#edit: whoops made him ten years older

[fanfeline]

happy 252nd birthday to Louis Antoine [de] Saint-Just (25 August 1767 - 28 July 1794), nicknamed Léon and occasionally signed Florelle, politician, revolutionary, orator, fashion icon and generally really cool person.

we shall ignore the self-insert nun porn poetry for now

[asterekmess]

S3A - E2

Here we go, Episode 2 of the rewatch. Honestly, even if you guys really don’t care about these, I’m gonna write them anyway, cus I need to get my FEELINGS out.

Anyway. Read More as a symbol of my love.

Thoughts:

Your pen is dry, honey. Try a sharpie.

So Stiles has literally known Heather since he was born? Nursery school is from 0 months to 5 years old, apparently. And Scott doesn’t know who she is? How does that even happen? It’s not like Stiles hasn’t seen her in ages, she recognizes him Instantly from across the room and he recognizes her back. So, Scott just never met her or asked about her or anything? Stiles never told him?

If anyone was curious, apparently Heather’s friend is named Danielle (according to Amazon Prime’s “X-Ray” thingy). She’s the same girl from Lydia’s birthday party, I think. The one who woke Stiles up? OHmygod that would be so fucking interesting. If he invited her and Heather to Lydia’s party. Maybe Heather couldn’t go, but Danielle showed up.

Awww, was Heather Stiles’ first kiss? Did they play winery as kids? Hide and seek? did they break a stupidly expensive bottle of wine?

I have personal issues with Stiles supposed canon age. I refuse to believe he’s not 17 and a year older than the others, because of repeating a grade when he was really young. I just refuse to believe otherwise. XP

PLS STOP making fun of girls asking for guys’ consent. This show would be awesome for like ten whole seconds if they stopped RUINING the girl’s asking for consent by having the guys laugh at them or treat it like a joke.

Allison, Scott’s not gonna have a single fucking clue what you’re talking about when only you hold out your arm to show the bruise.

Also. I believe in Big Dick Stiles Stilinski, bc he’s too smart not to know that wearing too big a condom is like the worst possible idea and can render it basically useless, and he wouldn’t have grabbed one (which we see he did in the next episode or something) if it wouldn’t fit. Therefore. XXL for our boy. XP

Hold up. So no one heard Heather screaming? Was she hallucinating the wine bottles breaking? Maybe it was an illusion, cus there’s no mess when Stiles gets down there? But still, the screaming is real. Scott should’ve heard screams like that even from outside the building.

Also, I feel p fucking bad for Stiles. As far as he knows, she bailed on him. What if he thought it was a prank or a joke or something? Or, even worse actually, since he’s known her for so long and she left her shoes down there, I bet he’d be worried instantly.

*snort* I looked up Derek’s loft set for research. They had to do so much editing to make it look grudgy and out of the way. This building is in the middle of town and it’s Massive and Gleaming. It’s a place where you can rent office suites. XD

I love everything about Isaac’s little venting session over getting Peter’s help, except the part where where he mentions Scott. Fuck scott. (whoops, now I need the tag. Like you didn’t see that coming?)

I find it hilarious that Peter’s intro is Rock Music. Also. “Fair enough.” I do love this man. (took me a while though.) Like, he’s honestly pretty simple to understand most of the time. He just wants people to be honest to him, say what they wanna say to his face.

Look at Peter, giving us one of the very few hints at werewolf history. Presumably, the ability was meant to be used to share memories with pack, locations of dens or images or even scents of other packs. And though mostly Alphas do it, clearly not just Alphas do it. This is fucking Interesting, I want MORE.

Aannnd, we discover that Scott’s been lying to Allison this whole time and letting her think that Derek just randomly attacked her mother. Love it. Also, I’m still not over Allison’s behavior in the last season? Waiting on an apology, hun, and it better be good.

OH. OH NOW You can sense the werewolves, Scott? SERIOUSLY?

Why do they make every single scene with Finstock have something to do with Stiles’ sex life? Like....it’s awkward. Stop. Also, can you imagine Stiles getting a rep around school for having a big dick bc of this? Is that something that actually happens in high schools? I had no friends, I would not know.

“No play.” The first time Scott decides that neutrality is better than actually doing something useful. I’m salty. *nods* yup. I am. I know what this scene does later on, and I hate it.

Also, can I just say that I literally hate that EVERY SINGLE time Stiles is having a good time, they make it Horrible? Stiles makes a lil joke about Derek being a Sourwolf? Derek gets claws through his lungs and spits blood. Stiles gets to play on the team?  Across town Erica and Boyd are being tortured. Stiles is about to have sex? The girl he’s supposed to have sex with is being traumatized downstairs. Stiles is about to play a stupid fucking game in class? He gets taken in for questioning because his friend since birth has been kidnapped. They literally refuse to ever let Stiles be happy without making him look like an idiot or an asshole for having a single good emotion. It makes me so MAD. You can literally measure the show! If Stiles is actually smiling, then someone’s about to die.

OH MY GOD. Really? Another moment we didn’t get to see? “Derek says it’s easier to turn teenagers” WHEN DID HE SAY THAT? I‘M SO CURIOUS. Also how does Stiles know what Peter and Derek tried to do to get Isaac’s memories back? Are they reporting to Stiles? Letting him know what’s up? STILES IS HALE PACK I WILL FIGHT YOU.

I’m getting really sick of Deaton somehow knowing more about werewolves than the two born werewolves. Like, it’s really fucking annoying? They know their own species, or at least they should? It was the same with Chris helping out on the hunt. He doesn’t know werewolves better than they know themselves and I’m fucking tired of it. Let Peter and Derek have their own fucking history and knowledge about their own fucking species.

*snort* i paused at just the right time and the water effect made Derek and scott’s foreheads Really big. XD

I enjoy Stiles getting distracted now that his job is done. I feel that in my soul. The only difference between us is that he has the confidence to just Grab the shit he wants to play with, and I never did so I just zone out staring at it.

I’m not stupid. I see them suddenly throwing in the work ‘risky’ everywhere. But I still appreciate Derek reminding Isaac that he doesn’t have to do the ice tub thing.

More reflections...what’s with the reflections in this season so far?

Also, is this how people sound when they’re hypnotized. I’m on Stiles’ side actually, giving this the side-eye with Isaac’s constant “They’re here” thing. It seems really weird and overdone.

God, this scene is such fucking bullshit. Derek would never put Isaac in danger like that. Isaac’s the only Beta he’s got at the moment. He wouldn’t do that and it’s fucking Stupid to make him be so vicious and scare the shit out of Isaac. I fucking hate it.

I think it’s sweet that Isaac looks to Stiles for answers when everyone’s acting weird.

Ten hours of research, and Stiles has a little pinboard on the floor, the prototype for his big one Awwwwww.

Papa Stilinski comes through ONce Again!

If they’re supposed to meet at 5 and get to work at dark. Why is it dark when they get to Dereks??? WORK WITH ME HERE.

WHY would they patch the wall (Which is stone, so wtf did they patch it with? Concrete?) if they closed the bank down right after the robbery???

IT”S THE SCENE *heavy breathing* “Big bad wolf, yeahhh, lookatdat” Peter looks SO DONE “I’ve been dealing with this for months, make it stop”

aaaand again. “Risk” Since when does Peter care about risk? I never understood this scene. We have evidence that Peter cares about family, and according to werewolves, pack is family. He flipped shit to find Derek when Derek was missing. This is exactly the kind of thing he would do. I just...I don’t get it. Don’t like it, either.

“Yeah, if you want me to come” “NOT you” I love this scene, because it shows not just that Stiles is fucking raring to go and help, but that he didn’t offer before only because he thought Derek wouldn’t let him. We know Derek doesn’t think Stiles is useless. He put Stiles in charge of researching this entire bank. Which means it’s not that he doesn’t think Stiles could help, it’s that he doesn’t want Stiles to get hurt. And apparently Stiles knows that Derek feels that way, and knows Derek is vehement enough about it that he didn’t even bother bringing it up in the first place. That’s some serious trust and understanding, and even respect right there that Stiles is showing. Understanding what Derek would feel before he did it, trusting that Derek knew better about what was too dangerous for Stiles to involve himself in, and respecting him enough not to bug him about it anyway.

personal preference, I hate how much time is wasted just showing people walk down halls with weird lighting effects, or showing Allison trip over debris and pull her coat closed. Like...it’s really not needed?

Sup, Morrell? 20 seconds to get hidden? Is that 20 sec before the alphas get in hearing range or 20 sec before they actually get there? And how did the Alphas know that Derek was coming tonight? As far as they knew they took Isaac’s memory away and killed Braeden.

KALI WEAR SOM EFUCKING SHOES YOU NASSTY.

Smart girl with the bleach. I mean, I don’t know why the sudden scent of bleach didn’t tick kali off, but sure, whatever works.

I’m not even kidding. When I saw this scene for the first time I fucking burst into tears. Just that little glimpse of Erica and I was a mess

I really love Stiles and Peter chatting though. Like, Stiles gives no fucks, and Peter sounds just so used to it. Also, Derek’s couch looks sooooo comfy. I wanna sit on it. And Peter halfway through calling Stiles annoying is just like “Shit. He’s right. Again.” and there’s no physical distance. Peter once dragged Stiles around by his neck all night and nearly killed Lydia. But Stiles has no qualms about walking right up into his space and helping him out. PLUS, when Peter realizes Stiles is right, there’s no insults. Not even frustrated ones. When STiles describes the walls of the loft, Peter doesn’t say, “No, you idiot, the bank vault.” or make a quip. He’s immediately looking to Stiles for the information and trusting that he has it and will know where it is.

Then we have Scott just...whatever the fuck he’s saying. I don’t wanna hear it.

Okay, that is way more space behind Derek and Scott than Stiles said. And how is the moonlight even getting in? They had to shimmy through a shaft in the walls, there’s no windows in the walls. AND HOW THE FUCK would the ALpHA PACK KNOW THEY EVen KNOW WHERE THE BANK IS???

Derek should be able to hear the phone call. Just. Yes. That’s how that works. Also, Peter, now is not the time for gladiator analogies.

And the tears are back. All it takes is one fucking word. “Cora?”

IT DOESN”T MAKE SENSE. HOW WOULD THE ALPHAS KNOW??? If Marin hired Braeden and told her to get a message to Derek about the bank they were being kept at, then that means that it was all this really dumb double-double cross. Her making it look like she double-crossed the Alphas by telling Braeden to give up their location, but actually doing for the Alphas to trap Derek and Scott. What the absolute fuck?

FINALLY Someone holds Scott accountable. THANK you Derek.

Also, hello Lydia, I’m so sorry honey but you’re about to enter a whole new nightmare.

Final thoughts: I’m very long winded, and very frustrated and very fucking sad. I am just so goddamn sad and the next episode’s gonna make me feel even worse so I’m taking a break.

[sassycassie-s-series]

All My Fault 33

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): DC, BatFam - Damian Wayne/Batman

Rating: PG-11/T- (for violence)

Notes: (Masterlist) This one jumps around a bit. Hopefully it’s not too difficult to follow.

Tag List (Open): @batboys-and-other-messes @welovegroot @probsjosh  @spooder-moon @lostredrobin @haylo4ever @na-n-na @rachelmorganroth  @reclusive-chicken-nugget​ 

Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13, Ch 14, Ch 15, Ch 16, Ch 17, Ch 18, Ch 19, Ch 20, Ch 21, Ch 22, Ch 23, Ch 24, Ch 25, Ch 26, Ch 27, Ch 28, Ch 29, Ch 30, Ch 31, Ch 32

^^^^^

“So, what do we do, Damian?” I asked quietly as Damian and I sat in my room on the floor across from each other. Jon had left to go home to Metropolis so we were alone to have our private discussion.

Damian reached across the distance between us and took one of my hands in both of his. “I want to be with you more than I’ve ever wanted to be with anyone else. However I don’t believe we should go public with any sort of romantic relationship immediately. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, you’ve been back nearly two weeks less than you have actually been in this future, which would make it seem as though you haven’t been back long enough to be in a romantic relationship—perhaps.”

“What about Bruce?”

Damian’s eyes dropped to our hands. “He returns from Metropolis tomorrow,” Damian said. “As I said earlier, he could look between the two of us and make an accurate estimate of what we’ve done while he was gone if he believed we had something to hide. I can tell him that we’ve fallen in love and intend to pursue a relationship—”

“No,” I interrupted. “Let… let me tell him.”

“Nora?” Damian asked, using my name instead of why?

I sighed. “If I tell him he might… freak out less. You know what I mean? Like, if I say I don’t want to go back to the past and explain why… I doubt he’d drop his coffee.”

I set my other hand on top of Damian’s hand holding my other one. I looked up and met his eyes.

“I love you, Damian Wayne. Strange as our situation is, it’s true.”

He gave me the widest and most genuine smile I’d ever seen from him—or either blood Wayne for that matter. “I love you as well, Nora McCloud.” He leaned forward. I closed the distance and pressed our lips together.

It was a far less heated kiss than the night before. Instead it was simple and tender, full of softer emotions than passion.

Damian pulled away first. “I believe you’re correct. You informing Father would be far safer.” He squeezed my hand. “And in a few weeks—perhaps even a month—we will announce that Nora McCloud and Damian Wayne are officially together.”

I snorted. “Press can finally have their field day about us,” I said.

Damian bounced an eyebrow. “S’pose so,” he agreed.

I smirked. “Let them,” I said.

Damian tutted. “Tt. Alright then.”

“But in private, are we officially together now?”

“Only if you agree to be.”

“I do. Heartily.”

We both snickered.

^^^^^

WHAM! My foot connected to the mugger’s chest—and I was fairly certain I heard a rib separate from his sternum. Yowch.

“Batman’s smitten,” Jason said in the open channel. Tonight it was all of us out on patrol except Tim, who volunteered to be on monitor duty. Dick and Jason had told Cass and Tim that Damian and I were in love and semi-officially a couple while we were in private.

I glanced around to see Damian standing on top of a building that made up one of the walls of the alley I was in, looking down at me. Even from my distance below I could see him grinning. I smiled back at him, whacked the mugger again and effectively knocked him out, and nodded to the man he’d been trying to steal from. “Are you alright, sir?” I asked.

He nodded.

“GCPD is on its way,” Damian supplied to me.

“The cops will be here soon,” I said to the man. “They’ll take your statement.” As I spoke I tied up the mugger. “He’ll be out for at least an hour.”

“Are you leaving?” the man asked me, looking a bit spooked by the mugger.

I gave him a smile. “Not if you don’t want me to,” I said, rocking back and forth on my heels. I realized how that could sound if taken the wrong way and quickly amended, “Not if you feel unsafe alone here with this man.” I didn’t need this guy hitting on me or trying any funny business when Damian was literally only a few stories above me. That being said, most of the creeps and misogynists in this city knew that trying anything rude with a girl in a mask and body armor—Batgirl, the Spoiler, Orphan, Batwoman, Cloudburst, and any visiting female heroes—was a recipe for getting several bones broken and sometimes a verbal smack-down.

Didn’t always discourage them from trying, but I’d dislocated eight shoulders and paralyzed three sets vocal chords in the first two years of being Cloudburst and had since lost track of injuries I’d dealt to creeps who grabbed my backside or hands or other places or made disgusting comments.

As it was, this guy didn’t say anything rude or try to touch me.

I touched my comm-link. “By the way, Hood?” I said.

“Yes Cloudy?” Jason asked.

“Shut up,” I said.

I heard lots of snickering from the rest of the Bat-family.

After a few minutes of waiting, the cops came. Once they turned up, the mugging victim thanked me. I nodded and shot a grappling hook to the roof, whizzing out of sight. Once I swung onto the same rooftop as Damian, I felt his arm ensnare my waist and pull me closer to him. He tapped his comms to mute his microphone and smirked at me. “That was attractive,” he whispered.

I snickered and muted my mic too.

He leaned closer.

I put my hand between our lips before he could kiss me. “Batman and Cloudburst can’t be together, Damian,” I said quietly.

He closed his eyes and sighed with complaint. “Why not?”

“Because as far as civilians are concerned, Cloudburst is still between five and ten years older than Batman. That would be weird. And the coincidence of Nora McCloud returning only a week-and-a-half after Cloudburst can be ignored and forgotten. But Cloudburst and Batman getting caught kissing on a rooftop a month before Damian Wayne and Nora McCloud announce that they’re together is downright suspicious,” I said. “Especially coupled with Cloudburst and Nora’s reappearances.”

Damian pursed his lips and stared at me, his green eyes glinting through the eye holes of his cowl. “Alright,” he relented. “Batman and Cloudburst have a professional relationship.”

“You can kiss me in uniform when we get back to the Batcave,” I said quietly.

^^^^^

“Their mics are muted,” Jason remarked to Dick, Tim, and Cass on a private channel. “I can see them talking through my scope but I can’t hear them.”

“What do you mean, ‘scope’?” Dick asked. “Hood, you don’t have a sniper rifle, do you?”

Jason hesitated. “… No?”

“Hood!” Dick protested.

“Hey, wingding! Now is not the time! They’re being lovey-dovey and you’re complaining about me?!” Jason snapped.

“Okay. So their mics are muted so we can’t hear them. What do you mean, lovey-dovey?” Tim asked, interrupting the argument.

“Well Damian’s got his arm around her waist and she just stopped him from kissing her. She’s got this goofy type of lovestruck grin on her face and Damian is grinning. Grinning,” Jason told the others.

Tim and Dick both “Wow”ed Jason’s description.

“Who wants to bet twenty bucks on how long they date before Damian proposes?” Jason asked.

“Me!” Dick and Tim said at the same time.

“I will too,” Cass added.

“I bet six months and under,” Dick said.

“Whoa. Cutting that one fine, eh?” Tim wondered.

“Well it’s not entirely unheard of—especially if both parties know each other well before becoming a couple,” Dick said, a shrug in his voice.

“Which they don’t,” Jason deadpanned.

“Shut up,” Dick retorted. “Sure they do. Cloudy probably knows Damian better than anyone except B, Alfred, and maybe me. Heaven knows she put forth the effort to do so.”

“Mm,” Jason grunted, unconvinced.

“I will bet six months to a year,” Cass said.

“Hmm. A year to two years,” Tim put in.

“Then I guess I bet two years or any amount longer,” Jason said.

Dick scoffed. “Oh please. I know them. Marriage is an important concept to Cloudy and Damian was raised with the League of Assassins where I'm relatively positive arranged marriages for political reasons aren’t uncommon. I doubt they’ll date that long before getting married.”

“Well twenty bucks says we’ll see, then, hmm?” Jason challenged.

“Guess so,” Dick agreed.

“Yup,” Tim said.

“Yes,” Cass added.

^^^^^

“By the way, we should probably sleep in separate rooms when we get back tonight,” I said. “Because Bruce will be back in the morning and I don’t want to have to edit more security camera footage.” I’d already told Damian that Jason and Dick had taken care of the night before’s recordings. “Plus I don’t know when he’ll be back and I don’t want him to come check on you and find us, y’know, in bed together.”

Damian thought for a moment, still holding me close. “You are… correct. We should probably stay in our own rooms anyway, for as much as we can help it. As though we’re a couple who does not live together yet,” he said.

I nodded. “I agree,” I said.

Damian let me go with a little smirk and jerked his head toward the highest buildings in Gotham. “Let’s go finish this patrol,” he said.

I smiled. “Sounds good,” I agreed. He squeezed my hand before letting go. We took off running over the rooftop and leapt off the side at the same time, unmuting our comms as we went. My hair streamed behind me in the wind as we swung off toward the deeper parts of Gotham. I whooped. I’d never get tired of this.

^^^^^

Damian and I climbed out the Batmobile, beating everyone else back to the Batcave. Except Tim. Who was no longer sitting at the bat-computer and probably up in the shower. Damian and I met at the front hood of the car. Damian rested his hands on my waist, tugging me gently closer. My hands found his shoulders. “May I give you a kiss goodnight, my darling?” Damian asked.

I smiled. “You absolutely may,” I replied.

Damian bent down and pressed his lips to mine. I felt a small grin in his lips. “Everything will be alright,” he breathed when our lips parted but our foreheads rested together. “No matter how Father reacts. Everything will be alright.”

“I know,” I said. “I trust this. I trust you.” My hands slid up from his shoulders and around the back of his neck, my fingers sliding over the short hair on the back of his head.

“I would wait forever to be with you.”

“I would too. But let’s hope that doesn’t happen.” I tilted my head forward and kissed his cheek.

—

Next

[under-the-blue-sun]

hot chocolate

summary: matt is feeling sad, so phil decides to teach him how to make hot chocolate to cheer him up. based on a liveshow where phil makes hot chocolate for dan.

word count: 1645

rating: g rated + innocent

warnings: n/a

note: and in the classic way i always do things, i upload my first fic for @phandomficfests bingo fest the day before the date closes. oops. anyway, i hope you enjoy this mindless fluff. :)

read on ao3 | read on wattpad | read on ff.net

"Dad..."

Phil turned around and was surprised to see his son Matthew looking to the ground with a sad pout. Phil brushed his hair back in comfort.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Phil asked.

"I asked Papa where he put my reading diary and he told me that now was not the time. He seems angry. Did I do something wrong?" Matt asked, tears welling up in his eyes. Phil glanced at Dan at his desk, meticulously editing a main channel video.

"Oh sweetie...Papa's not angry at you, he's just very busy at the moment. Do you want to learn how to make hot chocolate?" Phil replied. Matt grinned widely.

"Yeah!" Matt cheered. Phil smiled back.

"Okay, but remember to be very quiet as Papa is very busy at the moment, got it?" Phil said.

"So...like a secret mission?" Matt asked. Phil chuckled.

"Yas, just like a mission." Phil said, taking Matt's hand to bring him to the kitchen. Phil smiled softly realising Matt was too short to reach the counter. Sometimes he forgot how small his boy really was until he compared his height with other things. After sorting out the chair for Matt to use, it was now Phil's job to pass on the great hot chocolate making skills down to his son.

"What do we do now?" Matt asked, excited.

"Well first, we decide which mug we want to use," Phil said, reaching into the cupboard to pull out some mugs. "Do we want the Mickey Mouse one, the Caesar's Palace one, the Universal Studios one or the Milka one?"

Matt inspected the mugs which his father had laid out. "What does Milka mean?" he asked.

"It's like German chocolate." Phil replied. Matt nodded in agreement, clearly only pretending to understand what that meant.

"Can I have the Mickey Mouse one?" Matt asked.

"You can have the Mickey Mouse one. I'll get the Milka one for myself and the Universal Studios one for Papa as a surprise." Phil said. Matt gasped in delight.

"A surprise? Papa would like that." Matt said, nodding a lot. Phil laughed fondly.

"Yas, he would. Let's put the Caesar's Palace mug away, and close the cupboard door because Papa gets very irritated when I leave them open, and then we will move onto the next step." Phil said.

"What's next? What's next?" Matt said, tugging on Phil's sweater in anticipation.

"Be patient, Matt. Next we pour milk into the mug." Phil said, demonstrating for his son.

"Can I try?" Matt said, sparkles illuminating in his eyes. Phil looked at his small son and the large carton of milk nervously. He handed Matt the carton, knowing he was going to regret it.

"Be very careful." Phil warned, keeping a careful eye on the carton and his son. Matt poured surprisingly well, only getting a drop of milk on the counter which Phil quickly cleaned up with a paper towel.

"Ta daa!" Matt said proudly.

"Well done Matt," Phil said, his praise clearly making Matt very happy. "Now we need to pour Papa's."

Matt watched his father in awe as he poured the milk very carefully into the Universal Studios mug.

"You're so good at pouring milk." Matt said. Phil struggled to not burst out in laughter, knowing Matt only meant good things. However, it did not stop the graphic flashbacks of the Milk Fic to stop invading his mind. That sounds like something to tweet later tonight.

"Thank you, Matt. Now we get the cocoa powder and put it in the milk like so." Phil said, demonstrating again. "Wanna try?"

Matt nodded eagerly. He mimicked his father, putting just the right amount of cocoa powder and then handing it to Phil who put it Dan's mug.

"Now what?" Matt asked.

"We heat it up in the microwave." Phil said.

"Mi-cro-wave." Matt repeated, imitating Dan's voice from 2010. Phil snorted.

"Did Papa teach you that?" Phil asked.

"Yeah. He told me it was onamatia or something."

"Onomatopoeia. And don't listen to your father, that is not onomatopoeia." Phil said.

"Why not?" Matt asked. Phil ruffled his hair.

"You'll learn it when you're older." Phil said. Matt groaned.

"Why do I only learn everything when I'm older?" Matt said.

"Don't worry, the time will come. You just have to wait." Phil said.

Matt sighed. "But I don't want to wait. Everyone in my class says my creative writings are strange. Even the good ones with the dragons.". He rubbed his eyes and sniffed, trying not to cry.

And with that, something inside Phil broke a little bit inside. It hurt to see Matt's sadness like this. It reminded him of when he first talked to Dan about his own sexuality and how he felt vulnerable and ashamed of something to be proud of. He knew that Matt's writing was well beyond his years and that one day he would be appreciated for it like it should be but right now the other kids didn't seem to understand or recognise his writing.

Phil smiled sadly and smoothed Matt's hair in comfort, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

"I told you sweetie, strangeness is a good thing." Phil said knowingly. Matt looked up, meeting Phil's eyes.

"Really?" Matt whispered. Phil smiled and nodded.

"One day you will be appreciated for your writing and your strangeness will be loved. But sometimes, you need to wait for the world to catch up with you." Phil said, grabbing the mugs to put in the microwave. Matt hopped down from the chair and followed his father.

"Is that what you and Papa had to do?" Matt asked, trailing after him. Phil paused and smiled.

"Yas." Phil said simply in response, hiding his wide smile from his son. He put the mugs in the microwave and made room for his son to do the same.

"Rebecca said that my writing was weird and I had to stop doing it if I wanted to be her friend." Matt said. Phil sighed and rolled his eyes. He had met Rebecca's parents at the cocktail night at the beginning of the year and he already knew that that family was bad news.

"Well, if Rebecca said that, maybe you shouldn't be her friend anyway. Embrace the strange, Matt. Would you want us all to be robots?" Phil asked.

"That'd be so cool! Beep boop beep boop." Matt said, pretending to be a robot. Phil laughed at his son's impression. The microwave beeped in response, demanding for attention until Phil finally took the mugs out and put them on the counter.

Matt gasped. "Dad, I have an idea!"

"What is it?" Phil said. Matt giggled.

"Let's put salt in Papa's hot chocolate." Matt said. Phil shook his head.

"Matt, we're almost out of milk and I don't want to waste any of it."

"But -"

"Think of the cow who spent all that effort squeezing that milk out! We don't want to ruin that, do we?" Phil asked. Matt pouted and shook his head. Phil laughed and ruffled his hair.

"Okay, you take your hot chocolate and I'll take my hot chocolate and Papa's hot chocolate. Be careful not to drop it, okay?" Phil said. Matt bounced happily and nodded, taking the hot chocolate. Phil walked over to Dan, being careful not to drop it himself, and kept an eye on his very clumsy son.

"Papa's going to love this." Matt stage whispered.

"He sure will," Phil said quietly with a smile, then looking up to raise his voice. "Dan!"

"Yo sex -" Dan began, then realised that Matt was right beside his husband. Phil stifled a laugh.

"Papa!" Matt exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. Dan looked up at Phil only to meet his stern expression.

Matt hugged Dan happily while Phil looked at his husband expectantly. Dan met eyes with his son and ruffled his hair.

"Hey there Captain Lestowell. Sorry for snapping at you earlier, I'm just very busy. I promise I'm not mad at you." Dan said. Matt smiled.

"It's fine Papa, we all make mistakes. Look, Dad told me how to make hot chocolate and we made one for you!" Matt exclaimed. Phil handed Dan the mug, making eye contact.

Well done, Phil's eyes said. Dan smirked.

"Rate it out of ten?" Phil asked. Dan cocked his eyebrow up and took a sip, not breaking eye contact with Phil. He shrugged.

"A seven. Could be better." Dan said.

"Are you kidding? This is the best hot chocolate ever!" Matt exclaimed. Dan smiled at his son's enthusiasm for the hot drink.

"Let me try a bit of yours." Dan said. Matt watched eagerly as his father took a sip.

"Wow, your hot chocolate is really good! Looks like your father needs to brush up on his drink making skills." Dan said. Matt giggled at Phil's offended face.

"Hey! At least I didn't put salt in it like Matt suggested." Phil said. Dan gasped loudly

"You wanted to put salt in mine? I thought you were better than this, Matthew Lester-Howell." Dan said dramatically. Matt giggled as Dan booped his nose.

"I'm sorry Papa." Matt said in between laughter.

"I'm almost done editing. Wanna watch a movie?" Dan suggested. Matt clapped and cheered.

"Yeah!" Matt whooped. Phil was not as excited about the thought.

"I don't know. It's pretty late already." Phil said. Matt pouted and turned on his puppy eyes.

"Please?" Matt begged. Phil looked at Dan who was looking back just as eagerly as his son. Phil sighed.

"Fine. But don't blame me if you can't wake up tomorrow, okay?" Phil said. Matt cheered again as Dan stood up from his chair.

"Yay! You two are the best dads ever!" Matt said, hugging both of them by the legs. Dan and Phil hugged their son fondly.

"Yeah, I am pretty good at making hot chocolate." Phil admitted.

[buttjaehyun]

me vs. my best friend (kpop edition)

welcome to whatever this is i guess, well my nickname is nana so nice to meet y’all and since this is a post about me AND my best friend her nickname is kun so i’m just gonna refer to her as kun so just saying that now do y’all don’t get confused later

WARNING: this is an extremely long post so if you don’t want to read all of it i can’t blame you but it did take me roughly 8 hours to write this so i’d appreciate it if you read it but it’s okay if you don’t^^ also please respect our opinions and if any of you want to answer these questions in the comments or reblogs then please feel free to do so!!

so this was originally gonna be a youtube video but honestly i’m way too lazy to edit roughly 82 different music videos into 15 minutes. so i’m just gonna do it here until i get motavated enough to actually download 82 music videos and edit them down into clips. at the bottom of this is a spotify playlist of the songs i was gonna download audio/music videos for if you want to take a listen, there is one for me and one for kun ^^

so i guess i’ll start btw kun’s list took me SO LONG cause she’s also indecisive so we sat on the phone for 2 hours while she was answering these questions i swear

me (nana)

kun

both of us

1. Favorite Male Group:

- got7; im not even gonna lie those seven goof balls mean the world to both of us, like we’re seeing them on july 6th for the second year in a row, how can they top the greatest day of our lives?

- i adore all of them so much and they’ve made me the happiest i’ve ever been and i can’t believe i actually fell in love with one of them??? like it sound STUPID AF but like i deadass fell in love with mark tuan and i don’t regret it at all

- MY BOYS! honestly because of them i laugh constantly and can’t help but love them! especially yugyeom! he’s so cute i can’t! his eyes, his voice, his everything i adore him and he owns my heart from now until forever

2. Favorite Female Group:

- aoa; aoa was my first girl group besides f(x) and they have a special place in my heart but other then them i also adore twice

- red velvet; im not too into girl groups but i’m trying but so far i really enjoy red velvet and their personalities and they’re few of the girl groups i actually know the names of lol

3. Favorite Band:

- day6; we’re jyp stan’s at heart (and sm stan’s im not gonna lie) we’ve loved all of jyp’s groups and soloists thus far, honestly day6 doesn’t have a single bad song if you ask us

(dowoon owns my heart just thought you would like to know that)

(and brian owns mine whoops)

4. Favorite Underrated Boy Group:

- the boyz; they’re so cute and talented so stan them asap plz (also stan astro my bubs) okay so this one was hard for me ngl, i adore the group kun chose from the bottom of my heart but a lot of our answers are similar so i wanted to change it up

- astro; thanks to nana she dragged me into loving these goof balls and i’m so glad she did, they’re all so adorable and they have great music so stan my babies :(( sanha is the cutest babie and i love him please love my beagle boy

5. Favorite Underrated Girl Group:

- dreamcatcher; hands down one of the easiest questions for me? like idk i adore these girls and they’re great so please stan :D

- clc; MY GIRLS MY QUEENS okay so other than red velvet they’re my favorite girl group and i’m absolutely not gonna deny that

6. Favorite Rookie Boy Group:

- stray kids

so i’ve stanned stray kids since predebut, specifically when hellevator was released, YALL HAVE NO CLUE HOW HYPED I WAS im serious i didn’t shut up about these boys and i’m so glad they’re so beyond successful and i adore each and every one of them p.s stream side effects

i’ve liked stray kids since predebut but after nana’s persistence i ended up adoring the members more than anything (except yugyeom) i major stanned since january of 2018 and i’m so proud of my boys :((

7. Favorite Rookie Girl Group:

- itzy; so other than everglow it was hard for us to make a decision on this, neither of us STAN STAN many girl groups so most girl group debuts slip our minds after watching them but dalla dalla had been stuck in both of our heads for months now so that’s why we ended up choose itzy (also jyp girl group duh)

8. Favorite Disbanded Group:

- speed; okay so most people don’t know them and i am: depressed about it but it’s okay, they’re my boys and i love them, one of the members is actually zico’s older brother so oof yes talented family, they’re great and i miss them so much :(((

- history; so roughly towards the end of 2016 i saw their video just might die and queen, nana had already played me queen before and i really enjoyed the song (bop listen to it plz) and i just loved them from then on, after they announced their disbandment last year ngl it hurt cause i love them

(i could only find the audio of just might die without having to download the video so the link to the video is attached to just might die)

9. Favorite Sub Unit:

- NCT Dream; okay i’m not that person to be like Oh I oNlY stAn ThIs UnIt OF nCt no i stan all 21 members and whoever else joins from that HOWEVER all of the dreamies are really really high on my bias list so that’s why i chose them for my favorite unit (stream dnyl thanks :D) im actually listening to dnyl while writing this so love that

so i couldn’t find any gifs of nct dream ot7 so i settled for this cute gif of jisung

- WayV; i love all of nct but kun (+johnny and mark) are at the top of my nct bias list. i love take off and i love every song they’ve released so far, my boys ARE APART OF NCT (for y’all dululu fans) also stream dnyl for nana so she’ll shut up about how much she adores dream not that she’ll ever shut up about how much she loves them tbh

10. Favorite Duo:

- Jus2 + JJ Project

- again here comes the utter LOVE for jyp groups along with got7 i adore both of these duos beyond belief and i need mark to have a duo or a unit or SOMETHING cause i love him with every ounce of my being

- yugyeom. that’s it. yugyeom is the loml and there’s nothing he does where i won’t love him, focus on me hit somewhere different and i LOVE IT and HIM and of course jaebum cause he’s great too uwu i also love both of jjp and i was so exited for tomorrow, today so that helped too^^

11. Favorite Senior Group:

- infinite; so infinite. yeah i’m a HUGE inspirit and i miss hoya, sunggyu, and sungyeol like hell but it’s okay, i adore infinite im not gonna lie (to be fair i adore a lot of groups) and they mean a lot to me, out of my ults i think myungsoo has consistently stayed at the same place since 2016 as my second ultimate bias oof wow, it was also hard to choose between infinite, suju, and shinee like damn

- super junior; so i love suju? i love them more after once again thanks to nana’s persistence after black suit came out even though i was gonna listen to it away, i already loved heechul and leeteuk but dang i really love them and so does nana. but she likes too many groups to just choose one without overthinking it ALOT

12. Favorite Debut Song:

- come back again by infinite; okay so this was also a really hard one cause i love nct’s debut as well as ateez and astro but i ended up choosing come back again cause i find my self searching far and wide just to listen to this song (cause it’s not on apple music or spotify)

- pirate king by ateez; so yes i know that their debut was TECHNICALLY treasure but i love pirate king too much to not say it was my favorite debut, this song is still on constant repeat and always will be like uGH

13. Favorite Male Soloist:

- jeong sewoon; so im a big ol mush pile for all of the produce 101 s2 boys so of course sewoon would be up there with jinyoung, donghan, and SO MANY OTHER GREAT MEN, i adore his voice and the way he sings, he’s just so? great??

- dean; dean was the first kpop artist i ever listened to even without knowing he was a k-r&b artist, i love his voice, it’s so soothing and i can never stop listening to it

14. Favorite Female Soloist:

- chungha; coincidently snapping came out the day before i started writing this so yes?? queen?? but seriously i love her so much and i can’t ever contain my love for her music

- IU; she so ADORABLE? i love all of her music and i can’t believe she’s an actual human being, i seriously love her so much that it’s just uncontainable, she has one of the best voices in the kpop industry

15. Favorite Male Vocalist:

- baekhyun of exo; exo was my first group i ever got into, and they never cease to amaze me when it comes to their music. they never and i mean NEVER disappoint with their albums and bsides, as to why i chose baekhyun is simple, HIS VOICE SENDS CHILLS DOWN MY SPINE i mean so does jongdae but still

- kyungsoo of exo; i love kyungsoo and his voice and i’m going to miss him beyond belief after he leaves on july 1st :(( but seriously his voice knows no bounds and i can’t help but melt when i hear it

16. Favorite Female Vocalist:

- seola of wjsn; so i’m just saying now i don’t know much about wjsn but this girl. her vocals. yes? after her song with kihyun came out i fell in love with her vocals from then

- sunmi; i love my supportive queen, she’s great and beautiful and i love all of her music, i will never fail to bop to heroine at any time of day just because i love her that much like yes queen

17. Favorite Male Dancer:

- ten of nct; i don’t think much needs to be said as to why ten is my favorite male dancer. he is beyond anything i’ve ever seen before and has my complete respect for his passion for dancing and it makes me want to be a better dancer just so i can be proud of myself

- yugyeom of got7; oH i WonDer WhY yUgyEoM iS heRE, seriously i love his dancing more than anything and all of his freestyle clips on instragram make me have the utmost love for him beyond what i already have for him

18. Favorite Female Dancer:

- seulgi of red velvet; i’ve watched her dancing over the years and i’m never not mesmerized by her stage presence and the way she is so detailed with how she moves

- lisa of blackpink; she’s a great dancer and i will never deny that, she’s also a great rapper and her stage presence is great especially when she’s dancing (specifically taki taki)

19. Favorite Male Rapper:

- changbin of stray kids; okay so i knew from the moment i heard hellevator that this group would be big and man did they not disappoint, changbin has one of the best rapping styles and voices i’ve ever heard in my life, his speed and his lyrics are so amazing and 3racha songs are AMAZING too like wow this man and his power over me

- jooheon of monsta x; not only has joohoney wreaked my bias list but he has absolutely one of the most unique voices i’ve ever heard, his raps are so hard hitting and i can’t ever get over them, his solo work has potential to be soty because of how talented he is

20. Favorite Female Rapper:

- jessi; okay so i actually had a few female rappers in mind by it kept going back to jessi each time, i genuinely love her voice and i LIVE for her roasts like yes, also i love all of her music? like she has great music i 10/10 recommend

- yeeun of clc; i don’t know many female rappers but yeeun has been one of my favorites for awhile now and i love her voice, it’s just so great to see how much she’s improved and i’m so proud

21. Favorite Male Choreography:

- superhuman by nct 127; so honestly this was absolutely the hardest question for me, i love dancing and i love most male choreographies so idk why i came to this decision, actually i do, superhuman is honestly a wonderful dance and i love watching it each and every single time i seen it on my recommended on youtube

- highlight by seventeen; the performance unit has so much power and stage presence that it was so hard no to choose this song, they all have such great and precise movements when they dance and it’s beautiful

22. Favorite Female Choreography:

- chase me by dreamcatcher; i love this choreography so much? seriously these girls always kill it and i really want them to grow because they really deserve it

- hobgoblin by clc; this was the first female choreography i really really wanted to learn based on the dance other than russian roulette and dumb dumb by red velvet!!

23. Favorite Male Solo Song:

- fire by sik-k; i absolutely LOVE sik-k so naturally i wanted to choose one of his songs so i went though a bunch if my favorite songs of his and settled on fire, it was a very hard choice though cause addict exists and so does iffy but still

- crooked by g-dragon; crooked has always been one of my favorites by GD it just sounds so different and his voice just makes it one of my favorites, middle fingers-up is a close second for GD

24. Favorite Female Solo Song:

- why by taeyeon; idk why i love this song so much but i just do, i also love taeyeon so much like uwu yes, but seriously i really love all of taeyeons solo music as well as snsd

- honey tea by oohyo; honey tea is one of those songs you could listen to in a cafe or on a relaxing walk with your earbuds in just taking in the crisp air. it makes me feel super calm and just in a space where i feel like everything is chill and cool

25. Favorite Non-Kpop Artist:

- luhan; by baby lulu uwu, i’m absolutely a mushy gushy soft mess for that baby, he’s so cute and kinda and his music is just?? great????? what??? i seriously did not even have a second thought about this but some honorable mentions are definitely big time rush, 5sos, kris wu, joji, etc.

- conan gray; where do i bEGin?! his songs are by far some of my favorites. not only is he a great artist, he has this way with his music that is almost melancholic in sound. it sounds so entrancing and crush culture, generation why, and lookalike are some of my favorites^^

26. Favorite Non-Kpop Song:

- imitation by luhan; remember when i said i was gush for this man? i wasn’t joking. at all. i seriously love his voice and i just UGH love him, and this song?? bop.

- honey by lay; this song has taken over my life. i have it on repeat almost every night because lay did so well. it has such a good beat and so easy to just listen to over and over (but not out loud lolol)

Top 10 Groups:

nana:

1. GOT7

2. NCT

3. Stray Kids

4. Ateez

5. Monsta X

6. Day6

7. EXO + Astro

8. Infinite

9. SF9

10. The Boyz

kun:

1. GOT7

2. NCT

3. Day6

4. Stray Kids

5. EXO

6. Astro

7. Monsta X

8. SF9

9. Ateez

10. Seventeen

Top 10 Biases:

nana:

1. Mark Tuan (GOT7)

2. Myungsoo/L (Infinite)

3. Doyoung, Donghyuck/Haechan, Jaemin, Jaehyun, Jeno, Mark, Yuta, and Taeil (NCT)

4. San (Ateez)

5. Hyunjin, Jisung, Changbin, Felix, and Chan (Stray Kids)

6. Brian/Young K (Day6) + Youngmin (ab6ix)

7. Minhyuk (Monsta X), and Hwiyoung (SF9)

8. Chanyeol, Sehun, and Baekhyun (EXO)

9. Minhyuk/Rocky (Astro)

10. Kevin, Changmin/Q, Eric, Jacob, Sunwoo and Hwall (The Boyz)

kun:

1. Yugyeom (GOT7)

2. Dowoon (Day6)

3. Seungmin & Felix (Stray Kids)

4. Jooheon (Monsta X)

5. Rowoon (SF9)

6. Kun + Mark + Johnny (NCT)

7. Yunho + Mingi (Ateez)

8. Sanha + MJ + JinJin (Astro)

9. S.Coups (Seventeen)

10. Kyungsoo/D.O + Chanyeol (EXO)

[ nana; tumblr playlist ]

[ kun; tumblr playlist ]

btw for kun i added my favorite songs by some of the artists she had listed cause i didn’t ask her and i was too lazy so i hope y’all enjoy both playlists if you want to listen to them ^^

[artemisegeria]

Love by Design (Chapter 7/?)

Title: Love by Design (Chapter 7/?)

Rating: T

Word count: 4356

Warnings: None for this chapter.  

Summary: Vision makes elaborate foam art as a barista at the coffee shop that his brother owns. One day a new customer comes in, and he completely loses his cool. As she keeps coming back, they grow closer. A casual acquaintance becomes something much more.

Chapter Summary: Vision and Wanda spend a gratuitous amount of time smiling at each other and struggling with their feelings before they finally get their act together.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16272371

Chapter 1  | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 

A/N: Excerpted lyrics from “I Want to Know What Love Is,” written by Mick Jones, appear in italicized print.

I struggled a bit with this chapter and rewrote the last couple of sections several times, but hopefully it worked out. It also kept growing and is the longest chapter so far. I hope you enjoy!

Vision dropped his bag in his bedroom, taking a moment to collapse on his bed after a long day of traveling home from his university. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He looked at his text messages to find one from Wanda. How was your trip? Did you make it back ok? 

Yes, thank you. It’s good to be home.

Are you too tired to come out with us tonight? 

He didn’t waste a second before replying. His exhaustion was rapidly falling away. No, I’ll be there. She gave him the location and told him they’d all be there at ten. Fortunately, Ultron was not in, so Vision did not have to come up with an excuse for where he was going.

Vision immediately saw the group. He ducked under the rope to join them. Wanda smiled at him, and the others greeted him jovially. He couldn’t help but notice that Wanda’s dress covered substantially less skin than what she usually wore. It was a deep red color with a deep vee. It was covered in delicate sequins that seemed to glow under the lights outside the club. Her soft curves were aesthetically appealing, but he worked to keep his focus on her face as she asked about his trip. 

Inside the club, the lights were low and strobe lights were making a mesmerizing pattern on the bodies dancing close together. It was not an environment that Vision typically felt comfortable in, but Wanda standing close to him and the familiar jokes of the others kept him grounded. It allowed him to enjoy the beat of the music. They managed to find a corner booth that fit all of them. Wanda and Vision ended up in the center where the two sides of bench joined. Sam and Natasha immediately sped off to the bar to get drinks for the table.

When they returned with several pitchers of beer for the table, Vision accepted a cup. Now that Vision was sitting down again, his tiredness started to creep back up on him. The chatter around him turned into meaningless droning. He felt as if he just blinked once, but suddenly he and Wanda were the only ones in the booth. She smiled up at his confusion. “Hey there. I thought someone who was awake should stay to guard the stuff.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” He could feel the flush of embarrassment and slight intoxication burning through him. “If you want to go dance, I’m awake now.”

She shook her head, a faint blush that was barely visible in the low light touching her cheeks as well. “No, I’m fine, but if you’re tired, I can call you a car.”

“No, no.” The sensible part of him urged him to follow her suggestion, so that he could function tomorrow, but he couldn’t resist the opportunity to meet her smile and let the atmosphere of the club create a bubble around them. 

Until he felt a tug on his arm, drawing him away from Wanda’s gaze. He looked up to see Natasha grinning at him while Clint pulled on Wanda’s arm. Natasha said, “Clint and I have to have a little chat. We’ll stay with the stuff. You two go have fun.” Wanda and Vision glanced at each other, but there was no arguing with Natasha. 

They joined the rest of the group on the dancefloor. Wanda seemed to glow even more brightly under the strobe lights. His eyes were continually drawn to her, even as their positions within the group changed. Not only her body, but also her completely carefree air as she swayed to the music. They all bounced along to the upbeat music that was currently playing, and oddly enough Vision had rarely felt so at peace himself, despite the noise and the crowds. It was one in the morning before they all piled into a few cars and made their way to their homes. 

But Vision did not catch a wink of sleep, pondering the new intensity of his feelings. 

*** 

Wanda entered the shop a little later than usual. Now that school was out, there wasn’t quite as much pressure to wake up on time. The space behind the counter was empty, but Wanda noticed a large bound manuscript was sitting in front of her seat. She smiled as she flipped through a few pages. 

A few minutes later, Vision emerged from the back room. His beaming smile encouraged one to form on her own face. She had never seen him so happy. “You finished it?” 

“Yes, I did.” He came around the counter and ran his fingers lovingly over the cover page. 

“Congratulations!” She wrapped her arms around him, and he returned her embrace much less hesitantly than the last time she had hugged him. Since she wasn’t falling apart this time, she able to focus much better on the way his arms felt around her. It was lovely, though she still wasn’t sure how he felt about it. 

He pulled back slightly, but he kept his hands on her back. “I still have to go through a final round of edits with my advisor and complete my dissertation defense, but the worst is done.” 

“Vizh! That’s so great. I’m really happy for you.” After a few more moments, they realized they were still holding onto each other, backing away simultaneously. He returned behind the counter. 

“What would you like this morning?”

“Since we’re celebrating, I’ll have a scone with my iced coffee.” Vision made her order and leaned on the counter across from her. Wanda smiled at him. He seemed more relaxed than she had ever seen him, with the weight of his dissertation no longer so heavily hanging over his head. “So, will I have to start calling you ‘Doctor’ now?” 

“Certainly not. Well, not yet at any rate. Maybe in a few months.” His boyish smile infused her with the powerful desire to close the distance between them and kiss him. She’d not felt such a strong wish in years, but she held herself back. This was not the time or place. Vision was her best friend; taking that step was not a choice that should be made lightly.

***

The lights went down as the emcee went up on the stage. “Our first group tonight is Tony, Thor, and Steve.”

Tony and Thor bounded onto the stage, with Steve following more calmly after them. The rest of the group, which had monopolized several small tables, watched them, with some whooping and others heckling. Wanda merely shook her head, but Vision could see the slight upward curve of her lips. They were sharing a table with Natasha, Mantis, and Mantis’s girlfriend Nebula. Bucky, who was smiling softly at Steve on stage, was sitting at a neighboring table with Sam and Clint. 

The music started, the opening notes encouraging much bouncing of feet and bobbing of heads. The instantly recognizable opening notes of “Stayin’ Alive” filled the room. Tony stood in the middle of the group, hamming it up for the crowd and making the most exaggerated disco dancing motions, stretching his arm high into the air. Thor and Steve flanked him, gradually leaning into the movements as the song progressed. 

As the night wore on, the others’ singing grew louder and sloppier. Natasha, Thor’s friend Val, and Jane’s friend Darcy sang “It’s Raining Men.” Sam and Clint belted out “You Are the Wind Beneath My Wings,” exaggeratedly waving their arms and staring into each other’s eyes. Scott and Hope performed a sincere rendition of “I Will Always Love You.” 

Vision and Wanda both rebuffed repeated attempts to get them to sign up. People from other tables took the next few spots. Out of the corner of his eye, Vision saw Tony, Natasha, and Mantis whispering. When Tony and Natasha walked over to the sign-up sheet a few minutes later, Vision thought nothing of it. Until the emcee announced, “Next up is Wanda and Vision.” Wanda immediately glared at Tony, but he only started a chant encouraging them to go on stage.

They took a second to look at each other and then at their friends, who were still egging them on, but finally complied. 

The emcee queued up their music, noting it was “I Want to Know What Love Is.” Vision was grateful that he was at least somewhat familiar with the song. As the opening lyrics scrolled across the screen, he tried not to think too hard about their meaning. 

I gotta take a little time, a little time to think things over I better read between the lines, in case I need it when I'm older 

Their voices were not too steady, and the crowd urged them to sing louder. Vision had a sinking feeling that this would only be the first of many heavy-handed attempts to manipulate his friendship with Wanda. But, despite their discomfort, they began to warm up to the singing. They focused on each other more than the crowd. It was not as terrifying as he might have thought, given the subject of the song. 

In my life there's been heartache and pain I don't know if I can face it again Can't stop now, I've traveled so far, to change this lonely life

They had certainly both experienced heartache and pain. Vision was struck again by how much meeting her had brightened his life. Meeting her had opened a whole new horizon for him. 

I want to know what love is, I want you to show me I want to feel what love is, I know you can show me

By the time they reached the first chorus, Vision let himself melt into the song. He smiled at Wanda, encouraged when she smiled back.

I want to feel it too, and I know and I know, I know you can show me Show me love is real, yeah, I want to know what love is 

When they reached the end of the song, Vision and Wanda just looked at each other briefly before their friends started screaming and applauding wildly. 

As they gratefully left the stage, Wanda spoke lowly to Tony, “I hope that was fun for you because I will get you for it. I haven’t decided how yet, but you don’t know either. I promise you that you won’t see it coming.” Vision didn’t think Tony’s look of trepidation was at all feigned, and Wanda grinned savagely as she walked away. Mantis, Nebula, and Natasha were not at their table when they sat down. Wanda’s manner immediately turned softer and more apologetic. “Sorry about my friends.” She paused and glanced up at him. “Well, they’re your friends now too. Anyway, you know they can be idiots.”

“Oh, a little teasing among friends never hurt anyone.” He attempted an easy smile back at her. “I hope the song didn’t make you too uncomfortable.” Vision could dream that she had a rather more positive opinion of their falling in love. 

“Uh, it’s fine.” Wanda flushed more deeply, but Vision tried not to take it too much to heart. It was embarrassing to be called on stage with no warning, and they had never discussed shifting from a platonic to a romantic relationship. After a moment, she smiled more fully at him before turning to scowl at the back of Tony’s head. “I just need to plot some good revenge for Tony, and Natasha, too, for putting us in that situation. Death is far too kind for them.” 

“Might I suggest putting them in a room of angry parents and locking the door behind them.”

Wanda chuckled. “I like the way you think.” 

*** 

Wanda smoothed her skirt when she heard Vision’s knock on her front door. It was her turn to host everybody for game night, but she had invited him over early. Suddenly feeling a bit nervous, she let him in. He had never come to her home before. “Would you like something to eat, Vizh?” 

“Yes, that would be nice. And highly advisable if Natasha is mixing the drinks tonight.”

“Sorry everything’s a bit of a mess.” She looked around at the knickknacks that cluttered her walls and coffee table. “And I don’t have much in the kitchen right now.” 

“Not at all. I enjoy seeing the pieces of your life.” 

She cringed as she opened her refrigerator to show him what was available. There were a few eggs, some cheese, a little bit of wilted spinach, condiments, and not much else. “I could make omelets if you like.”

“Sounds great.” She showed him where her pans, utensils, and oil were kept. When he had all the ingredients in place, Wanda watched Vision cooking unabashedly. She took advantage of all his focus being exerted on the pan in front of him. He flipped the omelet perfectly and handed her a plate when it was done. 

“Feel free to eat while it’s hot. Mine will be done momentarily.” He was true to his word, and they both finished their meals and cleaned up quickly. When they were done, Wanda gestured to her couch, and they sat side by side.

“Did you hear that Clint’s wife is pregnant with their first child?” Wanda asked. 

“No, but that’s wonderful news.” 

“I know. Nat’s so excited to be an aunt, and Clint doesn’t show it as much, but he seems thrilled.” She had nearly cried when Clint had pulled her aside to tell her, love and excitement practically shining out of him. Wanda was happy for them, but she did feel a pang of jealousy go through her every time the subject came up. She wanted to be a mother someday, but she didn’t know how she would achieve it. She supposed there was always in vitro fertilization or adoption, but there were severe hurdles to get over both of those. And she didn’t relish the idea of being a single mother. She wanted a stable partnership to support her child or children, but she would have to meet a suitable partner first. 

Vision’s thoughts had apparently wandered down similar paths. “I have always wanted to be a father.” His eyes were wistful and far away. She shouldn’t have been surprised, given what she already knew about Vision, but Wanda was still a little taken aback at such a decisive statement about having kids. It was rare in her experience to see a man think that way.

“I’ve always wanted to be a mother, too.” Wanda’s heart jumped a bit at her admission. They were getting deeper into the only subject they never really discussed, even after they learned more about each other’s histories.

“I am only afraid that I will wait too long to find someone to start a family with.” She ached for the sadness in his voice. A perfect image of Vision gazing adoringly at a tightly wrapped newborn resting in his arms filled Wanda’s mind.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m in the same boat.” 

Vision looked at her sadly, eyes never wavering. “No, Wanda, it doesn’t. You deserve to have everything you want.”

“So do you,” she breathed. Her heartrate sped up as a result of the tender look in his eyes. Neither of them spoke, both unwilling to break the moment. But something in Wanda forced her to make one last attempt to cover everything she was feeling with a flippant comment. “But it’s hard to imagine creating a family with someone when I haven’t made it past a second date in years.”

She was beginning to imagine it now though. The image she had formed earlier was supplemented by a picture of herself coming up to Vision’s side and gazing with equal awe at the bundle in his arms. She shook her head to clear it of the extremely premature image.

“Yes, I have only ever met one person with whom I could imagine starting a family.” There was no mistaking how the smile in his eyes was all for her. Wanda just hoped that she was not letting wishful thinking deceive her. “It does make it all the more special when you find a person like that.” 

Silence reigned again, but it was charged with expectation. There was suddenly poorly concealed terror in Vision’s eyes. She was about to ask what was wrong when he rushed forward. “Wanda, may I kiss you?” 

She nodded, and he brought his hands to cup her face, staring into her eyes briefly before pressing his lips to hers. Warmth spread through her from the place where their lips met. She rested her hands on his shoulders. When they finally separated, Wanda noted that Vision was blushing. “I hope that was satisfactory. It has been a very long time.”

She nodded, just a bit dazed. “For me too,” she whispered. Wanda regained control of her words as she calmed down from the surprise of her best friend kissing her. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while. Um, thanks for beating me to it.”

“You have?” Wanda smiled at his starry-eyed expression and nodded in confirmation. “I have as well.”

However, reality was setting in. The others would arrive in about fifteen minutes. “If we want to keep doing this, it will be an adjustment though.” 

Vision nodded seriously. “Yes, I would never want to jeopardize our friendship.” 

“Me, neither.” Except for Pietro, Vision was the most important person in the world to her. Wonderful as this feeling was, she couldn’t mess that up out of carelessness. “So, we, uh, should probably keep this to ourselves until we can talk through some things.”

“Agreed. Are you free tomorrow night?” 

“For you, absolutely.” She grinned at the deepening blush that spread across his cheeks. She was very tempted to kiss him again. But she didn’t want to get too carried away before their friends arrived. A few minutes later another knock sounded at her door, drawing them out of their own new private world. 

*** 

Vision’s feelings had not changed overnight, and he had not expected them to. But there was the matter of disclosing his sexuality. Kissing Wanda had been wonderful, but it did not change his fundamental feelings about sex. It had been so long since he had kissed someone that he sometimes thought his feelings would change if he met the right person. But that was clearly not the case because he had never met anyone he cared as deeply about as he did Wanda. 

His stomach tied itself in knots as he considered the best way to word his speech. He had never gotten to the point of revealing it to another person, but he wanted to be completely honest with Wanda from the beginning. 

His anxiety was amplified by the fact that he had forgotten to ask Wanda if she was coming by this morning. He had been so distracted by the dramatic shift in their relationship and trying not to act too oddly in front of their friends. His question was answered when the bell at the front door rang at the usual time. “Hey, Vizh,” she said more softly than was her wont. 

“Good morning, Wanda. How was the rest of your night?” 

“Good. Yours?” 

“Very good.”  He smiled at her tentatively. “What will you have?” 

“Hot chocolate today, please.” He made her drink and handed her the can of whipped cream, shaking his head fondly at the excessive amount she added to her mug.

“We should buy bigger mugs just so you have more room for your whipped cream.” She stuck her tongue out at him and he chuckled, relieved that they could maintain the same rapport that they always had. 

“That sounds like a great idea.” She took a large sip, and Vision found himself mesmerized by the bit of whipped cream that stuck on her upper lip. 

He leaned forward unconsciously, reaching out with his thumb. “Wanda, you have a bit, uh…May I?” 

“Oh.” She was blushing furiously now. “Sure.” Vision gently wiped his thumb over her lip. They remained still, both breathing faster than usual, until Wanda closed the distance between them. The kiss was short and sweet, but Vision felt the weight of all their feelings behind it. “So, I, um, have to go practice my cello now before our group practice later. I’m still not up to the level I used to play at. But you’re still coming over to mine tonight, right?”

He smiled at her. “Yes, I look forward to it.” She smiled back and rushed out, throwing one last wave over her shoulder. It took some hours for Vision’s anxiety to overpower the bright glow of contentment that she left him with. He comforted himself with the thought that whatever her reaction she would be kind about it, but the afternoon hours still seemed to ooze by like thick molasses.

Wanda welcomed him warmly into her apartment at the appointed time. After a few pleasantries, she offered to make tea, and he accepted, eager to have a few more moments to center himself. While he waited, Vision drifted over to examine her pictures more closely. There were several of a man, a woman, and two children. Then, a number of just her and Pietro. One in particular caught his eye; Vision didn’t think he had seen it the day before. It showed the two siblings outside on a sunny day, surrounded by other people sporting all colors of the rainbow, with Wanda in a shirt with purple, white, gray, and black stripes. He was still considering how to ask her about the picture when a quiet “Tea’s ready” came from behind him. Vision turned to her and walked back toward the couch. Wanda played with her rings when she saw what he had been looking at, and they prepared their tea in silence. 

Her fingers tapped loudly against the cup as they sipped. Her eyes drifted back and forth between Vision and the picture. There was no denying the nervousness in her expression. Vision took a breath and steeled himself to say what he needed to. “After last night, there is something that I wish to tell you, but may I ask you about the picture first?” 

“Okay.” Wanda set her cup down and drew her limbs into herself, watching him warily. With the way she tensed up, Vision felt he may have begun the wrong way. 

“Is that you and Pietro at Pride?” 

“Yeah, he convinced me to go when I visited him last year.” 

“And you’re wearing the asexual pride flag?” 

“Mm-hmm.” Her defensive posture did not shift, but her expression grew more open. “You’re familiar with it?”

“Yes.” He strove to speak with all the authority and matter-of-factness with which he would deliver an academic conclusion that he had reached after much study and thought. “I am intimately familiar with it, actually. I am asexual.” 

Wanda just blinked at him for a minute, and Vision’s heart plummeted. He tried to think of how he could explain himself differently if the shirt was just a coincidence and she had no idea what he was talking about when she whispered, “You’re ace?” To hear her use the familiar slang term at least assured him that she did at least know the term. 

“Yes.” 

She looked at him as if she had never seen him before, a wide smile slowly breaking across her face. “When you said you didn’t usually date, I never would have imagined that was the reason.” Her body relaxed somewhat. “I am, too, like the shirt indicates. I’ve never met anyone who identifies as asexual in person before.”

“Neither have I. I did not want to presume; I thought perhaps you were wearing the shirt in support of someone else.” Wanda shook her head, still smiling softly at him. “I have rehearsed this for years, but I’d begun to imagine that I would never have the opportunity to say it out loud.” 

“I only ever told Pietro.” Her excited tone faded at the end of the sentence, and her face set into a scowl. “And one boyfriend in college who promptly offered to ‘fix’ me. He was the last semi-serious boyfriend I had.” 

Vision tentatively reached for her hand. “I’m sorry.” He had heard many similar stories and it broke his heart every time. 

Wanda only shrugged. “It was a long time ago. Besides I should consider myself lucky. My friends kept telling me that he was a jerk, but I couldn’t see it until he said that.” But she turned her eyes up at him hopefully. “So, I guess you wouldn’t be bothered by the fact that I’ve never had sex?”

“Not at all. I have not either.” Vision had never thought that his inexperience was a cause for shame, but it was still a rarity at his age. It was a relief to admit that to someone who felt the same way. “Part of me did not even believe it was something real people did outside of fiction for a long time. I knew it intellectually, but I could not quite wrap my head around it.” 

Wanda laughed with absolute delight and leaned toward him, listening eagerly. “Me neither. I was so confused when Pietro started dating.” 

They began to interrogate each other, finally having the opportunity to discuss a number of subjects with someone who understood. When their initial stream of excited questions cooled, they rested back against the couch cushions and absorbed this new information. Vision smiled at her, overcome with relief at how she received what he had never dared tell another person before. “So,” Wanda teased, gracing him with a small, intimate smile, “any other deep, dark secrets you have to reveal before we start a new relationship?” 

“No, that was all. You?” 

“Nope.” She raised their joined hands to his cheek and pressed forward slightly.

Vision caught her open, inviting gaze and tilted his head closer to hers. There was only one item remaining on his agenda. “And would you like to proceed?” 

“Yes.” Wanda sealed the answer by pulling him in for another kiss.

[hookahazz]

Chronicles of a Black Girl Vol 3:  Family Reunion |Harry Styles|

Warnings: Fluff, lil angst, cursing

Word Count: 2.8k

A/N:  Don’t kill me LMFAOO ik I said this morning but ya got it tonight. You got the trick from trick or treat. But this one is real cute and ish and I kept the same concept I just made it so that he meets her whole family and not just her parents. Please give me feedback and tell me how you felt. It’s much appreciated. Tell me how you honestly felt. I’m about to post the master list and it’ll show you the title of the next fic and that one and man y’all gone die its adorable. Enjoy pt 3 and thanks for reading all of them I appreciate y’all a fuck load. <3 

ASK BOX

If you don’t know, black people have three main values that are held above others: their hair, some good “put you to sleep after you eat about 2 plates” soul food and family. Family reunions and get-togethers are the highlights of the year. It is the time where they could all be together in one setting and enjoy one another's presence, the time where the adults would play spades and talk grown folk talk, and the time where your distant relatives would pull you into a hug filled with a strong perfume and hit you with that, “Oh hi baby, I haven’t seen you since you were two years old! You remember me?” There’s no greater feeling than being surrounded by those foil trays that were filled to the brim with mouth-watering sweet potatoes, potato salad (not the shit white people make with apples and all that other bullshit! as (Y/N) would put it), and that creamy, golden mac n’ cheese that black people would kill for (if made correctly, (Y/N)’s mom refuses to make anything but baked macaroni). The feeling of satisfaction one gets from being surrounded by uncles and aunties, grandmas and granddads, and listening to them tell stories about stuff that happened decades ago that still makes all of them laugh until they're crying. And the music! Oh yes-- that authentic soul music that was carefully constructed by the legendary artist who had the power to change peoples lives and move somebody's soul (Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Michael Jackson, The Temptations, Gladys Knight, Ms. Lauryn Hill ((Y/N)'s ultimate favorite) , New Edition ). It was the music that would make those same aunts and uncles get up and dance horribly until their heart's content without the fear of judgment. Black people live for moments like such: to just sit around and be unconditionally black.

At the start of the semester, Harry and (Y/N) had been paired to do a project for their business law course (a class both of them regretted taking). At first (Y/N) was a little wary to be working with Harry, she'd never had any interaction with the boy except for when he asked to borrow a pencil and surprisingly gave it back in the end. After just twenty minutes of working with him, there wasn't a reason to be worried at all. In all her twenty-one years of living, she'd never met someone so goofy in her life (except her two older brothers). Harry was so sweet and funny it was almost hard to stay concentrated at the task at hand. That probably explains why they got a B- on the assignment instead of an A. Since then the two became friends, then best friends, and after months of teasing from Harrys best mate, Niall, they'd become boyfriend and girlfriend. 

They'd been dating for nearly three months and so far Harry's only met (Y/N)'s older brothers, Anthony and Caleb. Their first meeting wasn't in the most typical way. For one, all four of them were drunk off their asses after a night out at a frat party. Caleb and Anthony played multiple rounds of patty-cake with Harry, giggling while (Y/N) lied on her couch laughing at her toes. Her brothers adored Harry in every possible aspect. The three of them have become the best of friends and hang out all of the time which makes (Y/N) so, so happy. She's had a plethora of boyfriends (she’s quite the chocolate catch) and her brothers have hated every single one of them, always making sure (Y/N) knew that they aren't good enough for her. “You saw what he was wearing? His pants are sagging and falling to his fucking knees! His knees, (Y/N)!” Going from them to Harry was a drastic but much-needed change that both Caleb and Anthony appreciated a lot. They wanted nothing but the best for their baby sister and they knew Harry was as good as it was gonna get.

"So do you want to go with me? You don't have to if you're not ready, babe."  

On her way home from work she'd gotten a call from her dear mother regarding the annual family reunion and of course she invited Harry. Went on for nearly ten minutes about how “the two of you have been dating for three months, that boy's gonna have to meet the family sooner or later!” The conversation mainly consisted of momma (Y/L/N) talking and (Y/N) giving her a couple of mhm's and yes ma's here and there. "Course I'll come, lovie. Been dyin' to meet your family!" he beamed, excited as she had predicted. Harry valued family more than anything so meeting hers was a big step in their relationship. "You're not nervous or anything, right? I mean for real, if you are then we really don't even gotta go. They won't even miss us," she assured him. In all honesty, (Y/N) didn't want to rush anything with Harry. She really really liked him and she was fully aware of how rowdy and wild her family can get. 

"No babe, it's gonna be fun! M'excited!" he grinned wrapping his arm around his girlfriend's waist.

↫ ↬

Harry was never a shy or nervous person, it just wasn't him. He'd never really been in a situation where he was incredibly anxious and meeting (Y/N)'s parents were no different. He was absolutely positive that they'd love him and he assured (Y/N) that multiple times when she'd brought up meeting them. He was a people pleaser, someone who wanted to satisfy everyone, someone who naturally appealed to everyone. Harry had never been in a position to which he had to appeal to someone who didn't like him because everyone liked him, even if they didn't want to. 

"When is it again, button?" Harry questioned, playing with (Y/N)'s kinky locks.  She'd just finished washing her hair and Harry absolutely loved watching her condition and style it. "Uh, the day after tomorrow. So Wednesday? Yeah Wednesday," she concluded, slabbing on a generous amount of leave in conditioner. He grinned, doing the same to another section of her hair (he also enjoyed assisting her in styling her hair, the conditioner smelled of coconuts and almonds that nearly made him drool). "You're really excited aren't you?" she questioned. "Course I am. S'a big step in our relationship and I've always wanted to meet your parents. You're mum especially," (Y/N) snorted. Like the majority of black moms (Y/N)'s was crazy crazy. Her childhood consisted of a ton of life lessons that stemmed from a simple joke (Y/N) would make or a movie that wasn't meant to be taken way out of context, her mom constantly telling all her friends (some of which (Y/N) didn't even know) all of her business, and plenty of ass whoopings with the following: a switch, a belt, or any random object momma (Y/L/N) could get her hands on. "Oh yes, you'll love her. She's a peach."

"Oi, why are you laughin'?" he poked her sides.

"No reason baby,' she chuckled, pressing her lips to his cheek.

"I'm positive you're parents will love me. M'gonna be the first boyfriend your family likes. Even Caleb and Anthony said so!" She rolled her eyes, of course they would think so. They adore Harry because he's nothing like the lot of old boys she used to fool around with. "Yeah and you'll also be the first white boy I've brought home so that'll be something." she joked. Harry stiffened, "you're serious? They're not gonna like me then (Y/N)!" He began panicking. Not once did he think he'd need to worry about someone not liking him because of his skin color. Not once did he have to feel worried about being picked apart and judged based on the color of his skin. In fact, he'd never worried about anything regarding his skin tone because it has and would never affect his daily life. 

She turned, stopping the commotion with her hair to focus on her very panicky boyfriend who looked as if he were going to cry at any given moment. She wrapped her arms around him pulling him into a tight hug, rubbing her soft hands up and down his back (a tactic she learned only but weeks ago that would calm him down). "Hey, hey, hey. I was just joking, baby. You don't have to be worried about them not liking you because you're white. They don't care. You could be green and they'd still love you," she smiled, trying to contain a laugh. It was amusing to see how worked up he would get over minute situations like such. (Y/N) thought it was so adorable that he'd even cared so much.  "You're sure? They're not gonna kick me out or somethin' right?" he looked up at her. "I promise they won't," she laughed, she knew her family wasn’t like that. They loved everyone. Even with that, Harry was still convinced that (Y/N)'s family were going to hate him. He simply smiled and nodded and continued to work conditioner into her hair and twist it in hopes to calm him down.

↫ ↬

Now, the both of them were standing in front of (Y/N)'s parent's house waiting nervously for someone to answer the door and Harr, for the first time, really felt as though he was about to shit his pants on their poor porch. He wanted to run and hide behind her mothers beautiful rose bush and stay there until this whole conjuncture was over. He wrapped his long digits around (Y/N)'s and squeezed her hand for reassurance. "Hey, it's gonna be alright. I swear," she whispered just as the door began to open.

"(Y/N), my sweet grandbaby. I almost thought you weren't gonna show up!"

"Grandma!" (Y/N) smiled, engulfing the short woman in a hug. "Missed you so much," she smiled. They had a short conversation before she turned her attention to the six-foot boy behind (Y/N) who had been smiling at their very sweet interaction. "And who's this handsome young man you brought with you, suga?" Harry smiled, his nerves calming somewhat. He introduced himself, going in for a handshake but (Y/N)'s grandma slapped his hand away and pulled him down for a hug professing, you’re family now, act like it boy! "How cute. Oh!-- And muscular too! Chiiiild, wait till ya auntie gets a load of this one. Come on now, the rest of the family's in the backyard. Ya mommas in the kitchen talking shit per usual go help her, baby. I'll take care of Harry." she smiled, wrapping her arm around his. (Y/N) rolled her eyes and giggled at her grandmother's goofy antics and kissed Harry before walking away and assuring him that she'd be in the kitchen if he needed her.

Harry charmed (Y/N)'s grandmother, Kelly (grandma K is what she told him to call her since he was apart of the family now), rather fast. She led him to the back and introduced him to (Y/N)'s uncles, aunts, cousins, and all of her (including great) grandparents. All of them welcomed Harry with open arms. They had so many questions regarding his family and life in the UK, what he did for a living (he was CFO at a major marketing company, they were so proud of his title at such a young age, ya gotta be a stable man while dating our niece! her uncles would say), and his feelings about their (Y/N). An immense amount of aww's was given from the way he talked about her (Y/N's younger cousins, Mikayla and Jordan (ten), thought Harry was so cute and were really just aww'ing at how good he looked). Everyone was easily able to tell how in love Harry was with (Y/N) even though they haven't said it to one another yet (it’s only been three months)

"Harry, I fixed you a plate baby." (Y/N) smiled, interrupting a playful but heated conversation that Harry, her younger cousin Anthony (seventeen), and her father were having about the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. He smiled and grabbed the plate from her and motioned for her to sit in his lap. He pressed a kiss on her cheek and thanked her. Harry finally felt calm, that is until another short woman stepped in front of the two and began staring him down. It didn't take long for Harry to realize that it was (Y/N)'s mother, the resemblance was uncanny.  He nearly choked, becoming nervous yet again. This was the big boss. He thought he was going to be more afraid of (Y/N)'s dad who, though still wary of his little girl dating, (she's twenty- one) loves Harry. He even went as far as to invite Harry to the next super bowl party and he's never done that for any of (Y/N)'s boyfriends!

"(Y/N) who's this?" she questioned.

"Ma, this is Harry, my boyfriend. Harry this is my mom, Christine," Harry stood up to formally greet the woman with a handshake but she, much like her own mother, pulled him down into a bone-crushing hug. For such small women, they both had deadly grips. "Harry, it's so nice to finally meet you! Dunno why (Y/N)'s been hiding you from us, baby." she pinched his cheeks. "You's bout the cutest thing too!  Oh my lord!" she grinned. By now Harry was feeling like an idiot, the biggest fucking idiot. (Y/N)'s family had actually taken a liking to him. He did all that worrying for nothing, all that crying to (Y/N) over the phone at 2 AM because he couldn’t sleep for nothing, and spent all that time googling good reasons as to why you can't go to your girlfriends family reunion for nothing! 

"What are these?" Harry questioned.

"Those are called greens. It's good I promise." (Y/N) stifled a laugh. He’d been asking a lot of questions about the food simply because he’d never heard of some of it. After swallowing his first bite, he couldn't stop. Harry had devoured three plates of food and somehow managed to fit a serving from both her moms homemade banana pudding and her chocolate pie. "Bloody hell, that was so good." he yawned, nuzzling his head into the crook of her neck. "M'sleepy (Y/N)," she giggled, knowing good and well of the after effect of soul food, and kissed the top of his head.

"Damn it, why’d it take you so long to bring him ‘round here (Y/N)!" her aunts asked, playfully slapping her thigh. 

"I just didn't wanna rush anything, hop off! And on top of that, I told him he was the first white boy I'd ever brought home and he flipped shit on me! Thought y'all weren't gonna like him!" The lot of them erupted in a fit of laughter. "Oh child, you ain't gotta worry about that. We all love you to pieces. Such a cute thing you are. Better than those ol' raggedy hoodlums she used to bring 'round here before!" her grandmother interjected, swatting at her thigh as well.

"Grandma K! See now why you gotta go and bring them up. That was in high school!" (Y/N) whined, gaining a loud laugh from her grandmother. She'd never been any good at picking boyfriends. None of her family members ever liked any of them, they truly were a bad influence on her.

The rest of the night concluded in her family telling the most embarrassing stories from her childhood to Harry. (Y/N) didn't think they were funny at all but Harry was proper amused. I'm talking doubled over, gasping for air, tears spilling down his cheeks amused. What made it even funnier was how annoyed she was getting, stomping and whining like a two-year-old. "Ugh, man I swear I hate y'all! You're supposed to be on my side Harry!" she shoved him to the ground.

"Baby, stop!" he nearly choked, trying to catch his breath all while laughing and trying to keep his very cute (but very annoyed) girlfriend from attacking him. "(Y/N) stop! You're gonna mess his face up!" Mikayla and Jordan tugged at her shirt, somehow pulling her off of Harry. Now everyone was laughing at the scene.

"M'very sorry for laughing at how you shit on your mum's hand as a baby, love." Harry smiled, kissing all over her face (a tactic he learned that made her forgive him almost immediately). She shoved him back one last time and laughed. "I hate y'all for real!" Harry grinned, settling back in his rather comfortable fold out chair and pulled (Y/N) back onto his lap.

"M'glad we came. I really did all that worrying for nothing, petal. Your family loves me like I knew they would." he joked.

She rolled her eyes, "don't act like you weren't about to shit yourself earlier, big shot."  "Lower your voice!"  he warned, earning yet another laugh from grandma K.

"No need to get embarrassed suga! I told ya, you's apart of the family now. Now come over here and dance with an old lady," she commanded, gaining a large grin from both Harry and (Y/N).

[maedhrosrussandol]

10 favourite male characters

Thanks @naryaflame for the tag!

I'm going to go to literature, film and anime for my ten.

I will attempt to limit myself to only one character from Tolkien. (I'm sorry Legolas, Aragorn, Fingon, Fingolfin, Caranthir, Beleg, Maglor, Finrod and Thranduil!) Well now you know who my top ten Tolkien guys are, I guess. Whoops.

1. Maedhros. If you follow my blog you know how I feel about him.

2. Patroclus from the Iliad mostly because of Madeline Miller's sublime book The Song of Achilles. She makes him three-dimensional, gives him a voice and cements him as a pivotal figure in the life of Achilles. He'd be on the list just for his act of donning Achilles armour and impersonating him even without her book but her book is magnificent.

3. Baz Pitch. One of the main characters in Rainbow Rowell's Carry On. He fascinated me before he ever made his appearance in the book, just with how the other characters regarded him and discussed him. And then his appearance was so epic and his inner monologues so endearing I just came to love him dearly.

4. King Arthur. I've read so many accounts of him starting with Malory, T.H. White, Mary Stewart and many more. I love the different theories about his origin, his visionary and charismatic rule and the complex saga of those around him.

5. Two characters I can't separate here: Rodrigo Belmonte and Ammar ibn Khairan from Guy Gavriel Kay's incredible book The Lions of Al-Rassan. These two are written in such a vivid, visceral and wry fashion. They leap off the page in their action sequences and their interactions spark with wit, respect and wistfulness. If you haven't read the book I highly recommend it. Kay was the grad student who assisted Christopher Tolkien with editing The Silmarillion.

6. Victor Nikifirov from Yuri on Ice. He's impulsive and sweet, didactic and hard-working. He's funny and romantic and absolutely stunning as a skater. And utterly gorgeous.

7. Chase Stein. From Marvel's Runaways and the fantastic new series released this past year. He's funny, he's sweet, he's a young guy trying to be a hero, an older brother figure and raise the dead. And he's a total geek on top of it all. He's adorable.

8. Richard St. Vier from Ellen Kushner's Swordspoint. He's wry, a man of few words, a brilliant swordsman, loyal, steadfast, and I want to know so much more about him but there isn't more so I have to make it up in my head.

9. Howl Pendragon from Howl's Moving Castle. I love him in the book and the film. He's mysterious, gorgeous, temperamental and just so extra. And he loves Sophie.

10. Lester Papadopoulos aka Apollo from Rick Riordan's The Trials of Apollo. I love so many of Riordan's characters (Percy, Magnus, Jason, Leo) but the hapless Lester(who happens to be in mortal form as Lester due to a curse from Zeus) is perhaps one of Riordan's funniest characters. As well as being one who actually learns a lot about himself and the people around him during his transformation. But mostly because he makes me laugh.

I see I listed a lot of mythological characters here!

Tagging @heartofoshun @dawnfelagund @elesianne @grundyscribbling @vkelleyart @glorfindel-of-imladris @vanimore @sian22redux @gabriel-seven @cycas @basic-banshee and anyone else who works like to join in!

[shooklynn-blog]

7 Seconds To Say Yes

i was very emotional in making this and i tried to capture the overwhelming emotion in this through my writing, so here’s a nice fluffy one shot ;)

summary: the most important 7 seconds of dan’s life caught on camera

warning: g for gay, feels, maybe improper tenses as i usually write past tense and might have messed up whoops

genre: fluff

word count: 1,446

Sometimes people ask me if it’s weird to have so much of my life on the internet for everybody to see. I always say that I don’t mind, as some of my happiest moments have been documented for the internet to see, and I wouldn’t want to ever lose those moments. The internet has done so much for me, it’s only fair that I let people see into my glamorous life for a few minutes. Everybody eats the answer up, and, while it’s mostly true, that isn’t the reason that I don’t mind.

I don’t mind because some of my most special moments happen off the camera. While most people assume that I share a fair chunk of my life with the internet, they fail to realize that ‘daniel howell’ has a life outside of youtube and twitter and instagram and tumblr.

For one thing, many people don’t realize that I have a snapchat. It’s personal, and I only use it to keep track of my close friends. Sure, I’ll occasionally put filters on me and Phil and take embarrassing pictures, but most of the time I use it to watch other people’s stories and browse through, rarely actually getting messages.

I’m playing around with the dog filter, studying my curly hair, wondering if I should get it trimmed, when I’m notified that Phil has snapchatted me. Now, while I’m extremely lazy, this is kind of a new low for us, as Phil’s in the flat, only tens of feet away.

“Come film a gaming video with meee ;)” captions a selfie in which Phil is attempting to wink. I can’t help but smile, he’s such a goof sometimes. I’m a little surprised, as we’ve only just filmed a gaming video, but decide not to question it because, hey, Phil has an idea and that means that I don’t have to worry about planning something out. I go to the new gaming room.

I still can’t get over how much bigger the room in the new flat is compared to the old one, and the lighting is so much better. Phil seems to have already set the cameras up, and gestured for me to sit next to him. He’s dressed fancily, and I rack my brain for some sort of occasion. I can’t think of anything, so I just ask him, “What’re you all dressed up for?” He beams at me, and I’m reminded of how wholesomely adorable he is.

“It’s almost the third year anniversary of getting the DanAndPhilGames account!” he nearly cheers with delight. I can’t believe I’ve forgotten, but at the same time I can totally believe that I’ve forgotten.

“Great, now I’ve got to go change,” I grumble and stand up to retreat to our room and find something presentable to wear.

“No, it’s fine. Just stay,” his eyes are so incredible, like 3 different colors at once, oh my god. How can I possibly say no to him? I’m gonna look too casual, but he assures me that it’s alright. He says that I look perfect and I blush because I don’t think anybody but him had ever said that.

“Hello DanAndPhilGames bearers?” Phil starts off and I snort.

“Bears?” I mock him, and Phil smiles so wide and we’re both laughing and it’s so good.

“Like the three bears? For three years of DanAndPhilGames!” he shouts and I can’t help but smile at him, he’s such a child. It doesn’t quite make sense, but it’s okay because most of the time Phil doesn’t make sense anyways.

“Alright what are we doing here Phil?” I genuinely don’t have a clue.

“Well, Daniel, I thought that it would be an appropriate time to bring back one of our old favorites - ” I groan.

“Phil, what have you done?” I giggle a little. I can’t believe myself, giggling so happily. 8 years ago, I’d never have imagined being this genuinely confident in myself, laughing without a care, full of joy.

“Today, we’re going to play the seven second challenge!” He throws his hands out and I know that I’m going to be the one who has to edit in some effect later.

“Really, Phil? The seven second challenge?” I roll my eyes at him and he leans over and lightly kissed my nose. Another thing I’d have to edit out, but I didn’t really mind it. He’s so delicate and light, and I think about how crazy the fans would go to see this. A light nose kiss moves farther down and, before I know it, we’re borderline making out and I have to push Phil off of me. He looks hurt, and, while I was glad to go on, I had to be sensible.

“I’m going to have to edit so much out, you know? Somebody’s bound to notice my face is all red now,” I look at him apologetically, and he exchanges a knowing glance back at me. He gets it, why we have to watch ourselves.

We continue on with the video, using our app to guide us through. It’s fun and pure, though I sneak a few innuendos in. We have some genuine fun, and it feels less like we’re doing it for a video and more like we’re just enjoying eachothers company. Perhaps it’s the most genuine gaming video we’ve ever made. I laugh a lot and ma and Phil kiss sometimes, more editing for later, and it’s good. Phil is energetic and engaging, and I try my best to match his level of energy.

“Okay, it’s D-Swizzle’s turn,” I wink and Phil chuckles. He grins at me excitedly and points the phone towards me. I look into the viewfinder.

“Daniel Howell, you have seven seconds to say yes,” he sounds like he’s bursting with excitement, and I snort. That one was so easy.

“Is that actually one? That’s so boring. Yes,” I roll my eyes and look at the older boy and freeze. It’s like, for a moment, time slows down, and it’s just us and there’s no camera. There are no viewers and no world because Philip Lester is holding a small box with a shiny ring in it and suddenly I can’t breathe. Philip Lester is on his knee and I don’t know when it started but tears are streaming down my face because oh my god the most beautiful man in the world is mine.

“Really?” my voice cracks, and I wonder if I’m going to wake up in a minute or two and I pray that I won’t. Phil nods and I hug him so tight that I’m afraid of killing my new fianceé and everything goes at 1/100th of regular speed. We’re both red faced messes but it’s so different from when we were both red-faced after leaving each other after the first time we’d met or during that one superamazingproject where Phil had to leave the next morning or even the night when I told him that I was in love with him. Those tears were filled with sadness or longing or even fear for the future, but these tears were certain and pure.

It’s a perfect moment, and I rock back and forth, Phil in my embrace, whispering yes over and over again in his ear because I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. For a moment, every other moment to ever exist doesn’t matter, not the stage show, not the book, not anything. The only thing that matters is that I have a perfect ray of sunshine by my side and that I have never been happier. It’s a moment in time that me and Phil are going to have to decide whether or not to share with the internet. It is a moment of hope and balance and joy that I hope never ends.

When we finally stop hugging, everything is different. We’re still Dan and Phil, but with maybe a little more emphasis on the and. It’s the same and it isn’t at the same time, and all I know is that I never want to lose Phil, with his horrible cleanliness habits and cereal theft and soft kisses that make you feel like you’re flying. I’m so lucky to have him, and now he’s going to be mine forever. I must be the luckiest guy in the world.

Sometimes people ask me if it’s weird to have so much of my life on the internet for everybody to see. I always say that I don’t mind, as some of my happiest moments have been documented for the internet to see, and I wouldn’t want to ever lose those moments. Maybe that answer is exactly right.

[daleisgreat]

30 Years of Genesis: Going 30 Years Playing No More Than 30 Minutes of Sonic

This summer marks the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Sega Genesis in North America. I had such a nostalgia trip reliving my memories of the GameBoy while crafting my recent GameBoy 30th Anniversary piece, that it only seemed fitting that Sega’s iconic 16-bit platform gets the same honors of recounting my memories with it. If you are looking for a more authoritative historical piece on it I recommend either Phoenix IV or Console Wars. The former is a strictly informative recounting of the history of the system while the latter is an entertaining retelling done in the form of a novel after days of interviews with everyone involved. The following are my own personal experiences of playing the Genesis over the past three decades.

I remember first encountering the Genesis while spending either Thanksgiving or Christmas 1991 over at my older sister and brother-in-law’s house. I was only eight at the time, and remember being perplexed at the black gaming box and the thought that there could somehow be other systems than the good ‘ol NES. I did not subscribe to any gaming magazines at this point and I think I was still about a year away from experiencing Sega’s deluge of combative commercials against the SNES. During that holiday season of ’91 I recalled playing the first Streets of Rage on the Genesis with my little brother nonstop the couple days we were there. I remember being blown away by how superior it was graphically to what I experienced with other NES brawlers before like Double Dragon. We only got up to the stage where we faced off against the dueling karate sisters who kept whooping us and neither my brother nor I had the skills at the time to get past. The next year or two the only times I recall playing the Genesis were at my sister’s for the holidays or the occasional store kiosk. I remember my brother-in-law picked up other games we played regularly like ToeJam & Earl, Buster Douglas Boxing, Toxic Crusaders and PGA Tour Golf. I dug all of them, especially ToeJam & Earl where I had no idea what was happening half the time with its unorthodox level structure and item pick-ups, but loving the co-op gameplay, stylish graphics and its funky beats at the time. Brief memories of store kiosk play from the early 90s consisted of being horrible at the original Sonic the Hedgehog because it was too fast for my childhood noggin’ to comprehend. I also recall being confused at early editions of Madden Football at store kiosks because when I would press buttons to hike the ball ‘Audible’ would appear on screen and then eight or nine-year old Dale had no idea what that meant compared to easier pick up and play NES pigskin games I was conditioned to.

Until Christmas of 1995 I probably played no more than about 10 Genesis games all together. I was more aware of the system by that time thanks to reading magazines more regularly at that point and hearing from classmates who had the system, but until that point I was pretty loyal to my NES still (I did not get a SNES until late ’96). For the Christmas season of ’95 my best friend at the time who coincidentally lived three blocks away from me, Rich, received a Genesis and that was when I got a lot more hands-on time with its extensive library of titles. Rich and I shared a lot of similar game interests which at that time was a ton of sports games, fighters and action/brawlers. For the next several months I was over at Rich’s for countless sleepovers and going nuts with fighters like Mortal Kombat II and Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Boxing. Real Deal Boxing blew away Buster Douglas Boxing with more authentic boxing gameplay and an insanely thorough career mode where we would take a created boxer and move him up the ranks as champion until his skills gradually weakened with age to force his retirement. We absolutely ate up the sports games at that time. We played what seemed like an infinite amount of Madden NFL ‘97. A much wiser 13-year old Dale was no longer befuddled by the intricacies of Madden and we had so much fun with it. We would create many players to deck out our teams and keep running blitzes to try and injure the players because there was an intense bone-breaking injury sound effect that we ate up. It was like the equivalent of Favreau and Vaughn going nuts in Swingers when they made Gretzky bleed in NHLPA ‘93.

Mutant League Football was another favorite of ours that made that injury sound effect in Madden child’s play. EA also made MLF and it was the equivalent of NFL Blitz at the time with larger-than-life mutants and animals literally killing each other on the field with over-the-top hits. It was possible to force a team to retire due to killing off too many of its players which was always our desired objective! If you have not played its spiritual successor follow-up, Mutant Football League on PS4/XB1 I give it the highest of recommendations because it perfectly capture the sensation of the Genesis game while bringing it up to contemporary standards. We also played a lot of EA’s violent driving game, Road Rash II. Being able to race motorcycles and knock out your competition with chains and nightclubs while trying to evade the cops seemed revolutionary when playing it for the first time! We later discovered EA’s take of Road Rash on rollerblades in the awesome rollerblade stunt/racing game Skitchin’! Fun fact about Skitchin’ is that the competitors you race against have gnarly nicknames like ‘Thrasher’ and ‘Jackal’ and thus in ’96 was the origin of how I came up with what wound up as my online handle but at the time was my radical Skitchin’ username, ‘Gruel’ to blend in with the rest of the pack and have stuck with it all these years later!

After spending several months devouring a good dozen or so Genesis games with Rich, it did not compare to the summer of ’96 when Rich signed up for the Sega Channel! I remember it launched in 1994 and seeing commercials for it at the time where it seemed too good to be true where for about $15/month would net the user a Genesis cartridge that would connect to a cable line and get the Genesis online streaming access to a rotating 40-50 Genesis games a month. That is right, decades before services like OnLive and Playstation Now, the Genesis did streaming gaming back in ’94 and it worked like a charm! Check out this pristine archival footage of the menus to see how it all worked. Sega Channel essentially was what Xbox Game Pass is today, and I am surprised to hear how little it is discussed when people reminisce about the Genesis. We discovered so many new games this way and for that entire summer I was over at Rich’s about three to four days a week binging on Sega Channel games until Rich’s dad got on my case because I was over so often. I remember discovering new sports games on there like the innocuously titled Super Volleyball that we became somehow addicted to and the surprisingly awesome Tiny Toons ACME All-Stars that had its own killer spin on arcade basketball and soccer that it played like NBA Jam but filled with crazy Tiny Toons power-up attacks. Sega Channel is what additionally exposed me to co-op games like General Chaos, the Streets of Rage sequels and Gain Ground and classic single player games like Shadowrun, Comix Zone and Vectorman that Rich and I took turns trying to keep progressing through. Sega Channel also was my first exposure to the classic Bomberman franchise with many nail-biting rounds played of Mega Bomberman! It came as no surprise to me when I finally bought a Genesis a few years later in 1999 that the first games I hunted down for it were those same games I first discovered on the Sega Channel! In April of 1999 shortly after I turned 16 I got my first after-school job and after a few paychecks I went to Wal-Mart to determine what should be one of the first games to buy on my own! This was around the time when Majesco re-released the third, mini-sized Genesis model at a discount price of around $30. I was legit stunned at that price for a brand new system, even if it was for a ten-year old platform at that time I could not help but instantly snatched it up!

If you read my GameBoy special from several weeks back you will recall my lamenting over its lackluster wrestling games compared to the superior ones on the 16-bit platforms. On Genesis, Rich and I played way too much Royal Rumble on the system. Other wrestling games I picked up for the Genesis over the years was the inferior predecessor to Royal Rumble in Super Wrestlemania. While I had a blast with Rumble way back when, it regrettably does not hold up well all these years later with its over-reliance on a button mashing grapple meter that obliterated thumbs that I have no idea how I tolerated at the time. Saturday Night Slam Masters was a unique wrestling game from Capcom. It is essentially Street Fighter II in a wrestling ring, complete with victory taunts, Mike Haggar from Final Fight in its roster and even has a few wrestling moves sprinkled in! I loved how they had over-the-top laser light entrances and larger-than-life character sprites at the time, and I recall enjoying the Genesis version more than the SNES. There was nothing else like it since, and on occasion I will still throw it in every couple of years. I continue to hope one day Capcom will release its sequel, Ring of Destruction in a random collection of arcade games because it never got a home port all these years later.

Sports games ruled on the Genesis! Pictured from clockwise at top left is Holyfield's Real Deal Boxing, NHLPA '93, Super Volleyball and Tiny Toon ACME All-Stars I mentioned some of my favorite sports games for the system above, but it really needs to be emphasized how big sports games were on the Genesis. Both Sega and EA pumped out a seemingly endless line of sports titles for the system. I remember getting into silly speculation with Rich over how much extra memory that yellow tab on the EA carts allowed EA games to play better. For hoops titles I got my NBA Jam and Live fix on SNES, but on the ‘ol Genny my go-to basketball games were the oft-forgotten NCAA skinned version of Jam in College Hoops. I occasionally also threw in the hand-me-down street ball version of NBA Jam in Barkley Shut up Jam. I loved Madden, but Sega’s Joe Montana line of gridiron games were just a notch or two below too. For baseball, Sega’s World Series Baseball titles were in a league of its own when it came to gameplay and presentation with its larger-than-life hitter/batter perspective. For hockey EA’s NHL line was/is legendary! About four or five years ago my friend Derek gave me a ring to come over for some impromptu random gaming and he never played much Genesis before so when he got over I had the Genesis hooked up and laid out all my games for it and of that night we had the most fun playing a few rounds of NHL ‘94. At that point it was a 20-21 year old game and it still held up as one of the best hockey games of all time.

For brawlers I loved the Streets of Rage games, but I think it is my secret shame that I have yet to complete a single one. That must one day change! I did love the exclusive Genesis TMNT game, Hyperstone Heist! It was right up there with Turtles in Time and every couple of years my friend Matt and I make it a ritual to plow through that game. After many attempts we also conquered the Genesis port of the awesome arcade brawler, The Punisher! It does not have as friendly of a continue system as Hyperstone Heist so Matt and I had to learn to play a little more conservatively and not rely on mindless button mashing. It felt gratifying to have all that hard work pay off and beat The Punisher….until we got a copout ending screen of text saying ‘Now play like the Punisher and try hard difficulty.’ We did not, but I wound up looking up the ending several years later and at least Capcom made it worth your while because it had a far more intricate ending than many other brawlers at the time. The one Genesis brawler that always had our number was Captain America and the Avengers. It is a lot of fun to play, but it does not allow that many credits and by setting ourselves up with the max lives and continues that game was still a beast, and even playing conservatively and having so many attempts we only managed to make it to the final boss, The Red Skull, only once. Let us fast track to about a little under 10 years ago when a co-worker approached me about being interested in buying his Genesis/Sega CD/32X along with a couple dozen games. He was saving up to pay off his upcoming wedding and he gave me a list of everything he had along with prices for everything he wanted going by what he saw off eBay auctions. I did some price researching of my own and made him an offer of around $250-ish for the ‘tower of power’ and about 20 games combined for all three systems. Looking back I accidentally lucked out with that offer because it was only a couple years later when 8/16-bit prices on the used market took a huge jump. I never had a must-have desire for a Sega CD or 32X, but there were always a couple of games I wanted to play on them that I eventually hunted down. I liked the versions of WWF RAW, Doom, Virtua Racer and especially Virtual Fighter the most out of my dozen 32X games. I recall as a then 10 and 11 year old being disgusted by early polygonal console games like Star Fox and Virtua Racer and was more on board with FMV games being the future, but remember being a little taken aback by Virtua Fighter indicating that there may be something to these 3D polygons. The 32X version is a surprisingly faithful version to its arcade counterpart.

I need to dive into my SegaCD games more one of these months. I hunted down all the must own titles for it like the Working Design RPGs, Shining Force CD, enhanced versions of Amazing Spider-Man and Batman Returns and Snatcher which I hope to one day knock off my gaming bucket list. Regrettably now my only SegaCD games I invested a decent amount of time into are WWF Rage in the Cage (essentially Super Wrestlemania but with some FMVs and a bigger roster), Slam City with Scottie Pippen (a abysmal FMV-based street hoops title) and the underrated SegaCD exclusive brawler, Prime. I am a huge Ultraverse comic nut and I ate up Prime on SegaCD since it was the only game released featuring characters from that comic book line before Marvel acquired them and cancelled all their books within a couple years (yes, I am still bitter over it). It is only one player, but Matt and I spent a few attempts taking turns at beating levels until we finally vanquished it. We even had an attempt thwarted when Prime was loading the final boss battle when a flipping blackout halted our progress! As memorable as that moment is I will instead forever associate Prime with its unrivaled and unforgettable opening theme music (seriously….give it a listen!). I need to give a shoutout to the official handheld Genesis, aka the Nomad! My brother surprised the hell out of me one year with it for a birthday present. My favorite Nomad memory is my brother getting hyped for getting his own version of Genesis Shadowrun and I told him I would come over and bring my Nomad and my version while he played on his television and we could both start off our own new game and exchange tips and hints in a friendly rivalry type of way. I think my brother must have gotten the Genesis version of Shadowrun mixed up with the completely differently designed SNES version because he tried to run around aimlessly and gun down everything which is not how you want to play the Genesis version. We were planning that day out for weeks and I remember being stunned after about 15 minutes when I was starting to sink my teeth back into Shadowrun’s cyberpunk action-RPG brand of awesome when my brother out of nowhere went ‘screw this, let’s play something else!’

As I wind down I want to give many thanks to Sega for keeping the Genesis relevant throughout this century with its gratuitous re-releases of physical and digital collections. I have no idea why, but I keep on buying them for the convenience of having them for the latest system. It started with the Sega Smash Pack on DreamCast seeming like a killer value in 2001 for 12 games for $40. Then a few years later on PS2 I snatched up Sega Genesis Collection which seemed like an even better value with just over 30 games for $30! Then in the 360/PS3 era along came Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection which offered 40 games for $30!! Sega also sold a lot of the games ala carte via each console’s digital storefronts. Then last year we got Sega Genesis Classics on Xbox One/PS4 with 50 games for $30!!! The last several years Sega also has been licensing out to At Games to release their own pre-programmed Genesis mini console with dozens of pre-installed games. I held off on getting those after hearing how awful its emulation and shoddy production quality is, but after hearing how Sega finally decided to manufacture their own Genesis Mini themselves this fall and handed off the emulation duties to the acclaimed emulation studio M2, I could not pre-order fast enough! I have no idea why I keep deep diving down this well, but hats off to Sega for keeping me coming back again and again! Similarly with my GameBoy flashback piece, I had an unorthodox experience with the Genesis. I was not a hardcore Sonic or Phantasy Star player like the average Genesis owner. If you ask me any day of the week my answer to what my favorite Genesis game is, it could be either The Punisher, Madden NFL ‘97, Shadowrun, Hyperstone Heist, NHL ‘94 or Skitchin’. That is another thing that made the Genesis great was its mammoth library of diverse titles so there was no doubt something for everyone! With that I will put the kibosh on this look back of my favorite moments with the Genesis as I anxiously await for my pre-order of the Genesis Mini to arrive in a few months! Want more Genesis Love from me in Audio and quasi-video form? I was looking through my hard drive archives and a decade ago while I was still doing my videogame podcast, On Tap, we did a special 20th anniversary special on the Genesis where my co-hosts and I reminisce about the Genesis. I went ahead and uploaded it on YouTube so if you want even more Genesis takes then click here to give it a listen! Also recorded throughout 2009 from the On Tap archives was installments from our history of comic book videogames series. In this next episode I uploaded to YouTube is the second part of series where we breakdown every single comic book licensed game on the SNES and Genesis! My co-host Matt and I did thorough research for this episode and played almost nearly every single comic book game from this era in preparation for the episode to give the most up to date research and to see if these games (of which a vast majority are beat-em-ups) still hold up. Click here to give it a listen! My Other Gaming Flashbacks GameBoy 30th Anniversary

[dont-sneeze]

One of the Great Ones-a Javid fic

[redravenofberk]

Hiii!  I was your Truce Partner! ^^ I apologize for taking so long; my computer has been having some difficulties lately. Add that in with normal family holiday things, and I didn’t have a chance to do even minor editing until yesterday. I’m very sorry. I considered making it longer so it’d be worth the wait, but I wanted to actually get it to you before 2017. ^^’

You asked for an awkward/fun family gathering, featuring the original trio, Jazz, and Valerie. I had another idea which led to some very amusing notes, but in the end I went for this one. I hope you enjoy!

***

Honestly, Valerie was still trying to figure out how this had happened. She knew her Dad had worked with Danny’s parents during the Ghost King Crisis, but she hadn’t thought they were close. Let alone close enough to warrant whatever this was!

The Fenton’s Ghost Assault Vehicle (or as Danny and his sister dubbed it, the RV), was not put together like any sort of logical vehicle. Instead, for some reason, it had two seats up front, where Maddie and Jack sat; two seats in the middle, one of which held her dad and the other a ridiculous amount of weapons; and five teenagers squished in one back row.

Sam had gotten one window seat, and had Danny beside her. Tucker was on his other side, right next to Valerie, and Danny‘s sister had the other window seat. They sat there, pressed shoulder to shoulder, as the countryside practically flew past them. Jazz was reading a book- How to Protect Family from Dangerous People. It seemed well-worn. Sam, Tucker, and Danny were playing what looked like Mario Kart, only it had been poorly modded to replace Nintendo’s beloved characters with Amity Park’s ghosts.

Valerie, meanwhile, was holding tightly onto the seat and trying not to puke. Jack Fenton could not drive.

Jack slid the steering wheel over to his wife and reached back to grab one of the weapons. He held it up and started to blabber about it to Damon, who nodded every few seconds like he understood. The outside world quit moving so quickly by, and Valerie’s twisting stomach calmed slightly.

A water bottle was placed in her lap, and Valerie looked over to see that Jazz had closed her book. “If you’re feeling ill, you need to stay hydrated.”

Tucker whooped in victory, spooking Valerie and nearly causing her to smash the water bottle over his head.

“Rematch!” Danny declared, “And no items, you cheater!”

“I will not apologize for my art,” Tucker replied, and went back to focusing on his game system. Danny and Sam exchanged a conspiring look before doing the same.

“Are you getting bored?” Jazz asked as Valerie gulped down a third of the water.

Valerie shrugged. Bored would’ve fit her better an hour ago, when her phone had died and she wondered why in the world she had agreed to go on this trip when the only thing she actually knew about their destination was that it was on the east coast.

Jazz clapped her hands, “Oh, I know! We can play a car game!”

Valerie had never really gone on road trips, and had approximately half a clue as to what a car game was. Judging by Jazz’s expression, the older girl realized that.

“We could play licence plate phrases, I Spy, the alphabet game, make-your-own-song, never have I ever, a million dollars, that one where you pretend a dot on the window is a person and you have to make them jump over obstacles-”

“I’ve only heard of three of those,” Valerie admitted.

“A million dollars,” Tucker said before Jazz could explain, “But you have to smooch Danny Phantom.”

“I don’t need the money,” Sam said as Danny gave both his friends a betrayed look.

“Jazz, what about you?” Tucker asked, looking away from his game and wiggling his eyebrows.

Jazz considered it, “Can I kiss him on the cheek or forehead?”

“Nope; lips.”

“Obviously no,” She made a face.

“What about you Val?” Tucker asked as Danny buried his face in his hands for some reason, “Would you smooch Phantom for a million dollars?”

Valerie was about to say no- he was a ghost- but then she considered it. A million dollars… I could get Dad a new apartment. And it’s only Phantom, it could be worse. But then she remembered it was just a game and frantically shook her head. “Of course not! I would never kiss a ghost!”

“What are you kids talking about back there?” Maddie called.

“Nothing!” Five voices chorused.

“What about you, Danny?” Valerie asked and drank half of the remaining water, desperate to get any attention left on her away.

“Yeah, Danny,” Tucker elbowed his friend, “Would you smooch Danny Phantom for a million dollars?”

Danny raised his game system and rather dramatically pressed a button.

Tucker looked down at his system in horror, “You said no items!”

“I lied.”

“Come on, Danny,” Was it just Valerie’s imagination, or did Jazz briefly look down at her as she spoke? “A million dollars but you have to kiss Danny Phantom.”

“Smooch,” Tucker corrected, “You have to smooch Danny Phantom.”

Danny groaned and glared at all of them. “You know what? Sure, why not?! Yeah, I’ll smooch Danny Phantom for a million dollars! That’ll work!” He put his face back in his hands, blushing furiously.

“A million dollars,” Sam said as she gently patted Danny’s shoulder, “But you have to spend an hour at a fancy party with Vlad to get it.” She gave Valerie a look, like the question was some sort of test.

“Vlad Masters?” Jazz asked, frowning, “I’ll take it.”

“Same,” Danny said, not taking his hands off his face, “We’ve spent longer with him for less.”

“Also same,” Tucker said, “I can start a debate with him about economics again.”

Sam flashed him a wide grin, “Please do.”

“Please don’t,” Jazz said, “While I understand why you did that, you can’t just start arguing with the mayor and richest man on the planet about taxes.”

“I’m gonna,” Tucker grinned.

“He’s gonna,” Sam and Danny echoed, fixing Jazz with rather terrifying grins. Valerie leaned away from them.

“…Valerie!” Jazz hit her arm, “A million dollars but you have to go to a fancy party with Vlad Masters!”

Valerie thought of Dani Phantom and clenched her fists, “I wouldn’t,” She said, “Not even for a billion.”

Sam smiled- an actual, genuine smile- and Valerie knew she’d passed the test. Now if only she could figure out what it was for.

“Kids!” Her dad called back, “We’ll be there in half an hour!” Maddie handed the steering wheel back to her husband, “…Ten minutes.”

Valerie swallowed the rest of the water bottle and held tightly onto her seat. She closed her eyes and spent the next ten minutes internally screaming.

.-.

“Land!” Tucker launched himself from the RV as soon as they were parked, “Oh, sweet, sweet land!”

Danny slid out after him, “Hey, my dad’s driving isn’t that bad!” His protest was cut off by Jazz’s loud laughter as she stepped out to join them.

Sam offered Valerie a concerned look, “Do you always get car sick?”

“No,” Valerie said, her voice weaker than she would’ve liked, “This is new.”

“Mr. Fenton’s driving does that to everyone,” She pulled a foil package out of a pocket in her skirt and handed it over. “You get used to it after a while, but take one of these on the way back. It should help.” Valerie rubbed the side of her head as Sam continued, “I’m going to see what the others are doing. We’ll be waiting for you in the parking lot whenever you feel better.” She flashed her another smile and hopped out of the RV.

Valerie frowned. Why was Sam acting like they were good friends? They’d never been close, and she’d always had the impression that Sam found her annoying.

She could hear the others in the parking lot, talking as they brought the weapons out. She was starting to feel better, and maybe regretting drinking a full bottle of water.

There was a knock on the RV’s door, and Valerie jumped. Her dad poked his head in, a soft smile on his face. “Sorry about the ride. Are you feeling better?”

“A bit,” Valerie said, and unfastened her seatbelt. She stepped out of the RV and stared ahead. A thin lair of snow crunched under her boots as she looked out over the ocean. “Oh, wow.”

“Turn around,” Damon said, and Valerie did.

There was a huge sign, declaring the beachfront hotel to be the location of the New Years Ghost Hunters’ Weapons Expo. Two white-suited guards stood in front of the door.

“You know I don’t really agree with your ghost hunting,” He said, “But since that suit of yours is… bonded to you, or whatever is going on, I want you to be safe. The Fentons get a discount here. I know it’s not much, but…” He trailed off, and motioned to the hotel. “Merry Christmas, Valerie. Sorry it’s a bit late.”

Valerie threw her arms around him. “Thank you, Daddy.”

“Hey, Val!” Danny called from the beach with his sister, Sam, and Tucker all a step behind him. He was waving his arms in the air. “Are you coming?”

Valerie considered it. She turned back to the hotel, then to her dad.

“It hasn’t technically started yet,” He said.

She hugged her dad again and waved her arms back at Danny. “I’m coming!”

Valerie was still too far away; she didn’t see the smug look on Jazz’s face.

“See?” Jazz said, “Psychology doesn’t lie. She’d rather spend time with her friends than hunt ghosts.”

“Or maybe just her crush,” Tucker teased, elbowing Danny.

“Ex-boyfriend,” Danny corrected, and swatted his arm away.

Sam elected not to comment on that and walked forwards to meet Valerie. If this was what it would take to get the Red Huntress to stop attacking Phantom, she would gladly play her part. “There’s a giant snow pile back there.” She said, “Do you want to try and throw the boys in it?”

Danny and Tucker exchanged a look before launching themselves down the beach.

[illuminating-dragons]

Dreams and Visions (27/51): Of Dragons and Anime

Time Period: BBC

Chapter Summary:  Kitty gets new clothes, meets some kids, and a plan is made to stop a wedding.

Note:  I know zero things about Naruto, so it won't be discussed in detail. Also, Gruner is a weeaboo who likes Naruto, not everyone who likes Naruto is a weeaboo.

Read it on AO3

          Kitty didn't come downstairs until nearly noon, which proved Sherlock right about her lack of sleep. John was just starting to wonder whether he should go check on her when he heard a faint thumping from the stairs. He went out to see Kitty sliding down the stairs sitting down one step at a time, taking care not to jar her ankle.

           "Good morning," John said politely. "Need a hand?"

           "I'm alright." Kitty's voice was gruff and John wondered whether she was embarrassed about the night before. He wanted to reassure her, but he wasn't quite sure how.

           "Where's Mr. Holmes?" Kitty asked when she'd limped into the kitchen.

           "He's meeting with one of his informants," John replied. He started up the stove again—omelettes were something he could cook really well, and Kitty looked like she could use some protein.

           “How long have you two been together?”

           “Nearly ten years,” John replied. “We’ve been married for five.”

           “You must love him.”

           “I do. He loves me too, which is handy.”

           They ate in silence. John kept checking his phone, just to make sure that Sherlock hadn't texted, but he hardly ever did when he was with Johnson.

           A thought occurred to him. "You don't have any clothes with you, do you?"

           Kitty stared down at her T-shirt and jeans and looked back at him as though he might be ill in the head.

           "I mean something to change into," John clarified. "Smart-arse."

           Kitty laughed. "No, I didn't bring anything with me. I can go back and fetch something."

           "I don't think that's a good idea," John said. "Sherlock probably wants you handy." He left out the part where he thought the less time Kitty spent in the same place as Gruner, the happier he would be.

           "Well I suppose I'll just stay in these, then," Kitty said with a shrug. "I don't mind."

           John studied her for a moment. "You're about the same size as a friend of ours. Her name's Molly, and we trust her completely. Would it be alright if I asked her to bring you some clothes?"

           Molly was wonderful. Within twenty minutes she was at their door with the twins, their old diaper bag slung over her shoulder. Jacob and Lily were three and had mastered the toilet years before, but it was just the right size for hiding extra clothes.

           "Hello," she said cheerfully. The twins ran to John, who picked them up and slung them over his shoulders. "How's everything going?"

           "Busy as ever, Molly. And how's himself?"

           "Himself is taking a day off tomorrow, which is lovely. We'll be able to take a trip together." Molly glanced over at Kitty. "Hello! John said your name was Kitty?"

           Kitty nodded, suddenly shy. "Yes, Dr. Hooper."

           "Oh don't be silly, Molly's plenty." Molly pulled some T-shirts and a pair of jeans out from the bag. "I hope you like the colours. You can keep them as long as you like."

           "Oh, I'll return them soon, Molly. Just as soon as all..." Kitty glanced at the twins, who were staring at her intently. "As all this is over."

           Molly didn't ask any questions, she was rather wonderful that way. "Well I'll be off, then. Come on, kiddos!"

           "But Mummy, we want to play with Uncle John!"

           "I'll play with them, if you want to have a chat with your friend," Kitty said quickly.

           John blinked in surprise.

           The twins, on the other hand, were ecstatic. "Do you know any good dragon games?" Lily asked her. "I like dragons."

           "I know some excellent dragon games," Kitty said seriously, leading them into the living room. "Now, I was in a bit of a battle with a dragon last night, so you and your brother will have to do most of the leaping, but it'll be fun all the same..."

           John steered Molly into the kitchen, for some reason quite sure that Kitty had this in hand.

           "She's very sweet, " Molly said quietly. "I know you can't tell me everything, but...John, is she in danger?"

           "She very much might be," John whispered back. "Gruner's got a pretty tight hold on her, but the more worrisome part is what he's going to do if he decides that she's no longer useful."

           "But she doesn't care about that, does she?" Molly said. "She just wants to help her friend."

           "Yeah." John frowned as Molly smiled. "What?"

           "She reminds me a lot of you. Of both of you, actually."

           John didn't quite know how to respond to that.

           "What is Sherlock doing right now?"

           "Trying to get some information out of his contacts, see if he can find any weaknesses with Gruner. If at all possible we want to do this without violence—Gruner's powerful, and any little slip could cause a lot of trouble for far too many people."

           Molly pursed her lips. "If I can help at all, just me know."

           John's phone beeped and he dove for it.

           The text was brief and curt. Coming home. Have plan. Love S.

           John smiled. "We may be able to let you know right now."

           Sherlock didn't seem in a rush to talk when he arrived home. He chatted with the twins, consulted on the fort that Kitty was building to be the dragon's cave, and even asked Molly if she and Mike's garden was turning out properly this summer.

           Finally John grew too impatient. "What is it, love?"

           Sherlock shooed the twins off his knee. "Bring your biscuits in to Kitty," he instructed. His smile faded as the two rejoined Kitty under the cushions. "We don't have much time."

           "What did Johnson say?" John asked tensely.

           "Gruner is announcing his engagement to Delia day after tomorrow." Sherlock's lips were tense. "And he never marries with another Blossom alive."

           "So he needs to get rid of Kitty."

           "And two other girls, he calls them Lupin and Pansy. They're both a bit older than Kitty, but they were still after the third wife."

           "So we need to find them."

           "He's got them locked in his basement."

           "Alright, then..."

           "We can protect Delia if we have the book. It'll be enough to call the wedding off, no matter how ensnared she is, and that'll buy us some extra time. "

           "But what about the other girls?" Molly asked, eyes worried. "It's all well and good to say you'll hide Kitty here, but he has two of them on hand. What if..."

           John shook his head. "We need to move tonight. Is there any way we can move it up?"

           "Not unless you can learn about Naruto in the next six hours," Sherlock said dully.

           "Excuse me?"

           "It's a manga and an anime."

           "I know what it is. Just...why is it relevant?"

           "Because Bertie Gruner is a...I believe the term is weeaboo? He's obsessed with Japanese culture, at least the parts of it that appeal to him. He shows a particular fondness for Naruto. My idea was to set you up as a collector with first editions to sell of the manga, but you need to actually know what you're talking about."

           "I could go instead," Molly said. She blushed as Sherlock stared at her. "What? I like Naruto. It's a decent show. Mike introduced me to it."

           "Molly, no. You can't go."

           "Why not? Kitty obviously can't go, and it needs to be done. Besides, I've got an advantage you two don't have."

           "Which is?"

           "I'm a woman dealing with a man who thinks women are inherently inferior," Molly shrugged.

           John looked at Sherlock helplessly. "This is mental."

           "You two can come too, and you can go through the house and try to free the girls. I'll keep him chatting, make sure that he's distracted, and I'll keep an eye out for book hiding places. Did your informant say it was in his office?"

           "You'll be talking to him in his collector's room, it's where all his special acquisitions are. The book has to be there somewhere." Sherlock's voice was strained. "Molly, are you sure?"

           "Sherlock, I want to help. I can do this. Now all I need is a babysitter."

           There was a whoop from the living room. John poked his head out and saw Kitty laughing as Lily and Jacob were bouncing up and down on the couch cushions.

           "I think you may have one," John started, then cringed as the doorbell rang three times downstairs. "Make that two." He stood. "That's Mrs. Hudson, I'd better go explain what's going on."

           Molly glanced toward the still shattered window and the mess of the living room. "Good luck."