#seems like it's jan's doll maybe? if he's the one that named it

[me-sploh-rada-imas]

i was watching the lps osem korakov bts videos and cursed doll showed up!

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Okay, so I kinda stopped the live update thing with D23 since they pretty much moved past animation within 40 or so minutes...

I have several questions regarding... Well, that concept image of TOY STORY 5 revealed earlier in the night...

You'll notice Woody without Bo Peep, along with Buzz, and... Forky...

When does this take place?

Because, in TOY STORY 4, Bonnie made Forky during her kindergarten orientation and then the weekend right after... A road trip! The plot of the movie happens, Woody goes off with Bo at the end...

Given that the story also involves around 50 Buzz toys that are in "play mode" and will serve as antagonists, I doubt this all takes place in a day or two. Or maybe it does, I don't know. It seemed like the road trip just began RIGHT after Bonnie's first day.

So... Does chronology not matter and they're just MAD MAX-ing this? Is it a new Woody doll? Did Buzz get so lonely without his best pal that, in desperation, he somehow found another Woody doll and strong-armed him into being with the gang? That'd be a little different for sure.

Or, does Woody wake up and all of that road trip was just a dream? Complete with the laser-eyed giant Bunny and Ducky? That would be a HELL of a way to retcon TOY STORY 4's much contested (at least, online) ending. Sike!

I really do not know. Other than the basic gist of the movie (traditional toys vs. electronics/tablets/etc.), Andrew Stanton didn't reveal much... I'm sure something's at play here, or there's some kind of explanation. It would be unusual of Pixar, whose teams usually think these things through, to just have Woody there without Bo...

Now, ELIO... Whose major director shake-up *wasn't* announced at D23... And that it lost cast member America Ferrera as the voice of Elio's mom. Zoe Saldana joining as his aunt was the only thing revealed...

So, we knew from rumblings that ELIO was going to see some retooling after Pixar delayed the movie from its original March 1, 2024 release date to June 13, 2025... But, Pete Docter straight up took director Adrian Molina off the movie and reassigned him to a "priority project"... This tells me that this wasn't a typical Lasseter-style director banishment.

His replacements (!), curiously, are two women: Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian. Shi of course needs no introduction, the director of TURNING RED and also the short BAO, Sharafian directed the SparkShort BURROW, which would've run before SOUL in theaters in 2020 but instead debuted on Disney+ with the same day due to COVID.

Shi was working on an original of her own before she got put onto ELIO, and I don't think Sharafian was getting a feature of her own off the ground, so this is a great opportunity for her. It also means that Shi's sophomore effort, and not a picture she has taken over, will have to wait. Probably won't be out 'til 2028/2029 at this point.

This is very much like what happened to RATATOUILLE. In early 2005, RATATOUILLE's originator Jan Pinkava was taken off the film by the brass. Bird had just come off of THE INCREDIBLES, his first Pixar feature, and they asked him to take over RATATOUILLE. Shi came off of her feature debut, at Pixar no less, TURNING RED. Now, she has taken over someone else's film. A little over three years after her last one, and Bird got RATATOUILLE out 2 1/2 years after the release of THE INCREDIBLES.

Molina is still credited as director on an internal document, so I wonder if portions he directed remain in the movie next to the parts Shi and Sharafian directed. You would think this would be a much bigger deal, though! But I suppose at D23, it's all about sequels and synergy and such. Walt Disney Animation Studios head Jennifer Lee curiously namedropped an original set for fall 2026, but proceeded not to name it, and only spoke of fall 2027's FROZEN III after MOANA 2 and ZOOTOPIA 2 were covered.

Docter said in the interview for The Wrap, tucked away there, that a lot of the problems apparently concerned Elio's character in the first act of the movie. It happens sometimes, a director and team may struggle getting past the first third or so. I know I've had many issues like that writing my stories, so it's not uncommon. Ask any writer or creator, really.

Curiously, after Docter assumed his Chief Creative Officer position in mid-June, this is his first time taking a director off of a movie. ONWARD, LUCA, TURNING RED, LIGHTYEAR, ELEMENTAL, INSIDE OUT 2... all went through, unscathed. Night-and-day from Lasseter, who seemed to upend every 2010s movie that wasn't made by one of his favorites.

Now... INCREDIBLES 3 raises questions about Brad Bird's involvement. He's said to be "developing" it as of now. How's RAY GUNN, his $150m traditionally animated movie, going over at Skydance Animation? There had been rumors and rumblings about him having a hard time there, back with old boss Lasseter, but if $150m was already spent on this thing... Either it's actually far along and he's simultaneously getting INCREDIBLES 3 going, or... RAY GUNN is once again no more, facing the same fate it did at Turner/Warner Animation in the '90s.

Release dates...

Currently blank on the animation boards, title-wise, is a Pixar slated for June 2027...

INCREDIBLES 3 *could* debut in summer 2027, nine years after INCREDIBLES 2's summer 2018 release. Ten years would be another while, wouldn't it? Last time Pixar did sequels back-to-back was when INCREDIBLES 2 came out, followed by TOY STORY 4 in 2019. A repeat, imagine that, this time with the TOY STORY movie debuting first.

As for what was going to be Domee Shi's second film that was a creation of her own, I guess that'll come out in 2028 at the earliest if INCREDIBLES 3 doesn't nab that slot. Even if it does, musical chairs often happens at Pixar. INCREDIBLES 2 originally got scheduled for June 2019, and then traded places with TOY STORY 4.

So... ELIO, Daniel Chong's HOPPERS, Andrew Stanton's TOY STORY 5, INCREDIBLES 3... That looks to be the tarmac here, with Pixar. Of course, something else could sneak its way in or something moves back.

WDAS is ever vague, MOANA 2, ZOOTOPIA 2 (no director revealed or fully confirmed, apparently?), Untitled Original, FROZEN III, FROZEN IV...

ADD-ON... Hours later: Upon further inspection... In the TOY STORY 5 concept art, Jessie is wearing Woody's "Sheriff" badge... So, that kinda tells me, this is set after TOY STORY 4...

Curious and curiouser as to how Woody's back in the fold, and Bo's not present...

[chelseamount]

Carpool Karaoke - Tom Holland x Reader

BEFORE YOU READ��IMPORTANT 

when there are songs

cursive is you

BOLD is James

and This  is both of you

this story was requested by @tomsirishgirlx​ 

---

"Thank you so much for helping me to work today the traffic is crazy" James

"yeah no problem," I say

"you wanna listen to some music?"

"let's do it"

"Are we gonna have a problem?

You got a bone to pick?

You've come so far why now are you pulling on my dick?

I'd normally slap your face off And everyone here could watch But I'm feeling nice Here's some advice Listen up beeyotch"

"I like"

Lookin' hot

Buying stuff They can not

"I like"

"Drinking hard Maxing dad's credit card"

I like

Skippin' gym Scarin' her Screwin' him

I like

Killer clothes

Kickin' nerds in the nose

If you lack the balls You can go play dolls Let your mommy fix you a snack(whoa)Or you could come smoke Pound some rum and coke In my Porsche with the quarterback (whoa, whoa, whoa)

Honey, what you waitin' for? Welcome to my candy store Time for you to prove you're not a loser Anymore And step into my candy store

Guys fall At your feet Pay the check Help you cheat

All you Have to do

Say goodbye

To Shamu

That freak's Not your friend I can tell In the endIf she Had your shot

She would leave You to rot

Course if you don't care Fine, go braid her hair Maybe Sesame Street is on(whoa)

Or forget that creep And get in my jeep

Let's go tear up Someone's lawn (whoa, whoa, whoa)

Honey, what you waitin' for? Welcome to my candy store You just gotta prove You're not a pussy Anymore And step into my candy store

You can join the team

Or you can bitch and moan

You can live the dream

Or you can die alone

You can fly with eagles

Or if you prefer

Keep on testing me

And end up like her

Honey, what you waitin' for?

Shut up, Heather! Step into my candy store

Time for you to prove You're not a lame-ass Anymore And step into my candy store

It's my candy store It's my candy It's my candy store It's my candy It's my candy store It's my candy store

"I think I just got chills there," James says as we laugh "so Y/n it's so great to have you here"

"it's so great to be here it's like a dream come true" I smile

"y/n you are a Broadway singer and actress"

(all of these musicals and movies don't really make sense with the years they were made in but just imagine that they fit the age the reader is if that makes sense"

"yes that's correct"

"so what was your first role like ever"

"ever was Jan in grease"

"really" James looks at me

"yeah I was so happy"

"that's amazing and you were how old"

"fourteen"

"wow and what was your first broadway musical"

"that was heathers as the role of heather chandler as we just heard"

"I love the heathers songs and you are still in contact with some of your co-workers right"

"right I am really close with Barret who played Veronica but we don't get to see each other too much but when we do it's amazing"

"but you two played in mean girls too right"

"right I played Regina George and she played Janis, and that was probably one of my favourite musicals I have been in because obviously mean girls was like my favourite movie when i was younger"

"yeah so what was your favourite song from mean girls"

"oh totally world burn I think it's amazing"

"My name is Regina George And I am a massive deal I will grind you to sand Beneath my Louboutin heel This is what I get for helping Helping someone lame fit in Cady Heron, enjoy your temporary win" I sing "My name is Regina George "Regina is a fugly cow." Hey Cady, how ya like me now? I wanna watch the world burn I got the gasoline I wanna watch the world burn And everyone get mean I wanna watch the world burn I got the gasoline I wanna watch the world burn And everyone get mean Cady, time to watch your back Cady, time to turn and cough Because you took me down But you didn't finish me off My name is Regina George And in case you're keeping score Cady may have won the battle But I will win the war, for I wanna watch the world burn Trang Pak is a grotsky bi-otch! I got the gasoline Ms Norbury is a drug pusher! I wanna make the world burn Janis is a space dyke! Regina is a fugly cow Regina is a fugly cow And you can quote this Ohh. Woah-oh-oh! Who wrote this? Who wrote this? Who wrote this? I wanna watch the world burn I got the gasoline! I wanna watch the world burn And everyone turn Mean So mean! Mean So mean! Mean! I wanna watch the world burn Who wrote this? Who wrote this? I wanna make the world turn So mean! I wanna watch the world burn!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"y/n you were in les misérables too"

"yes I played fantine which was amazing but it hit hard you know it was very much touching

There was a time when men were kind When their voices were soft And their words inviting There was a time when love was blind And the world was a song And the song was exciting There was a time

Then it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in times gone by When hope was high and a life worth living I dreamed, that love would never die I dreamed that Go

d would be forgiving Then I was young and unafraid And dreams were made and used and wasted There was no ransom to be paid No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night With their voices soft as thunder As they tear your hope apart As they turn your dream to shame He slept a summer by my side He filled my days with endless wonder He took my childhood in his stride But he was gone when autumn came And still, I dream he'll come to me That we will live the years together But there are dreams that cannot be And there are storms we cannot weather I had a dream my life would be So different from this hell I'm living So different now from what it seemed Now life has killed the dream I dreamed

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"that literally just made me get tears in my eyes," James says as he points to his eyes

we laugh and talk for some time when the thing I have dreaded the most comes up

"so y/n I have to ask you this because everyone wants to know encluding me"

"oh no gosh I know what it is already"

"are you dating tom holland"

"oh god Tom and I are just good friends"

"really because your two have been spotted a lot of times holding hands"

"friends do that"

"sure"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Regina George is the queen bee

She's always dressed up She always wins Spring Fling Queen We're just drones that work for her And then die"James says as he turns on the radio

"My name is Regina George

And I am a massive deal Fear me, love me Stand and stare at me And these, these are real I've got money and looks I am, like, drunk with power This whole school Humps my leg like a chihuahua the prettiest poison you've ever seen I never weigh more than one-fifteen My name is Regina George And I am a massive deal I don't care who you are I don't care how you feel"

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"so y/n, let's get a little serious"

"yes" I say

"in this song, you sing 'i never weigh more than 115' but you said something in a video that Regina doesn't have to be that and that you aren't and i found that amazing"

"thank you I really don't think that she has to be that and I am not and will never be near that and I'm proud of that you should be proud of how you look"

"I love that. you're also in a musical right now hamilton"

"yes I am in England"

"so any plans for what you are going to do after hamilton"

"yes but it's a secret for now

"Okay but you play one of the Schuyler sisters"

"yes I play Eliza"

"and you're amazing in it I saw it some time ago and I love it as I wrote to you"

"it still warms my heart"

"but my biggest dream is being in hamilton but as one of the Schuyler sisters"

"mmm-hmm" I laugh

"I wanna be angelica"

"you can be James"

There's nothing rich folks love more Than going downtown and slumming it with the poor They pull up in their carriages and gawk at the students in the common Just to watch 'em talk

Take Philip Schuyler, the man is loaded Uh oh, but little does he know that His daughters, Peggy, Angelica, Eliza Sneak into the city just to watch all the guys at

Work, work

Angelica!

Work, work

Eliza!

And Peggy!

Work, work

The Schuyler sisters

Angelica!

Peggy!

Eliza!

Work!

Daddy said to be home by sundown

Daddy doesn't need to know

Daddy said not to go downtown

Like I said, you're free to go

But—look around, look around The revolution's happening in New York

New York

Angelica

Work!

It's bad enough Daddy wants to go to war

People shouting in the square

It's bad enough there'll be violence on our shore

New ideas in the air

Look around, look around

Angelica, remind me what we're looking for

She's looking for me!

Eliza, I'm looking for a mind at work (work, work) I'm looking for a mind at work (work, work) [x2] Woa-oah

Woa-oah

Work!

Ooh, there's nothing like summer in the city Someone in a rush next to someone lookin' pretty Excuse me, miss, I know it's not funny But your perfume smells like your daddy's got money Why you slummin' in the city in your fancy heels? You searchin' for an urchin who can give you ideals?

Burr, you disgust me

Ahh, so you've discussed me I'm a trust fund, baby, you can trust me

I've been reading Common Sense by Thomas Paine So men say that I'm intense or I'm insane You want a revolution? I want a revelation So listen to my declaration:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident That all men are created equal"

And when I meet Thomas Jefferson (unh!) I'mma compel him to include women in the sequel

Work!

Look around, look around at how Lucky we are to be alive right now Look around, look around at how Lucky we are to be alive right now

History is happening in Manhattan and we

Just happen to be in the greatest city in the world In the greatest city in the world!

---------------------------------

"All my dreams just came true," James says as I laugh at his comment "okay now time for something a little different"

"oh gosh," I say "what is it"

"we're going to take a lie detector test"

"nooo"

after some time I'm all strapped up while a man is on a computer checking whether I speak the truth or not

"okay let's start out by some to test if it works"

"okay"

"is your name Y/n"

"yes"

"true"

"are you currently in hamilton"

"yes"

"true"

"did you play Regina George"

"yes"

"she's telling the truth"

"Great let's start easy so...Y/n"

"yes"

"Which one of your castmates is your favourite"

"Barrett"

"true"

"great, y/n am I your favourite host"

"oh absolutely"

"true"

"yes you had to get that right, okay this one is the best one are you dating tom holland"

shit

"no"

"lie"

"YES I KNEW IT I KNEW IT OMG YES" he smiles

"no that's the truth," I say

"you can't lie on accident"

"well fuck me then"

"how long"

"not long"

"lie"

"okay five years almost"

"WHAT," James says in shock

"I'm sorry we just didn't want our relationship the get ruined by hate"

"five years"

"yeah"

"When were you going to tell everyone when you had seven kids"

"haha no I don't know when but I guess it's out now"

"well some people are going to get heartbroken, someone gets hurt"

-----------------------------

Ice queen, that's what you see It's what they all expect from me But it's all show Face it, you used me You saw the sexy clothes My supermodel pose But did you know?Was I a game to you? Was I way to be cool? I truly cared Was I the fool? It's fine for you It's fine to flirt It's fine 'Till someone gets hurt 'Till someone gets hurt

----------------------------------

"Y/n it was amazing to have you here"

"it was amazing to be here James, even tho I now have to go home to Tom and tell him the news, gosh this is so fucked"

"wait you guys live together too"

"bye James" I run out the door

--------------------------------

"Baby I'm home" I smile

"hi love," Tom says as he walks over to me and kisses me, gosh I missed him

"I missed you," I say

"I missed you"

"you love me right"

"more than anything my - wait what did you do"

"well"

[artificialqueens]

Pretty in Pearls, Chapter 1 (Jankie) - Plastiquedoll

read on ao3 💄

Summary: For as long as she can remember, Jan has been in love with her baseball teammate. The only problem is that he always likes an Angela, a Pamela, a Sandra or a Rita better… As years have gone by, she couldn’t get those feelings behind and as a college freshman, she starts noticing more and more things that set her apart from “the other girls”, the ones her crush seems to prefer. She can’t help but think that “maybe if she was prettier, maybe if she was more like them…” things would be different. However, the more she gets to know those girls she also realizes how wonderful they can be; especially a certain girl named Jackie who works in the copy room and who keeps helping Jan unconditionally.

A/N: hi! this is my second chaptered fic -I wrote a little note on ao3 in case the concept of the story sounds off for anyone- but still, I hope you like it and thanks for reading it <3

-Prologue-

When Jan turned ten –to her chagrin- she received a Barbie doll with a lovely dress full of ribbons as her birthday gift. Her older brother -whose birthday had been just two months ago- got a brand new baseball bat and even when she had begged for over a year she could get one, all she got was a plastic lady with blonde hair and pink lips that didn’t look like her at all. It wasn’t fair, she had to play with his worn-out chipping bat with sticky duct tape on the grip when she was way better than her brother. Why couldn’t she get a bat too?

Luckily, Jan being the stubborn she was, had a plan. If her parents weren’t going to gift her a new bat to play baseball, she was going to get it by herself. She spent all summer selling lemonade on her front yard to raise money –hey, if life gives you lemons…- delivering newspapers and doing some other little tasks in exchange for some coins. Even when she worked hard and put her heart into everything she did it wasn’t enough to pay the full. She was about to give up when her grandfather showed up with a late birthday present –a book with a couple of bills hidden inside- not only she could get that new bat, she also got a couple of new balls that had the other kids in the neighborhood green with envy.

Jan had always been the kind of kid that was restless in class, she was a chatterbox and often her teacher had to remind her to be sat during a lesson but in the sports field it was different, she could run, play and win games like no other and she was celebrated for that. She was better than most kids her age and her team had always emerged victorious when she batted, so yeah, baseball was a big deal for her.

It was also around the time she met Nathan.

He was the new kid in school who didn’t talk much with other kids but one afternoon her classmates had asked him to join their team. Jan, who was always picked first with her messy ponytail and bruised knees, didn’t consider that scrawny kid to be a threat. Yet, he proved her wrong as he was the first person to strike her out of a game in ages. Everyone was in disbelief. Jan was competitive and after that humiliating defeat, her new goal was to beat her classmate. The only problem was that he was better than she expected and it took her a while to match his skills.

And with the years, what had started as a rivalry became a friendship. Jan was the only girl in her class that didn’t mind playing in the dirt or hanging out with the boys all day. In high school, the difference was even more noticeable since she never felt she belonged with the other girls, and with her sports passion, she could get a college scholarship if she kept pushing and winning games. During the senior year, she couldn’t care less about proms and fancy dresses when she was just one step ahead of making her dream a reality, playing in varsity.

Nathan was already signed by a few schools as well and whenever he was going, she was going as well. Not only he was her best friend, she had developed a crush on him when they grew older, she knew many things could change in her life but he was a constant and she’d do what it would take to keep it like that. The only problem was that Nathan was a handsome guy and he always liked an Angela, a Pamela, a Sandra or a Rita better.

He couldn’t see that Jan was in love with him, not yet at least.

But if she could still be a part of his life in the years to come, that would be enough for her. She’d stay in the shadows until she got her shot and she knew the day would come. She only needed to be patient. He was going to notice her and he was going to realize she was the one for him, she had always been.

It was a joyful day when she got accepted into the same university with a partial scholarship –her parents could afford the other half- she was ecstatic, the little girl from New Jersey with a bat was now going to play in the girls’ team and even when she wasn’t going to be in the same team than Nathan, she was going to be close enough.

Yes, everything would work out.

-1-

College is hell.

That was the first thing she thought the first day of school, even after going through orientation, she didn’t seem to find any of her classes, the classrooms were in different buildings, her schedules were all wrong and on top of all, she hadn’t seen Nathan in all morning.

To make things even worse, around noon she got called by one of the secretaries of the administration center, apparently, there was a problem with her papers, one of her forms got lost in the mail and she needed to present it before the end of the day.

If only she could find the copy room to get that form…

She kept going up and down stairs without complaining until she found the room at the end of a deserted aisle. She got a soda from the vending machine outside and then got inside. It was almost lunchtime so most students were at the cafeteria, only one girl was getting some book pages copied and she was paying by the time Jan walked in.

“Have a nice day.” The person behind the counter greeted her.

It was Jan’s turn now.

“Hi!” She approached the counter. “I- uh, I need this form…” Where was the paper the secretary had given her? “Wait for just a second, I had it here.”

Jan knew she looked like a train wreck, she had her books and notebooks in one hand, the soda can in the other, she had to empty her pockets with a barely free hand and held her phone under her neck.

“Do you need a copy of the form H-23?” The girl from the copier asked.

“Uh… I think so… Yes!” She found the paper. “H-23… that’s the one.” She smiled brightly.

The girl from the copier seemed calm and collected enough to make Jan feel a little better. She had silky brown hair tied in a half-updo, chocolate eyes framed by a pair of glasses, a knitted mustard sweater with a shirt underneath, a platted brick skirt, and high brown boots. She looked like what a college student wants to look like, in full control.

She was also really pretty.

“You’re like the fifth person who came today asking for that form…” She said while pressing some computer keys to set the printer. “Many students had a problem with the mail system for what it seems.”

“Yeah… I got notified just now and I’ve been running around all day.” She put all her things in one hand and stretched the now free hand. “I’m Jan, by the way.”

“Jackie.” The other girl shook her hand. “You can put your stuff here on the counter if you want. It’ll only take a minute.”

“Ah, thank you.” She did as she said.

“Freshman?” Jackie asked raising an eyebrow.

“Is it too obvious?” Jan could feel her cheeks getting colored.

“Just a little… you look like you still have a soul.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Oh, no, not at all.” She smiled at Jan.

Jackie’s kindness made her feel warm inside. It had been a rough morning and for the first time that day, someone was being genuinely nice to her.

“Do you study here too?” Jan asked while the brunette stapled her papers.

“Yes, I’m an Art History major. Junior.”

“Oh wow, that sounds sophisticated.”

“Girl… it’s not… there’re a lot of white men and my mother surely would’ve loved me picking something more… profitable. What about you? Have you declared your major yet?”

Jan nodded. “Economics, kind of boring, I know…” She rested her elbows on the counter. “I’m actually here with a sports scholarship.”

“That explains the baseball shirt.” She pointed at Jan’s outfit.

“Right!” Jan instinctively touched the fabric of the shirt. “Go, team!”

Being completely honest, Jan had forgotten she was wearing that. Early in the morning, she was more worried about showing up on time to orientation –clearly in vain since she kept getting lost- and because of that she hadn’t put a lot of thought into her fashion choices, instead, she picked a black tank top, a pair of jeans, sneakers and the baseball jacket with her lucky number –eleven- on it.

“Are you this excited all the time?” Jackie handed her the form.

Jan’s face lost light suddenly. “Is that bad? Because I’ve been said that I can be too much sometimes and-”

“No! I didn’t mean… no.” The brunette moved her hands in the air frantically. “It’s refreshing. I don’t think I’ve met someone like you before.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” She rummaged through her things until she found a couple of coins. “Here, for the form. Thank you so much for your help.”

She beamed and it was dashing enough to compete with the sun.

“T-Thank you.” Jackie stuttered while picking the money.

“I hope you have a nice day.” Jan slid all her things into her backpack.

“You too… see you around.” The brunette waved.

Jan copied the gesture and on her way out of the copy room she almost bumped into someone. It was Nathan.

“Hey!” She felt her pulse racing. “There you are! I haven’t seen you all day.”

“Janie! How are you doing?” He held the door open. “I’ve been around, you know? Getting used to all of this.”

“I know, right? I still can’t believe we’re here!” She couldn’t hide her enthusiasm.

Jackie, in the background, lowered her glasses and observed them in silence.

“I’m sorry I can’t chat right now, I need to get this form for the administration office and it’s a pain in the ass…”

“No way, they lost mine too… it must be New Jersey’s post service.”

“It really sucks. I better hurry up then or the place is going to get crowded.”

“Here.” She extended the paper without hesitation. “You can have mine, I haven’t filled it yet.”

“You don’t mind?”

The girl shook her head. “I can get another one.”

“Whoa, thank you, Janie. Wait, let me pay you.”

“No problem. You can give it back to me later.” She nervously touched her hair.

“Ah, I owe you one. Thank you. I was worried I wouldn’t get in time to have lunch. I just met the most gorgeous girl on campus, she’s stunning, I’m telling you and I was afraid I was going to miss my chance to speak with her because of this. You’re a great friend.” He patted her shoulder. “See you later.”

“Sure…” She mumbled.

He got out and closed the door without looking back.

With her slumped shoulders and drooping head, she looked back to where Jackie was.

“Do you think you could make another copy?”

The brunette who had witnessed the entire scene had her jaw clenched but she nodded and pressed print once again.

Jan shuffled back to the counter, she was grateful that the other girl didn’t say a word.

“Here you have, don’t lose this one.” Jackie smiled at Jan hoping that she could lift her mood a little bit.

“Thank you.” Her tone was barely audible. “I appreciate it.” She gave her some more coins and turned back.

Jackie knew she was going to regret it but she couldn’t let that girl go in that state of sadness. It wasn’t correct, it didn’t feel right.

“You know, I’m about to take my lunch break… would you like to join me?”

Jan looked at her for a moment that felt like an eternity.

“You don’t have to do it just because…”

“No, I don’t have to, I want to.” She assured.

“Okay…” She raised her voice a little. “That’d be nice.”

“Yeah. Nice.” Jackie grabbed her bag and held the keys of the room in her hand. “Let’s go.”

At that moment, a faint smile appeared on Jan’s face and Jackie knew for sure, she was going to regret this.

Freshmen were like little ducklings waddling around, imprinting on the first person who showed them a little affection –that was how they always ended up joining clubs and sororities on day one-, they were naïve, full of fears, expectations, and questions… they surely had a lot of questions. Jackie did her best to avoid them at least for the first couple of weeks. She was over the nervousness, the stutters, and sweaty palms –she had had enough during her first year.

However, this girl…

This one girl.

With her giant puppy eyes, her light brown hair falling all over her face whenever she tried to pick something that fell to the floor, the way she talked fast like she was going to forget what she was going to say if she didn’t say it quickly; she didn’t do it on purpose but a part of her body was continuously moving whether it was her fingers drumming on surfaces or her feet and she had this somehow chirpy personality even when odds weren’t on her favor.

Of course, Jan was straight. Jackie had seen it before, girls like that falling for douchebags and getting their hearts broken in multiple pieces. She saw it in her face on her body language when that guy showed up in the copy room, the way it was painfully obvious she was in love with him, and yet he treated her like a little sister taking advantage of her generosity.

She couldn’t just let her go back into the world like that, devastated.

The words escaped her mouth before she could give it a second thought.

And now she was having lunch with this girl, she kept explaining sports stuff to Jackie as if she had a clue what she was talking about and yet she listened to her because it was mesmerizing to watch.

“…that season was tight but we won within the last minutes even when the other team had their bases loaded.” She took a bite of her macaroni.

Her energies had been renewed the moment she started talking about baseball; she had listened to Jackie attentively when she explained the system of the cafeteria, how to activate and use her student card but the moment she gave her rise to talk about what she did before getting into college, she went directly to that point.

“Am I boring you? I’m sorry I didn’t realize I was talking too much I-”

“No! Please stop apologizing, it’s cool. I think it’s really cool that you’re… so passionate about something.”

“Really? I didn’t mean this to become a monologue, sometimes I get carried away.” She scratched the back of her head. “Anyway…”

Her gaze followed a figure in the cafeteria, it was the guy from before and he was having lunch with a large group of people but his attention was clearly focused on one girl next to him. Jackie noticed Jan taking a deep breath and then faking a smile trying to resume the conversation.

“What’s with that guy? Is he your boyfriend?” She asked, unscrupulous. Her salad was long forgotten in front of her.

“Nathan?!” She was like a deer caught in headlights. “Uh… He’s… he’s a friend from New Jersey. We used to play in the same baseball team until we got separated by boys and girls in high school.” She started blushing gradually until her face turned entirely red. “We’re friends, we have always been friends…”

Jackie arched an eyebrow. Interesting.

“So you like him.”

Now her face turned from red to burgundy.

“What?! No! I don’t… He’s… We’re… That’s ridiculous. I don’t like him he’s… a friend.”

The other girl didn’t say a word.

Jan sighed. “It’s never gonna happen… He just doesn’t think of me that way.” She looked at Jackie, there was something melancholic in her eyes. “I’m happy with being part of his life regardless.”

Something inside Jackie was shattered. She couldn’t help but feel deeply sorry for that girl who was hopelessly devoted.

“Jan, it’s not-”

But she was abruptly interrupted by the voice of another girl.

“Well, Miss Cox you didn’t tell me you were going to be here today.”

She didn’t even have to turn around to recognize who it was.

“Hello, Heidi.” She massaged her temples. “How are you?”

The girl didn’t wait and sat with them in a heartbeat.

“Betrayed, clearly. I just passed by the copy room and you weren’t there.” Her eyes moved to the girl in front of them. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new friend?”

“Jan, this is Heidi… Heidi, Jan.”

“Heidi, nice to meet you. Jackie’s friends are my friends.” She extended her hand.

“Hi! I’m Jan.” The girl shook Heidi’s hand vigorously.

“Easy honey, I need that arm.”

Jan shrugged. “Sorry.”

“Jan is a freshman from New Jersey and she plays baseball.”

“Oh, that explains the inhuman super strength.” She moved her arm in circles to readjust it.

Jan giggled. “I don’t know my own strength.”

Heidi gave Jackie a look that the brunette ignored.

“Anyway, Jan, don’t forget to submit your form, the secretary can get really cranky if you find her on a bad day.”

“Oh, right! I still have to fulfill it.” She found a pen somewhere inside her backpack.

“Well, I’m going to leave you, ladies.” Heidi waved goodbye. “Jackie, I’ll drop by later I need some copies for Professor Brown.”

“Sure, my break is over in like ten minutes.”

“Alright. See you around.” She looked at Jan who was still going through the form. “Have a nice first day you…”

“Thank you!” She smiled and with that Heidi was gone. “I think I’m done.” Jan showed her form proudly.

“C’mon then, I’ll walk with you back to the office.”

“Oh my God. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I got lost so many times today.”

“Wait, didn’t you get a map and everything during orientation?”

“Yeah, but still… it’s very confusing.”

“Do you have it with you?”

Jan dug through her backpack once again until she got the binder with the things freshmen were given as their welcome package.

“Okay,” Jackie unfolded the piece of paper until it became five times its size. “give me a pen.”

The younger offered the same pen she was just using.

“You gotta have the important extra information they don’t give you. For example, these stairs…” She drew an x over them. “Are always full of people and if you’re in a hurry, I don’t recommend it… so instead, you get to use these.” She circled the point on the map.

Jan listened to every word she said.

“Now… this is where we’re heading, the administration office. You wanna know where it is because, if there’s any problem with your papers, you have to go there fast… best way to get to this building is passing by next to the library and using the elevator that will take you there directly. Do you get it now?”

“Jackie…” She reached for the brunette’s hands. “You’re the best… I could cry right now.”

“Please don’t…” Jackie said, flushed. She cleared her throat. “Do you think you could lead the way? The copy room is nearby.”

“I’ll definitely try.” Jan was excited.

She put all her things back in her bag and followed Jackie after leaving their trays and throwing the trash. As soon as they reached the hallway, it was Jan’s time to guide them. She took the map and used the cafeteria as their reference point, after that, she traced a route. Jackie had to bite her tongue to refrain from helping her because she knew that was the only way she could learn. In the end, she did a really good job.

“We’re here. This is the administration office and right upstairs is…”

“The copy room.”

“Correct.”

“Yay!” She celebrated clapping. “Thank you so much, really… I don’t know what I’d have done without your help today.”

“Don’t even mention it.” Jackie smiled at her.

“Can I go visit you later? After my class…? Maybe I could bring you some snacks for being so nice to me.”

“There’s no need… really.”

“But I want to.”

There was no way Jackie was going to say no to her, that was already established.

“Okay, sure. I like Snickers.”

“Noted… see you later, Jackie.”

“Good luck.”

She started walking away but had a last glimpse of Jan before taking the stairs.

Her heart started beating faster.

Oh for goodness sake… what have you done Jackie Cox?

[hairup-squareup]

Cupid’s Kiss| Chapter 1: A French Phenomenon

Title: Cupid’s Kiss

Summary: True love is something hard to find. That’s why at Cupid’s Kiss Matchmaking they strive to find you your soulmate and get you your happily ever after, no matter the cost is.

Word count: ~3.3k (this chapter)/~3.3k the whole book

Ships: HallDoll (Jaida Essence Hall/Nicky Doll), Gottlux (GottMik/Olivia Lux), CrystalAvalon (Symone/Gigi Goode/Crystal Methyd), Jankie (Jackie Cox/Jan sport), Rosenali (Rose/ Denali Foxx)

Tw: mentions of death, divorce and rehab

  “Welcome to New York City, The current time is 1:32 am, and the temperature is 19 degrees Celsius for my Europeans on the flight and 66 Fahrenheit for my Americans. Maybe one day you’ll smarten up and use Celsius like the rest of the world.” This sarcastic response from the pilot brought a chuckle and smile to Nicky’s face, as she packed up her sketchbook into her carry-on. With a sigh, she sat back waiting for the rest of the plane to disembark.

  “Is she ever going to get off the fucking plane!” Mik rested his head on the handrail, pouting like some little kid. He kept watching as person after person left the arrivals gate and reconnected with their people. WHY WAS NICKY TAKING FOREVER?!

  “Well so you don’t die of boredom Mik, She just arrived at security.” Brooke looked up from her phone at the young boy sitting in front of her on the ground. She let out a soft laugh before sitting down beside him, “ Raja and Liv are probably on their way back with coffees.” Brooke smiled as she spun the young boy’s hair in her fingers. 

  “Why did I have to come again? I am an adult.” Mik huffed as he looked the Canadian in the eyes. Brooke gave him a slight shove before standing up and going back to the bench she was on, Mik following a few steps behind.

  “Because last time Raja and I went to go pick up an associate, We came back to the office a wreck and you and Olivia half-naked.” Brooke didn’t look up from the email she was writing. Mik opened his mouth to go say something but closed it realizing that Brooke had a point. Though he did love his girlfriend a lot, the two just had miraculous bad timing. 

  And Speaking of said girlfriend coming around the corner emerged the perky auburn-haired girl Brooke had mentioned, along with Brooke’s tired silver-haired business partner. Raja smirked handing Brooke one of the two coffees in her hand. “Remind me not to let you bring people in from out of the country again.”

  “Didn’t you tell Manila that when she put my name on the table?”

  “Yes, But you weren’t over seven hours away. Plus I brought you on as a replacement when Manila left anyways.” Raja smirked looking at Brooke, who was still focused on her phone. “As well as the fact you are so much better at the finance stuff than me.”

  This caused Brooke to look up from her phone, kind of puzzled. “That’s because I am one of the few people you’ve hired that can actually do fucking math. If you didn’t have me you would probably be running around hooking people up for fucking free Raja.” She smacked the older woman’s chest as she let out a chuckle.

  “I’ve offered to hook you up multiple times.” Raja smiled as she took a sip of her coffee “I have a 100% success rate, and I can find you the perfect girl. I mean look at the two down here.” She motioned to the two making out in front of them. Brooke broke out laughing at the two younger adults in front of her hitting Mik on the back of the head. This didn’t stop the two from making out, it just caused Mik to flip off Brooke.

  “Madame Hytes?” a voice came from the entrance of arrivals causing all four to turn their heads to face the arrival’s gate. Standing there was a blonde thin girl with a bright red shoulder bag tossed over her shoulder. Brooke smiled as she went over to her friend and smiled as she wrapped her arms around the French girl in front of her.

  “Mlle Nicky Doll, je suis content que votre vol se soit bien passé. (Ms. Nicky doll, I am happy your flight was safe.)” Brooke smiled as she took her friend’s hand. The two exchanged a laugh before Nicky handed her suitcase to Brooke.

  “Brooke, dois-je parler la langue de merde (Brooke, do I need to speak the shit language)” Nicky stopped before turning to her friend, who was currently trying to stop herself from laughing too much. She just kept looking at all the people passing her as Brooke was leaning on the suitcase. “Brooke?”

  “Yes. Yes. Nicky, you’ll need to speak English. I am the only one who knows french.” Brooke barely got out before taking a few moments to regain her breath. She adjusted herself turning to Nicky giving her the nod that she was all good to go, linking hands with the French model. Nicky nodded kinda shy to meet the other three at the bench, but willing to follow her friend’s lead. Brooke leaned over right before they reached the trio at the bench and whispered “The younger ones have a lot of energy I’d like to warn you on that.”

  Nicky nodded in response as both Mik and Olivia rushed u like eager puppies to her, they both seemed speechless. “You look amazing!” Olivia’s eyes were like stars at the sight of Nicky, who just smiled and nodded, giving awkward glances back at Brooke.

  “Guys, This is my friend Nicky Doll from Paris. She’s going to be here to help you all out with the love scene.” Brooke smiled at the trio as she stepped aside to showcase her friend.

  “Bonjour. Thank you all for having me, I’ll be happy to work with you all.” Nicky smiled at the group. Raja stepped out from the group to stand in front of Nicky and taking a look at her new hire up and down.

  “Well, Ms. Doll. We are happy to have you join the cupid’s kiss matchmaking family” Raja smiled as she opened her arms to the French model in front of her. A genuine smile appeared on Nicky’s face as she hugged the older woman tight. For once she felt like she belonged.

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  The next morning came like a bullet train. No one in the office was prepared to come into work. “Man people are getting desperate, how can we find matches for some of these?” Gigi entered the office looking at a folder in her hands before sitting down at her desk, sprawling the open folder across her keyboard. “I mean Symone, come take a look at this one.” She motioned for Symone to come and join her at her desk.

  Symone pulled her coffee mug out from under the machine and took her time heading to her childhood best friend’s desk. “Crystal Methyd, what kinda name is that?” Symone chuckled as she rested her chin on Gigi’s head. She flipped through the folder or at least tried to, stumbling on a photo of this said culprit. “No!” Her hand flew to cover her mouth at the sight before her.

  “SHE HAS A MULLET!” Gigi’s jaw was touching the floor at this sight of an androgynous being with a full El DeBarge still mullet giving a quirky smile. Gigi looked the photo up and down. “ I mean they are kinda cute.”

  Symone stopped for a second before looking at her friend, trying to comprehend what she just said, “Gi, you are not falling for the person with the mullet. Are you?”

  “No! I just said they were cute! It’s like the comment you made about Joey last month!”

  “Everyone thought that twink was cute! Well everyone except you, but that’s ‘cause you’re a femme who’s not attracted to other twinks.”

  With that comment, Gigi took the folder and whacked her friend in the stomach. Causing Symone to laugh as she walked away back to the staff room.

  Jaida looked at the other girl as she entered the staff room. “Gigi simping for a client?” She chuckled, handing Symone a sugar packet.  Symone gave a slight sigh before pouring said sugar packet into her coffee.

  “It was going to happen to the best of us. It always does” She smiled looking at the young girl at the desk through the giant glass window. Gigi was still going through the file and seeing if she could find anything on Crystal Methyd. This caused the two in the staff room to simultaneously take sips of their coffee, with soft smiles emerging. “Speaking of love, how are you and-”

  “Rock? Didn’t work out. She moved back to San Francisco for work and we both agreed a long-distance relationship wouldn’t be the best for our mental health.  We both agreed to stay friends though!” Jaida smiled at her friend who put a hand on her shoulder.

  “Shall I start adopting you a cat? So you can start your long life as a crazy cat lady?” this exact comment is what made Jaida leave the staff room and go start heading to work.

  Symone chugged the last of her coffee before sitting down at her desk and logging in on her computer. As much as she loved working at a matchmaking office, helping people get their happily ever after, it kinda made her see how lonely she truly is.  Maybe she should put her application in to find someone, that could easily be a solution.

  “Head in the clouds hun?” The sweet voice of Olivia Lux whistled through Symone’s ears breaking her trance. She turned to face her coworker, a smirk on her face as she was met with a naïve joyful smile. “Mik and I picked up donuts before work and I just wanted to offer you one.” Olivia stuck the pink box in her hand out to Symone. 

  Maybe a donut will help clear her head, She smiled as she grabbed a Boston crème out of the box. “Thanks, Liv, I don’t know how you can stay so happy all the time.” Symone chuckled as she took a bite of the donut, turning her focus back up to the girl in front of her.

  “Well I know it’s the fact we’ve got someone new joining the team today.” This exact comment is what caused Symone to almost choke on her donut, as well as catching the attention of the whole office. Everyone flocked to Symone’s desk like a bunch of seagulls around a piece of bread.

  “Someone new?” Jackie emerged from her executive office, approaching the small group that’s now crowded around Symone’s desk “Raja didn’t say anything about someone new.”

  “Well, Raja, Mik, Brooke, and I picked her up from the airport last night or this morning. Time is very confusing.”  Olivia looked around at everyone surrounding her. “Donut?” She lifted the box, offering it to those around her.

  Everyone started whispering about the new hire; it was rare to get a new hire at Cupid’s Kiss, so everyone was naturally curious. Olivia turned to Mik, who gave her an encouraging thumbs-up. “All I know is her name is Nicky and she’s from France.” 

  “She’s like a model, some friend of Brooke,” Mik spoke up to be the focus off of his girlfriend. 

  “Who’s a model? Cause I don’t remember paying you all to stand around to chat about some model” A voice came from the back of the group causing almost everyone to jump facing the owner of Cupid’s Kiss, Raja Gemini. “Come on guys, we’ve got happily ever after's to make.” She laughed as everyone dispersed from Symone’s desk to their desks or the staff room.

=============================================================

  “Nicky, we’ll be late.” Brooke reapplied her red lip as she watched the other girl stumble out of the other bathroom in her apartment. She sighed before adjusting Nicky’s cardigan. “I told you that you didn’t have to dress fancy.” 

  “Yes, you did. But I want to make a good impression.” She looked up at the Canadian before reaching over her grabbing the car keys from behind Brooke. Nicky quickly spun around as she left the apartment “come on, I’m driving.”

  “In hell, you aren’t!” Brooke chased after her friend. “You don’t even have your American driver’s license. I’m driving Salope.” She laughed as she motioned for her friend to drop her keys in her hands.

  Reluctantly Nicky hands the jeep’s keys back to Brooke. “I’m surprised you have yours, Chienne.” She huffed as the two entered the elevator.

  “I came here after we graduated from Visages. Worked with the New York City Ballet for three years, that’s where I met Sahara. Then we had an accident in the theatre, which crushed my ankle. And then Sahara’s ex-fiancé got me this job.” Brooke’s tone was kinda embarrassed and serious. She never really felt comfortable talking about ballet with anyone except Nicky, who noticed the posture shift. “ A lot of people died…. I got out lucky. I miss Sahara, I miss Kennedy, I miss all the girls.” 

  The rest of the elevator ride was dead silent. Nicky didn’t know how to respond, she just put a hand on Brooke’s shoulder. “But you’ve got me. And that’s not changing, I promise.” Brooke gave a soft smile to her friend, Nicky surprisingly knew what to say to make her feel better.

  She chuckled as Nicky squeezed her hand letting her know it was okay. “That comment isn’t going to get me to allow you to drive my car.” She laughed as they entered the parkade 

  “Va te faire foutre, connasse (Fuck you, bitch)” Nicky smiled as she flipped Brooke off, chasing her to the jeep.

  “You know you Europeans drive on the wrong side of the road!”

  “And? You Americans use the wrong temperature.”

  “I’m Canadian!”

  “You are living in America, so you are American.” Nicky laughed as she watched Brooke start to drive the jeep out of the parkade. She hadn’t felt this relaxed in years, her best friend made her feel like that. 

  The car ride was interesting, definitely not like Paris. Very much a slower and angrier drive, Brooke cursed the taxis around them at least ten times in the first five minutes they were on the road. When Nicky said the car ride was slower than Paris, she meant as slow as a snail in molasses in -40 degrees temperatures. 

  So when traffic came to the 4th stall in ten minutes, she thought it would be a good spot to ask Brooke something. And to possibly stop Brooke from ramming the taxi in front of them. “Brooke?”

  Trying to hide her obvious road rage, Brooke slapped a smile on before turning to her friend in the passenger seat. “Yes, my dear?” Her tone was though still sweet, was still filled with anger.

  “Do you think the others will like me?” This question almost made her laugh. Was Nicky serious? Of course, the others would like her, this group was the most accepting group Brooke knew. She knew for certain they’d like her.

  “Ms. Nicolette Doll,” Nicky cringed at the use of her full first name. Brooke knew only to use it when she was either mad at Nicky or teasing Nicky. “You are a gorgeous French model with a heart of fucking gold. you wish for everyone you meet to succeed, even if you have a fucking hard shell. Trust me, they’ll love you.” She smiled as she cupped Nicky’s face “I mean look at Liv and Mik, they adored you when they first saw you. Hell Raja even let me fly you in just so you could work with us. So if anyone has an issue with you, they can suck my ice-cold Canadian ass.”

  Nicky was almost brought to tears, with how protective her friend was. The words of confidence resonated with her, as a soft smile fell on her face. She was kind of a loss of words so she just squeezed Brooke’s hand, letting her know thank you. Brooke understood the sign and gave a soft squeeze back, “now I gotta make a call, looks like we’re going to be running late because SOMEONE DRIVES SLOWER THAN A MOOSE IN -40 DEGREES IN NUNAVUT!” And with that Brooke went back to cursing out traffic.

=============================================================

  “Look if we can get the mom in rehab before the trial next month it’ll look like she’s willing to fix herself without any court-mandated therapy.” Lagoona huffed as she tossed two files on her legal partners’ desks. Jan stopped spinning in her to get a look at the papers, she looked up at Lagoona slightly confused.

  “You think she’ll willingly do that?” Jan asked as she flipped through the file, she was meant with a shrug in return. Lagoona was about to open her mouth before she was cut off.

  “It’s the only way she���ll get any form of  fucking custody over the kids.” Rosé said as she entered the main office three coffees in hand, passing them out to the other two girls before sitting down at her desk. “Jan, you’re still in contact with Brita?” She asked with a tone as if she already knew the answer. The brunette nodded still slightly confused, looking between the blonde and redhead.

  “Good, give her a call. I’m sure she and Ms. Widow should be able to take the mom.” Lagoona nodded before starting to type a number in her desk phone as well, “I’ll call the mom. See if she can come down so we can explain the situation. Rosie-“ 

  “I’ll get the paperwork done as usual.” Rosé smiled as she cut her friend off giving a small salute to her friend across the room. The three shared a nod before splitting up to do their separate tasks. 

  Rosé knew the routine, get the paperwork ready for when the client agreed. She had it down to a science at this point, she could almost get it done in 2 minutes, depending on if the printer wanted to jam or not. She quickly logged into the computer and had the file selected ready to click print till her phone scared the shit out of her “Fuck!” She watched as the file started to duplicate and duplicate and duplicate. 

  Begrudgingly she grabbed the phone off the desk placing it on her shoulder and under one ear. So she could fight the computer while taking the phone call. “Bloo Sport and McCorkell family law. Hope to bring a voice to the voiceless, I’m Rosé how can I help you….Brooke, please tell me you didn’t total another taxi….Because it’s happened at least seven times now… don’t you have your boss’s phone number so you can call her yourself?… there’s something called voice mail… NO, I AM NOT GOING OVER TO YOUR SCAM AGENCY!… it is and you know it… throw in an actual picture of a fucking moose this time AND NOT one you found online, then I’ll do it… you owe me Hytes. Bye.” Rosé huffed as she hung up the phone turning to the other two, both very confused by the conversation. 

  “Rosie, everything okay?” Jan tilted her as she approached her friend. She grabbed the chocolates on her desk and placed them on Rosé’s desk before backing away cautiously, almost like she had just placed food in front of a dangerous animal.

  Rosé pulled her head out of her hands locking eyes with Jan, whose smile turned to fear. “Jan, you wanna go across the hall and let them know Brooke and Nicky got stuck in traffic?” Rosé watched as her friend nodded excitedly already writing down what Rosé had said getting ready to leave the office. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  And within seconds Jan was out of the office. Lagoona placed an arm on Rosé’s monitor as they watched the door swing, “you know she just wants an excuse to see the cute girls.” She looked down at the now smirking Rosé.

  “Exactly that’s why I sent her.” She let out a soft laugh before turning back to the blonde beside her. “I’ll get you that paperwork in just a sec”

[totallypathet]

Episode Three

First of all...what the fuck was that challenge. And what the fuck was the logic to judging it?! I spent so much of this episode just being confused. I think it would have been so much better if they were allowed to come up with their own ideas and characters, instead of having this really narrow space to work in; that was bizarre to me. Like Just Jan could have done a really delusional, high energy character who was the worst singer in the world; that would have been funny! Instead they stuck them with these bizarre storylines that made no sense, and had very little humour in them. Idk whose choice that was but it was a choice. Anyway, let's get into the rundown!

1. Aiden Zhane

I am not living for Aiden at all. Her attitude in both episodes has let a lot to be desired for me. And also, that runway? What was that? I could buy that dress on Asos, glue some bows to it and have that look. The concept was cool, the bows falling on her? Cool idea. But if you're going to do that then you need to Do It, yknow? Like it would have been cool if she'd had a huge wig completely made of bows. Or if she'd had an umbrella and made it look like it was raining bows, or something, that could have been really cool! It could have been amazing and she took a really easy way out. Disappointing. And her performance was dull. She deserved to be in the bottom more than Nicky Doll.

The only thing I will say for Aiden in this episode is the way Brita and Redacted behaved towards her was really uncool. They did that whole "you didnt lead us at all", and then told her that they carried her? You know that if she had led them they would have totally thrown her under the bus and said "well we do this professionally and we wanted to do this, but she was the leader and she made us do that". It was totally a damned if you, damned if you don't; and that was really unfair.

2. Brita

Guys, I am Bored of Brita. I am over it, and I am underwhelmed. I haven't seen anything from her that I've enjoyed! Her looks have been dull, she's not that funny, and I dont like the way she behaves (like I said with Aiden). She wont be next to go home, but hopefully she wont be long.

3. Crystal Methyd

STOP TRYING TO CHANGE CRYSTAL METHYD! I'm so sick of them going "oh her makeup is always the same", when it has been different each time!! She has a style and a brand, but it's not the same face!! Aiden Zhane does the same fucking face, none of them have picked that out! Loads of queens come in and they only have one face! Not mentioning any names Silky Nutmeg Ganache and Roxxxy Andrews. They got away with it because they were beauty mugs and that's the type of drag this show is biased towards. Crystal Methyd is an artist, let her do herself! That runway look was ugly though. Having said all that. Her face was gorgeous, I loved her makeup, I just thought that look wasnt very her! It didn't suit her somehow, it wasn't right. But she tried really hard during the improv, and I think she did a passable job! She honestly should have been safe, fight me. I just really hope she doesn't change herself to please the judges bc she has such a great vision and point of view, and I don't want her to lose sight of how great she is.

4. Dahlia Sin

Dahlia, Dahlia, Dahlia. Speaking of being underwhelmed, am I right? I had such high hopes for Dahlia, but this week she just didn't pull anything out. I personally think the fruit sketch was really funny, but it would have been exactly the same if Dahlia hadn't been in the group. She was so focused on being ~sexy~ (which is tough in a broccoli costume), that she forgot about everything else. Plus her bows and buttons look was just...odd. from the neck up it had this very avant garde, couture feel, but the outfit itself just looked unfinished. And then to have this weird arse peekaboo thing? Really weird choice. She deserved to be in the bottom and, after that lip sync, she deserved to go home.

I have seen a lot of posts about Dahlia "storming out", and I genuinely don't understand what they're talking about? Like, okay, she didn't say anything before she walked off, does that really constitute storming off? If she'd walked off while Ru was still talking, or if she'd yelled/screamed/sworn, then sure, maybe - but from what I saw she was just upset and wanted to leave as fast as possible. Idk, also they haven't released Untucked on the UK Netflix, so maybe there was more I didnt see.

5. Gigi Goode

I live for Gigi so much. I mean come on! Her character in the improv was passed out half the time and still had presence! She's so funny, and she's not afraid to let loose and get ugly. I think she did a good job in the improv, especially for someone without all that much experience, and her look on the runway was incredible. Solid 8/10 for Gigi this week.

6. Heidi N Closet

Heidi was robbed. I bought everything Heidi was selling this week. I bought it, I didn't stream it, I didn't rent it from the Netflix, I bought it. She was so funny during the challenge; the flipper? She spat out? Iconic. She had me dying the whole time, her, Jackie Cox and Gigi Goode should have their own series, I'd watch the hell out of it. Then she came bouncing down the runway as glitter Pinnochio, and she told that story about when she was at school and I loved every second! Shes so charming, and loveable, and relatable, and Jaida Essence Hall must have been gagged when she was top 2. She was robbed, she should have won, and she should keep her name! That whole thing with "the mouth has to change shape and it's not satisfying to say"? Bullshit, utter bullshit bitch. Heidi N Closet 4lyf.

7. Jackie Cox

Jackie made me so happy this week! Their whole group was hilarious, but Jackie doing the bad ventriloquist act just sent me, I loved it. And she just seems like the sweetest person as well! Her runway look was gorgeous, I loved the reference, her makeup was absolutely stunning, Jackie Cox is seriously the whole package. Her and Heidi should have been top 2 together.

8. Jaida Essence Hall

Jaida came in looking like a pageant queen, but she seriously flexed her comedy muscles this week! Her "bad apple" was hilarious, and she really committed to it! She was a firm leader in the group, but she was a good team player in the scene, she let everyone else have their moment too, and it was a good performance! I was a little bit disappointed that her runway look was very very similar to her spring mini challenge look from last week, but it was still a good look, and honestly I probably wouldnt have noticed if it hadn't been one episode after the other. She has shown a lot of diversity already, I think she just set the bar so high last week that I was really expecting something incredible, and I got something that was "just" good instead. She's still one to beat at the moment!

9. Jan

Jan made me so proud this week!! She was really funny in the skit, she had so much energy and enthusiasm, I loved it! Her jokes were funny, she picked a solid character and played it well, and can we talk about the runway though??? I really expected her to come out in something cute, because her personality is so bubbly and instead she gave me horror high fashion, monster couture and she Sold. Every. Second. It was a total transformation from the challenge to the runway and that, at the heart of it, is what I love about drag; that transformation aspect is just art to me. For me, Jan has it all. She definitely should have been top 3 this week. I think she's served the best runways so far, and I cannot wait to see what she does next week.

10. Nicky Doll

Okay, you guys know I love Nicky Doll. This week was not a good week for her. I appreciate that improv must be so hard in your second language, but I think she suffered a little bit from Dahlia Syndrome: she was so focused on staying pretty that she didn't really deliver anything. I kind of wish her character had literally just been French and spoke no English - part of the joke could have been that language barrier and Crystal/Window not understanding a word she said and her getting more and more frustrated about it. That could have been really funny. Also, her runway look...I know where she was going with it, it was a cool concept, and it was executed okay, there was just something missing, you know? It felt a little bit rushed, and again there was this real focus on being ~pretty~. Maybe if she'd looked a little more Cinderella ish, like her makeup wasn't perfect, and her hair was tied up like she was actually sewing, it would have sold me a little more character. I'm not sure, everything was just a little off for me this week, but I still think she's fierce af, and we all stumble sometimes. I'm looking forward to seeing her get back on her feet next week!

11. Rock M Sakura

Rock M was picked last for the challenge, I could not believe it. She deserved better than that, I was shook. She definitely picked the right group though, she was really funny as the Orange! She looked like she was having fun, and that's what I love about Rock M, is that I have fun watching her have fun. Her jokes were great, she matched Jan's energy, and I think she did a good job. I loved her runway look as well, the Alice in Wonderland concept was great, and I love that she kept the dress pretty simple so that the focus was on her hair and makeup! Her makeup was gorgeous, and the detail of the buttons on her face was stunning! It was a great concept, well executed, this week was a great week for Rock M, and I'm going to be furious if she gets picked last again.

12. Widow Von Du

Widow is getting The Edit. The edit that queens of colour who are talented get, where they paint them as bitchy, or loud, or as stepping on the other girls' toes; so that the audience isn't too pussed off when they get eliminated. Widow is exceedingly talented, and funny, and filled with personality. She also serves looks and delivers incredible performances. I will not let this edit take that away from her. She did great this week. She delivered everything I ordered in the challenge and more, she completely transformed for the runway, and she sold me a great presentation. Widow is definitely one to beat.

[writethehousedown]

Trust Fund, Gold Tongue 5/7 (Crygi) - Peridot

A/N: Your support for this fic means the absolute world to me, thank you so much! I wasn’t sure if I’d get this chapter up today, but here we are! It may not be the best chapter, but I really wanted to produce something for you guy. I hope you still enjoy regardless! Remember you can also find this whole fic on ao3 and can chat to me @artificialperidot as always. Love you guys!

“Undo my bikini at the back, will you?”

“Excuse me?” Crystal choked, feeling her breath hitch in her throat. It was about eleven thirty in the morning, and Crystal had been busy serving drinks by the poolside, but naturally she had taken some time to sneak a quick chat with Gigi when she had seen her sprawled on a sunlounger. 

Gigi was laid on her stomach, wearing a similar floppy sun hat to the one she had worn on the day Crystal had met her, but in a different colour - a sort of beige, cream colour. Crystal presumed she probably didn’t wear the same outfit twice too often. She was mindlessly flipping through a magazine - Vogue, Crystal thought - with her eyes sheltered under massively oversized sunglasses, and wearing a bikini Crystal hadn’t seen before - it was red, and adorned with a paisley pattern, pink and yellow and white. Crystal thought she looked perfect in it, but then again, she thought Gigi looked perfect all the time.

But it didn’t quite distract her from the question at hand.

“You heard me,” Gigi peered out from under her sunglasses.

Crystal felt uncertainty bubble in her stomach. “Uh, Gigi, um-“

“Relax, it’s not like that,” she giggled, sticking out her tongue a little as she laughed. “I’m trying to get a tan and I don’t wanna get any tan lines.”

Crystal smiled. “Are you jealous of this gorgeous golden latina skin?” she teased.

Gigi playfully swatted at Crystal’s leg, smirking up at her, and Crystal took that as a yes. “Well, don’t just stand there,” Gigi eventually said, reaching a hand to her back to fumble with the strap. “Help me outta this. I mean, not literally out of it. I’m keeping it on at the front.”

“I presumed,” Crystal replied. “Didn’t think you were an exhibitionist.”

“Fuck off,” Gigi laughed.

“Do you want me to help you or not?”

Gigi pouted, sticking out her lower lip, like a spoiled little girl begging for a puppy. Crystal thought that Gigi probably was that little girl when she was younger, but she kept quiet. “Please?” she asked, one arm still fumbling with the strap at the back.

“I don’t know…,” Crystal teased, twirling one of her curls around her finger and looking away coyly.

“Since when were you so cocky?” Gigi whined. “Isn’t your job literally customer service?”

Crystal rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide her smile. “Ugh. Fine,” she said sarcastically. “Only because I don’t wanna get fired,” she added, causing Gigi to choke out a laugh.

It was only when Crystal’s hands were centimetres away from Gigi did she fully comprehend what she was about to do. She, yes she, Crystal Elizabeth Methyd, was about to undo Gigi’s bikini. Gigi fucking Goode’s bikini of all people’s. She gulped, staring at Gigi’s figure, and questioned why god had decided to make her the luckiest person in the world. 

She had heard that god hated the gays, but if he did, why would he have put her in such a perfect position?

She was counting her blessings for sure.

Gigi’s back was a porcelain canvas, and Crystal wanted nothing more than to run her hands over her shoulder blades, or at least engulf her in a huge hug. Instead, she let her heart beat like a dream in her ears and fumbled to untie the red bikini strap on her back.

After a small struggle to undo the particularly tight knot, Crystal loosened her straps and sent them flailing to the sides. She was very aware that this was a normal thing for someone to do, that she was just trying to get a tan, and she wouldn’t see anything whilst Gigi was lying on her front. She was also very aware that Gigi was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen, and was wearing very few clothes. And she was painfully aware of the heat of a deep rosy blush that was spreading over her cheeks.

Crystal ran her fingers through the ends of Gigi’s dark curls, smoothing them out neatly over her shoulders and trying to stop herself from shaking. “There. Perfect!” she said, clapping her hands together.

“Thanks, baby,” Gigi grinned. Crystal’s stomach did a somersault at the use of the pet name.

“You do know you’re just gonna get burned, though, right?” Crystal added. “You’re like a milk bottle.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re so pale, you’re basically transparent,” 

Gigi gasped, mock-offended. “Well, maybe you should put some sun lotion on me,” she said, lowering her sunglasses and winking, waggling her eyebrows.

Crystal’s breath caught in her throat. “You’re not serious.”

“I’m deadly serious,” she said stoically, blinking rapidly to drive her point home. “You don’t want me to burn, now do you?”

Crystal didn’t want her to burn, she supposed. She also didn’t wanna pass up a golden opportunity like this, that she might never have again, to get her hands all over Gigi. She also didn’t want anyone to see them, and was acutely aware that there were a few people milling around the pool area, but she supposed that putting on sunscreen wasn’t too irregular in July, and that if she didn’t make it too obvious that she was enjoying it, then they’d be able to explain themselves pretty well.

Fuck it. The customer is always right.

With that, she squeezed the cream onto her hands and went all in, sweeping like windshield wipers over her back. She traced over her shoulder blades and her spine, and moved up her neck and shoulders, giving them a quick massage whilst she was there, just because she could. Gigi giggled as Crystal gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze, kneading her upper back like a cat.

And then her hands moved lower and lower, down her spine, hands caressing her waist, all the way down to the small of her back. She rubbed it in soft circles, tentatively, as if her skin was delicate. Crystal’s chest tightened as she looked at the girl below her, basking in the feeling of Crystal’s hands all over her. She didn’t know someone could be so perfect. Gigi was beautiful, undoubtedly so, but more than anything, she was kind. She cared about Crystal, just as much as Crystal cared about her. Crystal had never imagined finding someone like this, who fit with her so well. All she wanted was to scream to the world about this girl, about how wonderfully in love she was with her, but she knew that she couldn’t. Gigi had a reputation, and she’d never want to put her in danger. They made sure they were never seen together - Crystal knew what Gigi’s dad was like. It occurred to Crystal that this was probably the most public they had ever been, and the realisation made her suddenly a little nervous.

After hastily rubbing in the rest of the sunscreen, she lifted her hands off of her back and her eyes scanned the area like a hawk. She hoped no one had seen them.

The only people she noticed who were close by were an older couple, one with their back turned to them and the other seemingly engaged in a rather difficult sudoku puzzle.

The coast seemed to be clear.

Except for Heidi, of course, who was milling around the pool, busily wiping down some tables nearby, and had mimed clutching her pearls when Crystal had made eye contact with her after seeing the ordeal go down.

Crystal knew Heidi would keep a secret, though. After she told Jan. Crystal knew she was obligated to tell Jan.

Trying to shake off her worry, Crystal wiped her hands down on the front of her apron and gently sighed, partially in contemptment and partially to rid her body of fear. “All done!” she said.

“Thanks, Crystal. You’re a doll,” Gigi beamed. “You should probably get back to work, though,” she added. “Don’t wanna look too suspicious.”

Crystal shrugged. “You’re right,” she said. “I’ll see you later on the tennis courts?”

“Of course. I can’t wait,” Gigi replied with a wide grin, blowing a kiss as Crystal walked away, acting as if nothing had happened, as if she wasn’t dancing on air at the thought of seeing Gigi again, even though she had just left.

Despite their arrangement having gone on for weeks at this point, the butterflies in Crystal’s stomach never seemed to disappear.

***

“So we’ve moved on to giving Gigi back massages now, have we?” Jan said with a quirked eyebrow, sneaking up to Crystal at the edge of the dining hall whilst they were waitressing on the lunchtime shift.

Heidi worked fast, huh?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Crystal replied, tucking a red curl behind her ear in faux-modesty. “I just put on some sunblock on a customer who asked for assistance.”

“Sure, Jan” she replied with a smirk.

“Jan, I’m gonna be upfront here. It doesn’t make sense when you say that because your name is Jan and it just confuses everyone.”

Jan cackled mischievously, before clamping her hands firmly over both ears. “That can’t stop me because I can’t hear!” she said, a little too loudly considering they were both working. Crystal shook her head and chuckled, baffled by Jan’s infectious energy at all times. 

“Seriously though,” Jan continued, “I’m happy for you. Go get her, tiger!”

Crystal’s face screwed up, as if she had sucked on a sour patch kid. “Not Carole Baskin!” she exclaimed, sending the pair into fits of laughter, getting a couple of looks by nearby diners. They laughed like hyenas, and Crystal felt that it summed up her relationship with Jan pretty well.

“You’re one to talk, though,” Crystal went on when her breathing had calmed. “I see you hanging off of Jackie’s arm in the break room.”

Jan bit her lip ever so slightly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she mimicked.

Crystal raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Sure, Jan.”

***

Crystal skipped onto the tennis courts that afternoon, eager as ever to see Gigi. As usual, Gigi was already waiting on her by the time she arrived, lounging on the ground with her legs outstretched, eyes glued to the illuminated screen of her phone. Crystal noted that she had straightened her hair since she had seen her last. It looked so glossy and smooth, and she could practically feel how soft it would be to run her hands through. 

She’d get to that part later, though.

For now, she hopped down onto the ground and crossed her legs, nuzzling into Gigi’s side.

Crystal couldn’t help but break out into a smile. “Hi.” 

“Hey diva,” Gigi replied chipperly, pulling her into a hug, but her eyes barely left her screen for more than a second.

Crystal pouted. “What’s so important that you’re not giving me attention?”

“Hm? Oh, it’s just my friend Nicky. She’s going to Aruba with her girlfriend Jaida next weekend and she didn’t know what to pack, and you know I gotta help a bitch out with fashion,” she said with a chuckle, tapping her screen before turning it off and placing it on the ground by her side. “Anyways, how are you darling?”

“Better now you’re looking at me.”

Gigi cooed. “Well isn’t that sweet?” she said, and Crystal could see her pupils tracing each of her features, her nose, her cheeks, her lips, before meeting her eyes again. She felt herself blush under her gaze, but she wasn’t embarrassed about it, because she knew Gigi wouldn’t think twice about it.

They fell into a small silence, but Crystal knew her time away from work was precious and often in short supply, so she looked for a way to keep the conversation going. “I, uh, I really like your necklace,” she blurted out.

“Really? Thanks!” Gigi said, taking it between her thumb and her forefinger gently. It was a pendant, in the shape of a sun on a gold chain, and Crystal liked the look of its little grumpy face. Gigi was grinning at the compliment, and Crystal’s heart fluttered in her chest at the way her nose scrunched up when she smiled. “You can have it, if you want,” she said.

Crystal was taken aback. “Oh no, it’s okay.”

“No really, I want you to have it. I have, like, a million necklaces,” she said, reaching her arms behind her neck to undo the clasp.

“I - Uh, thank you so much,” Crystal smiled, feeling grateful for such a sweet gesture.

“It’s nothing,” Gigi said, pulling the necklace out from behind her neck. “If I wasn’t stuck in this place, I’d buy you everything you wanted.”

Crystal paused. Something about that didn’t sit quite right with her. “I don’t want you to spend all that money on me, Geeg.”

“But I want to. I have the money, so I may as well treat you with it, right?”

“But I don’t need a handout, Gigi,” she explained. “All that expensive stuff doesn’t matter to me. I just wanna see you. I don’t need anything else.” 

Gigi smiled. “Okay. Point noted,” she said, holding her hands up in surrender. “But I’m giving you this necklace, and you can’t stop me.”

“Alright, Alright,” Crystal conceded, giggling. 

“Can I put it on you?”

“Please,” she said with a smile.

With that, Gigi was placing her hands on Crystal’s shoulders, spinning her around and instructing her to hold her hair up out of the way. And then she draped the gold chain over her head and around her neck, fingers tracing her collar bones and her breath by Crystal’s ear. The moment felt precious, meaningful, and Crystal let herself be drowned in the feeling.

“Beautiful,” Gigi whispered, turning Crystal back around and taking her hands away from her hair and holding them in her own.

Crystal smiled, meeting Gigi’s big blue eyes, her pupils blown wide. And then her eyes glanced down to Gigi’s full pink lips, and she brought them together, colliding in a kiss.

Crystal lost herself in the scent of Gigi’s floral perfume and the feeling of her lips on hers, bringing her hands to hold the other girl’s waist. Gigi’s hands slid around her neck, and for a moment the only thing that mattered to Crystal was the two of them, because they had each other and she had Gigi and she never, ever wanted to let her go.

And then, Crystal’s attention was diverted.

There was a noise.

A click.

Almost like the click of a camera.

Crystal immediately broke the kiss and looked around for the source.

And who wa stood just metres away, camera in hand?

Matthew.

me?” Crystal choked, feeling her breath hitch in her throat. It was about eleven thirty in the morning, and Crystal had been busy serving drinks by the poolside, but naturally she had taken some time to sneak a quick chat with Gigi when she had seen her sprawled on a sunlounger. 

Gigi was laid on her stomach, wearing a similar floppy sun hat to the one she had worn on the day Crystal had met her, but in a different colour - a sort of beige, cream colour. Crystal presumed she probably didn’t wear the same outfit twice too often. She was mindlessly flipping through a magazine - Vogue, Crystal thought - with her eyes sheltered under massively oversized sunglasses, and wearing a bikini Crystal hadn’t seen before - it was red, and adorned with a paisley pattern, pink and yellow and white. Crystal thought she looked perfect in it, but then again, she thought Gigi looked perfect all the time.

But it didn’t quite distract her from the question at hand.

“You heard me,” Gigi peered out from under her sunglasses.

Crystal felt uncertainty bubble in her stomach. “Uh, Gigi, um-“

“Relax, it’s not like that,” she giggled, sticking out her tongue a little as she laughed. “I’m trying to get a tan and I don’t wanna get any tan lines.”

Crystal smiled. “Are you jealous of this gorgeous golden latina skin?” she teased.

Gigi playfully swatted at Crystal’s leg, smirking up at her, and Crystal took that as a yes. “Well, don’t just stand there,” Gigi eventually said, reaching a hand to her back to fumble with the strap. “Help me outta this. I mean, not literally out of it. I’m keeping it on at the front.”

“I presumed,” Crystal replied. “Didn’t think you were an exhibitionist.”

“Fuck off,” Gigi laughed.

“Do you want me to help you or not?”

Gigi pouted, sticking out her lower lip, like a spoiled little girl begging for a puppy. Crystal thought that Gigi probably was that little girl when she was younger, but she kept quiet. “Please?” she asked, one arm still fumbling with the strap at the back.

“I don’t know…,” Crystal teased, twirling one of her curls around her finger and looking away coyly.

“Since when were you so cocky?” Gigi whined. “Isn’t your job literally customer service?”

Crystal rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide her smile. “Ugh. Fine,” she said sarcastically. “Only because I don’t wanna get fired,” she added, causing Gigi to choke out a laugh.

It was only when Crystal’s hands were centimetres away from Gigi did she fully comprehend what she was about to do. She, yes she, Crystal Elizabeth Methyd, was about to undo Gigi’s bikini. Gigi fucking Goode’s bikini of all people’s. She gulped, staring at Gigi’s figure, and questioned why god had decided to make her the luckiest person in the world. 

She had heard that god hated the gays, but if he did, why would he have put her in such a perfect position?

She was counting her blessings for sure.

Gigi’s back was a porcelain canvas, and Crystal wanted nothing more than to run her hands over her shoulder blades, or at least engulf her in a huge hug. Instead, she let her heart beat like a dream in her ears and fumbled to untie the red bikini strap on her back.

After a small struggle to undo the particularly tight knot, Crystal loosened her straps and sent them flailing to the sides. She was very aware that this was a normal thing for someone to do, that she was just trying to get a tan, and she wouldn’t see anything whilst Gigi was lying on her front. She was also very aware that Gigi was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen, and was wearing very few clothes. And she was painfully aware of the heat of a deep rosy blush that was spreading over her cheeks.

Crystal ran her fingers through the ends of Gigi’s dark curls, smoothing them out neatly over her shoulders and trying to stop herself from shaking. “There. Perfect!” she said, clapping her hands together.

“Thanks, baby,” Gigi grinned. Crystal’s stomach did a somersault at the use of the pet name.

“You do know you’re just gonna get burned, though, right?” Crystal added. “You’re like a milk bottle.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re so pale, you’re basically transparent,” 

Gigi gasped, mock-offended. “Well, maybe you should put some sun lotion on me,” she said, lowering her sunglasses and winking, waggling her eyebrows.

Crystal’s breath caught in her throat. “You’re not serious.”

“I’m deadly serious,” she said stoically, blinking rapidly to drive her point home. “You don’t want me to burn, now do you?”

Crystal didn’t want her to burn, she supposed. She also didn’t wanna pass up a golden opportunity like this, that she might never have again, to get her hands all over Gigi. She also didn’t want anyone to see them, and was acutely aware that there were a few people milling around the pool area, but she supposed that putting on sunscreen wasn’t too irregular in July, and that if she didn’t make it too obvious that she was enjoying it, then they’d be able to explain themselves pretty well.

Fuck it. The customer is always right.

With that, she squeezed the cream onto her hands and went all in, sweeping like windshield wipers over her back. She traced over her shoulder blades and her spine, and moved up her neck and shoulders, giving them a quick massage whilst she was there, just because she could. Gigi giggled as Crystal gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze, kneading her upper back like a cat.

And then her hands moved lower and lower, down her spine, hands caressing her waist, all the way down to the small of her back. She rubbed it in soft circles, tentatively, as if her skin was delicate. Crystal’s chest tightened as she looked at the girl below her, basking in the feeling of Crystal’s hands all over her. She didn’t know someone could be so perfect. Gigi was beautiful, undoubtedly so, but more than anything, she was kind. She cared about Crystal, just as much as Crystal cared about her. Crystal had never imagined finding someone like this, who fit with her so well. All she wanted was to scream to the world about this girl, about how wonderfully in love she was with her, but she knew that she couldn’t. Gigi had a reputation, and she’d never want to put her in danger. They made sure they were never seen together - Crystal knew what Gigi’s dad was like. It occurred to Crystal that this was probably the most public they had ever been, and the realisation made her suddenly a little nervous.

After hastily rubbing in the rest of the sunscreen, she lifted her hands off of her back and her eyes scanned the area like a hawk. She hoped no one had seen them.

The only people she noticed who were close by were an older couple, one with their back turned to them and the other seemingly engaged in a rather difficult sudoku puzzle.

The coast seemed to be clear.

Except for Heidi, of course, who was milling around the pool, busily wiping down some tables nearby, and had mimed clutching her pearls when Crystal had made eye contact with her after seeing the ordeal go down.

Crystal knew Heidi would keep a secret, though. After she told Jan. Crystal knew she was obligated to tell Jan.

Trying to shake off her worry, Crystal wiped her hands down on the front of her apron and gently sighed, partially in contemptment and partially to rid her body of fear. “All done!” she said.

“Thanks, Crystal. You’re a doll,” Gigi beamed. “You should probably get back to work, though,” she added. “Don’t wanna look too suspicious.”

Crystal shrugged. “You’re right,” she said. “I’ll see you later on the tennis courts?”

“Of course. I can’t wait,” Gigi replied with a wide grin, blowing a kiss as Crystal walked away, acting as if nothing had happened, as if she wasn’t dancing on air at the thought of seeing Gigi again, even though she had just left.

Despite their arrangement having gone on for weeks at this point, the butterflies in Crystal’s stomach never seemed to disappear.

***

“So we’ve moved on to giving Gigi back massages now, have we?” Jan said with a quirked eyebrow, sneaking up to Crystal at the edge of the dining hall whilst they were waitressing on the lunchtime shift.

Heidi worked fast, huh?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Crystal replied, tucking a red curl behind her ear in faux-modesty. “I just put on some sunblock on a customer who asked for assistance.”

“Sure, Jan” she replied with a smirk.

“Jan, I’m gonna be upfront here. It doesn’t make sense when you say that because your name is Jan and it just confuses everyone.”

Jan cackled mischievously, before clamping her hands firmly over both ears. “That can’t stop me because I can’t hear!” she said, a little too loudly considering they were both working. Crystal shook her head and chuckled, baffled by Jan’s infectious energy at all times. 

“Seriously though,” Jan continued, “I’m happy for you. Go get her, tiger!”

Crystal’s face screwed up, as if she had sucked on a sour patch kid. “Not Carole Baskin!” she exclaimed, sending the pair into fits of laughter, getting a couple of looks by nearby diners. They laughed like hyenas, and Crystal felt that it summed up her relationship with Jan pretty well.

“You’re one to talk, though,” Crystal went on when her breathing had calmed. “I see you hanging off of Jackie’s arm in the break room.”

Jan bit her lip ever so slightly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she mimicked.

Crystal raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Sure, Jan.”

***

Crystal skipped onto the tennis courts that afternoon, eager as ever to see Gigi. As usual, Gigi was already waiting on her by the time she arrived, lounging on the ground with her legs outstretched, eyes glued to the illuminated screen of her phone. Crystal noted that she had straightened her hair since she had seen her last. It looked so glossy and smooth, and she could practically feel how soft it would be to run her hands through. 

She’d get to that part later, though.

For now, she hopped down onto the ground and crossed her legs, nuzzling into Gigi’s side.

Crystal couldn’t help but break out into a smile. “Hi.” 

“Hey diva,” Gigi replied chipperly, pulling her into a hug, but her eyes barely left her screen for more than a second.

Crystal pouted. “What’s so important that you’re not giving me attention?”

“Hm? Oh, it’s just my friend Nicky. She’s going to Aruba with her girlfriend Jaida next weekend and she didn’t know what to pack, and you know I gotta help a bitch out with fashion,” she said with a chuckle, tapping her screen before turning it off and placing it on the ground by her side. “Anyways, how are you darling?”

“Better now you’re looking at me.”

Gigi cooed. “Well isn’t that sweet?” she said, and Crystal could see her pupils tracing each of her features, her nose, her cheeks, her lips, before meeting her eyes again. She felt herself blush under her gaze, but she wasn’t embarrassed about it, because she knew Gigi wouldn’t think twice about it.

They fell into a small silence, but Crystal knew her time away from work was precious and often in short supply, so she looked for a way to keep the conversation going. “I, uh, I really like your necklace,” she blurted out.

“Really? Thanks!” Gigi said, taking it between her thumb and her forefinger gently. It was a pendant, in the shape of a sun on a gold chain, and Crystal liked the look of its little grumpy face. Gigi was grinning at the compliment, and Crystal’s heart fluttered in her chest at the way her nose scrunched up when she smiled. “You can have it, if you want,” she said.

Crystal was taken aback. “Oh no, it’s okay.”

“No really, I want you to have it. I have, like, a million necklaces,” she said, reaching her arms behind her neck to undo the clasp.

“I - Uh, thank you so much,” Crystal smiled, feeling grateful for such a sweet gesture.

“It’s nothing,” Gigi said, pulling the necklace out from behind her neck. “If I wasn’t stuck in this place, I’d buy you everything you wanted.”

Crystal paused. Something about that didn’t sit quite right with her. “I don’t want you to spend all that money on me, Geeg.”

“But I want to. I have the money, so I may as well treat you with it, right?”

“But I don’t need a handout, Gigi,” she explained. “All that expensive stuff doesn’t matter to me. I just wanna see you. I don’t need anything else.” 

Gigi smiled. “Okay. Point noted,” she said, holding her hands up in surrender. “But I’m giving you this necklace, and you can’t stop me.”

“Alright, Alright,” Crystal conceded, giggling. 

“Can I put it on you?”

“Please,” she said with a smile.

With that, Gigi was placing her hands on Crystal’s shoulders, spinning her around and instructing her to hold her hair up out of the way. And then she draped the gold chain over her head and around her neck, fingers tracing her collar bones and her breath by Crystal’s ear. The moment felt precious, meaningful, and Crystal let herself be drowned in the feeling.

“Beautiful,” Gigi whispered, turning Crystal back around and taking her hands away from her hair and holding them in her own.

Crystal smiled, meeting Gigi’s big blue eyes, her pupils blown wide. And then her eyes glanced down to Gigi’s full pink lips, and she brought them together, colliding in a kiss.

Crystal lost herself in the scent of Gigi’s floral perfume and the feeling of her lips on hers, bringing her hands to hold the other girl’s waist. Gigi’s hands slid around her neck, and for a moment the only thing that mattered to Crystal was the two of them, because they had each other and she had Gigi and she never, ever wanted to let her go.

And then, Crystal’s attention was diverted.

There was a noise.

A click.

Almost like the click of a camera.

Crystal immediately broke the kiss and looked around for the source.

There was a boy, just metres away, clutching a camera in his hands.

Matthew.

[missjanjie]

Take Me Back to the Start | (9/10)

Title: Take Me Back to the Start Summary:   Everyone remembers their first love. Not everyone carries those feelings from childhood to senior year. Yet Brock is starting his last year of high school while still longing for the relationship he lost five years ago. Meanwhile, José is at the top of the food chain and seems to have it all together. But maybe their story isn’t over yet. Word Count: ~3.1k (this chapter) / ~28.4k (total) Relationship(s): Branjie (Brooke Lynn Hytes/Vanessa Vanjie Mateo), Sportsdoll (Jan Sport/Nicky Doll) Rating: E

Read on AO3

Nine Years Ago

José was the type of kid that looked forward to recess more than any part of the day. He needed that time to run around and be loud, burn off some of that energy so he could at least try to sit still during the rest of the school day. His ADHD and general personality already made that an uphill battle for any teacher.

But after a good few minutes of running around on the playground, he found himself bored. Or at least, bored enough to notice a kid sitting by himself with his face buried in his notebook. Occasionally he would look up and around, like he was contemplating getting up and playing, but would end up only curling further into himself.

It took a split second, but José recognized him as the new kid. He was introduced to the class that morning but, even with the teachers’ encouragement, he didn’t have a whole lot to say. José was pretty sure half of the class would need to be reminded of his name before the day ended, and that just didn’t sit right with him.

Because on the other hand, José did not have a problem talking or remembering faces. No, he had an endless capacity to talk to and meet new people, so he sat right next to the shy blonde boy. “Hi! You’re Brock, right?”

Brock looked up, closing his notebook and setting it aside. There was a split second of hesitation before he answered him. “Um… yeah, hi,” he replied, shifting his legs so he was sitting with them crossed instead. “What’s your name?”

“José. Whatcha doin’ sitting by yourself?” He frowned, tilting his head. “Recess is for playing, you look like you was doing homework,” he observed, cocking his head the other way, towards the notebook at Brock’s feet.

“It’s not homework.” He shook his head, then thought for a beat. “Actually… I guess it is kind of like homework. But it’s not for school, it’s for my ballet class.”

José perked his head up with curious interest. “You do ballet? That’s so cool!”

Brock blinked in surprise. “You think it’s cool? Most people think it’s dumb, that boys aren’t supposed to take ballet,” he explained.

“Well, they’re wrong then. I think it’s cool. You should teach me something from your class sometime.”

“Yeah!” Brock beamed brightly, the excitement of having finally made a new friend bubbling over. Even then, he knew it was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Present Day

Brock woke up with a broad smile on his face. He glanced down. José was clinging to him like a koala, still sleeping soundly, and it was the most beautiful damn sight he had ever seen. It was hard to believe last night – the entirety of the previous day, really – actually happened. It felt like he was finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, like he was finally getting where he so desperately wanted to be for the longest time.

José yawned, his eyes squeezing shut before opening them. He slowly tilted his head up, smiling sleepily when he saw Brock watching him. “You watchin’ me sleep, B?”

“Just a little.” He chuckled, raking his fingers through his thick, brown hair. He gently scratched his head and laughed softly because José let out a noise that sounded like one of his cats purring.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” he assured, kissing his forehead. “You’re just cute.”

José picked his head up, smiling at him before dropping back down to his chest. “You still corny as hell,” he murmured with a subdued laugh.

Brock smiled, squeezing him close. “Maybe so, but you’re the one that’s a sucker for it,” he retorted. The calm contentment didn’t last much longer as his upcoming schedule crept up on him. “You know I have to get down to the studio today. I wanna get in one last solid rehearsal before the competition tomorrow.”

“Alright,” José agreed. “But I’m going with you to make sure you keep that shit short and sweet. I’m not finna let you overexert yourself and wind up with sore-ass legs the morning of. And you better bet I’mma make sure you eat all your meals today.”

Brock blinked, taken back by the sudden assertiveness in the smaller teen’s tone. Though at the same time, he was touched. He thought it was sweet that he jumped right into making sure he took care of himself, he’d come to realize that was how José expressed affection. His mother was like that too, but it was especially endearing with him. “Okay, okay, I’ll try to prioritize self-care in the midst of this very important competition,” he told him.

“I’m just not ‘boutta let you psych yourself out,” he replied simply. “I know you’d do the same for me.”

Brock smiled, squeezing him close. “You’re right,” he leaned down and kissed his forehead before actually getting himself to sit up. “Is there any point in taking a shower if I’m gonna get all sweaty and gross in the studio?” He watched as his boyfriend lazily shook his head. “Alright, breakfast it is.”

José pushed into an upright position as well. “Yeah? Whatcha making me?”

“Cereal.”

------

Everything was business as usual when Brock and José entered the studio. But as Brock was warming up, José guided his coach off to the side for a moment. “Listen, we probably already on the same page for this, but I just wanna be sure. I don’t want him to push himself too hard today, ‘cause he’s gonna burn the candle on both hands and I want him to have energy and strength tomorrow, you know?”

Anna chuckled, clasping her hand on José’s shoulder. “I appreciate your concern, hon. And you’re not wrong about him. But it’s my job to keep him at his best, not just pushing him to his limits.”

He nodded, feeling a bit silly for going out of his way to say that – she was right, it was her job. But he couldn’t shake the need to take care of Brock. Maybe, he thought, it was because he wasn’t able to protect him from Kyle, and now he had to make sure he never let him get hurt again. Especially not because of him. “Right, yeah. You guys do your thing, I’ll just… be over there.”

“Hey.” She stopped him right before he could slip away. “He’s lucky to have a boyfriend like you.”

José opened his mouth to correct her, but then stopped himself and just smiled. “Thanks,” he said as he walked off to the side. Hearing Brock referred to as his boyfriend sounded like music to his ears and made his heart swell in his chest. He knew eventually they would have to put some sort of label onto whatever it was they had – he was never a fan of ambiguity. But he had also come to realize that talking about their feelings was like pulling teeth, so he had to broach the subject delicately.

Maybe that was why dancing came so naturally to them. José watched as Brock moved with such grace and ease, while still able to convey depth and passion that words could never capture. Words could get muddled and mixed up, the movement was straightforward and fluid, there was nothing to be miscommunicated.

Brock took a deep breath when he finally finished for the day, chugging down almost an entire bottle of water in one go. “That felt good. It felt solid.”

“You are gonna eat that shit up tomorrow,” José said with certainty. “Now c’mon, sweaty. You gotta hit the showers,” he added, walking with him into the locker room. “Oh, uh, my mama texted me during rehearsal. She wants to know if you wanna come over for dinner. And listen, you totally don’t have to if you just wanna rest up and take it easy or–”

“Are you kidding? I’d never turn down your mom’s cooking,” he said as he undressed and stepped into the shower.

“It’s not that, it’s um…” José was glad Brock was in the shower and not watching him shift and fidget awkwardly. “My older brother’s already home for Thanksgiving, and when he’s with my younger brother, they’re still a little, you know… rough around the edges.”

Brock shrugged, stepping back out and drying off shortly after. “I’m not worried about them. They can’t scare me off that easily,” he said, getting his clothes on and gathering his belongings up in his bag.

“That’s kinda hot,” José remarked with a smirk.

He laughed and threw his arm around the shorter teen as they left. “That’s the spirit. And hey, if they give us shit, we can just have loud sex in your room to get back at them.”

José looked up at him, admittedly a bit surprised that he was able to talk like that after just one time together. “Can… we do that even if they don’t?”

Brock snorted and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Yeah, even if they don’t.”

They went back to Brock’s house for the rest of the afternoon. After a light lunch, they retreated to the bedroom to watch TV. And they sat in relative silence until José cleared his throat. “I know we’re still shitty at talking about how we feel and all, but…” He gestured vaguely as he tried to figure out how to phrase it. “Anna called me your boyfriend and I really liked how it sounded. But I gotta know where you stand on that.”

Not unexpectedly, Brock didn’t know how to answer and sat silently for a few moments. In actuality, he knew exactly where he stood, he’d been standing there for eight years. But even knowing how José felt didn’t quell his fear of coming on too strong or taking it too far. So, just like always, he chose his words slowly and carefully. “I also like the idea of you being my boyfriend. I have for a while now. And… I see us together, not like the way we used to be, a better version of us together.”

Instead of a verbal response, José simply tackled Brock onto the bed and kissed him deeply. He couldn’t have articulated how he felt if he tried. There was happiness, relief, nerves, a little bit of arousal, just so much hitting at once. “Guess it’s official, then,” he murmured against his lips.

“It’s official,” Brock confirmed, holding him close and covering his face in small kisses. “We’re boyfriends again,” he beamed.

“Dinner’s gonna be a little more interesting now,” he mused, then glanced over and saw the time on his phone. “Which we better start getting ready for. She wants us there at six.”

Brock nodded, reluctantly untangling himself from José to change into a button-down shirt and jeans. He fixed up his hair and dabbed on a bit of cologne as well. “Alright, we good to go?”

José gave a thumbs up and the two of them left hand-in-hand, the same way they walked into his house. They looked around, his mother was in the kitchen and his brothers were on the couch, watching sports. “Don’t be fucking rude, say hi to Brock,” he said to them.

The two brothers looked up, nonplussed, and offered casual greetings before their attention completely refocused on the screen.

Realizing that that would be the extent of their interaction, Brock and José went and said hi to Anabel before going up to José’s bedroom. There, they waited idly until everyone was called in for dinner.

“So, what, you guys are dating again like when you were kids?” one of José’s brothers asked.

“You know what the difference is,” the older brother chimed in.

“Haha, gross.”

Their mother glared at them. “Ambos cierran la boca antes de que lo haga por ti,” she snapped in a firm warning that swiftly silenced them.

Brock and José didn’t do much but shift awkwardly. They weren’t completely wrong, in all fairness, but Brock definitely understood what José had meant by ‘rough around the edges’, and luckily they were able to make it through the meal without further incident.

When everyone was done and about to retire to their respective rooms, José’s older brother guided Brock off to the side. José noticed this and immediately went over to them. “Yo, I dunno what shit you’re about to pull but–”

“It’s okay, babe,” Brock assured. “Go upstairs, I’ll meet you there.” Then, he turned back to face the brother, standing in a way that he was taller and couldn’t be easily intimidated.

“Look,” he started, “I’m only saying this ‘cause I care about my little brother. I just think this shit’s weird. Not even ‘cause of the gay thing. But it’s just like… this childhood fantasy thing. How’s that ever gonna be a real love?”

The answer came surprisingly easy to Brock. At least, it must’ve, because he answered without his usual hesitation. “Yes, I fell in love with him when we were kids, that’s how I know it was real. Nothing else is as pure, as sincere. When you’re a child, you love with your whole heart, because that’s all you know how to do. That’s the type of love that stays with you forever. And that’s why I never fell out of love with him.”

José had been standing just out of their field of vision, listening in, in case he needed to step in and defend his boyfriend. But what he’d heard had caught him utterly by surprise and touched him in a way he’d never felt before. He didn’t hear how his brother responded, he rushed upstairs before either of them could notice.

Brock slowly opened the bedroom door, letting himself in. “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long,” he said as he shut the door behind him. He didn’t get a verbal response, though. Instead, as soon as he was in his reach, José pulled him into a deep kiss that he melted right into. He fell back on the bed with him, refusing to be the first one to pull away.

Reluctantly, José pulled back when the urge to breathe beat out the desire to keep kissing. “I heard what you said,” he confessed, still breathless from the passionate embrace. “I heard what you said and I realized I love you too. I love you in a way I ain’t never loved before. And I don’t know what that means but I know it means a fucking lot.”

“I…” Brock’s head was spinning and his heart was pounding a mile a minute. He needed a moment just to take that all in – José had heard him admit his feelings, not only that, he reciprocated them. Their relationship had jumped up so many levels so fast, but at the same time, it felt like the natural progression – they were supposed to be in love, it’s what they were destined for. “God, it means everything to me to hear you say that.”

He smiled and kissed him again. “This has been one fuckin’ day, huh?”

“Yeah,” the blonde exhaled, laying down on his back with an arm wrapped around his boyfriend. “Dunno how I’m supposed to calm down and relax for tomorrow,” he remarked with a laugh.

Suddenly, José perked up with a smirk. “I know what to do about that,” he said and got up, pulling Brock along so he was sitting on the side of the bed.

Brock sat with his feet on the floor and watched while the shorter teen sunk to his knees. “Oh, I think I know where you’re going with this,” he grinned, carding his fingers through his hair.

“You’re just so smart,” José teased as he undid Brock’s jeans, tugging them down to his ankles with his boxers following suit. He looked up at him, making heavy eye contact as he spat on his hand and wrapped it around his length, stroking slowly and steadily.

It didn’t take much for Brock to start to get hard. He bit down on his lip, gaze fixated on José, who had built up his pace as he jerked him off, then teasingly lapped at the head of his cock.

José smirked to himself, then focused his attention exclusively on the task at hand. He dragged his tongue from the head all the way down and back up. Then, with one hand resting on Brock’s thigh to steady himself, he took his length in inch by inch, occasionally flicking his eyes back up to him.

“Shit…” Brock grunted softly, eyes fluttering shut and head tilting back. His breathing grew heavier and he bit down on his lip. He tangled his fingers through José’s hair, gripping just a bit.

After another moment, José had managed to get Brock’s length all the way down his throat. His forehead rested against his lower abdomen as he focused his breathing through his nose. The hand on his thigh grabbed tighter while his free hand wiggled into his jeans so he could get himself off as well.

Brock was struggling to keep himself still and quiet, unsure if he was able to do both. The hand that wasn’t tugging José’s hair was clamped over his mouth to stifle his moans. As much as he tried to keep his body planted firmly on the bed, his hips rolled up every now and then.

José didn’t mind it. In fact, he thought it was hot that he could get him to lose control like that. He bobbed his head faster, with more fervor, eager to get him off.

And it was working. It was working very well. Brock was moaning louder, his hips were jerking erratically. He was cursing under his breath and all but yanking José’s hair. He tried to get out a warning, but when his orgasm hit, all he could do is cry out his lover’s name in a heated moment of pleasure.

José was ready, picking up on the physical cues and relaxed his throat in anticipation. He swallowed his load, lingering until he was certain his boyfriend was fully spent, then slowly eased off of him. In that time, he’d gotten himself off as well, making quick work of cleaning off before he stood back up and kissed him. “You relaxed now?”

Brock needed a moment to catch his breath. “Oh yeah.” He nodded. “I’m gonna sleep like a baby tonight.”

José grinned in satisfaction, getting in bed, pleased with a job well done. Their day may have been a rollercoaster, but they were ending it in each other’s arms, so it was all worth it.

[lavenderek]

hi guys julie and i were talking about potential star wars stories that aren’t a part of this whole skywalker destiny shit all the canon movies can’t seem to let go of

and julie’s idea surrounded lesbians and a very heavy presence of Life Day because she hates me and wants me to be unhappy

my idea does not have life day in it because i have a soul. this was my idea that i pitched to her while i did my laundry and i dont think she was very impressed but i am impressed with myself.

so our main character is kristen stewart but purple. like her skin is a dusty sort of pastel lavender. but don’t let that fool you into thinking she is delicate - she is Indiana Jones But Backwards And In Space. her hair is like leonardo dicaprio’s in titanic, but wavy. 

her name is Gax McKu and she is an archaeologist. she is the protag of a series. her whole thing is that she likes to discover and learn about ancient cultures and artifacts, but she fuckin hates museums. and if another archaeologist is sponsored by someone who instructs them to bring the artifact to a private collection or a museum, she tracks it down and steals it and puts it back where it is supposed to be. so it’s sometimes indiana jones and sometimes ocean’s 11, because she has to do a heist to get the thing back. 

it’s just that other cultures and societies are lateral moves from gax’s own, neither superior nor inferior, and if somebody took some shit from her home planet she’d be peeved. besides, if we “discover” all the shit and take it away, there will eventually be nothing left for future scientists and historians to “discover.” 

anyway, i digress. 

this all takes place well before the prequels. 

ACT I

we find our protagonist at a dig site, and she has unearthed something totally baller like the fossilized bones of a gigantic space condor or like a prehistoric buried treasure or something, and she’s just like crouching and dusting it carefully, looking very shrewd and sexy. she’s probably got like colleagues also dusting shit and one of them brings her a rock and they talk about the rock. idk. 

this planet is like a mixture of how white people see africa, and australia. like some parts are a desert and some parts are a jungle kind of moment with lots of alien creatures. 

the people whose home planet this is, is - you remember in return of the jedi when there is a keyboardist who looks like a big soft elephant puppet? 

it’s those guys.

so they come up to gax at the dig site and interrupt her work, and she is very debonair about how she stands up and brushes her hands off to speak with them. they’re mad and they’re pointing at her and stuff. she understands their language and speaks to them in english like han does. she’s like “i don’t know what you’re talking about. we are here for this excavation only.” 

they take her to one of their cities in a vehicle that’s like a wide flat oval thing with a single wheel underneath in the very center. roads are on faintly glowing tracks. this isn’t an extremely urban type of city, there is a lot of greenery and the buildings are etched adobe clay. they are well maintained. this is a people who take care of their community and have a lot of dignity. 

she is brought to what we would assume is a beautiful chapel or church or something, with lots of colors painted in a very small geometric tessellation, but gax isn’t shocked or moved by this so we can assume she is familiar with these cities and culture. 

inside there is a vast collection of like beautiful stoneware, like marble and opal and granite and shit. lovely. but the biggest pedestal is empty. they glare at her and say stuff to her. she’s very gruffly like, “why would i take your moonstone sphere? i already catalogued this, check with jan bourno.” 

they insist and so she has to travel to another city, with a nervous friend who is john cho but he’s got a computer head like that computer head guy in cloud city. 

don’t tell me who this guy is or correct me that it’s just a thing he wears like google glass, because i don’t care. it’s a computer head and im the boss. 

john cho’s name is Flienn and he’s got a devastatingly handsome beard. 

they go to the other city because she’s got to investigate who took the thing. then she finds who took the thing and it’s a white guy, obviously. she fights him. gax has this cool laser knife that uses the same tech as a light saber but it doesn’t buzz as loud or glow as bright, which means she wears it in a holster on her belt, because she’s impossibly hot. flienn is held back by henchmen. he’s very damsel in distress. but gax wins and gets the bad guy to tell her who hired him. 

he was paid to get this thing because it is expensive and the rich guy collects rich stuff. he communicated through envoy and all he has is a name and a planet. the rich guy’s name is pelius bragnar. he’s scary. flienn checks on his computer head and tells gax that all records of bragnar have been wiped from any kind of system.

ACT II

they fly to pelius bragnar’s planet, and it’s a forest planet but it’s not like the endor moon, it’s just a very vertical, tree-based city with a lot of stone paths and structures based around the trees. this place is very urban, with a huge class gap. it is heavily policed and obviously corrupt. she meets an old colleague who is now a prosecutor. she is played by gabourey sidibe. her name is Graunda. she calls gax Sabine, and it turns out gax isn’t her birth name, which flienn did not know but gax makes it clear he’s not allowed to call her sabine. 

graunda is like, “yeah i know pelius bragnar, i was trying to shut down his gang that operates a drug ring and has the police force in his pocket, and so to control me they kidnapped my little sister. i can tell you where their gang does most of its operations on this planet if you promise to save my sister.” 

gax is like, “i don’t know what about my chosen profession indicated to you i was some kind of rescuer of sisters.” 

“ok, i’ve known you for like fifteen years and it’s not like you don’t have a history of vigilantism,” says graunda, “but go off i guess.” 

flienn is all, “the sphere probably isn’t being kept where they do their gang business, but this is all we have to go on.” flienn’s whole job in the narrative is to be stressed and point out the obvious in case the viewers are kathy and don’t get it. he mapquests the way there with his computer head and they have to devise a carefully designed plan to get in, this is the ocean’s 11 part. 

gax is expecting graunda’s sister to be like some 19-year-old and is not expecting her to be the pinnacle of beauty and femininity. she’s in her mid 30s and has big hips and perfect dark skin and almond eyes with like orange eyeshadow. she looks like a monster high doll if monster high dolls were fat and shaped like real people. her hair’s in twists that she’s got all along the crown of her head like a tiara, and then the rest of her hair is in these two low buns on the back of her head and they’re really big and round. they are wrapped in a golden thread. like my point is she’s a total babe and there is a fuckload of sexual tension.

her name is Lamaa. not like llama, the accent is on the second syllable.

they find her like locked in some kind of interrogation room. flienn cracks the code to the door. lamaa’s obviously been roughed up a little bit, and is tired.  

lamaa is super upset when gax tells her they can’t leave yet. gax is like, “sorry to add to what has probably been a shitty week for you, but what i came here for is a moonstone sphere.” maybe she goes over the history of the object a little bit. idk. 

they spy on somebody who somehow reveals where pelius lives, and there is a gala there next week. they aren’t expecting the tech in this room to have spyware that detects flienn’s computer head the way your work computer knows when you’re trying to plug your phone into the usb port to charge. they have to escape. lamaa is super smart but only ok with weapons and doesn’t have a lot of upper body strength so there’s a lot of sexy peril. 

they escape by the skin of their teeth and are now wanted by the corrupt police. they have to hide out in like the tree planet equivalent of a shitty motel and there is a hot love scene between gax and lamaa obviously, like, duh. it’s very steamy and people will be jerking off to it for eight hundred years.

flienn is bi. he doesn’t have a love interest in this installment, im just putting it out there. 

ACT III

they go in disguise to the gala, which means they have to dress in formal wear, which is also extremely sexy. lamaa wears a silky backless gown and her hair is coiled in a rope braid beehive. gax wears a formal vest and her hair in a slight bouffant. flienn wears a traditional fancy costume that involves sheer fabric wrapped around him and covering part of his head. he is not religious and doesn’t usually dress this way, but he has to hide his computer head. also he’s wearing eyeliner because why don’t more dudes wear eyeliner? it’s not even because he’s bi. lots of dudes wear eyeliner where he is from. 

they sneak around and find the sphere. i guess this is ocean’s 13, when matt damon has to seduce his way into the diamonds room. they get caught in there and are all held prisoner. gax and lamaa argue but it’s obviously just because lamaa is very scared of pelius, which makes flienn even more scared of pelius, which puts gax in a bad mood. she doesn’t really get scared until the physical danger begins. 

the physical danger begins. pelius comes in, The pelius. he is a twi’lek. he does a lot of sinister taunting and gax is mad because she’s nervous. 

lamaa escapes the ropes she is tied up with somehow and is able to get gax’s laser knife to her and they have to fight pelius’s henchmen, and they steal the sphere, and while she’s there anyway lamaa steals all his fancy gold and jewels and sticks them in her cleavage. they climb to the roof and use flienn’s drapes of fabric to zipline down some like fuckin ropes strung along all the treehouses and escape. pelius is like curse you gax mcku, i would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for you meddling adults!! and your little computer head too!!! he is left as a future antagonist. 

lamaa is obviously a target now on the tree planet, so she goes back to the elephant puppet planet with gax. there’s another love scene but gax finds all the jewels and shit in lamaa’s bra. she’s like, “you can’t keep these.” 

lamaa is like, “i figured, i just didn’t want him to have them. i don’t know where these go.” 

so future stories will probably involve them trying to put those things back while also being chased by pelius and his drug lords. 

they all return to the dig, and now lamaa is wearing archaeologist clothes like gax, and her hair is pulled to the back of her head with a fancy barrette. gax is once again interrupted, but this time it’s by the guy who stole the sphere in the first place. he’s like, “pelius is going to kill me for giving up who hired me, and it’s your fault.” 

gax is like, “you’re an embarrassment to the science of archaeology. you’ve gone against the very tenets of our profession and i don’t care what happens to you.” 

this obviously makes him feel shitty, but rather than internalizing it he just hates her guts. he leaves, and she goes back to the dig and doesn’t watch him go. but he glares with contempt over his shoulder, because he will also be an antagonist in future installments. 

and that guy’s name? 

SHEEV PALPATINE.

i’m just kidding, these are all new characters, his name is like george or something. 

the end. 

give me money.

[batskulldrag]

Phoenix by Fallout Boy

SO, Deciet’s real name is Janus, so I changed his human character’s name to Janus. I’m not changing it in any earlier chapters. But it’ll be Janus from here on out. Chapter twelve it is.

Chapter Twelve: Hell to Your Doorstep from The Count of Monte Cristo musical

               Virgil ran his finger across the edge of the photograph he had stolen from Patton’s scrap book. He had been clinging to it for days now. It was the first image he had ever seen of his parents together. And there was such an uncanny feeling to finally seeing his mother.

               She didn’t look like someone who would walk out on her kid. Not that he really blamed her for it, Payton was probably one of those guys who threatened to kill themselves to get what they want. And she was most likely leaving him with his grandmother rather than his dad. And she was only like twenty, maybe twenty-one. Probably old enough to drink, no one would have sex with Payton sober. Hardly the image of good decision making.

               No, he wasn’t mad at past mom. It was present mom who had hurt him. It was present mom who didn’t want him. Present mom who had moved on and didn’t have room for anymore baggage. Any room for him.

               Payton had often told people that she rejected the idea of starting a family with him, it was a good sympathy play that cast him as the victim. She seduced him and left him with the baby. Another great victim claim. And of course, the pseudo rape story that had started most of this. Payton finally bit off more than he could chew with a lie that could be so easily disproved.

               Despite Payton’s lies to other people, Virgil had always heard the same story. His mom left because she didn’t want him. He never would have guessed that, that was the true story.

               “Blue skidoo we can too!” Dr. Picani sang as he popped into the room. “How are you today Virgil?”

               “I’m doing good.” Virgil quickly pocketed his picture. “I haven’t had to take too many Valium.”

               “That’s good. But you are taking the Prozac daily right?”

               “Yes, Logan is super on top of that.”

               “Good. And I heard that you’re spending time at the library while Patton’s working.”

               “Yeah, it’s a pretty chill place.”

               “Oh, I thought it would be warmer, it is summer after all.” Picani grinned.

               “Patton told that same joke.” Virgil smiled.

               “So, your anxiety is calming down. How about the nightmares, you still having those?”

               “Yeah.” Virgil looked away.

               “Has the bed wetting gotten any better?”

               “There were a couple more since our last session. Uncle Logan suggested I stop drinking after nine, and that helped a bit.”

               “Ok, that’s good. And it’s awesome that your uncles are trying to help you through this.”

               “Yeah.”

               “Have you talked to either of them about, well, Payton?”

               “I told Uncle Logan a few things.”

               “Do you feel ready to talk about them here?”

               “I can try, that way if I wuss out of going to court there’s still a record of it.”

               “Hang on, let’s get into the way back machine and start at the beginning of that statement.”

               “I want to testify against my dad. I’m done being afraid of him. And I want him to know that I know he’s just a mere mortal. Just like the rest of us.”

               “That’s pretty intense. Are you sure about this?”

               “I am. I’ve given it a lot of thought.” Virgil hardened his resolve.

               “Ok. Confronting your abuser is a massive step. And it’s one that a lot of people struggle with, even adults. So, I want you to be one million percent sure of this. Ok?”

               “I am.”

               “Ok, and if you change your mind, you can.”

               “Cool.”

               “So, if we are gonna talk about Payton, I want to try a different technique with you. It’s all in the technique.”

               “What are we gonna do? You gonna pull out one of those ‘show me where he touched you’ dolls?”

               “No, but those are extremely successful, don’t diss them.” Picani replied. “I want you to tell me about your dad, but I want you to tell the story backwards.”

               “Is this from a cartoon?” Virgil squinted.

               “No, it’s from a journal of psychology.” Picani sat up straighter. “And also, the backwards messages from Gravity Falls.”

               “That reminds me.” Virgil interrupted. “Where can I get Teen Titans, I can’t find any episodes on YouTube.”

               “I recommend the DVDs you can get bonus features.” Picani answered gleefully, before becoming a shrink again. “So, what do you think? Ya, think you can talk about Payton backwards?”

               “I’ll try.” Virgil hesitated. “Which story do you want to hear?”

               “You decide, it’s your hour.”

               “I’ll go recent.” Virgil sighed and thought hard. “So, when I looked at the bruise later there was a full-fledged belt mark. As always, I went to school bruises and all. It was at that point that he started hitting me. Sick of his bullshit, I told him to stop harassing me over something that wasn’t my fault. As he does, Payton mocked and yelled at me for wetting the bed like a toddler, saying if I keep this up, he is just going to order a crib for me. Payton came in and asked why I was screaming. I woke up screaming and noticed that the sheets were wet. It was April, and I had a debate meeting coming up and a chess tournament and all of my teachers were on me to talk to my dad about my grades, so when I finally did get to sleep, I had nightmares.”

               Virgil paused the memory didn’t seem so terrifying now. What black magic…?  

               “How ya feelin’” Picani asked curiously.

               “Ok.” Virgil responded, surprised. “What happened?”

               “Well, the idea is to be able to recall what happened backwards so that you can see the memory but not the fear associated with the moment. I think it’s using just your left brain, and then you can see the even without feeling that crushing weight. Like you get to know that it wasn’t the end of the world, process it and be able to move on. Cool, Huh?”

               “Very.” Virgil smiled.

               “And it’s not so bad seeing a thing in reverse. It’s almost kind of funny.”

               “Sure, if you watch a horror movie backwards it ends up being about a monster who brings people back to life.”

               “Exactly.”

               “How are you going to decipher what I’m actually saying?”

               “I’m recording our session so I can work it out later.”

               “Cool.” Virgil nodded. “Aren’t tape recordings not admissible though?”

               “The recording is just for me we’re not taking it into court.”

               “Ok.” Virgil looked at the ground. “What can we do if Payton accuses my uncles of abusing me?”

               “Well, unless your dad has proof it’s just going to be an accusation.”

               “Yeah, but then the accusation is still going to be there. And just that could ruin them. I don’t want that to happen.”

               “Virgil, are you worried that he’s going to claim that they have been molesting you?”

               “Yes. He’s literally the devil. He would totally do that. What can I do to counter that?”

               “I’ll call my friend Joan, they’re with the police, and they can probably help me get a few things together. Ok?”

               “Like what?”

               “We have screening tests to see if a person is, well, sick in that way, that we use mostly for cases like this.”

               “Ok.” Virgil looked at his skeptically.

               “And.” He hesitated. “Well, since you brought it up… they haven’t done anything like that have they?”

               “No.” Virgil went with the response that could never be taken out of context. “They have not at any point in time touched me in any inappropriate manner or tried to commit any sexual acts with me. It has never happened, and I am completely certain that it never will.”

               Virgil smiled at Picani after he finished talking.

               “Virgil, do you watch a lot of court room dramas?” Picani asked, giving him a side eye.

               “I’ve been watching a lot of reddit threads about custody battles.” Virgil looked at the floor, ashamed. “I’m scared.”

               “That’s perfectly normal.” Picani soothed. “You don’t want to go back to Payton, and you don’t want anything to happen to your uncles, am I right?”

               “Yeah, that’s about it.”

               “Well, we’re all going to try to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

               “Ok.” Virgil stared at him through his bangs.

               “We still have some time do you want to keep talking?”

               “I guess.”

               “Ok, and afterwards, can you send your uncles in?”

               “Sure.”

                                                                               #             #             #

               “I already had Patton take that screening as a part of his background test.” Thomas said from Emile’s monitor. “Logan too. They’re clean, at least as far as we can prove.”

               “Well, at least there’s that.” Emile responded. “Virgil’s pretty worried. And I think he has a good reason to be.”

               “We have a solid case, and at least three reasons for Payton to lose custody.” Janus added from his portion of the screen. “Four if we can charge him with neglect.”

               “Ok, Jan. We don’t have to wail on him.” Thomas scolded.

               “Maybe you don’t.” Janus rolled his good eye. “And I told you not to call me jan.”

               “Look, Virgil expressed a concern about this, and I want to be able to prove that we are doing something.” Emile interrupted, not wanting an argument. “I want him to see that he can trust people.”

               “I get that.” Thomas sighed. “The system messed him over just about as much as his dad did. Well, I covered all the bases. I’m not about to release a teenager into the custody of potential pedophiles.”

               “And we should get the results of Payton’s psych evaluation from the prison soon.” Janus added smoothly. “His bail hearing didn’t go as well as he would have wanted.”

               “He’s still locked up?” Thomas raised an eyebrow.

               “He doesn’t have anywhere to go.” Emile added. “He burned his house down, and he can’t stay with Patton because he’s not allowed to go near Virgil.”

               “That’s pretty much it. That and they were worried he may try to retaliate against his brother.”

               “How has no one helped this kid sooner?” Thomas said, his face buried in his hands.

               “I know.” Emile sighed. “I hate working with older kids. It hurts to think that they had to suffer for that long.”

               “We’re doing all we can.” Janus sighed, rubbing his temples. “And we’re helping him now. You can’t keep driving yourself crazy every time you get assigned to an older kid. I’m sorry, but we can’t save everyone.”

               “Ok, I have another session soon.” Emile looked at the clock in the computer. “I just wanted to see if everything was kosher.”

               “It is. Unfortunately for Payton, this isn’t our first time doing this.” Janus smiled.

               “Yeah, he’s really screwed himself.” Thomas added. “It’s gonna be a fireworks display.”

               “Ok. Keep me updated.”

               “We will.” Janus nodded. “I wonder if I can prove neglect.”

               Janus Pent or surprisingly cruel attorney logged off.

               “Damn, he’s vindictive.” Thomas sighed.

               “He’s a bit of a Bismuth, but he means well.”

               “Yeah, I guess we all have to cope with this somehow.”

               “You still good for our session on Thursday?”

               “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

               “Ok, bye.”

               “Peace out.”

               Thomas logged off.

               Emile closed his laptop. Thomas was a Steven all the way. He wanted to help, and usually he spread himself too thin trying to help everyone. And he’d beat himself up way too much over the ones he couldn’t help. But he was doing ok, therapy helped him. Mostly, it showed him that he needed to help himself as well.

               Janus or Pent or E.S as his plaque read, (they somehow misheard his name), or whatever he wanted to be called, was very different. He was a Bismuth. Passionate, skilled but very vindictive. He wasn’t a bad guy. He was just very empathetic towards the victims he represented and wanted to hurt their abusers right back. That wasn’t bad, in fact it was very normal. But it definitely needed to be kept in check.  

               Emile traced a circle around one of his cardigan buttons. He liked to think of himself as a Steven as well or maybe an Amethyst. After all, he went into medicine to help people. And as many people as he could. Sure, no one thought he was cut out for it. He always knew that. No one was more aware than Emile that he didn’t cast the most intelligent looking silhouette. And yes, he talked about cartoons a lot. But it worked.

               He had a decent success rate. And being a goofy goober made people open up to him. If he walked into a session with a fake persona then his patients would put their walls up too.

               “If I had been Mr. Stoic, Virgil would have never talked to me.” Emile said to himself. “None of the kids would have. Heck, most of the couples might not have.”

                                                                               #             #             #

               “Ok, we’ll be home in an hour, maybe more.” Patton said as he hugged Virgil. “Stay safe and be good for Roman.”

               “Uncle Patton, I’m thirteen.” Virgil sighed, hugging him back.

               “We shouldn’t be too long.” Logan sighed, patting Virgil on the head. “I’m giving Payton half an hour to threaten us, and the lawyers half an hour to negotiate. I’m hoping I can have them talk while Payton threatens us. It’ll save time.”

               “I’m sorry I got you into this.” Virgil buried his face in Patton’s shoulder.

               “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” Patton kissed him on the head.

               “We’re almost out of this. The metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel.”

               “By the by.” Roman added, he was leaning against the wall casually. “Remus and I talked on the phone last week, he said if we need a diversion so we can run away with Virgil, he’s down for it. Said, he’s been practicing.”

               “We’re not using Remus as a distraction.” Patton said officially. “It’s not fair to exploit his, whatever is wrong with him. We’re doing this legally.”

               “Are we sure Remus is real?” Virgil asked. “I don’t wanna think that there’s someone that screwed up in the world.”

               “Payton is worse, he exists.” Roman countered. “Remus isn’t a bad person, he’s just insane.”

“We’re not talking about Payton right now.” Patton waved away the idea.

               “We should get going, I’d like to be early.” Logan squeezed Patton’s shoulder.

               “Ok.” He smiled up at him and turned back to Virgil. “I just want you to know that we love you and we’re proud of you. And everything’s gonna be ok.”

               Patton gave him one last kiss and left with Logan. They entered the car silently. Patton drove to keep his mind off things. As they left the driveway, he heard the rhythmic sounds of Logan slamming his hand on the car door.

               “Logan, honey, are you alright?” Patton glanced over to him.

               “I’m a bit nervous.” Logan answered flatly, still drumming his hand. “There’s a lot of feelings going around. I’m surprisingly susceptible to that.”

               “Do you wanna clap?”

               “Absolutely not.”

               “You can, I don’t mind.”

               “I’m okay with hitting the door.”

               “Do you wanna talk?” Patton reached over and took Logan’s free hand. “Is all the abuse talk making you uncomfortable?”

               “No, I think it’s just the stress of having a child.” Logan sighed. “It’s an adjustment, but I can handle it.”

               “You’re doing great. Virgil had so much fun playing chess with you last week, I think he’s really taken to you.”

               “You’re doing an excellent job as well.” Logan squeezed his hand. “I think Virgil’s almost used to having a loving role model in his life. And he certainly likes you.”

               “That’s good.” Patton smiled. “I know it’s only been about a month, but I can’t imagine life without our dark, strange son.”

               “Me neither.” Logan looked at the floor to hide his smile. “And we won’t have to. I have every right to be confident.”

                                                                               #             #             #

               The prison looked exactly like, well a prison. The five of them had been given a room to meet privately, rather than try to use the phone things.

               Payton stared at the three of them coldly while his lawyer looked on, the effigy of stoicism. Patton anxiously pulled at his fingers and Janus, as they found out was his actual name, looked on at their opponents unfazed. And Logan, Logan met Payton’s gaze with total eye contact. He could stare until his head hurt, but he would have to do a lot more than glare to get Logan to back down.

               “So, I arranged this meeting to see if we could avoid going to court altogether.” Janus began. “Do you think you three could come to an agreement?”

               “I’m willing to offer supervised visitation rights.” Patton said looking at the table.

               “Oh, do I have your permission to see my son?” Payton sneered. “How generous, will you let me write him a letter if I’m a good boy?”

               “Payton, this isn’t funny.” Patton didn’t look up.

               “I’m not laughing. First you ruin my campaign and call me a liar, you get me investigated by my old law firm and now you’re here telling me that I can only see my own son on your terms. Do you realize that I haven’t seen him since the fire?”

               “Payton, it is not our fault that you’re losing custody of Virgil.” Logan argued. “We are just trying to do what’s best for him.”

               “Do you think our terms are fair?” Janus asked the other lawyer.

               “No,” The lawyer answered. “My client wishes to maintain full custody of his son.”

               “He’s going to prison.” Patton looked up. “He can’t keep custody.”

               “That is not a part of this case.” The lawyer retorted.

               “This is ridiculous.” Logan sighed. “If you lose, we get custody of Virgil, if you somehow win, you are still facing jail time for a long enough period to lose custody anyway. Why are you doing this?”

               “I don’t want my son being raised by you two.” Payton said, mimicking a normal tone. “I don’t trust you to provide for him, so I’d prefer if he went somewhere else, should I not be there for him.”

               Logan looked on in shock. Payton actually thought that he could beat the arson case, he even thought he could get custody of Virgil. He didn’t see any reason that he was in the wrong. He had absolutely no clue that his actions were reprehensible. How? How could he see this as acceptable?

               “Payton, do you realize what you did to Virgil was wrong?” Logan asked.

               “Well, you’re sticking to your story.” Payton scoffed. “So, I’ll say it again. I have never harmed my son. I don’t know if it was him that started that horrid lie, or if you and Patton decided that it was the best way to get a kid, but it is still a vicious lie.”

               They way Payton’s eyes lit up as he lied was horrifying. They glowed with a cruel light that said, ‘I’ve beaten you’ and he believed that he had won. He was thrilled with the prospect of dragging this out. Patton looked back at the table. Logan didn’t break eye contact.

               “We are willing to offer you supervised visitation. Virgil is going to need someone to drive him out to see you anyway.” Logan repeated Patton’s original offer.

               “We sure are going through a lot just so you can pretend to stand up to your parents.” Payton smiled at him the freak might as well have had fangs. “I will not bow to these allegations, taking any deals would be like admitting that I have abused my son. I’m not going to stand up and say that you two are fit parents while I’m not. No deal.”

               “Well,” Janus stood up. “It looks like we can’t agree on anything. I’ll see you both in court.”

               The three of them walked out into the hallway and watched as a guard took Payton back to his cell.

               “That was suboptimal.” Logan sighed. “Unfortunately, it’s nothing more than I expected.”

               “I’ll make sure to get us in with a judge that isn’t a moron.” Janus added angrily. “If Payton thinks he has a case, he can kiss my ass.”

               “Are you sure he doesn’t have a case that can beat ours?” Patton looked up from the floor.

               “Doctors say that Virgil has been abused, Virgil says that his dad hit him, police say that Payton is going to jail for felony child endangerment and arson. And there’s all the shit he did while he was practicing law. He’s losing custody, in fact I hope he wins this case, so he can lose custody again when he goes to jail.”

               “I’m worried.” Patton grabbed Logan’s hand.

               “We’re going to be ok.” Logan squeezed Patton’s hand in return. “Everything’s gonna be ok.”

               “Well, now Payton doesn’t even get supervised visits.” Janus chimed in, trying to be funny. “Trust me, this is going to be one of the easiest child removal cases in history. Payton shot himself in the foot.”

               “Payton didn’t shoot anything he doesn’t own a gun.” Logan squinted at Janus

               “It’s a metaphor honey.” Patton rested his chin on Logan’s shoulder.

               “Right.” Logan looked at the floor.

               “Well, I’m sorry I wasted your time.” Janus sighed. “You two go home and relax. Rest assured that I know what I’m doing.”

               “Sure.” Patton sighed. “When do you think the rape allegations will show up?”

               “Probably in court, but Payton is already a known liar.” Janus smiled. “He’s not going to get very far with that.”

               “Ok.” Logan nodded. “Thanks.”

               “I guess we can call you ‘No prob Bob’.” Patton smiled.

               “No, you can’t.”

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

I adored Black Serpent ♥️ If you’re still taking drabble requests for the Black Serpent universe, maybe one where she introduces Bucky to her non-mob inner circle, like their reaction to her dating a notorious mob boss.

—————————

Based on the universe of this one shot: Black Serpent

“Are we seriously not going to say anything?” Janna asked.

“What would we say, Janna? ‘Hey, Y/N, thanks for finally allowing us to meet your boyfriend. But small problem… apparently he’s New York’s most notorious mobster and runs this city’?” Katie responded.

Meanwhile, Cassie rolled her eyes at her other two friends. “There’s no way any of that is true. Do you know how many times people in my high school would make up rumors about people’s family’s being in the mafia?”

Then Cassie shrugged. “Plus, I googled him and nothing even slightly concerning came up about him.”

“Yeah, because he probably killed whoever tried to out him…” Janna muttered under her breath.

Cassie shoved her softly. “You guys are being so damn dramatic!”

Katie sighed. “You know, Cassie has a point. We’ve never seen Y/N so happy. Hell, she’s never even introduced a boyfriend to us before. We all know this is real serious for her.”

Cassie nodded in agreement. “And do you guys remember the way he looked at her that night…before they even started dating? When he paid for our dinner and all that. I wish I knew what it felt like for a guy to look at me like he did.”

“Alright. Everyone shut the fuck up. They’re here,” Janna warned as she sat up straighter in her seat.

Y/N was beaming as she walked into the fancy restaurant with Bucky’s hand intertwined with hers.

“Bucky, these are my three best friends: Janna, Katie, and Cassie,” Y/N introduced.

Like a complete gentleman, Bucky shook all of their hands and gave them a charming smile. “It’s so nice to properly meet you all. Y/N’s told me so much about all of you.” They all sat down in their seats at the circular dinner table. “I’ve been begging Y/N to introduce me for months now.”

Cassie smirked at Y/N. “Yeah. Well, Y/N has a habit of over-compartmentalizing her life. So none of us are surprised.”

Bucky playfully glared at his girlfriend. “She does tend to do that, doesn’t she?”

Then he was smirking at her innocent expression.

“Maybe I was just making sure you were ready, James. Don’t underestimate my girls, they’re ruthless,” Y/N teased.

Bucky looked around the table. 

While all her friends were smiling, he could see in their eyes that Y/N wasn’t kidding. This was his ultimate test. From what he heard from Y/N, they were more than just her friends; they were her family. Their opinion mattered above all else. If for some reason they found him unworthy, he knew they’d make sure he was out of the picture.

The difficult part was… Bucky already knew Y/N was too good for him.

“Well, I’m up to the challenge,” he told the women.

One thing was for sure, he needed a copious amount of alcohol if he was going to pull this off. Not only for himself, but he hoped getting her friends a little buzzed would bring the tension down a bit.

“So Bucky… Your real name is James. Where did such a nickname come from?” Janna asked Bucky as they all ate appetizers.

“Buchanan is my middle name,” he explained. “My preschool class had four other kids named James. My teacher started calling us by our first and middle names together. Turns out, that’s a mouthful  – especially for my name. My best friend started calling me Bucky and it caught on, I guess.”

“He hates when people call him James,” Y/N warned.

“But you call him James all the time,” Cassie pointed out with a grin.

“Well, Y/N can pretty much call me anything she wants,” Bucky chuckled. “But you guys can call me James. I don’t mind.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow in shock. That was quite a move to make.

“So Y/N was a little stingy on the details of how you two met. Plus, I want to hear your side of the story,” Katie requested enthusiastically.

She seemed to be the romantic of the group.

Bucky beamed at the memory. “I was sitting at a bar alone when she sat down next to me. I tried to buy her a drink and she wasn’t having it.”

“That sounds about right,” Janna smirked, earning her a glare from Y/N.

“Y/N has trust issues when it comes to men,” Cassie chimed in. “The fact that you’re even sitting here right now is some kind of miracle. It’s making me question my very own belief in a higher power.”

“You guys are such jerks,” Y/N scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“Well, I persisted,” Bucky continued. “I tried talking with her and it ended with her just insulting me and giving me all the reasons for why she wasn’t the girl for me.” Bucky chuckled. “She even pointed to a group of girls at a nearby table and tried to convince me to go and talk to them instead.”

“Y/N!” Janna scolded as if it were happening right in front of her.

“What? He was suspiciously charming!” Y/N defended.

“Wait. So what happened after that? Because clearly she turned you down.” Katie asked in awe.

Bucky’s eyes softened as he met Y/N’s gaze. “No one – and I mean no one – has ever talked to me that way before. Y/N was… a challenge.”

“A challenge?” Janna said with a hint of disgust. “So you just wanted the thrill of the chase,” she accused.

Bucky instantly regretted his choice of words.

“No. Absolutely not.” Bucky clarified confidently. Y/N noticed that he almost let his mobster voice slip out. “To be honest, I’ve never been one for serious relationships. But I met Y/N and I knew the moment she spoke that she wasn’t like any woman I’ve ever met. I realized I had to find the best version of myself to be even remotely close to deserving her.”

“OK! That’s enough of that,” Y/N cut in.

Her friends started giggling. Was Y/N blushing? She never blushed. Y/N was always calm, cool, and collected.

Bucky smiled at her, loving that he could embarrass her any time he even slightly talked about his feelings for her.

As the night went on, Y/N’s friends became more and more relaxed. But more importantly, Bucky’s hard, mobster shell cracked further and further. If he were being honest with himself, it was hard not to keep up his cold and tough front around strangers. It helped to have Y/N at his side. But he learned long ago that the more he showed of his true self to others, the more vulnerable he would become.

But he had to take the risk for Y/N. Because he’d do anything to make her happy. And being friends with her friends was going to do that.

After dinner, Bucky insisted they all get dessert.

After that, the waiter brought their bill directly to Bucky, knowing better than to leave it in the middle of the table, completely up for grabs. The restaurant saw Bucky enough to know that he always paid when he was there, no matter who he was with.

They ordered so much food and alcohol at one of the nicest restaurants in the city. But Bucky didn’t even blink when he saw that the bill had a comma in it.

“One of our friends is having a rooftop party in SoHo. You guys should come with!” Katie said to Bucky and Y/N as they walked outside.

Y/N looked at her boyfriend, trying to read if he actually wanted to go.

“Doll, why don’t you go with your friends?” Bucky suggested.

“Yes, Y/N! Please! We haven’t had a girls’ night in so long,” Janna pushed.

“Listen, you girls have fun. Take my car. I’ll catch a cab home,” Bucky insisted.

“Are you sure?” Y/N asked him softly.

He smiled and nodded before kissing her gently.

Her friends saw her absolutely melt under his touch. Bucky had been struggling to keep the PDA in check. He knew Y/N wasn’t fond of it and she knew her friends were already struggling with processing that she was in a serious relationship.

“I’m gonna run to the ladies’ room real quick. Wait here, yeah?” Y/N asked, taking a few steps back.

Bucky nodded.

“Oh, good idea. I’m coming with!” Katie agreed.

“Me too!” Janna skipped after them.

It left Bucky and Cassie outside the restaurant.

“Sure you don’t want to come with?” Cassie asked.

Bucky smirked and shook his head. “I know I’ve been selfish with her…keepin’ her all to myself. I’ve already used up enough of her time tonight. She needs some girl time.”

Cassie nodded slowly and then crossed her arms. “You know, this is the part where I say if you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”

Bucky waited for her to crack a smile or let out a laugh. But the girl’s eyes were nothing but serious.

He cleared his throat. “I’d never do that to her – ever. Y/N…she’s everything to me.”

“But I mean… even if you think it’s to keep her safe. Don’t do it. I don’t think you understand how hard it is for Y/N to let people in. If you break her heart – even if you think you’re doing it for her own good – she’ll never recover.”

Bucky’s brow furrowed slightly. The way she was talking…it was like she knew more about his secret life than she originally let on.

“I know who you are,” Cassie told him as if she could read his mind. “And I mean who you really are.”

Bucky looked around quickly, making sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation.

He took a step toward her. “Is that so?”

Cassie nodded. “Scott Lang…you know him?”

Bucky tilted his head. “Yeah, I know him. It’s hard to stay in touch the guy with how often he’s bouncing in and out of jail. Good thief. Be even better if he didn’t have such a heart of gold.”

Cassie smiled at that. “Yep, that’s dad for you.”

Bucky tilted his head back in understanding.

“Y/N knows about you, doesn’t she?” Cassie asked seriously. 

Bucky nodded, “I could never keep something like that from her.”

“Don’t worry about my friends. They just think it’s all rumors. I threw them off your scent.”

He smirked. “Thanks for that.”

Cassie watched him carefully, letting a tense silence settle between them.

“I meant what I said before…if you hurt her, I’ll kill you. We both know my dad won’t be the one to do it, but he knows people who will.”

Bucky stared into her gaze, making sure she read the honesty in his blue eyes before saying, “If I did anything to hurt Y/N… I’d let you.”

Before either of them could say anything more, Y/N, Janna, and Katie returned from the bathroom in a fit of giggles.

Y/N practically skipped up to her boyfriend. “Sure you don’t want to come with us?”

Bucky smiled and gave her a quick peck. “I’m sure, doll. And I meant it when I said that you girls are taking my car.” Then he lowered his voice so her friends couldn’t overhear. “But you’ll come back to my place after, yeah?”

“Of course.” Y/N nodded.

“Be safe, Y/N.” Bucky warned before opening the back door of his back SUV for the girls.

Then he walked around to talk to his driver. “You look after them. Take ‘em anywhere they want. But make sure they all get home safe, got it?”

The driver nodded his head seriously. Despite his boss’ casual tone, he knew the request was anything but casual.

Bucky watched the car drive down the block before catching a cab for himself.

As soon as he gave the address, his cellphone vibrated in the inside pocket of his suit jacket. He smirked when he saw Y/N’s name on the screen with a heart next to it. She’d done it as a joke one day, but Bucky couldn’t bring himself to get rid of it.

Looks like you’re gonna live to see another day. The crew approves. Thank you for tonight. It really meant a lot to me. I’ll see you later tonight…or maybe tomorrow morning.

Bucky smiled at the text.

Have fun, doll. Wake me up when you get home.

Even though he knew for a fact he probably wouldn’t be able to fall asleep without her. His body had pathetically become dependent on her being next to him to get any semblance of a good night’s rest.

——-

Thoughts? This website might go up in flames in a week. Better give in your reblogs and comments now 😂

[lemonsandstrawberries]

A Piece of Cheese for the Road

fandom: Stony (Steve x Tony)

universe: Avengers Academy mobile game (high school/college AU), has references to the game

summary: It is the last evening at the Avengers Academy and Steve needs a push to finish some unfinished things with a certain handsome genius. 

length: 2 644 words

a/n: today is the last day when Avengers Academy is still available to play and I never thought that closing a mobile game would affect me that much. sometimes the game was a pain and things were rushed, but there were also many pluses, like beautiful graphics and entertaining storylines and interactions MCU would never give us. this fic is my goodbye and I hope that AvAc universe won’t be forgotten!

——————–

A Piece of Cheese for the Road

"This our last evening together. You know what it means, right?"

Tony made a dramatic pause, surrounded by other students of the Avengers Academy. He prolonged the moment and grabbed the handle of the fridge door, before opening it in a grand gesture and letting everyone feast their eyes on the treasures inside.

"Cheese for everyone!"

The crowd cheered, blocks and wheels of cheese being passed from student to student. It was the evening after graduation and tomorrow everyone would head home and their realities and there was a lot of cheese to eat before that.

Steve leaned over the bar area in the Club A, watching the commotion around Tony and his cheese fridge. He saw Clint biting into a block of cheddar, Lucky jumping around him and demanding a piece, Natasha smearing a piece of brie over a baguette, but the most entertaining was the trail of moving cheese blocks, as Scott used his small friends to get some of his favorite kinds for him, Hope and Cassie without having to fight between always hungry A-Bomb and Hulk. Luke and Jessica were playing pool, forming a team against Foggy and Matt, which honestly didn't surprise anyone anymore as Daredevil didn't have any limits. Not far from them Miss Marvel kept talking to Captain Marvel, and Steve caught some words like 'fanfiction', 'new ideas', 'otp', among many others, and Carol listened to Kamala, nodding her head in agreement. The dance floor was probably the most crowded, people coming and going to grab a drink or a snack, and the one person always present was Loki, dancing all the time, like he kept through the school year, all in rhythms played by DJ Vision and Viv. And at midnight Guardians of the Galaxy were supposed to give their last concert at the Club Galaxy. It was a good evening.

A good, very, very sad evening.

"Steve, you okay?" Bucky asked, stopping next to his friend, holding a package wrapped in silver tinfoil.

"Yeah," Steve smiled sadly. He remembered the day they got Bucky back from Hydra's school. His friend was finally safe and managed to find an outlet for his emotions in rather gloomy music. Speaking of which. "Shouldn't you get ready for your concert?" Steve asked, remembering that Bucky was supposed to play some new songs he and Adam Warlock had created in their 'Winter Warlock' band.

"I still have a minute before that," Bucky answered, leaning against the bar in the same manner as Steve. For a moment, they stood in complete silence, just taking in the atmosphere and watching their friends and teachers mingle. And still, Steve's eyes were always drawn to the cheese fridge and Tony, all dolled up in his business suit…

"What's that?" Steve asked, noticing the silver package Bucky was holding.

"Tony gave it to me," Bucky said, moving the package closer to his eyes so he could get a better look at it, and Steve felt some tug in his heart after hearing the name. "It is a Sainte-Maure de Touraine."

"He gave you cheese?" Steve laughed. Punching Hydra, fighting in the multiverse and knowledge about different types of cheese where what Steve would take with himself from the Academy.

"Not just any cheese," Bucky almost bragged, "it is soft goat cheese, rolled in wood ash. Tony said it matches my style. Maybe I will write a song about cheese," Bucky's voice dropped in thought.

Steve laughed and put a hand on Bucky's shoulder. "I will gladly listen to that, pal," he smiled.

"Hey, did anyone see Captain America?!"

Steve's heart beat faster. He turned around and locked his eyes with the person who was calling him. "Here?" he said, even rising his hand a bit.

"Oh!" Tony paused, lowering his sunglasses. "Sorry, not you! Meant Roberta!"

Captain America 2099. Not him.

"Didn't see her," Steve answered, trying to be neutral, despite some pain in his heart.

"Man, I hope she didn't leave yet. I have a nice piece of aged mimollete I think she will like-"

"I saw her and other 2099 people near the hot tub," Pepper said, holding her own piece of cheese, a rectangle shaped one and Steve could guess it was a piece of some expensive parmesan. Some students had to leave and earlier today Steve and Bucky said their goodbye to Peggy and other Bucky, and even if Steve wanted to ask Tony to stay, he wouldn't hold him back. After all, Roberta seemed like everything Tony ever wanted.

"Ah, Pep, I can always count on you to know everything around here!" Tony brightened. Pepper did work as a school administrator all this time and was irreplaceable. He almost turned around and walked away, when Pepper grabbed him under his arm and twirled around with him.

"Don't you have something to do first?" Pepper said sharply, almost as if disciplining Tony.

"Um, right," Tony admitted, looking away and seemingly distressed. He reached into a paper bag he had been holding which Steve just noticed and took out a medium wheel of cheese covered in red wax and handed it to Steve. "This is for you, something to remember me," he said, smiling and Steve took the offered piece with a stunned look on his face. "It is baby gouda. Mild, soft and boring. Just like you," the friendly smile changed into a pleased grin as Tony delivered his final remark to Steve.

"Gee, thanks, Tony," Steve said, rolling his eyes.

"Welcome! Now, excuse me," Tony wriggled out from Pepper's hold and disappeared among partying students.

"Sorry for him," Pepper turned to Steve with an apologetic look on her face.

"It is fine, Pepper," Steve laughed. As odd as it sounded, he would miss being teased by the snarky genius. He would miss...

"Oooh, I see you got your cheese!" Janet squeezed past Pepper. She was holding a half-eaten piece of colby jack cheese, cheese with two colors, giving it a marble-like look. It wasn't the most expensive kind of cheese, but it was tasty and creamy and brought a lot of joy. Just like Janet. "What are you going to do now?!" she demanded answers in her usual overenthusiastic way.

"Eat it on a cracker?" Steve asked back, unsure what kind of question Jan was expecting. His answer made even Bucky sigh. "What?"

"Hopeless. I have to get ready for my concert," Bucky commented, waving over to get Adam's attention and walking away. Both girls stayed and eyed Steve critically.

"What?" he asked, feeling on edge. "Whaat?"

Pepper and Janet exchanged looks. They had to do everything around here.

"Just go and talk to Tony," Pepper said in her office voice.

"But-"

"Just go!" Janet wasn't that understanding and gave Steve a push, sending him stumbling on his way. He turned around, shooting a confused look at the girls, and saw Jan giving him an encouraging thumbs up and Pepper waving at him to move it. Not understanding and having a wheel of gouda as his only companion, Steve started to navigate through the crowd.

Finding Tony wasn't easy. He passed many students, almost everyone holding a piece of cheese hand-picked and personally delivered by Tony Stark and soon Steve decided to follow the cheese trail, finding the paths Tony had taken. Finally, he found him, near the blasting range and handing T'Challa a piece of Beaufort d’ete, known as the prince of gruyere’ cheeses. Seemed fitting for royalty.

Steve stopped in a distance from them and waited for the talk to finish. T'Challa and Tony shook their hands, and Steve had a feeling that it won't be the last time Wakanda and Stark Industries crossed their paths before both took their separate ways and Tony turned, pausing upon seeing Steve on his path.

"Hey," Steve smiled insecurely, his voice warm and low.

"Hey," Tony repeated, walking and closing the distance. It was quiet around them, the air a bit cold and a starry sky above them. Almost perfect. Almost.

"Thanks for the cheese," Steve said, motioning to the piece of gouda in his hand.

"You already thanked me, old man," Tony said, his characteristic smirk back on his face.

"I know, but - uh, can we talk for a bit?" Steve asked, unsure what he was doing.

Tony looked at him, the smirk disappearing, replaced with surprise before a smile took its place. Steve liked Tony's smiling face better. "Sure. Just a bit though, I have more cheese to give," he said, walking with Steve to the stone bench. It was pretty cold and Steve took off his denim jacket and laid down for Tony to sit on.

"Seriously, Cap?" Tony asked, sliding his sunglasses down considering such gesture completely unnecessary.

Steve only smiled. "Don't want you to catch a cold," he said, and Tony let out a small, irritated huff, but sat down, Steve following. He looked at Tony's profile and pulled his eyebrows together in confusion. "Why are you still wearing sunglasses?"

"Oh, it was pretty bright at the party and my eyes hurt from working and looking at holographic screens. But I guess I can take them off now," Tony said, taking the sunglasses and putting into the front pocket of his suit. "So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked, turning to face Steve and Steve's breath stopped as he looked into the brown eyes, in the warmest, most welcoming shade of brown ever imaginable. He always knew Tony's eye color but it was probably the first time he was seeing them so close. Almost hypnotic. When Tony blinked, Steve realized that the other student was still waiting for an answer.

"Um, what do you plan to do after the graduation?" Steve asked, genuinely curious.

"I don't know yet," Tony smiled lightly, "probably return to Stark Industries for a while to sort things out. Oh, and I and Jan have this plan, but it is still in the making, so don't tell anyone, okay?"

Steve smiled and nodded, seeing an excited spark in Tony's eyes and hearing his voice rising in pitch as whenever Tony got enthusiastic about something. Adorable.

"We are thinking about setting up a foundation to help kids become superheroes. I have my lab, Jan has her sense of style and there are a lot of people out there who could be heroes, but don't have the right means. I think we could make a difference," Tony explained, a happy smile not leaving his face. Steve listened, feeling his heart swelling with love. He always knew that Tony was generous, but this was a new level.

"That's a great idea, Tony," Steve smiled back, honestly thinking so.

"Of course it is, like all my ideas," and the old Tony Stark was back, and oddly, Steve didn't mind. "What about you? What are Captain America's plans for the future?"

"I wish I would know," Steve sighed, "there is no Hydra left for me to punch," it was supposed to be a sincere complaint, yet Tony laughed like if Steve told a joke.

"If that makes you better, you can punch me," Tony offered with a grin.

"I don't want to punch you, Tony," Steve quickly said, sounding irritated and mellowing down the next second. "Sometimes I wish that we had spent more times on getting to know each other instead of fighting," he sighed again, looking down at his feet.

Tony hummed. There was a lot of conflict between them on numerous occasions but it was also what kept things interesting. "I will have to discuss it with Jan, but if you have no other plans, you could join us. We could use someone with military training and a solid, moral spine. Unless…" Tony's voice dropped down, some sadness hearable, "unless you rather go back."

Steve didn't understand. He looked at Tony, and Tony turned away the second he did so.

"Go back where?"

"Back to your times. To Aunt Pegg- to Peggy and the other Bucky. The portal didn't close yet."

Maybe it was an idea. To hide back in the 20th century, to live his life how it was supposed to be. Just knowing what he knew now, could he go back?

Steve shook his head. "It is not my place anymore," he said, accepting the truth.

"Right. Your place is here."

"Or at least I like to think so," Steve smiled, looking at the sky above them. So many stars.

Tony glanced over at Steve. He bit his lip, wanting to ask something but holding back. He didn't want to make things more complicated and painful.

"You okay?" Steve asked, noticing with the corner of his eye that Tony shivered.

"Yeah," Tony breathed out, wrapping arms around himself. "Just cold."

"Come here," not thinking much, Steve wrapped an arm around Tony and drew him closer. Tony blinked in surprise, but soon leaned into the super soldier, taking in the warmth. Cozy. And Steve smelled good. And Tony really didn't want to lose this. And it was their last evening together. And what the heck.

"Steve…"

"Hm?" Steve's breath stopped, when Tony tipped his head up, his lips pressing to Steve's tight ones in a brief kiss which lasted too short for Steve to properly react. And when Tony drew away, it was the most horrible thing.

"Oh man, I am sorry," Tony went into a chatterbox mode, clearly distressed, "did I read this all wrong? Because I thought we were having a moment and you needed some encouragement and-"

"Tony, shush," Steve ordered, only to put both hands on Tony's cheeks and kissed him properly. Slowly. Soft. Lasting. Only the two of them kissing under the stars.

"FINALLY!"

Or not.

Tony and Steve drew apart and saw half of the academy crowding behind the blasting range, the most noticeable Jan, who was yelling at Peter Parker to take photos and looking as almost crying, and both Tony and Steve got blinded time after time by the flash.

"The heck- get out of here!" Steve yelled, waving his hand as if trying to chase everyone away. Meanwhile, Tony took out his sunglasses and clearly started posing. Those photos would go to a school yearbook for sure. When the crowd got back to the main party, chatting and laughing on their way, Steve still seemed irritated with everyone sneaking up on them like that. Tony didn't mind, laughing and going in for more kisses, finally having permission to do something he wanted for a very long time.

"We should go back. I want to hear the Guardians playing. Also, I scheduled a surprise firework show," Tony grinned, not faltering when Steve sent him a harsh look.

"Did you discuss it with Director Fury?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I discussed it with him," Tony stood up, kissing Steve for the last time. For now. They had like three years of kissing to catch up on. "And I still have some cheese to give away. Do you think Loki will hate me for giving him velveeta? That guy is super hard to please anyway."

Speaking of cheese...

"Tony, why did you give me gouda?" Steve asked, remembering that this whole commotion started after Tony gave him his gift.

Tony paused in surprise. "Because it is my favorite cheese. And the best one for grilled cheese sandwiches," he explained simply.

Steve slowly smiled, finally making a connection. "And you love grilled cheese sandwiches."

"I do love them," Tony confirmed, smiling brighter and more beautiful than the starry sky above them. "Let's go, I want to see you dance Charleston for the last time," Tony urged.

Steve laughed and followed Tony, having some other dance in mind. After all, he and Tony had to make up for the lost time, and hopefully, they would have all the time to spend together very soon.

[hedgehog-o-brien]

Popping the question

So you wanted to be productive today? Then whatever you do, don’t think about how the LITs, in various universes and configurations, would propose to each other. But now that you ARE thinking about that, here’s my two cents because I”m a hopeless romantic and also an idiot, so you can spare yourself some trouble.

(Cross posted to AO3 here!)

Jacob and Ezekiel 

Two words; museum dates. They’re kind of a thing for the two of them, because Jake likes to look at paintings and Ezekiel likes to look at shiny things and the security surrounding it. The Louvre, the Met, the Prado, the Uffizi & the Galleria Accademia, the Hermitage; they’ve seen a lot of the world’s finest art by now, but there’s still one that’s missing from their list.

So one day, they go to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. And they wander past Vermeer, and Jan Steen, and Frans Hals, and Rembrandt and it’s great. It’s perfect. The art is beautiful, the security measures are top-notch but by no means impossible to crack and so they are both having a great time.

And finally, they get to the room where the Night Watch is. Rembrandt’s masterpiece and the one painting Jake has not shut up about since they started planning this trip. But it’s funny: the room is completely empty and devoid of tourists and guards, so Ezekiel almost cracks a joke about this being too easy, when Jake stops him and oh no. 

And Jake starts his little speech about how Ezekiel means more to him than any masterpiece in the world and he’s holding a ring and Ezekiel has to cut him off right then and there because you are such a sap cowboy and also yes holy shit yes.

(Yes, Jake emailed the museum director to ask if they would please be so kind as to clear out the Night Watch room for half an hour so he could propose to his boyfriend. The name Oliver Thompson gets a lot of shit done).

Once he’s put the ring on, Ezekiel doesn’t stop crying until they’ve left the museum and are back at their hotel. Jacob tries to make fun of him, but gets through a whopping five seconds before he gives in and kisses him instead (so Ezekiel won’t see he’s on the verge of bawling as well)

---

Ezekiel and Cassandra

Cassandra’s super secret Christmas wish? Getting all dolled up and going to a Christmas gala like the ones her parents used to host. When she was little, sneaking out of her bedroom and hiding herself away on the landing so she could peek into the room below, that had always seemed to be the most magical and amazing thing to her and she could not wait to grow up and be a part of that.

Well. That didn’t happen, but the secret little wish remained, even if she tried her hardest to convince herself it was silly, and it probably wasn’t even that much fun and who wants to spend all night sipping champagne while you can feel the blisters forming in your high heels anyway?

Enter Ezekiel Jones. Who has a knack for finding out secrets and then not laughing at them, but instead shows up two weeks later with two tickets to a charity ball held on the Friday before Christmas and oh would you look at that, all proceeds are going to a foundation that’s dedicated to battling childhood cancer so how on earth could Cassandra say no?

(’That’s cheating,’ Cassandra says, when she’s done sniffing and wiping her eyes. ‘Of course it is,’ Ezekiel grins back)

And Ezekiel hadn’t meant to go about it like this. He really honestly just wanted Cassandra to have a great night and then take her back home for a more private Christmas celebration, but the room around him is a haze of golden light, the orchestra music is floating through the air and he is slow dancing with Cassandra in his arms and he smells nothing but warmth and love and the barest hint of strawberries so he just blurts it out. ‘Marry me?’

He tries to backtrack, tries to turn it into an if-situation: if he asks her and does it properly, with the ring and the speech and the going down on one knee, will she say yes? But Cassandra shakes her head, kisses his cheek and tells him that he doesn’t have to because she’ll say yes right now. So that’s settled then.

---

Cassandra and Jacob

There is one person on the planet who is more of a hopeless romantic than Jacob Stone, and that is Cassandra Cillian. So, frankly, once Jake realizes that this is something he is going to do, he knows he can pick any location from the book and she’ll love it. He can ask her in Paris, or on top of the Empire State Building, or in the Hayden Planetarium and she’ll be over the moon.

So Jake decides to have a little bit of harmless fun with her.

He takes her on a surprise trip to Paris, booking the most romantic hotel he could find. They go to the Eiffel Tower, take an evening cruise along the Seine, reenact Hunchback songs in front of the Notre Dame and, in short, have the sweetest and most rose-tinted 48 hours a pair of Librarians can have. (And don’t think Jake doesn’t see how Cassandra keeps side-eyeing him. She loves it, but she’s expecting something more and that is exactly the point).

And then they get back to the Annex and life continues as normal.

Two weeks later, Jake takes her to New York for their date night. And Cassandra lived in New York, but she has never been to the top of the Empire State Building. The view is amazing, the night is chilly enough that they have to stand close together, with Cassandra wrapped up in Jake’s arms and all in all, it’s a pretty good date.

But then they get back to the Annex. And the next day, they get back to work.

And Jake pretends not to notice the tiny dismayed expression that Cassandra is sporting that day, but he does see it and he bites back his grin. Because another two weeks later, he is taking her to the Hayden Planetarium. It’s her favorite place on earth, and she is his favorite person so this should have been the perfect occasion.

But even when a star-studded sky stretches overhead and Cassandra gazes up in awe and wonder at the picture she has seen a hundred times, Jake doesn’t go down on one knee. 

On the way out of the Planetarium, Cassandra has to tell herself very firmly that it doesn’t make sense to be this disappointed and it does not make sense at all to have a lump in her throat and a heavy feeling in her stomach because she’s already got more than she ever dared to hope for, so what more could she even want?

Jake asks her if she’s okay and she nods, not even noticing his smile when he holds open the Back Door for her.

And then Cassandra steps into the Annex and sees. About a million candles, which is usually not a good idea in a room with so many books, an ungodly amount of rose petals (it seems someone by name of Ezekiel Jones might have gone a little overboard with them, but Jake doesn’t even care at the moment) and, in the middle of it all, a small velvet box waiting for her on top of her desk.

‘I could’ve asked you anywhere,’ Jake says, pressing the sweetest of kisses to her cheek, ‘but I kinda wanted to do it at home.’

(And after Cassandra has called him an asshole about a hundred times and also punched him a little, her answer is definitely yes).

Cassandra + Ezekiel + Jacob

This time, Cassandra is the first to get the word out. They’re getting ready for Christmas dinner, the three of them, after spending all day in the kitchen together so tensions might be running a little high, because they’re all perfectionists but none of them are what you’d call professional chefs. After Jacob caught Ezekiel just in time before he put the tomato soup through the strainer, and after Cassandra had to swat Jacob’s hand before he dipped his finger into the boiling hot salted caramel sauce, it’s honestly a Christmas miracle they’ve managed to put food on the table at all.

But food is served, grace is said, the tomato soup is ladled into three polka dotted bowls and then, Cassandra reaches into the pocket of her dress, tucks a strand of hair behind her hear, blows out a breath and plonks a small black box on the festively dressed dinner table.

‘I know it’s not really the girl’s thing to do,’ she starts, but then stops again because Jake, looking baffled, is reaching ever so slowly into his own pocket to get out a very similar little box. And Ezekiel, watching this unfold in stunned silence, gets up without a word, vanishes into the bedroom for all of five seconds and then comes back, holding something square and small in his hand and setting it on the table next to the other two.

‘Guess great minds think alike, huh,’ Jake manages to say, right before Ezekiel starts to crack up, followed by Cassandra and soon, they are all three doubled over with laughter, so much that they can’t exactly be sure whether that is causing the tears to stream down their cheeks or maybe it’s something else.

They all say yes, though, once they get their breath back. They all say yes and Jake and Ezekiel even let Cassandra voice the question, since she is the one that started it. After which, they each pick the ring they like the best to wear on their finger and wear the other two on a delicate silver chain around their neck, so no one gets left out. It’s a bit of a mismatch, since they all went for slightly different ring styles, but that doesn’t matter. It’s only fitting, after all.

[weekendwarriorblog]

WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND June 28, 2019  -  YESTERDAY, ANNABELLE COMES HOME, MAIDEN

I’m going to do things a little different again this week, because while I normally would begin with the bigger movie of the weekend, I actually have a lot of stuff about ANNABELLE COMES HOME (New Line/WB) over at The Beat, as you can see below, so instead, I’m going to put a little more focus on Danny Boyle’s YESTERDAY (Universal), because... well, read on...

It’s not often a movie comes along that combines all of my favorite things into a completely unexpected movie that works, but Yesterday, written by Love, Actually’s Richard Curtis and directed by Danny Boyle, does just that. It takes a fairly high concept premise of a world without knowledge of the Beatles and their music and turns it into a hilarious comedy about fame and love and plenty of other things.  Maybe that’s to be expected when it comes from a writer who has helped define British comedy and one of my favorite directors, but that doesn’t always mean that it will always work.

We meet Himesh Patel’s Jack Malik as he’s doing his regular busking around Sussex at any gig his best friend and manager Ellie (Lily James) can get for him, but it’s not going well and Jack is ready to give up. One night, after coming back from one such bad gig, the lights go out across the globe for 12 seconds and in that 12 seconds, Jack’s bike is hit by a bus. He ends up in the hospital with two missing teeth but when he gets out he starts playing “Yesterday” on an acoustic guitar bought for him as a gift by Ellie, and realizes that none of his friends realize who the Beatles are. Jack immediately realizes that it’s up to him to preserve the songs so he tries to remember them and incorporates them into his shows, at which point he suddenly starts getting more attention.

The first thing about Yesterday that’s immediately apparent is the talent and charm of Himesh Patel who really carries the film and has you constantly rooting for him. I’ve long been a fan of Lily James, especially after her turn in Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver, but I feel like the role of Ellie allows her to be more of herself than some of her other ones.

There are quite a few other levels to the humor, the first one being when Ed Sheeran, played by the real Ed Sheeran, contacts Jack Malik about his music and becomes involved in his story. The next level is when Kate McKinnon enters the picture as Sheeran’s manager who wants to turn Jack into a money-making superstar ala Sheeran. Sheeran ably makes fun of himself and his own talent as a singer/songwriter, but McKinnon takes her character so far into the world of sleaze that she’s hysterical (especially to someone who has worked in the music biz and has seen this first-hand). It’s also good to mention Joel Fry as Jack’s bumbleheaded friend/roadie Rocky and Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal as his parents, all who bring even more laughs to the movie.

Probably the most interesting turn is when Ellie is ready to say bye to Jack as he heads off to L.A., and she suddenly realizes that she’s in love with him though those feelings aren’t reciprocated. As Jack tries to navigate the music business with his sleazy new manager, he realizes that he has to go to Liverpool if he wants to remember the last of the Beatles songs, and once there, he reconnects with Ellie as they try to sort out their feelings.

That’s all I’m going to say because the last act is so full of surprises that really helps bring the whole thing home. And then on top of all that, you have the music of the Beatles, which still gives me goosebumps as performed by the talented Patel. (Once I buy this soundtrack, it will be the second record this year I’ve bought of an actor performing classic pop/rock songs and selling them as well as the original artist(s).)

I don’t think you have to be a Beatles fan to appreciate what Curtis and Boyle done with this premise, and maybe it’s because I’ve been in Ellie’s shoes, falling in love with a friend who just sees me as a friend that I really connected with the romantic angle of the film, one that really pays off.

Yesterday is just wonderful, and it’s easily one of my favorite movies of the year.

Rating: 9/10

Interview with Writer Richard Curtis over at The Beat

Getting back to Annabelle Comes Home, I’m sure that New Line’s latest entry into the ConjuringVerse is going to prove popular, especially with Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson back as Larraine and Ed Warren. It’s screenwriter Gary Dauberman’s directorial debut and it stars the amazing McKenna Grace (Gifted) as the Warrens’ daughter Judy, as it shows what happens when the Annabelle doll is released in the artifact room, drawing a gaggle of malevolent spirits to the Warren home as Judy and her babysitter (and friends) fight them off and try to figure out how to stop them.

My Review over at The Beat

Interview with Writer/Director Gary Dauberman at The Beat.

LIMITED RELEASES

Another movie I’m really excited for people to finally see, one which I saw way back in January around when it premiered at Sundance is Alex Holmes’ doc MAIDEN (Sony Pictures Classics), which tells the amazing story about how Tracy Edwards put together an all-woman sailing team to race in the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Race despite all the odds against them. I loved this movie, not only because it’s an amazing story but also I’m a sailing enthusiast who sadly has not been able to get out and go sailing as much as I’ve hoped. But Edwards’ story and what she and hew crew 

Over a year since it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, Star Wars: The Force Awakens star Daisy Ridley stars as OPHELIA (IFC Films) in Claire McCarthy’s reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamletwith Ophelia taking center stage as the lady-in-waiting to Queen Gertrude, played by Naomi Watts. George MacKay from Captain Fantastic plays Prince Hamlet, and the movie will open at the IFC Center as well as select theaters across the country.

Also opening at the IFC Center on Friday (and then in L.A. on July 12) is Jan Zabelle’s Three Peaks (Greenwich Entertainment), starring Alexander Fehling and Bérénice Bejo (The Artist). Fehling plays Aaron who wants to be a family with his girlfriend and her 8-year-old son in the Italian Dolomites, but has trouble gaining the boy’s acceptance.

Opening in select cities is Mitch Davis’ THE OTHER SIDE OF HEAVEN 2: FIRE OF FAITH (Artaffects), a sequel to the 2001 faith-based film which grossed $4.7 million.  Christopher Gorman returns as the missionary John H. Grober who returns to Tonga with his wife and five daughters, where they have a sixth child who is suffering an illness.

Opening at New York’s Film Forum is Lila Avilés’ The Chambermaid, set in a deluxe Mexico City hotel where chambermaid Eva spends her days making beds and dealing with needy clients, partially inspired by Sophie Calle’s The Hotel.

Opening at Film at Lincoln Center is James N. Kienitz Wilkins and Robin Schavoir’s experimental film The Plagiarists (KimStim) starring Lucy Kaminsky and Eamon Monaghan as a couple stranded by a snowstorm while visiting a friend in upstate New York and are put up for the night by a strange guy named Clip (Michael Payne from Parliament) only to discover that his hospitality was not what it seems. The filmmakers will be on hand for QnAs after the screenings Friday and Saturday night.

Opening at the Quad Friday is Eddie Mensore’s Mine 9 (EmphatiCinema/Levey Distribution)about nine coal miners in West Virginia trapped underground after a methane explosion.

Also opening at the Quad (and at the JCC Manhattan) is Avi Nesher’s Israeli film The Other Story (Strand Releasing) about two rebellious young women from Jerusalem who clash in unexpected ways.

From China comes Derek Tsang’s thriller Better Days (Well GO USA), opening Thursday in select cities, about a female student preparing for the important “gaokao” college entrance exam tests, who teams with a small-time criminal named Bei when she’s being bullied over a classmate who committed suicide. (NOTE: I just read that Better Days was pulled from Chinese release a few days ago, so I’m wondering if maybe it’s U.S. release will be delayed accordingly, as well.)

Alicia Vikander and Eva Green star in Swedish filmmaker Lisa Langseth’s English-language debut Euphoria (Freestyle Releasing) as two sisters travelling to a mystery destination in Europe. It also stars Charles Dance and Charlotte Rampling and opens in select cities.

Last, there’s Martin Owen’s Killers Anonymous (Grindstone Entertainment) about a support group for killers, which stars Gary Oldman, Jessica Alba and Suki Waterhouse. This is probably a mostly VOD movie that might be released into a few theaters.s

LOCAL FESTIVALS

I had to omit this section last week due to time constraints, but this weekend begins one of my favorite annual New York film festivals, and that is the New York Asian Film Festival, mostly taking place at Film at Lincoln Center and then the SVA Theater.  This is the 18thannual festival, dubbed “Still Too Young to Die,” and I have to admit that over the past few years, I’ve been somewhat neglect in my attendance and coverage of the festival. I hope to change that as there are definitely some things I’m hoping to catch. You have to remember that many of the films that play this festival NEVER receive U.S. distribution so NYAFF is the only chance to see some of them.

This year’s festival opens with Bernard Rose’s Samurai Marathon, a period piece set in the 1850s with an all-star cast and a Philip Glass score. This year’s centerpiece is

Eguchi Kan’s The Fable, adapting the Manga about a Yakuza hit man trying to lead a “normal life.” For a third year in a row, NYAFF has a competition for the Uncaged Award for Best Feature Film with seven films from different Asian countries in competition, many having their North American premieres:  Moon Sung-ho’s 5 Million Dollar Life, Kim Yoon-seok’s Another Child, Huang Chao-liang’s Han Dan, Nojiri Katsumi’s Lying to Mom, Kenneth Lim Dagatan’s Ma, Yi Ok-seop’s Maggie and Wu Nan’s Push and Shove.

Legendary martial arts choreographer and director Yuen Woo-ping will be receiving the Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award, and they should be showing some of his best work at this year’s festival including Donnie Yen’s Iron Monkey, The Miracle Fighters and more.

This year’s festival will run until July 14, although the Closing Night film has yet to be announced.

STREAMING AND CABLE

Streaming on Netflix starting Friday is Paul Thomas Anderson’s musical short Anima, starring and scored by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. 

REPERTORY

Before we get to the individual theaters, be aware that Spike Lee’s all-time classic Do the Right Thing will be receiving a 30th anniversary rerelease both in a new 4k digital restoration and in some cases, on an archival 35mm print. Check your local theaters to see if it’s playing near you, and if you haven’t seen it yet after 30 years, then you have no excuse not to go see it this week.

METROGRAPH (NYC):

When it comes to music docs, Les Blank is one of the pioneers and thankfully, Les Blank Films (along with Argot Pictures) is issuing two restorations of the ‘70s films he was involved with including Chulas Fronteras  (1976) and Del Mero Corazon  (1979) that look into the amazing music crossing the border between Mexico and Texas. Chulas, translated as “Beautiful Borders,” is a fascinating hour-long film that uses the music as a backdrop to show the everyday lives of those who live on the boarder. Del Mero (“Straight from the Heart”), co-directed with Maureen Gosling (who will be on hand Friday and Saturday night), Guillermo Hernandez & Chris Strachwitz is a shorter film mostly about the romantic songs from Mexico. Honestly, as someone who frequently has to listen to Mexican “mariachi” music on the subway while I’m trying to relax and listen to my own music, I wasn’t sure whether and if I’d connect with either film and while Chulas is definitely a stronger overall film, they both offer some great insights into the Tex-Mex music and musicians that have paved the way for others.

The Metrograph joins other New York arthouse in closing off Pride Month with Films of Pride and Protest: Stonewall at 50 with two series of films by various filmmakers documenting the groundbreaking rallies and protests that have helped the LGBTQ movement get to where it is today.

This week’s Late Nites at Metrograph  screening is the Safdie Brothers’ Heaven Knows What  (2015) while the Playtime: Family Matinees  offering is Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid (1921) in 35mm!

THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):

This week’s Weds. matinee is Alfred Hitchcock’s Topaz from 1969 – I guess the new Bev is still going through the movies of the late ‘60s, a running theme the last couple weeks. Weds and Thursday’s double feature is Krakatoa, East of Java and The Boston Strangler (from 1969 and 1968, continuing that theme); Friday and Saturday sees a double feature of Steve McQueen’s Bullitt (1968) and George Sheppard’s Pendulum (1969); and then the Sunday/Monday double feature is Liza Minnelli’s The Sterile Cuckoo (1969) with 3 in the Attic (1968; in 16mm, no less!). The weekend’s KIDDEE MATINEE is another Steve McQueen movie, The Reivers, also from 1969, and then the midnight movies are Tarantion’s Inglourious Basterds on Friday night and Arlo Guthrie��s Alice’s Restaurant(1969) on Saturday night. Chris Nolan’s Inception (not from 1968 or 1969!) will screen as a matinee on Monday and then next Wednesday’s matinee is the James Bond film From Russia With Love  (1963).

FILM FORUM (NYC):

On Friday, the Film Forum begins screening the Coen Brothers’ 1998 comedy classic The Big Lebowski for a week for no particular reason… but who needs a reason to catch up with Jeff Bridges’ The Dude and friends? It will also screen Elaine May’s classic bomb Ishtar, starring Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman, again for no particular reason. Maybe because it’s summer? This weekend’s Film Forum Jr. is the 1982 John Huston musical Annie, and then on Sunday, the Forum will screen Otto Preminger’s 1954 film  Carmen Jones, introduced by Donald Goble.

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Cinematic Void presents a double feature of Ti West’s The House of the Devil(2009) and Wolf’s Hole (1987) on Thursday and then on Friday, the Egyptian goes further into the Czech New Wave with The Anarchic Cinema of Vera Chytilova, a double feature of Daisies (1966) and Fruit of Paradise (1970) as well as a couple shorts by the Czech director. The series continues on Sunday with a double feature of Panelstory and The Very Late Afternoon of a Faun. I honestly don’t know much about the Czech New Wave (or actually, nothing) but it certainly seems to be back in style. Also Sunday is a Barbara Stanwyk double feature as part of The Style of Sin, showing Ladies of Leisure (1930) and Baby Face (1933).

AERO  (LA):

Thursday, there’s a screening of the new The Doors: The Final Cutwith director Oliver Stone and Val Kilmer in person, and it isn’t sold out, as of this writing! Friday is a screening of Charles Shyer’s Irreconcilable Differences (1984) with special guests and then the weekend is all about one of my favorite filmmakers, Lynn Shelton! After a preview of her excellent new movie Sword of Trust on Saturday, there’s a TRIPLE feature of Your Sister’s Sister (2011) on 35mm, Touchy Feely (2013) and We Go Way Back (2006) on Saturday and then a triple feature of Humpday (2009) on 35mm and 2017’s Outside In.

QUAD CINEMA (NYC):

The Quad continues to show its 2k restoration of Greta Schiller and Robert Rosenberg’s Before Stonewall (1984) through the weekend

ROXY CINEMA (NYC)

On Wednesday, the Roxy is screening Humphrey Bogart’s classic Casablanca on a 35mm print, then Thursday, it’s showing the 2002 dark comedy The Rules of Attraction. Getting into the Pride spirit, Saturday sees a 35mm screening of the 2000 lesbian comedy But I’m a Cheerleader, presented in conjunction with Flaming Classics, as well as a 35mm print of the 1969 doc Portrait of Jason about black, gay sex worker Jason Holliday, which will screen one time on Saturday and Sunday.

IFC CENTER (NYC)

Waverly Midnights: Parental Guidance wraps up with Brian De Palma’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie (1976), Weekend Classics: LoveMom and Dad is Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata (1978) while the Late Night Favorites: Spring concludes with David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001). The IFC Center will be one of the theaters showing Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing on an archival 35mm print, but only for the 7pm showtimes for the next week. Also in celebration of Stonewall (just a few blocks away), the IFC Center is premiering a 4k restoration of Frank Simon’s 1968 film The Queen (a Cannes selection), which looks at the 1967 Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant, organized by LGBTQ icon Flawless Sabrina with judges including Andy Warhol, Larry Rivers and Terry Southern. It will be shown with the 1967 short Queens at Heart.

BAM CINEMATEK (NYC):

On Thursday, BAM and FAB Flicks will show the 1961 musical classic West Side Story outdoors at the Brooklyn Plaza Medical Center. On Friday, BAM joins the celebration of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing with a 30thanniversary rerelease. The Beyond the Canon series continues on Saturday with a double feature of Dibril Diop Mambety’s 1973 film Touki Bouki with Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless (1960)

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

Astoria, Queens’ premiere arthouse continues its Grit and Glitter: Before and After Stonewall series this weekend with John Waters’ Multiple Maniacs (1970) on Friday, Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon (1975)and Stephen Frears’ My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) on Saturday. Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s 2004 film Tropical Malady will screen on 35mm on both Saturday and Sunday. The See it Big! Action series will screen Pam Grier’s Coffy (1973) in 35mm on Saturday and Sunday.

FILM OF LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

Lincoln Center’s 50thanniversary celebration continues with 50th Mixtape: Free Double Features with Agnes Varda’s Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962) and Jane Campion’s The Portrait of a Lady (1996) on Thursday night.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART  (LA):

This Friday’s midnight movie is Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke (1997)… subtitled!

Next week, it’s the extended 4thof July weekend and Sony’s seventh Spider-Man movie Spider-Man: Far from Home will go up against Ari Aster’s sophomore effort, Midsommar.

[littlewalken]

Jan 29

Started reading Roger Daltry’s autobiography, he’s just bullshitted john Entwistle in to joining his band and there’s this other trad jazz bloke named Pete Townshend who seems interesting. He doesn’t paint a picture and put you there like Lol Tollhurst but Roger tells a good story and you get enough to get the idea of what went on. 

Now to give music a good Rogering ;)

The first two have seen more tiddies before breakfast than Goff Barbie only because The Cure don’t get those kind of groupies. Simon yes, the rest of The Cure no. Maybe Jason does. 

Now to start the summoning for Teddy’s memoirs.

You never know, Robert might want a jellyfish in a bucket.

For Steven Universe fans I did see The Party, with Dee Dee Magno Hall the voice of Pearl, at a mall. That’s the hologram from their cassette. Because it was from a time of my life I don’t want to revisit I don’t. This show was part of my coping and part of going on from that time in my life is dealing with the pop culture I used. I won’t even tell you which Mousekateer is on the back of the card, it’s not Dee Dee, and it’s not anyone from NSYNC because this is the first cast. I accept that I was part of the concert in a mall generation.  

It was the Disintegration Prayer Tour era but I wasn’t in a place where I could welcome The Cure in to my life because I had overwhelming suicidal thoughts. Seeing The Party at a mall might have been one of the things that kept me alive. Working on The Wonder Years, and not knowing I wasn’t being paid what I should have been, and buying teen magazines with The Party and NKOTB, waiting eagerly for that Joey McIntyre doll, clutching at anything healthy kept me alive. 

I’m quite sure the first Cure video I saw was Never Enough, followed by High, so they were this weird fun band. And fu#k yeah Teddy was and still is hot.

Anything you use to cope that doesn’t hurt you or someone else is valid. 

I did scrapbooking and sorting yesterday inbetween real lifing, reading Roger’s book, and writing a bit on the roadie story. That one isn’t ready for a reader yet because it’s still checking all its pockets before putting its trousers in the wash. 

No one has offered to read the Jeff inspired one yet. And I have others that are in different stages of something that could use feedback. The dedicated to ___ because I could have never done it alone type of feedback. 

I’ll look through the Jeff inspired story and see if there’s an excerpt to post. 

[sickdaysofficial]

Jan. 29: “Good Samaritan”

Day 2: Good Samaritan

Warning for seizures? That’s it. Also a bit of a warning that the world this is in deals in magic and monsters. Find more about that on my OC blog, @the-entire-monster-kingdom, and find more of my I&I writing at @tokyoemeto!

___________

Ajax felt fine when he’d left the house earlier.

But that was earlier.

He felt fine the whole time, really. It was a nice day, even. He got to spend time in the older neighborhood and pet the outdoor cats and even help some of the locals in the garden. He’d gotten a few things in return to take home, and after a short detour, he was back out in town. It was, for once, a great day— Until he blacked out. No matter what one might expect, it wasn’t so easy to get used to having seizures. As much as Ajax had grown used to the idea of it, every time he found himself coming to while laying on the ground or snapping back into reality, it was jarring, especially when it was something that could even be less than a couple of minutes long, but ruin an entire day.

Everything seemed muffled at first. Far away, distant. Hazy. Warm, gentle hands touched him, moving him carefully. Everything seemed to dissipate once more before he finally came to, staring up at the person touching him dazedly. He wore white… Was that a cloak? He didn’t think many people outside of the old neighborhood wore those. He was probably an adventurer. He pushed his hand under Ajax, pulling him up gently after having laid him on his side. Ajax couldn’t help the groan that left him, supporting himself with a hand on the ground and running a hand through dark locks of hair. Though it seemed to hurt the stranger, he kneeled next to Ajax. “Hey, are you feeling okay?” His voice was gentle, as if they were out for a walk in the park, “You know where we are, right?” Ajax nodded. He felt like he couldn’t find his voice for a moment, finally finding words after coughing for a moment. “We're… We’re in the middle circle, right? Near the cafe?” The stranger stopped for a moment, looking around. He knew where they were, but he didn’t know there was a cafe. The kid was right, though. Maybe he should be questioning the stranger, and not the other way around. He flicked his hood back, looking the kid over with attentive eyes before touching his wrist carefully, like a glass doll as he tried to get a look at the bracelet, clearly a medical ID, that he wore. This was probably a common occurrence, then. Name. He needed a name. “Ajax… Right?” The human nodded, smiling sheepishly up at the stranger. He had tan skin, too, dotted with freckles all over his cheeks. “Uh… My name’s Noah. I'm… I’m not a doctor, but I know how to deal with a seizure… I’m, uh… I’m epileptic, too.” He gave him a bit of an awkward, crooked smile. It was an odd thing to bring up, or bond over, but it was nice to know that whoever was taking care of you knew what was happening from experience, he supposed. Ajax nodded, his eyes shifting down to his lap, then back up to Noah. Catlike ears sat atop his head. He was one of the inhuman. A Nexonian. They were the kind that… well… owned the place, really. It was their city. Noah let go of Ajax’s wrist, resting his hands on the ground in preparation to push himself up. “Hey, do you think you’re okay to move? We should get you… Home, I guess? You live right around here, yeah?” Ajax nodded again. Noah smiled. “Alright… Lemme get myself up. Last thing I want to do is fall on top of you because I got down on the ground.” He chuckled sheepishly, pushing himself up with his arms and rising slowly, wincing at the painful cracking in his knees. Once he was sure he was steady, he held a hand out to Ajax, bending forward a little. He really should have gone about it a different way, but thank the gods, Ajax was light. Pulling him to his feet, Noah took a few steps back, then came to his side as he rose, wrapping an arm around his back. He still seemed unsteady, but it was perhaps too much to carry him.

Taking a slow step forward, Ajax followed suit, and soon they had begun their short walk to Ajax’s apartment. It took some directions from the human, but someone who could figure out robots had no issue taking directions on how to get to a place maybe a block or two away. The hardest part were the stairs— The bane of Noah’s existence and the most difficult thing to try and deal with when you had only just come out of a seizure… At least, that didn’t involve machines. Taking extremely cautious steps, Noah held onto Ajax almost like his life depended on it as the human descended just after him. It was only a small set of stairs, just a few feet before they were in the hall in front of his apartment. Ajax gingerly tapped Noah’s hand with his lanyard, letting the inhuman take the keys and unlock the door before handing them back. Noah surveyed the room before he decided to settle on the couch as a good place to set Ajax down. Guiding him over, he set him down, looking around. It was a nice apartment. Clearly, someone else lived with him, but they didn’t seem to be here. Noah could easily sniff out their presence, but his first hint, more apparent to even humans, was the fact that… Well, Ajax didn’t seem to be the kind to play video games. Or watch horror movies. Noah didn’t take Ajax for the kind to watch many movies at all, but… Perhaps he’d have to find out later. “Hey, uh… Do you want a drink or something? Or something to eat? I don’t know what you have, but… Stay there, I’ll get something.” He finally let his hand leave Ajax’s shoulder as he shifted his attention to the kitchen, deciding to fill a glass with water and grab something light. A pack of crackers. Good enough. He returned to the living room with both in hand, sitting next to Ajax and handing over the glass first. He watched as Ajax took only a few sips of it before handing it back, Noah setting it on the coffee table in a spot not covered in papers and computers. By the looks of it, Ajax… or at least his roommate, Noah assumed, was a college student. Handing over the crackers, Noah decided to make small talk. “So… Uh… Do you go to college around here?” Ajax nodded, biting into a cracker. “Yeah, how’d you know?” Noah chuckled sheepishly. “It’s all over the papers on the table. What are you studying?” Ajax smiled a little. He seemed to like being asked so many questions. “Graphic design. I can’t really do normal work, but… Uh… I was thinking I could do something like that, I guess? And, it's… Uh… It’s kinda nice to go to class, I think. If I can’t really work normally, it’s fun to still do something.” Noah nodded. He wasn’t one to judge a book by its cover, but he didn’t think Ajax was that sick, upon first glance. “What do you do?” He smiled up at Noah. There was a good foot and a half difference between the two in height. “Me? Oh, uh…” Noah paused. He could say many things, but he didn’t want to just start with “I’m royalty”. He coughed. “I… I’m an engineer. I build and design stuff like robots and computers, and… I go out adventuring with my friend sometimes… Mercenary work.” He smiled. Ajax smiled, too, though with a hint of sadness. “That sounds like fun. I wanted to learn fire magic and be a mercenary, but… I don’t think it’ll happen.” He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. Noah couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy. If it weren’t for the gods and their magic… He wouldn’t even be alive, let alone running about and swinging swords around. He shrugged. “It's… It’s fun. It’s exhausting, but… It’s fun. I honestly wouldn’t be able to do it without magic to help me.” He looked down to Ajax. His ear twitched, the sound of heavy footsteps coming down the steps outside of the door. Was Ajax’s roommate an elephant or was that a neighbor? Ajax smiled again. “You know magic? How’d you learn it?” Noah gave another sheepish smile. He probably sounded like a complete lunatic. “I learned it from the gods. My family’s patron is the wind god, he… Uh… He made sure I stayed alive, and he taught me some magic, starting when I was… Eight? Ten? Old enough that I was out of the hospital most of the time.” He smiles a little. It was nice to talk to someone that wasn’t automatically afraid for him or trying to pity him when he mentioned how he’d been in the hospital. His ears twitched again, turning as the door opened.

The heavy footsteps were from a very clearly heavy person. Ajax’s roommate was another inhuman. She clearly had to be some form of demon, standing at eight feet tall, Noah guessed, and clearly made of mostly muscle. Her skin was a frosty blue color and her hair many different colors, ivory horns poking out from the rather fluffy mess. She looked at Ajax, then Noah, hanging her keys on a hook next to the door. “Jax, who’s this?” She laid her backpack by the door, standing on the other side of the table. Noah would have been terrified if he were any normal person. Ajax smiled, leaning forward. “Oh, this is Noah! He… Uh…” He smiled sheepishly. “He helped me get back after I had a seizure…” Her expression, harsh before, softened, now concerned. “You had a seizure? When? You should have called me.” She ducked into the kitchen for a moment, getting herself a glass of water, too. Ajax’s eyes sank to the table, trying to avoid her look. He didn’t like to worry her. “Uh… I got up..  ten minutes ago?” Noah nodded. “Yeah, it’s been… Twenty minutes at the most.” She nodded, sighing and looking between the two. She didn’t like strangers in the house, but damnit, Ajax clearly already liked the guy. “Mh… Uh…” She let her gaze rest upon Noah. “ Thanks, I guess. I don’t think either of us expected Ajax to have a seizure.” Ajax nodded, silent as he pushed another cracker into his mouth. Noah smiled. “Yeah, of course… I’d want someone to do the same for me.” He cleared his throat. “Uh… I should get back soon, but… Here,” Noah pulled a pen from his pocket, scribbling his number onto a scrap of paper. “Give me a call later and tell me how you’re feeling, okay? It was… It was nice talking to you, Ajax.” He handed over then paper with a smile. Ajax grinned, his expression much like a puppy. “You, too! I’ll make sure to call you later.” He kept the paper in his hand. “Uh… I guess I’ll see you around?” He watched as Noah stood up. He didn’t want him to go, but he didn’t want Kho to be uncomfortable with someone she didn’t know in the house. Noah nodded. “Yeah, I’ll see you around. I live around here,too, so… We’ll probably run into each other.” He smiled, approaching the door and giving a slight wave. Ajax waved back at him, watching as he shut the door and disappeared. Even if a seizure could ruin a day, maybe this was the rare occasion where it made the day instead? He definitely thought so, but in either case, he still desperately needed to get some sleep after that.