#i love gaining things slowly because it makes everything memorable and important

[bowlofmie]

Some of my favorite mini art supplies for on the go! Doing plein air with a teeny sketchbook and teeny paints is unmatched. These palettes are about the size of an eraser so they don’t hold much paint, but I don’t mind refilling them! An easy trade for how I can just throw them in an everyday small pencil case and not have to worry about any bulk.

I also put them on top of one of my other already portable palettes that has half pans in it so you can really get how small these are lol they are really teensy!

[croik]

some rambling about TMA

So the first time I listened to TMA, it was as Season 4 was airing, and I stopped after the season was done. Since the sequel’s been announced, I decided to go back to relisten and finally finish, which I did! And overall, I’m really glad I did, because I enjoyed Season 5 and the finale a lot! There’s still so much to love about TMA as a whole, from the acting to the sound design to the statements etc etc. If anyone wants to chat about it hit me up! But in the meantime I’m gonna do the thing where I rate the seasons and chat about them a little.

For me, the seasons from best to worst are 2, 1, 5, 3, 4

Season 2 is just so good. It’s in that good sweet spot where the over arching plot has showed its head but is still mostly mystery. The statements are starting to include repeat characters and call backs. Jon is completely unhinged. I just love getting to the end of a statement and then hearing the extra click, followed by his very furtive “Supplemental.” Even when he doesn’t have much to add, I always look forward to it. Plus this is when we get to hear Gertrude Robinson, the best character!!! Gosh I love Gertrude so much. What a fascinating and bad ass character. Sorry Johnny but your mom is sexy.

Season 1 is of course the OG. I remember not being entirely sold at first because I’m not huge on anthologies, but they sprinkled just enough of the A plot in through the early eps to be really compelling. The first time Jon’s recording got interrupted (by Elias?) was such a good drop and I really looked forward to those moments in the "real world". The season finale could have benefitted from the better sound work of later in the show, but, yeah, of course, right? The first season statements are still some of the most memorable and set up so many intriguing characters and storylines, even if not all of them paid off perfectly.

Season 5 I’m coming to way after the fact, so I’d heard a few things about it going in. I’ll admit my expectations were low. Happily, I enjoyed it a lot! The acting has only gotten better, same with the sfx, and I was a little surprised by how much I liked listening to Jon and Martin just talk about the world. They have a lot of interesting morality and character debates, and the final reveals around Annabelle, the Eye, etc, were very satisfying. I would rate it higher than season 1 except for the very large issue that I just did not enjoy the statements.

I mean, the show has so many statements over the 200 eps, they of course range from legit chilling to kinda lame, but in earlier seasons, a big part of the horror for me came from the disruption of the subject’s lives. We’d get a little setup, and then some poor shmuck had everything taken from them, and either survived traumatized or just plain didn’t make it. Sometimes you’d get a villain point of view! But in season 5, all the statements just bled together for me. There weren’t characters with lives anymore, just snapshots taken in the middle of a never ending horror, with very little context and no conclusion. But even worse, Jon and Martin talk about and treat the statements like an inconvenience. “What, another one?” Martin groans, and Jon apologizes, and they both sigh and go through the chore of giving us the show’s content. It’s a real bummer for me, and I wish they would have treated the statements with more reverence or importance, if they had to exist at all.

Season 3 is a mixed bag for me. On the one hand I like seeing the lore fleshed out. Jon slowly gaining powers is very fun and he gets to meet some really fun side characters (POOR GERRY!) but also some irritating ones (I’m one of those that really couldn’t stand Nikola’s voice). But season 3 also set up a few things I didn’t care for that got cranked up to 11 in season 4: the “I could tell you, but I won’t” play from the villains, and the complete lack of compassion that Jon receives once he starts gaining his powers.

Yes, there’s plenty of reason for Elias to act like he did. But “I’m going to withhold information for literally no reason at all” is something I really hate, and his explanation for it after the fact doesn’t soothe my annoyance with it during relisten. It is just so frustrating, and not in a way that feels like “yes I like hating this antagonist” but in a “the plot demands he doesn’t share too much” way. Then there’s Jon, which brings me to season 4.

Season 4 is the only one that I have to admit I actively disliked. I wanted to listen again because I didn’t remember much from it, and wanted to come into 5 fresh – only to realize that not much happens in 4? The entire season is either A) someone complaining that they don’t know what to do next, or B) someone complaining that they can’t talk to the other characters. If there’s anything more annoying (IMO) than characters refusing to share info for no reason, it’s for the reason of “I’m keeping you safe.” Then there’s Jon. Not to excuse some of his shittier choices, but there were times it was very frustrating bordering on unfair that he took so much of the angst and blame of the other characters. He spends several entire seasons talking about how hard he’s trying to keep hold of his humanity, while gaining almost no sympathy from anyone – just their suspicion and scorn when he falls short. Even Martin (in season 5 mostly) jabs all the time about how spooky and weird he’s become. And he is spooky and weird, but there are so few points in the show where Jon receives honest, unconditional sympathy, and I feel so bad for him. He’s trying really hard! I just want to give him a blanket and some soup, and tell him he did his best.

The bright spot of season 4 though was Jon and Daisy, for sure. I really enjoyed that unexpected friendship, and I felt for Jon in season 5, and his disappointment when they were reunited.

And that’s it, I guess!? TMA is still one of the best horror podcasts around, and I am looking forward to TMP, even if the prospect of more multiverse has me a little wary. If you read all this I hope to see you around fandom <3

[anonanimal]

witch from mercury thoughts ep 13 & 14

new opening and ending are so good. new opening wasn't very gay but the ending has the kiss fake-out and the very deliberate hand-holding. the way they slowly curl their fingers at the same time is interesting hmmm

delling in a coma...miorine held for questioning...miorine alone with prospera... i don't like that shit at all STAY AWAY FROM HER

suletta trying to comfort lilique by saying she and aerial will protect her, and her trying to give nika the "advice" of move forward, gain two were creepy as fuck, suletta baby i need you to get a grip

i think suletta challenged them to a duel because she thinks that's how things work, because she's that naive, and it's lucky for her and nika that that was exactly the right thing to say to sophie

norea and el5n's eyes being the exact same light green color, and that little comment he made about her eyes reminding him of someone else (el4n i assumed) makes me wonder.....

the way sophie recited miorine's info, seems like it was something she'd memorized for the mission

aERIal REAL!!!!!! and even though it was implied from the start, prospera revealing it was still pretty horrible. illustrated by belmeria trying not to throw up. sophie's death was horrible. everything is so horrible oh god. so. i guess sophie calling suletta big sister wasn't totally wrong, just that suletta's actually the little sister

so earth just has a surplus of orphans to do whatever with, huh. slaves, terrorists, surgically altered spies, you name it

i'm sure what shaddiq has told norea and sophie their mission is and what shaddiq is actually trying to accomplish are not the same. he wanted them to show up at the school partly to keep suspicion off of him and make all this look like terrorist attacks totally not orchestrated by spacians

these children taking over their parents' companies...lauda and miorine > the roy children. since they're minor children i expect there to be real adults running the show even if they're nominally ceos by weird space company law, would love to see this. i mean we know children really can have companies in their own names, albeit with adult help, probably more than they realized (gund-arm inc), because for the elites everything is a game, but even so, surely companies like those in the benerit group are too important to let children do ceo things

soo extremely fucked and chilling, the shot of benerit group ships heading to earth to start their war on terror

i need the earth house kids to get out of this alive please sunrise please i'll never ask for anything again. martin turned nika in right? that's why he was standing with his back against the wall clutching his phone? they would have shown up anyway to question everyone in earth house but the way they ask for nika...martin turned her in. and he doesn't know the details of everything so i'm sure he thinks the destruction caused by sophie and norea could have been prevented if he'd turned nika in before. poor martin :(

people repeatedly projecting onto suletta and being disappointed is so sad. 3lan thinks she might be an enhanced human like him, nika thinks she might be an orphan like her, sophie thinks suletta is the thrill she's been looking for. does miorine ever project her desires onto suletta? i think there have been times she wants to but she's too cynical and suspicious to let that part of her win. basically mirroring anthy and utena

i love/hate this classic gundam plot of "protagonists fighting for their lives on the wrong side of history" always a bad time

^love that this person made this connection with suletta calling her mother a magician

since aERIal is confirmed we have to start speculating again about where suletta came from. i'm betting cloned from ericht. i'm supposing right now that ericht died from effects of interfacing with the gundam very soon after the incident. so if the incident was 21 years ago, and suletta is 17, it took about four years for the successful ericht clone to be "born." can you imagine doing science experiments on the remains of your young child for four years. no wonder elnora is so fucked up

[peach-the-owl]

A Day Out

Vax & Child!Reader & Gilmore (Kids Machina)

Request by the always lovely @sirkekselord (and Happy Birthday Luv ❤️): Vax and his kid have a fight so the kid goes to Gilmore for comfort because they see him as like a second dad or uncle figure (I defiantly got carried away with this, especially near the ending…)

“Why is this suddenly such a big deal! You do this kinda stuff all the time!”

“That’s different!”

“How?”

“I don’t have time for this. Go to your room, we’ll discuss this later.”

“But-”

“Now!” With a mix between an exasperated scream and sigh you march your way up to your room and slam the door shut, being sure to lock the door so you could have some privacy while you flop onto your bed and scream even more into your pillow.

After what feels like forever of just sitting in one place you figured you needed to just leave and have some time to cool off, and you knew just the person to help you with that. The keep had many hidden trapdoors and passageways connecting to different areas within its walls as well as the passage connected directly to Emon, and you had been sure to locate and memorize where a good number of them were, for various reasons. Shifting over your dresser revealed on such passage, you’re small size made it nice and easy to slip in and move the dresser back in place with no issue. You scurry through the passage way know exactly where to go, once you reach your destination you pause and check if anyone was nearby, seeing that the coast is clear you slip out of the little passageway, making sure it’s covered so no one else finds it easily. Making your way into the tunnel you take a second to do a small victory dance on your successful “mission” before dashing down the path straight to Emon…

You were a bit exhausted once you reached the exit but at the same time could feel some relief of being able to get away from everyone and enjoy something for yourself, would you get in trouble if you’re found out? Sure, but you were already in trouble so it didn’t really matter to you right now, that was future (y/n)’s problem. Exiting the passage you weave through the busy streets of Emon until you see that familiar sign for Gilmore’s Glorious Goods enter your vision and hurry into the shop.

Dispute coming here often it still never ceased to amaze you, the many different items and displays always so eye catching, simply looking around at everything was already making you feel better. The shop itself wasn’t all that busy today, probably just a slow hour if you had to guess, so you walk up to the counter and clear your throat to gain Sherry’s attention.

“Hi Ms. Sherry! Is Gilmore here?” You ask, Sherry readjusts her glasses as she leans over to look at you better.

“Oh, it’s you,” she looks past you a second before looking back confused. “Where are your other compani-“

“Doesn’t matter, is Gilmore here?” You quickly cut her off, shuffling a little awkwardly in place. She stares at you for a long moment before slowly reaching over and grabbing a sending stone, whispering into once she does. It’s not even a minute after she talks into the stone that the sound of beads are swept aside with Gilmore strutting through.

“I hear there’s an important matter at hand.” He says to no one in particular, his eyes lighting up when they land on you. “Oh! If it isn’t my favourite little customer, (y/n)! Hello little one.” He beams at you arms wide open, easily taking the hint you smile back and run into the hug.

“Hi Gilmore! It’s so good to see you too!” You giggle.

“Likewise, now tell me, where are the others? You don’t mean to say you came all this way to see me by yourself, did you?” He asks in a joking manner but quickly notices your frown and more nervous movements. “Why don’t we have a chat in my office? Sherry can take care of things well on her own.” He suggests looking around at the other customers roaming the shop. He carries you over to his office before placing down. “So,” he says, gaining your undecided attention. “Tell me what this is really all about.” There was a mix of intrigue and concern in his voice.

“Well, papa-I mean Vax and me had an argument…” You start, Gilmore raising an interested eyebrow. “It happened after we were fighting these cultist people, I thought I’d try sneaking up on their leader thinking with him out the way the others wouldn’t stand a chance! I was just trying to help and it worked, sorta, but I ended up getting hurt pretty badly because of it too, but Vax does stuff like that all the time so I don’t get why he’s so angry.” You huff a little as you finish explaining.

“I see,” Gilmore places a hand under his chin in thought, “did it ever occur to you that maybe he’s only acting like this because he’s worried about you? A reckless thief he may be but we both know under all that is a heart of gold.” You shuffle in place with a pout as you nod.

“Yeah, I know…” you sigh. “I’m probably going to be in a lot more trouble then I am now for being here but I just… I don’t know, I just wanted to talk to you about this I guess.” You see Gilmore place a hand over his heart with a soft smile.

“Well I’m honoured you’d trust me so much. Now come with me, I have some things I’d like to show you.” His demeanour brightens up more as he offers you a hand, you stare back at him curiously. “It hurts me to see you look so down and what sort of uncle would I be if not to help cheer you up. I’m sure your adventures have other stories worth telling and I am always interested in the latest gossip across Tal'Dorei.” He gives you a wink and you can’t help but giggle at his antics.

“I may have a few more tales to tell.” You play along with a sly smile.

“Wonderful, and I know the perfect place we can go for such things.” With that the two of you exit the shop and make your way through the marketplace…

With Gilmore, your day is never a dull moment, being filled with fun gossip, treats and various forms of entertainment, from watching musical troupes play to magic shows where Gilmore would easily point out which tricks were fake and which were the real deal. It was a great distraction making you completely forget why you were upset in the first place, but as all good things do it had to come to an end with the sun setting lower down the horizon. You, having been so exhausted from the day, had passed out cuddling against Gilmore’s chest while he made his way back to his shop where upon entering he sees his favourite rouge looking rather frazzled.

“There you are! I-”

“Shhhh.” Gilmore hushes Vax. “It is always a fine pleasure for me to see you, Vax’ildan, but this time I must ask you keep it down. We’ve had a long day and I don’t want to wake them.” He gestures with his head to your sleeping figure resting peacefully in his arms.

“Oh thank goodness.” He lets out a sigh of relief. “I was worried sick when I couldn’t find (y/n) anywhere in the keep. Thank you so much for watching them, I’m sorry for any trouble.”

“Oh please, it’s no trouble at all, in fact we had quite the glorious day.” Gilmore waves it off casually. “They came all the way here just to tell me all about your little argument and spend some time with their favourite uncle of course.” He chuckles.

“Don’t tell Scanlan that, he’s convinced he’s the favourite.” Vax jokes as Gilmore finally hands you over to Vax. Even while asleep you instinctively shift to now cuddle into Vax making him smile softly at the action.

“They’re a lot like you, you know.” Gilmore points out. “You both are quite the cunning thieves, you both have a charm I simply cannot resist… and you both would do anything to protect the people you love.”

“I know, it’s because we’re so alike why I worry so much…” Vax sighs sombrely. “I make dumb and rash decisions, sure, but I literally cannot die. I just… I don’t want them to believe their invincible and lose them because of it.”

“You won’t, but you should talk to them about this. They came to me rather distressed over the subject.” Gilmore places a hand on Vax’s shoulder in reassurance.

“Thank you, Gilmore. I should probably bring them back, let the others know I found them.” With a farewell and a promise to bring Gilmore a small gift as thanks, Vax finally the shop pausing a second to fondly look at you peacefully sleeping away in his arms. The thought of having to leave you one day hurt, but he swore he’d always be there to protect you, on this plane or the next.

[bistevethor]

Steve Rogers Fanfiction Recommendations

Happy birthday, Steve!

I know that there are some (a lot?) of steve fans who sometimes struggle to find fics focused on him, so I am here now putting a list of Steve fics. I was going to fics that I haven't seen recommended a lot and most of the ones on this post have less than 200 kudos only, but I end up putting everything (it's probably easier to put my bookmarks as public but well...). It's a massive list (over 100 fics?), so it's will be separated into several posts/reblogs.

Not all of them are from Steve's POV or even have him as the main 'main' character, but rest assured he played an important role and is featured heavily. Lots of these are friendship-focused but I categorized them. The shippy ones are mostly samsteve, thundershield, and some rare pairings because I don't venture to other ships a lot and when I did it's to the rare ones instead lol. Hopefully, any of you can find some gems from this list and these are as enjoyable or as good as I remembered. I'll continue to update it, hopefully, every time I find new ones.

Fics are under read more.

General

The Rocket's Red Glare

Steve was born on the Fourth of July (no joke), so a party is in order! Unfortunately, PTSD decides to rear its ugly head. Fortunately, Steve's got an entire team at his back to help him through it. And screaming goats.

an entry in the scrapbook of absurdity

In which Steve turns into a baby and bites people.

Baby Steve Adventures

Captain America gets hit by a spell during a battle. The rest of the Avengers look after him.

Do You Remember Being Happy? ('Cause I Sure Don't)

"Dragr," Thor called them. "Demons" Clint had said. "Thieves" is what Steve labels them as. AKA, the one where Steve is captured by creatures that feed off of happy memories, and the team is left to pick up the pieces. Post-Avengers.

In Search of (Bucky, Family, Home)

Pairings: Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov & Sam Wilson

A week following the events of CATWS, Steve recruits Natasha and Sam to help find Bucky.

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Do we need to recap again? You were shot three times, beaten near to death by an enhanced super soldier with a metal arm and then almost drowned. Yeah, your ass is going to need a few more days of healing time.”

The Truth When Captains Meet

Steve Rogers wakes up on an alien’s space ship being carried bridal style by Carol Danvers. As far as first meetings go, it’s memorable.

Irish Coffee

Pairings: Jessica Jones & Steve Rogers

Jessica runs into an incognito Cap at a cafe. They form an unlikely friendship of sorts.

The Lifetimes of Steve Rogers (Series)

What happens when Steve Rogers steps onto the quantum platform to return the Stones? Where does he go? What challenges does he find? Who does he meet? How many lifetimes can one man have?

Fifty-Two Pickup

Less than a week after the fall of the Triskelion, Steve Rogers is released from the hospital. Although his physical wounds are almost fully healed, other injuries need a bit more time, and some help from friends.

little kids get big so fast

Steve ends up having to take care of the deaged Defenders.

Grampa Steve's Bedtime Stories

If Mommy was away for work, then Morgan’s Grampa Steve came over to stay with her. He’d tuck her in, let her give Mommy a kiss on video chat, then hand her the picture of Daddy for his kiss. Once Daddy’s picture was back on the bookshelf, Grampa Steve would turn off the bedside lamp so that Miss Friday could cover the ceiling with stars, and ask Morgan what story she wanted to hear.

“Captain Steve, Grampa! Tell me Captain Steve!”

Grampa Steve sometimes read to her from books and other times watched a movie with her, but her favorite by far was when he told her Captain Steve’s Adventures Through the Multiverse.

On Camping Trips

Sam is more Hermione than Natasha is, and Steve doesn't want to be Harry.

Powerful

Steve loses the advantages of the super-soldier serum. This is not a tragedy.

His Dream

Pairings: Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson

As if on cue, Steve cut him off with a loud sneeze.

"Yeah. Like that." Sam nodded. "And please sneeze into your elbow next time, dude. You could've just started an epidemic."

"Sorry. Allergies." Steve excused, and Sam raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know it's allergies?" Sam asked, and Steve sighed, putting the ingredients together and solving the mystery of what the gas had actually done.

The answer wasn't ideal. "It feels like the seasonal allergies I had before. Before the serum- and I haven't had them since the serum."

Realization clicked in Sam's head.

"The gas de-serumed you."

Steve swallowed and nodded reluctantly.

OR: Steve gets temporarily de-serumed, with his height and stature staying the same but his immune system being as bad as it was before, and has to stay in the hospital to prevent a severe allergic reaction or illness. Sam stays with him the whole time, making sure he's not alone.

A Strange Encounter

Things have gone awry and Strange is injured. With no other options, he's called for assistance from Captain America and his team.

even if we're apart, i'll always be with you

Steve finds a dirty toy bear at an abandoned gas station, on the way back from a school trip. He brings him home.

As Long as You’re Not Tired Yet of Talking

Pairings: Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov

When Steve Rogers tells her, “Don’t be a stranger,” as they’re all going their own ways after New York, it makes her want to laugh.

Draw/Breath

Pairings: Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov

Natasha like knowing what makes people tick. She likes knowing things, about her teammates and her coworkers and herself. Oddly enough, sometimes other people like knowing her too.

AKA: Natasha wants to know why Steve isn’t drawing anymore, and takes the long way round to get her answer. Because why not.

With Magic We Do Fly

Pairings: Wanda Maximoff & Steve Rogers

In Civil War we see Wanda fling Steve into the air with her magic. They must have practiced that, right?

Que Wanda throwing Steve against a wall. Many times.

Just Like We Practiced

Pairings: Wanda Maximoff & Steve Rogers

Steve had said, in the movie when he asked Wanda to lift him into the building, "Just like we practiced." But just how did they come up with the idea of her lifting people with her powers, and putting them up somewhere like an escalator? Perhaps it was because Wanda accidentally sent a certain tall, blond Avenger face-first into the floor once and he decided he would help her learn to utilize this as a confidence building exercise. Natasha keeps an eye, Thor and Sam help build the training grounds, and Wanda has found her new home. Takes place between AGE OF ULTRON and CIVIL WAR.

Black and White but Red and Blue

They're watching black and white film reels, but Steve sees them in colour.

"My shield may be black and white but it was red and blue. Just like the blue sky under which red blood was spilled. Like Bucky's blue eyes and Peggy's red lips..."

The Road Warriors

Characters: Sam Wilson (Marvel), Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Wanda Maximoff

It wasn't pretty, but somehow the four of them managed to make it through two years on the run.

We'll Fix It

Pairings: Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov

Steve has a hard time after his battle with The Winter Soldier and isn't sure what to do with himself. After not seeing him for a week, Natasha finally shows up to his apartment unannounced to figure out how they can get back to work. There is some crying involved.

From Here On Out

Pairings: Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov

The Accords, the search for Bucky, the fight at the airport ... In a world where nothing will ever be the same, sometimes the road to rebuilding trust and friendship is a little rockier than it should be.

AKA, the story of Steve & Natasha and how they got to where they are.

Set post-Civil War but pre-Infinity War.

I have this breath and I hold it tight

Parings: Wanda Maximoff & Steve Rogers, Clint Barton & Wanda Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff & Vision

Steve finally goes to Wanda’s tiny room and taps on the doorframe, although it’s hardly necessary, with the slightly warped floorboards creaking under his feet. “Hey,” he says. “Got a minute?”

Wanda's been a little withdrawn since Steve broke everyone out of the Raft. She's had a lot to think about.

to you.

Pairings: Pietro Maximoff & Wanda Maximoff, Clint Barton & Wanda Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff & Natasha Romanov, Wanda Maximoff & Steve Rogers, Wanda Maximoff & Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff & Tony Stark

It's Wanda's birthday today. She's not sure how to feel.

New Love

Pairings: Diana (Wonder Woman) & Steve Rogers

Near the end of World War II, Diana Prince finds herself attempting to reconnect to her long-gone, beloved Steve Trevor. However, she comes across Steve Rogers instead.

Sharing Life (And Canned Green Beans)

Pairings: Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov

It’s Thanksgiving, and Steve is hiding in the second living room on the 8th floor of the penthouse apartments with a can of green beans.

I'm Fine

Steve slowly began to realize that the problem with being a national icon, a hero, and a role model, is that somehow, he became more than human. He become a symbol, not a person. So when he becomes increasingly unhappy, deeply depressed, and utterly adrift in a world where he doesn't belong, the loneliness and isolation are unbearable. How could anyone believe that an iconic hero like himself was really just an ordinary kid from Brooklyn, dying inside because everything he'd gained still wasn't enough to replace everything he'd lost? How could he possibly bring himself to bleed on the ones he loves? So he tells himself the same lie over and over, hoping one day, he'll believe it.

dogpile

"My dog ate my mission report" An injured Steve remembers something he has to do. Unabashed Steve and dogs fluff. "Didn't peg you for a pet guy." "Allergies."

Alone In This World (Together)

Pairings: Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov & Sam Wilson

“We’re fugitives,” Steve said finally. “It might never get better.”

“The world’s always going to need saving," Sam replied. "We’re still Avengers. No one can take that away from us.” Then, like they hadn't been having an entire conversation before, “So when do we leave?”

“Once night falls.”

Do we have any idea where she is?”

“No.” Steve took a sip of his coffee. “But I know where she’ll be.”

it gets the worst at night

Pairings: Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov

Here's how it goes: Natasha sometimes shares a bed with Steve. It's not what it sounds like.

(In which there are Colombian drug lords, awkward boners, cuddly super-soldiers and the Avengers are all giant dorks.)

Shelter

Pairings: Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson

Sam and Steve, right after the fall of SHIELD.

Princely Bickering

Pairings: Jane Foster/Thor, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers & Jane Foster, Steve Rogers & Thor

Steve allows Sam to lean up and inspect his head for bruises and blood. He then checks out Steve’s eyes. ‘Do you know where you are?’ Steve rolls his eyes. ‘Don’t be an ass, Cap, apparently you can break.’ ‘London, England, chasing apparently useless Hydra intel despite having about five hundred international arrest warrants out for us because we’re just that stupid,’ says Steve. Sam pats him - gently - on the shoulder. Life on the run isn't easy, especially not after an injury. Fortunately Steve still has a few allies left.

And The Seconds Tick Down

AU of Civil War. How the world ended in twenty steps when Steve died.

"Grant" and "Francis" Go Shopping

Pairings: Clint Barton & Steve Rogers

Steve and Clint both have holiday shopping to do for their family of choice, so they make a day trip to an outlet mall, have a few heart to hearts, use some coupons, buy a bunch of presents, and eventually get through their shopping lists.

A Tune Without Words

Pairings: Jane Foster/Thor, Steve Rogers & Thor, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson

As he and Sam prepare to begin searching for Bucky, Steve gets various offers of help—some more unexpected than others.

Purpose

Tony Stark wins the fight in Siberia completely by accident.

Steve Rogers does not resist his arrest as he is taken to the Raft.

Sam Wilson, T'Challa, and Pepper Potts pick up the pieces.

Full of Wounds and Still Standing on my Feet

Pairings: Steve Rogers & Wanda Maximoff

The five times Steve looked out for Wanda, and one time Wanda decided someone needed to look out for Steve.

Three Awakenings

The first three times that Steve Rogers woke up during his first twenty-four hours in the twenty-first century.

Making Your Own Future

Characters: Steve Rogers, Diana Prince, Steve Trevor Five times -- plus one -- that Diana Prince and Steve Rogers encountered one another.

Better Living Through Pizza

Pairings: Clint Barton & Steve Rogers

Steve takes some time off from soldiering and Avengering to get his head on straight, and Clint is assigned to keep an eye on him, because apparently SHIELD believes in the blind leading the blind. Steve really needs a hobby, since modern television shows baffle him, but Clint keeps bringing him DVDs and pizza.

Five Times Clint Barton Spoke with Steve Rogers about Growing Old and the One Time He Didn't.

Pairings: Clint Barton & Steve Rogers

When Steve Rogers reappeared from the past as an old man, there was a lot of catching up to do. Clint Barton made sure nobody got left behind.

Hammer's Totally Heavy-Handed and Incompetent Revenge

"So, at the end of IM2, Justin Hammer swears revenge on Pepper. He waits until Tony and Rhodey are halfway across the world to launch his attack.

Unfortunately for him, thanks to SHIELD, Iron Man and War Machine aren't the only superheroes in Pepper's rolladex. Steve thinks Pepper's just swell and doesn't take too kindly to somebody trying to hurt her."

Cue badass!Steve and competent!Pepper

Fan Mail

Steve starts getting his fan mail and receives an invitation to the prom. Written for a prompt at the Avengers kink meme. It was a great prompt, and so much fun to write and get feedback for!

Prom. Steve 'Grandpa Iceberg' Rogers at a 21st-century high school prom. "This isn't happening. This whole conversation is just an elaborate practical joke. Bruce really just has orders for widgets or something."

Bruce waved the printouts at him. "Fraid not. I don't really do practical jokes. Messing with other people's moods just seems. I don't know. Karmically unwise."

Mascot

Steve runs. People see Steve run. Steve gets adopted by the neighbourhood he runs through every week day morning. He finds this confusing. Tony finds it amusing.

Locks Not Replaced

Tony angsts back at Avengers' HQ, Ross is a bully and Steve makes sure he doesn't get away with it. In other words, there is much regret, a bit on the philosophy of locks, adventure and far too many Robin Hood metaphors.

woof

For a prompt on the avengers kinkmeme: "...something different happens when Steve gets Dr Erskine's serum plus the Vita ray treatment... Steve does get taller and stronger, but when the first full moon hits, he turns into a big friendly looking dog. Yes, he's a weredog, not a werewolf."

Mission: Baby

Pairings: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers

The Asset finds himself in charge of the care of a small baby, but somehow he knows—he has to protect the baby from all harm, whatever the cost.

14 Tracks

Pairings: Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers & Avengers Team 14 tracks from Steve's iPod and how they got on there.

Life Will Rattle Your Bones

Pairings: Erik Lehnsherr & Steve Rogers

Captain America and the Howling Commandos find Schmidt sooner than they thought... wait, what do you mean this is a *different* Schmidt?

In war-torn Germany, the paths of Steve Rogers and Erik Lehnsherr cross, part, and cross again.

come build me up

Pairings: Sharon Carter & Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers

“Do you ever feel like -- like you joined up because you wanted to do good. You wanted to do the right thing but somewhere along the way, you just lost the whole fucking plot.”

“All of the time.”

Or: the one where Captain America and Agent 13 give long distance friendship a whirl.

Down in the Worn Out Place Again

Pairings: Wanda Maximoff & Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers & Wanda Maximoff

“You don't look a day over 85, Captain,” Wanda says.

Natasha smiles, just barely, and nudges Steve with her elbow. “She makes jokes now.”

(Post AoU, stories about friendship.)

Satellites

Characters: Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Nick Fury Pairings: Natasha Romanov & Steve Rogers, Minor Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson, Minor Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov

In the immediate aftermath of SHIELD's collapse and Steve's plunge into the Potomac, Natasha considers her place in the world. Also the fact that Steve is depressing.

Timeless Classics

Pairings: Steve Rogers & Avengers Team Five An undetermined number of times (six, apparently) Steve unexpectedly got the reference (sort of), and one time everyone discovered something new together.

you just wait and see

Pairings: Rocket Raccoon & Steve Rogers

“Thor said you’re the captain.” Rogers says, his voice distant, sad smile growing into a sadder grin. “Tough job.”

The Small Hours

Pairings: Steve Rogers & T'Challa, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers

"I'm not getting him back, am I." The words were flatly delivered – not a question so much as fatigued resignation. "We will do everything we can to help him," T'Challa quietly replied, but he wouldn't lie, not about this. Not to a fellow warrior he respected on and off the field of battle. "The possibility does exist, however, that the triggers are permanent."

The Man We All Remember From the Newsreels

Still getting used to the twenty-first century, Steve comforts himself with memories of long-gone friends. But Howard Stark, the man Steve remembers, is nothing like the man he sees in the newsreels.

we're all choir boys at best

Characters: Steve Rogers, Johnny Storm

You are totally getting laid tonight. "Please stop talking." You hijacked my brain first, this is totally not my fault.

Epistaxis

Steve doesn't worry the first time he gets a bloody nose that won't quit. But when it happens a second, third, fourth... He, and his teammates, start to get concerned.

You Close Your Eyes and the Glory Fades

His body isn’t his own, he knows that, knew before the procedure that everything would change. That was the easiest thing to wrap his head around, actually, the physical changes. He’s used to his body betraying him, so this is just another thing to learn his way around. But the colors of everything, even the sliver of blue sky he could see, craning his head at the tiny window, look different.

Looking For Answers (From The Great Beyond)

After the Battle of New York is over, and Loki and the tesseract are returned to Asgard, Steve takes a road trip across the country, and tries to figure out what he wants to do next.

Mourning the Future

Steve's ties to the past and the future are pretty tenuous, and the serum ensures he lives in an eternal present state of ever-youthful vigour. When an old war buddy gets handed his last marching orders, Steve has to wonder if everyone will eventually leave.

Riviera Life

Sam and Steve have been traversing Europe looking for Bucky. Not everyone is convinced it isn’t an open invitation road trip.

Voluntary Bros.

Characters: Steve Rogers, Johnny Storm

"Dude, you could be twins, they tested you before they defrosted you to see if you were a clone or something, or if he was a clone," Clint said.

"I want to talk to him, I think. I mean, a girl threw her latte at me last week for not calling her back and this dude felt me up at an art gallery yesterday," Steve said.

Two Brooklynites and One Big Apple

Pairings: Miles Morales & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers

“You did good out there today,” Captain America said, brushing a layer of detritus from his unfathomably broad shoulder. “I’ll see you around.”

“Not if I see you first,” replied Miles, fingergunning with one hand as he sent a web rope fwipping off into the distance with the other, catapulting himself away at tremendous speed.

... in which two superheroes battle with bad guys, embark on community art lessons, and a friendship forms along the way.

Battle Fatigue

Steve thought he was doing okay. Things weren't going great, but they were fine, manageable even, and then suddenly they weren't.

We Become New Yorkers (or: Five Times Steve Rogers Looked For Home, and One Time Home Found Him)

New York is a million cities at the same time. This is how Steve found his.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

In which Steve and Peter learn that the best way to get through a bad situation is together. And to avoid collapsing buildings. And that concussions are terrible, terrible things.

Leviticus 25

"You want to save Bucky Barnes? You are going to have to put your own house in order first because he is going to need a rock to cling to. You are not ready to be that rock for him. You owe it to him -- and more importantly, you owe it to yourself -- to figure things out, figure out how you can be happy in this time and place, whether or not Barnes is with you."

Strike

Sometimes the road to recovery involves bowling. Conveniently, so does the one to the Grand Canyon.

Conversation in Wakanda

“I have been told that you had the privilege to share a training session with some of our Dora Milaje,” T’Challa says. “May I ask how it went?”

“Well,” the Captain huffs. “There’s no polite way to say it: I had my ass handed to me. Repeatedly.”

He sounds and looks utterly delighted.

Contact Light

Everyone thought computers would be the thing that really blew Steve's mind about the 21st century. They were wrong. When he finds out that he missed the moon landing, it's the start of an ongoing obsession with space that maybe involves Neil deGrasse Tyson, Twitter, and Star Trek marathons.

Twenty-Two

“This is Lucky,” Clint said when a dog got between him and Natasha. Lucky’s vest was bright, like desert mornings and night explosions.

“Does he help?” Natasha asked.

Clint pressed his hands flat on the counter behind him. “He saved my life.”

Natasha looked at Steve, her expression fierce. Steve resisted the urge to yank down his sleeves. Instead, he dug his nails into the puckered skin on his forearms.

AKA An AU in which Steve is a veteran just trying to survive (or not).

Gray

Peter doesn't expect Steve to show up at his house one night when he gets home from school. He also doesn't expect to have a long conversation with him, and choose to be on his side instead.

We're Happy, Free, Confused, and Lonely at the Same Time.

"Tony isn't sure, but he *thinks* Steve Rogers is going to try and argue with him about not being a kid, while wrapped up in a fluffy blanket and plaid pyjama pants watching a Disney movie. Tony really hopes that is the case. The Captain America voice looses all affect when wrapped up in that blanket and Tony can't wait to inform him as such." - The one where Tony realises that Captain America and Steve Rogers are not the same person, and Steve is so much younger then he thought.

This Isn't A Love Song, This Isn't A Fable

Steve's not OK with people's perception of Captain America, no matter what he says or how much he pretends otherwise. It's like no one in this time period realizes that there's more to him than a spangly outfit. And yes, he's including the Avengers in that. ... or, the one where everything's all right, until it's not.

it's safe here in our new world

Post TWS. In which Natasha and Steve go shopping, have Thursday night movie nights, and learn that Natasha loves to platonically kiss Steve. Which is good, because Steve loves being platonically kissed by Natasha.

Shadowboxing

Pairings: Matt Murdock & Steve Rogers

It doesn’t matter how many times you fall – what matters most is how many times you get back up. Steve Rogers knew this lesson far too well and it was one Matt Murdock had endured all his life. With both men at their lowest, could a chance friendship bring each of them to their feet again?

Everybody Eats When They Come to My House

Pairings: Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers

“You’ll ruin your dinner,” Sam says, gesturing with Steve with his spatula.

i fear for the calendar; its days are numbered

Pairings: Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson

Before she goes off the grid, Natasha gives Steve her phone number. He’s honored that he’s the only one to be trusted with it, but quickly learns that she spends most of her free time texting him Dad jokes.

Status Quo Ante

Pairings: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers

A tale in which Sam suspects he should be used to this by now, for values of 'this' that involve certain folks he hangs out with and situations he finds himself in, Team Cap becomes Team Ex-Cap becomes TBD, and nobody but Clint really wants to know what happened to Scott Lang's GI Joes. (Sam Wilson from the final scene to the mid-credits scene.)

The Glass Parade

Pairings: Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov

Steve thinks that he’s seen Natasha be at least three different people in the short time he’s known her, and he isn’t sure which one is real.

In which the most confusing part of the future is how much Steve has in common with Natasha, and the fact that she seems dead-set on being his friend.

Still Life

Steve Rogers and a very modern form of art therapy. (The one where Steve draws himself out of despair and into some notoriety when his cartoons hit the internet, but he's still not allowed to look at Tumblr without an okay from Pepper.)

Selective Service

The serum's given Steve a lot, but it hasn't taken anything away from him. Not even the things he never wanted in the first place.

I'm a Hustler, Baby

Steve Rogers has a talent for pool--and for making others believe he's terrible at it.

The Healing Properties of Felt-Tip Pens

Rapid healing has worked wonders on Steve Rogers' body, but occasionally it really screws with his head. In the aftermath of torture, Bruce Banner helps Steve to reconcile mind and body.

If I Die Before I Wake

It's his job, as their leader, to endure the sadistic focus of their captor, and that is the one thought that carries Steve through.

Even Gods Do

Captain America doesn't have a good relationship with sleep anymore. Also, he's not a toy.

Under My Skin

Written for a prompt on avengerkink: I want to see something where, for whatever reason, Steve's accelerated healing turns out to be a bad thing. Something where the faster healing is making things worse. I would prefer something other than the standard, super-healing allows for more torture without death. “He's lucky – to have the serum, to have you all.” Tony wasn't sure about that first part. When one faced death and destruction every day on the job, there were many advantages to having a healing factor...and a great many disadvantages as well.

A Glossary of the 21st Century

Pairings: pre-Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov

Steve's sick of not understanding what's going on, and the team are not all that helpful, so he starts keeping an illustrated notebook for further research. With the help of wiki, google and Logan he starts to settle in and find his place in the twenty-first century.

Blanket Gift Policy

“You didn’t,” Bucky said, with no real hope of being contradicted. Clint shrugged helplessly and passed him the large, soft bundle wrapped in shiny purple foil.

“Sorry.” Tony covered his eyes with one hand.

“I’m getting a migraine.”

“So,” Bruce said wearily, “counting Clint, me, Bucky, Tony, and Sam, that brings it up to five.”

“Excuse you, mine’s not a blanket,” Sam said. “Mine’s a slanket. Big difference.”

Bucky resisted the urge to throw the whole heap of parcels at Sam’s head. “Because it has sleeves? It’s still a blanket, Wilson. They’re all blankets. Even Thor’s direct-from-Asgard raven gift delivery was a cloak, which just means it’s a blanket with a strap. We all got Steve a goddamn blanket.”

One Tin Soldier

Written for a prompt at avengerkink: Because really, under any other circumstances, why would they follow him when he's some guy who's younger than the rest of them (time as a Capsicle aside), who goes around wearing that spangly outfit, who's not even used to the modern world? Why Steve Rogers, rather than a Norse god or the CEO of Stark Industries or anyone else?

“Love is for children,” she'd said, but respect knew no such bounds. The five times the Avengers accepted Steve as their leader, and the one time they followed without question.

and if there's life we'll see it

Steve is instantly taken with this idea of having the picture of the person calling you flash on your screen when they ring your cell.

Secure Your Own Oxygen Mask (Before Assisting Others)

Steve keeps going, because they need him. Being Captain America - having the serum - is a responsibility and a privilege he takes seriously, and he won't waste it by sitting around resting in the middle of a crisis. But then the work is over, and the original victims of the crisis aren't the only ones needing looking after.

Way of the Eagle

Clint introduces Steve to kung-fu movies. Things escalate quickly.

Walking Wounded

In the aftermath of the battle against the Chitauri, Steve's doing just fine. Until he's not. Fortunately, Thor is a perfect mother-hen, Tony makes decent back-up, JARVIS is a genius, and Soap Operas are life-changing. (Or, Post-Shawarma Feels.)

[true-blue-megamind]

What Makes Hal a Great Villain?

Okay, I’m saying it upfront: this one is going to get a little dark and very real.  Potential triggers for harassment, stalking, sexual predation.  Nothing graphic or heavy, of course, but if these are especially highly sensitive subjects for you, please proceed with caution.

Also, SPOILER ALERT for anyone who has not yet watched the animated awesomeness that is Megamind.  (If you are that person, the DVD is on sale on Amazon, and the movie is available to stream on NowTV.  Go watch it.  I’ll wait.)

We all know Megamind is an awesome protagonist--multi-layered, relatable, and surprisingly complex-- but, truthfully, his antagonist is just as interesting.  In fact, when compared with other animated villains of the early 2000′s, he’s by far the most memorable... and the most terrifying.

Many may question my assessment.  I mean, let’s be honest: this guy doesn’t exactly look like the face of evil.  But make no mistake: Hal, who later becomes Titan, is an extremely scary person.

I don’t want to leave readers with the impression that this character is one-sided, however, so before we get started on just what makes this fellow complete nightmare fuel, let’s look briefly at a few of the other reasons that Hal makes a fascinating Bad Guy.

One of my favorite things about Hal’s character arch is that it defies expectations.  Superhero comics have a long tradition of Average Nobodies who somehow receive extraordinary powers and go on to save the city.  Or the world.  Or the universe.  You get the idea.  Many comic book fans, upon watching Megamind for the first time, probably expected Hal to do the same, but he doesn’t.  In fact, he goes rogue, choosing to use his newly-obtained gifts for wanton destruction.  Thus the film inverts the established trope.

Like the protagonist he faces, (and is thankfully conquered by,) Hal is complex, and his true nature reveals itself slowly.  I’ve heard some people say that they actually felt a bit sorry for him in the first scene he appears, as he awkwardly tries to express his feelings to reporter Roxanne Ritchi.  At first he seemed like nothing worse than a socially inept and sexually frustrated nerd.  Only as the move progressed, and the aforementioned viewers saw his creepiness more clearly, did they begin to revile him.  One of the many clever things about the movie is that the gradual development provides audiences with the experience of slowly getting to know the characters.  While Megamind is the somewhat anarchical Goth who worries you a little at first, but whose heart of gold has you loving him once you really understand him, Hal is that guy you really, really regret talking to at a party.  You know, the one who quickly starts sending your internal Creep-o-Meter off the scale and persistently follows you around for the rest of the night.  This is, indeed, part of what makes Hal disturbing; just like real villains, he hides in plain sight, wearing the guise of an ordinary fellow.

Which brings us back to the scary part.  Even before he gets superpowers, Hal is bad guy deep down.  He’s a creep and a stalker.  He harasses Roxanne at work and keeps pestering her for a date no matter how many times she says no.  Either consciously or unconsciously, he assumes that she’s shallow, and that once he has a muscular body and a bevy of godlike abilities, she’ll fawn on him.  The idea that he himself might be the problem never seems to occur to him.  In fact, he seems to feel that she will then owe him her affection.  This is because, even before becoming Titan, Hal appears to have an overblown sense of self-importance and an unrealistic concept about what he deserves.  (I go into detail about that in an earlier post, Megamind and Identity, which you can read here.)  The fact that he doesn’t get what he feels is his right seems to have created a deep-seeded bitterness in him that rises to the surface once he obtains power.

But Hal really is the problem.  His combined possessive harassment and complete lack of empathy are exactly why Roxanne neither likes nor trusts him.  And she’s right to feel that way.  Almost immediately after gaining his powers, now feeling that he is above society’s rules, Titan begins revealing just how terrible of a person he really is.  He uses his supervision to spy on Roxanne while he and Megamind (disguised as Space Dad) are in the park, and that must not be the only incident because he later tells Roxanne: “I know everything about you.”  This is just before he grabs her off of her balcony, without her consent, and begins throwing her around like a rag doll, terrifying her and putting her life in real danger because, apparently, he thinks she’ll be impressed.

Yeah.  This guy is pretty much human garbage.

Once he finally understands (more or less) that Roxanne really means it when she says she’s not interested, Hal/Titan reveals himself to be a man-child.  He  begins by using his abilities for selfish and criminal reasons, essentially stating that he doesn’t feel heroism is worth his time.  When he learns that Megamind has been dating Roxanne, (albeit in disguise,) he reacts with violence.  This is because Megamind, like Hal himself, is an outsider: unpopular, unwelcome, and considered unattractive by most of the population of Metro City.  In Hal’s mind, this revelation highlights the fact that none of these factors were the cause of Roxanne’s rejection, leaving only he himself to blame.  (In fact, the movie contrasts Megamind, who, although imperfect, respects Roxanne’s wishes and intelligence, with Hal, who basically views her as an object to be won.  Again, you can read more about that in Megamind and Identity.) Hal can’t handle that.  He can’t accept it.  So instead he turns his rage on the city as a whole.  (This is despite the fact that, deep down, Hal knows he is the problem, hence why he rejects his identity as Hal and fully embraces the new one as Titan.  That’s illustrated by his final line before abandoning Roxanne on Metro Tower: “It’s Titan, not Hal!”)

Hal abuses his power, and society suffers as a result.  Even then, however, Hal/Titan still tries to lay claim to Roxanne.  He accuses Megamind of “stealing his girlfriend,” and later tells Roxanne: “Let me guess, after seeing how awesome I am, you’ve come to your senses.”  All the way to the end, Hal still can’t quite seem to accept that reality is not following his design.

If the idea of a man who lets power go to his head, objectifies women, won’t take “no” for an answer, and reacts violently when denied what he feels he’s owed sounds familiar, that’s because it is.  Humanity has a huge problem with these sorts of behaviors, ranging from sexism and sexual predation to unfeeling abuses of power.  The Sarah Everard case in London, and the fact that several officials essentially blamed the victim, asking why Sarah was walking home alone rather than asking why some guy felt he had the right to attack her, is the most recent well-known testament to this, but it’s sadly far from the only one.  A.J. White said it best in his YouTube video, The Terror of the Incel Superman, when he expressed that news archives are full of stories about women being murdered by the sort of overgrown boys who can’t accept their refusals.  And although men of that sort do not have the ability to fly or shoot lasers out of their eyes, some of them do rise to social and political power.  They are Hals. 

That is exactly what makes this character so especially scary.  Unlike more farcical supervillains, he is based upon something that truly exists.  Preternatural abilities aside, Hal is terrifying because he is very real.  Let’s just hope our world will see more Megaminds willing to stand up to them. #BeMegamindNotHal

[angry-geese]

Fireside

Leone Abbacchio x Gn!Reader

Warnings: sfw. mentions of violence and injury. pre vento aureo

Notes: how Abbacchio met his s/o + some relationship fluff

When Abbacchio heard that there was going to be a new member of Bucciarati's gang, he was less than thrilled.

Abbacchio hated when the group expanded. He hated the new faces, the new names to memorize, and how didn't know them yet. He had no way of knowing if they were reliable or not. He hated change. Every day for him was on repeat: get up, work for Bruno, drink himself to sleep. He was content with the way things were. He's never eager to see something change.

If you had any say in the matter, you would have never joined Passione. After a debt brought on by your family, you found yourself running out of options. It was join or die. You would be assigned to Bucciarati's gang after passing Polpo's test. The stand you gained wasn't strong enough for you to join the guard, or even the hitman team. For that, you often considered yourself lucky. Things could always be better; its them getting worse that worries you.

Passione was nothing like the old mafia movies you watched as a kid. You're not quite sure what you expected, but this was a lot worse.

Bruno was a decent leader- his teammates respected him and he only tried to kill you once. Compared to some of the others, you had it easy. Narancia and Mista warmed up to you rather quick. They were a bit hyper for your liking, but soon grew on you. Fugo took longer to come around, but eventually got used to you. When Abbacchio first laid eyes on you, he couldn't figure out why you were there. For as new as you were, you held your own pretty well. You weren't outright weak, but it was clear you had not been in the life for long. It was impressive, but not enough to say anything about it. Compared to the others, you were reserved. That didn't mean you were quiet. If the others got you going, you could be just as loud as them. Nobody was spared from your and Narancia's pranks. You grew into your stand. Bucciarati made the transition easier. They quickly became family; your annoying brothers and adoptive father.

Early on Abbacchio was a real prick.

Overall he was hostile and prickly. His personality was hard to get along with. In the beginning you kept your distance. You quickly became too consumed with work to worry about him, and pushed him to the back of your mind. Abbacchio gave you a week before you either broke down, or were killed. For him to respect a newer member, they had to prove themselves to the gang.

You lasted longer than he expected you to.

Over the year that you would work for Bucciarati, you had only been assigned on a handful of jobs with Abbacchio. Your conversations had been few, and only in passing. It pissed you off just a little bit. While you weren't the most personable either- at times you were outwardly hostile- you figured he'd have come around by now. With as aggressive as you could be, it shocked him just how easily you charmed the others. To him, it almost felt artificial; it was a skill bred from the need to survive in Passione's underground, not true charisma. He never failed to let you know that you hadn't proved yourself to him.

You two were only sent on the same assignment together because everyone else was busy. Despite your reservations about Abbacchio, there wasn't much you wouldn't do for Bruno. It was only one job. If it was that bad, you'd ask to not be partnered with him again.

Your job was to retrieve a dead drop, then return to the hideout. It wasn't anything high-stakes. Abbacchio sat the entire car ride in silence. It wasn't hard to tell when he was having a rough day. He was never the most talkative, but he always participated in whatever conversation the others were having- if only to insult them. Today he was quiet, which didn't seem like a good sign. If someone gave you an inch, you'd take a mile. Getting them to talk was a way to get the ball rolling. Any polite conversation you tried to have was shot down with a glare, so you quickly scrapped that idea. You figured he was hungover, and thought it best to leave him alone.

You suppose it was better than him complaining. There was only so much you could put up with.

It was really no fault of your own that things went wrong. Expect everything that can go wrong, to go wrong. The mission wasn't supposed to be high-stakes; there was no reason why another group would be after the dead drop. A rival gang spotted you and went for the package. Abbacchio took it and ran while you tried to hold them off for as long as possible.

As you were heading back to the car, you were cornered.

The kid couldn't have been much younger than you. He aimed a gun between you and Abbacchio, who was only a few feet behind you. He gives you two no time to respond, and only hesitates for a moment when he pulls the trigger.

He missed.

You still don't know how he missed, only taking a moment to thank whatever higher power that just saved your ass. That didn't stop your short life from flashing before your eyes. The bullet struck the ground just a few feet behind you, sending up a spray of dirt and rocks. Part of him couldn't believe that someone was willing to take a bullet for him. Really, you were just trying to protect the package, but it was probably better if he didn't know that.

On the trip back home he scolded you for being so reckless. Since the kid missed, you saw no issue in it. What he feels isn't a sense of pride, more than it is guilt.

He found you less annoying than he'd ever admit.

Whatever you did, it planted the seed of affection within him. Admittedly he was the last place to nurture feelings, and akin to planting flowers in a barren desert while refusing to water them, it didn't stop it from blooming.

There was a mutual respect between the two of you. The man was a mess, and rarely sober, but began to pick himself up a bit. This did not go unnoticed, though the others rarely mentioned it. You would go on to be assigned more jobs together. He was getting less and less vocal about how much he disliked you. While you didn't talk much, you spent a lot of time together. He often found your presence comforting. He'd grown to not only tolerate your company, but enjoy it. The two of you would never admit to being friends- he was too stubborn for that- but that's what you seemed to be.

On late nights he'd walk with you to your apartment. He claimed he didn't want you to get mugged, and that you lived in a bad part of town, but the act was dropped when you mentioned him being chivalrous. You would invite him in for a drink or two. While you didn't want to encourage his bad habits, he never said no to a glass of wine. He never said no to you. You'd had gotten used to being around him. The little spare time you had was spent with him- not doing anything in particular. It never had to be anything special, often times you just lounged around the hideout together.

One night he was out for a job later than usual.

He insisted on taking this one alone. Bruno raised an eyebrow to that, but made no comment on it. Abbacchio had been in a bad mood all day, and while they couldn't prove it was you, the others had the sneaking suspicion it was. You argued. Often. It was rarely serious. He showed his affection by bullying people. What he threw at you, you would send right back.

As much as you didn't like him going alone, you didn't fight it. Mostly out of spite.

By then the others had gone to bed- or gone home for the night. It was only you left at the hideout. On the few nights he'd go straight home, he'd shoot you a text. There wasn't any particular reason you stayed back for him. Maybe it was a gut feeling. It felt a bit childish to wait by the door. He was your partner and you weren't eager to see him sent back in a pine box. Unfortunately, he was important to you.

By the time the door opens, you're dozing off. You're on your feet the moment you hear it.

"You scared the hell out of me." You say.

"The front door. Scared you." He says.

"You scared me," dramatically you roll your eyes, "asshole. You always tell me when you'll be gone this late."

His heart races when you give him a once-over for injuries. While you don't touch him, the way your gaze travels over his body makes him a bit anxious. On his best days he doesn't want to be looked at, on his worst its unimaginable- he just doesn't want to be perceived. If he had any say in it, he wouldn't care about how you saw him. But you make him worry about how others view him.

"This isn't your blood I hope." You say.

Slowly he nods.

You motion for him to sit, before grabbing the first-aid kit from the other room. The wound looks better when all the blood is cleaned away, and doesn't appear to need stitches. Gently you set your hand on his. It's rather cold. When he doesn't pull away- or show any sign of discomfort- you wrap your arms around his neck.

"What are you-"

"Just let me have this." You say. "We don't have to talk about it ever again."

His arms awkwardly wrap around you, his head resting in the crook of your neck. He can't remember the last time someone has held him like this. The smell of your shampoo is comforting. His heartbeat drops for a second before picking up in pace.

"I was worried about you." You say.

No matter how many times he goes over it in his head, he still doesn't believe it. It's not that he doesn't feel the same way- he's head-over-heels for you- but he's in denial about it.

"I love you."

It's under your breath, and so quiet that he almost has to do a double take.

"Say it again..." He says.

"I love you."

He doesn't believe it, but he's so content in your arms he won't question it. He could die happy in this moment.

It would take the others weeks to realize you two were dating.

To their credit, it was sooner than you expected. Not much changed when you made things official. Abbacchio wasn't a fan of pda. They were only tipped off because of Narancia. The prank was harmless- he did that sort of thing all the time- but god it pissed Abbacchio off. Nobody had seen him that mad in years. When you told him to calm down, and that it didn't bother you, he sat in the corner to brood.

You moved in together not long after that. The change felt natural, and took little effort from either of you. It was easy to settle into a routine with him, seeing as you spent so much time at his apartment anyway. Abbacchio always woke up first, although he stayed in bed until you woke up. He's not sentimental- nor will he ever admit to be- but he never passed up the opportunity to watch you while you were so at peace. His nightmares existed long before Passione. He rarely slept, and usually got four hours on a good night. Sleeping next to you helped.

On the rare days off you had together, you spent your time lounging around your apartment. When he was sober, he was a decent cook, and often made dinner for the two of you. He preferred dates at home, over going out in public. He'd bring you coffee while the two of you would watch Italian soap operas. If he was feeling particularly soft, he'd let you braid his hair. Physical touch was something he was still getting used to. It's not that he didn't like it; it was unfamiliar to him and that made him uncomfortable. If it made you happy, he'd try it, even if he personally didn't see the appeal.

He often finds himself thinking about the future. Before it never seemed too bright. Thinking about his past is an almost immediate slope into self loathing. He wasn't all better, but he was healing. Both you and Bruno made sure of that. There wasn't much that he wouldn't do for you.

Every day he wakes up slightly more in love than the last.

[rexsjaigeyes]

congrats on the milestone🎉🎉🎉 I woke up feeling angsty so.... 18 with Boba if u want!👉👈💞💞

Thank you! I know this is really late, but hopefully you still want that angst!

Prompt #18 by @starrynightdeancas: “I don’t trust you anymore.”

Boba Fett x gender neutral reader

Words: 1.3k (I am so sorry lmao it was supposed to be a drabble)

Warnings: so much angst, semi-unhappy ending

A/N: Think of this as an alternate version of Rekindle. Not necessary to read it before reading this, but def has a similar plot so it might sound familiar to some.

You couldn’t believe your eyes. You should have known that the whispers of his name within Tatooine wouldn’t have been for nothing, but you were not prepared to come face-to-face with Boba Fett. To others, he was purely a fearsome bounty hunter and now practically royalty. But to you, he was a ghost from your past — your thought-to-be-dead lover and a former partner whom you trusted with your life.

You knew it was selfish to think about the meaning behind him keeping such a secret from you, but you couldn’t help but wonder what you had done to wrong him so much that he never told you he was alive. Was your whole relationship a lie? The relationship on which you had built years of trust suddenly vanished as soon as you set your eyes on his freshly-painted armor. Bile rose to your throat as you locked eyes with the green helmet across the throne room.

You felt like you were frozen in place, your feet staying rooted to your spot in the corner of the crowded room. He held your gaze for far too long, and every second that passed made you feel smaller and smaller under his unwavering gaze. A woman approached you, and you wouldn’t have even noticed her if she hadn’t stopped right in front of your line of sight. You almost jumped back, so unaware of your surroundings that you hadn’t even heard the woman sneak up on you.

She regarded you with a stoic expression, only sparing a quick inquisitive glance over your body before nodding over her shoulder and demanding, “Follow me.”

You knew she was taking you to Boba, and as much as it scared you to finally confront him, you felt more intimidated by the woman in front of you, so you wordlessly did as she said. She weaved through the crowd, expecting you to be a few steps behind her without sparing a glance over her shoulder to check. If you weren’t shaking from nerves, you would have been in awe of the intricate palace as she led you down a hallway to a small room isolated from the noise of the throne room.

She told you to wait there, but you felt like jumping out a window if it meant you could escape this poorly-planned attempt to gain closure from your old lover. It was too late for you to berate yourself any further because the door slid open, and you inhaled sharply as Boba entered the room. And just like that, you already felt your resolve slipping. He looked as large and imposing as ever, but you knew that beneath all the armor, there must have been at least some of the man you grew to love all those years ago.

He approached you slowly before carefully lifting a hand to your cheek. You didn’t mean to wrench your head away, but your body moved of its own accord, and you were shocked to feel wetness on your cheeks as you looked away from him. He didn’t move or say a word, and you knew he’d stay like that forever if you didn’t make the first move. So with angry tears streaming down your face, you said what had been on your mind since the moment you heard he was alive.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Boba?”

His silence felt deafening, and it only made you angrier. You looked up from the ground, once again locking eyes on that damn helmet that you hated at this moment. He didn’t even have the decency to show you his face — the face you had memorized and longed to see again. It seemed like everything he had once trusted you with was now gone, and it hurt far too much to see how distant he was with you. Despising the silence, you decided to take advantage of it and let the bubble of emotions within your chest finally burst.

“I thought you were dead,” you spat with narrowed eyes. You wished you could gauge his emotions, but it was always so hard with the helmet on. He stood still while you continued, “I mourned you, Boba. Do you understand that I thought you were gone this whole time? For 5 years...”

He still remained silent, and your eyes searched his visor for any sign that he even acknowledged the weight of what you said. Scoffing, you decided this was a waste of time if he didn’t even want to answer you. You made a move for the door, but he stopped you with a hand wrapped around your wrist.

“Wait,” he said softly, and you almost cried again just from hearing that voice that you hadn’t heard in so long. “Let me explain.”

You turned, desperately trying not to lean back into his embrace once his hand left your wrist. A beat of silence passed, and you felt your patience wear thin. Boba stuttered as he tried to explain himself — something you hadn’t expected from someone like him. But as he tripped over his words, you deciphered what he was ultimately trying to say.

He never found you because he had other things he had to take care of. You understood what he was trying to say, and you empathized with everything he had gone through on his own. But it hurt that he thought he couldn’t reach out to you for help. And the worst part was that you were all alone for the past 5 years, when you could have been with the most important person in your life instead.

“I could have helped you,” you whispered, feeling more tears well in your eyes. “You didn’t have to go through that alone. And you have no idea what I went through on my own too, Boba. I had no one else but you.”

But he already knew that last bit. That’s what stung the most. He knew everything about your past and that you were all alone in such a large galaxy. You had all but pledged your allegiance to him so many years ago, promising to stay by his side no matter what. And you thought he meant it when he promised the same thing too, albeit a bit begrudgingly. Was it all just a lie?

You could have sworn you heard a soft whisper of an apology before Boba reached out for you again. You let him hold your face this time, but you couldn’t bear to look at him while your tears stained your cheeks.

“I’m here now, cyare.” His thumb brushed away one of your tears, but you cringed at the familiar Mando’a nickname he had given you so long ago. “You can join me here, at the palace,” he offered.

You had half a mind to take him up on that offer. But you knew that the hurt you still felt would only fester into more distrust for Boba. You needed time, and you needed to know he wouldn’t leave you again.

“I’m sorry.” You shook your head and pulled away from him, your heart lurching in your throat as you tried to say the words you wish you didn’t have to say. “I don’t know if I can trust you anymore. I– I need time.” You turned your back on him, unable to look at him, even with his face covered by the helmet. “Goodbye, Boba,” you murmured over your shoulder, trying to keep more tears at bay with a shuddering breath.

You weren’t sure how much time you’d need, but you hoped that one day, you’d be able to return to the palace and join Boba’s side. And until that day comes, maybe you could finally learn to live on your own, without relying on a ghost from your past.

-----------

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[marvelbbyx]

Hell Hath no...Envy? (Envy Adams x Fem! Reader)

Request: @anon “hi love!!! wanted to please request a envy x reader? following the league on the other one where nobody knows you’re together and she’s your softie BUT.... she’s also possessive??? some other band lead manager or singer trying to flirt with you all night and she’s DONE WITH IT? mine??? (of course smut if you’re comfortable only!!!)”

Author’s Note: Part two to Your Sweet and Sour Girl!!

Warnings! SMUT!! Lucky Y/N...😭

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night was long and arduous, but everything eventually went as planned and the concert was a raging success. Not that it came as a surprise to you of course, and in your opinion, you felt that it was the best one so far. So did Envy, because the second that the concert ended she took you to the tour bus to do some ‘warm-up vocals’ on her 10,000 thread count satin sheets. And the “I love yous” that were exchanged earlier only fueled the fire.

You were on the road to a gig in San Francisco, and you had a meeting first thing in the morning with another band manager for a tour plan—but at the moment—you were more focused on the way Envy’s lips tasted. You were on top of her, clothes forlorn and scattered haphazardly around her room; because neither of you couldn’t wait any longer and needed to have each other at that moment. Breathless moans escaped between kisses while your hands traveled each other’s bodies, exploring and memorizing every inch of each other. You freeze mid-kiss when you hear Todd call out for you,

“Y/N! You got a phone call!” You heard him bang on your door.

“Shit!” You hiss pulling yourself off of Envy, the both of you scrambling out of bed and rushing to put your clothes on.

“These people have a Spidey sense whenever we’re alone,” Envy murmured sourly as she pulls up her pants. “It’s starting to get annoying.”

“I know, we can never get any time to ourselves.” You say sliding on your leggings and then your bra. You hear Todd call you again, banging on your door like he was a police officer. “Fuck, where’s my shirt?”

“I think it’s under the bed,” Envy whispers. “It’s okay I’ll give you one.”

“Don’t you think he’ll know?”

“No, he can barely remember his cues let alone what you and I wear.”

It was true, the last time you got interrupted you slipped on Envy’s signature white jacket, practically parading around in it as you were talking to him. To which he never noticed.

“Well, maybe if you didn’t act like a spoiled brat things would be different!” You shouted at her mouthing after for her play along.

“I can act however I want! You’re the one that has to do whatever I say!” She shouts, quickly catching on to your plan.

“I don’t have to do shit you say!” You retort.

“Then why are you still here? Last time I checked you can leave whenever you want!” Envy hands you a Clash at Demonhead t-shirt, you go to pull it over your head but a part of the shirt gets snagged on your bra.

“Babe—I’m stuck. Oh god,” You croaked in a panicked whisper, your arms caught in an awkward position above your head. “If you don’t want me here so bad, then fire me!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay, relax.” She moves behind you and tries to pull the shirt down from your bra only to get it tangled even more. “Damn, this thing’s on there really good -ahem- I mean...I would, but then you’d probably never find a better job!”

“Wow! Not like I haven’t heard that empty threat before!” Envy manages to get the shirt free, you pull it down; smoothing out any wrinkles before you would speak with Todd. “I love you.” You whisper only for her to hear.

“I love you too,” She plants a small kiss on your nose before moving to your lips.

Your fingers found the door handle, angrily storming out the room and meeting the white-haired band mate outside of your room, he was holding the landline in one hand while his eyes scanned you up and down curiously. “Were you wearing that shirt before?”

“Yes,” You answered quickly, snatching the phone from him. “I changed after the concert.”

“Ookay, it was just a question, Y/N.” Todd raised his hands in surrender before heading off to his room.

You breathe out a sigh of relief, then answer the phone in your best professional voice. “Hello, this is Y/N L/N, manager of The Clash at Demonhead, may I ask who’s calling?”

“Hello, Miss L/N, this is Caroline Briggs band manager for Heroines Of Hiking.”

“Ah yes, H-O-H, I’m a big fan.” You giggle.

“Yes, about our meeting tomorrow morning, was there a specific time that you wanted to meet?”

“No, I’m pretty flexible and comfortable with whatever time you wanted to meet.”

“Oh good, and also if it wasn’t too much trouble, do you think that Envy would be opposed to meeting Amber?”

“Umm...”

The answer would be yes. The answer would ALWAYS be yes. Amber was the lead singer to Heroines Of Hiking and she had the same temperament as Envy when she didn’t get her way. Maybe even worse. But like The Clash at Demonhead, Heroines of Hiking was a top-grossing band and this tour was very important to both music lovers and the bands. A highly talked about conversation over the past year.

You weren’t worried about the income from the tour, you could care less about that. But what did concern was whether or not your lover would get along with the other HBIC from a different band.

“I know how you feel,” Caroline spoke up before you could finish. “I feel the same way, I kinda didn’t want this tour to happen myself.”

“I’m just worried about the fire and gasoline situation.” You admit with a breath. “I’m not sure how it’ll affect the tour.”

“If stuff gets too out of hand then we can cancel it?” She suggests.

“I wouldn’t want that though, and I’m sure Nat—I mean—Envy wouldn’t either.” You say.

“No, of course not.”

“But what I do think is that we should keep them apart as much as possible so that there isn’t a chance for problems to start.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” Caroline acknowledged.

“Great, is there anything else that you wanted to discuss?”

“No, no, I think we’ve settled it.” You can hear the smile in her voice.

You smiled back. “Alright, then I’ll see you tomorrow at...”

“9:30.”

“Perfect, see you then.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Next Morning [9:31 a.m.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I hope you know what a terrible idea this is.” Your girlfriend huffed.

You were in an elevator leading up to Caroline’s office for the meeting, Envy had been griping the entire way. More now than ever. As if the second that the bus touched Californian soil, she grew tense and agitated like an animal before a storm.

“Sweetheart,” You tried to soothe her nerves by placing a hand on her cheek. “I’m sure it won’t be that bad.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re not the one performing with a stuck up bitch.” Envy bit harshly.

You laugh toying with a lock of her hair, “Hearing you say that is so weird.”

“And you’re not making it any easier for me...especially when you’re wearing that outfit.” She says, her eyes raking along the curves of your body. Her hands gingerly finding their way to your waist.

You wore a white collared blouse, accompanied by a skin-tight black pencil skirt and a matching blazer, the final touches were your black suede Louboutin heels and gold hooped earrings. You looked good, making you feel good too. Envy certainly seemed to think so—seeing as she couldn’t keep her hands off of you.

“Behave, Nat,” You tell her.

“But, Y/N,” She whines.

“If you act right during the meeting, I’ll give you a reward afterward.” Your voice was subtly sensual and smooth, a velvety whisper which got Envy’s attention fast. “And we can do it in this building, where we can be alone.”

Your lips covered hers in a long warm kiss that left her short of breath, slowly gaining momentum and passion but ceased when the elevator dinged to a stop. You pull away quickly once the doors slid open, Envy whining at the loss of your touch. Caroline waited for you on the other side of the metal doors as well as Amber, who looked like she never wanted to be here.

You felt like a mother bringing her child to a play date and expected said child to act appropriately so that you wouldn’t embarrassed. But the thing with Envy was that she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind or stand down for anyone WHATSOEVER.

Caroline walks up to you with a grin, holding out her hand for you to take. “Hello! And good morning, Miss L/N and Miss Adams, I hope the drive wasn’t too terrible.”

“Oh, no not all,” You smile. “Trust me, after being in a tour bus for a while, no drive is that bad. Then again, I’m not the one driving.”

Caroline breathes out a laugh. “Well, I can’t argue with that, and how are you, Miss Adams?”

Envy forces a smile. “I’m great, thank you for asking.”

Amber stood by not saying a word, instead, she smiled, but not at Envy...but at you and not just a regular smile either. Of course, you were too caught up with Caroline to notice the girl staring at you like you were the last meal she’d ever receive. Even though you didn’t notice, your girlfriend did and it made her see red—or was it green?

You extend a hand out to Amber with a smile, “I’m a big fan of your work,” You began. “Not as much as Demonhead, but around there.”

She takes your hand. “Oh, I’m not worried, but I have a feeling you’ll be a Heroine fan after the tour.”

“We’ll see,” You chuckle. As you tried to let go of her hand, Amber kept a firm hold of it.

“You have soft hands.” She says, her thumb caressing the top of your hand.

“Thank you.” You say meekly.

A pang of jealousy struck Envy’s chest like an arrow to the heart, followed by a firm hand clapping on top of your shoulder, pulling you away from Amber. In turn, made her angry as well.

“Umm, follow me...my office is right this way.”

~~~~~~~~~

Throughout the duration of the meeting, Envy’s hand was placed protectively on your thigh the entire time. She didn’t even hear a word you or Caroline had exchanged, all she was worried about was someone moving in on her territory. And you weren’t just up for grabs either, that whole stunt with the ‘soft hands’ made her go feral. Holding/touching you as you made your way to Caroline’s office and after the meeting, you were good on your word. Giving her her reward for holding her tongue.

Although the same couldn’t be said for you, Envy couldn’t wait any longer and pulled you into the nearest office, making you scream as she brought you nirvana over and over and over again. Oh, how your legs quaked afterward...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the first night of the tour, and Heroines Of Hiking was the first to go on stage. You were backstage helping out the band, you couldn’t afford anything to go wrong tonight. No wardrobe malfunctions, no faulty stage lights, no sound booth problems, absolutely nothing could go wrong.

Envy couldn’t say the same.

All day long, she would hear: “Y/N, you wanna share a pack of skittles?” or “Y/N, come watch me sing!” or “Y/N, what do you think about this outfit?” And she was livid. Fortunately, you wouldn’t give Amber the time of day, claiming that you would be busy or had something else to take care of. But the more you said no the more driven Amber was. And what really drove her crazy, was when you had to be around Amber.

If Caroline was busy or had to take care of business elsewhere you had to step in and take care of things on the Heroine side, one of them was helping Amber squeeze into a lace corset. Your hands were meant for Envy and her alone, everything about you was meant for her.

“She’s been bothering you all day.” Envy says through clenched teeth. “Doesn’t it get annoying?”

“It does, but I don’t pay any mind to her.” You reply as you finish sewing a button on Envy’s dress.

“I would hope not.” She grumbles.

You set down your sewing kit, draping your arms around Envy’s shoulders. “Baby, you have nothing to worry about, you’re the one I love.”

She wraps her arms around your waist. “Sweetie, I know, it’s just she’s being annoying with you.”

“Super annoying,” You laugh. “But come to my room after the gig, I’ll show you how much you really mean to me.”

Envy breathes deeply, her eyes fixated on yours, the hazel orbs darkened with every heaving breath that she took. Every nerve ending in her body tingled with excitement as she pulled you in closer, “Show me now then.”

Your eyes widen. “You have to go on soon.”

“I don’t care.” She says breathlessly.

“Nat—“ She silenced you by grabbing your hand and shoving you into Todd’s dressing room. Thankfully he wasn’t there otherwise he would’ve been in for one hell of a show.

Envy’s soft lips pressed aggressively against yours, knocking the wind out of your lungs as she kissed you with every ounce of passion that she had. Running her hands down your body, not like how you would normally make love but better. Hungrier.

“Nat—“ You mumbled against her lips. “Nat, wait—“

She pulls away, allowing you to catch your breath. “Envy. You know that.”

“E-Envy,” You stammer.

“Better.” She says lowly before moving her lips down your neck. She stops at the base of your neck placing a soft kiss to your soft skin. Envy looks up at you through her lashes giving you a smirk, “You’re so pretty, baby.” She cooed. “It’s no surprise that people would want to be around you, but Amber...she needs to know not to touch things that belong to someone else. But she doesn’t know that you’re mine. So we have to fix that, Y/N.”

“Envy, wha-what are you—aahh!” You cried out as you felt her teeth sink into the base of your neck. Latching onto the skin violently.

You squirmed and writhed underneath her, whines of pain and pleasure erupting past your lips. A familiar warmth boiled in the lower pit of your stomach, that same warmth pooling between your thighs. God, this was so hot, especially with it being in Todd’s room. Her teeth detach from your neck with a loud pop, leaving behind a perfectly bruised bite mark.

“Beautiful,” Envy husks. “Now she’ll have to leave you alone.”

“Fuck me,” You breathe. “Fuck me right now.”

“I haven’t even gotten to the foreplay, baby. You want me that bad?” Envy rasps.

You nodded vigorously. “Yes, Envy.”

With that, she pushes you back onto Todd’s bed, your pants barely made it past your hips before two of her fingers delve into your soaked pussy. You throw your head back with a loud moan, gripping the back of Envy’s shoulders as she thrusts them deeper. The pad of her thumb finding your clit and rubbing slow circles. You ground your hips into her touch, releasing throaty moans from deep within.

“You’re so wet, honey.” Envy grunts. “Feel so fucking good on my fingers.”

You moaned lewdly at the huskiness of her voice. She grabs onto your waist while her fingers slam into you, in a brutal and punishing pace, your ears were filled with wet, squelching sounds of her quickly moving in and out of you.

“Mmh—fuck!” You whined, feeling your walls contract against her fingers.

“You’re gonna cum, aren’t you, Y/N? Go ahead and let go, baby. I wanna smell you while I’m on stage.” She pants.

“Fuh—I’m cumming!” Your walls clenched and fluttered as she continued her pace, eventually leading you straight into your orgasm. You went to close your eyes but Envy gripped your face to look her in the eyes.

“Look at me when you cum, and only me.” She demands.

Your entire body twitched as you released into her hand, your breath sparse and labored as you came down from your high. Envy withdrew her hand, shoving them into your mouth. You sucked eagerly, the sweet yet salty taste of you flooding your senses.

Envy looks down at you, a sweet smile gracing her lips, she cups your cheek gently before leaning down to peck a kiss to your lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” You whisper.

“Good,” She stands up from the bed. “Oh, and this is far from over. Stay right there, because that was just the beginning.”

Envy walks out of the room only to meet with Amber who had just finished her show.

“You’ve seen, Y/N?” She asks.

“Mm-hm, we just finished up some warm up vocals. Oh man, you should’ve heard her really reach those high notes. She was just screaming.” Envy smirks, making Amber’s eyes grow large. “Well, I have to go get ready, thanks for warming up the crowd for me.”

Not even a second after, you walked out. Your fresh love mark on full display.

Fuck.

[keanureevesisbae]

Mister Cavill, your dog is kinda fat - Chapter 12

Summary: Veterinarian Olivia Tran has zero time for bullshit. After becoming a mom at age twenty three, the one thing she wants is a good life for her daughter Vanessa. Her ex didn’t want anything to do with her nor the baby and she decided that man are officially banned out of her life. But then she meets Henry Cavill at her clinic and her ban slowly starts to crumble apart. Henry on the other hand is looking for one thing: a family. And when he meets Olivia Tran, he finds just that.

Henry Cavill x Olivia Tran (ofc)

Warnings: None

Wordcount: 4.7k

A/N: I may or may not have ended this with a cliffhanger - I’m not at all terribly sorry 

Masterlist // Previous chapter // Next chapter 

Time sure does fly by.

After the Christmas dinner at his parents place, Henry blinked with his eyes and it was New Years Eve already. Normally he would spend it with his brothers, going to a New Years Eve party, but this year couldn’t have been more different. this year he was over at Olivia’s, trying to keep Vanessa awake for as long as possible, watching movie after movie. But at ten p.m. she fell asleep against her mother and Henry and Olivia decided they would wake her up at eleven forty five, so she could feel the joy again of not kissing one important person in her life into the new year, but two.

They sat in front of the window, as they watched the fireworks and Henry couldn’t help but get a little bit emotional.

This was a new beginning for all of them. The way Olivia and Vanessa had suddenly walked into his life and made their way to his heart, is something he is still intensely grateful for. They were the blessings that he was waiting for.

They enjoyed their last few days of holiday, sometimes with and sometimes without Olivia, as she had to go to work. But spending time with Vanessa was always nice. They would bake cakes, have little tea parties or they’d go on walks with Kal.

But then Vanessa had to go back to school again and he fell back into his standard routine of waking up, bringing both of them to their work of school, walk Kal, go to the grocery store if necessary, go to the gym, all that good stuff. And he continued to decline job offer after job offer.

Olivia kept asking him if he still wanted to take a break. He means, sure, he would like it if he would star in another movie again. It’s nice, you know: the filming process, the red carpets, the interviews and all the magazine cover shoots, but Henry isn’t sure he wants that anymore. Does he want to be away from his newly found family for that long?

He still isn’t ready to face possible bad reviews again come to think of it and he really doesn’t want to leave the two of them behind.

Besides, about money he’ll never have to worry again. He has enough of it.

Today however, it’s February 14th. Valentines Day. Thankfully Olivia doesn’t have to go to work today, so after they took Vanessa to school, he drove back with a nearly illegal speed to her place, because he had plans for the both of them.

The days that Olivia doesn’t have to go to work, are the only days where it’s just them. He loves Vanessa with all his heart and he would never ever want to lose her, but spending time with just Olivia can be a nice change from time to time.

The two of them made love for God knows how long and afterwards took a long shower together. He can’t seem to get enough of his lovely girlfriend and with the way she was clinging onto him the entire time, he figures she can’t get enough of him too.

But ever since his mother mentioned it about making Vanessa calling him dad official by simply adopting her, it hasn’t left his mind for a single second. He needed to think about this, because of course that’s what he wants, but he doesn’t want to force the idea on Olivia. Though they have been mentioning the whole idea of adding a new baby into their little family, he is still a bit hesitant about the adoption thing.

But for some reason, he feels the need now to ask what she thinks about this. Henry sits on the bed, a towel wrapped around his hips, as he stares at the woman he loves so much and so dearly.

‘Sweetheart,’ he says, gaining her attention. She turns around with a smile, as she puts on the tight black leggings. She is wearing one of his sweaters and he loves it when she walks around in his clothes and he means, it’s only fair, since her apron is becoming his favorite piece of clothing. ‘I have a question.’

‘I’m not going to make you waffles, Valentines Day or not.’

He chuckles. ‘That wasn’t my question, sweetheart.’ He ushers Olivia over and she sits on his lap, hooking her ankles together behind him. He loves the feeling of her hands on his chest  (especially when he is not wearing a shirt) and he nearly gets distracted by it. ‘My mom said something around Christmas and I want to ask your opinion about it.’

Her frown gets deeper and she looks worried. ‘Is everything okay?’

He nods. ‘What would you say if I adopted Vanessa?’

Normally he can read at least something off of her face, but her entire expression is completely blank. He fears his suggestion was wrong. He already can see his future with her crumble apart. This was too soon, he thinks to himself. Sure, they mentioned the baby thing, but he should’ve brought up the adoption thing when she was pregnant with his baby.

‘Why would you want that?’ she asks.

What kind of a question is that? ‘Because… I… She… What?’

‘Why would you want to adopt her?’ Olivia asks again.

He needs a moment before he can find the right words, because he did not expect her to ask him this. ‘Because I’m here to stay,’ he simply states. ‘I love you, I love Vanessa and I love the idea of us being an official family.’

‘But what if we break up? Before we have another kid?’

Okay, he thought about that too and he totally understand why she asks this. ‘Because I still want to be there for Vanessa,’ he says. ‘No matter what happens to us. If you don’t want to, I totally understand, but—’

Olivia shakes her head. ‘I want you to adopt her,’ she interrupts him, ‘but I guess that I’m just scared that one day you might not want this anymore and you simply walk away. That’s the last thing I want for her.’

‘And I understand that, love,’ he says. ‘And I’m not forcing you to sign the papers right now, but I want you to think about it.’

‘I already think it’s a good idea,’ she says, a soft smile appearing on her face. ‘I want you to become her official dad, but there is only one person we really need to ask and that is Vanessa.’ Olivia leans in and gives him a kiss. She wants to pull back after the short peck, but he crashes his lips on hers again, unable to let go of her already.

Olivia is on board with him adopting Vanessa and when their lips part for a second, he lets out a shaky breath. This is truly happening. It’s slowly becoming what he always wanted: a family.

‘Maybe you can ask her tonight,’ she suggests.

Tonight on Valentines Day, he planned on taking them both out. Vanessa has been looking forward to this moment the entire week, when he officially asked both of them out on a date. Since Vanessa didn’t have a right father figure in her life who would show her how boys should treat her and Olivia has a shitty boyfriend experience, he felt the desperate need to make their first Valentines Day together as a family as memorable as it can be.

‘Yeah?’

Olivia nods. ‘You totally should.’

The hours pass by with Henry stealing kisses from Olivia, them walking with Kal and him insisting on buying her chocolate, because that’s what you do on Valentines Day and he was not going to miss out on that cliche. They pick up Vanessa from school and after they have eaten some cookies and drank some tea, Vanessa stands up and announces: ‘We are going to get ready for tonight. We are going to have a little girls… How do you call it mommy?’

‘A little girls pamper night,’ Olivia says. She looks at Henry and says: ‘So, no boys allowed.’

Henry pretends like he is insulted. ‘Well, then I’m going home with Kal and have a little pamper night, specifically for guys.’

‘But dad,’ Vanessa says, frowning deeply, ‘Kal isn’t going with us on the date.’

‘And he is not going to wear a suit, so,’ Olivia adds.

Henry lifts up Vanessa with one arm, before he hoists up Olivia in his other. ‘You two are so mean to me,’ he says.

‘Dad, let me go!’ Vanessa screams, before she starts laughing.

‘Oh my God, Henry, stop this!’ Olivia tries to wiggle herself out of his arms, but he is too strong.

‘Maybe we can distract him,’ Vanessa whisper shouts, still not aware that Henry can hear her, but he pretends he doesn’t. ‘With kisses.’

‘You go for that cheek,’ Olivia plays along, ‘then I go for this one, okay?’

Vanessa nods. ‘Three, two, one… Go!’

He feels two sets of lips on his cheeks and though he already knew this would happen, he still can’t help but chuckle. ‘Okay, okay, I surrender!’ he says. ‘You go have a girls pamper night and I’ll go home and pick out a nice outfit for myself, okay?’

Henry carefully places Olivia and Vanessa back on their feet, where they high five each other. ‘I’ll text you when we’re almost done,’ Olivia says, before standing on her toes to give him a kiss. ‘I love you, honey.’

‘I love you too, beautiful.’ He crouches down and gives Vanessa a kiss. ‘I also love you, sunshine,’ he says to her.

She chuckles. ‘I love you too, daddy. Now go.’

He can’t help but laugh, before he grabs his coat and clicks his tongue, so Kal knows they are leaving. ‘Enjoy your pamper night.’

‘We will,’ Olivia says and he walks out of the house, as he hears both of his ladies rush up the stairs, laughing in the process.

God, he truly is happy with his life right now.

When Henry and Kal are back at his own house, he misses them already. He misses hearing them laugh, he misses the unlimited hugs and kisses and he even misses Vanessa tiny temper tantrums.

He holds out his phone and looks at some of the pictures and videos he made of the course of a few months. Vanessa falling asleep next to Kal, Olivia sitting across from him at the table, the four of them in bed. Every moment he gets to spend with them, is one he cherishes. And he can’t wait to adopt Vanessa, to marry Olivia and have more kids with her.

≫≫≪≪

Henry lets himself in when he got a text from Olivia that they are nearly ready. He stands at the bottom of the stairs and yells: ‘I’m here.’

‘You are all dressed up?’ Vanessa asks.

He chuckles. ‘I sure am, sunshine.’

‘We’re almost done,’ he hears Olivia say. He leans with his shoulder against the doorframe and he hears footsteps coming from upstairs. He recognizes that they are Vanessa’s and Henry can’t help but break out in a big and proud smile, when he sees her. She is wearing a lovely pink dress, with a black cardigan over it. On her feet she wears slip-ons that match the color of her dress and her hair hangs loose beside her face, a fake flower clipped between the strands.

‘You look absolutely beautiful,’ he says in absolute awe. ‘My oh my, Vanessa.’

‘I’m even wearing a bit of mommy’s lipstick.’ She wraps her arms around his legs and he clears his throat. Vanessa looks so happy, especially when she realized that not only did Henry want to go on a date with Olivia, but also with her.

‘Why?’ she asked. ‘Isn’t Valentines Day for couples?’

He simply shrugged. ‘Maybe some people think like that, but I like to spend my Valentines Day with not only your mom, but also with you. Valentines Day is about showing people who you care about a little bit of extra love and I care deeply about you too.’

The look in her eyes then was priceless and that same sparkle was still here and that only makes him realize: he never wants to let her go. He desperately wants to adopt Vanessa Tran and make her his legal daughter.

‘Mommy looks really beautiful,’ she tells him, as he lifts her up in his arms. ‘I bet you are going to fall in love even more.’

‘I didn’t know that was possible,’ he jokingly says. ‘Olivia, sweetheart, are you ready?’

‘I am, I am,’ he hears, followed by her footsteps on the steps, as she descends from the stairs.

His breath gets caught in his throat. Holy shit, he thinks to himself. She wears a tight fitted dress, in a lovely shade of red that he has never seen her wear before. She paired it with black heels, that he didn’t even know she owned. The dress has short sleeves and he sees how the fabric hugs her godly figure just right.

‘Mommy, is Henry speechless?’ Vanessa asks, pinching his cheek, hoping to gain his attention, but he can’t stop gawking at Olivia.

Olivia seems to blush. ‘I think so.’

‘Is it because he thinks you’re pretty or because he doesn’t like the way you look?’

‘I sure hope it’s the first one, otherwise I need to dump him,’ Olivia laughs. ‘Henry, honey, are you okay?’

‘Wow,’ he says, ‘you look beautiful, darling. I’m such a lucky guy that I’m taking out the two most beautiful ladies out on a date.’

Olivia walks up to the both of them and gives him a kiss. ‘And Vanessa and I are very lucky to be taken out by such a handsome looking man, aren’t we, sweetheart?’

Vanessa nods. ‘I understand why my mommy is in love with you, daddy,’ she chuckles.

≫≫≪≪

During their dinner, Henry can’t help but notice the looks on other peoples faces. Some look at their table, probably because they think it’s weird that they brought a seven year old along, but those aren’t the looks that he thinks about too much.

It’s the look of adoration, of admiration, because they look so cute as a family. And they actually do. Vanessa sits on her mothers lap and he thinks of that moment alone, he has taken a hundred pictures.

He stares at Olivia, as the dim lights still highlight her exceptional beauty and he wonders: what did he do in life to deserve a woman as beautiful, as intelligent and as strong as her?

And he wants to ask Vanessa now about the whole adoption thing, but he hears Olivia’s phone ring. She looks at the screen and groans annoyed, before she picks up. ‘Tito, you are on call,’ she says, ‘don’t you dare call me … Oh, really? … How is her heartbeat? … Oh no, poor thing … I’m coming right over. See you in a bit, bye.’ She hangs up her phone. ‘I’m sorry,’ she says.

‘You have to go, mommy?’ Vanessa asks, before licking the chocolate crumbs of her lips. She doesn’t seem to  be disappointed, something that he truly admires and he is still in awe at how well Olivia has raised her.

The other day when a dog died on the operation table—a risk everyone was aware about—Olivia came home and simply started crying. Vanessa knew exactly what was up and told her mom that she did her best and that the owners knew that and the doggie in heaven knew that too.

‘I have. There is a dog who is having her puppies right now, but there are some difficulties.’

Henry watches her give Vanessa a kiss, before placing the young girl on the chair when she stands up. ‘Can I borrow your car?’ she asks.

‘Of course, my love,’ he says, handing her over the keys. Olivia gives him her own set of keys and he says: ‘Vanessa, sunshine, how about you and I finish dessert and then we walk home?’

Vanessa nods. ‘Of course, mommy has to save some puppies.’

‘Exactly,’ Olivia says, giving her daughter even more kisses. ‘Have fun you two and I’ll be happy when I’m home again with you.’ She presses her lips on Henry’s and whispers: ‘Go ask her, honey,’ before she rushes out of the restaurant.

Henry can’t help but stare at the beautiful woman, but he also realizes that he really needs to ask this question now. ‘Daddy,’ Vanessa says, tapping his hand and he looks up. ‘What do you like about mommy?’

He nearly blushes. ‘There is so much I like about mommy. I like how she is really rough and strong, how she loves you so so much, how she always lights up when you walk into the room.’

Vanessa nods. ‘She does that. She is a sweet mommy.’

‘She totally is.’ He brushes out a strand of her hair out of her face. ‘Sunshine, I have to ask you something, okay?’

‘Okay.’

‘Do you like it when I’m with you?’

Vanessa stirs through her dessert and starts to laugh. ‘I love it when you are with us. Mommy is always really happy when you are here and I like having a dad around.’ She gets off the chair, so she can sit on his lap. ‘Why?’

‘Because I have an important question for you and I want you to think about it real good, okay?’

‘Okay, I can do that.’

Of course she can. ‘You know that you are not officially my daughter, though I call you my daughter and I’m your dad, right?’

She nods.

‘Well, if I adopt you, then I can officially become your dad and you’re officially my daughter. That means we have to sign some papers and all.’

‘But why does that need to happen?’ she asks. ‘I call you my dad, right?’

He nods. ‘But if you are not officially my daughter and something happens to your mom for example, there is a chance you can’t stay with me.’

Her eyes widen. ‘But that is mean, because you are my dad.’

‘I know, sweetheart, but that’s how it works.’

‘When can we do that? Adopting?’

He chuckles as he watches her smile. ‘Your mom and I have to figure that out, but from this reaction, I take it that you want me to adopt you.’

‘Of course I want you to be officially my daddy!’ She wraps her arms around him and squeals. ‘I can’t wait to tell miss Sue that I’m going to have an official dad!’

Their entire walk to Olivia’s place, Vanessa is skipping and by the time they are at the front door, he hears his own car driving through the streets. ‘Look who is there?’ he asks Vanessa, squeezing her hand.

‘Mommy!’

He has barely seen Olivia drive his car, but after she parallel parked, he falls even more in love with her. She gets out of the car and Vanessa rushes towards her. ‘How are the puppies?’

‘They are all good,’ Olivia says. ‘All very beautiful and healthy and no, we can’t have one.’

Vanessa wants to stomp her feet on the ground, but then she remembers what happened just about forty five minutes ago. ‘Mommy, I’m going to have an official daddy,’ she says. ‘He is going to adopt me.’

Olivia bites her lip, but from the looks of it, she tears up a bit. Henry watches her swallow hard and then she says: ‘I’m so happy for you, sweetheart.’ She crouches down and pulls Vanessa in a tight hug. She places her chin on Vanessa’s tiny shoulder and smiles at Henry. ‘Thank you,’ she mouths to him.

He wants to shake his head, but decides not to do it, though he wants to say what is truly important: Thank you, Olivia Tran, for giving me a family.

≫≫≪≪

Henry: Everyone, I have good news!

Henry: And no, Olivia is not pregnant, so you can unclench your butthole now.

Niki: Butthole unclenched, now tell us what the good news is.

Henry: I’m going to officially adopt Vanessa

Mom: Finally! I’m so happy for you, my dear!

Dad: So, she’s officially becoming a Cavill now?

Simon: Oh shit, Vanessa Cavill, I like that

Piers: You should marry Olivia as well, otherwise everyone is a Cavill, except for her and I don’t want her to feel left out.

Simon: Olivia Cavill, I like that too!

Henry: No, wait, stop!

Niki: Then they’re officially the Cavills. Wouldn’t that be cute?

Henry: You are all going way too fast now

Charlie: Why? You’re going to adopt Vanessa, right?

Henry: But they are used to be called Tran and I don’t want to take that away. We (and with we, I mean Olivia, Vanessa and I and that doesn’t involve any of you!) have to think about this.

Mom: I totally understand, sweetheart. I’m happy that the first step is there. Now everyone, say congratulations. I didn’t marry nor raised rude Cavills

≫≫≪≪

To celebrate the adoption, the three of them go to the ice skating range. Since Henry actually doesn’t like ice skating, he watches Vanessa and Olivia sliding on the ice. They do this every year a few times and from the looks of it, it’s a good thing that Henry doesn’t like ice skating. This is such a lovely mother daughter moment and he felt like he would ruin that, if he participated in this. He sometimes forget that they had a life together for six whole years, before he came even in the picture. Instead, he grabs his phone, so he can make some clips and pictures, so he can send this to his family.

It’s going to be official, he thinks to himself. He is going to be officially Vanessa’s father. He had to think about it for nearly two months, before he could voice his thoughts with Olivia, but now he is happy that he did tell her, even kind of regretting that he kept it to himself for so long.

‘Hi daddy!’ he hears Vanessa yell and he holds up his hand and she soars past him, Olivia holding tightly onto her hand. Henry keeps looking at them, especially at Olivia. For the past two months, they have been discussing the whole baby thing a bit more, and he is impressed that Vanessa has indeed kept her mouth shut and only mentions it when the three of them are together.

But Olivia is right: they should wait a bit more. There is so much for them to figure out and  and he truly doesn’t want to force it onto her. Besides, she has to do the hard work for nine months straight and he wants her to be totally ready.

But sometimes, when they are in bed and Vanessa is trying to sleep in her own room (has yet to work out, but she stays in her bed longer and longer, before she rushes back to them), he slips his hand underneath her shirt, placing a heavy on her belly. ‘What are you doing?’ Olivia would groggily ask every single time, knowing exactly what he was doing.

‘Go to sleep, sweetheart,’ he’d whisper, pressing kisses on her temple. She’d place her hand on his, before she’d fall asleep. He can’t wait for her to be pregnant, but he also knows that he would definitely not take another job, because he wants to be there every step of the way.

Olivia and Vanessa balance on the skates as they attempt to walk up to him and when they succeeded, they sit on the bench. ‘Dad,’ Vanessa says and it still gives him a happy feeling deep inside, hearing her call him dad, ‘mommy and I had an idea.’

‘Tell me all about it.’

‘We are going to drink hot chocolate with a lot of whipped cream.’

‘That, sunshine, sounds like an excellent idea and I’m totally here for it.’ He helps her taking off her skates and Vanessa slips on her shoes. ‘You need help, love?’ he asks Olivia, who can’t seem to get her left skate off.

Vanessa starts to giggle as she sits next to Olivia, while she sticks out her foot and says: ‘Yes, I need help.’

‘My mommy is a big baby,’ Vanessa chuckles.

Henry helps her take off the left skate and suggests: ‘How about you go find a spot at the restaurant, while I return the skates and bring back the hot chocolate?’

‘That is such a wonderful plan,’ Olivia says, slipping on her boot, before she and Vanessa walk off to the restaurant.

It’s funny, but they have the same walk. Lots of traits they have are nearly identical. They scrunch their noses the same way when they see something disgusting. The sideways glances they share. The way they walk. Even when they are concentrated, you can tell that Vanessa is the exact copy of Olivia: they both push the tip of their tongue in their bottom lip.

It makes him wonder: what traits would an eventual sibling have of both Olivia and him? Would there be certain things that Henry does, that Vanessa will copy?

After he returned the skates and ordered three hot chocolates, he walks to their table, where the two of them are babbling like they usually do. He sits next to Vanessa, giving her a kiss on top of her head and she giggles. ‘Thanks, daddy,’ she says with a smile, as she grabs the mug.

‘Thank you, honey,’ Olivia says and she leans back in the chair. ‘Alright, before we go back home, we need to do some groceries.’

‘Again?’ Vanessa asks. ‘We done groceries four days ago.’

‘I know, but since we have extra people in our house, we need more food. Besides, mister Cavill over here eats a lot.’

Vanessa chuckles. ‘Yes, he does. He always takes another portion.’

‘Wait a minute,’ Henry says, fake insulted. ‘I can’t help but get another portion. I’m a big man, I need to eat a lot.’ He looks at Vanessa and says: ‘If you want to grow tall and strong, you need to eat well.’

‘But… We don’t give Kal another portion, because otherwise he would get fat,’ Vanessa says.

Though Kal is almost at his ideal weight (he only has one more kilo to go!), the insults, how direct or indirect they are, about Kal’s weight, are still a very effective way to make Henry go quiet.

‘It’s a bit different for dogs and humans,’ Olivia says, placing her hand on top of Henry’s. ‘Dogs don’t go to the gym, like Henry does.’

‘Right,’ Vanessa says, nodding as she stares at her hot chocolate. ‘Can we buy those cookies?’

Henry bursts out in laughter. ‘Well, I want to, but we have to ask your mom.’

‘Like I’m able to say no to both of your cute faces,’ Olivia chuckles, before taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

In those past months that have flown by, he has barely spend a minute of it at his own house. Though it’s a lot bigger than Olivia’s, it doesn’t feel as homey as hers. He sometimes goes back to grab some clothing, some of Kal’s stuff or his own, but he could put that place up the market.

What would life be like, if he bought a new house for all of them?

Before he can finish his thought, he hears someone clear his throat. ‘Olivia?’

They all look up, but while Vanessa tilts her head and Henry wonders who this is, he nearly sees steam coming out of Olivia’s ears. ‘What are you doing here?’ It’s like the temperature of the entire restaurant has dropped quite a few degrees.

The man looks at Vanessa and asks: ‘Is this her?’

‘Don’t you dare look at her. I asked you a question and you better answer.’

Henry has never seen Olivia like this, her eyes dark like this and ready to kill from the looks of it.

‘Mommy, who is this?’ Vanessa asks.

‘This is Wesley,’ Olivia says, not stopping looking at the man. ‘He is the man that left me before you were even born.’

[akatsuki-shin]

Review: 天官赐福 Tiān Guān Cì Fú (Heaven Official's Blessing)

Notes:

(Very) long post ahead

Contains spoiler

This is my personal review and does not represent the entire audience, you are free to agree or not agree with what I’ve written here

Feel free to reply/send me a message if there are things you want to discuss

Summary:

The most beloved Crown Prince, pride of the Kingdom of Xianle with abundance of talents and achievements, Xie Lian, ascended to Heaven and became a martial god at the young age of 17 on the path to fulfill his dream "to save the common people".

Three years after his ascension, he saw his kingdom beginning to decline and in order to save his beloved country, Xie Lian defied the rules of Heaven and descended back to the mortal realm. Nevertheless, instead of saving them, his interference ended up accelerating the fall of Xianle, annihilating the once prosperous nation under the war of rebellion and a mysterious, horrifying plague.

The people who once praised and worshipped him day and night now condemned him, his devotees left him, they burnt his temples and divine statues, and Xie Lian himself was ultimately banished from the Heaven.

He ascended for the second time a short while later, but was banished once more very soon after. Since then, he lived among the mortals - surviving by collecting junks as he was now branded as the "God of Misfortune", the "Scrap Collecting Immortal".

800 years later, Xie Lian ascended again for the third time. Though having neither temples nor devotees, he accepted his responsibility as a martial god and carried on with his duties until one day, there came a certain, incidental encounter with a mysterious youth clad in red.

STORY: 7/10

TGCF overall is an (almost) complete, satisfying read with well-written twists and development.

Unlike the two previous MXTX's novels, the main pairing here (HuaLian) did not have to go through complicated misunderstandings and is a beautiful representation of love and devotion. Of course, this means there is a lack of conflict between them, but considering all the trials and tribulations the characters have gone through, this lack of conflict feels like a relieving fresh spring amidst the painful and exhausting journey throughout the entire five books.

The best and my most favorite plot twist is the Earth Master Ming Yi having been dead for a while, and the "Ming Yi" we know turns out to be the Black Water Submerging Boats, He Xuan. I'm the kind of person who always suspects characters, but even my furthest suspicion was "only" him being the Reverend of Empty Words, not He Xuan.

Truthfully, prior to reading this novel, I've seen Shi Qingxuan's "MING-XIONG, I'M SORRY x9999" post before without context, and I thought Ming Yi was going to die a tragic death because of Shi Qingxuan. Turns out it's kind of the opposite, huh? Nice one, really.

I also like how each character's "end" feels satisfying. Especially for the villains, they didn't necessarily have to die some tragic, vengeful death, but was provided with an ending that perfectly fits their background story and deeds. For example, in most stories, a character like Xuan Ji would be most likely be given some well-deserved punishment as her death, given everything she's done. But no, in the end she was given a reality check and was finally able to let go of her hundreds of years grudge. And then Qi Rong - I will talk more about him later on in the "Character" section.

One part I really love is the Extra Chapter about the Cave of Ten Thousand Gods. The chapter itself overall is mostly nonsensical and chaotic, but it was just so touching when HuaLian created a "Little Hua Cheng" statue to accompany Xie Lian's "Crown Prince who Pleased the Gods" statue, especially when this Little Hua Cheng statue gave Crown Prince Xie Lian statue a flower, and then Crown Prince Xie Lian received it, lifted him up and carried him in his arms. This one was maybe a bit biased because as much as I love the current HuaLian, I have a special soft spot for the young Xie Lian carrying, cradling the little Hua Cheng back then in the past. ;v;

Though, with all due respect, I must say that TGCF is actually below my expectation.

The biggest issue I have with TGCF is... What is Xie Lian's motivation? What drives him to move forward in the story? What is even the whole story's purpose?

I'm not quite sure how to word this properly, but let me give some examples.

When you read Harry Potter, you know immediately that Voldemort is the bad guy and he must be defeated.

When you read the Lord of the Rings, you know immediately that the One Ring must be destroyed to prevent Sauron from regaining his power.

Or, in MXTX previous works...

In SVSSS, it was clear since the beginning that Shen Yuan's mission is to fix the "Proud Immortal Demon Way" if he wants to survive.

In MDZS, it was clear that Wei Wuxian, together with Lan Wangji's, needs to unravel the mystery behind that fierce left arm. All of their past stories and WangXian getting together in the end are just something they discovered along the way, not the initial "motivation" that drives the character to move forward.

What about TGCF? The Xie Lian who ascended for the third time actually looks like he just wants to go along with the flow, carrying out his duties day by day with responsibility. When Bai Wuxiang later, later, later on appeared to haunt him again, it didn't seem like Xie Lian has any ambition to hunt him down or exact a revenge, just that he wanted to forget about Bai Wuxiang and never recall anything about him ever again. The main character looks like he's not being driven by anything, just...carrying on where the plot takes him? It's just missions after missions and whatever huge things happening in between is just something they accidentally passed by along the way.

At this point, the only purpose of the story I can think of is bringing Hua Cheng and Xie Lian together. The romance is great, I have no complain. But if it's just that, no need to jammed-pack 250+ chapters just to make two people getting together?

Speaking of which, I also think that the way new characters keep being introduced all the way to almost the final showdown of the story feels info dump-ish, because the background story needs to be dropped there along with the characters, but then most of these characters fade away immediately after.

For example, the previous Civil God before Ling Wen, who looks like he’s going to pose some real trouble, but then was easily defeated and was never mentioned again afterwards. And this is especially true for He Xuan; after such a huge arc where he committed such extreme things, after that he was barely mentioned again, even having his “strong impression” leveled down by the joke about him being the poorest Calamity and owing lots of debts to Hua Cheng.

Basically what makes TGCF a long story is because there are too many stories about the side characters in addition to the main characters that are dumped out of the blue instead of slowly being revealed along the way.

Though, I love how the story gradually unravels the "Four Famous Tales" because initially, I thought it wasn't something crucial, and I wished they could've done this for other characters, too.

There is a little bit of plot holes here and there, as in who actually cut open Jian Lan/Lan Chang's baby and made it a ghost, and for what? Even if it turned out that she just met a bad guy or nobody important, at least provide an explanation in one paragraph? Especially because important side characters like Feng Xin and Mu Qing are involved here, so I'm pretty sure us readers need some explanation.

And more importantly, how can Jun Wu become the Emperor martial god? There's no mention about him ascending, only that he annihilated a dynasty of gods before sitting on the throne of the Great Martial Hall. But how can he, like, emitted god-like aura and not some evil aura? Is it because he used to be a god? But he's a ghost? Explanation where???

The gags and comedies are pretty fun, but honestly, the more I read, the more they ruin the atmosphere and suspense, added with the uncalled PDA between Hua Cheng and Xie Lian even during the most important moments. Honestly, I was bored the fuck out of my life from the moment they start fighting Jun Wu with those divine gundams, and only start gaining interest again much later on when Hua Cheng dissipated into butterflies.

Not saying the story's bad. Just... It's not up to my expectation... Characters being inserted here and there with a bunch of background story, gags and a show of PDA being flaunted during crucial moments. And when Mei Nianqing started telling the truth about the Kingdom of Wuyong, that's just plain info dump right there, seriously...

CHARACTERS: 7/10

Interesting characters, but only a few bore a lasting impression on me. Other than the main characters, which are Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, the only side characters (minus Bai Wuxiang as the main villain) who left quite some impression on me were probably just Feng Xin and Mu Qing.

Pei Ming is okay, at least he is still memorable until the end, and his character improved, too.

He Xuan, after having been introduced with such extreme, after his arc is over, was easily forgotten just like that.

Mei Nianqing, is borderline Deus Ex-Machina with a huge chunk of info dump that could solve everything, then he stopped being useful for the rest of the story.

Shi Qingxuan... Honestly, he's almost annoying, too noisy. I don’t hate him (and I kind of like him initially), but the way his character was being handled and presented post-Black Water arc feels disappointingly lazy and he was just there to make the party more merry.

Xie Lian himself, as the protagonist, how do I say this... This is maybe due to the translator's writing style (not MXTX’s fault), but whenever he screams in all capslock, it feels too extreme and borderline OOC? Of course, the original novel written in hanzi couldn't have included capslock.

What's great about him, though, is that despite all he'd gone through, he can still retain a pure heart and could not be swayed to be evil, just as he himself said "Body in the abyss, heart in paradise".

Now Hua Cheng, he is overall a super interesting character and I personally love this type of male characters. But he seriously is way too OP, almost like the original Luo Binghe (Bing-ge) a.k.a. too ideal, too perfect, no flaws, always capable of easily finding a way out in every single peril. I only forgive him for being like this because he dissipated into butterflies at the end of the battle with Jun Wu, making me think "oh, finally he's actually not invincible".

Still, his devotion to Xie Lian is very well written, very well presented, and his "I am forever your most devoted believer" is just downright the most powerful line in the whole story.

Now I promised to talk about Qi Rong, yeah? I haven't the slightest idea why it is even necessary to have Qi Rong as the Night-touring Green Lantern. I mean, yes he is there to make up the number of the Four Great Calamities, but that was for the characters who live in that world. As the novel's reader, I don't see any particularly important roles there for Qi Rong other than being an annoying meme fodder despite his actually pretty-cool first foreshadowing and appearance? Even his issue with Lang Qianqiu does not seem to give that much impact on the overall story, it could've just passed simply being explained in several pages.

Though I'd say he's got the best character development compared to others. Instead of dying as some hateful villain, the way he ended up deciding to protect Guzi at the cost of his own life can already be expected from miles away, but still bittersweet and touching nonetheless - how this crazed, mental person could still love when being presented with such pure, innocent feelings to the point that he acknowledged Guzi as a his own son.

By the way, E Ming and Ruoye are cute, I take no criticism.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS: 8/10

I can't really describe this with words, but MXTX's overall writing technique has greatly improved since MDZS.

It feels more "solid" to read instead of scattered here and there.

The info distribution has improved (fewer info dump compared to before), the story's no longer switching between past and present all of a sudden.

Description of characters and environment are sufficient, the plot is progressing steadily.

Several issues I have with this aspect though, the Prologue being ten pages is just way too long, I don't think I need that much information being stuffed right to my face right from the beginning.

There are excessive use of "Turns out..." every single time an explanation is going to come.

"Xie Lian didn't know whether he should cry or laugh" is honestly has been used probably more than 50 times just in the last two books. Although I'm reading a translation, I'm pretty sure the original Chinese version is being repetitive with this phrase, as well, because the translators couldn't just whip up any other phrase from thin air and put it in someone else's novel.

Almost half of scene transition is always caused by some sudden, external disturbance like "All of a sudden they heard someone's coming", "All of a sudden X visits their room", etc.

OVERALL SCORE: 7.3/10

Worth to read, satisfying overall. The main pairing's love story is just so well written and sweet. As long as you can withstand the violence and gore, though. 😂

TGCF highlights perhaps one of the ugliest natures of mankind: Being nice to someone as long as they're beneficial, and immediately throwing them away once the benefit was no more.

Once that person does not seem to be beneficial anymore, everyone would leave them instantly, even turning on them and start spitting on them without even trying to understand the reason why said person "stopped being beneficial".

Both as a Crown Prince and a martial god, Xie Lian and the Crown Prince of Wuyong were praised, revered, worshipped by the citizens of Xianle and Wuyong respectively. Because they were always helping, always fulfilling the people's wishes. But how easily it was for those very same people to turn on Xie Lian and the Crown Prince of Wuyong when they encountered misfortunes, completely turning a blind eye to the laborious effort both characters have been putting to save them from annihilation, even if it was visible in broad daylight.

It is also worth to note another trait of mankind that this story underlines: To always find a scapegoat or blame others for one's own misfortune and failure - be it another human being, another group of people, the government, even the gods - after having taking their generosity for granted.

Which is why I think the true villain of the story is not Bai Wuxiang, but those citizens of the ancient Wuyong who were now nothing more than resentful spirits eternally burning within the lava of Tonglu Mountain - a well deserved punishment after what they did to their Crown Prince.

[saundraswriting]

Hercules Chapter 10

SUMMARY:  Spencer finally talks. and listens. Really listens. The curtain falls, the end is here.

WARNINGS: None this time around, hasty writing maybe?

NOTES: This is my final chapter of this story. I finished it, finally. Thanks for coming with me on this ride. 

You can read this chapter on AO3 here as well. 

Masterlist // Ao3 // Previous Chapter

"Derek, what I mean by that is...I know I love you. I told that we would talk when we ended this case." Spencer paused. "I have been thinking a bit since then."

"I figured. Spencer, I don't want you rushing this. You can take your time. We waited this long, what is a little longer?" Derek said.

"What?" Spencer froze under Derek's hand.

"No! Relax. I meant I want you sure of what you think of my feelings. I know you, I know that is what you've been thinking about. You are predictable sometimes." Derek soothed. Spencer sighed and nodded, agreeing silently with Derek.

"You're right. I should take some more time. I just..."Spencer trailed off.

"Spencer. You have only had a few days to understand I am in love with you. I know it seems sudden and that in itself makes you unsure but I mean it. I love you, your brains, your quirks, your habits. All of it." Derek told him. "Come on let's get ready for bed. I'll be here in the morning. And everyday after that." Derek guided Spencer to his feet watching him shuffle unsteadily towards the bathroom. "No shower tonight, Spencer. I don't want you falling in."

"You could always join me to make sure I don't fall." Spencer said, tone light and teasing.

"Don't tempt me. I would like nothing more right now but you aren't ready for that. I don't want to catch your cold either." Derek made a waving motion, shooing Spencer.

Spencer got in the bathroom and started brushing his teeth, thinking over what Derek said. It was no mystery to each other that they loved each other. 'Is it still all because of timing? He does love me, but Derek isn't one to pine in secret.' Spencer shook his head and finished brushing his teeth.

Spencer came back out dressed in pj's, and more than a little determined. "Derek, have you really loved me all this time? I just can't get my head around that. You are telling me that even though you have only been with girls, that in a convenient plot twist you are into not just guys but specifically me." Spencer said. Derek sighed and braced himself for more half understood statements.

"Spencer, if you really want to talk about this right now, then we will but you have to listen to me. I mean really listen. I don't want anymore of you assuming how I feel so that you can keep ignoring me." Derek started sitting on his bed, hand clasped between his knees.

Spencer sat at the top of his bed, fidgeting with a pen. "Okay. I want to have this discussion, so I will sit and listen, and when you are done...I'll talk or I won't. I can't guarantee anything. I wish I could."

"I know. I wouldn't expect more than what you could give, pretty boy. Are you ready?" Derek asked. Spencer gazed around the room and took one deep breath tensing before locking eyes with Derek and nodding.

"We are soulmates, yes. I have been looking for years. Always felt like they were so close but just out of reach. I extended my dating pool, starting asking friends for numbers. I had spent too much time alone, I wanted who was supposed to be mine. I joined the BAU. I kept searching all the while the feeling got worse and worse. I started leaving my mark uncovered a long time ago, hoping it would be what led them to me. Then you came. Slowly over time, the feeling got better, I thought I had maybe gotten over my issues. I didn't give up but I wasn't running towards them anymore, I was happy. I had coworkers and a job and friends I loved, I had enough. I had you. We had grown so close, I had never had a friend as close as you. Every time you got into trouble my heart stopped and I remember thinking to myself...'this is it, this is when I end up alone again.' And each time by the skin of your teeth you came back to me. Each time I loved you a little more, wanted you a little closer. I still didn't know that I loved you. I wanted my best friend around always. I slowed down dating. I didn't need a girl in my life if I had you. You smiling and laughing and happy became more important to me than finding my soulmate, I had just about given up. A few months back we suddenly went from practically living in the other's pocket to being 6 feet apart and I could barely reach you, you were slipping past my fingers and my heart was breaking and I didn't know how to fix it. I too stepped back, maybe I was the problem. Maybe something happened and you needed space. I was fine. If you were happy I wouldn't care but you weren't. I could tell. I wanted to say something, it was getting to be unbearable. I wanted my best friend back." Derek's voice broke. He paused a minute, staring at his hands. He took a breath. "Then before I could blink we were busy so busy and I wanted to talk. I needed to talk. There wasn't time. Next thing I know I am looking into a mirror and see my little sun peering back at me. It wasn't fully uncovered but there was enough, and I had seen mine every day for years. I know what it looks like. In an instant everything fell into place. My thoughts and feelings and emotions and reactions. They all made sense. I was happy because my soulmate was finally in my life. I fell in love with my soulmate. It might have taken years and we traveled the long way to get here but we did. I found you, Spencer Reid, my soulmate.:" Derek ended his speech with a voice full of emotion and shoulder tense.

Spencer could only stare at his best friend, his soulmate, mouth gaping. "You are dead serious. You aren't even near joking." Was all Spencer could say. He rubbed a hand over his face tension leaving his body. "Derek Morgan, I should hit you. There is no reason we should be in this predicament."

Derek could only stare, he felt that he was miles behind in the conversation.

"I am sorry, Derek. I was scared. I didn't know what to do when I found out that we were soulmates. I panicked and thought distance would help but it seemed to only make things worse. I am a coward and I am sorry. I will say that I believe you. In all my years, no one has ever been as close to me as you. I wouldn't change that for the world. I am glad it is you Derek." Spencer said. He tried to say something else but was cut off by a yawn.

"Come on, genius. You need to take some meds and sleep. Let's get to bed. We can talk more tomorrow. Don't you worry. I'll be right here, like always." Derek helped Spencer get settled and then laid down himself.

"Thank you Derek. See you in the morning. Good night." Spencer snuggled down into his pillows, head filled with thoughts on Derek's confession.

The next morning, Spencer woke up coughing up mucus from deep in his throat. He rolled over choking slightly before finding a tissue. He blinked a few times before the memory of the night came back. 'He really means all that doesn't he? Like Derek didn't fall in love with me a few days ago. He realized he has been in love with me for year a few days ago. I need to see J.J.' Spencer saw it was a little bit before his alarm decided to get ready and get in the shower.

Spencer was just finishing getting ready when Derek was getting up. "Pretty boy, you up already?" Derek mumbled. Spencer stepped over and deciding in that moment to be a little daring pressed a kiss to Derek's cheek. Derek froze, eyes fluttering shut.

"My medication wore off so I woke a bit earlier than I wanted but it worked out in the end. You wanna get ready and I'll get breakfast?" Spencer asked. He tried to act cool and collected but he knew his voice shook ever so slightly. He needed more time to think but he needed to let Derek know that he was regarding everything in a positive light too.

"How about you order something nearby to go? I don't want you to go and come back. I usually am the first one up, this is different." Derek stood up stretching, getting his stuff to get ready. "I shouldn't be long. I took a shower after you fell asleep last night." Derek said through the shut door. Spencer didn't respond, he knew Derek knew he heard him and that he was busy ordering food for them and J.J. too.

"J.J. I am ordering food. The three of us can pick it up on the way in this morning." Spencer called her. She agreed and told him she'd be at their room soon.

All too soon the three of them were at the precinct with the others trying to figure out the last few pieces of the puzzle.

"Are we sure he said Evan Lafferty? We know that is his name?" J.J. asked.

"Yeah. That is what Spencer said it was and what the wire recorded. Spencer wrote down everyone's name that he could memorize and You took a few pictures yourself, J.J." Hotch said.

"Evan Lafferty doesn't exist in Portland, OR. Or at least this one doesn't." Penelope chimed in from the speaker. "I have no parameters for a search either except the manual one Spencer and Derek did a few days ago. I can look into that?" She continued.

"No, we have him. We don't need to look for him. Can you look for all Evan Lafferty's right now Penelope? I know it is a lot but it is all we have." Gideon gave her a few more details to help refine her search but everyone knew that a result would be a while coming.

"What if...What if I called him? He gave me his number? It is probably untraceable but I am fitting for the next killing. The Stymphalian Birds with their bronze beaks and such, a sickly estranged lonely man with the name Arnett Konkle would be the best man for the elites' meetings." Spencer gained traction as he spoke. The others looked at each other, defeat in their eyes.

"Let's see if we can get anywhere by tomorrow if not then we will consider your plan, Reid. But until that is the last resort we will pursue other avenues. I don't want to use out trump card yet." Gideon said.

The team broke off to do their jobs but Spencer followed J.J. towards her make-shift office. "J.J. Can I talk to you for a second?" Spencer sat down, shoulders slumped and head bowed.

"Of course, Spencer you know that. What is going on in that head of yours?" J.J. made herself comfortable.

"Derek and I talked last night and I made a pretty important distinction. I want your advice on it, if you don't mind. I know that you know everything about Derek and I. Last night Derek talked to me about how he felt, I asked him to considering I never really let him say anything before I would shut him down. He told me everything last night J.J. He told me how he was giving up on finding a soulmate because the drive wasn't there anymore. He was happy with his life because I was there. I realized that seeing that my soulmate mark matched his didn't cause Derek to love me, it caused him to evaluate our relationship and realize he has loved me for years, he just didn't know that because he didn't need to evaluate were we stood to each other." Spencer told her. No matter how much he tried, Spencer couldn't keep the joy and relief out of his voice or face.

J.J. felt her heart swell, She saw Spencer as a baby brother and she was happy he was getting his final ending. "That is great news. I am glad you two talked. The tension was killing me. Now what?"

"I don't know. We didn't get that far. I am thinking we will cross that bridge when we come to it back home. Derek and I will have to show that we can work together and not let the fact we are soulmates affect the way we do our jobs. Which shouldn't be too hard considering we have kept it hidden from Hotch and Gideon this entire time. I would rather we talk about the future closer to home anyways." Spencer explained.

J.J. nodded. "That makes sense. Besides Derek is a traditionalist and romantic at heart, he wouldn't ask you hard questions on a job here. Let it be. You'll have your moment eventually." J.J. sighed deeply.

"You'll have your moment too. I know it." Spencer told her. He was interrupted from continuing by Derek.

Penelope got a hit on the phone, at almost every single spot on your map. No we just need to find him. We have plenty of evidence. We just need a way for him to come out." Derek said. They hurried to the bull pen where Gideon and Hotch were.

"I'll call him. I will tell him that I need a prayer circle for I was diagnosed with lung cancer. WE can have a unit go to the last place the phone is pinging and the warehouse and I can go with a small team to meet him and when he does..." Spencer shrugged.

"Are you sure that is a good idea?" Hotch said.

"It's the only idea we have right now. We need to get this guy." Spencer was determined. He wanted to get this unsub and get home and get better.

"Very well. J.J. and I will go with him and a few beat cops will be around the location under cover if they can. Hotch, Derek take a team like Reid said." Derek opened his mouth to object but Spencer subtly shook his head. "We have once chance. Spencer make the call." Gideon ordered. He and the others scattered. Spencer went into his map room and called the number Evan Lafferty gave him.

"Evan? It is my Arnett? Mr. Arnett Konkle. I've been having a rough day. I got some bad news on every front today and was wondering f we could meet. I think I need to turn my face toward the sun, for the old gods are not dead. I hope with proper education from you I can worship them as they would like to be but right now I need a friend and I need a teacher." Spencer told him. "My wife, she gave me the divorce papers today. Then my results came back for some tests. There is a mass near my lung. I-" Spencer's voice broke.

"Arnett, calm down. take a few deep breaths. Of course you and I can meet. I will gladly be that friend and teacher for you. I believe with proper dedication, you will be healed. You are on the steps to enlightenment, for you are correct. The old gods are not dead." Evan gave him and address and a time to meet. Spencer came out of his map room, information in hand. A techie stepped up to meet him, the same one who helped him get ready before.

Dressed like Arnett Konkle, Spencer quickly asked for a copy of divorce papers in a briefcase and gathered with the team again. They came up with a plan. They needed to take down Lafferty quickly and quietly. The three teams divided and left, Derek pulling Spencer into a hug, murmuring comforting words against his hair. Spencer was still unsure who that was to reassure, him or Derek. Spencer's team scattered through the park trying to look indiscreet. After a bit Lafferty joined Spencer at the table he was sitting at who was looking justifiably morose.

"Konkle, good golly, you could look a little better but after the couple of days you've had, I would look terrible too. Anyway, What did you want to start with?" Lafferty asked. He pulled out a bag with a few books.

"Let's begin with Hercules shall we? We were in the middle of a lovely discussion." Spencer said.

"Oh, okay. We can go over some of the lessons I use for my sermons. Was there anything in particular you wanted to discuss?" Lafferty began flipping through the pages.

"Let's talk about how you can atone for the temporary madness of killing your family by completing 13 divine missions for gods of an ancient religion." Spencer said. He stood up pulling out his badge and gun, hoping that Lafferty wouldn't run.

"I am doing it for it was divine instructions. I was helpless to resist. How dare you spit in the face of my suffering." Lafferty reared back and tried to attack Spencer, lunging at him from across the table. Spencer dodged. Lafferty took off running though the park but didn't get far before an undercover officer clotheslined him rendering him unconscious.

Spencer heaved a deep sigh, triggering a coughing fit that dropped him to his knees. He coughed until he was dizzy, black spots appearing in his vision the last thing he saw was J.J.'s panicked face before he blacked out.

Spencer knew two things as soon as he came to. First was he was in a hospital. Second was Derek was angry with him. Spencer opened his eyes to be right on both parts. He was in a hospital and Derek was glaring at him angerly while leaning against a wall.

"I didn't mean to?" Spencer tried. Derek only huffed rolling his eyes. "Sorry." he tried again.

"I would be lying if I said I was surprised. I figured once you got sick, we would end up here. It's the emergency room. You are getting some antibiotics and fluids. Nothing too major, I wanted to be pissed off but I am just happy you weren't hurt. We got him though. He house and the warehouse were loaded with incriminating evidence. So all is well that end's well I guess." Derek shrugged.

"Always the same though. A little too late. If I had been a bit better, then maybe we would've been quicker." Spencer said. "Never mind, hindsight is always 20/20 and all that." Spencer smiled up at Derek. "What happens now?"

"Now? You have another hour at least before your bag is finished. Then we go home. Where we both are off for the next two weeks for your recovery. I called Strauss and told her everything and then the others told her that we definitely proved that our soulmate status doesn't affect our work. So nothing really changes." Derek explained.

"Except everything." Spencer told him.

Derek laughed. "Except everything. That's right, pretty boy, that's right."

*******************************************************************************************

That is all she wrote folks. I hope you enjoyed the ride, I certainly did. Thank you for all the support. I love you all. I hope to write more in this universe but we will see. Until next time!

[rokutouxei]

touching you i catch midnight

chapter 1 of 2: as moon fires set in my throat

ikemen vampire: temptation in the dark theodorus van gogh / mc; vincent van gogh / mc | G... for now. | 1829

Confronted by newly-developing feelings between two of the most important people in his life, Theo has an equally important decision to make. Lucky for him, it's not that hard to do.

> [sequel to kneel at the altar, confess your sins.] / ao3 link in bio > fic and chapter titles come from audre lorde’s poem, recreation.

You had chosen him.

Over everyone else. He had pushed you away, called you names, made you cry, made you feel small–and yet at the end of it all, you had chosen him. Months later and Theo is still wrapping his head around that fact. How had you seen through him like that? Peeled every layer he’d wrapped around himself to hide the most vulnerable parts of him, only to hold his heart in your hands and say, I won’t let you be alone anymore– how you’d done that is still a mystery to him.

The only other person in the world who has the ability to see him the way you do is Vincent. He hadn’t thought he’d ever find another Vincent in this world to hold him when he’s falling apart. Yet here you are.

So when you and Vincent become easy friends, Theo smiles and believes it has always been something as inevitable as the rising of the sun. Angels make good company for each other, he supposes.

Until it was something else.

Theo trusts Vincent, with his entire heart and soul, with his life, the past one, this, and the next, if there even is any more. So while his guards go up (the same way a guard dog bristles at the presence of an enemy) when the other residents of the mansion are around you, he’s quiet and settled when Vincent is with you. He has no fears or qualms because in his heart, he and Vincent are irrevocably tied; his older brother is an extension of himself.

(A better, brighter extension of himself, but that’s for later.)

When you don’t accompany Theo to work, you go with Vincent, going around town looking for something nice to paint, or sometimes even joining him for longer trips, farther out where the view is different, bringing home stories for Theo to come home to.

One night, Theo arrives late after a long dinner meeting to hear laughter coming from Vincent’s studio-room. A smile gracing his face, Theo knocks and enters the room to see you and Vincent sitting on the couch, easel across the both of you, a streak of paint on your cheek, a flower in your hair.

Theo’s heart squeezes at your smile. You so easily make him weak.

You notice him first, your face brightening at the sight of him, calling out his name–“ Theo!”, his heart is light–and you nearly sprint off the sofa to embrace him. He gives you a little twirl in the air as you begin to talk about the day, going out to the flower fields with Vincent, how he’d called you back to model the flower in your hair so he could paint it with closer detail. The sound of your voice lulls Theo to calm, until–

Until he turns to Vincent.

Who is looking up at his younger brother with guilt in his face, one that he won’t know he’s wearing. The pink dusting his cheeks. His fists are curled on his lap.

It’s like the light turns on in Theo’s mind.

Theo curls his hand around your waist in a near instinctual (territorial) embrace, and while you sigh at the comforting squeeze, your lover pretends he doesn’t see that his brother’s face darkens ever so subtly.

The first piece falls onto his lap.

-

(he doesn’t know it yet, but when the pieces come together, it’ll feel the same way a lived-in house does. in the little apartment in his mind, your little collection of trinkets in a shelf down the hall, vincent’s paintings hanging from the wall, theo’s books. it’ll feel the same way the first rays of the sun feel in the morning, a gentle warmth rising him from sleep, to a delight he’d long kept his eyes closed to. it’ll feel like he’d always belonged.

he doesn’t know it yet, but soon he will.)

-

Theo spends most of his time observing.

Work has trained his senses to perfection. Once he puts his mind onto it, no detail is missed. It’s great for dealing with clients, makes transactions easier, makes things faster to start, deal with, and wrap up.

It makes watching his lover and Vincent slowly dance around each other much easier to watch from the sidelines.

Watches his brother’s face shift and soften whenever you’re around him, in ways he’s never seen before. How his brother’s smiles are different, bigger, all teeth and scrunched eyes. The sound of his brother’s sugar-sweet laughter. This is all Theo’s ever asked for–his brother’s happiness, his brother’s success–and watching you from the balcony overlooking the garden, Vincent’s gaze on your face like longing for something that isn’t his… Theo realizes maybe things haven’t changed since they were kids.

(That Vincent will always put Theo first in everything.

That Theo will give his brother all that Vincent asks him for.)

And while there’s no denying the sour thing that sits under Theo’s tongue as he’s taking this all in, there’s also a kind of hollow that begins to nip at him, the way a question feels in a mouth when it isn’t asked.

Instead, he watches.

Watches you when you go on dates with him and smile that same smile you gave him when you promised you would help carry the weight he had on his shoulders. Burns into his eyes the sight of you–very forgivingly–pouring a cup’s worth of syrup on his pancakes, much to the shock and horror of the cafe’s other patrons. Memorizes your every feature, your every little gesture, the way you tuck a lock of hair behind your ear when you’re shy, the way you lick your lips excitedly when food arrives, the way you squeeze his hand in yours when you walk home.

Theo is sure you love him, and that’s why it takes him a while to understand, the way your cheeks flush when Vincent compliments you, the way you can’t look him in the eye when he puts too much attention on you, the way you let him brush your cheek with his hands gently a moment longer than needed when he’s tucking a flower behind your ear. Theo wants to understand so that the sour feeling goes away, wants to make sense of why you reach out to his brother like you want to hold him in your arms and keep him safe forever–the same you do to him.

Why you look at Vincent like he’s something you can’t have.

(and Theo will give you all that you want if you ask it from him.)

The second piece falls onto his lap.

-

he doesn’t know it yet, but when the pieces come together, it’s like the first time one goes out to the seaside after hiding from the breeze after a long winter. it’s packing away thick coats and heavy blankets in exchange for open windows and bright rays of the sun cutting through the fog. it’s seeing the horizon unravel in front of him, the waves crashing against the shore, the sand warm in between his toes. it’s seeing the infinite possibilities. it’s a sailor opening his arms to the unknown of the wide ocean, knowing the sun and the moon love him enough to bring him soon to gentler shores, if he trusts the direction of the waves.

he doesn’t know it yet, but soon he will.

after all, theo trusts the direction of the waves.

-

He would be lying if he said he’d never had thoughts that one day you’d replace him for his brother.

Half of that statement, of course, is drawn from the deep well of darkness he carries with him in his heart. He can do his best, he can fight for his whole life, but at the end of the day, he is no one in comparison to his brother. He is and always will be only someone working on the sidelines, raising the curtain, focusing the lights; never really the one at the center stage, gaining the cheer and earning the applause of an enthusiastic audience.

To Theo, as long as he is able to partake in the light, that is enough.

To have to step aside to those that are greater than him isn’t an action that’s so hard to comprehend. It is no longer anything more than a dull pain.

So when he thinks of giving you the choice to pick his brother over him, he expects the shallow wash of numbness.

But he’s instead surprised… by how okay he is with it happening.

It takes Theo several nights to fully put together the whirling of thoughts in his mind. Pictures many variations of the same situation, of the same ending, over and over in his head. Next to him, you lay asleep on his bed, your kissmarked shoulder only peeking a little bit from where you’re tucked underneath the sheets.

He holds his hand out to the space in between the both of you.

A space he’s willing to share.

The two people he loves the most in the world loves each other as well–there’s nothing else but support to give, is there?

The third piece falls onto his lap.

The puzzle sits there, complete.

-

Then one night, sitting in the game room after Arthur calls him over, Theo has this unreadable expression, like he hadn’t expected to hear what he’d been told. His lover and his brother… well, to Arthur, the surprise is rather unsurprising. Arthur has the right mind to expect not Theo’s usual bursts of anger, words that cut like knives, but instead a slow crawl to a boil.

What Arthur couldn’t have expected is for Theo to exit the room with a smirk on his face.

-

He doesn’t know it yet, but the angry melody his heartbeat is singing in his ears when he arrives in front of his brother’s bedroom door on the night that will change his life forever–is not out of anger, or fear, or jealousy.

It’s of excitement.

The thrumming of a heart that’s anticipating what it’ll be like to give out all the love it can pour.

-

Theo hears the door open before you do, and he doesn’t have to look to know (he knows his brother too well): Vincent stands in the doorway, his face in the shadows, the silhouettes of his brother and his brother’s lover illuminated by moonlight. His hands curl into fists at his sides, trying to keep himself from just taking what’s been offered to him.

This is for you, Theo wants to say, to you, to his brother, take them, they’re yours. They’re ours.

Like a jigsaw puzzle, you need all the parts to really be complete.

But he has an insolent mouth, one that only knows to express his love with sharp teeth. (A love that you and Vincent have long known how to read.)

“Did you hear that, broer?”

(Here comes.)

----

next part: [ chapter 2 of 2: i love you flesh into blossom ] 

[and-then-there-were-n0ne]

The Minnesota Starvation Study

In the 1940s, when starvation was widespread throughout war-torn Europe, little was known about the effects of human starvation or how to best refeed people who’d suffered from such deprivations. Dr. Keys led the first scientific study of calorie restrictions, at the Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene at the University of Minnesota, for the War Department. The researchers wanted to understand the medical needs facing millions of starving war victims and how best to renourish and rehabilitate them to health after the war. Their study was known as the Minnesota Starvation Study and the results were published in the legendary two-volume, Biology of Human Starvation (Minneapolis: University of Minneapolis, 1950). The study itself was so comprehensive and intense, however, that even Dr. Keys admitted no other human experiment quite like it will ever be done again because, given what we now know, it would be seen as too cruel and life-threatening. While the degree of suffering the participants underwent would violate what is seen as the ethical rights for human research subjects today, in one respect this study was different from obesity and weight loss research done today. These men were not volunteering because they felt they needed to lose weight for fear that their own lives were endangered, nor were the study authors motivated by personal gain or selling a weight loss program. Even the recruitment poster for the Minnesota Experiment, dated May 27, 1944, asked for men willing to starve so others may be better fed. The volunteers were all conscientious objectors to the war who said they wanted to do something of real meaning for their country, make a contribution to science and help to improve the medical care for the millions of starving people in Europe. They gave their consent freely, without a feeling of personal duress and with full knowledge of the risks. The recruitment information they were given stressed how difficult the experiment would be. One participant later said: “They explained what was going to happen. There was nothing held back. They explained that they could not assure me that there would be no permanent damage… They did not know what would happen. This is what they were trying to find out… really they emphasized the discomfort… this was not going to be an easy task down the road.” Sixty years later, Johns Hopkins interviewed the surviving study participants for their first-hand experiences and they all said they would do it again:

[T]he men continued to look back on participation in the Minnesota Experiment as one of the most important and memorable activities in their lives. Wesley Miller reported, “It’s colored my whole life experience… [and was] one of the most important things I ever did… I’m proud of the work the Civilian Public Service did during the war.“ Samuel Legg seemed to speak for all of the men when he commented, “I think probably most of us are feeling we did something good and are glad we did it, and that helps us live a better life.”

The experiment — the starvation syndrome

The 40 young male participants were carefully selected among hundreds of volunteers for being especially psychologically and socially well-adjusted, good-humored, motivated, well-educated, active and healthy. They were put on calorie-restrictive diets of about 1,600 calorie/day, meant to reflect that experienced in war-torn regions, for 3 months. They dieted to lose 2.5 pounds a week to lose 25% of their natural body weight. The calories were more generous than many weight loss diets prescribe today! What this study was actually studying, of course, was dieting and restrictive eating — our bodies can’t tell the difference if they’re being semi-starved involuntarily like war victims or voluntarily. During the 3-month nutritional rehabilitation period after the diet, the men were randomly assigned to various nutritional regimens, with differing levels of calories, proteins and vitamins. The men lived at the lab and everything they ate and did was closely monitored, as was their health with a battery of tests. Daily exercise was walking about 3 miles a day. As difficult as the diets were for the subjects, they knew their hunger was less than that of the war victims they were trying to help. All but four completed the study. One of the participants said: “The difference between us and the people we were trying to serve: they probably had less food than we did. We were starving under the best possible medical conditions. And most of all, we knew the exact day on which our torture was going to end. None of that was true of people in Belgium, the Netherlands, or whatever.” Dr. Keys and colleagues painstakingly chronicled how the men did during the 6 months of dietary interventions and for up to a year afterwards. This study scientifically defined for the first time “the starvation syndrome.” As the men lost weight, their physical endurance dropped by half, their strength about 10%, and their reflexes became sluggish — with the men initially the most fit showing the greatest deterioration, according to Dr. Keys. The men’s resting metabolic rates declined by 40%, their heart volume shrank about 20%, their pulses slowed and their body temperatures dropped. They complained of feeling cold, tired and hungry; having trouble concentrating; of impaired judgment and comprehension; dizzy spells; visual disturbances; ringing in their ears; tingling and numbing of their extremities; stomach aches, body aches and headaches; trouble sleeping; hair thinning; and their skin growing dry and thin. Their sexual function and testes size were reduced and they lost all interest in sex. They had every physical indication of accelerated aging. As the physical effects became more dramatic, one study participant said Mrs. Keys confided that Dr. Keys “went through terrible times during the experiment as we lost weight and became gaunt and so on. And he would come home and say, ‘What am I doing to these young men? I had no idea it was going to be this hard.’” But the psychological changes that were brought on by dieting, even among these robust men with only moderate calorie restrictions, were the most profound and unexpected. So much so that Dr. Keys called it “semistarvation neurosis.” The men became nervous, anxious, apathetic, withdrawn, impatient, self-critical with distorted body images and even feeling overweight, moody, emotional and depressed. A few even mutilated themselves, one chopping off three fingers in stress. They lost their ambition and feelings of adequacy, and their cultural and academic interests narrowed. They neglected their appearance, became loners and their social and family relationships suffered. They lost their senses of humor, love and compassion. Instead, they became obsessed with food, thinking, talking and reading about it constantly; developed weird eating rituals; began hoarding things; consumed vast amounts of coffee and tea; and chewed gum incessantly (as many as 40 packages a day). Binge eating episodes also became a problem as some of the men were unable to continue to restrict their eating in their hunger. The act of restricting food and the constant hunger “made food the most important thing in one’s life,” said one of the participants. “Food became the one central and only thing really in one’s life. And life is pretty dull if that’s the only thing. I mean, if you went to a movie, you weren’t particularly interested in the love scenes, but you noticed every time they ate and what they ate.” These experiences are familiar to those who’ve spent their lives dieting. In fact, many of the symptoms once thought to be primary features of anorexia nervosa are actually normal biological responses of undernutrition and restrictive eating, said David M. Garner, PhD., director of River Centre Clinic in Sylvania, Ohio, in Psychoeducational principles in the treatment of eating disorders (NY: Guilford Press, 1997). It was actually Dr. Keys’ research that first evidenced the role of dieting in increasing risks for eating disorders. The extreme physical and mental effects Dr. Keys observed led to his famous quote: “Starved people cannot be taught democracy. To talk about the will of the people when you aren’t feeding them is perfect hogwash.” This was also what led early feminist activists to see dieting and weight concerns as a way to keep women preoccupied with food, filled with guilt and self-hatred, more easily influenced by others, and too mentally and physically exhausted to succeed professionally and politically.

The aftermath

The last part of the Minnesota Starvation Study revealed perhaps the most important effects. When the men were allowed to eat ad libitum again, they had insatiable appetites, yet never felt full. Even five months later, some continued to have dysfunctional eating, although most were finally regaining some normalization of their eating. As they regained their weights, their suppressed metabolism and energy levels returned, although even three months after ending the diet none of the men had yet regained their former physical capacity, noted Dr. Keys. While it seemed the men were “overeating,” Dr. Keys discovered that their bodies actually needed inordinate amount of calories for their tissues to be rebuilt:

Our experiments have shown that in an adult man no appreciable rehabilitation can take place on a diet of 2,000 calories a day. The proper level is more like 4,000 kcal daily for some months. The character of the rehabilitation diet is important also, but unless calories are abundant, then extra proteins, vitamins and minerals are of little value.

In other words, they weren’t really “overeating,” it was a biological, normal effect of hunger and weight loss. The men regained their original weights plus 10%. The regained weight was disproportionally fat, and their lean body mass recovered much more slowly. With unlimited food and unrestricted eating, their weights plateaued and finally, about 9 months later, most had naturally returned to their initial weights without trying — giving scientists one of the first demonstrations that each body has a natural, genetic set point, whether it be fat or thin. Despite the fear that with unrestrained eating everyone would continue to grow larger, it isn’t true. As Dr. Garner explained:

One of the most notable implications of the Minnesota experiment is that it challenges the popular notion that body weight is easily altered if one simply exercises a bit of “willpower.“ It also demonstrates that the body is not simply “reprogrammed” at a lower set point once weight loss has been achieved. The volunteers’ experimental diet was unsuccessful in overriding their bodies’ strong propensity to defend a particular weight level. Again, it is important to emphasize that following the months of refeeding, the Minnesota volunteers did not skyrocket into obesity.

[…] Scientists at Rockefeller University replicated the findings of the Minnesota Starvation study and went on to learn that the body has an incredibly complex and sophisticated system to regulate its fat stores. And when those fat levels deviate from the body’s genetic setpoint, compensatory mechanisms kick in to return the body to is normal state without us having a lot of say about the matter. Decades of sound studies have continued to show that healthy obese people eat and behave no differently than anyone else to explain why their bodies are bigger. It’s not “overeating,” or eating “unhealthy” foods or not enough “healthy” foods, or too little activity, that explains why some of us are fat and others lean. Conventional wisdom on obesity’s cause hasn’t changed appreciably from the time of Galen, who held obese individuals responsible for their size, said obesity researcher Dr. Jeffrey M. Friedman, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics at Rockefeller University. The commonly held belief that obese people can simply decide to eat less and exercise more to control their weight is “at odds with substantial scientific evidence illuminating a precise and powerful biological system that maintains body weight within a relatively narrow range (10-20 pounds),” he said. Fat people are victimized by a social stigma predicated on these myths, he wrote in a 2004 issue of Nature Medicine. Our body shapes and sizes are, to a most significant extent, genetically determined. “The heritability of obesity is equivalent to that of height and greater than that of almost every other condition that has been studied,” said Dr. Friedman. Someone genetically predisposed to obesity will become obese independent of their caloric intake, he explains. And, while it may explain a few extra pounds, it’s not the environment, where almost everyone as unlimited access to calories, that explains the marked difference in body weights in our population today. “Why has the scientific evidence from long-standing obesity research not found its way into the minds of the public and even a significant proportion of the scientific community?,” asks Dr. Friedman. “Perhaps,“ he says, "it is because these views are shaped by a constant barrage of advertisements from the diet industry which has a multibillion dollar interest in promoting the view that weight can be controlled through volition alone… Perhaps it is because humans prefer to believe that the conscious wish to be trim is an element of our “free will” and should therefore dominate” our genes. But the average person eats one million or more calories each year, while weight changes very little, because energy balance is biologically regulated with a precision of greater than 99.5%, which far exceeds what can be consciously controlled, he explained.

[medea10]

My Review of Zombieland Saga REVENGE

Yes, Franchouchou has come back after a two and a half year hiatus.

HISTORY: Zombieland Saga is an idol show.

I have already cut my readership in half with that one sentence alone. But this is no ordinary idol show! A maniacal necromancer named Kotarou Tatsumi brings seven girls back from the dead. A former idol from the 1980’s (Junko), a former idol from the 2010’s (Ai), a child star from the 2010’s (Lily), a girl with idol aspirations from 2008 (Sakura), a former biker gang chick from 1997 (Saki), a courtesan from the 19th century (Yugiri), and Yamada Tae! There’s no describing what exactly Yamada Tae is but we don’t question it as she’s best girl.

Kotarou brought these seven girls back to life in order to save the Saga area and revitalize it. Throughout the first 12 episodes, we watch these girls get the hang of being alive again after so long and become an idol group. With Kotarou’s make-up skills, he’s able to fool nearly everybody that these girls are living, breathing idols. Almost everybody! At the end of the series, we get one guy who caught on about Lily, Ai, and Junko. But enough about that! Let’s see how successful Franchouchou has gotten since we last left the series.

REVENGE: So this sequel begins with the girls doing odd-jobs trying to earn as much money as they possibly can. Normally, the girls would do odd gigs that Kotarou was able to conjure up and that’s been good publicity for their group Franchouchou. However, they came into some money problems when they gambled and lost. It’s no doubt that their performance in the 12th episode was a banger and gave Franchouchou a boost in the idol scene. However, they aimed too high by renting out a big amphitheater to have a concert and only 1.6% capacity was filled. So the performance that night was a crash and burn type of thing. The after-effect put the girls in the hole (money wise) and Kotarou spends his days getting drunk at bars.

Seriously, look at this guy! He looks like a drunk, fourth season Eren Yeager. Kinda hard watching Kotarou looking so sad, pathetic, and drunk! It wasn’t until the girls had to perform at a metal concert arena that Kotarou got a kick in the pants. The fool arrives to the performance hella late, screaming for an encore when the audience is totally not vibing for one. And the girls end up singing while the audience goes in (for a lack of a better term) a Blues Brothers style rumble. The important thing is that Kotarou is feeling better and is ready to send his little zombie songbirds out to save the Saga prefecture.

Throughout the season, we follow the girls of Franchouchou as they regain some popularity they obtained last season. Will they do it? In the first 4 episodes, the group gained their own radio show and Ai’s old group (before she died) Iron Frill considered them as rivals. I think they’ll be okay!

BUT WAIT…: What about that photographer fella we saw all last season? He was quickly catching onto Ai, Junko, and Lily looking a little too close in resemblance to the girls that died years ago. Slowly throughout the series, we see him get closer to the truth.

NEW IDOL?: Oh God, did Kotarou commit taboo once again by bringing another girl back from the dead?

No…It was sadly much worse.

While at a public bathhouse, a girl (not wearing her prescription glasses) entered the men’s side, slipped on some soap, and was knocked unconscious. Thinking she died, Kotarou brings her body back to the girls (who aren’t wearing their makeup) saying this girl will be #7 in Franchouchou. And just like I said, she is not dead and now she knows that the idol group she loves are dancing zombies.

Kotarou is truly fucking up royally this season.

Anyways, this is Maimai! She’s a fan of Franchouchou and ends up becoming a temporary member of the group as #7 (for the episode). And, she’s voiced by Kana Hanazawa! If you don’t know who she is by now, blow me. It’s a little scary knowing that there’s one person out there that knows about the secret. But Maimai is much too loyal a fan to ruin something for everyone and is totally chill about her favorite idol group really being zombies.

THE TWO UNSOLVED MYSTERIES: As much as many of us loved the first season to Zombieland Saga, there were two characters we wished got more play and we knew a little more about. Yugiri and Yamada Tae! Tae-chan has been the enigmatic idol from day one. And due to her possible mental disability, we might never know. However, in one episode we do see her stopping off at a cemetary and I do believe that was her own grave.

As for Yugiri, even the detective can’t dig up info on her. She was around in the late 1800s or the Meiji era and there’s only one known photo in existence of Yugiri before her death. This season, we got a two-episode saga to bring us the good word on Saga and its importance. We got a bit of a history lesson about the Saga prefecture during the Meiji era and even what it was like before then. And yes, we did learn how Yugiri died and her connection to Saga. It was quite sad, but definitely one of the best episodes of the series.

BEST SONG: Didn’t think I’d have one for this franchise.

Saga Jihen from episode 9.

Nuff said.

ENDING: Well, we learned some extra details on what happened during the fall and rise of Franchouchou. This mostly has to do with Kotarou’s gamble with booking a huge arena for the girls to perform in. First of all, this arena was the place of Ai’s death. You member! When she was electrocuted right there on stage! Second of all, they didn’t sell the tickets until the day of the concert. What was that end result again? 1.6% capacity filled! Even in Covid-19 times, that’s fucking small. Granted, the audience was full of those memorable fans from season one including Saki’s friend’s daughter, Lily’s father, and the two metal jackasses. But still, not a good! The girls hit a brick wall and felt embarrassed. This was the worst moment for these girls (aside from dying once). After the disasterous event, they were millions of yen in debt, they’re running out of essentials for the house, and Kotarou has gone on a two-month drinking binge. It was then that they decided to do makeup themselves and go out in the world to earn a living and eventually pay off the debt.

Thankfully, they were able to get out of debt and regained their popularity throughout Saga and further. Saki has managed to get a radio show. Iron Frill (Ai’s old group) sees Franchouchou as a worthy rival. Lily gained a lot of fame in a televised competition. So what’s next? Kotarou apologized to Franchouchou for his big mistake the previous year and him spiraling out of control. Seconds later, he announces that their revenge will be to perform at the very same arena that fucked up their career the year prior.

Boy, you do NOT learn your lesson, do you?!

More trouble is on the rise as that reporter who caught on about the girls being zombies has confronted Kotarou. We finally circled back to the final scene from season one. This guy has caught on to the fact that the girls of Franchouchou resemble girls that died. The only one that he couldn’t dig up dirt on was Yugiri. Possibly because the only known evidence for existence is a photo at the bar! What’s more, he has a sneaking suspicion that the girls of Franchouchou are all zombies. In a prior episode, the reporter snapped a picture at the right time exposing Yamada Tae’s head rolling around on the ground. Dude is ready to go public with the story of the girls of Franchouchou being zombies resurrected from the dead unless Kotarou pulls the plug on everything. Kotarou simply said that the girls will get their revenge and will perform at the arena.

And then…a storm hit Saga!

There was a lot of damage around town. And worst off was Kotarou’s place, as it was ripped from its foundation, thrown into the sea, and crumbled into nothing after coming ashore. Worst of all, the special makeup the girls use to hide their zombie state was in that wreckage. Meanwhile, Kotarou spent several days trapped in a bar with the bar owner and nearly drowned. The girls ended up in a safety shelter with nearly the entire Saga prefecture. The good thing is because they’re town celebrities that they were given a top floor to themselves for privacy. The bad thing is that they’ve been here for days and their makeup is starting to come off, exposing zombies. And to make matters worse, that nosy reporter who knows the girls are zombies is also staying at the shelter (though the girls don’t know he knows). The girls decided to use Junko’s doll-crafting paintset to make masks to hide behind. That lasted only five seconds while trying to entertain the children of the shelter.

This is it. The girls are exposed as zombies.

Actually, the kids and parents thought this was part of the act and thought Franchouchou was lifting up the spirits of the arena. And in comes Kotarou just in time! Man, right under the wire. Now we’re like a few days from this planned concert and Saga is still recovering from the huge storm. Morale is quite low and it’s starting to look like a worse outcome for Franchouchou’s revenge than what happened one year ago. Saki used her platform on the radio to reach all of her viewers to see if they could try to come to the arena for their concert that is now a charity concert. So will this concert be a big success or a bigger flop than last year?

Actually, the arena was packed with people. Fans we’ve met in season one and new characters we met this season were even in attendance. Lily’s father ended up clearing away a lot of the debris so that concert goers could get through. Even Iron Frill (Ai’s old group) came in attendance! The concert was a huge success! And can I say that I’m really enjoying Yamada Tae’s Freddie Mercury impression on stage.

Don’t think you’re that clever, Zombieland Saga. We all know!

Yes, the concert was perfect! A great revenge! They even made Kotarou (a grown-ass man) cry. Even the reporter is willing to keep his trap shut (for now) about the girls being zombies. And best of all, NO ONE CAUGHT COVID-19! Yeah, I have to bring that up. The date of the concert was March 8th, 2020. Ahem. March. 2020. But yeah, everything went great. Perfect ending for Zombieland Saga Reven…

AND THEN AN ALIEN MOTHERSHIP COMES IN AND ZAPS THE AREA!

Huh?!

Who wrote that in the script? Some jerkass from Gainax?!

The last 15 seconds of Zombieland Saga leaves us with some sort of unidentified flying object zapping the area. Only Zombieland Saga can get away with this shit. Well folks, let’s see what’s in store for season three, Zombieland Saga: Zombies in Space or Sagapendence Day Zomb-Trek: Deep Space Seven.

Yeah, I know nothing has been greenlit or announced yet, but you know Studio Mappa has something up their sleeves with that ending. Once again, I enjoyed Zombieland Saga’s charm. I didn’t know if there was much more they could offer us after the first season’s stories, like learning how the girls died, Sakura’s past, and especially Lily’s backstory. This season, I wish there was more Yamada Tae. Come on guys, we still don’t know how she died or anything about her past! And what’s up with Yamada Tae being buried next to Sakura? Did they know each other before passing away? I want some answers! But I was blown away when it came to Yugiri’s saga and the tale of Saga itself. We got a literal history lesson about what Saga was once, what it became after a long struggle, the pain some folks went to in order to keep Saga thriving, and all leading up to where we are now.

This was a fun season. I had a lot more fun with the music this season than the previous one. Yeah, believe it or not I liked the songs Franchouchou sang this season than last season. Never a dull moment, especially with Kotarou! Yeah, his crazy-ass was totally there making absolutely no fucka sense. Take that competition Lily entered.

What the fuck was Kotarou doing? That was an epic fail on so many levels.

Well folks, whenever season three or whatever sequel may come, I’m hoping for more information involving Yamada Tae. And you know what else was severely missing from this season, Kotarou’s past with Sakura. I didn’t forget that flashback from season one and those couple of seconds this season aren’t enough to satisfy my hunger. Those are the two things I would like to know more about in whatever comes of the franchise. Otherwise, great time had by all!

Once more, if you are not a fan of idol shows, this is the only one I would highly recommend Zombieland Saga. Crunchyroll has both seasons available for streaming. FUNimation is now dubbing the second season as we speak.

[hecohansen31]

Lately I love to imagine Michael teasing a shy gray at Outpost 3. But gently. Smiling at her, saying 'hello' when he is ignoring all the others, taking interest into what she is doing, touching her shoulder... Like the others, she wants him, but she is the only one who truly tell herself it will never happen, because he is too good for her and never tried anything or lied to him Because of it, she will be the only one he will take to the Sanctuary with him, but not before having some fun.

(A/N): Hello there, lovelies!

Thank you for sending in this request, I honestly love working on polar opposite couples, so I honestly loved working on these two and hope you’ll like what I wrote!

Also sorry guys if the next asks will take time, I have some written out but I am going to stop answering them chronologically, because it wasn’t helping with bieng creative/writing, so... I am sorry if some asks will take more time that usual!

(I also started studying for an exam so... I might be a bit off).

WARNINGS: Shyness, Two Dorks, Mention of Blasphemy and Threats.

You had always been shy, hence when you had found yourself to be a grey at the Outpost, you hadn’t been surprised and had actually accepted your position quite easily.

Although the people there were awful, you tried to be as invisible as your uniform, completely matching the horrid background of the dark hallways of the last shelter of survivors on Earth.

But no matter how much you tried to camouflage with the walls, Mr. Langdon seemed to completely find you anywhere.

You would be adjusting books in the library, sometimes some that you had snuck out to read in the dark of your room, and he would startle you grabbing a book over your head, and as you turned he would simply smirk at you, with a finger on his mouth, as if this would be ‘your little secret’.

One day you had been scrubbing the floor, after you had been blamed of having spilled the stew, whereas you had been tripped by one of the purples, and as you had looked up, seeing Mr. Langdon’s shoes, you had sent him an obedient look, hoping he didn’t want to punish you.

“Continue your work, little Grey” although his words were harsh, his tone held some kind of sweetness.

He had an allure to him that every outpost resident had noticed, but nobody had caught Mr. Langdon’s attention.

And as you had gone back to your work, you hadn’t found the stain where you had left it, as if it had been magically cleaned.

You hadn’t then understood whether you had been having hallucinations or Mr. Langdon had used some kind of magic to help you with your work.

Which seemed even more crazy than the thought of him being a magical being.

Why would he help a ‘good-for-nothing’ Grey?

Why chose you, when the Outpost held many and many rich heiresses and important models?

You were so surprised, but accepted his gestures, because you certainly wouldn’t have spit in the face of the only ‘alley’ you had inside the Outpost, and although there was a strict regulation against murder, you were well aware that inside of this, you were everyone against everyone.

And you weren’t certainly expecting to be chosen on the Sanctuary.

Hence you hadn’t courted or annoyed Mr. Langdon, you just tried to do your best each day, cleaning,  scrubbing the floors and serving dinner, although you saw no reason why Mr. Langdon would need any of those things in his Sanctuary.

Then your interview finally came, and you weren’t able to stop being nervous, only calming lightly as Mr. Langdon welcomed you in, allowing you to sit, although you just wanted to run for the entire room in an effort to lessen the stress.

And your feet, unable to run freely, started moving up and down, in little kicks that bunched up lightly your dress.

It was childish but it seemed to focus your attention away from Mr. Langon, who, that day, looked even more handsome than usual.

He was wearing an elegant red velvet jacket and black pants, which wouldn’t have properly suited any man except one that was able to wear those clothes proudly as he did.

And he had also donned a bit of make-up, a strong red eye-shadow on his eyelids, outlining his profile and the blue of his pretty eyes, meanwhile his cheekbones were perfectly lined by the light in the room, lightly darker, but donning the man and the atmosphere of the room a sensual note that made you even more uneasy.

“Mrs. (L/N)” he snapped you back to reality and you smirked a bit dumbly, hoping you hadn’t lost yourself too much of his dialogue “… before we start, I’ll have you know that, here, lying or withholding the truth are not admitted, in this room, and in case you chose to apply those two strategies, I’ll leave you to die here”.

The cruelness of his words was enough to send you straight back to Earth, and you nodded, gaining a delighted smile by Mr. Langdon, as he got himself more comfortable on the chair, meanwhile you stood on the brink of yours, in a rather uncomfortable position.

But any position was uncomfortable if you were being mentally penetrated by such a handsome gentleman.

“Then I won’t hesitate much longer and start with the interview” he collected some papers on the table, more to keep his hands busy than for any actual use “… are you afraid of me, Mrs. (L/N)?”.

The question shocked you, and you honestly didn’t have an immediate answer for that.

You had gone through some of the questions he might have asked you: where you were born, what your parents did for a living, if you had a good relationship with your grandma… the usual things.

But certainly not that question.

“…I don’t honestly…” you started stuttering and calmly Mr. Langdon set down his papers, looking at you with a calm glance and muttering:

“Take your time, Mrs. (L/N), truth is more important than time to me”.

You couldn’t help but blush and immediately you shot your look to your hands.

You honestly felt like everyone was afraid of Mr. Langdon, and it would have been stupid not to be: he was a powerful man, playing with your destinies… but at the same time…

He had proved himself to be gentle with you, both the library incident and the stain one, showing that he had a softer spot, although he didn’t let it out.

“I don’t think that I should fear you, Mr. Langdon…” you admitted finally, gaining your voice but still looking intensely your fingers “…I am intimidated, certainly, but I don’t think that I fear you”.

“Intimidated?” he seemed fascinated by the sound of it “… why, Mrs. (L/N)?”.

“You are a powerful man… who… is in control of our destiny…” you set a look to the side, an elegant clock being hang there, unmoving but tick-tacking in your imagination “… only a fool wouldn’t be afraid of a man with such power”.

“A man with such power…” again satisfaction shone in his words “… do you think I am a god, little Grey?”.

You knew that he was messing with you: his tone had become softer, a velvet caress of teasing to your ears.

You blushed and couldn’t help but be a bit indignant, as you answered with a tone that fit your feeling, immediately regretting its harshness.

“… no you are not a god” you replied, witnessing his eyebrow scrunching together, alongside his nose and you couldn’t help but wonder whether you had said the wrong things “… God is an invention and you are pretty real”.

“Would you like to touch me to prove it, Mrs. (L/N)?” the proposal had something of extremely indecent in it.

You shook your head tight, your face extremely livid.

But Mr. Langdon tutted you lightly with his head, shaking it.

“You have been nothing but truthful, Mr. (L/N), don’t disappoint me now” and he raised lightly one of the arms of his jacket, revealing smooth skin, with light blonde hair on it, strangely standing at attention, as if he was having some goosebumps “… c���mon, touch me, I swear I don’t bite”.

His eyes seemed to also add ‘not if you ask’, but you tried to focus on his skin.

Softly pushing your hand on it, you caressed his wrist with your fingertips as if you were expecting to be electrified by that skin, so pure and soft, that it got a soft moan of surprise out of your mouth.

“I am real, am I not, Mrs. (L/N)?”

“You are made of meat, Mr. Langdon” you replied, pushing your hair away from your face, as you slowly retreated your finger from his skin, although you felt like they were again yearning for that contact “… but so are the best working illusions”.

“You have got quite the tongue” he replied, a look of fascination shining in his eyes as you tried to raise up your eyes to meet his, curiously attracted by him, again “… you may act like a little Grey, but you are much more, aren’t you?”.

“I…” again words were stuck in your mouth, filling it, unable to move away from the horrific feelings Langdon brought out of you “… I am scared that in my mind I’ll forever and only be a Grey for myself”.

“But in your soul?” he hit just the right spot, as if he knew perfectly where to dig to find the best treasure “… because what I look through, truly, in my interviews… are souls”.

He raised from the desk and moved away from it, circling it to come to you.

And you started trembling.

Whether for the anxious confusion or for the impatient interest he provoked in you, you didn’t know, but you were stuck there, although everything in you wanted to run.

Either away from him or to him.

He solved any doubts, making the decision for you, pushing himself onto his knees in front of you.

“I have seen some souls which are downright scandalous, the darkest of darkness inhabiting them, but most of them are grey, simple and meek, nothing memorable in their eyes and nothing magical, and you expect yourself to be one of those…” you nodded your head, as if it was a question “… but the truth is that your soul is delightfully colorful a myriad of different colors, one different from another, so bright and unique that everybody is unable to simply stare at you, they are admiring you, little Grey”.

And before you knew it, Mr. Langdon had dared to do what you had solely dreamt of doing each night, in your wildest dreams.

He kissed you.

You had expected him to be selfish and passionate, but he was tender and sweet, loving and attentive, as he tangled his fingers in your hair, meanwhile another hand went to join yours in your lap.

He proved himself to be exactly like you: more beyond what the eyes perceived.

“I have been looking through all Earth for a soul like yours, Mrs. (L/N)” he stated once you separated, the kiss having been chaste enough not to startle you, something for which you were grateful, since you didn’t understand whether it was a dream or just your imagination.

“Call me, (Y/N)” you replied, your hands coming slowly to his face to understand whether he was an illusion, or a man made of meat, and again smooth skin tickled your fingertips.

“Then you must call me Michael” he shot back, a small smirk easing on his face, genuine and true that made you understand you could trust him “Come with me at the Sanctuary (Y/N), you are the only one worthy”.