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vespiiqueen · 5 years ago

Note

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the ask box of the last 10 people who reblogged something from you (if you want !! 💛💖)

Wow I rambled a lot with this but i can't add cuts bc I'm on mobile rn DHSISHSJ sorry :"))))

1. Ik Ik "haha how cringe are you" of me to say, but honestly? Homestuck. Homestuck helped me in a time of need and when i so desperately wanted something to latch onto. Finally, I caved into my friends telling me to read it-- and it's been a blast!! The epilogues / hs^2 make me feel kinda sad though, because so much of what I loved about the original was yeeted through the nine circles of hell and into the trash. I love Y/ffany's (I call her Yippi tho) design, the art is really pretty at times, Harry is a major dork, I LIVE for seeing Vrissy bc honestly?? Her design is 10/10, very early 2000s emo style and I also live for that. Tavros is cute and a nerd and I think that's swell!

But in terms of story and how any of this happens, it makes me sad to see it happen. If Vriska could return as Vrissy, why not OTHER beta trolls? Where's my Eridan fish man, writers?? Give me the boy or perish by my fury.

2. Also super "haha how cringe are you" but,,, murder cats (Warriors), esp the early 2005-2015 amvs and stuff. I remember watching Flightfootwarrior's "I Will Not Bow" Scourge amv for HOurs and having no clue what was happening, but all these edgy kitties were KITTIES! It's introduced me to a lot of music I still listen to to this very day (Imagine Dragons, Young/the entirety of Hollywood Undead, Breaking Benjamin). And yknow what?? This new arc is absolute chaos, but in the good way.

I'm an "OG Fan". I prefer the first arc, The Prophecies Begin, to almost any of the other arcs. I just could never get into the other arcs-- not to say I haven't read them, I HAVE and the Fire Scene was probably one of my favorite moments beside grumpy Jaypaw, god complex Lionblaze, and fear the gods Hollypaw. I thought the build-up for it was SUPER satisfying. Gray Wing is my baby and I fully embellish in the Gray Wing is Silverpelt theory.

This new arc is definitely something new for the universe. While I didn't read aVoS (but I may do that if i can find the files for it), and so I don't know the major events of it other than what I've seen M.A.P.'s (Multi-Animator Projects, for clarification,,, bc unfortunately that term is also something disgusting). There's fucking cat possession and all the Clans questioning their belief system, yo. Shit be on fire.

Also the Imposter is 100% Ashfur, that's canon now, yeah??? Also im sorry but fuck Root x Bristle that's the dumbest shit I have ever seen. Give me Root x Shadow or face the wrath of my dragon plushies.

RiverClan is my Clan and my gov assigned warrior name is Fireshell 🌟🌟

3. As much as I hate the author,,,,, Harry Potter. It's been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember. I can never really remember why, but I've always just loved it- the movies, the books, the extra little merch that would pop up in my local Walmart. Of course my favorite character is Draco Malfoy. I could go on and on and ON about how I think his character arc was SHIT and JKR didn't have the balls to make him a confident gay man that was always implied through the text (at least, my lesbian ass thought it was implied but i may just be projecting, idk). I could ramble about Draco for HOURS and what I think his character SHOULD have been and how his parents are horrible (more specifically, Lucius bc Narcissa [?] Actually showed a few good moments), and a child should never have to pay for their parents sins.

Oh noo, Draco's a villain because he's a victim of major abuse and peer pressure? He's a villain because a literal child can be horrible and they'll always always always stay as a horrible little fiend?? Fuck that. He's a child.

Unlike manchild grease pan Snape, who was a racist piece of shit and shouldn't have became a fucking school teacher but it's okay because he was ~~~in love~~~. No, fuck you, he was a creep. James Potter n Co may have been a little posh bitch to you, Snape, but that's no fucking excuse to continue to bluntly be a little cunt all the way into adulthood. You're an adult who flatly changed your PATRONUS to imitate Lily's. You have no excuse. And Harry went and named his child after you LIKE JESUS CHRIST, DID RON'S SISTER NOT HAVE A SAY IN THE NAMES TOO?????

I also fully adore the idea that Muggles can run into Hogwarts and their patronus can 100% be a made up, fantasy creature. Imagine you learn the patronus spell and suddenly fucking ARCEUS comes from your wand. Imagine learning the spell and CHTULU (i did not spell that right but im so tired) comes from your wand-- an entire ass fucking Lovecraftian, Eldrith horror is just the embodiment of you. What if it was a fucking Homestuck character like Vriska? How fucking METAL would that be?? Hskajssowjjsjs get on it fandom.

4. Hee hee very evident by my url but Pokemon is another major thing of mine. While vespiquen isn't my favorite (that title goes to Hydreigon), it is definitely up there!

I've ALWAYS enjoyed the idea of Pokemon. You run around, training up these fight monsters and collecting them. I remember playing my sister's Ruby version on her flip-up Gameboy. I couldn't even read but I ran around catching god only knows how many of the same pokemon wherever she was. Apparently, I had fought for hours in the same area and leveled her Blaziken up to lvl 50 something and left her lvl 30s in the dust LMAO.

I got my first game when it was Pearl/Diamond. It was Pearl, and it still holds a very fond place in my heart. I could barely read, I could barely write-- I had named my Turtwig something along the lines of "MmorpHy" and my player boy "ZbsibJ". Yes I remember the names slightly. I really didn't get far-- I barely got to the first gym but I was just so happy to play it.

I eventually lost the game, as a 5 year old would do, but I can still vividly remember what was happening when the game arrived. I had just came back from the dentist and was quite tired from fighting the dentist bc I was super scared. Mom suddenly handed me a box and said it was mine-- my overseas (at that time) dad had bought me Pearl and my sister Diamond, because I lost my shit about it when he visited one time.

Well, tdlr, I played it for about five minutes while struggling to stay awake against the loopy gas they made me take. I fell asleep listening to Twinleaf Town's soundtrack. Every time I play a rom of Pearl and I get to where the player's house fades in and I hear that first tune of the song, I get a huge smile on my face and cry-- as.. Weird as it sounds.

A few years later, I had gotten Pokemon Black bc I liked Reshiram on the cover. Now, this one I could actually READ when playing, but I don't remember a lot of things about it. I probably lost this one too, as a 8/9 year old would do. I DO remember, I chose Snivy and my sister chose Tepig (hrmm there's a theme here of grass/fire goin on......) and vibing to the music. I was so amazed by the sprites moving, I just kept getting into encounters to see the sprites move (oh boy, no one tell younger 7-9 y/o me about Zelda......oh wait....)

Playing Pokemon NOW, as a 17 year old """gifted""" chick, I stil have very fond memories. I recently beat Pokemon Black again and GOD the OTS SLAPS. I fucking adore the soundtrack-- the track that plays when you battle a trainer, the low health dings being turned into a legit song that also slaps, the battle! gym leader themes-- and oh my gOd, the legendary theme is amazing? It really tells you just how glorious these pokemon are supposed to be. It's not intimidating like Groudon/Kyroge/Rayquaza's themes. It's not action packed like Palkia/Dialga's is, it's not filled with tension like Giratina/Arceus's is-- but it radiates the GLORY that the beasts portray. And I live for that. (Also, Kyurem's version is my favorite because it glitches in the beginning and that's rly cool)

P/D/P and BW/BW2's stories, imo, are some of the greatest ones. Yeahhh, US/USUM's is cool and I haven't played XY nor SwSh-- but the ones I can find memorable are PDP and BW/BW2. I love N. I love Barry. They're my sons. Ghetsis is fucking terrifying, Cyrus needs a hug. Giratina scared the piss out of me when I was younger, which was NOT helped by Giratina and The Sky Warrior.

I think my favorite movies are the gen 4 ones. The Rise of Darkrai having a tear-jerking theme for such a mysterious pokemon (i still tear up when i hear Ocarion), Giratina being spiteful is a mood and Shaymin was cute, Arceus being angry is also a mood. Yeah, Pokemon 4Ever made me cry my eyes out over Celebi, Mewtwo Returns made me again cry because Mewtwo accepting who he is, I remember how vastly different the BW movies are-

I just. I have a lot of memories with the series, even if Gamefreak and Nintendo kinda do the series dirty a lot (your top-grossing thing and you made That monstrosity for the Switch? How dare you.). It's comforting to be stressed and pull up my roms for the games and to play them. Mystery Dungeon is incredibly fun to play, Pokemon Ranger is really fun with the concept (Shadows of Almia continues to kick my ass to this very day and FUCK the Jungle Relic, I hate the Water Challenge fucking gyarados bullshit). I remember the pokemon I got for MD (I got Time, my sis got Darkness) was Mudkip, if that is any help.

I love my little fictional pixel monsters.

5. Yup, someone told tiny 7-9 y/o me about console games. The legend of Zelda. My first Zelda game was Twilight Princess on the Wii and BOY did I play the fucking SHIT out of that game.

Honestly, looking back and looking at playthroughs now-- I still love TP. Twilight Princess is still one of my top favorite Zelda games-- yes, even after playing OoT, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, Skyward Sword, the anniversary four swords edition for the DS where you could play by yourself (Nintendo pls bring that back, I don't have friends to play it with ;-;), Phantom Hourglass- ect.

Something about Twilight Princess grabbed me by the head and yeeted me into the world. I can remember playing it for hours with little to no breaks. I, a tiny 9 y/o, had gotten the hang of the controllers and managed to get past the tutorial quite easily. And then, I was launched into the game and I wasn't stopping for NOTHING. Mom and Dad would have to force me to save and get off to go and eat dinner. THAT sucked.

I had done everything on my own up until the first temple, the forest temple. Not where/when you saved the dumb kid, but when you were saving the spirit's light. Theeeeeeennn I got stuck on the fucking Forest Temple for deadass six months straight. I'd play for hours, running around in circles, unable to figure out where to go, and because I didn't grasp the temple's purpose of being that way- I'd get angry and get off. It wasn't until dad looked up a walkthrough and talked me through what I was supposed to do that I learned how to get through temples.

I had gotten to the last little fight with Ganondorf before the Wii broke and i could no longer play. Despite the Wii being broke and we got rid of it, I was ADAMANT on keeping the game, and I kept that game for YEARS. It was an original copy out of a sealed box, and I eventually lost it when I left it accidentally at my now ex-friend's house.

She had a Wii and I went "hey I have a Wii game!" And I brought my Zelda over. Worst fucking choice of my goddamn life. Mom called me to come home and said I couldn't sleep over like the original plan was, and that was it. My ex-friend stashed my Zelda and I never saw it again. And, even if I wanted to-- I couldn't get it back, which makes me upset. We had a BAD falling out. She likely doesn't even remember it's there, or sold it to the local game junkie kid who buys ALL games.

But I still love the game. Midna was amazing, and I loved how snarky she was and she has a very cute design! The game's OST is fucking phenomenal. Midna's Desperate Hour makes me cry bc goddamn it really sells how serious that situation is. I love Hyrule Field's theme in this game. I love the Twilight Realm's song. Zant was fucking hilariously scary. Ganondorf's design in this game scared the piss out of me when I was younger.

Midna and this game's Link and Zelda are def my favorites. Yeah yeah, Sheik is cool and all I Guess but dhsushwishs Midna holds the special place in my heart. She was totally my gay awakening BUT

For other game antagonists, I adore Ghirahim-- let's go you funky little queer-coded villain. Skull Kid was great, I love the entire dynamic of him. Prankster lost soul stumbles upon Majora's Mask and the mask makes him act out due to powers-- which, I actually took very heavy inspiration from for one of my OCs. The moon falling to Hyrule was a fucking terrifying looming threat.

But the game series holds a place, and I've yet to be able to play BoTW-- although, I'm fairly certain I'll like it. The playthroughs I've watched of it are all fairly decent! I just. Gotta save up enough money to buy it haha.

Dang guess I gotta go watch a Twilight Princess playthrough again.

Honorable Mentions:

Avatar: the Last Airbender, specifically Book 3

my OCs definitely make me happy, they're my children and I'd ramble A LOT longer if given the chance WHEEZE

My friends, but I didn't add them here bc it's more fictional stuff, I presume

Baking. I love to bake cupcakes.

Painting is fun. I'm an artist and goddammit im going to use painting as an excuse to make a mess.

Fire. I rly like fire, down to a pyromaniac level. However, i hate the fires that happened to my home town, the Great Smokey Fires of 2016-- THAT pissed me off. How dare you burn mountain landscapes to the ground. Perish.

History. I'm a history nerd.

I'm also a science nerd.

But fuck math, I cannot comprehend math to save my life.

For some reason, I rly like learning how the human body works??? like did you know, organs are actually sticky when touched by a bare hand?? Did you?? How fucking cool is that.

Bakugan. I love Bakugan, esp the DS game. I love my Darkus Leonidas. Give me back the online world, you peasants-- I want my Darkus Dragonoid. (Also fuck all my friends from when I was in kindergarten- my theory that Alice was Masquerade was somewhat correct.)

#admin ace #admin ace speaks #communistvriska #inbox tag #homestuck #warrior cats #harry potter #pokemon #legend of zelda

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lyndexv · 6 years ago

Text

Sophie

So, here’s my first fic (it was supposed to be a prompt, but I made it pass through the 2000 words (2 904 words, woops) for the writing challenge by @stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale.

Some importants things before we start : -In this story, we are in a AU where Louis dated Sophie before her capture.

-Marlon doesn’t get killed by AJ, because THIS TIME Clem keeps the gun when Marlon drops it.

Hope you enjoy it.

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

«I love you, Lou...Since the beginning.»

Louis remembered those words, again, and again, as he played random tunes on his piano.

Everything has been so fucked those last days…

Marlon’s betrayal…He couldn’t believe it happened.

«Brody told me : Marlon was gonna give me and AJ up to raiders in exchange for safety ;

The same way he gave up Sophie and Minnie ! »

He couldn’t believe it. He DIDN’T want to believe it.

Sophie, the love of his life, she...she……

--1 year ago--

« Marlon, where’s Minnie ? » Violet was the first to notice that the twins weren’t with the hunt group.

« V-Vi, let me exp- »

«Marlon.» He remembered the despair, the fear behind the gaze of his ‘brother’.

«What the fuck happened to Soph ? » Louis felt anger starting to rise inside him.

« C-Calm down, bro...I-I know it’s hard to take, but she-- »

« WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO HER ??! » Idryssa and Violet retained Louis from throwing himself at Marlon.

He did have some anger moments in his life...But now, he felt rage, and hate. He never felt that, at anyone or anything before.

He couldn’t believe it. He DIDN’T want to believe that...she was…

« WALKERS GOT THEM !! » Brody cried. Everyone turned to her.

« We...went outside the safe zone...We found a car, but... » Brody tried to control her panic

« Walkers appeared from nowhere….They..were too many of them. We tried our best, Lou, I swear... »

Louis gave up. He didn’t struggle against Idryssa and Vi anymore. He felt he was on verge of tears.

« No...There’s...There’s no fucking way... »

« Dude...I’m so sorr-- » Marlon walked to Louis, to soothe him , but the pianist refused his hand

« DON’T TOUCH ME ! »

The stressful silence that was occuring made the situation even more unbearable.

Louis dashed to the music room.

« Louis, come back ! »

« LOUIS !!! »

Louis didn’t even care.

As he passed the door, he sat on the piano stool.

He couldn’t contain his despair anymore.

« S-Sophie... »

His tears started to fell on his piano, as he laid his arms and his heads on it.

As he cried, he looked up at the music sheets, at one in peculiar : ‘Sophie’

It had been months since she confessed to him her love. He was so happy, and relieved, that his feelings for her were returned, shared. She loved for what he was, not just because he was the ‘happy goofy jokester’ of the kids…

« ‘Happy Goofy Jokester’ ? Seriously ? » Sophie always cracked a giggle at his nickname.

He wanted to give the best gift for his beloved ginger Irish girl, and, well, a song was a perfect gift. Both had that love for the arts, as Sophie was a genius artist, at painting (well, as much as she could do with the boarding school stuff), at drawing, and even crafting some pillows castle with him (Dear Lord he had dozens of pillows in his room, it was just hilarious)

He wanted to keep it as a surprise, to show and play that song of his once she was back from hunting.

He couldn’t now. She was dead.

After that, he changed.

The first weeks, Louis never left his room, or the music room, even for dinner.

Idryssa brought him food, but he rarely ate, not touched it.

But that was before she betrayed him too….

Surprinsingly enough (for the other kids), he found confort with Violet, as they shared their grief about their lost loves..

After some months, the scar of his heart started to heal, he’d crack some jokes again here or there, and Aasim was less reluctant to rant about his sometimes lame jokes.

But the scar never healed completly, it could open again easily, Louis knew that. The others avoided to talk about the twins, but that made it even worse to bear.

Louis never wanted to betray Sophie’s memory, so he continued to write music, to sing, to crack jokes for the sake of seeing the others smiling (or rolling their eyes, in Vi’s case).

--Months later--

Then, a new girl came into his life : Clementine.

As much as he had a good first impression of her (She let him play ‘Oh My Darling Clementine’, while all the other would have stopped him ; she kicked some walkers heads at a A+ level, while she was just recovering from a concussion, heck ! ; she was beautiful, funny...)

But he felt that it would be HELL wrong to flirt with the new girl, he just...couldn’t do that, especially at the one-year anniversary (what a happy anniversary for sure…) of Sophie’s passing. He did cracked some jokes with Clem, but that was all.

But, as life is a bitch sometimes…

« So...Um...Did you ever felt love, for someone ? »

Clem had a puzzled look at him, as Violet threw her fist on the table out of spite

« Oh-My-God... »

« What ? It is a totally valid question, instead of always talking about d-e-a-t-h things. »

« I don’t know how to explain it, but... » Clem started to explain, as Vi, Marlon and Lou looked at her.

« I met a boy, once. And we were...close, I guess ? »

« What kind of ‘close’ ? » Violet asked.

« Maybe not exactly ‘love-love’, but I definitely felt something for him. »

Then, Clem looked at Louis. « What about you ? »

Fuckfuckfuck

Marlon and Vi’s eyes went wide up, as Clem brought the WORST question she could ever asked him.

Louis started to feel his heart aching horribly, as if someone was using all its strengh and was urging it. He also felt tears starting to come...

Don’t crack up, don’t fucking crack up, not now, not in front of anyone, of her, not again--

Clem noticed it, her expression changing into concern, worry

« Louis, are you allr-- »

« Y-YES , I am ! It’s...okay, you had the right to ask..» He said as he noticed the heavy worry Vi, Marlon and Clem had in their gazes.

« It’s...becoming cold, don’t you think ? I’m...going to my dorm, goodnight. » Louis left them with that terrible excuse. He felt horribly wrong, and the pain came back again.

Stupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupid

« Guess I can’t shame myself more than that... » He thought.

Days passed, and Louis started to feel...strange, about Clementine.

When he looked at her, tchatted with her, even shared some jokes together…

« I am basically a ninja, master of the martial arts. » Louis joked, doing a ‘ninja pose’ as he said it.

« You too ? I thought I was the only one » said Clem, doing some ‘ninja pose’ herself.

« Me too » A.J, her ‘adoptive’ son (?) also did a ninja pose.

While Aasim grunted as usual, Louis smiled. He felt good when he was with Clem, he liked being a ‘dad�� for A.J (Well ,as much as a ‘happy goofy jokester’ can be), taking care of him.

But, like for Sophie, like for every moment he felt...himself, in a happy way, it didn’t last.

This night where, for a minute, Clem was a murderer…

« Look at her hands ! She’s covered in Brody’s blood ! »

He couldn’t believe it. He DIDN’T want to believe it.

But Marlon was his ‘brother’, and he knew Clem since, like, a week ? Why would Marlon lie ?

And...she did have blood on her hands…

«Well, FUCK. THEM. » Marlon pointed his gun at her.

« What the fuck ? » (Nice one Vi, you stole my words… he thought)

« Marlon ! »

« Jesus Christ !»

« You shoot me, and what do you offer up to your raider friends when they come knocking ? »

« What the hell is she talking about ? » Aasim asked

« He won’t do it because he needs us alive-- »

« Shut up ! » Marlon pointed his gun at Clem again.

«Brody told me : Marlon was gonna give me and AJ up to raiders in exchange for safety ;

The same way he gave up Sophie and Minnie ! »

Clem finished her quote looking at Tenn, who was shocked by this reveal.

Louis was shocked too. As he felt his heart aching again, the scar being re-opened by a sadist twist of events, he tried to not crack up.

Don’t crack up, don’t fucking crack up, not now…

He couldn’t believe it. He DIDN’T want to believe it. Why Marlon, of all people, would do something this horrible ? Why would HE lie to HIM, his best friend for years now ?!

« Raiders ? »

« Oh my gosh ! »

« Shut the fuck up, Clementine ! » Marlon still ‘only’ pointed his gun at Clem…

« Let her talk ! » Aasim said.

As Louis felt his heart aching like hell, and the expression of terror in Tenn’s face, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear more of this.

« Brody told me the truth, and THAT’s when Marlon killed her ! »

Everyone turned to Marlon with accusating looks.

Including Louis. He felt pain, but he started to feel rage again…

« Aw, come the FUCK on ! »

Marlon started to walk around Clem.

« They only met up with these ‘raiders’ because Clem insisted they go out there. »

« Quite the coincidence, isn’t it ? Shame I don’t believe in those. »

He...had a point.

« Think about how we all were when the adults left. I pulled us out of that fear. I gave us all courage again. »

« Who are y’all gonna believe, huh ? Johnny-come-lately and her little fucking lunatic ? »

That ‘lunatic’ had his dinner at the same table as Louis, Marlon and the others a few hours ago…

« Or me ? Your friend ? »

This situation is so fucked. He wanted to stand up for Clem, but that would mean he’d be against Marlon, and by that believing that...he…

« Louis, don’t let him do this ! »

What ? She was calling up for him ? Violet was a better candidate, and she seemed closer to Clem than he was now.

And again...His mind was stuck on who to stand for...

« Oh no, I am not involved. »

Seriously? Avoiding conflict, in a situation like THIS ? You coward.

« What ? » Clem sounded in distress, shocked by Louis’ answer.

« I...I like you Clem, but I.. »

You what ? Tell here you’re totally trusting your violent best friend with a gun pointed at her.

« Not me. I’m sorry. »

«You’re, uh, on your own. »

Sophie would have stepped up, you know it. She wouldn’t have ran away from conflict like you’re doing right now.

Cowardcowardcowardcowardcowardcowardcowardcowardcowardcowardcowardcoward

«I’m sorry. »

« Then you better bury me deep. » Clem looked at him, betrayed and angered.

« Because if I come back, I’ll come for you first. »

You deserve your pain.

« Shit. »

« Marlon, come on man, »

« Drop the gun-- »

« Louis ! » Marlon cut him.

« She. Killed. Brody ! »

« We can’t let her walk away. »

Louis looked back at Clem.

« Clem, I...I gotta trust Marlon. »

coward

« I just...I gotta. »

cowardcowardcoward

« I always have. »

« Brody trusted him. And now she’s dead. » Clem said.

« And HE killed her ! »

« Take that back ! »

Louis noticed Marlon’s gaze. It was full of rage.

As he pointed his gun at Clem, he seemed determined. This time, if nobody do anything, he’s gonna shot Clem down.

Step the fuck up. For Clem. For Sophie.

Louis walked to Clem and Marlon, placing himself in the middle of them. He risked his life, he knew that.

Marlon shook his head « You don’t know what you’re doing, man. »

Louis wanted all that shit to end well, without any more deaths that this already did.

« C’mon, dude, just drop the gun. This is how adults do things. Not us. »

« Stand down, Marlon. Be reasonable. » Aasim added.

Aasim, Tenn, Louis, Violet and Omar started to corner Marlon.

« You don’t get it. » Marlon shook his head, still pointing dangerously his gun

« You-you don’t understand at all, do you ? »

Understand what ?

Louis had a bad feeling about this. A truly bad feeling.

« I’m trying TO PROTECT YOU ! » Marlon pointed the gun at everyone.

« ALL OF YOU !! »

« He’s lying to you. He can’t – or won’t – protect you ! » Clem said to the other kids.

« Look at what happened to Brody. To Sophie, Minerva... »

« You suck at protection ! »

Marlon only pointed his gun at her again and shouted. « Shut your fucking mouth ! »

No defense.

« I made the right call. »

Wait, what ? Louis hoped that didn’t mean...no. FUCK NO.

« I saved the lives of everyone in this fucking school ! »

« And if they came back...I’d do it again ! »

Louis felt his pain replaced by rage. WHAT THE FUCK ?

Marlon let the twins get taken LIKE IT WAS NOTHING ?

All those moments of pain he had after Sophie’s disappearance, and that Violet had too, were not only CAUSED by Marlon, but worse than that Marlon never told him the truth. MARLON, his brother, hid the fucking truth about the fate of the love of his life from him ?!!

The others were scandalized too.

« Excuse me ? »

« I didn’t realise we were so fucking expendable »

« You’re a dick ! »

« You told me they died ! »

Louis couldn’t contain his rage anymore.

«HOW COULD YOU DO THAT ?? »

Marlon, and all the others, turned to him, shocked by his rage.

« I THOUGHT...For years I thought you were my brother, that I could trust you over anything in this fucked world... »

« I know Louis, I...I am sorr- »

« When everyone was affraid of you, I wanted to be your friend, because I looked BEYOND your problems, like I did with everyone else here ! »

« And after everything we lived through, YOU FUCKING LET SOPHIE GET TAKEN BY RAIDERS, AND YOU HID THAT FROM ME FOR A YEAR ! »

Louis felt his heart ache, from Marlon’s betrayal. He felt he was starting to cry, but he didn’t care anymore.

« Only a pure coward betrays his friends like this. » Clem said.

--Present--

Marlon has been judged, and exiled by vote. Ironicly, that’s what happened with Shaun, Esther, and...Idryssa. And Marlon was the judge for their ‘trials’. And out of the 4 exiled kids the school had, the most guilty were Idryssa and Marlon, both leaders.

Clem was right after all, the leaders never stay long in place…

Louis absently flipped through his music sheets, when he found a song in peculiar…

‘‘Sophie’, wrote 6-21-2011’. The music he composed for her. As he thought about it, he remembers he never played it.

Louis sighed.

He prepared himself to play.

« This one’s for you, Sophie, if you can hear me. »

Louis started to play. ‘Sophie’ was his longest composition, about 7 minutes easily. It was a romantic ballad, with some ‘irish’ touches here and there, but nothing too stereotyped. The piano being a bit out of tune (If only he could find the right tools for it…) did not ruin the melody, flying out in the whole school, like in the good times…

Even the growing ache in his heart did not stop him.

On a melancholic note, he ended the music.

« That was beautiful. »

Louis suddenly turned his head to the door, only noticing Clementine’s presence now.

« Oh, uh...sorry, I just heard the music and walked to its source. »

« I don’t mind, I like having an audience. » Louis said.

« What was that music ? » Clem asked as he sat on the piano stool.

« A song. That I wrote. »

« You wrote it ? » Clem sounded surprised, not in a bad way.

Louis nodded. « I wrote it for Sophie. »

Both went silent at her mention.

« About that...I’m sorry... for what happened to her. » Clem said, looking concerned for Louis.

« Don’t. It was... » Louis just couldn’t pronounce his name, not that soon.

« his fault. I just...hope she’s okay. » Louis sighed.

Clem put a conforting hand on his shoulder. « I hope she is, too. When we will find the raiders, we’ll bring the twins back, and you’ll be together again. »

Louis smiled at Clem « Thank you, Clem. Even if you just took the rôle of the optimistic for a second, which is mine, if you hadn’t guessed it.»

Clem chuckled « Of course I guessed it, you dork. »

With Sophie’s return, with Clem, Louis felt hope, for the first time in months. Hope that his scar will heal completly.

#twdgdrabblechallenge #too long

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mars-ipan · 5 years ago

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school me in a l l o f t h e m I dare you

homie that would be. far too many. so i’ll give you the two i currently really wanna talk about, starting with the one i’d get less hate over probably

Narumitsu/Wrightworth- Ace Attorney series

i mean. this one. this one’s easy as hell. let’s start from the beginning. pheonix wright, 3rd grader, is accused of stealing the lunch money of miles edgeworth, aspiring lawyer and fellow 3rd grader. the class is awful to pheonix, saying that he stole the money without proving it in a mock trial. it gets to the point where even the teacher is telling him to apologize. this poor child is sobbing, trying to explain that he didn’t do it. suddenly, an objection. surprise bitches it’s the victim, miles edgeworth. “blah blah you can’t say he did it without any proof blah blah he shouldn’t have to apologize”. the class apologizes and pheonix is acquitted. this marks the start of their friendship. not too long after (a couple of years, at most?) miles’ dad and role model is murdered in a horrible incident (this is responsible for edgeworth’s fear of earthquakes which sucks since he lives in japanifornia). miles is now under the care of manfred von karma, abusive german asshole prosecutor who can die in a hole. this is where miles stops talking to pheonix (moving away to germany can do that) and decides to be a prosecutor with his newfound hatred of crime. skip to college. pheonix is in a horrible abusive relationship, the poor baby barely avoided death and was immediately accused of murder. guess who’s prosecuting this trial? miles mcfrickin edgeworth. and pheonix thinks “hold on. i know him!!! oh my god what happened????” after he is, once again, acquitted, pheonix makes the stupidest desicion in his life: to become a defense attorney. he stops going to art school and starts going to law school, just so he can meet this dude again and ask him what the hell happened to him. because if the stubborn asshole wouldn’t respond to his letters, he’d have to meet him in court eventually anyways. so pheonix becomes a lawyer. he’s... surprisingly good at it. then a case with edgeworth. and he wins!! super well!!! once again!! edgeworth is likely just “oh my god what the fuck???” idk tho since we play as pheonix, dumbass extroardinaire. anyways, in either this case or a later one (i do not remember) edgeworth comes up to pheonix after losing and essentially tells him “you’re making me feel things and i don’t like feeling things so get out of my court” (i mean literally. “saddled with unnecessary feelings, like unease and uncertainty” like bITCH??? YOU LOVE HIM D U H). and then edgeworth is accused of murder. pheonix immediately is at the detention center going “bitch let me defend you or so help me god.” miles, ever the confusing fuck, is just “no. not happening, absolutely not.” (there’s also a line where edgeworth goes “i... didn’t want you to see me like this” and in the remastered version pheonix deadass thinks “trust me, i didn’t want to see you like this, either” like b IT CH.) anyways a quick earthquake happens and once everyone’s settled, pheonix realizes he can’t see miles through the glass anymore. he stands up to look through the room and bam there’s edgeworth, on the floor trembling. this poor man. anyways pheonix is just “well i’m gonna defend u even if u don’t want me to so i’m gonna start investigating” and he does that and talks to edgeworth’s lovely detective pal, gumshoe, who explains edgeworth’s fear of earthquakes and also that after he lost his first trial against pheonix edgeworth was literally just saying “wright, wright, wright” and pacing u h m?? anyways eventually pheonix finds out that the case is related to the dl-6 incident, which is the one where edgeworth’s father dies. he goes back to the detention center and edgeworth’s all “well that’s what i didn’t want you to find out but now you know so sure defend me what the hell but you’re gonna lose” bc guess who’s prosecuting??? v o n k ar m a. anyways pheonix wins the trial, gets von karma convicted for murdering edgeworth’s father also bc dl6 was never actually solved and it’s funky fresh. edgeworth is all “i don’t know what to say,,,,” so maya, pheonix’s lovely assistant in the original trilogy, is all “try t h a n k yo u”

other moments where they are Not Heterosexual include:

all of oldbag. edgey i am so fucking sorry you had to deal with her ass. i mean yeah everyone would have that reaction but edgeworth IS a snacc, he likely goes through this all the time. no girlfriend though. rampant homosexual

i mean seriously who wears a cravat all the time other than a gay and/or a vampire

“they’re rivals!” “maybe for now we are..”

“that man” “that defense attorney” “him”- miles edgeworth, all the time

5 red knights surrounding 1 blue pawn on edgeworth’s custom chessboard

there was a jewelry line made for the game. pheonix and edgeworth both have rings. they are the only ones with rings.

and that’s only the original trilogy babey!!! there’s plenty more in the future games but i unfortunately don’t know anything past apollo justice so ah well

2. Mavin/Team Nice Dynamite- Achievement Hunter

okay first of all this is a real people fandom so i’m gonna start with a disclaimer. A. i ship them casually, B. they (and their partners) are perfectly okay with it and joke about it all the time, C. they are in a committed bromance and i will not pester them in any way. thank you. this will also be in list form as there is less of a narritive to follow :>

okay so. these fucking nerds. met on valentine’s day. they tweet @ each other on valentine’s day saying shit like “happy anniversary” i can not make this up.

they refer to each other as “boi” and “my boi” all the time. michael’s twitter bio deadass says “[wife] is my girl, gavin is my boi”

just. just watch play pals

they got married in minecraft once. it was domestic and cute afterwards.

angry boy (michael) is simultaneously Soft with and Angrier with stupid brit (gavin)

“i will,,,, have sex with you,,, consensually.” -michael jones, drunk off his ass

*gavin appears on tv in a bar* “everyone look!! it’s my boy!!! that’s my boy!!!” *applause from the entire bar*-michael jones, once again drunk off his ass

almost the entire office lowkey ships it

michael gets jealous. all the time. he has mentioned a time when gavin referred to his other best friend as “his boi” and while recalling the anecdote, michael basically said “and i was like *growl*” like. damn ok

matching necklaces

michael is the best at translating gav’s britishisms and gavinisms

“my wife is dead,,,, my husband is dead”- michael jones, in a hardcore minecraft server where he is the sole survivor

they casually lay all over each other and invade each others’ personal space all the time

they joke about gavin being the bottom in literally every fic with them. gav’s only complaints with the fic are that he’s the bottom.

i think the reason they don’t have gavin do an episode of red dragon inn is because michael would be far too powerful. maybe one day tho. hopefully

michael’s own wife is just out here all “hell yeah dude fuckin go with it” (we love lindsay jones in this household)

“just kiss and get it over with”

“micool,,”- gavin free, Squeaky Brit

“sucked michael’s dick last night: gavin free”- credit on the podcast

the “are you wearing my jacket” “yeah, i guess i am” “stop! ,,,take my clothes off,,” line comes from them

just. look in the tag for mavin. you’ll see what i’m talking about.

their dynamic is very similar to @an-ok-dude and i’s actually. except. ours is less angry and squeaky. kinda

alright kids that’s it for now. this post is getting long and being on mobile means i can’t put it under a read more so i’m gonna stop here :>

bls tho check these tags there’s so much good content

#ask #anon #long post #fuck it i’m gonna post about all my interests from now on #cringe culture is dead it’s 2020 be gay do crimes #this post will be a milestone eventually #‘the ask that made marley decide she no longer gave a shit’

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let-it-raines · 6 years ago

Text

Second in Command (Epilogue - Part 6)

Summary: Life as the “spare to the heir” isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be when you’re the supposed screw-up of the family, but people don’t know what really happens behind closed doors.

Rating: Mature

A/N: And we begin with a flashback (ending with the double line break) with a chapter that comes around full circle in several ways :D

Found on AO3: Beginning | Current

Tumblr Chapters: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

Epilogue Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Tag list: @nikkiemms @resident-of-storybrooke @kmomof4 @wellhellotragic @ekr032-blog-blog @bmbbcs4evr @onceuponaprincessworld @jennjenn615 @a-faekindagirl @mayquita @captainsjedi @captswanis4vr @kristi555 @teamhook @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @branlovesouat @dreadpirateemma @alys07 @andiirivera

She hears his footsteps making their way down the hall, the still slightly unfamiliar layout of his house (or apartment as he calls it even if this is definitely not an apartment, the multiple stories and staircases disagreeing with her definition of the term) making it difficult to discern where exactly he is until he’s right outside of the door, the noises completely stopping as Killian presumably halts just outside, only the door standing between them. He wants to come inside, she already knows, but he’s likely being hesitant because of her mood today. She doesn’t blame him. She wouldn’t want to be the one to have to navigate talking to her today either. She doesn’t even really want to be her right now.

It’s not often that she has reason to hide herself away, to turn off the lights and cover herself with piles of blankets in a feeble attempt to keep the world away from her. But they’re just blankets, and they only keep away the cold. They don’t keep away the warring thoughts in her mind, the ones she’s kept at bay for years now. If anything, locking herself away like this has allowed her thoughts to creep free from their cages and to fester in their freedom, multiplying and expanding into demons that she shouldn’t have to fight alone.

But then the door knob turns, the hinges on the heavy wooden frame making the slightest bit of noise, and she sees her boyfriend’s head pop in, a sullen look on his face. She’s not alone, hasn’t been so in years, and thinking that she needed to fight this by herself was a mistake. She knew it the minute she told Killian not to follow her when she came home last night.

“Hey, can I come in?”

“It’s your bedroom.”

“Emma,” he sighs, taking a step inside and closing the door behind him, “we have to talk eventually.”

“I just needed a day to myself. I don’t really want to talk to anyone.”

So maybe old habits die hard, and maybe as much as she wants a support system, she doesn’t actually want to talk about this anymore. It’s all they ever seem to talk about.

“I understand that, love, but you’ve been holed up in here since yesterday.”

She groans, throwing her head back against the pillow before sitting up and resting her back against the headboard, bringing the comforter with her so that she’s still wrapped in its warmth. It only takes a nod of her head for Killian to get the hint that it’s okay for him to come sit down, and he quickly steps over to the bed and settles down onto his side, keeping noticeable space between them.

They’re silent for seconds that stretch into minutes. Killian sits quietly with his ankles crossed and hands folded together in his lap, and she knows that he’s waiting for her to say the first words. He extended the olive branch, and she’s the one who has to take it. That’s how they work, even if it’s not what she wants right now.

“I hate this,” she finally grits out, bunching the comforter with her fists. “I want to go back to how things were before. I want to live in the shitty apartment above the pub and have you come visit me at midnight so that we can get drunk and stuff our faces with onion rings and pretzel bites and not have a care in the world besides how bad our hangovers are going to be.”

“Darling, you know we can’t do that.”

“I know. I know that. I know that we made this decision together even if we were pushed, not really having a choice of our own, and I know that what we’re doing is going to be worth it. But God, Killian, I feel like I’m drowning.”

Tears well up in her eyes, and she closes them to try to get the water to go away. But the hot tears stay, and when she can’t take having her eyes closed anymore, she opens them only for the tears to furiously fall. She wants them to stop, needs them to stop, but it’s like the dam has broken and she really is drowning. Shit. She really hates crying.

She hunches forward to curl in on herself, wrapping her arms around her knees and letting the comforter fall from around her while Killian’s hand rubs up and down her back in soothing circles, silently trying to help her through this, which really only makes everything worse. This isn’t fair. She knows that life isn’t fair and that it’s absolutely ridiculous for her to be bemoaning how much her life sucks right now while having a meltdown in a fucking palace, but she feels how she feels.

Her dad used to say something about not comparing her happiness to others in the same way that she shouldn’t compare her sadness to others, and she wishes she could remember the exact phrase now. She’s pretty sure the gist of it was to not compare, that comparison is the thief of any joy.

“I’m so sorry, my love. I’m so, so sorry. You don’t deserve any of this.”

She chuckles under her breath, but it’s all snot and tears, her throat getting clogged until she coughs to try to release all of the mucus and emotions that are stuck there. “I really hate people, you know? First, we have your asshole of a family, then my asshole of an ex, and now there’s just assholes everywhere giving their opinions on everything I do like it’s any of their business. I just want to be with you, to be in love, without having the rug pulled out from underneath me. It keeps happening.”

“Things are going to calm down,” he reassures her, his hand practically rubbing a hole into her t-shirt with how much it’s moving. “We’re working on it. We have the statement, our legal team, your security. It’s going to be better, and you won’t have to go through things like this anymore. There won’t be any more sobbing in the bedroom.”

“How can you say that? I’ve been with you for five years, Killian. I know the hell that you go through. I know that the same will be happening to me.”

“You learn to live with it. That’s all I can say. I wish I could help more, protect you more, and while I can’t promise you anything that is out of my control, I can say that I think the worst of it is over. We can literally only go up from here.”

Sighing, she leans back into his embrace, letting him wrap his arm around her shoulder and tucking her head against his side while he whispers soothing words against her forehead, pressing kisses against her temple between every statement.

“Why can’t we have fights like normal people?”

He chuckles against her hairline before rubbing his hand up and down her arm. “The other day you got right pissed at me for chewing too loudly. That’s normal. We have normal fights all the damn time. They simply don’t usually end with one of us hiding away in the bedroom and staining the pillowcases with our mascara.”

“It washes out,” she answers automatically, wondering why the hell he’s concerned with that of all things right now. But then he cups her chin, turning her face to look at him, and the smirk on his face makes her realize he was messing with her. Oh. She really is all out of sorts. “Are you really trying to pick a fight to prove a point?”

“I’m trying to pick a fight to make you feel better.”

“That’s weird.”

“Eh.”

“No seriously.”

“But is it though?”

“Weird? Definitely.”

“Brilliant is a much better fit, I think.”

“Debatable.”

“I repeat. Is it though?”

Her breath hitches as she realizes what it is he’s doing, distracting her from everything with his nonsensical words and stupid faces that he’s been making while they’ve been bantering back and forth. He’s…she’s known for a long time that she wanted to be with Killian for the rest of her life, something that she never thought she would be thinking about any man after Neal, but she really is willing to go through hell for him. It’s all insane and a little bit unreal, but he knows her in a way that no one else does.

Killian knows how to distract her from her problems. He knows and understands that she likes to be by herself, doesn’t mind it at all, but that there are times when she wants to be with him or her friends and families. He knows the things that she thinks about when it’s two in the morning and she can’t sleep, and he knows how to read her when no one else in the world can.

They’ve come from worlds that couldn’t be further apart, but at their cores, they’re the same. And that’s exactly why they work at the end of the day. She understands him and the places where he’s broken, and he does the same to her.

But he also just makes her laugh, and he makes her happy. And she has to convince herself that sometimes in the future, she won’t remember the time she crumbled under all of the stress and pressure of this new life she’s been slowly stumbling into for over half of a decade.

“Can we get pizza delivered here, babe?”

His head recoils, but a bright smile stretches across his face, obviously happy that she’s now smiling too.

“Yeah, love, I think we can do that.”

The moment she steps off the plane, she can already feel the difference in the weather in Spain versus back at home. There are still days where she wakes up to let Indy outside that she has to bundle up in a jacket and in thick clothes from the occasionally biting chill of late May. But it’s the first day of June now, and they’re staying in Mallorca for a little over a week to get away from work for a little while. And for their two-year anniversary, but the stars simply seemed to align for them to be able to get away for that day.

She and Killian load up into the car after packing away their suitcases with Thomas’s help. She hadn’t wanted him to come, hadn’t wanted the security while they’re off on vacation, but it was apparently necessary, though he does promise that he and the rest of the team will be as discreet as possible. She loves Thomas. She really does. He’s like having another uncle, but you don’t really want your uncle to travel with you on vacation with your husband.

True to his word, after dropping them off at their house, Thomas leaves to make his way to the house next door, leaving she and Killian to explore their home for the next few days. As nice as it is, all she really cares about is the fact that as she walks through the rooms, there are floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto the beach, the clear blue ocean and rocky hills of the area in full view no matter where they are in the home. She can already feel the sand between her toes and the ocean air tangling her hair, and she absolutely cannot wait.

They both love being near the ocean. It became a hobby and rare thing for Killian to be near the ocean when he was younger, even with his love of sailing, but she grew up within a few minutes’ walk of the ocean and a sandy beach. And while the sands weren’t as white and the water not as clear, it’s still the same when it comes down to it.

Sighing in contentment, she steps over to the sliding glass doors in the living room, bypassing the cozy white couches with light yellow pillows and what have to be the softest looking blankets she has ever seen, and opens the door, taking a step out onto the deck and immediately feeling the sunshine beating down on her face and the breeze blowing through her hair like every cliché that there’s ever been of a woman on the beach.

She hasn’t felt this relaxed in weeks, even when sitting in the comfort of her own home, and she can’t help the smile that stretches across her face.

“You happy, love?” Killian asks, taking a step behind her and wrapping his arm around her waist so that his fingers mess with the protruding strip of skin below her t-shirt and above her leggings, the fit of his arms not quite the same as what she’s used to.

“So happy. This is fantastic. It’s been far too long since we’ve been to an actual beach.”

“Aye, the beaches in England aren’t exactly the same as beaches like this.”

“Yeah, what’s up with that? Can we get your dad to fix them?”

He chuckles beside her before his lips find her temple. “I’ll add it to the list of things to fix. I’m sure it’s the biggest problem we’re facing right now and totally in his control.”

“Stop,” she groans, rolling her eyes at his teasing. “You know what I mean.”

“I do. What do you want for lunch? You haven’t eaten since breakfast this morning.”

“Surprise me. I’ll go unpack while you cook, okay?” She turns to head toward the staircase when she stops, biting her bottom lip and muttering a curse underneath her breath. She didn’t think about this, and it’s by far one of the things she hates most about being pregnant right now because she could totally lift those suitcases without any issue. “Killian, I need you to grab the big suitcases.”

“You really didn’t want to ask me to do that, did you?”

“Not at all.”

After she and Killian get the suitcases upstairs, he goes back downstairs to fix them dinner all while she puts away their clothes into the closet. She’s always been one to live out of her suitcase while on vacation, but Killian likes to hang clothes and fold them into draws. He claims it saves time when they’re packing up to leave, but she’s never seen proof of that. Of course, it probably doesn’t help that she leaves her stuff piled on a chair after she wears them.

She’s always thought if there’s anything for she and Killian to come to major blows about, it’s going to be how she handles her laundry.

She takes a moment to explore their bedroom, running her hands along the mattress and feeling the softness of all of the blankets and pillows. It’s beautiful, and then she sees the door that leads out to the balcony, the glass panes blocked by the closed blinds. After turning the knob, she opens up the door, the heat of the sun not beating down on her skin up here, the canopy surrounding her letting her have the view of the ocean when she doesn’t want the heat. Yeah, she could definitely get used to this.

The rest of the night passes quickly, the two of them eating the stir fry Killian whipped up, and then settling out on the back porch to watch the sun set like the elderly couple they are.

And that’s how the first few days of their vacation go, waking whenever they please and wandering out to the beach, letting the sand sink in between her toes as she walks along the shoreline, picking up the occasional broken shell so she has something to fiddle with. She can’t walk far from the house, though, the strip of land that’s private to them only stretching so far, so when she walks the length of it, she makes her way back to where Killian is reclined in a chair under the umbrella reading one of his books and toeing into the white sand so that he’s dug a deep enough hole for a small child to play in.

After four days, both of their skins slightly sun kissed, Thomas clears them to go into town, sweeping a small café in the harbor for them to eat dinner. It’s a beautiful night, the sailboats traveling in and out of the harbor while people mill up and down the docks. It’s still far too early for people to be eating, at least by Spain’s standards, so she and Killian have a relatively private night, only Thomas sitting out on the open patio with them as well as another couple who seems to be three sheets to the wind.

“Do you want to see if we can go sailing tomorrow?”

Killian takes a sip of his wine, his profile turned to her so she can see the defined line of his jaw and the gulp of his throat as the wine travels down. “Aye, that’d be nice. Do you think you’ll get queasy?”

“No, why would I get queasy?”

He turns to look at her then, his eyes especially blue with the ocean behind him. “You’re pregnant. Some pregnant women get nauseous while out on the ocean, no matter where they are in the pregnancy. Or that’s what the books have said.” “We’ve really got to expand your literature choices, babe.”

“Really? Because I was reading about the actually delivery earlier and – ”

“Woah, woah, woah,” she groans, holding her hand up and clapping it over his mouth so he’ll shut up, “we are not talking about that tonight. No baby talk, no pregnancy talk, and especially no delivery talk, got it?”

“Got it.”

So they don’t talk about anything baby related, leaving it all behind them as she has Killian in stiches imitating Liam when he got drunk at his birthday party and started singing songs to Abigail, much to Abigail’s embarrassment. Forty was really hitting him hard, apparently, and as much as Liam likely doesn’t remember that, she has video proof to save that forever. Her face begins to hurt the longer their dinner goes on, far too much smiling and laughing in such a short period of time, and she knows it’s time to go home when Killian starts snorting instead of his usual laughter.

They walk home from the restaurant, their hands intertwined as they navigate the small streets and corner shops on this side of the island. She makes a mental note to stop by some of them sometime later this week, but right now, all she really wants to do is go back home with laughter lines on her face and amusement constantly moving through her belly. Killian regales her with a story of him as a child when Allison took him to a water park and how he’d fallen off the raft on the way down the slide. She’d never heard that story before, had never heard how he broke his arm that day, and even though she’s sure that it hurt like hell, she can’t help but laugh imagining a young Killian flying off the slide.

“You’re bloody sadistic if you find that funny.”

“Oh come on,” she tugs on his hand, bringing his knuckles up to her lips to kiss while the house comes into view, “you were laughing while you were telling the story. It’s funny.”

“You’re messed up, darling.”

“Never said I wasn’t. Besides, I think we’re a bit delusional tonight because there’s no way in hell we’re this hysterical.”

When they get to the house, walking up the steps and standing on the front porch, she begins fishing for her key to unlock the door when Killian stops her, yanking on her arm and pulling her toward him so that she’s looking up at him while he smirks down at her.

“What?

“Will you go out with me again, Emma?”

She snorts, shaking her head back and forth before wrapping her arms around his neck and playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. How is it always this soft? “I feel like you’ve asked me that before, and I also feel like my answer will be the same.”

“So a yes?”

“Obviously,” she sighs, leaning up so that her lips can brush his. “You are a damn good person to date.”

“That’s good. I feel like you might have married the wrong man had I not been good and wining and dining you.”

“Well, I can’t have any wine right now, but we can still do all of the fun post date activities.”

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely. I didn’t put on my good bra not to get lucky tonight.”

Killian throws his head back in laughter, the lines in his neck straining, and she kisses the underside of his jaw before unhooking her arms and shuffling through her purse for they key, unlocking the door and stepping inside with Killian at her heels. She takes a minute to unstrap her wedges, her feet thanking her the moment she’s barefooted and back to her normal height, before quickly walking over to the staircase and heading upstairs, Killian at her heels.

She moves to unzip her dress herself, but Killian’s hands stop her, moving her hair over her shoulder and kissing her neck and down her back as he slowly unzips the dress, the material falling off her shoulders as he goes. Every touch of his lips sends the smallest of shivers throughout her body, and she sighs in pleasure as his scruff rubs against her skin.

“You are so beautiful, Emma.”

She feels her cheeks heat in response to his words, in response to the way his voice dips low, and for a moment, she feels like they’re about to sleep together for the first time instead of the thousandth. But then her dress gets stuck on her protruding stomach, something that definitely wouldn’t be there had this been their first time together, and she’s shaken out of her thoughts. Besides, as special as that time was, it’s better now. There are no awkward pauses, even if there are awkward movements and the occasional cramped leg, and he knows exactly how to make her sigh and moan in the ecstasy and the pleasure of it all.

Once she gets her dress off her body, she turns to face Killian, slanting her lips over his and immediately tilting her head as his tongue licks into her mouth in a warm, wet slide that makes her body tingle the slightest bit, desire building in her core. His hands find her bottom, lightly kneading her ass while his hips slowly roll into hers, his hardening length evident through his jeans even with the slight barrier that keeps them from pushing together as much as they used to.

Slowly, Killian backs them up to the bed, her eyes only opening to make sure she’s not going to trip over anything on the way to the mattress. She doesn’t, gently falling back against the mattress while Killian kisses down her chest, fingering at the lace of her bra while making sure not to press his body weight down on her. Her hips jaunt up into his, making him growl into her skin, and she closes her eyes while his tongue traces over a nipple, bringing it to a hard peak while his fingers pinch and squeeze at the other, driving her into madness while he’s still fully dressed.

Yeah, this is so much better than the first time.

“Take off your clothes.”

“Well, you have to buy a man dinner first.”

“I did,” she laughs, opening her eyes and seeing him smirking down at her with his tongue running over his bottom lip, which does not help her impatience at all. “I paid that bill.”

“A very good point.” He pecks her lips before standing and quickly unbuttoning his shirt while she reaches around and undoes her bra, letting it fall off her shoulders and tossing it to the corner of the bed while she pulls off her underwear, having to squirm to get them off all while Killian easily shucks his pants

She kind of hates him for how his body is still the same when she has to sleep with pillows stuffed under random body parts to be comfortable.

Before she can move, Killian takes hold of her ankle, the wetness of his lips tracing the lines of her skin as he moves up her leg while his fingers deftly dance across her skin and his whiskers leave red marks where they brush her. He continues to move while she watches him, her gaze only leaving his when he gets to her inner thigh and she has to close her eyes at his touch, the sensations all too much for her. Then there’s a slight nibble, followed by a harsher bite, and her eyes fly open while she gasps.

“W-what the hell was that? Are you trying to give my thigh a hickey?”

“No,” he promises, kissing the spot where he just bit, “but I was trying to get you to open your eyes.”

“You could have just asked.” “Where’s the fun in that?”

She shakes her head as she laughs, propping herself up on her elbows to give herself enough momentum to lean forward and wrap her hand around Killian’s cock, gently stroking it to hardness while he clenches his jaw and hisses at her touch.

Yeah, she really likes that she has this kind of effect on him.

“Sit down, babe,” she tells him, releasing his length and moving back so that he can settle down on the bed, propping himself up against the headboard. She crawls over to him and plants her knees on either side of his thighs and lines his length up to her entrance, teasing him the slightest bit just because she can, before sinking down onto him and letting him fill her.

He feels good, always so good, heavy and thick within her in a way that makes her breath leave her body every damn time.

His hands find her hips, holding on tightly and steadying her while her hands land on her shoulders, fingernails digging into the skin and leaving crescent moon marks all while she takes this in. “You okay, Emma? You’re comfortable?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she says, nodding her head and bending down to slide her lips over his as her hips begin to move. She’s always been a fan of long, deep thrusts that are slow enough to drive her mad but lately she’s been all about short and shallow, letting Killian hit that spot inside of her that makes her gasp for breath. So that’s what she does, using the strength in her legs to move above Killian while his lips press hotly into the skin of her neck, making her gasp and groan with every brush of his lips and slide of his tongue.

“You feel fucking fantastic,” Killian whispers into her ear, nibbling down on the lobe as his warm breath ghosts across her skin. “You always do, and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of you.”

He’s said the words before. She knows he has, likely many a time, but she doesn’t care, not with the way that he feels or the way that his voice sounds, deep and husky, his accent rolling off his tongue while she continues to roll her hips.

When her movements get a little more intense, her hips allowing him deeper, he groans into her mouth, her teeth lightly biting his upper lip while his fingers leave marks of their own in her hips. But then one hand moves from her hips at the same time that his tongue moves into her mouth, still tasting of the wine he had while at dinner, and his thumb finds them where they’re joined, alternating between slow, gentle circles and hard, fast rubs. Her orgasm takes her breath away, overwhelming her to the point where she can’t keep moving and has to hold onto Killian while her pleasure bursts and curls around her.

As she comes back to herself, Killian gently moves her to lay back against the mattress, making sure she’s comfortable before he slides back into her and finds his own pleasure, slowly fucking her into the mattress while he hovers above her. It only takes a few more minutes before he’s groaning above her and whispering every obscenity he knows as he spills himself into her, every word he says coming out on a stuttered breath.

She looks up at the ceiling, watching the fan turn in circles all while Killian continues to breath into her skin, somehow still not having collapsed onto the bed until he nearly does, pulling out of her with a hiss and leaving her feeling oddly empty all the while he walks away and into the bathroom, giving her a view of his spectacular ass.

She’s so glad that he’s her forever.

For reasons other than the spectacular ass and the impressive bedroom skills, but she still kind of feels like some kind of sated mess with her sweaty hair and quickly beating heart.

Killian comes back a minute later with a warm wash cloth, gently wiping down her thighs and her core before throwing it in the basket in the corner of the room as he crawls under the sheets and settles himself down. She stills needs to get up, to go pee, but she’s basking in the glory of it all.

“Wear yourself out there, darling?”

“Yes,” she answers honestly, tilting her head and looking at him with a timid smile stretched across her lips. “My thighs feel like jelly, but I’m good.” She has to push herself up, standing and giving herself a bit of time to adjust to standing before heading to the bathroom and peeing, washing her hands and her face afterward before heading back into the bedroom, not bothering to get dressed as she crawls into bed with Killian. They’ll probably be in the mood again later, and it’s not like it’s cold in here.

But she does pull the blanket up over her while scooting over and settling in under Killian’s arm, letting him tug her closer with his arm wrapped around her shoulder and his lips pressing into her hair.

“I kind of missed date night.” “Aye, me too. I’m sorry that we’ve fallen behind on that.”

She leans over and kiss his shoulder, right where there are still a few marks from her fingers. “That’s not your fault. We’ve been busy. It’s hard for us to go out places, and I like chilling with you at home. I don’t have to wear pants.”

He snickers into her hair, all while his hand rubs up and down her shoulder. “That is a good point, but you deserve to be romanced. Truly.”

“I have a very romantic husband, even when he doesn’t realize it, so I think I’ve got it pretty good in that department. Plus, you know, I am obviously the most romantic of the two of us.” “Well, of course, darling. I won’t even debate you on that.”

“You don’t want me to get mad at you, huh? Because we both know that’s not true.”

“Exactly.”

“You deserve to be romanced too, babe.”

“Well, I was. A very beautiful woman bought me dinner tonight, and then I got lucky. What more could I ask for?”

God, she loves him.

The waves wash up onto the shore, clear blue water turning into white crests that rush over her toes and cause her feet to sink into the wet sand while the sun beats down on her skin. She knew it would be hot here, she’s on an island in Spain in June after all, but after so many years living in England, weather like this takes some getting used to, especially with the heat wave in the past few days. Sweat is beading at the nape of her neck and down the small of her back, so when she and Killian get back to their house after their walk, she decides to take a dip in the ocean before going to relax on the deck.

“Come on,” she urges Killian, grabbing on his wrist and encouraging him to follow her into the ocean, the cool salt water already feeling much better than the balmy air.

She wades out until she can barely touch the sand at the ocean floor, floating while Killian continues to have his feet firmly planted on the ground. It’s so incredibly quiet out here, the occasional boat driving by in the distance or a seagull calling out before dipping into the ocean for a flopping fish, and she’s really enjoying being able to get away somewhere different than what she’s used to.

A small wave crashes over them, her pulled-up hair getting wet, and when she looks over at Killian, he’s spitting out water while his hair sticks down on his forehead. She chuckles under her breath before wading over to him and wrapping her legs around his waist, her stomach making the fit different than usual, and pushing herself up to push his hair back, the strands somehow filled with sand.

“What the heck did you do? Dive down and bury your head in the sand?”

Killian clicks his tongue as one hand finds its way to rest under her thigh, holding her up, while his other hand moves to rest on her face, thumb tracing her cheekbone. “It’s the beach, love. Sand is everywhere.”

“Not this much.”

“Well, I’m obviously special. What happened to us going up to the deck and having something to eat? I’m starved.”

“I was hot.”

“You are hot.”

“That’s very nice of you to say but also not your best compliment.”

“Oh, it wasn’t a compliment. I was simply saying your skin feels warm.” She slaps his shoulder before brushing her lips against the salt-covered skin there. “We can go inside to the air conditioning if you’re too hot. It’s getting to be the middle of the day, anyways. Protection from the sun and all that.”

“I just want to stay out here for one more moment, and then I want to go inside and take a shower.” Killian waggles his eyebrows then, amusement filling his features. “Alone, Cassanova. I know we’ve done it before, but shower sex is not that great. And I’m not risking the whole falling thing, not even on our anniversary.”

He sighs dramatically, tiling his head back and giving her access to his throat, allowing her to press several kisses there until she gets to his jaw, his scruff having grown out this week. “That may seem sensible. I guess a bed will do.”

After a few minutes of enjoying the water, a few more fish swimming over her legs and causing shivers to run through her body, they begin to move back to shore only for Killian to stop before she can start rising out of the water. She runs into his back, nearly falling back but catching herself on his shoulders.

“What are you doing, babe?”

“There’s a group of photographers to our right, up on the balcony of the house that’s back by the lagoon. Fuck.”

She gulps, knowing that the privacy they were enjoying is truly over. She doesn’t mind the photographers sometimes, understanding that it’s a part of her life now as absolutely insane as that is, but she minds them now that she’s supposed to be on a private vacation enjoying one of her last few times with Killian…just the two of them.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“I don’t – I don’t want pictures of me in my bikini. They’ll tear me apart and then sell the pictures for my stomach. And I don’t want them getting any more fucking pictures than they already have.”

“Okay,” he sighs, his jaw clinching in frustration while his hands ball into fists. She knows he’s having to restrain himself from shouting at them because there’s no one who hates photographers more than Killian. And if what they were doing wasn’t totally legal, the house they’re very obviously renting fair game since they’re not stepping foot on the property she and Killian are staying on, she’s sure he would try to take some kind of legal action…or smash cameras. Not that he would do that, but she’s sure he wants to. “Stay here, love, and I’m going to go get you the big beach towel to cover yourself.”

She wades a bit back in the ocean, trying to conceal herself even with the clear water, while Killian jogs up ahead, letting himself get photographed as he grabs the towel from their deck and jogs back to her, holding the towel open and blocking them from seeing her until she can wrap the white material around her, trying not to think about how they likely have already gotten pictures when they were walking on the beach or when she and Killian were just making out.

“I want to smash every single one of those cameras.”

“I know, love, but we can’t. Come on, let’s go inside.”

The anger and irritation festers and grows all while she’s in the shower, the cold water not doing anything to cool her down, and by the time she gets out she doesn’t realize that she’s shivering until her teeth start clattering together. God, she shouldn’t be so pissed, but this bothers her the more she thinks about it. She gets it. They’re public figures, so obviously they don’t have privacy. But more than that they’re human beings with real lives and real feelings, and she wishes this wasn’t how things worked. She wants to be able to go somewhere outside of the walls of their home and be them without people attempting to take pictures.

She throws on some pajama pants and a t-shirt, twisting her wet hair into a bun on the top of her head, not caring about the tangles that will inevitably be there, before heading back out in the bedroom to find Killian closing the blinds and curtains they’d opened this morning. When she peaks around the corner and stands on the balcony to look downstairs out into the living room, she sees that he’s done the same with the blinds in there.

“Thomas says as long as they stay in the house, anything they take is fair game. If they step onto the beach, though, that’s when we could do something.”

“I know.”

“When did you become an expert on this?”

“Right about the time that our relationship went public and I was pretty much stalked.”

“It’s going to be fine, love.” He shrugs, smiling at her with that big, toothy grin of his. “It’s just some pictures. There’s a hell of a lot of pictures of us out there.”

Something twists in her gut, the anger that was heating inside of her while in the shower reaching a boiling point, all of her thoughts and fears suddenly in the forefront of her mind instead of locked away in the back. For someone who was so pissed about it while outside, Killian seems perfectly fine now.

“No, you don’t get it,” she bites, her entire body heating again while she flexes her fist. “This isn’t about you or me. This is about Andy. I don’t want him photographed and stalked and all of that insane shit when he’s a child. That’s disturbed, and he shouldn’t have to deal with that just because of who his parents are.”

“I think I do get it, Emma. Welcome to my entire life.”

She scoffs, throwing her head back while she paces the bedroom, taking her hair down and twisting the tips so she has something to do that’s not smashing something. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I’ve heard it and seen it all a million times, but you seem to not think this is a big deal.”

Killian raises his eyebrows then, his face recoiling while his lips part before settling into a straight line. “Of course I think it’s a big deal. I’m the one who saw them, who stopped you from getting out of the water, who let them photograph me so that you didn’t have to be.”

“Yeah, well, how can I ever thank you for your heroic acts?”

“Fuck, Emma, what the hell is wrong with you right now? What have I done to make you pissed at me?”

“Maybe it’s the fact that the only reason I’m even in this situation is because of you. The only reason I have to worry about the privacy of my baby is because of you.”

“Wow,” Killian whistles, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the door to the balcony. “That’s fucking low, Emma. First of all, I know that this is my fault. I’m aware of that every time something like this happens, and that kills me. But secondly, Andy isn’t just your child. He’s mine too, and his safety and privacy are a priority to me far above my own. You of all people should know that by now.” He storms across the room then, heading into the bathroom and slamming the door behind him so that it shakes in its frame.

She slaps her hands on her thighs, her entire body humming with frustration, before taking a step out of the bedroom toward the hallway and pacing, her feet practically running a hole into the wood. It’s been a long time since she and Killian yelled at each other like that, and she feels every word he said settling into her bones, the realness of it making her feel heavy.

The moment the words came out of her mouth, the ones where she blamed Killian for being the reason she and Andy don’t get to live a life or normalcy and privacy, she knew that she was wrong, that she had been the one to fuck up. Killian was being calm, rational, trying to talk her down. That’s what he does even when his blood is boiling inside, and she went off on him.

Shit.

Shoot. They’re supposed to be working on cursing.

That went out the window the moment she suggested it. Not yet. They can figure that out later.

Suddenly, the weight becomes too much, the heaviness of knowing that she hurt Killian makes her sink to the ground, resting her back against the wall and wrapping her arms around her knees while hot tears sting in her eyes, a few of them falling on her cheeks. She knows talking to Killian will be the easy part, she knows he’ll forgive her and she him, but she still said the words, laid the blame on him, and knowing him as she does, she’s sure he’s in the shower blaming himself and taking her words to heart.

Shit.

She screwed up.

How could she have been so dumb? She knows exactly what Killian has been through for his entire life. She knows about all of the stress and the lack of privacy, the inability to just be a person who screws up without being scrutinized by everyone in the world. She’s seen the emotional toll it’s taken on him, watched him shut himself off from the people he loves, watched him sob over it, and she still told him that he didn’t understand. She still blamed him for their child having to experience the same thing, as if that isn’t one of Killian’s worst fears, one of the things that she finds him up in the middle of the night worrying about.

She’d once woken around three in the morning to find him caressing her stomach, promising to be a good father even though he didn’t have one of those for the first three decades of his life, and it took everything in her not to sob and let him know she was awake.

She’s obviously some kind of evil glutton for punishment because this should not have happened. She should have been better.

Andy starts moving in her belly, something that’s pretty much a constant now, and she wipes her cheeks, removing the salt from her skin, before running her hand up and down the curve of her stomach.

“I’m sorry, kid. I just…your daddy and I love you a lot, but you’re going to have a weird life. And I don’t know if you’re going to hate it or love it, but I’m…we’re going to try to make it really good for you. It’s not going to be like when your dad was a kid. We’re not going to put you through that.”

“Emma,” Killian sighs, her head snapping over to where he’s standing just outside the bedroom, a towel tied around his waist while water beads on his chest, “what are you doing on the floor?”

“I don’t know.”

How much time has passed that he’s already out of the shower? How long was she pacing? How long has she been sitting here? She doesn’t even know. It’s all blurred together and confusing, and she doesn’t remember anything but the hurt look on Killian’s face before he walked away.

Killian sighs, taking a few steps over to her and reaching his hands out for her to grab. She takes them, feeling the warmth of his palms as he tugs her up. “Come on. Let’s go talk.”

She nods, knowing it was coming, and finds her feet, following Killian into the bedroom. He drops his towel, his bare body doing absolutely nothing to help all of the emotions she’s going through, before sliding into a pair of sweatpants and settling down on the bed. She doesn’t know what to do, where to sit, and when her gaze finds Killian’s, his face twists, lips pursing, before he pats the mattress next to her.

“I’m sorry,” Killian sighs as she settles down onto the bed, making sure to keep space between them.

“No, no, Killian. I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. Every bit of that fight is on me.”

“Every bit of this is my fault. You’re only in situations like this because of me.”

How did she know he would do this? He stormed out of them pissed at her, and rightly so, and then managed to turn all of this onto himself. He’s got to stop doing things like this when it isn’t his fault. He should be able to recognize when things are on her.

“Hey,” she coos, tentatively reaching over to him and placing her hand on his thigh. “I chose this, okay. I chose you knowing the consequences of my decision. I don’t like a lot of them, but I love you. We didn’t go through all of that shit three years ago for you to get all self-loathing now, especially when I’m the one who fucked up and picked a fight because I was upset about something outside of your control.”

He scoffs, and she sighs, reaching up to caress his face, feeling the pricks of his ungroomed beard under her skin. “This isn’t a problem that goes away simply because we have a conversation about it. Those pictures are still going to exist. Those and a million more over the years are going to happen. There are going to be pictures of us, of Andy, of any other children we have. People are going to follow him to school. It’s fucked up, but it’s real.”

She feels the sting of tears in the back of her eyes again, all of her earlier thoughts coming back to her all the while Andy flips around in her stomach, making everything so much more real in the moment than any hypothetical she could think up.

“I don’t want that. At all. He’s just a kid, an infant. He hasn’t even been born yet.”

“Emma,” Killian soothes, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips, kissing up and down her knuckles, “we’re going to figure this out. We’ll hire more security. We’ll live somewhere more private. We’ll do absolutely everything we can to protect him. I will not live in a world where our son has to have a childhood like mine.”

“So what do we do?”

“Right now, nothing. This is shaping up to be a pretty shitty anniversary, and I’d like to move on from this. I nearly punched the stone wall in the shower, but then I realized a broken hand would only make this worse, don’t you think?”

“Definitely. So you’re not pissed beyond belief at me?”

He clicks his tongue, and the nerves start to stir in her stomach until he wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her closer. “I was. Emma, I get how upset you were. I was too, but we’re a team, you and me. You don’t carry these burdens on your own. You do a hell of a lot more than me when it comes to Andrew, and I fully intend on making up for that, but I promise you that I have his best interests at heart. But this has been my entire life. I’ve never gone anywhere without looking over my shoulder and at some point, I just accepted it. But that doesn’t mean I’m accepting it for the two of you.”

“You shouldn’t have to accept it for you either.”

“Eh, but I have. I’d love my privacy too, but I’m willing to take the focus of the media if it means that you guys get to live in relative privacy.”

She turns her head and pushes up so that she can brush a kiss against the corner of his lips, taking his left hand and fiddling with his wedding ring, the cool brush of metal a constant reminder that they’re in this together.

“When we get home, let’s talk to Brennan and Thomas about it, okay? Or we can at least save it until tomorrow. Today is our day, and I’m sorry that I ruined it. I...we’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Aye, love. It’s ours. You’re so easy to please sometimes, darling.”

“That’s probably how I got pregnant.”

Killian barks out a laugh then, throwing his head back before wrapping his arm further around her waist, tugging her impossibly closer and rubbing his hand up and down her sides. “I love you, my little weirdo.”

“That’s not my favorite of your terms of endearment.”

“But it’s a very apt description of you.”

“Eh,” she protests, leaning her head against his shoulder, “but I love you too. You want to have Thomas go get us some pizza and then not leave this bed for the rest of the day?”

“Definitely.”

It’s later that they’re resting in the darkness of the bedroom, the white comforter pulled over them with a half-eaten box of pizza (yes, they really did travel to Spain only to eat delivery pizza) resting on the floor (the bed was getting uncomfortable, okay) and the television playing in the background, when she feels the baby move for the first time since a few hours ago, his usual movement having quieted.

She grabs Killian’s hand, bringing it over to her stomach and resting it there. “Can you feel that?”

He doesn’t say anything, humming in contentment while his fingers tap against her belly. “Is that…is that him?”

“Yeah, that’s him. You can feel it?”

“Aye,” he chokes out, his voice trailing off while his hand stays perfectly still. She’s watching his hand until she turns to watch Killian’s face and the way that he’s intently focused on his hand over her stomach, the softest of smiles on his face. “Hello, Andy.” She feels him kick again, this time a little bit harder. “Hi. I’m so glad you’ve finally decided to let me join in. Mummy was having all of the fun, and I was getting jealous, little love. I thought I’d been talking to her stomach like an idiot for nothing.”

“Hey,” she protests, reaching over and slapping his shoulder, “you have been looking like an idiot for a reason. Not for nothing.”

“Always so comforting with your words, my love.” “I try.”

“Did you convince him to kick for me today since you forgot my present at home?”

“If I had that kind of control, he wouldn’t kick on my bladder, and I wouldn’t have a mushy, distracted brain with crazy hormones. Also, thin ice, bud. Thin ice. I’m still mad at myself for doing that.”

Killian snickers beside her as he moves his hand off of her stomach and wraps it back around her shoulder. “Don’t be. We can have an entire extra day to celebrate. Plus, we have the frozen cake at home.”

“Oh God, that stuff was disgusting. I don’t want to eat it again.”

“It really was nasty, wasn’t it?”

They stay inside the house for the last few days of their vacation…or holiday. Some American terms simply don’t die. She almost goes out a few times, not wanting to let these people win and keep her from living her life, but at the end of the day, she’s happier staying inside and simply relaxing. If she were to go out, she knows she’d be anxious and riled up, so curling up onto the living room couch and binge watching all of the shows they’ve missed sounds like the end of a perfect vacation to her.

It’s a smooth flight home, even if the turbulence causes her to have a bit of nausea, and they’re greeted by Indy the moment they walk in the door, several notes from their dog walker left on the kitchen counter detailing the times she was let out and fed.

“Hey, my girl,” she coos, scratching behind Indy’s ears while her tail wags so ferociously that she could knock down furniture. “I missed you. Yeah, yeah. We’re going to have to not leave you for so long. That’s not fair to you. Babe, let’s take her on a walk after we rest for a bit, okay?”

“Sounds good to me.”

It’s later, after they’ve rested and unpacked, that they’re putting Indy on her leash and heading toward the front door when there’s a knock and then a ring of the doorbell. When Killian’s unlocks it and swings the door open, Brennan is standing on their doormat.

“Can I come in, son?”

#second in command #cs fic #cs ff #captain swan fic

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sunnydaleherald · 6 years ago

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, March 10

Darla: Who the hell are you? Buffy: You mean there's actually someone in this town who doesn't know already? Whew, that's a relief, I'm telling you! Having a secret identity in this town is a job of work. Xander: Buffy, we bail now, right? Thomas: Not yet! Buffy: Okay, first of all, what's with the outfit? Live in the now, okay? You look like DeBarge! The vampires close in on her. She turns to Darla. Buffy: Now, we can do this the hard way, or... well, actually there's just the hard way. Darla: That's fine with me! Buffy: Are you sure? Now, this is not gonna be pretty. We're talking violence, strong language, adult content...

~~Happy 22nd anniversary to Welcome To The Hellmouth (and The Harvest)!~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Lesson in Sharing (Angelus/Darla, Drusilla/Spike, E) by Cornerofmadness

Face (Buffy/Spike, T) by Cohava

Of Popcorn and the Multiverse (Willow/Fred, T) by thewiggins

Three Sentence Fics: To Kill a Demon (Buffy/Spike, T) by thewiggins

L'épanouissement (Buffy/Spike, G, in French) by MissKitty28

A Safe Musical Place (Xander, Oz, T) by Katrina1985

Kirby (Willow/Reader, not rated) by Aaron

In the Shadow of the Stones (Buffy, Dawn, T) by D. M. Evans

Drabbles and Micro Fics (Buffy/Spike, G) by thewiggins

[Chaptered Fiction]

Recovery, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Angel, T) by vixangel

Too Good to Be True, Chapter 10 (Buffy/Spike, T) by Slayerette16

What You Do Afterwards: Season Three, Chapter 82 (AtS Ensemble, T) by myheadsgonenumb

Need a second to breathe, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Axell

The Humanity, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, R) by holetoledo

Any Day Above Ground is a Good Day, Chapter 13 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by ChexRancher3

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: Buffy drawing by captainjackspoilers

[Reviews & Recaps]

PODCAST: I Was Made To Love You/Reprise by Chosen – Buffy The Vampire Slayer Watch Through

[Community Announcements]

Fluff Bingo Round 2 (Signups begin March 15) by electric_heart

[Fandom Discussions]

Anya did NOT deserve better than Xander by millennialslayer

Re: Bangel for the angsty asks! (Do they have a lot of arguments? etc.) by we-pay-for-everything

Re: top 5 buffy scenes that made u wanna die in bad way by buffyslehane

Re: your top 5 spuffy scenes by buffyslehane

Re: Top five unpopular BtVS opinions? by buffyslehane

I’m probably the only one creeped out by the fact the quote of bangel is always my girl... by omgjay1988

Reflections on how far LGBT+ representation on TV has come over my lifetime [discussion of Willow and Tara] by allofthismatters

Riley after Season 4 by womanaction

Re: What is your take on when angelus says in order to kill the girl you have to be in love with her? by foreverbangel

Missing the high school years by DayDreamer27

Discussion of 4.12 "A New Man" by FaithLehane16

Discussion of 6.13 "Dead Things" by Multiple posters

Discussion of 6.14 "Older and Far Away" by Mr Trick

Discussion of 6.15 "As You Were" by Multiple posters

Discussion of 6.16 "Hell's Bells" by Multiple posters

Discussion of 6.17 "Normal Again" by Multiple posters

Discussion of 6.18 "Entropy" by Multiple posters

Happy Birthday Buffy! by Multiple posters

New Buffy series from BOOM! by Multiple posters

How vengeance demons break the 'Verse by Multiple posters

Angel in HD..? by EverydayThinking

Is there a map with Buffy/Angel filming locations on it? by thisguy49

What would make Angel lose his soul? by jaelynmay

Most Satisfying & Least Satisfying Big Bad deaths by LinoliuMKnifE

Did Lily/Chanterelle follow Caleb? by amathus4321

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

INSTAGRAM: On this date in 1997 Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered... by David Boreanaz

INSTAGRAM: 22 years ago today, the show that changed my life, debuted on a little known network, the wb. by Sarah Michelle Gellar

SCREENRANT: 5 Times Willow Saved The Buffyverse (And 5 Times She Put Everyone In Danger) by Liz Hersey

#btvs #ats #buffy the vampire slayer #angel the series

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azusalog · 6 years ago

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The Musical Touken Ranbu : Story Asks

So, I saw on my Tumblr dashboard a survey about our opinions and feelings towards Toumyu franchise’s stories and I wanted to answer it. You can find the survey here. Thanks to @rz-jocelyn !

Next, I will answer Song Asks !

1. How did you get into the Musical Touken Ranbu franchise ? What was your first impression of it ?

First, I only knew TKRB through Hanamaru anime, and I remember I didn’t watch it to the end, because there were too much characters with too complicate names, and no real storyline (I discovered next there is one, with Yasusada development). With that, during my very first travel in Japan, I entered a anime goodies shop, and there was a DMM Nitro+ event, because of the 10th anniversary of the studio, with some Dramatical Murder goods, and TKRB as well. I bought some of both, because even if I didn’t know TKRB very well, I had already some attachment to it.

Then, it was last year, during a japanese exposition (Japan Expo) in my town, I saw the Toumyu stand with some live outfits, and I remembered right away I saw once TKRB has musical. And since I was once a J-pop fan, I couldn’t ignore that. So, during my travel in Japan last year, just after Japan Expo, with the rest of money I had at the end of the trip, I bought Tsuwamono triple CD (though I hadn’t listen any song yet !). Then, I came back home, I listened it, and I searched for Toumyu shows. When I found them, I began with Atsukashiyama, and I was « Oh my gosh, this is so cool ! », though sometimes I thought the storyline was a little slow (for example, Imanotsurugi’s scenes. Sorry >_<). Then I watched other musicals, in the right order : Bakumatsu, Mihotose (which I loved a lot because it was so emotional), Tsuwamono (my fav), etc. And I quickly slipped in TKRB hell. Far enough to pull my best friend into it too.

My only regret was I couldn’t see AtsuIbun team’s live at Japan Expo because I was working this day ToT

2. Rank the musicals from the one with the storyline you liked the most to the one with the storyline you liked the least. Why have you chosen to rank them in this order ?

Musical : Tsuwamono > Mihotose > Atsukashiyama 2018 > Atsukashiyama > Musubi > Bakumatsu

SRS & more : SRS16 > SRS17 > SRS18 > Itsukushima

Musical explanation : Tsuwamono was my fav right away, maybe because I listened a bit the songs before to watch the show. I watch it in last, because I wanted to watch the musicals in the order of release, and though I didn’t know Higekiri and Hizamaru yet (I didn’t play the game at that time and I hadn’t watch Zoku Hanamaru yet), I discovered them there, and I loved them right away. I already loved Mikazuki, and the show showed him under a new light. The story was, in my opinion, more complex than the others and it’s why it’s my fav.

Then, there is Mihotose. I cried a lot watching it, especially at the end, and there is my ultimate fav Toudan (Nikkari) in it, so I couldn’t help to like the show o// There were less fights, but more character development, especially Ishikirimaru and a bit Ookurikara.

AtsuIbun 2018, then, because there is the hypothesis Mikazuki acted before the storyline to push Yasuhira to kill Yoshitsune (you can see the lotus flower during the first song, which is a Tsuwamono’s song). I loved that, because it reminds me the loop in Tousute, and now, the fact that Toumyu’s Mikazuki lived a similar things is very high. Poor him ToT he isn’t my fav anymore because Nikkari and Kasen are above him, but I like him a lot. For all of this, I prefer AtsuIbun 2018 than AtsuIbun 2015.

I liked Musubi, the story is quite good, but somehow, I’m not found of it. I like the fact Mutsunokami killed Hijikata to relieve Izuminokami and Horikawa’s soul, I like all about Mutsunokami in it, his energy, his joy and how he didn’t mind when Izuminokami is wrong about him. But that’s all. I don’t really know how to explain it, I like Musubi, but not a lot (you can see it because I don’t talk a lot about the storyline). Just, I really dislike when all the Shinsengumi’s swords cried at the end, when Hijikata died. It’s far too much

And finally Bakumatsu. The storyline is good, I can’t tell the contrary, but I’m not a Shinsengumi’s fan. I like Izuminokami a lot, and Horikawa as well, but when I watched the show for the first time, I was very neutral towards the others. Yasusada annoyed me already because of Hanamaru and in the show I hated is glossy lips xD Sorry, I watched the show only once, and I don’t really remember what it happened.

SRS & more explanation : I will make it shorter it, don’t worry ! My fav SRS is 2017 I think, though I like a lot 2018 because of so much things in it, but if I keep only the storyline, I think the best is 2016. The battle between the two teams is very good, funny and interesting, while in the others, we only have a story telling game and a matsuri battle. There is no real storyline in them. Itsukushima hasn’t either, only a picture of praying in a sacred place.

3. Storyline that you would change ? Why ?

I don’t know at all, because I don’t know what to put instead. Maybe I would change Musubi to add more Kane’s character development about his feelings towards Mutsu. I mean, at the beginning he hates him, and despite the fact that Mutsu killed Hijikata, we don’t have a proper dialogue between Kane and Mutsu after this. Does Kane still hate Mutsu or not ? Does he begin to understand him ? We could say he doesn’t, because he still argues with him in SRS18. What a pity D:

4. Favorite scene or moment ? Why ?

Ah, there are so much scenes I love, it’s hard to choose only one ! Okay, I will pick some of them.

First, there is the departure scene in AtsuIbun (2015 and 2018). It’s so funny when all the Sanjou did so much useless things, with Mika who drinked his tea, Kogi who chased after his hair like a dog after his tail, Imano and Iwato who played together… I laugh so hard each time I watch it !

I also love the little moment when, in Tsuwamono, Kogi didn’t agree with how Mika split the team in two. « Why you chose to split like this ? Why am I not with you ? » « Kogitsunemaru-dono, don’t tell me… ! » I like a lot this BL implied, because I’m a fujoshi >//o//<

The last one is during SRS17, at the end, when Nikkari came to tell a ghost story, and he told his own story instead. But he couldn’t finish it, because of Imanotsurugi and Ishikirimaru, and they ended to sing « Te no Hira », while they hold each other hands, with Imanotsurugi between them like if he pictured the spiritual world which links Nikkari and Ishikirimaru together. Gnnff my heart… <3

5. Least favorite scene or moment ? Why ?

When Toudans are going crazy to want to meet their former master, without consider the mission, like Yasusada and Imanotsurugi did… At least, Imano was cute and happy when he discovered Yoshitsune was alive, so I can deal with it, but Yasusada is a big NO. Sorry for those who like him.

6. Scene or moment that you would change ? Why ?

Why do you ask me to change so much things ? I don’t want to change anything in Toumyu xD Even what I don’t like ! Well, okay, I will answer. The only scene I would change is when Ishikirimaru and Nikkari were talking together in Mihotose, during the mission (when Ishi apologies because he said once if Nikkari isn’t a sacred sword, it’s because he killed a child), I would like a deeper development about Nikkari. I think, for him, his nature is like a complex, though he looks like to really accept it and manages to live with it. He doesn’t mind when others consider him as a ghost sword, but a complex is a deep thing hidden inside of us, and a few words can’t just make it vanish. At the end of the scene, Nikkari smiled and said Ieyasu couldn’t become a god without help, so he joined the family, but his complex is still there, I think. I need something more detailed about it.

7. Which storyline would you want to see adapted in future musicals ?

I would like to see a storyline in modern era, for example. Maybe when swords will interact with modern people, who could ask why they are dressed like this, or why they hold swords, etc. I think it could be interesting !

Moreover, more History about Nikkari will be really fine o// (okay, it’s because I love him so much, sorry ! :D) We could have a real character development, maybe we could see his former master slays the ghosts with the ootachi who was Nikkari before to be a wakizashi. And if the HRA attacked the samurai before it killed the ghosts, how Nikkari would have react ? If he didn’t kill the ghost, he could be a completly different person, and maybe Ishikirimaru (I want he is there) could try to correct History in order to make Nikkari who he usually is.

8. Favorite Musical Touken Ranbu character ? Why ? How is the musical version of him different from how he is portrayed in the game and other media ?

Nikkari. I love him whatever the version. In the musical, he is portrayed cuter than in the anime or in the game. He could make cute moves and it makes my heart squeeshed so hard >//o//< I love too how he could looks scary because he doesn’t blink at all sometimes and he has a monotone voice, just like a ghost. I think he is pictured more like a normal person in the anime (but with some eccentric moments though).

9. Least favorite Musical Touken Ranbu character ? Why ? How is the musical version of him different from how he is portrayed in the game and other media ?

Nagasone, but I don’t dislike him more in Toumyu than in the other media. It’s just I’m not found of the character, though sometimes I can think he is cool or cute with Hachisuka or Mutsu (in Musubi and SRS18), but that’s all. I’m very neutral towards him.

10. The Top 3 actors whom you like best and whose portrayal of their character you like best.

T3 best actors : Sakiyama Tsubasa > Kuroba Mario > Kitazono Ryo

I don’t really know the actors beside Tsubasa and Mario since I read some translations of their blog (thanks to the translators ^-^). Tsubasa is really, really cute, and I love how found he is of TKRB and his own character.

T3 best portrayals : Oota Motohiro (Sengo) > Araki Hirofumi (Nikkari) > Oohira Shunya (Imanotsurugi)

All the actors do a great job, but when I see some moves of them sometimes, I think they worked a lot to understand the character and bring it to life.

11. The Top 3 actors whom you least like and whose portrayal of their character you least like.

There are a lot of actors I don’t know at all, but the only one I can say I’m not sure if I like him or not is Araki Hirofumi. Sometimes, he looks so much like a bad guy ToT But the fact is, I can’t say if I dislike him or not because I don’t know him well and personally, I named him here only considering his appearance.

Then, there is no-one I don’t like the portray in Toumyu. I think all the actors are very good and well chosen for them. Now, it only depends on if we like the character or not.

PS : I’m sorry, Araki-san, to named you here ToT

12. A Touken Danshi character that you would like to see in future musicals ? Why ?

Kasen Kanesada ! I want to see him interacts with his brother, and I think the character suits very well to musicals. The best is Kasen and Shokudaikiri together, of course ^o^ But since Osafune swords appeared in Tousute and Kasen is in Tousute too, I think it’s only a dream 

I would like to see Hotarumaru too, but, again, I think it would be impossible to portray him on stage, because he is a child with an ootachi on his back… Though he is so cute…

Then, I think Kotegiri Gou suits a lot for Toumyu, because he talked about modern sing and dance in his recollection with Kasen.

13. An actor you would like to see in future musicals ? Why ?

Shokudaikiri’s actor in Tousute is a so good singer, I would like he portrays him in Toumyu too ! And with Kasen as well ! If Wada Takuma is a good singer, I’ll take him too, if not, I’m fine with another actor, like they did with Ookurikara and Mikazuki.

14. Favorite in-story Touken Danshi pair/trio/quartet dynamics ? Why ?

Ah, again, it’s really hard choose only one. Here are several ones :

Higekiri/Hizamaru pair. I love their dynamics, how Hige always forget his brother’s name, but sometimes he picks the right one, and how Hiza wants to make his brother proud and be valuable for him. I also love how Hiza is very reliable though he is the young brother and how Hige is a free-wheeler (like a Sanjou !).

Nikkari/Ishikirimaru pair. Of course ! I’m an IshiKari fan, after all. I like their friendship, the fact they are linked to spiritual world. They are really different, but they really like each other. Ishi always thinks to Nikkari, to add him in the dynamics (like in SRS18, when he decided to join him in matsuri battle). I like them a lot ^-^

Mikazuki/Kogitsunemaru pair. Mikazuki is like a king, or a queen, with so much power, and with something like a etheral presence. He seems to be, to live, to watch upon and beyond the world, and that makes him act strangely sometimes. Kogi is like a valet. He watches on Mika in the darkness, behind him, so Mika can’t see it (but he sees it !), and he tries to understand him and watch on what Mika does. They are really different, it’s why Kogi sometimes doesn’t understand Mika and why they fight each other in Tsuwamono. Each time Kogi tries to understand Mika, Mika keeps things in his heart because he is watching to far. I’m waiting for the time he will be honest with Kogi. For me, their relationship is like a fate love ^-^

15. Least favorite in-story Touken Danshi pair/trio/quartet dynamics ? Why ?

Maybe Shinsengumi’s swords ? Kiyomitsu with the Sanjou was really fine, but all the Shinsengumi’s swords was too much for me. I’m not found of this storyline, not found of Nagasone nor Hachisuka (even though I’m able to like him in SRS), not found of Yasusada in Bakumatsu. They are too much versed in fight and in honor, but I’m not mad with it, after all, they are Shinsengumi’s swords.

16. Favourite in-story overall Touken Danshi group dynamics ? Why ?

Sanjou. I like all of them, Imanotsurugi and Iwatooshi’s energy and cheerfulness, Ishikirimaru’s calmness and peaceful personality, KogiMika pair (with Kogi who always calls back Mika, who wants to do what he wants). They look very close, and they always watch upon each other.

And we could add to them Higekiri, since he could have been smithed by Sanjou too, and Hizamaru, since he is his brother. What a lovely group, there ^o^

17. Least favorite in-story overall Touken Danshi group dynamics ? Why ?

Nobunaga’s swords. I’m not found about Nobunaga in TKRB, because there are so much Toudans who speak about him, there are several stage who speak about him, and a movie now. Enough with Nobunaga D: I know, he is one of the most liked historical people in Japan, but there are already too much things about him. Because of that, I don’t really like Nobunaga’s swords dynamics. Though I like Hasebe, Souza, Yagen and the others as well, when they don’t talk about him. When they talk about Nobunaga, it’s like a dramatical dialogue which isn’t really a dialogue because no-one wants to talk about him. Meh.

18. Based on the existing characters in the Musical Touken Ranbu franchise, who would you select to be on your dream Touken Ranbu 6-swords team ?

Nikkari Aoe, Ishikirimaru, Kasen Kanesada, Izuminokami Kanesada, Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki, Gokotai.

They aren’t really the strongers of their types but I like them a lot. I can’t pick Kasen without his brother, and Kane without Mutsu (BECAUSE I SHIP THEM). I can’t pick Nikkari without Ishikirimaru (for the same reason), and Gokotai is so cute ^o^

In my dream team, they are all kiwame. Great job, everyone !

19. Favorite Human character ? Why ?

Hashiba Masanobu Sorry, sorry, it’s an OC xD

I don't really have a favorite, but I like Gohei and his story. I wants to learn how to fight in order to be able to protect his sister, but even with that, he couldn't save her. He lost all his family because of war...

20. Favorite overall Human team dynamics ? Why ?

Well, it’s strange, because I don’t like the dynamics of their swords, but my favorite Human team is the Shinsengumi, I think. I like their relationship, how they care about each other, their jokes, etc.

21. Favorite Touken Danshi-Human character dynamics ? Why ?

I really like the relationship between Mikazuki and Yasuhira in Tsuwamono. Mikazuki came a lot to visit him, and he said Yasuhira and him are similar (though I don't understand why). He has a lot of respect for him, and some feelings as well, we can see it when they made their farewells. They are on the verge to cry. I would like a deeper development about them ^-^

22. Least favorite Touken Danshi-Human character dynamics ? Why ?

I don't know at all, I skip.

23. Favorite quote(s) and/or character dialogue from the musicals ?

I think one of the dialogues I like the most is, during Musubi, when Tomoe asks to Horikawa if Retrogrades are swords with no story. Horikawa says he doesn't have to think to this, without really answer the question, and I like that kind of dramatical mindfuck.

24. Quote(s) and/or character dialogue from the game that ou would liked to see adapted in the musicals ?

I would like to see the recollection n°49, when Kotegiri says to Kasen he wants to sing and dance in the modern style. It suits very well to Toumyu, especially during live !

25. What is you overall opinion of the Musical Touken Ranbu franchise ? Has your opinion changed from your first impression ?

I love Toumyu. I like the characters, the stories, the songs. The stories aren't as complex as in Tousute, so the both stage are complementary. The screenplay is always very good, and the fights as well. I like the fact they make concerts every year (SRS) to gather all the characters, it's the best way to enjoy a lot of songs and their dynamics as a group.

My opinion didn't change a lot, I'm just now more into it, and I know well the characters and the stories.

#touken ranbu

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melyaliz · 7 years ago

Text

Birthday Secrets

@Starrwolves: OMG, I just found your Tumblr, & it gives me life! Seriously, it’s crazy good! Sry, I get really hyper sometimes, anywho I’ve been reading ships & fics, but I saw in one ship, I think it was nightrainn2’s, where you wrote they got in fights, but came up with a solution that made them stronger, could you write something about that pls with Damian & the reader. Something about that scene just makes me melt. So many of the past ships gave me ideas I know they weren’t for me ... part 1 of 2

so would it be alright if more gave me ideas that I could ask for little fics or scenarios, whatever you call it from you? Mega sry for this being such a long ask, but I had to get this all out, keep rocking it! 2 of 2

Fandom: DC / Batman

Summary: Dating a boy like Damian is a struggle. Especially when you keep secrets.

Pairing: Damian x Reader

Notes: So your blog was deactivated and I know I had nothing to do with that but I feel bad because I took so long to write this that you got were deactivated during that time! I’m so sorry! I hope you can somehow see this.

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

Having a boyfriend who was a hero was hard. Especially when you didn’t know he was a hero.

It wasn’t like the beginnings of a relationship with Damian had been easy, to begin with. At first, you had been pretty sure he hadn’t even liked you as a person let alone have romantic feelings. Yet here you were, almost a year after prom. Going on dates and having out.

He had even kissed you a few times.

Even called you his girlfriend (that was a story for another day).

So here you were, coming up on your birthday. It was a big deal to you. Not really so much the birthday it’s self but the plan. While your parents had planned this much more “mature” idea of a birthday Damian had come up with the best idea for both of you.

First, you would start with a full breakfast in the Wayne’s private Jet while Alfred flew you guys to Disneyworld. There you guys would get as much goofy Disney shit as you could while getting line hoppers and even a backstage tour of Animal Kingdom.

You had both kept it a secret from your parents who thought you were still going to the family gathering they had planned. The whole idea had stemmed from you complaining that the LAST thing you wanted to do for your birthday was spent it with your extended family. But your parents had “guilted” you like they always did by saying that “family came first”

Damian had proclaimed that you were allowed to be selfish one day a year and demanded you to tell him what you had always wanted to do.

And that was how your plans had come about.

Really it was a joint effort stemming from the fact Damian had never known much about Disney before you. Something you had quickly cured. (His favorite princess was Jasmine).

Now Damian back to your problem. You had dealt with Damian’s disappearing before. Valentines Day, your 5th month anniversary, that time he said he was going to take you on a night time cruise across the Gotham Harbour.

He always came with flowers the next day mumbling something about family business. You always brushed it off. He came from a large well to do family, it was just part of you dating him.

But never in a million years did you think he would miss this day.

You had woken up bright and early before your parents waiting eagerly for him to come pick you up. Dressed up in your Disney gear full of butterflies of excitement.

Sitting on the couch you waited, and waited, and waited.

Until your father came down asking what on earth you were wearing and to go up and change.

You texted him.

You called him.

No response.

You couldn’t tell anyone what had happened and had to just go through the motions of your birthday with your family. Most of them ignoring you after giving you their hollow “Happy Birthday” a few nosey relatives asking about your mysterious Boyfriend. Many more interested in what college you wanted to go to.

You smiled and politely answered all the while wanting to cry.

What the hell happened.

After nothing, fulled with frustration you sent off one last text.

“I don’t know what’s going on but forget it. Don’t call and don’t bother coming back. Obviously, this relationship isn’t as serious as I thought it was.”

He knew, he knew how important this was to you. And he didn’t even bother to let you know he wasn’t coming? Forget it. Forget him.

Then turning off your phone you snuck off to be alone for a while. Hiding from all the passive aggressive comments and prying eyes. It wasn’t like anyone would really miss you anyway.

The party came and went. You watched as cars pulled away from your bedroom window. Watched the sunset, watched the moon rise. You just wanted to sleep it off but you couldn’t seem to get your body to relax. So you just laid there. Unsure what to do next.

It was well into the night, maybe even early morning when you heard your window open. Bolting up you reached for your lamp. Quickly you pulled it from the wall raising it over your head. If Gotham City had taught you anything it was smash and ask later.

“Wait, Y/N it’s me!” You froze, the light of the moon emulating Robin who stood in your window.

“I… Robin? How do you know my name?” you stuttered still unsure what to do.

“No, It’s me,” Robin said taking the mask off.

“D… Damian?”

“I… I’m sorry I missed your Birthday. I’m sorry I left you with your family alone. I… there was this gang and dad needed my help but. I tired to get out of it but they needed me.”

You stood there dumbfounded as he spoke.

“Alfred said this was it, my crossroads. I’m sorry I missed this. I know how important this was for you.”

You cut him off hugging him. Burying yourself in him. Tears you didn’t realize you had been holding forever fell from your cheeks.

“I thought you didn’t care about me.”

“No, No I love you,” Damian said taking your head in his hands, “Y/N I love you and I never want you to feel like you are not an important part of my life because you are.”

You spent the rest of the night talking. Him telling you about his mother and past, catching you up on him becoming Robin. About the missions he went on that had made him miss all those moments together. Moments he hated missing.

You told him you were there for him. You understood why he had kept this from you but you also wanted him to be honest with you from now on. You needed to know what was going on. How he was feeling.

And you came up with a plan. When his other life needed him he would just text you R. That way you knew to hang tight. You knew it wasn’t you.

You both sat there on your bed talking until the sun came up. Just spilling all the secrets you had been holding. Talking about dreams and goals. It was as if telling you that he was Robin had opened the floodgates and he could finally really be himself. It was like a part of him that was missing you didn’t even know about was suddenly there and everything else made sense.

“So,” Damian said glancing at the morning light dancing through your window. “Disneyland?”

You laughed jumping up, “I’ll get changed and meet you outside.”

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Tagging: @royslittleharper @the-shadow-of-atlantis @coffee-randomness @daisyboobear @werewitchling @nightwing-rules @jayne-writes @guns-n-lilies @pinkwitch21

#Damian Wayne #Damian wayne reader #Damian Wayne request #Damian Wayne x reader #Damian wayne fanfic #dc #dc comics #dc fanfic #dc reader #dc request #my writing #request

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inevitably-johnlocked · 7 years ago

Note

Hey! Er... I was wondering if you could like... recommend me some married!johnlock fic. Also, this is an extra... But I want to say that I really like your blog, and it's one of my favorites (sorry if I wrote something incorrectly, English is not my mother language... Also I'm a little nervous sending this...)

Hi Lovely!

Firstly, don’t apologize for the language barrier! Your English is lovely! Thank you so much for your kind words about my blog!

Next, I’ve made a couple lists before relating to this exact thing:

Marriage and Weddings

Proposals

As for actual fics where they’re actually married? Well, I initially thought I had none until I did this list, LOL!! I’ll also give you some of my “Established Relationship” fics too, just to fill up space! :D

WEDDINGS / PROPOSALS, HUSBANDS, & ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS

A Discourse on the Inadequacy of a Duvet by guns_and_poses (T, 1,005 w. || Est. Rel., Fluff, Humour, Bed Sharing, Romance) – Sherlock keeps stealing the covers when they share a bed because he wants John to move closer to him when they are sleeping but of course doesn’t want to ask. John gets annoyed at first until he realises what Sherlock wants and is more than happy to oblige.

This Isn’t About the Bathtub by cypress_tree (G, 1,142 || Marriage Proposal) – John and Sherlock go to Angelo’s for dinner. In both of their pockets are rings they are going to propose with, but the other has no idea. John proposes first, and Sherlock answers by pulling out his engagement ring.

Bringing Colour to the World by SD_Ryan (G, 1,168w. || Est. Relationship, Sickfic, Fluff, Schmoop) – In which we encounter a sick detective, a snuggle on the couch, and a silly fairytale.

Under The Covers by berlynn_wohl (E, 1,221 w. || Est. Rel., Shy Sherlock, Anal, Fluff) – John would have liked to have the lights on and seen everything, but Sherlock was shy, so they did it this way, always.

John Was Nice Like That by hannah_baker (T, 1,307 w. || Est. Rel., Fluff, Body Worship, John’s Bum) – Sherlock Holmes may not ever sleep, but that hasn’t prevented him from having a kip on the couch with John.

here’s to love (here’s to us) by trustingno1 (G, 1,309 w. || Weddings, Fluff, Best Man Speech) – “I suggested that he ask Greg,” John says, “to which he replied, ‘Who?’,” and Greg pushes back from the table, exasperated. “I then made the mistake of suggesting his brother, to which Sherlock enumerated twenty-three reasons that that was a terrible idea.” (John’s best man speech at Sherlock’s wedding).

So, this is normal for us now? by TooManyChoices (M, 1,445w. || Bed Sharing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Est. Rel., Cuddles) – John and Sherlock have been sharing a flat, and a life for some time. This is a story of how the glacially slow movement of their relationship makes another agonising crawl forward another inch.

To Sleep, Perchance to…Cuddle by nerdyandiknowit (NR, 1,563 w. || Sleepy Cuddles, Fluff, Stubborn Sherlock, Bedsharing, Cuddles & Snuggles) – Almost immediately after they got together Sherlock formed this dependency on John-he could not (or would not as John believes) sleep without John being there, in bed, next to him.

A Metaphorical Gesture by cyparissus (T, 1,578 w. || Marriage Proposal, Fluff) – “Sherlock, are you–” the words die in John’s throat and he has to swallow and start again, “Are you asking me to marry you?”

and yes I said yes I will Yes by Mithen (T, 1,662 w. || Fluff, Humour, Est. Rel. Marriage Proposal) – Sherlock has deduced that John is going to propose to him, and he’s ready to accept. If only John would actually get around to it…

Biggest and Best by Sexxica (E, 1,815 w. || Est. Rel., Dildos, Sherlock’s Size Kink, John’s Giant Junk) – John Watson has a huge cock. Sherlock wants it inside him. Part 2 of Tumblr Ficlets Gone Wild

The Marriage Proposal Negotiation by Goddess_of_the_Night (G, 2,161 w. || Dev. Rel., Possessive Sherlock, Insecure Sherlock, Fluff, First Kiss, Post Mary) – Sherlock hasn’t ever really done anything the traditional way, so of course it wouldn’t bother him to propose to John even though they’re not even dating. And the fact that John is already on a date with someone else when he decides to do it? Tedious.

You Know, The Old Saying by songlin (T, 2,248 w. || Wedding, Marriage Proposal, Fluff, Engagement) – “Marry me. I need to have you forever.” Unrepentant husbands!Johnlock fluff.

In Which John is Attractive and Sherlock is Angry by kim47 (T, 2,382 w. || Fluff, Est. Rel., Jealous Sherlock) – Sherlock’s reaction to finding out that everyone wants HIS John, and how he told them to piss off and get their own Watson.

Unwanted by 221b_hound (T, 2,436 w. || Est. Rel., Wedding Rings, Asshole Exes) – In the jewellers to collect their wedding rings ahead of the Big Day, an old friend of John’s spots him. Well. I say ‘friend’.Sherlock isn’t jealous. He’s possibly a little bit grateful. That doesn’t mean Lydia Templeton isn’t an idiot. Part 19 of Unkissed

Let the Sun Fade Out by nothingislittle (E, 2,711 w. || Fluff & Smut, Praise Kink, PWP, Obsessed Sherlock, Bottomlock, Heart-Tearing Love) – “He could warm the sun itself, Sherlock thinks, could heat their flat with just his presence, could brighten the room with one dazzling smile or just the sparkling in his eyes. John is everything, he’s beautiful and he shines, he’s everything.”

Extraordinary by queenoftrivia (G, 2,860 w. || Fluff, Marriage Proposal, Morse Code, Est. Rel, Violins) – Sherlock’s deduced that John’s going to Italy to buy him a violin. Even the greatest detective alive makes a few mistakes.

Engaged by lifeonmars (NR, 3,146 w. || Marriage Proposal, Fluff, Holmes Family, Song Fic) – Sherlock did not believe in marriage, but he wanted to be married. He found this something of a surprise. Part 2 of Damage

And as the seasons change, I love you more by Teatrolley (NR, 3,219 w. || Fluff and Angst, Est. Rel., Marriage / Proposal) – A year in the lives of John and Sherlock, essentially.

Unmissed by 221b_hound (M, 3,235 w. || Est. Rel., Pet Names, Insecure Sherlock, Worried Sherlock) – John enjoys a good brawl during a case, and Sherlock begins to worry - when they retire, will John get bored? Will John get bored and leave. But even if John isn't a genius about cases, he knows a thing or two about Sherlock's panic attacks about them as a couple. With only four days till the wedding, he's not about to let Sherlock continue with this misplaced notion that John will be bored in retirement. Part 20 of Unkissed

Straight Shooter by nefariosity (E, 3,249 w. || Est. Rel., Light Dom/Sub, Military Kink, PWP) – Sherlock has a military kink. John indulges him.

Bagged & Tagged by Regency (T, 3,339 w. || Drunken Confessions, Fluff and Crack, Marriage Proposal) – A very inebriated John devises a clever means of proposing marriage to Sherlock. Unfortunately he’s forgotten all about it by the next morning.

In Nomine by Atiki (E, 3,517 w. || Est. Rel., PWP, Anal, Domesticity, Love Confessions, Sherlock Loves John, Overwhelmed Sherlock) – “Alright?” John asks gently, planting a kiss on Sherlock’s left collar bone, smoothing a hand down his chest and belly until it rests in the soft trail of hair below his belly button. John’s smile is all soft and warm. His hand feels tender and solid and real. A soldier’s hand. A surgeon’s hand. A lover’s hand. Oh. “John”, Sherlock gasps. And that’s where it begins. Written for a prompt on the Kink Meme: The only word Sherlock says during sex is “John”.

Rumpled by WhimsicalEthnographies (E, 3,601 w. || Est. Rel., Insecure Sherlock, Fluff, PWP, Proposal, Bottomlock) – Then, halfway through a documentary on river otters that neither of them was paying attention to–how could John, with a gangly, limp consulting detective practically purring in his lap?–Sherlock suddenly bolted upright, looked at John with a perplexed expression and a crinkle above his nose, and blurted, “Marry me.” Part 4 of Longitudinal Cohort

Happy anniversary by Salambo06 (E, 3,772 w. || Est. Rel., Vulnerable Sherlock, Wedding Anniversary, Anal, Texting, Lingerie) – John inhaled deeply, feeling his cock pulse under the silk gown, and he let his eyes travel on the lean body in front of him. Sherlock was kneeling on the bed, their bed, and the picture had been taken so John could perfectly see his bare chest and pelvis. But what mattered most, what made John harden rather quickly, was the pair of panties Sherlock was wearing in the picture. Black, string over each hip and laces that outlined Sherlock’s erect cock barely hidden under the soft underwear.

Equine Arse Anonymity by Kayjaykayme (E, 3,834 w. || Est. Rel., Public Sex, Coming in Pants, Humour, Halloween, Hand Jobs) – Sherlock needs to speak with suspects at a fancy dress ball. He chooses a couple’s costume for himself and John. It is logical, practical and well thought out. John doesn’t agree and exacts sweet revenge.

Love and Hair Dye by WhimsicalEthnographies (E, 3,920 w. || Est. Rel., Body Worship, Self Conscious John, Voyeurism, Idiots in Love, Smutty Smut) – Self conscious John decides to cover the greys on his head, and the colour isn’t what he thought it would be. Now he’s more self-conscious than ever.

Let me be the wallpaper that papers up your room by Teatrolley (NR, 3,966 w. || Est. Rel., Two Idiots in Love, Fluff, Domestics) – Four seasons in the life of Sherlock and John, really.

subterfuge isn’t subterfuge if you don’t know what the hell you’re doing by scullyseviltwin (T, 4,157 w. || Est. Rel., Fluff, Anniversary) – The entire idea was ludicrous, and terrified John a whole hell of a lot.

Fine Print by mistyzeo (E, 4,224 w. || ACD Holmes || Est. Rel, Retirementlock, Glasses, Oral, Hand Jobs, Bees) – Holmes needs glasses, but he’s too much of a stubborn arse to go get his eyes checked. Watson is used to bullying him for his own good. The glasses have unexpected but not unwelcome consequences for everyone.

Keep Each Other Company by orithea (E, 4,600 w. || Est. Rel., Threesome, Self-cest, Time Traveller Sherlock) – One Sherlock is demanding enough. Two of them are impossible to resist. Part 3 of The Time Traveller’s Flatmate

Unforgiven by 221b_hound (M, 4,721 w. || Marriage Proposal, Victor Trevor, Jealous / Protective John, Jealous Sherlock, Sherlock’s Past) – Sherlock’s latest case is for his ex boyfriend, the brilliant and handsome Professor Victor Trevor. John is not too happy about that. But things aren’t what they seem, an old friend of John’s is involved in the case, and John has a few surprises up his sleeve. Also - a proposal! Part 16 of Unkissed

What Happens in Vegas (is legally binding in the United Kingdom) by moonblossom (E, 5,051 w. || Accidental Marriage, Friends to Husbands to Lovers, CSI Crossover, Fluff & Porn, Bathtub Sex, Hand Jobs, First Time) – When a case sends the boys to Vegas, John comes out of it with a bit more than he bargained for. Part 19 of Prompt Fills, Remixes, Works inspired by others

Midnight Plowboy by weeesi (E, 5,399 w. || Est. Rel., Fake Vintage Gay Erotica, Anal, PWP, Roleplay) – “Does it feel like I’m sure?” John whispers into Sherlock’s ear. Sherlock swallows again.

All the Flavours, Cherry and More by cwb (E, 6,274 w. || Est. Rel., Lip Gloss, Lingerie, Birthday Presents, Insecure Sherlock) – Sherlock feels a blush rising to touch his cheeks, more sensual than uncomfortable now that he knows John isn’t disgusted by him. No, John is responding exactly the way he had hoped.

Abatement by WhimsicalEthnographies (E, 6,816 w. || Est. Rel., Retirementlock, Fluff, Sherlock’s Self Esteem, Grumpy Sherlock) – “What’s wrong with you? You love the cottage,” John glances over to the passenger seat, then quickly turns his eyes back to the road. Driving was still not his forte, but considering Sherlock still couldn’t properly bend and lift his new knee enough to press and release the clutch, he had to make do. Not that Sherlock hadn’t tried to argue his way into the driver’s seat. “I love the cottage for a week or two, John. Don’t be deliberately obstuse,” Sherlock grumbles, sinking further in his seat. Well, as best he can with a four-week-old knee replacement. “And that’s all we’re going for, love,” John says out loud. But what he’s thinking is, shit. He knows.

Caught In The Act by ShirleyCarlton (E, 7,009 w. across 6 stories || Est. Rel, Voyeurism, Character POV’s, Mastrubation, Switchlock) – This is a series of six scenarios written from the points of view of six different people as they accidentally walk in on Sherlock and John having sex.

Beg for Mercy (Twice) by Solitary_Endeavor (E, 7,060 w. || Est. Rel., Bottomlock, Bearded John, Edging, Rough Sex, Idiots in Love, Canon Compliant) – Sherlock hasn’t left the flat in four days, the itch of impatience beneath his skin too great to allow him to suffer interaction with any human being who isn’t John. This is probably a mercy that goes both ways, as he’s driving even himself mad. Sherlock supposes there is a lesson to be learned here about having himself to blame, but of course he blames Mycroft.

Christmas by WhimsicalEthnographies (E, 7,673 w. || Worried Sherlock, PWP, Drunkeness, Christmas, Est. Relationship) – John feels a lump rise in his throat, and it hits him, again, that this beautiful, infuriating creature is his. Completely, one-hundred percent his.

With This Ring by Quesarasara (E, 9,121 w. || Est. Rel., Marriage Proposal, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Idiots in Love, Embarrassing Hospital Visits) – Sometimes even the best of plans go wrong. And sometimes wrong turns out to be exactly right.

the first day of forever by darcylindbergh (E, 11,850 w. || Est. Relationship, Domestics, Light Angst, Insecurity, Emotional H/C) – “I’m going to marry you,” John murmurs with against Sherlock’s smile, and they both giggle in the joy of it. “We’re getting married.”“Yes,” Sherlock says, just to hear himself say it out loud. “We are.” A June wedding. Part 4 of things fairy tales are made of

And if you say the word, I could stay with you by CaitlinFairchild (E, 12,842 w. || Domestic Fluff, BottomJohn / Topping from the Bottom, Fluff and Romance, Dirty Talk, Proposals) – What Sherlock thinks is, On the day I die, be it in a dirty alley at forty or in my bed at eighty, the last thing I will remember is tonight, the way you looked at at me on the snowy pavement, cheeks pink with the cold, breath puffing in frosty white clouds, your heart in your eyes and snowflakes in your hair. I will remember that single perfect moment in my life, that moment I knew I had everything I ever wanted, and whatever happens next, I will die content. What he says is simply, “Marry me.”

Your Eyes in Darkness Glowing by tamed_untranslatable (E, 14,686 w. || Est. Rel., Case Fic, Hotel Sex, Bottomlock, Anal, BJ’s, Porn With Feelings, Homophobia) – Sherlock gets roped into a case in Moscow on his brother’s insistence, but finds that he can’t do it without John.

Never-Ending Cycle by orphan_account (T, 17,211 w. || Christmas, Est. Rel., Proposal, Fluff) – Or, four times Sherlock Holmes attempted to propose to John Watson, and the Christmas Party at which he finally did. Sherlock thinks he’s a miserable failure, John is confused, Mrs. Hudson and Lestrade provide some unsatisfactory advice, and Mummy is, as always, the solution. All in a lovely, fluffy holiday theme.

About Sleep and Coffee and the Existence of Fate by Atiki (E, 17,426 w. || Fluff, Marriage Proposal, Humour, 5+1) – Naturally, John was startled when suddenly the ultimate solution occurred to him: Marriage. This was, of course, a bit of a fundamental problem rather than an actual solution. One didn’t simply use the words “Sherlock” and “marriage” within the same sentence. Not even in a hypothetical context. Five times John kind of wanted to propose to Sherlock, and one time he didn’t have to.

Achieving the Together-Coloured Instant by teahigh (E, 20,776 w. || Est. Rel, PTSD, Codependency, Fluff & Angst, H/C, Smut, Demisexual Sherlock, Experiments) – John wonders if this is how it’s going to be: A life speaking in code, because they’re both too stupid to figure out how to say, “I love you.”

The One With the Proposal by kim47 (E, 22,375 w. || Fluff, Romance, Marriage Proposal) – Proposing shouldn’t be this difficult.

a good old-fashioned happy ending by darcylindbergh (E, 32,731 w. || Christmas, Frottage, Comfort, Est. Rel., Fluff, Insecure Sherlock) – For Christmas this year, Sherlock wants to get John something special: something every fairytale deserves. Part 2 of things fairy tales are made of

Where Else Would I Be? by cwb (E, 34,910 w. || Retirementlock, Domestic Fluff, Falling in Love, Parentlock, Fluff and Smut, Reminiscing) – John and Sherlock’s five-year-old granddaughter spends the weekend with them in Sussex. Sherlock happily indulges her whims, and John takes care of them while quietly revisiting the past thirty years of their lives together.

Resistivity and Relative Charge by liriodendron (E, 41,750 w. || Synesthesia, Angst, Case Fic, Romance, Est. Rel., Homophobia, Religious Content, Victor Trevor, Mild Jealous John, Mild John Whump) – In which Sherlock Holmes meets an old acquaintance, John Watson doesn’t enjoy a trip to the country quite as much as he thought he would, and the past absolutely refuses to stay where it belongs. Part 3 of Conductivity

Bedroom Tales by Junejuly15 (M, 49,950 w. || Friends to Lovers, Through the Years, H/C, Military Kink, First Kiss / Time, Romance, Insecure Sherlock, Voyeurism, Post-TRF, Ficlets, Fluff and Angst, Fix-It Fics) – Bedroom Tales is a collection of John and Sherlock ficlets. They are set at various stages of their relationship and are in no particular order. Some are fluffy, some sexy, some angsty, there is hurt and comfort, romance and love. What unites them is that they all play in a bedroom, but not necessarily the one in 221B.

A Love with No Name Series by aceofhearts61 (G to M, 49,955 w. across 20 stories || Asexual Sherlock / Straight John, Est. Rel., Queerplatonic Relationship, Romance, Cuddling, Fluff, Platonic Romance, Domestics) – In which Asexual!Sherlock and Straight!John are platonically in love life partners.

between each beat are words unsaid by darcylindbergh, hudders-and-hiddles (T, 107,998 w. || Epistolary, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Angst, Happy Ending) – On their wedding night, John and Sherlock gift each other with the things they each said when the other could not hear, the things they each put down where the other could not see: a collection of writings that illustrate the way their love for one another has grown over the years. Part 1 of between each beat

Perdition’s Flames by i_ship_an_armada (E, 63,435 w., || Treklock AU, Est. Rel, Genetic Engineering, Angst & Fluff, BAMF!John) – Sherlock would do anything to save him. Risk anything. Give anything. His money, his life. His soul. What he does, though, is change both of their destinies forever. Genetic re-engineering is the only option left. It turns out researchers underestimated the life expectancy and potential abilities of genetically re-engineered subjects. The British government and what would eventually become the United Federation of Planets, however, had not. Part 1 of PF Universe

Breakable by MissDavis (E, 117,627 w. || Established, Fluff/Angst, Depression, Paralysis, Happy-ish Ending) – After John is seriously injured, Sherlock struggles to figure out how to help him, keep himself sane, and maybe, just maybe, get their life back to the way it’s supposed to be. Part 1 of Breakable Not Broken

A Fold in the Universe by darkest_bird (E, 152,869 w. || Omegaverse / Prime Universe Crossover || OmegaJohn / AlphaSherlock, First Kiss / Time, Friends to Lovers, Established Relationship, Angst, H/C, Dub Con, Humour) – Alpha Sherlock and Omega John are in a relationship. Prime Sherlock and Prime John are not. So what happens when a freak fold in the universe switches one John for the other?

Unkissed Series by 221b_hound (T to E, 184,168 w. across 46 works || Established Relationship, Ace Sherlock) – Sherlock returned from the dead a year ago. John returned to Baker Street six months ago. They’ve been in a couple since then. or at least, not NOT a couple. For two smart men, they sure can be dumb. Luckily, an art thief tries to drown Sherlock, Sherlock has a fever dream and things are about to change.

#steph replies #my fic recs #johnlock fic recs #established relationship #sarah-the-phantom

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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HBO Max New Releases: September 2021

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The summer movie season may be winding down, but HBO Max is keeping the movie ball rolling in September 2021. HBO Max’s list of new releases this month is heavy on the film side of things – both in library and original offerings.

Two Warner Bros. films of note arrive this month. The James Wan-directed horror tale Malignant premieres on Sept. 10 and is followed by Clint Eastwood’s Cry Macho on Sept. 17. The next installment in Adventure Time: Distant Lands (which is kind of like a film series!) is titled Wizard City and opens the month on Sept. 2

Of course, it wouldn’t be a new month of HBO Max releases without some interesting evergreen Warner movie titles. Sept. 1 finds all eight Harry Potter movies returning to WarnerMedia’s streaming service. They will be accompanied by The Goonies, The Evil Dead, Cloverfield, and more. Later on in the month, Mortal Kombat (Sept. 9), Mad Max: Fury Road (Sept. 9), and Promising Young Woman (Sept. 25) all come back to the streaming world.

On the TV side of things, HBO Max is bringing back DC’s strangest heroes for season 3 of Doom Patrol on Sept. 23. And for those who need their true crime fix, The Way Down should fit the bill. This docuseries about a weight loss cult is timely for reasons you’ll definitely want to Google.

HBO Max New Releases – September 2021

September 1 A Hijacking, 2013 (HBO) The Animal, 2001 (HBO) Army Of Darkness, 1993 (HBO) The Benchwarmers, 2006 (HBO) Bodas de Oro (aka The Anniversary), 2019 (HBO) The Cell 2, 2009 (HBO) Cloverfield, 2008 (HBO) Dead Again, 1991 (HBO) Deck the Halls, 2006 (HBO) Detour, 2017 (HBO) Drinking Buddies, 2013 (HBO) Epic Movie, 2007 (Extended Version) (HBO) Event Horizon, 1997 (HBO) The Evil Dead, 1983 (HBO) Evil Dead 2, 1987 (HBO) Flawless, 2008 (HBO) The Forgotten, 2004 (HBO) Fun Size, 2012 (HBO) The Gallows, 2015 (HBO) The Good German, 2006 (HBO) The Good Heart, 2010 (HBO) The Goonies, 1985 Green Lantern 2011 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 2002 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, 2010 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, 2011 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2005 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2009 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2007 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 2004 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 2001 Impostor, 2002 (Director’s Cut) (HBO) Inheritance, 2020 (HBO) In the Heart of the Sea, 2015 (HBO) Kany Garcia: Soy Yo En Vivo, 2019 (HBO) King Kong, 2005 (Extended Version) HBO) Lady in the Water, 2006 (HBO) Meet Me in St. Louis, 1944 Mr. Nobody, 2013 (Extended Version) (HBO) My Golden Days, 2016 (HBO) Nanny McPhee, 2006 (HBO) Oblivion, 2013 (HBO) On the Town, 1949 Ouija: Origin of Evil, 2016 (HBO) Paulie, 1998 (HBO) The Poet Of Havana, 2015 (HBO) Prime, 2005 (HBO) Prince Avalanche, 2013 (HBO) Reik En Vivo Desde El Auditorio Nacional, 2015 (HBO) Rent, 2005 (HBO) Romeo Santos The King Stays King: Live At Madison Square Garden, 2012 (HBO) Santana – Corazon: Live From Mexico, Live It To Believe It, 2014 (HBO) Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, 2012 (HBO) Severance, 2007 (HBO) Showdown In Little Tokyo, 1991 (HBO) The Song Remains the Same, 1976 Taken 2, 2012 (Extended Version) (HBO) Thalia Viva Tour En Vivo, 2014 (HBO) That’s Entertainment!, 1974 That’s Entertainment! II, 1976 That’s Entertainment! III, 1994 Transformers, 2007 (HBO) Undisputed, 2002 (HBO) Vanilla Sky, 2001 (HBO) View from the Top, 2003 (HBO) What They Had, 2018 (HBO) What Women Want, 2000 (HBO) Yandel: Legacy – De Lider A Leyenda Tour, 2015 (HBO)

September 2 Adventure Time: Distant Lands – Wizard City, Max Original Special Premiere Sweet Life: Los Angeles, Max Original Season Finale

September 3 Amaraica, 2020 (HBO) At Last, 2020 Bittu, 2020 Coffee Shop Names, 2020 Liberty Kid, 2007

September 4 News of the World, 2020 (HBO)

September 7 Hard Knocks ’21: The Dallas Cowboys, Season Finale (HBO)

September 8 Nasciturus, 2021

September 9 Mad Max: Fury Road, 2015 Sweet Life: Los Angeles, Max Original Reunion Special Mortal Kombat, 2021 (HBO)

September 10 Elliott from Earth, Season 1 Malignant, Warner Bros. Film Premiere, 2021 (Available in 4K UHD, HDR10, Dolby Vision)

September 11 Ben 10, Season 4C NYC Epicenters 9/11→2021½, Documentary Series Finale (HBO) Walker, Season 1

September 12 Scenes from a Marriage, Limited Series Premiere (HBO)

September 13 Care Bears: Unlock the Magic I’m Sorry Little Ellen, Max Original Series Premiere

September 15 A La Calle, 2020 The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, 1966

September 16 Tig n’ Seek, Max Original Season 3 Premiere

September 17 Apple & Onion, Season 2B Cry Macho, Warner Bros. Film Premiere (Available in 4K UHD, HDR10, Dolby Vision) El Cuartito, 2021 (HBO) Superman & Lois, Season 1

September 18 The People v. The Klan

September 20 Hard, Season 3 Finale (HBO) Total Dramarama

September 21 Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO)

September 23 Ahir Shah: Dots, Max Original Special Premiere Doom Patrol, Max Original Season 3 Premiere The Other Two, Max Original Season 2 Finale

September 25 Promising Young Woman, 2020 (HBO)

September 26 Nuclear Family, Documentary Series Premiere (HBO)

September 27 Huesped Americano (aka The American Guest), Series Premiere (HBO) Little Sky, 2021 Asian Pacific American Visionaries Short (HBO) Neh, 2021 Asian Pacific American Visionaries Short (HBO) Unmothered, 2021 Asian Pacific American Visionaries Short (HBO)

September 29 Entre Hombres (aka Amongst Men), Series Premiere (HBO)

September 30 The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo, Max Original Season 2 Premiere Ten-Year-Old Tom, Max Original Series Premiere Those Who Wish Me Dead, 2021 (HBO) (Available in 4K UHD, HDR10, Dolby Vision) The Way Down, Max Original Series Premiere Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs, Max Original Series Premiere

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Leaving HBO Max – September 2021

September 5 Lost Resort, 2020 The Suicide Squad, 2021

September 12 CHIPS, 2017 (HBO)

September 19 Ford V. Ferrari, 2019 (HBO) Norm Of The North: King Sized Adventure, 2019 Reminiscence, 2021

September 20 Doctor Sleep, 2020 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)

September 24 King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword, 2017 (HBO)

September 30 Abandon, 2002 (HBO) Abuela’s Luck, 2019 (HBO) Addicted to Love, 1997 American History X, 1998 The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, 1974 (HBO) Being Julia, 2004 The Butcher’s Wife, 1991 (HBO) Cabaret , 1972 Camelot, 1967 City of Angels, 1998 The Craft, 1996 Dark Shadows, 2012 (HBO) Deerskin, 2020 (HBO) Demolition Man, 1993 The Devil’s Advocate, 1997 Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, 2002 Drumline, 2002 (Extended Version) (HBO) Dumb & Dumber, 1994 The Electric Horseman, 1979 (HBO) Endings, Beginnings, 2019 (HBO) Escape from New York, 1981 Eye for an Eye, 1996 (HBO) Fierce People, 2007 (HBO) Final Analysis, 1992 (HBO) The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, 2000 (HBO) The Flintstones, 1994 (HBO) Fracture, 2007 From Dusk Till Dawn, 1996 Full Beat, 2018 (HBO) Ghosts of Mississippi, 1996 Gold Diggers of 1933, 1933 Gold Diggers of 1935, 1955 The Graduate, 1967 Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, 2009 Happy-Go-Lucky, 2008 (HBO) Hardball, 2001 (HBO) Haywire, 2012 (HBO) Honeymoon in Vegas, 1992 House Arrest, 2012 (HBO) House on Haunted Hill, 1999 In & Out, 1997 (HBO) Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, 1993 (HBO) Jason X, 2002 Jerry Maguire, 1996 JFK, 1991 Joe Versus the Volcano, 1990 Kicking & Screaming, 2005 (HBO) Klute, 1971 Labyrinth, 1986 Las Herederas (aka The Heiresses), 2019 (HBO) Last Action Hero, 1993 Leatherface Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, 1990 (HBO) The Longest Yard, 1974 (HBO) The Man With The Iron Fists, 2012 (Unrated Version) (HBO) Marie Antoinette, 2006 Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, 1997 Midway, 2019 (HBO) Million Dollar Mermaid , 1952 Miss Firecracker, 1989 (HBO) Miss Sharon Jones!, 2015 Murder at 1600, 1997 Murder by Numbers, 2002 Must Love Dogs, 2005 My Bloody Valentine 3-D, 2009 (HBO) My Super Ex-Girlfriend, 2006 (HBO) Nights in Rodanthe, 2008 No Reservations, 2007 Not Another Teen Movie, 2001 Observe and Report, 2009 Ola de Crimenes (aka Crime Wave), 2018 (HBO) Once Upon a Time in Mexico, 2003 One Day, 2001 (HBO) Outbreak, 1995 Pleasantville, 1998 Point Break, 1991 (HBO) The Polar Express, 2004 Practical Magic, 1998 Primal Fear, 1996 (HBO) The Prince of Tides, 1991 Raw Deal, 1986 (HBO) The Return, 2006 (HBO) The Right Stuff, 1983 Rumor Has It…, 2005 Scary Movie, 2000 Scary Movie 2, 2001 Scary Movie 3, 2003 Scream, 1996 Scream 2, 1997 Scream 3, 2000 The Search for Santa Paws, 2010 (HBO) Short Circuit, 1986 Single White Female, 1992 Slackers, 2002 Snakes on a Plane, 2006 Soldier, 1998 The Sweetest Thing, 2002 Tango & Cash, 1989 Ted, 2012 (Unrated Version) (HBO) Tequila Sunrise, 1998 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, 2006 (Extended Version) (HBO) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 2003 The Time Machine, 1960 Tin Cup, 1996 Torch Song Trilogy, 1988 Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection, 2012 The Upside of Anger, 2005 Victor/Victoria, 1982 The Warriors, 1979 (Director’s Cut) (HBO) The Watch, 2012 (HBO) Willard, 1971 (HBO) Wings, 2012

The post HBO Max New Releases: September 2021 appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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rezilient-m3 · 5 years ago

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6) James and I started dating on January 19th, 2001. I still remember that night vividly, even though we had been drinking. It wasn't much, but enough to make me do dumb things, like take him into the raunchy bedroom with no sheets and have sex with him. Not even thinking of his gf, my old best friend from a cpl years prior. (You'll see that I have a tendency to do this to ppl). I was a bitch. But I really thought they weren't even together at the moment cuz they were always breaking up, as kids would do.

I think a big part of why I did was to get back at the boy who I let take my virginity and didn't talk to me after, UNTIL this night. Or tried to, but I wasn't for it. I had a handsome, new guy to think about now. But like I said, I didn't think he'd even be into to me after lol. So, I wasn't even expecting his call I got the next day. He made Marie call my landline (I had my own number) and he came on. I was so happy! I don't really remember how things went soon after, but I know we were inseparable for a year. (He was living with Marie and her family, my uncle is her dad, and her mom was sisters of the social worker in our reserve. So, something about a voluntary placement so he can stay on the reserve. James' mom lived in a city.) After school was out I always went visit him at his mom's, and he would find places to stay to stick around our reserve. I'm pretty sure at one point he was staying with my older sister, Gale, as a sitter for her kids lol. Our families accepted were were a couple.

When school was about to start, I was only going into grade 8, and him 9. I was bummed he'd be an hour n a half away but was going to accept it cuz he had to go live with his mom now n go to school. BUT the weirdest shit happened. I was visiting him, we were about a week away from the first day, him n his mom were talking about what they can do about him coming back to the reserve and where he can stay, cuz he didn't want to move. All of a sudden I heard her say, "why don't I ask her mom if you can stay there?" Shocked the hell out of me, then I remember thinking, "no way my mom will agree and say yes." Wellllll, she fucken did. Lol. I was only going to be 13, he had already turned 15. All I can say about that is just WOW. Can you imagine the scandal? Lol.

At the time I was happy we would be together. My mum's only rule was, not gonna share rooms. That lasted like a week or 2. Soon, we were in the same bedroom and living together. This was September. I don't even remember how this worked, or if I even hung out with my friends. Pretty sure I did cuz my room was the place to hang out and match each other weed.

We had reached our year Anniversary. Never broke up in that year. But I remember I was feeling smothered by him always being around and him not wanting to go to see his friends, or leaving me alone. I started ditching him at home, not telling him where I was going, cuz he was a lil stalker and always found me. Crazy when I think about it now. Needless to say, I started cheating on him. Dumb thing was, in my thinking, "he should know so he can decide if he really loves me to stay, or go." And I always told him when I did. It was almost always too. Rank. I started to sleep around with different guys. I was pretty shameless. Kinda gross lol. Omg.

I used to keep count, but almost most of the guys I knew going through my high school years. And it wasn't even intentional either, I'd black out, drinking, and was always looking for someone to hook-up with. James and I were always breaking-up and getting back together. It went on like this right until March 2006. I feel bad, now, for the way I've treated him. Cuz back then, I don't think he actually ever cheated on me. Or maybe he did, idk. N I can't even tell you why he endured all those years of humiliation. Think it still bothers him today, cuz even now when he's been drinking he brings up our past. Mostly our recent past, but all of this was the beginning of our ugliness.

I should mention, we split for a few months the winter I was 14, had to be March? Can't be too sure, might've been earlier. There was a hockey tournament in another city, our reserve always went. And me n my friends would follow and go drinking. I met this guy, and shocker, I slept with him that night in his truck. (Like I've said, I was shameless). He was from another reserve, at the same tourney. I thought that was the end of it. Next day i was embarrassed cuz my friends knew and I noticed him following me around, always tryna talk to me. I felt this way cuz he was a chubby kid that wasn't all that hot. He wasn't hideous, but I just wouldn't have gave him a 2nd thought if I was in my right mind. Poor guy lol. Funny thing about this guy was he had a cousin living in my reserve, and dumb thing was, this cousin was the kid I had always been fooling around with on James lol. Small world. So, he got my number from his cousin. AND even came as far as coming to out reserve, to our school, with his cousin and was roaming our hallways a few weeks after the tourney. I swear I almost died when Marie come running to me, telling me, "you'll never guess who's here!" Lol. Omg. We left the school and we were walking to her house and they pulled up to us, asked us to jump in, we go, most awkward ride of my life, get dropped off and say bye lol. We go out with them drinking that night, it was the weekend and I give in and start getting to know him. He was funny and easy to get along with. Big head grew on me lol. He was my bf for the following months into summer. I loved him. I think he did too. But I was a bitch and treated him like how I treated James. Always cheating, but he'd never wanna break up. I was horrible, cuz he really was a good kid. At the time, before me, he never really drank, pretty sure I took his virginity that night in his truck, and he danced powwow. I feel like I corrupted him. The way we ended was, one weekend in July, it was his reserve's powwow. My grandma and mum were actually staying at his mom's to attend and visit. I actually didn't feel like drinking but his friends, and the cousin from my reserve and his gf all wanted to drink. So I did. Bad idea. I was at a house party, not knowing who was who. The cousin's gf knew he and I always hooked up before and decided now was the perfect time to jump me with 3 other girls I don't know. And they all let it happen. I was blacked out, I don't remember any of it. I got dropped off at his mom's by a couple from that party who probably felt sorry for me. Next day, not knowing the whole story, I left back home with my mum and grandma. That was the end of us after I heard from his cousin's, who were sort of my friends, and they heard from people at that party of what really happened. I never got to ask him why he let it happen. Anyways, it's almost time for school to start, and I was was still friends with his cousin's. There were 3 girls who were always together. They talked me into moving in with one of them and starting the school year there. Idk why I choose to, cuz it didn't last. I moved back home after a month and a half. The girl I chose to live with was a thief and always stole money, real fake friend. I just didn't feel right, plus we lived with her older sister, cuz like me, she came from an older family. I just didn't feel like I belonged there. During those weeks of living there, though, I almost took my ex back. I wanted to, but he never admitted he wanted to and I never did either. So that was the end of us after that. I heard he turned into a man whore after that. Now, he was the one cheating on gfs. Think he ended up having 3 kids with 3 girls. He passed away the year I was pregnant with my first daughter. Died young, in a collision cuz he was a truck driver. RIP.

I moved home that October, in grade 10 and continued on with James. So, in those years, that was our break. Until we ended it in March of '06.

I can talk about my first son's dad, D. It's now April and the time of MSN messenger, we didn't have a computer at the time so only used it at my other best friend at the time, Mary's, where she used to babysit. She had made my account and added who she had on hers. Nobody, but close friends, really knew who I was on there. And one of them was D. He noticed I was on there and would keep asking who I was, and I never told him. I knew who he was. I'd seen him around, he was new to our school and used to go out with my cousin. One time I happened to actually agree to babysitting for my oldest sister, Ann. She had a computer and I was logged into MSN. My niece, Demi, was with me visiting and went on and started answering my messages. One of them was D asking me, again, who I was. He finally knew. Then dummy asked me out. That's how everyone had got together, it wasn't dates first, you just become a couple lol. And she wrote yes! I was so weirded out cuz I didn't know him personally and never even thought of him that way. After I was done sitting, I went pick him up at his sisters, drove around awkwardly and dropped him off. In school, even though he was about 3 and some years older than me, I was still ahead of him in classes. We only had one class together and it was weird cuz that one class, he'd just stare lol. At the time I had 2 other best friends, along with Marie and Claire, I had Charles and Randall. I was more with them than the girls now, since like grades 8 or 9. Anyways, not about them. Point was, I told Charles and he was laughing, like wtf, odd couple lol. And everyday after school I had a rule about my truck, Charles and Randall always had dibs, and whoever wanted to come had to call the 2 other seats. One day, D was waiting by my truck. Mind you, the only talking we ever did was on messenger. So i was freaked out by the surprise. He jumped in, and got super stoned with us. He didn't even get high regularly lol. He asked to be dropped off and that was it.

I was saying I didn't think I could do it cuz it was too awkward. But he ended up calling my mum's house, breaking up with me. So, I say it's cool, no hard feelings lol. His reason was, his mom and my dad were cousins. I accepted that... like what a weird side story. But noooo, he called me like 3 days later saying he wanted to give us a shot cuz, "he wasn't my real dad, so we're not blood related." Fuck we were dumb lol. But nobody seemed to care, cuz technically, he was right. And again, I got used to him. We actually turned out to get along really well. Our humour matched each other and I had always had fun with him. I graduated, we spent the summer together. Then, I decided I wasn't going to post secondary and "take the year off". He decided he didn't want to go back to school cuz I wasn't attending. So, like my previous relationship, he turned out to be super clingy. And, again, I was a cheater and he never wanted to end it. It was sort of toxic cuz he would cheat, even went as far as getting another gf 3 hrs away and going to see her. But we always took each other back.

That December I found out I was pregnant. I was 18, he was 22. We stayed together, and were good for those months. But it went back to being bad again cuz I started drinking after I had my son.

James was always in the picture cuz he'd always call and I never really let him go, and he was always the one calling so I take it it that he didn't either. During this time too, James had been in 2 other relationships, and been in jail for the months I was pregnant. (I wouldn't know what for for real until a couple years later). But he had heard from his current gf I had a son, cuz she would look at my Bebo profile. Back when that was a thing.

My son was only 5 months old when I broke it off with D for the last time and went back to James. I can't really say I regret this decision because I'd go on to have my 3 beautiful daughters and I'll just have to believe everything happened for a reason.

I just feel horrible I did that my son's dad. He really was a good guy and I knew he really tried to have a family and he loved me. I was young, not really ready to grow up and I thought I loved James more.

My son is 12 now, was raised good, a respectable young man. He was raised by D's parents. D has a gf, had been with her after us, so a long fucken time lol. We still hooked up (before her), like a couple times. Still talked about things, and I was happy at the time we could still be friends. He was a person I still could have trusted about anything. It all changed when he got this gf though. Idk why, I knew we were over. Once, when James and I broke up (my son was already living with his parents, and before I got pregnant with my first daughter) I had asked D if he wanted to try again. I swear that was my first time ever asking someone to take me back lol. But he said no, he didn't trust me. With good reason, though. I had hurt him. So, idk why that girl made him delete and block me on Facebook. Just one day, I was going to ask him if he ever gotten our kid's school pictures done and he was gone. It was just done lol. To this day, we don't talk. I talk small talk if he comes into the store when I'm working, but nothing else. Whatever though, I hope he's happy lol. It was just sudden, cuz we were actually friends before that. Damn jerk lol.

I think I'll stop here. I now have a son, and just gotten back together with James. I think I'm at January of 2008. Rough times ahead.

Plus, there's a lot of stuff I've missed in my high school years I'll probably come back to if needed. All of these are just main events. But until next time, ✌.

#allofme #mystory

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let-it-raines · 6 years ago

Text

Second in Command (Ep - Part 4)

Rating: Mature

A/N: Just wanted to say that you guys are continuously kind people, and I appreciate every read, like, kudos, ask, comment, and reblog on this ridiculously long story! :D

Found on AO3: Beginning | Current

Tumblr Chapters: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |

Epilogue Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Tag List: @nikkiemms @resident-of-storybrooke @kmomof4 @wellhellotragic @ekr032-blog-blog @bmbbcs4evr @onceuponaprincessworld @jennjenn615 @a-faekindagirl @mayquita @captainsjedi @captswanis4vr @teamhook @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @branlovesouat @dreadpirateemma @alys07 @andiirivera

Indy walks ahead of him, her leash tugging him along, while Emma walks beside him, their steps matching up as their feet move over the pavement in the gardens. The dullness of the winter plants, brown and gray trees barren of leaves, are fading away and blooming into lush greens and vibrant colors. It’s still cold outside, temperatures dipping low, so he and Emma are bundled up as they take their early morning walk, something they’ve taken up together in the past few weeks.

He finds it relaxing with the simplicity of it all, and he knows that Emma feels the same. It’s a way for them both to get some exercise on days when the gym in their home goes unused as well as a way to give Indy more space to run. She’s calmed as she’s gotten a bit older, but she’s still rambunctious and would likely need acres and acres of land to roam and be completely happy with her running space. Maybe they should travel up to Norfolk and go to their country home so she has a larger backyard and he and Emma have more privacy to go out and about outside of their home without the interference of photographers and reporters aching for a picture of Emma’s stomach.

The last two months of their lives have been, quite frankly, some of the most hectic of his life. Finding out Emma is pregnant was honestly one of the best moments of his life, even if how she phrased it was a little cheeky after such an awful scare. God, when she fell on that stage, he felt his heart drop to his stomach. He’d never been more terrified of anything in his entire life. Something was wrong with his wife, his best friend, and he didn’t know what it was. She was conscious the entire time, but she just wasn’t right. And the two hours between her fall and her telling him that they were having a child, well, he felt as if they’d never end.

Now he knows he was being a bit dramatic, but hindsight is always twenty-twenty instead of the blurry, faded vision that comes when you’re in the moment. Emma and the baby are just fine, growing like a weed really. She’s got the smallest of stomachs, something she woke him up and showed him just a few days ago. She was so excited, her eyes lighting up and practically sparkling under the bathroom’s lights, and sure enough, there was the slightest curve to her stomach, more physical proof that they’re having a child, not that he really needed anymore. But it was something special, and he was just as thrilled to get to see the changes in her stomach.

And in her breasts, but that doesn’t seem to be a very fatherly thing to think. He thinks it, though, and he really appreciates the growth and how her libido has come back in full force in the past few days. That’s simply something he won’t be sharing with the child one day, but he hopes she (he’s absolutely convinced they’re having a little girl even if he can’t seem to come up with the reason why) can see how enamored he is with her mother. If not, he’s failed them both.

“Hey, babe?”

“Yeah?” he questions, reaching his hand out and twining their fingers together while they continue to walk together, nearing Liam and Abigail’s apartment.

“I think we should go on a babymoon.”

“What the bloody hell is a babymoon? I’m pretty sure that’s not a phase of the moon they taught us in primary school.”

She laughs before taking a step closer to release his hand and tuck her arm around the crook of his elbow while resting her head on his shoulder. He knows she’s being affectionate, but he also knows that she’s not willing to admit that her hands are cold because he suggested she wear gloves before they went out and she didn’t. She’s stubborn as hell, his love.

“I mean, it’s just, like, a vacation before the baby is born. The name is a ridiculous thing. I know it’s super trendy and all, but maybe we could get away for a week or a weekend before I’m not allowed to fly anymore. I think something different might be good for us. Something warm.”

“So before you’re heavily pregnant? When can you not fly? Six or seven months?”

“Yep, I was thinking next month or May. Maybe June if we don’t travel too far away.”

“Well next month is busy.” He runs through the plans he knows they have, trying to remember everything off the top of his head while attempting to get Indy to move away from the rose bushes. “We had to push back the Kidding a Goal two-year event already to May, and Liam’s fortieth birthday party is happening. I’ve also got the trip to Poland. Those are just the big things, I think. We’d also have to work around our engagements, but the middle of May would probably work.”

“We could do it for our anniversary. Just earlier.” “True,” he agrees, continuing to run through his calendar in his head while tugging at Indy’s leash again, the dog finally deciding to move on with her explorations. “Why don’t we work on it when we get home this afternoon?”

“Sounds good to me,” she sighs, nuzzling her head into his shoulder before laughing at Indy attempting to chase a bird that’s flittering between bushes

The three of them return back to their apartment twenty minutes later, Indy’s tired legs and the cool air winning out, in order to shower and get ready to drive to Hounslow for their St. Patrick’s Day activities. Emma’s stylists work on her hair and makeup while he gets ready, dressing in his Irish Guard uniform as he did for their wedding. He catches Emma looking at him in the mirror, and he throws her a wink, smiling while bobby pins are attached to her hair to keep her hat in place over her blonde curls.

This is one of his favorite events and though it’s technically Emma’s responsibility, he always joins her for this particular engagement. It’s likely because he gets to pal around and drink a Guinness with members of the Guard afterward, but he enjoys it all around. It’s relaxed and informal, despite the military aspect of it, and those are always his favorite things to do. State dinners and other diplomatic events are not usually enjoyable, but he understands he’s there for the country and his father, not himself. He can help better Britain even if he’s really there to smile and shake hands while telling a cheeky joke that would get him in loads of trouble if his father ever caught wind of it.

(He’s still eternally thankful Brennan has no idea about the joke he once made while slightly intoxicated about the size of his father’s ego having a negative effect on other parts of his anatomy. It’s not the 1600s, he has a good relationship with his dad, and he feels like he still might get beheaded for that one.)

Thomas drives them to Hounslow, and they get out of the car to go and greet the crowds outside, shaking hands and accepting gifts. Over the years he’s grown accustomed to accepting flowers and letters, the occasional handmade jar of jam after he was once pictured as a child with raspberry jam all over his face, but lately it’s been all baby gifts all of the time. They have quite the collection of baby shoes, which he doesn’t understand because infants don’t need them, but they are damn cute. And tiny, so tiny. How can a human’s feet be so small?

He’s obviously well prepared to be a father if he can’t get past the size of infant shoes.

Sure enough, he’s handed several booties and outfits, the colors ranging as everyone tries to guess if they’re having a boy or girl and bugging him as if he’s going to share the private news with everyone. He and Emma don’t even know yet. She’s not far along enough, though he has a sneaking (see: strong) suspicion they’re having a girl. Emma thinks they’re having a boy, and he’s choosing to think that he knows better.

He very rarely does.

“Thank you,” he tells everyone, handing some of the gifts, including a miniature version of his uniform, to their aides, “this is so sweet of you all. Emma and I give you all of our love.”

He finds Emma near the end of the line, sliding his hand around her waist and pulling her closer while she fumbles with a few gifts too, stuffed bears and clothes along with a few flowers that are already causing some of her allergies to kick in.

“You ready to go inside, my love?”

“Yep,” he whispers in her ear as a camera flashes behind him, “we’ve got some Shamrock to hand out and beers to drink. Well, at least I get to do the second part.”

“Shut up,” Emma playfully whines, waving to people as they walk by, “you’re being rude reminding me of that.”

“Well, I do so enjoy pushing your buttons. Maybe I’ll let you kiss me later so you can taste the alcohol.”

“Yeah, I don’t think you should be counting yourself at getting lucky today, no matter how many four leaf clovers you find.” She kisses his jaw before pinching his cheek, and he barks out a laugh while they walk inside to get situated for the parade and the rest of their duties.

He wakes to kisses up and down his arm, soft lips and softer skin pressing into him as the haze of sleep fades away and the darkness of their bedroom comes into view. He can barely see a thing, his eyes still adjusting to the lack of light, but he can feel the heat of Emma’s body pressing into his back and sending pinpricks of pleasure throughout his body.

“W – what time is it, love?”

“A little past two.”

She kisses the back of his neck, right at his hairline, and the pressure of her breasts and her stomach pressing against him while her foot is running up and down his calves is already too much when he hasn’t been awake for more than a minute.

“Emma, love,” he grumbles when she starts inching down his back, her tongue tracing his spine, “you’ve got to give a man a moment.”

She stops then, rolling off of him and onto her back, the mattress slightly bouncing under her weight, and he groans at the lack of heat between them now. He didn’t mean for her to stop completely, but she’s obviously taken it that way. So he scoots over and kisses up her shoulder and her neck, fast flickers of his lips until he’s slanting them over hers and hovering above her.

“Hey, why’d you stop?”

“You told me to give you a moment, figured you weren’t quite ready or in the mood or something.”

She shrugs, her mused hair moving up and down as her eyes blink and her lips tick up on one side. His hand finds her face, caressing her cheek, and he smiles softly when she smiles back up at him.

“First of all,” he begins, pressing a kiss against each of her eyelids, “I am nearly always in the mood to be with my knock-out of a wife, so don’t get it in that head of yours that I’m not.” He moves to kiss behind her ear then, gently nibbling on the lobe. “Secondly, all I needed was a moment. It’s been awhile since I’ve been woken up in the middle of the night when you’ve already kept me up late.”

She laughs under her breath, the smallest, sweetest sound, before twisting her head and kissing him, slow and sweet so that he feels it in every inch of his body.

“Yeah, well, you can blame your kid for that.”

“Yes, I’ll tell her right as she’s born that she’s made mummy and daddy’s sex life slow down before she’s even born. I’m sure she’ll totally get that.”

“First of all, we still don’t know, and you are being super stubborn with the girl thing. And second of all, since we’re making points, our sex life is fine. We literally had sex three hours ago.”

“I said she’s slowing it down, not ruining it.”

“Semantics.”

“Romantic.”

“What?” She laughs, her eyes crinkling up on the sides as her smile stretches across her face. “That’s in no way romantic.”

“Oi, I think it is. Don’t you think sex is romantic?”

“I mean, obviously.” She rolls her eyes before rolling onto her side and pulling the comforter up over her. “But not in this context no. What I was doing before we got into this discussion was romantic sex.”

“That wasn’t sex.”

“It was the preface to sex, which is sometimes the best part. I was doing naughty things to you.”

“Did you just use the word naughty instead of dirty? Darling, you are officially British. Next thing you know you’re going to speaking with an accent.”

“I have an accent,” she protests, scrunching up her nose. “It’s just not the same as everyone over here, which I think makes me unique in all of the best ways.”

He rolls back over on his stomach and hooks his arm over Emma so that she can rest her chin on his forearm while he rests his on his pillow next to her head. “So do you think the babe will sound more like you or me?”

“You.” “Why?” “Because they’re going to grow up around people who sound like you. That’s what influences the accents, not necessarily just the parents. Think about it. I have an American dad and a British mom, and I have an American accent because that’s where I grew up.”

“True,” he hums, moving his hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. “Does that bother you at all?”

“Nah, not at all. It’s like the opposite of how it was in my house growing up. It’s kind of weird when you think about how similar it is.” She tilts her head and smirks at him. “Plus, your accent is damn sexy.”

“Really now?” he purrs, inching closer to her before crawling over her and propping himself up on his forearms and knees, making sure not to press his weight down on her stomach. “You think I’m sexy?”

“I think your accent is sexy,” she corrects, her lips ticking up on one side while her hands frame his cheeks, cool fingertips inching up into her hair and tugging him down so that he can feel the heat of her breath brushing over her lips. “Would you like to get back to where I was trying to go earlier or can I cross off doing naughty things to you?”

“Whatever the first thing was, most definitely.”

He wakes later that morning while Emma slumbers on her side of the bed, hair tangled and falling down her bare back from where the comforter shifted in her sleep. He quietly gets out of bed, attempting not to wake her or Indy who must have wandered into the room while they were sleeping, and makes his way into the bathroom, turning the water in the shower on to get ready for today.

He should have woken an hour ago, but the bed was too comfortable and his body too tired, so he rushes through his morning routine, using Emma’s blow dryer to fix his hair instead of letting it dry naturally. He slips into a suit, putting on a pair of his ever-growing collection of cufflinks, before spritzing on his cologne and grabbing his already packed suitcase out of the closet, letting the wheels trail along the hardwood until he’s back in the bedroom.

Stepping over to the bed, he scratches behind Indy’s ears, the dog opening one eye to look at him before cuddling back into bed as he sits down next to Emma.

“Love,” he whispers, pushing her hair off of her forehead until her eyes flutter open, the green hazy and sleep-ridden, “I’ve got to go.”

“Already?”

“Yeah,” he sighs, leaning down and kissing her forehead, “my flight is in two hours, and Mum likes to travel early.”

Emma yawns before sitting up, pulling the comforter over her and looking every bit like the girl he met nearly eight years ago with her crazy hair and pillow creased face and complete lack of care if she looks put together or not. “Okay,” she sighs, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him into a hug, “but you two be safe. Call me when you land, when you come home, if anything interesting happens, if anything boring happens.”

“I know the long-distance drill, sweetheart.” He brushes his lips against hers then, feeling the softness that comes with Emma. “But it’s only two days. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Ugh, I know. Two days doesn’t give me nearly enough time to have my affair.”

“You’re a cheeky little minx, so I’m sure you could figure it out.”

“Damn right.” She kisses him again. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He reaches down and touches her stomach, her skin warm beneath his touch. “And you, little love.” Indy barks then, walking up the bed until she’s breathing in his face. “And you, Indy girl, even if you’re not supposed to be in this bed.”

He and his mother fly to Poland that morning for a dinner the British ambassador is hosting in honor of Liam and his birthday in a few weeks time. They were given short notice on the event, and since Liam couldn’t attend, Killian and Allison agreed to attend, knowing it would be no trouble for them. The morning flies by as all of these official visits do, in a flurry of handshakes and small talk, everyone attempting to fill his head with as much information as they can. It’s been awhile since he’s done an event with his mum, something he used to do when he was younger, but they fall into a natural rhythm. His mum is an expert at things like this, using her quick wit and kind smile to make everyone comfortable, and if there’s ever been anyone he’s tried to emulate, it would be her.

“Oh, this is gorgeous,” Allison compliments as they walk into the dining hall, her hand wrapped around his elbow. “We should decorate one of the rooms at home more like this. It’s more modern.”

“Well then we’d have to get rid of the ancient furniture that no one is allowed to sit on.”

She chuckles next to him as he pulls her chair out for her and waits for her to sit down before taking his own seat next to her. “You and your brother get cheekier the older you get, I swear. I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be the other way around.”

“Well, you can’t take away our video game privileges now, mum.”

The dinner is indeed wonderful and full of Polish dishes and traditions celebrating Liam. He takes a video to send to his brother, making sure to capture the cake he knows Liam would be stuffing into his face and flipping the camera around to show the smirk on his face that he got to eat it.

Should have shown up to his own pre-birthday event.

Later that night he and his mum are driven back to their hotel, and while they have separate suites, she joins him for a cup of tea, settling down into the living room with the television playing the local news. His phone buzzes just as a segment on their visit begins, and he’s thankful for the excuse to mute the sound.

“Hey, beautiful,” he greets Emma, his lips stretching into a smile as he props his feet up on the coffee table, his socks practically falling off next to his glass, “did you miss me today?”

“Obviously. However could I survive twelve hours without you?”

Her voice is dripping with disdain, and he chuckles to himself as he imagines the roll of her eyes and the absolute disinterest she has when he’s being cocky. “You could at least act a little sad.”

“I can cry if you want me to, if that would make you feel better and boost your already inflated ego.”

“So you’re just as cheeky as you were this morning then. What’d you do today, love?”

“Absolutely nothing,” she sighs, the happiness seeping through the phone speaker. “I got dressed in pajamas, took Indy out, and then we settled down in the darkness of the bedroom and watched Gilmore Girls just to relive all of that nostalgia.”

“Ah, yes, I’m sure Indy has a lot of nostalgia about Stars Hollow.”

“Of course she does,” Emma laughs, and he can hear the theme song playing in the background. “Ruby came over for a few hours with food from the restaurant. I may save some leftovers for you.”

“Yeah, I already know that won’t be happening.”

“Hey, I don’t eat that much! I haven’t even gained any more than regular pregnancy weight.”

“Love, you and the Gilmore Girls all have amazing metabolisms. I’ve gained more pregnancy weight than you simply because our walks aren’t quite the same as our runs.”

“I can still run, you know? Dr. Hudson said so as long as it’s just a jog and not too much.”

“I know. We’ll have to do that when I get home. Mum and I ate a lot of cake tonight.”

Emma hums, sighing into the phone. “I’m jealous. Tell Allison I said hi when you see her in the morning.” “She’s sitting with me in the room right now actually, so if you were going to talk bad about her, now probably wouldn’t be the time.”

“Damn. That’s obviously what I was about to do.”

He and Emma chat for a few more minutes, but he knows he has to let her go so as not to be rude to his mother. She’s been fiddling with her phone and watching the muted television, so he’s sure she’s regretting coming over only to be usurped by a phone call.

“Hey, darling, I’ve got to let you go, okay?”

“Okay, is everything alright?”

“Everything is perfect. I’ve just been boring Mum making her listen to our conversation. I love you. I hope you, Indy, and little love have a good time binging the rest of Gilmore Girls and eating all of my food.” “We will,” she promises. “I love you, too. Bye, babe.”

He hangs up the phone, smiling at the picture of he and Emma that pops up afterward, before shutting it down and placing it on the arm of his chair. He looks up at his mother then who is softly smiling at him as if she really was listening to his conversation.

“What?” he laughs, feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable.

“Nothing,” she smiles, pulling her legs up underneath her and curling into the chair, “I was just thinking about how happy you are.”

His lips twitch, and he swallows the small lump of emotion in his throat. “Well, I am happy, Mum. I’m nearly always happy.”

“I know, I know,” she waves him away, tucking her long hair behind her ears, “but you’ve just been through so much and sometimes I look at you and wonder how I got so lucky that you’re my baby. And now you’re having a baby, and I’m emotional about it all of the time.”

“Mum,” he softly laughs, getting up from his seat to cross the room and crouch down in front of her, taking her hands in his, “what’s going on? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m simply a crazy old woman.”

“Well, we all know that’s not true,” he promises, guessing that it’s not the time to be making jokes. “You’re bloody brilliant and completely and totally young.”

“Thank you, Killian. It was just that I was watching how natural you are with Emma, how good you’ll both be as parents. And I guess sometimes I feel so much regret over not getting to see you both together for all of those years. You were so cheated.”

“Hey,” he soothes, running his thumb over her knuckles and ignoring the ache in his thighs from the squat, “it’s all okay. I know that a lot of it was bloody awful, but if I’m honest, I liked having those years with Emma. We got to fall in love in peace, and as wonderful as it would be for you to have gotten to know her sooner, we can’t change that. So let’s be happy, yeah?”

“I know, darling. I’m sorry, but being a mum and a grandmother, all you want is for your kids to be happy. And you feel a bit accomplished when you realize they are. You’ll understand that soon enough.”

“Well, once we get over the terror and get used to having a person’s entire life depend on us, yeah, sure, I’ll focus on the happiness.”

His mum releases his hand to stroke his forehead, pushing the hair back. “You two are going to be wonderful, and your baby is going to be the most beautiful little thing.” “Can you say that again for me to send to Liam and Abigail? I’d like to have it on record for bragging rights for the rest of eternity.”

His mother winks at him, smiling before leaning back in her chair and asking him what movie he wants to watch. It’s been a long time since he simply spent time with his mum with no one else, so he savors it, laughing with her and talking about anything she wants until she decides to go to bed in her room next door.

The following day is full of engagements, but the two of them manage to slip away to dinner and sightseeing that evening, covering themselves in the cool early April weather and hiding away from anyone who may recognize them so they can have a normal night. Overseas visits, even with all of their setbacks and frustrations, are some of his favorite things to do if only because he can sometimes slip away and be himself in a place where fewer people know him.

Of course, he managed to slip around London for a few years as well, but he’s decided that was some kind of bloody miracle.

Early Wednesday morning they board their flight and make their way home, the four-hour plane ride seemingly stretching on for double the time until they touch down on land again and he and his mother separate into their different vehicles to make their ways back to Kensington and Buckingham, respectively.

Walking in the front door, he knows Emma won’t be home as she’s at the opening of a youth theater, so he takes the opportunity to let Indy in from their garden, indulging her in her excitement over him being home, her tail wagging so furiously she could create a windstorm. After she’s calmed, he settles down into the living room and pulls up his laptop, answering emails and organizing his schedule all while watching the shows he missed.

Multi-tasking in the best way possible, really.

It’s hours later when he hears the front door open before closing and clicking into place as heels click on their hardwood floor, the sounds getting louder the nearer she gets.

“Hi,” Emma sighs when she walks into the living room, immediately walking toward him and straddling his lap, her knees on either side of his thighs, while she presses a lingering kiss to his jaw and scrapes her fingers through his hair, “I’m so, so, so glad you’re home.”

“Hmm, me too,” he smiles before slanting his lips over hers once, twice, three times. “As much fun as I had with my mother honoring my brother, I quite prefer your company. And I was promised leftovers.”

Emma laughs against his lips as the heat of her breath washes over him and he settles into contentment. “Babe, I hate to break it to you, but those did not last.”

“Well, I guess you’ll have to figure out a different way to welcome me home.”

She smirks before burying her face in his neck, her words spoken against his skin. “A foot rub would be fantastic, thanks. Those heels are a killer.”

Without his permission, not that it has ever been that way before, the first few weeks of April pass in the blink of an eye. He wants his life to slow down, for moments to pass like waves crashing into the shore, continuous and only quickly during a storm, but that’s simply not how things work.

Of course, there are times when he’d like life to speed up the slightest bit, and right now is one of those times.

He’s been sitting on the bed thumbing through his phone for twenty-seven minutes now, half of it spent reading an article about hair loss genes being passed down simply because that’s what was at the top of the page, but he’s gotten a bit bored. There’s also the fact that they’re going to be late for Emma’s doctor’s appointment if she doesn’t hurry up. She always takes longer than him to get ready, but it’s never like this, especially when they’re just hopping over to the doctor’s office and then coming back home to get ready for Liam’s birthday party tonight.

Sighing, he rolls over on the bed until he’s standing, pulling his jeans up so that they rest on his hips, and walks into the bathroom to find it empty of Emma but with clothes strewn across the floor. He tentatively steps over them, keeping himself from picking them up and throwing them in the basket, and makes his way into the closet where Emma is stretched out on the floor with her arms over her face and her jeans on but unbuttoned and unzipped.

Bloody hell, it’s a mess in here.

“Hey,” he tentatively begins, kicking at her bare feet with the tip of his boot so that she uncovers one of her eyes, “what’s happening here?”

“My jeans don’t fit. Not a single pair of them except for the ones that have yellow paint on the ass because mom decided she wanted to have a sunny yellow living room.”

“And this is surprising to you because?”

“Because last week my jeans fit, and this week they don’t. That is some kind of fucked up thing.”

“I believe that’s called pregnancy.”

Her eyes slant and every bit of joy that was remaining on her face disappears while she stares up at him like she’s five seconds away from murdering him. “I will stab you with the first earring I find if you don’t wipe that smug smirk off your face.”

He chuckles under his breath, knowing that she’ll likely do it, before squatting down and lying on the floor next to her, emulating her position. The hardwood hurts his back, but he imagines they won’t be here for long. If they are, he’ll just have to suck it up until this all important jeans situation is resolved.

“So your jeans won’t fit, love?”

“Nope. And I don’t really think I’ve gotten that much bigger. I still just kind of look like I ate too big of a meal when I’m wearing clothes. I don’t know why this is bothering me so much. Obviously, I can just do the hairband trick until I buy new jeans, but I love wearing the damn things. They make me feel normal.”

“What? Wearing heels and a dress that perfectly matches your coat with a hat that was specifically dyed to match that coat and dress doesn’t make you feel normal? I never would have guessed.”

She snorts beside him while her hand finds his, and she wraps her fingers around his palm before pulling it up and brushing a kiss against his skin. “Surprisingly, no, that does not make me feel normal. That makes me feel like a barbie doll.”

“You’re not a barbie doll, love.”

She sighs next to him, but it’s really more of a huff. She’s frustrated, that much he knows, and a part of him is pretty sure that it’s not only because her jeans don’t fit. So he squeezes her hand, silently encouraging her to share her thoughts as he so often does with a touch or a glance.

“That’s just how I feel sometimes, you know? And I know that’s not how it is with you and me. But to the world it’s like I’m this girl who plays dress up and is a wife and an expectant mother and nothing else, which is fine if that’s what you want. And babe, I love that. I love being married to you and having a baby with you who I am so in love with it’s basically an obsession, but if I have to answer one more question about if I think you’re going to change a diaper or wake up in the middle of the night if the baby’s crying, which is literally what a parent does, while you stand next to me and answer a question about global relations, I’m going to lose my damn mind.”

“I know,” he mumbles, the weight and unfairness of her words settling into him. “I’m sorry that you’re so frustrated, and I’m sorry that some people are stuck in an old-timey world view.” He releases her hand and twists on the ground, propping his head up in his hand while looking Emma in the eye. “Why don’t you take up a patronage or two dealing with women’s rights or something similar? I know everyone was on the fence of that because they thought it was too political, but fuck that, Emma. If that’s something you want to do, you sure as hell should do it. It’s not political. It’s human, and you would be an incredible ambassador. You should do things that make you happy.”

Her eyes light up, lips twitching into a smile. “Yeah?”

“Absolutely. The fact that we don’t have any specifically for that is bullocks when we support nearly everything. You could help so many people, and I think you’d be a bloody rockstar at it.”

“I know I would.”

“That’s the spirit,” he encourages, leaning over and brushing a kiss against her lips, letting it go a little further than either of them should when they have to be somewhere soon. “But right now we’ve got to go see if I’m going to win our bet because we’ll finally see that our little love is a girl.”

“You keep thinking that. Also, there was no bet, and if there was, I never lose.”

“Oh shit, that’s cold,” Emma gasps as Dr. Hudson applies gel to her bared stomach, her bump only sticking up the slightest bit while she wears her jeans buttoned together with a hairband, the determined lass. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to that.”

“Most people never do,” Dr. Hudson assures them. “So all of your tests look good, everything in normal levels. Are we having any dizzy spells?”

“No,” Emma answers, her eyes focused on the screen that’ll show the baby in a few seconds, “I haven’t. And my diet and eating times are so regularly scheduled and planned thanks to the obsessed man next to me, so I’ve been feeling really good.”

Her hand finds his so much like earlier, and he clasps it between both of his hands before leaning down to kiss her forehead. “She’s been doing well, not a lot of symptoms.”

“Well, she’s in that wonderful sweet spot of the pregnancy. It usually only gets worse from here.”

“That’s not very encouraging.”

Dr. Hudson laughs before focusing all of her attention back on the ultrasound, the baby’s heartbeat suddenly sounding throughout the room. God, the first time he heard it, the rhythmic beat so much calmer than his own, he nearly cried. Okay, so he might have cried, a few tears slipping from his eyes. Emma didn’t even cry until later when she came home with the picture and fell apart saying she couldn’t see the baby and felt like Rachel from Friends.

But he’s grown accustomed to the sound of their child’s heartbeat now, and as the picture pops up on the screen, she’s as clear as can be.

“So we’re looking really healthy, heartbeat is good, growth is good. And you’re eighteen weeks now, so while sometimes I can’t tell, I can tell you the gender today, if that’s what you want?”

He looks down at Emma to find her already looking up at him, a smile gracing her lips as she nods in confirmation. “We want to know.”

“Alright,” Dr. Hudson smiles, looking at the monitor one last time, “you two are the lucky parents to a boy.”

A boy.

He’s going to have a son.

Holy shit, Emma’s never going to let him live this down, but he doesn’t care at this point. They’re having a boy.

“I told you so,” Emma chuckles, looking up at him with tears in her eyes. “I am never letting you live this one down.”

“I know.” He dips his head down to brush his lips against hers, squeezing her hand as tightly as possible as this begins to sink in even more. “Maybe I’ll get the next one right.”

“One human coming into the world out of my vagina at a time please.”

“You have such a way with words.”

“Just being honest,” she laughs, the sound as beautiful as the heartbeat still playing on the monitor. “I love you.”

“I love you too. And the little lad.”

“Yeah, and the little lad.”

He and Emma walk across the gardens to Liam and Abigail’s apartment, Emma’s heels clicking against the cobblestone. He already knows that she’ll be wearing his shoes on the short walk home, but she’d insisted she wear the heels for the portrait they’re taking to commemorate Liam’s fortieth birthday. It’s apparently a major milestone in life, deserving of an official portrait, and as much as he loves his brother, he thinks Liam’s a tad bit over the top.

But he and Liam differ in a lot of ways, Liam’s penchant for large celebrations and dinners with several courses while in evening wear one of those things. They were both raised this way, to expect and want dinners and parties like this, and maybe once upon a time had he never met Emma, that’s how he would celebrate all of his birthdays.

His wife, God bless her, is a fan of the simple things in life. She likes eating takeout on the couch with her feet tucked under her legs which are likely clothed in leggings that have a hole on the inside of her thigh. She enjoys sitting around watching television in the darkness of their bedroom for hours on end, sometimes an entire day (or two), and if she could, she’d probably spend the rest of her time in the garden throwing a ball for Indy to chase. For his birthday, all they did was a small dinner with friends and family, and it was perfect. He couldn’t have asked for anything more.

But he doesn’t mind the party Liam and Abigail are having. Everyone can enjoy what they want, and this day isn’t about him. It’s about his brother.

He and Emma step up to their front door, the towering black wood with moss looming above them, and he’s just about to knock on the door when Emma stops him with a hand on his forearm.

“What?” he laughs, turning to face her, their height difference almost gone with her heels.

“You have to be careful with how you talk about the baby. We’re keeping the sex a secret, remember?”

“Darling, I think they know we had sex. That’s not a secret.”

Her face scrunches up, and he leans down to brush a kiss against her lips before leaving a trail of kisses across her face, making her laugh under her breath.

“You’re going to make dad jokes. I already know.”

“I’ve been preparing for it with my humor for my entire life.” He grins, kissing her again simply because he can. “But I promise I’ll be on my best behavior, and I won’t mention our joyful news. As far as anyone in there knows, we know nothing.”

“That’s right Jon Snow.”

“Hey,” he chuckles, wrapping his arm around her waist and tugging her into his side before knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell, “he lived in the series, so that’s totally not an insult.”

The door opens before Emma can say anything else, Liam appearing on the other side of the door in his suit. “Hey guys,” he greets, a bright smile on his face as he takes a step back, “why don’t you come on in?”

“So nice of you to invite us into your home when we were supposed to be here,” he snarks, knowing it’ll rile Liam.

“Well, I was going to say I’m glad to see you, but I’m apparently only glad to see Emma. Hello, love,” he smiles before leaning into kiss Emma on the cheek and wrap her in a hug. “How are you today?”

“Good, great really. Happy birthday, old man.”

Liam barks out a laugh before releasing Emma, clapping her on the shoulder and throwing her a wink. “Has Killian been calling me older brother, emphasis on the older, all day?”

“Surprisingly not, but that’s just because he calls you an old wanker all of the time anyways.”

“No bit of that surprises me.”

Liam embraces him then, wrapping his arms around Killian’s shoulders as Killian does the same. “Happy birthday, olderbrother. What’d you buy for your midlife crisis?”

“Saving the sportscar for the fiftieth birthday. I’m not old yet, thank you very much.”

“You two are ridiculous,” Emma laughs, walking past the both of them and down the hall where he spies Alexander and Elizabeth running between the archways.

“Are we?” Liam questions, patting him in the back before following Emma. “I don’t think anyone has ever described us that way.”

“There’s a first for everything.”

The two of them find everyone in the dining room, roaming throughout the table and the bar that’s set up through the next room. Emma’s animatedly chatting with Abigail, her hands moving all over the place while Lizzie tugs at her dress until Emma picks her up and rests her on her hip. There’s several of Liam’s old military friends as well as a few of he and Abigail’s friends who he recognizes from events over the years. Their home is packed, chatter filling his ears while he goes around greeting everyone before stopping at the bar and ordering a glass of rum.

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be in solidarity with your wife?”

He turns to the side and smiles down at Abigail, kissing her temple after he finishes his sip. “Hello, darling. Did Emma send you over here to tell me that?”

“No, but I remember being pregnant and my husband’s lips tasting like whiskey after a party.”

He chuckles under his breath, finding Emma talking to his parents before turning back to look at Abigail. “The only problem with that statement is that Liam drinks whiskey instead of rum. Bloody awful drink. And I’ve cut back on the coffee and tea in solidarity, thank you very much.”

“Oh well look at you Mr. Big Shot,” she jokes, squeezing his bicep. “You’re just so kind.”

“Someone is awfully sassy today, love. Is it because you’ve realized you’re married to an old man and are compensating?”

“Exactly. I’m trying to cope with his ancient age.” “That’s what I thought. I’m going to go kiss Emma so she tastes the rum since I’m just that evil.”

Abigail snorts next to him, and he leaves her with a smile before making his way to Emma and kissing her before she gets a chance to say anything. He lets his tongue flicker out so she can taste the rum, his own little private joke, but he doesn’t think she minds from the way she hums into it. His parents probably mind from the way they cough next to him, but they can wait.

“Hi,” Emma whispers when he pulls back, “did you forget we’ve got company, tiger?”

“No. I just didn’t bloody care.”

His parents laugh behind him, and he turns to greet them then, hugging his parents and asking them how they’re doing before they get called off to chat. Liam really should have held this dinner somewhere other than his home for how many people are in here, and Emma asks him to go sit in the other room, quiet surrounding them until Alex runs in and practically jumps on Emma’s stomach with all the force of his bony limbs.

“Mummy told me that you have a baby in your belly, Emmy.”

“Well, your Mummy is a smart lady because I do have a baby in my belly.”

“Wow,” Alex gasps, his eyes lighting up as he puts his hands on Emma’s stomach before looking up at her and speaking in the cutest little voice with his broken words that are constantly getting better. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

“We don’t know yet,” Emma lies, and Killian chuckles next to her, rubbing up and down her back. “That’s going to be a surprise.”

Alex huffs and crosses his arms, obviously cross at them for not letting him know if his cousin is going to be a boy or a girl. It’s likely a good thing he wasn’t old enough to understand this all when Abigail was pregnant with Lizzie because he would have been up in arms about all of the surprises and secrets. “What’s its name?”

“We don’t know that either, buddy,” he answers to try to take some of Alex’s blame off of Emma.

“I think you should name it Fish.”

Emma snickers next to him, biting her bottom lip to try to contain it. It’s then that he gets an idea, sticking out his stomach as far as he can and making himself look bloated. “What about me, buddy? Does Uncle Killian look like he’s having a baby?”

“Uncle Killian looks like a silly goose,” Abigail coos as she steps in the room, squatting down next to Alex, “and you look like someone who needs to go to sleep.”

“I don’t want to.”

“You have to. It’s bedtime.”

Alex’s bottom lip starts quivering while his eyes begin to water, the meltdown imminent. Within seconds Abigail has him on her hip walking out of the ballroom and meeting Liam and Elizabeth by the doorway, the two of them walking away to put their kids to bed like some kind of well-oiled machine.

“You know, Abigail isn’t even my mother, and if she told me it was time to go to bed, I’d listen.”

Emma giggles beside him, leaning back into the couch and into him before resting her head on his shoulder. He kisses her hair while he rubs her back, knowing she’s likely tired when they’ll still be here for awhile, but it’s only a short walk home if she asks for it.

“You are a very smart man because you listen to all of the women in your life.”

“Damn right. Even Lizzie. She’s two, but she’s the boss.”

“Who’s the boss?” Brennan asks them, settling down on the couch across the coffee table from them. “Because the answer better be your mother or Emma. If not, you are lying, son.”

“Lizzie,” Emma answers for him, patting his stomach before her hand rests on his thigh, squeezing a little too high as if she’s trying to rouse him. “Lizzie is the boss.”

“Damn right,” Brennan laughs, echoing Killian’s words from a moment ago even if he didn’t hear them. “I’ve never seen a kid with such spunk.”

“Oi, I had that kind of spunk, dad. Still do.”

“Yeah, but you’re old now. I don’t remember these things.”

“Your firstborn is forty! I’m still barely in my thirties! How can you call me old? You’re the oldest person at this party.”

“And the most handsome,” Allison adds in, sitting down next to Brennan and brushing a kiss against his cheek. His parents were never affectionate before, and as happy as he is with everyone’s changes, his fifteen-year-old self is cringing watching them be that way. But it’s only in the best way, his family having felt like a family for two years now, and no part of him would trade things to go back to how they were.

Eventually dinner is served and everyone sits down at the large table, silverware clicking against plates and the laughter and chatter in the home only increasing the more people drink (except for he and Emma of course because he does abstain in solidarity sometimes). There’s several stories about Liam told, some he’d never heard before, and his stomach hurts from laughter. God, his brother was such a crack up, something he never really knew, and he wishes they’d gotten along all of those years.

But they didn’t. There was too much of an age discrepancy, too much of a difference in wants out of life, and most of all, too much hostility. He loves his brother, something that took him a long time to admit, but Liam’s not perfect. He can still be a bloody git and they still argue over some things, but he’s changed. And while there are still flashes of the day he came to this very home to confront his brother, to try to work things through only to be rejected and told that Liam’s only trying to do better for his children, he’s come to terms with it. They can’t change the past. They can’t take things away or add words left unsaid, but forgiveness even when the other person doesn’t deserve it is a powerful thing.

Or so he’s been learning over the past few years.

This is infinitely better than any life he could have lived away from his parents and his brother. And he’d have given it all up for Emma. There’s no doubt about it, and he still fully believes that. She’s worth it all. But this is better.

“Hey,” Emma whispers, rubbing between his shoulder blades before her hand finds the hair at the tape of his neck, causing shivers to run down his spine, “what are you thinking about? You’ve zoned out.”

He hums, closing his eyes before leaning over and kissing her temple, the vanilla of her shampoo invading him. “I was thinking about you.”

“Cheesy.” “Absolutely. But also the truth. I just…all of these stories about Liam, they make me realize how glad I am that we went through all of that to fix it and came out better on the other side because now I have stories to tell about him like that.” “I thought you were thinking about me.”

“Well, that came after thinking about my brother.” “That’s kind of gross.”

“Yeah, well, I was thinking about how I’m glad we’re here, but I’d still give it all up for you. And for the little love, my love.” “Well,” Emma smiles, tangling their fingers together under the table, “the good thing is that you don’t have to. We’re all a big, messy, wonderful package that you get for the rest of your life whether you like it or not.”

#second in command #cs fic #cs ff #captain swan fic

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softforhenry · 8 years ago

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Dean’s Birthday Week

Now that they’re officially together, Cas wants to celebrate Dean’s birthday. For a whole week. Dean isn't really able to protest.

A/N: This is basically my excuse to shower Dean with love the whole week <3 I have one story planned for each day of the next week, but I gotta admit that only the one for tomorrow is written completely at this point and I’m terrible at keeping deadlines for my writing *hides* I hope I can finish this little series on time for Dean’s actual birthday, but I can’t make any promises.

There are some slight canon divergences, because I don’t like some storylines from s12 as of yet. Mary never pulled the disappearing act on her boys, but stayed with them at the bunker for a while before moving into her own apartment close by. She also bakes pie. Cas is human now, his grace having been torn from him along with Lucifer by Amara. Lucifer was defeated same as in 12x08, but never spawned Lucifer junior. So TFW got a much needed break over Christmas and Dean & Cas finally got together.

I hope you enjoy this first part :D

Also on AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9379160

Part 2 >>

January 18th, 2017

When Dean stumbles into the kitchen that morning, the first thing his sleep-addled senses register is the smell. A wonderful, almost heavenly smell, that puts his mind back in time shortly to when he was only four years old and trying to help his mom bake with his small hands, succeeding mostly in making a mess out of the kitchen. She never seemed to mind though, and the fleeting memories of those times are one of Dean’s most treasured ones.

As he peeks around the bunker’s kitchen now and spots a freshly baked pie on one of the counters, he can’t help a grin. His feet take him across the room on auto-pilot and ten seconds later he has a fork in his hand and moans around a mouthful of the most delicious pie he’s tasted in a very long time.

“Well, that didn’t take long,” comes his brother’s amused voice from behind him, but Dean can’t be bothered to stop shoveling that sweetness into his mouth long enough to form a proper reply. “Shut up,” he manages, a few crumbs falling from his lips. He watches them fall down onto the counter mournfully, while Sam winces in exaggerated disgust.

Sam comes to stand next to him and pours himself some coffee while Dean tries to suppress some of the more indecent sounds that threaten to escape him. Not that he would usually care about making his little brother squirm in embarrassment, but he can admit that he probably owns Sam a little reprieve after catching him and Cas practically naked on one of the library tables two days ago. Dean still can’t really muster up a lot of remorse about the incident, not with the way Cas had looked at him when Dean dropped to his knees in front of him just before the interrupting sasquatch appeared. But he can behave. For a few days. Maybe.

That doesn’t mean he has to like it, after all this thing between him and Cas is so new, like not-even-a-month-new, so no one should blame them for not being able to keep their hands off each other. Also they have lots of lost time to make up for and even more unresolved sexual tension and longing (“pining” was the word Sam used, but Dean chose to ignore him) to work out of their systems.

“Where did you get this?” Dean finally asks, as he puts a second slice on a plate and takes a seat across from his brother at their breakfast table.

Sam shrugs. “I didn’t. Cas dropped it off ten minutes ago.”

That brought Dean to a halt. “Why?”

He gets a weird look from Sam at that, but can’t ask what it’s about as Cas chooses that moment to stride into the kitchen, a smile breaking out on his face when he notices Dean being up and the half eaten slice of pie on his plate. “Good morning, Dean,” he greets warmly and then he’s already at Dean’s side, dropping a small kiss on his lips.

Dean can’t help the way he awkwardly rubs his neck after Cas pulls away and ignores Sam’s gleeful smirk at the PDA. “Morning, sunshine,” he replies, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth at Cas’ joyful look at the nickname.

Dean doesn’t even know when it’s started to become a thing, but putting that look on Cas’ face has become his number one priority every morning. It never even seems to take much for it to appear nowadays, it proved enough two days ago for Dean to bring Cas coffee in bed, which honestly had more to do with self-preservation than any kind of crazy urge to get out of their warm bed before five in the morning.

But Cas had promised Claire to drop by early for some research on a murder two towns over that might be one of their kind of cases. It turned out to be a lone werewolf and they hunted that thing down yesterday, getting back to the bunker late at night with only some minor scratches. Anyway, waking Cas up that early without caffeine in his vicinity turns him into one grumpy little guy with a permanent I’m-gonna-smite-you-look, and Dean tries to avoid that as much as possible since they started sharing a bed. It was much nicer to have Cas gaze at him with pleasure and affection, even if it means wandering the cold hallways of the bunker at such unholy hour.

“Did you sleep well?” Cas asks, still staring at him with a soft smile.

Dean nods, while he marvels shortly at the fact that he does sleep well lately. The nightmares still come and go, but they’re getting less frequent and not as intense as they used to. Sometimes Dean wonders if Cas has still some angel mojo left and uses it to help him sleep peacefully, but deep down he knows that the reason behind it is how content and – dare he think it – happy he’s been during the last few weeks.

Shaking himself from the curls of unease tugging at his mind at the thought that happiness never lasts long in their family, he eats another piece of his pie which proves to be the perfect distraction. He moans a little in pleasure at the taste. “Seriously, Cas. You gotta tell me where you bought this.”

“I bought most ingredients at the farmers market Sam showed me last week and baked it myself,” Cas replies like it’s no big revelation. At Dean’s incredulous look, he adds sheepishly, “Well, I had some help. Your mother allowed me to use her kitchen and gave me instructions.”

“You baked this yourself?” Dean still asks, surprised. He remembers how Cas almost burned down their stove when he tried to make some eggs about a month ago.

Cas only nods, looking proud.

“But why?” The question once again bursts out of Dean. A short look at the clock tells him that it’s not even nine in the morning, which means Cas probably got up in the middle of the night to drive over to the small apartment Mary rented close by after she decided to settle down for a normal life. Of course, Dean had hoped that she would stay with them at the bunker, but at the same time he’s relieved that she doesn’t actively hunt with them all the time. The anxiety over having something happen to her would probably give him a heart attack sooner or later.

“It’s your first gift,” Cas answers, as if that explains everything.

Gift? His first gift? For what? Did Dean already forget some kind of important date? They haven’t even been together for a month and he tries to remember if today is any kind of special occasion, but comes up blank. He risks a glance at Sam, hoping for a clue, but his brother is busy stealing a portion of his pie to taste it.

“Hey, get your own!” Dean exclaims and tries to grab at Sam’s hand, but he’s too slow to stop him from eating it. He glares darkly at Sam’s smug face for a second, before turning back to the more pressing matter of figuring out why the pie is even here to begin with.

“So, um, it’s a gift? And we’re celebrating…,” he trails off, trying to prompt Cas into finishing the sentence for him with the actual reason for said celebration.

“Yes, I have a few things planned,” Cas says unhelpfully, an excited glint in his eyes.

“Okay, that’s – that’s nice, Cas,” Dean stutters and takes another bite from his pie, while wracking his brain to figure it out.

It’s Wednesday. January. The eighteenth. The eighteenth? That makes him pause. The night in that barn in Illinois is suddenly vividly replaying in his mind. They first met on the eighteenth of September. Maybe, now that they are together, Cas sees it as some kind of anniversary.

He glances at Cas carefully, not wanting to offend him for trying to do something nice, but he doesn’t really get celebrating now in the middle of January. “Listen, Cas. I appreciate it,” he starts and notices Sam looking at him sharply at that, but he soldiers on anyway. “But don’t you think it would be better to do this at a later point?”

Cas frowns, obviously confused. “No. I’m planning to celebrate the whole week.”

“You’re plan- what?” He can’t have heard that right. Or maybe he’s dreaming this whole conversation. And the delicious pie. Which would be a shame, really.

“Dean, your birthday is in six days. And considering how many of them you haven’t celebrated, I want to do it right this year.” Cas fixes him with a stare that allows no argument, even while Dean gapes at him like a fish out of water.

Because, what the friggin’ hell? He hasn’t even given his upcoming birthday more than a passing thought, and now Cas wants to celebrate the whole week?

“That’s really nice of you, Cas,” Sam chimes in, trying to back him up. That traitor.

“Come on, you can’t be serious,” Dean scoffs, feeling very much uncomfortable with the impending attention all of this implies. His birthday is nothing special. They never did anything on that day, except drink some beer together if they’re lucky and not elbow-deep in some monster guts instead.

A pained look crosses Cas’ face and he clenches his jaw. “I am very serious,” he replies and takes Dean’s empty plate. Dean worries for a moment that Cas is so pissed at him that he’s going to take away the pie, because he can handle some pie as a gift, that’s totally okay, and Cas shouldn’t throw it all away because he’s being a jerk.

But Cas only cuts off another, rather big slice and sets it in front of him. His pinched expression softens again as he sits down next to Dean.

“I want you to enjoy this, Dean,” Cas tells him, so earnest and loving that Dean can’t form another protest.

“Okay,” he hears himself say and even though he has no idea what he’s gotten himself into by sort of agreeing to this whole thing, he feels something warm settle in his stomach that has nothing to do with the pie.

#destiel #my fics #dean's birthday week #dean winchester #castiel #sam winchester #mary winchester #fluff #cas being an awesome boyfriend

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aurelliocheek · 6 years ago

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John Romero about Doom: 25 Years of Rip & Tear

Fast. Brutal. Hardcore. Merciless. That is Doom.

Doom – ‘nuff said!« That‘s how a Post Mortem on one of the most influencial games of all times could actually look like. Doom wrote games history, Doom is pop culture, Doom is a name that stands for high-speed, hardcore and merciless shooter-action. Everybody knows it, almost everybody played it in at least one of its many different forms – be it the classics, extraordinary mods, Doom 3, fan-projects or id Software‘s Reboot from 2016, published by Bethesda.

On 10th December 2018, Doom celebrated its 25th anniversary. Seriously, is there any better reason to take the time and sit and chat with John Romero, one of id Software‘s founders and Doom‘s creators? We don‘t think so!

One does not simply create a game and thereby a completely new genre, which not only lasts until this day but has ever since evolved tremendously. Looking back at how it came to life, how does it feel being its creator? Hmm… I don’t really think of it this way, which is funny. Even though we made first-person shooters, we originally thought of it as making a better maze game. One that was faster and more fluid – that’s what it felt like at the very, very beginning. Action games or even RPGs before »Wolfenstein 3D« or even »Catacomb 3D«, which was a very fluid moving maze game with demons and stuff, were all built like these 90°-turn wall passages, where each tile only had enough room for one object like a person or enemy; take for example »Might & Magic«, »Ultima« or »Eye of the Beholder«. However, all that these games did was making better wall graphics, but they didn’t make it smoother and faster. And I think, that’s kind of what we did: we took out that block movement, which started with »Maze War« in 1974 – and even that already had deathmatch in it!

There was a game called »Wayout«. It took place in a similar maze, but there were some spaces in the game that were a little bit more open and in which you could fluidly move around. It wasn’t super-fast – it still was an Apple II, with 1 MHz – but fluid. You could turn around in 360° and I was super impressed when I saw that and so I knew that it was possible.

»Catacombs 3D« (upper picture) and »Hovertank One« were the predecessors of »Wolfenstein 3D« and »Doom«.

In 1991, »Hovertank One« was the first time we actually had 3D on screen and moved around in the same kind of mazes (laughs). After Catacomb 3D, we eventually got to Wolfenstein 3D, which was really fast – as fast as we could go in VGA. But Doom really changed it all and it did so, because the environment changed. We got out of these block mazes and went into places that were way cooler and that aspect was very important for the genre to start.

Whenever someone creates something outstanding, people on the outside – in this case gamers – develop high expectations for whatever comes next, and with it there often goes a certain amount of pressure: the pressure of fulfilling these expectations. How has creating Doom influenced your career and how did you deal with the pressure? Well. At id Software, the only pressure we had was our own. We wanted to make really good games. That was the whole point and it didn’t matter what anyone else thought or what other people said; for example, things like »It’s too satanic!« or whatever – we didn’t care at all. It was never going to stop us from doing what we wanted and we never let it pressure us. Nobody makes the best game every time they make a game! By the time Doom came out, I had been making games for 14 years, and during that time every game was getting better and better, but you can’t expect your next game to be the best that’s ever been made, that’s just not realistic. We knew that, because at that point each of us had been making games for at least 10 years. And if you make a lot of games, they’re not going to all be hits – that’s just simple facts. Yeah, we had pressure, but it was our own drive to make really cool stuff! Actually, Doom was the only game where we said at the very beginning that we need to make the best game that we could imagine playing – that was the only time we ever did that (chuckles). »Demons on the Prey«

A Week of Deathmatch with John Romero at GDC, 2013, San Francisco.

Going back even further: what actually sparked the idea for Doom, besides the urge to make a more fluid and advanced maze game, but also in regard to story, setting and everything there is? Did you get any inspiration from books or movies for example? (laughs) It was actually inspired from our D&D campaign. We played »Dungeons & Dragons« for a long time. John Carmack was our dungeon master and he had a world that he had been developing for years when we got together. It had tons of characters in it and it was super political – it was really great! And the D&D campaign ended when I, well… did something that destroyed the world. I opened up a portal to a plane where all the demons are, and they all just poured out over the course of months and destroyed everything in the whole world. Carmack obeyed his own rules and the world was over… and it was due to demons flooding in and ruining everything there was.

So, that was the end of our playing D&D for a while (laughs).

When we were thinking about making Doom, we thought about using this idea, the story about demons pouring in through some kind of portal, and the player actually has the ability to stop it. With that idea, we were thinking about a setting, and we wanted to do something ›sci-fi-futurish‹, because we had already done the ›World War‹ II thing, and we thought that with the new technology we can actually make it look pretty cool. So, with this futuristic setting in mind, Tom Hall came up with the idea of bringing it all to Phobos, where the UAC (Union Aerospace Corporation) was experimenting with teleportation. Doing that, they accidentally opened up portal to hell, but instead of aliens, it’s actually hell coming through (chuckles) and that was something new. No player expected to find hell in space, and that made the game surprising and very interesting. Adding in some of our favourite stuff sci-fi-wise, we thought about what sci-fi-action movies were big at that time and »Aliens« instantly came to mind. We wanted something like that, something terrifying. Also, the dark humour – that’s just part of who we are, and back then »Evil Dead 2« was one of our favourite movies of all time, so we wanted to have this sensibility, and of course the chainsaw and the shotgun (grins)!

In hindsight, is there something you were never 100% happy with? Well, yeah… I wish that I had made a lot more levels… You know, I just made the first episode and not even the boss level, Sandy Petersen had made that because we were just down to the wire. It was a really busy year. We started the game with Tom, until he left us in August. In September, Sandy came on board and first plowed through all of Tom’s stuff and started retexturing and fixing things, and just trying to get a lot of levels done. That was what Sandy was doing, while my work in the beginning was creating the level editor – can’t make any levels without an editor, right? I had to program the tool, and it was really hard coming up with levels that didn’t look like Wolfenstein or rather everything we’ve ever seen in our whole life. So, creating the abstract level design style and developing all that took some time to bring it as far away from Wolfenstein as we could. Then I had to do all the level programming: everything that happens in a Doom level – meaning stairs, doors, lights flickering, you name it – I wrote all of that code, plus the ›save & load‹ code, as well as the tools outside of Doom like the install program, setup, and DM. All of that took me a lot of time and I just wish I would’ve had more time to make more levels.

That’s the only regret I have. Other than that, I still think it turned out great – but it could’ve even been better!

»Aliens« and the character of Ash Williams from »The Evil Dead« inspired certain elements of Doom, be it the atmosphere within the game or… well, the chainsaw and shotgun. Groovy! Copyright: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

If you had the chance to make Doom with today’s tech, how would it look? Or rather: were there any features you weren’t able to realize due to technical limitations? Hmm, if I had the same tech as back then, pretty much the same, only with me making more levels. With today’s tech? Completely different, obviously (laughs). Regarding features: no… (pauses). No, we actually put everything in that we wanted to have in the game – at that time! After a game comes out and you see what people do with it, then of course you get all kinds of ideas of what would be really cool to have. But those things didn’t exist while we were making the game. There simply wasn’t any game like it, so there’s really no way to say »Oh yeah, we messed up« or »We didn’t do a lot of things, because we didn’t have enough time«, simply because those ideas didn’t exist as the game wasn’t out, yet. Everything in the whole world was pre-Doom.

In Germany, Doom I & II were indexed, but re-rated after roughly 19 years. In October 2012, Bethesda released the »Doom 3: BFG Edition«, which included the (not indexed) »Doom3« as well as both the originals. And the amazing thing after having played both games again after almost two decades: they still hold up to this very day and that is quite impressive. Yeah, right? It’s like with »Super Mario« or »Donkey Kong«. It still feels excellent. It’s just that no one really knows how to nail a classic. You have to have a lot of experience making stuff before that’s going to happen. Nowadays, source ports of Doom feel smoother than it did at the very beginning. Now it’s super smooth and really, really fast!

Looking at so many other games that exist, no matter the genre, a lot of them aged really badly. What are, in your opinion, the key elements for Doom not being one of them? Number 1: I think that one of the most important things when you start programming a game, is that it’s tied to a timer, you need to have timer chip control. That means that you’ll never go too fast on any future computer. When we wrote our games, even before id Software, John and I were individually writing games with timer chip control. So as soon as our game starts we immediately set the timer chip for the refresh rate we want the game to go at, and to make sure it doesn’t go faster than that. If it went slower than that, then we would have code that would fix the speed of the character to match where they should be, for example if your CPU was a little too slow. So you actually have to have code to handle moving too slow on a slow computer, but also ensures that moving is never too fast on future computers as well. That’s unbelievably important.

When you go and look back at any games from that time period, they just zoom all over the screen, as they’re just too fast, because CPUs are insane now. The ones that are still super playable are the ones that have real hardware control. None of the Origin games had timer control because they were maxing-out the fastest computers when they released (laughs).

Is it safe to say, that first-person shooters are your favourite genre? I think so, yeah. I mean, it’s super immersive, it looks amazing, there’s lots of great puzzle-solving in that space. I love »Half Life 2«’s physics puzzles – being in a space like that is just so much more immersive than any 2D puzzle game. But that’s a totally different kind of thinking. Before making shooters, I did a ton of different games. For me, Wolfenstein was game number 87! Before that, I had already made 86 games – and that’s only the ones that were being published. So, yeah, I had some practice before Doom (laughs). Up to today I‘ve now made a total of around 150 games.

As an example: Less than a year ago, I did a 10-hour gamejam. The title turned out to be a really cool little game called »July 4th 1976«. I worked on it with a coder friend of mine, and it was super creepy and different. I put it in the App Store, and boom – a new game (laughs). There’s another gamejam next weekend I want to attend. Maybe I can put out another game.

Actually, the last time I’ve been to a gamejam, my son joined me. He flew over from the US to Ireland for father’s day. So, we did a gamejam in the city with a whole bunch of other people and we made something really cool, but the idea was way too big for the time we had. I want to finish it though, because the idea was really cool. You see, I’m always making stuff. I’m currently working on three different games at once.

In 2016, id Software released its Reboot of Doom – fast-paced, hardcore, brutal, real. Its successor »Doom Eternal« is set for 2019.

Are there any other genres or genre-typical mechanics you would like to mix with an FPS? Well, when creating an FPS, I don’t really think about genre-merging, because to me that would feel kind of artificial. When I want to make a new shooter, I rather think about what I want to do in this gameplay style that hasn’t been done and what I haven’t seen before. Take the original »Prey« for example, where you could walk on walls, which totally changed the whole game. They didn’t mash up any genres, they simply put in a very cool feature.

Actually, I do have some cool ideas, but I can’t really talk about them, because… well, you know…(laughs)! But seriously though, there’s still so much that hasn’t been done in FPSs, yet. And it’s amazing how the genre evolved. Just take the first-person perspective. The fact alone that with »Quake« we have created a fluid high-speed first-person perspective, all in 3D. Even games like »World of Warcraft« had to come from that. In fact, the lead programmer of WoW worked on Quake. So when you talk about influences, Doom sure was the beginning, but Quake’s impact was also big. The Production Director for »Overwatch« is the same guy who coded the 3D engine for »Star Wars: Dark Forces« back in 1995. And it’s funny how eventually it all goes back down to Doom, when it comes to a full 3D world.

We actually helped Valve when they started working on »Half-Life«. They came over to our office, and we set them up with a Quake Engine license, and I talked to them about what kind of team they’d need to make an FPS, then they started their company. But it’s not only FPSs – Markus Persson who created »Minecraft« once told me that Doom was the reason he became a programmer. So, you could say that without Doom, there wouldn’t be a Minecraft today (laughs).

From all the first-person shooters that came out in recent years, which is your favourite? Ummm… (long pause). You know, I really like the new »Doom«! It’s got the attitude, it’s got the speed. And for today, it was about making things move fast, but you just can’t have 50 super-fast demons on you, you just couldn’t live. It’s got just the right amount. In the original Doom, we often had a lot of enemies on the screen, but they would move slower. But yeah, it just feels like a really good hardcore shooter and it inherits the essence of how hardcore shooters should be and how we wanted to make them.

… the starting scene where the Doom Marine just takes the screen on which he’s told what’s going on and he just throws it away. All in all though, it feels like they treated the material with the right attitude and necessary respect. (Starts cheering) Yeah! It‘s like »I don’t care. There is no story. Rip & Tear!« And you’re right, they really got what Doom was and made it right. This is absolutely what we would have done if we had the tech. They went into the same direction we would have gone anyway. They worked on it for seven years – that’s such a long time, but they took the time and they made it right. It’s hardcore, it’s really great!

What’s your opinion on »Doom Eternal«? Unbelievable! It was such a great idea just going for that grappling hook – just do it! (laughs) But seriously, everybody is excited about it, because with the Doom they already made they proved that they know what Doom is and how to make something awesome. And what they did with the next one, was basically what we did with »Doom 2: Hell on Earth«. We didn’t mess up anything, but we took what everyone liked and made it better, and that’s exactly what they did with Eternal: they took what everybody liked and made it better, and they did not mess up anything that was already in the game. That’s how you make a sequel!

And you know what? I’m actually more excited for what comes after Doom Eternal (laughs), I mean, I really want to know where Doom goes, because we’ve seen nothing after Doom 2. This is the fifth Doom, and I’m waiting for the next Doom 3 – the real one, not the remake! Looking back at »Half-Life 2«, it was a great game. It was more expansive in scope and more scientific, such a great adventure to go on with all the changing environments and everything. But Doom… Doom is visceral, that’s the major difference.

From left to right: John Carmack, Kevin Cloud, Adrian Carmack, John Romero, Tom Hall, Jay Wilbur.

What did you think about all the easter eggs? Like the little Doom Marine figurine you fist-bump when you find it, the Icon of Sin or Commander Keen’s helmet and skull on a stick? (Laughs) The figurine was so great, and it wasn’t that hard to find. At some point you just turn and backtrack, and then you find him sitting there and I was like »Ah, so little collectibles are a thing now.« And it’s actually funny that they put the word ›Doom�� on Keen’s helmet, because the only validation for that can be found in Doom 2. There’s a secret level at the very end, where Commander Keen is hanging, and you can shoot him, that’s about it.

Speaking of secret levels: »To win the game you must get 100% on level 15 by John Romero.« – A guy called Zero Master obviously managed to be the first to get 100% of all secrets in said level. Really? After more than 20 years? And what’s the story behind that? Yup, that’s real, nobody had done that before (laughs). Basically it was a special sector that I made while making this level. I put a secret teleporter behind a wall and that teleporter would take you somewhere. But instead of the destination where the teleporter took you being marked as a secret, I marked the teleporter itself as a secret. Normally, when you go into a teleporter, you never actually touch the sector inside the teleporter – you hit the line and you’re teleported. There’s also some weird movement stuff going in that little space. To mark a secret, you also need to be at the same vertical height as the sector, and this sector is above where the player is at. In this case, the players touch the line before they reach the same height as the sector and so they’re gone.

This player who discovered it actually used a Pain Elemental to push them into the teleporter to mark that secret. No one’s ever done that (laughs) and you could tell that guy did it on purpose because he pushed the Pain Elemental all the way down this really long hallway to get there. Sometimes it’s really fascinating what players actually come up with, they do all kinds of crazy stuff (laughs)!

If you could choose one game, you would’ve always loved or still would love to be a part of – your own games excluded –, which one would it be and why? Minecraft! It’s just the best game ever made, and unlike any other game. It’s absolutely incredible! World of Warcraft would be another choice; WoW is derived from »Everquest«, which again is derived from »Ultima Online« – there’s already a lineage there. But it gets to be grindy and repetitive, while Minecraft is just unlimited creativity – simply an amazing game, and its effects on the game industry are yet to be felt even more. Take »Fortnite« or, rather, its building aspect, which is obviously influenced by Minecraft.

In which regards do you think – positive as well as negative – has the games industry changed the most over the last 25 years? Huh… there’s been so many things. The rise of Facebook and Facebook gaming was very interesting and completely unforeseen, just like Minecraft. These huge things, they just appear. »POOF« and there they are, changing the internet.

If you’re a kid who loves Minecraft, however, have fun trying to download mods for it, because everybody’s mod pages and download sites are garbage! It’s horrible, they’re just trying to lure kids into installing all kinds of other stuff. Which download button do you click? If there’s ten buttons, nine of them are installing malware and one actually takes you to the mod you want – that’s insane! Especially as the appetite from kids is there.

And just look at Facebook games. Millions of people make and play these games. I made a Facebook game myself, and I had 25 million people playing it every month. That’s absolutely crazy! It was really interesting to see these things rise up and have this kind of exposure. And it influences everybody else. A lot of people are creatively influenced, others are influenced monetarily, and they just want to make money off that idea, so there’s a ton of ›gold-rushing‹ towards those things.

After 24 (!!) years, player Zero Master finally managed to discover the last and final unrevealed secret. Check the video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=irNoHfnLXRM

Is that rather positive or negative now? Oh no, I think it’s great. The kind of gameplay that evolved on Facebook using your friend network was unlike anything anyone had ever seen in a game before. Nobody had a network like that to connect to, and it was really interesting to see how designers would exploit or use the network that they have or even extend the network to people they don’t know, because these are people that also play the same game. That way they even meet new people through the game. It was really interesting to see this development and it showed how a platform like Facebook could really influence game design in a big way.

… and something really negative? On the whole there’s been a ton of positivity. But… well, #Gamergate, that should never have happened. And lootboxes (laughs). Lootboxes are still in flux. But it depends: if it’s only about stuff for peacocking, it’s one thing. If it’s ‘pay to win’, then it’s so not cool!

What’s your advice for young developers who try to get into the industry today and hopefully survive there? Find something that you’d like to do and mod a game using that skill. Mod multiple games, get experience in doing that and if you like it a lot, then create a portfolio page and get in touch with the companies you’d like to work for. And if you want to make games – well, start making them, however you can. The internet is packed-full with all the information you could possibly ever want. There’s no excuse for not making stuff!

Over the years you’ve probably been asked the same questions over and over again, and once more today. Now is your chance: if you could pick one question you’d like to answer that no one’s asked you before, which would it be? (Laughs) Hahaha, oh geez! Well… (pauses), what was it like making games on the Apple II?

And now you’ve got to answer it. It was tremendous amounts of fun. The Apple II was a finite computer that has nothing to do with today’s computers, which are endless, and you never stop learning. This computer was finite and limited in what it could do and what it had in it. But even with those limits, there was still an unbelievable amount to learn in order to master it and going from BASIC to assembly language and then all the techniques that you could use in assembly that are very different than 8-bit computers of that time period that had hardware systems for sprites and stuff like that – the Apple II had none. A lot of programming techniques had to be developed to put stuff on the screen manually. The interesting ‘problem’ that programming in assembly language brings is that there’s a lot you have to have in your head to write a game in it. And when one person is doing that, it’s hard to really focus on a big and cool new game design, because you already have incredible amounts of stuff in your head in order to just make even a simple game.

Making big games didn’t really happen back then. And if there were any, like the Ultima games, and “Wizardry”, it was because that programmer was just better than most people. They had more practice before making their cool big game, so they could focus more on the design than on the implementation of it. They had already spent years getting good at coding, so they could now focus more on design. And in the early days it was hard to find the time because the industry had just begun in 1977, so it was a race. But it was an amazing time and fun sharing information with other people, and back then everyone was discovering stuff for the first time. There were hardly any books, so it was even cooler when you could actually get a piece of information from somebody, or find a cool trick somewhere in a magazine. It was simply the most fun time ever, because it was also during the arcade explosion and all of the creativity that was coming out in the arcades, all the games that no one had ever seen before, coupled with the fact that you have that going into your head and you could make that stuff happen on a computer. There’s no end to what you can do, there’s no end to what you want to do.

Looking back at your time at id Software: in hindsight and despite how it all went down between you and John Carmack, is there – still today – a specific moment you wouldn’t want to miss for the world? Basically, everything up until halfway through 1995.

John Romero is a legend! Besides that he was the Co-Founder of id Software and creator of classics like »Commander Keen«, »Wolfenstein 3D«, »Doom I & 2« and »Quake«.

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