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xandriagreat · 2 years ago

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The Last Heist

Author’s note: In chapter 11 of The Paw, The Bad Guys told Diane why they left their crime life. This is their full story.

Notice/Warnings: heist, panic/anxiety attack, drinks, change, arson/death mentioned

▪▪▪

The Bad Guys smiled as they got home from a big heist. They just got The Five Unique Diamonds from a high security system.

They talked excitedly to each other as they talked about the heist as they entered their home and went to the couch while Moe went to a desk.

Herbert just got the tv on and played the news while Moe looked at the diamonds, to double check.

They’re very real.

He hummed softly and put them in a drawer. It’s for later when they put them into like other jewelry.

He went to the couch, to join the others. “So, what did I miss?” Moe asked as he sat down.

“Nothing much.” Lou said, looking at Moe. “Just the news starting to talk about The Crimson Paw and The Lost Girls.”

Moe hummed softly and nodded. “I’m guessing they’re back into the game again.”

“Let’s watch to find out.” Stefaine said. Everyone nodded and looked at the screen.

A news reporter on screen smiled at the camera. “The rumors of the Paw are true.” the reporter said into the microphone. “The Crimson Paw is back in action after two to three weeks of silence and just got her crown/title of the queen of cons is back. We don’t know if The Lost Girls are back with her. But all that we know is that The Paw is back and is now tied with The Bad Guys.”

Then the news started to talk about the Golden Dolphin Trophy for the upcoming Good Samaritan Awards

Moe started to get an idea from the news and the upcoming Good Samaritan Awards, making his eyes twinkle like a jewel shining in light.

Herbert noticed the spark in Moe’s eyes and smiled. “What’s going on in your mind? You got the twinkle in your eye again.” he said, curious about what Moe was planning.

Moe chuckled as he got up to look at his team. “Well, gang, I got an idea of our next heist.”

Everyone got very interested that Herbert turned the TV off, so everyone could listen to Moe.

“What’s the next big job?” Stefanie asked, leaning back and smiling.

Moe walked over to the window blinds and pulled the strings of the blinds to show a billiton board of the The Golden Dolphin Trophy for the Good Samaritan Awards.

Everyone gasps when they realize that their next heist is going to be The Golden Dolphin.

“Moe, are you serious?” Herbert asked, getting up from the couch and slithering over to the wolf. “Do I have to remind you that this job has broken every heist job ever?”

Moe nodded and said, “I know, but I also know that we can do this heist properly.”

“It's an insane job, Wolf!”

“It’s actually just a bit crazy.” Pepe added. “And I know crazy.”

Lou and Stefaine nodded in agreement with Pepe while Herbert sighed.

“Moe, look around. We have everything that anyone could ask for.” Herbert said, showing his tail around to show Moe what they have. “Friends. Freedom. And look at all of this loot.”

Moe looked at all of it and sighed. “Alright, I hear ya. The heist is off.”

“Good.” the snake said, smiling a bit as he started to slither back to the couch.

“Although,” Moe started, a sly smile formed on his face, “you did say one time, during the nine to ten years of working with each other, that whoever gets out at one point and then gets back in at the last second in any ‘game’ is a cheat. Am I right?”

Herbert stopped slithering over to the couch and looked at Moe. “I… Yeah, I did say that.”

“So, tecally The Paw did cheated her way back up since she disappeared for two to three weeks and is at the same place as us.”

Everyone started to see where Moe was heading with this. All, except for Herbert, started to smile and laugh.

“Alright, fine!” the snake growled. “I see what you mean! If we get this heist, we’ll be over the greatest cons ever.”

“Alright-” Moe started but was interrupted by Herbert saying, “But If we get caught and arrested, I’m blaming you and not talking to you ever again.”

The rest gasped and looked at the wolf.

Moe nodded and hummed, “Alright. I can agree with that.”

Then everyone got excited as Moe told everyone the plan to get The Golden Dolphin tomorrow.

◇

Everyone got ready for the heist for tonight.

Everyone was wearing black jumpsuits and masks, except for Lou, who was wearing a security guard uniform.

They went to the Museum of Fine Arts when ready.

The Golden Dolphin was held on the fourth floor and in a very secure room.

Stefiane was in the cams room and started hacking to get the cams in loop. Lou distracted the other security guards by sending them off to check a different part of the area of the museum, so that Pepe was able to kick open a locked metal door and didn’t bring a lot of attention. Herbert unlocked the door of the secure room, and Moe carefully went to the room where The Golden Dolphin was in.

“This a ‘very’ secure room-” Moe started as he walked in. But when Moe was in the room, the door quickly closed and locked behind him.

Moe turned around quickly when the door closed. “Hey! What happened?” he asked confusedly, pressing his earpiece.

“You opened and entered while I was putting the cams of the room in the loop! It just locked you in, Wolfie, and sent out an emergency call!” Stefiane exclaimed angrily on the coms. Then Stefiane took in a breath before she continued, “I’m slowing the signal down enough to about two minutes, giving you enough time to get the lasers down with the key, get the dolphin. Are there any vents in there that you can fit through, Wolf?”

Moe looked around and saw a big vent that he could fit through. “Yes, there is.” he replied, pressing his earpiece again.

Moe felt that they’re all going to get caught if they stay in the museum. “Everyone needs to get back to the car. I’ll get the Dolphin and meet up.” Moe said to everyone on the coms.

“What?!” others exclaimed worriedly on the coms.

“Trust me on this.” Moe reassured them.

Everyone was quiet for a moment until Herbert said on the coms, “Be careful, Wolf.”

◇

Moe went to the pedestal where The Golden Dolphin was and was guarded by lasers. He got the key that he got earlier. He turned the lasers off with the key.

He smiled and his eyes shined as he grabbed The Golden Dolphin. ‘Yes! We got it!’ Moe thought, smiling softly as he held the trophy. Before he went to the vent with it, he looked at his windows that showed him his reflection.

He didn’t recognize himself but the monster that everyone has said. Moe took off his mask to give himself a better look at himself.

‘… I don’t want to be known as a monster anymore.’ Moe thought, realizing that he had to do the right thing.

He placed The Golden Dolphin back on the pedestal and removed the key to turn the lasers back on. He placed the key on the floor before he entered the vent, his mask in hand, as the two minutes were up.

Moe didn’t know what he’s going to tell the gang.

◇

Moe quickly got out of the museum and got to the car, where the rest of The Bad Guys were confused when they saw that Moe didn’t have the Dolphin.

“Whoa, Moe! What happened?” Herbert asked worriedly as Moe got the car on.

“Also where’s the Dolph-?” Pepe, Lou, and Stefiane started but were cut off as Moe quickly drove the car out of the area while cop cars got to the museum.

Moe drove for a while and the others were just confused about what happened.

He stopped in front of the elevator of the hideout and turned the car off.

Herbert, Pepe, Lou, and Stefiane looked at the wolf. Herbert was about to shout at him but noticed that Moe was crying.

“Moe? What’s wrong?” Herbert asked, his voice calm instead of full on anger.

It took Moe a bit to calm down. Thankfully everyone was patient with him.

“I… I couldn’t… do it…” Moe finally choked out.

Everyone was surprised by that chunk of information.

“How about we go inside, change into something comfortable, and talk more about this over drinks of choice. Does that sound like a good idea?” Lou suggested looking at everyone from the backseat.

Everyone nodded.

“That sounds like a plan.” Moe said.

◇

The Bad Guys changed from their jumpsuits/disguises to comfortable cute footie pajamas and are on the couch with some tea.

Everyone drank the tea as Moe told them of what happened and why he put The Golden Dolphin back.

“You guys can leave if you want… I’m not going to stop any of you.” Moe said after telling them what happened.

Everyone looked surprised at him.

“What makes you think that, hermano?” Pepe asked.

“Because I ruined our heist… We’ve never not finished a job before…” Moe said sadly, sinking down in his seat on the couch. “Also, we’re The Bad Guys. We’ll always be monsters and just be alone-”

“That’s not true.” Herbert spoke up, putting his tail on Moe’s shoulder. Everyone looked at the snake as he continued, “If you’re talking about those news reporters about us and saying that we’re the worst, well, let me tell you, Moe, that they’re wrong. Sure we did some bad things, but at least we didn't commit arson or leave anyone for dead if you know that you all can make it out.”

“Also, we’ve become a family in the last nine to ten years.” Lou added, smiling softly. “It’s a lot better than our… ‘real’ ones…” Stefiane and Pepe said together, both sounding uncomfortable.

Moe nodded and sighed. “So, we’re still all together, right?”

“Right.” Herbert, Stefiane, Pepe, and Lou said together. Then The Bad Guys hugged each other and fell asleep on the couch. They knew it was going to be hard but at least they’re not going to be alone on this new path of their life.

#the bad guys #mr. wolf #mr wolf #mr snake #mr. snake #mr. shark #mr shark #mr. piranha #mr piranha #ms tarantula #ms. tarantula #Moe Wolf #Herbert Snake #Lou Shark #pepe piranha #Stefaine Tarantula #the Paw #the bad guys fic #the last heist

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lanottedellastrega · 5 months ago

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Man, I haven't done a transcript in a while...

Editor's Letter: GHOULS ON FILM

Tobias Forge has always been wildly ambitious. After throwing everything at Ghost in his last real shot as a professional musician, he established the band as an occult-rock force you couldn't look away from, all shady Nameless Ghouls and papal vestments. As the years rolled by, Tobias might have unmasked, but the Ghost legend has only grown. Back at their early gigs in 2010, few could have predicted they'd have their own actual movie in 2024. Like everything Ghost do, Rite Here Rite Now has been kept tightly under wraps, but Tobias was kind enough to grant our Paul Brannigan an audience, and reveal the behind-the-scenes machinations that led to such a triumph of creativity. And if you're reading this letter on June 20, the day the magazine goes on sale and the day the film premieres, you're probably about to experience his vision for yourself. "This is not a tale about death, but one of life…" intones the voicover on Rite Here Rite Now's spooktacular, schlock'n'roll trailer. While we can't say for certain if Papa IV will survive in his current form, we certainly hope Ghost are around to entertain us for a long time to come.

Stay metal, Eleanor Goodman, Editor

RITES. CAMERA. ACTION! From dancing ghouls to…dead Papas? Tobias forge takex us behind the scenes of Rite Here Rite Now, Ghost's new movie spectacular. Words: Paul Brannigan - Lives: Ryan Chang - Portraaits: Travis Shinn

[Accompanying photo: two-page spread of the Forum Ritual, taken during Con Clavi Con Dio, with Papa downstage center holding the thurible. Caption: "Everything Ghost do is BIG. We expect no less from the film"]

Last year, in case you didn't notice, those "hands that threaten doom" which Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson once sang about, inched 10 seconds closer to midnight. The Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the people who created the Doomsday Clock back in 1947 to gauge how close humanity is to destroying the world, reset the minute hand for the 25th time since its creation, moving it closer to the hour than it has ever been. So the prospect of imminent global catastrophe is now ever more pronounced, which, to be honest, is something of a bummer.

"We are approaching the end of an era. So let's have a good time." It was with these equally doom-laden words that Papa Emeritus IV, Ghost's puckish frontman, welcomed the faithful to the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on September 11 last year, for the first of two 'rituals' bringing the Re-Imperatour USA 2023 tour to a close. For those in attendance, the weight of those words hung heavily in the air.

In February last year, news that a second night at the 17,500-capacity venue had been added to the end of the Swedish band's tour schedule, after the first show sold out, was delivered in Chapter 16 of the occult rock collective's web series. The episode, titled Tax Season, was accompanied by a message from "The Clergy" stating, "We wish to inform you that in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes."

The clip itself featured none-too-subtle hints that Papa Emeritus IV may not be long for this world; at one point, while he's playing a retro racing video game, he's distracted by the sight of a glass coffin being wheeled past his door, and when his attention returns to his TV screen, the words 'Game Over!!!!!!' appear. In Ghost world, where every symbol is scrutinised to the nth degree by the faithful, this was interpreted as a warning that the writing was on the wall for this Papa in the City of Angels. And when it was revealed that the group's two-night stand at the Forum was to be filmed for a future film release, with all phones to be confiscated from patrons upon entry, we feared the worst.

Hammer duly dispatched Associate Editor Dave Everley to Los Angeles to bear witness to what promised to be the gravest chapter yet in Ghost's evolution. At the conclusion of the second night at the Forum, however, Papa IV - "channelling the ghosts of Freddie Mercury and vintage Willy Wonka", Dave noted - was still standing, indeed dancing…but there was a lingering suspicion that there was more to be revealed.

Then, on May 1 this year, came a new message: the announcement that Rite Here Rite Now, Ghost's debut feature film, chronicling the events in Los Angeles, would be screened in cinemas worldwide on June 20 and 22. And those studying the minutiae of the film poster observed that the letter "o" in the final word of the title had been substituted for an analogue clock, its hands positioned at - and you might be ahead of us here - two minutes to midnight. Well, well, well…

"The Doomsday Clock is not an actual clock - it's more of a measuring tool for us to understand how near we are to fucking things up. But it's not like a timer on a bomb, and that means that we can still change things around. And this film is a little bit about that, about turning around and changing your ways, even if it's just your attitude towards things."

The real world time is 6:30pm (BST) on May 9, and an email has just informed us that 'Mary Goore' has joined our Zoom call from Stockholm. Those familiar with Ghost's pre-history will be aware that this was Tobias Forge's stage name in both his death metal band Repugnant and his glam metal outfit Crashdiet, and though he chooses today to keep his camera off, the voice on the call is unmistakably that of Ghost's 43-year-old leader. The trailer for Rite Here Rite Now premiered exactly four and a half hours ago, and as far as Tobias can ascertain, it's been "well met" so far the only "concerns" he as noticed to date bein raised by fans worried that the film has not yet been booked into picture houses in their homelands.

"The film is being distributed in many countries, but not all," he explains, "so I understand that there were some voices that felt like we'd overlooked this or that country. It's like when you announce a tour, and immediately get 'Why aren't you coming to… [insert country name]?' That wasn't our decision, I can't tell you why, it's just that some countries didn't want the film, or whatever."

Officially, the first seeds for Rite Here Rite Now were planted in Tobias's mind "over a decade" ago.

"When Ghost got signed to Loma Vista, Tom Whalley [owner and CEO] asked what the story of the band was," he explained in the press release announcing the film. "He felt telling a story was vital in order to get new fans engaged. I said that because we were a new 'baby' band and, more importantly, we were an anonymous baby band, there wasn't really a compelling story to tell. Not yet anyway. But I told him that if he wanted a story, I could come up with one. This film is the fruit of that conversation."

Those who've follwed the band from their earliest days, however, will know that, from the outset, Ghost emerged accompanied by a sense of theatre. Back in 2012, when I spoke to Swedish journalist Richard Lagergren, formerly the guitarist in the band Portrait, and the first 'outsider' to be informed of the existence of Ghost, he used the words "very cinematic, very surreal and very intense" to describe his first encounter with the group. He revealed that he was at his home one Sunday afternoon in October 2010, when he received a phone call telling him that a local band wished to see him. Within an hour, a car pulled up outside his home, and he was blindfolded, driven into the countryside and led into a disused warehouse, where, once his blindfold was removed, he found himself face-to-face with Papa Emeritus and five Nameless Ghouls, and was informed that he had been selected to begin disseminating word of Ghost's Satanic ministry to the world. This was very much not how bands were expected to conduct their business in 2010, and it telegraphed, from day one, Tobias's (still present) desire to keep Ghost out of step with standard, traditional music industry conventions.

[Accompanying photo: Portrait of Papa IV taken in his costume from the start of the show - gold Huntsman jacket, black pirate shirt, black ascot with devil scarf ring, distressed black pants. He is staring at the camera, his arms crossed and his hands at shoulder height, making the sign of the horns. Caption: "What delights are up Tobias's ornate sleeves this time?"]

"From the start, we were cutting against the grain," he reflects. "If you think back to that time, it was the beginning of when the music industry demanded a sort of hyper-frantic online presence from bands, and every band was updating Facebook as soon as they did anything, sending out private messages, like, 'Hey, everyone, don't forget to buy tickets!' I said immediately to my label, 'I don't wanna do that, I fucking hate that shit, and I don't wanna be part of that…and we're a fucking anonymous band.'

"So it was an issue, and we had to steer around a lot of those things, while figuring out, 'How do we communicate with the world what we want to communicate?' We had to figure out ways to sort of cable out a story to the world, a story that we didn't really have at that time, or a story that I didn't want to tell. Because what was that story going to be? My story? No, fuck that. So I said 'I'm gonna come up with a story, and it might unfold in the form of short little online episodes.' And Tom Whalley was like 'OK, I'm intrigued. What do you want to do?'

"So we started doing these episodes about The Ministry, with our little commercial messages attached, and it turned out fun. But obviously it became very complicated: there's a reason why bands just turn on their phones and are like, 'We're coming to Brazil!' It's so much easier. Whereas everything that we've ever done has always been way more complicated. But lots of fun, too. And so, via those web episodes, the story has really taken shape. The idea of making a film has been in my head for years, and I've always been adamant about the web episodes not being too detailed, because you don't want to paint yourself into a corner, so there's been a lot of loose threads. But I figured that I could take these loose threads, tie them together in some sort of comprehensible form, and that could be the film. And that's why we're talking today, finally!"

If you think that today Tobias Forge is going to outline exactly what happens onscreen in Rite Here Rite Now, you really haven't been paying attention to how Ghost operate. For as much as Tobias loves theatre and showmanship, he also treasures and truly values the mystique around his band. And that has its roots in the way he himself discovered his favourite bands as a teenager. For as much as he loved Kiss, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, the Sex Pistols and Venom, the young Tobias Forge was equally immersed in an underground extreme metal community where anonymity was prized above adulation.

"A lot of the bands that I grew up listening to weren't very famous at all," he recalls. "Some of them didn't ever play live, some 'bands' were actually one guy in his bedroom, and you knew very little about anyone. And when these bands did communicate with the world, it was through fanzines, and very adolescent interviews where they gave outrageous, very provocative answers. That helped cement my magnetism towards maintaining mystique, and back in 2010, I definitely thought that there was a way where Ghost could achieve some sort of success whilst 100% maintaining a mystique. And over the years, I've learned that was hard…but then I never thought we'd be as successful as we are.

"The best way to be anonymous in a band is by not forming a band. Don't do it! It's counterintuitive to remain anonymous if you want to be in a big professional band, and it's counterintuitive to sign with a major label who want to break your band. I've always been under the impression that in order to become a representative of the night, you have to be supernatural, but now it's time to let the world in on the story so far, to some extent."

[Accompanying image: Papa IV on stage during Year Zero, microphone in his left hand, his right hand counting two. Caption: "Is Papa IV on borrowed time?"]

With Rite Here Rite Now, Tobias admits that he's in "virgin territory". But here's what we're allowed to know. The film takes place over the course of one evening, with a narrative centered around a gig in Los Angeles, but with flashbacks referencing storylines in the Ghost 'webisodes', which began on YouTube in March 2018. For metal fans, the concept of a feature film blending a live show with a dramatic narrative will likely call to mind Metallica's bold and largely incomprehensible 2013 film Through The Never, a commercial disaster for the band, with James Hetfield subsequently admitting that it "disappeared" and describing the entire experience as "bittersweet". Tobias insists that, actually, there are no overlaps in what he set out to do with Ghost's film - "that film was never a guiding light" are his exact words - and he cites two alternate films as much more instructive in terms of his ambitions.

"As we were pitching the film, the two films that I mentioned a lot in orer for people to try to comprehend artistically what I'm trying to do were [The Rolling Stones' 1983 concert film] Let's Spend The Night Together mixed with [The Sex Pistols' 1980 'mockumentary'] The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle. There is a sense of an origin story, but it's very much a story that takes place during an evening. So you sort of step right into what is happening right there and right then, and maybe the main character's inability, or unwillingness, to be there.

"One issue, or one challenge, that we faced was making a film that was comprehensible to anyone who had no clue about what Ghost is," he continues. "We have a very, very passionate fanbase, who, to a large degree at least, are very aware of everything that goes on with Ghost. The easy part, conceptually, was to make a film that would please them, because they know the story already, they know the context that we are now extending with this film, because it's basically picking up where the last episodes ended. But we wanted it to be that someone who doesn't know shit about the story gets brought up to speed pretty quickly. But this is where my ability to be objective ends, because I'm wondering, 'Do people understand what I'm saying here? Do people get that?'

"Obviously, as with everyone else, I'm a Star Wars fan, and that worked pretty well in the sense where you just crash land right into the story. That works where the message of the film is quite simple, and I think that the message that we're trying to convey with this film is to be right here right now, and not anywhere else. That's what I'm hoping everyone will understand."

[Accompanying photo: Papa and the ghouls backstage before the show. Caption: "What role will the Ghouls play in Rite Here Rite Now?"]

This sounds quite straightforward on paper. But, as Tobias was to quickly learn, the film business is not straightforward, not when films cost 'x million' dollars to make, and someone has to stump up those 'x million' dollars to get it from scripts and storyboards to the screen. Making a film, Tobias says with a very audible sigh, is so much more complicated than making a record, not least because the trust that an artist accumulates working in the music business doesn't necessarily translate to being trusted with a multi-million dollar film budget.

"The film had to go through discussions with finance people who were as curious about the content as you are," he says, diplomatically. "And let's just say that I sometimes struggled to convey what we were just talking about, and not everyone understood it. I'd be saying, 'Look, this is not really, you know, just us live from the Forum.' And they were like, 'Well, could you scrap the live show and just do a film about something else?' And I'd say, 'Well, that kinda defeats the purpose of what I'm trying to sell to you.' So that was a little bit weird."

The end result of such conversations was that no financial backer came onboard for the film, and Ghost and their management ended up funding the whole process - which, he says, ultimately simplified things. But the uncertainty meant that acclaimed Swedish filmmaker Jonas Akerlund - famously once a member of Bathory, and a creative visionary who's made music videos for the likes of Madonna, The Prodigy, U2 and more, as well as directing films such as Lords of Chaos and Spun - decided to step away from potentially directing the film to instead take on a co-producer role, and to advise Tobias as a friend.

In his place, as director, came American filmmaker Alex Ross Perry. He first saw Ghost opening up for Iron Maiden in New York in July 2017, at the conclusion of Maiden's North American tour for The Book of Souls, and subsequently directed the band's own 'mockumentary' Metal Myths, as well as the fabulously provocative promo video for the band's cover of Genesis's 1992 single, Jesus He Knows Me.

"He was obviously the right choice," says Tobias, "and a no-brainer to come aboard, because not only is he a very, very nice guy, but he also totally understands the band.

"Jonas was very involved with all the legwork beforehand, but when he stepped down as the director, and became a producer, it actually made things a little bit easier, because he became less stressed about it; all of a sudden he became calm, and just became my friend instead, pushing everything along. At no point did I feel like I'd bitten off more than I could chew, but the whole thing was definitely a huge learning experience.

"A lot of film studios sometimes struggle to comprehend something that isn't mainstream," he adds. "Like, it's not uncommon that you might want to make a film about, say, a historical event, and they would be, like, 'Hmmm, it's really depressing that the boat sinks in the end. Can it not do that?' And you're like, 'Well, no, the story is about these two lovers that meet on the sinking boat, and yeah, he dies in the end.' 'But that's so depressing! Can we make a different ending?' 'Er, No.' 'Well, we don't want to pay for that.' That's the sort of shit you're up against."

For Tobias, Rite Here Rite Now is clearly the biggest project that he's ever taken on, but Ghost fans shouldn't worry that they're about to lose their hero to Hollywood. At one point today, he mentions his work on the next Ghost album, specifically saying that he's "synchronising" his work on the film with the new record, so we may get an announcement on that sooner rather than later.

There remains one last matter to discuss. In each chapter of Ghost's journey to date, there has been death and renewal, with a new Papa coming along at the end of each cycle to replace the outgoing bandleader. And yet Papa IV was not killed off in Los Angeles. So, Tobias, is he going to transition into the next cycle?

A drawn out "Errrrrrrr…" comes through the speakers before an answer arrives.

"He will be with us, yeah. For a lifetime, if you will. As everyone is."

Okaaaaaay. But will Papa V also be appearing soon?

"I hope so."

At this point, the band's PR steps in to advise that we have one last question. So we ask if Rite Here Rite Now is close to the vision Tobias had in his head when he first embarked upon this ambitious undertaking.

"It's never, you know, 100%," he answers, "but pretty damn close. A lot of things that I think scared people in meetings a year ago, are things that I know that we pulled off. As an artist, people want you to dream big, but I always try to come up with things that are actually doable.

"Everything with Ghost is difficult and expensive, but the records are getting closer to what I imagine, and this film turned out pretty close to what I envisioned. And when I see the film, even I look at the show and go, 'That's pretty entertaining, that's pretty cool.' This is a film that you have not seen before. And you can all tell me what you thought when you see me next, OK?"

SIDEBAR ARTICLE 1: "I'M IN AWE OF TOBIAS!" Rite Here Rite Now director Alex Ross Perry explains how he helped Ghost's mastermind realise his vision.

[Accompanying photo: Another portrait of Papa IV in the gold jacket. His left hand is on his hip, his right gestures across his body, as though he is pointing to the sidebar. Caption: "Tobias has one helluva vision. Getting execs to understand it ain't easy!"]

[Inset photo: Alex Ross Perry looking off-camera to the right, as though he is staring at the photo of Papa next to him.]

Pennsylvania-born filmmaker Alex Ross Perry has a CV that includes helming music videos for the likes of Kim Gordon, Pavement, Sleigh Bells and Bully; writing, producing and directing acclaimed grunge/punk movie Her Smell; and creating Ghost's brilliant 2022 mockumentary, Metal Myths. However, he explains, working with Tobias Forge on Rite Here Rite Now was an experience like no other.

How did you and Tobias first come into one another's orbit? "I first saw Ghost opening up for Iron Maiden in New York, at the Barclays Center, seven years ago, and then I went on YouTube and had a lot of fun diving into their music videos. I'd done work for [Ghost's US record label] Loma Vista, and so I said to them, 'Nothing I've done is in the world of this band, but I'm a big fan, so if you ever need anything in the world of Ghost, my hand is raised.' And a couple of months later, I was asked if I wanted to create an official/unofficial Ghost mockumentary, streamlining the narrative woven into the band's story, and that became Metal Myths, which launched on April Fool's Day 2022."

How was that received? "I know that Tobias really liked what we did with that, and thought it was an amazing testament to his work and creativity. So then I was asked to curate an event at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles to celebrate Ghost's Grammy nomination [for Best Metal Performance, for Call Me Little Sunshine], and we had some fun working on the Mary On The Cross [sic] 1969 era. While I was out in LA, we did the Jesus He Knows Me music video too, and I was told, 'We're doing a movie,' so I said 'Well, if you need any help, I'm here.'"

What did you make of Tobias when you first spoke to him? "I was, and am, a huge admirer of everything that he's built, so I was in awe of his creativity and the scope of his vision, and I remain so having now collaborated with him on this movie. He's one of the greats, in terms of the vision he has. He's a nerd, a repository for information and references to music history and film history, and that is incredibly rare. His vision has taken him so far in 10 years, and in 10 years' time it'll have taken him even further. My favorite band is Kiss, and Tobias might say the same, but they stumbled when they tried to branch out with [1978 TV film] Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park, whereas Tobias built a visual narrative into the Ghost solar system from the beginning. Working with him was constantly inspiring."

What was the most challenging part of the whole process for you? "It was just logistically very complex. It was challenging being at the Forum, shooting scenes that we were going to connect with scenes that we would be filming five months later."

How much creative input did you get to have, and how much were you able to bring your own vision to what was already mapped out? "I consider it a real collaboration between the two of us. His vision for the storytelling is crystal clear, but even though the A to Z is mapped out, there's so much room to discuss what happens from B to Y. You could just talk all night about that, and we did many times, like, 'Does this happen?' 'Is this joke funny?' 'Should this scene have no dialogue?' I took ideas that were not possible and turned them into ideas that are possible. We sat on his tourbus one month before the Forum and just talked until 4 or 5am about every story beat, every scene, every moment between the characters. It was such an amazing experience from start to finish."

SIDEBAR ARTICLE 2: "I'D SIT WATCHING FILMS ALL NIGHT, THEN HAVE A HORRENDOUS NEXT DAY IN SCHOOL!" Five flicks that fired the imagination of teenage cinephile Tobias Forge

[Accompanying photo: A third portrait of Papa IV in the gold jacket, staring directly into the camera and throwing the horns with both hands. Caption: "What the Devil will Tobias do next?"]

By his own admission, Tobias Forge is a film nerd, who watched "everything, all the time."

"I've always been very interested in cinema," he says. "As a kid, I'd watch everything that my older brother and his friends were watching, and as soon as I was old enough, I had a TV and VCR in my bedroom. I spent so much time in front of the TV playing guitar and watching films - French drama, comedy, horror, action, all kinds of films. I'd sit watching films all night, then have a horrendous next day in school! Anyone who has a record collection and video collection similar to mine will recognize lots of little references in our film."

Here are five films that regularly got slotted into the video cassette recorder in Tobias's teenage bedroom.

THE FUNHOUSE (Tobe Hooper, 1981) Tacky, violent and unpleasantly scary slasher flick set in a traveling carnival, directed by Tobe Hooper, who had produced, co-written and directed 1974's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. A commercial failure, but one with cult appeal for fans of 80s 'video nasties'.

SCARFACE (Brian De Palma, 1983) Endlessly quotable and unrelentingly violent crime drama depicting the rise and fall of drug lord Tony Montana, played by Al Pacino. One of the most iconic gangster films ever made, referenced on countless gangsta rap records. All together now: "Say hello to my little friend!"

C.H.U.D. (Douglas Cheek, 1984) Schlocky sci-fi horror about murderous humanoids roaming the sewers of New York City. Ghost pal Dave Grohl was also a fan of the movie. His teenage band, Mission Impossible, recorded a song called C.H.U.D. with a chorus that ran: 'Chaotic Hardcore Underage Delinquents! Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers!'

BETTY BLUE (Jean-Jacques Beineix, 1986) Impossibly intense French 'erotic psychological drama' featuring lots of philosophical musing, lots of steamy sex, and an inevitable slide into madness. A cult classic, which shifted tens of thousands of film posters to art and film studies students worldwide, it made 21-year-old Beatrice Dalle an international sex symbol.

LES AMANTS DU PONT-NEUF (Leos Carax, 1991) Another intense, wordy French drama about a doomed, obsessive love affair, staring a young Juliette Binoche as homeless artist Michele besotted with alcohol-and-pills-addicted wannabe circus performer Alex (Denis Lavant). The film went insanely over-budget and took forever to shoot; by the end, real-life lovers Binoche and Carax had split.

Copped the Ghost Metal Hammer so thought I’d share the contents for anyone who may not be able to buy it for themselves (the article and Tobias interview is Rite Here Rite Now spoiler free!)

Let me know if any of the photos are bad quality and I’ll re-take them!

#the band ghost #tobias forge #metal hammer #rite here rite now #transcript added #goddamn this took ages

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nuzifanficwriter · 1 month ago

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Chapter 6 - Uzi 3072 (Part One)

My dignity is gone after a few rounds of personal and spicy truths and dares from Lizzy and V, and losing all other board games. We decided to have a sleepover, and J and Tessa returned. V’s hosting since her place is like party central. It’s pretty sleek, and it’s huge! Way too big for one person, but then again, the party animal she is, it’s perfect for her. We’re all staying in the living room. It’s really for the community aspect of it but Lizzy and V say it’s for ‘supervision’ as if N and I are 15. We settle down and decide to watch a movie. Cyn’s having this like…..old vintage phase, so she makes us watch a movie from almost 2,000 years ago called ‘Heathers.’ I think it sucks at first but then when JD shoots the jocks with blanks, I’m suddenly invested. Then they play strip croquet to which V comments, “N and Uzi last night?” N, in a sassy mood, says, “gee, I don’t recall you being there. Also I remember it being 11:15 am -and we just woke up fully clothed and I don’t recall the croquet?” We all laugh. We’re watching JD kill Heather Duke when Lizzy gets a text. She opens it before covering her mouth with her hand, “oh my robo-god!” Thad scoots over to her and peers at her phone, “what is it, babe?” “Shut up I’m watching the movie!” I yell before getting furious, “IT WAS A NIGHTMARE?!“ “what the Еь��ть?!” Doll yells, “it’s like making a show about our lives and constantly killing me off and reviving me, except the last time, cyn eats my core instead of me living.” “Well that’s oddly specific,” V mumbles. Lizzy rolls her eyes and pauses the movie, “but guys, you know how Rebecca was rushed to the hospital, given new legs, and put on life support. And she’s been in a coma ever since?” N and I groan. N cringes, “not her.” I sigh, “I should’ve eaten her head.” Lizzy rolls her eyes again, “yeah well she woke up.” N and I in unison yell, “NOOOOO!” I smack my head on my pillow and grumble, “I thought for sure she’d fall off life support when Cyn was eating the planet.” Cyn scowls and uses her voice buttons to say, “first, Absolute Solver, not me. Second, I can eat her for you, heheheh!” “No, I want that satisfaction,” I joke. Lizzy groans, “guys, no eating! She’s gonna crash with Thad and I for a while. She’ll be back at school on Monday.” I sit there, jaw wide open, whining like a toddler, “Why???? There’s only a few months left!“ “Four’s quite a bit. Plus she wants to be there to graduate,” Lizzy says, “oh my robo-god. This idiot is already asking about N. ‘He’s taken, bitch. I’d leave him alone unless you want eaten again.’” I smile. At least Lizzy doesn’t like homewreckers. N grabs me and holds me tight, “guess we’ll have to show her each day that I’m a taken man. Oh but how will we though~? Oh I know! What’s that you always say love? ‘Bite me’? Well, it’s my turn~” We all stare in disbelief. Tessa snickers, “who forgot to take him out of ‘flirty boi’ mode?” I smile, “my bad, that was me.” N rolls on the floor hugging me, “nooo! I’m just trying to be a little flirtier since Uzi likes it!” “Oh sunshine, I don’t care. You can tap for 12 hours about golden retrievers and I’d still stare with the lovey dovey eyes that I do,” I say. J snickers, “suit yourself, I’d blow his head off.” Tessa yanks the hair she’s currently braiding, “J!” “Ow! I-….sorry, Tessa,” J says. Tessa smiles and goes back to braiding J’s hair, “it’s okay! All done! My turn!” She turns around and J smiles as she starts to braid Tessa’s hair…at least, what’s long enough. We unpause the movie. One by one, we fall asleep. Those of us still awake start watching other movies from the 21st century. Boss Baby, odd but can see the appeal. Boss Baby Family Business, way better than the original. Nimona, top teir. Scott pilgrim Vs the world, also top teir. Me, N, V, Cyn, and Lizzy all realized we’ve stayed up until 4:30 am.

#murder drones nuzi #murder drones

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thebehindpost · 9 months ago

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Season previews: Western Bulldogs (10th)

Last season: 9th (12 wins, 11 losses, 108.7%) Notable ins: Ryley Sanders (no. 6 draft pick), James Harmes (Melbourne), Nick Coffield (St Kilda) Notable outs: Josh Bruce (retired)

The Bulldogs 2016 premiership was at the time likened to Hawthorn's of 2008 - a young side on the rise that arrived early to kick off a potential dynasty ahead of when anyone expected. The comparison was further cemented when, like Hawthorn in 2009, the Bulldogs missed the eight the next season. Where the similarities now end is that seven years later, there has not been a second successful chapter in this era at Footscray (let alone a third and fourth). Besides that 2016 flag, the balance of coach Luke Beveridge's tenure has been one Grand Final loss, four elimination-final losses and three years missing the finals altogether. In his nine home-and-away seasons, they have not once finished inside the top four.

The tough question arrived at the end of another middling 2023 season: has Beveridge outstayed his welcome? The answer we got from the board was unconvincing. Immediately complicating matters was that less than 12 months earlier, Beveridge had been handed a two-year contract extension amid (real or imagined) interest in the coach from other clubs and he was now tied to the Bulldogs until the end of 2025. Sacking Beveridge wasn't an option because even if his pay-out clause was favourable to the club, it would mean the board admitting to a big mistake and they are loathe to do that lest they be voted out themselves. So it was time to break glass in case of emergency and announce a review. One review became two reviews when the first wasn't deemed sufficient and a summer of football department upheaval unsettled nearly everyone except the coach and the footy boss, Chris Grant. Beveridge and his Bulldogs now enter a new year under a cloud of tensions and doubt.

10th place is at the lower end of their conceivable ladder range in 2024 (barring complete catastrophe). The list is certainly better than that, not quite among the very best in the competition but with good players across every line. They have Tim English, the number one ruckman in the league, and they have Marcus Bontempelli, regarded by many as the number one player full stop. In fact there are five All-Australians on the list. Their key forward, Aaron Naughton, has just signed a massive eight-year contract and a similarly huge deal beckons for Jamarra Ugle-Hagan. And the Bulldogs are healthy with the exception of Bailey Smith, out for the season with an ACL, but he was at sea last year and doing finer work in underwear advertisements than on the football field.

So there is talent at the Kennel but there was talent last year and the year before that. The problem has been playing a consistent brand of football over a meaningful period of time, without wild fluctuations and radical selection changes at the drop of a hat. Beveridge is an emotional coach and only sometimes a very effective one. It was an extraordinary achievement for him to lead them to that premiership in 2016 and then back to a Grand Final in 2021. During those games, the players looked as if they would run through walls for their coach and there is skill in knowing which buttons to push to achieve that result. The problem arises when after nearly a decade in charge, you are reaching so far into your bag of tricks to get a reaction that analogies to Che Guevara are coming out at the season launch. The mind games stop working and there isn't a system and method to fall back on, the players are running around in circles, racking up possessions but not goals and then… you are losing to West Coast at home in round 23 and your season is over.

Another year out of the finals would be a disaster. English is out of contract and has no shortage of potential suitors to convince him more success lies elsewhere. Bontempelli is 28 and though far from the twilight of his career, would be thinking on his legacy and wondering if he will ever add another premiership to his CV here. The powers that be have made the not-so-bold gambit of sticking fat with the coach and adding some new voices to his staff. If it doesn't work, the question will come again: has Beveridge outstayed his welcome? The answer this time would be far more obvious and the consequences far wider reaching.

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freyayuki · 1 year ago

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Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia Rosa and Kurasame Banners

The Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories story chapter event just started in the Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia (DFFOO) mobile game. This story chapter event came with 2 banners.

Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories Banner 1

The Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories banner 1 features the following chars and their weapons:

Rosa Joanna Farrell from Final Fantasy IV (#ad) - 15cp, 35cp, Ex, LD, Force or FR, and Burst or BT

Kurasame Susaya from Final Fantasy Type-0 - Force only

Gau from Final Fantasy VI - 15cp, 35cp, Ex, and LD

Kimahri Ronso from Final Fantasy X - 15cp, 35cp, Ex, and LD

Have everything on this banner except for Rosa’s FR and BT.

Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories Banner 2

The Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories banner 2 features the following chars and their weapons:

Kurasame Susaya from Final Fantasy Type-0 - 15cp, 35cp, Ex, LD, Force or FR, and Burst or BT

Rosa Joanna Farrell from Final Fantasy IV - Force only

Rude from Final Fantasy VII - 15cp, 35cp, Ex, and LD

Wakka from Final Fantasy X - 15cp, 35cp, Ex, and LD

Have everything on this banner except for Rosa’s FR and Kurasame’s BT.

Thoughts about Rosa Joanna Farrell from Final Fantasy IV

I like Rosa Joanna Farrell from Final Fantasy IV well enough, I suppose, but wouldn’t call her a fave or anything.

Interested in pulling for her though since she’s a pretty good support slash healer slash buffer, and one can never have enough of those. LOL.

Aside from that, after seeing Rosa’s BT animation, became all the more interested in pulling for her.

Rosa’s Burst animation features her alongside Paladin Cecil Harvey from Final Fantasy IV and Ceodore Harvey from Final Fantasy IV. Cecil is Rosa’s husband and Ceodore’s their son. I really like the family theme of Rosa’s BT animation.

youtube

On top of that, one of the effects of Rosa’s BT+ has her doing a follow-up attack which features her and Cecil working together.

Anyway, currently have Rosa’s 15cp, 35cp, Ex, and LD fully MLB. Her Ex has been Purpled. She has her High Armor and it’s been Realized to 0/3. She has her Bloom Stone as well as triple perfect Artifacts.

All of her Summon Boards have been completed but she doesn’t have any of her Force Enhancements yet. Unlocked parts of her Character Enhancement Boards, particularly the tiles that would give me her LD Call and LD extension passive.

Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories Banner 2 Free First Multi-Draw Results

As part of some campaign or other, we get a free first multi-draw on both of the Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories banners.

Banner 2’s free pull gave me a dupe of Kurasame’s FR. Ahh, wish this had been my first copy of Rosa’s FR instead.

Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories Banner 1 Free First Multi-Draw Results

The free first multi-draw on the Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories banner 1 gave me dupes of Rosa’s Ex and Gau’s 35cp. Meh.

Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories Banner 1 Free Multi-Draw Tickets Results

Have 3 multi-draw tickets that can be used on either of the Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories banners. Decided to use all 3 of these tickets on banner 1.

The first ticket gave me a dupe of Gau’s LD.

The second ticket gave me dupes of Gau’s Ex and Rosa’s 15cp.

The third ticket gave me dupes of Gau’s 35cp and Kimahri’s Ex. Welp, what’s with all the Gau dupes? LOL.

Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories Banner 1 Multi-Draws Results

Currently have 1279860 gems. Here are the results of my multi-draws on the Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories banner 1:

3/11 - 2 dupes of Rosa's 15cp and 1 dupe of Gau's 15cp

4/11 - 2 dupes of Kimahri's 15cp, 1 dupe of Rosa's 15cp, and 1 dupe of Gau's 15cp

To my surprise, my next multi-draw gave me a Burst orb.

Hell, yes! Super pleased to see this. And also really pleased to get my very first copy of Rosa's Burst weapon.

Now I just need her Force weapon then I can be done with this banner.

Aside from Rosa's BT, this pull also gave me a dupe of her 35cp.

2/11 - dupes of Gau's 15cp and Rosa's Ex

My next multi-draw gave me a Force orb.

Was really hoping that this would turn into my first copy of Rosa's FR but unfortunately, ended up with a dupe of Kurasame's FR instead. Sigh. Also got dupes of Rosa's 15cp and Kimahri's Ex.

3/11 - dupes of Rosa's 15cp, Kimahri's 35cp, and Gau's LD

My next multi-draw gave me a Burst orb again which means just got a dupe of Rosa's BT. At least I can use this dupe to exchange for 5 Burst Tokens but ahh, wish I could have gotten Rosa's FR instead.

At this point, it feels like I'm gonna end up having to pity Rosa's Force weapon. At least I already got her Burst but still.

1/11 - dupe of Kimahri's 15cp

2/11 - dupes of Gau's 15cp and Kimahri's 35cp

Ugh, what crappy pulls. Rosa FR, doko da?

2/11 - dupes of Kimahri's 35cp and Gau's LD

2/11 - 2 dupes of Rosa's Ex

And that's it. I now have 300 G Tokens for this banner, the exact amount I need to exchange for Rosa's FR. It's really too bad that her FR didn't show up at all but at least I was able to get her BT already.

It would have cost me more if I had to pity her Burst instead. And, thanks to the free pulls we got, having to pity Rosa's FR didn't cost me that much.

Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories Banner 1 Exchange Shop

Anyway, went to the Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories banner 1 G Token exchange shop.

Exchanged all 300 of my G Tokens for 1 copy of Rosa's FR.

Rosa Joanna Farrell from Final Fantasy IV

Afterwards, spent the 3 Ingots needed to Blue Rosa's High Armor.

Then I spent the High Power Stones needed to fully MLB her FR. Also completed the rest of her Char Boards and Force Enhancements.

Then, also spent the Book and Ingots needed to Green Rosa's BT.

I always give the chars who I fully build real Spheres so was thinking about what Spheres to equip to Rosa. Her Sphere slots are C, C, and D.

It looks like the best C Spheres for her are 2 copies of Paladin Cecil's Full HP Break Hit BRV Gain All.

Unfortunately, already used my copies of this Sphere and don't have any more extra copies of Cecil's Ex. So rather than equip Rosa with real but inferior C Spheres, opted to just give her 2 copies of Cecil's RF Spheres instead.

As for Rosa's D slot - equipped her with Deuce's (from Final Fantasy Type-0) Buff Attack Up All 3 D Sphere.

Now my Rosa is fully built and complete. It's just too bad that I don't have a Bow Ultima Weapon to equip to her. Still, can't wait to try her out in some endgame quests and such.

Conclusion

So, what about you? Did you pull on either of the Act 4, Ch. 3, Pt. 2 Unforgettable Memories banners? What do you think about Rosa, Kurasame, and all the other chars featured on these banners? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging or replying to this post.

Notes:

screenshots are from my Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia game account

#dissidia final fantasy opera omnia #pulls for these chars:#rosa joanna farrell #kurasame susaya #kimahri ronso #wakka #rude #gau #final fantasy 7 #final fantasy 4 #final fantasy type-0 #final fantasy 6 #gacha games #dffoo free pulls #dffoo banner pulls #games #dffoo #dffoo ticket pulls

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horansqueen · 4 years ago

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Stuck With You - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: If You Don’t Know

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

College Enemies To Lovers AU

characters // masterlist // instagrams // mood board

Tonight we're fading fast I just wanna make this last If I could say the things I want to say, I'd find a way to make you stay I'd never let you get away Get you in all the games we play

So go ahead, rip my heart out, Show me what love's all about Go ahead, rip my heart out That's what love's all about

I want you to want me this way, And I need you to need me to stay If you say that you don't feel a thing If you don't know, let me go, let me go, let me go, let me go If you don't know then just let me go

Let's forget the past I swear we'll make this last 'Cause I remember the taste of your skin tonight And the way that you looked, you had those eyes I remember the way I felt inside And the name of the songs that made you cry You would scream, we would fight, you would call me crazy I would laugh, you were mad but you'd always kiss me And the shirt that I had that you always borrowed When I woke, it was gone There was no tomorrow

click here to be on the update list

(check the characters page, i updated it with all the characters!)

NIALL

It was extremely hurtful to push her away. In fact, it was horrible, even worse than when I did it in the first few weeks after we met, mostly because now, I loved her, and I knew she loved me too. When she told Abby off, I was a bit surprised. I knew they wouldn't be friends but I didn't think Devon would actually have the guts to say these things in front of everyone but if I had to be honest with myself, I liked it. I did it to her ex boyfriend, she did it to my ex girlfriend... To me, it just showed that we cared about each other and didn't want to other to get hurt again. I also felt like it proved the feelings we had for each other because I could pretend the opposite, but there was also a tiny bit of jealousy in the way we told each other's exes off.

I knew Abby and although I didn't like the way she was acting with me, I was also aware that pushing her away would only make her try harder. She was exactly like a boomerang and even if I had no intention to give in to any of her propositions, not answering was still my best bet. I wanted to tell Devon about it but I didn't have a second alone with her and whenever I tried to talk to her, Abby would interrupt me to get my attention back.

The conversation we had alone in the dark street was rough on my heart and it kept playing over and over again in my head for the rest of the evening. I was lost in my thoughts and even felt bad for Louis when I realized Abby was trying to get his attention. She never really knew what she wanted and to me, it only proved she wanted nothing except feeling special. Perhaps, the way I loved her didn't make her feel special enough but at that point in my life, I didn't give a fuck.

I wanted to talk to Lewis but he was busy pushing Daxia between him and the wall for the rest of the night and when I was about to leave, Abby ran back to me to have an long chat about what she was doing, what she planned on doing, and how we should spend time together again. I also had to walk back to campus, too drunk to take my car, and when I got back in my room, I tried to be quiet but I quickly realized that Devon was not asleep for the simple fact that she was not snoring. She pretended to be asleep though and I decided it meant she didn't want to talk. Anyway, we were both way too fucked to have a discussion. Still, I couldn't help but stand near her for a few minutes, just watching her, as creepy as it sounded. She was obsessing me in a way I didn't understand. I had obsessed over Abby for months, yet it never felt the way it felt with Devon, and I had no idea why.

I woke up early the next morning to go get my car and when I stopped near her bed, she was snoring low. My lips curled sadly on the left when I realized she was wearing my shirt and I took off the hoodie I was wearing to lay it down on my bed, in hope that she'd see it and wear it.

I told her I wasn't going to have sex with her anymore but it was not because I didn't want to. With Abby coming back, it made me realize that perhaps, I was ready for more with Devon, and yelling to her that I loved her had an effect I didn't expect. I could see in her face that she was actually surprised, as if she didn't really think I had these feelings for her. To me it was obvious but perhaps I was not as transparent as I thought.

I spent the morning working on a new song and had to kick myself mentally to make sure I'd go to my classes in the afternoon. I had so many feelings stuck inside me that it was hard to focus on anything else, especially anything school related.

It was only near the end of the afternoon that I saw her and my heart twisted in my chest. It was crazy how much I missed her. After spending so many days together, 24/7, being away from her for almost a whole day seemed impossible but it was still happening. She was laughing with Louis but there was sadness in her eyes and they met mine, her smile fell and her lips parted. She brought her shoulders closer to her face and sent me an embarrassed smile. That's when I realized she was wearing my hoodie and it made me smile.

I didn't know why I expected Devon to be the kind of girl who would scream her feelings. Of course, she had never told me she loved me with words, but just seeing her wearing my clothes even if we were mad at each other told me she had feelings for me. Everyone has their own way to express their feelings. Of course, it's easier when it's clearly said, but words are still just words. Actions speak louder, even if they're made obliviously. She had always been secretive, almost hiding who she was and how she felt. I even wrote a damn song about it, so why was it so surprising that she couldn't tell me that she loved me? And was it selfish to want it anyway? To need it?

Louis made a quick head movement and Devon started nibbling on her bottom lip as I stood there motionless like an idiot. I was thinking I could just grab some food and go back to the music room to write some more or at least, to play something. I knew I could just go back to my room with my guitar but I couldn't seem to clear my mind when I was there, and I knew it would be worse if Devon was there and at the same time, I was desperate to spend time with her or at least, around her. She just moved her hand up as a 'hello' and I did the same. How could you feel so close to someone and at the same time, so far?

I finally sighed and walked back to my room a bit reluctantly. I worked on a school project for about an hour and finally gave up since I was not able to focus at all. I decided to take a shower before to play guitar and a few minutes after I got out, the door opened and Devon appeared. Her lips parted, she held her breath and she quickly closed her eyes, making me chuckle.

"Oh god, I'm sorry!" she let out, shutting her eyes tighter as I grabbed a towel to wrap it around my waist.

"No worries, Devie. You can open your eyes." I said, amused. "Nothing you haven't seen before."

She licked her lips and after a few seconds, her eyes fluttered open only to meet mine. She smiled shyly and I noticed some dark paint on her face. It made me realized she painted a lot with dark blue and greys these days and I was not sure it was a good thing.

"Your turn." I just told, walking past her to give her some privacy.

"You can stay!" she quickly proposed. "Nothing you haven't seen before."

I turned around and she looked nervous, nibbling again on her bottom lip. She grabbed the bottom of my hoodie that she was wearing and when she took it off, my heart skipped a beat as I realized she was wearing nothing under it. I knew it took her a lot to expose herself to me like that, and I was torn between giving her what she was clearly asking, or holding on to what I had told her not even 24 hours before. My eyes roamed on her face and down to her chest despite myself. I wanted to touch her so bad it was driving me a bit insane. I thought about sliding hands on her breasts to feel her hard nipples on my palms but just cleared my throat and blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the images in my head.

I took a step closer and her lips parted. It felt like I didn't have control on my legs anymore and I stopped in front of her, looking down in her eyes. I brought my hand up slowly to push a lock of her hair behind her ear and she raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"I... think I'll just go get dressed."

It was so pathetic. I was there in only a towel and she was standing in front of me, shirtless and literally begging me with her eyes to fuck her, but I was about to leave anyway. The less I was thinking with my head, the more I wondered why the fuck I had decided to stop having sex with her, and I knew that the longer I stayed, the harder it would be to leave. I took a step back but suddenly, she grabbed the towel around my waist and I held my breath.

"Niall!" she almost yelled before swallowing hard. "Please."

I could feel the back of her fingers against my skin as she held me by the towel. They were so close to my dick it actually made my heartbeats accelerate.

"Devie, I can't."

"Niall I fucking miss you."

I put my hand over hers, pulling it away frim me but still squeezed her fingers, my eyes never leaving hers. "I'm sorry."

It took everything in me to just turn around and leave and when I closed the door behind myself, I leaned against it and closed my eyes. My head made a light thud when it fell against the wood and I let out a few curse words under my breath.

My heart dropped in my chest when I heard her sob on the other side of the door but quickly, she started the shower and I couldn't hear anything else.

How could I tell her that if she didn't love me, I couldn't keep having sex with her because it hurt too much? How could I explain to her that I loved her so much that it made me want die thinking I'd never have a chance with her? I stayed against the door for so long what actually took me out of my thoughts was when she stopped the shower. I forced myself to walk to my bed after breathing in deeply and quickly put a pair of sweatpants on and a t-shirt. I sat in my bed just as she got out of the bathroom and I noticed she was wearing my shirt again.

"That's my hoodie." I just said blatantly, running my fingers on the strings of my guitar.

I was sitting with my back against the wall, if only to face her and be able to see her better.

"Oh yea, sorry, let me just grab a new shirt and I'll go get changed."

I frowned a bit, wondering why she'd suddenly feel the need to hide in the bathroom to change but I just licked my lips. "No it's cool you keep it." I sent her a small smile. "Looks better on you anyway."

She pressed her lips together and nodded slowly before sitting on her bed. "Thank you."

I noticed her tired eyes and how sad she seemed to be and remembered the sob I heard through the door. I didn't want to make her sad. In fact, I wanted to make her happy every single day, I just didn't know how without hurting myself in the process, and I didn't want this to be a rerun of the past relationship I had. Abby had fucked me up but at least, now, I knew what I didn't want in a relationship.

I stared at her for a few minutes in silence and she finally leaned against the wall as we faced each other. I wanted to apologize for not touching her earlier but I knew it wouldn't change anything. I could also read on her face that she had so many questions and I was not sure I had the answers. My fingers ran again in the strings as I started a song. I noticed her eyes falling on my hands and I couldn't remember the last time I felt so nervous to sing in front of someone. I was sort of used to it in my classes and I was never the shy type, but she meant so much to me and I wanted her to enjoy everything I wrote, especially if it was about her.

"Someday, it could be more than we intended And we'll be happy that we waited When it's all been said and done Oooh, and you have changed me And we both got what we wanted And looking back it's complicated But we would've happened all along

So keep this open There won't be any more hearts that are broken Hold on, hold on

Don't leave me wastin' all alone Wondering where the time has gone I know it's hard to keep keeping on Don't leave me wasted

Don't leave me wastin' by myself Let's leave emotions on the shelf I swear there ain't nobody else Don't leave me wasted Don't leave me wasted"

I stopped playing and Devon sent me a sad smile, wrapping her arms around her knees and leaning her chin on the top of them.

"It's beautiful." she expressed very low, licking her lips. "Gave me goosebumps."

I wanted her close. I wanted to ask her to come on my bed with me and take her in my arms. I wanted to press her body so hard against mine that I could imagine us melt into each other. I wanted to tell her how much I loved her and hear her say it back. Instead, I smiled slightly at her back.

"Thank you." I whispered and let out a sigh. "You know, I didn't want to hurt you."

"No, it's okay, I'm okay." she quickly replied even if we both knew it was a lie. "I mean, you don't have to want me, or have sex with me. I'm sorry I just got half-naked in front of you, it was wrong of me."

I stared at her a few seconds and put my guitar away to lean my wrists on my knees. "I was talking about last night."

Her traits softened and her lips parted. She shrugged a shoulder and glanced away before looking back at me. "You didn't hurt me. I was just pissed, in both senses. You can flirt with Abby all you want, you're right, it's none of my business."

"That's not what I said last night and you know it, Devie." I pointed out calmly,

Her face changed and she seemed to tear up and I tried to push away the urge I had to go sit next to her and take her in my arms.

"I know."

---

Two weeks and a half. That's how long it had been since I had felt Devon's lips against mine. Two weeks and a half since I had told her that I loved her. Two weeks without much interaction with her. It felt like the first few weeks she had moved in, when I desperately tried to hate her without success. I was longing for her in a way I hadn't longed for anyone in a while, if ever, but I resisted.

It was the weekend and all I wanted was to get wasted. We all ended up in a bar but after too many beers, I didn't even feel creepy to stare at her as she danced. It reminded me of that time she danced in my living room wearing only my sweatshirt and panties, right before we danced together on a slow song. Why did it feel like years ago? Why couldn't I just go to her and tell her that it was alright, that we would just keep on having sex and that I'd push all the love I have for her away if I could feel myself inside her again? I scoffed at that thought and shook my head. Why? Because it was impossible for me to ignore these feelings. They were monopolizing my whole heart and mind and there was nothing I could do about it.

I heard a loud laughter near me and I recognized Abby immediately. I had no idea who invited her but I couldn't say I was happy she was here. I got out of my thoughts when someone put an other beer in front of me and Louis finally sat down next to me before glancing a Devon and then back at me again.

"She's a stubborn girl." he let out, turning on his stool to face me. "Trust me, I tried."

"I'm just meant to fall for girls who don't want me. I'm cursed." I explained before swallowing half the beer he had just given me.

"You know she loves you." Louis sighed. "She's just scared, especially of Abby and the feelings you could still have for her."

"I don't give a fuck about Abby."

"I know, but Dev.. she's heard it before, you know? She doesn't want to go through it again. She's trying to spare her heart."

"I should have done that too." I realized, shaking my head as I still stared at her. "Should have tried hating her harder."

"Yea, that wouldn't have worked."

"Fuck, look at her."

I hated what I was seeing in front of me. Devon was with Mandy's brother and she was genuinely laughing at something he said. I could tell in the way he was looking at her that he was interested and suddenly, anger invaded my whole body and I got up quickly, my chair scratching on the floor and making a horrible sound.

"I'm gonna kill him."

Louis jumped up too, grabbing my arm and turning me around to face him. He forced me to move and it was hard for me to fight him since I was already pissed. He tapped my cheek as my back was now facing them and I groaned, moving my head away from his hand.

"Niall, calm the fuck down." Louis let out a bit too loud. "That's not how you're gonna convince her to date you!"

I was about to answer something when I felt someone grab my arm and suddenly tensed. I turned only to see Abby who was sending me a smile and I just shook my head a bit, suddenly extremely annoyed.

"No! Not you and not now!" I yelled, taking a step back.

My ex girlfriend's smile fell and she frowned a bit. I could read in her face that I had hurt her a bit but I was way too hurt myself to care at all.

"Thanks for your advices Louis, but I don't need 'em!"

I turned around and noticed Devon and Noah were already looking at me. Perhaps I had talked louder than I thought and my eyes moved from one to the other before I sighed.

"Fuck that."

I could threaten Noah all I wanted or tell him to fuck off, I knew it wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't make Devon fall in love with me or want to date me and that's all I really wanted. Anything that wouldn't bring me to this goal was counterproductive to me.

I turned around quickly and walked to the toilets, pushing on the door and leaning my hands on the counter, my eyes closed. I was going insane and I knew it felt worse because I was drunk but I couldn't help it and felt my eyes water. Perhaps, getting hammered was a bad idea and I should have known that I always ended up feeling so much when Devon was closed. I heard my phone beep a few times, telling me I had a text message, but I couldn't look at them. I felt my arms started shaking lightly and I swallowed my pain the best I could.

What was there to hope for, now? What could you do when you felt like you tried everything?

#niall horan #niall horan smut #niall horan fluff #niall horan fanfic #niall horan fan fic #niall horan fanfiction #niall horan fan fiction #niall horan story #niall horan writing #niall horan college au #niall horan au #niall horan uni au #niall horan enemies to lovers #my fanfics #swy

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wordsinwinters · 4 years ago

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Then Again, Part 26 (Peter Parker x Reader)

Masterlist (with AO3 links)

Total word count: 50,293

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25,

Summary: After an intense argument and a forced-to-share-the-bed situation during their junior year decathlon trip, Peter and the Reader examine their faults and failings. As they attempt to fix their mistakes and improve their friendship, that friendship quickly begins to evolve into something else.

Slow burn fic in which all characters are included and their dynamics explored; multiple character POVs.

Betas: @girl-tips-from-satan and @fanboyswhereare-you

A/N: This isn’t my favorite chapter, but it’s been sitting in my drafts for over a year and I figured if I don’t post it now, I’ll never move on to the next. Additionally, as always, I live for feedback. 😉

Without further ado,

Then Again Part 26:

(Words: 2,825)

The bus ride will probably get boring soon, or at least as long as the girls stay asleep, but even as quiet as it is, it’s almost a perfect morning. Being early (around 6:00, I think?), there’s barely any light except street lamps and car lights, but some of the clouds on the right have caught a pretty bluish purple tinge. It reminds me of that Rainbow Fish book Aunt May used to read to me as a kid. To make it better, the morning air is chilly enough that the driver turned the heaters on low so it’s wrapped-in-a-blanket-while-it-snows warm in here. Although that also might be why, apart from general dirt and old gum, the strongest smell on the bus is salty grease— since the nearest heater is under the seat Flash spilled french fries and chicken nuggets in yesterday. It could be worse, though. I mean, it’s not necessarily a bad smell and the traffic isn’t horrible. It’s not the best, but it could definitely be louder and a lot slower. The field of flowing red tail lights ahead of us is oddly comforting, like a snail-slow pasture of mechanical color.

All in all, it’s a pretty cozy start for a dreaded five hour bus ride. It’s giving me quiet time to think. So that’s where I’m at. Or should be. I got some stuff organized in my head last night even if I keep getting distracted now. Well, it was more like a couple hours ago, since I wasn’t able to get to sleep for so long after we said goodnight. But anyway, I’m trying to focus. It’s just hard, even with both of them sleeping.

From my and Ned’s spot behind them, watching the girls’ heads gently shake and bump against each other as the bus shudders through potholes is kind of calming. They seem so peaceful from this angle, like two people who’ve never pranked me and Ned to the point we were nearly suspended, or kept us awake and annoyed by asking paradoxical hypothetical questions because they know how Ned and I will argue for days if we don’t agree on an answer, or anything else like that. It’s like finding two mischievous cats sleeping, curled up on a chair. It’s easier to appreciate them when they aren’t causing chaos. But it’s not that hard to appreciate them when they are anyway.

Though Ned and I won’t admit it when they’re fully awake, seeing their heads smack into the seat in front of them each time the bus lurched to a halt at stoplights (during the first ten minutes after they’d fallen asleep) was funnier than it should’ve been. Even knowing then that we wouldn’t mention it later didn’t stop us from exchanging silent laughs when they leaned back up, muttering unintelligible complaints before settling their heads back onto one another. For the last couple stoplights before the highway, at least, we decided to be better friends. We both stood up with one leg on the floor and one knee on our own seat so we could easily hold their foreheads back each time it happened. Again, I wouldn’t admit this out loud, even to Ned, but it’s a little bit funny that Ned was a split second slower than me, so while I kept catching MJ’s head before the stop, he half-smacked Y/N’s forehead, like a really-close-to-the-floor basketball dribble, and made a wincing face each time. A lot of times. But it did stop her from colliding with the seat, and she didn’t wake up or complain.

As nice as it is with them and almost everyone else sleeping through the dark, quiet first hour of the bus trek back to New York, I am excited for her and MJ to wake up. Whenever that is. I’ve missed them.

But anyway, I really need to focus. God. I’m not doing a great job of that this morning. Apparently. So I’m focusing now. It’s like Ned said. I need to be honest with myself.

Okay.

Alright.

No distractions.

I’m going to set myself straight now, before we get back, so I can make a game plan and be more decisive and make less mistakes. Fewer? Yeah, fewer mistakes. She’s told me that half a dozen times this since she read that grammar book last summer. But that’s not important.

If I’m being honest... I think I’ve avoided the real possibility that things could work out between us because it felt too risky. And I make some dumb, impulsive choices. So that’s saying a lot. If she said no, what’s the worst that could happen? May and Ned have been asking me that for months, and it’s been so frustrating. The answer should be obvious. The worst thing wouldn’t be the rejection, it’d be if it made her uncomfortable and she broke off our friendship. Or, even if she stuck around, if our friendship changed and I had to watch her get more and more distant, knowing it was my fault and nothing would ever go back to normal.

Those were the worst — and, I thought, most probable — possibilities. For months I’ve been certain that if anything changed, everything would, and it’d all go to shit. So I kept dodging it. And dodging her before the trip. But, then, things did change this weekend. Things are changing. We fought, and it was super shitty and awful and a total nightmare fiasco, but we made up. And she seemed almost as relieved as me when we did. Now we even have this pact about spending more time together. I know it’s officially only in the name of friendship, but something’s… different. I feel it, and I think she does too. And it doesn’t seem bad. That’s the craziest part. I mean, she even kissed me last night. On the cheek, but still. “Keep it.” Maybe May’s not ridiculous: she really might feel the same way.

I’ve been texting her this morning, actually. Aunt May. I had to admit that I’m happy she forced me to do the forehead kiss thing last night. As annoyed as I was that she and Ned ganged up on me like that, I can’t dispute the results. She kissed me! Kind of. (To be fair, she did hit my mouth a little bit even if it was an accident.) At first it made me wonder if she heard any of Ned’s shout-comments before I could turn the t.v. up to cover what he was saying. But I doubt it. Even if she felt the same way, I know her too well to think she wouldn’t freak out more and enough that it’d be noticable. Yeah, no, I’d definitely have been able to tell if she’d heard him saying things like, “Nobody’s saying you have to tell her that you googled the probability of high school sweethearts getting married that time she saved your ass on that Bronte essay, but yeah, Aunt May’s right! Just ask her to come over and either talk to her or do the hair/forehead thing!” Anyway, May’s on board with her coming over a lot this week and next week and giving us some space. So are Ned and MJ. Ned said they agreed on giving us two weeks (starting tomorrow) without them hanging out after school. And who knows, if the dance goes really well, maybe it’ll be normal for us to hang out, just us, without the whole group. Because… well, I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.

I’ll admit, they’re the best friends I could ever have. All three of them.

And it’s nice to have them all here now, Ned to my left and the girls in front of us. It’s even nicer to be outside of class or the city or crazy study sessions and have had a short breather from all that (despite the shitshow before we smoothed things over and could enjoy it). To be somewhere chill together. Yesterday and today probably feel even better because the last few days, or even weeks… no— months, if I’m being honest— have had me in a kind of less than happy place. But that’s over now. We’re all here and things are finally good. I just wish the girls would wake up, especially since Ned’s back on his phone. Again.

Yesterday, everybody hung out for most of the afternoon, but being in the whole decathlon group isn’t the same as just being the four of us. Or two.

Speaking of two— Ned being away during this next week or two is going to make everything so… unfiltered. New. Without his interference and being able to talk to him as often as normal, it’ll mostly just be her and me. Nobody to distract attention or blame stuff on or help me out when I’m doing something dumb (which is often). Like, for example, last night when I maybe let my excitement get the better of me and I might’ve jumped on the bed and thrown a pillow that accidentally broke the lamp on the nightstand. While I don’t really think writing that “Bill Mr. Harrington” note with the school’s address was Ned’s best idea, it helped me not care too much, enough that I didn’t do something dumber like actually tell Mr. Harrington. It might come back to bite us, though. Still, he was genuinely helpful this morning when Flash showed up too.

While we were hanging out in the girls’ room waiting for them to finish packing, there was a knock on the door. I figured it was Mr. Harrington about to yell at me and Ned for the broken lamp, so I motioned to Ned to shut up and move closer to the head of the bed we were already sitting on where, courtesy of the wall between the bedroom and bathroom, he wouldn’t be able to see us as long as he stayed by the doorway. MJ gave us an odd glance before she got up to answer it. Her annoyed, “What are you doing here?” didn’t immediately disqualify Mr. Harrington, but the sound of Flash’s voice saying, “I, uh, brought you guys some muffins,” made me tense at the first syllable.

“The free muffins they give us for breakfast?”

MJ’s dripping sarcasm nearly made me laugh even though I couldn’t see her, but Y/N turning from her suitcase and walking over to join them killed it still in my throat.

“Nope,” he said. “They’re fancy muffins from a bakery a few miles away.”

I wanted to roll my eyes out of my skull.

She may not like him, but that doesn’t mean I was wrong about him being into her. What a dumb way to impress someone. “Fancy muffins.”

“Expensive?” MJ asked. Even without seeing her face, I could tell she was giving him the squint death stare. It’s scary to have to respond to that face if you don’t know what the right answer is.

“Yes, especially with the delivery fee,” he said, sounding prepared for the question, “but they’re from a small local place, not a chain, which I figured you guys would appreciate. Actually, I think you’d like the woman who owns it, she was super grouchy and hard to convince.”

“Convince?”

“They don’t normally deliver at 5 in the morning.”

“Oh, so you thought you could just—”

“What kind did you get?”

That’s one of the things I like about Y/N. She knows how to manage tempers and when to jump in; she has Flash and MJ down to a science. In that moment, though, I wanted MJ to fire her most confrontational questions at him with no mercy.

“Well, they’re all apology muffins—” I heard MJ scoff. Exactly. She gets it. “But I got blueberry, chocolate, obviously, coffee, cranberry orange, maple, I think that one has chicken in it or something, and banana nut.”

Ned and I turned towards each other with silent smirks at the last one. It’s a dumb joke, but under normal circumstances we’d never resist—

“Cool. Since you’ve brought so many, you can come in.”

Sometimes MJ drives me up the wall. This was one of those times.

I mentally took back my agreement with her scoff.

The three of them came into the room, and for a couple seconds, Flash didn’t see us. The girls were closer to the window than they were to the wall and the bed Ned and I were sitting on, and he didn’t look behind him. Until MJ pointed us out directly.

“You can give them some too,” she said, her expression bordering on smug. “Apology muffins, right?”

Flash froze for a second. I straightened my back. Neither Ned or I said anything.

“Yeah, yeah,” he nodded. “Of course.”

Surprisingly, he shook his shoulders like a bug just buzzed by his head and walked over, opening a giant rectangle of a box up to us.

“Take however many you guys want.”

I stared at him, not moving. Nobody flinched. Then I realized he was tapping the side of the box with his thumb. Not in an asshole come on, hurry up way, but in an anxious way. Just as I started to reach toward the box, Y/N asked:

“Why’d you get so many of the coffee ones?”

Flash looked away at just the right second.

Did I technically cave first by reaching into the box? Yes. But did anyone see? No.

Although, I guess he technically caved by offering us the muffins in the first place. Ha. All the same, I took a blueberry one.

“They’re my dad’s favorite. I wanted to surprise him, you know? But I can’t even get a hold of.... Um, are your guys’ parents going to pick you up when we get there, or are you actually staying for school?”

“Staying.”

“All of you?”

He looked around to ask all of us, even me and Ned. We all nodded. When he looked at me, though, his eyes twitched. It’s a face I’ve gotten a lot before. He realized he said parents.

“You said these are orange cranberry?” Ned asked, pointing.

Flash nodded.

“They’re solid, though the banana nut ones are probably the best.”

As I said, under normal circumstances, like if one of the girls had said it, I would’ve laughed right then, but I’m not used to laughing around Flash. Ned, who usually follows that same rule, shook his head and grinned, if a little bit... nervously?

“Hell no!” he said, pretending to be mildly outraged. “I’m not eating banana-bust-a-nut muffins.”

A second surprise: Flash tilted his head and paused, clearly as stunned to be told a joke by Ned as the rest of us were to witness it— and laughed. So did everyone else. It was only for a few seconds, like literally three quick seconds, but for the first time for as long as I can remember, all of us were laughing with Flash. It stopped almost as soon as it started.

Tension crept back in soon so he left pretty quickly after that with an awkward, “See you guys in a few.” Thank god.

The girls finished tidying their room and going over the homework that’s due today (which we did last week since we knew we’d never get it done on the trip), before forcing me and Ned into the hallway so Mr. Harrington wouldn’t need to check our room for us and potentially find the broken lamp.

And then, pretty soon, we ended up on the warm bus, loaded in with everyone else. It seemed like everybody but Ned and I were too quiet and sleepy and squinty to be able to talk much before dozing off or staring blankly out the window or scrolling social media on their phones, the latter two options leading to the first in most cases. At this point, I think Ned, Flash, and I are the only ones still awake.

I’m going to work at tolerating him. As long as he doesn’t cross any lines with anybody from now on, I won’t bait him either. (Admittedly, I’ve been guilty of that, especially recently.) I mean, his comment about his dad was hard to miss. And even when he said it, it wasn’t a shock. Everyone in our grade at some point has had to listen to Flash’s rambling excuses for his parents ignoring or forgetting to show up for school events. Maybe being a dick is just hereditary for him. Or a family tradition.

I don’t remember how I got so off track. Where was I before? Oh yeah. Risk. Possibilities. The almost-worst case scenario that turned out not so bad. It’s been a messy weekend with plenty of re-evaluating, but the point is simple: I think I’ve got to give a few new things a try, and I’m excited to have a chance over the next couple weeks.

Next update: God only knows.

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#peter parker x reader #peter parker imagine #peter parker x you #marvel imagine #tom holland x reader #tom holland imagine #tom holland x you #spiderman x reader #spiderman imagine #spiderman x you #peter parker #tom holland

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stars-a-n-d-scars · 4 years ago

Text

10 Days of Summer - Chapter 2

Hey guys! Here is chapter two!!! As always, constructive criticism is welcome, homophobic bitching is not. I love you!!

***

Sirius had always been an early riser. There was just something about the way the sun shot pink and orange daggers to shatter the impenetrable frost of the night that drew him. Soothed him. He couldn’t count how many mornings he had spent on the roof of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, observing a world rarely seen. Keeping the company of the moon, she who shone her light for unseeing eyes, as she slipped from dark’s cruel grasp and was liberated, to finally rest. Watching as, one by one, the stars faded into nothingness and the great eastern orb returned to claim the sky for its own. And so, it will likely come as no surprise that when we rejoin our protagonist, he is partaking in the same activity as he had every morning for the last 12 years.

The sun had a peculiar way of setting the world on fire. It was never loud or obnoxious. It didn’t burst into the sky in a shower of confetti and yell of its presence for all to hear. It seeped over the horizon, inch by inch, so that even the most attentive of onlookers could never pinpoint the exact moment that night turned to day. Sirius sat perched on the roof of the Potter’s, watching smoke from his cigarette unfurling in that inexplicable, mesmerizing way that it does. But one can only sit alone on a roof for so long before one’s mind starts to wander. In Sirius’ case, it found its way to the boy sleeping on the sofa downstairs.

He had always been drawn by Remus. From the moment they’d met, something about that awkward, scar-ridden 11-year-old had caught his eye. Maybe it was the way his timid hands had quivered when they shook hands for the first time, or the way his eyes gleamed with a type of gold that a thousand goblins couldn’t conjure. Ever since that moment, he always wanted to be around him. To be close to him. It was impossible to explain, but Sirius was under a spell that not even the most powerful wizard in the world could break.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a window creaking open. He turned around and was shocked by the sight of Remus climbing through the attic window and out onto the roof of the Potter house.

“Morning.” Remus’ morning voice never failed to take Sirius’ breath away. Simultaneously gravelly and soft, it enveloped him in what could only be described as comfort.

“Hey”, Sirius said, and it was frankly impressive how many voice cracks he managed to fit into that one, short word. Clearing his throat, the smitten boy persisted; “I thought you were afraid of heights?”

Nice one Sirius. Make him think you see him as a wimp. That’ll get him to fall in love with you.

Sirius internally cursed himself for his insensitivity, fully expecting Remus to turn right back around and go back inside out of anger. It was to his surprise, therefore, that Remus smiled and settled down next to him.

“I was. But these last few transformations… I don’t know. Every time the wolf rips me apart, I feel like I’m going to die. And so, after I changed back the last time, I decided that I wouldn’t waste whatever time I have left being scared of things that don’t matter. Because there is no way to know which full moon is going to be my last.” A heavy silence settled over the boys. As the weight of Remus’ confession sank in, Sirius found himself on the edge of tears. He knew it was selfish, but he couldn’t help thinking about how he would survive if Remus did die. If, one day, the blood on the floor of the shrieking shack would become too much, and they would all drown in its repercussions.

Wordlessly, Remus reached over and took hold of Sirius’ cigarette. Their fingers brushed only for a second, but it felt like forever and was over too soon. A shiver ran down Sirius’ spine at the feeling of Remus’ cold finger on his. His finger, surprisingly unmarred compared to the rest of his body, seemed to set every nerve in Sirius’ body in fire. That simple act of proximity was enough to set his heart beating at a rate that, frankly, shouldn’t be allowed.

When Remus withdrew his fingers, the cigarette perched between them, Sirius was left tingling in the small but infinite point of contact, and he vowed never to wash that hand again, lest he lose the shimmering ecstasy that the tingling brought. The situation was not improved by Remus’ decision to bring the cigarette to his lips, placing his mouth exactly where Sirius’ had been only seconds before. He took a long, languid drag from the joint, his beautiful lips perfectly shaping to exhale the smoke. Sirius marveled at how this boy could make even an act as simple as taking a puff from a cigarette seem like the most sensual, lascivious experience of his life. Sirius’ mind was flooded with obscene thoughts of what he wanted to do to those lips, what he wanted them to do to him. He felt dizzy at the thought (although that might have also had something to do with the sudden lack of blood in his head; it seemed to have decided that it was needed elsewhere).

The stillness was shattered by a hacking cough.

“Merlin, what the fuck is in this thing?” Remus exclaimed through another shuddering cough.

“It’s only a cigarette”, Sirius answered, confused.

Remus laughed. “I know that, dipshit. But why? What the fuck are you doing out here at bloody six in the morning smoking this cheap shit? Here.”

Sirius watched in bewilderment as Remus reached into his sweater pocket and withdrew a long, hand rolled joint.

“What is it?”, he asked stupidly.

Once again, he found himself blessed by the presence of Remus’ gorgeous laugh. “It’s weed. Marijuana. It’s a muggle drug.”

Sirius was skeptical. “And it’s better than cigarettes?”

“Way better. Here.”

Before Sirius had a chance to say anything, Remus was bringing the joint up to Sirius’ lips. Startled, Sirius instinctively parted them, and let the rough paper of the tip slide in. Then, Remus’ fingers skimmed his lower lip, and he was paralyzed. His mind was plunged into a world of haze, where his lip and Remus’ fingers existed alone. Where all the unsaid words were unimportant, and all that mattered was that Remus was touching him.

But something inside him realized the sheer impossibility of that dream and brought him back to reality. A reality where Remus would never love him back, because why would he? Why would an ethereal creature like Remus Lupin, with all his intangible beauty, pay any attention to a bratty pureblood who couldn’t even tell the difference between a mandrake and a spinach leaf?

Well, Sirius concluded, if this is the closest I ever get to him, I may as well make the most of it.

Sirius sighed, leaning into Remus’ touch. Memorizing the sensation of cold fingers on his skin. But Remus drew back. Sirius supposed he must have angered him with his display of intimacy, because a red flush was creeping up his neck and highlighting his cheeks.

Drawing back, Sirius cleared his throat, which was not an easy feat, due to the joint now in his mouth. When he was satisfied that an ordinary level of awkwardness had been restored between them, he lit his joint. Almost immediately, he felt a wave of relaxation wash over him. It was amazing, the sensation of every muscle in his body loosening, becoming calm. The tension was gone from his shoulders, and he couldn’t even remember why he had been worried about this in the first place. He had never felt anything better.

He felt a tug on the spliff and opened his mouth so it could slide out, the paper sticking to his lips. It was Remus, of course. He took it into those elegant, beautiful fingers and took a puff, closing his eyes as the glorious smoke entered his system. After a couple of seconds, he exhaled again, the smoke rippling through his voluptuous lips and ascending to join the clouds in their endless dance of mesmerising shapeshifting.

The rest of the morning was spent that way, sharing that slice of euphoria, tucked away on a rooftop in a tiny corner of a tiny island in a huge, huge world.

***

The sun was dipping into the west now, and James and Peter had long since engaged themselves in a fierce game of monopoly. Surprisingly, Peter was doing very well. Although James would later claim that he “let Peter win”, it was clear to see that he was severely frustrated by his lack of success. Although, his agitation might have had something to do with his anticipation of the next day; the girls had agreed to come over in the morning and stay for a couple of nights. Inevitably, James had spent many hours fretting over what to say when Lily arrived, before finally agreeing to partake in a game of monopoly to settle his nerves. Clearly, this hadn’t helped. To their merit, Remus and Sirius had abstained from the activity, aware that an apprehensive James and board games were never a good combination. They had instead elected to watch, which proved to be a far more enjoyable pastime.

“That’s it!”, James exclaimed, throwing his money down on the table. “I don’t get this dumb muggle game. I’m going for a walk.” He pushed back his chair with an unpleasant screech and stormed out the front door, leaving a bewildered Peter in his wake. They didn’t have long to revel in the absence of James’ intense leg-jiggling, however. The door had barely swung close before it was wrenched open again, and James came thundering back in, unchanged, except for the fact that he was now soaking wet.

Fuming, he mumbles something about “s’raining”, and sloshed his way up the stairs. A distant door slammed, and the house was quiet once more.

“Well”, Sirius clapped his hands together. “I’m starving. Dinner?”

Peter perked up at the mention of sustenance but was quickly shot down by Remus’ next statement.

“In case you haven’t noticed, we can’t exactly walk to town in this weather. And the muggle delivery place won’t come out here in the rain.”

But Sirius was unperturbed. “Well I’ll cook something! Peter, why don’t you go make the guest rooms up for the girls, and Remus and I will whip something up for tea.”

Peter quickly scampered upstairs, not one to pass up an opportunity to clean a bedroom (it was one of his many unappreciated blessings; the need for cleanliness).

Left alone now, Sirius turned to Remus. Just being close to him was enough to set his heart racing, but he pushed that down.

Not right now. We’re just cooking. Just two friends, making dinner for their other two, less sophisticated friends.

However, he found himself unsure of how to proceed. So, as a demonstration of his ever-present sophistication, he decided to go with the most refined of communicative methods: finger guns.

Immediately regretting the decision, he dropped his arms to his side and cleared his throat for what was probably nearing the millionth time that day. “Shall we?” Remus nodded.

The Potters’ kitchen was sprawling with innumerable cupboards and drawers, all immaculately designed and painted to create a blend of antique styles and modern methods. There were 3 ovens, and a number of industrial fridges, including a blast-freezer. A mini fridge sat on the bench, containing sodas of all flavours and, further back, expensive alcohols. To Sirius, who had grown up in the dingy prison of Grimmauld Place, it was heaven.

He walked over to the industrial fridge and started pulling out ingredients, ideas flooding his mind. Although he would never admit it, cooking was one of Sirius’ guilty pleasures. The thought of so many elements, things that are seemingly useless of bland, coming together to form a gastronomical masterpiece was something that he enjoyed immensely. Within minutes, he was working away at a bouillabaisse, the pastry for a quiche already in the oven, and an ice-cream mixture chilling in the fridge.

Remus was watching in amazement from his perch on the island bench, a cold raspberry soda in his hand.

“Where did you learn to cook?” he asked, unable to tear his eyes from the mesmerizing bubbling of the bouillabaisse.

Sirius blushed. “Andy taught me, actually. After she moved in with Ted. I would go and visit her every Saturday and help out around the house when Ted was out working.”

Remus was well aware of Sirius’ feelings about Ted Tonks. Although he had not approved of him initially, believing strongly that Andromeda was worthy of someone better, he had seen how passionately he cared for his family, and grown to like the stumpy little man.

“She says she learned from Ted’s mother, who was a chef in France before the Depression. She said that Andy had a knack for it, and so taught her everything she knew. Since no one in the ministry would take her in fear of her parents getting mad, she decided to do everything she can at home, taking care of the house and of little Nymphadora.”

“Oh yeah, how is she going? God, she must be going on a year now!” Remus asked, remembering the pictures Sirius had shown him of his baby cousin when she was born.

“She’s doing good. It really is a breath of fresh air, seeing that even in the midst of the oncoming war, there is still such innocence and good in the world. But at the same time, I’m terrified that she might have to grow up in a world governed by Voldemort.” His voice shook on that last sentence, his throat swelling painfully as tears sprung to his eyes. He tried to blink them back, unwilling to let Remus see that side of him, but they knew each other too well. With two quick strides, Remus was across the room, enveloping him in a hug.

Sirius sank into it, letting himself be consumed by the warmth or Remus. By that comforting smell of nutmeg and tea, coupled with chocolate and books. The brush of leather jacket on woolen sweater, the feeling of heads on shoulders and hands on backs. And he knew that, as long as this boy was in the world, everything would always be okay.

***

After dinner, the boys had opted to take their dessert into the living room and watch a movie. Remus had suggested Titanic, and James had protested for all of 5 seconds before remembering that Rose bore a slight resemblance to one Lily Evans and supporting the idea wholeheartedly. But now the movie had ended, and the boys found themselves, yet again, in limbo between waking and sleeping. At some point during the movie, Remus had moved over to snuggle next to Sirius, and it hadn’t taken long before they were sprawled out on the sofa, Remus’ head on Sirius’ chest. Sirius had tried no to think anything of it, justifying that Remus was tired and probably didn’t even know what he was doing. But a small part of him couldn’t help but wonder, couldn’t help but hope.

Remus opened his eyes and looked out the window into the dark garden. The night sky was speckled with a tapestry of a thousand stars, each one so small, yet burning with a fire so intense it could consume everything they held dear in less than a second. There was no moon in the sky that night.

Then Remus turned his head to look up at Sirius, his golden eyes meeting grey ones.

“It’s stopped raining”, he said.

Sirius looked up, and saw that the skies had, in fact, cleared.

Glancing down again, he went to reply, but was cut short by the sight before him. Remus was asleep, safe in his best friend’s arms. And so, Sirius spoke his answer for the unlistening ears of the night.

“Yeah. Yeah it has.”

***

I hope you liked it!! It is up on ao3 as well, and the next chapter will be coming soon! Please reblog is you liked it, I’m smol and would love more people to see it. thankyou!!

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tsukikoayanosuke · 3 years ago

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“For our friends and for our tomorrow!”

aka. Twisted Wonderland MCs Magical Girl/11Eyes AU

Normal Form

From left to right: Yuuken Enma, Claire Aeon, Finn, Arisu Carol, Gwen Brookes, Jonah Argentum, Sierra, Gohar Bhasin

All characters appeared in Arisu in Alternate Wonderland (it’s rated mature even if nothing is going on yet, but still read with cautions)

Magical Girl Form

"There’s a strange phenomenon in the small city of Sunnydale. When the sun goes down, it was as if the world crack. The sky turns red and unfamiliar creatures rise from the street. When people get dragged into this Night Light City Frights, they won't be able to get out. But for magical girls, they might survive the red night..."

This is...an interesting au to be created.

In the Discord Server I join, we were talking about Game Sentinel AU (basically what if the twst boys have a mind of their own and our mcs are the game player). I thought we’re going to Yu-Gi-Oh! AU territory which I’m on board. But a friend suggested a Kingdom Keeper AU.

After she told us about it, my first thought was: “This is 11 Eyes.” 11Eyes is like the crappy anime I used to watch because of the concept of the alternate realm. And I was like: “I want to write this.” So, I asked similar to: “Are we going down the card game duels or magical girl fights?” And hell went loose! Everyone was on board with the Magical Girl AU!

While everyone was role-playing, shooting ideas, I’m over here making my own version of the Magical Girl AU using the design we made and the basic concept of alternate night realm. Basically, all of us have our own rendition of the Magical Girl AU.

I decided to make this more based on 11Eyes because I’m pretty sure I can do something about that crappy anime, turning it closer to its visual novel plot. I’m thinking of making two versions: ‘general’ and ‘mature’. They won’t be many differences between the two styles except the ‘mature’ has additional NSFW scenes and the ‘general’ is more lore-centric. But if I’m too lazy, I just make the ‘mature’ one, because smutty magical girls, we ain’t getting much of those.

The first and second chapter is done, but we still have five or six chapters to go before the prologue is done and I can post it.

#twst mc 11eyes au #arisu in magical girl au #arisu in alternate wonderland #enma yuuken #claire aeon #finn #arisu carol #gwen brookes #jonah argentum (my oc)#sierra #gohar bhasin #twisted wonderland au #twst au #twisted wonderland mc #twst mc

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karakozakov · 4 years ago

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Fic Rec Time!! Pt.4!

Some really great fanfics are here!

I apologize in advance if I’ve already written some of them in my earlier fic rec posts. Also, this post is very long.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Haikyuu!!

national hot dad alliance is now calling... by dicaeopolis, owlinaminor

Relationships: Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Bokuto Koutarou/Akaashi Keiji, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kuroo Tetsurou/Kozume Kenma, Ushijima Wakatoshi/Tendou Satori

Words: 58214 | Chapters: 6/6

Sawamura Daichi: What the fuck.

(Or, the captains' squad interactions that definitely happen outside of canon, presented in Skype chat form.)

the dream that wakes you up by rarepairenabler

Relationship: Kuroo Tetsurou/Oikawa Tooru

Words: 38,277 | Chapters: 9/9

Oikawa’s offering a repeat performance of that night, the night that Kuroo’s been replaying in his mind ever since it happened. Fuck.

“You’re not that good,” Kuroo argues weakly but Oikawa looks like he knows he’s already won.

“I am that good.” There isn't a single trace of doubt to it. His confidence would be nauseating if Kuroo didn’t know firsthand that there was good reason for it. Oikawa laughs and outstretches his hand to Kuroo. “So what do you say, Kuroo? Do we have a deal?”

Kuroo sighs before offering a resigned grin. He takes Oikawa’s hand and shakes it firmly. “When do we get started?”

((Pretend Dating AU))

In Another Life by LittleLuxray

Relationship: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou

Words: 22,995 | Chapters: 1/1 | Warning: Major Character Death

Sleeping didn't come as easy as it used to. Bokuto knew this, and now Akaashi did, too.

The hospital AU that no body asked for, but that I took upon myself to write.

Personal Notes: This is very angsty and you all can have it with Bokuaka. Check Nero’s art too!!

the inherent eroticism of coordinating schedules by mozaikmage

Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi, Oikawa Tooru & Ushijima Wakatoshi

Words: 15,447 | Chapters: 2/2

Tetsurou Kuroo, Editor-in-Chief of the college lit mag "Langue de Chat," thinks the lit mag and the Flying Crows Dance Crew should do an inter-club collaboration. Dance Crew captain Daichi Sawamura isn't sure how that's going to work. Meanwhile, the Environmental Club and Anime Club butt heads over a scheduling conflict involving the school auditorium.

An AU in which all of the Haikyuu!! volleyball teams are instead different school clubs at one university.

Impulse by Metis_Ink

Relationship: Shirabu Kenjirou/Semi Eita

Words: 15,075 | Chapters: 1/1

Semi’s not sure how subtle the team is trying to be, but there must be some ungodly conspiracy pointed against him. It’s working in the sense that Semi is half aware that maybe this rivalry with Shirabu is a lot more troublesome than it seems, but really, that’s all he's getting.

Second year Semi Eita faces the downward spiral that is his life following the arrival of some first year setter who's way too cocky for his own good.

The Five Stages Of Grief by Finnis

Words: 17,150 | Chapters: 5/5

Set of 100 drabbles, Haikyuu!! cast-centric (especially Shiratorizawa). 5 sets of 20.

Shirabu howls in pain as he regards both Tendou and Goshiki with his lethal stare that could probably outmatch Medusa. “Are you both fucking thick?” He asks incredulously, not expecting an actual answer.

Tendou grins, waggling his eyebrows, and playfully slaps his thigh. “Obviously.”

The PDA jar by orphan_account

Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru

Words: 10,480 | Chapters: 1/1

“What is that thing for?”

“I’m glad you asked, captain. This… is the Public Display of Affection jar. Or PDA jar for short.”

“Now whenever you do something that may hurt our children’s innocence, you’ll have to put money in the jar as a punishment."

greek tragedy by ineedmygirl

Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Futakuchi Kenji/Tsukishima Kei, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi

Words: 89,720 | Chapters: 3/3

“I’m Tsukishima Kei, from the Athena cabin.”

Kuroo blinked at him a few times, before cautiously taking Tsukishima’s pale, slender hand into his own much larger, much broader and tanner hand. He had scars and callouses that didn’t come from games of capture the flag.

“Kuroo.”

He didn’t say who his parent was.

or, Tsukishima had seen everything there was to see at Camp Half Blood. That is, until Kuroo Tetsurou fell out of the sky.

The Star-Crossed Voyage by Stacysmash

Relationship: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou

Words: 109,134 | Chapters: 11/11

As private investigators, Akaashi and Bokuto hardly ever have time for a vacation, no matter how much they need one. After successfully handling an investigation for the wealthy Oikawa Tooru, they're invited on board his yacht for a leisurely three-day cruise with several other guests. Instead of relaxation, however, what they receive is the case of a lifetime.

hachiko by owlinaminor

Relationship: Kuroo Tetsurou/Oikawa Tooru

Words: 12,683 | Chapters: 1/1

Agreeing to watch Iwaizumi's dog for the summer was a bad idea. Not because Oikawa Tooru is a bad caretaker (he isn't), but because of this asshole he keeps running into.

All this time, I have been yours by cathgotyourtongue

Relationship: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Oikawa Tooru/Ushijima Wakatoshi, Iwaizumi Hajime/Sugawara Koushi

Words: 8,710 | Chapters: 1/1 | Warning: Major Character Death, Mature Content

Iwaizumi Hajime struggles through the Five Stages of the Hanahaki Disease.

Just a Taste by volleydorkscentral

Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei

Words: 213,084 | Chapters: 41/41 | Warning: Mature Content

“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,” is a popular saying… heat, however, is the least dangerous thing one should worry about in a kitchen. Between the fire, sharp utensils, red hot pans, the Mandolin God, and lunatic co-workers, Kuroo has his work cut out for him when he returns home from Paris after nine years to open his own restaurant. He’s determined to show off — ahem, to demonstrate all that he’s learned at the helm of world renowned chefs in Michelin Star kitchens.

Bokuto Koutarou tends to have more passion than sense. He joins Kuroo’s brigade on a whim after nearly slicing his hand off… and realizes just how much knowledge he’s actually lacking. He’s worked in kitchens his entire life, but none like Kuroo’s kitchen so, with excitement and trepidation, he throws himself into his work with Kuroo. And when he meets a lovely model named Akaashi, he decides to use his new found knowledge to help Akaashi fall in love with him. After all, the fastest way to a man’s heart is his stomach — right?

I'm sorry by BlazingNerz

Relationships: Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Terushima Yuuji/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Semi Eita/Shirabu Kenjirou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru

Words: 6,836 | Chapters: 1/1 | Warnings: Major Character Death

Atsumu didn’t really know when it all started, he just knew he was different. The urges-- They drove him. And did the same for his friends as well. Red, that’s what they would see when they snap, the sound around them would disappear and the background around them faded until their target is the only object clear in their line of sight. The urge grows and grows, their anxiety grows until it is unbearable. Their palms would itch, eyes would twitch and could barely process a thought, they have to do something about it.

So they do.

Atsumu knew that him and his friends weren’t normal, but he didn’t question it. They had a system and it worked, now if only their damn partners would get off their backs. -------------

Aka Atsumu and his friends just try to live normal lives while suffering with a mental illness that urges them to kill

True Colors by DeathBelle

Relationship: Semi Eita/Tendou Satori

Words: 52,243 | Chapters: 11/11 | Warning: Explicit

Semi has danced at so many clubs that he hardly even notices a difference when he moves from city to city. It's always the same crowds no matter where he goes, and he always has to share a stage with the same backstabbing assholes. That's just how the club scene works, and he knows Plumage won't be any different.

Except instead of talking shit and sabotaging him, the dancers at Plumage initiate a different sort of harassment that involves repeated attempts to befriend him and non-optional invitations out to dinner. It's almost worse this way, because at least in the past, Semi had known what to expect.

The worst of them all is Tendou Satori, who is unrelenting in his pursuit of friendship, despite how many times Semi shoots him down. Tendou is obnoxious and never learned the art of taking a hint, and despite his best efforts, Semi gradually finds himself hating Tendou's company less and less. It's a perilous slope, and Semi keeps sliding.

The Piano Man's Elegy by SadLesbianPrincess

Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Oikawa Tooru/Ushijima Wakatoshi

Words: 81,295 | Chapters: 27/27 | Warning: Explicit

Tooru Oikawa, at twenty-four years old, is hailed as one the greatest concert pianists of all time. So when he is forced by extenuating circumstances to give up his career as a pianist, he spirals into hopelessness and confusion. Then, the day after his last concert, he runs into Hajime Iwaizumi--the best friend and lover who he thought was dead for six years. Upon their unexpected reunion, Tooru finds himself thrown into a complicated, emotional web of unrequited love, redemption, longing, and secrets. Things only get more complicated when he meets Hajime's detective partner, the stoic and earnest Wakatoshi Ushijima, and he has to navigate a new world of beauty, pain, and his own selfishness.

Personal Notes: This is heckin’ angsty and has one of the most beautiful writing styles I’ve ever seen. There’s also a sequel told through Kageyama’s POV!

The Daddy of All Lists by bloo_balloon

Relationships: Semi Eita/Tendou Satori, Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei, Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou

Words: 1,917 | Chapters: 2/? | Warning: Work in progress

In which four tired RAs proceed to have a collective brain aneurysm over the boldness, stupidity, ingenuity, extreme thirst and party antics of their dormmates.

Birthed from their pain and suffering is a list of simple, easy to follow dorm rules.

Ladies and gentlemen, The List™. The Daddy of All Lists™.

Personal Notes: This story cracked me up

Eggplant Party by extrastellar

Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio ,Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei, Kindaichi Yuutarou/Kunimi Akira, Terushima Yuuji/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Goshiki Tsutomu/Kawanishi Taichi, Kuguri Naoyasu/Numai Kazuma, Onaga Wataru/Suzumeda Kaori, Shirabu Kenjirou/Ushijima Wakatoshi, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Daishou Suguru/Yamamoto Taketora, and many many more - Relationship

Words: 81,904 | Chapters: 64/66 | Warning: Work in progress

When Yamaguchi Tadashi decided to follow his senpais' example and created a group chat with the intention of friendly texting about school and volleyball, he didn't expect things to proceed quite like that. With all the first years put together, chaos, memes and shenanigans ensue.

Personal Notes: I know some of you don’t like chatfics but I promise this one’s fun!

Happier With You by Stacysmash

Relationship: Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi

Words: 24,370 | Chapters: 1/1 | Warning: Explicit

Kuroo loves his job as a live-in tutor, even if the kid can be a little sharp-tongued. The position came with many side-benefits like having a great place to stay and work on his thesis so he can finally graduate. Unfortunately, the biggest perk was also his biggest problem: the kid's hot father, Sawamura Daichi. Between checking him out when he's not looking or battling him with witty banter, Kuroo finds his heart running away with him. Luckily for him, he's not the only one...

Personal Notes: I think y’all know by now I love Stacysmash’s works

All Your Diction Dripping With Disdain by mozaikmage

Relationship: Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei

Words: 12,853 | Chapters: 2/2

"Tsukishima Kei’s 220-character Facebook bio reads: “Don’t talk to me.” There’s an invisible footnote appended to it that says “except if you’re a volleyball teammate or are working on a project with me or something”, but for everyone else it says “don’t talk to me.”

So when Kuroo Tetsurou messages him about something he commented in a Facebook group, Kei screenshots his bio, highlights that sentence, and sends it back to him."

AU in which tsukki is unreasonably popular in a specific part of Facebook and then things happen

originally titled "Everything is Tsuffering"

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lailannajacobs · 5 years ago

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Heart to a Gunfight - Chapter 11

Pairing: Bucky x fem!reader

Summary: You didn’t want to help Bucky Barnes make it through the party by pretending to be his fake girlfriend, after all, you had just met him. You also didn’t plan on the charade lasting as long as it did.

Warnings: Lots of fluff!!

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: Hi all! I know it’s been a bit for this series but I finally got some inspiration again for it, so I hope you enjoy! Would love to know what you think!

Tuesday Night

You knocked back another shot, “Remind me again why the hell I agreed to this?”

“Because you’re too competitive for your own good and it takes nothing to goad you into something.”

Bucky paused, stared at the dart board and let another one fly. You cursed when it hit the double-twenty, your hand already moving toward your fifth shot of the night. Any hit worth over forty points meant the other person had to drink, and Bucky was deceptively good at darts.

The whiskey no longer burned on the way down and you slammed the shot glass back onto the table. It was a good thing that was his last throw.

“I’m pretty sure I only asked if you wanted to play darts. You wanted to turn it into a drinking game,” You pointed out, leaning back onto your elbows.

He flashed you a wicked grin, “And where would be the fun in that?”

“Well, I’m just glad we’re not playing strip darts,” You muttered, “Or else I’d have been completely naked two shots ago.”

His eyes darkened, raking over your body slowly as if he was trying to count the articles of clothes you’d have taken off. You shivered at the look, extending your hand so he’d give you the darts.

He placed them in your hand but held on for a second, pulling you in a little closer and whispered, “Unfortunately I don’t have a dart board in my apartment.”

You snatched them from his hand and narrowed your eyes at him, “Stop trying to get in my head, Solider. I’m going to make you drink your words.”

His lips only spread further.

Pushing past him, you focused on the board, hoping to match your words with your actions. The odds weren’t in your favour. He’d only taken two shots tonight and both of those times you’d been aiming elsewhere, luck being the only reason you’d hit anything good. There was no way you’d get three perfect shots to tie the game, but you were still hoping to get him to drink at least one. Squinting, you tried to get the board to come into focus. From this point forward, you were only drinking water.

You concentrated with everything you had, seeing nothing but the red dot in the centre of the colourful board. Drawing in a long breath, you paused at the top, about to let it go with your exhale when Bucky’s hand wrapped around your wrist, startling you so much you dropped the dart to the ground.

“Hey!” You turned to face him, but he didn’t let go, your hand held up between your two bodies, “What’s with the cheating?”

He tilted his head, motioning toward the board. An old man walked between you and the target, his head exactly where your shot would have been.

“So, I may have been a little too focused,” You amended.

He raised a brow.

“Okay, so a lot too focused.”

He picked up the dart and handed it over, silently challenging you to do your best.

“Here we go,” You rolled your shoulders, “I got this.”

“You almost killed an old man,” Bucky piped up from behind you.

“Shut up, Barnes.”

He laughed, the sound putting a smile on your face, “You know, I thought maybe your aim would’ve improved with the booze, but apparently not.”

“Your words of encouragement are so heartwarming,” You said, turning to face him with your hands on your hips.

“Just throw already.”

“Fine.”

You smiled when your first shot hit the board. It wasn’t worth more than five points but at least you had hit something.

“New deal, Speedy,” Bucky took a sip of his beer, “If the total of your three shots is over forty points then I’ll take a shot.”

You shook your head and sighed, “The fact that you’re drinking right now for the hell of it kinda takes the fun out of it. It’s just not the same.”

“Good point,” He chuckled, “How about this? If it’s over forty, I’ll take a ride with you in your car and I won’t say a damn thing about it.”

You grinned, “Now you’re making things interesting, Soldier.”

Your second shot was just as pathetic as the first one, giving you a total of ten points. Another thirty seemed near impossible, but you weren’t about to lose hope. Not when your car was on the line.

“Just so you know, I have your next shot right here,” Bucky taunted, waving the shot glass in the air.

You smiled sweetly, trying to ignore the shit-eating grin on his own face, “It’s all yours.”

Changing tactics, you decided to throw it without a care in the world. It wasn’t like you were hitting anything when you tried, so maybe doing the exact would pay off. You double checked to make sure there weren’t any old men with the bright idea of crossing the dart board, and when the coast was clear, you whipped it at the board.

The centre lit up red and you blinked in shock.

“That’s fifty points,” You murmured, not quite believing what had just happened. Then it sunk in and you whirled to find Bucky, “That’s fifty points!”

You jumped into his arms, slinging your own around his neck. His grip tightened around your waist, and he pulled you in close. All you could hear was the sound of his laughter in your ear, his breath tickling your shoulder as he tucked his head in to fit beside yours.

“I don’t care that I’ve lost so often I’m a little bit tipsy,” You giggled into his ear, “That’s fifty points and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

He pulled back without pulling away, his arms still strong around you.

“That shot was all you,” The corner of his mouth was quirked up slightly, those blue eyes bright, “And that shot is all mine.”

“Told you I’d do it.”

“I never doubted you for a second.”

You looked to the ground and forced yourself to take a step back, “Your turn to get tipsy.”

“Another round, Speedy?”

You scoffed, “Absolutely not. But there is a pool table over there”

Two Weeks Later

Your phone buzzed in your pocket, and you tried not to smile, knowing you couldn’t start smiling like an idiot while you were finishing the payment for the customer in front of you. The process seemed to take forever to go through, your phone burning a hole in your pocket.

Only when the customer was out of the shop did you pull it out, knowing exactly whose name you’d find there.

I don’t think you should let me choose movie night anymore. That’s two terrible ones in a row.

You smirked, pulling out your lunch, glad you were now on break.

Good to know you’ve finally seen the light.

Typing bubbles appeared instantly and you waited, a stupid little smile on your lips.

What should I be in charge of now? Bucky asked.

Pizza. You immediately replied. But make sure it’s from Anthony’s.

Because I want soggy pizza? I’m getting Louie’s.

You shook your head, even if he couldn’t see it. Fine but your taste in pizza better be better than your taste in movies.

As long as it’s better than your taste in cars ;)

Idiot, you thought, unable to wipe the smile off your face.

One Week Later

“See, that wasn’t so bad.”

“Says the owner of the crappy car.”

You pulled into the parking lot in front of Bucky’s apartment and turned off the engine, “You’re just being fussy, that’s all.”

“Fine,” He laughed, “I’ll admit it. The drive really wasn’t that bad.”

“And?” You asked, shooting him a pointed look as you waited for him to fulfill the rest of your deal.

“And you’re not a crazy lunatic driver.”

You smacked him on the arm, “That looked like it physically pained you to say.”

“It did,” He said, eyes wide, trying to play the pity card.

You weren’t having any of it, “That’s what you get when you lose a bet, Soldier.”

He turned in his seat to face you, “How was I supposed to know you were going to hustle me?”

“I didn’t hustle you!” He shot you a look of disbelief, “You just assumed I’d be terrible at it. I never corrected you.”

“But you,” He ran a hand through his hair, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, “You asked me how to tie your vest and how the gun worked.”

You grinned.

He let his head flop back onto the head rest, chuckling, “All so I’d underestimate you.”

It seemed like every time the two of you went out, it always ended in a competition, and tonight hadn’t been an exception. Only you had begun to realize how to win the last time the two of you had gone out. Tonight, you had managed to pull ahead by one.

“Turns out my terrible aim does not extend to laser tag,” You bit your lip, failing miserably at wiping the smug look from your face, “I just happened to forget to mention that.”

“I should have known when you put your driving skills and car on the line,” He chided himself, shaking his head.

“You really should have,” You hummed.

“I know. I know you better than that.”

You looked out the windshield, away from the intense look in his eyes, apparent even in the dark, “Well…Goodnight, Soldier.”

He leaned in, giving you a side hug from his side of the car, “See you next week. Thanks for the ride.”

“You’re welcome,” You shrugged, suddenly feeling cool from the lack of his warmth, “Now get out of my car before you do something stupid like insult it.”

He laughed, stepping out. Pausing with his elbows on the edge of the rolled down window, he said, “Night, Speedy. Text me when you get home safe.”

One Week Before the Wedding

“We’ll be right out,” Peggy smiled at Steve and Bucky, motioning for them to wait outside the bar, “We’re just going to go to the bathroom first.”

They shrugged and walked toward the exit as if nothing was amiss, but you knew better. There was nothing casual about the way she grabbed your arm and steered you to the bathroom. What for though, you had no clue.

It had been the first time all four of you had hung out together since the engagement party and now, the wedding was a week away. Sure, you had seen Peggy and Steve on multiple occasions, but your four schedules had never seemed to line up properly until tonight. It was funny that you had thought the reason you’d spend so much time with Bucky would be because of Peggy and Steve, when really you had seen more of him this summer than anyone else.

“What’s up, Peg?” You asked when the two of you marched into the bathroom.

She crossed her arms, “You want to tell to tell me how long this little thing has been going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“You and Bucky,” She shot you a pointed look through the mirror.

You touched up your lipstick, half listening to what she was saying, “What about me and Bucky?”

“How long have you been seeing each other?” She let out an exasperated sigh as if she couldn’t believe how dense you were being.

It took a second for her words to sink in, and you turned shocked, “We’re not seeing each other!”

“Yeah, right.”

“I’m serious!” You protested.

“I saw the two of you tonight, and I’m not blind,” She fixed her hair quickly in the mirror and when she noticed your look of disbelief, she turned her full attention on you, “Oh, come on, YN. No one who’s just friends acts the way you two do.”

It was your turn to cross your arms, not having any of her accusations, “And how is it that we act, Peg?”

“Like the two of you use every excuse just to touch each other. Like the way Bucky’s face lights up when you walk into the room, or the way you look around for him, just to make sure he’s nearby,” She shook her head, probably disappointed that you’d kept something like this from her, “I’m not an idiot. I have eyes.”

Whatever you were going to say next died on your lips. The two of you were just friends, right? So what that you’d gotten close these past months? So what that you texted each other practically every day. So what that you’d caught yourself thinking of him whenever - holy shit.

Peggy must have seen something in your eyes because her expression softened, “So you guys aren’t dating, huh?”

You shook your head, not sure what to do with this newfound revelation. How could you still be friends with Bucky when you obviously had feelings for him? But he clearly didn’t feel the same way. Now that you really thought about, he often commented on your friendship as if…Oh god. Were you so blind that he thought he needed to keep subtly reminding you that any relationship the two of you had was fake? You rubbed your hands over your face and groaned.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better,” Peggy began with a small smile, “I’m pretty sure he feels the same way.”

“Yeah, right,” You scoffed, “I’ve spent enough time with him to know that he doesn’t.”

Peggy was about to say something else, but you shook your head, cutting her off.

“Can we just go?”

She wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you in close, “You good?”

“Yeah, of course,” You forced a laugh for good measure even though you knew Peggy could always see through your lies, “We’re just friends. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Of course you are. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

You shot her an appreciative smile and walked out of the bathroom, head held high.

#bucky fanfic #bucky #Bucky Barnes #james buchanan barnes #bucky x you #bucky x reader #bucky fanfiction #mcu fluff #MCU fic #MCU fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic

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inkribbon796 · 4 years ago

Text

Like a House of Cards Ch. 11: Opposites React

Summary: The heroes go looking for Dark and Logan’s group.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

As they stood on the street, the Anomaly that would appear in a bank vault gone from the Host’s hands, they had to recover from the power of the Anomaly coursing through them for a second time.

Chase collapsed onto his knees, feeling just a soul-deep sorrow. He was crying from memories and loss he couldn’t remember. “Fook.”[1]

“Chase?” Jackie dragged his feet over, he was feeling sluggish but it was thankfully easing from his body quickly.

“I’m fine,” Chase wiped his face with his arm. “I’m fine.”

“We can stop fer[2] a bit,” Jackie promised, helping Chase up.

“I’m grand,”[3] Chase promised.

“The Host and Chase will form one group, and Silver, Ethan, and Jackie will form the other as they try to find Dark’s group. “He asks that the heroes get their outfits back on, and for Silver and Jackie to try not to get themselves into trouble.”

“Ehh, we should be fine,” Jackie promised. “So long as Chase is gonna be okay.”

“We gotta talk anyways,” Chase nodded at the Host. “Try not ta[4] fight a hoard ‘a[5] bears.”

“No promises,” Mark smiled, and then the three of them left.

Silver, Crank, and Jackie waited in the alley for almost five minutes, getting bored. Ethan’s ADHD kicked him in the teeth before Mark’s did. Then a shootout started next to them. Several people were screaming and someone that the heroes thought looked a lot like Dark when he was pretending to be Damien. Except he wasn’t in his typical outfit, his hair was wild, and there was a streak of blue in his hair.

Ethan immediately cloaked them with his invisibility. They began to approach.

Two guys jumped on him and dragged him away. And then someone who looked almost exactly like Chase passed by the mouth of the alley.

“Don’t fookin’[6] let that arsehole[7] escape again!” Chase shouted.

The heroes got closer as the men used magic to tie “Damien” up.

He looked down at the bonds and then smiled at “Chase” which made the other man groan, “Dames, Don’t.”

“Kinky,” Dames smiled, his smile huge, leaning forward as much as the bonds would let him. “Chase. How’s life, doll?”

Chase glared at his captive before leaning in to get close to his face. “What the fook is wrong wit’ yeh?”[8]

The bound man just smiled, shrugging, “You’re going to have to be specific?”

“I meant Marvin, yeh mad fook, are yeh tryin’ ta kill my kid?”[9] Chase spat.

Dames’ only answer was, “If you wanted to get rough in bed, we’d need a bed for that.”

Chase grabbed him by the front of his shirt, “Keep yer[10] brat away from my kid, I don’t want the General killin’[11] him.”

“What’s with all this “killing” business,” Dames chuckled. “You and Gen are worried so much for your little games. They’re old enough to make all kinds of decisions.”

“Yeh taking the boys ta’a whorehouse isn’t a good choice, ya nutter,”[12] Chase spat.

“True,” Dames agreed, “they really had more fun with each other.”

“Fook this,” Jackie finally decided, as his whole body began to shake.

Silver grabbed Ethan and flew up, Ethan keeping them invisible as Jackie punched one of the thugs and then grabbed Dames, racing off with him. Silver flying in to keep up.

“What are you doing?” Silver demanded. “We’re supposed to be laying low.”

“I don’t know, I’m makin’[13] this up as I go along,” Jackie yelled, tugging Dames with them as they ran.

“What are we doing?” Dames asked. “Are we playing tag?”

“Yes!” Jackie yelled before anyone else could speak. “An’[14] Brody back there’s it.”

“Oh,” Dames said with a soft realization, then he smiled and grabbed them. “Well, we won’t win like this.”

Then they suddenly found themselves being slammed into the concrete wall of an alley, Jackie taking an especially hard hit because of his momentum.

Dames was looking them up and down as the heroes regained their composure, the corner of Dames’s mouth twitching a little bit. “You three aren’t from around here.”

“How’d yah[15] guess?” Jackie smiled as he got up, Silver floating before he was able to stand.

“Silly cheaters,” Dames laughed. “Couldn’t win your own game so you jumped to a new board.”

“It is so weird seeing you like this” Silver set his feet on the ground.

Dames shrugged, and then a portal began to twist open. It wasn’t quite like Dark’s dark purple-black Void magic. It was a deep red-magenta that felt more like hands ripping their way free.

Ethan tried to shield them but Dames couldn’t be cloned and excitedly stepped free to meet the man who stepped out of the portal. He had a sharp black suit and a bushy black mustache. A red and magenta aura coming off of him like Dark’s red and blue aura. He had dark red and magenta after images that echoed and stuttered off of him.

“Gen,” Dames smiled excitedly, holding his arms out.

“Where’s Junior?” Gen asked.

“I don’t know,” Dames denied, his good mood quickly starting to evaporate. “Ask your little trackers you put on them.”

General glared at Dames, “What were you two doing?”

“Nothing,” Dames almost giggled.

Dark’s glare became more baleful and he grabbed Dames by the front of his jacket, Dames giggling in response. “Don’t give me that bullshit, Dames. Did you let Bim go off with that hooligan?”

“Mayhaps,” Dames’s smile became almost giddy.

“Dames!” the General pinned him against the closest wall. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten what you did,” Gen spat. “You can waste your time at brothels and clubs all you want, but you leave Junior out of it.”

Dames began giggling, “You have to admit, yours and Chase’s faces when you saw they were gone was pretty hilarious.”

“This isn’t funny!” the Entity snarled. “Bim is impressionable, no thanks to you. It burned down with them still in it!”

“At least I show him how to have a good time,” Dames dared. “You’d have him at a desk working papers until he died. He’s a kid.”

“Not anymore,” the General warned. “He stopped being a child when he turned sixteen. They all did.”

Dames rolled his eyes, “Ughh.”

The General stepped closer, “You cannot insist on treating them all like children, they are not.”

“Only because you wanted them to grow up, they never got to be children in the first place,” Dames argued back.

“You’re absolutely insufferable,” the Entity scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Why is being alive and safe so unfavorable to you.”

“You’d have him die in an office,” Dames spat.

“No I’d have him alive doing something,” the demon spat. “You insist on treating all of them like children. They are not, nor have they been for years.”

“I want my babies back,” Dames looked away, clearly upset. “What was so wrong with them being my babies? You said I could keep them.”

“They are safe, that should be enough. Do I make myself clear, Doomstrum?” Gen spat, his aura coiling just a hair too tight around the mad mayor.

Dames struggled in his hold for a bit before stopping, clearly refusing to look at or answer him.

Mark would have forced himself out of Ethan’s invisibility bubble, but the hero watched the demon’s expression soften for a couple seconds and then sighed before opening up a massive portal to show a relatively spartan office except for a very nice looking desk and a couch that looked extremely comfortable to sleep on. He let Dames go. “Let’s go Dames.”

The madman frowned and took a step before turning around, a smile spreading on his face again, “Oh, Gen, I have to introduce you to my new friends.”

“Your what?” The demon growled in frustration.

“Yeah they’re just,” Dames began, pointing to the three heroes at the end of the alley right before a portal ripped open behind them and a dark purple aura pulled them in and swiftly closed before the General or Dames could really react in more than surprise.

The three heroes landed on their backs around Dark’s feet in a dimly lit room.

“There we go, problem solved,” Dark announced.

“How does this solve our problems, you’ve led him straight to us!”

Jackie looked up in confusion, Virgil didn’t come with us?

When he looked up at Virgil however he was in a huge dark grey-black overcoat. His hair was different, but the eyeshadow still darkened his face.

Dark brought his aura up in time as a red-magenta magic tried to get into the room. He threw his aura against it and it was gone. “Nonsense, I can cloak areas to keep

magic from getting in.”

“Andy,” someone in a black beanie insisted, tugging on “Virgil’s” coat. The Side had some vitiligo marks on his face and hands, his eyes a deep golden yellow.

“Dee, not now,” Andy hissed.

“But they’re telling the—” Dee tried to report, before he was protectively pushed behind Andy.

“No,” Andy nudged his companions back and pointed to Dark. “I don’t trust you.”

“I don’t trust you,” he pointed to Wilford.

“And I sure as shit don’t trust you,” Andy spat at the Host. His voice was practically dripping with contempt.

“All we need to get to the next rift and we’re gone,” Dark scoffed. “We don’t need your trust.”

“So what’s the actual plan for getting home?” Silver asked the Host. “Seems like they’ve got a lot to deal with right now.”

“Simple we go into what is probably a horribly designed version of my office, and activate the Anomaly so it takes us home.” Dark dusted off his suit with his aura. “The plan’s already been made if you want to talk to the others.”

The Host dispelled an illusion and they saw the three Sides talking to Glitch Logan, and J.J peacefully napping in the corner. There was no sign of his double anywhere.

“I will have everything under control,” Logan spat at his doppelgänger.

“I don’t need to be reassured of anything,” Glitch Logan dismissed. “I have made redundancies and failsafes to ensure they do not die. If I was not certain, I would have raised my complaints. You will protect them, that is the only objective I need to give. If you work with the heroes, or with Google, I care not. Roman, Virgil, and Patton’s survival is all I care about. We spent a year’s worth of time working for it and I have come too far to fail now.”

“I will do so without needless killing” Logan promised.

Glitch Logan gave an inhuman smile, “We shall see, either way it’s inconsequential to me.”

The Anomaly glowed and it engulfed the two Logans completely before just Logan was standing there. He gave a shudder and a bunch of nanites fell to the ground around him, twitching once and then going offline, their components frying themselves so they couldn’t be used by anyone else.

Logan stiffened and Roman raced in to catch him.

“Lo, sweetheart?” Roman pleaded desperately as Logan blinked and coughed as air returned to his lungs.

The Host used a couple words from his narrations and the nanites were all gone from the floor.

Janus briefly checked on Logan before clearing his throat and drawing attention to himself, summoning his staff.

“The Host allowed us to speak with the other Sides, we got but a minute but we’ve come up with a plan,” Janus reported. “There is one fusion we have that enables us to make as much noise and commotion as possible, while showing that we are different people. I have spoken with this world’s Deceit and they cannot fuse—”

“Please don’t call me that, that’s not all I do,” Dee asked.

Janus paused, looking at Dee, “Of course do you have a preference?”

Andy was just watching Janus, staring at him.

“Dee,” Dee told him.

“Alright,” Janus agreed. “Anyways, I have spoken with Dee and they can’t fuse so it will be the easiest way to get the message across.”

“So we’re gonna use Remy?” Jackie asked.

“No,” Logan cut in. “Even before the merge I was not in the right emotional or mental mindset to fuse. My fusions are impossible without that mindset. My future self hinted the feeling would get worse and unfortunately he was right.”

“Okay, you’ve never exactly told us how fusion works,” Ethan reminded. “But I’m guessing that I’m gonna take a group in?”

“The heroes will not need to cause a distraction because the fusion will be enough to convince the General that they are different. Besides, the General will wish to speak to the Entity.”

“Will he?” Dark asked. “Last time he saw me he tried to take my head off.”

“Maybe we should talk to him,” Wilford smiled. “We never gave them a chance.”

“It is so weird seeing him in pink,” Andy commented.

“Why, what’s wrong with it?” Wil frowned. “Pink is a lovely color.”

“Nothing wrong with it, it’s just you’d rather set yourself on fire than wear pink,” Andy explained.

“No I wouldn’t, I’m wearing pink right now,” Wil gestured to himself.

Dark rubbed at the bridge of his nose, “This is going to take forever now.”

“No, I meant the other you, the douchebag in Armani,” Andy explained.

“Well then he should wear pink too,” Wil decided.

Andy let out a snorting chuckle, “Oh, trust me everyone in this city would love to see that.”

The group started to plan a bit so that Silver and Jackie knew what they were doing, and during that time, Janus leaned over to Roman.

“This means nothing, I’d rather Remus was here,” Janus told Roman.

“Well I'd rather Patton was here,” Roman agreed, emotions still running high from the mess with the doppelgängers.

“Good,” Janus spat.

“Good,” Roman glared at him.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations

1. Fuck

2. for

3. I’m alright

4. to

5. of

6. fucking

7. asshole

8. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

9. I meant Marvin, you crazy fucker, are you trying to kill my kid?

10. your

11. killing

12. You taking the boys to a whorehouse isn’t a good choice, you nutter

13. making

14. And

15. you

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writingsoftheunderworld · 5 years ago

Text

AU - yes! Time Travel - no? -p. 2

So @barkingbullfrog requested a future bamon daughter time travelling and no one knowing who she is and I said on that post that I might write more if people like it/I feel like it. So this is that! Chapter 1 here. Enjoy part 2!

Rose was home for the holidays, Easter in just a few days and college too loud to be able to study when she found it. The spell she’d been looking for since that summer 5 years ago when her cousin dared her to find the most powerful spell in her mom’s grimoires and attempt it. She’d had her plans foiled that week, but the idea remained firmly planted in her mind since. Especially since the spell was a dimension travelling one, which sounded just way too much fun not to try at some point just for fun. So when she saw her dad lead her mom to the dance floor, both distracted with their - eww - flirting, she snuck into her mom’s witch’s den - dad’s words not hers, but if it fits ya’know?

The room was dark, it always was unless her mom was busy training her magic, and then it was just candlelight illuminating it. Rose looked around the corridor for a second, making sure no one had noticed her and come after. When no sound save for the small party downstairs was heard, she uttered a soft incendia, lighting all the hung candles inside. For a few minutes she was stuck in the sheer nostalgia of being in the room. She remembered with sudden clarity all the summer nights, widows open, fresh air coming through mixing with the cinnamon candles her mom prefered as the two of them played around with kiddie magic. She then recalled moving onto more powerful spells, like how to take on villains stronger than her just with a thought just a year ago, to playing hide and seek with her dad and hiding underneath the tablecloth and giggling so much he definitely knew exactly where she was - even if he hadn’t had the advantage of being vampire. It was this same room she’d locked herself in when at 11 her mom and dad sat her down and told her how they were going to adopt her, she’d been living with them for only 3 months at that point.

Her mom’s old grimoire sat on a shelf that her dad and uncle could never agree on how it had had the top half torn off. She slowly walked over, still so very careful not to let any unnecessary noise be heard. She’d been used to magic, she’d gotten thrown out of 3 foster homes by age 9 due to magic she couldn't even begin to understand before she reached the Salvatore-Bennett’s, but hanging around vampires had taken some adjusting. Luckily her dad enjoyed being chased around the house by a curious 11 year old and then later a rumbustious teen in a variety of always entertaining games to the point she got very used to both making herself as quiet as possible as well as learning what to look for when his turn would come. So she got the grimoire and laid it on the table, flipping through the pages slowly, not wanting to risk missing the one she was looking for. A few others jumped to her as she did so, but she stored the info for later. She wanted to try that dimension spell right now. She reached something about pocket dimensions first - prison worlds and … did that say Hell? - but at least that’s how she knew she was close. The song had changed in the time she’d spent reminiscing, but she could hear her dad downstairs still, aggravating her aunt as per usual so it was all good.

Bingo!

The words flowed from her lips and for a second she thought she did something wrong since she felt none of the usual surge that came with doing magic, but then something just… pulled at her and she lost consciousness. When she came to next she was in the driveway of her childhood home - if from 11 onward one could call it a childhood home, but it was the closest she ever got - and her head was pounding. She let herself feel the pain a minute or so before she got up and looked around. The sun was up, midday at least, maybe earlier, which was very odd considering it was nearing 11 at night just a few seconds ago. But she figured the spell had worked. Here she was, outside the Boarding House - which she could never understand why it continued to be called that since in all her years there not once was it used as such.

She almost bounced on the heels of her feet, excited to see what this world had to offer - could she meet herself? Was it weird that she found that exciting? - so she immediately headed to the front door. But as she walked past the car parked in the driveway, her eyes found the newspaper wedged between the drives’ seat and the handbrake and her eyes widened at the date.

“No.” she whispered in disbelief. “No, no, no nononono!” her heart started beating faster when the realisation dawned on her. She had traveled to a different dimension, but she’d never thought of the very real possibility that the dimension she’d be travelling to would be in the past. “Oh no, mom’s gonna kill me and dad’s gonna let her.”

She looked around again, making sure no one was around to see her panic nor hear her, who knows what lurked in this dimension, god knows she didn’t think this through enough. She breathed a few seconds, in and out, in and out, then closed her eyes, fully intending on going back home. Except she hadn’t paid any mind to the return spell nor did she even remember the original spell she’d used. Great. Probably better she hadn’t remembered though, who knows where she would end up. At least here it looked vaguely like home. With a little bit of luck, she might even find her parents here, or someone who she could recognize from back home. Eventually her mom would go into her room and see the grimoire and spell and come get her, but who knew how long that’d be. Was time even moving at the same pace here? Sure she’d just gone a few minutes ago, there was no reason to think it wasn’t the same pace, but what if she’s been gone for days at home and mom had tried to bring her back and couldn’t, or what if it was slower at home and she’s just been gone for milliseconds and by the time her mom would find she was gone she’d be old and gray here, would she still be old and gray when she got back? Or would she revert to this age that she left as, and would she even want to go or want to return to a college student home for spring break? Or-

Breathe with me, Rosie-Posie. Just breathe with dad.

Listening to her dad’s voice in her head she did as he bade, closing her eyes almost letting her feel his hand on hers as he’d take her and put it over his chest so they’d sync their breaths when her panic would spiral. He used to joke she’d gotten the anxiety from her mom and uncle Stefan, despite not being related by blood to any of them. It used to make her feel like an impostor the first few times he’d done it, but afterward it just made her feel like belonging. Just like her mom telling her all about grandma Sheila that for some odd twist of fate she just happened to share a name with. Mom called it funny, dad called it fate. She called it sheer dumb luck. But it did make her feel like they really had been a family from the beginning. Hell she even had blue eyes. What were the chances? If she hadn’t remembered her birth dad’s dark skin on her lighter one as he kissed her goodnight the night he left or her birth mom’s watery blue eyes as she lay in the hospital when she was four she’d have agreed with Damon’s theory.

She sighed, heavy, and put the newspaper back from where she’d gotten it and made her way to the house. It made no sense to get lost in the worry just yet. She’d barely arrived, there was plenty of time for panic later. She was more curious what she could walk into now. She remembered her mom telling her about this time and dad turning these moments into sleeping stories when she was younger. She got only more curious about their pasts the more she grew up until they’d eventually caved and told her everything she’d wanted. Slowly, in bite sized pieces that had frustrated her to no end in the beginning, but she was glad for now since it made remembering everything so much easier.

She walked towards the door the same way she had whenever she played hide and seek with her dad since she figured it was probably a good thing not to be noticed before she could figure out what the hell was going on. She listened once she reached the door and heard what sounded like Elena Gilbert, but she couldn’t bee too sure since a. She’d only met Elena like 3 times in her life and each one for a few minutes at a time, despite her mom still talking to her every week or so and b. Katherine was supposed to be around at this point in time, right? Was Hope’s dad here too yet? Or did she mix up the dates? Only, she reminded herself, Niklaus Mikaelson wasn’t Hope’s dad here, he wasn’t even semi nice if what Alaric’s library books on the great hybrid said was true. Oh boy, she so wasn’t ready for any of this bullshit. Her mom would write the best eulogy for her when she got home, something like “I loved my daughter more than my life, but damn if she didn’t deserve a Bonnie famous lecture and punishment” just after she killed her with her bare hands in a loving manner of course.

She took out her keys and put them in the lock, turned, but the door just opened without any fight and she almost had a heart attack on the spot because what kind of morons were her parents in this time/universe to not lock their doors? She’s still thinking about this when her dad - no, not dad, Damon, and isn’t that the weirdest thing - suddenly pounces at her and tries to strangle her. She reacts immediately, just as her dad - the one back home that loves and knows her - had taught her to do and sends a wave of aneurysms across the room, making sure to hit who’s surely Katherine extra hard via a very advanced spell her mom taught her recently that renders the 500 year old vampire in a mini coma for however long the caster wants. As Damon starts interrogating her, she can’t help putting on a bit of a show. They look so odd like this, weirdly young and very much in shock at her power that isn’t even that much of a big thing. She’s average as far as power goes back home, definitely not the witch goddess her mom is. But her mom isn’t her mom yet and she certainly isn’t yet that strong here… or rather, Bonnie isn’t yet as strong as her mom here. So she enjoys the game she finds herself playing with Damon and later Bonnie when she gets there.

But she definitely has no clue what she’s gotten herself into yet as she tried to give an abridged version of the story her parents had told her over the course of at least 3 years. She sticks to the basics for them, Klaus is an Original, they’re a whole family that Klaus has the bad habit of fucking over - at least during this time - the Sun and Moon Curse is fake. And really, who the fuck thought that was a legit thing in the first place, seriously now? Klaus sired their whole vampire blood line so they can’t kill him, killing an Original kills their whole blood line, he plans on unleashing his werewolf side to belong, but he’s going to fail because his mom is mean as hell. She honestly isn’t sure what she doesn't say afterward, but the sheer silence brought on after her little tirade has her giddy. She could never get her mom and dad speechless like this, not without serious bodily harm or property damage, usually as a result of Lizzie Saltzman’s plans. She can’t wait to see how much chaos she can cause here by the end of the talk and looking at her mom with this dude that looks to be 14 that apparently is meant to be Jeremy Gilbert - only how can that be, Jeremy is a very strong vampire hunter that looks the part, not this string bean uncooked spaghetti looking child.

And now she got when her dad meant when he said mom had had terrible taste in men before him - though Rose would argue looking at the Damon across from her that her mom’s taste didn’t so much as get better but simply change. She also couldn’t understand how these two who looked like they both wanted to be anywhere but near each other and yet oddly in sync couldn ever become the Bonnie and Damon that adopted her some odd years in the future/past/other universe. Huh… maybe she could have fun until her mom would come to kill her for being an idiot and dad would give her that look that made her want her mom to kill her.

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