, trailing lazily to the nape of your neck. He tilts his head to watch goosebumps erupt in the wake of his touch before turning that smoldering gaze on your face again. “Right now I’m wonderin’ what you’d say if I were to kiss that pretty mouth.”

“I’d probably ask what took you so long.”

You barely finish the sentence before his hands cradle your face and his lips are on yours, stealing your breath with their plush softness.

Nothing in your experience of lukewarm flirtations and flaky boyfriends has prepared you for Jack’s affections. He’s a force of nature, possessive and generous by turns, and his approving hum when you open for him and the hot slide of his tongue against yours have you clinging to him like you’ll drown if you let go.

It’s only when you’re nearly dizzy that you break away for air. “Jack,” you whisper, sinking a novel of emotions into one syllable.

His lips brush your forehead. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. My beautiful girl.”

“I’ve always been your girl, Jack.” You rest your forehead against his, closing your eyes against the glaring, shimmering audacity of the words. “I love you.”

The exhale that fans over your cheek is your name. Your real name, the one thing he almost never calls you. His hand is gentle, tilting your chin up. “Look at me.”

You gather the nerve to lift your eyes to his, only to find them soft. Happy.

“Honey, I love you.” His dimple makes an appearance with an apologetic smile. “Hell, I was smitten from the first handshake. But you were a new agent, and things were workin’ out so well, I never wanted to upset the applecart by tellin’ you so.”

Your laugh is breathless with relief. “Well, then,” you say, toying with the button that stands between you and his bare chest. “I guess we’ve got some lost time to make up for.”

“Oh, I like the sound of that.” With the agility of his training, he hooks one hand around the back of your knee and the other around your waist and moves you to straddle his lap. His big hands splay across your back to pull you snugly against him as he traces the line of your jaw with his nose. “Now where were we, darlin’?”

Your head is spinning with the nuzzling of his nose over your pulse point and the broad warmth of his chest pressed to yours and the growing hardness under the tight denim of his jeans.

“You were--” You break off in a gasp as his teeth graze the sensitive skin of your neck. “You were kissing me better than anyone else ever has.”

“Baby, I’m gonna make you forget about ever kissin’ anybody else.”

You don’t bother telling him you’re way ahead of him.

Jack’s hair is soft and thick when you weave your fingers into it like you’ve always wanted to, stroking where it hints at curling at the nape. When your hand slips under his collar to shape the strong column of his neck, caress the vulnerable skin under his jaw where his pulse is thundering in time with yours, the low growl in his throat sends heat spiraling straight to your core.

He surges up to capture your mouth again, a hot, demanding crush of lips and tongues that makes you move restlessly against him, wanting more. He doesn’t miss it, and when he slides one hand to your lower back to press you even closer on his muscled thighs every nerve in your body lights up.

“I want you, Jack,” you plead between kisses. “Need you.”

His hands slide underneath your sweater and come to rest, warm and calloused, on the soft skin over your ribs. When you least expect it, he gentles the kiss into something almost chaste and when he pulls away, just enough to look into your face, his eyes have gone solemn.

“Tell me to stop, sweetheart. I will.”

You could burst with love for this man.

“I’ll strangle you with your own lasso if you do.”

Jack barks out a surprised laugh, lighting up with a grin before he goes in for another kiss. “Gonna take care of you, sweet girl.” His voice is silky against your lips. “Gonna give you everything you need.”

His hands move, bringing your sweater with them to whisk it over your head, and you feel the weight of his appreciative gaze roving over your bare skin and sheer bra.

“I can’t remember when I’ve seen anything so gorgeous.” His hands are back at your sides, fingertips teasing at the edges of the purple lace that leaves little to the imagination. When his eyes meet yours again, they’re blown dark and deep with desire. “And I reckon you’d look even prettier spread out for me on that big bed.”

That’s all it takes to have you scrambling to your feet, shimmying out of your leggings and socks as you cover the handful of steps to the luxurious bed that faces the fireplace. You reach for the clasp of your bra, but a click of Jack’s tongue halts your movement.

“Slow down, there, honey.” There’s a hint of command bleeding into his voice that you know well from missions, the sound of him giving orders and expecting them to be obeyed that always kindles a flame in you. “Let your man unwrap his gift.”

A blush warms your cheeks and trickles down your neck as you drop your hands to your sides and wait for him beside the bed, anticipation tingling in your limbs.

Jack has beautiful hands, as graceful as they are strong, but they’ve never been so mesmerizing as they are now, making quick work of his shirt’s buttons and carelessly shedding it to the floor.

You’ve seen him shirtless before -- it’s hardly avoidable when you spend most of your lives together -- but never like this. Never when you’re openly staring at his broad shoulders and lean waist and the smooth planes of his chest, all bronzed in the glow of firelight. And certainly never when he’s calling himself your man and looking at you like he’s starving and you’re his favorite meal.

His arms slide around your waist and the heated press of his skin against yours tears a soft whimper from your throat. He catches it with his mouth, blends it with his own hum of satisfaction in a searing kiss.

He keeps his lips on yours even as he eases you back onto the bed, laying you down on the fluffy comforter with his hand cradling the back of your head. He stands again for as long as it takes to shuck off his jeans and kick them away before he’s crawling over you, settling his warm weight over your body and into your welcoming arms. You’re so swept up in the kiss that reunites you that you barely notice the skillful flick of his fingers that frees you from your bra...until he bends his hot mouth to your breasts and lightning spikes through your veins.

“So perfect,” he praises against your tender skin. “So good for me.”

He’s perfect. Even more than you’ve imagined on the lonely nights when you give yourself over to fantasies just like this, of Jack pressing you into a mattress and murmuring sweet sentiments in that liquor-and-honey voice while his clever hands find you more than ready for him.

A whine escapes you when the cool air of the room suddenly replaces the heat of his body, leaving you bereft.

“Don’t you worry, honey.” Jack’s voice drops an octave, even as a smirk coaxes his dimple out of hiding. “I said I’d take care of you.”

Warm hands slide your panties down your legs and off, and he strips off his own boxers to come back to you in all his naked glory.

His strong biceps cage you in and his mouth finds yours again as your hands roam greedily over golden skin and taut muscles and the hot, hard length between you.

“Jack, you’re so beautiful,” you sigh, over his panting breaths into your neck. “I’ve wanted this. Wanted you, for so long.”

He raises his head to look at you, lush lips parted and eyes blazing. “Honey, you’ve got me. For as long as you’ll have me.”

He kisses you like he’s sealing a promise.

And then he’s inside you, like he belongs there. Maybe he always has.

Every surge of his body, every stroke of his hands, every gritted curse and word of praise pressed to your skin makes stars burst behind your eyelids, and when you’re clutching blindly at his back and keening his name like an incantation, his voice is a desperate rasp in your ear.

“Let go, sweetheart. I’ll catch you.”

You do. And he does.

And when he grips bruises into your thigh and shudders in your arms and buries a broken declaration of love in your hair, you know beyond a doubt there will never be anyone else.

***

If there’s a heaven, Jack’s pretty sure he's died and gone there to be lying in a cloud of down comforters with you tucked close to his side, head pillowed on his shoulder and legs tangled with his own. The bare skin of your back is petal-soft under his stroking fingers as he watches the firelight dance on the ceiling.

“I love you, Jack,” you murmur, and his heart swells too big for the prison bars of his ribs.

“I love you too, sweetheart.” He laces his fingers with yours on his chest, brings them to his lips. “You know, I dreamed about this,” he confesses.

You raise your head, resting your chin on his chest to look at him. “You did?”

“I did. Felt a little guilty about it, if I’m bein’ honest, but I don’t guess I could help it.”

“I won’t hold it against you.” Your eyes sparkle at him in the dim light. “Did I live up to your dreams?”

He smiles, sweeping a stray lock of hair away from your face. “Oh, honey, they couldn’t hold a candle to the real thing.”

You look pleased with that answer, nuzzling a kiss into his neck before settling your head on his shoulder again.

“I can’t wait to get you home,” he muses. “Have you in my own bed.”

He feels you smile against his skin. “As many nights as you want, cowboy.”

“Careful, there. I might take you at your word, you’ll go home and find movers at your place.”

You sigh out a laugh that’s music to his ears and draw idle shapes on his skin with your fingertips in the quiet.

“Jack,” you say again, soft as a peach blossom.

“Yeah, honey?”

“Will you take me to that farmhouse sometime?”

His greedy heart can already see you there, breathing life into the place.

You, perched on the kitchen counter, feet swinging in time with your chatter while he cooks for you. Sitting with him on the porch swing to watch the sunset splash its tapestry of pink and orange and lavender across the sky. Soft and sweet underneath him in the big cherry wood bed, greeting the pale glow of morning with sleepy eyes and kiss-swollen lips.

A backyard wedding.

Tiny, mewling cries in the night and your silhouette framed with moonlight from the picture window while you nurse a baby who has Jack’s eyes back to sleep.

The peace that washes over him is too good to be true, too hopeful for his battered heart, too honest for his life of compromises.

He closes his eyes, drinks it in anyway. Claims it. Squeezes you a little closer in his arms.

This is the dream that lasts.

“That’s a promise, sugarplum.”

#agent whiskey #agent whiskey x reader #jack whiskey daniels #jack whiskey daniels x reader #pedro pascal #kingsman the golden circle #agent whiskey x female reader #jack whiskey daniels x female reader

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alexsfictionaddiction · 2 years ago

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Alex Recommends: July Books

Ok, first things first -I am delighted to announce that as of October, I will be a postgraduate student of Information and Library Studies. I am really excited about where this new adventure is going to take me and I’m hoping that it will lead to a career for the rest of my life. This has come after months of inquiries and work experience, so I’m delighted that it has finally paid off!

In July, I went on my first ever hen do. That’s a bachlorette party to American readers! Next month, I will be a bridesmaid at the wedding of two of my best friends and I can’t wait for that. It was really lovely to spend time with my closest girlfriends and celebrate moving into a new phase in our lives. Sometimes, I forget that we’re in our 30s now and that the next few years will almost certainly bring some big changes. It’s a strange time!

It is getting insanely hot here in the UK. We’ve had a few scorching days recently, including a day where it reached 40 degrees Celcius, which I believe was the hottest day ever here. I have to remind readers who don’t live here that in the UK, air-conditioning isn’t everywhere. Our houses and buildings are built to hold in heat rather than keep us cool. So, you can imagine how unbearable it was for us to have to endure such high temperatures. I think we are due some more warm days in August too but I’m really hoping it doesn’t reach that level again.

In the mean time, I’ve been reading a lot of excellent books that I have to share with you. There is a great mix this month, so I’m pretty sure that you’ll find something to devour!

-Love, Alex x

FICTION: Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola.

Kiki Banjo hosts the popular student radio show Brown Sugar at Whitewell University. She avoids relationships and does her best to make sure that the African-Caribbean women of her university don’t fall for the campus players. Enter Malakai Korede, who Kiki kisses to get rid of her own situationship but then sees listening figures for Brown Sugar nosedive. To get her listenership back up in time to apply for a fantastic professional opportunity and to rescue her reputation, Kiki begins a fake relationship with Malakai, who definitely won’t steal her heart. Kiki and Malakai are very easy to root for and I loved that female friendship and taking down the patriarchy reigns supreme in this cute, heartwarming rom-com. I really appreciated the glimpse into the world of Black creatives and the struggles they face, as this felt very authentic. A really fun, easy read!

HISTORICAL FICTION: Joan by Katherine J. Chen.

In 1412, France is rapidly losing its war with England. The king has vanished and the country’s hopes lay at the feet of a teenage girl, hell-bent on victory and peace. Joan is an epic story of resilience and unimaginable strength. I knew little about Joan of Arc before reading this captivating novel but I now know that she was a woman that everyone can aspire to emulate. It’s a truly heartbreaking tale but the stroke of hope at its end reminded me that the even the darkest times eventually pass.

MIDDLE-GRADE: The Double Trouble Society by Carrie Hope Fletcher.

Maggie and Ivy have been best friends their whole lives and they’re always looking for adventure. Crowood Peak has a dark history of missing children and it’s apparently happening again. The strange thing is that the adults don’t seem to notice. Hokum House has long been empty but now, it appears to have someone living there. Someone who looks a bit witchy. Could she be the key to discovering the truth about the missing children? This whimsical, magical story is so cute and thoroughly engaging. With themes of sisterhood, found family, empowerment and love conquering all, The Double Trouble Society is wonderfully cinematic. I can see it being an adorable Halloween-esque animation! Perfect for fans of Robin Stevens’ Wells & Wong series but with a healthy dose of witchiness!

FANTASY: Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson.

As young girls, Helena, Elle, Leonie and Niamh joined HMRC, a secret government department founded by Queen Elizabeth I. Decades later, Helena is High Priestess of the coven but the others have left the outdated organisation behind. Now a powerful warlock has been captured by authorities and causes a huge problem for Helena. Can the four witches come together to do what’s right? Or will tradition be more important? This heart-rending, unique witch book explores transphobia and sisterhood. There are some great characterisations, dealing with themes of bigotry, acceptance and fighting for what’s right. It leaves us on a huge cliffhanger too, so I can’t wait for the next instalment!

THRILLER: The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell.

Human remains have been found on the banks of the Thames and DI Samuel Owusu finds that the bones are linked to a cold case from 30 years before. Lucy Lamb fled London years ago but now she’s finally back with her children. However, her brother has taken off in search of the boy who was so prevalant in their past. Rachel Rimmer has just heard that her husband Michael has been found dead in his house in France and the police have some questions for her. As these mysteries unravel, it becomes apparent that they share some intricate connections. Following on from The Family Upstairs (yes, you do need to read that one first!), The Family Remains is a complex family drama with a lot of moving parts. There are some fascinating characters embroiled in themes of conspiracy and revenge with a very satisfying ending.

#july books #book recommendations #recommendations #books #bookworm

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killjoyhistoryarchive · 4 years ago

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Mike Milligram: The Lost Killjoy

Edit: On July 21st 2020, a Mike Milligram comic by Gerard Way and Shaun Simon was officially announced. However, I’ll leave this post as it is for future reference.

—

In 2009, while My Chemical Romance fans were eagerly awaiting news on their upcoming album, Gerard Way had another surprise in store: the announcement of a new comic series called “Killjoys.”

Co-written by Shaun Simon and illustrated by Becky Cloonan, Gerard told CBR that the series would “deal with much more mature and controversial themes, such as hate crimes and homophobia, the homogenization of American culture and American life.” Unlike “The Umbrella Academy,” which was set in a fantasy world, “Killjoys” was set in modern-day America.

But what nobody realized was that even after an album, two music videos, and a six-issue comic series, Gerard’s original conception would never see the light of day.

In 2008, Gerard Way and Shaun Simon developed the Killjoys universe in a frenzy of inspiration. Gerard’s original sketch features Mike Milligram on the left–named after Gerard’s brother Mikey Way–with a host of other characters that accompanied Mike on his journey. The comic was announced a year later at San Diego Comic Con, with a release planned in 2010.

With My Chemical Romance wrapping up their fourth album, Gerard and Shaun were ready to start writing. Becky Cloonan drew concept art for Mike Milligram, as well as promotional artwork that they planned to use at the Comic Con announcement. However, the Mike Milligram art was scrapped and replaced with a simple image of the Killjoy spider–a move that could later be seen as prophetic.

In 2009, “Killjoys” was an entirely different concept. There was no Party Poison, no Dr. Death Defying, no Battery City, no girl with special powers. The original comic involved a surreal road trip through America that reunited offbeat characters and confronted harsh realities along the way. In 2013, Shaun Simon offered this description in the introduction to the special hardcover edition of the comics:

The old version of the story focused on Mike Milligram, a late-twenty-something living in a desert trailer park and working a crappy job at a supermarket. Mike’s teenage years were a blur. He couldn’t tell if the things he remembered had actually happened or not. Part of him believed he was part of a gang called the Killjoys who fought fictional things in the real world. The other part of him believed it was all just a dream. Music was the only thing that kept Mike going, so when the music was erased from his Ramones tape, it sent him over the edge. He went out and got his old teenage gang, who were now living normal lives, back together because, yes, it was all real. Other members of his gang included Ani-Max, now a high school history teacher; Code Blue, a rabble-rouser who was a working girl in Vegas; Monster, a new young member they met on the road; and Kyle 100%, who was a B-list actor now. They all had strange powers based on objects. Halloween masks and costume accessories, puffy jackets, toy ray guns. It was a story about a group of old friends getting together and discovering what America really was. Reaching deep inside its pretty facade and pulling out the ugly guts. (It was semiautobiographical. I toured with Gerard and his band for a couple of years before realizing I needed to find my own path.) The gang would have found out that another former gang had now become the largest health care corporation in the country and were hell bent on making the world a safe and clean place by removing all that was dirty, like the Ramones. It would have been a great story, and I’m sure parts will end up in Gerard’s and my’s future work.

Of course, we all know what happened after that announcement. After Gerard took a fateful week-long trip to the desert, MCR decided to scrap “Conventional Weapons” and fueled their energy into writing “Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.” But even as Gerard delved into this new post-apocalyptic version of the Killjoy universe, the comics remained the same. As late as 2011, Gerard claimed in an interview with Artrocker that the comics hadn’t changed at all:

No, none of the characters, even our characters, are in it. It is a completely separate thing, even almost a separate setting. It shares all the ideals behind the record and the theories and the commentary but it is nothing like the videos you have seen. I think the car is probably the only thing that’s the same!

But as the band took on more responsibilities–filming music videos, promoting the album, going on tour–the comics kept getting pushed back. First the release planned for 2010; then it was pushed back to 2011. And while the era had kicked off without a hitch, MCR eventually hit one of the first of many roadblocks: they didn’t have enough money to film the third video. So as Shaun Simon told CBR, the original story featuring Mike Milligram was scrapped, and replaced with the story of the girl and the Ultra Vs:

[A]fter the record, Gerard had built this whole world around the Killjoys. When it came time for the comic, Gerard called me up and said, “We ran out of money. We wanted to make the third video, but we don’t have the money. So do you want to make the idea for that video into a comic?” We started talking about ideas, and we had so many that it turned into this whole series.

In an interview with Paste (2013), Gerard went into more detail about the process:

The deal is that I had written three videos (“Na Na Na,” “Sing,” and “The Only Hope For Me Is You”), and the third video had never gotten made. By the time we had completed the second video, we just ran out of budget money. At the time, somebody was managing us and not keeping an eye on this stuff. Long story short, there was no budget. So I wrote a video, and of course it ends up being the most expensive one, as the last part would usually be. But we couldn’t make it! Killjoys started its life as a very different comic. It was heavily-rooted in nineties Vertigo post-modernism. There’s a lot of very cool, abstract ideas in it; I wouldn’t even call it a superhero book. That (comic) was a visual and thematic inspiration on what would become the album Danger Days. It was pretty loose, though. This was going to be my interpretation of the story, so there’s way more science fiction involved. And what I need to say to the world needed to be a little more direct, so I boiled it down to something that’s still very smart and challenging, but I thought was definitely easier to understand through song or visual. Then (Killjoys artist) Becky Cloonan drew a 7-inch for “The Only Hope For Me Is You,” which was going to be the last video single. I realized I was out of budget, so I said ‘just make this the girl from the first and second video at 15. And have her shave her head or chop her hair off like in The Legend of Billie Jean, because that’s how the video was supposed to start.’ So (Cloonan) sends this drawing over and I’m on tour with Blink 182 in a hotel on an off day. I get this drawing and I’m so immediately blown away by it. I call Shaun, my co-writer and co-creator, and I say ‘open your email, I’m going to send you something.’ I ask him ‘how does this image make you feel?’ We talked for two hours. By the end of the conversation we both realized that that image was the comic, and the third video was basically the comic. So we figured how we were going to make this interesting and exciting for six issues and complete the story. And that was the final direction. It was pretty obvious to us.

In a way, Mike Milligram’s spirit lived on, as fans noticed the similarities between Mike Milligram and Party Poison. But it’s inaccurate to say that Mike Milligram became Party Poison, though “Party Poison’s real name is Mike Milligram” became a persistent rumor in the fandom. Mike’s story was not Poison’s; he wasn’t a post-apocalyptic rebel, but a teenager searching for his identity in modern America.

Will Mike Milligram’s story ever be told? At this point, it’s not likely. But his tale offers a glimpse into the creative minds of Gerard Way and Shaun Simon, and makes us ponder the fact that with a few changes–the comics being released earlier, for instance, or MCR having the money to fund the third video–the comics could have been entirely different.

#my chemical romance #mcr #killjoys #gerard way #shaun simon #becky cloonan #articles #mike milligram #reuploads

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amanda-glassen · 3 years ago

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spooky/autumn Jerena prompt: Jamie and Serena’s first Halloween together

This isn't exactly Halloween night, but it's their first October together. I know these are supposed to be drabbles so I'm sorry that this turned out to be over 2,000 words.

The best summer of Jamie’s life had come to an end. With Serena having summers off, it gave them an opportunity to spend every moment of their free time together－as long as Serena was home by the time the streetlights went on. Now that Olivia was 11, she was allowed to go for bike rides with her best friend Elliot and have other outside adventures with her friends without parental supervision the entire summer; however, just as Serena had a summer curfew, so did Olivia. Jamie had yet to meet Serena’s daughter, but it warmed her heart to hear Serena talk about her.

She had met Serena in late April and, although they had been seeing each other for five months now, she still found herself in disbelief that Serena was really hers to kiss whenever she wanted. Jamie admired how intelligent and sophisticated she was－mixing designer labels with vintage finds and always looking straight out of a magazine with perfectly applied makeup and not a strand of hair out of place. Serena had traveled to more places before age five than she had in her entire life and Jamie loved hearing stories about the places she had been and even the stories about her day-to-day life as a professor. Jamie was in awe of this woman and, it was during a picnic in the park one summer afternoon, that Jamie realized she was in love with this woman－even if she wasn’t officially her girlfriend yet.

She hadn’t heard much from Serena throughout the past week and Jamie had chocked it up to Serena being busy with work and Olivia’s after school activities now that the summer was over. Olivia was her priority and Jamie was never upset about Serena having to cancel a date because Olivia wasn’t feeling well or she had a last-minute emergency, but with Serena cancelling a second date, Jamie worried she had done something to upset her.

Jamie was ready to apologize even if she wasn’t sure what to apologize for, so she picked up some flowers and made her way over to Serena’s apartment. She was going over unannounced and she wasn’t sure if Serena would be receptive, but she didn’t care. She missed her and, if there was a possibility that she was sick, Jamie wanted to be the one to take care of her.

Jamie knocked on the door, flowers in hand, ready to surprise her, but when Serena opened the door it was Jamie that received the surprise of her life.

She looked wide-eyed at the woman who answered the door in black sweatpants and a Texas Chainsaw Massacre hoodie. Her curly hair was in a messy ponytail, but the icing on the cake were the black framed glasses and retainer she was wearing. “Serena?”

Serena looked at her in absolute terror before motioning for her to come in. She hadn’t said a word regardless of how much Jamie tried to talk to her. Instead she reached for her phone and texted, “Have a seat. I’ll be right back.”

Jamie looked around at the Halloween decor in Serena’s apartment. She had expected her Halloween decorations to look like the ones she saw in magazines－minimalist and classy. Instead she saw fake blood smeared in random places, some demonic-looking statue in the corner, and the crowning jewel: a replica of Leatherface’s chainsaw with the words ‘The Saw is Family’ engraved on it. It may not have had a chain on it but it still scared the hell out of Jamie. Who is this woman?

Serena was gone for a little over a minute, but when she came back, Jamie noticed she was no longer wearing her glasses and retainer. She cuddled up to Jamie on the couch, wrapping an arm around her waist and resting her head on her shoulder. “Thanks for the flowers.” They were now lying next to the chainsaw and Jamie found the contrast between the two funny.

“Oh, now you’re talking to me,” Jamie teased. “I’m curious though. How would ‘thanks for the flowers’ sound with your retainer?”

Serena playfully pinched Jamie’s side. “When you’re dating a woman, you’re supposed to warn her before you come over. You don’t just drop by unannounced, but now that you’ve seen my true form, I’m going to have to kill you.”

Jamie looked around. “Judging by all the blood everywhere, I doubt I’m the first person you’ve killed today. Is that why you didn’t text me back this morning? Too busy hiding the body?”

“Dismembering it in the bathtub,” Serena said nonchalantly. “I guess you can say it’s a regular bloodbath in there.”

Jamie couldn’t help rolling her eyes, especially when she saw how pleased Serena looked with herself. “I’m trying not to humor you because I know it’ll only encourage you, but I can’t get over this.”

“Get over what?”

“How you look right now.” Jamie leaned in to kiss her. “I know you’re usually immaculately dressed but I like this version of you. You’re so relaxed and cute. Where’s Olivia? I hope I’m not ruining some mother/daughter time.”

“She’s at a sleepover with some girls from her volleyball team. I just broke our date because I felt like being alone today.”

“Oh,” Jamie tried to hide her disappointment. “I can go. I was just worried that－”

“No, don’t,” Serena interrupted her. “I haven’t been in the best mindset and I think it’d be better if you were here with me.”

What she was going through, Jamie didn’t know, but those big hazel eyes pleading with her to stay, there was no way Jamie was going to leave her. “Of course, baby. I’ll stay as long as you want me to.”

Jamie didn’t know what they’d spend the rest of their time doing, but she decided to let Serena take the lead. It was early October and, although it wouldn’t last until Halloween, Serena decided it was time for them to carve pumpkins. Jamie used a scooper, but when she looked over at Serena she noticed her scooper was untouched and she was taking out the insides with her bare hands.

“I love the feeling of pumpkin guts,” Serena told her and Jamie had to admit she looked adorable with her hands all slimy and full of seeds and pumpkin insides, so adorable that she became distracted and touched her fingertips to a small knife they used for carving instead of a scooper.

“Ow!” Jamie immediately rushed over to the sink to rinse the blood.

“Let me get you a Band-Aid.”

“No, it’s fine,” Jamie insisted once she realized how she must look right now. She had always tried to be tough around Serena, but she could no longer hide that blood made her squeamish.

Serena rushed over to wrap her arms around her from behind. “You’re squeamish, aren’t you?”

“No,” Jamie scoffed, but she could tell Serena wasn’t buying it. “Yes, a little. Judging by your decor, I take it blood doesn’t bother you.”

“Not really,” Serena led her back to the table. “I’m the mother of a tomboy. Olivia is always coming home with some type of new injury. Plus, I was a really rambunctious kid, myself.”

“You?” Jamie asked in disbelief. “I don’t believe it.”

Serena lifted up one of the legs of her sweatpants just slightly above the knee. “This looks way smaller than it did when I was 10, but I got this from falling off a skateboard.”

“You know how to skate?”

“No,” Serena rolled her pant leg down. “Hence the scar.”

“Okay, I got one for you,” Jamie lifted the hem of her t-shirt a few inches. “My cousins and I were taking turns pushing each other in a shopping cart and we were going so fast that it toppled over and that’s how I got this scar.”

“Impressive,” Serena smiled at her. “I love a woman who walks on the wild side.” She took off her hoodie and pointed out a round scar on her arm that Jamie had seen before but never asked how she had gotten it. “I got this from a roman candle on the fourth of July when I pretended to be the Statue of Liberty.”

“Your parents let you play with fireworks as a kid?”

“Not exactly,” Serena chuckled. “It was three years ago and I was drunk off my ass.”

They continued trying to one-up each other until Jamie noticed a deep horizontal scar on Serena’s left wrist. Serena usually wore a watch or bracelets and, because she didn’t want to get it ruined by the ‘pumpkin guts’ she had taken it off. She had told Jamie stories about skateboarding, pretending to be the Statue of Liberty and the many scars she had gotten from performing her own Jackass stunts with her siblings when they were in middle school, so Jamie knew this deep scar had to have a good story to go along with it. She’s probably saving the best for last. Jamie gently grabbed Serena’s wrist and pointed out the scar. “What’s this one from, babe?”

“Jamie, stop,” Serena mumbled, trying to pull her wrist away.

“Can I take a guess?”

“Stop!” Serena forcefully pulled her wrist away from Jamie’s grasp and rolled her sleeve down. “I knew this wasn’t a good idea. I think you should go home.”

She had never seen Serena upset before and Jamie didn’t know how to react. She was covering her face with her hands, but Jamie could tell she was crying. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Get out!” Serena yelled. “I don’t want to see you anymore!”

But Jamie didn’t leave her. Instead, she walked over to Serena and sat down in the chair next to her. “I’m not going to touch you until you give me permission to and if you really want me to leave I’ll leave.”

Serena reached for her hand and Jamie noticed the pleading look in her eyes. “Please don’t leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

Jamie laid on the couch with Serena on top of her. The woman who was so vibrant just moments ago now looked so fragile and all Jamie wanted to do was hold her for as long as she’d allow.

“Girls aren’t supposed to do it this way.”

“What, baby?” Jamie asked as she caressed her back.

“I heard it on some stupid TV show that girls take pills and boys slit their wrists. I was 13. I didn’t know how to swallow pills yet. The only way I could swallow pills was if my mom put them in ice cream. This seemed like the logical alternative.”

“Babe, you don’t have to answer this,” Jamie gently caressed her. “But, what was the－”

“You’re going to ask what my reason was,” Serena interrupted her. “I’ll tell you that in time. For now, I’ll just say something happened to me repeatedly when I was 13 and I felt like this was the only way to get him to stop. My brother Kyle was the one who found me. He was only 11 and it took years for him to get the image out of his mind. I’ll never forgive myself for the damage I caused him.”

“Baby, no,” Jamie tried to hold back her own tears. “I’m sure he’s just glad you’re okay. I’m sure we all are. Is there anything I can do to make it all better for you?”

Serena lifted her head up so she could kiss Jamie’s tears. “I’m okay now, Jay. I promise. It takes me awhile to open up. Sometimes I live inside my head and need to be alone, but I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I have my family, my career, my Olliegator who is my entire world, and now I have you. I know the pace I’ve set for us is slow, but I want to be your girlfriend someday if you still want me to be.”

“There’s no one I’d rather have as a future girlfriend. We can take as much time as you need. I’ll always be here for you.”

Jamie spent the rest of the night holding her as they watched movies and talked. The woman she had gotten to know over the summer was just an act because she thought she had to be perfect, but that day she met the real Serena and, as she fell asleep in her arms, Jamie knew without a doubt that this was the woman she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

#jerena #alex and liv: the wonder years

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entityskillcount-archive · 3 years ago

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Thoughts on everyone in the realms?

"Short Answer; I made a chart. Not a well drawn chart, mind you, but a chart. Sometimes you don't wanna put effort into drawing 50 something faces"

"Long answer, uh....well lemme go down the list"

Claudette: My Starflower~!! She's so sweet and kind and amazing in trials and every time I see her I swoon a little- I love her so much~ Dwight: He's cute- And he's a good leader, despite his nervous personality, he knows how to bring a group together. Final guy potential. Ash: ....Don't...Tell him I said this? But uh....Evil Dead was one of my biggest comfort series, the thing that got me through losing both my parents....the thing that helped me transition, pick my name, and fueled my FX hobby. And I'm still attached, even realizing he's a real person and all- But...it's weird to just, be upfront with something like that, so I'm just...burying it as best as I can. David: He's a little rough around the edges but he’s good to have in a trial, plus when you can get past the walls, he’s nice to talk to. Kate: Her music by the campfire is calming and she’s such a sweetheart. If we were in a better situation I’d love to learn Guitar from her, but, it’s hard when you’re a moment away from a trial at any given time. Amalthea (@askthewidowstars OC): She judged my entire vibe but jokes on her I’m the one who snagged a cutie for life- Meg: If I had a dollar for every time she left me for dead I would have enough money to paint the entire campfire in solid gold. The only time we’ve ever properly talked was about SAW traps and 90% of it was her admitting she could beat every single trap because she was ‘built different’ Jeff: He’s a sweetheart and really nice to be around. Sometimes when we’re by the campfire in our downtimes I’ll let him draw on my arm. it kinda makes me want a tattoo, honestly. If we ever get out of here, I might get one. Steve: Bros!! We kinda make up team ‘Altruistic Himbo’, Plus the ‘Babysitter/Brother’ Vibes mesh really well. I kinda wanna re-style his hair though, mostly because it looks fluffy, and nice to play with. Quentin: Bros!! We’re gonna make matching T-Shirts about committing Arson on Freddy in particular. He’s fun to hang around in our downtime, and I hope there’s a chance he can get some actual rest, even in here. He deserves it. Adam: If Dwight wasn’t the leader I feel like he’d take over the Reigns. I feel like he’s the calm type that doesn’t handle energetic types well though. Which, y’know, makes things hard. Nea: Anytime I see her she’s either sneaking around the map and watching everyone get killed, or doing something stupid to get herself killed. I’d get grey hair if We were actually friends. Feng: Gamer bros- I got to find out we actually played a lotta the same stuff before we were taken by the Entity. We get a chance to nerd out in between trials- Laurie: Best Final Girl hands down. I kinda hope she can teach me Decisive Strike one day- I feel like its also just a little awkward since again, still a fan of Myers Nancy: She doesn’t agree that Demo’s a good boy, which makes sense, but we but heads over it. Also I’m pretty sure she wants me dead for touching the bones around the map one too many times. They’re just too tempting.... Jake: He’s pretty quiet, but he’s helpful in trials. I heard he’s been to a convention a few times, but I don’t think he’s actually into it as much as I thought...Which kinda sucks. I’d love more cosplay buddies y’know? Yui: Kinda makes me want a motorbike. We don’t talk but she seems really cool. A little too cool to me around if that makes sense. Yun-Jin: She benefits off of throwing everyone else under the bus. And 90% of the time she will throw everyone under the bus. Even if she needs actual help to escape the trial. Cheryl: Cheryylll!! She’s really cool and honestly would add her to the ‘Can kill god if she was not nerfed’ Squad. Especially since y’know, she has- I bet if we got enough of the kids together we could just beat the Entity’s ass. I know she could. Tapp: Always been a fan of Tapp before I was taken, although I feel like he’d wanna arrest me if we weren’t in the Entity’s Realm. I might be a little too excited for my own good about Kramer’s work. I don’t think he’d believe the fact its a movie either. Ace: He’s kinda like the Uncle of the group around the campfire, but, coming into trials, He’s still for saving his own skin- You can also only stand dad jokes for so long. Especially in an eternity like this. Leon: He’s cool!!! I got so excited first realizing He and Jill were here, and I wanna get a chance to talk to him about everything that went down, but Haven’t got the chance. He’s nice inside of Trials though, usually doesn’t leave anyone behind. Not a fan of getting blinded though. Jill: She knows how to lead the trials well, and I look up to her a lot. She’s always been such a badass!! Bill: If Bill gets his hands on a weapon the entire Realm would be fucked. Badass as hell and Kinda scary. Another one on the list of ‘Entity needed to Nerf’ Felix: You’d think a Childless Father and a Fatherless son would be able to bond a bit more, but, I think we each kinda get the same vibe of homesickness from one another. He’s kind though, and it’s neat to see his work whenever we’re by the campfire. Elodie: She’s better at helping out than most of the others, but she’s still in a survival of the fittest mindset. I loved hearing about her studies from before she was taken though. I feel like if we had more time we could dig deeper into this whole world and what its about. But we don’t get that- Zarina: We just don’t really click as much, honestly. I’d love to get to know her better but I think she’s more into digging into the killers and what she can find out about this place. Which y’know, could be better done with a team. Sage (@askthewidowstars OC): HUSBAND!!! My husband. I love him to the Moon and back. He’s amazing and I miss him even when we’re five feet apart- ...I need a hug now- Amanda: Best girl hands down!! We vibed a lot in between Trials talking about her traps and old designs, she was impressed by my knowledge, and we hang out in Gideon sometimes! Ghostface: He’s pretty cute- Also fun to be around, even if he’s kind of a dick when he’s actually at work, it’s better when you’re outside of a Trial. It’s also neat to see he’s not just two idiots in a halloween costume and his own person, as much as I love the Scream Series, too- Leatherface: Bubba!!! Honestly I’d handle being chainsawed. Fuckin Love Bubba- Huntress: I wanna learn how to throw hatchets but I know I never will. She’s kinda scary, but also I feel like if she could adopt some of the others in the Realms, she totally would. Oni: The only times I’ve ever really seen him is just before my skull gets bashed in. All I really have associated to him is the splitting headache. Twins: I’m gonna punt Victor into the sun. I haven’t been good around kids beforehand and this tiny gremlin motherfucker just makes it worse. Pinhead: I was so excited to see him!! He’s one of the few that talks more often than not in a trial, and he’s always had this air of elegance about him which makes it so much cooler! I’d be tempted to grab the box to solve it, but, at the same time Dwight’s already been hunted. I just...want to see how it works, really. Maybe if I ask nicely? Nah, probably not. Pyramid Head: He’s so fucking COOL!!! He’s always just been really fucking cool and I still get stars in my eyes. I wanna re-create his weapon one day. Joey: Joey’s one of the chill killers to be around, probably my favorite amongst the legion. Also Cosplay gang?? Hello? Susie: She’s cute!! I like her vibes whenever there’s not violence involved. I wonder if she’d ever get into costume making, she has the artistic eye for it. I also wonder if she’d ever dye other people’s hair...I’d kinda want green tips one day- Frank: Still wanna throw a palette at him. He’s one of the more serious of the Legion, and usually the one you’d find with a Mori. Not as Serious as Julie but only because he has the cocky god complex to go with it. Julie: She’s definitely the most serious out of the Legion. There’s no real rest whenever we’re in a trial against her. Scary as hell and less of a bastard than the other three. Hillbilly: I know he deserved a lot better than this, especially after hearing more about him. I...Haven’t gotten to see much than the end of his chainsaw though. Blight: This dude’s singlehandedly bringing back my fear of needles and I thought I lost that with HRT- Also like, dude spits up orange fuckin everywhere. Michael: My Mans!! I always get a little excited knowing we’re up against him. It’s habit- It’s kinda weird to see him easily affected by like, palettes or flashlights though. Spirit: She seems like she could be nice when there’s some downtime. I’m also one of the few that can understand her well enough, which probably makes things easier. I found out she’s basically my age when I survived a trial by myself. I’d hope to hang out more sometime. Nemesis: God he’s so fucking tall. Kinda surprised it was Nemesis out of everyone that could’ve been brought, and also, kinda terrified? Still am kinda terrified. I’m surprised he hasn’t just torn up an entire map yet. His zombie minions are also annoying. Wraith: All this motherfucker does is roll up to pull me off Gens and Exist as a problem. I don’t see much of him outside of a Trial. Trapper: Motherfucker Incarnate. If the Entity lets us throw hands I’m fighting him first. Freddy: ....Gross. I liked the Nightmare on Elm Street series a lot, but...Freddy as a person? Ew. Especially this iteration. Demogorgon: Demopuppy!! He’s a good boy and he deserves to get treats. Even if the Treats are flesh....I wonder if he likes candy though. Trickster: Pretty!! He also Gives me DIO vibes because of the Jacket and the Knife throwing...Imagine if a killer could stop time...that’d be terrifying. Deathslinger: I wanna sit down and look at his gun more but I also feel like if I ask I’d just get shot on sight. Intimidating as hell but also cool. Mary: ....Still on the very complicated ‘Ex Girlfriend that murdered me’ State. It’s hard to avoid her though. Especially since she wants to get back together since we’re stuck here. Nurse: She does not help my fear of Hospitals, honestly. While she’s easy to go up against, it’s still eugh. Plague: I really, really hate her power. The Sickness and the Vomit is just- Eughhhhh- It just hits every bad sensory issue at once. Clown: ...I get killers are Killers and aren’t supposed to be good people but also like....Disgusting. Please Remove from the Realm. He’s just- ...Ew. Doctor: NOPE. NO. NEVER. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO.

#asks #anonymous #God this was so much to write out

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graceslavenderhaze · 4 years ago

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haunted {connor stevens}

synopsis: connor knows your soul and you know his.

authors note:

friends to lovers? fuck yes! forbidden love? hell yes! ‘no one gets me like you’? double hell yes! ‘we balance each other out because we’re exact opposites?’ triple yes!

also readers outfits are high key inspired by the iconic julie molina bc she’s a style queen.

fem! reader because request asked for a female reader, usually i write gender neutral unless specified.

i threw another jatp easter egg bc we haven’t gotten a renewal and i am on the borderline of becoming feral.

also this is going to be split into two parts for maximum angst and fluff purposes.

Your parents were always hard on you. Tough love was their specialty, as one would say. So they had certain expectations for you. They wanted the best for you. So there were rules to make sure you always did the best. No going out late on school nights. No slacking off in school. No disobeying.

However any adult who had ever been a teenager should’ve know that challenging authority is a coming of age tradition. You snuck out on school nights for midnight society meetings. You managed to keep good grades in school while being involved in a few clubs to look good for college applications. And for your parents sake you’d managed to be obedient almost all of high school. The ‘perfect girl next door’.

But it was all bullshit. The only person who ever managed to see through it was Connor Stevens. There never was an odder pairing to walk the halls of shadow bay high school than the two of you. He rocked the classic ‘dark and distressed’ aesthetic. He was on the wrestling team and was popular. He was a natural born risk taker and ignored everything that had a warning sign.

You on the other hand were everything Connor wasn’t. You clashed standing next to him with the bright colors you usually wore in your daily outfits and bracelets that adorned your wrists. You were in the environmental club, art club and theatre. You weren’t popular is the same sense Connor was, sure people knew your name but you were nice to everyone so it was a given that no one forgot the girl who gave out lollipops on valentines day so no one felt left out. You strayed away from trouble and gave distance to warning signs.

You met Connor through Hanna, well sort of, she was in environmental club with you and eventually talked to the midnight society about accepting a new member, you. Everyone knew of with you ,except Connor. He swore he’d heard your name before but he couldn’t put a face to that name at all. So he’d hung around after one of your environmental club meetings with the intention of bumping into Hanna and her introducing him to you. But the day he’d hung around Hanna had a dentist appointment and not knowing anything about Connor’s plan whatsoever, he was left in the dark.

September, sophomore year

Connors eyes skimmed over the crowd of various classmates but he failed to find his red headed friend, his lack of subtlety gave him away. You were walking with your friends Carrie and Kayla. When you noticed the lanky boy dressed in all black. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” You said to your friends as you parted ways. Once Connor noticed you he tried his best to look as if he wasn’t spying.

“Hey.” You introduced yourself playing with the strap of your backpack as your looked at your classmate who was currently leaning against a tree. He turned acting as if he hadn’t been caught by you. “Hi. I was just.. hanging around.” He said brushing several fallen leaves off of his jacket that had fallen from the light fall breeze that had started to roll in.

You nodded, “You totally weren’t spying or anything like that right?” You crossed your arms in front of you. His face went slightly red with embarrassment before he started to stutter. “N-no. I was waiting for Hanna.” He said with composure.

You laughed dipping your head down for a second before looking up at him again. “She had a dentist appointment today.” His face drops flat. You tilt your head. “I knew that.” He rebuttal quickly.

“You’re Connor right?” You asked. “You’ve heard of me?” He asked with confidence. “Oh yeah, Hanna talks about her friends a lot. Luke, the mr. perfect, Gabby, the smartest girl she knows, Jai, the comic book nerd that everyone loves and Connor, the lanky stalker.” You said with a satisfied smile.

“I’m not a stalker.” He defended himself. You nodded. “I’m Y/n and I’m not a stalker either.” You said with a wink before you walked away. Connor smiled to himself before pulling out his phone and clicking the messages app.

October, sophomore year

You laid on your bed, clad in your costume aimlessly scrolling through your instagram feed. Your parents had given you a sun down curfew and due to daylight savings it was dark by six. Halloween was your favorite holiday and you felt like a prisoner in your own house. It wasn’t fair, you followed their rules and were in turn met with more rules and restrictions.

You sat up sighing, you had been so excited about this night for weeks. Hearing rustling at your window you stand up and cross towards it. Startled slightly when you see Connor there in his ghost face costume. You opened your window leaning against the frame.

“What are you doing still inside its halloween!” He said with excitement, like a kid in the candy store. If anyone loved halloween more than you, Connor came neck and neck. “I’m aware it’s halloween and keep your voice down.” You said to him looking back at your bedroom door listening for your parents footsteps before turning your attention back to Connor.

“Are you grounded?” He asked with a hint of confusion in his voice as to why you would be grounded. You didn’t answer, which only egged him on. “What’d you do?” He scoffed almost not believing you had it in you to do anything bad. You cross your arms sitting back against the windowsill. He noticed your mood change.

“Hey, you can tell me what’s wrong you know.” He said gently, no longer mocking or teasing. He laid his hand on top of yours his thumb stroking back and forth. “I didn’t do anything. I do everything they ask of me and it’s never good enough. They gave me a sun down curfew.” You said to him making sure your volume stayed low in fear of alerting your parents you weren’t alone.

Connors eyebrows furrowed, “The sun went down at six. Seth has a later curfew than you.” He joked as he let out a laugh but once he noticed that you weren’t amused he stopped. “Sorry.” You let out a frustrated groan, “ I get perfect grades, I act like the perfect daughter that they want at my own expense, I sacrifice my own personality for them and its never enough.” You said looking out at the sky that had a full moon.

Connor sat there in the full moonlight. Your colorful bracelets were discarded, your smile that always was on your face was gone, your eyes were slightly teary eyed, and looking slightly past you saw your room. your doors had artwork and posters on the back but the rest of the room was calm.

“I think you’re enough. I know you’re enough.” He said in almost a whisper but even if he said it any louder no one else would hear other than the stars and the moon. Your attention turned back to him. “You’re just saying that.” You said looking down at your lap. He placed a finger under your chin and lifted your head back up so your gaze was back on him.

“No i’m not. I’ll say it everyday until you start to believe it if i have to.” He said looking in your eyes. “I really want to kiss you. Is that okay?” Your voice was so quiet that if Connor wasn’t so close he probably wouldn’t have heard it. He smiled, “Yeah, that’s okay.” You leaned in and closed the gap between the two of you. Through all of this Connors hand was still enveloped over yours. Breaking apart with huge smiles you both giggled.

“C’mon, we have halloween plans and your parents are asleep on the couch downstairs.” He said standing up and outstretching his hand to you. You hesitated, you’d never snuck out before. “You trust me right?” He said. “Duh.” You said.

Turning around you grabbed a jacket then, went into your desk drawer grabbing your array of colorful bracelets and hastily putting them on. Turning around Connor still had a hand outstretched for you as you slipped your shoes on. Climbing through your window and regrettably, looking down.

“Have you never snuck out before?” Connor said concerned about the way you were looking at the ground. You turned your head and shook it. He nodded. “I got you.” He grabbed your hands and lead you along the incline of the roof. Turning around so he could climb down. “It’s okay.” He said before climbing down leaving you up alone. You swallowed hard, was it too late to go back inside?

“Okay, swing your legs over the ledge.” He said in a hushed tone. You hesitated for a second before slowly moving over the ledge. “There you go!” Eventually you got your legs steadily over the ledge. “Okay so place your right foot right there and then turn around and place your left foot parallel.” Your fear filled eyes met Connors. “I’m right here.” At a turtle speed you started to shift down the shaft. Slipping once or twice and white knuckle gripping the side of the shaft.

“Are you okay?” You swallowed. “Is it easier getting up than down?” You asked. “Much.” He said bluntly coming closer to make sure you’d be okay if you slipped. “Thank fuck.” You nervously laughed. “Okay now just go down one at a time.” He said standing at the bottom ready to catch you when you got to the bottom.

“There’s no more.” You said after your foot slipped. “Yeah now you jump.” He said. “You said nothing about jumping.” You argued. “You’re a foot and a half off the ground, i’ll catch you. I promise.” He said. You turned looking down. “Do i just let go?” You said hesitantly, part of you wishes you stayed in your bedroom. But part of you is glad you didn’t.

“Yeah. I’m gonna put my hands on your waist, is that okay?” He asked looking up at you. “Whatever gets me on the ground faster.” You said as you felt his hands fall onto your waist. After a few moments you loosened your grip on the shaft and then completely let go putting all your trust into Connor.

Falling into his chest and your feet plant onto the ground your eyes stay shut as a reflex. Once you were still you opened them, turning around you looked at Connor who had a hard time reading your face. You started laughing. “I just snuck out. With a boy. That i kissed! My heart is racing!” You said taking Connors hand and placing it against your chest. He smiled looking at you.

present day

“You are blowing things out of proportion.” You said to your mother as you were practically prison marched into your house. She scoffed at you. “Oh i’m blowing things out of proportion! What have we talked about and instilled into you your whole life?” She said rhetorically, she didn’t want an answer but you had one granted she wouldn’t like it. Your dad stood by the door silently as if you’d make a run for it.

“To do everything and anything to be perfect regardless of who you have to destroy even if you destroy yourself!” You exclaimed crossing your arms. If your parents wanted to play manipulation games you could too, after all you were their daughter.

“We break our backs to give you amazing opportunities and this is how you repay us? Lying and going behind our backs? Like an ungrateful brat!” Your father finally spoke up. You were never ungrateful for those opportunities, you just wanted to be a normal kid and when you were with your friends you felt like one.

“I never said i was ungrateful! I just want to be a normal teenager, hang out with my friends and be myself! You guys have made me disregard all mentions of who i am for the sake of this nuclear family image that you so desperately want to achieve.” You said spilling out years of emotions. You hadn’t known how long they’d been in there. Bubbling over and just poisoning your happiness.

“You just want to hang out with that trashy shawn hunter wannabe!” Your mother exclaimed about Connor. Low blow to an already low battle. “This has nothing to do with Connor and he’s actually a really great person! The only person who seems to care about the real me.” You exclaimed. Your parents were slack jawed.

“You are to never hang out with that boy again, do you understand us?” Your father said coldly. You were taken aback. Your heart had sunken to your stomach. “We forbid it.” Your mother added on. “You forbid it?” You scoffed.

“Do you understand?” Your father asked again. You crossed your fingers behind your back. “Crystal clear.” As you turned to go upstairs to your bedroom tears of anger and frustration filled your eyes. Opening your bedroom door and closing it shut. You looked at your window, you were already in trouble. What’s a little more? Shooting Connor a text you then climbed out your window. Connor was right, it did get easier the more you did it.

After a sneaking around to his house being quick to avoid anyone who you knew would tell your parents about seeing you, you made it there in the average fifteen minutes it usually took to get to his house. “You look like you need a hug.” He immediately after opening the door pulling you into his awaiting arms. You wrapped your arms around his torso. You pulled away and he gently grabbed your chin a sad look washed over his face. “You’ve been crying.” His tone wasn’t questioning it was more of a matter of a factual.

Your silence only proved what he thought. “Please just talk to me, i hate seeing you upset.” You exhaled a breath you didn’t know you’d even inhaled. He grabbed your hand and lead you to his couch for you both to sit down. He threaded his fingers and yours together, a habit both of you developed during the time you’d started dating.

“My parents found out about everything and now they’re forbidding me from seeing you.” You said with a bitter tone in your voice, through the whole year you’d managed to keep everything up. Your grades, your attendance in the clubs, and anything else that tied to your limbs pulling you like the puppet your parents treated you as. “Did you sneak out to see me?” He said with a smirk.

“Possibly.” You said quickly biting down a smile causing him to lean in and steal a quick kiss.

“Wow i’ve really corrupted you.” He whispered, up close you noticed the eyebags from the lack of sleep, his room had light shining that was brighter than usual, and a quick look into the kitchen when you first walked in showed freshly brewed coffee. “Are you okay?” You asked. You could tell the gears in his head were turning at half speed.

“I’m always okay when you’re around.” He said slyly. You didn’t wanna pry but he looked exhausted. “Did you sleep last night? Like at all?” You said softly. He looked down. “Con, what’s going on.” He thought for a moment about telling you but he couldn’t. He’d be putting you in direct danger, offering you straight to the shadowman. So he did what he did best to protect those he cared best about, he pushed away.

“Why do you care?” He said swallowing harshly, protecting you was breaking his own heart in the process in a way he thinks might not be fixable. You were taken aback. “”Because i love you, i have since halloween.” The pieces that broke? Yeah they just shattered into more pieces, those pieces all loved you fully.

“Your parents are right, i’m not good for you.” He had to hold his own tears back before continuing. “You shouldn’t be here.” You had tears welling up in your eyes for the second time that evening. Both your broken hearts were breaking and you had no idea where this was coming from.

“I don’t want to lose you, i don’t want to lose this.” There had been numerous times during your relationship where you and Connor swore that you were soulmates. There was no word for explaining it, it was just this immense feeling that was mutual and overtaking. Like a wave that constantly crashed over you both every time you saw the other smile.

“Someday, i hope you’ll forgive me.” He said with his own tears going down his face, and you nodded. Nothing lasts forever. No matter how much you want it to. You stood up and his heartbroken eyes followed you as if you were the sun constantly orbiting. You went for the door.

“Wait!” His voice beckoned, you turned. His arm outstretched holding out a jacket for you. “Here, take my coat.” You had no fight inside of you. You took it.

“I’m not your girlfriend anymore you don’t have to.” He cut you off. “It’s an old one from sophomore year, i have a new one. Plus its freezing outside and we both know you look better in that than i do.” He rambled before stopping himself. You nodded and slipped the jacket onto yourself which loosely hung off your figure. He gave you a tight smile. You noticed from the zippers that it was the one he was wearing when you first met and kissed. That was salt in a fresh wound.

You both stood there, he couldn’t turn back now and you couldn’t know what would happen in the coming week. Neither of you wanted to say goodbye. So you didn’t, you went to the door without saying anything else to him. Then, he just stood there watching. When the door closed he inhaled.

His lights flickered and he realized he was running out of time. He had to get the cottage and do the ritual before it was too late for him. But he was already out of time.

#are you afraid of the dark #are you afraid of the dark imagine #ayaotd #ayaotd imagine #connor stevens #connor stevens imagine #gabby lewis #hanna romero #luke mccoy #jai malyas #julie and the phantoms #julie and the phantoms imagine #grace writes

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crewhonk · 5 years ago

Text

Only Happy Accidents (12)

AN: I’m actually really sorry about this

Warnings: *deep breath* scared Steve, labour, Ms. YLN prays over YN and Steve and baby (its Christian prayer), swearing, incorrect medicine, lots of blood, childbirth complications, dying wishes, trauma, very angry Steve, hatred against newborns, Steve is a dick, Steve is scared, Helen cho has a good poker face, Helen cho is badass and isn't afraid of anything

Only Happy Accidents (master list)

____________________

July 3rd, labour day 1

“Say You Love Me”— Jessie Ware

8:00pm

“You were in labour and you didn’t tell me?!” Steve hissed as he stormed around the room, shoving things in a backpack— YN wasn’t sure what he was doing, since everything was already in the med bay but she stayed silent, letting him do his thing.

“You deserved to have a day that was about you! Everything these past few months has been about me, and I wanted you to have some time where you were the star, okay!” YN snapped back, frustrated. She had thrown on her dress again since he’d passed out, but he had woken up quickly enough, eyes wild and searching for YN.

“I understand that, but this is my kid too, YN! I deserved to know that he was on his way!” Steve pointed a finger, and YN bared her teeth.

“Don’t you dare point a fucking finger in my face, Steven!” YN barked, irritation spiking when she could feel another contraction go through her body. Steve had almost immediately downloaded a timing app on her phone after waking up, and she clicked it, hunching over her stomach almost protectively. Noticing she was going through a contraction, he rushed over, but stopped when she put up one finger. The contraction subsided and YN looked up at Steve, eyes on fire.

“Look. I’m sorry I wanted you to be the star of the day. I’m sorry I wanted to take a step back after you doting on me every second of every day and just have some fucking time with your friends for once! I was practically a stranger a few months ago, and then I’m the centre of your world for nine consecutive months and you don’t get any time for yourself and it’s not fair!” YN explained, tears in her eyes and Steve softened slightly, falling to his knees in front of her and holding her hips.

“YN, I want you to be the centre of my world. I want you to be my priority, and I don’t want to be the centre of attention— I’ve had that since Erskine talked to me. Trust me when I say I’ve had enough attention to last me countless lifetimes.” Steve said, voice low but strong. YN nodded, and leaned her forehead against his.

“I just don’t want you to fall out of love with me because I’m not carrying your baby.” She admitted and Steve made a sound that broke YN’s heart.

“Baby. Sweetheart. My beautiful, sexy, funny wife believe me when I say, that the next morning after Halloween, I decided you were going to be my wife at one point or another. Believe me when I say that I knew it from the first moment that you were it for me. Sexy pirate, baby mama, wife, future museum curator, all of it— the second I met you I knew I was done.” Steve gushed, and when he was finished, he wiped the tears streaming from YN’s eyes.

“I feel like I’m in a love story, Steve— this doesn’t happen to people in real life.” YN cried and Steve offered a wet smile.

“It happened to us, Ma. Now, how about we go have a little baby, huh?” He asked, pulling her to her feet. She took a few seconds to steady herself and looked up at him sharply, suddenly overcome with dread.

“Steve.”

“What.”

“We don’t have a name.”

________________________

9:00 PM

The hospital gown, no matter how YN tied it, wasn’t cute. Sure, it was soft, but it didn’t tie all the way in the back and it showed off the adult diaper she had to wear to catch the fluids leaking from her, which was odd considering her water had yet to actually break.

“This is awful. This is the worst thing I’ve ever worn.” YN pouted, looking in the mirror and frowning at how… round she looked. Sure, she’d had bad body days before this, but she couldn’t look like this today. Her baby was coming and YN just really wanted to make a good impression.

“I think you’re sexy.” Steve piped up from across the room and YN snorted, enjoying the chorus of laughter that joined her. Bucky, Nat and Sam were all in the room, having pulled in couches from the living room to accommodate everyone.

“Very funny, Rogers.”

“Seriously. Sexiest diaper I’ve ever seen.” He joked, winking at you through the mirror and you scoffed, throwing a nearby chapstick at him.

“Don’t make it weird.”

“Too late.” Sam said, and YN rolled her eyes, a friendly smile on her face.

“People have called mom, right?” YN looked around the room and Natasha nodded.

“Moms on her way.” She informed and YN nodded, wringing her hands and walking towards the window. The sun as setting now, deep oranges and purples painting the sky and somehow settling YN’s anxious heart. She was hooked up to portable monitors, now and the steady beep of heart heart beat echoes around the room. Steve had taken YN directly to Cho following their fight, and after a sweep of YN’s cervix, Cho had informed that YN was 5 centimetres dilated and was since checked in— she was officially in active labour.

“Steve.” YN called and he was by her side in an instant. YN grabbed his hands and tucked herself into his chest, groaning into his shirt as another, stronger contraction rock her. She felt it not only in her lower belly, but shattering up her spine and stealing her breath.

“Breathe, Mama.” He cooed, letting her dig her fingernails into his skin, rocking her and kissing her hairline. “Doin’ so good, Ma. You got this.” He whispered, acting quickly and picking her up and onto his lap as he knees gave out. He angled her to straddle him, thinking that it would be good for her legs to keep open. He continued rubbing her back and speaking sweet nothings into her ear as she curled into him as close as she could, shaking with aftershocks even after the contraction had gone.

“Holy fuck.” YN berthed into his neck and he chuckled.

“That was a good one, YN. You killed it.” He reassured and YN sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretching her neck, trying her best to keep her muscles from bunching up too much.

“Your kid is a pain in my ass.” She cursed and put her hands on his pecs, glaring down at him with swollen eyes. Instead of responding, Steve tilted his chin towards her and she leaned in, kissing him quickly before letting him help her to her feet so she could continue her pacing. She glanced over at the group of people on the couch, and flushed lightly at the thought of them seeing her like that— so vulnerable.

Sam and Bucky looked horrified, but impressed and Natasha looked proud, and almost a little sad. This was all interrupted by Cho walking in with a handful of long, metal tools.

“Hey, Mom.” She greeted YN and YN smiled weakly, eyeing to tools suspiciously. “So, I think we could progress this a little quicker if I broke your water, since it hasn’t broken yet. It should encourage the process.” She smiled and YN looked nervously as Steve before nodding. She was helped immediately up on the bed and after Steve kicked out Sam and Bucky for obvious reasons, sat by YN’s head as she put her feet into the stirrups.

“Scared you’re gonna pass out again?” YN teased and he blushed, grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles.

“I’m never living that down, am I.”

“Never.”

Cho made quick work of the water, and Steve watched as YN felt it. It felt less dramatic than she had imagined it, but still felt about five pounds lighter than she had mere seconds ago.

“Woah.” Yn whispered and Steve chuckled, kissing her forehead softly and praising her once more.

________________________

“Breathe (2AM)”— Anna Nalick

10:15 PM

The pain got worse for YN after the water had been broken. The contractions were hitting harder and faster, and YN felt as if her whole body was on fire. There was a constant leaking from YN’s vagina that made her feel gross and unnattractive, but the way Steve held her and kissed her and made her feel like she was a damn superhero made it almost worth it.

After another body-trembling contraction passed, YN reached towards Steve who took her hand.

“Can we shower. I need a shower, maybe it’ll help to have hot water.” YN slurred, pain making her a little bleary of the world. Steve nodded and made quick work of her gown— the diaper having been long gone, and pulled her into the bathroom and standing shower. He took of his pants and shirt, and leaving his underwear on, stepped under the hot stream of water. He took the second detachable shower head and angled it at YN’s core and she sighed, nodding into his shoulder at the small bit of relief it gave her.

The relief disappeared quickly, however, when another course fo pain rocketed through her body, making her knees tremble. Steve held her in his arms, shushing her and holding her as she short of screamed into his shoulder, sinking her teeth into the muscle and growling.

“Steve, Steve I can’t— this— I hurts.” YN whimpered, cutting herself off with a scream that tore his heart into two. “I need— mom. Where’s my mom.” She sobbed and Steve looked back towards the door at Nat who was hovering worriedly.

“She’s just pulling in, Sweets. She’ll be here in a minute okay?” Natasha said and YN nodded, clutching Steve and shaking— chills and jitters cutting through the hot water of the shower. It wasn’t long until her mom came into the bathroom and YN sobbed with relief.

“Mommy, you came I wasn’t sure—“

“Of course I would come for you, my love. You’re my baby girl and always will be no matter what anyone thinks, okay?” The older lady reassured and Steve mouthed a quick thank you o her which she smiled softly at.

“Mama, I know that I haven’t been to church in years, but can you— can you pray for me and Steve and baby? Please, I just need to know that He’s watching out for us.” YN cried, pain making her tired and emotional— hell, if Steve had been labouring for fourteen hours, he’d probably be dead in the street somewhere. Steve made room for Ms. YLN as she leaned into the shower, placing one hand on Steve’s shoulder and the other on YN’s. She bowed her head, and waited for the lump in her throat to pass before she spoke.

“Dear Heavenly Father, watch over this new family. Allow for the reprieve and mercy of pain, and allow for YN to have as safe a labour as possible. Allow for Steve to stay strong and resilient by her side as YN pushes her body to its limits— those same limits You set for her. Allow her a healthy, strong baby, and I call for Your blessing over this labour and the baby’s life. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.” She finished and Steve sniffed as he held his sobbing wife body. Her own wet hand had come to clutch her mothers bicep and her lips trembled as she thanked her.

“Thank you, Mommy. That meant so, so much.” YN said, and Ms. YLN nodded, leaning in and kissing YN’s wet forehead.

“It meant so much to me too, Bear.”

_________________________

July 4th, Steve and baby’s birthday

12:00 AM

“The Middle”— Mree / “The Funeral”— Band of Horses

Steve liked to think he was brave. He’d done a lot of really cool things in his life that required a lot of bravery, but right now Steve had never been more afraid in his life. YN had been in labour for an ongoing sixteen hours and the four hours YN had been in active labour had so far been the worst of his life. Sure, he was over the moon over the fact that he was going to meet his baby soon, but seeing YN in this much pain, begging for him to help her stop the pain and not having any sense of control was scary, and Steve didn’t feel very brave if he was going to be honest.

Especially when YN was shutting down on him after hearing Dr. Cho telling her that her cervix hadn’t dilated any further since she’d entered active labour. She stared forlornly out of the window, eyes on the stars as Steve held her opposite hand, kissing her knuckles and watching her, silently begging for her to look at him. Natasha had brought in electric candles and a speaker to help YN relax and create a comfortable atmosphere. Maybe it was working, Steve wasn’t sure. Any sort of contraction that shattered YN to her bones was only felt through Steve’s hand. YN’s body remained limp against the sheets as she continued to stare— the only indication of her being alive still was the heart monitor and the death grip on his hand every three minutes.

“Baby.” He whispered as she loosened her grip, panting slightly as another contraction finished. Finally, she lolled her head towards him, and Steve wants to cry when she saw how puffy and dark her eyes had gotten. She looked so damn tired and hopeless and Steve would have given anything to take her pain from her. Anything.

“Sweetheart, please.” He whispered and YN closed her eyes, frown tugging at her lips.

“What, Steve?” Her voice was hard, but it shook with frustration and grief.

“I don’t— I don’t know.” He admitted, and YN opened his eyes. “I’m scared. And I want you to look at me.”

“I’m scared too, if that helps.” YN tried to smile, shrugging her shoulders and looking back up at the roof.

“I’m sorry I did this to you, baby.” He murmured and YN looked at him sharply. Her vision swam with the quick movement and she squinted her eyes at her husband.

“I’m not. Steve Rogers, don’t you ever apologize for giving me a normal life. Never apologize for you giving me a baby, and marrying me, and taking all of this responsibility even though we were complete strangers when we met. Don’t you dare apologize, you have nothing to be sorry for, my love.” YN said, voice strong and Steve nodded, unfurling her fist in his hands and kissing her clammy palm. The salt on his lips was still there when she wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him close, kissing him softly. She kissed him until a low moan rumbled from her throat, and she pressed her forehead against his as she rocked her body through the pain. Eventually her familiar, warm eyes met his and he nodded.

“Good girl, baby.” He praised and she smiled, nodding and falling back to her pillows. There was a stretch of silence as the song switched, a familiar song coming through the speaker Nat had brought.

“Love this song.” YN hummed, lolling her head from one side to another, and Steve stood, making her look at him. He held out his hands to her and wiggled his fingers, beckoning for her to take them. “What?”

“Dance with me. Maybe it’ll help.” He tried, and YN blushed lightly.

“I’m sweaty.” She whispered and he rolled his eyes, making ‘gimme’ motions with his hands.

“You’re beautiful.” He smiled and YN couldn’t help but smile and bite her bottom lip, rolling to sit up straight and letting Steve pull her to her feet. He lead her to the middle of the room after slipping her slippers on her feet, pulling her into his arms and just swaying. They had tried to dance like they used to in the ‘good ol’ days’, but Steve had two left feet when he tried, so swaying would have to suffice.

YN wrapped her hands around his waist, tucking her fingers into the back pockets of his jeans as his hot hands rubbed her back, soothing her and pressing lightly into the muscles he knew bugged her when she was stressed. They spun in circles for what could have been an hour or a year or three seconds, but the contractions that came seemed manageable in his arms. They seemed manageable when he could pepper words of praises and kisses across her sweating hairline.

“I love you, YN Rogers, and I’m in awe of how damn powerful you are, okay?” He whispered and YN shook in his arms, nodding into his shoulder as he continued to sway her. “How’s the dancing?”

“Dancing helps.” There was a period of silence before YN popped her head up quickly. “What time is it?”

Steve glanced at the clock on the wall and squinted, his eyes dry from exhaustion.

“Midnight.”

YN jumped up on her toes as eagerly as she could, cupping Steve’s face in her hands and kissing him quickly all over his face before wrapping her arms around his neck and giggling as she was spun in the air slowly.

“What was that for?” Steve laughed as he set her gently on her feet again, stars shining in his eyes as he looked down at his best girl.

“It’s your birthday, Steve. Happy birthday.” She whispered against his lips and he smiled, wrapping his arms around her and feeling her belly press hard against his own.

“Best birthday ever, honestly.”

___________________________

3:00 AM

Six hours into active labour, Dr. Cho did a sweep of YN’s cervix, and upon new that she’d dilated from five centimetres to six centimetres.

“That’s good, right? Progress.” Steve asked, hopefully and Cho gave her best ‘yes and no’ patient smile.

“Well, progress is progress, but with the water having been broken for more than six hours with such slow progress, there’s more and more of a risk of infection for mom. YN, your cervix is also getting a little swollen, so that may impede your progress just a little bit.” Cho said, grimly and YN dropped Steves hand, curling them around her belly.

“So what do we do?”

“I know we said we weren’t going to do an epidural, but it could help the muscles in your abdomen and the cervix itself relax.” Cho tried and YN sank back, looking at her cuticles and trying her damn best not to cry. She’d always imagined herself being one of those badass moms in the birthing vlogs she watched on youtube— catching their own babies in a tub and doing it at home and without epidural, but they hadn’t told her about the pain— the raw, genuine, awful pain that she was feeling currently as well as how damn disheartening it was to make such little progress. She looked at Steve who nodded, his lips pressed together in a thin line.

“I want you to be safe, and seeing you in this much pain is the worst thing I’ve experienced. I can’t make you do anything, but I think it could be a good idea.” He tried, treading lightly. YN, if she was in less pain, she would have told Steve that she felt as if she had some sort of control over her body without it, but the exhaustion in her bones and the twitching of her muscles screamed for relief.

“Let’s do it, please.” YN begged and Steve relaxed, leaning forward towards YN and pressing his head against her stomach.

“Thank you.” He murmured.

So, this is how YN found herself tied down with wires and three catheters, stuck to the bed until Steve’s child decided to enter the world. Steve watched as she slept, contractions coming and going as mere pressure when they came.

YN cracked an eye open, and Steve smiled tiredly at her. She ran he palm down the side fo his face and he rested his head in her hand, sighing and shutting his burning eyes.

“Steve, get up here, please.” She whispered, and he lifted his head, shaking it slightly.

“Gotta make sure, you’re okay.” He whispered, knowing that if he got into bed with his wife he would sleep like a god damn rock.

“We’re okay. Come sleep, we’re not going to be getting any more sleep for a while so let’s catch up while we still can.” YN smiled, pulling at his arm and cheering when he conceded, pulling the heavy quilt that Ms. YLN had brought them. Steve, careful of the wires and tubes, pulled YN into his arms, holding her jittery body in his arms and closing his eyes, the weight of his wife and unborn child lulling him into the most comforting nap he’d ever had.

_____________________________

“Pretty Things”— Big Thief

6:15 AM

Someone was screaming. Loudly, somewhere very close to his ear. Steve woke with a jolt, and upon immediately waking up and looking down at his wife, found the something was very, very wrong. YN was screaming, yelling for Dr. Cho and her mother, but she was not yelling from the pain— the epidural, thankfully, allowed her to not feel whatever was making her bleed.

Maybe bleeding was an understatement, considering that the lower half of the quilt was warm and red and sticky, and Steve hands were covered in it.

“Steve! Steve, what’s going on?!” YN cried, clutching her stomach and shaking. Steve looked down at the blood in shock, and he complied easily when four hands pulled him off of the bed. The quilt was torn from the bed by Cho, and Steve felt a wave of nausea tear through his body.

There was so much blood.

“Steve! Help me!” YN sobbed, and Steve remained frozen. He did not feel very brave at all.

“It must have not shown up on the scans. Damn it!” Cho cursed, pressing a button attached to the bed and flattening it, throwing the pillows across the room and barking orders at her nurses. YN continued to cry, looking up at Steve, who upon realizing that this was not just a really, really bad dream, snapped out of his fog and rushed to YN, grabbing her hand and walking with the bed as it began to roll out of the room and towards the small operating room at the back of the small clinic.

“Baby, you’re going to be okay, I promise.” Steve ignored Cho’s sharp look as she pushed the bed faster, eyeing the blood nervously. “You’re going to come out of this, okay?”

YN cried, and cupped his cheek.

“Sarah. You name the baby Sarah if it’s a girl after your mom and Charlie if it’s a boy— after my dad. They go to a good public school— enough to get a solid education but do NOT send them to a private school they’ll turn into a bitch. They get to go on all their high school trips. It’s something that I wish I did, and you retire, okay? If I’m not there they need someone to raise them with everything they need. And Steve, you tell them the good things. You tell them that we were happy and that we loved each other and that this was the best nine months I’ve ever had because I had the family I always dreamed of having. You tell them the good parts.” YN demanded, and Steve felt his eyes well up with tears, his face becoming wet within seconds.

“You’re not dying. You can’t die.” Steve whimpered, sounding a broken man.

“Wow, no pressure.” YN said, voice now weak. Her skin was the palest and most translucent Steve had ever seen, and her lips were blue. Her grip on his hand was weak, and her eyes grew glossy soon enough.

“I’m serious, YN.” He called out as she was rolled into the OR, the nurses working quickly to prep her for surgery. Just as Cho made to step in, Steve grabbed her arm tightly and stared her down with all the emotion he could muster.

“If it comes down to her or the baby, you save her. I will not survive without her do you hear me?” He snarled, face contorting with fear and anger. Cho jerked her arm from Steve’s grip and glared harder, straightening her posture and staring Steve down.

“How about you let me do my damn job.” Cho demanded, and walked into the room, shutting the door and leaving Steve alone in the hallway. Unaware of Natasha, Sam and Bucky staring at him, he pressed himself against the wall beside the door, slid down it, wrapped his arms around his knees, and for the first time in eighty years, sobbed like he had never sobbed before.

____________________________

6:40 AM

Steve had been coaxed to the waiting room chairs and his hands were cleaned of YN’s blood, and he was given new clothes which he was helped into in the middle of the waiting room. Once changed, he resumed his curled up position and stared at the trail of blood leading from the room where YN was last okay to the room where he didn’t know if she was alive or not. Steve watched as the custodian mopped the trail, leaving the acrid smell of bleach behind. Steve stared at the polished floor, not feeling Bucky’s and on his shoulder, and not feeling Natasha’s hand on his knee.

Steve continued to stare at the floor as a nurse walked up, afraid to see the expression on her face. The words she spoke were muffled and far away, but he heard them.

“Steve, you have a beautiful baby boy. He’s healthy and crying and all of his tests have passed with flying colours. Would you like to see him?” Steve blinked slowly, body swaying as Bucky and Sam clapped his shoulders. He moved slowly, looking up at the nurse who as beaming down a him and he squinted. He felt as if his body was not his own, moving both too fast and too slow to feel like it.

“Where’s— YN. Is she..” He trailed off, heart feeling frozen in his chest— that is if it was even there any more.

“There was another complication, she’s still in surgery, and it could be a while.” The nurse said, and Steve’s lips and chin wobbled. He felt more tears dance down his cheekbones and into his beard. “You can see your son, though.”

Steve blinked and sank back into his chair.

“No.”

______________________________

“Toronto”— Tusks

8:00 AM

Exactly one day ago, YN Rogers was staring out over the compound grounds from Steve Rogers window, smiling at the touch of the warm July breeze and kissing Steve happily. Her body was warm and soft and tangible in his hands, and Steve squeezed his eyes shut, trying his best to remember the last time he was alone and happy and carefree with the woman he loved. The memory already felt like it happened a while ago— it was grey and distant and the images in his mind were fuzzy. Her face was blurry, and her laugh wasn’t quite right, no matter how much he squeezed his eyes and thought about it. He tried to remember how she smelled, and how she jolted when his fingers danced over her ribs or how they would spend hours in bed before either of them even thought about getting up. But the happy— the good things he was supposed to try to tell the kid about were marred but he sound of her screams and her hands gripping him and the trail of blood that was bleached hours ago.

He had a kid. A son, he was supposed to name Charlie. A beautiful, innocent son that didn’t deserve the black spot he had in Steve’s heart. Natasha had come back after meeting him, and she had said that Charlie had Steve’s nose, and YN’s lips and eyes and hair and cried like a banshee which was a good thing apparently, since it meant the kid had good lungs.

“He needs you, Steve. He should be in your arms and hearing your voice.” Natasha whispered and Steve’s eyes, dark and angry snapped up to her.

“That kid could have killed the woman I loved. As far as I care, until YN comes out of that OR alive, that’s no kid of mine.” Steve snarled, standing suddenly and making Natasha jump back. She had never seen her best friend this angry before— not fighting, not as Nomad. She had never seen Steve this dark, and as he slammed his shoulder against her own as he stormed out of the med bay, her knees gave out and she fell, shaking into one of the chairs.

____________________________

“Rescue”— Lauren Daigle

9:19 AM

Steve was sitting on a roll of grass not far from the entrance to the compound, resting his chin against his arms and staring sightlessly at the recruits training far away. Imagine being that carefree, he thought. To have woken up today and pressed snooze. To have rushed a shower and breakfast to make it to the gym in time. To have smiled at a friend and felt excitement when you completed the ‘Captains Circuit’ for the first time successfully.

Steve remained still as he heard someone walk up behind him. He stayed still as Bucky cleared his throat and groaned slightly as he joined Steve on the grass. Steve stayed still when Bucky cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

“He’s gorgeous, Steve. He has your spunk, I think— he spit up on Nat when she made a bad joke. He’s fat, too. Really chubby and soft and he’s really alert and he keeps looking around the room for someone he finds familiar. Someone who talked to him when he was cookin’ and his Ma was sleepin’. Someone who left the house at four in the morning to go to the Bronx for the right Pizza cause his Ma was craving it. Someone who painted him a beautiful room and who made sure his development was as safe as possible. He’s looking for his father, but all he’s getting is uncles and aunts and nurses and—“

“Shut up.” Steve mumbled and Bucky glared hard at him.

“No I will not—“

“Shut the fuck up, James Barnes.” Steve snarled, and Bucky stood to his feet, walking in front of Steve and kicking his foot hard enough to make Steve flinch.

“You listen—“

“SHUT UP!” Steve roared, and he could hear the grounds fall quiet. He could hear the training stop and the word quiet and he swore the Earth stopped turning just for one second.

“NO!” Bucky screamed back, not backing down when Steve rose to his feet and got in his face. “You’re scared I get that! But if YN lives and finds out that you weren’t there for your baby boy in his first few hours how will she fucking feel about that, huh? How will she feel about how her husband and the man she loves screamed at his best friends and ignored the fact that his son hasn’t stopped crying because he’s scared and there’s not one familiar thing around him. How will she feel when she finds out that you fucking failed her?” Bucky snarled, and Steve shrank back and blinked.

“And if she doesn’t come out of this? You’re dishonouring her memory and her dying wish that this kid should have a good life. You’re a coward, Steve Rogers.” Bucky spat and Steve stumbled back at his best friends words, the first wave of aggression telling him to hit Bucky until he was unrecognizable and bleeding on the ground— to spit on his body and get in a car and drive far and fast away from this god damn place. However, the second wave— the love he felt for the woman he swore he would breathe for stopped him. The second wave made his eyes grow hot and wet, and his bottom lip tremble. The second wave made his back slouch and shoulders slump and start to fall to his knees, and upon the sight of seeing his best friend shrink in on himself, Bucky Barnes caught his elbows and pulled him tight, supporting all of Steve weight as he sobbed, without restraint, into Bucky’s shoulder.

“How about we go introduce you to your son, huh?”

_________________________

“Love Like This”— Lauren Daigle

9:30 AM

“I should have shaved. I look like a fuckin’ slob.” Steve cursed, running his hand over his chin as he passed a window. Bucky rolled his eyes next to him, but continued to walk beside him in case Steve’s knees gave out again.

“You’ll be fine.” Bucky reassured and Steve wrung his hands.

“I’ve already been a shit dad, what if he doesn’t like me? What if I continue being a shit dad?” Steve worried, fear gripping his heart at the idea. God, if YN didn’t make it and if he was a bad father, what the hell was he supposed to do? He didn’t even know how to be a good dad— how the fuck was he supposed to do it as a widow?

“Steven.” Bucky shushed and Steve nodded, coming up to the door where his son was. Bucky, upon waiting long enough for Steve to not open the door, opened it himself and pushed it open.

The room was open and airy— it smelled clean and the blankets looked soft and welcoming— YN would have loved them, maybe even convinced Steve to steal some of them for their own house. The room had a good, calming atmosphere— except for the screaming.

Natasha was bouncing lightly on her feet, a blue bundle in her arm as she tried but failed to angle a bottle at it properly. The bundle was the thing making the noise, and Steve felt his heart jump into his throat. He shoved the image of YN’s screams aside and focussed very hard on the bundle.

“Nat.” Bucky’s voice sounded far away, and when Natasha turned towards it, Steve’s breath stopped in his chest.

Charlie was crying, his small, tiny face was as red as a tomato, and it was twisted around the screams coming from his little mouth. Steve stumbled forward, and upon closer inspection, Steve recognized YN’s nose, and his own chin and brow bone. As he got closer, Steve’s heart ached— in fact, his whole body ached and he looked nervously from Natasha to the baby.

“Charlie— look who it is.” Natasha said over his cries, walking over to Steve and coaching him on how to wrap his arms around him. Steve felt stupidly big as he took Charlie in his arms— his head was no larger than the size of his palm for gods sake. Upon feeling the overwhelming heat from Steve’s body, the screams softened into sobs and he looked up, scared.

“What’s going on?” Steve worried as the baby got quieter and quieter. “Why’s he stopping?”

“He hears your voice and feels you— it’s familiar.” Natasha nodded, patting his shoulder and looking down at Charlie. Natasha pulled Buky from the room, having the two persons alone together, and Steve’s entire universe seemed to shift— just the slightest, as Charlie stopped crying, wrinkled face smoothing out as Steve continued to rock him.

“H-hi.” Steve stuttered, and Charlie hiccupped. “I’m uhh— I’m your dad, I guess.” He tried, regretting that he sounded so damn lame. The baby made a small noise and Steve felt the dark place his heart was right now warm a little. “I’m sorry I’ve been a bad dad, pal. Your Ma— she’s not doing so well and I’m scared because I love her a lot. She was— is— my world, and I—“ Steve cut himself off, tightening his arms slightly. “I’m gonna try my best to make it up to you, baby. Treat you the way your Ma and I wanted to from the beginning.” He whispered, lips shaking with grief and fear and love.

Without looking from Charlie, he walked to a chair and sat, grabbing the bottle from the table beside him and angling it awkwardly to his lips— YN’s lips.

“We gotta eat, though okay? You Ma would kill me if you got hungry.” He whispered, pressing the nipple of the bottle to his lips, and he sucked in a breath when the little mouth opened, taking the nipple into his mouth and beginning to drink the formula. The little guy finished the bottle quickly— there wasn’t much in it to begin with. Steve, remembering the birthing classes we went to with YN, threw a small towel from the table beside him over his shoulder and lifted Charlie onto it, tapping his back as gently as he could until the smallest, quietest of burps sounded.

Steve lowered Charlie in his arms, too astounded at this… being he created to say anything. God, how he regretted his anger and fear and resentment to this perfect little human. Well, he thought he regret it until his eyes opened.

YN’s eyes stared back at him, surrounded by Steve’s eyelashes— large and slightly unfocussed and YN’s eyes. Steve felt his body clench around his rapidly warming heart and he let out a dry sob, tracing a huge finger down Charlie’s fat little cheek as he curled himself around him. No matter how the rest of the day panned out, Steve knew, with one look at Charlie, that YN would live within him forever. YN would be staring back at him from a crib, or a carseat, or from his arms as he tried his best to stay awake in that rocking chair because he’s be damned if he wasn’t watching over him one second of a day. YN’s eyes would be looking at him as Charlie took his first step or said his first word or as he looked back at Steve while he bravely walked into his first day of school. YN’s lips would frown and smile and laugh and yell, and Steve would brush YN’s hair, styling it properly and kissing it any damn chance he got.

“I love you.” Steve whispered, voice cracking as a tear dripped from the tip of his nose onto the soft blanket. “I love you, I love you, I love you, my Charlie. I love you.” He bent over and pressed his nose to Charlies tiny chest and sniffed as he felt Charlie’s hands curl into Steve’s beard. His grip was strong— strong enough anyways for such little hands. “I love you.”

Steve could have been there for days— he wasn’t too sure, but the bubble he had constructed around him and his beautiful, innocent son was burst when a polite cough sounded from the doorway. Steve looked up quickly, and his heart— now warm and bright with love for this little bundle hammered in his chest.

It was Helen Cho, and her face had no expression.

_______________________________

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#Steve Rogers #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers au #steve rogers angst #dark!steve rogers #steve rogers smut #steve rogers series #steve rogers fic #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers fanfiction #Steve Rogers fic #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x y/n #dad!steve rogers

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snowflake-of-destruction · 4 years ago

Note

Terraqua :))))))))

1. How do much do I ship it?: Never heard of it/ Notp / Dislike / used to ship / maybe / ship it / aww / otp / IS IT CANON YET?

This rating applies to canon. Just want to clarify, since I'm going to also talk headcanons for different AUs (go to the asterisk reference sections at the bottom if you want a little explanation of AUs) in some answers, and, in those situations, feelings are different.

2. What non sexual activities do they like to do together?

KH Post Canon: Learning how to be adults together. I know it's not the most "fun" answer, and they deserve a break, but even if things stay stable, they aren't getting one as such. Aqua is now the Master in Residence at the Land of Departure and someone all the Guardians of Light will look to as an authority (and Yensid will reinforce it!) , and Terra will get a lot of the same treatment from multiple factions.

Not only will the GoL look at him as someone knowledgeable (Him! The screw up who not only isn't a master but has a lot less off-world experience where he was actually conscious than most of his new comrades), but, when it comes to the recompleted former Org members, while it's clear he is definitely not "The Superior" and they don't want him to be, even those that glance by Roxas/Sora/Ventus etc. as green behind the ears or "kids" despite their experience are naturally inclined to view him as an equal and/or someone to ask guidance from even if only on a subconscious level because he shares Xemnas features.

And neither has the first clue what they are doing. Hell, they lived sheltered with Eraqus and the Land of Departure Castle probably taking care of a lot of their needs. So, yeah, Aqua and Terra learn to cook together, hone vocabulary and speaking style to sound "like a real adult" and not like teenagers who are using bigger and bigger words to sound mature, practice how to lead meetings without voice shaking and how to make people feel heard (and refrain from interrupting with "you're wrong and also stupid because of Xyz"), read up on history and powers of old keyblade masters like they are cramming for exams (because even stuff they were taught by Eraqus...it's kind of been awhile), bitch together over how to simultaneously be 28 and 18, and basically bond over "fooling" everyone into thinking they are competent.

Then they indulge in a bunch of "childish" things they never did because they were always in a rush to grow up when they were actually younger. They slide down bannisters and have food fights and swing from the rings in the training area, feet lifted and knees near to knocking the ground.

Lost Masters AU*: Finishing growing up in the Mysterious Tower under Yensid's comparatively lax supervision, obviously effected their hobbies as much as their outlook on life. They escaped often to the book(s) where Fantasia sleeps and so they are used to music made through flora, fauna, and movements of their own body. Creating symphonies that are part sparring, part dancing, part gardening and finding out what creates the best music was a passion and it carries on beyond the Tower and beyond having (snuck) access to Yensid's books. Even in adulthood, they both have a tendency to dance when nobody's watching, and, wherever they settle there is a carefully cultivated flower bed they can be found tending to (and humming to them the whole time, teaching them the notes they should be playing but mostly refuse to) when not on mission.

Grass is Greener**: If you asked the couple themselves this question, (more politely phrased of course because you don't say the phrase "nonsexual things" in conversation) Aqua would beam and talk about going out on the boat...that they don't own anymore (Xem bought it off baby sister out of pity. He drew the short straw between him and Ansem), and didn't use much when they did. Terra would shrug and say he hardly remembers anymore, honesty slipping out because he forgets to be guarded until Aqua grips his arm too tight and says that he's joking on his behalf.

With some prompting, Terra will slowly come up with the latest Netlfix series they are binging...separately. Not that he'll say they watch separately, because that's not anyone else's business, and it's not even a reflection on their relationship, just like not remembering what they do for fun isn't as bad as it sounds (Is it? Now he'll brood too much on it). With Aqua working days that start early and Terra working mostly nights, they hardly see each other. Even before that, before Terra's breakdown, which he is more apt to explain away than she is if they ever talk about it (which they try not to at all costs), he was doing his residency at the hospital and worked a lot of odd hours. Med school is actually...wow...more of a blur than Terra realized....but they had fun? Once? Together? Since the college days? Of course they did. They have many activities together. Lots of stuff. Common interests. That's what they do. Common interests.

3. Who does chores around the house?

In General/Canonverse: Split right down the middle. Some tasks they trade off on, and some become full time assignments, like, for instance, Aqua cooks and Terra does the dishes.

Grass is Greener: Terra. Period. It's not discussed, and Aqua would adamantly refute this, but in Terra's mind he has to do everything. He did even when he was working/studying to be a doctor. Aqua knows how blessed she is to have a husband that just full stop doesn't let her lift a finger (because he loves her! And he likes doing house things), but not fully. Eraqus is old money (and so was Aqua's mom, though she barely remembers her before she took off) and Xehanort's "new money" only bolstered it, and besides just living on that kind of cushion, she was the only child with Eraqus who also had to "make up" for being a single parent for awhile, and then the youngest child and only girl when the family became blended, so she was never made to do anything in her life and kind of still believes in the cleaning fairy. She knows housework is difficult, but in the same way she knows what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck now that she and Terra don't accept any help from Eraqus and Xehanort....just live in one of their houses (to take care of it for them!) without paying a dime even towards taxes and insurance much less rent...and Aqua's car insurance is paid for six months at a time as a birthday gift in the fall and an anniversary gift in the spring...but scorn handouts otherwise.

4. Who’s the better cook?

Canonverse/General: Aqua.

Lost Masters: Terra. It starts off being Aqua, but, you know, you forget a lot of things once you're a Nobody.

Grass is Greener: Terra. Though Aqua starts to catch up once they start a couple's cooking class that Terra keeps canceling on, leaving her to take Tifa or Aerith

5. Who’s the funniest drunk?

Aqua, all universes. Terra just gets very quiet and stares at the wall to make sure it doesn't move. Aqua becomes the life of the party. Not a small task, considering their friends.

6. Do they have kids?

Canonverse/In general: Absolutely, eventually, and more than one. It would vary story to story how many, the sexes, and the ages, but they will have at least two.

Lost Masters: I wasn't planning on it, but damn if I don't now want to rework the timeline.

Grass is Greener: "When are you guys going to have kids?" That question is the bane of their existence. "You've been together for a long time." "You'd be such great parents." There's a lot of pressure, but no baby and there's not going to be.

7. Do they have any traditions?

Canon-verse: Even though Eraqus's grave is near enough they pass by it regularly, they (and Ventus) have a yearly celebration of remembrance of his life where they gather by the gravesite and tell stories. Over time they even get comfortable enough to share negative memories. It's not disrespectful. It's remembering the whole man and learning every lesson he taught. Terra and Aqua also go all out decorating the castle for solstices, though Terra takes lead with jokes about how the one time Aqua changed the castle's decor on her own she went a little overboard. Each year picking a different world they went to separately to vacation at and re-experience together in peace.

Grass is Greener: Beach vacation every year. This is carried on from Aqua's family who used to rent a condo on the beach for the first week or so of July (or, when they got older, multiple condos, next door units so there was some pretense of supervision, Aqua, Xemnas, and Ansem sometimes getting to invite friends to come meet them/stay over for part of the time). Aqua and Terra usually do a shorter time because of schedules. They also go all out for Halloween, turning most of the house into a haunted house for touring Halloween and the preceding or following weekend--and Aqua actually does most of the work on this, it's a grand creative project. Ansem's for New Year's. The Dads' for Thanksgiving. Christmas tree hunting for all the households with the Dads, Ansem, and Xemnas. Terra's family for Christmas Eve dinner and service, and then Xemnas's for Christmas because The Dads passed hosting on to him.

8. What do they fight about?

Canon/General: Projecting their own insecurities/sensitivities on to each other and expecting to hear things the other would never say. Take care of yourself statements twisted into assuming Aqua is worried about Terra falling prey to darkness again. Observations that everyone seems to be re-adjusting well to relatively normal/new normal life read as "Stay out of their lives and stop meddling, Aqua. You're what causes things to go wrong"

Lost Masters: There's only the one fight planned. I don't know what smaller fights may be. Aqua handles being passed over for Master while Terra advances worse than Terra does when the opposite happens in canon. It doesn't help that Yensid takes her demands to be given another test right away badly. Terra tries to comfort her. It does not go well.

Grass is Greener: Fight? They don't fight. They didn't fight when Terra was struggling even in his first semesters in med school (with what he wanted in life more than with the program itself, but there was a fair bit of both), confided it to Aqua, and she gently reminded him of what The Plan was--the plan that so much work and her fathers' money when someone lost some of their scholarships was put toward. They didn't fight when Aqua threw her side of The Plan out and decided it would be fun to be a teacher instead of following after Xemnas and going to law school. They didn't fight when Terra discarded more of The Plan after even more work, money, and time wasted, and started bartending of all things when even if he wasn't going to be a doctor there were so many other careers he could build. It's temporary, Aqua tells herself. He's happier, Aqua tells herself. So she's happy for him and she will not mention it and they will not fight. They don't fight over kids, or lack of kids even though that was on The Plan too that they should have one already--so they could space them out and also because Aqua had calculated the optimal age. They don't fight over money. They don't fight over hardly getting to see each other and how one or the other always seem to be late or make other plans when they do schedule off nights to be together. They just simply never argue. They are happy. Couple goals.

9. What would they do if they found their paring tag on tumblr? (If they have one)

General/Canon: They would first worry over who was watching them but then they'd get into pointing out cute art to each other and they may even write their own memoir to pass off as fanfic. It's uncomfortable how often they are the parents or aunt and uncle of the group--they aren't even completely comfortable being leaders like I said before, though they want to try their best--and even more awkward because the other Guardians of Light largely find it hilarious and tease them relentlessly.

Lost Masters: If they find it while they are together, it's cute and a sign that everything will turn out alright. If they find it later, it's devastating for Terra, and ammunition for Dark Aqua

Grass is Greener: Aqua doesn't really get a lot of the content but she likes how they seem to be popular, and she really likes her hair short. She should go back to wearing it short. Terra is into the fantasy anime vibes, and it's reassuring to think they may be together and in love in another universe. He thinks they are canon at least from how a lot of the tag is. It's validating.

10. Who cried at the end of Marley and me?

Neither, though they ended up talking about how Ventus definitely would have cried.

11. Who always wins at Mario kart?

Terra mostly. Aqua will have a well strategized/lucky race once in awhile though

12. One thing I like about this ship?

Even in the moments where they doubt or misunderstand each other or act stubborn, I feel like you can feel love, respect, and just the barest pining tinge even before everything goes wrong and it's cranked up. I'll break examples down when I get to games that include them on my replay I am sure.

13. One thing I don’t like about the ship?

That they are treated as the default and even if you ship them with other people it has to be just for fun or an extra ship because at the end of the day everyone agrees with Terraqua. That's just a lowkey pet peeve though, and for “no reason” since, at the end of the day, I agree with Terraqua.

I dislike the idea that they are "mom and dad" in a lot of people's eyes...in case I didn't give off that vibe already. Let them rest. Whether you see them are near 30 or as 18, they still deserve to just only be responsible for themselves. And, guess what, some of the kiddos have more life experience than them.

14. The song I would say fits them?

You come into my house and keep asking me this question? Be gone with you!

15. Another headcanon about the paring? (Free space)

General: They adopt a bunch of animals. Since they are often on missions and not the most stable parents of even fur babies in the first years post KH3, this, in practice, consists of claiming animals on several worlds and visiting them every time they are there to spoil them and bring them gifts. Prince Eric's dog Max? Terra and Aqua's. Nemo and his father? Marlin resents the implication, but they are their fish. Thomas O'Malley the Alley Cat? You shouldn't be allowed to call yourself a pet owner when you also turn into a cat when you go to visit them, but, yes, he is part of the family.

Lost Masters: Instead of making large wayfinder charms, since it is just the two of them, Aqua makes smaller charms that hang from woven macrame bracelets that morph meaning as they get older. Terra continues to wear his up until "present." Aqua's comes with her even when she's a Nobody, but eventually gets confiscated by Ventus though it somehow ends up with Xigbar who doesn't hesitate to literally dangle the reminder of her human life over her.

GiG: People tend to think Terra not Aqua is the one related to Xemnas and Ansem unless they specifically know better. Sometimes Terra goes along with this. He hasn't found a way to parlay this into some funny prank so far, but is on the look out for a way. Aqua doesn't see (or refuses to see) that Terra resembles Xem a little. Vehement denial is better for the sanity.

*Lost Masters AU is the name for the canon divergence where Xehaqus eloped/ Xehanort chose love over power or darkness, and it changed everyone's fate--though fate still demanded both villains and heroes. Canon divergent post Xehanort's little jaunt to the future and spanning that time of Young Xehanort and Eraqus and up through the sage so far, though, you know, skipping around the years with different protags. Yeah, ambitious, but it would be so cool. I've decided I'm waiting until after I beat Melody of Memory to consider further whether I'm writing it or just posting a skeleton in case we get some Radiant Garden/Ansem the Wise and apprentices/Kairi background I want to work in. Want to know more? Hit me up

**Grass is Greener is a modern au/soap opera-ish au created between me and Shaky. It's on both of our blogs, tagged Grass is Greener Verse.

#grass is greener verse #terraqua #the lost masters #snippets #terra #aqua #shaky-mayhemm

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