#maybe next time mckenna

[evenmyhivemindisempty]

if the boys were to propose to someone,how would they go about it?

Steve Murphy: Aw, Steve’s an old fashioned sort. He does the proposal the classic way - he calls the dad for permission, then takes his SO out on a nice picnic and gets on one knee. He does get a little teary eyed during his (brief) speech. I feel like overall Steve is not a romantic, but marriage is important to him, at least for what it represents!

Donald Pierce: Oh Pierce would go insane trying to make it perfect. He secretly measures their ring size in the dead of night. He snoops on their phone to gather data about what kind of rings they’ve been looking at. He spends weeks cataloguing their interests and preferences in order to engineer the Perfect Date. He looks kind of manic by the time he drops to his knee. THE THING IS, he didn’t even have to stress half as much, because I bet he wouldn’t propose unless his partner has already mentioned they’d like to get married/they’ve had a positive conversation about next steps!! This proposal is not a surprise and yet he is sweating bullets.

Cap Hatfield: Cap’s so sweet about it! He hands his partner a basket of flowers he’s gathered and maybe a piece of heirloom jewelry from his family, and kind of shyly asks if they’d like to marry him. He’ll make a capable and dutiful husband, he knows it!

Clement Mansell: Oh it’s big fucking production. It’s in public, for starters, and good money says he’s also hired a whole band and a fancy photographer. The bling is INSANE. It’s a huge rock, probably surrounded by other smaller stones (his birthstone and his partner’s birthstone because he thinks he’s being ROMANTIC). He’s *so* effusive about how in love he is, and how his partner will make an honest(ish) man out of him (he totally says this with a cheeky little smile).

The Corinthian: The Corinthian would do it on a whim. He’s in Vegas, and he tugs on his date’s/prey’s arm when they pass a glitzy casino chapel and suggests they tie the knot. Why not! If he didn’t have glasses on, he’d be winking.

Eli Klaber: Oh, no. No, no. Klaber does not propose. Klaber gets proposed to.

Ty Shaw: Ty brings his SO somewhere secluded for a quiet, intimate conversation. He tells them he’s been thinking about marriage in a very no-pressure sort of way, and if they agree he goes to a knee and and procures the ring he bought a month ago.

Quinn McKenna: Ideally, Quinn waits until they’ve both already clearly established they wanna get married, and then they go to some jewelry stores together to see what his partner likes (I don’t think this happened with Emily though). Quinn does get on his knee because that’s the Thing to Do; he’s not very emotional at all when he asks, but he does bust out a big grin when they say yes.

[itmeansiris]

The Solar System Legacy Challenge: Madison Gen 1 pt.59

Meanwhile, that same morning Madison sat on her back porch enjoying the crisp autumn air and the steady stream of sunlight as she finished the last pages of "Journals of a Werewolf". Madison hadn't lied when she claimed she was a dedicated fan. She'd joined a Mercury fan club while she was in high school and had continued to love M's works even in her YA years. She'd even joined a book club that centered around Mercury's work when she'd gone to college. Her and the entire club were brushing up on the three part series and planned to read some of M's earlier Short Stories like "There's always Something else".

Madison was more than a little nervous about the day ahead. She had a meeting this afternoon at the Pumpkin Patch Café in Whiskerman's Wharf. She was meeting with her book club, Kason and Mercury's Agent. Madison had been in contact with Kason through email a few times after they'd met at the Vet clinic. Madison had been eager to share with the book club that she had met Mercury's husband. She also informed them that Kason had discussed the possibility of M doing a book signing for her new book "Court of the Slumbering Fae".

During that conversation the club had come up with a better idea. They wanted to plan a surprise award ceremony. The club even had a fan made award created. It was a statue replica of her Werewolf series. She had shared the idea with Kason, and though he thought it sounded wonderful he also knew he needed to pass it by M's agent Takara McKenna or she would blow a gasket. Might even die from cardiac arrest with how serious she took M career.

Madison: "I didn't know if I'd ever shift again. After all the wolf in me had endured I wasn't sure that he would even heed my call. But for now we were completely at peace." Never gets old.

She finishes the last lines aloud.

Paris: Are you still reading that. You've had your face plastered in that book for the last 3 days.

Madison: You should finally give it a try.

Paris waves away the idea.

Paris: Yeah, like that's going to happen.

Madison: Figures.

Paris: I came out here to show you this.

Paris shoves the screen in Madison's face. On it was an invitation to a Falling Leaves Day Party.

Paris: It's tonight and were going.

Madison: Can't I have plans.

Paris: Plans? With who?

Madison could hear the whine in her voice. She knew Paris was gearing up for a guilt trip. But Madison wasn't going to miss this meeting.

Madison: With my book club. I would invite you but considering you wont take the time to read the book it would be a waste of time.

Paris: What book club meets until 7pm?

Madison: Mine. Anything else?

Paris's crestfallen expression tugs on Madison's need to look out for her. She reigns in some of her irritation and softens her tone a little.

Madison: I'm meeting with the club in an hour at the Pumpkin Patch Café. I don't know how long we'll be, but why don't you hang out here and when I'm finished we can...

Paris takes her words as a change of heart.

Paris: I can just meet you there and we can head out. Its not that far from the café anyways.

Madison: I was going to say maybe we could catch a movie or something. Really Paris, do we have to go out every weekend. For once I'd like a quite weekend. Falling leaves day is about relaxing and bringing in Autumn. We can open a bottle of nectar here but I'm not going out.

Before the remorse could over take her and make her change her mind. Madison headed for the door. She calls over her shoulder.

Madison: I'll see you later if your still here.

PREV

NEXT

[lex-loudestwoman]

Kaylor Swiftgron: Which Muse Inspired Which Songs on Red & 1989

On the precipice of 1989 TV's release and amidst the Kaylorification of 1989 TV's rollout, I thought it'd be a good time to figure out which muses aligned to which songs. I did my research, which includes: lyrical analysis & music video analysis, the timing of when songs were written, which producers and co-writers were credited to each song, social media posts, and where the girls were in real time. Shout out to @sophietv for her incredible work on the Kaylor timelines and evidence, and to @swiftgronmasterpost and @swiftgronmasterpost for their work to outline everything from Achele to Rivergron to Swiftgron. Round of applause to you both!!

Let's get into it!! (and if you want to just see my conclusions for which songs are about which muse, scroooolllll to the bottom)

The Red Muses

2011

Red was written in two phases. First, she worked with her producer from Speak Now & Fearless, Nathan Chapman. They wrote 25 songs together between February and October 2011. She took these songs to Scott Borchetta and he congratulated her on a finished album, but she wanted to experiment with other producers and writers to play with new sounds. So, after October 2011 she started working with a handful of other producers to write more tracks for Red. Here's a breakdown of Red songs by producer.

Nathan Chapman:

State of Grace

Red

All Too Well

I Almost Do

Stay, Stay, Stay

Sad Beautiful Tragic

Starlight

Begin Again

The Moment I Knew

Girl At Home

Martin & Shellback:

I Knew You Were Trouble

22

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Message in a Bottle

Bhasker: Holy Ground

Wilson: Treacherous, Come Back...Be Here

Walker: Everything Has Changed

Lind & Bjorkland: The Very First Night

McKenna: I Bet You Think About Me

The first time we know for sure Dianna and Taylor interacted was on September 4th, 2011 at the Fairfax Flea Market, which implied that the songs Taylor wrote with Chapman weren't about Dianna.

Karlie and Taylor dated (I think) starting in the summer or early fall of 2011. I think they weren't expecting anything super serious, but it was one of those flirtations that starts out strong and feels good with them and all of the sudden you're in love and you barely believe it and feel ridiculous for knowing but you have a feeling this person is for you, maybe forever... It sounds right for Taylor who has admitted how fast & hard she tends to fall for people when she's in love.

Taylor attended the Rodarte Spring/Summer 2012 fashion show during NYFW and sat front row next to Anna Wintour on Tuesday, September 13, 2011. Karlie walked in the show (slay). This was also the day that Taylor spent with a Vogue interviewer for her iconic January 2012 Vogue Cover and Article where she is quoted as saying "I love Karlie Kloss! I want to bake cookies with her!" She said this straight after leaving the Rodarte Fashion Show.

Interestingly, Karlie was quoted in a magazine as having been introduced to Taylor Swift at the Met Gala and they joked about baking cookies together! They both attended the Met Gala in May 2011, just four months before the Rodarte Fashion Show/Vogue Interview day! So it's pretty weird that Taylor would say the exact same thing, unprompted, when she saw a photo of Karlie Kloss at a fashion designer's studio on the exact same day she sat front row for a fashion show Karlie walked in!!

I imagine that Taylor and Karlie fell into something new and beautiful and sweet by accident. The Rodarte Show was on a Tuesday, maybe they met up for coffee the next day on Wednesday, September 14th in NYC? Who's to say!

All that said, I think Begin Again is about Karlie. It was written sometime between February and October 2011, which would've been a really, really fast turnaround for it to be about Dianna. Between the music video and the lyrical connections, it's very Kaylor coded. Starlight also could plausibly be about Karlie because they attended the Met together in 2010 and 2011, and their 2011 dresses were sparkly and tbh Karlie looked hot AF.

But, let's also remember that Taylor is on tour and just got herself out of two on-again-off-again, fairly toxic relationships, and as she said herself in Begin Again that the last 8 months she's been heartbroken and scared to get hurt from love (earliest would've been June 2010-February 2011 and latest would've been February-October 2011). Plus she's not even 22 years old, so she's not necessarily good at being in relationships yet. She's in a messy place, and she falls in love like a ton of bricks.

I think that this delicate, precious new thing with Karlie didn't work out (not for malice or hurting each other, just life) and over the winter they were distant but were still in contact.

2012

On January 17, 2012 we get tweets from BOTH Karlie and Dianna about the *iconic* Vogue article. This makes me think:

1. Karlie is still interested in exploring this new relationship with Taylor

2. Dianna and Taylor have kept in touch and have a lil something something going on, a little curiosity they might want to explore

3. Taylor likes public attention, and she likes feeling wanted, and she's got two hot ass women who want her. Do you blame the girl for being messy!?!

Dianna and Taylor attend the same pre-Oscars party on February 24th, 2012, and this is where I think Swiftgron starts to take off. Dianna is all happy and heart eyes online for the next three weeks until the Speak Now Tour ends. They're spotted together frequently in March and April. The Shirley MacLaine birthday party thing happens April 25th, Dianna's circus birthday party is April 28th, and I would bet anything they started hooking up sometime these first two months. I think Holy Ground was written about Dianna's birthday party, with the note on the door with the joke we made, and that was the first day.

Taylor writes Everything Has Changed and Run on May 15th, 2012, with Ed Sheeran, and records both EHC and The Last Time on May 28th, 2012. Everything Has Changed seems Swiftgron (thanks Gaylor twt for helping me figure out that the freckles are IN Dianna's green eyes bc girl bye I was full of questions). The Last Time is almost certainly about Liz.

But Run is very Kaylor coded! The pale blue eyes, use of darling, the laugh like a child (Begin Again), locket, picture frame...

On May 31st, 2012, Dianna is bearding hard with Henry Joost to distract from her appearance with GLAAD. I have a working hypothesis that Taylor Swift hates beards and is not a fan of having to use them or be with people who have them. I just don't think it works for her with how insanely famous she is, the guys are hyperscrutinized and she's honestly not very good at being a convincing heterosexual woman. I think there's some conflict between Taylor and Dianna because of the beard.

By June 10th, 2012, Taylor has written 22, WANEGBT, and IKYWT. I am inclined to believe that WANEGBT is about Emily or Liz. Same thing with IKYWT. 22 is about her besties and living life and being carefree and embracing all of the beauty and pain of falling in and out of love and everything that is your early 20s.

We get the whole Hyannis Port x Kennedys summer week of pap walks featuring Swiftgron all over the place! But it seems like they probably break up later in July. This was a hot and cold relationship for real.

WANEGBT is released on 8/13 and Dianna tweets at Taylor (like never ever?). On September 29, 2012 Dianna and Naya Rivera are on a cheeky, lil sexy vacation in Paris. Taylor goes to Paris that same weekend to film Begin Again at the Love Lock bridge (Karlie is also in Paris but there's no evidence to show that they saw each other at all).

However, I wouldn't put it past Taylor and Karlie to have seen each other while Swiftgron was cold. Perhaps in September 2012 right around when she filmed Begin Again?

October 17, 2012 Taylor writes This Love in LA according to her diary entries. So I think This Love is about the Swiftgron reconciliation for whatever happened this summer. Things are good for a bit, they go to the Ripple of Hope gala together on December 3rd, 2012. They're pictured together on December 6th, 2012 and Dianna's all cryptic online about her secret love.

Quick Aside: Karlie and Josh have been "officially together" ever since June 2012, but they were first seen together in November 2012 when they both attended the VS Fashion Show. I'm under the impression that these gay celebrities in their early twenties only needed a beard when they were in another relationship they were distracting away from. They didn't need a beard, they could just say they were focused on friends and their career (aka 1989 era). So who was Karlie dating in mid 2012 that needed to be covered up with plausible deniability? This would've been in the works for a bit before they launched it in November 2012.

Also, super interesting that Karlie also met Taylor for the "first time" at the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, hmm? Anywayssss.

2013

I think everything Swiftgron blew up on February 14th, 2013 with the 'I Do' episode of Glee where Dianna Agron and Naya Rivera hook up on screen. Taylor made a whole big deal about this episode containing one of her songs and encouraged her fans to watch, but her song wasn't in the show (tweet was later deleted). But picture this: Happy Valentine's Day, watch your girlfriend hook up with the girl she told you not to worry about!! And then learn that they actually did hookup when y'all were on a break, like two weeks before y'all got back together!! Oooh boy!! I'm pretty sure this was what inspired Babe (in the music video Taylor was the mistress, but IRL Taylor was the main character who got cheated on instead of the mistress!!).

Dianna is a mess on Twitter after that and there might have been about two months of back & forth, maybe some breakup sex, but I think Swiftgron died dead by the time the article about them secretly dating dropped on April 16th, 2013.

The Red tour started on March 18th, 2013 and I can't imagine that made things any easier for Swiftgron. Meanwhile... I think Karlie and Taylor re-reconnected in this time period.

The 1989 Muses

2013

Taylor wrote 1989 while on tour for Red (except for This Love, according to the diary entry it was written on 10/17/2012). I think the breakup songs are about Dianna and the love songs (excluding This Love) are allllll Karlie.

If Taylor and Karlie did reconnect in Fall 2012, then Spring 2013 would be a long six months later...

Taylor and Karlie "meet for the first time" (which we have so much proof that it's not but like, okay, fine) on November 13, 2013 at the Victoria's Secret Fashion show. We know this isn't their first meeting or flirtationship, but it certainly is their first public outing to test what people say about their friendship.

Then, I'd wager Taylor plays "cat & mouse for a month or two or three" until they officially are girlfriends on March 6, 2014. Yay!!!

Songs About Dianna:

Red: Holy Ground, Everything Has Changed, Come Back...Be Here, Better Man, Babe

1989: Clean, Wonderland, All You Had To Do Was Stay, I Wish You Would

Songs About Karlie:

Red: State of Grace, Treacherous, Stay, Stay, Stay, Starlight, Begin Again, Message in a Bottle, Run, The Very First Night

1989: Welcome to New York, Blank Space, Style, OOTW, Wildest Dreams, How You Get the Girl, I Know Places, You Are in Love, New Romantics

[arambleaway]

Recently reread/caught up on The Remarried Empress and there is simply so much I am excited to see.

First and foremost, the fucking vindication I feel when we see Tyrant Heinrey popping up and the fact that he was in fact planning a war, unparalleled satisfaction. But on the flip side, with Navier, I really want her to actually put some harsh consideration into the fact that she will eventually have to go against her birth nation, because she doesn't seem to have really done that and its the one time i'm shaking my head in wonder at her lack of foresight.

The other thing that has grown even more strong is my sympathy towards Rashta. Mainly because for all the awful things she is doing, I understand her situation so clearly. She was a literal slave, and now she is trying everything she can to get out of that situation. The other thing is that I can't really be upset with her for the naivete that she carries, because no one has really attempted to educate her on the matters not found in books, outside of Duke Ergi, who is very clearly winding her up with just enough rope to let her hang herself and (potentially?) the empire. Also it frustrated me to see Sovieshu think that she was no longer innocent, because in like the next panel we see that she very much is just not in the visible cutesy way that he liked. The OTHER thing that makes me have a bunch of sympathy is seeing her give birth prematurely and going through, what seems to me, postpartum depression with no one to support or even acknowledge it. Compounded with the trauma from her first birth, its heart breaking. I really want to just pull her out of that situation and get her some therapy and community service.

And since I mentioned the man, Duke Ergi. Why do I still fucking love this man? Maybe its because through all the politics getting tangled due to the imperial family drama, he seems to be the only one keeping clear of it and pushing through for his goals. which are still??? What is this man's goal? Why did he go for Rashta? Was he meant to go for Navier at first? We have heard nothing about Bluvohan, and he is apparently the nephew of the king? Is a port really all he wants? He has Rashta majorly in his debt, and could have propped her up as his puppet in the empire but instead he is weaving her a rope to hang herself with. WHY? I should not still love this man as much as I do.

Oh and now that we've seen more of him, I have to mention Mckenna who is the MVP of the Western Empire. He theoretically has massive pull but instead of using it for himself, he is constantly working and doing his best to curb Heinrey's more destructive ideas. I love Mckenna and think he should simply get a nice vacation.

[mines-camren]

THE FIRST MEETING

Part 1

Summary: Just my take of Kate Martin and Caitlin Clark Meeting for the first time.

Rating/warning: none

Kate Martin POV

The pain was like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I was screaming like my life had ended and in that moment it really felt like it had. At a women’s Iowa basketball practice before my freshman year I tore my ACL. I’ve never had to deal with a major injury in my basketball career before, let alone a season ending one.

It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to go through but strangely it was also one of the best things that could have happened to me. Being redshirted that year and being on the bench really taught me how to be a team player and root for my teammates success. In High school I had a bit of an ego with being one of the best players and team captain, so being sidelined that year was new to me.

But it kept me humble and motivated me to get in the gym and get healthy again. By the time my sophomore year came around I was back in the rotation and getting playing time.

“Hey Martin!” coach Bluder called, “come over here for second, I gotta talk to you.”

We were finishing up a practice and I was a little nervous to be called out but kept cool as I walked up to her, “What’s up coach? Is everything okay?”

Coach was straight to the point, “We have a recruit coming for an official visit next week, her name’s Caitlin Clark and she’s someone we really want to lock down. The coaching staff and I were hoping you and some of the other girls on the team could show her around campus, maybe take her to a football game. We really think she might be the missing piece to this team.”

I had not heard of this supposed 5 star recruit but I didn’t wanna let coach down so I accepted, “Yes of course coach, the girls and I can do that! Anything to make the team better.”

“That a girl,” coach said, “I knew I could count on you, you’re starting to become a real leader for this team.”

With that, practice had ended so I walked to the locker room to change and ask my teammates if they have heard of this new recruit.

“Hey guys, have y’all heard of a girl named Caitlin Clark?”

Gabbie was the first to answer, “yeah she’s like the number 1 high school recruit in all of Iowa.”

Monika added, “the girls a point guard that can shoot from long range bit of a sniper with great handles and court vision.”

McKenna looked at me and laughed, “wow Kate I can’t believe you haven’t heard of her.”

“Well damn my bad,” I say as I finish getting dressed. “Since y’all love this Clark girl so much I’m sure you’re gonna be excited to hear this but we all our going to be her tour guides when she takes her official recruit visit!”

“Wait, really?” Gabbie said and Monika added, “We can’t mess this up guys, she’s a five star recruit. We don’t get a lot of those around here.”

Hearing Monika say that stung a little but she was right, programs like Iowa don’t get many opportunities like this and Coach was counting on me.

“Okay,” I said, “we are gonna show this girl such a good time that she won’t even think about going to any other school!”

“Oh yeah, how are we gonna do that miss captain Kate?”

“First of all thank you for calling me captain,” I flash a smile and a quick wink at Monika, “second we take her to a football game hopefully they win and third we take her to an after party where she will have the time of her life. She’ll commit to Iowa by the end of the week.”

McKenna was first to criticize my plan, “what if she doesn’t even like football or partying like you Kate, not everyone is a frat boy.” She laughed and that earned some giggles from Gabbie. I tried my hardest to glare at them but it didn’t work out.

“Okay so it’s not the best plan but it’s honestly all we got,” Gabbie said, “I think we should just be ourselves and don’t try to make her feel pressured in any way. I can only imagine the kind of pressure she’s under already.”

“Yeah you’re right,” Monika said, “we gotta make her feel comfortable.”

I clapped my hands together to get their attention, “okay great talk ladies!” I grabbed my bag to head out. “I’m glad we are all on the same page, I’m gonna go see y’all at practice tomorrow.”

As I got back to my dorm I contemplated on goggling Caitlin Clark but I decided not to. All I needed to know is that she’s crazy good at basketball and she’s considering playing for our team.

[dominustempori]

SPOILER ALERT FOR THE GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE TRAILER!! (long post, fyi)

Alright Ghostheads, I'm writing all this down now, so I won't forget all these thoughts and observations I'm having JUST a few hours after this awesome teaser for the "Afterlife sequel" has dropped.

I'm sure I'm missing some bits here, so comments are duly welcome, just don't go all negative energy on me =)

Definitely felt a similar vibe to when the first trailer for "Afterlife" came out like 2 years ago now. Normal summer day, good background music, then...sh*t happens. Even worse than that burst of PK energy from the mine shaft. And yeah, I saw bits of "Day After Tomorrow," I'd be lying if I didn't get JUST a little hint of that, but only because, you know, massive storm system overwhelming the south shore of Manhattan. But anyway.

2. I SWEAR that one building shot from the side is 55 Central Park West, aka Spook Central. Probably not significant plot wise this time, just a nod to the original movie. And considering I toured some of the filming sites on my trip to NYC this past summer, SURE looks like it!

3. Deadly icicles ripping up the streets? Like the earthquake tearing up the asphalt in the original movie only BETTER!

4. The discourse is already happening about details...I know some people like Ecto 1-A from GB2, and some fans are still angry about "they ignored it in Afterlife! It's so canon! WTF Jason Reitman?" Yeah...missing the point? [They're not DELIBERATELY ignoring GB2! I LIKED GB2! A lot! Not perfect but still I LIKE IT! Probably a lot more than other fans! The film only had so much time to focus on the past to keep the story moving, so only put in so much of the lore to help a new audience along. That's my theory I'm sticking to it.]

ANYWAY...yes the car IS the original Ecto 1, NOT the 1-A (which was WAY too busy for its own good, just sayin'). I saw the plate on a freeze frame, it's Ecto 1, the original.

5. Enter the exposition cut scenes. or whatever you want to call them. Swear to God that Patton Oswalt, Kumail Nanjiani, Dan, McKenna, and Logan are NOT at Ray's Occult Books...I mean come on look at those glass cases! It's GOTTA be the NY Public Library (throwback!) Patton's character is most likely a staff member, probably a librarian (related to Alice? God I hope so!) [GBs do their research yo! If that's one thing I love about the IDW comics, is how Ray and Egon and Kylie RESEARCH.]

That one bit with the frozen dude with the eyepatch? Looks like a flashback. Like, maybe Manhattan in the...late 1800s? Recurring hauntings is def a thing in the GB universe. Another secret society? Which, yeah, they did to death (sorry) with the Gozer thing, especially in the video game.

6. Liking all the concerned closeups. Paul Rudd still looking good, and I REALLY hope Carrie Coon as Callie has full on dropped the baggage about not having her Dad in her life. Well, mostly. Turned me off from her QUITE a bit in Afterlife, but that's just me. Finn's hair lookin' good short, love how McKenna still rocks the OshKosh look, and Logan with the retro vibe.

7. James Acaster HAS TO BE an adult Oscar. I WILL fight people on this =) Not Louis' kid, not Janine's... (well, maybe?) Peter and Dana are OFFICIALLY still a couple, what's to stop Peter from adopting the boy he saved in GB2? Or at least, maybe they have their own kid later on...? Damn I hope he's Oscar. I mean come on, this is still "Ghostbusters: the Next Generation" in my mind.

8. HAUNTED LION STATUE!!! (Yeah, that's right from Real Ghostbusters...kinda) It's the Library! And on another freeze frame...it's going after Ray (GASP!) That little elevator? Maybe they're going to...Special Collections? Remember the video game? Maybe? Squee?

9. DUDE, it's attacking GBHQ! Blew the freakin' doors off! It's gonna...NO NOT LUCKY! Dude she (they?) is getting the short end of the stick again...first she gets possessed by Zuul and now...please don't kill off Lucky, Gil! Also OGBs FTW!!! yeah Winston! bad ass mf as always! And man does Pete look proper scared. Go Bill Murray!

10. I'm presuming that the big bad/entity was originally trapped and stored in the ECU, hence the blinking red light in the post credits scene from Afterlife. And it's whatever's pushing out the cinder blocks this time around...and freezing Lucky in the basement of HQ? And it's the...thing pushing its demon horns in...(so far others are calling it a minotaur - totally NOT. this guy is so reaching, i mean an old obscure RGB comic reference from a wiki page? dude, just...no. a cross between a White Walker and Slenderman? yeah THOSE I get. I'm personally thinking some ancient demon from a summoning gone wrong...or maybe right in this case.) any case, DUDE with those icy blue staring eyes and 20 feet tall...f*ck yeah.

11. Also F*CK yeah Paul and Carrie in the jumpsuits! YES!!!

12. Alright, I can sort of buy a hidden room in Kumail's character's (presumably?) apartment, secret door at the back of a kitchen pantry with some pretty lead/silver tiling...but, what's with the horn? (SUMMONING HORN! Read the Bartimaeus Trilogy people!) and the shackles? the bells? well, yeah noise to drive away evil spirits...or not? again... SECRET SOCIETY! Or maybe Lucky and Trevor have their own place now? Nah, maybe not...wait and see I guess.

13. Dude...Paul Rudd is TALL, boy! Would like to see if they've actually gone and married...or, too soon? Nah, romantic/life partners is good.

14. I WANT THAT RED WINTER JACKET WITH THE PATCH! SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

15. Also, Paul's reaction...SO my own after watching this. He is still fanboy-ing out and I LOVE IT.

Holy hell that was a long post. First genuine reactions on the day. Online journaling. All good.

OK peeps, let me have it. What are y'all thinking?

Until March 29!

[luke-hughes43]

Just Friends | edwards x Luke!twin

Here is the Ethan fic, hope you enjoy!

Part 2 | Insta Edit

~You are Luke Hughes’s twin sister and play hockey and softball at the University of Michigan. You are very close with Luke given that you are twins. You are best friends with teammate, Ethan Edwards. You and Ethan were always flirty with each other but were always strictly friends. Until, maybe you weren’t.~

*This is a part one of I don’t know yet. Takes place freshman year.*

October, 2021

Morgan’s POV

I’m currently hanging out with my brother and our teammates. We decided to have a movie night in Ethan and Mark’s dorm, since I had a projector and Ethan didn’t put anything on his wall. I put on Miracle because we couldn’t decide on anything and I figured that everyone would be happy, and they were.

Somehow, I wound up squished between Ethan and Mark. Ethan is quite literally my best friend. We do everything together and it’s been that way since we stepped foot on campus. When we’re not in class, at hockey, or me at softball (because I’m a two sport athlete) we’re always together. 

Ethan put his arm around me and pulled me closer to him. This was a common thing we did. Me and Ethan are just friends though. I lean my head against his shoulder because I’m starting to get tired. I had 6 am weights for softball on top of three classes and hockey practice. This was a regular thing for me. I feel Ethan kiss my head (something that was also a common thing between us) and say, “Go to sleep, you had a long day. I’ll wake you when the movie is over and walk you back. Just close your eyes morgs.”

I nod and listen to him. I don’t really remember falling asleep but I remember hearing a camera click and someone that sounds like Dylan say, “They’re cute. Are we sure that they are just friends?”

“Yes. Morgan would’ve told me if she had a boyfriend. I’d know anyways, we’re twins remember.” Luke said in a ‘duh’ tone.

Mark comments. “And Ethan would’ve mentioned it. He talks about her a lot so it would’ve come up.”

“And neither Sarah or McKenna have mentioned it. So they’re just friends Dylan. Just drop it dude. Should we wake them?”

“Nah. She can stay. He’ll walk her home in the morning so it’s fine. She had a long day so let’s not disturb her. You guys should get some sleep too.” Next thing I know, I feel Ethan’s arms tighten around me and I drift back to sleep. 

January, 2022

Morgan’s POV

Now that the spring semester has started, my days have become longer as the softball team is in preseason mode. I have to rearrange my entire schedule to accommodate lift, two practices, 5 classes and games. It’s stressing me out. Hutch is letting me do individual practice with a coach. It’s pissing a lot of my teammates off because they think I’m slacking off when I’m doing double the work. They have started being bitches to me and it pisses me off.

I taught Ethan how to soft toss so that I could get BP in everyday. He’s actually pretty good at it. He throws to me every time I ask and I could not be more grateful. We’re at the cages right now since I had a break in my day. He says, “Three more morgs. Then can we be done? I have homework and we have practice at 4.”

“Only if they are good ones.”

“Ok Ms. Perfectionist.” He says with attitude. He throws them and I hit all three of them perfectly to the top right corner of the cage. I put my bat down and we pick the balls up. I turn to Ethan who’s holding the bucket, and say, “Can we go to chipotle or something? I haven’t eaten today.”

“Seriously? It’s 12:30 and you had six am lift on top of back to back classes. And we have practice today.”

“I know that Ethan. I really don’t need you telling me what my schedule is. You sound like Luke.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just worried. You need to take care of yourself morgs.”

“Ethan, I’m fine. Can we just pick these up and get food?”

“Yea. And I’m buying your lunch.”

“Ethan…”

“Not up for debate. Just help me pick these up.” I laugh and we pick the rest of them up before we head to Ethan’s car and to chipotle. He stays true to his word and buys me lunch despite me protesting. A few of the girls from the team come in and see me with Ethan. Jess comments, “Oh, little miss hockey player is here. Must be blowing off practice again. Wish I could skip like that.”

“Oh and she’s with her little boyfriend. How cute? Wonder what he thinks of her skipping practice all the time.” Sierra says. Hearing that pisses me off. I don’t know why but it just does. I say, “can we go?” Ethan says, “yea. Are you ok?” I shake my head no and he says, “Ok. Let’s go then, yea?”

I nod and he holds my hand and leads me out to the car but we don’t get in it. He pulls me in for a hug and I relax under his touch. I think I’m developing feelings for him and it scares me. Ethan rubs my back and whispers, “Hey, it’s ok. Morgs, you’re ok.”

He kisses my head and I pull away no longer wanted to hit something. I wipe the tears that I apparently shed. He forces me to look at him and he asks, “What happened back there? I’ve never seen you mad like that before.”

“I told you about the softball team basically hating me because of me doing individual practices right?” He nods so I continue, “Well, they’ve been making comments and shit. I usually use it as motivation but it’s been getting to my head. Only Luke knows. He’s the only one I wanted to know. And now you.”

“So then what just happened?”

“Two of the girls in there were on the team and made comments about how I must be skipping practice again and how I’m with my little boyfriend as they refer to you as and said something about what you must think about me skipping practice. That’s not even the worst thing that’s been said. I’m just done with it, all of it Ethan. Sometimes I wish I just played hockey and never played softball in the first place. I can’t keep doing this, it doesn’t feel worth it anymore Eddy.” 

He pulls me back in for a hug and he says, “you know that they aren’t right morgs. You are the hardest working person I’ve ever met. It takes real talent, skill, dedication, and sacrifice to play two division one sports like you’re doing. We’re extremely proud of you. Luke for damn sure is. He brags about you when you’re not around. I’m proud of you too. Don’t let them get in your head. I know it sucks. But you’ve worked so hard for this. Hutch knows that, she knows knows that your putting in double the work. It’s gonna pay off. And I’ll be at every damn game, cheering the loudest for number 6 who is my best friend in whole fucking world.”

I mutter, “thank you.” We pull away and head back to school so try and get homework done before practice. I mean we are students too. I hope he’s right and that everything will pay off in the end.

April, 2022

Morgan’s POV

Today is our rivalry game against State. The whole hockey team is here. I’m excited. Ever since our season ended, they’ve been at every home game and even traveled when we played State at State. These boys really do have my back and I love them for it.

Ethan was right, I got this. Bottom of the seventh, tied at 0, two outs. I get down to my last strike. The pitcher winds up and I get my bat on the ball, sending it over the fence, to win the game. As I’m rounding first base, I hear from the stands, “That’s my best friend right there. WOO! Go blue!”

I shake my head at my Ethan. I can hear Luke too, “That’s my twin right there. Hell yea morg! Go blue!” I turn and see Ethan and Luke chest bump. God I hate them sometimes. But they pulled up like they promised so I deal with it. I approach third base and get ready to high-five Hutch as I jog by. Literally the whole hockey team is on their feet cheering for me especially since we just beat State.

“That’s our girl.” I hear from Nolan Moyle.

“WOO! That’s my girl right there! Number 6 on the field, number 1 in my heart! I love you morgs!” I hear from Ethan fucking Edwards. Oh my god. Ethan is definitely drunk. I laugh it off and get greeted by the team. They're happy but I think it’s because we won, not because I hit a walk off. 

It sucks because straight up only like 6 girls like me. Alex, McKenna, Audrey, Kaylee, Sarah, and Ella. Alex is transferring and using her 5th year somewhere else so I’m losing one of my girls. It’s tough but I got my boys.

After we shake hands and everything, I head to the locker room and grab my backpack. I usually just change at the house after games. I go out to all of the boys waiting for me. Ethan comes running over and engulfs me in a huge hug. He reeks of beer. He says, “I’m so proud of you.”

“Party at my house at 9 morgan. Invite whoever. We’re celebrating.” J Bone says. J Bone and his parties. I nod and text my girls and tell them. I ask them not to tell the other girls because I wanted to drink and get drunk tonight. 

*At J Bone’s*

I walk in and everybody cheers for me. I immediately get a drink put in my hand by the bone man himself. J Bone stands up by the speakers and. He says, “Alright, everybody shut up for a sec. For those who don’t know, our girl Morgan Hughes, is a two sport athlete. She dominates on the ice for us and kicks ass on the softball field. Today she hit a walk off homerun to beat State. So this is for her. A toast to our superstar. To Morgan!”

“To Morgan!” Everyone toasts me, making me blush. He gets down and turns the music back on. I immediately down my drink and get another before finding my girls. I get greeted in a hug by them. McKenna says, “Ethan is staring.” 

“He’s staring at you with heart eyes.” Alex says.

“He’s my best friend. He’s also drunk and probably just horny. Let’s not talk about Ethan.” I say.

“As you wish.” Audrey says. We start dancing together. After about two hours, I’m like 7 or 8 in and drunk as fuck. I feel hands go on my hips and someone behind me. I start dancing on them. I’m feeling extra confident, probably the booze. Oh I’m definitely not gonna remember any of this tomorrow. I turn and see my best friend, Ethan Edwards. Neither of us have a problem with this since we’ve always been flirty with each other. We stay like that for a bit before Ethan whispers, “I’m gonna get another, do you want one?”

“Yes please.” I say and kiss his cheek. I could smell the alcohol on him. I also say, “I’m gonna go find Luke while I can still kinda walk.”

“Ok. Just stay there until I come with your drink.” He says kissing my cheek this time. I stumble through the house to find my brother talking with J Bone, Chic, Moyle, Keato, and Grano. I stumble into him saying, “Lukey!” He grabs me smiling, “Morgy. Having fun?”

“Fuck yea. J Bone, your a g man. Sick fucking party.” I say slurring my words. The guys laugh. J Bone says, “Thanks lady Hughes. How many have you had?”

“Uh, I can’t count that high J Bone. Ethan went to get me another one.”

Moyle says, “Oh boy. Good to know.”

“Was he drunk at my game? He seemed it.” I asked. Luke laughs and says,“Yes. You’re staying at my house tonight by the way. You have no choice.”

I say, “Ok.” “You doing ok?” He asks being a little concerned. I nod, “I’m doing great. Has Ethan been drinking all day?” Luke laughs, “Oh yea. He started when he got out of class. I’ve never seen him drink this much.”

“Oh. Can I tell you a secret? But you have to promise not to tell Ethan.” I say. He looks at me smiling, “Twin promise.”

“Boys, block your ears. Lukey’s ears only.” They laugh and then block their ears. I pull Luke down closer to me since he’s so fucking tall and whisper in his ear, “I’m in love with Ethan.”

“I knew that morgy. It’s obvious. You just play it off as best friends. But you’re both drunk so make a move. You both won’t remember so no harm no foul.”

“This is why your my favorite. Your so smart.”

“Glad I can help.” He taps J Bone and they unplug their ears. I stumble over my own feet and Moyle grabs me before I fall. “Woah, you ok lady Hughes?”

“I’m fucking wonderful Moyle. We beat State, there’s no reason to not be ok.”

They all laugh and I hug Luke. He wraps one arm around me to keep me from falling over. Ethan eventually finds us and hands me my drink. I say, “Oh yay! You just became my favorite. Sorry not sorry Luke.” Ethans wraps an arm around me pulling me into him. I smile and say, “Let’s dance Ethan.” We walk off towards the dance floor. 

Luke’s POV

I use Morgan going off with Ethan as my opportunity to make a move on McKenna. We’ve been flirting for a few months but I really like her and want her to be my girl. 

I see her dancing with the girls so I go up behind McKenna and whisper in her ear, “Hey baby.” and then kiss her cheek. She turns and smiles at me. “Hey lukey. Finally come to hit the dance floor?”

“Just for you baby.” I say a smirk and pull her close to me.

I grab her hips to dance along with her. She looks up and at me smiles. She reaches up and runs her fingers through my hair. I look down at her with a smirk, “Can I kiss you McKenna?” She nods and I lean in to kiss her.

Morgan’s POV

I look to my right while dancing with Ethan and see Luke kissing McKenna. What the fuck? She’s my best friend. A heads up would’ve been nice. I point it out to Ethan, “He’s kissing her. She’s my best friend.”

“So then kiss his.”

“I am not kissing Dylan.”

“I meant me morgs.”

“Oh. ok.” He leans in and kisses me. I have a feeling that we are both so drunk that we aren’t gonna remember this in the morning. I can taste the beer on his lips. Everything is so fuzzy right now, but I think that’s the alcohol. I don’t remember us stopping but somehow I’m in Luke’s car and cuddled into Ethan’s side in the back while McKenna is in the front seat holding luke’s hand. I’m cold, tired, drunk. “Ethan I’m cold.”

“I know baby. We’re almost at the house. I’ll give you a sweatshirt to sleep in.”

“Thank you. Can I stay with you tonight?” I plead.

“Yea.” Luke pulls into the driveway and has to help us both inside. Ethan almost falls over getting out which is problematic to say the least. I do fall over getting out. “Ow. Ethan why’d you let me fall?”

“I tried baby.”

“No you didn’t. Neither did you Luke, your a bad brother.”

“Morgan, come on. Your drunk and it’s cold. You need to get to bed.” He says trying to get me up. Ethan comes over and tries to help too. I swat their hands away and try to get up myself. I say, “I can take care of myself. And I’m not that drunk.”

“Morgan, seriously. Stop being difficult.”

“I can take care of myself Luke. Just because we’re twins doesn’t mean I need you every second of every day. I’m 18. I don’t need you anymore.”

“Stop being fucking difficult Morgan. Just let us fucking help you. You’re black out drunk right now and don’t know what your doing. Stop being a stubborn bitch, shut up, and just let us fucking help.” He snaps at me. He’s never snapped at me like that. I stand up and lean against Ethan. I snap back at Luke, “Fuck you Luke. Go to hell. Don’t talk to me like that.”

Ethan and I stumble our way up to Ethan’s room. He hands me a sweatshirt and I change for bed. I’ll deal with makeup later. “Hey Ethan?” He looks at me with a raised eyebrow. I kiss him one last time for the night and say, “Good night.”

“Good night.” We climb into bed and drift off to sleep.

I wake up the next morning and I’m in Ethan’s sweatshirt and cuddled into Ethan. I look under the covers and check that we are both wearing clothes which is a relief but I don’t remember anything from last night. I don’t even remember getting here. What the fuck happened last night?

I hear Ethan moving next to me, “Why do I feel like I was hit by a bus?”

“I don’t know. Last thing I remember is being at J Bone’s with McKenna and the girls. What do you remember?” I say rubbing my eyes. 

“I remember your brother scolding me for pregaming your game. And I remember your homerun. After that, couldn’t tell you.”

We laugh and then drag ourselves downstairs. I see Luke sitting on the couch watch tv with McKenna. When the fuck did she get here? Luke hears us and says, “Morning. Tylenol is on the counter.”

“Indoor voices.” I say rubbing my temple trying to sooth the headache. I grab the Tylenol and chug some gatorade. Ethan does the same and we both feel like death. I groan and lean against him hugging him. He hugs me back and asks Luke, “What happened last night? Neither of us remember anything.”

“Well, eddy you blacked out at like five from your day drinking. You guys spent most of J Bone’s party with each other. We had eyes on you since you both were blacked out. I was sober and drove home. You guys fell asleep within a half hour of being home.”

I zoned out like halfway through Luke talking. I need food or I’m gonna puke. I use ethan’s chest to hide the light because of my headache. I groan and say, “I’m starving. Can we get food?”

“Yea. I’ll drive. I’m good to drive I promise.”

“Ok.” We got into his car and drove off the get breakfast. He paid for mine, like he usually does no matter my protests. And we head back to the house. I take it nothing happened last night because Luke would’ve said something. We go to Ethan’s room and I cuddle into him to sleep this hangover off.

At least I can chalk up anything I did last night to being drunk. I’m just hoping that I didn’t blurt out that I’m in love with him.

(I have a part 2 ready and currently working on part 3 if anyone's interested)

[awarnin]

hii could you write a declan mckenna imagine??

literally anything you want lmao

(maybe friends to lovers?)

Take It Slow | DECLAN MCKENNA X FEM! READER

warning: they never kiss???? lmao does that count??? help

author's note: my longest one shot yet!! I hope you like it, it took me a long time to make this request because I didn't have enough inspiration to do it at the time, but POOF! it arrived. Thank you for your request, sweetheart, lmk your opinion:)

wordcount: 5.4k

.

Declan let out a long sigh as he tossed his keys onto the small table by the front door. It had been a long day at the studio, and he was more than ready to unwind. As he shuffled toward the kitchen to grab a beer from the fridge, he noticed a note stuck to the freezer door, written in the messy handwriting of his housemate:

"Out with some friends tonight. Don't wait up! :)"

Declan smiled to himself, glad that you were out enjoying yourself. Not that he minded the quiet; after the chaos of the studio, the calm was a welcome change of pace.

Popping open the beer, Declan grabbed his phone and wallet from the counter and headed to the back porch. The spring night was mild, with a soft breeze stirring the new leaves on the trees. He scrolled aimlessly through social media as he drank, letting the peacefulness of the neighborhood seep into his bones.

It was in that moment of peace that Declan's mind inevitably drifted to thoughts of you, as it had been lately. His housemate and best friend for five years. In recent months, Declan had begun to see you in a new light, noticing little details that had never caught his attention before: the way you nose crinkled when you laughed or the gestures you made with your hands while explaining something.

He knew these thoughts were dangerous territory; your friendship was too important to risk over uncontrolled feelings. Still, Declan found himself daydreaming more and more about what could happen if you took that next step beyond friendship. He wondered if her smile would be just as soft and bright pressed against his lips as it was when you smiled at him from across the room.

Shaking his head with a resigned chuckle, Declan took another long sip of beer. Fantasizing about his housemate and friend was a road best left untraveled. Any fleeting attraction he felt would fade over time, as crushes do, and their easy comfort would remain.

At least, that's what he told himself. But the truth was, in the past few months, that warmth in his chest every time you walked into a room had only grown more persistent instead of fading. He was playing a dangerous game, ignoring these feelings for the sake of keeping things simple between you. And he wondered if maybe, just maybe, you felt it too beneath the surface of their familiar routines.

Finishing his beer with a sigh, Declan stood up to head back inside for the night. As he passed by the living room window, a movement in the side yard caught his eye. Squinting through the dimming twilight, he spotted a lone figure tossing something for a small, excited bundle of fur.

"Speak of the devil" Declan thought with a private smile. Grabbing his keys once again, he slipped outside and casually walked toward the old tree where you were playing with the neighbor's dog.

"Hey," he greeted softly as he approached. Her bright smile in response warmed him inside.

"Hey. Just keeping Max entertained while Claudia finishes her shift." You tossed the tennis ball once more as the dog eagerly chased after it. Straightening up from where you had been crouching, your smile turned questioning. "Want some company? I could use a break."

Declan smiled back easily, gesturing toward the house. "The door's open. I'll put the kettle on."

Later, as you sat together on the porch swing, cups of tea in hand, Declan found himself relaxing into their familiar rhythm. Your presence beside him was as comforting as ever. You chatted about nothing in particular as the spring night deepened around you, and the neighbor's dog had long since been called home.

And yet, there was something different in the air between you, a subtle shift that made Declan newly aware of every accidental brush of your arms or knees. He glanced over at you and found you gazing at the darkening lawn, your profile softly illuminated by the porch light, and once again, he wondered if you felt it too. That nagging suggestion that your comfortable familiarity could blossom into something deeper.

Before he realized what he was doing, Declan broke the serene silence. "Have you ever wondered..." He trailed off as you turned your inquisitive eyes toward him. How to continue without ruining this delicate thing growing between you?

Taking a deep breath, Declan pressed on gently. "If we took that next step, what it would be like. You and me." Your silence was thoughtful rather than surprised, as if you too had considered this inevitable question. You smiled sadly. "I know it's complicated. Our friendship means everything. I just had to ask, I guess."

For a long moment, you said nothing, once again looking out at the shadowy garden. Then, hesitantly, you said, "I've wondered too. What we have... it's important. But I think..." You turned then, meeting his eyes meaningfully. "What if we tried? Just to see."

Declan's heart swelled at the sight of the shy hope in your smile, in the longing that mirrored his own. Slowly, giving you time to change you mind, he reached for your hand that rested on the swing between you. Your fingers intertwined, warm and certain.

"We take it slow," Declan murmured. "See where this goes before making any big decisions. If it feels right, we'll keep going. And if not..."

"We stay as we are. Best friends, always." You gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "No matter what."

Declan mirrored your soft smile, feeling lighter than he had in a long time, just holding your hand in the quiet of the porch. Whatever happened, he knew that as long as you stayed by his side, he would be okay.

.

[pennyserenade]

Book ask: 11, 12, 21!

11. What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read?

I'm embarrassed to admit it, being that I have an English degree and all, but Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Surprisingly, it was never a text that I got around to reading in any of my years of schooling, but I really took to it and resonated with it when I read it this year!

12. Any books that disappointed you?

Saying disappointed feels too strong a word, because I did enjoy the novel overall, but I was a bit let down by Evenings and Weekends by Oisín McKenna. Everyone was saying that it was the best thing they read all year, and they compared it to Sally Rooney (who I'm a massive fan of). I did think it was pretty good, but there were too many unnecessary narratives going on, and it made the entire thing feel so cluttered at times.

21. Did you participate in or watch any booklr, booktube, or book twitter drama?

No, I'm a relatively boring person in all realms of my life. I can't even really begin to tell you any drama that was taking place in any of those communities, which is rare for me. I'm never personally in it, but I'm always watching at the scene of the crime. Not this year, though; maybe the next.

[filmorgue]

Chapter 4 "FilMorgue"

F: Damnit *mumbles* I guess I did miss everything

She hears belief chuckling and someone clearing their throat.

R: I wouldn't say that. Just the usual boring speech but for the most part you right on time.

The red head smile down at Flint as the other nodded her head in agreement. Flint gave them both a warm smile before taking a step towards them.

F: Oh thank goodness, by the way my name, Flint Lockwood. It's a pleasure to meet you both.

R: Hello Flint, I'm Rhiannon Mckenna

D: My names Daphne Halliwell. And it's a pleasure to meet you too

Flint smile at the duo then open her mouth to speak but paused. Carefully thinking about her next words.

F: *clears throat* Hopefully I'm not rude for asking but I'm curious....do you have any....umm...specialties?

D: Specialties? *giggles* if you meant "techniques" then yes. I am a seer. I can see into the past and future.

F: Wow that's cool

R: I'm a werewolf and you must be..mortal

Flint was taken back, she blushes.

F: How can you tell?

R: I can smell it on you. *chuckles* Sorry didn't mean to sound rude. I just have a really good nose.

Didn't take long for Mack to intervene considering his good hearing plus the fact he was still standing behind them. He was blessed with two "magnetic" sights.

M: Well hello pretty lady. Couldn't help but overhear you ladies chatting amongst yourselves. I'd like to properly introduce myself, I'm Mack Starnes, I'm a werewolf too and a twin to add. Excuse my sister, Leona, she just excited to be here. Speaking of which, I should be keeping an eye on her. Sorry to leave so sudden but you ladies have a nice day

With that, he was off to hunt down his sister. The girls just look at each other then laugh.

F: Maybe we should be heading in as well?

R/D: After you

@sadraccoon061 Rhiannon, @invisiblequeen Starnes Twins, and @batvalkorey Xen

previous/next

[evenmyhivemindisempty]

Oooh, oooh, anon asks! For the Boyd Holbrook Characters' Union, after a rough scene of any sort, what kind of comfort/aftercare would be most effective for each one?

Steve Murphy: Ooh I get the sense Steve gets a little snappish on the heels of a rougher scene. He’s feeling a little brittle, but maybe can’t always tolerate a ton of overt comfort - he’d like to get the chance to distract himself by burying his attention in his work for a little! If his partner sticks around while he does that, and maybe silently fixes him a drink and eventually gives him a neck massage when he’s ready, that’s ideal for Steve!!

Donald Pierce: Oh Pierce absolutely wants comfort and sweetness, but he does *not* want his partner to directly mention the scene, besides maybe a fond, apologetic “aw, baby, sorry for hurting you”. He doesn’t want a debrief, he doesn’t want to have to say what parts he liked or didn’t. He just wants to cuddle against someone, and have them bring him snacks and let him pick the movie while they pet his hair and act like they adore him. They’ve gotta act sort of grateful he let them use him!

Cap Hatfield: Aww, I think it depends how zonked Cap is after. If he’s really tired, he’d like to curl up next to his partner and sleep back-to-back. Otherwise, if he’s got some energy in him, he’d very much appreciate some alone time. Perhaps his partner could maybe clean his gun or shine his shoes while he’s off in the woods, though? That would be nice.

Clement Mansell: Oh man, if there’s any sort of degradation or meanness in the scene, it’s absolutely imperative his partner almost immediately assures him that they didn’t mean any of it. They think Clement is great! Clement is their favorite! Of course they don’t think he’s <X thing they told him earlier>! Yes, they would love to hear Clement sing, that’d be awesome.

The Corinthian: Here’s the thing, the Corinthian definitely appreciates some cuddles after a rough scene, but he’s also hella liable to be snappish and often downright lethal after being put through the sexual wringer. Maybe he’ll hurt you physically! Maybe he’ll just hurt your feelings! Maybe he’ll melt into your arms! Hard to say!! It’s a gamble!!

Eli Klaber: Klaber appreciates being pampered! Nothing makes him feel better than his partner treating him like a princess after some rough play – drawing him a hot bath, getting him some wine, maybe giving him a foot rub.

Ty Shaw: Aww Ty likes physical affection! Cuddles! Massages! Smooches! But he *also* loves being taken out on an actual facts date after. That’s the best way to make him feel completely at ease with his partner and what they did - they love him! They wanna spend quality time with him! They wanna take him out on public outings and buy him expensive Italian food and take him on a picnic! Frankly, it doesn’t even really matter *what* the date is - sometimes a joint Costco run does the trick!

Quinn McKenna: Quinn would like to hang out quietly - light cuddling optional - for about five minutes, and then do a thorough debrief, and then play some video games.

[jamminvroomvroom]

george + 14

make me your queen - declan mckenna

GR63 x reader

warnings: none

tysm for the request!

you’d always wanted something more from george, a morsel of his attention, a second of his time, had done ever since you were 15 and you raced against him for the first time.

throughout all of your years in motorsport, you could never seem to break the ice with him. you’d befriended lando, alex, countless other drivers that you raced against, but george was different. he wouldn’t give you the time of day, and even now, when you shared a garage and a team, he would barely acknowledge you past what your media duties dictated.

you were gearing up for quali in a rainy belgium, helmet heavy in your hands when you caught him looking. you thought you were imagining it at first, knowing that you meant less than nothing to him, despite the way your stomach turned as you entertained the fantasy. it was embarrassing, really, crushing on a guy, your teammate, that had barely said two words to you in ten years. as you adjusted your race suit, you realised that no, he definitely was looking.

you quirked an eyebrow, and all he did was smirk. butterflies danced in the pit of stomach and you got in the car, wondering. hoping.

-

p5 on a rain soaked grid was not bad, not bad at all.

you jumped out of the car met with countless pats on the back and a ruffle of your frizzy hair. you were grinning ear to ear, finally proving just how strong you could be, even in such a shitty car. your eyes scanned parc ferme, as much as you tried to pretend you weren’t looking for him, but you couldn’t pretend that you hadn’t been thinking about the way his blue eyes followed you earlier in the garage, taking you in, observing that way you fell into your own little bubble.

it felt like he’d finally, properly seen you. looked at you for the first time.

and then, there he was. he’d be lining up p7, just behind you. you thought your eyes were deceiving you as he got closer and closer to you, closing the usual vast distance that you maintained.

“p5, huh?” george’s voice had you transfixed and almost in shock; it was rare that he actually spoke to you.

“yeah, just about.” you smiled, polite, cautious, just about holding it together.

“could have had you.” he teased. yes, yes you could have me.

“try a bit harder next time and you’ll get me.” you don’t know where you found the confidence to make a joke, especially such a suggestive one, but the way his eyes widened so briefly, and his lips pulled into an all too familiar smirk, you knew you’d made the right choice.

“maybe i could get you dinner tonight, you know, for out-qualifying me.” he sounded overconfident, but it wasn’t all there, something else creeping into his tone. nerves?

your mouth fell open, closed, and then open again, like a fish out of water. you were blindsided, desperately confused. he looked regretful, fearing that he’d colossally fucked up, but then your brain kicked in and your mouth caught up.

“seems only fair,” you grinned. “you know, because i out-qualified you.”

“it’s a date.” george winked, and then he was gone, swallowed up by the crowd of people.

you stood there, blinking, wondering if you’d imagined it. it was possible, you supposed. but it was real. it was very real. it had only taken you a long decade, but george russell was taking you for dinner, and maybe, just maybe, you’d be his.

[stormxpadme]

Whumptober 2024 No. 25 - Stitches

06/05/2018

“This might sting a little.” Toad hadn't even finished his obligatory warning yet when he tightened the bandage around Jedda's chest already.

That his patient barely batted a lid, just like the whole time already although he'd had to be very generous with needle and stitches today, earned her a nod of appreciation.

To Mystique, the girl, in spite of the latter's allegedly oh-so-famous heroic ancestors, might be only means to an end for some paranormal nonsense in the desert sand, which at best would turn out to be nothing more than an LSD dream. But in the Brotherhood's front lines, with enough training, she might indeed do quite well for herself someday. Cannon fodder, one could never have enough of.

“Good girl. Come back tomorrow.” His thoughts with his next project already, Toad disinfected and put away his instruments with a routine that had never failed to make him laugh himself. He knew only too well just how stupid he looked in scrubs. That he of all people would work as a doctor one day? You couldn’t make this shit up if you tried. Stealing and fumbling with machines of any kind, that had always been so much easier than bothering with a serious profession.

But after Alkali Lake, and then after the Inferno, once Mystique had had started her work in the White House, facing quite the headwind at first after the assassination of President McKenna, who had admittedly done a lot for mutants ... The man had clearly not been the brightest tool in the shed. Guy had gotten himself shot from behind on the day of his greatest triumph, what more did you need to know? But he'd had helped them; even Mystique had had to admit that. After his public death a few weeks later, which had of course been unavoidable, laws regarding mutants had been sharpened considerably. In the first few months of Mystique's term in office, every doctor's visit had required more effort than a damn green card, despite Mystique's enthusiastic efforts.

So Mystique had asked Toad to train as a country doc or something. Nothing complicated, just the basics. Grudgingly and reluctantly, Toad had set to work because he'd had nothing better to do at the time anyway, and had been surprised to find that it had been fun, so much fun that he'd earned his general medicine PhD at the end of some lengthy and arduous education at a college where mutants could at least show up in disguise. Since then, it was no longer a challenge to wash out a few oversized cuts after a mission like the one in Alaska earlier and patch them up so that everyone in his team could continue to function as he or she was supposed to. With a little more time, Toad could in fact have even become a surgeon back then, but that had been when the construction work at Watergate and recruitment had just had entered their hot phase, and Mystique had needed him. Maybe he would catch up with that at some point. Fixing broken things was fun, it was as simple as that. “What's next?” he asked Pyro, who of course had had to hold his mate's hand. Usually, Toad wasn't particularly interested in what was going on in the boss' office; he preferred his privacy and letting off steam at the front whenever it came to it. But right now, tension was rising with each passing day; Mystique was becoming unpredictable. He at least wanted to know when to expect the big show to begin.

“Everett is doing research about Rome.” Pyro just couldn't help leering at Jedda's impressive cleavage until she'd finally put her blouse back on. ”You'll start working on the data as soon as we got anything. Mystique wants to be sure that this freak virus that has offed these kids in that mutant camp can't fuck with us. The final test run with the Field, we'll start tomorrow. There's severe weather warnings, gotta make the best of that. We can't attract attention, otherwise we'll have the X-Men breathing down on our neck again.”

“Otherwise,” Toad repeated, shaking his head. ”What else do you dream about at night, kid? Don't we have bigger things to worry about right now than challenging Westchester again without proper preparation? What do we do if the virus is as dangerous as it looks? Our ventilation system isn't exactly the best on the market.”

“Stop shitting yourself, Kermit.” The corners of his lips pulled down disparagingly, Pyro trotted toward the door, tugging his bed bunny along, conspicuously quickly though at this subject apparently a little more serious than expected after all. ”Mystique's gonna sneak into the Xavier mansion next chance she gets to look over the X-Men's shoulder. If we run into trouble, they'll be in it first, you can bet your ass. And they'll probably solve it before we do. So let's indulge in a little spying for a good cause for a change. If anyone's looking for us, we're not available for an hour or so.”

“Can't you guys do your mating rituals at night like every other primate?” Toad grimaced in disgust.

Pyro waved him goodbye with his middle finger held high, without looking back.

After another thoughtful glance at the boy's scrawny shoulders tightened in unease, and remembering how intimidated even the Phantom's usually so fearless daughter had just looked at merely the mention of some artificially created sickness, Toad decided that his new pocket radiation blaster could wait for another few hours and pulled up the Watergate network file on Black Breath on his PC. No, it actually wasn’t any of his business how his boss ran things in their organization. And so far he'd always had managed to get out of the way when for whatever reason, the air in the Brotherhood had gotten really thin for once. But there were certain weapons that could even steal the latter from his resilient lungs in an instant. With such a potential threat on his doorstep, even an opportunist like Toad was ready, for a change, to rather make sure that the mutants would get ahead of the pathological destructive rage of normal people this time.

*********

None of them said a word until they'd reached the training facilities with the holo-projectors and Pyro had locked the door with his personal code. At least a few minutes, he didn't want any interruptions while he went over a few basic rules with his partner. That usually worked best in the shape of a little sparring. Jedda's spy work in her former superhero group had enabled Toad to develop this special alien technology; at such stuff, that amphibian freak was really a damn genius. Even Pyro had to admit that who couldn't stand the dude's guts. In such a creative environment, even something as hated as a workout was fun. But before Jedda and he would prepare for the next hostile encounter, Pyro wanted to know what the latter would look like. Instead of a holo file, he looked up a recent newspaper image of the leader of his enemies and the guy's bitch in the network, which showed the daughter of these two insects, too. The three of them were doing so much PR work that it was absolutely impossible not to run into it, no matter how hard you tried. Pyro transformed the picture into a holo-projection, not the best, but the face of that still so young and already so annoying girl was clearly visible. “Do you even know who you were messing with today, baby?”

Jedda circled the slightly flickering, transparent image of her enemies with a condescending smile, tilting her head his way. Actually, he should know her better, that expression said. The theoretical training at Mystique's military school had been easy for her; her striking wits were a big part of that fascination she held for him. In addition to her physical … advantages, of course, earned in many disciplined years of training. For this short private debriefing, too, she didn't take a normal, comfortable position, but rather chose to sit down on the solid metal ground and bend her legs forward over her shoulders, holding her arms around her ankles so that little more of her face than carefully bleached hair and attentive sparkling eyes were visible. A lazy bubble gum came from her always slightly sore lips. “Your network photos are distorted. I'd thought she was taller. Little flea is damn fast with that blade though. Any weaknesses?”

Pyro shrugged, not particularly interested. Since Mystique had sold the Brotherhood to the public as a club of limp dicks, it wasn't much fun anymore to theoretically imagine all the ways you felt like offing your enemies, because it rarely came to that anyway. “The typical weather-witch disease. Claustrophobia, like Storm. Mystique helped that a little back then.”

“Now we're talking. Wanna create a setting with her for me, baby? You can use the practice with the holo-technology, and I need to let off some steam.” Jedda took her sword from its scabbard, fighting the pain in her injured arm and on her back with gritted teeth.

“Not until you tell me what you're up to. Stop deflecting. Why is that girl so interesting to you? You know what Mystique told you. No unnecessary bloodshed as long as the Field isn’t ready. Right now, the last thing we need is Westchester sticking any noses in our business again.”

“I know, you can un-knot your panties. These people only were in the way. We were running low on fuel; we simply couldn’t wait until they were finally done salting the snow with their drama.” Jedda tried her best look from under her lashes, forgetting though that Pyro was pretty much the only one in here whom she'd never managed to fool with her sweet, childlike naivety. That he was the one who heard her talking, screaming, and crying in her sleep. Who silently watched her hack electronic opponents into bloody little pieces of guts and skin. When he only raised a brow at her, she sighed resignedly, got back up, and let the blade of her sword swirl around her body until the bright light of the hall was reflected in it and painted dancing white swirls on her deeply tanned face. “Always ruining the surprise. Father's ring set off an alarm in my pocket earlier when I looked the girl in the eye. She's a dreamwalker too, Imma bet my mission bonus on that. And I'm also pretty sure that she and I have been with people from the same Age a few times. This is exactly the person I was looking for to refresh my memories of the Era that is so interesting to Mystique. But don't tell her yet. That's gonna be an awesome payday for you. Bet she'll be happy that it's this girl, of all people, that we need to get our hands on. I mean, it was because of that psycho family that Magneto gave up back then.”

“More or less.” An absent tone crept into Pyro's voice as he recalled that memorable defeat in Washington right after the Inferno, which he himself hadn’t even been able to be around for because he'd still been lying in the hospital with a cut-up face, lost in pain deliriums at that time.

He wondered if that delusional retiree had seen it coming when the others had flown to the Capital back then. Magneto had faced his greatest defeat one time too many, it was as simple as that. The weather was something you didn’t challenge. Especially not when it had one of the most destructive mutants on Earth at their side.

And if you valued your life, you definitely didn’t try to ghost the brat of these two nuisances, but hopefully, it would be some time before Pyro would have to slow down Jedda a little in that regard. Mystique notoriously had started to pick her battles very carefully, unlike a certain former leader of the Brotherhood. “Actually, old Mags was already pretty much at the end already when they finally ruined his research into artificial mutation for good and he quit, but Raven sees that differently.”

“Oh, I certainly hope so.” A pleased grin lit up Jedda's bright eyes. The tip of her tongue passed over her lips in an unconscious gesture, the glistening of her glands having them shine in that very attractive shade that Pyro had had to resist so arduously more than once. Now, too, he'd have so much rather put his tongue down the girl's throat instead of having to discuss the principles of warfare with her so amateurishly. But since he wasn't suicidal enough to try the former, he might as well give the latter a try. The reminder that there would never be anything as simple as a kiss between them, because Jedda had had a very lousy encounter with a poisonous snake as a child and had had to be cured by her tribe in Kenya with very radical means, already put him back in a bad enough mood for it. “So, what's with the bid deal about this damn temple in Egypt? You of all people should know that no matter what Mystique hopes to find in some buried treasure trove, nothing will come from that. What is it that you're trying to achieve, Phantom?”

A small twitch around Jedda's eyes revealed that she understood the clear distance that her equally hated and beloved code name created between them, that the time for teasing was over. Her smile fading, her eyes flickered to the mirrored wall behind which the control room of the holo-room was hidden. Where Mystique spent most of her time when she was at Watergate. “What you never had the balls for. I'm sick of watching this. She treats you like a dirty slave, and you let her.” Her gloomy gaze went back in his direction and turned into surprise and pain when a hard punch hit her cheek. “Exactly. This is exactly how you should stand up to her just once.” Her lips tight, she touched the reddened spot, and took a demonstrative step away from him, with hurt pride, incomprehension, shock in his eyes, and anger, and none of that was new. Unfortunately, it wasn't the first time something like this had happened between them.

Which was why it had been long since Jedda had last been able to fool Pyro by turning away in offense, only to whirl around him in the next moment and try to bring him down with a hard kick from behind, cursing when he dodged just in time and grabbed her arm to keep her at a distance.

Yeah, sometimes Pyro did notice the age difference between them after all. He snorted in amusement, followed by a muffled cry of pain when a blow right to his solar plexus hit him the second he wasn’t paying full attention, which would leave at least a severe bruise. He saw stars for a moment as his legs were pulled out from under him after all and Jedda was kneeling over him immediately, her curvy, lean body wriggling against his, provoking inevitably growing heat in his loins, while her elbow cut off his air, her raised eyebrows challenging him to strike back. Not today. Pyro raised his hands in surrender, the fighting spirit at least on his part already gone, and appreciatively patted Jedda's cute behind for her not-even-that-badly executed maneuver before he let her pull him up again. Well, this was how things could have been between them just as well if the girl hadn't had such a big mouth. He would make up for his somewhat rude first reaction later, once they'd end up in bed later. And before that, he would straighten out this pretty little head, which had apparently been shaken a bit harder than expected during that fight earlier.

“Not bad, but all that such toddler tactics would get you from Mystique is a knife between your ribs. You think I haven't tried? She's way too powerful. Especially for you.”

“Who said I want to get in the ring with her? I won't need to once I find the temple with that girl's help.” Jedda turned back to the hologram, still irritated and resigned at the same time. It hurt her that their time rarely passed without such clashes, but that was to be expected of two people with so much excess aggression; she had known that from the beginning, and he had warned her often enough before he'd finally succumbed to her talent of seduction. “Let her go down there if she wants it so badly. Unless she finally gives you what you deserve that day, I'll make sure we'll come back up alone.” Since Pyro had just once again had to remind her where their limits were, that madness she was revealing to him almost casually there, fortunately, didn’t sound that enthusiastic anymore already. Nevertheless, she'd stay here, with him, for a lack of option alone, since she'd burned all bridges to the Defenders of the Earth for good. “Now that I finally know how exactly I can get what she's after, I can clear your path. Then this world will be ours within a month, and no normal person will ever raise a hand against anyone with powers again. Never again. We'll achieve what she either doesn't have the guts for or what she couldn’t give less of a shit about. No more damn viruses in children's camps, no more bullets in people's hearts who don't even have anything to do with all this bigot shit from normal people. No more blood of innocents, Pyro.” Just for a moment, the unprocessed pain of how the girl had once lost her famous father to such a group of primitive fanatics was glistening in her eyes. The limitless anger at people who, in their blind lust for blood, hadn't even realized that they'd targeted the wrong family member with their shotguns as far as mutant genes were concerned. And with that, they had dumped a ton of unjustified guilt onto the shoulders of someone who'd been far too young for it at the time, that might never go away again. With a thick swallow, Jedda turned away from Pyro's critical gaze again now, too. Right. Cute as that ass was: If this was his best shot at finally surpassing himself, the Gods had some really fucked up humor.

“Revolutions never go down without blood in the streets, baby.” Neither in the mood to fight any guilt complexes today, nor with enough energy in his body, not after that unpleasant encounter in the snow, Pyro pulled his girl back into his arms from behind with an indulgent deep sigh, gently pushing her hand with the sword grip out of reach. He didn't like metal on his body.

And Jedda wouldn't have needed any if she'd seriously wanted to defend herself against him at some point. Let her dream, let her think she could have done the same with Mystique, if it really ever came to that. Dreaming kept her agile, it kept her alive. So beautiful. “Then we better make sure it'll be the last one.” The intimate closeness brought some calmness to her agitated body and mind, her musings lost in an incomprehensible mutter. Her cheek was nestling against his neck, her hands reaching back to stroke his sides. ”I'm not waiting any longer for Mystique to finally deign to clean up on this damn planet. It's time for people chosen for it by fate to take over. You and I, we are so alike, John ... Neither of us belongs in the second row.”

He buried his hand a little too tightly in her hair before his hormones would take over and forced her to look at him again. The lesson wasn't over yet, it seemed. “Don't get cocky, beautiful. As you know, there can only be one King.”

“And his loyal wife,” his partner replied with that charming smile again. The somewhat rough gesture had promptly interrupted the romantic moment, a well-placed pressure of her elbow against a very sensitive spot of his allowing her to wriggle from his grasp easily and raise her weapon again. Suddenly her thoughts were back to her planned training after all. Sex and battle. For the two of them, these moods were pretty much one and the same.

So Pyro created the program Jedda had been asking for without explicitly mentioning her injury again. She didn't let anyone tell her what to do anyway. Besides, he admired her discipline. Coming to stand in a corner, he watched her turn Hurricane's hologram into parts, more turned on by the second and not bothering to try to hide it.

Jedda moved lithely as a snake. Her attack techniques were better than those of many of Everett's warriors. With a sword in her hand, she always transformed into one of those persons she believed she could talk to once her mind entered the REM phase. Every weakness in her body then was completely pushed into the background, like these drops of blood already threatening to soak the bandage that Toad had wrapped around her. At least two of these fresh stitches burst right open, and not the slightest flinch even at the most abrupt turns, even when jerkily ducking under a nimble blade. Yeah, in minutes like these, it was easy to imagine Jedda being more like her alleged distant ancestors than she was like her father, whose legacy she'd had barely had anything to do with since even before his death. Maybe instead, rather as a high priestess in a certain Egyptian temple, with only black paint for clothing and snakes around her, as a guardian of the dead ...

Pyro knew exactly why he'd fallen in love with her, alright. Not because he was afraid of getting old, as everyone thought, or because she looked damn good, although sex was part of it, of course. She was simply exactly what he had been looking for, for a very long time. After many years, she'd managed to melt his petrified heart. If the two of them now could actually manage to control their temper enough so that they could resolve their differences without regularly beating each other up, things might even become kinda serious between them at some point ... And given the memory of just how badly Mystique had really wanted that thing in Egypt back then, whatever it was exactly that she was after, which was still very much present in Pyro's mind even though a good year had passed since then … It might not even be that far-fetched, to imagine at least in secret, sweet moments, finally breaking Mystique's chains with the help of this woman by his side.

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

@whumptober | @whumptober-archive

[munsonownsmyass]

Werewolf!Quinn McKenna x reader

Summary: When you move in with your boyfriend, you have a surprise for him.

Warnings: Just some fluff, kisses and allusions of smut.

Notes: This is my contribution for week 2 of The Moon in May writing challenge. I chose the word "Den" and played around with it. First time writing a piece alone for Quinn. It's short and silly, but sweet 🙈🩷

“Just one more load and then we’re done.” You breathe out, putting down the heavy box. One bad thing about books? They are awful to move.

“I count two.”

“Two?” You look at Quinn confused, until you see the lewd expression on his face. “Let’s just get our stuff moved first and then we can worry about your load.”

You grin when you hear the soft rumble in his chest. One of his strong hands lands on your hip as the other cups your cheek, his eyes finding yours.

“You really shouldn’t keep the big bad wolf waiting.” He growls, trying to sound intimidating, but you just laugh and kiss him, before moving around him to one of the boxes behind him. “I feel like you don’t really appreciate my powers. I’m a beast.”

“Oh, I know.” You wink, blushing at the memory of just how wild he could be and how good he always made you feel. Quinn smirks when he picks up the slight increase in your pulse.

“Still thinking about last night?” He hums with a cocky grin, closing the distance between you, his eyes never leaving yours. “I did notice you walking a little funny today.”

You don’t even answer, just punch him lightly on the arm, making him laugh. As frustrating as he can be at times, his boyish charm always makes you smile. There’s just something about Quinn and that sass that you can’t resist. “I hate you.” You smile as you throw your arms around him, kissing him passionately.

“Nah, darlin’.” He breathes out between kisses, pushing you against the stack of boxes. “You love me.”

“Maybe a smidge.” You giggle as he nibs at your neck. Quinn press against you and you feel his hard length. As hard as it is, you have to resist and push him away. You need to finish moving the stuff tonight.

“Fine.” He mutters against your skin, before he moves away.

“Could you go alone? I have something I want to do here.” You say softly, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

“Oh yeah? Does it involve you being naked on the bed when I return?”

“No.” You giggle, kissing him softly. “I’m gonna order us some dinner. But-” you draw out the word, your hand softly caressing his chest, “-I’ve heard your new roommate tends to get frisky after a few glasses of wine.”

He growls as he nibbles softly at your neck, one hand pulling you closer to him, while the other dips into your back pocket to get the keys. “I’ll pick up a bottle on the way.”

“Awesome. See you later, baby.”

With Quinn out of the door, you quickly order some food before walking over to one of the boxes. You had ordered something for Quinn weeks ago and you couldn’t wait to see his reaction.

“Sorry it took so long, darlin’. Your neighbor talks so much I almost wanted to-” He stops when he sees the living room. You’ve moved around some boxes and made a little impromptu dining table out of one of the big boxes. Several boxes are open, paper spread on the floor, as you’ve frantically searched for wine glasses and some candles. But it was worth it, making the first dinner in your shared home special.

Quinn was the first guy you’ve ever dared dream of a future with, so when he asked you to move in together, it was a no-brainer. Because of Quinn being a werewolf, you had found a cozy house on the outskirts of the city, right next to the forest. There would be plenty of room there for him to roam around.

Quinn walks into the living room, putting down the box in his hands. You’re not in the living room, but he can hear you shuffling some stuff around in his office. Opening the door, he startles you as you throw the pillow you have in hand down on the ground. You walk over to him and take his hands.

“I have a surprise for you.” You say eagerly, pulling him further into the office before pointing to the plush bed before you. When you saw it, you knew you had to buy it. A human dog bed, extremely comfortable and soft. You thought the idea of a dog bed to a werewolf was hilarious and couldn’t wait to see what Quinn thought about it.

“A dog bed?” He frowns, looking at the huge plush bed on the floor. “Darlin’, I’m a werewolf, not a fucking dog.” He lets go of your hand, squatting down and running his hand over the soft surface, before looking at you. “So what’s next? You wanna put me on a leash?”

“Shit, I’m so sorry. I saw this on Amazon and I thought the idea was funny.” You almost cry, fearing you’ve ruined everything. All you wanted was to make a little joke and now he seemed mad at you. Quinn senses your distress and is by your side in an instant, cupping your cheeks gently.

“Honey, I’m not mad.” He gives you a sweet kiss before pulling you into a hug. “But you know I’m not a poodle, right?”

“I know. ” You grin, holding him tightly. “You’re way cooler than a poodle.”

“Cool? I’m a regular Charlie B. Barkin, babe.”

“Who?” You question, pushing away from him and you’re met by Quinn’s horrified face.

“Were you born in a cave? How have you never seen ‘All Dogs go to Heaven?’”

“I’m more of a Disney girl.” You shrug with a smile, but the smile fades as you look to the dog bed. “Look, Quinn, I’m sorry. I’ll get rid of it and-”

“Hey, hey.” He interrupts you, raising your gaze to his with a finger under your chin. “No, let’s keep it. It looks cozy and besides, then you’ll have somewhere to put me to in timeout when I’m bad.”

He laughs softly and you can’t help but huff out a little laugh too. The idea of Quinn sulking in a dog bed is priceless.

“When is dinner gonna be here?”

You fish you phone out of your back pocket and look at the time. “About 20 minutes, why?”

“Just thought we should consecrate it.” He nods towards the dog bed, turning you around so he presses you towards it. “See if it’s as comfortable as it looks.”

He kisses you softly before laying you down on the bed, instantly attacking your neck with kisses, one hand moving down your side to the hem of your dress. You feel him harden as he grinds into your core, making you moan out his name.

Turns out the bed was very comfortable. The rest of the evening you snuggled in the dog bed, eating your pizza before turning in for the night. You often found Quinn napping in it and it never ceased to make you smile.

No pressure tags, cause I dont know who likes Quinn (besides Ericca 😆❤️): @mindidjarin @itwasthereaminuteago @albatrossandivys @mattmurdocksscars @pedrito-friskito @hlkwrites @lavenderursa @yarrystyleeza

[clockwisekeys]

-- CAN'T CRY ABOUT THE SHIT THAT I CAN'T CHANGE.

** WATCH THE SEASONS CHANGE ** ⟨ justin baldoni, he/him, 39 ⟩ We just saw ⟨ doctor rafe sam mckenna ⟩ entering ⟨ a new york police department ⟩. I heard that he's ⟨ non-corrupt ⟩, and that he's lived in new york for like ⟨ ever ⟩. Be careful, he works as a ⟨ medical examiner/failed law student ⟩ and is known to be ⟨ impulsive ⟩, ⟨ impatient ⟩, and ⟨ resentful ⟩. However he's also known to be ⟨ innovative ⟩, ⟨ high-minded ⟩, and ⟨ quite suave ⟩. – ⟨ tortured and saved by sol ⟩

-- IT'S CRAZY WHAT YOU'LL DO FOR A FRIEND.

gifted child, burdened adult. married, idiot. obsessed with the color green. secret admirer of the song "hoax" by taylor swift, and publicly obsessed with sex on the beach (the cocktail). grumpy, always. justice. revenge. fairness. (in what world).

-- IS IT TOO LATE FOR US?

tw: bullying, violence, alcohol addiction, injury/blood

Tick, tick. Rafe watches the clock as the minutes pass, his papers still blank. It's not that the silence is too loud. It's also not like he partied too hard on the weekend, like he tossed this exam into the trash because he's had a few drinks too many. It's not like he hasn't studied enough -- and yet, there's no word written except for his name. Maybe it all starts a few years earlier, when he's still in highschool. Kids are mean, especially rich and pampered ones, and the private school doesn't quite help. Not when there's the constant question of: what do your parents do, anyway? The answer "Dunno" isn't seen as nice, and he doesn't feel quite nice for the next few years either, with how he's being used as a punching bag. He's awkward and tall, clumsy, til graduation. The truth is -- his parents don't really do anything except drink beer all night and day. The scholarship is a gift -- it gets him out of the shabby apartment, and into law school. Just that three years in, law school becomes a burden, rather than something nice and wrapped up like a present. Rafe decides - it's time to leave the security behind, and jump into a dream. Jump, then fall. It's like crashing through a window, glass everywhere -- shards that could hurt him, and god, they do. Rafe always feels slightly out of place, like an impostor, stuck in a world of money. Studying law and medicine comes with daddy's daughters and mama's sons, most bathing in money. Parties, where he feels like a pillar instead of the fun guy during beer pong, where he leaves early just to study. Where he leaves early, and meets Zara at night -- and gets himself caught in just another spiral. Though upwards, this time, at least for the glimpse of an eye. It's fun nights out, reassuring talks, apartments, vacations, family meetings. Then an engagement, a wedding, and -- no kids. It's laughable, really. The promise he's made to himself, to be a better father, to make a better parent than his ever tried to be, it's his fault it can't be. Another shard, popping one of the heart-shaped balloons around. Rafe is not sure if his love wavers, or if he's just too tired to keep fixing.

-- I WAS THERE IN THE DARK WHEN YOU SPILLED YOUR FIRST BLOOD

[harrison-abbott]

The McKennas

The McKenna home was much larger than the others around the area. And nobody quite knew who they were. Mr McKenna was a dogwalker and he would give a false smile and hello if you met him strolling down the paths. But he never stopped to say Hello. His wife had corkscrew hair and she very quickly learned the neighbours not to greet her, because she wouldn’t respond. Nobody knew what they did for a living; but they were obviously wealthy: just look at their house.

There was a security gate in front of their porch, and the garden was walled off. Their dog seldom barked. Mr and Mrs McKenna must’ve been in their fifties, with their grey hair – and so, did they have kids? If so, the children must be grown up, students, maybe. None ever saw any young people visiting the house. In fact, there were no visitors at all.

Occasionally around the neighbourhood there would be social events in the little park at the end of the street. These had been going on for years – little snack gatherings on a Sunday – before the McKenna’s arrived. And so the organiser, who was called Mrs Hays, thought she might send an invitation along to the McKennas, to see if they wanted to come. She lived by the woody area, and also had a dog. And thus one day she walked along the pathway en route to the McKenna home. And, by chance, she actually saw Mr McKenna himself coming towards her, with his tame labrador.

“Oh, Hi there,” Mrs Hays said to him. He nodded to her. Then she took out her invitation letter. “I was just popping over to your place, actually. I wanted to give you this.”

Mr McKenna’s face changed and there was a flash of suspicion when he saw the paper. But then his expression changed again and he took it.

“It’s a little gathering we have down the street, by the by on a Sunday. Just an informal thing,” Mrs Hays continued, “you and your wife should come, if you like?”

“Ah. Many thanks for the gesture. That would be … Sunday the 21st. Let’s see. Oh. My wife and I won’t be in the city on that date. We have a trip up north on that weekend. But, it’s very kind of you to give me the offer anyway. Thank you. I better be getting on now. Be well.”

He moved on past her. She said that was okay and he kept walking.

The next time Hays saw him on the path, a few weeks later, he kept his head floorward and didn’t give a greeting. And the same time after that. Had she offended him? She didn’t know.

That invitation thing happened in the spring. And summer came and it was record-breaking hot. And autumn nuzzled by and then in the winter it was record-breaking cold. Mrs Hays had to brace the cold because she could only walk her dog very early in the morning, as she had to go to work around seven o clock. So it was still pitch dark when she walked her dog along the path. With her breath, and her dog’s, puffing clouds in the frosty air.

And there was one morning when she rounded the bend, which looked on to the shape of the McKenna house in the distance. As she neared, she thought she heard something. And her dog heard it too, because her ears switched up at an erect angle.

Mrs Hays slowed her pace, but kept going. Then she heard the noise again … which came from the McKenna’s garden. The noise sharpened.

It was a man, shouting. Not words. He was yelling, as if in pain.

The fur on her dog’s back rose.

There it was again! This rash hollering, as if a man had hurt himself. And yet, it was not close enough to be inside the garden – sounded like it was inside the building. But Hays couldn’t see over the walls and so couldn’t locate it. No lights were on inside the McKenna house. Hays looked at her phone: it was 05:46. She paused and listened. And waited. Wondering what to do. But nothing ever came. There only resumed the winter silence.

She didn’t want to be here anymore, and so she whistled for her dog and retreated back the way she had come.

The incident was strange but for some reason she never told anybody about it. Because of its dreamy nature. Perhaps she had half imagined it. She was in the total dark and the sounds were scary but perhaps there was only a simple explanation.

So that was in December and then the spring came again the next year. Mrs Hays still walked by the McKenna house. But, do you know? – she hadn’t seen Mr McKenna since that shouting incident. Not once, in three months or so. She had seen the corkscrew hair wife a handful of times. But not him. And no labrador either. Hmm. This prickled her imagination, too. And she thought perhaps she should have told people about that weird night back in the winter …

Spring passed and there was the summer. And it wasn’t so hot this time.

Mrs Hays was coming home from work on the bus. And she noticed, at length, a darkness in the sky above her neighbourhood. Because the bus came down from a hilly part in the city and she could see towards her district. Smoke. Dark grey and brown smoke from her area. Jesus, what was it?

And then a fire engine hurtled past the bus she was on, with screaming sirens and flashing lights.

She got off at her normal bus stop. Which was a ten minute walk from her house. And there were a gabble of people speaking in a crowd at the end of the street. One of them was one of Hays’ neighbours; they recognised each other and Hays went up to her.

“My God,” she said, “has something happened?”

“There’s been a fire,” was her neighbour’s response.

“Oh, my. Where?”

“At the McKenna house. There’s been a big fire there since the morning. The police are there with the fire brigade. We don’t know anything else.”

With the smell of smoke in the air there was indeed the notion of disaster.

The fire brigade battled with the inferno for quite some time. And the story was in the news. And in the following week the story made the national news, because there was more to add to it than ‘a fire’.

Mrs McKenna had died in the fire. From what the experts could tell, the fire hadn’t been accidental. It was arson. Looked like she had set it herself and let herself be burned to death.

The authorities searched the rest of the household. Not all of the building was damaged. The fire had caused Hellish destruction but there were parts that the flames hadn’t gotten to.

Including the cellar. The cellar was filled with cardboard boxes, filled with a whole range of detritus that was hard to make sense of. But what the police did notice was an awful smell. And in one of the boxes they found a dead Labrador … clearly it had been dead for months. But as they went further into the cellar they had to retreat and put masks on because the stench was so bad.

They cleared the mass of boxes away and discovered a long bulky shape wrapped in what looked like tarpaulin. It had rope tied around it. And it appeared muddy or greasy.

When they cut the plastic open they found the remains of Mr David McKenna, who, the scientists would later determine, had died the previous year due to blunt trauma wounds to his skull, at the age of 59.

His wife had been using his bank account ever since then. And nobody had raised concerns about his disappearance, because he had no kids, and had retired early, due to his exquisite wealth.