#just let him have the gun Ryan gosh

[ghostradiodylan]

Thinking about Dylan’s “A Christmas Story” reference if you pick the aggressive dialogue about the gun in Chris’s office.

[likablemuffin]

Kendra always did hate the turtles. (Whumptober)

(From: Random ROTTMNT oneshots)

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Day 10: Blow to the head

So, Donnie had made the Purple Dragons mad.

....Again.

Oh well, the Purple Dragons are just three teenagers; it's not too hard to beat them!

Well, that would be what they would be saying if what happened hadn't happened.

Donnie had foiled one of the Purple Dragons plans again, and obviously, they were pretty pissed.

"CURSE YOU, VON RYAN!" Kendra yells as she uses her new jetpack to start flying away. "Von Ryan? Donnie, who the fuck is Von Ryan??" Leo straightens his posture as he asks this. "Language Leo." Raph sends a small glare Leo's way. "No, but like, genuinely, who is Von Ryan. Does anyone know."

Kendra groans angrily from above them. "YOUR BROTHER YOU IDIOTS!" Leo looks up at Kendra and gives her a confused expression. "Are they like one of our lost siblings, or..." "OH MY GOSH, WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?!" "No, cause, like, I'm genuinely asking." Kendra grits her teeth and takes out what looks like a genuine gun. 

"Oh shoot-" Leo manages to slip out before Kendra starts trying to SHOOT HIM. "Kendra! Have you lost your mind?!" Donnie calls out to Kendra as he dodges her attacks as well. "I am so tired of you stupid turtles ruining all my plans! I'm going to get rid of you once and for all!" Raph somehow manages to block a bullet shot right at him with his weapons. "So you're going to kill us??" 

Jeremy is on a roof right across from the turtles and he yells up to Kendra. "YEAH- ARENT WE SUPPOSED TO JUST BE STEALING SOMETHING? NOT...MURDER??" Kendra groans from where she's flying and stops shooting at the turtles. "I DIDNT ASK YOU, JEREMY! SO SHUT UP!" Jeremy slumps in defeat.

"Oh, come on now, that's no way to treat one of your friends, is it?" Leo speaks up from his spot while he waits for more action to occur. "YOU LITTLE-" And just like that, Kendra starts shooting at the boys again. 

After a while, Kendra, of course, runs out of bullets. "OH FUCK THIS STUPID THING!!" Kendra tosses the gun to the ground and just straight up charges at the turtles. "Hey, HEY! JEEZ-" Leo yells as Kendra narrowly misses pushing him off the roof. "Do you seriously want to push us off? Thats not very your style, Kendra." "SHUT UP VON RYAN!" Leo knowingly nods his head from where he's standing. "Ohhhh, that's who Von Ryan is."

Kendra turns around to glare at Leo before using her jetpack to shove herself towards him. 

And she knocks into him.

And she pushes him.

Off of the roof.

"LEO!!" Every one of his brothers screams. The world almost seems to slow down as Leo's body makes contact with the wall of an alley and his head snaps back, hitting the side of it. His whole vision goes white, and he gasps. "KENDRA!" Jeremy screams after her. But Leo can barely even hear him. A ringing noise enters his ears as both he and Kendra fall down the side of the wall.

"LEO!!" Donnie screams as he watches his brother his twin  get pushed off the side of the building by that purple-haired bitch. 

Donnie instantly jumps off the side of the building and breaks into a roll at the bottom. His ankle almost gives out, but that's not what matters right now. Leo and Kendra are lying almost directly next to each other. Kendra is struggling to get up off the floor, while Leo just lies there breathing heavily. Donnie rushes over and grabs Kendra by the collar of her shirt. "You." Kendra looks at him with an actually scared look on her face, and Donnie can't help but smirk at it. "You are absolutely dead."

Donnie throws Kendra to the ground, but before he can take out his tech bo, Raph comes up to him. "Donnie, let's get Leo out of here. We can deal with Kendra later." Donnie looks over to Raph, almost about to ask him if he was serious, but the look on Raph's face already tells Donnie what he needs to know.

Donnie glances over to Leo and notices Leo's eyes starting to close. Donnie practically lunges forward and immediately starts gently tapping Leo's cheek. "No, no, don't fall asleep-" Leo dazedly looks up at Donnie and mumbles so quietly Donnie can barely hear, "Donn...ie..?" "Yes, yes, its me, you dumb dumb; please keep your eyes open for me, okay?" Leo's eyelids start to drop slightly, but he still smiles at Donnie and says, "W-We'll...do..."

Raph walks up to the both of them, and Mikey comes running up from the entrance to the alley. "Should I carry him?" Raph speaks up as he gently puts his shoulder on Donnie's shoulder. Donnie waves Raph's hand off. "No, I'll carry him." Mikey looks at him worriedly and crouches down in front of him. "Are you sure Dee?" Donnie glares at him, although he feels bad doing so almost immediately after. "Sorry- yes, I'm sure. Thank you for your concern, Michael."

Mikey nods at him and smiles. Raph and Mikey share a glance before they both start walking to the street where the turtle tank is parked. Donnie very carefully picks Leo up and starts following them. As Donnie starts walking towards the street, he feels a cold hand touch his arm, and when he looks down, he sees Leo staring at him. "I-It'll be...o...kay, Don..." Donnie takes a deep breath. "I know. You'll be fine."

And as they all walk into the turtle tank and Raph starts driving, Leo's eyes close because he's safe in Donnie's arms. He'll be fine. 

He knows.

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[rhettabbotts]

shelby!!!! my love!!!!! 💖🫶🏼🫶🏼

affectionately. i’m crawling on my knees for some dilf!jake.

like fucking you extra hard into the mattress one night when the kids are asleep because you wore his old navy shirt.

getting handsy with you in the playground while waiting to pick up your kids on the last day of term, telling you how much he can’t wait to have a summer with you and getting to fuck you most mornings.

going on said summer holiday to some all inclusive kids camp and fucking you against the sink in the morning before you go and wake up your kids for breakfast, leaving hickies on your neck because he’s not ashamed to show everyone how much he loves you and how good he still fucks you.

eating you out on the kitchen island after you dropped the kids off from school because one of the dads was being a bit too flirty with you. “no one can make my pretty wife come like i can.”

finally having an evening off with each other and arriving an hour later than you told the baby sitter you would because you both got all drunk and giggly together.

GOD

i hope you’ve had a wonderful day my love!! ilysm!! <33

SEB MY DARLING!!!!!! i am absolutely frothing at the mouth over dilf!jake omfg

no bc he definitely moved into an instructor position at top gun after your first kid was born and that’s what he’s been doing ever since. he comes home after a long day and sees you wearing his shirt that has ‘hangman’ printed on the back and he just loses his mind. even though your last name has been seresin for years, it still drives him crazy. it just reminds him that you’re his completely in every since of the word.

he’s got you pinned to the mattress, one hand holding your wrists together, the other pressed over your mouth as he thrusts hard into you, but he’s going slow so it doesn’t make too much noise. he’s kissing your forehead and muttering “my sexy wife, always so good for me.” he’s covering your mouth with his as his thumb brushed against your clit, swallowing all the moans you let out.

god vacation with dilf!jake would hit so different. going somewhere and he gets all tan and he’s glowing, the greys starting show more at his temples from being out in the sun. giving him blowjobs in the shower before waking the kids. sitting out on the balcony at night and riding him in one of the chairs, lordddd. he’s definitely littering your neck and chest with hickeys, pumping his hips up into you hard.

EATING YOU OUT ON THE COUNTER????? please him immediately dropping to his knees all because ryan’s dad looked at you for 5 seconds too long as you walked back to the car from drop off. he’s tonguing you until you’re nearly screaming. he’d edge you, making you beg for it, whining out his name. “yeah that’s right, honey. you say my name. i’m the only one who gets to make you feel this good. my pretty little wife.” while he’s giving you delicious beard burn from his stubble.

gosh and how sweet would those date nights be!!! getting to go out and not have to worry about the kids. sharing a bottle of wine and getting so giggly you can’t stop laughing when you’re walking through the door. after you pay the sitter, you check on the kids. he’s definitely getting handsy with you, groping your ass or boobs, smirking into your neck when you gasp.

a bonus!!!! dilf jake sitting in bed with his sweatpants on, shirtless, reading a book with his glasses perched on his nose. hair still slightly wet from his shower and his scruff grown out 🫠🫠🫠

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE DILF!JAKE THOUGHTS MY BELOVED!!!! they’re always welcome <333 i love you sm!!!

[transthaumaturge]

Squirrel Girl is Super Gay for her Roommate and I Want Everyone to Know

A gay infodump of sensible length by Rachel Tikvah

ALRIGHT, SO The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl was the very first comic that I ever read regularly, back when I was looking for more stories with strong female protagonists but didn't really know why. Back then I just thought I really liked strong female characters and not that I was being gay on main, but now I know the truth. The comic had a 5-year run, and it was the first time that Squirrel Girl, AKA Doreen Green, had had her own series. She had a brief run in the mid-2000's where she was established as someone who could beat up Thanos with her bare hands well, more like squirrel hands but was mostly a joke character that happened to be incredibly buff and had indestructible plot armor. USG decided that Doreen's next major life goal would be to enroll in college to become a computer scientist, because her writer, Ryan North, is really into computer science and they basically gave him free rein over Squirrel Girl canon for five whole years. Like, a solid third of the plots are solved with some kind of computer science smarts. It’s really cool. Anyway this is Doreen in one of the gayest solo pictures I could find of her on short notice, which is also one of the variant covers from the actual series:

And this is her college roommate, Nancy Whitehead:

I'm like, 99% certain that Ryan North intended for them to end up as a couple and Disney!Marvel told him no. So he decided to make them AS GAY FOR EACH OTHER AS POSSIBLE without explicitly saying that they were a couple, and it ended up going under the radar. What follows is evidence for that claim. I’m going to put a "read more” after this so it doesn’t clutter everyone’s dashboards, but please read on if you’re interested. There’s a lot of cute gayness after this point. I’m also going to put all of the image descriptions at the end, since they take up a lot of space and I don’t want to break up the flow of the post. Finally, a quick spoiler alert for one arc in the middle of the series and a couple major plot points from the final few issues.

AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES

So for a while it was just kind of hinted at that they’re in a relationship, mostly because they were basically domestic life partners for like, two whole years in-universe before the comic run ended. But it really came to a head with an arc that was ran about 2/3 of the way through the series. Some pictures of them being, like, so cute together in general and/or talking about how much they care about each other before I get to that arc, though: 

Also Doreen describes her and Nancy's cat as "co-parented" in one of the last issues:

ANYWAY, THE ARC. THE HYPERTIME ARC. So one of the villains created for the Squirrel Girl run (I think they liked making weird shit canon just because they could) was a dude who went by the name "EpicCrimez". He’s a crime streamer. He livestreams his crimes to an online audience. I don't know. *Throws up hands*

He had some kind of laser gun that he built out of scavenged alien tech but didn't really know what it did, so he shot it at Doreen and Nancy for kicks. It shot them into hypertime, so suddenly the rest of the world was moving at a fraction of the pace that they were. They were moving so quickly that they were slated to live out their entire lives over the span of a single weekend if they didn't figure out how to reverse the effects. And...they did. Live out their entire lives together. For the two of them, they were the only two people in the world. There were other people, but they looked like statues unless you spent a very long time observing them. Doreen and Nancy grew old together in a world where they only had each other. This is an incredibly cute domestic scene from a little while after they found themselves in hypertime:

Gosh, I wish I could find more official art from that arc of them just living together, it was so good. But the point is, they were both old by the time that Nancy figured out how to get them out of hypertime. And it wasn't ideal. Their bio signatures were stored in the gun that EpicCrimez shot, and they could essentially "reboot" their bodies from when they were first shot and send themselves back into the regular timestream. But they wouldn't remember anything about the life that they had shared together. Nancy almost didn't want to do it. She raised the possibility of them just living out the rest of their lives together, because she didn't want to forget their life together. This is the conversation they had:

"I don't regret any of it. I don't want to lose it, and I don't want to lose us." "You're not getting rid of me that easily." Every time I look at that last picture, which took up an entire page of the comic, I start to cry. We’re seeing the final moments of two people who love each other more than anything, who were each other's entire lives, savoring their last moments together and wondering what the future holds. Sacrificing the life that they built together so that their younger selves could live a better, fuller one. Dying in each other’s arms, scared but comforted by the fact that they had each other. And then the arc ends, and they can't remember anything, so the status quo is restored. They have some paintings they made of each other while they were living together in hypertime, but they move on pretty quickly without ever knowing the significance of those lived decades. Still, it's clear in the arcs that follow and the adventures they embarked on afterward that they would die for each other. All of that continues until the end of the last arc. Their shared apartment's been blown up at this point by a supervillain who wanted to ruin Doreen’s life before eventually killing her. And in the aftermath of the fight, they're sifting through the wreckage for anything that survived (don't worry, the cat got out in time) when they find the picture that they painted of themselves during the hypertime arc:

They have a really cute conversation about how this chapter of their life is over, but they're going to be okay and they're going to build a new life together. And then Nancy basically tells Doreen that she can't live without her:

And then Doreen says something super queer-coded about how she likes the idea of the world knowing her secret identity now:

On the very last page of the comic, after all of the action is over and the series is about to end, they're talking to each other in what's supposed to be a twitter thread and Doreen asks Nancy a very thinly veiled question about whether she still wants to spend time with her now that her identity's out. She pretends it's about a class project, but it's really not about the class project. Here's how that conversation goes:

With no knowledge of what happened during the weekend when they shared their entire lives together, without ever having heard Doreen say it to her before, Nancy’s heart still knows which words to choose. "...you're not getting rid of me that easily. <3" I believe that the author of the series, Ryan North, did as much as he possibly could to portray them as a couple without saying it outright. And as the last piece of evidence to support that claim, I want to share a response he wrote in one of the series' last-ever letter columns:

"as for more Doreen and Nancy, I hope so too. A Squirrel Girl book without Nancy would feel like--like--like some sort of hypothetical "Super" "Man" book without an equally hypothetical "Lois" "Lane"!" It's easy to write off this analysis as wishful thinking, or as a misreading of the subtext. But when the author of the series says that these two characters are meant to always be together and compares them to one of the most famous couples in any comic series ever, it's clear that there's more to it than that. 

Some Additional Thoughts: 1) Doreen and Nancy are both probably bisexual or pansexual, since they both expressed romantic interest in men throughout the series but they’re both clearly interested in each other too. There might be an element of demiromanticism there as well if part of the reason that they’re into each other romantically is because of how emotionally close they’ve become over the years. I want to make sure that that facet of their romantic orientations doesn’t get erased, because bi and pan folks get erased enough as it is. Neither Doreen nor Nancy are lesbians, just super-cool WLWs.

2) HERE’S WHAT THE ISSUE 50 VARIANT COVER LOOKED LIKE

That’s NOT a fun, totally straight way to pose with your platonic gal pal. They’re so incredibly cute together! I have no words! In Closing If you got this far, thank you so much for letting me talk to you about a comic that’s very important to me, and a couple in that comic that I care about very much. I spent way too long making this (six hours and counting), mostly in writing the image descriptions, and I’m very proud of my work but very tired now. Hyperfixation is a hell of a drug. If this resonated with you, please consider reblogging it so that more folks can see it. If not, even a like is nice. I’d also love to engage with people who have their own thoughts, so feel free to leave some comments in the notes if you’ve got an idea/a reaction/any additional cute Doreen/Nancy scenes that you’d like to share with me. At any rate, this post has gone on long enough and I don’t want to ask y’all to read any more than you have to. So have a great day, good morning / afternoon / night, and stay safe. Thanks again for reading! ~Rachel Tikvah, AKA @transthaumaturge Image Descriptions: Image 1: [ID: Squirrel Girl, a young woman with light skin, is posing in front of a brick wall that she seems to have crashed through, leaving a perfect outline of her body. She’s facing away but looking backwards over her shoulder at us and smiling. She’s flexing upward with her right arm and has her left fist resting on her left hip. Her sidekick, a squirrel named Tippy-Toe, is standing in the cutout she left in the wall and is making the same exact pose while wearing a light pink bow around her neck. Squirrel Girl is wearing brown lace-up boots, fur-lined hot pants over grey tights, and a brown fur-lined jacket with sleeves that come up to her forearms and a symbol of an acorn embroidered into the back. She’s also wearing a hairband with fake squirrel ears on it over short reddish-brown hair. She has a large squirrel tail coming out of her hot pants that sweeps down in a curve behind her lower legs. The illustration is drawn so that everything is bathed in the light of a sunset, and Doreen is casting shadows on the wall in front of her.] Image 2: [ID: Two frames depicting a scene between Doreen and Nancy in their college dorm room, with many cardboard boxes still not unpacked and sitting on a bare bed mattress. Nancy Whitehead is a young woman with dark brown skin and short, curly black hair. She's wearing black tights, a white dress-top, and a yellow cardigan over that. Her arms are crossed as she holds her white cat, Mew, against her chest. Doreen is wearing grey tights and a black long-sleeve shirt with a wide collar and white stripes across the chest. She's holding Tippy-Toe up to Nancy with both hands so she can see her better. The following dialogue ensues: Nancy: "A squirrel? But weren't you the one who was all about pets not being allowed in--" Doreen: "Yeah, I know. But this really interesting person I met today told me that obeying an unjust law is itself unjust." Nancy: "...You know, I was worried I'd get a weird roommate, but you're all right, Doreen Green."] Image 3: [ID: Doreen and Nancy are both sitting on a lavender-pink couch in nightclothes. Doreen has short, orange hair. She is wearing a loose-fitting grey long-sleeve shirt and steel-blue cutoff shorts; Nancy has cropped black hair. She is wearing a dark purple top with sleeves that come down to her upper arms, and loose-fitting navy-blue shorts that come down to her lower thighs. Doreen is side-hugging Nancy as she says, with an ecstatically happy smile, “Nancy, you’re the greatest. You know that, right?” Nancy gives Doreen a full smile as she responds, “I’d always suspected it, but it is nice to have it confirmed.”] Image 4: [ID: Nancy is shown from the shoulders up. She has short, curly black hair. She’s wearing large, disc-shaped gold dangle earrings, and a red jacket with prominent shoulders and a yellow collar. She’s fixing the observer with an angry, determined stare as she says, “She knows this man wouldn’t dream about betraying her, or he’d have to answer to me.”] Image 5: [ID: Doreen and Nancy are eating breakfast at the brown, circular kitchen table in their apartment. Doreen’s wearing a skin-tight athletic crop top that’s striped in black, red, white, and blue. Her arm muscles are well-defined and clearly visible as she puts a spoon in her mouth, closing her eyes as she does so. She has a bowl of cereal in front of her, and half a banana in front of that. Nancy is sitting to her left in a pink camisole top that’s also exposing her muscles, scrolling through something on her smartphone. Her hair is in a yellow fabric wrap that’s knotted on one side of her head. A cup of coffee sits in front of her. The clear blue sky is visible through the window centered on the wall behind them.] Image 6: [ID: Nancy and Doreen are facing away from the vantage point, walking towards an Empire State University campus building and holding hands with their fingers intertwined. Nancy is wearing a long knee-length grey coat and black knee-high boots, with a baby-blue side bag hanging from her left shoulder. Doreen is wearing a magenta sweatshirt with the periwinkle-lined hood down, light brown form-fitting denim pants, and black ankle-high boots, with a dark brown side bag hanging from her right shoulder. Trees and bushes hem the walkway in on either side. The building in front of them is dark red, with glass doors and a row of floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor. Doreen is saying “...we’re just going to have to take the long way around.”] Image 7: [ID: Doreen is facing towards the vantage point and is visible from the legs up, standing in front of a pile of rubble in the background. She’s wearing high-waisted light blue shorts over black tights, and a red windbreaker with sleeves ending at her upper arms that’s opened to reveal a white t-shirt underneath. Tippy-Toe is sitting on her shoulder. There are two people facing Doreen, each slightly in frame and silhouetted in black against the light of the setting sun. Doreen is fixing them with an angry, determined expression, resting her right fist at her hip while she gesticulates with her left hand and says, “So! I don’t know about you all, but Melissa kidnapping my friend and blowing up my life and my house and almost blowing up my co-parented cat makes me feel like giving her a piece of my mind. Friends...”] Image 8: [ID: A full comic page. EpicCrimez is looking like a dork in a green and black skin-tight jumpsuit, bright red ski goggles, and a green wig cap with his brown hair sticking out the back in a mullet. He’s standing inside a jewelry store and holding up a fist of expensive gems and pearls-on-strings as holds up his smartphone and speaks into it. He’s facing off against Squirrel Girl, with her allies Koi Boi and Chipmunk Hunk on her right, and Nancy and Brain Drain on the left. The following scene ensues: EpicCrimez: “And for those of you just tuning in, welcome to another successful heist by your boy EpicCrimez, streaming live! Now with 10% more live crime action than any other streamer! Don’t forget to like and subscribe!! I know some of you in EpicCrimez Nation have been forgetting to do that lately. Not acceptable.” Squirrel Girl: “You picked the wrong small business to rob, crime-initiator! Because this mall is protected by super heroes.” Brain Drain: “HELLO” SG: “And also an unrelated civilian friend I brought along too!” Nancy: (Not looking up from her phone) “ ‘Sup.” EC: “Check it out--Squirrel Girl and her miscellaneous friends are here! It’s action you won’t find on any other channel!” SG: “Are you...streaming your robberies?” (Nancy pockets her phone) EC: “Yeah I am! For money reasons! And with you “heroes” in it, I’ll make even more!” SG: (Whispering to Nancy:) “Question: a fight scene just gets him more traffic, which lets him profit from this crime even more--so does this mean we don’t fight him?” N: (Whispering back:) “I feel like letting him go causes more harm, but I look forward to us teasing apart the moral implications of this later.” SG: “Nice.” SG: (No longer whispering:) “I’ll like and subscribe, EpicCrimez! I’ll like fighting crime, and subscribe... to a worldview wherein the strong protect the weak!” EC: “Oh my gosh, are you like wholesome Spider-Man or something??” At the bottom of the page, small text says: “Wholesome Spider-Man, Wholesome Spider-Man/Does whatever a wholesome spider can/Is he tough?/Listen bud/He’s here to hear you talk about your day and tell you it’ll all be fine while taking you out for your favorite meal for dinner because he knows you deserve it.”] Image 9: [ID: Another full comic page. Doreen and Nancy are in their apartment together, and their friends Tomas and Brian (AKA Chipmunk Hunk and Brain Drain respectively) are frozen as they look down at the machine that Nancy is on her knees in front of, working on. Nancy, barefoot, is wearing cerulean-blue athletic pants, a black long-sleeve spandex shirt without shoulders, and narrow-framed glasses. Her hair is partially covered by a yellow cloth head wrap tied on the left side, with black dreadlocks spilling out the side and back. The machine in front of her is made of dull grey metal, about a meter tall and roughly circular. Wires dangle out of a hatch that Nancy is fiddling with. Doreen is wearing a flowing, dark-purple pantsuit with wide, ankle-length legs and a halter top with the sleeves tied off at her shoulders. Her shoes are light-brown ankle boots with a horizontal gap on the bridge of each foot. Her wavy orange hair is parted in the middle and down past her shoulders. She looks incredibly cute. The following scene ensues: Doreen: “What do you think?” Nancy: “I think--come on you stupid screw--I think we’re still years away from this thing working, if it ever does. Who knew time machine construction is really hard, except of course for everyone who has attempted it?” (She wipes her forehead with the back of her hand) D: “Hah! No, I mean my new outfit.” N: (Looking up and checking her gf out:) “Doreen! You look amazing!!” D: “Liberated it from a very expensive department store uptown!” N: (Now standing) “Tony paid for it?” D: Tony will eventually discover he was kind enough to leave some expensive jewelry in trade, yes. I pinned a note to him so he knows.” N: “There really are advantages to being friends with billionaire playboy genius philanthropists.” D: “Right?!” N: (Taking Doreen’s hands in hers:) “It’s a shame we can’t take a picture of you all dolled up.” D: “Not without standing still for a few months, yeah. But I was thinking about that. I picked up something else at another store downtown. Thought maybe it could help us with that.” (Holding up a shopping bag with one hand while still holding onto Nancy’s hand with the other:) “Nancy Whitehead, I thought you and I might take up painting sometime.” At the bottom of the page, small text says: “Tony Stark moves from meeting to meeting, his body accumulating dozens of notes every second. He sighs. Stuff like this didn’t happen before he knew Doreen. But then he smiles, because after all...stuff like this didn’t happen before he knew Doreen.”] Images 10-16: [ID: Several pages worth of comic frames, posted together to depict one scene. Doreen and Nancy are now old women, likely in their seventies or eighties. Doreen has short, grey hair. She’s wearing a tan button-up waistcoat and an orange ascot, brown flats with an olive-green skirt, knee-length and softly pleated. Her tail is sticking out the back of her skirt over the top, bushy and brown but with stiffer, less-dense hair. Nancy has her grey-black hair done up in a ponytail, a mass of tight curls behind her head. She’s wearing thin oval glasses, black dress pants, black flats, and a lavender cardigan with a flower motif along the edges, open to show the yellow-orange top underneath. They’re standing in front of a completed time machine. On either side are tall pieces of machinery, and in the middle is a round, flat metal dais hooked up to everything else with snaking cables. The following scene ensues: Nancy: “So...this is it, babe. The new machine.” Doreen: “Your secret project! Nancy, it looks like you started from scratch!” N: That’s because I did. I finally realized our old machine was never going to work. Maybe if we had a few more decades, but...there’s no time. And given that our backs are to the wall, I took a risk. I disassembled the gun right down to the metal, and examined all the parts. And I did find something: a data chip. Doreen, the gun stored our bio signatures when it us.” D: “What are you saying?” N: “I’m saying my new machine won’t send us back in time, and we’ll still have lost a weekend of real time. But it will restore our bodies to normal time.” D: (Hugging Nancy tight:) “Nancy! You saved us!!” N: (Resting her hands on Doreen’s shoulders:) “Not--quite. There’s a catch, Doreen. Our bodies will make it...but we won’t. Look, Doreen...I’m an old woman. I’ve spent most of my life in hypertime. This wasn’t how I saw my life going, but...I don’t regret any of it. I don’t want to lose it, and I don’t want to lose us.” D: “I don’t understand.” N: “It’s like restoring from backup. Our bodies will be restored to how they were the moment we were first hit. But--that necessarily includes our brains, too. Everything we’ve done since we entered hypertime--our entire lives spent together...we’ll forget.” (She looks at Doreen in distress) D: “I don’t either, Nancy. You’ve been the most important person in my life. But if we do go back--we can do it again. All of it. It might not happen again quite the same way, but--well, like you say...we’ll have all the time in the world.” N: (Their faces inches apart, they both tilt their heads down and smile sadly:) “Twist my arm, why don’t you.” (They both step onto the dais holding hands, and blue energy starts to ripple around them:) “You filled up Spidey’s web-shooters before we go?” D: “Yep. Again.” N: “You and me, saving the world.” D: “Well,” (holding Nancy’s hand in both of her own) "No reason we can’t do it twice.” N: “You know, there’s a chance things could turn out differently, now that we’ll have video games to distract us. In 40 years we might decide we don’t like hanging out after all.” D: (Hugging Nancy even tighter than before as the energy from the time machine starts to envelop them, resting her face in the nape of Nancy’s neck:) “Nah. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”] Image 17: [ID: Doreen and Nancy are sifting through the charred rubble of their apartment as night starts to fall around them. Doreen is wearing faded blue jeans and a navy blue t-shirt with a Captain America star in the middle. Over top of the shirt, she’s wearing a dark reddish-brown leather vest with four metal studs at the four points of the folded-out collar. Nancy is wearing black tights and a light green long-sleeve shirt with olive-green sleeves. The front of the shirt has a picture of Cat-Thor, Cat God of Cat Thunder’s head on it. The following scene ensues: Doreen: “So I know we’re only a few hours into it, Nancy, but I think my identity being public isn’t gonna be as bad as I thought.” Nancy: “Oh?” D: “Yeah, Tony’s given me lots of tips, and it does honestly help to know that my parents are protected by a robot tree with laser eyes and my friends live in a city with the most super heroes per square mile.” N: “Most super villains too, but--Hold on. I think I found it.” (Nancy lifts a picture frame out of the wreckage, charred around the edges but otherwise no worse for wear. It has a painting inside of it of Doreen and Nancy, arm-in-arm, from hypertime. Doreen is wearing the lavender pantsuit from before, and Nancy is wearing a tight-fitting lilac dress.) “...And it looks like you and I made it through just fine.”] Images 18-19: [ID: Two later comic panels from the same scene. They’re wearing the same outfits, but Nancy’s now cradling her white cat, Mew, in the crook of her left arm while she holds onto the picture frame with her right hand. The following scene ensues: Doreen: “Come on, let’s talk about it! If we’re starting a new chapter in our lives, and we can decide what’s in it, what do you want it to contain?” Nancy: “Doreen...” D: “What are the three things you can’t live without, Nancy Whitehead?” N: (Holding up the picture so that Doreen can see it:) “Fine. If you must know, all this girl needs to be happy are cats and squirrels and knitting and computers and friends and secret tattoos and super heroes and lots and lots of love. Also food and shelter. And water. And internet.” D: “That’s more than three things.”] Image 20: [ID: Same scene as before, a single frame with a close-up on Doreen from her chest upwards. Doreen cups her chin with one of her hands and says, “Honestly--I thought about it. I really did. But I realized that where I am now, I’m safe and I’m loved and I kinda like the idea of not having to lie to people anymore, you know? Even if it is just a lie of omission. I want to share my whole self with the world. I don’t want to have to hide who I am anymore.”] Image 21: [ID: Something resembling a twitter thread, with dialogue between Nancy and Doreen stacked chronologically as horizontal boxes. Their respective names and handles are at the top of each of their comments. Nancy is Nancy W. and @sewwiththeflo, Doreen is Squirrel Girl and @unbeatablesg. The following conversation ensues: Nancy: “You think I’d leave you high and dry??” Doreen: “I think I don’t want our lateness harming your grades and therefore harming your post-secondary education or career choices and therefore harming your ENTIRE LIFE?!” “So yeah I think you should switch to someone else, real talk. I honestly don’t mind, I promise.” Nancy: “Please. If there’s one thing I know about you, about me, and about how we spend our future together, it’s this. Doreen Green...” “...you’re not getting rid of me that easily. <3″] Image 22: [ID: A paragraph of text, black text on a yellow background. “As for more Doreen and Nancy, I hope so too. A Squirrel Girl book without Nancy would feel like--like--like some sort of hypothetical “Super” “Man” book without an equally hypothetical “Lois” “Lane”!”] Image 23: [ID: A group picture of Squirrel Girl and friends sitting down on a grassy hill and watching the sunset together. Kraven the Hunter is in the foreground for some reason, looking almost directly at the camera. In the background we see Koi Boi, Mary Mahajan, Chipmunk Hunk, Brain Drain, and Mew the Cat. In the middle of the shot, Doreen and Nancy sit together. Doreen is in her superhero outfit with Tippy-Toe on her right shoulder, and Nancy is in a yellow cardigan and jeans on Doreen’s left. They’re holding hands, fingers intertwined, as Nancy leans against Doreen with her whole body. Their heads are tilted inward towards each other, the side of Doreen’s head touching the side of Nancy’s, as they look off into the distance together.]

[onestowatch]

Aidan Bissett Wants You to Know It’s Okay to Be Alone [Q&A]

Photo: Brooke James

Aidan Bissett’s sunny and effortless disposition contrasts the chaotic ode to classic rock that is his latest track “Dumped.” The introspective and cathartic nature of his latest offering speaks to age-old feelings of heartbreak while doubling as an optimistic reminder that cloudy days cannot last forever.

Releasing soft-spoken tracks followed by headbanging, classic-rock inspired hits, this young artist’s music truly feels alive, shifting and evolving from one release to the next. With a soulful dedication to “music first, lyrics second,” Bissett is steadily creating his own lane defined by a relentless drive for experimentation. We had the chance to talk to Bissett about his creative approach, his latest single, “Dumped,” and plenty more. 

Ones to Watch: So, tell me the story behind “Dumped?”

Aidan Bissett: Wow, that’s a good question. I wish when I wrote it, it came from like, I had just been dumped… Well, okay, I had sort of been dumped. I don’t know how to explain that, but let’s just say I was in a relationship, taking time off, in a sense. When we were writing it, it was me, my friends, Ryan and Sean, and we were writing in a zoom session for like three hours. It was not a good song, and none of the three of us wanted to say it was a bad song. So, we were like, “OK, we are going to go take a break for a little.” 

Then I pulled my guitar off the wall and started messing around, because when I get bored, especially in sessions, I like to try and take my mind off things. I’ll play random chords and sing random lyrics, like ad-lib over them just for fun. So, I started playing like three chords that are all throughout “Dumped,” singing this hook line that—it’s going to sound really weird—“I’m taking dumps all the time.” The guy I was producing it with was like, “OK, gross,” but that actually could be really cool… what if we change it to “I’m getting dumped all the time.” And I was like, “Woah.” That’s kind of how it started and we were on a roll and wrote the whole song in two hours.

And the song does mean a lot to me, because I have actually been dumped, multiple times. It sucks, it’s not a fun feeling, so every time I listen to it, it is kind of an “f you” type of song. Like, “yeah, I got dumped but I’m better off on my own anyway.” I always like that feeling better than wallowing in sadness. So, for anyone who does listen to it, I hope that it helps bring you out of the mourn and into a new light.

In the music video, you are seen reading an “Idiot's Guide To Love.” What was the last book you read?

I do love reading, I’ve always liked reading. I have not, in the past year, read a ton of books, which sucks because I actually do like reading. Well, okay, my senior year of high school I read like 13 books but a lot of them were for school. But they were still good books! I’m in the middle of reading Dune, which is very good so far. So, hopefully, I can finish that before the movie comes out. But yeah, I do like reading… when I have the time to sit down with my ADHD mind.

“Dumped” is a noted sonic transition for you. Can you tell me about how you approach your genre-spanning sound?

I don’t really like putting myself in one genre. I’m in a certain lane in the sense I do indie-pop, I do alternative, but I don't want to do straight pop. I feel like it's such a box, and it’s so limiting. I just love exploring different sounds, so even from the start, I put out “Different,” and then the second song was “Worst Girls Of All Time,” which was a completely different sound than the indie-pop wave that “Different” is. So, me putting out stuff like this after “Communication” is me exploring new sounds. To be honest, the things I like to hear always change, the bands that I’m listening to are always changing, and I take a lot of inspiration from a lot of different bands. I just love trying new things. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but it just keeps me on my toes instead of just doing the same formula over and over again.

What are you listening to right now?

That’s a good question, it’s kind of all over the place. There’s this one girl, Remi Wolf, who I’ve been non-stop listening to… I have been listening to her for a minute. When she put out her first EP, I loved it. But now, she’s putting out these new tracks and Solomonophonic, her producer, he’s just incredible and her voice is incredible. They are doing so many things that just aren’t normal in this time of music; it’s just so her own lane. I find that really inspiring in the sense that she’s carving her own path and not following in the line of others.

I feel like I’m always listening to Wallows no matter what. I always have them ready to go. COIN. Role Model’s rolling out new stuff so I’m excited for that, he’s kind of taking a change in his own discography. [The] sounds that he is doing are definitely a lot different from his earlier stuff. This guy, binki. He’s actually opening for Role Model on this tour. Oh my gosh! His music’s insane, so cool. It’s got so many sounds going on, similar to Remi Wolf, there’s so much going on, you’re like ‘wow.. I’ve never heard something like this before.’

For those who don’t know, you write, record and produce your music all by yourself. Can you walk me through your creative process?

Yeah, I’m very musically-driven. Everyone has their own thing, I feel like a lot of artists, like the Olivia Rodrigo types, are lyrically-driven. I’m definitely music first, lyrics second. So, when I sit down to write something I try and get something I latch onto. I’m like, “Oh, this sounds cool. Lyrics could sound cool over this.” Anytime I go into a session or I’m recording by myself, I try to lay down some form of music, and then I’ll freestyle lyrics or freestyle melodies over the top, or pick a melody I like and throw lyrics over that melody. Whether that’s a hook or a verse, that kind of just depends on how I’m feeling. It’s definitely a bit unconventional compared to other artists. I feel like artists are a bit more put together when it comes to writing music just because I’ve only been doing it for like a year-and-a-half. But I have my own process, and it works. Every time I write something I learn something new. I’m excited to see, even a year from now, what my process will be… and even if it's completely different or efficient, who knows?

Tell me about the influence of music in your childhood and the decision for you to be a musician at a young age - you started playing electric guitar very young - what was your household like? Musical family?

My dad wanted the kids in our family, I have two other siblings, to play an instrument for two years during our young adult life. He wanted us to play piano before we got to pick, so we had two years of piano and then we had to pick an instrument. So, my sister went and played two years of piano and didn’t really stick with it afterward. Then, it was my turn and I was like, “Well, I don’t really want to play piano, can I play guitar?” And since I was the only one who asked, who expressed interest in a different instrument, he was like, “Sure.” I started in second grade and I’ve stuck with it the entire time. I took lessons for years, and that’s how I kind of got into the classic rock scene. My dad was a huge classic rock fan so he showed me all greats… and that was all I listened to for years. It definitely had a large impact on what I did. I would even play in little recitals, and I always played classic rock songs like AC/DC or Guns N’ Roses.

It wasn’t necessarily a musical household, like my dad isn’t musical, my mom isn’t musical. The reason he wanted us to play an instrument is because his mom made him play an instrument as a kid, so he was like, “You guys get to do that, too.” But it is true, one of us ended up using it.

What do you want people to take away from “Dumped?”

It’s an amp-up song. I want them to feel energized, to be happy with yourself. Getting hurt in relationships happens all the time, but it's okay to get hurt in a relationship. It’s kind of how you bounce back, and I want this song to be like a bounce back. Like, you hear it and, “Oh! This is me bouncing back! I don’t need to sit and cry anymore, because that’s not fun.” Sitting and crying is okay, everyone’s done it, but there’s a point that you reach, in that break-up phase, when the crying needs to stop and you need to go out and live and be the person that you are, independently. So, I would hope that it inspires you to be your independent, wonderful self again.

Is there anything else you would like to say about your music, or in general, that you want to take the chance now to say?

Well, I’m sitting on a lot of songs. So, I’m excited to get all the rest out, and again, everything is so diverse. All the music is so diverse, I just feel like each song is its own thing, which I really enjoy. I feel that’s really unique to my own music, where you’re getting something new every time. I’m moving to LA. That’s the other thing. So, if anyone sees me in LA, please stop me and say hello!

[dreams-of-kalopsia]

Fictober Prompt 17

“There is just something about them.”

Voltron fanfiction (Plance)

No warnings apply.

Read it on AO3.

____

Happy April Fool’s Day! There’s no joke, though. I’m just a real fool for this show and this pairing. XD

____

Part 1 (Pidge): Timing

Part 2 (Lance): Intuition

Part 3 (Colleen): Grounded

Part 4 (Hunk): Change

Part 5: Them

(Nadia)

The rumors are true: Commander Holt’s daughter is a genius.

She can beat any Earth videogame. Can store galaxies’ worth of tech info in her brain. Can hack into anything that runs on codes. Can master anything remotely mathematical or scientific. Can head and complete the repairs of all MFE units, come up with upgrades, and finish installing them in a month. Can pilot an interdimensional, sentient, robotic Lion. Can fight and beat almost anyone bigger than her—which, with her height, is a lot of people.

But she can’t fire a gun to save her life.

Nadia gapes at said genius. “What.”

“You heard me.”

“That’s quite hard to believe,” James chimes in. “You’ve been fighting in a war for years.”

Pidge shrugs as she taps on her tablet to run a systems check on Ryan’s unit. “I have my brain, my bayard, and Green. They’ve kept me alive so far.”

“I’ve seen your bayard. It’s just a short blade with a grapple and static discharge.”

“Works just fine for me. For the most part.”

“But long-range weapons give offensive power while providing distance and cover,” Ryan argues, to the team’s agreement.

“Short-range weapons and grapples require contact. Larger enemies will overpower you,” Ina says. “Pistol-sized blasters would work best for you; you should try it.”

An idea sparks to life in Nadia’s brain. She looks at Ina. Then at Pidge. Then at the others. Then she grins. “Let’s do it. With us as your teachers, you’ll be wielding a gun in under a week.”

Pidge sends back a challenging smirk. “Oh yeah?”

She plants her hands on her hips. “Wanna bet?”

* * *

Nadia, of course, wins. Because as she said, Commander Holt’s daughter, Katie Holt, is a genius.

Five days of putting up with James and Ryan’s great demos but useless explanations, absorbing Ina’s breakdown of the principles of aiming and shooting, and following Nadia’s strict instructions on posture and aim, and Pidge is at the Garrison’s shooting range, blasting target after target at the final stage of her expert-level shooting course.

Watching from a safe distance behind Pidge, Nadia puffs out her chest. She turns to her team. “What did I tell you guys?”

“She’ll be wielding a gun in under a week,” Ina supplies.

“She’s a genius,” Ryan answers next.

James releases a long sigh before replying, “This will be fun.”

Nadia nods smugly to each response. “And I was right.” She directs her attention back to Pidge, who’s just about to finish the stage.

“Really makes me wonder why she never learned,” James comments after a while. “Two of her teammates use long-range weapons.”

“Ask one of them yourself.”

At Ryan’s words, they all turn towards the entrance. Lance has just entered and is approaching them with a friendly smile.

Nadia hasn’t hung out with him as much as she has with Pidge or Hunk, but she’s heard a lot about him. Seems like a nice, fun guy. And since those two like him so much, then by transitivity, she likes him, too.

She smiles when he reaches them. “Lance! What’s up?”

“Hey, guys,” he greets. “Have any of you seen Pidge? Shiro sent me to get her.”

“Pidge? Oh, you mean…” She jerks a thumb behind her and raises her voice. “…the badass over there firing a gun like a pro?”

Pidge curses. Nadia turns just in time to see her miss a quickly moving target. “Nadia! Don’t distract me!” she shouts as she fixes her aim.

Nadia laughs, stepping a bit to the left to give Lance a better view. He looks dazed watching Pidge hit every target with ease. Even if her back is towards them, her confidence is obvious in her relaxed posture and steady aim.

Nadia wasn’t lying when she said Pidge is a pro. She can’t help puffing out her chest again. She’s so proud of her team’s work and her friend’s newly acquired skill.

“She can…” Lance starts but doesn’t finish. More like forgets to finish. He’s so enthralled by the sight before him, he probably hasn’t realized he spoke up.

“Yep,” she answers anyway, to which Ina adds, “Four point two enemies per minute. Eighty-two percent accuracy. Sixty-eight percent headshots, twenty-four percent torso, six percent arms, two percent legs.”

“Yeah. What Ina said.”

“She learned from us in five days,” James says, his arms crossed. “And only during our free time. I’m sure she would have learned faster from you Paladins.” His tone is casual, but his words have a critical undertone to them.

Nadia quirks a brow and trades a glance with Ina and Ryan.

Is he… throwing shade at Lance?

Lance seems to think so, too, because he tears his eyes from Pidge to shoot James a look that’s borderline hostile. But before he can speak, James shrugs cockily at him and walks over to Pidge, leaving silence in his wake.

What is up with him?

And please, Ina, do not comment on it.

A few feet before them, James proceeds to give Pidge pointers now that she’s done with her course.

And the silence turns awkward.

It starts to weigh on Nadia, so she initiates a conversation with Lance. “So, Lance. You said Shiro needs Pidge?”

“Yeah. He needs help decoding an encrypted message or some…thing…” he trails off, his brows furrowing and eyes narrowing in a glare.

She follows the direction of his gaze, finding Pidge at the end. James is standing close beside her with one hand on her shoulder and another on her wrist as he corrects her posture, and she’s nodding attentively to whatever he’s saying.

Nadia narrows her eyes when they return to Lance. She can tell that something’s happening, but she can’t pinpoint what.

“He’s at the bridge with Sam and Officer Curtis,” he continues as if he hasn’t suddenly stopped talking for two whole minutes. He gives them a stiff smile. “Please tell her that after she’s done.” And then he turns to leave.

At the exact moment Pidge turns towards him. Her excited grin instantly falls into a disappointed frown when she finds him walking out the door.

Oh my gosh. Did I really just see that?

It’s such a dramatic moment that Nadia nearly shivers from the thrill.

“That was awkward,” Ina belatedly states.

Nadia gives her a wry smile. “I’m surprised you’re only pointing it out now.”

“It wasn’t a favorable option a while ago.”

“What did Lance want?” Pidge asks, walking towards them, her eyes still trained on the door.

“To deliver a message,” Ryan answers unhelpfully.

Seriously? Nadia side-eyes him before explaining, “You’re needed at the bridge.”

“Oh,” she says despondently. “I’m guessing Shiro, Dad, and Officer Curtis need me?”

“Yep.”

Pidge sighs. “Gotta go, then.” She gives them a thankful smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “Thank you guys so much for teaching me. I can’t believe you really did it in less than a week.”

“No need to thank us,” James says, smiling back. “It was a necessary skill.”

“You’re welcome anyway,” Nadia replies with a grin.

“Maybe you can turn your weapon into a gun next time,” Ryan adds.

“You seem sad.”

All heads snap towards Ina in varying degrees of horrified, and she doesn’t even notice.

“O-Oh, um…” Pidge stutters, “I’m just uh… sad. That I… have to leave now.”

“You can continue practicing tomorrow. Everyone’s free times overlap for two hours in the afternoon.”

“Yeah. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” With a short wave, she takes her leave.

Nadia stares intently at Pidge’s retreating back.

Yes, Katie Holt is a genius. Yes, she can do a lot of cool things, including mastering her shooting skills in five days.

But she can’t hide her emotions to save her life.

It goes without saying that no one—not even Ina—is buying her lie. So why do it? She’s obviously upset because of Lance. But why? Speaking of Lance, why was he glaring earlier? Was he glaring at James? At Pidge?

“Rizavi.” James’ voice pulls her away from her thoughts. “You’re plotting something.”

“Not yet,” Nadia replies. “But didn’t you see how those two acted? There’s just something about them.” She looks at each of her teammates. “I’m going to find out what.”

____

(James)

People, in general, are easy to read.

From their expressions, words, actions… there’s always some information about the person to be gleaned.

James supposes that’s what makes him work well as a leader. He can understand the motive behind Ryan’s actions, follow the logic in Ina’s words, tell that Nadia is plotting something when her eyes start to glint. After years together as a team, he can accurately anticipate the actions they’ll take on certain scenarios.

And right now, he knows exactly what Nadia is doing.

“Welcome to the training hall,” she tells Pidge and Lance with a sweeping flourish of her hands. “Time for holographic campaign simulations, Pidge.”

“What am I doing here again?” Lance asks then immediately backtracks, “Not to say I’m not okay with it or anything.”

“We’re short one person. Campaigns require working in pairs.” She sends James a pointed look. “Right?”

Wrong, but for the sake of her plot, he answers a “Yeah.”

She grins and nods, taking out three white strings of different lengths from her pocket. She aligns the ends and covers the middle parts with her palms. “Okay, now pick one end and tug on it.”

Ina and Ryan glance at him, their question clear: ‘Are you really letting her do this?’

James replies with an amused smile and a shrug. ‘Why not?’ He pinches one end and pulls. If he’s seen through Nadia’s plan correctly, the one who tugs on the other end should be…

Pidge smiles up at him. “Looks like we’re a team.”

He suppresses a smirk. “Looking forward to it.”

His spine suddenly tingles with the sensation of being watched, and he catches the tail-end of Lance’s glare before he turns away to prepare with Nadia. The smug amusement gets the better of James. He allows himself to smirk.

Being able to read people isn’t limited to his team, of course. How else will he predict Hunk and Keith’s infiltration plan if not for the knowledge that Hunk is terrified for his family and Keith is the reckless, ride-or-die type of guy who would go with his friend? How else will he find out that Curtis has a crush on Captain Shirogane if he hasn’t noticed Curtis’ lingering looks on the Captain? How else will he realize that Pidge has feelings for Lance if he hasn’t seen her face glow when he tells her that Lance is watching her and then fall when she finds him leaving, his back turned towards her? How else will he know that Lance likes her back if not for Lance’s obviously jealous glares at him?

How else will he establish that they don’t know their feelings are mutual if not for the stolen, pining glances every so often?

Nadia chooses a campaign that James holds the best record for. No doubt she intends to gauge Lance’s reaction when they lose to James and Pidge. She’s on the right track; Lance’s jealousy will be aggravated if he thinks that James and Pidge’s teamwork is the sole reason for their sure win, and his feelings will become more apparent.

James prepares his blaster, showily helps Pidge prepare hers, then leads her to their starting point.

“We’re ready, Rizavi, Lance.”

He hopes Nadia catches on soon. Maybe then she’ll be more perceptive of the subtler cues around her. Like his advances that she always unintentionally deflects without even knowing.

____

(Ryan)

Ryan is an observer of life, a spectator of the world through and through. If he were to compare himself to something, he’d be a sponge that absorbs everything and gives nothing away unless pressed.

But after bearing witness to the same unchanging event so many times, he’s just about ready to talk. After all, even sponges can only absorb so much before the excess spills out.

“Nooo, I’m too late!”

His eyes dart towards the newcomer.

Hunk has stopped by the training hall, hands holding a tray with two glasses of probably milkshake, gaze fixed on the competing pairs in the middle of a campaign simulation, James and Nadia versus Pidge and Lance. “I wanted them to taste-test…” He casts his eyes down in a slight pout. After a few moments, he looks at Ryan and Ina with hopeful eyes. “Hey, maybe you guys can do it? Tell me what you think. And be honest; I promise not to get offended.” He raises the tray towards them.

They take it without question.

“Thanks.”

“Thank you.”

It’s no secret that Hunk is a genius chef who loves cooking and knows his yeast, much like Ryan. Ryan can never doubt anyone who knows their yeast.

True enough, the milkshake tastes divine, and he says so, Ina’s agreement following close.

Hunk chuckles pleasantly. “That’s great. I was experimenting with the proportion of the ingredients to accommodate this alien vanilla that adds a distinct tang.”

The buzzer goes off to mark the end of the campaign. The three of them redirect their attention to the simulation zone. Nadia, James, Lance, and Pidge huddle together before the performance analyzer, waiting for the results.

Despite not seeing the results the moment they appear, it’s easy for Ryan to see who won.

Rather, it’s easy to hear who won.

“Yeah!!” Pidge and Lance cry out, pumping their fists in victory.

“We did it, Pidge!” Lance says. Beaming, Pidge turns to him and raises her arms for what seems to be a hug. He drops his gun and holds out his hands towards her waist. Then they both freeze mid-action and abruptly turn away from each other, Lance scratching the back of his neck before picking up his gun.

Irk bubbles in Ryan’s chest. He’s honestly tired of watching them do this every single time they win.

“They’re so… awkward with each other,” he comments as he returns his glass.

“Ugh. Tell me about it,” Hunk whines. “Imagine seeing them, like, every day.”

Ryan releases a fed-up, sympathetic grunt.

God forbid.

____

(Ina)

Ina’s brain isn’t wired to read social cues.

What it is wired for are observation and analysis, and she depends on her rapid processing skills to assess the situation, approximate the meaning of the social cues from previous experience, and act accordingly. Her approximations don’t always reach the acceptable level of correctness, which leads to inappropriate responses, but her team has helped her greatly with that. By observing Ryan’s body language, watching Nadia’s ever-changing expressions, and listening to James’ simplified explanations, Ina’s approximations and understanding of human behavior have increased in accuracy by sixty-seven percent.

She’s always thought that her current level of comprehension is sufficient to keep up with most situations.

Lance’s and Pidge’s recent changes in behavior, however, are making her think otherwise.

They behave as they normally do outside each other’s presence. They work in perfect sync when working together as Paladins or partners during campaign simulations. But once their tasks are done, they oscillate between acting like best friends and barely being able to make eye contact. The behavioral changes have no apparent trend or pattern that she can follow in order to act properly or say anything other than “The atmosphere is very tense and awkward.” when they behave aberrantly.

Ina has never encountered their confusing behavior before; it mildly frustrates her that she doesn’t have enough information for a proper analysis.

“What are you guys?” she finally blurts out one day as the three of them watch James and Hunk compete against Nadia and Ryan on the simulator.

Pidge and Lance share a look that she’s learned indicates uncertainty.

“We’re…” Lance begins to say.

“We’re uh…” Pidge begins at the same time.

“Friends?” “Humans?”

They look at each other again, this time with mirroring frowns.

He puts both hands on his hips. “Really, Pidge? Humans?”

Pidge crosses her arms and glares up at him. “Ina asked what we are! Obviously, we’re humans!”

“Of course we’re humans! She’s obviously asking how we’re related to each other!”

It occurs to Ina that they’ve left her out of the conversation, as if they’ve forgotten that she’s there with them. She takes the opportunity to study their interaction to derive her own conclusion.

“But we’re not related to each other! You’re from Cuba and I’m part-Italian!”

“Argh! Not that kind of related!”

“Can you please be a bit more specific?!”

“She’s asking what our relationship is!”

Ina, who’s been quietly following their quick back-and-forth with her eyes, almost gets a whiplash when Pidge doesn’t retort. Upon further observation, she’s gone completely still as well.

“We don’t have a relationship, Lance.” Pidge’s voice is devoid of the heat and energy of her previous counterarguments.

Ina notices Lance’s foot twitch—to step towards Pidge, she deduces—but it ends up staying in place. “We’re friends… right?” he returns, tone quiet and somewhat… pleading?

She tilts her head in confusion.

Pidge bows her head, her bangs and glasses obscuring her face. “Friends. Right.” With her head hung low, she misses the way Lance momentarily winces at her words.

For what reason, Ina can’t figure out.

After a deep inspiration, Pidge turns to her, smiling but also not really smiling. “Either way, does that answer your question, Ina?”

Ina’s eyes dart from Pidge to Lance back to Pidge again as her mind reaches a conclusion.

“Yeah. Partly.”

These two are complicated.

____

(Curtis)

“Pidge!” Cadet—no, Paladin Lance bellows as he barges into the Green Lion’s hangar. The door hisses angrily closed behind him—if that’s even possible.

Curtis knows why he’s here. Intel of Paladin Pidge’s secret mission has been leaked to him somehow. This only proves that the IGF-Atlas crew isn’t as tight as Captain Shirogane and Commander Holt are hoping, and all the more the necessity for all the moles to be baited and weeded out before launching.

Seeing the shocked, panicked expression on Paladin Pidge’s face, Curtis decides to intercept Paladin Lance’s approach.

“Paladin Pidge is busy,” he explains, not budging when the Blue Paladin tries to push past him.

“Isn’t she always? Aren’t we all?” Paladin Lance all but growls. “Maybe since she’s spending too much time on secret missions behind everyone’s backs, she’d make a little time to explain why she’s doing everything without her Team.” Not once does his glare leave Paladin Pidge, who stands frozen behind Curtis.

Curtis tries to reason again: “You have to understand—”

“I won’t understand without a proper explanation.”

“Now is not—” A small hand rests on his arm to stop him. He looks back at Paladin Pidge in surprise.

“It’s fine, Officer. Can you give us a dobosh—I mean, a minute?” She gives him a slight smile that disappears as her gaze shifts to the Paladin he’s still restraining.

“Are you sure?” he asks, regarding her with concern. “You only have a ten-minute allowance, and you should have taken off three minutes a—”

“I’m still at a safe margin,” she assures. “I promise I won’t take long.”

Curtis glances at the still-enraged Paladin Lance. He doubts that very much. Nonetheless, he sighs and capitulates, resolving to call the Captain should an argument arise and interfere with the mission. “Okay,” he says, retreating to a distance that somewhat allows privacy but also alerts him of any brewing conflict.

It’s not that he questions the two’s friendship; it’s just that the air around them is so charged that he’s not sure he can intervene at any point anymore. The tension has only increased after he’s given them some room to talk.

Maybe it’s better to summon the Captain now.

Curtis murmurs into his communicator, “Captain, there’s potential trouble in the Green Lion’s hangar.”

A reply crackles softly from the headpiece. “On my way.”

“I don’t have time to explain anything other than I’m on a secret mission,” Paladin Pidge says, drawing his attention back to the pair. “The fact that you know about it means I’m not done with it yet.”

“What’s the mission?”

“Classified. It’s called secret for a reason, Lance.”

“Where are you going?”

“Classified.”

“Who’s your support?”

“Green.”

“Green?! Pidge, have you been going off alone?!”

“Yeah. So?” she answers defiantly, but her hand moves to grip her forearm in a defensive gesture as Paladin Lance’s anger mounts.

“What do you mean ‘so’?! Why is no one backing you up?!”

The quiet hiss of the hangar doors heralds the Captain’s arrival. In seconds, Captain Shirogane has reached his side and is watching the argument with worried eyes. “How many minutes until Pidge’s time is up?”

He checks his timer. “Seven.”

Captain Shirogane sighs. “Let’s give them five. I have a feeling they need this talk.”

Curtis knits his brows and looks at his Captain. “Not to be insubordinate, sir, but are you sure?”

“No. But let’s hope I’m right.”

“…the more people who know, the more the mission is compromised. Besides, Green and I specialize at stealth—”

“You didn’t think to ask anyone on the Team—”

“Everyone’s busy or can’t keep a secret. Look, I don’t have time—”

“You could’ve asked me for support, Pidge! I’m not as busy and I can—”

“Can what? I can read your thoughts on your face and body language, Lance! You can’t keep something top secret for so long without arousing suspicion! Why are you here, anyway?! If there’s anyone who needs your support, it’s Allura, so go support her instead of wasting my time!!” Paladin Pidge erupts, her words reverberating harshly around the hangar.

Heavy silence falls soon after.

Curtis catches the flash of hurt on Paladin Lance’s face before he turns his head away, the tension in his body evident through the clenched fists at his sides. Curtis barely hears the next words, subdued as they are: “Don’t tell me what to do, Pidge.”

“I won’t if you won’t.”

Paladin Pidge spins on her heel then and walks briskly towards her Lion. “I’m ready to go, Officer. Hey, Shiro,” she manages to murmur as she passes them.

Behind her, Paladin Lance has yet to lift his head or move.

Curtis looks worriedly at his Captain, unsure if this is the outcome they were supposed to hope for. Troubled eyes meet his.

The launch sequence begins its countdown.

When it reaches zero, Curtis realizes that he may have just witnessed the end of a friendship.

[alitteraltrashcan7352]

My incompetent-ness immortalized in chapter form

Okay so y’all know I’m writing a fanfic for Sabre’s old Fallout series. I haven’t fully plotted it out yet, but awhile back I started writing the first chapter for the hell of it because this specific part isn’t really tied to the overall plot and my gosh. I was rewatching the last episode of Fallout MC yesterday and I got SO MANY things wrong. Like the situation and environment is so off. My goodness. I’m so dumb. So since this doesn’t match up with the end of Fallout MC whatsoever I thought I would just post it. It’ll probably be 4 years before you see the actual first chapter but have this anyways.

Edit: I just realized I should probably put some trigger warnings on this oof. So yeah, uh, warning: Blood, guns, death and violence. And also characters in this are mentioned as being a part of a gang and refered to as so many times.

—————————————————————————————————-

(Word Count: 1433)

Sometime in the future, nearly 200 years after a massive nuclear war that nearly destroyed the earth, 3 raiders, gang members, were sorting through loot they had just obtained. 

As the thugs discussed their quarry, three other figures appeared at the top of the drop-off of the old, dried up waterway that the three khan members were sitting in. One of them, who was wearing a blue jacket pulled out an impressive looking sniper rifle and looked at the person  adjacent  to him who nodded back at him.

The two other figures cautiously climbed down the manmade cliff and the third kneeled and shakily aimed at the leader of the small ragtag group who was wearing a white mask with red markings.

BANG

A bush behind the self-acclaimed demon was uprooted and he and his associates leaped up to locate whoever it was who fired at them.

The thirty year old swore under his breath and ducked for cover as the thugs started firing at him. The brown haired man braced himself, hearing the muffled gunshots and even feeling one of the bullets hit the rock he was hiding behind as he waited for a chance to split.

The gunfire died down for a few tense minutes before he heard some bushes rattle to the left of him and one of the thugs fire off a shot. He took this as a chance to bolt and ran off to his right heading for the nearest building. 

He slid into the weary skyscraper as he heard several bullets trail him, pulled himself up and leaned against a wall but flinched and immediately walked into the center of the room when he felt the wall shift slightly under his weight.

“Oh jeez..” He breathed. “I sure hope Shark and Sabre are okay..”

Meanwhile down in the waterway, The leader of the sub-group glared at the building the man was hiding in. “Guess we’re gonna have to push, boys.” Looking at his henchmen. “What about that bush?” Asked one, wearing neon orange goggles. “Oh please, Encline, it was probably just a bird.” Said the other. “Even so Burns, keep an eye out. When there’s one rat there’s often another.” Their leader replied.

He loaded his gun and began to make his way to the slope before he heard the most unconvincing and shrill fake bird call. 

“What the-”

Suddenly a spear came from the left of them, almost hitting Encline. Their leader shot off about 4 rounds into the direction of where the spear came from, 3 of which barely missed the thrower.

Another man wielding an axe ran from behind them and almost hit the masked man before he used his shotgun to block it. Another spear came down at the sniper who dodged it and fired off another shot into the bushes which once again missed.

Burns lifted his gun to help his leader but before he could pull the trigger an extremely loud gunshot was heard and the rugged man stopped in his footsteps before he totally collapsed. Encline’s attention totally shifted from the 19 year old in the bushes to his fallen comrade. “BURNS!!!” He rushed over to him and impulsively tried to feel his heartbeat but he was already dead. The sniper clenched his fist, taking in the loss before he looked into the direction of where the shot came from and realizing that the quote on quote "rat" that had been firing at them earlier had returned.

His despair quickly turned to rage as he pulled out his gun and started firing at the man who was scrambling for cover. 

Encline heard a thud from behind him and looked to see that the fight between his leader and the 16 year old had escalated to the sub-group leader being on the ground and the boy about to smash his chest in with the axe. Encline swiftly took a shot at the boy, hitting his far side.

The sniper tried to reload his gun to finish the job but not before another young man wearing a black T-shirt hit him over the head with a stick. As the two struggled for the stick, the leader climbed to his feet and glanced over to his second in command who was fighting over a piece of wood and the man who killed his third who had re-appeared on the top of the cliff and was re-loading his gun. 

The blonde quivered, snapped his already wrecked shotgun in half, threw it at the 16 year old and bolted.

"CTHULHU!!!" 

Encline kicked the dark brown haired man in the gut and tried to go after his leader but another, third gunshot and Cthulhu stumbled to the ground, blood pouring out of his leg. "CTHULHU!!!!" Encline screamed again, pulling out his gun and firing in the air 5 times which made his three opponents scramble. He rushed over to his leader, helped him up and sent off more false shots.

"We'll be ba-" "SHUT UP CTHULHU!" Encline yelled between clenched teeth. The three men hid(well, two of them hid. The other was laying on the ground hoping he wouldn't get shot again) for about 7 minutes before one, the young man wearing the T-shirt called out "Shark!? Is it clear??" 

The only reply he received was a loud moan. “Shark?!??” The young man in turn peaked his head out from behind the fallen piece of building he was hiding behind and saw that the two gang members were no where to be seen. He walked out, cautiously examining the environment to make sure there really wasn’t anyone still there. 

“I think they’re gone.. Shark are you OK?” He said before rushing over to his friend. “Ugh... probably...” Shark replied, struggling to push himself up onto his knees. “Are you guys hurt?” Called out the man at the top of the drop-off before sliding down. “I’m fine, Maus, but they got Shark pretty good.”

 Maus climbed back onto his feet and walked over to the two other men, granted with a slight limp. “I don’t think they hit any of his organs, but he’s still bleeding pretty steadily.” “Do.. you have anything we could use to patch him up?” “No, those raiders took everything we had on us, you know that.” “You’re right... but do you think they left anything behind?” “Yea.. How bout’ you check those chests and I’ll go see if he had anything.”

 The two nodded at eachother and Maus went over to the chests and began to rumage through them while the other kneeled down to the body, took a deep breath and and began to strip it down and search through its inventory. “Find anything?” He asked, pulling out some pistol rounds from the corpse. “Nope, it’s really only guns, infact most of them are ours.” Maus replied. “Is my pistol there?” Shark asked through clenched teeth. “Well actually-“ The 19 year old said before spying a reel of cloth.

 “Wait, I think I found something!” “What is it?” Maus asked. “It’s a roll of bandages.” He said before pulling it out of what was Burns’ jacket. “Oh thank God...” said Shark who was starting to feel pretty light headed.

“Well, What are you waiting for, man?” Maus said. Sabre nodded and knelt down to his friend and began wrapping it around the boys body. “Hey Maus, do you have anything I could use to clip this together? I think it clings to itself but I want to make sure.” “Nope.” “Oh well, I guess we’ll just have to hope it doesn’t unravel.” The dark brown haired man pulled the bandages tight and pinched the two ends together.

“I think that’s it.. Shark how do you feel?” Sabre said as he pushed himself up. “Not good....” “Do you think you’ll be able to walk?” “..Probably.” Shark said straining to pull himself up before almost falling down. “Hey, be careful!” Maus said catching his friend before he fell. “Ugh, thanks Maus.” “No problem, just be careful with yourself.” Shark nodded in reply.

“..Maus did you grab the guns in the chests?” Sabre asked. “Yeah, I did.” “Okay, we should probably go and check in with Ryan. But Shark, do you need to sit down and take a breather?” “Nah I’ma.. I think I can make it.” “You sure?” “Yeah.. I’m.. I’m sure.” “Well, if that’s the case, we should probably get going.” the thirty year old said. “Yeah.. probably.” “Alright, let’s go.” The green eyed man replied, starting to make his way up the incline.

[enigmatic-elegance]

Late Night Thoughts

Was not able to sleep. Went on a late night nostalgia trip, looking over old screens from back when I did HL2 RP. Old forum posts, old memories, things pretty much forgotten by most, save for those of us who were there. It’s going to be a long and disjointed post, going gods know where. It helps me a lot to reflect time to time, and to think things over. Putting it here on this blog is a means to put it to writing. I’d not be hurt if no one read it. As I said, it’s largely going to be just thought. Anyways.

I came from Half Life 2 RP. Which is hilarious because the reputation it has to those who know it. And lord is that reputation deserved. The majority of HL2 RP servers, using a script called ‘Dark RP’, was a nightmare. A total mess. I mean.. I remember joining a few servers as a kid and being a mixture of lost and really afraid.

Voice chat was active on these servers, you see. So people didn’t type much if at all. It was just..people on mic screaming and memeing and making racist remarks. I didn’t get it. Turns out, yep, that is 90% of the shit that HL2 RP is. Well.. I didn’t give up immediately.

I found a server at random. It was called taconbanana. Great name, right? I remember joining and seeing a billboard high on a rooftop on the map that advertised their forum. I was a kid, I didn’t really care one way or another. In my first 10 minutes on the server I built a stack of spawned crates (in garry’s mod, the platform we used to RP on, you can spawn props in the world). I used those crates to climb up over a wall in the city center, was stopped by an admin, and given a 5 minute ban.

Could have been the end of that. I didn’t really understand though, but.. what I saw on that server was pretty cool. and no voice chat either, people were just typing to each other. So.. I went to the forum during that ban, signed up for an account, and read all the rules.

That was back in.. oh gosh..04? I remember I was like 12 or 13 when it all happened. I went back into the server, made my first character in roleplay ever. Ryan McGovern. What.. a shitty.. name. BUT, he was pretty much.. me. No real special characteristics in the RP verse just..a dude. And I went with him into the city and walked around. I watched folks RP. I opened a little store. I sold milk and paper and TP. The Combine, the ‘police’ of the HL2 world, came into my store and put me against a wall as they raided my shop.

I was in love.

The world was gripping, always being a fan of HL2 personally. The RP was serious, well done, and totally immersive. Everyone was in character, and it drew me in.

I was absolutely hooked.

In my time in TnB, I grew. I grew as a writer. I grew as a person. I grew as an RPer. That whole server was my advent, into roleplay, into the thing I love.

I met on that server some amazing people. Most of whom I have lost touch with after I left TnB years back. A few I still have contact with, and we chat time to time. Those whom I don’t have contact with.. I hope they are well. Some great people. David H., Operator, Zo, Dave Brown, Lord, Garfy, GregG, Anubis, Spartan, I could go on.. these are the folks that shaped me.

I eventually became a CmD. Commander. I still remember the full designation by heart. CCA.C18-BASTION.CmD.43636

Katie ‘Kit’ Sommers was the woman’s name. My character, designation 43636. With her.. I took up post as a Commander. My first leadership role in any RP sphere. Or..anywhere, really. In the year I did that.. I might well say it’s one of the best years of my life. The stories we created were vast, sweeping, beautiful.

We were so engrossed in our RP that we had a whole list of military and police codes we memorized. We addressed each other by designation, issued weekly training. Some would call it TOO obsessive. Maybe.. but to me it was involved. You felt alive in this world, at many points it was more real to me then my own life outside it.

In that game, I also encountered the beautiful romance between Kit and Lucas. It is, to this day, one of the best romances I’ve ever been a part of. It was beautiful.. and the day that Kit died, I wept like a child. But she died in a way that was -perfect- for her. Gun in hand, comrades at her sides, warmth in her heart. Kit perished with humanity in her, despite the extensive brainwashing that made her the machine she had become. She had humanity.

This image was a posed screen representing one of their last RPs as a couple, before her death. I think they both knew her time had come, even before us players did. I still feel myself choke when I think back on it. I will always love them, and always love and miss Kit as a character.

Could never bring her back though. She was only for one world, one storyline. She died beside her brothers in arms, and that is exactly where she deserves to rest.

Heh.. her office in the nexus. Took about an hour to build it every time the server had a wipe. Context..this room at it’s base is just an empty stone room. Every single prop, the catwalk, the railings, the chairs and bed and the room on the left side (that you can’t see well).. built it all. She had one cool office.

So when did it stop? I never really..officially quit. I can’t explain it really one day I just logged in less. And less.. and less. Soon, I was removed from Commander for inactivity. I stopped logging in..and never returned.

Why? I don’t.. know. I really don’t. I was happy, I had a great crew, I loved the world and RP. I just stopped.. and watched it go away. Maybe I didn’t think I deserved it? Maybe I was depressed, didn’t understand it yet? Maybe I just felt it was time to roll on. But I did.

Wandered for a while.

Found WoW.. a few times. I’d join, RP for a bit, then leave for a few months. In that time.. damn.. some of the worst points in my life. My world had taken a bad turn, and I had no escape.

But I found WoW. I like it here. I still like it here. And I don’t want to just walk away from it like I did with TnB, and HL2.

I don’t want to just.. move on.

Sometimes, I need to look at myself. See where I am, and what I am doing, and how I act. Everything.

I like what I see right now.. but I know I can improve.

I find myself getting annoyed by little things that don’t matter. Things I should let go of. I could work on being more tolerant of other’s ideas, even if they are not things I’d personally do. I could strive to be more open, more friendly, more trusting. Even with all I have striven for, there is always more.

I want there to be more. I want to improve. I want to always look back on myself and see a better man now then I once was.

With TnB.. I was a teen. A child. I didn’t get it. I didn’t know.. I didn’t know how to lead, how to guide, how to uplift, how to coexist. But I know more now. I’m not perfect but I know more. And in that knowledge.. I have tried to be..something? To the people of this server and to my guild.

I don’t know what that ‘something’ is.

But as I was looking through those old screens.. thinking of the old RPs I did.. the old memories I made. I think I realized what I was doing.

I was remembering the positive people who changed my life. Made me who I am. Showed me RP, and gifted me this outlet. Who gave me memories worth remembering, worth laughing about, worth tearing up over.

And I hope I can do that for others too.

I hope I can be worth it. Worth the effort, worth the trust, worth the investment. I hope people will look back on the stories we write in 10, 15, 20 years.. and I hope they smile and laugh and cry.. I hope they feel the same sad swell in their chest as I do right now looking back on my old RPs too.

I know it’s cliche to say.. but life really is too short to live it with anger, regret, or agitation. I want to fill those places with memories worth remembering. Stories worth telling, like this story was worth telling to me.

When I started CC, I had no clue what the fuck I was doing. Still not convinced I do. But I know I still have not been the best I can be for all of them. And I can be more. I can do more. I can provide more. I want to.

I’m not going to walk away from this. I want to live these memories.. a little longer.

[themisfitbunch-archived]

That one time Deadpool smashed Spiderman’s window...

The Amazing Spiderman; @alwaysonafieldtrip​ Friendly Neighbourhood Pool Guy; Yours truly

Wade had spent a great deal of time trying to figure out the best way to reach Spiderman. He was one of his favourite superheroes, and that’s why he found himself outside his house, late at night. He had a sheet of paper and crayons, and he’d drawn Spiderman up in one corner. The friendly neighbourhood hero was upside down, holding onto his web. Opposite, in the lower corner, he had drawn himself with heart eyes. In the blank space in the middle, he’d written “Our suits are red, bruises are blue, you’re fucking amazing! sign. Deadpool,” along with his phone number. He wrapped the paper around the rock and threw it through Peter’s window – listening to the wonderful noise of glass shattering – before he had Dopinder drive him back to Big Al’s.

What follows is the text messages that were exchanged between the two;

Peter: Erm, hello?

Wade: Hi! Who this?

Peter: Peter Parker You happen to throw your number in my room?

Wade: That`s a relief! Note to self: I should stop leaving my number at bathroom stalls. I did yeah. Did I hit anyone? Break your window? At least make your spidersenses tingle?

Peter: You broke the window dude. My aunt is going to kill me! Wait... Who are you actually? Is Deadpool a made up name?

Wade: I'll throw in some money so you can fix it? How rude of me. Hi. I'm Deadpool. Secret identities and all that.

Peter: No! No don't throw anything in here anymore

Wade: I'm your friendly neighbourhood pool guy. Bad reference Wade. *gasps* Oops! My aim is terrific, I can throw at the already broken window. You sure? Okay I'll just leave an envelope with money in your mailbox. Who do I address it to? Spiderman?

Peter: Yeah, yeah I'm sure! No!! God no Just Peter is fine

Wade: Okay, Just Peter.

Peter: How... how do you even know who I am?

Wade: *takes a picture of the envelope stuffed full with money and "Just Peter" written on the front* Would you believe me if I said it's through a mutual friend?

Peter: *looks at the picture* really dude? *sighs* Mr. Stark? Don't tell me it was Ned! He isn't supposed to tell anyone about me.

Wade: The least I can do is pay up. Don't want our friendly neighbourhood Spiderman stop protecting the neighbourhood. That'd be awful. Uhm. Yeah sure. It was Mr. Stark. Because you haven't met a Stan Lee, right? Right. How could you. No it is totally our mutual friend Tony Stark.

Peter: You've clearly been stalking me or something to know all this.

Wade: You don't know anything about my rejection letter to join the Avengers? Okay. I admit. I've been stalking you. We're suit brothers and that web thing you do is friggin /amazing/.

Peter: No... no I don't. I - you know - I don't get - really? You really think it's cool?

Wade: YES! I mean. Of course. It would be cooler if it was more lethal. I like my bad guys bad - and dead - after all.

Peter: Oh I - I don't kill though.

Wade: Is it an age thing? I bet it's an age thing. This could become a problem.

Peter: No, it's not an age thing, I prefer not to kill someone. It would make me the same like them.

Wade: So.... you`re saying I'm a bad guy? *shrug* I can live with that. Moving on. *takes a picture of his hand dropping the envelope with the money into Peter's mailbox* There you go. Should be enough to fix the window and then some.

Peter: A problem for what? Look, deadpool was it right? Apart from the drawing you threw in my room and your number on there, what is it that you want from me? Help?*looks at the picture* thanks....

Wade: A problem for team morale. We'll most likely be conflicting parts. How will you react when I slug or decapitate the bad guys?

Peter: Am I in your team?

Wade: Obviously. "Not Avengers, but better" I thought we'd call ourselves. "Friendly neighbourhood spider and Deadpool"

Peter: Quite a long name isn't it?

Wade: Look – it’s a work in progress...

Peter: Does Mr. Stark know that I am in your team?

Wade: How about your homework is to find a team name for us? Gosh, Just Peter. Does Mr. Stark need to know /everything/? Isn't he busy with his half gods and old war heroes anyway? Nevermind. If it's that big a deal, I'll send him a letter.

Peter: Yeah he kind of does. If I blow things now I can forget to be a part of the Avengers.

Wade: Letter it is!

Peter: Wait with the letter, I'll just call him.

Wade: That's a terrible idea But sure.

Peter: Why?

Wade: He'll be thrilled. Tell him that I said hello.

Peter: Mr. Stark doesn't know anything about you knowing me is it?

Wade: Tell him that I'll take care of you. And uhm. That I won't do anything to compromise your moral, because heaven forbid we get Spiderman past PG-13. What? Not until you tell him, he does.

Peter: I am not a kid anymore you know. I can take care of myself.

Wade: Sure. That's what they all say. There's this kid called Firefist - - nevermind.

Peter: Not all of them can stop a car from hitting a bus barehanded you know. So I am not like the others. Firefist?

Wade: If things needs to be Tony Stark approved - you should definitely call him. (This is why we never get crossovers!) He knows me. I know you. You're getting to know me. I know him. It's all good. Yeah. He was this abused kid with mutant powers that me and my X-Force stopped from becoming a psychopathic killer. Hey! I guess I don't kill ALL the bad guys.

Peter: X-force? That's the rest of your team then?

Wade: That's my other team. Yes. In this team, there`s just you and me. And Dopinder. And maybe Daredevil.

Peter: Who's Dopinder? I heard about Daredevil though.

Wade: Dopinder is my get-away-car/taxi driver. Not all of us can swing from buildings! Did you call Mr. Stark yet?

Peter: I am still using busses and trains and other stuff to get to school you know.... I did, but he doesn't answer. He's probably busy

Wade: We're going with my letter plan then? Sweet. *blinks* Wait, woah - hold up. You still go to school?

Peter: Yeah of course I still go to school. What did you expect? Wade wrote, but didn’t send: That after Toby McQuire and Andrew Garfield you’d have grown up. *massive backspace, Wade* Wade: For you to go to bed early!

Peter: .... dude

Wade: Where's your sense of responsibility? Do you have a curfew?

Peter: What?! Dude really.... I am not being Spiderman the whole day. Just when I get the chance to be him. Which is after school and when I tell my aunt I'm going to bed. I don't have a curfew

Wade: When do you sleep? This is concerning.

Peter: And I am responsible

Wade: Pfft.

Peter: When I get back from patrolling. Why - why am I actually defending myself to you? I don't even know who you are apart from your made up name and the name Wade slipping out.

Wade: *Wade took a picture of the letter he had crafted, in crayon and sent it to Peter. It read; "Dear Mr. Stark. I'm teaming up with Spiderman. He thought you should know. Sign. Wade. P.S I promise not to keep him up too late on school nights. P.P.S When will you let me join the Avengers?"*

Wade: Kid, I'm Deadpool. I kill bad guys. It brings me joy. I wear a red suit - like you. My favourite weapons are guns and katanas. I like chimichangas and fluffy unicorns. I'd take you to a movie or a Starbucks - actually that's not a bad idea.

Peter: *looking at the picture. I really can't believe this guy. But... you know... maybe on time teaming up can't hurt*

Wade: How about we meet up at a Starbucks tomorrow and figure this out?

Peter: Does anyone know you are Deadpool or do you keep it a secret?

Wade: A part from Ryan Reynolds and Stan Lee? I mean. Yes! No.

Peter: Right, I probably be able to get to one after school. Around 4'ish

Wade: People know OF Deadpool. Some people know that Wade Wilson is connected to Deadpool. Not that many have lived to tell the tale. Oh well. Okay. Mid town. In costume. On the roof, right?

Peter: Right

Wade: If I'm late it's because it will take me a while to go up all the stairs on the firescape. I'll be the one in the red suit. Now do the responsible thing, Just Peter; go to bed. I'll guard the neighbourhood while you sleep.

Peter: Okay.... I guess....

Wade: And do your homework! You have ONE job. Figure out our team name. No pressure. I'll leave you alone now. Oh, and you might want to get that money out of your mailbox before Auntie May finds them. Nighty night. Don't let the bed bugs bite. *wink*

[redvsvblue]

This is for @rimmybond - happy birthday! Here’s that OT4 Ryan/Alfredo date thing because @rimmybond dragged me headfirst into this Ryan/Jeremy/Trevor/Alfredo OT4 and now I’ve got four unfinished fics for it and it’s all his fault. 

(For context: originally it was Ryan/Jeremy and Trevor/Alfredo and then they all got together.) 

The city is practically quiet this late at night, the smouldering heat of summer blanketed over them and settling heavy in Ryan's bones as they walk. A couple of stars twinkle above but smog clouds most of them, chugging out from smokestacks on the horizon.

Jeremy's got an arm around Trevor's shoulders and their heads are pressed together as they laugh about something, both of them dirty and grimy from the job and from the running – actually, all four of them are pretty gross, but Alfredo's probably the cleanest. Perks of being a sniper, Ryan supposes. Jeremy and Trevor are a little tipsy – Trevor brought out a flask and they've been sipping from it ever since – and their half-drunken snickering rings out pleasantly in the empty street.

Alfredo slings his rifle over his shoulder and shoots Ryan a tired smile, running a hand through his hair. Ryan smiles back and tucks his hands in his pockets as he glances back at his other boyfriends – grins when he sees them giggling madly about something, and then they suddenly stumble sideways a little and Jeremy's arm slips down to Trevor's waist and – and it's brief but there, and Ryan colours as he looks away, still unsure what to do when he sees such blatant romance between the others, when he sees Jeremy and Trevor so easily kiss each other in public.

When he glances back again Jeremy and Trevor are plastered to each other, flush from thighs to shoulders – or at least up to Jeremy's shoulder – and Ryan again feels stupidly, stupidly awkward, kicks himself for not being brave enough to pull Alfredo in in the same way.

Instead, he kicks a pebble into the street, watching with some small degree of satisfaction as it skitters into a storm drain.

-- 

Ryan's overthinking, he knows.

Hell, they're all already in a relationship, tentative and new as it is, and they're all still kind of learning how to expand their circles. Ryan doesn't know Alfredo nearly as well as Jeremy, knows Trevor a little, at least.

Okay so really it's just Ryan who's nervous. The others are already mostly comfortable around each other – Ryan knows Jeremy and Trevor have kissed, knows Jeremy and Alfredo have. They've never really done it much in front of Ryan, though, probably because they can sense his hesitation – god, he hates he's so obvious sometimes. He almost can't help it – old habits die hard, he supposes, it isn't quite so easy to suddenly trust two more people so deeply, especially since he hasn't had a chance to get to know them yet. Not like he did with Jeremy.

Trevor kissed him once, a quick thing before they went to sleep and it left Ryan's lips tingling and his heart beating fast like the first time he made Jeremy laugh. And his throat closes up when Alfredo sits next to him on the sofa, easily wraps an arm around him when Ryan lets him and just – it's so easy for them, it seems, so easy to just open up and Ryan hates the part of himself holding back.

It was just – it was so easy to admit that he cared about Alfredo and Trevor, too, that he wanted them to be a part of this. But of course it's easy to admit anything when Jeremy's around to coax it out of him, pulling out all the words from Ryan when he can't quite bring himself to speak up, when it all gets lost in doubt and denial.

Ryan drums his fingers on his chest and frowns up at the ceiling – beside him Jeremy rolls onto his front and beyond him Trevor and Alfredo are tangled up, Alfredo's arm hanging off the bed and his snoring quiet in the dark room. They all look so peaceful, at odds from their usual boisterous personalities.

Ryan's having trouble falling asleep again. More old habits.

He sighs and turns to press a kiss to Jeremy's head, ignoring the pangs of doubt inside him as he drapes an arm over Jeremy's waist and tucks his face into the pillow.

-- 

Ryan asks Alfredo out on a date, just the two of them.

They've all been on dates as a foursome, and those are always great, and everyone gets along spectacularly but Ryan thinks he needs a better opportunity to get to know Trevor and Alfredo. Something more one-on-one, something more personal, and he decides to start with the person he knows the least.

And even though he knows Alfredo will say yes, his pulse still kicks up haywire as he forms the question.

Alfredo does say yes, with a wide, sincere grin and a bright look in his eyes that reminds Ryan why he fell for him in the first place. He's smart and funny and optimistic and he likes Ryan too and Ryan hates the doubt twisting up inside him, the ominous tick-ticking of not for long.

He pushes it down. Reminds himself that trust is what got him here in the first place.  

-- 

Ryan keeps the date casual – as casual as he can, really, without it just being dinner at home. He leads Alfredo to the garage and to the Zentorno, even opens his door for him and laughs at Alfredo's crack about gosh, such a gentleman, complete with a breathy Southern twang.

It's surprisingly easy between them even without the others as Ryan drives them out to Vespucci. Alfredo immediately jumps into conversation, helps Ryan bitch at traffic and misses some of his jokes but laughs when he finally gets them. The conversation ranges from Trevor's bad habit of going along with all of Gavin's dangerous ideas to how many grenades they could fit in the exhaust of Geoff's pickup – the answer ranges from two to ten, depending on which ones they use.

Ryan learns Alfredo did streetfighting when he was younger. He tells Alfredo his first name is James.

Alfredo asks if he can call him Jimmy. Ryan says only if he can call Alfredo Alfie. That settles it quick enough.

“So, where are you taking us, anyway?” Alfredo asks, one arm dangling out the window as Ryan changes lanes.

“You'll find out,” Ryan says, glancing at Alfredo.

“Man, Jeremy wasn't kidding when he said you were a mysterious bastard.”

“Yeah, well, Trevor wasn't kidding when he said you were a whiny bitch,” Ryan teases right back, laughing at Alfredo's dramatic gasp, at the offended hand he presses to his chest.

Ryan parallel parks along the beach road and invites Alfredo to stroll along the coastline with him, expensive Vespucci shops to their right and the warm beach to their left. The water glitters gold with the sun, gentle waves crashing against white sands and teenagers shrieking as they play in the surf. In the distance horns honk faintly from the rush hour traffic crowded on the bridge.

Ryan buys them ice cream at a pop-up stall and they saunter past the bike path as they chat, licking drops of rapidly-melting ice cream from their knuckles and laughing when the other gets brain freeze – at one point Alfredo leans in to lick the other side of Ryan's cone and the suggestive waggle of his eyebrows makes them both fall into each other with laughter.

Alfredo's laugh is happy and carefree and Ryan's heart does flips in his chest.

The evening gives way to night, the sky melting into pink and orange and streetlamps flicking on one at a time, bathing the pedestrian path in their harsh yellow glows. As they finish their cones Ryan makes the mistake of glancing at Alfredo, can't look away from the reflection of the sunset in his eyes and the crinkles in their corners from his smile.

Alfredo takes his hand and tugs him out of the way of some passing tourists, right under a streetlight where they stop and Alfredo doesn't let go of his hand. Instead, he holds on tighter, links their fingers together and tugs him even closer and it's almost inevitable that Ryan closes his eyes and leans in and Alfredo meets him.

Ryan cups Alfredo's cheek and he kisses him for the first time under a streetlamp in Vespucci and it tastes of cold ice cream and the warm sunset and Ryan's lovestruck all over again.

When they separate, Alfredo's eyes are alight with a different sort of happiness and Ryan grins crookedly, stroking his thumb over Alfredo's cheek while Alfredo squeezes his hand.

“Jeremy said you were a big softie,” Alfredo teases. Ryan rolls his eyes.

“Trevor said you liked to ruin the moment,” he counters, laughter bubbling in his chest at Alfredo's playful frown.

“Wow, fuck Trev,” he says. Ryan laughs again and Alfredo grins, kisses his cheek before pulling him back into the flow of pedestrians.

He doesn't let go of Ryan's hand.

-- 

When the beach became crowded with the influx of late-night partiers and drunk teenagers, Ryan led them round to the actual shopping lane of Vespucci, where the shrieking was replaced by quiet conversation and the rumbling motorcycles with the gentle music of fancy restaurants.

They trade entertaining stories, embarrassing tales. Alfredo whistles cheerfully and points out funny-looking dogs and their equally funny-looking owners. Ryan jokes about climbing one of the palm trees and then it turns out Alfredo has climbed a palm tree and that leads into a whole new conversation as they wander past the restaurants.

They come across a row of jewellery stores during a pleasant lull in conversation, vaguely distracted by the glittering diamonds and gleaming wristwatches in the display windows.

Alfredo suddenly stops, and Ryan with him, outside a display of primarily gold trinkets, rubied bracelets and shining necklaces draped over black velvet. He glances up at the store sign, at the lack of people around them – there's only a few milling about, mostly passing through but some stopping to admire the other displays.

He grins at Ryan and his hand slips away to reach under his jacket – Ryan tilts his head, confused, but then Alfredo pulls his hand out enough to reveal the hilt of a gun, cradled neatly in his palm. He cocks an eyebrow.

“You know what, I think it's time for my half of the date,” he says, and his grin only grows wider at Ryan's amused eyebrow.

“Your half? I didn't realise we were divvying it up.”

“It's a new rule,” Alfredo replies.

“How new?”

“'Bout a minute. You wanna hit this joint with me?”

Ryan laughs and drags his pistol out, smoothly cocking back the slide and matching Alfredo's grin.

“I see why Jeremy likes you,” he says, and Alfredo laughs and kicks the door open.

-- 

While they're speeding back home in the Zentorno, pretty much off scot-free, Ryan pulls into a shitty little gas station, brakes to a stop and breathlessly tells Alfredo to wait in the car before jogging inside and holding up the store. It doesn't take long.

“Here,” he says as he slides back into the car, tossing the four pound bag of gummy bears in Alfredo's lap before he squeals out of the car park, away from the whooping sirens a couple of streets away.

“Oh my god, Ryan,” Alfredo gasps, pawing through the bag and gracelessly stuffing a handful of gummies in his mouth as Ryan executes a very illegal left turn. “”These are my favourite!”

Ryan grins at him and races through a red light, flips off the SUV that honks him – Alfredo shovels more gummies into himself and then rolls down the window to shoot out the bitch SUV's tyres.

-- 

They're not followed home but they still hurry into their building, five ammo clips lighter and four gummy pounds heavier, delighted and breathless as they bundle into the lift, punch the button for their floor. They munch on handfuls of bears as they ascend, leaning against the wall beside each other and laughing at nothing while they catch their breath.

The moment the doors open Alfredo rips the bag away and runs out into the hallway, Ryan hot on his heels. Alfredo unlocks the door and they both stumble in, slamming the door shut and slumping against it, breathing heavily as they grin at each other. Ryan notices how messy Alfredo's hair is, the adrenaline flush on his cheeks and the bob of his Adam's apple when he swallows – and then Ryan's leaning in and so is Alfredo.

The bag of gummy bears slips from Alfredo's fingers and thuds to the floor the moment after their lips touch, soft and chaste until Ryan's opening his mouth to taste the sticky sugar on Alfredo's tongue.

Jeremy wolf-whistles from somewhere and Trevor cheers – Alfredo flips them off and places his hand on Ryan's neck, rolling over to pin Ryan to the wall as the kiss deepens, turning almost filthy with the way Alfredo's tongue curls in his mouth but Ryan just groans and settles his hands on Alfredo's hips to pull him closer.

And god, it feels so easy right now, to trust and to touch and Ryan's fears melt away while Alfredo kisses him breathless. While he bites at Alfredo's lower lip and digs his fingers into soft skin and spreads his legs for Alfredo to slot in between them.

“Good time?” He asks between them, opening his eyes to meet Alfredo's.

“Great time,” Alfredo replies with a grin, followed by another slow kiss. Ryan hums happily into his mouth and runs a hand up his spine, head spinning with sugar and kisses and the warmth spreading to his fingers and toes that chases away all the traces of lingering doubt.

He could get used to this – thinks, somewhat suddenly, that he never wants it to stop feeling like this, happy and bright and like nothing ever scared him. 

He thinks, with Jeremy and Trevor and Alfredo, that could be possible. 

[superunnatural6667]

The Apple Pie Life (pt.7)

(Dean, Reader, Sam) WARNING: language, implied smut … "Are you crazy!" Dean yelled across the room. "It's the best plan we got Dean." Sam said moving across the room. "So your telling me, that saying yes to Lucifer is the best plan we have?" "I do..." "I can believe I'm hearing this. Y/N tell him he's crazy." Dean growled. You looked at Sam then back at Dean. "It's not the smartest plan..." "Ha!" Dean interrupted. "...But it's the only plan we have Dean..." "Told you." Sam added. "You herd what Gabriel said Dean, the Four Horsemen rings and send Lucifer right back down." "This is unbelievable." Dean threw his hands in the air and went towards the garage. "He'll come around Sam." You sighed. "Yeah but what he doesn't know..." Sam stopped reaching into his pocket, pulling out two rings. "Is that I have these." "Oh Sam..." you mumbled. "Deans gonna be pissed. How's you even get them?" You asked. "It doesn't matter." He said putting them in his pocket. "We just have to get Pestilence, and Death." "Please, please, please tell me you didn't do anything stupid to get these." You begged. Sam huffed and rolled his eyes. "Gabriel got them." "So you made no deals?" Sam looked down, not saying a word. "Sam what did you do?" "I just have to say yes." He answered. You got up and walked to the door, stopping in your tracks. "I'll talk to Dean about the Lucifer situation... but your gonna have to tell him what you did." "Thank you Y/N." ____ You walked into the garage and saw Dean with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. Of course he turned towards drinking right now. "You know hiding in the garage and drinking isn't gonna always solve your problems." You smiled. "It worked for a long time sweetheart." He commented raising the bottle. You walked over and sat on his lap. Taking the bottle out of his hand you took a swig, letting the liquid burn your throat. Then laying your head on his shoulder and your hand on his chest. "You didn't just come in here to snuggle." He said placing the bottle on the stool next to him. "And what if I did." You laughed. "Then why don't we take it to our room." He smirked. You sat up and smiled at him, placing a kiss on his cheek. As tempting as it is, you told Sam you'd talk to him. "We should just let Sam do this Dean." "Y/N we'll find another way. I'm not putting Sam in danger away." He huffed, standing up. You wrapped your arms around his neck and your legs around his waist. Holding on tight so you wouldn't fall "Y/N what are you doing?" He asked. "I'm not letting go until you agree to let Sam do this." You bellowed. "As much of a turn on this is sweetheart, but I'm not gonna agree. And you probably won't be able to hold on forever." He shrugged. "Dean Winchester is that a challenge." You furrowed your brows. "I'm just saying sweetheart." ____ Dean wobbled towards the house, you still hanging onto him. "No offense sweetheart but your heavier then I thought." "I'll get you back later for that, but it's just because usually we're in bed when I hold you like this." You whispered in his ear. Dean stopped instantly, pushing his head back a little to look at you. "You can't do this to me. Not like this." He complained. "Not until you say you agree." You smiled. Dean rolled his eyes and walked up towards the house. "Hey Dean can we-" Sam stopped. "Uh Y/N?" "Yeah Sam?" "Why?" He asked. "I'm not leaving until he agrees. So if you wanna tell him what you did, maybe me being here will make it easier." Dean looked at Sam, then tried to look at you. "What is she talking about Sam." Dean barked. Sam motioned his head towards the living room, you and Dean following. Sam sat down on the stool, you and Dean on the couch. Dean was trying to move his head around you to see Sam but he couldn't. "Y/N baby, please get off of me. Gosh I've never thought I'd have to say that before." You laughed and slid closer so him. "Do you agree to let Sam say yes?" Dean took a deep breath and put his hand behinds your head. You thought he was gonna kiss you, but he just put your head on his shoulder. "Shoot." Dean nodded at Sam. "You know that Gabriel said we needed the Horsemen's rings to open Lucifer a cage again." "Yeah, and?" Sam reached into his pocket and pulled the rings out. "We only need two more Dean..." Sam continued. You lifted your head to see fire in Deans eyes. You knew he was pissed. Sam went behind Deans back and did this without his knowledge of it. Dean wrapped his arm around you and shot up, then he boosted you back up. "You've gotta be kidding me Sam!" Dean yelled. You put your head back on Deans shoulder, trying to block out the yelling. "What was I suppose to Dean! You wouldn't be let me if I told you!" "Damn right I would've! When you manage to get them,huh! Cause we've been together sense we lost Jo and Ellen!" You felt Dean tense up underneath you. No one tried to bring them up cause it was a sensitive topic to everyone. "I...I made a deal with Gabriel.." Sam clenched his jaw. "Sense when are Angels working at crossroads?!" Dean snapped back. "It was more like an agreement.." Sam added. Dean took a deep breath, running his hands through his hair. "I can't even look at you right now." Dean turned around and walked towards the door. You lifted you head and mouthed 'I'm sorry' to Sam. 'It's ok' He shrugged. ____ "Dean what have I said about the garage." "Really not in the mood Y/N." He shot. "Talk to me Dean." You said holding him tighter as he sat down. "There's noting to say! I I seem to be the only one to care if Sammy dies!" "And you don't think I care Dean!? He's my bed friend! And this is the only plan we have. And we will end up bringing him back! So don't you yell at me 'cause your pissed!" Your eyes began to water. Second time your crying today. You hated having Dean see you so weak but you never wanted to argue with him. "Please don't cry." Dean comforted, pulling you even closer then you already were. "I didn't mean to make you cry sweetheart." "It's fine Dean... there's a lot of things I can handle but yelling isn't one of them." I tear rolled down your cheek, you wiped it hoping Dean wounds notice it. "Ryan use to yell at me a lot... when he wasn't hitting me." Dean wrapped his arms tighter around you, your head resting in the crook of his neck. "Sweetheart is never hurt you." Dean sniffled. "I know you would never do it. But sometimes shit like that just scares me..." "Your a badass hunter, and I love you. But we're all scared is something..." "Your scared of Sam leaving." Dean sighed. "Yeah...yeah I am." There was a long silence of just you and Dean holding each other. Him holding onto you while the other hand stroked your hair. You rubbing the back of his neck with your thumb. Finally Dean moved forward. He took his gun from out of the back of his waistband. You sat up and looked at him in confusion. "Cover your ears sweetheart." As you did so Dean pointed his gun out of the garage door and shot it. "Dean! Are you crazy?" You said punching him in the chest. He let out a little 'ompf' as you did so. "Just give it a second." He said raising an eyebrow. Sam came running in, gun raised. "What happened?" Sam asked. "We need to talk Sammy." Dean said standing up. Sam rolled his eyes and put his gun in the waistband of his pants, Dean did the same. "You couldn't have just came inside?" "That would've been boring." Dean smiled. "What do we have to talk about?" "Listen Sam. I know that your not little anymore, but I've always been there for you, to protect you. It's hard for me to let you take control by yourself." Dean clenched his jaw. "Dean I get it. But I can manage on my own. I don't need you to fight my battles for me." "I know. Which is why... I'm gonna let you do this. You can say yes to Lucifer..." "Thank you Dean." "It's about damn time!" You jumped off of Dean. "My legs were starting to cramp." "Oh were not done sweetheart." Dean smirked and picked you up again. "You said if I agreed I'd get somethin out of it." "Come on Dean I have to pee!" Dean just laughed and ran into the house with you on him again. "You know I would've had no problem taking you to that bathroom sweetheart." Dean smirked. "Shut up." You laughed as he threw you on the bed. "But seriously I have to pee." … A/N: I usually wanna post on Wed. But sometimes I get an idea, then I just wanna write about it right away. Also I am VERY aware that I'm doing some things out of order, but I'm just doing it the way that it all fell into place for my story. @moose-and-sqruille-lover

[sunshineofthegroup]

It’s Not My Fault I’m a Maniac

Geoff and Gavin try to recruit Jack for the crew, but little does Gavin know, there's a good reason she doesn't want to join. ** 'I'm outside the door, invite me in, so we can go back and play pretend' - Fall Out Boy, Alone Together ** Part 2 of a pre-FAHC/FAHC series based off FOB songs (primarily from Save Rock and Roll) [jackeoff, ~1.6k]  [read on ao3]

“Does every bartender in town know your order?” Gavin asked Geoff as Geoff picked up yet another glass of whiskey he hadn’t necessarily ordered.  Geoff shrugged and knocked back a good portion of the liquid.

 “This one does,” Geoff said, eyeing the bartender in question.  She was pretty, brownish-red curly hair, but also looked like she could easily break Geoff in half.  Exactly Geoff’s type – though he generally stuck to blondes.

 “She’s not another one of your ex-wives, is she?” Gavin asked.

 “She wishes,” Geoff scoffed.

 “You wish, Ramsey,” the bartender shot back.  Geoff raised his glass in a toast.

 “The offer still stands, Jack,” Geoff addressed her.  “I still need a pilot.  You look like you could use some cash besides what I leave in tips.”

“Yet you’re the one wearing the same dirty tuxedo every time I see you,” Jack replied coolly.

 “I need a pilot,” Geoff insisted.  Gavin nodded emphatically.  “I’ll buy you anything you want plus one quarter of the profits from the job.  One job, no contract.  Please, Jack.”

 “Fine,” Jack agreed. “I’ll be at your penthouse at 11:30 to discuss specifics.  And you know what the ‘anything I want’ is going to be.”

 “Yes, I do,” Geoff replied.  “Come on, Gav, we have things to do.”  He dropped a fifty on the bar as he and Gavin left the building.

 “What does she want?” Gavin asked Geoff curiously.  Geoff shook his head.  “Come on, then.”

 “It’s expensive, but it’s worth it,” Geoff said.

 “So who is she, though?” Gavin asked, always so eager for any gossip.

 “I’m not allowed to know women now?” Geoff responded.

 “Geoffrey, the only women you know do not talk to you anymore,” Gavin pointed out.  “You have three ex-wives.”

 “And each one of them left with half my fortune,” Geoff said.  “Not doing that again.  No more Lady Ramseys.”

 “Except Jack?” Gavin asked, grinning.

 “Jack would never settle for being the Lady Ramsey,” Geoff said.  “Trust me.”

  “What are you drinking?” Jack asked him.

 “Whiskey,” Geoff grunted.

 “Let me guess,” Jack said, pouring a few shots.  “Lady troubles.”

 “I wish, dude,” Geoff sighed.  “Dudette. Lady-dude.”

 “Dude’s fine,” Jack said.

 “Thank god, because I don’t have time for any more girls,” Geoff said, knocking back two shots. “They break your heart and take your money.”

 “Yes, I hear we’re good at that,” Jack said, rolling her eyes.

 “You are,” Geoff said, nodding.

 “You’d think men would learn after the first two divorces, but they always go for number three,” Jack said, with the knowledge that comes from being a bartender.

 “We do.  We’re idiots!” Geoff exclaimed.

 “More whiskey?” Jack offered.

 “Sure, and your phone number, if you’re giving it out,” Geoff said.

 “Hard to believe you’ve been married three times with lines like that,” Jack laughed, pouring a few more shots.

 “Dude, trust me, I’m not looking for my fourth ex-wife, not tonight.  No more Lady Ramseys.  Though the ex-Lady Ramseys could tell you, it certainly pays well.  Each better than the last.”

 “You can call me Jack, if you want,” Jack told him.  “Dude’s still fine, if you prefer.”  She slid a napkin across the bar with her digits on it.

 “I’m Geoff.”  He took the shots remaining on the bar.

 “Right, my future ex-husband,” Jack nodded with a laugh.

 “No, no, not again. I can’t have a fourth ex-wife.  The next one won’t be satisfied with my money, and she’ll take my empire too,” Geoff whined.  Jack snorted, pouring two more shots.

 “Gosh, I can’t imagine why they keep divorcing you,” she said.

 “Exactly!  I’m a nice guy!  I deserve love,” Geoff said.

 “If being a bartender has taught me anything, it’s that people always find love in the place they least expect it,” Jack said.

 Geoff called her three days later.  Standard.

 “This is Pattillo,” Jack answered.

 “Hey!  Jack, dude.  It’s Geoff from the bar.  Do you want to get dinner?”

 “I thought you weren’t looking for ex-wife number 4?” Jack said, amused.

 “The only one saying you’ll be the next ex is you,” Geoff replied.

 “Why should I go out with you?  Besides it’s free dinner and  you’re rich and not ugly,” Jack said.

 “That’s exactly why you should go out with me,” Geoff said.

 “I’m going to regret agreeing to this,” Jack said.

 The first date went surprisingly well, so they proceeded to the second and third dates, and more dates after that.  Jack wasn’t necessarily opposed to Geoff’s life of crime, but she wasn’t necessarily going to join him either – though she would never turn him over to the LSPD.

 Soon enough, it had been three months and Geoff finally decided to stop being a huge pussy and go for it.  He picked up the keys to his bright pink Zentorno and headed for Jack’s apartment across town.  He knocked in an upbeat rhythm.

 “Who is it?” Jack yelled from inside.

 “It’s Geoff!  Who else are you expecting?” Geoff replied.

 “Shit…  Uh….  Hold on a second…”  Jack responded.  Geoff was instantly suspicious.  He almost dropped the bouquet of flowers he was holding in favor of his pistol, but decided against it.  She finally came to the door, unlocked it, and threw it open, before pulling him inside violently, and slamming and locking the door again.

 “What’s going on?” Geoff asked, his instinct that something was wrong definitely proving correct.

 “Can’t be too careful,” she replied.  “I don’t… uh… right.  Hang on.” She disappeared back into the bathroom, of all rooms, and Geoff heard the voice of another man, one clearly in pain, so he did the only logical thing and followed her.  “He’s fine, he’s not here to kill either one of us.  I’m not a surgeon, but I do believe you’ll live.”

 “What would I do without you, Jack?” the strange man responded.

 “I don’t know, bleed out on street corners bi-weekly?” Jack said sarcastically.  “Geoff, this is Ryan.  Rye, my future ex-husband…”

 “I pictured him different,” Ryan said, giving Geoff a once over before trying to stand.  “You guys got plans?  Sorry, man, I never pick a good night to get shot.”

 “No night is a good night to get shot,” Jack reprimanded him.  “If you’re headed for my bedroom, you better not get blood on my sheets again.”

 “Yeah, yeah,” Ryan muttered, staggering his way out of the bathroom and out to the living room.

 “Rye’s fine… um… just let me clean up and we can go,” Jack said.  Geoff agreed and went to find the flowers he’d brought some water while she cleaned up and changed.

 “How did you meet Jack?” Ryan asked from the couch.

 “She’s a bartender. I’m an alcoholic.  It was inevitable,” Geoff said.  Ryan nodded.  “How’d you get shot?”

 “Assholes these days, always pulling a gun,” Ryan said.  “Can’t even make a dishonest living.”

 “You got shot doing petty theft?” Geoff asked, unimpressed.

 “He always get shot doing petty theft!” Jack chimed in from the bathroom.

 “Not always!” Ryan complained.  “Not always petty theft, anyway.”

 “Dude, you should not be getting shot at all,” Geoff said.  “Any friend of Jack’s is a friend of mine.  I’ll give you some pointers sometime.”

 “Don’t recruit Ryan!” Jack said loudly.  “He’s clumsy and no one is afraid of him because he can’t get through two sentences without messing up a word.”

 “What is he, your brother?” Geoff asked her.

 “What if he was?” Jack asked, sticking her head out from the bathroom.

 “You don’t look alike,” Geoff said, looking between them.

 “We’re not related,” Ryan assured him.

 “Good.  Then she won’t mind if I try to fix you up,” Geoff said. “A month, maybe two…  I have a pretty fast turnaround rate.”

 “Yeah, because they end up dead,” Jack said.  “Future ex-husband or not, I’d rather lose you than Ryan.”

 “That’s harsh,” Geoff frowned.  “Only the temps get dead.  The interns usually make it to full-time staff.  Rye-bread’ll get the friends and family discount.  Straight upgrade to full-time staff with benefits.”

 “What are the benefits like?” Ryan asked.

 “No suicide missions,” Geoff said.

 “What about medical?” Ryan asked.

 “We’re working on hiring a new nurse,” Geoff said.

 “Did the last one die?” Ryan guessed.

 “That’s a safe guess,” Geoff replied.  “But no, he had to step down.  It was a legal thing.”

 “So he’s in jail?” Ryan guessed.

 “It’s not really relevant,” Geoff waved it off.

 “You could do that, Jack,” Ryan called over to her.  She was glaring at him from the kitchen now.

 “I’m not a nurse, I’m a bartender,” Jack said.

 “Are you ready?” Geoff asked her.

 “I’ve been ready,” Jack said, rolling her eyes.  “If you hadn’t told me I could drive the Zentorno, I’d be calling this entire date off.”

 “If you crash my baby, you can say goodbye to being the future ex-Lady Ramsey,” Geoff shot back.

 “I’m more of an Entity chick myself,” Jack shrugged.  “Don’t burn the house down, Ryan.”

 “That was one time!” Ryan insisted.

  “So what happened?” Gavin asked.

 “What do you think happened?” Geoff asked.

 “Well, it’s you, so I’d say you probably divorced her,” Gavin said.

 “I did propose, but she said no,” Geoff said.  “She was mad because Ryan decided to take my offer.  They had a falling out, it was a whole big deal…”

 “That’s awful,” Gavin said.  “If you stole my brother and nearly got him killed on a weekly basis, I’d be pretty minged off, too.”

 “Ryan isn’t her brother,” Geoff rolled his eyes.

 “Really??  I was convinced,” Gavin exclaimed in surprise.

 “What’s the deal on that friend of yours?” Geoff asked.

 “Who, Michael? He’s got some things to take care of, then he’s going to make his way our direction,” Gavin said.

 “Excellent.”

[shadeofazmeinya]

this is going to sound a little familar

@endragh submitted: since i didn’t know that last au was going to make you uncomfortable i am taking the main “story” of it and put it into an au that won’t make you uncomfortable. that way you can enjoy the cute at any time without feeling uncomfortable(changing it slightly to fit this new au).

so Micheal, Ryan, Gavin, Geoff, and Jack are part of the Fake AH crew. they find one day that their friend meg has gone missing. when they get to her apartment they find cop Jeremy there. he isn’t like most cops, pretty much not caring who they are. just wanting to get his job done and get meg back safe.

like they point guns at him and he just waves them off like “look, you can kill me later just let me finish this job alright?”

they start working with him, since they definitely have more resources then one lone cop, and eventual find and return meg safe from harm. Jeremy helps by being more observant(keener eyesight to replace his sniper potion in the crew) and catches things the other miss(a few specks of blood, and handprints)

they actually come to find they like this cop(since even after they find meg Jeremy is immediately off on another case and doesn’t seem to even care who they are) it takes a bit of time but once they find him again they give him their number. tell him to call them anytime he needs help finding someone.

the first time he calls them it is a missing kid. the crew jumps at the chance to help find a kid and they get the kid back to their parents safe(taking out a rival gang and getting a little more territory in the process) the second time he calls is because he was to late and doesn’t have anyone else to cry to. they all bring him back to their place to comfort him.

after that they start seeing each other outside of work and it eventually becomes cop Jeremy with his boyfriend crew saving kids together(and then the crew goes off and does crew stuff)

oh gosh you didn’t need to rewrite your whole au for me haha. but this sounds very lovely. im all for hero! lil J and somewhat reluctant heroes, only doing it because jeremy is cute! Fakes. Sounds absolutely adorable

[redheadedcashew]

The calm before the cocktails.

Life moved at a different pace in Charming. The town never changed, never progressed and everything stayed the same. Businesses never changed, no big corporations ever developed, the only thing that really changed were the families in town. Children grew up, they left but some would come back and settle here, creating the next line of Charming residents. Despite the lack of growth and prosperity found in the town, whose population never really grew beyond 14,000, there was one set of families that experienced a tone of change on the daily, but were also responsible for their town remaining the way it was.

It had been six months since Amanda had welcomed Tom home from Prison, took them even less time to shack up together at Amanda’s place which was closer to the garage than his place. It made sense, they spent every night together, sometimes at his but mostly at hers so it was just the logical step. Naturally both their mothers had made a big fuss about it, joking that soon there’d be little babies running around, Amanda would just look at Tom whose face mirrored hers and would answer, “we like being able to have sex anywhere in the house at any given time.” This didn’t stop the two older women from teasing, almost pressuring the two to get procreating. Now was definitely not the right time for her and Tom to be having kids or even thinking about it. She was so close to hearing if she had gotten the promotion she’d been busting her ass for and Tom was throwing himself right into the VP role along her President brother. Nah, life was complicated enough.

Amanda was sitting at the main reception desk for the maternity ward when her boss and two other senior administrators appeared. “Have you got a minute? I know your shift is almost over but we’d like to talk to you.” “Yeah of course, I can stay back to finish my admin,” she got up off her chair and followed to the three of them into the office, taking the seat they pointed out for her. “As you know, we have a position becoming available as Linda is now leaving us, originally it was just supposed to be a temp role until she came back, but she has resigned completely, so this role is now full time and long-term.” Amanda nodded, liking what she was hearing, this had to mean they’d picked her right? Surely they wouldn’t be giving her all this added information if they had decided to give the job to someone else?

“We’ve been watching you rather closely over the last 18 months, when Linda first mentioned she was going to be leaving to have her baby. She rated you highly and from what we’ve seen, we believe you could really take this role and run with it. There is no question of your dedication and care to the hospital and most of all, your patients. You jump departments if extra hands are needed, you’re strict with the students and refuse to baby them. We value how many hours you give to us. So, all of this lead us to a no brainer.” Amanda’s heart was in her throat and her chest tight, was this really happening? Was she once again achieving a goal?! “We’d formally, like to offer you the role, head of department for the Labour and Maternity Unit.” There was silence in the room, three sets of eyes on her before the words sank in she smiled widely, “I accept! Thank you so much for this opportunity! I have a deep love for this department as you can tell.” The conversation soon took to the formalities such as signing a new working contract, salary discussions and when she would officially take over, “will I still have the opportunity to be a midwife?” she wanted to clarify this before the meeting was over, it was her main passion after all. “Of course, we need you to remain registered. So we’d like you to do one shift a week and the other four will be in the new role. We can reevaluate in three months time. Does that work?” “Yes, definitely, again, thank you so much for the opportunity.”

After the meeting was over, she grabbed her phone and sent Tom a quick message saying she needed to stay back at work and that she’d let him know when she was home so he may as well hang out on the lot for a little longer. It only took her another and a half to finish off her paperwork and leave notes for Kate who had the nightshift tonight. She moved quickly to the staff room and grabbed her belongings and headed out to her car. Turning the music up, she sang loudly all the way home, her excitement for the next stage in her life was no longer something she had to contain!

Pulling up into the driveway, she called her mum as she got out of the car and headed to the door, unlocking it just as her mum answered, “oh hello baby, you just get off work?” Amanda dumped her bag on the small table next to the door, “just got home, but I’ve got something to tell you first,” she began moving around the house, turning the stereos power on and then waking up her laptop, found something to listen to for some background noise, “is everything ok? spit it out girl, you making me worry here!” she laughed, “mum, I got the promotion at work! I fucking in charge!” there was a loud noise signally Jean’s support, “oh baby girl! I bloody knew you had it in you, no child of mine will ever be second best! Have you told Tom? He never said anything, sly bastard just walked past my office!” Amanda rolled her eyes, “no I haven’t told him! I’m going to wait until he gets home, so can you let him know? Love you mum!” “Ok baby, love you too, gosh your father is going to be so proud! Dinner tomorrow on the lot ok? Bye baby!” After hanging up the phone, she went and jumped into the shower, a grin never leaving her face. Life was finally on track.

The kettle had just flicked off when the sound of Tom’s Harley met her ears and she moved to the fridge, grabbing out a beer and the milk, placing both on the bench. She had just popped the top off the glass bottle when the door opened and her man walked in, immediately filling the room with his scent of grease, cigarettes and something that was uniquely him. She gave him a warm smile, “hey you,” it was still sinking in that they were really in this together, good days, bad days and even combined finances. She finished making her cup of tea and then grabbed his beer, moving to stand in front of him, “I’ve got some news worth sharing tonight,” she waited for him to finish taking a sip of his beer that she knew he’d earned, “I got the promotion at work. I’m in charge Tom… I did it!” She was grinning again, hoping he would be just as proud of her, knowing the amount of work she’d put in for this.

—

Ryan was perched on an old crate that was on the roof of the clubhouse, surveying his kingdom. A cigarette was perched easily on his lips as he spun the lighter between his fingers. He had called a Church meeting and knew his brothers would all be appearing soon. There was nothing major going on, he just wanted to check in, check finances and if anyone had caught wind of any trouble in town and he wanted to make sure none of his guys were struggling, no families needed extra. From his throne, he could see his sister and Tom sharing a moment together in the garage in front of a car. She’d been here to have lunch with him before heading back to work. He exhaled smoke as he watched his sister attempt to walk away but his VP pulled her back, Ryan knew he’d be smirking at her weak protest before the two disappeared behind the roller door that was still closed. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, long as they were happy and Tom wasn’t locked up, he was happy with the relationship.

Speaking of relationships, his own was progressing pretty seriously for such a short amount of time. Sarah was allowing him to be more present in her’s and Carter’s lives, he’d done school pick ups and drop offs, had many dinners with the two of them and was starting to spend more nights at their home, she didn’t even make him sneak out before Carter work up anymore. The relationship was moving at a pace Sarah was ok with, Ryan wouldn’t push that, she was the one with the child. He’d moved past her divorce issue, especially since she was working on getting it sorted out with her dickbag of an ex, he really had nothing to complain about.

His watch beeped, indicating it was 2pm and everyone would be gathering for church so he needed to get down and be the big shot, the shot caller. “There you are Prez, want me to round em up?” Chibs offered and Ryan nodded, “yeah, let’s get business handled then have a few.” He opened the doors and moved to sit at the head of the table, the gavel was sitting on his right. Before he could wonder off with the weight of his responsibilities, everyone began to file in and like most of the others, Ryan put a fresh cigarette to his lips and lit up. “Right, shut the doors prospect!” Liam did as he was told and stood on the other side, still not permitted to join the table yet. “First order of business guys, we’ve managed six months of staying out of ATF’s radar, gun supplies running as normal. Anyone got anything to add about the guns or the Irish?” Happy nodded, “NOMAD need some supply this month, Quinn said they had a few drama’s a couple of nights ago.” Ryan frowned, trying to keep the rage to a simmer, “what kind of trouble and with who?” he knew Quinn wasn’t one to just go all guns blazing. “No one was affiliated with any club, just a couple of fucks who tried to mess with them.” Ryan nodded, “right, get on the horn and have him send someone who is close by, next shipment is due in a week, we can spare a couple from our order and then double up next time. Everyone agree?” there was a chorus of yes and they moved on, “right, treasury, give me the news.”

Jean pulled up onto the lot after picking Carter up from school, his mother was working nightshift and no one on the lot minded having Carter running around. “Alright, grab your gear and lets go have something to eat and then you can start your homework.” She began following behind the kid when the clubhouse door opened and the boys all piled out, “RYAN!” Carter yelled, running towards him and Jean watched as her son opened his arms to greet Carter, the two quickly lost in a conversation as they headed inside to obviously sort out some food. Gareth walked towards her, “stop glaring, you can’t change Ryan’s mind.” Jean huffed, “doesn’t mean I have to enjoy how involved he’s become. I mean Carter is fine, but now there’s money involved and its been less than a year. What the fuck is he thinking?!” “Hey, he’s thinking that this could be it, he’s giving Sarah a chance to show she’s here, our son has never been stupid with his finances, you reckon he’s going to do that if she was just some pussy?” “Oh shut up, I don’t want some logical response, stop always taking his side!” Gareth put an arm around his wife, “I’m sorry, but if you keep butting heads with him, he’s just not going to tell you shit anymore.”

“Hey mum, you got a minute?” Ryan asked, stepping into the kitchen of his childhood home, his mum hadn’t been on the lot so he figured she’d be here getting dinner ready. “What you need baby?” Jean asked, wiping her hands on a dish towel before leaning against the sink, watching her son cross his arms over his chest and his face go blank. “Whatever it is Ryan, you can tell me,” Ryan unfolded his arms and lit up a cigarette, “Sarah… she needs a little bit of help. Well, she didn’t want to ask me but she finally did and I agreed because I want things to happen quicker than what they are.” Jean frowned, “what kind of help have you offered Ryan?” She watched as he exhaled, “money.” Jean closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, “what could she possibly need money for, your money?!”

Ryan was on the attack now, “we both want her divorce fucking over with, her ex is a piece of shit and making life fucking difficult and I don’t want her using her savings to pay for this shit. She shouldn’t have to when I, as her partner, have enough to give her to top up what she already has paid. This is my call.” “Ryan, I’ve accepted them into my home, into our world but this is a joke! Money changes everything! Especially cause I know you are going to dip into your nest egg Ryan!” Ryan ran his hands over his face, cigarette still in his mouth. He gathered himself before taking it out, “mum fucking hear me right now ok? I’ve busted my ass for that money, I’ve almost finished building my house, I helped my sister get her first rental. If i want to help my girlfriend financially I will! You never battered a fucking eye when Tom helped Amanda get books she needed for school when dad wasn’t earning, why is this so fucking different?!” The air was thick with tension now, “you fucking well know your dad was injured and couldn’t ride! And! Tom is fucking family! I never asked him to, he overheard me telling Beth I needed help!” “Mum, I’m only going to say this once, get on board with Sarah and Carter being my family or this ends. I don’t expect you to agree with me on everything, but she’s not some random girl who stumbled on the lot, she’s Amanda’s best friend and now, she’s the woman I’m thinking of building a life with. Get on board or watch me walk.”

[autistic-beshelar]

nyoom

nikola.. the boy...

i dont know a whole lot about him actually

i love dyspraxic ryan a whole lot

i also love yaz in that outfit

“alien gun” TECHNICALLY...

wow. they really went there

“out of place” gosh.... 

be kinda awkward if she doesnt wipe a male scientists mind when she wiped ada’s..... hmm...

slime lurian

wow theyre really going off with edison being a dickhead and a thief

“i call it my exploring ray” i love him... he’s just a boy...

RACNOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:DDDDDDDDDDD

hard t tu[e...

i have a boy

can tesla travel with them please.... i love him...

“we’ve never been to a rodeo” “you’re not helping ryan” aldskghfdg

how ARE they gonna keep them out

I WANT TESLA AS A COMPANION!!!!!!

poor tesla ;; that’s so sad

LET HIM TRAVEL!! WITH THEM!!!! IM LOVE HIM!!!!!

[comicteaparty]

December 17th-December 23rd, 2018 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from December 17th, 2018 to December 23rd, 2018.  The chat focused on Lovespells by Ryan & Sage.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Lovespells by Ryan & Sage~! (http://lovespellscomic.com/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PST), so keep checking back for more! You have until December 23rd to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!

QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?

QUESTION 2. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?

QUESTION 3. Do you believe that Esther will eventually confess her feelings to Maria? What do you think it will take for that to happen given Ether’s shyness about it?

QUESTION 4. Given some further hints, do you believe Maria’s own feelings towards Esther are changing? How do you think Maria would react to a confession from Esther? Would a confession ruin their friendship?

snuffysam

only at the end of chapter 4, but loving it so far! here's my current answers... 1. definitely the scene at the end of chapter 4 where Maria asks Esther for more lessons/to hang out as friends. We already know what Maria's there for ahead of time, and I eat dramatic irony like that for breakfast. Also, the reactions of Maria's friends who see Esther's obvious crush. 2. Hmmmm Maria. She's this super cheesy knight type, and that's me babey.

3. Yes, and it will be an accident.

4. Just from what I've seen so far, Maria's feelings towards Esther have changed. The relationship started out super professional from Maria's point of view (Esther is just helping her level up her magic. strictly teacher/student) but now she sees Esther as a friend. At this point... I don't think Maria would find a new tutor after the confession like Esther thinks, she's too professional for that. But it may put a dent in their friendship if the feelings aren't reciprocated.

decademic

omg, blitzed through it again because I love these slow burn lesbians and their wonderful relationship~ honestly couldn't ask for more! the art's amazing, the story is paced so well, the panels honestly are on par with paranatural levels of forethought and care, just ooo! I love them!!! onto the questions... 1: oh gosh, I can barely choose! the first meeting, when Maria shows up at Esther's house with her friends and they see how oblivious Maria is, the critical hit scene...throw a dart, I love it. 2: I'm gonna have to say Esther, she's so relatable by nature, and her actions are so pure intentioned. the love potion instead of elixer moment was such a cute nod, I got heart eyes and pledged my soul immediately. 3: I want Esther to start to confess, but Maria stops her and confesses instead! cue teary eyes and a first real kiss~ 4: Maria needs to identify this feeling as love; real love, before anything in the relationship can move forward at all. therefore, there has to be some realization on Maria's side sooner than later to make it work. Esther would probably chicken out halfway through the confession and confuse them both, which is why I'm gunning for Maria to do it~

RebelVampire

QUESTION 5. What do you think happened to Esther in the past that caused a healing spell to give her a permanent mana siphon? Do you believe Esther will reveal whatever happened to Maria? What might be the consequences of Esther telling her or keeping it secret?

decademic

gosh, good question...

so I guess 5: Esther hasn't been holding back, per se, about her affliction, she was upfront about it to the nurse, and has answered Maria's questions, so I don't think it's a 'secret', but more of a bit of backstory that may be a bit hard to relive. none of this answers the question of what the affliction is but I'm sure that'll be addressed, I'm sure of it

snuffysam

I don't think it's anything particularly sinister or mysterious, just, like... some uncommon disease. like magic polio.

though i suppose it either has to be something difficult to explain or something with a big stigma attached to it?

RebelVampire

QUESTION 6. Do you think we’ll see the paladin who scolded Maria at the tournament again? Why do you think he seemed particularly critical of Maria? What role might he have to play in Maria’s life (and Esther’s by association)?

RebelVampire

1) i really enjoyed the scene where maria was with her friends and referred to esther as lovely and all maria's friends are like O/////O. i enjoyed it not only for the significant character development maria is showing, but also the sheer comedy in how oblivious maria is to anything to do with love. 2) maria. i like her intense honesty that is balanced by her flawed obliviousness to a lot of the things around her. i think its a combination that makes her extremely endearing as a character. 3) i think the clock is ticking. esther is clearly terrible at hiding it and stuffing her feelings down. and i think one day maria is gonna be like "i love this thing" and esther is gonna be like "oh yeah i love that thing almost as much as i love you." like maybe not that exactly, but i dont think esther will overcome shyness. i think its gonna be a pure mortification accident moment cause esther will be lost in her own brain thoughts.

4) maria's feelings are definitely changing. no doubt about it. as for a reaction to esther's confession...honestly maria is so dense i wouldnt be surprised if she just could comprehend a love confession. gets told "i love you" and shes like "i love you too....youre a dear friend." once she realizes though, i kind of feel like shell...limbo turn down esther and tell esther shes not sure how she feels. then decide and couple will be created. as for ruining their friendship, eh, therell be tension maybe? not friendship ruining tho cause maria is just too nice for that. 5) I'm gonna assume that it was some sort of injury to be honest. cause esther did mention wanting to be an adventurer and i could see esther being overenthusiastic and trying something dangerous and winding up permanently injured because of it. or poisoned maybe. thats also an option. but regardless the curitive magic came with a price. i think esther will tell maria the full story someday, and i think it will bring her and maria closer. and consequently cause maria to get ultra defensive against those questioning esther's honor. 6) i do think we'll see that paladin again, and boy am i looking forward to it. i want to know more about him cause i think the dynamic hed have with maria would be awesome. i think as far as role goes, he might be the one to challenge how maria handles herself as a knight and her general love obliviousness. because maria's friends and esther all kind of either find it endearing, support her, or just accept that is part of her. whereas i think this paladin could be the one to ask her if she isnt hurting others by being so oblivious to love while constantly giving everything of herself. or something like that.

snuffysam

ok i'm caught up i'm not sure about the paladin. because yeah maria's friends aren't exactly helping move this relationship forward but... why would the paladin do any better? he just seems like a jerk to me.

maybe he shows up again and gives maria something extra to vent about to esther?

also, apparently his name is marcus? at least that's what the cast page seems to say, it's hard to tell without pictures lol

thisintermezzo

I co-write this comic and aklsjdkjhffjk it's so cool to see people actually seriously talk about it??? Thank you so much for this. We almost never get actual responses--which is pretty normal for most comics; feedback is just hard to get, haha--so this is super novel and hugely appreciated. If you want to ask me anything, please feel free. Otherwise, I'm just going to spectate here and there. (Also, now that I have Discord again, I can try to similarly contribute to chats about people's comics!!)

snuffysam

welcome! this is a really cute comic! if I may ask a question - what was originally on this page?: http://lovespellscomic.com/post/162477687227/hey-this-post-may-contain-adult-content-so-weve

it was after a bunch of guest comics so i'm guessing it was another guest comic? but tumblr deleted it so i have no idea

RebelVampire

QUESTION 7. Do you believe Esther’s magic tutelage of Maria will pay off at a critical juncture at some point? How might Esther’s own skills change due to contact with Maria? How might their changing relationship affect their professional lives?

thisintermezzo

I can't tell, haha. I actually don't know what the page before that is, even, since the "back" button is gone. Tumblr is lame and didn't notify us of any of the flagged posts, so I have no clue what else has gotten randomly deleted. :U Tapas would have it all, though.

Thanks for letting us know, though! o/

RebelVampire

QUESTION 8. Do you think Maria’s friends will play a role in Esther and Maria’s budding relationship? If so, what role will they play and how might their own relationships with Maria change?

(the archive for the chat on Psychteria is up! @CalimonGraal https://comicteaparty.com/post/181287718835/december-10th-december-16th-2018-ctp-archive)

RebelVampire

@snuffysam sometimes strangers are more helpful than friends in certain contexts. cause friends can come with a lot of biases. but eh it was just a thought

7) I def hope esther's magic tutelage pays off. Though not sure when since the tournament seemed like the most dangerous thing to happen so far. but if maria goes on a mission for sure shes gonna be pulling out that crit move esther taught her and save the day. albeit alternatively i could also seeing it going the opposite. wherein maria tries and fails hardcore. and then esther has to hug and comfort her and tell maria its okay. as for esther's skills, i actually think any change is gonna be less related to magic and more esther is gonna learn like how to express her feelings better or something. but this is something i dont forsee happening until they get together. 8) i dont think the friends are gonna help. rather, i think after maria and esther get together maybe that theyre gonna hurt the relationship in a way. in that theyll get jelly of maria spending more and more time with esther. cause while maria sees esther a lot, theres clearly more freetime maria has she could spend with esther instead of her friends. and i could see maria doing that cause as nice as maria is, shes extremely inexperienced in this area. so i think shed put esther first way too hardcore at first and the friends would have to say whoa there hold your horses. i think at the end itll strengthen their bonds though cause itd give maria a better understanding of some of the experiences her friends have maybe. idk. im spitballing.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 9. If Esther and Maria do date, how do you believe that will go? What relationship obstacles might the two have to overcome in order to make their relationship work? How will the change affect the course of the story?

Delphina

Oh noooo, cute magical girl AND lawful good swordy girl having adorable crushes on each other. I might have to jump into this one.

1. My anime roots are showing, but I love a good "you don't have to refer to me with honorifics" scene. Also any time Maria carries sleepy Esther around is adorable.

2. Maria's hard not to like. I'm also a sucker for strong intense ladies who wanna do the right thing always.

I'm not so great with the speculation-type questions, but it's a great comic and I'm looking forward to what happens and hope that things go smoothly in both the romantic and magical arenas! The writing is very sweet and pure and the character designs and great environments complement them nicely. Really can tell there's a lot of love in this story!

RebelVampire

QUESTION 10. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?

Delphina

I really enjoyed the part where Esther was explaining her sketches about adventuring to Maria. Esther has mostly been a reactive character - she gets orders and reacts, she's asked for help by Maria and she reacts, she sees some kids in trouble and she reacts, she gets low on MP and reacts. But that was the first time we saw what she wanted for herself, and how she views her role, and it really helped make her feel real and more proactive. I hope we see more of what Esther wants and who she is in the future!

RebelVampire

9) I think they'll have to deal with the usual relationship challenges. balancing work life, balancing other friendships, accepting that maybe they dont know each other as well as they think they might. but i think theyll manage. esther especially i think is gonna have to learn to be more open like how she was about her desire to be an adventurer. 10) I'm looking forward to seeing paladin returning and revealing why he's in this story in the first place and butting heads with maria. and then esther being "it's okay baby hes just a big ol' meanie"

snuffysam

i just really want to see more of the comic. it's super cute, the characters all lovable... i need more.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Lovespells this week! Please also give a special thank you to Ryan & Sage for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Lovespells, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: http://lovespellscomic.com/

Ryan & Sage’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lovespells

Ryan & Sage’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/lovespells

Lovespells’ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lovespellscomic