#i feel like lena situation is a bit different but shes just here because almost fits the profile. id have to rewatch supergirl

[there-are-many-ways-to-smile]

Lonely characters have ALWAYS been more accessible to evil. Idk why everyone is always like this isn't so and so fault, like yeah it is partially.

Btvs=Faith

Merlin= Morgana

Supergirl=Lena

Keeping your so-called friend out of the loop is fucked up, only going to your friend when you need them is fucked up, and pretending you were there for them when you weren't is fucked up!

[l-artemisia-del-secolo]

Too many options

Yelena Belova x reader, a lil bit angsty, a lil bit fluffy, mentions of mindcontrol, happy ending as usual, adjusting to ordinary life

You wanted this evening so badly. Dreaming about it for weeks. Finally everything was close to normal. No alien invasions or governmental missions. No nightmares or tears for both of you for almost a month. You were expecting an ordinary date. As much as it can be under your circumstances.

But Yelena wasn't there yet. You were waiting in your meeting spot for almost an hour. It wasn't something new. Out of a sudden she could have a briefing or a mandatory status report. But she always managed to at least send a text. When both of you were particularly lucky she even could call you.

But this time it was different. Not a text, not a call. You yourself tried to contact her a few times. Her number was unavailable.

You had a bad feeling about this. How could you not. You knew too well the nature of her work. The possible outcomes and consequences. The ones that didn't let you sleep at night. Horrific dreams of her possible injury, even death. Yelena tried so hard to help you fight this, while being simultaneously consumed by other fears herself.

Adjusting was hard. Especially in the first few months of your relationship. It was mere weeks when you met after she was freed of mind control.

And in the beginning it was intense. Sure, Avengers did provide the resources for needed support. But it was you who had to deal with mood swings, depressions or anger issues.

Adjusting to the real world was hard, exhausting and painful.

Yelena warned you though in the beginning. She's not used to ordinary life. But with you she'd like to try.

It was getting ridiculous, so you went home.

What you saw there shocked you.You didn't know whether Yelena was there or not so opted to use your own key.

There were piles of clothes on the floor in the hallway. Yelena's clothes. What the hell was going on?

"Lena, are you here?"

No answer. You carefully proceeded to the next room. The same thing. Piles of shirts and jeans, jackets and coats were just lying around. They were not torn or anything. Just there, waiting to be picked up and worn.

"Yelena?" You called again, hoping for at least something.

When you finally reached your bedroom you were almost afraid to get inside.

"Love, are you there?" You asked as you were opening the door.

You sighed with relief. But it lasted only a second.

Your woman was sitting on her knees near the biggest stack of staff. Her hair tangled, eyes red from tears. She was wearing a weird mix of pajama pants and her bra.

As soon as you understood the surrealism of the situation you rushed to her.

"Babe, what's happened?" You clumsily fell on your knees in front of her.

She didn't react, blankly staring at the mirror, which you now were blocking.

"Малыш, что случилось? (Babe, what happened?)" You said in your broken Russian. That was the trick that you often used to calm her down. It was her idea in fact. She taught you this language herself.

Yelena heard you and slowly opened and closed her mouth.

"Лена, кто-то был здесь? Тебя ранили? (Lena, someone was here? Are you hurt?)"

You carefully examined her face, barely touching her. No blood, no visible injury. Same with the neck and shoulders.

It took her almost five minutes to properly feel you on her skin. She was confused, but she was finally there with you.

"What, what are you doing?" She removed your hand from her body. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I mean..."

"I said, I'm fine." Yelena raised her voice, but immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry. I know you have questions. But I did it myself."

"Yourself?" You echoed in disbelief.

"Да. (yes)" She got on her feet. And put on the nearest t-shirt. "I... It's hard to explain."

"Do you want something. Anything?" You couldn't fathom what was going on. But you were sure that Yelena thought of this as "I can handle this on my own" situations. And that wasn't a good sign.

"No." She shrugged. "I'm sorry, I've missed our dinner."

"It's fine. We'll have another one." You gave her a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, if It doesn't happen next time too." She laughed bitterly. "With me you never know, ha? Kinda like a time bomb."

You tried to approach her, but she shook her head.

"It's always like that. Aren't you tired of it? We're having a great day, week, month. But I always find a way to screw it up."

She hated herself during moments like this. Always feeling like she still didn't have control over her own life. Who knew where and when the next outburst could happen. And what could trigger it.

"It's not your fault." You once again tried to reach out to her. This time she stepped away from you.

"Right." She let out a groan. "But it's my fault. But somehow it's because of me, we're standing in this mess instead of enjoying our life together."

She was so angry, so frustrated. This was supposed to be your romantic evening. Personal, intimate. All those things she was always denied.

"We are enjoying ourselves. It's just an episode..."

"Really? That's how you call it?" Yelena was almost hysterical. "A fucking episode. Do you even..."

She clenched her fists, and the vein on her neck could burst at any moment. She started pacing the room, avoiding at any cost looking at you.

"You want to know what happened? I was preparing, you know, choosing the clothes. Started thinking about it. And I..." She suddenly stopped, trying at least to calm her breath. "I... I got overwhelmed. I didn't know what to do. You won't believe it, but suddenly I felt a burden of responsibility... What should I wear, how should I combine clothes and how others would perceive me. How you would. What color, what style...should I copy someone or I'm good enough myself...I...I was always told what to wear and now..."

You didn't care about her protests anymore. You hugged her, immediately feeling her heartbeat, her fire on your skin. She was trembling all this time, devouring herself from inside, killing another Yelena, the one that she didn't control.

"I... I..." She couldn't stop herself. Weeping and shaking, she was finally defeated by reality.

It took her a few minutes to come back to you. You felt it. She kissed your collarbone, asking for attention.

"I'm with you, babe. I can only imagine what it's like. Being overwhelmed by options, by your own responsibility, by the consequences of the actions you yourself took. But it's ok." You were gently stroking her hair. "You hear me? It's ok. We... We are gonna work on that. Simplify everything. Reduce the number of options. And it's not about clothes, it's a...about everything. We'll get there. I promise."

"You're going to throw everything away?" Yelena whispered.

"Maybe. temporary, I guess. We should have thought it through. Not buy mindlessly everything we see."

"Even my vests?' Yelena sounded so timid. She was hiding in your embrace, putting herself together again.

"Of course not. Кем ты меня считаешь? (who do you think I am?). We're keeping the vests at any cost." You could feel Yelena smiled so close to your heart.

You both knew there was so much hard work ahead. Overcoming and fighting, breaking and building. But you were ready for it. Both of you. It was worth it.

[wandaswifeyforlifey]

Hi! If requests are open. Can I request prompt #35 from Fluff for Yelena x female reader? Thank you for taking the time to read this and no worries if you don't take requests at the moment :)

A/n: Thank you for this request! And sorry it took a while to post (I’ve been trying to catch up on my flufftober that I am massively behind on lol) I hope you like it!

Ship: Yelena x Reader

Prompt: Angst #35 It’s already dark, you should really stay.

Summary: You went back to Yelena’s place after a mission to drink together and hang out but as the sky darkens, Yelena feels it’s safer for you to just stay the night.

The mission was yet another success. Sure, it had its mistakes and slip-ups, but it ended well and that’s what matters. As a bonus too, you and Yelena would get to do your usual ritual after the missions which was to get almost black-out drunk then go back to hers and play cards. It started when Yelena noticed you in the Bar after a mission for celebratory drinks and decided to walk over and join you. But, that was also where her feelings for you began. She saw you with your guard down. You laughed, giggled, listened to her and chatted about everything. She didn’t know what to do about her feelings because she wasn’t sure if they were reciprocated or not but what she did know is that whenever she met up with you, she got this feeling in her chest and it was the best feeling she’d ever known.

You had been to this bar more times than you could count, whether it was birthdays, meeting up with friends, just for somewhere to go at night or, in this case, for the after-mission drinks with Lena. The bar appeared slightly vacant but the atmosphere was always warm. As you walked in, Yelena gave you a little wave from the bar, beckoning you over.

“Hey Lena, how’re you feeling after that then?” You ask.

“Jeez, well, I’m sore to start with. I swear I’m gonna wake up tomorrow covered in bruises from that.” Yelena laughed.

“You just gotta think, it’s better than being covered in gashes, right?”

“Yeah… you do make a fair point.”

“So! What’re you feeling?”

“Ah, uhh,” She straightened up so she could read the sign above her head, “I’ll have an IPA. What about you?”

“Ooh, you already know what I want.”

Yelena rolled her eyes in amusement. She called the barman over and ordered one IPA and one Whiskey Sour. You chatted a bit before your drinks came.

“Will you ever choose a different drink?” Yelena said.

“No! It’s what I do here. I’m hoping to one day say, ‘I’ll have the usual, please’” You ended the sentence in a terrible ‘deep man’ voice. Yelena laughed at the fact that you only got 1 kind of drink just so you could say that. You always found a way to make her smile, whether it was you doing something so stupid it was hilarious or you cracking a joke or even just the situations you managed to get yourself in.

You both sat together and chatted, drank and drank some more until it started to get a bit too dark and you decided to take the bus home. Once you got back to hers you felt as if you were going to nod off right then and there. The drinks had clearly gone to your head as you were moving like a ragdoll. Yelena had to almost carry you up the stairs to her apartment.

On top

You flopped onto the sofa and closed your eyes.

“Come on now Y/n, don’t go falling asleep on me over here,” Yelena said, slurring her words slightly.

“No… no, I’m not. I’m just… resting my eyes?” you replied.

“You’ve tried to pull that one on me before, it didn’t work then, it’s not gonna work now.”

“Mmph” you grunted as she lifted your legs, sat down and lay them on top of hers. Your eyes remained shut.

“Fine. But you aren’t allowed to shout at me when I wake you up in 15 minutes.” she said shrugging.

Yelena began to watch some tv and before she knew it, it had been an hour and a half. She shook you awake.

“Oh my god, y/n! It’s been way over 15 minutes!” she said, panicked. She suddenly felt completely sober as if she’d had her head dunked in ice-cold water.

“Wha-What? Oh, shit!” you almost shouted while jumping up, “I need to drive home!”

“Are you kidding me? You’re not driving home like this.”

“Yeah, but you don’t have a car. Oh, it’ll be fine on the bus.”

“No way. There’s only creeps and weirdos going on there at this time of night.”

You raised your eyebrow at her accusingly.

“Well obviously I didn’t mean you know, did I? But it’s not safe at this time. It’s already dark, you should really stay.” Yelena almost whispered the last sentence. You looked her in the eye and sighed.

“Maybe you’re right.”

You took the sofa and got out a pillow and duvet.

After that, whatever happened seemed to be a blur, probably due to your drunken state, but you remember waking up and feeling your body pressed against someone else and your arms wrapped around their body. At first, you were alarmed because you thought you must have left the house and somehow gotten into someone else’s bed but then you saw that long blonde hair you knew so well, and you felt at home again.

[c-optimistic]

Hallo! I greatly enjoy your writing, for everything really, and whenever you get the chance and some inspo hits, wouldya write somethin sweet and gay? Whatever you're feeling, I'm sure I'll enjoy it! Thank you v kindly and I hope you have a lovely evening/day!

Kara shifted in the chair, feeling a tiny bit uneasy. Her nurse—a young woman who introduced herself as Nia when Kara had been called from the waiting room—smiled kindly and paused her typing on the desktop situated on the study table in the examination room.

“First time getting your eyes checked?” she said knowingly, voicing the question though the answer was clear in Kara’s fidgeting hands and on Nia’s computer screen, proclaiming Kara to be a first-time patient. “You shouldn’t worry, Dr. Luthor is the best ophthalmologist in the business. She’s world renowned, not that she’d ever admit to it.” It seemed like that last part was more for Nia’s benefit than Kara’s, said in a slightly miffed mumble as she turned her attention back to the computer. “Any known allergies?”

Kara blinked, feeling a bit trapped. “Um, no, but—”

“—we don’t have any medications listed for you. Is that right? You’re not on any prescriptions?”

“Oh, no. I’m not. But I—”

“—I see you wear glasses. When was the last time you got a prescription? Did you want to get new frames, we can—” Finally Kara had enough. She reached out and grabbed Nia’s hand, causing her to fall silent. “This is weird. Is this a come on? Because you’re really pretty, but I don’t swing that way.” 

“No, I—wait, what?” Kara released Nia, feeling as though she’d been burned. “No! Not a—not a come on, I would never—”

“Look, it’s okay. I didn’t think so, you seem...well, nice. But I have a lawyer friend who owes me a favor so...I can have you sued. Just so you know.” She narrowed her eyes in an attempt, unsuccessful unfortunately, to look intimidating. “So what is it? You look like I tried to drown your cat.”

“I shouldn’t be here,” Kara confessed, meeting Nia’s eyes steadily. The nurse blinked owlishly at her, clearly lost.

“I don’t follow,” she said, confirming what Kara already knew. 

“Look, I’m going to trust you, okay? There’s nothing actually wrong with my eyes. Or my health in general. I’m in like perfect health. By human standards, maybe more than perfect. But I don’t want to sound arrogant or anything, you know?”

Nia’s head was cocked to one side as she studied Kara. “Sorry, I still don’t follow.” 

“I’manalien,” Kara said in a rush, and judging from the way Nia’s eyes widened and her expression cleared, she understood Kara perfectly. 

“Well that explains all...that,” she gestured wildly to Kara. “So what’s the issue? Dr. Luthor is super supportive of aliens. She’s one of the only doctors in National City to—”

“—I don’t need glasses!” Kara interrupted, not really needing to hear about Dr. Luthor. “Look, I’m only here because,” she paused, not sure if she was willing to give the long explanation of how her work mishap, the stupid excuse she’d mumbled out, and a well-meaning coworker’s insistence to help (with a voice in Kara’s head that sounded suspiciously like Alex reminding her to keep her secret identity secret when she tried to get out of the whole thing) led her here to this moment, “it doesn’t matter. I just need your help. Tell the doctor I don’t need to be seen, give me a fake prescription, and I can go on my way.” 

Nia frowned, shaking her head. “Dr. Luthor would never buy it, and she has to sign the prescriptions. She’s very particular about it. You’re here, you may as well just...get your eyes checked?”

“My alien eyes that can shoot lasers and see through anything but lead? Those eyes?” 

“That’s so cool,” Nia breathed out, but she was focused. She pulled a drawer open and pulled out to eye drops. “One is to numb, the other is to dilate.” She paused, eyeing the bottles then Kara. “Would you even need a numbing agent?” 

Kara resisted the urge to tell Nia that her cousin once had a bullet to the eye and it just dropped to the ground, harmless to a Kryptonian. Instead, she leaned her head back, allowing Nia to apply the drops, reassuring her the whole time that she’d help with Dr. Luthor. She winked at Kara before slipping out of the exam room, leaving only a single dimmed light on, assuring her the “doctor would be in soon.” 

Kara closed her eyes—which felt no different from before she’d gotten the eye drops—and leaned her head back. She couldn’t leave, she didn’t want to stay, and she was just about to declare this one of the worst days in the last year at best, when there was a knock at the door and it swung open. 

And standing there, bathed in the bright light of the hallway, was the most beautiful woman Kara had ever seen, a grinning—and all too smug—Nia standing right behind her. 

She had long dark hair, brilliantly green eyes, wore the tightest dress Kara had ever seen, with heels that she was sure were murder to walk in all day. The sleeves of her white coat were rolled up to her forearms, her bright red lips were curved into a breathtaking smile. 

“Hi,” said the walking angel, “I’m Dr. Lena Luthor. Nia tells me you wanted to check your eye pressure and get a new prescription?” 

Kara nodded numbly, struck dumb by Dr. Luthor’s easy grace. 

Nia snickered, actually snickered, as she closed the door behind them, leaning against it as Lena pulled a chair in front of Kara and motioned for her to bring her face up to the tonometer. “Forehead against, yes, and chin on the rest down there...perfect,” Dr. Luthor said gently, her voice like honey. Kara couldn’t help it, her eyes followed Dr. Luthor’s, wanting to memorize the shade. She was so busy trying to decide whether it was an emerald or sea green, forgetting entirely her misgivings about being here in the first place, that she missed the first part of Nia’s attempt to ‘help.’

“—quite extraordinary, don’t you think?” Nia finished, causing Dr. Luthor to pull slightly away, cheeks tinged pink. 

For the first time, Lena Luthor was something just below perfection, stumbling over her words a little as she responded. “Oh, yes, um. They are. Looking at eyes is my job, Ms. Danvers, but yours are—well, like Nia said, so unprofessionally, they’re quite extraordinary.” She leaned back in, looking a little interested. “In fact, they’re almost—”

“—your eyes are very green,” Kara blurted, both because she was thinking it with Dr. Luthor’s face so incredibly close and because she wasn’t sure if she wanted a world renowned ophthalmologist looking too carefully at her eyes, lest she see something, well, inhuman. “Do your patients ever mention that?”

“For sure, but you’re probably the first person Dr. Luthor wants to hear it from,” Nia said, which had the doctor in question turn around and flash her a dirty look, and had Kara spluttering. 

“Your lawyer friend should sue you,” Kara managed before refocusing her attention on Dr. Luthor. “I’m really sorry about commenting on your eyes. That was rude. I said the quiet part out loud. Can the numbing agent for the eyes cause a loose tongue?” 

It was the stupidest thing to say, Kara knew it as soon as the words escaped her, embarrassment heating her cheeks and the back of her neck as Nia choked on laughter and Dr. Luthor seemed, well, angelic. 

“You know, Nia tells me you have very interesting eyes,” Dr. Luthor said, her tone and the stressing of ‘interesting’ making it very clear Nia had told her about the laser vision. “You don’t need a doctor.”

“I need a fake prescription.”

“I can write you a note instead,” the doctor offered, getting Kara to lean back in her chair and tugging the tonometer out of the way. “Would that work?” 

“Could you say I can’t see with my old glasses and that’s why I ran into a table and knocked over a coworker’s favorite mug, not that I broke it by trying to heat their coffee with my laser vision?” 

Dr. Luthor laughed, the sound like the jingling of bells. It was beautiful and was thoroughly distracting. “I think that’s a lot for a note. What about, you have vision issues I’ve never seen before?” 

Kara thought about it for a moment, then nodded, sticking her hand out for the doctor who stared at it with a fond smile on her lips. “You’ve got a deal, Dr. Luthor,” she said, waiting for the angel to take her hand. After several seconds, during which Lena Luthor met and held Kara’s gaze, she reached out and took Kara’s hand, her index and middle finger sliding against the inside of Kara’s wrist. She opened her mouth—to say what, Kara wasn’t sure—when Nia cut in.

“In return for the note, Kara will take you to coffee. Oh look you shook on it! That’s an oral contract, my lawyer friend will sue you if you don’t go on that date.”

Kara blushed and glared at Nia, ready to let the doctor off the hook, but Dr. Luthor’s grip on her hand tightened. And when Kara’s eyes met Lena Luthor’s incredibly green ones, she noticed they were crinkled in a smile. 

“When we go to coffee,” she said softly, “you have to call me Lena. All my dates do.” 

[prettywordsyouleft]

Consider Me Enticed

Pairing: Im Changkyun x female reader

Genre: romance / fluff

Warnings: Changkyun’s a stripper, Y/N’s a teacher’s assistant, and someone better get an A on his upcoming exam to receive a reward. (Actually, it’s all rather tame even with the concept).

Word count: 1717

“She might be stunned.”

The woman next to her nodded. “She definitely will be. But keep on going with your routine. She won’t get this opportunity again once she’s married.”

Changkyun smiled politely, taking the key card extended towards him. “That’s fine. You’ll be surprised just how many times we performers go through situations like this.”

“Oh, good. We were worried that you might find this uncomfortable. I guess it comes with the job description,” Lena, the woman employing him for the night, mentioned.

If Changkyun got uncomfortable every time he had a night gig for one person, he would have given up months ago. Sure, he preferred when it was for a group of people and not only because he got tipped better. Having a bigger audience pumped him up and brought out the teasing side in his performance.

Solo acts were over more quickly, though, and he did have an exam to study for afterwards.

Nodding more brightly at the pair looking too pleased with the surprise for their friend they had organised, Changkyun headed across the hotel foyer and over to the multitude of elevators. Once inside, he picked the floor he needed and travelled quietly.

It wasn’t in his nature to be loud and provoking, but these night gigs strangely came with ease for Changkyun. Some would describe him as awkward on campus, but the women he served at night saw someone entirely different.

Much as the client would now.

Stepping in front of the door that held the same number as the key card, Changkyun inhaled a deep breath and gripped his carry bag more firmly before opening the door.

The room wasn’t as grand as he expected for a bride to be, though perhaps the bachelorette party money had gone to other things. The lights were on too brightly for his liking, too, so he looked for the dimmer on the wall, turning them down before stepping forth to begin his act.

“What the?!”

“I hear you’ve been a bit too boring for your last night as a Miss. So, before you become a Mrs, allow me to spice things up,” he spoke into the room, having dropped his bag by the bathroom door on the way in. He would use it afterwards to prepare for his departure.

But for now, Changkyun effortlessly began his routine, cursing inwardly that he had dimmed the room a little too well. He couldn’t make out the face of his client entirely, but she was definitely stunned.

Her friends were right, he thought as his shirt dropped to the ground. Normally though, as he continued through removing each item, the nerves would disperse, and the client would get more involved.

Something didn’t feel right.

Peering more closely at the person before him, Changkyun's hands halted before ripping off his pants.

And suddenly a lamp was switched on.

Staring in horror at each other, Changkyun eventually pointed at his client.

At you.

“Y/N, what the hell are you doing here?!”

“I could ask you the same question, Changkyun!”

“Give-Give me one minute!” he stammered, dashing back along the entryway of the hotel room to the bathroom. As he changed out of his work outfit and back into his normal clothes, part of him thought to take this moment to flee. The bathroom was close enough to the door. He could run away all too easily.

That wouldn’t help him on Monday when he saw you next. And he was far too curious.

He wouldn’t get any relief if he didn’t get the answers to all the questions racing around his head.

After dressing, he returned to the main part of the room, which you had brightened up again, the seductive tone long lost from the space.

“So...” you started, less confronting than before. You almost looked uncomfortable, and Changkyun groaned.

This would not be easy to settle.

“You’re a stripper?” you finally asked, your gaze slowly travelling his body, a pink tinge to your cheeks.

“Only a few nights a week. It helps pay for my tuition.”

You nodded a few times, not knowing what else to say.

He chose this moment as his turn to ask a question himself. “Since when were you getting married?”

“What?”

“I was employed by your Maid of Honour Lena tonight. One last moment of fun before you tie the knot tomorrow.”

Changkyun's voice was strained, the realisation of what he said sinking in. He didn’t expect his heart to ache like this.

Frowning, you shook your head. “Who is Lena? Married?”

“The person who gave me your key card. They got it from the hotel front desk for me.”

You were still momentarily, and then you began to laugh. Confused by your action, Changkyun edged closer. Finally, you held up your hand.

“This poor Lena is going to be pretty annoyed when she finds out that the clerk gave out the wrong key card.”

“Wait... you’re not the bride to be?”

“Goodness no. What Teacher’s Assistant has enough time to date, let alone get married before thirty?” you answered, still chuckling with the concept.

Diving into the spare seat on the couch beside you before his legs gave way, Changkyun stared at you wide-eyed. “You’re not?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Why didn’t you stop me right away then? And what are you doing in this hotel if you’re... did I intrude on a hookup?!”

“No! Well, not exactly. I don’t think... if he wanted that, I would have said no and left immediately.”

Changkyun blinked slowly at your statement and cocked his head to the side. “I’m not exactly following you, Y/N.”

“My father tried to connect me with one of his rising athletes. I guess you could say I’m on a blind date. Or should be.”

“In a hotel room?!” he asked, aghast. “Y/N, that doesn’t lend the right message-"

“My parents own this hotel,” you mentioned softly. “If I have a blind date out in one of the lounges, especially with an athlete, it will be all over the news, and I for one, wish to keep my job at the university.”

“Still, a hotel room alone feels...”

“Strange things can happen here like my student stripping before me-”

“I’m hardly your student,” he remarked, rubbing the back of his neck. “But say I was this guy and started my date with you that way. Were you just going to sit there and endure it? I’m seriously worried about your safety right now.”

You smirked, shrugging your shoulders. “I admit, I was initially stunned. But when I realised it was you, I... I uh...”

“You what?”

“Might have enjoyed the show a little?”

Changkyun sucked in a shaky breath before panning his gaze over yours. “So, it’s not one-sided, then.”

“What is?”

“This crush of mine,” he murmured, and your eyes flashed with acknowledgement.

“I wouldn’t go as far to-"

He closed the gap between you then, kissing you softly. You didn’t hesitate to meet his gesture halfway, resting a palm on his chest as you leaned in closer to kiss him back. The embrace deepened until you were both breathless, and you pulled back, heaving in some air to recover.

But your eyes were now honest with how you felt, full of lust for him. Changkyun smirked as he gently ran his thumb over your swollen lips. You shivered against his touch, lips pursing into it.

“This wasn’t how I expected my night to go.”

“Nor did I. Will you be in trouble?”

“Hm?”

“The bride you were meant to be showing all that and more to. Won’t you be in trouble for not following through?”

“Oh, that? The company I work for will sort it. Besides, I only came into the room I was given access to.”

“True.”

“What about you? Aren’t you unhappy that your athlete date has stood you up?”

“Didn’t you tell me hotel rooms are dangerous to meet up in alone? Perhaps he was wise and realised my intentional picking of this over any lounge or cafe indicated how little I was interested in dating him.”

Changkyun grinned, scooting closer. “You knew what you were doing all along.”

“I still do.”

“I’m practically your student,” Changkyun teased, ghosting his lips over yours.

“Who normally is awkward. Did you have a body like that under all those hoodies?”

“Weren’t you embarrassed before from seeing it?”

“I kind of still am. Wow, Changkyun. There’s so much more to you than what I knew.”

“I could say the same about you.”

Eying up his lips once more, you smiled. “I don’t want to hook up in this hotel room with you. As much as the mood calls for it, Monday morning will come, and how would I stand in front of the one tutorial class I take each week with you and be able to focus?”

“Kissing me now hardly is going to make that any easier. I’ll require extra sessions with you, I think. It’s going to be hard to focus on the content of the lesson for sure.”

“Kissing is one thing, yes. But dating is another...”

“Didn’t you say you hardly could find time to date someone before turning thirty?” he wondered, growing hopeful by the minute.

Kissing him briefly, you then grinned. “I’m willing to make an exception for you. Besides, after this exam period, you’ll no longer be my student. So, if you get an A on your exam...”

“What do I need to get an A for?”

You pushed Changkyun back softly, shrugging lightly. “Maybe then we can take this further.”

“Are you trying to entice me to work hard on this exam so I can have sex with you?”

You groaned, the alluring expression falling from your face. “When you put it that way, it does sound awful. I just wanted you to focus on your grades first. Whatever is happening between us can evolve after that period. Oh god, just ignore me and what I said, okay?”

Chuckling, Changkyun shook his head before leaning in to kiss you again. “Consider me enticed. I’m looking forward to receiving a big reward for my hard work.”

“Just don’t bother with the snap pants when you do. I definitely won’t need you to put on a solo show for me.”

_________________

All rights reserved © prettywordsyouleft

[MONSTA X Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]

[valkyrieskwad]

i put a spell on you (because you're mine)

ao3

hi all! here’s the contribution i made to @supercorpzine​ this year!! it was a blast getting to work with so many talented people. hope it brought a little light to everyone’s 2020, we can sure use it.

__

Kara Danvers has an awful habit of making Lena feel like she's falling apart.

It's a familiar sentiment in some ways—as a struggling nineteen-year-old witch, Lena's grown accustomed to falling apart over the simplest things about her magic, about learning spells and potions and figuring out her own identity enough to do incantations with any real meaning—but the way she falls apart about Kara feels different.

Maybe it's because they live in the same apartment, or because they finish each other's sentences and have the same taste in music and food and old English literature. Maybe it's because they spend their weekends getting lost in the aisles of antique bookstores, smiling too big as the dust collects in their hair, getting too excited about old newspaper clippings used as bookmarks stuffed between browning pages.

Maybe it's because Kara spends two hours every day meticulously looking after their house plants, chatting to them about her day with her golden-blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, and the sun bouncing off of her sharp blue eyes.

Maybe it's because Lena's in love with her, because she's absolutely hopeless for Kara, and she couldn't snap out of it even if she wanted to.

The two of them are like tree trunks planted right next to each other: separate roots and branches, but grafting together in the middle, growing taller and taller into something too intertwined to be anything other than inseparable.

-

"I was thinking of leaving," Kara whispers one night, completely out of the blue. It's late and they're on the couch, snuggled together underneath their quilted blanket—the first one they ever made together, decorated with different colored owls. Lena's eyes feel heavy, but she blinks them open as Kara shifts in closer and adds, "After I graduate, I mean. I feel like there's just so much of the world I still haven't seen yet, you know?"

"Mmm," Lena hums, but then it all catches up to her and she opens her mouth to say, "Oh," sucking in a deep breath and swallowing past the lump suddenly growing in her throat. "What do you feel like you haven't seen?"

"I haven't seen anything," Kara sighs, and it's like her words burn for some reason, etching hot across Lena's skin like a freshly inked tattoo. 

Lena feels like she's seen everything living here. She feels so in tune with the land around her, that she hasn't really thought of being anywhere else for a while now. Southern Oregon may not be the most interesting part of the country, but it's the only place that Lena's ever found a sense of community. It's the only place she's ever felt like she can be queer and a witch and magical and accepted. It's the only place she's ever felt a part of something larger than herself without feeling like she's being completely drowned out.

It's where she met Kara. It's where she fell in love. It's where she wants to stay.

"I didn't mean it that way," Kara says a few seconds later. "I just, I hear you and Andrea talking about all the things you've seen, and I feel like I want to see those things, too. I feel like I'm missing out on the world. Just being here."

There's a too-long pause that settles over them, but Lena eventually finds her voice to say, "If you want to see the world, I think you should," and then she tries not to think about what that means for them.

-

There are two things Lena remembers from her very first junior-witches potions class: 1) the first time she met Andrea and the way she smiled as she told Lena about solstice festivals and candle magic, about crystals and La Virgen and her immeasurable love for Santa Muerte, and 2) how serious the professor's face looked when she said, "Under no circumstances should you ever make a love potion."

They were nine years old, and the idea of a love potion made them both giggle and roll their eyes, adding more ingredients to their boiling pot as Andrea went back to talking about bonfires and spiced cider, evergreen and mistletoe and clove-spiked apples and oranges. 

If anyone had asked her back then, Lena would have said she'd never make a love potion.

"But Santa Muerte would accept you even if you did," Andrea had said.

Lena remembers that too.

-

She thinks about that when she does decide to make a love potion, when her head keeps spinning because Kara said she wants to leave, and Lena knows she wants to stay. She thinks about it as she adds each ingredient, whispering over and over that if she loses Kara, she'll lose herself too, like it's liturgical almost, an incantation, her way of broadcasting her strongest intention so the spell can get it right and Kara can love her, and they can stay here together, happily, forever.

She thinks about it when she decides the love potion is a bad idea, when she hides it in the back of the fridge because even if Santa Muerte will still accept her, she's not sure she'll be able to accept herself.

It's a tough decision, but it's the right one.

So, she pushes it to the back of her mind, tells herself it'll all be okay, and then she tries to sleep as best as she can.

-

She doesn't expect her world to end when she gets home the next day, when Kara meets her at the door and takes a deep breath, sighs, smiles, clears her throat, twiddling her fingers together as she says, "Sorry, but I might have eaten your stew in the fridge."

"Excuse me, what?" Lena asks, letting her backpack clunk to the floor, taking several deep, deep calming breaths before she asks, "My stew?"

"Yes," Kara says slowly, cheeks pinking up. "I'm sorry, I was just. Hungry. But it was delicious if that makes a difference."

Lena can't breathe. "The one in the back of the fridge?"

"Yes," Kara says again, blushing even harder, and heat floods through Lena so fast it suddenly feels like she's drowning. "The one in the glass Tupperware that was hidden behind the milk. The thing you always do with the food you don't want me to eat." 

"Why'd you eat it, then?" Lena whispers.

"I don't know," Kara admits. "But if you give me the recipe, I'm sure I could make it for you again. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay," Lena tells her, heart pounding, head swirling, because Kara looks hopeful and beautiful and Lena doesn't know how to tell her how much she royally messed up, how that stew shouldn't have been in the fridge in the first place, how it's written in the preface of 86% of spellbooks to never make a love potion, let alone leave one lying around. "I was just going to throw it out, anyway," she adds with a smile.

 She's pretty sure her life is over.

-

"I think I did something not good," Lena announces, and Andrea closes her book as she looks up at Lena, eyes glinting like she knows this is a big enough deal to warrant her undivided attention. This is, in fact, that serious. As a Scorpio sun Libra Venus, Lena absolutely hates complicated, messy situations, and this is as messy and complicated as it gets. "I need to talk to you about it."

"What kind of not good?" Andrea asks immediately.

"It’s not like, the end of the world, but it actually is the end of the world. I made a love potion that Kara ingested on accident, and I'm freaking out," Lena explains, shoulders inching their way to her ears as a blush inches its way across her cheeks. "I think I'm in trouble."

"Holy crap," Andrea mouths. "That's not good."

"Yeah, you're telling me," Lena groans, then she plops down on the couch next to Andrea and sighs, scuffing her shoe against the old wood of the apartment floor. "I don't think she even knows we're witches."

"What do you mean?" Andrea asks, leaning over so she's knocking shoulders with Lena. "I'm sure she's pieced it together by now."

"Yeah, maybe," Lena frowns. "But I'm pretty sure she thinks we're witches, but not witches. You know, the ones who make lavender salve and herbal tea and talk about tarot readings and natal charts. The ones who carry crystals around and garden and do candle magic without ever really knowing if it works."

"We are those kinds of witches," Andrea points out.

"Okay, yes, but we also do real magic, and we know it works. Crap," Lena groans, leaning forward and pressing her face into her palms. "How did this happen? I could get suspended from doing magic and lose Kara as a friend."

"Hey, it was an accident," Andrea reassures her, draping herself over Lena's back to hug around her. "I'm sure if you talk to her, you can fix this. It'll be okay, I promise. You'll be okay."

"I'll be okay," Lena repeats, and then she keeps saying it in her head until she feels like she believes it.

-

"A love potion?" Kara asks, and she's decidedly not upset. She's not even incredulous. Lena got so antsy she blurted everything out in the middle of making dinner, right after she dropped the colander three times and couldn't focus to save her life because she was so freaking flustered. So now Kara's standing next to a half-minced onion, slowly blinking her eyes with her arms folded across her chest, and she's... smiling. "You made a love potion?" she asks again, like this whole thing is funny and Lena's not falling apart. "Who'd you make it for?"

"I - well, I made it," Lena starts to say, then she takes a deep, sputtering breath, rolls her eyes, and huffs, "Who else would I have made it for?"

"Me?"

Lena sighs. "Yes, you. Because - well, because I want you to stay, but also because. I don't know," she finishes lamely. Then she takes in a long breath, presses her nails against her palm, and just says it, almost too quiet, but she's overwhelmed and feels dizzy. "Because I'm in love with you."

"I wasn't going to leave you behind," Kara says instantly, and Lena feels a bit relieved she just ignored the whole love thing. "I mean, I want to explore the world with you, it just - it came out wrong when I said it, and I got too nervous to fix it. But I always want to be with you. I want to go everywhere with you. You feel like home to me."

"Oh," Lena whispers. She was expecting a lot of things, but that wasn't one of them. Not those words, not phrased that way. She didn't expect Kara to just say that. "What are you saying?" she asks, just to clarify, looking down at her hands and trying her best to hide how flushed she feels.

Kara responds by taking a step forward, and then another, sucking in a nervous, shaky breath, and then she's leaning forward and kissing Lena—on the cheek at first, and then the corner of her mouth, and then she pulls away.

"I'm saying I already loved you," she says, stepping in even closer, filling Lena's space with so much comfort and love and warmth, that Lena feels a little like melting. "I'm also saying," Kara stretches out, and Lena can sense she's smiling before she looks up to see it, eyes latching on to Kara's too-pink lips, perfect and glistening even in the dim, 50-watt kitchen lighting. She's so pretty it's incomprehensible sometimes. "I didn't actually eat the stew. I sort of dropped it on the floor, but I thought it'd be better if I said—"

"Kara," Lena gushes out, like a reflex, like a breath of fresh air, like Kara's the most frustrating person she's ever met in her life. "You're kidding."

"I'm not," Kara says, smiling wider, then she fits her hands on Lena's waist, and Lena swallows, cheeks burning with both nerves and anticipation, and happiness.

Her brain is still stuck on the fact that she wasn't expecting this when Kara kisses her again, on the lips this time, but that doesn't stop her from closing her eyes, from pressing up and opening her mouth and kissing back until she's breathless.

"God, a love potion," Kara laughs, right against Lena's mouth, and then she goes back to kissing her again.

[snowonthebeachmp3]

February 2016

Feb 11th - Kanye debuts his song Famous at his Yeezy fashion show. It contains the infamous lyric, 'I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous.' Gigi Hadid and Austin Swift are quick to express their disapproval. (x)

Feb 12th - Taylor's publicist Tree Paine releases a statement saying "Kanye did not call for approval, but to ask Taylor to release his single 'Famous' on her Twitter account. She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyric, "I made that bitch famous.’" (x)

Ruby Rose condemns Kanye, tweeting, 'Too many lines crossed. If I put myself in the shoes of the women he has hurt recently. Victims of Bill Cosby, the slut shaming, Amber… And now my dear friend Taylor.. Right before another huge moment for her.. Can I still support him and call myself a feminist? A friend? No.' (x)

Kanye claims on Twitter that Taylor thought the lyric was funny and that she came up with it herself. He also claimed Taylor told a mutual friend over dinner that, 'I can't be mad at Kanye because he made me famous!' (x)

Sometime in the days leading up to the Grammys - Taylor's 73 Questions with Vogue interview is filmed in LA (it is not published until April, soon after her Vogue cover is released). In the video, she says she is currently busy 'working out and getting ready for Grammys' (presumably referring to rehearsals since she was the opening performer that year). (Update: turns out the interview was filmed on the 2nd Feb.)

Some other answers she gave in this interview:

What are you completely bored of in life right now? Clickbait.

What's your favourite food? I mean, if we're just saying, like, what I wish I could eat every day if calories didn't count, is like, chicken tenders.

What's one thing you still have from your childhood? My insecurities.

What's something you've always wanted to try but you've been too scared to do? Coachella.

What advice would you give to anyone who wants to become a singer? Uh, get a good lawyer.

What's the one thing you wish you knew at nineteen? If I could talk to my nineteen-year-old self I'd just say, hey, you know, you're gonna date just like a normal twenty-something should be allowed to, but you're going to be a national lightning rod for slut-shaming.

What do you think is the most important life lesson for someone to learn? That karma is real.

Feb 15th - Taylor attends the 58th Annual Grammy Awards in LA. She opens the televised show with a performance of Out of the Woods (x) and debuts her Anna Wintour-esque bob (x).

After her performance, she is seen crying in the audience while Selena (her plus-one for the evening) comforts her. Apparently she is upset about missing a note while performing. (x) (video)

1989 wins Album of the Year, making her the first woman to win this award twice. In her acceptance speech, she references the situation with Kanye, saying, 'I want to say to all the young women out there, there are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success, or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame.' (x)

Taylor attends the Republic Records afterparty with friends and then-boyfriend Calvin Harris, who was not there for the awards show itself. (x)

In her 2020 documentary Miss Americana, Taylor had this to say about the 2016 Grammys: (x)

My life had never been better. I had won album of the year at the Grammys for a second time, which I never thought was a possibility. And I remembered thinking afterward, oh my god, that was all you wanted. Oh god, that was all you wanted. That was all you focused on. And you get to the mountaintop and you look around and you’re like, oh god. What now? I didn’t have a partner that I climbed it with that I could, like, high five. I didn’t have anyone I could talk to who could relate to what I was – you know? I had my mom. But I just wondered, shouldn’t I have someone that I could call right now?

Feb 16th - Calvin posts a photo of Taylor accepting her AOTY Grammy to social media with the caption, 'Congratulations to my beautiful girlfriend.' (x) I cannot believe this post is still up 💀💀

Taylor goes for lunch with Scott and Andrea at Cecconi's in LA. (x)

Feb 17th - Taylor is seen out shopping in Beverly Hills. (x)

The NME Awards take place in London at the O2 Academy. Taylor wins Best International Solo Artist but is not there in person. Instead, a pre-recorded video of her accepting the award is played at the ceremony. (x) Her outfit and haircut suggest that the video was filmed on the same day as her Vogue 73 Questions interview at her LA house.

Feb 19th - Taylor announces on Twitter that New Romantics will be the next single from 1989. (x)

She is seen getting off her plane in Reading, PA (x) and visiting her childhood home. (x)

Feb 20th - Taylor is the maid of honour at her childhood best friend Britany Maack's wedding in Pennsylvania. (x) She brings Vogue reporter Jason Gay with her, and he writes about the weekend for Taylor's Vogue cover story, published in the May edition. (x)

A few excerpts from that weekend (not published until almost two months later): (x)

Swift says she is ready to lie a little low. After the wedding, she will go to New York, where she will be spotted dining with her friend Lena Dunham, and then be seen a week later in Los Angeles with her brother, Austin, and her friend Lorde at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. As for future plans . . . who knows? For the first time in years, Swift is not sure exactly what is next. She is very much OK with this.

So what the hell are you going to do with the rest of your life, Taylor Swift?

“I have no idea,” she says, with a sigh that’s more blissful than anxious. “This is the first time in ten years that I haven’t known. I just decided that after the past year, with all of the unbelievable things that happened . . . I decided I was going to live my life a little bit without the pressure on myself to create something.”

//

Because I’m a hopeless cheeseball, I can’t help asking: Being part of this wedding, does it make Swift think about being married some day? For the past year, she has been seeing the Scottish DJ-producer Calvin Harris. Harris is not here with her, but in early March, he and Swift will post cutesy notices on social media—his on Snapchat; hers on Instagram—commemorating the one-year status of their relationship. Soon after, both will post photographs of an idyllic, whereabouts-unknown vacation in the tropics, with ts + aw written in the sand. (Harris’s given name is Adam Wiles.)

“I’m just taking things as they come,” Swift says. “I’m in a magical relationship right now. And of course I want it to be ours, and low-key . . . this is the one thing that’s been mine about my personal life.”

//

“I think the world is so bored with the [Kanye] saga,” she goes on. “I don’t want to add anything to it, because then there’s just more.”

Feb 21st - Taylor donates $250,000 to Kesha after she loses her lawsuit against Dr Luke and Sony. (x)

Taylor goes to New York and visits the Vogue offices. (x) She also meets Lena Dunham for dinner. (x)

Feb 22nd - Demi Lovato tweets, 'Take something to Capitol Hill or actually speak out about something and then I'll be impressed.' The tweet is widely interpreted as shading Taylor following the news of her donation. (x)

Taylor is papped arriving at and leaving Milk Studios, a photography studio in NYC. (x) I think this was when they shot her Vogue cover (she wore a wig for the cover shoot and only bleached her actual hair in April when the magazine came out).

Feb 23rd - Kanye brings up the Famous controversy while onstage at 1 OAK nightclub in LA. He claims Taylor said “Ooh Kanye, I like that line!” when he told her about the line 'I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex.' “Then she won her award and said something completely different! She not cool no more. She had two seconds to be cool and she fucked it up.” (x)

Feb 24th - Taylor and Jack Antonoff go for dinner at the Maia restaurant in LA. (x)

Feb 28th - Taylor attends the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty in LA. (x) She is photographed with Lorde and Austin.

Intro // February // March // April // May // June // July // August // September // October // November

[popculturebuffet]

Ducktales: Terror of the Terra-Firmians!  (Lena Retrospective) (Commission by WeirdKev27): Launchpad Looses his Last Brain Cell and I Loose My Patience

Welcome back Weblena Warriors to the second part of my look at everyone’s favorite Emo Teen Shadow Lesbian Duck... and probably the only one but hey, semantics, Shadow Into Light, which was made possible by viewers like you, the ultra humanite and a commission from WeirdKev27. Picking up where we left off, we have our first episode that has a different intended order than airing order. 

As most of you probably remember, but some of you who joined later might not be aware of the broadcast order for the first half of season one is, in the academic sense, pretty fucked. It’s not Darkwing Duck’s entirely fucked by a web of badger spiders and a queen snake on top to make it some sort of train situation, but by just sorta airing whatever episodes they wanted to, Disney messed with the character balance so Huey got less focus, not that he got a ton of focus this season but still, as well as leaning into the episodes focusing more on the kids with less involvement from the adults which gave the wrong impression about the series. While it IS very focused on the triplets and webby, the show isn’t entirely about them, but as Frank has mentioned a few times, Disney Channel apparently has this WEIRD thing where they assume kids won’t like stories starring the adult characters. 

Yeah I’ve been wanting to talk about this for a while. Mostly how it’s so dumb I could swear Pauly Shore was an exec at Disney Channel. And he might be I don’t know what he’s doing these days and i’d like to keep it that way. For starters, the Scooge comics, while barely published in the US these days, are still popular globally and have appealed to kids and adults for generations and are mostly focused on him, with the kids in a supporting role and Ducktales, you know the thing your directly remaking here, was also mostly about him with the triplets supporting, if a bit less than the comics. Most of the Disney Afternoon was about adult characters, with any kids in side roles in the main cast. And it comes off entirely hypocritical of them to say this when the MCU is easily marvel’s biggest cash cow at the moment, and marvel properties have appealed to both kids and adults, like the duck comics, for decades. And if it’s because the marvel cartoons weren’t doing well , I’ll let you in on a little secret: Those didn’t do well because they looked bland and from what I’ve seen of them felt kind of bland, though I haven’t seen enough to fully judge. Kids LIKE adult characters as much as kid characters, and also like teen characters despite not being teens. Focusing on either is valid and while I LIKED Disney’s youth starring shows I also want another X-Men cartoon before I turn 50, and I bet kids would like that too, with the last one only failing because you bailed on it because you were throwing a hissy fit over fox having the movie rights, and do not get me started on that. Point is this argument is horse shit and should stay in the stables. 

So yeah I do think this episode came too soon and it’s placement effected it at the time and as such it dosen’t have the best rep with the fandom aside from the Lena bits and that includes me. The fact it was very early in the series and the characterizations hadn’t yet sunk in really hurt this episode in places but is it really that bad? Join me under the cut to find out

We open at the movies! Which scrooge apparently hasn’t been too since the 1930′s or seen any on video despite Della existing and being really stubborn. 

A rant for another episode. But the kids just got out of a Mole Monster movie, along with Lena, Beakly and Launchpad. Their reactions are as follows: Lena, Webby and Dewey really enjoyed it, Huey found it unrealistic... says the boy whose uncle fought a dragon made of gold a month or two back but we’ll get to that, and Louie was bored and felt it didn’t have enough of the ultra violence, kids these days it’s not about the gore it’s about the tension. And Beakly.. is just pissed Lena tricked them into seeing this and said it was educational. And the more I think about it the more this sounds like BEAKLYS fault than Lena’s. BEAKLY is the one who likely bought the tickets, who saw it was likely an r or pg-13 and who as we’ve seen HAS A PHONE, and ulnike scrooge probably isn’t so stingy she wouldn’t spring for a smart phone, so she could’ve just googled it, or whatever bird related pun is in this version.. gandered it.. yeah let’s go with that, gandered it, and SEEEN it wasn’t appropriate or walked htem out of the theater and ate the cost if she was that bothered by it. Sitting through a Horror Movie you didn’t research, didn’t pull the kids out of and dind’t bother to even check the poster for or use basic common sense is YOUR fault. And this could’ve worked fine, had Lena talk the kids into begging for it or had launchpad take them and have Beakly find out after, having driven to pick them up as she didn’t trust launchpad to take them home. Instead it makes the former super spy look REALLY stupid and feels really out of character for a SPY to not to do research. And it wasn’t like they decided on this later, Bentina being a spy was part of the character’s backstory from day one and its made clear as early as episode 2 in both airing orders. This is just lazy writing to justify the episode and I expect better from this crew. 

But an argument errupts between Huey and Webby over the Terra-Firmians, a hidden race of rock people living in Duckburg’s discontinued sewer system, allegedlys. So Lena suggest simply going down which gets a disapproving look from Beakly, despite you know this being their bread and butter, and the fact that if she had a problem with Scrooge not being involved.. she could just call him. Exploring fabled rock people is something he’d be into. I mean there’s a low profit margin but it also costs him almost nothing to walk to the theater or have launchpad swing around and pick him up. Just gas which given how much he pays for jet fuel isn’t a big ask. But Beakly soon gets distracted by Launchpad whose convinced the film is real and is attacking the poster a grim sign of things to come as while Beakly annoyed me in this one on rewatch, especially after realizing the above... Launchpad annoyed me both times and for VERY good reason we’ll get into. This provides a distraction and allows the trio to escape. Cue titles. 

After the title sequence, our heroes head deeper underground, there’s too much panic in this town... I mean props to Donald for trying something new but he really needs to rethink his cologne choices. Sex Panther is just.. not a good smell on.. anyone. 

So our heroes journey through the depths of the subway system, and we find out part of why Huey’s so skeptical, as he finds anything that isn’t in the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook to not exist, though the cracks in this already show as he’s added anything that does. We’ll get back to this later but as you can tell the basic dynamic for 24 minutes is Webby being a wholehearted True Believer and Huey being a Skeptical Sally. And Lena is just sorta “Eh gives me an excuse for shenanigans” about it. We also get a peak into webby’s mind as we see her notes .. which really just come off as Terra-Firmian fanfiction involving a war of succession between two sides, the terra’s and the firmies, something based on previous media, and also some doodles of a fictional candy called webby-dings and herself as a superhero, both things I want to see. 

But yeah the first third of the episode is pretty simple, just them journeying, the occasional shift in the firmament, and it’s not bad, and there are a few great bits: Huey nerds out about rocks, and finds them way more interesting than a possible rock monster.

Which leads to the best gag of the episode as when Huey tries to pick up a big sample Webby, annoyed at his hyperfixation on the JWG, asks him to ask his book for help.. which he does by reading it and actually manages to pick the large rock up. This is halted though when Lena screams.. though she really just did it to draw them to an abandoned subway car full of glomgold posters for glomgold products because of course a failed subway project has his name plastered over it. You can’t spell glomgold without failure.. the failure is silent. Glomgold is not. 

The fun is interuptted though by a livid Beakly who had realized they were missing in an earlier scene, after telling the Manager that McDuck Industries would pay for the poster.. and then found out Launchpad also destroyed the toilets “They come up thorugh the sewers!”. Launchpad that’s CHUDS, Ninja Turtles and Rats who raised Ninja Turtles like their own sons, mole people dig or use old mineshafts. It’s basic mole science. Also Beakly really shouldn’t sweat it, I just assumed the city has had a runnig bill witht he company for “McDuck Family and Employee Related Accidents, Mayhem and Shenanigans”. I mean he’s had Gyro on his payroll for at least a decade and a half by the series start, Gyro has leveled whole sections of city in an afternoon more than most giant monsters. Of which several have destroyed Duckburg. It got better. 

Point is she’s livid about them sneaking off with Lena pointing out their some sort of adventure family and Beakly.. saying she won’t see them again, or at least implying it hard. I’ll put a pin in this, as the train buckles and a bit of seismic, or rock men, activity means their stuck. So they divide into teams: Beakly will go try and unhook the train car from the busted cars so they can ride out, Launchpad will go try and fix it, and we get this lovely exxchange as a result

Launchpad: Cool never crashed a train before Beakly: Can’t you try driving it without crashing it? Launchpad: Wha? 

His face in that scene is priceless. He takes Dewey along. More on that in a second. Webby, Huey and Louie are told to stay put with Beakly only bringing Lena along because she dosen’t trust her. So since we have three split plots for a second... let’s split up gang, starting with the most aggrivating, middling with what you all came here for and why this is part of the retrsopective, and ending with the plot that directly heads into the final part of the episode. 

Launchpad and Dewey: GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Okay starting with the most infamous plot and easily the worst part of this episode, probably the worst plot in any Ducktales 2017 episode. That’s not hyperbole it’s really that bad and really pissed people off, as fans of the original launchpad felt they made him overly stupid. This is where the airing order’s a problem as putting an episode with a subplot where one of your characters is obnoxiously dumb right up front means they assume this is his charcter and not just one poorly written chapter in a very dumb but very loveable characters life, likely because the writers hadn’t figured out how to properly scale his stupidity with comptience. 

So as a result we get a good 3-4 mintutes if not agonizingly more of Launchpad assuming something he saw in a fucking movie film was real. That.. that’s his actual plot. Need I remind you, he’s in his late 20′s early 30′s. He’s not much older than me. While other episodes have him as dim this one claims he CAN’T TELL FACT FROM FICTION. 

There are lines you have to keep with your characters to keep the audience from hating them. They crossed it about 80 times with this plot and make Launchpad into a gibbering dunderhead who can’t do anything right versus a regular dunderhead whose good at one or two things and loveable enough for us to like him and not care about his numerous safey violations and child endagerment charges. Thankfully this is the ONLY episode that gets this bad and they clearly learned from this, but it dosen’t make it any less of a tough sit. 

Dewey spends most of the subplot with a look on his face that just screams that he’s as done with this bullshit as we are, as Launchpad assumes he’s a mole person and brought along a pipe to presumibly bludgeon him, because wanting to cave his best friends skull in over stupidity is a GREAT look> Thankfuly he does not. And when the lights come back on Launchpad.. assumes he’s a monster because of bright light, GAH, and locks him out before they end up outside and the plto resolves itself by Dewey pointing out by Launchpad’s utterly baffling logic that he could be a mole monster, so Launchpad.. assumes he is. 

The subplot’s later buttoned up as he claims “I love being a mole monster”, again diffrent subteranian creature launchpad, she says he’s not and my suffering is thankfully at an end. This plot just sucks, it’s bad, overly stupid and dosen’t work with an adult character. Someone like say Ed from Ed, Edd N Eddy, or someone who belivies in weird conspiracy stuff like Dale Gribble or Stan Pines. with either of them this plot would’ve been fucking great. I could buy it from Dale and it just comes off as his normal paranoid weirdness. With Launchpad it comes off like he seriously needs help because the episode frames it as if he can’t tell ficton from reality, and his splotlight episode later would directly contridct this and make this episode even more aggrivating, as he’s a fan of Darkwing Duck, and KNOWS it’s acted out by an actor, so why wouldn’t he get this? It’s just....

It sucks, it sucks and I thankfully get to move on to a better subplot

Beakly and Lena: What You Are in the Dark

Beakly tells Lena she’ll never see Webby again after this.. then chastises her when she won’t help despite you know having just said she’s going to force their friendship apart, which Lena points out. She then gets mad at Lena making a sarcastic comment at her. Okay she’s lived with Louie for at least a week in airing order and a month or two in actual order. She has to be used to this by now. She’s insolent.. because you show her no respect, blame her for something that while sure she talked you into, you should’ve known better, and top it off by saying you want to keep her from the kids because they have bright futures and come from good familes and asks who rasied her and her face.. well.

Yeah wheras Launchpad and Huey, more on that in a second, were hurt by this being some of their earliest big roles, Bentina wasn’t.. until later when we found out just HOW bad Magica is to Lena and how much she dosen’t care about her other than as a tool to use. At this point we didn’t know just how much Lena was playing webby, how much she was only manipulating her, and even with her heroic act here we didn’t know if she only saw Webby as her way to break free. The next episode makes it clear she dosen’t and genuinely does care, 100%, so in hindsight it makes Bentina come off as ghoulsih for horribly asssuming about a girl she dosen’t know, and even if she did know about Magica wouldn’t know the full story, just like us, and then BERATING her after already saying she’s going to rip her away from Webby, which itself is PRETTY bad as she’s the only friend the girl has and sh’es doing so on... talking them into a horror movie, which as I outlined was more Bentina’s fault than Lena’s, and leading the kids into a dangerous place whicha gain, Lena pointed out is something she lets Scrooge do. And trust me i know that she actually knows Scrooge, and we later find out, as we’ll cover next month, that she isn’t ware HOW dangerous things are with Scrooge. It dosen’t change the fact she knows they do dangerous stuff to a point and that Lena may just be acting out. It also dosen’t change the fact she drove three children, yes including launchpad, down here with her instead of sending them home with Launchpad.. granted that option isn’t the safest but it’s safer than taking her with them thena cting like it’s ALL lena’s fault when three of the children, again including launchpad, are down there because of HER. Not Lena, HER. I’m harder on her because she’s older, wiser and was “raised properly” apparently. Though given the way she treats a random teen off the street she again knows nothing about and dind’t bother to ask... it begs the question. 

IT’s a good question. I could see the classism coming from being raised in 40′s and 50′s britain, judging by the timeline.. but even then she’s seen the world, and while her nature is supscious, the classit bullshit makes no sense after presumibly working with, and later spymastering for, various agents of various backgrounds. How has she not dropped this in decades. Scrooge very clearly dropped the racisim and homophobia of his time, so it still stands  on her for not dropping this. And Lena’s hurt shows under hte mask for the first time, that beneath the snark and secrecy.. is just an abused teenager with nowhere else to go and no way out being bullied by an older woman whose cutting off the only light at the end of the tunnel nto for good reason but out of classist, overprotective mallice.  My issues, which to be fair probably were intentional in the episode but sitll are a bit overblown, aside we do get an absoluttley tremendous moment later as a car falls on top of Beakly.. and Magica, speaking once more urges Lena to leave her, let her die and let their plans progress. And while that iself is.. dumb, what if someone finds her or her corpse later, especially since Scrooge would likely perosnally want to retrive the body to give her a proper burial as she’s his only friend at this point, or the rest of the family questoin the story?, it fits Magica’s lack of foresight we see throughout the season. But Lena... saves her. While she later gives an explination, and a valid one at that, it’s clear from her expressoin, her actoins and how she does it... that this is her. Part of it is defiance, as she glares at Magica before doing it, her own stubborn nature mixed with her hatred of her “aunt”, meaning Magica just made it all too easy for her to do this. But the real reason is clear: It’s the right thing to do. While pissing off her aunt and getting away with it is the cherry on top.. the real reason is that unlike Magica.. Lena is not a killer, not a monster, and not a heartless vacum ofa person. Even if she doesn’t like Beakly, for good reason.. she can’t, she WON’T leave her to die and leave Webby an orphan again. She loves Webby too much to do that to her and while she may deny it.. she’s too good a person to leave someone to die for something so petty. Even if she never sees webby again and the plans ruined. It’s better than the weight of knowing she let someone who wasn’t trying to harm her and whose actions, while terrible, were out of misguided protection of her granddaughter, die like this. She saves her. And as we’ll see it pays off.. but before that. 

Huey, Webby and Louie: Into the Unknown This plot’s a bit shorter, as Webby and Huey continue their argument, with Louie eventually making it clear, and not even hiding it when directly asked by Huey, that he’s playing both sides with a delighted expression on his face as the movie was boring but this, this is interesting. Which it is. But it’s interupted by dings on the roof and while Huey assumes i’ts just a regular rock, it moves while their not lookiung.. and soon red eyed, horrifying beasts look out at them and the kids flee back to the car. This dosen’t pan out as the car starts to shake and is clearly going to collapse.. and while Webby and Louie are prepared to flee, rock monsters or no, Huey, in an utterly heart shattering image.. stays in place, terrified of moving. 

This is where this plot goes from mildly aggrivating, as Huey’s Skeptic shenanigans can get on the nerves.. to BRILLIANT. See at the time this was more annoying because it was assumed the skepticsim would be a part of Huey’s character and we’d get more episodes of him being annoying only to be proven wrong, as he semeingly dosen’t learn his lesson at this point, looging the terrafrimians in the guide book. But on rewatch.. this plot is amazing.  For starters the plot subtly introduced the defening characteristic of Huey’s personality, one that’s become more prounounced in Season 3: His need for Order. He needs things to make sense: He solves stuff because he likes there to be order in the world and something he can understand, he can put in a box in his head. Like a lot of neurotypical people, myself included, he struggles horribly when the clearly defined boxes of his life and things he undestand have wrinkles or complexities he can’t get. I for instnace easily got it when I was introduced to the concept of trans people or being non binary.. they just make sense in hindsight: given how our brains are messya nd complicated it makes sense some people would be born in the wrong ones, and tht with all the science and medicine we have to correct that, should be allowed to transition if they so choose. It makes equal sense that some people just don’t have a gender or are gender fluid, being both or neither. Despite struggling with non binary prounouns due to force of habit.. I get the concept with no real difficulty. But when it comes to accepting I don’t have to apologize for everything and that everyone is not angry or that anger is natural and people sometimes get mad and you can’t and shouldnt’ fix it.. it’s something I STRUGGLE with even knowing it’s not right, because my brain is just wired that way. 

That’s how Huey’s struggle comes off here.. he reveals he’s willing to stay and die.. because he’s SO scared of the unknown, that the idea of dying from something he at least knows what it is versus something he dosen’t.., so paralizyed by his own brain he can’t figure out the obvious.. it takes Webby reaching out to him figuratively and literally, to show him that sometimes you have to face the unknown. The unknown is fucking terrifying.. but it can be good and it’s better than sitting there, scared and unable to move. You have to try, to grow and take that risk that things may not go well to really LIVE. 

So he does.. and they reunite with the rest of the group.. and soon find the terrafirmains.. who as it turns out once we get some light on them... are actually just goofy looking,  brightly colored, each one matching one of the kids, kids themselves, and Huey reaches out and touches one, which by ET logic means their friends now, and the terrafirmians help them get out. And this lesson sticks. While sure Huey catalogues it and it seems it didn’t.. he’s never this skeptical again. This douchey skepticsim was only for one episode, his fear of the uknown replcaed with boundless curosity and from here on he’s CURIOUS about new stuff as long as it’s not trying to kill him. He loves taking in new experinces, maybe not to webby levels but he does actually try them and study them instead of just fearing them. 

Before we wrap things up, obviously we need to talk about the JWG not having entries on a lot of stuff. This would be corrected next season as it returns to being a big book of everything, but dosen’t completely contridct this as Timephoon! shows there’s stillcgaps.. which i’m fine with. While it knowing EVERYTHING was fine for the original series here, with things being slightly more groudned, it’d just be an obvious plothole if Huey didn’t use it every single time they ran into something and that’d get boring. Instead it’s simply that it dosen’t know everything, and really in the comics at times it didn’t and the triplets found out new things. It knew almost everything mind you, but having some gaps for dramatic tnesion is fine with me and Seasons 2 and 3 decided on that instead of just having it being a scouting manual which wa sfor the best. And even by later in the season hit has guides to getting a small buisness loan, so they already course corrected. 

So everything’s wrapped up and while Magica berates Lena for disobeying her.. Beakly interputps, thankfully not seeing magica and admits she was wrong and invites Lena for pancakes, even taking a crack about if their actually pancakes or english muffins with syrup, which sounds like my own living hell, in stride, having clearly grown. And Lena explains to Magica that this was the better approach: now she’s got the in theyw anted, and is above suspcison for now. Still not so much that an obvious act won’t be detected but enough that she dosen’t ahve to work actively around her anymore. Magica scoffs.. and while part of it is probably rage.. part of it is deep down both of them know she did it out of defiance.. and only Lena knows that she did it for the right reasons... she just dosen’t get why. She probably justifies it as playing the long game.. but deep down she knows something’s changing about her.. and she’s not sure if that’s a godo thing or not. 

Final Thoughts: This episode is as you can tell a mixed bag. It’s 2/3 of a good episode, with the Lena plot, my issues aside, being excellent and the Terra-Firmian plot likewise fun, even if Huey can get grating the payoff is worth it, and the jokes are really high quality. It’s just bogged down by that fucking launchpad plot that just crushed my soul in it’s palms every time it came back. I went on at length why i hated that one but boy oh boy was the hate of that subplot warranted and I stand by calling it the worst plot of the series. It is: it’s not funny, it makes no goddamn sense, and it drags down what’s otherwise a pretty solid epsiode.

Next Time on Lena: Jaws the shark, lurking in the dark, in the depths of the bin one day of a lark decides to get rowdy, get real violent takes a vacay out to Duckburg er.. Island.. also Scrooge faces his greatest Nemesis.. a PR Tour to clean up his image after an unfortunate giant Beanstalk Incident. Be there and be hip to be square. 

Next Time on This Blog: I Tackle a DCOM for the first time for another commissioned review as we take a look at racisim, specifically Apartheid and breaking indoctrination, with The Color of Friendship. See you next Rainbow. 

[path-of-my-childhood]

Aaron Dessner Talks Taylor Swift’s New Album folklore

By: Sam Sodomsky for Pitchfork Date: July 24th 2020

Like millions of people across the world, Taylor Swift spent the past few months in isolation, stuck at home, changing plans, reflecting on the past, and imagining new connections. One of those new connections was with Aaron Dessner, the multi-instrumentalist and producer from the National.

On release day, he called us from his home in the Hudson Valley to speak about their entirely virtual but highly collaborative process, sounding just as surprised as anyone. “Nobody needs to tell Taylor Swift how to write a song - and I certainly didn’t,” he says with a laugh. “But it did feel like we were going toe-to-toe pushing each other.”

What is your personal relationship with Taylor Swift’s music? I’ve always admired her craftsmanship and talent. But 1989 was the first one I was really listening to as a fan. My brother [Bryce Dessner, guitarist in the National] and I were in Iceland with [performance artist] Ragnar Kjartansson, and he’s a total Swiftie. It was the summer of 1989, and we’d be hanging out listening to it loud. Ragnar is an art historian, so he was just contextualizing every moment. It was a lot of fun. That’s when we became bigger fans.

When did you actually meet her for the first time? We met her at Saturday Night Live in 2014 when Lena Dunham was hosting. And then she came to see us play last summer in Prospect Park during this crazy torrential downpour. She was there with Antoni [Porowski] from Queer Eye. She talked a lot with my brother and me. That’s when we realized how much of a fan she was, and how lovely and down to earth. I don’t know that many people who have that sort of success, so it’s a nice feeling to realize they’re cool. That left a good impression.

She got in touch again at the end of April. I got a text and it said, “Hey it’s Taylor. Would you ever be up for writing songs with me?” I said, “Wow. Of course.” It was a product of this time. Everything we had planned got cancelled. Everything she had planned got cancelled. It was a time when the ideas in the back of your head came to the front. That’s how it started.

You ended up with a credit on 11 of the 16 songs. How did the collaboration get going? At the very beginning of March, Justin Vernon and I had gone to Texas to work on the new Big Red Machine album. I had been living with my family in France as COVID was starting to spiral out of control in Europe. I said to my wife that maybe they should come back to the States with me because I was worried about getting separated. So we got tickets, and my kids and wife flew to [the family’s home in] Upstate New York and I flew to Texas. I was there for a week, and by the time I got back Upstate, the borders were being shut and we got stuck. I have the Long Pond studio here, so in a way it was lucky.

I hunkered down here and started to write a ton of music - more than I ever have. I thought maybe they were National or Big Red Machine ideas or maybe something totally different. Things were happening.

So when [Taylor] reached out, I had this large folder of ideas that were pretty well on their way. She was very clear that she didn’t want me to edit any of my ideas; she wanted to hear everything that was interesting to me at this moment, including really odd, experimental noise. So I made a folder of stuff, including some pretty out-there sketches. A few hours later, she sent “Cardigan,” fully written in a voice memo. That’s when I realized that this was unusual—just the focus and clarity of her ideas. It was pretty astonishing. Over the next couple months, this would just happen; all of a sudden, I’d get a voice memo. And then another. Eventually, it was so inspiring that I wrote more ideas that were specifically in response to what she was writing.

When did it occur to you that an album was forming? There were moments when we started to reflect on what we were doing. The first three songs we wrote were “Cardigan,” “Seven,” and “Peace.” “Cardigan” is probably the closest to a pop song on the record—it’s this epic narrative. And then “Seven” was this nostalgic, wistful, emotional folk song. And then when she wrote “Peace,” I realized she can do anything! She is so versatile. It’s just a harmonized bassline with a pulse and a drone, and she basically wrote a Joni Mitchell love song to it. She only did one vocal take, and that’s what’s on the record.

Were you communicating through the whole process? Yeah. We were pretty much in touch daily for three or four months by text and phone calls. Some of it was about production and restructuring things but a lot of it was just excitement. We both felt that this was some of the best work we have done. That was a strange and surreal thing to have happen, especially at this time.

At one point I was randomly doxxed by right-wing conspiracy theorists who misidentified me as an Antifa organizer in Ohio, long story, but it was in the middle of all this work. I didn’t want to stress her out so I didn’t tell her. But at some point she laughed and said, “So you’re a notorious anarchist?” And I’m like, “Yeah, I was gonna mention that."

How did the collaboration with Bon Iver on “Exile” come about? Taylor wrote that one with the singer-songwriter William Bowery. When Taylor sent it to me as a voice memo, she sang both the male and female parts - as much as she could fit in without losing her breath. We talked about who she was imagining joining her, and she loves Justin [Vernon]’s voice in Bon Iver and Big Red Machine. She was like, “Oh my god, I would die if he would do it. It would be so perfect.” I didn’t want to put pressure on Justin as his friend, so I said, “Well, it depends on if he’s inspired by the song but I know he thinks you’re rad.” Which he does.

So I sent him the song and he was really into it. He tweaked some parts and added parts as well - the bridge where he says, “Step right out.” The end too, and his choral parts. It was fun because Justin and I work on a lot of stuff together, so it was very easy and natural. At some point I felt like a superfan, hearing two of my favorite singers. This was all being done remotely, but it was one of those moments where your head hits the back of the wall and you’re like, “Fuck. Okay.”

There is some fan debate over William Bowery’s identity - I’m not familiar with him. I’m not either. I haven’t actually met him because of social distancing, which is kind of funny. I think he’s a friend.

Did you feel the pressure of working with an artist at Taylor Swift’s level? I tried hard not to think about the scope or scale of making a record that would be heard by millions and millions of people. I did a pretty good job of tuning that out. Music for me is an emotional necessity. It’s therapy. It’s what I live and breathe. All these songs are things I was working on already, and we both felt there was some serendipity in the fact that we ended up in this situation together. I just stayed focused on that, on making this as good as we can.

As the release got closer, I almost thought it wouldn’t happen. Or maybe I just told myself that! The National guys will tell you the same thing - I tend to work until the last possible minute. I didn’t really have a moment to be like, “Holy shit! People are gonna hear this.” We were joking about it last night. I said, “So this actually happened?” And she goes, “Yep!”

What was it like working under total secrecy? There was no outside influence at all. In fact, nobody knew, including her label, until hours before it was launched. For someone who’s been in this glaring spotlight for 15 years, it’s really liberating to have some privacy and work on her own terms. She deserves that. At times, if I wanted friends to play on the record, it was a little difficult because you can’t send a file with her vocals. But everyone was cool. At the end, I reached out to some wizards just to add bits, and that was nice. It was kind of fun: “What? Why can’t you tell me, Aaron?” Then they start guessing. Everyone made a game out of it.

Is there any music that was left on the cutting room floor? There are things I feel could still be songs. It does feel like an ongoing collaboration. Now Taylor is starting to help with other things. We’re bouncing other ideas off each other, whether it’s Big Red Machine or other things. There’s a community aspect. I think that’s how music should be.

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

Me, throughout the entirety of 6x05:

And I suppose I could just leave it there but NO, we’re doing a LIST. Of all the excellent things from “Prom Night!”

SPOILERS!

AV Club reviewer giving this episode the first ‘A’ of the season: :D

AV Club reviewer still insisting that “Midvale” was filler: D:<

Forever destined to disagree with the AV Club reviews in some way or another...

Okay, so! We begin with a very helpful reminder from Alex that things are different, in this Post-Crisis World!

(I mean, on the one hand, am I slightly distressed that key aspects of the Pilot and the WHOLE of “Midvale” are now gone, along with Earth-38? Yes. 

On the other, Kara remembers her lived-experiences of everything that had transpired in the Earth-38 timeline, so they still sorta happened and have informed her characterization. 

So...it’s fine. It’s fine. This is fine.)

I do love that, ‘Kara punched a meteorite out of the sky’ is now a Thing That Happened, though. 

(Well perhaps NOT ANYMORE but I’m getting ahead of myself.)

KENNY LIIIIIIIIIIIIIVES!!!!!

“Scooby-Duo” listen, as someone who has already imagined all these kiddos in Hanna-Barbera cartoon style, running around Midvale, solving crimes and saving the day, I loved this description.

Alex being like, ‘DO. NOT. SCREW UP. MY PAST.’ ahhhhh we love to see that scary Older Sibling energy on full display.

And then Brainy and Nia are off to the past!

The only thing that could’ve made the utterance of ‘totes’ worse would’ve been the addition of, ‘magotes’. Thank goodness they exercised restraint in the writers’ room.

FORTUNATELY the terrible ordeal of reliving dated slang is offset by some truly excellent lines and line-reads throughout the rest of the episode.

For instance! Loved Brainy’s, ‘the perfect optical illusion’ and ‘off the dash, please.’ So great.

Other honorable mentions: ‘Damn it, Mitch!’ ‘That’s a LOT of exposure’ and I forget the line itself but when Cat’s like, ‘normal town my a--’ and then the cut to commercial break AAAAAHHHHHH so good.

Okay, back to the episode, Nia and Brainy, on the Legion Cruiser, AND THEN!

AND THEN AND THEN AND THEN!

OUR KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDS!!!!!

I love them. It won’t happen, but gosh, I want a Midvale spin-off so bad. 

Like, the Crisis retcon made some space in the girls’ past for a spin-off to actually...kinda work. 

(But sustaining the premise across multiple episodes/seasons would be tricky and there would always be the threat of running up against like. The current show’s continuity.

But hey! They could just ignore it, I guess! That’s what the Superman show is doing!) *insert frowny emoji here* 

So the kids have gathered with Alex for milkshakes, which is delightful.

But ALL IS NOT WELL! As Alex reads about the ‘luckiest town’ and is like:

(Except with a lot more anxiety and frowning)

I feel as though we already knew Alex went to Stanford but I can’t remember if Kara’s (terrible) resume revealed that she went to National City University?

*Checks* Yes it did.

Another thing I LOVE is just. Alex as the Responsible One, whose anxiety is perpetually cranked to a 9.5, driving the Scooby-Duo around in the suburban mom van for super-ing jobs.

Also, ‘super-ing’ is an excellent verb, 15/10

Young Cat Grant! ....More on her later.

Nicole and Jesse did such a great job with the comedy in this episode--their initial attempt at a cover story/lie is so good. 

And the masterful transition into an actual good lie that Nia knew would win Kara over...VERY NICE.

Kara being so obviously thrilled that there are OTHER ALIENS! WITH POWERS! HERE, IN MIDVALE! RIGHT HERE!

Fandom has ruined the whole ‘Kara has golden retriever energy’ as is their way but I must say...very much getting ‘excited puppy energy’ here. 

Nia and Kara comparing powers was so CUUUUUUUUTE!!!!

As was the picture on Kenny’s desk of him and Kara. D’aaaawwww.

(But OH NO SADNESS...BECAUSE A BREAKUP IS IMMINENT.)

Okay in addition to all of the incredibly adorable content we also get lots of FAMILY FEEEEEEELINGS, which: Yes, good, yes.

But Eliza is only here as a PICTURE on Kara’s nightstand and a NAME on Alex’s badge, I am sad. :C

(Hope Helen Slater is in this last season at some point...need that soothing mom energy after all the Phantom Zone angst)

I think I’m out of order now but Kenny wanting to help Kara help people is just. The most adorable thing. 

Spoiler alert: I use the word ‘adorable’ a lot in this list. Sorry...but also not. 

The Brainy music when he’s in the school computer lab watching the printer is really great. I think we’ve heard it before, but it meshed so well with the whole vibe of both the character and the episode, just stood out nicely, I guess.

Okay, so. Do we think that Jesse could always do the baseball bat tricks, and the writers wrote it in, or do we think that he learned them for the show? My money is on the former.

Either way, very impressive.

And now for the truck situation! I kinda thought it would turn out that it was Cat’s doing, as she was trying to suss out the ‘super’, but nope, it was the blue dudes.

(Which makes more sense, since they have no qualms about endangering other people.)

And ON THAT NOTE, the blue guys! They are the perfect level of ridiculous, and they are wonderfully straightforward in ways that the Phantoms are not.

Also, I love that one of them is named Mitch?

Nia and Kara save the day!

After Kara busts the brakes and is like, ‘uhhh....they’re not working’

I noticed the Metropolis license plate and while yes it’s a little strange that plates are...apparently city-based in this corner of Earth Prime, stranger still is that Cat presumably drove clear across the country to check out this story. Right? Like, that’s the only way she has that plate out in Midvale?

Wait, wait. Totally forgot to mention Kara and Nia’s EXTREMELY OBVIOUS ‘don’t be suspicious’ sunglasses gambit at the Midvale College campus you absolute DORKS.

Right, so.

Remember those FAMILY FEELZ??? WELL!

We’ve got Nia’s call to her mom, which, oof. OOOOOF. 

And then we have even MORE FEELINGS aka: The garage talk.

Okay. OKAY. So even though I’m a little sad “Midvale” no longer occurred in Earth Prime’s timeline, I am fascinated by the ways this new series of events have impacted Alex, Kara, and their past. (Also thrilled that Kenny lives, natch). Alex’s resentment and the burden of ‘protect Kara, PROTECT KARA’ have been left to simmer while Kara’s determination to help people has led to some...earnest but slightly careless secret hero work. The building blocks of the conflict introduced in “Midvale” are still there so while it might at first seem a little...repetitive, for Alex to lay all this out to Kara, it’s really just the reveal of a new boiling point; a post-crisis update on the scene in Midvale where Alex is like, ‘I had two parents before you showed up.’

AAAAAAAAAHHHHH IT’S EMOTIONALLY DEVESTATING I LOVE IT. 

And then like. The new, but also not-new angle, of Alex leveraging her world-weariness against Kara’s youthful optimism/somewhat reckless desire to help, and then Kara throwing BACK that she’s explored other solar systems. 

The LAYERS.

Also that Alex is like, ‘we need weapons, let’s tell mom and also call the DEO,’ classic Alex.

The garage talk ends with Kara determined to come clean to Kenny...BUT OH NO, THE HERO HIDEOUT IS SO CUTE, AND KENNY IS SO DEAR. 

And the reveal that the almost-kiss in “Midvale” actually happened d’awwwww these kids. 

Like. I am legitimately torn, here. I totally understand and support Kara in being honest with Kenny about the whole college situation--but also GAH. KENNY IS SO NICE AND CUTE AND EARNEST. 

You know what ELSE is nice and cute and earnest?

Nia singing “9 to 5″ to Brainy to cope with stress and boost morale.

Heckin’ adorable, gosh.

Aaaaaand some other stuff occurred as the episode closed out but I don’t have them in my notes and BASICALLY I want the next hour like, now. Right now. Because this was WONDERFUL. FROM START TO FINISH.

So some Overall thoughts!

I said we’d get to Cat ‘CJ’ Grant later, so here we are: I...think I liked her? Overall? It was a performance that gradually won me over, is how I would describe it.

Absolutely wild that Cat built a media empire in a mere six years. 

Also her whole, ‘I am going to find this extraordinary being and name them and kick Lois Lane into the classifieds’...I mean she eventually gets two out of three, there.

As I already started to mention, sad that Eliza wasn’t here! But it makes sense, since a lot of this, Kara is trying to keep on the DL.

Obviously, I am ALWAYS down for these flashback situations with the young Danvers. But it was also nice to take a break from the Phantom stuff. The plot here is simple/streamlined in a way the Phantom stuff...isn’t. I love the emotional character stuff coming out of the Phantom Zone arc but wow, the Phantoms are just. Needlessly complicated. 

The little episode recap where Lena is explaining that Phantom Prime is like a bloodhound was like, ‘oh right, they do that too...in addition to all the other stuff that they apparently do.’

So, yes. Welcome change.

The change of scenery + type of action was nice too!

Though RIP to everyone’s hair, fighting against the moisture.

This episode also handled the Brainy/Nia relationship really well, IMO. Like, due to the whole, ‘trying to fit so much in, always’ approach to Supergirl episodes sometimes results in a bit of...one-sidedness, for various characters. Think for instance of Kelly needing to cheer everyone on in episode 2, but not having space for her own feelings/emotional needs in that episode.

I’ve felt that a bit with Brainy and Nia thus far--one will sort of take up more narrative space, so the relationship feels a little lopsided.

NOT SO HERE! They are both going through some stuff, they are both struggling to cope, they both come to rely on one another for help. 

YES. GOOD. YES!!!!

Something I’m loving about season 6 overall is that so far, it doesn’t feel like the plot is stepping on character development too much. Like, it still isn’t a perfect balance, and some episodes manage it better than others, but compared to season 5? Leaps and bounds.

Everything was so nicely tied together and the dialogue was witty, the humor was delightful, EVERYONE WAS ADORABLE AND EARNEST AND DID I MENTION ADORABLE?* but they never lost sight of the themes and emotional through-lines and GAAAAAHHHHHH MIDVALE EPISODES ARE THE BEEEEEESTTTTTTTTT!

*Okay Alex was mainly stressed out but that’s to be expected.

TL;DR - Best episode of the season thus far? Best episode of the season thus far. 

[pleasantwizardphilosopher]

Chapter 4

This is part of the fourth chapter of my fic ‘For you, inah’, I really hope you like it, it’s one of my favorites, I have to say, remember you can read it whole in AO3, as well as the entire fic.

On the other hand, this weekend I may or may not upload the second, and final, chapter to my ‘Intergalactic high’ fic, which people apparently liked, so I decided to challenge myself a little and add one more chapter.

Read in AO3

Now

Searing pain is what wakes her up a few hours later. Like needles piercing, setting on fire, every single nerve ending in her brain, and it's all due to a loud wail breaking the peace of dawn. Rao! make it stop. With a silent murmur, she stands up and moves to the bedroom without sparing a second thought, thinking about rocking baby Lori to sleep again and maybe allow Lena some much needed rest. Her mind still hazy with the remains of sleep, a bit of frustration as well, her mind reeling and the tiredness not helping.

When she gets to the curtain that separates the bedroom from the rest of the apartment, she scurries past it without announcing herself and immediately regrets it, stopping dead in her tracks, stumbling over a pile of books. Her brain almost frying in its attempts to catch up with the situation.

Lena is feeding Lori. 

In a nanosecond she turns around, so her back is turned to them, eyes wide. She can feel the heat rise from her neck and cheeks, tinting her ears and she's certain she's now sporting a crimson red full-body flush, making her want to crawl in a hole. A soft chuckle reaches her ears from behind and she doesn't have to turn around to know the mischievous glint forest green eyes have, only making her want to sink in herself and vanish. 

"You can turn around Kara. I never pegged you for someone who would feel uncomfortable seeing a woman breastfeed", Lena is teasing her and she knows it, the way her voice wavers is not unlike the tone she has heard a hundred times before. It's not like the action, or being witness to it, that bothers her, but it's Lena the one who's feeding the baby, it hits differently, her mind immediately going to scenarios she’d really rather not have now. Mentally kicking herself for being so shameless. 

"I'm not", Kara finally breathes, taking a couple deep breaths to qualm her blush, before taking one last deep breath and turning around, jade-green eyes are staring at her with glee, the little girl on her arms is almost finished, her tiny hands clutching her mother’s shirt, where Lena has ridden it up, the yawns tiny lips form becoming stronger than Lori’s hunger "Here, I'll make her burp and rock her to sleep, you rest some more", Kara extends her arms towards the other woman, she's not sure what pushes her to say that offering out loud, is it because Lena will always be the most important person in her life? (Beside Alex of course) or is it because Lori is so beautiful and tiny that she can't help but feel drawn?

It doesn't matter, in the end. 

When Lena passes Lori to her arms the baby is yawning, a perfect 'o' formed by the tiniest lips she's ever seen, carefully, as if she was dealing with porcelain, she positions the baby so that her head is resting on her shoulder, the rest of the baby’s body pressed to her chest, and leaves to the living room, in the background she can hear the shuffle of sheets when Lena lays down again, almost immediately her breathing slows. Kara smiles to herself, she knew the woman was tired, so stubborn, she shakes her head.

“okhahshodh :zrhueiao”, she mumbles under her breath, tenderly scratching Lori’s scalp “linguhshu zhindif khpan w rrip”, and if she has to fight the world for it, she’ll do it without hesitation. (Sleep, love/ I will always protect you)

Humming to "Africa' by Toto she moves around the living room until the baby girl is sound asleep, and then just some more, just because her life has never felt more complete as it feels now, with Lena's even breathing in her ears and two heartbeats she vows to protect, the warmth of Lori’s body secure against her steely frame. 

----

The obnoxious ringing of her phone is what wakes her what feels like minutes after finally going to sleep, the sunrays are already filtering into the room through the thin curtains Kara has in her bedroom. Her whole body is sore and every movement is painful, guess that's what fucking happens when you give birth, hm? Lena thinks bitterly, while finding the energy within herself to move and silence the offending device.

With a groan she rolls over to pick the evil device and places it directly to her ear without even bothering to open her eyes. It sticks to the drool of her deep sleep and it makes her cringe slightly, but doesn’t make to clean it.

"Lena! Thank God! I've been trying to contact you for what feels like a million times, I was just about to take the next flight to America, honestly" Sam's eager voice is like a brick of walls falling over a sheet of paper, only worsening the already incoming migraine, she appreciates the concern but maybe she shouldn’t fucking yell. 

"I'm fine Sam. A fucking dragon attacked the city and my water broke. I'm currently staying with Kara", she breathes while rubbing the sleep from her eyes with the heels of her hands, such simple movement taking a lot of effort from her extremely tired muscles. 

"Kara… Danvers? Like. Midvale High, Kara?!", another yell has her groaning, but Sam completely ignores it in favor of getting more information out of her. 

"Yup”, she says, popping the ‘p’ in a very Kara-like action, she rolls her eyes fondly at the realization, they haven’t been around each other for twenty-four hours and she’s already picking her traits.

"Oh my God Lena! And how has she been? Have you talked about what happened?”, Sam’s curiosity is contagious, it makes Lena smile giddily from her side of the line, fingers playing with the soft sheets that smell like the Kryptonian.

"Not really, we haven't had much time now and I'm not sure she'll want to address… that. Besides-", a baby cooing from the other side of the partition snaps her attention from the phone, to immediately start looking for Lori in the pillow nest. Only to find that she's not there, however, she doesn’t worry and settles back into her previous position with a sigh. 

"Lena?", her friend calls after she zones out for a while and doesn’t answer, concern etched in her voice.

"Sorry, I just, I think Lori is with Kara, I have to go, but I promise to take the next flight back, God knows what would happen if my psychotic and twisted family finds out my location", the thought of the Luthors immediately sends a chill down her spine, making her get bad omen goosebumps all over, her throat suddenly feels dry. 

"Lena, hon, I'm sorry to break it to you but you can't fly with Lori, not until her immune system is already developed, you know this", Sam’s patient voice does little to nothing to qualm her worries but she knows the woman is right and she can’t just jump into the next flight with a newborn.

"Right. I'd forgotten, guess I'll have to find a place in the meantime or something. I could probably stay in the building Lionel left me but I'm not sure it's a good idea", Lena sighs, exhaustion already starting to fill her still tired bones at the incoming wave of issues.

"You're insufferable”, fondness is etched in every word, even when she rolls her eyes so badly, she’s momentarily worried they may get stuck like that. She can hear the other woman’s laugh through the phone before ending the call.

She gets up and out into the kitchen, the smell of food making her stomach grumble lowly, to the most bizarre and unexpected sight. Kara is sitting on a stool at the kitchen counter eating some omelets and pancakes swimming in syrup, with Lori resting on her chest while she sways softly to nonexistent music, humming to a tune that is only in her head, she must sense her presence, since she lifts her gaze from the journal about wildlife welfare that she’s reading and flashes Lena a beaming smile that could blind even a bat all over again. 

"Anyway, make yourself at home, there's omelets and pancakes on the pan and orange juice in the fridge. You'll find a spare toothbrush under the sink and you can grab whatever you want from my closet. Now that I think of it, where were you staying? If you tell me I can go pick up your stuff and bring it here”, the diversion seems to work, since Lena as well seems relieved from the change and moves on with the new topic with nothing more than a one shoulder shrug. 

"Actually, I think my stuff might still be in the Royal Hotel, room 502, I'm assuming they'd have put it with the rest of the 'lost and found', albeit I wouldn't want to bother you with it", she’s placing some food in her plate while she waits for the kettle to whistle, scooping some into her mouth while standing, as Lori is making slightly impatient noises. 

"It's no problem at all", a soft smile gracing Kara’s lips, she gives the little girl a kiss on the top of her head, with an awkward squeeze for Lena, before moving to the door, grab her coat, and stepping out. 

----

“You have this glint in your eyes, you seem almost in love, do tell", Nia is now inspecting her up-close, leaned over her desk, her face mere centimeters from the blonde’s, and Kara can feel the heat rising from her neck all the way to the tips of her ears, cursing her own inability to lie.

"There's really nothing to tell”, she settles for, after managing to swallow the treat without spitting it in the other woman’s face, which is still carefully studying her own. (She also briefly wonders if it really was that good idea NOT spitting it on Nia)

"Liar! Come on! You know I'll find out in a dream otherwise”, and Kara hates her because she knows it’s true, Nia’s control over her powers has been increasing, making her able to find information she wishes for, rather than just random images about the future, but she isn’t ready for this conversation. 

"Later, promise, now I have to go help Luis", it’s not like she doesn't want to talk about Lena, because Lena is amazing and she’s sure she could write a whole thesis as to why she is incredible, but it's just extremely new and more than a little confusing, she hasn't had time to organize and understand her feelings on the matter and she kind of wants to keep it close to her heart for a little while. Just to herself, away from prying eyes.

"Ugh, fine. I have to go help James with the new elephant anyway, she seems to have fallen for explosive pineapples some towns folk left”, the younger woman’s eyes get a distant look, glazed over with tears, sadness becoming palpable between them as the woman straightens, closing her gown in the back.

"If you need me to calm her down just text”, Kara offers after closing her email and shutting down her computer, a hand extending to squeeze Nia’s arm comfortingly. Blue eyes honest.

"Will do, it just breaks my heart y'know? That these poor creatures are victims of traps that don't even kill them, only leave them to die slowly from their injuries”, Nia has always had a big heart, it’s one of the reasons Kara likes her so much, it is also something they have in common, that has pushed them to try and help wherever they can.

----

When Luis and Kara reach the enclosure, the animal is hidden behind fake rocks, in the corner, and when he smells them, while stepping forward with careful, slow, steps, he stands in his hinder legs and roars showing his teeth, before lurching forwards to them.

Kara manages to run, humanly (mostly), and step in front of Luis just before the animal makes contact, turning into an alien shield, however, Buba seems to fear her, because he stops death in his tracks and backs away, never taking his dark eyes off her, fangs still in display, his fur, even though it barely covers his bones, almost bare form starvation, is bristly, he sways a claw towards them but doesn’t come closer, Kara knows is because of her, the bear can guess something is different and is making him more tense, they need to get him calmed before his body gives out, he is very weak already.

Extending both of her hands unthreateningly, she approaches the bear slowly, throwing a warning glance at Luis for him not to move, he nods slightly and stays as still as humanly possible.

She steps forward slowly, and Buba backtracks each step.

Since this is not working, she signals for Luis to get out, she’ll let him know when Buba is calm so they can take him to the OR.

Once the human is safe, she sits on the ground, waiting for the bear to make the first move, she doesn’t care if she has to sit here all day, albeit she does want to see Lena at lunch, she still relaxes, meditating. After ten minutes, Buba realizes she’s not going anywhere and lands in fours again, before tentatively moving towards her.

A big, black, fish-smelly, moistured nose makes contact with her forehead.

----

On her way to her desk, after returning a now healthier Buba to the recovery section, she passes near the elephants enclosure, to see Nia and James depositing the injured female, still sedated, in her new home to recover after a very extensive surgery. She waves at them and James runs in her direction.

“Hey, Kara”, is what he says as soon as he is within hearing, for him, range, and starts looking for something into his pockets, after looking through his insane amount of pockets, why does he need like twenty?!, he takes out a piece of metal, slightly scraped and with some dried blood on it “You think you can ask Winn or Alex to check this? We took it out from Lola, the elephant, we believe it’s part of the explosive device but it isn’t something I recognize”, he extends the piece for her to take. James was a military veterinary, and he had seen many explosives and guns during his various tours, but he seemed fazed, nonetheless.

“Sure, I’ll check it for you”, she manages after twirling it in her hands and inspecting it against the light, she has a bad feeling about it though, it doesn’t seem like an Earth element she has encountered before. With a wave to both of them she leaves.

Before going to Noonan’s to get lunch for her and Lena, she’s planning on getting waffles with cubed fruit and yogurt, she is aware of Lena’s diet by now; she makes a quick stop at the hotel to pick the woman’s things up, is amazing how little questions people ask when a superhero requests something, she will have to talk about that to Alex so nobody can play that card again, note to self. 

----

"Ah, not as good as I'd like… I don't want to get into the details now, but one of the reasons why I was in National City is because Lori's grandmother, from her dad's side, has been trying to take her away from me since the beginning, she even went as far as trying to kidnap me. She has this twisted idea that this girl will be the heir of her throne and rule her people or some bullshit like that”, Lena tells her with a sigh, her eyes dimmed and tired with what seems like a never-ending problem, a fight she never asked to fight “I don't want that for her”, is what she finishes with, moving to sit at the table across from the blonde, Kara wants to ask more, the fear and pain in those green eyes stops her, she knows Lena will tell her whenever she's ready and she won’t push for information she’s still reluctant to give, she will wait and take whatever Lena gives her with grace.

Once Kara has served them both their food, a lot of fruit and yogurt with one waffle for Lena and twenty waffles with extra chocolate, whipped cream and sprinkles with a little bit of yogurt for her, she continues.

"That's awful, you don't have to worry, I promise I'll look after you both”, it is meant to be lighthearted, a way to lighten the mood, but it is charged with an unexpected sincerity that makes her want to ramble her way out of, she doesn’t “I know I have no right but I really care about Lori and I would never let anything happen to either of you”, Kara stares intently into forest green, trying to convey her determination, to show how serious she really is, once she is sure the message has been received. 

"That's my hero”, Lena tries to dismiss, some kiwi in her fork like she’s studying it, but fails miserably, taking a deep breath she composes and speaks again “Seriously though, I don't want you to feel pressured into this, we can figure it out on our own if it's too much trouble”, there is pain in those green orbs that have always drawn Kara in, she proceeds to stare intently into the alien’s eyes, looking for an answer to an unspoken question. 

And Kara is too far gone to deny her anything.

"It isn't. Trust me”, she manages finally, after recovering her ability to breathe, even though she doesn’t really need it, it’s almost wheezed, she throws in a wink to Lena for good measure, which probably looked more like a grimace, making the other woman breathe a laugh at her antics. 

"Always”, and it’s said with such sincerity that Kara can do nothing but extend her hand and give Lena’s a soft squeeze across the table, showing her how much she does mean it, she has always meant it for this amazing woman, she probably always will.

“Well, since that’s settled, let’s eat, I’m starving”, maybe it is a little rushed, but Kara is not certain how to react when Lena is looking at her like that, like she holds the sun in her hands, in a way she had forgotten the woman could gaze into hereyes, those piercing green eyes making her a messy puddle and the smell of cinnamon and apples stronger than ever.

She shoves a spoonful of waffles and some fruit to keep herself from doing something stupid, like leaning in and kissing Lena.

“When are you not”, that perfectly manicured eyebrow raising in a way that should definitely be illegal, she should already save 911 in speed dial, albeit Kara has to admit she loves the gesture, even when it makes her mouth dry and her brain stop, which isn’t a very common occurrence, nowadays. Before Lena changes her focus to the food and the air clears for the Kryptonian to have breathing room.

----

A drop of chocolate drips into Kara’s shirt from her last spoonful of waffles, and she cleans it with her finger, proceeding to suck it clean with her mouth and then using some of her saliva to rub at the stain for good measure, when she lifts her gaze from the, now almost invisible, stain, Lena is looking at her with fondness, a little disgust, and a slightly darkened gaze. It makes her swallow hard, giddiness all over and she blushes slightly, knowing that no one else in this universe, and every other, would look at her like that after what she had just done, but Lena isn’t everyone else, has never been.

And certainly never will.

After putting in her mouth a spoonful of the last of Lena’s waffle, she simply pushed her plate in the Kryptonian’s direction, a secret code, she moves to her bedroom to change into a clean shirt, she might be messy but she values her appearance, her parents always incited her to be presentable. 

----

She is helping Lori with baby gymnastics, moving her tiny arms and legs in slow flexing motions, meant to improve her mobility and her overall development, cooing at her baby girl softly, nuzzling the girl’s nose with her own, her chest filled with a love she never thought she could feel, when the door swings open without warning. She immediately jumps, grabbing Lori close to her chest protectively, she is certain it isn’t Kara.

The door opens to reveal Alex Danvers with a few shopping bags in her arms and Lena relaxes her posture a bit, not really sure where she stands with the older Danvers.

“Lena?!”, she squeaks in a way that certainly doesn’t fit with her appearance, leather jacket, black skinny jeans and combat boots, her hair is styled shorter than the brunette remembers, Lena braces herself for what’s coming, the yelling, the scolding.

It never arrives.

Alex drops the bags on the counter and immediately pulls her into a hug, one of those signature Danvers that make her feel protected, safe in a way her life hasn’t been in a long time, that remind her of all that was lost so many years ago, something she didn’t think she could have again and still here she is, between the arms of Alex Danvers as if the woman is genuinely happy of seeing her.

Lena has to fight the burning of her eyes, tears threatening to spill at the attention and care she has received from both Danvers sisters.

“I didn’t know you were back. How are you?”, and then her eyes move to the tiny person in Lena’s arms, still trapped carefully between their bodies, the redhead’s eyes almost budging comically, widening and darting between her and the little girl, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of the water and it’d be hilarious if Lena wasn’t still on edge about the redhead’s reaction, and then, when the woman finally finds her voice, she asks the simplest question that Lena can’t help but tease her about.

“How?”, is what she croaks, arms falling limp by her sides and eyes still wide in surprise, stunned into silence, carefully observing the newborn, who is watching the interaction with attentive eyes.

“Well, you know, Agent Danvers, when a man and a woman love each other very much…”, she starts, her signature smirk in place, eyeing the badge on the woman’s hips, and her eyebrows scrunching playfully, trying very hard no to laugh, and that is what snaps Alex into reality, giving her a deeply unimpressed look.

“Very funny. You know what I mean”, she deadpans with a scoff, muttering under her breath something that sounded eerily similar to ‘she hasn’t changed a bit’, while running a hand through her short hair and gesturing gently at the baby, that is now cooing softly, knowing that her mealtime is approaching, her small fingers stuck in her mouth.

“Let’s just say that she wasn’t planned but I still decided to keep her. I actually got into labor a few days back, with the dragon thing and all”, is what she settles for, deciding she’s still not ready to give specific information about the girl’s father, or the circumstances, overall. Alex doesn’t seem, and has never been, the judging type, but she isn’t ready to test that, nor is she ready to voice her story. The Agent’s eyes widen again, now seeming to piece a puzzle together.

“That’s why Kara vanished from scene”, is not a question, merely a reasonable conclusion about something she had considered odd but hadn’t really dueled on, her sister was always a bit spontaneous, to say the least “She has your eyes. Why are you staying here though?”, her brown eyes are curious and Lena knows she’s not asking out of malice or guessing second intentions, but purely curious, questioning, and she lets out a huge breath she didn’t know she was holding, finally seeing that Alex doesn’t actually resent her for leaving Kara back then. She seems to realize her phrasing wasn’t entirely innocent and quickly backtracks “Not that I’m saying it’s wrong or that you shouldn’t be here”, there, a simple amend, she gestures with her hands, before digging them into her back pockets.

“I didn’t have anywhere to go and Kara offered, you know how she is”, she hasn’t finished the sentence and Alex is already nodding, obviously aware of the helping personality her sister has always sported.

“Yeah. Have you two talked?”, and she definitely was hoping not to go there, however, the redhead seems set on asking, even if it’s just her overprotective nature when it comes to her sister. Lena decides that being honest is best, has always been.

“Not really, we really haven’t addressed what happened. I’m not sure either of us is ready”, she gestures to Lori with her head, who she is placing back in her carrier before her meal, the overall implication quite clear, Alex relaxes as well, her shoulders dropping some tension, and the air in the loft is lighter, like old friends meeting again, Lena supposes that’s what it is.

“Right. I understand”, there really is nothing more than understanding in brown eyes, “I have to go, Kelly, my girlfriend, is waiting for me downstairs, it was nice to see you, though”, she is pulled into a hug once more, and since Lori is happily playing with her plush toy in her carrier, Alex can now properly squish the life out of her “Please don’t become a stranger”, the honesty takes her off guard, but the sincerity in her voice make her nod without second thought, giving a squeeze to the other woman’s arm reassuringly. She then scurries to the kitchen, grabs a post-it and scribbles her number on it, ‘in case you need it’, is what she tells Lena, and she knows Alex means it.

“Wasn’t planning on it”, Lena finally voices, flashing her an honest smile, hoping to erase all those years, the pain, would be naïve, but she and Alex were always good friends and hopefully now she can start making amends, bridging her time away.

“Also”, Alex turns to look at her once more, half her body already out the door, “now I understand why Kara asked me for those”, she gives the brunette a knowing smirk, pointing at the bags on the counter before leaving.

Once the other woman is gone, she proceeds to feed Lori, the baby easily falling asleep after her meal. Lena then takes a peek in the bags and realizes they are filled with baby books, for children and about their care and development, she smiles fondly at the thought of Kara doing this for them, there is a low voice in her head that keeps whispering ‘danger’ but she ignores it, she knows Kara. The Kryptonian was always an eager reader, always looking for answers in books.

Sending a quick ‘thank you’ text to Alex, Lena finally has the very deserved time to think about the events of these past couple of days, sitting on the couch with the TV playing on mute some silly mid-afternoon show.

----

The moment she had seen Kara, in full Supergirl regalia, she felt lightheaded, almost in zero gravity, like all that pain she had caused them both could finally dissipate, they had come around full circle and it was time to let go, to finally close that chapter in her life to be able to open a new one, leaving her light and free in a way the blonde had always made her feel.

And then, Lori.

From the first moment she held the baby in her arms she knew she’d vow her life to her, loving her, show her that she is loved, desired, cared for, everything she wishes she had while growing. She doesn’t know how to be a mother, but she sure as hell will try her best. And then.

The way Kara takes care of Lori.

The tenderness and softness the woman has with the baby, she has always been caring and loving but with Lori it reaches a whole new level, the way her ocean blue eyes shine with love in a way she had only ever dreamed of, since leaving. Her soft voice, cooing at her, singing in a way she hadn’t heard in many years and never really forgot, it was the same energy that always made her feel drawn to Kara like a moth to a flame, her sweetness, the brightness of her megawatt smile, and the clearly big heart the woman had. Now, as an adult, she seemed to be so much more, the real pose of strength and hope, paired with baby blue eyes and kindness impersonated.

Lena wants that.

She wants it all.

But she has no right.

It doesn’t mean she can’t try to make it better.

[midnightechoes]

Daily Writing 2021: March 1st - For Charity part 4

Read it on AO3.

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

Submit a prompt for me to write! (I mostly do sapphic ships, especially Catradora, Supercorp, Harlivy, Pertrapta, and Dansen)

“Is she okay?”

“She just fainted, Kara. She’ll be fine, just make sure she drinks plenty of fluids.”

“Thanks for coming right over, Alex.”

“You told me it was an emergency!”

“It was! We were just talking and I asked her if she wanted to get dinner and she passed out on the spot.”

“...”

“What?”

“...Nothing.”

“Whaaaaat?”

“Goodnight, sis.”

---

The first thing Lena noticed was warmth, and that the air was still. The second thing she noticed was that whatever she was laying on was quite soft. Without even opening her eyes, Lena was sure that she was no longer on the roof.

“Lena, are you awake?” a familiar voice asked, the worry obvious in her voice. Lena’s hands shot up to cover her face and try to hide just how red she was getting. She understood the logic of what it seemed Supergirl had done, but that didn’t diminish the embarrassment that she was feeling. Absolutely the worst-case scenario for the night.

A gentle hand covered Lena’s hands. The Luthor tried not to focus on the hot points of contact as firm fingers massaged Lena’s knuckles.

“Supergirl brought me to your place?” Lena asked, head still buried in her hands. Her voice was still a bit weak and gravely sounding as some of the fogginess lingered.

“Having Alex check on you here seemed like a better idea than marching you into a hospital or even the DEO,” Kara answered. “Can you sit up?”

The question prompted Lena to take a deep breath. “I think so,” she muttered, realizing that she couldn’t put off facing the world any longer. Kara’s hand was settled on top of Lena’s hands. She twisted her hands in place to grapple onto Kara’s, who slowly, but firmly, pulled Lena up into a sitting position. Lena slowly opened her eyes and blinked away the blurriness.

A quick survey revealed that she was in fact in Kara’s apartment. Only difference from normal was that most of the lights were either dimmed or off, with only a couple of side lamps about the apartment providing light. In other circumstances, the lighting would have made the place feel downright romantic. Lena let out a light chuckle at how serious her ever-thoughtful best friend was taking the situation. An ever-thoughtful best friend that was crouching just next to her, holding out a glass of water. Lena nodded in thanks and took the glass, immediately taking a sip.

“Did Supergirl tell you what happened?” Lena ventured after downing the glass of water.

Kara blushed slightly as she took Lena’s glass and made her way to the kitchen. “I know what happened,” she responded.

“Fantastic,” Lena sighed. With Kara out of the room, Lena took a second to rub her eyes with the palms of her hands. She found herself internally cursing Sam’s name as she thought back to a few days ago when Sam convinced her to attend the charity date auction.

“C’mon, Lena, it’ll be fun! You’ll love it, I’m sure.”

“No, Sam, why would I waste my time at one of those things?”

“Um, because you need to get some, Lee, that’s why.”

“EXCUSE ME?!”

“Oh come on, Lee, all you do is work and hang out with Kara.”

“Running two companies is quite difficult, Sam.”

“I know, that’s why you brought me on board. And yet! Even with me helping you run L-Corp, and James in charge of most of the day-to-day operations at Catco, you never seem to have time to do anything. Well, unless Kara asks you to.”

“Telling you how I feel about her was maybe the greatest mistake of my life.”

“It’s not my fault your life has become a highly entertaining rom-com. Even though you seem to be stuck in the first act. And wouldn’t it be nice to finally get out of that rut?”

“...”

“Lena, how long are you going to sit around pining for Kara, huh? She’s been single for almost a year now, you’ve given her more than enough time to get over what’s-his-name, and you still haven’t told her how you feel yet.”

“... I don’t want to ruin what we do have.”

“Even if it was to have something better?”

“... How does going to a charity date auction help me with Kara?”

“Oh, it doesn’t. That’s the point. If you’re going to keep insisting that Kara doesn’t have feelings about her and pining from afar, then the least you can do is get out and have some fun with someone.”

“Sigh. Fine. But I won’t be ‘getting some’. Certainly not with someone who I only just met and is only out with me because I paid for it.”

“Yes! And that’s fine, I was mostly joking about the ‘getting some’. Just, you know, find someone you think is cute, overpay a little, and take her out for a nice cup of coffee or something.”

If Lena thought about it long enough, she had to admit that there was something about finally doing something to get Kara off of her mind, even if just for one night, only to wind up in Kara’s apartment and being doted on by the very person she was trying to find a distraction from.

At the very least, she knew Sam would find this story utterly hilarious.

Part 5.

[c-optimistic]

91, and 6 for the prompt thing?? Thank you :)

you look beautiful in the moonlight+I think about you all the time

Over the years, quite a few statues of Supergirl are erected, both in National City and around the world. It’s not that surprising to Lena, not really. There are very few people who deserve such attention as much as Supergirl does. To be perfectly frank, she would have said as much even when she was at her very worst, still smarting from the pain of learning her best friend had lied to her for years, still reeling from the sting of betrayal and broken trust. 

(She doesn’t like thinking about those months, that period of distance and anger and the realization that it is so easy to become entrenched in your own ideas of right and wrong, for you to see nothing beyond your own feelings, for your reason and logic to be clouded by hurt. 

Yet, though she’s not fond of thinking about it, sometimes she thinks it’s good to remember. A lesson learned, an experience she can grow from. An example of a road she didn’t want to go down again.)

National City has exactly two statues of Supergirl. There’s, of course, the one she unveiled the year after she came to this city, Supergirl standing tall and proud and heroic. Lena thinks it may have been destroyed once or twice in between some crises or another, but it’s been rebuilt each time, a testament to the Girl of Steel herself. 

And there’s a smaller one, funded by hundreds of individual donors across the city, situating the statue on the exact spot Supergirl had nearly died after her fight with Reign. Sometimes, when Lena gets the chance, she’ll walk from her office to the bench across from this smaller statue, and thinks.

(She likes this one better, she’s not entirely sure why. Perhaps it’s because it’s truer to life, only a few inches taller than Lena. Perhaps it’s because of the expression on Supergirl’s face, the soft smile, the kind eyes. 

Perhaps, and most likely, it’s because she’s not striking a heroic pose, she doesn’t look proud, she doesn’t stand tall. Instead, it’s based off that moment James immortalized with his camera, a moment that Lena only understood the significance of when James casually mentioned it to her one morning during breakfast after the statue had first been erected.

“She didn’t have her powers,” he’d explained, showing Lena one of his photos he hadn’t released to the press. He pointed out Supergirl’s clenched fist, told Lena all about the broken arm, how he hadn’t been sure if Supergirl had been trembling from pain or from fear. How Supergirl had stood her ground anyway, how she’d shown up anyway.

Lena likes this statue because, though she didn’t realize it when James first told her the story, it’s Kara, expression open and determined, one hand outstretched, endlessly optimistic in humanity’s better angels.)

It’s not exactly office hours now, yet once again, Lena finds herself sitting across from the statue, staring at that look on Kara’s face, marveling at that outstretched hand. It looks different in the moonlight, just a little bit ghostly. Almost magical. 

It’s Kara and it’s beautiful and it’s not even real, but it’s the closest she’ll get to seeing Kara in the flesh. 

(It’s been exactly four months and five days since she last saw Kara. Since they finally put a stop to her brother. Since they decided they would need time. Distance.

Four months and four days that Lena has been coming to this bench, missing her best friend. Missing the woman she loves.) 

She’s just about to do what she always does once her thoughts lead her down this path, threatening to leave her sadder than when she arrived, but just as she’s about to leave, someone takes the seat next to her on the bench. 

"You come here a lot,” Kara says casually, as if this isn’t the first time they’ve spoken, or even seen each other, in months. 

“How would you know?” Lena challenges, not looking over at Kara. 

Kara laughs. “We’re not so different, you know,” she says, and Lena caves, turning her head to see that Kara’s eyes are on her, the blue looking especially dark in the moonlight. Beautiful, she thinks, despite herself. “You come here every day, I hover above L-Corp listening to your heartbeat every day. Imagine my surprise that you’ve been taking actual lunch breaks.” Kara’s eyes crinkle at the corners, her lips curling into a smile Lena hasn’t seen since...gosh, she can’t even remember. “Though I’m not surprised that you still don’t remember to eat even when you’re on a lunch break.” 

“Kara...” Lena starts, not quite sure what she wants to say.

“Look, Lena. It was a mistake. The time, the distance. This whole...gah! It makes no sense. I think about you every single day, all the time.” She gets to her feet and stands in front of Lena. “Let’s try again.”

(Her smile is soft, her eyes are kind. Her expression is open and determined, but her clenched fist betrays her fear, her vulnerability, her worry this will backfire.

But as always, one hand is outstretched. Still endlessly optimistic.)

“Again,” Lena agrees. 

And she takes Kara’s hand. 

[sango-blep]

Hey Sango! I would really like to start drawing supercorp but I’m unsure of how to approach their features and general proportions (especially kara), I’ve tried and I’ve tried but something just isn’t clicking.. any tips for how to start out drawing these characters?

Hey!

I always found Kara’s face more difficult to draw, probably more so because Lena’s face feels easier to draw. Her features are VERY prominent, like her thick dark eyebrows and sharp jawline. Kara can feel almost average looking compared to that.

One neat thing you can do especially when drawing couples or two people next to each other is compare their differences!As for the general proportions of their bodies I always like to show Lena’s curvier body compared to Kara being more ARM and SHOULDER and having a slim waist. Pushing Kara a bit more to the slim and fit triangle shape and Lena more into the direction of a hourglass shape with all her soft and squishy parts.

Their heads aren’t in the exact same position here, but if you compare pictures of them you can see overall differences in their head shape. Kara’s jaw line is a little softer and steeper than Lena’s. Drawing it like that can also help highlight the prominence of Lena’s jawline.

You can also notice general differences in their head shape and how their eyes/nose/mouth are positioned on their face. Lena’s forehead and brow area is more curved and rounded than Kara’s, which looks a little more flat compare to it. Lena’s lips seem to be a little closer to her nose, making her jaw looks so prominent compared to Kara’s, whose lips look a little more centered between nose and chin.

I don’t know if you can call it an underbite, but Katie’s/Lena’s bottom lip definitely juts out a bit. Kara’s whole lip area compared to that kinda juts out from the nose and chin, almost forming a kissy-lip shape

I also like to draw a little attention to that area right below Kara’s lips, you can see the shadow throwing a pretty clear shape onto it in the picture above. Lena’s transition from lips into chin looks more smooth. Going a little bit away from pure anatomy and facial features, you can also make sure to take in characteristics of the people you’re drawing.I alsways really liked how when Kara smiles, it really pulls across her face, lips stretching thin and she gets those puffed , soft and squishy cheeks.In comparison, Lena’s lips have a strong, natural downward curve, more prominent than most people, which you can still clearly see when she fully smiles.

On first glance Kara is this sunny, always smiling, happy person and Lena the hardass, serious business woman. Trying to bring in the matching emotions for the characters/situation definitely always helps! Could be kara with softer more rounded lines, all smilles, Lena drawn with very sharp lines/features, head high, expression more serious. Which is basically the opposite of what I did for the drawings of their body types at the top, where Kara has the more angled shapes and Lena the softer lines.

Those are just a couple of examples, there are so many differnt ways to highlight a persons features/likeness. There are so many great artists who draw supercorp out there in VERY different stlyes, maybe looking at those can help you too! I like to draw in a more realistic style but it’s just as much possible to translate likeness into a cartoony style!It also definitely took me a while to build up the skill of somewhat being able to catching people’s likeness. My first drawing of Lena looks pretty much nothing like her, so give yourself time to practice!Hope this helps a bit

[anastasiabeaverhousen87]

Make Wise Choices Part 5: Airplanes

Voices, you can hear voices. But you feel like your limbs are made of lead and you try to focus on the blurry faces. Your eyes are hooded and glazed over. You know you are totally stoned.  You feel strong arms picking you up, like a ragdoll being lifted easily into someone else’s arms. The arms are strong. But you know is not Kara, the body feels different and smells different. You can smell something sweet and comforting, a pleasant scent so intoxicating. You don’t know if this’s because you are completely trashed or why the scent is so enticing and evocative. You mind is in shambles and you feel dizzy, you vaguely think you should feel worry at not knowing where you are, who is carrying you but you really don’t have the strength to fight it and somehow their touch is comforting and soothing.

Your eyelids fluttering in hazy relief when you can see Lena’s blurry face. She is walking close to the person carrying you, your head being cradle against a strong shoulder and you feel an arm underneath your legs. you are basically being carried like an infant by the blonde doctor, you can distinguish her blonde waves.

Lena: “Are you sure you got her?”

Dr. Sharpe: “Yes, I have her Lena. She is quite light I swear I’m not going to drop her. Please go ahead and open the door to the office, the keys are in my coat pocket. Take them out, open the office and turn on the lights”

Cassandra Sharpe is carrying you like you weight nothing, man she is strong. You can swear she must have very tone biceps and you could also bet a killer six pack.  She also smells heavenly, so you try to move your face a little more into her neck trying to get to where her smell is stronger, and you mumble something unintelligible.

Dr. Sharpe: “Hey sweetie don’t be scared, I got you and we are almost there”

You can distinguish a long corridor with brown walls and soft warm light and then you are inside a room with impressive state of the art equipment and very modern décor. You are being place softly on a chair with backrest inclination. You fuzzy brain connects the dots, you’re inside a dental office and you begin to freak out because you think it’s the doctor that you got your teeth removed and that was not a pleasant experience, inside your drugged out state you can’t see it´s Cassandra Sharpe’s office.

y/n: “Ennaaa! Lennaa!” -you sluggishly call out for Lena sacred at not knowing why your back at the dentist office.

Lena: “Hey sweet girl I’m here.” The green-eyed woman holds both your hands in hers and tries to calm you down before you panic. – “come on baby, breath with me, it´s just me and Cassandra. We are at her office, nothing to be scared about.”

y/n: “Alex?” -your eyes glazed over and barely conscious.

Lena: “I already called her and Kara, they’ll be here soon. Please just try to relax you are okay and safe”

You keep trying to move your hands, you feel anxious without your sisters and being inside a place you don’t know. In a normal situation when you’re at a doctor’s office you would feel nervous and anxious. Right now, you are feeling so confuse and fuzzy and not really grasping at everything being said.

Dr. Sharpe: “I don’t really want to use more sedatives or pain meds, she is not in pain anymore, but we need her calm. Can I try?” -she asks the green -eyed woman.

Lena keeps holding one of your hands while moving a little to let the other woman get near you. The blue-eyed doctor touches you shoulder and places a warm hand to the side of your face. You try to look into her eyes, but you can’t focus very well. But the touch is comforting so you stop moving.

Dr. Sharpe: “ Bellissima ragazza,  you are okay. Its just Lena and me. Your sisters will be here soon.  You are safe, can you let me do a quick check-up? I will make sure your tooth cavity doesn’t hurt as much. But I need you to relax and let me do this as quick as possible and we will get you back to your bed in no time, okay? - the doctor says in a very soft and comforting voice.

Y/N: “you so pretty”- you smile like a dork at the blue eyed-woman and try to gently tap her face in a tender way, but your arms feel so heavy, you look more like a goofy baby orangutan slapping air.

Lena snorts and watches very amused at the scene, thanking her friend for making you more calm and relax.  Cassandra takes both your hands in hers while you trying to get to her and kisses your knuckles.

Dr. Sharpe: “Cara mía, I’m going to begin okay?” – the blonde doctor gives one more kiss to your knuckles and lowers your hands to rest over your tummy. “Okay I’m going flush the socket and clean the area, then I will fill the cavity with surgical foam. I don’t see any sign of infection; I think the fever is due to the cold than due to any infection inside the dry socket. Just to be on the safe side we will continue with the antibiotics and I’m leaving the surgical foam until it dissolves itself in the next  few days” -the doctor explains everything, but mostly to Lena you just listen like a fool looking so very out of it. You like hearing her voice.

The blonde doctor continues to work in silence and very meticulously, like she was handling the most precious of things in her hands. While Lena watches everything and notices that you are so very out of it and weren’t really paying attention and most likely than not you would forget about everything that was currently happening.

Lena: “So, Cara mia? You don’t usually use Italian and even less in such a tender loving way towards someone you just met. I know you are affectionate, but this is different. And don’t think I didn’t see how you were almost cuddling her to you when you were carrying her to your office. So, what’s going on?”- she asks her friend.

The doctor doesn’t reply right away and continues to work in the task in front of her. She cleans the cavity and fills the socket with the surgical foam and makes sure everything is done to perfection. Then she sighs and looks up at Lena.

Dr. Sharpe: “I know, look I’m not sure. There’s something in her that pulls me to be protective of her. It’s scary how easily I found myself caring for her and I know, I know I just met her. But It feels right, you know? The moment I saw her that first time, I felt this need to take care of her, all I want is to pull her against me and make her feel safe, and that’s been consuming my mind for days.” – she stops for a moment and then looks down at y/n and back to Lena –“Now saying that at loud sounds very creepy” – she laughs a little.

Lena can see it, the truth behind those words, her friend is very passionate and affectionate towards people, she makes people feel safe but she is very careful with her heart and right now she can see that she truly cares for y/n and she feels  happy, because there’s no better person for her than y/n and same goes to her friend, Lena thinks Cassandra deserves to be happy again and maybe y/n can be that person for her.

Lena: “No is not, actually I think that’s quite cute. Look I think you’d be great for her and she’d be great for you as well. But its true, you just met her. So, get to know her, take her out on dates and let her know you too. That’s what I think, you also need to get on her sisters’ good side tough. I mean you are taking care of their little sister so that gives you extra points. But honestly y/n is very loved by many and we only care for her happiness, and I’m not blind. I can tell she likes you too.”

The green- eyed and blonde doctor look down at you and you smile goofily.

Alex: “That’s true you know? You do need to get on our good side”

Both women jump at the sound of the eldest Danvers sister and the blonde doctor looks wide eyed at both sisters standing at the door. Kara is sporting a shit eating grin while Alex looks very serious and her eyes are directed to the blonde doctor.

Lena: “Hi love”- stand and walks to greet her blonde girlfriend with a kiss. “Hi Alex, Cassandra is taking care of y/n and she is doing great”

Alex continue to stare at the blonde woman, and her eyes soften a little and walks to be near her baby sister and the blonde doctor.

Alex: “Relax Sharpe, I was just kidding. If y/n here wants to date you and know you better. We wont stand in your way. But please treat her right that’s all I ask”- she smiles at you when she focusses her eyes on you.  “Hi baby, you are doing okay?”

You are way too high to be considered conscious or know what you really say or do. So, you just keep on smiling and try to reach for your sister.

y/n: “Hiiii Lexiee! Doctor pretty eyes made the pain stopped and , Did you know she’s strong like Kara? She carried me and put foams inside my mouth”- you yawned a little looking quite dazed.

You look from your sister to the blonde doctor blinking furiously trying to stay awake.

y/n: “You really hawt you know? And smells so so gooods”- you sigh and close your eyes.

Dr. Sharpe: “yeah I gave her a very strong pain med and she will need to be watched closely for the next 24 hours. She was in so much pain due to the alveolar osteitis or well dry socket. She was sneezing a bit I think she sneezed to hard in the afternoon or late morning and dislodged the blood clot. I checked and there’s no sign of infection, she does have a mild fever. I think due to the cold. But now with the surgical foam she should be good but keep eating soft food”- she kept speaking to your sister.

 You felt like you were being ignored so you just kept trying to reach for something that was close to you in a metallic tray. Now that you were pain free and trying to stay awake, you were looking for something to entertain yourself and shinny objects were like magnets to stoned people.

y/n: “I want to thaaat…gimme”

Alex holds your hands to avoid you getting any of the object in the tray.

Alex: “No y/n. stop. That’s not a toy”

Kara sees you and takes advantage of your drugged-out state to get in some blackmail evidence for later. Gets her phone out and starts recording you while being high on pain meds.

You see the phone and immediately try to reach for it – “Heey that’s mine, gimme my phone and I need to check Instagram!”-You move your body towards the side where Kara is standing recording the whole thing, while Alex tries to get you  back into the chair before you can fall off.

Kara: “this is not your phone; this one is mine. This one…” – Kara reaches into her coat pocket to get a similar phone and smiles at you “This one is yours” -she mocks you while holding her phone out of your reach.

Alex: “Oh my God Kara, stop riling her up. She is going to hurt herself. Stop that”

Kara just keeps recording: “Fine, here. I’ll just put the phone on airplane mode, and she can have it back”

Alex just gives her sister an annoyed look while Cassandra and Lena look at the whole thing with amused smiles at the antics.

You take the phone from your sisters’ hand.

y/n: “Airplane mode?” – you look wide eyed at the phone. “So I can just …” – without anyone able to stop you, you throw the cellphone like you were throwing a paper plane to the air and smashes right into the wall behind Cassandra, who barely had the time to duck before you could hit her.

Everyone is dead silent, until you process what just happened with the phone. And you burst into tears.

y/n: “Whyyyy? Why it didn’t work, it was on airplane mode?!!!!” – you really looked disturbed at the scene.

Alex: “Oh for heaven’s sake, Kara would you stop that. Look what you just did. How could you give your drugged ass sister her phone back while clearly, she is not in her right state of mind. And you are getting you sister a new phone, that was your fault” – says pointing a finger at the smashed phone.

Kara looks down at being chastised by her older sister and mumbles a: “it was worth it though”

y/n: “Alex, my plane crashed?” – you look at your sister with big fat tears in your eye- “everyone died…”

Alex: “Oh dear Good, I can’t deal with this. Are you done Sharpe? Can we take her home? She will only get worse and honestly I rather be at home, eat something and let her sleep this off”

The blonde doctor takes pity on Alex and intervenes. “Yes, I’m done. She needs to be under adult supervision for the next 24 hours. She can get nauseous, experience drowsiness, heaviness and memory loss. I don’t think she will remember any of this”

Alex: “OK yes we can do that. Ok let’s go kiddo”

Kara: “uhhm, Alex? remember we were ¨drove¨ here by Vazquez? – Kara can’t really say she flew in with Alex at the doctor’s office.

Alex: “Riiight…”

Lena: “That’s okay I drove Cassandra’s SUV and its parked outside; we can all drive back together”

Everyone nods at that and while Kara tries to pick you up from the chair, you cross your arms and look up at her with a frown on your face. “You lied, you said it was an airplane” - Kara just laughs at that.

Kara: “I’m sorry sweet girl. But we need to leave please, Come on”

y/n: “don’t wanna, doctor pretty can do it…” -and you look at the blue- eyed doctor.  Alex raises an eyebrow at you and then at the blonde doctor.

The blue-eyed blonde just blushes. “I don’t mind, come on”- and she picks you up like you weight nothing, you just give a smug smile back at Kara.

Lena and Kara chuckles at you and Kara once again starts to use the video app on her phone. Alex just rolls her eyes and looks at the blond doctor carry you out from the office and into the hallway.

Alex: “Sharpe you have more muscles than I thought. Look at you.”- -says the red-haired woman while picking up the smashed phone from the floor and walking into the hallway as well. The blonde doctor does have a strong built and towers over the women with her 5´10” height.

Outside Lena unlocks the vehicle, Alex opens the door to let the blond doctor get into the back seat while carrying you and making sure your head doesn’t knock at the door frame. Kara sits next to you while Alex is convincing Lena to let her drive.

Alex: “Come on Luthor, let me drive. You drove earlier. And this is a sweet ride” – and it was the SUV was black Maserati Levante Trofeo.

Lena: “Fine here, you can drive. Let’s get back at the apartment so we all can have diner”

While driving back to the apartment, you began to doze off feeling the warmth of the blonde woman holding on you.

Alex squeals like a teenage girl and runs to the passenger seat and starts the car.  The stereo connected to Cassandra’s Bluetooth starts playing ironically the song ¨Airplanes¨ by BoB ft. Hayley Williams.

Everyone looks at the doctor who just shrugs.

Dr. Sharpe: “what? It’s a classic and I like it”

Alex drives through the quiet streets if national city and you hear the blue- eyed woman sing the song softly.

DR. Sharpe: “Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shootin’ starts. I could use a wish right now, a wish right, a wish right now…”

Surprisingly the blonde woman does have a very good signing voice and Kara began to sing along with the doctor as well.

Kara: “You know y/n sings quite well too, and she loves Karaoke nights. Just an idea for a date…”

The blonde doctor just hums in approval of that thought and continues to sing softly.

Dr. Sharpe: “…what would you wish for, if you had one chance?”- the blonde sang this part as in asking you a question.

y/n: “I wish for a corn dog” – almost closing your eyes.

Dr. Sharpe: “Are corn dogs something really important to her? Like this is the second time I’ve heard her ask for those” – the doctor asks the women inside the car amused at your answer.

Kara laughs hard at that and makes a comment about having so much blackmail on you and finally be able to get back at you for the couch sex incident.

Alex: “y/n loves carnival food. Like she loveees corn dogs. Back when we were younger we used to take y/n to the annual carnival in Midvale and she and Kara would stuff their faces in corn dogs, pop corn, caramel apples, funnel cake, cotton candy..” -Alex says while remembering fondly a young y/n Danvers running wild at the carnival on a sugar rush.

Kara: “Oh yes! That was so much fun, and the food is sooo delicious. Alex we should all go to a carnival. I think y/n would love that”

Alex: “that’s sounds like a good idea, except this time we won’t let her eat so much. She is not like you, and every time she tries to eat as much as you do, she ends up crying because she gets a stomachaches”

Everyone laughing in the car and the blonde woman looks down at you, by now you are almost completely asleep with a goofy smile on your lips.

Dr. Sharpe: “oh that sounds lovely. Although corn dogs are so bad. Wait until you all try my focaccia, I use my family recipe and its amazing. You can ask Lena”

Lena: “yes that focaccia al rosmarino is to die for”

y/n: “I would totally fuck…”-

Alex: “Hey Hey hey y/n Danvers, do not finish that sentence”

Kara laughs hard and continue to record, and the blonde doctor turns bright red at the words you spoken in your stoned state while Lena also laughs and Alex smirks and tries to save your drugged ass from more embarrassment.

Alex: “Kara put the phone away and leave her alone. She is high, and you already have enough blackmail already. Let her sleep it off”

Kara: “Fiiiine” ��

The blonde woman just continues to look down at the sleeping body in her arms, finally passed out from the drugs with rosy cheeks and pouty pink lips. And smiles thinking of a perfect first date to take y/n out and loving the feel of the body in her arms. She can’t get enough of that feeling, she really likes it and feels an attraction like she hasn’t felt in so long. She doesn’t know what the future holds, but she is looking forward to it.

notes: Yes I noticed it was more fluffier than expected but I will come up with some angst next time. 

[stennnn06]

Rojascorp - 3. “What happened to your hand(s)?”

Writing Prompts: “What happened to your hand”... this is also sort of combined with “I like to think we’re more than ‘just friends’.” -- Set after Andrea comes to Nat’l City to take over CatCo with the premise that Rojascorp was absolutely A Big Thing in the past - before Andrea fucked it all up. Feeling angsty Rojascorp tonight, you’re welcome. 

The garlic sizzles pleasantly as Andrea moves it around the pan. She flips the burner to low and turns back to her cutting board. The evening news drones in the background as she tops off her glass of wine, swirling it around once before taking a long sip. Once that's complete, she reaches for her favorite knife, watching the satisfying way the steel blade flashes under the lights of her kitchen.

"And why have one hero when you can have two?" The news anchor asks rhetorically, talking out to the masses. Andrea frowns, glancing up from her precise dissection of the large onion in front of her. "That's what citizens of National City must be thinking after Supergirl gets a little help from a well known friend."

The picture flashes to Supergirl, muscles flexing and hair flowing, all around godlike and immaculate, as she turns to her side with a dazzling smile that transcends simple camaraderie. Show off, Andrea snorts to herself. She doesn't particularly care if Supergirl wants to flaunt all over television. It's just like, we get it, okay? You're fucking flawless. Enough already. Ever since she's come to National City, it's Supergirl this, Girl of Steel that, all tight spandex and abdominal muscles and killer quads, and it’s just insufferable. How does anyone get any work done around this place?

She glances up again, noticing the way Supergirl's smile seems different tonight. It radiates a kind of reverence, as she gazes in silent awe at the woman standing next to her. Lena's face is flushed, her eyes curious at the attention thrown in her direction that seems, for once, to be overly positive. She mirrors Supergirl's expression -- positively beaming in her presence, and Andrea feels everything start to burn.

She knows that look. She covets that look. And, once upon a time, she had exactly that -- Lena Luthor, looking at her like a fucking hero. But it somehow wasn't enough. No, she couldn't just leave well enough alone. She had to be convinced -- to be tempted to trade it in. For what, in the end, she isn't entirely sure. But now she's here, back in the same city with the girl whose heart she broke, watching her stare at another woman. 

And not just any woman. Fucking Supergirl.

Well if that isn't the universe's way of getting her back, she isn't sure what is.

She watches the way Lena is positively gushing, talking almost unprofessionally about how strong and powerful Supergirl is, her accent slow and heavy the way it always is when she's really laying it on thick. Andrea stands to watch as the anger comes to a boil right in her chest.

"Goddammit!" She calls out, frustrated, her eyes only seeing red. She throws down the knife in disgust. She doesn't even realize she's cut her hand, not right away. Not until she squeezes her eyes shut and feels a warm, sticky liquid oozing between her fingers. But not even that stings as bad as seeing Lena, all over the TV, fawning over someone impossibly out of Andrea's reach.

"Fuck," she mutters, opening her eyes and realizing the damage. She's usually more sure-handed in the kitchen, operating on autopilot and able to slice, dice, chop and sauté without even having to think about it. But tonight, she let herself get sloppy. Punishment, really, for all her transgressions. And she knows she deserves it, which makes it hurt all the more. Just as she reaches for a paper towel, a knock at the door disrupts her chaotic thoughts.

"Hold on!" Andrea calls out, shuffling around the apartment and cursing in loud, angry Spanish. She doesn't care if the person on the other side hears her, because she's already been inconvenienced enough today, thank you very fucking much. She turns the TV off, throwing the remote across the counter, not caring much where it lands. She positions the paper towel over her finger -- where it is immediately rendered useless, falling victim to the hefty slice on her knuckle, but it'll have to do. With her hand somewhat in tact, and her dignity less so, she pulls open the door.

A sullen Lena Luthor looks back at her from over the threshold, looking stunning and regal and altogether too much and Andrea feels her entire body root to the floor.

"Is this a bad time?" she asks softly. Her head tilts curiously to the side as she casts an appraising look at Andrea.

"No!" Andrea snaps, more forcefully than she intends. She clears her throat. "No, I was just ah--" she waves her hand awkwardly, letting the thought drift. "Nothing, come on in."

"What happened to your hand?" Lena asks, following Andrea into the condo. She knows Andrea to get a little overzealous in the kitchen, but she seems distracted, almost flustered. And every time that happens, it's usually one of Andrea's fingers that pay the price. She reaches for her hand, pushing aside the paper towel and turning her fingers over gently the way she always used to when Andrea would hurt herself, all those years ago.

She doesn't even realize what she's doing until she feels Andrea stiffen, her hand laying limply in her grip. Her palm is warm, her fingers perfectly clean and manicured, exactly the way Lena remembers. The cut looks deep, but not surgical, so she feels a little silly for being so concerned. Andrea doesn't say anything, allowing Lena to inspect the situation to her heart's content, which somehow makes it worse. She clears her throat, embarrassed at the careless way she forgets herself. Forgets her place.

"I think you'll live," Lena chuckles, wrapping it back up and letting her hand go.

"I got distracted," Andrea mumbles, shrugging, taking her hand back slowly. "I was caught up in the news."

"Still multi-tasking I see," Lena says, disappointed at how easy it is to slip back into fondness. The way she knows Andrea's habits, and can still picture them so clearly in her mind. She shakes her head to try to jolt it out of her.

"You were on there," Andrea admits, her eyes narrowing somewhat. She pauses. "I didn't realize you were so close with Supergirl."

She doesn't mean to say it, and isn't sure why she does, but just seeing Lena, standing proud and elegant in her kitchen forces her to feel unmoored. She wants to lay claim over her, in some weird, abstract way, even though she knows she no longer counts. But she tries anyway, as her heart pounds brokenly in her chest.  

"And why should that bother you? I have a working relationship with Supergirl, just like I have with you," Lena twists her lips, avoiding Andrea's eyes. "It's hardly newsworthy."

"A working relationship," Andrea scoffs, feeling the anger churn deep in her gut. Lena is full of it if she can really come in here and spew that kind of garbage. "Is that what you'd call us?"

"That's being generous," Lena snarls, her eyes flashing dangerously. Andrea remembers it fondly: remembers the way Lena's moods were always volatile, the way one wrong comment could send her into a dark, lethal frenzy. She smiles at the familiar challenge.

"I see the way you look at her," Andrea says, the anger clawing at the back of her throat. "Supergirl." The name tastes bitter on her tongue. "I know that look."

"You don't know anything," Lena replies, shaking her head. She doesn't deny it outwardly, and Andrea feels the ache in her chest. "And you lost the ability to comment on it when you made your decision."

"It's not that simple, Lena."

"Oh, but it is," Lena argues, crossing her arms.

"We will never be that simple," Andrea says pointedly, as if this isn't going to send Lena over the edge. "You think you can call me to your office out of the blue after two years, and pretend we never cared about each other?"

"It seems to be working just fine," Lena shrugs, running her finger along the edge of Andrea's counter top.

"Working relationship," Andrea repeats, scoffing over the term and rolling her eyes. Just the mere thought of it is so comical she almost laughs. "Our relationship is a bit beyond that kind of definition, don't you think?"

"We do not have a relationship," Lena insists, her jaw setting defiantly. Andrea traces her jawline with her eyes, remembering every inch that she's journeyed with her lips, ever breath against her skin. "We aren't friends. We aren't anything."

"We used to be," Andrea sighs. It all feels exceptionally heavy all of a sudden. "And, you know just as well as I, that we've always been more than just friends, even when we weren't. You can't just pretend it didn't exist."

"Actually, I can," Lena challenges. "But somehow, the only thing I can't seem to forget is the way you broke my heart. So I guess neither of us can win, can we?"

Classic Lena. She will always have a response, stored up in that beautiful mind of hers. Andrea hates that it sets her nerves on fire, the way Lena is just always composed and ready, even when she's the one hurting. She also knows her pain is somewhat warranted, if not completely justified, but she wishes Lena would give her the benefit of the doubt. She never could stomach hearing Andrea’s side of things. But if she actually listened, instead of bulldozing in here with an agenda and several well-timed retorts, well, who knows where they'd be?

It wouldn't be like this, that's for sure. And it's torture. But it isn't in the cards. Lena is nothing if not stubborn in her beliefs. So, Andrea has no choice. She stiffens and squares her shoulders, as if bracing for a fight.

"Why are you here, then?" she asks carefully, realizing she has absolutely no idea. They certainly aren't on "drop in" terms, and, apparently, not even on friendly ones, so it's baffling that Lena would be here at all.  She can tell she's struck a nerve, because Lena pauses, wringing her hands together in that nervous way she has when she's dancing around something, fully expecting a blow up.

Finally, she sets her jaw and forces her face to look boardroom ready -- practiced, unreadable, guarded. Andrea swallows heavily as she reaches into her pocket.

"To give you this." She pulls out a small jewelry box and places it on the counter. Andrea's face turns hot as she stares at it, her entire body fighting the contradicting chill that doesn't go with how she's feeling. "I don't want to have to owe you anything."

She remembers picking it out, remembers agonizing over every detail, even fighting with the jeweler to the point that she had to pay him extra just to keep him happy. She remembers nervously picking her way through dinner, feeling for the box in her pocket the entire time, convinced it was going to disappear before she ever found the right moment. She remembers proposing and the way Lena's eyes softened, her face melting into a relieved smile as Andrea stumbled through her speech, the tears running down her cheeks and later, down Andrea's own, as they kissed for what seemed like hours.

She reaches out, pulling the box forward. She turns it over in her hands, her throat thick, eyes burning with regret.

"Is this what you want?" she whispers, feeling the way her voice cracks.

"What I want?" Lena rolls her eyes, an angry, lethal smile on her face. "No, Andrea, none of this has ever been about what I want. But you left me, and I am not going to beg for you to come back."

Andrea swallows heavily, the tears welling behind her eyes. She doesn't want to cry. She doesn't want to do this now. It isn't right. But there it is, the evidence all neatly contained in a three dimensional package.

"I never meant to hurt you," Andrea starts, taking a shaky breath and avoiding Lena's eyes. "I never stopped loving you--"

Lena holds up her hand firmly. "I don't want to do this," she says, shutting it down as her eyes flutter. "If we are to work together, I need a clean slate."

Andrea clears her throat, turning over the options in her mind. If she doesn't accept, then she might be at odds with Lena forever. If she does, then at least she can hold on to a fragment of what they used to be. Maybe she can work with that.

"Consider it clean," Andrea says, each word killing her a little more than the last.

Lena nods once and turns for the door. She doesn't turn around, but she pauses at the threshold.

"Make sure you wrap your hand with something stronger," she reminds her softly, talking down to the ground. Then, just like that, she's gone, and Andrea is perfectly and wholly alone.

Through the tears that have finally started to fall, she notices the way her finger bleeds through the bandage, leaving a perfect, symmetrical ring that mocks her all the way around.