#finally... some good harv content

[finniestoncrane]

Hello there! I’d like to place an order for delivery?

Perfect! I’d like a signature cocktail and the surf and turf (btaa please) please. For the sides could I get the sliders, corn on the cob, and the green salad please?

Thank you so much!!

(I hope I formatted this correctly. I love your writing! Big congratulations!!)

btaa!two face x btaa!harvey, word count: 400 content (warnings): straddling, bed sharing, biting, marking kink, masturbation the kitchen is now closed! 🔞minors dni🔞 • masterlist • kofi link • tag: finnie1500 (to follow or to block) a/n: thank you anon! ok SO! i went DIFFERENT with this one, and i would love to expand on it at some point ;-;💚

there's a constant competition between harvey and two face

one that extends into every area of their life, even the most intimate points

especially, at the most intimate points, because nothing is sacred

both of them are intent on spiting the other's pleasure, unable to see the other as happy and content

and more often than not, they utilise it as a method of getting revenge on the other

harvey does it when two face has spent the entire day pushing him to edge, cajoling him into criminal activities, and calling him college boy

two face does it when he's sick of good old harvey dent trying to avoid his own fate, and the fate of others as decided by the coin

so in the dim light of their bedroom, or wherever they might be

when either the right or left hand reaches for his cock, stiff, perfectly and equally split in colour and texture down the centre

the other waits until the perfect moment

two face's preferred method is waiting until harvey thinks he's finally getting a moment of peace

before interrupting with his gruff voice

"do you need a hand, college boy? i'm better at it anyway"

a barrage of insults, cruel criticisms on his technique

"you're too slow, too gentle. get real rough with it, harv, don't be afraid!"

reminding harvey, repeatedly and loudly, that the women they encounter prefer two face, they like his style, they like a bit of a monster

in retaliation, harvey is often likely to remain calm, irritatingly so, when getting his revenge on two face

he'll speak loudly, and firmly, the entire time he's masturbating

and will insist that he is in control

and more to the point, is influencing the motions by delivering instructions that are difficult to ignore while you're in the moment

and as much as two face tries to ignore him, he will slip into a submissive mode the more he gets distracted by his mounting climax

"see, you can listen, and you can behave. perhaps as a reward i'll let you cum this time"

"what a very well-behaved boy, following the instructions to the letter!"

"that's it, grip it firm, but not too tight. and why don't you see how it might feel if you run your thumb over the head when you reach the top? ah! see... that's good, isn't it?"

and usually, harvey is very right

even if it pains two face to admit that

[jay-avian]

Creative Writing Project 1

Prompt: Write about a secret. If writing fiction: both characters know this secret, but only one of them knows they both know. (600-750 words)

Title: Our Intrepid Detective (yes, I stole from my own noir, it's okay)

I stepped into my office right at 7:00am, just like any other workday. I go to sit down at my desk where my case file and its contents lay scattered. I’ve been on the trail of a rather large crime syndicate in the city. I had been stumped on how to get them for good when my partner found out about a pick up happening tonight at the eastern docks. Brilliant man, Harvey is.

The plan was simple enough: wear a disguise, show up as one of the drivers, help them bring the goods to their “secure location”, then let the cops take care of the rest. I have to make sure that I’m more careful than I’ve ever been. If I’m caught among that large group, I’m surely done for. Thankfully, I have just the disguise for the job.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The door opened and there Harvey was with our coffee. Harv is one heck of a man; built like a brick, he is.

“Mornin��� boss,” he says as he walks in.

“Mornin’ Harv.” He hands me my drink and I take a sip and sigh. “You know, tonight’s finally gonna be it. After tonight, we’ll have played all our cards right.”

“You sure your wife will be okay with you staying out another late night?”

“Hey, crime never slows down for anybody, and neither will I. Besides, she’s got to stay late too. You know how hospital work is.”

“Whatever you say, boss.”

I get up from my seat and head to the window, taking another sip from my coffee. Looking down into the city streets this early in the morning is always so serene. A beautiful Sunday morning if ever there was one. All the saints and pretenders are getting ready to be ministered to. But I will be ministering to the sinners.

“Harvey,” I say, turning back around. “We’ve got some fishing to do.”

I arrive at the docks around 8:30pm. Harvey managed to snag me a delivery truck to borrow. I drive up to all the other trucks and step out. They had already started loading some of the trucks with crates from one of the barges in the dock. A woman was talking to some of the workers when she notices me, looks me over, and smiles. Guess the clean-shaved look really does it for me. She walks over.

She’s a real pretty one if I say so myself. Black hair tied up nice and clean, just enough makeup to bring out her features, a real nice burgundy dress too. Though something about her feels familiar. I mean, of course she lives in this city just as I do. Perhaps I’ve seen her at Molly’s diner before, or the theater.

“You another driver?” she asks.

“Yes ma’am,” I say politely. “Sorry I’m a bit late. Had some trouble with the missus.”

“You sure you won’t have more trouble after tonight?”

“Don’t worry about it. She knows I don’t play around.”

She chuckles. “That’s good. We’ll get your truck loaded, then I’ll hop in with you to give you directions.”

“Sure thing, doll.” I’m not sure why she’d offer to ride with me when I can easily follow the others. Then again, she may be trying to cozy up to me. Or worse, she might suspect something ain’t right. I can’t get nervous now though. Just have to keep my cool.

Crates get loaded onto my truck and we both hop in. We’re one of the last groups of trucks to go. As the lady’s giving me directions, we’re making a nice conversation. I feel a sense of strange warmth talking to her, but I know better than to give anything up. We eventually arrive at a warehouse on the southside where we leave the trucks to be unpacked by other members.

The woman gets out and gives a few more orders before heading to a real fancy car waiting for her in the lot. I walk her over and she gets into the driver’s seat.

“You need a ride home, darling?” she asks.

“I’ll be good, thanks. I’ve got a friend I can call up.”

“Whatever you say. As long as you meet me home Jack. I’ll be sure to make you that shepherd's pie you like.”

Before I can say another word, my wife drives off, leaving me speechless yet again.

[lifeonhaven]

I know I saw someone else mention this but Harv is SO ADORABLE in this update. It's really refreshing to get new dialogue from him, he's such a sweetheart 🥺

[like-rain-or-confetti]

Final Words...

When the Rogues are about to meet their end, their one concern is you.

The Riddler: He realised what was happening in seconds and Batman heard the lump in Edward's throat, the panic, the despair. "I need you to do something." His voice quivered. "I'm coming for you, tell me where you are." Batman pressed. "You won't make it, you know it just as well as I do." Batman heard a small sob. "I promised them so much..." He quivered. "and I won't be able to give it to them." "Nyg-" Edward cut Batman off. "I need you to tell (Y/N) something for me. I-I need you to tell them I'm sorry and that I love them with everything I had." Edward squeezed his eyes shut. "They are the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I was so lucky to have known them and luckier again to have been loved me them. Will you tell them that?" Batman was quiet for a moment before he muttered. "I'll tell them." The Riddler nodded before a smile grew upon his face. "Remember, I never fell on this day for you, Dark Knight. I am still your intellectual superior." He paused. "It was always (Y/N) who could bring me to my knees."

Scarecrow: "They know my grandmother was very religious and that I never believed in it. She made the whole idea...sour. She went on and on about angels that I could never believe in. I couldn't believe that there were higher powers and angels, not when I begged them every night to help me and my pleas fell on deaf ears." Jonathan swallowed. "Then I met (Y/N) and whilst I still do not have religion in my heart, I..." Jonathan paused. "(Y/N) is the closest thing to an angel I have ever known. They're my angel. In my final moments, I'm afraid...afraid that they don't know how much they mean to me. So I need you to play hero. I need you to tell them how much I love them, understand? They need to know that they saved me, so many times and that I wouldn't change a thing knowing all the suffering led to them. They're my reward, Batman...for surviving all those years. So tell them that I love them and that I want them to live their life free of all of this."

Two-Face: "They were the only good thing that came after that, you know...the burning. I should be dead. I've always said it. I should have died when that happened. So tell them...tell them they were a gift and they made every second worthwhile. They gave me happiness where I was certain there couldn't be anymore." Harvey's voice was shaky. "I always protected Harvey." Harv' cut in. "For as long as I remember and when (Y/N) came into our lives, we worked together to protect them. However there was an unspoken deal that we don't even think (Y/N) knew. We protected them before they were even ours because they made us happy. They need to know that, Batman. They need to know how they made us laugh and they brought back our smile."

Mad Hatter: He smiled at nothing. "Okay, Alice. Just wait a second, okay?" "Jervis, tell me where you are." Batman pressed. "Batman, could you tell (Y/N) something for me?" Jervis asked with a small content smile. A smile of relief after a long hardship. "Tell them I'm going to go with Alice, okay? I found her! We're going back to Wonderland!" Excitement could be heard in his voice. "We're running very late!" His smile faltered slightly. "Thank them for taking care of me. This adventure was so much better with them in it! They sacrificed a lot of me. Their life, their time, their happiness...so now it's time for them to find their happiness. For (Y/N), I only want the best! Tell them, I'll love them forever."

Penguin: "Alright, you and I both know this is my last run." Penguin spoke. "You at least got some decency to pass on my last words to (Y/N)? I gotta make sure of one thing before I go and kick the bucket, alright?" Cobblepo-" Batman was cut off by the Penguin. "You need to tell them how important they are to me. How they were worth every second of my time. That Gotham doesn't deserve someone like them. I need you to do that for me because they have a pesky habit of putting themselves down and not realising their worth. So you tell them, you got that?" There was a pause of silence. "I'll tell them." Batman muttered. "Good. You ended up useful after all." Oswald smirked briefly.

[snellyfish]

To celebrate my participation in a (free!) digital upcoming Mahiru zine, here’s some recent stuff I’ve done for the lady!

Here I was, unfortunately, brainrotting over Harv and Harriet from Animal Crossing with a friend and then we accidentally transformed it into Koigakure brainrot because we are truly good for nothing else. Went to bed feeling absolutely sick that night. So it basically ended up with like;;

AU where Hiro is just a quaint little travelling hippie hiding from his financial problems in a colorful van and helps Mahiru to wind down because she’s so strict and pent-up and stressed and he’s like “[hands you flower] don’t worry about it lil redhead, wanna go lie down in a flower field” and she’s like “I GUESS!!!!” Tfw a dumb man converts you into being a hippie but you’re no longer mad about it bc it’s actually great 😔

Then a concept of him not taking care of his hair so bad (in the perspective of it being curly and matted thru lack of care, not dreadlocks, of course) that Mahiru repeatedly tries to get him to shave it off for his own good bc it’s past the point of brushing, and he’s finally like, not thinking she’ll agree, “ONLY IF YOU SHAVE YOUR HEAD WITH ME!!!!!” so they do..... the end,,, this is miserable ,,,, don’t look at me. If anyone’s seen my other Mahiru content you can figure that she ends up liking shorter hair on herself and keeps it happily :] HIRO DOES NOT--

[roguish-gallery]

I just love these rogue headcanon questions so here is another! beach day head canons! what are they all doing on beach day together!

OFC!!!! This was so much fun to do, thank you for the request!

Rogues + Beach Day HCs!

Bane:

He’s just trying to have a good time but… he can’t help but feel as if he’s being watched….

He may not think he’s doing anything sus, but dudes got stacks on stacks on stacks. SO MUCH BEEF. people will be ogling at him. He’s not a big people-person, so he’s a little shocked at the amount of people calling him over to play volleyball, or why so many moms are asking if he could help them put sunblock on that “hard to reach spot”. No, he will not rub lotion on your back, Linda. Your husband is literally right there. idiots.

Eventually, he just grabs his towel, some beer from the cooler, and he finds a quiet, secluded spot to tan or he goes out to swim.

Catwoman:

Selina easily puts the most effort in her beach outfit, but that’s hardly a surprise. 

She looooooves setting up her towel close to random groups of moms so she can listen to the gossip. She doesn’t know who the FUCK they’re talking about, but that arguably makes the tea even better. Susan did WHAT with her poolboy? Unbelievable, what a bitch.

Anyone who catcalls her will get their tires slashed before they leave. No one knows how Selina is figure out which car is the right one... but they decide to not question it

Clayface:

Have you FELT the heat??? Have you SEEN the water?? All that fucking SAND??? This literally sounds like hell no fucking thank you.

He spends the day wandering around the nearby stores and bars. He has a genuine soft spot for tourist traps that sell kitschy souvenirs, and he can literally spend HOURS in one shell shop alone.

He WILL go home with at least one hideous mermaid clock and that’s a promise.

Harley Quinn:

Harley is living her BEST life. She brought ice cream, she brought a boogie board, she misplaced her flip flops so she had to borrow an extra pair of Ivy’s, (but Ivy didn’t get mad so it's alright). The beach trip was more than likely her idea, and if it wasn’t, Harley most certainly was responsible for getting the other rogues to come.

The QUEEN of beach volleyball!!! She’ll literally just join any group that’s playing and will absolutely wipe the floor with the other team!!! She quickly becomes super popular amongst beach-goers.

She tries soooo haaaaard to convince her friends to get more active because they’re either reading, sleeping, or not even ON THE BEACH. Some of them humor her, but the others just double-down on whatever they were doing prior.

Joker:

He literally spends the entire day bullying people. He’s kicking sandcastles, getting sand in people’s picnics- he doesn’t care.

When he’s not being a public menace, he’s out trying to surf. He’s frustratingly competent. No one knows where he learned how to surf.

Because he’s an IDIOT he thought his chemical-bleached skin was too good for sunscreen. Wrong. 

Killer Croc:

He literally can’t go swimming in a somewhat crowded area without some teen mistaking him for a sea monster or some shit. It really sucks, because Waylon is the best swimmer of the rogues, and he genuinely enjoys getting into the water (He does get to venture out for a few hours once it gets dark!)

Actually, CAN Waylon even do anything at a public beach without freaking people out??? What the fuck???

In the meantime though, he’s content to take a nap because the sun feels fantastic on his back and the sand is warm and ough,,,, snzzzzz,,,,,snnnnzzzzz,,,,,

Mad Hatter:

He tags along with Basil and they go explore the shops together. He doesn’t particularly care for the beach, but unlike SOME PEOPLE (Eddie) Jervis doesn’t sit around and bitch about it, so he looks for something to do.

Jerv eventually gets bored, so he spends the rest of the day doing some light people watching. There’s SO many different hats in one place! It’s fascinating!

He 100% falls asleep at around noon and he has to get woken up several times to reapply sunscreen before his white pasty-ass burns.

Mr. Freeze:

Penguin:

(I was very tempted to just link the robot chicken DC special where Oswald convinces half of the Legion of Doom to strip at the beach but! I shall not! Also… realistically, I know that Oz would Literally Rather Perish than take his shirt off somewhere public.)

As usual, he has to be the responsible one. He brought sunblock, reminded everyone to bring their towels, and he brought extra towels because he knows people will forget. And yes, even though he was teased relentlessly for it, he DID provide the beach umbrella.

He’s got a nice shirt, some Gucci shades, and a pair of beach trousers. He will NOT get in the water. “Harley, I am serious. Do you know what’s in that water? I will not get these clothes wet.”

He just wants to read a book on the sand and relax. Please let him rest. please.

Poison Ivy:

Finally… she can get some proper tanning done…

The only reason she’ll get up is if Harley is drowning, or if she needs some backup on a volleyball match. The MOMENT she isn’t needed, she’s going back to sunbathe.

She’s been around the other rogues long enough to know that half of them won’t properly apply sunscreen and it’s for that very reason that she refuses to share any of her hyper-potent aloe vera. Play shitty games, win shitty prizes.

Riddler:

HE IS WHINING CONSTANTLY WHY DID HE TAG ALONG??? ITS SO HOT OUT AND HES SO SWEATY AND THE SUNSCREEN IS SO OILY AND THE SUN IS TOO BRIGHT SO HE CANT LOOK AT HIS PHONE SCREEN AND AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

Surprisingly tho he does venture out into the water to cool off, but once he gets completely wiped out from a wave he crawls back to where The Umbrella and The Cooler are located and sulks there for a while. EVERYONE saw him and laughed.

He eventually decides to do the one thing he KNOWS he’ll enjoy doing, and he moves his towel next to where Oz is sitting, and they spend the rest of the day idly chatting. He perks up later when he gets to help with the grill during dinner.

Scarecrow:

At first, he GENUINELY doesn’t understand how he got talked into coming. There’s nothing for him to do except read (Which he could have just done at home)... Maybe if he walked along the shore he’ll find a beached jellyfish. Or a dead body… Alas, no such luck. What a terrible day… 

That is… until he comes across the seagulls. He is fascinated. No, enamoured with them. They have so much potential… for anarchy… he’ll find a flock and feed them bits of his sandwich until more join in and they start to follow him around… and then he’ll throw the rest of his food into a large group of beach-goers and watch the ensuing chaos.

After that, this literally becomes the best day ever. Jon has a smug fucking grin, and he’s openly nice to the other rogues. He gets himself a BIG ASS frozen margarita with salt on the rims AND a novelty umbrella. He REFUSES to explain his good mood, but the others begin to suspect it may have something to do with the influx of people leaving the beach at around noon.

Two-Face:

Harv’s burnt skin is very sensitive to heavy sunlight, so he’ll just throw on some sandals and he’ll hop around the bars near the beach and watch some sports. Once it gets darker and cooler, he’ll rejoin the rest of the rogues.

Once it gets dark? Guys? Barbeque. King. He’s got the grill. He’s got the meats. He’s got the cooler of beer. He is unstoppable.

He used to be That Dude With The Guitar back in college (y’all fucking know who I’m talking about, every campus has one of them), so mayyyybeee,,, if the mood strikes him,,, he miiiiiight pull out his old uke and play some tunes. maybe.

[whipplefilter]

I feel like there's a fluff story somewhere about how Doc has Lightning's racing paraphernalia in his garage (like that Rust-eze sign we see hanging on the wall)

If anyone thought I was going to answer this ask without Harv, prepare to be disappointed!

Some headcanons:

Lightning’s not great at making time for signing memorabilia. He loves meet n’ greets and the media circuit generally writ–thrives on it. But without the immediate feedback and social interaction of that, the autograph-signing is just tedious. See, what happens is Harv ships a gigantic box of hats, diecasts, antenna toppers, whatever, and Lightning is supposed to sign them all to they can be distributed via online contests, trackside giveaways, all the usual Piston Cup merch shops and online stores. It’s boring and he hates it.

Lightning has, at least once, in a moment of sheer desperation and real potential of being drowned in a barrage of Rusteze hats, tried to enlist the assistance of others to sign his things… But Mater’s penmanship was too bad, and Luigi’s was altogether too good.

Merch day is actually no one’s favorite day in Radiator Springs, because the FedEx truck that delivers it all is angry and always manages to double-park someone. And it’s just generally disruptive and industrial in ways that Radiator Springs, back on the map or not, simply isn’t. 

Sometimes, Lightning’s only incentive to get all his signing finished is he feels bad about the town having such a bad day while Mr. FedEx is waiting around. The townsfolk would like to say they don’t begrudge Lighting this, and they totally understand, and they love him no matter what, but they absolutely do begrudge him this, and they are angry about understanding even if they understand, and their eternal love becomes very questionable if it hits Hour 12 and Mr. FedEx is still passive aggressively complaining about Lightning’s attention span, work ethic, penmanship, etc. etc. etc.

Finally, FINALLY, Lightning gets to the last autograph. It’s a Rusteze sign. Just as he’s about to unleash his final flourish, Doc puts out a tire.

“Hold on, son. This one’s mine,” he says.

Doc’s never even bothered to be in town on Merch Day, he’s that unimpressed with that aspect of the noveau Piston Cup. And maybe it’s just a stupid sign, but… you know. Maybe it’s because Lightning knows it’s just a stupid sign that it means so much that Doc still wants to keep one for himself. Wants to display it in his office, even! The office, the contents of which Lightning still isn’t allowed to breathe on, much less touch. It makes Lightning really, really proud.

“I could sign it,” Lightning offers. Then he chuckles. “You know, for when you sell it on eBay fifty years from now.”

Doc looks at his sign, and then he looks at the pile of other signs. And he says, “For the sake of my sale, it’s best you don’t.”

First Sign Penmanship:

Last Sign Penmanship:

[peculiar-monstar]

Not your last sunrise. Arthur Morgan x witch! reader

*SPOILERS***

So I’m into chapter 5 and i know how this story ends, but i can’t imagine my poor man like that, so here is my attempt to fix it. 

this is a long one, SORRY-- I based his looks off the pic above (found on google i think) and on the Easter egg in the game where there is a shack with a crow and cauldron you can drink form that makes you pass out.**

SUMMARY: (fluffy happy ending) Reader finds Arthur passed out in her shack, she has a feeling something bad may happen to him and keeps an eye on him. Arthur starts having dreams of reader, and eventually they meet and she helps him and they sorta fall for each other. This starts at the end where he is on the mountain and has a flash back to how they met and how he got to that point. i tried to remember as much as i could from the game but it is not exact and there will be some grammar errors. hope ya’ll enjoy. (i had to give this precious man a happy ending)

He was exhausted, all his adventures and fights had finally caught up to him he realized as he laid there on that cold mountain top drawing in one ragged breath at a time. Slowly pulling his aching body over to a curve in the rock, he managed to prop himself against it enough to face towards the East. The tiny first morning rays were just starting to break the horizon, he could feel the chilled air all around him as he coughed and fought to keep his eyes open to see the sun rise one last time. Just as his eyes began closing, a rustling to his right made him shift. Expecting some animal to be there to collect its next meal, he instead took comfort in the large black crow he'd become accustom to seeing nearly on a daily basis in the last couple months or so. “ I'm afraid this is goodbye friend.” he whispered to the bird. Arthur then closed his eyes, giving into the darkness he felt, but as he started to slip he heard that voice, the one that filled his dreams and his thoughts, followed by a bitter taste on his tongue. “Hold on just a little longer Arthur, please.” Those words echoed in his mind with an angelic tone as he took in a long deep breath.

__________________two months prior_________________________

Arthur had been making his way around either collecting debts, hunting, or helping the occasional person. Today he found himself in the Grizzlies, where he stumbled on the sight in front of him. Dismounting from his horse he made his way to the run down looking shack, stopping to make a quick sketch in his journal. Entering the small area he first noticed the large crow calmly perched watching his every move. His attention turned to the large black steaming cauldron, he shrugged before taking a cup full of the black contents and tilted his head back consuming the liquid. He dropped the cup as he started feeling dizzy and stumbled to the door before he passed out in the doorway.

You had just taken a quick ride to gather a few more herbs needed for the recipe you'd been preparing all morning. When you had returned, a chestnut horse was standing where you normally tied your horse Harvey. Jumping down from the large Clydesdale you grabbed the herbs and cautiously made your way to the door where you saw a man face down on the ground. “Sir?” you called out but got no response. Dropping next to him you saw the cup laying on the ground by his hand. Turning the man over to get a better look at who had decided to drink a cup of some odd liquid, you took in his features. His dirty blonde hair, the slight stubble on his face forming a beard that was a little darker shade of brown, and the scar on his chin. Based on his attire that consisted of a light blue shirt, black and white suspenders, warn jeans, black boots and obviously his favorite hat or the only hat he wore that was on the ground, you knew he was a man who meant business. The guns stored on his horse told you too, and that he had  been living a certain way for a while. “Well time to pack it up before he wakes up, would ya keep an eye on him Valor while I get some of this bottled to finish at home?” you asked the ebony bird still perched by the small table.

With in a few minutes you had Harvey packed and ready to leave, but the man still hadn't woke up. Walking back over to him you took his hands and pulled him a few feet away from the shack against a large tree stump, then reaching into your pocket you placed an apple next to him and set his hat back on his head before heading to his horse and offering the curious animal a peppermint. Jumping on Harvey, you looked at the man on last time as he started to stir, he looked up, and blinked a few times attempting to focus his vision on you before you nudged your horse on and galloped down the trail and disappearing into the trees. Valor watched as the man began to stir. “What the hell happened?” Arthur groan rubbing his face while looking in the direction you had vanished in. He made it to his horse, apple in hand mumbling something before looking back at the crow just as it took flight in the same direction you had left in. “Damn bird, I must be crazy, well lets go boy.” he said while mounting his horse and shaking his head.

_____________________4 days later________________________________

Arthur awoke with a jump, he wasn't sure if it was from the loud crash of thunder with the storm that was going on or his dream. Lighting the small lantern in his he'd set up, he reached for his journal and flipped through to an empty page. He quietly sketched in the dim light the same features he had seen the previous nights and the day he passed out at the shack. Finishing the final details he looked at the woman, her features he drew soft and her lips were in a slight smile. He flipped through his drawing passing the shack and other things he'd come across, but lately it seems this woman was in his dreams every night. Sounds from the storm had stopped and the sun would be making its way through the clouds so he decided to get up and make some coffee before being on his way. As the fire heated the water he broke down the camp and had almost finished when a loud caw made him whip around. Sure enough sitting on the ground was the large black crow. “Go on now, ain't got nothin' for ya.” Arthur waved his hands at the animal, who in return just hopped a few feet over, seeming unfazed by his attempts to scare him. “fine, ya pesky thing, still following me? Waiting on me to pass out again or somethin'?” He said as he took the coffee to his lips sipping it between eating some meat he had stored in his bag.

You had found yourself thinking about the man from the second you left and saw his eyes, something about them told you there was something about him, you felt worry and dread like something was going to happen but you couldn't place what, just that gut feeling. Once you had arrived back at your home, Valor made himself known as he landed on the porch. “Would ya mind keeping an eye on him for a bit? I have a feeling we'll be crossing paths again and it might not be on such nice circumstances.” The large bird tilted its head at you then took off fluttering through the trees and out of sight. “I'll pack up a few things and what we'll need for a camp just in case, hope you're feeling up to a few days travel Harv.” you tell the dapple gray horse as you started gathering supplies.

It had now been a full week since Arthur had seen the woman at the shack, he'd had dreams of her every night and multiple sketches of her in his journal. He swears he saw her in town, but by the time he made it across the saloon she was gone, and he'd blame it on the drink. “Arthur you ready?” Dutch called back to him from the road they'd been ridding on to meet with Colm o'Driscoll. “Sure.” He replied nudging his horse past them and up the hill to have the better view while Dutch and Hosea headed down to meet up. He stayed watching with his gun ready, but as he turned he saw the other men approaching and before he could move he took a hard hit to the head from a rifle.

He woke up with a groan, he had pains but managed to slip away from the camp, until he heard the men yelling then he felt the searing pain as a shot hit him in the left shoulder sending him to the ground. “Did I kill ya yet?” one of the men asked as they retied his arms and  started dragging him back. He saw the dark shape of the familiar bird fly off silently in the darkness before he passed out. “Oh I missed you Arthur, and now I'll have an angry Dutch coming to get you with the rest and i will turn you all in at once.” He heard Colm speaking as he tried to move but found it impossible as he hung upside down. “So it was all a set up?” Arthur growled out and tried to take a swing at Colm. “Ah you're not doing so good, that wounds septic.” Colm snickered out before landing a few blows to Arthur's ribs then leaving. Arthur woke up again and managed to free himself and break his restraints, taking out one of the o'Driscolls before he tended to his wound as best he could, then slipped out of their camp unseen.  

He was in bad shape and he knew it, he hurt all over, his shoulder was the worse of all. He knew if he passed out anywhere close they'd find him, he had to find a horse and make it back to the others. He stumbled a few more feet before he fell completely to the ground. Something soft and warm nibbled at his hand and he opened his eyes to see his horse standing in front of him. Another pair of hands wrapped themselves around him and helped him stand. His first response was to fight them off thinking it was another one of the captors, but as they helped him get on his horse he heard a voice that was from a woman. “Come on cowboy, you gotta help me a little, just get on the horse and we'll get you safe.” He strained in the darkness to see you and with even the minimal moon light he knew it was her. “I-- Yyou?” he grunted out as he fully settled on his horse as you climbed up behind him taking the reins. “Shh, just hold on, we have to get you outta here.” You whispered to him as you kicked his horse into a full speed gallop with Harvey running after. “Horseshoe Overlook” was all he managed to huff out as you continued pushing his horse on.

You had made it just outside of his camp, he had passed out again along the way. Jumping from his horse you grabbed a tiny bottle from Harvey's saddle bag and went back to Arthur. “Hey, I just need you to wake up for a second please.” you said while shaking his leg. He opened his eyes just enough to see you standing holding a bottle up to him. “Just drink it, your camp is right there.” you say and point to the clearing. He takes the bottle and downs it instantly then lets the bottle hit the ground as he slumps over his horse and you watch as the animal takes him into the camp, and you hear the many voices calling to get him help, and that's when you learn what his name is, Arthur. “Keep an eye on Arthur please, get me if he gets worse.” you say in a quiet whisper as Valor lands on your arm then takes off over the camp.

Nearly a week and a half it has taken Arthur to get better, the pain is still in his arm and even more he's still confused who and why this woman helped him and fills his dreams. The damn bird was back and everyone at camp still seems confused why it wouldn't stray far from his tent while he recovered and joked about it being his friend. “Seein' as you're not gonna leave me anytime soon, guess I'll add ya to this book too.” He commented as he sketched the crow before him. “Hey Arthur, mind going hunting for something for this stew?” Pearson called from the other side of camp. “Sure.” he replied as he made his way to his horse and rode out with the crow taking off ahead of him. “Damn bird.”

Arthur had made a pretty good kill with a large buck and two turkeys stowed away on his horse as he took his time making it back to camp. His eyes caught on the sight next the the river that ran down the fields. It was the large horse that he saw first then he saw you. Spurring his horse he headed straight for you. “Hey! Ma'am!” he called out as he stopped his horse just a few feet away. “Oh, I see you're doing better, it is Arthur isn't it?” you asked shyly as the man looked you over. “Yes ma'am, Arthur Morgan, but I didn't get your name miss.” he gave you a little smile. “It's (y/n) (y/l/n).” you say and flash a smile. “Well nice to finally meet ya miss (y/n), and thanks for savin' my life.” he told you as he watched you putting away a few bottles in your horses bag. “This is Harvey, and you've already met Valor.” you tell him while motioning to your horse then the crow sat atop a rock. “That birds with you? And here I thought he just liked me.” Arthur chucked. “We'll I'm sure I'll be seeing you around Mr. Morgan.” you add with another smile as you mount up and turn to leave. “Just Arthur miss, and I sure hope so.” he smiles and watches you leave before getting on his way back to camp.

The next few of weeks are like a blur to him, from all the jobs gone wrong, and so many of his close friends killed or injured, that damn island he was on, the pinkertons finding them and all this time when he did get sleep he'd see (y/n). Since they had made it back from Guarma he hadn't seen even so much as a feather from that bird. He had enough to worry about on his own but he couldn't help but wonder about her. He noticed he'd been coughing a lot more and finding it hard to catch his breath as well, but he put it as just not getting enough sleep after all that has happened. He sat staring at the water as he waited for a bite on his fishing pole, mind wondering back to his dreams.

He must have dozed off for a bit, because he found himself looking at a familiar pair of beady eyes watching him. Jumping up he spun around “Y/n?” he spotted you instantly. “Hey cowboy, good to see you're alive after all” you half joke. He goes to speak but gets cut off with a coughing fit followed by him trying to catch his breath. “God I missed ya, these last few weeks have been hell, then I ain't seen ya bird in a while didn't know if ya up and left or somethin' happened.” he noticed your frown. “Arthur are you okay? You don't look so good, and you sound worse.” the concern etched in your face and in every word. “Darlin' I never been nothin' to look at but, sure I'm okay, just a bit under the weather.” he offered a small smile, but something in his eyes said other wise. “Mind if I stayed here with ya? It's getting dark and you don't seem to have had much luck fishing.” you say already unpacking your camp from Harvey. “Well I've always been a poor fisherman, and sure darlin' if ya don't mind listening to me snore.” he told you as he started a fire.

You had both eaten your fill and gone to bed in your tents, but you couldn't sleep, something wasn't sitting well with you. He was coughing off and on and you could tell it was hard for him to breathe. Quietly you made your way to his tent and slipped inside. Arthur was asleep and you knelt beside him and placed a hand to his head feeling the heat. He moved and opened his eyes when you withdrew your hand, coughing a little before he spoke. “Everythin' okay?” his voice gruff from sleep. “Just checking on you, I heard you coughing a lot.” you said looking at him with worry. “'s Nothin' to worry 'bout, just a cough.” he said with a sleepy yawn. “If it'll make ya feel better you can stay in here and if I get too bad just wake me up.” You nodded and laid down next to him, with in a few minutes his breathing had fallen into a slow rhythm and you found yourself being lulled to sleep.

The weight across your side was the first thing you noticed when you woke up. Looking down you found it to be Arthur's arm draped over you and you felt his breath against the back of your neck. Not wanting to wake him yet you tried going back to sleep but found it impossible, luckily your eyes landed on a brown journal just in arms reach to you. Carefully you pulled it to you and opened it, making sure not to wake the now snoring man behind you. Turning each page you saw his sketches he'd done of everything he'd seen. Some words written next to the pictures, and you found one of the shack in the woods. Turning a few more pages you saw different ones of you, and you couldn't help the smile that spread on your face. He was quite talented with drawing, and the last page you saw a sketch of you siting at a fire, no doubt the one from last night. Feeling him move and take his arm off you, you closed the book and slid it away, turning over to face him. “Morning cowboy.” you smile at him. “See ya found my sketches.” he answers sleepily. “They're really good, I can tell I'm clearly a favorite.” you smirk. He couldn't hide the smile that he had as he gets up.

The two of you spend a little more time at the camp, he tells you about Dutch and the gang and everything that's happened to him the last few weeks. He doesn't want sympathy saying he did this and all this bad stuff that he's not a good man, and though you disagree he refuses to believe it. He sounds like he's tired and done with all the robbing and running and everything but says he's got people in the camp he cares about and wants to make sure they are okay. His coughing comes and goes and it pains you, this man thinks he's so terrible and he's already suffered so much and lost so much that it hurts you. You don't want to tell him what you assume he may have, but that gut feeling has a hold of you and you've seen the symptoms before. “Arthur, when you've done what you need to, what would you say to coming and finding me? I have a nice home far away from this bullshit, it would help with your coughing and there's no one there who'd know or bother you. The closest town is full of nice welcoming people, and I wouldn't mind having some company, since its just me, Harvey, and Valor there.”

He stayed silent while still looking at you, taking in what you had said. “Darlin' are you sayin' you want me to come stay with you?” he seemed confused by your offer. “I'm not quite sure what a woman like you sees in me, I ain't nothin' but some outlaw, and yet you've saved my life, worried over me, and offered for me to stay with you, I ain't a good man.” he rubbed the back of his neck as he kept his serious expression. “Well Arthur, I worry about you, and say it all you want, but I see a good man. What kinda man goes through all you have for people he cares about? Certainly not a bad man..” you comment returning his expression with one of equal seriousness. “And here I thought ya were offerin' cause ya liked me.” he chuckled. “There's that too... I mean I couldn't hate you and still want to keep an eye on you. Clearly you've taking a liking to me too, or do you always just draw women and let them in your tent at night?” you ask raising a brow. “Maybe..” he smirked. “Tell ya what y/n, let me take care of some things at camp and whats left of me will take you up on that offer, I just can't risk bringing you into all this now, this needs to be done before I can move on.” he stands and finishes breaking down the camp before walking over to you. “I'll keep an eye on you cowboy, but stay safe and do what you need to.” you tell him before pulling him into a tight hug. He brings his arms around you and returning the hug. “I'll see ya soon darlin'” he says before letting you go and getting on his horse, something in the way he said it sounded like it was a last goodbye. Standing there you watch him ride off, you turn to your horse and mount up. “Valor don't lose him, Harvey we've gotta get some things and quick.”

_____________________________________present_____________________

He felt warm, relaxed, and it didn't hurt to breathe for once. He slowly opened his eyes taking in his surrounding, he was in a home, there was a fire going and various herbs hung from the ceiling, the smell of lavender and cinnamon filled the room. Sitting up he realized he was in a large bed, the blankets the softest he'd felt and the curtains were slightly open to allow enough light but not to hurt his eyes. A noise drew him to the foot of the bed, where perched on the wood post sat that bird he'd come to know. “Arthur? How do you feel?” your voice was sweet as honey to him and he looked at you like you were an angel and he was in heaven. Your (y/h/c) hair was down and had a glow to it, your face showing every beautiful feature he'd become so used to seeing in his dreams and drawing. Your shirt was loosely unbuttoned and a little wrinkled around the sleeves, and your pants had a little dirt on the knees. He saw you look at him with concern, then he remembered he hadn't spoke a word yet. “Hey darlin', I – I feel better then I have in a long time, for a second I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.” he said with is blue green eyes still on you. “If I hadn't got to you in time you would have died.” he had tried to joke about it, but he saw you were serious. “What happened, I mean after, I remember the sun rise then your bird.” he asked sitting up completely.

“Taking a seat next to him on the bed, you handed him a cup of liquid that looked similar to what he had found in the shack that day. “Gonna knock me out again?” he asked taking the cup. “No, that's why your alive now and not dead from TB.” you watched as he finished the cup in a few gulps. “I could tell ya had it that night, you knew and were gonna just accept death on that mountain.” the sadness in your eyes tore his heart. “I'm sorry, I had found out before ya ran into me and I didn't need anyone else getting hurt or what not from me and my choices, I told ya I'm not a good man.” he stayed silent as you placed a hand on his forehead again, checking for a fever. “Well Mr. Arthur Morgan guess your luck has turned around. Seems as though you've fully recovered and no longer have it.” you say getting up from the bed and walking out of the room. You heard footsteps following behind you. “What? How? Ain't no cure for that.” he said as he rounded the corner behind you. “Come on now cowboy, you can't be that thick in the head, large black pot in the woods, weird animals that follow, and a magic cure for a disease that is a death sentence. People 'round here talk so I know you know.” you comment while washing out the cup then taking a seat at the table. “They say that's witch craft, but you don't seem like what they describe a witch as.” he adds while standing across from you. “What ever they call it, I tend to keep it a secret for my safety, but is this gonna be a problem for you? ” you ask, hoping he says no but afraid he will just leave now that he knows. “darlin', I only see one problem here.” he calmly said as he walked over to where  your sitting. Kneeling down to be face level with you before bringing his hands up to cup your face. “That being why it's taken me this long to kiss ya.” and with that he brought his lips to yours in a passionate hungry kiss. You instantly threw your arms around his neck and pulled him closer kissing him back with as much love.

[worldismyne]

Good Intent: Chapter 1

Summary: Harv's odd feelings for his best friend have been growing stronger. He'd do anything to rid himself of them, even resort to magical means. But will Harv's own clouded disposition be his downfall?

Rated: T

Pairing Finn/Harv

Full Original Draft on FF.net

Ao3 link

Author's Note: This is the second longest fanfic in the WU fandom (the longest is the sequel). I originally wrote it in senior year of high school.

So, in honor of the fandom revival, I'm going back and revising it. This chapter alone has an additional 1300 words.

Harv sat in a small wooden chair, he glared at the feathered figure before him who matched his gaze with calm knowing eyes. He was trapped here, in an endless dimensional space, trying to walk away always just lead him back to this unfamiliar seat. Blue stretched around him as far as the eye could see. It was neither warm nor hot, the light came from no source yet felt oppressive all the same. Like he was surrounded by a stage light, on display. Other than himself, the chair, and his reluctant company; there was nothing.

'Go away.' He didn't care that there was nothing else to do here but talk to the mallard that claimed to be his spirit animal. In fact, the more his fitful dreaming tried to force him to, the more he resisted. So, night after night, he'd stare down this equally stubborn part of his subconscious and wait for it to take the hint and finally leave him be.

'I can't.' A small green duck quacked. 'You still haven't gone on your journey.' You'd think after two years, it would just give up. Or that this mind would churn out some other scenario or setting; something more imaginative than sitting in awkwardly contested silence. When it had first arrived, he had been deeply concerned; now it was just annoying. He was perfectly content with the way things were in his life. Even though it was his subconscious; he wouldn't give it the pleasure of watching him fold. There was no need for  A Magical Journey of Self Discovery when things were perfectly fine . So, he simply glared at it instead.

'Not going to happen.'

'But Harvey-'

'No.' He crossed his arms in defiance.

'You won't feel better until you do, Harvey.' The duck said sadly. Easy for a duck to say, a figment of his imagination at that, it wouldn't have to live with the consequences. Not that there was anything he'd do that would have consequences, heaven's no. He knew what was expected of him and he did that just fine. He was going to go graduate warrior school and life would be easier once he didn't have to worry about homework or how much money his parents spent on his education, or any other inconvenience in Caliburry that might drag him down. He'd fight for the king and prove his was a good warrior. Nothing was going to change that. 'It'll just get worse.'

Harv woke up with a start. It was early in the morning in the two-room farmhouse. His parents were still asleep in their bed across the room and his brothers were tangled in a heap around him. He struggled to catch his breath, mostly because Big was asleep on his chest. Groaning, he rolled out from under his younger brother, much to Rhodri's displeasure. There really was nowhere he could be alone, unless he wanted to get an early start on chores. The dreams had been more frequent in the last few months, leaving Harv to wake up irritated and exhausted more often than he'd like. 

"Get off my arm!" Rhodri hissed. Harv rolled over to let his brother up. He allowed himself a minute to collect and bury his thoughts. There was no point in fixating on something he couldn't change. This was simply a test of his will, all he had to do was try harder and be patient. It would pass, both the melancholia and the restless nights. Though the longer his predicament went on, the hollower his reasoning seemed. He shook his head, not wanting to dwell on it longer. 

He had school today.

~v~

Harv loathed driving. The emptiness of the roads in the early morning and the monotony of the task left little for his mind to do, but wander. The family cart was old and starting to splinter, held together by various ages of wood out of necessity. Those twenty minutes behind the reigns, before the sun kissed the sky in late fall, was also the only moment of silence he'd have before school began. Like every day, Harv had to go out of his way to pick up his friend before school; a task he couldn't seem to find a way out of. He still wasn't sure why Finn was his friend, as this was the source of nearly every problem that had wormed its way into Harv's peaceful life.  Finn was self-centered, obnoxious, and today; cold.

"What took you so long? It's freezing outside!" Finn shouted as Harv pulled into muddy tracks the cart had left the day before.. He slid next to Harv and shivered. The November chill had come early this year, and swiftly as well. Finn had been unprepared for this sudden change in weather, and too stubborn to wear 'old' clothes. Something Harv couldn't really fathom, given everyone in class, including him, wore things until they fell apart. Still, Finn insisted  he'd have to replan his entire wardrobe now, and force the tailors guild to work long hours on a rush order of winter wear. He received a muttered apology from Harv and the two proceed to school in the rickety cart. Finn filled the silence by cursing at the wind and his fraile constitution towards the cold, with little care towards what Harv had to say on the matter. In fact, Harv started to think Finn just talked to hear the sound of his own voice, or was allergic to silence. It was all fairly routine to him at this point. Harv was fine with it, until Finn scooted closer to him; only a fluctuating inch remained between them.

"F-Finn!" He exclaimed.

"What? I'm freezing. Do you want me to die?" Harv tried to scoot away, but there was nowhere to go other than towards Finn. His heart was racing, and he was painfully aware that Finn was looking at him and expecting a response to his question. Which shouldn't be hard, but it was hard to focus and not second guess what he should say.

"If you're that cold, you should have worn a thicker jacket." He couldn't sound more inarticulate if he tried, but mumbling was better than overreacting or having his voice crack. As it was, there were a dozen directions this conversation could go that Harv wasn't keen on. Especially ones where he'd get talked down to like a child about something ridiculously unimportant.

"With this tunic? It's pure angora Harv, I can't cover this up with one of my plain old jackets." Harv had to admit, the lavender tunic looked rather soft, regardless of its practicality. The stiff breeze ruffled the soft fur and Harv dared to wonder what the fabric would feel like under his bare hand. It was probably as soft as it looked, elastic too. Were he to touch Finn's shoulder, it wouldn't take much to slip his hand down the collar and warm the pale skin underneath? Harv immediately looked away and mentally berated himself. They hadn't even been around each other twenty minutes, and already his mind wanted to wander places it shouldn't go. It wasn't right for him to think of his friend that way, yet he found himself slipping more and more. Which trying not to think about was hard enough without Finn trying to use him to shield away the cold. Then always came the paranoia; was it obvious, did he notice? "-must be made for the sake of fashion, not that you'd know." Of course, he didn't, he hadn't even stopped talking. Which was a blessing in a way, but Finn was always bad a picking up on people's emotions, so maybe it was just Finn being Finn. And Finn wouldn't question why he finally relaxed under the touch a few minutes in only to push him away once the school came into view.

"We're here." Harv sighed. The sooner he could put distance between himself and Finn, the better off he'd be.

~v~

Lectures at Warrior U always felt longer than they actually were. Harv would keep his hands busy doodling on his desk and try his hardest to focus on the hours of mandated education only to retain a fraction of the material. Hearing someone talk about fighting wasn't as helpful as sparring in Harv's humble opinion; but the King found throwing children into battle too sad. So, a large portion of his education turned into theory.

Finn would sit next to him, equally bored and filling his notebooks with half-finished songs or diary entries; he honestly wasn't sure. Whatever it was, he wasn't allowed to look at it and they certainly weren't notes for class. Finn's grades were almost as bad as his. 

"And so ended the Epic Quest for Sherbert." The teacher bellowed. "Not all quests are quite as grand. Many of you may never go on quests at all. I, myself, ventured many times on a Quest for Water."

"BORING!" Finn groaned. "Seriously, what kind of fierce warrior would go on a stupid quest like that?" Finn 'whispered' to Harv just loud enough for the whole class to hear.

"The kind that lived." However, the teacher was too late. Finn's comment had set off a ripple of conversation through the room about quests and such. All except Harv, who buried his head in his arms. The teacher rubbed his temples. "SILENCE!" Now petrified, the student body settled back into frozen silence. "As I was saying-" Clayton noticed a calloused hand patiently raised. "Yes, Emet?"

"Aren't there any legendary whatevers in Cailburry to quest after? Cursed rivers, buried treasure, fountains of mystic... mysticalness?" Emet asked. Honestly, it didn't seem that far-fetched. Finn and Harv had been harassed by a unicorn over the last couple years and Harv's brother claimed to be burned by a phoenix. Though, those things weren't public knowledge, magic was inherently illegal. Not that Emet cared, the boisterous warrior would chase after anything if they got a good story out of it. It was only the beginning of the day and it had already started.

"Emet." Clayton said slowly for emphasis. "There's nothing like that here. The closest thing we have is the rumored wishing well in the forest, rumored. You-"

"That old thing?" Emet leaned back in their chair with a groan.

"What wishing well?" Harv perked up. 

"Just some dirty, old well." Finn dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand and went back to scribbling things in his notebook. 

"Students." Clayton moaned. Emet jumped on their desk with a mischievous grin.

"Rumor says the water was purified by unicorn magic." The made a fake horn with their fingers and leaned over Harv's desk.

"Eww," Finn cringed, "who would want to drink from a well that a filthy beast dunked its head in?"

"STUDENTS!" Clayton cleared his throat and Emet quickly returned to their seat. "Now that you're through." He turned to the board and continued his lecture.

"Does it really work?" Harv whispered.

"No one knows," Emet smirked, "no one's found it... And lived."

"That's because it's stupid and doesn't exist." Finn slammed his notebook shut, as if ready to give a long-winded speech. "Real magic is never as simple as tossing a coin-" A large desk landed inches away from Finn. The three looked up to see the teacher innocently writing on the board, distinctly deskless. "...in a well." Finn finished and promptly ducked to avoid the chair that followed.

~v~

"Do you think the wishing well grants any wish?" Harv asked on the ride home. After a day full of sunshine, Finn didn't seem as anxious to hide from the weather, instead sitting at the far opposite end of the cart. Harv shouldn't be disappointed by this.

He wasn't. 

He was just twisting the reigns around in his hands because they were talking about magic. Which he really shouldn't be asking about, but Finn didn't care.

"No, because it doesn't exist." Finn grunted. Maybe he did care? It was impossible to tell what went through the bard's head. 

"O-of course it doesn't." Harv said sheepishly. "But if it did. Would it work? Like, is that a thing that could-" Finn sighed.

"I suppose, hypothetically speaking, there could be an enchanted well. But magic's unpredictable, especially without someone telling it what to do. I highly doubt anything that powerful is just lying around, you know, granting wishes and all." He rubbed his arms in a vain attempt to shield them from the wind. "Most of those things are just non-magical things people want to believe it." Harv gleamed the general meaning from Finn's words as a yes and continued.

"And, if this nonexistent wishing well was existent; how... would you make a wish?" 

"You toss in a coin and tell it your wish... Why?" Finn scowled and looked over at Harv. "You're not thinking of looking for it are you? I don't think magic will be able to do anything about that hair." He reached out, tugging one of Harv's dreads out of his face. 

"W-what? Me?" Harv laughed nervously and tried to tilt his head away so Finn couldn't get a read on his expression. "No, I-I wouldn't do something like that."

"Good." Finn quipped, satisfied with the answer and settled back in his seat. "There's no point wasting your time and energy on children's stories. Speaking of children, mother's taking me to the palace again to visit the princess. I think it's just a ruse, because the other day-" Harv stopped listening at this point. In Cailburry, there's only one place where a unicorn would have touched anything. And he was determined to find it.

~v~

Harv cautiously ventured into the forest Finn had charmingly named "The Unicorn's Domain'. This was a stupid idea, a completely and utterly stupid idea. Harv shook his head as he walked through the forest in the middle of night. It was either now or trying to convince his family he was looking for firewood. Slipping off in the middle of the night seemed easier. One late night to get rid of thousands down the road.

As much as he'd like to believe that he could patiently endure the lead weight in his chest anytime someone brought up the future, or girls they saw in town, or why he hung out with Finn; he was getting tired of constantly dancing around the reason. Because even though it should be easy to wash his hands of their turbulent friendship, the thought of having to cut Finn out of his life burned a hole in his heart like a warning flare. Warning of a negative emotional response that would be a lot harder to hide than admitting he sometimes enjoyed Finn's company a little too much.

Definitely more than the blond would consider reciprocating. 

Finn was right, there probably was no wishing well and magic was a dangerous thing to tamper with. But if there was a chance, even a minute one, that he could make everything just go away. It would pay its weight in gold to be able to focus on the path his parents laid out for him again. 

Dead leaves littered the forest floor and curled around the soles of his boots. With batted breath, Harv wandered toward a stone column a few paces from a wide lake. The pence clenched in his hand dug into his palm, his pocket money for the month. If this didn't work, he'd be out a lot of money.

Finally, the well came into focus. Despite the threat of winder, fresh green vines coiled around the well with soft blue buds. Desire was carved in the wooden rod that supported a torn rope. Harv peeked over the wall of the well into the penetrating darkness. He could smell water, but nothing reflected the stars back to him. The well seemed mystic enough, maybe this would work after all. He took a deep breath and tossed the penny into the well. When a splash echoed back up the well, Harv fell to his knees.

"I wish I didn't have these sinful thoughts." He begged in his mind. "Please, please banish this impurity from me. I don't know how much longer I can last."

"HEY!" An angry voice shouted. "What do you think you're doing?!" Harv jolted from his spot on the ground and ran. He was gone before a very angry, very human Hevvin managed to reach the well. He looked between Harv retreating back to his farm and the well. "Stupid humans, tossing their crap in my sink." He eyed the well. "AND THESE FLOWERS ARE BACK!" He ripped the vines to revile a brass plaque. On it, the following was inscribed.

To all who have dreams that wouldn't come true,

Drop a coin in the water for hope to renew.

No reward will come from the wish your words host,

This well grants the desire you yearn for most.

Either way, Harv wouldn't have been able to read it.

Author's Note: I had only be writing for about three years, and I kinda think of if as where my writing went from cringe to somewhat decent. It's the only fanfic I wrote that had fanart made of it. It holds a special place in my heart for a lot of reasons.

I also can't help but notice that the tone's changed. I guess that's the difference between writing something in the moment of all those transitional crises and looking back on it with more experience.

[acapelladitty]

Not saying I want you to write this, but... I'd love a fic involving Bruce tending to Harvey's scars. Like giving him a little massage, that'd be nice. But then he'd end up doing both sides because you gotta be even, right? 😝

THIS IS SO SWEET! I don’t know where this Harvey Dent love is coming from but i’m right there with y’all! Here xx

“If you would stop squirming so much, this would be over much sooner and with considerably less discomfort.”

As he attempted to close the last small stitch which he was applying, Bruce gave a satisfied grunt as he finally sealed the deep cut which was gracing the high curve of Harveys' cheek.

“Easy for you to say,” Harvey grumbled as his wound was tended to, “you were not slammed across the face with a bike chain.”

“You've shot me six

times over the last ten years.” Bruce pointed out.

“And it will be seven

if you keep this up.” Harvey countered unapologetically but there

was a hint of humour in his words.

Looking down at the

head which lay tilted against his lap for support, Bruce rolled his

eyes. Harvey had placed his head there to ensure that he did not

flinch away too much when receiving medical attention and it also

gave Bruce the best access to the cut itself.

It had not taken a lot

of convincing for Harvey to make himself comfortable though as his

cheek rested against the solid muscle which passed for Bruces'

thighs.

“Shut up, Harv.”

Moving his hand away

from the wound, Bruce instead ghosted his fingers along the bruising

which surrounded it as he circled the affected area with a soothing

touch.

Cracking open his good

eye, Harvey gave him a searching gaze.

“What are you doing?”

“Relaxing you,”

Bruce answered honestly, “the tension in your face will make the

wounds take longer to heal.”

Grunting noncommittally, Harvey closed his eye again as Bruce picked up one

of the antibacterial wipes which were included in his kit and cleaned

his hands thoroughly with it. It would not be any good for Harvey to

pick up an infection from his dirty hands.

Bruce returned his

hands to the unscarred side of Harveys' face as he stroked one hand

up along his jaw and gently traced the edges of his acid scarring

which divided his handsome face with the other.

“Bruce...” Harvey

muttered in warning.

Ignoring him, Bruce

placed his two fingers at the edge of Harveys' scalp and used his

fingertips to gently follow the curve of his forehead towards his

ears. As his fingers separated, the contrast of the different halves

of Harveys' face became apparent as Bruce focused on the differing

sensations which crossed his fingertips.

The non-scarred skin

was soft to the touch with only the recently sustained injuries

providing any variation from the smoothness and Bruces' fingers slid

across it without meeting any resistance. He also took some care to

avoid the freshly sewn cut as he massaged the skin around it.

However, as his fingers

reached the scarred skin, he felt Harvey tense beneath him and Bruce

paused to release a calming breath. If Harvey rejected the movements

then he would accept it but as he continued to gently massage his

fingers across the torn flesh, he was not forced away. The various

pits and ridges of the scarring was an interesting sensation and,

although many of the nerve endings were damaged beyond repair, Bruce

was careful to avoid pushing down too hard in cause it caused any

excess pain.

Bringing his fingers

towards the nose, Bruce started to slowly massage Harveys' face and

as his fingers danced across his skin, he took great care to apply an

equal amount of attention to both sides. Tracing his fingers across

Harveys' jaw, he slid his hands down Harveys' throat before gently

running them back up the sensitive flesh, making sure to apply enough

pressure to relieve any tension which may have been building there.

Practically purring in

contentment, whatever reservations Harvey possessed about Bruce

touching his scarring had melted away as he took pleasure in the soft

ministrations.

Bruce was not treating

him like glass, his touch was soft but it was firm and unflinching as

it repeatedly stoked along his ripped face, and he felt a low hum of

serenity in his chest.

Bruce had never treated

him as fragile, as a monster which possessed the thinnest ties to

sanity, and it had afforded his touch an almost euphoric quality.

“Bruce?” He

murmured, the words issuing from his mouth with no emphasis.

“Yes, Harvey?”

Bruce asked wryly, his happiness that Harvey was allowing him some

uncharacteristic free access to his scarring causing him to feel

almost giddy.

Opening his mouth,

Harvey looked uncertain for a moment and whatever he had intended on

confessing left him just as quickly as it had came and he snapped his

mouth shut again.

“Nothing.”

Squirting a small

amount of antiseptic moisturiser onto his fingertips, Bruce warmed it

for a moment between his hands before gently applying and smoothing

it across Harveys' face, paying particular attention to his fresh

wounds and scarring as they both settled back into a comfortable

silence.

Harvey would never say

the words, Bruce understood that, and he did not need to hear them to

know the depth of Harveys' affection for him.

Smiling with content,

Bruce continued to run his fingers delicately along Harveys'

features, each one still beautiful despite their tragedy, as he

silently willed his partner to sink into a peaceful sleep.

AO3 Link - http://archiveofourown.org/works/11689191

[art-of-manliness]

The Best Western Movies Ever Made

Few figures in history have had as powerful an impact on American masculinity as the cowboy. While the mythologization of the cowboy began all the way back in the late 1800s with dime novels and Wild West shows, it wasn’t until the advent of twentieth century cinema that the cowboy cemented his place as an icon of manliness. In the same may the myths of the Greeks and the legends of the Vikings espoused certain ideals and inspired men of the past, Western films contain lessons in heroism, epic adventure, and meditations on the line between good and evil. They form a fun, ponderous, sometimes contradictory, undeniably indelible, and thoroughly American canon on what it means to live with honor and be a tough, gritty, self-reliant man. With that in mind, a few years ago we published a list of what we deemed to be the 17 best Western films. Of course readers chimed in that we had inevitably left out a few fan favorites. So a couple years later we did another list of more than a dozen films that readers recommended. Even then, there were a few more that just had to be added in. So for your reading convenience we combined those first two lists and included a handful more to give you the ultimate guide to the greatest Western films ever made. Enjoy! High Noon High Noon is film about being torn between duty and love and standing up for what you believe in, even when everyone else abandons you. Gary Cooper plays Will Kane, a town marshal from New Mexico, who settles down with his pacifist Quaker wife (played by Grace Kelly, one of your grandpa’s babes). Kane’s plans to retire to a peaceful life are interrupted after he gets word that a former gunslinger is coming in on the noon train to settle an old score with him. His wife pleads with him to leave town, but Kane knows he can’t. He has a duty to defend the town and his honor. Will finds himself alone in the battle as everyone in town, including his deputy sheriff, have turned away from him. The tension builds, leading up to the final gun battle — the quintessential mano-a-mano showdown that historians say rarely actually happened in the Old West, but has become an indelible part of popular culture. Best line: “Don’t shove me Harv. I’m tired of being shoved.” 3:10 To Yuma (1957) Small-time, down-on-his-luck rancher Dan Evans needs to do something to keep food on the table for his family. So when a stagecoach company offers $200 to transport the outlaw Ben Wade to Contention City in order to put him on the 3:10 train to court, Evans volunteers. But Wade’s gang has other plans, and their journey is fraught with danger at every turn. As often happens in Westerns, the demarcation between good and bad becomes a little blurred. Originally based on a short story by great Western writer Elmore Leonard, 3:10 To Yuma was selected in 2012 to be part of the National Film Registry because of its cultural significance. Best line: “What are you squeezin’ that watch for? Squeezin’ that watch ain’t gonna stop time.” Stagecoach This is the movie that made John Wayne a star and set the standard for all subsequent Westerns (some would say it set the standard for all 20th century cinema). Directed by the legendary John Ford and shot on scene in Monument Park, Stagecoach follows a group of nine strangers as they cross dangerous Apache territory in — you guessed it — a stagecoach. All of the characters have their own personal demons that they’re running from and the journey through the treacherous Apache territory in many ways serves as a symbolic road to redemption for each of them. The acting and screenplay is top notch. Despite being filmed in 1939, the movie is still fresh and engaging. Be on the lookout for the epic chase scene featuring one of the most famous movie stunts of all time performed by Yakima Canutt. Best line: “Well, there are some things a man just can’t run away from.” Open Range Made in 2003, many commenters on our original list of movies noted this film as their favorite modern Western. Starring genre regulars Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner, the plot is fairly familiar: Boss (Duvall) embarks on a long cattle drive with his crew, which includes Charley White (Costner), a Civil War vet. They stop near the town of Harmonville to resupply, which is controlled by the ruthless land baron Denton Baxter. When one of the cowhands doesn’t return, Boss and Charley depart from the herd to go investigate, and run into some local trouble. Even though the plot is somewhat expected, the action and acting are no less spectacular, with the final gunfight being called one of the best of all time by Guns & Ammo magazine. That right there should be enough to convince you of Open Range’s inclusion on this list. Best line: “We come for justice, not vengeance. Now them is two different things.” Broken Arrow Based on historical characters, but dramatized and fictionalized, of course, this film stars James Stewart as Tom Jeffords, an Army scout and Indian agent who was instrumental in making peace with Chief Cochise and the Apache people. After saving a young Indian boy, Jeffords learns the language and customs of the Apache, and then attempts negotiating for the safe passage of mail riders who are frequently ambushed. He makes a deal, but not everyone agrees with it. Both settlers and Indians are miffed, and it may cost Jeffords everything he holds dear. Broken Arrow was the first Western that took a sympathetic view towards American Indians. Best line: “To talk of peace is not hard. To live it is very hard.” The Searchers In this film, also directed by John Ford, John Wayne gives the most intense acting performance of his career as the dark and vengeful Ethan Edwards, a man who vows to kill the Comanche raiders who murdered his beloved sister-in-law and brother, and took captive two of their daughters. Wayne does a fantastic job in embodying a conflicted, complex man whose racism and desire for revenge sets up a situation far more morally ambiguous than Cowboys vs. Indians. Best line: “That’ll be the day.” My Darling Clementine Another John Ford film. This one stars Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp in the period leading up to the gunfight at the OK Corral. Earp and two of his brothers ride into the town of Tombstone, leaving brother James behind to watch the cattle herd. Finding the town mired in lawlessness and without a marshal, Wyatt is the only man willing to handle a dangerous Indian in town. Upon returning to the herd, James is dead and the cattle are stolen. Wyatt vows revenge, and stays in Tombstone as the marshal until the perpetrators are found. You can’t be without a love interest, so along the way a gal named Clementine Carter (Linda Darnell) arrives in town and stays in the same hotel as Earp. As with most great Westerns, both sparks and bullets fly in this film. Best line: “When ya pull a gun, kill a man.” Lonesome Dove Technically this isn’t a movie, but rather a TV mini-series, but I don’t care. Lonesome Dove is a Western every man should see. Even if you don’t like Westerns, you’ll love Lonesome Dove. Its themes of friendship, regret, and love will resonate with any man. The action scenes are just icing on the cake. Based on one of the best books of all-time, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Larry McMurtry, Lonesome Dove follows two retired Texas Rangers — Augustus McCrae (Robert Duvall) and Woodrow Call (Tommy Lee Jones) — as they lead a cattle drive from South Texas all the way to Montana. The production on Lonesome Dove is, bar none, the best in Western cinema. The costumes, the locations, even the way the characters speak make you feel like you’ve been plopped on a horse in 1876 America. But what really separates Lonesome Dove from the rest of the Westerns on this list (and I’d go as far as saying most movies ever made) are the characters. Thanks to top-notch writing and acting, Lonesome Dove is one of those rare movies that makes you feel like its fictional characters are real life people. Not only that, you feel like old friends with them by the end. You’ll cheer their triumphs and bawl your eyes out when tragedy strikes. Do yourself a favor and rent the complete series and watch it. You’ll be a better man for it. Best line: “It ain’t dying I’m talking about, it’s living.” McLintock! George Washington McLintock, “GW” to friends and foes alike (played by John Wayne), is an aging and wealthy self-made rancher. He has eagerly awaited the return of his daughter Becky, who’s been away at school for the last couple years. To his surprise, though, his wife Katherine, who left GW after suspecting adultery, has also returned. And she’s intent on taking their daughter back to the state capital with her. That’s not the only drama, of course. There are shady bureaucrats, Indians on the verge of forced relocation, plenty of brawls and gunfire, and one of the last and most memorable scenes of cinematic wife spanking. Best line: “You have to be a man first before you’re a gentleman.” Unforgiven Cinema often glorifies the Old West as a mythic time when good guys wore white and the bad ones wore black. In Unforgiven, director/actor/producer Clint Eastwood shines a light on the dark, violent, and morally ambiguous aspects of life in frontier America. Clint Eastwood plays William Munny, a once notorious and violent killer. Now, he’s just a quiet and tired farmer who is a devoted father still mourning his dead wife. But Will’s old life comes back to haunt him when he’s asked to do a hit on a cowboy who slashed the face of a prostitute. Will is transplanted from his farm in Kansas to a town in Wyoming where he meets Sheriff Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman), a mean son-of-a-bitch who is determined to not let the hit go down, no matter what it takes. Hold onto your hats, partners, this isn’t your grandpa’s Western. Best line: “Hell of a thing, killing a man. You take away all he’s got and all he’s ever gonna have.” No Country For Old Men While not fitting neatly into the Western genre, this 2007 thriller definitely has the dusty, country grit that comes with the other films on the list. It won that year’s Academy Award for Best Picture, and features one of the scariest villains (Javier Bardem) of all-time. Set in 1980, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) finds two million dollars, along with a slew of dead Mexicans, in a desert drug deal gone wrong. He takes the money, but is tracked by hitman Anton Chigurh (Bardem), so he sends his wife away to her mother’s house. On the run, Moss finds himself in trouble at every turn, and reluctantly accepts the help of both his wife and Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones). Gunfights, games of chance, aging lawmen — this film really does carry all the elements of a Western, but with the twist of the modern thriller. In staying with the genre, it may not have a neat and tidy ending, but it’s one that leaves you satisfied with the story. The book is great too. Best line: “I always figured when I got older, God would sorta come inta my life somehow. And he didn’t. I don’t blame him. If I was him I would have the same opinion of me that he does.” Shane This is a great sheepdog movie. A quiet gunslinger who is trying to escape his past befriends a pioneer family that has settled out west. He attempts to settle down and become a hired hand to the family, but the ranchers who want to drive cattle through the homesteaders’ property are attempting to push them out. Shane tries to stay out of the disputes, but keeps being drawn in and is finally compelled to put his six shooter back on to protect his adoptive family. Perhaps the most touching part of the movie is the relationship Shane develops with the farmer’s son. Best line: “A gun is a tool, Marian; no better or no worse than any other tool: an axe, a shovel, or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that.” The Good, the Bad and the Ugly The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is the last in Sergio Leone’s trilogy of “spaghetti westerns.” Despite being the last, it has come to stand on its own. Even if you haven’t seen the film, you probably know something about it. Most likely you’ve heard the iconic theme song with its spooky “wha wha wha” shouts. And you’ve probably seen images and scenes of Clint Eastwood wearing a poncho and smoking a cigar. The film follows three cowboys during the Civil War who try to double cross each other in search of Confederate gold. There’s not much of a deep message in this film. It’s just a lot of fun to watch. Best line: “When you have to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk.” The Ox-Bow Incident Based on the best-selling novel of the same name (which is marvelous in its own right), this 1943 Academy Award-nominated movie fell more into the Western noir side of the genre than your classic gunslinging action flick. Henry Fonda and Dana Andrews star as two drifters passing through a small town, in which a rancher has just been murdered and had his cattle stolen. The townspeople are outraged and form a posse (which includes our drifters) to go catch the murdering rustlers. The angry group catches up with three men who are in possession of the stolen cattle, claiming they were purchased on the up and up. About half the posse is willing to wait for a judge to make some sort of ruling, while the other half is ready to hang the supposed thieves then and there. Does groupthink win the day, or will reason have the last word? There’s not much action here, but the questions asked, and answered, remain remarkably relevant even 75 years later. Best line: “Law is a lot more than words you put in a book, or judges or lawyers or sheriffs you hire to carry it out. It’s everything people ever have found out about justice and what’s right and wrong. It’s the very conscience of humanity. There can’t be any such thing as civilization unless people have a conscience, because if people touch God anywhere, where is it except through their conscience? And what is anybody’s conscience except a little piece of the conscience of all men that ever lived?”  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Based loosely on the real lives of Western outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker (aka Butch Cassidy) and Harry Longabaugh (aka the Sundance Kid), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a classic movie about two buddies trying to make it in a changing world. What’s funny about this flick is that you forget that these guys were hardened criminals who robbed banks and trains for a living. The easygoing charm Robert Redford and Paul Newman bring to their roles makes you like the characters despite their choice of profession. Their clever hijinks and humor make the movie an enjoyable ride. Best line: “Rules? In a knife fight? No rules!” The Sons of Katie Elder Another John Wayne classic, this one co-starring Dean Martin. Katie Elder had four adult sons: John (Wayne) — an (in)famous gunman, Tom (Martin) — a professional gambler, as well as Bud and Matt. The brothers meet up at their mother’s funeral, bemoaning the fact that they shouldn’t have neglected her like they did. They’d like to re-take the family ranch, which has been nefariously seized by one of the townspeople. As you can imagine, plenty of ruckus ensues, and the Elder brothers do all they can to make their dearly departed mother proud. The popular 2005 movie Four Brothers is loosely based on this story, with a more modern and urban take, and is also worth a watch. Best line: “Texas is a woman, she used to say, a big, wild, beautiful woman. You raise a kid to where he’s got some size, and there’s Texas whispering in his ear and smiling, saying, ‘Come and have some fun.’ It’s hard enough to raise children, she’d say. But when you’ve got to fight Texas, a mother hasn’t a chance.” The Magnificent Seven Inspired by the classic Japanese film Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven follows a group of seven American gunfighters (including Steve McQueen) who band together to defend an oppressed Mexican village. This film has it all: great story, great cast, and one of the most iconic movie scores of all time. Best line: “It’s only a matter of knowing how to shoot a gun. Nothing big about that.” Red River What happens to a man when he’s consumed by obsession? That’s the question that we see answered in 1948’s Red River. John Wayne plays Thomas Dunson, a determined and sometimes ruthless man who has the goal of forming the largest cattle ranch in America. With nothing but his trusty trail-hand (Walter Brennan) and a young boy who survived an Indian attack on his wagon train (Montgomery Clift), Dunson does just that. To make money, though, he’s got to get the cattle to market, so Dunson sets out to drive thousands of cattle from Texas to Missouri. Along the way, Dunson’s brutal and dictatorial leadership causes his young protege and adopted son to mutiny and take the cattle from Dunson. Dunson vows to find and kill his boy. Does he do it in the end? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out. Best line: “Get a shovel and my Bible. I’ll read over him.” True Grit (2010) Hired by a young girl to track down the man that killed her father, Jeff Bridges takes on the role of Rooster Cogburn, the marshal with “grit” enough to bring the man to justice. The 2010 version is definitely better than the 1969 John Wayne version. Bridges simply did a superior job portraying Rooster Cogburn, and thanks to the Coen brothers, the movie just seemed more real and alive. Best line: “Fill your hand you son-of-a-bitch!” Silverado This 1985 flick features quite the ensemble cast: Kevin Costner, Jeff Goldblum, Danny Glover, Brian Dennehy, Linda Hunt, and more. Set in 1880, four men find themselves brought together in the midst of gunfights and jail breakouts. They end up in the town of Silverado, and although they part ways, are quickly reunited by their desire to fight the town’s injustices. After fighting common foes, the men also avenge their personal demons, and although they end up going their separate ways, will always retain the kinship of fighting together for the justice of a small Western town. Best line: “I always figure you might as well approach life like everybody’s your friend or nobody is; don’t make much difference.” The Wild Bunch The Wild Bunch is a tale about a group of outlaws who see the world they know quickly disappearing. Set in 1913, the West by then was no longer “wild.” The old rule of “might makes right” had been replaced by government-dispensed justice. Moreover, technology had made many of the skills and know-how needed to survive and thrive in the Wild West obsolete. Sensing that their time is up, a group of outlaws decide to go out in a blaze of glory and gore. The Wild Bunch was and is a controversial film. Its violence and nihilism paints a bleak picture of life at the end of the American West. In many ways, The Wild Bunch symbolized the end of the classic American Western. Just as the outlaws in the film were out of step with a changing society, so too were Westerns out of step with 1969 America. It’s interesting to note that very few new major Westerns were produced after The Wild Bunch was released in 1969. Best line: “Let’s go.” Pale Rider Another movie that Eastwood produced, directed, and starred in. As with many of his other roles, he plays a lone ranger figure just called the “Preacher.” He rides into a gold mining settlement in which a group of thugs led by Coy LaHood (Richard Dysart) are pushing the panners to give up their territory. Preacher attempts to first negotiate with LaHood, but he sets out unreasonable terms that the gold panners refuse to agree to. And so a rough and corrupt Marshal is sent in by LaHood to clear everyone out. That’s where Preacher’s mysterious background — he has six unexplained bullet wounds in his back — comes in handy and he joins the settlers to fight off the bad dudes. Being one of the only Hollywood Westerns made in the 1980s, it received excellent reviews, and was nominated by the American Film Institute as a Top 10 film in the genre (although it ultimately wasn’t included in that prestigious list). Best line: “There’s plain few problems can’t be solved with a little sweat and hard work.” Rio Bravo A small-town sheriff (John Wayne) in the American West enlists the help of a cripple (Walter Brennan), a drunk (Dean Martin, of course), and a young gunfighter (Ricky Nelson, still dreamy even as a cowboy) in his efforts to keep the brother of the local bad guy in jail. Director Howard Hawks made this film in reaction to High Noon. Both he and John Wayne despised what they saw as the wimpy and unmanly lack of resolve in Gary Cooper’s character. I’m not sure I agree with Wayne and Hawks about that, but that’s a debate for another day. Overall, Rio Bravo has everything you should expect in a good 1950s Western: action, adventure, and heroics. We even get to hear old Dean-O sing a tune.  Best line: “Hey, Dude! How do ya like them apples?” Major Dundee Union cavalry officer Major Amos Dundee (Charlton Heston) has been assigned to a POW camp in New Mexico after making a tactical error in the Battle of Gettysburg. After an Apache war chief named Sierra Charriba, along with his band of comrades, massacres a family of ranchers and a group of cavalrymen, Dundee takes it upon himself to get revenge. So he recruits a private army of Union soldiers, Confederate prisoners, Indian scouts, and even mercenaries. They venture into Mexico to fight the Apache, with whom they engage in several bloody battles. Dundee is able to show off his tactical prowess, and we see how even enemies can come together in the face of a common foe. While this film wasn’t held in terribly high regard when it came out, in the last decade or so that tide has been turning; one modern reviewer describes it as “likely the most gritty and realistic Western ever made.” Best line: “I have only three commands. When I signal you to come, you come. When I signal you to charge, you charge. And when I signal you to run, you follow me and run like hell!” Tombstone After years of chasing outlaws, legendary lawman Wyatt Earp retires and takes up residence in the town of Tombstone, Arizona. His plans to live out his days as a respectable businessman are interrupted when a gang of hell-raisers called “the Cowboys” starts causing trouble in the area. Not able to stand the lawlessness, Earp joins his brothers in getting rid of the Cowboys. Tensions between the Earps and the Cowboys heats up and eventually leads to the infamous showdown at the O.K. Corral. Action-packed and fast-moving, Tombstone is definitely a Western that suits modern moviegoers’ tastes. Not to mention, it has some of the best mustachery in the history of cinema. Best line: “I’m your Huckleberry.” Once Upon a Time in the West The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was supposed to be Sergio Leone’s last Western. But then Paramount Pictures offered him access to Henry Fonda (who plays the villain), and he couldn’t say no. Although Clint Eastwood turned down the role of protagonist, Charles Bronson did not, and over time the film has come to be known as one of the best Westerns of all-time (famous directors like Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and George Lucas credit this film with influencing them), even though it didn’t gain critical or box office success when it first came out. The story revolves around Jill McBain, who has just moved from New Orleans to the Utah frontier, only to find her new husband and his children brutally murdered. She’s joined in the hunt for the killer by outlaw Cheyenne and the mysterious fellow named Harmonica (Bronson), who knows a few tunes on both his classic cowboy instrument and his gun. Best line: “How can you trust a man that wears both a belt and suspenders? Man can’t even trust his own pants.” How the West Was Won This 1963 film has perhaps the most star-studded cast ever assembled: John Wayne, Gregory Peck, James Stewart, Carroll Baker, Henry Fonda, Debbie Reynolds, and more. It’s an epic, so rather than focusing on a single story or time period, it follows four generations of one family over 50 years in the mid-1800s as they move westward. You get a little bit of everything: river fordings, Indian raids, plains crossings, Civil War battles, gold rushes, railroad construction, and skirmishes with outlaws. Over the course of almost three hours you span nearly every subject covered by the genre. And it’s not like today’s celebrity-stuffed films that are poorly made and clearly just vying for more eyeballs; How the West Was Won has a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a dang good film, and one that stands out not just among Westerns, but among all genres. Best line: “The west that was won by its pioneers, settlers, adventurers is long gone now. Yet it is theirs forever, for they left tracks in history that will never be eroded by wind or rain — never plowed under by tractors, never buried in compost of events. Out of the hard simplicity of their lives, out of their vitality of their hopes and sorrows grew legends of courage and pride to inspire their children and their children’s children.” The Outlaw Josey Wales Directing and starring Clint Eastwood, the film’s about a man named Josey Wales who lost home and family during the Civil War to a band of pro-Union Jayhawkers. Driven by revenge, he joins a posse of pro-Confederate soldiers so he can find the men who destroyed the things he loved. The Civil War ends and the band of Confederate fighters surrender. But not Josey. Revenge, sorrow, forgiveness, betrayal, love, family, and honor take center stage in this Eastwood classic. Best line: “Dyin’ ain’t much of a living, boy.” Comanche Station Some Westerns are big-budgeted affairs loaded with stars and running for up to a few hours. While those are great, sometimes you want to see what the smaller-budget guys can do with just a couple good actors and a solid story. That’s where Comanche Station comes in, having recently been noted by some as one of the great underrated Westerns. With a running time of just 74 minutes, there’s no fluff. When loner Jefferson Cody trades with a band of Comanches to release a white woman, he assumes that getting Mrs. Lowe back to her husband will be a piece of cake. But with a handsome reward on the line for her return and a couple of nasty outlaws, the going ain’t so easy. Best line: “Not talkin’ about right. Talkin’ about stayin’ alive.” The Big Country East coast sea captain James McKay (Gregory Peck) heads West with his fiancee Patricia (Carroll Baker — who also co-starred in How the West Was Won) to live on her father’s ranch. McKay doesn’t realize he’s walking into an old water rights feud between his soon-to-be father-in-law and the neighbor, Rufus Hannassey (Burl Ives — who won an Academy Award and Golden Globe for his supporting role). Terrill (the father-in-law) and Hannassey trade barbs and trouble-making stunts, but after declining to duel, ride unbroken horses, or otherwise prove his manhood, everyone, including his fiancee, starts to consider McKay a bit of a coward. Unbeknownst to the family, however, he’s been settling things and trying to make peace behind the scenes. Turns out the seaman knows a thing or two to be able survive in the West after all. This film has it all: literally dueling neighbors, vivid landscapes and wild horses, and even a love triangle. President Dwight Eisenhower was a big fan of this film, and in fact once screened it on four consecutive evenings in the White House. Best line: “There’s some things a man has to prove to himself alone, not to anyone else.” The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford This 2007 film directed by Andrew Dominik is the film version of the 1983 novel of the same name. Brad Pitt stars as Jesse James with Casey Affleck taking on the role of his killer, Robert Ford. When James’ gang plans a train robbery in Missouri, Ford makes multiple attempts to join the gang. Ultimately, Ford gets rejected by James, and so sets out to get revenge. The film is star-studded, but surprisingly had lackluster results at the box office despite excellent reviews, with one critic even saying that it is “one of the most wrongly neglected masterpieces of its era.” Best line: “It seems to me if you have something to confess, you outta be right and you spit it out now.” Dances With Wolves Kevin Costner both starred in and directed this 1990 Best Picture winner (one of only three Westerns to win the prestigious Academy Award). During the Civil War, Lt. John Dunbar becomes a Union hero for an act of bravery he did not intend to commit. Wanting to get away to the Western frontier, he requests a posting at a remote fort. Finding it abandoned, he mans the outpost alone, and quickly befriends not only the local Indians, but a wolf too, which he names Two Socks. He also finds a white woman who’s been raised by the tribe, and comes to earn the trust and respect of the native people. This doesn’t exactly sit well with the military, though, and Dunbar soon has to choose where his loyalty really lies. Best line: “It seems every day ends with a miracle here. And whatever God may be, I thank God for this day.” The Shootist Nobody wants to die alone. Especially gunslingers. In a haunting portrayal that foreshadowed his own fate, John Wayne plays J.B. Books, an aging gunfighter dying of cancer who resigns himself to live out his days in private. But skeletons from his past prevent him from fading away, so he decides to go down the only way he knows how – with his six-shooter blazing. Best line: “I won’t be wronged. I won’t be insulted. I won’t be laid a-hand on. I don’t do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.” Vera Cruz Starring Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster, 1954’s Vera Cruz was one of the first big Westerns to feature morally ambiguous characters who were nonchalant towards violence. It paved the way for those themes to be realized in big Hollywood fashion in the late 50s and 60s. Set during the Franco-Mexican War of 1861, Cooper plays ex-Confederate soldier Ben Trane. He’s gone down to Mexico looking for work as a mercenary and teams up with gunslinger Joe Erin (Lancaster). They are hired by Emperor Maximillian I to escort the Countess Duvarre (Denise Darcel) to the port city of Vera Cruz. Trane and Erin discover that the locomotive they’re traveling aboard has a stash of $3 million. As you can imagine, a lot of people want that gold, and I don’t need to tell you the rest of the story. Best line: “Don’t take any chances you don’t have to. Don’t trust nobody you don’t have to trust, and don’t do no favors you don’t have to do.” The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance US Senator James Stoddard (James Stewart) has rolled into a small Western town to attend the funeral of Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). Why would a big-time politician come all the way out West for that? We flashback 25 years to when Stoddard was a young attorney whose stagecoach was robbed by the ruthless Liberty Valance. The lawyer was whipped and left for dead, but saved by Doniphon and brought to the town of Shinbone, where the community as a whole tended to his injuries. Stoddard opens a law practice, but Valance is still a terrorizing presence. Doniphon — who only knows the ways of brute force — debates with him the best way to bring justice to Valance. Is it through the grim violence of the West, or the more civilized path of the law and courts? This movie was shot in black and white, even though color was available. Many speculate that director John Ford was moving to a grittier, more realistic view of the West over the more colorful, romantic, and optimistic pictures he had previously done. Ford and Wayne worked on ten(!) Westerns together, but many single out The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance as the most impactful. Roger Ebert said it was “the most pensive and thoughtful,” and Sergio Leone called it his favorite film by the famed director. Best line: “I know those law books mean a lot to you, but not out here. Out here a man settles his own problems.” The post The Best Western Movies Ever Made appeared first on The Art of Manliness. http://dlvr.it/PxwqWJ

[thejokersenigma]

Christmas Fan Fiction Advent Calendar 2017 - Day 6 - Rogue Club - The Great Christmas Trap Part 1

Ok, so this was originally a different idea I had, but I couldn’t see where it was going, so I’ve blended it into another idea I had - so yay for idea, but boo because now i have yet another day free for me to come up with another idea - an idea I am struggling to come up with (suggestions are welcome with opened, un-judging arms!)

Again, I’ve rushed this one a bit, so I apologise if its not great - its very hard for me to produce a piece of writing in the day when I used to at least having a week, and not really having any deadlines, so writing and editing one piece in a day is quite a challenge for me and I’m beginning to regret it! haha

Hope you enjoy anyway! (i took the inspiration from btas)

MASTERLIST

The old abandoned building – known to most rogue’s as ‘the club’ – was relatively calm that evening. There had been a small spat an hour ago between Mr Freeze and the Scarecrow other some odd chemistry argument that no one else understood or wanted to get involved in, but that had sorted itself once Mr Freeze had stormed out, leaving a deliberate chill in his wake.

The club had now settled in a calm atmosphere with a low rumble chatter as the crime lords, their henchmen, and a few lesser criminals, now entertained themselves with gambling, pool or drinking.

This peace however, was momentarily broken when the main door flew open dramatically. Everyone instinctively snapped their gaze to the door, hands on hidden weapons, ready should the police or bat have discovered their hangout. They immediately relaxed however, when they saw only Harley Quinn bouncing happily into the room.

“Merry Christmas everyone!” She cried with glee to those nearby and was met with a series of ‘Hi Harley’ and ‘Uh huh’.

Jervis Tetch, who was sat at one of the table’s nearest to her, placed his hand of cards down on the table and tipped his extravagant top hat to her, “Evening, my dear. How are you on this fine winters night?” He inquired politely with a charming smile.

“Just peachy, thanks Tetchy!” She grinned back and he nodded happily before returning to his game with the Ventriloquist, Killer croc and a couple of henchmen that Harley didn’t recognise. She smiled to the whole table anyway, all of them returning the smile, though not as enthusiastically.

Content with the response anyway, Harley moved her attention back to the rest of the room, scanning the tables, and smiling at any eyes she met, and finally settling on what she was looking for on the opposite side of the room.

Harley didn’t hesitate, immediately skipping across the room to the table and throwing her arms around the clown’s neck, causing him to pitch forward in his seat and his opponents look up in surprise.

“Hiya puddin’.” Harley squealed in his ear, making the Joker wince and growl in irritation, not looking at all impressed with her sudden appearance. “Hiya, boys!” She chirped at the other men at the table. The Penguin offered her a polite “Evening.” in return, Two-face grumbled something and Victor Zsasz simply nodding, all still looking slightly stunned by her sudden apparition.

The Joker seemed to painfully swallow his annoyance at the interruption, keeping his gaze on the cards in his hand, not even trying to detach Harley from around his neck – knowing she’d just end up clinging even tighter to the point of choking him.

“Harls… Pumpkin…” The Joker simpered sweetly. “What do you want?”

Harley ignored his attitude completely “Do ya have the babies?” She asked.

“They’re in the back.” The Joker muttered, his focus clearly more on the game in front of him as he reached for a card from the deck.

“Why?!” Cried Harley unhappily.

“They kept biting people.”

“Aww, they’re probably hungry…” Harley cooed, looking to the back door adoringly as if she could seem them. She planted a kiss on J’s cheek – much to his displeasure – and then she scampered off excitedly to her precious hyenas, leaving J to his game who grumbled something indistinct under his breath.

The brief period of calm without Harley didn’t last long as she was soon racing back into the room, this time followed by two hyenas loping along behind her. She grabbed a recently vacated chair from a nearby table, dragging it none too subtly across the room, and threw it down next at the Joker’s poker table. She straddled it the wrong way round and crossed her arms on the back of the chair, resting her chin on her forearms as she watched the game, her hyenas pacing around her until they eventually settled around the chair, watching the rest of the room, silently daring anyone to come near them.

The Joker might have been able to put up with her spectating, but he knew her silence wouldn’t last long. And, sure enough, he was right. She only watched one hand of the game before she chimed in, “So, what’s everyone up ta’ for Christmas?” She asked, pushing herself up right and leaning back, keeping herself from falling backwards with her grip on the back of the chair.

Everyone glanced up at the Joker to see his reaction, as if expecting him to do something about ‘his girl’. But J just rolled his eyes in annoyance whilst Harley continued to glance from face to face, waiting for someone to answer. Penguin eventually cleared his throat, “Well,” He said importantly, puffing up his chest, “Some of us have businesses that still require our undivided attention. This time of year is generally the busiest season for my lounge.” He informed the table pompously. The rest of the men rolled their eyes at this statement – all knowing that if it his business needed that much attention by him he wouldn’t be here right now playing cards with them.

Harley wrinkled her nose at the idea of responsibility, but nodded politely none the less.

“Harv?” She asked, turning to the half-scarred face.

Two-face glared at her for using his old name, but he answered none the less with a sullen shrug, “I’ll let the coin decide.” Harley nodded seriously like she completely understood this reasoning.

“Zsaszy?” The man shrugged silently.

The table knew their obligation now - as much as they didn’t really want to fulfil it. Penguin took it upon himself to be the gentleman, clearing his throat whilst the Joker continued to stare moodily at his cards. “And you, my dear?” Penguin asked politely.

Harley beamed at the question. “Well, J’s not a fan of the whole Christmas thing,” She told them, nodding at the pale moody man, his mouth never having been further from a grin, “So I thought I’d visit Red for a while. Problem is she has this aversion to Christmas trees…” And so Harley continued to chatter on about Ivy’s problems with Christmas, soon moving onto anything and everything when she got lost on a chain of thought.

The men at the table pretended to listen for so long, but eventually took a page of the Joker’s book and completely ignored her, returning their full attention to their game. This didn’t seem to faze Harley in the slightest and she continued on.

By the time the men finished their games, Harley had found herself a seat on the floor, having turned her attention to her babies and was now absently stroking Bud’s head where it rested on her lap, whilst Lou sat close to her back, his eyes keeping a hungry watch on the rest of the room, guarding her unnecessarily.

The criminals at the poker table pushed their chairs back to leave and both hyenas jumped to their feet at the commotion.

“Good game, boys!” The Joker grinned, “Maybe bring some more money next time.” He teased, clearly in better spirits now as he gathered up his pile of winnings.

“I don’t know how you do it clown,” Growled Two-Face across the table, he teeth clenched, “But I know you cheat. And when I find out I’ll wipe that pretty little smile off your smug face.” He snarled.

All the Joker did with this threat was grin even more widely. “Aww… you really think it’s pretty?” He asked, posing like a young girl and batting his eyelids at Two-face.

“There is unquestionably something irregular in your earnings at this table.” Muttered Penguin, eyeing J suspiciously.

“What can I say Ossy, I’ve got luck on my side.” Penguin bristled at the nickname, whilst the Joker grabbed his winnings and turned to leave.

“You’re not all going now, are ya?” Asked Harley suddenly, jumping to her feet. The hyenas bouncing around at her feet. All the men looked warily over at her, having almost forgotten she was still here. They all nodded or shrugged in answer, looking at each in silent question as to what they were supposed to say. The Joker did nothing, seeming to make the point of ignoring her, though she didn’t take any notice of this.

“Hang on!” Harley cried and pranced over to the small stage at the back of the room where a live Jazz band played low background music. The band stopped abruptly when Harley vaulted up onto the stage with them. “Sorry guys - thanks Travy.” She said as the one of the members made way for next to the microphone.

“Hiya! Wahoo!” Harley called out to the room, trying to grab everyone attention, tapping on the microphone so the thudding rang out through the speakers – even though it wasn’t completely necessary as everyone was already watching her, intrigued what she was up to.

“As we all know,” She called out into the room excitedly, “Its Christmas!” She paused then, clearly hoping response like some cheers or whooping, but all she got was stony silence as they waited for her to get to the point. “Well… I – uh – I had an idea - well its more of a repeat! I feel like Christmas is a time to do something together, so why not us?!” Numerous people exchanged unconvinced glances of mutters between one another.

“What did you have in mind, my dear?” Called Jervis from the back of the room.

Harley grinned at Jervis, though the spotlight on her made it hard to see to the back of the room. “Glad ya asked Tetchy!” She exclaimed, “I’m thinking…” She built up, “Secret Santa!” She exclaimed, throwing her arms wide in a ‘Tah Dah’ kind of gesture.

Unhappy muttering broke out around the room. “I know it didn’t work out great last year -!” She quickly pointed out over the mumbling

“Work out well?” Came a voice, “It was a disaster!” There were murmured agreements.

“It was chaos!” Someone else called.

“- But I really think we should give it another shot!” Harley persisted over the din of the room.

Despite her continued encouragement for the idea, Harley was only too aware of all the negativity still being expressed around the club and she realised her plan wouldn’t work at this rate. She needed to pull out the big guns. Her bottom lip began to wobble, tears starting pooling in her eyes and she began to sniff, ensuring she was close enough to the microphone to get the sounds heard through the speakers.

Everyone slowly quietened down, all watching the insane young women breakdown into tears on the stage. Most of the room was made up of large burly henchmen, or cruel crime lords – none of them with any skills of comforting a crying woman – so they all stood or sat awkwardly, unsure what they were supposed to do now.

Some people mumbled about trying to find Ivy – she would surely know what to do – but no one was sure where she was – someone else would have to do something.

Everyone looked among themselves pointing out candidates who quickly refused, all the while Harley maintained her tearful charade. Only the Joker knew her charade well enough to know it was fake – not that’d he’d care if the girl was crying for real either though – but it was fun to watch the other men squirm around him, unfamiliar with the water works scheme.

Eventually the Riddler stood up from his seat in the centre of the room. “My dear Harleen,” He began formally, “This isn’t much of a mind game - I’m sure we’d all like to see this idea work…” He muttered, not completely enthusiastically, glancing around at the room where no one else seemed to be particularly enthused either. “But we have tried your idea before – and no one really embraced the idea correctly… And some people…” all eyes turned to the Joker where he now lounged against a pillar, watching the show, “…thought to even try to sabotage one another with the gifts.”

J saw all the accusing glares and he raised both hands in defence, giving an innocent shrug, “Eddy boy… I told you I meant to pick up the non-exploding jack in the box – I didn’t mean to bring the whole building down!” He defended, though no one believed him - and they were probably right not to – and instead, they turned their attention back to Harley who continued to sniffle on the stage, looking rather depressed that her idea had been turned down.

Everyone felt a bit sorry her – they didn’t hate Harley like they did her clown boyfriend – she could just be a bit of an irritance. Harley sulked her way off the stage, thoroughly disappointed – she had hoped to bring some Christmas cheer to the miserable criminals, usually forced to hide away in slums like this to avoid the flying rodent.

She did wonder what Batman was up to at this time of year – did he celebrate Christmas? Did he even have a life outside of locking her and her friends up? He couldn’t possibly have any family – except maybe that little bird boy of his.

She almost felt bad for the guy.

Wait. That was it.

Harley dashed back, frightening Trav and his band once more where they have slowly made their way back onto the stage, now scattering when they Harley rushing back towards them. The rest of the room had returned to their previous activities – either playing their last game or beginning to head off.

“Wait!” She cried out, the sound ringing painfully loud through the room and everyone flinched, some people instinctively ducking. “I have another idea!” Called Harley excitedly, ignoring the rather annoyed looks she was getting. A few people, like Two-face, rolled their eyes at her in exasperation and continued on with what they had been doing, but still a large proportion of the room waited for her to explain.

“We give good ol’ batsy a little Christmas present!” She squealed with glee at her own idea. The crowd frowned up her in confusion.

“What are you on about woman?” Growled Two-face, unimpressed.

“Well I was just thinking - what does batsy do at Christmas?” She posed to them, “We all wouldn’t want him to be all lonesome this time of year.” She cooed with an evil look in her eye.

There were murmurs around the room at this.

“What are you suggesting?” Someone called.

“Oh, I’ve got a lot of ideas…”

[hysterialevi]

In the Smoke pt. 6 (Cobblebats)

From Bruce’s POV

CAFÉ TRISTE

Once noon arrived, I pulled on a fresh set of clothes and traveled to the café Harvey told me to meet him at, excited to spend some time with my friend. It wasn’t very often that I got to see Harvey under non-political circumstances, and even when he was around, I could barely get a word in with him without being dragged away by my father. I understood that my father didn’t support him, and I realized that there was little I could do to change his mind, but it was almost like he was caging me off from Harvey. I knew he was just trying to keep me safe, but sometimes, it felt a bit controlling. 

Finally reaching the café after a short drive, I strolled to the front of the picturesque building and searched through the customers for my friend, spotting Harvey sitting in the outdoor area. There was a decent amount of people already relaxing inside, and most of the tables had been taken, but it wasn’t uncomfortably packed--and on top of that, no one seemed to really notice me. I could also hear the sounds of friendly chatter, multiple TV’s broadcasting the news, silverware softly clanking, and piano music playing throughout the café. Harvey chose a nice place to hang out at.

Walking up to Harvey, the man practically ejected himself from his chair the moment he saw me, and slapped on one of the biggest smiles I’d ever seen, unsure of where to look. He was almost abnormally happy, but at least it appeared genuine. 

“Hey, Harv,” I casually greeted. “Nice place you’ve picked here.”

“Oh--really? You like it? That’s...that’s good to hear.” He rubbed the back of his neck out of shyness. “Um, thanks for coming, Bruce. I’m really glad you’re here. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to make it. Your schedule’s been pretty tight lately.”

I returned his smile. “I made it work.”

Harvey chuckled. “You always do.” He pulled another chair out. “Err, please--have a seat.”

I gladly took the offer and lowered myself into the cushioned chair, suddenly remembering all the times Oz would snatch it out from under me as a kid, laughing whenever I fell on my ass. Good thing I wasn’t having lunch with him today.

Getting comfortable in our seats as we ordered two coffees, I could tell Harvey wanted to start a conversation, judging by how he constantly glanced back and forth from me to the outside view, and I wanted to calm him down, but I felt like calling him out on it would’ve just worsened things.

“So, um,” Harvey began, staring at the sky, “...we’ve had nice weather this week.”

I mentally groaned. Jesus, Harvey. Anything but weather talk, please. Literally anything. As if things aren’t awkward enough.

It was Harvey though, so I could forgive it.

“It was raining this morning.” I joked, earning a shrug from him.

“Some people like the rain.” He countered.

“All right, fair point.” 

After what felt like forever of sitting in dead silence, a waiter hastily squeezed through the circular tables and placed our drinks down, also handing us a pair of spoons and napkins as the warm, comforting smell of coffee beans instantly put my mind at ease. I carefully picked up the heated mug and took a very-much-needed sip, perfectly aware that I was severely burning my tongue at the moment and also not giving a shit.

Harvey decided to start another conversation, wrapping his hands around the mug. “So...you ever been here before?” He asked. Well, it was a better topic than the weather, at least.

I shook my head. “Nope. First time. What about you?”

“I’ve walked by this place before, but this is the first time I’ve ever gone in.”

And once again, the two of us fell quiet, unsure of where or how to carry on the conversation as we turned to our coffee for solace, gazing around the café in boredom. I wished Harvey didn’t become so awkward around me, or always feel like he had to please me in some way. After all, we were close friends. I should’ve been the last person he would be shy around. If anything, I expected him to be open. Though, I could understand where he was coming from. Not too long ago, I had become a bumbling idiot myself in front of Oz, and it felt like my ability to think had just vanished back there. Was that how Harvey felt with me? 

Taking another sip, I thought back to that awkward encounter with Oz. Never in a million years did I ever think I’d be attracted to my best friend, and I was actually kind of disturbed by it, but no matter how much I tried to deny it, my heart couldn’t help but flutter every time Oz popped up in my mind. Normally, someone like him would’ve turned me off, what with all the smoking, drinking, and criminal activity...but he made it work in the best way possible. Maybe it was just because I had known him for a long time, but Oz was the dirtiest of dirtbags--and I loved it.

“Bruce.”

Looking up from my coffee and to Harvey, I saw an unfamiliar seriousness in the man’s eyes. The awkwardness from before had disappeared almost entirely, and he seemed to be much more content. Well, no. “Content” wasn’t the word. He still looked on-edge, just not in the same way.

“Yeah?” I replied. Harvey let out a long sigh.

“I’m sorry.”

I furrowed my brow in confusion. “Sorry? For what?”

“I know I’m not the best company in the world, and I bet you probably want to get out of here more than anything--which I completely understand, by the way. I just thought this would be a nice way to get our mind off work for a little while, but instead, I’ve only made things more uncomfortable. I’m sorry.”

I slightly frowned, leaning closer. “You don’t have anything to apologize for, Harv. This is great.”

He was unconvinced. “Thanks, Bruce, but you don’t have to be nice. I know this is incredibly awkward--that I’m being incredibly awkward. I just...” Harvey opened his mouth and looked as if he were about to confess something, but then bit his lip, stopping himself. “...never mind.”

“No,” I persisted, “what is it?”

“Trust me, it’s--it’s nothing.”

“It’s obviously much more than ‘nothing.’ If something’s bothering you, I wanna help, if I can.”

Harvey took what I just said into consideration and thought for a minute, staring at me the entire time. There was a mixture of uncertainty and fear covering his face, and the longer he kept quiet, the more I wondered if he was actually going to say anything. Then, I felt his hand touching mine.

“...Harv?” I softly questioned, not moving a muscle.

He took a deep breath. “Bruce, you’ve probably already figured this out, considering I’m not great at hiding my emotions, but I...really, really...like you. As more than just a friend.”

Well, he was a lot more blunt about that than I expected, but it was better than beating around the bush. I didn’t know how to react.

At a loss for words, I simply sat there, gaping at Harvey. “...Harvey, I--”

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I sighed. Why did this goddamn thing always have to ring when I was with someone? I glanced at the message without much thought, until I actually read it, and a sense of panic started to grow in me. 

Oz: Bruce

Oz: Get out of there.

Oz: Now.

I frantically looked around in worry, darting my eyes all over the area as my heart began to hammer and Harvey remained in his seat, confused. Get out? Of where? The café? What the hell was Oz talking about?

“Bruce,” Harvey called. “Are you...okay?”

Before I could answer, the earth-shattering sound of an explosion suddenly erupted in the distance, followed by a symphony of screaming as all the customers around us loudly gasped in shock, pointing upwards with their hands covering their mouths.

“Holy shit,” one man exclaimed, “it’s the Skyline Club!”

Following everyone’s gaze, I saw a ghastly, thick pillar of smoke rising in the air from the famed club, police sirens wailing as firetrucks bolted through the city and vicious flames began to engulf the tower. An enormous hole had been blasted into the club’s wall, and not much later, a helicopter that belonged to the news started to circle the scene. 

Turning my attention to the news, which was now playing on every single TV, I saw something I never imagined I’d ever witness. Uncle Carmine himself was dangling from a metal beam over the tower’s edge, and across from him, there was a man dressed in a black suit and bird mask, holding a silver pistol.

“Holy hell,” the helicopter's pilot breathed out, “are you guys getting this?”

The camera zoomed in on the bizarre scene, swerving from the masked man to Falcone. There were a dozen flaming corpses lying around them, and from what I could see, the rest of the club had been completely wrecked. And for some reason, the masked man seemed vaguely familiar to me. What the hell was going on?

“You think I’m afraid of a freak like you?” Falcone shouted without any steel. This was the first time I’d ever heard him truly panicked. Usually, he was always so composed and poised, but at the moment, he was wide-eyed and covered in ash, babbling like a madman. 

“What do you want from me!?” Falcone tried struggling out of his restraints, until he realized where he’d end up if he succeeded.

“Answers, Falcone,” the other man replied. “I want answers. And you’re going to give ‘em to me.”

I paused. Where have I heard that voice before? I could’ve sworn I knew it. That wasn’t who I thought it was...was it?

Pulling out my phone, I hurriedly dialed my father, never taking my eyes off the TV.

“Bruce?” He greeted. I could hear some sort of engine in the background. It sounded like a car.

“Dad, have you seen the news? The Skyline Club’s just been blown up, and now Uncle Carmine’s hanging over the edge of a skyscraper. There’s some strange man in a bird mask interrogating him. I think he’s going to kill him.”

“...Penguin,” I heard him mutter. “Jesus Christ. Bruce, wherever you are, get home. Now. I’ve gotta deal with this.”

“Deal with this?” I repeated. “What the hell are you going to do?

“Just trust me, Bruce. I’ll explain more later, but right now, you need to get to safety. It’s too dangerous for you out on the streets, and only lord knows what else Penguin could have planned. Now get going.”

“But--”

“GO!”

Without another word, he hung up the phone, leaving me alone in the middle of all this chaos as the faint smell of smoke reached my nose. I took one last glance at the burning club before exchanging looks with Harvey, both of us paralyzed with shock.

“I--” I stuttered, “I...need to get home.”

He nodded. “I understand. Please, be safe, Bruce. This is unbelievable.”

“You too, Harv.” 

Taking my leave, I bolted out of the café and back into my car, unable to look away from the aggressive flames that danced off the building’s surface, quickly driving out of there as soon as I could. Just then, I got another text. It was Oz again.

Oz: Meet me back at HQ

Oz: We’ve got shit to take care of

From Thomas’ POV

Fitting the cowl over my head, I prepared all of the weapons and started the drones, sending them scanning throughout the city as the Batmobile’s top slid open.

“Alfred,” I said, “get those drones to the Skyline Club. That’s where Bruce said Penguin was. We can’t let him kill Carmine.”

“Right away, sir.” He took a seat at the Batcomputer and began getting to work, activating their defenses as well as their cameras, pinpointing Penguin’s exact location. He was still there. I had to catch him before he could escape again.

“What’s the plan here, sir?” Alfred asked. 

“I’ll think of something solid before I get there, but for right now, my main concern is trapping Penguin. He’s slipped out of our grasp far too many times. Al,” I looked at the framed family photo sitting on my desk, “when Bruce gets home...please, keep him safe. I can’t lose him.”

The stern expression on Alfred’s face softened with sympathy. “I will do everything I can. Bruce is safe with me.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Alfred. I mean it. Now...time to deal with Penguin.” 

Pacing over to the Batmobile, I leaped through the small door as the platform rotated underneath me, pointing directly towards the Batcave’s exit while the engine revved furiously.

Once the Batmobile was in position, I slammed my foot down and sent it zapping out of the cave like there was no tomorrow, its tires screeching as the outside world became a blur and blinding sunlight started to seep through the windows. I had to save Falcone before it was too late, and more importantly, I could not let Penguin escape. He had already targeted both Hill and Carmine--which meant it was only a matter of time before he went after my family...and no one was taking my son from me. Failure was no longer an option.

[imaginesfromtheupsidedown]

Blast From The Past (fem!reader POV)

A Kol Mikaelson Imagine (Kol x reader) from the fem!reader’s POV.

Alrighty! This is NOT a part two from Blast From The Past, this is from the point of view from the reader, who I imagined as female when writing this.Let me know anything you’d like to see in the Part 2, and if Ishould do a part 2 for the fem!readerPOV. Any critique and advice is welcome! :)

ALSO, remember, these are my writings from my old blog, I had just deleted my old blog and am putting these up here.I promise I havent ripped them. Just letting you guys know in case you recognize them.

Hey, @philautia-love-of-self , I know you wanted to be tagged but IDK if you meant in this perspective or in the actual part 2, so here’s a tag! :)

Triggers: blood, fight, and if you see anything else that should be added to this let me know!

word count: 3735

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She woke up with a splitting headache and had no idea what had happened to her. Her neck was sore and her throat and stomach burned with a hunger she had never felt before. Blinking rapidly, she looked around trying to get her vision back. When she could finally see, the first face she saw was his. Klaus.

“What the hell?” she moaned. “Klaus? Why am on the floor?”

“Ah, yes, sorry about that, darling!” he smirked, shrugging his shoulders. “There’s really no graceful way to snap someone’s neck.” What? Snap someone’s neck? As in…..

“Did you… kill me?” hyperventilating, she tried to stand up but fell right back down, taking the bedside table with her. When she landed her leg caught a bit of the sun that was shining through the window, burning and earning quite a scream from her. What the heck was happening! She ached with a hunger that she didn’t understand and burned from the warmth of the sun!

Trying to think back as far as she could, she remembered Klaus promising that he could help her mother, claiming that he was a witch, drinking his blood, and then finally telling him how grateful she was before everything suddenly went black…

He did. He killed her. But she was still here.

Her eyes snapped open. Chest heaving, covered in sweat, and just at terrified as the day she was turned. She kept staring into the darkness, pulling her blanket up to her chin trying to calm herself down. And that worked for a bit. Until it pounced.

“HARVARD EUGENE!!!!!” she screamed. He was such an evil cat; she swore he did stuff like that on purpose. She scooped him into her arms cuddled him into her chest despite his obvious attempts of escape. Convinced that the little turd had learned his lesson, she released him. He scrambled out of her arms and across the bed, only to plop himself onto a pillow. She couldn’t help but laugh at her little fur baby.

Rolling back onto her side she cuddled back into her blanket, pulling it up to her neck again. Once settled, she absentmindedly traced her fingers along the tiny letters that were forever etched into the side of her wrist. She thought of him often. Which was also why she busied herself constantly, trying to leave less time for her to wallow in not only the fact that she could never be with him, but only a few years ago she learned that he had died for real and could never actually come back to her…

She would never even get to see him again, let alone hold him close.

Swallowing back her pain, she thought of all the things that she had to look forward to by getting out of bed. She had her fur baby, her kids downtown who she helped tutor, a business of her own, and a few close friends. Plus, she had Netflix to come home to if everything went to shit so at least she had a plan to fall back on. As sad as she was, not everything was going to make her want to cry herself to sleep.

Forcing a smile, she told herself ‘Y/N, get up, get dressed, and go conquer’. After feeding her cat, she got dressed and took a good amount of time to actually do her makeup, which made her smile more. It wasn’t much, but it did make her feel a bit better. She felt a bit more put together with her favorite blazer, favorite color on her eyes, and lip gloss that smelled like cake batter.

After leaving her apartment she headed to a local coffee shop a few streets down, enjoying hearing the clacks of her heels and feeling the slight breeze that blew past her. It was such a beautiful day out. It reminded her of a day very long ago, when a young man stumbled into her life…

After arguing with her father for what seemed like hours on end, Y/N hastily grabbed her family’s freshly cleaned laundry and darted out the door. She didn’t want to stay and suffer through who knows how much more of one of her father’s bad moods and more of his harsh words.

Slowing down she balanced the basket on one hip, using her newly free hand to run through the high grass. It was such a beautiful day out. The sun was at its peak in the sky, a slight breeze was blowing, and it was the perfect temperature. Autumn was approaching, meaning the days were not as unbearably hot as it was a couple of months ago.  A small smile formed on her lips. In this moment, she was content. Well, until the heavy basket of wet clothes was knocked out of her hands, causing her to let out a small scream.

At first she didn’t know what to do, she just stared at the clothes and then at the stranger who had seemingly come out of nowhere. He seemed to make some sort of movement, probably to help pick up the clothes, when a giggle escaped her mouth before she could stop it.

“My goodness! Where did you come from!” she giggled again. “I apologize if I’m the one who ran into you, I’m just very thoughtful today and may not have been paying attention. I’m Y/N, Mr…..?” She thrusted her hand out at him, waiting for him to respond. His eyes darted to her wrist and she could have sworn she saw them widen before he reached back to shake her hand.

“Ah, yes, uh,” he coughed, “Mikaelson. Kol Mikaelson. Sorry, I, uh, was running to find my brothers and I just, um, ran into you.” She couldn’t help but smile again, staring at this handsome stranger as he fumbled for words. Right as they were pulling away, something told her to glance down. That’s when she saw them. The letters on his wrist. And that’s when she understood why his eyes had widened. There, on his wrist, were her initials: Y/I. To hide her quickly reddening cheeks she ducked to pick up the clothes scattered on the ground.

��Ah! Well I do hope that you find them!” she said shortly, trying not to be rude but also trying to hide the fact that she was now nervous. She picked up a few more things before sensing him bend down beside her, helping her gather them up.

“Eh, they’ll be fine wherever they went. Let me help you with these, I’m terribly sorry about spilling your clothes. I’ll even wash them again if they need it!” he grinned at her. And that was it. She fell hard for that smile right then and there.

After getting the largest cup of her favorite coffee from the shop, she headed on over to the print shop to pick up some new building blueprints she had ordered. Of course, they were perfect and she knew her staff would be super excited about them. Unable to hide her excitement, she hurried home and put the papers into a binder. After a quick lunch and a game of catch-the-string with Harv, she made her way to the club. Her club, which she had built from the ground up and had actually become more popular than she had ever hoped it would.

The thumping beats could be heard down the street from the club, which only made her happier. That meant that customers were there, and customers meant a happy atmosphere. When she walked in she saw that the bar was full and that there were already a few people on the dance floor. How could she not smile in this place? All the visible staff had genuine smiles plastered across their faces, chatting with customers and enjoying their jobs. She headed over to the head bartender, Jacob, and chatted for a second.

“Boss, this little place is POPPIN!” he grinned, pouring another drink for one of their regulars.

“It is! You have no idea how amazing this is, on top of this!” she held up the binder and he clapped his hands together.

“YASSS, boss lady! Girl, we are going to have the hottest club in New Orleans!” he almost screamed. It made her heart swell with joy at the fact that her employees loved this place as much as she did. She may have found her favorite job ever, and she had definitely had a lot of jobs over the years.

“I’m going to go finish getting all of these in order and then I’ll be back out to show you all the finished masterpiece before taking them to the office! We can finally build!!” they hugged before she went to the back office to pull out some pay statements and other stuff needed for the add-ons.

She was harshly awoken by her father screaming, jolting up to quickly cover herself. It took her a second to register what was happening. Her father was screaming both at her and Kol, but he was kicking and swinging his fists at Kol. At the same time, Kol was franticly trying to pull his pants on between dodging kicks and punchs.

“How dare you both!! Put your clothes on young lady! And stand still, you bastard!!” he threw her clothes at her while still trying to get Kol.

“Mr. Y/L/N, please! We haven’t harmed anyone, we haven’t done anything wrong!” Kol pleaded, finally getting his pants on and putting his hands up in defense. “I love your daughter and would never do anything to take advantage of her or to hurt her in any way!”

“YOU ALREADY HAVE, BOY!” her father boomed, stamping his feet. She had never seen him this angry, or even his face this red. “This is my daughter! How dare you, either of you, disrespect me in such a way! And in my own barn!”

“Father-“

“KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT, GIRL!” he screamed at her, causing her to flinch and bringing tears to her eyes.  She hastily put her clothes on and looked away, trying not to make the situation worse by letting him see her cry. That’s when Kol straightened up.

“You will not talk to her like that…” he said through his teeth, approaching her father. This seemed to confuse her father because he started to back up as Kol got closer. “She is the woman I love, the woman I live for. You will not disrespect HER. Do you understand?”

“Now, see here, this is MY daughter, and I decide who she-“ her father stammered, obviously nervous and trying to seem still in charge.

“No. You don’t. She does. And she has picked ME.” Kol interrupted. She couldn’t believe this! First her father finding them, and now it seemed like a fight between her father and the man she loved was inevitable. He walked over to her and wiped the tears off of her face before kissing the tiny letters on her wrist. “As if our wrists weren’t proof enough that we were meant for each other! But it seems you need me to say it out loud.” He walked back over to her father, who seemed rooted in place, and got right in his face.

“Y/N is the absolute love of my life. No one, not even you, Mr. Y/L/N, is going to stop that.” He growled. And what he said next had almost stopped her heart…

“Y/N, will you let me marry you?”

Finally, the last bit of the binder was complete! She sat back and took a sip of her coffee, proud of all of their hard work. Deciding to chill out for a few minutes before heading back out into the lobby, she let her vampire hearing take over for a bit. Besides the obvious thumping of the music, she heard a few bits and pieces of conversations happening.

“Let’s get another round!!”

“Okay, No-Fun Nancy, how about we play a little drinking game?”

“This is where I’m coming from now on!”

“No, Sarah, that’s not what a buttery-nipple is…”

“It’s our buddy’s 21ST, we want to get him SUPER drunk, like ‘Hangover’ drunk, ya feel?”

She laughed at some of these, sporting a wide grin. Until she heard one of her staff say something that gave her goosebumps.

“We may need to go get Y/N…. See those two? They’re vamps… They keep trying to compel me-“

And that’s all she needed to hear. She had her coffee and the binder in both hands, making a bee line for the main bar area. Using all of her senses that she could she tried to figure out where they could be and, if she could, why they were here. Once she reached the bar she sat her stuff down and opened the binder, calling Jacob over. He was super excited to see the binder until he saw her face.

“What’s up…” he asked quietly, so quiet that she only heard it because of her enhanced hearing. Thank goodness he was a vampire too, or she wouldn’t be able to be as secret.

“Vampires… Where? Are they a threat?” she barely moved her mouth, trying to make it look like she was just showing him the blueprints.

“Behind you, other side of the bar. And no, as far as I can tell they’ve just tried to compel free drinks out of a few of us. Which, of course, is not happening.” He laughed. That made her relax a bit. She started to loosen up when she felt a presence right next to her, causing her to tense back up.

“Who the hell drinks coffee at a club?”

Of course. Klaus. She was having too great of a day, the universe had to fuck her over somehow. She turned slowly to face him. Yep. He was really there. This wasn’t just some caffine-enduced daydream. Shit.

“Well, I’m not going to lie I never thought I would see you showing up here of all places, Klaus.” She rolled her eyes, not even trying to mask the malice in her voice. She had to fire back with something tough… ... “What the hell do you want? Haven’t you already done your worst?”

Fuck. That wasn’t tough! If anything that only made her sound submissive and tired!! Shit!!! She had to think of a way to not sound weak!

“Now, love, why on earth would you say that? Have you not had great lifetimes?” Klaus teased, pulling her binder in front of him. “Oh, lovely, expanding are we?” she yanked it back from him.

“To what do I owe this… pleasure?” she said through her teeth. Jacob took the binder from her, shooting a cold glare toward Klaus before heading to the other side of the bar.

“I came to apologize to a few people that I’ve done wrong. And you, love, are one of those people. So I’m here to make it all up to you!” He leaned in closer, trying his best at what she realized was a smile.

“Ha. Jesse, go outside and tell me if you see any pigs flying!” she yelled toward the bartender, crossing her arms. “Because that’s the only way I’ll believe that Klaus Mikaelson is coming into my club and admitting that he’s done any wrong.” She didn’t want to give Jacob���s real name out just in case Klaus goes on one of his infamous temper tantrums. What the actual hell is wrong with him? How dare he think he could make up for what he had done….

It was starting to get colder out, and she was craving warm blood. Kol was due to return from his hunting trip with Elijah any day now, and Klaus was now helping Y/N with her new vampire cravings and senses before he got back. She was grateful, of course, but all she wanted was to rip open a few people and drain them dry.

“Let’s run now, love. Run from the tree to the end of the trail!” he encouraged. She rolled her eyes at him.

“I don’t want to. I’m hungry, Klaus, can we please just deal with that first?” she slumped against the tree.

“You are being weak, Y/N. I’m trying to make you strong! How do you think Kol is going to feel about this, hmm?? Will he want his beloved to be sitting here whining about being hungry, or is he going to want you to be as strong and disciplined as he is?” Klaus demanded, a smile curving on his lips. He was proud of his little Y/N-shaming pep talk.

“I’m very sure that Kol would rather me act like however the hell I want and not be modeling after what his ass of a brother taught me…” she retorted. She wished she could’ve taken the words back as soon as she said them, he was so mad.

“How about I rip out your heart and leave you like your mother?” he hissed, speeding to her and lifting her by her neck. “Do you know how many people would love to be like me? And I’ve wasted my time with you…” That pissed her off. She kicked at him, causing him to let her go. She took a few swings at him, and she had to admit that it was awesome to use this vampire strength.

He did not like that. A full on fight let loose, both equally getting in blows. It felt like forever, both of them throwing punches and trying to kill the other. She actually thought she could do it, that she could kill him and never have to worry about him ever again. Just kill him, walk away, and spent the rest of her immortal life happy and with Kol. But that plan was crushed when she felt his hand burst through her chest, gripping her heart.

“GIVE ME A REASON!” he bellowed, tightening his grip. She screamed out in pain, clutching his arm even though there was nothing she could do. This was it. He was going to kill her. Unless she submitted to him..

“I-I’m….. I’m sorry!” she choked out. For a second she thought that he was still going to do it, rip out her heart and just leave her to rot. But after one last squeeze on her heart he let go and yanked his hand out, throwing her to the ground. He stared down at her for what felt like an eternity, blood splattered across his face. She had never seen him so cold. But then again she had never really known that Kol and his family were anything more than human like her.

“I will forgive you, Y/N…” he said after his long pause. “But I will never forget. Your life comes at a price.”

“Anything.” She breathed, trying to stand herself up straight.

“You will not see Kol for…… one hundred years. Or however long else I decide.” He said casually. But that almost knocked her down in itself.

“W-what?” she croaked. “No! Please, I’ll let you help me! I’ll do anything else, Klaus, please!”

“No. That’s the price of you staying alive. Stay away from my brother. Or die.” He shrugged. “Or, better yet, I’ll kill him.”

With the last of her strength she looked him in the eye and nodded. After she saw the smile start to creep across his face she looked down, trying to hide the tears that were about to spill over the brims of her eyes. When she looked up he was gone. That was the hardest she had ever sobbed in all of her life.

“I’m a changed soul, Y/N! And I can prove it.” He put his hands up in mock defense.

“Fine. Prove to me you’re a changed soul and I may CONSIDER forgiving you.” Her tone was flat. She was trying to be as cold as she remembered him being on the worst day of her life.

“Only consider!” Klaus scoffed. He raised his stupid eyebrow at her, his way of challenging what she said.

“You killed me, had me kill my own mother, made me swear to stay away from the man I loved, then kept me from him, and when I finally find you, you’ve gotten him killed!” She was angry, so angry. “You’re lucky that ‘consider’ is even an option.” She spat all of that out at him, hoping he would leave. Leave her club and leave her alone. In the corner of her eye she saw Jacob tense and turn his head slightly toward her. Shit. Now she’s going to have to explain shit she had never wanted to explain to anyone…

“Fine. I guess.” Klaus threw his arms up in mock surrender. “Well love, are you ready for my apology?” she shrugged, honestly not expecting anything. And if he really did do anything, she pictured him donating money to her club so that she could expand. Which would be wonderful, but that is such a Klaus thing to do. Throw money at someone that you hurt so that you don’t have to feel bad any more, yay!!!

Klaus made a big show of stepping aside and gesturing behind him. She rolled her eyes and turned to see what her big apology gift would be and her eyes almost burst out of her head. There he was, sitting in her club, at her bar, staring at her with those gorgeous chocolate eyes. She glanced down at his wrist and saw her initials still there. It was him! Really him! Alive! But how? So many questions flooded into her head along with old memories and a lot of pain. She had no idea what to do. Should she say hi? Would running out the door be acceptable? She couldn’t do that…. Here he was, right in front of her seeming just as shocked as she was, and she couldn’t just run. Without thinking she sped to him, stopping right in front of him. Their noses nearly touched and she could hear his heartbeat. It was slamming to his chest just like hers was. He was just as handsome as she remembered. Oh, how she wanted to grab him and kiss all over his face. She wanted to know everything! Why wasn’t he saying anything? Wait, why wasn’t she saying anything? After what felt like another eternity she spoke.

“Kol?”

[financialsuccessbook-blog]

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See Full Details On HarvEkerOnline >> Pros & Cons The Good: PRO #1: "Million Dollar Business Secrets" is another huge hit for Harv. People love this course because it shows you how to how to take an unprofitable business and make it cashflow. Even if you don't have a business, or are already successful, this course is highly rated with awesome testimonials. I read that one student got more out of this course than 10 years in real world business experience. Other testimonials compliment this by praising Harv's thorough and simple modules. PRO #2: As with nearly every course I've ever seen from Harv, his modules are very well designed, and this course' are no different! Module 1: Guerrilla Wealth TacticsModule 2: The Secret of Effective NegotiationsModule 3: Ultimate Marketing StrategiesModule 4: How to Generate Million Dollar Ideas Every 60 Seconds PRO #3: Not to be confused with the Wealthy Marketer course (included with the "Make Money Help People" series) Harv's Million Dollar Business Secrets was designed to give you the skills to make a successful business. Unlike some of Harv's other courses, this is less about mindset and more on the structure of a successful, cash flowing business. I think this course compliments Harv's others very well since I do think a course like Harv's "Secrets of Inner Power" would be really valuable before or after this one. Another plus to consider is how much this information would normally cost. The price Harv charges is very reasonable compared to some other brand trainer names out there.

The Bad: CON #1: I was unable to pull up any cons for this course. Harv's Million Dollar Business Secrets is legit and delivers where it should! See Full Details On HarvEkerOnline >>

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My 1# Recommendation - "Life Makeover Coaching" by T. Harv EkerBest Value - "Make Money Help People" by T. Harv Eker Why I Think You Should Enroll Today If you are looking to improve any of the following, you should enroll in a course by Harv today: Are you dissatisfied with your job? Are you unsure of your life's purpose?Are you tired of never succeeding in business? Is your business eating you alive?Do you feel like you have information that could change the world but don't know how to communicate it and fill a room with students/buyers?Is your life unmotivated and full of defeat since you never do what you say? Are you struggling to find inner strength to overcome life's problems?Are you looking for the most cost-effective option for coaching and training but can't seem to find it? If you said yes to any of them, I strongly suggest you click one of the links and enroll today. I would not be where I am or be making such amazing progress towards my goals without Harv's awesome education. If you still have doubts about any of these courses, feel free to leave a comment below or email me. I have personal experience with Harv Eker Online and can vouch for their reputability. As always, I wish you well and look forward to responding to your comments below! Warm regards, Jacob Highley Jacob@FinancialSuccessBook.com Read the full article

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It was a quiet night. Jim was alone in the small apartment, a cold take away laid abandoned next to him on the couch. The room was dark but he didn't care. It was late, too late. Harvey had gone out that morning and he hadn't come back yet. It had been hours and Jim was starting to worry. Harvey, after all, was hiding a fugitive. The older man was putting his reputation, his workplace and, well, his life in danger all for him and Jim couldn't help the guilt crawling up his stomach. He felt selfish, no better than the criminals he went after every day, or at least he did before Blackgate. He sighed as he closed the file in his lap. There was no point in trying to read it, he couldn't focus on anything, not until the worry was there. He looked at the phone on the table in front of him. He had got it half an hour ago when the anxiety had first arrived. He had been so close to dialing the cop's number but then he had realized that maybe Harvey was not in danger, maybe he was just busy.

After all, the man had a life outside his flat, maybe he had decided to head out with some friends, or some woman. Jim's feeling flashed towards jealousy and sorrow at the thought of his partner with someone else. He had long since realized he had feelings for his mentor, but that didn't mean Harvey felt the same. Actually he was pretty sure that the detective didn't return his feelings seeing the many encounters he had with other women and Jim had to live with that, he just couldn't confess and risk ruining their relationship forever. Jim closed his eyes, trying to keep his feelings at bay. He decided to send him a text; at least he would be able to check if everything was fine and avoid disturbing the cop too much if he was...busy. Just as his fingers hit the send button, a loud crash echoed through the corridor outside the apartment. Jim was on his feet in a second, gun in hand and ready to shoot if needed. The doorknob rattled as someone tried to open the door, only succeeding after a few tries and a loud cuss and with that Harvey Bullock crashed through the door.

"Heya Boy-scout!" Slurred loudly the ginger.

Jim instantly relaxed and studied the man in front of him. He was drunk, the stench of liquor could be smelled from the other side of the room, and his clothes were in disarray. The cop leaned heavily against the door frame trying to stay upright.

"I'm drunk." He said with a big smile and half closed eyes.

"I can see that." The detective slowly approached his friend.

"What the hell happened to you?" Asked the blonde trying to pry his mentor from the wall.

"Well I went to the bar and got drunk."

"No way, I would have never guessed that." Jim rolled his eyes as the detective in his arms pouted.

"Ow c'mon Jimbo! You were the one who asked!" He finished the sentence with a small hiccup.

"Yes, my fault. Now, let's get you into bed before you drag both of us down, mh?"

And with that he started walking towards the small bedroom dragging the other man with him. In a few seconds Harvey was finally in bed, and Jim helped him out of his shoes and trench coat in order to make him more comfortable. As the ex-cop was taking away his partner's coat, the previously calm man sprung up with an excited look in his eyes.

"WAIT! I need that!" He said loudly, gripping the beige fabric tightly.

As Jim let go of his side of the piece of clothing, Harvey began to fidget with the buttons of one the pockets, looking for something.

"What now?" Jim was getting tired, all the stress from before was hitting him now, and all he wanted was to make sure Harvey did not choke in his own puke during the night and then crash on the couch for at least six hours.

"I need to show you something!" Exclaimed the ginger, eyes concentrated on the jacket.

"Can't it wait tomorrow? You're drunk and I'm tired, don't you think it would be better for the both of us to just go to bed?"

But Harvey was not listening, his entire attention focused on his task.

"The hands are there for friendship.... the heart-the heart is there for love. For loyalty throughout the year, the crown is raised above!" Harvey was muttering the words under his breath as his search became erratic.

"What are you talking about?" As the words left his mouth, Harvey let out a proud "Eureka" and raised his hand above his head gripping something tightly. Jim stared at the smiling man with curiosity and confusion running through his mind. In a second Harvey shoved down his arm in order to let Jim see the contents of his fist. A small ring was resting at the center of his palm. It was shiny and silvery and an intricate decoration could be seen on it: two small hands seemed to be holding up a shiny heart topped by a tiny crown. Jim stared at it with confusion and amazement crossing his face.

"The hands are there for friendship, the heart is there for love. For loyalty throughout the year, the crown is raised above." Jim shot his head up as Harvey spoke again. The expression on the other man's face was full of love and sincerity, so different from the dopey look which was there before.

"It's a claddagh. My mum had one, when I was little, my dad had given it to her. It's a Celtic symbol; the hands represent friendship, the heart love and the crown loyalty. - Silence fell for a second as Harvey looked down at the small jewel

"You're supposed to give it to someone really special because it doesn't only represent love and passion but also loyalty and most important friendship."

Another pause.

"When I saw it today coming back here, I couldn't help but think about you and so I bought it but then I felt stupid and I went to a bar, and here I am now giving it to you!"

Jim's mouth felt dry all of sudden and a rock seemed to have fallen deep down his stomach. His eyes left the ring only to meet Harvey's green irises which shined with hope. Jim stared at his face at a loss. He surely didn't mean that...it was probably the liquor speaking...but then again Harvey had said he had brought the ring before getting drunk...

"Harvey..I don't think-"

"Please Jim...take it!"

His speech was interrupted but the loud cop. With a careful hand he reached for the jewel, jumping when he accidentally touched the detective's warm hand. He took the ring and, after admiring it for a few moments, put it on. It fit perfectly. He felt a wave of love suddenly flow through his body, but he kept it at bay. He didn't want to build up hope, Harvey had probably only given him the ring because he was drunk and he had only accepted it to calm Harvey down and make him go to bed, he would have given it back the following morning in order to avoid any further embarrassment. He felt sorrow overpower love as he told Harvey to rest, and the cop obeyed him this time.

He built a small barrier of pillows on the side of his friend to make sure he wouldn't roll on his back and choke on his vomit and prepared to leave the room. Just as he got up from the soft bed, he felt a hand tug at the fabric of his pants and a soft "Stay" left his friend's lips. He decided to do as he was told and to pretend for just that night that Harvey had really meant what he had told him and that the arm that was gripping his waist was there because his partner really felt the same way about him. He fell asleep to the soft sound of Harvey's breaths and his hand playing with the shiny ring on his middle finger. - - - The following day, unsurprisingly, Jim woke up first. He felt different: more rested than he had ever felt in a long time, and certainly warmer. It took him a second to realize that the source of the warmth that was surrounding his body was Harvey. The man was still deeply sleeping, snoring softly. After a few seconds of wondering what he was doing in bed with his partner, it all came crashing down, and Jim suddenly remembered what had happened the previous night. Harvey coming home drunk, the ring, the words, the small tug. The more he remembered, the more sorrow built up in his chest. He had convinced himself that it wasn't true, that he should not hope for a love which would have never become real. He looked once more at Harvey's beautiful sleeping form and his hand went down to feel the ring. He couldn't help but smile at the meaning behind it. He got up after a few minutes to shower. After he had put on a new set of clothes he decided to head to the living room to study the files he had abandoned the night before, but not before he had left a glass of water and some pain killer on his partner's nightstand: seeing how drunk he was the night before, Harvey would have woken up to a nightmare headache, no doubt about it. It wasn't before a pair of hours that a moan of pain echoed from the bedroom. Jim closed the file and prepared to confront his friend about the ring. It took Harvey a few minutes to finally pop up in the living room, and in the meanwhile Jim had become a nervous wreck.

"Good morning!" Harvey's only answer was a grunt as he sat down on the couch.

"Sorry about last night, I was pretty hammered, Jimbo." At the words Jim's heart sank to his stomach: there it was, the confirm that everything that had happened was only a product of alcohol and nothing more. He tried to laugh but it sounded fake even to his own ears.

"Yeah no problem Harv."

He took a deep breath preparing for the next part "Listen I just wanted to give you back this...uhm, you gave it to me last night, but I don't think you...uhm.." His speech was interrupted as he saw the hurt flashing through Harvey's eyes.

"Oh...yeah, I guess I should have known you didn't feel the same..." The man in front of him, usually so stoic and carefree, looked fragile and insecure all of sudden and guilt built up inside of Jim for making his friend feel that way. Then realization crept up his mind.

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"Well I've told you the meaning behind it, haven't I? I'm sorry, I-I think I should go." With that the cop started to head for the door.

"Harvey stop!" His partner froze were he stood.

"Did you really mean what you said last night?" Asked Jim, a note of uncertainty crossing the sentence.

"Well, I don't really remember much from last night to be honest." Answered sheepishly the detective turning around to face his partner.

"You told me the meaning behind the symbol, about love, friendship and loyalty and you told me some sort of poem."

"The hands are there for friendship, the heart is there for love. For loyalty throughout the year, the crown is raised above." Whispered Harvey looking down. "I meant every word, I'm sorry if you don't feel the same, I'll understand if you want to leave or-"

After the initial shock, Jim had finally come back to his senses and before Harvey could finish the sentences he had crossed the distance between them and had crashed his lips against the older man's. At first Harvey fell still but after a few seconds the kiss was reciprocated with energy. Jim's arms reached behind Harvey neck and wrapped themselves around his neck, whilst the cop's big hands gripped tightly his sides. When they had to break away to breathe they stayed close, their foreheads touching. They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments until Harvey let out a laugh.

"Well that was unexpected." He had the biggest smile on and Jim couldn't help but think how handsome he looked.

"Yeah..." Harvey took Jim's right hand and stared at the ring.

"You know, you should move this to your left hand." He said removing with care the jewel.

"Why?"

"Because when the ring is on the left hand and pointing inwards" he slid it down Jim's left ring finger "it means two loves have joined forever." He gripped Jim's hand and brought it over his heart, before bringing his newly found lover close for another kiss.

writing [ @casuallymestuff ]