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mister-supernova · 4 years ago

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This Isn’t Goodbye

Pairing: Hope Mikaelson x Reader

No one expected today to escalate the way it did. The Salvatore School had its fair share of chaos this entire year, and having a group of grown adults barge onto school grounds with guns and bark orders while treating supernatural kids like the scum of the Earth surprisingly wasn’t the worst thing that was going to happen to you today.

Without the ability to access your powers, none of the students could defend themselves and there was no one else around to protect any of you. The members of the triad were ruthless and especially dangerous with their Malivore mud bullets that could poison any student who crossed the line.

Unfortunately, you and Josie bit the end of one of those bullets. It wasn’t even supposed to hit you, but a shard managed to bounce off the floor and dig into your leg.

At first, you didn’t know you were hit until you could feel your energy escaping you with every minute that passed. You thought that maybe you were just dehydrated, then you looked down and noticed the blood seeping through your jeans--your blood.

Part of you didn’t know how you were able to stay on your feet while you, Hope, Lizzie, and Jo were forced to go into the werewolf holding cells in the basement. Lizzie was tending to Josie on one side of the cell on a cot while you and Hope were sat up against the wall on the other side of the room.

“You’re going to be okay, Y/n. I swear. Once we find a way to figure out what’s blocking our magic, we’ll get that out of you as quickly as possible.” Hope says, her voice wavering ever so slightly. It made you smile, hearing the big, brave, tribrid worry for you.

When you first met Hope, you weren’t sure that she had any interest in you once so ever. She was the mysterious, martyr-complex heroine trying to find her purpose in the world. She never let herself get too close to anyone because of her fear of losing them.

Like MG, you were Dr. Saltzman’s student assistant when it came to taming the out of control werewolves of the school, so you saw Hope more often than the other students did. It was probably two years ago--about a year after meeting Hope--that you guys spoke more than three words to each other.

You made yourself comfortable around Hope fairly quickly after becoming friends. She would never say that you two became friends so fast, but you believe otherwise.

Unlike the many other students who tried befriending Hope and ended up backing down on her due to the fact that she was very stubborn, you never gave up on her.

Instead, you continued to be your usual goofball self around her. You’d tell her one terrible joke every day and even though she acted like she loathed it, she always looked forward to hearing them.

Sometimes you would catch her sitting alone at one of the tables in the library either reading for one of your classes or studying for an exam. You’d pull up a chair and sit right beside her, nearly talking her ear off for half an hour while she pretended not to listen when really she was taking in every detail. You knew this because you’d notice her smile softly from behind her book.

The two of you grew close, but you never expected yourself to develop feelings for Hope that were deeper than friendship. You believe they started when she let herself really smile and laugh at your dumb jokes. Something about the way her eyes crinkled when she was really happy made your heart grow three sizes.

You’ve made it a point throughout your friendship to tease Hope anytime you saw her show concern for you and your friends.

“Is this the Hope Mikaelson worrying about someone?” Your voice was already starting to sound groggy and you could feel the poison spreading up your body at a painfully slow pace, “You sure you weren’t shot, too?” You ask, feeling her head with the back of your hand which she quickly removes with her own, “You’re cute when you’re worried, Mikaelson.”

“I can’t believe you're making a joke of this right now.” She tells you, not letting go of your hand.

“Sorry. Would you prefer that I act out the excruciating pain this Malivore bullet is making me feel, instead? I could also make a list of every body part that feels like it’s on fire if you have the time.” The serious look in her eyes only made you smile more. You never let your sense of humor falter, even in your possible last moments.

“Why do you always do that?” Hope wonders with a half-hearted chuckle as she shakes her head at you.

“Do what? Be unbelievably hilarious even though I’m on my way to my impending doom?” You hush your voice as low as possible so that Lizzie and Josie couldn’t hear you from the other side of the cell. As much as you enjoyed making a joke of this situation, you weren’t sure the twins would feel the same way.

“You just smile and act like everything is okay. Like you aren’t in any pain.”

You in fact were in the worst pain of your life, but the last thing you were going to do was let her see that. The infection of the bullet had made its way to your lower back at this point and it felt worse than any other sort of pain you’d ever felt prior to this moment.

Seriously, you’d rather shift into your werewolf form for the rest of the day than feel this bullet destroying you from the inside out.

“Well, maybe--let’s say this situation goes sour and we can’t figure out how to get the evil mud out of my body--I don’t want you to see me in absolute agony and I don’t want that to be the last thing you remember about me.”

Hope squeezes your hand, not even wanting to imagine how you must be feeling right now.

You squeeze hers back, “But I know with you here, I’ll be okay no matter what happens.”

Tears began to fill the bottom of her eyelids, making the usual spark in her blue eyes--that you also started to fall for--go dull. Seeing her on the verge of crying caused your smile to fade.

She had lost so many people she cared about because of her and she didn’t want you to be the next. The thought of that hadn’t crossed your mind until now.

“Hope, it’s going to be okay.” You tell her with the most assurance you could. You knew that the chances of you surviving this weren’t certain, but the last thing you wanted to see was Hope cry. The sight of that would be more painful than the bullet.

She nods silently before leaning her forehead against your shoulder and squeezing your hand with all the strength she could muster. You squeezed back, assuring her that you still had a good amount of your own strength left.

Then you pressed a kiss to the top of Hope’s head, “I’m not going anywhere,” you whisper into her hair, “There isn’t anyone else I want listening to my stupid rants and laughing at my dumb jokes. Come to think of it, I don’t think anyone else would.”

A small chuckle manages to escape the tribrid and when she looks back up at you, you can’t tell if she thinks you're the biggest idiot in the world or the greatest person to exist. You decided to go with the second one judging by the faint smile she was giving you.

It wasn’t until a few seconds passed that you realized how close her face was to yours. Her nose could practically touch yours if you were to slightly rotate your head to the right.

Super hearing or not, you were sure that everyone in the cell could hear how fast your heart was beating right now and it wasn’t because of the Malivore bullet.

You glanced down at her lips for less than a second and that was all you needed to do to know that you really wanted to kiss Hope Mikaelson. It wasn’t like you haven’t wanted to in the past, but in this moment you thought that this could be your last chance.

“Hope, I-”

The moment vanished at the sound of a familiar vampire running towards your cell--MG. Josie remained on the bed while you, Lizzie and Hope talked with him from behind the bars that he had now unlocked.

After being caught up on how his mother is an agent working for Triad and that there’s a terrifying bloody skull sculpture in the school tunnels that’s blocking off the witches’ magic, you looked over at Hope.

“Looks like that’s your cue,” she looks at you and Josie, who is looking a lot paler than earlier, “The school needs you and so does Landon. Go be a hero, Mikaelson.”

Hope gives you one last awed smile before taking a confident step towards you and gently pulling your neck down to meet her lips with yours. To catch yourself from falling forward in surprise, your hands find her waist and you let out a content sigh.

For a moment, the pain from the Malivore bullet was long forgotten and all you had to focus on was the beautiful woman in front of you. You couldn’t care less that Lizzie, Josie, and MG were witnessing your first kiss with the tribrid. In your mind, they weren’t even there. For all you knew, it was just you and Hope in the world.

The kiss didn’t last nearly as long as you wanted it to, but given that some of you were in a life or death situation, you thought maybe it was for the best. When Hope pulled away, she leaned her forehead against yours while her fingers still traced along the back of your neck.

“Now, you really better come back.” You say breathlessly, feeling another smile grow on your face.

“You better be here when I do,” she whispers with a hint of seriousness in her voice.

“Will I get another one of those if I am?”

She smiles, taking a small step away from you, “We’ll see.”

this is my first time posting an imagine like this, so i hope you guys like it ;) i’m making this a little mini series (idk how many parts yet) but part 2 will be coming very soon!

#hope mikaelson #hope mikaelson imagine #hope mikaelson x reader #legacies imagine #legacies #legacies cw

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purple-goo-writes · 4 years ago

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Young and Beautiful Part 2

Taglist: @clumsy-owl-4178 @myazael @woe-is-me0 @midnightmode @t1dwarrior-of-earth @stainedglassm

@catthhay @dorkus-minimus @maskedpainter @waffleyunsure @marinettepotterandplagg @demonicbusiness @mystery-5-5

@justafanwarrior

I've seen the world, lit it up As my stage now Channeling angels in a new age now Hot summer days, rock and roll The way you play for me at your show And all the ways, I got to know Your pretty face and electric soul

Will you still love me When I'm no longer young and beautiful? Will you still love me When I've got nothing but my aching soul? I know you will, I know you will I know that you will Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?

He didn’t see her again until three years later after he took in his first ward, Richard Grayson.

He didn’t know how she knew that he needed her support or how she was aware of his new ward, soon to be adopted son. All Bruce was aware of was of the fact that his shoulders finally released the tension he had not been aware that he was carrying when he came up from the Batcave after Dick’s first patrol and felt her familiar and welcoming calm aura. Even Richard noticed the distinct change in his guardian’s demeanor once they exited the Cave and entered the manor. And though the young Robin didn’t necessarily feel the new aura of calm permeating the Manor, he certainly does relax the moment he steps out of the Cave and feels the tension he had carried since his parent’s murder leave his own body.

It felt as if he was finally coming home and not just coming back to the house he inhabited with his guardian and the butler.

Bruce could only watch in awe as Marinette breaks through all of Dick’s walls and within a week he walks in on Marinette holding a crying 12 year old boy as he finally griefs for his parents. Not long after that Marinette joins them on patrol as PopinJay using the fixed Peacock Miraculous.

Her suit looked like an odd mix of leather and spandex, a deep dark blue with black accents with some dark green detailing here and there; black gloves with blue fingers, black boots with blue heels and a dark blue domino mask with green detailing that mimicked feathers. Attached to her waist was a partial skirt that mimicked peafowl tail feathers with an ombre effect- starting black before fading to dark blue then green at the tips. Her hair was put up in an elegant bun pinned in place by two golden peafowl quils and held in a holster around her waist were two steel fans tipped in gold that when spread resembled two beautiful yet deadly fans of peacock feathers.

“Why the Peacock?” Batman enquired with a raised eyebrow while Robin squealed happily as the preteen danced around PopinJay taking in her suit.

The masked woman snickered softly, her lips tugging into a small smirk, “I figured it would match well with your theme.”

Bruce should not have been surprised about how flawlessly she joins into their routine and patrols. Marinette had always been able to adapt to any situation easily after all. It was something that the Guardian was still trying to teach him how to do.

She would pop in randomly over the years that followed, always seeming to know when Bruce and Dick needed her the most. She was a part of their small family after all and Bruce’s oldest friend. It was why he did not protest when Marinette whisked Dick away to the Temple to train after he and Bruce have a fight again when Robin talks about heading out on his own and becoming his own hero, outside of the Young Justice. After all he was turning 18 soon and was outgrowing the Robin mantle.

“Just because he is growing up, doesn’t mean he no longer needs his father, Bruce.” Were Marinette’s parting words before she left with Dick for Tibet.

When they returned a year later, it was to a relieved, if sheepish, Bruce who had just returned from patrol with a very angry preteen in tow dressed in a new Robin suit. Instead of feeling threatened, Dick grinned, causing Bruce to sigh in relief, “So does this mean I have a little brother now?”

“How did you end up adopting this one, ma nuit noire?”

“He stole the wheels off the BatMobile.”

“Only you, Bruce, only you.”

A month later, Dick became Nightwing after a conversation with Superman when the young man asked the super if his culture ever had vigilantes after Dick moved to Bludhaven. With the alien’s permission, he took up the mantle of Nightwing and officially passed on the Robin mantle down to his younger brother, Jason. Bludhaven gained a vigilante and Jason gained a new confidence with his older brother’s approval, not that the angry teen would admit it.

PopinJay made return to Gotham to help train the new Robin. Bruce was surprised, though he shouldn’t have been, at how fast Jason took to Marinette. The former street kid would even slip and call her Ma now and then, especially when the peacock heroine was being extra motherly. That Bruce wasn’t surprised about as Dick would, and still did, call Marinette Mama Bird. He tried not to dwell on how much his heart warmed at the thought of Marinette as the boys’ mother figure. Especially not when he was currently dancing around Catwoman and their odd relationship or his thing with Talia Al Ghul, who he knew disliked PopinJay greatly. Though his relationship with Talia ended when she drug him.

It was after a routine patrol when PopinJay came sauntering back into the Batcave carrying a confused, if exited, little nine-year-old boy with dark hair and bright blue eyes dressed only in his pajamas and holding a camera. The dark blue haired woman was smiling motherly down at the little scamp in her arms as Tim babbled excitedly about meeting one of his favorite heroes and how he couldn’t believe that MDC was PopinJay.

“PopinJay, what is the meaning of this?” Bruce growled in confusion as he turned from the BatComputer to address his partner, who simply giggled at his attempt to intimidate her.

“Bruce, come meet your biggest fan.”

“PopinJay!”

“Oh, don’t be a stick in the mud. He already figured out our identities from Dick’s quadruple somersault.”

“He what? But, how?” This had Bruce intrigued as he stalked close to the woman, who was practically the mother of his sons, taking in the sight of little Tim, “He is the Drake heir...what is he doing out so late?” The fact that he was still in his pajamas without shoes on brought the father in Bruce to the forefront went without saying.

Jason watched all this with a sigh and grumbled, “I’ll go tell Alfred to get a room ready for him.” Looks like he would be sharing his Ma with another brother...He best tell Dick about Tim, Jason just knew their parents (Marinette was their Mom no matter how oblivious Bruce was to his feelings) would be adopting the boy.

And wouldn’t you know he was right, somehow not even three months later Tim was now Tim Drake-Wayne due to his parents being found neglectful in a hush-hush trail. Dick was ecstatic about having another little brother to dote on and even Jason was happy to have a little brother, having grown fond of Tim during all the times the youngest Drake stayed at the Manor or BatCave when his parents went out of town on one of their frequent business trips.

If Bruce wasn’t already thankful for Marinette’s presence in his life, he would have been after Jason ran off to track down his birth mother after finding out that Catherine was not his mom. He understood that Jason simply had questions he thought only his birth mom could answer, but it still broke Bruce’s heart that his middle son thought he would not help him find the woman. If it wasn’t for the multiple trackers he had placed on Jason, he would not have known that the young Robin was in Ethiopia of all places. Batman wouldn’t make it in time to save Robin, but he knew one person who could.

It was the only time his composure had came so close to breaking as he called Marinette and begged her to save their son. Batman arrived just as the building went up in flames and would have broken down if not for PopinJay informing over the comm that she had Jason and that they were at the Cave. Unfortunately, Jason was in critical condition and had slipped into a coma by the time Bruce made it back to the Manor. After a long talk, it was decided that Marinette would take him to the Temple to heal and recover. Tim would be taking over as Robin in his absence, though the 12 year old wished it was under different circumstances.

Marinette kept Bruce updated on his status using the communicator he had given her. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he cried when she called him and informed him that Jason had woken up. Jason and Bruce had a long discussion when he was fully coherent, thankfully Jason understood why Bruce gave Tim the mantle and even asked him to inform Tim that he had his blessing to be Robin. This talk was also the first time one of his sons’ called him Dad.

“Dad, I don’t think I can be Robin anymore, anyway...I think it’s time I branched out.”

“Will you be using a Miraculous?”

“No, Ma asked, even said I would be a good fit for the Eagle, but I turned her down. I want to make my own way without fancy powers.”

“You know we will support any decision you make.”

It was two years after that that Jason fully recovered and returned to Gotham as the vigilante, Red Hood. Thankfully, Marinette talked him out of that outrageous helmet and helped him design his new costume, his suit he wore had a red hood attached to it and he wore a red metal face mask with a black domino mask. He still managed to keep the leather jacket though. Even if Bruce frowned at his use of guns, at least the rounds were mainly tranquilizers, the Bat was proud of his son.

Tim made an amazing Robin and detective. Though Bruce was suspicious when Marinette would disappear with Tim to train him in secret or take him to the Temple. But, it was Tim’s choice and if he choose to join the Order, Bruce would support him. Marinette loved their sons equally, but Bruce knew she was closer to Tim.

He was thankful for Marinette being there for him when Barbara joined the team as Batgirl. Even more thankful for when Stephanie joined and then Cassandra was adopted. He was not sure how to handle daughters and the girls having a positive female role model relieved him greatly. Even if he did get a few grey hairs now and then from some of their more interesting purchases.

Talia dropped Damian on Bruce when Tim was 16 and had just become co-CEO of Wayne Enterprises, after both his older brothers refused the position. (Dick was now a Cop in Bludhaven and Jason had taken over Security for the WE.) Bruce was still reeling from the shock of finding out he had a blood son and Talia just dumping the ten year old on him without so much of a by-your-leave. Bruce had finally put his past with Talia and Selina behind him and finally moved on when this happened. He was unsure how to process this new situation. Though after stopping Damian from killing/attacking Tim once again, he knew what he had to do.

He called Marinette.

Bruce isn’t sure what she did or said to his youngest son. But after whisking Damian away for a few months at the Temple, the child that came back was changed. Still the same arrogant cold ex-assassin, but he had started to open up to his family and follow his father’s code of honor. Though, things were still shaky between him and Tim, the older boys were all amused when Damian bluntly asked them why Father hadn’t proposed to Marinette, or Mère as he called her in French, yet.

“Because Dad is really, really oblivious to his own feelings.”

“He’s a fucking idiot.”

“Jaybird!”

“What? You know it’s true!”

“Little ears, Jay!”

Damian turned to his only intelligent sibling, and most dangerous outside of Cain, "Drake, I presume you have plans ready to set in motion?"

There was a reason he considered Drake his highest threat to his position as blood son. Ra's had stated time and time again that he wished to induct Tim into the fold, one way or another. Many times his grandfather had stated this when he found Damian's own performance lacking, making comments on how the young Detective would have done things. Drake had plans within plans, a mind like a steel trap mixed with a twisted maze and a tenacity most assassin's would envy. It was why Damian grudgingly respected the teen, even if he would rather bit his tongue off then admit it.

Tim gave his youngest sibling a rather maniacal grin, some of his Red Robin persona (A mantle he took up recently) shining through, "Oh do I."

Unfortunately, their plans to trick their parental figures into realizing their feelings would have to wait.

Because Darkseid came and Bruce was gone...

#brucinette #mominette #maribat #ml x dc #i swear to god tumblr #YOU BETTER POST THIS #YnB

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dcwizardtrekki · 3 years ago

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The Dance

Things to know. First, most of the MCU never happened. Loki was found to have been mind controlled but Oden banished him to earth to make up for the chaos he had caused. He has been working with the avengers for five years and during that time they found and saved Bucky, Wanda, and Pietro from a hydra base. Loki with his magic was able to release Bucky from his control words as well as train Wanda with her powers. Also Vision was created during this time by an accident that tony created by Messing with something Hydra had been working on. (Just wanted to set you up a little bit.)

Classical music flowed through the air and couples waltzed along during the English Masquerade Ball that was taking place during an art action. Among these distinguished guests where some of the Avengers in disguise dancing with partner after partner as if they where looking for someone. They had gotten an anonymous tip that the slippery thief they had been after for months, would show their face here, tonight. To loot one of the most valuable art displays would be out on the floor, though for show only. The Mona Lisa painting. And no copy either. This was Leonardo da Vinci's original master piece, perfect bait for a thief who likes rare things. The biggest thing stumping them was that two or three months after every robbery the stolen object would just show up at random places they went to. Leaving the intentions of the thief a mystery.

Now from the shadows of the party stood a beautiful woman, unseen but watching everything. Especially the so called disguised Avengers. She had been watching them for a while now, knowing they where on to her trail. However instead of being upset she was both amused and intrigued. She was amused that they thought they could catch her. After all she had been Hydra's best spy for years, never being caught. Now that they where gone though she could do as she pleased. There was a reason she'd never been caught...but more of that later. The woman was intrigued however by a strikingly handsome God of Mischief. She observed how smoothly he danced and could even see that he was bored by small glimpses of his eyes. So, being board herself she decided to have some fun with the God of Mischief and maybe even get both of them to no longer be bored. Knowing how often he changed partners she smoothly placed herself in the way of his next change getting swept into the waltz.

Now in his arms she knew she had to catch his attention in order to get him to play the game. Clearing her voice she spoke in almost a whisper but just loud enough for him to hear her.

"Hello your Highness."

Snapped out of his repetitiveness by her words he looked at her curiously then spoke with a chuckle in his voice as they spun her long white hair fanning out as the did.

" I'm terribly sorry my dear. But whom ever you think I am I highly doubt I am he."

The woman smirked knowing he would now participate.

"Oh. Dear me. So your not the God of Mischief? What a disappointment. I suppose I should go back to my search then, and allow you to dance with all the other lovely ladies."

Loki looked shocked again for a brief moment, then smiled seeing a possible escape from his boredom.

"Well...It would seem you where correct in who you thought I was then. Impressive."

She laughed lightly, and he spun her out then back in.

"It truly wasn't that difficult. One must only search. After all. Seeing's as all the other Avengers are here. It would be only logical that you would be here as well."

He tried to look closer at her, but saw nothing of use in her eyes. She had the perfect poker face, and all attempts to read her mind where met by a surprisingly strong shield. Even more intrigued now he put a full smile on his face, also changing tempo as the song had changed. Focused on the woman in front of him he failed to see the rest of the team gawking at him as danced with her longer and better then anyone else he'd found tonight.

"Color me impressed darling. Tell me what made you so eager to find and dance with me."

She merely smiled and replied.

"I simply found you by watching people. Not because I was necessarily looking... As for the dancing. Well. I was bored. You looked bored. I seemed like a good arrangement."

Slowly the music stopped and Big Ben started to ring. She stepped back from him and gave a small smile.

"Now. As lovely as this has been I am afraid I must part from you now. Perhaps I will see you again next time you are bored."

Loki went to reach out for her to stop her, but just as the clock clanged again he lights went out. A moment later the sound of glass shattering filled the air and five seconds later the lights came back on. Only this time The case that had held the Mona Lisa was empty. Several people yelled in anger and several more had fainted in shock. The Avengers crowded around the case trying to find any clues as to who it was as Capitan America was baffled by the morals and reasoning of why the thief had stolen this painting. Meanwhile Loki stood off to the side deep in thought. Something was telling him the woman he had just met was the thief. However he couldn't find himself to be mad, now realizing the motives of the thief wasn't for any reason other then being simply a cure for boredom. Something he could heavily relate to. He then stuck his hands in his pocket to walk away but felt a piece of paper. Taking it out he found a note with elegant script and he smiled mischievously as he read it.

Dear Loki,

Next time your bored call me....

Perhaps we can do something fun.

Shhh don't tell.

Xxx-xxx-xxxx

Yours,

The Mystery Woman

'Live Long, Prosper, and Mischief Managed!'

#loki fanfic #oneshots #dancing #mystery #loki

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werenotacoupleyesyouare · 4 years ago

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So I was meaning to post updates for my Farseer Trilogy liveblogging because y’all seemed to really like the last one but one thing lead to another and I finished the book before I could even pick up my phone. SO- here are my thoughts at the end of book 1! (Contains spoilers)

- I’ll try to go chronologically so bear w me

- Look I love chade okay? He’s funny and mysterious but how on EARTH does the whole court think it a good idea to have a child deal with their political issues eye-

- like “oh, boggers! We have found a breach in our enemy’s defence after a war of interests that has lasted decades! Now we only need to gruesomely murder this well known politician, but whoever could be up to the task? Ah yes, this eleven year old warrior cats enthusiast will do”

- Yes I will refer to the Wit only as being a warrior cats stannie bc y’all know that if he was in the real world Fitz would have absolutely lost his mind over that saga. No I will not be accepting criticism.

- I LOVED CHADE’S RICHSONA lady time was funky

- every chapter I read I grow more worried about Fitz’s self preservation skills. He wakes up for the second time during the night, he is told to immediately go check on the royal he is serving because she’s sick, only to find out she’s just Chade in a ballgown, who tells him “there’s no time to explain, now follow me to check out this very dangerous hostage situation 2 days of travel from here” and he’s just like “ok sure” BABY!! NO??

- Forging is gonna throwin a nice angst trope eventually, I’m here for it

- my wlw heart is torn between Molly and Lady Patience... good thing I have two hands!

- Fitz please,,,,, Chade asks him “wait, does the Fool talk to you??” And Fitz is like “oh yeah :) I like when he hangs with me! He barges in, insults me and then tells me my clothes are ugly :)” BABY THAT’S CALLED BULLYING

- okay I know y’all have been waiting for this one so here it comes: FOOL RANT! I don’t know who this funky mean child is but I would do ANYTHING to keep him safe and happy. (And this time I’m not worried he’s gonna die bc there are like another 3 trilogies w his name on the title, so at least I don’t have to worry for a while) he speaks in riddles!!! I love that!! Also he tries to keep Fitz safe so we like him (more to come abt the fool, I ain’t done yet)

- MOLLY AND FITZ ARE SO FUCKING FUNNY SOMEHOW THEY BOTH MANAGED TO BE THE USELESS LESBIAN STEREOTYPE WHEN IT COMES TO FLIRTING I WAS LOOSING MY MIND LAUGHING

- like “Molly!! You deserve to be with someone who wouldn’t treat you like a piece of jewelry! You’re smart, brave and talented, not to mention beautiful, you need someone who could understand you!!” “Oh really?? Like who?” “Oh idk lol” KIDS I-

- also idk who this Jade is but I have a feeling he’s like a relative of Molly and Fitz is just being dramatic

- as you may know I’m listening to the audiobook, and I misheard Pocked Man as Pot Man, which lead to this very funny exchange:

Fitz: are you really... the Pot Man? 🥺

Chade 420-blaze-it Fallstar: not the one you’re thinking of

- I love how almost all of the characters are stoners, I feel like it’s something all fantasy sagas should consider implementing lol

- GUYS! are Lady Patience and Lacey,,, you know,,, 👀

- Lacey 🤝 Burrich: in love with one part of the royal couple while being their man/woman

- OKAY NOW BURRICH. I LOVE THIS MAN GUYS. HE IS A DECENT DAD AND HE CARES SO MUCH ABOUT FITZ IT MAKES MY HEART SWELL. But MAN what bitch with the Wit hurt him like damn

- aside point, Burrich has the Wit right? He was made to feel ashamed about it but he’s another warrior cats enthusiast

- also probs not intended but the Wit especially now feels like a metaphor and my queer ass was PROJECTING I was HURT when Burrich didn’t accept Fitz bc of it

- GALEN FARSEER? STUPID IDIOT MOTHERFUCKING GALEN FARSEER GODDAMN FOOL SKILL TEACHING CHILD ABUSING RAT OLD BASTARD SHITHEAD IDIOT BASTARD SON OF SHREWD. BIGGEST CLOWN IN THE CIRCUS LAUGHED OUT OF TOWN COWBOY MOTHERFUCKING GALEN FARSEER-

- okay no really this man is an absolute asshole how can he abuse those kids like that? Fitz almost killed himself damn like imagine being 60-smth and feeling threatened by a fucking 11 year old like get a life bastard boy

- also about that part I loved the Fitz Protection Squad™️

Fitz, at his worst, contemplating s*icide, convinced he isn’t worth shit:

Smithy, The Fool and Burrich: okay! It’s time for murder.

And they did! Well almost but verity finished the job anyway

- how sweet is the fool actually tho?? On the outside he is a bit mean, but then his room is covered in flowers, handmade dolls and swirls of colors. He avoids everyone, lives in the most remote part of the castle but as soon as he makes one friend he absolutely melts and tries his best to protect him. He acts so smug and uncaring but then gets scared when his friend avoids him, and starts going on about how he Doesn’t Actually Care About Him, The Court Just Needs Him, like sure baby. All I’m saying is please protect this kid he deserves the world.

- Verity is my only king, his wife is a kickass cool lady and I can already tell they’re gonna Fuck Shit Up together and I love it.

- yes that whole arc??? Incredible. I kept yelling at Fitz because GODDAMNIT but he did his best, he is only 14 after all (HOW DO THEY THINK IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO GIVE HIM SUCH RESPONSIBILITIES AAAAA)

- lol tho I loved how the Fool was like “yeah so Fitz maybe don’t eat everything they give you ‘cause I’m pretty sure they want to poison you” and then Kettricken is like “hey do you want to try these weird leaves I got from my sketchy garden?” and Fitz is like “oh boy would I”

- earring! Chivalry’s earring! We like that

- Yay so Nosy was alive! Cool again I don’t usually get emotional over dogs jfhdhufjdj I’m sorry I’m a disgrace (I’m confident this will change but for now eh)

- something that will positively destroy me is when Burrich will die eventually (and I know it happens cuz my dad SPOILED it for me) I don’t think I’ll be able to stand that

-okay so yes in general this book has completely made me fall in love and I’m definetly in for the whole saga lol. I was thinking of reading the three Fitz trilogies first and then go back and read the dragons and the other one

- I’ll probably make 2+ posts like this every book, so you can find them on the ��#greta reads” in my acc :) anyways tagging a few people who enjoyed the last one @wellamarke @violetiris-ak @wolfofmars thank youuu

#Farseer trilogy #assassin’s apprentice #greta reads #fitzchivalry farseer #Fitz farseer #realm of the elderlings #the farseer trilogy #royal assassin #RotE #Robin Hobb

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carriagelamp · 4 years ago

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September Book Roundup, back-to-school edition aka The Season Of Red apparently?

Here is a selection of the books I’ve read this month. Summer is over, so the little bit of brain power I had managed to scrape together is quickly disintegrating, so enjoying the hodge podge of stories.

Binti

This was probably my favourite book that I read this month. It’s a novella I first heard about hear on tumblr and went to find a copy in my library. I have since bought the collected trilogy so I can read book two and three at my leisure because it was honestly just that friggin cool. This is exactly my flavour of scifi and I tend to be very very picky about the scifi I consume. It’s about a girl named Binti, a member of the Himba people (a real group of indigenous people from Namibia). They are a people well known for their mathematical and technical prowess, but due to their strong connection to their homeland and the earth they choose not to travel through space like so many other humans do. However, when Binti secures a position at Oomza University, the greatest university in the galaxy, she chooses to go against her family’s wishes and traditions in order to set out into space to attend. Everything is ruined though when her spaceship is attacked by a hostile alien race and everyone is killed but Binti, who must rely on all her intellect and abilities if she wants any chance at survival.

A seriously cool book with great world building – it really successfully introduces readers not only to the fictional scifi world and races of the novel but also to the culture and traditions of the Himba people. It’s a quick read, and feels like a cross between Dead Space and Tamora Pierce. Would totally recommend a read.

Fake Blood

A Canadian graphic novel. It was a goofy cute read. It’s about an awkward group of friends in middle school, and one boy with a crush on one of the girls in his class. Knowing her love for vampire stories, AJ decides, like any self-respecting middle schooler, to try to pretend he’s a vampire. Naturally nothing goes right and some things go wrong in unexpected ways. It’s funny and cute. Nothing amazing but it was a cozy evening read.

The Last Book On The Left

I’ve been listening to this podcast a lot since my friend recommended it to me and finally decided to read their book. For those that don’t know, The Last Podcast On The Left is a immaculately researched comedy podcast that’s hosted by Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks, and Henry Zebrowski, and explores the darker realms of human nature. Ghosts, paranormal, aliens, cults, and of course serial killers. In this book they collected several of their biggest name serial killer series, did some renewed research, and put together a book that is both informative, irreverent, gross, and very funny, complete with some really amazing illustrations by Tom Neely. A very cool read (and listen, if you decide to check out the podcast instead), I really love how they tell these stories without idolizing or romanticizing the people they talk about. Their humour always makes sure you know exactly how much of a pathetic loser these people are. Fantastic true crime, from someone who has never really felt the need to read about true crime before.

Midnight Sun

I won’t harp on this one, everyone is already going to firmly have their opinions here. I grew up on Twilight, I was reading them as they came out, and I still love them. Were they dumb? Oh my god yes. Did they have problems? Sure, they came out in 2005 it was part and parcel. Were they also a really fun for a thirteen year old to read? Absolutely, I don’t regret it. Sometimes teenage girls should just to get like things without being mocked.

Anyway, I am off my soapbox now (can you tell this is still a raw spot for me?) I unironically loved this book! Getting to see Edward’s perspective was really cool, and since he can read minds it essentially let you get the perspective of everyone else around him too. The Cullens family is a great set of characters so it was really cool to see more of them, and I was very impressed by how Stephenie Meyers took a YA romance she wrote in 2005 and was able to make it feel updated and more appropriate for a 2020 audience even though she couldn’t actually change any of the events themselves. So fans of Twilight, don’t be ashamed, go read Midnight Sun and have the shameless fun you deserve. Is there anymore appropriate book for the bizarre ass year that was 2020 than a return to this goofy nonsense?

The Paperbag Princess

(and Up, Up, Down, and Robert Munsch in general)

I’m back in schools so I’m back to reading children’s book! And honestly, and of you that don’t occasionally sit down and read a kids book out loud don’t know what you’re missing. Anyway, Robert Munsch is a Canadian author, and one of my all-time favourite children’s authors. It surprised me to learn he isn’t as well known in the States apparently? I don’t know if that’s changed or not, but he is a Canadian staple for a good reason, his books have ridiculous premises, are specifically written to be fun to read out loud, and have beautiful, involved, and hilarious illustrations. The Paperbag Princess is one of my absolute favourites, and as a kid it was one of the first stories I had ever read where a princess is the one saving the prince… and then telling the prince to piss off when it turns out he’s a jerk. Up, Up, Down is another favourite I reread this month, because it’s just hilarious funny and makes a fantastic read aloud with kids. Some other Robert Munsch I reread this month include: Mmm, Cookies, More Pies, Ribbon Rescue, Just One Goal, and Andrew’s Loose Tooth. You just cannot go wrong, for kids or adults.

Pit Pony

Another Canadian staple while I was growing up. If you’re a young adult know who went through the Canadian elementary school system, you probably had your entire heart ripped out and stepped on by this chapter book. It’s a historical fiction that looks at the economic hardship, debt slavery, child labour, and animal abuse that was tied to coal mining in the Maritimes. Finding a copy was harder than I would have expected give how pervasive it was a decade or so back, but reading it again was a pure shot of nostalgia.

Seeking Refuge

A graphic novel written by a German-born Canadian about a Jewish girl who flees Nazi-occupied Austria by way of Kindertransport to become a child refuge in England. It follows her as she is moved from host family to host family as the war continues to pick up and gradually makes it’s way to the United Kingdom as well. It’s very poignant and the pencil-sketch illustrations are an interesting change to a lot of the graphic novels that are out right now. This story is still aimed at a younger audience, so it never gets too brutal but it still is a hard hitting story, especially with everything else going on right now.

Silver Spoon #9/10

I know I’ve talked about these books before, but my library got some more since I last read them, so I’m continuing my way through the series. It’s about a teenaged boy who, after having a breakdown from the pressure he was feeling to study and succeeded, decided not to attend an academic, urban high school, but rather to apply for an agricultural high school so he could live in the dorms, far away from his parents. The series just gets more and more heartwarming as it continues. It’s all about failure and overcoming and how worth can be measured in different ways, and about family and understanding each other and coming together… but also about the realities of farming which aren’t always very nice, especially when it comes to finances and survival. It’s written by the mangaka behind Fullmetal Alchemist but I’ll be honest… I think I like this series more. It is honestly one of my all time favourite manga series, it just has so much heart.

Ruby Finds A Worry

aka Ruby’s Worry apparently? I can’t figure out why this has more than one title. I actually read it in French not English, so for me it was Le Souci de Calie. Regardless, this was a nice little picture book for talking about worries and anxieties with children… especially with the amount of Covid stress a lot of kids are dealing with. It explains in a really nice way how talking about anxieties are often the best way to make them more manageable, and how pretending nothing is wrong can just let it grow bigger and bigger. A good explanation for kids and possible a good reminder for adults.

War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery

I read this because the Mcelroy family wrote it so I figured Hey! Why not give it a go! And I’m glad I did. Their brand of humour was all over it, and it made the story a delight to read. I don’t follow all of Marvel’s weirdness, so I didn’t actually know most of the characters (Miles and Kate were actually the only two I was familiar with) but they do a great job of introducing the characters and making them all feel distinct and interesting. I absolutely adore the Dog of Gods (God of Dogs) who is a very very good boy. And Miles is absolutely always a delight so you can’t really lose. It’s a single book that I think is a part of a larger plotline that I have zero interest in. This book is a fine one to read though if you don’t mind jumping into the middle of the action and just getting swept along for the ride. Also Mcelroys!

Witcher Omnibus

Bleh. Absolutely not worth it. All the misogyny and Dumb Bullshit that I hate in the original books and from video games in general. Honestly, Witcher III did way better by its characters than most of these short stories. The only one worth reading in it is Curse Of Crows – that one was actually really enjoyable, probably because it was about Ciri and had an actual fucking woman on the writing team. (Seriously guys what were you thinking with Fox Children that’s literally just a story from Season of Storms but done worse. Fuck off.) If you like The Witcher, go read Curse of Crows and skip every other story in this book.

Billy Stuart: Les Zintrépides #1

Another French (Quebecois) book I read, though I believe you can get it in English as well (Billy Stuart and the Zintrepids). It’s a chapter book / graphic novel hybrid, and was honestly a fairly fun little read. It’s in a similar vein to Geronimo Stilton but done much better in my opinion. The humour was funnier, the characters felt less like caricatures, and while it still used stylized fonts it was also less intrusive and eye-strainy than the Stilton books. Also when the story suddenly pivots into the main adventure and mystery of the series? Fantastic. Was not expecting a hell-beast to appear part way through the story. Very interested in reading more.

Over all, it was cute and funny, and I can see it being a good next step when children have read their fill of the Stilton series and want something similar but possibly a bit more involved and coherent.

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fvaleraye · 4 years ago

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Echoes

Well well well, would you look at that, we got another chapter :> This one is the long awaited return to the gals- Leona, Velda, and Artemis This one is definitely longer than my other chapters, coming to around five pages worth of words. But I’m very happy with how it turned out... and I hope y’all like reading it ;w;

The hour was early, the sun was peeking shyly over the horizon. Pale orange and yellow hues bathed the earth, the colors highlighting the light brown paths among greenery of the wide open plains. It was all very vibrant, like something out of a painting. Beautiful. Not very many people were up early enough to see it, of course, but travelers got to see it all quite often. Though, the sight usually lost its luster after the first few dozen times. Especially when many of said travelers would prefer to not be awake- let alone travelling- at such an early hour. But such were the sacrifices of those who wanted to explore the expansive lands of Magna Terra.

The trip to Crystalbarrow was much the same as the one to Springford. Leona riding on the back of Artemis- not just because there were very few carriage drivers willing to transport a greatwolf from Springford- but because they were all taken. The carriages were all so busy, as they usually are during spring, and they were just too anxious to get going to wait any longer. So, the old fashioned way it was. Just a roadtrip with a girl and her giant wolf. The one difference from the last trip was the extra passenger. While Leona was- quite begrudgingly- awake, Velda was sound asleep behind her, resting her head on her back, arms around her waist. Her presence definitely made the long trip much more bearable than the last. Artemis was beginning to get a bit tired- a rare sight- but she pressed on, because she knew as well as her charges that Crystalbarrow was not far. Not too close, but certainly not far. She had been trotting along for ages… she could manage a bit further. It was just on the edge of the Outlands, bordering the sea.

Just a bit further.

After about an hour or so more of walking, the sleepy archer managed to rouse herself from her slumber, making her consciousness known with a big yawn, startling the tired warrior. She glanced at her from over her shoulder, and the two quietly exchanged a look. A moment later, she was back to resting her head, arms around her a little more tightly now.

“I’m shocked you’re so comfortable resting your head on my metal armor.” Leona mumbled tiredly, idly glancing at the road ahead.

“I’m never not comfortable around you…” Velda replied, her voice just dripping with lovey-dovey tones.

If it was a mystery whether or not a wolf could roll their eyes, Artemis would have solved it just then.

Eventually, as swaying grass and fertile land turned to grey, still earth, the sounds of waves started to echo out from the horizon. The coast was nearing. Their destination was nearing. Finally. The two had started to sit a bit straighter, look a bit more presentable. They weren’t trying to impress anyone, but Leona was going to visit a family friend. She needed to wake up a bit. Hopefully he still lives here...

The town climbed into view soon after, a fair portion the old wooden buildings nestled snugly in a sizable crater in the ground, the rest extending into the horizon. The ocean was in full view, a small dock off in the distance, sails being raised and lowered as sailors were either bringing in hauls or setting out for more. The town was a rather simple one, but not a small one. Still, its humble appearances hid its less humble origins.

After all, the town got its name from producing loads and loads of gems and crystals, whether found in the bountiful sea or mined from its expansive crystalline cave networks. It was the single largest producer of gemstones across the entire continent. But you wouldn’t tell just by looking at it. Well, unless you caught a glimpse of people pushing around wheelbarrows full of the stuff, of which there were a few right now. Just loading them onto carriages or into buildings. For now, though, the only thing on the girls minds was getting to the local inn- The Diamond in the Rough. A rather… on the nose name, but it fit, what with the town itself being in the middle of one of the more hostile environments on Magna Terra.

Not the most hostile, but still.

As usual, Artemis sat down outside while Leona went in to talk with the innkeeper for a room. Though this time she had the company of her lovely girlfriend Velda, who, unlike her, had actually got a decent amount of sleep the prior night. The two stepped up to the counter, and the kindly old lady there gave them a warm smile.

“Hello there.” She said, sounding a bit tired, but still welcoming. “Welcome to the Diamond in the Rough. Would you like a room?” The practiced ease in her voice was pretty comforting, especially compared to the last inn.

Leona just nodded, pulling up a barstool for a second. “Yeah, we’d like a room…” She replied, rooting around in her pockets for her money. “Us two, and a greatwolf, Artemis, if that’s okay.”

The woman leaned to her side to peek past her guest and out the window. Sure enough, there was a greatwolf out there. Big. But not the biggest she had ever seen. She let out a tired sigh. “Can you wait another half hour or so before letting your pooch in?” She asked, fidgeting a bit. “We’re sort of at capacity for the big fellas at the moment, but a few are about to leave…”

“Oh-! Of course!” After a moment, she produced a small pouch of silver and gold coins from her pocket. “How much? For the room, I mean.”

“Thirty-five silver a night.”

She breathed a sigh of relief at the quite frankly reasonable price. She was expecting to have to pick up odd jobs to make ends meet at this point. But no… her current savings should be just fine for now, thank the gods. She set a handful of silver coins onto the counter, and very quickly stepped back outside.

“Hey Arte…” She mumbled, giving the wolf a few pats on the head. “You’re gonna have to chill out here for an hour or so, but you can come right in afterwards, okay?” The wolf gave a tired little nod, clearly just thankful she’s getting any rest at all. “Okay, good… love ya, big gal. I’ll tell Velda to grab you when you can come in, I just… need a bed…”

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

It wasn’t long before Artemis could come into the building, and it wasn’t much longer after that before the duo fell soundly asleep, leaving Velda to her own devices. As much as she wanted to stay in the room and go to bed with her lovely girlfriend, she just… wasn’t tired. Not that that usually stopped her, but… she had a few things she wanted to do. Look around, mostly. This wasn’t a small town. While it wasn’t near the size of the cities, it was still one of the biggest towns she’d ever been in. There was a fair amount of ground to cover. And a lot of people to talk to. She had to start sometime, and there was no time like the present. Carefully tip-toeing out of the room, she stepped into the inn’s lobby. It was a bit empty, which was fair. It was still early. Most sane people were asleep. She gave the little old lady at the counter a wave as she wandered out into the streets of the Crystalbarrow.

It was a nice enough town, it generally had that rough, stocky look that most coastal towns had. All the buildings were of wooden make, with stone foundations lifting them a good seven or so feet off the ground for when the tides came in. A few of the older buildings here and there had barnacles growing from the sides, while others had plenty of scrape marks on the wood from barnacle removal. Everything had a vibe to it that could only be described as vaguely damp, salted, and well-worn, but still lovingly upkept; like a ship that had seen its fair share of the tides- and had its fair share of repairs as a result. It was surprisingly homey, even among the dreary and slightly depressing gray earth of the Outlands. Velda took a breath, the salty sea air making her pull a face, and started to wander the streets.

Most of the people out at this hour were workers. The workers in question were miners about to go to the mines, though there were a few idle early birds on the streets as well. Everyone was dressed in what you would expect, cotton shirts, pants, knee-high mud-covered boots… nothing really out of the ordinary.

At least, until a… figure, approached her.

They stepped up to her from the side, just barely catching a glimpse of them from her peripheral vision before turning to face them. They were tall, just under seven feet. An old, slightly rusted iron breastplate covered their chest, brown robes flowing from underneath it. It parted in the middle, showing the leather armor that covered their lower half. Their face was concealed beneath a hood, the top of which held a strange crown, and an ornate, but featureless, gold encrusted mask. Gaunt hands, covered in bronze gauntlets ending in sharpened claws, emerged from long brown sleeves, and in them a simple plate, which they held out to the woman.

After the shock of their appearance abated, she let out a sigh. They were a church missionary, and they were asking for a tithe. Of course. She shoved a hand into a pocket, and dropped a few pieces of silver into the plate. The missionary gave a slight bow, and left wordlessly. Her gaze followed them for a time, and she shivered. Gods damned were some of the people the church employed unnerving sometimes. There were always at least a few of the silent missionaries in towns this far out, to help keep the townspeople on the “right path” and away from religions that the church would consider unsavory. Which was most any religion that wasn’t theirs.

Kind of dick-ish, when you thought about it, but considering that most other religions nowadays were apocalypse cults, it was hard to blame them. Hard. Not impossible. They do overstep their bounds occasionally.

She continued to wander for a bit, looking for someone who wasn’t busy or currently under an oath of silence. Her search eventually led her to the docks. Of course the docks were busy, but there were a few workers who were just resting, evidently not having much to do. She nervously stepped up to the least intimidating one, a tired looking young man, probably barely over eighteen. His face seemed to lighten up at her approach, and he started standing a bit straighter. He gave a grin, showing off a few missing teeth.

“H-hello there.” She greeted, fidgeting with her stowed bow.

“Hey there, ma’am!” He greeted right back, running a calloused hand through his messy, damp hair. “What can ah do for ya?”

She was a bit caught off guard by the youth’s enthusiasm, but it wasn’t unwelcome. “Uh… d-do you know anything about the- uh- caves. A-around here?”

His smile dropped for a second, his expression shifting to a more confused one. “Uh… well, ah mean, ah got an idea…” He mumbled, scratching the back of his head. “Unc’s a miner, so’re my cousins. Ah know the names at least, if tha’s helpful.”

She gave a small sigh. Okay, that’s better than nothing. “Do you know where a cave called… uh, called Echo Cavern is?”

He flinched a bit at the name. “E-Echo Cavern, ma’am?” He parroted, tilting his head. “Y-yer probably not from around here, otherwise ya’d know that nobody- ain’t nobody- allowed in there.”

“Please. I really need to find it. It’s the whole reason I c-came out here.”

The boy cringed, and took a sharp inhale, glancing around at the other workers. He grimaced as he turned back to her, eyes still darting around. “Ya sure ‘bout this…?” He asked, his tone making it empathetically clear that he was already sure he was going to regret this.

“... y-yes.”

“Ya don’t sound very sure, ma’am.”

“Th-that’s just how I sound.”

“... I’ll take yer word for it.” He leaned a bit closer. “It’s on the north-east side, further inland. You’ll know it when ya see it, ‘s got lotsa crystals around it. And bugs.”

She blinked at the last bit. “B-bugs?”

“Ye, bugs. Bigguns, too.”

“Well… th-thanks.”

She stepped away from the dock, not wanting to sour the poor lads mood any more than she already had. Hopefully he wouldn’t get in any trouble. He seemed like a nice kid. From there, she just idly paced through the town for a bit. She should probably wait for Leona and Artemis to wake up, so they can all go together.

… but also, she really wanted to get to the cave. She really, really wanted to get to the cave. It was the only lead she had right now. And she really wanted to follow it. But it was probably dangerous- what wasn’t nowadays- and a bow wasn’t exactly the go-to weapon for spelunking in… bug-caves. Eugh. The thought of it made her skin crawl. She really didn’t like bugs. Bugs just made her… viscerally uncomfortable. Especially big ones. But she’s faced scarier… probably…

… I’ll just take a peek, and then go back and wait for Leona and Arte.

The Outlands were dreadfully oppressing, especially when walking on foot. She didn’t quite imagine the cave being this far out from the kid’s description. But who knows, maybe she had already passed it. The town was already getting kind of far away… and she really didn’t want to lose where it was. The Outlands were very same-y- gray rock and dirt as far as the eye can see. At least Crystalbarrow was a coast town, so she can just follow the coast and get there eventually. That is, if she hadn’t lost where the coast was already. Her sense of direction definitely could have been better... but it also could have been worse. She could figure out a way back, she could… she just had to push the anxiety down for the time being. If she didn’t find the cave within the next ten or so minutes, she was heading back.

Of course, it only took about two more minutes of looking to find it.

When the lad said that she would know it when she saw it, he wasn’t joking. It was… a big cave. Even from a distance, it was intimidating. An enormous, yawning maw of an opening, lined with crystals, giving the impression of the giant, toothy mouth of a hungry monster. It wasn’t exactly welcoming. But there were no bugs… at least, not visible ones. Not yet. Slowly, carefully, she stepped closer. The closer she stepped… the louder… something became. It wasn’t clear what it was. It was… deep. Bassy. Cacophonous. Like a choir of some sort. But it definitely wasn’t a choir. Not out here. That became more obvious the closer she came.

She peeked into the vast opening, the glittering crystals providing light a far distance down… but that just made it even more obvious how it just kept going. There was no end in sight to the tunnel, and she could swear it branched off at several points. The sight made her stomach drop. No. No way, no way was she going in there without Leona and Artemis. The noise was near unbearable this close… and it still wasn’t any more distinct. Just. Gibbering and jabbering, echoing out of the cave. She decided now was probably a good time to just turn around and head back. No way. Nuh-uh. She could not get back to town fast enough.

In fact, Velda was in such a hurry, she tripped right over something and fell flat on her face, a cry and ‘oof’ pushed from her.

She picked herself up off the ground, a hand reaching up to her eye. Yeah, that was definitely going to be a black eye for her troubles. And her arrows spilled all over the ground. Fuck off. She brushed the dirt and dust off her clothes, and started to pick up the arrows. At least she didn’t accidentally stab herself on any of them. That was nice.

The only thing that broke her bit of misery was the little chirping noise she heard behind her.

It was a little hard to hear over the cave, but it was… different. Enough to notice. She turned around, arrows clutched in shaky hands, and didn’t see anything at first… left, right… nothing. Then she turned down, and she saw it.

It was a bug. A big one, about the size of a small dog. But it was… different. She jumped back at first glance, but as she looked closer, she was almost immediately disarmed. It was… very round. Almost spherical. Its back was covered in a shining, sparkling, deep purple carapace. A small horn protruded from its forehead, sharp, but short. It had rounded legs, and what seemed to be a pair of small arms, ending in three little fingers. Its stomach, strangely, was not covered in a similar carapace, rather it was a bright, near-pristine white coat of fur, coating its belly, neck, and the lower half of its face. It was knocked on its back, chirping and squealing, struggling to right itself. The sight was a little sad. Her heart getting the better of her, she inched closer to the little creature, and gingerly picked it up. It seemed to panic very briefly, but seemed to take to it after a moment. She set it back down on its legs, and it looked up to her, making a little chirping sound.

“Uh… y-you’re welcome…?” She said, hesitantly giving it a little pat on the head. It trilled in response. “... you uh. Y-you have a good day, I guess.” She added, before turning on her heels and hoofing it back to town.

While she didn’t notice it immediately, the little creature started to follow her after a moment. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was attachment. Gratefulness. Who knew. But she had a little tagalong, whether she knew it or not.

#Valerie Writes #Scintillam #Leona #Velda #Artemis #Queue #i had a fun time writing this ;w;#i think this is the longest thing i've written?#maybe???#am unsure #it's definitely up there tho #i think that all the chapters from here will probably be longer #but!#i hope y'all enjoy reading...#and reblogs are appreciated if u did :>#also ty again to my lovely friend and proofreader belle; they do such a good job every time asdflkjn ;w;

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bensboynton · 6 years ago

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Soulmate r.t

was this requested? no. did i plan this out? no. does it have a plot? barely. here’s three thousand words of whipped roger and angst. enjoy.

paring: fem!reader x 70s!roger taylor

warnings: swearing, ANGST, death, roger being Whipped, unedited(sorry for errors)

word count: 3.4k

Roger never thought that he was worthy of true love.

Whether or not that was some fucked up inner dialogue or not, Roger never gave much thought to the idea of finding his “person.” It’s not that he didn’t want love, it was just never too high on his mental to-do list.

He was the person to scoff at cheesy romance movies and roll his eyes at the sight of a couple in public. And he was the one to ask girls to leave his flat right after they finished having sex.

After a lot of in-depth personal psychoanalysis, Roger managed to narrow down his biggest flaw and what caused it; he was scared.

Every human on planet earth is scared, of course. But Roger Taylor was terrified. One day he was 16, making out with a girl at a football game and next thing he knows he’s 26 and still having one night stands like they were going out of style.

True love had never really crossed his mind until his best friend’s wedding.

John Deacon got married, and he was forced to sit at a ceremony and watch two people who were sickeningly in love dance and gaze into each other’s eyes. It made him sick.

But then, on the train ride back home, he got to thinking. What if that was never him? What if he never found someone like John did? What if he never got to drop his act and never got to be soft and grossly in love at his own wedding?

He shook the idea off and continued with his life. He didn’t need to be in love. Especially after all of his relationships in the past ending so violently his heart felt like it was broken in his chest.

And that’s what he convinced himself. He made himself believe that he was fine living alone, that he would be perfectly okay with growing old and dying alone while all of his best friends had wives, kids, and a large family to come home to every day.

He forced himself to be okay with it.

Until he woke up one day with the painstaking thought that he would grow old alone, experience life alone, and one day die alone and have to be buried in the singles section of the cemetery; the section where all the lonely old people who have no one to be buried next to go.

He wasn’t exactly sure what to do at that point.

So, he reacted to his sorrowful revelation by drowning his sorrows in liquor. Like he normally did.

Roger hated thinking. He hated his brain, the way it worked, what he thought about. Sometimes he’d want to hit his head against a wall to stop the thoughts from swimming around in his skull until he couldn’t breathe.

The thoughts would stop if he drank enough tequila, so instead of spending a night in, alone with his fucked up brain, he went out again.

The bar Roger normally went to was cozy. It was built in the 1800s or something (Roger wasn’t paying attention to the bartender when he told the story) and the wood that made up the walls was old. It was slightly cracked and had newspapers and magazine covers that detailed the bar’s history littering the walls in rusty picture frames.

All the old antique lamps and extravagantly gothic light fixtures were fitted with yellow lightbulbs; so yellow he would close his eyes after leaving and see the warmth from them in his eyelids.

The hardwood floor was dull and scratched, showing the age of the building more than anything else. And every night he went for a drink, at least one wooden stool would snap in half under the weight of a drunk British man.

The bar had become his home.

The bartender that worked every night was short; so short that it was the first thing Roger noticed about him. He looked as if he could be a 16-year-old in a 30-year-old’s body. It could make Roger giggle if he was drunk enough.

The man’s name was Mitch… or Michael. He couldn’t remember. All he knew was that the short guy at the bar (maybe his name was Matthew?) knew Roger’s drink order by heart.

Roger wouldn’t even get two steps in the door before his beer was popped open on the counter in front of his usual seat.

The bar was mildly busy. Not uncomfortably packed, just enough for it to be a good time.

Roger had picked up countless girls at this bar, and not just average girls. Some of the most beautiful he had ever seen. He considered the place good luck.

But he clumsily stumbled into the bar again, with absolutely 0 intention of taking anyone home that night. He just needed a break.

He sat down at his seat, frowning at the lack of a beer sitting in front of him. He was tired, mentally and physically, and laid his head in his hands. After a few moments, he decided he would need something stronger than a beer.

“What can I get you?” a soft, but raspy voice inquired. Roger didn’t even have the energy to look up at them.

“Whiskey on the rocks,” Roger mumbled into his hands. He heard a small hum from whoever was behind the bar (it definitely wasn’t Mitch) as they walked away to get his drink.

He heard the tap of the glass hitting the bar, causing him to pry his hands away from his face and frantically swallow some of the liquid.

“Rough day?” the worker asked again, causing him to finally look at the bartender.

He choked on the liquor running through his throat as his eyes raked up and down the woman standing in front of him.

She had beautiful hair pulled back into a messy bun, but it somehow still looked so incredibly put together. Her eyes managed to be brilliant and oddly blinding in the dimly lit warmth of the pub, and her uniform hugged her body in all the right ways.

He was about to ask her to marry him.

“You could say that,” he managed to say, suddenly very aware of her gaze on him. She had been intrigued by his slightly wavy hair and his very blue eyes. They were tired, but he managed to pull it off.

And thus began the beginning of a relationship.

She finished her shift at 11 and decided to stay and talk with Roger for a little. She sat down next to Roger in this little pub in the south of London and talked to him for four hours.

She was mysterious. And her smile glowed. She had positivity and optimism practically dripping from every single pore in her body. And she opened herself up completely to Roger.

That’s what intrigued him most. The fact that she didn’t have walls. She was completely authentic; an open book to anyone that wanted to know anything about her.

She was timelessly beautiful. Not a drop-dead gorgeous model, but truly beautiful. She possessed the type of beauty that could be captured in a polaroid, and admired decades after it had been taken. There was no other word to describe her other than perfect.

Roger wanted her so bad. And not under him in his bed. He wanted just about everything else she had to offer. And that scared his already terrified soul even more. How could he want someone he just met?

She was captivating. Spoke with such purpose, yet her tongue softened her consonants enough to fool you into believing she was calm and reserved. But she was a spitfire, especially with a little alcohol in her system.

She was passionate but respectful. Wild, but calm. Captivating, but also elusive. She was like a drug and Roger already couldn’t get enough.

She didn’t seem to understand her beauty. Roger felt the need to remind her as the night grew older and the moon got tried of moping lazily in the pitch black sky. After the sun flipped the world on its head and brightened up the atmosphere, Roger realized he needed to go home.

And he didn’t get her number.

He walked away from the pub that night cursing himself into oblivion for letting someone like that, someone like her get away just like that.

So he went back to the bar the next night. And the night after that. Until she was finally working, and he got to talk to her again.

When he had walked in and seen her tiny but powerful figure behind the bar, he felt butterflies erupt in the pits of his intestines. His shoes felt like they were lifting him off the ground. This was so unlike Roger.

Being nervous to talk to a girl was one thing, but being this excited about it was another. She had caught his eye from across the room, beaming at him with an Earth-shattering smile that made his knees weak.

He finally got her number.

And now here he was, at the same bar two and a half years later. Except she wasn’t there with him.

After Roger had invited her over for dinner, they kissed. And they moved slow. They didn’t have sex for a month (which felt like a decade for Roger) but for her, he would wait. He would’ve waited an eternity for her.

She infatuated him in every single way. Her laugh, the way her eyes twinkled every time she looked at the sky. Roger wanted nothing more than to soak himself in all that she was and lose himself in her essence.

Roger asked her to move in with him six months later. She said yes. He could’ve cried when she agreed.

He was more conscious of himself and the way he moved/spoke/ate/laughed. But he had never felt more of himself. She brought out the very best in him, and he fell sickeningly in love with her sickeningly fast.

He had said “I love you” for the first time in the middle of her talking about her night was at the bar. He blurted it out after spending the past five minuted admiring the hair she was twisting around her index finger, and how she paused to lick her lips every few minutes.

She had stopped abruptly before thoughtfully gazing at him from across the dining table in Roger’s modest sized flat, before saying “I love you too.”

She had pushed the plastic plates off the table and jumped on top of it, climbing across to Roger and plopping herself in his lap. God, he was so in love with her.

He reminded her every single day that she was the most perfect, amazing, beautiful person he had ever met. And he reveled in her presence.

It was remarkable how much Roger had changed over a span of seven months. From having sex with three girls in the same night on Saturday’s to staying in all weekend watching really cheesy movies. It was insane.

Roger’s friends would tease him, and before, Roger would’ve gotten embarrassed. Before her. But he was almost proud of it now. He almost wanted to scream from the rooftops about how much he fucking loved her.

But this passionate love was not one-sided. She felt the exact same way.

She would gush to her lady-friends about Roger, about his eyes and his smile and the way he scrunched up his face if you tapped the tip of his nose. They noticed how smitten she was, as well.

Both groups of friends belonging to either side of the couple were in love with how much they loved each other.

The romance and admiration never once faltered. Never once did Roger wake up and think that the day was mediocre. He woke up next to his soulmate and felt it was the best day of his life. Just because she was in it.

And never once did the girl look at Roger and not feel her heart flutter so rapidly she thought it would fly up her throat and escape through her mouth.

They quite literally had it all.

A decent apartment, enough money to live comfortably, both of them were happy with what they were doing, and they most importantly had each other.

They started living life together, as couples do. And Roger had finally gotten comfortable and relaxed. He loved her so much and she loved him just as much back. He finally opened up and let his hardened edges soften. He was vulnerable.

After all, it’s quite literally impossible to not soften a little when Roger met his girl. His love. His darling (pet names were never his thing… until he met her).

She brought so much light into his life, you could call her the sun. She was the sunrise, the sunset, the blooming of the fruit trees in the spring, and the first fluff layer of snow in the winter. She was everything.

The bitter coffee that Roger would choke down every morning suddenly became sweeter when he was with her. The air outside seemed to smell better. Those pastries from the bakery around the corner from Roger’s flat suddenly tasted so much better than he remembered.

She heightened every single one of his senses. Everything that was mundane and boring before suddenly became one of the most interesting and important tasks with her. She made everything interesting. She made Roger’s life worth living.

And then Roger went on his first tour with his bandmates.

And if you talked to Roger today, he would say it was the biggest mistake of his life. And for good reason.

Roger having to part from his soulmate was more than rough. There were more than enough tears that were shed that day at the airport. The girl had gone home and gotten familiar with the comfortable embrace of silence.

And she was okay with it. Because she promised Roger she would be waiting when he got back. And she never broke a single promise to Roger in their entire two and a half years they had been dating.

Except for this one.

Roger had called the phone in their house for their daily chat, and it was the last day of the tour. He was so excited to see her smile and hear her laugh in person again, to get his hands on her after having no one to satisfy him for months.

But there was no answer.

Roger’s smile had faltered, but he has thought nothing of it. He had created an imaginary world in his mind where she was just trying to ignore him so she could surprise the shit out him when he got home.

He walked up to the house, his heart bursting at the seams with excitement as he clumsily opened the lock, shoving himself into the house and stumbling over his bags. He threw them to the ground and ran into the living room, waiting to see his sitting on the couch.

She wasn’t there.

He checked the kitchen, the backyard, the laundry room, and finally made his way to the bedroom. He pushed open the door and his entire world came crashing down in an instant.

Her lifeless body was sprawled across the carpet, the rosy flush in her cheeks and lips gone. Her hair felt brittle and cold, and her fingers were freezing to the touch.

For the first time in 4 years, Roger began to cry.

After performing CPR and screaming for help, he finally called an ambulance. They came to his house and delivered the news that the love of his life was dead.

He went to bed that night and didn’t move from his mattress for four days.

He finally moved when he got a phone call from the hospital, informing him that she suffered from heart failure. There was nothing anyone could have done to help her.

Roger had hung up the phone and went back to bed. He didn’t shower for another three days.

He couldn’t sleep, because every time he closed his eyes he would see her face dancing across his vision. And he couldn’t blink because she was imprinted on the inside of his eyelids. He couldn’t eat, because the thought of doing anything that she used to do made him sick to his stomach.

Roger quit his band, moved out of his apartment, and barely left his much smaller apartment.

Unless he was going to the bar.

He went every goddamn night as if she was going to be working. As if she was going to be working her shift, and they could start over. As if Roger could reintroduce himself.

He got drunk every night. Constantly in a loop of getting shitfaced, being hungover, and getting shitfaced again before the hangover was even gone. He was in a haze. He was hollow, a ghost, a shell of what he used to be.

The sky suddenly didn’t look as blue anymore. He stopped drinking coffee because it was too bitter for his taste. He stopped eating at new and exotic places around town. He stopped smiling at people on the street.

Roger reverted so far into himself he forgot who he was. Who she taught him to be.

He would go home every night, drunk out of his mind, and scream. Scream her name, scream at God, scream at the universe. Scream at the unfairness of this. Scream at the heavens for taking her instead of him.

He wished it had been him.

He prayed to a God he wasn’t even sure existed that they would let her switch places. Let her live and let him die. Because he knew he wouldn’t be able to make it without her in his life. Without her laugh, and her positive outlook, and her psychotic stories from her high school years.

Roger thought he knew pain. He thought he was familiar with pain in the same way you’re familiar with your parent’s favorite songs. But he didn’t know pain until he lost her.

His heart ached all day every day. Sometimes it was dull but ever present, and other times it was sharp and breathtaking. Roger Taylor was quite literally suffering from a broken heart.

After she was gone, Roger promised never to move on. Even though that’s probably what she would have wanted. He treasured her memory and the many memories they had together. He wrote about them in journals so he wouldn’t forget, and he never dated anyone else.

He never opened himself up again. He had made that mistake. But he had also had his happily ever after. Roger Taylor lived a painfully short infinity with the love of his life, his soulmate. He had his chance at happiness. He would never find someone else that understood him as she did.

He would never be as carefree with anyone else, never feel as alive as he felt with her. She was the wind beneath his wings, the air in his lungs and the pulse in his chest. And she was gone. He was done with looking for that with anyone else. He had his chance. He lived with his soulmate. And she was gone now.

So he lived out the rest of his life in solitude, calmly and nimbly jumping through the twists and turns of life. And when he died, Roger’s casket was placed right next to hers in the ground. After 96 years of living on this planet, and 93.5 of them being without her, he finally realized something.

That he was deserving of love. He was all along. His love was just brief. It fiery red hot. It was so powerful it would make other people look away in envy. He found the true-love he had previously been so desperate to find.

After living a lifetime of trying to find love, finding it, losing it, and trying to find inner peace and acceptance after, Roger Taylor passed away from old age and was buried in a cemetery, but not in the “singles” section as he feared. He was buried next to the love of his life.

So, turns out that she did keep her promise. She had always been waiting for Roger. Except now, she was waiting with wide arms at the gates of heaven. She always kept her promises.

Roger got to live out the rest of eternity with his soulmate. He was finally at peace with himself and one idea.

He was truly 110% deserving of true, authentic, and beautiful love.

#roger taylor #queen #roger taylor x you #rogerina #roger taylor x reader #roger taylor imagine #roger taylor blurb #roger taylor headcanon #queen movie #bohemian rhapsody #bohemian rhapsody movie #queen band #ben hardy #ben hardy as roger taylor

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nellie-elizabeth · 5 years ago

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Elementary: Their Last Bow (7x13)

Oh my goodness what the heck I'm crying! That was so lovely!

Cons:

It sure would have been cool to get Natalie Dormer back as Jamie Moriarty, but I understand why they couldn't. A part of me wishes that a bit less of this episode had been focused on her, because it kind of set up expectations that she might make an appearance after all. Next to the looming specter of Jamie Moriarty, the random NSA guy just didn't pack much of a punch.

I absolutely loath the narrative device of showing a coffin and trying to fake out the audience as to who has died. They've done it on Arrow, they've done it on pretty much every procedural show I've ever watched... I'm sick of it. This one was particularly annoying because it dragged on for a while, with Sherlock and McNally talking about a nameless "she" who had died. Obviously we're supposed to think it's Joan, but it turns out it's Jamie Moriarty in the end. Sigh. This was obvious and they dragged it out way too long.

Pros:

But whatever! This episode was so soft and lovely! My favorite thing about Elementary for all of these years has been how down-to-earth it is. We don't need to have insane drama at the last minute. We need a quiet story about relationships and love. That is exactly what we were gifted here at the end, and I adored every second of it. I'm a little unsure where to even start, actually.

The idea of doing a flash-forward in a finale episode is always slightly risky, but in this case I think it worked really well. We want to know how these people's lives are going to continue. We want to see their futures play out for us, or at least a little section of them.

Bell becomes Captain! And gets married and has a kid! I'm proud of him, and I love that Joan tells him (and Gregson) that Sherlock is alive. I get that Sherlock wants to protect people, but Joan was right to put them out of their misery. Bell's reaction to seeing Sherlock is to punch him, and honestly... right on. I like that Bell is hurt, but that he's still ultimately Joan's biggest supporter, and you know that he and Sherlock can patch things up.

Gregson is retired now, and Paige has passed away. He spends time with his remaining family and seems to be enjoying his retirement. He gets one of the best lines in the episode, when he wonders why Sherlock is leaving again. After all, there's only one person in the world that Sherlock truly loves, and she's in New York. That is just such a gut-punch and I love that Gregson is there to offer that perspective. He also betrays Joan's trust by telling Sherlock about her cancer, but under the circumstances, I'm not mad at him for that.

And let's talk about the creme de la creme - the reason I watched this show for seven seasons. Sherlock and Joan's relationship. I've never seen a show pull off a relationship like this. I trusted and believed that they'd never go the romance route with them, but there was always that fear in the back of my mind that they'd pull a Mulder and Scully or follow the precedent of pretty much every similar show on the air. When you have a man and woman team up to solve crimes, they're supposed to fall in love at some point, apparently. But Joan and Sherlock... they do love each other. They are family in every way. But they're not in a romantic or sexual relationship. They never were, and they were never going to be. I love it! I'm so excited! Last season gave us this understated sendoff for the characters that worked beautifully as a final episode to celebrate their partnership. This season managed to give another understated sendoff, one that I liked perhaps even more, because Gregson and Bell also got a chance for beautiful final moments.

Joan goes through with adopting a child, which I was really pleased about. I always loved the potential of that plot thread, and while it was mostly dropped from the show, it comes back here in the perfect way. Her son, named Arthur (ostensibly as a tribute to Arthur Conan Doyle), is just the cutest little guy. And Sherlock is in awe of him. He's so complimentary and so honored to meet him, and keeping Arthur safe is a big part of the reason he stayed away from New York. It might not be a totally logical impulse - after all, if Sherlock has enemies, it wouldn't be difficult for those enemies to find out about his relationships in New York. Joan and Arthur might have been targets no matter what. But the instinct is also really sweet, and selfless. We learn that Sherlock relapsed during his time away, and he's especially afraid of being a part of Arthur's life if there's the risk he might not be able to stay sober. I bet Sherlock is an amazing caregiver to little Arthur. We don't know if he becomes something like a father to the child or not, but knowing that he's with Joan, that their partnership remains, and that Arthur gets to grow up with Sherlock Holmes in his life, is warming my heart to no end.

We now need to talk about The Scene. You know the one I'm talking about. Sherlock learns what's going on with Joan, learns that she has cancer. He comes to her, horrified at the thought that she was going to let him leave and go back to his work around the world, without even telling him about it. Joan gets upset too, saying that she plans on beating this thing, that she didn't want him to feel like he had to stay... and then Sherlock hugs her, and says of course he's staying. The acting in this scene from both of them was beautiful. Sherlock was getting so choked up. He was so scared for Joan, and so upset at the thought that she would have kept this from him. See how it feels, Sherlock? Yeesh. In any case, of course Sherlock will stay with her. We even get that affirmation in the final scene of the episode, when Sherlock says that nothing else matters as long as they're together.

I want to talk about my favorite little detail from that last scene, actually. Obviously Sherlock's last words on the show being about his partnership with Joan, and how much he values it, is pure excellence. But it's earlier, on the elevator, that I think their relationship is demonstrated at its finest. Joan asks what Sherlock thinks of her wig, they banter about that for a moment, and then Sherlock asks Joan if she has the note from her doctor declaring her "cancer free." When Joan says she doesn't have it, and that Bell isn't likely to need an actual doctor's note to give her the job back, Sherlock replies that it doesn't matter, he has a copy of it in his email inbox.

It's just that little thing, right there. Joan forwarding the results of her doctor's tests to Sherlock, and Sherlock keeping it. Over the years, I've always complimented this show on the way it sweats the details. The little things, the proof of domesticity and partnership, that pervades their relationship. I love that even in this final scene, that dynamic was what was at play. Simply beautiful.

For this finale, I give a score of:

9/10

For the show as a whole... gosh. You know, in so many ways this show is just a procedural, and while there have been plenty of similar shows over the years that I've enjoyed in various degrees, this particular genre of TV show is not really my thing. In fact, I don't think I'll ever start another show like this again, unless there's something truly exceptional about it. I could do without the bajillion case-of-the-week plots. I'm never all that intrigued by the murder mysteries, the gathering clues, the capturing of criminals. But the core of this show was something more beautiful than I know how to describe. Just the joy of having a truly platonic love story between a man and a woman, the pleasure of watching them build a life and a relationship together over so many years, made this show one of my favorites to watch each week. I have to mark it down for the fact that most of its run-time was eaten up by procedural cop stories, and that's just not what I watched it for. But the rest of it was so good that I can't exactly give this show a negative rating. Over-all, Elementary gets...

8/10

#review #elementary #elementary review #elementary cbs #i can't believe it's over!

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intergalacticsuperstar · 6 years ago

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A Journey Of Lost Souls | Tom Holland AU | Part 2

AN: Hope you guys enjoy this short little part! I think this fic is going to be super fluffy. Like all the fluff in the world fluffy. Not this part in particular, but upcoming parts: expect the fluff.

Please please please please -even if you hate it- give me some feedback.

Series Summary:

The princess of The Kingdom of Nitro has been kidnapped by her family’s enemies. After escaping their brutal treatment, the princess must find her way home. Having never been outside of the capital city’s walls, the princess must enlist the help of a common boy to help her on her journey, all while keeping her identity a secret. Through secrets, frightening trauma, and a crush on the cute boy helping her on her way, the princess must learn to trust her instincts. However, the real question is: Can she trust the boy?

Ch. Warnings: none

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Part 2

The princess felt bad that Tom slept on the floor.

She tried to explain, she really did, but he insisted that she take the small cot in the corner of the room while he took a blanket and a spot on the ground. He even let her have the pillow, which he only had one of. He didn’t seem too peeved by this arrangement, but the princess still felt guilty.

She didn’t plan to get any sleep tonight. How could she? Not only was she in a stranger’s home, vulnerable and afraid, but there were also people chasing after her. And of course, there were the nightmares. Being kidnapped for three months was not something to easily get over.

So, the princess stared up at the ceiling as she listened to the soft snores of the boy on the ground. It gave her time to think, plenty of time to think, really.

She thought about her parents and if they were still searching for her. She thought about the kingdom and how if she revealed her identity, how many people would be willing to help her. She thought about the boy on the ground next to her and if he could truly be trusted. And later in the night, when she was getting extremely tired and no longer in control of the sway of her thoughts, she thought about her time as a prisoner.

She was frustrated. Frustrated with how time moves so slow when you wanted it to move the fastest. It was as if the Earth had begun rotating slower in order to make the sun never reach the horizon, just to mock her.

Sunrise didn’t come for a few more tantalizing hours. As the market outside began to start bustling around, Tom naturally woke up. And the princess, of course, pretended to be asleep.

He shuffled around for a bit, went outside and then came back in. When she heard him fumbling with something on the other side of the room, she peeked her curious eyes open for just a moment to see what he was doing. He appeared to be packing a bag of some sort, which made sense considering they would be traveling soon.

When he turned around, the princess quickly shut her eyes.

“Sam, it’s time to get up.” She heard him say gently.

She fluttered her eyes up as if she were just now waking up. Tom was still packing a bag but he turned his head and gave her a big grin.

“Good morning!” He greeted cheerfully.

She nearly gasped at the kindness. When was the last time someone said ‘Good morning’ to her? It was relieving, like a fresh breath of air.

So, she braved a smile and said back to him, “Good morning.”

—-

Tom was relieved when the girl smiled. He hadn’t seen any sort of positive emotion from her until just now and he was beginning to get worried at her everlasting frown.

What could have possibly happened to her?

He knew the question could have multiple answers. Some pretty shady stuff happened around the kingdom, that he was sure of.

He was happy to help, truly. He was mostly just annoyed at the fact that she lived in Ornate, which was on the complete other side of the kingdom. He’d been there a few times, but for the most part, he tried to avoid the place altogether. The Royal Family lived there, and he couldn’t stand the Royal Family.

Nonetheless, the frightened girl needed help, so he was going to go. He even thought it might be a good opportunity to see a few of his old friends along the way.

He shouldered the bag he’d been packing full of anything edible in his living space, which wasn’t that much. Just a few rolls of bread and some fruit. He had also managed to fill up two canteens of water from the well earlier in the morning.

Tom lead the girl out and the two began their long journey. As they weaved in and out of the city streets, Tom noticed Sam kept very close to him, much like the night before. It was as if she was scared someone would jump out and grab her at any time. Tom’s heart involuntarily warmed at the thought of protecting her.

As the city began to fade into a less chaotic setting, the sea was now visible shining against the horizon and that’s when he heard a loud gasp. He jumped in surprise; their walk had been silent thus far. He looked over at the girl whose eyes were wide and practically glowing as she gazed over at the brilliantly blue ocean. Tom furrowed his brow.

“That’s...that’s the ocean!” She gaped.

Tom let out an awkward giggle. “Uh...yeah, we are in Civitasmare.”

Her head turned slowly as if this was the biggest news she’s heard in years.

“Civitasmare? I’ve been this close to the ocean this whole time?”

Tom didn’t know what to think or what to particularly say. This girl was a complete mystery to him. Had she really never seen the ocean before?

“You didn’t know that you were in Civitasmare?” He asked her, trying to see if he can pry some information out of her.

But, her demeanor fell it a solemn look as she gazed downwards, obviously lost in her thoughts. “I...I guess not.”

She didn’t say anything else. And with a three-week journey ahead of them, Tom didn’t want to take a break within the first hour, so they kept moving.

They traveled over the beautiful hilly landscape of the region. The weather was quite perfect, not too hot because over the overcast. After nearly an hour and a half of more silence, Tom was growing antsy at the minimal conversation.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” He asked, probably too boldly considering that he understood that she had gone through what must’ve been a hard time recently.

“Not lately, I don’t.” She replied simply.

Tom didn’t want to push her on the subject of ‘lately,’ so he decided to stretch back further.

“We are going to Ornate to bring you back to your family, yeah?”

She only nodded in response.

“Tell me about them.” He said.

---

The princess felt the bundle of nerves planting roots in her chest and beginning to grow down into her stomach. She couldn’t just very well tell the boy about her family without totally blowing her identity, so she stretched the truth a bit.

“Well, my father is a bit of...uh… commanding type. He’s kind of bossy, but he still loves me and my mother very much. And my mother, well...she’s the kindest woman you’d ever meet,” she explained, much to her own surprise that she already felt comfortable enough to talk to Tom.

Tom nodded and then asked, “What are their occupations?”

The princess’ stomach tingled a bit at the question, but she smoothly followed with, “My father is a merchant, my mother- a seamstress.”

Tom was just about to ask her another question, but because she was worried about revealing something about herself, she decided to flip the conversation over to him.

“What about you?” She said quickly.

His eyes widened like he wasn’t expecting that, even though he should’ve assumed that she’d eventually ask him. He just didn’t think it’d be so abruptly.

“Well, uh...I suppose it’s just me. No family to really talk about.”

The princess immediately felt horrible. “Oh,” was all she said.

---

And the mysterious boy and the secretive girl continued on their way in silence.

AN: Hope you enjoyed and if did please reblog! Again pleaseeeee let me know what you think and thanks for reading!

Tagging some peeps:

@isabellamozzarellla @penguinsparker @thollcnds

#Tom Holland #tom holland au #tom holland fic #tom holland imagine #tom holland fanfic #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland fluff #au #imagine #fic #fanfic #fanfiction #th

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pulsarsmash · 7 years ago

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PULSAR’S TOP 10 FAVORITE ANIME OF 2017

PULSAR'S TOP 10 ANIME OF 2017:

Its that time again! Here's my ten favorite anime series of the past year. A few notes:

1. This is just one dude's opinion. If your favorite isn't on here, it's not personal.

2. I decided to include sequel series on this list after a few years of not doing that, because there were a couple this year that were so good I felt not including them would be unfair.

3. If I didnt finish a show, its not on here. Meaning there are a couple shows like Inuyashiki and Juni Taisen that, while I've liked what I've seen, aren't on this list.

Here we go!

#10: GABRIEL DROPOUT A consistently funny comedy about an angel who, after graduating from angel school and being assigned to Earth, discovers video games and ends up becoming a lazy bum. Meanwhile, her best friend, a demon fresh out of demon school, has the opposite problem: she's far too sweet and kind to be an effective agent of evil. This show is a lot of fun and features a couple great supporting characters (a demon with serious delusions of grandeur and an angel with a sadistic streak). If youre looking for some laughs, this is a great show to check out!

GABRIEL DROPOUT is available on Crunchyroll.

#9: KONOSUBA - SEASON 2

Imagine the gang on Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia launching a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. It would probably end up something like Konosuba.

I didn't think this show could top last season in ridiculousness and hilarity, but it pulled it off. This is one of those shows where your sides hurt by the end of some episodes because you've been laughing so hard.

If you aren't familiar with Konosuba, it revolves around a group of four would-be adventurers: Kazuma, a neurotic and slightly perverted NEET; Aqua, an incompetent crybaby goddess and healer; Megumin, a mentally unstable mage obsessed with blowing things up; and Darkness, a masochistic knight. These four are complete idiots and manage to screw up just about everything they try to accomplish... and you'll end up loving them because of it. Watch this one from the beginning if youre looking for a great comedy and like seeing the "sent to a fantasy world" trope completely turned on its head. Seasons 1 and 2 of KONOSUBA are available on Crunchyroll.

#8: PRINCESS PRINCIPAL

This show was 2017's dark horse, it seemed to fly under a lot of peoples radar. Which is a shame, because this is a very fun and inventive spy/intrigue series. Princess Principal takes place in an alternate version of Britain which has been split in two by war. A group of young women double as spies for the upstart commonwealth who are trying to unseat the monarchy. And their secret weapon? The country's own princess, who is in on the scheme. With awesome steampunk-inspired character designs, great action sequences and a story with continuous twists and turns that will keep you guessing, this show definitely deserves a second look from people who may have missed out the first time. Princess Principal is available on Amazon Prime.

#7: KAKEGURUI KAKEGURUI is another show that flew under people's radar in 2017, largely because Netflix decided to wait until the English dub was finished to release it in the US. But I can tell you it was worth the wait. This anime follows a young woman named Yumeko who transfers into an elite prep school in Japan, where the student hierarchy is determined through gambling. Yumeko quickly finds herself a target of the student council when it turns out that not only is she a VERY skilled gambler, she is also very good at figuring out if someone is cheating. And she may or may not be a tad bit insane. If you like over-the-top psychologically-intense shows like Prison School, you are going to love this anime. It also has my favorite intro of any anime in 2017. KAKEGURUI is available on Netflix in English and Japanese starting this month!

#6: SCUM'S WISH Most romance anime are very light and fun, or they are over the top to the point of self-parody. SCUM'S WISH is not one of those anime. This show is about how painful and unfair love can be. Two high school students appear to everyone to be a perfect couple. But the truth is they are both actually in love with other people (their teachers), and are simply using each other as a physical and emotional replacement. The characters in this show are not tropes, and they aren't necessarily all likeable either. One character I would almost call the best villain of the entire year in anime. But in the end, this show makes you care about all of them, to the point where you even want the worst of them to be happy in the end. Scums Wish is not a fun show. In fact, it is incredibly painful to watch at times. But it is absolutely worth watching. SCUM'S WISH is available on Amazon Prime.

#5: THE ANCIENT MAGUS' BRIDE A young woman named Chise is about to commit suicide when she is approached by a man offering to help her "find someone who wants her." Feeling that she has nothing left to live for, she offers herself up for auction, and is purchased for five million pounds by a mysterious individual who turns out to be an ancient mage. And he has selected Chise to be his apprentice... and his future bride. The Ancient Magus' Bride is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL show. There is a sense of magic and wonder to this anime that just draws you in from the opening episode and doesn't let go. And the relationship between Chise and Elias is fascinating. This show will likely top a LOT of people's best-of lists, and I absolutely understand why. The only reason its not higher on my list is it's only 13 episodes in, and there's a lot of story left to tell. I can't wait! THE ANCIENT MAGUS' BRIDE is available on Crunchyroll (subtitled) and Funimation (English dub)

#4: MISS KOBAYASHI'S DRAGON MAID A techie gets drunk one night, misses her train stop and ends up on the outskirts of town. She comes across a dragon, and being drunk, makes friends with her invites her to stay with her. She proceeds to go home, pass out and forget everything... until the dragon shows up on her doorstep the next morning, dressed as maid and ready to get to work. This for me was the biggest surprise of 2017. I went into this show expecting to drop it after an episode or 2, and ended up falling in love with its cast of hilarious and ridiculous characters. The relationship between Kobayashi and Tohru the dragon (which becomes more romantic over time) is absolutely adorable, and the supporting characters/dragons are all a ton of fun to watch. This is one of those series that just makes you feel good while watching it. Definitely give this one a shot! MISS KOBAYASHI'S DRAGON MAID is available on Crunchyroll (subtitled) and Funimation (English dub)

#3: ATTACK ON TITAN: Season 2 Attack On Titan, a show about a world where titans (giant humanoid creatures) threaten humanity's existence and have forced them into a giant walled city, is one of the most popular anime series of the past decade. After a four long wait, expectations for this season were impossibly high. Well, I'm just going to say it: Season 2 of Attack On Titan made Season 1 look like a kids show by comparison. This season ramped up the intensity and sheer terror to 11. Attack On Titan, in my opinion, is no longer a shonen-action series. It's straight up HORROR. And this is a good thing. The best thing about this season was the decision to split up the main trio of Eren, Armin and Mikasa and focus more on supporting characters like Sasha, Ymir and Krista. Ymir in particular went from being a background character to becoming the heart of the show, with her tragic arc being the center of the season's conflict. Fortunately, AoT fans won't have to wait much longer for Season 3, as it will be coming out this year! ATTACK ON TITAN Season 2 is available on Crunchyroll (subtitled) and Funimation (English dub). Season 1 is also available on Netflix and Hulu

#2: LITTLE WITCH ACADEMIA Originally a crowdfunded OVA, and then a sequel, Studio Trigger's LITTLE WITCH ACADEMIA finally received a full season this year, and it was absolutely worth the wait. This is an extremely fun and entertaining series about a school for young witches and a group of new students who have joined, including a young girl named Akko from Japan who loves magic, but doesn't appear to have much natural ability... until she discovers a magic wand that once belonged to a legendary witch named Shiny Chariot. Akko is instantly likeable and you will find yourself cheering her and her friends on even as they make obvious mistakes and get themselves into ridiculous amounts of trouble along the way. Her dorm-mate Sucy (who has a serious obsession with potions and isn't afraid to use her friends as guinea pigs for her experiments) damn near steals the show. And its a Studio Trigger show, so you know the animation is going to not only be great but exciting to watch, and that's definitely the case here. The show wisely takes an episodic approach for the first half, with the overall story arc coming into play in the second half of the series. LITTLE WITCH ACADEMIA is not just one of the best anime of the year, it's one of my favorites of the past decade. LITTLE WITCH ACADEMIA is available on Netflix in both Japanese and English.

#1: MADE IN ABYSS

I agonized for a while over whether to make this or Little Witch Academia #1. If you were to ask which show is more fun to watch, Little Witch wins by a landslide. But Made In Abyss is the show that simply would not let me go this year.

In a world where a mysterious chasm has opened up in the center of the earth, cave raiders delve into the depths of The Abyss, as its known, seeking out secrets and treasure of the world below. A young aspiring cave raider named Riko one day receives a letter from her mother, a famous cave raider who has been missing for years, telling her to meet her at the bottom. With the help of her new friend Reg (a human-looking robot Riko found while scavenging), Riko begins a treacherous journey to the bottom of the world.

MADE IN ABYSS is a throwback in some ways to the dark fantasy epics of the 1980s like The Neverending Story. But this series ramps up the darker elements of its story over time. Do not let the cute art fool you: this is NOT a kids show. This show goes places I never expected, and in some cases places I would never want to go back to again. This show never feels "safe" the way kids' shows are expected to. The central characters are always in danger, and one false move could get them killed... or worse. There are times where I had to pause this show in the middle of an episode just to decompress because I felt like I was about to break down.

Prepare to be terrified. Prepare to be heartbroken. And prepare to see the best anime of 2017.

MADE IN ABYSS is available on Amazon Prime.

Thanks for checking out my list. Let me know what your favorite anime series of 2017 were!

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bondi-oldgirl · 7 years ago

Photo

This is a nice interview with Jessica Bergeault, the base runner for Seasons 2 & 3. And yes, she did go to Canada for an extended holiday and now working on other shows in the UK. Poor thing was exhausted.

I’ve posted this before, but I liked it so much, I’m going again. Outlanderfrance on Wordpress is a great site and worth a visit if you can go via google translate on your computer.

https://outlanderfrance.wordpress.com/2017/07/30/rencontre-avec-jessica-bergeault-base-runner-sur-le-tournage-doutlander/

A mystery on the set of Outlander, there is a French woman, Jessica Bergeault, working in the production office! Séverine, our permanent correspondent admin in Scotland, met her on location, and Jessica was kind enough to promise us an interview. Promise kept despite a busy schedule, on a beautiful spring afternoon, Jessica appears smiling at the « Train Bleu » Brasserie in Paris.

OutlanderFrance Question: Can you tell us how a French woman ended up in the position of « Base Runner »on Outlander? What is your background?

Jessica Bergeault: I wanted to attend a film school. Most schools are 3 years of study with a lot of theory, but in London I could go through the curriculum in one year, with the advantage of being in an English-speaking country. I worked a little in London, but I chose to go to Scotland, where it is less competitive, and I had heard about Outlander. As I’m a fan of American series, and they generally film in North America …

I arrived in Scotland, while season 1 was still being filmed. A few months later I heard they were hiring for season 2. I immediately sent my resume, I got the job interview and was hired!

OF : Do you think the fact that there were a lot of French actors in S2 gave you an edge?

JB: Yes and no. This is an advantage, they were hiring both base and set runners, the base runners work with actors. Being French, they gave me the role of base runner. It made it easier to work with French actors.

OF : Did you help Guillaume (French tutor on set)?

JB: Not much. I let Guillaume do his job. But it’s true that sometimes it was fun in the morning to speak French or Italian with Cait, sometimes a little French with Sam too.

OF : It must be quite special to have a bilingual set!

JB: French actors speak English on different levels of course. For example Romann (Editor’s Note: Romann Berrux, who plays Fergus) speaks excellent English but for his mother, for example, I was very important and we became very close. Romann is a bit like my little brother. He has really grown and changed between season 2 and season 3.

OF : Can you tell us more about the role of a Base-Runner?

JB: I am part of the assistant directors department. In fact we are like the glue that connects the different departments together: cameras, sound, actors, makeup, costumes, drivers.

There are sets, and the base. The base is where actors’ trailers are, as well as the costumes needed during the week, etc. I’m responsible for the base, and so in the morning I welcome the actors, I serve them coffee, tea and breakfast and I get their lunch. I tell them when they need to go to makeup, or to the set, I answer their questions. If they need something, I’m there for them.

I have to know where each actor is at all time, in order to make sure they are where they need to be at the right time. If there is a button that is coming off, the actor tells me and I call someone in the costumes department.

It takes a lot of organization to knock on doors and get everyone into cars. I organize with Andy, who is head of the drivers. The atmosphere on the set of Outlander is really nice. When I was filming in London, on big productions, there were sometimes ego problems, but on Outlander, actors are all really lovely, like a big family. Of course some days more than others.

I work about 13 hours a day, 5 days a week but sometimes we can only have a location on Sunday. For example at the end of 2016 for 2 months, the week ran from Sunday to Thursday to accommodate this.

OF : What is the most unusual thing that happened to you on set?

JB: I have, several times, helped the makeup artists to remove Sam’s back prosthetics.

OF : You’re going to make people jealous!

JB: Sure, but it’s interesting to learn the techniques, it was not part of my school curriculum. But Sam and his makeup artist Wendy appreciated the help.

OF : What according to you are the most misunderstood aspects of the production of a series like Outlander?

JB: I think it is the very long hours for teams dealing with extras. The assistant directors who manage extras have very very long hours. They must get up very early, they start 2 hours before I do. There aren’t 100 makeup artists for 100 or 200 extras, so you have to send them all, and then in the evening, recover all the wigs and so on. It’s very long. The makeup for women takes about an hour and a half. The wigs are very time consuming.

My working day begins about 2:30 or 2 hours before they start filming.

I begin a new season about a week before we start shooting. I then take care of the actors who come for costume or wig fittings, and I am also present at the beginning of each block for the read-through … When an actor has only one or two lines and is not present, I read in his/her place. Sometimes I read the lines with Sam or Cait. <laughter>

Much of my work is to help the second assistant director. An important part of the second assistant director’s job is to prepare the service sheet for the next day. It is kind of a timetable: what scene we will shoot, which actors will be there, what time should they arrive at, what time they have to go to make up. Also noting the important things like « there will be 8 horses, » note all the extras, where it will be shot, etc. Another aspect of the second assistant director’s job is to call to arrange fittings.

Production visits us every day and I deliver mail and scripts to the actors’ dressing rooms. I also liaise with the office, my colleagues call me if they need something. If an actor has forgotten his cellphone in his bag in his dressing room for example, I’ll get it for him … I liaise with the set to send new actors to shoot a new scene.

It is a very varied job where you move around a lot and I love it!

OF: It’s fascinating, we know nothing about what goes on behind the scenes. It’s strange, the more you learn the more magic it becomes!

JB: After that, there is the post-production and special effects, but that’s not my department.

OF: Guillaume and Amandine have not hired you to record French voices in post-production?

JB: No. I haven’t had the opportunity to meet her.

OF : And it seems that you gave French lessons to Richard (Rankin)?

JB: Yes, he said he was taking some lessons and he was very enthusiastic when he asked me to give him a « sentence of the day ». I would give him an English sentence he’d have to try and translate, then I’d give him the sentence in correct French and he’d learn it.

OF: You know that OutlanderFrance sent Sam a French tongue twister book?

JB: Yes, I saw that!

OF : Maybe you could borrow it and give Richard some tongue twisters to learn?

JB: Yes, we could try!

OF: How is it going with Caesar, the new Fergus?

JB: It’s going great! Obviously it’s weird not to see Romann, but it’s true that whenever the actors are leaving it’s weird.

But we know when we said goodbye they will probably be there again in 2 weeks for « pickups » because often they realize in post production that something is missing or needs to be re-shot. But yes it’s true, it’s sad. Tobias also, yes it was sad …

OF Gary Lewis is known to be the biggest « hugger »of the earth, is he as nice with the team?

JB: Oh Gary, yes he is really super nice!

OF : Would you have travel or restaurant recommendations for fans of Outlander, to put on our travel blog?

JB: The Best Fish & Chips? It’s Anstruther, in Fife!

Otherwise, Glencoe is very pretty, as well as Pitlochry Queen’s view. Culross and Falkland where there were a lot of scenes shot and then Dysart representing Le Havre. The Edinburgh architecture and Doune Castle which is Castle Leoch in the series.

OF : So, have you read the books?

JB: No, I haven’t had time yet, I read summaries on the internet and Romann’s mum told me everything. But I will!

OF : We hope that we will go beyond the 4 seasons. Even up to 9? 10? But it seems that Outlander isn’t an easy production.

JB: It is true that Outlander is a difficult series to shoot, because we never stay in one place. Sets are made and broken down within weeks.

OF : To return to the beginning of the interview, as you manage lunch deliveries, is it not too complicated with all the dietary requirements?

JB: For all the team and the actors, we have chefs, and there is a menu with meat, fish, vegetarian food and the people choose. Sam gets his special sport diet delivered and I oversee that to make sure it arrives and ask if he also wants something from the cafeteria. Cait has a gluten-free diet, it used to be delivered but now she brings her own lunch, it’s easier. Sometimes, people like to go to the restaurant when we are shooting in a city. Romann, for example, is very French in his tastes and sometimes had trouble with the local food so I made sure that what was offered was appropriate, if not I would arrange with the drivers to get food.

OF : It’s not too stressful ?

JB: Oh well no, that’s my job. It’s important, we need to keep the actors happy

OF : Have you read the book The Making of Outlander?

JB: Yes, it made rounds in the studio, Sam and Cait had copies to sign, I had a look, I recognized colleagues!

OF : Are you sometimes starstruck? When you meet some actors? On the set?

JB: Well, when you work at the base you do not see the sets, so when sometimes I have the opportunity to go, and you see the incredible scenery, near a castle with extras everywhere « oh yes !!! I’m on Outlander !!! ». For the actors, it’s different, they are my colleagues, so no.

OF: Do you watch the episodes?

JB: Oh yes. Since most of the time I’m at the base I do not see a lot of filming so I want to watch.

And sometimes I act as light double, particularly for Fergus because we are roughly the same size. For example for the scene where Fergus is raped, I was sprawled on the bed. And in the scene where he fetches wine I sneaked in between the barrels.

In the last episode of season 2, when Claire looks at Brianna in bed, I was the double, it was the last day of shooting on the season and I spent the day in bed <laughs>

Sometimes it’s hard when there are two units. Sometimes people talk to me from two different shooting locations at the same time, and as I am the link between the drivers, makeup artists, everyone, it can be difficult … Once I gave the same answer at the same time on the phone and on the walkie-talkie to two different people who needed the same information.

The actors are super grateful for the little things. With practice, one anticipates their needs. For example, you get to know breakfast orders by heart, and they are really grateful. It is my pleasure to please people.

OF: Will you go back for Season 4 or do you have other projects?

JB: I think not, because, well, work on a show like this is very long, very intense. That’s 10 months of the year, 5 days out of 7, 13 hours per day, without holidays, it’s very tiring mentally. So I’ll maybe take a break to recover and concentrate on other projects, including music: guitar, vocals, piano. I have not done that for many years and I miss it.

I am also interested in personal development, and then I want to travel too. I just returned from 2 weeks in Italy: Venice, Milan, Florence, Bologna, Siena, Perugia, Rome. It was great, I could practice my Italian. I took 3 years of Italian in school and I want to become trilingual. After that I’ll go to Canada …

I think they will probably ask me to work on Season 4. I don’t know if, in the longterm, I want to pursue a career in the film industry, it’s been 5 years now. I’d like to go back to writing, have more of a personal life… Scenarios, novels … I wrote a feature film screenplay. Maybe back to directing?

Thank you so much for your time Jessica!

#outlander france #Jessica bergeault

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argyle-s · 6 years ago

Text

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME CHAPTER 16/38

Rating: Mature

Read at Ao3

Start at the Beginning

Kara, the DEO and the Superfriends make preparations for the CatCo Gala, and Kara hire's Cat's new assistant.

Thanks to @ifourmindbeso for her great work as a beta. Any remaining mistakes are entirely my own.

Chapter 16 – Preparation

Vegas was fun. She’d caught Zatanna’s act, courtesy of one Bruce Wayne, and then used the backstage pass he’d given her to talk to the woman who was one of the most famous stage magicians and most powerful sorceresses in the world. The conversation had ended with Zatanna inscribing a handful of mystical glyphs onto Kara’s soul, which was a rather weird process, but short of some sort of talisman, it was the only way the magics could be made permanent.

Most of the glyphs were simple yet powerful protection spells. A ward against lightning, a ward against sonic attacks, a specific ward against banshees, which had led to a couple of playful digs about Irish ex-girlfriends, which made Kara gag a little, which only made Zatanna laugh harder. Kara was pretty sure, from the speed with which Zatanna had performed the ritual, she’d done the protective glyph thing more than a few times before.

The glamour had taken a bit longer, and Zatanna has explained that it was entirely related to the need to make the glamour both dynamic, and permanent. Glamours were usually spells cast at need by the user. Zatanna had told her that normally, she would have simply taught the person asking to cast the glamour themselves since most humans were tuned in enough to mystical energies that they could manage simple glamour and charm work, even if they couldn’t sling anything like a real spell.

The problem, she said, was that Kara’s mystical connection was tapped into the Kryptonian magisphere. So, while it was a strong connection, strong enough that Kara could have slung some seriously heavy duty spell work, Zatanna didn’t know anything about how to teach Kryptonian magic. That’s why the full protection package had been necessary. Zatanna had branded the protection glyphs onto Kara’s soul as a way to forge a connection to Earth’s magisphere. That connection was weak, but it gave her enough power to trigger the glamour which Zatanna had imbedded within another glyph.

When Zatanna was done, Kara had marveled at the result. She could pick any color she wanted, just as long as she could picture it in her head and say the name backwards. Saying ‘normal’ backwards would cancel the glamour, returning her to her natural hair color. Then, Zatanna had dragged Kara out for a night on the town.

Kara was profoundly glad, when she arrived back in National City a little after 6:30 AM, that she didn’t *need* sleep. She was also profoundly grateful alcohol didn’t affect her, because if it had she was pretty sure she’d have done unspeakable things to Zatanna. The girl was beautiful and more than willing. Worse, Kara could see the kind of understanding in Zatanna’s eyes that had attracted her to Sara. The kind of understanding that only came from loss. Even sober, she’d been hard to resist, and if Kara hadn’t known her in the future and known the kind of relationship she might destroy before it could even start, she might have given in anyway. Instead, she’d spent the night playing the oblivious dork, a role which fit her rather well, and left Zatanna with a goodbye hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Then she’d flown home, taken a cold shower, and rushed out the door to Noonan’s with a lovely head of auburn hair. Sally, her usual waitress, had barely recognized her at first, which was a good sign. Three sticky buns and two breakfast burritos later, she’d picked up Cat’s latte and headed for the office.

“Wow,” Winn said. “That’s new.”

Kara smiled as she sat down at her desk. “You like it?”

“Yeah, but, isn’t it a bit risky? I mean, Supergirl’s a blonde and you’re a blonde. You become a redhead, and suddenly, so does the Girl of Steel?” he asked in a whisper.

“I can switch back and forth,” she said.

“That’s a wig?” he asked.

“No,” Kara said. “I’ll explain later, but I will tell you, my stylist was hot.”

“Oh?” Winn said. “Like, ‘I spent the whole time drooling,’ hot, or ‘I took her home and I had to change the sheets before I left for work,’ hot?”

Kara sighed dramatically. “Sadly, the former more than that latter, but it was a close thing.”

“Kara, you have got to live a little,” Winn said. “Everyone should have a smoking hot hairdresser story.”

“Do you?” Kara asked.

Winn blushed a little.

“Oh, you do,” Kara said, smiling. She leaned forward a bit to whisper, “Him or her?”

“You’re just going to have to wonder,” Winn said. “I promised Raphael I would never speak of it.”

Kara laughed as she checked her tablet for the day’s schedule. “Are the servers for the website coming in today?” she asked.

Winn nodded. “Should be here around noon. Honestly, I can’t believe the contractors got everything done in two days. I figured they’d be under foot for weeks.”

“It’s all about connections,” Kara said. And it was. She hadn’t used the normal CatCo contractors to build out the forty-second floor. She’s used ones the DEO used for their ‘we need a new alien containment facility in under twelve hours’ type emergencies.

“Do I even want to ask?”

Kara shook her head. “I’d tell you, but then I’d have to throw you into space.”

“Yeah,” Winn said, grinning. “I’m okay with not knowing.”

“You have your tux for tomorrow night?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Winn said. “I picked it up from Konex last night.”

“Good, I…” Kara stopped at the familiar hum of machinery, grinning just a little bit as she heard Cat mumbling to herself about having to listen to Angie Harmon’s long rant on how hard it was to be a Republican in the entertainment industry. “She’s here,” she said, as she picked up Cat’s latte, adjusted so that only Winn could see her zap it, then stood up and got into position.

The door to Cat’s elevator opened up and she stepped out, eyes still on her phone as she deleted emails.

“Keira,” she said as she watched towards her office, “call the florist and send Ellen a dozen red roses, and make sure to tell her I’m always willing to do her show, any time she asks.”

“Yes, Ms. Grant,” Kara said, as she held out the latte.

Cat took it and started to raise it to her lips, onto to stop half way there. She lifted her head and looked at Kara. “I see you took my advice on the hair,” she said. “Pity you weren’t so attentive on the wardrobe.”

If anyone else had said it, Kara would have been furious, but the slightly teasing hint of a grin on Cat’s face, the one she doubted anyone else would have spotted, took all the sting out of Cat’s words.

“One step at a time, Ms. Grant,” Kara said. “I wouldn’t want anyone to die of shock, after all.”

This time, Cat did smile, though she took a sip of her latte to cover it as she started walking again. Kara picked up her tablet and followed.

“Today is fairly clear. The issue goes to print at 2:00 PM. Everyone except fashion has been edited, approved and finalized.”

“What’s taking fashion so long?”

“Kelly managed to find a costume house who could make replicas of the Kryptonian outfits in the sketches Supergirl sent over. The photo shoot was yesterday, but when I left last night, she was still waiting for the pictures to come back from the photographer. She’s got a backup layout with just the sketches, plus some of the photos of Supergirl and an article about her costume in case the photographer doesn’t get her the prints in time. I’ve looked over it, and the backup is really good, but she’s hoping to go with live shots.”

“Who’s the photographer?”

“Alex DeWitt,” Kara said.

“Hmmm… Is that the girl from LA you convinced me to hire instead of Horton Spence?”

“Yes,” Kara said.

“Well, I hope she delivers,” Cat said as she picked up the remote, and turned on the TVs behind her desk. “I… Is that Maxwell Lord?”

Kara looked up and sure enough, there he was, sitting on the couch, getting interviewed by the host of ‘National City This Morning’. Kara took the remote out of Cat’s hand and selected the specific monitor, turning up the volume.

“Look, it’s not a matter of inexperience. I’ll be the first one to admit that so far, this ‘Supergirl’ as some people are calling her, has done a good job,” Max said.

“Then what *is* your concern?” the host asked.

“Look at what happened last Friday,” Max said. “She blabs to the media that she’s Superman’s cousin, and not even six hours after the news hits, Reactron attacks her in the middle of a crowded highway.”

“An attack that seemed completely ineffective,” the host pointed out.

“This time,” Max said. “But think about it. How much danger were the people on that highway in? Do you know how much Reactron’s fights with Superman have cost Metropolis?”

“No,” the host replied.

“Forty-nine million dollars in total damage,” Max said. “And sure, Supergirl was able to shut him down, although how she managed that is still a mystery when her cousin couldn’t do it for years, but what about next time? How many villains are going to go after Supergirl as a way to get back at her cousin? You seriously think she’s be able to take them all down as easily as she did Reactron? And even if she does turn out to be stronger than her cousin, that’s almost worse because all the aliens and monsters that used to go to Metropolis just to prove they were the biggest, baddest, monster on the block are going to start heading right for National City.”

“And if that’s not bad enough,” Max continued, “she seems to be some kind of glory hound. She’s been flying around what, two weeks and she’s already giving interviews. It’s no secret that CatCo is dedicating an entire issue to her.”

“Well, Superman gave his first interview just three days after he made his first appearance,” the host said.

“And we all know what that did,” Max replied. “How many times has the Daily Planet been attacked? Do we really want the same thing happening to CatCo plaza? Mark my words. National City does not need the kind of problems Supergirl is going to bring here.”

Kara jumped slightly as she felt Cat tug at the remote. She forced herself to loosen her grip and watched as Cat muted the audio.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about Maxwell Lord,” Cat said. “I’m pretty sure our girl is going to prove everything he said is wrong once we get her up and running.”

Kara took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I really hate that man,” she said.

“I’ve noticed,” Cat said. “Someday, you’ll have to tell me why.”

“You mean aside from the fact that he looks at you like a piece of meat?”

Cat laughed. “While I appreciate the sentiment, Keira, I’m a divorced mother who’s closer to fifty than forty. You’re a little late to defend my virtue.”

Kara could feel herself blush a little, but she tried to shake it off. “I don’t trust him,” she said. “He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. He uses people and throws them away, and never worries about how what he does hurts them.”

“The same could be said of me,” Cat pointed out.

Kara turned and looked at her, and she could make out the faint worry in Cat’s face, almost like she was looking for Kara’s approval. The whole idea was ridiculous, of course, but something in Kara responded to it. “Ms. Grant, you give two weeks’ severance to assistants who don’t last out their first day. And yes, I’ve seen you fire half a department in one go, but I also read every single one of those termination packets, so I know every one of them deserved it. You’re hard to work for, but you’re nowhere near as capricious or cruel as you make everyone think you are. You care. You may work hard to make sure people think you don’t, which I don’t understand at all, but I know you well enough to know you care every bit as much as Supergirl does.”

Kara turned back to the screen, where Max Lord was still pontificating. “He doesn’t. The only thing Max Lord cares about is himself. He tells himself he’s some generous, benevolent nobleman taking care of the peasants because it makes him feel good about himself, but he doesn’t know what it means to really give or to sacrifice for someone else. Maxwell Lord is a narcissistic little sociopath who’s going to kill a lot of people someday. I just hope Supergirl is there to stop him.”

She started slightly when felt a hand rest on her shoulder and turned to find Cat giving her a concerned look.

“I’m sure if Supergirl is needed, she’ll be there,” Cat said.

The tension she’d felt from the moment she’d first spotted Maxwell Lord’s face seemed to melt right out of her and Kara wasn’t the least bit surprised. Alex’s faith in her had always been her source of strength, but Cat’s faith in her had always been a guiding light, a way to find the calm in the storm until that faith itself had become the calm. She reached up, covering Cat’s hand with her own, smiling at her, silently hoping Cat realized how much that faith meant to her.

They stayed there for a few moments, Kara knowing she must be smiling like an idiot, but too lost in the warm, caring smile Cat was giving her to care. Much as she regretted it, she was the one who had to pull away when she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket.

“Excuse me,” she said, taking the phone out. She sighed when she saw the call was from the DEO. “I’ve got to take this,” she said.

Cat nodded. “Go ahead.”

Fifteen minutes later, she was walking into J’onn’s office to find him, Alex and Susan waiting.

“You mind telling me what’s so urgent I have to walk out of work in the middle of a meeting with my boss?” Kara asked.

“You mind telling me why the President of the United States is attending your boss’s party tomorrow night?” J’onn replied.

Kara stopped and smiled. “She’s coming?” she asked excitedly.

“Apparently,” J’onn said.

“Kara, what were you thinking?” Alex asked.

“That it would be easier to convince her to go ahead with the Alien Amnesty act if I could actually talk to her,” Kara said.

“Kara,” Susan said, “that’s not at issue. The problem is, you invited her into a war zone.”

Kara turned to look at Susan. “She’ll be safe,” Kara said.

“How can you be sure?” J’onn asked.

“I’ve convinced Ms. Grant to hang a Kryptonian Concord Banner on the side of the venue,” Kara said. “No-one will attack, and if they did, even my Aunt’s forces would hunt them down.”

“Kara, I know you want to think the best of your Aunt,” Alex said, “but-“

“This isn’t about that,” Kara said. “A Concord Banner’s sacred. If it’s violated, every alien on this planet would hunt down the person who did it because they know what would happen if they didn’t.”

“What do you mean?” Susan asked.

“Krypton wasn’t alone out there. Why do you think so many aliens were housed in a Kryptonian prison? Krypton was part of a larger society. It was a power near the heart of a league of independent worlds that spanned a sphere almost ten thousand lightyears in diameter. If anyone violated that Concord Banner, every alien world within three thousand lightyears would send someone to hunt down the guilty party and see that they are brought to justice.”

J’onn closed his eyes and reached up to rub his temples slowly. “Ms. Danvers,” he said. “Did it even occur to you to consider what might happen if a human violated the banner?”

“It did, actually,” Kara said.

J’onn opened his eyes and looked at her. “Really? Because I don’t think you’ve thought through the possible consequences.”

Kara took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “You mean you don’t think I’ve realized I might have to be the one to enforce judgement if someone violates the banner?” she asked. “That I might have to kill someone in order to protect this planet from the consequences of some ignorant, bigoted human’s actions.” She walked over and placed her hands down on J’onn’s desk. “Been there. Done that. Or did you forget already?”

“Kara!” Alex said.

J’onn held up his hand. “No, Alex, she’s right.” He looked at her. “I’m sorry.”

Kara stood up, taking a step back from his desk. “It’s okay,” she said. “It’s a risk and I probably should have told you about the invitation and the banner first. I’m starting to feel like I’ve spent too much time around Oliver Queen.”

“Um, Oliver Queen is dead, Kara,” Alex said.

“Unfortunately, only in this universe,” she said.

“Right,” Alex said. “Not gonna get used to that anytime soon.”

“Tequila helps,” Susan said. “Or it makes you forget about it. I don’t really remember which.”

Kara laughed and Susan smiled at her.

“Okay,” J’onn said. “There’s still a problem though.”

“What’s that?” Kara asked.

“We’ve been tasked to provide security,” J’onn said.

“Well, that’s not a problem,” Kara said. “I’m in charge of organizing the party, so, I can slot you into the security arrangements.”

“That will certainly make things easier,” J’onn said, “though I wish we had more time to prepare.”

Kara grinned. “Trust me,” she said. “In about ten minutes, you’re going to have the most accurate intel on a location you’ve ever seen. AND I know the perfect person in local law enforcement to serve as a liaison.”

“Who?” Alex said.

“Detective Maggie Sawyer,” Kara said.

“Your girlfriend?” J’onn asked.

“Really?” Kara said. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m not dating Maggie before it sinks in?”

“I don’t know,” Susan said. “Sounds like you might be protesting a bit much.”

Kara rolled her eyes. “Look, we all knew Maggie in the other timeline,” Kara said. “I ran into her at a bar after my date stood me up. She’d just got dumped by her ex-girlfriend, who happens to be a Roltikkon by the way, but I’m really *not* Maggie’s type.”

“Okay,” Susan said, holding up her hands. “Sorry.”

Kara nodded. “Look, Maggie’s amazing. I’ve seen her go toe-to-toe with an Infernian armed with nothing but a steel pipe and come out on top.”

“Sounds like we should be recruiting her,” J’onn said.

“That could be counterproductive,” Kara said. “One of the things that made her so valuable to the team in the other timeline was her position at the NCPD. She pulled us in on cases we would never have picked up on otherwise.

Kara watched as J’onn turned that over in his head, then nodded.

“I see your point, but we should at least get her consultant credentials and go ahead and start fostering that relationship now instead of waiting for whatever kicked it off in the original timeline,” he said.

“I agree,” Kara replied. She looked over at Alex. “You should be her handler.”

“Why me?” Alex asked. “I mean, I’m already your handler.”

“The two of you were partners in the other timeline,” Kara said. “Once you started working together, both of you started closing a lot more cases.”

“There’s something else,” J’onn said.

“What?”

“General Lane wants an invitation,” J’onn said.

Kara’s first instinct was to say no, but then something occurred to her and a smile spread across her face.

“Kara,” Alex said. “What are you thinking?”

“Nothing,” Kara said.

“Kara, I know that smile,” Alex said. “That’s your ‘I found the cookie dough mom hid under the carrots’ smile.”

“Oh, relax,” Kara said. “It’s not like I’m going to debauch the man’s eldest daughter in front of him.”

“Okay,” Susan said, “am I the only one who noticed that she felt the need to specify which daughter she wouldn’t be debauching?”

“No,” J’onn and Alex said in unison.

“Just tell me where to send the invitation,” Kara said. “I have to interview Cat’s new assistant in an hour.”

The woman approaching the dock was pale. The kind of pale usually associated with someone who never went outside. Her hair was jet black, and her lips covered in a dark red lipstick that stood out. She was well dressed, in an expensive single breasted gray wool pant suit, covered with an even more expensive black peacoat. The boots were well-made flats, which would have seemed slightly out of character if it weren’t for the distinct limp the woman walked with and the heavy derby cane she leaned on. She moved quickly, but with every other step she shifted, leaning to the right as she swung an unbending left leg forward and planted it with obvious care, the cane coming down at the same time, providing support as she swung. Her eyes were hidden behind large wraparound sunglasses. If anyone had looked carefully, they would have noticed a slightly paler band around the ring finger on her left hand, indicating the absence of a ring that had once been worn.

Anyone on the docks who saw the woman would remember her, not just because she stood out, but because she so clearly didn’t belong there. Yet, she moved with purpose, confidence and determination as she approached a small fishing boat.

If anyone had been able to see her eyes, they would have noticed that she was scanning the area with the skill of a veteran, watching for threats and for anything out of the ordinary, but the only one on the docks who did notice, though not from her eyes, was the target. A tall, wiry young black man with blonde hair and tattoos running down his arms. He was wearing heavy navy canvas cargo pants and a red t-shirt, and she could feel him watching her even as he shifted empty plastic tubs off a pallet, getting them ready to be loaded onto the boat tied up at the dock.

An older man was standing nearby, looking at her more openly, and seeing less about her than the man she’d come to see. She dismissed him as a threat, but it was obvious he was her target’s boss.

She walked up to the target, stopping far enough away that they were out of arm’s reach, but close enough that he couldn’t ignore her without it being clearly deliberate. He sat down the stack of tubs he was moving, and looked at her.

“Yes?” he said.

“I need to talk to you,” she said.

“Lady, I don’t know you,” he said.

“If you’re looking to hire the boat, it’s mine,” the other man said.

She turned towards him. “Are you his boss?”

“Yeah,” the man said.

She slipped her hand into her pocket, and pulled out a wad of bills. She peeled off five one-hundred dollar bills, and held them out to the man. “I need two hours of his time,” she said.

He looked to the target for a moment and the target sighed and nodded. “It’s okay,” he said.

The man reached out and took the five hundred, then watched as she counted out another five.

“This never happened,” she said, holding out the second stack of bills, which disappeared without any hesitation this time. She turned back to the target. “Is there someplace around here we can get lunch?” she asked.

The target nodded. “Follow me,” he said.

She watched as he stepped by her, and even watching, she nearly missed him unbuttoning the pockets on his pants. She smiled, impressed. He was good. She’d known that ahead of time, but he was better than she’d expected him to be at this point. Of course, anyone who didn’t know him, didn’t understand, might have thought him letting her get behind him was a rookie mistake, but it wasn’t. Not with so much water around them. They were in his playground.

She followed along for nearly a block. He didn’t speak until they were out of earshot of everyone else. “Who sent you?” he asked. “Arthur, or David?”

“Neither,” she said. “And I apologize for the theatrics, but your friend in Metropolis had no idea what name you’d be using.”

“How’d my friend find me if he didn’t know what name to look for?”

“Long story,” she said. “But he didn’t. I found you. I just checked with your friend to see if I could find an easier way to make contact.”

“You could have gone with something lower profile,” he said.

“Trust me, this is a lot lower profile than I usually am,” she said. “Now, food. Please.”

He turned and lead her around a corner to a little shack with a faded sign that declared ‘Best Sushi in Kodiak!’.

She felt herself smile as he waved to the old Japanese man behind the counter and headed for a booth in the back corner. One that would leave him perfectly positioned to see anyone approaching. She slid in opposite him.

“So,” she said. “What do I call you?”

“Jack,” he said. “Jack Gray. And what do I call you?”

“Linda Lee,” she said.

“Sounds about as real as the limp,” he replied.

She frowned. “What gave it away?”

“The cane,” he said. “You did a good job adding wear to it, but you’re still thinking about how to use it. The movement isn’t habitual yet.”

She grinned. “Good catch,” she said.

Before either of them could say anything else, a waitress appeared. The woman took a moment to scan her features. Eurasian. Based on phenotype, the granddaughter of the man ‘Jack’ had waved to as they entered. Based on the smile on her face and the scent of pheromones she was giving off, she had a bit of a crush. She was in for a bit of a disappointment and not just because ‘Jack’ would be leaving after today.

The woman watched as Jack ordered a Sashimi Platter, then turned to the waitress and ordered herself two ‘Kodiak’ rolls, two ‘Volcano’ rolls, and two ‘Godzilla’ rolls, along with a bowl of miso soup, an order of pickled garlic, a bowl of edamame and some fried oysters.

The waitress double checked the order, and looked like she watched to explain just how much food the woman was ordering, but she glanced at Jack and he gave her a slight nod, and she scrambled off to get them their drinks.

“I suppose that answers that question,” he said.

“I figured it would,” she said. “I’m actually here to ask for your help. The cloak and dagger stuff is less about you and more about me. If I were seen here, it would attract the wrong kind of attention.”

“The disguise must be really good,” he said.

“Better than the one I normally wear,” she replied.

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but helping people is how I wound up in the mess I’m already in,” he said. “I’m not in the business anymore.”

She didn’t respond immediately, because the waitress arrived with a platter loaded with their drinks, and the woman’s soup and edamame.

“Your oysters will be just another moment,” the waitress said.

“That’s fine,” the woman replied. She waited until the waitress stepped away before turning to her soup. “You mind?” she asked.

He shook his head, and she tucked in, devouring the soup in just a few moments, before turning to the bowl of steamed soy beans.

“Let me make my offer,” she said. “If you don’t want to take it, I’ll give you two thousand dollars. That should at least make up for me blowing your cover here.”

“Well, that’s more thoughtful than I expected you to be,” he said. “Go ahead.”

“I need someone to guard a Queen,” she said.

“Not interested,” he replied. “I’ve learned to keep away from royalty.”

She laughed. “I can understand why,” she said. “Arthur’s a bit full of himself.” She watched the slight tightening of his jaws. He’d taken offense. That was a good sign. It meant he still cared. Not that she’d ever really doubted. “But this Queen is unique,” she said. “Like any good ruler, information is her primary weapon, but her goal isn’t power. She wants to change the world, make it a better place.”

“Don’t they all?” he asked.

“The difference is, she’s actually doing it,” the woman said. “Not with armies and bombs, but with words, newspapers, magazines, Twitter and tumblr, YouTube and Facebook, tv shows and radio. She pushes and pulls. Shapes conversations and narratives. She inspires, leads, and gives people hope.”

“You make her sound like a Saint,” he said.

The woman snorted, and then laughed, slapping the table so hard the bowl of edamame bounced a few inches. “Oh, Rao’s light, no,” she said, managing to keep her voice low enough that only he could hear her. “She’s vain, conceited, self-absorbed, a little narcissistic, mean, fickle, self-aggrandizing, more than a little petty and absolutely the most pig-headed, stubborn pain in the ass I’ve ever met.”

“You’re really selling this,” he said.

She reached up and took her sunglasses off, showing him the brightest blue eyes he’d ever seen. “I’m not interested in selling you anything, Jack. She’s not a perfect person. She’s hard to please, hard to get along with and some days, she’s hard to love.”

He stared at her for a moment, and nodded slightly. “You’re not looking for someone to protect a Queen, you’re looking for someone to protect a friend.”

The woman shook her head. “No,” she said. “Family. I’m looking for someone to protect family. I can’t do what I need to do if my attention is divided. I asked your friend for advice, to help me find someone I could trust. Someone who, if they took the job, would die before they failed. Someone who would protect their charge, even if it was from him. Or me.”

She saw the wheels turning behind his eyes, and saw the exact moment it clicked, and he leaned back, slightly shocked.

“You know who I am,” she said.

He nodded. “I do. You’re my friend’s cousin. And I have a pretty good idea who you’re asking me to protect. What I don’t understand is why. She can afford to hire protection if she needs it.”

“There’s no one she could hire that can protect her from people like me. You though, you could.”

Their conversation stopped for a few moments as the waitress arrived with their food. The woman smiled and thanked her, and began mixing Wasabi into her soy sauce.

“Your skill set can bypass our gifts,” she said.

“I know,” he said.

“They would underestimate you. It would give you an edge, a chance to strike from surprise.”

“Even so, those like you would be a difficult challenge.”

“And if it comes to it, I would be more difficult than most, because *I* am warded against your skills,” she said.

“Why go through such effort to protect someone if you believe you might one day be in conflict with them?” he asked.

“If you ever have to stop me from hurting her, it would be because I’m not myself. Because something had altered my brain. I don’t expect it to happen, but I’d be a fool not to plan for the contingency, since it *has* happened before. And if it does happen, don’t hesitate. Just put me down. For everyone’s sake.”

He picked up a piece of his sushi and dipped it in soy sauce before popping it in his mouth, chewing slowly. Once he’d swallowed, he asked, “If I did this, what would be my cover?”

“You’re be her assistant. You’d run errands, fetch coffee, manage her schedule.”

“I can’t guard her full time if I’m off running errands,” he said.

“Neither could I, but she would never accept a dedicated bodyguard. This is the best I can do,” she said

He shook his head. “I’m sorry. If you found me, I’ve already lingered too long in one place. What you’re asking... I would be too visible, too rooted to the same spot. Arthur and David would both know where I am.”

She picked up her chopsticks and selected a piece of her Godzilla roll, dipping it in the mixture of soy sauce and Wasabi as she spoke. “You can’t keep running, Jack. I understand why you’re upset with Arthur. You trusted him, and he spent your whole life lying to you. I understand why you hate David. He’s a monster. But you are giving them all the control right now.” She placed the piece of sushi in her mouth and chewed slowly, letting her words sink in.

“I hid who I am for eleven years, not because I wanted to, but because other people were afraid. I let other people chart the course of my life and I nearly watched everything I love burn, again. In the end, I couldn’t do it. If I’m going to be damned either way, I’d rather be damned for being who I am and I’m going down fighting, with my head held high. This is your chance to make that same decision. The decision to be who you are. A better man than your father, and a braver man than your king.”

He stared at her for a long moment, then shook his head. “You and Metropolis, you’re both dangerous, you know that? You make people want to be better than they are.”

She smiled. “You’ll do it?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll do it. You think you could give me a lift to National City?”

“After I finish my Sushi,” she said.

Kara sat in the conference room, rubbing her temples as she waited. Kaldur’ahm, Cat’s new assistant slash bodyguard was at her apartment getting fitted for the wardrobe Konex was making for him. The suits were all going to be designer. It had taken a little creative hacking to create Jackson Hyde, but Kaldur’ahm’s new cover identity would stand up to a standard DEO level security clearance.

The money issue had been a little bit trickier. Kara was trying to do as much as possible above board, which was why she’d gone through the DEO for so many things, even before coming out as Supergirl. But she wanted to keep Kaldur’ahm off the DEO’s radar, so there was a good bit of white collar crime involved as she transferred money pretty much no-one knew she had around, building a paper trail that didn’t lead back to her. Konex was helpful in that regard, since most human cybersecurity was more of a suggestion to him, than anything else.

By the time CatCo’s HR department was finished digging, they were going to find that Jackson Hyde was a trust fund baby whose parents had died in a boating accident. There would be some stuff about him working his way up and down the coast after college, before settling down in National City and applying for a job at several places around town. It was all nice and pat, and Kara had no doubt Cat would see right through it if she ever bothered to look. Kara really hoped she didn’t.

Kara looked up as the door to the conference room opened, and her face split into a smile as she saw the pizza boxes and the brown paper bag James was carrying. She loved Sushi, but flying home had burned through those calories already, and she was starving.

“Pizza and pot stickers,” James said.

“That’s my favorite meal!” she said.

“I know that about you,” James replied, setting the food down on the table. “Winn should be here any minute with Maggie and your sister.”

Kara took one of the pizzas off the stack and flipped it open. “I love Hawaiian,” she said happily as she picked up a slice covered with ham, pineapple and bacon.

“Yeah, I noticed that the day you ate six of them,” James said.

Kara gave a slight pout. “Alex never lets me order Hawaiian,” she said.

“That’s because pineapple does not belong on pizza,” Alex shouted from the hallway. “It’s sick, and wrong and what the hell happened to your hair?” she asked as she walked through the door.

Kara smiled. “You like it?”

“I… how…” she turned and looked at the door, waiting impatiently as Winn closed it behind her and Maggie.

“Damn it, Kara,” Maggie said as she looked past Alex, “stealing all the attention with the ‘hot librarian’ thing wasn’t enough? You’ve gotta go and be a red head too?”

Kara gave Maggie a wicked grin, and said, “Elprup.”

Everyone else’s jaw dropped as her hair turned a deep, rich shade of purple.

“That… is SOOOOO cool!” Winn said. “Is that a Kryptonian thing? Can you change anything else? Are you a shape shifter?”

“No, no, and no,” Kara said. “Lamron,” she said, and her hair changed back to its normal blonde. “Nrubua,” she said, and her hair shifted again, returning to the same shade of Auburn it had been when everyone walked into the room. “I went and saw a friend of a friend last night. She worked a little magic, and voilà. Voice-activated color-changing hair.”

“Okay, wait a minute,” Winn said. “Magic? Like, literal magic? As in the hot, I spent the whole time drooling, hairdresser did actual magic on your hair?”

Kara sighed. “And yet, I’m the one who gets ragged on for not being able to keep a secret.” She took a bite of her pizza and started chewing furiously.

“It’s okay,” Maggie said. “I can wait until your sister is not around to get details.”

Kara glared.

“Not to be a spoil sport,” James said, “but I still need to get back and review final proofs for the digital edition of the new issue, so…”

Kara swallowed her pizza, and looked at Alex. “Did you bring them?”

“Yeah,” Alex said. “Though the director would have preferred to do this at HQ.”

Kara shrugged. “I would have preferred to leave Sam Lane off the guest list for tomorrow night. Sometimes you just have to roll with it.”

“Wait, Lucy’s dad is going to be at the party tomorrow?” James asked.

“Yeah,” Kara said. “Lucy too, probably. But Lois will be there too, so maybe that will keep him occupied.” Kara did not miss the slightly raised eyebrow on Alex at the mention of Lucy, and decided distraction was the best way to keep Alex from figuring anything out. “But right now, Alex has some papers for you guys to sign.”

“What kind of papers?” Maggie asked.

“Security clearances and NDA’s,” Alex said as she sat her briefcase on the table and pulled out three large envelopes.

“For what?” Maggie asked.

“You have to sign the NDA before I can tell you,” Alex replied.

Kara could see the argument building, and much as she’d like to watch Maggie and Alex go ten rounds, right now wasn’t a good time. “Mags,” she said.

Maggie turned to her. “Yeah?”

“Go with me on this, okay?”

She could see the hesitation, and she understood it, but Maggie finally nodded and sat down, taking the form from Alex and reaching for a pen. Winn and James both sat down too, as Alex handed them their non-disclosure agreements. Once all three were signed, Alex lay packets down in front of each of them, and they all up ended them almost immediately. Each one dropped a leather ID folio on the table, along with a stack of paperwork with tabs indicating where signatures went.

“Welcome to the DEO,” Kara said. “Since you all know about Supergirl, I convinced Director Henshaw to run security clearances for all of you, and issue you credentials as consultants.”

“Really,” Winn said, picking up his ID folio and flipping it open. “This is so cool!”

“Winn,” Kara said, “You can’t show it off.”

“I know,” Winn said, curling his hands around it protectively. “It’s still cool though.”

Kara grinned. “Wait until Alex shows you the special features.”

“Special features?” Maggie asked.

Alex pulled out hers and held it up, showing them the DEO badge. “These wouldn’t be much good in public, since the DEO doesn’t officially exist. But,” she touched a spot on the side of the wallet, and the ID turned into an FBI ID, “we still get by.”

Maggie looked over at Winn, and both of them smiled at each other. “Psychic paper,” they said together.

“Oh, no,” Kara said, looking at Maggie. “He did not get you started on Doctor Who.”

“Seriously?” Maggie said. “I started watching Doctor who when I was five.”

Kara sighed as she felt Alex’s and come to rest on her shoulder, and turned to look up at Alex. “I take back everything nice I ever said about her.”

“What?” Maggie asked.

Alex smiled as she shook her head. “Please, don’t,” she said. “No one wants to hear her rant about how insulting Doctor Who is to aliens.”

“Wait,” Winn said, “what?”

James just looked up at Alex in desperation. “Where do I need to sign?”

“Heard the lecture?”

“From Clark,” he said, “And three of the Green Lanterns.”

“I’m not that bad,” Kara said, stomping her foot slightly, and making the whole table jump.

“Yes, you are,” Alex said.

#supergirl #supercat #supercanary #sanvers #fanfiction #the shape of things to come #kara danvers #alex danvers #cat grant #maggie sawyer #sara lance #j'onn j'onzz #susan vasquez #lois lane #clark kent #james olsen #winn schott jr.#future shock

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honeyyros · 3 years ago

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Hey you guysss so I’m doing an extended version of my stories. This one is a part 1 of the introduction so tell me how you like it or you can comment some pointers, or ideas you would like for me to add next.

Introduction: Lola Rae

It use to be a time where you can tell who was with you and who were not. Now, you can’t even tell the difference.

Bleurayne, Jasper is a planet discovered by my mom and a few others shortly after planet earth was destroyed and after months of searching the galaxy for a new home; we settled here in Jasper; where the ground is as blue as rain and the planet itself was illuminating a red, Jasper-like glow(hence the name). My mom was one of the first to settle so we’re like one of the first families here. I was only 3 at the time and my brother jackson was a year younger than me. Our dad died in the crossfire so he didn’t get to see this beautiful new beginning— rest his soul.

My name you ask? It’s Lola Rae; soon to become the infamous storm Santiago or santí for short. And this story is not a walk in the park, sissy story about a girl who had a hard life and overcame and all of that crap. But more so about a girl who never had a break in life until she broke life and became what most people are to afraid to become— A dangerous weapon.

Locus:

Get the general!” One of the soldiers Said to the other. “We are about to land”

The soldier goes to the phone hanging on the wall and picks it up and says into the receiver “ hey, we are coming up on something so we are about to land at 0500. Yes sir …uhhh no sir….we are not sure yet sir but we know that what you are looking for is most definitely here or at least you will be able to get some answers.”

Meanwhile up in the chambers, sat Gabriel Artemis loctorium. A very overly-ambitious, yet prickly man. One who would soon become the slimmest con-artist that ever walked the face of jasper.

Bleurayne, Jasper. Such a lovely place really. The streets was as blue as rain, and when the weather changed the planet would give off this reddish hue; its rather beautiful really. The snow gives off pink crystals in the sun. Just as the day I dreamt of one day ruling this planet and taking the one thing that would make me all powerful—Breaking down the source of the planet; Storm. My apologies I meant to introduce myself; I’m Locus—the coldest shapeshifter that ever lived, or least would be soon. After I destroy the one person who was destined to bring me down.

As Locus stares out the window of the spaceship, footsteps approach. A slender, slick and rather tall fairskin woman walks up behind him and says in a low, raspy voice “ Locus darling, we are almost there. We must go over the plan?”

“Plan? I don’t really do plans; if you hadn’t noticed I’m kinda of a spur of the moment kinda guy”

“ so you think that it will be so easy to spot a shapeshifter where we’re headed?” The lady laughed in efforts of mockery. “Earth didn’t see you coming so again I ask— how do you suppose to seek out the enemy without a plan?”

In utter frustration locus replies “ uhhh as much as it pains me to say it—you are right; I do need a plan but… if we are to do this, we do this my way not yours. The last time we went with your plan it ended with the world being destroyed. No! We can’t be messy, we have to be slicker in our efforts to weed out the shapeshifter destined to destroy us… destroy ME!

Lola Rae:

Upon arriving, there was much needed work to do. I don’t really remember much because I was only three at the time, but my mom would tell me and my brother stories all the time about how we grew up and before we were alive. My mom had many pictures and videos laying around the house of me and my brother and some included my childhood friend samurai but we call her Sam for short. She was the ying to my yang much like my bro who stayed trying to hang around us growing up; annoying yet cute I suppose. She was the more rebellious type and I was more logical. Where she was quick and hasty; I was more slow and steady— always analyzing every side of everything.

We grew up in the south region of Jasper; which technically would have been considered the north on earth. According to my mom’s history, she grew up in the south on earth so it kinda makes sense. Here on Jasper, the south was like the north on earth and the west was like the east on earth and so on and so forth. I think you catch my drift.

My mom was one of the first on the board upon arriving to Jasper so she basically ruled everything amongst 11 others. However, my mom she liked her space so we grew up on this big farm, 150 acres of land. Of course Jasper didn’t have any animals at first so the families who first settled managed to escape earth on time with a few animals brought over from earth and over time as more people started to migrant here they brung many other things along the way which we were able to plant, produce, and severe for survival. Which making this earth number two with a little twist.

Sam and her family settled here not too long after we did, and they stayed not to far from us. Sam was around our age so she really took to us and we to her. She would call our house the big blue castle because compared to everyone else in our region, our house was the biggest; very spacious, many rooms, and it actually was white but over time the hue of this planet turned the houses many colors and ours happen to be a very fluorescent blue with a hint of pink and red.

Sam on the other hand, came here with her aunt and uncle, kori & Gabriel and her boy cousin pumpkin. My mom being who she was; welcomed them with open arms and helped them get on their feet. She managed to help kori start a supermarket business in the downtown area of Bleurayne called soaking oaks which sold many products from my mom and other local farmers farms as well as day to day supplies you would need for vehicles, houses, etc. Meanwhile, Gabriel ended up being a deputy for the local sheriffs department and years later got bumped up to sheriff when the original sheriff died mysteriously in a robbery gone wrong at the local corner store. Pumpkin on the other hand, was a very odd person. He kept to himself mostly and some may even compare him to a modern day gothic, sociopath, but he never got in our way or never told on us when he watched us do something against the rules. Pumpkin was 10 when he first arrived so he saw things differently than we did. When he turned 20, he mysteriously disappeared into the night never to be heard or seen again. Sam wouldn’t really talk about what happened to pumpkin but mysterious things happen a lot around Jasper but no one speaks on them; they just look the other way.

Gabriel managed to woo my mother so when I turned 4, they got married and my life has been rocky ever since I can remember. Gabriel, also known as locus, was in fact the step father from hell and I wish my mother could see that; I wish everyone could see that but it’s something about him that never sat right with me and I guess he could say the same.

To be continued….

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bluboothalassophile · 7 years ago

Text

A Weekend We’ll Never Forget!

Off to a Memorable Start!

Jason Todd was many things, stupid was not one of them. But he would admit this was the stupidest thing he had ever been doing as he pressed the throttle harder and the slight body clung a bit tighter to him as they rounded the corner.

Jason pulled a gun as he fired behind him. There was a curse in a foreign language he didn’t know as the girl behind him lifted her hand over his shoulder. Just as he looked up he saw the SUV heading for them and the portal opened. They zipped through it and came out still speeding down the interstate as the SUVs slammed into one another behind him.

There was a ringing phone which the woman behind him answered.

“Hello?” her smoky monotone answered. Jason swiveled his bike, as he roared down the exit.

Now, let Jason back up, because to explain the situation he had to start from the beginning.

~~~*~*~*~~~

80 Hours Earlier…

“Kori, this is a job, not a social trip,” Jason pointed out again as he collected the equipment he needed. Jason had gotten soli intel on the Zucco family, and they were making moves against his brother. Which wasn’t acceptable.

“Please, I have not spoken to friend Raven in such a long time. It would be most pleasing to have a girls’ weekend in the Las Vegas,” she smiled.

“Kori, I’m working, I’m not entertaining you and your friend,” he said levelly. He honestly didn’t even want to go to Las Vegas, the heat alone had him wanting to go back to Gotham but he was going. There was work to be done and he wasn’t one to ever back down from a job.

Also, Kori was trying to talk him into bringing Raven. RAVEN of all people.

Jason would never admit this out loud, but he had always had a massive crush on the demoness, even before his death.

And why wouldn’t he?

Raven was fucking gorgeous. She had those high cheek bones, her pert chin, squared/round jaw, that fuller upper lip, her slanted eyes, the sharp nose, those innocently arched brows, her large brow and that gem on the center of her brow. For as innocent and delicate as she looked, she had odd features which he had always thought to be breathtakingly gorgeous. It wasn’t like she was Kori or Donna, the heart stopping, breath taking, look at them gorgeous features. Raven’s were quieter, not softer, but definitely prouder.

Then there was her love of books.

Yup, he had always been hopelessly crushing on the delicate demon, and she was so damn intimidating he didn’t know how to approach her or what to say.

After his death though, she was just way too good for him. That was a woman who could be truly evil and destroy them all if she decided to, and she chose to be good. He found it admirable and all the more intimidating. Raven was out of his league, and his biggest crush despite whoever he was dating or trying to date.

And now Kori wanted to drag Raven off to Las Vegas, Jason wasn’t sure how to react to that.

“I promise that we shall stay out of your way,” Kori said. “And is it not less suspicious for a man to be seen with women than alone?”

Jason glared at her then.

“You are really going to push this aren’t you?” he sighed.

“Yes,” she grinned.

“Fine, fine, just fine! But I don’t want to hear any bitching from either of you during this trip. I got work to do and it’s bad enough Dickhead has decided he’s coming I don’t need more trouble,” He groused. Jason wasn’t really annoyed with Kori, he could never be annoyed with Kori, Kori was a queen among women.

But Kori was also oblivious about some earth things, and his jobs at times.

“Dick has decided to come?” Kori said softly.

“Yeah, princess, he’s coming along, I couldn’t get rid of him,” Jason sighed.

“I see,” she whispered.

“Look princess, if he causes any trouble for you I’ll shoot him myself, but for now, he’s coming as it does involve his family.” Jason looked over his equipment again.

“No, that is understandable, very well, I shall call friend Raven and we shall have a glorious weekend in the city of Las Vegas and we shall have a blast!” Kori grinned as she flew off.

Jason’s head fell as he sighed.

Why did it have to be Raven?

Dick he could handle. Hell, even a Roy who wanted to go binge drinking in Vegas he could handle (and Roy’s sobriety was the only reason Roy wasn’t coming on this trip). But Raven? Jason didn’t know how exactly to feel about that.

He hadn’t really talked or interacted much with Raven since his resurrection, though both Roy and Kori were tight with her. He had kind of been avoiding her.

Now she was coming along on this trip.

He just shook his head.

That wasn’t his problem. He was going to Vegas on a job. Not a vacation. Kori and Raven would do whatever it was that girls did when they hung out together and he would drag Dick along with him for duration of his mission. Which meant he would mostly be brushing off Dick’s poor attempts to be his brother again and ignoring Kori’s determination to drag him into her antics. Because Kori would attempt to drag him into her antics with Raven for relaxation. Kori was like a sister to him in that way, because Steph and Cass both did the same thing to him when he was in town.

Bending over Jason continued packing his stuff now, selecting the books he would want while waiting and listening. Then he got a text from Kori.

-Raven is coming!

Wrong Image! Screamed in his mind as he threw his phone from him like it was a grenade. This was going to be a long fucking weekend!

~~~*~*~*~~~

Jason pressed the bike harder as he popped a wheely, they hit the car and launched into the air. Raven threw her hand in front of him as black materialized before him and they landed hard.

There were bullets whizzing past him as he went full throttle and Raven continued to materialize a shadow path before him. He pulled his gun an fired wide at the assholes as they landed behind them on the interstate. Raven continued talking on the phone.

“Little bird! Who the hell are you talking too!” Jason shouted over his shoulder.

“Star!” Raven shouted back. There were two SUVs closing in around them.

“Oh,” Jason managed. He couldn’t demand she hang up on Kori, but this girl chat had to happen later. “Could use a lift first, then you can girl talk,” he shouted.

“One second Star,” Raven replied and he watched as Raven materialized another path for them.

~~~*~*~*~~~

72 Hours Earlier…

“Las Wages!” Dick shouted gleefully as he all but bounced off the plane with Kori right behind him. Jason just grumbled as he got up to follow, his bones were hurting, and his mind was exhausted, also Raven still looked fucking amazing and it was distracting.

Seriously, the woman still looked fucking gorgeous, hands down the prettiest woman he had ever seen.

“Jason! Raven! We must participate in the drinking of shots! Gambling! Poker! Slap Jack! And the many touristy things at Las Vegas!” Kori announced as she stood at the bottom of the tarmac waiting with that smile.

“Black Jack,” he and another corrected in unison which had him doing a double take of Raven who was giving him the same look he had no doubt.

“Next vacation I want to not be in a hundred and twenty degree heat,” Raven muttered as they walked onto the tarmac. It made him wonder what kind of vacation she would prefer. But he quickly walked for the airport rather than dwelling on this as Dick slung an arm around the small woman’s shoulders.

“This will be most glorious! We must take many photos for Roy, Jay!” Kori decided grabbing his hand as she bounce a bit. Keeping her feet on the ground was a bit of a genuine challenge for her, still.

“Uh-huh,” he nodded automatically. “No flashing your boobs though Kori.”

“Is that not an earth custom in Vegas?” she asked.

“New Orleans on Mardi Gras,” he answered.

“Very well. Oh! Raven! We must do a spa day before we leave!” Kori announced releasing his hand to speak to her friend. Jason took this time to fill out the paperwork for a rental car. He knew they were going to need it.

“Excellent, you girls have a nice relaxing time and Dickhead and I will do the mission,” Jason decided handing back the papers to the clerk.

“Who died and made you team leader?” Dick sputtered.

“This is a team? I thought I was on vacation with Kori for girl talk,” Raven flatly stated.

“That’s the spirit! Come on little bird, we’ll get the car,” he decided. This was Dick and Kori’s chance to hash things out because he didn’t want to deal with that awkward mess all weekend.

“So, Jason, why are we getting the car?” Raven asked as soon as they walked out the doors of the airport.

“This is Dick and Kori’s last chance to hash things out so we don’t have an insufferable weekend with their awkward dancing around one another,” Jason stated.

“Ah, that is very wise,” she nodded pulling her long black hair up into a pony tail. Fuck she was gorgeous.

“So, anything new for you?” he asked awkwardly.

“Not really, you?”

“Nope.”

“You like books, right?” she asked nervously.

“Always,” he answered.

“I have a new book,” she decided.

“What book?” he asked with genuine interest.

“I have recently started reading Jo Nesbø,” she said apprehensively.

“No shit!” he grinned; alright, he could talk books with her. She relaxed a bit.

“Yes, I’m thoroughly enjoying his portrayal of his characters, it is fascinating. I’m also enjoying the pace of the story so far, it is a pleasure to try to think ahead in this story,” she smiled. She was gorgeous, and Jason smiled a bit.

“I like his work, he’s got good mysteries, and I also like his characters,” he said as they made it to their car.

“Really?”

“Really,” he smiled.

“What else have you read?”

“How do you like Dumas?” he offered.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Raven and he slowed into a parking spot. She swung off the bike, pulling off the helmet as she shook out her hair and handed it to him.

“I’m going to go meet Kori, I can drop you at your hotel,” she offered.

“Thanks, gorgeous,” he smiled as she unzipped that leather jacket.

“No problem,” she shrugged out of the jacket and tossed it to him. he packed it away.

“Now, I must know, why the hell would a beautiful woman like you root for the Mets?” he asked slinging an arm around her shoulders as they walked through the parking garage.

“Because, Jason, I am a New Yorker, and Mets are the soul of New York.”

“Thought that was the Yankees.”

“The Yankees are the gods of baseball, they don’t count,” she stated seriously.

“A woman after my own heart,” he snickered.

In the past seventy-six hours he had really hit it off with Raven and honestly it was like she had known her all his life. She was like a best friend for him as her other arm wrapped around his waist. He liked this familiarity between them.

“My Mets are better than your Knights,” she stated as he fixed his cap.

“Next game I’m getting us tickets, and loser has to take the winner on a date,” he decided.

“Oh, is that so?” Raven chuckled.

“It is, so prepare to lose queen, because your Mets SUCK!” he snickered.

“Your team lost, to the Diamond Backs!” she countered.

“So?”

“You’re delusional to think they’ll beat my Mets.”

#bluboothalassophile #fanfic #multi chapter fic #jason todd #raven #richard grayson #koriand'r #DickKory #dickkori #robstar #jayrae #redrae #raex #red hood #nightwing #DC comics #Teen Titans #a weekend we'll never forget #chapter 1

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