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penguintransporter · 4 years ago

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Winning The Game Called Love (Hector Bellerin) Part I

Here it is my ladies and gents! I hope you like it, and I apologise if it’s too long, but I got carried away. Please let me know if you like it because I am always up to work on my writing, so don’t hesitate to write me DM or send in an ask (I promise, I am the friendliest person out there). This one is dedicated to @bitchforaesthetics. Anyway, read, enjoy because part II is coming out very soon...

P.S. There is no covid-19 in this story :D

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If one asked anyone at the Arsenal Training Centre to describe Aida - the young brunette behind the reception desk, nine out of ten times one would hear the same answer:

Bundle of positive energy.

It didn’t matter if one was a know or less-known footballer, coach, manager, medical staff or just a random fan touring the grounds - Aida, with her smile and positive energy, could chase away whatever dark cloud was looming above one's head. Yet, despite her contagious smile that was just loud enough and genuine curiosity, as any other human being, Aida wasn’t able to chase away the real dark clouds that seemed to clutch Hertfordshire sky in a tight embrace on that Monday morning.

Seated behind the desk and waiting for her laptop to turn on, Aida observed the gloominess outside the building and all she saw was heavy blots of grey that seemed to carry all the weight accumulated during the month of December.

Her last month at Arsenal FC, doing the job she enjoyed more than anything.

If it only had snowed; just a little.

She would be lying if she said she liked freezing cold, and if anyone, she would be the absolute winner of “the worst balance on icy pavements” competition - if there was one - but Christmas had a different feel to it when everything was covered in fluffy and pillow white cover. And even if she wasn’t religious or celebrated Christmas as the majority of the people, she was a firm believer that snowy Christmas made that cup of hot cocoa, as she sat in her tiny studio under her favorite blanket, just a tiny bit better.

Aida glanced at the small card that sat next to her laptop - red and golden swirls decorating the backside of it, and with a sigh she averted her gaze back at the laptop screen that had already turned on and was humming quietly - red Arsenal FC logo staring back at her. The large and Christmas decorated lobby was still quiet, but not for too long. In just a few minutes, most of the footballers and some other employees will start pouring into the building, either for training or for their 9/5 job, and with that the building will start buzzing with contagious energy.

All except Sead. He was late on most of the days.

Aida looked at the clock in the corner of her screen before looking up expectantly at the door, and as if on cue, Alexandre Lacazette walked in through the door, talking to his fellow countryman Thomas who worked as a medical assistant. Both Aida and Thomas, along with some others were shortlisted for the layoff, but in the end it was Aida who pulled out the shorter straw.

She shook her head, refusing to create unnecessary tension.

Aida knew that she gained nothing from sulking and sadness. She still had to sit behind the reception desk for another few weeks, smiling and giving the best first impression to everyone who came in. So, with a deep breath, Aida lifted her chin high and looked at the two men in front of her.

“Bonjour lads,” she grinned - the dark thoughts disappearing as soon as she spoke, leaning on the till in front of her. “Lovely weather outside, no?”

“Good morning indeed, sunshine,” Alexandre responded while still walking across the lobby, “I am actually wearing my bikini on underneath this outfit, what about you?” he added as he disappeared through the hallway that led to the changing rooms while Aida only laughed after him.

“What a ridiculous man,” Thomas commented, stepping in front of Aida’s desk, smiling at her. “It is so cold outside. How did you travel?”

Aida sighed defeatedly. “Clio took four tries and a bottle of warm water to start this morning, despite the lack of snow and ice. I was really chuffed for this winter, but so far it has only been disappointing.”

Her soon-to-be ex-colleague nodded, agreeing with her words before his eyes landed on the shiny invitation on Aida’s desk. “Oooh,” he mused, running a hand through his ginger curls. “Who’s date are you? Is it David? Please say it’s not him?”

“Nope!” Aida replied, giggling. There was nothing wrong with David Luiz - he was in fact a genuine sweetheart, but also notorious around the building for his charm and flirting action. Whether it was Aida at the reception desk when he needed an excuse for being late for the training or if it was Simone in the kitchen when he wanted another round of hash browns - he didn’t pick his victim nor his weapon. “Actually,” Aida started, “it was Finn from HR. He thought it would be a nice gesture since I do not get to stay here.”

“I don’t have to tell you again how sorry I am that you have to leave,” Thomas mumbled and Aida shrugged, hiding the disappointment.

“Oh well,” she trailed off as few of the other players walked into the building and she made sure that she smiled at each one of them. She also made sure to high-five Calum Chambers as she did every morning for more than a year. “There is nothing that you can do really… Post?” she asked, trying to change the subject, and Thomas nodded, leaning over the till to grab the signing pad that rested on Aida’s desk while she shuffled some envelopes before pulling out a big, mustard yellow one. “There is something from Miami. I am assuming it is for Michael,” Aida spoke, exchanging the signing pad for the envelope. “Just tell me if there— ,”

They were cut off by the upstairs’ doors slamming shut with a force. Both her and Thomas looked up, watching Mikel Arteta walk downstairs with a risky speed - phone pressed to his ear as he spoke in a very quick and heavily accented English. Thomas quickly cast his eyes downwards, but Aida kept her eyes locked at the dark-haired man, waiting for the manager to notice her. When he finally did, she gave him a bright smile - ignoring the fact that he looked as if he was angry with the whole world - including Aida.

To Thomas’ surprise, Arteta returned Aida’s gesture with a friendly grin and a small wink before putting his agitated face expression back, walking away towards the training pitches.

“I really don’t know how you do it,” Aida’s colleague muttered, and she responded with a childish giggle.

She was about to add something sarcastic, but the main entrance doors opened, letting the gust of cold wind trail in with force as Héctor Bellerín walked in with confidence that he mastered so well. He was dressed in clothes that resembled every outfit of Aida’s dad in the family photographs from the nineties, looking the only way Héctor Bellerín could - both ridiculous and extremely cool at the same time.

“Want to watch me how I fail?” she whispered before clearing her throat a little, following their vice-captain with her green eyes. “Good morning, Héctor!” she called out, raising her voice so he could hear her perfectly. “Bollocks weather, innit?”

Nothing.

Not an eye-contact, a simple shrug, or any kind of motion or face expression that showed a tiniest bit of interest.

Aida was aware that her friendliness sometimes caused people to recoil and shy away from her, and that her behavior could be overbearing at times, and she often wondered if people in the modern world, including Héctor, forgot how to be friendly and appreciate an honest smile. Aida was confused and a slightly bit hurt because it has been more than a year since she started working for the club, and they only spoke two times - morning of her first day, and that time when they accidentally slammed into one another as they crossed their paths in the medicals.

She wasn’t sure if she was doing something wrong because to Aida, he seemed like a nice and down to earth lad, and occasionally when she would observe him interact with his teammates and other staff members, she felt a pang of jealousy because she never got more than a cold stare across the room or occasional roll of his eyes.

“Maybe he’s just not a morning person,” Thomas commented, breaking Aida’s train of thoughts. He placed the envelope under his arm as he stuck his woolly hat inside the pocket of his puffer. “Anyway, I have to go. I have meeting in ten minutes. I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, good luck with your day,” Aida responded, watching Thomas walk towards his office on the ground floor.

She sat back in her comfy chair with an itch of confusion mixed with some foreign feeling of sadness that started to tickle her. She couldn’t pinpoint what she was doing wrong when it came to Héctor Bellerín. They barely interacted, and yet he wasn’t giving her a chance. It didn’t help either that out of all people that Aida interacted with on a daily basis, he was the only one who made her heart both flutter and break at the same time.

Her eyes glanced at the small calendar taped on the inside of her desk before resting on the party invitation again - her heart soaring with that familiar feeling.

Aida nodded, forcing a smile at some of the guests who passed her by. She wasn’t sure who they are or what their names were, but judging by their expensive clothes and blinding jewelry and watches, she figured out they must be very important people with lots of money.

The evening of the charity party has arrived quicker than she expected; quicker than she wanted, and even if the party was for a good cause, and she was meant to have a good time, she couldn’t shake off the tension that slowly accumulated over the past few weeks - her last weeks as the club’s employee. She didn’t want to leave, but despite talking with the HR department once again, there was nothing that she could do. Official answer was that the previous season was really bad for the club both, in terms of injury and finances, and that they had to cut the cost when it came to everything, including staffing.

“Ada!” a boy’s scream rang out over the classical music they played, making Aida look up from where she was standing, and observing her pointy loafers and tiny specks of water residue from the drizzle of rain she caught on the way from the parking lot to the party.

Aida’s eyes connected with the small boy, dressed in a mini version of the official Arsenal FC suit as he ran towards her - his curly and unruly hair giving him a few extra inches in height. Despite feeling anxious and a bit sad, Aida smiled greatly at him, crouching down to his level before catching him in a tight embrace. Over his shoulder, she noticed his mother Alysha giving her an apologetic smile, but with a small nod, Aida reassured her that it was okay. She spent a lot of time with the boy on more than one occasion - in fact, whenever Pierre-Emerick brought him to the centre, Pierre Jr. spent half of his time, sitting behind Aida’s desk as he talked in delight about his favorite cartoons and toys.

“My God, look at you! You are so handsome tonight,” Aida mused and the boy giggled, embracing her once again, silently asking her to lift him up, and Aida obliged. Letting out a puff of air, she straightened up with the boy in her arms - it always surprised her to learn that he was heavier than he looked. With a smirk, she pulled at this red tie jokingly. “Has your daddy helped you with your tie?” she asked, tickling his stomach.

Pierre Jr. let out a loud cackle, squirming in her arms. “No, it was mamie. She also tied daddy’s.” Aida smiled at the boy’s mix of using French and English words, but as soon as the boy started telling her something about minions, Aida, as much as she hated to admit, stopped listening.

The fact that she was going to be without a job occupied her brain and wasn’t something she was able to push away easily. Where did it go wrong? Obviously, like everyone else, she had her fair share of personal problems over the year, but she managed to keep them away from work - being nothing but professional and friendly the entire time. Aida always tried to give her best, treating everyone with nothing but respect, and even ran a couple of successful campaigns with the fans touring the grounds, but it was all in vain.

Aida loved the club and being part of it. She loved the mornings when she would be one of the first to arrive, she loved that cup of coffee with Simone in the empty canteen, listening to all the anecdotes that happened since the older lady started working in the kitchen, fifteen years ago. Aida enjoyed the silly banter with footballers and the staff - heck, she even liked when Granit mispronounced her name and she had to correct him every day. She experienced so many nice moments during the past fourteen months and it felt so strange knowing that soon enough those moments will just be a nice memory.

“—so I told Curtys to stop hitting me with the pillow, but he didn’t. So I ate his hobnobs.”

Aida blinked quickly, reverting back to the reality from her thoughts and looked down at the little boy who was proudly explaining his hobnob revenge on his older brother.

“Great job,” she answered, ruffling the boy’s hair before looking away from his glinting eyes and cheesy grin. Various groups of people mingled around her, and Aida moved her gaze across the room. Manager Arteta was talking to the club president while Claudia, the girl that was going to take her job along with being Arteta’s assistant was chatting excitedly with Naomi from PR. Everyone seemed to be in a better mood than she was, and Aida hated it.

“Papa!” Pierre Jr. cried out happily and Aida followed his gaze. She spotted Pierre-Emerick, surrounded with some of the teammates and their significant others.

“Do you want to go there?” Aida asked softly. Pierre Jr. nodded rapidly, and Aida craddled him before making her way through the well-dressed crowd.

Héctor Bellerín wasn’t exactly a man of few words, and everyone who knew him privately, knew that fact. The young Spaniard with an extraordinary London cockney accent loved to talk, appreciated a silly joke and banter, but also enjoyed discussing serious subjects and matters at any given opportunity. He was no stranger to a good book or a documentary, but also loved playing CoD with his teammates and just chill around his house.

He considered himself polite, trying to treat everyone with respect, and most of the time he kept his cool - except that one time with Richarlison, but the lad deserved it. Yet, despite it all, the behavior of the girl behind the reception desk, for some reason, annoyed the shit out of him.

Héctor found her behavior tiring and utterly insincere. Ever since she started working, she would greet him with that smile that couldn’t have been a real one, asking him about the weather - day in and day out. It tired him to the point that he just decided to ignore her.

On the other hand, he didn’t think that there was something wrong with her - moreover, he did agree with some of his teammates the first week she started working that she was actually pretty, but after another few weeks, her “eager beaver” behavior became a huge turn off. To Héctor, she seemed to be a type of girl that had no rest nor knew how and when to keep it down, and in his head, he used to paint this picture of her where she is making cupcakes every day, talking to fluffy animals and farting rainbows.

So, when she approached their group at the party, wearing a teal-coloured dress that wasn’t really a proper fit for her height or body type, carrying Aubameyang’s son in her arms, he waited for that bubble of overbearing happiness to burst in front of them.

But it never did.

Instead, she greeted everyone with a short “hello” before reaching the little boy back to his father. “I apologise for interrupting your fun, but the best dressed man in this room wanted to go back to his daddy.”

“Excuse me—” Calum started, clearing his throat loudly as he smoothed down his tie. “What about us? We look decent as well, no?”

His hand went towards Héctor’s shoulder, brushing the invisible dust from Héctor’s suit.

Héctor swatted his hand away.

“You look good too,” she replied, followed by a brief silence as Héctor took a sip of water, stopping himself from rolling his eyes.

Wasn’t she a walking chatterbox?

Has she already asked about Calum’s mother's wellbeing?

“Only good?” Alexandre pressed, but she sighed in defeat.

“Well, I hope you enjoy your evening…” she trailed off, breaking the banter that his teammates started. “I have to go back to—” she bit her lip, looking behind her shoulder, “—I have some stuff to do.”

Only a few seconds later, Héctor watched her walk away through the crowd of men dressed in black suits and red ties.

Part II

#hector bellerin fan fiction #hector bellerin fic #Football Fanfiction #soccer fanfiction #footballer fanfiction #arsenal fanfiction #soccer imagine #soccer oneshot #footballer oneshot #footballer imagine #hector bellerin fanfiction #hector bellerin imagine #hector bellerin oneshot

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nlrpg · 3 years ago

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homecoming weekend: Capture The Flag !!

As the sun begins to set on the west coast, Nemean Lion’s campus begins to welcome more guests into the Demicenter. Visitors with a ticket to Capture The Flag receive a bracelet that allows them entry into the campus’ Arena, a first for the public in Nemean Lion’s history. A magical portal created just for today grants them transportation from the Demicenter to the Arena, as NL takes its precautions and doesn’t allow a chance for them to snoop around other restricted parts of the campus. The bracelets they wear give them access to only the Arena, which shouldn’t be a problem, because who would want to be anywhere else during the main event?

Fit like one of the world’s best arenas, the stands allow for an audience of about 20,000, and today’s event is sold out. The center field is slightly larger than usual, however, and for now sits as flat, grassy turf. There’s a steady roar of the thousands of fans in the Arena, which include most of the demigods and their families in front row seats, here to cheer on their members. NL Administration, including manager and CEO, sit in box seats to watch over the members in their care and make sure this goes well. And just like advertised, the event is televised, and a magically experienced crew are all set up around the Arena, streaming live to millions of devices around the world.

Music and fanfare begins to sound throughout the Arena as the two teams enter the field, led by the two team captains. Falling in line behind captain Theo Choi of Team A are Juniper Johnson, Drew Suh, July Chin, Grace Marshall, Viola Lovera, Ezra Stokes, Narumi Kato, Jesse Garcia, Vera Marshall, James Koo, Minjeong Park, Regan Morgan, Alessio Castellani, Charla Lee, and Axel Green. On the other side stands Team B, comprised of Nick Spencer, Safiye Bennet, Cyrus Tan, Simon Hong, Mira Funetes, Prim Tran, Mayumi Ishida, Stormie Burbank, Tristan Day, Gigi Gautier, Carly Serrano, Pandora Liu, Ace Aguilar, Holly Sharp, and Kennedy Xun all captained by Cynthia Byun.

Once both teams stand ready on either side, Marina gives a cue, and a low rumble echoes throughout the venue. The turf begins to morph before everyone’s eyes, transforming the flat field into a forest landscape, the work of their own extremely skilled manager who’s power most people don’t see too often. Hills and trees begin to cover the distance between the two teams, until neither can see their opponents, a vast forest landscape shrouding each other from view. Clad in armor, donning their weapons, and with abilities at the ready, it’s almost time to begin.

Floating above the open roof of the Arena are honorary white marble thrones gilded in gold. Twelve, to be exact, though they sit empty as they always have on days of events like these, only ever a show of courtesy, a sign of respect to the gods that watch over them. Or, at least, that’s how it’s always been in the past.

An almost imperceptible hum begins to stir in the air, raising the hair of everyone’s arms, and somehow commanding a hush across the stadium. Marina Ren and Daphne Saengmai share a surprised but knowing glance just as light begins to shine bright from the skies. In a golden haze, ethereal figures begin to materialize in the noble thrones above the Arena, though not every seat becomes occupied, as everyone below counts six otherworldly figures. Their faces are somehow shrouded by both shadow and light, features undetectable, and to the mortals they have no idea who is who, only that for almost all of them, they’re in the presence of gods for the very first time. The demigods, however, know the order of those thrones by heart, and know which gods now watch above them.

Demeter. Ares. Apollo. Artemis. Aphrodite. Hermes.

Marina smiles once up at them, takes a steadying breath, then brings her attention back down to the field. She gives the signal, a horn blows, and the game begins.

Team A sprints into action, sending its slew of offensive players into the forest. Theo Choi leads them, weapon in hand, running through the forest to act as the first barrier of defense, and as soon as she finds members from the other team, her sword clashes with Mayumi Ishida, who leads offense as well for Team B.

The Team A captain is flanked by July Chin and Jesse Garcia, who though not heroes, hold their own against Mayumi and her own backup, Mira Funtes, who are unfortunately outnumbered. Besides, this first scrap is only the first defense.

The two huntresses of Team B, Gigi Gautier and Ace Aguilar use their tracking abilities and experience from training with the hunt to dart quickly and quietly through the forest, looking for the easiest pathway to Team A’s red flag for the rest of their teammates, then throw an arrow into the sky as signal. They have to be excellent, after all, their lady is watching.

Their teammates, Safiye Bennet and Stormie Burbank see the signal and begin heading towards the direction, escaping most of the scuffle in the middle of the Arena. Grace Marshall, propelled in higher view with her aerokinesis, catches it too and sends a signal to her own teammate. Ezra Stokes holds a piece of tech in his hands as he runs towards Grace’s signal, the device able to scan for heat signatures and when it picks up the daughter of Aphrodite and daughter of Dionysus heading toward what should be a clear path, they come head to head with him and Viola Lovera, ready for combat.

Thankfully, Simon Hong of Team B had also caught his team’s signal, and darts past them unseen, using his shadow travel for increments at a time. He gets to the clearing of Team A’s flag and then finally to the flagpole itself. He grabs the opponent’s bright red flag, about to step into his shadow travel to get it back to his side of the field, but before he can make it out, gets clothes-lined by Alessio Castellani and a broad-staff, who tries to wrench his team’s flag out from his grasp.

Though her teammate is down, Holly Sharp comes upon the scene and knows the objective is victory and grabs the red flag from Simon, and before anyone can stop her, begins to use her enhanced speed to get out of danger’s way and head back into her team’s direction.

In the middle of the forest, Team A’s Minjeong Park, Vera Marshall, and Regan Morgan are tucked behind tree trunks, peeking out to sling arrows across the way, aimed at the trunks hiding their opponents, Pandora Liu and Tristan Day, who fire arrows back just as quickly.

But when a well-hidden Axel Green conjures up some sunlight in Tristan’s face, the Team B archer misfires, hitting Holly in the thigh on her journey back, and everyone springs into action for the flag in her hand.

When the first member of Team A makes it to the clearing that holds Team B’s blue flag, James Koo finds it unguarded, and foolishly begins to reach for it. But a very quiet-footed and stealthy Carly Serrano pops up from seemingly nowhere and lulls him into a gentle sleep before he can do it. This strategy might’ve continued to work if Narumi Kato hadn’t been expertly observing from the treeline, and dashes in next, knocking Carly to the ground with a well-timed shove before she can stop him from grabbing the blue flag.

However, Nick Spencer also springs from the treeline and races after him into the forest, attempting to protect his team’s flag. The two boys catch each other and parry blows and strikes, and just as Nick is about to take the upper hand, Drew Suh and Charla Lee of Team A help their teammate.

Noticing their teammate is in need, Kennedy Xun joins the fray and attempts to sword fight with the rest of them, but quickly ends up knocked harshly back by Charla, tripping on a tree root and spraining their ankle in the process, down for the count. Nick stops to help his friend, but not before focusing hard on Drew who now has the flag and mind controlling him into dropping it. It works, though thanks to his limits, it also sends him down.

Prim Tran of Team B leaps into view, running towards her team’s blue flag to try to save it, and that’s precisely when Team A’s Juniper Johnson descends like a bat out of hell. Donned in black streaks of war-paint on her cheeks that absolutely no one asked her to wear, she charges terrifyingly towards the blue flag, butting Prim with her shield to block her, and snatches it up, running back in the direction of her team’s field.

She’s a mighty opponent, ditching the shield and brandishing her combat knives like a demon, she makes it past Cyrus Tan who attempts to block her with a wave of water from the small stream she leaps over.

She makes it past the middle of the field where the largest cluster of demigods still fight over the red flag, zipping past, only a passing thought to those in the brawl who don’t notice the royal blue cloth in her clutch.

When she finally hits the clearing, finding almost no one there, she’s nearly victorious. Until, previously hidden in shadow, emerges Cynthia Byun, longsword in hand. Team B’s captain, having been lurking with her umbrakinesis, uses this one last opportunity to keep Team A from winning. Though her opponent is a graduated hero, and this captain is only in training, they exchange blows almost well-matched. Cyntha’s longsword clangs time and time again with Juniper’s combat knives, managing to disarm one of them and slash an clean streak against the daughter of Hecate’s upper arm.

Expending one last feat of strength, Juniper uses some magic to cast up an illusion of shadow, as if she might have duplicated Cynthia’s own power, and it confuses her opponent and shields herself just enough to buy the one second she needs to fake in one direction and the lunge toward the golden flagpole. Cynthia, only allowing herself that one brief moment of doubt, dashes forward with her longsword in the direction she knows Juniper would have chosen, feeling her blade connect on the downstroke with the flesh of Juniper’s leg. But it’s just too far and just too late. Juniper has secured the other team’s blue flag onto the golden pole.

A triumphant horn sounds, and the speakers blare.

“Game! Team A has won this match of Capture The Flag!”

The crowd erupts into roaring cheers, Team A celebrates as Team B accepts the loss, the foliage and terrain of the landscape morphs back into a grassy field as the speakers continue to announce the victory.

Healers begin to jog onto the field, tending to the wounds and injuries of all the players, and Marina has already made her way down, beginning to congratulate and shake the hands of the victors, and thank the defeated team for a job well done.

The cameras pick up the crowd happily cheering in support, the pridefully exhausted faces of all the team members, and Marina’s smiling face thanking everyone for coming out tonight as music continues to sound and confetti falls all around the glamorous Arena. The view of the lens pans up to try to catch a glimpse of the gods above, but apart from a lingering light they leave behind, they’re already gone.

Game well played! Rest up, demigods, enjoy the night with your families, and we’ll see you all for the Homecoming Dance tomorrow!

#nlevent #nlevent003 #thank you to everyone who participated and allowed us to write with your badass characters!#gg guys

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neocrush · 4 years ago

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flirting w chenle on knowing bros seems like it'll be a wild ride HAHA i love the concept~~

thank u so much for sending in an ask 🥰

lezgeddit

flirting with chenle on knowing bros

you were a member of a girl group with 6 members

you being the youngest ofc

that day you were filming a variety show

knowing bros

and you LOVED that show

mainly bc heechul’s in it

and he’s hilarious asf

and bc he’s dating your senior

anyways u were told ur group wasn’t the only guest they had for the episode

the only info u received was that it was a boy group

part of you hoped it was nct dream

you had developed a tiny your leader would say giant crush on a certain chinese member

renjun

jk no its one and only zhong chenle

you had watched previous variety shows w nct dream in it

and he never failed to amaze you

his personality, voice, charm, and screaming never failed to put a smile on your face

the only interaction you had was during boom era

you had just debuted and both ur group and dream were nominated for first place on a music show

after winning, the boys of dream congratulated ur group in the hallways

“you guys just debuted? that’s so impressive wow” the blonde one, jeno exclaimed

you swore you saw ur leader blush a little

“congratulations~ i can’t lie and say ur song sucks” haechan — you recognized — chuckled

renjun started singing ur groups title track and the boys started dancing along to the chorus

both groups shared a laugh and just overall had a great time

it was great

with all the pressure both groups got from their big companies, it was nice to just laugh everything off once in a while

until ur managers called you to return to the dorms

and their manager called theirs

as it was you, chenle, and jisung’s curfew

you said ur goodbyes and as u were leaving

chenle accidentally bumped on ur shoulder

u gasped from the sudden feeling of ur bare shoulder in contact with his denim jacket

“oh my gosh i’m so sorry! ah~ you okay?” he said

eyebrows furrowed in the cutest way possible as he was worried

u blushed and got lost in his eyes

then u came back to reality as u shook ur head

“ah yes.. i-i’m fine.. sunbaenim” you bowed as he was technically ur senior

“oh okay that’s a relief. by the way, just call me chenle oppa. sunbaenim’s too formal, don’t you think?”

“o-oppa..?” you questioned while tilting ur head

“y-you don’t have to if it makes u uncomfortable!” he blushed, regretting what he just said

“no it’s okay. i think it’s cute. bye chenle oppa!” you giggled as you waved at him and left to go to your managers car.

he smiled to himself for a good minute until jaemin called him to get into the car

damn jyp why u gotta have a stupid three year dating ban

was all the orange-haired boy could think of

fast forward ur group had ur first comeback already n dream came back w ridin

as you were both promoting at the same time, the chances were very likely they’d be the other group on the episode

filming started and there you were w ur groupmates w ur school uniforms on

u wore a white sweater and a white dress shirt underneath with a short plaid skirt that had a matching tie hanging around your collar

after introductions and a conversation w the cast

a knock was heard from the door on ur left

a blue haired boy walked in confidently

na jaemin????

and so came the rest of dream

OH FRICK CHENLE’S HERE

ACT NATURAL

ur group moved a little to the right to make room for the boys as they walked to the desk where all the guests would introduce themselves

they did their greeting which u memorized in ur head

a bunch of conversations and segment went by

until the cast introduced a new one

it was called flutter my heart

cheesy

but cute

the challenge was easy

one person had to use a machine that would detect their heartbeat

and the other would have to try their best to make the opposing player’s heartbeat go faster than usual

u were divided into two teams

ur group vs dream

duh

laughter was everywhere as some of ur groupmates try flirt w dream and vice versa

starting with ur visual cringing at hyucks aegyo

and then ur leader making jeno lose in a second by winking at him

renjun serenading ur main vocalist

which turned into a duet

ur japanese member reciting anime lines

in which jaemin fell hard for

not in a dirty way no

then jisung calling ur oldest “noona”

in which she cringed

poor sungie lost :(

then as if the writers knew about ur crush on him

u were paired w him

it was ur turn to make his heart flutter

were u nervous? duh.

but were u gonna take advantage of the situation to flirt with ur crush of 3 months? absolutely.

so they put the detector on his chest and you had 5 minutes to make this boi go loco

u were bold and went for his hands

ur tiny fingers intertwined with his slender ones

even without looking at the machine

u could tell his heartbeat was going one million miles per hour

u were only holding his hands and his ears were already red asf

“oppa~ you’re so cute when you’re flustered~” you say with sparkling eyes

if ur hands in his didnt already kill him, then ur intense eye contact would

u let go of him hands as you crashed ur body in his and placed your arms on his shoulders

“oppa have you eaten today?” you innocently asked

“i-i.. n-no..” he couldn’t even breathe steadily

u smirked at his cute reaction

u reached for his hands once again, bodies still inches apart

“me too” you pouted

“should we go out then? just the two of us?” you stared at his fully red face

“pleaseeee” you pouted

chenle swore he was mentally melting inside

“she’s so competitive!” jisung yelled in the background

you couldn’t hear him tho, u were too busy thinking of ur next move

“20 seconds left!” heechul reminded

“oppa am i pretty?” u rhetorically asked

the taller boy opened his mouth to say yes, looking for revenge

but before his plan could succeed you placed a finger on his lips

“don’t say anything. just kiss me if your answer if yes.” you calmly said

you were exploding inside tho

ur members were screaming

some cringing

some actually enjoying it

they never knew this side of their maknae

“i guess so~” he muttered, enough for u to hear

u were taken aback by his answer in a good way as u suddenly blushed

he inched his face closer to yours and—

“TIMES UP!” heechul exclaimed

“woahhh i think you won that one” your groups visual said in shocked

you laughed as you turn back to ur members to see their reactions

ur gaze returned to chenle as he was still as red as a tomato

dreamies teasing him more than ever

although you didn’t win

curse u jeno why tf does ur heart beat so fast

chenle still couldn’t stop thinking about what happened

filming ended and you went to your waiting rooms to change back

you were at the women’s bathroom as you were fixing ur hair, looking at the mirror

you had tucked out ur shirt that was previously tucked in and slowly you unbuttoned the lower buttons that were super tight

“hey,” a lower voice called out

“pervert!” you exclaimed without knowing who it was as you covered ur lower stomach

for all you could know it could be a creepy staff member

he raised his arms in defense

“ah it’s just you chenle oppa”

u released ur hands from ur body

chenle’s eyes couldn’t help but land on ur abs

ears getting red again as he looked back into ur eyes

“i gotta go soon so i’ll make this short”

u tilted ur head as a sign to listen

“i don’t know if u were being serious or if it was just for the sake of the show but u should eat. it’s 3pm fill ur stomach. wouldn’t want u starving” he smiled as he handed you a block of chewing gum with pink wrapping paper around it

“ur so cheesy oppa” you blushed “but thank you”

wide smiled were exchanged as you bid your goodbyes

eh why not eat it now, i’m in the mood for something sweet

you unwrapped the hot pink paper

as you were about to pop the tiny block in ur mouth

u spotted something written on the paper with what seemed like a black sharpie

you’re so cute. wanna have rappoki some time in myeongdong? -lele oppa

ur whole face was as red as renjuns in mfal

but not as red as when u turned the paper around to see

text or call me whenever you can. don’t wanna lose a gem like you. xxx-xxx-xxx (my number if u were wondering lol)

you chuckled as you read that and the last little message

i’d wait all three years if it meant getting papa park jinyoung’s approval

he really was one of a kind

zhong chenle.

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allie1804-fan · 4 years ago

Text

The Middle of the Road (Chapter 17)

Warnings: Some explicit context

Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 , 9, 10, 11 , 12, 13 14 , 15 , 16

Feb 2026

“Wakey, wakey rise and shine my lady”

“mmmmm what?

Emily stirred as Keanu set a tray down on the dressing table.

“Breakfast time – I think you need a nourishing start for this big day don’t you?”

“Oh my god!” she groaned as she remembered, in her drowsy state, what day it was. It was the Oscars Ceremony that night and her screenplay for a film made the year before had been nominated for Best Original Screenplay. The whole situation was surreal and she’d be doing the whole ‘get ready and promotion’ hoopla for the first time as the main player of the family as opposed to the wife of the main event. Keanu was loving it, teasing her relentlessly during the prior few weeks when she went to do press and he was left home with the kids, who were now 4 ½ and 3 ½ . They were at one and the same time a handful and a delight.

It was a Sunday and right now, they were currently watching TV downstairs and Maria, still their nanny on a part time basis, was watching them. She was here for the day so the two of them could attend the ceremony and it was a treat to have time to enjoy breakfast alone when usually at least one of them would be up at 7 and they’d all be up eating pancakes by 8. Typically there were no lazy Sundays as they would usually go out after breakfast to have some outdoors time, get the kids enjoying fresh air and expending some of their boundless energy.

Keanu and Emily tucked into granola with super cold milk (he always insisted on that!) and then some coffee and a pain au chocolat before snuggling back under the covers.

“Thanks so much for that - a luxury start to a big day but I should go down and see the kids”

“oh no you don’t, not yet. Maria is in full control and I want to keep you to myself a bit longer!”

“Oh yeah what do have in mind mister?”

“I might just want to make love to my Oscar nominated wife one more time before she becomes my Oscar winning wife”

“Oh come on, I’m not gonna win, I’m up against Mike Leigh and Guillermo del Torro for god’s sake”

“Doesn’t matter who they are, it’s what you wrote that will win it for you”

“Ahh well thanks for the vote of confidence but I’m just amazed to be nominated even - so what will be will be ……………..anyway, about that love making………” she purred, rubbing his cock with the palm of her hand through the lounge pants he had worn to go downstairs”

He responded with a low moan and pulled her to him for a kiss “mmmmm you still taste all chocolatey, got anything else sweet for me?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, sliding down under the covers, rubbing her breasts through her nightshirt and sliding it up as he went, exposing her stomach as he did. She laid her head back on the pillow as she felt his lips on her belly then his warm hands wiggle their way underneath her to grasp her ass. He teased her for a few moments, kissing the tops of her thighs then just blowing softly over her mound making her cry out in need of him. Finally, he obliged, sticking out his tongue and probing up inside her.

“so ruby red and sweet as nectar” he muttered before engulfing her pussy with his mouth and starting a pattern of steady circling and sucking of the hood of her clit, flicking the nub itself then licking the lips and probing up inside her vagina. He was patience personified, taking it slow and letting her get close then easing down momentarily – he loved the build up.

She had started to claw at the sheets as she neared orgasm when he suddenly stopped and knelt up in front of her making her gasp in her unfulfilled need. He looked at her mischievously as she lay, pink colour spreading across her chest and cheeks then put two of his long fingers in his mouth to wet them before smiling and laying down again.

She cried out as she felt those two fingers slide inside her and his mouth latch onto his target once more. He groaned as he felt the juices increasing as he pumped slowly in and out, gradually curling his fingers up to press into her g spot. Her hips pressed up rhythmically towards his waiting mouth and one hand grasped his head and held him to his task. Feeling her clitoris reach peak hardness, he pumped faster and harder with his fingers and she let out a load squeal at the intense release followed by a long low moan. Keanu’s ministrations turned gentle as he eased her down before he sat up, a broad grin on his wet face which she hardly registered as she lay recovering.

He wasn’t about to let her have too long to recover though , so great was his need by this point and she soon found herself pulled towards him, her butt pressing against his thighs while he played with her breasts with one hand and grasped his thick shaft with the other.

“I’m sorry, I just can’t wait to have you” he muttered, laying down against her and nibbling on her neck as his cock made its presence felt between her legs. Despite his pressing need, he took it gently. Her pussy was still tight and contracting after her orgasm so he pushed in inch by inch to allow her to relax and take him.

“One last piece of loving mrs nominee” he grunted out, pushing his whole length inside at last, making her quiver against him. “You OK?”

“God yes, just take me now”

Her words inflamed him and he lifted up on extended arms, pulling almost all the way out before each thrust filled and thrilled her. Just as he had with her first orgasm, he knew how to orchestrate this performance too, pumping slow and steady at first, beginning to angle his cock to rub her g spot, then waiting, waiting to feel the gentle fluttering in her vagina that signalled she was on the verge of coming. Only then did he pump faster and harder, thrilling to the sensations of her hands clawing at his back, her pussy pulsing around him, her cries growing louder and his own orgasm crashing his senses, blinding him in a wave of pleasure.

Afterwards, he laid down against her, resting on his elbows and kissing her neck as she stroked his back for a while. Eventually he rolled off her and they lay quietly together, with only the sound of the air conditioning in the background.

“Are we getting better at that?” he asked jokingly.

“mmm you are!” she grinned – I just lay back and enjoyed!”

“naah takes two to tango!”

“Well all I know is, if I don’t win anything tonight, I’ve still won the best prize being married to you”

“Are you saying you just want me for the sex?!”

“Precisely” she laughed, grabbing his butt “you’re just my own personal himbo”

They lay giggling and snuggling a little while longer then got up to spend time with the kids before they had to head downtown. They would be dressed by a stylist at a hotel and Emily had some pre red carpet interviews to do alongside the cast and director of the movie of her screenplay. Keanu himself was due to present - fortunately not for her award and he would be done and back sitting beside her when it came time for her award to be announced.

The crowds lining the red carpet were noisy and enthusiastic and Keanu took pride of place next to Emily when Ryan Seacrest invited them up to say a few words.

“and how do you feel about playing second fiddle to your wife today Keanu?”

Emily blushed and he launched into their favourite awards day saying:

“Well, it makes a refreshing change to let her step into the limelight that I’ve been hogging since we met and of course I’m proud, happy and thrilled that she got nominated for her amazing writing. It’s thoroughly well deserved”

“and did you draw on your personal life to inform the characters?” Ryan asked with a cheeky grin. The screenplay was about a man who enticed a high class escort to fall in love with then carry out a murder for him!

Emily laughed along with both Ryan and Keanu who was covering his mouth with his hand as usual.

“Definitely not – I have a very vivid imagination. And nothing could be further from our lives right now with a 3 and a 4 year old running us ragged most of the time!”

“and will they be at home watching right now?”

“Maybe” Keanu said “but they don’t find mom and dad in fancy clothes that interesting so they’re more likely to be out in the garden playing if I had to guess!”

“Well give them a wave just in case and good luck tonight Emily and good luck with the presenting gig Keanu”

“They each waved at the camera and moved on letting the next guest take their place with Ryan.

They headed to the large reception area, meeting with friends and colleagues along the way to chat and exchange ‘good lucks’. The pre-amble always took ages, Keanu had warned her and Emily’s feet were aching by the time they finally sat down for the prestigious ceremony to begin.

Keanu pointed out the camera positions to her and they joked about the gracious face she’d need to adopt in the event of losing. Several awards came and went before he had to leave to present the Best Supporting Actor award. Emily was sure the cameras swung onto her as he presented though she couldn’t be sure. That was OK by her - she knew she simply had a proud expression all over her face. She was definitely more worried about the moment coming up when they would definitely zoom in on her. Keanu made his way back to her after a couple more awards which left just one more to come before her moment in the spotlight.

The nominees were announced and Keanu squeezed her hand as her name was announced, knowing how nervous and exposed she felt. They played clips from each nominated film after that which gave her a few minutes to gather herself for the big reveal.

The presenters were George Clooney and Emily Blunt who’d co-starred in a film the previous year which was also up for an award. Keanu had teased that Emily only wanted to win because George would kiss her cheek if she did. She had been a fan of his ever since ER in the 90s!

As Emily was opening the envelope, she held Keanu’s hand in a tight grip.

“… and the winner is ……… Emily Reeves”

Keanu leapt up cheering and grabbed her hand to make her stand. He hugged her close and whispered in her ear.

“Now go get your kiss from George! You did it, you’re amazing!”

She kissed him back, simply stunned to have won and rooted to the spot for a moment

“go go” he laughed and she finally let go of his hand to make her way to the stage.

Fear gripped her as she kissed the cheeks of both Emily and George before taking the award from George with shaking hands. “imagine everyone naked” she reminded herself as she stood behind the podium and looked at the sea of faces.

“I’ll keep it short” she said “I know that’s an unusual promise from a writer but I think I can safely say, my husband is more cut out for this limelight business! So thank you Academy for this great honour thank you to the team who brought my screenplay to life in such an amazing, entertaining way and thanks of course to Keanu for making it possible for me to find time amidst raising our young family, to write again. There was a time when I thought I would never come up for air from breast-feeding and diapers but together we’ve made it work, he’s been my biggest cheerleader in this process even though he knew I’d get to kiss my hero ‘Doug Ross’ if I won!”

The audience laughed and the camera swung to Keanu chuckling behind his hand as she said this and then to George laughing too.

She rounded off her speech quickly after that.

“So thank you again Academy for this great honour and for making the dream of teenaged me come true in every way”

A couple of hours later, they arrived at the Governor’s ball where Emily would get her award engraved with her name and they could at last have something to eat. They managed to find a space to sit and be together and let others just come to them rather than endlessly circulating. It was a moment for them to enjoy and share in particular. They hadn’t really been able to talk since the award itself.

“Thank you for my honourable mention” he said kissing her cheek.

“Well you deserve nothing less. I couldn’t have got my mojo back without the space to write that you made happen”

“No we made it happen, just like we made those beautiful babies back home and we made sweet love this morning and we make our day to day life as happy as it can be amidst the madness of toddlers!”

She stroked his cheek and looked adoringly into his eyes.

“Yeah we make a good team huh?”

“Yup – and will you stay with me still, even after kissing ‘Doug Ross?”

“weeeell” she started, making out that it was a tough decision – he laughed and punched her lightly on the arm.

“Well OK then Keanu, I’ll stay with you, if you insist!”

“I do, indeed I do” he replied, pulling her into a kiss that sealed the deal.

The End

@penwieldingdreamer @fortheloveoffanfic @kindainlovewithkeanu @ladyreapermc @witty-wallflower @gatsbynouvel @bitchyslut99 @keanureevesisbae @omg-imagine @iworshipkeanureeves @fics-not-tragedies @ficsnroses @kindainlovewithkeanu @paperplanesandwallflowers

#keanu #keanu reeves fanfic #keanu reeves fanfiction #keanu reeves #keanu reeves ofc

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knightthunderis · 4 years ago

Text

Ch 9 Explanations and Revelations

“Only one from there would know everything there is to know about all the other players in the game.” the duke admonished. “I would almost say for sure that your knowledge of us is equally thorough.”

“I also correlated and memorized the history of every house family from the first lock up to present day.” Reimeiko said. “Shall I give you the rundown of every house from the beginning to the present day?”

“Heavens no, that would take centuries for the long haul as you say.” Byron breathed. “And that would build up quite the appetite. Which reminds me, now that you are here as our guest, the royal kitchens can make you anything your heart desires. Go on ask for anything.”

“Anything huh?’ Reimeiko asked. “How about the biggest ice cream sundae I have ever seen with three spoons and I will share it with the two of you?”

“The finest chefs in the world and you choose an ice cream sundae of all things?” Byron sneered. After a few minutes they receive an ice cream sundae as big as Reimeiko’s head and three spoons. “Alright, I stand corrected, this is actually very good.”

“That is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.” Malachi said. After the dining room, the brothers showed Reimeiko the sights, starting with the lofty rooms that proudly displayed the Alliance history. “And here in the historic east wing, we have the national Taborian gallery.”

“In the days past, this was the throne room, the center of power where reigning monarchs would hold court. But once the new throne room was built, this became a gallery devoted to the important relics like the Taborian crown jewels. Those are over here.” They led her to a display case where an orb and the Taborian scepter sit glistening on pillows.

“It is very orblike.” Reimeiko replied. “The golden scepter. Is everything themed?”

“Oh yes, pretty much.” Byron said. “They are the symbols of the crown. Every king and queen has held these during their coronation.”

“You know, if everything goes according to plan and you marry Prince Karyson, you might one day hold them yourself.” Malachi added.

“I know that you want to tell them that Reimeiko is already married to Karyson.” Tristan said. “But you need to wait until I can reconnect him to me and Knight Wolf.”

“I like your confidence.” Malachi said. “And here is the palace pool and deck. Floating the days away has never been so attainable. It is like we are at a fancy hotel.”

“If by fancy hotel you mean an enduring symbol of the strength and dignity of the Taborian government.” Byron snapped.

“This is not the Thaddea I know and remember.” Reimeiko thought. “I just do not understand what happened to invoke all of these crazy changes?”

“The parents are still working on that.” Tristan said. “We need to find out who is ruling Thaddea in Dad’s place so we can fix the main situation.”

“Why is a bathroom part of the tour?” Reimeiko asked. “Do not get me wrong, it looks perfect for bubble baths. Why is this particular bathtub and bathroom on the tour?”

“This is the biggest bathtub in the entire palace.” Malachi said. “It is perfect both in shape and height to achieve the optimal ratio of water to bubble levels. I will share my formula with you later.”

“Please tell me when you say that this is the biggest tub in the entire palace,” Byron asked, “that you have not actually tried every tub in the royal palace? No wait, do not answer that. I would like to maintain some level of plausible deniability on this.”

Malachi chuckled as he and Byron led Reimeiko to the last room of the royal tour, the royal throne and hall of portraits room.

“The royal throne room looks like it was totally made for me and the future.” Reimeiko replied. “I will gain him and everything about him for the sake of the future.”

“As it should be.” Byron said. “This is where the King and Queen sit to meet with foreign dignitaries and their people. In the old days, it used to be that people and nobility alike had to pay their respect by kneeling and touching the hem of the king or queen. But ever since a successful assassination on a queen several hundred years ago, that was outlawed. In fact, you must never touch the king or queen physically without their permission. Now, if you will follow me this way.”

Byron walked away from the thrones to the hall of portraits on the far end, but Reimeiko and Malachi hung back to really look at the thrones.

“I have always wondered if those thrones were comfortable.” Malachi asked her. “I wonder if they are as comfortable as they look from here at this vantage point.”

“As tempting as trying them on for size is.” Reimeiko replied. “Maybe we should respectfully look at them from a distance although, I know it is only what you have been doing your whole life. Shall we catch up to Byron before he realizes that we are not listening?”

Without thinking twice, Reimeiko and Malachi hurry to catch up to Byron before he could turn around and find they were not with him.

“And this portrait of King Keitaro was bequeathed to him by the Count of Evedia as a gift.” Byron said.

“Wow, King Keitaro was extremely handsome.” Reimeiko replied, “He also has a very commanding air about him and is very hypnotic. Karyson, Racine, Koridon and Garyson’s great great grandfather on their mother Seidre’s side of the family was quite the fierce protector and defender as well.” As Malachi skipped off to scout ahead, the grandeur of everything that had been seen hit Reimeiko hard but she had to act like she really did not know anything about her Karyson and Garyson’s royal home. “Wow, Karyson was not kidding when he said he was crown prince of Thaddea, was he?”

“I would much prefer it if you did not use his first name so much in public.” Byron said. “There is royal protocol to follow you realize after all. But I am curious, what exactly are you doing here in Taboria?”

“Well Your Grace, have you not ever been in love?” Reimeiko asked. Byron dumbfounded and blushing caught her attention. “I knew it! Alright wiseguy, who is the lucky lady in your life?”

“There is no one. I do not have time for such diversions.” Byron said. “It is you we are talking about. Why are you here trying to win the hand of Prince Garyson Walters?”

Reimeiko knew that she had to be careful how she answered for the sake of not blowing her cover, but also to make sure that she did not reveal herself too soon like Daryien said although Byron and Malachi already knew who she was and where she came from.

“Byron, believe it or not, fate led me here.” Reimeiko replied. “I am not sure why fate put Garyson in my path and brought me to you, but Karyson is special. I knew it from the moment we met and I did not even know that Garyson was a prince then unlike Karyson who is from Thaddea. And now I have this incredible chance to reconnect with him thanks to you and Malachi. Should I not follow through and see what happens next? Do you think it is too sentimental?”

“No, Your Highness, I think I see it now.” Byron acknowledged. “You have a certain something about you, maybe a charm, I am not sure, but I sense something very familiar about you like you have been here before. Perhaps you do have a slim sliver of a chance after all.”

“I knew there was something I did not like about him.” Tristan growled through the earpiece. “Byron Blanchard was not always a stuck up blowhard like he is now. Back in the days before old man Blanchard deserted and abandoned them, Byron used to be cool. Nowadays, he is just as stuck up as his old man. I wonder if there is more that happened to make him such a stiff.”

Reimeiko chuckled at Tristan’s rogue assessment. “Do not celebrate yet.” Byron said. “We will still have our work cut out for us. If you are not careful, it could all end tomorrow.”

“Typical grouch. You just could not end it on a high note could you?” Reimeiko asked. Byron shrugged as Malachi returned to them. To herself she thought. “I hope I do not regret making this move. It would be a shame if the man I am already married to gets caught up in a bad case of bigamy.”

“Hey what is up? Are you two coming?” Malachi asked. “Come on, I hear it is almost time for dinner and I am totally starved. And it will be an excellent time to see what you know about the different silverware.”

“It sounds like a party. Lead the way.” Reimeiko replied. Later on, after the tour of the palace and the dinner, Byron and Malachi walked with Reimeiko back to her room. “You know, I have to really say that this was really fun. We are going to have so much fun together and thank you both for picking me for your house.”

“It was the best decision I have ever made as far as I can really tell.” Malachi said cheerfully

“The dye is cast, is it not? I suppose we shall see just how you fare in the days to come and how much you have learned tomorrow in any case.” Byron added ruefully. “Good night, Reimeiko, we will find you tomorrow to plan for the masquerade. If you need anything, we will be in the suite next door, otherwise, sleep well.”

She returned to her room and after her things are unpacked and put away, she sat at the table on her balcony and began typing away into her latest entry in her computer journal: After the final battle with Chaotic and Nemesira, I thought we were done facing off with tyrants, dictators and conspiracies, but it seems there is another conspiracy to face off with. Something has happened to separate Karyson from Tristan, Knight Wolf and his memories of being connected with Reimeiko Thunderis and where she fits into his life: A video call from Pepper paused her musings. She knew that Pepper was going to have a ton of questions knowing the truth.

#trr #kingliam2019 #texaskitten30 #thunderstaruniversalenterprises #knightthunderis85 #gliamtruelovealways #knightthunderis #ao719

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babyboy-cody · 5 years ago

Text

under my commands*

PAIRING: Michael/Male!Reader/Gallant

SUMMARY: Being a little pet to the Antichrist has it pros and cons. There’s very little rules in exceeding the pleasure aspect of the relationship. But the main rule is to always follow commands.

WARNINGS: sslloowww burn, degradation, choking, face slapping, hair pulling, spit swallowing, COLLARS AND LEASHES, pet play, spanking (with hand and belt), overstimulation, anal sex, humiliation kink, threesomes, oral

WORD COUNT: 6k

A/N: THIS IS MY VERY FRIST ATTEMPT AT WRITING AN ALL MALE THREESOME!! I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE IF IT’S COMPLETE SHIT 😭😭🙈 holy crap i didn’t realize i wrote so much!! 🥴 i’m so proud,,,,

There hasn’t been a day that went by where time moved impressively quick. Being trapped inside a dimly lit building for days on end does take a toll. The constant music playing on repeat, the same old dinner, the same Victorian outfits: nothing is ever different. Outpost 3 wasn’t entirely the worst. The area was spacious with a copious amount of rooms and halls. It’s been almost a week, or maybe more, since they’ve arrived at Outpost 3. Venable instructed for everyone to be patient and wait. Wait for what exactly?

Y/N sighs and leans against the velvet couch with one leg crossed over the other. The record player is on low as the same old record plays. The others in the room are practically emotionless as they do what Venable says. Y/N took his time to observe everyone. There was Coco, a highly annoying woman of the upper class. Timothy, an exceptionally handsome young man, although reserved and respectful. Emily, a soft spoken young girl with darker skin. Dinah, a strong minded woman with such confidence and intelligence. Andre, Dinah’s strapping son who is also exceptionally handsome. Evie, the older woman of the group who looks surprisingly beautiful for her age. And finally her grandson. Y/N never got his name so he mentally calls him by his last: Gallant.

Gallant was incredibly gorgeous. From his platinum blonde hair, to his piercing brown eyes. Everything about him screamed confidence. Y/N immediately got a vibe from him when Gallant first spoke. It took everything in Y/N to not smile at the obvious sexuality preference. When he found out that Gallant worked as a talented hairdresser, he couldn’t help but think the occupation went well with his persona.

Today was different. Venable told everyone that a guest would be coming to interview them to see if they’re fit for the sanctuary. Y/N was undeniably nervous. He sunk further into the couch and sighed quietly. He rolled his neck and shoulders to ease the tension. There was loud chatter between Coco and Dinah. Y/N could see Gallant rolling his eyes as he sits beside his grandmother. Y/N hides his smile and goes to stand.

“Where are you going?” Coco suddenly asks out loud, casting everyone’s attention on him. “The uptight bitch told us to wait here.”

“I’m walking around for a bit. Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” Y/N bites back.

Y/N finds himself standing inside a spacious library. Books upon books lined incredibly large shelves that covered every room. There were two large tables with leather chairs on either side. Y/N takes a step closer and pulls out a dark green book with gold lettering.

“Ouch,” he hears Gallant mumble as he walks out of the room and turns the corner to walk down the long hallway.

“Never imagined you to be a book nerd,” he hears from the doorway.

Y/N gasps and turns around, pressing his back against the shelf with his hand against his frantically beating heart. Gallant stands there with a smirk on his pink lips, arms crossed over his styled purple coat that contains zero wrinkles. The blonde man walks around the large oak table to stand in front of Y/N.

“It’s better than being someone like Coco,” he says.

“Snap, crackle, and pop!” Gallant laughs, crinkles forming at the corner of his almond eyes.

They suddenly become quiet. Y/N’s all too aware of Gallant’s eyes roaming up and down his form. He thumbs the spine of the vintage book and holds it closer to his chest.

“So, um, why’d you leave?” Y/N asks him.

Gallant shrugs. “Figured I’d come talk to you and see what you’re really about.”

“What do you mean?” Y/N cocks his head to the side in confusion and furrows his brows.

“Come on,” Gallant chuckles. “I got a major vibe coming from you the minute I saw you. It’s no secret. I’m still wondering if the others have noticed it by now.”

“N–Notice what? Gallant…what are you talking about?” Y/N shuffles and feels his cheeks heat up from the sudden close proximity, their chests only inches away.

Gallant grins and swipes his tongue across his top lip. His hands are on either side of the other male as he stares him down, not bothering to hide his attraction and sexual desire for him. He leans in close so their noses are brushing lightly against one another.

“We’re the same,” Gallant gravelly whispers, pressing his hard chest against Y/N’s. “You like a good dicking down, don’t you? I’m not afraid to be the one who will give it to you. Let me guess – you’re a bottom, right?”

Y/N lets out a shaky exhale as Gallant chuckles while biting his bottom lip, one hand slowly sliding between their bodies to pull the book free from Y/N’s impossibly tight grip. He sets it aside and looks into his hazy eyes, becoming aware of the newfound heat surrounding both men.

“Is it true?” Gallant tilts his head to the side. “You like a good dick fucking you so good?”

Y/N licks his lips as he stares at Gallant’s mouth, completely mesmerized at the sensual wetness coating his lips from his pink tongue. He opens his mouth to respond, but quickly gets cut off by the sound of a woman clearing her throat abruptly. Gallant sharply turns around and sees Venable standing at the doorway, one hand tightly grasping her cane as her stare on both men is filled with fire.

“Gentlemen, shouldn’t you be in the great hall with the others?” Venable asks, her tone brash and high.

“We were just looking for a good book to read,” Gallant tells her and looks at Y/N for assurance as he receives a nod from the latter. “Do you guys have any Cosmopolitan magazines?”

“When I give you an order, I expect you to follow it. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Gallant? I’m speaking to you as well, Mr. Y/L/N,” Venable sternly tells them as if she’s scolding a child, and it makes both men desperately want to laugh.

“You have our word, Ms. Venable,” Gallant nods as he grabs Y/N’s hand to walk out of the library.

Venable stands completely still and stares at their backs as they leave. When they disappear around the corner, Y/N couldn’t keep his laugh inside much longer and leans against Gallant for leverage. They both laugh and press their backs on the wall. Y/N realizes that his hand is still clasped in Gallant’s. He slowly pulls away and clears his throat, a light blush coating his cheeks.

“We should probably get back,” Y/N mumbles as he avoids Gallant’s wandering eyes.

“Remember what I said,” Gallant tells him with a smirk, a hand brushing across his tense stomach as he walks by.

Y/N watches as he goes, eyes wide and lips parted at Gallant’s words. His body relaxes his body, letting out a long breath he didn’t realize he was holding in. His slacks are undeniably tight as he looks down at his large bulge. He rests his head back on the wall with his eyes closed and tries to regulate his breathing.

What just happened, he thinks.

When he enters the great hall, everyone is sitting in their seats. Y/N sees an open space beside Gallant and sits closer to him than usual, their thighs tightly pressed together. He suddenly becomes aware of a different body in the room. When they make eye contact, Y/N feels as though his breath was taken away, a familiar knot forming in his stomach.

The man stands taller and oozes domination. His hands are behind his back and he barely moves. His eyes are piercing and his skin glows from the fire. His silky hair is long and golden, not a strand out of place. He has a small smirk on his incredibly plump lips as he takes note of Y/N’s awestruck expression and his sped up breathing.

“Now that everyone is here, let’s get started,” he spoke, his voice low and drawn out. “My name is Langdon and I represent The Cooperative. I've been assigned to evaluate the people here and select the ones most worthy of survival. I could take all of you, or none of you. Those who make it live. Those who don't, end up like my horses. I will be constructing interviews to get to know all of you better. Starting with…you.”

All eyes land of Y/N as Langdon stares him down. His heart stutters as he chokes on his small gasp. His cheeks flushed from the sudden attention casted down to him. Langdon leaves without another word, and Y/N slowly stands to follow him out. When he leaves the great hall, he’s met with nothing. His brows furrow as he looks around to see where Langdon must’ve went.

“Over here,” he hears from down a long hallway.

Maybe Langdon read his thoughts. Y/N swallows nervously and clears his throat to follow Langdon into a large office–like room that has a large desk with two chairs on the other side. There’s a large fireplace in the middle of the wall; that being the only source of light. Langdon is already sat behind his desk, an open file in his hands. Y/N takes a seat and crosses one leg over the other, bobbing his foot up and down in a nervous manner.

“Y/N Y/L/N. Born and raised in Santa Monica. Occupation: writer. Mother and father are both born into wealth,” Michael reads out loud as he scans the young man’s file. “Tell me why I should choose you to be in the sanctuary.”

Y/N clears his throat and interlocks his fingers to hold ont his knee. He wavers under Langdon’s intense and unmoving gaze.

“I can lead and take control of someone’s not strong enough to handle pressure. But I can always follow orders and work cooperatively. I pay attention to detail and make sure things are perfect. I also don’t take shit from anyone,” Y/N tells him sincerely.

Langdon hums and tenderly presses the tips of his ring clad fingers to his chin. He’s quiet as he stares at Y/N up and down.

“What was the charade that happened between you and Gallant in the library? It seems like you didn’t follow Ms. Venable’s orders,” Langdon suddenly says with a teasing tone.

Y/N’s eyes widen. Heat spreads from his collarbones to the tips of his ears. He shuffles in his seat and grips his knee tighter. His throat suddenly becomes dry and he nervously licks his lips. Langdon raises his eyebrows and slowly stands. He crosses around the desk and sits on the edge directly in front of Y/N, his crotch in line of sight.

“Well? Don’t keep me waiting,” Langdon draws out.

“How did you know?” Y/N shyly asks. “Did Ms. Venable tell you? I–I’m sorry, Mr. Langdon. I was just trying to f��find a decent book to read and Gallant happened to come in at the same time an–and make little conversation with me. Nothing happened. I swear on my–”

Langdon lazily lifts his hand and Y/N immediately stops his nervous rambling. He holds his breath and avoids Langdon’s eyes.

“I know everything. I have eyes everywhere. I know when you’re lying. I know when you’re trying to trick me,” Langdon slowly stands and walks around Y/N before bending down, his breath hitting his ear. “I know when you’re desperate to be fucked.”

Y/N’s eyes snap open from when they softly closed when he first felt Langdon’s breath on his neck. He chokes on a gasp as he feels a hand trailing up his arm, fingertips lightly brushing the nape of his sensitive neck. Y/N shivers and lets out a soft moan as he feels Langdon’s cool rings on his heated and goosebump covered skin. Both hands are now grasping his shoulders, thumbs digging into his muscles.

“Isn’t that true?” Langdon asks, lips so close to Y/N’s ear that they’re brushing against his lobe just slightly.

“Yes,” Y/N gasps softly, not even bothering to lie. “It’s true. All of it.”

“Hmm…” Langdon hums lowly as he slowly steps away, hands lingering for a moment. “Interesting.”

“W–What’s gonna happen now? Are you going to ban me from the sanctuary for liking men? Are you going to kill me?” Y/N quietly asks, his heart thundering in his ribcage at how quiet Langdon seemed.

“That won’t be necessary,” Langdon says and makes his way back behind his desk. “You’re special. I can tell who you really are. You intrigue me.”

“I–I do?” Y/N asks, brows furrowing and head tilting like a confused puppy, the action making Langdon bite back a smile. “How?”

Langdon simply smiles and opens a different file, lazily waving his hand at Y/N.

“Your interview is over. Tell Ms. Venable to bring in Mr. Gallant. Thank you,” he says, a small grin on his lips.

“O–Okay, um, thanks?” Y/N says softly and stands from the hard leather chair, straightening the purple vest that adorns his upper body.

Y/N carefully make shis way to the closed door, making sure his weak legs don’t give out on him. His hand is on the brass knob and he turns it to the left, but Langdon’s voice stops him.

“Oh, and Y/N,” Langdon calls out without looking up from Gallant’s file. “We’ll be seeing each other more often. And the name’s Michael.”

It’s been like that for nearly a month. Conversations between Y/N and Michael seemed to grow longer as well as the lingering touches the blonde would give. Y/N seemed to have gotten more comfortable around Michael and less reserved. He’s more open about his sexuality and attraction towards the leader. His offending thoughts always made him blush and the smirk Michael would send him speaks loud and clear.

They’re currently in Michael’s office with a chess board between them on the desk. Michael was close to winning with only one more piece to steal from Y/N. It’s quiet, except for the cackling fire next to them. Y/N watches Michael’s fingers wiggle with anticipation as he thinks about his next move. Y/N always notices every little tic and he smiles each time.

“Can I ask you a question?” Y/N asks him after another minute of silence.

“If it’s about me allowing you to cheat, then no,” Michael says without looking up from the board.

“No,” Y/N laughs and shakes his head as he rests his chin in his hand, cheeks containing a light pink hue as Michael’s eyes glance up into his. “D–Do you…like men?”

“Like men how?” Michael questions, the game now forgotten as he leans forward, crossing his hands in front of him.

“Like…sexually. Do you see yourself being with…a man?” Y/N awkwardly asks, squirming from the heat and intensity of Michael’s gaze.

The blonde lets out a loud laugh and leans back in his seat. He tilts his head to the side and hums.

“Does the idea arouse you?” Michael suddenly asks, the question catching Y/N off guard, causing his eyes to widen and his face to flush red.

“Um,” he clears his throat and shuffles in his seat.

Michael chuckles deeply and begins to clear the table of the chess board and pawns. Y/N stifles a small laugh and looks down at his hands. He suddenly hears movement behind him, and he looks over his shoulder to see Michael towering over him.

“You should go back to your room now. I have a very important meeting tomorrow and need to discuss some things with you and the others,” Michael says with professionalism in his voice.

Y/N clears his throat for the umpteenth time and stands up, nearly pressing his chest to Michael’s since the blonde doesn’t bother to move away. He walks around him and heads for the door, one hand grasping the knob, ready to leave Michael’s intense and unwavering stare on his back.

“Oh, and Y/N,” Michael calls out before he can leave. “We’ll be seeing each other very soon.”

Y/N blushes at the teasing smile Michael wears and hurried out the door, slamming it shut behind him. He makes his way down the agonizingly long hallway, trying to regulate his heavy breathing and the growing bulge in his dark pants. Without even realizing it as he’s so deep in his thoughts, he’s already at his room. Y/N hurried inside and presses his back against the door, head tilted back with his eyes shut.

“It’s about damn time you showed up,” he hears the familiar voice of Gallant from across the room.

Y/N’s eyes shot open as he lets out a surprised gasp. Gallant lays across the bed, head propped up in his hand with his elbow resting on the bed. He lays completely shirtless with a pair of tight fitting boxers resting just below his navel. Y/N’s mouth waters at the sight and he can’t help but let out a small moan.

“What’re you waiting for, tiger?” Gallant seductively says and makes a come hither motion with his finger on his free hand. “I’m hungry.”

Y/N feels hypnotized as he pushes himself off the door and walks to Gallant with tingling legs and a heavy heart. His eyes trail up and down Gallant’s pale, smooth torso. There’s evident muscles and softness in all the right places, and he can tell the platinum blonde is eating up the attention.

Y/N takes off his sleek black shoes and begins to unbutton his purple vest with shaking fingers. He fumbles and curses under his breath. Gallant laughs lowly and sits up on his knees. His face is so close to Y/N’s that they can feel each other’s breath on their lips. The room suddenly gets ten degrees hotter. There’s a pleasant flush to their cheeks as Gallant yanks the vest free from Y/N’s upper body. With eagerness and an animalistic mindset, Gallant rips open Y/N’s dress shirt, buttons flying across the floor. Y/N gasps as he’s suddenly brought into a messy kiss that’s filled with desperate tongue and clashing teeth.

Y/N blindly shrugs off his shirt and grabs Gallant’s face, eagerly sucking on his tongue and biting his lips. Gallant groans and wraps his arms tight around the younger man to throw him on the bed. Y/N stares up at him with hazy eyes, swollen lips, and inflamed cheeks. Gallant rests himself between Y/N’s thighs and quickly works to pull down his tight pants. Y/N lets out a strangled groan from the pressure being released off his hard cock.

“You have such a nice cock,” Gallant smirks and hastily pulls down Y/N’s boxers.

“J–Just nice?” Y/N pants and throws his head back when Gallant wraps a hand around his cock to slowly jerk him off.

“Best I’ve ever seen since the Santa Monica street fair,” Gallant laughs lowly and rests an arm above Y/N’s head to stare down at him with dark eyes. “God, you’re so fucking hot.”

Y/N eagerly pulls him down for another sloppy kiss. The hand around his cock starts jerking faster, his fist tightening as he reaches his swollen tip. Y/N lets out a small whine and throws his head back, panting heavily as Gallant kisses and bites his neck and collarbones.

“You’re such a bottom,” Gallant groans.

“Fuck me,” Y/N whines and wraps his thighs tighter around Gallant’s waist so their cocks rub together. “Please, I’m begging you.”

“Shouldn’t you be on your knees then?” Both men hear from inside the room.

Y/N gasps and pushes Gallant away, quickly grabbing the covers to hide his naked body. Gallant clears his throat nervously at the sight of Michael, but the sex animal in his eyes doesn’t falter one bit. Michael has his arms behind his back as he stares them down back and forth, face completely void of emotion.

“We were just…um…” Gallant started to say, but gets cut off by Michael’s hand lifting to stop him from saying anything else.

“Are you that eager to be fucked, Y/N? Is your hand not enough that you practically weep for someone to fill up your aching hole?” Michael questions him, taking slow steps towards the two that sit tense on the bed. “Answer me, you desperate little slut.”

“Y–Yes sir,” Y/N whispers, clutching the blankets tighter against his bare chest when Michael stands a mere foot away from their feet. “But-”

“Show me,” Michael demands, eyes cold and dark.

“Wha–What?” Y/N stares at him as if the blonde grew three heads.

“Show me how desperate you are for some cock,” he repeats, a slow smirk spreading on his lips.

Y/N hesitantly lowers the covers and sits on his knees, one hand reaching out for Michael’s pants. The latter had other plans and grasped his wrist in a vice grip. Y/N winces.

“Not on me,” Michael lowly tells him.

Y/N feels his heart plummet to the bottom of his fucking asshole. He looks at Gallant who sits there, not knowing what to do but always waiting for what Michael wants him to do. Both men stare at each other. Y/N finds himself leaning into Gallant’s side, his eyes closed and his lips parted. When their lips meet, they let out small groans. Y/N’s hand trails down Gallant’s stomach to shove his hand inside his boxers, grabbing at his hard cock. He slowly moves his hand up and down, making sure to twist around the tip as precum oozes out and slides down the base, making it easier for Y/N. He sits on his knees between Gallant’s thighs and pulls away from the steamy kiss, a string of saliva connecting their swollen lips. Michael stands like a statue as he observes the two men.

“Suck my cock,” Gallant hisses and hastily pulls down his own boxers, blindly throwing them to the ground, not caring if they landed near or on Michael’s planted feet. “Fuck!”

Y/N’s lips are wrapped around the pink mushroomed tip. His tongue swirls lazy circles as he licks and swallows down the precum. One hand is wrapped around the thick base as the other rests on Gallant’s stomach. He feels the muscles clench as he lowers his head to swallow every single inch. Y/N closes his eyes as he gags lightly around Gallant’s cock. He feels two hands grasping his short hair. He lets out a muffled moan and bobs his head faster, desperately wanting to taste Gallant’s cum.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Gallant moans and throws his head back against the pillows, hips jerking up into Y/N’s mouth.

“That’s enough,” Michael demands.

Y/N immediately stops and pulls up from Gallant’s wet cock with a slurp. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and looks at Michael nervously, stomach in tight knots with his heart thundering against his ribcage.

“Oh, come on!” Gallant complains.

“Enough,” Michael glares at him. He looks at Y/N. “Get on your knees for me.”

Y/N chokes on a breath. Gallant swallows down a moan as he watches Michael palm his growing bulge that’s pressing against his black pants. Y/N feels as though he’s stuck in a trance as he watches Michael with an awe filled expression. He slips off the bed slowly and sits himself on his knees. The cold floor is hard against his sensitive skin. Y/N places his hands on the ground between his spread thighs. He looks up at Michael through his long lashes and parts his lips in anticipation.

“Bark for me,” Michael commands and slips his leather belt free from the loops. “Show me what a good little puppy you are.”

Y/N’s cheeks flush with embarrassment as hears Gallant laugh from his spot on the bed. Michael doesn’t spare him a glance as he holds the belt in his hands.

“W–Woof,” Y/N mumbles shyly, breathing speeding up just the slightest as Michael slowly walks around him.

He couldn’t see what was happening. His fingers trembles with nerves as his stomach erupted in millions of butterflies. His cheeks burned as he hears Michael hum from behind.

“Louder,” Michael commands.

“Woof!” Y/N whines.

Suddenly, he sees the black belt in his line of vision as it goes over his head. His eyes widen as he feels the thick strap wrap around his neck tightly. His skin burned as it pinched him when Michael made it tighter. Y/N lets out a choked gasp and moans pitifully.

“Is that too tight for you, my little needy pup?” Michael coos and yanks the belt back with enough force to make Y/N cough.

“N–No sir,” he brokenly whispers.

“Good boy,” Michael grins and grabs the end of the belt, lightly tugging in the opposite direction. “Come on, little puppy. Follow your master.”

Y/N hears Gallant moan, and he hears the slick sounds of him jerking his cock. Y/N moves his right hand forward, followed by his right knee. Then his left hand moved forward, followed by his left knee. He crawled like a little puppy and whimpered when Michael yanked the belt, the leather tightening around his sensitive throat.

“Good boy,” Michael praises, causing a fiery blush to spread on Y/N’s cheeks.

The makeshift collar rubbed his skin raw as he continued to crawl after Michael. His knees ached and his arms shook under his weight. Y/N lets out a quiet whine as his heavy cock hangs between his thighs.

“What was that? I didn’t quite hear you,” Michael spoke lowly and knelt down in front of the young man on his hands and knees obediently.

“Please,” Y/N whispers in a strangled voice.

“Get on the bed,” Michael gravelly commands and stands up straight without dropping the belt.

Y/N eagerly crawls onto the bed, settling himself back between Gallant’s milky thighs. His cock was leaking heavily as he furiously worked his fist over the wet base.

“Wag your little tail for me,” Michael says and strokes a cold hand up and down Y/N’s back, his rings causing goosebumps to erupt on his skin.

Y/N bites his lip and stares into Gallant’s eyes as he wiggles his ass from side to side. Both blondes let out a low groan from such an innocent action. Y/N lets out a quiet giggle and buries his face against the covers. His whines are muffled as Michael’s hands stroke his ass cheeks, squeezing and scratching at the plump flesh.

“Does the little pup like to be rubbed? Hm?” Michael asks and roughly digs his fingers into Y/N’s skin. “Answer your master.”

“Yes!” Y/N cries out as his cock begins to leak onto the covers. “Yes, yes, yes!”

“Of course you do,” Gallant comments breathlessly as a light sheen of sweat coats his pale skin. “You’re such a bottom.”

“Enough of that,�� Michael says and lands a harsh smack to Y/N’s right cheek, letting out a loud groan as he watches the flesh jiggle.

Y/N squeals and grabs Gallant’s thighs tightly, the latter moaning as nails are being dug into his skin. He does love the pain. Michael lands a smack to the other cheek, then another, and another, and another. This goes on for a full minute. Y/N’s cheeks are a hot shade of pink. There’s a small imprint from Michael’s chunky rings. Michael feels satisfied as he hears Y/N’s shaky cries and hiccuping sobs. The pain spreads through his lower half as Michael gently massages the warm flesh.

“Mm,” Y/N whimpers and pushes back onto his hands, toes curling and lips parting. “Feels good.”

“Yeah?” Michael whispers. “What about here?”

Michael swipes his thumb over Y/N’s clenching hole. He lightly dips his thumb inside, grinning sadistically as Y/N lets out a pained whimpered from the lack of lube or any form of wetness. Michael leans down and swipes his hot tongue over Y/N’s fluttering hole. Both men let out a loud moan. Michael circles his tongue around the puckered rim and leaves a sloppy kiss, saliva dripping down to Y/N’s full balls.

Michael suddenly grabs Y/N’s hips and forcefully turns him onto his back. The blonde male reaches down to unbuttons his pants, pulling them down along with his boxers as they pool at his ankles. Y/N stares up at him through bleary eyes and lets out a small mewl as Michael rubs his thick tip up and down Y/N’s dripping hole.

“You want this?” Michael emphasizes as he slowly pushes an inch inside, and Y/N eagerly nods and grabs Gallant’s legs for leverage. “Answer me, pup.”

“I want it! I want it so, so, so bad, sir. Please. Give it to me. Please, please, ple– AAHH!!” Y/N screams out as Michael pushes his cock inside in one brutal thrust.

His thighs clap against the young man under him roughly. Michael grits his teeth and clenches his jaw at the overwhelming tightness surrounding his cock. He feels a drop of sweat sliding down his temple before it disappears under his chin. Y/N’s eyes are unfocused and filled with tears as he garbles and gasps for breath. Michael doesn’t stop his ruthless fucking and quickly removes the belt from around Y/N’s neck, quickly replacing the leather with his large hand.

“Is this what you wanted, you pathetic little slut?” Michael growls and pants heavily as Y/N squirms under him.

“Um…g–guys…” Gallant moans breathlessly, but neither of them listen as they’re lost in their own world.

Michael raises up and lands a harsh smack across Y/N’s face, his cheek turning an angry shade of red as Michael does it again to the other. Y/N squeals and throws his head back as the tingling in his stomach grows and gets stronger. His eyes cross and his hips back against Michael’s.

Michael grabs a handful of his short strands and harshly tugs, briefly shaking the trembling man’s head to coax him to open his eyes. And when he does, he stares up at an orgasmic face.

“Michael,” he weakly whispers, his voice cracking as a tear rolls down his warm cheeks. “Please…”

The blonde grins and grabs Y/N’s jaw, squeezing to the point of pain. And when the latter lets out a small noise of discomfort, Michael leans down until their noses brush together. His lips purse as he releases a warm wad of spit into Y/N’s mouth.

“Swallow,” Michael commands and forcefully shuts Y/N’s mouth.

He does as he’s told and swallows down Michael’s saliva. He lets out a small whine as the man speeds his thrusts. He reaches back to grab a handful of the covers as more tears roll down his cheeks.

“God!!” He squeals.

“No,” Michael growls and tightens his hand around the poor boy’s throat. “He’s not here, little one. I am.”

Y/N lets out a final scream and cums all over his stomach. His orgasm is drawn out as his body jerks and shakes under Michael’s grip. He can barely hear as oxygen fails to enter his brain. His thighs are shaking so much as Michael releases any anger into his thrusts. His cock is hitting every spot that makes Y/N squeal like a little pig.

Gallant is suddenly sitting up onto his knees, his hand still jerking his cock at the same time as Michael’s thrusting. He brings his mushroomed tip close to Y/N’s parted lips, the younger man opening them wider to slip his cock inside his mouth. Y/N lets out a drowsy moan and curls his toes as he feels another impending orgasm. His body is on fire. Everything feels too much yet not enough. He’s aware of Gallant’s cock in his mouth and he’s so desperate to swallow down some warm cum. Michael grunts like a wild beast and yanks Y/N’s head by his hair to push him further up onto Gallant’s cock.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Gallant moans and throws his head back to the ceiling, hands grabbing Y/N’s head to fuck into his mouth. “Ooohhh!!

He shoots his cum down Y/N’s eager throat. He lets out a shaky laugh and lays back on the bed, his breathing heavy and body humming. Michael lets out a final rough moan and presses his cock so deep inside Y/N, that it makes the submissive boy squeal like a girl before he came on his stomach again. Michael releases his hot cum inside Y/N’s tightening hole and wraps his hand around his red cock. Y/N recoils and quickly grabs Michael’s wrist, frantically shaking his head no as he hiccups and sobs from the sensitivity.

Michael tilts his head and watches him as he furiously jerks his hand over the enflamed and swollen tip. Y/N falls back and arches his back so high that it impressed both Michael and Gallant. He shrieks and shoots his final load onto his cum covered stomach. He falls back and shuts his heavy lids. He lets out a meek whine and covers his eyes with his arm as Michael slowly pulls out of his gaping hole. The blonde chuckles deeply and swipes his thumb around it, coaxing the hole to clench around nothing.

“You did good, pup,” Michael praises and rubs his hands up and down the curve of Y/N’s hips.

“Th–Thank you,” he shyly and drowsily says, barely able to keep his eyes open.

Michael looks over at Gallant and raises his brows as the short haired blonde send him a sexual look. Michael grabs his belt, folds the leather, and pulls it taut so a loud snap! can be heard. Y/N whimpers and subconsciously flinches from the noise. Michael hushes him quietly and strokes his hand over his quivering thigh.

“Get on your stomach, Gallant,” Michael orders quietly. “Arms pressed at your sides with your head straight. I don’t want you moving or looking at me. Is that clear?”

Gallant eagerly nods and gets into position. His heart speeds up as he feels Michael forcefully spread his legs. He grips onto the covers in anticipation. He sends a brief look to Y/N and sees the boy is still in a hazy state of mind. A loud smack! can be heard as Michael swings the belt down hard onto Gallant’s bare ass. The receiving male lets out a loud moan and shuts his eyes as the pain sends shocks of arousal to his hardening cock. Michael does it again, and again, and again, and again – each hit getting increasingly harder. After almost five minutes of the abuse, Gallant’s ass was covered in thick welts. Red, purple, and blue littered his pale white skin. He’s shaking and moaning into the covers, cock heavy and leaking.

“C–Can you just fuck me already?!” He grows impatient.

Michael laughs and tosses the belt to the side. His pulls up his boxers and pants, slowly buttoning them as he slides his belt back through the hoops. He stands between Gallant’s spread legs and leans in close until his crotch is nestled between Gallant’s cheeks. His head is close to his ear, and lets out a low breath, sending heat around Gallant’s neck. The short haired blonde lets out a moan and bucks into Michael’s crotch.

“Please, fuck me,” Gallant moans.

Michael presses his lips to Gallant’s ear and speaks incredibly low, his voice gravelly and his tone condescending. “I wouldn’t fuck you if you were the last man on earth.”

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papermoonloveslucy · 4 years ago

Text

THE PORTRAIT ARTIST

August 6, 1948

"The Portrait Artist” aka “The Portrait Painter” aka “The Portrait” is episode #3 of the radio program MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on August 6, 1948 on the CBS Radio Network.

Synopsis ~ Liz is having her portrait painted by a handsome but gruff artist. George gets jealous and fakes illness, and he is attended to by a sexy young nurse - causing the green-eyed monster to rear between both Cugats!

MAIN CAST

Lucille Ball (Liz Cugat) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Richard Denning (George Cugat) was born as Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger Jr., in Poughkeepsie, New York. When he was 18 months old, his family moved to Los Angeles. Plans called for him to take over his father's garment manufacturing business, but he developed an interest in acting. Denning enlisted in the US Navy during World War II. He is best known for his roles in various science fiction and horror films of the 1950s. Although he teamed with Lucille Ball on radio in “My Favorite Husband,” the two never acted together on screen. While “I Love Lucy” was on the air, he was seen on another CBS TV series, “Mr. & Mrs. North.” From 1968 to 1980 he played the Governor on “Hawaii 5-0″, his final role. He died in 1998 at age 84.

Ruth Perrott (Katie, the Maid) was also later seen on “I Love Lucy.” She first played Mrs. Pomerantz, a member of the surprise investigating committee for the Society Matrons League in “Pioneer Women” (ILL S1;E25), was one of the member of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League in “Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress” (ILL S3;E3), and also played a nurse when “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (ILL S2;E16). She died in 1996 at the age of 96.

GUEST CAST

John Hiestand (Cory Cartwright) served as the announcer for the radio show “Let George Do It” from 1946 to 1950. In 1955 he did an episode of “Our Miss Brooks” opposite Gale Gordon in which he once again had the surname Cartwright.

The role of Cory Cartwright was originated by Hal March but Hiestand very quickly replaced him. March did, however, stay with the show and appears from time time as various characters.

Jeff Chandler (Damon Welch) was known for his prematurely gray hair and striking good looks as a young man. On radio, he was on “Our Miss Brooks” as Mr. Boynton with Eve Arden. When the series moved to television in 1952, Chandler was replaced by Robert Rockwell. Chandler died at age 42 from blood poisoning after an operation.

William Johnstone (Doctor) is best known for his voice work as the title character on “The Shadow” from 1938 to 1943, replacing Lucille Ball’s friend Orson Welles. He played John Jacob Astor in the 1953 film Titanic.

Mary Shipp (Nurse Mary Ann McCarthy) was a radio and TV actress and the second wife of CBS Executive Harry Ackerman. Shipp played a recurring character on CBS’s “My Friend Irma” (1954-55) which featured Gale Gordon’s mother Gloria and Hal March, who was the first actor to play Cory Cartwright.

“My Favorite Husband” was based on the novels Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Record of a Happy Marriage (1940) and Outside Eden (1945) by Isabel Scott Rorick, which had previously been adapted into the film Are Husbands Necessary? (1942). “My Favorite Husband” was first broadcast as a one-time special on July 5, 1948. Lucille Ball and Lee Bowman played the characters of Liz and George Cugat, and a positive response to this broadcast convinced CBS to launch “My Favorite Husband” as a series on July 23, 1948. Bowman was not available Richard Denning was cast as George. On January 7, 1949, confusion with bandleader Xavier Cugat prompted a name change to Cooper. On this same episode Jell-O became its sponsor. A total of 124 episodes of the program aired from July 23, 1948 through March 31, 1951. After about ten episodes had been written, writers Fox and Davenport departed and three new writers took over – Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, and head writer/producer Jess Oppenheimer. In March 1949 Gale Gordon took over the existing role of George’s boss, Rudolph Atterbury, and Bea Benaderet was added as his wife, Iris. CBS brought “My Favorite Husband” to television in 1953, starring Joan Caulfield and Barry Nelson as Liz and George Cooper. The television version ran two-and-a-half seasons, from September 1953 through December 1955, running concurrently with “I Love Lucy.” It was produced live at CBS Television City for most of its run, until switching to film for a truncated third season filmed (ironically) at Desilu and recasting Liz Cooper with Vanessa Brown.

This episode aired on Lucille Ball’s 37th birthday, August 6, 1948.

At this point in the series, George and Liz are still named Cugat. Their surname will be changed to Cooper in 1949 to avoid confusion with a famous Latin bandleader. No, not Desi Arnaz - Xavier Cugat! Also, the show had yet to introduce Iris and Rudolph Atterbury, the secondary characters, similar to Fred and Ethel on “I Love Lucy.” The character of Cory Cartwright, a handsome bachelor friend of the couple, will shortly be phased out. He was initially played by Hal March, but here played by John Hiestand.

Marital jealousy and painting were also the subjects of “My Favorite Husband” the CBS television show on November 29, 1955.

THE EPISODE

Announcer Bob LeMond sets up the premise of the series:

Ten years ago the town’s most eligible bachelor, George Cugat, married socially prominent Elizabeth Elliott. The lavish wedding kept the society columns all over the country in copy for weeks. The New Yorker said:

“The bride and groom were dressed with the nth degree of smartness. The best man was a polo pony.”

The Hearst Papers said:

“The bride and groom were dressed handsomely and attracted comments from guest Douglas MacArthur.”

And The Reader’s Digest said:

“The bride and groom were dressed.”

The joke lies in the brevity of the Digest’s comments. The Reader’s Digest was known for their publication of abridged novels, short stories, and articles that could be read in one sitting. Ricky was seen reading the Digest in “Lucy Writes a Novel” in 1954. That same year, a biography of Ball by Eleanor Harris was included in the Digest - condensed, naturally. Ball appeared on the covers in 1990 and 2003.

Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) was a five-star general and Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s. He played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. At the time of broadcast, he was running for President of the United States, but was defeated in the primaries by Dewey, who was narrowly defeated in the election by Harry S. Truman. In “Lucy and the Submarine” (1966) Mr. Mooney(Gale Gordon) tells Lucy he’s going on a two-week training, but warns her (in his best deep-voiced, measure tones) that “I shall return!” These were the immortal words spoken by MacArthur when he escaped the Philippines after being surrounded by the Japanese in March 1942.

It is morning at the Cugat home and while George is having breakfast, Katie the maid is trying to help Liz fit into a tight-fitting and slinky evening gown in preparation for having her portrait painted. Katie suggests wearing a different dress for the portrait, but Liz is worried that they might move to Boston one day, and she doesn’t want her portrait banned!

"Banned in Boston" was a phrase employed from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, to describe a literary work, song, motion picture, or play which had been prohibited from distribution or exhibition in Boston, Massachusetts. During this period, Boston officials had wide authority to ban works featuring "objectionable" content, and often banned works with sexual content or foul language. In 1944, just a few years before this broadcast, Boston banned the book Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor, which was referred to on “I Love Lucy” as Forever Ember.

Liz goes down to breakfast in her slinky evening gown and tells George that she is having her portrait painted by noted artist Damon Welch.

LIZ: “They say he’s very big and strong and muscular like, uh...who’s that rugged tall actor in the movies? The one with the big arms and broad shoulders?” GEORGE: “Marjorie Main.” LIZ: “No, Victor Mature.”

Marjorie Main (1890-1975) was a character actress who just a few months before this broadcast earned an Oscar nomination for The Egg and I. In 1954 she was a supporting player in Lucy and Desi’s The Long, Long Trailer (1953).

Victor Mature (1913-99) was a stage, film, and television actor who starred in several movies during the 1950s, and was known for his dark hair and smile. Mature and Lucille Ball acted together in Seven Days Leave (1942) and Easy Living (1949).

Bachelor Cory Cartwright (John Hiestand) visits the Cugats with exciting news about his date last night:

CORY: “She had a smile like Lana Turner, a voice like Dinah Shore, she kissed like Paulette Goddard.” LIZ: “Do you date her or buy tickets to her?”

Lana Turner (1921-55) achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress. In the mid-1940s, she was one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood and one of MGM) biggest stars. In 1943, she did a cameo in Lucille Ball’s Du Barry Was a Lady. Turner was mentioned in three episodes of “I Love Lucy.”

Dinah Shore (1916-94) was a singer, actress and television personality, as well as a top-charting female vocalist of the 1940s. She achieved even greater success on television, mainly as hostess of a series of variety and talk programs, although she guest starred on “Here’s Lucy” in 1971. Ball made numerous appearances on Shore’s talk shows as well.

Paulette Goddard (1910-90) was major star of Paramount Pictures in the 1940s. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in So Proudly We Hail! (1943). She did three films with Lucille Ball between 1933 and 1934: Roman Scandals, The Bowery, and The Kid.

George comes home from work and asks Liz about progress on the portrait. Liz was impressed by Welch’s world experience. George feels inadequate. He makes her tell him how much she loves him.

LIZ: “Hold me tighter. Make believe I’m a tube of toothpaste and pop my cap off!”

Dejected that Liz wants him to take up painting like Damon Welch, George goes to bed without his supper.

The second act begins with George deciding to stay home, pretending to be sick in order to keep an eye on Liz and Welch. Katie admits Damon for their sitting. Welch doesn’t believe George is sick.

DAMON: “You should get out-of-doors; do some exercises. Run the mile, do some chin-ups, push-ups, chop some wood, mow the lawn, pull some weights...” LIZ: “Tote that barge, lift that bale!”

Liz chimes in with lyrics from the song “Old Man River” by Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern, written for the 1927 musical Show Boat. A revival of the musical ran on Broadway in 1946. There was a radio adaptation in 1944. In “Never Do Business With Friends” (1953), Lucy Ricardo analogizes her housework without an electric washing machine to that of the slaves who sing “Old Man River”:

LUCY: “Carrying this heavy basket - up and down, up and down. My muscles straining, body all aching and racked with pain. Fold those shirts, lift those sheets.” RICKY: “Now, look, Old Man River, will you dry up?”

The doctor arrives and examines George, finding nothing whatever the matter with him. His diagnosis is extreme jealousy-itis. He summons his new nurse, Mary Ann McCarthy (Mary Shipp), whose beauty stops George in his tracks.

Downstairs, Liz is still being painted by Damon, but not nearly fast enough for her liking. She complains that he still hasn’t painted her hair! She doesn’t like seeing herself bald!

LIZ: “I look like my mother was frightened by Guy Kibbee!” MONTY: “I’ll paint in your hair when I see fit, and not a second sooner. Until that time you’ll remain an egg-head and like it!”

Guy Kibbee (1882-1956) was a stage and film actor. In the 1935 film Mary Jane's Pa, Kibbee prepares a breakfast dish which consists of a hole cut out of the center of a slice of bread, and an egg cracked into it, all of which is fried in a skillet. It became known as Guy Kibbee Eggs but is also known as eggs in a basket. Liz is no doubt comparing her bald head on the canvas with the eggs. I didn’t hurt the comparison that Kibbee was also bald! Kibbee appeared with Lucille Ball in Don’t Tell The Wife (1937) and Joy of Living (1938).

George hears Damon and Liz laughing and comes downstairs to confront them but Damon sends him back upstairs. Liz wonders if George is jealous just as George is heard laughing upstairs with Nurse McCarthy. Liz goes upstairs to confront her husband! George says he’s had a relapse!

GEORGE: “I accidentally plugged my electric heating pad into the radio and H.V. Kaltenborn got into bed with me!”

Hans von Kaltenborn (1878-1965) was a radio commentator who was heard regularly on the radio for over 30 years, beginning in 1928. He was known for his highly precise diction, his ability to ad-lib, and his knowledge of world affairs. In 1948, Kaltenborn played himself in The Babe Ruth Story which co-starred William Frawley (Fred Mertz).

George, still suspicious of Liz and Damon, goes downstairs to discover that Liz has dismissed the painter so George wouldn’t be sick and Miss McCarthy would go.

After a message from the announcer about participation in community projects (a post-war endeavor), George and Liz engage in some bedtime repartee before they kiss and say goodnight. End of episode!

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redfoxwritesstuff · 5 years ago

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Of Dust and Ashes (chapter 8)

Good Morning and happy friday. Should I stop saying happy friday since it’s Dust day and well... yeah? ANYWHO, Y’all have waited for our lovely OC and Clint to meet and the time is upon us! Actually- it’s not, that’s next week. But GO YOU for waiting TWO MONTHS for the main characters in a romance fic to even meet.

Chapter warnings (because there are always chapter warnings with this fic, except that one time there wasn’t): general undercurrent of mental and emotional pain. Surprise assault, sexual assault, implied plans of future rape and sexual assault (what will happen? Who knows!), Dog bites, mentions of suicidal thoughts, mentions of hopeful thoughts, mentions of religion.

Chapter 8: When it all goes sideways

Day 39 Post Decimation

~~~~~<3

Clint was up early, dragging himself out of the too hard guest bed before the sun had done more than just lighten the sky. With the reality of his situation weighing on him, he filled a bottle with water and pulled himself behind the wheel of the truck he kept but rarely drove. He needed supplies to survive until he had some sort of plan as to how he was going to move forward.

He also needed coffee but if he stayed in that house a moment longer, he would go mad. He needed a break from it all, for a few hours. It was too much to be surrounded by the things he had shared with this family for too long.

Leaving the farm would be dangerous until people settled into the new way things worked or until the government took control back from the people. With all the political unrest he had seen in his life, it looked very much like what he had seen in the time since he had left New York. It likely would be rebellion on a large scale all over the country- hell all over the world and he didn’t expect that it would come to an end any time soon.

Slowly, he made his way toward Kansas City. He took his time, stopping at every town along the way to gather what supplies he could while checking the political and social environment in the areas surrounding him. He had wasted too much time already and now he had to play a game of catch up.

It was vital to know the situation in the communities surrounding where his home was. That was the only way he could hope to get an advantage in protecting what little still mattered. Mostly, it was empty buildings and empty land that he found. As he moved about in small towns he would catch sight of people looking from windows carefully, watching him. In these towns he would only take a little, if there was anything left to take at all.

He hoped for better pickings to be found within the City where many wouldn’t know what they should have taken for survival. The ignorance of city dwellers could always be counted on. Still, it had been a month and he knew better than to hope for too much.

~~~~~<3

Deanna carefully moved into the city. The summer heat was beating down on her from what felt like everywhere. Heat radiated up off the asphalt and off the cars. Still, she felt safer weaving her way between cars rather than walking in the open where she would be uncovered. The cars offered her some cover as she made her way into the city, giving her a place to crouch and peek ahead. It was a long walk but until she was closer she didn’t want to risk picking up a car only to have to ditch it at a roadblock.

It was close to noon when she had finally felt safe enough to grab a car from one of the seemingly abandoned dealerships. They had become one of her favorite places to pick up cars. Normally they got good millage, their tanks had plenty of fuel and were often free of both dust inside and decomposing bodies.

She hated driving around, it could draw too much attention but cities were far too big to travel on foot while gathering supplies. It was simply a necessity regardless of if she wanted to drive or not. Grand theft auto was becoming routine for her. She hardly gave it any thought anymore. A rock through the window, find the keys, break into the locked case- typically with the use of heavy things or tools from the shop- and find the car it matched and off she went.

With wheels, she set about finding store. While she drove, she allowed the radio to search for any signals. All it found was static however and she quickly turned it off, preferring the silence and Trust’s panting over the sound of static as she drove. It occurred to her that there was no reason not to grab some CDs. The RV had a CD player as did most cars. Why should she live in silence?

The always familiar big blue sign of a Walmart caught her eye and she wasted no time pulling the truck into the parking lot and backing close to the doors. The glass was shattered on the ground, blown around by the wind and shards covered in a layer of dirt or dust, perhaps both. As she always did, Deanna told Trust to be mindful of his paws as if he would understand her. So far they had been lucky and he hadn’t cut himself on broken glass and that was good enough for her.

As she moved into the store, she clicked the flashlight on her phone on. Grabbing a cart, she set her backpack inside and looked at the mess inside the store. The produce section was nearly empty but what had not been picked clean was molding. As she walked, she found the frozen sections were in a similar state. The general smell within the store was fairly bad.

She was able to find cans of broth and piled them into the cart. Water was cleaned out but she had expected as much. In a pinch she could always just drink straight broth though she couldn’t see it coming to that any time soon. With the salt in the broths, they couldn’t replace fresh water but it was something she could cook in rather than using water.

Surely the government would be back before things got to that point, wouldn’t it? In the very back of some shelves she was able to find some cans of vegetables and fruit. She was surprised to find any at all but it seemed some people didn’t think to crouch down and look in the very back.

It had become surprising, the things she could find in cities that people didn’t think to take. Cleaning supplies, hygienic items and such were often still sitting on shelves. All sorts of goodies could be found in the backs of shelves, left behind by people who didn’t think to kneel down and look in the back.

Two large bags of rice, a heavy bag of flower and just as heavy bag of sugar was added tot he cart. More yeast could be valuable for trading- it had already earned her fresh produce once, it was worth taking what she could to see if she could make that happen again. Peanut butter, jelly and cans of soup were all hiding in the backs of the shelves. A handful of cans of tuna and a good ten cans of chicken was sitting ignored on the shelf. It wasn’t exactly the plethora of food she wished for but it was something.

Dog food was still sitting on the shelves and Deanna could only assume whoever was still in the city hadn’t become desperate enough to resort to eating it. That was all the better for her, she grabbed the largest bags she could and slipped them under the cart. Right in the middle of the store, she grabbed a can of wet food and popped it open. She dumped the food in a bowl from the display and Trust was thankful for another meal, having eaten the can she had brought shortly before they made it to the car dealership.

In the kitchen section she grabbed up some heavy cast iron pans and a dutch oven. Some baking dishes went in next, small cookie pans and a six cup muffin tin found their way into the cart because- why not?

In the book section, she found a few cook books and tossed them in the cart as well as a few paper back books that looked interesting enough. There wasn’t a reason not to, really. While living now was hard work, she had down time with her current set up. She’d always said that she wanted to start reading more, what better time?

A sky blue bedding set was tossed onto of the full cart as her circle through the store neared an end. She stood in front of the fishing gear before she would make a right turn and walk down the back of the store. The flashlight lit up fishing rods and cases full of things she didn’t really understand or know how to use.

She grabbed a rod that looked as good as any of the others and handfuls of whatever looked useful. In a case was jars of what claimed to be salmon eggs and she tossed jar after jar inside. She may not know how to fish but she may as well try and learn. On her way out, she grabbed laundry detergent and more dish soap and that was it.

~~~~~<3

Clint was perched on a stairway outside a fourth floor apartment overlooking a Walmart in Kansas City. He planned on crashing here for the night and taking his time working his way back to the farmhouse the following day. Whoever had lived in this apartment had been paranoid and for that, he was thankful. It was a jackpot complete with instant coffee- not his favorite but better than nothing.

The door had shown signs of someone trying to break it down but the heavy locks did their jobs. Whoever failed to get inside clearly were not skilled in picking a lock, unlike him. The locks did little to keep him out. Inside he found cabinets full of canned food. With the door locked behind him, a can of peaches in his hand and his bow and quiver at his side, he watched.

The city wasn’t abandoned, that much was clear to him though the remaining people went to great pains to make it look like it. Even before the truck pulled into the Walmart parking lot, there was people moving in the distance, staying in the shadows.

Just because they didn’t want to be seen didn’t mean he didn’t see them. Women would be ushered through dark doorways without so much as a peep. Clint wondered if those women were free to leave, if they wished.

Below, a woman with a dog was busying herself with loading a cart full of some of the oddest things into the truck bed. The dog food made sense to him, as did the large bags of flour, sugar and rice. What didn’t make as much sense to Clint was the bedding. She didn’t see the men as they moved into the parking lot swiftly, baseball bats in their hands. It was clear that they meant her harm. Clint wasn’t one to sit back and watch when she had no chance against the twelve or so men stalking her.

~~~~~<3

Deanna nearly jumped out of her skin when Trust barked, hackles raised and a deep growl spilling out between bared teeth. They hadn’t been together for long, all things considered however she trusted the dog with every ounce of her being. Still, there wasn’t a lot she could do other than be on guard and pray that it was just another dog that upset Trust.

With gun in hand, she slowly pushed the cart outside. There wasn’t much she could do to peek outside. For better or worse, she had no option but to inch outside with every muscle in her body tensed. It looked clear enough and she set about loading the truck after hushing Trust. The faster she got the truck loaded and out of there, the better.

Trust dashed around the front of the truck, hackles raised and looking wholly ready to defend her life. Deanna didn’t have time to think much of it as she wrestled things into the back. A large fluffy cloud crossed over the sun as the breeze picked up, sending dust into the air around her feet. It felt like a warning in that moment, even if she couldn’t even begin to know how sideways things were about to go.

She didn’t hear him come up behind her. Maybe she would have, if not for the snarling barks of the dog and her blood rushing in her ears. Maybe not. In the end, it didn’t really matter, did it? You only get one shot at things like this and so all she could ever do is guess.

Rough hands grabbed at her waist and pulled her back from the truck. A dirty face and greasy hair sneered down at her. For a short moment her mind went blank. When she jerked the gun up, his hand caught her wrist in a bruising grip. Fingers dug in to the soft flesh of her wrist, tips digging between the bones. Though she tried not to, she cried out when her fingers went numb and the gun slipped to the ground.

In that way that one notices unimportant details when adrenaline floods the body, Deanna noticed the dirt caked around the man’s nails. His whole hand was covered in dirt, as if he hadn’t even seen water in the last month. If she splashed his hands with her bottle, she was sure that the water would run off his fingertips nearly black. She felt dumb for noticing such things, now wasn’t the time to gauge his hygienic practices but she couldn’t help it. The mind was a strange thing, like that.

“Let go of me!” No matter how she yanked, his grip was unrelenting.

“Not happening.”

She struggled and kicked at him but it seemed to take no effort for him to get both her hands pinned in one of his. The weight of him pinned her against the truck as his free hand grabbed at her, pulling at her clothes and hair. Her mind was a blur of half formed thoughts and ideas as she tried to fight him off of her.

With a twist, she almost got free but just as his hands slipped off her arm, they locked around her waist. With a grunt of effort, he hauled her back and threw her against the truck. Air left her lungs in a rush and she struggled to breath. It was pure luck when her heel made contact with the man’s crotch.

Behind her, anther man screamed, his voice blending with the shouts of the man who had been attacking her as he fell to the ground, clutching himself. She couldn’t see it but Trust had his jaws locked on the wrist of another man. The man with the greasy hair pulled himself up against the truck just as Deanna had slipped away.

She was so close, so very close to getting away. Her fingers curled around the handle to the driver’s door when she was yanked back with enough force to rip her shirt. A scream ripped from her throat but she didn’t hear it.

The man, this one blonde yanked her back. In the struggle, she twisted her ankle and white hot pain rushed through her only to be quickly forgotten as she tried to get away with hobbled steps. She didn’t have long however before she was thrown up against the side of the truck once more.

The screams of the man Trust still had locked in his jaws echoed and chilled her to her core even as pleading words pooled out of her mouth. She tried to convince the blonde haired man to let her go, using anything that came to mind as leverage. Perhaps she had gone so far as to even offer up her home on wheels. Later, she wouldn’t be able to recall the things she said and in the end, it didn’t matter. The man could not be bought or bargained with.

What she would be able to recall was the way his hands grabbed at her, pulled at her clothes. There were vile promises falling from his spit covered lips and while she couldn’t recall the words, the memory of their promise would chill her to the bone. As he grabbed at her breasts, he told her of the things his band of thugs did to the women in their care. The way they were slaves to what the men desired. He promised that she’d be cooking their meals, cleaning their messes and seeing to their every need. As if he had left any doubt, he ground his hips into her.

Though she struggled with a renewed energy, she couldn’t get away. His fist bunched in her hair and the pain of it combined with the helplessness and frustration to bring tears to her eyes.

“Just kill me.” The words slipped from her lips as a whimper. In a passing way she had no time to give thought to, she realized that was what she had really wanted. She was a coward, yes and would not seek it out but now- she could beg for death without regret.

“Not until we’re done with you.” He yanked her forward. “Don’t think we’ll go easy on you just because you’re pretty.”

She didn’t think it was possible to want to live in this world, yet she did. It was strange, how the mind could jump from wanting death to wanting to live in the span of a few heartbeats but she did. Perhaps it wasn’t so much that she wanted to live but rather that she didn’t want to suffer for who knows how long while waiting for blessed death.

If she could just get away, she promised herself she would make for herself the best life she could in the new system. Not a single day would be taken for granted. Every sunrise and sunset would be admired with all her heart. If she could just get away, she swore she would never wish for death again. If she could just get away.

She had thought she had wanted to die, not even a few weeks ago and had gone so far as to think about just ending things. She was far too cowardly to act on such thoughts.

If she could just somehow get out of this situation, she would live her life. She would live her life the best she could to make up for the lives her children wouldn’t get to live. She would pick flowers. She would sing songs. She would make a home for herself. If only she could get away.

The man’s callused hands slipped under her shirt for a better grip on her and tears dripped from her chin. Words still fell from her lips, pleads for mercy. She promised them anything, everything she had owned- she would give them. All of her water, all of her food, everything. All she wanted was the be allowed to leave, allowed to live without suffering at their hands.

It wasn’t enough for them. They wanted her.

It had been a long time since she had been faithful. With the emergence of the Norse gods within the realm of reality, it was hard to know what gods were real, which where true gods and if any actually answered prayers. For all anyone could know, they were all aliens. She, like many had lost any real faith. Still, as the man pulled her head back by her hair and wrapped his grimy hand around her throat, she prayed to a nameless god.

She begged any god who dared to listen, any god who may even give the slightest shit about her and the remaining humans to spare her from what they had in store for her. She begged for a sign that she could continue on. She begged for a sign that she wasn’t spared from the decimation, just to suffer through this. She begged whatever god may hear her for a sign that she didn’t outlive her children just to be a slave to a gang. While her vision grew fuzzy and darkness swam around her, she begged for a sign.

She kicked and clawed with what little strength she had even as she felt hope slipping away from her. It was just as well, she thought. She would see them again soon, if she was lucky. If she was lucky, they would kill her soon and she could hold Frankie and Aurora in her arms again.

~~~~~<3

Tag List (as always, if you want on- let me know): @usedtobegoodfriend96, @0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-9, @theoneanna, @alexakeyloveloki, @toozmanykids, @j-u-s-t-4, @missaphrodite23, @winterisakiller, @bambamwolf87, @nonsensicalobsessions, @tinchentitri, @michelegurl, @carissime72, @xoxabs88xox, @tnystrk-exe, @queenoftheunderdark

#clint x reader #clint barton x reader #clint barton x female reader #hawkeye x reader #clint barton x ofc #clint barton x oc #clint x ofc #clint x oc #clint barton fanfiction

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wildroseofarran · 5 years ago

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Dinner Interview || Leslie & Kelly

Leslie: "Twenty ounces has to be enough."

Leslie stared at the two too large steaks on his counter. A ridiculous amount of money had gone into these choice portions. He could have gone bigger. A shudder at the thought. These had the best marbling, anyway.

"Gonna have to finish in the oven." Talking to himself? No. Litha was sitting on the floor by the back door, humming along to Bad Karma and all but ignoring him. Despite January, both doors had been left open. The wood stove crackled irritably in its battle to warm the house. The doors were an open invitation to Kelly, whenever his arrival.

"You're right." He rolled his eyes. "Should change the music." A glance to his watch. "I'll figure that out in a minute." For now, five minutes to five, it was time to salt and pepper the steaks.

Kelly: Five minutes to five and Kelly was still trying to come up with a reason for agreeing to this. It was his day off, he could be sitting at home with a beer and pizza, surrounded by blissful silence and a complete lack of company. Or he could be sitting in a hot bath with a bottle of bourbon soothing his aching body. Or at that acupuncture place or the bookstore.

But he wasn't doing any of those things. Instead, he was about to have dinner with a witch who seemed hellbent on getting to know him.

At five on the dot, he would be knocking at Leslie's doorframe.

Leslie: Kelly would have gotten an earful before that knock.

"It's just rosemary and thyme. Should I have - I'm not gonna use the coffee rub the first time cooking for - well, maybe. Myrtle hates everything new. I guess."

Five minutes to five it had been thirty seconds ago! He frowned at his watch and his lack of temporal awareness.

"Just in time!" Apparently. "About to put the steaks on."

Beyond the threshold, the cabin was warm. The atmosphere as inviting as the man, though some might say smaller than his personality.

"The fuck did I put my-" There was his phone. Time to change the music.

Kelly: Kelly gave a puzzled glance around. Who the hell was the witch talking to? Himself?

More certain than ever that he was about to be murdered, he stepped inside and shrugged off his jacket. "You put the coffee on them?"

Leslie: "Oh, you heard that." Of course he did. Beastie. "I'm going with salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. My coffee rub is intense."

Kelly: "Don't be shy with the pepper."

Leslie: "More pepper, heard."

Kelly: Kelly nodded in thanks and looked around the cabin. It was clean, minimalistic. Witchy energy everywhere. It was exactly what he'd expected.

"Why's the door open?"

Leslie: "For you, in case you had learned the wrong address."

Kelly: “Hmm. Want me to close it?”

Leslie: "Cold?"

Kelly: “Wind’s picking up.” It would snow before long. He could smell it in the air.

Leslie: They'd only gotten to full sentences. He doubted very seriously that was concern showing.

He shrugged. "Sure. Thanks."

Kelly: Kelly wouldn't call it concern. He felt...exposed with the door open.

So the door would be closed and he would subtly hover. "What else do you have going on there?"

Leslie: "I made a kale quinoa salad to counter all the fat that's going into this. It's in the fridge." Which was also open.

Olive oil was coated onto the hot cast iron skillet. Sprigs of rosemary and thyme waited on a stick of Irish butter. A single salt and pepper crusted ribeye was placed in the pan, giving an instantly satisfying sizzle.

"Kale, quinoa, currants, pecans, some green apple and feta. Thinking about adding some cherry tomatoes or strawberry. Your call."

He was inadvertently swaying to Van Morrison, black sock covered foot tapping in time to the beat.

Kelly: The sizzle was given an approving nod. That salad though...

It sounded like it was going to be extremely healthy for him. Probably better than pizza. Probably.

"Strawberries." To offset the kale.

Leslie: "You got it." He waved to the back door just feet away. Not necessarily for Kelly.

"Wanna shut that one, too?"

Kelly: He nodded and went over to shut it. Much better.

"So you got me here."

Leslie: "I didn't steal you."

Kelly: "Didn't say you did." Although he had his doubts. Maybe he'd been body snatched and simply hadn't realized. It would certainly explain why he kept agreeing to social activities.

Leslie: "Do you cook?"

Kelly: "Enough to keep myself alive."

Leslie: "That could be microwave meals."

Kelly: "I'd be dead if that's all I ate."

Leslie: "Probably." He chuckled.

The steak was carefully flipped, felt with the tongs.

"You can come over to eat whenever you want. My open invitation to you."

Kelly: "An open invitation? You hardly know me. How do you know I'm not a serial killer or a burglar?"

Leslie: "You're right. You'd kill me after I finished cooking."

Kelly: "Be rude to kill you before you had a meal."

Leslie: "Are you gonna kill me?"

Kelly: "Nah. You're safe."

Leslie: "Well then it all worked out," he smiled.

Kelly: "Still think it's weird that you'd give me an open invite. People in small towns aren't that nice."

Leslie: Another flip. Herbs and a half a stick of butter dropped into the skillet. He then turned to his guest and offered his hand.

"Fine. Lemme see you, then."

Kelly: "Handshake is contingent upon quality of steak."

Leslie: "And then it'll be about dessert, and how cold the beer is, right? While also being astounded that I can trust you."

Kelly: "I keep my deals."

Leslie: "Alright." We'll see.

He turned back to the stove, spooning the saturated butter over the ribeye.

"Can you crush me a clove of garlic?"

Kelly: "Yep. Just one?"

Leslie: "How much do you love garlic?"

Kelly: "Fair bit."

Leslie: "Two's fine. Doesn't need to be peeled or cut. Just crushed."

Kelly: "Roger that." He'd locate Leslie's cutting board and knife and crush two cloves of garlic. They were a bit more than crushed but they'd do.

Leslie: Leslie glanced his way and smiled. "Thanks." He couldn't contain it. "Thought you were gonna use your hands."

Kelly: Kelly snorted. “What am I, the Hulk?”

Leslie: Close enough to a laugh! "Are you?"

Kelly: “I’ve yet to turn green.”

Leslie: "But have I made you angry."

Kelly: “I’ve yet to turn green in my whole life.”

Leslie: "Hmm. So not a gatorman."

Kelly: "Not a gatorman. Is that even a thing?"

Leslie: "Wouldn't you know better than me?"

Kelly: "I don't spend time in gator country."

Leslie: "There are gators here."

Kelly: "Then you would know better than me."

Leslie: "Okay, Maine."

Kelly: "Yep. Home of the moosepeople."

Leslie: "Are you a... were...moose?"

A little more basting before the skillet was thrown into the oven, another cast iron placed on the stove.

Kelly: There it was: the infamous almost-smile. "Maybe."

Leslie: "Do you care if I know?" He turned to face his guest while the skillet heated.

Kelly: “Don’t you already?”

Leslie: "I'm guessing what you are, Kell. Safe to say I don't know."

Kelly: “But you know I’m something. I can see your wheels turning every time you look at me.”

Leslie: "I call you beastie. I don't hide it."

Kelly: “I’m not a weremoose.”

Leslie: "And not a weregator."

Kelly: “Not the Hulk either.”

Leslie: "And you won't let me touch you until after you've had that steak." Speaking of, time for round two.

Kelly: “Until after I try the steak and see if it’s good.”

Leslie: "Don't doubt my cooking. Just listen to that sizzle. These smells."

Kelly: “Then your chances are good.”

Leslie: Leslie gestured to his phone, attached for the old-fashioned looking media player. Another Van Morrison song, Into the Mystic.

"You can change it if you want."

Kelly: “This is fine. Took you for a Fleetwood Mac kinda guy.”

Leslie: His smile became a grin. "My mother's favorite."

Kelly: Kelly nodded sagely. It figured. Witches loved Stevie Nicks.

“Hers but not yours?”

Leslie: "Not mine."

Kelly: “Who’s yours then?”

Leslie: "Mm... probably Pearl Jam. Maybe Tool. You?"

Kelly: "Nirvana." Something he and his boss had in common.

Leslie: "Well, we have grunge in common," he smiled anew.

Kelly: "I was born in the 90's. Be a shame if I didn't like grunge."

Leslie: "The 90s? Oof."

Kelly: “What?”

Leslie: "Just still weird to hear."

Kelly: "That someone was born in the 90s?"

Leslie: "Yeah. I've got no room to speak, but still. Starting to feel my age."

Kelly: Kelly studied Leslie for a moment. He couldn't be that old. Then again: witch. "How old are you?"

Leslie: "Just turned thirty." Steak flipped with tongs. Kelly was looked over from his shoulder. "What, thought I was a hundred?"

Kelly: "You're feeling your age and you're literally two years older than I am."

Leslie: "You're a baby."

Kelly: "So are you."

Leslie: His smile seemed to trip on itself. Just not a word he expected from his guest. "Heh." Back to the steaks.

Kelly: Kelly stood by it. If he was a baby at twenty-eight, then so was the witch at thirty. Especially when compared to some of the other...citizens in this town.

"Beer?"

Leslie: "You go ahead." His brow wrinkled. "Or you don't have any?" He had walked in empty-handed.

Kelly: “It’s in my car in a cooler,” he said as he went to the door. He’d thought about walking but then he would’ve had to carry the case and he was feeling lazy today.

He returned a few moments later with three in hand.

Leslie: "You can put it all in the fridge. There are chairs, too. You're giving me ready-to-escape vibes."

Kelly: Two of the three went into the fridge. The other would be nursed until dinner was ready. "If I was ready to escape, I would've taken my shot when I went out to get the beer." But he would find the nearest chair and sit anyway. See? He was playing nice.

Leslie: Which presented a glaring question, one he was so curious to know. Enough to bear whatever answer was given.

"Why are you here?"

Kelly: Kelly sipped his beer. "I'll let you know when I figure it out."

Leslie: "Is there actually a significant other?"

Kelly: "In what context?"

Leslie: "The one we keep talking about."

Kelly: Another sip. "No."

Leslie: Well, time to blurt something out without thinking. "I'm not trying to date you."

Kelly: "You'd be a dick if you did."

Leslie: "I wasn't with Tristan when we met, but - yeah. This is just... " Not that for five minutes that night he hadn't given Kelly consideration. He was a beautiful man. Of that there was no doubt. But even then, he belonged to Tristan.

"Just wanting to be friends."

Kelly: Kelly nodded. Just friends. After so many years of living the way he did that seemed like a completely foreign concept.

Foreign enough to prompt him to ask, “Why? I’m honestly curious.”

Leslie: "Just a feeling," he said softly. "You've never looked at something and absent logic, it's just a want?"

Kelly: “A lifetime ago.” And look how that had ended.

Leslie: "I don't know what you are, really. All I have to go on is that feeling. I trust my gut. It's put me down all sorts of paths. You know what I am. Know how important that is."

Kelly: Kelly nodded. “I do. I’ve got one, too. Along with a healthy sense of self-preservation.”

Leslie: "If I was really a threat, you wouldn't be here."

The second steak traded places in the oven. A plate was assembled of kale quinoa salad. The first steak was transferred to a second plate to rest a moment.

Kelly: “Would you expose something personal and private to someone whose last name you don’t even know?”

Leslie: "Depends on the situation." But he looked back at his guest again. "But you know mine, so..."

Kelly: “Yeah, because I can smell it.”

Leslie: "You - But you've - You looked me up. You know where I live. You knew and I didn't have to tell you."

Kelly: “Girl I work with told me after she saw you talking to me. Her friend lives across the street from you.”

Leslie: "Well, Kelly, I'm not only Leslie, I'm Issott."

Kelly: “Issott,” he repeated with a nod. “Not a common name.”

Leslie: "It's about as English as it gets. Hails back to a county in England I can't even pronounce properly."

Steak neatly sliced, placed and plate offered.

"Ask me anything, Kelly. Literally anything. I don't want you to feel what you're feeling." His honesty, he knew, often got him in trouble. So open many people refused to belief its sincerity. But he wasn't going to change.

Kelly: “You think I want to feel what I feel?” Kelly asked in his trademark deadpan after a sip of beer. “You’re asking far too much of someone you barely know. No one puts aside nearly three decades of survival instinct just because a man plating kale asked them to.”

Leslie: "It's as open an invitation as my visitation rights. I've had to deal with plenty of shit, and I'm still me. I like who I am, and I want to keep as I am. If my being like this is too much for you, you can take this to-go. I'll understand."

Kelly: “Not asking you to be anything else. Just asking you to adjust your expectations of me.”

Leslie: "I think they're in a good place, and before I get too heavy on you, take your plate."

Kelly: Kelly doubted that very much but who was he to tell anyone what they thought.

He set the beer aside and took the plate.

Leslie: A small portable table was unfolded and placed by his chair. Cutlery to follow. Minimalist indeed.

The Weight by The Band began to play, and was enough of a distraction to prevent conversation. The witch sang along under his breath, preparing his own plate.

Kelly: How was that for irony? If he didn’t know any better, he’d think the witch planned for that particular song to play right then.

“Looks good.”

Leslie: "Thank you." From Kelly, it didn't seem like a throwaway line.

Kelly: It wasn’t. If the food had looked bad, Kelly wouldn’t have said anything at all. He just would’ve shut up and eaten.

“Let’s see if you earned that handshake,” he said, picking up his knife and fork.

Leslie: Leslie was going to let the food speak for itself. He didn't believe in cooking with hate. There was no such emotion in regard to this man. Every bite would be a symphony of flavor.

He tried a bite of his own just to be sure. Nothing beat the simplicity of basting in herbs and garlic.

"You're getting the coffee rub next time."

Kelly: Kelly cut a comically large bite and put it in his mouth. He chewed. Savored. Considered.

Nodding, he held his hand out.

Leslie: "Serious?"

Kelly: “I keep my deals. Steak’s good.”

Leslie: His table was unfolded and set up before wiping his hands on his pants. He was staring at that hand, excited in a way he hadn't felt in months. Not since meeting Charles Xavier.

His hand was gently taken. Grip slowly tightened.

The brilliance in his eyes diminished.

"Oh... Kelly..."

Kelly: Oh boy. “Don’t make it weird, it’s just a handshake.” Why did they always have to look so eager? The eagerness killed him.

He shook the witch’s hand. There. Deal kept. Now the witch would leave it be and—

“Don’t,” he warned, attempting to free his hand.

Leslie: His hand would not be held hostage. Too late to take it back now. Leslie had him. Age, species, festering wound. His hand subconsciously pressed to his hip.

"I di - I didn't do anything."

Kelly: “You know now. I can see it.” He could see it in the witch’s eyes, hear it in his voice. Leslie knew.

“Do not make it weird.”

Leslie: "Are you... Are you in pain right now?"

Kelly: “What did I just say?”

Leslie: "It's not weird asking if you're in pain."

Kelly: “I decide that. You made steak, we’re eating steak. You wanna make small talk, fine. Everything else is off the table.”

Leslie: "Kelly, you don't have to be in pain. I can - I can help." He held his hand up, palm forward. "It's what I do. It's how I know anything." He didn't care that this was a werewolf, that this man could rip him in two in a matter of seconds with little means to defend himself, regardless of his prowess with spells. He was vulnerable in this moment, pressing beyond a Fera's command. Abdominal muscles began clenching in anticipation.

Kelly: It was too late to kick himself for not remembering to put a barrier between his hand and the witch’s. Too late to wish he’d worn gloves or a shirt with sleeves long enough to cover his hands.

All he could do was shield himself now.

“That’s my business, not yours. I’m not going to ask you again to drop it. If you don’t then stick the food in a to-go bag and I’m out.”

Leslie: Despite himself, the witch felt irritation bubbling to the surface. He was honest in all things, which he knew was trouble, which he knew could damage this already delicate relationship.

Leslie grit his teeth, taking a hasty moment to -

"I wish you would trust me." He forced himself to sit.

Kelly: “You’re asking for too much too soon,” Kelly repeated, focusing on his food.

Witch could be as mad as he liked; Kelly wasn’t budging from his position. What went on inside his head and inside his body was nobody’s business but his.

Leslie: This was not the first time hearing that sentence, and just as before, he felt sick by it. What a terrible, terrible sentence.

He quietly picked at his steak.

Kelly: Kelly ate steadily but he couldn’t really taste the food anymore, which was a damn shame because it was good.

He should’ve known better than to agree to a handshake. He knew the risks. He should’ve known better than to indulge this need the witch seemed to have to get to know him.

Then again, what Leslie had seen had probably torpedoed that straight to hell for him.

1:11 AM] Leslie: Leslie was doing his best to be what Kelly wanted. Not what he needed, which he was certain was not silence and compliance to his pain. He felt his hip again. That agony. To live with it every single fucking day. His transformations must be excruciating. His heart was swollen into ache for this man.

The silence was interrupted with a question. "How is it?"

Kelly: “It’s good,” Kelly said to his steak, not lifting his head for fear of seeing...any kind of sympathetic look in Leslie’s eyes. “You did a good job.”

Leslie: "The day I can't cook a steak, I'm hanging my apron."

Kelly: “Your apron is safe. I’ve known some that aren’t.”

Leslie: "You should try The Pearl Pond food truck."

Kelly: “That where you work?”

Leslie: The witch nodded.

Kelly: “Maybe I will.”

Leslie: He felt as though he had lost his enthusiastic spirit for conversation. This man was deliberately refusing relief. So vigilant in caution that he would remain damaged by his Fabian policy.

His voice was much quieter now. Delicate even. "If you told Cameron, he wouldn't make you dance."

Kelly: “I’m not telling anyone anything.” And neither, his tone said, was Leslie. “He’ll drop the dancing thing on his own.”

Leslie: "No, he won't."

Kelly: “With my charming personality?”

Leslie: "Yes, Kelly. He wants to know you. You know what he wants."

Kelly: “He wants something I can’t give.” You both do.

Leslie: "Friendship? Conversation? A date?"

Kelly: Kelly shook his head. “Vulnerability.”

Leslie: "You're a werewolf."

Kelly: He took a long, long drink. You said it, not me.

Leslie: "I'm a witch, but I'm human. I'm not kicking you out."

Kelly: “I know.” On all three counts. He knew what Leslie was the moment they’d met.

Leslie: "Still hungry?"

Kelly: “I’m good.” He wanted another beer but that he could get himself.

Leslie: "You actually ate the salad." Color him surprised.

Kelly: "It was a good salad."

Leslie: "Thanks." His half-eaten plate was brought to what little counter space he had. Almost ten ounces of beef was more than enough. The rest would be sprinkled into salads for days to come.

"All twenty ounces," he gently marveled. "It's true then, about Fera appetites."

Kelly: Kelly nodded and got that second beer. “True for me at least.” And for the wolves he’d known.

Leslie: "I'm not a hundred percent in desserts, but my neighbor gave me some - do you like raspberry?"

Kelly: “Yeah. Is there any chocolate in there?”

Leslie: "Dark chocolate."

Kelly: “Then I can’t eat it. I’m technically a dog.”

Leslie: "Learning more and more," said sotto voce.

Kelly: “Some stereotypes hold true.”

Leslie: "You don't smell like wet dog. That was the first I was taught." Not strongly.

Kelly: "Not in this form."

Leslie: "And the other would drive me insane?"

Kelly: "One of them probably would, yeah."

Leslie: "I'll be sure to get out of the way, then."

Kelly: "You don't have to worry about it."

Leslie: Rather than ask, his eyes briefly fell to his hip.

"No chocolate next dinner. Heard."

Kelly: Kelly pretended he didn't see it. "Open invitation is still open?"

Leslie: "Of course it is."

Kelly: Talk about a surprise. "...All right. Thanks."

Leslie: A thank you? Not the only one surprised.

"Can I show you something?"

Kelly: He shrugged and nodded. "Sure."

Leslie: What remained of dinner was wrapped with elastic cling film and placed in the fridge. The tables and chairs would wait. He gestured outside - nearly forgot his jacket - and held the door.

Kelly: Kelly slipped his jacket back on and nodded at Leslie's feet. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Leslie: "Am I?" He looked at his feet, toes wriggled about. "We won't be long."

Kelly: Jacket and no shoes. Made perfect sense. "All right, suit yourself. Where are we going?"

Leslie: "It's just my backyard." He gestured beyond his fire pit, around the little entryway to the clearing.

Kelly: "'Kay." He stepped outside, immediately zipping up his jacket. The snow was closer than he'd thought. "You build the pit?"

Leslie: "It's all mine. I keep adding to it. Can't leave it alone."

Kelly: "Homeownership in a nutshell."

Leslie: "Everyone should have something that's there's."

Kelly: "This what you wanted to show me?"

Leslie: "No." Leslie softly padded past the ready-made bonfire, the flowers bright and bloomed despite the season. On the other side of the natural entryway, hidden from view, was a large array of herbs spread for yards. The herbaceous scent a forward reflection of Leslie's natural odor.

Kelly: Oh, yes. This man was absolutely a witch. Few other creatures on Earth would have a use for such industrial quantities of herbs.

"You starting a magic supply company?"

Leslie: "This is for me, and if anyone has a use." He smiled. "What's your favorite fruit?"

Kelly: How anyone could use this much of anything was beyond him. "Berries."

Leslie: Oh, he could do that. Excellent choice. His hands clasped together, swayed at the wrist and eyes closed. A section of thyme shivered, stretched outwards with wriggling fingers and caved inwards. Leaves widened, black and red labors of love appearing and plumping enough to sag with weight.

Orange eyes opened and crinkled with a satisfied smile.

"This is yours."

Kelly: Kelly watched as the tiny leaves grew and were replaced with quickly ripening fruit, fascinated. ....Well, shit. So that's how someone could use this many herbs.

Looking very impressed, he studied the little sprig of berries. "Damn. Good job."

Leslie: "Thanks." A compliment would be taken for its weight in gold coming from Kelly. He rubbed at his right eye, encouraging the warmth to dissipate, giving back his dull blue color.

Kelly: “You always make fruit for fun?” he asked, picking a berry and popping it in his mouth.

Leslie: "When I can't give my guest a proper dessert."

Kelly: “This does the trick just fine.”

Leslie: "Good. It'll always be here, then."

Kelly: “Can you grow anything?”

Leslie: "If I understand it, yeah."

Kelly: “Understand it?”

Leslie: "I can't make a uh... like, a rose, if I'd never seen it before."

Kelly: Kelly nodded. “Gotcha. Could you go off a picture of something?”

Leslie: "I've tried. It just looks like an imitation." He smiled, pleased that Kelly was comfortable enough to ask questions.

Kelly: “So you’ve got to see it in person?”

Leslie: "And what about you? What can you do?"

Kelly: “Howl at the moon.”

Leslie: "Bet that's beautiful."

Kelly: It used to be. “It has its moments.”

Leslie: "But can't your kind do magic, too?"

Kelly: “Some, yeah.”

Leslie: "Maybe I'll see it someday." His feet had become frozen without realizing. "Grab as much as you want. Like I said, it's your bush."

Kelly: “Thanks.” He took another sprig. It would be enough for now. “Are they like normal berries or magic somehow?”

Leslie: "They're normal blackberries. I promise they won't eat you."

Kelly: “I meant like—are they gonna last longer than normal berries? Without spoiling?”

Leslie: "Oh, yeah." He almost said "of course" again, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. The witch shivered and headed back the way they had come.

Kelly: Kelly followed after him, still quietly marveling at his berries. They were damn good.

“Better be quick before you get frostbite.”

Leslie: "I'll be alright." Not one to make anyone worry. Not even a werewolf. Still, once inside he made a beeline to his wood stove.

Kelly: The fruit would be accompanied by the rest of his second beer and a good chunk of his third.

“Whenever snow’s coming, shoes. Good rule of thumb.”

Leslie: "We were only a minute." Longer than that, but shh.

Kelly: “Tell that to your frozen toes.”

Leslie: "You tell em." Because we're definitely not children here. He brought one of his feet close to the crackling fire, pulling away his long wool sock.

Kelly: Kelly snorted and shook his head. “Snowflakes.”

Leslie: "What?"

Kelly: He pointed out the window at the snow that had begun to fall.

Leslie: "Just in time," he smiled. "Oh no, you're snowed in. Looks like you just have to get warm by the fire with me."

Kelly: "You know I'm from Maine, right? That's a dusting of powdered sugar out there." Said as he plopped down beside Leslie in front of the fire.

Leslie: That's all he wanted. Leslie smiled to himself and removed his other sock. He would have to see to the well-being of all of his plants after the snow cleared. Tricky keeping the soil happy this time of year. He really should invest in a greenhouse.

"Is your... whole family like you? Like, would you all roam as a pack during the full moon?"

Kelly: "My mother's side is human. Two wolves can't breed, it's forbidden."

Leslie: "So did you roam with your father?"

Kelly: Kelly nodded. "Yep. And my siblings."

Leslie: "A human with a werewolf always makes a werewolf?"

Kelly: "Not always."

Leslie: "So your family just got lucky." Because he didn't see anything negative in Kelly being what he is.

Kelly: "Good genes," Kelly said with a shrug. "Mother's like Catherine de Medici except instead of popping out heirs she popped out wolves."

Leslie: "Ha!" Oh god, what an image. Some woman walking around her yard with a hundred wolf puppies at her heels. Something about it just caught him right in the lungs for one of his out-of-breath laughs.

Kelly: Had Leslie voiced his image it would've been more or less confirmed. That was precisely how his mother had spent the years Kelly and his siblings had been growing up.

"Good reference, I know." He was smiling around that sip of beer but he'd never admit it.

Leslie: "Dammit! I'm - ha! - sorry. I just... Her walking around and like, little puppy you just trotting around with other pups is just - hee! Kelly! You're a puppy!" He meant were but oh well.

Kelly: "Yep, I was a puppy. And I had four other puppy siblings."

Leslie: "Absolutely beautiful."

Kelly: "It was...chaotic."

Leslie: "The good kind?"

Kelly: "As much as a household with five kids can be."

Leslie: "So the best kind."

Kelly: "Guess so."

Leslie: "Your family close?"

Kelly: "Eh, kinda." More beer.

Leslie: He really wanted his annoying little clairvoyance to wake up right now. Not having control of it was a blessing and a curse.

"So, we're back to "do you want to know something" from earlier, maybe?"

Kelly: Another shrug. "There's nothing to know. I'm down here, they're up in Maine. We don't see each other that much."

Leslie: "Anything about me?" So you don't feel like a spotlight is on you.

Kelly: "Got any siblings, puppy or otherwise?"

Leslie: He pointed to Opal, sleeping in her playpen.

Kelly: Kelly turned toward the little ferret. "I think that counts as a kid more than a sibling."

Leslie: "Nah. That's the sister I never got."

Kelly: "She a familiar?"

Leslie: His smile returned. "No. Just a sweet ferret."

Kelly: "When did you get her?"

Leslie: "Tristan Seger, Christmas."

Kelly: Kelly nodded. "She your first ferret?"

Kelly: "That I know of? About a dozen."

Leslie: "Really? Wow, I wouldn't have guessed that many."

Kelly: "There's probably more no one even knows about."

Leslie: "Have you met them all? Minus gator people."

Kelly: "Nah, not even close. One or two at most."

Leslie: Deep breath. "I'll start interviewing you if I don't catch myself."

Kelly: Kelly wouldn't point out that Leslie had been doing that already.

"You're fine."

Leslie: "Am I really?"

Kelly: “Really really.”

Leslie: "To be honest," as opposed to what he already was, "I thought you would have left by now."

Kelly: "I did, too."

Leslie: Leslie turned to the gentle clatter of Opal climbing down her cage to her pad. A few moments later she stretched and yawned.

"My sweet girl," he called. Back on bare feet, he opened her cage, waited for her to make the climb to his shoulder.

Kelly: Kelly observed the little creature's ritual, curious if she would accept his presence or be wary of him. Most animals instinctually gave him a wide berth.

Leslie: She might have, had they met in the wild, or anywhere other than with her in Leslie's arms. His energy did not only feed those on two legs.

She stared, and Leslie stared at her staring, chuckled.

"She's curious."

Kelly: Kelly offered a single finger for her to sniff.

Leslie: It would be taken in both paws and nibbled.

Kelly: "Do I pass?"

Leslie: "I think so."

Kelly: "At least there's that."

Leslie: "Want to hold her?" Opal was carried by her chest, allowing her legs to swing about. Absolutely content in her slinky life.

Kelly: Eh, why not. Worst that could happen was a bite. "Sure. Do I hold out an arm?"

Leslie: "I'll put her in your lap."

Kelly: "Works for me." He set his beer aside.

Leslie: The little ferret was gently placed in his lap. To be immediately explored.

"I need my phone." Must have a picture.

Kelly: Kelly stood inhumanly still, not wanting to spook her. He knew he smelled weird, and not just because he was a werewolf.

Leslie: Leslie quietly laughed as she took hold Kelly's finger, leading his hand this way and that in his lap. His phone was unplugged and a photo snapped.

Kelly: Seemingly having won the little ferret's approval, Kelly allowed himself to relax. She could play with his hand all she wanted.

"Those pictures better not end up on the internet."

Leslie: "That's not really my thing."

Kelly: "Good." He poked the little ferret delicately on her nose.

Leslie: "They're good therapy. It's why I'm pushing a pet on you."

Kelly: "I'd need something low maintenance. Like a cat. Or a chia pet."

Leslie: "How are cats with you?"

Kelly: "There's a mutual understanding."

Leslie: "Well, want a little more than that."

Kelly: "It depends on the cat. Mutual understanding is a solid relationship for people like me."

Leslie: Leslie forced himself to return to his seat. He was excited over a potential pet that wouldn't even be his. More than that; for Kelly's quiet acceptance of everything. He was happy.

"Has there...been anyone else? Since - In ever?"

Kelly: “I take it we’re not talking about pets anymore.” Said, surprisingly enough, without a hint of warning in his voice. Maybe he was getting soft.

Leslie: "No we're not."

Kelly: “Then no. There hasn’t been.”

Leslie: Now he wondered if Kelly was a virgin. He wouldn't judge the man if he was.

"Are you... gonna tell Cameron?"

Kelly: “Tell him what?”

Leslie: "Any of this? I got it from a handshake. I don't think he has that."

Kelly: “It’s none of his business.” It wasn’t Leslie’s either but what was done, was done.

Leslie: He would have had an argument for that, but what was unsaid was unsaid by both.

"Do you like him?"

Kelly: “He’s all right. Has a lot of energy.”

Leslie: "You bring it out in us, I think."

Kelly: "I bring out the energy in you?"

Leslie: "Yeah!" His smile was restrained but playful. "Want to be your energy you won't give."

Kelly: "I don't have any energy. Always tired."

Leslie: "I'll be your energy."

Kelly: "You pull that line out of a power ballad?"

Leslie: "Just me."

Kelly: "Two bold offers in one night."

Leslie: "Cameron will be your energy, too."

Kelly: You two should save your energy for a more worthy cause. “Three bold offers.”

Leslie: "Well, trying to equal yours."

Kelly: “I made a bold offer?”

Leslie: "Your company," he smiled.

Kelly: "You're the one who made the offer, I just showed up."

Leslie: "And thanks."

Kelly: "Don't have to thank me. I'm supposed to do that."

Leslie: "Supposed to keep me company?" He knew what he meant, but teasing was a must.

Kelly: "Yep. Today's my shift."

Leslie: "Oh good! When's next shift?"

Kelly: “Who knows.”

Leslie: He had to fight a pout. "Alright." He was already so much. He didn't want to pile more.

Opal circled Kelly's lap, finding just the right spot to curl, cradling his finger as she closed her eyes.

Kelly: “Two jobs don’t leave a whole lot of down time.” Just so Leslie knew it wasn’t personal. Kelly wouldn’t question why he felt the need to drive that point home.

Leslie: "Are you strapped for cash?" He blinked. "Sorry. Interview's over."

Kelly: “Couldn’t find one full-time job so I got two part-times.”

Leslie: "How's your cooking skills?"

Kelly: “I’m a bartender. Cooking is for survival, remember?”

Leslie: "Yeah, but do you follow directions well, or do you burn eggs?"

Kelly: “I can follow directions.”

Leslie: Something to think about. "Thank you for another interview answer."

Kelly: “Sure.” He looked down at his lap. “I’m never gonna move again, am I?”

Leslie: "Only if you're ready for protesting squeaks."

Kelly: "Something tells me I'm not."

Leslie: "I don't wanna keep you if you want to go, or need to."

Kelly: "I still have some time."

Leslie: Then, Leslie would lay his head back, hands on his stomach, and close his eyes, too. A sign of trust from both ferret and witch.

Kelly: Some time being about half an hour. He just wished he'd had the presence of mind to grab another beer before he found himself being both bed and teddy bear for Leslie's ferret.

"You better not be asleep," he said after a while.

Leslie: "...Hmm?" Maybe he was. In some half-present state.

Kelly: "I have to get going."

Leslie: "Mm-mm."

Kelly: "That better be an 'okay'." As gently as he could, he took hold of the ferret and attempted to transfer her to her owner's lap.

Leslie: "Mm-mm." No, the opposite. He could hardly open his eyes. Opal had been comfortable and warm in the Fera's lap, and indeed squeaked her own protests.

Without thinking, Leslie reached for Kelly's hand.

"Wish you'd let me take care of you."

Kelly: "Sorry, sorry, sorry. There you go, sleep in his lap."

Just when he thought he was free, his hand was commandeered again. "I let you feed me."

Leslie: "I can help with the pain."

Kelly: "I'm fine, Leslie. I'll let you sleep."

Leslie: "Don't have to lie to me." But he'd let go of his hand, head falling back once more. Perhaps his trust in the wolf was foolish, but he felt no need to be on guard in his presence.

Kelly: "Don't worry about me. Worry about getting up to bed so you can be comfortable.”

Leslie: The witch laughed at a joke he'd yet to vocalize. He shouldn't, but what a funny image this wolf carrying him up to bed the way Tristie does.

"Right, bed." He saluted. This was no way to say goodbye. He wanted to whine, but swallowed it down as he sat himself upright. Opal was brought to his shoulder as he forced himself to his feet.

Kelly: Kelly arched a brow. Was the witch dreaming? What was he laughing at?

“Wow, you really are tired.”

Leslie: "N'you're cute."

Kelly: “You’re delirious from exhaustion.”

Leslie: "And you don't smell like wet dog. See every time you point out a fact so can I."

Kelly: Kelly shook his head. “Go to bed, Leslie. I’ll see you around.”

Leslie: "Be safe, Kell."

Kelly: Kelly simply nodded and let himself out.

#Dinner Interview chapter #kellygeorgerose #leslieeissott

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rebelsofshield · 5 years ago

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Panels Far, Far Away: A Week in Star Wars Comics 11/13-11/27/19

It’s certainly unfair for Lucasfilm to pick my first semester of grad school to start supplying us with more Star Wars content than at any other point in recorded history. Jerk move on their part. Anyways, as a result, here are three (!) weeks worth of Star Wars comics review in which: Marvel’s ongoing ends its seventy five issue run, Doctor Aphra gets her groove back, and Chewbacca knocks some heads. Hopefully I can be quicker about this in the future!

11/13/19

Star Wars #74 written by Greg Pak and art by Phil Noto

In its seventh chapter, “Rebels and Rogues” hurtles towards conclusion. The result may just be the strongest installment of an arc that has been chockfull of great ideas, but often struggled on just how to tell its sometimes overly scattered story. With the different teams now in open communication with one another and each fighting for their lives in desperate situations, writer Greg Pak’s take on the galaxy far, far away has never felt more a live and energetic.

We hop between narratives with surprising ease and elegance and the flow of the story is easy to follow, high energy, and positively fun. Han, Leia, and Dar Champion are flying for their lives in a defenseless ship against an Imperial star destroyer, Luke and Warba are in route to the planet’s rebels but with an Imperial patrol of Stormtroopers riding velociraptors right on their tale, and Threepio and Chewbacca are right in the center of a growing conflict between the rock people of K43 and Darth Vader himself.

Threepio’s arc here still remains the most fascinating stuff in “Rebels and Rogues.” For the first time in a long time, old goldenrod feels like he has an emotional story all his own and it culminates in a moment of self-sacrifice that capitalizes off all the themes of sentience and personhood that this surprisingly delightful subplot has been playing with since day one.

The promised Chewbacca/Darth Vader showdown on the cover doesn’t occur until the comics final pages but it sets up what should be a killer finale. Noto draws a suitably visceral encounter and no other panel in this creative team’s legacy will likely spark as much joy as Chewie spiking a boulder off of the Sith Lord’s ebony helmet.

Score: A-

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order: Dark Temple #4 written by Matthew Rosenberg and art by Paolo Villanelli

At the time of this writing, I’ve actually finished playing Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The first single player Star Wars game in over a decade provides a very fun and rewarding experience that is populated with some truly outstanding characters. The game also shows that its tie-in comic, Dark Temple is surprisingly more consequential than one might have originally thought. Sure, Cere and Eno Cordova were known characters in the game from the start, but Dark Temple sees the two encountering numerous elements from Fallen Order for the first time.

Even outside the comic’s surprising consequence to the game it draws from, Dark Temple continues to be a very entertaining prequel era narrative. Even four issues in, writer Matthew Rosenberg is still providing us with new information and twists that upend our understanding of what exactly is going on. Cere and Cordova may have gotten involved in something bigger than they originally anticipated and there is more on the line than freedom for Fylar. Rosenberg has weaved a complex web and just what exactly lies within the titular temple is just as much a mystery now as when it started.

It also helps that this comic is arguably the best looking Star Wars comic on the stands now. Paolo Villanelli has always excelled at drawing dynamic and well choreographed action sequences and he truly shines here as the violent conflict between Flyar and the DAA corporation explodes into full blown war. Villanelli is great at creating a sense of motion and scale and these moments of larger conflict are filled to the brim with well designed characters and explosive energy. Colorist Arif Prianto makes the comic feel like it comes ablaze too with multicolored embers peppering each panel.

Between the surprisingly complex story and the killer art, Dark Temple has quickly evolved into one of the stronger tie-in comics that Star Wars has released in recent memory and a significant improvement on both creator’s previous works in the franchise. Its final issue may not stick the landing, but this is a comic that is well worth considering picking up.

Score: B+

Star Wars Target Vader #5 written by Robbie Thompson and art by Cris Bolson, Robert Di Salvo, and Marco Failla

So turns out the Hidden Hand isn’t the rebellion? I’m very lost at this point. The mysterious crime organization that has been at the center of Target Vader from its start has always been its biggest head scratcher. A last panel reveal at the end of the comic’s first issue heavily hinted that the Hidden Hand was actually just an organization used by the Alliance to work in the criminal underworld. Over the past few issues, we have been given to doubt this reading, until now, where this theory is thrown out the door. Turns out the Hidden Hand may have older and more mysterious origins, but now we are just as lost as ever.

It speaks to the overall aimlessness of Target Vader. Despite the violent thrills of last issue, this miniseries has still been a mostly confused and overly long affair. Beilert Valance is still a mostly dull protagonist and his quest to neutralize Vader feels even more muddled than ever before. Writer Robbie Thompson does some work to try to remedy this situation by giving us an issue that is split between retelling Valance’s past and maiming by the Imperial military and the present where he is now caught between the grip of the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. It creates an interesting scenario for our central anti-hero, but ultimately fails to reveal much enlightening about Valance as a person. We may know why he is a grumpy, angry loaner by this point, but it doesn’t make his relatively one-note behavior any more interesting.

It also doesn’t really help that we have three guest artists on board instead of Stefano Landini. Marco Failla’s pencils may do a good enough job of approximating Landini’s style, but as a whole the result is a bit jarring as the comic never establishes a clear visual consistency. Combined with the fact that we already lost Marc Laming after issue one, this just adds to the weirdly confused reading experience that Target Vader has maintained to this point.

We have seen this comic work. Last issue’s installment was a brutally realized explosion of violent chaos, but we only have one issue now to really bring it all together, and I’m worried that Target Vader may not be up to the task of making this long, strange voyage worth it.

Score: C+

11/20/19

Star Wars #75 written by Greg Pak and art by Phil Noto

All roads lead to K43. In its eighth and final chapter, “Rebels and Rogues” sees all our team members converge on the rocky moon for one climactic stand against Darth Vader and the Empire. In this extra sized finale, Greg Pak and Phil Noto try their best to pull the disparate threads of this arc together while also delivering a satisfying finale. The result proves fun, very strange, and ultimately forgettable. It ends with a summation of this run as a whole: filled with smart art and ideas, but lacking in standout storytelling beats to leave a lasting impression.

Some of the disappointment comes from the fact that much of this issue comes down to our various cast members beating up on Darth Vader. We open with the final blows of Chewbacca and Vader’s brawl which Noto clearly enjoyed bringing to life, but much of the rest of the issue resorts to the extended ensemble blasting away at him in various set pieces. It plays out like a miniature version of 2016’s Vader Down, but lacking in the edge and thrills of that original crossover.

There’s also some strange choices made with the rock people of K43 that don’t entirely gel with what came before. Part of what made these characters so refreshing throughout this story arc has been how Pak used their existence to challenge our characters’ concepts of sentience and to allow C-3PO to bond with another group of non organic life that is similarly overlooked. This fun play continues, but the conflict of it all is handwaved away in a manner that feels unusually flippant. Given the amount of effort put into finding a way around murdering this race, Pak introduces a last minute plot detail that makes it all feel unnecessary and that’s before the giant planet sized stone giant appears.

Yes, this comic gets very weird and it’s certainly fun, but it feels more than a little scattered and chaotic in a comic that already feels all over the place.

With that, we bid goodbye to this short but enjoyable era of Marvel’s Star Wars ongoing. While Empire Ascendant will presumably be the final issue of the main series, with it being rebooted for a new post Empire Strikes Back ongoing headed by Charles Soule and Jesus Saiz sometime in January, there is a sense of finality to this creative team’s last chapter aboard. Pak and Noto prove a fun bunch and had a great sense of playfulness and scope to this ongoing during its final days even if the execution wasn’t always immaculate. I’m glad to hear that Pak will be staying around to write the next volume of Darth Vader. He has some big shoes to fill, but if the heights of this comic are any indication, he is capable of the same spectacle and intrigue as past creators.

Score: B

11/27/19

Star Wars Adventures #28 written by John Barber and Michael Moreci and art by Derek Charm and Tony Fleecs

Chewbacca’s adventures with his porg sidekick, Terbus, are pretty much perfect fodder for an all-ages Star Wars comic. Given how strong Adventures’ visual storytelling has been since day one, having two protagonists who speak through grunts, squawks, and body language is right up this teams’ alley. Yes, it’s cutesy and yes it is a bit simple, but there is undeniable charm in the way Derek Charm draws us through the liberation of Kashyyyk. It may not be as visually inventive as last issue, but the way that Chewbacca hops through the forest and takes on First Order baddies is still illustrated with the same energy and personality.

There is a bit of tonal whiplash here though. While it’s hard not to be won over by Porg salutes and Wookiees knocking heads, there are moments where the enslavement of the Wookiee population is presented as an all too real possibility. The lighter, more playful execution of this issue may do a lot to make this subject matter more palatable for younger readers, but one wonders if this should have been the direction that the story went with at all.

Michael Moreci’s droid adventure is more tonally cohesive and certainly also a fun time, but it lacks the standout visuals and heart of the Chewbacca section. Last issue succeeded by pairing the under appreciated droids with another outcast that also was invisible to the First Order, but the events here are less concerned with character and theme and more so with the fun action of their plan. All the same, it’s still a decent read and sure to delight younger readers.

Score: B

Star Wars Doctor Aphra #39 written by Simon Spurrier and art by Caspar Wijngaard

With just one issue left before the end of their tenure, Simon Spurrier and Caspar Wijngaard are pulling out all the stops for the end of Doctor Aphra. After the misstep that was “Unspeakable Rebel Superweapon,” it has been nice to see Spurrier get back in the swing of things with “A Rogue’s End” as each issue improves upon the last. Wijngaard and colorist Lee Loughridge feel more in sync here than ever before and Spurrier twists the knife as Aphra digs herself further and further into a disaster of her own making.

While she was first introduced in Kieron Gillen’s run on the title, Magna Tolvan and her relationship with Aphra have been staples of Spurrier’s run since he first stepped into the title. Here as we hurtle towards the big finish, it seems only fitting that the tortured and complex romance between these two very different souls take center stage. “A Rogue’s End” isn’t afraid to really dig into what it is about these two broken and confused women that drives their attraction to one another and just how deadly and ill advised their love, if it can be called that, is. It’s antagonistic, violent, but ultimately brimming with the sort of affection and tension that makes a good Star Wars romance sing. There is one image in particular here that is beautifully realized by Wijngaard and Loughridge and may rival the two’s first kiss for the iconography of this pairing.

It’s not all two woman coming to terms with one another under extreme circumstances, Aphra is still full speed ahead on her own mission survival. We hurtle towards a series of decisions at the issue’s end that may just cross the line into Aphra’s biggest moral slippage to date. Spurrier seems poised to deliver final judgement on what kind of person our dear rogue archaeologist may be, but knowing her and this series, the final thematic resting point is anyone’s guess. It’s a good thing that Spurrier makes the whole thing so damn fun to read and Wijngaard creates such beautiful imagery.

Score: A-

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the-wardens-torch · 5 years ago

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LFRP - Falerin Arcita

(Following @painted-foothills ‘s lead here and using this more as an updated character profile for my “About” link than an RP solicitation - I’m not sure I have the guts to RP with anyone who isn’t already a mutual and even that’s super hard for me and almost never happens hahafffff.)

Falerin Arcita The Basics ––– – Age: 22 Birthday: 16th sun of the fifth astral moon (9/15) Race: Mostly Midlander Hyur with a smidge of Duskwight Elezen Gender: Cisgender male Sexuality: Pansexual Marital Status: Single, never married Physical Appearance ––– – Hair: Black - Straight and waist-length, usually worn in a ponytail or braid. Eyes: Royal Blue Height: 5’11 Build: Angular and long-limbed Distinguishing Marks: Scars; one slanted over his left eye running from hairline to mid-cheek, another along his jaw line (usually covered by his sideburns) and a third horizontally crossing his right shoulder. Freckles on his face, shoulders and back. Common Accessories: Leather jewelry, pointy wizard/witch hats, strappy boots/sandals, feathered hairpins, long fancy skirts, crop/tank tops. He tends to be an ostentatious dresser. Personal ––– – Profession: He considers himself a musician first and foremost - he has a wonderfully deep, smoky voice and sings very soulful, heartfelt songs - some of which he writes himself. He’s also Eorzea’s best accordion player *pause for laughter* and can also play piano and a few other instruments. Aside from that, he makes leather jewelry and accessories that he sells to a handful of independent shops. His “adventurer” job is Summoner, but you wouldn’t know it from talking to/looking at him. Hobbies: Collecting and writing songs, poems and stories (in print or spoken form,) occasional archery (more as an exercise/meditative practice than for combat reasons.) Languages: Common, Seeker Miqo’te huntspeak (though he’s pretty out of practice,) a handful of songs, poems and phrases in several other languages. Residence: Has a room in the Lavender Beds, but is more commonly found crashing at any of a number of friends’ houses around the main city-states. Birthplace: Arcita - a small port town in the Cieldalaes Islands Patron Deity: Azeyma Fears: Abandonment, loss, walking on shaky scaffolding/suspension bridges. Relationships ––– - Spouse: None Children: None Parents: Adoptive Mother - N‘elyrha Kikitu; Bard living in Wellwick Wood (estranged) Biological Mother - Roxane Seaborne - Inn manager living in the Cieldalaes (has never met her.) Biological Father - Uther Alcyone; Arcanist living in Idyllshire (estranged until very recently.) Siblings: 2 maternal half-brothers and 1 maternal half-sister (has never met them, is unaware of their existence.) Other Relatives: BFF-practically-soul mate Reonora Aestethe - who belongs to @aspected-benefic Pets: Ruby (aka Ru-Bee) - A “familiar” of sorts that resembles a sparrow-sized, translucent, red honeybee made of some sort of condensed aether. He is never without her, although she’s not always visible due to a knack for hiding in his clothes, accordion case or travel supplies. Friend - A feral, fish-loving Tight-Beaked parrot who’s not really a pet so much as an occasional tag-along. She(?)’s loud, obnoxious and not very friendly, but sometimes preens Fal’s hair or tries to eat his jewelry. Lamrei - A retired Twin Adder cavalry chocobo. She’s got a calm temperament and a penchant for eating any insect or rodent unfortunate enough to cross her path. Traits ––– - Extroverted / In Between / Introverted Disorganized / In Between / Organized Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded Calm / In Between / Anxious Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable Cautious / In Between / Reckless Patient / In Between / Impatient Outspoken / In Between / Reserved Leader / In Between / Follower Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic Traditional / In Between / Modern Hard-working / In Between / Lazy Cultured / In Between / Uncultured Loyal / In Between / Disloyal Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful Additional information ––– – Smoking Habit: Nah. Drugs: Indulges in something to soothe the nerves and/or trip balls once in awhile. Alcohol: Not much. He has a glass of wine a few times a sennight, otherwise he only really drinks at gigs and social events, and then just enough to loosen up (although he‘s pretty loose already hahaffff.)

RP Hooks ––– – Reluctant Mage: Fal doesn’t volunteer that he’s an arcanist/summoner, and really can only be caught using (or even talking about using) magic in dire situations. However, on the rare occasion an experienced mage might see him break out the spells, they would notice that his technique is unrefined and atypical to say the least. He casts via gestures and verbal/auditory components rather than diagrams and symbols, and does not summon -egis, though Ruby can mimic their abilities. He does carry a “grimoire” but closer inspection will reveal that just a book of dirty limericks rebound to look appropriately mystical. As a mage, he’s a unique curiosity at best and a butcher of ancient arts at worst, depending on your perspective. That’s What They Said: Fal’s into casual sex and will happily go home with/take home people of most any gender/race as long as they have a compatible personality and provide enthusiastic consent. A one night stand could easily turn into a lasting friendship. He also has a great respect for sex workers and adult entertainers of all kinds, and even spent a few years performing in the orchestra at a burlesque house. Bohemians: Fal performs solo most of the time, but its mostly for the sake of convenience. He actually loves the company of other creative folks and artists of all types, and is naturally drawn to them. Need to hire a guest musician in your band? Want some creative leatherworking ideas? Just want to talk poetry? Need people to come to your gallery showing? He’d love to. Even if you’re not a creative type, you can still hire him to play at your nameday party or make you a nice set of wristbands! Lowlives: Fal isn’t a member of the criminal underworld and doesn‘t actively commit crimes himself, but Eat the Rich and Fuck the Police are two of his favorite phrases. He’s happy to look the other way or even aid/abet people that fall on the wrong side of the law (within reason.) Please note that this DOES NOT mean he can’t make friends with individual nobility or authority figures, he‘s just inclined to be distrustful of them at first. On the flipside, it also DOES NOT mean he condones violent criminals.

RP Preferences ––– – I actually don’t do in-game, real-time Rping, due to my schedule and pathological shyness/social anxiety (sometimes it takes me a few minutes/hours/days to work up the courage to respond to friendly overtures dasdasdsdfff). Long-form, paragraph based RPs are my favorite - Discord chats work great for those! A little darkness is fine - horror, mature themes, angst, combat, injury, but please miss me with that super dark edge lord shit. I’ve seen some Bad Shit IRL and I don’t take kindly to gratuitous cruelty, torture, abuse or violence for its own sake. I’m also not interested in ERP at all, and I‘m not big on shipping or fluff as a goal or focal point. HOWEVER, I’m not against the idea of it if it develops organically.

OOCly I am ––– – -Full disclosure; In my 30s and would rather not RP with minors. -Employed full-time as a veterinary (laboratory) technician at a decent-sized small animal practice. -A longtime RPer - I started with D&D in high school and never looked back. -Very happily married (my partner is an Rper as well, just not into MMOs.) -Ace and honestly dgaf what pronouns you use for me because I’m Tired. -In the PST time zone. Contact Information ––– –

Discord is my preferred RP method - My handle is Falkyrie #6034

Also, I LOVE getting tagged with character/writing prompt memes - I want them all and will return the favor.

#About #Falerin Arcita #RP profile

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omdaily10 · 6 years ago

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HEART SKIPS A BEAT

Guest Artist: Rizzle Kicks

Writers: Alex Smith, Samuel Preston, Jim Eliot, Jordan Stephens, Harley Alexander Sule

Producers: Alex Smith, Matt Furmidge

Album: In Case You Didn't Know

Release Date: 21/08/2011

B-Side: 'On My Cloud' (Writers: Olly Murs, Mark Taylor, Samuel Preston / Producer: Mark Taylor)

Chart Positions: #1 (UK), #1 (Germany), #1 (Luxembourg), #1 (Switzerland), #1 (Poland), #2 (Scotland), #6 (Ireland), #6 (Austria), #9 (Belgium), #12 (Hungary), #60 (Sweden), #67 (Romania), #76 (Netherlands), #85 (Australia), #91 (Canada)*, #96 (US)*

Sales: 700k+ (UK, Platinum), 450k (Germany, 3x Platinum), 15k (Austria, Platinum), 30k (Switzerland, Platinum)

Nominations: 'Best British Single', BRIT Awards 2012

It doesn't matter what genre you operate in, the age-old music industry cliché of the "difficult second album" can either make or break an artist if they're to confirm themselves as a long-term prospect. And whilst it wasn’t difficult for him, as the summer of 2011 dawned, Olly was no different when it came to his follow-up effort. He had already started writing and recording for it in March that same year.

The demo of 'Heart Skips A Beat' had actually been around for the best part of a year and had started life when it was initially put forward for consideration to be included on his self-titled debut album. Nick Raphael and Jo Charrington at Epic however, whilst impressed with it, decided to hold it back for inclusion on his second album. The track was written by the then up & coming songwriter and producer Alex Smith (who had cut his teeth on a clutch of top 20 hits for motormouthed Brit rapper Example) in collaboration with former lead singer and guitarist with The Ordinary Boys, Samuel Preston, and Jim Eliot, formerly one half of electropop duo Kish Mauve, who had been behind "2 Hearts" and "All The Lovers", both massive hits for Aussie pop royalty Kylie Minogue.

It marked the first time that Olly hadn't had a hand in writing a single, but speaking to Music Week on its release, he understood what a special song it was from the get-go: "It was a curve ball and nothing like anything else on the album, but I loved the production and the writers wrote it for me." Sonically, it retained some of the sprightly, catchy feel of 'Thinking of Me', whilst also introducing an early 90s dance/big beat styling, in the vein of The 45 King, Beats International or Dee-Lite (the latter of which’s single "Groove Is In The Heart" Olly performed as a mashup with this single at the following year's BRIT Awards when it earned him his second nomination for the 'Best British Single' trophy).

But there were two more vital rolls of the dice to be made before the single bought him to another level of success altogether. The first was the appearance of Jordan Stephens and Harley Alexander Sule, aka Brighton based teenage hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks, who had been making waves that summer after signing to Universal Island the year before and were riding high in the UK top 10 with their debut single 'Down With The Trumpets'. Sensing that they were to become a big name, even on a rival label, they were approached by Epic to contribute a guest rap to 'Heart Skips A Beat'. They immediately obliged, and their perfectly cheeky, playful rap was incorporated on just two weeks before the final version was cut and delivered to radio.

They also turned up to join Olly at the single's video shoot. Filmed at the skate park in Mile End, East London in July 2011, with a cast of two dozen extras hoofing it around a giant Olly sized record player, it was the perfect backdrop for the single, as Olly, resplendent in a straw trilby, blue and white striped tee and red chinos, delivered one of the most iconic videos and looks of his career. 'Heart Skips A Beat' took many people in the UK by surprise, including many of the detractors who'd disputed he'd even get past his first single a year previously and were now grudgingly eating their words. As its release drew closer, it had built up a good head of steam with strong airplay on radio and TV. And then, on the weekend of its 21st August release, there was also the first showcase for Olly's other seemingly endless pool of talents in entertainment.

youtube

Towards the end of his first theatre tour, a call came in from the producers at The X Factor. Some major personnel shifts had occurred on the show, which was then still at its peak - chiefly, the departures of Simon Cowell and Cheryl (albeit briefly) to the then just launched US version of the format, and Dannii Minogue to concentrate on being a full-time mum.

Only Dermot O’Leary (hosting the main show) and Louis Walsh (on the judging panel) remained for the new look show, this time headed by the Captain of Take That, Gary Barlow, and also consisting of former Destiny's Child star Kelly Rowland and Tulisa, the lead female vocalist with British hip hop group N-Dubz. Former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq, the host of the show's lovingly irreverent ITV2 spin off, The Xtra Factor, had also left after just one year.

The producers, knowing how popular he was and that he'd bring the cheeky likeability needed to the show, had Olly in mind to take over from her. An understandably nervous Olly, who by his own admission couldn't dream of hosting anything on his own, let alone a show as big as the very one he got his start from, fortunately had an anchor to play off. Enter one-time CBBC and MTV host Caroline Flack, who had been on the ITV2 spin off for I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here for two years and was already a hit with the same channel's audience.

They immediately proved a winning combination, and it was indeed our very own fansite which christened them with the name which their loyal army of internet shippers - but chiefly the ones on here - have used for them ever since (Carolly). All of these factors combined to ensure that Olly was, not for the first time in his career, going to confound his critics by launching his second album with a bang, and just a week shy of a whole year since ‘Please Don’t Let Me Go’ managed it, ‘Heart Skips A Beat’ rocketed straight in at the top to give him his second UK number one.

It was still on the chart some thirteen weeks later, when the single we’ll meet next week was about to make its debut. And it was also with this single that Olly broke a territory which, after the UK, is to this day one of the most ardent supporters of him and his music, as it hit the top in Germany the following spring, as well as hitting number one in three other European countries. A modern pop classic to be proud of.

OTHER THOUGHTS

Another taster of this single’s parent album was given as a B-side, in the form of an early version of the perky, piano led dream pop meets Britpop number ‘On My Cloud’. Olly co-wrote this with Samuel Preston, whilst additional writing and production came from Mark Taylor at Metrophonic, who had amongst other things produced Cher’s mega-selling number one hit ‘Believe’ in 1998. When performed on tour the following year, Olly did it as a mashup with ‘I Need A Dollar’, which had been a huge worldwide hit for Aloe Blacc twelve months previously.

* = the asterisk against the US and Canada chart positions indicates that the single charted there, but under a different version for these territories. More information on this will be covered in our future entry on 'Troublemaker'.

#Olly Murs #Olly Murs Daily #OM Daily #omdaily10 #2011 #reviews #Heart Skips A Beat #Rizzle Kicks #In Case You Didn't Know #2nd album #10th Anniversary

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winryofresembool · 6 years ago

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Love Can Melt the Ice, ch. 12

Aka ice skating au ch. 12!

A/N: That’s right my peeps, this fic /finally/ has a name. I hope you find it fitting! (Obviously I’m not referring to literal ice this time, but instead a certain character who’s acting a bit cool sometimes :P) I don’t really have much else to say this time, enjoy and review! This chapter continues directly from the events of last chapter :)

Previous chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Companion pieces (note: these are all post Olympics happenings so reading the main fic first is recommended): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Next chapter: [x]

Words: 1940+

Genre: flooof in this chapter, even a tiny bit of humor? (I feel we are back to ch 1 in a way)

Warnings: swearing and some drinking on the background

“So, how’s everything going, brother? How’s your leg?” Al asked when he and Ed made their way into a quieter corner in the room. With the room full of Ed’s teammates and music playing loudly, it was hard to hear your own thoughts, but the brothers decided to at least try since they had a lot of catching up to do.

“I wish I could already get rid of the cast, but other than that, it’s fine. I just want to skate already.”

“I’m sorry, brother,” Al said with genuine sympathy. “Hey, I brought something to cheer you up.”

Al handed Ed a gift bag and he took it curiously. Inside it was a book that Ed recognized as one he had wanted for a long while, Advanced Biochemistry, but much to Ed’s surprise, it wasn’t the only gift. There was something between the book. Two small, thin foliage packages that must have had…

“Al!” Ed yelled with a red face. “How the fuck did you… why… what the hell is this supposed to mean?!”

“Thought you’d need some extra protection with the way your love life has been progressing…” Al chuckled. “I know you well enough to know that you’d never have the guts to get them by yourself.”

“Oh my God. I can’t believe you. We aren’t even dating!”

“It’s funny you say that when you both are practically undressing each other with your eyes every time you look at each other.” Al pointed out, nodding towards Winry significantly.

“I’m not… Fine, she’s hot,” Ed said through his teeth, “but surely I’m not the only the only one who’s noticed that! Just look at Havoc trying to tell her jokes…”

“She doesn’t look too impressed,” Al noted. “Oh, look at that, she’s coming here. Hi there, Winry!”

“Hi guys.” She turned to Ed and noted his mortified expression. “Why are you so red? You sure you don’t have a fever or something?”

Ed didn’t have time to answer when Roy started speaking into the mic and everyone turned their attention to him.

“So, as you all know, we have all gathered here to celebrate the 18th birthday of our very own Fullmetal Forward, Edward Elric. Congrats, kid! Now that you’re officially allowed to buy alcohol, don’t forget the promise you made me!”

“Hah, you haven’t won anything yet!” was Ed’s immediate response, and everyone burst out laughing.

“Anyway, I’d like to suggest we sing for the birthday boy. Everyone, on the count of three. One, two, three.”

Roy gave his sign, and the choir of more and less talented singers started: “Happy biiirthday too you, happy biiirthday too you…”

Ed felt a bit overwhelmed when a room full of people sang for him but waved his thanks when they finished. Soon Roy continued speaking to the crowd:

“Before we let Fullmetal give us, without a doubt, a very amazing speech, there are a couple of other people in this room as well we should congratulate. The little birds have told me that in less than a year this team will have a brand new member. Congrats, Maes and Gracia! Your kid will without a doubt become an amazing skater.”

Nearby, Maes started rambling about the greatness of his future wife to anyone who was willing to listen, but Winry barely noticed because she squealed happily at the news and rushed to hug Gracia who had been approaching the trio.

“A baby! That’s absolutely wonderful! I’m so happy for you guys!”

“Aw, thanks Winry-dear. I got the confirmation from my doctor about an hour after the free skate. I’m gonna have to discuss this with him and Maes, but with this piece of news, I think I might skip the individual competition.”

“But you would have done amazingly…” Winry said, upset for her friend.

“Maybe, but I’ve seen you skating and I dare to say you would beat me 9 times out of 10 these days. And I already won gold 4 years ago, so really, I’m not too upset. How could I be when I look at him?”

She turned to see her fiancé flailing as he told Riza, the only person patient enough to listen to him ramble for ages, how he would decorate the baby’s room and how he secretly (or not so secretly) wished the baby was a girl.

Ed hadn’t had a chance to say anything while the women were chattering, but now he decided it was his turn to get himself heard.

“Congrats, Gracia! I’m sure you’re gonna be a great mother, but I’m a bit worried about your fiancé. I bet he’s that person whose locker will be 100% covered with photos of the kid and he’ll forget how to skate when he keeps staring at them.”

“Don’t worry, I will make sure to kick his butt if he starts slacking because of it,” Gracia smirked.

“That’s good to hear. But seriously, I’m happy for you guys. Babies are amazing!”

“Thank you. I think someone’s gonna be one lucky lady to be a mother to your kids in the future, Edward.” Ed wondered if it was just him or did Gracia look at Winry one second longer than necessary when she said that. And did she emphasize the word someone? He felt himself getting flustered for the second time within minutes and he was about to turn away when Winry asked, pointing to the pack still in Ed’s hand:

“Did you get a present from Al? What did he give you?”

“J-just a biochem book…” he stuttered and left before she could ask more questions. Damn Al. He’d show him. Speaking of the devil, Ed noticed his little brother was snickering almost uncontrollably nearby after seeing the scene between Ed and Winry unfold.

“Are you trying to kill me?” the older brother growled and punched Al on the shoulder when he got close enough.

“Relax, bro, it was just a joke! I won’t change my mind about you two though, I have never seen you this flustered over a girl before. It’s adorable. I didn’t have a chance to ask you earlier, so did you tell her?”

“Yeah, I did. I hate to admit it, but you were right. I do feel better now. And things… are going quite nicely.” He turned his head towards the spot where Winry chatted with her friends (Paninya and Rose had joined her and Gracia now) and Winry gave him a small smile.

“That’s great to hear,” Al interrupted Ed from his thoughts. “Hey, I heard Mustang saying something about a speech, so how about it?”

“Do I have a choice?” Ed sighed and wheeled to where the captain of his team was clearly waiting for him. Taking the mic from his hand, he started:

“It’s so weird to see so many of you here! To be honest, if it weren’t for a couple of friends, I wouldn’t even have remembered what day it is. And the worst part is that I’m not even allowed to drink because of my condition!”

Many of Ed’s teammates laughed. They knew Ed had never particularly cared about drinking.

“I’m not one for long speeches, so I guess thank you everyone for coming, and special thanks to that one gearhead who made this happen.” His gaze met Winry’s for a moment, and he thought he could see her blushing slightly. “Now, let’s have some fun! But not too fun…” His gaze stopped at Havoc this time. “… because some of you have a big game tomorrow!”

The guests chuckled and continued their partying. Mustang was now dancing with Riza, Havoc was having a drinking contest with Breda despite Ed’s warning, Armstrong was wiping his tears into a huge tissue, Paninya was trying to sneak a small bottle from Roy’s back pocket and Al was probably telling Winry some embarrassing stories about Ed. For some reason, all of that made Ed feel calmer than he had felt in a long while.

Later that evening, Winry was sitting alone on the balcony, enjoying the fresh, cool air when Ed appeared behind her.

“Hi.”

“Hi. Why are you sitting here alone?”

“I guess I just wanted a moment to hear my thoughts. No offense, but you hockey players are loud.”

“You’re not wrong about that.” Ed rubbed the back of his head. “But your friends are kinda interesting bunch as well. You should have seen Havoc’s expression when that Paninya chick made a show of kissing Rose right in front of him. It was almost as if his hopes and dreams had both been shattered into pieces and fulfilled at the same time.”

“Oh, that definitely sounds like a Pan thing to do,” Winry laughed. “They’re great though. After losing my parents they’ve become like a new family to me. I guess you could say the same about your team.”

“I guess…”

“You said you have tried to push people out of your life, but you know, one way or another, you have affected all of them,” she gestured towards the full room. “They all care about you. And for some weird reason, so do I. You don’t have to carry your weight alone.

“Yeah…”

“I guess what I really wanted to tell you after our chat earlier is that if you think you’re the only person in this world who’s feeling guilty about something, I have some news for you. For so many weeks, I kept thinking that things would be so different if I had simply told my parents to not go into that car. Finally, my granny wrenched some sense into me and told me that I can’t change my past, but I can chance how it affects my future. It didn’t sink into me right away, but I understand what she meant now. I’m not saying that I’m never thinking about it anymore, because that’s a lie, but I know my parents would want me to live my life, so that’s what I’m doing. And that’s what you should do as well.”

Ed stared at her with surprise. He realized Winry’s words were very similar to the ones he had used when confronting Rose, but he wasn’t living by his own advice.

“I probably deserved that.”

“Yes, you did.” Her tone got softer when she continued: “By the way, I want you to know that I’m not going anywhere. We are way past that point now.”

For some reason, Winry’s statement made Ed remember the realities of their situation, and he asked: “How are we gonna stay in touch after the Olympics, though? We are both busy with our sports, traveling on different sides of the country and sometimes even out of country.” “Phones exist, Elric. If you know how to use one. And it’s not like I’m always gone, there are off-seasons, breaks, and so on… And to be honest, at the moment I can’t say how long I’m gonna continue my skating career. I’m kinda itching to move onto mechanics soon enough.

“Sounds like you have already given a lot of thought to your future.”

“What about you, though? Do you have any plans?”

“I want to continue playing as long as I can and study as much as I can. Maybe I have some other wishes as well, but… one day you might know.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah.”

Ed leaned his head against hers and wrapped one of his arms around her shoulder. They stayed like that for a good while, until the tender moment was interrupted by a crash inside the restaurant.

“What was that?” Winry asked worriedly.

Ed just sighed. “I think it’s time to take Havoc back to the hotel.”

#edwin #edward elric #winry rockbell #my fics #fullmetal alchemist #ice skating au #that has a name wooo!#i'm so stupid happy about that #ps. sorry for the possible typos

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onceandfuturekiki · 7 years ago

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Classic Movies for Halloween :: Part 1: Silent Film

Halloween is in a few days, and if you’re anything like me you like to immerse yourself in spooky movies and other things that make you feel the Halloween spirit. Movies are a great way to do that, but I’m really not a fan of modern horror movies. I prefer the eeriness and creepiness of films made when directors could create an atmosphere and a genuinely unsettling movie with shadows, lighting, sets, camera angles, and performances, when it was about creating a mounting feeling of dread, rather than relying on jump scares.

Some of the best scary movies ever made were made during the silent era. During the 1920s, silent film was reaching an incredible high point of what could be done with the medium, and the combination of American filmmaking that was perfecting special effects techniques, and German (and other European) filmmakers that were perfecting the expressionism, a style perfect for the horror genre, made for a decade of amazing horror films and thrillers.

Lionel Barrymore stars in this atmospheric story about an innkeeper who is so badly in debt that he murders one of his guests so he can steal the man's money. For the rest of the film he's haunted by his guilt, which manifests in his own visions, such as objects morphing into nooses and blood covering his hands, and a creepy mersmerist who seems to know his secret. This is a psychological horror film, with the director going deeper and deeper into the mind of a murderer until we're left feeling like we're inside of a nightmare.

Watch on youtube

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is legendary among film buffs, for its style of German expressionism, to the way it uses every single aspect of filmmaking to explore the human mind, and its twist ending. The sets, some of the most exaggerate you’ll find in films that employ German expressionism, straight away leave you feeling off kilter and like you're watching something that's just outside of reality. In the early 1920s, stage hypnotism had become quite the phenomenon, and while many people were fascinated by it, the element of the unknown that existed there led to a lot of people feeling frightened by and uneasy about hypnosis. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari used those fears, telling a story about a mysterious doctor who, by day, has a sort of sideshow feature Cesare, a somnambulist, and by night sends Cesare out to kill people. By exploiting people's fears of hypnotism, as well as their fears about insanity and mental health, the film manages scares on a very intellectual level.

Watch on youtube

This is the classic "will reading in a spooky old mansion" story, as well as being an early comedy/horror film. A young woman is set to inherit the estate of a distant relative, but she must prove she's sane before receiving the inheritance, and she has to do that while in a spooky house full of people who want that money. This film makes for a great study of horror tropes. You've got the classic, beautiful leading lady surrounded by a supporting cast of awful, ghoulish, greedy, and frightening characters. The film leans into the absurdity of the story and the genre, and in doing so manages to be a very effective horror movie, while also being self aware in a way that makes the silliness an asset. The combination of scares and silly makes for a movie experience that's just plain FUN.

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In the early days of film, John Barrymore was a matinee idol, one of the most handsome actors on the screen. He was also one of the first actors who was willing to ugly himself up for a role when he played one half of the title pairing in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The fact that Barrymore was so well known for his looks made the main character's transformation even more effective for the audience of the time. But even on its own, without any expectations of what kind of roles an attractive actor should take, Barrymore's Mr. Hyde is genuinely frightening. His transformation, what he's able to do with his face and body, is on the level of the legendary Lon Chaney. The entire film has an sort of eerie beauty to it, but the thing that makes it so memorable is Barrymore's performance.

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There's something hypnotic about this French adaptation of the Edgar Allen Poe story. The focus is definitely more on style than on story, but that makes for an incredible, dreamlike experience of a horror movie. Everything is a little off: the cinematography, while gorgeous, always leads to a slightly strange feeling with a lot of strange angles. Fog and smoke are present in a lot of scenes. The house is large and filled with mirrors. It's equal parts intense and surreal, combining German expressionism with gothic styles, both a great deal of negative space in its sets, as well as light and shadow. There is a story here, but what the movie is trying to do is make you feel, both in an emotional sense and a physical sense. The atmosphere is eerie, but it also leaves you feeling cold with how empty the house feels. It will set your nerves on edge, manhandle your emotions, and leave you with a physical reaction you might not expect.

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Faust is the classic tale of man facing the temptations of the Devil. FW Murnau, who was known for experimenting with effects and technology, especially in the second half of the 1920s, took this classic tale and used modern technology and filmmaking techniques to tell the story, making this old, classic story into one of the most modern piece of filmmaking in 1926. Murnau constructed a flying sequence using miniature of towns, fields, rivers, waterfalls, and forests with running water, clouds, birds flying through the sky. The director used scale filming to manipulate the appearance of size. Beautiful sets were constructed. But the director also used very simple, traditional techniques to establish and atmosphere and create an eerie feeling. Expressionistic sets combine with the use of shadows and dark lighting to create a feeling of foreboding and doom. It's one of the most modern films of the time, but the things that make it scary are very traditional and classic, showing that so often simplicity can be the scariest thing,

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You know those stories where a person gets a transplant of some kind, but it turns out the person they got the transplant from was evil, and the transplanted body part starts to act out on its own in a murderous, evil way? Those stories come from The Hands of Orlac, which is about a pianist whose hands are destroyed in a train accident. They replace his hands with those of a dead person, and while it initially appears that the transplant is successful, the pianist soon finds the the hands seem to have a mind of their own, having come, unbeknownst to him, from a murderer. This is another German expressionist film, with sets and cinematography that help to create an unnerving atmosphere. Conrad Veidt is the key player here. It's his acting, his body language and facial expressions, that sells the horror of what's happening to him.

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This is early Murnau, one of his earliest surviving films (if not the earliest). Since it's so early in his filmography, and so early in the 1920s, the techniques he would become famous for exploring are missing here, but he still uses some interesting and creative techniques to create an atmospheric horror film. He especially utilizes rain well, with effective shots of fields and roads in a downfall of rain. The structure of the film isn't great. It doesn't flow very well, as it is distinctly separated into three acts. But the atmosphere and visuals more than make up for it and the mystery is intriguing and well handled.

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This is a Buster Keaton short, a fun, quick watch that you can pop on to precede your "feature" presentation. It doesn't have the memorable stunts as other Keaton films like The General, but it does experiment with some interesting techniques and effects in ways that lead to some strange, fun moments. There are also some funny gags, like Keaton not being able to "stick em up" during a bank robbery because he glued his hands into his pockets. The final sequence is particularly impressive in terms of effects and scenery.

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For some reason I'm so intrigued and freaked out by the kinds of stories like the one in The Last Warning. The movie is about a play that seems to be cursed. A theater is closed after a stage production leads to the murder of one of the actors. Five years later, the theater is reopened, with plans to put on the same play with the remaining cast. It's a mix of mystery, as the characters try to solve both the original murder and the mystery of the eerie goings on in the newly opened theater, and horror, with ghostly messages, strange accidents, and creepy visuals dressed up in shadowy cinematography. It's a beautifully creepy film, even if most prints you'll find are of a pretty crummy quality.

Download at archive.org

The Lodger would receive a sound remake in the 1940s (with the delectable George Sanders), but that remake doesn't come close to the spooky mastery of Alfred Hitchcock's original. This is an early display of the director's incredible skill at establishing atmosphere (and it really is a shame that he didn't get to make more silent films, because what he did with the medium was so wonderful and interesting). There aren't a lot of title cards (in large part because the film's producer had a lot of them removed, bothered by the suggestions that Hitchcock inserted of homosexuality and incest), so the story has to work mostly visually, and it manages to be both an easy narrative to follow and an incredibly eerie, surprising one.

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Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson had such an impression left on them by Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs that they created the Batman villain The Joker based on the way he looked. Veidt's character is the son of a noble who suffers the punishment of permanent disfigurement due to his father's pride. It's very much not what you would expect out of a horror movie, especially by modern standards. The content itself isn't traditional horror, but Paul Leni films it with the same dark shadows, eerie negative space, and creepy light and dark contrast as his other horror films, and that's because this is a horror movie about the horror of man, about the purest, realest form of evil and the horror they wreak on others. The title character, who should be the most frightening, is the most sympathetic, the one upon whom so many horrors are committed.

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Horror stories have been sent in asylums and mental institutions for centuries because that setting exploits people's fear of mental illness and the terrifying mystery the mind can be. 1925's The Monster is another in a long line of films set in an asylum. Lon Chaney is billed as the star, but his role is actually relatively small. He plays one of the original "mad doctors" of film, as a man who takes over the asylum, sending out patients to retrieve bodies for his experiments. When word gets out that weird stuff is going down, an amateur detective and his friends want to check it out. This is a strange movie, because while it is very creepy, it's also a comedy, one that seems like it's almost a parody of the kind of film that hadn't even really started to be made yet.

Watch at Dailymotion

Perhaps the best known silent horror film, Nosferatu is a loose adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. FW Murnau wanted to make Dracula, but he couldn't get the rights from Stoker's estate, so Murnau changed the character names and made some small changes to the story (like the means of the vampire's death at the end). Despite the attempts of the Stoker estate to erase any evidence of the film's existence, it's one of the most beloved horror films, and is probably more famous and well regarded than any other Dracula adaptation. The combination of Murnau's expertise in atmosphere and lighting and Max Schreck's horrifying Count Orlock make this one of the best and creepiest horror movies ever made.

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While this film is often compared to films from the German expressionist movement, it's far more subtle and understated than something like The Dr. of Caligari. It makes brilliant use of darkness and shadow, yes, but the Scandinavian sense of despair and hopelessness is far much quieter than that of the Germans, making the whole thing far more personal and emotional. It's a claustrophobic, desolate story about a man who dies on New Years Eve and is made to relive his life, witnessing the multiple chances at redemption he refused to take. We know how the character ends up, know what his choices will lead to, so the horror of the hopelessness and sadness is just as palpable as the horror established by the dark, creepy atmosphere and the eeriness of the personification of death that ushers this character through his death.

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Before it was a melodramatic romantic musical, The Phantom of the Opera was one of the most chilling films Lon Chaney made. The Phantom is never romanticized, never treated as a romantic figure. Chaney, whose was willing to risk life and limb to portray his characters, transformed his face through use of some pretty horrifying means, including the use of fishing hooks, made Erik into a figure of horror and terror, an obsessed and murderous madman who, though at times treated as a man and not a monster, is still unmistakably the villain of the piece. His performance is complimented by the amazingly constructed sets, particularly his eerie, creepy lair beneath the opera house and the increasingly unnerving series of ramps that lead down to it.

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This film was thought to be lost for a long time. When a film is considered lost, it usually earns a pretty legendary reputation in terms of its quality. A lot of the time when these films are found, the don't live up to the expectations. Seven Footprints to Satan does. It's so fucking weird. It's an "old dark house" story about a young couple kidnapped and brought to an old house where they're kept by jewel thieves and a strange cult. It sort of detours from the traditional "old dark house" style with both its filming techniques and just the content of the film. It's both scary and bizarre, a sort of balls-to-the-wall-terror-and-weirdness happening, with lots of strange people and creatures parading around the story (dwarves, ape-men, gorillas, and some characters that would certainly be very un-PC and offensive today). It's kind of hard to even explain because it's such a weird and unique experience.

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This is an updated, contemporary retelling of Faust. It has less of a horror vibe than the more direct Faust adaptation, and it's not usually billed as a horror movie. It's modern, stylish, and opulent, in a way that kind of hides the horror of the story. It looks like any of the number of high class dramas, comedies, and love stories studios were making at the time, but beneath all of it, thanks to Adolphe Menjou's quiet menace and Ricardo Cortez's mounting desperation, there's something darker and incredible tense lurking, so when we do get those moments where the horror of the story become clear, they're not coming from nowhere.

Download at archive.org

The presence of mannequins automatically qualifies this film for any horror movie list. The fact that it stars Lon Chaney bumps it way up on the list. It's story would make it a pretty basic thriller, but the presence of Chaney and some bizarre story choices make this story creepy enough to qualify for a Halloween horror list. Chaney is a ventriloquist who, along with a "little person" and a strongman, decide to leave their sideshow and make their way as robbers. In order to pull of their crime, Chaney poses as an old lady, the caretaker to the dwarf who is pretending to be a baby. There's also a pet gorilla. It's this odd setup that gives the movie its eerie vibes, and the amount of strange twists give the movie a sort of unsettling dream logic.

Watch on Dailymotion

Tod Browning's The Unknown is considered by many to have Lon Chaney's finest performance. While he doesn't contort his face in the way his did for films like The Phantom of the Opera, he plays a supposedly armless circus performer who throws knives with his feet. He's a fraud and a charlatan, though, and in reality he merely binds his arms down. But when he becomes obsessed with a woman who doesn't want to be touched, he goes to drastic measures to give her what she wants. Chaney's character is pretty evil, and a great deal of the creepiness of this film comes from his performance. Browning used unique camera angles and filters to give the movie a dreamy, otherworldly quality.

Watch on Dailymotion

Warning Shadows is a fascinating piece of German expressionism. As early as 1923 the use of shadows and extreme contrast had become something of a hallmark of the movement, and the filmmakers behind Warning Shadows decided to embrace that, making a horror movie that's very much structured around shadows. There are new intertitles, making the film entirely visual (but it's still easy to follow). A wealthy man throws a dinner party, inviting the four men who have been making advances on his wife. He's so jealous he looks like he's going to explode over it. A mysterious entertainer presents them with a shadow play, giving the partygoers visions of what might come to be. This is a fascinating, unique film that absolutely rewards the amount of attention you have to pay to it.

Watch on youtube

#halloween #silent film #classic film #horror film #halloween movies

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movietvtechgeeks · 7 years ago

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Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/carrie-genzel-talks-supernatural-jensen-ackles-jared-padalecki-pranks/

Carrie Genzel talks 'Supernatural' and Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki pranks

Carrie Genzel is one of those lovely actresses that thought being in Supernatural was so nice she did it twice – she was in Bugs, one of the earlier episodes in Season 1, and in Just My Imagination, one of my personal favorite episodes, in Season 11. Many fans will remember Carrie’s character, Linda Berman, being the one with “Sparkle on her face!” Definitely one of the more iconic moments in Supernatural, for sure. Since Supernatural, Carrie has appeared in Max 2, They’re Watching and Season’s Greetings. Carrie is also the author of State of Slay, a blog about “the state of living in self-love as your authentic self.” Carrie explains further about her blog and her journey to writing it below. Carrie currently has a fun comedy called The Layover coming out on Direct TV on August 3 and in theatres in September 1. It stars Kate Upton and Alexandra Daddario, and was directed by William H. Macy. In addition, fans can see Carrie at Modesto’s Classic Comic Con, Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Lake Tahoe, California. Since this turned into quite a great and lengthy interview, we've split it into 2 parts. You were in two episodes of Supernatural; there was a 10-year difference between the two because you were in Bugs in 2005 and Just My Imagination in 2015. Did you notice any difference on set between the 10 years? Well, you know what was interesting was what was the same. Typically, on shows like Supernatural, especially, you know, Supernatural has a really long season, and they put in some long days; there’s a lot of special effects and a lot of different things that make days longer. I can see that being on that schedule day in and day out can wear on a person some times. What was really interesting going back 10 years later was that a lot of the core group of crew was still there, which was amazing to see and really goes to show you what kind of family that they’ve all assembled on that show, that so many of those people are still there after all of these years. Other than that it was great to see the boys, and we laughed a lot, because I remember when we shot Bugs the first season, I think it may have just started to air; it was really new, and it was really dark compared to what else was on TV back then; I think there was Buffy, but Buffy had a lot more humor; Supernatural in the first season was really dark. Even in the way they shot it, it was really dark. I remember talking to the guys, and they were like, we don’t know if this is going to fly, we’re hoping, but it’s really different from what’s on; everyone seemed unsure about the longevity of the show. Cut to – and it’s still going -- ten years later, me walking on set and going, you guys are still here! What was cool, was to catch up, because now, they’re married, they have kids … so a lot had changed, and it was really fun to hear about their kids and life doing the show, but also having a family outside of the show and juggling all of that which they seem to do quite well. It was fun to catch up and see them again so many years later and just great to see that the show is still rolling along and still feels like a family. A lot of that has to do with the boys. They really put that energy and that tone into work every day and they love being there, and they really love each other; and you feel that when you’re there; that really sets the tone for everybody there. Everybody’s there to work, everybody’s there to have a good time, and everyone really appreciates the job they have and the fandom that keeps everything going and humming. Everything that is done on set is really in honor and in tribute to that fandom. It’s a really nice environment to work in. You’re definitely not the only person I’ve talked to that have noticed the crew being very much the same as the first season to later on in years. I honestly think one of the main reasons is how gentleman-like Jared and Jensen are. That literally trickles down to everyone else in cast and crew; everyone has just stayed together. I think that’s a lot of the reason why Supernatural has done so well is because the actual core group is still there; it still has the same feeling. I think that’s really, really cool. You were talking about the Supernatural family; how has that affected you? It’s been incredible! I was invited to The Family Don’t End With Blood, the book launch in Los Angeles on May 10 by Lynn and it was wonderful because it was the first time I actually got to stand up and say thank you in a public forum. Just after Just My Imagination aired, I was bombarded with love on social media, and it was overwhelming, and I tried my best to get back to every single person and I just couldn’t. It just was impossible for me to do that so I did a video to say thank you. I had no idea what was going to happen because when Bugs aired, there really wasn’t social media. Over the years I’ve gotten fan mail, or people had reached out to me and said they liked the episode, or how did you do that … it was nothing compared to what happened when Just My Imagination aired. I was looking forward to the episode because it’s a great episode, I was looking forward to seeing all of it, not just the stuff I did because I was really thrilled for the whole episode and excited for Rich; it was his first time directing. All of a sudden my phone went berserk. The episode aired, I’m crying, because it always makes me cry at the end; and all of a sudden my phone’s like ding-ding … all of this stuff starts happening on my phone and I’m like what’s going on? All of these people start reaching out to me and then there was ripple effect because dependent on the time zone and the country – it wasn’t just that one day – oh, now it’s on in Brazil. It was funny how it came in waves depending on where it was airing in the world and the time zone. It was really incredible. I just felt this wave of love, and it was really great to hear everyone’s comments and really embrace that episode … it still happens, almost every day. It’s been a while since that aired. It’s really nice as an actor when people connect to the material. We’re all storytellers, and we hope that the stories that we’re telling and the characters that we’re playing resonate with people. When it does in such a big way, it’s really fantastic, and it’s really rewarding – it feels like we’re doing something right. Especially for Supernatural … you want to honor that story, the characters, and you hope that you’re adding something special. It’s been interesting because both of the episodes that I’ve done have kind of been stand-alone episodes in a way, they haven’t contributed to the overall story, so you kind of go it’s one of those fun episodes where you get to go a little out there. The #SPNfamily really, really, every day just warms my heart. You all are incredible and – you are – you can do anything. I’ve seen the power of what you can do when you all band together. The Entertainment Weekly cover comes to mind, where you guys kicked ass. You guys won for getting your show on Entertainment Weekly over Game of Thrones, Outlander, like big, huge shows that haven’t been on long that maybe have a little more heat because they’re newer, or shinier, or what have you. You guys were like, hell no! We are getting our show on the cover, and our boys on the cover, and they did that wonderful story. I went, this is it, this is what they can do. There’s so much good that you all do – which again, really goes to show you the good in the cast and the message that they promote about themselves and about helping others. That definitely trickles down through the fandom and through the #SPNfamily, which I find really, really inspiring. I think that’s really incredible; I don’t really know if there’s a show that really has that. I think it’s such a unique, it’s so unique to Supernatural and it’s really incredible. That’s one of the reasons why I personally love Supernatural so much is that the cast, whether it be the main cast, to the guest stars, like yourself; everyone is so giving of themselves and of their time. I mean you’ve got yourself, who is constantly replying to pretty much every single Tweet that you get … I try, it’s hard. It’s really, really hard. Especially with the #darkhunters … I get up some mornings and I’m like holy moly, how long have you guys been up? You and I are both on Pacific Time, and most of my girlfriends, my #darkhunters friends, are in Eastern Time – I get up and I’m like, okay, I need to catch up! There’ll be like 45 messages, what’s happening?!? I just recently saw that David had 99+ messages or notifications. But yeah, it does get overwhelming some times. I can’t respond to all of this, I have to go to an audition! I try to hit the highlights and at least check in, like, I’m here! It’s incredible … and it’s rapid fire, too! It’s like holy moly, it’s just flying through my screen … Some times I just like to sit back and watch it happen. So what was your favorite part about being on Supernatural? Oh my gosh, so many things! You know, I was just really thrilled to go back. I was itching to go back because so many people I know had done it multiple times … I’m like, I haven’t been on since season 1, and I died … can I come back too? A year or so ago, around the time that I shot that, I had been in a few times for roles for the show, and I was like I’ve got to go back to do something, and it just wasn’t happening. When I went in for this, I was like, I don’t know if Rich really likes me … he must be a good poker player, because I couldn’t really tell, wasn’t really sure … so I went home, and then a few days later I got the call. I didn’t know about the manicorn blood; they had taken that out of the audition materials. They do that – either they’ll make up a scene, or they’ll take stuff out so that you don’t know everything. God forbid those get out somewhere, so they don’t want it to get released … It wasn’t until I read the actual script that I was like, oh my God, this is going to be insane! This is going to be crazy. There were so many things that were great about doing that that I was looking forward too. Working with Rich, who is a phenomenal actor. His history with the show, just made it even better because I knew that no matter what was going to go down on set, he had our backs. He knows the show, he knows the guys, he wants this to be as great as it can be and we were starting with an incredible script. I’m like, this is great. It was so fun to see the boys again and to catch up. Try not to laugh while they were wearing their Mr. Rogers sweaters. Because come on … I was like, come on. Those were amazing. And they were so uncomfortable in them. It was even better in person. Rich really let us play and have fun. Even in the scene when they first come to my house – we got to play around a little bit with the whole manicorn moment. Because, you know, a manicorn … We kind of played around with different reactions, different things – we really had fun. It was great. The scene -- Nate Torrence, first off, is so hilarious. It was next to impossible not to look at him in the scenes, because Linda can’t see him, or hear him; so it was ridiculous – he’s in the suspenders, in the pants that are too small, that were in danger of breaking at any given moment … they really were. He’s like, I don’t know if these are going to hold again today. But that was the joke – they were supposed to look small … and God bless him for rocking those. I’m a fan of Nate’s work as well and knew his work from other things. It was such a joy to go to work and try to pull this off without laughing. I was going to ask you how hard it was to keep a straight face. It was ridiculously hard. Before we actually shot the moment where I put the blood on my face, Rich pulled me aside, and he all of a sudden got really, really serious. He’s like Carrie, I really need you to be professional here, and I need you not to laugh. You can’t laugh during this moment because if we put the blood on, and you start laughing, we’re going to be behind like an hour. It’s going to take an hour to take the blood off of you, reapply your makeup; I’m like I get it, I will not laugh. I promise on my soul; I will not laugh. He’s like, they’re not going to make it easy on you, I know them. I know them, and they’re going to be silly, and goofy … I’m like, I know, I know, I promise you – I promise you, I will not laugh. It’s not anything you can practice; because once it’s on, it’s on … I didn’t really know what was going to happen when I put it on my face. They set it up so that when I sit down, and Sparkle’s next to me and I’m sitting on that bench, they had kind of rigged that cushion with pools of sparkly blood so that when I put my hands down, and I’m talking to them, I’m really just loading up my hands with blood. I’ve worked a lot with fake blood before, and it’s sticky, and it’s sweet, you kind of know what’s going to happen; but because it had the chunky glitter in it, I’m like, I don’t really know what’s going to happen. So I was just like, here goes! Rich was really specific about how he wanted me to like put it on my face. So it was a lot to remember – my brain was firing like a million miles an hour, right, picturing that scene. I’m like, I’ve got to do this, I’ve got to sit down, I’ve got to touch my face like this, I gotta get up … there were all these things happening … So we do it and it’s on, and we’re in the scene, I can see their faces, and Jensen in particular, makes me laugh every single time I watch that scene, he was the funniest. It was just his reaction. I get up, and I stand up, at the end of the scene, and it’s on my face … and a piece of glitter goes right into my eye. It literally feels like a dagger in my eye. All I can think of is I promised Rich I wouldn’t laugh or wreck the scene. I have to somehow get through the end of the scene. All I could think of was not letting my eye water and not messing up the scene … I just concentrated so hard on what was happening, and not looking at Nate. I would just stand there and go Jared, Jensen, Jared, Jensen, Jared, Jensen, and look back and forth so I wouldn’t stop in the middle at Nate. I would just go, Jared, Jensen, Jared, Jensen, Jared, Jensen in my head … and just say my lines. Just doing that repetitive until Rich said cut and then I’m like MAKEUP!! My EYE! As soon as he said cut, the boys just burst out laughing and Nate just burst out laughing … saying, you look INSANE! I’m like, I don’t even want to see what I look like because I don’t want to have that image in my head, because we still have to shoot … I just want to pretend that everything is normal … now I don’t have glitter in my eye so it’s all good. I stepped off set, while they were moving the cameras around, just to kind of get some air … it can get hot with the lights and stuff. Rich had frozen the image of my face on all the monitors … I came around the corner, and there was just monitors with my glittering face on it. I’m like, well, I guess that’s what I look like … They really didn’t make it easy. They were goofing around; they were making the silliest faces, they really had a good time with it. The boys are notorious for pranks on guest stars. They boys like to have fun, and they like to goof around … It’s not a regular scene where God forbid you laugh, they go cut, and you go again. Once it was on, it was on. We didn’t have to worry about it. It was just that first moment about getting it on properly, and he was happy with the application of the manicorn blood … then it just stayed on for the remainder of shooting. It was hard. Actually, it was actually kind of itchy and gross. It actually stained my face so that was lovely; and my hands, which was really lovely. For months and months afterward, I would find random glitter on me … I just kept sparkling for months. And months. And months. And months. I would think, now it’s gone. But then I would find a random sparkle … It was just everywhere. And it stained my feet! Well, my one foot, because I had to step in it, and I had on leather-soled shoes … I didn’t even realize, but it soaked into the shoe, and when we wrapped, it was really late, and it’s dark … so I just wanted to get home. I threw off my shoes and put my socks and sneakers on, and went home, and I crashed. The next day, I wake up, and I’m like, why is my sock stuck to my foot? I peel it off and it’s all full of blood and glitter. It was really the gift that kept on giving. If you were back on Supernatural, would you be a hunter, a demon or an angel? Well, I think of the three – I would love to be a hunter … I’ve auditioned to be a demon on the show, before I got Linda, which was super fun … because you just get to go balls out. I actually kind of hyperventilated … I got a little too into it. But I gotta go with hunter. Because, come on. Let me go kill some shit! I think maybe somebody messes with Linda’s daughter, she’s like, enough of this crap and goes hunting. Her and all of her jewelry. Linda wore a lot of jewelry. She must’ve been a jewelry salesman … maybe she had some sort of business on the side … I don’t know how I could’ve put more jewelry on then I had. How did you get into acting? I had always been drawn to acting. As a young girl, we used to go to the Saturday matinees; our dad used to take us. I was also just so in awe of whatever that was, when the curtain opened … that magical world that opened up. I remember even as a very young girl thinking, I don’t know what that is, but I want to be a part of it. It really was a form of escape for me. I always had these magical places in my head … even as a kid, would act out skits and do things. As I got older, it became kind of a place … it really was a place of escapism for me. I was really uncomfortable with who I was and I didn’t like myself so to be able to play another person and to act, I’m like, that’s great because if you don’t like that person, it’s okay, because it’s not me. It kind of became a way of life … I realized at some point that it could be a career. That I could actually have a career doing that. I thought, that’s really awesome, because I do that every day anyway. So, let’s do this. That was kind of my motivation to start. Thankfully that’s not still my motivation. It really was just a way to get out of myself, and out of my own head. For a chance to be somebody else. That’s kind of how it all started. What advice do you have for people who want to get into acting? Go to college. Get another career. No. I’ve had the opportunity to teach, and I always get asked that one of course. I’ve taught kids in high school. I always say to them: If it’s not your passion, if it’s not something you feel like part of you will die if you don’t do it … don’t do it. You still can, but in a different way. Go get an education, go get a degree, go find that other thing; you can still do community theatre, you can still do things on the side, but to do it as a career, and to go after it, the way you have to go after it today … is tough. You have to make a lot of sacrifices. I always say to people when they ask me; it’s a little bit of a selfish, not even a little bit, it’s a selfish business in that I’ve missed birthdays, holidays, funerals, weddings, major events in people’s lives that I love and care about. Because I’m travelling, I’m on the road; I’m on location … I’m at work. It’s tough that way. I think if you are a storyteller by nature, and you need to tell a story, then find your outlet. Find your way. And it may not be acting, because I know some incredibly talented people who thought it was acting and are now directing, or now writing … or doing something creative in a different way in the entertainment industry. If acting is your passion, I’m a big fan of making your own opportunity. It’s really hard to break through the pack. When you’re young, it’s easier, people give you a chance, and they don’t expect you to have a huge resume. There are some opportunities that are afforded to you there. It’s very competitive … and I think now there are so many outlets where you can showcase who you are and what you can do. And you can do that virtually for free. You don’t have to have a lot of really expensive equipment to make it happen, as long as the picture is clear, they can hear you, you’re good to go. I know every studio, every network, major agency, are always scouring the Internet for new talent. If you live in a small community where you’re not in a major market, like Los Angeles or New York or Chicago, make your own opportunity. Get your friends together, make your own content, or do it yourself … and make your own opportunities. Always do your research. If you’re contacted by an agent, or if you’re wanting to talk to an agent, Google them. Find out what people are saying about them, because there are a lot of scammers out there. You should never pay anyone to represent you as an agent or a manager. That’s not how it works. They get paid when you get paid. So that’s always a good rule of thumb. Always do your research. As an actor, I always say, you have to be your own detective. When you’re crafting your character, and even so, just in business. It’s just too easy now to look on your phone and research somebody and find out if they’re legitimate or not. Do your homework.

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