#caitlin i caught your tea!

[wileys-russo]

like a dumb rom com (3) II k.cooney-cross x catley!reader

this is many many months overdue but feels good to tick it off my wips and wrap this little series up finally! one two like a dumb rom com (3) II k.cooney-cross x catley!reader

ever since steph walked out after catching you and kyra you'd been on edge. plastering a fake smile on your face you made an effort to show appreciation for all your teammates and friends showing up, avoiding both your sister and your girlfriend like they had some sort of infectious disease.

but if anyone noticed the underlying tension they didn't comment on it, though you felt the looks thrown your way by caitlin every now and then who seemed to stay stuck by stephs side for the rest of the evening.

as well as from kyra who was doing her very best to respect you were in an awkward position, but her hands itched to grab yours in them and she found herself staring longingly at you across the room nearly the entire night.

"okay! training tomorrow girls, think its about time we wrapped this up." it was kim who made the call around ten thirty at night, half of the girls already having left and the rest of you lounged about talking.

you looked up from your conversation with lia and caught your sisters eye, dropping your gaze right away as they burned a hole in your head and everyone all started their goodbyes.

when it came to kyra it was obvious neither of you were sure what to do, awkwardly staring at one another before you went for a hug and kyra stuck her hand out for a fist bump.

you both blushed bright red and mumbled apologies before you grabbed her hand and dragged her outside.

"i'm really sorry about-" you cut off your girlfriends apology with a shake of your head and stole a quick kiss. "don't. its not how i wanted her to find out but she was bound to sooner or later." you sighed with a somewhat sad smile.

with a slight frown kyra poked at the corners of your mouth, turning your lips upward into a proper smile. "dickhead!" you pushed her lightly, pulling her a little more around the corner of the house and out of sight.

"i love you." your hands fell to her cheeks as you brought her in for a proper kiss, the words mumbled right back against your lips before you pulled apart, promising you'd check in later and she hurried off to get a lift with teyah.

"you call me if you need something yeah?" caitlin murmured as she hugged you goodbye next, a short nod all she needed before heading off with katie.

you were hoping to sneak away to your room as steph was busy saying goodbye to jen, but fate wasn't in your favour.

"hey kid." you stopped halfway down the hallway and turned, dean standing a few feet behind with a sympathetic smile. "you know the more you avoid it, the longer it drags out and the worse its going to be." he reminded as you sighed, unable to really argue that fact as you followed after him.

steph had her back to you in the kitchen washing something up with far too much vigor, furiously scrubbing a glass you were surprised hadn't smashed in her hands yet.

you shifted awkwardly on the balls of your feet, wishing the ground would swallow you up as dean cleared his throat, steph pausing to glance briefly over her shoulder as he subtly nodded in your direction.

"you are unbelievable." was all your sister spoke, barely loud enough for you hear as she continued washing up, dean stepping out to the living room to give the pair of you some privacy but still hovering close enough that he could intervene if needed, taking calvin with him.

"pardon?" you scoffed, unsure if you'd heard her correctly as she shook her head, dropping whatever was in her hands back into the sink full of water and whipping around to properly face you.

"i said, you are unbelievable." your sister spoke louder this time, drying her hands on a tea towel and glaring you down. "oh and do tell steph, why exactly is that?" you questioned, crossing your arms over your chest and glaring right back at her.

"this. all of this! you are way too immature to be in a relationship, or whatever you and kyra are." steph rolled her eyes as again you scoffed.

"excuse me? i'm the one being immature right now? and yeah we are in a relationship, kyra is my girlfriend." you confirmed with a snarl, your sisters jaw clenching.

"the hickeys on your neck the other day...that was kyra. kyra was here the night before and you picked her up for training the next day!" steph realised as suddenly then chips started to fall into place. "you lied to me, you told me you came back for that textbook but-" steph accused as you rolled your eyes.

"congratulations sherlock, you figured it out! i came back to cover up my hickey." you clapped with a sarcastic smile which only wound your sister up further. "watch the attitude. you still live under my roof!" steph cautioned making you scoff, of course she'd hold that over you.

"for how long? and why kyra? you're just being stupid!" steph laughed humorlessly as you frowned, hurt flashing briefly across your face but it was almost immediately replaced with anger.

"well lets see. none of your business, none of your business, and how am i being stupid?" you questioned, hands on hips and raising an eyebrow in the older girls direction.

"you're too young to be in a relationship, you need to focus on football and school. and i know kyra well enough that all she's going to be for you is a distraction to both of those!" steph rolled her eyes as you shook your head in disbelief.

"i am twenty one years old steph, you were sleeping around long before that, at least i'm just with one person!" you snarked again as your sisters face glowered and dean appeared again as she started toward you.

"okay girls. its been a big day, its late, i think we all just need the night to cool off and-" he tried to calmly intervene but you weren't finished yet.

"and you don't know kyra at all. either way you do not get to tell me who i get to date or when i get to date them steph! you're my sister, not my mum." you warned seriously, turning on heel and exiting the conversation yourself.

"don't you dare walk away from me! we are not done here." steph scoffed and hurried after you ignoring deans urging she drop it for now, your door slammed in her face and promptly locked causing her to gasp.

"you open this door right now or i swear to god!" steph ordered pounding on it with her fist and jiggling the doorknob with her other hand, mumbling under her breath. "no, fuck off stephanie." you rolled your eyes, quickly shoving some things into a bag hearing your sister gasp again.

"oh just you wait till i-" you didn't give her a chance to hear the end of her sentence, carefully swinging one leg over your open window and shimmying around, dropping to the floor and racing away.

meanwhile steph was rummaging around in the kitchen for the spare key to your door, muttering angrily and waving off deans every attempt to soothe her, even ignoring calvin who bumped his head into her leg with a whine.

"telling me to fuck off? me? she's so-ooh when i get my hands on her." steph mumbled storming back down the hall to your room as both dean and calvin followed cautiously behind, your door popping open and steph rushing inside.

a squeal sounded as she tripped over your shoes, tumbling down to the floor and groaning in pain, dean hurrying to carefully help her up as steph took in your empty room and open window and saw red.

"oh she's dead. grounded. shipped back to melbourne in a crate!" steph growled, attempting to flee and make a beeline for her car keys as dean held her back.

"steph. babe, she clearly doesn't want to do this with you right now. when has she ever run off from a conversation? or even an argument? she obviously needs space and so do you, to calm down." he urged calmly as steph melted into his touch with a deep seeded sigh.

it would have to wait until tomorrow then.

~

only by the time tomorrow had rolled around steph indeed was calm, cool as an ice block one might say, and as frosty as one too.

rather than seek you out for an adult conversation like she'd promised dean, steph decided it was much easier to ice you out, ignoring you all together which didn't take long for you to catch onto.

you'd driven to and spent the night at alessia's thinking if you went to kyras that would be too easy for steph to find you, having sent kyra a quick message and prompty shut your phone off so your sister couldn't call you either.

the older english girl welcomed you in and listened to you rant but then made you promise you'd try to hear steph out today, advising your sister was probably more upset at being kept in the dark about it than she was about you actually seeing kyra.

alessia was of course correct, and that was what had been picking at steph as she stewed over things in bed last night, tossing and turning and barely getting a wink of sleep as suddenly she was overthinking everything.

how long had you been sneaking around? how long was this happening under her nose in her house? how long had you been lying to her? how long was kyra lying to her? why did you feel the need not to tell her? did you not trust her? had she been that bad of a sister? no, this was on you and not on her.

forever with a calm head on her shoulders alessia's words had stuck with you regardless, and you'd shown up to training with an olive branch in the form of a coffee for your sister and a new attitude toward hearing her out.

but when she completely blanked your attempt to even greet her good morning, that resolve died as quickly as it had been born.

"steph." you'd started softly, clearing your throat as lia sent you a warm smile, stopping her conversation with your sister who refused to turn around. "steph?" you tried again, lia and beth both frowning at the girl in question who turned but bent to tie her laces, clearly ignoring you.

"but i'm immature? right." you mumbled, harshly dumping her coffee in the bin as alessia winced, watching you storm off and kyra hurry after you as steph pretended not to notice and ignored her friends attempts to work out what that was all about.

"i would have drank that, just because she got caught does not mean she needs to waste a perfectly good coffee!" vic groaned as alessia shoved her, having filled her in but sworn her to secrecy not wanting to upset you or steph any further.

but steph was hardly subtle in the way she was clearly speaking about you to beth during warm ups, the blondes eyes darting toward you and kyra who'd paired up every few seconds which you hadn't missed.

"jesus!" kyra grunted as you grew tired of the fleeting glances and kicked the ball extra hard without watching, sending it sailing right into your girlfriends stomach who bent over winded with a wheeze.

"shit, i'm so sorry ky!" you hurried to her side with wide eyes, grabbing a water bottle alessia offered and handing it to the brunette who nodded with a grimace of pain, mumbling it was fine in between mouthfuls of water as she caught her breath.

catching the slight smirk on your sisters face at what had happened you shot to your feet, intending to march on over there and slap it off but someone grabbed the collar of your shirt before you could so much as take a step.

"nope, no catley brawl in the middle of training." caitlin shook her head, grip on your top tightening as you struggled to pull away but gave up with a defeated huff.

"kyra, finish warm ups with katie. you, come with me." caitlin ordered, dragging you away as you heard katie already start to tease kyra for the way she stared after you like a lost puppy.

meanwhile the smirk was wiped off stephs face but not in the way you wanted, instead she felt a strange feeling settle in her stomach at the way you'd sought out caitlin and were clearly confiding in her.

exactly the way you'd obviously told her about you and kyra before your own sister.

it was that resentment bubbling beneath the surface that perhaps the older girl should have known well enough to set aside and focus on football instead.

and it was that resentment that caused her to take you down perhaps a little too hard in the cool down game awhile later, the ball already gone from your possession when your sister slid into you, taking your legs out and sending you thumping to the ground.

you wheezed in pain, the wind knocked completely out of you by the unexpected tackle, squeezing your eyes shut and taking short sharp breaths as pain shot through your sides.

you heard some of the girls crowd around to check in, waving them off and grabbing leahs hand who pulled you up into a seated position. "i'm fine i'm fine, just winded." you brushed off the physio who hovered nearby.

"ankle? knee? no pain?" kyra squatted beside you with a concerned frown as you shook your head, the whistles blown to end the mornings session. "promise?" your girlfriend pushed as you nodded and mumbled the word back.

you didn't know if your sister would apologise, but you didn't give her a chance to either way as stina helped you to your feet and you took off inside, leaving both kyra and steph behind you.

~

you frowned as you entered the empty gym, your girlfriend having texted you to meet in here before the afternoon session to help her with something.

"kyra? ky?" you called out, hunting about but finding no sign of the midfielder. "she's so weird." you huffed, turning around to leave and screaming as suddenly there she was stood right behind you.

"gotcha!" the brunette grinned victoriously as you clutched your chest. "not funny cooney-cross." you warned catching your breath, heart pounding a million miles an hour.

"you always tell me i'm too loud, but i think i just proved i can be very very sneaky." kyra wiggled her eyebrows as you rolled your eyes. "is that seriously why you made me cut my lunch break early?" you sighed, unimpressed if a jump scare was all you were going to get out of this.

"no. i need your help stretching out my back before gym, please?" kyra asked hopefully, hands clasped together and slight pout on her lips. "you do realize there is an entire floor of physios who could do that right?" you couldn't help but smile.

"yeah...but i'd rather have your hands on me. i've barely seen you all day!" kyra groaned softly. "well whose fault is that!" you poked her accusingly as she smiled guiltily.

"okay its hard to train with stephs eyes shooting lasers at me every second, and thats when i'm not near you!" kyra admitted as you rolled your eyes but took her hands in yours. "where are we going?" your girlfriend asked as you begin to tug her away.

"somewhere stephs laser eyes can't hurt you." you mocked pouting at her as she huffed and bumped her shoulder into yours. "oh how romantic, you've put us both back in the closet." kyra teased as you pulled her into one of the equipment closets.

"are you going to make jokes or are you going to kiss me?" you asked boldly, raising an eyebrow as kyra made a point to snap her mouth shut and tug you closer, pressing her lips to yours without a seconds hesitation.

"-i said i don't want to talk about it caitlin." steph shut down her national teammate with a sigh, the forward trying to press her to talk about everything sensing bottling it up was only making things worse for the both of you.

"steph. you're hurt and you're upset that she didn't tell you, i understand that really. but so is she and avoiding her isn't going to make that go away, it'll get worse!" caitlin warned as steph hummed, rifling through the small stack of papers for her afternoon program.

"just think it over." caitlin gave in, squeezing her teammates shoulder and grabbing her program steph held out for her without another word, the rest of the team all slowly filing in.

now if you and kyra were maybe a little smarter, you might have kept track of time, or chose a less obvious hiding place for your little 'catch up', more specifically not hid out in the closet where the mats and rollers were kept, the mats and rollers that all the girls needed for their warm ups.

which is why one moment you were whispering something, lips pressed against kyras and soft giggles filling the air, and the next you were flat on your back with kyra laid out beside you, four concerned faces staring down at you.

"i didn't think it needed to be said but new rule, no making out in the equipment closet!" kim warned sternly, both you and kyra's faces blushing bright red as you hurried to your feet and she did the same, both of you drowned in the teasings of your teammates shortly after.

you caught your sisters eye as you grabbed your program, her jaw set and eyes piercing into yours you felt a wave of shame roll over you at her judgement, bowing your head and hurrying as far away from her as you could get.

"harsh." beth stated bluntly, knocking her shoulder into her best friends who blinked and glanced over to her, rolling out her hamstring. "thats unprofessional, she should know better." steph mumbled with a roll of her eyes.

"she's twenty one steph, and she's in loove." beth teased, quickly shut down by the sharp glare sent her way by your sister. "don't. she's an idiot, they both are." steph muttered, moving to roll out her back, watching as you arose from your own matt and followed after lotte to start your program.

"steph, she's a kid. kids make mistakes, should she have told you about the two of them? maybe. and when i say this i mean it with love-" beth started, steph averting her eyes toward the blonde and raising an eyebrow.

"-but doesn't your reaction also maybe explain why she held off?" beth smiled sympathetically as steph only sighed, ignoring the question as beth chose to let her sit with it, quickly changing topics.

and sit with it she did, not surprised when she returned home from training to an empty house despite the fact you'd left before her. though given calvin was nowhere to be found and your training bag was sat at your door, you'd clearly been and gone.

"boo!" steph let out a yell and spun around, hitting her fiance a few times who laughed and shielded himself. "alright alright! cool it karate catley." dean grinned as steph huffed, setting down her bag and shooting him one last glare.

"i see our mood hasn't improved. so you didn't talk to her then?" he asked, taking a seat at the counter as steph sighed, grabbing out a few things to make herself some food. "ugh she always does this!" your sister groaned, moving to take out the empty milk from the fridge.

"just further proves her immaturity." steph mumbled, tossing it away into the recycling and fixing her fiance with a glare as he chuckled. "something funny?" she challenged, the man still grinning.

"you do know its me who does that right?" dean advised as steph frowned.

"what? but she always says-" "once, she covered for me once. and you just assumed from then on that its been her!" "but why would she-" "do you remember when we had that argument? after i'd gone out for...a big night." dean winced at the memory as steph hummed in acknowledgement.

"well i drunkenly ate five bowls of cereal and left the milk empty in the fridge. we argued that next morning, you were angry with me and you grabbed out the milk for your coffee and it was empty and-"

"-and she took the blame so we wouldn't argue even more." steph realised with a sigh, drumming her fingers against the counter top. "bingo." dean clicked, leaning over and apologetically kissing her, promising he would no longer leave the milk there.

"then that same morning she went out and got me a coffee, took calvin for a walk and brought home flowers...which she said were from you." steph narrowed her eyes as her fiance winced and smiled sheepishly.

"what else has she taken the blame for or done for me that you took the credit for?" your sister gasped as dean grinned. "we're getting off track here. does this not maybe prove she's a bit more mature than you give her credit for?" dean pointed out, conveniently switching topics.

"covering for you being a grub hardly proves she's mature enough to balance school, football and a relationship." steph sighed, chopping up some fruit to make a smoothie. "but babe, technically she's already been doing that." dean pushed gently as steph paused, frown creeping into her features.

"has she failed a test?" "no." "handed in an assignment late?" "no." "seemed less sharp at football?" "no." "has she been playing poorly?" "no." "well..."

"yeah alright, i get your point." steph grumbled, pausing to massage her temples where she could feel a headache building. "talk to her steph. she's your sister she loves you, and even if she didn't tell you about her and kyra you know your approval means the world to her, she's always looked up to you." dean encouraged softly, standing and rounding the corner, steph melting into a warm hug.

"it really hurts i was one of the last to find out, i thought we were closer than that." steph mumbled into her fiances shoulder. "you are. maybe she didn't tell you because she was more worried about your reaction than other peoples, because it means more to her than anyone elses." dean offered as steph huffed.

"stop being right would you, its a very annoying switch up."

~

steph sighed and raised her hand, knocking on the door and taking a step back, arms crossed over her chest.

"oh! hi steph!" teyah made a point to say her name louder than needed making the australian chuckle. "you can relax with the warnings teyah, i just want to speak with kyra." steph spoke calmly, the blonde nodding and stepping aside.

"were you hiding behind the door?" steph raised an eyebrow as kyra instantly appeared, cheeks flushed bright red. "maybe." the younger girl mumbled, avoiding her gaze.

"i meant it, i just want to talk kyra." steph promised, the midfielder nodding in understanding as the older girl rolled her eyes. "are you going to let me in or are we going to stand here and chat with your neighbors too?" steph mocked as kyra stepped aside and allowed her in.

teyah caught kyras pleading gaze and made herself scarce, ignoring the girls silent begging not to leave her alone with steph who took a seat on the lounge, watching kyra squirm uncomfortably as the silence grew until she couldn't take it anymore.

"steph i'm so so so sorry we didn't tell you we were just worried about how you'd react and i wanted to leave the decision up to her since you're her family and i also didn't want to mess things up with you as well as her by jumping the gun and telling you first or pressuring her to tell you which hasn't worked because you're mad at me anyway but i really don't want to break up with her because i love her but i also love you but more like a sister even though thats weird because im dating your sister and-" kyra rambled out all in one breath, not pausing even for a second.

"kyra." she however fell silent at the single word, chest heaving slightly. "shut up and breathe." steph instructed as the midfielder exhaled shakily with a nod.

"how long have the two of you been together? don't lie to me." steph asked calmly, though her eyes warned the younger girl off of any dishonesty. "its complicated." kyra shifted with a frown.

"well, uncomplicate it." steph settled backward into the lounge more, crossing one leg over the other. "well we figured out we had feelings for one another awhile before we started dating, but with me in sweden and her in england we never had the time to give it a go-" kyra started with a sigh, steph nodding curtly for her to go on.

"then when the camp for the world cup rolled around and i let her know i'd be leaving sweden and trying to make a move over here, things changed, and we decided to try officially dating a few days before the tournament started." kyra explained, trying her best to untangle a rather twisted timeline.

"so you've been together for nearly six months." steph's voice was emotionless but kyra could see the thoughts swirling through her eyes and grimaced. "a little over five but...yeah." kyra mumbled, fiddling with her hands which sat in her lap.

so far this was easily the most serious conversation the two had ever had, and it was suffocating the younger girl.

"school. university is really important to her, and to me." steph stated, kyra opening and closing her mouth for a moment. "wait here." with that said the midfielder was up and darting off, steph watching her disappear with a confused frown.

though she returned not even a minute later, calendar and a small bag in hand which she promptly dumped in stephs lap, cautiously taking a seat closer to her than she was before.

"whats all this?" steph questioned not any less confused at the items in her lap. "well as we know im not really...an organised person." kyra sighed. "understatement of the century." steph mumbled, eyes raking over the pages in front of her.

"right. well i might not have a calendar for my every day life, my agent handles that." the midfielder blushed as steph rolled her eyes. "but i do have one for your sister. i know school is important to her and i don't want to get in the way of that steph, i promise." her tone softened as she grabbed the bag.

"i have all these coloured stickers and tabs-" she pulled open the drawstring and showed steph the inside who nodded slowly. "well they all mean different things, this is the key-" she pulled out a piece of card from inside the bag and handed it to steph.

"the blue tabs are days she has exams, the orange tabs are days she needs to study, the red tabs are days i can't interrupt her studying, normally a few days before her exams-" kyras finger moved across the key as steph nodded wordlessly.

"the yellow tabs are days where i need to force her to take a break so she doesn't burn out, and those aren't always days she has to spend with me either. the gold stars are days where her assignments are due, the footballs are game days, the kangaroos and international break and the little flowers are days off." kyra flicked through month after month, pointing out each sticker to steph who admittedly was still speechless.

"you can't even remember your boots on game day...but you keep track of her entire schedule?" the older girl eventually questioned, moving the calendar and bag onto the coffee table and turning to face a bright red kyra who shyly nodded.

"i-i love your sister steph. she runs rings around me and she has so much potential and drive and commitment, i don't want to ever hold her back. i know you might not think i'm good enough for her or smart enough or that im too immature or annoying but i really really care about her. she was my best friend before she was my girlfriend, i've always cared and i wouldn't dream of ever hurting her." kyra bounced her knee nervously as she spoke, feeling frightfully vulnerable and out of her comfort zone with this conversation.

"i know you care about her, and this just proves that." steph sighed deeply, nodding to the calendar. "its not that i don't think you're good enough for her kyra, and your intelligence has nothing to do with it. thats my baby sister, no one will ever be good enough for her." steph promised seriously as kyra nodded quickly.

"but it hurts that neither of you felt like you could come and speak with me about this. though you're not the one i need to have that conversation with-" steph exhaled, dragging her hands down her face and suddenly standing.

kyra followed suit, tracking after her back to the front door as steph pulled it open and hovered in the doorway. "i know you care about her kyra, i do. and you're both adults as hard as it is for me to admit that, and as much as you don't often act like one." kyra cracked a tiny smile at that.

"you don't need my permission or my approval, but you do have it-" steph assured softly as kyra breathed a long overdue sigh of relief, though that died in her throat as steph grabbed a fistful of her hoodie and tugged her closer.

"but if you ever and i mean ever hurt her kyra, you will pay for it. i will make your life a living hell and you will never speak to, look at or breathe near her again. got it?" steph warned seriously as kyra nodded hurriedly, the older girl smiling happily at the fear on her face.

"good, i'm glad we had this talk." steph let go, smoothing out her hoodie and squeezing kyra's shoulder with a nod. "see you at training tomorrow." steph turned to leave, kyra's head popping out of the door.

"i can call her to see where-" "no it's okay, i know exactly where she is."

"oh and kyra?" steph turned one final time, catching the younger girls eye. "if i catch the two of you making out in a closet again, i will snap your ankle."

~

sure enough, you were exactly where steph thought you would be.

not far from her house in st albans there was a huge park that you often took calvin to when you wanted to read in the sun, the pair of you would curl up on a blanket and it never ceased to amaze steph just how calm the normally hyperactive pooch became when you needed him to be, dean teasing you were some sort of dog whisperer.

just as your sister thought you were laid down on a blanket, but there wasn't a book in your hands and the very moment calvin laid eyes on his mum he bolted, almost taking your hand off which was wrapped around his lead.

but knowing all too well he only went haywire like this for one person you let go with a sigh, closing your eyes and making no move to acknowledge the older girl when you felt her sit down beside you.

you grunted as calvin laid himself down, head flopping down onto your stomach as his bottom half curled up into steph who'd also laid down on the blanket, an uncomfortably tense silence between the pair of you.

"sorry for the poor tackle today." your sister broke it first, only getting a quiet hum from you in reply as she sighed, thinking carefully about her next words before speaking them.

"why didn't you tell me?" but of course that all went out the window as her curiosity burned forth, clouded by the hurt that came with the reveal.

"you cannot seriously be asking me that steph?" you scoffed, glancing to her and looking away with a roll of your eyes. "look at your reaction, why do you think i didn't tell you." you mumbled, crossing your arms and glaring up at the sky above.

"okay...fair." your sister sighed, a frown thrown her way by you surprised at the small admission of guilt. "i only lashed out because i was hurt that you didn't come to me first. you've never kept secrets from me before, at least not huge ones like this." the older girl confessed, pausing to give you a chance to think it over.

"i was worried you'd freak out, which you did. you always treat me like a baby and i'm not anymore steph, i'm old enough to make my own decisions and if those decisions have consequences then they are mine to deal with." you warned, adjusting your position slightly.

"again, that's fair." your sister agreed once more to your surprise. "you're being suspiciously agreeable." you mumbled, steph reaching over to shove you lightly, a slight smile on her lips.

"it may have been already pointed out to me that the way i handled this only made you not telling me more valid." steph admitted, a slightly more comfortable silence falling between the two of you for a few moments as you sat with your own thoughts.

"i spoke to kyra." "i know, she called me panicking the moment she saw you pull up in the car park." you chuckled lightly, shielding your face with your hands as the clouds parted and the sun shone down.

"i talked her out of jumping out of her window before you got there though." "she is...something else."

"but, you're happy. right?" steph sat up a little more and looked down with a frown of concern. "yeah i am. i know kyra can be a pest but when its just the two of us its different, i love her and she loves me and she would never treat me poorly or ever get in the way of football or school or anything." you followed her lead and sat up, grabbing the tennis ball from beside you and tossing it for calvin as he sprinted off.

"oh i know, i saw her little calendar." steph smiled wider as you frowned. "what calendar?" you questioned, confused as your sister raised an eyebrow. "i'll let her explain that, ask her about it." the older girl chuckled.

"maybe at dinner, at our place tomorrow." steph extended the final olive branch as you paused for a minute to think it over. "you won't be really weird about it? make her uncomfortable?" you questioned a little hesitantly.

"i will be your older sister who will never think anyones good enough for you, that your girlfriend should be at least a little scared of." steph smiled honestly as you rolled your eyes.

"she's already terrified of you." "a wise choice. this might work out in my favor, she can annoy you instead of me." your sister grinned, poking you and whistling for calvin to come back as he was making some new friends.

"oh no we'll just both team up to annoy you now stephanie." you returned her grin as she groaned and grabbed calvins lead, clipping it onto his collar as you both made your way to your feet ready to head back home.

"hey. if you're happy then i would never stand in the way of that, as your sister all i ever want is you to be with someone who cares about you and though kyra might not have been my first choice, it isn't up to me anyway. you're right you are an adult, and maybe i need to work a little more on treating you like one." steph admitted, surprised as you stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

"well this is nice." your sister exhaled, cradling your head just like she would when you were much younger. "i'm sorry i waited so long to tell you, i didn't mean to upset you." you admitted into her shoulder. "i know, i can tell when you mean to upset me." the girl teased making you smile as you pulled away, grabbing the blanket and tucking it into the tote on your shoulder, the pair of you walking side by side.

"does you treating me like an adult mean you'll finally stop calling me peanut?" "oh absolutely not, you'll always be my little peanut no matter how old you get." "just when i thought we were having a nice moment." "hey embarrassing you is my right as your older sister, you never get to take that away from me."

[nspdr-neo]

One's uses analytical psychology, another is great at reading people, and a third is a sleepy girl with psychic powers. How do Athena, Sayaka, and Caitlin interact?

Disclaimer: R18 material! If not to your liking then please do not view!

"-And so I said 'I'm psychic', but then quickly said it was just intuition soon after! But, you should have seen the look on Makoto's face when he really though that!" Sayaka said, laughing at the first time she met Makoto. Her, Athena and Caitlin, were having some tea at the latter's home, with Caitlin being their hostess ever since they came to the world of Pokemon.

"My, that is very amusing, Sayaka..." stifling back a yawn, Caitlin gave a soft smile. "Reminds me of the time, I did that with Darach. He's so cute when he blushes."

"Hah! Good one, I have to try that with Apollo the next time I see him!! Ahh, we really picked cute, easily flustered guys, to be with, huh?" Athena commented.

"Guilty as charge, I don't regret it for the world~"

"Indeed, a life without Darach isn't worth it."

"Also the same with me and Apollo!! He's such a reliable guy when the chips are down, smart, cute--" she trailed off, clearly becoming smitten remembering about her crush...and perhaps something more. Something that a certain idol seemed to pick up on?

"And how you wish he could fuck your ass in your office?" Sayaka said with a straight face,

"Yea-wait what?!! N-nooooooooo!! Untrue!!!" Blushing, Athena tried to refute it, but her Widget had other plans.

'I want to be fucked in my ass AND be called a dirty slut, too!!!'

"...Damn it, widget. How did you even know that?!!" she asked and Sayaka flashed a triumphant grin.

"I'm psychic~"

"...Yeah, walked into that one."

"There's nothing to be ashamed about, Athena. We all have our tastes." Caitlin said reassuringly, which seemed to perk Athena up...and get her thinking.

"...That so?" Bringing up the Mood Matrix, Athena looked at Caitlin with a smirk.

"So tell me...if I had to guess, you love waking up to a big fat cock in your mouth in the mornings, right?"

"...No." Caitlin tried to keep a straight face, but the matrix easily caught wind of her excitement.

"Reaaaaaaaaallly, you seem excited when I brought that up~ You're a true oral queen aren't you?~"

"...Sayaka. Your turn." Changing the subject, while ignoring Athena's fist pump, Caitlin turned to Sayaka with a lazy, yet focused stare. Knowing the E4 member was likely using her powers, Sayaka tried to keep her mind completely silent.

She'll never be able to have her dirty secrets revea-

"You yearn for Makoto to strip you on stage in front of an audience, obeying like a good slut as you pull down his pants and proceed to bend over and allow him to fuck your pussy raw. Caring not for your career, or reputation. Just him~"

"Okay, how?!!! I wasn't thinking of anything!!" To that Caitlin, merely gave a coy smile.

"Even psychics need to rely on good intuition~"

[vampnerd23]

Fanfic/WIP list

I had this on my last blog, and it had a super long introduction, but since that blog is gone....this will probably be short. I was just glad I had the list on a google doc. Some fics are started, some are not. Some fics are already posted, some are not. A choice few are finished, but most of them are not. Links to come later as I get time. For now, here's my archive of our own link and my fanfiction.net link.... List is below the 'keep reading line' for convenience.

Agents of SHIELD

Untitled Daisy/Sousa post s7 drabble

The Flash

Snowbarry

Untitled seasons 1-6 AU w/ original child

Snowbarry Week 2019

Unravel Me

Our Souls They Blend

But We Still, Hold On

Some Dumb Stubborn Martyr Hero Sacrifice Thing

SB Valentine 2020 - We’ll Be Counting Stars

SB Week 2021

Your Faith Walks on Broken Glass

SB April Minibang 2020 - Sat by the River and It Made Me Complete

SB April Minibang 2021 - The Hardest Part of Ending (Is Starting Again)

SB April Minibang 2022 - Tiny Boxes For Memories

SB April Minibang 2023 - Still Believe in Fairytales

Untitled Season 2 WIP

Snowstorm

A Promise Made

Snowells

Snowells Week 2020

Open Mind For A Different View

For Your Love, All You Are

I’ll Take You To The Dark Side

Keeping Up With The Wells’s 

The Stars in the Sky Illuminate Below

Want You To Stay

Snowells Week 2021

how can I stand here with you (and not be moved by you)?

You should stay away from the cheese curds - they’re addicting

Days Dark as Ebony Nights

Snowells Week 2023

Things We’re All Too Young To Know 

Untitled Sherloque/Cailtin season 5 WIP

Untitled Harry/Caitlin season 4 WIP

Untitled EoWells/Caitlin season1/season5 timetravel WIP

Killervibe

Killervibe Week 2020 - Celebrate Me Home

Arrowverse Quarantine Fic Exchange - Yes It’s True (Happy to Be Stuck With You)

Gen/Character Fics

Between the Lines - Caitlin and Frost season 6 conversation

Arrow

Olicity

Caught in the Riptide

In this Grief

Once Upon A Time

Amelia

Outlaw Queen

OQ Prompt Weeks:

Yours, Mine, & Ours

Home Sweet Home

A Glimmer of Hope

A New Beginning

Rose Petals

Leap of Faith

Operation Lupin

Fireworks

Shot Through the Heart

Operation New Adventure

Knight in Shining Dimples

OQ Fix It Week 2017:

Feather Light

Family Reunion

Of Arrows and other Remnants

Tea for Milady

A Bond in Time

The Heart of the Matter

Safe & Sound

Right Here With You

Vampire Diaries/The Originals

Delena

So Far Away

On the Corner of First and Amistad

Tell Me What You Want Me To Say

Holding On And Letting Go

Untitled season 1 Delena/Steferine WIP

Untitled season 4 DE WIP

Untitled AU DE WIP

Soul Bound

On Another Love

What Are You Prepared To Do

Rebuilding Blocks - single parent/therapist AU

Bonds Unbroken

Future AU

August Rush AU

Blended AU

Cure AU

Friends with kids AU

Family AU

Untitled future season 4 AU

The Devil Inside AU

Life as We Know It AU

Untitled season 1 warped WIP

Stelena

Where’d You Go

Fading Light

Need You Now

Datherine

Back to Humanity

Elejah

Apart No More

Steroline

Steferine

Lights Will Guide You Home

Together Again - season 1 reincarnation 

Kalijah

TVD Season 4 AU

Only For Her

Starting Over

Together in Normalcy

Unexpected

Diabolical Sacrifices

Untitled Klaroline/Kalijah in NOLA WIP

Klayley

Untitled WIP

Darkness I Became

Haylijah

Untitled AU

Hayley/Stefan

Spiraling Out of Control

Untitled AU

Gen/Character/multicouple works

Miss Mastermind - Katherine fic

Raising Jenna - Raising Helen AU 

TVD/Originals foster fic - Katherine was Hayley’s foster parent

Katherine season 2 fic

Charmed

Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel

Bangel

Always

Divine Interference

Uncursed

Annie

Waking Up

Redemption Fulfilled

Spuffy

Untitled season 5/6 WIP

Gilmore Girls

One Tree Hill

Naley

Once Upon a December

Leyton

Remembering Forever

Fringe

Untitled Polivia WIP

Crossovers

TVD Katherine Pierce/The Flash Killer Frost WIP

TVD Katherine Pierce/Angel Angel - Wait For You

TVD/Charmed WIP - Prophecy Girls

Buffyverse Spike/ One Tree Hill Brooke - 

Original works

TVD Fanfic conversion to original short story

Original guardian angels novel

[harveybwabbit92]

Royals au: Prince Subway bosses pt 1/2

Backstory: You are but a simple commoner who found one of Princess Elesa's Emolgas lost in the streets one day while heading to work one day and decided to return the little squirrel to the royal, little did you know, that act of random kindness would seal your fate, as you unknowingly caught the eye of one of the Twin princes.

readers team:  [Krokorok, Roserade,

Castform (it showed up one day after a strange lighting storm appeared while you were tilling the fields.). 

Golurk (It's a medieval Unovian Golurk it's Typing is Ghost/fire, Your Golurk is a shiny one it has black armor and a blue flame core, the normal ones have white armor with orange flames, It's fiercely protective of those it's sworn loyalty to.]

 and a Medieval Unovian Joltik/Galvantula which is bug/fairy and is usually found in the Dreaming fields, (Dream yard.) the silk it produces is strong, beautiful and highly sought after for making clothing) . [regular Joltiks are still around but their only found in Charge stone caverns.]

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"I don't understand, If you hate them, why do you have marry either of them?" Y/n asked Elesa as she and her ladies in waiting (Skyla and Caitlin.) were having tea in the palace garden, while discussing her engagement with the princes, she not marrying both, she just has to pick one and marry him. "Never said I hated them, I said I see them more as brothers then romantic options." Y/n was going say, then just don't marry either of them, but she didn't want to sit through a 'It's not that simple!' rant, Y/n already had a rough time pretending to be a court lady, she didn't want to be reminded again why she and her friend were from severely different worlds and upbringings, the farm girl was shocked she was even friends with the royal Princess to begin with!

Right, Your all probably confused how a poor woman like y/n, who spends most of her days tilling fields and pulling weeds in the hot��muddy fields all day, was now all dolled up and dressed in a sundress, whilst chatting with Unova's future Queen candidate like they were old friends? Well, you see after Y/n returned Emolga to the princess Elesa assumed Y/n wanted some sort of reward so she offered the woman anything she wanted, a title, a spot in her court and some money, but to the Princess's shock the y/ht woman refused it all, insisting she just wanted bring Emolga back home safely. Then went on her way; Assuming that was that!

Until A few days later when Y/n was ambushed on her way to the fields and dragged onto a high-class carriage, she was then brought back to the castle where she was bathed; stuffed into corset and dressed in a gown and was presented to the princess again, who cut to the chase she wanted hear about Y/n's life much to the farm girl's bafflement, things kicked off from and the rest is history.

Not only that Y/n was by some miracle in a relationship with Prince [twin of choice.] which Elesa fully supported even though she was technically their fiancée, however the pressure of keeping her true lineage and social class hidden from her lover was starting to eat away at Y/n, that's why she decided that todays the day she was going to tell him the truth before returning home.

However Y/n had forgotten just how big castle Drakon was, and soon found herself lost, the y/ht woman looked around the hallways warily trying to remember which way she'd come from, when she heard foot steps, she looked and saw some knights and adviser Volo walking down the hall.

She as was about to wave them over when Volo saw and pointed at her. "There she is, seize her!" he ordered as Y/n was suddenly surrounded roughly handled by the guards, Y/n kept demanding to know what was going on? but was met frosty silence and Volo's disgusting grin as she was dragged and forced to kneel before King Drayden and the twin princes, Y/n heart throbbed painfully as she saw the man she loved look down on her with such disgust and hatred, her blood ran cold as she heard the charges.

She being accused of poisoning princess Elesa.

[sometime later.]

Y/n's throat felt raw from screaming, no matter how much Y/n pleaded and insisted that she had never and would never do such thing, it fell on deaf ears she sent the dungeon tower to await her execution, she sat in her cold cell staring blankly at the ceiling, she eyes stung from crying, her nails were cracked and bleeding from clawing at the walls in hopes of finding a way to escape, *how many days has it been, since I've been locked away?* she though as she weakly looked over at the window when a loud clanging noise caused Y/n to jump.

She looked and saw the guards in charge of watching her were suddenly on their knees and saw a Reuniclus in front of them hypnotizing them, Y/n's brows furrowed as a and young man and woman calmly came into view, Y/n was stunned to see the royal Governess Cogita and Duke Blackpool (Grimsley) standing before her, the older woman winced when she saw the state Y/n was in. 

"My goodness, let's get you out of that cell dear." the governess hummed taking the key from one of the guards and unlock the cell. "What?" Y/n croaked as Grimsley helped her stand and walk, Y/n couldn't understand as she stared at the duke, she allegedly poisoned his cousin, why would he help her? and why would Volo's aunt aid him in helping her??  "Why...are-..." Y/n didn't have time to finish that question as her world went black...

[a week later.]

Elesa had woken up but was still weak, she spent most of her time when she heard the news, that Y/n was jailed for her attempted murder! The Princess wanted to scream that it wasn't Y/n! She wouldn't!... Would she? However the answer would soon come to the princess herself when a seemly worried Volo came to check on Elesa. 

She pretended to be asleep as she heard Volo speaking with one of his conspirators, He was angered that the poison didn't kill Elesa like it was supposed to. "Those damn berries Lady Y/n brought with her must've weakened the it's toxicity..." Elesa bit back a horrified sob as she heard Volo cruelly chuckle. "At least we got rid of one of them." before leaving the princess's room, the blonde waited a few minutes and when she was sure Volo was out of ear shot she called for Skyla to come in and Elesa ordered her to take her the King!

Meanwhile. 

Drayden and  the princes were at loss! They'd spent weeks trying to figure out who Y/n was, which house or family did she hail from? they checked every source and lead, but all of them came up empty! the was no record of any house or family bearing the title of {last name} and [Twin of choice] was of no help, he's been in an almost catatonic like state since Y/n's death was announced, all he does now is just sit and stare silently and listlessly at the dungeon tower... it was worrying to his father and brother. "I just don't understand how can our best spies not find any leads on this Lady Y/n." Drayden huffed in frustration as Ingo/Emmet sighed equally frustrated. "It was clear she was only here to harm Elesa, and her family must answer for it!" The king bellowed Ingo/Emmet flinched as the king slammed his fist on the desk, [Twin of choice.] didn't even blinked as he kept his eyes glued to the tower there was tense silence in the air...

Until the weak but firm voice of Elesa broke it. "You won't find anything on Y/n, because she wasn't of noble birth!" she hissed Drayden and the princes looked a the study entryway to find Elesa being helped to walk by Skyla. "Wh-what do you mean Y/n wasn't a noble?" {Twin of choice) spoke up for the first time in what seemed like forever, that's when Elesa pretty spilled the tea on everything.

How a few months back she'd lost one of her Emolga while picking up gowns in the city, and a kind field hand had come along and retuned him, Elesa was delighted to have her partner back, that she offered the poor woman money or even a place on her court, but to her utter shock the commoner rejected all the offers and said she just wanted Emolga returned to his home safely and calmly left, of course Elesa whose rarely ever been told 'No' was intrigued, she ordered the next day that Y/n be picked up and brought back to her as she wanted to talk to her again, somehow that one visit turned into several and before Elesa knew it the two had become friends.

"She’d dressed back into her normal clothes and just walk out through the garden gate with the other gardeners." The twins just stared a her stunned, this whole time Y/n and Elesa had been lying. "Don't take it the wrong way, I told her lie about her status, so no one would get suspious." Elesa said staring down at her lap, but took a deep breath and asked. 

"Where is Y/n? can I see her?" Emmet/Ingo suddenly looked like she grew six heads. "Why would you want to speak that vile wom-" Elesa cut him off. "Because it wasn't Y/n that tried to kill me, it was Volo!" she bellowed as a shocked silence filled the air, as the sound of book clattering on the ground caused everyone to look in the direction of the sound and saw Volo standing there with a Deerling-in the crosshairs look.

 Drayden was the first the speak up. "Adviser Volo... What's the meaning of this?!" the blond started to sweat as he tried defend himself. "Ah- C-clearly the princess is still delirious from her trau-" Elesa glared heled fire as she fixed it on the adviser. "Don't even try and deny it I heard you talking, Y/n's berries saved me.." Volo gritted his teeth as he realized Elesa really did hear him, seeing as the jig was up, Volo broke down laughing.

"That's right... I did it, if Elesa and Y/n were gone then one of your sons would have no choice but marry Cynthia, then the throne would be rightfully mine!" Drayden called for the guards as Volo continued to talked. "Yes, yes arrest me, keep peace and all that... Except, you killed Y/n. I wonder how long bef-" Suddenly a paper weight went flying hitting Volo in the face the ex-adviser fell to ground blood dripped the floor as Volo looked up holding his bleeding eye and saw...

Emmet:  Emmet stood over Volo his eyes filled with unbridled fury, before anyone could stop the younger prince had dove on top of Volo and just started beating him black and blue. "Slimy bastard, we trusted you! I trusted you!" Volo felt some hit him that wasn't pain and started to laugh in delight when he saw Emmet was crying. "give me back my Y/n!" Emmet wailed as he was pried away from the beaten up and bloodied blond who just kept laughing hysterically as he was taken away! Emmet just dropped to his knees let out this gut wrenching bellow as his brother hugged him.

Ingo: Ingo was silently seething before Volo even had time to register what was happening, Ingo had grabbed him by the neck and dragged Volo to a open window before anyone could stop him Ingo threw Volo out! Unluckily for everyone Volo had managed to grab Ingo's shirt collar and almost drag the prince down with him, but Ingo's Chandelure used Psychic to hold until help arrived. "Are you coming with me, we can see your precious Y/n in hell together!" the blond barked with laughter as Emmet, Drayden and Archeops pulled Ingo and Volo back inside, the guards came arrested Volo who was laughing even harder as he heard Ingo let out a heart broken wail of man who just lost everything...

However as we know that the The reports of Y/n's death were greatly exaggerated.... as they found a few months later...

[babbushka]

All the recent Edwardian Kylo talk has me in my feels. I like to picture intimate family moments that just knock Kylo over with so much love and deeply felt emotions. Such as his family going out on a hunting trip together and he's just like "how did I get so lucky in life to have these boys with this amazing wife?" I know its super mushy, but he does that to me :)

A/N: Oh my gosh I adore this!! It isn��t a hunting trip, but a little sappy something for mother’s day. I hope that you enjoy it nonetheless!!

1.1k, just fluff (cw: the Lord & Lady’s children) 

It’s a beautiful Spring day, too beautiful for one to possibly remain inside. With the sun shining, and the breezes blowing to keep the heat at bay, the children had practically begged to spend the afternoon after their studies out in the vast gardens that surround the estate. Kylo had finished his work early, and you had no calling cards to respond to, so the day was decided; tea was brought out, a couple good books were fetched, as were toys for the boys to entertain themselves by. 

Although, seemingly at odds for the fashion typical of children yearning to run around, your sons have decided that staying as still as possible to catch butterflies was a more thrilling use of their time than any of the sports equipment brought out for them. 

You and Kylo are lying on a grand picnic blanket that’s been spread out on the grasses to protect your clothing, a large parasol umbrella propped up to keep the sun off your beautiful face. With your head in Kylo’s lap, he trails his fingers around your jaw softly, absentmindedly, as he watches the children giggle with their hands outstretched. 

Kylo thinks you’re on the verge of a midday nap, completely at peace, until the excited voice of your second-eldest son squeaks loudly with surprise, making you crack an eye open. 

“Mama! One landed one me!” Benjamin squeals out his excitement, your six year old seemingly successfully having caught a butterfly, his hands clasped in an almost open cage. 

“Excellent job dearest, come show me?” You call with a smile, quick to add, “Remember to be careful, they’re fragile.” 

“I’ve got one too, Mama!” Anthony, your eldest at nine years old, pipes up. 

“Me too!” It’s only a few moments later that your youngest, little Lucas’s small voice excitedly proclaims, even though he doesn’t have one at all, and just likes to feel included. In his little fist he does have a flower though, and he believes this to be a suitable substitute. 

All three of them run to you, their faces bright and happy, hands held out to you. Sitting up, you accidentally disturb Matthias, your five year old, from the nap that he was taking, his face snuggled into your chest. He only stretches, and Kylo’s heart clenches when he clings to you a little tighter, not caring very much about being moved. 

One by one, the boys reveal their lucky catches; Anthony has a bright clouded yellow, Benjamin has a small marbled white, and Lucas proudly shows off the slightly crushed purple flower. All three boys are eagerly awaiting your reaction, and as you shift Matthias in your arms to better see them, you don’t disappoint. 

“Oh how beautiful! Look at these colors. Why these have to be the most lovely things I’ve seen. You’ve all done beautifully, I’m very proud of how gentle you are with them.” You say, as the butterflies fly away, their few moments of patience gone. 

Kylo has a hard time believing those are his children sometimes, in the way that they’re so good. All three of them practically beam as you give them each a gentle kiss to their cheek, right on their dimples. They’re good kids, maybe a little mischievous at times, but they’re good to you, and in Kylo’s mind that’s all that matters. 

Benjamin approaches Kylo then, happily sitting on his father’s knee, reaching up to hug him around his neck sweetly, asking, “Might we play with the ball, Papa?” 

“Oh please, Papa, please may we?” Anthony’s face lights up at the idea, and Kylo chuckles warmly. 

Like the good husband he is, Kylo looks to you, and is struck for a moment by how beautiful you are. You’ve got Luke sitting on your lap, Mattie half-asleep in your arms, and you’re radiant there, under the spotted shade of the parasol. It could have been an hour, or a moment, Kylo doesn’t know how long he looks at you, drinks in the beautiful sight of you, before you’re nodding your head. 

“Yes of course.” Kylo replies, Benjamin unable to contain his excitement as he gives his father a tight squeezing hug, before he’s running off to the side of the large field where the sporting equipment was settled by the butler. Anthony and Lucas follow him, which prompts Kylo to continue, “Don’t be too rough with your brother now, he’s still learning.” 

Kylo had been worried, that they might pick on Lucas or shy away from him for being so young. Anthony was six years older than him after all, and Kylo hadn’t been sure if he would know how to interact with the toddler. So when Anthony picks his youngest brother up and holds him on his hip to save the boy from wasting all his energy on the steps, Kylo’s chest warms. 

“C’mon Mattie! I need you on my team!” Benjamin calls to his brother, who makes you and Kylo both chuckle when he scowls, his little face not yet learned how to hide his emotions. 

“Do I have to play?” Matthias asks you, clinging a little closer,  “I want to stay here with you.” 

“How about a compromise,” You encourage, gently prying his arms from around your neck, and Kylo feels for the boy. If he could spend every waking moment in your arms, he would too. “You go play a couple games with your brothers so the teams are nice and even, and then we’ll arrange dinner so we can sit next to one another tonight.” 

“Okay!” The promise is enough for Matthias, who suddenly gets a burst of energy, and is running to join Benjamin, who has a hand outstretched, waiting. 

The brothers run hand in hand, already shouting and jeering at Anthony with claims that they will defeat him, so silly coming from five and six year olds that you can’t help but shake your head with a fond grin. 

With the children’s attention occupied, Kylo moves to sit closer to you once again, his arm slipping around your waist as you pick up one of the cups of tea and sip on it thoughtfully. He knows he’s staring again, but he just can’t help it, already blushing like a fool from the thought that this is his family, the one he’s built with you, his miracle of a wife. 

“What are you looking at?” You hum with a knowing smile, when his staring becomes too heated to ignore. 

“Have I told you today that I adore you?” Lifting your hand that isn’t holding the teacup, Kylo kisses your wedding band, murmuring against the warm gold. 

“Yes.” You grin, “But why don’t you tell me again.” 

Kylo’s eyes crinkle, and the warm brown irises of his sparkle in the sunlight as he leans in to press a deep kiss to your lips, taking the opportunity of the boys playing away from your shady spot, to pour all of his affection into your soul. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tagging some Kylo loving friends! @mochabucky @sacklerscumrag @artsymaddie @bitchydecisions @direnightshade @reyloaddict55 @thembohux @kylorenswhxre @sunflowersinthesnow @babayagakeanu @safarigirlsp @steeevienicks @materialisthicc @lovinghufflepuffgirl @hswritingrecs @han68000 @rosi3ba3z @chapterhappygirl @schopenhauerdeathsquad @loverofallthings @groovetoob @bxnnywriting @glassbxttless @angel-bxby3 @smallgirlbigpersonality @lovelyyy-luna @2000andwhat @raddo1975 @cornmousequeen @metsienmenninkainen @caillea @painttheskylineforme @holding-on-to-starwars @kylo-ren-is-alive @caitlin-was-here

[itsthewritergal]

Does He Know? F.W. x reader

This is part two of My Lips are Sealed!! I am loving how this is coming along, I’ve got so many ideas! Let me know what you think is going to happen next :) 

Trigger Warnings - mentions of abortion, as always please don’t read if it may trigger you!! I’ve got many other Fred fics instead :) xx 

You can find part one Here 

or part 3 here 

Y/N felt sick, she jogged her knee up and down in attempts to slow her nerves. Every bone in her body told her to run, but she sat in the plastic uncomfortable chairs. Her eyes grazed over the couples who sat together, whispering with each other. Y/N knew that if George was here he’d make some fun out of it, he’d try to imitate some of the other patients, or ask ridiculous questions which no doubt would make them both laugh. She knew he’d be able to make her laugh, her mind drifted over to Fred. He’d be trying to chat up the nurses. She pushed the thoughts of him out of her head quickly. She watched as one couple were laughing with each other, they gave Y/N a small smile when they caught her eye, she smiled back politely; silently wishing the ground would swallow her whole.

She just wanted this to be over, she wanted to go back to work and laugh with Fred and George like she would usually do, she didn’t want to have this weighing heavy on her heart. Picking up a magazine she began flicking through the pictures. Nothing could stop her mind wondering though, what would her life be like if she left right now. Would she buy a little house, and paint the nursery all by herself.  Pushing the thoughts out of her head, she didn’t want to think about that right now, she couldn’t back out, she didn’t want to. Turning her attention back towards the magazine, she forced herself to read the words printed.

“Y/N would you like to come through?” The nurse said kindly, Y/N smiled as she followed her out of the waiting room.

-----

Y/N hurried her way towards the exit of the hospital, she just wanted to go back home and sleep. Emotionally she was drained, more than she had expected, her mind was running continuously wondering whether she had made the right choice.

“Y/N!” A voice called Y/N turned around and was greeted by Caitlin, George’s girlfriend “How are you?” she asked quickly making her way towards Y/N

“Good! I haven’t seen you for a while” Y/N plastered a fake smile onto her face, she could tell that Caitlin saw straight through it.

“George told me you had an appointment today, he said I might see you” She grinned “Do you fancy a coffee? I’m on my break and am dying for one” She asked

“I’d love to” Y/N said honestly, Despite not wanting to talk she really didn’t want to be alone, she knew as soon as she was her mind would wonder to places she didn’t want it to go.

Caitlin sat herself opposite Y/N in the hospital cafe. The waitress set two large mugs down on the table, Y/N thanked her gratefully. Caitlin and Y/N sat in silence for a few minutes waiting for the other one to start the conversation.

“George told me” She said quietly, Y/N smiled slightly, George never could keep a secret from Caitlin

“I thought he would” Y/N answered, her eyes entranced by the cup of tea in front of her

“He swore me to secrecy, but he thought that you could use a friend” She gave Y/N a sympathetic smile “It can’t have been easy”

“It’s done now” Y/N said quietly, stirring another spoonful of sugar into her tea

“You could have asked me to come with you” she said kindly, Y/N avoided her gaze knowing that she was going to burst into tears at any moment “Or George, either one of us, you know that don't you?” She said sympathetically

“I know, George said he would come with me” Y/N said quietly “It was something I needed to do alone” Y/N answered fighting to keep the tears inside

“I understand that” Caitlin smiled “George is worried about you. Kept texting me this morning making sure that I wouldn’t forget that you were coming” She chuckled

“He’s a good friend” Y/N said simply,

“Do you know who the dad was?” Caitlin asked after a few moments of silence, Y/N felt her heart crack a little as her mind drifted back to that night

“Fred” Y/N whispered, feeling a  weight lift once she said his name

“You two are together?” Caitlin asked confused

“No” Y/N said sadly, pushing the thoughts of that night out of her mind

“I didn’t know you two even” Caitlin trailed off slightly

“It was once, at their summer party” Y/N explained

“But you left early because you weren’t well” She said replaying the moments of that night

“Fred took me home” Y/N said simply “He stayed with me, we were both drunk and it just happened”

“Does he know?” Caitlin asked

“No” Y/N said quickly “He can’t know. It didn’t mean anything to him, it was just a bit of fun”

“I wont say anything” she promised giving Y/N’s hand a friendly squeeze “George hasn’t told him about your appointment either” She added

“He hasn’t?” Y/N said knowing that the twins didn’t have secrets between them

“No, he hasn’t. He said that you didn’t want anyone to know, so he never told him”

Y/N smiled a little, knowing that her friendship with Fred would still be in tact.

“I ought to get back to work” She said

“Of course” Y/N said quickly “Thank you for the coffee” Y/N smiled kindly

“How about you come over tomorrow night, let’s have a girlie night” Caitlin suggested

“I’d love that” she answered honestly knowing that it was just what she needed

“Perfect! I finish at six so come over around 7?” Caitlin said

“I’ll be there” Y/N smiled as Caitlin left the cafe quickly.  

------

Y/N paused for a moment before she stepped into the shop, a few customers wandered their way around the shelves. Fred was animatedly talking to a young boy about one of the products, Y/N had to tear her eyes away from the interaction, Y/N made her way up to the staff room. Closing the door behind her, she set her bag and coat down. Wiping underneath her eyes in attempts to remove the mascara which had run slightly, she pulled her hair into a tight ponytail. Plastering on the best fake smile she could, she walked out into the shop. Waving at Fred as she walked over to help a confused looking customer. Fred waved back animatedly, grinned as he did. Y/N finished with the customer, pleased having gotten her to spend double what she had planned to.

“I knew there was a reason why we employed you” Fred laughed, leaning himself on the counter in front of Y/N, who smiled in response.

“Fred I’ve got a lady upstairs who’s driving me mad, can you go work your magic?” George asked

“I’m on it” He grinned, bounding off upstairs, eager for the challenge

“Hey” George said quietly drawing Y/N’s attention towards him “How was this morning?” He asked

“Fine” She said blankly, not wanting to talk about it

“Was it all ok? He asked, his voice was laced with concern

“It was fine George, I really don’t want to talk about it” She pleaded

“I”m you’re friend. It might help to talk about it?” He suggested

“I doubt it, I just want to forget it all” She said honestly, pulling her eyes away from George’s gaze

“Are you ok?” he asked

“I’m fine. I’m absolutely fine” She knew that she didn’t sound very convincing

“Promise me?” He said “Swear it?” He said

“George” she wined “I’ll be fine” She said

“You know where I am if you want to talk about it” George said

“I’ve got a girlie night with Caitlin tomorrow, after some ice cream and lots of wine I’ll be back to normal” She said with a  forced laugh.

Taglist (also I’m really hoping it works because I’ve never done it before!) 

@asuperconfusedgirl @obsessedwithjustaboutanything @fuckthenewyorkpost @manuosorioh @gingerspicetalks @fred-weasleys-bitch @whorotional @n3ssm0nique @hey27 @unadulteratedfirellamapanda @ellsxwilkins @rosaliepostsstuff @whitewineandpizzapuffs 

[ageless-aislynn]

Tagged by: Thank you to @all-the-things-i-done Thanks so much! 💖

Rules: tag a few people you want to know better; make a new post, don’t reblog!

Favorite color: Dark red, dark green, royal purple

Currently Reading: I’m in between books at the moment but am reading lots of fanfic!

Last song:  “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift

Last series: Just caught up on last week’s Moon Knight 😎

Last movie: I am completely drawing a blank on this one, oops. 😳

Sweet, spicy, or savory: Sweet or savory but spicy and my stomach had a parting of the ways a few years back. 👀😢😉

Coffee or tea: *insert “Why not both?” meme here* 😉

Three ships: Eobard/Caitlin (and alllllll variations 😉), The Flash, Master Chief/Cortana, Halo, Steven Grant/getting a good night’s sleep, Moon Knight 😉

First ever ship: Optimus Prime/me. What? I’d never joke about my big robot boyfriend, our love is pure! 😉First ship that I remember being SUUUUPER into and totally ride or die was Vincent/Catherine, Beauty and the Beast (1987).

Currently working on: Camp NaNo. I’m intending to finish all of the Flash WIPs I have waiting around if these little sneaky Halo fics would stop pushing in front, lol!

Favorite piece of clothing: My Baby Yoda lounge pants that are black with a cartoony design of Grogu and the words “Feed me,” lol! Super soft and comfy!

Comfort food: Pizza and chocolate. All day, every day. Well, in moderation. But you know what I mean, lol!

Favorite time of year: Autumn, when the leaves turn and it gets cool enough to get under a nice, warm blanket but it’s not super cold yet. *chef’s kiss*

If you see this and would like to do it, please consider this a tag from me! *boops your nose politely* 😉

[popculturebuffet]

Top 20 Animated Episodes of 2020 Part 2 (#10-#1)

And we’re back.. The first part is HERE, which includes the first 10 and my thoughts on this past year in animation, so we can cut the long intro and get right into it. This is the best episodes this year had to offer in animation, and it’s , without meaning to, at least a third bojack horseman. On with the show. 

10. I Am My Monster (Steven Universe Future)  “We all had Steven when we needed him, but the only person who's never had Steven is Steven. He's always been there for us, so... how can we be there for him now?“ Oddly “The Future”, a finale I did really truly enjoy.. is not on this list. Really good episode, it’s just Future was easily one of Steven Univereses best season, tightining up the pacing without loosing what made the series feel special and really digging into some of more unhealthy aspects of steven’s life. And while the future is good and certanily the needed epilogue.. this episode is the climax, the cumilation of EVERYTHING Steven had done and gone though and something fans sadly saw coming and just had to simply watch, unable to help as Steven slowly lost himself. Previously on this list we saw him hit rock bottom and it only got worse: He went to home world, attacked white diamond due to his pent up trauma and once again ingored attempts to help him, this time from the diamonds and spinle, angrily refusing to listen to his own words she she sang Change at him.  This only got worse in the briliant and sadly edged out of the list “Everything’s Fine’ A really damn painful episode where steven tries to assert he’s okay and act normal.. only he cant and he destroys everything around him, and even repeats pearl’s text trick from a single pale rose with a pained voice message to connie saying to help steven. But the pressure of the LONG overdue intervension and the fact it came too late.. means steven confsses his recent sins.. and instead of taking them for twhat they are, spur of the moment acts caused by a toxic influence and a fuckload of ptsd and unreseovled issues with white that while certanly not okay are symptoms of a larger issues takes it to mean “Im a fraud”.. and thus he horriingly corurpts.  So here we are as Greg, Connie and the main gems all gap ein horor as Steven has corrputed himself, reduced to a monster whose not even malcious just.. sad.. so full of self loathing he can’t function and at risk of STAYING like that. And the relization hits hard.. and hits everyone who joins in hard. The auxilery crystal gems soon join but attempts from both groups to stop Steven do nothing. The diamonds arrive.. and not only are saddneed by what htey’ve doned but equally powerfless to stop him.  Everyone breaks down, blaming themselves for not seeing this sooner and for speding YEARS piling their issue on the kids, everyone ready to give up as they loose the person they care about most.. except one. Connie proves to be the hero of the episode, rallying the others with the above, pointing out Steven would happily help them if he could.. and that’s the problem. He’s spent his whole life fixing other peoples problems and focusing on that.. but never had someone to be HIS Steven. Fighting him’s not going to work.. he needs to know he’s loved... in the end the final battle of the series is not some struggle of life and death.. but of love. What wins the day isn’t a fight, though our heroes various powers do come in hand to restrain steven.. but it’s all of them, one by one telling them they love him in easily the most tearjerking moment of the series, cumilating in connie softly playing a kiss on his nose... and it’s this that FIANLLY frees steven from his self made prison.. finally realizing h’es not alone and that no matter who or what he becomes.. his family loves and forgives him. While we REALLY needed the next episode to wrap things up after this swell of emtitions. this was the climax the series desrved: after spending 6 seasons trying to help everyone ELSE and fix their issues he never should’ve had to.. it’s eveyrone else who gladly pitches in to fix steven’s own issues, to help HIM when he’s at his lowest point like they’ve been, and make it so he can FINALLY heal and finally find himself once and for all. IT’s one of the finest episodes of the series and easily the best of future. 

9. The Perfect House (Close Enough)  “I’m this close to connecting garfield, TO JESUS”  This one’s just really funny, charming and creative. Simple as that.. I could move on but eh i’m a wordy bastard. Once again we’re focused on Emily, this time as we find out an endearing hobby of hers: She likes visiting open houses and fantasizing about affording a better place she likely never will afford, one with trash can nooks, a kitchen and a living room that are fully seperate, and indivudal bins for tea and sugar... and when it’s pointed out she dosen’t drink tea it’s only because she has nowhere to put it.  But after Josh and Candace get them thrown out, if adorably so, Emily is forced to face reality... i.e. Alex, in one of the series finest gags, in his underwear with conspiracy boards trying to connect garifled to jesus and having a jug of his urine around for some reason. Did I mention I love this weirdo because I do. Brigette is painting in the ktichen.. using her body as the canvas, though in a bikini because the show wasn’t streaming only yet. You’ll have to wait a season for possible boobs. Naturally this just stresses her out so she goes to visit more houses while Josh vows to buy a family bike, a large circular bike for the whole family, as an activity because of course he does and of COURSE he also has a recurring issue of being mocked by some random kid about not having one. 

So she escapes and meets dave and caitlin, a husband whose family life is miserable and a child star who got emanicapted and they quickly form a psuedo family to look at open houses.. only to, as if to remind you what show your watching, instead end up in a tgif sitcom... and trapped in a styigian void, with only Emily desperate to get out. Also she’s been missing three days and Josh has some thoughts on that and goes after her.  Naturally given she’s crashing in on her fake sitcom family, this oly has him seen as a plot element, and Emily’s attempt at cursing and everything she can , while hilarious fail.. but the climax is what makes the episode and what inches it slighlty above quack pack.. which itself was fucking awesome. Instead of FIGHTING the format... Emily is forced to play into it, and realizes a cheesy moment of emtional honesty is what’s needed. She apologizes to her fake family, saying their nice but she has to face the world and to josh and much like Donald, seroiusly this episode was made years ago and there’s no way in hell frank knew about it, she just needed an escape but it’s more healthy: instead of wishing for a life she never had Emily just wants a break from the life she does for five minutes. She’s happy where she is, with her loving husband, wonderful daughter, impulsive but still carring best friend.. and well okay maybe not Alex, there’s somethihng really wrong with him, but as much as I love the guy I admit he’s not for everyone. I’m also a borderline feral man covered in hair who wants people to know i’m smart. I get him. 

IT’s this that sets her free.. and we get another amazing gag as Dave’s family shows up and Dave chooses the fantasy.. though instead of this being thorughly pogiant it’s just “classic dave”. COmplete with title sequence. And of course it ends on a family bike with Emily getting those tins from Josh. Their relationship.. is REALLY what makes both this show and this episode in paticular work. Here while Emily screws up, it STARTS innocently enough, simply faking being a family and spirals into tgif because while this show isn’t, possibly, in the regular show cinematic universe, it’s defintely in the same multiverse. She just wants some peace of mind from a chaotic life, but dosen’t resent her husband or anything.. he just frustrates her sometimes which is fair. But he’s never portrayed as an abusive asshat which you think would be a low bar to clear but.. you’d be suprised. Point is it’s a wonderfully weird and somehow still unique despite being one of three tgif parodies this year. Seriously that shit is a goldmine. It’s how Dashieel Driscoll got half a season out of full house and a good chunk of a very special epsiode as a whole out of it. Though a certain incident helped. 

Point is good show, jolly good show... and ew’ll be right back with the rest afte the cut

8. Agony of a Witch/Old Bodies, Young Souls (The Owl House) “You always thought you were better than me! That I could never Beat you at anything! “  “I AM Better than you!” “Then WHY WERE YOU SO EASY TO CURSE?!”  The Owl House was a show I took WAY too long to catch up on after missing the second half of season 2.. minus Enchanting Grom Fright which I caught first run and we’ll get to that story shortly. Point is my procastnation did me dirty here as this show , which was already fantastic just got better and better, cumulating in this epic, heartdestroying, soul punching, beautifully animated finale that takes everything the show has built up thus far, blows it up in some places and uses it to beautifully end in others, leaving us with a new road for the future.  So yeah naturally it’s been a long ride as one of Owl House’s strength.. is that no episode is filler. No really, each one has a purpose great or small in the larger narrative, and every major arc has been expertly paced and crafted, bringing us to this point. The only major arc or plot thread left out is Amity, and that’s honestly for the better. Make NO mistake, she’s a great character.. but like fellow great Donald Duck, she was left out because the episode had a LOT of emotional stuff going on, a lot of plot to fit in, and a lot to do and it’s simply better for her character and for the moment’s she’s bound to have in response to well.. everything happening here, to let it breathe next season rather than try to shove it into an already stuffed two episodes.  But this episode is one long string of payoffs, and payoffs creating more setups: So all season Eda, our loveable witch, has been grappling with a curse that turns her into an owl beast, one that’s been getting worse as far back as the mid season finale Escape from the Palisman. She’s been needing more and more elixer to combat it, a harrowing parallel to some real world diseases: Sometimes your meds can only DO so much to combat something actively killing you.. thankfully this time.. not speaking from personal experince.  And Luz finds out soon into the episode as Eda makes a cloak of witches wool, which can deflect powerful spells, to protect herself.. only to black out and go owl just as she’s saying she’s fine. Like most parents would Eda hid just how bad things have gotten and it’s gone from needing just one bottle of elixer to needing their entire suply, and even that barely worked. Despite her mentor’s assurances, Luz is now PAINFULLY aware her mentor is on borrowoed time... not helped by the fact the coven attacked earlier that morning and she finds out by finding hooty playing tea party with them, meaning Eda is outgunned, outmanned and while Lilith failed, again.. the emperor can now easily find her himself and send whoever he wnats and however many people he wants to fetch her.. and Eda can’t use too much of her magic or else.  So while Eda and King, touched by how much Luz has changed them, decide to throw a suprise party with King making a big cake to jump out of and Eda using witches wool she intended for herself to make her a cape. Meanwhile as you’d expect Luz.. is plotting a dangerous and life threatning mission: with a field trip to the Emperor’s Coven that day, one she was going to sit out because you know they hate her second mom for dogmatic and vile reasons the episode fleshes out, she finds out they have an artifact called the healing hat that can seemingly heal anything.  So she does what Luz does and comes up with an impulsive plan to heist the thing.. but for once her impuslivness isn’t played for laughs. Her mother figure is slowly sucumbing to a fate worse than death, for once instead of just acting rashly because Luz.. she’s doing so because she KNOWS, that she has no other choice. Nothing else in sight and she’s smart enough to know that if Eda had a cure she’d of told Luz about it. Even if it was dangerous or required a sacrifice or something Eda would’ve just left that part out.  But the trip serves a few other purposes besides getting Luz where she needs to be for the plot that makes it work: it elaborates on just what the emperor’s coven is like and WHY Emperor Belos gets away with everything: He claims to speak for the titan,  the giant dead monster whose body makes up the boiling isles and who, as Luz has discovered, is the source of the magic there. So when he bloodily, I mean it’ sa kid show so they dont’ say so but given how violent this one is i’m asssuming bloody, took power, he claimed they were doing magic wrong, killed any hertiics and set up the rigid coven system. It explains just WHY the boiling isles limits themselves, gives the whole thing a creepy dogmatic religion vibe.. something that i’m REALLY suprised disney let them get away with as they had to fight for gays in the series.. but at the same time shouldn’t be because hunchback of notre dame exists and Soul , released the same year, was a big gamble against the bible belt. So their not afriad of religious groups.. but they ARE afraid of homophobic groups.. which have a lot of overlap. 

Point is it’s a good storytelling device.. and cathartic given i’ve been playing Fire Emblem: Three Houses as I finally bought it with some christmas money. Good game, probably will talk about it in the future, not the point here. 

The point is that the visit gives us some worldbuilding that helps show just how much of a threat the coven is and why their so intent on capturing Eda. We also finally meet belos, god emperor and man tired of Lillith’s shit and giving her till twilight to get Eda.. or presumibly die. I mean he dosen’t say it but he sure is implying it as loud as he can.  That’s when things go pear shaped for Luz who finds the hat.. and LIlith who has found her barganing chip to lure Eda to her, which works as well as you’d expect and leads to the best figh tin the series thus far and one of , if not it’s best scene; A duel between edith and lilith. And while they fought back in Covention this time  it’s not a petty squabble between siblings masquerading as one trying to capture the other.. it’s  fight NEITHER can afford to loose. Eda can’t loose her protege and Lilith will loose everything, dying at best being cast out of the coven at worst, if she fails not to mention loosing what she feels is her only chance at saving her sister.  But it’s also VERY clear Lilith is groosly outmatched, and while no slouch herself Eda’s constant bragging about being “the most powerful witch on the boiling isles”.. is entirely backed up. Lilith barely is able to hold herself and only gets ahead by using a child as a shiled, going even lower than her sister. However the stress of this, the build of having been the older sister of someone who constantly outshined her then turned entirely against her, finally causes lilith to snap.. and reveal the curse is her fault. Cissy Jones delivery here.. is jsut perfect, showing a mixture of rage and pain, showing that she’s spent YEARS hiding this, years resenting her sister for constnatly being better desptie working harder and doing the right thigns. Even when she’s trying to HELP Eda, genuinely trying to undo her mistake as we find out and as we’ve seen genuinely sees the emperor as the wise and benevlolent god he portrays himself as.. she can’t let it go. SHe can’t see past her own bitterness to see her sister is right and if she could just let this go and work on Eda’s terms instead of forcing Eda into her world, then maybe it wouldn’t of gotten this bad. Maybe she could’ve told her. 

Eda takes it about as well as you’d expect, and Lilith.. uses this to threaten luz’s life and force eda to use up her magic to save her, leading to the series most heartbreaking moment and Wendy Mallick’s best acting so far as she bids her appretnince a tearful farewell. Luz RIGHTFULLY and angrily lashes out at lilith calling her a monster while Lilith takes Eda and urges luz to go home... and after a tearful ending with king realizing something’s deeply wrong.

So thus next episode after a history lesson from king and some suprisinging caution as he KNOWS what Luz is up against.. Luz still decides she dosne’t care. Eda’s sacrificed herself, to Luz it’s her fault she’s in this which while KINDA accurate missues some fine points such as her sister’s stubborness or the fact had lilith not shown up she could’ve taken the hat. And the fact LIlith saying the hat was junk was pretty unreliable. What i’m saying is maybe the child shoudln’t blame herself for being kidnapped while genuinely tring to reach the same goal. 

But Lilith soon learns to her horror her sister was right. While Belos restores Eda’ss sentience even fully owled.. he has no intrest in helping her, eveyr intrest in publicly petrifying her, and not even the slightest hint of remorse at betraying lilith this deeply. After all her faith in the man.. Belos spat in her face and told her to like it.  Meanwhile Luz goes on the warpath, and we see just how far she’s come.. and WHY Belos is probably so restrictive with magic and put it on such a tight leash: we see that with her natural power and just a handful of spells, the four she’s pciked up over the season, she easily curbstomps the conformotrium staff, gets to Eda fairly easily.. and fines sshe can’t free her and eda wants the door destroyed so whatever Belos wants with it, he can’t have it. Luz heads home, ready to destroy the door.. onlyt of ind two things. her magic dosen’t work there.. and Lilith followed her and grabbed king. After a breif fight and Luz angrily and rightously confroting the asshole, wish she was in Eda’s place.. Lilith admits luz’s right and gives her backstory: That her insecurity was so great that on the day before a duel with Eda to determine who got into the emperoror’s coven, she curfsed her own sister, with no idea it’d last this long or get this bad. And with no idea Eda had lost intrest in it and WILLINGLY gave her sister teh spot.. It’s very clear despite her masssive flaws that will need to be adressed.. lilith never stopped caring about her sister, and it took all this to make her realize that trying to fix the mistake on HER terms without including her sister.. instead has almost cost her it.  So Luz and King relucntnatly take her help, though the other two are quickly capatured when theyt ry to get to hte exceution platform and thrown in the cage with Eda.. which dosne’t help the coven’s reputation as gus and willow try to make a case for Eda. Meanwhile we get the SECOND best fight of the series as Luz challenges Bellows.. and it’s UTTERLY chillling and while he’s had scenes before this it’s here we get the true scope of who he is ..and that like eda the god complex is something he can back up. Whlie Luz proves just how strong she’s gotten by keeping up with him it’s barely, and it’s clear from the moment go, and one of the series best shots, with Belos creeply materlizing behind her before announcing “sure, i’ll play” that this is a game. She’s no challenge to him and he simply wants to see waht she can do and is mildly impressed if a tad annoyed at her actually damaging his mask. But with Eda, King and Lilith’s lives in the ballance the only way Luz can save htem.. is to give him waht he wants. 

Thing is, just like Lilith, just like everyone has, good an dbad all season.... Belos undereesitmated luz.. who left fire runes on the door, willnig to sacrifice ever seeing her mom again if it meant keeping him away from her. While he has no invasion planned whatever it is CANNOT be good. Luz saves them, and Eda flies them off with Belos saying the titan dismissed them. Also that Belos has a big penis.. super huge, size of a tractor that one. Yeah that’s the ticket. 

But we get  a happyish ending as LIlith does what she should’ve done a long time ago and apologizes, and Eda starts to fogive her, brought on by King earlier standing up to her as whle he’s not happy with her either, he realizes from her story she’s not a bad person.. just a very messed up one who couldn’t own up to her mistakes. One who belivied in the wrong person to fix her problem and finally takes repsonsiblity and part of the curse into her. So with the sequel hook of Eda having lost her internal magic power but still being able to use glyph’s like luz, we also find out the Emperor has the door and a mysterious masked minon,.. who i’m fairly certain isn’t amity only because it’s too obvious. This is simply how you end a season: It’s engaging, heartbreaking, well animated and pays off EVEYRHTING so far while setting up the season to come. It’s going to be a LONG wait till next time, mid-this year.. but I can wait. The high from this one’s going to last a while. 

7. Good Damage (Bojack Horseman)  “ That means that all the damage I got isn't good damage. It's just damage. I have gotten nothing out of it and all those years I was miserable was for nothing. I could have been happy this whole time and written books about girl detectives and been cheerful and popular and had good parents, is that what you're saying? What was it all for?! “

Bojack Horseman is one of the best shows of the last decade, and an important one to me. it was the first one I watched when we switched to all streaming. I really related to Bojack and his struggles with depresion and self loathing.. which backfired given he’s a much worse person than me and while I could relate, I also compared myself too much to a character who in retrospect is both far worse  and has FAR MORE issues than I do and diffrent ones at that outside of the depression and self hatred.  The point i’m framing is that the series and I have a complicated relationship and that coupled with how bad 2020 was meant it took until a few days ago to finally finish it, almost a year later. But I cannot deny how good the show is: it has faults, a bit of reptititon in some character arcs, casting a white woman as a Vietnamize-American woman (something both Ralph Paul Waskerberg and Alison Brie have apologized for to their credit), and .. I can’t think of a last one. They never brought Ralph back? Yeah let’s go with that one what the fuck there. So I felt I owed the show one last round and it payed off as the final stretch, while easily the hardest to get through due to covering the collapse of Bojack’s life, is easily one of it’s best. 

But before the fall, we get Good Damage, which instead of focusing on BoJack focuses on Diane, said asian woman voiced by a white lady, neurotic writer and Bojack’s best friend, who has moved to Chicago to be with her boyfriend guy, a chill, charasmatic and likeable buffalo cameraman. Things are going better than they ever have: she’s in a supportive relationship and thanks to her antidipresenants, while still her loveably neurotic self, is now not obessing over shit as much and is solving her problems with applomb. Even the weight gain from her meds, which she dreaded in the previous half of the season.. has insteead only made her look healthier and happier, and more beautiful than ever. 

The only problem is she can’t write her long promised Memoir, which Princess Carlolyn, her former boss, agent and loveable pink cat and single mother, has promised to a lot of celebrities. She TRIES, she puts lots of work into it, keeps trying to sit there but nothing comes out. And what makes the episode truly great is how this is presented. Bojack is no stranger to beautiful, visually diverse episodes, Stupid Peace of Shit being a notable example and one similar to this one but uniquely great in it’s own way, but this one is easly the bes,t using a squiggly crude style to show just how chaotic and uncomfortable diane is and how stuck she is. She’s TRYING, but she just can’t make her life’s story into anything GOOD, she can’t get the words out which as someone whose had reams of projects I never startd, even to this day and who has genuine trouble writing fiction.... I related to this like all hell. But even people who have never had an intrest in writng can just get the feeling thanks to the wonderful writing and animation, from cameos by the rest of the cast to Diane’s father showing up as a goblin to the word boxes showing what she’s writtne it’s just a treat.  But what centers this amazing visual represtnation is Diane’s internal struggles as an encounter with a rude sales person leads her off on a tangent..and to Ivy Tran, a teen detective whose upbeat, optimstic, and in a great bit outlines who she is in jsut the right amount, and solves mysteries in a food court. It’s a genuinely good idea, one I honestly think could support it’s own series... seriously get on that Ralph-Bob. Get on that. Point is it’s good.. but Diane’s so hung up on what she SHOULD be making, she can’t see what’s right in front of her, despite guy saying the passages are good.  Things come to a head when Diane makes a huge mistake and goes off her meds.. which from experince never ends well: for the entire episode she’s been under the impression she can’t write because of them.. only to be proven HORRIFYINGLY wrong. It’s a  VERY necessary aseop: that your medication will always be with you and that going off it suddenly, or blaming it for writers block not only isn’t true but is DANGEROUS. Diane spirals, cries and her writing gets dark and full of self hate. It’s then Guy proves just how fucking majestic he is: he figures out what’s going on after she tells him, and helps her get to bed so she can rest, puke whatever she needs and they’ll talk about things after she takes her meds again and gets her head on straight, when she’s in a good place to do so. As someone with mental illness.. ti’s nice to see a character who not only supports someone fully, but knows how to handle it. Instead of a shitty third act breakup like many shows would do guy stands by her.  He does however step SLIGHTLY over the line, if iwth good intentions and reason and send Princess Carolyn the Ivy Tran pages, because as he puts it he made an executive decision.. and when Diane is a bit annoyed by that as it does sound a tad douchey, he rightly points out she was in a really bad hole of a place, stuck in a loop doign something that even before going off her meds was clearly hurting her and going nowhere, and needed SOMETHING to snap her out of it, and did so not to hurt her or because he thought he knkew better or , like her ex husband, because he was oblvious to her needs; he did it because it was the hard but necessary thing to get her to seee she had something special and that she dosen’t have to constnatly tear herself up by diving into past traumas because of some internal obligation. 

Naturally Diane dosen’t take it despite Princess Carolyn not only being impressed but PREFERRING the ivy pages, as she was genuinely unaware Diane had something so happy and charming in her. While Diane is worried about it when the two end up meeting in person, we soon find out why: If all the damage she went through wasn’t “good” damage, things she could writ eabout and use later.. what was it for? Could she of just been happy this whole time? Did she waste her life. And in a rare moment betwen the two PC helps Diane walk it back, explaning that she can do what she always wanted: write something that makes someone like her feel not alone. That she dosen’t HAVE to make her life story into something complicated, just make what makes her and other people happy. Something PC’s daughter could enjoy one day. So Diane finally accepts that maybe there’s something else for her.. and then we get a segue into the next episode with bojack having a panic attack and pasing out but that episode, good as it was didn’t make it so moving on.  We also check in with Penny, the daughter of an old friend of bojacks who he nearly slept with and is stil haunted both by the decision and a drunken later visit to apologize... which isn’t helped remotely when max and page, two reporters inovlved in teh subplot that tears bojack’s life apart, start hounding her. While they have good intentions, exposing Bojack’s connection to Sarah Lynn’s death, the two’s methods still come off as creepy, following a, at this point , 21 year old girl whose been through ENOUGH home. While the two aren’t terrible people their actions.. are.. while getting hte story ismprotant is it truly worth genuinely harming this person. And penny wonders if she SHOULD air her story.. she ends up not.. but only because her mother, while lettiner he decide, poitns out it may not be worth all the pressure and possible trauma it digs up,especially since Bojack is getting what he deserved anyway. IT’s a decent subplot tha tties up a loose end but really makes our journalist characters feel like assholes for again, basically stalking and harassing a young woman who didn’t want to rehash the worst moment of her life. Otherwise top notch stuff. 

6. Heart (Parts 1 and 2) (She Ra and the Princesses of Power) “Don't you get it? I love you! I always have! So please, just this once... STAY! Stay. “

Now we get to the gays winning.. and to one of the best series finale in recent memory. And given the other two titanic shows ending, one of which we’ll get to’s ending in a moment, last year, it’s a huge compliment. Heart is how you end a space opera... with big wonderful speeches, great payoff, a huge climax.. and a beautiful cathartic kiss paying off the relationship at the heart of the series that ends up saving the universe.  So let’s just go ahead and crack open that pinata: The kiss.. was easily one of the best moments of animation this year and, at a time when the quarantine was starting, misery was spreading, and things looked pretty damn bad, having a major animated show, one of the biggest of the last few years, climax with an emotional moment between two women, one the series had been setting up since day 1... it was a huge step foward for gay representation in children’s animation, and warmed my big bi heart. And it’s not just good because of that: the fact it’s a giant pile of representation is wonderous, but it’s because it’s also well baked into the show. This is the conclusion of both their character arcs: Catra finally realizes Adora will not abandon her and her leaving the Horde was not choosing them over her.. it was simply doing the right thing. So instead of running or trying to escape she’s grown enough to fight for what she wants and fight for a future with Adora.  Adora meanwhile finally overcomes her martyer complex, her determination, especially after Angela’s death, to make sure no one else is gone and she’s the only one that suffers and looses. To make sure there’s nothing else. It’s Catra’s confesssion that FINALLY gets it through her thick skull that she dosen’t have to be alone or bear anything alone.. she’ll always have someone with her to do that.. and even before Catra.. she’s always had friends for that. She dosen’t have to be alone. So the two embrace and it’s fucking beautiful..and gives adora the full power of the doomsday device they went to shutdown in the first place, restoring the planet.. and allowing her to destroy horde prime’s fucking soul. I just want to reiterate that because it understandably got lost in the shuffle of the gays winning, but our heroine fucking tears out the main villian’s soul.. and it is SO damn satisfying given what a truly repulsive , irredemible, asshat Prime was. So the two finally get a future together, a chance to build and to stop letting the past define them. It’s wide open.  But while that alone would probably net it on this list but it’s damn good otherwise, an epic final struggle between our heroes and the horde for the fate of not just their planet but ALL of htem as Prime prepares to finally wipe everything else out in egomanical genocide. There are just.. tons of awesome moments in this one: Bow and Glimmer’s suprising but welcome love confession, Seahawk annoying mermista into fighting her chip, the people of etheria fighting back.. and the reason they do is easily the second best moment of the episode. With the chips down, not literally, and things looking bleak Bow hyjacks Prime’s egoamnacial hologram.. and broadcasts for everyone to fight, to fight back, and to END THIS. After spending most of the series as the one trying to keep his friends together, the glue of everyone.. it’s bow’s heart, courage, and voice, the one that lead his friends through some rough times and severed as reason when they needed it most wether they listned or not.. that frees the world and with Entrapta turns the tide at long last. It’s just a hell of a moment.  And the only other moment equaling it is Hordak freeing himself and deciding he is his own man, he made himself tha tway for better and worst and kills prime, at least before adora finsihes the job with the badass “I am HORDAK and I DEFY your will. “ It’s just a wonderful, epic finale that pays off most of the shows major arcs, gives our heroes a MUCH deserved happy ending after spending their lives at war, and let it be said one last time, gave gay representation in children’s cartoon one hell of a win.

5. Nice While it Lasted (Bojack Horseman) 

“ No, I need to tell you... thank you... and... it's going to be okay... and... I'm sorry... and... thank you... “

Back to back finales here and honestly both are REALLY close in quality, both satisfyingly paying off their series. But both take equal and opposite routes: Heart is an epic finale in scope size and impact... while Nice While it Lasted is a very stripped down character piece: there are other characters in the background but after the intro the only voiced characters in each segment are Bojack and one of the main cast, each one both showing how much said relationship has evolved since the show began, and giving Bojack time to reflect on his possible future. I say possible because one of Nice While it Lasted’s best aspects it that there’s no real concrete ending for Bojack. Ther’es still closure: after his life emploded and he nearly died, more on that in a bit, Bojack ended up in prison, offically for breaking and entering but unoffically for all the shitty things he did with him glumly accepting it. So one year later he’s out thanks to Princess Carolyn for her wedding, sober again thanks to prison and even started his own acting class at the prison he’s geninley invested in, inteding to continue it once he gets out. But otherwise.. his future’s in flux. HE’s sober for now, but he’s painfully aware that could change again, his friends while, with one excpetion, still having a place for him in their lives, have moved on, and his career is on the upswing again despite being a pariah a year ago because as I mentioned earlier and as PC brilliantly puts it

So he could become a better man, get his career back, make amends for what he did and stay sober.. or backslide and fall down into the same traps he always has. It plays into an aseop the series has always preached: There are no real endings, life just goes on. Even for the rest of the cast hteir lives aren’t over.. their just in a good place.. maybe bojack will, maybe he won’t. Tha’ts up to the indvidual viewer and I like that. While ambgious endings can be frustrating and I get while some preferred the more concrete if still somewhat ambgious ending of a view from halfway down, I feel this fits the series better: Bojack, like the end of every season is moving on to something new, but this time we don’t know what, and that’s okay. IT’s time for us to move on.  Well okay not from this entry as each vingette deserves some praise: Our first has Mr. Peanutbutter pick up Bojack from prison, and even get him a new suit.. and then another one offscreen because predictably for his life BOjack got meatball all over it. He also calms our hero down when he wants to go back to jail, letting him know it’s okay and he’ll be there for him.. unless his friend Erica shows up but what are the odds... 1:1. But what’s nice about it is while Bojack still makes jabs, it’s clear he’s gone from truly hating and resenting PB for being the betterversion of him.. to truly seeing the guy as one of his best friends, his jabs having gone from hurtful and bitter to wry and warranted. I mean they were warranted a lot back then too he’s just a lot softer about them. 

At the wedding Todd and Bojack finally reach some form of understanding after years of awkwardness, the two having reconclied but not being really remotely close or in each other’s lives hardly anymore after Todd’s understandable blow up at Bojack in “It’s You”. Here Todd has Bojack rush him to the beach to cary him on his shoulders.. to watch fireworks because he could tell he was overhwelmed, the two having found a rhtym again, with, like with mr peanutbutter, Bojacks jabs being a lot friendler and Todd having a respect for his own needs while actually being present for bojack instead of ignorant of how bad things were like he was at the start. He even helps BOjack see even if he DOES replase.. he can get right back on the horse, couldn’t resist that one sue me, and as the hokey pokey says turn himself around. 

After, in one of the best payoffs of the series, finally trying Hondedew and finding it’s not so bad, Bojack dances with PC, admittingh e half hoped he’d have to help her go thorugh with it before the two run through the scenario, and PC expresses some honest fears with bojack helping her showing how the two hav egone from a horribly stiffing relationship.. to two close friends who are probably stuck with one another for life. Sunk costs and all that. And if bojack does want to act again she knwos some people. But for now PC finally really has everything she ever wanted:: A daughter, and a loving husband in judah. 

Finally we have the most painful of the group because of course the Bojack finale wouldn’t be all sugar and would have to punch us in the gut. Bojack finds Diane again who hasn’t talked to him.. because he called her the night of his near death/sucidide and due to putting the blame on her due to being high out of his mind, made her feel like it was his fault during the 7 hours she could reach no one and thought he was dead. Diane is hurt, feeling betrayed that bojack promsied he’d be fine then possibly left her with the pain of his death on her concious forever. Thankfully she’s doing fine, as she’s now married guy and Ivy Tran is a huge success and probably a series now.. but it’s abudnantly clear her friendship with Bojack is over.. but even this bittersweet, and necessary, seperation, as Diane has moved past LA and Bojack needs to stop relying on her and stand on his own two hooves, still warms the heart as she thanks him and lets him know i’tll be okay, and endugles him in telling her one last story, a rathe rfunny one about prison movie night bfore the series ends on the melancholy and apporriate song mr blue as the two gaze out and they see each other and we see them for the last time. 

4 The Wasteland (Infinity Train) 

“I'm as good as dead, and if my last act is to bring you with me, sliver, I can't imagine a better way to go!” “Well, I can! “

So from a bittersweet ending to holy shit that’s depressing, we have our only entry from Infnity Train on the list. That’s not to say the series did bad this year. Season 2 was easily the series finest hour, taking the framework from season 1 and crafting a gripping story of a teenage mirror person who just wanted to live without assholes trying to kill her for what she fundementally IS, and be recognized as a person, with the help of a magical deer and a more optimstic teen grappling with his peer pressure issues.  The series was still undoubtly silly with a parasite voiced by Bill Corbett, wonderfully so, and again a magical deer named Alan Dracula, long may he reign, it simply deconstructed the nature of the train and thus opened up the floodgates. By giving us a denzin who, after years of being someone’s reflection in both senses of the word, just wanted to live and how that clashed with the train and the racist assholes she met alnong the way, from the ones who wouldnt’ stop trying to kill her.. to humans who considered her as nothing more than a plaything at best and something to get rid of at worst. While Season 3 was not bad, if a bit way too strcuturally messy and trying to do too much at once, Season 2 still handled the same issues but in a much tighter frame storywise.  And that’s why only one episode made it: Most of the episodes, espicially the later ones, are pieces of a large whole, with the show being heavily seralized. Which while a great approach intended for streaming, also means it was hard to find a chapter that worked that well on it’s own, steven universe future had similar issues. But I did and the wasteland is easily the darkest, harshest and most intresting episode out of the batch.  The episode opens at MT’s darkest hour: The apex told the mirror police where she is, Jesse is gone, and MT is now running for her life from the sadstic assshole and his spinless partner who want her dead just for existing.. gee can’t imagine why a bunch of assholes refusing ot acknolwedge other peoples opinons, rights or even existance was a big topic last year.. or this year. 

So while Mace, the main mirror cop, manages to handcuff her MT manages to throw him under the train. THe result is her trying to escape the train by wondering i’ts vast desert, forced to drag Mace along as he taunts her, bleeding out slowly from you know being bisected by a train. It’s a really moody peace as Mace mock’s mt’s dreams of escape and justify’s his own selling out, while MT pokes holes in that: he was so desperate to not nonexist.. he’s willing to kill others who just want the same. IT’s a damn hard watch but fuck if i’ts not compelling. 

And the climax is what makes it. MT finds out she can’t leave the bounds of the wasteland, as it only projects so far and after escaping the ghoms ends up back on the train, with Mace, not long fo rthis world trying to kill her.. so we get a 13-14 year old GRINDING HER HORRIFYING ABUSER UNDER A TRAIN WHEEL. Just jesus.. I mean I kind of get HBO Max’s point that MAYBE this is a bit much for kids. I mean i’ve seen other really dark stuff but holy fuck a man died.. and we see his blood splatter. But it’s this horrible, harsh moment that makes the episode.. as is MT”s reaction.. not one of triumph.. but of exaustion and horror at what she’s done, before steadying herself to prove him wrong. A hard one to write about but damn it was good. 

3. Enchanting Grom Fright (The Owl House)  “Dear Luz, will you go to Grom with me- Amity”  Now we THANKFULLY get to something lighter: the gays winning.. again. Coming out during pride month, phrasing, and only a month after the she ra finale we got this delightful episode. As I said earlier I watched this one first run: while I was super behind, I couldn’t resisit to the point I watched it before that week’s amphibia. I was that curious what was going to happen.  See as i’ve given out about quite a lot.. and I mean a LOT, Disney dosen’t have the best track record with gay representation: they don’t do horrible sterotypes or anything.. but they also don’t do much of anything for the most part. Alex Hirsch has outright spoke about how much he had to fight just to get Blubbs and Durland firmly together in the finale, and how the symbols for the love god were widdled down to just male and female. And around the time this episode came Disney was coming out of a REALLY bad batch of pr stunt gay representation: They made a big deal about the first gay x in an x having gay characters in avengers endgame, star wars: Deep Hurting and onward.. but these were cameos AT BEST, with the endgame one being so minor I genuinely didn’t realize the character was talking about dating a man and only found out afterwords. Sure Ducktales had gay dads, which is awesome and always will be.. but none of the major cast was allowed to be openly gay. I mean we know webby and lena are gay but hell if disney would allow that.  But miracoulsy.. shockingly and wonderfully.. Disney DID mange to finally just say fuck it and let some big gay rep in, something so obvious it can’t be ignored and that actually features the main character and one of the most major supporting characters. And what do you know, the good press and pats on the back outweighed the bad. It’s almost if giving up homophobic markets in exchange for doing the right thing.. is a GOOD thing while also being profable. Who’d a thunk. Point is via sheer perstiance, Owl House creator Dana Terrance got to not only make her lead bi, which Terrance herself is, but have her love intrest be a girl. And I find it genuinely wonderful that gay, bi, pan and what have you children can watch this and say “tha’ts me and this is okay”.  But even minus Owl House saying gay rights.. the episode is just REALLY good and part of it is who it focuses on. Amity easily has the most character devleopment out of the cast going from someone who walls herself off from everyone, revels in her superiority.. to slowly opening up to heroine Luz, realizing Luz is not a bad person and that Amity herself dosen’t have to be, and right before this starting the road to patching things up with her former best friend willow. Allt hrough this said friendship had been prettty, prettyy, prettyyy gay. And that’s wonderful obviously, but part of why I watched this was while I HOPED they’d get to be couple.. I wasn’t convinced since see a fucking bove. But I was happy to realize that oh my god I was wrong, the gays won all along. 

So with Amity a better person she’s naturally syampthetic when sh’es put front and center at hexside’s prom equvilent which while having a dance, gromprosals and a disco ball tha’ts also a sentient being, becuase boiling isles, it also has the queen or king forced to fight a horrifying monster that manfiests as your greatest fear. And, as we find out towards the end.. Amity’s is being rejected by Luz, having her love letter, which she fails to deliver due to running into luz.. and co (which is my faviroite gag of the episode and the adorable smiles gus and willow give in response are what make it). And . it makes sense. When you stop and think about it.. Luz is the best thing in her life. She got her to change as a person, genuinely cares about and adores her, just wants to be her friend and thinks the world of her. Given her siblings, while trying to be better, are two disaster bisexuals who just stopped a lifetime of untietonally harsh bullying and her parents are controlling asshats who made her abandon her best friend at a young age and she sees LILITH as a mother figure, just let that sink in given a few entires back.. yeah.. no wonder sh’es utterly terrified of rejection. Poor baby. 

Of course WE know Luz wouldn’t. Luz may be many things, including oblvioius to thte freaking obvoius as this story line has revealed, but shes not cruel and even if she said no, which I higlhly doubt she would, she woudln’t be a dick about it. But being surrounded by cruel assholes for some time has made Amity a bit paranoid so Luz volunteers to sub in to both genuinely help her friend.. and to prove to eda she can do this. Eda is also chaperoning. and looks neat in a suit, while King and Gus get a wonderful b plot of mcing the dance with the egotisticl king having issues with stage fright. I will get more into that when I review the episode proper, come back in a month for that.  But yeah while Luz does well when the time comes, and while sadly not wearing her otter suit does wear a wonderful tuxedo with a tutu.. she has her own repressed issues to adress as Grom takes the form of her mother, as Luz has been nursing guilt over not telling her the truth about what’s going on. Luz runs, and Amity ends up facing her fear to save her crush and the two get a wonderfully romantic, and desturctive dance together as they face hteir fear, untie as one and kill that motherfucker... well okay i’m not sure grom can die but it’s gone for now.  The dance sequence.. is easily one of the best scene’s all year, beauituflly animated and painstakingly planned out, with wonderful music.. it’s just awesome and what takes the episode ove rthe top, with the two perfeclty in synch as they take grom out in less than a minute. Also king become prom king and queen, he is best of both as Luz’s own personal issues put a damper on things. Also someone’s been writing her mom. 

Overall just a perfect episoe and a perfectly gay episode of one of the best shows going right now. Speaking of a perfect episode of one of the best shows going right now, tha’ts also on disney. 

2. Escape From the Impossibin! (Ducktales)  ”We have to keep them safe” “But not like this!”  So from some emotinal torment mixed with some lovely shipping, we get a whole buttload of emotional anguish but with a robotic scrooge and the time loop room and the time loop room and the time loop room, and time l...

As I said in part 1, Season 3 is easily Ducktales best so far, having far better pacing, character ballance and bolder and more intresting stories than ever before. While the first two seasons are still excellent, this one has taken everything great and honed it and no episode shows off just how great this season is than this one.  This one takes place in the fallout of “Let’s Get Dangerous!”, with the family dealing with finding out FOWL”s not only still alive, but is run by Bradford, head of scrooge’s board of directors former shush agent as we’d find out later, and asshole, who knows all their secrets. And given Scrooge is mildly paranoid on a good day and Beakly is extremley paranoid on her best day, it’s done a number on both as they’ve split the family minus launchpad, who just had a whole episode so fair enough, up: Scrooge has taken Della and Louie, wiht their see all the angels schtick, to test out his new security, while Beakly and Donald are securing the house while Beakly has webby throughly test the boys.  Neither side goes well. The bin ends up locking our heroes out due to Scrooge’s password being changed, and forcing them to work past it. Louie rises to the challenge, as does della.. but as they beat a robot versoin of scrooge, because of course the final test would be a robot version of scrooge, Scrooge is instead of triumphant at not being dead, incredibly depressed and furious. Because when told he’s scrooge mcduck he tellingly replies “AND WHAT IF THAT’S NTO ENOUGH’. For once.. Scrooge is SCARED, up against someone who knows his every move and is one step ahead, iti’s how it’s always been, no matter what he’ll do, he’ll always loose and Bradford will always win. I REALLY need to watch spies are forever, point is he’s scared and Bradford PROVING the point by revealing he was behind it and taking over the robot dosen’t help. Our heroes win though in a damn impressive action sequence, but as it turns out.. it was just a distraction.. but we’llg et back to that.  The other plot though is whyt his is so high. While the first plot is a fun romp with deep eomtional consequences.. the second plot is decidly far darker.. it still has some good bits as webby terorizes the boys and easily one of the best in the season when she horrifying imitates dewey, but its’ only when she does finally attack she realizes she’s taken it way toof ar. She’s terrorized her brothers, caused huey to break his leg and then turn her away when she tries to help.. all she’s done is turn them AGAINST each other and they can’t win this way.  Beakly strongly disagrees and clealry lost in her own paranoia and fear, prepares to attack huey.. and thus Webby steps in... leading to one fo the most heartbreaking and tense fights in the series as grandmother and grandaughter fight one on one but both are outmatched.. but Huey and Dewey, despite everything, refuse not to help their sister and help pull webby up, with Webby panickidly realizing something’s VERY wrong and her granny usually isn’t like this when sparring... and is also chasing them. This leads to the roof, in a rainstorm no less, and Webby relcutnatnly ready to fight even though she clearly knows she both can’t win.. and dosen’t want to anymore. Despite her wilingless to scrap, fight and train.. Webby dosen’t WANT to hurt her granny she just wants to help her. Thankfully, the boys attempt to stop this, while failing horribly, catches donald’s attention as he catches them, ntocies what’s going on and furiously refuses to let this go on. While Beakly tries to ignore it and fight..s he instead slips and despite everything, the rest of the group rescue her, with Webby impressing on her grandmother that they aren’t fowl. They wont’ win acting like them and tearing each other apart.. they need to be the family they are.  But if all that wasn’t enough turns out.. yeah, Bradford’s thing was a distraction and with the rest of the group distracted with Beakly, that meant his plan went off without a hitch: all the missing mysteries have been taken by FOWL, in a masterstorke that ties both plots together and brings what seemed like isolated adventures on their own in a tagnetally related plot into the fore. Everything so far has built up to this.. and despite the loss.. the family, having been through a dark night of the soul, is ready to fight back. They want the rest of the mysteries? Their going to have to fight clan mcduck in their elment. And it’s been glorious so far. A tense, well paced, hard hitting episode, this one’s a winner. and almost got #1.. ALMOST. But as much as I tried to not go with the obvious chocie, the one with tons of press and praise and that’s graced tons of best of lists... I had to go with what was honestly the best. So...

1. The View from Halfway Down (BoJack Horseman)  “Oh BoJack, there is no other side. This is it. “  This episode was my main reason for catching up with the series and finishing it off once and for all. Awash with praise and hype I was curious about this one.. and my curiosity paid off. This is easily one of if not hte best episodes Bojack put out in it’s storied run: it’s creative, impossible to look away from and devistating: in short it’s the show in a nutshell.. and it’s a hell of a view. 

Previously as mentioned before Bojack’s life blew up and he lost just about everything, from his friends, though as the finale bared out only one of them stayed away for good and for good reason, his only family in hollyhock, his house, even horsin around. He had nothing left.. so high on drugs and in his old house he passed out at the end of last episode.. and we wake up here with a recurring dream as Bojack has a dinner party at his mother’s house, another wonderful performance from Wendy Mallick. Everyone there is someone Bojack knew who died: his former best friend he betrayed Herb, Sarah Lynn his former child co start turned washed up 30 something he let die, Courdory, a co star who died trying to get off david caradine style, Crackerjacke, the uncle he never knew who die din the war and his parents, distant mother Beatrice as mentioned and his father, who is in the body of his hero secretariat who comited suiccide in this unvierse due to getting banned from racing, as that’s the kind of weird shit dreams do. Also Zack Braff, who has no real conncetion to bojack but still died during that time Mr Peanutbutters house sunk into the earth and his ex wife Jesscia bIel formed a death cult.  The group play a game of best and worst, lay into each ohter and have some really intresting conversations with Bojack confident of when it’ll end: before the show their always mentioing. But this time, it’s diffrent.. Bojack is there for it so we get a trippy and horrifyimng stage show as Bojack watches the various people one by one vo into a black door, allt he while bojack coughts up sludge and is persued by it, unaware where he was before this. Sarah Lynn gives one last song, a reprise of a song from previous in the series, Courdroy does a ribbon dance and zack braff gets on roller skates. And bojack has a frank conversation with his dad, with his dad/secretariat revealing he DID care but was just so filled with loathing he coudlnt’ admit it to his son and thus was an abusive ass.. and then reveals to bojack he’s not waking up and bojack horryfigngly see shimself, drowning ina pool. And while he frantically, heartbreakingly tries to flee... he can’t. There’s no exit for him. As herb tells him, this isn’t the afterlife, this is his brain making sense of his last moments, and ther’es no way of knowing if he’ll get rescued, no way to do anything but watch.. watch as his father secretairat shows suicide in all it’s horror by letting it know he wouldn’t of done it if he knew “the view fro halfway down”, a horrifingly haunting poem that sells just how bad it was. As beatrice and crackerjack also go we’re down to herb who introduces bojack... before going in himself, claming there is no other side. Bojack tries not to go genle and runs, and in a horrfying sequence is surronded by the ooze as he tries his damndest to escape.. but in the end he can’t. As herb said.. he can’t do anything about this. So speaking to his min’ds version of diane he accepts he probbaly won’t be coming back and we hear a monitor as we fade out. While we know it’s not the end now... there’s no way of telling then. 

The View from Halfway Down is a haunting, beatuflly animated, masterwork, taking 6 seasons worth of communinity and regret and shoving it in bojack’s face in an intresting way, while bringing back characters we thought we’d never see again for one last go round. It was patcually nice to hear LIn Manuel Miranda and Wendy Mallick again,, and Kristan Schaal is always great. The show ALWAYS had a horrifying habit of having it’s penutlimate episode be an utter gutpunch that broke you, with the finale picking up the peices and offering some hope.. and this was no exception. They literally saved the best for last, and it was worth the wait. The view from halfway down may be gahstly,.. but the view of this episode is hauntingly beautiful. 

So that was the list, and it was.. a lot taking 2-3 days to finish all together over both parts. But it was worth it and hopefully we can get back to some regular stuff later today. For now, thank you for reading, and hopefully i’ll see you somewhere in the sunset. 

[vampcoffeegyrl23]

Fanfic/WIP list

The following ongoing list is in no particular order of my in-progress/completed fics in the different fandoms and other works (with A03 links for the ones posted). It's mostly for myself to keep track and possibly work on completing more but also as a sort of intro to me I suppose. There are lots of WIPs, very little actually finished. Some just ideas/barely even started. Lots I haven’t touched or looked at for months or even years. I work two jobs and I'm doing online college classes at SNHU, so sometimes there just isn't the time or energy or inspiration or all of the above for writing so my chapter updates and postings are definitely not on a regular schedule. Yes, there are multiple ships for the same characters, cuz I’m one of those multishippers. I also don't judge people for the ships/characters they like or follow, even if they're not my cup of tea. This list/post may grow/change as I work on things/add things/go through different docs and files. Most of my posted fics are already on fanfiction.net, though I’m slowly transferring them to Archive of Our Own. Added a cut cuz this post is already a novel and this list is waaayyy too long.

Agents of SHIELD:

Dousy/Sousy/Timequake

Untitled Daisy/Sousa post s7 drabble WIP

The Flash

Snowbarry

Untitled SB seasons 1-6 AU w/ original child WIP

SB April Minibang 2020 - Sat by the River and It Made Me Complete (finished)

SB Valentine 2020 - We’ll Be Counting Stars (finished)

Untitled Season 2 WIP

SB April Minibang 2021 - the hardest part of ending (is starting again) (finished)

SB April Minibang 2022 - Tiny Boxes for Memories

SB April Minibang 2023 - still believe in fairytales

Snowbarry Week 2019

Unravel Me (finished)

Our Souls They Blend (finished, for now)

But We Still, Hold On (finished)

Some Dumb Stubborn Martyr Hero Sacrifice Thing (finished)

Let’s Go Home (WIP) preview piece to my Untitled SB seasons fic

Snippets (WIP) 2 more preview pieces to my Untitled SB seasons fic

Snowbarry Week 2021:

Day 1 "five years is a long time" season 1/5 AU SB

Day 2 domestic SB

Day 3 morning after valentine's SB

Day 4 Your Faith Walks on Broken Glass (Savifrost/Snowbarry guardian angel AU WIP)

Day 5 sb missing canon moments

Day 6 sb outsider pov season 5/future AU

Day 7 sb establish relationship + party/ball

Savifrost Weekend Event 2021:

Day 1

Day 2 (also a WIP fic to be posted during Snowbarry Week 2021 in November)

Day 3

Day 4

Snowbarry Spring 2022

New Beginnings art

Tiny Boxes for Memories

Snowbarry Week 2022:

Day 1: Social Media

Snowbarry Holidays Event 2022

Dec 22nd?

Dec 23rd

Snowstorm

A Promise Made WIP

Snowells

Untitled Snow/Harry Vampire Diaries AU

Untitled Snow/Harry season 4 WIP

Untitled EoWells/Caitlin season1/season5 timetravel WIP

Snowells Week 2020: (all SnowHarry)

Open Mind For A Different View (finished)

For Your Love, All You Are (WIP)

I’ll Take You To The Dark Side (WIP)

Keeping Up With The Wells’s  (WIP)

The Stars in the Sky Illuminate Below (finished, for now)

Want You To Stay (finished)

Snowells Week 2021:

Day 1 - how can I stand here with you (and not be moved by you)? - Original!Harrison Wells/Older!Caitlin Snow

Day 2 - you should stay away from the cheese curds, they’re addicting -  SnowHarry 

Day 3 - Days Dark as Ebony Nights EoWells/Caitlin 

Snowells Week 2023:

Day 1/Day 7 - one single thread of gold tied me to you Frost/Nash graphic

Day 1 - Things We're All Too Young To Know Caitlin/HR graphic + drabble ....and Things We're All Too Young To Know: The Movie

Killervibe

Arrowverse Quarantine 2020 Fic Exchange - Yes It’s True (Happy to Be Stuck With You) (WIP)

Killervibe Week 2020 - Celebrate Me Home (finished)

12 Days/Prompts of Killervibe 2020 - You’re The Gift That Keeps Givin’ (WIP)

General/Character stories

Untitled Colonel Snow of Earth X WIP - Caitlin of Earth X is a high-ranking Colonel in the Freedom Fighters

Between the Lines - Caitlin and Frost season 6 conversation (finished)

Arrow

Olicity

Caught in the Riptide WIP

In this Grief (finished)

Supergirl

Karamel

season 3 AU WIP

Once Upon A Time

OQ slowburn/gen fam multichapter fic - Amelia (ongoing collab fic)

Outlaw Queen Prompt Weeks (all collabs, all finished)

Yours, Mine, & Ours

Home Sweet Home

A Glimmer of Hope

A New Beginning

Rose Petals

Leap of Faith

Operation Lupin

Fireworks

Shot Through the Heart (may be continued later)

Operation New Adventure

Knight in Shining Dimples

Feather Light

OQ Fix It Week 2017 (all finished)

Family Reunion

Of Arrows and other Remnants

Tea for Milady

A Bond in Time

The Heart of the Matter

Safe & Sound

Right Here With You

Vampire Diaries/The Originals

Delena

So Far Away season 6 AU(WIP)

On the Corner of First and Amistad  Delena/Steroline WIP

Tell Me What You Want Me To Say WIP

Holding On And Letting Go WIP

Untitled season 1 Delena/Steferine WIP

Untitled season 4 DE WIP

Untitled AU DE WIP

Soul Bound WIP

On Another Love (finished)

What Are You Prepared To Do WIP

Rebuilding Blocks - single parent/therapist AU WIP

Bonds Unbroken WIP

Future AU WIP

August Rush AU WIP

Blended AU WIP

Cure AU WIP

Friends with kids AU WIP

Family AU WIP

Untitled future season 4 AU WIP

The Devil Inside AU WIP

Life as We Know It AU WIP

Untitled season 1 warped WIP

Stelena

Where’d You Go (finished)

Fading Light (finished)

Need You Now (finished)

Caught in the Undertow WIP

Descending (finished)

A Series of Moments (finished)

Datherine

Back to Humanity WIP

Elejah

Apart No More WIP

Steroline

Untitled WIP

Steferine

Lights Will Guide You Home WIP

Together Again - season 1 reincarnation WIP

Kalijah

TVD Season 4 AU WIP

Only For Her WIP

Starting Over WIP

Together in Normalcy WIP

Unexpected WIP

Diabolical Sacrifices WIP

Untitled Klaroline/Kalijah in NOLA WIP

Klayley

Untitled WIP

Darkness I Became WIP

Haylijah

Untitled AU WIP

Hayley/Stefan

Spiraling Out of Control WIP

Untitled AU WIP

Gen/Character/multicouple works

Miss Mastermind - Katherine fic WIP

Raising Jenna - Raising Helen AU WIP

TVD/Originals foster fic - Katherine was Hayley’s foster parent WIP

Katherine season 2 fic WIP

Charmed (1998)

Phoebe/Coop

The Letter C (finished)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel

Bangel

Always WIP

Divine Interference WIP

Uncursed WIP

Annie WIP

Waking Up (finished)

Redemption Fulfilled (finished)

Spuffy

Untitled season 5/6 Key origin fic w/ Dawn WIP

Xander/Buffy

You Could Be Happy (finished)

Gilmore Girls

Rory/Logan

Not the Way They Were Before WIP

Something Major WIP

One Tree Hill

Naley

Once Upon a December WIP

Leyton

Remembering Forever (finished)

More Than They Ever Wished For (finished)

Bring My Baby Tonight (finished)

When It All Goes Wrong (finished)

Fringe

Untitled Polivia WIP

Crossovers

TVD Katherine Pierce/The Flash Killer Frost WIP

TVD Katherine Pierce/Buffyverse Angel - Wait For You WIP

TVD/Charmed WIP - Prophecy Girls WIP

Buffyverse Spike/One Tree Hill Brooke - The Past is in the Present WIP

Original works

TVD Fanfic conversion to original short story WIP

Original guardian angels novel WIP

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

After her marriage with Frank Randall has failed and Claire Beauchamp flees from her violent husband, she finds refuge in the house of the Fraser/Murray family in Berlin-Wilhelmshorst. But then tensions arise between Britain (which has since left the EU) and some EU member states. All holders of an English passport are required to leave EU territory within six weeks ... and suddenly Claire's fate looks more uncertain than ever.

This story was written for the #14DaysofOutlander event, hosted by @scotsmanandsassenach​

Chapter 1: 14 Months

         "No! I can't do this, Janet!"

         Jamie's voice sounded muffled but still audible through the crack of the door leading to the kitchen of the house.

         "Didn't you watch the news, you dumbass?! In the next six weeks, all holders of English passports must leave European Union territory or they'll be deported to the Channel Islands!"

         Janet Murray sighed. Then she went on:

         "Provided that mad Vladimir de Salty Brownson of No. 10 Downing Street does not break the armistice with France, Belgium, and the Netherlands!"

         "I can't do it, Janet!"

         Jamie sounded exhausted and sad.

         For a moment, silence fell.

         "Brother! I don't know if you realize the danger this situation poses! If you won't talk to Claire, I will, and you don't want me to, do you?"

         "No way, Janet!"

         "So, you'll talk to her today?"

“Die Tür” by PhotoMIX-Company

         Claire had just come out of her room on the first floor. She had wanted to ask Janet (called Jenny) if she could help her as she always did. But now that she overheard the conversation by chance, she backed away. Quietly, she walked back up the stairs and the heavyweight that had been placed itself on her chest while listening seemed to get heavier with each step. She had come to this house fourteen months ago. It was her refuge. At least that's what she thought until now.           Claire could not remember ever feeling so safe or so happy before. Sure, she had experienced many happy moments in her youth and sure, she had felt sheltered under the care of her uncle Lamb. But, all those years, mostly in the hours before she fell asleep, doubts and fears crept into her thoughts. Doubts that she would ever really experience lasting happiness. And the fear, the constant fear of what would happen if Uncle Lamb, the last of her relatives, died? The thought of suddenly being all alone in this world filled her with trepidation. When Frank Randall came into her life, she thought she had found an answer to these worries. She was nineteen and head over heels in love, but it did not take long, however, before she realized that she had been more than wrong about this man, her now-husband. Even at an early stage in their marriage (they still lived in Cambridge where Frank taught at the university) he cheated on her. He continued to meet women from the university faculty and students he had met before their marriage regularly without interruption. And of course, he continued this behavior when they moved to America, where Frank took up a position at Harvard.              When she left Boston fourteen months ago after almost ten years of marital martyrdom, she was broken, utterly exhausted - and again frightened. Claire had gripped the outstretched hand of this strange man, who had introduced himself to her under a French name as a German citizen of British origin, like a lifeline. She was too exhausted to even think about where it all would lead her. Claire could only hope that the help he offered her would take her one step further on her path to a life of freedom and peace.           Everything had happened so fast. On the flight to Berlin, she had slept most of the time, only waking up once at Stockholm Arlanda Airport, where they had to change planes. When they arrived at Berlin Schönefeld Airport, he had woken her gently. Picking up her luggage and driving from the airport to his home (as he called it) had passed her by like a fleeting dream.

“Haus” by MichaelGaida

         Then they had finally arrived. The sight of the manor like house and the even bigger park that surrounded it, had an effect on her as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. Claire suddenly felt completely awake. Then the big oak door had opened and Jenny had come out and greeted her with great kindness. A few minutes later they were all sitting in the living room, drinking tea and eating apple pie. An hour later she was lying in a freshly made bed in a room that had been prepared especially for her and was sleeping deeply. When Claire woke, she had slept for almost eighteen hours. To her surprise, a small table with a thermos of tea, a Tupperware box with sandwiches, a bowl of fresh fruits and a little vase with yellow and red tulips stood by her bed. She still remembered how the experienced care had moved her to tears. Since the last days she had spent with Uncle Lamb, nobody had cared for her like this.            With each day that she stayed in Wilhelmshorst, Claire became more and more a part of this family. Jenny had become a good friend for her, almost a sister. After a short phase in which the women had met each other in a distanced way, they opened up to each other and took more and more pleasure in doing the work in the house, going shopping or tending the garden together. Ian had become a good friend too. While Claire appreciated the practical side of Jenny, she loved talking to the man, who seemed so calm and level-headed and therefore the exact opposite of his wife. Ian the younger, Caitlin, Katherine, and Michael, the children of the Murrays, had immediately taken her to their hearts. And the feeling was completely mutual. She was grateful to have some money of her own again when the first Christmas arrived and she was able to give small presents to the children, but also the rest of the family.          And then there was ... James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser called Jamie.          His real name he had revealed to her only after Claire had settled in with the Frasers/Murrays for a few days. He was the one who saved her in ‘a tour de force’ from a last violent attack by her husband and took her with him to Berlin. Unlike Jenny, who carried her heart on her tongue, and Ian, the level-headed thinker, she could not figure him out. He always met her with great kindness, was generous and helpful. But at the same time, he always kept his distance and remained silent most of the time.          And yet Claire felt drawn to him in an inexplicable way. For the first time, she noticed this when Jamie had business appointments in Düsseldorf for a few days. With astonishment, she realized that his absence triggered feelings of emptiness and loss in her. But whenever he returned from such business trips, her heart filled with gratitude and joy. Although there was no real reason for her to be frightened, she always felt safer when he was at home If she was honest with herself, then Claire could not deny that his presence gave her a feeling of security and peace. And then, just over six months ago, while he was on one of these business trips, she had asked herself if he was seeing women in the cities he traveled to regularly. But Claire immediately dismissed the idea. She didn't think he was such a kind of man ... and if so, it was none of her business. However, two months later (Jamie was at a conference in Stuttgart) she caught herself wondering if she was in love with him. But she immediately dismissed that thought as well. For one thing, she hadn't been sure what love was since her marriage to Frank. For another, such a thought was completely hopeless. Jamie showed no sign of a greater interest in her and how would it look if she ... No, she couldn't do that. What would Jenny and Ian think? Wouldn't it look like she was taking advantage of the situation? No, it would be best if things stayed the way they were. Once the inheritance issues were resolved, she could get her own place. She could get a job and... everything would look different. Then maybe ... if Jamie ... yes then maybe there was a chance of happiness? Love? She didn’t know.          But now she'd never find out either. All of her life in Wilhelmshorst would come to an end now, just because some politicians couldn't keep their lust for power in check. Even before she reached her room, she felt tears running down her cheeks.

“Tee” by StockSnap

         Two hours later Jenny's voice echoed loudly but friendly through the hall:

         "Claire, are you coming? Tea is ready!"

         Claire opened her door.

         "I'll be right there."

         A few minutes later, she entered the living room where Jenny had just set the coffee table. Jamie stood, arms crossed over her chest, by one of the big windows, his back turned at her.

         Then Claire's eyes fell on the table.

         "Why did you only set the table for two people?" she asked Jenny.

         "Oh, äh, uhm, Ian invited me and the kids to go to the zoo. We're about to leave..."

         "Ah."

         Claire nodded. She tried to stay calm.

         Jenny left the room and Jamie turned to her. He smiled, at least he was trying to. With his right hand, he pointed to a chair by the coffee table. Claire nodded and sat down. Jamie sat down on the small sofa, so they sat across the corner.          She reached for the teapot and poured the tea first for Jamie, then for herself. When she put the teapot back on the teapot warmer, they heard the front door slam shut and shortly afterward a car drove off the yard.          Jamie emptied his teacup and held it out to Claire, who filled it again. When she too had emptied her cup, he turned to her and said:

��        "Claire, I have something very important to discuss with you."

         Although she knew what it was about, and although she had had two hours to prepare herself inwardly for this conversation, her hands began to tremble slightly. She hastily put the cup down.

         "Jamie, I know. I ... I couldn't help overhearing your conversation with Jenny in the kitchen. Please believe me, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, it was just a coincidence."

         He looked at her with his eyes wide open but didn't interrupt.

         "I watched the news on TV, of course... I knew something like that was coming. You don't have to worry. I'll return to England as soon as possible. I don't know yet what will happen or where I can live, but I'm sure I'll find a way..."

         Again Jamie looked at her with great astonishment. Claire's eyes showed the same frightened look he had seen before - fourteen months ago when he first met her. It all started that day - at a small art gallery in Boston.

[imaginesfubu]

Obey Me Characters as Pokemon Trainers AU (Pt. 2):

Part 2 is finally here! Read Part 1 here! Again, the pokemon chosen were considered based on character personality, appeal to said character, Pokedex entries, and, in the demon brothers' cases, their respective sin they represent.

Asmodeus: This demon trainer of Lust is all about fashion and appearances, meaning he prefers Pokemon Contests over battling. If he does engage another trainer, his brothers, or the MC, he will surprisingly put forth an effort if he notices that his pokemon party actually want to battle and dirty up their precious costumes. Since Asmodeus rules the pokemon contest industry, both the personalities of Asmo and his pokemon charming the industry and their fan club without fail, I would think Asmo would be a Normal type. His team will wreak havoc ob his opponents when all of his pokemon know the move "Attract." Vietnam war flashbacks to Whitney and her Miltank

Asmo's team would consist of: Sylveon (originally an Eevee), Wigglytuff, Cinccino, Blissey, Staraptor (refer to its Platinum entry), and Lopunny.

Honorable mentions: Audino, Chatot, and Purugly (when caught as a Glameow; was horrified that it evolved into Purugly. Emphasis on ugly, but still loves it nonetheless)

Legendary: Meloetta

"You are such an ADORABLE trainer! You're so cute that my pokemon and I could just eat you up!~"

Beelzebub/Beel: Beel as a demon trainer would look VERY intimidating due to his height and body build, he is actually a softie and a major foodie; he likes traveling with his brothers to different regions and their respective cities and towns to try signature dishes. Unfortunately for all the chefs, they love Beel as their regular customer, but ultimately hate the fact that he's literally eating the restaurants out of house and home, and kick him out in order to restock on food and other supplies. Don't worry, once the restaurants are fully stocked, the chefs graciously allow him back in, serving him and his twin brother Belphie to a free meal, accompanied by a dessert of their choice, also on the house.

Considering Beel's insatiable appetite, his loving nature towards his family, and his physical strength and physique, I can see him as a dual trainer of Normal and Steel types, leaning more towards Steel pokemon due to their resistance of Poison and sheer endurance to most of the other elemental typings.

Beel's pokemon would be: Ursaring, Munchlax (later evolved into Snorlax, sweetly reminding him of Belphie when apart), Alolan Sandslash, Copperajah, Aggron, and Bastiodon.

Honorable mentions: Steelix, Solgaleo as "the beast that devours the Sun"

Legendary: Melmetal (see Shield pokedex entry) or Solgaleo.

"I'm hungry. After this battle, wanna go grab something to eat together?"

Belphegor/Belphie: Y'all know Caitlin from Unova's Elite Four? That's Belphie. All this pokemon demon trainer wants to do is sleep and spend time with his twin brother Beel. Out of all of his brothers, Belphie is by far the most ruthless of all when it comes to pokemon battling, but doesn't like to show it until after you can't run away from a trainer battle. You wish you could. Belphie would be a very powerful Ghost type user. If you wake him to battle, only for the battle to be time that "I could be using sleeping," you will pay dearly your life. The only two people who have the honor to wake him for a battle are Beel and MC, only after MC proves themselves as a competent trainer.

Belphie's pokemon team would consist of: Gengar, Bannette, Spiritomb, Jellicent, Golurk, and Mimikyu.

Honorable mentions: Decidueye, Palossand

Legendary: Lunala or Hoopa, alternating Hoopa's forms depending on the battle.

"*YAAAAAAAWWWNNN* ....You woke me up to battle? ...Fine, but if this turns out to be a waste of time I could be using to sleep, you're suffering will be slow and painful."

Diavolo + Soon-to-be Dateables

Diavolo: This Demon Lord trainer is of course, the Champion of the Devildom, succeeding his dad. Diavolo is a trainer with many great titles and even greater status, but that doesn't stop him from swinging by each school in the Devildom to have fun with the younger demons and learn all about the latest trends and memes. Diavolo himself is a big kid himself, never thinking twice about his child-like actions in front of nobles or any demon trainer with a high status. He's very charming and charismatic upfront, and is the kind of demon you could talk to or joke about anything without feeling nervous. Diavolo knows that the only reason he's so laid back and fun-loving is thanks to Lucifer, so he trusts and appreciates Lucifer a great deal.

Taking into account Diavolo's personality and status, I would deem him as an expert in Dragon type pokemon, embodying the many personalities Dragon type pokemon have. They enjoy having as much fun as Diavolo does, and both are forces to be reckoned with.

Diavolo would have the following team members: Duraludon, Salamence, Dragonite, Tyrantrum, Haxorus, and Dragapult. Diavolo loves seeing Dragapult yeet Dreepy to their opponents because he finds it funny every time.

Legendary: Giratina, gifted to him from his father after beating him in battle and becoming Champion

"Being both a Demon Lord and a Champion is such a draaaag! Nobody wants to challenge me because they're intimidated by me, I guess. How about you an I have a little fun with a pokemon battle? Don't hold anything back from me!"

Barbatos: His ability to see alternate timelines and universes and manipulate them to his will leads me to the obvious: Psychic. Between caring for the royal family and their grand palace, he can't find the time to battle with his pokemon as a stress reliever, unless Diavolo orders him to battle him and to "have fun" while battling him. Even though Barbatos apparently knows all and sees all, he nonetheless humors Diavolo already knowing the outcome.

Barbatos's team: Gallade, Gardevoir, Alakazam, Espeon, Xatu, and Gothitelle.

Honorable mentions: Orbeetle and Indeedee (one male, one female whom he asks them to help with his daily tasks in the Devildom's royal palace.)

Legendaries: Dialga and Palkia: They both assist Barbatos when he uses his abilities to maintain order amongst the alternate timelines and universes, and keep him from over-exerting himself in the process.

"Would you like to challenge me in a pokemon battle? Haha, no need to answer that, I already know that that's what you want."

Luke: Precious child of God. Very defensive and reluctant to associate with demons, but over time begins caring for them. He favors Beel the most out of all the brothers, but will never admit it outright to anyone no matter how obvious it is to everyone else. Enjoys baking more than battling, so his team isn't fully evolved. He won't battle unless Simeon is training him in battle or Luke challenges trainers in the Celestial Realm that are around the same age and level as he is. Because of his personality as of now, he would be a Grass type trainer.

Luke's team: Treeko, Turtwig, Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Snover, and Bounsweet.

Honorable mentions: Snivy and Milcery, with Milcery helping Luke bake in the kitchen, and Skiddo

Legendary: Celebi or Jirachi

"What? You want to battle m-m-me?! Why? I know I'm not that strong, but I think it won't hurt to try!"

Simeon: Literally Luke's guardian angel in the place of Michael the Archangel during their time in the Devildom. He's very patient with everyone, especially with Luke. His patience gives off an impression that Simeon is a grounded angel who thinks things through before speaking and acting. But if someone hurts Luke in any way, all logic and patience goes out the window, as he will savagely check the individual and pray to God asking for forgiveness. Ground types would be Simeon's cup of tea.

Simeon's team: Torterra, Gliscor, Mamoswine, Flygon, Rhyperior, and Mudsdale.

Legendary: Suicune or Ho-oh

"I think I may be missing something in Luke's lessons as his mentor in both battling and teaching about the ways of the three Realms. Think you could help me figure out what I'm missing with a friendly pokemon battle?"

Solomon: Very mysterious human trainer who doesn't talk much about himself. Is he a rival or friend? It's difficult to tell, but he hasn't done anything to raise any alarms, so the MC deems him as decent for now. But why does he act like he knows something that everyone else doesn't? Because of his seemingly shady impression he gives to others, whether he realizes it or not, makes him a Poison type trainer.

Solomon's team: Roserade, Venusaur, Naganadel, Salazzle, Crobat, and Drapion.

Legendary: Eternatus or Kyurem

"Oh? You're approaching me? Instead of running away you're coming right to me?"

MC: "I can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer."

"Then come as close as you like!"

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Finally done! This AU is still a WIP, but thank you for reading such a long post! I decided to include Diavolo and the rest into one big post to keep from making so many parts to this AU

[fanfics4all]

All Of My Life

Request: Yes / No Callie Adams foster x male!reader where R and callie used to date but they broke up after they went to college and he knows the fosters. He is also part of team flash and a speedster and has hellfire magic that are not based on the meta human gene. Takes place after season 2 of good trouble and callie got a job at central city and she move to R's apartment. Callie found out and tells her to not tell anyone. Even Mariana becuase she can't keep a secret. They also have a friends with benefits with a happy ending @furiousbouquetdonutsstuff 

Please only send Harry Potter requests at the moment! <3 Have a nice day/night

Callie Adams-Foster x Male!Reader

Word count: 917

Warnings: Nothing I think

Y/N: Your Name 

Y/N/N: Your NickName

PLEASE DO NOT STEAL MY WORK, I WORK HARD ON MY FICS AND IT’S NOT COOL TO STEAL SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK! 

If you want to be on the tag list for anything (My series fics, specific character fics, or just all of them) All you have to do is send me an ask and I will add you! 

Masterlist 

(Not my photo, credit to whoever made it!)

I was working with my team to try and catch the latest Meta-human villain. Flash was out scouting while we were all in S.T.A.R. Labs working on a weapon and a way to trap this guy. I was working with Iris when my phone rang. I looked at it and saw it was my ex girlfriend. I looked at it confused, but excused myself to answer it. 

“Callie? What’s up?” I asked confused. 

“Y/N! Hey, I was wondering if I could maybe move in with you?” She asked. 

“Getting right to the point, huh? No how have you been?” I asked with a laugh. 

“Sorry, but I got a new job in Central City and I don’t have a place to live…” She said with a sigh. 

“Wait really? Congratulations!” I said with a smile. 

“Thanks, but can I stay with you?” She asked again. 

“Um, yeah sure. When are you coming?” I asked. 

“In a week, I’m sorry it’s so last minute, but I just found out I got the job and I can’t afford a place on my own right now.” She said. 

“It’s not a problem Cal. I’ll send you my address.” I said. 

“You’re a lifesaver Y/N/N, thank you so much!” She said and hung up. I quickly sent her my address and then went back to the team. 

“What was that about?” Iris asked. 

“Nothing, my ex called me.” I said and they all looked at me. 

“What?” Caitlin asked. 

“What for?” Cisco asked. 

“She just got a job in town and needs a place to live.” I shrugged. 

“So you’re going to live together?” Iris asked shocked. 

“Yeah, what’s the big deal?” I asked confused. 

“Well, didn’t you guys break up for a reason?” Caitlin asked. 

“We broke up because we went to different colleges, but we’ve stayed friends.” I answered and they all smirked at me. 

“So do you still have feelings towards her?” Cisco asked. 

“I mean of course she’s amazing.” I answered and they smiled. 

“Do we get to meet her?” Iris asked. 

“Well, she doesn’t really know about my powers so maybe not right away.” I said. 

“You never told her?” Caitlin asked. 

“No, I hid it all my life, until I met you guys.” I answered. 

“If she’s gonna live with you then you should tell her.” Iris said and I shrugged. 

“Probably.” I said and we went back to work. 

A week later Callie was moving into my place, thank God I had an extra bedroom. I helped Calie move her stuff in and then we relaxed in the living room, catching up. The night ended with us in bed, like we were back in high school. That was the start of our friends with benefits. 

It’s been a month now and I still haven’t told Callie about my powers. She didn’t know the full story of my job. She hadn’t met my team yet and they were getting really annoying about wanting to meet her. So I decided to tell her tonight before we meet the team for drinks. 

“Hey, I’m home. Just let me freshen up and then we can go.” She said with a smile. 

“Actually, there’s something I need to tell you first.” I said and she sat next to me. 

“What’s up?” She asked, confused. 

“I’ve kept a secret from you for the longest time…” I started and she looked even more confused. I took a deep breath and looked down at my hands. 

“I was born with the power to control fire.” I admitted. 

“What? Is this some kind of joke?” She asked with a laugh. 

“Want me to prove it?” I asked and she nodded with her arms crossed. I opened the palm of my hand and let a small flame come out. Her eyes widened and I let the flame disappear. 

“So you have magic?” She asked and I nodded. 

“Yeah, it was just something I was born with.” I answered. 

“Also the people we’re meeting are who I work with. Some are Meta-humans and some are just smart.” I said with a laugh. 

“They’re not… evil, are they?” She asked and I smiled. 

“No Cal, I work with The Flash.” I said and her eyes widened. 

“Wait, really?” She asked. 

“Yep, I’m the Man of Fire.” I said and she nodded. 

“Right, am I all caught up now?” She asked and I nodded. 

“Great, then I’ll go get ready.” She said 

“Wait, you can’t tell anybody, especially Mariana.” I said and she nodded. 

“I promise.” She said and walked off to her room. When she was finished we went to the bar. Everyone was already there when we arrived. 

“Y/N! Over here!” Barry called and I smiled. We walked over to the table and sat down. 

“Guys, this is Callie. Callie, this is Barry, Iris, Caitlin, Cisco, and Dr. Wells.” I said introducing everyone. 

“Finally we get to meet you, Y/N has told us so much about you.” Cisco said. 

“Oh really?” Callie smirked at me. 

“How much did you tell them?” She asked. 

“Well they know you’re my ex if that’s what you’re asking.” I laughed. 

“So they know a lot.” She laughed and I nodded. 

“Pretty much.” I answered. 

“Well, tell me about you guys, it’s only fair.” She smiled. The night went really well. Everyone was getting along and I was really happy that I could finally share this part of my life with her. 

Tag list: @les-bio-lie​ @tashy-bear​ @ashwarren32​ @hollie-blogs​ @schisbro87​ @lover-of-books-and-teas​ @nerdygaloresposts​ @teenwolfbitches2​ @genius2050​ @drw0301bieber​ @softgamerking​ @lady-of-lies​ @ravenmoore14​ @ravenempress101​ @cillianchamp​ @rowanthomasknapp​ @therealchoni​ 

[singledarkshade]

Waverider Detective Agency

Part Ten – Final Chapter (Part Nine is here. Just to remind you that my medical knowledge comes from ER and Greys Anatomy. Enjoy                                ********************************************* John sat in the corner of the hospital waiting room with Kendra, while Joe, Eddie and Singh stood talking in another corner.

“Where is my son?” the familiar voice of Mary Xavier came from outside.

John caught Joe’s eye and they headed to rescue the hospital staff from the force of nature that was Rip’s mother. Reaching the nurses station, they found Mary staring down the poor nurse on duty.

“Mary,” a man John didn’t recognise stepped forward, “I can see Captain Singh, why don’t we talk with him first.”

Mary turned, “Quentin, I want to see my son now.”

“Ms Xavier,” the calming voice of Dr Caitlin Snow came, making them all turn to see her walking towards them, “Mary, your son is resting.”

“Caitlin,” Mary greeted the younger woman with a hug, John knew the two had become friends when Caitlin had been Gilbert’s doctor, “How is he?”

Caitlin squeezed her arm, “His ribs are badly bruised, as is his left arm, presumably from the car crash but it was probably exacerbated by whatever happened in the cabin. We’ve strapped his ribs and I’m going to put his arm in a sling to immobilise it for a while, just to allow his ribs time to heal.”

Mary let out a small sigh of relief, “What about Gideon?”

“She’s still in surgery,” Caitlin continued, “I will let you know the moment I can give you an update.”

“Can I see Michael?”

Caitlin nodded, “Nurse Evans will take you to his room.”

As Mary left with the nurse, Caitlin turned to them and motioned everyone to the waiting room once more.

“Alright,” she said, “Here’s what’s happening.

  Mary nodded thanks to the young woman who led her to the private room her son was in before she stepped inside. Looking down at the man asleep on the bed, Mary took a shuddering breath as she remembered that horrible night only a few years before when she’d sat by his bedside, praying he made it to morning. This time she knew that he would be fine, physically anyway and instead the young woman she thought of as a daughter was in surgery.

“Mother?”

“I’m here, Michael,” Mary soothed, sitting by his side taking his hand, “You’re in hospital and you’re safe.”

Michael squeezed her hand before asking, “Gideon?”

“Still in surgery,” Mary replied softly.

“I tried,” he whispered, “I tried to keep her safe from him, but I only managed to move the gun, she was still hurt because of me.”

Mary stroked his hair as tears filled his eyes, “It wasn’t because of you, Michael. You protected Gideon, and she’s going to be fine. It could have been so much worse.”

Michael stared at her, his green eyes filled with pain, “I killed him.”

“I know,” Mary sighed, “But you had no other choice.”

He turned to her, “I’m glad I did it. He took everything from me. I just wish it could have brought them back.”

Pressing a kiss to his forehead, Mary breathed, “So do I. Get some rest, darling. I’ll be right here.”

With a sigh, her son closed his eyes as Mary stroked his hair the way she would when he was a child.

  John winced when his neck cracked as he jerked awake when his name was called.

“Dr Snow?” Kendra demanded, moving to Caitlin as she stepped into the waiting room, looking tired but not sorrowful.

“Gideon is out of surgery,” Caitlin told them, “She was very lucky. Nothing major was struck and, although it will take some time, she will recover fully.”

The relief around the room was palpable.

“Can we see her?” Kendra asked.

“Not just now,” Caitlin replied, “She’s in recovery. I want all of you to go home and get some rest. Gideon won’t be able to receive visitors until tomorrow and Rip is sleeping now also.”

John wrap his arm around Kendra, “Come on, love we’ll go back to the apartment, get some rest and come back in the morning.”

Kendra sighed, “You know I could just go home now we know we’re safe.”

“You could,” John said before asking, “But do you want to be alone just now? Because I don’t.”

Sighing Kendra nodded, “I guess we could watch a movie if we can’t sleep?”

Hugging her close, John turned to the two detectives and two captains in the room, “Goodnight, gentlemen.”

                                 *********************************************

 The smell of antiseptic filled the world around her as Gideon came round. She felt a strange numbness around her stomach and shifted slightly to try to get comfortable. Forcing her eyes open, Gideon saw Rip sitting by her side. He had one arm in a sling and the other was holding a tablet that he was reading. When he glanced over and saw she was awake, he dropped the tablet and hit a button.

“Hey,” he said softly, “Just relax, you’re in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?”

“Shot,” Gideon croaked, her throat feeling rough and dry.

Rip placed a straw at her lips, and she drank the cold water feeling it soothe her throat. He was quickly replaced by a doctor. When the doctor left, Rip appeared at her side again.

“What did he say?” she asked confused.

Rip chuckled, “Just that the sedative and painkillers you were given might make you a little out of it.”

Gideon closed her eyes for a second and slipped back asleep without realising it.

  “Should you be here?” John’s voice made Rip turn to find the other man standing in the doorway.

“It’s been two days and I’m being released today,” Rip frowned at him, “Besides Dr Snow agreed as long as I don’t overexert myself.”

John chuckled, moving to Gideon’s side he gently stroked her hair, “How’s our girl?”

“She woke up for a bit,” Rip replied, “But fell asleep again almost instantly.”

“Caitlin said that’s to be expected,” John noted, “How are you doing?”

Rip sighed, “Sore but,” he shrugged, “I’ll get there. Seeing Gideon awake and home will do a lot towards that.”

John nodded in understanding.

“Do you want anything to eat or drink?” John asked, “I’m about to do a run for Kendra while she checks the office.”

Rip shook his head, “I’m fine. Mother is getting me a tea, although if you can check to ensure she’s not terrorising the canteen staff I’d appreciate it.”

John chuckled, “Mary is absolutely terrifying when she wants to be. And I’m guessing right now she is in full Mama-bear mode since her two cubs are hurt.”

Rip shook his head a small smile touching his lips, “You should have seen her when I broke my arm a few weeks after I moved in with her.”

“I can only imagine,” John chuckled, “I’ll be back soon.”

  Gideon’s eyes opened slowly but Rip could see she was more awake than she had been the past few times she’d woken.

“Rip?” she breathed.

“Hey,” Rip smiled at her, “How do you feel?”

Wincing Gideon grimaced, “Like someone hit me in the stomach with an iron bar. Are you okay?”

He nodded, “I’m just sore and bruised,” Rip dropped his eyes, “I am so sorry, Gideon.”

“Not your fault,” she slid her hand into his.

Forcing a smile on his face, Rip noted, “At least you’re getting rid of me.”

Gideon frowned at him confused, “What?”

“Now Druce is gone,” Rip explained, “I can go back to Star City.”

“What about our deal?” Gideon demanded, “We work together for a year.”

Rip frowned, “I thought…”

“Plus,” she cut him off, “I’m going to need someone to run the place while I recover. As part-owner it is your responsibility.”

“Not to mention,” Mary suddenly spoke up, making Rip turn stepping back slightly so Gideon could see her, “You’re still on special leave, Michael. And I will not be recommending to Quentin that he reduce that.”

Rip grimaced but nodded.

“And you,” Mary turned to Gideon, “I will be making sure you look after yourself until you’re fully recovered.”

Gideon smiled, warmth filling her that Mary cared so much. No one ever had before.

“So, I want you to rest,” Mary continued, “And listen to the doctor. Okay?”

“I promise,” Gideon smiled.

Mary turned to Rip, “And you…”

“Will do as you say, Mother,” Rip told her.

She patted his cheek, “That’s my boy.”

                                 *********************************************

 Gideon eased herself into the wheelchair with the help from Nurse Parkes. He smiled at her and grabbed her bag, resting it on her lap before pushing her out the room she’d been stuck in for the past week.

“I’ll take it from here,” John appeared suddenly.

Gideon smiled and nodded to Parkes that it was fine. He gave her a quick smile before leaving her with John.

“So, escaping today,” he said as he pushed her towards the exit.

Gideon shrugged, “Not exactly. My lease expired while I was in hospital and Mary has told me she’s set up somewhere for me while I recover. I’m slightly scared.”

John laughed, “You know how much Mary adores you, I wouldn’t worry too much.”

Reaching the exit, Gideon smiled to see Rip standing with Mary.

“You’re looking so much better, dear,” Mary hugged her gently.

Gideon smiled “Thank you, Mary but we both know I look like death warmed up.”

Rip, whose arm had finally been released from its confinement, chuckled before wincing slightly at the pain in his ribs.

“Alright,” John spoke up, “Let’s get this show on the road. Rip, take the bag,” he ordered handing it across before turning back to Gideon, “Okay, as slow as you need, Gideon we’ll get you into the car.”

Wincing slightly Gideon held onto her friend as she slowly stood and slid into the backseat of the car. Mary fixed the seatbelt across her before sitting at Gideon’s side while Rip took the passenger’s seat, John was driving.

Making sure they were ready John started the car and they finally left the hospital.

  “Where exactly are we going?” Rip demanded after five minutes.

“Patience, Michael,” Mary told him before turning to John, “Just turn left at the end of the street.”

John glanced at Rip before he followed the instructions and they turned onto a nice neighbourhood with mostly bungalows sitting in neat gardens.

“The house at the end,” Mary said, “You can park in the driveway.”

John drove up as ordered and just as they reached the gates, they smoothly opened allowing him inside.

Rip got out the car the moment they were parked and looked around, turning to his mother as she stepped out.

“Why are we here?”

Mary shrugged, “As Gideon needs somewhere to stay, and your lease is up to be renewed in the next week I thought this would be a good idea. There are no stairs for her plus a spacious garden to get fresh air.”

Rip stared at her confused, “Mother…”

“I can’t afford a quarter of the rent on a place like this,” Gideon said as John helped her out the car, “Never mind half.”

Mary shook her head, “There’s no rent.”

“What?” Rip, John and Gideon asked in unison.

“When I bought the agency with Gilbert, I decided I needed a place to live while here helping him,” Mary explained, “So I bought this place.”

Rip stared at her before demanding, “Then why was I staying in an apartment?”

“Because the people renting the house at the time still had some time on their lease,” Mary patted his arm, “Now, how about we go inside and get you both settled.”

“Mary,” Gideon said as John helped her, “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

“It is,” Mary insisted, “There is plenty of room so you won’t be falling over one another but it means Rip will be able to help you while you recover.”

Before Gideon could say anything else, Mary started them into the house, they moved her into the bedroom on the ground floor.

“Kendra and I packed everything,” Mary told her once Gideon was settled on the bed, “You can sort it once you’re feeling up to it. Michael’s room is upstairs.”

Rip sighed, knowing he had no choice but to go along with his mother’s plan. Looking at the pale face of the woman on the bed, Rip knew she couldn’t be alone right now, and he honestly knew that it was a good idea that he wasn’t alone either.

“I need to head back to the restaurant,” John told them, “Kendra will be over after she’s finished at the office.”

Kissing Gideon’s cheek the other man disappeared.

“Well, I will make us all some dinner,” Mary said, “While you both settle in.”

  Gideon sat on the bed feeling a little bemused.

Rip sighed, “She just ran circles around both of us.”

“I thought you’d be angry,” Gideon noted softly.

Chuckling Rip replied, “Honestly I’m used to it by now. And I also know,” he shrugged, “She loves you and wants to make sure you’re looked after while recuperating. Once you’re better you can move out but until then I could use the company.”

Gideon blushed slightly before confessing, “I wasn’t looking forward to staying alone in my apartment, especially after what Druce did to it.”

Rip offered her his hand, “So, roommates and partners?”

Gideon took his hand and shook it, “For now.”

                                 *********************************************

I really love this universe so I may revisit at some point in the future.

[killervibe]

Written in Your Heart

A Killervibe & Frost/Ronnie Princess and the Pauper AU!

Summary: Once upon a time, in a village high on the mountaintop, two identical baby girls were born. One, into royalty and was named Princess Caitlin. The other, to a poor family working under a harsh dressmaker. They named her Frosteline. With lives so different, it wasn’t surprising that the Princess and the Pauper never met. But fate decreed they would.

Chapter One

~.~ 

Long ago, and far away, in a central village high on a mountaintop, something amazing happened. At the very same moment, two identical baby girls were born. One, a baby Princess. The King and Queen were overjoyed, for they had been longing for a child all their lives. Princess Caitlin would have only the finest. The second baby girl was named Frosteline. Her parents loved her every bit as much as the King and Queen loved Princess Caitlin. But they worried, fighting to make ends meet under the employment of a compassionless dressmaker.

 Many years passed and the Princess learned her royal duties, while Frosteline worked long and hard as a seamstress for the spiteful Miss Amunet. Frosteline's parents were long gone, resting in the cemetery under the grass. They had died in the same accident that took the life of King Thomas when Princess Caitlin and Frosteline were only twelve.

 With lives so different, it wasn’t surprising that the Princess and the Pauper never met. But fate decreed they would.

It all started at the Royal Mine, when the miners informed the Queen the gold had run out. The widowed Queen was shocked. The Kingdom would now surely go bankrupt. People would starve, find no work and will perish under these conditions. How was she going to take care of them with no more resources? If only she could call on her trusted advisor Hunter Zolomon, but he was away on a long journey to Star Kingdom. She needed to do something quickly to save the kingdom before they’d turn against the monarchy, or worse, each other.

 But what?

 And then it struck her. Nearby lived a rich young King who was seeking a wife.

 ~.~

 “Damn it,” Frosteline groaned, nursing her bleeding thumb at her hundredth prick of the day. “I just want a day to myself!”

 “I hear you, sister,” Ralph, her only friend chimed in from his own stitching across the room. After hours upon hours of labour in the dreary basement of Miss Amunet’s Dress Emporium, it often felt as though Ralph were the only other person on the planet. “You think the woman would hire more help.”

 “Hire more help?” Frosteline repeated incredulously. “We’re only here because we’re indentured servants, Ralph. Nobody in their right minds would willingly work here.”

 “Yeah, well. Nobody but our dear old dead parents, right?” Ralph stood up, cracking his back from lack of exercise. He walked across the room to inspect Frosteline’s injury. “Let me look at it. You’re bleeding.”

 Frosteline waved him off. “I’ll be fine.” She closed her eyes and hummed her mother’s old nursery rhyme as the cut stitched itself back together.

 Ralph didn’t like how her eyes glowed when she used her power. He made a noise of consternation, returning to his pile of fabric. “You’re lucky that Miss Amunet hasn’t yet accused you of witchcraft.”

 Frosteline froze over the wedding gown she had just crocheted. “Don’t call it that. I told you—I was born like this.”

 “It’s where you got your name, right, yes, I heard the story before. I just worry about your safety, Frost. Don’t think I don’t know you do magic shows in the village at noon.”

 “I make some snow for extra change. So what? The people like it.”

 Footsteps went thundering down the stairs. The two ran back to their workstations.

 “It’s not the people I’m scared of,” Ralph muttered under his breath.

 “I’m hearing whispers. What is this? A gossip club?”

 “I would’ve said a debtor’s prison,” Frosteline replied automatically. Ralph gaped at her from across the room. She too realized her mistake. She tended to talk before she used her brain. It was something she needed to work on.

 “Keep laughing, my lovely!” Amunet surveyed their work. She beamed, at the finished gown on Frosteline’s desk, showing all her teeth. “You’ll be working for me for another thirty-seven years!”

 “But I already paid off more than half!”

 Amunet hummed, undisturbed. “Oh, but haven’t you heard? The kingdom is going into a recession. So I’ve decided to remember....What was it again?" She drummed her fingertips against her face, pretending to ponder, then clapped her hands suddenly. " oh yes! There’s an interest, isn’t there? Your parents should’ve thought of that before they borrowed so much.”

 “They did it to feed her!” Ralph snapped. Amunet glared as he shrunk back in his wooden seat.  

  “Their mistake.”  She took the finished wedding gown and stuffed it in a box without so much of another word.

 Ralph mimed sticking a finger down his throat. Frosteline’s mouth twisted in disgust. She hated her too.

 ~.~

 Cisco turned the page of his leather-bound book. “That concludes your lesson in chemistry. Not that you needed it.”  

 The princess gave a reluctant sigh, looking up at him through her long eyelashes. “Already?”

 “Afraid so, Your Highness. Any questions?”

 All too well he knew Princess Caitlin mastered the subject. Still, the question posed became his favourite part of their scheduled time together, when the role of tutor and student bled into two best friends enjoying each other’s company.

 “Yes,” she said, poking at his tunic. “Do you believe it possible to discover more elements that would expand the periodic table?”

 ”Absolutely!” He nodded enthusiastically. “But not more likely than reaching the heavens, Caitlin.”

 The princess scooted her chair closer, leaning into her best friend’s side. Her cat, Bart, scratched his head against her leg. “You mean...” she lowered her voice before glancing aside, wary of her maidservants’ eavesdropping. “Extrapolating from the theories of Galileo and travelling to space?”

 Cisco grinned at her. “Precisely.” He laughed at her scandalized gasp. “Calm down, I’m jesting—”

  “Cisco! That’s not funny!”   

 Ah, his heart stuttered in his chest. He’d never tire of hearing his name from her lips. She placed her hand over his arm and urged him to share his latest study.

 A knock on the door interrupted their moment, and Caitlin immediately removed her touch, leaning away.

 Harrison Wells, or Harry, as the royal family has grown accustomed to calling him, marched in with a long list and adjusted his spectacles. “We’re late! Late, late, late!”

 “Good morning Harry,” Caitlin greeted, hiding her dismay. Cisco rolled his eyes. It wasn’t that they disliked him. He was always to the point with his messages, and delivered them rather gruffly, but not unkind. Their annoyance had more to do with the fact every time Harry came to interrupt Caitlin’s lesson with Cisco, it meant the tutor had to go.  

 “Yes, yes. Good day, Your Highness,” he nodded at Cisco. “Greetings Ramon. Enough with the pleasantries. It is now time for your royal fitting, Princess. The gown just arrived this morning.”

 Princess Caitlin’s joy soured immediately, but she did not let her emotions show. “Yes, of course.”  

 “—It must last twenty, maximum twenty-two minutes, and then you have to rush, and I mean rush to your horticultural society tea. Then—”

 Caitlin tuned Harry out as Cisco shot her an apologetic smile.

 He packed his books hastily, “I best be on my leave.”

 “Oh no, Cisco. Please stay.”

 He hesitated, fiddling with the strap of his worn satchel, but could not ever deny the Princess anything. He nodded, watching as two maidservants ushered Caitlin behind the dresser to make alterations for her gown. “Maybe a few minutes more.”

 When she stepped out in silks and white tulle, his eyes lingered only on her face.

 She turned around on the step stool where the seamstresses fussed over the ribbons and bows when he called her name.

 “Yes?”

 “You’ll make a lovely bride.” His fingers twisted deep in the leather of the strap across his chest. Caitlin felt tears well up in her eyes, so many complicated words stuck in her throat. She could only manage to nod as Cisco suddenly left.

 She couldn’t blame him for not wanting to stay, she thought, as she watched him through her window. He was smelling the roses to record in his field journal in her palace gardens. As if he could sense her, he lifted his eyes from the flower he had to his nose up to her wing of the palace. The corners of his mouth tugged into a gentle smile as his hair blew in the breeze. Cisco waved at Caitlin. Her fingertips pressed against the glass as her heart sighed.

 Harry came back with a large box, clearing his throat. Her mother, the Queen, strolled behind. “Look, another engagement gift!”

 The Princess didn’t reply. The Queen bit her lip as she caught her daughter watch the tutor make his way out the royal gates and into the village. “You know it is vital you marry King Ronald. It’s the only way to take care of the kingdom.”

 Caitlin didn’t reply for some time, drawing strength from within and distanced herself from the window. She shot Harry and her mother a shaky grin and exhaled. “I know, and I will. It’s my duty.”

 ~.~

 In the deep dark caves of the Royal Mine, Hunter Zolomon celebrated his homecoming. 

 “It’s great to see you back boss,” Eddie Slick told him, wiping the grime off his forehead. “But you’re...early.” His accomplice, Sterling Brooks, popped out of their cart holding up a small black nugget. 

 Hunter snatched it out of Sterling’s hand. “What idiot put this here!?” 

 Sterling grinned as Eddie smacked his forehead from second-hand embarrassment. “Uh. Me?” 

 “We’re stealing gold. This is coal.” He knocked the worthless rock against Sterling’s skull as if in an attempt to knock some wit into it. He turned to Eddie. “Where’s the rest?” 

 Eddie pointed to a bag in the dirt. “That’s the last of ‘em.” He watched eagerly as his boss inspected the bag of gold. “So, what’s our cut?” 

 Hunter laughed. “You think you’re getting any of this?” 

 Eddie frowned. “While you were off frolicking in Star Kingdom, we were here doing all your dirty work. You told us we’d get paid.” 

 Hunter glared. It was not frolicking. For over ten years Hunter had to play lapdog to the King and Queen as the royal advisor. Forced to do this, demanded to do that. It was hard, tedious work that never went appreciated. Nor should it be. The work given to him was insulting. Hunter Zolomon was not born to serve people or follow orders like cattle. No. Every minute spent under the directives of the Queen made his blood curdle ever since his plan ten years ago went awry and he only managed to kill a third of the Royal Family he needed out of his way to ascend the throne.

 “And you will.” He leaned against the cart and rattled it along the tracks, urging Sterling to climb out and pay attention. “When I become King.” 

 “Right, right,” said Sterling, but he was clearly lost. “And how exactly is that related to us getting all this gold again?” 

  “Because,” Hunter said through gritted teeth, regretting his hasty choice of picking two desperate miners to do work for him. He’d fire Sterling if he could, but he knew too much now and was simply not worth the effort to kill. “Now I have all the wealth in the kingdom and the Queen will have no choice but to wed her only daughter to me. How could she refuse?”  

 “Easily! Princess Caitlin treats you so coldly!” Sterling blurted. “She’d never agree to that.” 

 “Who said the nitwit had any agency to make that decision?” he shot back. “She has to follow her mother’s orders. And who’s her mother’s advisor? Me.” 

 Eddie and Sterling shared a look. 

 Hunter narrowed his eyes. “What?” 

 Eddie looked anywhere but his boss’ steely gaze. “It’s just that….The Queen had decided to marry off Princess Caitlin to the King of Dulcinea.” 

 In a fit of rage, Hunter knocked the cart over with Sterling in it. “She what?!” 

 “Yeah…” Eddie said, wringing his hands. “You were gone a long time. She didn’t know what to do.” 

 “I guess the gig’s up, huh boss?” said Sterling, crawling from the rocks.

 “Hardly.” Hunter yanked the bag of gold from Eddie’s arms. He needed to visit the Queen immediately to fix this. “And if you ruin this for me neither of you will be making it out of this mine alive.” 

 ~.~

 “Cisco!” Caitlin lit up as her favourite person walked into her bedroom. “Perfect timing." She lifted up her latest discovery from her walk behind the palace kitchens. "I classified this as iron pyrite. Pretty, but not considered valuable. Commonly known as ‘fool’s gold, as you taught me last Spring, isn’t that correct?”

 Cisco smiled. “Very good, Your Highness.”

 Caitlin frowned, brushing her hair back behind her ear. “Your Highness?  Why the sudden formality.” He only ever called her that in the presence of other palace workers. She looked around to see if they had company, but they were all alone. “It’s just me.”

 “Your mother sent me. Apparently, the Ambassador has arrived with a gift for you.”

 Caitlin felt lightheaded. The iron pyrite fell to the floor. “The Ambassador? He’s here already?”

 Cisco nodded and went to grab her tiara from the pillow next to her bed. He placed it carefully upon her head, smoothing down the stray curls around it. “There,” he said. “No fool’s gold here.”

 “No,” the Princess agreed faintly, distracted by the warmth of her tutor’s brown eyes. He looped her hand around his arm and escorted her to the throne room.

 ~.~

 The Ambassador was a lot younger than the Queen, Harry or The Advisor thought. Tall, dark and handsome, with a dashing smile, he bent low at the waist upon the royals’ arrival and introduced himself with his gift. His travelling companion was an old fellow with crow’s feet and stood several steps away.

 “On behalf of King Ronald, I present to you this engagement gift.”

 The Queen took it graciously, promising the Princess would love it. She glanced at the grandfather clock mounted by the wall. Surely the tutor would’ve brought the Princess in already. 

 "Harry," she said. "Didn't I send the tutor to go tell the Princess about the Ambassador?"

 "You did, Your Highness," Harry confirmed. He adjusted his spectacles and looked down at his parchments. "I don't see them taking much more time, but the schedule of the Princess is already packed enough, we better not delay." 

 "No," said the Advisor, agreeing with the Messenger even though he couldn't stand him either. "We better not." 

 The travelling companion cleared his throat. “May I enquire, your Excellency, if you’ve set a date for the wedding?”

 The Queen paused to mull it over. “Will two weeks from today do?”

 Hunter nearly fell out of his chair but recovered quickly. “Two weeks! Fast and diligent, what a wonderful decision, Your Majesty.”

 “Excellent!” said the companion, sharing a glance with the Ambassador. He nudged his shoulder when the Ambassador didn't say anything. “Excellent, isn't it, Ambassador Stein?”

 The Ambassador’s eyes widened as if he had just remembered his position. “I will…uh. I’ll send for King Ronald right away so that he may meet his new bride.” His gaze drifted to the portrait of Caitlin mounted next to the windowpane.

 "I apologize for my daughter's absence," The Queen said. "If you stay for tea, I'm sure she'll be here shortly."

 The Queen gestured at Harry to escort them to the tea rooms. "Come, Hunter. There's much we have to discuss." 

  ~.~

 Like clockwork, Frosteline slipped out the front door at noon. It was when Miss Amunet took her lunch break in the tea shop across the village, which meant she had a whole hour to herself to sneak out. Ralph followed closely behind. 

 “What Ralph?” 

 “You forgot your cape,” he said, waving the old blue thing in the doorway. It was the nicest piece of clothing she owned. Probably because she barely ever got to leave the Dress Emporium, so it never had the chance to soil. 

 “Thank you, mother,” she grumbled under her breath but accepted it as Ralph put it over her shoulders. She snapped her fingers at Iridescence to get her to come, the cat Ralph had found in the street a few months ago. They’ve been hiding her from Miss Amunet for a while. 

 “Be safe out there,” he called out. “And don’t do that scary voice thing in front of any children!” 

 Frosteline rolled her eyes. 

~.~

“Cisco.” Caitlin's hand tightened on his elbow. “I can’t go in.” Her eyes darted down the long corridor and her heart pounded up in her ears. “I’m not ready,” she panicked. “I can’t go in.”

 Cisco was about to reassure the princess that it’ll be alright, but one look at her was all he needed to realize how Caitlin was spiralling. 

 “Okay,” he soothed, running his hands up and down the sleeves of her gown. “It’s okay, my sweet. You’re here. I’m with you. You’re— shaking?”

 “This is all too fast! Five days ago I was being told I’d get married and now the Ambassador is here? Cisco, I can’t—”

 ”Then we won’t. We won’t go.” Her breath hitched, and he could tell her tight corset could not possibly be helping. Three halls down was the old library with a balcony window. It used to belong to the King. They’d sometimes study there when they needed a peaceful moment alone. Perhaps, she needed some fresh air. 

 Cisco brought her to the balcony, sitting against the ledge as the Princess paced, pressing her palms over her eyes. 

 “I do everything!” she wailed. “Everything for my mother and the memory of my father. Everything for Hunter and Harry but this…” she let out a weak huff, sliding her hands into her hair and digging her fingers into the combs of her tiara. 

  “I know.”

  Cisco, I’m scared, she almost said. But somehow she felt he already knew. Instead, she sucked in a deep breath and wiped the stray tear from her flushed cheek. She kicked off her shoes, padding barefoot until she sank to the floor in her pink dress, looking out the balcony. She turned to Cisco, who had been watching her with careful concern. 

 “What do you think King Ronald will be like?” 

 It took a while for him to say anything. “I’m sure he’ll be…suitable.”

 “I know I have to marry him, but sometimes I wish…Well.” Caitlin clasped her hands together behind her back and sighed.

 She thought about her panic in the palace hall. My sweet, he’d called her. Did Cisco really mean that? Caitlin’s heart picked up speed. It wasn’t the first time he’d slipped and given her an affectionate name either. She’d always chalked it up to his joyous personality, or that maybe he considered her as a sister, but what with the way he’d been talking to her lately, she wondered if there was something...more. 

 Cisco’s brown riding boots swung leisurely as he waited for her to say something. When she didn’t, he continued to awkwardly carry on the conversation. “I heard he’s a lover of flatbread and cheese!”

 Caitlin wrinkled her nose. “What’s that?”

 “A type of food, I’m sure.” Cisco looked out, following Caitlin’s wistful gaze out at the kids playing in the garden. 

 Reality settled back into Caitlin’s bones. The little treasure chest in her heart full of her love for Cisco would have to lock away. There was no use, wondering. Cisco’s pay for her tutoring barely covered his own expenses. The Princess had to look out for the entire kingdom. 

 “I know it’s selfish, but it feels like the beginning of the end of my life,” she admitted in a whisper.

 “Caitlin….” Cisco slid down from his seat on the ledge, kneeling in front of her. 

 “Hmm?” 

 He offered her his hand. She took it without hesitation. 

 “You’re going to need your cape.”

[raywritesthings]

It’s a Meta!

My Writing Fandom: Arrow, The Flash Characters: Oliver Queen, Laurel Lance, Barry Allen, Iris West, Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow Pairings: Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen, Barry Allen/Iris West Summary: Oliver and Laurel seek advice from their friends at STAR Labs while preparing for the birth of their first child. Notes: Metahuman Laurel Lance *Can be read on my AO3 or FFN, links are in bio*

Oliver shut off the kettle and poured the hot water into a mug, the tea bag floating to the top as it steeped. “I’m bringing this out now, but just give it a few minutes to cool,” he called out to the sitting room.

“I remember how hot beverages work, Ollie. Haven’t completely lost my mind yet,” Laurel called back. He just caught the end of her rolling her eyes as he walked out with her tea and his coffee. But her smile was still fond.

“Sorry. I worry.” He leaned in to peck her on the lips.

Laurel watched him set both mugs on the coffee table before taking the spot at the end of the couch by her feet. “You always have. Believe me, I knew it was going to go into hyper-drive the minute I said the words ‘I’m pregnant’.” She swung her legs off the couch to lean towards him, slightly hampered by her rounded belly. “And as many times as it frustrates me, I do love that about you.”

“I know.”

“Okay, remember that the next time I yell at you for being a mother hen.”

He scoffed. “I’m not a hen. I’m just… a father.” Every time he got to say those words, he felt a swell of happiness he didn’t know if he could contain.

Oliver reached out, caressing the rounded curve of her stomach that spoke of the life they had created together. Laurel had only just started to really show in the last couple of weeks, and he couldn’t get enough of looking at and feeling their little miracle.

“They should be here soon,” she reminded him.

“Barry’s always late.”

Shrugging, Laurel obliged him by turning around to lean her back against his front as he rested his hands over her stomach. She picked up the mug and blew on the surface, taking a sip. “Ouch.”

“I warned you.”

The little of Laurel’s face he could make out was pouting. He chuckled.

“You gonna kiss it to make it better or what?”

He’d just moved to do so when a breach opened up on the other side of the living room. Through it walked Cisco Ramon.

“Whoops, wasn’t trying to interrupt something.”

“That’s okay, Cisco, we were just waiting for you.” Laurel stood with a little of Oliver’s help. “Where are the others?”

“At the labs. I came ahead because we figured out a way to tweak an ultrasound machine. It should answer your question for sure.”

Oliver raised both eyebrows. “So we’ll know if they have the metagene before they’re even born?”

Cisco nodded. “That’s the idea. Hopefully. I mean, we need you to test it out for sure,” he added to Laurel.

“Okay.” She looked back at him, clearly checking how he felt. As much as he didn’t love the idea of Laurel being a guinea pig for whatever scientific development Team Flash had cooked up this time, it would help them figure out what they needed to prepare, or if they even needed to be preparing at all. So he nodded.

“Great. You can come back through with me.”

They did so, leaving their tea and coffee behind and entering STAR Labs to find Caitlin, Barry and Iris all waiting. Iris walked forward with a big smile.

“Oh, look at you! How’s it been going so far?”

“Well, I can still see my toes most days, so we’ve got a ways to go,” Laurel answered as she returned Iris’ hug. “I don’t know how you managed it with twins.”

“Don’t remind me.”

Oliver accepted his own hug from Barry. “You didn’t both have to come out for this.”

“It’s no problem. Grandpa Joe wanted to babysit anyway,” Barry told him with a grin.

“This, um, machine. It’s safe?” Oliver asked in an undertone.

“Absolutely. Just a normal ultrasound with an added function.”

“Laurel, if you want to get on this table, we can get started,” Caitlin requested.

Soon enough, Caitlin was running the scan while Oliver sat at Laurel’s side, holding her hand and watching the screen and the tiny form slowly growing and gaining shape within the safety of Laurel’s womb.

“Everything seems to be normal. You both didn’t want to know the gender?”

Oliver shook his head while Laurel answered, “Nope. We wanted a nice surprise for a change.”

Caitlin nodded and shut off the machine. “Well, I can confirm the existence of an active metagene.”

Laurel blew out a breath and Oliver squeezed her hand a little tighter. He didn’t know what he’d been hoping for, honestly. Laurel’s Cry had saved her and others from danger many times, so their baby having that kind of protection eased some of his fear. But it would be another difficulty to add to the already challenging job of parenting they were both truly living through for the first time.

“Guess you guys can have a meta reveal party?” Cisco remarked from the other end of the room.

Oliver rolled his eyes. After Caitlin helped Laurel clean the gel off her stomach, the group reconvened around a table in the cortex.

“So, they’re going to be like me? My ability, I mean,” Laurel clarified.

Iris nodded. “Judging by the twins, it’s genetic, yeah. So you two are gonna have no trouble hearing a crying baby.”

Oliver grimaced. “Guess we should take the baby monitor off the registry.” He smirked when Laurel nudged his shoulder with her own. “So what are our options?”

“Well, there’s inhibitors,” Caitlin said. “When the baby is young, that might be the best option.”

Laurel nodded, but he could tell by her troubled frown that she had a concern. He placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it lightly, waiting for her to find the words she wanted. “What if we want them to still be able to use their powers? Just to explore them, learn about them. I totally get why that’s risky with the twins,” she added with a hand extended towards the West-Allens. “I guess I just worry about making it like this forbidden thing they’re scared of or that they try to get around the restrictions to use on their own.”

“Ooh like a teenage rebellion thing, yeah,” Cisco agreed. “Well, the inhibitor is something we can make removable. It’s not supposed to be permanent.”

“There is still some danger with the Cry, of course,” Caitlin cautioned. “If handled wrong, the baby or child could seriously hurt someone by accident.”

“You’d want to designate a space for sure,” said Barry. He snapped his fingers. “Maybe something made out of the pipeline materials to keep the Cry contained?”

“I’m not locking my kid up in the pipeline, Barry,” Oliver stated flatly.

“Oh. Yeah, no. But maybe we could make something a little smaller for you guys to have in your house? You know, like a little space for them to just let it out. Like when you give a kid a pillow to hit if they’re angry or upset or just need to vent some energy.”

He looked to Laurel, each of them trying to decide how they felt about that idea. It was true that they generally liked the windows and other glassware in their home.

“We’ll think about it,” Oliver answered for them eventually.

“If we did go that route, I’d want it to be big enough to fit me, too,” Laurel added. “We should teach them how to use it by example.”

Oliver nodded. He couldn’t help thinking, not for the first time, that she was going to make a wonderful mother. Of course, seeing how effectively she had taken Thea under her wing at times, that should have already been clear to him.

Cisco had started taking notes down on a pad of paper and nodded along with the suggestion, scratching something out and writing anew. “We’ve still got time, but I’ll want to start looking at the dimensions and everything soon.”

“Should it go in the house?” Caitlin wondered aloud. “I mean, it might be a bit hard to explain if you have guests over who aren’t aware of, you know.” She made a vague motion like pulling an arrow back on a string.

“The base might be better,” Barry said. Though he tilted his head as Oliver frowned. “Why not?”

“I’m not exactly comfortable bringing a child down there.” They still weren’t child-proofed, after all.

“And we haven’t really decided what’s happening with all that,” Laurel continued. Her own hands rested on her stomach. “I mean, I’m benched at least until this one’s here and I’ve gotten back in shape. And it’s just…”

“We don’t have the kind of insurance you do, Barry,” Oliver explained to their friends’ shocked faces. “Getting out quickly, speed-healing. Going out there is a risk every time. I just don’t know if we can take that risk when there’s someone counting on us at home. Even if the city is counting on us, too.”

It was a decision weighing heavily on them as their due date approached. For now, he was continuing to suit up in order to better transition their team in the event he did end up retiring along with Laurel, who still came to the base to run the comms. Both of them leaving the field at the same time would’ve been too sudden of a shift and left a power vacuum besides. But would their leaving for good do so anyway?

“We want our baby to grow up in a better home than was left to us,” Laurel said. “But we also want them to grow up with us there for them. It’s hard to know how best to balance that.”

Caitlin and Iris both nodded in sympathy while Barry looked to be contemplating those two wants himself.

“You guys will figure it out,” said Cisco, and for once the optimism wasn’t something that bothered him. Maybe because he wanted to hear it. “And we’ll all help, you know.”

“This isn’t goodbye,” Oliver assured them. “We’ll still be in the loop, still be there if the situation calls for it.”

Barry seemed the most relieved to hear that. “Yeah, great. Hey, you never know. Baby Canary might want to be like Mom and Dad someday.”

God, he hoped the world still didn’t need heroes like this by the time their child was an adult. But that was probably a vain hope. He felt Laurel lean her head on his shoulder as a comfort, probably knowing just what he was thinking.

“We’ll see.”

“Thank you guys for helping us figure out what we’re doing here,” Laurel told them. “It’s hard to know what we’d do otherwise. What other families might be struggling with.”

“That is a thought. Heroes in our circle can’t be the only metahumans reproducing at this point,” Caitlin remarked, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth for a moment. “Maybe that’s something to think about, because it could unintentionally cause a lot of chaos.”

“You wanna run a metahuman daycare, Caitlin?” Cisco teased. She shook her head at him. “We can workshop it some other time. You guys ready to head back?”

“I think so.”

Hugs were exchanged, and soon they were walking back through one of Cisco’s breaches to their own place. It was honestly kind of insane, the abilities the people in his life all had. But he wouldn’t trade his life now for the normalcy he’d had before.

“Do you think the baby will, I don’t know, feel forced to do the kind of work we do? Because of this?” Laurel asked, one hand touching her throat.

“I think we’ll tell them they have the choice to be whatever they want to be, whether that involves their powers or not,” Oliver assured her. She nodded, seeming to feel better. At least until she walked over to their coffee table and picked up her abandoned mug.

“My tea’s cold.” She looked back at him with big eyes.

Oliver heaved a put-upon sigh as he walked over. “I’ll make you another one.”

“Thank you.” Laurel set the mug back down and turned around to face him, slinging her arms loosely around his shoulders. “It’s kind of the least you can do. I am carrying your baby.”

“Yes, you are.” He dipped his head down for a kiss, one that turned a little longer as he slowly swayed them over towards the couch. Laurel carefully lowered herself back down, and he followed, lying with his head resting in her lap and his hand rubbing one of her knees. With his ear pressed to her belly, he tried to listen for any kind of movement, but the baby seemed to be resting for the moment. That was okay, too.

“You’re going to fall asleep,” she told him.

“Maybe.”

“I’m not getting my tea, am I?”

“You will, you will. Just… five more minutes.”

Laurel scratched her nails lightly through his hair, and he hummed contentedly. Whatever decisions they had to make down the road, it would be worth it so long as they could find little moments like this for their family.

[skypxllar]

ASK THE MUSE !

( reply as muse talking )

► NAME ➭  "Cynthia--” ► ARE YOU SINGLE? ➭   "Well, sort of~.” ► ARE YOU HAPPY? ➭     "I would say so.” ► ARE YOU ANGRY?  ➭    “Not lately.” ► ARE YOUR PARENTS STILL MARRIED? ➭  "Happily.”

EIGHT FACTS !

► BIRTH PLACE ➭  "A woman doesn’t share her hometown~.” ► HAIR COLOR ➭  “Blonde.” ► EYE COLOR ➭  "Hazel.” ► BIRTHDAY ➭     ❝ September Thirteenth. ❞ ► MOOD ➭    “I’d say that I’m satisfied with life at the moment.” ► GENDER ➭  "Female” ► SUMMER OR WINTER ➭  "I’m a winter kind of girl~.” ► MORNING OR AFTERNOON ➭  "Morning!”

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE !

► ARE YOU IN LOVE? ➭   “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Yes. Yes she is. ► DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT? ➭  "Hmmm. I wouldn’t put it against some people, yes.” ► WHO ENDED YOUR LAST RELATIONSHIP? ➭  "I did.” ► HAVE YOU EVER BROKEN SOMEONE’S HEART? ➭   "Do you know Alder? I hope he didn’t take what I said too much to heart~.” ► ARE YOU AFRAID OF COMMITMENTS? ➭   "Not really.” ► HAVE YOU HUGGED SOMEONE WITHIN THE LAST WEEK?➭  "I hugged Caitlin and Volkner this week.” ► HAVE YOU EVER HAD A SECRET ADMIRER? ➭   "....I wouldn’t say that many of them... are good at keeping a secret.” ► HAVE YOU EVER BROKEN YOUR OWN HEART? ➭  "....Maybe.”

CHOICES !

► LOVE OR LUST ➭  “Easy Question: Love.” ► LEMONADE OR ICED TEA ➭   "Lemonade.” ► A FEW BEST FRIENDS OR MANY REGULAR FRIENDS ➭   "A few best friends.” ► WILD NIGHT OUT OR ROMANTIC NIGHT IN ➭   "Well, that depends. Do either of them include research?” ► DAY OR NIGHT  ➭  "Day.”

HAVE YOU EVERS !

► BEEN CAUGHT SNEAKING OUT ➭   "...Twice. Long story for both.” ► FALLEN DOWN/UP THE STAIRS ➭  "...Well, uh... yes to both.” She vividly recalls the latter in another reality. She... doesn’t want to talk about it. ► WANTED SOMETHING/SOMEONE SO BADLY IT HURT? ➭  “Not really.”

PREFERENCES !

► SMILE OR EYES ➭  ❝ Usually eyes, but it may depend on the individual. Some people have smiles that stand out significantly more than their eyes. ❞ ► SHORTER OR TALLER ➭  "I don’t mind either way, but a shorter significant other is quite cute.” ► INTELLIGENCE OR ATTRACTION ➭   "A mixture of both would be best, but intellect would be preferred.” ► HOOK-UP OR RELATIONSHIP ➭  "...What’s a hook-up?”

FAMILY !

► DO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY GET ALONG ➭  “Yes!” ► WOULD YOU SAY YOU HAVE A “MESSED UP LIFE” ➭  "Not really. It was fairly standard as far as I can tell.” ► HAVE YOU EVER RAN AWAY FROM HOME ➭   "...Once. I was a foolish child then.” ► HAVE YOU EVER GOTTEN KICKED OUT ➭  "No. My grandmother loves me.”

FRIENDS !

► DO YOU SECRETLY HATE ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS ➭   "I don’t exactly hate anyone, really. Even Cyrus, despite how much he irritated me. I wonder how he’s doing....” ► DO YOU CONSIDER ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS GOOD FRIENDS ➭ "Of course!” ► WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND ➭  "Hmmm. If I were to give just one... I would say Caitlin. Although Lucian, Volkner, Flint, Dawn and Professor Rowan are very, very close.” You’re biased because you and she are-- -shot- ► WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU ➭   “Everything? Uhhhh... My grandmother, Volkner, and Caitlin--”

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tagged by: was taken

tagging: I don’t tag RIP