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korissideblog · 3 years ago

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Ok! ONE more actor AU post, then I’ll start switching Aito’s quirk <3

(if you have any recommendations for that btw, send an ask lol)

[work in progress!!]

[We need to get this out for next week’s issue. Ichiro’s working on the visuals, you guys make the transcript look nice.]

[yes sir.]

[Aye boss!]

[You got it]

Hello! I’m Kiyoshi Ono, joined here today by none other than Shishio Ramos! Actor in the new series Kimi no Hīrō Akademia!

Hi! [awe! This kid is so sweet] [He’s barely said anything yet] [hush!]

Hi there Ramos! Could you tell us what this new series is going to be about, and who you’re playing?

Oh yeah! Totally! Well- pretty much it’s a highschool for super powered kids, where[nice][Nice!][?][look at the word count!][juveniles]they each can show off their special abilities and train to become pro heroes! Pro being taken literally there- they’re training to become professional heroes! It’s a really fun thing. Ah- and my character is Aito Takao! Takao’s a silly sort of character- kinda like a villain but she’s on the hero’s side in the end. She’s comic relief for when things get too heavy- mostly because she doesn’t care about what’s making everyone else all bummed out [laughter] yeah- she’s a really narcissistic character- but she’s funny so it’s ok.

Yes, my daughter read the manga that inspired Kimi no Hīrō Akademia, and she says that you guys are making a lot of changes- specifically to Takao?

Oh- yeah [laughter] we’re making a couple changes. Takao’s gonna have the same personality and stuff- don’t worry fans- but… you know, we’ll be adjusting a couple things to make Takao an easier role for me to play. He’ll be going by she/him pronouns for one-

She/Him pronouns?

-yeah! Takao’s gonna be genderfluid! For those who don’t know, there’s a ton of different ways to be genderfluid, but the way that I’m gonna portray Takao as- you know, the way I am- pretty much he’s gonna be kinda a little mix of boy and girl? Ah- it’s kinda hard to explain without getting into a lot of different topics, but- pretty much what the audience has to know is that you could refer to Takao with both he/him and she/her pronouns, and his uniform is gonna be both slacks and a skirt! [Ahhh! I just adore Ramos <333] [he’s just explaining gender presentation?][I KNOW!!!]

Alright, good to know! Anything else you think the fans would like to know about changes?

Yes actually! So- in the manga, both Takao’s parents are like, super dead [laughter] but! The writers thought it would be more fun to [nice] [juvenile][JUVENILE!!!] keep Takao’s mother alive, and be kinda ambiguous with his dad. I won’t go too much into it- but I think new and returning fans of the series are really gonna like it!

Perfect! Now, let’s talk more about you

Oh boy-

[laughter] Don’t worry Ramos- I just wanna learn a bit more about behind the scenes stuff. You’re just coming off Good Morning Nakamuras!, how would you describe the transition between Hanta Kobayashi and Aito Takao?

oh lord- [laughter] yeah yeah- there’s a lot of difference between the two. You can see it really prominently in the writing. Good Morning Nakamuras! was a family sitcom, so it was a lot of ‘someone says something’ ‘someone else says something’ ‘Hanta says something either funny or dumb’ and then a laugh track. Sometimes someone else would come after Hanta to carry the joke, but usually it was just that. [awe… I’m gonna miss Good Morning Nakamuras!] [same here, it was my mom’s favorite!] But with Takao, it’s a much faster pace. It’s just ‘someone says something’ and then immediately ‘Takao says something funny or dumb’ and then immediately back to ‘someone else says something’ and then ‘Takao says something funny or dumb.’ I-I don’t know if I’m explaining it well- it’s just that Takao talks all the time and always has something new or witty to say. He’s just a chatter box without a filter and- that’s kinda fun to do- I always get the final word and it’s always gonna get a laugh, you know? [have you guys seen the trailer yet?] [no, but my niece has! She’s really excited to see the premiere!!] [i have. it looks weird, but my brother is excited for it. his favorite is the blonde one i think]

There’s also the problem with the stunts, you know? Like- the worst of it on Nakamuras! was just the parts where I had to jump the fence, and even then it was just every couple of episodes. On KNHA I have to do all these cool fighting moves- and not to mention how deranged Takao is just… naturally [laughter] he’s just a very energetic guy with a fondness for climbing things- and people! Like you have no clue how tall someone is until your boss points at them and is like “hey, go climb them.” And you have to do it! The pro tip I’m gonna give people-climbers: it’s all in the legs [laughter] you just have to get your legs around them and pray that you don’t look as stupid as you feel. God- the worst part is when you’re climbing someone who's the same height as you! Hiroharu’s actor is about my height, and I have to climb him all the damn time. It feels like you’re gonna crush them, you know? Like you just have to be as light as possible and hope and pray that they can support you. And- and I know that he can, you know? Like me and him have the same personal trainer, and Kyo-San doesn’t do “easy” [laughter] I know that he can hold me, there’s just always that fear you know?

Oh definitely- and speaking of Hiroharu’s actor, we know you’re on the lower end of the age spectrum, do you think that affects how you all work together?

Oh no, definitely not! Yeah I’m younger than a lot of my coworkers, but not by much- 19, 20 in June. I mean I’m glad that I’m so young! Like I said- Hiroharu’s actor is about my height, and I’m like 173, and… you know… Hiroharu’s actor is over 21 I think- he sometimes offers to get drinks with us, so he’s definitely 21 and up- and I hear people stop growing after 18…

What? [laughter] What are your tying to say?

Oh my god wait- wait you can’t leave that in! I work with that guy! I can’t call him short in an interview before the show actually starts- ohh no! Oh god!

The average man’s height is 175!

Oh- ah I’m sure- I’m sure that-that’s true- oh my god-

I’m 174!

Oh my god we can’t leave this in! [laughter] oh my god- I’m sorry I just- I come from a tall family so sometimes I forget that- that you know people- oh my god we have to cut this out [laughter] [make sure to remove this bit] [awe! But it’s funny!!] [we’ll literally be sued if we don’t] [you two are no fun :(]

But yeah, age doesn’t really get in the way of things. We’re all good friends on set- especially Hoshizawa’s actor! Him and Shimoda-san are really cool guys, I love hanging out with them!

Shimoda-san? As in Kosuke Shimoda?

Yes! Shimoda-san plays Ikuto Maekawa, and since our characters are such great friends, I’d like to think we are as well! He’s a real fun guy, and I’m excited to work with such a huge talent- everyone- everyone there is so talented and I’m so lucky to be there.

Ah, speaking of talent. While a large portion of the cast is hidden, we have seen some familiar faces in the trailer. We’ve also seen some familiar faces on social media…

Oh my god-

[laughter] you never publicly addressed it, Ramos! Do you want to talk about your fight with Bryce Aoki?

Oh lord… [laughter] everyone’s so dramatic- so it wasn’t a fight- it’s just- ok so we had a little scene together where I would push him out of frame, but he wanted to still be seen and I was fine with that. Choreography is very important to me, so we had a passionate discussion-

Passionate discussion that ended with Aoki getting a black eye?

That- [laughter] that was an accident! I was- so we were practicing by the makeup desks- bad decision I know, but- stop looking at me like that! [laughter] It was just- we’re standing like we would in the scene, and I go to shove him- and- and I’m aiming for his head but- but maybe I accidentally hit his eye - and he absolutely wipes out, like this kid’s on the ground and I’m like “holy sh*t I just punched a kid” you know? [laughter] [she’s like, barely a year older than him…] but! Bryce is a sweetheart, and luckily he’s alright-

He got a black eye! He posted about it!

Oh he! He’s just a bit dramatic! He’s an actor though, it’s our jobs to be a bit looney [laughter]

Alright then, it seems we've run out of time for tonight. Anything you want to say?

Yes! I want to wish everyone a lovely evening! Thank you for the support! -And make sure to watch Kimi No Hīrō Akademia when it comes out this summer!

#Adding little editor’s notes by beloved <3 #knha actor au #knha // kimi no hero academia #bnha oc comback #aito takao

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organizationhimself · 3 years ago

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ntwewy thoughts

i beat it so all spoilers all day

-it’s not as good as twewy and it was never going to be, for many, many reasons. it goes beyond “twewy was first and thus better by default” and into “it’s really trying to bring back everything we loved about twewy and not quite succeeding” sequelitis, but despite this it does still manage to do something unique and it believes in itself. i Felt Emotions.

-i am completely fascinated by the idea of someone who takes forever to decide what to do actually having forever to decide what to do, and this creating a more decisive person who has suffered terribly from his hesitations. (i wish this had been a little more explicit and the earlier situations were things more like “rindo hesitates to attack and Friend gets hurt instead.”) but also, the ramifications of this? like, so many different details throughout each day turned into things that rindo had to individually focus on and turn into game changers. how do you recover from that? how do you NOT go through life feeling like every snatch of conversation about a new pin or a recent episode is somehow Deeply Significant? therapy for boy

-people who hate on nagi are wrong.

-people who hate on fret aren’t wrong, just weak, and nature will not select them.

-minamimami as slightly unhinged party member who does what he wants, and who is outright used as a threat with the vibe of “listen man we can be cool maybe but we don’t know what he’ll do about it,” is great stuff. i never really understood people’s attraction to him when i played the original, but now that he has this incredibly intense reaction of staring out from under his hood with one glowing eye and just daring, with every fiber of his being, for someone to cross that fine line between this delicate tension and a world of meticulously calculated pain, i like. understand it

-i love that uzuki finally put on some real clothes that somehow changed nothing, and kariya is the literal only member of the old cast who was like “fuck you i’m going to wear the same hoodie and ripped jeans for 3 years and like it.”

-furuya, motoi, and kanon are not as fun as higashizawa, minamitoto, and konishi, but i still like the commitment to themed puns. the problem is just that these are less obnoxious and more bearable, and therefore subpar.

-suzukichi is a gem. his redemption thing came out of absofuckinglutely nowhere but i can’t be mad at suzukichi.

-kaie’s a cool idea for a character, i wish he’d been in the game.

-very glad i didn’t see the trailer because i was constantly wondering what the hell was happening and surprised by every twist, even the one i was expecting (and praying for). however, i did expect a lot more fuckery and frustration than i ended up getting; like yeah there was unfairness but i am used to having a party member ripped from my heart at the end of every week. minamisolo fucking off felt like the gentle first rotation of what would become a revolving door of 4th (and perhaps 2nd and 3rd as well) party members, so while i was overjoyed when i didn’t have to lose people to gain people, it kinda hurt the already low stakes.

-beat! beat!! BEAT!!! i remember hating beat and then loving beat in the original because he’s written with an arc, and the way he came back in this is just fucking powerful. the game is always played on a tightrope full of grinning obstacles who won’t kindly step aside or shut up, so it’s beyond refreshing to see someone who is sick of the bullshit come in and just start closing mouths and punching the tightrope. i wish they’d done literally anything else with his speech patterns, but i think he might be my favorite character now, legally.

-neku on the other hand, awesome introduction. but like. where’s the sass?? i get it, neku’s good now, he’s laid back or whatever, great. but i was expecting him and rindo to exchange an eyeroll or do some kind of back and forth where neku’s like “so...does everyone call you ‘lord rindo’ or just--” and rindo’s like “just nagi. don’t ask.” or else he’s totally, visibly unfazed by some bonkers behavior and one of the new characters goes “oh wow sorry about that um” and neku’s like “nah it’s ok i’ve dealt with weirder.” something. i can imagine there’s some running, not-entirely-charitable internal monologue happening in his silences, but it needs to peek out at least a LITTLE. being a Good Guy Not Misanthrope Anymore doesn’t mean “drained of all capacity for sarcasm,” and it also doesn’t mean he’s lost touch with other people’s ability to think shit is weird. he should have reacted at least once to the weird shit he was explaining about tsugumi with an “i know how this sounds but” or something.

-on the same note i literally cannot imagine neku being ok with being called a legend. he did all he did to save his friends and it was bullshit the entire time. getting hyped up for that seems like something that would make him deeply uncomfortable and feel like it was unearned. it’s good that he didn’t respond to it because again i can characterize him as being uncomfortable with it in my head, but square i shouldn’t have to do everything my fucking self.

-overall it kind of feels like the poor guy was on dayquil the whole game. it would explain the voice, too. even in the original neku sounded like a frustrated intern trying to get past his gay coworker cutting in line for the copier; in this one he always sounds just a tad beleaguered by his mortgage and 2.5 kids. (beat is similar at times but he still gets up in the neighborhood of his old register enough to let it slide.)

-rhyme and shiki were in this game too i guess.

-i called shoka as sparrow very shortly after she joined the party, because rindo (who always, ALWAYS hesitated on party members before) was suddenly like “uh hey so w-would you maybe like to idk...join...” and that was like. maybe transparent or something, in hindsight? but i am a COMPLETE SUCKER for characters getting to know each other without ever getting to see each other and then learning their true identities in dramatic fashion, i don’t care how tropey it gets. i also thought from the beginning that tsugumi was going to be sparrow and i was “ugh”ing about it because the chemistry was better with shoka, but i got worried when shoka tried to double cross them to rejoin the reapers, and because i didn’t know if she was the kind of person to use “XD.” anyway i cried during the reveal and i love shoka so much tho.

-felt very little about ayano’s whole thing. some have criticized it that she should have been introduced earlier and i agree. this is kinda tsugumi’s problem too; i thought she was going to be very significant, but in general the whole situation with the shinjuku reapers is not very compelling because it all gets revealed and dealt with so fast. like, we learn that hishima and shiba were friends once after exactly zero scenes of them interacting (that i have any memory of, anyway), and just a few scenes before what’s supposed to be the emotional payoff. i understand there was supposed to be a shinjuku game between the original and this one and the story suffers for it. it feels like a years-long rp in an established world with a friend who suddenly brings in a bunch of new characters like “no listen, these characters are really important and compelling and i’ve been building them up offscreen for months without actually writing them into anything we’re doing, let me tell you their whole deal with no ambiguity or narrative pacing so you can be immediately invested.”

-literally why didn’t we at least see tsugumi get restored? like, damn. give shiki just one thing to do, as a treat. i am begging

-the time travel mechanic was really cool and i loved it, especially how it demanded paying attention to different elements and how the timing of certain things would signal to rindo when it was time to head back and try again. that said, it got a little weak towards the end when there was a lot of “let’s go talk to this person and watch a scene, then let’s go to this time and talk to this person and watch a scene, then let’s...” etc., but the need to make individual arrangements and gather information again in the last loop did save it a little.

-if i ever see coco atarashi again it will be too soon. i haven’t even played the add-on where she kills neku again or whatever, i just think she’s a mess.

-obsessed with the way haz came down just to chat like “hey ant, how do you like your anthill? how does it feel to be an ant? ok whatever, have a nice 72 hours or however long you ants live for, bye.”

-where is josh?? where is yoshiya joshua kiryoshua. missing: josh. gray hair, gray eyes, made of light and condensed smarm, last seen wearing a button up, size “coat,” and dress pants with gay. if found, please run as fast as possible, immediately.

-this game did not deserve hanekoma so it’s ok.

-i don’t like what they did with shiba. like, even in the original things end sort of awkwardly in that joshua should by rights be funding neku’s therapy and that of everyone else involved in this, but the fact that literal days after kanon’s death fret is involved in a situation where he has to team up with the guy LITERALLY, DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE for her death and the deaths of ALL those other innocents (because they weren’t! fucking!! dead!!! when the game started!!!!), and shiba is NOT SORRY and STILL bent on killing literally everyone in shibuya, and then it’s just like...he’s on our side? and his (remaining) friends are still with him? like it’s great that he’s taking steps to atone and a game master (not even conductor tho, the bar has never been lower) doesn’t really possess the same morality and i get that. i just don’t think he deserved this ending and if anything kitaniji was much more sympathetic (while also somehow being even more despicable).

-oh right did i mention EVERYONE DIED FOR REAL. there’s no implication that anyone from the MULTIPLE teams all implied to contain at least 10 people apiece were reconstituted after the fact. selfishly, i’m okay with that, because fret/kanon is fine but they will first have to pull fret/beat from my cold and dying fingers, but it’s still bleak as shit. rindo going back to save a total of 5 people is completely a teenager’s decision and i’m here for it, but it would be a lot more compelling if it would also walk back all those deaths a la the original. plus, it makes shiba that much less cool as a character to the audience, forget the cast. this is hordak levels of “people should still be fucking mad.”

-for what he was i liked kubo (the voice actor was very good at making the kind of deliberately obnoxious laugh that would have made teenage me want to break his nose), and i like that we’re seeing a few more hints of this hierarchy that has only ever sort of been hinted at with hanekoma. but having him just get “exorcised” out of existence really killed the momentum of the whole thing. also between him and minamiyolo why are the only two dark-skinned characters bad plsthx

-basically everything about the ending feels very...abrupt? and i remember having lasting questions about the original’s ending too (and there are secret reports i need to gather and ruminate over), but like. josh just coming in with his three (3) lines and snapping his fingers to fix everything not only with regard to neku and them but also with the shoka thing just feels very not-josh (though i do get the reference, and if i just accept he decided to save shoka, it was done in a josh way, i just question the motive). like if he was going to do that where was he during the haz thing? did he know ahead of time what rindo would choose? (and if that’s the case was rindo’s choice actually a choice?) like...in hindsight i do like the idea that rindo had to find her just like playing fango, but it just feels very tacked on, and the suddenness of her disappearance really undercut what’s supposed to be the emotional resonance of seeing all the other characters getting their happy endings. (i thought i would be, y’know, playing the game josh had just made out of it?? so instead of fulfillment i felt confusion and alarm.)

-the final boss theme music is a thing of fucking beauty. every time i died to the bird and heard “it’s supposed to be hard” i was inspired. eventually beat it on normal anyway because i’m an adult with limited time, but teenage me almost certainly would have channeled that to beat it in a blaze of stubborn glory, and the rest of the song just constantly goes places i don’t expect. i don’t like screamo and yet this is my favorite (new) track.

-minamimememan was underutilized news at 11

#ntwewy spoilers #neo twewy spoilers

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samthemarvelfan · 4 years ago

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I Won’t Say: Chapter Nine

-Last Words-

Summary: Ellaria Stark is the daughter of a king. When she is unwittingly betrothed to the King of a neighboring city, she isn’t sure how to feel. More importantly, she isn’t sure how the King will feel if he finds out the truth about her.

Pairing: James Barnes x OFC, Ellaria Stark. (Stark!Reader.)

Warnings: Royal!AU, ANGST, violence, mentions of death and murder, revenge, blood, description of crimes.

A/N: I am SO sorry this took so long! I needed to feel right, and then I had life get in the way and nothing was sparking. BUT ITS HERE AND ITS A ROLLERCOASTER GUYS, GET READY.

Hours.

You had been kidnapped, exploited, and locked in a dark cell for hours. You’d stopped crying now, simply because your tears had run dry.

This is how your story was going to end; locked in a dungeon in a place you didn’t even know existed. All because of your blasted heart and your inability to ever say ‘no.’

You’d never see your parents, Morgan, Wanda, Natasha, or Steve...

or James again.

What a bitter tale this would be. To have been so close to the thing you desired most, only to have it all ripped from you in moments. James Barnes had your heart in his hands, and destroyed it in front of you.

Yet, you know in the deepest depths of your soul, your heart belongs to him still. God, you hope to make it out of here alive. You want to tell him he was wrong, and you were set up. That you could never do what he accused you of.

A silent wish crossed your lips, praying he already knew.

Your melancholy was interrupted by another bang, only this time it came from outside your window.

The glass was filthy and covered in soot, but you saw the troops loading trailers with supplies. Hundreds of men, all under Rumlow’s control. Surely they were under some kind of sp—

The thought hit you like runaway carriage.

A spell. Magic. Wanda’s Magic...

Wanda had once told you she could feel you. You knew she could read your thoughts, but she also knew when you were feeling sad or happy—or scared.

You climbed down from your perch near the window and center yourself in the room.

With closed eyes, you willed your mind to find hers. Searching within your soul to connect with Wanda and only Wanda.

My sweet friend, I need you. If you can hear me, the people of Buchanan need help, they are not safe. Rumlow will take the city when the King is gone. Wanda, you’re my only hope. Please, keep Morgan safe, but help the people if you can. My hope is lost.

“Stay on high alert, men!” Samuel shouted.

James kept lead of the soldiers, Samuel and Steve respectively to his left and right.

“We’ll find her, Buck.” Steve said lowly.

James only nodded. Fearful that if he spoke, nothing could stop the worry leaching into his words.

Your life was at stake, and it was all because of him. He’d been so blinded by grief and deceit, and now everything is crumbling around him.

“Shieldian is a fortress, your Highness. Are you certain we should have left half of our men behind?” Sam asked.

James nodded. “If Rumlow is planning what I think he’s planning, he will try to take the city in my leave. We need troops there on the ground in case of an attack, he probably has men awaiting word outside of our walls.”

“And Stark?”

Bucky chuckled slightly, “Tony may be decades my senior, but he’s always loved a good fight.”

Steve spoke next. “This is a long way to go for revenge. This was so thought out—meticulous. How long had Rumlow been planning this?”

James’ horse settled into a steady trot. “My Father killed his years ago, before I was even born. I imagine he’s heard the tales his whole life. Revenge could be second nature for someone like that.”

“Someone like that?” Steve questioned.

James nodded. “Hydralia was a cruel and unforgiving kingdom. That’s what Rumlow was raised on—hatred. His Father, their last king, was a rapist, a murderer, a thief. My father sought to put an end to it, but rather than surrender his crown, King Rumlow subjected his people to the horror and desolation of war.”

The King took a sip of his canteen and continued, “That’s why he wants me dead. An eye for an eye, he wants to erase Buchanan the way—“

In a moment of realization, he paused. “...the way we erased Hydralia...”

“Buck? What—“ Steve started.

“She’s not in Shieldian, she’s in Hydralia.” James says frantically. “He’s holding her where this all started. Ellaria is with him, she has to be, he knows she’s the only person I’d leave the city for.” James was certain.

A crinkle of parchment unfurling grabbed his attention. Sam rode closer to James an shared his map.

“Hydralia was said to be just around the Brucklin Pass,” He pointed to the small notch. “It’s not on any of our current maps because, well...we didn’t think it existed.” Samual remarked.

“You’re right, Sam. My Father kept all the maps for the last 300 years of the realm’s existence, I’ve seen it on nearly all of them. That’s where it is, that’s where we’ll find him.”

Bucky reigned his horse towards his troops, and they halted.

“Men!” He shouted, reaching the very back of the Caravan.

“What I ask of you this evening is no easy task. There will be violence and murder and bloodshed, but I will be there, along side you. Fighting for peace and for Buchanan’s future!”

The men cheered for their King.

“Rumlow, however, is mine. He’s taken something—someone which my soul cannot bear to lose. If you see the Princess, save her by any means necessary, and bring the coward to me.”

Ropes and metal dug into your wrists.

“Now, now, Princess. Don’t fight it, it will only make things worse.”

Rumlow had two men drag you from your cell, and chain you to a wooden slab. Your wrist and ankles were bound by thick rope.

“You’re wasting your time! He won’t come for me!” You shout, fighting back tears.

Rumlow chuckles darkly, before grabbing a candle from the sconce on the wall. “I sure hope he does,”

You watch as he walks around you, to a make-shift stone pyre. Without hesitation, he tosses the flame into the dark abyss and it ignites; fire raging from the pit. “Or you’re going to be very sorry.”

A sob escaped you as you watch the flames grow. The heat radiating from it is already far too warm for your liking. “Please. I am of no value to you! My death will bring you nothing.”

He charged you, pulling your hair back and stretching you further, the chains digging into your skin. “Your death will being me Barnes!” He screams.

“I will slay that bastard where he stands and avenge my Father! You think I was satisfied gutting his like a pig? Slitting his mother throat until she ran dry? No. I want every scrap of hope and happiness he has. I want him begging for death, craving it.”

Tears are burning your skin, this is the evil you’d been sheltered from you whole life. You’d known bad people existed, but never had you imagined they’d be this depraved.

“Barnes will fall on my sword willingly once he see’s what I’ve done to you.”

The sounding of a horn draws his attention. Clanking metal can be heard outside the broken glass windows in the room.

“Buchanan troops spotted at the Brucklin Pass! Men take your posts!” Someone in command shouts. You heard the panic and hurried stampede of soldiers rushing to defend themselves.

Rumlow lets out a growl as he brings his lips to your ear, whispering wickedly. “He better be here, Princess. Or your death will come much quicker than intended.”

With a quivering lip, you stay silent. Praying James is anywhere but Hydralia.

“Lead them directly through the city, no hiding, no stopping. I want every weakness of Rumlow’s exposed.” James whispered to his friend.

Steve nodded. “Are you sure about this Buck? If something happens to you, Rumlow won’t hesitate to take Buchanan. You shouldn’t be going alone.”

James secures his sword to his side, as well as his dagger for good measure. “If Rumlow sees me, Ellaria’s life is in greater danger. He’ll have no more use for her, Steve. I can’t let that happen.”

He nods, “As you wish. Stay hidden, your highness. Find Ellaria and bring her home.”

With that, they part. James seeking out the darkest alleys and river ways that weave throughout the streets.

Where would he take her? Think James, think!

The city is dark, barely any fires to be found. James thought that odd considering the time of year.

The sound of marching-in-time draws his attention around a corner. He spots what can only be described as makeshift soldiers marching towards the front of the gate.

They’ve been spotted. He thinks to himself.

“Buchanan troops have entered the city!” He hears someone shout.

More running, only this time it’s too close for the King’s comfort. James peeks down the alley and finds a dozen men heading his way.

Using the cover of darkness, he runs and rolls himself down onto the bed of the river, and hides amongst the logs and weeds.

“Where is Lord Rumlow?” One of them asks.

“With the girl. You think he’d actually come fight with us? Side by side?” Another sneered.

Disloyalty breeds disloyalty.

When the coast clears and James is sure the troops have gone, he searches, focusing on each rundown or ruined building he can see. Then, as if by fate itself, he see one in the distance, smoke rising from the roof. The only one with a fire burning as far as the eye can see...

“He’s not with them, Sir.” A soldier nervously tells Rumlow.

He reached for the boy, and shakes him by his armor. “What do you mean he’s not fucking with them?!” Rumlow shouts in his face.

The boy stutters, “H-He must have s-stayed behind, my Lord! The only ones fighting alongside the troops are Rogers and Wilson!”

He knows everything. Even the names of his most trusted friends.

The timid guard was thrown from Rumlow’s hands, “Have our troops reached Buchanan?” He asked.

“Yes, sir. They’re awaiting your orders. We have a hawk at the ready to carry your command.”

Rumlow paused for a moment, before looking you in the eyes. “Send word. Burn it to the ground. No survivors.”

“No!” You shout.

Even the young soldier seems hesitant to obey. His eyes flitting between you and the mad man standing above you.

“Go boy! Now!” Rumlow shouted. The soldier turns, scrambling out of the room.

“I warned you, Princess.” You watch as Rumlow reaches into his belt, pulling out a dagger. “You’ve proven yourself to be just what you say—useless.”

He walks to you, cutting the ropes at your ankles and wrists, undoing the chains as well. For a moment, you have hope. Maybe he’d let you go, since you’ve shown what you’re worth.

In a flash, you’re thrown to the cold stone floor, hitting it with a slap. Rumlow brandishes his knife, as he circles you like prey.

“Do you think Barnes found out the truth? The jewel of the Iron Kingdom is really the daughter of a servant, too weak and careless to even survive giving birth to you. Is that why he won’t come? Doesn’t want to get his hand any dirtier than he already has?”

You scoot back against the wall, the cold of it contrasting with the blazing fire before you. “Maybe killing you won’t do me any good. I’d probably be doing him a favor.”

The explosion of wood splintering throughout the room makes you screech.

Rumlow turns on his heel, and you shield your eyes. Unsure if what or who is here now will be friend or foe.

“Barnes.” Rumlow seethes.

In an instant, your hands fall from your eyes.

James is there, filth covered and in his battle clothes.

“Enough, Rumlow. End this now.”

He laughs, “Why? We’re just getting started. I have you whore, doesn’t she look well?”

James looks at you, a softness in his eyes you’d nearly forgotten about. “I’m sorry.” He whispers.

“Look to me, Barnes. I’m in control here, you’re in my kingdom.”

“Is that what this is about? You want power? Glory? This is no way to get it!” James shouts.

Rumlow bent down, grabbing your arm with great force, and pulling you to your feet roughly. “Power?” He shook you, causing James to step forward. “This is power, Barnes!”

James stepped again, and Rumlow pointed his blade at him. “What I want is revenge.”

He pulls his blade back, holding the razor sharp edge of the dagger at your throat. “I want you to lose everything.”

“Don’t!” James shouts.

Rumlow’s putrid breath is in your ear as he begins to move the blade, stroking it over the soft skin below your jaw.

“Does it scare you, Barnes?” He seethed. You wimpier under his touch, far too frightened to actually move or speak.

He plants a disgusting kiss on your cheek, and you see James begin to tremble; not with fear, but rage.

“To be so helpless...weak. To have what you love most in front of you, and not get to choose if they live or die?”

“Leave her be, she’s nothing to do with this.” James croaked.

“No, she doesn’t. After all, what good is the daughter of a servant?”

You feel your heart plummet to the depths of your gut. This is it, surely not even James would want you now.

“Did you hear what I said Barnes? Your whore is the daughter of someone who cleaned up shit for a living. How does that feel? Knowing what she’s worth?”

Rumlow’s grasp on your hair grew tighter, keeping your neck exposed.

“I know her worth, Rumlow...” James spoke, reaching slowly for the hilt of his sword.

“She’s priceless.”

Before Rumlow could respond, James twisted his sword upward, slicing through the meat of his hand. He screamed, dropping both you and the dagger.

You scrambled to your knees as you watched the two men brawl. Rumlow wasn’t nearly as skilled as James was with a blade, in fact when he drew his, he nearly dropped it.

“Ellaria, run!” James shouts as their swords clash.

Your instincts tell you to listen, to get away, far away. Yet you don’t move, you’re frozen in place.

I can’t leave you. Not again.

Rumlow uses the distraction to his advantage, causing the King’s sword to fall. He kicks James’ chest in, and his knees buckle from the blow.

“You can fight, I’ll give you that.” Rumlow coughs, wiping blood from his lip.

He grabs James’ collar, and brings him toward the still roaring fire. “You’ll burn, just like Buchanan.”

The King is fighting, with everything he has, but Rumlow is stronger. He drags James’ body to the pit, holding his face above the flames. “Any last words?”

A brief pause, and he looks to you. “I love you.”

Then, using Rumlow’s momentum against him, James kicks off the stone side of the pyre, flipping himself behind his assailant.

He slams his boot behind Rumlow’s knee, and he collapses. In seconds, James has two hands near his neck. He jerks them suddenly, and Rumlow falls to the floor with a low crack.

You’re not sure what happens next, but the last thing are his cerulean eyes fading into blackness.

Taglist: @iheartsebastianstan @jjlizz @stuckysbabe @sk493494 @lefoutoir @nickangel13 @marvelismysafezone @lilulo-12 @warmvanillafeels @star-spangled-beard-burn @ravenesque @pinknerdpanda @wintersoldierissucharide @snapcapquartet @ellen-reincarnated1967 @unlistedpond @my-drowning-in-time @supernaturalwintersoldier @kimvmarvel @roseboho @winterboobear11 @choicesloversstuff @disaffectedbarnes @igothroughphasesalot (strikethrough means the tag didn’t work! I’m sorry!)

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes angst #Bucky Barnes AU #bucky barnes x reader #bucky fic

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randomidiocyncrazies · 4 years ago

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2.43 anime

watched the 1st ep and i am HYPED for the anime! that said...

i’m a little worried that it’s gonna focus too much on the matches and neglect the character dynamics, especially between the support characters? we don’t know how many eps 2.43 is scheduled to have, but from the trailer we know the rival team in the Spring Tournament arc (”season 2″ of the books) will make an appearance... i’m just worried the anime is gonna axe a lot the interior character development in favor of action/matches

2.43 Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Club book spoilers ahead

the books’ greatest strength imo is the depth to each character; author Kabei Yukako really spends the time to get inside every character’s head, and we have a pretty comprehensive understanding of their insecurities and strengths.

i understand that anime is a tricky medium to go all in with the interior character drama, but i’m a bit anxious because one of the PoV characters in the first book doesn’t exist in ANY of the promotional materials. I mean, it get it -- Ibara isn’t a member of the titular boys volleyball club on account of being a gal, and her involvement is mainly through her background assistance with the boys’ team and relationship with one of the members. rn we have NO idea if she even exists in the anime, and it’d be a shame if she’s cut from the show... she’s a nuanced female character, and her character arc in the books isn’t just limited to her romance with Kanno.

i’m also a bit nervous about how they’re gonna portray the secondary characters on the team. like, Yuni and Chika are absolutely the main characters and the spotlight should be on them, but the supporting characters are developed really well and they’re all special in their own right. my ABSOLUTE FAVE is capt Oda, and he’s a complex character with a compelling drive. i’d hate to see him get watered down to just “the hotblooded captain” without spending time on his whole deal.

(honestly, Oda is p much everything i love in a character. Earnest and passionate? Check. Knowing he’ll never be the best at the thing he loves because of something out of his control, but sticking it with anyway? That’s Oda right there. A leader who cares about his teammates, even when he has mixed feelings and insecurities in regards to their raw talent? Hell yea. Has a strong rapport with his bf (best friend or boyfriend? you decide) the vice captain, and generally tries to be supportive to every member of his team even when he’s Frustrated? I stan. (p sure he only lost it once, which is... pretty impressive given the people he's dealing with.)

ALSO. if you think Yuni and Chika have massive gay vibes, wait until you see Oda and Aoki lol. their whole dynamic is basically (Oda) The Straightforward Earnest Guy + (Aoki) The Cool Smart One who does whatever he can to help his partner achieve his goals and loses his cool when people are being rude to his partner.

the first time they appear in the book, they just. deadass bicker like a married couple in front of an underclassman from the Girl’s V-ball Team. “ugh it’s wrong to abuse your position as student council VP to get us assigned to the indoor courts” “c’mon Shin, weren’t you praying that our team will get assigned indoors this year?” “well yeah, but not by cheating! if the girls’ team isn’t cool with this we should redo the assignment lottery WITHOUT your meddling this time” “geez, i spent a lot of effort to make this happen, don’t be so stubborn...”

also that whole reconciliation at the end of the first book is just. A Lot.

Oda: yo when i heard you got a gf, i thought: ‘we’re in a pinch and he’s got time to play around with girls?!’ i was pissed.

Aoki: hah well as you can see, there’s nothing going on

Oda: you only contacted the girls from the other schools because of kuroba, yeah? but even if it wasn’t for a date, it’s only natural you’d be popular, with you being so tall and smart

Aoki, annoyed: Shin... can we drop this? (then again... it’s fine if he doesn’t get it.)

[...] If Oda hadn’t called out to him from his seat behind Aoki two and a half years ago -- if their names weren’t “Aoki” and “Oda” -- Aoki would have had a completely different high school life... but now he can’t imagine being anything other than the Vice Captain of Seiin High’s Boys Volleyball Club.

me: sir you are head over heels for oda)

#2.43: seiin high school boys volleyball club #2.43: seiin koukou danshi volley-bu #2.43 anime #2.43 #shinichiro oda #misao aoki

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litwitlady · 4 years ago

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When You Go, Take Me With You

On a warm July morning, Thomas Mann – not his real name, mind you – finds himself hauling ass down 285, praying that the airstream doesn’t come unhitched. Tommy has spent the last 11 months in Santa Fe grifting seniors in assisted living facilities out of their hard-earned nest eggs. But someone’s greedy little grandson finally noticed his grandmother’s savings dwindling away and called the authorities. He’s been riding hard all night and can’t remember the last time he ate. But he’s got a rap sheet three pages long and knows if he gets caught, he’ll never see the light of day again.

Eventually, his stomach wears him down, though, and he stops in Roswell at a kitschy little diner he hopes he can disappear into long enough to satisfy his basic needs. Halfway through his cheese fries, three sheriff’s deputies walk in and as they are chatting with the waitress at the counter, Tommy sneaks out and takes the scenic route back towards his pickup. He can’t really say he’s much surprised to find the actual Sheriff knocking on the airstream’s door. Knowing he’s lost this battle, he decides to cut his losses and run. The old Ford pickup is eventually auctioned off, but the airstream ends up in the impound lot collecting dust for the next year.

And then one day Michael Guerin accidentally illegally parks his truck on the Long farm where he promptly passes out drunk across the bench seat. Daddy Long calls the Sheriff and Michael’s arrested. Again. Max bails him out and drives him over to the Chavez County impound lot to collect his truck. And that’s where Michael Guerin falls in love for the second time in his life. The shiny, silver airstream gleams in the morning sunlight and he’s never seen anything more beautiful. Not in a long while, anyway. He convinces Max to bargain with the county in order to buy the airstream for him. Michael knows they will laugh him out of the precinct, but Max is one of their own. He parts ways with every single penny he’s ever made, but he’s rewarded with the first permanent roof he’s ever had.

Not that Michael expects the trailer to be a permanent thing. After all, no home has ever been forever. Most haven’t lasted longer than a year or so. Besides his truck, of course. The mere idea that the airstream is mobile proves the impermanence of the situation. He can flit from place to ungodly place without settling down with any actual intent. There’s beauty in the nomadic nature of it all. Mostly, he doesn’t have to worry about being rained on any longer or crashing on Isobel’s sofa or cuddling up with Sanders’ dog. So, he’s happy. Content. Proud, even.

The trailer is cramped. The engine is shit. And the toilet is literally two feet from where he lays his head at night. How he convinces any of his hookups to climb into that tiny bed with him is anyone’s guess. There’s been more than one conquest sent home with multiple bruises. Once he burns a piece of toast so badly that he can’t sleep inside for a week. There’s no storage, the floor is lopsided, and Isobel refuses to step inside for two whole years. But hey, nothing’s perfect.

After a year together, Michael and the airstream find a balance that works for them. He covers the windows with old newspaper, adapts to being very, very tidy, and sleeps outside when the claustrophobia sets in. He even fashions a front patio out of some old oak pallets he finds in the junkyard. In return, the trailer gives him privacy, a sense of autonomy, and a place to bring Alex Manes when he returns from his first tour overseas. And every tour after that.

Not that he was looking to bring Alex back to his place, of course. He hadn’t even known Alex was back. And then suddenly, there he is. Laughing with Arturo in the Crashdown. Michael hardly recognizes him with the regulation haircut and newly lean body. He tells himself to walk away, but the universe has other ideas. Alex spots him and his whole face lights up. No one has ever looked at Michael like that and he’s lost all over again.

Over the next decade, the airstream begins to collect memories. Isobel blowing the door open and taking her first steps inside to shout at him that she’s engaged. Max showing up at 3 am like clockwork every year on Liz Ortecho’s birthday because he’s smashed and doesn’t want to hear Iz’s lectures. The Sheriff’s random visits for one reason or another; he suspects she’s spying on him. The brief time he lets an old, senior dog share his space. There’s still dog hair in the many nooks and crannies.

And then there’s Alex.

He’s everywhere - in every corner, every empty inch of space – filling up the entire trailer. Sprawled naked across the narrow bed, one long, gorgeous leg hanging off the side. Standing over the small stove laughing as Michael teaches him how to make the perfect omelet. Two old Air Force t-shirts stashed deep in his closet that Michael will swear up and down he doesn’t know exist. The silly little cartoon of a cowboy he’s scribbled on every single yellowed newspaper taped to the windows. And the one solitary heart drawn in permanent ink right above Michael’s pillow. He’ll never admit how many times he’s traced that doodle and prayed that Alex’s heart is still beating.

Not every memory is happy, however. He and Alex have always fought as hard as they’ve loved. How many times Alex has stormed out, slamming the door behind him. The sound echoing off the trailer’s tinny walls, door hinges growing whinier as the years go by. Tears shed in anger and in desperate sadness every time the Air Force calls him back to some violent conflict a world away. Damn near feral sex fucked out through those same tears. The sun rising over two beaten, broken hearts the next morning. Another goodbye. Another lonely year stretching out into the desert wasteland. And suddenly the airstream feels suffocating and enduring. Set in stone and unmovable as Alex walks away one more time.

In the in-between times, Michael nurses his bruised heart out on Foster’s Ranch, punishing his body with grueling manual labor. He settles the trailer into an anonymous patch of dust and scrub brush. He begins to collect various trailer accoutrement. First, a rusted, used patio set he grabs off someone’s teetering trash pile. Next, a ‘free parking’ sign he finds abandoned on the side of Route 60. On Alex’s next leave, he’ll mark out the ‘free’ and write ‘no’ in its place. Michael will try hard not to overthink the implication. Isobel says he’s nesting, jokes that he should hang up a cross-stitched ‘Home Sweet Home’. Michael begins to panic.

At the end of ten years, he gives up. The airstream is home. There’s no point in denying the most basic fact of his existence any longer. The impermanent is now permanent. He flicks off the tin bucket and then lovingly wipes away some mud caked on the tire well. Love/hate, defined.

He returns to the trailer after another stint in the drunk tank (a home away from home, if you will) to find a uniformed Alex Manes knocking on his door. He knows he shouldn’t be surprised to find him there – Isobel, after all, had been the one to organize his hero’s parade down Main Street. But it’s been two years with no contact – the longest they’ve ever gone – and so when Alex turns to meet his eyes, the breath is knocked right out of him. So begins another cycle of fight or flight. The airstream will play centerstage. He can almost hear the aging trailer sigh.

But this time the cycle ends differently. Michael moves the airstream into the Wild Pony’s parking lot, shocking everyone. Ostensibly to keep Maria DeLuca safe. But really just to be near her energy, her spirit, her laughter. He hopes to love her. He wants to be good for someone, goddammit. But deep down he’s worried he never will be. That he’s about as solid and steady as his home on wheels. Good enough for a little while, but never long enough to last. Always ready to roll off a cliff with the slightest push.

He hates when he’s right.

Maria breaks up with him in a hospital room. The next night he meticulously searches the airstream for anything she might have left behind. A shoe, a bra, some lipstick. But there’s nothing and he feels like the trailer is out to get him, shoving those two old Air Force t-shirts in his face. The tiny, scribbled cowboys serenading him with derisive laughter. The black heart mocking him. And Michael can’t take it anymore. He slams the airstream’s door shut, nearly knocking it off its stupid creaky hinges and calls Isobel, all but demanding she meet him at the Pony. He needs a drink. Maybe several. And a shoulder to brood on. Perhaps he should call Max instead.

Michael doesn’t expect open mic night. He doesn’t expect Alex Manes and his dumb angel voice. He doesn’t expect to be confronted with the one answer he’s always wanted. But home is a tricky business. Especially for an alien stranded in the foster care system on the wrong planet. As Alex sings his song – asking Michael to come home – everything becomes crystal clear. And Michael tries to telepathically tell the airstream to go fuck itself. He’s pretty sure it doesn’t work.

Because here’s the thing. Home can be a person.

The answer has always been that easy and that impossible. And the airstream has always known. Watching all these years as the two of them danced around each other. The ultimate grift. The longest con job this side of the Milky Way. Michael Guerin has been played, marked, and left wanting. His genius brain duped and cheated. The airstream has never been more than a shit engine and lopsided floors.

After Michael leaves the Pony that night, he moves in with Isobel. And he goes to work. On himself – AA meetings, college classes, mending all his relationships with Max, with Maria. With Alex. And on the airstream – gutting the inside and converting the space into an admittedly revolutionary eco-friendly garden greenhouse.

Once the project is finished, he attaches the toe hitch to his Chevy and heads east until he pulls into the Chavez County Children’s Home. The director meets him outside and shakes his hand with tears in her eyes. Michael walks her and several of the children through the garden, excitedly explaining all the vegetables and flowers he’s planted. Isobel arrives to take pictures for the local paper and secretly shed several of her own tears. She watches Michael happily playing with all the kids and teaching them the wonders of composting. Soon, he gives her a kiss on the cheek and climbs back into his truck. He’s got one final stop to make.

As he drives through the center of Roswell, something swells in Michael’s chest. He knows this place so well – has been arrested on nearly every corner. The Crashdown has always welcomed him with a warm meal and silly antennae. New Roswell High – with all its memories, good and bad. The UFO Emporium – or what was the UFO Emporium – with its fake alien displays and empty corners perfect for kissing sweet emo boys with the biggest of hearts. Of all the places to crash land, Roswell hasn’t turned out so bad. It’s truly a stunning conclusion.

When he arrives at his destination, he pulls into the driveway next to Alex’s green Explorer, grabs his two duffel bags, and heads to the front door. He opens the lock with his key and shouts to Alex that he’s home.

#michael guerin #malex #malex fic #i never thought i'd write something michael centric #not sure it works but i tried #so have 2K words and fuck the 4th

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pkg4mumtown · 4 years ago

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Welcome to Hawkins PD (Ch. 3)

Chapter Title: Men’s Rooms ‘n’ Muffins

Chapter 3 of 9?

Read Chapter 2 / Masterlist

AN: I never really gave you guys a timeline for this fic, so I’m imagining it about a month or so after Season 2. So, it’s roughly two weeks into December. This one is a bit longer, so enjoy!

Warnings: Brief mention of homophobia, police stuff, strong language

Summary: Your first day as one of Hawkin’s finest could have been worse, really.

Taglist: @kingphillipblake

Lmk if you want to be removed or added from my taglist

I wouldn’t have minded sleeping on the bare mattress, the first day, if it wasn’t thirty degrees that night. In hindsight, I should have prepared to be on my own in December, but we hadn’t really needed heavy coats in the academy the past four months. A sweatshirt and layers in October and November had been enough with how much we were moving. I had bundled up my sweatshirt to use as a pillow, threw on sweats, thick socks, and my sweater but was still cold due to the thin walls of the trailer. I had glanced at the closet, remembering that Hopper said he had clothes in there. I bit the bullet and pulled one of his large, heavy flannels off its hanger and used it as a blanket. If he ever found out I’d slept with it, I’d be mortified.

As promised, Hopper took me to the dealership and supervised the salesman. It didn’t take much for Hopper to intimidate him, just flashes of glares as the salesman spoke to me about the cars. He would nervously glance at the Chief every now and then, which was amusing in itself. At the end of the day, Hopper’s presence even got the guy to shave off a few bucks. After that, we had bid each other goodbye while I set about buying out all the blankets at the nearest store.

Monday morning, I was up by six and out the door before seven. I prayed that the long sleeve I wore under my uniform would be enough when paired with thick socks and gloves for the temperature high of forty today. I turned my nose up at the thought of putting my academy sweatshirt over my uniform, but did it anyway. I’d rather get in trouble with Hopper and not be freezing, than the alternative.

I arrived at the station at seven sharp, seeing an older lady opening the front door as I pulled up. I got out of my car, slinging a small bag with a towel, running shoes, and a change of clothes over my shoulder in case I had time for a run before the others arrived.

“Can I help you with that, ma’am?” I asked, hoping she couldn’t hear my teeth chatter.

“Ah, Officer Y/L/N, I assume?” she questioned and shoved her purse in my arms while fiddling with the keys in her gloved hands.

“Yes, ma’am,” I nodded, shaking ever so slightly.

“Call me Flo, dear,” she smiled, finally getting the door open. She took her purse back from me, feeling my hand lightly shake as she did. “Oh, you poor thing, come here. The Chief put some essentials on order for you when you got assigned to us.”

Flo led me to a back room, my body rejoicing when I saw a heavy blue jacket with the Hawkins patch on it, among other items like extra uniforms and PT clothes. She handed them all over to me and showed me to my desk.

“We’re a pretty lax station here, but definitely change out of that thing before Hopper comes in,” she patted my shoulder, referring to the grass-stained academy sweatshirt.

“Of course,” I nodded. “I was actually hoping you could show me to the lockers, Flo. I’m itching for a run.”

“In this weather?”

“Nothin’ like a run to warm up,” I raised my eyebrows but she looked unamused.

She scrunched up her face, “Well, we technically only have lockers and showers in the men’s bathroom, but no one uses them.” She thought for a second before leading me over to said bathroom, “I’ll make sure to tell the boys, so they’re not surprised. The other officers won’t be in for at least another hour, and Hop…well…maybe he’ll be on time for once for your first day. You have some time to kill.”

Flo patted my shoulder and left me to my own devices. Near the entry of the bathroom were the urinals, while deeper into the bathroom had four lockers on either side of a long bench and ended with two open showers.

I chose a locker and changed quickly into my sweats, sweatshirt, and running shoes. I elected to keep my gloves on because I’m not that crazy. I walked back out to the bullpen and stretched lightly near the door, preparing myself to brave the cold again.

“I’ll be back by,” I paused to look at my watch, “eight at the latest.”

“Good luck,” Flo murmured as she wrote.

The first few minutes absolutely sucked as my body fought to warm up but I was able to push through it eventually. I didn’t go down too many streets to avoid getting lost on my first day, but that didn’t mean I was stared at any less. As business owners opened up shop, I felt eyes on me from all directions assessing who I was. I smiled as nicely as I could but between running and the cold air, there was only so much friendliness I could accomplish.

I arrived back at the station a few minutes before I said I would, seeing a couple more cars parked alongside the cruisers. The Chief’s truck was still absent, so it was safe to assume Flo was right and he’d be late.

Two officers were inside chatting with their feet propped up on their desks when I walked in. They glanced up at the sound of my entrance, obviously intrigued at the unfamiliar face.

“Can I hel—” one officer with glasses started as he stood up from his desk.

“Officer Y/L/N,” I stuck my hand out.

“Ah, the newbie,” the other officer chimed in while leaning further back in his chair.

“Callahan,” the first officer replied and shook my hand.

“Powell,” the other waved.

“If you don’t mind, I’m gonna shower,” I nodded toward the bathrooms.

“Flo already warned us, you’ve got it to yourself for the next fifteen,” Powell gestured behind him.

The shower was surprisingly not terrible and the water was warmer than the air outside, so I could hardly complain. I kept nervously glancing to the front of the bathrooms, hoping everyone had gotten the memo. I showered as quickly as possible, so I could get back to my desk before Hopper showed up.

As it would happen, the Chief was in at a decent time, for once. He was still late, but definitely not as late as usual. He stormed into the bullpen, making a beeline for the coffee and donuts, and grumbling when he saw a lack of donuts.

“Chief—”

“Flo!? Where are my donuts?” he complained loudly, even though she was right behind him.

She rolled her eyes and pushed an apple into his hand, having had it waiting especially for him.

Hopper turned up his nose at the fruit and grumbled to himself. He spun around while taking a bite of the fruit, eyeing my desk and pointing with the same hand that held the apple, “She here?”

“Yes, but—”

“Good,” he said around a mouthful of apple. “I gotta take a leak,” he took another huge bite and chucked the rest into a nearby trash can.

“Chief!” Flo called out.

“It can wait until after I pee, Flo, jeez,” Hopper mumbled while chewing and walked away.

“Chief, wait!” Powell called after him.

“Am I speaking English?” Hopper called over his shoulder as he took long strides toward the bathroom.

“Chief—” Callahan caught up to him and tried to cut him off but was pushed aside by a single, strong shoulder.

Hopper grabbed him by the shoulders and put himself between Callahan and the bathroom door, “Are you gonna watch me take a piss, Cal?”

“No, sir, but—”

“Good,” Hopper smiled sarcastically. He pushed the bathroom door open and slammed it in Callahan’s face.

“Fuck's sake,” Hopper grumbled as he stood in front of a urinal.

The seemingly quiet bathroom echoed the sound of Hopper's zipper. I panicked as I stared at his back with only socks and underwear on under my towel. I tried to dress quietly as the sound of his bodily function echoed in the otherwise empty room. I managed to get my uniform pants on, but mistakenly left the belt in when I changed earlier. The clank was noticeable enough for Hopper to look over his shoulder.

“Someone in here?” he called out.

I squeaked, shoved feet into my boots, and grabbed my long-sleeved undershirt, barely having it over my head and around my neck when Hopper zipped up and turned around.

“God dammit!” he shouted, “What are you doing!?”

“Sh—shower, Chief,” I stumbled over my words, fumbling with the sleeves as I hurriedly stuck my arms in so I could cover my bra.

Annoyed, Hopper sighed heavily and stalked over to the sink and washed his hands, “Does the one in the trailer not work?”

“No, it does. I just…it's just I got here early and went for a run…”

Hopper came back into view after drying his hands, my undershirt finally in place while I unhooked my uniform shirt from the hanger.

“This is the men’s room,” Hopper stressed, his hands on his hips and his mouth a tight-lipped line.

I held my shirt in front of me, “If we had women’s showers, this wouldn’t be a problem...” I murmured softly, not sure how he’d respond to me effectively talking back.

Hopper sighed once more, running a thumb and forefinger along his brow and gripping tightly. He made no move to leave, however.

I pursed my lips and couldn’t stop the next words from tumbling out of my mouth, “Are you paying for a show? Or…?” I trailed off while sliding my uniform shirt over one arm, then the other.

Hopper dropped his hand in exasperation, staring me down with a, what can only be described as murderous, glare, “You remember I’m your boss, right?”

I let out giggle as I buttoned up my shirt and tucked it in, “I’m joking, Chief.” I fastened my belt, then pulled out a small brush to fix my hair. I walked briskly over to the only mirror in that bathroom, right above the sink, having to pass an agitated, yet amused Hopper. “You should come with me next time,” I offered, while tying up my hair into a bun.

“What are you trying to say?” he pretended to be offended while gesturing to his stomach, throwing his weight onto one leg and tweaking his hip out. His thumbs hooked into his belt loops, framing his crotch without actually meaning to.

I looked at his form in the mirror, laughing and shaking my head. “That you should join me next time. Y’know, lead by example,” I teased. I walked past him again, lifting my foot up to rest on the bench so I could tie my boots.

“Oooh, ouch, yea,” Hopper squinted at me and bit his bottom lip. “I think I like spending my mornings with a coffee and donut, thanks.

I stood up straight, finally done getting dressed given the distraction Hopper provided. I slammed the locker shut and locked the padlock before walking towards Hopper. I used that stretch of space to fasten my duty belt and clip my radio onto my shoulder.

“Plus,” he gestured to the wide-open view of the showers from any angle due to a lack of curtains, “What are we gonna do? Shower at the same time? You’re crazy if you think I’m gonna waste precious coffee and contemplation time waiting for you to finish in the shower.”

“Yea, the invitation did not extend past running, Chief,” I scrunched up my nose. Except, I really wouldn’t mind if it did. I took a step towards the bathroom door and spun back around, nearly getting run over by Hopper as he tried to bulldoze me out. “But, if we hung curtains in here…” I raised my eyebrows, “…it could work.”

Hopper closed his eyes and let out a heavy groan, “Just do me a favor and get to work, please.”

“Yes, sir,” I gave him a two fingered salute and made my way to my desk.

I sat at my desk, inserting myself into a conversation with Callahan and Powell quite easily. Hopper poured himself a coffee and was about to round the corner to hide in his office when Flo called him yet again.

“Chief!”

“For the love of…” He sighed heavily, “Are my mornings not sacred anymore, Flo?”

“Vandalism at Vicki’s Bakery!”

Hopper let out a dramatic groan and spun on his heel to enter the bullpen again.

“Urgent, Hopper!”

Grumbling, he downed his coffee and slammed it next to the coffee maker, “Y/L/N, let’s go!”

I scrambled to my feet, barely catching my new jacket as Hopper chucked it at me from the coat hanger. He grabbed his hat and jacket as I caught up, and put them on before reaching the door.

“If we’re lucky, we’ll get free muffins,” Hopper raised his eyebrows and hummed at the thought.

I scrunched my brows at him in disbelief and pushed the station doors open. The ride to the bakery took all of two minutes, then we were pulling up to an empty spot directly in front of the shop.

“Jesus,” Hopper murmured, seeing the front and side glass windows all broken with multiple gaping holes in each.

“What in the world…” I got out of the Blazer quickly, seeing a lady in an apron through the broken glass. She had a broom leaned up against the glass display case, but seemingly had yet to use it. I glanced up, seeing a camera mounted and facing the door.

We stepped as delicately as possible, into the bakery, to avoid making a bigger mess than there already was.

“Hey, Vick,” Hopper greeted.

“Been a while since you’ve been in here, Hopper,” the older lady greeted him.

“Yea, Flo's been on my case,” he rolled his eyes and pulled his notepad out of his pocket. “This is Officer Y/L/N,” he tilted his head in my direction.

“Mornin, ma’am,” I nodded.

“Hi, dear,” she greeted warmly, contrasting the image of the broken glass around her.

Hopper started taking her statement while I examined the broken glass. There were numerous bricks that were assumed to be what had been thrown through the windows, but one of them caught my eye. I noticed paint on one side and tipped the brick over with my foot, before crouching down.

“Shit,” I murmured, reading the homosexual slur deliberately written on it.

I curiously revisited the rest of the bricks and found more slurs. I glanced at Hopper to get his attention but he was still talking to Vicki. I looked around the bakery, seeing clusters of pictures throughout. I examined each one carefully, finally walking over to a wall near the front counter, seeing pictures of Vicki at Pride marches. I was interrupted by Hopper’s heavy footsteps coming up behind me.

“Thoughts?” He questioned me while sliding his pen back into his shirt pocket.

“Hate crime,” I answered, turning to face him.

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, just go look at the bricks, Chief,” I pointed with my thumb.

He stood over one of the bricks and squinted at the lettering, “Yea, sounds about right,” he sighed. “Too bad we don’t have hate crime laws, we’ll only get them on criminal mischief.”

“The damage is pretty significant though,” I glanced around the shop, “Easily a ‘Class A’ misdemeanor.”

“This much glass isn’t cheap,” Hopper agreed.

“Do you have the tapes for that camera outside, ma’am?” I turned and asked her.

“Of course, come on back.”

She led us to a back room and played through the footage from last night. I watched in amusement as Hopper had to bend over to get a better view of the screen.

“Pause it there,” Hopper pointed to the screen.

The screen paused on a figure approaching the bakery with an armful of bricks at two in the morning. Hopper squinted and told her to keep playing the video, trying to see if he recognized the man. At some point the man looked down the street, in the direction of the camera.

“Stop, stop, stop,” Hopper said quickly. “Got him.”

“You recognize him?” I squinted.

“The town asshole,” Vicki muttered.

“Mason Thomas,” Hopper finished. “You’ll get to know his face. He’s in and out of prison all the damn time. He was in middle school right before I graduated high school, always had a rep for bad behavior. Teachers caught him smoking all the time, even pulled a knife on a kid once or twice in the schoolyard.”

“What the hell?” I wondered out loud.

“Yea,” Hopper grunted as he stood up straight, “and apparently homophobic.”

“Let’s go get this jerk,” I tapped the desk and started walking out of the room.

We walked back out to the main area as we wrapped up with Vicki. I was already making my way to the front door when I didn’t hear Hopper following me.

“Can you ring me up a muffin, Vick?” he asked her as I turned around, looking at him like he was insane. “Muffin?” he asked me, pointing at the assortment.

“Criminal,” I pointed at the Blazer with my thumb over my shoulder, really wanting to just leave so we could get this guy.

“Throw another one in there, I’ll convince her,” he said matter-of-factly to Vicki and gave her an exaggerated wink.

Hopper pulled out his wallet as he waited, caught off guard when Vicki slid a box of four muffins and two coffees in front of him.

“On the house,” she pushed Hopper’s hand away.

“Nah, Vick, come on. The damages are gonna cost you,” he pointed to the windows.

“That’s what insurance is for, Hop,” she waved him off. “Just go get the guy, that’s payment enough.”

“You got it,” Hopper smirked, flipping up the lid of the box, and shoving a muffin between his teeth.

“Thank you,” I smiled at Vicki, taking one of the coffee cups.

Hopper shoved the box of muffins in my arms and turned me around with two fingers in my back, “Let’s go,” he said incoherently around the bread.

When we got inside the Blazer, I watched him eat the entire second half of the muffin in one bite. I stared at him in horrified amusement as he chewed on the dense bread. I pulled the tab back on my coffee lid and sipped it delicately to judge the temperature. Hopper grabbed his, roughly ripping the tab off and bringing the coffee to his lips without any sense of caution. He closed his eyes and let the coffee wash the muffin down, finally noticing me staring at him.

“What? Three bites of an apple was not breakfast,” he defended himself. He brought the cup back to his mouth, licking the coffee near the opening and stopping, “Eat one, seriously.”

I almost didn’t hear him as I focused on his tongue lapping the coffee on the lid before finally taking a gulp. I nearly choked on my own coffee at the sight. He raised his eyebrows at me as he grabbed a second muffin, so I humored him and grabbed one as we drove off. I finished it by the time Hopper pulled over on a residential street and took a swig of coffee to clear my mouth.

The Chief jumped out of his truck with a grunt, hiding a soft burp behind his palm. We strode up to an unkempt house with our hands braced on our belts out of habit.

“Police!” Hopper pounded on the front door with a closed fist and upon no answer, he repeated the action again while trying to listen intently to what was happening inside.

“Mason! Open up!” Hopper beat against the door harder.

I heard a scraping sound from the side of the house, making me lean over the side of the porch to take a glimpse. I watched Mason fall to the ground from his window and scramble quickly to his feet in a full sprint.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake…” Hopper sighed as he watched Mason take off.

I vaulted over the railing, nearly tripping from the momentum forward as I landed.

“Y/L/N! Wait!” Hopper called after me as he took the easier route down the stairs of the porch.

“I got it, Chief!” I yelled over my shoulder.

I chased after Mason, considerably easier for me in actual treaded shoes while he attempted to run in flip-flops. Before I could gain too much on him, he tripped over a crack in the pavement and rolled. The forward momentum helped him to spring back on his feet quickly but by then I was right behind him.

Mason threw a wobbly punch as he turned around to face me, thankfully still recovering his balance from the fall. I used his own energy to guide the punch and turn him around while grabbing his wrist. I pulled his hand behind his back, twisting his arm when he resisted and tried to pull out of my grip. I couldn’t hear Hopper yet and Mason had yet to stop fighting me, so I jabbed the back of his knees with the toe of my boot and yanked down so he’d fall on his ass. I maneuvered him onto his stomach and was finally able to get my cuffs out as Hopper approached in a jog, slightly out of breath. I had just finished spouting off the Miranda rights as Hopper stood over us, hands on his hips and chest heaving while catching his breath.

“Good thing one of us runs, huh, Chief?” I grinned while slapping one of the cuffs on.

“Shut up and cuff him,” Hopper rolled his eyes.

“This mean you’ll run with me in the mornings?” I asked while fastening the last cuff.

“Not a chance,” he chuckled, holding out a hand to help me up. He pulled me until I was standing, hurriedly grabbing my upper arms as I swayed forward from the force. I grabbed his forearms as an immediate response, trying not to imagine how they’d feel without his heavy jacket and long sleeve. I cleared my throat and stepped back, narrowly avoiding stepping on Mason.

Mason mumbled angrily, under his breath, as Hopper yanked him to his feet and shoved him forward as an indication to walk. We took a leisurely walk back to the Blazer with Mason being dragged along. Hopper tried to burp discreetly but underestimated the force and glanced sheepishly my way.

“Shouldn’t have had that second muffin, Chief,” I laughed behind my hand as I verbally jabbed at him, feeling his glare instantly.

“Oh, this’ll be the last time I share anything with you, ya brat,” he scoffed and bumped me with his large arm.

We loaded Mason into the back seat of the Blazer through the passenger side, shoving him not so gently all the way in. I flipped the seat back to its normal position and climbed into the truck, landing in the seat with a heavy sigh. Hopper was already in the driver’s seat with his hat sitting on the dashboard as he waited for me. He started the truck and took off while I pondered over a silly idea that popped into my head.

I stuck my tongue out slightly, glancing at the side of his face. I snagged his hat off the dashboard and plopped it on my head, grinning as he scowled at me.

“I think I earned this now, don’t you, Chief?” I bit my bottom lip, trying to hide my giddy smile.

Hopper’s eyes dropped down to my mouth and back up to my eyes quickly. He squinted at me but couldn’t hold his demeanor together and chuckled while looking back at the road, “I’ll think about it.”

Chapter 4

#jim hopper fanfiction #jim hopper x you #jim hopper x reader #stranger things fanfiction #chief hopper fanfiction #chief hopper x you #chief hopper x reader #david harbour fanfiction #david harbour x reader #david harbour x you

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scenes-in-between · 4 years ago

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Trust No 1 (Part One)

(Pre-episode)

“I got a motorcycle,” Mulder announces as he walks into the trailer. “Now I won’t need to bother Michael for rides anymore.”

Gibson blinks, stone-faced, his back ramrod straight.

“It’s okay, I paid cash,” Mulder adds, with a bit of an internal eye-roll. Like I’d be dumb enough to use a credit card and put myself back on the radar. Relax, no one’s going to trace anything back to us.

“Us?” Gibson says, stiffly. “So you’re… you’re not…?”

Mulder frowns, confused. And then it dawns on him what Gibson’s actually worried about.

“What, leaving? No, of course not. Jesus, Gibson, you really think I’d do that to you?”

“I know you’re thinking pretty loudly about getting on that bike and not looking back. And I don’t even blame you, but--”

“Oh, hell.”

Mulder shuts the door and walks over to where Gibson is sitting. No matter how much practice he’s had at policing his thoughts, he still slips up all the time. And yes, of course he’s been thinking about going home, pretty much from the moment he saw the bike sitting parked at the gas station with a “For Sale” sign stuck to it. Of course he has. But it’s a fantasy; he’d never actually do it. No matter how little regard he has for his own safety, how much he’d be willing to risk if it meant seeing Scully again, he owes Gibson way too much.

“Gibson, I am not going to abandon you. Okay?” He concentrates, so there is no disconnect between his thoughts and his words. “I promise. Not after everything we’ve been through, everything you’ve done for me.”

Gibson studies him for another long moment, then gives the barest nod of his head and finally relaxes his shoulders. Mulder punches him lightly on the upper arm and gives a lopsided grin.

“I mean, I know I’m kind of an asshole sometimes, but come on. I’m not that big of an asshole.”

***

Fifty-seven days. Just over eight weeks. That’s how long it’s been since Mulder’s last email, the one in which he warned her that he wouldn’t be able to write again for a while.

Not that his warning has stopped her from checking.

The internet cafe has become part of her routine. On Saturdays like today, when she’s not helping Doggett and Reyes in the field, Scully stops by with William on her way to run errands. A couple of days a week she doesn’t need to be at the Academy until noon, so she takes a morning walk to the cafe before her mom arrives to babysit. The baristas know her order by now - chai tea on the weekends, coffee with milk during the week - and are friendly but not chatty. It’s honestly probably too routine and predictable, or it would be if she were the one in hiding. She’s identified a handful of other “regulars,” but none that give her cause for concern; everyone here tends to keep to themselves.

Chai in hand, she finds an empty computer and parks the stroller. William is dozing, bundled up against the late December chill outside, and the coffee shop is cozy and warm without being stifling. Scully has removed her gloves but doesn’t bother taking off her coat; that would be an acknowledgement of the hope that this time she will be staying longer than a minute or two. She tries to convince herself that she expects the empty inbox, that she won’t be disappointed by another day of radio silence, that her stomach won’t do a backflip at the sight of “3 new messages” because she knows they will all be spam.

It is a futile exercise.

Fifty-seven days. She’s managing. Raising this baby of theirs and molding young minds at the Academy and praying every night for Mulder’s safety. She has to believe this is temporary, and that eventually they can be a family again. A real family.

Suppressing a sigh, she logs off and tries to turn her focus to the day ahead.

***

The day after Mulder comes back with a bike of his own, it pours. Gibson is guiltily, but deeply, relieved. He wants to trust that Mulder won’t abandon him, knows all too well how people’s inner thoughts can be complicated and contradictory, but at the same time, he can’t help worrying.

The rain, however, does not dampen Mulder’s fervor. His trips to the larger library have been fruitful, and he has been hard at work on a plan to breach the facility that the old man in Gibson’s dreams spoke about. He spends the entire rainy day poring over everything he has printed at the library, papers carpeting the floor, seed husks piling up on the table.

***

The New Year arrives without fanfare. Scully doesn’t turn on the TV to watch the Times Square coverage (she hasn’t managed that since she and Mulder watched together, two years ago, in a hospital waiting room). For that matter, she doesn’t even make it to midnight. After William goes down for the night, she takes a bath, drinks a glass of wine, and crawls into bed.

On the surface, this year looks much the same as the last. She’s still alone, still wondering where Mulder is and hoping he’s all right. In truth, though, so much is different. She has William, for one thing, which on its own is a bigger difference than she can properly express. For another, up until a couple of months ago, she was hearing from Mulder somewhat regularly, receiving assurances that he was, at least, alive. She still worries - of course she does - but it’s nowhere near the same. She has good cause to believe, far more than she did a year ago, that he is going to be okay, and that they will eventually be together again.

That doesn’t make the waiting any less frustrating or the loneliness less sharp. But the absence of a constant, exhausting undercurrent of despair is both notable and welcome.

Next year, she vows to herself as she drifts off to sleep. We are going to figure this out and eliminate the threat, and next year he’ll be home.

***

For all that Mulder intends, truly, to keep his promise to Gibson, the temptation to flee home to Scully continues to gnaw at him. Now that he actually has the means to do so, that he can envision concrete steps toward a way out of exile, it’s almost painful to pull off the highway in another town, heading toward another library, instead of just pressing on. But he did promise.

What he can’t resist doing, however, is writing to her.

It’s been almost ten weeks since their last correspondence, and even if it means he can’t return to this particular library again, he has to do it. His fingers tremble as he opens a blank email.

“Dearest Dana…”

#x-files fanfic #txf: trust no 1 #mulder on the run #mulderfic #scullyfic #gibson praise #msr #pre-episode #///#yet another ridiculously long gap between updates #but i stand by my promise to see this absurd project through to the end #;)#no matter how long it takes me

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rainbowserenity · 5 years ago

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I finished the FF7 Remake, and oh boy do I have THOUGHTS!!!! It’s been like an hour and a half and I’m still riding that high omg

if this was just the first part, I can only imagine how the rest of the game’s gonna go...

Anyway, rambly thoughts under this beautiful screenshot of Tifa I took:

- This game was seriously SO FUN???? I honestly can’t remember the last time I had so much FUN with a game...they really did so well with all the gameplay mechanics and having a good balance of everything, so A++++ for that!

- They weren’t kidding when they said this would basically be a ~full~ game on its own, despite only being the first episode....I got close to 50 hours of gameply (although a lot of it was just me farting around doing nothing lmao) and nothing felt like it was lacking :D

- I really liked (most) of the new VAs! I was kinda worried about Barrett in the trailers, but he came through for me lolol even the NPCs sounded awesome!

- We all know Don Corneo’s a pig, but I actually really enjoyed his scenes because his VA was clearly having so much fun with it ahaha~ And I LOVE that they kept in the “I’ll cut them off/smash them/rip them off” lines pffft. Too classic!

- I LOOOOVE all the stuff they elaborated on....it was nice to see more of Midgar and hang out with the AVALANCHE nerds. I remember not really giving much of a fuck when they died in the OG, but I was full on sobbing at Jessie’s death scene in this game a;lskjf;laiwjef

- I thought the battle with Rude was kinda clever, that he wouldn’t really hurt Aerith but just kept putting her to sleep when you switched over to her...so RUDE hahahaha B)

- I WAS NOT EXPECTING TO SEE CAIT SITH???!!! It makes me wonder if they’re gonna have a different way of introducing him, or if he’s gonna have a different sort of role...maybe Reeve will finally tell us how he operates a robot cat with a Scottish accent

- I loved the little details in the animation, like how when you climbed all the stairs in the Shinra building (because of course I did that lmao), Cloud gradually got slower and slower...or how when you controlled Tifa, she was naturally faster. And how Barrett sort of ‘limped’ when he climbed the ladders cause he just has one hand......I love tiny details and effort like that ahhh it warms my cold black heart!!!

- speaking of which, if you watch Red XIII pull the levers....you can kind of see how he’ll be able to pull off the sailor suit later on lmao I love him

- WALL MARKET!!!!!!! Definitely my favorite chapter omg alskdjflaiwejf The dance sequences were PERFECT!!! When did Cloud learn to dance?! I can’t wait to go back and replay that chapter lmao

- AERITH SMACKING THE GRUNTS AROUND WITH A CHAIR ADDED TEN YEARS TO MY LIFE

- So much of the game gave me XIII trilogy vibes....a lot of it was the music, but the gameplay and some bosses made me feel it too :D

- Am I crazy.......or were practically all the scenes with Sephiroth amazingly gay??? like idk if it’s just Hoech doing that, but........damn

- I officially ship Cloud/Tifa/Aerith as an OT3, but Tifa/Aerith were so cute and gay ahhhhhhhh~ Even if you don’t have shipper goggles, they did amazing at really elaborating their friendship!

- Honestly, all of the relationships between everybody were SO well done without it seeming like they were trying too hard. It felt so natural and easy, even between the NPCs, A++++ to the writers

- Battle-wise, I liked playing as Tifa the best, mostly because I typically enjoy using speedy characters. I actually liked playing as Aerith the least, even though I also enjoy using mages...Barrett took some getting used to, but he grew on me. And of course Cloud was lovely~ It’ll be interesting playing as Red eventually, I think he’ll be really fun to control

- I wonder if Yuffie’s eventual appearance will be handled differently, because they really kept emphasizing the whole “AVALANCHE IS WORKING WITH WUTAI!!!!!!!!” angle....and I doubt Yuffie will be an optional party member, so there might be some more story stuff there. I bet with Vincent they’ll just make waking him up mandatory lmao

- Going back to Wall Market....am I crazy, or was Chocobo Sam the only possible straight one of the trio 8D Madam M was clearly pansexual, don’t @ me

- AERITH SAID SHIT

- tbh I’m still trying to wrap my head around the ending, so there may be rambly tags in gifsets eventually, but....

- ZACK???????????????????? EXCUSE ME I WAS NOT EXPECTING TO SEE MY HUSBAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YA’LL SHOULD’VE HEARD THE NOISES I MADE A;SLKDJF;ALWIEJF;ALWIEJF;ALWIJEF;LAWIJEF

- AND THAT “I’LL GO GET KUNSEL” LINE????? EXCUSE ME???????????????????????????????????????? WHY WOULD THEY PLAY MY HEART LIKE THAT?????????????????????????

- ........................................................I don’t much care for Zack’s new VA :(

- Though I think I’m just biased because Rick Gomez was PERFECT and always how I pictured Zack’s voice....this new one just doesn’t quite do it for me and that makes me sad :( - BUT HE’S SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ZACK EXIST AND MARRY ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- seriously, how was it possible for him to get MORE beautiful???!!!?? I’m gonna cry just thinking about it rip

- I was talking to a friend about the ending, and she had what I think is a good theory that the Whispers have seen things play out before and this is just a reoccurring timeline. It would explain why Cloud had visions of Aerith praying for Holy, why Tifa saw Meteor, how they saw Red running around in the future... (plus, this was sort of the plot of Type-0, so it wouldn’t be the first time it’s been done lol)

- tbh though, I’m not sure how the possibility of Zack not going to Hawaii will play into things. Cloud’s cocky personality is a result of his trauma from Zack’s trip to Hawaii....so if that happened differently....

- Maybe Asshole Hojo picked Zack up??? Because he did seem to know who Cloud was and was all interested in furthering his ~experiments~ so it’s entirely possibly he’s a dick and has Zack locked up somewhere again....

- OR maybe Zack’s just in hiding and that’s what the “I’LL GO GET KUNSEL” line was all about, since Kunsel knows all?? IDK MY HEAD HURTS

- That being said, I need to think about things more and as I mentioned, there may be rambles in my tags in the coming weeks ahaha~

OVERALL, this game was a BLAST!!!! I loved it so much, and like I said, I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun playing something. 10000000000/10, highly recommended to the world and I can’t wait for the next part!

#final fantasy vii #ffviir spoilers #i mean under the cut but yeah #I JUST...........#DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO FEEL ANYMORE #EVERYTHING IS FEELINGS!!!!!!!!!!!#AND SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!#my tears though #the sobbing #the stupid noises #a;lskdjf;aliwjef;lwije #SOMEONE HOLD ME #WE'LL GET HAZMAT SUITS AND HUG #AHHHHHHHHHHH

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thebibliomancer · 4 years ago

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Essential Avengers: Avengers #207: Beyond a Shadow...

May, 1981

“After countless centuries HE LIVES AGAIN! THE SHADOW LORD COMETH!”

He cometh riding upon a tornado like its a mighty sand worm. What a guy, this Shadow Lord.

Honestly seeing the Avengers tumbling about in a tornado cracks me up every time. Especially Wonder Man who looks nonchalant about it aside from being ass over head.

So I don’t think we’ve really talked about it but this period of Avengers is kind of between main writers.

Since issue 200 and its four writers, we’ve had David Michelinie and Roger Stern on the two-part adaptation of that Ultron novel, David Michelinie for that weird story with the Crawlers in the sewers; Jim Shooter, David Michelinie, and Bob Budiansky for the Yellow Claw two-parter, Bill Mantlo for the everything is on fire story and now Bob Budiansky and Danny Fingeroth for this issue and the next. We start getting a consistent writer again starting in #211.

I wonder what was going on behind the scenes around this time.

Anyway, onward.

So we start the issue with who I assume is the Shadow Lord. But he’s not riding a tornado, like Pecos Bill. He’s standing on an invisible ocean structure of some kind. Apparently a mysterious invisible ocean structure of some kind that hasn’t been seen for almost two millennia.

And yet, someone has kindly painted the title of the issue in English on the mysterious invisible ocean structure of some kind.

Some guy, maybe the Shadow Lord: “The dreaded time has at last arrived, the moment I prayed would never come... the moment I knew would surely come. He is soon to return, and only the power entrusted to me is capable of stopping him. And even that power may not prove sufficient.”

“With every passing second, my city and myself pass ever more fully into the Earth’s plane of existence. Would that the cause of my return here from the barren vastnesses of the Shadow World was as joyous as the glow of this new day’s sun.”

“But the grim responsibility of an entire race is my unwelcome inheritance. It is a duty I cannot shirk. Alas, I must take what comfort I can in knowing that no matter what the result of the coming debacle, I will at least be free to rejoin Ayshera, she whom my heart holds most dear... though whether our reunion will be in celebration of victory -- or in darkest mourning for the ashes of this planet -- none willy truly know until the final battle.”

Some Guy sure is helpfully monologuing his entire life story here. And even so he manages to be vague, inside his own mind, about the nature of the threat he faces. Way to preserve the mystery, Guy.

Also, he’s from the Shadow World so he may be a Yugioh.

Anyway, as one might expect, a city appearing in the middle of the ocean out of nowhere is of alarm so US aircraft carrier Poseidon shows up and starts yelling at Some Guy.

Some Guy decides that they sound mad but he doesn’t have time for lengthy explanations so instead he gestures and the winds and waves start whipping up.

Welp! Seems like the US Poseidon is going on an Adventure!

Meanwhile, Mt. Vesuvius!

Yup. Its that kind of story, the kind partially set at Vesuvius.

Some archeologists are digging in the foothills of the mountain in what has been a fruitless several weeks of archeology but one of the archeologists finds a hand shaped object which may be a hand.

They mistake it for a statue at first but realize its actually a perfectly preserved lava mummified corpse.

And while they’re busy congratulating each other about how wealthy and famous this discovery will make them, they fail to notice the hand moving its finger shaped fingers.

And elsewhere again, the best damn thing.

A cowboy shouts “SLAP LEATHER, YA GALOOT!” and then gets shot by a cannon.

This isn’t the Wild West of the America, this is a spaghetti western film set and the director is very upset at Black Bart’s shitty death acting. How hard is it to get hit by a cannon and then to fall down and pretend to die like you just got hit by a cannon?

You wouldn’t think there’s a wrong way to get shot by a cannon but you’d be wrong.

Simon Williams, Wonder Man: “I’m sorry, Mr. Bertolini. It’s just that, being Wonder Man, it’s hard for me to pretend those cannonballs are hurting me when I can hardly feel them.”

Mr. Bertolini: “True, signore Wonder Man, but I hired you because I thought you could-a act!”

Oh yeah, Mr. Bertolini talks like Mario. So that’s another tally for Marvel’s respect of other countries and cultures.

Aside from this being the seventh take on a ‘guy gets hit by a cannonball, beefs it’ scene, cannonballs are expensive. The cannonball that bounced off Wonder Man’s midsection looks fine but maybe you can’t just reuse them.

The filming breaks for lunch and Wonder Man wanders over to where his moral support is.

His moral support, of course, being Beast.

And he is moral supporting but he’s also multitasking with some women because even in Italy, women are just fascinated by blue fur. Furries are universal.

Wonder Man doesn’t feel supported though and this lousy spaghetti western film is a good opportunity for him.

If you remember, the last project we saw him get was as a cheetah print leotard wearing muscle man on a kids show and he got fired for making the host Uncle Elmer look ridiculous.

(Revealed to Simon’s chagrin in #194, lost to mishap in #201)

Being in an actual movie, even a spaghetti western, is the boost his career needs.

(I think we need to confront the actual possibility that Wonder Man is not a very good actor. But he might be a good stunt man if he can learn to act like things hurt)

Wonder Man’s publicist Rachel Palmer shows up as well and wow. Rachel has never appeared before and given the fillery nature of these chaotic no consistent writer times may not appear beyond this story. But you instantly get the sense of their working relationship.

And they have good banter too.

Wonder Man: “Wait. There she is -- Rachel Palmer -- the apple of my eye, the light of my life, the bane of my existence!”

Rachel: “If you delivered your lines that well in front of the cameras, Simon, you might actually keep this job -- which’ll make it just a little easier to hype you as a star back in the States.”

Wonder Man: “Your encouraging words are a constant source of inspiration, Rachel. But I’d appreciate it if you’d confine them to your press releases.”

Rachel: “You’ve got me all wrong, Simon. I hope this whole thing turns out well for you. Really.”

Wonder Man: “And for yourself. After all, if you make me a big name, you can ride along on my coat-tails and become a media hotshot -- instead of being stuck as a flak for Grade D Westerns.”

Rachel: “No, Simon. I--”

Wonder Man: “Forget it, lady. I’m a big boy. I know that all’s fair in love -- and show biz.”

And then he walks off towards his trailer, satisfied at getting the last word with someone whose job it is to make him look good. Beast says that he thinks Wonder Man was too hard on her and that Rachel probably digs Wonder Man.

Wonder Man: “Maybe you’re right. But I still can’t get over feeling that Rachel’s motivated by sheer self-interest and everything else places a distant second.”

(I’m pretty sure she does dig Wonder Man because unbeknowst to Wonder Man and Beast, she follows them to the trailer, wanting to convince Wonder Man that she’s not as self-serving as he thinks and also to invite him to a romantic dinner)

Anyway, Wonder Man’s social life isn’t important. At all. And not right now. Because when he and Beast go into Wonder Man’s trailer and discover the Avengers’ emergency signal briefcase is BEEP BEEPing.

It’s Cap and there’s an emergency situation that demands immediate investigation.

A brand new island city has just popped up in the middle of the Mediterranean slash off the coast of Majorca from out of nowhere and the government wants the Avengers to investigate.

Presumably the US government.

Because if I know anything about mysterious island cities appearing from nowhere - and I know exactly one thing - by jingo, they start wars!

Beast is enjoying his vacation so asks why the US Sixth Fleet doesn’t handle it instead. They’re actually paid to do things while on an ocean. But Iron Man just says that the fleet has had problems.

And with a little reading comprehension we can guess what problems. Because we’ve seen it. Its not a mystery.

Iron Man has a Stark plane sent to pick Beast and Wonder Man up and fly them to Majorca. Or somewhere thereabouts. I don’t know if Majorca has or had an airport.

Wonder Man bemoans that he’ll never be a movie star if he keeps leaving the set to go have exciting comic book superhero adventures.

Which is a little like complaining about being too handsome. Ya jerk.

And remember how Rachel Palmer was peeping on them? No? Scroll up a little and look at the above panels again. Back? And remember how Rachel Palmer was peeping on them?

Her media senses are tingling and telling her that she should definitely go check out the city that appeared in the middle of the ocean. She’s much intrepid for not a reporter.

Meanwhile, some slice of life filler fluff that doesn’t matter but that I find delightful.

And if this liveblog isn’t about sharing things that I find delightful then what is it about? Exhaustively recounting plots to comic books from decades ago? That’s just a side benefit!

The call to action back at Avengers Mansion comes right when Wanda is having Vision move a couch.

Vision: “Wanda, while it may be true that I am capable of moving this couch about all day, it seems a gross misuse of my android abilities to do so.”

Wanda: “Maybe if we just move those shelves then you just put it down there. We’re Avengers, not interior decorators.

This is the content I eagerly crave.

So back in not America, Beast and Wonder Man complain about the plane ride but passing over the ocean they see what trouble the Sixth Fleet was having.

Some Guy, Possibly Shadow Lord managed to strand the Poseidon aircraft carrier fully on a deserted island.

And I was wrong about the plane taking them to Majorca. Its apparently taking them to Poseidon because it lands on the ship’s airstrip so the two Avengers can consult the stranded sailors about what the heck is going on.

Captain Paul Garrison tells them that they were investigating the mysterious new island/city (not mentioning that they were also yelling at it) when a tidal wave suddenly swelled up and carried the Poseidon several miles and left it on this island.

And apparently the same thing happened to any other plane and ship that attempted to approach the island. Thwarted by winds and waves.

Damn you, nature!

Anyway, its all rather mysterious but Wonder Man figures

“Well, we were sent here to investigate. So... let’s investigate.”

And Wonder Man rockets off to investigate the city. While giving Beast a piggyback ride.

Which. Amazing image. Bless this issue for its bounty of amazing images.

Bear in mind that the captain said that the aircraft carrier was carried several miles. Wonder Man’s belt rockets have impressive duration considering he can’t be carrying much fuel on his person.

When they reach the city, they find a localized hurricane hovering right above it. But Wonder Man just flies down through the eye of the storm to get to the city.

Some Guy Shadow Lord is surprised because he had been expecting big boats and planes. Not a guy with rocket pants and a blue gorilla riding on his back.

But he’s able to shoo them away just as easily as any big thing, with a wave of his hand summoning a wind that carries Wonder Man and passenger Beast away from the city.

Meanwhile, Rachel Palmer is also here. She spent all her money renting a plane and then a boat but she’s going to get to that mysterious city and get an exclusive inside story!

So is she a journalist? Or what? She’s Lois Laneing but as far as we’ve heard her job is to convince people they want to see Wonder Man do stuff in movies.

Wonder Man spots her and tries to fly to her rescue but two water spouts spurt up to ruin this rescue plan.

The first one launches Rachel’s boat into the air and smashes it to pieces. The second blasts Wonder Man out of the sky preventing him from saving Rachel from falling to her death.

But unseen by either of the Avengers, a strong breeze safely lowers Rachel to the ground of the city.

Because what is an Avengers comic without men developing weird and intense feelings for a nearby woman.

Some Guy: “How beautiful she is, how like my own Ayshera. And, also like Ayshera, she is courageous... and more than a little headstrong.”

Cool. I hope this doesn’t get weird. Or that we’re not asked to sympathize with a guy whose only ‘sympathetic’ trait is a possessive attraction to a woman. Looking at you, Living Laser. And, I guess, Graviton.

Anyway, Wonder Man doesn’t see Rachel getting rescued by an airbender so he works himself into a lather.

Wonder Man: “That sinks it! It’s one thing to attack naval ships and planes... one thing to attack Avengers... But when he kills an innocent woman who could do him no harm -- that guy’s gonna answer to WONDER MAN!”

Honestly, I think you’re selling Rachel short. I’m sure she could do harm if she put her mind to it. Like, what if she covered him in bees. That would suck.

Anyway, Wonder Man rages through the city’s protective winds and then gets SAFUUSH!’d between two walls of solid water.

He’s left sputtering and disoriented in the ocean. At least until some hooks hook down from the Quinjet, hook Wonder Man, and then hook him up into the ship.

I didn’t know that the Quinjet had hooks for grabbing people out of the ocean but I am thrilled.

Ideally, the Avengers would use their newfound ability to vaudeville hook people into orbit more often. I can think of so many instances where it would be useful, or at least hilarious.

Anyway, Wonder Man apprises the other Avengers into the situation.

Meanwhile, not dead Rachel Palmer wakes up and finds the Shadow Lord brood slouching in a chair and watching her while she was unconscious.

She is alarmed that he’s just sitting there staring but he basically goes ‘DON’T WORRY I READ YOUR MIND TO LEARN YOUR NAME AND LANGUAGE’ and then decides to explain his entire backstory.

Shadow Lord: “The city in which we stand is the Shadow Realm and I... I am called the Shadow Lord!”

DAMMIT I KNEW HE WAS A YUGIOH!

Anyway.

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO! Give or take! An ancient tribe decided to move to an island to isolate themselves from “primitive, superstitious neighbors who feared [their] more advanced society.”

Off to a good start with this guy.

Free of the mundane concerns of living in a world that hated and feared them, they were able to peacefully ALL BECOME WIZARDS WHO COULD CONTROL THE FORCES OF NATURE.

Maybe the X-Men are onto something.

So the Shadow Lord’s people learned to control, winds, waves, earth, and maybe fire so what I’m saying is that it was an entire island of Avatars.

Boom, sequel idea. Give me millions of dollars, Nickelodeon.

“Though veiled in mystery, rumors of our existence spread throughout the world. We were feared and shunned by the other peoples of the Earth -- which allowed us to continue our studies undisturbed.”

“Those who mistrusted anything they could not comprehend... they called us witches and sorcerers. Those who knew and understood us called us... the Earth Lords!”

“For centuries our sole purposes were to augment our knowledge of the Earth’s forces and to maintain the natural balance between these forces. Otherwise, we had no interest in the day-to-day affairs of the outside world.”

Maybe I was wrong about them being Yugioh. Maybe they’re the Time Lords from the Doctor Who.

Anyway, the Earth Lords were happy sitting on their island being Avatars but over the eons they sensed a disturbance in the Force, for I must reference all the things.

"Over the eons, we became aware of a seemingly immortal, human force of awesome destruction, one who could potentially plunge mankind into an irreversible slide to its doom.”

“Singlehandedly he could destroy towns. With an army beside him -- countries. Time and again, he did. It was when he finally joined the legions of Rome at the peak of the Empire’s power... that we first feared the balance of nature was in danger of being destroyed. Rome could forever take over the world.”

The Earth Lords tried on several occasions to destroy this menace. We don’t get to know what constituted these efforts and that’s disappointing because of what the final successful attempt was.

By 79 AD, they knew he was on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius so they caused it to erupt, just to bury this one guy under hundreds of tons of rock and ash and lava.

Mission accomplished.

Except for the little thing where the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius also wiped out Pompeii and Herculaneum and other cities people know significantly less about, killing over 20,000 people.

As things go, that’s pretty dire amount of incidental deaths to kill one person. And the Earth Lords realize that this was a pretty major fuck up.

So they decided that they couldn’t be trusted with their powers and that they would disperse into the outside world to live and die as people do and have their powers dissipate over the years.

But before they did that, they discovered that the seemingly immortal guy they hit in the face with a volcano was somehow still alive somehow. Just trapped. Under hundreds of tons of rock and ash and lava that cooled into rock.

They killed thousands and didn’t even permanently kill the dude they were trying to kill? That’s pretty incompetent. They really can’t be trusted with their power.

Since he eventually might get out and resume being a dick, the Earth Lords drew lots and chose one of their number, the Some Guy later known as the Shadow Lord from the Shadow Realm, to forever watch over the city alone and await the day that the immortal guy would again walk the land.

And to help him solo the dude that took an entire city of people and a volcano to deal with, the Earth Lords concentrated all of their powers into this one Shadow Lord guy and taught him how to send himself and the city into a twilight plane of nothingness which is back to being called the Shadow World.

So this might also be Twilight Princess.

For two thousand years the Shadow Lord in the Shadow Realm in the Shadow World observed Earth and waited. And now, it seems that the seemingly immortal dude is back.

Rachel: “But I don’t understand. How can one man threaten a whole world -- and live for thousands of years in solid rock?”

Shadow Lord: “This is no mere man, my dear... this is the Berserker!”

And speak of the devil and we scene transition to him because we scene transition to Pompeii.

The lava mummified human figure that seemed to move before has stopped beating about with finger twitches and has gotten up to rampage around and backhand archeologists.

Don’t feel bad though. They were in it for the money and fame, those fiends.

Back at the city of Shadow Realm, the Avengers suddenly show up as a full team and basically enter swinging. Iron Man even blasts a wall for no reason.

Rachel tries to tell the Avengers that Shadow Lord means no harm but the Avengers can’t hear her over the sounds of Wonder Man loudly reassuring Rachel that they’re here to rescue her.

Iron Man exploding a wall for no reason probably also didn’t help.

So Rachel instead tries to tell Shadow Lord that the Avengers are a force for good. While he can hear her, he chooses to ignore her.

Using his powers of being the Avatar, he tries to pull a rocks fall but nobody dies. Rocks falling is something the Avengers deal with panache and also lasers and punches.

Some panache. Beast’s skycycle gets hit by a rock and he ends up leaping onto one of the spires of the city to avoid crash. And then, like a cat who climbs a tree except its a building in this context, Beast has a hard time figuring out how to get down from there.

While the larger Avengers punch and laser boulders and jump onto spires, Wasp just flies right in and shoots Shadow Lord in the eyebrow.

Amazing. Another good use of Wasp powers, being able to get in close while the opponent thinks the team is distracted at a distance.

Shadow Lord is none too pleased to be shot in the eyebrow by a tiny insect-sized flying woman and decides that a particularly karmic punishment is required.

Shadow Lord: “An insect-sized flyling woman! What sorcery is this? But if an insect you be, then it is only fitting I ensnare you in a cocoon of living wind... a cocoon which will grow and envelop your so-called fellow Avengers!”

And as Rachel still pleads with Shadow Lord to knock it off, he summons a giant tornado that suck in all of the Avengers (save Beast stuck up on his spire).

Shadow Lord even has the tornado carry him along, the better to continue mocking the Avengers as he carries them to their doom.

Shadow Lord: “You hopeless children! Did you actually think to defeat me, to deter me from my purpose? I who who command the earth and wind themselves to do my bidding?”

Yeah, dude. Definitely not sounding like a supervillain now. Cannot fathom why the Avengers are assuming you are one.

Iron Man manages to escape the tornado by firing his boot-jets at maximum, sending him flying free with a SHA-BOOSH! but also carrying him far away because momentum.

Shadow Lord then creates a whirlpool in the ocean and has his tornado carry the Avengers towards it. The whirlpool goes to the bottom of the ocean. Which then cracks open to reveal bubbling magma.

That’s right. The Shadow Lord is going to shoot them out of a tornado, into a whirlpool and into magma beneath the ocean floor.

Its. At least more precise than hitting them with a volcano, I’ll give him that. Definitely feels like overkill to go from rocks to tornado-whirlpool-magma execution but its definitely more precise.

Somewhat more precise.

Because when Iron Man manages to slow himself down to turn back he notices that a yacht is being swamped by the waves Shadow Lord is churning up.

And because of heroism, he takes the time to scoop the yacht out of the ocean and rest it safely on an island.

Geez. There’s a lot of boats being beached in this story.

Shadow Lord actually sees this. And a thought starts penetrating his thick skull that maybe he should have listened to Rachel.

Shadow Lord: “The armored one paused in his attack on me to save those people -- innocent people... which is more than we were able to do 2,000 years ago. Perhaps, as Rachel says, they are not agents of evil...”

He decides that he’ll stop throwing them out of a tornado into a whirlpool into magma but he doesn’t get the chance to put that train of thought on the tracks.

Beast waves Iron Man over. From his perch on the spire he’s noticed that the building he’s on is cracking from the strain of all the power Shadow Lord is throwing around even though he’s not been throwing it at that building.

So Beast deduces that the city is key to Shadow Lord’s power in some way and should have the shit beaten out of it.

And as Iron Man starts punching some wall, Shadow Lord doubles over in pain and the tornado he was about to dissipate dissipates.

The other Avengers get free and decide hey, follow the leader.

Jocasta: “The battle has truly just begun. Malevolent power such as this must not be allowed to exist. We must follow Iron Man’s lead and destroy the city -- totally!”

So unnoticed by the Avengers as they level the city into a pile of rubble, Shadow Lord staggers and swoons at Rachel’s feet.

But even dying, he still has some exposition bottled up.

To be fair, he’s been isolated for 2,000 years with no one to talk to.

He explains that the powers of an entire population of Avatars was way too great to be contained in one squishy mortal body so the powers were instead imbued in the city itself.

And with the city destroyed, it can no longer serve as a source of power and also can’t keep him alive anymore.

He’s honestly not too broken up over it. Since the Avengers are valiant and worthy, they can pick up his unfinished business while he goes and dies and gets to reunite with his girlfriend who died sometime during those 2,000 years.

Shadow Lord: “But please understand... I am as much to blame for today’s events as anyone... I bear you no malice... we misjudged each other. I have done my best... no more can be expected of a man... perhaps you will succeed... where I have failed. So do not mourn my passing... for me, death is but the long-awaited door that opens to my beloved... Ayshera.”

And the Avengers realize belatedly ‘we done goofed.’

“A sad -- and confused -- group of heroes grimly watches the passing of the Shadow Lord... and only then does the cruel truth reveal itself to them: what they had thought to be one of their greatest triumphs is instead... one of their most bitter defeats.”

Oh, and as I expect they’ll soon find out, the Berserker has been kicking the Italian army’s ass near Pompeii so that’s probably escalating into a bit of a situation and they just accidentally killed the guy who could have helped with that. Although in fairness, he deliberately ignored Rachel when she told him that the Avengers were heroes.

Like he said, he fucked up too.

Still, while its a bit of a Marvel tradition to have mighty misunderstanding fights, I don’t think they tend to result in people dying. One for the history books.

Next time: the Berserker.

Follow @essential-avengers. Also like and reblog. And send me Avengers triumphs that are way more impressive than beating up a city.

#Avengers #Essential Avengers #Wonder Man #Beast #SHADOW LORD #essential marvel liveblogging #Iron Man #Wasp #Captain America #Jocasta #Vision #Scarlet Witch #huh its been a while since they've gotten to do much #from the volcano thing and the tornado whirlpool depths of the earth thing #i think that the Earth Lords just had no grasp on subtlety at all #go big or go big

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writingformadderton · 5 years ago

Text

Hercules💜

Ship: Madderton

Word Count: 2354

Summary: Richard is known as someone who´s having many admirers but breaks all of their hearts. When he meets Taron on set he gets to know a different side of himself and falls in love pretty quickly. Bryce realizes the change in Richard's behavior and talks to Taron. Taron himself is insecure, not wanting him to break his heart and just get used for some fun. One day Richard confronts him in his trailer to talk about it.

Additional Tags: fluff, insecurity, kissing, weight issues, body issues, falling in love

“Taron? Meeting in 10 minutes!” Bryce’s voice rings through the silence of Taron’s trailer as she speaks from outside.

“Give me a second.” He shouts back and grabs his phone and keys. He checks himself in the mirror one last time and opens the door. The warm sunlight shines in his face and he slides his sunglasses over his eyes to see. After closing his trailer door, he walks down the small stairs and pulls Bryce into a hug. “How are you love?” He asks smiling and they begin walking towards to main building on set.

“I’m good and you?” She answers and looks at him with a warm smile.

“I’m great. What are we gonna do today?” Taron asks and puts his hands in his pockets.

“I think we’re gonna talk about some upcoming scenes with Reid now that Richard has arrived.” She pushes her dyed, dark hair back behind her ears and shrugs her shoulders.

Oh right, Richard. Taron was still confused about what happened when they met for the first time. He was just gonna shake his hand and say hi. The normal way to greet someone you don’t know, right? His co-star and on-screen lover had other plans. Staring into his eyes, Richard said hi with the brightest smile on his lips and held Taron’s hand for a little too long. He gave him a wink and just went on with life as if nothing happened. Taron’s mind has been racing since then, almost in awe of his costar.

They walk in and see Jaime with Richard, who has his arm around Jaime’s shoulders. Richard says something and Jaime bursts into laughter loudly. The giggles from the Scottish man and his shining blue eyes make Taron’s heart skip a beat. Jaime strolls over to the pair and greets them with a big hug. Richard follows suit and hugs Bryce. Then, he wraps his arms around T and the smell of Rich’s cologne is intoxicating. “You look lovely.” He whispers in his ear and Taron can feel himself blushing.

A bit later, Bryce pulls T to the side. “I think Richard has a crush on you.” She says and winks at him.

But Taron shakes his head in disbelief. Richard? No way. “Why would he?” He asks lowly.

“Listen, Rich is the tough guy who’s broken his fair share of hearts than he’s had his. Usually, he doesn’t take the first step.” Bryce raises her eyebrows and hopes Taron gets the hint. “You look lovely.” She imitates his voice and winks at him.

Taron begins to laugh. “Stop it!” He giggles. But he can’t stop himself from looking over at Richard, meeting his eyes. Rich smiles softly and keeps looking at him. Taron swallows hard and turns back to Bryce.

“I told ya.” She simply says and takes her script from the desk nearest Taron.

Back in his trailer, Taron puts away his sunglasses and sighs, standing in place for a bit. His mind is racing as Bryce’s words play back in his brain. Why would someone like Richard Madden be interested in him? Taron walks over to the mirror and observes his reflection. Richard’s eyes look as though someone took the ocean and trapped it in his orbs. Yet, his own eyes are a mixture of blue, green and sometimes brown so it’s a mystery what their true color is. He takes off his blue Rocketman cap that’s hiding his mess of hair. Richard’s hair is soft and the grey streak in it adds to its beauty. Rich looks stunning in a tight shirt while he wears wider ones to hide the weight gain for the role. Taron is loud, energetic, singing and laughing all the time and never could stand still. Rich is calm, not easy to distract. Complete opposites, how would that even work out?

Taron groans and throws his cap on the floor. Stop comparing yourself, focus on your job and keep it professional between you two, he tells himself. He changes into a comfy jumper and sits down on the little sofa.

After 20 minutes of studying his lines, someone knocks at the door. He frowns and gets up, opening the door. “Hey, Duckie. Dexter suggested some freetime together for us.” Rich says and looks up to him. The new nickname Rich has for him makes him smile.

“Sure, when will we all meet?” Taron asks and rubs his fingers through his messy hair. Shit, where did he put his cap.

Richard giggles shortly and his blue eyes light up. “He meant us two.”

“Oh.” T whispers and stares into Rich’s eyes. “You wanna come in or-?”

“Sure.” Rich speaks and comes up the stairs. Taron looks down at himself and sees the old jumper. He looks over to his costar, who is wearing a dark shirt and jeans. Shit, he looks good. He takes off the jumper and looks down at his blue shirt. A lot better, he thinks to himself. Richard watches him curiously and smiles cheekily. “You’re hot.”

“What?” Taron asks shocked and looks over at Richard. He’s sitting on the sofa. Did Richard Madden just call him hot?

“Your jumper.” Richard says and points at it. “You took it off.” He watches Taron’s every move and can’t hide a grin.

“Oh, yea.” Taron pushes out and lies it aside. He feels himself blushing and turns around. “You wanna drink something?” He asks while searching for two glasses. He notices Richard from the corner of his eye stand up and make his way over to him. Taron tells himself to calm down, it’s just his co-star, right? Well, why is he getting nervous around him?

“You’re nervous.” He hears Rich say with his thick accent. “I wonder about what.” Taron can hear the cheeky teasing in his voice. It makes his heart race and his palms sweaty. His thoughts are all jumbled up, what should he say? “Taron. Look at me.” His voice is soft and sweet like honey. The wolf is hunting him, his pure lamb, with no mercy. Holding the glasses tight in his hands, Taron turns around and looks up shy. “It’s just me. No need to overthink and get insecure.” Taron blinks and wants nothing more than to actually believe his words. “What did Bryce tell you about me?”

“Huh?” T asks and tries to come up with something. Did they make it that obvious?

“You heard me.” Richard says and leans against the table behind him. He folds his arms over his chest and looks at him with those dashing blue eyes.

“She just said that she thinks you’re flirting with me.” Taron says quietly and avoids his intense gaze.

“What do you think?” T just shrugs and bites his lip. God, why does this have to happen now? “Would you mind me doing it?” Taron shakes his head, still not looking at Richard. “Look at me, T.” Taron slowly looks up and forces his lip from his teeth. “What if I told you that I fell in love with you?”

“What if I asked you if you were serious about that?” Taron asks and swallows hard. He fears getting played with and hurt.

“I would tell you I am deadly serious about my feelings all the time.” Rich speaks and raises his eyebrows slightly, making T get the hint. The tough guy who broke more hearts than he made his. Of course he is serious about his feelings.

“Why?” Taron puts away the glasses. It seems as though they wouldn’t need them anytime soon.

“Why what?” Rich asks.

“Why me? Out of everyone you could take, you’re gonna go with me?” T shakes his head, still not believing the situation at hand.

“Because I’ve been searching for someone who is the right one for me.” Richard answers as his eyes observe him slowly, forming a soft expression.

“Well then, I really don’t understand why you would stop searching here.” The Welsh states and stares down at the floor.

Richard takes a step forward and lifts his chin up with his finger. “Taron.” He rolls the r in his name, making Taron’s knees weak at the sound. “Do you even know how incredible you are?” T remains silent and sees Richard’s eyes wander down to his lips. His thumb softly rubs over them before he looks back into his eyes.

“Please don’t play with my feelings.” He spits out barely above a whisper. He feels that well known fear creeping up in him, just like every time someone seems to actually care about him. He was always wondering how long it’ll last and how much he’ll have to reveal about himself. It’s a risk every single time.

“I would never play with your feelings.” Rich says softly and Taron wants to believe him. Rich slowly leans in and their lips are only a few inches apart. They share a look and T sees a slight hint of insecurity in his eyes. Was he afraid too? Didn’t Bryce say he was a tough guy? Why would he be nervous? “Talk to me, T. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to.”

Taron is too shy for words and swallows hard. He slowly leans in closer and their lips barely touch. Rich looks into his eyes for the last time and they flutter close. The Scottish man closes the small gap between their lips and kisses him. It’s the sweetest and best Taron ever felt in his life. Richard’s full lips underneath his feel so good and he prays it doesn’t end soon. But Rich pulls back and looks at him carefully. “Please don’t stop.” Taron whispers and Rich complies with his request.

Richard’s hand softly grab Taron’s neck before tangling in his hair. Suddenly, life is sprung into Taron. His hands press Rich’s body closer against his. T opens his eyes shortly and sees Rich smiling into the kiss. Is this really happening right now? Richard stops again and looks at T. “What do you want, Taron?”

“I-I want to have dinner with you.” He breathes out and can’t help his grin.

Rich giggles hearing the line from the script and gives his scripted response. “You’re so humble, it’s embarrassing.” He kisses Taron again and they chuckle into the kiss.

The next day on set, they can barely keep their hands to themselves. They went out for dinner the night before and had a lot of fun. Taron glances over to Rich, who’s trying to focus on the conversation he’s having with Dex. But his eyes keep meeting Taron’s and he can see how he tries to hide a smile.

Dex turns away from Richard and shouts. “Okay, 10 minute break!”

Only one look is needed and they head away from set into the same direction. As soon as they are away from prying eyes, Rich takes his hand and pulls him towards his trailer. They share some kisses while Richard tries to unlock the door. Sharing rough kisses, they walk in and Rich kicks the door closed. He throws away the keys and cups Taron’s face while planting hungry kisses on his lips. Rich knows his trailer exactly and walks T over to the sofa with his eyes closed. He pulls back and pushes Taron down on the sofa.

T pants and looks up at Rich, who’s already coming closer and lying on top of him. Rich braces himself next to his head and leans down towards him. Taron kisses him softly, but soon gets overwhelmed by Rich’s hungry nature. Rich’s lips travel down to his neck and leaves kisses there. T moans out when he sucks on his neck. “Rich, stop.” He groans out, but can’t fight the impulse to tangle his fingers in his hair and pull him closer.

“Hmm?” Rich hums, still going.

“Stop sucking my neck. We gotta get back to set soon.” Taron groans loudly when Rich bites him below his ear.

“You’re right.” Rich breathes out, but doesn’t stop working on Taron’s neck. There’s a hunger inside him that needs to be stilled. He pulls away from him gasping for air and looks down at T, who’s smiling softly. God, he loved his golden boy.

Taron sees the hunger in Richard’s dark eyes and his heart pounds. Damn, he was a lucky man. He softly strokes his thumb over Rich’s lips and joy fills his heart. Is this real? Is Richard really in love with him? Or was he having the best dream of his life?

“I love you.” Richard whispers and stares down at him adoringly.

“I love you too.” T whispers back and grabs his neck. He softly pulls Rich down towards him and kisses his lips.

“I love your fluffy hair.” Rich whispers between kisses and runs his fingers through Taron’s hair. “Your beautiful blueish green eyes.” T blushes slightly. “Your adorable energetic self. Always singing with that amazing angel voice.” His lips travel down his neck again and Rich sits up slightly to reach different places on his skin. He slowly lets his hand wander under Taron’s shirt and prepares to take it off.

But he’s stopped by Taron. “Please don’t.” He speaks softly.

Rich doesn’t let T stop him and slowly pulls up his shirt, seeing embarrassment in Taron’s eyes. “You don’t have to look all pumped up like in Kingsman to be beautiful, love.” Richard assures him, knowing what Taron struggles with. He becomes soft and kisses his belly, rubbing soft circles over his skin. As he looks up again, he sees tears in Taron’s eyes and stops. He pulls down his shirt and watches him carefully. Did he go too far? “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Taron presses his lips together. “You just told me you love all the things about myself that I was unsure about.”

Rich smiles softly and sits up. He pulls T close to him and cups his face. “Somebody as handsome and loveable as you shouldn’t be that insecure about himself. You are stunning in every way.” And with that, he places the softest and sweetest kiss on his lips.

@taruhnegerton @cheshirechan @dreamingwolfthings @onceuponadetectivedemigod @guns-n-marvel @shereighties @primaba11erina @honkycrowley

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lisinfleur · 5 years ago

Text

GUESS WHO’S BACK? WITH RANTS!!!

OOOOOOOOOK

This shit will contain A LOT OF SPOILERS. So, if you didn't see episodes 5, 6 and the trailers for 7, then... WTF are you doing in this fandom uh? GO - WATCH - IT!

Ok, later rants! I took some time away - that I'll explain soon! - but today I finally found a way to watch episode 5 and episode 6 of Vikings and now, the trailers with the goodbyes we just saw in my timeline. So, time to speak! I'll try to resume it because fuck! Things got huge too fast! So, let's start small...

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Dear Torvi Poor woman... She's passing through so much loss. Björn's betrayal, her first son, her second child, now Lagertha... Man, for the gods' sake! Someone please let me hug this woman! She needs it! And yet, she was wise enough to spit some truth on Ingrid's face... Torvi matured a lot from that child we used to think was so fluffy when trying to convince us she was Viking. She grew into a strong woman, able to endure things that many others wouldn't have with a whole mind. I have to clap my hands and admit that Torvi evolved into a whole new character and if there is someone to """replace""" Lagertha in this show, it will be her.

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Ingrid Speaking of replacements... Am I too cruel to say I laughed out loud of this woman at the docks waiting for Björn like that? The honey-dick attacked again and the girl is melting for him. Poor sucker... To be honest, from all the women Björn cheated on, fucked and let go like trash in this series, Ingrid is the only one who I won't feel a single drop of pity for. She searched scab to scratch herself and now I'll sit and watch as she realizes her stupidity. Know your crime, pay your price. That's what I have for her.

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Harald Or should I say King Harald? Man, I have to say: Harald was low. It was pretty low to manipulate things the way he did to win that election over Björn's favoritism and he stroke pretty lower by going there to provoke inviting Björn to be his counselor that drunken way of his. Even more to order the killing of someone who risked its life to save his ass when he was locked by Olaf, trusting the word of a man that he barely knows (Flatnose will be pointed here too... that bastard!). But once again... Am I too cruel to say I laughed OUT LOUD the whole process of election?? Man, it was HILARIOUS to watch Björn's teeth clenching to every single vote Harald had over him! It was ORGASMIC to see all that arrogance of someone who carries nothing but his father's fame in his shoulders being dissolved by noticing daddy's fame won't hold his back anymore! Ragnar's name is fading - despite he'll always be a legend - and whether Björn starts walking for himself or his papa's actions won't hold his butt up forever! And Harald did me the beautiful favor of kicking that white blonde ass to see if Björn will wake up and become the man he should have become since the first episode of this series (To the ones who don't remember, Rites of Passage was the mark of HIS DAY TO BECOME A MAN and receive his armring). However, I think Harald screwed up and got tangled up with a bunch of bad promises he will somehow have to honor. The thirsty man is drinking seawater and will end up dehydrated. It is better for Harald to find a way to manage the whole Norway, or else, the King of All Norway will end up in a pole, impaled, like a beautiful flag for everyone to see...

_______

Gunnhild She looks miserable in the next episode, but her acting was beautiful during the battles. I just wanted we had seen more of the huge Gunnhild we were habituated to see. I felt they kinda lowered her light to put the spotlights on Lagertha for the scenes and I can understand the need for it to happen, but Gunnhild was really pale in these episodes and I hope Hirst doesn't follow this thread to wipe her off slowly until there is nothing of our precious Gunnhild to be seen. She's too huge to be forgotten or changed this way. I hope it changes in the next episodes.

_______

Amma I hope someone takes care of the bruise in her face cause fuck... Things didn't go well for this girl. She was delegated "two" Ragnarssons to protect. Magnus is dead. Hvitserk is doing shit. Poor girl is in bad sheets here... But more than that, I really would like to see her slapping Ubbe's face or stopping him from treating her as a slave. It's only me, or did someone else noticed how the bastard is ordering her around as if she was his fucking maid? She would be, imo, the perfect person to throw some truth in this man's face cause man... He's needing a slap. OHHH HE IS...

_______

Kjetil Flatnose You freaking fucking asshole motherfucker bastard son of a bitch! There are no words in the human language to define how big of a bastard you are! Man, I HATE THIS GUY and I hope Ubbe does one single fucking shitty thing right in his pitiful and dismissable life and KILL THIS ASSHOLE! PAINFULLY! There is not too much to be said about this asshole. I just want him to die. Slowly.

_______

Now... let's start with the big ones, right?

_______

Ivar x Igor Once again, I cannot tell you guys the size of the love I feel for these two and their relationship. Everything they do together, no matter how dangerous is it, seems to be a big huge game and Ivar seems to be having so much fun beside this boy that I can only pray the gods it lasts forever. Igor brought back a side of Ivar that we weren't able to see in years! A good side that I was missing so hard! I hope this boy doesn't stab him behind his back, cause if he does, then it will be the end of the Ivar we know and maybe that serpent Hvitserk fears so bad will come out for good...

_______

Ivar x Oleg (plus Katya?) Is it my impression or the bromance is over? I saw lots of sadness in Ivar's eyes (a point for Alex! Fuck, the boy is good!!) but something tells me that Oleg is messing with fire and will end up veeeery burned... He's playing with a recent wound, making it bleed again with that brunette bitchy version of Freydis and something tells me that Ivar will bury Freydis' memory along with Oleg's and Katya's bodies. And this will happen pretty soon... If I was him? I would destroy that mausoleum in front of Oleg's eyes and say things like "It's good for you to watch it" while breaking his ex-wife's statue in tiny little pieces (using Katya's face like a hammer, of course). But I'll wait and see. Ivar's plans will surely be better than mine!

_______

Alex Yes, Alex, not Ivar. The boy deserves a whole topic only for him. It is not that I'm surprised, I'm not. Alex has been proving himself an amazing actor since he first dragged himself on screen as Ivar the Boneless for me. With Adrian and Jacup and Viktor and even that crazy-ass Liam, he already had proven himself a multitalented artist and a phenomenal actor able to conquer our hearts with any kind of character. But I have to point out that his expressions as Ivar are absolutely incredible! He can pass complete feelings and whole threads of thoughts without a single word! I can only congratulate him for such a beautiful job! The same goes for the actor who plays Igor. Boy... you rock!

_______

Björn More momma's boy than never, boy is being forced by the gods to raise his butt up from other people's backs and walk by himself. BEAUTIFUL! I cannot say how happy I am by seeing Björn finally being slapped by reality: papa and momma's fame won't hold your butt up forever, bitch! Grow fucking up, grow some fucking balls and go fucking make your own shit! And I'm not here saying he didn't shit in the whole series. He did, but all he did since this series started was under the weight of his father's name. Björn Ironside, SON OF RAGNAR. It was always something heavier than anything else in his life and now, whether he raises his own name before his blood history or he'll end up fading quicker than his shadow. Yes... shadow. Cause that's what Ubbe has become... I just really wanted him to stop this drama and to remember that mommy was murdered by one of his brothers who had THEIR MOTHER murdered by his mommy, so it was a fair death, a fair kill. No one should be allowed to punish Hvitserk for this especially because the woman would die anyway! Hvitserk shouldn't even be guilty of her death since Whitehair had warranted she wouldn't see a new sunrise before Hvitserk's hallucinations would end up getting his hands dirty.

_______

Ubbe Who the fuck are you and where the fuck is my daddy? I cannot say he was brainwashed. Who paid attention to the details will remember pretty well the scene when Ubbe, Hvitserk, and Sigurd were speaking right after Hvitserk arrived from the trip to the Mediterranean Sea. They discussed about Ivar's need for avenging their mother and Ubbe was clear saying they would have to kill Björn to reach Lagertha and that's was something he didn't want to do. Ubbe gave up avenging their mother as soon as Björn arrived in Kattegat. But there were better ways for him to show his will to avoid fighting his brother without adopting his stepmother and forgetting all the shit she did like that! He could have accepted fighting beside her with caveats, leaving clear he was there to go against Ivar not to support her. He could have left clear that he was there because of Torvi and Björn, not because of her. He could have rejected Lagertha without creating any problems within him and Torvi as long as he was able to put his own mind out through those beautiful lips saying clearly that he was giving up on the fair revenge because he loved Torvi and didn't want to fight his older brother. But no. He just forgot everything, started treating Lagertha as if she was his mother and now he'll bid her the farewell we didn't see him bidding to his own mother! What kind of an asshole does this shit? And for the ones who want to come here ranting about how shit of a mother Aslaug was, I would like to remember that she starting being a shitty mother AFTER IVAR WAS BORN! This means Ubbe lived THE BEST of her motherhood longer than ANY OTHER OF HER SONS! He had a fucking perfect mother and he didn't have the respect to keep himself away from her murderer once he chose to respect his loyalty to his brother and avoid killing her. I lost all my respect for Ubbe in this season and I cannot say I'll ever be able to really respect him again. Not only he left Margrethe to die (she was ambitious? yes. She was crazy? Yes, but she was HIS WIFE and HE SWORE THE GODS he would protect her!) but he abandoned Hvitserk when he most needed his older brother making himself unable to forgive a simple bad action when worse things were forgiven in his heart, he mistreated the woman that is beside him and declared to go wherever he goes for love by using her loving words against her to keep her from looking after her children's safety, he's mistreating and disrespecting Amma who's a free woman by treating her as if she was his personal maid and his brother's babysitter throwing on her the responsibility of taking care of Hvitserk that should be his own... Ubbe disappointed me so many times in so many ways that he must thank the gods he's played by Jordan and I love Jordan, otherwise, I would have no reason not to spit on his face at all!

_______

Hvitserk Speaking of pain, there is a picture of Hvitserk beside this word on the dictionary. Shit, he's so hurt, so pulled down, so ragged, so disposed. Poor him is walking around like a ghost himself! I wish so much Amma wasn't so afraid of taking pulse in this situation, but I cannot blame her. She fears she would fail and Ubbe would be harsh on her so she doesn't go further than calling Hvitserk's attention or his name to wake him up. But the truth is that someone should put this boy in its lap, hug him tight, and never let him go. The gods are being harsh on him breaking him in tiny pieces and offering him to Fenrir's jaw to be chewed. I really hope now that he fulfilled his "purpose", he can find a way out of this endless well of self-destruction or, at least, he can start walking for himself once again. It pains my heart to see my beautiful puppy like this. I hope he gets better from now on...

_______

Marco Once again, a topic for another actor that fully showed his talent here! I've seen other works with Marco, like Kriger and Fasandræberne, and his talent is undeniable, but the interpretation of a man in pieces he's offering us is really perfect! He plays with the scenes of Hvitserk's addiction amazingly not only showing the eagerness for more drugs but the perfect portrait of how this doesn't really change his fear or pain and even more the way Hvitserk keeps longing for more, searching for relief and numbness while hiding all those traumas behind his bloodshot eyes. Marco is a complete show all by himself and I can barely wait to see more of his amazing work around the world.

_______

And to finish... Lagertha I didn't like her. Everyone here knows I started disliking Lagertha when she cowardly killed Aslaug in a murder that shouldn't exist. There was no need for her to back shot Aslaug like that especially because that battle was won. Some understood that she gave Aslaug "safe passage" to find her son in Valhalla since Aslaug thought Ivar was dead along with Ragnar. But for me, there was no reason for Lagertha to go further and kill Aslaug like that especially when she could have used many other ways to get what she wanted. Yet, I always admitted and will admit until the end that Lagertha was a hell of a character: a shieldmaiden and a strong woman who could have a better ending after all. Despite the fact that I'm still here trying to figure out how did Björn reached the adult life with her TERRIBLE pieces of advice for children, she was a huge character and I think she deserved to die better than being murdered in the middle of nowhere like a homeless woman by a drugged rag of a man. She was a shieldmaiden. She was the most famous shieldmaiden of her age. She deserved to have died by that wound Whitehair made and her death should be more than just an emotional moment. Now her beautiful and epic fight with Whitehair will fade face to the anger Björn will drive towards Hvitserk. He won't learn from his mistake because, in his head, Hvitserk killed his mother and not Whitehair - who was her actual murderer. Lagertha was fated since she left that battle and Hvitserk was nothing but an accelerator of a destiny that was already sealed. She would die. He just made it quicker. We can even say if we look straight that it was almost a mercy kill. I didn't like her end but I have to say that battle against Whitehair was phenomenal so I'll close my eyes to the rest and believe she died strong and majestically after that fight, as the hero who saved that village from the bandits. And not like a homeless old woman, thrown like trash in the middle of the square, under the rain, murdered by a drugged rag of a man, forgotten in the middle of the mud. She was pretty more than just Ragnar's wife - so I wasn't touched by the words towards this. She was pretty more than just a woman... And I was expecting a better ending for her - and also, something better than hallucinations for Hvitserk to fulfill his destiny.

Let's see... Episode 7 is coming and I can't be more excited!!! The series is doing some shit, but it regained my excitation for good and I cannot wait for next week's episode!

#lis talks #some rants #about the episodes #THERE ARE SPOILERS HERE!

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lilhemmo · 5 years ago

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9+12 from the list as a Sweet Pea / Reader just cause your writing is bomb and I can’t wait to see this 😭💕

send me two au’s from THIS list + a ship/character

a/n: thank you so much!! i was so worried that no one would like my sweet pea stuff because i’ve never written it before, but thank you!!! this is a long one… read more under the cut!!

After you were marked as a sacrifice by the Gargoyle King, the Northside threw you to the wayside, unwilling to stand by you as your life hangs in the balance.

You found yourself wading into the Southside. No matter how much they cleaned it up, there were still Serpents and Ghoulies, and even some of the Poisons. You hear knives unsheathing and guns cocking as you wrap your arms further around yourself for some kind of safety.

You aren’t truly helpless. Before you were purged from the Northside, Betty Cooper gave you a few knives of your own and some mace. The bottle of spray weighs heavy in your bag, one of the knives feeling like a rock in your pocket.

“Hey, you!”

You try your hardest not to turn and look at them. You’ve heard that if you acknowledge them, it’s worse. Instead, you push on down the dirt road towards an abandoned building with enough space for you to call it home.

“Little miss,” a deep voice curdles from the shadows. Your head jerks towards the sound and that’s when you realize you’re done for.

A few Ghoulies are banded with a couple of the Gargoyle Gang, and they’re headed straight for you.

As you begin to sprint, you wrench the knife out of your pocket and try your hardest to bring the mace spray to your aide as well. Tears are streaming down your face but you don’t let the sobs escape as you realize your fate is sealed.

You trip over a root in the pathway and find your chin in the dirt, hands unable to assist you in your fall. The dirt mixes with your tears and you feel grimy, but you won’t let them have you. You wave the knife around and finally grasp the mace out of your bag.

“Get back!” you shout, your voice hysterical. You glare at them the best you can given the circumstances, “I swear to God I will knife you.”

They obviously don’t take you seriously, because they begin to cackle as they close in on you. The taller one, one not wearing a mask, raises a brow and smirks at your small frame, “Honey, I’m into that sort of thing, so go right on ahead.”

You spray the mace in every direction, praying that you can wound even one of them. That would even your odds.

The ones wearing masks aren’t fazed by your attack and instead come onto you stronger, one holding your shoulders while the other loots your pockets and bag. You can tell they’re smirking through their masks as they speak, “We’re gonna have fun with you, little lady. Not too many Northsiders we get around here.”

“Hey!”

Everyone’s heads snap in the direction of the voice. Gathered around it, or him, rather, are a lot of Serpents and Poisons. Most of them are holding bats and crow bars and other various weapons, and they definitely outnumber the attackers that are circled around you.

You recognize Jughead stepping forward, “I don’t think anyone invited you to the party. Now go, before I let the Serpents have their fun.”

The one holding your shoulders viciously throws you to the ground and you’re sure that you will have bruises. You cry out and one of the older boys clothed in a Serpent jacket steps forward immediately to try and help you to your feet.

“S’okay,” he says quietly, and much more tenderly than you would expect from a Serpent. He smiles down at you and you can’t help it when you swallow thickly, trying your hardest to stutter out an apology.

“Pea,” Jughead approaches, “do you mind giving her a place to stay tonight? My trailer is full of the runaway Ghoulies and a couple of the younger Serpents.”

“Yeah, it’s just me and Fangs,” the guy hovering over you - Pea? - speaks. He wraps an arm around your waist to hold you steady, “If that’s okay with you?”

“I wanna be as far away from those guys as possible,” you manage. You’re still holding the mace and knife like your life depends on it, your knuckles turning white as he walks you to a trailer up the hill.

“S’all right,” Pea speaks softly as he guides you through the door of the trailer. Inside it smells like boy and pizza, but you don’t mind because at least it doesn’t smell like death. You swallow thickly, “T-Thank you.”

He notices the cuts on your arms from your fall and leads you to the bathroom, “I’m gonna clean up your cuts, all right?”

You nod wordlessly, unable to formulate speech. You follow him blindly, knowing that if Jughead trusts him then you should too. He sets you on the bathroom counter, peeling your cardigan off your shoulders. He tries to get your sleeves over your fists and he chuckles at the sight of the knife in your hand.

“C’mon, give me that,” he says jokingly. His fingers wrap around the blade and you resist the urge to shove it through his hand just on instinct and adrenaline alone. Pea shakes his head, “I’m not gonna hurt you. But I gotta clean you up, c’mon. Hand me the knife.”

You unfold your palm and he takes the blade before you have the chance to shiv him with it. He also manages to wrench the mace out of your hand, placing both on the countertop beside you.

The alcohol hurts as it cleanses your wounds, but you try your hardest not to complain. Pea has to plant a few butterfly stitches on your arm and leg, but other than that you’re patched up quickly.

He makes you a palette on the couch, finding as many blankets as he has and stacking them on top of one another to make it a little more comfortable.

It isn’t until your bruised backside makes contact with the couch do you begin to cry.

Tears leak from your eyes, blurring your vision. The tiniest of sobs splits your lip and Pea materializes in front of you, bent down in front of your knees. He’s speaking to you, but you can’t hear him as the panic builds in your throat and expels through your tears.

“Hey, hey, shh,” he comes to sit next to you on the couch, wrapping you up in his arms - this stranger, this new girl who may as well be a Ghoulie in disguise. Pea swallows and his throat bobs at your closeness. Instead of focusing on it, he holds you closer and tighter, trying to pull your demons out of you, “I’m not going to let anyone else hurt you. I promise.”

And that’s the story of how you and Sweet Pea of the Southside Serpents became roommates.

You wake up early to make breakfast, and he and Fangs are grateful every day. There’s hot toast, eggs just how they like, and pancakes if they’re lucky. You keep the trailer clean and you learn how to help Pea out with the repair garage he spends most of his time at. You and Fangs help out at the Wyrm, trying your hardest to send Sweets up the line so maybe he can own it one day. Jughead and FP make being a Serpent easy.

“I’m just saying, it’s weird,” Cheryl Blossom speaks from over her martini glass. She sighs, “Sweet Pea can’t stand people, and yet he can’t bear to be separated from the little twit.”

Toni smacks Cheryl’s arm with the towel she uses to mop up the bar. The redhead’s jaw drops at the gesture, but Toni just continues pouring drinks.

Fangs raises his beer bottle, “I, for one, am glad that he found someone that could get rid of his scary bits.”

“Scary bits aren’t just gone, Fogarty,” Toni nods in another direction. Sweet Pea has a man by the collar, his feet dangling off the ground. “They’re just not there all the time now, is all.”

It’s been years since you all graduated from Riverdale, years since the Black Hood and the Gargoyle King and Serpents vs. Ghoulies. You live in some semblance of peace now, even if the Southside is still in ruins.

You and Pea are going to make it better, though, you vow. You’re going to work with the Northside to try and employ the Southside in order to help clean it up. You’re going to fix it.

“I’m just saying, Toni has the pizazz,” you gesture to the pink-haired girl tending the bar one night. You nudge Pea’s arm, “She could be a real estate agent! She could do it. And the Serpents could team up with Andrews Construction and work on building some new houses, remodel a few. It would help everybody.”

“I s’pose you could help with the finance side of that, huh?” Sweet Pea smirks, loving it when he gets to tease you for your smarts. He would never blatantly tell anyone, but he finds your intelligence and your drive inspiring and exciting. How you managed to become a Serpent accountant, he’ll never know.

“I suppose,” you shrug, fighting a smirk.

Every night you end up back in your bed, some nights later than others, but still always in the bed that Sweet Pea built for you when he decided you weren’t getting out of his sight ever again.

The nightmare plagues you on this night, though, and you wake up screaming. Sweet Pea comes running to your side, as always, sliding under the covers and holding your head tightly against his chest as he tries to pry the demons from your mind. He’s whispering in your ear but all you focus on is the steady beat of his heart.

You pull yourself closer to him, entwining your legs and wrapping your arms around his midsection. You cry into his skin, wishing that this wasn’t the only way you could get him in your bed, holding you like his life depends on it.

“Josie?!” you squeak, slamming your hands on the bar. You hide your face to hopefully keep your blushing to yourself. You shake your head, “No, there’s no way. Sweets would never take Archie’s leftovers!”

“Just because he hates Archie doesn’t mean he hates affection,” Toni snorts, pouring another beer on tap and sliding it across the bar with a wink. She shakes her head, “If you’d just tell him how you feel, maybe he wouldn’t go looking for you in other people.”

“I don’t like Pea, don’t be ridiculous,” you down your shot in one gulp, trying your hardest to put Pea and Josie out of your mind. You take a deep breath and push your shot glass towards Toni, “I’m just surprised, is all.”

“You can’t expect him to go through life with just you, babe,” Toni smiles sadly. “And if you’re not going to tell him how great he is, someone else will.”

She leans over the bar, the shot glass still in her clutches, “Besides, don’t you want to know just how good of a kisser he is?”

Your face goes red, and you snatch the shot out of her hands, letting the alcohol burn your throat as it goes down smooth.

Does it make your heart ache when Sweet Pea walks out of the Wyrm with Josie? Yes.

You have to see him every day, at his best and at his worst, and yet she gets to be the one who lays claim to him.

You and Pea have always been a team, so it’s strange seeing him with someone else

It hurts more to make breakfast, and so you stop. It hurts to watch him wander around the house with only a towel around his waist as he searches for his favorite flannel and his Serpent jacket, so you hide in your room. It hurts to see him downing beers with the Northside, the place you were born, and so you stop going to the Wyrm.

It takes six months before he says anything.

“Hey, we need to talk,” he corners you as you slip through the trailer door.

You raise your brow, alcohol still sitting on your lips from your evening at Toni and Cheryl’s. “Talk about what? Don’t you talk everything out with Josie now?”

“I knew it,” Pea smirks. “I knew it bothered you.”

“Congrats, you’re clairvoyant.” You deadpan before slamming the door closed behind you and trudging to your room. You wipe at your face, trying your hardest to keep a mellow look about you.

“If it bothered you, why didn’t you say something to me?” Sweet Pea follows you into your bedroom. He glances at the bed he remembers building you years ago, and he smiles.

You shrug, “You don’t need me telling you that she doesn’t deserve you. You’ll figure it out eventually.”

“She doesn’t deserve me? Josie?” Sweet Pea scoffs, “I don’t get you. If sweet, pretty, smart Josie doesn’t deserve me, then who does?!”

Your words are cotton in your throat, unable to spring forward and tell him the truth.

Sweets shakes his head, his eyes glassy, “You can’t have it both ways, sweetheart. You don’t get to keep me chained to you and also keep me at arms length. It’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not,” your voice breaks as the first tear streams down your cheek. “I just-”

“You just what?!” he snaps, taking a step back from you so he’s stood in the doorway. “You just thought it would be me and you against the world forever? That I would forget about everyone else and just be okay with whatever the hell it is that we are?”

Sweet Pea licks his lips and rubs at his cheeks before he can show you he’s crying. He sighs and closes his eyes, “I’m not some keychain you can keep in your pocket.”

He walks out, slamming the door to the trailer, and you allow yourself to crumble.

It’s months before you visit the Wyrm again.

You temporarily moved in with Toni and Cheryl, staying in the extra suite in the back of Thistlehouse.

You take a deep breath and step through the wood doors, your second home taking you in and pushing a warmth into your chest that you can’t find anywhere else.

Toni waves at you from the bar, a martini already made with your name on it. You make your way to the bar when you see him - Sweet Pea is sitting in a corner booth with a couple other Serpents, brooding as they watch over the Wyrm, keeping it safe.

Your mouth grows dry, but you sit at the bar anyway and sip on the martini to try and quench the thirst that crawls into your throat.

“He misses you,” she blurts. Toni looks up at you with wide eyes, “He does.”

“I know,” you swirl your martini in the fancy glass, “I miss him too.”

A few songs play out and then you find your way to the dance floor, a few of your friends from high school dancing around you. You sway to the music, whether its fast or slow, and lose yourself in the heat and lights of the Whyte Wyrm. You smile, wrapping your arms around yourself as the song shifts to another.

Your name is spoken a few feet away and it snaps you out of your trance. You gulp, opening your eyes to see him towering over everyone else, staring straight into your soul.

You smile sadly, approaching him. He does the unexpected and grabs you around the waist, pulling you close as the music slows. His cheek rests on the crown of your head and you find yourself fitting back together like it should be, like it was.

“I’m so sorry,” he murmurs into your hair, hands heavy against your waist.

You shake your head and fumble your fingers against the nape of his neck. You swallow, “I-I was asking too much and you were right. I can’t expect you to be exclusive to me.”

Sweet Pea maneuvers a hand to your cheek, brushing his thumb over the bone there, trailing down to your lips to trace them. You purse your lips and kiss the pad of his finger, closing your eyes.

He drops his forehead to yours, bending down to be on your level, “I’ve missed you.”

“You missed your eggs and toast,” you swat at his chest. He laughs but never falters in his hold on you. Sweet Pea kisses your forehead, “I miss so much more than eggs and toast, sweetheart.”

You look into his eyes and the overwhelming desire to kiss him senseless, until you can’t breathe, takes over until you’re threading your fingers through his hair and pulling him as close as you can before your lips touch. Then, you remember.

“Josie-”

He shakes his head, his nose bumping into yours. “I couldn’t be all in with her, and that wasn’t fair. I was too in love with someone else.”

You lick your lips and go to argue with him, but he quiets you with his mouth on yours. He’s warm, soft, and everything you imagined and more. You smile against his lips, pushing yourself up on your toes to give him more.

“I-” You’re breathless as he parts from you, “I’m so sorry.”

Sweet Pea chuckles, “Only you could apologize for kissing me like that.”

“I’ve been screwing this up for years,” you tell him, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, tracing over his tattoo with your thumb. “I should’ve just told you, then maybe things would be different.”

“That’s over now,” he shrugs, pushing a lock of hair from your face. “We don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

He brings you in for another kiss and the spotlights from above center on your two bodies intertwined together. Whoops and hollers echo throughout the Wyrm, Serpents cheering you two on as you kiss. You laugh against Pea’s lips and press your palms to his chest.

“I love you,” he pants as you break apart. “I think I’ve always loved you.”

You look up into his eyes as everyone quiets down. Your hands are on his cheeks, making sure that this is real and not just another dream. You smile, “It’s always been you, Sweets. Just you.”

Sweet Pea picks you up by your hips and you wrap your legs around him as he makes his way to the back of the bar. You’re laughing hysterically as he holds onto you tightly, pushing the double doors open and stashing you both in a supply closet.

“This is so typical of a Serpent,” you wink at him.

He rolls his eyes, “You love it.”

“I do, Sweets,” you bite your lip as you look up at him through thick lashes. He pushes you against the wall, hands all over you like he’s been waiting his whole life for this moment. Pea understands what you mean without you having to explain further.

You smirk, “So, you going to give me a good Serpent’s welcome?”

“Sweetheart, you don’t even know,” he says before he dives in to kiss your neck, the mirror of the spot where his snake tattoo takes up space on his own skin.

It takes a little while before you have your own tattoo and jacket, but everyone knows that even without the labels, Sweet Pea would kill anyone who touched you. That’s just how it goes.

#sweet pea #sweet pea x reader #sweet pea imagine #sweet pea one shot #sweet pea fanfic #sweet pea fanfiction #riverdale #riverdale x reader #riverdale imagine #riverdale one shot #riverdale fanfic #riverdale fanfiction #my writing

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omgjasminesimone · 6 years ago

Text

Tequila Sunrise Part IV

Previous Part: Part III

Next Part: Epilogue

Logan x MC

Author’s Note: Final part! Thanks to everyone who read, liked, commented, and reblogged!

Summary: 10 years have passed since Logan and Ellie last saw each other. After a brief unexpected reunion, they part ways again. But now, Ellie is back and Logan finally has a reason to stay.

Word Count: 1750

Logan and Paul set the couch down in the rented U-haul trailer, both men wiping sweat from their brows.

Logan looks around appreciatively. “That’s the last big thing. Thanks for your help man.”

Paul smiles. “Of course. Don’t be a stranger Logan, stay in touch.” Paul grasps Logan’s hand, pulling him in and patting his back in a half hug.

Logan smiles. “I will.” He promises, though he knows he won’t. He never does.

Paul leaves with a friendly wave, and Logan gets to work gathering the last few boxes. He would have moved soon anyway, but Ellie knowing where he is has increased the urgency.

It’s been three months since he dropped her off at the restaurant, forcing himself to drive away instead of running after her, pulling her into his arms, and never letting her go like he really wanted to. He knows it was the right decision, no matter how much it hurt. He knows she’s probably hurting too, and he’s afraid she’ll come back here to find him. He hopes she won’t. That she’ll realize how much better off she is without him. But if she does come back, he doesn’t think he has it in him to turn her away again, although he knows that he should, that he has to.

So he’s moving again. He really liked Puerta Vallarta, but he can’t stay in one place for too long. Can’t get too comfortable. He has to keep the Feds guessing.

He takes one last look around the empty hut, making sure he hasn’t forgotten anything. He smiles fondly, he had some good times here, but it’s time to move on.

He locks the door, leaving the key under the mat for his landlord, and brings one last box to his truck bed. He loads it in, and is about to close his truck bed door, when he hears a car coming. The taxi turns the corner, kicking up dust as it heads towards him. His heart initially soars, but as reality sets in it plummets instead.

He knows it will be her before she opens the door, but he still prays that somehow it’s not. That she’s not going to make him leave her, again. He’d prefer an FBI agent get out of the taxi and arrest him than having to say goodbye to her for a fourth heartbreaking time.

The door opens, and of course Ellie steps out. She’s wearing the Panama Canal shirt he gave her, paired with black leggings. The taxi driver gets out of the cab, going to the trunk and removing her large purple rolling suitcase. He places it on the dusty ground. “Muchas gracias.” Ellie chimes, handing the man a tip.

She grips the handle, spotting him standing outside. Then she spots the U-Haul trailer. She shakes her head in disbelief, a huge grin spreading across her face as she rushes over, awkwardly pulling the suitcase across the unpaved dirt road. The taxi drives away.

“Going somewhere?” She asks when she reaches him.

“Ellie, you shouldn’t be here.” He says softly, eyes pleading with her to not make this any harder than it already is.

“I shouldn’t? Do you not see it, Logan? Fate, the universe, bringing us together?”

He sighs. “Ellie-“

She interrupts. “No Logan, listen. I didn’t even want to come to Mexico. I wanted to just wallow in San Francisco and feel sorry for myself after I found about Trent cheating. But Riya showed up to my apartment and personally drove me to the airport and made sure I got on the plane. We’re at the same very crowded bar, where we easily could have missed each other, but we don’t. We find each other. I go home, reluctantly, because ‘my life’ is in San Francisco, and then a month later my company goes bankrupt and lays everyone off. I get here now, and if I had been even 15 minutes later, I would have missed you. I assume I wasn’t going to be getting your new address?”

He sighs again. “No, Ellie. I wanted to move so you couldn’t find me. So you’d move on.” Logan admits.

Ellie nods. “Thought so. But fate obviously had different plans.” She reaches out, taking his hands. “Did you know that birth control is 99.9% effective when taken correctly?”

He had been looking at their clasped hands, but now his gaze returns to her pretty brown eyes.

“And you know how I am Logan. I’m very organized, very regimented. I never forget to take my birth control. I take it at the exact same time every morning, I take it correctly.”

His face drains of color as he starts to see where this is going.

“But despite that, and on top of all the other coincidences, with a .1 percent chance of this happening, I’m pregnant…..Oh my God Logan you look like you’re about to throw up. Maybe you should sit down.”

He all but collapses onto the still open truck bed door, beginning to hyperventilate.

Ellie stands between his legs, wrapping one arm around him and pulling him to her, his head resting on her chest. She uses her free hand to gently run her fingers through his short brown hair. “Breathe baby.” She soothes.

“Are you sure it’s not Trent’s?” He asks softly. Even if Trent is an asshole, at least he’s not a wanted felon.

She stops running her fingers through his hair, clearly irritated he would even ask. “No Logan, it’s yours. It’s ours.”

He pulls away slightly, looking up at her with tears in his eyes. “Fuck, Ellie. I’m so sorry.” They should have used a condom, he should have made sure this didn’t happen. God, what a mess. How could they possibly bring a child into this situation? He squeezes his eyes shut, turning his head down as he thinks. His negative thoughts are interrupted when she grips his chin, forcing him to look at her.

“Stop thinking whatever you’re thinking. I’m not sorry Logan. I want this baby. I want you. Don’t you see? This happened for a reason. Because this is the only way that you would ever stop running from me, from us. You want to protect me, you think you’re doing the right thing, keeping your distance. But do you think it’s really the right thing if it’s making us both miserable?”

“Of course it’s the right thing Ellie. Being with me would cost you everything. I love you too much to let you give up everything for me.”

“That’s my point. This baby will be the one thing you love just as much, if not more, than me. You want to leave for me, but you have to stay for your child. You’re not the kind of man who can walk away. Not when you know what it’s like to not have a father.” Ellie reasons.

“I have to leave for our child too. We can’t do this Ellie, we’d be raising a child on the run. What happens when he or she starts school? We make them leave all their friends every year?”

“Maybe we don’t have to be on the run.” She says softly, wiping away the tears that are starting to run down his cheeks.

He looks at her, trying not to allow himself to hope, not wanting to be disappointed. “How?”

“Not to bruise your ego, but you’re not really a major bust for the FBI. They got the Brotherhood, and you were a minor when you committed most of the crimes they know about. At this point, they just want to close the case. My Dad says in a few months he might be able to negotiate a plea deal that would get you off with probation.”

“Your Dad would do that for me?” The disbelief is evident in his voice. He hasn’t forgotten about the loaded gun Detective Wheeler pointed in his face when he saw him last.

She loops her arms around his shoulders, drawing him in close once again. “No, not for you. For his grandchild. He wanted me to tell you that. He’s actually pretty mad at you.”

Logan wraps his arms around her, tracing patterns in her back. “Yeah, I’d imagine.”

“But he’ll come around eventually once he gets to know you. Now that there’s a baby, he knows you’re not going anywhere so he’ll have to get used to you.”

“I don’t know how to be a father Ellie. I never had one. Closest thing to a father figure even was Kaneko. What if I’m terrible at it?” Logan asks, with so much insecurity that it breaks Ellie’s heart.

“Logan, no one knows how to be a parent until they’re a parent. But I know you’re going to be a wonderful father. You love so deeply and always put everyone else before yourself. Our baby is so lucky to have you.” She assures.

“I’m the lucky one. I never could have imagined that this would actually happen. That I could actually have you…We’re having a baby.” His voice trails off, thick with emotion.

She smiles, kissing the top of his head. “I used to daydream about this, back in the day. Of course, in my dreams we were married.”

He smirks, looking up at her. “Was that a hint?”

She shrugs. “Take that however you want to.”

He lifts her shirt, exposing the barely-there baby bump. But it is there. This is real. They have a future. He places adoring kisses over her stomach, tears welling up in his eyes.

“I love you so much Ellie.”

“I love you too.” They hold each other for a few minutes before she steps away. “So, where are we moving?” She asks.

He stands up, kicking at the clamp to make sure the trailer is securely fastened to his truck. “Ensenada for now. If…I mean when I get that plea deal, we can go back to Los Angeles, or anywhere you want.” He replies.

She smiles. “Ensenada is only 200 miles from Los Angeles. My Dad will love that.” She turns to retrieve her suitcase, starting to lift it into his truck.

“Hey! That looks heavy and you’re pregnant!” Logan takes the suitcase from her, lifting it easily into the truck. It’s actually not that heavy.

Ellie places her hands on her hips. “Are you going to be like this the whole pregnancy?”

Logan smirks “Probably. Do you still want to be with me?”

She pretends to think on it. He laughs, pulling her to him so he can kiss her.

…

El Fin/The End (Although I might write an epilogue because I miss RoD)

taglist: @choicesarehard @ifyouseekheart @brightpinkpeppercorn @powdesiree0816 @regina-and-happiness@choicelogansbitch @flyawayboo @fairydustandsarcasm @alesana45@umiumichan @maxwellsquidsuit @professorortegasstudent @god-save-the-keen @mrsmckenziesworld @paisleylovergirl @iplaydrake @sinclaire-made-me-sin @sibella-plays-choices @hazah

#ride or die #logan x mc #logan rod #choices #choices fanfiction #playchoices #choices rod

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