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gubler-me-up · 4 years ago

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Big, Open Arms (MGG request)

Request: Hi, a MGG request for you. You're a famous comedian and are cast as the new agent for CM. The cast/crew all love you, even before you come on set as you're hilarious, especially Matthew which EVERYONE knows about. As a huge fan of the show you're nervous, but you get welcomed into the CM family pretty quickly, and adore them all. You become best friends with Matthew, and after a while he asks you out on a date, and you say yes then after the media get involved, Matthew asks you to be his gf.

A/N: Thanks for the request, anon! This was a fully loaded request, so I hope I encompassed every aspect to your liking! Hope you enjoy!!

Couple: Spencer Reid/Fem!Reader

Category: Fluff

Content warning: None

Word count: 2.5k

——————–

You were rehearsing your lines before you had to go on set for the day. You had to admit you sucked at memorizing lines, so there were a lot of blooper reals of you stumbling over your words. You hadn’t even been part of the Criminal Minds cast for a whole year yet. Good thing the cast and crew understood how hard it was to memorize masses of technical dialogue.

Your character was named Bianca Johnson, an SSA with a background in technology. She was basically Garcia, but could kick ass instead of petting cute animals. A lot of your lines were heavy technical geek talk, which was hard to say in a scene, let alone the whole episode. Whenever you messed up you’d joked around and said Shemar’s biceps were distracting you from actually getting your lines right.

Your favourite scenes were with Matthew though. He was such a great actor and hilarious as well. When you first introduced yourself to him he told you he thought you were such a hilarious comedian. One of his favourites actually. You told him your greatest joke of all time was landing the role of such a smart character when you only had two functioning brain cells. He let out a hardy laugh before agreeing with you by saying he also had barely functioning brain cells.

Everyone was full of the same excited energy when they met you. It was like having a family gathering every time you were on set. AJ was the sweetest, coolest person you’ve ever met, Shemar was charming, Paget was completely down to earth and Kirsten was such a character. Matthew was the standout cast member for you though. His portrayal of Dr. Spencer Reid was amazing to watch on T.V., but was even more amazing to watch in real life.

He would just spur out lines on lines of facts without messing up once. When he did though it was funny and adorable. You’d try to cover your laugh every time, but he would automatically turn to look at you with a goofy smile. Your laugh would escape immediately and then everyone else would join along.

You looked up from your script as you heard two loud bangs on your door. You looked at the time on your phone and saw it was already 8:55 a.m.

“Y/N, set in five,” you heard the producer yell.

“I’m surprised you’re here early today, Jeff,” you joked.

You heard him laugh. “If Shemar can be early on set anything’s possible, right?”

You gasped. “Shemar’s on set before I am? I have to see this.”

You got up from your chair and rushed towards the door to leave for set. Before you left, you went back to your mirror. You fluffed up your hair and adjusted your breasts. You wanted to make sure you were presentable as possible. For the camera, of course.

As you walked on set you were greeted with a welcoming hug from AJ. She literally gave the most mom-like hugs ever. It was comparable to eating cookies from the cookie jar.

“Happy wrap day,” she said as she let you go.

“I can’t believe we’re wrapping the season already. I feel as if we’ve only been filming for a week,” you said.

“I know, time flies around here. One second you’re in season one and then boom you’re in season 15,” she said.

“If I can look flawlessly good throughout 15 seasons like you I think I can get used to this job.”

She giggled and playfully rolled your eyes. “Are you kidding me? You always look so great. Trust me, a little someone keeps talking about how great you are.”

You looked at her curiously. If she was talking about who you thought she was talking about than you were ecstatic. Shemar, her and some crew members had told you when you first joined that Matthew was a huge fan of yours. Had talked about you quite a few times during the downtime on set.

“More Matthew gossip? I’m in,” you heard Shemar say from behind you.

You turned around and smiled at him. “Well, well, when Jeff said you were early on set I didn’t believe it, but now that I see it with my own eyes I still can’t believe it.”

He chuckled. “Well, baby, here I am in the flesh. If it’s opposite day maybe you’ll have a flawless run with your lines.”

“Good one. Maybe we should trade characters so I can look hot and kick down doors while you talk nerdy to me.”

“You don’t have to kick down doors in your case to look hot, Y/N. I think a certain someone thinks you’re pretty hot as is.”

You gave him a suspicious stare before looking back at AJ. She smiled and looked around the set. You folded your arms as you were waiting for further details to be spilled. They both remained quiet as you stood there waiting. Good thing your attention was soon shifted towards Matthew when you saw him walk on set. You unfolded your arms and softened your face up as you saw how good he looked.

“I guess this is our cue to go, AJ,” Shemar chuckled.

“I agree. See you in the bullpen, Y/N,” AJ said before she left with Shemar.

“Yeah,” you faintly said as you stared at Matthew.

He hadn’t noticed you. He seemed to be looking for someone though as his head continuously darted around the room. When he finally turned your way, his face instantly lit up. He lightly jogged towards you with a big smile on his face. It was as if he was looking for you.

“Hey, Y/N. Happy wrap day,” he said before embracing you in a hug.

You hugged him back. “Happy wrap day, Matt. What adventures are you going to get up to after we wrap?”

“Well, that’s kinda why I was looking for you. I was going to ask you that same exact question.”

“I don’t have anything booked until later next month, so I’m going to be relaxing mostly. Why what’s up?”

“Well, remember when we went to that Arcade Fire concert a few months ago?”

You smiled and nodded. “If you mean the best experience of my life than yes.”

He chuckled. “I’m glad you liked it. Vegas always holds the Life Is Beautiful Music and Art Festival and I was wondering if you were free to go.”

You felt your heart pumping with delight at him inviting you to go to his hometown. The last few months of your friendship were situated strictly in California. You had never really explored Vegas outside of a few shows at hotels and theatres on the strip.

“You wanna take me on a Vegas adventure?” You asked.

“Something like that.”

Before you could say your answer, the set bell rang. Sometimes that stupid bell could be so annoying, especially when you had a moment like this with Matthew. You don’t think there had ever been a more intimate moment between you two.

He smiled. “Think about it.”

As he started to walk off towards the bullpen set, you ran up to him to hug him from behind. He was caught off guard by your hug, but grabbed your hands that clung in front of him. You could say it was the first time you two had held hands.

“I’d love to go.”

“Awesome.”

—————

Going to Vegas with Matthew was such a different experience than anything you had ever done before. Everywhere he took you felt as if it were a new chapter in a life you’ve never lived. You always found Vegas cliche in its gimmicks and exaggerated neon lights. However, Matthew made it seem as if it were a faraway land yet to be discovered.

He showed you to little places outside of the flashy hotels and bright neon lights that filled the strip. You two spent a lot of time at ranches nearby. You told him since the first day you two met how much you loved animals, so going to those ranches was a dream come true.

What you weren’t expecting though was going to the ranch his mother owned. When you two were driving there, you felt your heart beating fast. You had never met his mother before but you knew he was a big mama’s boy. Even with all the nerves running through your body, you felt honoured to be meeting his mother. You didn’t even know whether to consider this whole trip a big first date or what, but it was something you weren’t expecting to happen.

You had a feeling Matthew had a crush on you for a while and the feeling had always been mutual. Guess the both of you had been crushing on each other through a screen for all these years. To be together in that moment was borderline unreal and probably long overdue.

“We’re here,” he said as he pulled up to the ranch.

You looked around the area. It was massive. Just a stretch of land with no buildings in sight. It was beautiful. You looked at Matthew with a huge contagious smile. He couldn’t help smiling back.

“Your mom knows beauty,” you said.

He laughed. “Yeah, I guess she does.”

“I mean if she created you she definitely knows what beauty is.”

He grabbed your hand and squeezed it. It was his fifteenth time holding your hand. Not like you were counting or anything. You blushed as he moved your hand closer to his lips and kissed it twice.

“I’m glad you came, Y/N. I’ve been meaning to ask you on a date for the longest time, but I couldn’t think of the perfect date to take you on,” he confessed.

“Matthew, you literally could have taken me to 7/11 for a shitty cup of coffee and I would have had the time of my life,” you said.

He laughed. “Well, even though 7/11’s cool, I thought you might like a trip to Vegas and concert better.”

“I have to say this is probably one of my favourite first dates ever. I just feel as if it’s missing a little je ne sais quoi.”

“A little je ne sais quoi you say.”

You then saw him let go of your hand and reach for the side of your neck. He brought you in closer as his face moved closer to yours. You hated dramatics, so you rushed in and embraced him with an enormous kiss. You grabbed his face to deepen the kiss. You had never been so excited to kiss anyone in your entire life. The way he kissed you was just different.

You two pulled apart from the kiss before anything went any further. You knew you were satisfied with that kiss but the way Matthew beamed made you believe he was even more satisfied. You covered your face with your hand as you couldn’t stop smiling to yourself.

“I didn’t mean to attack you like that,” you joked.

He chuckled. “No, no, it was great. Maybe we could continue this after we go see my mom.”

You smiled ear-to-ear. “I couldn’t dream of anything better.”

The two of you got out of the car to go greet his mom as she walked out to where he had parked his car. Her smile was just as magnetic as his. You were automatically drawn into her. So much so you found yourself approaching her ready to give her the biggest hug ever. She wasn’t shy to embrace you with big, open arms. It felt as if you were already apart of his family.

————

Back in your trailer to film another season of Criminal Minds and you thought you could get better at memorizing your lines. You didn’t. You swore to yourself you would get better over the summer break, but that plan went out the window as soon as Vegas happened. Matthew had turned what was supposed to be a mundane summer into a long-lasting experience. A long-lasting experience with a lot of making out and wandering hands.

You looked at your watch and saw you had a few minutes to kill before you had to go on set. You tossed your script aside and reached for your phone. The lines could wait a minute or several as you indulged in looking through Twitter.

You scrolled down your timeline, liking and retweeting a few things that caught your eye. One thing caught your eye in particular though. It was from TMZ out of all gossip media showing pictures of you and Matthew holding hands and kissing just a few days ago when you two went to the beach. They must have been hidden well because you knew for a fact no one was around the area you two set up.

Your shock was interrupted when a few knocks were made at your door. You put down your phone and picked up your script to pretend you were still trying to memorize your line. You knew if it was Jeff coming in he’d much rather see you trying to memorize your lines than scrolling through Twitter.

“Come in,” you said.

You saw Matthew come in with a sheepish smile on. You looked at him strange as you had never seen him seem so shy. Then you saw a magazine in his hand. You could only guess what it was. He held up the magazine, so you could see it. Right on the front cover was a picture of you on top of Matthew making out with him on the beach.

You smiled. “At least People Magazine finally put some eye candy on the front page.”

“I didn’t even know they were allowed to publish pictures of soft porn,” he chuckled as he handed you the magazine.

You laughed. “In this day and age anything’s possible.”

“Anything huh?”

He took your hand to take you out of your seat. You gladly got up as you tossed the script and magazine on your vanity. He pulled you in close as his hands moved from your hands to your waist. If this was his way of proposing a quickie in your trailer, you weren’t about to turn him down.

“If anything’s possible, how about we make it official?” He asked.

You would have screamed out of delight, but you were worried he might take it back if you did. You did the next best thing that had come to mind and grabbed his face, so you could kiss him. He wrapped his arms around your waist and embraced the kiss even further. The only reason you two broke apart was because you could hear the director calling everyone to set.

“I guess we should go before this ends up being our last season,” you said as you let go of him.

“I think it might be your last season if you can’t remember those lines,” he joked.

You laughed. “If I can still have you at the end of the day I’d be okay with that. Besides, I think Vegas might have an opening for me.”

—–

MASTERLIST

#spencer reid #dr. spencer reid #dr.spencer reid #mgg #mgg imagine #mgg fanfiction #mgg x reader #mgg x y/n #matthew gray gubler #matthew gray gubler request #matthew gray gubler fluff #Criminal Minds #criminalminds #Criminal Minds Fanfiction #criminal minds imagine #matthew gray gubler imagine

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nevilles-insinuations · 4 years ago

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The Road to Normal - Colson Baker

Requested by @catlady495 : are you taking requests? if so i think it would be so cute if you like took your kids to see colson on tour and have it like really fluff/cute family crap 🥺

Word Count: 1929 Warnings: None really. Fluff and kids. A/N: Gif by me. Sorry this took so long but I had no idea what to write for a while and kept deleting stuff. Anyways, Stream Tickets to My Downfall!

Going on a flight with 3 kids was just as hectic as it sounded. You were starting to question whether it was worth it. A 2-year-old half asleep on your lap, his feet dangling in your face for an hour. Because if you moved even an inch, he would wake up and you weren’t emotionally prepared for that.

Bella had finally stopped asking questions about the plane, how it flew and when she would see her dad. Her sister distracting her with her tablet. You were always thankful for Casie, she was the best big sister that you could ever ask her to be. Even when you didn't ask, she was awesome. 5 months and 25 days without him and you were going a little stir crazy. It was the loneliness more than anything that got you. The kids hated it, and seeing them like that made your heart hurt.

Colson was feeling it too, though he would never admit how much. Tour was insane like always, but he loved it. The mess, the noise, the crowd. Performing was like breathing to him - the only thing he would change was you. Without you there, it was like a piece of him was missing. A late-night phone call and "I miss you" couldn't get you to drop everything and fly to another country. Now you had kids, it was a lot more difficult to bring them out on road. The circumstances were understandable but hard to take. So this plan was put into action. The plan that involved your legs being scrunched up against a chair for 5 hours and trapped in a metal tube. The ride to the hotel was thankfully pretty short, and you met your favourite co-conspirator there.

"Hey (Y/N)"

Ashleigh hugged you tight, bright smile on her face now that you were finally here. Colson needed this, and she knew you did too.

"How are you guys?"

She was attacked with cuddles in response, laughing as the kids could barely contain their excitement.

Colson, completely unaware of his almost screaming children in the lobby, was in his room. He had called you, just before you'd left for the airport. Panic filled your body. Trying to brush him off was difficult. Normally you'd talk for hours but your terrible excuse of “crying kids and needing to go grocery shopping” was enough to prevent any questions. Thankfully he was too tired to probe any further. You probably made his shitty day even worse, the sadness in his voice killed you.

“No- its fine baby, we can talk later. It was nothing important, I just miss you and the kids like crazy. I love you”

At least now you could make his day a whole lot better.

"Which way is it?"

Casie asked once you were out of the elevator, and finally at his floor. She was bouncing with more energy than you'd seen in a while. Looking determined, concentration etched on her face as she matched the number on the keycard with the doors in front of her. Eli tried to escape from your arms getting antsy, wanting to go where everyone else was.

"Okay, okay. You'll see Daddy soon I promise"

You gently shushed him, eyes widening at the mention of his father. You followed your girls to make sure they didn't scream the entire way there.

"(Y/N), come on!"

Casie ran back and her hand tugged yours. Bella was behind you using all of her might to push, her little arms only reaching your lower back. You laughed, while they hurried you to the door. Now only a few steps separated you from him. Colson didn't flinch at the sound of the door handle, presuming it was Ash coming to talk about the show later. Looking up from his phone, he sighed, waiting for another lecture. His mouth fell open when he saw you all standing there.

"Dad!"

Bella ran towards him and Eli wriggled out of your grasp, climbing over the mattress with his sister's help. Casie made her way around the bed, diving under his other arm.

"What are you doing here?"

That smile you loved so much was plastered on his face, unable to hide it at seeing his babies. They were actually here and not buffering pixels thanks to terrible hotel Wi-Fi.

"Came to see you, duh"

Casie shrugged like it was the easiest thing into the world, burrowing back into his shoulder, while her father laughed.

Finally hearing that laugh in person was heaven. His eyes met yours across the room. After months, those blue eyes were staring into yours, lingering on your figure in disbelief. For a while, he would get to be Colson, instead of Kells.

He escaped the grasp of your children, making his way over to you. Enveloping you in a hug and almost lifting you off the floor. Pressing a kiss to his lips your hand caressed his cheek, drinking in your favourite view. Cuddling you tight to his chest for a few seconds, Colson planted a kiss to your hairline. God, he was so happy. You could hear Casie sighing from the other side of the room. Reaching over dramatically to cover her sibling's eyes, both of you chuckled at her antics. Finally, everything was back to your crazy kind of normal.

The few hours you got to yourselves were gloriously spent doing nothing. Colson listening attentively as Casie told him everything that had happened at school. Bella showed him how far she had got with the guitar. The instrument was bigger than her but she was determined to prove that their facetime lessons were working.

Eventually, you made it to soundcheck. The kids all looked so cute in their matching tour shirts. As you strolled in, Casie was glued to his hip, she was definitely going to be taller than him soon. They were all taller than the last time he’d seen them, which Colson hated. His tiny humans were getting bigger by the second and he was missing it. But the feeling of having them here made him forget that pain of leaving and missing them every second.

You plonked yourself on a seat next to Mod, watching a few rows back with Eli on your lap. While, Bella and Casie went wandering backstage with Ash.

"Daddy up there?"

His small voice asked, swinging his legs on the chair. He had gotten bored on your lap after a while. You pointed up to the stage, where Colson was currently talking to Rook about a drum solo.

"Wanna see!"

You lifted Eli off the chair, holding him above your head to see the stage.

"Wanna see Daddy!"

You pointed to the stage with your free hand but it was no use. Eli sniffled, pouting at you. Those big brown eyes blinking up at you, and you instantly melted.

"Fine. We'll go even though he's only over there"

Mod laughed, as you trudged up that stage, crying toddler in tow.

AJ and Baze waved at Eli who gave them a small wave back, but his eyes remained fixed on his father. Slim pointed for Colson to turn around.

"What's up?"

Colson reached out, taking your son in his arms, eyes scanning for any injury. Eli wrapped his arms around his neck and immediately shut up.

"What's wrong? Why you crying?"

"Missed you"

The baby mumbled into his tattooed shoulder, and Colson’s arms squeezed him a little tighter.

"You were just over there!"

He laughed, pointing to where Mod was, who waved back at him.

"You wanna stay up here with me?"

His voice was softer as he asked the question and Eli nodded intently.

"Guess I'll sit here then"

You made your way over the side of the stage, laughing at the thought Colson jumping around with a baby in his arms. He'd done it before. It was difficult but still unbelievably cute.

Casie appeared next to you, back from hanging out with Ash and Ash.

"Hey Casie B"

She rested her head on your shoulder, her curly hair tickling your forehead. At least she still wanted to hang out with you.

"You doing okay?"

She nodded. Casie would have a good time no matter what, she just wanted to see her dad.

“Thanks for bringing me”

“No problem, you’re a delight. Plus who else is going to watch the madness with me?”

She agreed wholeheartedly, and almost on cue, soundcheck was yet again interrupted by one of Colson’s tiny humans. It was less troublesome than the usual chaos that followed your family around, but it was to be expected. Bella walked onstage confidently, not unlike her someone else you knew, planting herself in front of her uncle. Slim leant down, the five-year-old whispering in his ear, to which he nodded.

“Rookie, you’re out the band”

“Again?”

His accent rang in the air, still sounding dejected at the words he had heard so many times.

“Yeah” Slim nodded, helping his niece over to the drums “Bella is replacing you”

“Do you need some help?”

Rook asked, seeing the concentration on her little face.

She paused, thinking about this life-changing decision for a second.

“Maybe a little”

Her tiny hands grabbed the sticks, whacking the drums and cymbals with some sense of rhythm. She was taking advantage of her moment. Soaking up the applause and cheering, you took that as your cue to leave so they could actually rehearse.

The show was phenomenal, as always. Surrounded by music and the unreal energy that came in waves from the stage. To you it was beautiful. Although that may have been just because of who was jumping around shirtless on stage. Colson winked at you and all the girls screamed but you just shook your head and blew a kiss back. Bella was disappointed to not be on drums, but she still had a good time. Bopping along with her tiny headphones, giggling when her dad made funny faces at them. Eli had fun clapping to the music, occasionally half wobbling half dancing with his sisters. The babies got tired quickly, eventually leaving to snooze backstage. Casie was wide awake, watching with awe as her father jumped across the stage. She shot you another smile, and you just felt happy. Nothing could beat that feeling of spending time with your family, the ones you love. Or an amazing concert.

After the show, you were welcomed into a hug by smiling, and very sweaty, Colson. And you wouldn’t change a thing for that sight. Eventually, you’d make it back to the hotel, basking in the almost silence of nighttime and enjoying each other’s company for the first time in a while. Bundled on the bed, cold because your children had claimed ownership of all blankets and comforters. Whispering due to your sleeping kids, you would attempt to have a conversation but Colson would still make you laugh without even trying.

“Quiet is so weird to me now”

The blond hummed, agreeing with your statement. It was nice but strange to not have a constant stream of noise filling the room.

“You wouldn’t rather be out having drunk lightsaber fights right now?”

“I mean, if you’re suggesting it-”

He abruptly sat up, attempting to move off the edge of the bed, amongst the sea of people on the mattress.

“Nope. This is perfect”

Colson shook his head, moving back and resting comfortably on your shoulder. And you knew, he meant every word. Despite the tantrums, very long flights and awkward facetimes. This was worth it and always would be.

#mgk imagine #colson baker x reader #mgk x reader #colson baker imagine #machine gun kelly x reader #machine gun kelly imagine #neviwrites

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pinnithin-writes · 4 years ago

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A scene rewrite from MTZ episode 301, when Pleck and AJ went to save C-53 from foodservice hell. Corporate blues got me down, man. 2005 words.

He’s had worse jobs before, he considered.

The tinkling of the service bell was cheerful and the heat from the warmers was pleasant. He was never lonely, surrounded as he was by valued customers from six to midnight. Here, he was the member of a team, possessing a critical skill set necessary to keep this ship on course. He was loved. The training videos said so.

C-53 was undeniably two dimensional these days, which was fine by him. Two dimensions were easier than three, a square simpler than a cube, an employment less painful than emotion. The restraining bolt had been firmly secured for six months now, and every day that passed made his old profession feel more and more like a distant dream.

Yes, he’d had worse jobs before, but he also felt that maybe he’d had better.

His wandering processing shunted neatly back into place as a customer approached the register. This particular On-N-Off location was never empty for long, situated as it was in the heart of Holowood. It kept him blessedly busy. Taking and inputting orders was automatic by now, and he met such a delightful array of people throughout his shifts. Sentients from all over the galaxy came to his restaurant. C-53 was incredibly lucky.

“‘Scuse me? Excuse me? I have choked on this toy, and-”

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that-”

“So I’m going to sue. What is your name?”

He paused for only a fraction of a second. “My name is C-53, madam, I am a Yumbassador here at On-N-Off Burger.”

This was a line he still tripped over from time to time. His coding hadn’t fully smoothed it over. He’d always been C-53 - he couldn’t remember a time he ever wasn’t - but there was a different way of introducing himself he used to say with more conviction. C-53 changed frames like other sentients changed hairstyles, but his identity was something that tethered him to reality as he cycled through lifetimes.

He had perhaps been C-53, protocol and diplomatic relations droid, the longest. It was a habit that hurt to unlearn.

The restraining bolt tapped a reminder into his processor. There were patrons to care for. He gracefully handled the choking customer, unsticking the transient object with some simple physics and a chair. Honestly, what would this place do without him? He returned his attention pleasantly to the line of tourists snaking before him.

“Okay, I’ll have uh, one Space Shack burger, uh…”

“Sir,” C-53 broke in gently. “A reminder this is not a Space Shack, this is On-N-Off.”

“You guys don’t have Space Shack burgers?”

“Well, we have On-N-Off burgers.”

“Oh, well,” the customer faltered and their voice fell to a mutter. “Space Shack only has Space Shack burgers.”

“Well, that’s how branding works, sir,” C-53 explained. Then, as an afterthought, he added, “I don’t mean to rock your world, but-”

“You’re rocking my world,” the customer laughed.

The exchange was vaguely familiar, as if C-53 had made this gentle correction many times before. He probably had, in all reality - his patrons were alway a little starstruck from the Holowood experience and it was easy to make mistakes - but this familiarity felt… older. Fonder. Something plucked in his coding, something that was almost loneliness, and he allowed the restraining bolt to lead him away from the feeling.

It wasn’t like his memory was totally wiped. He kept a fairly accurate recollection of his past firmly locked in his internal hard drive. He remembered names and places and events. He just preferred not to. His current bolt wasn’t nearly as harsh as his old Alliance one - that awful thing had shocked him anytime an emotion surfaced like a fork in an electrical socket. No, this one was nicer. It had his best interest at heart.

He was knocked out of his reverie by a loud, commanding tone from the front door. “I’d like to order something!” A CLINT, fully plated in battle armor, was waving his rifle conspicuously in the air. “And speak to a manager!”

While this interjection was startling, the voice that followed hit C-53 much harder.

“No, not here - wait in line! Wait in line!”

It was a voice he knew quite well; one he never thought he’d hear again. A voice with a smile in its words. A voice always on the edge of laughter. His processor flooded with a surge of emotion as his memories rushed back, and for a second the restraining bolt scrambled to bypass his programming. C-53’s ocular sensors snapped toward the sound and caught a shock of blue hair further back in the line. It was him, alright. How had he found him?

The CLINT was still hollering from the front door. “I’d like to order something and speak to a manager!”

“AJ!”

C-53’s vocalizer spurred a response automatically and against his will. “Sir, we have a fairly obvious line structure,” he said, indicating with a hand. “If you could just fall in line back there-”

“I’m doing it,” the soldier interrupted, lowering his blaster. “I’m in the line now, and I’d like to order something and speak to a manager.”

“No need to update me any further until you’ve reached the front of the line, sir. Thank you.”

He watched the CLINT fall in with his companion and returned his attention to the customer at hand. Blue locks of hair tugged at C-53’s periphery, but his trust in the restraining bolt kept his sensors aimed on what was important. Somewhere in his coding, a small part of him was screaming through questions and probability, muted and far away.

From C-53’s left, his manager slouched out of their office, drawn by the shouting. “Did somebody say they wanted to speak to the manager?” they sighed.

“Ah, yes, this gentleman does,” C-53 began, but his explanation was cut off abruptly.

“Yes, I would like to,” the CLINT asserted. “I’m ordering stuff and speaking to the manager.”

Protocol allowed C-53 to move his field of vision back to what initially shocked him, and for the first time he was able to fully lay scanners on the tellurian accompanying the CLINT. That was, without a doubt, Pleck Decksetter. He looked different from the last time they spoke - his hair was longer, his face more tired, and he had ditched the ratty orange Federated Alliance jacket in exchange for an even rattier bathrobe, for some reason. But the grin softening his cheeks was sunny as always.

The CLINT, who seemed to be affiliated with Pleck in some way, leaned to him with a stage whisper. “Now’s your chance, now’s your chance-”

“Just relax,” Pleck told him, offering a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

He glanced across the diner and caught C-53’s gaze. His expression was complicated, cycling through so many emotions in rapid succession it was hard for C-53 to clock. As the CLINT reengaged with the manager, Pleck winked - or perhaps only blinked; he couldn’t quite tell with the eyepatch - and slipped out of line.

“Hi, manager, I’m relaxed… right now…” the soldier said to C-53’s superior, who stood by looking disinterested. “And I’d like to order something from you.”

“Oh, you don’t need to order from me,” they answered, gesturing to the register. “That’s what my fine employee C is here-”

“I’d like to speak to the manager,” the CLINT insisted.

C-53 took that moment to break in, unable to follow Pleck’s progress across the restaurant while his programming was in a headlock. “Okay, well, would you like to order, or would you like to speak to the manager?”

“I’ve been told to do both.”

A polite beat of silence. “You’ve been told to do both?”

The CLINT fidgeted, looking lost. “...Yes.”

Movement in his periphery gave C-53 a millisecond of reaction time, and he flung himself out of the way just as Pleck crashed through the register’s divider. Panting, he gripped one of C-53’s shoulders tightly, and with his back to the counter, the droid had nowhere to go. His other hand carried a device C-53 was very familiar with, and alarm zinged through his coding when he recognized it.

“C-53,” Pleck said breathlessly, “I’m here to save you - come with me.”

C-53’s scanners, unbidden, went to the overturned piece of machinery sizzling into the linoleum. He wanted nothing more than to meet eyes with his old friend, but the restraining bolt clamped down hard on his consciousness. This was company property. He’d probably have to file an incident report.

Belatedly, his vocalizer fired up again. “Pleck, what did you just do?”

The tellurian’s grin was lopsided. “I - I had to remove this grill station in order to have a little bit of room for us to exit,” he explained, laughing slightly at himself.

The sound stirred something in C-53, something he was not allowed to examine. “Okay.”

“Look,” Pleck insisted. “Come with me - we’ve gotta go. You’re in grave danger.”

His response was automatic. “Well ah, Pleck, I’m afraid that I am a valued employee here at the On-N-Off Burger family-”

“No, no,” the tellurian protested, “not anymore-”

“The larger organization that owns the many fine On-N-Off Burger locations across Holowood.”

Pleck wasn’t having any of it. “C-53, stop, no, listen - You’re so much more than that. We have to get back out to the Zyxx quadrant and - and save the galaxy!”

Oh, this hurt. The restraining bolt was no longer gently guiding C-53’s emotions - it was gripping them tight, a vice on his coding. When the word ‘family’ leapt from his vocalizer, a horrible feeling turned deep in his cube, suppressed immediately by a corporate-owned padlock. Pleck was standing there, burning into him with his remaining eye, and C-53 ached in his indifference.

“I think the On-N-Off Corporation values me just a little bit more highly than you do,” he replied. Saying that to Pleck’s hopeful face felt like splicing his own wires.

The tellurian’s brow furrowed only a little as he twirled the restraining bolt remover in his free hand. “Okay, alright,” he said, his smile unaffected. “Just hold still.”

“Okay, I’m-”

Pleck pried the bolt off.

This... was far worse than what C-53 was experiencing before. As soon as his shackle clattered to the floor, everything came surging to the surface at once, and there was nothing left to break the wave overtaking him. What was he doing here? How had this happened to him? His scanners cast a perplexed look around him, taking in the overturned grill - that awful thing - his manager, the droves of customers, the accursed register. A vile feeling wriggled into his circuits, a dismayed realization, a disgust with the self.

And there was Pleck, watching him expectantly. Without a trace of judgment in his eye, even having found C-53 in such a state. A second wave raced up his programming, this time gentle and bleeding. This was something fragile. He was afraid to touch it.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” an onlooking customer commented, breaking the silence. An uncomfortable ripple of laughter ran through the restaurant.

C-53 finally collected himself enough to speak. “Oh my Rodd.”

“C-53, let’s go,” Pleck responded, cheeks pink with relief as he patted his frame.

He said it like it was so simple. Let’s go. Let’s get out of here. C-53’s newly untethered emotions roiled within him, too complicated to fully unravel and examine right then and there, so he clung to Pleck’s certainty instead.

Let’s go. Easy.

There was nothing for C-53 here. On-N-Off certainly wasn’t his family. His family had come to retrieve him, and now it was time to assemble the other missing pieces. Carefully, he strung a sentence together, though his words seemed hilariously inadequate for the sentiment lying beneath them.

“Pleck, I can’t thank you enough,” he said. “This has been a punishing six months.”

“I spent the last six months training to become a Zima knight,” Pleck answered seriously.

“Oh…” C-53 shook his head, blindsided by annoyance and affection in equal measure. “Pleck…”

He really was back, wasn’t he?

#mission to zyxx #pleck decksetter #c-53 #aj-2884 #pleck/53 #ink #listen man its been over a year and im still emotional over the fact that pleck went to find c first

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nagdabbit · 3 years ago

Note

so as someone who has never watched GCW or CZW or seen Nick Gage wrestle, but wants to be prepared for what mayhem may come on Dynamite, would I regret buying the Homecoming Day 1?

maybe. if you're not into deathmatch/hardcore wrestling, it might be A Bit Much to start with. also, gcw shows cost cash monies, as you said. for me? absolutely worth it, the card is absolutely stacked. hell, 2 cold scorpio whoopin ass at 55 years old was worth the price of admission. but if you don't know what you're getting yourself into, it might put you off.

i'd suggest starting easy (and free) with some beyond matches on youtube. beyond wrestling is a great promotion, gage's second home after gcw, they always put on fuckin bangers of shows. and they put out a shitton of free matches on youtube!

youtube

gage vs g-raver, 50,000 thumbtacks match.

a nice, easy appetizer. a good place to dip your toe into the hardcore shit. (i'd also suggest looking into an iwtv sub and finding the 100,000 thumbtack match from halloween 2019 [? i think? i dont have it open in front of me]. nick gage vs mance warner. heckuva time.)

youtube

gage vs addy starr, no dq. we love and support intergender wrestling in this house. if you arent a fan, for personal reasons, skip this one. i get it. if you think it shouldnt exist at all, then we will have words.

anyway, great match. made me fall a little in love with addy, good show all around. (pretty sure that was the same show with chris dickinson vs effy, which isn't related, but i sincerely loved it and recommend that match to anyone who will listen. or, this was the double header with gcw, and that match was on the the show.)

i cant think the gage match will go harder than dr. britt baker d.m.d. vs thunder rosa, or the bunkhouse match, or the first mox vs omega match with the barbed wire web. there *is* a limit to what you can show on cable tv, after all. but if you enjoyed those, there's a good chance you'll end up enjoying homecoming. but, as evidenced above, gage clearly knows what he's doing, too. he can hit whatever level they need him to. hell, go look up ndk (nerder death kill, his tag team with thomas santell--ask me about ndk, i love ndk) matches. he can actually wrestle, too. hell, i like his one winged angel better than kenny's. yeah. i fuckin said it. come at me.

anyway, my point was, its probably not going to end up as violent as we want it to. he can work well within set parameters, ie: tv ratings. he's coming off the b r u t a l match last night. hes been teased for homecoming part 2 tonight. mans gotta be hurting.

but, just in case they let him do his thing, here's a little taste of the true god of this shit.

youtube

gage vs shlak. this is, i think, what we're all wanting, expecting, and hoping for for wednesday night. absolute fucking mayhem. blood. lighttubes. pizza cutters to the face. total fucking destruction.

youtube

this isn't a full match, but i will always put pro wrestling cinema over. they do good work. but DO search this full match out if you wanna spend money (rspring break from gcw' the collective event over wrestlemania weekend. delightful show). highly recommend. but even just in highlight form, set to dmx songs, this fucks. it remains one of the hardest, bloodiest, most painful--even for me--gage matches i've seen in recent memory, outstanding work. may dmx rest in peace, one of the best there ever was or will be.

if you're enjoying yourself, and you find that you dont mind spending money on the king, i would highly suggest: gage vs effy from the gcw/black lable pro double feature, 2 cups stuffed. im pretty sure the whole show is on iwtv, but it might be a buy from fite (which, if theyre still doing the "download the app and get like 10 bucks of credits," do it. this isn't an ad, but thats basically a free ppv). one of my favorite matches. effy brought it. absolutely insane. a+ would recommend.

also, the gage vs allie kat texas deathmatch which gave the world the best wrestling promo to exist ever.

and also gage vs aj gray from gcw draft day in may. it has everything. mayhem. gage retaining the title (😭 fuck you cardona). aj gray being a baddass. a jon moxley run in. ron funches on comentary. great time all around.

i may have gotten distracted a lot because i havent had coffee yet, but i just love nick gage, y'all.

#asks!#nick gage #gcw homecoming #aew dynamite

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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 4 years ago

Text

with you [chapter four]

Summary: Clementine pops the question, Louis has nightmares, Violet can’t let go of the past, Mitch doesn’t know how to handle gross feelings, Ruby’s a goddamn sweetheart, Willy doesn’t ever remember to knock, Aasim can’t dance, and James is here, too.

Nothing like a wedding to bring this family together.

Note: tbh working on this story at night is the only thing holding my sanity together while I’m taking care of my grams. But also this chapter was a huge pain in the ass to fix and I’m 0.02 seconds away from punching a hole in the wall. But it’s fine because it’s finished and I ran all the way home just to quickly post this.

Anyway, thank you for reading and your constant support. It truly means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy ch4. ❤️

Ch1 | Ch2 | Ch3 | Ch4

Read on: AO3

---

The page remains blank.

No matter how much Violet wills the pen to move on its own, to put all thoughts both known and unconscious to paper, it remains beside the open notebook. As outrageous as it sounds, a small part of her hopes one day the pen will magically come to life and solve all of her problems with its problem-solving ink. Then everything will be okay.

Though she has a feeling the walkers will go extinct before her pen develops a sentient personality or therapeutic skills.

And she’ll be dead by then, so it wouldn’t matter anyway.

“It helps if you pick up the pen,” Aasim said, not bothering to look up from his own work. “Just saying.”

She knows even by his deadpan tone that he’s trying to joke with her, even if he’s not good at it. Laying bait for her to bite back with a sarcastic remark of her own.

“But then I’d actually have to write something down.”

“Oh no,” Aasim smirks, paying her a brief glance. “Effort.”

That cracks a small smile out of her, and for a fleeting moment, they’re smiling at each other as if that’s a normal thing. It’s hard to maintain that connection, so damn hard, so Violet hides her smile from him by turning away to look towards the gates.

The very same gates that Clementine, AJ, and Rosie pass through. Back from patrol, if she overheard correctly. Even from a distance, Violet can see the delighted grin Clementine wears, a grin only matched by AJ’s. Far brighter than Violet’s.

AJ hugs her tightly before breaking away and bolting towards Louis, James, and Tenn. Clementine remains, though, arms folded over her chest as she watches the group of boys with such fondness that it damn near makes Violet want to scream.

Shit, just…. Shit .

“Hey,” Aasim reaches over, tapping on the blank page of her journal with his own worn-out pen to grab her attention. “Lucy had her babies this morning. Seven of them. Well, eight, but one of them didn’t make it.”

Violet tears her glare away from Clementine to instead glare at Aasim.

“Who the hell is Lucy?”

“One of the pregnant rabbits, remember? Not the one that had babies last week, the other one.”

“We’re still naming them?” Violet asks. Aasim made it very clear that no names were to be used when they started up the rabbit farm by the greenhouse.

“They’re food, not pets. No names. No attachments.”

That didn’t last long.

“ I didn’t name her,” Aasim corrects. “Willy did, even though I’ve told him again and again not to. Now when it comes time for us to put Lucy down, he’s not going to talk to me for another two weeks, as if I’m the only one at fault. Remember Albert?”

“Ah, Prince Albert,” Violet nods. “He sure was delicious.”

Everyone agreed that the lovely Prince Albert was one of the handsomest rabbits they had with his snow white fur offset by brown feet and ears. They also agreed that he made one of the best rabbit stews Omar’s ever created.

Including Willy. That is until Omar offered him one of Prince Albert’s lucky feet and Willy realized just who he had consumed.

The boy didn’t speak to Aasim or Omar for a week, but Violet believes that he still carries around one of Prince Albert’s feet for good luck, despite everything.

“Yeah, anyway, did you want to come with me to check on them? Ruby’s out there now. Maybe you could stay with her and help out?”

Violet scoffs.

“Look, I’ll take your night shift, too,” Aasim adds. “That way you don’t spend all day out there and then have to do a night shift.”

“I like having the night shift.”

“Every night?”

“Sure.”

“Well,” Aasim taps his pen against the table, thinking loudly to himself. “I’m giving you the night off anyway. Ruby would appreciate your company.”

Oh, would she, now…?

It’s not that Violet minds Ruby. She’s the only girl Violet has left to talk to at this place- the only girl she’s willing to talk to, actually.

Violet would say that she enjoys evenings spent with Ruby… most of the time.

The problem with talking to or spending time with Ruby is she’s a lot. Not in the same way Louis is, but more in an overbearing mother sort of way. Always asking her how she’s feeling, asking about her day, if there’s anything she can do to help Violet out or if she wants to do this or that. She’s far too pushy sometimes, especially when it comes to shit she doesn’t understand.

“Clem’s tryin’, Vi.”

As if Ruby has all the answers to make her happy. She always makes it sound so damn easy.

“Why can’t ya just talk to each other?”

The problem is that Ruby tries to take care of everyone so that she doesn’t have to think about how to make herself happy. Why focus on your problems when you can bury your pains and wishes beneath fairy tales and other people’s problems?

At least, that’s Violet’s assumption.

Maybe Ruby is happy.

Maybe Violet just wishes she wasn’t.

Fucking hell.

Just when she thought she couldn’t be any more fucked...

“My company or yours?” Violet mumbles, finally picking up her pen, putting it to paper.

“What? My company- oh, I see.” Aasim rolls his eyes, dropping his pen in the book before shutting it. “Ha ha, very funny. I get it.”

Violet nearly rolls her eyes, too. Speaking of those who don’t bother with their own shit-

“I was thinking that it’d be good for you to go out there and help her, that’s all,” Aasim says, tucking his notebook under his arm and standing from the table. He means to walk away on that annoying note but hesitates. Then, lowering his voice to one of disquiet, he says, “I’m worried about you. So is everyone else.”

“I’m fine, Aasim.”

“...Right,” he sighs heavily. “Please go help Ruby with the rabbits. I’m only going to be there for a little bit before heading out to check the traps with Louis, and she could really use the help. Please?”

“Fine.”

Aasim lingers, shifting his weight as he gives her a chance to say something more, a chance she refuses.

“Thank you.”

With that, he’s walking away, leaving her by herself to finish a doodle of a pen with curly hair and fire for eyes with a speech bubble.

“Why are ya still here?”

---

“Is my neck supposed to feel this stiff?”

“Yes. It’s a sign of a good, unmoving model.”

“Well, good to hear that my career is off to a good start.”

Louis is still sitting there at the table, cracking jokes and trying his best not to move while James and Tenn draw. James points to various parts of Louis’ face before motioning to Tenn’s paper, something that brings a grin to Clementine’s face.

“Don’t worry, Clem,” says AJ as he hugs her. “I won’t say anything. Can I go draw now?”

“Have fun, kiddo.”

She can safely leave AJ to catch up on art lessons with James. He promised her he wouldn’t breathe a word of this to anyone- even Tenn- until she had everything all planned out.

Now that Mitch has the measurements, the ring is- hopefully- being taken care of, so all that leaves is how she plans on doing this. Several lingering thoughts follow her as she spends most of the day helping around the school, doing usual repairs to the gate and their walls.

She would’ve checked on Lucy and the other rabbits, but Aasim warned her that Violet was there with Ruby and Louis. She almost pushed him aside and went in anyway, but damn it, she knows better by this point.

Instead, she and AJ help Omar clean out the fire pit and gather fresh wood, briefly considering letting him in on her intentions. Omar’s a trustworthy friend and while she appreciates his opinion, she decides against telling anyone else until she has the ring. She’s found that battling her eagerness to be growing more difficult with every passing day.

So much so that she also considers asking about the progress on said ring when she finds Mitch and James near the library’s entrance, speaking in hushed whispers that she couldn’t make out. All talk stopped when she approached them, and began again when Mitch became snappy with her before dragging James away.

Odd, and not boding well for her, but she firmly believes that if there were any issues she should know about, Mitch would tell her.

When the sky finally turns a lovely mixture of pink and orange, AJ gives her a hug goodnight before making his way over to Tenn’s room for another sleepover.

Before retiring to her dorm for the night, Clementine pokes her head into the music room to find it empty. A slight disappointment falls over her as she hoped Louis would be up for some piano lessons, but that dissipates when she finds Louis kneeling on AJ’s desk with a roll of duct tape hanging from his mouth when she walks in, a stack of drawings placed beside him. He’s taping up one of the portraits of himself on the wall.

“Ey!” He waves at her before spitting the tape out. “Look at these!” He hops off the desk and points at the one he just hung up. “That’s the one James drew. Charming, isn’t it?”

The amount of detail in the portrait is startling, a fully shaded-in head portrait of Louis that seemingly stares right at her. Even the little details, like his freckles and the scar on his chin, are noticeable.

“It’s way weirder than I thought it’d be,” he says, “having someone stare and dissect every part of your face. Did you know I have a very angular jawline?” He tilts his head up to prove his point. “And James said I have a nice eye shape.”

“He did do you justice,” she says, still admiring the picture. “Very handsome.”

His chuckle comes out loud and anxious, not having expected her to say that.

“Hah, yeah, except,” then Louis pushes his jacket back to place his hands on his hips, “uhm, do you think my nose is big?”

“What?”

“James said I have a wider nose. He drew it bigger than it actually is, right?”

“You have a very cute nose.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

Clementine giggles. “Your nose is perfectly fine, Louis.”

He eyes the portrait, still uncertain, only to then gasp as if just remembering something.

“Oh, wait though, ready for this?” He searches through the pile before plucking the one he wants out. “ This is the one Tenn drew.” He proudly holds it up.

She can’t say she’s not impressed. It’s nowhere near as proportional or advanced as James’, but Clementine can see the effort and charm within the lines. Definitely Tenn’s work.

“Wow,” Clementine smirks, nudging him. “I see it now. James is right, you do have a big nose.”

“ Hey ,” Louis reaches up and playfully pinches her nose, “big talk from little button nose over here.” Louis sticks Tenn’s portrait on the wall, next to James’. “There! We’re getting quite the art gallery.”

“One’s missing, though.” Clementine grabs Louis’ picture of Rosie off the desk and tapes it up with the others.

“Seriously?” he asks sheepishly.

“Oh yeah. We’re never taking that one down.”

“Terrific.”

Louis continues to look through the rest of the drawings. He hums to himself lightly, a tune she recognizes. He sticks more drawings on the wall; ones that AJ drew of him and Tenn, one he drew of Disco Broccoli.

He pauses when he comes across the one of AJ, Clementine, and him. The one with the beach ball. He smiles fondly at it before sticking it up there with the rest.

She sits on AJ’s bed, leaning against the frame to close her eyes and listen to his cheerful humming.

One of the few things she loves in this world is the comfort she has when he’s around.

It’s a comfort she never thought she’d find again. Before Ericson, she and AJ never had time for comfortable peace. When it was just them, there was always that lurking feeling, that bitterness, that lingered in her thoughts.

Now, they have a place they call home.

Clementine can’t imagine where they would’ve ended up had she not crashed the car. They’d still be out in the world, scavenging every little bit they could to survive. They never would’ve met the people she now considered family.

She and Louis would’ve never met, where she and AJ never met anyone at Ericson.

That’s a really shitty thing to think about.

Finding this place, their home, was the best thing that happened to them. Meeting everyone here- Louis, Violet, Mitch, Ruby, Aasim, everyone - has done so much for them. For years, she worried about her and AJ, about always being on the road in a car that constantly ran on fumes, about running across assholes who wanted to hurt them, about the dead finally getting the best of them. Nowhere to go, no direction. A neverending search.

She sneaks a glance at Louis. He has no idea.

He finishes up, shoving the duct tape in a drawer. Leaning against the desk with arms crossed over his chest, he looks at her with a tired grin, but says nothing.

She raises a brow.

“What?”

He shrugs.

It’s like the weariness of their previous night has caught up to him, like something triggered a sinking reality that weighs him down. The shadows along his face from the setting light do nothing to hide the sadness betraying his eyes.

She slowly approaches him and reaches out to grab his hand, tugging him closer to her.

“Hey,” she murmurs.

“Hey.”

“You feeling any better?”

“Of course.”

“Really?” Clementine locks their fingers together. “It’s been a long time since you’ve had one that bad.”

He keeps his stare focused on their hands. “...It wasn’t that bad.”

“Louis.”

“Clementine.”

“It was about that woman, wasn’t it?”

He says nothing, but she can see the answer clear in his eyes.

Yes, Clem, you know it was. It always is.

The first and only living person Louis ever personally killed, and it was purely accidental. It frustrates her that it still haunts him, and even more so that it’ll always haunt him. Even when he expressed the relief of “having it in him” to protect those he loves, there’s always a suffocating weight that comes with the first. If anyone knew that, it’s Clementine.

That kind of guilt, no matter how irrational, never stops.

“Dorian.”

“Hm?”

Louis closes his eyes and leans forward to press his forehead to hers.

“Her name was Dorian.”

“Lou-”

“I know.” He pulls back, forcing a smile. “I know.”

His gaze falls on her nose. He pinches it again.

“I don’t wanna talk about it right now. Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” she smiles sincerely. “Just… want to make sure you’re alright.”

“You don’t have to worry about me so much, Clem. There are more important ways to spend your time.”

More important?

She supposes that’s a good way to put it.

“Y’know, I was thinking about what you said this morning,” Clementine smiles. “AJ’s having another sleepover with Tenn tonight, so we have the whole room to ourselves.”

Louis raises a brow, a slow smirk spreading across his lips.

“Wanna build a pillow fort?”

“You read my mind.”

Without any hesitation, she kisses him. It’s a quick, soft, comforting peck that catches him off guard.

Another kiss to his lips, and then another. Clementine holds onto the nape of his neck and moves to his chin, his cheek, placing soft, intimate kisses against his warm skin.

He looks at her with lidded eyes before his hands caress her cheeks, his thumb brushing just below her eye.

He kisses her, eager for every press of her mouth. He doesn’t stop kissing her, even when she tightens her grip on his jacket and pulls him back with her. The desk hits her hip and he’s quick to lift her up onto the surface, almost knocking over her venus fly trap plant.

A pleased sigh escapes her lungs as she desperately moves to his jaw, down his neck. Her hands move beneath his jacket, trailing down to the hem of his shirt before bunching the material up. His skin is warm. His breathing is quick, shallow.

“Clem! Clem!”

Louis yanks back, their lips parting quickly with a loud smack as she nearly topples over from the force of him ripping away.

The bedroom door slams open and in barges Willy.

She’s disoriented, lightheaded, blinking rapidly and frantically searching for any sign of danger. All she finds is Louis, who’s now over at AJ’s desk, humming incredibly loud, and Willy hurrying in with a triumphant smile.

“Clem, guess wha-!” The second he sees Louis, he stops and gasps. “Oh no!”

“Oh, look, darling!” Louis stops pretending to look at the pictures and glares at the young boy. “It’s Willy, the boy who doesn’t know how to knock! Nice of you to pop in unannounced this late in the evening !”

Willy’s face flushes a scarlet red as his gaze darts between the two, falling down to Louis’ shirt, which remains lifted to reveal part of his stomach.

Louis yanks the material down, fake coughing.

Willy’s face is reminiscent of a fresh tomato at this point. It seems that even he got the sense of what was happening before he ran in.

Clementine slips down from the desk and tries to casually straighten out her own jacket and adjust her hat with an unfazed face, even though she’s positive that her skin is blotchy and red, too.

“I’m sorry!” Willy blurts out, covering his eyes. “I didn’t see anything! I’ll knock next time! I swear!”

“Uh-huh,” Louis frowns. “Said that last time, didn’t you?”

Now she’s not sure who’s redder, her or Willy.

“Willy, what do you want?’ Clementine sighs. She composes herself and approaches the boy.

His eyes went to Louis before meeting hers. That’s all she needs.

“Is it Mitch?”

Willy nods.

Clementine’s heart flutters. Choosing her words carefully, she asks, “Is he done?”

Willy nods once more.

“Done with what?” Louis asks.

“Uh-”

“Watch,” Clementine interrupts. “I completely forgot that I have watch.”

“Seriously?” Louis asks, confused. “Wait, I thought Ruby had watch tonight.”

“I switched her,” she lies, moving towards Willy and adding, “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Willy leaves without another word, staring down at the floor. Clementine holds back an annoyed sigh. The previous mood is completely gone and now she’s made a mess of lies that she’s gotta detangle before Louis gets suspicious.

Damn it, Willy.

Couldn’t have waited until morning.

Louis gives a thoughtful frown.

“I’m a little worried about him,” he says, “about Mitch, I mean.”

“Oh, uh, really?”

"Something weird’s going on with him,” Louis nods. “He’s been down in the basement every day for the past week and- ...Well, I went to check on him this morning before breakfast.”

Panic shoots through her stomach and into her heart.

Louis pauses, unsure if he should continue.

“And?” Clementine presses.

“...Well, when I tried going down the stairs, I think- well, it was probably nothing. I probably didn’t see what I thought I saw because I could’ve sworn I saw James down there, too-”

Clementine’s stomach drops.

“-and I don’t know what they were doing but before I could even get down the stairs, Mitch threw a shoe at me.”

“A shoe?”

Oh, goddamn it, Mitch-

“Yeah, right at my face! He about hit me in my big nose!”

Clementine rolls her eyes. “Again with the nose thing?”

“I’ve accepted its abnormally monstrous size,” he says. “Anyway, then I saw him again on my way to the greenhouse and he wouldn’t even look at me. Not that he’s one for conversation or anything, but it’s like… I don’t know. It felt weird. I don’t know what he’s doing down in the basement or what they’re doing if that really was James I saw. I’m not sure I want to know.”

“I’m sure it was nothing.”

“Probably… I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone shout ‘no!’ and ‘out!’ that many times in a ten-second time frame before hurling shoes at me. It was pretty terrifying.”

“Mitch is…” Clementine’s at a loss. While she’s thankful for Mitch’s ability to think on his feet so quickly, she wasn’t sure if she approved of the shoe method. “...Hard to understand sometimes, and he and James are friends so it’s not that weird that they’re hanging out together.”

Louis considers this, though she can tell he’s not completely convinced.

“...Do you think they’re… I mean, it’s none of my business but if there was something going on between them-”

Oh boy.

Louis then shakes his head, changing his mind.

“Y’know what? I’m sure it was nothing.”

She sighs. So much for not making Louis suspicious of anything. Then again, maybe this is her fault. She did tell James that Mitch was working on fixing the ring, and she should’ve known that would lead to him trying to help.

“He’s working on a project,” she says lamely. “He probably wants a second opinion on it from James. ”

“A bomb project? I didn’t think James was a fan of explosions.”

“Firecrackers work as a great distraction for the walkers,” says Clementine, which isn’t a total lie. Mitch brought up the suggestion to James a while ago. They spent a long time discussing the idea if she remembers correctly.

Well, better not let sweet Ruby know,” Louis says. “She’s still got a personal grudge towards Mitch’s bombs ever since that thing in the greenhouse, you know.”

“Oh, I’m aware,” she smirks. “ ‘A bomb? I will whip his ass!’ ”

Her Ruby impression gets a chuckle out of him. “Hope he knows a shoe won’t be enough to stop her. If anything, that’s just provoking the beast.”

“He’ll have to learn that for himself,” she smiles. Clementine approaches him again, fixing the collar of his jacket and apologizing, “Sorry I can't stay and help you build an amazing, comfortable pillow fort. Will you be okay?”

“Don’t worry about me, darling.” He grabs her hand and kisses her cheek. “We can always build a pillow fort another night, or, uhm, finish what we started. Maybe I’ll go tickle the ivories for a while before bed, so if I don’t see you before your finished or if I’m not awake, goodnight and stay warm.”

She gives him a long kiss goodbye before she leaves.

One the door’s shut, she takes a moment to take a deep breath.

Her face still feels warm after all the excitement. She’s still a little annoyed at the interruption, but if she’s right about what Willy was trying to imply, then she has to hurry. She can only hope that Mitch found a way to fix the ring.

The wait is starting to make her anxious.

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ericsonclan · 4 years ago

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Remembering Faces

Summary: Clementine sees Louis drawing something at the picnic tables and walks over to find the reason behind his actions is a somber one.

Read on A03:

Clementine made her way out to the front yard on her crutches. Willy was in the midst of reworking her prosthetic, so it was back to crutches for the next few days. It was pretty quiet out front. Aasim was on watch. Violet pushed AJ in the tire swing. Omar and Ruby must be working in the greenhouse. And Louis sat at one of the picnic tables, a look of concentration on his face as he sketched on a plain piece of paper. Curious to see what he was up to, Clementine made her way over to him, her crutches swinging lightly as she moved quickly across the lawn. “Looks like your artistic talents go beyond music,”

Louis looked up at the compliment, giving his girlfriend a small smile. “Hey, Clem. Crutches treating you alright?”

“Well enough,” Clementine leaned them against the table before plopping down next to him. “What are you drawing?”

Louis’ arm was covering his work. Reluctantly, he pulled the paper back to reveal a picture of a tall, chestnut-haired boy.

Clementine squinted at it a second before her eyes widened in recognition. “Is that Mitch?”

“Yeah. The best likeness I can get of him anyway,” Louis looked down at the paper in disappointment. “I wanted to capture something on paper, you know, before the memories fade. But I can’t draw him right,”

“I could tell it was him,”

Louis’ shook his head. “That’s not enough. I want to be able to take out this drawing to show someone someday and say, ‘That’s Mitch’. Have all the little details right, like the way he used to smile every time Willy said something stupid or how his hair always used to get into his eyes when he was busy concentrating on something. Stuff like that,” Louis shifted the piece of paper to the side and Clementine saw that there were several underneath it. Those pages held portraits of Brody, Tenn, Marlon and the twins.

Clementine looked over at Louis with concern. She could tell that this was bothering him in a deeper sense than artistic inability. This was his only shot at remembering what his friends looked like. Remembering his family. She laid a hand on top of Louis’, causing him to look over at her. “Would you like me to try too? I’m sure it wouldn’t be perfect, but maybe I can help get some other details right. With practice I’m sure we’ll both get better,”

Louis’ expression softened at her offer. “Thanks. I appreciate it,” He handed her a fresh sheet of paper and the two of them got to work.

After a while, A.J. came over to check on what they were doing. He wanted to join in, so Louis handed him a piece of paper and a box of crayons since he and Clem were using all the pencils. Violet sat next to A.J. and across from Louis, commenting that for all she knew their drawings were perfect, but she couldn’t see shit so she’d never know. She and Louis soon fell into conversation, reminiscing about their fallen friends. Brody, Mitch and Tenn were all spoken of fondly. Marlon and the twins were skirted over, though kind, soft-spoken words were offered toward each of them. Clementine listened in, enjoying seeing their faces light up at the memories and wishing she’d had longer with those they’d lost.

Violet, despite protests on her part, eventually was convinced by Louis to give drawing a try. She hunched over her paper, eyes narrowed in concentration as she tried her best to draw both Minnie and Sophie. A.J. had drawn Tenn and proudly showed the picture to Clem and Louis before a thoughtful expression came across his face and he declared he was going to check on Willy, running off without another word. Clementine considered pursuing him but decided against it. A.J. deserved some space to think. She would bring it up later though, at a time where they could talk alone for as long as needed.

She turned back to Louis who was up to his third sketch of Marlon. His tongue stuck slightly out of his mouth as he was fully engrossed in getting the color right on Marlon’s eyes. Clementine glanced at her own drawings. They were sketchy and ephemeral at best. Her relationships with Marlon and Brody had been so short, barely two days. The memories of them were complex and deep-seated. She’d tried to capture Brody’s kindness and the hope in her eyes when she’d talked about travelling. For Marlon she’d focused on her earlier memories of him, as the open-handed, giving leader of this group of kids. She wanted to draw him as Louis’ best friend, not what he’d become at the very end.

Her relationships with Mitch and Tenn had lasted longer. Both of their deaths still stung despite the myriad of losses she’d experienced. She’d done her best to replicate the bomb Mitch had worked on and how his brows had furrowed in annoyance as he worked so desperately to get it working so he could protect the school. They’d barely just warmed up to each other by the time he was gone. Clementine wished they’d had longer together. And Tenn… his expression still haunted her, the look of shock as he turned back to see A.J. and realized what he’d done before the life drained from his eyes. Had there been another way to save him and Louis, one she simply couldn’t see? Clementine would never know.

Eventually Ruby and Omar finished with dinner prep and everyone was called to eat. The papers and art supplies were tucked away as they ate their nightly stew and continued to reminisce of days gone by. Everyone laughed at stories of Louis’ and Marlon’s escapades and delighted in recalling all the dumbass stunts Mitch had pulled with knives and other makeshift weapons over the years. Ruby got a little teary-eyed remembering some of her favorite times with Brody and Violet spoke softly and fondly of Tenn, Sophie, and occasionally Minnie. The truths of their friends’ final moments and deaths felt so divorced from who they’d been in life. It was good to talk of happier times even though the memories refreshed dulled aches within their hearts.

After dinner Louis tenderly took Clementine’s hand in his own. Leaning forward, he placed a kiss on her cheek before whispering in her ear. “Do you have time to stop by the music room? There’s something I want to share with you,”

Clementine nodded. Gathering her crutches, she followed Louis whose arms were full of art supplies. They made their way into the admin building, the soft rustle of dead leaves the only sound besides their footsteps in the empty rooms. Louis held the door open for Clementine before moving to put the art supplies away and grab something from one of the shelves. Clementine headed straight for the couch. Sitting down, she watched Louis as he used a chair to reach one of the highest shelves, pulling a small box down then walking over to join her on the couch. Prying off the lid, Louis revealed a series of drawings within, portraits of children and teens Clementine didn’t recognize.

“These were all drawn by Sophie,” Louis picked up one of the drawings, holding it out to Clementine. She took it in her own hands. It was a portrait of a young boy with large, thick-rimmed glasses upon his face. “She drew them throughout the years whenever we lost one of the kids. It was her way of honoring them, keeping a piece of them with of us so we’d always remember them,” Louis tapped on the drawing Clementine held. “That was Dewey. We lost him on the first night that walkers attacked the school. He was in the same room as me and Marlon, in the bunk across from us,” He pulled out another drawing, this one a portrait of a Latina girl who looked to be in her mid-teens. “Therissa was one of the strongest kids back when all this began. She helped figure out how to hunt and would always keep a level head whenever arguments broke out. She got bit while out hunting one day. Mitch had to-” Louis paused, his voice tightening. “He was the last one with her,”

Clementine took Louis’ hand in her own, gently rubbing her thumb along its side. It was sweet to see how much Louis cared but saddening at the same time. He had trauma just like her, pain she couldn’t touch. Silently, she reached into the box, pulling out another picture. A pale, thin boy stared back at her, his eyes issuing a challenge.

“That was Justin,” Louis’ tone grew somber. “He got a bunch of kids killed a few years back when they went way out past the school. Got into a huge fight with Marlon and somehow had the fucking nerve to blame it all on him. Some of the other kids agreed and left with Justin the next morning. We lost seven kids in two days. But Sophie still drew him and all the others that left. She said they should still be remembered in spite of all that,” There was a shuffling sound beside Louis and Clementine realized that he had placed all the portraits they’d drawn today beside him. “I figure if kids like that got a place in here, then Minnie and Marlon deserve one too,” He tucked the papers at the bottom of the stack before placing the lid back on the box.

“I’m glad you have them to remember everyone by,” Clementine murmured.

Louis nodded. “Tenn and Brody cleared out so much of Sophie’s art in the days following her and Minnie’s, well, disappearance. Most of it got buried at their graves. But I figured Sophie would want us to hold onto these. I just wish…” Louis sniffled, the tears he’d been holding back spilling out. “I wish I could draw the rest of them right. To finish Sophie’s work. Give her a portrait just as good as all the ones she made,”

Clementine leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Louis’ waist. She could feel the heat of his tears as he sobbed against her shoulder. Her own eyes prickled with unshed tears. She remembered the wrinkled, worn-out photo she’d carried of Lee for the year and a half after she lost him. How much joy and pain she felt whenever she looked upon it. The wrenching twist in her gut when she realized it had been lost. The fear over the passing years as certain details of him were lost to her, the permanence of his death sinking in more and more.

She carried all those she’d met and lost in those years on the road within her, the good and the bad. It was the same for Louis. Even within the safety of these walls, the Ericson kids had lost so many of their own. And those lives stuck with him just as much, the ghosts of his past, their memories a blessing as well as a burden.

Eventually the tears stopped. Louis continued to rest his head upon her shoulder. She could feel his heart beat against her. The rhythm was comforting. Grounding. Clementine felt her heart aching in a different way. There was a purity to it, the overwhelming love she felt for Louis filling her heart beyond its former limits. “Thank you. For sharing all this with me,”

“Thanks for listening,”

They pulled apart slowly. Clementine swept a hand across Louis’ cheek, brushing away the residual tears. “Ready to sleep?”

“Yeah. Let me just put these back,” Louis stood up, the box within his hands. He tucked it away where it had gone before, safe on the highest shelf. Then he scooted the chair back into place and came back to the couch, offering Clementine his hands.

She took them and came to a shaky balance on her foot, fingers clinging to Louis’ shirt till he had safely positioned the crutches under each arm. They made their way out of the room slowly, taking their time.

“Hey, Clem?”

“Mhm?”

“I love you,”

A happy thrill ran through her at the words. Clementine looked up at Louis, basking in the warmth she saw within his eyes. “I love you too,”

The rest of their walk was silent, grounded in unspoken understanding.

#twdg #twdg louis #twdg clementine #twdg aj #clouis #twdg sophie #twdg marlon #twdg brody #twdg mitch #twdg violet #angst #fanfic

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inscrutable-shadow · 4 years ago

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Artis and Janus

I'm on my way to buy what is probably my last candy bar for the foreseeable future when a familiar voice whispers my name. "AJ," it calls, audible over my music and the wind whipping around my ears due to the fact that it's coming from inside my own head, "it's time."

"I'm busy," I reply, kicking hard against the asphalt to give the skateboard more speed.

"It's time, AJ. Release me."

"No. I'm still in the red zone. Killing me benefits no one, or do you think you can do this on your own?" I get an orange sensation of discontent, but the voice subsides, knowing it's in the wrong. Good, cause I'm not doing this on an empty stomach.

I throw my snacks on the counter along with a few bills. Mr. Morales nods as he rings me up. We have an understanding, I don't talk and neither does he. Mrs. Dooley does call out to me as I leave.

"Be careful out there, AJ! Seems like a storm's coming!" I acknowledge her, pulling my hood over my headphones as I sling my backpack over my shoulder. I'd barely noticed the charge in the air, seeing as it came from me. Storm clouds are rolling in from the horizon in response to my mood. I have to admit I'm not in the best of tempers. It's my music. Too soft and soothing, lo-fi jazz instead of the hard rock and metal I enjoy. Yeah, I chose it, but not for me. Soft sounds soothe the power inside me and make it easier to control, and on a day like today, especially with the chosen hour so near, I need the extra help. I can feel it rolling inside of me, but I still have the upper hand.

The city looks odd, empty as it is in preparation for the storm, and I find myself trying to store the memory of the place that was my home for so long for later. "AJ," the voice admonishes, "there is nothing for you here."

"I know. But still, it was a life, and one that I enjoyed at times."

"These memories will not serve us."

"Ah, shut up, will you? I'm in charge here, not you. I control the body, I control what happens, got it?" More orange, with a hint of red and a little blue. I'm not going to be able to hold it back much longer anyway, might as well get a move on.

I head to the outskirts of the city and beyond to where the industry of humanity has not ventured into the wild of nature. There's a nice, grassy outcropping I like to sit on and look over the city, it'll be a great place to watch what happens next. I stand, looking down, at the nearly-deserted metropolis.

"Artis."

"Yes, AJ? Is it..."

"It's time."

Thunder rumbles as the clouds shift around, eventually congealing to show Artis as a disembodied head. It nods to me, and I nod back, taking a deep breath as the power within quivers in anticipation. I stop holding back. AJ was truly a perfect vessel, always in control, knowing when to give me a small amount of power, and when to hold me back. A rock in a river, allowing life to flow around him. I am too volatile to perform the task alone, I am blazing fire, blinding light. Now that I am finally free to do as I please, I'm not sure where to start. I look to him for guidance, pure aggression useless if undirected.

"What's wrong, Artis?"

"I... know not where to begin, AJ. Our duty is to burn this world, but I find myself unable to scorch even one city." I am ashamed, a salmon and cherry feeling. He is only a deep grey. He beckons to the sky, charging our energy and bringing potential into focus. The clouds are heavy with his rage. It is my duty to release it.

"Move, Artis. We will not be contained. Enact justice." I hesitantly pull at the clouds, causing rain to begin to fall, lightly at first, and then harder. Lightning flashes, but this is no ordinary storm. As it goes on, I gain my purpose. Hailstones begin to pound the city, alight with blue fire. I call down meteorites to discourage what small military resistance has appeared to combat my presence, taking delight in knocking helicopters out of the sky. I begin to laugh, a bright yellow, and AJ begins to smile as well, taking in the destruction with a growing green sensation of satisfaction. Chaos is good. When there is nothing more to destroy, Artis returns to me, nestling itself within my mind and my chest once again, exhausted and wanting to rest. I am rather tired as well, but my work is not and will never be finished. I pick up my skateboard and press a button on its side, activating both the hover function and the transporter. Pushing up into the sky and quickly gaining speed, I am soon consumed by a flash of blue light. On to the next world. Image prompt, 858 words. See more from Clack: Spilled Ink and Scattered Words on Wattpad.

#amwriting #original fiction #flash fiction #writeblr #writers on tumblr #fantasy #apocalyptic #coy writes #clack

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aziraamane · 5 years ago

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More Human AUs, anyone?

'Cuz I've got a slow-ish burn right here, and I bet it's all already been done before, but fuck it, imma post what I have so far.

In short, it's Aziraphale (Ezra) as a fussy, demisexual university librarian who's had custody of Warlock since he was a baby, and Crowley (AJ) as a high-flying yet rather reluctant socialite who drinks a bit too much and just acquired custody of his godson and nephew, Adam.

~*~

Everyone knew AJ Crowley, if not by name, then certainly by face. With his mane of magnificent auburn ringlets, ever-present sunglasses, and prominence in the tabloids, he wasn't exactly a nobody. Women wanted to be with him, men wanted to be him (some probably wanted to be with him, too) -

And every morning, there he was at the school gates, ushering a curly brown-haired boy through the main entrance, with no security or bodyguards to speak of, just a cup of coffee in one hand and the bleary look of someone who didn't much deal with early wake-ups.

"Right. You got everything, yeah?"

"Yes…? Um…" Adam looked at his rucksack, hanging on its peg, his jacket behind it. Both shoes, yep, got those on, and his uniform. He nodded, pleased. "Got everything!"

"Great. Okay. I'll be off, then -"

"Good morning, dear fellow!" Mr Fell bustled past, touching Crowley on the arm as he went.

"Mornin'," Crowley murmured, swigging his coffee. Nothing "good" about being awake before midday, far as he was concerned, but Mr Fell had a smile to brighten up any dreary London morning, and he'd take that whenever it came.

Adam hopped over to the black-haired boy holding Mr Fell's hand. "Hiya, Warlock."

"Adam!" Warlock trilled.

"Wanna play?"

"But, but we gotta have register first!" Warlock looked scandalised.

Mr Fell laughed lightly and knelt to plant a kiss on Warlock's forehead. "Why don't you and Adam go sit on the carpet together? Playtime will come before you know it."

"Okay!" Warlock dropped Mr Fell's hand, grabbed Adam's, and they ran off.

Crowley scratched his head as he watched the boys go. "Still feels weird."

"Having him with you, you mean?"

"Yeah...guess so."

"You'll get used to it," smiled Mr Fell. "Shall we?"

"Yeah.”

The throng of parents parted before Crowley, as they always did. Mr Fell in tow, they descended the steps and headed for the gates. Crowley stuck his hands in the pockets of his too-tight jeans and cast a look at Mr Fell, who was humming to himself cheerily. "Off to work as usual, then?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. No rest for the wicked, as they say. And you, my dear?"

"Ugh, don't remind me."

"That bad?"

"You don't know the half of it." Crowley chucked his now empty coffee cup into a nearby bin.

Mr Fell made a sympathetic noise. "No rest for the wicked, indeed."

"An' I'm the wickedest," chuckled Crowley. They'd reached his car, a beautiful, vintage Bentley that was his utter pride and joy. "Tempt you to a lift?" he offered as he unlocked it.

Mr Fell just smiled. "I rather like the walk, but thank you. Perhaps another time."

Crowley shrugged. It had been a little game of theirs since Adam had started at school, since he and Mr Fell had become parental acquaintances. "Suit yourself."

He slipped into the driver's seat without further conversation, taking note of Mr Fell's cheery wave in the rearview mirror as he drove away.

One of these days, he'd actually find out the man's first name.

~*~

It was Ezra, by the way; Ezra Fell. His mother would tell you he's a lovely Jewish boy, if she were still alive to say so, and he would blush and flap his hands in a fluster, but what he was, without a doubt, was a thirty-five year old with bright blue eyes, plump pink cheeks, and the mannerisms and dress sense of someone twice his age.

And he had gotten sidetracked in the park by the delightful sight of two swans and their cygnets, and subsequently was an hour late for work.

Again.

"Ezra!" whined Newt from behind the checking-out desk. "Why are you like this?"

"Terribly sorry, dear boy," Ezra replied as he slid into his seat. "Must have had my head in the clouds."

"I had to use the computer."

"Is the poor thing still alive?"

"The screen went blue. I had to call IT," whispered Newt in a horrified tone. It wasn't that Newt - Newton Pulsifer, to give him his full name - was bad at his job, exactly, but, well...technology wasn't his strong point. He was in his early twenties and a recent graduate at the university in which they worked, but rather liked the place, so he'd stayed on as an apprentice librarian, and tried to do as much on paper as he could.

Ezra patted his hand sympathetically. "How about you pop the kettle on. I'll man the desk for a while."

Newt immediately brightened. "Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks, Ezra."

Technology was rather alien to Ezra, too, but he, at least, could touch fingers to keyboard without potentially blowing the whole thing up. He'd still prefer to do things manually, but, as he often lamented, it wasn't the Nineties anymore. Sighing at the nostalgic twinge, he scooted his chair over to the computer, saw the screen back to normal, and ever so slowly, typed in his login details.

Newt reappeared, holding two mugs of tea, and set one on the drinks coaster next to Ezra's elbow. "Don't forget," he said as he leaned against the desk, "you've got Introduction to Library Facilities at eleven -" Ezra groaned, for he had forgotten, "-and I've got training at twelve, so I reckon you'll be by yourself for most of the day."

"Wonderful. Marvellous. Simply tickety-boo."

"Sorry."

"Not your fault, dear boy. Oh, I really must get Gabriel to stop sending all these students my way…"

"I swear, Ezra, if it weren't for the books, you'd never be here at all."

Ezra sipped his tea with a wry smile. "I daresay you'd be right."

(Part 2 here)

#tia-lew writes #fanfiction #good omens #aziraphale #crowley #adam young #warlock dowling #ineffable husbands #human au #slow burn

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rebellect-writes · 4 years ago

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[SIZE=1][b]Name:[/b] Jess. [b]Age:[/b] 21. [b]How did you find us?:[/b] I didn’t. You found me.

[b]Name:[/b] Ripley York. [b]Nicknames & Aliases:[/b] Rip, Ripper. Yorkie. [b]Age:[/b] 37. [b]Date of Birth:[/b] 12th of April 1975. [b]Gender:[/b] Male. [b]Sexual Orientation:[/b] Bisexual, though he’s more comfortable with males. [b]Occupation:[/b] Works in a bookshop in town.

[b]Animal Species:[/b] Spotted Hyena. [b]Animal Description: [/b] [IMG]http://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv90/bloodwillout/app%20pics/spotted-hyena_1.jpg[/IMG] He’s your typical spotted hyena. Standing at 3’1 at the shoulders and from snout to rump, he’s 5’5. Ripley’s not very heavy though, only weighing in at 130lbs at large. His coat’s a lot softer then it looks, though don’t get any bright ideas and try petting without asking because his strong bite is worse than his bark. [b]Do you have a hybrid/alpha form?:[/b] Nope. [b]Rank:[/b] Rogue. Will join if the group returns. [b]How long has your character been a lycanthrope?:[/b] 16 years. (Infected at age 18.) [b]Mindset:[/b] Both. [b]Power level:[/b] Beta.

[b]Face Claim:[/b] Matthias Streitwieser. [b]Description:[/b] [IMG]http://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv90/bloodwillout/app%20pics/2e2j6md.jpg[/IMG] [i]Height:[/i] 6’2 [i]Weight:[/i] 178lbs. [i]Eyes:[/i] Blue. [i]Hair:[/i] Brown. [i]Build:[/i] Average, muscled in all the right places. [i]Visible marks:[/i] He has a small black star on the inside of his right wrist, and the Chinese characters for ‘Ruby’ at the nape of his neck. Ripley also has faint bite marks along his neck and wrists that you can't really see unless you're looking close. [i]Style:[/i] Jeans, t-shirts and a thrown over jacket. Anything comfortable and practical is best. He will wear suits if he has to do so.

[b]Special Skills:[/b] [LIST] [*] He does know Greek and Spanish, and he’ll remember how to speak it in his own time. [*] He does know how to hold his own in a fight thanks to AJ helping him out. [/LIST][b]Personality:[/b] Ripley’s quiet and laid back most of the time. He’s been trained to value manners so you’ll rarely hear him forget them. He’s also been known to lapse into old tricks, where he won’t speak until he’s spoken to. If someone that’s a clear alpha or Master speaks to him, he will rarely look them in the eye unless they say he can do so and it’s little things like that that make things bearable for him. The last thing that he wants is someone to rip out his throat for something he didn’t even mean to do. On saying that, that doesn’t mean he’s completely submissive when it comes to those with more power than he has. Ripley has a deep rebellious and stubborn streak that shows its face at times, mostly when he’s in a sticky situation.

Some may even say that he gets mouthy and sarcastic when this streak of his rises to the surfaces, but Ripley hasn’t honestly noticed anything different except when people give him odd looks. When he’s around people that are younger than him in power, Ripley’s a little more open about things. He likes to laugh and joke around and even though he doesn’t out right say it, he’s the type of person that will give others another chance even though they’ve burned him in the past. Trust is something special to him, There’s only a couple of people that have his trust however, at times when he’s in pain or upset, he even closes down on them to protect himself. Maybe he doesn’t open up fully, but that still doesn’t stop him from being unspeakably loyal to the people that do him a good turn.

What people don’t know is, and what Ripley doesn’t remember is that he’s got a bad side. He won’t hesitate to do something if an orders given, if that means attacking someone and drawing blood, so be it. Sometimes an order doesn’t have to be given, he’ll go on the defensive if he has to, and the offensive if he needs to, to protect himself and those around him. It’ll hurt him, sure, but half the time he doesn’t even register that pain. He doesn’t like seeing people in pain, but it’s a trigger that’s so deeply rooted in his subconscious that he jumps before he really thinks. Another thing that hasn’t shown itself is that he’s addicted to a vampires bite, craves it and has for over twelve years, will do anything to get the fix. No doubt it will show, but for now, Ripley’s just a mite emotionally retarded and no one’s complained so who knows what trouble he’ll get into.

[b]Likes:[/b] [LIST] [*] Curling up with a good book when it’s raining. [*] Being bitten by a vampire. [*] Cooking. He’s a natural in the kitchen surprisingly. [*] Being stroked in his hyena form. [*] Watching a movie when he can’t sleep. [*] Exploring Jackford when he’s not working. [/LIST][b]Dislikes:[/b] [LIST] [*] When he can’t sleep because of tension headaches. [*] Drama. He can do without it. [*] Others shedding blood for no reason. [*] When he’s reprimanded. [*] Loud annoying music. [*] When he’s talked over by people but he won’t say anything. [/LIST][b]Strengths:[/b] [LIST] [*] He knows when to keep his mouth shut and eyes on the floor. [*] Can follow orders to the letter. [*] Doesn’t let how much pain he’s in show. If he’s in pain. [*] Good at giving people a shoulder to cry on if they need it. [*] He’s got all your standard shifting abilities. [*] Keeping his inner hyena on a short leash and away from others. [*] Giving people what they want to hear most of the time. [/LIST][b]Weaknesses:[/b] [LIST] [*] Won’t hesitate to put himself in the line of fire for someone else. [*] Doesn’t have an alpha form. [*] Can’t repeatedly shift repeatedly in one day, the most is five times back and forth. [*] He’s a bite addict. [*] Silver. [*] Hasn’t even known a true cackle. [*] Doesn’t always tell people when things are bothering him. [/LIST][b]Family:[/b][LIST] [*] Manuel Lagana; Father, died in an RTA. [*] Lucinda York; Mother, died in an RTA. [*] Dominga Lagana; Grandmother, died of natural causes. [/LIST][b]History:[/b]

During April of 1975, one man’s life came crumbling down around his ears because of a drunken one night stand with his best friend’s younger – and underage, at the time that things got hot and heavy in the bathroom – sister. Manuel came home one evening to find Lucinda on the couch, screaming and hollering as his mother and uncle scurried around trying to stop the baby that was coming one month early. One call was all it took when his common sense kicked in at the sight of the blood, to get Lucinda to the hospital and the help the teenager deserved. Despite the few complications with the birth and the consequences that followed, the baby now named Ripley, was allowed to come home just a little over a month later with Dominga Lagana – the baby’s biological grandmother on Manuel’s side – as the legal guardian, Manny and Lucinda being more babysitters than parents.

Growing up in Leeds; Ripley felt at home in the urban wilderness and it was the only thing that he knew. Lucinda always told him that she was his mum, he believed her, and he’d seen the pictures on Dominga’s albums. What he didn’t get though was why the York’s didn’t approve. They made it known that he wasn’t wanted when Lucinda had to take him along when she went to see her brothers or parents place. In the end, the strain that Lucinda was under, forced her to dump Ripley on Manuel and Dominga more and more, much to his Grandmother’s delight. She didn’t like the prissy little white girl or the judgmental patronising parents that sneered and crossed the street when they were walking the same way as them. The tension lasted for almost three years and everyone suffered for it, Manuel tried to patch things up and show to Lucinda’s parents that he wasn’t trash and Lucinda tried to show her parents that she wasn’t a child anymore and could look after herself, it was a bit redundant really, Ripley’s mum was twenty and legally an adult capable of looking after the five year old boy with Manuel who was twenty nine at the time. Dominga didn’t like that one bit but there wasn’t much that she could do at the time but sit back and make sure they didn’t kill Ripley by mistake by giving the kid drain cleaner or something instead of milk over his cornflakes in the morning.

Even school wasn’t a big thing in Ripley’s eyes; he was in and out of it for a lot of reasons. The majority of the time though, was for medical reasons; sometimes he wasn’t there because of life at home. By the time he was fourteen years old, he’d been permanently excused from physical education due to his poor health, expelled from two schools and facing being kicked out for the third time because of his slipping grades and general attitude to authority figures in his life. Lucinda even went as far as to send him to see a therapist because of these things and it just sent Ripley spiralling down a path of rebellion and hate to for the world around him. In fact, the only time he really seemed at peace was when he was with Granny Dominga’s dogs and the old gal used that to her advantage. He didn’t go to college, there was no point. Education wasn’t really something he’d excelled at and he didn’t want to stay at home for the rest of his life, so when Granny Dominga offered him a place to stay and work in her small greasy spoon cafe, he snapped it up and moved in with her. It really wasn’t that exciting afterwards; he lived with his Gran and saw his mum and dad every other day when they stopped by after their shifts at work. Basically, it was a rinse and repeat life and that suited him fine.

Fine, until just after his eighteenth birthday. His parents had ‘kidnapped’ him away for the day to have some good old fashioned bonding time; the truck that hit them came out of nowhere. One minute Ripley had been groaning about Britney Spears on the radio and the next there was chaos and the world was spinning as the car was pushed off the motorway and then there was simply silence. Lucinda and Manuel had been pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital and Ripley was rushed into surgery for multiple internal injuries and head trauma. He didn’t even know that his parents had died until he came around a couple of days later, and he’d had to plead with his Gran to find out what had happened to them. It was a shock, something that shocked him to his core because no matter how much of a brat he’d been to them growing up, he’d still loved them.

No one bothered to inform him, that the blood that had been used during one of several transfusions had been contaminated with lycanthropy. Maybe no one knew, but that was the hand that he was dealt. It probably would have been better if he’d know though, while he was healing up, because the following full moon after a particular nasty bought of the flu – or at least what he thought was the flu, little did he know that his body was changing and if he had, he’d have probably mad a joke about puberty hitting twice. – Ripley was locking up the cafe for the night and the hyena made itself known. It ripped its way out of him and destroyed the cafe when it found there was nothing to eat. The morning, once the animal had gone back, Ripley woke up in the remains of the cafe, sore and confused but feeling better than he had done in weeks, didn’t have a clue that he’d turned into a hyena though. When Dominga demanded to know what had happened, he told her that someone had broken in and trashed the place and that it had probably been a junkie looking for a fix.

The following weeks became a blur, more rinsing and repeating until one evening he felt an unmistakeable pull to just leave work. Just like that. There was no warning, no nothing. He just felt the need to go. He walked across the city to some seedy back alley dive that was home to all the drunken scum of the nation, or well, the city if you wanted to be technical. Defiantly not his place, and from the few others that were milling about that he noticed didn’t fit in, not theirs either. He found out exactly what was up though when they came in, lanky crew, pale, avoided mirrors and standing directly under lights, looked like the supporting act for the guys that did the YMCA. For a moment Ripley had thought that he was being set up by his friends, because bikers with fangs? Really? It was so wrong. So out there, so unnatural, and yet so normal all at the same time, and it just made Rip curious and scared for what was happening next. The crazy red headed chick in the corner that was cackling and stroking a flipping big hyena was even more out there and put the fear of God into him.

Ripley York never came home that day and wasn’t seen by his Gran again.

He was dragged down to Cardiff with the vampires and the red headed bint with a few of the other guys that had ended up in the bar with him. Mistress Ruby – the self proclaimed Queen of the merry little band – told them what was happening, how he’d service the vampires just like the others that had come to her call. Ripley refused and started mouthing off, and so he was punished. Ruby ripped his inner beast out repeatedly before forcing it back over the space of three days. Then Theodore – the king of the band, a big guy that could’ve snapped Ripley over his thigh for disobedience – decided that that wasn’t enough and decided he wanted a taste, and a taste he got and then some. Just like the rest of the rogue band that called the Hyena Queen and Vampire Master their leader because to them, Ripley and the hyenas that had been Called where nothing but animals meant to be used in anyway their Masters saw fit. Theodore didn’t just have hyenas at his beck and call, there were other shifters as well that were pets to the thirteen vampires that he ruled, while he was a rotting vampire, there were Belle Morte rogues and fear masters and beast masters to boot and each and every one of them where young enough to be a power to be reckoned with and still hate the way that the vampire council did things.

Over the next twelve years, between Ruby and Theodore the young hyena started to lose himself. The rebellion and need to fight what was happening to him died, painfully and slowly, but it did die. Gone were the days he had to go around wearing a collar and on the end of a leash and had to be escorted by one of Ruby’s older and more treasured pets. He was no longer handcuffed to the bed of some two-bit vampire Rogue. He was allowed to come and go as he pleased, because they had something he needed, something he craved so badly that he broke out into cold sweats, shakes and shivers. He craved them. Needed them just like the air he breathed some nights that he would go down on his knees and beg to be bitten. It wasn’t always easy either; Ripley would have to do things that he didn’t want to do but did it anyway. Mistress Ruby explained it one time when she’d been waiting for Theodore to wake, she told him that it was them simply asking for a favour because they’d given him a gift.

That wasn’t to say that it was all doom and gloom, despite his current situation, Ripley made friends. One such friend was Sissy. It wasn’t exactly a fun evening for the both of them. Ruby and Theo’s second in command dragged him along to a local tattoo parlour that had a decent reputation in the inked circles. The Mistress wanted something new and exciting, and the vampire and Rip were only sent along as bodyguards for the crazy bitch. Ripley wouldn’t have done anything if the beast master male hadn’t taken a shine to the girl, oh he’d seen her, she’d been chatting with an artist or something, but the vampire took an instant dislike to her for some reason. The artist was rolled, mentally told to forget that they’d ever existed as the vampire went after Sissy. Ripley was left with Ruby and boy, did he want to help the girl.

The moment blood was drawn; he had an idea and turned to the bitch queen that had sat giggling the whole time. He bargained for her safety, offering Ruby anything she wanted in return. Liking that idea, Ruby pulled the beast master off the red headed girl, and after checking on Sissy to make sure that she was ok, Ripley turned to get what was coming his way. All she asked was that he get a tattoo of her choice in return for the girls life and safety, Ripley didn’t even question it and let the Mistress do what she wanted, sat through the rolled tattoo artist branding him with the Chinese characters for ‘Ruby’ at the nape of his neck, after his Mistress and the beast master got theirs. Theodore never noticed that his servant and queen had left her permanent mark on another man, if he had then they would have destroyed the parlour, killed Sissy and the artist that had done their work, instead they stayed in town, the vampires and shifters coming and going as they got new ink and Ripley got to know Sissy a bit more.

Eventually the group moved on to a place called Jackford at the back end of 2010; they rolled into town and found that there was so much chaos they could create. They didn’t have to do anything; there was no time because Ruby, during a Christmas shopping break, was smacked down by a blonde harpy. The Oba of Jackford didn’t like another in her territory and she made that clear when she drew first blood, Ripley had grinned at that, seeing the scarlet streaks down on freckled cheek. Ruby didn’t have time to defend herself, and even if she had, Theo was the ruler and he declared no one was to help and Ruby was furious. She gave it all she had, but on her own with no vampires or hyenas to help her, Petra Graves whooped her skanky ass fair and square then told the rest of the mob to take Ruby and leave her town. Theodore was fairly reasonable, as an Old World gentleman at heart, he agreed and they made plans to leave though he requested a little time from Petra because it was Christmas. His logic being that it would be their first proper Christmas together and sadly, Petra agreed.

Over the next three months, the rogue band drifted apart. There’d been moments when Ripley had wondered if he could just slip away and make a run for the Kiss that had been reconstructing itself from the ground up. However he didn’t have to. In February, one of Ruby’s other pets made a big fuss about not being marked in front of Theodore of all creatures. Ruby, desperate to shut the idiot up, snapped his neck but it was too late for that. Theo had heard enough and dragged Ripley close to check and sure enough, the Master saw the tattoo was there. Theodore crushed Ripley’s throat and tossed him aside like trash to die in the gutter, before dragging his whore-queen off to deal with her. The two hyenas bodies where left in a semi completed housing estate, but that wasn’t the end of them, nobodies in a sea of silence.

Ripley should have died, except he didn’t. The male had no idea what had happened but one moment he was choking and struggling for air that wasn’t there and then the next it was daylight and he was blinking up at the faces of two werewolves that called the Fun House home. One of the wolves, Eric, had ripped Ripley’s inner beast out to try and save him and it had worked, mostly. As a result from the event, Rip didn’t know what had happened, who they where, where he was. Nothing at all except his name, and the flashes that he gets sometimes when he’s stressed, he hasn’t spoken of them to anyone at all. So here he is, in Jackford, a ward of the kiss and still a nobody.[/SIZE]

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r3b3lgrrrrrrrl · 5 years ago

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A LunaTic and her Gunn (Part 23)

"Work hard to Play Harder"

@creatureofthen1ght-v3

Luna's bouncing around the studio with excitement. She has tons of loose energy from recoding still flying off of her. She gives Colson that One Look slipping out of the studio.

He meets her in the bathroom down the hall, tucked by the room he had offered to her to teach Casi about photography.

Inside Colson's kissing Luna hungrily. She takes his determined tongue willingly. Both still buzzing, each other's hands are running wildly all over the other's body. His dick is throbbing and she's soaked. She has on a tight, maroon slip dress with no bra. He can feel every inch of her. She bends over the sink, coyly, looking over her shoulder while lifting her dress.

He watching her as he unbuckles his pants. "I KNEW NO PANTIES!" He exclaims to her in delight, making his big dick jump. He grabs her ass cheeks, spreading them wide before planting a sloppy, wet kiss on her pussy lips. "Mmm... Peaches" he murmers before biting the tattoo on her ass.

"What?" She yelps, laughing, jumping a bit from his bite. He pulls her close, separating her folds, sliding slowly into her tight pussy. They both moan loudly, together working himself into her. Once comfortable, she grips the sink with both hands. Slamming her ass into his hips. The energy of the studio still radiating of them both, they fuck each other hard. Kissing and sucking wherever they can.

He has one large hand on her hipbone and the other around her throat, guiding her wild bucking. Growing bigger inside her, he pulls her up closer to him, by the throat. Feeling her tighten and buck harder, he breathes deeply into her ear "Who's pussy is this." He demands, loosening his grip on her throat so she can speak.

Legs shaking uncontrollably, she cries out "YOURS!!" as he lets her go to grip both hips, fucking her with long, hard, fast strokes. They explode all over each other, laughing in delight.

Breathing hard, leaning over the sink, they're both seeing stars. Colson's face is against the back of her neck, in her hair. She purrs, wiggling into him. "I love you, Kitten." He says staying inside of her for a bit longer, head drunk from all the excitement.

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After coming back into the studio with handfuls of beers Luna declares "Let's do something fun!!"

"What 'cha wanna do, Kitten?" Colson asks while watching her in amusement.

"2 ideas...." She responds holding up both her hands, black polished fingers spread wide "1. Magic slushies and Glow Bowling. Orrrrr..." She continues wiggling in her fingers in excitement. "We could be SUPER hokey and hit The Beach, do some day drinking.... Then The Pier for food, games, lights and rides?" She asks the guys beaming.

"What pier?" Colson asks with his head tilted.

"Santa Monica." Rook and Luna respond in unison, laughing as they look at each other in agreeance.

"Isn't that kinda, touristy?" Colson asks scrunching his face.

"That's the whole point. To escape our own ultra-coolness for a moment. Plus, it's what? A Monday, in early May? Dude, we're post spring break/pre summer. It's the best time to go." She shrugs her shoulders, swigging from her beer bottle, as she rolls her eyes. She never calls Colson "Dude."

Rook sees Luna's frustration. He's from LA and loves The Pier. He backs her up, "I say The Pier."

Luna snaps her fingers, shooting a finger gun at him. "Yesssss, Rook! 2 to nothing! WE OUT!" Luna laughs, mocking Colson.

"You're an asshole." He laughs too, scooping her up for a kiss.

"You looooove it." She responds kissing him back as they laugh at their inside joke.

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Everyone hangs out in the studio together for almost another hour, sharing beers, listening to Butch's infamous stories, fucking around with the track. They decide to leave it be. Give it a later listen with fresh ears.

Walking Butch out Luna slides him an eight ball. "Sorry I didn't have it earlier." She says innocently. She had, she didn't want it in to the studio with her.

"I'll let it slide this time, Luna, but you still owe me a case of beer though." He winks at her

She laughs "I've got you double." She reassures him.

"It's always a pleasure to work with you. Sweetie. Tell Pat I said 'Hi.'" He says with a smile, kissing her lightly on the cheek before heading out the door.

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They get on the beach by 4ish. There's a few people there but for the most part, it's just the lot of them. Colson, Luna, Rook, Slim, AJ, Baze, Benny and a fistful of giggling girls. They're ok. There's Regular Ones and Fresh Ones. Nice ones and Cunty Ones. Kinda like a Dr. Suess book. Everyone lays out huge blankets, setting up coolers and a Bluetooth speaker. The sun's still pretty high and its unseasonably warm.

Luna slips off her cutoffs, she has on a simple black bikini. Tugging at Colson "Come on..." She whines, trying to use all of her weight to pull him up. He doesn't budge. "Fine!" She sticks her tongue out at him, running off.

"Ok... Ok.." He laughs, putting out a joint to chase after her into the cool ocean.

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For the first hour or so everyone stays in the water. Laughing, splashing, swimming. Wrestling about, jumping on and all over each other. Enjoying themselves fully. Luna and Colson dominate in Chicken. Baze tosses around another bottle of Jameson. They lose it a couple of times, erupting into laughter. They're loud and playful, like a bunch of teenagers.

Some make their way back to their spot. Rook pulls out his surfboard. Luna and Colson make out in the water.

"This was a good idea..." He admits to her with a tiny smile. With her body wrapped around his, she smiles back, kissing him deeply.

"Mmmmmm...." She thinks "I fucking love him."

"Thank you for trusting me with the song." She says.

"No. Thank you for knowing your shit!! It's 10 times better than it was!!" He lifts her high "DO YOU KNOW HOW FUCKING SICK IT'S GOING TO BE WHEN WE PLAY IT LIVE!!" He exclaims before kissing and pulling her playfully under the water with him.

Everyone continues hanging out on the beach. Drinking, laughing, burning. The boys toss the football. Luna chats with the Dr. Suess characters while listening to music. They play the Bad Things track and get hype all over again. Luna tackling Colson in excitement, attacking him with kisses to his pleasure. They decide to pack up and head to the bathhouse before dropping stuff off at the cars and getting something to eat.

Colson watches Luna as she's the first of the girls to come out of the bathhouse. He loves that it doesn't take her long to get ready. His heart skips a beat, catching her in the sunset, as she throws her leather on over her white T and cut offs. He walks up to her, wrapping his long body over hers. Her deep red lips break into a wide smile as he sings into her ear 🎶And I said My Kitten, you look wonderful tonight🎶 making her heart soar. She absolutely Fucking loves him.

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They get to The Pier as the lights begin to click on, causing Luna to smile. The Pier's always reminded her of Coney Island, making her miss home for a second. Colson wants to sit down to eat but Luna and Rook convince him that the only TRUE way to eat is walking. They order boardwalk fries, pizza, hot dogs and beers. Wandering around watching the street performers as they eat. It's JUST dark enough outside to really begin to showcase the lights of the pier.

Colson holds his hand out to Luna, producing 2 capsules. "You know wanna hang out with her." He says with a devilish smile.

She grabs one, pops it while finishing her beer. "We're gonna want water now." She states, meeting his deviance. He nods finishing his beer as he takes his.

Colson and Luna stroll along with everyone, his arm draped around her shoulders as her hand rests in the back pocket of his jeans, cupping his ass. They play games. Colson killing the basketball long shot. Appropriately winning Luna an obnoxiously large, pink, stuffed bunny to her delight.

They fit 12 of them onto the water gun racing bench. Colson choosing to squirt Benny in the middle of the game instead. Holding it down for NY, Luna spins her gun around to defend Benny, soaking a laughing Colson. Baze wins to Luna's relief before Colson can retaliate.

Feeling Molly begin to creep around, Colson sees the Pacific Wheel. "Rides!!!!" He shouts, bouncing down the boards, dragging a laughing Luna. They get on the West Coaster first, Colson making them wait to be in front. It circles the entire pier, whipping and winding. As they're getting off a wide eyed Colson screams at Luna "I'M HAVING THE BEST FUCKING TIME!!!!" before running off screaming, bashing into people. Luna's laughing uncontrollably as she lugs her bunny, that's the size of her, struggling to keep up with Colson.

"Here, Brooklyn." Benny says laughing at the sight of her. He frees her from its weight. She beams up at him with sparkling, thankful eyes.

"WAAAAIT!!!" She gleefully runs after Colson, chunky, combat heels clacking underneath her. She catches up to him, swinging her body around him like he's a pole. The others are close behind.

"HI!!" He says, grinning. His blue eyes dancing happily, scooping her up in his arms by her ass.

"HI!" She's says back happily, wrapping her legs around his waist while resting her arms out on his shoulders. "Can I tell you something?" She's asks staring intensely into his eyes.

"Yes." He firmly replies.

"I fucking love you." Her eyes open wide in pure delight. She takes a big breath. "Like love-LOVE you." She breathes out. Biting her lip as if she's never told him she loves him before. With their brains, bodies and emotions jumping and raging with Molly, it feels like the first time.

Pulling her into him tight, he spits out "I fucking love-love YOU." before kissing her deep and passionately. Letting his tongue tell her everything they already know as they both tingle in delight. Swirling while standing still.

"More rides!" Slim slaps Colson on the back, jogging by finally breaking them apart. She smiles brightly at Colson, kissing him solidly before sliding her body down, along his hard cock. She grabs his hand, prancing after Slim into the lights with their group.

They get on The Scrambler, Air Lift and Pacific Plunge and Sea Swing. Colors and life whizzing by them. Molly and rides making their insides and brains jumble and jiggle. They play more games, Balloon Bust, Whack-A-Mole and Planko. Winning a combined total of 3 goldfish for the house during ring toss. Benny still has Luna's bunny. He's appreciating it's furry texture right now. Everyone is laughing, feeling warm, enjoying the atmosphere. Colson's giving Luna a piggy back ride to their next destination, the glowing Pacific Wheel as everyone bounces along. Music floating from each booth. A different street performer anywhere they turn. It's a colorful, kaleidoscope of laughter, love and happiness with a blanket of comfort and safety.

There's so many of them, they have to pile into separate boxes of the Ferris Wheel. Colson, Rook, Slim and Luna in the first. As it begins to go up Luna fires up a joint to Colson's delight. "You really are the fucking best!!" He says as she passes it to him.

"I'll do you one better." She says smiling, lighting another, passing it to Slim, who's across from her. He nods, beaming as he accepts the joint happily. There's a calmness in their box as they get stoned, staring at the sparkle of the moon on the ocean. It's only when Luna looks back at Colson is she flooded with the colors of the pier again. "HOLY FUCK, GUYSSSSS." She says intensely, bringing back their gazes to The Show.

They guys erupt into "GodDamns. And Oh Fucks." The 4 of them watching far above the world as it dances with false colors, giggling and pointing out certain things to each other until the end of their ride. "That was fucking SICK!!" Colson exclaims, throwing his arms up before wrapping them around Luna "I wanna fuck you up there." He says lowly in Luna's ear, grabbing her tits hard, making her flush and giggle.

Floating around a bit more, the guys are fucking around with the performers, Luna's making "bestfriends" with some of the Dr. Suess characters as one does when they hang out with Molly. Luna pulls Colson into a photo booth. Laughing and smiling, they make funny faces, with him kissing her on the cheek and them both throwing up the middle finger separately. She loves them. To her, they are their first tangible pictures together. Still geeking and bouncing around they all decide to head back to the house. Luna doesn't want anyone driving. They uber back to the house. They'll deal with the cars later to Colson's protests.

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Back at Colson's everyone's still raging. Mod's there with Ashleigh and Tom, the other bodyguard. Dom and Ashley arrive, he's working on a song with Colson. As they head into the studio, Luna still has her tiny wits about her. She collects all keys and hops an uber with Her Ashley, Tom and Colson's Ashleigh. She's convinced them to grab the cars with her.

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Following behind Tom, with Ashley and Luna behind her, Ashleigh can't help but feel relieved getting the cars back tonight. Colson would've been pissed in the morning and she hates dealing with the backlash of his nonsense when she's not involved in the antics.

"At least fucked up she still has her shit together." She thinks thankful of Luna.

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Back at the house, Colson and Dom are still working on their song in the studio when Luna and Ashley get back. Luna hands Dom a beer and Colson a bottle of water. "No, beer for me??" He asks as she sparks a joint.

Hitting it she says "Water first, beer after." Handing him the joint with a kiss.

"I FUCKING love-LOVE you, Bunny." He says kissing her back beaming.

"I fucking love-LOVE YOU, Bunny." She smiles at him, heart racing at the birth of another inside joke as he turns back to Dom and her to Ashley "You hear about this fucking bill on the table in AL?" She asks her friend. They're both hugely politically active and as women, this one scares the fuck out of Luna.

Both are in the same room but involved in different things. It doesn't matter though, with One Look, they grin at each other, knowing the other is thinking the same "FUCK, I fucking love you."

Just then Travis walks in.....

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To be continued......

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mimymomo · 6 years ago

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Starkid Shows Ranked

So I’ve seen others do it and I want to jump on the bandwagon. Plus my list so SO different than others I’ve seen so I’m either gonna interest, delight or piss people off. I love every Starkid show, I just love some more than others lol. This is just my opinion so please dont take it too seriously:

11) Me And My Dick - oh shit not Ani! My list is already starting off controversial. Yeah I’m sorry I’m just not not the biggest fan of this show. I love a few songs and every scene with Joeys Heart or the Old Snatch is genius and Sally is the sweetest bean alive. But besides that, there’s nothing else that really keeps me coming back. I usually just watch the listen to your heart, the choir room scenes and the finale and I’m good. Plus Joey (the character not the person) pisses me off half the time. Sorry...

10) Ani - originally Ani was the only Starkid show I nearly stopped watching cause I couldn’t get into it. But by the end of the first act I was starting to enjoy it more (I really liked the act 1 finale). And I actually really like Ani’s second act. The songs in this show are really good and Nick Lang as Obi Wan is everything it’s just the first act that holds this show back for me.

9) A Very Potter Sequel - yeah controversial opinion again but AVPS is my least favorite of the AVPM trilogy...please don’t kill me!! It has my least favorite of the AVPM songs (I don’t like Guys Like Potter or Harry Freaking Potter...I’m so sorry I’ll go crawl back in my hole now). But I still fucking adore it though!! Brian as Lupin and Joe as Umbridge saved my life and Days of Summer makes me weep while No Way and Stutter fill me with chaotic energy.

8) A Very Potter Musical - the show that started it all! It was my first Starkid show that I’d watched back in like 2011/12 before I’d actually finished Harry Potter (I just watched all the movies last year...don’t judge me). This show is a classic: great songs, jokes, quotes.

7) Holy Musical B@man - Im not a huge DC fan but love this show. Joe and Nick are great as Batman and Robin respectively and Brian and Jeff are stand outs as Superman and Sweet Tooth. The costumes and songs are great and casting is spot on (I saw comment online saying that the show was gray but the casting of Lauren as Comissioner Gordon was weird and someone pointed out that was the joke it made me crack up). Plus Two-Face, TGI Friday’s girl, the line about Spider-Man being agile as hell and Meredith’s chess line in American Way still crack me up every time.

6) The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals - this was the show that officially brought me into the Starkid fandom. The story, characters and atmosphere of the show is something so distinct from every other Starkid show. The whole cats is freaking fantastic especially the newbies Jon and Mariah and I look forward to seeing them and everyone else in future shows. To me the weakest part of the show was the music (sorry I know everyone loves the songs in this show). Some songs are fine but others I just skip and at this point I can’t listen to Show Stoppin Number anymore. I have this thing where if shows/songs/characters get super popular I immediately start to like it less which I think is what happened for this show and the one next on my list.

5) Twisted - okay this is probably where I lost/pissed off most of you but let me explain: when I first watched this show I actually didn’t really like it. Aladdin was never a movie I really liked so a Aladdin/ Wicked style parody was not my thing. Now however I really enjoy Twisted. It’s still not my favorite show but the music is really good and Dylan and Meredith confirmed in this show that they have amazing stage chemistry - Ja’far and Scheherazade are the second best Starkid relationship solely because how integral the relationship is to the story without being grating plus they’re super cute. This show is hilarious and heart warming and wrenching at the same time. I may not like it as much as everyone else but I will fully preach how amazing it is.

4) A Very Potter Senior Year - yep AVPSY is my favorite in the trilogy. I think it partially has to do with the fact it’s just a stage reading. There’s just something about it not being perfect with all the technical issues and character breaking that makes it feel more personal and intimate to me. AVPSY has some of my favorite scenes (the scene with Meredith and AJ is one of the best scenes in Starkid history), songs (Always Dance is in my top five favorite Starkid songs ever) and character moments. Ron is such a standout in this show and I really care about his a Hermiones relationship in this show. I could never fully be invested in them before I hated how much Ron constantly insulted her but in this show it shows just how good of a boyfriend and best friend he really is. And I know people hate how they made Harry act in this show but to me it was essential to his character that he acted this way (I could write a whole essay about Harry and his character and how his actions in senior year make sense).

3) Starship - Starship is just really good okay!! Bug is precious, Mega-girl and Tootsie are adorable, the songs are amazing and the story while predictable since it’s just the Little Mermaid in Space is still great and it’s funny as heck. What more do I have to say? And Starship Requim nearly made me cry when I heard it for the first time.

2) Firebringer - I’m gay. Okay but seriously while TGWDLM was the show that pulled me into the fandom, this was the show that truly introduced me to Starkid as a more than AVPM. I know this show has a lot of problems. But you know those things that you recognize has a lot of issues and isn’t perfect but despite all the faults you still love it to death? Yeah Firebringer is one of those things to me. I love Jemilla and Zazzalil, I love their relationship, I love that they’re played by my two favorite Starkid members: Lauren Lopez and the love of my life Meredith Stepien!! I love the music since it reminds me of Jim and the Povolos music (since Meredith and Mark wrote so it kinda is JatP music lol) and all harmonies and costumes and I think the show is hilarious (not their funniest but still funny). Again I know this show has its problems especially in the writing but after watching the behind the scenes I’ve come to really appreciate this show and understand why and where the issues came from. To me this show is just plain fun and sometimes that’s just why I need.

1) The Trail to Oregon - this show is just everything to to me. It’s so freaking funny and I love every single song in it (Lost Without You hits too hard as a girl in college who is hours away from her family). At face value it’s a road trip musical that parodies the game abut at heart is a show about a distinctions family reconnecting and dealing with life. The Dikrats family plus McDoon (and really every other role Joey plays in this) and Cletus Jones are some the funniest characters and some of my personal favorites due to how over the top but insanely real they feel. I really became attached to this family and their struggle and I just wanted them to get to Oregate in one piece. Plus this show actually has not one but two songs about dying of pooping and I love both of them!! Trail to Oregap is just so unique and I adore it.

So what did I learn making this list?? I have really weird taste and extremely different opinions on shows than everyone else. Why did I make this list?

Well I hope someone liked it and didn’t get too mad at me lol. And I hope more people who have vastly different rankings make more top list because it’s fun seeing where others place shows especially if it’s really weird placings and not just Ani at 11 and Twisted at 1 (not saying they can’t be! Absolutely no judgment on my part!!).

#starkid #team starkid #tto #starship #firebringer #avpsy #avpm #avps #ani #holy musical b@man #the guy who didn’t like musicals #tgwdlm #twisted

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agirlinhell · 6 years ago

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Eulogy me betch.

EULOGY. || @constellationtracer || ( ACCEPTING. )

Title: Hands Of Gold

Pairing: Clementine &&. Violet ( Violetine. )

Genre: Angst, Romance, Tragedy.

Characters: Clementine, Violet, Ruby, Lee Everett ( mentioned ) AJ ( mentioned ), Tennessee ( mentioned ), Louis ( mentioned ), Minerva ( mentioned ).

The first thing that registered in her senses was the scent, like fresh pine and newly turned earth. It was a welcome scent, one that reminded her of home. She breathed deeply, feeling completely at ease, freed from the restrictions of the school and the expectation that she be some sort of role model for the younger generations, free of Lee’s long reaching shadow and the constant feeling of inadequacy, that she would be forever doomed to a miserable life. For a moment, Clementine just relaxed, in the moonlit field, basking in the scent, glad to feel free once again. Her mind lulled, drifting off to who-knew-where, content to breathe in the clean scent of virgin forest, letting her sore muscles rest.

A few minutes later, she felt her presence like a warm blanket on a January night. She was snuggled into her side, burning from within like an inner fire, keeping her warm body and soul. Clementine cracked open one eye slowly, hardly daring, worried she would see something else in her place, that it was all a dream. But no, there she was, sleeping, a serene, secretive little smile curving those delicious lips of hers. “Vi,” she whispered, a soft caress on her own ears. She touched her lips with her fingertips, willing this to be real.

The moment her skin touched the sensitive blush of her lips, her mouth quirked in a happy, sleepy smile. “Clem,” she murmured, the sound of her name in her voice a thrill to all of her senses. She had to stop herself from jumping for joy, so she settled for kissing those wonderful lips, devouring them, losing herself to complete and utter happiness. It was the kind of bliss that was so complete that she thought her soul would leave this world, or maybe that it already had. Beneath her, she chuckled with mischief, wiggling away from her to tease her, tossing her head from side to side to try to avoid her kiss, playing. “You’re terrible,” Violet laughed.

Her wiggling only served to excite Clementine more. She pinned her with her body, pinned her wrists with her hands. Violet settled back and stilled, daring her from beneath the lashes of her eyes, a gaze so glazed over that it seared her straight to her gut. She growled, low in her throat, overcome with desire. “You make me crazy,” she murmured, lowering her face to her neck. “You stay, you go, you stay…” she chastised fondly. “You love me, you love Minnie… How am I supposed to keep you here?” She nuzzled her neck, reveling in the feel of her skin against her face. Stay with me, she willed her.

“I can stay with you here,” she offered, her voice soft, eyelids hooded with love and a hint of desire. She squirmed beneath her, her knees caressing up the insides of her thighs, igniting passions long denied.

Clementine shut her eyes in bliss, charged with electricity, delighting in the way this girl could enliven her so quickly like o one else could. “And where is here?” she purred, cracking open an eyelid. Violet didn’t have to answer, though, for it was then that she saw. Around her towered the moss covered trees and dappled moonlight patches of the grove in which they had spent that first night together, watching the stars on the belltower.

“Impossible,” she whispered breathlessly, overcome with awe.

“Yeah,” Violet said with a giggle. “This is where we first kissed, remember?”

Clementine nodded dumbly. “Yeah. But… how?”

Her hands roamed, disappearing underneath the hem of her shirt, playing with the edges. “Forget about that,” she commanded, nipping at her collarbone. “C’mere. I wanna kiss you all night long. We can dance the night away.”

Clementine frowned, gripping her hands, stalling her. Not that she didn’t want to, but something was not right here. “Violet,” she barked with an air of authority. “Where are we?”

She pouted. “I already told you.”

“No, for real,” she demanded seriously.

She sighed and turned her face away. “I can tell you, but then you’ll be sad. Then you won’t want me anymore.”

“Vi,” Clementine urged more fiercely, grasping her jaw and turning her face toward her, emerald optics meeting amber hues. “There’s nothing that can ever make me stop wanting you. I love you, like no one else ever could, not even Minnie. She could kiss you every day from dawn to dusk and I would never love you any less because I know that you love me.” She dipped then, kissing her tenderly, releasing her hands. “I know,” she whispered against her lips, pressing their bodies together, “that our hearts and souls are entwined. Your lips may lie, but your heart never does.” She pressed her hand to her chest then, felt the powerful drum of her heartbeat. “Ahh,” she sighed with pleasure. “There’s the truth.” She smirked at her playfully.

Her gaze softened. “Clem,” she whispered, her throat constricted. “Don’t make me say it. Please, just don’t.”

Clementine looked down upon her face, so filled with pain and longing. She could stay here forever, with her, frozen in a moment in time that was no longer real, couldn’t be real. If she stayed here, wherever here really was, she would be lying to herself. Somewhere, in another time, she and Violet were not together, not anymore. A war was being waged and she had no idea who was even winning it. She considered swallowing her curiosity and her pride, doing as she wished, to stay here with her until her life force died out. It would be a sweet way to go.

And yet, she needed to know. Perhaps there was still time, to save them both. “Tell me,” she commanded softly, no less powerful for its lack of volume.

Her pupils dilated, blown out by her order. Her body went slack beneath her. “You’re… you’re dying, and I’m already dead,” she barely spoke. “This is a dream.”

Her words struck her like a faceful of ice water. “Dying?” she choked out. “No…” she denied, eyes wide with disbelief. “No, I can’t be dying. I… I…” she stammered, struggling to find the words. Anguish flared. “You told me you loved me, that we would build a home together, you and me.” The memories of that night on the belltower and their moments in the darkness coalesced, reminding her. “You—lied to me! If you loved me, why’d you leave me?!“ She pushed herself to her feet, glaring down at the girl who had deceived her, leaving her emptier than void.

Violet curled up upon herself, holding her knees to her chest, looking troubled. “I didn’t want to! I didn’t’t mean for this to happen!“ she protested, tears forming in her emerald eyes.

“How am I supposed to believe that?” She demanded, tears forming in her own eyes, burning. “Violet… how could you?” Her voice broke. She hated how weak she sounded, how pathetic, but then, she had always managed to soften all of her hard edges. It practically blew her poor heart wide open, priming the tortured thing for total annihilation.

“Clem,” she started helplessly, breathing in deeply. “If it had been any different… if I had only found you in time… if we only just jumped across the bridge together before Minnie could catch up to us, if we had never said goodbye…” she loosed the rest of her breath in one frustrated huff. “I love you more than anything else in the world and I wanted you to be happy, with me.”

You’re dying. This is a dream.

None of this was real. She was not real. Nothing that she said was real. So she turned her back on her. “You’re an illusion,” she declared, feeling her heart growing cold, perhaps for real. After all, somewhere else entirely, she was dying, probably bleeding out from a wound that had inflicted upon his person. “My Violet was never supposed to die. My Violet would never allow me to die.”

“I still wouldn’t—“

“COME BACK TO ME!” Clementine screamed at her, whipping around and crouching down to her level, taking her hands in hers and intertwining their fingers. “Vi… I love you. Please… don’t leave me. We’ve come too far!” She sobbed, her pride be damned, “I… I need you.”

Violet got up to her feet, and they stood in the moonlit field, hand in hand. “Clem… I’m free like a bird now. I can go east, west… it doesn’t matter. I flew past the sunset… and I saw where the world ends. We can fly together someday. But AJ, Tenn, Louis… everyone back at the school needs you. So, keep fighting. I don’t want to see that fire I loved so much about you fade away into nothing but ashes.” She whispered ever so softly, her emerald eyes filled with love and longing for the girl she’d loved and lost.

Clementine looked deeply into her eyes and cupped her cheeks before nodding slowly as a sad sense of understanding filled her. “I promise.” She vowed before leaning in and soon, their lips met, desperately wanting, claiming, consuming, burning them both inside and out. Violet fell backward, dragging Clementine down with her by the shoulders. How easy it was to fall back into each other’s arms, to push the world aside and give in to the throes of passion. “I don’t want to go,” Clementine hissed into her ear as her arms wrapped around her neck.

She kissed her forehead, her cheek, her lips, every inch she could put her lips on. “Just promise-”

“I promise,” she vowed. “Not even death could keep me from you.”

Then, finally, Clementine embraced her, wrapping strong arms around her slim shoulders. She squeezed her back just as fiercely, pressing her palms into her back and burying her face in her chest. Clementine bit back the tears, but they came anyway. The proximity to death made them long to be alive again, and never had they felt more alive than they had with each other. Seeing the destruction, remembering the moments leading up to the last time they had saw each other… only served to make them appreciate their time together, and now that time was ending.

There was no more time.

One final, lingering kiss, and then Violet began to fade away as starlight began lighting her up, the winds of change overwhelming her as she shone more brilliantly than the rest of the stars above them. Silver threads of light crawled up Violet’s arms from her hands, intricate symbols of a language long dead. They made their way across her shoulders and down her chest to a point in her abdomen. It was slowly dismantling her from the inside out, the fruit of her extended life in this world alone. Clementine stared into those green eyes that had once captivated her. She placed her hands over hers, their fingers intertwining one last time.

I’m sorry… I love you… Thank you for everything.

She walked in starlight in another world, and there she lie, among the silver and golden light of the stars, with violet petals circling her as she began leaving this world for the last time. And like the wind, she faded away on a gentle breath warmer than she could remember until there was no one there, leaving her alone under the stars.

When she’d finally awakened, she was in her own bed, attended by Ruby. The fierce red haired medic had told her everything that happened since she’d fell unconscious in the barn. It’d been a miracle that she’d survived after the fever that took her shortly after she’d came into the school on AJ’s wheelbarrow.

“You’re a fighter, Clem,” Ruby praised her, “Don’t ever lose that.”

Clementine nodded slowly at her friend’s words with a smile, “I won’t.”

A few days passed, and after Clementine had managed to get herself to walk properly, she’d ordered Tenn to show her where he buried Violet. He did so, reluctantly, and Clementine took her mare and rode down the riverbank. When she finally found the cross where her true burial place had been, she unmounted and slowly approached it, using her crutches for support. For one blissful moment, her mind was blank, filled only with the quiet music of running water and the harmony of birds in the trees nearby. The peace of it was so beautiful that it actually hurt, too lovely. Violet should still be here with her, but hopefully, they would meet again one day and dance among the stars.

So, she reached for her pockets and gently placed a bouquet of violet flowers on her grave, a sad smile gracing her lips as she prayed to her gods in silence, hoping that somewhere beyond their mortal world, Violet was at peace.

“I… I hope it’s nice where you are. I’ll never forget you, don’t ever forget that. I love you… I love you. I love you.”

Those were the only words she’d had to offer - she knew that words alone could never contain the love she had in her heart for the girl that struck across her own sky like a shooting star one blissful moment of beauty and meaning, until she was gone, but her own sky had been made brighter because of her.

Maybe we’ll learn to fly together someday.

#constellationtracer #( YEAH U H H H H H H H I JUST UGLY CRIED :'DDDDD )#( it's somewhat long but i tried to keep it as short as i could LMAOOOO )#( anyway i hope you like it!! it was a really tragic and a beautiful thing to write!! )#( moral of the story: clementine has one wild imagination and violetine is tragic asf )

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ikill3dlaurapalm3r · 2 years ago

Text

do i look like some kind of monster?

mentions of rape + SA + spoilers

barbarian (2022) is as delightful as horror comes. i've seen it in the cinema twice already this week and i'd jump to see it again. if film is a medium made purely for entertainment, then barbarian is perfect. writer/director zach cregger is unapologetic when he jerks his audience around, striking and jabbing us with unconventional twists at the most jarring times (not to mention this is his solo directional debut). it's sublimely scary. but barbarian excels beyond its jumpscares and ominous setting with its playfulness in gender dynamics, truly stabbing their female audiences with a stake through the heart.

"she's not even the worst thing in there."

barbarian has a lot to say about belief and pain - who we believe. who we trust. why some believe others and why some have to see it for themselves. no, believe me! you don't have to go down into the tunnels under the house and see the rape dungeon for youself to know something is wrong! perhaps believe the distressed women in front of you?

barbarian began as one simple scene. cregger explained in an interview with Yahoo! that an idea came to mind while reading book, 'the gift of fear', about the 'red flags' women have to look out for when interacting with men to essentially avoid being assaulted or worse. he says: "this is not apart of my life. as a man, i dont have to divert any of my mental energy into identifying potential threats on a day-to-day basis. and that sucks. that's a real bummer." thanks zach, super progressive. (cont'd) "i didn't want to write a movie, i just wanted to write a scene for myself to just ruminate on this idea and just put a woman in a situation that i could load with as many of these red flags as possible. so, i came up with a double-booked air b'n'b and i just took it from there." this scene flourished into keith (bill skarsgård) and tess' (georgina cambell) first meeting at the very beginning of the film. keith insists on doing favours she didn't ask for. he offers to make her tea, when tess says no he does it anyway. he compliments her out of nowhere. he's adament to portray himself as an understanding guy; this is such a weird situtaion, you must feel so freaked out and a do i like look some kind of monster? cregger truly did 'ruminate' on this idea. this scene and a cleverly crafted trailer sets us up to believe skarsgård's keith possesses malicious intentions. with a lingering shot of him watching tess from a distance, we're coaxed into believing keith is a predator. which is all the more excellent when we're proved wrong, that keith is an angel compared to the monsters underneath the house.

belief and pain. a consistent flaw of the barbarian men is their lack of belief in women and their self-righteousness. and, blissfully, it's always their downfall. they possess an it's not happened to me therefore it can't be true, i haven't seen it for myself therefore it can't be real attitude. when tess first discovers the ominous tunnels spawning off the basement, where she finds a dank room with a tripod camera pointed at a grimy bed and a bloody bucket, she tells keith of the sinister happenings under the house. but a frantic, distraught tess is met with a confused keith. she uses the word dungeon, yet still keith doesn't comprehend why a room with a bed, bucket and a camera would be anything but a storage room. "it has a bed... and a bucket?" note how keith more than once leaves out the fact that there's a camera in the room, the most sinister element. keith decides to go down to the tunnels and see this for himself, and insists tess stay, and pays for this with his life.

all of the barbarian men die, keith being the first to go. yet whilst they all suffer doomed fate, simultaneously all pain in barbarian is deritive from men. we see this especially in characters AJ (justin long) and frank (richard brake): AJ is an in-denial rapist, he shot tess with a handgun and threw her off the water tower to save himself. and frank was serial incestuous rapist for decades. they seem to radiate violence. and yes, men experience pain in this movie, but it's a consequence of them not listening to women. see this in keith's death, as a result of not listening to tess; AJ got taken by the mother, again as a result of not listening to tess; AJ's 'cancellation' over sexual assault accusations, as a result of not listening to megan say no; the homeless man's death, as a result of ignorance. sure, mother is the one who killed all of the men - but mother would never exist if it weren't for male violence. she is a product of incestuous rape, implied that frank raped the children of his orginal rape victims: "you make a copy of a copy of a copy, you get that." the male lack of belief in women results in their death every time, no matter if they're a rapist or just a seemingly normal guy. this punishment, nevertheless, is cathartic. cathartic for us, seeing the mother gouge AJ's eyeballs out. but ultimately cathartic for the mother, killing men wildly and wrecklessly, just as frank raped dozens of women wildly and wrecklessly, proving all violence in barbarian can be circled back to male-inflicted violence.

frank and AJ are the most imporant men in barbarian. two abusers, rapists, generational opposites but ultimately one in the same. a really important scene occurs during the second half of barbarian, when during AJ's momentary escape from mother, he discovers a hidden room in the tunnels. the mother sees him enter, but she backs away, as if even she is scared of what resides in the room (remember "she's not even the worst thing in there"?). enter frank. he hasn't left the tunnels under the house for 30 years or so, rotting in his bed, now an old man. AJ is originally concerned for him until he finds dozens of frank's VHS tapes. 'gas station redhead' is lined up in the VHS machine, the leftovers of frank rewatching his homemade rape films in his spare time.

AJ is disgusted: "what is wrong with you. what the fuck is wrong with you? hey, i'm talking to you, you fuck!". he's apalled when he holds a third-person perspective of rape, yet was relaxed and in-denial when he was the perpretrator. when the tape finishes, the television flicks off, where we can now see AJ's refelction in the black screen. a mirror. he's looking at himself. a rapist is a rapist. AJ threatens to call the police, that the place is going to be "swarming". moments later frank shoots himself in the head, right on the temple, an immediate death, almost a cop-out, when he realises he might be caught. he didn't kill himself out of guilt over his decades sexual violence, but only when he was held accountable by another man. and his death is a painless one at that, an unsatisfying ending to frank's character. yet when the mother finally gets her hands on AJ and kills him by gouging his eyes and cracking his head open, this can be seen as the mother recieving her cathartic revenge on frank. AJ and frank are parallel characters, he acts as a modern day extension of frank. two men who use and abuse women out of their selfishness and for their own gain. it's thrillingly sweet to see the mother put an end to all that is frank and all that he represents through AJ's death.

the ending brings me to tears. after AJ throws tess off the water tower to save himself, the mother leaps down after her, using her own body to save tess. the mother has such a tender moment with tess, seeing her injuries from AJ, and saving her from being murdered by him, wanting to take her back and nurse her for herself. she reveals herself for what she truly is - a mother. this moment is so special, seeing the strong, loving maternal insticts of a creature created from such heinous violence. female alliance amongst the hateful men around them is so moving. but alas tess cannot go back, she must continue with her own life, "i can't go back, i can't." the mother is understanding that tess cannot come back with her, even understanding when the barrel of a gun is pressed against her cheek. understanding that it's the right thing for her baby, tess, even if it means she must die. be my baby by the ronettes plays as tess staggers away, the true embodiment of a final girl, perhaps the only girl who managed to get out of that house alive. isn't it funny that in the end she was more likely to die by the hands of rapist AJ than the monster of the story?

#Spotify

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pinnithin-writes · 4 years ago

Text

I Realized. Then I Couldn’t Stop Realizing.

Chapter 3: C-53

Depending on where he looked, it had begun that night.

Dar’s party plan ended up being a success, save for a few minor snags and broken bottles. AJ had a delightful time being tossed back and forth between Dar and Horsehat until the latter got drowsy and had to be put to bed. C-53 caught Pleck’s amused grin from across the room as he watched the action, elastic and amiable, and it struck him how long it had been since he’d seen the tellurian smile.

Now, they were stretched out on a hill in the countryside of a grassy nearby planet. AJ and Horsehat were snoozing peacefully a short ways off, while the rest of the crew settled into a comfortable buzz. It felt good to be able to stretch out his limbs in the cool evening; so much of his time on the ship was spent cramped into a corner so as to not take up too much space. Dar was sprawled beside him, and Pleck lay with his arms tucked behind his head between the two.

The suns in the distance were setting, purple and hazy. C-53 luxuriated in the strange calm electricity pumping through his system, relaxing in this rare pocket of quiet they had found in the turbulent galaxy.

“So, what’s the verdict?” Dar asked finally, their voice syrupy with alcohol. “How’s morale? Good? Better?”

“Definitely better than it was, Dar, thank you for organizing all this,” C-53 responded. Putting sentences in order was fun in this state - the dust accelerated his processors in a way that pulled random threads of his consciousness to the surface and pieced them together in interesting ways.

“Yeah, Dar, I think everyone had a good time tonight,” Pleck yawned. “Thank you for forcing me to go against my will.” There was a laugh in his voice, and it was pleasant to C-53’s audio sensors.

“Anytime, you big mopey baby,” Dar purred. “Barge? You having a good time?”

“Doing way better now that my vents are full of dust,” Bargie hummed from where she was parked on the hillside. “This was long overdue. We should do this every week - no! Every day.”

“Well, that would get incredibly expensive after a while,” C-53 reasoned.

“Yeah, I just wish Nermut coulda been here, yknow?” Pleck piped up again. “I mean, I guess he has his hands full with the campaign, but it would have been nice to see him.”

“Nermut’s got his own parties to go to,” Dar muttered, honeyed tone falling flat.

“Oh no,” Pleck said, rolling onto his side so he could look at them with his good eye. “Is it like the Rebellion all over again? Is he going through Seesu boot camp?”

The captain sighed heavy in the back of their throat. “No, it’s just weird with him right now. I don’t really feel like talking about it.”

“Oh, is he like, being all impressionable-”

“I said,” Dar growled, talons quivering, “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Pleck had thankfully learned the signals to retreat by now, and he fell silent. Bargie, on the other hand, was humming loudly, engines whirring just for the fun of it.

“Hey Dar, if you wanna talk about it with me, I’ve got a ton of dust in my vents that would make it waaaaay easier to deal with,” the ship said.

“I’m not sure if that’s how that works,” C-53 began, but Dar was already clambering to their feet.

“That sounds great, Barge,” they said. “Boys? Can you watch our fully grown children while Bargie and I have a chat?”

“Oh, uh, you got it,” Pleck said, raising a hand in salutation while C-53 nodded.

After the captain disappeared onto the ship, Pleck settled back in the grass, looking forlorn. “Guess I jucked that one up, huh?” he murmured, the lavender sky reflecting off his eye as he gazed into the distance.

C-53 watched him carefully. “You know how they get sometimes,” he stated.

“I know, but Dar wanted to relax and I went ahead and made them all agitated again.” He plucked a piece of grass from beside him and fiddled with it, keeping his eye on the clouds. “Should just keep my stupid mouth shut.”

His processors hummed, tacking together Pleck’s words with data stored in C-53’s memory bank. “There are many times since we’ve met that I would agree with that statement, Pleck,” he said, recalling a particular incident years ago that nearly resulted in the tellurian getting ritually sacrificed. “But lately I would say you’ve been too quiet, if I can be frank.”

Pleck idly tied his grass stem in a knot. “Got a lot to think about,” he replied vaguely. He tossed the grass in C-53’s direction and watched it flutter to the ground between them.

“Such as?”

Pleck floundered, freckled face animated as he searched for an answer. “Well, y’know, the usual,” he finally said, “The Allwheat bearing down on us, the fate of the galaxy’s leadership hanging in the balance, hundreds of sentients out there dying for no reason, Seesu Gundu’s failing campaign…” he trailed off and shrugged, hazel eye refusing to look at him. “Y’know.”

“Is the Allwheat still contacting you?” C-53 asked, gently.

Pleck flinched at his words all the same. He scratched the side of his jaw. He needed a shave. “Yes,” he said quietly.

“How often?”

The tellurian was tearing out grass by the fistful, now, slowly and methodically. His eyelashes fluttered low over his cheekbones as he continued to avoid C-53’s scanners. “Almost every day. Multiple times a day, sometimes.” His voice was soft and cautious, as if he would set C-53 off if he said something wrong.

We instilled that nervousness in him, C-53 realized suddenly. It had been easy to belittle Pleck when he was his usual unflappable self, but now it was pitiful to see the results on his self-esteem. C-53’s processors buzzed, drawing conclusions for him.

It hurt. It hurt to see his friend like this. And it was partially his fault he had gotten that way.

For once in his life, C-53 was at a loss for words. AJ and Horsehat continued to sleep peacefully a few yards away while Pleck, white-knuckled, tore clods of grass out of the earth beside him, refusing to meet his best friend’s eyes. The dust filtering through his system wasn’t making it any easier for him to compute this, and he almost wished he had remained sober for this conversation.

Maybe that way he wouldn’t feel so helpless. Somehow, saying ‘I’m here for you’ felt horribly inadequate.

“It’s not just the fact that it talks to me,” Pleck continued after an agonizing stretch of silence. “It’s the things it says. It… knows me, somehow. Says things about me that are true and real and it gets inside my head.” His shoulders were curled with tension, his head bent low, blue hair skewing out of its ponytail.

“Things that are true?” C-53 asked. “You mean, facts about our missions, or-”

“Like stuff about who I am. As a person.” He tossed the grass away from him in disgust and folded his arms protectively around his own torso. He tucked his knees up to his chest and hunched over, continuing in a small voice. “I know this is all my fault already, okay? I don’t need Beano’s weird hybrid Rodd-ghost telling me about it constantly.”

Pleck didn’t cry, but he did look like a frightened animal, huddled in the grass like that. While C-53 gazed down at him, his fan kicked on, startling both of them. He didn’t think he’d taken that much dust, but his processors were definitely firing off under an unusual amount of strain.

“Sorry,” Pleck muttered. “That was probably too much, huh?” He carefully uncurled himself, stood, and brushed the grass off of his robe. “I’m gonna…” he faltered, remembering that Bargie was full of dust and an angry Dar and the rest of their team was sound asleep. He cast his eye around the grassy hillside and the farmland below, the sky purpling around him. He looked so lost.

“Pleck, if I may,” C-53 ventured. His frame was vibrating uncomfortably from the heavy industrial fan, and he hoped it would kick off soon. “You don’t have to tell me about this if it upsets you. We can talk about other things. Or we don’t have to talk at all.”

The tellurian stared at where C-53 lay in the grass, the expression on his face complicated and messy. He always wore his emotions on his face. It was a marvel none of them saw his breakdown coming sooner.

After a beat, Pleck reached up and undid the rubber band keeping his hair back, shaking out the ponytail and letting his locks fall around his shoulders. “Sure. Sorry. I’ll…” He wrapped the rubber band distractedly around his wrist. “I’ll stay. I can stay here.”

And stay he did. They settled into companionable silence, absorbed in their own thoughts as the stars blinked into view around them. C-53's fan eventually stalled to a halt. At one point, he thought he saw Pleck’s lips moving in a silent, prayer-like repetition, but his scanners couldn’t quite track what he was saying.

His dust-addled cube was drawing up memories and notions he had long since compartmentalized, scattering his internal filing system with careless abandon. Pleck had come a long way since they’d all first set foot on the Bargarian Jade. He wasn’t clueless anymore, though he did blurt the occasional tactless observation every once in a while. He’d escaped federal tyranny, survived a bitter revolution, and resolved to lead the next one of his own accord with nothing but a stupid stick and his own naive willpower.

C-53 remembered the first time their consciousnesses had been tied, when they were at Suetopia and experiencing each other’s emotions as they happened. Pleck had felt so unsure, so curious, and so happy to be around friends. Friends. Had C-53 considered him a friend, then? He wasn’t sure when that had happened, but he did know the next time the two of them had been neurally connected, inside Kevin the blob, the experience was entirely different. C-53 had felt awash with every kind of emotion, a pleasant, peachy feeling he attributed to being one with hundreds of other sentients.

But… no, that wasn’t right. The dust zinged up and down his coding, plucking at his memories like a harp. He remembered dawning understanding as he laid scanners on his crew, feeling their emotions submerging him, passing between them and identifying them one by one. He remembered locking eyes with Pleck last, cringing away from a fear and nakedness that softened in the orange glow around them. He remembered being flooded with longing, a latent ache in his wiring that he felt as his own, though it didn’t originate from his cube. He remembered. He remembered.

He... remembered.

“Oh my Rodd,” he blurted, realizing a nanosecond too late he’d exclaimed it out loud.

“What?” Pleck startled, looking around. “What is it?”

“I uh,” C-35’s cube was in overdrive as he scrambled. That look he’d given him in the blob, that ache deep in his fibers, that quiet hesitation every time they were close. Pleck had feelings for him. Strong feelings. Why had he buried that? Why had it resurfaced?

“...I saw a shooting star,” he lied.

Gullible, trusting Pleck believed him instantly. “Aw, I missed it,” he said.

“It was on your blind side,” C-53 replied, hating himself for continuing the ruse. “I’ll point it out if I see another one. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. They’re fast little guys. Used to get them back on Rangus Six all the time.” Pleck stared fondly up at the velvet night, reminiscing.

C-53 wanted to slip into low power mode so that he could better examine this sudden realization. His tellurian coworker, his best friend, the man lying drunkenly in the grass beside him, had yearned for him for… months, possibly. At least a season. How had that happened? How had he not realized sooner? Was he still yearning, after all this time?

Pleck stretched his arms luxuriously over his head. “Hey, C-53?” he asked, his voice going soft with drowsiness.

He angled his chin ever so slightly. “Yes?”

“I’m glad you’re here with me.”

C-53 hoped Pleck couldn’t hear the strange, small juddering noise coming from his internal processor. His vocal modulator was slow to start up, but it spoke the truth.

“I am, too.”

Chapter 2 <-----> Chapter 4

#ink #fanfiction #mission to zyxx #part of my endeavor to relocate all my ao3 work

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