#potentially beau no. 3

[raspberryconverse]

Actual footage of me last night when I got home

[beauzos]

getting to a point in SOBR where i don't precisely know how to execute what needs to be done... i generally know what should be done, and where we're going, i just don't entirely know how to get there.

[apocalypseornaw]

Sheriff, Ranger & Marshal

Beau Arlen x Female Reader x Cordell Walker

When a resort comes onto a few agencies' radar a task force is formed and 3 people are chose to go undercover. You, Beau and Cordell

I have no excuse. This is smut yall. J2 makes my brain go to mush.

A Sheriff, a Marshal and a Ranger walked into a hot tub. Sounded like the beginning of a joke but it was very much your current reality.

When a joint task force had been propositioned to infiltrate a resort that was marketed as “An unconventional getaway for people who didn't live by society's standards” you knew you would be on the list for potential undercover. You had a decent track record and usually only took a couple weeks to decompress after assignments before you'd be completely back to normal as if it had never happened.

—----------------------

You however didn't know that Liam's older brother Cordell would also be on the list along with Beau Arlen, a Sheriff from Montana that had worked well with the bureau in the past. The resort was suspected of being a front for money laundering, weapon and drug smuggling.

—---------------------

When each branch of the task force which consisted of the Marshals, the Rangers and the FBI had picked their undercover the three of you met. It was basically a chemistry read like they did for movie roles. Had to make sure it was believable that the three of you were together.

You'd met Cordell in passing so you knew he was a good looking man and feigning attraction to him would be easy. The moment you laid eyes on Beau you nearly bowed out of the assignment. No one would believe these two men had chosen you.

When you'd voiced your concerns to Captain James who was overseeing the meeting Beau and Cordell had exchanged a look before Cordell moved up to your back while Beau moved to stand in front of you, effectively trapping you between their larger frames.

Beau gently brushed your hair behind your ear, green eyes holding you place while Cordell trailed his fingers over your arms “Now darling,we've talked about this. If anyone's lucky it's me and Eric. You know we love you”

Cordell leaned down to where his lips were almost touching your ear when he spoke “David's right Nessa, so just get those thoughts out of your head”

You felt your face warm so in one fluid movement you punched Beau in the stomach then threw your elbow back into Cordell's. Both men fell away from you, painful laughter falling from them as Captain James clapped “See? Proof to point you're the woman for this job because that? Really looked like you're their wife”

You walked into the safe house the task force was using as the “home address” for your thruple. Jesus you'd gone under cover solo and as a couple with a few guys and a couple women but you'd never gone under cover with two men and had to act as if you were deeply in love with them both.

Beau and Cordell were already there considering Cordell had picked Beau up from the airport and you'd been meeting with the contact you'd formed through a few yoga classes that was in with the owner of the resort. You'd parked your persona's little yellow beetle next to Cordell's persona's range rover.

When you made it past the entry way you let out a low whistle “Honeys I'm home” you heard laughter as your response before Cordell called out “in the kitchen baby” your stomach flipped a little at his voice.

—------------

You walked into the kitchen and both men were sitting at the small breakfast table, a cup of coffee in front of them both. You walked over to stand between the two of them and placed the envelope you carried down on the table “We got an invite to the resort. Bianca came through”

Without warning Cordell pulled you down into his lap, you started to protest but he whispered into your ear “We gotta get used to acting all the time” Beau winked at you “Eric quit hogging Nessa before I spank the both of you” “Promise?” You and Cordell teased in unison. Yeah this was going to be the most interesting assignment you'd ever undertaken.

The resort was beautiful, you had to give it that. Set back in the mountain side of Colorado the scenery was gorgeous. You, Cordell and Beau had been there for a few days but so far no one was really opening up to the three of you and you were starting to feel guilty having a California king to yourself while one man slept on the couch and the other slept on the floor in your suite.

A few times housekeeping had taken you by surprise so blankets and pillows had to be tossed around and one of them joined you in the bed while the other answered the door. You'd told them they could share the bed with you; it was plenty big enough and all of you were adults.

—-----------------

Cordell had apparently woken up first and ordered room service. You woke up to him and Beau testing everything on the tray to ensure nothing was drugged before you all ate.

You sat up in the bed, leaning back on your arms and admired the sight of your “husbands” Cordell was wearing a pair of jeans, hung low on his hips. He was barefoot and not currently wearing a shirt, the muscles of his back flexing deliciously in the sunlight streaming in from the high window.

Beau was wearing the gray sweatpants he wore to bed, that left little to the imagination (not that you'd looked) and he was also barefoot and missing a shirt. His light brown hair was still tousled from sleep and the way the muscles in his arms moved was damn near hypnotizing. Fuck, when was the last time you'd had sex to have you drooling over your temporary partners like this? You needed a cold shower.

Cordell glanced over his shoulder at you and grinned “Nessa you're finally awake” you smiled and tossed the blanket off your legs. You were currently wearing one of Beaus shirts or well “Davids” and panties. It fell far enough on your thigh neither men saw anything but should something happen it looked better if you were wearing one of their clothes to bed.

You walked over to stand next to the room service tray, running your nails across Beau's bare back as you leaned into Cordell's side “We need to talk” Cordell whispered in your ear. At your confused look he motioned to the tray then his ear. Your eyes widened and you nodded “What's a girl gotta do to get you fellas in that big Ole shower with me?”

Cordell laughed “Darling you know all you gotta do is ask” you grabbed Cordell's ark and then Beau's “well come on then”

—--------------------

Once the three of you were in the bathroom you shut the door and rolled up a towel to put under the crack before going to the corner where a shower as big as your first apartment sat. You turned the cold on full blast so there would still be hot water for your showers but enough noise you could talk freely.

Once the shower was going you beckoned them closer to it where it would drown anything out “They bugged the room service?” You whispered and Cordell nodded “From what I gather they don't trust us. Apparently everyone else here has an exhibitionist streak. We're the only people that hasn't had sex loud enough you can hear it down the hall or publicly enough anyone can see it”

You looked from him to Beau, both men close enough you could touch and sighed “Then we have to put on a show” they exchanged a look, clearly letting you take the reins on this “What do you mean?” Beau asked.

You rolled your eyes “You've both been undercover. I had to make it to third base with my last partner's wife one time to keep us from blowing our cover. If they want a show we give them one. That hot tub right outside our room would be a good place because we turn it high enough no one knows what's actually happening under the water as long as it sounds believable”

Cordell nodded slowly, his tongue flicking out to wet his lips. “The three of us need to make sure we're comfortable together. Our personas have been together for nearly eight years” you nodded then reached up to hook your arms around his neck, pulling him to you.

When your lips met his he didn't even appear to have been taken off guard, instead he backed up closer to the wall caging you between it and his body. He slid a clothed knee between your legs keeping them open as he flicked his tongue into your mouth, tasting all of you. You could feel your knees weaken from the kiss before you gasped lightly and pulled back trying to get air so he moved from your lips to your jaw then down to your neck, working the sensitive flesh there between his teeth gently as his knee pushed up into your dripping center causing a light moan to escape your lips “Fuck” you whispered when he pulled back with a grin “Good enough?” He asked and you nodded “Very”

He turned his eyes from you to Beau who was watching the two of you intently. He readjusted himself and your eyes slid down to see he was half hard under those sweats. He'd apparently enjoyed the show “Come here” Cordell spoke, pulling Beau to him.

You watched as the two men shared a kiss that was all tongue and teeth and rolled your hips against Cordell's thigh that was still between your legs, trying to soothe the ache forming there. Once the two of them broke away from each other Cordell nodded towards you “She makes the sweetest sounds doesn't she?” Beau nodded, green eyes full of hunger.

Cordell moved and let Beau in front of you. Beau grinned before he leaned down to catch your lips in a bruising kiss. Your hands went to his shoulders, gripping tightly. Damn could he kiss. He moved your hands from his shoulders to hold them both in one of his large hands before pressing them to the wall above your head.

His other hand moved to tease your hardened nipple through the shirt you wore, devouring the moan that escaped you. He kissed down your jaw opposite the side Cordell had but worked the sensitive flesh the same, enough to bring you pleasure but not to mark. Just when you felt like you might explode he placed a final kiss on your lips then backed off, dropping your hands and bracing your hips to help keep you upright as your chest heaved like you'd just ran a few miles.

You swallowed hard twice to keep from whimpering. The two men in front of you both smiled slightly “Believable that we both chose you?” Cordell asked, throwing your words from the chemistry read back at you. You nodded stiffly, finally finding your voice “Believable. I'm gonna um I'm gonna shower. I'm supposed to go to yoga with Bianca”

Beau grinned “Want us to join you or?” You felt your face warm and shook your head “Go eat breakfast. Save me some though. Tonight after dinner in the dining hall we'll give em a show to make sure they don't doubt us” Cordell tipped his head “Yes ma'am” you weren't even the senior agent here but they were letting you lead for the undercover part. Why you weren't sure but you kind of enjoyed it.

Beau started to walk out then shook his head and walked back over to you, catching your lips in another hungry kiss. Not to be outdone the moment Beau released you Cordell pulled you into another kiss. You groaned when they both finally stepped away “Later” you needed the entire day to prepare for the show you'd have to put on tonight. You had gone to third with Lindsay to keep you both safe and you'd simply been friends with her. Those two?

They could easily ruin you and if you didn't keep a hold on yourself you might just let them.

The ground rules that had been set was no penetration and always remember that it was your peronas. Not yourselves.

—---------------

Easier said than done. You'd chosen a simple back two piece because while you trusted the men you were with, the rest of the resort didn't need to see everything.

You stepped out of the bathroom and laughed at the fact that they were both leaning against the doorframe leading out to the deck area where the hot tub sat. Cordell had on dark blue swim trunks while Beau wore dark green ones. The moment they heard the door open both of their eyes landed on you and you could see them darken. “Sorry to keep you fellas waiting”

—------------

You walked past them outside and they both followed you closely. Beau had set the tub to high, like you'd said. You stopped at the edge and both men offered you a hand to help you get in. You took Cordell's and worked at Beau.

Once you were in they both climbed in “Where do you want us Nessa?” Beau asked and you grabbed Cordell's hand first “I want to sit in Eric's lap” you pushed Cordell down in the corner and once he was settled with his long legs bent at the knees you settled yourself between them, your ass brushing against his crotch as you did so and heard him stifle a groan.

You reached a hand out towards Beau “C'mere David” he grinned and dipped himself down to be kneeling in front of you, he leaned down close to your ear to whisper feather light “How far are we going darling? Me and Cordell discussed it. This is your ballgame”

“They have to think we've had sex” he nodded and glanced over your shoulder at Cordell. You'd laid back against Cordell's chest which meant Beau could easily lean over you. Him and Cordell shared a heated kiss and when they pulled away Cordell nodded towards you “Make our girl fall apart in my lap David”

Cordell shifted you higher up in his lap so Beau wouldn't have to crouch to reach you. He gripped your chin with two fingers, tilting your head “Look at her. So damn gorgeous and all ours” when his lips met yours you didn't try to swallow the whimper that escaped you. He smiled against your lips “and always so eager for us”

You felt one of his hands come up to cup one of your breasts while Cordell snaked a hand around you to cup the other. You moaned lightly and that seemed to spur them on. Beau moved down to your neck, kissing and biting gently and Cordell leaned up to claim the other side of your neck, both of them still working at your breasts, tweaking the sensitive buds and making your back arch off Cordell's chest pushing you into Beau's.

—-----------------

Just when you were damn near too overwhelmed they changed tactics. Cordell moved his hand to your chin so he could tilt your head back and claim your mouth while Beau slipped one of your breasts free from the swimsuit top, flicking his tongue over the nipple. Cordell swallowed every moan that you gave as Beau finished with one breast and tucked it back into the top before going to the other.

You rolled your hips back against Cordell and felt his erection pressing into your back. You slipped one hand between you and he hissed when your fingers slipped below the band of the shorts he wore, wrapping around his hardened cock. Damn he was big and thick. You began to jack him slowly, moving at the same rhythm as your lips moved against each other.

After a moment Beau reclaimed your lips from Cordell, one hand slipping between your legs to tease at your clothed core. A moan escaped your lips, one from Cordell joining you. “Do fingers count?” Beau asked low between gritted teeth and you shook your head. With your go ahead he moved your bottoms to the side plunging two fingers knuckle deep inside of you.

You moaned loudly as Beau curled his fingers finding that spot deep inside of you. A rhythm fell of your hand moving at the same speed of his fingers as he worked you towards an orgasm and you worked Cordell. You bucked your hips against Beau's fingers and he broke from your lips to move down your neck “Just like that sweet girl. Fuck yourself on my fingers while you jack Eric off”

—---------------

The names didn't matter, the fact that you were technically working didn't matter. All that mattered was how amazing Beau's fingers felt and how fucking wrecked Cordell sounded behind you. You felt yourself getting close to that edge and knew from how Cordy was moving his hips to meet your movement he was close too. Beau twisted his wrist slightly and your vision went soft around the edges as your orgasm washed over you. The feeling of Cordell's warm cum coating your hand anchored you in the moment as both men bit down on your shoulders.

Beau gently slipped his fingers out of you and grinned “You're looking a little gone darling” then looked behind you at Cordell “You both do” Cordell was breathless as he said “That was intense” you turned to pull him down into a kiss, his tongue rolling against yours. When he pulled back he kissed the tip of your nose “Baby he didn't come”

You looked at Beau and smiled “C'mere David” he moved closer and placed a quick kiss on Cordell's lips before pulling you out of Cordy's lap and into his own. He moved so your back was against the side of the hot tub and your legs were wrapped around his waist. He dropped his head to your neck and whispered “I'm not gonna fuck you,don't worry”

He moved a hand under the water and if anyone nearby looked it probably appeared he was freeing his cock but instead he just tightened his grip on your hips. He gave a hard roll of his hips into yours and your head fell back with a low moan “Fuck” you gasped and he did it again. You looked up to stare into those gorgeous green eyes “Can you come like this?” You whispered against his lips and he chuckled “Fuck yes”

—----------

The feeling of his hard cock rubbing just right against your clit with every thrust of his hips were pushing you closer and closer to that edge. You wanted to feel him without the layer between you, but you'd set the rule. You looked over at Cordell who was now stroking his semi erect cock, working back up himself at watching the two of you. A silent conversation happened between the two of you and when he nodded you grinned before slipping a hand between you and Beau.

He stopped his movements and watched you with hooded eyes as you slipped your hand into his trunks to free his cock then pushed the bottoms of your swimsuit to the side. He looked from you to Cordell and when you both nodded he rolled his hips forward again this time sliding into you. Fuck he was wide and long and felt so damn good.

Your head fell back at the feeling of being stretched around him. After a moment he gave a tentative thrust and when you tightened around him he buried his face in the bend of your neck and started fucking you in earnest.

You knew it wouldn't take long for you to hit that high again and judging from how hard and fast Beau was slamming into you he was chasing his own orgasm as well. “Fuck, harder” you begged and he groaned “You're killing me darling” his thrusts got deeper and harder and when Cordell moved to slip his hand between your body and Beau's, rubbing tight circles on your clit you came hard clenching down around Beau's cock. He groaned as he gave a few more sloppy thrusts then came inside of you, you bite down on his shoulder to keep from screaming with pleasure.

He stilled with his cock still inside of you and searched your face, no doubt wondering if he crossed a line but when you simply smiled he crashed his lips against yours in a rough kiss.

You gasped when he pulled out of you then looked between him and Cordell. They were both watching you so you took a few steadying breaths before saying “How about we break in that California king?” They both grinned “Yes ma'am”

You woke up the next morning curled up to Beau's chest with Cordell's tall frame wrapped around you from behind. You were sore everywhere, both of them were big men in every way and damn their stamina.

You considered trying to get up but both had vice grips on you. You decided to try to go back to sleep but right before you dozed back off the memories of them both whispering your real name and each other's last night came flooding back along with the fact that you were fairly certain you'd done the same. What the hell had the three of you really gotten yourselves into?

[utilitycaster]

I was asked by several people to elaborate on why I thought people hated Essek and specifically treated him as some spontaneous disruption rather than a choice driven by cast members, and so here it is.

An overarching theme is this: Matt, the creator of Exandria and DM for Critical Role, created Essek. The entire cast of Critical Role likes him. Liam O'Brien, as Caleb, chose to romance him. Now, none of this prevents you from disliking him, but I think people pile their hate on Essek because they don't want to admit they are upset with choices the cast members have made. (For what it's worth, this is why I think it's healthy to be able to express that you are frustrated with a cast member's character choices or with developments in the campaign or creative choices generally, and treating expressions of dislike as taboo or worse, inherently problematic, ultimately makes for a far more toxic fandom than one in which people can comfortably say "I don't like this"). Essek is an NPC, and as the post that led me to write this up states, he is a character who represents Matt's narrative decisions and the cast's choices in Campaign 2. To be mad at him is to be mad at a puppet because for whatever reason you are unwilling to admit a dislike for what the puppeteer is doing.

Now: why Essek specifically?

People who shipped Caleb with Jester do this a lot. I'll admit to my own biases re the C2 ships but I do reject this being pure fanwank because people who shipped other Caleb ships and were still around in the late campaign either mostly acted like adults, or just kind of threw Essek into the mix. The thing really is that a lot of people who shipped Caleb and Jester are very big fans of Liam specifically, and Liam and Laura's dynamic, and are loathe to say that Liam decided not to have Caleb significantly pursue the relationship; that Laura chose to have Jester act utterly unaware of the relationship; and that Liam decided, instead of having Caleb pine endlessly, to pursue another potential romantic interest. I also suspect that some abuse of power in specific fandom spaces gave people false hope and inflamed resentment. A lot of these people also hate on Fjord but tend to be quieter about that because it's harder to pretend a PC isn't deeply tied to a cast member.

There is a subset of fans who treat mlm ships and wlw ships (or male and female characters) as locked in some kind of zero sum game in which the existence of one dims the light of the other. This is preposterous. I cannot imagine a more wretched and unhappy fandom experience than miserably tallying up fics and art and judging success not by quality and enjoyment of what content there is but rather whether there's more for your ship or more for other ships. I have joked that when my favorite character is popular I enjoy that they're popular, and when they're not, I enjoy that I clearly have refined and superior taste and I recommend others adopt this mentality. I also have half-joked that it would be fascinating to do a survey tallying the quantity of posts complaining about, say, Caleb and Essek's relationship someone has made, vs. how many posts they've made about (for example) Beau and Yasha's relationship, because a lot of the time the energy spent complaining, or worse, harassing others over their preferences could have addressed the problem had it instead been devoted to creating fanworks for your ship of choice.

Also very generally, while it's true that there's no shortage of annoying fans of Essek, I promise, there's no shortage of annoying and shitty fans of basically every character and ship including the ones you like.

For his appearance in Campaign 3 specifically, I think people are blaming Essek for the fact that this is the Chickens Coming Home to Roost, Avengers Assemble campaign. If you take issue with the characters of Bells Hells being overshadowed by those from past campaigns, the time to make that complaint was when Laudna and Orym showed up as PCs with strong ties to Delilah and Keyleth, or at the very least when Keyleth was brought in as a ringer to help resurrect Laudna (and, as someone who did make those complaints at the time and has since accepted this is the Past Campaigns Campaign...this has not been the case). Multiple party members (as played by cast members) expressed interest and excitement in Aeor before Essek (even as Seth) was mentioned. Bells Hells (as played by the Critical Role cast) want to go to Aeor. You do not have to like it, but this is not Essek's fault, as he is an NPC as part of the story driven by the cast's choices.

I've said this before but it bears nonstop repeating: when the CR cast says it's their table, it does not mean "it's their table and above criticism." It means "they are making the choices they make to play a game that they will enjoy." You can and should say that you're not enjoying it. It won't change what they do, but you'll feel better. But Essek isn't a real person with real agency. If his appearance is upsetting you, you need to attribute that to Matt's choices and decide if this campaign is still something you wish to watch and if this fandom is still something in which you wish to participate. Acting like Essek is some kind of horrible natural disaster ruining your lovely picnic and not a very deliberate choice by Matt is a transparently absurd denial of reality.

[shinakazami1]

TSP FERNATOR THEORY – THE ROLE OF NATURE IN THE STANLEY PARABLE

Oh gosh, I took this so seriously but hope someone will enjoy my rambling ;w; Just will say it here - this essay is game interpretation, it doesn't talk about Fernator AU (only mentions it).

Contents

0. What is Fernator AU?

 “Stanley, this fern will be very important later in the story.” (Confusion, Bucket Destroyer & Figleys Endings – Fern)

“It's all out of my control now.” (Skip Button)

“Yes, I have something very exciting to show you!“ (TSP 2 Expo)

“And Stanley was happy.” (Outdoors - Freedom Ending and Memory Zone)

“The office could use a bit of decoration.” (Other plants in-game, Games Ending, Epilogue) 

Conclusions

(Click 'Read More')

0. WHAT IS FERNATOR AU

Fernator AKA Fernnarrator AKA Fernie is my TSP AU where the Narrator takes the form of the Fern and gets moved into the Bucket.

His form can change into any plant, either through a conscious decision or subconsciously, based on his emotions. While some of his flowers blooming can fit the conventional flower language, he creates his own based on his own bias for the plants.

The AU isn’t purely cosmetic – depending on his and Stanley’s relationship before the discovery of Narrator being the Fern, it splits into 3 main pathways. 

Each one of them has different ending alternatives and on top of that, the AU has a linear story.

This post will NOT be focusing on Fernator AU - instead, it will talk about the plants of the Parable and my theories about their meaning. These do influence Fernator AU as a whole but I will leave AU talk for another time if anyone would be interested. 

Instead, let’s talk about the two main inspirations for the AU: Fern and The Skip Button.

1. “STANLEY, THIS FERN WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT LATER IN THE STORY.” (Confusion, Bucket Destroyer & Figleys Endings – Fern)

This Fern is one of the few plants in the game and the only one mentioned in dialogue. 

Its placement in the Confusion Ending is a set-up for a joke: something gets mentioned, said to have a big importance and then gets forgotten. Maybe that was its whole purpose - a gag about misplaced foreshadowing or there is more to it.

A reverse situation is the Broom Closet – it can represent the “show, not tell” rule in storytelling where an object isn’t mentioned through text but more through actions. Narrator is displeased with that and on the third reset in a row after interacting with it, the Closet gets temporarily boarded. 

That changes in the Bucket version– you can come in it as many times as you want and Narrator doesn’t get mad at Stanley (which overall is a theme in post-Skip).

So, these two are a perfect contrast:

Narrator doesn’t even mention the Broom Closet at first. However, it ends up getting new unique lines and gives long-term effects on the story (boarding the door).

The Fern gets mentioned in the story but doesn’t show up later in the ending.

However, the plant does appear in the alternative of Confusion – the Bucket Destroyer Ending.

 “We're the ones that matter Stanley! Classic characters from the first game.”

Each of the objects in this picture symbolises a person in Stanley’s life:

the Broom Closet = Player, since in the original version, if you stay longer, Narrator talks about them;

the pencil sharpener= 432 – in lore, madness through never being given a pencil to sharpen;

Stanley’s computer= Boss, due to the orders;

Wife mannequin;

Baby cut-out (might also represent Stanley’s kids);

Adventure Line ™ – it isn’t a person but is said to be conscious;

and the Fern.

(EDIT: Beau in Stanarr server also said that the mugs on the table could symbolise the Employees while the Baby could be The Essence of Divine Art. That could potentially mean that Adventure Line™ could also symbolise curiosity - just like, while TEDA seems to be a conscious being, might just be human creativity. )

We already have the Line ™ from the Confusion Ending. Other objects could have been used for this scene but somehow, it is the Fern that ends up being showcased. It could be just due to it belonging to this pathway but it could be also something else.

“You see, your friends and I are concerned for you, Stanley.”

He could be meaning himself just as the voice – after all, the separation between him and his friends is not that uncommon. He does use the word ‘friend’ positively only in the UD version of the game. He calls Stanley his friend only once and then, proceeds to call the Bucket and Stanley friends a few times, making it obvious the man projects on that object.

Here though, Narrator is against the Bucket - so, why couldn’t he start to project on something else? That way, he could visually show the group of friends with himself. 

So you know,,, Fernator real,,, maybe,,,,,,,

(Big thanks to Chris from Crowsx3 Discord for reminding me about this next part)

I was also reminded that Fern makes one more appearance - in the Figley Ending, Confusion Ending room.

You get to this room after a Red-Blue door choice that doesn't matter at all, leading to an open door. It perfectly blends so many parts of the game together - the choice between two pathways, the illusion of the choice and also brings something new - backtracking. In most of the game, we are unable to do so - the doors close behind us and that's it. But, just like in Confusion - Narrator wants to backtrack, to change the pathway, for one last adventure with Stanley.

Maybe that was the importance of the Fern. For it to show up when Narrator wants to do something fresh, something new, WITH Stanley.

"Oh, I want more memories, Stanley! I want to keep going!"

In the end, he wants to retire and move on. If he does and only leaves his recording, if he stays with everything TK has done - that's up to a debate for another time.

But one thing is known - we all remember the Fern, even if it doesn't heavily impact the story. Unless you know - Narrator took the form of it and then-

Ok ok, but this was the nice task – now let’s talk about The Skip Button.

2. “IT'S ALL OUT OF MY CONTROL NOW.” (Skip Button)

I will talk about the Memory Zone later – here, I want to focus solely on the Skip Button room.

The Skip Button plant is the only thing in the Parable that shows actual ageing. Sure, there are some other symbols of time passage - i.e. clocks, and scratches on objects but nothing else shows decay besides this one single plant.

Changes happen in Skips #5 and #6. 

In Skip #5, Narrator says it’s been a week or two. I know that people have done the math on how much time passed through each skip takes but we will base it only on the plant alone. While a week is too short for a plant like that to show signs of severe dehydration, 2 weeks is more plausible.

In Skip #6 - when he says he had stopped counting once it was over a year - the plant is dead.

Death is overall a bit of a theme in the Parable – the Countdown, Museum, Apartment and Zending especially have a lot of lines about Stanley’s death, which should cause permanent effects. Instead, the game just resets, not making any deal about it. This plant, however, does not return to its original form.

In Skip #13, concrete falls on it, leaving the plant trapped for the rest of this pathway.

I think the room overall (together with the plants and the clock) symbolises Narrator’s psyche. 

The first few Skips are alright for him - sure, the time in-between seems to grow but he still thinks it is a good idea. He starts to panic and begs Stanley not to press the button in Skip #4 and in Skip #5, both the plant changes and the lights dim down. This is when he has been left for those two weeks all for himself and just sounds so tired - and with each skip, another part of his psyche breaks.

The clock stops working and falls around #8 and #9. It’s still long since in #6, Narrator where he says he lost count but he might have just exaggerated it, only losing it in these runs.

After such a long period in solitude, any mind would start to decay - the plant, the pipes letting the water escape through them, the fire alarm going off (since batteries are low), the walls getting destroyed with time… Together with how silent Narrator gets at times, I genuinely believe this whole section is us being in his brain.

But then in Skip #15, (after the sunlight in #14) this happens: 

These skips are special because they are a glimpse of hope. Sunbeams, birds chirping, new life in the form of plants showing up – just for it all to disappear next Skip.

While the last time we hear Narrator talk is in #11 (The end is never), this feels like he is trying to talk to Stanley indirectly. The destruction of the ceiling feels like an attempt to break Stanley free, which, unfortunately, was a bit misplaced since we don’t have the jump option (curse you, jump circle for gatekeeping them / silly).

These can mean several things. 

Narrator hopes that the situation would soon end, as mentioned in the previous part.

It could also show that he is making new ideas and growing. I think it would be a poetic way of personal growth. It is visible in the Bucket version of the game - lack of Red-Blue doors, Countdown becoming silly birds ending, him calling Stanley his friend through the bucket - he wants to change for the better.

“You are not beyond redemption. You may change, and you may become more, so much more than you were before.”

And what better way to show that than through physical growth?

Even if his mind, in the end, becomes the sandy landscape we all know - he had tried to get better and, in some way, succeeded. 

I sometimes wonder if the New New Content & Bucket parts of the game are what Narrator wants to turn the game into during these Skips. How he wants to acknowledge Stanley, show that he cares for him and that he matured.

But, let’s go back a bit. The New New Content happening during these skips in Narrator’s mind are a cute theory but, it’s just that - a theory.

What is real though is the game content, like the plants in the TSP 2 Expo.

3. “YES, I HAVE SOMETHING VERY EXCITING TO SHOW YOU!“ (TSP 2 Expo)

This part alone has 4 new plants that were never seen before in the rest of the office (they later make an appearance again in the Bucket Apartment Ending).

Three of the plants have some resemblance to the one in the Skip button - a long office plant put in a pot, while the smaller ones seem similar to the Fern.

(Small note: these plants are based on real-life ones that are common in offices and are low maintenance but I am too tired to figure out their types. Possibilities from a bud: “the first one in the basket is prob Dieffenbachia Seguine, down in middle is calathea makoyana, low right kentia palm”. )

Interestingly, the whole Expo is red-themed so, to compliment that with the opposite colour - green - could seem like it’s a bolder move. It to be fair isn’t - there are a lot of greys, whites and browns that tie everything together, not letting this become a Christmas-themed event.

Expo gives us a lot of new and fresh Narrator ideas - the Bucket, Figleys, and Infinitive Hole. I think these plants also deserve a mention - they all tie perfectly to the theme of Narrator’s growth.

He wants to be better, to please Stanley and I think, maybe, to fit in more. He could have reused the same plant from the Office but no - he made new ones.

And just like the Broom Closet - they never get acknowledged in the dialogue.

Show, not tell.

4. “AND STANLEY WAS HAPPY.” (Outdoors - Freedom Ending and Memory Zone)

Stanley felt the cold breeze, blablabla, you know the drill by now. Most of us will remember the current Freedom Ending - lots of grass, some trees, blue sky…

But that wasn’t always the case.

The 2011 Mod had a way different ending screen.

The difference is probably due to the limitations of this being a mod but comparing it with the future renditions, it might portray how Narrator had gotten softer throughout the games.

In this one - the outside world is urban. You went out of the building you were mind controlled in into a town of some sort. It doesn’t look too appealing. Trees without any leaves, very short grass - it is SOME freedom but it feels rough. Just like the only other outdoor area in the Games Endings (more about it in the next part).

The newer versions, however, are WAY different.

More saturated colours, some rock roads, trees, and mountains in the background - nature is ALIVE and well. Just like Stanley is, being freed, in Narrator’s eyes.

Because it is Narrator who chose to make this the end screen. It is just visible, time and time again, how much this man adores nature. Sure, he might be scared about the open world (next point, again) but he could have just remade the buildings from the original. But he chose not to - instead, upgrading it into something more beautiful.

This isn’t just an ending for Stanley - it’s an ending for HIM.

I think that’s why Memory Zone is just so similar, in my eyes, to Freedom in this aspect.

“(...) I made something special and tucked it away here where the game’s developers won’t find it.”

Some things do not match - the tree types seem different, the sky is a different colour, and small flowers pop here and there that aren’t in Freedom.

But there is a key element that does match - mountains.

These two areas may be connected - Memory Zone seems to be on a higher standpoint, maybe on a hill rather than a mountain but due to just that, it is possible they are both connected, just in different parts of the world.

Memory Zone is special to Narrator - it is supposed to show his achievements and happiest moments. It would make sense that it was placed in a similar area as Freedom - just hidden so that the other game developers Narrator mentions, would not influence it.

The Maintenance area of the Memory Zone, however, is everything Narrator tried to repress. That is why he might not remember the reviews in there - it’s all hidden in his subconsciousness.

“I don’t recall this part of the Memory Zone before.”

Narrator had been probably working on the Memory Zone way before he shared it with Stanley. It was his safe space, or so he thought. The memory in the name seems to be the most important clue - it’s not like some remembering zone, history zone or something - it’s memory.

And memories like to get hazy.

As I mentioned - to me, Skip Button's room is a visual representation of Narrator’s mind, at least a part of it. And since it’s a part of this area - I headcanon the whole Memory Zone to be that.

Contrasting with the wild flora of the main Memory Zone, the maintenance seems very run down and secluded. The colours in Memory Zone are already desaturated in comparison to the rest of the game but this part looks dirty thanks to the focus on browns and greys. While some of the lovely nature is in there - birds, a big water pool, the trees are dead. 

These dead trees, just like the Skip Button tree or 2011 Freedom Ending ones might be a pattern for Narrator when he is not in his best shape.

Once again, the game shows just how important the nature aspect seems in the key part of the story. Narrator made the conscious decision to change the Freedom Ending and probably also had some saying about the Memory Zone, until the parts he wanted to repress that got run down.

Narrator keeps on repressing things a lot throughout the game. He shows denial and shifts the blame - on Stanley, the Player or the reviewers. At the end of it all - during Skip - he finally realises his flaws and mistakes.

But that realisation happened way too late.

Maybe that’s why he later tries to separate himself from that Memory Zone, putting it in the Executive Toilet.

Or maybe, it’s some not-so-hidden poop joke. But that’s not as important.

So let’s get to the rest of the game.

5. “THE OFFICE COULD USE A BIT OF DECORATION.” (Other plants in-game, Games Ending, Epilogue)

Besides Fern, there is another plant that keeps on being with Stanley a lot. It is there, never in the foreground but it’s always there. It’s like a hidden companion - maybe, as a symbol for not so hidden one.

This plant shows up in most of the Left Door pathway to the Boss’s Office - 5 times in different rooms:

desks 431- 436,

desks 418-424,

left-right door choice,

Meetings Room, 

and the entrance to Boss's office.

It also shows up in rooms we see around the pathway:

room with 456, 457 doors,

413 room,

Executive Bathroom

and two in the room with Elevator Music.

The plant shows up 4 times in Confusion Ending (including the earlier mentioned 456, 457 area)- and thinking how the Fern is also there makes me just feral. Narrator joins Stanley on his little adventure through the unknown territory - so he inserts himself in the story.

In the Right door pathway, we get through the first 3 from the Left door and 2 more - the Loungue and the Games Ending.

The Games Ending has very different alternations between the game version but one thing is stable - nature in the open words games.

“I wonder what he found.”

In 2011, once again, nature is quite dead and dried up. RIP all the plants in this version of the game.

The next alternations, however, take a different approach and make the plants more alive.

The 2013 version uses Minecraft as it outdoor area.

Narrator doesn’t focus at all on the nature aspect - more on the crafting one which is fair, he is a storyteller and a game designer.

In Ultra Deluxe, there are two areas - Rocket League and Firewatch.

Rocket League won’t get that much attention from me - it’s just a typical grass for sports fields. The Firewatch, however, is a direct parallel with Minecraft. And it’s due to it being open-world.

This brings me to the last issue with Narrator and nature - he likes it quite a lot, but it HAS to be limited for Stanley.

Freedom makes you stuck in a cutscene, you can only go to mines in Minecraft due to no jumps, Memozy Zone has barriers, so Stanley has one path to follow, and most plants are potted- expect, for one thing.

And it’s the plants that show up in Skip #15.

I think it’s no coincidence that in the Bucket runs, the Red-Blue choice is off-limits. I think it’s due Narrator not wanting to go through things that hurt. But they hurt not only him - they also hurt Stanley.

We could focus on the fact that each of the Games runs ends up with Stanley being trapped in the 2011 version. But I think that lack of freedom to explore beyond the main area - the set path, the game, is what got Narrator more, in the end. Maybe he is scared about full freedom and lack of full control over the story and Stanley.

And maybe that’s why the Epilogue seems to be a never-ending desert. It’s Narrator’s last attempt to give Stanley the true freedom they both needed.

“An epilogue would be fun. Wouldn’t it, Stanley?”

(Shoutout to a Rammy who gave me the idea to talk about this screenshot.)

The desert, for me, fits the Sandman story (no, not just the song though now it is playing in my head so I hope it will play in yours, too). It shows up at the end of the Skip run and just like the room itself, I think it keeps on symbolising Narrator’s mind.

Once a mindflow, where his thoughts could drift anywhere they pleased became quite stagnant. He fell in hibernation or the mind was just no longer there.

The Sandman brought him the sand and let him rest, cope with the near eternity of solitude.

And to think, during it, Stanley uses wood he finds in this place to bring some light. Lighting up the neurons that still are active.

And this one last time a plant in any shape is present - it is there to serve Stanley.

Narrator, I see you. You probably never left because you are unable to but, you still care about Stanley.

And we care about you.

6. CONCLUSIONS

(painting in the background: The fairy grotto, 1867)

I could mention EVERY single plant in-game: all the nature paintings, plants in Demo and all the Infinitive Hole nature backgrounds, apple in Pink room, try to get through every plant and try to find its significance but at the end of the day- this whole thing is over 3k words IOSFAIHOSAFHIOFSA

I know this post didn’t talk much about Fernator. I could talk about how Narrator’s need for control and being in a confined space makes him want to be in a Bucket that he also projects a lot onto. How plants often symbolise his psyche, show up in important parts of the office and as the only other visible living being besides Other Stanley and Mariella, maybe, just maybe, Narrator, who seems to not be human, might have decided to take such form, for comfort and safety. But I will leave that for another time.

So if you reached this point, I hope you realise that Fernator AU is a superior AU to the point it’s canon /silly/nsrs /j (,,,, or is it / silly)

If you are reading this - thank you so much for reading this ramble or just skimming through it. I do appreciate you.

Thank you and-

“I'm out... I'm out... I'm done! It's over! Thank you for playing! Your input was extremely valuable.”

[hanayanaa]

V ISNT DEAD GUYS!!! : )

ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR DENIAL WITH PROOF AND EVIDENCE KIDS

1) well okay, first off, the classic rule that if a character dies off screen, they're probably not dead. classic time tested rule!

2) they made so much merch of her, not to mention she's literally the face of the franchise as one of the first characters liam made for the show. They aren't going to kill off such an iconic and integral character this early on. remember, we still have SEVERAL more seasons to go!

3) the lyrics of eternal dream, which are supposedly about V's inner thoughts and wishes, states that she is tired of this dream (life), which is more of a nightmare for her. I'm going to annotate the entirety of it on genius sometime this week hopefully /srs, but the last line is "I can't end this dream", a desperate cry, for she can't escape her living nightmare, where she is hurt and used and traumatized so much, but also, in our case, potential evidence of her coming back? nola klop, her va, also said that this version isn't the whole song, since she mentions being excited for the full version. and since it's about V, a full version, along with that line, implies she will return. mostly that latter point though, ill admit the single line might be a stretch LOLL but i figured eh might as well include it...

4) J's still off reading about stock prices or whatever in tessa's space ship lol. J's doing J things and she might've gotten bored and went exploring and ended up finding and saving V. we literally have no idea what she's doing besides getting a command to look after tessa's vehicle, which she can probably do from a relative distance. she's stated as a workaholic, but that means she'd also probably get bored quickly if she has nothing to actively do, if there isn't anything for her to be actively guarding, she might wander off while simply occasionally checking the ship. (I also want more J too she's so fucking funny)

5) she had her eyes closed during the final scene where we see her! If she had kept them closed, then she should be fine in regards to getting bootlooped at least. maybe she was scared, or was embarrassed in a way, not wanting herself or anyone else to see her in this raw, vulnerable state she hates and fears so much. and unless the sentinels tear out her heart/core, she'll probably be fine and can regenerate herself. (side note: alice has an id card like nori and yeva, doll's mother. she was one of the patient zero drones who were purposefully infected with solver in order to see it's effects and conduct research, so she'll probably be back as well, considering she's most likely a solver user. beau might be back, i can't say for sure, all depends if she decides to revive him or not. the disassembly drone corpses in cabin fever labs were probably because alice used a combination of sentinels and solver manipulation to take them down and remove their hearts, which we can see she keeps in an old oven, which is why they can't regenerate themselves anymore and are effectively dead. the hearts are the "worm" thing uzi mentioned would come out of V if alice cut her up.)

6) while the show itself has a lot of gags, it's also brimming with genuine love for detail and lore, like they're fucking around, but they're also not fucking around. V has a lot to tell us still, since she's been extremely mysterious and quiet about her own personal past, probably due to trauma and being terrified of being vulnerable, since she was so often hurt when she let her guard down. a lot of things about her aren't really directly mentioned, and are just IMPLIED, the most prominent examples being her genuine inner thoughts, since there are many zoom-ins to her face and expressions, but we are only left to guess on what she's really thinking. so they're not going to let her go just yet; in fact, i think the next episode will be one centered around her (probably more flashbacks? who knows, but i think since she's been important, but not centered on really until now, she'll recieve her own time in the spotlight.)

7) similar to the point above, her character arc is far from over, and if she were to die now, it'd be a crime against her character and the entire story. she was and still is a vital part of the team, but everyone else was so wrapped up in their own plans or infatuations that poor V ended up getting almost completely ignored. even though she loves everyone deep down, and protects them with her life, she never once got a thank you, or asked how she's doing, or anything. all she got was mostly light arguements and insults back-- the last thing uzi said to her was "you, ew! you're mean!", while the last thing V said to uzi was "uzi, I trust you." one could argue that because of her snarky attitude, she's kind of walking into these scuffles, but...really? no one ever stopped for one second to think about that person right next to them and think about who they are beyond that snark? not even N, who's been with her since the beginning, and openly admitted to having a crush on her? or tessa, her superior, who presumably rescued her from the dump, gave her clothes and hair and companionship? she squealed upon seeing N, but didn't give a single glance at V aside from an argument near the end of the episode, and a reflection of V looking solemnly back in her helmet. i genuinely think that because of these mistakes, she'll come back... eventually, at least, so hopefully they can learn from their mistakes and treat her better this time around, for they are getting a second chance, and everyone can slowly start healing together. V has a very broken heart, so for her to fully heal, i unfortunately don't think that will happen for a long time, but she can begin the process slowly, if her teammates start treating her more kindly, as a peer, someone whose thoughts and opinions and feelings matter too, rather than just someone to be snarky and argued with.

to summarize, she has an almost 99.9% chance of coming back because she's the face of the franchise, along with having a bunch of merchandise, it'd be kind like of shooting yourself in the foot to kill off the literal most iconic character, the literal icon. the final lyrics of eternal dream and the mention from her va that this current version isn't even the full length version, implies V will come back, especially since the song is from her point of view. lastly, her character arc is far from over, since while being a vital part of the team, her teammates have been ignoring her for the most part ever since episode 2, even though she's been there with them this entire time. bringing her back gives everyone a chance to make it up to her, and brings both parties to a point of healing. lastly, her character arc aside, she has much to tell us about the lore, since she is implied to know and be hiding a lot, but since she is so mysterious due to her painful past, it is hard for her to open up. the last two points are connected, as if she is more comfortable, she'll open up more, revealing more about the lore and story along with it.

Out of all the characters ive loved throughout the years, i genuinely do think she is the most tragic one. considering the only real decision she was ever allowed to make was sacrificing herself to the sentinels, possibly in an attempted suicide to finally end all of the pain welled up in her heart? yeah.

she's probably one of my favourite characters of all time, even though ive only recently watched it, she has already made a permanent mark on my heart. i really, truly do hope that she comes back, because she deserves it. she deserves to heal and be appreciated for who she is, and she deserves a space where she's comfortable enough to let down her walls and be her honest self again. i think if she comes back, we'll see a much more vulnerable and timid side of her we haven't seen before except for occasional rare moments. she'll still be snarky, but it'll take her a while to recover from the initial shock of all her emotional turmoil surrounding her sacrifice, as well as get used to all the new attention she's getting. after that, however, she'll recover and start healing and come back as a stronger, happier, and still very snarky V. ♡

[amageish]

Reflecting on queer representation in X-Men 97 - and speculating on the future...

Before X-Men '97 was revealed, I made a post all about queer X-Men characters and the possibilities for this show... and now the show is out... so I figure I should do a follow-up! Let's discuss what happened and the possibilities for the future.

This is a long post, so I'll put my thoughts under the cut!

Part One: What We Got

Morph

The show's primary form of queer representation is in the character of Morph. They're the main "OC" of the original 1992 cartoon - they've always been important to the animated series canon despite not having much presence in the comics - so this is a pretty bold choice from that perspective...

They are a fairly unique type of gay by 2024 mass-market corporate standards. They're sassy bordering on mean in a way that would feel very typical for the 2000s but is sort of refreshing in the 2020s... They are non-binary, though their gender is never really discussed in the show itself - their voice actor sees them as being on a gender journey, though my personal reading is that they seem quite comfortable with themself and their gender already... Everyone who refers to them uses they/them pronouns thus far, though most dialogue is written to avoid gendering them entirely.

They are also notably attracted to Logan, something reflected throughout the show though most directly acknowledged in Episodes 3 and 10. They joke about showering with Logan and, when they think they see him in the showers, they give themselves Wolverine claws to help him reach the "hard-to-reach places"... Morph then actually says "I love you" to him in Episode 10, taking the form of Jean Grey to do it.

Whether a queer character pining for the "straight"* friend is good representation or an overplayed trope is subjective, but we will see where this arc goes in future seasons!

*Logan definitely isn't straight, but Marvel Corporate and Season 1 showrunner Beau DeMayo both say he is lmao.

Cipher + Boom Boom

I made an entire post about these two, but we also got a same-gender duo dancing at the Gala on Genosha... These are Cipher and Boom Boom - two characters who are not currently explicitly queer in the comics, but are interesting characters to read as queer IMHO! Cipher especially is a fascinating choice - the background gay is someone with the power to literally turn herself invisible lmao.

Northstar

Marvel's first openly gay superhero made two cameos in X-Men 97 - he appears in an X-Men recreation of A Different World in Episode 4 and with his fellow Alpha Flight members (plus Cipher and Psylocke) in Episode 10. He doesn't do anything of note really, but his hair colour is correct at least - the original show mistook his hair having white streaks as a trick of the light in some famous books and comic covers as him actually black-and-white hair in-universe...

Pixie

I'm not 100% sure if this should count, but the ever-perky Pixie turned up on Genosha in Episode 5 alongside her fellow New X-Men. As of writing, she's more of a queer-coded character than a capital-C canon queer in the comics... but she is solicited to be in the next Pride book alongside Bling! and Anole, who are canon queers, so I feel like her long-implied (and confirmed in an AU) bisexuality is likely to be canon in a couple weeks... so yeah - Genosha had a queer fae on it! Good for her.

There were a couple of other background gay characters, but nobody recognizable from the comics - there are some theories Blink and Husk were presented as a couple, but the "Blink" character appears to be a shapeshifter, so I would guess they are just OCs...

Part Two: Who is Teased

Like any modern Marvel project, we ended on a bunch of teasers... Two big explicitly queer names appear in those final moments - let's chat about that...

Iceman

After a season of appearing in the portrait of the O5 X-Men in Xavier's office, Bobby appears in Forge's DoFP-style board of potential future teammates at the end of the show.

In the comics, he famously comes out as a result of time-displaced versions of the original X-Men team showing up. A teenage Jean Grey reads the mind of a teenage Bobby Drake, who has been obscenely remarking on his very-real totally-not-fake attraction to Magik, and tells him that he is gay. This... probably isn't going to happen in the show, but I could see them taking this as a chance to do another take on Bobby's coming out.

They also could adapt the older story where Emma Frost possesses Bobby's body and, among other things, informs him that he will not be able to master his powers to their full potential until he works through his internalized identity crisis - though she doesn't say that he is gay at the time (the Comics Code prohibiting such things was still in effect), just implying it.

Bobby's had a lot of pairings in the comics, but in the show I think he is likely going to be Morph's actual love interest. He's gay. He's also a queer jokester. They'd probably get along and enjoy ribbing each other. We'll see what happens, but that's my guess...

Rachel Summers

Mother Askani was a shadow that lingered over the entire show and finally revealed herself in the final moments. The woman who raised Cable in a distant future alongside a cult of her worshippers, Mother Askani is a variant of another Summers-Grey child, Rachel Summers from Days of Future Past.

After decades of queer-coding, Rachel was finally confirmed as queer in 2022 when she kissed Betsy Braddock. This coming-out took around a year to be approved by corporate, but it did indeed finally happen and she even has a story in this year's Pride special. So I am hoping that she will be doing some queer stuff in the show itself...

Rachel's younger form was already present in the original show, albeit as a non-verbal cameo, so my prediction is that she has done all her time-travelling stuff and got split into her Askani and Mother Askani forms off-screen... but we will see how they adapt this character - Rachel's never really had a chance to be multi-media before, so I'm unsure how much they will streamline things.

Part Three: Askani's Partners

Rachel Summers has only had one textual girlfriend, but she's somehow still gotten around... Let's discuss some possibilities!

Betsy Braddock

Betsy Braddock is Rachel's current and thus far only textual girlfriend. Not unlike Rachel, Betsy has some... complicated lore. While she is currently the leader of the Captain Britain Corps, she spent a lot of her publication history with her mind trapped in the body of the Japanese Ninja Kwannon, operating as the assassin Psylocke.

Yes. That Psylocke. Most Psylocke appearances are actually a white British woman inside of a Japanese woman's body. I am sorry if anyone had to learn that this this way.

In a not-so-hot take: I think the show should just skip the body swap... but with rumours of Captain Britain in the MCU and the Captain Britain Corps being a multiversal entity (it is basically the Spiderverse movie's Spider Society, but done in the 80s) there may be some red tape around the use of Betsy. I hope there isn't though as I would like to see them in animation!

Kitty Pryde

Rachel's other big queer love interest in the comics is Kitty Pryde. Chris Claremont, the architect of what most people associate with the X-Men, has gone so far as to say that she is the "primal love" of Pryde's life and tried to imply that they had gotten married and had kids together in his epilogue for the X-Men brand, X-Men: The End. It's never been textual, but they are pretty darn gay in plenty of the Claremont stuff - including his Excalibur, the run that Kitty Pryde's design on the Episode 10 billboard is taken from.

Kitty Pryde is a complicated character when it comes to queerness. In 2020, Pryde kissed a girl and plenty of news publications ran stories about how she is finally canonically bisexual... and then, uh, nothing really happened in the comics? She has continued to be bi-coded since, but it doesn't seem like Marvel Corporate considered that kiss to be a coming out at all? Which is wild as it is, uh, a same-gender kiss, but she hasn't gotten to be in a Pride book or anything since then... I am unsure if '97 would be able to make it explicit when the lower-stakes less-widely-read comics are currently struggling to do so, but we will see?

Though speaking of Kitty Pryde being queer...

Illyana Rasputin

Cameoing in Episode 3 via Morph and appearing on the DoFP billboard as well in Episode 10, the marvellous Magik seems set to make her 97 debut! She's Kitty Pryde's OTHER roommate who she has a soulbond with. Yeah, uh, Pryde got two of those. We love that for her.

Like Rachel, she's also a long-queer-coded woman with a history of violence, having her autonomy taken away from her, and deep-rooted insecurities which Pryde uniquely is able to help her through...

I'd be surprised if either Illyana/Rachel or Pryde/Illyana managed to happen in this show, but this is one of my favourite X-Men pairings so I had to mention it... I am a sucker for soulmate "Our subtextual queerness gives us EXTRA SUPERPOWERS" stuff and Illyana and Pryde have had some truly S-tier moments like that that I'd love to see in animation. Honestly, I'd even take it if they were just "soulmates" and they played it in a campy Xena-y way too...

Concluding Thoughts

I feel somewhat mixed on the queer rep of 97 in general. The show is super bold politically and thematically, but feels below the level of queer representation projects like Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur or even Hulu's Runaways provided. The show thematically is so invested in queer experience, using mutant metaphor to tell a number of incredibly well-written and resonant queer stories via several characters (especially Sunspot), but it doesn't seem as interested in explicit direct queerness.

I'm optimistic we'll see more in the future seasons though... but we'll see if this post ages any better than my last one lmao.

[quinn-of-aebradore]

Was thinking about Molly Origins again and Molly’s choir practice and realized that Molly would fit in very well amongst the Golden Grin;

The goals of the Golden Grin are to inspire and teach the downtrodden and to fight corruption among the powerful, whether through subtly inciting rebellion or, rarely, direct involvement. The Golden Grin more generally encourages freedom of expression and a belief in the potential of the common folk, even engaging in acts of heroism themselves if there are no local heroes to be found.

So. Molly Lives AU where the Nein encounter Shakäste more often and grow close enough to him that he tells them about the Grin and that he’s a Grinner. And Molly hears this, remembers doing choir practice while with the circus, and immediately wants in. I doubt Shakäste would indulge him right away, but post peace talks? I think that would do it. And I think that Grinner Molly would perhaps take an active role in helping Beau and Caleb take down the Assembly post-canon and maybe he’d even be at the Malleus Key during the Solstice with them, years down the line.

Also, given that a lot of the Grin are bards and bard Molly is extremely vibes. Molly multiclasses bard in this AU :3

[lightofraye]

Jensen's Roles (past and upcoming)

This one is gonna be a long one! Bear with me folks. (Not his full list of work, by the way.)

1. Eric Brady. Sami Brady's long-lost twin! I remember getting into an argument with my older brother about Eric Brady. My brother insisted Sami never had a twin, and I kept saying "Well! He's her twin!" Turned out Days of Our Lives forgot Sami had a twin! (Days of Our Lives)

2. Alec McDowell (and Ben McDowell). A genetic creation of Manticore, Jensen played two roles--first of a psychotic creation, Ben. He did such a good role as Ben they brought him back as the twin, Alec, named as such because he was sarcastic and, according to Max, a "smart alec". (Dark Angel)

3. CJ Braxton. CJ's had an interesting storyline. He was a depressed teen who turned to alcohol to cope. Nearly destroying a number of his relationships (friends and love interests, both), CJ decided to abstain from drinking. He also joined a teen helpline called The Stand. There had always been speculation that he was the father of Jen's child, though it was never revealed. (Dawson's Creek)

4. Jason Teague. Jason was probably a weak storyline, to be honest. He had potential, but the writers really didn't make it work. He was in a relationship with Lana, but only using her to get closer to the other characters for some stones of power. His character was unceremoniously killed off at the end by a meteor shower. (Smallville)

5. Dean Winchester. The most famous role of all: the elder Winchester brother. Protector, stand-in parent, hunter, brother, friend. Dean would move the world to protect his brother, Sam. There was nothing he wouldn't do for him. Dean had made bargains to save his brother, sold his soul, endured lifetimes. As long as he had Sam, Dean would be okay. The show began with the brothers and ended with them. (Supernatural)

6. Soldier Boy. The "first" Supe. (In the world of The Boys, they don't say "Superhero", largely because, guess what? It's trademarked, so a lot of other comics and such have to dance around the term.) Anyway. Soldier Boy was the first. He did it in hopes of finally impressing his father, but his father claimed he "cheated". Honestly, Soldier Boy's father sounds like an abusive douche. Ben--Soldier Boy--was also an abusive douche, continuing the family 'tradition'. Was very cruel and abrasive to his team, Payback, so much so that Vought decided they had enough and plotted to get rid of him by selling him out to Russia. It worked. Russia held him captive, tortured him for decades, until The Boys freed him in exchange for killing Homelander--who is also his son. It's a messed up family, y'all. Jensen will be returning for Season 5! (The Boys)

7. Beau Arlen. Beau Arlen was a mystery, for the large part. The show teased at something huge that led to Beau getting divorced from Carla, that led to him "retiring" as a sheriff for a time, before he was convinced to come back as a sheriff, which led to the start of Season 3. There was a small teaser in the show that indicated a partner of his was killed and he shut down, emotionally, and Carla couldn't handle it anymore. He dearly loves his daughter, Emily, and was ready to move heaven and earth to save her. (Big Sky)

8. Russell Shaw. What's a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a secret? You'd get Russell Shaw, that's who. What we do know: he stood up a lot to his father, who was a paranoid survivalist, protecting his siblings, at least for a time. Then their father was killed and Russell ran, afraid he would be (rightly) blamed for it. For some 20 years, Russell was in the military (approximately 18 years) before retiring to be a secret Black Ops agent of sorts for a group known as Horizon. He kept in touch with their sister Dory, but Colter kept avoiding Russell, up until Russell tracked him down and asked for help. There's a lot of hints that there's a lot more going on that Colter is unaware of--like how it was their mother who urged Russell to run instead of facing his siblings about their father's death, how Dory kept a box of stuff about their father, and so forth. Jensen will return for more episodes. (Tracker)

UPCOMING

9. Mark Meachum. Very little is known about this show or character. What has been said so far: LAPD officer Mark Meachum being recruited to join a secret task force of undercover agents from all branches of law enforcement to investigate. Among this secret task force is Nathan Blythe, Special Agent in Charge who’s been with the Bureau for 22 years. Then there's Special Agent Amber Oliveras, who is a DEA agent. Several others from different task forces will be joining Meachum in uncovering the conspiracy and saving the city. (Countdown)

10. Soldier Boy (again). This time for the prequel, Vought Rising. Kripke described it as: It’s a twisted murder mystery about the origins of Vought in the 1950s, the early exploits of Soldier Boy, and the diabolical maneuvers of a supe known to fans as Stormfront, who was then going by the name Clara Vought. (Vought Rising)

--

Phew! These are the notables. Of course, he's done voicework as both Red Hood and Batman in a number of animated films. He's done guest roles in the Buddy movies. Devour. My Bloody Valentine. And others.

[cavehags]

Severance searches for a savior: Can Ben Stiller pull off a salvage job on Severance Season 2? The Apple TV+ series, which earned 5 Emmy nominations for Season 1, has been plagued for months by pricey problems, including scrapped scripts and the dreaded showrunners who don’t speak to each other. Dan Erickson, a newbie creator who wrote the original pilot, and Mark Friedman, a more experienced writer-producer who was paired with Erickson, ended up hating each other on the first season, per multiple sources. Friedman was gonna bail on Season 2, but Stiller, who directed most of the first season and is returning for a big chunk of the second, interviewed potential replacements and couldn’t find anyone he liked. So he and Apple went back to Friedman and decided to replicate the toxic environment of Season 1. Shocker: That didn’t work, scripts were a problem, and Apple—disappointed and embarrassed that they’d gone down the wrong road but looking at Severance as a hit and an awards magnet—started talking about Seasons 3 and 4. So Stiller interviewed several writer-producers to come in and beat out a third season before the likely WGA strike, and ended up quietly hiring Beau Willimon, the House of Cards creator who most recently worked on Disney+’s fantastic Andor (that show’s creator, Tony Gilroy, secretly consulted on House of Cards), and who Stiller is already working with on a feature adaptation of The Seven Five, a documentary about police corruption. Willimon got a rich deal to come in for Season 3, but he quickly saw that help was needed on Season 2, with episode costs ballooning to the $20 million range. So for a few months now, Willimon has helped craft a back half of Season 2 and a template for Season 3, with the show being delayed significantly in the process. (Apple TV+ declined to comment.)

[dream-bandit]

I just watched season 2 episode 8

spoilers ahead bc I'm giving my thoughts about it

BROOOOOOOOOOOOOO. BRI BO BROOOOO I CANT DO THIS WHATTT ARGHHHH

BEAU TRYING TO RECONNECT WITH ZOEY WHILE TRYING TO KEEP HIS IDENTITY AS THE NIGHT HUNTER HIDDEN IS SO. SO. !!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS HORRIBLE THIS IS PAINFUL

I am in public clenching my fist so hard because of this episode

ALSO RIP LOGAN </3 I had hopes that he would make it to the next round but ueueuuee. Though I am looking at his and Astrids potential relationship like 👁 bc oooo. Bonding over your favorite chapter in a book ? HELL YEAH

Also Astrid pointing out how he manages to keep up with everyone else despite not being able to dreamcraft EHEHHE

Logan is very strong in his own way :3 And I think he's so cool for that

[lieutenantfloyd]

Hi! I am happy to see a fellow Cyclone affectionnado!! CouldnI please request something cute and fluffy, maybe about cyclone and wife!Reader and their kids?

Thank you!!!!

Hello! This request has been on my mind 24/7 ever since I received it haha. I'm working on the cute fluffy fic you requested, but I have tons of Dad! Cyclone (and Wife! Reader) headcanons to share in the meantime!

Dad! Cyclone HCs

For starters, this man is a complete and total girl dad

He has 3-5 girls all pretty close in age

100% cries each time you told him you were pregnant

Talks to your belly every night before bed

“Hey there little one. It’s your dad talking.”

As your pregnancy goes on he starts reading stories to your baby too

This continues after their born, and even after they leave for college

It’s not uncommon for them to call late at night when they’re stressed/before a big test and ask him to read them a story

Once his babies are in the world he spoils each of them absolutely rotten

Every year he ensures his kids' birthday parties are the biggest, best birthdays a kid could have

Has never, and will never tell them no or deny them anything

His girls are his complete pride and joy and he will not let anyone forget it

Not only are they complete and total daddy’s girls, but each one inherited a different aspect of his personality

Though they all inherited his snarkiness and dry wit, much to everyone's dismay

Both his home and work office are decorated with more of his babies' pictures and achievements than his own.

Seeing that he works a lot, he insists that you send him updates throughout the day

These updates range from major life milestones to what they had for breakfast

Literally the most devoted husband and father of all time

He is president of his daughters' private school PTA

He runs each and every meeting, event, etc like the navy

The PTA members are both terrified and possibly in love with him

This goes for the other kids at school as well

When the babies are tasked on the first day of school with telling everyone about themselves, each one of them brags about how their dad is a big important admiral

Flash forward a few months and kids and parents alike are fawning over him at career day

At work, he keeps his personal life as private as he can. To the point that most people don’t know he has a family outside of him wearing a wedding ring

That is until one day he shows up at one of the infamous Kazansky family barbecues with you and the girls in tow

everyone loses it

Takes his girls to work with him whenever he can

The dagger squad adores them

Cyclone’s proudest moment as a father just might be when they all collectively glared at Maverick when he walked by

Uncle Warlock and his wife are the only people Cyclone trusts to babysit

not to mention that they’re the only ones both willing and equipt to deal with them

Beau makes sure no one, under any circumstances, messes with his girls

Once you all went to the park and a bigger boy ended up pushing your youngest down the slide

You quite literally had to hold him back from fist fighting an 8-year-old

He settled for having a very strong word with the kid's parents

God speed to the person who causes one of his babies' first heartbreak

He insists on you both setting a good example for what a strong, healthy relationship looks like

No matter how busy he is date night is mandatory at least once a week

His kids all end up with very specific and insanely high standards for their potential partner(s)

When he has free time he takes them on daddy-daughter dates

Is the type of dad to let his girls dress him up, paint his nails, do his makeup, etc

Hosts the best tea parties

Your house becomes the house everyone in the neighborhood goes to

The annual Fourth of July cookout you host is his time to brag about how good his life is

All in all, he is quite literally the best husband and father anyone could ask for

-

taglist:

@marchingicenotes7, @bayisdying, @princessofglitterland, @bella-law, @callsignaries, @katesmadness, @dannyramirezwife, @oliviah-25, @luckyladycreator2, @shakira-sasha, @xoxabs88xox, @Criminalmindsandmarvel, @nyx2021, @fanboyluvr, @alexxavicry, @madamemelancholysstuff, @paola-carter, @austin-butlers-gf

[thebest-medicine]

Day 3: Cuddles

Tickletober 2023 - Critical Role - Mighty Nein C2 - lee!Caleb

[see my other tickletober 2023 fics]

A/N: starts in reference to [C2E122] when Caleb polymorphs into a golden retriever and gets scritches and belly rubs from Veth and Yasha ❤️ see also reference to the talks machina when Liam was asked how Caleb felt about polymorphing into a creature with low intelligence for the first time and he said (paraphrasing) He loved it. He is so smart and smart people are unhappy, and so with an 8 intelligence for the first time, it was like this happiness and lightness that he had never been able to really experience before. It has been on his mind since he changed back. He can’t stop thinking about it. He’s gonna have to do it again some time.

[read on AO3]

Words: 2.7k

…

An uneasy chill drifts through the air as the Nein find themselves with some questionable guests in Caleb’s tower. An unexpected turn of events, bringing them close to people that they are quite confident cannot be trusted. When it is time for bed, no one wants to spend the night alone. They may not be completely safe, they may have an unclear, potentially quite dangerous path ahead. But for now, tonight, they are together, they are okay, they are home. The Nein gather up for the night in Yasha’s room, better together after all - they could set up the dome, sleep in shifts, keep an eye out for any suspicious goings-on from their guests. They take a vote. They’re going to see how this plays out - not rush in, weapons and firebolts blazing as they would have a few months prior.

As they gather in close, whispering about what to do next, Caleb sits off to the side of the group, fiddling with his thumbs, the dome having just been set up. Veth sits on the floor, leaning against Yasha’s bed. Caduceus sits on the other side of Veth, night time tea in hand. Yasha sits on the edge of her mattress, watching each of her compatriots with a concern in her eyes. Beau leans against Jester, who leans against Fjord, a few feet from the halfling.

Caleb brings his hands up to his face, rubbing his temples. He slaps his cheeks a few times. With a quiet, “Ja, ok,” and a mumbled incantation, a fluffy golden retriever is before them instead of the familiar human. Dogleb pads over to Veth and lets out a quiet whine. He circles once, twice, and lays down near her legs, plopping his snout on her ankles. His eyes drift closed, and Veth regards him with a warm smile on her face. She reaches down to pet his head. Veth turns to look at the group, admiration in her eyes as they all fight back an urge to “awww” loudly. She starts patting Dogleb on the head, behind the ears. He makes a happy sound and leans into her hand, she always finds it interesting which parts of Caleb seem to change (and which become more clear - more Caleb-y) when he polymorphs like this. Her other hand comes down and begins scratching and carding through the fur along his back.

Yasha - unable to curb the desire to join them any longer - sits down beside the pair and reaches over, her hands covering a much wider area as she starts to scritch his ears and back and legs. Dogleb is making all sorts of happy dog sounds, his tail wagging a mile a minute. “Aww, you’re so cute. Who’s a good boy?” Yasha smiles as she coos at him.

Dogleb’s tail wags faster, he starts to roll to his side. “Oh, do you want your belly rubbed? You want me to rub your belly? Yes you do. Yes you do. Oh you’re so sweet.” Yasha’s fingers thread through strawberry golden fur as she scratches lightly and pleasantly down Dogleb’s back to his side and toward his partially exposed belly. Yasha is lumbering over him now, encouraging him with praise as he rolls onto his back, paws in the air, head splayed back on the floor. His tail beats against the floor, a metronome keeping an ever-increasing tempo. Around them, the dome is filling with the quiet laughter and sweet whisperings of the Nein.

Veth sits up a bit more and joins Yasha, putting one hand on the soft, fluffy dog belly with a claw-like motion, scratching away at the fluff and fur there. Dogleb melts into both of them along with the floor. She leans toward the hulking barbarian-turned- professional-tummy-scratcher. She scritches under Dogleb’s chin with her other hand as he flops lazily side to side on the ground, squirming pleasantly. His back leg begins kicking in the air as they find a good spot on the side of his tummy.

“Just precious!” Veth chuckles as she acknowledges the shaking limb. She pulls Dogleb in to lie between them, still partly on her lap, as she and Yasha make moves to cuddle up for sleep on the ground with their fluffy prize. The others, more than likely, will join them soon.

“Don’t lay on your back Caleb, that’s weird!” Jester teases with a snicker. His back leg continues to kick rhythmically into the air as he spreads out, Veth and Yasha co-scritching all over his belly. “Oh man, Caleb’s flashing everyone!” Jester laughs and reaches over and scratches behind Dogleb’s floppy ear, joining the other two next to Veth.

Beau slides over to the other side of the group, joining Yasha and pressing into her thigh. She reaches over and scribbles at Dogleb’s belly, smiling.

Curling around their fluffy wizard, the group slowly melts into a pile of bodies strewn comfortably between and across each other. Veth has a face full of dog chest. Yasha has a hand still lightly stroking his belly. Beau is curled up on Yasha’s other side. Jester has an arm around Veth that reaches up just enough to softly scritch behind Dogleb’s ear. Fjord rests with his head in Jester’s lap, Caduceus is wrapped around Fjord and Jester’s other side. A slow rhythm befalls their breathing - calm, safe, together, and starts to keep time with the now-slowing tail-beat.

They decide not to all sleep at once, just in case. Yasha stays up for the first shift, Beau groggily insists on staying up with her (maybe so they can kiss a little bit, who can blame her).

It seems to be a losing game for the monk, as she curls herself into Yasha’s lap and keeps a hand scritching at Dogleb’s belly - the absentminded motion is surely enough to keep her conscious. He seems to relax into the feeling.

Nothing out of the ordinary happens during the night.

About an hour into the watch, Yasha startles at a whoosh of magic as Caleb regains his human form, jostling her and Veth a little as he shifts back. Yasha smiles with a light laugh. Beau’s half-asleep and her hand is still on Caleb’s stomach, wiggling every so often. Each time she does, mumbling into Yasha, Caleb squirms a bit - just a flinch here or there. Yasha looks up to his face and sees him smiling in his sleep. Veth is wrapped along Caleb’s now very-undoglike side, her hand on his chest. With a few sleepy mumbles, everyone’s drifting off again.

Yasha moves her hand from next to Beau’s, still on Caleb’s belly, and scritches her fingers again, as she’d been doing to his dog form for the past hour. She feels Caleb’s muscles twitch under her. She tilts her head with a curious half-smile, attention on him, and watches the small smile on his face. She wiggles her fingers against his stomach. His eyes scrunch and he huffs out a quick breath, almost a laugh. She smiles, tracing her fingers slowly and lightly over his stomach. Caleb’s form shivers, and she can’t quite tell if he’s still fully asleep or not. His breathing remains slow, and his eyes remain closed. Her other hand starts to mirror the pattern on Beau’s back.

The monk shivers pleasantly, this one is definitely semi-conscious. “Mmm- feels nice Yash.” She leans in and nuzzles into Yasha’s side. “You’re not trying to make me fall asleep, are you?” She yawns.

Yasha smiles gently. “No. But if you’re tired, you should. I can wake up Caduceus when it’s time.”

“Nah- I wanna stay up with you.” Beau mumbles, slurring into her side, and wraps her arms all the way around Yasha’s middle.

A few hours pass, and Yasha spends not a small part of them tracing softly over Beau’s back and Caleb’s middle. She doesn’t want to keep them up or startle them, just comfort. Her nails move slow, tracing gently. Beau fades in and out of sleep, continuing to lose her battle with conscious thought - Yasha’s both amazing and not-helping, as Beau loses her fight with the light tracing and tickling along her back. She wants to melt.

Eventually, Yasha turns her head and whispers loudly over the pile of friends. “Hey, Cad. You up?”

Caduceus nods his head slowly as he opens his eyes. “Sure.” He sits up, stretches his arms, and gives Yasha a content smile.

She smiles back, then looks around at the group, a hint of sadness in her eyes. A few breaths pass between them. Fjord snorts an almost snore in his sleep, a smile grows on their faces in soft appreciation. “We have to protect this.” She exhales, eyes flicking up to meet Caduceus’ gaze.

Caduceus nods, understanding. “Get some rest, I’ll keep an eye out.” He gives her a wink as she rearranges herself within Beau’s limbs, ending up with her head on Caleb’s thighs, Beau wrapped around her. Yasha drifts off happily in the embrace of her family.

Caduceus finds his watch goes uneventfully. Nothing nefarious seems to be cooking up in the tower, for now at least, despite their guests on the other floor. Caduceus considers the pile of friends beside him. He hums. They needed to have more nights like this, when there is less at stake.

It’s a few hours later when Caduceus wakes Jester for the final watch and curls himself back into the group, one arm looping around Fjord, reaching past to Veth and Caleb. His other arm rests over Jester’s legs.

It starts off easy enough, entertaining herself with her own thoughts and ideas. But patience, self-restraint? Those are not really her virtues. She puffs her bottom lip out in a bit of a pout as she starts to feel boredom set in. Looking up at the amber dome around them, Jester gets inspired. She takes her sketchbook out of her bag and spends her watch using the dim glow of the dome to illuminate the pages. She draws all of her friends sleeping in a big cuddle pile. She draws Yasha and Nott giving Dogleb belly rubs. She draws all of them as different types of dogs. She draws a couple of dicks. She draws a cute little picture of herself and the Traveler. She draws everything that she can think of, everything she enjoys.

The sun is almost peaking above the horizon when the first of her friends begins to stir. Caleb yawns as he comes into consciousness and notices the arms and heads of Beauregard, Yasha, and Veth all around him. Jester watches a small smile grace his lips just before his eyes flutter open. When he does, and sees her looking - Jester notes disapprovingly - his expression schools back to something neutral. “Ah, good morning Jester.”

“Morning Caleb. How did you sleep?”

“Mm. Fine, what about you?”

“Sooo good.” She beams. “Want to see what I drew while you were sleeping?”

Caleb flushes a little, a sheepish smile turning up his lips. “Ja, of course.”

Caleb gets one elbow up under him, careful not to disturb his sleeping companions. He leans in a bit as Jester shows him her various sketches and close ups of their sleeping faces that she cooked up earlier this morning. Caleb follows along, reminding her to whisper when she gets a little excited explaining the drawings and what kind of dog everyone would be.

“Aww.” She coos, pointing to a drawing of him as a dog with Yasha and Veth petting him. “You were so cute last night Caleb, do you want another belly rub?”

Caleb goes bright red. “Was- no.” He squirms beneath the pile of his companions, more aware now that he is weighted down with the head of a sleeping Yasha on his thighs and a Veth curled up beside him.

Jester wiggles closer. “Oh, why not? You seemed like you liked it last night!” She reaches out toward his middle, fingers wiggling exaggeratedly. “Are you worried your belly would be too ticklish when you’re not a dog or something?” Her voice is silly, lilting up at the end. It’s dangerous, like a Venus fly trap, drawing you in with its sweetness.

Caleb watches her, and she watches him back with glee as his panicked eyes slowly widen under her scrutiny. He squirms. “Jester..” He whispers cautiously, trying to sound stern and school his expression despite his beet red face. He opens and closes his mouth a few times before he gets an excuse out. “It is too early to wake everyone up.”

“Are you scared they’ll help me tickle you?”

“Nein!” He nearly shouts but cuts himself off with a whine in the back of his throat. “Jester!” He hisses as she reaches closer, dangerously close to his side. They maintain eye contact for a brief few moments, Caleb’s eyes wide and embarrassed, standing out even more against the dark shade of his face. A few breaths. Jester’s smirk softens to a smile. Caleb soon finds his expression softening as well, and his head falls back softly. His heart races in his chest as he takes a few deep breaths. “Please.” He puts up a hand pleadingly and meets Jester’s eyes. “Not- not right now.”

Jester makes a face as she contemplates. This seems like a reaaaaaally good time to make Caleb laugh and smile and be happy and tease him a little. But, it is pretty early. And everyone else is sleeping, it would be a little rude to wake them up, even if it was for something super fun.

An idea seems to dawn on her if Caleb is reading her expression right. He feels a shiver down his back.

“What about if I just tickle you like, just a litttttttle bit, like this?” She reaches and tickles behind his ears. He squirms and scrunches his shoulders. “I’ll be really nice and gentle and-”

“Ah- hehe- Jester!” His eyes are wide, matching his nervous grin.

“Shhhh, be quiet Caleb. Don’t wake them up!” She scolds with a grin. Jester lightly tickles Caleb’s ears and neck. He squirms more, shaking his head.

“Ehehe- I can’t- no-” Caleb whines, trying to catch Jester’s hand with the one of his that is free. His other arm cradles around Veth. He squeezes her close a bit in his panic as he tries to squirm out of Jester’s way.

Veth blinks awake, a bit confused as to why Caleb keeps squeezing her, and looks up to see him barely stifling giggles while Jester wiggles her fingers all around his neck and shoulders and ears - anywhere she can reach.

“Stop- stop! You’rehehe hehehe going to wahahake them!” Caleb pleads through soft giggles.

“Jester!” Veth scolds, smacking at one of her hands lightly. “He’s right.”

“I mean, technically he would be the one waking them.” She counters, then meets Veth’s soft but stern glare. “Oh, fine.”

She scratches under Caleb’s chin for a moment longer and then finally pulls her hands back. It’s minuscule, but she picks it up when his jaw follows slightly when she pulls away. She thinks she catches something in his eyes, but he closes them too quickly for her to make it out.

He takes a few shaky, deep breaths. Veth readjusts her spot, cuddling back up against him, and to Jester’s delight he flinches when she first curls into his side.

“Okay okay, go ahead and get your precious last minutes of sleep.” Jester sticks out her tongue at them, poking Caleb’s side once more and making him flinch. It takes a tremendous amount of will power to turn her attention back to her sketchbook for the next half hour or so as everyone slowly starts to stir awake.

[utilitycaster]

I will say the current discourse becomes a lot funnier when you remember that Imogen suggested to and in front of Laudna (she did it more than once!) potentially siding the Vanguard AFTER one of them murdered her in cold blood just to get a rise out of Imogen -

- and *somehow* that hasn’t had the lasting impact on fandom that Orym fucking nodding at Laudna as she kills someone who just tried to murder them has?

Truly, bowlgate could *never*.

Hey anon,

Honestly while this is all very speculative and based on the relatively small cross-section of the fandom I see, as a person who will not touch Reddit and barely checks Twitter, the Orym and Laudna stuff feels cut from the same cloth as Bowlgate.

For reasons I cannot accurately pinpoint, though I have my theories, since I started watching and joined the fandom with the start of C2 there seem to have been people - maybe the same people, maybe there's been turnover - who have decided any interaction Marisha and Liam's characters have that isn't clearly entirely amicable (and some that are) is in fact an act of hostility. This has always baffled me, given that in Campaigns 1 and 2 they played characters who are particularly close, and that in Campaign 3 Liam's character is very much in homage to Keyleth. Insofarasmuch as I know the lives of the cast (ie, I don't), they seem to be extremely good friends, and from what I see at the table they have remarkably similar styles, a shared love of character conflict, and excellent chemistry (platonic or romantic). It has never made sense to me how intensely some people pit them against each other, either as Beau and Caleb or as Laudna and Orym, particularly when Marisha and Liam have never seemed to have even an ounce of rancor towards each other.

It feels very much born out of the "the only way to be a good character (or fan) is to be entirely deferential to my personal favorite character" mentality, and I've always found that mentality to be...deeply sad, honestly. I've said before that it baffles me that people watch a show with an ensemble cast of 7 players and act repulsed and offended when it's not a solo act. And for a fandom for a show where we just, demonstrably, treated a 3.5 hour episode as "unexpectedly short?" That is a huge amount of time to sink into something where you are miserable every minute that Laudna, or Marisha (or whoever your favorite character or actor is) isn't in the spotlight and leading the charge and given the royal treatment - let alone to watch CR with what appears to be an assumption that nearly everyone else at the table is actively out to undermine your favorite actor. That sounds exhausting and painful, and once I started thinking about that it made much more sense how vile and bitter these comments about an extremely mild choice from Liam and Orym is; because it's not really about Orym. It's about the nature of the show itself, which has always been the case and is unlikely to change. It might be other long-untended resentments as well. I'm reminded, tangentially, of how when I was frustrated with FCG as a character early on, I'd occasionally get people piling on in my inbox for utterly unrelated criticisms not of FCG but of Sam as a player that I found really offputting and which often made me pretty uncomfortable.

I do wonder if these people are not just upset that Orym (and Liam) are simply present; but if they are also frustrated with other things - perhaps with the campaign generally, or perhaps with Laudna herself - that they are afraid to admit they feel given how much they have staked their identity on their fandom preferences. Which again, sounds terribly lonely and draining and something to be pitied, irritating as it is for the rest of us.

Anyway, I think the best thing for everyone in the fandom not trapped in that particular mire of bad faith, cognitive dissonance, and curdled resentment to do is move on. I actually found it really heartening how many people on my post about Laudna's anger at Orym being entirely about the power from the siphon and nothing personal to Orym were like "until I saw this post it did not even occur to me that there was another interpretation of this scene." I certainly haven't been as good about this as I'd like to be, but I've really been trying as of late to approach the above paranoid reading mentality by depriving it of oxygen. In addition to the interesting conflicts brewing, there's been some great lore drops as of late. How about that portal?

[bratshaws]

through the hourglass 190. brb x oc

THIS FIC IS 18+ ONLY! MINORS PLS DNI!

a/n: yeah next chapter will be more smut lol i missed this(comments and reblogs are super welcome and encouraged!! they make my nights they really do<3)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: SMUT, s3xii tiEMS

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

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(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! )

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-

‘Dear Lt.Bradley Nicholas Bradshaw

I am pleased to inform you that, you have been selected for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy. Your selection for this promotion is a testament to your exceptional performance, dedication, and leadership qualities demonstrated throughout your career, more specifically, your latest mission.

The promotion board thoroughly reviewed your qualifications, achievements, and potential for continued success, and unanimously recommended your promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Your outstanding professionalism, technical expertise, and commitment to excellence have earned you this well-deserved recognition.

Your promotion is a reflection of your exceptional leadership abilities, your dedication to the Navy's core values, and your unwavering commitment to service. I am confident that you will continue to excel and inspire others as you progress in your career as a commissioned officer.

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on this significant achievement. Your promotion to Lieutenant Commander is a milestone that highlights your continuous growth and potential within the United States Navy. I have no doubt that you will embrace this new role with the same professionalism, enthusiasm, and passion that have characterized your career thus far.

I encourage you to continue pursuing personal and professional development opportunities, lead by example, and remain committed to the Navy's core values of honor, courage, and commitment. Your leadership and expertise will undoubtedly make a positive impact on our organization and the Sailors under your charge.

Once again, congratulations on your promotion to Lieutenant Commander. I look forward to witnessing your continued success and contributions to the United States Navy.

Fair winds and following seas.

Sincerely,

Vice-Admiral Beau Simpson.’

He finishes reading it outloud to look at Beatrice who was now standing in front of him with her hands in front of her mouth, eyes wide and blood gone from her face. Her eyes brimmed with tears, “Brad!” she squeaks, fanning her eyes and trying her hardest not to cry “Honey!!” she is bouncing on her feet because she can’t contain her excitement.

Her husband is actually too shocked to do anything. “I…”

“Brad!” she lunges towards him,wrapping her arms around his neck, the letter fluttering down to the floor as the two fall on the couch. He holds her hips with his hands and softens her fall by turning to the side instead of letting her lie on top of him…not that she could. Beatrice cups his face with both hands, kissing him repeatedly while laughing, “Oh my God!You did it!” he’s still speechless, “Honey?”

Rooster blinks in disbelief, his mind racing to process the news. He holds Beatrice tightly, his arms encircling her, as he slowly begins to comprehend the significance of the letter. A mixture of emotions floods through him—joy, pride, and a touch of disbelief.

He was good but he wasn’t going to ignore humbleness.

"Baby," he finally manages to say, his voice filled with awe "I... I can't believe it. Lieutenant Commander." He hugs her tightly, burying his face in her neck, his voice muffled by her shoulder. "I can’t believe this actually happened."

Beatrice pulls back slightly, her eyes shining with tears of joy. "You did it, Brad," she says, her voice filled with pride. "You absolutely deserve it." She places a gentle kiss on his forehead before pulling him into another tight embrace. "I'm so proud of you."

He smiles, a radiant expression of happiness spreading across his face. "I couldn't have done it without you," he whispers, his voice full of gratitude. "You know that,right?

Beatrice brushes away a tear that escapes from her eye, a wide grin on her face. "We're going to celebrate," she declares, her voice brimming with excitement. "We'll do something special to commemorate this achievement. You deserve it."

“Well,we have our date.”

“But that was already planned.” she pouts, “No, we need something more.”

“Do we? I kinda like us going on a date.”

Beatrice huffs, pushing him on the couch so he sits upright before climbing on his lap, wrapping his neck with her arms and bringing him closer, “Brad…well,I mean,I’m okay with it too but…” she draws circles on his shirt, “I mean you deserve something more, maybe we can add to what you have already planned? Can…we do that?”

He blinks at her for a few seconds, then avoids her eyes to look to the side as he thinks on it, “...well,” he tsks quietly, “I can do that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,sure, I can call the place and work on it.”

Rooster grins, the excitement in Beatrice's eyes contagious. He wraps his arms around her waist, holding her close as he looks into her eyes. "We'll make it even more special. I'll call the place and see what we can arrange to add some extra surprises and make it a truly unforgettable celebration."

Beatrice's face lights up with a bright smile, her fingers gently running through his hair. "That sounds perfect," she replies, her voice filled with anticipation. "I know whatever you plan will be amazing.And remember we’ll celebrate you too." she softens on his hold, sitting fully on his thighs,”How do you feel about it? Did you expect this promotion?”

Rooster hums, brushing his fingers over the delicate fabric of her dress, “...I had a feeling but I wasn’t expecting it so soon.” he frowns, still rubbing his thumb over the tiny flowers, “I think I was too angry and worried to think it was already coming.”

“I understand.” she says while caressing his arms, smiling sweetly at him,”But you are really good at it and,well, I think we both knew it’d happen. We talked about it a few months ago.”

“We did…it’s crazy to think I…I got a promotion.” he was happy, wasn’t he? He felt a bit conflicted about it if he was completely honest. Part of him was glad this happened but the other wondered if it was the right time to. “...I might need to talk to my future therapist about this.”

“Huh?”

He shakes his head with a smile, “Nothing, just talking out loud.” he sighs, leaning back on the couch and cupping her asscheeks with his hands as he purses his lips, “...anyway,” he straightens himself suddenly, making her squeak and hold onto his neck as he just picks her up in bridal style as if she weighs nothing. Now, normally he’d do that, but she’s a bit more pregnant than before and the fact he can still do that was…really good.

“Um…well,” she clears her throat as he carries them out of the room, her legs moving in the air, ‘You didn’t tell me where we’re going.”

“I didn’t.”

She blinks, ‘...and you aren’t going to.”

He chuckles quietly, ‘No, not really.” he kisses her forehead, “Relax, it’ll be fun.”

Beatrice giggles, her arms tightening around Rooster's neck as he carries her in his arms. She rests her head on his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of being effortlessly lifted by him. "Well, I trust you," she says playfully. "I know it'll be wonderful, you haven’t made me regret anything yet."

Rooster carries her through the house, heading towards the front door. "Just a little surprise," he teases, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You'll find out soon enough." He opens the door, stepping outside with Beatrice still in his arms.

She looks around, the anticipation growing as she wonders where they might be going. "Are we going far?" she asks, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Rooster smirks, his gaze meeting hers. "Not too far," he replies cryptically. "But far enough for it to be special." 

“Hmmmm…”

“You aren’t trying to get it out of me,” he carries her up the stairs, “Are you?” and Beatrice looks like a deer in the headlights because that was exactly what she was doing, “You have to wait for it, be patient,gorgeous.”

“I am patient.” she huffs, crossing her arms, “Just tell me, do I need to dress nice for it? Go formal?”

Rooster chuckles, his grip on Beatrice secure as he ascends the stairs. He reaches their bedroom and gently sets her down on their bed, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Well, let's just say you'll want to look nice," he teases, leaning closer to kiss her forehead..

Beatrice pouts, her curiosity growing stronger. "You're not giving me much to work with,Roos" she complains, crossing her arms. "But fine, I'll trust you. I'll dress up and be ready for anything."

Rooster smirks, leaning in closer to her. "That's my girl," he says, his voice low and filled with affection. "I promise it'll be worth the wait."

Beatrice's expression softens, a warm smile spreading across her face. She reaches out to gently trace her fingers along Rooster's jawline. "I trust you," she says softly. "I know you'll make it special, just like you always do."

Rooster leans into her touch, I do my best," he murmurs, his voice full of sincerity. "Now, why don't you go  call your parents?See if they can stay with Nikki. If not I can always call Mav, I know he’d love to have her…and if your dad is okay enough for it too.”

Ever since Rafael’s hospital scare, everything has been threaded very lightly, honestly they haven’t been going to the Schiavoni’s house as often as they did out of fear that the visits could make the patriarch somehow feel worse, “I’ll call them, my dad is better though and I’m sure he’d appreciate having Nicole by. I know Leo has been keeping the girls close out of worry too,” she brings the phone to her ear as she smiles at him, “Can you check-”

He’s already out of the room, “Yes ma’am,going right now.” and he winks at her before disappearing towards Nicole’s nursery. He peeks inside, the little moon shaped light shines in the corner and illuminates just enough of Nicole’s sleeping frame inside her crib. She has both of her legs pressed against the gates, as if she’s sitting while lying down and her head is pointed right at the door so Rooster can see some of that golden brown hair peeking from under her tiger onesie’s hoodie.

Rooster smiles fondly at the sight of their daughter peacefully sleeping in her crib. He tiptoes closer, careful not to disturb her. Gently, he reaches out to tuck the stray strands of hair behind her ear, inside the hoodie his touch light and tender. The soft glow of the nightlight casts a warm, comforting ambiance in the room.

He stands there for a moment, taking in the serene scene, feeling a swell of love and gratitude in his heart. He sighs, still looking down at her with his smile widening, “You are so cute…you’ll be nice tonight,right? Mama and papa are going out.” she obviously doesn’t reply, in fact she just hums and looks away while rolling on her crib, hoodie falling off her head. 

He hears Beatrice speaking to her mother, he knows because of the constant reassurance that everyone is fine, followed by a ‘yes mama’ that is a mix of annoyed and appreciative at the same time. It doesn’t take long for her to finish the call and eventually appear by the door, “She asleep?” she asks quietly, her appearance made the dogs lift their heads in surprise followed by Rooster nodding, “Oh,good, well, my parents said yes.”

And for a second, his smirk turned almost too pleasant, “Good.”

-

“Hm.”

“What?”

“You know,” she begins, “I love surprises, Rooster,I truly do but this is the first time you put something over my eyes.” she is sitting with her hands over her lap on the bronco, pursing her lips, “You really don’t want me to know where we’re going.” she doesn’t see him looking at her appreciatively as he drives, keeping an eye on the road as well of course. But she looks so nice with that dress - he knows the choice of something loose yet so much like her was meant for comfort but he wasn’t complaining.

He always loved her dresses.

“It’s for a good reason.” her reply didn’t sound convinced, “I swear.” as soon as he sees the place he smirks, “We’re almost there.”

“Hm.” she purses her lips even more as she tries to hold back her smile, leaning back into her seat with her arms crossing, ‘I’m counting on it,Lieutenant-Commander.” his sharp intake of air when she said it wasn’t missed by Beatrice, who just giggled back at him.”

“You are evil.” he said after a few seconds, running his hand over his face because he was already getting hot.

The car glides along the familiar streets, the anticipation building between them. As they approach their destination, Rooster pulls into a parking lot near a waterfront area. He turns off the engine, the car falling into a quiet stillness.

"We're here," he announces, his voice tinged with excitement. He reaches over to unbuckle his seatbelt and turns to face Beatrice, his eyes locked with hers albeit she couldn’t see it. "Ready for the surprise?"

Beatrice looks at him, her lips curled into a playful smile. "I'm always ready for your surprises," she replies, her voice filled with anticipation. "I trust you, Lieutenant-Commander."

Rooster leans closer, his hand reaching out to caress her cheek. "Careful." he walks out of the car first, opening the door for her and helping her out. She could hear traffic, she could hear people talking…and music? 

“Brad?”

“I know.” she hears him moving behind her, pulling the blindfold and finally making it easy for her to open her eyes. She blinks a bit, looking around until she sees what she’s looking for. “There, you like it?”

“Oh my God!” she laughs, ‘I can’t believe it!”

They were at Trooper. The place where they had their very first date, the little 50’s style diner with the great burgers and even better music that floated around, “Oh my god! Roos! I–” she was smiling so hard her cheeks hurt, “You are too cute, I love you so much!”

He doesn’t hesitate in opening his arms so she jumps on him, kissing his lips repeatedly before looking back at the place, “It still looks the same, it’s been…a while huh?”

“Almost five years, gorgeous.” he holds out his hand for her to take and the two wander inside. It’s really just the same, inside and outside, the tiles, the seats, even the smell of strong floral scented cleaner is there.

Beatrice's eyes light up with joy as she takes in the familiar surroundings. She looks at Rooster, not being able to hide how giddy she was. "I can't believe you remembered," she says, her voice filled with awe. "This place holds such a special place in my heart."

Rooster smiles, his eyes glistening with affection. "How could I forget?" he replies, his voice filled with warmth. "It’s special for us,baby."

They find a cozy booth by the window, just like they did on their first date, in fact it was the very same seat from their first date. They settle into their seats, the nostalgia washing over them. The waitress approaches with a warm smile, handing them menus. Rooster glances at Beatrice, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "What would you like,gorgeous?" 

Beatrice chuckles, her fingers tracing the menu. "Hmm, tough choice," she muses. "But I think I'll go with the panini and the lemonade…just like the first time."

Rooster nods approvingly, his smile widening. "Excellent choice," he says, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "And I'll have the burger and a coke, just like the first time."

As they wait for their food, they set the menus aside and Beatrice crosses her arms over the table with her eyes moving around, “...crazy.” she smiles, “That…we’re here again after so long,Roos.”

He smirks, interlocking his fingers in front of his mouth as he looks at her..and that scene makes her smile, laughing softly, “...what are you doing?”

“Nothin’” , he replies, “Just lookin’ at you.” it’s like everything all over again. It feels…magical and almost surreal. She huffs in disbelief, leaning back on the seat to look towards the outside, to the same street that they walked towards the old theater. 

She rubs her fingers together for a little bit, chewing her lower lip, ‘...this is a great surprise. But…I don’t think you can schedule things here?”

“Well,I could ask them to keep this seat saved up.” he shrugs, “That’s all I had them do.” he smirks however, keeping his eyes on her, “...you are so beautiful.” her cheeks turn red and their conversation halts for a brief second as the waitress brings their orders. Bea clears her throat while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, looking up at him after a while and seeing he had the same look on his face as before.

And she had to admit, most of the dinner was…very good if it wasn’t for the fact her husband was looking at her very interestingly. He kept staring, every second those whisky colored eyes would lock on her and she’d just have goosebumps all over her whole body.

With every word and every glance, the air between them becomes charged with electricity. The nostalgia of being back in their special place, combined with the undeniable chemistry they share, creates a palpable tension in the air.

Beatrice clears her throat, her voice slightly shaky. "You know," she says softly, her eyes locked with his, "we don't have to rush home after dinner. We could...extend our celebration."

Rooster's eyes darken with desire, his voice husky as he responds, "I was hoping you'd say that." He reaches across the table, his fingers gently caressing her hand. "I have some things in mind…but you have to say if you agree with it or not.”

“Well,lieutenant commander,” his pupils enlarge and shrink when she says that, “...I’m all ears, what do you have?”

He smirks at her, slowly standing from his seat and holding out his hand so she takes it, gently helping her up when they are done with their dinner. It’s late,Nicole is safe with her parents, they could have that right now. And so they do, Bradley wastes no time in walking out after paying, holding Beatrice’s hand in his and its incredible how no matter what happens but his touch always makes her feel like she’s floating.

Bradley is glad the car is parked a bit far from the restaurant, a bit hidden, because he gently presses her back against the door and smirks down at her. “So…”

She bites her lower lip “So…”

“Ready for part two?”

“I don’t know Lieutenant-Commander,” she whispers back,”Are you?”

He knows how much she loves using that against him but for a second his face softens, “I need to know it’s okay,” he drops his eyes to her stomach, ‘For us to go on tonight, is it?”

“..we did while I was pregnant with Nikki.”

“I know,” he begins, “But I just want to make sure. Are you sure?”

Beatrice looks deeply into Rooster's eyes,then places her hand gently on her growing belly, feeling the life within. "Rooster," she says softly, her voice filled with certainty, "I trust you completely. I know you would never put us in any harm. It is safe and yes, of course I want to."

Rooster's face softens with tenderness as he brings his hand to cover Beatrice's, his touch warm and reassuring. "I'm so grateful to have you," he murmurs, his voice filled with emotion. "I love you more than words can express."

Beatrice smiles, her eyes glistening with love. "I love you too," she whispers, her voice filled with affection. "Now…where to?”

Rooster's smile widens, his eyes shining with excitement. "Well, my love," he says, his voice filled with anticipation, "I have one more surprise for you tonight." He opens the car door for her, waiting for her to step inside before closing it gently.

As they drive through the streets, Beatrice can feel her heart racing with anticipation. She looks at Rooster, her eyes filled with curiosity. "Where are we going?" she asks, her voice filled with excitement.

Rooster glances at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "It's a surprise," he replies, his voice playful. "But I promise you'll love it."

-

She doesn’t remember much after they arrived at the spot, which was in fact a hotel. Her husband, her lovely handsome husband, got them a hotel room for the night just so they could enjoy each other. And boy were they enjoying each other already.

It must be because of his absence for three months, that could be it. Her hands move to his hair, tugging the strands just a bit, just enough to make him grunt and melt into her grasp while his hands travel up her legs, to her hips, touching her lace underwear, “Fuck,” he mutters into her mouth, picking her up with ease and walking both of them to the bed, “Fuck I missed this so much.” 

“Me too Roos.” she whimpers, letting him press a trail of hot wet kisses down her jaw towards her neck, then finally to her cleavage that peeked through the collar of her dress. His tongue was flat against her breasts, disappearing between the valley and then heaving out a breath, looking at her.

She bit her lower lip, playing with his white tee, following the curve of his pecs and the way it clung to his abs so perfectly,”...this is a celebration,isn’t it Lieutenant-Commander?” he looked ready to explode, but he followed her hand as it went down to his belt, “Can…I help you celebrate?”

“Evil woman,” he coos, breaking character only to kiss her jawline, nibbling the curve until he sits on his knees above her. But he doesn’t like that, in fact, he steps out of the bed and gives her space, making Beatrice immediately push herself to her elbows, “...you can do so,recruit but…seeing how things are, we can work something out,hm?’ he slides the belt out of his pants in a fluid motion, a motion that makes her legs clench together and her lower lip slide between her teeth.

“Y-yes sir.”

“Good girl.” and she shudders. He pulls off his shirt by tugging it on the back, folding it and tossing on the only chair in the hotel room, before going towards the bed, sitting against the headboard with his upper body completely bare. He taps his still covered thighs, the movement making the fabric tighten against the bulge and Beatrice’s eyes flick towards it for a quick second, something that only makes his amusement even more apparent.

She licks her lips, sitting on her knees by his legs and then inhaling for courage. She blinked up at him, pulling her dress up slowly and for a brief second the pang of self doubt appeared in her mind when she saw the fresh red stretch marks forming by her hips, “I-I…”

“You are beautiful.” he says,cutting her off, sitting up more to help her undress herself, keeping his eyes on her body “...no bra?” again with the memories from their past, that made a shiver run up her body.

“N-No…no bra.” she giggles out of nervousness, lifting her hand to touch his cheek and kissing his lips a few more times. She needed that swig of courage, she truly did. Bradley hummed into her mouth, wrapping his arms around her waist carefully before lying back down, pushing her to sit on his lap. They break the kiss and Beatrice holds herself upright by pressing on his chest, her hair falling over her shoulders and her eyes hazy with desire.

Her crotch is right on top of his and the seam of his jeans is pressing right up her clit, she feels a jolt of pleasure at the slight movement, easing out a breath as she adjusts herself, “...Brad…” she gasps, “I…” but her hips are moving before she can stop it, earning a whimper that only got louder when his huge hands cupped her ass, digging into the soft cheeks, his nails just barely scraping the surface.

His eyelids lower as he stares, following the movement of her breasts as she tries to get some relief, his mouth watering as they move. He can’t help himself, sitting just enough to press a kiss to her left breast, then moving to her right, repeating it until he takes one of her nipples into his mouth. She gasps, digging her own nails on his chest and leaning forward,moving her hips just a bit faster.

“B-Brad…”

One of his hands let go of her hips to slide towards her panties, managing to sneak it between their crotches to rub against her outer lips. The feeling of his pants moving up alongside his fingers was almost delirious and she had to breathe to get herself in check, but it was too much and too good.

“B-Brad…I…” she whimpers again, his fingers still moving alongside his hips and her head tumbling forward, “God,Brad!!” and Beatrice can feel it arriving, she can feel it coming closer and closer, climbing up her body. He doesn’t stop, he doesn’t plan to, but he does notice when her shaky hands move to his pants, to the button that keeps it closed. Both of them know she won’t be able to take it out of him until she moves but she has to.

She stops, slapping her hands on the bed and moaning quietly when her orgasm gets closer. He drops back on the bed to watch her have the first orgasm of the night, tossing her head back and screaming loud enough for whoever is close by to be aware of what was going on. She gasps a keening sound, her entire body shivering with after shocks and she topples down to his chest, still moving her hips against his still covered member.

Not that he was complaining.

He pulls his hand out from her crotch and licks his fingers clean, “You good?” she nods while still having her head pressed to his torso, breathing heavily, curling her fingers against the bed. He knows what he wants, but he can wait for her, ‘...you are the sexiest woman alive.” he whispers, seeing that she was slowly getting back to normal and lifting her head from his chest.

“Brad…”

“Yeah,gorgeous?”

Her pupils were blown wide, ‘I want you inside of me.” and she makes it sound like an order. His own breath hitches and what is he if not compliant to his wife’s words? He waits until she lifts her hips from his own, giving enough space for him to pull off his pants and underwear, his member already leaking and flushed red. Beatrice grabs his hands so he hooks his middle and index finger on her panties crotch, moving it aside to expose her still clenching center.

“Fuck.” he breathes, “That’s the fucking hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

She giggles, deliriously, “You’ve seen nothing,Bradshaw.” oh God he loves when she gets like this, he loves it way too much. He just stares as she maneuvers her hand besides his to align him to her entrance. She has her other hand right in the middle of his chest, her hips moving down and forward, letting him slide inside until it was flush.

His gasp is stuttered, the fabric of her panties, the lace, is rubbing against the base of his member and he’s ready to lose his mind, “Oh fuck.”

“I plan to.”

“That’s,” he grunts, ‘My line.”

“Not tonight.” and there it is again, something in her changes every now and again and he is crazy about it. “I’m going to fuck you really nice,Lieutenant Commander.” she purrs, moaning between sentences, “Because you deserve it.”

Bradley gasps again, his hands moving to her hips and he just closes his eyes, lost in the feeling. She moves, he moves, they did this so many times but something about this time feels absolutely mind breaking, “Oh fuck…baby…” his hips grind upwards and the movement makes her already sensitive clit jump at the friction, making Beatrice yelp a moan, leaning back to hold herself on his legs and giving her enough support to be comfortable.

She is laughing a bit, hair still shiny and beautifully combed when he opens his eyes, she is a vision, she’s his vision. She always was. Always.

I never want to lose this is the first thing he thinks I want to be here for her always, just like she’s for me.

He doesn’t know what brought that up so suddenly but he isn’t complaining, in fact he’s just taking that as fuel to move his hips faster, feeling that his own orgasm wasn’t going to wait too long, something about Beatrice’s attitude adding up to it, “Fuck gorgeous, you take me so good.” he moans, still moving his hips to meet hers while trying to not hurt her when he does so, “FuckI love you,I love you so much.”

“I-I love you too,Brad…” she moans, moving his hand again only this time towards her mound, pushing his thumb right on her clit. He laughs breathlessly but nods, meeting her own barely open gaze and moving his fingers in circles on it, undulating his hips to meet hers.

Her body was still dealing with the first orgasm, but she didn’t care. She tried to keep up with him, their moans and the sound of skin slapping together was the only thing they could see…until she screamed again, her whole body convulsing and hands curling against his calves as she saw pure white.

He isn’t that far behind, groaning deeply in his throat as his own orgasm hits, the tendons on his neck becoming more apparent when he tosses his head back and pushes his thumb even more against her clit, pumping his hips a few more times…until there’s only their heavy breathing.

His arm drapes over his eyes, his body is hot and still begging for more but he needed a break…and it was obvious that Beatrice didn’t–

“Again?”

Oh.

[caramel1mochi]

Beau Idéal [Chamber x F! Reader] [End]

Sorry for the delay, I just yelled at the head doctor of a clinic. We're also done with Chamber!

I'm not sure where to go next with this, so, I'll be putting up a vote on my profile for three agents soon enough. Trust me, I'll elaborate more on that post instead of this one. If you guys wanna check that out or comment any of your ideas, feel free to do so! This simp train hasn't run out of fuel just yet.

Anyway, have a good read!

❤ฺ·。

Chamber x F! Reader

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5

Genre: Fluff, but only if you squint really hard.

CW: Emotional manipulation, mental warfare, Geneva convention? Who's she?

Synopsis: Behind his poise façade lies an ocean of inhuman thoughts. This is the first time Chamber let his mask slip. And unfortunately, as the only witness; you happen to have a front-row seat.

。+❤ฺ·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ· +❤·。❤ฺ·。+❤ฺ·

Your teammates speaking through the radio irked you as you waited, but you couldn’t mute them. Brimstone would definitely pull you aside and at best, scold you. Being new and young in the protocol doesn’t mean you got away with everything. So keeping alert grew tougher and tougher the more they spoke, and you were practically hugging the wall in hopes of anything.

Then, two tiles scraped together.

In less then a second, you dropped your Stinger and lifted the ground; doing just as Chamber instructed you to do. Once you peeked, Neon shot a concussive blast in your direction, one that was swallowed by the soil that enveloped her within less than a second. Only bits of electricity escaped from the dirt, and the ‘chrysalis’ nearly fell apart once a spark hit your shoulder. You couldn't hold it up for too long either, given how massive it was. 

You watched it crumble, and only one idea came to mind.

Twisting your hands, the dirt began slowly rotating alongside your movements. And as you picked up speed, so did the chrysalis, until it began rapidly swirling around her and unintentionally wreaking havoc on the environment around it. 

This helped elevate some of the weight, but not too much.

‘I can’t hold this!’

You shouted over the radio, your arms shaking from the weight. And nothing relieved you more than the voice of the Frenchman.

‘I see it, is she inside?’

‘Yes!’

‘Make it smaller, inch by inch. Keep spinning it.’

As the loud wind filled your ears, it became more and more difficult to hear him. But you mindlessly obeyed and began dropping clumps and clumps of the soil, the chrysalis growing more constricted as it rapidly spun in place.

Chamber made his way towards it once it grew small enough to allow him an entrance, but still kept a safe distance between them. Just because the soil was a poor conductor doesn’t mean the electricity just disappeared; corrosion still existed. But god, was the sight hypnotising. The very idea of Neon being trapped within like prey helplessly swarmed by an army of ants, it was like art to him. ‘Avant-garde’ is what he’d prefer to call it.

Swirling the chrysalis was a contingency he’d never even thought about. But seeing it in action? He fell in love with the concept. And if there was less space between her and the dirt, there was a high chance the rapid speed would start tearing her skin off if it even grazed against her.

“Que ç'est beau.” <How beautiful.>

He murmured to himself.

Ah, but he was getting carried away. He unmuted the radio and snapped himself out of his trance. 

‘Drop it.’

Just as you obeyed, a loud bang echoed throughout the area, then a thud.

Chamber’s pupils dilated as he watched Neon’s corpse fall to the ground, crimson fluid escaping the hole in her head and seeping into the dirt. 

Then, the spike dropped.

His Headhunter disappeared with a flick of his wrist.

‘Bravo, A/N. What great potential you have. Such a shame nobody… taught you.’

As he spoke, he heard another thud from behind him, looking over to find your only hand, on the ground, fingers peeking through the doorway. Seems like you fainted too.

He walked up to your body and easily carried you with both arms. It was a given, considering your strength was naught compared to his. And for the next few seconds, he stared at your tired face. Sweat dripped down your chin, and your hair now incredibly messy; the braid unrecognisable.

He smiled to himself, almost as if he was belittling you in your coma.

If he couldn’t extort them for anything useful, Chamber would rank everyone mostly based on how much entertainment he could derive from them. And today, your powers amused him to an exceptional degree. How you scattered them like headless chickens before mercilessly crushing them. The icing on the cake being that you were under his authority the whole time.

It was just too easy.

‘Chamber, A/N, where the hell are you two?!’

Brimstone called out through the radio, only now noticing your disappearance. The noise back on A site had completely stopped a while ago, aside from the chatter of his colleagues. And he couldn’t hold back a smile as he unmuted.

‘Relax, Brimstone. The spike is with us. You have nothing to worry about.’

He carried you over his shoulder and turned towards said bomb, running today's events through his head with each step. Mostly the mirrors' slow deaths, but I digress.

❤ฺ·。

Your eyelids were weakly lifted, and you used your hand to shield your face from the strong lights above you. It took a few seconds for your hearing to catch up, muffled noises slowly morphing into familiar voices. And that’s not to consider the raging headache you currently had. Sage’s words became more obvious, and you slowly caught on that you were laying down on a hospital cot in the infirmary, which explained many things. No wonder the lightbulbs hurt like hell.

“...stabilising. Yes, she’s fine. She’s awake.”

Then, beeping. And you easily deduced it was from the heart monitor hooked up right next to you. You sat up and looked to your right, finding Sage who stood there alongside Jett and Raze. But just as you opened your mouth to speak, they pulled you into a tight hug, suffocating you.

“Oh my god, we thought you died!”

“I’m– I’m fine–”

“You should’ve seen your face when Chamber brought you back, A/N! You looked so pale!”

You pat their backs, struggling to breathe. Noticing this, Sage couldn’t help but politely laugh and usher them to break the embrace. They promptly complied, but not without Jett grabbing your shoulders angrily.

“Next time, don’t you dare split away from us! What will we ever do without our group baby?!”

You laughed, pushing her away.

“Even if I die, Sage can just res us, chill out!”

You looked at all three women with a smile, before something perked up in your mind. You quickly met Sage’s gaze.

“Where’s Chamber?”

“Chamber? He’s… I– I can’t recall where exactly. Would you like me to bring him over?”

“Yeah, yeah. I need to talk to him pronto.”

She nodded, stepping out of the room. Just like your friends, she was caught off guard by your sudden mention of him.

“Woah, hey, what the heck happened?”

You shook your head.

“I just gotta talk to him. He’s… uh, I forgot to tell him something important… about today.”

They both raised an eyebrow at this lie. But considering your frail state, even after Sage worked on healing you, they decided it was best to simply nod and go along.

And thus, they decided to accompany you for the remaining few minutes they had with you until the Frenchman would arrive. What weirded you out was why he wasn’t here with you. After everything that happened, there’s no way he could just leave you in the dust and leave, right? Nevertheless, you waited. And the more time ticked by, the more dread you felt as you remembered Neon, Sova and the rest. Though you couldn’t see her within the dirt you trapped her in, you could still feel the elongated terror you inflicted upon her before she was killed.

❤ฺ·。

The door swung open, all of your eyes landing on the tall silhouette that stood in the doorway. The light glimmered off of the tattoos, the only visible features on him despite the darkness that enveloped him.

He stepped forward, smiling.

“Good evening.”

He called out and walked towards you, your friends making way for him and both returning his greeting. But instead of leaving, they looked towards you for confirmation. And you simply nodded, allowing them to leave and slam the door shut, leaving you alone with him.

“Hey, where were you?”

“Brimstone took me in for questioning about your state.”

“Really? Wait, I can talk to him–”

You went to get up from the bed, but he quickly placed a hand on your shoulder and forced you to sit back down.

“Take it easy, ma chérie. You still have to rest.”

Yes, right. The ‘work’ that weakened you. The entire reason you called him over in the first place. 

You went to ask, but the words got stuck in your throat once he turned you to your side, sliding off the hair tie that held up your messy ‘braid’ together.

“You did a good job today, A/N. Impressive, even.”

You winced once you felt him open up the braid, letting your auburn hair come loose. 

“Good job? I don’t know about this...”

“Is something the matter?”

Then, his fingers ran through the locks of your hair. And you couldn’t help but feel an immense amount of unease, remembering the mission all over again.

“Chamber, I don’t want to kill anyone with my powers! I buried two today, and Neon got suffocated in that ball before you shot her! I don’t want to do anything like that again!”

“I see. So, you do not wish to cause harm?”

“Not like that. If I'm gonna kill someone, I don’t want to make them suffer.”

It should be a given, right? Though you were going off of your natural empathy, It probably violated the Geneva convention, to torture someone before killing them. If anyone here even bothered to take a look at that. Didn’t Neon fake a surrender once? But from the looks of things, it seemed like Chamber was one of the ones who had the convention’s rules memorised like the back of his hand. And it wasn’t for a virtuous reason.

“You worry about nothing, ma chérie, they most likely died once the soil fell on them. Head trauma is not to be taken lightly.”

“I guess, but what about Neon?”

“Please. You hardly did anything. When it comes to pain, I believe your abilities are less debilitating than the others.”

You paused.

“What does that mean?”

“Being burned alive is no easy way to go either, A/N. And yet, Phoenix is one of your dear friends, non?”

His hands worked on smoothing out your hair, untangling it.

“And Raze seldom hides her excitement when she tosses around explosions. How many did she maim with her bombs? I can only imagine their pain before Sage helped them.”

He began dividing your hair into three sections, each one intertwined between his fingers. Then, he began braiding.

“Not to mention Reyna, who outright takes joy in what she does. And Viper, and Breach, and Yoru, and…”

“Okay, okay, I get it!”

He chuckled. Both of you knew that you were now completely cornered. Behind your back, Chamber scrutinised you like a lab rat. Not a single hint of humanity behind those dead eyes. The dead eyes you thankfully had no clue of. Or anybody, for that matter.

“I simply find your concerns silly, A/N. However, if you wish to go back to building walls, then who am I to stop you?”

Chamber spent the next few seconds braiding the last remaining portion of your hair, before bringing all of them together at the end and tying it all with your hair tie. Once he let go, he gently ran his fingers through it. And as expected, no imperfections in his work were found. Though, admittedly, he considered himself rusty when it came to styling hair, so this was a pleasant surprise.

He knew he left your mental state in turmoil, rapidly working to decide whether or not you wanted to go down the path he offered, or work around as a glorified wall building maid in the battlefield. Between causing destruction your mental state could hardly handle, or being incredibly passive. It seemed like there was no balance.

“This was fun, but I must get going.”

“Wait, Chamber!”

You called out and stopped him in his tracks, quickly turning to look at him. Though, by now, his back faced you. And he waited for you to continue. Nervously, you held your fixed braid with both hands, playing with it.

“Still up for, uh, being my boss?”

Juxtaposed to your insecure smile, Chamber’s was full of confidence the moment those words left your mouth.

Perfect. 

Just like all of the others, you crawled back to him. How could he not be pleased? And with a sense of triumph even you could see exuded from him, he walked towards you and patted your shoulder twice, the same way a proud father would.

“Certainly.”