#it was a whole movie yet again and i was working for this secret organisation... can't remember what we were trying to do but i know there

[diomedrian]

I had a dream!!

[parvulous-writings]

Patrick  McKenna // SFW alphabet

​Summary: A sfw A-Z for Camerlengo Patrick McKenna

Warnings: Breaking of church vows (kinda, if you think about it)

Notes: Please be aware that this is purely off of the movie where McKenna features, this is in no way related to how he is portrayed in the book (mostly because I haven’t read it yet). Also I don’t know how the Roman Catholic church entirely operates- as although I do study it, I have never experienced any of it first hand, so there may be inaccuracies, for which I apologise.  My requests are currently open! My pinned post (found here) contains both a list of characters I write for, and a masterlist!

Not my gif

A - Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?) 

Publicly, Patrick can’t be affectionate. He’ll give you a look every so often, just so you still know he cares for you, even though he can’t exactly show it.  He makes up for it in private though- making food once a week, some beverages, and lots of time curled up together on the sofa. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, he’ll even read to you.

B - Best Friend (What would they be like as a best friend? Where does the friendship start?)

As a friend, he would be the voice of reason, a moral compass for those who had little or none (whether they listened to him or not though, he couldn’t control). 

C - Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Patrick does quite like cuddles. Curling up to cuddle wherever is probably his favourite way to cuddle- having you both embrace one another as close as you can fills him with such a sense of joy that nothing else can replicate. 

D - Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking, cleaning, ect?)

Despite his vows to the Roman Catholic church, and the Vatican, he would love to settle down with you. Hands down, he’d probably do it in a heartbeat. He’s a pretty good cook, and often does some cleaning around the home. 

E - Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

He would be very sympathetic about it- he understands it hurts, but if he’s leaving you there is most likely a good reason for it; most likely linking to his profession and position in the Vatican. 

F - Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? Do they wanna get married?)

Despite his vows of celibacy and chastity, this man is still a follower of Roman Catholicism. His commitment to a person would be unwavering, everlasting. But it would have to come after his devotion to the Vatican itself. 

G - Gentle (How gentle are they both physically and emotionally?)

He’s very gentle. He may be firm when implementing his beliefs and his opinions, but he is still gentle when he needs to be. He can be a little extreme, but for the most part, he knows how to take care of you, physically and emotionally. 

H - Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it, and what are they like?)

Similar to cuddles, Patrick really likes hugs as well. A quick form of affection, that works well when out in public. He’ll often hug you from the side, as it’s the easiest one to have whilst on the move or staying mostly out of sight. 

I - I Love You (How fast do they say the “love” word?)

It may take him a little while. He wants to be absolutely sure that love is what he’s feeling before he admits it to anyone but himself, even you.

J - Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What are they like when jealous?)

Jealousy is a trait that McKenna both has and despises. He can become incredibly jealous sometimes, but has become very good at hiding it. Sometimes even you don’t realise that that is what he’s feeling. When it gets really bad though, he’ll come to stand beside you- usually unable to touch you, since this usually happens whilst he is working- and speaks with the offender who made him jealous until they get scared off. 

K - Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Patrick likes to kiss you on your cheek or ear when just out of sight in public. Kisses on the lips are usually fairly chaste, getting heated very rarely- and these were always in private, and always would be unless you get married. He likes to be kissed on the jaw and the crook of his neck- though you found this out through trial and error, rather than him telling you.

L - Little Ones (How are they around kids?)

Patrick is actually pretty good around kids- he is often a good influence for them. Sometimes he can get a little too preachy, but you usually let him know of that and he’ll eventually reel himself back in a little bit.

M - Morning (What are mornings like with them?)

Oftentimes McKenna is long gone by the time you wake up- though occasionally he’ll wake you to give you a forehead kiss before he leaves. 

N - Nights (How are nights spent with them?)

There’s a routine for the evenings with Patrick- Grace and dinner, reading/watching a film, evening prayer, bed. There’s not overly much wiggle room in that, he likes routines. 

O - Open (When do they open up about themselves?)

If you’re having a quiet conversation during a film, he’ll occasionally slip in a piece of information about him, but you already know a lot from what he told you when he first met you- besides his extreme beliefs, he doesn’t keep many secrets. 

P - Patience (How easily angered are they?)

He is incredibly patient. Almost eerily so at times. It takes a lot, and I mean a lot, to get him visibly angered. Such as a lot of pressure over time, or a heavy interrogation.

Q - Quizzes (How much do they remember about you?)

A  lot. Occasionally he’ll forget something though- in which case he’ll profusely apologise and promise to remember it again in future. 

R - Remember (Favorite memory with you?)

There’s no one particular memory. There’s many- going to cafes together, walking along the canals hand in hand, hell even showing you around the Vatican. Anything that makes you smile, really. 

S - Security (How protective are they?)

Quite protective, even if he doesn’t often outwardly show it. The Roman Catholic church is a big organisation, one full of corruption even if they deny it. He knows that if any of them knew of your relationship, it could put you in danger, so he makes sure to inform you of how to keep safe, no matter the situation. 

T - Try (How much effort do they put in?)

He puts about as much effort in as any normal man does. He tries, but it’s not always particularly special. 

U - Ugly (What are their bad habits?)

He preaches a lot. This man has to quote something from scripture every day, for whatever reason. It can get rather frustrating at times. 

V - Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

He has to look presentable, but since vanity goes against the virtues he’s been raised to follow, he does his best not to be as vain as some people can be. 

W - Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

He would miss you a lot- you’ve become so ingrained into his daily life that it’s hard to imagine a day without you now.

X - Xtra (Random HC)

He’ll sometimes read you a bible story or two to get you to sleep if you’ve had a bad day- he has a very smooth and calming reading voice.

Y - Yuck (Things they don’t like either in general or a partner?)

He doesn’t like it when people try to disprove his beliefs, or argue against them. It gets him very agitated, and will deter him from said person. 

Z - Zzz (Sleep habits)

Literally just a normal sleep pattern, there’s nothing else or unusual to say about it. 

[dreamescapeswriting]

World Premier ~ JJK [Request]

WORD COUNT: 1.8K

GENRE: Fluffy, establish-relationship,

PAIRING: Jeon Jungkook x Fem!Reader

The news about you and Jungkook had dropped a couple of weeks ago and since then you'd barely been able to look at your phone without it causing you to panic a little bit. There was nothing on there that should have made you as anxious as it was just the fact that your relationship was no longer hidden. All those years of hiding it from everyone around you were over, you and Jungkook were finally free to be together in public which was why BigHit had organised tonight for you. There was a premiere for the movie "Make Me Stay" Jungkook had written and recorded an OST for the movie which meant he was being invited. It was a romance movie that you'd heard a lot about, the trailer looked as though the movie was going to rip your heart out. Jungkook walked into the bedroom after his workout and smiled when he saw you sitting at the vanity, you always looked so beautiful when you were lost in your own world.

"You look lost in your own world, what's going on baby?" Jungkook questioned as he walked over to your side of the bedroom, bending down to rub your shoulders softly. You were trying to work on doing your makeup but all you could do was get distracted by thoughts of what would happen tonight. BigHit had organised Jungkook to be interviewed while you walked into the building which meant people would be capturing images from every angle the thought of that alone scared you.

"Just worrying about tonight," There were no lies between you and Jungkook, you told each other everything to make the relationship work. It had been that way from the start which was why you thought you both worked so well together, that and you had almost everything in common. Never a dull moment between you.

"I already told you there's nothing to worry about. We'll walk out there together, hand in hand and smile at everything, have our photo taken and you'll look beautiful, as you always do." He stood behind your chair looking at you in the vanity mirror continuing to rub your shoulders in small circles, he could already tell that what he said hadn't eased your mind at all but he was going to do the best he could to help.

"I promise you that tonight will be perfect, princess." He placed a small kiss on the top of your head and walked over to the walk-in-wardrobe, flicking the light on as he hunted for your outfit for the night. Your dress had been hanging up in the bag for the last week just waiting for its chance to shine, he'd been with you when you went to buy it, in full disguise since it was before you were announcing it all.

"I'll change after I've done my makeup," You told him when you noticed him bringing it out for you, his eyes lightening up at the thought of seeing you in it again. He hung it up over the pull-up bar that he had installed in the bedroom door and smiled,

"I just want to see it again." He chuckled as he slowly unzipped it from the bag revealing the black gown that was waiting inside for you. It was a fitted dress that clung to your body perfectly, it was just a simple silk black gown nothing fancy since neither of you stared in the movie. Just something to look nice in for all of the photographs.

"You like it that much?" You giggled as you rose up from the chair abandoning the makeup for now standing in front of Jungkook as he wrapped his arms around your waist and nodded. He gently placed his head in the crook of your neck and kissed softly on your skin as you stared at the dress,

"I'll love it even more when it's on the bedroom floor later tonight." He whispered to you before walking away to go and have a shower, you groaned at him for being so crude but he continued walking away from you.

Jungkook's hand was clutching onto yours tightly as he tried to keep you as calm as he possibly could, all of the cameras around you were flashing insanely fast while people yelled out questions. The lighting above the red carpet was scorching hot and then there was the yelling coming from every which way that you couldn't work out the words of, all of the questions blending together to sound like gibberish.

"The OST you wrote for the song, is it inspired by anything special?" The lady questioning Jungkook caught your attention so you looked at him wanting to know the answer to the question. The whole songwriting process had been hidden from you, he hadn't even let you listen to it since it dropped yesterday. He told you that he wanted it to be a secret until you heard it in the movie theatre where it was meant for so you could hear it in all its glory. The action in the movie running alongside it as well as his voice filling your ears.

"Actually it was," He squeezed your hand as he looked up at you blushing wildly as he realised he was finally going to get to speak about the one he adored most in the world in front of everyone.

"Y/n hasn't heard it yet, I've been hiding it from her but the song was inspired by our love story." Heat began to spread over the back of your neck and face as you felt people beginning to stare over at you both.

"As you know the movie is a romance about two people who have had to fight against all odds to be together...I just thought about our love story and it helped me write the song." The interviewer was starting to well up as she listened to Jungkook speaking like that in front of her,

"Is there any chance we'll get to hear the story about you and Y/n soon?" Jungkook turned to look at you this time waiting for you to answer,

"I think Jungkook will tell you all the embarrassing stories of me first...He'll never want to admit he chased someone." You winked at him playfully feeling calmer now that he was holding onto your waist, squeezing you ever so softly.

"All we know so far is that you've been together for three years, you guys have done well to keep it hidden. I'll let you enjoy your night!" The camera cut off and you turned to look at Jungkook as you continued strolling up the carpet,

"You did great, they'll love your song." You complimented him as you looked down at your feet, not wanting to trip over the carpet, the dress or the heels you were wearing. Too many chances to mess up and embarrass yourself in front of thousands of people.

"Do you feel better? I know you've been anxious about all of this...Not just tonight but all of it." Jungkook took your hand in his as he helped you up the small four stair staircase in front of you, you turned back to the cameras with him posing and smiling.

"You knew?" You whined out as he placed a small kiss on your cheek sending the cameras wild, the screaming getting louder but this time there were some fans screaming too.

"You think after all these years I don't know how to read my own girlfriend?" He chuckled as you stayed standing for a couple of moments waiting to be walked into the venue.

"I didn't want you to think I was being silly...Or weak...I was just worried what ARMY might think." You finally admitted, it had taken every ounce of strength in you to not go onto your social media and search your name. There was the part of you that wanted to know what they were all saying and a part of you that didn't, it was a losing battle with your own mind.

"Then we'll find out what they think," Jungkook chuckled as he wrapped his arm around your waist and walked you over to the edge of the carpet that was near a fence. Two guards were standing in place making sure the group of fans that were standing there didn't knock it down.

"Hi guys, do you want me to sign some items?" It wasn't as though you didn't have time, the movie didn't start for another hour or two and there were only roughly around 14 people standing there in the section.

"Please!" They all cried out desperate for Jungkook's attention but Jungkook held up his hand once they began pushing one another,

"Only if you guys don't push, I'll sign and take photos with each of you just...be careful." He told them, he cared about them a lot and you could see that in the way he looked after them and asked them not to hurt one another.

There was a younger girl at the front of the group was smiling as Jungkook bent down to sign the phone case she had, his face plastered across all of it.

"Can I have a selfie too?" She questioned you, you looked at Jungkook.

"I'm sure he'd love to take a selfie with you, sweetie, if you just-" You went to tell her to ask Jungkook but she began shaking her head and pointing to you.

"N-No I would like one with you too," The small stutter in her voice made you giggle softly as you looked at Jungkook to see if it was okay. He nodded at you as you both knelt down closer to her, posing in front of the camera.

The rest of the night had gone greatly the movie was fantastic and the song reduced you to tears as soon as you heard it but it was a perfect night.

"Thank you," You whispered to Jungkook as you both stood in your shared bathroom, his arms were wrapped around your waist as he looked into your eyes frowning slightly.

"Thank you for what baby? I haven't done anything, yet." He smirked as he began leaving small kisses up and down your neck but you shook your head at him. Placing your hands on his chest to push him away softly,

"I just meant for everything, our time together...T-The song, everything." He reached up to cup your face in his hand and ran his thumb along your skin, smiling as he stared into your eyes lovingly.

"You don't have to thank me, babe...I do it all because I love you." He whispered moving closer to you as he bent down for another kiss, moving his hand to cup your chin as you made out in the middle of the room.

"I love you too," You breathed out, unbuttoning the shirt he was wearing before throwing it down onto the floor and running your fingers down his abs. Tracing the lines of each muscle as you went, looking into his eyes and smiling.

"All mine." You smirked at him as you continued to trace his abs, biting down on his lip softly as he reached behind you for the zip of your dress.

Tagline: @lyoongx​ @mitzwinchester​ @fan-ati--c​ @rjsmochii​ @kneel-begyourpardon​ @taestannie​ @bisexualmess007​ @innersooya​ @sw33tnight​ @jin-from-the-block​

[writingsbychlo]

put her together again (07)

word count; 6601

summary; mitch goes to take down the organisation responsible for your suffering.

notes; this is the final full part, and everything kinda’ comes to a conclusion now, so I hope you enjoy it!

warnings; reference to brainwashing, extreme violence, gore, reference to kidnapping, and death.

Mitch watched as you moved around the apartment slowly, you weren’t really doing anything, you were just opening and closing the cupboards, checking that everything had been put away just right, while the two of you waited for the salty and buttery treat you’d be sharing to finish popping in its pot on the stove.

You had been a little off during the last few days since your therapy appointment, not that he blamed you, and he hadn't left your side since. He was grateful to have spare clothes here, and that the two of you had shopped recently before the session, because while you didn’t let on to him about it, he could tell it was affecting you deeply. You hadn't left since he’d brought you home, letting you stay at his place the night of it, before bringing you back to your own home to be surrounded by the familiar things you knew and your comfortable bed, your blankets, and your books. 

You were quieter than usual, and he knew you were no longer angry at him, but you were still processing everything. Your therapist had explained to him that the barrier they kept hitting up against was because it had been such a traumatic event for you that your mind had suppressed it to protect you from it, but when you’d heard his voice, you’d trusted him enough to open it back up, and now as an adult, you were left to try and actually deal with it in the aftermath.

That gnawing feeling of guilt he’d had was beginning to slip away, each time you sought him out for comfort, and the continuous and rapidly familiarising feeling of your body pressed up to his as you clung to him for warmth and support, or the weight of your head on his shoulder as you watched TV or read together in the evenings was something too comfortable too quickly, something he was growing used to, his mind slipping away to imagine what else it could become, and he couldn't stop it. 

Every time you hugged him, arms snaking around his waist as you pressed your face into his chest, trying to hide your tears as you slowed your racing and erratic heart to match his, his mind wandered to what it would feel like to hold you that little bit together, what it would feel like to dip his head and kissed you when you pulled away, to let his lips say everything he couldn't with words, and comfort you more wholly. 

Every time you leant against him on the couch, your arm pressed up to his and your cheek resting on his shoulder when you were particularly tired, and how he longed to scoop you up, and when he dropped you onto your mattress gently and pulled the covers up around you at night, how much he longed to crawl into the other side with you. What he wouldn’t give to feel you roll over in your unconscious haze and seek him out, to press your to his chest, weight grounding him as he slept, chasing away the demons of the past that came to haunt him in nightmares.

Now, he was more than happy to sit at your kitchen table as long as you needed him to, just so that he could be there to help you chase away your demons, the ones that haunted you in your waking hours. He was keeping a secret now, though. One that he’d known about since the morning two days prior to now, when he’d checked his emails from his phone and noticed the message Irene had sent him, and he had to tell you, because if you woke up tomorrow morning and he wasn’t here, you’d panic and he’d hate himself even more.

“I have to tell you something.” 

He was picking at the hand towel in front of himself now, pulling at loose threads, and you only hummed in acknowledgement, snatching it away from him and shooting him a pointed but playful look as you did, silently berating him for ruining your favourite dish towel. You folded it up, using it to lift the man from the hob as you flicked off the flame and replaced the glass surface, not wanting to burn yourself on the handle as you moved to prepare the popcorn. 

“I have to go away.”

There was a loud clattering, metal on glass that made him wince as the sharp sound rattled within his skull, and you turned to face him, your eyes wide and lips a little parted. “What?”

“Just for a few days, but-”

“Jeez, Mitch, you should start with that. I thought you meant forever.” You huffed at the words, scowling at him now, and he grinned a little, shaking his head bashfully at his own dramatic error, and you turned away from him, peeling back the foil covering and avoiding the thick cloud of scalding steam that erupted from within. Kernels tipped out into the bowl, and he held his hand out to take it from you, letting you carry the drinks, as you moved slowly through the to the living room and the couch. 

The movie was already on pause, waiting and ready for you both, but you were still lingering on his words, patient as you anticipated him continuing, and he was still trying to work out just how to explain what it was he had to do, and where he was going, without wanting to set you off. 

“You’re going to the old camp, aren’t you?”

He couldn't help his relieved laugh, his gaze finding yours as he let out a deep breath, one he’d been holding in anxiously, and he could only nod his head. 

“Why you? Why do you have to go?” You were hurting more now, and his heart ached for you, his hand smoothing over the cushions to find yours, resting over the top and squeezing tightly. “Isn’t there anyone else? You can stay here, with me.”

“I have to go because I volunteered to go.” You were quiet now, lips pursed and an unreadable expression on your face, and yet, he knew exactly where your mind was at. Cupping your cheek carefully, he didn’t miss the way you leaned a little more firmly into his palm, your eyes fluttering closed for a second as you relished just as much in his touch as he did in yours. “I need to be there, to see it all done. I need to know that I’m protecting you, that it’s over. I need to see it with my own eyes, so that when I come home and tell you that you’re safe, I know it’s the whole truth.”

“Okay.” Your breath brushed over the skin of his wrist, sending a tingling feeling along his body that traced goosebumps up his arm, and he was glad he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, dropping his hand from your face when your eyes opened. It was a kind of silence that made him comfortable, the sort that made him feel like he was able to just drown in your presence, not needing anything more than to simply know that he wasn’t alone. 

It was odd, for a long while he had been alone, and it had all worked out just fine. But, maybe that was because he didn’t have anything else to compare it all to. After losing Katrina, he’d been left alone, suffering and wallowing in his pain, and while he’d healed enough to move on from it, that need for another person’s presence had begun to fade away. Yet, when you were forced onto his hands, he found that simply knowing another person was around was something that he craved, something he longed for. 

The familiar sounds of another person cooking in the kitchen while he drank his coffee at the table, or hearing someone else shuffling through the apartment while he was reading. The background noise of another person’s presence made everything seem just a little less lonely.

“Why don’t you stay at my place? I’ll be gone a little while. Two weeks, maybe three. You can stay there, where you know and trust, and it’s protected. How’s that sound?”

“I’d like that. I’d like it a lot.” You lifted a handful of popcorn to your mouth, mulling it over as you chewed, before shrugging, looking around your own apartment as you did. “When do you leave?”

He cringed, now, knowing he should have told you all of this sooner, but he cleared his throat and braved the confession anyway; “Tomorrow afternoon.”

You paused, the blank look on your face displaying it all, and you swallowed the last remnants of your mouthful. “You’d better help me pack tonight, then.”

“You got it, sweetheart. I’ll cook you breakfast tomorrow, before I go, to make up for telling you so last minute.”

“Yeah, you better.”

“Oh, does Mitch miss his girl already?” Stan cooed, dropping down into the seat beside him on the plane, and he didn’t bother to suppress the groan in his throat as he turned to look at the older man. 

“Why are you sitting next to me? This plane is empty, you could sit anywhere. Fuck off.” 

“If I sat anywhere else, I wouldn't get to tease you for staring longingly out of the window, would I?” Stan grinned, bringing a bottle of water to his lips and taking a sip, and Mitch simply rolled his eyes. 

“I was literally just watching them load the baggage hold, but okay.” 

Stan scoffed at him, but accepted the answer and he was left to stare out across the concrete lot, other planes moving up to the runways, and before his mentor had even spoken again, he could feel the shift in tension crackling in the air. The vehicle was humming to life now, the pilot and the flight assistant checking over everything and mumbling to one another, and the other plush leather seats scattered around the cabin were beginning to fill up.  

Irene’s heels clicked along the floor, and then another set, a woman he’d seen busying around the halls before when he’d been in for meetings, and he vaguely remembered her being a member of staff in the youth and minors department, and he offered her a polite nod of his head when their eyes met. The space was filling up now, and Stan was looking around too, people he didn’t recognise, other agents and soldiers, bags pushed under chairs that made him smirk as he imagined them trying to get them through the airport security, loaded in covertly with their belongings, nothing like the bag of clothes and cosmetics he had stashed away below the floors in the cargo. 

“It doesn’t really feel right, does it?”

He hummed, curiosity peeking over him as he looked at his superior, raising a brow. He wouldn't admit it, but as more and more unknown faces piled into the seats, he was grateful Stan had chosen to sit next to him. The devil you know, right? “What are you talking about?”

“This assignment. It’s different. Something feels off, I can’t really place it, but.. y’know?” He did know, he knew exactly what that feeling was and why he had a pit in the bottom of his stomach that made it feel as though a hole had been punched right through him. Cold, and twisted, and uncertain. 

“It’s because our normal assignments are reliable. Dare I say, easy. Easy because we know what we’re walking into. Stop a bad guy, save the world; blah, blah, blah.” He shrugged, choking back the lump in his throat as he thought all the way back to the first time he’d met you, on the battlefield, a year ago. “They aren’t bad people, Stan, we can’t hurt them. They’re just lost and broken, and they don’t know who they are. They’re good people, being controlled by someone bad.”

“I’ve read about her therapy sessions, you know. Heard the recordings. She’s sweet, she’s something special, and I don’t want to take that away from any of them. But, you know lives are going to be lost, right? On both sides. Some of them will be too far gone, Mitch.” The flooring under his feet jumped to life, lights along the panels flicking on, and he heard seatbelts clicking on along the seats, reaching for the straps himself to fasten it up, and he could only nod. “That’s just the way it is.”

“I know, but if she can be saved, then the rest can, too.”

Stan only huffed, but let it go, settling back into his seat. He watched, quietly, as the plane took up motion, the droning of the flight attendant in his ear letting him know the safety procedures that he was more than familiar with now, the same speech every time he boarded this plane to go away to an undisclosed location, and yet, even if it had been a year, h felt like he could still recite it by memory if he really thought about it. He didn’t think about it, though, he was too busy watching the grey of the runway fade away, the lurch in his stomach as the ground fell away, and the city was fading around him. 

High enough in the land faded into green, trees and rural wildlife, and he couldn't help but think about how much he knew you’d love to see it all, to adventure out, maybe go for a hike in the woods surrounding Stan’s cabins, explore the side of nature you’d never gotten to see. He hadn't thought about it before, how things he took for granted like a trip to the beach or the smell of pine as he wandered through the woods to find the perfect Christmas tree, he had experienced it all, and yet of your own mind in your newfound freedom, you’d never had it.

The landscape became clouds as the vessel peaked above, shadowed land became bright and warm, the sun’s rays now no longer obscured, and he slid the cover over the window shut, blocking it out, and not being blind to the way everybody else seemed to do that same. The idle chatter that had taken over quickly faded away into quiet, and he understood why. The lights dimmed, devices shut off, blankets and pillows pulled out, and he never failed to take amusement in the way that the biggest, baddest agents of the CIA managed to make the plane look like a thirteen-year-old’s slumber party.

They were government officials on their way out for an assignment, though, and there were lives to save. He didn’t have time for jet lag, none of them did, and so he followed suit, travel cushion he never failed to forget and a warmer jumper to stop him getting a chill, and then, he was letting himself drift off into sleep, a twelve-hour flight that would serve as his own build-up towards the events that were about to unfold. 

“It’s fucking spooky.” A shudder moved along Mitch’s body, his fingers twitching by his sides as he stared up at the building, feeling bile rise in his throat. Rundown and broken, and to an untrained eye, it would look like the structure was completely abandoned, but he knew better. The fresh snow was falsely smooth, upturned, and as he quietly kicked away a pile of it, he could see fresh truck tracks frozen into the ground underneath. Deep and wide enough that it was more like a bus, than a car, and they couldn't be much older than a day, still clear in the frozen mud enough to not even be older than a day. 

“They’re still here, we’re picking up noise from inside.” The whisper came from the man crouched down by his feet, a set up hidden within the shrubbery that they were hiding in, and as he looked around, he knew the other teams were out there, surrounding the area and waiting for their signal, but he couldn’t see any of them, and it was truly a feat to achieve. 

There was a shake in his hand as he lifted the cigarette to his lips, a little more bitter and with more of a kick than he was used to, a packet they'd all chipped in for at a gas station they’d passed on the way, the metal of his lighter cold in his pocket, but the smoke was enough to soothe him a little. 

Snow was crunching behind him now, Stan approaching the small group, a furrow between his brows and the scowl he was so used to wearing, but Mitch knew that for once, it had its place here. He hissed a little, distracted and having let hot ash fall to his skin, shaking it off and dropping the end of the stick down into the snow, the fizzling sound of it being put out was barely audible, and he turned his attention back to the target location. 

One large door sat before him, solid metal that was dented and worn, and they were just looking for a way around it. The element of surprise was their best bet, they were here to save lives, it wasn’t something he was used to, and so far, their plan consisted of what felt like a third-grade playtime fantasy. Sleeping gas was the best that they’d come up with so far, but in order to do that, they needed to get inside, and clear a path, enough for C-Team to enter with tanks to hook up to the airway systems.

Mitch, of course, found himself on the A-Team, as usual. 

The tech guy’s head lifted, a sudden jerking motion, and Mitch felt his heart freeze in his chest as he realised why. Their way in, the moment they’d been standing outside in the frozen Russian tundra for over four hours, the break in what was beginning to feel hopeless; the door opened. 

A big fur coat much like his own and some boots that Mitch wished he had, because he hadn't felt his toes since two o’clock and the night was now beginning to set in, but then again, it seemed that all of the waiting was coming to an end. He watched it happen, one slow movement as the camera’s on the screen of the computer he was watching all skipped a loop, missing a beat for just a second before replaying the footage they’d spent an entire day recording. Then, a single bullet, he couldn't even completely place where it came from, somewhere from his east but he wasn’t certain about that, before the man was dropping soundlessly and lifelessly into the snow. 

Deep red spread out into the white, and he cringed, hating the sight of blood and the way it felt to take a life, no matter how many times he had to do it. He may be a CIA operative, but deep down, Mitch was still just a guy who liked to sleep in on Sunday mornings with a warm bed and a girl who had a sweet smile, and to read in the library on free evenings, and to watch the way the glitter from fireworks would float down to the ground from the sky in that completely silent moment after they exploded.

After that came his time. Mitch was moving, Stan by his side as the two of them tumbled into step beside one another. 

It was darker inside than he expected, the lights dim and yellowed and he wasn’t surprised that you’d been so confused when trying to run all those years ago. They didn’t even know their way, but the sound of pounding feet was following them inside now, stomping down each corridor as the loading of gun magazines, the loading of bullets. B-Team was to clear the way and take the brunt of it, him and Stan and a selection of hand-picked agents were to find the kidnapped agents and keep them detained until they could be exported.

It all happened like a blur, the kind of startling and horrifying experience of finding rows after rows of beds in rooms field with women of all different ages. Some were older than he was, some had been suffering and captive for longer than he’d been alive, and some of them were just children, toddlers and babies young enough in their cribs that they’d be able to migrate back into society without any trouble, young enough that their parents may still be alive, that searches into the past might reunite families. 

Everything was going according to plan, until it hadn't been. Speakers overhead crackled, and he was standing alone in the middle of a room filled with babies, and children, but the doors to every other room were open, eyes of all ages peering at him as Stan and others also wandered the halls, searching for the stragglers. A voice he didn’t know, mumbles in Russian that sounded earlier familiar to words he’d heard you whisper to yourself in your sleep before breaking out in fitful screams, and his heart sank.

There was no light in their eyes, but it seemed even any peaks of interest or curiosity at their arrival fizzled out as they listened to their commands, and Mitch barely had enough time to leave the nursery and pull the door shut behind himself to protect the younger ones before his head was slamming back into the drywall behind him. Black spots flashed in his vision as he felt the crunching under his skull, dust falling away and getting stuck in his hair as his ears rang slightly, and he barely even got a grunt out before he was crying out as a fist slammed into his nose. 

His vision was blurry, the coppery taste of blood in his mouth and he licked over his lips, hissing at the sting of the sensitive patch, a split lip, and he barely ducked the following punch. It was like a brothel, the halls that had been so clear and peaceful less than one minute ago were now teeming and overflowing with groups that were threatening to tear one another apart. 

He caught the next wrist, a sorry look on his face as he mumbled out an apology, a kid who couldn't be much older than sixteen, and he yanked her forwards, a handful of her hair in his fist, before he was jerking her downwards and bringing his knee up, a sickening crunch that knocked her out cold, and he lowered her down to the ground. A blow to the back of his head sent him sprawling across the floor, a curse on his lips, before he was being descended upon once again, and he huffed out a growl at the feeling of the pounding inside his skull. 

A foot was pinning down one hand, a stinging pain resonating up along his arm as his fingers were crushed under the heel of a boot, his head whipping to the side, staring up at the women who looked to be a little older than him, her eyes dead and empty as she stared down at him, no remorse or regret, but he did recognise that look. 

Now that he’d seen the way you could change, now that he knew the brightness in your look that was nothing like the way you’d been, he could picture it now. In this lady, in the other women, in the girl he’d had to knock unconscious. He could see it within them all, and it gave him a new sense of hope and encouragement. Snatching his other hand back before it could be detained too, he ignored the way a foot landed on his chest, pushing his breath from his lungs, and he gasped, fumbling for the gun strapped to his waist.

A warning shot, nothing that would cause permanent injury, but enough to be disabling, a bullet into the calf of the foot holding down his hand, as she crumpled to the ground, eerily silent as she fell, not even crying out in pain, but simply falling away. He followed suit to the woman who was threatening his breathing, and the second she dropped, he felt his head spin at the rush of oxygen that he was granted.

Rolling onto his knees, he was given a kick the ribs, and a scowl from one of those who he’d just shot, and he fixed them with a glare, barely managing to get to his feet before he was patting at his pockets, and letting out a quick breath of relief when he found what he was searching for. A packet of zip-ties, and he didn’t even bother to be cautious with them, tipping them out onto the floor and swiping for a handful. 

Using his one foot now, he sneered a little as he rolled his component onto her stomach, a knee on her spine to hold her down without crushing her, and her hands were pinned behind her back. He followed suit with the second one, and the one unconscious against the wall, and he kicked a handful over to the centre of the room, calling out his commands to detain them and bring no harm to a single girl there, his raspy voice barely making a sound as he spoke.

He closed his eyes, just for a second, trying to isolate the pain in his body so he knew where it was, before they were popping back open as his hand flew up to his throat. Once again, he couldn't breathe, the problem now at his neck instead of his chest, and he scrabbled to pick at the rope wrapped there. His nails raked at his skin, scratching roughly and pulling as much as he could as tears lined his eyes. 

Warmth met his back, that of another body as he felt himself edging towards consciousness once again. He threw himself backwards, feeling the collide of another person as he slammed them back into the wall, and the grip loosened enough for only a second before another seal of rope was finding its place, tightening again, and he tumbled down to his knees as the pressure became too much. He felt it for a second, the impact of his knees meeting the concrete so harshly was jolting along his body, but the lack of oxygen was beginning to make everything fade, and he choked for air, before hands were going loose and he had nothing else to fight with.

The ringing of a fired shot was far too close for comfort, and it was just shocking enough to make him cry out, giving him a burst of reality for a second longer. The sound followed by the tension fading away, and as the rope fell away he was left to breathe, curled up on the floor as he tried to take in his breaths, shaking a little as he did. Sticky and warm, his fingers were pressing into it, and he shifted, no energy in his body as he tried to move, but he was dragging himself away from the marks on the floor. 

He could barely see for the pounding in his head, pressure behind his eyes and he could breathe now, but was breathless for an entirely new reason. Limp fingers, lifeless eyes, staring back at him as he pressed his face into the concrete to try and cool himself down as blood raced through his veins to replace where it had been lost. Salt burned in his eyes as tears were formed, lids squeezing shut to release them and hide the sight from him. A hand on his shoulder rolled him over, and he was pulled up into a sitting position. As he became more lucid, he could feel the trickling along his arm, blood that didn’t belong to him was covering his arm, the side that he’d been laying on in the puddle, and he looked up, Stan’s wide eyes on him. 

“You killed her. I said we aren’t killing them.” He wheezed a little as he spoke, voice cracking and he winced at the feeling, raising the clean hand to rub at the bruising that he could already feel forming. 

“She was killing you. I saved your life. I told you that there would be loss on both sides, don’t look at me like it was an easy feat for me to kill her, Rapp.” Hurley offered him a hand now, pulling him to his feet as the fighting around them both seemed to die down, and to his sights, he couldn’t see any more death. A lot of blood, a lot of broken bones and bruises, but no more death. “I believe you have someone to go home to, I wasn’t planning to deliver you back to her in a body bag.”

It was true, his heart jumping in his chest just knowing you were waiting for him, and it would have broken him not to have been able to return to you, but that didn’t make it any easier to see or deal with. He crouched once again, brushing her eyes closed gently, sealing that gaze from the world, and he whispered an apology to her, before trying to take a calming breath. It didn't work, he knew he wouldn't really be calm until he was back home - with you - but it did help him to clear his head. 

The girls around him were escorted out, and he hadn't heard them arrive over the noise of the ruckus, but they were being loaded up by the busload now, and he stood in the doorway, watching as the building was emptied. The smell of petroleum was overwhelming, enough to make him gag, and he twisted his head, looking out over the corridors he’d exited as those who’d lost their lives were carried out on stretchers, real handcuffs on men and women in suits, watching as they were simply seated in the snow and the mud, awaiting further instructions. 

The building was drenched, top to bottom, and boxes of folders, laptops and computers, equipment and belongings were being carried out by the armful. He could feel the strain on his body, slumping down against the doorway, sitting against the floor, letting out a deep sigh. 

It took hours to finally strip it, and to clear everyone away, and at some point, he had mustered the energy to move from the building to step away. The crowds seemed to thin, hundreds of people fading away into tens, fading away into just a few, and then, Stan was sitting in the back of the last remaining car alongside his superiors and their driver, a lighter in his hand as he stared emptily at the building. 

His thumb was flicking over it idly, clicking it on and off as he steadied his heart, and he was left alone in this moment, to watch the pain literally burn to the ground, to see it go up in ashes and flames with his own two eyes. The flame was back, and he lifted it up to his face, a flicker of heat washing over his features, before he was stepping forwards, the short walk to get close enough to throw the little device, and the empty space was lit up with orange. 

A dark night sky, blue and black with specks of light from stars was drowned out with the glow of orange and yellow. It cured up, engulfing the building within only minutes, and he could already hear wood cracking from the inside and the shattering of glass as the heat became too much to withhold.

Mitch wasn’t sure if it was an appropriate amount of satisfaction, or whether it was a sadistic level of satisfaction that he got as he watched the building burn to the ground. Ashes floated in the air, some embers still glowing orange, and the snow around him was melting to leave the green grass free to break through, only to be drowned by sloppy and wet mud that coated his boots, as the heat almost scorched him, even from this far back. 

He didn’t need to see it crumble, he didn’t need to see the pile of ashes that was left when the building finally stopped with the inferno he’d made, he’d got everything he needed now. A quick march to the car, and he didn’t even bother to suppress the noise he let out as he finally got to sit down. The leather seats were warm, the heaters on, and the second his door had shut, they were driving away. Satisfaction and relief, his entire body sore and filled with pain as he tried to relax. The adrenaline ebbed away, he was left abandoned with the full-body ache and suffering from every injury. 

“What’s going to happen to them?”

“The soldiers, or the handlers?” Irene looked back from her seat up front, and Mitch shrugged a little, wanting the answer to both, and he rubbed at his eyes as he tried to focus on her, chase away the aches and exhaustion. 

“The soldiers will go into medical care, and then, we’ll work on a rehabilitation program. One we only know how to make, thanks to you.” His lips flicked up at the sides then, all the rail and error, successes and mistakes, he’d made with you brought around change for everyone else, and now, he knew they’d known just how to look after them all properly. “The handlers will spend the rest of their lives in solitary confinement under CIA supervision, they won’t be going to regular prisons. Too much risk, they need to be where they can be monitored by us permanently.”

He only nodded, feeling some form of relief spread through his body, before he was suppressing a yawn, and Irene chuckled as she turned back around in her seat.

“Get some rest, kid. I’ll wake you up for the plane.” 

He twisted his head to the side to look at the man who’d spoken, Hurley staring back at him with a blank face, but he could read the twitches, read the tone of his voice and the look in his eye that read ‘I’m proud of you’ and ‘we did good work today’. “Okay. Thanks.”

He twisted onto his side, forehead pressing to the window as he cupped his face with a single hand, trying not to let blood smear over his skin as he made an attempt to get comfortable, but at this point, he’d pretty much pass out in any kind of position.

You looked up at him as soon as the front door slammed shut, and he dropped his bag at his feet, watching as you relaxed, into the cushions from your startle once again, offering him a sweet smile and he let go of the breath he was holding in. 

He could see the concern on your face, the way your eyes swept over him, taking in every bruise and cut, from the marks on his neck to the swollen lip and black eye, and every bandage along his body, but he didn’t care. It had stripped him of all of his energy to even hold himself up in the elevator, barely having stumbled out of the car that dropped him off and he’d gotten out of medical before even getting his prescriptions, knowing he had medicines here that he could take, but he just needed to be with you. 

You folded the book in your lap closed, putting it away on the table and moving to get up to greet him, no words needed because the smile you were giving him said it all, and he grunted, low in his throat, accompanying it with a shake of his head. You stayed where you were, and he couldn't help his next actions. 

He didn’t want to pretend like he didn’t have feelings for you, he didn’t want to hold himself back, but he also didn’t want to overwhelm you. You were here to welcome him home, making it warm and inviting and cosy, something he longed to be in, instead of the cold and harsh environment he was so used to returning to after assignments, and all he wanted was to sweep you up, was to kiss you breathless as he tried to get himself out of the mindset he’d had and into the life he cherished with you, but he couldn't.

Instead, he granted himself one selfish simplicity, dropping his knees to the edge of the couch and ignoring the pain that flared up form his bruised kneecaps, before he was laying down, cheek in your lap as he pressed his face into your stomach, and he smiled at the giggle you let out as he did. His arms wrapped around your waist, holding onto you tightly as he snuggled into you closer, drawing in the mixed smell of his laundry detergent and the faint smell of your body wash, sensing it all over the clothes you wore but he knew this jumper belonged to him. You had been into his closet and plucked one out. 

He felt so happy he thought he may fall asleep, the kind of deep and restful sleep he hadn't had in almost two weeks since leaving you, but now, he could finally be at peace once again. 

“Y’ safe now, sweetheart. I promise you.”

“I’ve been safe ever since I came home with you, all that time ago, Mitch.” He turned to look up at you now, studying you carefully, and he hoped the lovestruck expression on his face wasn’t showing as obviously as he felt it would be, but then again, he wasn’t sure you’d be able to recognise or identify it even if it was. 

“You mean that?”

“Of course, I do. You’re my safe space.” He turned, hiding his face in your stomach as he held you again, not entirely sure how to express how he was feeling, but he simply gripped you tightly, fingers weaving into the jumper you wore, and he let out a whimper when your hand came down to weave into his hair, brushing the strands back out of his face carefully and ensuring that you didn’t touch any of his cuts and bruises. “Do you want me to do anything for you? Are you hungry? I can run you a bath, maybe?”

“I don’t want anything that I don’t already have.” He wasn’t sure if you even caught his words, they were muffled from his face pressed into you, but his stomach was soon rumbling, and you laughed gently at the sound, telling him you had absolutely processed what he’d said. “Okay, fine. Food would be good. How about we order in, instead? Then we don’t have to get up.”

“I can work with that.” He groaned when you moved, but you came back with his laptop, and he shifted to be able to see the screen as you placed it on his stomach, still not completely sure on how it all worked, and he was more than happy to take the reins. You were still playing with his hair, easing out knots and making him feel like every worry he’d ever had was slipping away, and he pulled his eyes away from the screen to look up at you.

“Just so you know, you’re my safe space, too.”

[the-working-class-guide-to-films]

Tenet-No Spoilers

I am a massive Christopher Nolan fan. I’m a fanboy, I’ll admit. Nolan, for me, is the goat. I don’t think there’s a director out there today that can create movies like he does, the way he does it. The mix of pure spectacle, blockbuster action using real effects, combined with interesting characters and personal, real stories is something that is rarely achieved in the film industry today. 

John David Washington is The Protagonist, who after a mission goes wrong is recruited by a secret organisation, Tenet, to prevent the end of the world. He learns that there is a technology in the future that allows objects to be reversed through time and that people are buying these and selling them on the black market. Objects such as inverted bullets that cause much more damage than regular ones.

There has been criticism of Tenet that it is too complicated and confusing. And yes, this is definitely the most complex Nolan film to date. The inverted/reverse time business is quite bizarre and takes a while to get your head round but towards the end it certainly becomes a little easier to understand. The plot itself however is more complicated. All Nolan films are complex and there are always clues throughout that you won’t notice on the first watch that you will on the second. But the plots aren’t as difficult to understand than Tenet. With Tenet, I think the second watch will be to understand what you didn’t from the first one, and then on the third viewing it will click. Maybe, maybe some people got it straightaway, maybe some people won’t get it on the third. I think the film, and this isn’t just a criticism of Tenet, but of most films, is that the dialogue at times was difficult to understand. It’s hard to get your head round this in the first place, never mind when you can’t make out what they are saying. During the more exposition scenes it was hard to make out what was going on, and Tenet needed these scenes to be clear in order for the viewers to maybe get a better understanding of the plot. My biggest criticism of Tenet however is that it lacks the human side of his films, especially in comparison to his other films. Not that I went in over-hyped because I never think that is a good idea. And maybe the film was his homage to the spy genre where it wasn’t intending us to care as much about the characters. But in all his films, and however epic the scenes we always care about the character, that I feel is the main part of the film, it is what we are drawn to. Whether that be magicians in the Victorian era, a caped crusader, three layers deep in a dream or floating through space; it is the human element that always keeps the film grounded. I felt that Tenet didn’t strike that balance. And that’s not to say that John David Washington wasn’t good, because he was fantastic, but I didn’t necessarily care about his character because he didn’t have anything personal for us to relate to. In Inception and Interstellar, the two main characters are fighting to see their children again. It’s personal, it shows the human side. Washington’s character didn’t have that, it was him saving the world, and yes that’s brave and courageous, but why, why did he care? What was HE fighting for? And that was what disappointed me the most about Tenet because that side of Nolan is I think the most under appreciated. I LOVE the set pieces, the action, the mind-boggling plot, but the human side is what brings it all home. I was blown away during Interstellar with the visual side of it, the black hole, the waves, all of that. But it is when Matthew McConaughey’s character breaks down seeing his grown up daughter via a TV or reuniting with her at the end of the movie that overshadows everything else. Tenet didn’t have these personal moments and that was a real shame.

No doubt about it, Tenet is the biggest Nolan film to date. It is honestly huge. No matter how confused you may, or may not get, you won’t be bored. It’s a lot of fun. In most action films you’d expect to see maybe 2 or 3 small action sequences followed by the big kick ass action sequence at the end. Tenet has 4 or 5 big kick ass action sequences. The opening of previous Nolan films, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises really set the standard for opening sequences in action movies, Tenet follows suit and kicks off from there without skipping a beat. A lot of the scenes involve the inverted time structure, where the object is going backwards in time (I think that’s how it works), it’s incredible to watch.

It’s absolute madness. I don’t think I’ve seen something like it before. If I have, not to this extent. It’s barmy, but it is fantastic. Technically it’s a delight. The whole plane scene has been talked about, how Nolan bought a real plane to crash instead of just using visual effects. That’s the standard that action films should be aiming for. Yes, visual effects are a work of art, there is no denying it and I certainly won’t be shitting on it that some people do. I am incredibly envious of the skill. But there is something magical about watching real effects, and it’s become part of Nolan’s signature. 

Away from the jaw-dropping action scenes and the incredible technical ability on show the acting is fantastic. John David Washington is superb in this and should hopefully cement his name as an A-list. His character has it all, cool, scary, witty, he captures all of this. And it isn’t just his acting that is top notch but it is a very physically demanding role which as you might expect from a former American Football player, you might expect. I don’t think there are many actors who could have struck the balance quite like JDW did. Sure, an actor like Daniel Day-Lewis could do the acting, but he couldn’t do the physical side. Dwayne Johnson could do the physical side, but he can’t act. Washington achieves both terrifically. There is a huge, and brilliant supporting cast in Tenet, most notably Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki and Kenneth Branagh who each bring something different and exciting. Nolan comes under criticism for portrayals of women in his films which is something I don’t necessarily agree with but in this Debicki’s character is the one who we probably care about the most and it is her character that brings the humanity to the story. 

4/5 Now I’ve had a day to digest it, and now I have written this review, I’m really excited to watch it again. If it wasn’t for COVID I would probably watch it about 4 times. Maybe on subsequent showings I could give it slightly lower (although I’ve tried to be impartial) maybe I’ll think it is better once I understand it more. Yes it is a shame that the human side of the film is lacking slightly, but the technical ability on showing will blow you away. No matter how confused you are, you won’t be bored.

p.s There has been criticisms from some corners of the film industry saying that Nolan, and the studios, are irresponsible for releasing Tenet as the film to bring cinema-goers back, especially when the film is complex. Why would the audience want to watch a film they can’t understand? Now I have an issue with this. Critics slam the Fast and Furious franchise because it is over the top, silly, action fuelled, spectacle garbage. Critics will also jizz over films such as Midsommar, The Shining, The Lighthouse for their complex and interesting storylines. Now I love these films, but what exactly are those films about, and would you know directly coming out of the cinema. Would the link between Greek Mythology, Prometheus and giving knowledge to civilisation be known to you when you came out of The Lighthouse? Probably not. Isn’t there like a whole documentary on The Shining because there are so many fan theories? That film is weird af. I’ve always found an issue of classism within the film industry, especially when reviewing certain films. Action films are seen as dumb, lowest common denominator garbage, and yet odd artsy stuff is seen as the pinnacle of film. Nolan somehow manages to get these both together and yet now they criticism him when this complex stuff is the shit they love. Now critics want a film like Fast and Furious to bring people back, but you know they’d shit on it at any other point. Maybe Nolan can do no right, people have called his films obnoxious because they are too smart. Well maybe these people mistake the intelligence of the general viewer? Who knows, I’m just mad the Nolan hasn’t won a Best Director award, or hasn’t even got a knighthood when people like Ed Sheeran or Phillip Green have?

[agentnico]

Tenet (2020) Review

Not sure I can like this movie......it made me feel stupid.

Plot: Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.

The film to save cinema. Or so it is hoped. Christopher Nolan pushed Warner Bros. to stick with the movie’s original July release date for as long as possible (even with the COVID shutdown), and with Nolan being Nolan, Warner Bros. tried to appease him for as long as possible, but in the end Tenet was delayed to come out end of August, with hopes to bring audiences back to the multiplexes for the remainder of the year. First and foremost, having been to the cinemas now, I can assure everyone that it is very much safe to go back to enjoy screenings, as theatres have made all the necessary new precautions to ensure both visitors and employees are safe and protected. However, is Tenet itself worth the cinema visit?

Honestly, I don’t even know. I find myself in quite the perplexing situation where I watched the film, but it feels like I didn’t watch the film, as I legitimately didn’t understand much of what was being throwing on the screen. Mind you, there is a lot being thrown. Christopher Nolan takes full advantage of his $250 million budget (Jesus!) giving us intense action sequences, sprawling James Bond-style locations and so many LOUD NOISES!!! I DON’T KNOW WHAT WE ARE YELLING ABOUT!! Seriously, this movie is one hell of a kicker to the eardrums. If you come out of the cinema deaf, consider yourself lucky, that’s only the first phase. But not only is it loud, as a whole the sound mixing in Tenet is embarrassingly abysmal! Background sounds constantly overplay the dialogue, making most of the speech near inaudible. In addition, Nolan seems to be missing his The Dark Knight trilogy days, by turning every character in Tenet into Tom Hardy’s Bane, wearing masks which causes anything that’s spoken to sound muffled and near impossible to understand. I guess Nolan is unintentionally being with the times, as in our current climate everyone has to wear masks too, however both in reality and in-film, masks garble up lines making any kind of dialogue incomprehensible. Here I thought, I may not understand what someone’s asking me at a shop, but at least I get what this character in the movie is saying. Seems I was wrong then, wasn’t I! Gosh darn it Nolan, you ruined Christmas! And yes, summer ended, get ready for those annoying folk who start Christmas celebrations as early as September. But I digress, the sound editing is terrible and definitely undermines the film’s other technological accomplishments with the massive sets and all-practical effects. That being said, there is a wonderful exchange at one point in the movie between Robert Pattinson’s and John David Washington’s characters.  “Hngmmhmmh,” says Pattinson. “Mmghh nmmhhmmmm nghhh,” replies Washington. Marvellous.

Moving back to the film’s plot though, I don’t get it. From my understanding, the main story thread-line is actually fairly generic, with Denzel Washington’s son discovering a secret organisation that deals with world threats, and he has to go and find some evil dude who does evil things and is very very evil who may be played by a Brit (of course!) who’s doing his best at a Russian accent (double of course!) who happens to have some deadly weapon that is to cause a nuclear war. So you know, typical Bond stuff. However Christopher Nolan chooses to present this story in such a ridiculously convoluted way, that you get confused by the entire shindig even before all the time-travelling weirdness is introduced. Speaking of the time-travelling element, Nolan introduces us to this new inversion gimmick, and don’t get me wrong, I think the concept itself is actually really cool with huge potential if done right, however its execution in this movie leaves us with only questions and no answers, but even with the questions, I don’t even know what said questions are, as I just didn’t get it. Apparently I’m not alone in this, as even one of the film’s stars, Robert Pattinson, was constantly confused by the script, so spent the entire shoot asking his co-star John David Washington to explain everything to him. It literally is an unsolvable puzzle. It kind of seems like Nolan had a dream, and once he woke up, he decided to just go ahead and make the film without understanding all the details himself, with the motto of “I’m Christopher Nolan b**ches!” and of course, he is Nolan, he could make a movie about a toilet seat having feelings and people would still dig that stuff up! 

When it comes to the performances, there isn’t much I can say. All the characters are not given much depth and are quite one-dimensional, so even though both leads Washington and Pattinson are charismatic and likeable, it’s only because I like the actors themselves, not the characters. Same goes for the likes of Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Yesterday’s Himesh Patel, again, all likeable actors, couldn’t tell you anything about their characters. Elizabeth Debicki is the only who’s given at least some minimal layers, being the emotional core of the movie, but then again, she is mainly kept under the damsel-in-distress role throughout. Kenneth Branagh does the evil Bond villain fine, but his reasons for wanting to end the world kind of leave you thinking “is that it?”. Oh, and Michael Caine gets one of the top-billings on the movie’s posters, yet he’s in the film for less than 5 minutes. That must be one of the easiest paychecks ever!

I really wanted to like Tenet. I admire Christopher Nolan as a director and adore his passion for cinema, however this movie didn’t work for me. It’s too intricately complicated, but in a way where it feels like the movie thinks its more clever than it actually is, the sound design and muffled dialogue is atrocious, there’s no character depth and is overall one of Nolan’s weaker outings. Who would’ve thought that the big reason to return to the cinemas would actually be Bill and Ted! 

Overall score: 4/10

[jadelotusflower]

November Roundup

Some writing success this month - I finished and posted a new chapter for Against the Dying of the Light, and made progress on The Lady of the Lake and Turn Your Face to the Sun. I didn’t work much on my novel, but I did do some editing on the first third so that’s progress.

Words written this month: 6647

Total this year: 67,514

November books

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo - joint winner of the 2019 Booker Prize (with The Testaments by Margaret Atwood) this was an engrossing and interesting read. Stylistically unusual formatting and scant use of punctuation that is a bit jarring at first, but you quickly adapt as you read. There’s no plot as such - instead the story is formed by vignettes of twelve black women and their disparate yet interconnected lives. We have mothers and daughters, close friends, teachers and students, although the connections aren’t always obvious at first - we can be exposed to a character briefly in the story of another with no idea that she will be a focus later on. It’s very skillfully done, to the point whereupon finishing I wanted immediately to re-read (but alas, it was already overdue back to the library). There is so much ground covered that we are really only given a glimpse into the characters lives, but there is a diversity of intergenerational perspectives of the African diaspora in the UK, and I highly recommend.

The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett - after finishing The Pillars of the Earth I had intended to read the sequel, but this was available on the library shelf and I had to place a hold on World Without End, so the prequel came first. Set sixty years before the Conquest (150 before Pillars) it primarily addresses the growth of the hamlet of Dreng’s Ferry into the town of Kingsbridge, through the lives of a monk with a strong moral code, a clever and beautiful noblewoman, and a skilled builder, working against the machinations of an evil bishop. Sound familiar? This is Follet’s most recent work, and I do wonder if he’s running out of ideas as this covers very similar thematic ground.

Ragna is a compelling female character, but once again the romance-that-cannot-be with Edgar is tepid, Aldred is a very watered down version of Prior Philip, and there’s no grand framing device such as building the cathedral to really tie to all together (although things do Get Built, and it’s interesting but not on the level of Pillars). This is the tail end of the Dark Ages and it shows - Viking raids, slavery, infanticide - and while it seems Follett’s style is to put his characters through much tragedy and tribulation before their happy ending, I wish writers would stop going to the rape well so readily. But at least the sexual violence isn’t as...lasciviously written as in Pillars? Scant praise, I know. But Follett’s strength in drawing the reader into the world and time period is on display, made even more interesting in this era about which we know very little.

Women and Leadership by Julia Gillard and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala - I have a great deal of respect for Julia Gillard, Australia’s first female Prime Minister who was treated utterly shamefully during her tenure and never got the credit she deserved, perhaps excepting the reaction to her iconic “misogny speech” whichyou can enjoy in full here:

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Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was the first woman to be Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs in Nigeria, was also the former Managing Director of the World Bank, and currently a candidate for Director-General of the WTO.

This is an interesting examination of women in leadership roles, comparing and contrasting the lives and experiences of a select few including (those I found the most interesting) Ellen Sirleaf, the first female President of Liberia, Joyce Banda, the first female President of Malawi, New Zealand’s current Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and of course, Gillard and Okonjo-Iweala themselves.

November shows/movies

The Vow and Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult - I’ve been following the NXIVM case for a while now, when the news broke in 2017 I was surprised and intrigued that it involved actresses from some of my fandom interests - Alison Mack (Smallville), Grace Park and Nikki Clyne (Battlestar Galactica), and Bonnie Piasse (Star Wars). Uncovered: Escaping NXIVM is an excellent podcast from that point in time that’s well worth a listen. There’s been a lot of discussion comparing these two documentaries and which one is better, but I feel they’re both worthwhile.

The Vow gives a primer of NXIVM as a predatory “self improvement” pyramid scheme/cult run by human garbage Keith Reniere, from the perspective of former members turned whistleblowers Bonnie Piasse, who first suspected things were wrong, her husband Mark Vicente who was high up in the organisation, and Sarah Edmondson who was a member of DOS, the secret group within NXIVM that involved branding and sex trafficking. Seduced gives more insight into the depravity and criminality of DOS from the pov of India Oxenburg, just 19 when she joined the group and who became Alison Mack’s “slave” in DOS - she was required to give monthly “collateral” in the form of explicit photographs or incriminating information about herself or her family, had to ask Mack’s permission before eating anything (only 500 calories allowed per day), was ordered to have sex with Reniere, and other horrific treatment - Mack herself was slave to Reniere (as was Nikki Clyne) and there were even more horrific crimes including rape and imprisonments of underage girls.

Of course each show has an interest in portraying its subjects as less culpable than perhaps they were (there were people above and below them all in the pyramid after all) - Vicente and Edmondson in The Vow and Oxenburg in Seduced, but what I did appreciate about Seduced was the multiple experts to explain how and why people were indoctrinated into this cult, and why it was so difficult to break free from it. This is a story of victims who were also victimisers and all the complications that come along with that, although I’m not sure any of these people are in the place yet to really reckon with what happened and all need a lot of therapy.

Focusing on individual journeys also narrows the scope - there are other NXIVM members interviewed I would have liked to have heard a lot more from. There is also a lot of jumping back and forth in time in both docos so the timeline is never quite clear unless you do further research. I would actually like to see another documentary one day a bit further removed from events dealing with the whole thing from start to finish from a neutral perspective. The good news is that Reniere was recently sentenced to 120 years in prison so he can rot.

I saw value in both, but you’re only going to watch one of these, I would say go for Seduced - if you’re interested in as much information as possible, watch The Vow first to get a primer on all the main players and then Seduced for the full(er) story.

The Crown (season 4) - While I love absolutely everything Olivia Coleman does, I thought it took a while for her to settle in as the Queen last season and it’s almost sad that she really nailed it this season, just in time for the next cast changeover (but I also love everything Imelda Staunton does so...) This may be an unpopular opinion, but I wasn’t completely sold on Gillian Anderson as Thatcher - yes I know she sounded somewhat Like That, but for me the performance was a little too...affected? (and someone get her a cough drop, please!) 

It is also an almost sympathetic portrayal of Thatcher - even though it does demonstrate her classism and internalised misogyny, it doesn’t really explore the full impact of Thatcherism, why she was such a polarising figure to the extent that some would react like this to her death:

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But I suppose it’s called The Crown, not The PM.

Emma Corrin is wonderful as Diana, and boy do they take no prisoners with Charles (or the other male spawn). I was actually surprised at how terrible they made Charles seem rather than both sidesing it as I had expected (but perhaps that’s being saved for season 5). It does hammer home just how young Diana was when they were married (19 to Charles’ 32), how incompatible they were and the toxicity of their marriage (standard disclaimer yes it’s all fictionalised blah blah). The performances are exceptional across the board - Tobias Menzies and Josh O’Conner were also standouts and it’s a shame to see them go.

I was however disappointed to see that the episode covering Charles and Di’s tour of Australia was not only called “Terra Nullius” but the term was used as a very tone deaf metephor that modern Australia was no longer “nobody’s land/country”. For those who aren’t aware, terra nullius was the disgraceful legal justification for British invasion/colonisation of Australia despite the fact that the Indigenous people had inhabited the continent for 50,000 years or more. While the tour was pre-Mabo (the decision that overturned the doctrine of terra nullius and acknowledged native title), there was no need to use this to make the point, especially when there was no mention at all of the true meaning/implication of the term.

The Spanish Princess (season 2, episodes 4-8)- Sigh. I guess I’m more annoyed at the squandered potential of this show, since the purpose ostensibly was to focus on the time before The Great Matter and give Katherine “her due” - and instead they went and made her the most unsympathetic, unlikeable character in the whole damn show. (Spoilers) She literally rips Bessie Blount’s baby from her body and, heedless to a mother’s pleas to hold her child, runs off to Henry so she can present him with “a son”. I mean, what the actual fuck?

I’m not a stickler for historical accuracy so long as it’s accurate to the spirit of history (The Tudors had its flaws, but it threaded this needle most of the time), but this Katherine isn’t even a shadow of her historical figure - she’s not a troubled heroine, she’s cruel and vindictive, Margaret Pole is a sanctimonious prig, and Margaret Tudor does little but sneer and shout - the only one who comes out unscathed is Mary Tudor (the elder), and it’s only because she’s barely in it at all. It’s a shame because I like all of these actresses (especially Georgie Henley and Laura Carmichael) but they are just given dreck to work with.

This is not an issue with flawed characters, it’s the bizarre presentation of these characters that seems to want to be girl power rah rah, and yet at the same time feels utterly misogynistic by pitting the women against each other or making them spiteful, stupid, or crazy for The Drama. I realise this is based on Gregory so par for the course, but it feels particularly egregious here. (Spoilers) At one point Margaret Pole is banished from court by Henry, and because Katherine won’t help her (because she cant!) she decides to spill the beans about Katherine’s non-virginity. Yes, her revenge against the hated Tudors is...to give Henry exactly what he wants? Even though it will result in young Mary, who she loves and cares for, being disinherited? Girlboss!

This season also missed the opportunity to build on its predecessors The White Queen/Princess and show why it was so important to Henry to have a male heir - the Tudor reign wasn’t built on the firmest foundations and so needed uncontested transfer of power, at the time there was historic precedent that passing the throne to a daughter led to Anarchy, and wars of succession were very recent in everyone’s memory. At least no one was bleating about The Curse this time, which is actually kind of surprising, because the point of the stupid curse is the Tudor dynasty drama.

But it’s not all terrible. Lina and Oviedo are the best part of the show, and (spoilers) thankfully make it out alive. Both are a delight to watch and I wish the show had been just about them.

Oh well. One day maybe we’ll get the Katherine of Aragon show we deserve - at least I can say that the costumes were pretty, small consolation though it is.

[silwenworld]

Summary:  

 Ten years ago, Agent Robert Gold had lost almost everything, and now the only thing keeping him moving is a promise given a long time ago. He won't rest till he gets all those responsible. But is the current case really connected or has he finally cracked? How does Lacey French, the woman from the casino that seems not to have ever existed, fit in all of this? The clock is ticking, old enemies are done with hiding, and when he can't even trust the MI6, can he trust Lacey while knowing he shouldn't?

 (A James Bond AU/Mashup which basically means that there are some Bond easter eggs but it doesn't follow the storyline of any movie/book) 

Category: M  

Chapter 10: Papa

warnings: heavy angst. Character death (not graphic).

[A03] [Previous Chapter][First Chapter]

29 years ago...

He could count the number of times he had cried on the fingers of his one hand. From as long as he could remember, he had been told that men couldn't and didn't cry, and when caught shedding tears, there had been consequences. Even young as he was, he had killed without blinking with the same expression on his face as the one when he was eating breakfast. Yet right now, as he held the small bundle in his arms, the tears were flowing from his eyes like a river. His hands didn't shake, but he was sure that it was only because that if they did, he would indeed have dropped the most precious possession in his entire life.

It took Robert Gold one glance at the face hidden in the blanket to know he would lay his life if needed for the little boy. And small he was, too small even for his likening - born almost a month before his time.

At first, he hadn't believed the hospital when they had called him telling him that he was now a father as listed in the birth certificate. That he had a son waiting for him as his mother left without a word, leaving no contact details of hers, only his. He had known of course who the mother was - the relationship with Millah had been a mistake from the start, and he had been sure not to hear from her again ever since they had broken up seven months ago - but he hadn't said a word. 

He hadn't known what to think on his way to the hospital. He was 21-years old, a naval lieutenant with prospects of getting a job at MI6 - what he was supposed to do? He couldn't raise a kid all on his own! He wasn't a father's material, hell - he didn't know how to be one considering how shitty his own father had been!

But all those thoughts had disappeared the moment his eyes had landed on the small boy lying in the hospital crib - or more like in an open incubator. He hadn't known what to do - too afraid to touch the child, to make any sound but fighting the deep yearning to do so anyway. So he had approached the crib warily and for a moment considered turning and running away, but then the boy had opened his eyes and let out a small wail.

Robert had reacted without thinking, picking the child up, awkwardly at first but more firmly after a second, making shooshing noises, hugging him close to his chest. One look in the boy's eyes had been enough to know he was his son - they had the same eyes, dark, brown and big. The child looked at him and then, had done something Robert couldn't have predicted even if he knew how - he freed his small hand from the blanket and had caught him by the nose. That had been when the tears had started. That gentle touch of the little hand on his face.

"It's alright, Papa's here," he whispered, sniffing. 

The boy looked at him with those big, brown eyes, not wailing anymore, but more curious about the strange man's long nose, and Robert laughed softly.

"Yeah, I know. Weird, right?"

He would do anything for the boy. He just knew it.

"Sir?" The nurse's voice startled him, and he turned around. His hands tightened the hold on the child as if afraid he would be taken away from him. "I'm sorry, but the mother didn't fill out the name."

He looked down at his son, a small smile curling the corner of his lips as he saw the boy was already back to sleep, snuggled safely in his father's arms.

"Baylen. Baylen Neal Gold."

*

"Bae! No running in the halls!"

"Sorry, Papa!"

Gold shook his head fondly before looking back down to the file he had been reading. His son was now four years old, and the amount of energy the boy possessed was frightening at times. He still didn't know how he had survived the furniture-climbing faze or let's-try-to-eat-everything-I-can-get-my-hands-on faze, but somehow they had managed to get to this point in time. Gold had been slowly climbing in the ranks, and even if his job at MI6 right now considered of more desk job than any actual fieldwork, he couldn't complain - this way he was able to raise his kid and spend some real time with him, not worrying whenever he would be back home at night or not. Being a secret agent was one thing - being a single parent at the same time? A whole different matter eternally.

Robert tapped his pen on the table three times then made a few annotations on the side of the report, frowning. They had lost three agents in a matter of one month all because of some stupid decisions from the higher-ups. He would probably have to pull some extra hours at work to clean the whole mess up. He knew the organisation needed a change, but he was still too low in the ranks to make any move. With dismay he closed the file with a snap and put it back in the briefcase, closing it by using his fingerprint. Yes, his connections were growing, but they weren't enough. Sooner or later, he would find a way to put the right person in the right place - well, as soon as he would find them. He couldn't do it by himself as he had someone far more important to worry about. And speaking of which, it had been all to quiet for the last couple of minutes.

"Bae?" 

No answer. 

With a frown, he circled the desk and made his way towards the living room. Being a part of MI6 had its advantages. The salary was one, as he couldn't see himself being in his age with a kid and leaving in a place like this without it. It also had its disadvantages like the one that his hand almost itched to get his gun, even while knowing it was close to impossible for someone to break in and do something to his boy. 

"Bae? Are you there?"

There had to be a more probable explanation for the silence. Robert's heart was in his throat though in the same way as it always had been at the times his son had been sick - being premature made him prone to infections far too often - or that one time he had almost lost him in the shopping mall. 

As soon as he came around the corner, the hand that had been squeezing his heart had let go. Bae was sitting on the floor, his crayons in a mess all around him, lost in his little word. Gold leaned on the doorframe crossing his arms over his chest. There would be nothing unusual about the whole situation if the thing that his son was currently drawing on were a piece of paper rather than a pristine, white wall. Well, not so clean anymore as right now it spurted a rather nice looking, brown dog which tail was now being finished.

Robert knew he should put on his stern parent face right now, but somehow he couldn't force himself to do that. Instead, the corner of his lips curved in a small smile. 

"Bae," the boy jumped, the brown crayon falling from his fingers and rolling away as his eyes winded. Gold looked askance at his son, masking the smile. "What were you doing?"

"Um...playing?" He asked, hopefully. Gold nodded.

"If that's so, where did the dog came from?" He asked, gesturing at the drawing. The boy looked down, sheepishly and mumbled something under his nose. "What was that?"

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"You're angry."

Gold sighed and pushed himself from the doorframe, making his way to his son side in three swift steps. It would not do, Bae already had tears in his eyes and the way he looked like reminded Robert too much of himself when his father had been about to hit him. He would never hit Bae.

"I'm not angry, I promise," he said while sitting down next to his son. "Come here?" he opened his arm for a hug, but the boy shook his head. Gold smiled softly. "Come on, squirrel." The nickname did its job, and Bae crawled over Gold's lap, burring his small head in his father's chest. "You know you shouldn't write on the walls so why did you do it, hmm?"

"I thought it looked nice."

Robert glanced at the drawing that was now somewhere to his left.

"It is lovely, but it would be just as lovely on the paper."

"I wanted it to hang."

Gold nodded, stroking the boy's head absently.

"Well next time you want your drawing to hang, you can draw the picture on a paper and Papa will hang it up for you, OK?"

Bae nodded against his chest, hiccuping slightly.

"If you keep drawing on the walls, we would have to paint them over, and it costs money that we don't have, and we would have to move away from here as it's not our own place, right?"

"I don't want to move."

"Me neither, squirrel, so just don't do it next time, OK?"

"All right."

Gold smiled and kissed the top of his boy's head then glanced again at the drawing of the dog. Well, it was quite a lovely looking dog for a six-year-old. The landlord wouldn't have a say if he framed this one instead of painting it over.

*

"Papa, did you love mommy?"

OK, that question hadn't been the one he was expecting considering the hour. Well, he knew it would pop up sooner than later - he was expecting it to be sooner in fact, but it didn't change the fact that he still hadn't been prepared to answer it. Especially not in four in the morning when it was just the time he was about to get at least a little sleep before going back to work. But then Bae had found his way to his room, looking sleepy and distressed. He knew he could say goodbye to his sleep as the kid climbed his bed.

"I thought I did," he finally admitted as his son settled himself under the covers. How could he explain this to a six-year-old boy?

"So you didn't?"

He sighed and ran a hand over his face. He so wasn't ready for this.

"We were young, made mistakes..."

"Was I a mistake?"

His eyes snapped open, and he turned so fast the bed squeaked. 

"No!" His arms darted towards his son, cradling him close to his chest. "No," he repeated, quieter against Bae's hair. "Never a mistake."

"You sure?"

"Bae, do you know what the best moment in my life was?"

The boy shook his head. 

"When I held you in my arms for the first time, you were tiny, you know?"

"Smaller than now?" Bae pushed away a little bit so he could look his father in the eye. Gold chuckled.

"Aye, a lot smaller. You caught me by my nose, just like that." He caught Bae's nose between his two fingers, making the boy giggle. "You're the most precious thing that I could ever ask for."

"Why did mum leave, then? Didn't she love me?"

Gold could feel tears pricking his eyes, and he hugged his boy close, willing them not to fall. It wasn't fair. He knew it wasn't.

"I don't know, squirrel. I really don't. I'm sorry." He rocked his son as his small shoulders shuddered with silent tears. Bae had never been loud while crying, and Robert sometimes wondered if he got that from him. "I can promise you something." He shifted, so they both were lying more comfortable. "I'll keep you safe - "

" - You won't leave me?"

Robert hugged him tighter.

"Never. I promise. I love you."

"Love you too, papa."

In the end, Gold wasn't the one who had left.

*

"I need to get those papers to the boss, can you wait for me here?"

"Sure thing, papa."

He ruffled his 12-year-old's hair affectionally, which earned him a semi-offended scoff.

"Behave, squirrel. I'll be right back."

"I'm not a squirrel!"

"You are to me!" He called over his shoulder, chuckling. 

He hated to leave the boy here, but he again was working extra hours and had no one to leave his son with so the only option was to take him with him to the office. An office full of top-secret information that would have him sentenced for life at best of any of the secrets would leak out. It was good that some people chose to turn a blind eye that a teenage boy was roaming the headquarters of MI6 for years now.

"Nanny bailed out on you again?" He sighed as he heard Regina Mills' voice and soon felt her presence next to his shoulder as she fell in step with him. "You know he's a teenager, right? They can take care of their own."

"Have you become a mother in the two months I've been away?" He grimaced, but Regina only smirked. M had paired them up four years ago, and honestly, he still didn't know it was still working. Regina was five years younger than him and a nuisance, but ambitious and climbed the ranks even quicker than he.

"I've been a mother for years. I count you as a child."

"I'm older than you."

"So?"

"How am I a child in this?"

She looked at him, pointedly as if it was the stupidest question in the world. Gold cleared his throat and opened one of the folders in his hand, flicking through the pages.

"How's the kid, by the way?"

"He doesn't sound as if he's about to cough his lung if that's what's you're asking," he mumbled distractedly.

"Good. I hate how grumpy you are when he's sick."

Sick was putting it lightly. Bae's month stay in a hospital was still giving Gold nightmares. Masking his unease with a cough, he pulled out a sheet of paper from the folder and handed it to Regina.

"One more for the coup d'etat," he remarked.

"Are you sure about that?" She asked, scanning the page.

"You and I both know that M's been doing a lousy job for years now," they arrived at the elevator and Gold pushed the button. "Give me two, maybe three years tops, and you'll have enough material to bring him down."

The doors opened, and he stepped in, passing the folders to his other hand.

"Gold? Why are you doing this? Why me?" Regina asked.

"I'm not bossy enough to stand the top brass, unlike you," he grinned at her sour look. "Besides, you'll own me a favour."

The door closed, not giving Regina a chance to respond.

*

"Dad? How do you know that you like somebody?"

Gold glanced at his son, his expression illuminated by the laptop's screen.

"You mean like or like-like?"

Baylen grimaced but kept fidgeting with his phone.

"Like-like?"

"Ask them out, and you'll know."

"Papa!"

Gold grinned and relaxed into his chair after closing the laptop. Baylen looked utterly miserable, but for the first time, he was actually enjoying that look on his boy's face. He raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Alright, who are they?"

"Her name's Emma... Her father's a police officer."

Gold bearly restrained himself from chuckling. Trust Bae to make a big deal to him about who the father of the girl he fancied was.

"And?" He prompted.

"She's very good at computers. And funny. And has this beautiful smile that lights up her whole face - what?" His son gave him a startled look at his sudden snort.

"I think you already know that you like-like this Emma, Bae."

Baylen smiled sheepishly.

*

10 years ago...

It was quiet in the house, and Gold let out a relieved sigh, wincing instantly when a pain shot from his ribs with the next step as he limped through the hall. Bae-Neal, he corrected himself - he would always be Baylen for him no matter what the boy said, but he did respect his choices - seemed to stay at the Nolan's today. Gold didn't blame him. The fight they had, had been a serious one. Some words had been spoken in anger that he wished he could have taken back but hadn't got the time to as he had been called away on a mission. 

And it had been one of the hardest ones since he had gotten his status of OO two years ago. 

And ironically, the reason behind the fight with his almost nineteen-years-old son.

"Yeah, go kill others without the consequences! Why don't you!"

I do this so I can keep others safe, and you know it!"

"Right, you know it's been a real fun on those parent projects at school. 'And you, Baylen what do your parents do? Oh, my mum was a bitch who didn't give a damn about me - "

" - Language, son- "

"- And my dad is almost a licensed killer!'"

“That's enough, Bae!"

"One day, you will end up dead! And where will that leave me and Emma?!"

"She has nothing to do with this, Bae."

"Yes, she does! She's pregnant! And it's Neal, for fuck's sake!"

His son had stormed off after that. Gold hadn't been proud of the exchange. They hadn't gotten that many significant fights in the past, but the words his son had spoken had struck deep - maybe because they had been true, but Gold couldn't help his ambitions. With Regina finally in charge, thanks to his mending, and him being a full flagged agent, he couldn't quit. He was addicted to it, always had been. He had promised Bae he would let it go soon, but it didn't change the fact that this mission he just had to carry through. This and the next one too.

Something was brewing. Gold didn't yet know what, but he had a gut feeling - something he had almost perfected during his forty-years of age. Children had started to disappear in the war zones, illegal weapon market was blooming more than ever, and it all had started just a couple of months ago.  And one name had been popping up in the news lately - one he didn't like one a bit.

He couldn't quit. Not yet. Especially not after the reveal that there was about to be another addition to his family.

So, he limped towards the living room, hoping to get to the first aid kit hidden away in one of the drawers. His wounds weren't severe but painful, and he didn't trust the hospitals not to keep him overnight or longer, so he had decided to head home instead. He leaned on the doorframe, resting his head against the cold metal, breathing hard while closing his eyes. It was good that his son wasn't home.

"Papa?"

Or not.

The living room was dark, but when opening his eyes, he could bearly see the outline of his 18-years-old son. Blurry and a little doubled, but Bae's nevertheless.

"Shouldn't you be at Nolan's?" he asked resigned, his voice raspy thanks to the bruising already visible on his throat beneath the collar.

Neal approached him, cautiously, slowly as if his father was a wounded animal met somewhere in the wild. Not far from the truth, really. There was still blood on his suit and not all of it his.

"I came to take my things," his son answered, quietly not really able to hide the worry in his voice.

Gold nodded, focusing on his son's face or at least trying to. Something trickled down his hip and leg. He didn't dare to look down, suddenly thankful for the lack of light.

"I won't keep you waiting."

He fully expected for Bae to brush past him by now, but he was still standing where he had been, not moving. Well, not moving wasn't the right term as he was swaying, but Gold was pretty sure it was due to his own injuries and not his son's movement. Baylen's hand twitched at his side as if he wanted to reach out to him, but stop himself when realising what he was about to do.

"I want to keep them safe."

"I know. I don't blame you," he answered tiredly. He wanted the same thing, after all. Gold had been a fool thinking he could balance both his lives so well. It was a miracle he would able to get as many years with his boy as he had. 

Bae still didn't move.

Gold sighed and pushed himself from the doorframe, waiting to get this over with, but his vision suddenly swayed, and he wobbled on his feet. His mind went woozy, and he must have blacked out for a second because when his vision cleared, he was sitting in the armchair, his son's concerned face hovering over him.

"I'm fine," he grunted, trying to stand up just to be pushed back into the chair.

"On a scale of December 15th to May 24th, how bad is it?"

Gold winced.

"Somewhere in between," he admitted.

Neil nodded and without another word went to get the medkit. His father was a master at concealing his injuries, and for a very long time, Neil hadn't even known what the man's actual line of work had been. He had thought him to be a simple ex-military paper pusher. It had changed on December 15th, when Neil had been thirteen, and he had caught his father cleaning his bloodstained clothes while nursing an ugly knife wound to the side. The wound got infected two days later, and Gold had to go to the hospital. And then, almost three years later, Neil had gotten a phone call from Miss Mills telling him his father was in a critical condition with a gunshot wound to his lung. Since then, he had always asked about his dad's wellbeing when injured varying between those two dates.

But he just couldn't keep doing this.

Still, in silence, he helped his father remove his clothes and, trying not to stare at cuts and bruises, began to clean the worst of them.

"You should go to the hospital," he mumbled while threading a needle. The wound that was bleeding the most - the one just above his father's hip - was deep enough to need stitching.

"Don't have time for that," Gold answered, grimacing. He glanced at his son, and when realising what he was doing, he covered his hand with his, stopping him. "I'll do it myself. You can finish packing."

Bae glared at him.

"I don't think stitching yourself up is the best idea right now, pops," he snapped. He was still angry, but beneath it, all he was first and foremost afraid. Every time he was seeing his father could be the last, and now he was about to become a father himself. He wasn't ready.

"You'll do fine," his dad gritted out through his teeth as the needle puncture his skin.

"It's not like I haven't stitched you up before," he mumbled. He felt his father chuckle by the way his muscles moved, but what had come out of his mouth resembled more a hiss than anything else.

"That's not what, I meant," he elaborated. 

"Yeah? then what?" Stupid old man. Why couldn't he be an accountant or something? 

"You're going to be a fine father. Far better than your own pop."

"Shut up." How could he know what he was thinking? 

"Well, you don't plan on getting your kid to patch you up, do you?" Gold looked down, fondly at his son's concentrated face then hissed again when Bae pulled at the thread. His son didn't answer. Instead, he finished the stitch then bandaged the now closed wound.

"You really can't let this go, can you?" the boy - no, the man, Gold corrected himself, asked. But he sounded so small that for a moment he thought it was his little boy, freshly woken from a nightmare, kneeling before him.

Gold felt tears gather in his eyes, and he couldn't help himself as he ran his hand through his son's hair.

"The next mission is going to be the last, all right?" Bae raised his eyes up at him, and Gold's heart broke a little at how hopeful he looked. "It may take a while," an underestimate, "but I promise - After that? We can all be a family. We all be alive and safe - You, me, Emma and the baby."

"Henry. If it's a boy, we thought we could name him Henry." 

Gold's mouth curved, despite the exhaustion. "And if it's a girl?"

"I thought Tilly."

Gold nodded. "You. Me. Emma. Henry-Tilly. Safe and alive. I promise."

Bae nodded and squeezed his hand. An hour later, Gold was alone in an empty flat. It was for the better - His son was safer that way with a changed ID and all. He would keep that promise.

He didn't know how wrong he was.

*

Children shouldn't have to kill their parents. But their parents shouldn't have been crazy psychopaths either. 

It was twisted and not at all how it was supposed to be. 

"How about that, laddie? You don't have guts to do this."

There were tear tracks on his face. There was no reason to be crying after the man that had made so many years of his life living hell. And yet he was doing just that.

"Poor Robbo, cowering away as always. They might have given you a fancy title and a gun, but you're still a coward."

His right leg hurt, and he could feel the makeshift bandage on his shoulder getting wetter as blood seeped through with every step.

But he needed to see them. He needed to hold them and make sure they were fine. He had his orders, he knew what had to be done, and done it, but he needed to look into his boy's eyes and pray he didn't see him as scum.

"What will you do when I get my hands on that kid of yours, hmm? Nothing. You'll be useless as always, thinking you have it all figured out. You know nothing, laddie."

He could see the blood on his hands even though he had washed them so many times the skin was still red and raw. But he could see that moment playing over and over in his head. 

The struggle.

The fall.

The sharp metal ripping his calf.

The knife in his hand that he plunged into his father's chest.

Watching the light fade from those brown eyes that even lifeless held so much spite that could last for decades.

"Oh, and I've heard rumours... Isn't his girlfriend pregnant? Congratulations are in order for the both of us it seems."

He had held the knife for long enough for his own fingers to stiffen. And even after it was way past the time he should let go, he made sure to check for a pulse. He had found none.

Malcolm Gold was dead.

Killed by his son's hand.

The sick bastard wouldn't hurt another human being ever again, but somewhere deep down where the small Bobby Gold was still hiding in the closet yearning for his Papa's attention, Gold felt sick with what he had done.

So he stumbled down the street, to the familiar block of flats already visible around the corner where the light on the sixth-floor apartment was thankfully still on. Up until now, Gold had visited only once, but now he couldn't keep away any longer.

He was drawn like a moth to the flame, towards his family. It was finished.

Gold found the doors unlocked and somehow managed to climb the stairs despite the agony he felt every time his leg made contact with the step. The hour was late, but it took only ten seconds for Bae to open the doors after Gold had rung the bell.

"Papa?"

Neal's eyes winded in surprise, taking in his father's haggard appearance - the way he kept his weight mostly on his left leg, the dark spot on his pant leg, tearstained face, raw knuckles.

"Bae..." His dad's voice sounded broken, pleading. And this time he didn't correct him about using his old name. Instead, he exchanged his arms and pulled his dad into a tight hug, only a little surprised at how clingy he was when his hands twisted in Neal's shirt.

Neal pulled him inside, closing the door with his elbow, not letting go, taking some of his father's weight on himself.

"I've killed him. It's over."

Neal stilled, hearing his father's muffled voice. He swallowed hard, wanting to know more, but too afraid to ask. Instead, he tightened his arms around the man holding him close.

"Neal?" Emma came around the corner from the kitchen, holding herself steady on the wall. At close to eight months pregnant her back was killing her, especially in the evenings, but it took her only one glance at her soon to be father-in-law to know what would need to be done next. "I'll bring the medkit and ready the coach." 

Neal smiled to her over his father's shoulder in thanks.

"Come on, Papa. Let's seat."

Neal didn't ask what happened. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. It didn't change the fact that he wasn't stupid, and the clues were easy to add up. Because he had spent that night seated next to his father and the man repeated only one word in his restless sleep.

Papa

Malcolm Gold hadn't been the topic that had popped up often, more like close to never, but what Neal knew was enough. Somehow his grandfather had been involved in whatever his father latest assignment was - Involved and killed.

And the one who had pulled the trigger or whatever was no other than Neal's dad.

Neal pushed away, the stray lock of hair from Gold's forehead, wondering how the man could stand his hair that long. There were other questions he wanted to ask but didn't dare to.

So he kept vigil as the clock ticked and his father tossed in his sleep.

*

It had been raining that day. Emma had been out, and later on, he had been grateful - their last conversation summed up in a kiss and a promise to see each other later and not a tearful goodbye with empty promises.

Neal should have known that something hadn't been right. He had never seen the woman in green around his father, and there had been something in her eyes, something maniacal - wicked even that he should have paid more attention to. He should have trusted that feeling that he had inherited from his dad, telling him that something was off about the whole situation. Still, the moment the woman lanched onto him, words like 'trouble' 'his father' 'danger' and 'death' spilling from her mouth. Somehow she had made it seem he could be the only one to get his dad out of a situation he had found himself in, one he shouldn't have been considering he had quit the MI6 two days after he had stumbled in Neal's flat one month ago. So he had gone with the woman, leaving Emma a quick note on the table, after grabbing the only gun in the house and ignoring the red flags that had been even redder than the stranger's hair. 

And he hadn't seen the wicked smile on the woman's face, too preoccupied with the worry about his father. In the end, he didn't use the gun. He didn't even manage to pull it out from his waistband when hands grabbed him out of nowhere and dragged him towards the car. They hit him over the head, and he slumped in their hold, unable to fight.

Before the darkness took him, with a pang of guilt and sudden realisation, he knew one thing - he would never see Emma ever again. 

*

"Bae! Please don't! Not my son!"

"It's OK, Papa..."

"No! No, I beg you! Don't - Agrr!"

"Don't hurt him! You promised not to touch him any more!"

"I lied."

"Papa!"

"Please... Please... Not, N-Not my boy -Not Bae..."

"Oh, poor Robby, can't move that leg, can you? what a shame you won't be getting any nearer."

"Kill me, instead! Don't hurt him. It-It's me that you wa - "

"Oh, and who told you that?"

A scream. 

"Leave him alone!"

"Bae, no... don't..."

"It's OK."

"I'm s-sorry, God, I'm s-sorry..."

"Look away, Papa."

"S-Squirrel..."

"You remember your promise? Keep them safe."

"No- No! I'll kill you! Don't touch him!"

"Just watch me, doll."

"Look away, Papa. Please."

Gold didn't look away. He kept trashing and screaming on the floor, but Neal didn't have the strength to tell him to stop. He wanted so much to tell his dad not to blame himself, that it wasn't his fault.

"P-Please... N-No."

He wanted to say it was OK while it wasn't, to be the brave one while scared, and to have the strength for his dad to remember the smile on his face instead of a grimace. His father's red from crying eyes were the last thing he had seen before he felt a syringe plunge into his neck. 

Bae's only regret as he slipped into the embrace of darkness was that he would never see his own son.

And then the veil closed all around him, and Baylen Neal Gold knew nothing more.

*

"Clear!"

"There's nobody here."

"Have you checked the last room?"

"I'm going in."

"God Almighty... Gold? Gold!"

"Jesus, Is he...?"

"Gold? You need to let him go. We'll take care of him. Let go, Rob."

*

It should have been raining. Instead, the day was as sunny as it could be with only the wind as his sole companion.

No parent should have to bury their child.

Gold tightened his hold on the crutches waiting for the tears to come. They didn't. He supposed he didn't have any left.

"I'm sorry..." he rasped, but no answer had come from the gravestone. 

It was his fault. All of it. His damn fault.

Zelena. His father. The others - how could he be so stupid, thinking that killing Malcolm would have to be the end of all of this? How could he be so blind not to know there had to be more people involved? 

And now his son was dead, his almost daughter-in-law hated him and was on the run, and his grandson was still in danger.

Emma had screamed at him in the hospital, had been closed to punching him when he had taken her boy little boy away.

No parent should have to bury their child, and no parent should have to be separated from one.

And Gold was the cause of both of the above.

In his mind, he was crushing to the ground, screaming, begging for forgiveness. He would do anything to turn back time, but he knew it was impossible. All he could do was to secure the future for the only part of Baylen that he had left in this world. 

Malcolm had said he wanted the boy too, so whoever the twisted man had been working with would be targeting Henry as well. 

Henry.

Gold flinched as if hit. Bae wanted the boy to be named Henry. He would never see his son grow; he hadn't even seen him born. Emma had given birth alone, while the doctors had tried to patch Gold up. By all means, he should still be in the hospital, but only two days after Q had fixed his leg, he had pushed the shock and trauma far into the corner to his mind and told Emma she needed to give up her child.

If that didn't make him a monster, he didn't know what did.

With a sudden spike of anger, he threw the crutch at the gravestone, screaming.

"It's not fair..."

He threw the second one, watched it bounce off the gravestone.

"I'm so sorry, son..." He wobbled, his right leg still unstable despite the brace then fell to his knees. "I'm s-sorry. I'll keep them safe. All of them.... I promise."

*

"Gold? What are you doing here?"

"I'm cashing in my favour."

"What?"

Gold hugged the small bundle in his arms closer to his chest as the wind got stronger. His other hand gripped the cane in a death grip, his arm already shaking. His body wasn't ready to walk without the two crutches, but would sooner crawl than hand his precious cargo to anybody else. It would be the last time he would hold him. His wounds could be damned.

Regina's eyes briefly flickered to the bundle only now realising that what it was hiding was a baby. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but she could get the words out, not when she saw the desperate look on Gold's face.

"Please," he begged, and it was so unlike him, she had almost taken a step back from the shock. Gone was the sarcastic man she had known for all those years, in his place stood a broken man that she got a glimpse on the graveyard. "You're the only one I can trust."

She nodded, exchanging her arms. Gold hesitated only for a moment but then, reluctantly and awkwardly, he placed the small boy into her arms. The child opened his eyes and looked at her. She felt something squeeze her heart.

They were the same as Gold's eyes. 

"Those people are still out there. He's not safe till they're gone."

"You're not fit for duty," she mumbled not taking her eyes from the boy, tracing her thumb over his cheek. She heard Gold sigh.

"But I'll be."

She nodded again. "You better be." 

Regina heard the rustle of Gold's shoes and a tap of his cane as he turned around. She raised her head. "Gold?" He didn't turn back around, his shoulders stiff, but he stopped. "What should I tell him? You know, when he grows up?"

"Nothing," he whispered. "He must know nothing - about his parents, me - nothing. For his own safety."

Regina nodded, her mouth set in a thin line and her heart breaking a little.

"I'll keep him safe."

She turned around, her hand already on the doorknob, ready to close the door behind her.

"May I ask you something, though?" Gold's voice stopped her in her motions, and when she turned around, he was looking at her intensively. "Could you name him Henry?"

She didn't ask why. 

"Of course."

She watched him go, and she entered the house with a baby in her arms only when the sound of uneven steps down the street and a tap of a cane faded in the distance.

*

Now...

Heavy clouds hung over London, and the wind was blowing like crazy - a telltale sign that sooner rather than later, it would start to rain. There were no other people on the street that three men clad in black. A dark hat shadowed the middle one's eyes, and only a lightened cigarette was visible from under the brim. Slowly, as if without the care in the world, they approached the large, white house in which only one window on the top floor was illuminated by the lamp inside.

The two men took a step back, when the one with the hat rung the bell, flicking the cigarette away from his mouth at the same time. It took twenty seconds for the door to open, but only just so thanks to the chain.

"Can I help you, sir?" the blond girl asked, her eyes flicking between the three strangers, and the man in the hat grinned.

"I'm here with a message for the lady of the house if she's present?"

"She's busy and can't go down," the girl's tone was uneasy, the answer a little too quick and the smirk didn't leave the man's face.

"Well, that won't be the problem."

The slight nod of his head was the only indication the others had needed. The girl had no time to react as they barged in, tearing the door from the hinges.

"Get the boy," the man order with a bored tone. The girl tried to stop them, but it was to no avail when she got hit in the face, falling to the ground. She grunted and tried to get up only to be stopped by the man in the hat, pointing the gun at her. "I wouldn't recommend it, my dear."

She stayed still, staring at the barrel with wide eyes. It hadn't been long till they heard the sounds of a struggle and one of the goons appeared from the staircase, dragging a ten-year-old boy along with him. 

"Let go of me!" he screamed while trashing and almost bitting his captor's hand. Amusing view, the man in a hat though, watching this amused from the corner of his eye. 

"Shut it, kid!"

"Alice! What are you doing to her!"

"My, my, aren't we a feisty one?" The man asked, standing up and grinning. The kid shot daggers at him as one of the goons twisted his hands behind his back. There was no question to whose blood the kid was.

"Who are you?"

"Let's say I'm your designated driver for a family reunion," he answered while smirking. "Take him away."

"Don't touch him!"

"And you, sweetheart," he turned back to the girl. "Will relay a message for Miss Mills from me. "He bent down to be at the eye level with her. "Tell her that, Mr Pantazis sends his regards."

She got hit in the head, not getting a chance to answer and he got up.

"Sir?" One of his men indicated the door and Pantazis nodded. "Leave them open."

He watched as they loaded the boy into the car. Malcolm Gold had thought he held all the cards - he was wrong.

Pantazis whistled under his nose as he made his way to the car.

[findmeinpops]

FindMeInPops’ 12 Days of Christmas: Day Twelve - Southside Archive Secret Santa

Merry Christmas Liz ( @worriestothewind​ )! Here we have a festive friends-to-lovers oneshot for Female!Reader x Sweet Pea. I hope you enjoy reading this and that you have a wonderful festive season; I wish you all the best for the new year (and decade!). Harry x 

P.S. Thank you @southsidearchive​ for organising the Secret Santa, it’s much appreciated.

Prompt: Friends to lovers

Ship(s): Sweet Pea x Female!Reader

Rating: T

CW(s): Cursing, alcohol

Gifted: Liz ( @worriestothewind​ )

@riverdalebingo​ : A Christmas Bet

Reindeer Games: Prancer - Parties

As Y/N was pushing the pins into her hair to hold up her half-up half-down do, she could only think about how little she wanted to go out tonight. Every year the Southside Serpents held a festive party in the Whyte Wyrm - she had no clue how they could even afford the place considering their low budget but it probably did not hurt that FP, the current leader of the Southside gang, was brothers with the owner.

Y/N had joined the Southside Serpents three years ago so there had only been three parties since Y/N had first been permitted to go, and she was rather glad that she had only ever been roped into attending one of them; every other time she had been quite happy to stay at home, curled up in bed. Her best friend Sweet Pea had voluntarily attended each one, unfortunately for her, so she had been left at home alone to entertain herself. But this time he was dragging her along with him.

“I still can’t believe you persuaded me to go to this party,” Y/N complained, casually strolling out of her ensuite bathroom and standing in front of Sweet Pea, hands on her hips in the only act of defiance she could muster right then. He drew his eyes away from his phone, looking up from his position on her bed, not batting an eyelid at her half-clothed state.

It was an almost amusing contrast to see Sweet Pea in the setting of Y/N’s room; the floral pink duvet cover against the fully-black biker look, that Sweet Pea seemed to have had ever since he left the womb, would have been shocking to most. To be fair, his dark attire wasn’t all that different from Y/N’s typical outfits of choice, but she had an affinity for all things pink, pastel, and floral when it came to her decor and belonging, only preferring grayscale when it came to clothes.

Y/N and Sweet Pea had been best friends since birth, or near enough; they were both Serpent legacies, but Y/N’s family was somewhat more stable than Pea’s. When Sweet Pea hit the ripe old age of six months, his father took it upon himself to high-tail out of Riverdale to go and live with his pregnant mistress. A single, working, new-mother, his mom often resorted to leaving Pea with the Y/L/Ns’ and the pair became fast friends. They grew up together and, although they did occasionally venture outside of their partnership, they were each other’s closest friend. And it was for this exact reason that Sweet Pea had no reaction to Y/N standing in front of him in only a black mini skirt, fishnets, and bra.

“We need to leave in half an hour. Are you going like that?” Sweet Pea commented dryly.

“Pea,” She moaned, continuing to complain just in case he would allow her reprieve from their plans.

“It’s up to you, but I think FP may have something to say about your outfit of choice.”

“Pea, please?” She pouted, clasping her hands in front of her chest.

Sweet Pea sighed, dropping his phone between his crossed legs. “I believe we had an agreement, sweetheart.”

“Yes, and I will be forever grateful that you are not forcing me to go to the New Year’s party or any other Serpent festive gathering for the rest of this year, but,” Y/N crouched down, a hand on each of Pea’s knees, “would you not much rather be curled up with yours truly, hot chocolate, and a Christmas comedy on the TV?”

She tried to pull her most enticing puppy-dog face--which nine times out of ten melted Pea into a puddle at her feet, but not this time.

“A deal’s a deal.” He gave her a pointed look which softened slightly when he saw genuine disappointment flicker through Y/N’s eyes. “Hey,” he placed his hands on top of hers, running his thumbs over the back of them, “I’ll be there and I promise we can be back here by one am. I’ll even try to persuade your mom to let me sleep over and we can cuddle with hot chocolate and a comedy then.” The placating smile he offered did nothing as she rolled her eyes, pushing up from her position.

“You don’t need to persuade my mom to do anything.” She wandered over to her dresser, picking up her makeup bag before plopping herself down on the floor in front of the full-length mirror attached to her wardrobe. “She fucking loves you.” And didn’t Y/N know it.

‘Sweet Pea is such a nice boy’, ‘why don’t you date Sweet Pea’, ‘wouldn’t it be wonderful if Sweet Pea was my son-in-law,’ – Y/N never heard the end of how much her mother adored Pea but what her mother (or Pea for that matter) did not know is how much Y/N and her mother were in agreement in wishing that Pea would date her.

For as long as they’d been friends, Y/N had known that she loved Sweet Pea, but it was not until a moment in their teens, when she had had the sudden urge to grab him by the neck and crush his lips to hers, did she realise the love was no longer solely platonic.

Y/N had a crush on her lifelong best friend and he did not have a single fucking clue.

She had briefly entertained the thought of initiating something between them but the potential of losing Pea over such a thing was a devastating concept and so the idea was killed in moments. Regardless, Y/N knew that Sweet Pea had a huge crush on Toni, not that he had told her this, but she had noticed the way he smiled at her - that was the smile of a boy who was crushing on a girl.

Each time Y/N saw that smile, there was always a small twinge in her gut but she was determined to make her best friend happy, no longer caring that it would not be with her. Sweet Pea deserved to be happy.

“But she doesn’t love me as much as I love you.” He sent her a faux sickly-sweet smile in the mirror, forcing her eyes to roll yet again.

Drawing on her eyeliner, Y/N could not stop her mind from imagining him meaning it the way that she secretly hoped he would. No, she had to reprimand herself, Sweet Pea had been with her through thick and thin, spent many evenings soothing her as she sobbed over this and that as well as always having her back. She loved him regardless of context and, because of this, she wanted and needed him to be happy – if Pea wanted to be with Toni then she would make it happen.

“I fucking love you.” Their little phrase left her lips as she finished up the liner on her second eye.

“And I fucking love you,” he replied, as they shared a genuine smile before delving back into their respective tasks – Y/N applying minimal makeup for the forced exertion from her home and Sweet Pea texting whoever.

******

Riding on the back of a motorcycle in a skirt was never really the best of ideas, but it was a dark December evening and no one would see. But what Y/N had not considered was how bad of an idea it was to ride on the back of a motorcycle, in the middle of December, at night, in fishnets and a skirt.

“Holy shit, I’m freezing,” she exclaimed, jumping from the seat as soon as Sweet Pea turned the engine off.

“Yeah, probably not the best of our ideas,” Sweet Pea reasoned, sliding off the seat a lot more smoothly. He placed a hand on either of her arms, rubbing his hands up and down her clothed skin, trying to create a little heat.

“Our idea? Please, I wanted to take the car but no, we were already late so you wanted to freeze my tits off.”

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes at that before gripping her wrist in one hand, pocketing his keys with the other, and all but dragging her towards the bar door.

“I’m freezing, my legs are going to fall off, and I do not want to be here.” Y/N continued to complain and Sweet Pea could only compare her to a toddler having a tantrum.

They stopped just shy of the closed door, muffled music and chattering could be heard on the other side, and the glow of multi-coloured lights could be seen through the frosted panes of the windows. It all looked rather cozy and, if there weren’t fifty other people in there, Y/N would have probably been quite happy to enter.

“Stop being dramatic, we had a deal. These parties normally suck--”

She opened her mouth to interrupt but a slight glare from Sweet Pea stopped the words in their place.

“--but my bestest friend in the whole entire world is here and you’re going to make the experience so much better. Then, we will go home, maybe catch a lift with someone since I quite like your legs being attached,” he spared a glance to her goose-bump covered skin, “and we will drink hot chocolate and watch a movie.”

He took one of her hands in his, neither of their fingers particularly warm, and began to push on the door before stopping and turning back to face Y/N. “Oh, and Toni’s here.”

Ah, how could she forget her plan, although she wasn’t entirely sure why Pea thought that this would be an incentive for her to enter, he had no idea that she was aware of his crush. Y/N was going to somehow get her best friend to ask out Toni by the end of the night, whether she said yes was out of Y/N’s control, but she would be sure to get Sweet Pea to confess... somehow…

With a small smile now gracing her lips, they both pushed through the door into the large bar area, welcoming the overwhelming warmth that hit them as well as the tangy smell of alcohol. Hog Eye, the owner of the Whyte Wyrm, had strung fairylights along the walls and a small Christmas tree sat on the bar, adorned with the same multi-coloured lights and several red shiny baubles. People were scattered all over the large room, drinks in hand, and loudly chatting away as Bing Crosby was crooning out ‘White Christmas’.

Y/N hummed along as she handed her coat to Sweet Pea to hang on the coat stand, nodding a silent thanks as she continued to take in the room. It was whilst doing this that she spotted several bunches of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling, and then she had her plan. Now she just had to lure Toni and Sweet Pea over to one of the many bunches of mistletoe. She began to search for Toni but the latter had already spotted them and was waving them over to where she stood with a small group of her friends.

“Let’s join Toni,” Sweet Pea spoke before Y/N had the chance, sending a nod towards the fellow Serpent.

“Hey guys, cold out isn’t it?” Toni greeted each of them with a hug once they made their way through the crowd. This was not too much of a feat, though, as they tended to part easily for Sweet Pea as he towered over most people.

“Sure is. This idiot decided to ride on the bike wearing fishnets.” Sweet Pea knocked Y/N with his elbow, sending a kind smile to let her know he was only joking.

“Sure, sure, my fault, I know.” Y/N rolled her eyes goodnaturedly, bumping her best friend back with her hip.

“Well, at least it’s warm in here, you’ll be alright in no time,” Toni replied before pulling on the arm of a tall redhead beside her, who turned away from her current conversation. To say Y/N was shocked to see Cheryl Blossom in the Whyte Wyrm would be an understatement. It had been a few years since they had all graduated from Riverdale High, but Cheryl had always been an incredibly preppy individual, to put it kindly, who had deemed herself higher than most others around her. She and her brother, Jason, had practically ruled the school, hardly sparing a glance to others, particularly the transfers from Southside High who were made bottom of the food chain. She had obviously come a long way from her time in high school.

“Sweet Pea, Y/N, I’m sure you remember Cheryl.” Cheryl wiggled her fingers in a small wave and offered a sheepish smile as they were introduced. “She’s a ‘trainee serpent’, so to speak. FP is considering her for the initiation.”

Both Y/N and Sweet Pea’s eyes widened comically. Tonight was full of surprises. It was one thing for the Cheryl they knew to willingly surround herself and be associated with Serpents, but for her to also desire to become a Serpent - perhaps she had hit her head.

Cheryl must have noticed their expressions as she was quick to pull her hands together in a pleading gesture. “I know and I sincerely apologise for the unacceptable and truly horrible way I treated you and your fellow Serpents throughout our time at Riverdale High. I promise that I have changed my ways since graduation and, with the help of TT, I hope to show you how true this transformation is.”

“Of course, I’m sure we’ll see more of each other through Serpent business, but we can always hang out. It’s a regular thing we do with Toni,” Sweet Pea answered for both of them, swinging an arm around Y/N’s shoulders, signalling for her to nod her agreement.

“Brilliant.” Cheryl grinned.

A slightly awkward silence settled around the four of them, something that was most likely due to all of their being unsure how to act with Cheryl around. Y/N’s eyes flitted around the room, not knowing where to land, trying to avoid having to make stilted conversation. Her eyes just happened to catch on a particular bunch of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling above the bar.

Being in such close proximity with Pea heated her skin, something that was putting Y/N off of the whole scheme she had created, but the look that appeared on Pea’s face each time he saw Toni reappeared in her mind; she wanted only the best for him and for him to be happy and, because of that, she would continue forward with her plan.

“I don’t know about you, but I need a drink” Y/N broke the silence, and relief noticeably appeared on Pea and Toni’s faces, Cheryl seemingly oblivious. Pretending to notice Toni’s lack of drink in hand, you added, “Toni, why don’t you join us at the bar.”

Pea’s eyes narrowed slightly, trying to work out why she had intentionally omitted Cheryl from the invitation but seemingly settled on ignoring it for now, he released his arm from around Y/N’s shoulders before chiming in, “yeah, I’ll cover this round.”

“And I’ll stay here and make conversation with my soon-to-be fellow Serpents.” Cheryl did not seem overly bothered about her exclusion, smiling and nodding before making her way across the room to a group of younger Serpents.

Y/N led the three of them over, placing herself at the front of the group so she could strategically lead them over to the right-hand side of the bar where the mistletoe hung. She settled herself at the very far end, resting her arm on the sticky surface so that Toni and Sweet Pea would be forced to stand together at her left.

“Y/N, Sweet Pea, nice to see ya,” Hog Eye greeted, coming directly to the trio, bypassing a few already waiting patrons.

Y/N and Sweet Pea had helped out Hog Eye quite a bit over the last year. The Ghoulies, before they were run out of town, had made an attack on the Whyte Wyrm, destroying half of the bar, and the pair had been a part of a few Serpents who had helped reassemble the place. Veronica had pitched in the money necessary, due to feeling guilty about her father being partially responsible for the attack, so Y/N and Sweet Pea just offered some manpower, as well as occasionally taking up some shifts at the bar while Hog Eye was recovering from injuries he sustained during the ordeal.

Nevertheless, Hog Eye had been incredibly grateful and had no qualms ignoring the already waiting customers to serve them. “Toni too, I see. What can I get you three?”

“I’ll have a bourbon, please, Hog Eye, you know how I like it,” Y/N replied. “Pea’s driving so he’ll just have a coke?” Sweet Pea nodded to her question. “And Toni, what do you want?” Y/N turned to Toni who seemed distracted but requested a Jack and coke at her prompting.

As Hog Eye was pouring the drinks, Toni zoned out again, slowly gaining a mischievous twinkle in her eye paired with a not-so-hidden grin. “Y’know, Y/N, you’re looking hot as hell tonight.”

Y/N turned bright red at Toni’s words, and she wanted nothing more than to hit her head on the bar counter in embarrassment. A similar, but more subtle, pink dusted Sweet Pea’s cheeks. It was also joined by a small smirk.

“Um, thanks I--”

“Yeah, you look amazing, let me take a photo of your outfit. And Sweet Pea! Sweet Pea can be in the photo as well.” She was talking so frantically that neither Y/N or Sweet Pea really understood what was going on so when Toni suddenly gripped Y/N’s arms and spun her around for the picture, Sweet Pea had to grab Y/N by the waist to stop her toppling over.

“Perfect! Just perfect!” Toni exclaimed, pulling her phone out of her jacket pocket. “Now Y/N just move a little closer to Sweet Pea.”

“Do you know what the fuck is going on?” Sweet Pea whispered into Y/N’s ear, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. She shook her head in answer but also to rid herself of the odd sensation, she could use that bourbon now.

“And smile!”

Toni took the photo. The pair began to move apart from the too-close position before Toni stopped them with a hand, that mischievous look taking over her entire face.

“Would you look at that!” She feigned surprise, tilting her head to the ceiling. Y/N and Sweet Pea followed suit, freezing at what they saw. Shit.

“Mistletoe. You know what that means?”

“No, Toni you were--”

“You’re under the mistletoe, you have to kiss.” Toni seemed to be enjoying Y/N’s squirming, but Y/N was more concerned about Sweet Pea unwrapping his arm from around her waist and pulling away, taking it as rejection. Although it was nothing short of what she expected, it still stung.

“No, Toni, I think Y/N wants you to come here.” Sweet Pea stepped back, motioning Toni over. Y/N could almost scream in frustration, this was not going how she had wanted it to go.

“No, it was supposed to be you and Toni under the--”

“Guys, just get on with--” Toni tried to interrupt Y/N, but Sweet Pea stepped in.

“Wait, you were trying to set me up with Toni?” Y/N swung around to face him, now incredibly concerned that he had taken offence. She had not considered Sweet Pea might consider her scheming overstepping.

“Yes, I just wanted to see you happy and I know you have a crush on--”

“Me? Have a crush on Toni?” Sweet Pea’s eyes were almost bugging out his head.

Their outbursts had gained the attention of a few of the nearest Serpents whilst Hog Eye was trying his very hardest to hold in laughter, his face beginning to resemble a tomato.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to--”

“I thought you had a crush on Toni!” His exclamation caused Y/N to freeze, both of them oblivious to the listening ears and the amused smiles of the entire bar.

“You--I--What?” Y/N could not believe a single word that she was hearing. How had he gotten the idea that she liked Toni? Y/N had noticed how he had always smiled when they approached her and whenever she was mentioned in conversation the same look reappeared; how else was Y/N supposed to interpret this?

“As entertaining as this is, we would all appreciate it if you both shut up.” Toni’s words brought their attention to the silence that otherwise filled the room and the fact that every pair of eyes were trained on them. If Y/N had been embarrassed before, it did not compare to how she felt now.

Heat filled her entire body, and not in a good way, her face radiating as she chewed at the skin on her lower lip. Sweet Pea was hiding his embarrassment somewhat better, but pink still tinged his cheeks and the tips of ears.

“You’re under the mistletoe so stop stalling and just kiss!” a shout came from somewhere in the small crowd.

Sweet Pea shot a glare in the heckler’s direction before he took a step closer as Y/N was still frozen in shock, reaching his hand to cup her cheek, gently tilting her head upwards to face him. His thumb smoothed over her warm cheek as he scanned her eyes for any form of protest--there was some hesitation but also a hefty amount of want. The same thumb ran over her lower lip now, his ring cold on her skin as he pulled her slightly bruised lip from between her teeth. Pea’s gaze left her lips, meeting hers and silently asking for her permission. After a nod, so small that only he would have seen, he brought his other hand up to her unoccupied cheek, guiding her face up so they met in the middle.

Sweet Pea wasted no time in pressing his lips to hers, unable to believe that this was happening and savouring the moment. Y/N broke out of a trance, bringing one arm up to wrap around his neck, threading her fingers through the short hairs at the nape of his neck, ensuring he would not pull away quite yet. It was too soon.

Her lips were on fire, but it was the sparks that spread from their connection through all the nerves in her body that racked her with shivers and set her akin alight. Her other arm settled against his chest, clenching the material of his jumper in her fingers as one of Sweet Pea’s found its place at her waist, pressing her against him, trying to get as much contact as possible.

And then Y/N began to move her lips in a gentle caress, Sweet Pea following suit. There was no rush or urgency, they had time but also a passion as they poured their love for one another into this kiss. The pair moved almost in opposites, caressing each other in turn. Y/N took a gasp of air so Pea seized the chance to run the tip of his tongue along her lower lip, not needing to deepen the kiss further, but savouring the feeling, her touch, her taste, when they were no longer connected. Y/N moved to wrap her other arm around his neck but a loud clearing of a throat registered, triggering Y/N to remember just where they were.

She leant her forehead against Sweet Pea’s chest, her cheeks turning even redder whilst her lungs were still trying to catch up, snickers beginning to filter through to her ears. How could she forget where they were? She probably would have allowed them to progress to a full-on makeout session, without intervention, completely oblivious to the audience they had gained.

Sweet Pea pressed a kiss to the top of Y/N’s head, the hand not on her waist smoothing through her hair. The contact of his skin sent a shiver down her spine, her body obviously not registering their audience.

Once she finally caught her breath and calmed down, she pulled away enough for Sweet Pea to press a small kiss to her nose. An involuntary grin took over her lips and stayed in place as she finally twisted her head to look at the Serpents gathered around.

A chorus of cheering and wolf whistles broke out. Toni still stood behind her, only now joined by Cheryl, who had wrapped an arm around her waist; the former wore an incredibly smug expression whilst the latter simply looked thoroughly entertained. Fangs, on the other hand, who stood a few metres from them, had a slightly childish pout on his face aimed solely at Toni.

“Told you I could do it tonight,” Toni simply said in answer to his expression. “You’re going to have to pay up.” She held her hand out, making a ‘gimme’ motion.

“I don’t have the money on me right now! I was so sure…” the last part seemed to only be spoken to himself.

“You bet on us!” Y/N cried indignantly, wrapping her arms around herself, interlocking her fingers with Pea’s at her waist.

“Only last week,” Toni placated, as if that made it any better.

“If it’s any consolation, Y/N,” Hog Eye spoke unexpectedly. He was leant casually against the wall behind the bar, a smug smile that rivalled Toni’s, adorning his face, “me and yer’ mom have had one going for years.”

“My mom!” Y/N was not angry, per se, but more frustrated with the fact that everyone seemed to have been in a secret conspiracy, even her mom.

“Just don’t tell her about all the mistletoe I put everywhere.” Hog Eye began to full-on belly laugh when Y/N’s eyes bugged out of her head. The rest of the bar, still listening, joined in too.

Y/N twisted back around to properly hug Sweet Pea, wanting to fully gauge his reaction. It seemed she was not alone in her embarrassment, but by the chuckles that were beginning to vibrate through his chest, he was finding the humorous side of things. Y/N sighed. She supposed it was all good-natured.

Y/N‘s gaze flickered over Sweet Pea’s face, taking in the small smile, the slight flush to his handsome features and the twinkle in his forest green eyes. He was truly gorgeous.

“I fucking love you,” she whispered to him, smoothing a lock of his hair back from where it had fallen into his face.

“And I fucking love you.”

[edisonstolemyheart]

Secret Solstice Santa

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays @itsbrindleybinch! I hope you enjoy your gift, it was so lovely to receive your letter and was great fun writing this! Thank you to @andi-the-cat for organising this! Rating: Fluff Word Count: 1982

  “Ok, let me try and get this straight.” Zeph held up his hands and stepped towards Freya, the rest of the Pend Pals looking just as confused as he does. “We each write down our name and put them inside this box,” Freya nods. “And we then pick a name and buy that person a present?”

“Without telling anyone who you picked, yes!” She chuckles as she hands around small slips of paper, watching as everyone scribbles their names and drops the paper into the box. After a vigorous shake, she passes the box back around and lets everyone grab a name.

“So we just buy this person a gift?” Atlas frowns at the paper in her hands, scrunching it up and shoving it deep into her pocket. “Sounds easy.”

“Nothing too expensive, remember, just a small something you think they’ll like. And we can swap them all tomorrow at movie night!” The Sun Att is practically glowing with excitement. “I’m going to Penn Square now; I’ll see you all later!”

The Pend Pals split in different directions, Beckett waiting until everyone had disappeared to lace his fingers through Freya’s.

“May I join you?” He gently pressed his lips to her temple, revelling at the pink blush that graced her cheeks - every time he kisses her, without fail. She nods, allowing him to open a portal that they both step through, feeling the warmth of Penn Square surrounding them.

“Do you know what you’re going to buy?” She nudged him gently, squeezing his hand.

“I… have had a few thoughts,” he frowns slightly, “These Attuneless traditions are fascinating, yet beyond me.” Beckett smiled ruefully, smoothing his blazer out of habit. “…Freya?”

He turns to Freya, her attention focused entirely on a store a few doors down from Maison D’Yew. Beckett examines the window display she’s staring so intently at, rows upon rows of glowing lights, lamps, and holograms. His mouth opens to speak before immediately closing it again, not even knowing what to say.

“Wait here.” His shopping companion drops his hand before dashing to the store, not even giving his brain time to catch up. He rocks on his feet for a few moments before a market stall catches his own eye. Freya would find him when she was finished.

He trailed his finger across the stacks of Muse records, occasionally flicking them out to read the front.

‘Perfect for the Earth Att, this Muse offers a grounding boost of energy to the adventurous!’

Beckett smiled to himself, paying for the Muse and tucking it under his arm, wrapped in a golden tissue to disguise the gift. Maybe there wasn’t much to this ‘Secret Santa’ thing after all.

His purchase was well timed, as Freya reappeared from the store, carrying a gift bag stuffed with black paper. She beamed at him, reconnecting their hands, and raising an eyebrow at the square under his arm.

“Did you find what you needed, darling?” Beckett murmured into her red hair, breathing in the delicate scent. Freya hummed happily in response, hugging his arm close to her, blushing again at the pet name. She tilted her head up to him, and their lips almost touched before they were interrupted by-

“Gross. Get a room.” Atlas appeared behind them, playfully elbowing Freya in the side. “Whose name did you two get?” She prodded at the bag in her twin’s hand before swiftly receiving an elbow to her own side.

“The whole point is not to tell anyone! Are you here to get your present?”

“S’pose so.” Atlas shrugged, looking around the square. “Don’t have a clue what it is yet though.”

Freya looked from her twin to Beckett. “You go on ahead,” she brought his hand upwards and softly brushed her lips against the palm of his hand. Atlas gagged silently and pointedly turned her back. “I’ll stay and help Atlas find something appropriate.”

Beckett’s hand traced the side of her cheek and lightly ran his fingers through her soft hair. Upon receiving a look from Atlas, he blushed and took a step backwards, clearing his throat quietly.

“Yes…” He trailed off, reddening further at Freya’s giggle and Atlas’s raised eyebrow. “I- I’ll head back now then.” A portal quickly opened, and he was gone.

Freya turned to her sister with a grin. “You need to stop doing that to him.”

“Never.” Atlas broke into an almost-smile of her own. “Not until you two stop doing that first.”

The redhead rolled her eyes and linked their arms. Atlas sighed and allowed the contact, secretly enjoying the closeness she had been without for so long.

“So,” Freya pulls Atlas into step beside her. “I’m hoping you have some idea on where to start looking.”

Atlas made a face. “Not really,” she tips her head backwards and huffs, “Was just gonna grab whatever works.”

Her twin stops and pulls her around to face her. “What’s up? You’re never usually in a mood like this.” Freya asks, her voice laced with concern, eyes sad. Atlas shrugged, looking downcast.

“I just… I want it to be right, you know?” She shook her head gently, allowing her silver hair to obscure her face. “I’ve never done something like this, with… with friends. I can’t mess it up.”

Freya brightened instantly. “Then I know you’ll find something amazing. I know that my present is perfect,” She tucked Atlas’s hair back and grinned competitively, “And I know you won’t stop looking until you manage to find something even more perfect than mine.”

Atlas froze for a moment, before the smile she was fighting back broke through. She dragged her sister into a fast walk towards a boutique on a quiet street. “You’re gonna be so jealous of my gift-giving skills.” The twins laughed, Atlas leading them into the cluttered store and breaking their arms apart. “Get lost. I’m going to find the best present now.”

“Liar.” Freya ran to the far end of the store. “I’m going to find you the best present, and then you’ll have to tell everyone that it was actually my idea!”

“You don’t even know who I’m buying for!” Atlas called back, digging through a rack of jewellery.

Freya popped her head around the corner and held up a… yeah, Atlas had no idea what that was. She stared incredulously at her sister.

“It’s a…” Freya frowned and grabbed the label hanging off the item. “Gorgue home intrusion detection system!’ Atlas shook her head at the hideous frog-shaped lump.

“See, this is why I’m going to find the best gift,” Atlas thumbed through a collection of necklaces, her eyes lighting up as she read through the labels. “Go look at the stuffed toys or something.”

Freya pouted at her sister, turning away to fiddle with the ears of an Arylu toy. When her back was turned, Atlas grabbed a bundle from the table and quickly paid, stuffing the item in her pocket. Freya noticed the quick movement and gasped in mock offence, Atlas simply smirking and leaving the store.

Outside, Freya looped their arms back together, bumping her head against Atlas’s shoulder. Her twin smiled and pulled them back towards the college, the sun just beginning to set in the sky.

  The following evening, the Pend Pals gathered in the Roost for a Christmas movie evening, another insistence from Freya. A small pile of presents rested on the floor, only to be opened after at least one movie had been watched. Zeph sat on the floor, throwing snacks for Atlas to catch in her mouth. Aster and Griffin chatted animatedly about his scholarship, and Beckett watched with a raised eyebrow as Shreya examined each of the secret parcels.

It was the perfect setting for a night of happiness and friendship, Freya thought, as she smiled around the room.

The group sat through the movie, Aster and Zeph pestering Freya with questions and Shreya critiquing the film for its lack of ‘real magick’ and how ‘Solstice makes more sense’. The instant the end credits appeared, Atlas jumped up from her seat and almost threw herself upon the gift pile, using air magick to throw them into the ceiling as she searched for her own. Zeph counteracted her small tornado and dragged the presents back down to the ground, receiving a punch to the shoulder and a scowl from Atlas.

Beckett sighed and picked up the presents, checking the labels and passing them around. Tissue flew around the room as the group tore into their gifts, eager to see the contents and find their mystery giver.

“What is it?” Aster beamed at Zeph, holding her present in her hands.

“First off, how did you know it was me?” Zeph pouted. Aster held up the label on the gift, scrawled writing saying ‘Aster! Merry Christmas and Happy Solstice! Love-’ Zeph’s name could be seen scribbled out before being replaced with a string of questions marks.

Atlas snorted, and Zeph sent a pile of gift wrap flying into her face. He turned to Aster and grabbed the black orb from her hands, shaking it.

“It’s an Attuneless fortune teller! You ask it a question and it predicts the future… kind of. There’s no actual magick involved though. Am I the greatest friend ever?” He stopped shaking the ball and held it out.

‘Signs point to no.’

Aster wrapped Zeph in a tight hug and took the orb. “It must have been wrong that time, because I love it! I can’t wait to tell the saplings about Attuneless magick!”

Across the room, Griffin pulled Beckett into a one-armed hug, the Muse tucked under his other arm. Beckett held back a grimace and allowed the embrace, soon pulling back and adjusting his blazer, hiding a small, self-satisfied smile.

Freya turned to watch as Atlas unwrapped her present, holding the moon-shaped object in her hand. She leant against her sister’s shoulder, and tapped the top of the ball, watching as it lit up in a perfect image of the moon in the sky and projected stars across the room.

“This is the exact position the stars were in on the night we were born,” Freya smiled at Atlas, spinning the moon around in her hands. “The moon is so you never forget who you are, and the stars so you never forget who _we _are. Where we came from.”

Atlas stared at the glowing moon, and bit her lower lip. She nudged her twin gently with her shoulder and smiled, not saying a word for fear her voice would betray how emotional the gift had made her. She blinked a few times, and rubbed her eyes.

“Forgive the intrusion, but by process of elimination, you must be the one to have given me my gift.” Beckett appeared next to Atlas, who quickly returned to her usual demeanour.

“Yeah,” She shrugged, looking at the pair of necklaces in Beckett’s hand. “You two love all that mushy stuff.” She walked away to pour herself a drink, leaving Beckett and Freya alone.

“What are they?” Freya lifted one out of Beckett’s palm, turning it over to examine the glowing centre.

“They’re separation charms. Two people share a set and when you’re apart and thinking of each other, they glow.” Beckett took the necklace back from Freya and clasped it behind her neck. “I hope we’re never apart for too long, but should it happen, this way you’ll know I’m always thinking of you.” He put on his own and tucked it beneath his shirt.

Freya linked their hands together, resting her head on his shoulder and watching the rest of her friends laugh and joke across the room. Suddenly, she perked her head up with a small frown on her face.

Beckett turned to her. “Is everything alright? You look annoyed about something.”

Freya shook her head slightly.

“I think Atlas may have just won Secret Santa.”

[timedriving]

rip/ donna

send me a ship and i’ll tell you… ( accepting )

who hogs the duvet i think it’s a fair bit of struggling that eventually ends in donna’s favour because... rip can’t win even if he tries. LMAO. he gives up after waking up for the third time that evening but donna looks so comfy he’s like... all right. this is fine. i’m content with this

who texts/rings to check how their day is going rip does check-ins more often, but donna’s more likely to text when she’s got something on her mind, random or otherwise. rip doesn’t really understand the concept of “random texting when you’re bored” and doesn’t want to suffocate her or anything

who’s the most creative when it comes to gifts donna is better at intentional gifts, and rip does things that don’t SEEM like gifts to him, but totally are. an explanation of the latter is something along the lines of “rip taking donna on a surprise trip to go camping in arizona where they can look up at the stars and map out constellations together and also he made food and ALSO he’s got proper camping gear and he’s been thinking about this for weeks... what do you mean this is a date?”

who gets up first in the morning donna is probably one of the few people in the world who can wake up at the same hour as rip and not feel tired or grouchy at the godawful hour. this means rip gets to draw her in cotton candy sunrises and donna gets to show him the world she lives in before it all properly wakes up, and it makes the whole thing kind of ridiculously magic also, neither of them have to wait for the other to have breakfast together.

who suggests new things in bed donna! it’s not that rip’s not as enthusiastic, but more that physical intimacy in general is an adventure to him already. also, i imagine donna’s experience with society means that she gets a lot more inspiration for this sort of thing than rip would get at the vanishing point? the most kink he has is liking to blindfold his partners or bind them with simple ties. it’s donna who ends up suggesting her lasso, for one thing

who cries at movies do..nna...?? between the two of them her empathy’s developed a lot more than rip’s has. but his interactions with her and the films they end up watching together do help him build his own empathy! i like to think the first movie he properly cries at the end at is the matrix revolutions. i don’t know why i imagined them watching the matrix revolutions. anyway it astounds him to think neo could love machines so much he gives his life to save them just as he saves humanity (rip related more to the machines in this case, too.........)

who gives unprompted massages i keep answering donna for these things, but rip doesn’t really know that this is a thing! he’ll comes back from an assignment tense because it’d been a close call, and then she’ll kiss the back of his neck whilst he sits down and work his shoulders and rip kind of just melts under her touch (but, let’s be real, he melts around her all the time because he’s so smitten-- this is just his body finally matching up with his mind)

who fusses over the other when they’re sick i don’t think donna gets sick very often? and while she takes care of rip it’s not necessarily fussing either, but a bit more-- she knows what she’s doing, having come from a place where caring for each other is the common mantra, and he feels kind of ridiculous having someone be so tender and kind with him, but he really does feel like he’s cared for (a rare sensation overall)

who gets jealous easiest FINALLY i am answering rip. but rip’s got a big of possessive canine instinct going on, all fang-bearing and whatever if donna’s ever being threatened. he doesn’t care about playful flirting with, like, friends or anything, but strangers out in the open better WATCH OUT... not that rip’s the type to beat up strangers but. he’ll think about it. he’ll think about it hard until donna’s the one who shoots them down. and then seeing her shoot them down will make rip want to pull her aside and kiss her because he uh. he sucks

who has the most embarrassing taste in music rip doesn’t have a taste in music? but i can’t imagine donna’s to be EMBARRASSING to him... if anything he’ll be awed with whatever her music tastes are because. you listen to these things for pleasure? you enjoy them? i enjoy them because you enjoy them. these lyrics sure are something. it’s funny how i know what instruments are playing individually but i never thought they’d sound like this altogether the idea that donna introduces him to the music of the 90′s/00′s is really fucking sweet actually........... he only ever listened to music for stock knowledge, but it’d be wild to lie down with her and listen to something just for the sake of listening to music together

who collects something unusual rip isn’t allowed to own things at the vanishing point, so the fact he finds a home in donna means her room probably houses his postal stamp collection... and, okay, postal stamp collecting isn’t the SEXIEST hobby, but 1) it doesn’t take up much space; and 2) it’s rip’s gateway drug to collection/hoarding, anyway. she’s got the scrapbook he uses kept away in a drawer and sometimes rip makes his own stamps out of souvenirs he takes from his missions

who takes the longest to get ready donna, who really makes an effort! and rip with his minute attention to detail always notices when she has a new shade of eyeshadow or lipstick or something. he finds it genius how she can make her look change so much... on his own end, rip doesn’t know how to change his look. i figure in this stage of his life, he mostly defaults to shirts and jeans, so he’s pretty useless and basic. on the rare occasions that he wants to dress up nice for her, however, he will take forever... because he doesn’t know how to be handsome enough to deserve her, whyyyyyy

who is the most tidy and organised donna! but then, donna actually has stuff TO organise. rip, who owns nothing, wouldn’t have a clue if he did have something. all he knows is how to keep his living space at the vanishing point clean, but that’s like... the most basic of the basic things

who gets most excited about the holidays donna is really excited to share her traditions, and rip is excited to partake in them with her. he sheepishly tells her that he doesn’t have his own holidays; he doesn’t even know when his nameday is, so. (but she’ll insist they choose a date just so they can celebrate it, and he’s horrifically shy about it because... you want a day... just to celebrate him?)

who is the big spoon/little spoon OOOHHHH AN ANSWER WHERE I CAN SAY THEY’RE HAPPY BEING EITHER... rip has a bigger tendency to big spoon though because he likes the feeling of having his arms wrapped around her, but at this point in his life he’s not jaded or traumatised enough to be extremely touch averse, especially with the first love of his life i think donna has an innate sense of knowing when rip’s feeling especially drained and will tell him to lie down when she does, at which point she’ll come up behind him and hold him and rip will just sigh because donna thinks of everything... what a genius

who gets most competitive when playing games and/or sports oh god this is destructive shit. people get bored of watching them play ping-pong because it lasts FOREVER. and the thing is they’re both like, killer focused on it, so they’re not even hurling insults at each other or teasing or anything-- they’re both in it to win it and it’s a wonder donna hasn’t obliterated the ping-pong ball yet with her strength

who starts the most arguments i like to think that rip’s more likely to get angry about things, but not necessarily about them as a couple? it’s more like he’ll be more confrontational when they’re disrespected in public or something-- he’s got the temper of a leashed dog, again, and it’s not like his canines are weirdly pointed because he shouldn’t bite for all their youth i think they’re both old souls who know too well about understanding to start any stupid arguments. imagine having a healthy honest relationship wow

who suggests that they buy a pet i think rip mentions it kind of off-handedly and donna laughs like “why?” and rip’s reasoning is just, like, he’ll see other couples walk a dog together... maybe it’d be nice if they walked a dog together, too and it’s the softest thing on the planet, but they aren’t together enough to warrant owning a dog together, so they don’t end up getting one it’s nice to imagine, though

what couple traditions they have they seem the type to have a secret handshake from when they were still just friends? which was actually a secret handshake that adult!rip had taught kid!donna when they first met years ago, in a sort of time loop sort of thing because young adult!donna ends up teaching it to young adult!rip... you know, one of those “perfect circle” things. the only difference now is that the handshake ends with a kiss

what tv shows they watch together i think donna makes an effort to find shows that rip would find genuine interest in, since he so rarely has time to be around and she wants to make the most of it? but they have a nice mix of humour and romcom and action/adventure... she’ll discover that rip really, really likes westerns, too, and rip will be surprised that that’s a whole GENRE, holy shit?? where can they see MORE of that????? i want them to watch the nanny though.........

what other couple they hang out with god the thought of a dickkory + ripdonna double date is actually really cool to me? kori’ll take him flying and rip’s going to be like ACK and dick’s all jokingly like “you’re dating a serious nerd, donna” and she’s just. she knows. she knows... but he’s the sweetest man she’s ever met and yes, grayson, that means he’s sweeter than you! rip’s going to be just as good at darts as dick though and dick’s going to be like DUDE... FOR REAL?

how they spend time together as a couple it’s suuuuuper gross, but they! like! touching! and not even, like, dirty touching, but holding hands is pretty usual for them, and so is dropping kisses here and there, even if it’s not going to start anything. it’s a serious cliche puppy love sort of thing?? like rip will like keeping his arm around her, too, and donna will like having her head in his lap, and for indoor hobbies especially, they can do separate things (e.g. donna watching a movie and rip reading a book) but still be connected in this way if rip had his way he would be able to be around her all the time, too

who made the first move rip does, but it’s not like... outwardly flirtatious or anything (he’s useless!). he just, y’know, drops compliments here and there... looks a bit shy when he does it... and donna’s no idiot, she knows he likes her, and eventually grins and calls him out on it and rip’s like “I DON’T-- yeah okay i do want very much to take you out to dinner, can i?” and donna’s laughing at how sheepish he is and kissing him on the cheek like “yes, rip” and rip’s like “REALLY? i mean, erm-- outstanding! that’s outstanding, yeah”

who brings flowers home rip will come home from long assignments with gifts, ok! and sometimes those gifts include flowers. he studies flower language in his free time so he can do it properly for her, but i think with them real flowers aren’t so important... so rip will give origami bouquets

who is the best cook rip knows how to cook more things with expertise because of his job, but i think overall he prefers donna’s cooking. there’s something so kind and warm about eating food made by someone who cares for you... that being said, he likes to cook for her, too, and for all his gourmet knowledge he still just makes simple things, because i imagine donna the type to see the value of comfort food and for rip to have the same sentiments

[warriorteam1924]

Music is my savior (Part 19)

Author note : Hello my beauties !! I hope you guys are not too mad at me for the previous part. Still very good feedback so I guess it was fine !! I hope that you’re doing okay and that you’re ready for part 19 as we are Thursday already !! As usual thanks a lot for liking, sending messages, commenting !! Your feedback really keeps my heart warm and gets me even more motivated to carry on !! Even if my fist motiv is my sis !! Love you so much !!

Summary : Reader had been chosen to be bassist on the Bohemian Rhapsody set. Reader’s journey carries on as she get to actually work on the set with everyone, and she gets more responsibilities. After a little trouble with a colleague, some entertainment with friends, the accomplishment of a special project, reader’s having fun…. But for how long? Feelings are coming reader’s way…. Yet, the adventure continues….

Word Count :  2,918 words

Warnings : a little bit of cussing and a tiny violence. Nothing too bad I hope….

Tagging :  @crazyweirdocalledfriday @reavenedges-lies @mercurycrowley

Part 19 : Jealousy

After the recent events, working on the filming set of the movie Bohemian Rhapsody was hardly getting back to normal. Everybody on the set knew Joe Mazzello, even if all were not close friends. The morning of  the funeral, they all had remained silent for a minute, sixty seconds during which some of them had prayed or merely had a thought for the man, father of three who had lost his last battle. Being on the filming set of a movie about Freddie Mercury was only adding to the general pain. Many of you were thinking about the last days of the legendary performer. He too had been taken too soon, you considered. Joe and the main cast were not back yet, but guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor were back in the United Kingdom. Once again, they were trying their best to spend time with you, grieving together, yet at the end of the day you knew they had their families waiting for them at home. As a result, you tried you best to reassure them, smiling more and more as the days were passing by.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay, sweetheart? Your tea and biscuits are delicious after a hard day of work.”, Brian was telling you, as always, in his very sweet and kind voice.

“I’m sure, Bri. Please, go back home and enjoy yourselves with your families. We know how important this is, don’t we?”, you answered.

“Okay, Princess. I just hope you’re not sending us back home because you are keeping all the cookies for a secret lover of yours. You know I will take it very badly.”, Roger joked.

“I promise I will bake some cookies only for you Rog. This way, you will surely look like the real Santa Clause.”, you replied with a sweet smile, slightly making fun of his white beard.

As you were using humour again, the two musicians knew you were getting better and at the end of the day, they considered their Princess was safe so they could come back to their families.

The whole production staff was also very kind to you. They knew, as you were bass teacher and player on the filming set, that you and Joe were now very close and that this lost had affected you more than you would admit it. Each of them was having a sweet word for you and it seemed they had organised for you not to be left on your own too often. Kevin was particularly present, making sure there was not a single minute of silence while he was around you. You could not help but smile when he was randomly speaking, about the weather, electronic stuff, or the new application he had downloaded on his phone. During the period when he was teaching Joe the riffs from John Deacon’s ‘Another one bites the dust’, the amp expert certainly noticed the actor was always talking, joking, moving or eating, making each moment in his company never boring. As Kevin really appreciated you now, he was probably trying to recreate Joe’s behavior when he was with you.

“It’s good to see you smile.”, he eventually said.

“Thanks Kevin, but don’t worry, I’m alright.”, you tried to convince him.

“Hum, no you’re not. Everyone can tell you have not had a nice rest for days. Your mouth can pretend things but your body can’t. You’ve got huge dark rings under your eyes and your hair is a mess really. No offence.”, he added, shrugging his shoulders.

“How on earth you ended with a real life girlfriend remains a mystery to all man kind. You’re nothing but pure finesse and subtle delicateness when talking to girls this is absolutely incredible.”, you told him, full of sarcasm.

“Oups, sorry, I did not mean to hurt your feelings, please don’t take it badly….”, he hastily babbled.

“It’s okay, Kev. You spoke nothing but the truth. I don’t want to worry or bother anyone, but I am tired. And my face has seen better days. I should try and put some make up. And maybe I need to go shopping, to get fruits and veggies. Vitamines will help me get back on my feet. I fancy a warm soup to be honest. And I also need flour for Rog’s cookies….”, you remembered, frowning a little.

“Okay for the cookies, but how on earth can you fancy a soup?”, Kevin grimaced as he was tidying up the mess the two of you had created when playing at the end of yet another recording session. “Let me finish this and let’s go together then.”, he concluded.

“Kevin, please, you don’t need to do this. I’m sure you’ve got many things to do. I don’t want to bother you….”, you told him, as you were helping him.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. But you realize I’m going to do it anyways, don’t you?”, he carried on.

You looked at him and remained silent for a moment. He looked up, worried you were not replying but he felt a little relieved when he saw you were actually smiling at him.

“Thanks, Kev.”, you eventually whispered.

—————————————-

As the grocery store was not very far, Kevin and you walked there, even if it was raining. He was holding the umbrella above the two of you, maybe trying to be a gentleman for once, after his remark about your tired appearance. You had warm clothes but you were literally freezing. It was certainly due to the fact you were exhausted and you began to feel slightly concerned about the cold on your hands, even if you had put them in your pockets.

The two of you entered the little shop and Kevin took your hand and said in a very high voice:

“Okay, let’s look for make up first my dear !”, walking as if he was on high heels and pretending to be a girl. The other customers looked at him quite confused but you could not help but laugh. He arrived in the make up section and stared at you.

“Damn, I would not be able to choose, even for my girlfriend.”, he admitted.

“I’ve only seen her once, but it seems she’s not a professional painter.”, you tried to joke. “She’s got beautiful eyes and she knows how to highlight her look.”

Kevin apologized as his phone was ringing. “Hey, that’s her”, he happily said. He stepped a little from you as he was answering. You looked at the mascaras and the different foundations that were available and sighed at the thought you had to think to pick the right one.

Your friend came back next to you and grimaced.

“I forgot I had to meet her at a restaurant. She’s furious. I did not know what to say, so I pretended I could not hear her…..”, he confessed, slightly panicking.

“Oh, Kev, you know you should not do this. Buy flowers, go and apologize to her.”, you told him saying no with your face.

“You’re sure you’re going to be okay?”, he asked you, not wanting to leave you on your own.

“Kevin, go, now. I’m fine. ‘The show must go on’, as Freddie would say”, you replied as you kindly pushed him away.

“Okay then, see you tomorrow.”, he concluded as he awkwardly kissed your cheeks.

“Even if Brian wrote the song on the first place”, you mumbled to yourself as you randomly picked some make up.

You wandered a little in the fruits and veggies sections and you thought about an Italian soup, dedicated to Mister Mazzello. You were sure he would have appreciated the gesture. You did not know many recipes so you chose the ingredients according to what you remembered. You were about to go and pay but went back to pick up what you needed to make cookies for the bearded drummer.

You headed to pay your purchases and talked a little with the seller of the little grocery store.

“The lady is alone today?”, he asked you, as always very kindly.

“Yes, indeed. But it’s temporary.”, you tried to reassure him, as the man always had a sweet word for you.

When you were about to pay, you felt really bad as you did not have enough money.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, this is very embarrassing.”, you tried to apologize. “Could I come another time to buy the make up?”, you almost whispered. The seller looked at you and winked at you.

“No problem, sweet lady. Come back anytime.”, he said as he was deleting the make up from your receipt.

You deeply thanked him, apologized again and headed towards the exit. In front of the door, you tried to close you bag properly, as it was still raining and Kevin had left with the umbrella.

“Excuse me, you forgot something !”, you heard behind you, in a hasty voice, as you were already in the street.

You turned to look and you saw a man running in your direction, holding a little bag in his hand.

“I think this is yours.”, he said, as he gave you the items.

You frowned a little but looked in the bag anyways. Inside was the make up you had left at the checkout. You blushed again and replied:

“I did not forget it, I could not afford it today.”, you told him, a little bitter in your voice.

“Yeah, I know. I bought it for you.”, he carried on.

“Thank you but this was not necessary.”, you continued as you gave him the bag back and you turned away from him to go back in studio 39.

“Oh, come on, don’t be so shy.”, he insisted, putting a hand on your shoulder, trying to stop you.

“Sorry, I’m late I need to go now.”, you replied as you went a little faster to make him understand you were not interested.

“You know, a beautiful lady like you is full of temptations. We should go to my place and find out.”, he teased you, as he was now facing you and you stopped in the middle of the empty street.

“I’m sorry?”, you asked, raising your eyebrows.

“I will carry your bag and maybe I will need a reward….”, he stated, still very sure of him.

“I’m not interested, let me go.”, you interrupted him.

“Come oooon, this will be fun.”, he carried on, still facing you to prevent you from going anywhere.

“The lady is not interested, nor she’s yours, now piss off.”, you heard from behind you.

You turned around and sighed in relief as you saw Ben standing behind you, furious. He was all dressed in black, his gorgeous green eyes were looking daggers at the other man and it seemed the fact the stranger was way taller than him did not bother him a single second.

“Calm down, mate, I just wanted to help the chick, that’s it.”, the other man said.

“First of all, don’t you dare say she’s a chick. Second of all, she does not need help. Third of all, if she needs help, I’m here for her.”, Ben stated, now between you and the man.

“Ben, let’s go, please.”, you told him, trying to pull him by the arm, but he was standing straight on his feet, still furiously looking at the man.

“Yeah you should go, Ben”, the man ironically said. “Listen to your girl before something bad happens to you.”

As you knew Ben very well now, you put your bag on the pavement and grabbed both his arms to prevent him from punching the man. He tried to struggle from your hold and the man loudly laughed.

“Ben, don’t do this. If someone sees you, your career is over. Think about the movie, all the people working with you. He’s not worth it.”, you whispered in his ear.

He looked down and calmed down. “You’re right, bub.”, he replied. “Let’s go.”, he concluded as he leaned to take the bag. The two of you walked before the man, ignoring him.

“That’s what I thought. A little man with no balls.”, the stranger laughed again.

For a second it seemed your body was no longer under your control. It was as if you were staring at a scene from someone else’s body. You heard yourself say : “He can’t but I can.”, and you punched the man directly in the face. Certainly more due to the surprise of your act than because of your strength, the man fell down, still holding the little bag in his hand.

Ben looked at him and it was his turn to laugh. “Yeah mate, don’t mess with a bassist. They do it deeper…. Come on, bub, let’s go.”, he carried on, taking your hand to go back home.

—————————————-

“Does it still hurt?”, Ben asked you.

You were trying to dry yourself back in studio 39 but it was useless. It was as if the water had soaked in your bones. You looked at your right hand, swelled after the punch you had given the man in the street.

“It really does. But I’m more ashamed. I don’t know what happened. It was as if someone else was doing it. Hopefully, no one saw that.”, you said, saying no with your face.

“To be honest, I’m glad I did. This was incredible.”, Ben joked.

You looked at him and sighed. “Okay, let’s forget about this. I think it’s for the best.”, you concluded as you headed to the kitchen to prepared tea and tidy the kitchen with your purchases.

“Let me do this. Your hand needs to rest.”, Ben told you, forcing you to sit on a chair.

“Oh, and you’re going to prepare the soup as well?”, you asked him.

“Did you hire someone else to be your second-in-command? I’m still able to cook under your directions.”, he pointed out. “And I want you to rest your hand, it’s your work tool.”, he added.

He prepared a basin with cold water to appease your hand so you had no choice but to remain seated. You indicated him how to prepare the soup and it eventually tasted very good.

“Wow, this soup is good. I must say I’m surprised myself.”, Ben confessed.

“It’s an Italian recipe.”, you replied. “In honor of Mister Mazzello.”, you carried on after a pause.

Ben looked at you and sighed. “Oh, I see. You’re always so thoughtful.”, he said.

“Is Joe still in the US?”, you could not help but ask him.                    

Ben explained he was still with his family but he was planning to come back in a couple of days. The main cast had come back as well, Rami and Lucy had headed directly to the woman’s place. Gwilym had gone to see his girlfriend and Allen had come back home with his wife.

“I wanted to be with you. I know it must have been hard for you. Not to be able to stay because of the ESTA….”, Ben said.

“You’re very sweet. I’m fine, just worried for Joe. At least, I’ve been able to come, that’s all that matters.”, you replied, shrugging your shoulders.

—————————————-

The following morning, you woke up because of the pain in your hand. You went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast but you heard a very gentle knock on your door. You went to open and tears went directly in your eyes when you saw Joe standing there, with a sweet smile. Without a word, you hugged him. You were outside in the cold only wearing pyjamas, but you could not care less.

“Hey, my love. You thought I’d never come back?”, he asked you as he was hugging you back.

“Joey, I’ve missed you so much.”, you confessed. “Come in.”, you carried on as you grabbed his hand to lead him inside.

He was about to tell you about the last days the two of you were not together when Ben emerged from your bedroom in his boxers. You looked at him and remembered he had insisted to stay for the night, in case the stranger would have followed you.

“Hey mate !! I’m glad you’re back.”, he smiled at his friend and headed towards the bathroom.

You rolled your eyes and whispered :  “No worries, make yourself at home.”

You turned back to Joe who seemed really tense. Your phone rang and it was Jack, asking you to come earlier for the recording session.

“Sorry Joe, I’ve got to go. You can stay here and rest or do whatever you want.”, you told him as you went to get dressed. Still rushing, you grabbed your bass and got out of studio 39.

You were half way between your place and the set when you noticed you had forgotten your badge. You sighed and rushed back, looking at your watch.

“I asked you to come back earlier to see if she was okay….”, Joe was yelling.

“That’s what I did, mate”, Ben replied, on the contrary very calmly.

“When I said ‘take care of her’, this obviously did not imply you to sleep with her !!!”, Joe carried on shouting.

“Bro, you don’t understand….”, Ben tried to explain.

“I thought we were friends. I told you what happened with my ex girlfriend. I told you I was starting to have feelings for Y/N….”

You had your hand on the door handle but you froze, unable to move. It seemed your heart had stopped beating.

Part 18 : Made in Heaven //  Part 20 : Pain is so close to pleasure

[buckybabybaby]

Mr Hollywood (Chapter 6)

Summary: Bucky Barnes, an underpaid teaching assistant in a small English village, dreams of a movie career back in his home country of America. He finally gets the break he's always wanted, and if it wasn't for you, his best friend, he wouldn't have been able to take it.

But is that fact enough to save your friendship when it's tested by the pressures of Hollywood?

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Reader (Gender Neutral)

Word count: 1949

Chapter summary: Is Bucky really busy, or just ignoring you? 

No Bucky in this chapter :( just talk of.

Warnings: A bit sad?

Chapter 5

Mr Hollywood Masterlist

Masterlist

*****

Peggy being made deputy head two years ago was the breath of fresh air the school needed. Government lead reports always came back positive, and the children left happy and ready to take on the world by the end of year six, but like she constantly reminds you, there is always room for improvement. She is particularly good at the non curriculum side of events, the number of after school clubs have doubled since she was put in charge, and she is also keen to keep the day to day school timetable fun.

Take the pancake race. They're not actual pancakes, that could get messy and be a waste of food, so instead the children have decorated round pieces of paper with the topping they would like, which are used in place of the real thing, incorporating both art and sport.

Standing on the playground, you listen delightedly to the excited chatter from your line of Year One's, each blowing out clouds of white steam into the cold air. It's a relatively simple event, just an up and down race attempting to balance their pancake on a saucepan, and you're glad is shouldn't take too long as your fingers are going numb. Bouncing slightly to stop your toes going the same way, you snuggle into your scarf, watching Peter organise the stages smoothly. You've been so impressed by how quickly he's settled in that sometimes you forget he's relatively new. He has a way about him, charming without being sleazy, and you've joked with him before that his youthfulness helps him bond so well with the five and six year olds.

Edwin sidles up next to you and you share a smile, able to tell that he too is relishing the half hour break this activity is giving the two of you, happy to let the teaching assistants be in charge for a bit. It also gives you a chance to catch up, as even with shared lessons a couple of times a week, its a rare occasion when there aren't children to attend to or planning to begin.

“How's Ana?” You inquire. “And the girls?”

“They're good, thank you. Causing mayhem, nothing new.”

“Who, Ana? Or Emilia and Isabella?”

He snickers. “All three. But I wouldn't have it any other way.”

Grinning, you both clap politely as one race ends, before he asks, “Have you heard from James recently?”

His question has your heart sinking. It's innocent in it's intent, he knows how close you two are, and everyone in the staff room has loved the little updates you've been able to give them on their former colleague, but what he doesn't know is that you haven't heard from Bucky in over a month.

The last message you got from him was on new years eve, so technically there's been radio silence from him all year so far. At first it was just like it had been, a week or two with no response hadn't been unusual, but when you flipped your calendar to February and there had still been no interaction it started to become worrying. He's exhausted, that's what you tell yourself, but you can see he's read them, so how hard could it be for him to send a five word reply? As a consequence you'd slowed down your own texts. In the past you had sent one everyday, a little taste of home, of normality, you had hoped, to keep him updated on life back here, but now, looking at the outgoing compared to the non existent incoming, you are filled with embarrassment.

“Err no, but you know how it is. Always busy.”

“I'm sure he'll call when he can.”

You want to believe that's true, but with every passing day it seems less and less likely.

*****

A shake up of your routine in the form of a birthday party invitation is very welcome in early March. Little Benjamin is not so little any more, as signified by the big number three balloons floating around the living room, remarkably tidy given the number of toddlers running about. It's peculiar being here without Bucky acting as a buffer between his extended family and you, and you realise how much you hid behind him at such events. Sometimes quite literally.

Needing a minute by yourself after the birthday boy finishes blowing out the candles, you retreat to the kitchen. That's where Dayton's wife, Sophia, catches you red handed, shovelling down your third slice of cake. You try to apologise but she shakes her head with a grin, grabbing a plate herself and tucking in. Leaning against the cabinets next to you, she declines your offer when you motion towards the coffee pot, making you frown, knowing her love of caffeine.

She explains her actions. “Don't tell Day I told you before he could, but we're expecting again.”

It was more a case of when not if they had another child, they were both such natural parents, and this news has you tearing up as you mumble your congratulations through a mouthful of icing. Embracing her delicately, hyper aware of not crushing her, you wonder if Bucky already knows. When he'd been sworn to secrecy about their first baby, it had taken him less than a day to break that oath and tell you, and surely family would be told first, so has he managed to keep the secret this time? Or is this more evidence that he's forgotten about you?

Distracting yourself from those dark thoughts, you start speaking in a rush. “How far along are you? Are you going to find out the gender? Does Benjamin know?”

Giggling at your enthusiasm, she gently coaxes you back into the sitting room whilst she answers your queries. “We haven't told Benjamin yet, because as soon as he knows, the whole world will too, so it's just family for now. We'll tell him soon.”

“He'll be such a good older brother.”

“Like Bucky is to Dayton.”

“Nineteen minutes isn't much older,” You chuckle, despite the knot in your tummy at the mention of his name.

She excuses herself to play host, leaving you alone, and open to being coerced into a game of snakes and ladders on a giant floor mat.

*****

By the end of the afternoon you're worn out, wondering how parents do this all day. Helping tidy up after the rest of the guests left has nearly done you in, and you're close to nodding off on the sofa when Dayton comes to invite you to stay for dinner

“Or do you want me to drive you home?” He asks, amused.

“I came on the train, you don't need to bother yourself.”

“Not a bother, come on, I'll drop you off at the station.”

Relenting gratefully, you wish a sleepy Benjamin a happy birthday again, squeeze Sophia lightly, and let Dayton lead you out to the driveway and into one of his more modest cars.

Gliding smoothly up the drive and indicating to turn onto the main road, his voice only just keeps you awake. “Sophia told you about the baby?”

Remembering her earlier words, you feign ignorance. “Baby?”

He laughs at your unconvincing acting. “I know she did, I could tell by the way you hugged her goodbye. It's okay, I don't mind she got there first.”

“I'm really happy for you both.”

“Thank you.”

The drive continues in a comfortable silence, and you study his profile as he concentrates on the road. It's almost painful looking at him when he looks so much like his twin. His hair is a bit shorter and straighter, and he may be a few centimetres taller, but everything else is identical, even down to the way he sits behind the wheel, casually confident.

The image makes your heart ache.

“Have you,” You start, unsure what to say. “Have you heard from Bucky recently?”

You try to sound nonchalant, as if his answer is unimportant.

“Yeah. Why, what's he said?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing at all for two months,” You admit quietly. It feels good to tell someone, however pitiful it makes you seem.

“What do you mean-” Glancing over, he notices your eyes filling, and checking his mirrors, slams on the brakes. Flung forward in your seat, you brace your hands against the dashboard as he steers the car to the side of the street. It's a controlled stop because of his driving experience, he didn't crash his racing car because he was a bad driver, but that doesn't mean it's any less scary for you. Pulling on the hand brake, he turns to you, waiting until your breathing is calmer to talk.

“So tell me, what has my idiot of a brother done now?”

Your heart is still racing as you think of how to explain. Bucky hasn't really done anything, has he? There was never a discussion about how often you would contact each other, you had just thought that, with modern technology, a couple of lines a week wouldn't be asking too much.

Dayton breaks through your inner debate.

“Okay, I wasn't going to say this because I didn't think it meant anything, but Bucky was all mopy last time I saw him, and now I see you're not any better. What on earth is going on?”

Ignoring most of his statement, you focus on the confusing bit. “When did you see him?”

“Last week. I assumed he'd go to see you too but clearly not.”

“He was over here?”

He nods. “You haven't said anything to him either?”

“No,” You sniff, wiping at the tears slowly rolling down your cheeks. “I don't know what I've done wrong.”

Sighing, he pulls you into a hug, letting you cry into his collar. “You haven't done anything wrong. It's just... He's always been so stupid when it comes to you.”

You don't know if you should be offended by that or not, however you are too tired to work out or ask him to explain, being so emotionally vulnerable in front of someone can be draining. Finding out that Bucky is definitely avoiding you and it's not in your head has hit you hard, and it takes you a while to slow the tears and untangle yourself from Dayton.

Sitting back in your seat, he starts the car again and you spend the rest of the journey thinking of anything but Bucky. Or at least trying to. Opening your window a crack you lean your head on the frame, the cool air helping revive you and dry your eyes, and you appreciate the radio being turned up as a distraction.

Parking in front of the small railway station, he makes sure you're feeling okay, convinced you're better from the smile as you dodge away from his attempts to fix a woolly hat on your head.

“I'm not cold!”

He tucks it in to your pocket anyway, “Just in case.”

Checking that a train is arriving soon, he only allows you out of the car as the front lights of the engine come into view along the line. Thanking him, you close the passenger door, and as you're making your way to the platform he calls through the window out to you.

“He'll be in touch soon.”

“I hope so.”

“He will. And we're always here, you know that.”

“I do.”

Waving goodbye you board the train, thankful now more than ever to have him in your life. Whilst he's not Bucky, he's still holds the same affection in your heart. You've known Dayton, and Sophia and Benjamin, as long as you've known the eldest Barnes twin, and maybe they're all you have to remind you of him now.

*****

Chapter 7

[swordbreakerz]

✨ for all of them, 🎥 for treasure planet and guardians of gahoole, 🍀 for 9-1-1 and penumbra, 📃 for unicorn chronicles, 🏳️‍🌈 for howls, treasure planet and legend of zelda, and 💎 for any ones you have facts for lol

you spoil me uwu

🎥 - ok for treasure planet, gotta be the 12 years later scene in the beginning and the zoom in to the spaceport, the way it transitions from jim reading under the blankets to him flying on his solar surfer is so chefs kiss, and just like. everything about to the spaceport lmao, fr guardians definitely the scene where soren flies through the fire and then blows up the pulley system to get rid of the flecks energy, bro when hes flying above it all holding the lantern before he dives down to save them? chills

🍀 - you know im on that projection shit w/ juno steel, ive truly never like connected with a character like that before and he’s really really helped me thru my recovery and transition lol, fr 911 uhhh ig buck or eddie? i havent Thought About It or like consumed it enough times yet to rly settle on someone but fr now,,, they

🏳️‍🌈 - ok for howls, Everyone Is Bi/Pan, howl is trans and autistic and i will die on that hill, fr treasure planet jim and cpt amelia are both trans and both of them + doppler are autistic, fr loz link is trans, autistic and semi nonverbal and communicates primarily with asl, post twilight princess zelda says fuck it and finds a way back into the twilight realm and she midna and link hang out, most of these boil down to everyone i love is trans gay and autistic because i say so lmaooo

📃 - OK SO. without like, spoiling too many plot points, our main character is cara and she lives with her grandmother. her mom is dead and dad is out of the picture. one day theyre getting chased by these people that her grandma knows and cara gets thrown into an alternate realm full of fantasy creatures using her grandmothers amulet. she meets a unicorn named lightfoot and a bunch of other rad people and basically, starts a journey to save that world from the Hunters. the Hunters are an organisation who specifically hate unicorns and want them all dead, led by Beloved, and cara and her friends have to try and stop them from entering the world and wiping them out. its sooo so so good and i highly recommend it cause i have no one to talk to about it please god

✨ - oh boy uh, well. im just gonna like list them out lmao

unicorn chronicles: i loved unicorns as a kid and read it when i was in elementary school, and over the years its remained just as compelling and well written as i remember and like. god the whole concept is so godamn cool and all the subplots that get introduced are fuckign fantastic and like all the different creatures are amazing i literally cant sing its praises enough

howls moving castle: must i have a logical reason? is it not to vicariously live my fantasy of running away to the countryside with a wizard boyfriend, his demon and his apprentice?? for real though, its such a fantastic story with beautiful visuals in the movie and wonderfully compelling prose in the book, and esp in the movie the whole time travel subplot with sophie seeing howl and calcifer in the past and then howl finding her in the future makes me go feral

penumbra: gays in space. need i say more? im a huge slut for gay found family and especially in futuristic space, and im a huge big fan of the lgbt utopia its created. like yeah capitalism sucks but at least im not gonne get misgendered in space starbucks, u kno? all the writing and dialogue is so incredible and the SOUND DESIGN GOD, alex i know u specifically can relate when i say i would kill a man for sophie and her incredible sound design skills, like dude the dance scene in man in glass p2 you can hear every single individual step they take and every swish of junos dress and i jusT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! god its so good, plus the whole the characters help me work through my trauma and repressed anger haha

911: this one is entirely your fault. so obligatory horny on main everyone on that show is so hot i want oliver stark to cradle me gently in his beefy arms oh my god. other than Men, the way it drives home the whole ‘you can’t save everyone, and it will kill you to try, so just focus on what you can do and keep living’ makes me so emo. the way it tackles big bureaucratic issues as well as closer to home interpersonal ones is amazing and i love how it shows people going through and dealing realistically with trauma.

treasure planet: again, who doesnt want to live in Cool Steampunk Space Travel Future? i really really love jims story and his arc, the way he deals with his trauma is uhh very familiar lol and his relationship with silver is like the ideal. the story is just the coolest concept and i love all the wonderful character design and animation, plus the soundtrack SLAPS and everything is beautiful

legend of zelda: ive been associated with this series from a very young age due to my name and as soon as i gave into my fate and looked it up for real i just kinda fell into it lol. i cant really tell you exactly what draws me to it besides ‘wow fun game!’ and ‘god i wish that were me,’ but like the absurd amount of detail thats put into each installment and the creative ways they retell essentially the same/similar story over and over is incredible

guardians of gahoole: so i had the same experience with this and treasure planet which is i remembered ‘oh hey this is a movie that exists and i cant clearly remember watching it, ill look it up :)’ and then it consumed my life for a solid 3 months. firstly this movie is absolutely gorgeous, the animation and framing is fucking stunning and the way they handled owls talking like people as far as the movement of their very inflexible beaks was amazing. it sort of has the same draw for me as warrior cats? secret animal society ft incredibly traumatic experiences and the characters dealing with it. like, the whole concept is just so fuckign wild and it works so well, i rly enjoy this niche genre.

💎 - alright trivia time, so guardians of gahoole is based on a book series and the movie only covers part of the first arc i think idk, BUT theres another series set in the same universe called wolves of the beyond that i devoured when i was younger! i didnt know they were connected for the longest time and when i found out i was :000, i still rly love wolves of the beyond and wanna reread it, as well as read the actual gahoole books. in the howls books, sophie is a redhead! also, markl is named michael and like a fully functioning young adult who ends up marrying one of sophies sisters. treasure planet is, obviously, based off treasure island but its so much better than the book dont bother reading it lol i tried and it was boring. there was plans for a treasure planet sequel that was fully scripted and cast but it was cancelled cause disney sabotaged treasure planet from the start with the shitty release and advertising and tldr we were ROBBED, also amelias concept was much more octopus like and while that wldve been rad im p glad she was switched to a cat for. several reasons lol. uhh i dont have a lot of Fun Facts abt the unicorn chronicles but for the longest time i thought there were only 3 books and then last year i found the fourth book by chance in a kitsch store and nearly had a breakdown i was so happy, like full on i started shaking and crying cause there was so much joy in my body i cldnt contain it.

thats all i can think of tysm ily, to anyone who read all of this bless u please watch guardians of gahoole and read the unicorn chronicles i will love u forever

[messyscriptorium]

Honest mistake.

Surprise! Happy Valentine’s Day @simplyyeol I really hope you enjoy this little thing. I got a little bit carried away and I hoped I could have written more of this Kyungsoo :(

This is a one shot written for the Secret Valentine event of EXO writers network.

Fandom: EXO

Type: Fluff. Comedy

Member: Do Kyungsoo (D.O).

Warnings: None

Word count: 1528

You hated blind dates with a burning passion. You didn’t need to go on a blind date to meet someone. In fact, your main problem was that you talked too much.

Your mum had warned you that men didn’t like that. But it wasn’t your fault! You just couldn’t stand awkward silence so you overshared. How was it your fault that male ego was so fragile that they couldn’t handle anything that wasn’t the sound of their own voice? You used to tell your mother that you wouldn’t want a man who couldn’t put up with your constant word vomit, either.

But at the age of 28, your determination was starting to falter and you found yourself agreeing to a blind date your mum had organised with the son of one of her co-workers. Which explained why you were sitting in a Starbucks, all by yourself, sipping on your latte while you eyed the door nervously. You only knew his name and a general physical description your mum had provided.

Your opinion on him was already biased, though. Who chooses to go to Starbucks for a first date? A moron, that’s who. But you promised your mother to keep an open mind and to “please, make it work, uh”. So you’ve dressed nicely and even arrived ten minutes earlier to cause a good impression.

He was fifteen minutes late.

That was not a good sign and you kind of hated unpunctuality. This dude just kept losing points with you. What if he didn’t show up? You would end up all dressed up at a Starbucks on a Thursday afternoon drinking coffee all by yourself. You didn’t even have your laptop with you so you could pass as some writer or college student taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi. You would just look like someone who just had been stood up.

Just as you were grabbing your things to leave, the door opened. A guy around your age entered the café and you studied him closely. Medium height, big eyes, thick eyebrows… he was handsome in a “your mum will love me” kind of way, his grave aura making him look really serious. That must be him, right?

He was looking at you, so you tried to disguise your previous impulse of leaving the place by plastering a smile to your face while you approached him. His eyes opened wider when he realised you were walking towards him and your smile turned from fake to pleased.

“Hello, I’m Kwon Bora’s daughter,” you greeted extending your hand for him to shake. “I’m sitting at that table, so when you’re done ordering, go there, okay?”

You pointed to the table where you had left your stuff while the man was still shaking your other hand with a confused look on his face.

“Oh, o-okay, sure.”

His voice was deep but it had a tinge of amusement you didn’t miss. Before you could start talking non-stop you forced yourself to turn around and waited patiently for him to join you. Five minutes later he was sitting across from you with a very hot mug of black tea between his hands. You looked at him and you felt it. Oh, no, here it came.

“So, tell me, what do you do for a living?” you asked but before he could open his mouth, another question was leaving yours. “I’m a teacher. Young kids, you know? Do you like kids? I love them but sometimes they make me crazy, I wish they had an on and off switch, don’t you think? But they also have given me the best moments of my life. They’re so sweet sometimes and they have the most bizarre occurrences to make you laugh. One day a kid told me in confidence that our librarian was leaving the school not because she was retiring but because she had read all the books in the school’s library. Do you like books?”

Oh, dear, you were doing it again. This dude was so handsome you were too nervous your brain was on autopilot. He seemed to take advantage of your need to breathe to answer you.

“I’m not a great reader myself, sorry.” He sounded entertained by your constant talk and that was actually the worst he could have done because it only encouraged you.

“That’s okay, not everybody has to like reading, but I always say it’s because they haven’t found the right book yet. Maybe we’ll have to find you a book. Tell me, what kind of genre do you like? Mystery, maybe? Fantasy? You don’t look like the type of person who would like that. I love hist–“

Your nonsense babbling was interrupted by the sound of your phone and you threw a quick glance at it. It was your mother. You looked at him and he smiled softly before pointing at your phone.

“You can take it. It’s okay, it could be important.”

He really was trying to compensate for his tardiness and the questionable location of this date with that sweet smile of his and his attentive listening.

“I am so sorry, my mother knows I’m with you.”

He raised one of his thick eyebrows at that statement but you couldn’t think much into it as you hurried outside to answer.

“Ah, honey, thank goodness,” you heard her say.

“Mum, why are you calling me? You know I’m in the middle of my date,” you said, turning around to take a look inside to see if he was still there. He was actually looking at you with an amused expression.

“Your date? Suhee asked me to tell you her son couldn’t make it today. He got caught up at work. Is he there, then?”

But you weren’t listening anymore. As your mother was talking, your face changed from confusion to mortification, to pure horror. He must have noticed something was wrong because he didn’t look amused anymore, he looked more concerned than anything.

“I’m sorry, mum, I have to go. Call you later.”

Without waiting for an answer you hang up your phone and walked inside, not breaking eye contact with him the whole time. He was not the man you were supposed to meet.

He stood up the second you reached the table.

“Is everything alright? Did something happen to your mother? You looked like you got some really bad n–”

“What’s your name?” You cut him.

“Ah, you could have started with that one,” he said and then he laughed. He laughed! And his laugh was really nice, it transformed his whole aura from grave to boyish, his face even looked younger than what he was. For that laugh, you would wait before jumping into conclusions.

“My name is Do Kyungsoo,” he stated. “I’m 26. I work as an intern in a bank. I like kids but I agree they should come with an on and off switch, sometimes.” He took a pause but you didn’t say anything. This must have been the first time in your life where you had been left speechless. The only thing you could do was look at him while he kept talking. Was this how your previous dates felt about you?

“Today,” Kyungsoo continued, “as I was about to order my tea, the prettiest woman I have ever seen approached me as if she knows who I am, and she wants to have a date with me? The way she demands stuff is part of the reason I end up sitting across from her. The other reason is that she’s outstanding. So,” he said looking straight into your eyes, “I kept quiet and let her talk because she has a nice way of speaking and because I wanted to enjoy her company a little longer.”

“But as it turned out, I’m not the guy she thinks I am so I should have said something sooner, right?” This time he was moving towards you, his hand stretched, the one you were shaking not so long ago. He looks at you full of hope, waiting for you to shake it.

You doubted. Why were you doubting, it was all just a misunderstanding and the dude –Kyungsoo– looks truthful. It really was your fault for not checking his identity before starting to speak like the parrot you were. And he liked to listen, damn it. He even enjoyed your word vomit. You knew why you were doubting, though. Mortification was eating you up alive and you couldn’t even look him in the eye without blushing, being very aware of the new level of stupidity you’d reached.

You shook his hand in an act of bravery just when he was about to withdraw it.

“You didn’t answer my last question,” you said, trying to keep it cool even though you only wanted to find a very deep hole to hide. “Genre?”

He seemed confused for a moment until his eyes lit up with the question.

“I really like the spy thriller type of movies, so I guess I’m gonna enjoy those books, too.”

You nodded at his choice but he spoke again.

“Does this mean I can ask about your name?”

[the-desolated-quill]

‘But They’re Covered In Nipples’: The Story Of Destroy All Humans - Quill’s Scribbles

Another E3 has come and gone. There was some good announcements. Square Enix unveiled their Avengers game, Keanu Reeves came on stage to give us the release date of Cyberpunk 2077, Ubisoft are making another Watch Dogs set in London, and... um... what else happened?

Oh yeah!

DESTROY ALL HUMANS IS BACK!!!!!!

Yes, the cult classic Destroy All Humans is returning next year, developed by THQ Nordic and Black Forest Games. This was quite possibly the nicest surprise I’ve ever had. When the teaser trailer came up on my YouTube recommendations, I practically screamed the house down. It’s a level of excitement I felt when 20th Century Fox announced they were finally making a Deadpool movie. 

Yeah. That excited.

Destroy All Humans was my favourite video game series growing up. I played the first two games non-stop on my PS2 and I even bought a Nintendo Wii and PS3 just so I could play Big Willy Unleashed and Path Of The Furon (yeah, we’ll get to them). Unfortunately, while the series was reasonably successful, it never quite broke through into the mainstream, and it ended up having a very short lifespan, making it one of the most underrated franchises of all time.

So, to mark the return of Crypto and Pox, I thought I’d take a retrospective look at the series as a whole. Analysing each game in the franchise and talking about what made them so good, whilst also looking at how it faded into obscurity and how THQ Nordic and Black Forest Games can hopefully avoid this fate with their remake.

Radioactive, Exploding, Zombie Cows

The first Destroy All Humans was developed by THQ and Pandemic Studios (the latter probably most famous for making the original Star Wars Battlefront games. You know? The good ones that weren’t overloaded with loot boxes and microtransactions) and was released in 2005 on the PS2 and Xbox. You play as a Furon warrior called Cryptosporidium 137, or Crypto for short, who is tasked with harvesting the brains of humans in order to extract pure Furon DNA from them. His leader Orthopox 13, or Pox, explains that the Furons are at risk of cloning themselves into extinction as they are unable to reproduce naturally due to a lack of genitalia and the DNA in their cloning banks are starting to degrade. Fortunately the Furons visited prehistoric Earth on their way back from destroying the Martians and took the opportunity to ‘let off some steam’ with the natives. As a result, humans possess a strand of Furon DNA that can hopefully restore the Furons’ reproductive organs. Unfortunately a secret government organisation called Majestic (a sort of cross between Project Blue Book and the Men in Black) have caught wind of the Furon invasion due to Crypto 136 crash landing in Roswell 10 years earlier. So Crypto 137 will have to be extra cautious in his quest to take over Earth.

The game was released four years after Grand Theft Auto III, which had completely revolutionised gaming with its open world sandbox. As a result, other companies were attempting their own open worlds and putting their own spin on them. While Destroy All Humans didn’t quite have the same scale as GTA, it made up for it with quality over quantity. The game offered six small open world areas for players to have fun in and its central premise was utterly captivating. After countless games where you had to fight alien invaders, Destroy All Humans allowed you to play as the alien invader.

Pandemic Studios completely embraced the alien invasion premise, giving the player a vast number of weapons and abilities to wreak havoc on planet Earth. You had access to weapons like the Zap O Matic, Disintegrator Ray and Anal Probe (no, really, there’s actually a gun called the Anal Probe and it’s as funny as it sounds) as well as mental abilities such as Psychokinesis, Hypnotism and the Cortex Scan, which allowed you to read the thoughts of humans and was also used to help maintain your Holoblob disguise in stealth missions. And if that isn’t cool enough, you also get your own flying saucer, which you can use to destroy buildings and landmarks. The game gave you a lot of freedom, essentially dropping you in a small destructible playground and telling you to go and enjoy yourself.

But the thing I loved most about the first game was the writing. The plot itself is actually pretty good with plenty of twists and turns as the military and Majestic become more and more desperate to stop you. And the humour, my God the humour! Honestly Destroy All Humans remains to this day one of the funniest games I’ve ever played. It’s use of satirical humour and 50s pop culture references never failed to make me chuckle. There was one moment that I’ll always remember where I scanned the mind of a police officer and it revealed that he was thinking about forming the Village People. If only he could find a cowboy, an Indian and a construction worker. 

The game’s main source of comedy mostly came from poking fun at the culture and attitudes of the time period. 1950s America was of course gripped by ‘the Red Scare,’ which the game mocks frequently as we see Majestic and the US government try desperately to cover up alien activity by blaming the death and destruction on communists, to the point where it just gets more and more absurd. At the end of each mission, a newspaper headline is shown, often blaming recent events on freak weather or communist propaganda. Yes, that should explain perfectly why people’s heads are exploding and why the cows are glowing green. It’s all perfectly normal. No aliens here. What’s that? A little green man in a flying saucer is blowing up ice cream trucks? Damn you commies!

The game also pokes fun at 50s sci-fi B movies, often parodying and lampshading the tropes and gimmicks one would expect in a low budget sci-fi flick. For example, the game ends with you fighting a giant robot that houses the President’s brain. It’s fully aware of how ridiculous and stupid it all is and clearly revels in it. Killer robots, mind control, radioactive animals, mad scientists and secret government conspiracies galore. Destroy All Humans is very much a love letter to cheesy sci-fi.

But by far the biggest draw was the main characters. Crypto and Pox. They’re both such funny, wonderfully realised and likeable characters. Pox is voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz, who you may remember from Invader Zim, and he gives the character a maniacal glee. I honestly could listen to his rants all day. He’s the quintessential evil genius. Crypto meanwhile is voiced by J. Grant Albrecht, who gives the character a Jack Nicholson-esque voice. Unlike Pox, Crypto is crass, crude and craves destruction, which often puts him at odds with Pox, who favours more subtle styles of invasion such as mind control. The two characters often bicker and squabble, which never fails to be entertaining, and yet there is an underlying respect and fondness for each other that helps ground the relationship. It’s the perfect double act.

Destroy All Humans was a good game, but does it still hold up? Well there are a few issues. Controls can be a bit clunky at times and missions can often get repetitive. Destroy x number of farmers. Collect x amount of DNA. That kind of thing. Also, annoyingly, there’s no checkpoints, which means if you die or fail the mission, you’re automatically sent back to the Furon Mothership and you have to start the mission all over again. But the writing, humour and entertainment value more than make up for it.

Hot Monkey Love

While the first game wasn’t what you’d call a hit, it was successful enough for THQ to commission a sequel. Destroy All Humans 2 was released in 2006 on PS2 and Xbox, just one year after the first game, and this time Crypto was going international.

Set in the 1960s, ten years after the events of the first game, the KGB in Russia learn about the Furon’s takeover of America and plan a counterattack. They nuke the Furon Mothership, killing Pox, and try to assassinate Crypto 138, who is posing as the President of the United States. The assassination fails and Pox’s mind is able to survive in hologram form. The two then embark on a global adventure, seeking revenge against the KGB and uncovering a massive conspiracy that puts the entire Furon invasion at risk.

Destroy All Humans 2 is an ambitious sequel that increases its scope from the first game. No longer confined to America, we see Crypto terrorise San Francisco, London, Tokyo, Russia and even the Moon. Our arsenal of weapons are also expanded. The original weapons from the first game return as well as some all new ones such as the Disclocator, which fires a purple disc at a human or vehicle and sends them flying around the map, the Burrow Beast, which summons a Tremors-esque space worm to cause carnage, and Meteor Strike, which I think speaks for itself. We also get a few new mental abilities such as Transmogrify, which allows you to turn objects into ammo, and Free Love, which causes everyone in the general vicinity to start dancing, allowing you to make a quick getaway while they’re distracted. The saucer too has some extra features, including a cloaking device and the ability to drain vehicles of health using your Abducto Beam.

This sequel pretty much takes everything that worked from the first game whilst tweaking the things that didn’t. The GTA style Alert system got a complete overhaul. If you want to raise or lower the Alert level, all you have to do is bodysnatch a cop or a soldier and make a call using a police box (you can also make prank calls from them, which is good for a giggle). Holoblobbing has been replaced with Bodysnatching, which works so much better and it does away with the annoying Concentration meter, so you can PK cars and humans to your heart’s content. There’s also a lot more stuff to do now. There are numerous collectables such as Alien Artefacts, which unlocks the Burrow Beast weapon, and FuroTech Cells, which are your main currency that can be used to upgrade your health and weapons. Missions have greater variety than in the first game. There’s a lot more side missions, including Odd Jobs and my personal favourites the Cult of Arkvoodle missions, where Crypto brainwashes humans to worship the Furon God Arkvoodle of the Sacred Crotch.

As you can tell, the humour is still just as wacky and ridiculous as ever. Destroy All Humans 2 lampoons and ridicules the 60s mercilessly, taking aim at the Cold War and the hippie counterculture movement. It also pokes fun at 60s sci-fi films, spy films and Japanese movies like Godzilla. In fact there’s a boss fight that involves you fighting a Godzilla-esque monster and it’s honestly the best boss fight in the series. It regains health by destroying buildings, so you have to destroy them first before you can kill the monster. It’s a great premise.

Story-wise, Destroy All Humans 2 is a worthy successor, raising the stakes and expanding the lore. We’re introduced to the Blisk, the Martians that were presumed extinct by the Furons millions of years ago. It’s a brilliant conflict and ostensibly allows the developers to make commentaries on America and Russia at the time using the Furons and the Blisk respectively as stand-ins. Crypto and Pox are well written, funny and likeable as ever and we’re also introduced to an assortment of new characters, including the Russian spy Natalya and MI6 agent Ponsomby (voiced by none other than Anthony Head from Buffy). The game is engaging and rewarding, but it crucially never takes itself too seriously. For example there’s one instance in Tokyo where Crypto learns about the battle between the White and Black Ninjas and he guesses that the conflict started because of the cliche student betraying his master type origin, but it turns out that both groups of ninjas were originally Grey, but then they ran out of grey fabric and disagreed over which colour they should be instead. There’s so many great comedic moments like that and they pretty much hit bullseyes every time.

That being said, there was one aspect of the game I didn’t like and that was the crude sex jokes. Crypto 138 is the first clone to have pure Furon DNA, which means he now has genitalia. As a result, this new incarnation of Crypto is far more randy than 137 was in the first game.  This mostly takes the form of Crypto constantly trying to hit on Natalya, despite her showing no sexual interest, which I personally found pretty gross. Worse still, the game ends with Crypto cloning Natalya and ‘making a few adjustments’ so she will consent to have sex with him. The word ‘creepy’ doesn’t begin to cover how I felt about this. If THQ Nordic and Black Forest Games ever decide to remake the second game, I really hope they consider rethinking that ending because... Jesus!

On the whole, Destroy All Humans 2 was a brilliant sequel. It was also sadly the last Destroy All Humans game to be developed by Pandemic Studios before they were bought by EA and eventually shut down in 2009. Unfortunately this would have a severe impact on the future of the series going forward.

Limp Willy

The next game in the series was a spinoff for the Nintendo Wii, released in early 2008 and developed by Locomotive Games. A PS2 version was also planned, but was scrapped due to budget cuts (remember this. It’ll become relevant later).

Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed was... underwhelming, to say the least. Set in the 1970s, six years after the second game, Crypto and Pox have opened a fast food restaurant called Big Willy as a way of disposing of the corpses left behind during Crypto’s missions. However a rival fast food chain, run by Colonel Kluckin’, is stealing their business and socialite Patty Wurst is threatening to expose Big Willy (smirk). So it’s up to Crypto to protect Pox’s Big Willy (haha) and maintain their cover on Earth.

Now you’re probably thinking this sounds quite tame compared to the previous two games, and yeah, it is. But it’s a spinoff, so I can understand to a certain extent. However there are a few narrative discrepancies. The big one being Crypto has retired from being the President. No explanation given as to why and we have no idea what Crypto is doing instead. When we first see him, he’s watching TV. He doesn’t even know Big Willy exists until Pox brings it up. So what’s going on exactly? Are they still trying to invade Earth or have they gone native? Also, compared to the grand conspiracy stories of the previous games, Crypto protecting a fast food restaurant sounds a little beneath him.

Gameplay is virtually unchanged from the previous game. There’s some new guns such as Ball Lightning and the Zombie Gun, but nothing special. The biggest addition is Big Willy, the restaurant mascot that’s actually a Furon battle mech in disguise. It’s... fine. Not that much different from the Saucer really. We also get some new locations. Harbor City, Fairfield in Kentucky, Fantasy Atoll (a weak parody of Fantasy Island) and Vietmahl (a painfully obvious homage to Vietnam). None of these locations are particularly interesting however. There’s also a multiplayer mode, which... exists.

Honestly the game as a whole is just lacklustre. The story just isn’t as good as the first two games and the humour doesn’t have the same wit or intelligence. Most of the comedy surrounds the fact that Pox has called his restaurant Big Willy and isn’t entirely aware of the double entendre, which admittedly is funny for the first few missions, but by the time you’ve finished Harbor City and move on to Fairfield, the joke gets old real fast. There’s less of an effort to actually satirise the culture or films of the time, instead merely making 70s pop culture references without ever actually doing anything with it. It’s like the Family Guy school of comedy. Take Fantasy Atoll for instance. A pisstake of Fantasy Island, but instead of Mr. Roarke and Tatoo, we get Mr. Pork and Ratpoo. That’s the level of humour we’re talking about here.

What’s worse is that J. Grant Albrecht and Richard Steven Horwitz don’t return as Crypto and Pox. Sean Donnellan and Darryl Kurylo voice the characters instead and it’s just not the same. It doesn’t feel like Crypto and Pox. So from the very first cutscene, we’re already off on the wrong foot.

And then there’s a bunch of other stuff that I find really questionable. The most obvious being the revelation that Colonel Kluckin’ makes his chicken wings from the corpses of the Vietmahl (Vietnam) war, which just seems in very bad taste to me. If there is a satirical point being made here, I can’t find it for the life of me. There’s also some side missions where Crypto finds out that he and Natalya have a son, which goes absolutely nowhere and doesn’t feel like something that should be in a Destroy All Humans game.

Overall, Big Willy Unleashed was a massive dud meant to tide us over until Destroy All Humans 3 came out later in the year. Honestly the one aspect of it I thought had potential was the side missions involving Crypto and Pox being assessed by a Furon Efficiency Expert called Toxoplasma Gondii. Considering what happened in the second game, including the destruction of the Furon Mothership, the return of the Blisk and the Furon operation on Earth being jeoprodised, this could have been a great premise for a sequel.

Instead what we got was... 

Disco Inferno

Oh boy. Where do I begin?

Path Of The Furon was developed by THQ and Sandblast Games and released in December 2008 on the Xbox 360 in North America. The PS3 version was cancelled because Sandblast (and Locomotive Games) was closed down before development was finished due to THQ’s financial problems at the time. However the PS3 version was released in Europe and Australia, so either THQ got another studio to complete it or, more likely, they just released it in a broken, buggy state.

Fans really didn’t like this game, myself included, but before we go tearing it a new one, lets look at the few positives the game has. First off, J. Grant Albrecht and Richard Steven Horwitz return to voice Crypto and Pox, which is great. As a result, the original chemistry is back and they help salvage the game when the writing fails to deliver. There are a few cool new weapons, like the Black Hole Gun and the Venus Human Trap, which creates a giant man eating plant. The Saucer’s weapons have been tweaked, so now they affect the environment as well as destroy buildings. So if you fire your Death Ray at the ground, for example, you can create scorch marks. PK now has its own dedicated button, which means you can pick up and throw objects whilst using your guns simultaneously. There’s also the titular ‘Path Of Enlightenment,’ which upgrades your mental abilities significantly as well as allowing you to freeze time.

That’s the good stuff. The bad stuff is... pretty much everything else.

The humour is, again, quite poor. Rather than satirising 70s culture, the game continues to make references to 70s films like The Godfather and Star Wars, but not actually doing anything with them. Just making the reference. The writing as a whole is quite substandard as the plot pretty much recycles the plots of Destroy All Humans 2 and Big Willy Unleashed, except instead of the Big Willy restaurant, it’s the Space Dust casino and instead of the Blisk, it’s Nexosporidium warriors, who are basically Furon cyborgs. Things do threaten to get a bit interesting when Crypto and Pox discover someone has been manufacturing synthetic Furon DNA, but nothing ever really comes of it. Instead the game focuses mainly on the Master.

Ah yes. The Master.

In an attempt to recapture the magic of the second game, Path Of The Furon tries to spoof kung-fu movies just like how DAH 2 spoofed spy films. Unfortunately this leads us to a slew of unfunny gags, cultural appropriation and some of the worst racial stereotyping I think I’ve ever seen. The Master is a Furon who crashed on Earth a hundred years ago and embroiled himself in Eastern culture, enhancing his PK abilities. This is what he looks like:

YYYYeah.

Oh and if that’s not awkward enough, he also speaks in an over the top ‘ah so’ accent. It’s incredibly cringeworthy and made me want to crawl out of my body and hide in the darkest corner I could possibly find. How anyone involved in this game’s development could look at this deeply racist and downright embarrassing excuse for a character and think this was okay, I don’t know.

And before anyone tries to excuse it by saying that he has been living in China for a hundred years, so he’s bound to pick a few things up, please note that Nolan North is in this game playing the Furon Emperor Meningitis, who also has an over the top ‘ah so’ accent. Now I suppose some could argue that the game is satirising how Asian people were portrayed at the time, but if that’s what the game is going for, they’ve failed miserably. See, the problem with that argument is that replicating something doesn’t count as satire. By recreating over the top racist caricatures, you’re not making fun of them. If anything you’re just reinforcing them. The first game’s satire of the Red Scare worked so much better than this because there was an actual point behind it. It comments on how paranoid the people of the 50s were at the time by using Majestic to exploit the threat of communism in order to cover up alien activity, and everyone willingly buys into it because of that sheer paranoia. Now yes, admittedly the humour in Destroy All Humans isn’t the most sophisticated in the world, but it used to be a LOT better than this. Not only do I find the racial stereotyping in this game deeply offensive, it’s also frankly beneath this franchise. And it’s not just limited to the Chinese either. The final act takes us to the Furon homeworld (which was pretty underwhelming after four games worth of buildup) and we meet another Furon called Endometriosis whose only characteristics are that he has an Italian accent and wears a beret. It’s these broad strokes and general laziness that makes this game such a disappointing experience.

Path Of The Furon is subpar in every way imaginable. The writing, the humour, the gameplay and even the graphics. The first two games looked so much better than this and they were on older consoles from the previous generation. It’s shocking.

It’s hard to blame Sandblast Games for this considering they were shut down before development was finished. It was THQ’s mismanagement and financial woes that killed off this franchise and indeed themselves. The company went bankrupt in 2012 and their various IPs were sold off to other studios, with Nordic Games buying the lions’ share, including Destroy All Humans, which briefly reignited hopes that we might get another game, but that seemed unlikely considering the franchise has never exactly been a mainstream success. There was even talks of doing an animated sitcom based on the games for Fox, to be written by the same guy who did King Of The Hill, but that never went anywhere.

No. It seemed like Destroy All Humans was gone for good and fans reluctantly made peace with that. It was fun while it lasted, but perhaps it was time to move on.

Oh The Furonity!

I’m not going to lie. I was pretty sure we were never going to see Destroy All Humans return. Not just because of its lack of mainstream appeal, but also because game development studios and publishers in recent years have become more and more reluctant to make single player, mid-tier games. Instead pivoting toward massive triple A releases and ‘live services’. So it came as a rather pleasant surprise when Nordic Games, now named THQ Nordic, released Darksiders III in 2018, a sequel to a series of games that were also not very mainstream but still had a significant cult following. This briefly reignited a small flicker of hope within me that maybe, just maybe, we might see our favourite Furon return.

And as you already know, I got my wish. A new Destroy All Humans game will be released next year by THQ Nordic and Black Forest Games.

So what can this remake learn from the franchise’s past? Well thankfully the writing and voice acting is going to remain the same, so story, characterisation and humour won’t be an issue. They���re also incorporating elements from the sequels such as Transmogrify from Destroy All Humans 2 and giving PK its own button like in Path Of The Furon. There’s also a few new additions that I’m excited about such as the ability to dodge and strafe using the jetpack. That should make combat much more exciting and dynamic. I know a few people have a problem with the new cartoony designs of the humans and the world, but I honestly don’t mind. In fact I think it suits the tone and setting quite well. Hopefully people will eventually get used to it. The big question mark hovering over all this is whether they’re planning to remake the other games in the series. I for one would love to see a remake of the second game. As for Big Willy Unleashed and Path Of The Furon, I think it’s best to leave them firmly in the past. The big dream would be to see Crypto and Pox have further adventures together beyond the first two games. Hopefully even have enough sequels to get the characters to the present day. We’ll just have to wait and see what the future brings. My only word of advice for them would be to never forget what made the first two games so good and so beloved. Big Willy Unleashed and Path Of The Furon lost their way, as its writing and humour grew lazier and lazier. If we are fortunate enough to get more games, the developers will need to remember what it was about the first game that made it so special and build off of it.

This is a second chance. Not a lot of franchises get this. Don’t waste it. Here’s hoping the remake will provide the definitive Destroy All Humans experience and that it will gain the success it deserves.