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sunjaesol · 4 years

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baby, you ain't being slick

juke | human!au + strangers | title: juice // lizzo

He didn’t want to be here. Alas, his friends could be persuasive if they wanted to.

After a shit day in the studio, another rejection letter from agencies all around, contrived lyrics scratched on lined paper and one sugar crash, Alex and Reggie decided to go to a karaoke bar. Of all places they could go to take the edge off, they decide on an establishment that would literally be his cause of death. Luke despised karaoke bars. Why listen to drunk people blabber lyrics they didn’t know (nor cared about) into a shitty mic at two am while sipping on an equally shitty margarita? Why torture himself with music when music itself was kicking his butt as of late?

But then Alex told him mocking drunk people was fun and Reggie begged for a chance to sing ABBA, so Luke couldn’t refuse. He already acted like a douche enough today.

So there he sat, on a barstool at Neon Affluenza on a Wednesday night peering into the aforementioned shitty margarita. The place recently opened and has gotten pretty good reviews, Luke quietly admitting that the vibe of the bar was pretty dope. Dark walls and black hardfloor flooring, dimmed lights and purple LED giving everyone a mysterious glow. The stage was small, as usual, with an underpaid DJ on the side playing the tracks. It was packed, loud chatter and clinking glasses overpowering the slurring words of the heavy-lidded, burly man onstage working his way through a Céline Dion track. Luke wondered for a second if the singer thought about how many people butchered her song and brought slander to her name every second of the night in all the karaoke bars all over the world. Oh well. At least she had a record deal and, you know, any significance.

Alex sat next to him, grinning face illuminated as he texted Willie, as Luke lazily let his gaze drift across the room. The man has stopped and gotten a weak applause, the next person ascending the stage and singing - Jesus fucking Christ, kill him now - “Firework” by Katy Perry. This night truly was the worst.

It didn’t help that for some reason, three girls have come up to him. Was this an ongoing bet from one friend group or something? To see which one of the girls could crack him? Any other night, he would’ve relished the attention, maybe even chatted one up enough to go home with. Flirting was second nature to Luke. The third girl was his type too! When he rejected her avances, she just shrugged and continued her way to Reggie. Which, he must admit, was a pretty confident move on her part. Regardless - Luke wasn’t in the mood and nothing, or no one, would change that. (Maybe he could sneak back to the studio...)

“Excuse me-” A female voice called out, tapping his arm.

He rolled his eyes. “Not interested.”

She scoffed. “You’re sitting on my jacket, asshole.”

Turning to face her, he froze for a beat. His unimpressed glare turned surprised at how pretty she was. Like, “double take on the street”-pretty. If he thought the girl from before was his type, he was mistaken. This was his type. She regarded him with minimal interest, brows raised and arms crossed.

“So?”

His reply stuttered out slowly. “Uh... huh?” Awesome. He was twenty-three and unable to speak to a pretty girl like some pimply eleven year old playing spin the bottle for the first time.

She tugged on his stool and - oh. The stool wasn’t leather, it was suede. He was sitting on her leather jacket. Shit. He terribly hoped he didn’t have butt sweat, or else mortification would take him out and not the piercing belt of the drunk singer. Either way, he embarrassed himself.

“Shit!” He rushed from his chair and held the garment out for her. “Sorry!”

With a sneer, she grabbed it from his grasp, fingers brushing and letting heat ripple up his arm. Holy shit. Yup. The night took a turn. He had to know who she was.

She pulled the jacket on. “Thanks, I guess...” Just as she was about to disappear back in the throng of drunkards, he called out for her.

“Uh, hey! I didn’t get a name!”

The girl turned around, an amused - hella attractive - expression flitting across her face (damn, in what factory did they make her?), and tracked his body with her eyes. Instinctively fixing his slouch, he hoped she was into that punk-rocker aesthetic. That jacket was sort of a clue, right?

An ironic smile tugged on her lips. “Thought you weren’t interested, loverboy.”

Oh, fuck. His flirting game found their match and it was wrapped around a 5′4 girl with glossy curls and eyes glinting with challenge. Luke recovered as fast as he could from his whiplash and swaggered over to her, a charming smirk falling on his lips - the one he so often pulled to make the front row fawn. The girl didn’t look away, raising her chin to level his intensity. A giddy feeling spread in his chest. This could be fun.

“That’s before I knew the leather jacket belonged to a pretty face like yours, princess.”

“Trust me,” she laughed, also attractive. Everything about her was fucking enigmatic. “I’m not a princess.”

He tried again. “What’s your name?”

“What’s yours?”, she shot back.

He licked his lips, grinning, and held his hand out. He’d gladly bridge this animosity if it got him a name and a number. “I’m Luke.”

His hand was met with cold air, the girl laughing again and showcasing the cute, little gap between her teeth. It should be an imperfection, but it kind of made her better. Jeez, he didn’t even know her! Why she was laughing, however, he didn’t know. He’d lie if he said his ego wasn’t slammed.

“Are you-?”

“Next up: my girl Julie with Lizzo!” The DJ yelled in the mic, a gaggle in the crowd hooting and whistling. His dream girl winked, throwing a thumb at the stage and shrugging like she felt sorry for interrupting the conversation.

“That’s my cue. Bye!”

“Wait!” Argh! He didn’t pay attention to the DJ! Now he still didn’t now her name! A beat later, though, the latter words processed. Lizzo. This girl was going to sing... Lizzo? The most revered pipes of the 21st century? Yeesh. Maybe she wasn’t so perfect after all.

The girl jumped on the stage like she owned it, the first notes of “Juice” booming from the amps, her body moving with the beat. Straightening her jacket and mirroring the smirk he just sported himself, Luke’s throat went dry.

“Oh.” Alex casually came to stand next to him. “That’s Julie.”

“What?!”

But then she opened her mouth and any sensical thought flew out the window. Her voice was fucking magnificent. Clear, kind of raspy, yet loud and strong and an undercurrent that suggested years of rigorous training. This was not just some girl singing - she was singer.

If I'm shining, everybody gonna shine I was born like this, don't even gotta try

Her eyes searched across the heads and then stuck on him, that damned smirk widening and sending him a look that would bring any man to his knees. And then, to finish him off, teasingly waved at him as she spit the lyrics.

I'm like Chardonnay, get better over time Heard you say I'm not the baddest bitch, you lie!

Julie zoomed through the lyrics with ease, dancing and singing like it was breathing, and oozing every bit of confidence a person could have. Cocky nods and flirtatious winks and sinking in her knees to direct a lyric to people in the crowd. He corrected his previous thought: she wasn’t a singer, she was a performer; and she had him stammering.

All of a sudden, she jumped offstage with the mic, the adoring audience parting for her like the Red Sea and the bartenders brightening the LED’s to give everyone a proper look at what she was doing. Luke should’ve known that one verse wasn’t enough - should’ve known that if he was the Flirt King, Julie was the Flirt Queen. He couldn’t keep the grin off his face though. She was incredible and - fuck it - the coolest girl he’s ever met.

Coming to a halt right in front of him with that smile meaning checkmate, she obnoxiously pointed at him as she sung the bridge to the audience.

Somebody come get this man I think he got lost in my DMs, what? My DMs, what? You better come get your man I think he wanna be way more than friends, what? More than friends What you want me to say?

Luke was shaking from laughter, flushing red yet buzzing with exhilaration at this girl putting him in his place. Putting on a show! Where has she been all his life?!

Before he could snatch her waist, she ran back to the stage to belt out the last chorus with all her might, a dazzling smile breaking through. It was the first genuine, earnest one of the night and... wow. Julie was breathtaking.

Alex, unfazed, pressed his phone in his face. “She’s a singer from LA. Thought you’d know her.”

Her song ended, applause so deafening the pedestrians probably heard too, Julie making a silly face and bumping fists with the DJ. She must be a regular here. Weaving her way back to the bar, Luke mustered all his bravado into a laid-back stance and nonchalant smile. He couldn’t hide the mischievous spark in his eye though. That checkmate was still up for grabs.

“A water, please,” she asked the bartender. Catching her eye, she turned towards him. “Hello again.”

“Gotta admit, Julie-” he leaned back, elbows propped on the bar. “-wasn’t too bad.”

From the way her eyes lingered on the movement, triumph flared in his chest. She came closer, cocking a hip and placing her glass next to his arm. “Ha! I can sing circles around you.”

He leaned in with a grin. “You’d be surprised.”

She didn’t back down. “Is that a challenge?”

“Ask me again in the morning.”

Huffing, she uttered: “What makes you think I’d go home with you?”

“Cause I do ‘wanna be way more than friends’ and, well-” He closed the space between them, calloused fingers tugging on a curl and tucking it behind her ear. Her skin was hot from the lights. For a beat, her resolve waned.“You’re still here.”

Those eyes that have been driving him wild flickered to his lips. He held his breath in anticipation. One night with this girl and some snarky lyrics later and he’d be back on the saddle. This was what he needed to get out of his funk. After, everything would just go back to normal. Right?

Her lips suddenly grazed his, gaze flicking up and giving him a killer grin. Right - maybe not entirely back to normal. He wouldn’t mind Julie giving him a look like that more often.

“You got yourself a deal... loverboy.”

@blush-and-books @willexx @unsaid-emily @alexjulies

#not me..... missing the bar my friends and i were known at for killing karaoke #not at all #why would you even IMPLY THAT #juke #jatp fanfiction #otp: i think we make each other better #written cause im in a slump so i am unslumping myself #might make this a full thing idk

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rigmarolling · 5 years

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Historical Holiday Traditions We Really Need To Bring Back

Here comes Santa Claus, and also a bunch of annual holiday Things we do to ensure he commits a truly boggling act of breaking and entering and leaves goods underneath the large plant in the living room.

Because I’ve always got a hankerin’ for the days of yore, here are some historical holiday traditions we really need to bring back:

1. Everything that happened on Saturnalia

Saturnalia was the ancient Roman winter festival held on December 25th--which is why we celebrate Christmas on that day and not on the day historians speculate Jesus was actually born, which was probably in the spring.

Saturnalia was bonkers. As the name suggests, it celebrated the god Saturn, who represented wealth and liberty and generally having a great time.

Above: Their party is way cooler than yours could ever hope to be.

During Saturnalia, masters would serve their slaves, because it was the one day during the year when everybody agreed that freedom for all is great, actually, let’s just do that. Everyone wore a coned hat called the pilleus to denote that they were all bros and equal, and also to disguise the fact that they hadn’t brushed their hair after partying hard all week, probably.

Gambling was allowed on Saturnalia, so all of Rome basically turned into ancient Vegas, complete with Caesar’s Palace, except with the actual Caesar and his palace because he was, you know. Alive.

The most famous part (besides getting drunk off your rocker) was gift-giving--usually gag gifts. Historians have records of people giving each other some truly impressive white elephant gifts for Saturnalia, including: a parrot, balls, toothpicks, a pig, one single sausage, spoons, and deliberately awful books of poetry.

Above: Me, except all the time.

Partygoers also crowned a King of Saturnalia, which was a predecessor to the King of Fools popular in medieval festivals. The king was basically the head idiot who delivered absurd commands to everyone there, like, “Sing naked!” or “run around screaming for an hour,” or “slap your butt cheeks real hard in front of your crush; DO IT, Brutus.”

Oh, wait. Everyone was already doing all that. Hell yes.

(Quick clarification: early celebrations of Saturnalia did feature human sacrifice, so let’s just leave that bit out and instead wear the pointy hats and sing naked, okay? Io Saturnalia, everybody.)

2. Leaving out treats for Sleipnir in the hopes of avoiding Odin’s complete disregard for your property

The whole “leave out cookies and milk for Santa” thing comes from a much older tradition of trying to appease old guys with white beards. In Norse mythology, Odin, who was sort of the head god but preferred to be on a perpetual road trip instead, took an annual nighttime ride through the winter sky called the Wild Hunt.

Above: The holidays, now with 300% more heavy metal.

Variations of the Wild Hunt story exist in a bunch of European folklore--in Odin’s case, he usually brought along a bunch of supernatural buddies, like spirits and other gods and Valkyries and ghost dogs, who, the Vikings said, you could hear howling and barking as the group approached (GOOD DOGGOS).

That was the thing, though; you never actually saw Odin’s hunt--you only heard it. And hearing it did not spark the same sense of childish glee you felt when you thought you heard Santa’s sleigh bells approaching as a kid--instead, the Vikings said, you should be afraid. Be VERY afraid.

Because Odin could be kind of a dick.

Odin was also known as the Allfather, and like any father, he hated asking for directions. GPS who? I’m the Allfather, I’m riding the same way I always ride.

And that was pretty much it: “I took this road last year and I’m taking it again this year.”

“But,” someone would pipe up from the back, “there are houses on the road now--we’re gonna run right into them. We could just take a different path; there’s actually a detour off the--”

“Nope,” Odin would say. “They know the rules. My road, my hunt, my rules. We’re going this way.”

So if you were unlucky enough to have built your house along one of Odin’s favorite road trip sky-ways, he wouldn’t just plow right past you.

He would burn your entire house down--and your family along with it.

Kids playing in the yard? Torch ‘em; they should have known better. Grandma knitting while she waits for her gingerbread Einherjar to finish baking? Sucks to be her; my road, my rules, my beard, I’m the Allfather, bitch.

Above: Santa, but so much worse.

To be fair to Odin, he could be a cool guy sometimes. He just turned into any dad when he was on a road trip and wanted to MAKE GOOD TIME, DAMN IT, I AM NOT STOPPING; YOU SHOULD HAVE PEED BEFORE WE LEFT.

To ensure they didn’t incur Odin’s road trip wrath, the Vikings had a few ways of smoothing things over with Dad.

They would leave Odin offerings on the road, like pieces of steel (??? okay ???) or bread for his dogs, or food for his giant, eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, because the only true way to a man’s heart is through his pet.

People would generally leave veggies and oats and other horse-y things out for Sleipnir, whose eight legs made him the fastest flying horse in the world and also made him the only horse to ever win Asgard’s coveted tap dancing championship.

(Side note: EIGHT legs...EIGHT tiny reindeer...eh? Eh? See how we got here? Thanks, nightmare horse!)

Above: An excellent prancer AND dancer.

And if Odin was feeling particularly charitable and not in the mood for horrific acts of arson, children would also leave their shoes out for him--it was said that he’d put gifts in your boots to ring in a happy new year.

If all that didn’t work and the Vikings heard the hunt approaching, they would resort to throwing themselves on the ground and covering their heads while the massive party sped above them like a giant Halloween rager.

So this holiday season, leave your boots out for Odin and some carrots out for his giant spider horse or you and your entire family will die in a fiery inferno, the end.

3. Yule Logs

Speaking of Scandinavia, another Northern European winter solstice tradition was the yule log. Today, if you google “yule log,” something like this will pop up:

...which isn’t an actual log, but is instead log-shaped food that you shove into your mouth along with 500 other cakes at the same time because it’s CHRISTMAS, and I’m having ME TIME; so WHAT if I ate the whole jar of Nutella by myself, alone, in the dark at 3 am?

But that log cake is actually inspired by actual logs of yore that Celtic, Germanic, and Scandinavian peoples decorated with fragrant plants like holly, ivy, pinecones, and other Stuff That Smells Nice before tossing the log into the fire.

This served a few purposes:

It smelled nice, and Bath and Body Works scented candles hadn’t been invented yet.

It had religious and/or spiritual significance as a way to mark the winter solstice.

It was a symbolic way of ringing in the new year and kicking out the old.

Common belief held that the ashes of a yule log could ward off lightning strikes and bad energy.

Winter cold. Fire warm.

Everybody loves to watch things burn. (See: Odin.)

The yule log cakes we eat today got their start in 19th century Paris, when bakers thought it was a cute idea to resurrect an ancient pagan tradition in the form of a delicious dessert, and boy, howdy, were they right.

In any case, I’m 100% down with eating a chocolate yule log while burning an actual yule log in my backyard because everybody loves to watch things burn; winter cold, fire warm; and hnnnngggg pine tree smell hnnnnggg.

(Quick note: The word “yule” is the name of a traditional pagan winter festival, still celebrated culturally or religiously in modern pagan practice. It’s also another name for Odin. He had a bunch of other names, one of the most well-known being jólfaðr, which is Old Norse for “Yule father.” If you would like to royally piss him off, or if you are Loki, feel free to call him “Yule Daddy.”)

4. Upside down Christmas trees

I just found out that apparently, upside down Christmas trees are a hot new trend with HGTV types this year, so I guess this is one historical trend we did bring back, meaning it doesn’t really belong on this list, but I’m gonna talk about it, anyway.

Side note: Oh, my god, that BANNISTER. I NEED.

Historians aren’t actually sure where the inverted Christmas tree thing came from, but we know people were bringing home trees and then hanging them upside down in the living room as early as the 7th century. We have a couple theories as to why people turned trees on their heads:

Logistically, it’s way easier to hang a giant pine tree from your rafters upside down by its trunk and roots. You just hoist that baby up there, wind some rope around the rafter and the trunk, and boom. Start decorating.

A Christian tradition says that one day in the 7th century, a Benedictine monk named Saint Boniface stumbled across a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree. So, instead of minding his own damn business, he cut the tree down and replaced it with a fir tree. While the pagans were like, “Dude, what the hell?” Boniface used the triangular shape of the fir tree to explain the concept of the holy trinity to the pagans. Some versions have him planting it right-side up, others having him displaying a fir tree upside down. Either way, it’s still a triangle that’s a solid but ultimately very rude way of explaining God. Word’s still out on whether anyone was converted or just rightly pissed off that this random guy strolled into their place of worship, chopped down their sacred tree, and plopped HIS tree down instead. Please do not do that this holiday season.

Eastern Europeans lay claim to the upside-down tree phenomenon with a tradition called podłazniczek in Poland--people hung the tree from the ceiling and decorated it with fruits and nuts and seeds and ribbons and other festive doodads.

(God, who lives in these houses? Look at that. That’s like a swanky version of Gaston’s hunting lodge. Where do I get one? Which enchanted castle do I have to stumble into to chill out in a Christmas living room like that?)

Today, at least in the West, upside-down trees are making a comeback because...I don’t know. Chip and Joanna Gaines said so.

Some folks say it’s a surefire way to keep your cats from clawing their way through the tree and then puking up fir needles for weeks afterward, which checks out for me.

5. Incredibly weird Victorian Christmas cards

So back in the 19th century, the Christmas card industry was really getting fired up. Victorians loved their mail, let me tell you. They loved sending it. They loved getting it. They loved writing it. They loved opening it. They loved those sexy wax seals you use to keep all that sweet, sweet mail inside that sizzling envelope. (Those things are incredibly sexy. Have you ever made a wax seal? Oh, man, it’s hot.)

The problem, though, was that while the Victorians arguably helped standardize many of the holiday traditions we know and love today (Christmas trees, caroling, Dickens everything, spending too much money, etc.) back in 1800-whenever, a lot of that Christmas symbolism was, um...still under construction. No one had really agreed on which visual holiday cues worked and which...didn’t.

Meaning everyone just kind of made up their own holiday symbols. Which resulted in monstrous aberrations like this card:

What the hell is that? A beet? Is that a beet? Or a turnip? Why is it...oh, God, why does it have a man’s head? Why does the man beet have insect claws?

What is it that he’s holding? A cookie? Cardboard? A terra cotta planter?

And then there’s this one:

“A Merry Christmas to you,” it says, while depicting a brutal frog murder/mugging.

What are you trying to tell me? Are you threatening me with this card? Is that it? Is this a threat? How the hell am I supposed to interpret this? “Merry Christmas, hide your money or you’re dead, you stupid bitch.”

Also, why is the dead frog naked? Did the other frog steal his clothes after the murder? WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS?

Victorian holiday cards also doubled as early absurdist Internet memes, apparently, because how else do I explain this?

Is this some sort of tiny animal Santa? A mouse riding a lobster? Like, the mouse, I get. Mice are fine. Disney built an empire on a mouse. And look, he’s got a little list of things he’s presumably going to bring you: Peace, joy, health, happiness. (In French. Oh, wait, is that that Patton Oswalt rat?)

But a LOBSTER? What’s with the lobster? It’s basically a sea scorpion. Why in the name of all that is good and holy would you saddle up a LOBSTER? I hate it. I hate it so, so much. Just scurrying around the floor with more legs than are strictly necessary, smelling like the seafood section of Smith’s, snapping its giant claws.

This whole card is a health inspector’s worst nightmare. It really is.

I gotta say, though, I am a fan of this one:

Presumably, that polar bear is going in for a hug because nothing stamps out a polar bear’s innate desire to rip your face from your skull than candy canes and Coke and Christmas spirit.

This next one is actually fantastic, but for all the wrong reasons:

I know everyone overuses “same” these days but geez, LOOK at that kid. I can HEAR it. SAME.

If you’ve ever been in a shopping mall stuffed with kids, nothing sums it up better than this card. This is like the perverse version of those Anne Geddes portraits that were everywhere in the late 90s. “Make wee Jacob sit in the tea pot; everyone will--Jacob, STOP, look at Mommy; I said LOOK. AT. MOMMY--everyone will love it.”

Actually, you know what? Every other Christmas card is cancelled. This is the only card we will be using from now on. This is it.

Wait, no. We can also use this one:

Merry Christmas. Here’s a fuckin’...just a dead fuckin’ bird.

#victorian #listory #christmas #holidays #mythtory #norse mythology #odin

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reasons-to-love · 5 years

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Y’know what

let’s do some tag games. @ssimsass tagged me in one of them a while ago but I kept postponing. Well, now I kinda wanna do it together with another one I came across, so I will because i can

MUSIC TAG GAME

Rules: list ten songs you’re currently obsessed with and tag ten people to do the same!

I’m currently listening through the discographies of a bunch of bands, so there will be a lot of them here. I haven’t put them in a particular order

1.Tiny Dancer, Elton John - because this song seems to be unable to leave me alone and my brain keeps replaying it for some reason. Still a lovely song. 2. Paint It Black, The Rolling Stones - The more I listen to them, the more I realize I don’t like them nearly as much as the Beatles (or Abba, or Queen, or a lot of other bands) but this is my favourite RS song and it kicks serious ass. 3.You and I, Queen - Not very well known but catchy as hell. 4.Major Minus, Coldplay - Genuine rocker from a band that I really like, so I guess there’s no surprise here. 5-Up With The Birds, Coldplay - Strange little song that captivates me a lot, I love it. 6-Something About The Way You Look Tonight, Elton John - Idk really what to say, it’s just a hella good song. 7-Rock me, ABBA - Well, the best way to put this is... this song rocks me. 8-Take My Breath Away, Queen - Underrated 9-The Millionaire Waltz, Queen - y e s p l e a s e 10-Eleanor Rigby, The Beatles - It would have felt weird not to include any Beatles song even though I’m finished listening to all their albums (except for the anthologies). Well, this is my favourite song ever and I guess I’ll never get over it because Vivaldi and because Paul.

SIX CRUSHES TAG GAME

These are in order from the lesser to my one and only husbando.

6. Jon Cozart (aka Paint)

It used to be much stronger in the past, but I still love this dude’s music, the way he uses random objects to create music and his voice is so sweet I wanna die.

5. Oliver Thorne (Philosophy Tube)

Maybe It’s just british charm, maybe it’s the way he frames his videos and the enormous effort he puts in them. Maybe it’s the fact that finally I get the buzz around philosophy (thanks to Contrapoints too but I like men, sorry) thanks to him, the rogue prince of YouTube.

4. Markiplier

His voice soothes my soul, I love the fact that he seems really smart, even though he acts like he’s not. Plus, he has a really infectious way of laughing and his videos are sometimes so dank I can’t help myself.

3. Grian

I don’t even know where to start with this guy: he’s a cat daddy, he loves playing around, he goes to great lengths to surprise his friends, he’s not afraid to sing or to look soft, he heralds himself as an agent of chaos even though he actually helps people for seemingly no gain for himself.

2. Natewantstobattle (aka Nathan Sharp)

Loved his gameplays, love his music. I wish he would let himself be silly once in a while, that seems to be his truest self. I think he is taking himself waay too seriously nowadays, probably because he wants to be taken seriously as a musician and I understand that. It’s just that I love to watch him fool around because he brings me so much joy.

1. Paul McCartney

Yup. This guy. I know he could be my granddad but no one comes close to him. I know he treated a lot of girls like shit in his time, but there’s something about him that attracts me like nothing else. Is it posthumous Beatlemania? Is it because he’s drop-dead gorgeous? Is it because I have a weak spot for musicians? Is it because his music hits me like nobody else’s? Maybe it’s all of the above. Well, there’s definitely something special about his plump butt, that’s for certain.

TAGS: You. Yes, you reading. Do it. Play the tag game. j u s t d o i t.

#tag game #music #crushes

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starspatter · 6 years

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Heroes and Thieves, Ch. 7

Title: Heroes and Thieves Fandom/Universe: BTAS, pre/post-RotJ flashback

Summary: A story about second chances, healing, and having hope.

Rating: PG-13, for references to character death, child psychological torture and trauma.

Genre: Romance/Family/Friendship/Hurt/Comfort

Word Count: 2,067 Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Also on ff.net and AO3.

Well time has a way of throwing it all in your face The past, she is haunted, the future is laced Heartbreak, you know, drives a big black car Swear I was in the back seat, just minding my own

-Gregory Alan Isakov, "Big Black Car"

Now.

“The Bat Signal is not a toy, Ms. Brown.”

Startled, Stephanie swerved around at the sudden emergence of a man swathed in black from the shadows, cloak whipping wordlessly in the wind. She hadn’t even heard him arrive on the rooftop.

How does he do that?

“You know my name?”

She asked, flustered.

“I make it my business to know. You’re Stephanie Brown, daughter of Crystal and Arthur Brown, a.k.a. Cluemaster. …Tim Drake’s girlfriend.”

Stephanie blinked, sighing before lowering her mantle and removing the guise’s (apparently ineffectual) inner layer, letting luminescent locks fall free around her shoulders. (Reasoning that if the cops hadn’t come up to bust her by now, then it seemed rather unlikely they’d show up anytime soon.) …Wish I knew what the heck to do with my hair under this thing, she thought idly as she combed her hand through the tangles. Maybe I should try putting it in a ponytail or something.

“Then you probably know why I called you here then. Sorry about the theatrics,” she gestured towards the spotlight, “But I figured this was the fastest way to get your attention.”

“Tim told you about our history together.”

“Some of it. He wouldn’t tell me why you two split up.”

There was a palpable beat.

“If he didn’t see fit to explain, then it’s not my place to intervene.”

“Please, Mr. Wayne.” Those crescent slits narrowed at equally intimate address. “I think I deserve to know at this point.”

“This isn’t any of your business, Ms. Brown. I suggest you go home, and get rid of that silly costume.”

Like yours is any less ridiculous.

“This isn’t a game. Quit before you get yourself into trouble.”

Holy déjà vu.

She crossed her arms frankly, standing firm.

“Tim said the same thing. I’m getting real sick and tired of hearing it.”

“He’s right. The streets are far too risky, especially for someone like you.” There was a rough rigor to his tenor; like a razor blade scraping severely against the grain, incisive and insistent. Deliberately rubbing salt and steel into the wound until it irritated. “I’ve seen how you operate: rash, reckless, impulsive, impetuous – not thinking before you act. You might believe you’re being brave – that you’re endeavoring to prove something by jumping directly into danger, putting yourself in the constant thick of threats – but you’re just behaving brashly like a child. A person of your kind doesn’t belong in this field.”

Stephanie bristled at the blunt onslaught, blue irises burning boldly defiant.

“You don’t understand: My dad was supposed to be dead, and now he shows back up again in Gotham like nothing happened – except now he’s committing crimes without even leaving clues. I couldn’t just stand aside and let him get away with it. I had to do something. After all, I’ve got a stake in this.”

Batman made a smothered sound, like a pained grunt – as if someone had just punched him in the gut.

“You sound just like he did. All you stupid kids, don’t know what you’re getting into.”

“I know that without me you wouldn’t have been able to figure out the next place my father was planning to hit.”

Admit it, that “chopping mall” clue was a stroke of genius.

“And your assistance in bringing him down during the heist is appreciated. But this ends tonight. You should leave the crimefighting to trained professionals.”

“I just wanted to help…”

Batman took a step forward, looming ominously over her. His voice was dangerous.

“You don’t know what you want. None of you ever did.”

Despite the fierce menace in his tone, she staunchly stood her ground, eyes stubborn and challenging as she declined to back down. Her opponent carried on lecturing:

“You’ve accomplished your mission; succeeded in putting your father in jail. Now that you’ve gotten your revenge, there’s no more reason for you to continue this fight anymore. I suppose you’re just doing this now for fun, for the thrill. Because you think it’s ‘cool’.”

Stephanie clenched her fists. He had struck a chord, but she didn’t take kindly to being patronized either, her entire motivations being put down, brushed aside just like that.

“That’s not the only reason. I mean, yeah this just kinda started out as a goof to get back at my dad of course, and sure I’ll confess I do get a kick out of the rush – but there’s more to it than that. I may not be all that smart or skilled at… anything really. But this – this is something I can do to help others. People in need. For the first time in my life, it feels like I’m really doing something worthwhile, that I’m doing some good. Like I’m making a real difference. I’m doing this… I don’t know. Not even for me.” She turned towards the skyline, surveying over the (for the moment at least) peacefully sleeping city, lights reflecting above and below. “I’m doing this for all of them.”

Batman stared at her.

“Regardless, this isn’t your responsibility.”

“And it’s supposed to be solely yours? You’re just one man in a batsuit, you’re not in charge of this town. You may be able to handle all the crimes within the city limits, but the suburbs don’t have anyone. Not even you can be everywhere at once. Hell, no one can carry the weight of the world by himself.”

“This is a vow I took on my own shoulder’s, no one else’s. I work alone.”

“If you really thought that, why’d you agree to take an apprentice on in the first place?”

While visibly there was no noticeable wince, another wounded growl escaped from the cowl.

“That was a mistake.”

“Oh really? I’ve seen how you operate: Ever since you’ve gone partnerless, you’ve been colder, harsher, overly aggressive, and more unforgiving than ever before. Everyone’s noticed; it’s been all over news reports everywhere, criminals claiming to be the ‘victims’ of vigilante violence. All the tabloids assume you’ve gone off the deep end, that you’ve finally cracked – or that you were off your rocker all along. That’s why they say even the police won’t cooperate with you anymore.” She looked towards the tarp lying on the ground, which had been covering the searchlight up to now. Lucky for her they hadn’t removed the apparatus entirely. “You accuse me of being hotheaded, but I could say the exact same of you. Heck, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you seem to have some sort of death wish.”

“How I conduct myself is none of your concern.”

“It is when there are people suffering for it. Tim included. The truth is Batman needs a Robin, doesn’t he? Since your parents died, you need – want company. Otherwise you’ll go crazy, doing what you do all the time. Anyone would.”

Way to play psychoanalyst with the most famous and powerful – not to mention richest – man in Gotham, girl.

Batman held her undeterred gaze.

“…You really do sound just like him.”

Grudgingly, he gruffly acknowledged the comparison – though it wasn’t quite a concession.

Still, Stephanie seized on the opening.

“Seriously, just what the hell happened? You two used to be such a great team. You guys were a legend, the ‘Dynamic Duo’ and all that. Nightwing and Batgirl too, whatever happened to them?”

His answer was aggravatingly simple.

“Things change.”

Why do I get the feeling I’ve heard that somewhere before?

She exhaled in exasperation, sensing the discussion was going in circles. She wasn’t about to allow such curt tautology cut her off though.

“You used to mean something to people. This,” she pointed purposefully at the symbol in the sky, before jabbing at the mirrored center of his chest, “…used to mean something. Sure, you could be scary sometimes, but it was clear that you cared. Now, it’s like all the lives you save don’t even matter anymore. All that exists in your mind – or your heart, whatever’s left of it – that is, assuming you even still have one – is darkness and dread. Am I wrong?”

Her assertive allegation was met with stony silence. Tentatively, she tried to uplift the weight on the conversation somewhat.

“Not everything has to be about fear. There’s room in our line of work for hope too, you know.”

Again, he merely remained mute, scrutiny slanting into the distance.

All right, fine. Don’t answer me.

Growing annoyed by such obstinate reticence (which she recognized all too well at this point; it was no wonder where her boyfriend got it from) and desperate for some sort of reaction, she attempted to return again to the original topic – her whole goal for summoning this guy’s big broody butt in the first place.

“Look, I’m sure you’re as aware as I am this isn’t just about me trying to barge in on your territory – your private little crusade – is it? I don’t mean to pry open old wounds just for the sake of sating my curiosity either. Something obviously happened between you two – something that changed him – that changed the both of you – and I need to know what in order to get through to him.” She placed a palm on her breast, clutching and curling fretful fingers against cloth as she bit her lip, baring honest emotion. “I want to be able to understand what he’s going through, but every time I try to get him to talk about it, he won’t let me near. Refuses to open up, shuts me out just like you’ve been doing all night.”

His vision panned back slowly, restoring rapt concentration. Again, those slim slivers of snow were silent, searching – scant headlights scanning in the dark. Stark and cold against coal, yet somewhere within seemed to spark a vestige of warmth; like stoking, coaxing the burnt out ashes of an old flame to stir and rise again. To remember.

“Tim means a lot to you.”

“The whole world. He’s a great guy.”

“Greater than he knows.”

“Please,” she begged, “Let me help him at least. I’m worried about him.”

He regarded her unwavering expression, gauging sincerity.

“…You really care for him, don’t you?”

She nodded, thinking to herself that- despite his still-outwardly icy demeanor, there was indeed a thaw in his throat, a slight swell of sympathy slipping through the grave gravel.

He rotated with a sharp whisk of cape, heading for the edge of the roof.

“Come with me.”

She followed, taking cue to simultaneously fumble for her cheap grapple as he reached for his own (no doubt state-of-the-art) device. Whilst descending down the decel line, Batman pressed a button on his utility belt, and a rumble hummed from down the road as a long, sleek, jet-black vehicle charged along the street, skidding to a stop right in front of them as they alighted on the sidewalk. The hood automatically slid back upon recognizing its owner, inviting within the depths of its leather wings.

HolycraptheBatmobile.

She hesitated as he walked round to the driver’s side and climbed in, casting an expectant – impatient – glance at his guest.

“Well. Hurry up and get in.”

“O- okay.”

Dear Diary, whatever you do, don’t tell my mom I agreed to get into a strange car in the middle of the night with a shady man wearing a mask. Pretty sure she’d flip her shit.

She hopped in after, settling against the cozy cushions. Leave it to a billionaire to be able to afford the best quality sitting material. Admiring the impressive array of controls on the dashboard, she figured the machine in itself probably cost more than her whole house combined.

“Hang on,” he warned as they lurched forward, “And don’t touch anything.”

Stephanie hastily withdrew her itchy fingers from the nearest knob, sweating nervously.

“Can I ask what this does at least?”

“Passenger seat ejector.”

She shrank back sullenly, leaning slumped into the lavish upholstery.

Mock me at your peril, masked man.

As they sped past buildings and streetlamps, Steph inquired with a hunch as to their destination:

“So are we going to your hideout?”

“I prefer to think of it as a lair.”

She couldn’t tell whether that was supposed to be a joke or not. Either way, she couldn’t help but feel a hint of giddy excitement at her current situation. Not many people could proudly proclaim they got to ride in the freakin’ Batmobile once during their lives.

Cool.

Hope was a letter I never could send Love was a country we couldn't defend

And through the carnival we watch them go round and round All we knew of home was just a sunset and some clowns

#TimSteph #Tim Drake #Timmy Todd #Stephanie Brown #Batman the Animated Series #Batman Beyond #DCAU #Return of the Joker #fanfiction #starstories #I'm kinda knee deep in Kagepro hell right now but #I still love my Bat babies too #so here's a quick lil update #<3 #in which I combine all the quotes #*shot*

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tabloidtoc · 4 years

Text

Globe, February 22 -- part 1 of 5

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Meghan Markle banned from Britain

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Blake Shelton waddles his way to a studio in Burbank, Bachelorette reject Tyler Cameron grabs himself in Florida, Selling Sunset's Chrishell Stause looks at her phone with what looks like a bruise beneath her eye

Page 3: Farrah Abraham shows off her butt at the Santa Monica shore, Antonio Banderas bounces back from a bout with the flu to make an appearance in Spain, Selma Blair gives her pup a lift during a stroll in Studio City

Page 4: When Dustin "Screech" Diamond suddenly died from stage 4 carcinoma at age 44, few knew of the tortured secret life that drove him to the depths -- he starred in Saved by the Bell but it ate at him when he couldn't graduate to success in adult roles -- desperate for dough he wrote the 2009 sex-and-drugs tell-all Behind the Bell which alienated the cast including Mario Lopez and Tiffani Thiessen but in 2016 he made peace with Mario and he reached out to other cast members who let their grudges go -- Dustin destroyed his own life behind the scenes but in the end he found forgiveness

* Martha Stewart is splurging on a boob lift and hoping it will help her catch a man -- Martha takes amazing care of herself and she eats sensibly and looks great but the one thing she's always been a tad insecure about is her bustline and she's decided she's waited long enough and 2021 is the year for a subtle boob life, nothing invasive or over the top though; she just wants to look perkier and pert

Page 5: Beloved music icon Tony Bennett is being ravaged by Alzheimer's disease and been secretly battling the mind-destroying illness for four years -- the 94-year-old's third wife Susan Crow has revealed the singer was diagnosed in 2016 but the terrible disease has damaged his memory and ability to realize he's ill -- despite the disease Bennett still sings two 90-minute sets a week at his home and his wife says singing is everything to him; it has saved his life many times and if he ever stops singing that's when they'll know

Page 6: Evan Rachel Wood and four other women have accused shock rocker Marilyn Monroe of horrendous sexual and psychological abuse -- Evan claims Manson started grooming her when she was a teenager and horrifically abused her for years and she was brainwashed and manipulated into submission -- four other women including model Ashley Lindsay Morgan also posted similar statements about Manson detailing harrowing experiences that they claim included sexual assault, psychological abuse and/or various forms of coercion, violence and intimidation -- Manson whose real name is Brian Warner said all his relationships were consensual with like-minded people and the women's allegations were horrible distortions of reality and misrepresentations -- he was dropped by his recording label

Page 7: Rod Stewart won't be tossed in the slammer for his stupid encounter with a hotel security guard thanks to a hush-hush plea deal negotiated with prosecutors in Palm Beach County, Florida -- the singer and his son Sean Stewart were accused of getting rough with guard Jessie Dixon when he tried to keep them from forcing their way into a private event at Breakers Hotel on 2019 New Year's Eve -- prosecutors and defense lawyers say they've reached an agreement with the star resulting in battery charges being dropped but the terms are being kept under wraps

(continued)

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lievbios · 5 years

Text

Angel || Spike

Name: Spike

Age:

Relationship: Single [Verse depending]

Sexuality: Pansexual

Job:

Faceclaims: James Marsters

Spike (born William Pratt) was a famous and widely-feared vampire turned in 1880. He was well-known among both humans and demons for having faced and killed two Slayers during his unlife, and his history of torturing his victims with railroad spikes (which is rumored the moniker of “Spike” is derived from). His reputation for evil and bloodshed was second only to that of his grandsire Angelus.[1] In his human life, William was an unsuccessful and unappreciated romantic poet known as William the Bloody, for his “bloody awful” poetry, though after he became a vampire, that moniker was re-purposed to imply he was very violent. After being sired by Drusilla, he reinvented himself and terrorized Europe alongside Drusilla, Angel and Darla throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Spike first traveled to Sunnydale in 1997, accompanied by Drusilla. He quickly established himself as one of Buffy Summers’ most dangerous enemies, but was eventually forced into a series of uneasy alliances with her and her team, the Scooby Gang, after being captured by the Initiative and implanted with a cerebral microchip that rendered him unable to harm humans. Eventually, Spike realized that he had fallen in love with Buffy and officially joined the Scooby Gang, later being motivated by his love for her to successfully fight to regain his soul.

Spike sacrificed his life in battle against the First Evil, both defeating its army of Turok-Han and permanently closing the Hellmouth, as well as destroying the town of Sunnydale. However, bound to an ancient amulet, Spike became an incorporeal entity haunting the halls of the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram & Hart, then under the management of Team Angel. After becoming corporeal again, Spike struggled to find a place in the world, only to join Angel in his battle against the Senior Partners and become a Champion in his own right.

William Pratt[2] was born circa 1850 to 1853 in London, England to Anne Pratt and her unidentified husband. Anne often sang him an old folk song called “Early One Morning” throughout his infancy and childhood.[3] By 1880, William had grown into a sentimental, and ineffectual gentleman who lived alone with his ill mother. He was a poet, and enjoyed a certain level of economic comfort. Struggling to make a place for himself in London’s high society, he attended parties, and was nicknamed “William the Bloody” because his poetry was so “bloody awful.” This moniker, with far deadlier connotations, followed him into his future as a vampire.

While he moved within elite circles, William found little in common with his contemporaries, who often made him the butt of their jokes. Still, he showed a strong capacity for loyalty and was highly devoted to the idea of love, two traits that remained with him long after his siring. After his romantic overtures were rejected by the aristocrat Cecily Addams, a despondent William literally collided with Angelus, Darla and Drusilla, who had been terrorizing London. Drusilla followed him into an alley, where she found him in tears. She desired a playmate — a “knight” —, whom she could make hers forever. After a brief talk with the young poet, Drusilla seduced him and turned him into a vampire.[4]

After Drusilla sired William, she buried him and allowed him to be reborn as a vampire; he crawled from the depths of his own make-shift grave.[5] The pair partied for several days afterward, both draining human victims and drinking alcohol. They eventually decided to go back to William’s mother’s residence, where a live-in servant ignorantly invited them inside.

After staking his mother, William began a new existence with Drusilla. Euphoric with his new-found vampiric abilities, he abandoned the genteel hypocrisy and morals of Victorian life but still remained emotionally sensitive. He was eventually introduced to Drusilla’s sire, Angelus, who initially embraced him by expressing an interested in killing with another man. At first, the innocent William idolized Angelus, but was still quick to disagree when he insulted Drusilla in his presence. He preferred to think of her as childish rather than insane, and treated her with undying loyalty.

William was urged to give up his last drop of aristocracy, and became a rebel, adopting a working class North London accent and embracing impulsiveness and violence. He took on the nom de guerre “Spike”, inspired by a detractor from his human days who had exclaimed he would rather “have a railroad spike driven through his head“ than listen to William’s poetry. It was even indicated that he was involved in criminal activities, as Spike later remarked that he spent “the better part of a century” in delinquency. In the company of Drusilla, Darla and Angelus, Spike tyrannized Europe and Asia for the better part of two decades under the banner of the Whirlwind.

1890: Spike, Drusilla, Angelus, and Darla attended the ballet Giselle, in St Petersburg, Russia.[10]

October 1898: Spike & Dru were in Borsa, Romania with Angelus and Darla. Spike, however was oblivious that Angelus had regained his soul due to being cursed by gypsies. But he joined in the massacre of the gypsy clan Kalderash.[12]

June 18, 1900: in Beijing, China, Spike killed Slayer Xin Rong during the Boxer Rebellion. During the fight, in which she used a sword and Spike was unarmed, the Slayer gave him the scar on his left eyebrow, which he still had over a century later. Once again, Drusilla and Spike’s attraction to each other was heightened by chaos and bloodshed, as they immediately become intimate after Spike has murdered Xin Rong.[4]

1953: Back in Rome with Drusilla, Spike had apparently caused a Black Widower demon to be in debt to him. The demon had avoided repaying his debt however, and Spike catches up to him when he’s just had sex with then 18-year-old half-demon Pearl, and was about to eat her, while her brother Nash had been knocked out. In attempt to collect his debt, Spike became an accidental hero, decapitating the demon and inadvertently rescuing Pearl. She became fascinated by the vampire that she considered her hero.[14]

1969: Spike attended Woodstock, where he drank blood from a flower child, and spent the next several hours watching his hand move; a side effect from the psychoactive drugs in their bloodstream.[9]

July 13, 1977: He fought and killed Nikki Wood, a Slayer in New York City aboard a subway train, and stole her black leather duster, which he continued to wear even decades later.[4] At some point he met British punk rocker Billy Idol, who was inspired by Spike’s look and copied it.

Spike first appeared in Sunnydale accompanied by his longtime lover Drusilla, who had recently been wounded by an angry mob in Prague. He was a devoted caretaker to Drusilla in her weakened condition, and initially hoped the Hellmouth’s powerful energy would help to restore her strength. The presence of a Slayer made the town an even more attractive retreat to Spike. He tracked Buffy Summers down at the Bronze and observed her from afar. His interest in her immediately seemed more perverse than homicidal.

Eventually, Spike discovered that Drusilla could only be healed by the blood of her sire; he was more than happy to kill Angel to restore her, and kidnapped him with the help of Willy the Snitch. He subsequently hired the Order of Taraka to assassinate Buffy, though he ultimately cancelled the bounty when she defeated the three assassins who had been sent.[17] With the help of Kendra Young, a second Slayer activated when Buffy drowned the previous year, Buffy tracked down Spike and Drusilla to the church where the were going to perform the ritual to heal Drusilla. The ensuing fight ended when Spike was crushed under a collapsing pipe organ; he was left paralyzed from the waist down for several months. Though Angel was saved, Spike’s ritual succeeded, and Drusilla was restored to perfect health.[18]

It was later revealed that Spike and Drusilla traveled to Brazil, where she remained horrified by his alliance with the Slayer. Drusilla’s abilities caused her to sense that Spike would come to develop romantic feelings for Buffy; she rejected him and cheated on him with a Chaos Demon,[4] which sent the lovelorn Spike into a long drunken depression.

He returned to Sunnydale, where he kidnapped Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris and attempted to force Willow to cast a love spell on Drusilla. While in town he visited Buffy’s mother, Joyce Summers, who listened sympathetically to his heartache, and recruited Buffy and Angel to help him gather ingredients for the spell. However, Mayor Wilkins, knowing that Spike’s mere presence in Sunnydale posed a threat to his plans, quickly organized a “welcoming committee” consisting of Spike’s own former minions to deal with him. After fighting them off, Spike cheerfully abandoned the idea of enchanting Drusilla, resolving instead to win her back by torturing her until she loved him again and told the Slayer where to find her two missing friends. He also told Buffy and Angel that no matter what happened, they would never be friends because of their eternal love for one another. Buffy later remarked to Angel “I can fool Giles, and I can fool my friends, but I can’t fool myself — or Spike, for some reason.” This final quote foreshadowed the pivotal role Spike would someday come to play in Buffy’s group.[20]

Spike’s existence took a pivotal turn when he was captured by the the Initiative, a secret demon-fighting government organization, the members of which implanted him with a cerebral microchip that rendered him unable to willingly harm or attempt to harm humans without experiencing crippling pain.[23] This chip became Spike’s surrogate soul, as it forced him to consider moral consequences of harming others, with the literal punishment of physical pain looming over his head if he ever went against it. Unable to hunt for blood, and still pursued by the Initiative, he reluctantly made the decision to turn to the Scooby Gang for help.[24]

Spike became ecstatic when Xander warned him of an upcoming apocalypse because he wanted the world to end. He nonetheless managed to cheer himself up by viciously tearing down Willow and Xander emotionally, remarking that they were both useless to Buffy, who as a Slayer, would be better off if she didn’t have to constantly watch out for both of them. Willow and Xander were forced to think of his words despite their mutual denial.[28]

Spike came to discover that the chip did not prevent him from hurting demons, much to his joy, allowing him to be more independent of the Scoobies and move out to a crypt.[29] He subsequently became a reluctant ally of the Gang and provided them with assistance in exchange for cash or brawls. At this point, Spike was still interested in his own selfish well-being, and reminded the Scoobies of this constantly with one of his many catchphrases: “I’m Evil!” Upon learning that the unstable Slayer Faith was on the loose, he proclaimed that he would find her and tell her the Scoobies’ exact whereabouts, and gleefully watch while she tore them apart.[30]

When Adam discovered that Spike had failed to split up the Scoobies, he made an attempt to kill him, but Spike managed to escape. After Buffy slew Adam, Spike saved Willow, Giles and Xander from an attacking demon in hope that they wouldn’t kill him for his actions; indeed, they agreed to spare him out of fatigue and gratitude. Spike then helped the Scoobies and Riley Finn battle the rampaging demon hordes within the Initiative’s complex, rescuing most of the soldiers. The Initiative was then shut down by the U.S. government, as it had proved an unsuccessful operation.[31]

Following the fall of the Initiative, Spike began offering more and more assistance to Buffy and the Scoobies. He told Riley about his old rivalry with Dracula,[21] and later punched Tara to prove that her father’s claims about her being a demon were untrue, as his chip caused him pain when he struck her, thus confirming that she was purely human.[21]

His story revealed his fixation with Slayers to Buffy, who had him replay his battles with the two Slayers in great detail, fights he related to “dances.” Buffy was disgusted by his desire to “dance” with her, and pushed him to the ground. Spike was visibly hurt when she told him that he was beneath her, as this was first said to him when he was turned down by Cecily Addams as a human. Equipped with a shotgun, he went to her house with the goal of killing her, but upon finding her on her back porch in tears about her mother’s illness, cast aside his feelings of anger and humiliation and comforted her for the first time.[21]

Buffy’s trust in Spike grew immensely from there; a prime example being when she left Dawn with him in his crypt after Glory “brain-sucked” Tara. While there, Dawn tearfully blamed herself for Glory’s attacks on her friends (including Spike’s torture at Glory’s hands) and believed herself a lightning rod for pain. Spike consoled her as best he could, telling her that as a vampire, he knew a thing or two about evil, and she wasn’t it. When Buffy later joined them, believing that she had managed to talk Willow down from taking vengeance on Glory, Spike quickly pointed out that Willow, being a very powerful and angry witch, would not be so easily reasoned with regarding someone she loved being hurt, causing Buffy to immediately rush to her rescue.[37]

Spike remained unaware of the Scoobies’ plan to resurrect Buffy until after the event; he returned to the Summers’ residence in search of Dawn, only to discover Buffy alive-and-well 148 days after her death.[5] He, like a few of the others, considered the possible drawbacks of such an extreme act, but later expressed that, had the spell gone wrong, he wouldn’t have let the others destroy the result if it had retained even the slightest part of the real Buffy. Unable to confide in her friends about being torn from Heaven due to guilt, Buffy began to go to Spike for comfort, who willingly accepted both the best and worst of her emotions.

With the returning of Spike’s soul came a conscience filled with guilt, both for the sins he had committed throughout his life and his more recent attack on Buffy. He couldn’t bring himself to see her for some time, and took shelter in the basement of the newly constructed Sunnydale High School, where he presumably lived on rats. There, he was tormented by both the the First Evil and his soul, and appeared to be losing his mind; he forced Buffy to leave when she discovered him, and sadly showed her that he had tried to cut out his own heart in self-contempt.

Buffy went to him and pleaded that he accompany her to the surface, telling him that he had done more than enough, but Spike remained true to his desire to die for “love, honor and all the right reasons”. He told her that he could feel his soul within him, and Buffy, saddened but accepting of his resolve, locked fingers with him in order to feel it too. She told him that she loved him, moving Spike. He, however, did not believe her and said “No you don’t, but thanks for saying it.” He forced Buffy to leave his side then, and was slowly incinerated by the sunlight. As he burned and crumbled to dust, Spike reveled in the destruction before him, glad to be able to see the fight to its end. He died closing the Hellmouth and saving the world.[53]

Spike appeared in Los Angeles 19 days after his apparent death in Sunnydale. The amulet he’d worn during the battle against the First had mysteriously been mailed to Wolfram & Hart in a parcel. When Angel opened the package, the amulet fell out and Spike materialized from a cloud of dust. Confused and afraid, he immediately attempted to attack Angel, but found that he could no longer touch anything, and had become incorporeal. At first, he complained about being brought back, stating dramatically: “Can’t a man die in peace without some high almighty deciding it’s not his time?”[54] He intended to leave Los Angeles and travel to Europe to reunite with Buffy, who was gathering Slayers there, but discovered that he was mystically bound to the city and was unable to leave its limits. He opted to stay at Wolfram & Hart in order to find a way to regain his body, and to haunt Angel, whom he still hated with fervency.

Just as Spike began to grow accustomed to his ghostly nature, a mysterious package arrived for him in the mail; upon opening it, a flash of light restored his body. Chaos concurrently erupted at Wolfram & Hart. Eve soon arrived with an addition to the Shanshu Prophecy that stated that the existence of two corporeal ensouled vampires would complicate the outcome of the prophecy, and perhaps even destroy the fabric of reality. She told Angel and Spike that an extended translation of the text revealed that, in order to restore balance, the two must compete to drink from the Cup of Perpetual Torment. The winner would be bestowed with great responsibilities and pain before ultimately having his past washed clean, allowing him to live as a human again.

Angel’s old enemy Lindsey McDonald subsequently chose to take advantage of Spike’s desire to do good by pretending to be the late half-demon Doyle and persuading him that he is destined, like Angel before him, to “help the helpless.” Alienated by Angel’s corporate, bureaucratic approach to fighting evil, Spike willingly stepped into his shoes as a hero for the people. While in business, he took on Dana, a psychotic Slayer who had escaped from a mental institution. As a Slayer, Dana was burdened by dreams and memories that were not her own, and mistakenly believed Spike to have killed her family (she was confusing other Slayers’ memories with her own). She captured and drugged Spike, and cut off his hands. The experience caused Spike to more deeply examine the nature of the evil within him; he later told Angel about Dana’s misconception that he had murdered her family, and said: “And I’m supposed to do, what, complain, ’cause hers wasn’t one of the hundreds of families I did kill?” Spike expressed to Angel that there was little hope for Dana, who had become a monster like them, but Angel responded that she was an innocent victim. Spike then pointed out that he and Angel were innocent victims too, “once upon a time.” Spike’s hands were reattached at Wolfram & Hart, after which he was instructed to play video games for physical therapy, including Donkey Kong and Crash Bandicoot.

After the Fall of Los Angeles into a hell dimension, Spike and Illyria were separated from Angel and began watching over a group of human and demon survivors. One such civilian, Jeremy Johns — despite Spike’s resistance — became Spike’s right hand man and friend. In hell Illyria soon began randomly changing back into her Fred form which left her confused and vulnerable, and Spike was forced to urge her to remain as Illyria in order to protect her. During this time he briefly considered the prospect that he had developed feelings for Fred.

While wandering the city, Spike encountered a dragon, and considered killing it until it telepathically told him that he should mount it. The dragon took Spike to the ruins of Wolfram & Hart, where he found a figure suspended inside a field of energy, writing in pain. Meanwhile, in Spike’s absence, the civilians were kidnapped by a group of strange demon warrior women. After leaving the law firm, Spike encountered one of the women, and commandeered her truck in order to rescue the hostages. He tried to run down the leader of the group, who threw Illyria (who had transformed into Fred once more) into the front of the truck; she reverted to Illyria on impact.

Spike eventually adjusted to Los Angeles’ new status as a literal hell on Earth.[57] He and Illyria both served together as demon Lords of Beverly hills, during which time it appeared as though both of them had returned to their evil roots. It was eventually revealed that their position was a facade; Spike and Illyria were secretly rescuing humans and benevolent demons and evacuating them into the care of Connor, Nina Ash, Kate Lockley and Gwen Raiden. Spike was given the opportunity to return to the side of evil again, but as always he remained loyal to the good fight, and helped Angel to bring down the other Lords’ champions when he challenged them for control of LA. Spike rallied with the rest of the gang against the machinations of Charles Gunn, who had unfortunately become a self-hating and deluded soulless vampire, and was unknowingly working under visions from the Senior Partners. He also struggled to control Illyria’s increasingly unstable powers in the hell dimension; she had continued to periodically revert to Fred’s form and gentle personality, leaving Spike with the duty of protecting her.

Spike relocated to Las Vegas with his associates, the telepathic fish Betta George and pyrokinetic Beck, where he attempted to create “Team Spike”. While there, Spike learned about Wolfram & Hart’s presence in the city, but his attempts to stop them were hampered by a confrontation with the now resurrected Jeremy Johns, who had been possessed by the liaison to the Senior Partners in Las Vegas, and a man called John. John had become romantically involved with Spike’s sire and ex-lover Drusilla, and was convinced that Spike had “stolen” his soul. He was thrown from a window, and rescued by Groosalug and his dragon, subsequently contacting Willow for additional assistance (Reasoning that his enemies would be expecting him to contact one of Angel’s team). Much to Spike’s surprise Willow was thrilled to see him and proud of his personal growth.

Wanting to come to terms with himself, Spike left San Francisco and the Slayer residing there behind and underwent an interval of highly uncharacteristic brooding. He drowned his sorrows in alcohol, and sat alone in the dark for prolonged periods of time. He even travelled to the literal “dark side” of the moon on his ship. His bugs began to worry that in such a state, he was unfit to be their master, and repeatedly tried to cheer him up. They decided that he had been spending too much time in the dark, and opted to bring him into the solarium he had built to be Buffy’s “light place”, where they had set up an artificial beach inspired by the pictures from a magazine. They also replaced the solarium skylights with necro-tempered glass that blocked the rays dangerous to vampires, allowing Spike to sit in the sunlight without being harmed.

Spike, welcoming a distraction from his constant thoughts about Buffy, agreed to meet Angel and arrived at Alasdair Coames’ place in London to discuss a strategy to defeat Eyghon the Sleepwalker and recover the body of Rupert Giles that the demon had possessed. Spike was vital to the operation because as a vampire he would be less likely to fall under the control of Eyghon. After some petty bickering with Angel, and a brief attempt to catch-up with Faith, the group which includes several London slayers are attacked by Eyghon and his zombies. Angel and Spike worked together in an attempt to capture and defeat the demon. They came very close to apprehending him, but Eyghon now more powerful in his true form overcame the demon within Spike and managed to possess him. While Eyghon failed to corrupt Angel because of the three spirits inside of him (Giles, Angelus and himself), Giles briefly dominated and managed to kill Eyghon, releasing his control over the zombies. Having regained his composure, Spike, along with Faith, noticed that Angel had become completely erratic with multiple beings with him. With the final piece of Giles’s soul, Spike and Faith were forced to come up with a new plan, considering Angel was the only person who had any clue how to restore Giles’ body.[72]

Spike can be seen as something of a paradox amongst vampires; pre-soul he exhibits many characteristics that separate him from his soulless brethren, and he very often challenges his kinds’ supposed emotional and physical limitations. He embraces certain elements of humanity, most notably love, and is exceptionally loyal. Both love and loyalty would be considered too “human” to other vampires, and would therefore be offensive. His humanity and ability to love are detected and ridiculed by the Judge when they resurrect the demon to battle Buffy. While Spike could be seen as a largely selfish individual, he has a capacity for extreme acts of selflessness and loyalty to people he truly loved and cared for even while soulless. With or without one, he displays a strong sense of honor and devotion: he doted on Drusilla for over a century, kept his promise briefly to Buffy to leave Sunnydale with Drusilla after helping her to defeat Angelus[20] (which he later broke),[21] left anonymous flowers to show his respect for Joyce Summers after her death,[81] endured intense torture at the hands of Glorificus in order to protect Dawn for Buffy’s sake,[82] continued to aid the Scooby Gang even after Buffy’s death to honor her memory, assisted Willow and Tara to raise Dawn due to his promise to Buffy,[83] chose to remain in Los Angeles with Angel’s crew after Fred Burkle’s death because he knew she would have wanted him to,[84] agreed to accompany Buffy to the abortion clinic when she believed herself pregnant,[65] and refused to leave Dawn’s side when she began to fade due to the end of magic despite Buffy venturing to the Deeper Well.[75]

Although Spike’s love for mindless destruction might suggest otherwise, he is highly intelligent and educated. He has displayed excellent skills of insight and analysis, particularly in regards to relationships, and makes regular references to literary works. He’s also demonstrated an impressive knowledge of magic rituals and items. He was easily able to discern romantic undertones in Willow’s “friendship” with Tara before her other companions, and he used his deep understanding of Riley Finn’s anxieties about Buffy to undermine him.[94] Ironically, he was often delusional about his own relationship with Drusilla, and refused to acknowledge her repeated acts of infidelity.

Spike has a punk look which strongly resembles that of English rock musician Billy Idol. His hair is platinum blonde and combed back, although previously it was a natural medium brown (unstyled) as well as dyed black in the 40s. Spike received a scar on his eyebrow from the sword of the Slayer he killed in 1900. Angel once sarcastically asked him “What color is your hair? Radioactive?”, and he has been called “Captain Peroxide” by both Xander and Angel. His nails are often painted black.

Spike usually wears long black leather coats. The first coat belonged to a Nazi officer he killed and briefly wore it. His signature leather duster was the one he took as a trophy from Nikki Wood, the second Slayer he killed. He wore the Slayer’s black duster for over twenty-five years. When the coat was destroyed by a bomb planted by the Immortal in Italy, Spike heartbrokenly declared it to be irreplaceable. However, the Italy branch of Wolfram & Hart quickly supplied him with a whole wardrobe of new, nearly identical ones which he happily began wearing.

Powers

Enhanced vampire abilities: Spike had the standard powers and vulnerabilities of a vampire; he was immortal, regenerated damage, possessed superhuman physical attributes, and had heightened senses, able to track people by scent alone. He was also vulnerable to holy items and sunlight, could be killed by decapitation and a stake to the heart, needed to regularly ingest mammal blood to maintain his vitality, and could not enter the residence of a living human without being invited by a resident. Due to his advanced age, however, he was considerably more powerful than an average vampire; he could flip over a car when angered [111], punch through an opponent’s torso [112], drain and hide the bodies of two fully grown men in a few seconds without alerting the girl they were walking with, block an oncoming blade from hitting his back by grabbing his foe and swinging her 90 degrees to the path of the blade before it could finish traveling[113], and survive a bomb explosion[114] Also, he was more resistant to sunlight and holy items than most vampires, once using a large cross as a bludgeoning weapon against Angel and withstanding the pain despite it burning his hands[115].

Advanced combat: Spike was famous for having killed two Slayers. Buffy even once went as far as referring to him as the strongest fighter the Scoobies have during their fight against the First. Spike was a highly skilled and versatile fighter in both armed and unarmed combat. For example, he was able to briefly overcome Illyria during a testing of her abilities when she is at the height of her powers; however he had been training with her for months and had adapted to her abilities so others could have achieved this as well if given the time Spike had. Illyria criticizes his (and others’) ability to adapt, calling it “compromise.”

Much like Angel, Spike was proficient in various forms of martial arts, and his typical fighting style blends Judo, Karate, Kung-Fu, and others. It’s also likely he would have knowledge of Taekwondo and Brazilian jujitsu, being able to discern them both as the fighting styles that Illyria had proficiency in, as well as Street-fighting and Boxing.

Intelligence: Spike often displayed insight and skills in perception and observation, especially with regard to relationships and personalities, so long as the relationship in question doesn’t concern him personally. This ability allows him to wield powerful psychological weapons as easily and effectively as physical ones. For example, when he wants to create disharmony among the Scoobies, Spike divides-and-conquers by exploiting tensions that exist under the surface to turn Buffy and her friends against each other.[116] He explains to Buffy that he was able to defeat two Slayers because he sensed and exploited their secret desires to be free of their burden. Spike’s skills of analysis allowed him to be the first to see through Tara’s abusive and controlling family, forced Buffy and Angel to admit that they were more than “just friends,” and identify when and why some relationships, such as that between Buffy and Riley, are not meant to last, feeding Riley’s insecurities in an effort to sabotage his relationship with Buffy so that Spike can pursue her. His analytical skills also help him in battle from time to time; for example, he identified Illyria’s fighting style as a Tae Kwon Do/Brazilian Ninjitsu hybrid.[117]

Although capable of developing sound battle strategies, Spike (particularly in the days before receiving his chip and being ensouled) often loses patience with anything more complicated than outright attack:

He is also impatient to fight the Slayer upon his initial arrival in Sunnydale; the attack is supposed to coincide with the Night of Saint Vigeous, but he “couldn’t wait” to go after the Slayer and attacks the night before, which results in the deaths of many vampires of the Order of Aurelius. However, Spike did exercise patience when he was confined to a wheelchair after a brutal battle with the Scoobies left him paraplegic for several months. Feigning weakness, he endured tortuous weeks watching Angelus sexually pursue Drusilla as he waited for the right time to strike against his rival.

Much like Angel, Spike, presumably due to his long lifetime, often displays in-depth knowledge of different demon species and other supernatural beings, being aware of Rack and surprised at Willow’s trips to his place[118] and also knowing that Wolfram & Hart represents “the worst evil in the universe.”[1] Spike has also proven to be far more intelligent than others give him credit for; for example, he quickly realizes that Angel and Twilight are one and the same.

Spike’s “vampire constitution” provides him with an extremely high tolerance for alcohol (which he regularly consumes in copious quantities).

Technical skills:Spike has shown to be significantly more competent and comfortable with modern technology than Angel; his knowledge allowed him to turn an old crypt in a Sunnydale cemetery into a comfortable home with electricity and cable television.

Criminal and motorist skills: Due to his experience in criminal activities, he is skilled at picking locks, hotwiring cars, and pick-pocketing. He is also capable of easily operating various vehicles, such as various cars, a Harley Davidson motorcycle,[5][45][119] and a Winnebago.[38]

He has also been shown using video game systems and a computer, treating injuries, and playing poker and pool.

Multilingualism: Spike is also seen speaking Latin, Luganda (a language of Uganda, where he meets the demon shaman), and the language of Fyarl Demons.

Former Powers

When Spike was transformed into a ghost-like intangible state following the destruction of Sunnydale and the Hellmouth and his subsequent materialization at Wolfram & Hart, he was capable of walking through solid objects. He was initially unable to make contact with objects around him until he learned how to focus his abilities through desire, allowing him to make brief contact with people and things if he concentrated enough. However, this ability was relatively useless in a fight, as he was unable to pick up a wooden bar to hit the demon Tezcatcatl,[120] and required a few moments to properly punch a cyborg that was strangling Gunn.[121]

VERSES

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lorrejane0629-blog · 6 years

Text

How To Make A Girl Fall In Love With You

1. OPEN YOUR EARS

Girls like a man that’s going to listen to their problems and when you open your ears and let them talk, you are one step up on any other guy in pursuit. Make sure you don’t push her to make a decision. She just wants you to listen so she can work it out. Of course if she asks for your advice, you should give it. Just make sure you aren’t pushing too hard with it or she’ll close the door fast.

2. GIVE HER COMPLIMENTS

Who doesn’t like a nice compliment now and then? Just please don’t give her fake praise or she will kick your butt to the curb fast. Make sure the compliment is genuine and sincere and not too deep. If you overdo it, I can guarantee this pointer will backfire big time. Flatter her a little and she will reward you handsomely.

3. SUPPORT HER ROYALLY

Think of this like you might a cheerleader. You need to show her you will be there to encourage her on and support her in her daily battles. This doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything she does and says, that would make you a pushover puppet. However, you should show her you appreciate and respect her for her life choices. That’s just plain magical in the dating game.

4. DON’T BE AFRAID TO PLAY THE CHIVALRY CARD

This is where you are going to capture her attention and rock her world. Too many guys today seem to forget their manners. When you treat a lady properly, it will never ever go out of style. Open the door for her. Pull out her chair. Give her your coat on a chilly evening. When you show her she’s worth being treated specially, you will be squeezing your way into her heart for all the right reasons. Give it a shot! You’ve got nothing to lose.

5. GIVE HER ALL OF YOUR ATTENTION

I know this one isn’t so easy considering the technology we’ve got to our fingertips. If you are serious about showing this girl you deserve to have her fall in love with you, then you need to keep all eyes on her. This means putting your phone away and definitely not watching other girls walk into the room. You will come across as a prick if you can’t give her your full attention. The choice is yours.

6. TELL HER HOW MUCH YOU ENJOY SPENDING TIME WITH HER

This can come in all sorts of different shapes and forms. You can tell her face to face that you really enjoy hanging out with her. Another route is to drop her a text or email to make sure she knows that she’s on your mind. Or you can drop her a line on social media. You just want to make it crystal clear that you like being with her. She needs to know that if you are going to be successful making her fall in love with you.

7. NURTURE THE LOVE

You need to stand out and in order to do this, you’ve got to take care of the little things. Give her flowers or some sort of surprise just because. Don’t wait until a special occasion to show her how you feel. This will help to make her feel loved and appreciated and that’s a direct route to making her fall in love with you. End of story.

8. MR. CLEAN IS A GOOD THING

Truth be told, if you are leaving your dirty socks on the floor and the sink filled with your dishes, you are killing the romance. Girls like it clean and that means you need to make every effort to clean up after yourself and not leave it to her, no matter what she says. You should know by now that girls say one thing and mean another more often than not. Like it or lump it because that’s just the way it is.

9. MUSIC MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER

There’s just something about a man that sings. Girls go crazy over it. Guess there’s just something about a bad boy rock star. This doesn’t mean you have to be a rocker to get a girl. But if you’ve got some singing skills in your back pocket, that’s a good thing. If not, just show her you are passionate in some other genre. Passion is perfect when combined with love.

10. FUNNY IS IN

When you show a girl you can be light hearted and funny, you are one step closer to getting her walls down so you can jump in. Laughter is the best medicine and when you show a girl you can be funny, or at least try, you will get into her heart and mind fast. So let loose and get a little silly if you are serious about getting the girl for keeps.

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sophiehadder-blog · 7 years

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Sophink

1) Who rocks the Ferris Wheel seat and who flips out and begs them to stop?

Tink is the rocker, obvs. And Soph, as per usual, is freaking out

2) Who is always horny and will have sex at any time, at any place and at any time?

... tink

3) Who is more into taking showers/baths together? Who tries to make it relaxing and who tries to make it sexy time?

i bet soph would be really into it, but honestly i bet they’d equally go for either relaxing or sexy times tbh

4) Who likes to walk around the house naked and who tells the other to go put some clothes on?

Tink/sophie, though like barely

5) Who sleeps on the couch when they get into a fight?

honestly it’s probably sophie cause she’d feel so bad

6) Who takes photos of the other while they sleep?

um um um this could go either way tbh? honestly it’s probably tink just cuase she’s more like tech-savvy and shit, but if it was sophie like, back in the good ol days itd totally be her. she was a fiend for photos

7) Who said “I love you” first? and who ends their arguments in a fight with “Because I love you”?

um um um i feel like tink said it first but sophie would pull that card in an argument

8) Who likes to wear the others sweatshirts?

sophie’d wear tinks cause tbh idk if she owns like a sweatshirt of her own. she’s too classy

9) Who wakes the other up in the middle of the night to tell them a cool dream they had? Who has the most nightmares, and who sings them back to sleep after?

honestly that first one goes either way- though probs tink would be more likely just cause i dont think soph would have the balls to wake her up. lol. as for the nightmares bit, tbh sophie might have more? i think??

10) Who is more likely to cheat?

tink whoops

11) Who makes fun of the other for having a crush on them, and who has to remind them that they are in a relationship?

Tink makes fun, sophie reminds

12) Who starts a food fight in the kitchen?

oh this goes either way tbh depends on the day

13) Who initiates duets? and who is the better singer?

oooooh theyd both initiate the duets but like different kinds of songs. and i bet tink is the better singer

14) Who starts the hand holding? Who grabs the others butt? Who slides their arm around their waist? Who likes to put their fingers in the belt loops?

the hand-holding’s p equal i bet, tink does the butt grabbing and the waist though i bet belt loops is just daring enough for sophie that she could pull it off. not literally though

15) Who likes writes the others name on their wrist?

16) Who is more seductive when they are drunk? and who is louder in bed?

oh my god wow soph could probs give tink a run for her money in the seduction thing, aaaand idk who’s louder honestly?

17) Who is more protective?

Tink

18) Who talks to the other while they are sleeping?

um sophie. that sounds like a weird thing she’d do

19) Who drives and who has the window seat?

since apparently tink can’t drive? (i think?) i guess that answers that?

20) Who falls asleep in the others lap and who carries them to bed?

oh soph would definitely fall asleep in tink’s lap, she is such a sucker for things like that, but iiidk if tink can carr- nvm she totally could

21) Who cuts the others hair?

i could see soph cutting tink’s hair,

22) Who is super bad at sexting? and who sends them encouraging messages throughout the day?

soph is super bad at sexting but i bet she’d be p good at encouraging messages- though tink would be too

23) Who thinks they are not good enough for the others love? and who’s more afraid of loosing the other? Who thinks they keep messing up, only for the other to tell them they don’t need to worry?

tHIS IS THE SOPHIEST THING TO EVER EXIST even though its like totally also tink but theyve got this weird pity party thing going on

24) Who starts random slow dancing with the other in the kitchen? Who holds the other just above the ground and kisses them?

tink for both of these probably, though again she might not be able to hold soph

25) Who says shitty puns and sex jokes just to see the other giggle and blush?

tink

26) Who kissed first?

tink

27) Who orders take out at two in a morning? and who wakes the other up at three in the morning to go downstairs with them to get a glass of water because it’s too dark?

tink for both of these lol

28) Who writes poems/stories and love songs about the other? Do they sing the songs the write for them?

um idk honestly. neither of them? but its more likely to be sophie i think?

29) Who does some crazy stunt to try and impress the other and who ends up driving them to the emergency room after it backfires?

tink/sophie

30) Who is embarrassed when they have to wear their glasses and who thinks they look super cute?

oooomg i bet tink would look the cutest in glasses

#ask game #sophink #Anonymous

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rockerrick-555p · 7 years

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Retribution (4)

{At Rocker’s lowest point with his friendship with Bill over the situation with sharing ER, the musician comes to the old man with a shocking request. One designed more for gut reaction that actual desire to have followed through with and one he’s now thankful Evil Rick refused to comply with.}

Things had slowly adjusted to more of a normal routine. There were still moments when he ached, most especially when he was in the lair alone. He hated those nights and thought there hadn’t been many yet, it was already too many nights away from his husband.

His feeling towards Rick had essentially normalized, it was Bill he hated. The demon who he’d once called his best friend and would spend long nights up texting, had become the bane of his existence and when he sparred and trained it was always Bill he imagined he was ripping to pieces.

He hadn’t even hated Sigma this much and he once considered that man to be his arch nemesis. He wanted Bill out of his life, away from his Rick and out of his nightmares. More urgently, he wanted Bill out of his flesh.

Not in the best of moods after getting out of the shower and seeing the offensive triangle carved into his shoulder, he tugged on a pair of jeans and went up to the main lab to find Evil Rick. He hadn’t demand a thing, though he’d heard Sigma had presented demands. He’d rolled over like an obedient dog and accepted the new conditions of his life. He also hadn’t yet taken any form of retribution against his former best friend and the man who’d so badly broken his heart.

But now his mind was set and he’d figured out the best way to do kill both birds with one stone. Shaking himself to assume a more pleasant air he walked into the lab and crossed the room to where Rick was working. “Hey Rick?” He called, tone as perfectly ordinary as any other day “I need you to do something for me and before you refuse..” he’d made it up next to the old man and leaned against his desk looking down at him with a completely untrustworthy smirk “I’d like you to remember that you recently ripped my heart from my chest and you owe me..”

==============================================================

…and before you refuse….

The words signalled that he was probably going to refuse.

“You know you can’t keep using that as an excuse every time you want something.” He chuckled, continuing to work before sliding his glasses off to sit them on top of a pile of circuit boards. Raising his head to look up at Rick he paused to light a cigarette and offer the kid one. “Unless you’re still smoking those God awful hipster cloves.” He joked, shaking the packet.

“Come on then, out with it, what is it you want?”

==============================================================

He managed a small laugh, he had every intention of milking this to its fullest extent, though he may have been over doing it a little, using heartbreak as an excuse to get pancakes in bed maybe a tad excessive.

Rocker gave Rick a look then grabbed the pack to take one. He hadn’t switched back yet, but cloves were much harsher than cigarettes and were staring to take their toll on his throat. Lighting one he paused holding the zippo, rubbing his thumb over the engraving. He closed his fist around it and slipped it back in his pocket.

He dragged on the butt and studied the end before saying, quite casually “I want you to cut the triangle out of my shoulder.” When he looked up from the cigarette to Rick his eyes had a twisted depth, part pain, still raw from being frequently prodded and part burning rage from his desire to cause Bill as much pain as the demon had caused him. He was well aware that cutting out a brand caused the possessed man considerable pain.

“I want you to do something for me that causes him agony, to know with every slice into my flesh you may as well be stabbing your precious Bill. ”

==============================================================

There was a menacing malevolence about the boy, the request had been made in a deliberately casual way but there was nothing remotely casual about it.

Only a few months previously Evil Rick had gouged his own out of his back, his scarred shoulder was still a fucking mess. He thought back to it and smiled at his own stupidity; Christ he’d told Bill he planned to sleep with Sigma when the kid lost the monogamy bet, just to get a reaction, just to goad Bill into a fight because at least if the demon was showering him with hate he was getting some attention. Attention was exactly what he’d got and the resulting aftermath had caused him to get depressed, blind drunk and carve the fucking thing out, nearly causing himself to bleed to death in the process. His new brand sat on the opposite shoulder but he missed the old one.

The next statement was met with narrowed eyes and a frown, the kid didn’t just want to remove the brand, he wanted to hurt Bill and he didn’t just want to hurt Bill, he wanted the old man to do it.

Your precious Bill.

God, there was such hatred in that tone. Evil Rick cleared his throat and continued to study the boy with a questioning expression. “That brand is the best protection in the multi-verse, why the hell would I agree to remove it?”

==============================================================

“You think I want his fucking protection!” Rocker was quick to snarl at the old man flinging his arms out to the sides. “Best protection my ass! Where was his protection when you two decided it’d be a good idea to rip my heart out!? Huh? Fucking protection psh.. I can take care of myself.. And if I couldn’t I’d rather be ripped to shreds then have him come save me.”

He stormed to the other side of the lab and roughly starting picking up some stuff Rick had been nagging him to put away, tossing things in drawers and muttering to himself. “It’s clear he doesn’t give a shit about me..” he turned and snapped back at Evil Rick “it’s worthless and just an ugly blemish on my otherwise perfectly marred body. I want it gone Rick.”

==============================================================

The old man rose from his chair with such force that it screeched across the floor and clattered over onto its side. Turning from it he swiftly crossed the lab, walking straight up to the boy to place the flat of his palm against the kid’s chest, hard.

“It still beats Rick.” He said coldly in a clear warning tone. “…and as long as it does you need to listen to my advise.” He lowered his head to capture the boy’s gaze. “It’s not even been a full week, if you still feel like this in a couple of month’s time, we’ll discuss it.” He shifted his hand to cup Rick’s face. “Until then you’ll do as I’ve requested…it stays.”

==============================================================

He flinched when Rick came at him, expecting to be slapped for disrespecting the old man’s new favorite. He tensed until the calloused hand came to rest on his chest and he relaxed slightly to look down at it. No shit it still beat, with every single beat it flooded his system with the ache of betrayal.

“A couple months!” He snapped incredulously brining his arm up his middle to whack the old man’s hand away before shoving him backwards with both hands. “It’s my fucking body and I don’t want to look at it anymore.” The brand insulted him, he carried the mark of his enemy and it gave his rival control over him. Evil Rick never would take such a risk with his own life. It made him sick to think the old man would give his advisory such an advantage.

“Besides, do you really think he’d come help me? He probably just uses it to spy on my misery. Having a good laugh at my expense.” He added bitterly. He hated being connected to the being that had caused him such pain.

==============================================================

As the boy slapped his hand away and pushed him backwards, the old man stood absolutely, impossibly still, his eyes tightly closing as he attempted to tame the desire to push back harder.

“You can’t see it…it’s on your fucking back.” He muttered through gritted teeth before slowly opening his eyes and allowing his body to shake a little and become a little less tense.

“Of course he’d come and help you!” He shouted so loud his voice echoed around the lab and right back at him. “You…you picked a fight with him kid, Christ, you know what he’s like.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Even if you don’t want to believe he’s still your friend, surely you believe that if it came to it he’d save you….for me.”

He found himself walking over to the liquor cabinet, he needed a damn drink, many damn drinks. “I know it’s easier for you to make yourself believe he did this out of spite, but you’re wrong kid, dead wrong.”

==============================================================

He was amazed he didn’t get shoved back. It seemed like the old man was deliberately avoiding a physical fight with him since this had started and it was incredibly frustrating. He just wanted to rip something to shreds.

“Fine.. ” he growled out through his teeth. He knew when a subject was closed and the old man wasn’t going to discuss it further. “Then take the damned mirror out of the bathroom before I smash it.”

Hearing Rick declare Bill would come save him, for Ricks sake wasn’t exactly helping. Once he had no doubt that the demon would be at his side through anything. His side, for him, because he cared for Rocker.. Not simply because it would cause Evil Rick pain to loose the rock star. He sighed and took some deep breaths trying to calm down. He didn’t want to fight with Rick. He just missed his friend, but he didn’t know how he was ever going to be able to forgive him. It was easier to think it was done out of spite, but he knew it wasn’t true, he knew this was nothing like that. But to accept the truth of the situation made him helpless with nothing to direct his anger over being hurt at.

Seeing his favorite walk towards the liquor cabinet wasn’t a welcomed sight and it calmed him further. All he was doing here was tormenting his beloved. “Look Rick, I’m sorry.. Don’t climb into a bottle please, not on one of our nights together.. ” he’d been understandably clingy when Evil Rick was home, not yet being used to them spending time apart, he didn’t want to be alone with the old man here because he was drunk. I’m just so angry.. Like a different kind of angry, I’ve never felt anything like this before..“ he sighed heavily and slumped down to sit cross legged on the floor “I.. I don’t know what to do with it.”

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“Smash it if you want.” He retorted, grabbing a bottle and examining the label clearly not bothered if Rocker needed to smash something up to feel better.

“Climb….Jesus I’m not…I just want a fucking drink.” He’d been drinking a lot, so much recently that when he went without it his hands started to shake and it interrupted his work. He figured more alcohol was a better solution than enforced sobriety; he was a mean drunk but he was even worse when completely sober.

Not on one of our nights together.

The minute he heard it he scowled, knowing his back was turned to the boy so he wouldn’t see it. Christ, the kid made it sound like he didn’t spend any time with him, he hardly went anywhere these days for God sake.

“I know, I get it.” He snapped, before laying down the bottle, instantly regretting his short tone.

“I understand.” He added in a softer voice, knowing he was in the wrong, knowing he had to try and be a bit more tolerant. Walking over to the kid he gripped him by the shoulders. “The two of you are going to have to talk this out at some point, you know that, he’s not a monster Rick…well he is, what I mean is…look he didn’t do this to hurt you, neither of us did.”

==============================================================

He flopped onto his back out of his favorites grip and laid on the floor “I know Rick.” The old man’s touch had a way of not only cutting through his anger but also the lies he told himself. He was right of course, the musician would need to sort things out with Bill eventually, if only for Evil Rick’s sake. They’d been here fighting before and it didn’t end well.. And it would have ended much much worse if Rick and his surgical skills hadn’t been on hand.

He took a deep breath “I know I’m not making this any easier but I’m trying..” with a heave he pulled himself up from the floor, his mood passing. He felt like a hormonal teenager with how all over the place his mood swings were lately. He rubbed his face then looked at Rick, smiling softly and shrugging apologetically. “I love you old man, I’ll try harder.”

#evil-curtains [the black in my heart]#retribution [an offer you're gonna refuse]#{last one tonight i promise haha sorry for the spam !}

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newsbiteswithjennysok · 5 years

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Aug 6, 2019

1. “Southern Charm” star Shep Rosewon’t back down after mocking a woman for collecting cans on the streets of New York. On Monday night, Rose posted a video making fun of a woman sitting on the street next to several trash bags filled with cans. Although the woman covered her face with her hands, he recorded her anyway and can be heard saying: “Look at me. Nice cans! I mean, the cans you have!” He captioned his Instagram story, “I love double entendres. Yes she was camera shy. But she laughed.”After Rose shared the video, social media erupted with backlash.

One Twitter user screen-recorded the video and posted itto emphasize disappointment in Rose’s behavior, writing: “Is this Southern Charm? … Cheap way to get ‘laughs’ from followers but there is nothing funny about homelessness. I’m DONE w/ him.”

Rose responded to the fan in her Twitter comments by saying: “Omg. I offended you! Ok. Here’s the plan, sensitivity training 5 times a week. Then intensive therapy (hot yoga?) followed by a public flogging in the town square. Then i move to Siberia and live in an igloo for 4 months. At this point. I think I’ll be cleansed of your disapproval.”

To another commenter who expressed upset, Rose, unbothered, wrote on Twitter, “Unfollow then. No big deal.” Rose also refused to clarify what he considered comedic about the situation. “Doesn’t matter. You follow me. You can easily get out of the situation. It’s not a binding contract. I am not responsible for your happiness. If i miss the mark in your mind just keep scrolling,” he said.

Bravo declined to comment.

2. Cameron Diaz truly took the plunge when she married Benji Madden. In a rare interview, Diaz spoke to InStyle about her very private marriage to the Good Charlotte rocker. “I don’t know if I was ready [when I got married], but I knew Benji was special. He’s just a good man,” she told the magazine of their 2015 nuptials. “There’s no bulls–t. It’s really refreshing. I’m really grateful for him. I like doing my own thing.” Diaz, 46, also said her marriage to Madden was “the best thing” to ever happen to her. “My husband’s the best. He’s the greatest human being, and he’s my great partner,” she shared. “Marriage is certainly hard, and it’s a lot of work. You need somebody who’s willing to do the work with you, because there’s no 60-40 in marriage. It’s 50-50, period. All the time.” The former actress — she officially announced her retirement from Hollywood in March 2018 — previously said she waited until 41 to get married because she hadn’t found the right person.“I think it’s a matter of I just hadn’t met my husband, you know? I had boyfriends before. And there’s a really, really distinct difference between husbands and boyfriends,” Diaz told pal Gwyneth Paltrow at a live event. “And I have a husband who is just my partner in life and in everything. Talk about two very different people! We are so different from one another, but we share the same values — we’re totally two peas in a pod. We are both just weird enough for each other.”

3. Jeff Bezos ditched last week’s pretentious Google Camp in Italy to meet girlfriend Lauren Sanchez’s parents, but the couple has apparently now jetted off to Europe to party with the elite.Billionaire Dreamworks founder David Geffen — who attended Google Camp, even giving Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom a rideon his $400 million yacht — posted a group photo to Instagram Tuesday morning that included both Bezos and Sanchez aboard the massive boat. “Having a great time in the Balearics,” Geffen captioned the picture, taken off the coast of eastern Spain. Also in the photo were Joshua Kushner and supermodel wife Karlie Kloss, ex-Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, agent Michael Kives and lawyer Lydia Gray Kives, and entrepreneur and oil heir Mikey Hess, who is reportedly engaged to Meghan Markle’s designer pal Misha Nonoo. Megayachts like Geffen’s — plus scores of private jets and gas-guzzling SUVs and sports cars — caused quite a stir at the three-day Google Camp, which was focused on climate change. Last week, instead of heading to the extravagant summit with the likes of Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey, the Amazon honcho, 55, met Sanchez’s parents, Eleanor and Ray Sanchez. A few days later, he joined Sanchez, 58, as her ex Tony Gonzalez, who is the father of her 18-year-old son Nikko Gonzalez, got inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in Ohio.

4. One of the few women to hold an executive post at Tinder is suing parent companies IAC and Match Group as well as former CEO Greg Blatt for wrongful termination. Rosette Pambakian, Tinder's former Head of Communications, claims that Blatt barged into a hotel room after a 2016 holiday party and began 'forcibly groping [her] breasts and upper thighs, and kissing her shoulders, neck and chest.' This all happened 'without [her] consent' according to the lawsuit She states in the court filing, which was obtained by DailyMail.com, that she had been hiding from Blatt at the time of the alleged assault, retreating to the room after he said: 'I get hard every time I look at you. Let's get out of here.' Pambakian claims Blatt did apologize, but that her complaint was never fully investigated despite the fact that there were three witnesses present, including his executive assistant. She also notes that one day after Tinder's current CEO Sean Rad reported her allegations to executive at IAC and Match Group, 'Blatt exercised approximately 5 million stock options in Match Group, realizing over $44 million in value.' Pambakian claims that for the next two years she was 'marginalized, subject to additional harassing, offensive, and insulting behavior, put on administrative leave, publicly accused of consenting to her attacker’s advances, and finally, wrongfully terminated by Defendants' this past December.

The company would not comment on this new filing, and instead referred back to a previous statement that addressed these allegations.

'The Match Group Board – with the assistance of experienced outside counsel from two nationally recognized law firms – promptly conducted a careful and thorough investigation under the direction of independent Board members, concluded, among other things, that there was no violation of law or company policy, and took appropriate action.'

Pambakian and other Tinder executives sued Match and IAC seeking $2 billion a year ago for allegedly bilking them by manipulating financial information to create a lowball estimate of Tinder's value.

She also detailed the alleged assault in that filing, which the company stated was 'meritless.'

The suit states that she informed 'Blatt and Chief Human Resources Officer, Ms. Nelson, about the reporter’s inquiry' into the allegations, and that her 'own perpetrator' told her to instead 'explain the ways Tinder combats sexual harassment, and to throw the reporter off the story.'

Blatt was later asked to resign his post because of the assault according to Pambakian, who says that Blatt told her she would need to 'sign something' in order for him to be able to stay in his position.

At the time, she had just refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

She was placed on leave in August 2018 after she and other employees filed their lawsuit, and terminated on December 18 via email.

'Upon information and belief, Defendants terminated Plaintiff in retaliation for speaking out against Defendant Blatt for his sexual misconduct and for participating in a lawsuit against the Company Defendants related to her stock options,' states the filing.

'As a result of these actions, Plaintiff was forced to surrender millions of dollars in equity granted to her as compensation for her work as an executive at Tinder.'

Pambakian is seeking damages to be determined at trial for eight causes of action, including: Negligence, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Sexual Battery, Gender Violence, Ralph Act Violation, Negligent Misrepresentation, Wrongful Termination and Retaliation for Engaging in Protected Activity.

5. Tom Brady just finished his 20th Patriots training camp. The 42-year-old quarterback is taking this time to get his head back in the game while on a remote island in the Bahamas at a luxurious beach house with a fully-equipped gym and a practicing field. During his interview with Men's Health magazine, he spoke about getting ready for the next season, what he keeps in his fridge, and his pliability-focused workout routine.

Brady says he always starts with the massage table to get his muscles going for his workout. But while on the road, he never leaves home without his pliability roller.

'I use it always before my workouts—which is critical—and then always right after,' he said.

Then, he heads on over to the resistance bands and does drills such as squats, lunges, and some planks.

During his workout, he wore a shirt that said 'pliability' which he also said he 'does a lot of.'

The 16-time division champion says he tries to get in four to five workouts a week.

His favorite exercise? The butt blaster 'because it blasts my butt' and went on to say that he enjoys working out his legs. His glutes are his 'engine' which he adds he 'needs more of.'

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