#in case you can't tell this is inspired by the song “something stupid”

[pink-pkmn-trainer]

mumbling under his breath

[bunnys-kisses]

bound to fall in love

nanami kento

cw: fluff & smut, romance (read: mushy), office worker!nanami & office worker!reader, being in love, (slight) praise kink, bunny: inspired by the song 'bound' by ponderosa twins plus one. i wanted to write something a little different <3 ugh to be in love

you met nanami when the sky was orange. you were both returning from work and ran into one another at the local convenience store. it was almost romantic how you met, going for the last muffin in the display case.

he said you could take it, but you said 'why don't we share it.' and you both ended up at a nearby park on bench. he had bought you a drink and the two of you split the muffin.

you could tell he was looking at you as you happily ate, he even leaned in and wiped a bit of chocolate from your cheek. that was how you two met, and who would've thought that a double chocolate muffin would change your life.

it had now been six months since you and nanami got together. while your lives remained busy, you always tried to make time for one another. work culture left you burnt out, but it was worth it after a long week to see your boyfriend.

he tried his best to make your weekly dates special, even if you didn't expect it. you wanted to see him, that was the most important part of your dates!

when your week ended at the office, you were out the doors and headed toward nanami's office building. you waited in the lavish lobby as you looked around at the modern decor of the place.

you wondered briefly how much the company paid for the ugly statue. but your attention was captivated when you heard your name. you looked over and saw nanami standing across from you.

"you looked like you've been running."

you smiled, "i wanted to make sure that i got here before you left." then approached him and wrapped your arms around the other man. you leaned up and he kissed you on the lips.

he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close. your eyes met and you could see the gentle smile in his eyes. you kissed him once more before you pulled away.

he held you hand as you pulled away, "i was wondering if you wanted to get dinner. my treat." then smiled softly at you.

you gripped his hand, "i was thinking that we go to the restaurant outside the train station near your home."

he replied, "are you inviting yourself over?" he led you out of the lobby, he knew his co-workers were going to have a field day. it wasn't that he was embarrassed of you, he simply liked to keep his personal affairs private.

you were close to him, holding his arm as you walked towards the train station, "i was thinking we could have a night together. this week was terrible, i need to forget all about it!"

he replied, "well, i can't say no to that." as he gave you a quick glance as he continued to walk with you to the train station.

-

dinner with nanami meant dessert in his apartment. you fell back onto the bed and beamed up at him. if you could, you would've had hearts in your eyes over him if it were a cartoon.

he just made you feel special, was that a crime?

but in all fairness, someone as handsome as him should be illegal. and that cock should be illegal goods. you covered your face with your hands before he got closer to you.

he crowded over you on the bed and said softly, "why are you laughing?"

your eyes met with his and you smiled, "something stupid. don't worry about it. i hate to admit it, honey. you make me feel like a teenager again."

he replied, "well, i prefer my woman around my age." he pulled you into him and he rolled over so you were on top, "i find they only get prettier with age."

you kissed him on the lips and then gazed down at him, "sweet talker." you played with the buttons of his shirt, "you look good in blue."

"and you look good in every colour." he replied as he leaned up and kissed you once more. the kiss was firm, but not aggressive. it felt gentle. full of love.

slowly you undressed one another, you were thankful to be out of your work clothes. you were more than content to kick it off the bed and let the comfort of the weekend roll in.

soon you were both naked and nanami took in the sight of you. he gave you sweet praises. he smiled at you gently as he ran his fingers through your hair.

"i'm so proud of you. another week down."

"we need a vacation soon."

he kissed your forehead, "soon." he pulled away to get in between your legs, "somewhere warm. somewhere i'll never want to leave."

you hooked your hands under the pillow and looked up at him. your chuckled, "you mean my apartment when the heat on too high."

he rubbed your thighs tenderly as he wrapped them around his waist. he replied, "somewhere else then."

to be in love with nanami was a life full of work with breaks in it like cracks in concrete. but within those cracks you found comfort in your lover. there was never a man like nanami and there wouldn't be one after.

he slowly guided his cock into you and sank into you. he exhaled deeply through his nose and leaned forward to plant his hands on either side of you. you were close together once more.

you wrapped your arms around him and began to kiss him as your bodies moved together. a tiny slice of paradise.

"my good girl." he said softly, his lips close to yours.

you moved together like two halves of the same whole, perfect pieces of one another. nanami wouldn't trade you for the world. a life was only worth living if you were in it. and he soaked in every moment he had with you, especially the ones where you looked so perfect.

you felt in love. that was all you could say. you were in love and you'd scream it from the rooftops if you had to! you adored your hardworking man. he just complete you. he leaned in to kiss you one more time as his hands snaked under the pillow and held yours. his pace quickened.

the bed shifted under your movements. you made small noises, but your breathing was getting heavy from the movements of your bodies. your head felt like it was swirling from the immense pleasure that ran through your body.

he sighed contently, "you feel so good." he leaned further against you and kissed you gently as he rolled his hips up against you. you felt like a dream, you were amazing.

you smiled up at him, "not as good as you feel." you said as you met his steady pace. you could feel the pleasure in your bones as he made love to you.

it wasn't sex, it was makin' love.

it wasn't long before the urge to orgasm came over both you like gentle waves. your breathing was heavy as he continued to thrust up into you.

"i love you." he said with such honesty.

"i love you too." you said before you grabbed him by the face and pulled him into a tight kiss. you held his face against yours as you climax.

you both came at the same time and you moaned deep into your kiss. you held one another in each other's arms. and when nanami broke the, he could feel the sweat at the nape of his neck and his breathing was heavy.

you laid next to one another soon after and he spooned you from behind. he loved the feeling of your skin against his. it was a feeling that he relished in. he kissed the back of your neck and you sunk into his arms.

"my love." he said softly, "now and forever." before he heard you drift off to sleep. he smiled to himself and was content with holding you like this all night. <3

xoxo, bunny

[m00nkissedlover]

・｡infinity ♾️

"i love you for infinity~"

chishiya x reader | word count: 1,197 words

summary: you just wanted him to know how much you love him...♾️ (inspired by the song "infinity" by jaymes young)

warnings: angst, death of a character, some strong language (one word)

note: can't wait for aib s3!! i will BAWL if chishiya dies- also, probably ooc towards the end, idc :))

you had a little pre-game ritual with chishiya. well, it was more so just your ritual. before every game, you'd tell chishiya the same thing: "i love you for infinity." it was a way for you to express your love for him in case something tragic happened during a game.

you thought it was cute. he thought it was stupid.

"why can't you just say "i love you" plain and simple? it's like you want something to go wrong during the game." he'd say, finding it ridiculous. but deep down, his stomach twisted each time you'd say it out of fear of it being your last.

"come on, chi~ we've made it this far! my ritual is working!" you teased as the two of you walked around the rooftop of "the beach." you knew chishiya wasn't very keen on talking about his emotions, much less saying he loved someone out loud. but you could tell he loved you too based on his actions alone.

"you and your ritual..." he mumbled under his breath, playfully flicking you in the forehead before leaning down to kiss the spot before you scolded him. "go get some sleep. you need to be well rested for tomorrow."

"but the game is at night-" you were cut off by chishiya pressing his finger to your lips to shush you. "doctor's orders~" he teased, a small smirk on his lips. you frowned, mumbling against his finger. "fine, but only because i'm getting a little tired..." you lied, a goofy grin on your lips. you leaned over and gave him a soft kiss before making your way down the stairs.

as the days passed, more games were played, more cards were won, and more victories were celebrated with alcohol and intense partying. unfortunately, that also meant more players didn't make it. it was a new night, and you were currently packed into a car with chishiya and two other beach members. you played with chishiya's fingers under the seat, humming to yourself. the car soon came to a stop at a large arena, lights decorating it from top to bottom.

after locking the car, you all joined the group of players at the entrance. chishiya stood with you, leaning against a wall with his hood up and his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. you slipped your hand into his pocket, slowly intertwining your fingers. you leaned over and softly whispered to him as you did before every game. "i love you for infinity~"

the game was whack a mole. difficulty: 6 of diamonds. rules: there are 5 rounds. each round, one person was assigned to be the "mole." their task was to confuse other players into thinking they aren't the mole. by the end of each round, players choose who they believe the mole is. if they're correct, the mole dies by a giant hammer bashing their skull in. if they're wrong, one innocent player dies by impalement.

the first two rounds went rather smoothly, the players successfully choosing the correct mole. everyone watched in horror as the players got their heads bashed in, blood pooling on the floor as they shuffled into the next room.

for the third round, there were two moles. if they guessed just one of them wrongly, one innocent player would die. one by one, each player stepped into a room off to the side for their role assignment. when you stepped in, the little black screen flickered and showed you your role. you were one of the moles. you took a breath, attempting to calm yourself down. "just act as if you're not the mole. just act like you have been this whole time."

once everyone finished getting their role assignment, the countdown for the round started. immediately, one of the players started to accuse chishiya of being the mole. "how come he's always deciding who the mole is? what if he's the mole this time?" the man said, getting in chishiya's face. "yeah, i agree! he always has that stupid smirk on his face!" another man yelled, making you panic.

you quickly stepped between chishiya and the man to break them up, frantically shaking your head. "no! it's not chishiya! if anything, it could be you!" you said, jabbing your finger at his chest. "hah? what are you talking about, you bitch? it could be you too!" he yelled back, obviously looking a bit taken off guard.

"we don't have time to keep arguing about this! time is ticking!" one woman yelled, pointing to the clock that was already at one minute left.

"ROUND ENDS IN 60 SECONDS"

chishiya placed a hand on your shoulder, stepping closer and glancing at the man. "let the time dwindle down. it's obvious that whoever the mole is won't be so nervous about dying if they can successfully trick the other players, right?" he said, the man swallowing a bit. chishiya got him.

"PLEASE CHOOSE THE MOLES"

at hearing the automated voice, the man quickly pointed to chishiya, his gaze threatening as he looked at the other players. they all nodded in agreement, and you, in a state of panic pointed at the man. the automated voice buzzed for a moment, coming on over the intercom.

"NUMBER OF MOLES CAUGHT: ONE"

your stomach dropped as you saw a small door on the wall open up. in a moment of panic and despair, you leaped in front of chishiya, the blonde haired male grabbing you to push you out of the way. but it was too late. a mid-sized spear shot out of the wall...and straight into your chest.

you stumbled back, falling to the ground as chishiya tried to hold you up. your blood seeped through your jacket and onto his hands, his eyes shaking. "[y/n]....[y/n], come on, get up. get up, i can...ann and i can patch you up-" you glanced up at chishiya as your breathing became labored. the other players stood there, just watching, as if scared to do something.

you glanced down at the spear piercing your chest, then back up at chishiya, tears in your eyes. "chi-" "shhh, you- you'll be fine. you'll be alright!" you reached a hand up and gently caressed his cheek, a bloody smile forming on your lips. "chishiya...i love you for infinity..." you whispered, his eyes going wide. "no, no stop!" your vision was starting to fade a bit, your breathing getting slower. "i love you...for infinity..." you breathed, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes.

"ROUND 4 STARTS IN 2 MINUTES"

chishiya, gripped your hand, his whole body going into shock. he knew you wouldn't make it. the game masters would make sure of it. he decided to accept your fate, leaning over and pressing a kiss to your forehead. you swore you could hear him sniffling a bit. "i love you too....i love you for infinity." he finally said it. he finally told you he loved you. and it would be the last thing you heard as your hand slipped from his and your eyes fell shut. it was true, chishiya loved you, to the moon and back, with all his heart, and for infinity. ♾️

© m00nkissedlover, 2024

[alicewonderao3]

She's more

Title: She's more

Characters: Aaron Hotchner, fem!reader, mentions of Haley and Jack.

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x fem!reader

Warnings: None, just pure tooth rotting fluff, a brief mention of Haley's death.

Summary: Aaron's driving home after dropping his girlfriend off from their date when he has a realization wash over him: he loves her.

Word count: 856

Authors note: I know I said I was going to write this and post it yesterday, but my husband and I had a very necessary date night last night, and I got sidetracked. Here it is, and the song that inspired me was "She's More," By Andy Griggs. I borrow some of the lyrics, but I don't own it. It's such a good song. I heard it and instantly thought of Aaron Hotchner. I have no beta, so all spelling and grammar mistakes are mine. Let me know what you think!!

He's driving home after dropping her off after another date, unable to get her out of her mind. He still can't believe she's with him, still can't believe how lucky he managed to get. It's funny how it happens when you least expect it. He couldn't even say he fell for her at first sight. He was still trying to recover from Haley's death, and she was there. 

She hovered on the edge of his awareness, always doing sweet things for him, helping with Jack, but never pushed herself on him. She even encouraged his relationship with Beth, even if now, he realizes, she felt something for him. He'd always had this image of what kind of woman he'd end up with when he started dating again. 

He likes blue eyes, but her eyes are brown. But not just brown. No, they remind him of honey, golden soft flecks in between the soft brown that seem to light up when she sees him. She isn't tall, by any stretch. He's over six feet and towers over her small five-foot frame. She's got dark wavy hair that just hits her shoulders, and it's not the long hair he thought this woman would have. 

She isn't who he pictured at all, in a paint-by-number fantasy he'd had in his head. Stupid, he realizes now, but she's not at all who he thought he was looking for. She's more. It still catches him by surprise, how his heart gets lost in her deep brown eyes, how it skips a beat when she smiles at him. 

The first time he looked twice at her, when he noticed those little things about her, after their first date, like how her laughter filled his soul, how he wanted to just be in her presence, how he wanted to hold her, never letting her leave the safety and comfort of his arms. When it comes to her, he can't ever get enough. 

She's more than he ever dreamed of, more than he's ever deserved in his life. He couldn't ever ask for more than her, and as he pulled into his driveway, and parked his car, the realization washed over him. He loves her. He loves her. They hadn't made it that far yet, those declarations of love. But it's there, in how she leaves him notes on his fridge after she stays over, or that time he found one in his go-bag, with the faint scent of her perfume clinging to the paper. 

He still has that one, tucked into his wallet, and when he's lonely on a long case, he pulls it out, that and the photo of her Jack she'd snapped one time she was hanging out with him, and their bright smiles staring up at him never fail to cheer him up. 

The realization that he loves her, isn't shocking. What is shocking is how not guilty he doesn't feel. He'd always assumed that when he fell in love with another woman, he'd feel this sort of guilt, regardless of his divorce from Haley, he loved her, and when she died, he always thought that to be with someone else and love them would be hurting her, even if she would want him to move on. 

He stays seated in his car, pulling his phone out as he calls her. Her soft and gentle voice comes over the phone, and it always makes him smile. He assures her that he's fine that Jack's fine, his heart skipping a beat in his chest as he prepares to tell her. He clears his throat, and tries to smother the sudden rise of nerves he feels. 

His voice is soft and low, "I love you." He says, and there is this silence for a brief moment and he can't help the fresh wave of panic that starts to claw at his throat until he hears her whisper, "I love you too, Aaron." And as his heart slows down and his panic subsides, he says it again. "No, I don't think you understand, I love you. I love you more than I thought I could love anyone. I couldn't ask for anything or anyone better in my life. I love you." 

He hears her sniffle, can hear the tears in her voice as she murmurs something about him being too good for her, and he chuckles, his laugh deep. "No, sweetheart," He says, and he can see the smile she's wearing even if he's not looking at her. "You're too good for me. I'm the luckiest man in the entire world, just for having the chance to love you every day, and I promise to spend every day finding new ways to tell you that." 

He says goodnight to her and promises to see her tomorrow at Jack's soccer game. And as he hangs up and goes inside, he can't ever think of a moment where he's felt happier. He didn't think he'd find love after he got divorced, but he has, and he's going to hold onto it and her with both hands. He's all too aware of what can happen otherwise. 

[chaoticallysapphic]

just a scratch

summary: You were always the hero, always the one protecting those around you. So who could be surprised by your honorable death?

a/n: I woke up this morning literally thinking "why not write a death fic," so here you guys go. Here's your Lin fic. I came up with this idea like two days into having this blog and it’s inspired by this art. 

word count: 3k

When you were little your favorite books were those of heroes. Of great adventures and love so profound it would be talked about for centuries to come. The ones now collecting dust on the third to last shelf on your bookcase, the mahogany one situated between your desk and cedar bookcase, is where you place your favorites. 

A recurring theme in them all is self-sacrifice. Loving someone sometimes requires that and you knew if the time ever came, you'd do it all for her. A life without her is not one you could live through, a world without her is dark and full of monsters and crime. Not only would you do it for your own selfish reasons but because she was so important to other people as well. The death of Lin Beifong is the day the heart of Republic City stops beating. 

If you had to choose a way to go, it would be protecting those you love. And if Lin's life was on the line, then you knew it had to be you.

There are a million scares that have happened in the last few years, ever since Korra arrived the number of times you were jumping in front of her was too many to count. After the fourth, after you pushed her aside so Amon would take your bending, she'd all but screamed at you for hours while holding you, scared to let you go. Despite the emptiness seeming to fill you up like a ship sinking, it was worth it. 

After you got it back Lin didn't let you out of her sight for weeks, suddenly you were trailing after her like a lost puppy. You understand her need to have you nearby and you didn't mind, who could mind the company of Lin? 

One night sometime after the eighth time, Lin notices those books on the third to last shelf. She's read one or two and casually asks you how the others end. In your hands is a new one just as heartbreaking and morbid as the others. You don't realize the dots connecting for her whilst you happily ramble on about them, mentioning how you read your first one in the library at the age of seven. 

“I mean it's what you do for love and it's so-” 

“No you stay alive for love so you can live out the rest of your life with them,” her voice is firm as she grips one of those favorites of yours. You frown, slowly closing the one you're currently reading. 

“Well it's not like you'd just do it for anything, it's to protect the one you love.” 

Over the next few years, Lin's heart almost stops a million times as you keep protecting her. She tries to get you to stay in Republic City when she goes off to protect Korra but your stubbornness somehow beats Lin's. 

That break-in at Zaofu solidifies it for you. Lin slips off with Suyin, so they can propel from the ceiling to save Korra. She makes sure you're distracted before sneakily racing off. When you turn around to check on Lin she's gone. She's gone and as you whip your head around to look for her there isn't a trace of where she went. 

You know you're being selfish, that you should push this panic and fear down to help save Korra but you can't. You need to know where she is, people are yelling at you as you continuously turn, hoping to spot her. You don't notice how the combustion bender has turned to you. Your vision is blurring, you need to find her, and little do you know she's watching from above with her heart in her throat as P'li smirks before taking aim. 

The sound her bending makes has you whipping around. Your eyes widen at the bolt of fire shooting towards you, frozen in place. This is not how you want to go down, you’ve had an unhealthy obsession with how you’d leave this world from a young age and this was not it. In the last second before your life ends two arms wrap around your waist as a body slams into you. You fall to the floor with a loud thud and a pained moan as your head smacks against the concrete. The bolt of fire whizzes past the two of you as it burns through a bush. 

The woman above you isn’t Lin. It’s some guard with black hair and a mole under her eye and you can only half make out what she's saying, partially due to the concussion you now suffer from but also from the icy fear that has encased you. Little do either of you know that by Kuvira saving you, your fate has been placed in her hands for another day.

She’s asking if you're okay, by now Lin has saved Korra and the intruders have vanished. She knows your importance to the Beifong family. Kuvira helps pull you up into a sitting position, she watches you wince from the pain, your eyes squeezed shut. There’s a small spot of blood on the ground, and so she checks behind your head and finds a small cut. 

Lin has given Korra to Suyin, bolting to where she sees you hunched over while Kuvira cleans the cut for you. You don’t hear or notice her coming, the only indication is when her arms slip around you as she pulls you against her body so tight it feels like the air is being squeezed out of you. 

“What the fuck was that?” She chokes out between sobs. You slowly wrap your arms around your lover as you suddenly begin to feel tired. 

“I couldn’t find you.” 

After Zaheer when your life quiets down just a smidgen, Lin proposes. She found the ring at a jewelry store in Zaofu the day after you almost died and knew. You become a blubbering mess, it’s entirely unattractive as there’s snot mixing with tears but you rapidly nod as you choke out “yes.” 

A year later you get married and the day is nothing short of a fairy tale. Everything is perfect as you sway to the song with your wife's arms wrapped around your waist. Everyone watches as you both lovingly stare into each other's eyes. Lin thinks that it’ll be calmer now and you’ll be safe. You're her wife and you love her and you're safe. 

You think back on that day often with a fond smile, the cake you smeared across her face and the scowl she sported directly after. How she then cupped your cheeks in her hands, so she could rub the cake off onto you. There are two photo albums worth of photographs from that day and in almost every single one you both stare at each other in this way that feels so intimate. If a stranger took a look they’d be able to tell just how much you loved one another. 

Lin’s been given her happily ever after, those two years that follow are blissful. You open up a bookstore near your apartment, and she forces herself to come home at a reasonable time every night, so she can enjoy your company before you head off to bed. You settle into a routine that neither of you mind, all Lin cares about is that you're safe and you're happy. 

Some people (like Suyin) say it’s almost sickening how much you two love each other but Lin just thinks that’s because she's jealous of not having this kind of heartwarming, never-ending love. Everyone knows her marriage has dulled into one of convenience, and she’s never almost lost the love of her life as Lin has. It makes you cherish every moment in case it’s your last. 

That peace breaks when Kuvira comes to Republic City, her change in demeanor is shocking and her inability to hand over the Earth Kingdom saddens you. She saved your life and the woman in front of you is not the same one who pushed you out of the way all those years ago. Something in her eyes has twisted, she’s become jaded over time and you seem to be the only one who holds out hope. Even Suyin gives up on her. 

When Toph meets you she's nothing short of surprised. “Hi, I’m your daughter's wife, Y/n.” In the background, Bolin can see Lin rolling her eyes as she begins to walk away. You guys are on a mission, and she really doesn’t want you to make nice with her mother. 

But you do because you're you and when Lin snaps while everyone is quietly eating their flameo noodles you softly calm her down. Still, you look over your shoulder at the first metal bender and say “you may have raised the love of my life but you’ve done nothing for her since the day you left Republic City. If she doesn’t want to forgive you for abandoning her then that’s perfectly fine by me.” 

Your words remind Lin of the first time you met, how she was floored by your ability to bite back despite your otherwise quiet demeanor. You’d been this shy woman who bumped into her on your way out of a bookstore and when she went to scold you for not paying attention you stopped her in her tracks with one look alone. It may seem childish and stupid, cringe-worthy even, but she knew she had to marry you one day just with that look. 

The next morning you save the Beifongs along with Zhu Li, you can’t help but watch Kuvira twist around as she continues to try and take Suyin down. If you go up there, will she do the same? She probably doesn’t remember you but as your savior, you remember her. Lin pulls you onto Juicy and wraps her arms around you, she thought the action was over, that her fear of losing you would lessen but it’s back in full force. 

She tries to make you evacuate with the rest of Republic City and that stubbornness she loves rears its head as you put your foot down, claiming that you go wherever she does. 

It’s all a blur really, there’s so much to do and such little time as you all try and try again to take her down when finally a reprieve comes in the form of Hiroshi’s sacrifice. Inside you stick with the Beifong sisters as you all work to destroy the weapon whilst Korra tries to distract Kuvira. 

It’s a split second filled with too much to process. One second you succeed and destroy the ammunition and then the arm in which you're all in is being flung across the city. You push Lin and Suyin towards the wall, your wife bends metal around the two of them and tries to do the same for you but it’s flimsy as you're so far away and everything is moving so fast. The force of impact successfully knocks you out.

When you come to there're three things you notice. 

Number one: You are so cold and yet you can feel sweat beading down your forehead. 

Number Two: The metal wrapped around you is gone, it must have broken off from the impact. 

Number three: It feels like you can’t breathe, there’s something inside you and when you try to move a pained scream scraps up your throat, it sounds gurgled and wet as something warm drips from your lips. 

When you finally manage to open your eyes you notice that you aren’t in the arm anymore, with your blurry vision you can make out the faint shape of it against a broken building. There’s so much distorted noise around you. You can faintly make out your name being shouted and when you try to speak nothing comes out. 

You make a mistake in your painful haze, you try to move. It’s then you finally look down as another scream rips out of you, this one slightly quieter, and notice the steel rod sticking out of the upper half of your stomach. You know it’s stupid but the only thing you can manage to think of is ‘that’s not meant to be there.’

Lifting your arm up you try to find a source of water, maybe you can heal what's around you as you slowly pull yourself off, but your call goes unanswered. Your arm gives out and falls onto the jagged pieces of concrete that cut into your skin but your brain is too focused on the pain in your stomach. 

Where is she? Is she okay? Will this pain have been worth it? You don’t know, you're alone and you know what’s about to happen and you're alone. In all the visions you had of saving her, the last thing you saw was her. But now it’s the dilapidated storefront that must have been broken in the collision as you lay where a wall once used to stand. The ceiling is moldy and only half of it is still intact. You don’t even get to see the sun at the end. 

Just as you're about to close your eyes to try and think of happy memories to go out on, you faintly hear someone say in a voice full of sorrow and desperation “No… No, no, no!” 

This site right here is Lin’s worst nightmares all wrapped into one. There’s so much blood pooling underneath you as it drips down the broken concrete of the building. You're pale, so pale she thinks you almost look like a ghost and blood drips from your mouth. 

She surges forward and falls to her knees, the bricks and rocks cut into her pants as pain sears through her legs, but she doesn’t care nor notice. All she notices is how your eyes are closed and how you're shivering in the middle of summer. Two warm hands cup your cheek, bringing you out of your pleasant memory of your wedding day as you open your eyes. A pair of bright green eyes stare down at you, she looks so scared. 

“Lin…” You wheeze out. She shakes her head as she begins to sob. You feel so tired, so weak and if you had the energy it’d anger you but you can’t find it in you to care anymore. She’s here and you can see her eyes, her beautiful face and you know that what you’ve just done to protect her and Suyin was worth it. If not for you pushing her out of the way she would have fallen out of the arm and you’d be the to find her amongst the rubble. 

“No you're fine, we’re gonna get you a heal- Korra can heal you it’s fi-” she’s stumbling over her words as she tries to wipe the blood off your face, it just smears the red liquid down your cheek and onto your neck. You shake your head. 

“I love you…” 

“Stop it, don’t say that you’ll be fine. You are going to live.” 

“Please say it back…” You know you won’t live, no one will find you in time and you’ve lost too much blood. It’ll happen any second now and you want to hear it one more time. 

“I’m not ready for this… You’re meant to grow old with me…” She sobs out. “You’re meant to live.” 

“Please Lin…” you stop as you cough up more blood. It’s close. “I’m scared, please jus-” 

“I love you, I-” she gently rests her forehead against your own, your skin is like ice now, “love you.” Lin feels so warm and comforting, you want to lean forward to wrap yourself around her but you can’t. 

 Tragedy struck within a matter of seconds. Life deemed her unworthy of a happy ending. 

The shivering that let her know you were still there stops. She’s too scared to open her eyes afraid of what she might find. Maybe if she keeps them closed you’ll come back. You were like a cat with nine lives and surely you had one left. She doesn’t know how long she sits there leaning over your lifeless body with her hands cradling your face and forehead against your own, her back begins to hurt from the position, but she does not move an inch.

Everyone is looking for the two of you. They’ve won, victory is finally theirs and everyone can rest easy now with the great uniter being dragged by Suyin and Korra. Lin left the second the blast had cleared, screw victory all she cared about was you and Suyin was worried by the quietness of the streets, by the fact that neither of you came stumbling out of an alley with your hands all over each other as relief radiates from you. 

It’s eerily silent as they turn down that fateful street Suyin and Lin woke up in, and she spots something out of the corner of her eye. A broken storefront that was slightly concealed by a large chunk of concrete. She sees the black of Lin’s suit and hears the faint whisper of someone murmuring something. 

Tossing the injured Kuvira towards Korra to fully support her, she races over to her sister. Everyone stops as they see what's transpiring. No one says a thing, breath being held as they make out Lin leaning over something. Even Kuvira watches because what else is there for her to do? 

Suyin stops a few feet behind her sister, her shoulders dropping when she sees a sight so tragic, so heartbreaking that even she begins to sob. Lin is too focused on you, she doesn’t even realize that she’s repeating something like a mantra, like some kind of prayer that will go unanswered. 

“You're going to be okay.” It’s all Lin can say, eyes still squeezed shut. Hesitantly, Suyin takes a step as she tries to stifle her cries. 

“Lin?...” 

She stills at her sister's voice, those same four words dying in her throat. Suyin braves another step and then one more before placing her hand on her sister's shoulder. She can see the blood now and there’s so much of it. It reminds her of the rushing river right outside of Zaofu. Lin tenses at the touch. 

“She’s fine.” Lin spits out and spirits it is such a useless lie. “She’s going to be fine.” Suyin grips her shoulder and pulls, in that moment of panic at being ripped from you her eyes finally open. You're so limp and without her hands to hold you, your face lulls to the side. Suyin finally spots the cause of your death with the detachment of Lin. Nothing could have saved you from that, not even if they found you immediately. Only spirit water could have fixed that and it’s too far away. 

“Lin…” Suyin starts as she continues to pull her away. Fear grips her so tightly she can’t control herself as she whips around to push her away. Her younger sister catches her arms before she can try to bend her away and Lin struggles to break free. Everyone sees you now.  

“Get off of me!” She screams, her voice cuts through the air like a knife and neither of the sisters notices the display of grief behind them as every person who knows you understands the gravity of the situation. You were like a second mother to Korra, you made sure Mako was fed and healthy during his brief time staying at the station. When Bolin doubted his bending in Zaofu you cheered him on. 

You were everyone's ray of sunshine. No one knows what to do when the sun finally goes out. 

“She’s fine!” Suyin just nods as she pulls Lin into a tight hug. The chief wails as she finally begins to realize that you aren’t fine, that you won’t wake up. It settles into her bones and drags her down until she’s collapsing. Suyin struggles to hold her sister as she gently kneels for them. 

In her defeated, injured state, Kuvira remembers you. She remembers cleaning up the bit of blood from the back of your head, and she thinks ‘that’s too much for me to clean.’  The great uniter remembers the sob that left Lin when she barreled into you. The sound of her voice as she choked out “What the fuck was that?”

Lin can’t breathe, she feels her heart die with you as she wails into her sisters shoulder. The icy cold grips of grief latch onto her like a parasite and make itself a nest inside her now empty chest cavity.

That day victory is not what anyone on that street feels. The sunshine has vanished from this world and replaced it with darkness that’ll loom over everyone’s life for the rest of time.

That day is the day Lin Beifong truly dies.

[tilltheendwilliwrite]

I Like Boys

A Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers Story

Master List

Pairing: Stucky   |  Word Count: 2256  |  Warnings: Language

Based on the Todrick Hall song I Like Boys

A/N: With all the crazy in the world right now, I thought we could all use a little something fun and fluffy. This is my first Pride fic, please be kind as I did my absolute best. Love who you love, people. There’s nothing greater in life.

This fic is for @magellan-88​ who inspires me even when she doesn’t intend to.

***

James Buchanan Barnes was ninety-seven years old when his Hydra programming finally broke. He spent two years running from his best friend, another two in cryo, and five after that apparently blipped into nothing. After the fight - were, somehow, they all came out alive - Bucky decided, fuck it! 

How many times had he almost died? How many chances had he had? How many more would he waste before finally living his best life?

So he retired—sort of. 

There was no such thing as "retiring" when your idiot best friend continued to throw himself out of planes and into the line of fire on a regular basis, but Steve did slow down. He took on a more managerial role, was promoted to "General" for his service, and spent his days sitting on his ass behind a desk. 

Bucky liked him there. He liked having Steve unbruised and unbusted at the end of the day, saunter through the door to their joint living space and holler, "Honey, I'm home!"

It was a joke on the blond's part that was wearing thin, for when Bucky decided to live his best life, he'd begun to do some research about what that meant. Be true to you was a big part of it. But to be true to himself, he had to be honest with himself, and honesty meant admitting he'd been in love with Steven "is this a test" Rogers for most of his natural life. 

Sadly, Steve liked girls. Case in point, one Peggy "gonna bust some balls" Carter. 

Bucky couldn't exactly compete with that. She was one classy dame, and it hurt him to know that Steve would likely never move on. This era and it's dating rituals had thrown Cap for a loop. Women were too forward, and Steve - surprisingly - too shy to dive into the world of casual dates and sex. 

For Bucky, it was different. He liked boys. There, he'd said it, but he still hadn't said it to Steve. Natasha, however, was a different story. She'd grown used to him sighing and pining on her shoulder. She said she hated it - she didn't - but she bitched enough for both of them. 

Then she took him shopping. 

While he was standing in some place called Sephora with miles of makeup and aisle of perfume that kind of made him want to sneeze, he had the shock of his life. All this "girly" crap everywhere, but in the middle of it was a guy? A cute guy. With well-groomed hair and this fabulous winged eyeliner - nothing like his Hydra days - wearing really cute skinny jeans and glitter on his cheeks. 

Enchanted, Bucky left Natasha's side and slowly made his way over. The guy, man, guy he wasn't sure, looked up and flashed him a smile. 

"Help you, honey?"

Bucky blinked. He had fantastic skin. "You're so shiny." A flush immediately reddened his face. 

But Sephora Guy, whose name ended up being Ben, laughed and lightly patted his arm. "Aw, thanks, sweets. You looking for some skin care tips?"

Bucky nodded, unsure what else to do. 

"Honey, you came to the right fella!" 

Ben grabbed his wrist and led him to a chair where he bid Bucky sit. For the next hour, he was educated on everything from moisturizer to foundation to why Ben wore makeup. They talked about hair care, skin care, and what it meant to be "out" with such enthusiasm. Bucky had never spoken so candidly with anyone about his sexuality and found it enlightening. 

He left the shop with five hundred dollars worth of product, a list for the hair salon, and a bunch of links to reputable websites if Bucky had more questions. 

The smug on Natasha said she set him up, but he didn't care. He'd had the best day.

And when everything wound up on the counter in his and Steve's shared bathroom, Steve only arched a brow, smiled, and said nothing. 

Bucky continued to learn, research, and occasionally visit the mall to have coffee with Ben or his partner Matt. They were always kind, never impatient, and easy-going. He'd begun to wonder if they hadn't realized who he was until one day he asked, and they both looked at him with amused smiles. 

"Metal arm, slightly brooding, runs around after a "little punk" but now with a much better skin routine? Honey. Please," Ben snorted.

After, Bucky began to explore and try new things. He cooked, found a love for baking, and especially loved baking for Steve. The man refused to slow down, so it never affected Steve's physique, but Bucky found he was a little bit softer around the middle, his face fuller, his body less hard, and he liked it. 

It was nice not to be combat-ready all the time. Sure he could strap on the black and spend nine hours running down Hydra, that hadn't changed, but he had the smallest pudge of a belly, a soft little roll that he loved. 

Then, out of the blue, Natasha introduced him to roller derby. 

Bucky was thrilled! He'd never seen anything so flashy, showy, violent in all his life that was meant to be fun! Oh, sure he'd watch the wrestling that showed up on TV, but he felt most of that was so phony. This? This was chaos. This was mayhem. 

This was freaking awesome!

And the women were great. They were loud and boisterous, or sweet and shy, but when they put on their gear, they all became demons. Natasha occasionally trained with the group known as Red's Devils, a group of women from difficult circumstances she sponsored during the blip. It gave the ladies an outlet for grief, anger, pain that they wouldn't have had otherwise.

Once they met him, they'd put him in a pair of roller skates and dragged him around the track. Of course, with the serum and his enhanced body, getting his balance and figuring out how to move on wheels was cake, and soon he was skating around the room, learning neat tricks and tips from the women catcalling and laughing along with him

Bucky loved it. 

Finally, after seventy years as a Hydra pawn and all the crap that came afterward, he'd figured it out, found himself, and was happy. The only thing he wasn't satisfied with was Steve. 

It was getting harder and harder to pretend like he didn't tent his pants every time the big dumb blond wandered through the apartment in a towel. Or that "Honey, I'm home!" didn’t make his damn heart flutter. Some days it hurt to look at his stupid beautiful face and not want to kiss it. Or punch it. 

He swore Steve's shirts were getting tighter. Sometimes, it felt like his eyes lingered. 

The shit was messing with his head, dammit!

Then, just as the world was getting it's shit back together, the pandemic happened. Covid 19 struck, and everything stopped. The world stood still, went into lockdown, and Bucky wanted to slam his head on the wall.

He had been going to his first Pride event with Ben and Matt, ready to step outside and be who he was, while those who didn't approve could kiss his lily-white ass. He was going to tell Steve. He was going to stop hiding, conforming, resiting who he was. And it all went to shit thanks to a fucking virus.

He was pissed! It wasn't fair! He'd been so prepared. 

Natasha found him pouting on the couch in the common area of the now mostly empty compound. Anyone who could go home was sent home, leaving them running a skeleton crew of people, and forcing as much separation as possible. 

She flopped down mostly on top of him. "Why so glum, chum?"

"Pride's cancelled," he muttered. 

She snorted. "No, it's not."

He rolled his eyes. "We're under a shelter in place order, Natalia."

"I'm aware, Barnes," she huffed. "But Pride isn't cancelled. Just because you can't strut down the street waving a rainbow flag doesn't stop what this month is about. It's about you, celebrating you, and all the people who came before you who fought, screamed, raged against injustice and in some cases, died to be able to stand up proudly and say I'm gay, I'm bisexual, I'm transgender. You can't go out. That doesn't mean you can't celebrate."

She patted his chest and left him sitting there to think about what she said.

***

The music that pounded through the compound jerked Steve's head up. Reports forgotten, he rose and went to look out his office door, only to gape in shock as Bucky, wearing the shortest, tightest, black shorts he'd ever seen and a cropped top that showed off his cute little belly, rolled by on roller skates. He'd cut his hair not long ago, his interest in styling it a new hobby. Right now, it was fluffed high and held there with wax, looking soft and shiny and pretty as hell. Glitter sparkled on his cheeks, on his lashes, and glossed his lips. 

He smirked as he rolled by, blue eyes amused. "Close your mouth, Rogers."

Steve swallowed thickly and followed Bucky down the hallway. Those shorts should be illegal. The top wasn't much better. The cropped top was blue, sleeveless, showing off defined muscles and metal arm. His skin freaking glowed against the blue. 

It was seriously unfair how hot his best friend was, and Steve thanked his lucky stars he'd worn sweats and underwear today that helped disguise the tent forming in his pants. 

When Bucky stooped to pick up a big ass rainbow flag, Steve's jaw dropped. He knew what June first represented, how did Bucky?

Like a moth to a flame, Steve followed Bucky into the common room where Bucky was skating in happy circles, singing along to the music. 

"I like boys, I like pecs, like them arms when they flex. Like that print in them sweats. Tell them, girls, "Thank you, next." I like when they text me sexy pics of 'em, like them abs when there's six of 'em. Tell them girls I'm sorry; I like boys, Mama, boys like me."

Steve's jaw dropped. His mind refused to compute what he was hearing. It blue screened, whited out, and returned in time to watch Bucky drop it low and twerk like he'd done it all his life. 

"I like when they shake it, shake it. I like when they grind real slow. I like when they almost naked. Tell dad I'm so homo. Lights off, doors shut. Tall, dark, clean-cut. Thick with a bubble but. Yup, Mama, I like boys."

A sound like a fax machine escaped his throat as Bucky danced, shook his ass, swung his hips, and sent Steve's mind so far into the gutter he wondered if it would ever come out. 

"Bitch, B to the O to the Y to the S, Boys will be boys, and with boys, I'm obsessed. Boys in their gym clothes, boys in a dress, and if boys are a crime, then I'm under arrest. 'Cause I've been boy crazy since the boy scouts. Fuck the closets, let the boys out. Don't be a camel when you are a llama, period. No comma, bring on all the drama. Mama, I like boys, I like pecs, like them arms when they flex. Like that print in them sweats. Tell them girls, "Thank you, next." I like when they text me sexy pics of 'em. Like them abs when there's six of 'em. Tell them girls I'm sorry; I like boys, Mama, boys like me."

The music continued to play, but Bucky rolled away from the window, leaving the flag he'd been carrying behind on the couch when he skated up to Steve and stopped. On the skates, Bucky was inches taller and caused Steve to tilt his head back to look up at him as he had when they were kids. 

"So," Bucky murmured, a blush under the glitter and eyes suddenly shy and uncertain. "I like boys."

Steve's heart clenched. Before he could stop himself or second guess what he was doing, his hand shot out, grabbed the back of Bucky's neck, and dragged his friend down in a kiss that had been pent up for almost a century. 

Bucky squeaked, flailed once, almost rolled away, and finally wrapped his arms around Steve in a near bone-crushing hug. Lips slanted, mouths softened, parted, inhaled, changed the angle and softened. 

Tingles raced through Steve's body as he kissed Bucky, his Bucky, pouring every bit of emotion he felt into it. Then, he nipped his teeth into Bucky's lip and slowly pulled away. 

"I'm bisexual," Steve murmured. "I've known for years."

"You punk-ass piece of shit! Why didn't you say something?" Bucky barked, but Steve noticed he didn't let go. 

"There wasn't time." He gently squeezed Bucky's nape. "And how do you tell your best friend in the whole world you've been in love with him your entire life?"

"Steve…" Bucky whispered, resting their foreheads together. "You're an idiot."

Steve kissed him again because there was no refuting that logic.

***

From the second-floor observation deck, Natasha turned her phone camera from the scene below to her grinning face. The live stream event had hearts and comments blowing up her Instagram. "Happy Pride everyone. If those two old farts can figure it out, anyone can." 

She blew a kiss at the camera and ended the stream.

-The End- 

[movienotesbyzawmer]

April 26: Rocky V

(previous notes: Rocky IV)

A fifth Rocky movie if you can believe it! I saw this in the theater when it came out in 1990. My movie appreciation had become exponentially more sophisticated since the previous movie, but I remember thinking that they were going for something less formulaic when they came out with this. They even brought back the Oscar-winning director of the original Rocky, John Avildson. And surely this character was way too old to still be able to win fights against professional boxers, right? I must say, I don't remember what the story of this movie is.

The intro does a brief throwback to the original name-scroll-plus-fanfare, but now we're showing a recap of the previous movie's final fight during the credits, which promise an appearance by no less than Burgess Meredith.

Do you think there was a conversation where Sylvester Stallone condescendingly told Avildson, "hey, trust me, start the movie with three and a half minutes that is just the end of the last picture, easy money baby, cha-ching ya know?"

The story begins immediately after the Battle of Cold War Symbolism, and we see that he is experiencing physical trauma as a result of Soviet Boxing Technology.

Then we see that they had the idea to introduce a Don King-type character, a really irritating boxing promoter blindsiding him in public to get on his case about a new challenger. Do you think the promoter character will have a nuanced arc.

After a chill father-son catch-up chat, there's an awkwardly-blocked expository scene about how Paulie made some stupid mistake and got tricked into signing away millions of Rocky dollars to a sinister accountant. And then he goes to the doctor who tells him he has irreversible punch damage and can't fight any more. Conflict is looking dire. Do you think Robot Character will arrive soon to cheer us all up.

After selling all of their possessions at an auction, Rocky goes to his old hangouts. He leaves the corner bar looking defeated. They don't show how he was defeated in the bar, but that bar clearly humiliated him.

Then he goes to the old gym, and here's where we have a flashback scene of Burgess Meredith giving him a pep talk. It's kinda nice. But it still feels like we're at the point in the story right before the tide turns and suddenly Rocky is inspired to become supernaturally good at boxing once again. But that's not gonna happen; we're just twenty minutes into the movie.

Rocky has to move back into his old neighborhood. It's dirty and run down, and people gawk.

0:32:00 - For the third time in this movie, Rocky tries to charm his family with a LOOK WHAT I PULLED OUT OF YOUR EAR gag. The characters are barely charmed by this gag. We, the audience, are way way way less charmed.

Fake Don King is buzzing around a lot. He is a dick and he is annoying to every single person alive. It's effective at driving the conflict because he is so persistent at needling Rocky into maybe fighting. But the acting is cringey. Kinda the point, though, right?

Just like that, the old gym where we saw the flashback, which was abandoned and run down, is open for business and full of people. How did that happen?

0:43:30 - Okay now it is me - Zawmer! - who is about to be an unappealing bad guy because I must now report how little tolerance I have for this scene with two child actors. Rocky's son, who got bullied at school earlier, is having his first maybe-we-fancy-each-other conversation with a girl. The dialogue has no chemistry with these kid actors.

I should mention that there is a character named Tommy Gunn. He is a spirited young boxer who has found Rocky and wants Rocky to help him. He is bemulleted and earnest and good-punch-y.

Rocky is going to manage Tommy, but his son wants some attention. Feels like an artificially manufactured conflict. Plus the dumb bullies at school beat him up again. It is hard being the newly-poor child of Rocky Balboa.

0:53:25 - I probably wouldn't have caught this if I hadn't watched the first movie kind of recently, but we cut to a fight, Tommy is fighting someone and it's in the same church that started the first movie. He wins that fight and it becomes a montage of Tommy becoming increasingly successful under Rocky's coaching, plus there is evidence that Rocky's son is trying to get his dad's attention by using some of the gym equipment.

It does seem like it would be fun to make boxing-improvement montages.

Oh, the kid learning boxing was so he could get back at the bullies. Mission accomplished but he clearly thinks his dad was supposed to be even nicer about that, even though he was kind of nice. But he was in the middle of something with Tommy, I mean, come on!

Ooh, and that was just a brief interruption in the boxing-improvement montage, it keeps going. This movie is pretty generous with fun montages.

The falling out scene between Rocky and Kid is not better than a similar scene in an after school special. And it's way worse than that one anti-drugs commercial we all remember, "I LEARNED IT FROM WATCHING YOU"

Oh, but then Kid runs away and starts hanging out with Ivan Drago! Drago starts teaching him how to beat up his dad, and says something about "If he die, he die". No. No he doesn't. That doesn't happen. I was just getting a little bored there. What's true here, what's actually true, is that Kid's increasingly rebellious personality has yielded a very, very stupid looking ear chain. It is an earring… with a chain hanging off it at the exact perfect length for no human being to think it looks good. The length of that chain is the chain-length equivalent of the amount of time that Talia Shire closes her eyes that one time.

A new conflict emerges where Tommy is going to sign with Fake Don King. It turns out Rocky had no interest in making any money. You can't blame him really. Rocky's all "don't sell out". But. Dude.

Okay so Tommy Gunn, having divorced Rocky and married Fake Don King, wins the title fight and becomes the new champion. The crowd boos, and they also cheer "Rocky". Rocky is not there. Rocky is watching the fight on TV in the basement and also punching a thing because he can't help it, but the crowd at the fight is like "Rocky" and "boo". I don't quite get it.

This press conference is kind of clearing it up, see, no one thinks it was a legitimate fight, it seemed fakey. There is pandemonium and insultation! It is clearly building to some silly insistence that he, Tommy, should fight Rocky.

Tommy shows up at the bar and he's hopping mad because he ain't nobody's robot and will you accept my challenge Rocky! Fake Don King thought this would turn into an actual arena event, but it's turning into just a back-alley fight like in that Fight-y movie about that Club.

It escalates thusly. As Rocky endures cinematically beautiful flashbacks to fights from earlier movies, they punch each other beneath rumbling trains. I sound mocking but some of it is pretty visually interesting.

Interesting enough to serve as an abstract explanation for how, once again, Rocky is supernaturally good at punch-game. It may be a street brawl this time, and we may have to do without Adrian closing her eyes Just So, but once again the Rocky movie ends with him winning the fight and everyone being very very excited about that. He punches Fake Don King because of how smarmy he is, and even the priest is delighted.

There is a denouement of Rocky and Kid bonding genially by the famous steps, and then the credits roll in front of touching stills from all five movies, and an Elton John song that didn't have as much cultural impact as some other songs we've heard recently.

I guess I like the montages and the quick cinematic choices that are to be found here and there in these movies, but mostly when I think back on them it seems like they are arrangements of familiar modules. In this one, the modules were held together with more flimsy material. I was wrong to think that this movie would be less formulaic. Soon I am done with this project. Soon. SOON.

[justkindaoverhereobsessing]

honey, i’m just trying to find my way to you

"Cute, but you had your chance."

When Tony realizes that he may have had an opportunity to date Ziva at some point during all the years they've known one other, he sets out to see if his chance is really gone after all. (set at the end of 10x4, "Lost at Sea")

↳ for @pro-bee​, because this fic was started months ago after I was inspired by this simple but thought-provoking post 

____________________

"Opened up my guitar case and all the songs were blue / I haunted all the alleys / Lord, I drifted down the valleys / Honey, I'm just trying to find my way to you."

— Gregory Alan Isakov, "Suitcase Full of Sparks"

____________________

"Ziva," Borin cuts in, interrupting Tony's awkward attempt to save face after Ziva outed the reality of he and McGee's 'hot Friday night dates'. "Drink?"

"Yes," Ziva agrees quickly, a smug smile rising to her lips as her teammates blink at her. "Thank you." She turns pointedly back to Tony and Mcgee. "Finally, someone has the decency to ask me to join them!"

She brushes past them both as Borin gives Gibbs a brief wave of goodbye, and she and her friend walk toward the elevator. Behind them, McGee and Tony are just starting to sort through that interaction.

"That's what this was about?" Tony realizes.

"She set us up because we didn't ask her out in the first place. How did we miss that?" McGee echoes.

Ziva rolls her eyes, and she and Borin snort and exchange looks when they hear Gibbs' response. "Better question is how are you gonna fix it?"

"Something tells me we're about to have company after all," Borin speculates wryly, and she's almost immediately proven right.

"Hold that door!" comes Tony's voice, right before the rest of him appears and blocks the progress of the closing car doors. "Oh, I'm in, I'm in." McGee follows right after.

Ziva raises her eyebrows at Borin. "They seem to think they are still invited to join us," she observes.

"We're not?" Tony asks, but he is soundly ignored.

"I think you're right," Borin agrees with Ziva as if no one has spoken. "What should we do? Do we let them come along?"

Ziva shrugs. "They were awfully rude, and they lied."

"That's true."

"Would it help if we say we're sorry?" McGee cuts in sheepishly.

"It certainly would not hurt," Ziva replies, finally acknowledging at least one of the men in the elevator.

"We are sorry. Really sorry," Tony says immediately, elbowing McGee. "Right, Elf Lord?"

McGee gives Tony a dirty look and massages his side. "Of course we are."

"They seem sincere enough to me… but it's up to you, Ziva," Borin offers, smirking.

"Hm… alright. They can come—but they are both on thin mice."

"Thin ice," McGee corrects. "Thanks, Ziva."

Ziva shakes her head in feigned exasperation and smiles. "McGee, just consider asking me out the next time you make 'Friday night date' plans again, yes?"

For some reason, that makes Tony look sharply at Ziva, giving her a look that she doesn't really understand. She meets his eye for a moment, raising her eyebrows in wordless query, but then McGee answers what she just said, interrupting the silent communication.

"You've got it," he promises.

Then the elevator reaches the ground floor, and the agents start to file out. No one notices that Tony hangs back for several long seconds, staying in place until the doors nearly close without him again. Only then does he rush after the other three, Gibbs' words repeating themselves loudly in his mind.

What are you gonna do to fix it?

If he had a chance, maybe he still does. Maybe it's time to have a little courage.

____________________

"Hey, Ziva."

Ziva turns to glance at Tony, her eyebrows raised. He grabs her arm for a second, holding her back while Borin and McGee walk on. "What did you mean when you said I had my chance?" he demands.

Ziva throws her head back and laughs, well used to matching Tony's teasing. "I am sure your imagination is up to answering that question for you."

"Come on, Ziva, be serious."

"Oh, I am. You have known me for how long now?"

"Um, I think it's been sev—"

"If you wanted a date," she interrupts, "you have had a long time to ask." With that, she breaks free from his grasp and starts to follow the others.

"Go on a date with me, then," Tony suggests loudly to Ziva's retreating back, surprising her and stopping her in her tracks. "It can't be too late. I think my chance is now."

Ziva turns around again to stare him down, analyzing his expression. "You cannot be serious."

"As a heart attack." Tony shrugs, and it seems very much so like he's joking this off as usual… but there's a strange vulnerability in his expression, like he fears rejection. He shouldn't, if he's just messing around.

Then again, Ziva had actually been teasing, too, but… "That is not a very romantic way to ask a woman out, Tony," she points out.

It becomes immediately clear that saying that was a mistake... because Tony's whole persona abruptly shifts, and he grins in a slightly unsettling way that makes Ziva nervous. "What do you want, then? Flowers? Chocolates? A song? Five people following me around with sombreros and trumpets and guitars?"

"I do not think a macaroni band would help your case."

"I think you mean a mariachi band, but… okay, noted. So, no to the band, and yes to everything else."

Ziva rolls her eyes. "Sure. That is exactly what I want," she agrees, sarcasm heavy in her tone... anything to stop this conversation. Then, deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, she marches forward without saying anything more.

"What was that about?" Borin asks her when she reaches where the others are walking.

"I will tell you later, when Stupid and Stupider are not around," Ziva answers, jerking her head at McGee and then at Tony, who has started jogging to catch up.

"Dumb and Dumber!" Tony corrects breathlessly as he falls in line with his friends.

"Yes, that, too."

"I should stop doing things that get me lumped in with Tony," McGee mutters to himself.

Continue reading on AO3 or ff.net...

[charliesworkshop]

Pairing: Loki x fem!Reader

Song of the day: Hurts - Something I Need To Know

Chapter warnings: angst, a lot of angst tbh, cheating if you squint, imma say abusive relationship just so there won't be any surprises

AN: Series of smutty / angsty fics inspired by songs by the band Hurts. Mostly angsty, because I'm a sucker for pain.

Reader is an Avenger with the power to create and control fire, and as they say, opposite attracts, so Loki takes interests in her.

MASTERLIST 🌹

Loki had a lot of patience. He just didn't like to use it, not when it was about things he really wanted. In this case he wanted to know what the fuck was going on between you and him.

You've been on one date so far, if you can call watching a movie and drinking whisky in the Avnegers' Tower a date.

You've shared few kisses, stolen in those rare moment when you've been left alone, hasty and innocent, nothing more than two pairs of uncertain lips brushing against each other.

But it was enough for his heart to quicken its pace whenever he thought of your soft, warm lips on his. The memory of your taste lingering in his mind long after you've left.

He assumed everything was going well, but then you suddenly stopped texting him back, ignored all his calls, and it's been almost a week since the two of you talked.

It would be much easier if you lived in the tower, but you were politely refusing moving in every time someone suggested it, jokingly saying that you didn't pay hell of a price for your own place only to abandon it after two years.

But it wasn't that hard to find out where you lived, it only took few hours of convincing and a promise to his brother that he won't do anything stupid or irresponsible with that information, and Thor asked Stark about it.

Gathering enough courage to actually go and see you was entirely different story. He really wanted to talk, to understand why you acted like this, but on the other hand, he had no rights to violate your privacy like that.

It was eating him alive, though, the fear that he did something wrong, that he somehow offended you, was creeping underneath his skin, present in his every breath, thought, beat of his heart. He was scared he's hurt you in some way, that he made you leave him.

It took him two days to finally snap. Whatever the truth was, he needed to know, for the sake of his sanity. And it was obvious you were hiding something from him.

It was Friday evening when he decided he's ready to talk to you, he was drinking Asgardian mead Thor brought from home, going through everything he said and did around you, and he couldn't find a single reason why would you ignore him.

He was tired of suspicions, tired of wondering why.

So he ordered a cab and went to see you in your flat in Hell's Kitchen, so sure of what he's going to say, so sure...

Until you opened the doors, dressed in an oversized sweater and nothing more, your hair messy, mascara smudged around reddened eyes, eyelashes still clumped with tears that already dried on your cheeks.

And all words escaped him in a split second, his heart dropping to his stomach, heavy, drumming, aching.

"It's really not a good time," you spoked in hoarse voice, barely above whisper, but it cut through air like a whip.

"Is it... Is it because of me?" He would rip his heart out if he was the reason of your misery.

"Why...? No, no," you stammered looking everywhere but his face, "I'll explain everything, just... Tonight isn't a good time," you repeated this like a mantra, hoping that will be enough to make him go away. But the look on his face was telling you it won't work.

"Y/n, I need to know, please..." He was ready to beg you for an explanation, but then his gaze fell upon a bag lying on the floor next to a couch, overflowing with clothes.

Male clothes.

"What's going on?" His firm voice made you shudder, your shoulders slumped even more and you looked like if you wanted the ground to open and swallow you whole.

You knew he noticed, and there was nothing you could say to make things better. So you remained silent, gaze fixed on his shoes, your eyes filling with tears again.

No one was supposed to know about this, about your stupid ex who didn't want to leave your flat for weeks now. Especially not Loki.

You planned on telling him about Derek, but after you're finally free from him, after you fix the mess of this horrible break up.

"Do you... Are you in a relationship with someone else, y/n?" You could hear the hurt in his voice, how he swallowed hard, it's must have been really difficult for him to ask this.

"Not anymore... We broke up two weeks ago for good," you answered honestly, a sigh leaving your trembling lips as you looked up at him.

It was over. You couldn't hide it anymore and Loki deserved better, much better. All of his emotions were written on his pale face, paler than usual, more tired and troubled, you noticed.

You knew what's going to happen next, so his outburst didn't surprise you. But it didn't hurt less just because you were prepered.

"Two weeks...? Two weeks?!" You stepped back, watching him with fear as he stalked you, closing the gap between you two, until you had nowhere else to run, back of your legs hitting the armrest of the couch. "You want to say you were with someone else when I kissed you for the first time?! How could you...?"

He knew he was probably overreacting, and that it was the alcohol speaking, but he was angry at you. He couldn't wrap his finger around what was going on in your head at that time when he kissed you for the first time, and then the second, and then another... And you were always kissing him back, despite having a boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, Loki... I didn't want to hurt you... I just didn't know how to tell you..."

"I wanted to know the truth, it's my fault," he laughed darkly, almost histerically, clenching and unclenching his fists over and over again, trying to calm down, to build a wall between you and him, his hurt feelings, and sarcasm was his way to do it. "I can't believe I actually thought I did something wrong."

"I know you're angry, but let me explain, please..." You wanted to make him understand, but it'd be very hard without telling him all the details of your previous relationship, without admitting how fucked up it was, how much you wanted to escape it. To the point that when Loki made a move... you didn't fight it.

"What, y/n? What do you want to explain? I already know everything," he half snarled, half laughed at you, and you could feel hot tears stinging your eyes.

"I'm sorry, okay? I fucked up, I know..." your throat was tight as you fought the tears, the clearly audible crack in your voice threatening to break your ability to speak. But you swallowed the lump in your throat, bravely looked up at his face, and continued, "You have all rights to be angry, but just listen..."

"You cheated on your boyfriend with me, y/n," he interrupted you once again, and suddenly, you got angry as well, "Prove me wrong."

You knew he was right, that he was hurt by your actions, by you ignoring him for a week, you really knew and understood... But something about him not listening made you so, so angry in that moment, because he knew the feeling of being misunderstood, he knew how it it feels when no one listens, no one lets you explain.

"I didn't cheat," you snapped at him, all those bottled for weeks feelings finally finding their outlet, and you felt good and bad at the same time, but it was too late to stop, so you continued, "I can't cheat on someone who's never here when I need them. I can't cheat on someone who's just using me as a stress relief and never listens to what I want! You think you know everything..." you smiled with sorrow, your brows knitted, folding arms on your chest, "But the truth is you know nothing about me. And you definitely know nothing about him," you finished with an angry huff, unfolding your arms and walking around Loki to your doors to open them wider. "You should go."

"Y/n, I had no idea," he muttered, turning around to face you, but you've had enough, you've made your mind.

"Yeah, but you decided to judge me anyway, so go. I already told you it's not a good time," your voice was cold, firm, he never heard it before, he didn't even know you were able to sound so aggressively. "He'll be here soon to pick up his shit. I have enough problems without him knowing about you."

You were no longer looking at him, and the entire anger clouding his mind faded away when he noticed how your shoulders trembled under the weight of anger, guilt, and sadness.

"Y/n... I'm sorry... You should've told me..."

"I want you out of my house, I won't repeat myself," you threatened, glancing at him, your eyes flashing red for a second, but you managed to control the fire spreading through your veins, only your fingertips were burning, foreboding flames that were soon to burst out of your clenched fist. "Don't come here again."

He wasn't going to challenge his luck, knowing that with your powers you can easily hurt him very badly, even kill him if you really wanted. So he walked passed you, his lips pursed, as he took in the sight of your broken face.

"I'm sorry," he only said again, and then left you alone, the sound of slamming of your front doors echoing long in his ears.

So after all, he was the one who fucked things up. And only because he didn't listen.

Tag list: @someonekeepstakingmyusernames

So... first of all, sorry it took so long, I'm struggling with a writer's block, but I really wanted to finally finish and post this. It turned out more angsty than I intended, and I promise the next parts are gonna be better. I have no one to check for mistakes and grammar errors, and I typed it on my phone, so I'm sorry if there are any. Dunno when I'll write the next part, hopefully sooner than later. I hope you enjoyed it anyway! <3

[pacificwanderer]

This is a complete crack anon post, but... every time I see a GIF of Ben from TLJ turning around shirtless, I have the Diet Coke Break commercial (available on YouTube but I can't include a link) from the 90s playing in my head. Tell me that Rey wasn't one of those women gawking at him before she turned her head. I dare you. :D

LOLLLLLLLLLLLL

It’s been a while since I last thought of that commercial. Readslike a modern fanfic AU. In case anyone has no idea which commercial this is, here’s a video.It’s probably the most 90s thing I’ve seen in a while hahaha but hey, nice tocater to that female gaze a bit.

I remember thinking this commercial was so dumb when I was a kidHAHAHA NOW I’m like, shit I want a diet coke.

Ahahaha this made me laugh and inspired me haha.

Up on Ao3 for housekeeping purposes (I don’t trust this site notto delete my work). Best read while listening to this song by Selena.

Thanks for the ask, Nonnie! Cheers.

 ~~~~ 

“What are you staring at?” Rose whispers in her ear, which scaresthe absolute shit out of Rey.

“Me? What? Nothing. What are youstaring at?” she sputters.

Rose rolls her eyes. “Save it. You really thought you could keep ‘Mr.Hot Construction Guy With a Shirt Problem’ to yourself?”

“No, but I kind of hoped to,” Rey replied. “But I’ll share himwith you, and only you. Tell anyone else, and you’re dead to me, Tico.”

“Deal. Lunchbreak time starting now?”

“Looks like it,” Rey murmurs, words trailing off as he comes into view. Construction has been going on for what feelslike forever on the building next to them, but Rey won’t complain. She’s beentaking her breaks early for months just to keep catching a glimpse of the devastatinglyhot construction worker in the lot next to her office.

Selena’s I Could Fall In Love plays softly somewhere in theoffice as Rey stares while he sits, legs spread, sandwich in hand, as he eats.It really is so unfair that someone she didn’t even know could have such animpact on her life, especially considering the main show had yet to start forher.

At first, he didn’t take his shirt off. At first, he just satthere on the rigging, long legs dangling in the air, as he ate his lunch andread. Same book for months, looked like a doozy, and Rey had stopped just shortof getting some binoculars to find out what book it was so she could read ittoo.

Because that would be weird and obsessive and she was definitelyjust taking her lunch break at the same time, every day, in the same spot,because it was a cosmic coincidence and not because she wanted to keep watchingthe hot construction worker from afar. Not like she didn’t have a thing for tall,dark, and handsome, or anything.

Not like it hadn’t been forever since she’d last been out on adate. And, really, who needed dates when you had your own construction workerto lust—erm, lunch date with?

He was tall. So so tall in those work boots, but he moved with akind of grace that could only come after many, many years of working inprecarious situations. He didn’t seem to notice the danger, but he definitelynoticed the change in weather. As spring moved into summer, his flannel wasstripped away to reveal t-shirts that were just a tiny bit too small for him.

Which was convenient for Rey because she’d been trying to decidewhether it was the outline of his abs against the fabric or a trick of herimagination—it was his abs. Definitely. She could see that now.

Until that fateful day came. It was an unseasonably warm day, sohot that even Rey had foregone her normal pantsuit in favor of something alittle lighter and breezier. She’d taken up watch at her normal lunch spot,casually leaning and watching while trying not to look like she was casuallyleaning and watching but then it happened.

He stalked over to his spot, big feet striking against the beam ashe effortlessly balanced that big, broad body. T-shirt today with his workpants—white,thin. Hardhat—horrifically orange, which is the first thing to go. Lunchbox andsoda—probably a Diet Coke. He runs his fingers through his hair before sitting,but it wasn’t necessary. Hat or not, his hair is stupidly and unfairly perfect.

It was like clockwork. He’d eat his sandwiches—sometimes subs,sometimes what looked like pastrami, always two—an apple, break into his sodaand down the entire can in one go before turning to his book.

It was almost Diet Coke time, so Rey popped the tab on hers, andpressed it to her lips. Definitely not because she was imagining what it wouldfeel like to press against his lips. No, of course not. She also definitelyhadn’t picked up a Diet Coke habit either because of him. Of course not. He didn’teven know that she existed, so the idea that she’d do anything because of himwas laughable. She was laughable—her life was laughable—but at least shehad a nice view.

Rey looked away for a moment, contemplating all the ways in whichher life sucked as she sipped from her Diet Coke before she turned back to lookout the window and very nearly spat her soda out. He was sitting there, justlike always, but now his shirt was off. Definitely not like always.

Rey took a hard swallow and nearly choked on her drink as her mindreeled. He was stupid fucking ripped, just casually sitting there, ruining herlife with those broad shoulder and visible pecs. His arm flexed as he slowly liftedthe soda to his lips and Rey had never wanted to be a soda can more in herlife.

She sat, mouth open, eyes glued, pulse racing, as she watched. Shestopped short of leaning against the glass, but it was a challenge. HotConstruction Guy rolled his neck and stretched, almost as if he knew she waswatching, before reaching for his book, but instead of sitting and having aread, like always, he shifted around.

Legs spread on either side of the beam, he leaned back, book inhand over his head, as he lay and read in the sun. Rey looked around as if shewasn’t eating lunch alone and could ask someone whether her mind was playingtricks on her. It was not. He was laying there, sun shining down on hispale skin, as he read on his lunch break.

Shirtless. A little sweaty. Gleaming, even. Okay, glistening. Itwas unfair. Absolutely unfair. Could he see her? Did he know? Was there a god?Should she be embarrassed? Was this real? Rapid-fire questions ran through hermind until she settled, took a sip of her soda, and just stared.

Rey couldn’t be certain, but she thought it must have qualifiedfor one of the best days of her life. And then it happened again. And again.And again. And basically every day the sun was out and high in the sky.

Sometimes, he’d absently brush sweat from his neck or, evenbetter, his chest, while reading and Rey would imagine how it felt to be alittle bead of that sweat, pearling against his bright skin before drippingslowly before drawing his attention. There were all sorts of things she’d liketo do to him. Slowly. Sliding down the length of his big body just likethose obscene little drops of sweat.

Sometimes, he’d run his fingers through that dark, shaggy hair, andRey would wonder whether it was soft, or kind of coarse from the elements. Or whatit would feel like when she pulled him in for a kiss. Did he like having hishair touched? Would he like having his hair touched by her?

And then reality would set in, he’d finish his break, she’d finishher peanut butter and jam sandwich, and go back to work.

She debated going to talk to him, but what was she going to say? “Hi,I’ve been staring at you during your lunch break for months and, also, are yourmuscles as hard as they look?” Yeah, sure. And besides, the rest of the constructioncrew were kind of lewd to the office girls whenever they walked by and that wasthe last thing she wanted to voluntarily deal with. But watching? From afar? Noone could be disappointed by a hot man from afar, especially a hot man who likedto take his shirt off.

The weather started to change, and as summer rolled into fall, theflannel returned—except for those rare, unseasonably hot days where his shirtwas off, and Rey was all hot and bothered under he oversized pantsuit. Reyloved those days. But she also appreciated hot construction guy in flannel too.She contained multitudes.

A few weeks into September, Rey got a nasty case of the flu and wasoff work for nearly a week which was terrible because her benefits didn’t coversick days, so it meant working overtime for the foreseeable future. But theworst part, the absolute worst part? She misses her daily lunch breaks, whichmakes he feel almost as terrible as the flu.

Back at work and still a bit under the weather, she slips into theoffice, waves to Rose who is typing away, before immediately coming to a fullshop about six feet from her desk.

There. There is something on her desk. Something she’d only everseen through the panes of a window.

Big. Thick. Dark. And sitting right on her desk. She’d have knownthat book anywhere, evenif she didn’t know the title. Rey stalks closer to her desk, mistrusting herown eyes until it is in her hands—solid, heavy, well-read. The edges of thepages have been worried so much that she knows he’s read this story more thanonce.

Rey takes a look at the cover and cannot believe what she sees.The title stares back at her and she realizes she’s underestimated just howfucking hot this construction guy really is.

Wuthering Heights. Gothic romance. He’s been readinga gothic romance, over and over so frequently that the pages are worn. Howcould he be any more attractive to her? He was literally reading one of herfavorite novels and for some reason had left it on her desk.

Rey quickly snatches the book up and thumbs though the pages. Theysmell a little bit like gasoline, leather, and book—probably from being on theworksite. She realizes quite quickly that he must smell similar, and thethought overwhelms her so much that she has to take a seat at her desk.

“Fuck,” she whispers and Rose chuckles without looking upfrom her typewriter.

“He came by the other day,” she says while typing along.

“He came by? To see me?” Rey squeaks.

Rose fixes her glasses before answering and Rey just knows she’sdrawing out her answer to drive her nuts. “I didn’t see him come in, but Kaydeltook the book and the note for you—says he was really polite and kind of soft spoken,and dusty, totally dusty.”

“There’s a note?” Rey stammers.

“Oh yeah, she stuck it in the first page. I read it because I’m asnoop—nice penmanship too…” Rose says something else about big hands andtalents, but the blood is pumping so hard in Rey’s ears that she can’t hear athing.

There’s a fucking note and now I have to read it! She canbarely make her hands work as she flips to the front page. A piece of paper slipsout and falls onto her desk.

It has her name on it. He knows her name.

“How does he—?” Rey starts, but Rose interrupts.

“Know your name? Apparently, he’s come in before to ask about you.First time he left anything though.”

“And Kaydel didn’t think to tell me?”

Rose shakes her head. “It wasn’t Kaydel that took the messages—heralternate, Hux. And you know he’d just be jealous. So, are you going toread it, or just let it sit there forever?”

Rey takes a deep breath, and the letter flutters a little as she breathesout. “Okay. It’s fine, right? Only a letter from the guy I’ve been staring atthrough the window for months. Totally fine, right?”

 Dear Rey,

 We’re putting up the wall, so we won’t be able to take our normallunch date together for much longer. I was wondering if maybe you’d like to getcoffee? But maybe not. I had to try. Couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing youthrough the window any longer.

 No pressure. I’ll wear a shirt. Maybe Sarge’s Deli? The pastramiis out of this world.

 Call me?

Ben

 “His name is Ben,” Rey murmurs as Rose nods while watching herreaction. He’d also left his phone number on the paper, which meant she couldactually call him and not just stare at him from her office.

“I think he took his shirt off to get my attention,” Rey marvels.

Rose nods sagely. “I’m beginning to get that impression too. Ben,though? Little name for a whole lotta man. Gonna call him?”

“I don’t know? Should I? He’s known that I’ve been watching him! Thisis so embarrassing!”

Rose rolls her eyes. “Look, hot construction guy just gave you a handwritteninvitation to get to know you town, and you’re worried about looking dumb?He has been watching you too, you know?”

“When you put it that way…”

“Call him. Go out for lunch. See how things go. Tell me all aboutit—spare no details. And then you can thank me later.”

“Thank you for what?”

“For covering for your ass when you come back late from lunch.”

“You really are the best. I don’t deserve you,” Rey starts, butRose waves her off.

“I am and you do. Just do one thing for me?”

“What?”

A devious grin worked its way onto Rose’s face as she demanded, “Lemmeknow whether his lips taste like Diet Coke.”

Rey blushed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

And she was definitely, definitely, going to do her best tofind that out for herself.

[julia-highstorms]

If Jane Was Here (Noah’s POV) - Ch. 11

Summary: ILITW by Noah’s point of view. Previous chapters here

Disclaimer: all characters belong to Pixelberry Studios and some dialogues are from the game. Gender neutral MC.

Author’s Note: I know I said back in July that IJWH was back from hiatus and then... I stopped posting. What a joke of a person I am, I won't even be surprised if y'all hate my guts by now BUT IN MY DEFENSE, I was just delaying Noah's betrayal as long as I could because I was so not ready for it lol But after all that angst in the latest PM chapter and after listening to my playlist of sad songs over and over again, I'm ready to go back to writing this fanfic. AND I'LL DO MY BEST TO FINISH IT BEFORE IT LIVES 2 RELEASES!!!!!!!!!! And I'd like to thank @hippiekiyay, without her I wouldn't had been able to finish this chapter literally!!!! Thank you so much Sam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Words can't express how much I am thankful

Rating: PG-13 (language)

Pairing: Noah x MC

Word count: 5236 (longest chapter so far. Don't kill me and I hope it will be worth the wait lol)

Tagging @kurbqa-deactivated20180730 @miragemeister @yertletheturtle04 @mysteriouslady4 @klaudiana-beaumontkkreal @katiehawkeyebishop @melchann @hippiekiyay @lovethemarshalltwins @jadedpixiescribbles @gameofstrangerwars @american-duchess @blackheartdreams @indiacater @nuttatulipa @lcnelywclf @sazanes @mmmmmmyyyah @ietss

Chapter 11 - You Again

The gang of teenagers stood frozen in front of an old wooden shack, face-to-face with a snarling, mossy creature with burning eyes. Her dog?! That thing was her dog?!

"Nobody… moves..." - MC whispered.

"We can't just stand here! We've got to do something!" - Stacy said back with a rushed nervous tone.

"Do what?! That thing is huge!" - Lucas tilted his head slightly to the growling monster.

Behind the creature, Cora Pritchard, also known as 'Pritch the Witch', glared at them with arms crossed:

"Well? You punks going to explain what you're doing here in the middle of the damn night? Or are we doing this the hard way?"

"I-is the hard way getting eaten by your creepy skeleton monster?" - Lily asked the question that popped in everyone's minds.

"Don't be simple. Ugly thing ain't even got a stomach. He'll just chew you up and spit you out somewhere. Somewhere off my property."

"Super. We finally have a lead, and now her creepy pet is gonna kill us." - Ava scowled, less than pleased.

Andy looked to each of his friends' face in doubt. "If we scatter, it can't kill all of us… right?"

"Let's get out of here!" - Noah was trembling in fear from heads to toes, but somehow he found his voice and still hadn't shit his own pants. - "If she can control that monster, she's probably in league with him."

The old woman frowned in confusion. "'Him'? What nonsense are you… oh." - she stopped short and realisation seemed to fell on her. - "Oh hell." - then, she whistled sharply, and the mossy creature backed down to her. - "It's you, isn't it? You're the idiots who went and woke up Redfield."

"So you do know about him!" - Stacy ignored MC's statement and murmured:

"Please, we're sorry for trespassing, but… we need your help."

Lucas nodded and took a small step towards the with. "We're kind of desperate, actually. Any information you have about Redfield's history or his powers would be incredibly helpful."

"History? I'll do you one better than that. I'm gonna tell you how to lock that bastard away for good." - and then, she simply turned and stepped inside the old cabin.

The teenagers looked at each others' faces, still not believing what had just happened. Pritch the Witch  was actually going to help them?

Summoning all their courage, MC followed the old woman. Their friends did the same, entering the house. Dark shelves lined the walls, neatly packed with strange stones, dusty tomes, bottles of herbs, and skulls.

"Whoa… this is… interesting." - MC commented, trying to sound kind. Ava leaned in closer to Noah and Lily and whispered with a grin on her lips, eyes sparkling with the sight of all those old and creepy things:

"I want this house to be my house."

"Don't touch anything." - Cora's tone was almost a threat. Lucas grimaced, examining a jar with some kind of preserved organ floating inside:

"Fine by me."

Then, the old woman poured several cups from a cast-iron teapot and handed each one of the kids one. MC sniffed the cup, wrinkling to their nose at the bitter aroma. "Um, is this... Earl Grey?"

"This look like some kinda princessy tea house to you?" - Cora snapped back at them as she eased into a well-worn armchair, her creature settling to the floor beside her like a faithful hound. - "Drink your damn tea. Or give it to the dog. I don't care."

Silence stretched as all of them sipped the tea, staring back at each other with unsure looks. Noah was so nervous that he thought it was better to just drink his tea instead of saying anything stupid and risking annoying the old lady. He still felt a little terrified by her. Though her tea was damn good.

"Um… Miss Pritchard? I can't help but notice… it sounded like you know who we are." - Lily finally spoke up.

"'Course I do. Power's been sleeping quiet these past ten years, but I knew someone had broken the spell that bound it."

"If that's true… why didn't you come find us?" - Stacy asked. Andy agreed with the cheerleader.

"Yeah, why wait 'til we came to you?"

"'Cause the Power knows me, boy. I've only survived this long because I know how to hide from it. How'd you finally find me, anyway?"

"We found this at the library..." - MC pulled Cora's picture book out of their bag.

"Took ya long enough. I published that damn book eight years ago. Won an award and everything. Figured as soon as you recognized the creatures in there, you'd come running. Guess I overestimated you."

"Uh… sorry."

The woman grunted, sipping her tea. Ava tossed back her own tea in one swallow, holding out her cup for a refill. "Okay, you said the Power knows you. What does that mean?"

"This one pays attention. I like her." - the witch was almost smirking.

"Teacher's pet." - Noah whispered teasingly to Ava, who flashed her middle finger at him while Cora poured her another cup of tea.

"Most of my life, I've been part of a group that watches over these woods… and the Power that lives inside." - she started explaining. - "We guarded the Power and kept it secret. In return, it took care of us."

"You mean it gave you abilities?" - MC asked. She nodded.

"You catch on quick, kid. We were able to take a little of the Power into ourselves, granting us certain skills… but only if we followed the rules."

"Well, that explains Twiggy over here." - Andy pointed to the moss creature, which growled back at him. Stacy's mouth fell open.

"Hang on, you made that thing?!"

"Do you have other powers too?"

"Absolutely not. I make constructs, like this ugly beast here… but only one at a time." - Cora answered MC's question. - "Others could levitate things or talk to beasts and whatnot, but there's only so much power a person can hold without going…" - she scowled into her teacup. - "...strange."

"...Someone got greedy, didn't they? Someone tried to use too much of the Power."

"Idiot… we told him what would happen. He saw the shadows wandering the woods at night… leftovers from other greedy idiots. But no, he thought he knew better than us. Now look at him. Fused with the Power itself, not a scrap of humanity left." - MC shuddered beside the Noah, rubbing the still-tender bruise on their wrist where Redfield grabbed them. He squeezed their shoulder, trying to make it seem like a reassuring gesture, though he still felt a little nervous on being in that old creepy-ass cabin. Cora watched them intently, one eyebrow raised. - "Looks like things are worse than I thought. We've got to move quickly." - she suddenly heaved herself out of her chair and started bustling around the room, taking down jars and bunches of herbs. - "Someone find the jar of powdered bloodstone. And you, put those goblets on the table." - she pointed to the boy with the beanie.

"Oh, uh… these?" - he retrieved a pair of ornate goblets from a nearby case and set them on the low table. The witch shooed them aside, then started mixing various powders and herbs into the two goblets, the teenagers gathering around her, watching what she was doing intently.

"Okay… I get that we're 'moving quickly' here, but maybe can you pump the brakes for a sec? How are we gonna stop Redfield." - Andy broke the silence.

"Yeah, I'd like to know what exactly we're getting into." - the Class President agreed with the Asian boy. - "What's the plan? Will you be assisting us?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? Making a casserole?" - she scowled as she added a pinch of ash to each goblet, then started scribbling furiously on a notepad. - "I can tell you how to bind Redfield, but you're gonna have to go into those woods and perform the spell yourselves."

"What? But we can't… I mean, how are we supposed to do that? We're not witches or whatever."

"Speak for yourself." - Ava told the cheerleader.

"We might not have powers… but Cora's right. We have to do this ourselves." - MC's determination look back onto their face and Noah felt slightly inspired by it, ready to face Mr. Red. Well, almost.

"But why? Why does it always have to be us?" - Lily asked with a low whine.

"It's because we're connected to him. Something about being near us gave Mr. Red power. Especially once he managed to lure us down into that cave. Maybe… that same connection can give us some kind of power over him."

"Huh, you're not as dense as I thought you'd be. Maybe we're not doomed after all."

MC stared at Cora, clearly unsure if they should take it as a compliment or not.

"...Thanks." - they said after all.

"The Power's truth strength comes from the connection it forges with its followers. Both sides are bound by the rules and rituals they agree upon. After the… incident, the few of us who weren't bloody smears on the ground figured out a way to exploit that connection." - the woman finally tore the page free from her notepad and handed it to them. - "With this spell, we sealed that bastard inside the old meeting house."

"Old meeting house… wait, those creepy ruins? How old are you?" - Noah asked before he could realise that it was an inappropriate question.

"None of yer damn business." - MC took the paper, scanning Cora's cramped handwriting.

"This… this is it? We just follow these instructions?"

"Seems a little anticlimactic." - Ava stated, reading it over her friend's shoulder. Stacy looked at her.

"You did hear the part where we have to go back into the woods, right?"

"Where I assume Redfield will try to stop us?"

"That's right." - Pritch the Witch answered the boy with glasses. - "Once he sees what you're doing, he'll do everything he can to interrupt the spell. You're going to have to-- HEY! You drop that! I SAID DROP IT!" - the gang jumped, following the woman's accusing finger… to where her creature was chewing on its own leg bone. - "Stupid thing… all the arcane powers in the world couldn't magic a brain in that half-rotted skull of yours." - the moss creature barked happily back at her. - "Don't suppose you'd like to take this damn ugly beast with you? All he's doing here is chewing up my nice furniture."

"Um, YES. Yes we would like." - Ava was almost jumping with excitement.

"Redfield will probably send tons of these creatures after us… it'd be nice to have a monster on our side for once." - MC pondered a little. - "We'd love to take him."

"Hear that, ya dense beast? You're going with these kids for a while." - Cora snapped her fingers, and the creature got up, bony feet clacking across the floorboards.

"Does it, uh… have a name?" - Lily asked.

"Never bothered to give him one. Call him what you like." - the old woman shrugged.

"Hmmm… what about…" - MC looked over to Andy. - "...Twiggy?"

"Haha, hell yeah!" - the short boy jumped, fisting the air.

"This is the most stupid name I've ever heard." - Noah stated as Twiggy trotted over to them, grinning.

"Shut up, you're just jealous that you didn't gave him a dope name!" - MC hesitantly reached down to scratch the creature's mossy head.

"That's… surprisingly soft. And weird. Definitely weird."

"Who's a good undead boy? Is it you?" - Ava played with the beast while Cora grabbed a plastic lighter from the kitchen and tossed it to MC. Then she handed the two goblets to the Beanie Boy.

"Don't spill those. There's a clearing with a big stump in the middle, about a mile in from the road. You know it?" - he nodded at her.

"Yeah, that's where we found our friend Dan."

"That's where you'll do the ritual, tonight."

"Tonight? Why can't we wait until morning?" - Lily shouted, startled.

"Because Redfield's got to be inside the clearing for the spell to trap him, which won't happen if it's full of sunshine." - huh, it made sense.

"Got it." - MC nodded. - "There's something I wanted to ask about... our friends in the hospital."

"Our friends, Dan and Tom, got… Redfield got to them. They've been unconscious in the hospital for days."

"There are others, too…" - Lucas joined Andy's explanation. - "If we manage to bind Redfield… will they wake up?"

"Hm. The Power does feed on people sometimes, consuming their life force until they're just empty shells… But… if you do this spell right, that connection will be broken. Your friends should recover, in time."

"One more reason to win this thing."

"Now, unless you have any other silly questions, it's time for you to go. There's work to be done..." - and then, Cora rushed them out of her house.

"This is it, then… we're really going to face him." - Lucas murmured with an uneased look, as the gang made their way out of Cora's garden.

"At least we'll all be together this time." - Noah said. There was safety in numbers and for the first time in a long time he felt like he had his friends' backs.

"Plus, we've got Twiggy." - Ava patted the moss creature's head, who growled happily at her. Stacy looked to each one of their faces:

"Everyone ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be..." - Lily answered, hugging herself against the night wind. A hug grin spread on Ava's face.

"Creepy moonlight ritual to save the town from evil? I was born for this."

"Hell yeah, let's kick some monsters in the face!" - Andy shout, kicking the air around him. MC held him by his shoulder, preventing him from entering the woods.

"Not yet. First, there's one stop we need to make...."

They all drove to the hardware store downtown and parked outside. Twiggy even tried to go with them, but they thought it was better to stay inside the car. The door chimed, announcing their entrance, and Stacy's brother glanced up to them. He looked less than pleased to see them, especially MC.

"Stacy, what are you all doing here?"

"Don't be a jerk, Connor. We're just here to buy supplies."

"Supplies for wh-- Actually, you know what? I don't want to know. Store closes in five minutes, so just… get your stuff and get out." - he said, returning to the back of the counter.

They all split up to browse the store, only MC stayed back, to go talk to Connor. Noah walked towards the center aisle.

"Yo."

"Hey." - he greeted the Asian boy back. They browsed it in silence fo a couple minutes until Andy spoke up:

"So… we're finally going to kick that bastard's ass." - the boy with a beanie smirked.

"Technically, we can't kick his ass because he's a ghost. Ghosts don't have asses."

"Of course they have! They have a… ghostly ass."

"Which we can't kick."

"Well, how can you be so sure about it? Have you tried to kick a ghost's ghostly ass before?" - Noah laughed to that boy's stubborness and fierceness. - "You won't know if you don't try!"

"Right. You tell me later if that worked or not." - Noah laughed a little more. The Asian boy just rolled his eyes.

"Hey, do you think this will be useful?" - he asked, pointing a hair dryer to him.

"For what? So you can dry Redfield's ghostly ass?"

"You're no fun, Noah." - Andy pouted, putting the object back into the aisle, while the other boy chuckled. MC approached them.

"How's it going?"

"Andy is having way too much fun with this."

"Hey man, I'm just trying to live out my cheesy action movie dreams here. Don't ruin it for me." - Andy's eyes suddenly lighted up. He set down a jar of nails and turned to them both grinning. - "You know what I just realized? This is gonna be over tomorrow!"

"Yeah, assuming we don't all die." - MC smiled back at him.

"No, that's what I mean! Fists of Thunder 6 comes out next summer, and there's no way I'm missing that. So we're definitely gonna win!"

"I… what?" - MC shared a look with Noah, as if to confirm that they heard right. The Beanie Boy tried really hard to not laugh. 'Fists of Thunder 6'? Seriously?

"I'm serious! What are you guys looking forward to? What have you been waiting for so hard it proves we're gonna live?"

"Dunno, I haven't had much to look forward to, lately." - Noah answered. He just wanted it all to end. To Redfield go. To get some answers.

All he wished was to know was where Jane was? Was she safe? Was she trapped somewhere? In the ruins? What Redfield meant when he said that Jane was here?

If Jane was here…

"There must be something." - MC elbowed him, a playful smirk spreading on their lips. - "What about homecoming?"

"I'm probably not going. Seems kinda pointless without a date, doesn't it?" - his eyes locked with MC's for a second. He thought he almost saw their eyes shining. He quickly looked away. - "And I'm… really not in a good place for that. Dating. I mean." - he stuttered, feeling his cheeks getting hotter.

And that was true. He couldn't think about dating. Not yet. Not with Redfield around. But if things were different… If they were all safe and sound… If Jane was here… Would things be different?

He felt Andy squeezing his shoulder reassuringly.

"That's cool, dude. If it's not the right time, then it's not the right time."

"You shouldn't let that stop you from enjoying homecoming, though. We could all go together!" - MC proposed. Andy punched the air excitedly.

"Dude, let's all rent a limo! I've always wanted to do that!"

"That sounds… fun. I'll think about it." - Noah couldn't hide a smile from appearing on his lips. Their excitement was contagious. He turned to MC. - "What about you, MC? Gonna ask someone to homecoming?"

To be honest, Noah didn't want to know. He felt awkward imagining MC dating someone, even if this person was one of their friends. He watched them putting their hand on their chin, pondering for a little while, before turning to him with a bright smile.

"I don't think I want to ask anyone specific. I just want all to go as friends."

Noah fought the urge to grin.

"Okay… as long as I don't have to dress up." - he said, trying to maintain a stoic face. It was stupid, but he was kind of happy to know that MC didn't liked someone in a special way… and that he was going with all his friends to the party. Together.

"That's the spirit!" - Andy shout, clapping his back (a little too hard), then wandered off to look at another aisle.

Noah turned to look at MC, whose eyes were already on his face, small grin on their lips. He blushed again under his friend's gaze and cleared his throat before asking: "Huh… so, you gonna buy anything?"

"I'm not sure… What kind of weapon do you use against an army of undead plant monsters?"

Beanie Boy looked around the store, when something caught his eyes.

"I mean… that, probably." - he pointed to the wall behind MC, where a 'Now in Stock' sign hanged next to a pole saw. He saw the smile widening on his friend's face.

"I forgot about this thing!" - they exclaimed as they took the pole saw off the wall and examined it. Noah approached them.

"What is it?"

"I think Connor said it's called a 'pole saw'?"

"I'll tell you what it is." - Ava said as she came around the counter, practically bouncing. Noah still wasn't get used to the vision of Ava Cunningham excited, almost happy. - "It's a chainsaw… on a STICK! Please tell me you're gonna buy it!"

"You should totally get it. This thing'll tear through those plant monsters like nothing!" - he agreed with the witch girl. - "Way better than my weapon idea. I was just gonna grab one of the big sticks I saw in the parking lot..." - cash was running low.

"Yeah, no way I'm passing this thing up." - MC stated, clearly enjoying the sensation of holding the pole saw on their hands.

"Yesss. You're gonna let me borrow it sometime, right?"

"For what? You got some landscaping to do?" - Noah asked Ava.

"If it means I get to swing stuff like that around, I will find something to landscape." - she said as they joined the rest of their friends at the front of the store. MC got in line behind Andy as he paid for a large crowbar. Turning, the Asian boy asked, stopping short when he saw them holding the pole saw.

"What?! Where do they keep those?"

"Sorry, think I got the only one."

"Everybody set?" - Lucas asked, looking to each one of them. He seemed a little more confident than before.

All of them nodded in agreement and walked out into the night.

They followed the back roads out of town until,once again, they found themselves standing at the edge of the dark roads…

"This is it..." - MC murmured, holding the pole saw tightly. Noah nodded beside them, staring the woods in front of them.

"Hope this goes better than last time."

"It will. It has to." - they said, that determined frown on their face again, and then clutched Cora's instructions, reading them through for what it seemed like the tenth time. - "We've got to leave one goblet at the entrance to the ruins. Ava and I will take care of that, then meet the rest of you at the clearing."

"Sounds like a plan." - Lucas commented. Stacy wished them two to be careful.

"You guys too. Watch out for gross skeleton monsters." - Cora's mossy creature seemed confused. Ava grinned at him. - "Of course you're not gross, Twiggy! The other skeleton monsters are way less cute than you.

One by one, the teenagers walked into the trees. After a quick detour to the ruins, MC and Ava rejoined the rest of them in the clearing.

"Run into any trouble?" - Andy asked them. MC shook their head.

"Nope. First goblet's ready to go." - and then they set the other goblet down on the stump.

"So… um, what exactly do we do?" - Lily still seemed a little anxious with everything.

"Looks like two people need to read the incantations written here." - Ava replied, reading Cora's instructions. - "As soon as we start the spell, Mr. Red will be drawn toward this clearing."

"Hooray..." - Noah felt a shiver running down his spine by just imagining facing that monster's face again, all the confidence he was feeling soon leaving him. Ava ignored him:

"We light the goblet on fire, which somehow lights the other goblet. The two flames become a bridge that channels Mr. Red into the ruins. Then… boom, the flames go out and he's sealed inside."

"So… who wants to read the words? You'd have to read through the whole spell, and Mr. Red will do whatever he can to stop you." - MC asked their friends.

"I'll do it. Stacy? Do you..." - Lily trailed off as the cheerleader dumped her purse out on the ground, refilling it with large rocks, then giving it a few experimental swings.

"Nope. I've got some anger to work out."

"I'll read." - Lucas volunteered himself. - "Just… try to stop anything from ripping our heads off, okay?"

"Don't worry. We've got your backs." - Andy clasped his hand on the Class President's back.

After MC's signal, everyone arranged themselves in a loose circle around the stump, with Lily and Lucas at the center.

"Is everyone ready?" - she asked. Andy gripped his crowbar, Stacy hefted her rock-filled purse, Noah clutched his branch, and Ava drew a long knife from her boot.

"Bring it on." - MC yanked the started handle of their pole saw, and the small engine thrummed to life. - "One last thing… No one's allowed to die. I mean it. If even one of you dies, I'm gonna be pissed." - they all grinned a little to MC's words.

"Right back atcha, MC." - Andy smirked at them.

Lily took a deep breath… then began to read. "'Power of the ancient trees, glorious song of all that grows...'" - Lucas stood tall beside her, one hand resting on her shoulder as he picked up the next line. "'by right of our covenant, we summon thee'."

They all tightened the grip around their weapons as a frigid wind whipped through the clearing, carrying the sounds of growls and gnashing teeth...

"Remember… we have to protect Lucas and Lily, or else all of this will be for nothing." - MC alerted them.

"Got it.." - Noah felt his heartbeat speeding up. Beside them, Twiggy's mossy hackles raised and he bared his teeth. Lily kept reading.

"'...come before us...'" - dark shapes began to move in the undergrowth, amber eyes burning in the trees…

"'...come before us'." - Lucas repeated, his eyes widening as another shape, larger than the rest, moved to the edge of the clearing, moonlight illuminating his face.

"Wait a second, is that…?" - Andy's voice died as they recognized who was standing right in front of them.

"No..." - MC murmured, shock in their face too. The figured grinned.

"Looks like I stumbled into a loser convention." - Cody said with a wicked smile.

"Cody… You're not him!"

"Yeah, I know. But I'm still gonna kick your ass." - shadows writhed in the trees behind Cody, and they caught a darker figure, barely visible but for its glowing eyes. - "Remember what I said at Brit's party? How I was gonna make you pay for all your smartass remarks? Your little friends threw me out that time… but this time… I brought some friends too."

The bushes all around them exploded, a snarling wave of skeletal creatures charging towards them.

"Here they come!" - MC yelled, dropping to a ready crouch as three of the creatures charged toward them. Along with Andy and Stacy, they started fighting the monsters.

"Crap!" - Noah shout, swinging his branch wildly, hitting the skeletal creature that attacked him.

"I've got you." - Ava lunged towards him, shredding vines and chunks of bones flying everywhere.

Through the chaos, Lily and Lucas's voices rang clear and strong, reading from Cora's spell.

"'Power of the earth and the stone, furious wind and rushing creek…'"

"'...by right of our covenant, we bid thee, listen…'"

"'...heed our words…'"

"'...heed our word--"

"LOOK OUT!" - Noah yelled as two creatures managed to dodge around him, heading for Lucas and Lily.

MC attacked the creature that headed to the Class President, their pole saw blade shearing clean through the creature's spine. He and Ava immediately tried to sprint after them, but another creature leapt in front of them.

"Holy crap, how many of these are there?!" - Noah asked, struggling to hold the thrashing creature.

"I don't know, but they're starting to get on my nerves!" - the witch girl replied, slashing at it  with her knife. - "Could use some help over here!" - she yelled to their friends, who seemed to be okay, though Lily's arm was bleeding. MC sprinted towards them. - "Damn it, Noah! Hold it still!"

"I'm trying! It-- Aah!" - the creature slipped out of his grasp, lunging for her.

"Oh f--"

"Hey, ugly!" - MC stabbed their saw blade through the creature's skeleton, pinning it to the ground. Ava winded up and kicked it in the head, sending its skull flying into the trees.

"Huh, maybe I should take up soccer."

"Thanks, MC. That one got away from me." - Noah said, the three of them panting with all the action.

"No problem, Beanie Boy."

As they continued to struggle against the skeletal creatures, they heard slow, sarcastic applause from the clearing's edge.

"Damn, not bad, MC. Maybe you nerds are tougher than I gave you credit for." - behind Cody, Redfield seethed, hovering just outside the boundary of the clearing, hissing at them.

Steeling themself, MC pointed their weapon at the creature wearing Cody's face.

"Come over here. I'll show you how tough I am."

Redfield reached out one clawed hand, resting it on top of Cody's head, who grinned at them.

"I thought you'd never ask." - and, before their eyes, Cody's flesh began to warp and bulge, his skin tearing and falling away, revealing the dirt and stone beneath.

"Holy crap."

"What he said." - Noah agreed with Andy's remark, the stone creature advanced on MC, seeming taller with every step. MC seemed to be handling it pretty well with their pole saw.

"MC!" - Stacy shout.

"Back off, creep!" - Ava tried to threaten the stone creature, all of them trying to run to them, but more vine creature surged forward. - "I'm gonna make you boney freaks wish you were never… summoned, or whatever.” - the witch girl said as she and Noah brandished their weapons at another group of snarling beasts.

“I am not letting it end like this… not when we’re so close…”

They kept fighting the skeletal creatures until, suddenly, they all fell to the ground, the lights in their eyes winking out. Ava and Noah shared a confused look, before looking at the center of the clearing, where MC, Lucas and Lily stood. There was no sign of Redfield, the goblet on fire.

“...We did it.” - MC murmured. Trembling, they got to their feet as the flames inside the goblet flared high, ten vanished.

“Wait… really? It actually worked?” - Beanie Boy asked, as he and Ava walked towards them.

“It would appear so.” - Lucas looked around them. Everything seemed so suddenly calm.

“Are… are we sure? Is he actually…” - Lily couldn’t finish the phrase. Ava walked over, retrieving Cora’s goblet.

“One way to find out.”

A short walk later, they all cautiously stepped into the familiar clearing.

“It’s so… peaceful.” - MC commented, staring at the ruins.

“Yeah… I guess.” - Noah murmured, feeling a strange sensation in his chest.

He kind of… kind of was feeling… disappointed. That was it? After all that hell they went through… he had hoped that he would get some answers. Things would get fixed. Jane would be here.

Where was Jane? What Redfield meant when he said that she was here? If she was here, then where she was? Was Jane still here?

If Jane was here…

Ava walked right to the ruins, quickly snatching up Cora’s goblet before backing away again. “Ugh… I can definitely feel something in there. And it is pissed.”

“Can you blame him? Who’d wanna spend eternity trapped in that crappy place?” - Andy pointed to the old ruins.

“This could be a trick…” - Lily still couldn’t believe the spell worked. To be honest, neither could Noah.

“How do we know the spell did what it was supposed to?” - Lucas asked and MC crouched to pick up a small pebble.

“We test it.” - they tossed the pebble at the house. It sailed straight over the threshold… then stopped in mid-air.

“No way…” - Stacy murmured, her eyes widening. The pebble hanged in the air for a moment, then dropped straight down.

MC’s knees suddenly buckled and they sank to the ground, tears welling up to their eyes as they started to laugh.

“It’s... over.” - the gang kneeled beside MC, pulling them into a warm embrace. - “Wh-what the hell do we do next?”

The cheerleader laughed, squeezing all of them tighter.

“Seriously? Next comes the most important thing of all!”

“The SATs?”

“No, dummy…” - Stacy rolled her eyes to Lucas, a huge grin on her lips. - “Homecoming!”

[tiny-little-bird]

Now you go around saying Sansa is a warrior? Yeah sure ok 😂 You guys just keep twisting stuff around so it applies to your stupid crackship 👍😂 Jon and Dany are together and in love. Put Sansa next to Dany and she withers 😂😂 Dany is a Queen, she has dragons, has conquered cities, has fought slavery, while Sansa has done what exactly? Yeah, nothing. She can't even protect herself lmao 😂 Sansa is anything, but a warrior, she's the stupidest and weakest character in the books and the series.

I’m assuming this is about my reply to this post [x]?

I’ll insert the reply below:

“I’ve honestly always interpreted this quote this way:

Usually when we can’t have something or someone, at some point, we try to convince ourselves we don’t want it, to protect ourselves from pain, hurt and disappointment. It’s a coping mechanism. 

Jon is a romantic, he’s brave, he’s kind, he’s gentle, he’s caring, he has all the traits of a true knight, he’s always dreamed of being a knight, and what do knights do? Protect, take care of and, rescue ladies, and people in general, whom are helpless and that in certain situations can’t protect themselves.Jon is simply trying to convince himself, that he doesn’t want a “Lady”, to spare himself some pain, because in fact, it’s exactly what he wants, but since it’s something he thinks he can’t have, since he thinks he doesn’t deserve it, because he’s bastard born, and well, also because he’s a sworn brother of the Night’s watch, he keeps telling himself, he tries to convince himself, it’s not what he wants.

So yeah, in my opinion it’s a coping mechanism of his, to deal with reality (little does he know, that he’s a Prince, and the rightful heir to the Iron Throne).Now, not to say that he’s only attracted to Ladies, and he doesn’t find warrior women, or better said, strong women* (because let’s face it, the word “warrior” can have many meanings, it can mean strong, brave, fierce etc., it does not necessarily mean, a woman who can fight and kill), *attractive, because he does, but he likes Ladies too, he likes femininity, “I’d like to see you in a silk dress”, “You like women who swoon? Oh a spider! Save me Jon Snow.”, “Sansa looked radiant as she walked beside him.”, “New dress? […] I like the wolf bit.” He loved Ygritte’s singing voice, and look at this quote from the book ADWD, when he’s dying: “[He thought] of Sansa, brushing out Lady’s coat and singing to herself.” immediately followed by him thinking, “You know nothing, Jon Snow.”

So basically what Jon wants, is a strong Lady. If you think about it, Sansa is now a mix of both a Lady and a warrior (not a literal warrior, but you know what I mean). She’s still a Lady, she likes to style her hair, and wear (silk) dresses, but she’s also strong and intelligent, and can take care of herself, but even so, she still needs a protecting sword, because although she’s strong, she’s not a literal warrior, she can’t use an actual sword, her “sword”, her strength is her mind, she’s a warrior in her own way, but in situations of danger, when someone is coming at you with a sword/a knife trying to kill you, the mind is not of much help, and you need an actual sword, a knight to help and protect you.

There is nothing wrong with being helpless, there is nothing wrong with needing help. Besides this quote kind of contradicts with what he is, a protector, a guardian, a shield, a sword, he’s a Black Knight. 

That’s what he does, he protects people, he protects the helpless.

“I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the shield that guards the realms of men.”

Besides, Jon/Sansa and protection, is a recurring theme between the two of them in S6 and 7. He wants to keep her safe, he wants to protect her. “I’ll never let him touch you again, I’ll protect you, I promise.”, “Jon is Jon. He’ll keep me safe, I trust him.”

He realizes that she’s not a silly little girl/child any longer, she’s a woman grown, she’s strong and intelligent. He admires her, he admires her strength, but he feels the need to protect her anyway, he wants to protect her anyway, he wants to be her sword, her protector, her knight.

And, she wants and tries to protect him too, “you have to be smarter than father, you need to be smarter than Robb.” They’re trying to protect each other, keep each other safe, alive, and that’s just so powerful and beautiful to me. I’ve said this many times, what one lacks, the other has, they’re both strong and complement each other so beautifully, he’s the sword and she’s the mind.Where I’m trying to get at with this is, Sansa has grown and has learned from her experiences, and at this point she is exactly Jon’s type, all the traits and qualities he likes/wants/admires in a woman, Sansa has. 

To make it short, Jon admires and is attracted to strong women.Sansa is a fighter, she’s strong, fierce, brave, intelligent, beautiful, she has kept her morales, has remained caring and kindhearted (despite all she’s gone trough), she’s highborn, she’s a Lady, she’s a Stark, she’s pretty much everything he’s ever wanted.

She is perfect for him, and there is no question he has all the traits and qualities she’s always wanted in a man (and to top it, he’s a Prince too, what are the odds), he’s perfect for her, they’re perfect for each other, they’re a perfect match.

#JonsaIsComing 💙”

What have I twisted around? Can you read?

Sansa is strong, brave and fierce. She is not weak, and SHE IS a warrior, in her own way, as I’ve said above, there are many types of warriors, and she is one of them, she is a fighter. 

“Jon and Dandelion are together and in love”, Yeah… sure… ok… whatever you say 👍😅

How does Sansa wither next to Dandelion? lol She is beautiful, kind, intelligent, she isn’t power hungry nor obsessed with conquering and being Queen, she cares, truly cares, about her people and their well being and she is a good, capable and competent ruler, which inspires the loyalty of her people. If anything, it’s the other way around…

I honestly can’t wait for season 8, when Jaimie will pledge his sword to her, when Varys will realize that he had the Queen Westeros deserves, right under his nose, the whole bloody time:

The Seven Kingdoms need someone stronger than Tommen but gentler than Stannis. Sansa is stronger than Tommen, but gentler than Stannis.

A monarch who could intimidate the High Lords and inspire the people. Sansa knows how to speak with the Lords, how to listen to them and keep them at bay.

A ruler loved by millions, with a powerful army, and the right family name.  She is loved by her people, the Lords and Knights of the Vale are now loyal to her (more people will follow in S8), and she has the right family name, the Stark name.

Tyrion will also realize at some point, that following Dandelion was a mistake. I think in S8, many characters will end up pledging their swords and their loyalty to Sansa. Theon/House Greyjoy as well. I mean Dandelion didn’t give af that Yara, one of her allies, was captured. Theon had to go help her/rescue her himself, because Dandelion doesn’t give af abt her allies, what a great ruler, what a great Queen, when your friends get captured you leave them behind, how truly inspiring. 

The only thing Dandelion is, is incompetent, the only thing she inspires is fear, the only thing she brings to Westeros is war and destruction and that’s it… “Incompetence should not be rewarded with blind loyalty”

I cannot stress this enough, Sansa isn’t stupid, Sansa isn’t weak. She is one of the strongest characters in the series, a character which has had a strong growth. She has grown from an innocent little girl with her head full of dreams and songs, to a capable, fierce woman, that would do anything in her power to protect, and ensure the safety and wellbeing of her pack and her people.

Sansa hasn’t had the chance to do anything until now, she’s been captive for years, she never had a dragon to flee her enemies ya know? She was stuck with them for years. But now that she is home, she’s taking care of her people, taking care of her brother’s army, ensuring they stay loyal to him, that they don’t abandon him and his cause, she’s not burning the people’s food, unlike a certain “someone”, quite the contrary, she’s making sure that there is enough food for everyone in case they have to flee to Winterfell, she’s reinforcing Winterfell and its walls, she’s keeping the North stable and at peace, avoiding rebellions while Jon is away, she’s executing traitors, whom mean to harm her family and the North. She was given the chance to rule, and she’s doing a fantastic job, she’s a natural.

And sorry to break it to you, but Dandelion can’t protect herself either? She can’t fight/use a sword either? lol What kind of argument is that? Dandelion has protectors left and right, she’s been saved by them more times than we can count, so what’s the deal? By your logic she’s also weak smh

Strenght comes in many forms.

Not being able to use a sword, not being able to fight ≠ weakness

[podcastcoach]

You Can't Buy An Audience If Your Podcast Sucks

Today we talk about the 1.7 billion dollar mistake that was Quibi and how we can learn from their mistake. We also take a look at the power of follow up questions, and the best place to buy gear. 

Table of Contents

01:22 Your Favorite Podcast - Send in Your Answer 02:56 Now That's A Good Question: Howard Stern and Wolfgang Van Halen 06:35 Join the School of Podcasting 07:33 Lessons From Quibi 13:24 They Blew Their Launch 16:12 Big Name Celebrities 19:02 Make It Easy To Share Your Content 21:05 It's Not the Tech 23:28 Clueless About the Competition 29:49 Who is the Audience? 33:29 The Best Place to Buy Gear: Sweetwater 36:07 Your Audience Awaits Exercise

How to Avoid the 1.7 Billion Dollar Mistake that Was Quibi

Quibi is an over-the-top American short-form streaming platform that generates content for viewing on mobile devices. It was founded in Los Angeles in August 2018 as NewTV by Jeffrey Katzenberg (chairman of Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994) and is led by Meg Whitman ( She is a board member of Procter & Gamble and Dropbox. Whitman was previously president and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise), its CEO.

In 2019 Variety reported that Quibi had secured 100 million dollars in advertising before the service had even launched.

On February 2, 2020, they spent $5.6 million for 30 seconds on an ad in the Super Bowl that was seen by a reported 99.9 million viewers.  That is $18 per person if you round up. This for a service where subscribers can get the service for $5 per month with ads, or $8 per month without them.  That $5.6 million was a drop in the bucket.

The commercial was really stupid and didn't really answer or explain what the heck it was. You just knew it was less than 10 minutes. They explained what is was, but not so much why it was or how you would benefit.

It raised $1.75 billion from investors. It had a variety of shows featuring originals with Jennifer Lopez, Chrissy Teigen, Chance the Rapper, Liam Hemsworth, Sophie Turner, Lena Waithe, Nicole Richie, Reese Witherspoon. Quibi offered a 90-day free trial to those who sign up on its website before April 6. Overall, it plans to release 175 original shows and 8,500 episodes in the first year.

Their lineup has a ton of stars, celebrities, etc

It launched on April 6, 2020. It is set to shut down "on or about" December 1, 2020. December 1 is 239 days. That is $7,322,175.73 a day. Here is my thoughts on why this was such an epic fail.

They Blew Their Launch

When you spend $5.6 million dollars on a Super Bowl ad, they should have an idea what you do and what is in it for them. In the event, the ad inspired people to check out the service (it didn't), you should be able to go check it out and not have to wait four months. Yes, you can build buzz, but for me, I never heard from quibi again.

Putting All Their Faith in Celebrities

Here are some of the names that appear on shows: Jennifer Lopez, Kristen Bell, Nick Jonas, Tracy Morgan, Aaron Rodgers, Yara Shahidi, Gabriel Iglesias, Anthony Davis, Kevin Hart and Karlie Kloss. Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, Dapper Dan, Jay Leno, and Wolfgang Puck (and that's just some).

The people involved had experience Phil Abraham has directed the Sopranos, Madmen, Daredevil, Ozark.

No Compelling Content

Yet, there was no breakout show that inspired the people who had found Quibi to tell a friend about Quibi. Nobody was compelled to tell a friend. They did recaps of the previous days news or sports updates. WOW what revolutionary content!

They Made it Hard To Share

According to Media Analyst Josh Consine there was no sharing capability (no screenshots) which limited your ability to go viral. When it first launched you could only watch it on your phone. There were no apps, not Fire TV, Chromecast. They made it "hard" to consume. They took away choices from the consumer.

They Put Their Faith in the Tech

One thing that set them apart was a feature called Turnstyle. This meant that if you rotate the phone horizontal to verticle, you would get a different camera angle. Neat? Sure. Something so cool I had to tell my friends? Apparently not as I had never heard of it until I started researching how you blow 1.7 billion and lose. In a nutshell, Turnstyle served you two video streams simultaneously and “stitches them together” with a single audio track.

Since we're talking about the Tech, a company sued Quibi shortly after their launch company called Eko alleged that Quibi stole the technology after Eko demoed it to employees of the company, including founder and chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg. Even when you have billions in funding, lawsuits are expensive.

Clueless About the Competition

They were charging $5/$8 a month for new content. Look at Disney, Netflix, Hul. While they have original content, they all have old favorites as well. They also have a way to add more than one person under your account (so when your kids login under your account your recommendations don't all turn into cartoons). This was not the case to Quibi. It figured each person was watching on their phone. One person per account. This gets expensive and now anyone who wants to see what you're talking about has to use your phone.

It is reported that CEO Whitman repeatedly said "We're not competing with Netflix." Think about that one for a minute. That's like a radio station saying, "All of our songs are under four minutes long. We don't compete with other stations."

Lack Of Focus Group?

In one article that was published right after they launched it stated, "Quibi’s executives have hinted that the company will deliver on a TV experience if customer feedback and data warrant it. " Well they did add support for Apple's airplay and Chromecast, but at the expense of the Turnstyle technology. They did release an app for Roku and Fire TV - the day before they announced were closing down.

It seemed like they didn't understand how people used their phones or consumed content.

Did they think that because the average length of a YouTube video is 11 minutes that making "short" videos would be the key? Meanwhile, TikTok was taking off with all sorts of celebrities making their own channels. TikTok is free. Did Quibi follow the Facebook strategy and buy them or "borrow features" and add them to their platform? No. They were doing something different and nobody cared.

They Didn't Answer the Number Question: WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE

The idea was people could watch these short clips while waiting in line, or on the bus. When you think of people consuming content on their phone you might think it would be younger people. Yet you're trying to attract those people with Steven Spielberg and Jay Leno? Sure Cardi B appeared in an episode, but they needed to define. If the content is for busy people, who are the busy people and what do they want to watch?

According to an article in Forbes, Katzenberg and Whitman said, "We created a new form of mobile-first premium storytelling."

They did. But the stories weren't any good.

Now That's a Good Question

02:56  Today we listen to Howard Stern ask a great follow-up question to Wolfgang Van Halen. While he started off with a yes/no question, but then asked a few follow-up questions lead to the information you can't get anyplace else, and listen to how Howard shuts up and lets Wolfgang wrestle with a potentially uncomfortable topic. 

Sweetwater is My New Favorite Place to Order Gear

33:29 My co-host for Ask the Podcast Coach Jim Collison ordered something from Sweetwater and told me about their INSANE customer service. I recently saw where they were one of the few people to have the new Zoom Podtrak P4 IN STOCK and I see what he means. I was called to let me know my order had shipped, and to let me know if I had any issues I could call them. So here is why I think they are the best:

Prices are just as good (and in some cases better) than Amazon

Free shipping (even on small stuff)

Built-in two-year warranty 

Free tech support 

Payment plans available if needed.

My goal is to build more of a relationship with Sweetwater (as I have a dedicated rep) which should keep me in touch with podcasting technology going forward. In full disclosure, I earn a referral reward (but that's why I ordered something as I wanted to see for myself) 

Your Audience Awaits Exercise

I'm listening to the book Unhackable: The 30-Day Elixir for Creating Flawless Ideas, Leveraging Superhuman Focus, and Achieving Optimal Performance Through Flow its a very interesting book that you can listen/read to one chapter per day. The one exercise was to write yourself an email from your future audience as is these people who are waiting for you to start your show. SO MANY TIMES I hear people worried about having trolls or people say negative things. I say, What about ALL THE POSITIVE that could happen?

Think of going to your inbox and see an email with the title, "Just wanted to say Thank you." You open it and it starts, "Hello, I just wanted to reach out. You may not believe this but due to your podcast.... 

and the listener explains how you made them feel. How they no longer felt alone. How they were taken to a place where the stress of work, life, and more melted away. 

This could happen. But your podcast can't help people if you don't start your podcast. You can't update a show that doesn't exist. Please let me help you, as your audience is waiting. 

Check out this episode!