#this was just going to be a badass val with no real idea but now i picture its got to do with him helping with the successor situation

[xxx-sir-pentious-xxx]

Pentious fucking wrecks the Vs[title pending]

Absolutely funny and cool and badass, totally not written by pentious lol, angel dust is sneaky.

Angel dust made one joke, resulting in the fight being stopped and Cherri being forced to let the battle go, especially since Sir Pentious would leave her terf alone permanently. Only for his son would he do this.

The trick went so far that Pentious actually got to the hotel before the opportunist Alastor.

Due to the fight being stopped in such a sweet manner the news report went may smoother. Peoples opinions shifted, maybe the hotel was reforming Angel Dust, I mean really hes reuniting with his father.

All was going so well, Pentious was funding the hotel and manning it with security. Angel had to rein his emotions a few times but eventually he was warming up to the crew, he was getting protective of them. They were like his eggies, precious and fragile.

It was the moment Angel mentioned his soul contract and abuse that Sir Pentious snapped a bit and hugged Angel close,

"My sssweet son... I'll fix thiss. Dont you worry your precious little head..."

And like that he began crafting with angelic steel. It was intense, the look on his face when he was eating with his crew, his family. Within two days he was ready. He showed off the look of it to angel who was honestly freaked out.

"Hey uh.. Dad ya arent gonna... you wont actually do it right?.. it's dangerous you might get hurt..."

Angel had actually gotten pretty fond of his 'dad', his confidence scared him as he got hugged and watched Pentious go to slaughter the V's like a assassin.

He played it cool.

Then as soon as someone made a fuss he threatened and made it clear what hes there for, it took a simple look of the weapon to make anyone crack.

To be honest most kept it easy, some gladly guided him, hell they begged him to do it.

It felt so good to meet the V's all together and the be seen as a real threat. Vox tried to do something but Pentious had frequency jammers. He got loud at Pentious calling his bluff, which only resulted in a chest shot,

"IM NOT FUCKING AROUND. YOU WILL TAKE ME FUCKING SERIOUSLY, IM GONNA FUCKING KILL EACH ONE OF YOU."

Val couldnt fly, not good but he tried, it only lead to his wings being blown off and most of his back.

Velvette got the idea to call for help but got told shes shit outta luck, they wanted to be free. Her head was quickly blown off.

Pentious slithered to the dying Val who's completely in shock.

"I wanted sssome of your fluff."

The sound of a blade was heard and next thing anyone knew he had his head. Then a feeling washed over Pentious.

"I... I won. I WON. Oh I'm sssso happy!"

He turned off the jammer and the cameras showed the scene to the masses after a few minutes. A employee probably wanted to see what had happened completely forgetting to not broadcast it. Or did they?

The masses saw the mess, they saw Pentious laughing about it, Vals head in hand,

"I MURDERED THE V'sss IM THE SsECOND GREATEST OVERLORD EVER!!! I DONT NEED TO PRETEND TO BE THREATENING ANYMORE!!"

He could finally relax his worries, no more dangers now to him, only peace.

What he didn't consider was how the people seemed to flock around him, worshipping him almost, yeah he owned them now but he expected.. what? He wasnt sure really.

He appointed the workers, his new underlings to just do whatever felt right. Broadcast what they like, make whatever. Oh and he made sure to make the bank accounts and funds of the V's his own. That way he can afford and handle these things.

He felt so... powerful. He was like a king.

"King Cobra sssoundsss good... yeah, king cobra! Hass a ring to it..."

People could finally think again, no more tv hypnosis, no more pain from unwanted sex or being stabbed with needles. Sir Pentious was a hero to them.

Alastor felt a bit threatened and tried to talk to him when he assumed it right but didnt account for the fact he scared the snake and was quickly dead too.

"Oopsss! Oh hehe, well who's gonna care.. no one will know! This meansss I own his soulsss too now... FUCK YEAH IM AWESssOME!!"

He slithered along into the hotel glad to be home, feeling cocky as fuck. He made sure he put the safety on the canon gun and turned it off to avoid another accidental murder.

His family and crew was small he felt. He gave his new power a try, spawning Nifty and Husk and eagerly telling them their new roles and that they really couldn't back out but he wasnt gonna beat them if they were gonna be stubborn. Everyone watched him giggle and play with his powers outside,

"Aw yesss, I'm so powerful!! No drawbacks!"

He was a good leader really, he can do it all. He will do it all. He noted his looked bigger too, more filled out, tail bigger. He could hug his new family with this tail! He had to stim a little and decided it was safe to slowly let loose some power into the air making everything glittery. He couldnt sleep, he was much too energized and high off it all.

Angel dust had to really take in the fact that he started this. Wasnt bad feeling actually. Felt great, he could feel it too. Felt warm and fun. Felt like child to father love.

[katyspersonal]

It doesn't even make any sense to say ppl justify the Do/ll so they can simp for Ge/hr/man because simps here are always okay with their blorbo being a little or much morally depraved. It is Tumblr, what do those edgelords expect?

jhfgfgdsgds Well, yeah

If you really analyze WHAT fictional male characters tend to attract a lot of stans and people thirsting for them, it is almost always unconditional? Like... People do not need to apologize anyone in BLORBOrne to like them. I mean LOOK at the guys BB fandom thirsts for the most - they are not even TRYING to pretend their favs are not what first meets the eye!

So why would that change for like, a single old man? In fact, on tungle dot hell the more unapologetically and obviously twisted the character is - the BETTER, somehow...?

I will be real, when I was digging lore and themes rather than characters interpreting, I was completely content with 'Maria is a badass masculine woman and G3hrman is a creepy old man' interpretation and worked my ideas from that field. I just... had no problem with the character being messed up and still hated OR enjoyed for who he is? It was when I got a glimpse of big misinterpretation going thanks to retranslation document when I grabbed my pretentious magnifying glass and made my own research.

Feels like eternity now, but to confess the truth, I kinda... liked it how it used to be? The type of 'a person I'd hate to deal with in real life but can explore from every angle in fiction'. Just ask @val-of-the-north how hard I simped for him back then *sobs* (Don't actually ask him oh my god sdfhfdhs I am joking) But yeah that's in the past and I don't even NEED it anymore, whatever I was able to obtain from the concept I now got in spades

But yeah, again, I agree - not even ONCE a Tumblr simp needed to deny the reality; there is just... well, when the blorbo is not ACTUALLY that bad, there is no fun in liking him with this 'badness', and Gehrm4n is... well, not that bad. But fictional men lovers here will pick the worst war criminal who is evil just to be sexy and portray HIM and not some 'morally grey character' as the dream husbando, THIS is what Tumblr stands on and WILL stand on forever sdfjhhds

[thefanficmonster]

Faux Innocence

Corpse Husband x Reader (Female)

Warnings: None

Genre: FLUFF, Humor, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: Having the reputation of the innocent angel in the group, one could never imagine Y/N being such a badass impostor and expert liar but here they have found themselves fooled by the angel who wears that halo just for show.

Requested by @kpopgirlbtssvt Hello hun! Here’s the other request you sent me, I’m really sorry it’s been so long and you’ve had to endure such a long wait until it’s posted but here it finally is and I hope you enjoy the read! Love, Vy ❤

“They’ll be done for in no time! Right, babe?“ I stick my foot out to the side, nudging Corpse’s leg.

There most certainly are pros and cons when it comes to sharing a gaming/streaming/recording room with me, and the whether the constant pestering is a good or a bad thing is still up in the air. I mean, yeah Corpse rolls his eyes every now when I do it, but I’ve also caught him smiling about it out of the corner of my eye. Bottom line, I do it to invite that almost childishly mischievous smirk on his face. That’s the ultimate reward.

And ok, yes, I’m also the one trying to peek over the barrier separating out computers to peek at his screen to see if he’s impostor or not, but he tolerates that bad habit of mine. Well, he sprays water my way or gently whacks me with a pillow, but I consider that toleration. It’s a playful little dynamic we have going on, one we don’t have to perform today since we’re impostors together.

I cannot recall a time that has happened before. In fact, I can say I’ve been paired up as impostors with everyone but Corpse. I personally think it’s a practical joke the game’s algorithm is pulling on us, seeing as how we’ve been dating for quite some time now. I mean, that’s the only way to explain this coincidence of never being impostors together.

Looking at the subject now, it may be hella beneficial for us considering no one would suspect us both to be impostors together. Everyone is in on this ‘misfortune’ of ours and it’s honestly hilarious but Corpse and I are about to rip them a new one, I just know it.

“Oh, definitely! I’m the risky half, but they’ll never suspect you so we’re 100% winning this.“ He replies, sending a wink my way. He’s vaguely surprised when I return it with a narrow-eyed look.

“What’s that supposed to mean ‘they’ll never suspect you‘? I’m a great impostor! Is that you questioning my skills I’m hearing?“ I raise an eyebrow, turning my attention back to the screen which displays Corpse and I alone in Electrical, pretending to be doing tasks and waiting on our first victims.

“No! No, not at all. Far from it. It’s just that you are...well, you know...you are you. No one would think you’re the one dishing out all these tactical kills. You always seem relatively interested in the game only to have fun and not to win and....“

“Look sweet and innocent.“ I cut him off, finishing his sentence, “Yeah, yeah, I get your theory.“ Suddenly, I hear Rae’s chipper voice approaching, talking to her chat, I’m assuming. This gives me a rather...interesting idea. With that in mind, I give Corpse a side-glance and a devilish smirk that’s promising trouble, “Let’s test it out, shall we?“

“Wha-?!“ Before Corpse can even say his question fully, Rae wanders into the room, cutting him off with a question of her own.

“Test what out?“ She asks, coming to stand between us, doing her own task.

I’m so sorry, Rae

Before anyone could fathom it, I swiftly kill Rae and report her body, all seemingly in the blink of an eye. Corpse hasn’t even fathomed half of this insanity when he hears an accusation being thrown right at him.

“Corpse, how could you?!“ I cry out, and damn - not to toot my own horn or anything - but I’m pulling off the ‘distressed friend-witness‘ act quite well. I bet Corpse would give me an impressed look or mouth ‘minx’ at me if he wasn’t staring at his screen with his mouth agape. “You were planning to blame it on me weren’t you?!“

“Wait...no! That’s not-It wasn’t me! I swear it wasn’t me!“ He finally finds his voice, croaking out desperate defenses, each cut off by a wheeze of something alike shocked laughter that almost gets me to break out in a fit of my own.

“Very convincing, buddy. He’s definitely innocent, you guys...“ Toast comments just as the ‘VOTED‘ sticker pops up above the icon of his avatar in the meeting.

“Right? How could you even think otherwise?“ Leslie backs him up, the sticker appearing on her icon as well.

“Guys! No, for real, it’s Y/N! I swear on Bingus it’s Y/N!“ He probably should’ve used something more convincing, not that it would’ve worked either way. I’m a ‘trustworthy‘, ‘innocent‘ and ‘honest‘ person, just like Corpse said. Aren’t I?

Mere seconds later, he’s shot off the ship, the screen confirming he indeed was an impostor, automatically getting the blame off me cause no impostor would be dumb enough to out their partner like that, lowering their chances at victory. I don’t consider that a dumb move though - I think it’s rather genius, actually. 

“Don’t worry, Corpsie.“ I give him a wink in return to his death glare, his arms crossed over his chest, looking quite unamused. “I’m winning this one for you.“

We both know I can and I will. Of course I can when I’m given the advantage of faux innocence everyone falls for - in more ways than one, if you know what I’m saying *wink* *wink*

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[trve-grimdark]

Top Gun Maverick

SPOILER FREE Personal Review Preamble: First off let me say this. I am a DIE HARD fan of the first TG. And when I say that, I mean I used to watch it once or twice a month at least on an old VHS growing up. My dad was in the Navy, stationed on the Air Craft Carrier Constellation, and to say I had a hard on for all things Navy, Naval Aviation and F-14s is an understatement. So understand when I say I WANTED to hate on Top Gun Maverick but can’t, its coming from a deep seated love of the original.  That being said, I cannot help but love TGM. So, Pro/Con: Bad out of the way first because there isn’t much CONS -Longer than needed; Yup like every other fucking movie regardless of genre, the studio got this one to extend run time over two hours and some change. So, plenty of long, needless, drawn out talking, staring, more talking, more staring, and slow-mo scenes for no reason other than, gotta hit that time stamp. -The  CGI that was used in major scenes....is PAINFULLY obvious. Take a clue from the original movie Paramount, just stick to scenes you can do with practical effects when 98% of the movie is already that and not rush a bunch of CGI for spectacle.  -Mav is basically the only character. No seriously, everyone else does great, its just...at the end of the day, couldn’t give a fuck bout any of them as characters. Its all about Tom Cruise and it kinda shows. 

Well that’s is, Now on to the fangasming PROs -Excellent loyalty to the Original; In an age of post modernism, bullshit deconstruction, and disloyalty to once great characters/archetypes, TGM is a beacon of light. Mav isn’t some washed out, poor, old, can’t hack it, “wHiTe MaLe” has-been who gets shit on by everyone from his peers to his friends. No, Mav is a badass ace pilot, with the leather jacket and aviators to match and he shows it. And so does the rest of the cast by being right there to learn from and join him.

-Practical/real life effects and stunts: I mean, they put the actors in the damn fighter jets and it shows. What more do you fucking want? Also beautiful stunt work and camera. Unlike the mono-chrome of DUNE or other such films TGM is  alive with colorful/realistic sets and fast paced scene production.

-Great acting; Tom brings it, and so does everyone. Yeah there’s some clunky “its an action movie” dialogue and such, but even then you can tell the cast is hamming it up and loving it. 

-Interesting close out to the story; I hated the idea of a sequel to a film that was obviously a one and done. But, some how they managed to make this work. With the next gen coming into contact with the old experienced one, but each finding a stride and putting away old wounds in the process while F-18′s roar overhead was honestly engaging and edge of the seat worthy.  -Sound/extras/eye candy; See it in Theaters before its gone! Nothing like the sound of a F-18 going Afterburner in surround sound. Great humor sprinkled through out, not fucking MCU “joke a second” dialogue.  Also no shortage of eye candy. Boys get to see some girl aviators blow shit up and play beach football. . Girls get to see all the hard body fly boys and chads doing the same thing, just like the Original. 

Final Verdict:

9/10. The mid section gets slow and grinding due to the need to hit that hated 2hr+ mark, and yeah you can tell this was Cruise/Bruckheimer's baby as Tom is always front and center at the expense of other people’s character development, but that might have been what saved this from being another Last Jedi. Aside from that, FUCK this movie will fly you up to Mach 10 and light your hair on fire. Go see it, And fly right into the Danger Zone.  PS: Val Kilmer is a fucking trooper. So glad he could be in the movie for a cameo. Keep fighting Ice!

[jazy3]

Thoughts on Grey’s Anatomy: 17X16

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

I really liked this episode! I loved the scenes between Meredith and Bailey and Meredith with her kids. So precious! I think Meredith is the perfect person to take over the residency program now that Richard has too many jobs as Bailey says! I think she is really going to shine in this new role. In the past I thought her and Alex might wind up running the hospital with him as Chief of Surgery and her as Residency Director. While that won't happen because Justin Chambers' exit, I think it will be great to see Meredith step up and take on the role. Ultimately, I want to see her operate again and be a badass, but since she’s still recovering, I think having Meredith take this on while she recovers from COVID is a great idea.  

I’m glad that we got to see Maggie and Winston disagree on something and work through it in this episode. While I think Winston did overreact a bit when Maggie was upset and a bit reluctant about the wedding planning and said that everything felt like a compromise I'm glad that they showed the two of them disagreeing and working through it because up until now they've been portrayed as the perfect couple. I loved the scene where Maggie and Winston talked about the wedding and then it was revealed that Maggie had arranged for her Dad and Winston’s Grandmother to fly in for the wedding. That was very sweet and they got the actor that previously played her Dad back!

I also really liked the patient that Maggie, Helm, and Richard treated. I felt so bad for her when she told them that her husband had died and her dog had ran away and that she wasn’t good with people. I suspected she was pretending early on because of her loneliness. I was so sad about the missing dog for the whole episode and I was ecstatic when they found him! I’m more of a cat than a dog person, but pets are family. I am also glad that we got to learn more about Helm in this episode and that she appears to have left her Meredith obsession behind. That was funny the first few times they brought it up, but then it just got weird and annoying.

Especially after both CeCe the matchmaker and Carina talked to Helm about it and told her she needed to move on and find someone that could love her back and then she went right back to being obsessed with her. That’s been her whole personality for the past three seasons. Now in this episode we learn that she likes to cook, that she makes a mess when she cooks, and that she likes to watch the news. I think Helm moving in with Levi and Jo is a good thing, but he definitely should have cleared it with Jo first and they for sure need a bigger place.

I really liked the scene with Link and Jo. I like that he called her out on the fact that she obviously wanted to adopt Luna and told her she should stop doubting herself. I was surprised and disappointed that Jo’s adoption application was denied. She's clearly formed a bond with Luna and she was ready to have kids with Alex prior to his departure and she was close to Val prior to her death. I’m curious as to why her application was denied and why she failed the background check. I hope we get a follow up to that because she would be a great Mom to Luna and I want to know what happened there.

When we found that out my first thought was, “That’s illegal!” because here in Canada and in Ontario specifically to the best of my knowledge you can’t discriminate against someone and reject their adoption or foster application because they are a single parent, have had mental health issues in the past, stole a car while homeless or lived under an assumed name while fleeing domestic violence provided they meet the other criteria such as being able to provide a safe loving home and can prove that they are financially stable and have a good support network in place.

I was confused as first, but then my friend Amy and I were talking about it and I realized that I was applying my own context to another situation. Having the right to adopt and not be discriminated against is something that the women’s, gay rights, and disability rights movements here in Canada have fought very hard for. A lot of changes were enacted in the 2000’s and 2010’s to make it easier for people from all walks of life to adopt and foster. In fact, in many cases social services will look for prospective parents who share a child’s background or history because they will be able to relate to the child in a way that a parent without that experience might not be able to.

That’s not to say that everything is perfect and that discrimination and unfair treatment doesn’t happen. It does. People can be sneaky about it. But you do have recourse here. You would be able to contest the discrimination. I���m not familiar with adoption laws and policies for Washington State where the show is set so it’s possible that this kind of discrimination may still be legal there or there may not be specific policies addressing it. If anyone does know I would love to know more as what I’m saying is based on the experiences of people that I know here in Ontario. I do think that Jo will eventually get custody of Luna. They've spent a bunch of time setting this up and dropping hints about this storyline so it would feel hollow to have it end like this. It would also put Jo back in a dark place which she just got out of for the umpteenth time.

I’m interested to see where they go with Amelia and Link’s storyline around him wanting more children and Amelia not wanting anymore. Couples getting together and then realizing at a later point that they feel differently about having children or having more children in this case is a real thing that happens. Amelia and Link started off as casual sex partners which progressed into something more serious when Amelia found out she was pregnant. They've become this beautiful family and it turns out they are a great match, but because they didn't start out with marriage and kids in mind there are bridges that they have to cross at some point. I'm glad that Link is voicing his desire to have more kids down the road now so that they can talk about it.

I totally get why Amelia doesn't want more kids. After what happened with Christopher and Ryan and then Owen, Betty, and Leo and then with Meredith's kids I get why Amelia doesn't want more children. It's a lot of work, she's been through a lot, and getting overwhelmed could impact her sobriety. Link is a good guy and way more sensitive around this topic that Owen ever was so my hope is that they'll talk it out, Amelia will share her concerns, Link will understand, and he'll fulfill that need for more kids by spending more time with Leo or Meredith's kids.

Also real talk, Owen was an absolute asshole to Cristina and Amelia when they didn’t want kids and straight up said that there was something wrong with them because they didn’t want to be with something who treated them poorly and kept trying to force them to have kids that they didn’t want. While it’s great that he gets it now and was able to offer some words of wisdom to Amelia in this episode and be supportive it doesn’t make up for or change the fact that he was god awful to both of his ex-wives because they didn’t want kids and he did. He knew Cristina didn’t want kids long before they got married and he married Amelia without ever talking about his desire to have children and just assumed she wanted that too.

He should really call Cristina and apologize because what the hell? I think it’s the difference between perception and experience. Before when he wanted kids but didn’t have any he was in love the idea and couldn’t understand someone not wanting that. Now that he has two kids he realizes how much work that is and why someone might not want that especially if they are dealing with other issues that could be impacted by having more children. I really enjoyed the patient storylines this week. I had previously read a study about what Amelia is working on and how doctors and scientists have now determined that there are two types of patients who appear brain dead. 

The kind that actually are where their body is still alive but no one’s home and the kind we see in this episode where their body is still alive and they are still in there, but can’t communicate in traditional ways, but can communicate through thinking about different things to answer yes or no questions. There is a special kind of machine that is needed to scan for this and they are expensive but they’ve proven that hospitals make the costs back within a year because the machines allow them to determine which patients are actually brain dead and which can still make decisions and answer questions about their care.

Something I didn’t like about this episode was that Levi chose Nico over Dr. Mason Post the hot Vaccine Doctor. I was really rooting for them to get together and for him to start something new with someone who might actually treat him well and I was so freaking disappointed wand pissed off when Levi showed up at Nico’s place and got back together with him instead of going over to Mason’s. I’m Team Mason all the way! He's a gem. He's attractive, funny, smart, direct, and kind. He's everything Levi deserves in a partner after the nonsense Nico has put him through.

I liked Nico and Levi when they first got together, but after Nico revealed that he lied about being out to his parents their relationship went downhill fast. He's treated Levi like crap ever since and his one-time apology doesn't fix that or do anything to address the way he's acted or fix his and Levi's relationship problems. I hope Mason returns next season, Levi winds up with him, and Nico goes off to work for the Mariners as he was supposed to originally.

My only other complaint is that Meredith and Hayes didn't have any scenes together this week, but it looks like they'll have scenes in the finale so I'm happy about that. My favourite moment of the episode was when Amelia told Owen that Tom had moved to Boston to help Jackson with the changes he wanted to make and Owen thinking that he had been fired said that he hated that there was one more thing he had to like and respect about the guy. I'm not an Owen fan in general, but that line cracked me up! I’m really looking forward to the finale! I’m excited that based on next week’s promo Meredith and Hayes will have scenes together and hopefully we’ll be getting some movement on the world's slowest moving slow burn storyline!

I swear to god glaciers move faster! People have gotten engaged, broken up, gotten back together, and moved to Boston in the time that Meredith was on that beach while Hayes worried about her from afar. So, I'm excited for that. I'm also excited for Maggie and Winston's wedding and to know why her Dad and his Grandmother are objecting. I hope to see Jo adopt Luna and I'd love to see some father-daughter scenes with Richard and Meredith.

Until next time!

[westofessos]

What I’ve Watched During Quarantine (so far):

TV Shows:

The Last Kingdom - holy shit I love this show and I cannot wait for a new season. Æthelflaed is a badass bitch. But I miss Alfred.

After Life - the most heartbreaking show in the world, with Ricky Gervais being funny between making me cry.

Community - maybe my favourite sitcom. I fucking love this show. I’m containing myself because if I don’t, I’ll go on forever.

Hunters - I love love love love love this weird-ass, terrifying, mind-bending, incredible show. What a ride. Sister Harriet is my favourite even though I don’t trust her.

Tiger King - Yes, along with everyone else I watched this fuckery. What is there to say? I was entertained, that’s it.

Making a Murderer - I was on a roll after Tiger King and wanted something crazy, and I got it. What a bunch of fucked up shit. I can’t believe this is real. Also Kathleen Zellner is a badass bitch and I love her.

Good Omens - I broke down and watched it. And this was the weirdest shit I’ve ever seen but I loved it. Crowley and Aziraphale are a delight. And my history nerd heart couldn’t handle it.

The Boys - wow this was the most disturbing, wonderful show. Truly terrifying but great. Billy Butcher is incredible.

Peaky Blinders - when I say I am in love with Thomas Shelby. Wow. What a fantastic show. I didn’t expect to like it, but I finished all five seasons in less than a week because I’m absolutely addicted. Damn you Thomas Shelby and your pretty eyes.

The Umbrella Academy (S2) - wow wow wow wow what an amazing season. I don’t want to spoil anything but it was absolutely fantastic.

Rewatches:

Lost - my favourite show of all time, and my favourite series finale of all time. Fuck what people say, Lost is brilliant and I would die for this beautiful show.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - what an all around great time. I just love it so much.

Roseanne - ah, old school Roseanne. My actual favourite sitcom. Y’know, the one that was my entire childhood, basically made me who I am today, only for me to find out that the actress that played my actual idol was a racist. Yeah, that one. It was nice to ignore that though and love my favourite show regardless.

Scrubs - I just watched it for the first time just before quarantine, and decided to watch it again during. What a brilliant show. It means so much to me. Also, Perry Cox is one of the greatest, most complex characters to ever exist. And Carla Espinosa is an underrated queen. I’m also listening to Fake Doctors, Real Friends, which is Zach Braff and Donald Faison’s Scrubs rewatch podcast, and it’s great.

Friends - I missed this show, really. It’s still so great. Chandler Bing is amazing and I forgot how adorable he and Monica are.

Movies:

The Philadelphia Story - again, Cary Grant is lovely. Also, Katherine Hepburn is incredible and I love her.

Rocky 1-4 (haven’t gotten hold of 5 yet) - oh, yes, yes, yes. These movies. I love love love these movies. Rocky and Adrian are the couple.

Cocktail - this one wasn’t bad, considering I hate Tom Cruise. I’d watch it again.

Anastasia - I’ve been wanting to watch this one for a while, and it was awesome. I love Meg Ryan so much.

Rebel Without a Cause - this is such a great teen movie. I was surprised about how much I related to it. Also, as if everyone didn’t already know, James Dean is gorgeous.

Thelma & Louise - what a beautiful story about friendship and badass ladies. This is exactly my shit. Yes.

Steel Magnolias - this was such a lovely, sad movie. Oh, I love it.

The Wedding Planner - this one set me on a JLo kick, because this was such an adorable movie. Her and McConaughey were adorable.

Maid in Manhattan - ah, JLo, you did it again. I loved this one so much. Loved it.

Save the Last Dance - I hadn’t heard of this one, but I saw Julia Stiles and immediately clicked. That was the right choice. This movie was so cute, oh, I loved it.

All the President’s Men - me geeking out over journalism, politics, and history for two hours? Yes please. Also Robert Redford is gorgeous and I never found him that attractive before.

Terms of Endearment - oh, break my goddamn heart why don’t you. Fuck, this was so heartbreaking. I loved it.

Taxi Driver - a garbage movie for garbage people. Imagine if Fight Club just like, wasn’t a good movie. That was the vibe of this one. God, don’t waste your time.

Singin’ in the Rain - what a lovely, fun movie. All three main characters were great, the songs were awesome, the relationships were fun, what more can I say? Oh yeah, Gene Kelly? Damn.

His Girl Friday - overall an okay movie, but it was pretty funny, and Cary Grant. Dear god, I love me some Cary Grant.

Good Will Hunting - oh, fuck me, this movie. How dare you make me feel such things, Matt Damon. What an incredible movie. It made me, a person who hates Ben Affleck, not hate Ben Affleck for two whole hours. It made me cry, of course. Robin Williams, dammit. Wow. And Matt fucking Damon was so brilliant, and so was Minnie Driver, and they were so good together, and I could gush about this movie for days.

Set it Up - as of now, I’ve watched this movie, oh, nine thousand times?? How perfect is this movie? All of the actors are great, and I’d watch two hours of just Charlie looking at Harper. Ugh. The way he looks at her gets me every time.

The Old Guard - I’m not usually a fan of action movies but this one was so good !! I loved the plot and just the idea in general, and all of the characters were so awesome. It was a really great movie.

Rewatches:

Tombstone - I could watch this movie every single day. Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday might be my favourite performance ever. I can quote almost this entire movie, and I don’t even like westerns.

Gladiator - I hadn’t watched this in a long time, and I knew it was good, but it was so, so, so good. Wow.

Memento - maybe my favourite movie ever. Definitely my favourite mind-fuck movie. So cool, and just. . . god, it’s such a good movie. Hats off to you, Chris Nolan.

The Usual Suspects - this is one of my favourite movies of all time. Everyone is so good in it and that ending is incredible. I could gush about this movie forever. Dean Keaton deserved better.

This is the End - such a funny movie, wow. Anything with Seth Rogen and James Franco is good. Jay Baruchel, wow. I adore Jay Baruchel.

You’ve Got Mail - in my books, the best romantic movie ever. I watch this shit constantly. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are so adorable together. Add in Dave Chappelle, and it’s perfect.

Unbreakable, Split, and Glass - M. Night Shyamalan is always good and I’ll fight anyone on that. These three expecially. He’s the absolute master.

Back to the Future 1-3 - if I’m being honest, they’re not the greatest movies, but fuck, aren’t they, though? They’re cheesy as hell, but absolutely iconic and I still love the hell out of them.

The Neverending Story - this is the weirdest goddamn movie I’ve ever seen but the nostalgia hit me harddd. This movie was my whole childhood and even though it’s absolutely disturbing, it’s still great.

Talk to me about any of these!! I’m desperate to rant about my favourite movies and tv shows, and if you are too, feel free to reply to this post or message me privately! I’m always ready to talk and gush about things I love.

[angeldustedwebofhearts-a]

Dating Angel Dust💕😇

He'd give you impromptu Italian lessons. Meaning he probably muttered something sappy under his breath that he didn't want you to hear but you did and he now has to translate. With a blush on his face no doubt

He's not entirely used to being monogamous but once he settles down, you've got one of the sweetest, loyal and badass bitches in all of Hell.

He'll cook for you. He will absolutely not let you go hungry. He doesn't cook often but when he does, it's enough to die a second death for.

Once he actually warms up to the idea of being in a relationship that's more than just a one-night stand, Angel will probably always find a way to keep in physical contact with you. (I.e hand holding, touching your arm, your back etc.) He's very touchy-feely with the ones close to him.

You will NEVER be bored with him. Angel will always know where to take you/ what to do to make sure you're having a good time with him.

Despite what most think, Angel isn't hypersexual in his dating life. Sure, he'd be down for it if his partner was but he wouldn't constantly be thinking about it or trying to force it.

He's a sap. Despite that "tough guy" motif he gives off, he is a fucking sap. He's a giant teddy bear when it comes to his friends and loved ones. Fuck with him or anyone he loves the wrong way though and you are double dead.

He'd kill for you. If someone hurt you, he'd rip them apart to make sure you were safe.

Angel knows the best places to eat in Pentagram City. Whether his johns took him as a "date", Val treated him to a (rare) dinner or he and Cherri got together and went, he knows the best spots to wine and dine.

Wardrobe malfunction? Don't know her. Angel would totes take you shopping and make sure you had style. He'd be a little harsh but only because he doesn't want you to buy something you'll get made fun of for.

He brings Fat Nuggets on dates with him sometimes. Especially if you're going to MorningStarBucks. "If I'm treatin' m'self and you t' coffee, ya bet your ass I'm treatin' Nuggsy too."

He'd surprise you with little dates and gifts when he was able to.

You, Cherri and Fat Nuggets are his inner circle and he trusts you with everything. You are also one of the only demons who is allowed to call him Anthony or Tony. (Molly, Cherri and Arakniss are the other three he lets call him that.)

He might act like a damsel in distress but he can kick ass and take names. Though sometimes he just likes to be rescued and pampered.

He can be a real brat sometimes. He likes using that to his advantage.

[spnfanficpond]

March Angel Fish Awards

Every month all of you fantastic writers work your asses off to post some truly incredible stories. Our Angel Fish Awards are the way for all of us, as a community of writers and readers, to lift each other up and give praise to those who have captured our attention and deserve a few kind words.

The monthly Angel Fish Awards are peer-nominated, meaning ANYONE IN THE POND CAN NOMINATE ANY POND MEMBER’S FIC. While the Pond was founded to support the Guppies, everyone in this community deserves to be showered with love and feedback, and we hope that by opening this up as a Pond wide system, we’ll be able to share the love as far as it can go.

NOTE: WE’VE BEEN HAVING OCCASIONAL PROBLEMS WITH ASKS GOING MISSING. Please use the Submit button when submitting your nominations and make sure you’re signed into Tumblr or your URL won’t show. (If the form asks for your name and email address, then you’re not signed in.) If you like, you can also send a message to Michelle @mrswhozeewhatsis or Mana @manawhaat to check and make sure we got your submission.

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE ARE MARCH’S ANGEL FISH AWARDS!

Nominated by @wingedcatninja

Static (series) by @peridottea91

peridottea91 is going to single-handedly convert me to like series. I just re-read this gem and had to share it. In another life, she could have been a writer on the show, she’s so good at getting the characterization right for our boys. This OC, too, is an intiguing, layered personality that adds an extra dimension of mystery. And the whole story is perfectly woven in with canon. Two thumbs up. A must read.

Wish (oneshot) by @thoughtslikeaminefield

It’s just a drabble, but it made me feel so many things in so few words. I don’t even know what to say about it, other than it’s brilliant and if you love Dean Winchester, you have to read it.

Bad Medicine (oneshot) by @deanwandamons

This was lovely, and hot, and it made me giggle. 

Nominated by @risingphoenix761

Because You’re Worth It (oneshot) by @thoughtslikeaminefield

I love a good crack fic, and I love some good Samwena content, so this is right up my alley. And a great mix of funny and fluffy! 

Kings Don’t Kneel (oneshot) by @slytherkins

Few things in fic give me as much joy as Tara writing Crowley, and she hits all my favorite spots in under a thousand words. Struggling with emotion is hard enough for an unfeeling demon, but grief and loss–and the pain of knowing those emotions are unacknowledged–are enough to bring anyone to their knees. Beautiful and succinct, and all the angst!

Nominated by @peridottea91

Heaven (oneshot) by @evansrogerskitten

This fic is so beautifully written and just really captures Dean’s personality while still smacking you in the face with the most amazing “and then I saw her” moment!! Best still my heart!!! And the whole SamxEileen subplot!! The whole fic is just *chef’s kiss*

Nominated by @impala-dreamer

The Sun (oneshot) by @crashdevlin 

It’s just amazingly beautiful. Short, sweet, and full of wonderful emotion. I loved every single word.

Nominated by anonymous

Dive In With Me (oneshot) by @sp-oops

This was a gorgeous, genuine account of the reader and Sam finally, FINALLY crossing that hurtle.

Coming Home (oneshot) by @there-must-be-a-lock

Lou builds us a story with such detail and precise ache that we forget to breathe. She teaches Dean, repeatedly, that he deserves to be happy.

Shackled (series) by @itmighthavebeenintentional

Val started her Demon!Dean x OFC series like a building storm. Miriam Bard is a fellow hunter, another older sibling with more internal demons than she cares to name. Sam calls her in on an old favor. Before long she doesn’t know if anything is real or who she can trust. Dark fic, so good!

Shattered Breaths (oneshot) by @dontshootmespence

Nicole dove deep for this kink bingo fill, and it is well worth every word. See how the Omega reader learns to trust the Winchesters and just what it takes for them to give up protecting themselves and lean into possibility.

Nominated by @the-girl-who-runs-with-winchesters

Devil May Care (oneshot) by @becs-bunker

This was such an interesting plot idea and amazing storytelling. Not that I had expected anything less from this talented author, of course.

Rough Ride (oneshot) by @luci-in-trenchcoats

A fun quick and very heated oneshot that made me smile at the end :)

All About Lovin’ You (oneshot) by @deanwanddamons

You know me, I can never let a month pass without diving into some angst, nor can I resist praising a fellow guppy for their amazing work. And this one’s got both! I got sucked in right from the start. It goes from heartbreaking to heartwarming, and from hot right back to sweet.

It’s About Time (oneshot) by @sorenmarie87

I randomly came across this one and it made me smile so much. Probably one of the most inventive ways to play matchmaker that I’ve heard so far.

Nominated by @dontshootmespence

For Better or For Worst (series) by @stusbunker

She does intrigue like no one else and doesn’t get the love she deserves!

Marked (series) by @there-must-be-a-lock

This is so fucking vivid it's ridiculous. There's smut, there's angst, there's sweetness and it's all maddeningly good.

Nominated by @negans-lucille-tblr

Desire (onsehot) by @princessmisery666

This fic is the very definition of smangst and I loved every second of it. The fact Stacey claims she can’t write smut baffles me when I read this fic 😍

Dirty Little Secret (series) by @pink1031

Whenever I’m asked what my all time favourite fic is it’s this one. I didn’t read rpf before this but it pulled me in and I’m so glad it did! It was just incredible and gave me my obsession with the idea of dating J2.

Nominated by @lovetusk

Me Likey & We are real (oneshots) by @impala-dreamer 

They were both fantastic and on point. Drunk Dean is a rare and beautiful sight, and there’s nothing I love more than comforting a down and out Sammy. Well done.

Nominated by @impalaimagining

Currently Thinking About Jensen... (oneshot) by @negans-lucille-tblr

This is such a short and effective little piece of smut. The way it teeters on the edge of absolutely and filthily inappropriate puts it on a whole new level of dirty. I am a huge fan of last-line punches to the face no matter what the genre is, and that’s exactly what this is. It leaves you begging for more in the most desperate way. It’s a quick read but it gets the job done.

Midnight Confessions (oneshot) by @katymacsupernatural

I love the way this fic has the reader second guessing herself even though she has no recollection of doing anything to upset the guys. I’m always here for an appearance from Sam to push his stubborn brother and their bunkmate in the right direction. Admittedly, I am a sleep-talker, and I’ve said my fair share of embarrassing things (including yelling at my husband about wanting a grilled cheese at 3am), but if I could just once have something I said in my sleep get me a kiss from Dean Winchester? Hell yes. 

Nominated by @deanwinchesterswitch

Coming Home (oneshot) by @there-must-be-a-lock

This is a beautiful heart wrenching story showcasing Dean’s desire for love and need affection and how few times he actually receives it. Denying himself of what he needs, until he doesn’t.

Unspoken (oneshot) by @deanscherrypie

A wonderful little drabble about how Dean lets you know he loves you without saying anything at all. Such a beautiful line… “All his broken pieces matched yours with mosaic complexity, and somehow you found a new kind of home within each other.”

Don’t Need An Excuse (oneshot) by @amanda-teaches

A beautifully crafted story from Dean’s POV about his girl and the tender loving moments in time that couples share. And, damn that ending, my poor heart.

Nominated by @there-must-be-a-lock

Anything And Everything (oneshot) by @rockhoochie

This fic honestly just took my breath away. You can feel the longing and wistfulness, and the writing is superb. There’s so much depth and detail here, it feels real and vibrant and lived-in, in a way that very few fics do. AND I love she writes Dean’s POV.

He Is, Therefore I am (oneshot) by @stusbunker

All I can say about this one is BROTHERS BEING BROTHERS. It's totally stream-of-consciousness, and it really does feel like you're in their heads.

Leaving Heaven (series) by @thoughtslikeaminefield

Such a badass, snarky narrator with a distinctive voice, and her Demon Dean is dark and awful and sexy as hell, and there's so much depth and nuance in their interactions.

Golden Hour (oneshot) by @fangirlxwritesx67

It's straight-up wish fulfillment, fluffy comforting goodness, and I think everybody needs a little bit of that in their lives right now.

Nominated by @princessmisery666

The Question (oneshot) by @girl-next-door-writes

Death by fluff and it was so worth it !! This was perfect, of course Sam has some grand plan to propose and of course it doesn’t go to plan but ended up perfect anyway!! Was fun and sweet, loved it!!

Carry On (oneshot) by @kittenofdoomage

I love Rhi. I swear everything she writes, even AU’s, could be canon!! Characterizations are always on point, stories are engaging and make me feel something every time. This one is no exception. If I could I would send it to the writers to show them this is how the show should end!!

Kings Don’t Kneel (oneshot) by @slytherkins

A small drabble from Tara and as always it gave me all the feels. It could be canon, if anyone asks me I will tell them this is exactly how Crowley felt. This made me sad and I totally wanted to hug Crowley and tell him it would all be okay. 

Nominated by @thoughtslikeaminefield

Cocky (oneshot) by @stusbunker  

Sexy, fun, and real. I love your Dean, Stuie!

Golden Hour (oneshot) by @fangirlxwritesx67  

Comforting and cozy and swoony!

Nominated by @littlehotmess26

Until The Day I Die Again (oneshot) by @fictionalabyss

Mel writes Dean x Benny amazingly and this fic is one of my favorites. 

Happy Birthday, Baby (oneshot) by @fictionalabyss 

This was a birthday gift to me and it was soo good. Mel did a great job. 

This Isn’t One Of Mine (oneshot) by @sorenmarie87  

Dawn stepped out of her comfort zone for this one and it turned out phenomenal.

Goodbye, Sweetheart (oneshot) by @sorenmarie87 

This fic is heartbreaking and I absolutely love it.

Nominated by @kate-huntington

While You Sleep (oneshot) by @foreverwayward

A heartwarming little fic about Dean living the domesticated life we all wish for him. The writer has a very clever way of storytelling and the end might come as a surprise, only adding to the emotion it already brought along. 

Findings (seires) by @kathaswings 

 This is one of my favorite series out there and I revisited it recently. The overall story arc is a mystery I just had to unravel and I couldn’t put it down if I wanted to. The bond between Dean and Mackenzie is so precious. Writing a child isn’t easy. I’ve read plenty of books and seen plenty of films in which the maturity that was added wasn’t natural, but this author handles the Mac’s dialogue amazingly well. What’s also interesting is the jumps from point of view between Dean and Y/N, giving very personal perspectives on the gripping story.

Heartbeats (oneshot) by @there-must-be-a-lock

I’ll start by saying that I don’t ship Dean and Cas together, but I do appreciate the people who do. What this little piece of art does is incredible, however, because while I was reading, I found myself rooting for them. The writer does a great job by using the literal human heart as a backbone of this story. Intriguing and very well executed.

Everything That’s Yet To Come (oneshot) by @fictionalabyss

The author took me by the hand through this moving little one shot, which feels like a collection of greatest hits and wishes come true. It offers peace and closure not only for the older Winchester brother, but for the reader as well. Beautiful piece of writing.

Take A Drunk Girl Home (oneshot) by @amanda-teaches

Dean taking care of others; it’s his nature and shows what a kind soul he truly is. The situation sketched here is no exception, and it’s softer than one can imagine. The pace is steady and the balance between fluff and comedy is just right. A lovely read.

The Demon Inside Of You (oneshot) by @foreverwayward

Curing Dean from the demon that he has become proves to be difficult when he’s so hard to resist. What else is hard to resist, is this beautiful pitch black one shot. I don’t read Demon!Dean fiction often, because it still feels foreign to see the character that I love so much turn into something so evil. This however, is so gripping and well written, that the darkness swallows up the beholder. Rough, hot, sad, narcissistic, all these ingredients packed up in one hell of a story.

Curves And Edges (oneshot) by @kittenofdoomage

This equally sweet, sexy, funny and sad story is a big shout out to all women who think they don’t meet the beauty standards and feel like they will never be good enough to get noticed. It is one thing to replace a name with Y/N and call it a reader’s insert; it’s a gift to make every person reading this feel like they are the character in this story. The author handles every woman’s insecurities with grace, making her words both relatable and soothing. Her spot on version of Dean reminds us that we are beautiful, desired and unique.

Watch Your Fcking Mouth (oneshot) by @impala-dreamer

Dean falls under a frustrating curse, and it’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I was wheezing, couldn’t breathe and died laughing. It’s astonishing how the writer can juggle comedy and sex without the two ruling each other out. An uplifting read.

Life For Rent (series) by @winchest09

Conspiracies, deceit, crime. A strong family bond, blossoming love, oh, not to mention the sex. This series is intriguing beyond imagination and certainly not just another mobster fanfiction. The writing is smart and I could tell from the first paragraph that it’s loaded with hints and foreshadowing, but I couldn’t pick them out. This triggers a curiosity like an itch I can’t quite scratch away until I finish reading this story. And so I wait eagerly and drop everything the second a new chapter comes out. An absolute must read!  

When You Least Expect It (series) by @coffee-obsessed-writer

Talking about an epic love story, but it’s so much more than that. The music that plays such an important factor, the setting that is Seaside. The fabulous supporting characters Bri, Rob, Jason and Jared, the wardrobe, not to mention the wonderful little gems and details that this author weaved into the story, showing how much love she has put into it. This is without a shadow of a doubt my favorite RPF I’ve come across.

Nominated by @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish

The Unexpected (oneshot) by @impalaimagining

The desperation and neediness between characters is just…I can almost feel through the screen. And the gif at the top of the post is the closest thing to porn Tumblr allows now is HOT.

Criminal Love (series) by @kalesrebellion

This mob fic has a lot of things going for it: mob!Dean, big brother Benny (which I didn’t know I needed in my life, but apparently I do), mystery, and a unique way of incorporating a lot of familiar faces from the SPN world. It’s 6 chapters in and I am DYING to see what happens next because the last chapter left me shook!

Unplanned Parenthood (oneshot) by @erins-culinary-service

This fic makes me long for more canon dad!Dean because he’s just so good at it and it feels like it would fit in so well. The author nailed the family vibes and I love that she found a way to make it canon plausible (something I just can’t seem to grasp in my own writing); well done, doll.

Changes (series) by @katehuntington

This fic is super unique as it is like a series rewrite, but rather than using “Pilot, Wendigo, Dead in the Water” etc., Kate is writing her own episodes! Episode 1 just wrapped up, with my personal favorite being part 10 because the characterization of both Winchester brothers felt so spot on to me. Zoe, the amazing OFC and star of this fic, might be the coolest person ever and I wish she was my best friend. Heads up though, this is not your CW Supernatural; it’s darker, dirtier, and probably a lot closer to what the Winchesters’ lives are actually like.

Nominated by @mrswhozeewhatsis

The Man on the Side of the Road (seires) by @supernatural-jackles

This is a seriously awesome Dean AU fic! Both Dean and the reader have so much baggage, but they’re working together to fix each other and it’s just BEAUTIFUL. It’s a series, and I can’t wait to see how it ends!!!

Nominated by @emoryhemsworth

Never Alone Again (oneshot) by @dissect-me 

This author was kind enough to take the time to write about a recent trauma I discovered happened to me as a child and how Dean would react/comfort me. It’s powerful and really helped me. ❤️

Nominated by @fangirlxwritesx67

Laissez Les Bons Temp Rouler (oneshot) by @thoughtslikeaminefield

M is the kind of author that is the reason you have the “four recs per author” rule because otherwise I would just be submitting her entire masterlist every month. For a talent like MJ, all it takes is a photo to spark an entire story. This photo of Jensen was particularly inspiring, and MJ did it justice. Hot, drunk, sexy, just UGH.

Where Is My Shiny Gun (oneshot) by thoughtslikeaminefield

Do you love Dean? Do you love Donna? Do you love Sam? Does your mouth water and your knees go weak just a little thinking about all 3 of them together? Do you need some generous, consensual, sunshiney, smutty love? Then check this out.

Leaving Heaven (series) by thoughtslikeaminefield

Demon Dean meets his match in the most compelling OFC I’ve ever read, bounty hunter Tazi. Where to start with this series? MJ works some of her best magic yet, seamlessly weaving the story into the show we know so well. Her Dean is brilliant, as always, every supporting character spot on. The action is tight, the murder wrenching, the sex smoking. And as good as it is, as perfect as Dean and Sam are, as impatient I am for every chapter .. I would read it all just for Tazi. Tazi is an OFC worthy of novelization: tough, sarcastic, sexy, and fully realized. She’s so beautiful and broken that you can’t help falling in love with her as you read. If I could ask everyone to read just one SPN FF ever, it would be this one.

Three Bad Ideas (series) by @there-must-be-a-lock​

She’s just getting started on her Everything prequels but, by every indicator they will be JUST as filthy as the original, with even more emotional depth and character development. Frankly it’s HOT and heartbreaking and her voice for Jared is so, so good, and so is Jensen, and I’m just all over this love story. I screamed at her when she published, that if I didn’t know what came next, I would be HEARATBROKENED (that’s how excited I got, that I forgot how to speak.)

Ocean Eyes (oneshot) by @there-must-be-a-lock

The ocean is my Happy Place and I’m a sucker for Sam so this fic just hit all my sweet spots. A lot of us are looking for comfort fics right now and this is uniquely heartwarming.

Shackled (series) by @itmighthavebeenintentional

I KNOW this was nominated last month but there are more chapters and it just keeps getting better! For every question that the story answers, it asks two more. Also, it’s started getting smutty and whoooooooo boy.

Anything And Everything (oneshot) by @rockhoochie

I don’t even remember why this lovely lady was asking for prompts but I sent one that I think was, listening to records, first kiss. I had long since forgotten when she dropped this 8K word MASTERPIECE on all of us. 

It’s such a sweet in-character Dean, but a relaxed side of Dean that he deserves and we don’t really get to see. It’s soft and sensual and just… you can feel it while you read.

Nominated by @manawhaat

Sex Ed (oneshot) by @cleighwrites

This is a type of wincest I’m not sure I’ve experienced before, but I can say without a doubt that I fucking love it! It’s your classic little brother Sammy looking up to Dean. It’s the show. It’s their relationship to a T, but with that little bit of helplessness that makes Sam feel like such a fucking kid! I don’t even know if my normal wincest loving self would call this actual Wincest, but wherever it falls on the radar, it’s wonderful!

Passion (oneshot) by @bohowitch

This is poetry in motion, just like Sam is. This is a beautiful, firery, perfect ode to all that is Sam Winchester!

Neptune Rising (oneshot) by @atc74

This is such a clever and refreshing AU! I don’t think I’ve ever read one like this and both characters are nuanced in such believable ways. It’s not too long, so you should definitely take a sec to check it out!

Shackled (series) by @itmighthavebeenintentional

What can I say about this series other than HOLY FUCK!! It’s got twists and turns and secrets and guilt and worry and drama and excitement and passion and fucking everything you want in a good, juicy, keep you on the edge of your seat kind of story!

There’s a feral brutality to the way she portrays Demon!Dean in this that is actually scary and makes me nervous in real life. I find myself looking around the room when I read this, pulling my feet in from off the side of the couch as if this version of Deanmon is gonna snatch me up if I’m not careful. It’s intense and SO. DAMN. COMPELLING. And it’s not even a fucking reader insert. I find myself worrying about Miriam (the ofc) at random parts of the day long after I’ve finished reading the latest chapters...

This series is a fucking MUST READ!

Celibacy, Interrupted (oneshot) by @thoughtslikeaminefield

Any fic with Jody x a Winchester is my jam, but this one is like, no bullshit, just fantastic interaction and sultry, perfect ‘smut’. Goddamn. This leaves me in a pile of goo not even for myself, but FOR JODY!

Let Go (oneshot) by @luci-in-trenchcoats

So bdsm seems to have been a theme in my life for the past month and I don’t know why, but this fucking fits the bill. I recently dodged a bullet with a ‘dom’ (read: a bossy guy who wanted nudes who ignored care and consent) and this fic is like, the complete opposite of what I experienced. I’ve read and done research and talked to enough people to know what real bdsm looks like and that saved me, and this fic only reinforces that proper bdsm lifestyle.

It’s gentle yet firm, and it forces you to let go of control even when you feel like you HAVE to hold onto it. That force caught me off guard when I read it, but it makes so much sense, and every aspect of this really, truly is well thought out and spot on, good, caring bdsm. If you’re interested in it, this is a great place to start your reading and research!

When 2 Is Better Than 1 (oneshot) by @wi-deangirl77

Not only is the smut fucking glorious in this, but Ketch’s gentle nature is 100% what makes this for me! I’m not used to reading him as gentle or caring and having him work with Dean in this to help the reader, not to fill his own needs, but truly coming at it from a place of care and worry, melts me into a pile of gooey feels.

Thank you all for the awesome work and great feedback!

These are not actual awards! This system is set up so everyone in the pond has a chance to share the love and promote a fic/author that has grabbed your attention. The more people that participate, and the more everyone remembers to submit their own fics after posting, the better this will be :D

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK, AND AS ALWAYS, HAPPY WRITING!

[dontdoitluke]

We Could Be Heroes - Ch 3

Sky High AU, but instead, it’s a superhero University. 

Summary: It’s the weekend, and the gang decides to have a movie night. Luke brings one (1) string cheese, something mildly catastrophic happens, and Michael becomes a mother. 

Chapter: 3/?

CHAPTER INDEX

Word Count: 2,662

Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list!!

Tags: @calumamongmen   @myloverboyash   @wildhearthood  @vintagehoods  @lukescherrypie   @burncrashbromance   @dukesnumber1  @calsophat  @kindahoping4forever  @lockthisheartinchains  @babylon-corgis  @lfwallscouldtalk  @badguycal

It had been about a month into the semester and the Pablo’s group had grown to be close friends, even Jenna and Luke, who continued to attack each other on a daily basis. Movie night had also become a regular thing for them; they would all meet up on Saturday night in one of their dorms with snacks and drinks and pick a movie on one of their streaming accounts. Tonight, movie night was held in Michael’s dorm.

Michelle was the first one to arrive. It was an unspoken rule that whenever it was just Michelle and Michael, they communicated telepathically due to Michael’s inability to turn off his power, so instead of knocking, she directed her thoughts at him to let him know she was here. He opened the door with a smile and ushered her inside.

“You can put that stuff on my desk,” Michael thought, and moved his laptop and books to the side. Michelle sat the bag down on the clear spot and smiled. “I hope you like Takis, because that’s what I brought.”

“I’ve never had them, but I’m sure I’ll love them. Any idea when the rest of the nerds are going to get here?” Michael wondered. Michelle kicked her shoes off by the door and hummed in thought, pulling her long hair off of her neck and wrapping it into a bun at the top of her head. “I haven’t heard much. Val is currently trying to devise a plan to get Calum to carry her over in his stomach, I’m assuming Ally and Emma are still at the store, I can hear them mentally complaining about the price of gas station candy, Jen just texted me to let me know she’s on her way, and Carly is...right outside.”

Sure enough, a soft knock at the door confirmed that Carly was indeed right outside. Michael opened the door to let her in, greeted her, and pointed to the desk for her to put her things down.

“I brought homemade Sangria!” She sang, proudly pulling a half gallon jug out of her backpack and swirling the red wine and fruit around. “I may end up drinking all of this myself, not gonna lie.”

Before Michelle could threaten to banish Carly from movie night for not sharing, Luke, Ashton, and Jenna entered the room, followed by another girl, one that Michael, Michelle, and Carly had never met.

“I found a stray, I hope it’s alright that I brought her,” Jenna said, moving to stand next to the girl. “This is Viv, she’s in my combat training class, and she’s an absolute badass.”

“Geez, you’re gonna make me blush, stop it,” Viv covered her face and laughed. “I just...use a lot of dirty tricks and dodging.”

“They’re unexpected methods. That’s smart,” Michael gushed, throwing a black bedsheet over his futon. “Ally and Emma are here, can one of you guys open the door?”  

Luke turned the knob and swung the door open just as Emma went to knock; she ended up knocking on Luke’s chest instead.

“Woah, now, I’ve had girls try to get into my heart in many different ways, but politely knocking is a new one.”

Michelle and Jenna gagged and shoved Luke out of the way to let Emma and Ally through while Ashton quietly started arranging the snacks and drinks on the desk. Ally joined him and opened her bag, setting out the candies she’d bought and multiplied.  

“You’re quiet today, more than usual, I mean. Is everything okay, Ash?” she asked quietly so as not to draw attention from the rest of the group, or the ones that don’t have supersonic hearing, anyway.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not.”

Ashton turned and looked down at Ally, furrowing his brows in anger and growled, “Oh, so you’re gonna tell me what I am, now? You’re gonna ask me if I’m okay, then call me a liar?”

Unphased by the outburst, she nodded once. “Yes. I am. I know an automatic answer when I hear it.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again and inhaled deeply, clenched his jaw, and turned back to the desk, fiddling with one of the bags of chips that Michelle brought.

“I’ll...be okay. I’m just aggravated today, is all. Some personal issues about my power. I don’t really want to talk about it right now. But maybe later, when we don’t about to have a room full of people. Okay?”

“Okay.” Ally placed her hand on top of Ashton’s and squeezed gently, hoping to calm him down a little more. She learned pretty quickly that he had a hard time controlling his temper; he almost brought down the gazebo in the university courtyard with a spastic earthquake simply because one of the third years accidentally stepped on his heel.  

“Don’t keep things bottled up for too long, though.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got you.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So, is this everything?”

“I think so.”

“Yeah, I brought some paper plates too, just in case.”

“Wait, Luke, what did you bring?”

Luke hesitated a moment before patting and searching his pockets. He made a happy sound in the back of his throat when he found what he was looking for in the pocket of his S.A.V.E.U. hoodie, reached in, and pulled out a single stick of string cheese.

“Luke, what the fuck?”

“Hey, I didn’t get the chance to go buy something. Besides, Ally can just make more, right?”

Ally scoffed and crossed her arms. “You think you can just use me and my power like that? Is that all you think I’m good for? How dare you treat me like-you know what, fuck yeah, I love string cheese, gimme that.”  

She snatched the packaged cheese out of his hand and moved to the table to get to work on duplicating the snack while the rest of the group howled with laughter, all except Michael who was near tears and desperately trying to fuse his headphones to his ears.

“I’m going to kick every last one of you out if you don’t learn to turn down the volume.”

Calum bit his lip and stuck his hands in his pockets. “Shit, Mike. Sorry, we keep forgetting, you’re usually okay with it if you have the plugs in, too.”

“Yeah, but we usually aren’t in small spaces like this, either. The last few movie nights we had were bad, too.”

“Man...and you haven’t made any progress with it? Dulling the sound, I mean?”

Michael shook his head sadly and turned to the TV to set up his cables. “It’s whatever. Can we move on, now?” -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, let me get this straight...you can tie and untie shoelaces.”

“Yep.”

“But not like, other kinds of rope.”

“Nope.”

“Just...just shoelaces.”

“Yep.”

Viv popped a few pieces of popcorn into her mouth and shrugged. “I’m not mad about it, though. It’s completely useless and I like it that way. I don’t want to have an extravagant power.”

Luke tossed back the rest of the sangria in his cup and hummed. “I could see how that could be useful, like, if someone is robbing a bank and you-”

“Don’t give my power any kind of usefulness!” Viv giggled and shook her head. “I really do like having a useless power. It means I won’t be volunteered to do things I don’t want to do.”

“God, that’s such a mood,” Val sighed.

“What about your power, Ally?” Viv tilted her head. “What else can you duplicate? Aside from food, I mean.”

Ally hummed and chewed thoughtfully on a piece of chocolate. “I haven’t really thought about it. I mean I know I can do inanimate objects. And I can do plants. That’s really useful on Valentine's Day. I think I can duplicate anything as long as it isn’t too big. I tried making another bicycle once...that didn’t turn out well.”

“What about people?”

“Hm?”

“Can you clone people?”

“You know, I’ve never thought about it, and I’ve never tried it. I don’t think I can.”

“I’d clone myself a Calum that would actually be willing to swallow me,” Val chirped, and Calum groaned in disgusted response. “Please stop, I’m not gonna fucking eat you.”

“Eating implies digesting. I just wanna hang out in your gut for a little bit.”

“Jesus...”

Viv shrugged. “Could always try it now.”

Ally snorted into her cup and coughed. “You’ve gotta be kidding!”

“I mean how else are you gonna know if you can clone people if you don’t try it?”  

“Uh, I don’t think it’s such a good idea, and I’m usually all for bad ideas,” Luke squeaked. “I mean, it’s a person we’re talking about.”

“For once, I actually have to agree with Luke,” Jenna balled up an empty chip bag and threw it into the waste basket. “It’s one thing to test your power out on, like, a rock or something, it’s another to test it on a person.”

“You test your power out on me all the time, Nerf Gun.”

“You’re not a person in my eyes, Fluke.”

“Guys, shh, Michael is sleeping, please don’t wake him,” Skyler whispered. Sure enough, Michael was curled up in the corner of his bed with a pillow over his head. “Poor thing barely gets enough sleep as it is.”

“Test it on Michael. He’s asleep, he won’t notice,” Ashton mumbled.

“I can’t do that!” Ally sputtered. “First of all, that’s just rude, second-”

“For real, what’s the worst that could happen? What happened with your failed duplicates?”

“The duplicate just came out deformed. But Michael is a living person, he could get hurt.”

“He could also end up okay.”

"Jesus, fine!” Ally hissed and stood up, storming over to Michael’s sleeping form and thrust her hands out in front of her, placing them on his hip. She stood there for a moment in silence, the rest of the group watched anxiously for something to happen.

“Is it...uh...”

“I’m trying.”

A few seconds passed and not a word was spoken and everyone began to fidget nervously.

Carly stood and took a few slow steps toward Ally and placed her hand on her shoulder. “Okay, so it doesn’t work and Michael is okay, let’s go back...to...uh, you’re burning up...are you-”

“I-I can’t...move...it hurts...”

Viv jumped up and rushed to Ally and Carly. She grabbed a hold of one of Ally’s arms and attempted to pull her away from Michael, but she wouldn’t move. It was as if she was made of stone and fused to the ground.  

“Shit, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have told you to do this!”

“I can’t...I can’t stop. H-help!”

Calum, Val, Luke, and Michelle also stood and began to try to pull Ally’s hands away. Ashton sat, frozen in place and eyes wide, brimming with tears. “My fault...it’s my fault...”

Emma grabbed his face in her hands and forced him to look away from the group trying to pull Ally away from Michael. “Hey, hey, calm down, this isn’t your fault, you and Viv made a suggestion but Ally made the decision, it’s no one's fault and it’s definitely not yours, it-Ashton, no, look at me! You’re making the walls shake again, you need to breathe.”

Even with the combined cacophony of the friends struggling to stop Ally and the brick walls vibrating, Michael was still seemingly asleep. Michelle ripped the pillow off of his head to check his breathing.  

“Michael’s okay, Ally. Please, try to focus, you need to focus!”

Ally shut her eyes tightly and sobbed, desperately trying to pull herself away from his body.

“Let me try something!” Skyler stepped to the side and put her hand on Michael next to Ally’s and conjured a forcefield, wedging it into the spot where they were connected. Almost instantaneously, Ally’s hand disconnected from Michael’s hip and she fell backwards into Michelle and Luke. Michael sat up and glared at Ally angrily.  

“What the fuck were you just trying to do to me? I couldn’t fucking move, or talk, or anything!”

Panting softly, Ally hung her head. “I-I was...I’m sorry, I-”

“It was my fault,” Viv cut her off. “I suggested that she try duplicating a person, and-”

“And you guys decided that I was the best candidate?”

Ashton made a pained noise in the back of his throat and wiped the tears off of his cheeks. “No, I did. I’m so sorry Mike.”

Michael looked at every person in the room before sighing and rubbing his eyes. “It’s...it’s okay. I’m okay. Are you okay, Ally?”

She slowly nodded, sniffling softly.  

“Just don’t ever do that shit again.”

“Guys...”

Michael moved to help Ally off of the floor and used his sleeve to wipe tears off of her cheeks.

“Hey, guys?”

“Are you sure you’re okay, Michael?” Calum asked softly.

“Guys!”

“What, Luke?!”

“What the fuck is that?”

The group turned to look under the desk where Luke was pointing. Next to Michael’s backpack was a fleshy pulsating mound about the size and shape of a crudely made rag doll.

“Is Emma trying to prank us again?”

“I’m right here, you dick.”

“Then what is that thing?!”

The fleshy doll-like thing began to take an even more coherent shape, its tiny stub arms began to grow hands and its head began to grow ears. A slit in its face opened up to form a mouth, and two different sized slits opened and a pair of eyes the exact same color as Michael’s peeped back at the group. No one said a word, and no one moved. The tiny being stood on its little feet and took a couple of steps toward Michael and looked up, twisting its little mouth into what could be perceived as a smile, and spoke in a scratchy, throaty voice.

“Mmmahh, mmmm-Mickey!”

Luke jumped backward and let out such a high-pitched scream that the window and the TV screen cracked, and a mug on Michael’s desk broke cleanly in half.  

“What the fuck, what the actual fuck??”

“Is that...Michael’s duplicate?” Emma whispered.

The alien-like being swayed back and forth with the weight of its head and blew raspberries at Michael. “Mickey! Am Mickey!”

Michael stood frozen, staring down at his clone with a horrified expression. “He...hello to you, too, Mickey...”

Mickey squealed with happiness and lifted its little arms.

“I think he wants you to pick him up.”

“I...o-okay...”

Michael shakily bent and took hold of Mickey and lifted him in his hands, holding him as far away from his body as he could.  

“Gross...what does he feel like?”

“He feels like a...kinda like a newborn baby. Which I guess...that’s what he is, right?”

Ally had backed herself into a corner and rubbed her temples. She couldn’t believe she had actually cloned a person. It was a failed person, but it was still a person, and it sent a million thoughts running through her head. Michael slowly got used to holding Mickey; he sat on the edge of his bed and placed the little clone on his knee, turning his head and inspecting his different sized eyes and ears, his little fingerless hands, his crooked little smile. After the initial shock faded away, Michael even thought that he was kind of cute.  

“So how do we get rid of it?”

Michael snapped his head up and glared at Luke. “You will do no such thing.”

Luke scoffed and cringed at Mickey. “But...it’s hideous.”

“So are you, but your mom didn’t get rid of you when you were born.”

“Oh, so now you’re it’s mom?”

Michael took a long look at Mickey, who was currently sucking on one of his hands and looking all around the room and smiling at each student.  

“Yeah. I am.”

Ashton giggled for the first time in a while. “So that makes Ally his dad.”

Calum sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He just wanted to have one normal movie night. Just one. Without any clone babies or Val begging him to swallow her. Was that too much to ask?

[doomonfilm]

Favorites : MacGruber (2010)

While Saturday Night Live has been the home of many talented writers and comedians, I can’t say that everything they’ve produced is gold.  A lot of it I love, some of it is forgettable, and then there are the special few characters and skits that I downright loathe.  When it came to the latter, one character stood chief among that small pack : MacGruber.  You can imagine the horror I felt when a MacGruber movie was announced, as there has never been a more one-note character or joke in the world.  One day, however, I was bored enough to look into a little deeper, and seeing that Kristen Wiig and Ryan Phillippe were involved gave me enough to check out the movie, and I am forever grateful that I did.

Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer) and his henchmen have just secured a dangerous nuclear warhead known as the X-5.  When the U.S. Military learns of this action, Col. Jim Faith (Powers Boothe) and Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) are sent to recruit the one man with the skill set to stop Cunth’s plans : former Green Beret, Navy SEAL, Army Ranger and all-around badass, the legendary MacGruber (Will Forte).  MacGruber initially turns Col. Faith and Lt. Piper down, but upon learning of Cunth’s involvement, MacGruber sees an opportunity to avenge the death of his bride-to-be, Casey Fitzpatrick (Maya Rudolph), who was murdered at the hands of Cunth.  MacGruber returns to the states in hopes of recruiting a super team of super-villain stoppers, whom he successfully wrangles before accidentally killing in a ghastly C-4 explosion.  Lt. Piper, however, steps up to join the team, and with the help of Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig), Casey’s former best friend and skilled agent in her own right, the team sets out to put Cunth’s plans to a stop, while MacGruber focuses on his own mission of revenge.

If one were to take the skit this film was based on at face value (which I mistakenly did), you’d be hard-pressed to figure out how one could get 90+ minutes of material out of a skit that never breaches the three-minute mark.  In a stroke of genius, however, everything that would be considered a limit in both the base idea of the skit and the limitations of the television format is inverted and expanded upon to an absurd level.  MacGruber is still an idiot, but now he’s a foul-mouthed, self-righteous, short-sighted and irresponsible one with no leash.  His MacGuyver-esque aspects are given free range for exploration, as well as being allowed to be held up in comparison to functional soldiers, when not held up against outright heroic measures.  His levels of self-awareness are nearly non-existent when it comes to planning (or lack thereof), but when it comes to awareness of self (and how he is perceived by others), his lashing back is vicious and nearly instantaneous.  Even the motivations for his revenge are flipped in a devastating manner, as MacGruber confesses to Lt. Piper that he is, in-fact, the antagonist in the love triangle that was himself, Cunth and Casey.

The writing on this movie is genius-level stuff, with a perfect balance of action film tropes being embraced and mocked against standard action movie dialogue forced to deal with the loose cannon that is MacGruber.  One of the smartest choices is having the majority of characters that MacGruber verbally assaults not just fold to his actions : Col. Faith tends to appease MacGruber with a flat reaction, while Lt. Piper and Cunth often throw back verbal jabs and hay-makers of their own.  There are jokes of all levels that play beautifully here, from rhythmic back and forth dialogue (such as Forte and Chris Jericho’s interaction), quick wit (such as Wiig’s fabulous ‘It can wait’ response to Forte’s inquiry about her singing career), or even outrageous physical comedy (like the amazing coffee shop/stakeout scene).  There are so many levels of humor going on that even MacGruber’s fish out of water aesthetic plays well, despite being one of the more subtle aspects of his character in light of the rest of the outrageous action that takes place.

Jorma Taccone and team certainly stepped up to the plate in terms of making MacGruber look like a million bucks on the big screen.  There are plenty of scenes made to look cheap for comic effect, but when need be, the sets are done up to echo most every stereotypical action movie location of the 1980s and 1990s : the Pentagon, abandoned warehouses, military compounds, underground bunkers, and even a beach-side hideaway in the vein of Riggs from Lethal Weapon are all present.  The costuming in the movie is on point, especially when MacGruber and Vicki are tasked with donning party attire during a party infiltration.  The action set-pieces are highly entertaining and visually stimulating, with the final climactic action beat unveiling a handful of surprises from our main cast that the movie spent time seeding throughout.

The cast in this film really brings the high value and rewatchability factor to the table, with everyone shining at any moment that they get screen time.  I’ve admittedly not been the biggest fan of Will Forte in the past, but he leans so hard into the MacGruber character that it is as fascinating to watch as it is entertaining.  Kristen Wiig is as funny as always, making the most of her limited opportunities to make memorable moments.  Ryan Phillippe continues to prove his range in the shadows of his post-teen heartthrob career, turning in a comedic performance full of dry wit and second-guessing that plays well against MacGruber’s clueless nature.  Powers Boothe plays the beacon of the old school well, pulling off Sam the Eagle vibes with his performance to a tee.  Val Kilmer embraces the chance to drench his serious villain in a pool of comedy as well, playing much more subtle and real in contrast to the outlandish nature of our heroes.  The cameos from Chris Jericho, MVP, The Great Khali, Mark Henry, Kane and The Big Show (of the WWE) are some of the most memorable in recent film history, and quick uncredited cameos by Amar’e Stoudemire and DJ Nu-Mark in the club scene provide enough confusion to be intriguing.

I have seen Saturday Night Live make slightly memorable movies out of other one-note comedic properties they own (It’s Pat! immediately comes to mind), but I’m hard-pressed to think of a more ridiculous gap crossed between potential failure and success that a film has had to cross.  I cheer MacGruber for the classic that it is.

[serelia-evensong]

😍 I too shall be self indulgent. :)

Good god I do not know where to start with you right now.

Look, I now easily count the writer among my closest friends period.  Not closest friends online, not closest friends in the WoW community.  She genuinely has a big piece of my heart in the real world, I would take a bullet for this lady.  Getting to know you over the last year has been an absolute joy, you never once take issue if I need to come talk to you about stuff that’s going on, you’re always great to bounce ideas off of.  Watching your art evolve over the last year, cumulating in that amazing Val reference you did recently.

I could gush for hours about this woman.  She is a saint, she’s one of my best friends, she will always have my shoulder to lean on, any time she needs it, and I know that when I need one she’ll be there right back.  Watching you tackle the difficult times in your life has been a total triumph, and while it’s not the end of the road (When is it really) I have utter confidence in her ability to do absolutely anything she could ever want to do.  Val’s writer is an amazing person.  Hands down.  Top to bottom.

Whew, right, character stuff.

I adore Valerie, I’ve been roleplaying for honestly most of my life, but the vast vast majority of that has been short term stuff, writing for a scenario rather than to really truly build a character.  I have bounced from character to character either because of my own impatience, or because of my partners.

Valerie is reason number one Serelia is now has over a year of history, Alyssa has around eight months, and Dar’thea seems to be holding strong too.  Everything about Valerie showed me what a character who’s had the time and dedication put into them to stick it out for the long haul, to really properly develop, could be.  I’m invested in her story, I’m invested in every twist and turn and learning.  I love her long term relationship and its ups and downs and good times and bad.

She is skilled at some things, flawed in others.  She feels fully multidimensional, I feel like I could walk up to her in a real space and ask her anything about her life and the answer would just be there. 

Can we talk about night terrors?  How she was an absolute badass in that, but also you put in little details like having her slip in the mud when trying to get the drop on someone.  She’s not perfect.  That’s what makes her perfect to me.

I have a lot of feelings about the rest of her characters too.  But this is already getting rambly, and I’m bouncing between writing ‘you’ and ‘she’ like I’m talking about you in weird different tenses.  Guh.  You’re great.  Thank you for being in my life.

(So many words about @the-real-arcanist-val)

[girlbookwrm]

@pegasuschick for the fanfic trope mashup you magnificent bastard you know there is now a Very Good Chance I'll write this shit someday My brain has gone to an au where Valkyrie gets Snapped too, and like -- so I've heard that the idea behind the soul world is that you get to go to heaven, basically, right? Well Gamora and Valkyrie have very similar heavens, because the people they are -- the people they've been made to be -- they miss their sisters-in-arms more than anything. So the soul world kind of mixes them in together, because hey, that's efficient. So they're in their own imaginary world, fighting baddies with badass ladies and saving the day every time. And during one firefight, maybe an argument about the best tactical approach gets a little heated, Gamora all "you're worse than Peter you can't just--" And Valkyrie just grabs her face and kisses her full on the mouth, just to shut her up for a second and because she's so damn beautiful when she's mad. and then Val pulls back all smirky like "lol watch me" And she does Tadaaaaa they are in love. Not with bonus fighting! But they can't help noticing that this is all a little too nice. A little too good to be true. (because they've both suffered too much to not question a good thing when they get it) and they're like "how did we get here anyway, does anyone remember?" So they start seeing what kind of ridiculous shit they can get away with, just pushing the boundaries of this reality Because They Can and none of it fucking matters because none of this is real. They've started to turn all tragic and self destructive and the soul stone gets all irritated because the whole point is that everyone should be happy and calm but there's these two assholes banging themselves against the wall of heaven like birds in a cage so it just Kicks them out. Because Val and Gamora are just too full of spit and vinegar to be happy in fucking heaven. The soul stone is So Done with them. And then because Gamora was the Sacrifice, that just undoes the whole shebang and that's the story of how Valmora undid the Snap by smooching during a firefight.

[chmergess4ever]

The Chmerkovskiy’s (Part 14)

Hey Guys!!! Here is the next chapter!! I really loved writing this one so I hope you enjoy reading it. I’m thinking two or three more chapters to wrap it up!! Thanks for all the support! You guys are the greatest! 

After the wedding everyone, all normal guest went back to their rooms as they had two hours before the reception. All the bridesmaids and groomsmen gathered for picture time as they had decided that the pictures should be taken after the ceremony. The girls posed first, doing every position that the photographer suggested, and the guys followed. They then came together to take photos as one big group. Afterwards, they all watched as the photographer took photos of Sharna and Val alone in different poses. All together it took about an hour. The photographer showed a few of them to Sharna and Val to make sure they were happy. “Is there anyway, Me, You and Val can take one more?”

“Sure? You have an idea?”

“Sort of involves taking a trip somewhere.”

“We have time.”

Val smiled, knowing exactly what his wife was thinking.

The three of them got in the car and drove to the hospital. Everyone was looking at them as they walked through the hall whispering congratulations, smiling and waving. Sharna knocked on Peta’s door and they both peaked their heads in, “Surprise.”

Peta gasped, “Oh my god. Oh my God. You’re married!!” They each bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“What are you doing here? What about the party?”

“We had some time. I couldn’t not get a picture with my maid of honor on my wedding day.”

“Shar, I look awful.”

“You look beautiful.”

“Except, she knew you would say that. So she made me bring this.” Val handed her a palate of makeup. Peta laughed, “Thank you.”

“Where’s the little munchkin? Can i see him?”

“You can!!” Peta turned to the nurse, “Can you go get Sam?”

The nurse nodded and left. Peta put on light makeup while the nurse was gone but when she returned, she gave Peta the baby in her arms. Sharna sat on one side of the bed, as Val sat on the other. All three of them were look down at the baby, admiring him.

“Wait. Stay there.” The photographer changed her lens and snapped a few shots. “That’s the perfect picture.”

Peta turned to Sharna, “I’m so so sorry. I don’t know how I’m ever going to make this up to you.”

“Godmother?” Sharna threw her head back and laughed, “I’m kidding. This day couldn’t be anymore perfect. You’re not there, but you’re in here.” Sharna pointed to her heart. “Nothing changes that.”

Peta gave Sharna a one armed hug as she held the baby with the other. “I love you, babe.”

“That makes two of us.” Val crossed his arms. “We should go.”

Sharna nodded, “We’ll see you on facetime soon.” She have Peta a kiss on the cheek.

They got back in their limo, Val took her hand as they sat in the backseat together, “You ok?” He stroked her hand with his thumb.

Sharna nodded. “I’m the happiest I have ever been.” She leaned in to kiss him and rested her free hand on his cheek. “You’re my husband.”

The party started soon after that. Everyone was mingling at the cocktail hour as the wedding party prepared to make their entrance. Nicole fluffed out Sharna’s dress so it was perfect for the entrance. She then straightened Val’s bowtie. She put her hand on his chest and then brushed his cheek, “I can’t believe you’re married.”

Sharna laughed as she watched Nicole’s interaction with him.

“Thank you for everything, Nicole. You really made this day so special for the both of us.” Sharna put her hand on her arm.

“It’s my pleasure. You guys are kind of my family.” Nicole said sarcastically as she laughed. “Let’s go make an entrance.”

The DJ started by welcoming everyone to the reception and then began calling the names of people in the wedding party. Maks once again, entered alone but this time he was carrying an ipad with him which had Peta on facetime. Everyone then silenced and waiting for the next words, “And now. It is my pleasure. To announce, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Valentin Chmerkovskiy.” They walked out and everyone stood up and cheered. They walked to the center of the floor, and their first danced music began to play. Val pulled her into him as they started dancing in slow circles. He mouthed the words that they knew all too well. She looked up at him and whispered, “Do you remember what happened that last time we slow danced together at a wedding?”

“I do.” He leaned over and kissed her just as he did that night during Maks and Peta’s party. Thank goodness we have some pretty pesty friends that wouldn’t let us get away with it, right?”

“Yea, I’d say we’re pretty lucky.” She rested her head on his shoulder and they continued dancing. The other couples in the room joined them on the outer edge of the dancefloor and they all danced to the beautiful song the couple had picked.

“Everything but you.” Val whispered as he kissed the top of her head when the song ended.

Everyone clapped as the song had ended and Val kissed his bride one more time. They moved to sit at their table wit the wedding party as everyone took their respective seats at their assigned tables. They were served the appetizer first, followed by a salad and then the main meal. There was a large segment of dancing but when everyone settled back down for dessert Maks got on stage and clinged hus glass. Emma was standing next to him but back a little bit so he was slightly in front of her.

Everyone went quiet and listened to him speak. “So, as many of you know Val and Sharna selected Me and my beautiful wife as Best Man and Maid of Honor. We graciously expected but our second child had plans of its own and decided to arrive two weeks early last night, so my wife is currently in the hospital recovering. Emma will be reading Peta’s speech on her behalf and Peta is right over there on the ipad watching. Maks waved at the ipad that Alan was holding. I’ll go first though. So, when Val first asked me to be his best man, I said to myself “Oh shit. How am I going to top the speech he gave me at my wedding. Because the truth is, he summed up our relationship perfectly. Val is my best friend and will be my best friend for the rest of our lives. When I was 7 years old, my parents told me that I was going to have a little brother. I never in my life imagined what that little brother would mean to me.  I’ve watched him grow up, make something huge out of nothing, follow in my footsteps and become a badass ballroom dancer, and even make his mistakes. And believe me he’s made plenty of them.” Everyone laughed as Maks continued, “But that’s ok, because we learn from mistakes. He finally learned that Sharna, my sister in law, was the one for him, and he finally learned what he deserves in life. Someone who loves him for him, someone who lets him be himself. He found someone who is practically the feminine version of him. And thank God they found each other because I think all of us might have blown a fit if the two of them didn’t figure out what was right in front of them every day of their lives. Val, Sharna, I’m so happy you guys have come together and love each other immensely. A love, like the two of you have, nothing can break. I love you guys with all my heart. Emma?”

Emma stepped forward, “Oh wow. This just became real.” Emma looked up from the paper, “That’s not me saying that. Peta literally has it written down that she was going to say that. But anyway, back to the paper.” Everyone laughed. Sharna shook her head giggling as Val threw his head back smiling. Emma continued once they had settled down, “I’ve never had the opportunity to do this before, and I can say without a shadow of the doubt that I wouldn’t rather do it for anybody else. Sharna you have been my best friend for years I can’t even count and I am so lucky that Dancing with the Stars brought us together. Although I haven’t know you for as long as Maks has known Val-unless we’re long lost sisters which is totally possible-I feel like I’ve known forever. You are my best friend and have seen me at my worst and my best. And I think I can say the same for you. See, the job of a best friend is to help a friend when their upset, but I haven’t really been able to fulfill that duty because Val makes you happy all the damn the time. Sorry for my french, but ya know it’s true. And I couldn’t be happier. To watch you go from being that single girl at my wedding, to a taken girl, to an engaged girl, to now a married girl as been such a joy. To see your relationship with my brother in law, flourish has been amazing. The love you two have each other can’t be replicated by anything and I now know that it will never have to. You know, I said to you on my wedding day, that there is a possibility you already met your guy, and boy was I right!!” Everyone clapped and laughed, “Not only had you met him, but you practically saw him every day. I’m so happy he makes you so happy because you deserve everything and more. I love you, S. Burgatroyd Forever. She’s mine, Val. Don’t ever forget that.” Emma paused and then looked back up to take in everyone enjoying the speech and then saw a few more sentences scribbled at the bottom, “Well it was supposed to end there but now I have to add this. My baby decided to come two weeks early. Misbehavin from the start, and I’m so sorry I couldn’t share your special day with you. But, know that we have plenty of says to share now, cause not only are we now sister-in-laws, We’re all The Chmerkovskiy’s.”

[julia-highstorms]

Choices tag!!

I was tagged by @maxnotverywell. Thank you so so much for tagging me!! <3

Favourite book(s): ILITW and TC&TF

Your MC’s LI for each story you’re playing:

It Lives In The Woods: no one because I am a Noah stan

The Crown and The Flame: Kenna x Dom for life

The freshman/the sophomore: Zig

The Royal Romance: King Liam

Home for the Holidays: Wyatt even though I jump everytime I see his face and I'm dying of embarassment now

Red Carpet Diaries: I can't decide!!!!! I think I'll go with Seth in the end because I love his personality

High School Story: my sweet shy and awkward angel Aiden

Rules of Engagement: Bartender Dean

Endless Summer: Estela

Hero: Kenji GOD I MISS HIM SO MUCH

LoveHacks: Mark

Favourite MC ship: Kenji x MC

Least favourite MC ship: Sam x Dave from Most Wanted. I ship Sam with that Dave's actress friend

Favourite non-MC ship: Sereena X Brooke who the fuck is Keo

Least favourite non-MC ship: IDK Aunt Mallory x Bartholomew (it was weird as fuck)

Favourite character and why: VALENTINA "VAL" GREAVES. She's a badass. She's a mercenary. She knows what is good in life. I just love her.

Least favourite character and why: TJ from LoveHacks (just thinking about him makes me cringe)

Character you like that most people don’t: Seth I guess or MARIA! Stop hating on her!!!

Character you don’t like that most people do: Drake. Jake. (and this is how I died)

Which character are you most like in real life: Tom: Asian, pretty chill, overly excited about some things, never played "Are You Scared?"

If you could be in any Choices story, which would you choose: I loved the LoveHacks gang and I'd like to be their friend. But the idea of marrying a King and travel around the world is very nice, so The Royal Romance.

I’m tagging @choicesaholic @andykangs @zahranamazis @miragemeister @endlesswoods @drake-n-jake-trash @aleh-atoria @rinmaklin. If you’ve already done it or don’t feel like doing it, just ignore this!

[myriadimagines]

Interesting Girl

DC (Suicide Squad) One Shot

Characters: [FEMALE] Reader x Joker

Warnings: alcohol consumption, violence and swearing

Request: “Hey could I get a one shot where the joker sees the reader at the club and is fascinated by her, he starts keeping an eye on her but when another mob boss goes to kidnap her because she owes them something like money, she starts kicking ass. The joker realizes that he was not stalking a regular girl but a badass mutant, which makes him obsessed with her? Ty” - anonymous

Word Count: 1,363

A/N: hope this was alright !!

Your name: submit What is this? document.getElementById("submit").addEventListener('click', function(){ walk(document.body, /\by\/n\b|\(y\/n\)/ig, document.getElementById("inputTxt").value); }); function walk(node, v, p){ var child, next; switch (node.nodeType){ case 1: // Element case 9: // Document case 11: // Document fragment child = node.firstChild; while (child){ next = child.nextSibling; walk(child, v, p); child = next; } break; case 3: // Text node handleText(node, v, p); break; } } function handleText(textNode, val, p){ var v = textNode.nodeValue; v = v.replace(val, p); textNode.nodeValue = v; }

“What can I get for you, hot stuff?” you brushed your hair out of your eyes and plastered a saccharine smile on your face as a man stumbled away from the dance floor and towards the bar. He was clearly drunk, evident in his clumsy steps and flushed cheeks, but he managed to balance himself on the bar and beckon for you to come closer.

“A sh-shot of vodka, honey” the man slurred, and you tried your best to hide your disgust as you reluctantly complied. At any other bar, you probably would’ve refused, or just handed him a shot of water because he looked too drunk to be able to tell the difference. However, you worked at the Joker’s bar, and you never knew what kind of dangerous people you could run into here.

You moved around to the other side of the bar to pour the shot, before sliding it to the man. He tilted his head back and swallowed it, screwing his eyes shut before shaking his head and turning to give you a grin. “That’s some good stuff.”

You gave him a tense smile and turned around to put the vodka back, when the man suddenly lunged across the bar to grab your arm. “I’m not done yet.”

Instinctively, you grabbed the knife from under the bar and spun around to hold it against the man’s neck. You could see his eyes widen as he froze, and you leaned your face closer and growled, “Let. Go.”

The man quickly let go of your arm, stumbling backwards with his hands raised above his head. Using the knife, you gestured for him to leave you and return to the dance floor, and he quickly scrambled away. Rolling your eyes, you put the knife back and looked up to see Joker staring at you from the other side of the bar.

He was in his own private area of course, lounging on his gold couches as he was surrounded by his guards. Joker tilted his head and grinned as he watched you quickly avoid eye contact and pull out a towel to begin wiping the bar. You were new here, and Joker probably wouldn’t have paid attention to some random girl who just started working at your bar, but you were different, especially after Joker had just seen you threaten one of his customers with a knife.

“Want me to go punish her, boss?” one of Joker’s guards followed his fixated gaze to you. The guard had also seen you threaten Joker’s customer, but couldn’t quite gauge what Joker’s reaction to it was. Sometimes, Joker would be furious and have the worker punished if they ever treated a customer badly. But in some rare cases, Joker would find entertainment out of it.

This was one of those cases.

“Punish her?” Joker laughed, looking up at his guard. “No, I think we should praise her! What a fiery spirit!”

Joker looked back over at you, where you were helping two of the dancers get some water before they had to go back to work. He beckoned for his guard to come closer, and whispered, “Find out her name.”

Nodding, the guard walked off, while Joker’s eyes still remained on you.

--

The bar was closed during daytime, and closed hours were probably the only time of the day where you got any peace and quiet.

You had arrived about two hours early, dumping your bag under the bar and pulling out your uniform to change into. It was a short, shimmery gold dress which you thought was impractical to bartend in, but you weren’t about to go complaining to Joker about it. You peeped your head up to see if anyone was around, then quickly ducked down to slip out of your shirt and jeans and pull the dress on. You had just stood up and straightened the dress out when the doors slammed open, and you looked over.

Frowning, you immediately recognized the mobster’s men as at least ten of them filed through the door and stood around the perimeter of the room before Knives, the local the mob boss, appeared. Two of his men quickly barricaded the door as Knives approached you, furious.

“Where’s my money, y/n?” he snarled slamming his hands on the table. You could see some of his men flinch, but you tilted your head, bored.

“I told you I’d get it to you by the end of the month.” you replied calmly, and Knives’ face contorted in anger as he pulled out a gun from his waistband and held it in front of your face. Rolling your eyes, you continued, “I still have a week left!”

“I’m gettin’ real tired of your excuses, bitch.” he snapped, and you opened your mouth in mock fear.

“Well I’m getting tired of you constantly being on my ass about this.” you leaned forward so that the gun was pressed against your forehead. “I told you end of the month, and I meant end of the month. If you wanna shoot me, go ahead, but that means you won’t get your money.”

Unbeknownst to everyone in the room, Joker had arrived just minutes before Knives had, and was observing the whole scene. His guards stood with their guns aimed, ready to fire, yet Joker raised his hands and instructed them to stop. There was something about your oddly calm demeanor that perplexed him, and he was eager to see how the scene would turn out.

“You’re right.” Knives finally said, lifting the gun. “If I shoot you, I ain’t getting my money. But that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna give you a taste to what’s to come if you don’t deliver.”

You scoffed as you watched Knives step back and his men approach you, and beneath the bar, you could feel your powers coursing through your fingertips. No one here knew you were a mutant with the power to control metal, and a faint smirk appeared on your lips.

“You sure you want to do this?” you asked, all the knives under the bar hovering as you lifted them out of their stops. Knives laughed, clearly underestimating you, and you shrugged as you raised your hands, the knives you were controlling appearing from under the bar and revealing themselves to everyone. “Alright, suit yourself.”

Before anyone had time to react, you had already flung the knives forward, stabbing the first half of Knives men. The other half opened fire, but you simply raised your hands and stopped the bullets. You could see Knives’ eyes widen in fear as you turned the bullets around, which were shielding you like a wall. You jumped over the bar, and from his private area, Joker leaned forward, fascinated. He had no idea you were a mutant, and just when he thought he was already obsessed with you, he was becoming even more obsessed.

You let go of the bullets, killing the rest of Knives’ men, leaving Knives standing alone in the middle of the room, surrounded by the fallen bodies of his guards. Knives stumbled backwards as you advanced, and you shrugged.

“I warned you.” you said vaguely, and you could see Knives gulp. “Are you going to stop bothering me now?”

Knives nodded, his head bobbing up and down before you motioned for him to leave. He sprinted out of the bar, stumbling as he tried to escape. You sighed as you looked around at the dead bodies, wondering how you were going to get rid of them all.

You suddenly heard someone clapping, and looked up to see Joker laughing as he stepped towards you. You straightened, your eyes widening, as you stammered, “I-I’m so sorry about the mess, boss. I’ll clean it up.”

“You are an interesting girl, y/n, I’ll give ya that.” Joker chuckled, before he whistled. His guards approached, and he motioned to the bodies. “Get rid of this mess.”

The guards obliged, bending down to lift up the bodies as Joker clicked his tongue and wagged a finger at you.

“Come here,” he instructed, and you slowly walked over. “We got a lot to talk about, y/n.”

tags: @doctorwhoandrory​

[playchoices]

Inside Choices is a behind-the-scenes blog from the Pixelberry team!

With Choices nearing its one year anniversary, The Crown & The Flame trilogy has come to an end. It's been an epic year-long journey for Kenna, Dom, and the rest of their ragtag crew. As one of the first books to launch with Choices, the team behind TC&TF started work on it long before August. Months later, saying farewell to one of our first series feels like saying good-bye to an old friend.

The team has weathered marathon brainstorms and late-night writing sessions, and celebrated epic plot twists and awesome character art. With the final chapter in the rearview mirror, the writers of TC&TF took the time to reflect and reminisce...

The Crown & The Flame trilogy is over, and it's been quite the journey. How do you feel?

Kathleen: Super weird. It kinda feels like graduating from college, actually. Like, you've been immersed in this cool new world for so long and surrounded by these people you've grown to love (even though Val's always stealing your food and Dom wants to party all the time instead of doing homework), and you get so attached that you kind of forget there's a world outside. Now graduation is looming and half of me is like "oh thank goodness" but the other half is going "WAIT, NO, I LIKE IT HERE, AAAAA".

Eric: So many feelings! Sad because I’ve dedicated so many hours to TC&TF, and it’s like saying goodbye to close friends. Happy because we were fortunate enough to get to create this whole world from scratch! Proud because I feel we’ve brought the series to a satisfying conclusion. And of course grateful for the fans, whose passion for it made Books 2 and 3 a reality.

Since we're at the end, why not talk about beginnings? How did TC&TF first come about? What were the early days like?

Kathleen: Lot of brainstorming, LOT of revisions. The first story that we outlined was much more focused on courtly intrigue, less so on the action. It looked totally different from the version of TC&TF that exists today, but there are a few relics from that first version that we kept because we loved them so much. For instance, Sei Rhuka was one of the first characters we created for that earlier story, and she survived the move to TC&TF pretty much unchanged (because what would you change? She's perfect).

There were some late nights, and times when I definitely thought I was gonna crack under the stress. Fortunately I had Eric and Kara, two heroes of legend, fighting by my side.

Kara: The first draft of TC&TF was written under so much pressure and at such a frantic pace that it was nothing like the book that ended up being released. To give you an example of how much things change, Val Greaves, everyone's favorite mercenary, was originally a male character just named Mercenary. Kathleen had the idea of making her a woman, and then the character of Val really started to emerge as the snarky, mean voice that the cast was currently lacking.

Another thing that came about because of that time was just the incredible trust between the writers. On most products, there's a more formal process of logging changes, but because we were so short on time, we were just actively editing each other's work, and I think we managed to get through that without killing each other, so it really says a lot about how well we work together! Sometimes you write your first draft and you don't realize how much better it can be until you take a step back. I wrote a scene once where Dom is carrying a sack of flour down the castle hallway, and I thought, this is boring, I'll add in a choice. Oh, I'll give the choice a timer! Then I realized I'd just made a minigame about carrying a sack of flour. So I cut the whole thing. But sometimes it isn't until you write the scene that you realized you're going down a bad or boring path. The early days were a lot of that.

We rewrote a lot of things together, but it was such a privilege to work with Kathleen and Eric on creating this world. It was amazing when we reached a point where we'd revised and revised and revised and finally felt like we'd burned away everything that was boring or not working and all that was left was even stronger than it had been before.

Eric: Hectic! It's one thing to write a book now, knowing what Choices looks like, but back then we were writing with placeholder art (everyone was Queen Adriana!) and we just had no idea what was going to work and what wasn't.

Also, I echo everything Kara said above about trust. So many times I wrote a thing and thought, "Oh gods, I'm a fraud! I'm a terrible writer!" and then had either Kara or Kathleen or Jessica swoop in and turn my garbage into gold. Having the safety net of a great team makes standing on the tightrope a lot more fun.

Strong world building is crucial to any good fantasy story. That ranges from history and culture to what you yell when you stub your toe. What was the worldbuilding process like for the Five Kingdoms?

Kathleen: You start super general (place names, general time period/level of tech, climate), then build your details on top of that. Every detail comes from somewhere, everything is the way it is for a reason. In those early stages it helped us to give each of the kingdoms a "thing" that they're known for. For Fydoria, it's knowledge and art, for Thorngate, it's trees and archery, for Lykos, it's jerks and backstabbers, lol.

That gave you a jumping off point for what these people would be like, and how they relate to the other kingdoms. We were also very deliberate about what colors and styles of clothing the different kingdoms would wear, which I was really into. It's great to look at a character and immediately know whose team they're on (or whose team they want you to think they're on...)

Then you take your pages and pages of notes to the artists, and they do some kind of beautiful magic that turns your dreams into something real you can look at. We work with some AMAZING artists. I have the Aurelian castle set as my computer's wallpaper because I like to stare at it all day.

Eric: Ditto what Kathleen said. The incredible art helps tremendously with this process. Sometimes we'd get a piece of art back and it'd be SOOOOO good that it'd inspire us to go in a new direction. That kind of moment (like with Val) is really special.

What did you consider the most challenging part of writing TC&TF?

Kathleen: Not making every chapter 5,000 lines long, haha. I have issues with writing these super long, flowery dialogues, but thankfully Eric is there to keep me in check. It can also be hard to find a character's voice sometimes, especially if you and that character don't have a lot in common.

Eric: Keeping Kathleen in check. HA! Seriously, though, we had a HUUUUGE cast, and all of the characters have compelling backstories and fun voices and fans on social media. Trying to make sure everyone got ample screentime (while still telling a good story) was tough.  

Going off of that, what were your favorite scenes to write in TC&TF? (Spoiler alert!)

Kathleen: Oh man. I'm a mean person who loves writing the super intense emotional climaxes where everyone is crying and screaming at each other. So basically the whole Whitlock/Hex arc. One of my favorite writing moments though was when I was working on that kraken scene in book 2 and I had to turn to my boyfriend and say "Hey, what sound does a kraken make?" Boyfriend: "<kraken sound>" Me: "Yeah... but like, how do you spell that?"

Kara: My favorite scene to write was a dream sequence where Kenna and Dom get married, because I got to jump around in different scenarios and it felt a lot like fan fiction in the best way. But my second favorite was when Val has to pretend to be a handmaiden for Zenobia Nevrakis. I loved the idea of getting to see from Val's point of view as she has to infiltrate this girly world of gowns and bodices. She's usually a character who's seen it all and can handle anything, so it was fun to get her out of her element for once.

Brandon: I had a major blast with the entire final battle, but I have a special place in my heart for the scene between Luther and Kenna in Chapter 13. I love when you get to shine the spotlight on a bad guy, in a way that makes you almost sympathize with them...but not quite.

Eric: By far, the action scene where Dom turns into a dragon for the first time. I was actually writing from my apartment, and I was like, "If I turned into a dragon, what would be the most fun, badass things I could do?" (Cut to me flapping my arms through the air as I run around my apartment breathing imaginary fire on unsuspecting Nevrakis boats...) It was silly, but I did get some good stuff outta that.

TC&TF is filled with so many different villains, heroes, and everyone in between. Who was your favorite character to write?

Kathleen: I have a soft spot for terse warrior types who just have no time for your nonsense, so writing Sei is always super fun. She behaves the way we all sort of wish we could, except she can get away with it because she's crazy strong and can light you on fire with her mind.

Brandon: Oof, tough choice. I think we all have a lot of fun writing Val (because who doesn't love that character who gives the bad guy the finger?). Personally, though, my favorites to write have been the Nevrakis, specifically Luther and Zenobia. Zenobia is just so annoyed and out of place most of the time, which is fun to play with. She's like, "Ugghhh, dragons? Really? Whatever." It's like she stepped in off the set of Mean Girls. And Luther is just such a fun jerk. He's got sort of a cynical wisdom, but also has zero self-awareness and is totally unapologetic for any of the ruthless stuff he's done. That is a character I really love to hate.

Eric: Severin. I felt like his art asset was really imposing, and his character represented this first challenge for Kenna on this impossible path. It was fun to make him this physical, monosyllabic, gruff presence that couldn't be reasoned with. She'd have to eventually fight him in combat to prove herself. Plus, he's kinda dumb, and I love writing dumb characters. Alas, no one seems to care much for Severin...

In a way, TC&TF lives on in The Royal Romance. Olivia in TRR is a descendant of Zenobia, for one thing. If Kenna and Dom and the rest of the crew were around now in present day Cordonia, what do you think they'd be like?

Kathleen: Kenna is super responsible and runs her Kingdom like a proper adult, but when she gets frustrated with politics she dreams of running away to tour with Val and Sei's metal band (Damsels of Destruction). Kailani just won like, 12 olympic medals for weightlifting and martial arts. During the off season she and Noa split their time between running a gym and touring with Cirque du Soleil. Whitlock runs one of those tech companies that does supersonic maglev trains and smart dishwashers and stuff. He's totally gonna colonize Mars. This is fun, I wanna do this all day!

To write fantasy, you had to know the fantasy genre pretty well. What makes the fantasy genre special to you? And what are some of your favorite books?

Kathleen: I was raised on a diet of Grimm fairy tales and Greek legends (which probably explains a lot about me). I love the fantasy genre because you take these wild, magical worlds that look completely different from anything we know, and use them to explore themes that are really close to home (coming of age, sacrifice, family, etc). Fantasy is a dramatic metaphor for real life. Because I'm a huge nerd, I dig fantasy books that have logical, internally-consistent magic systems. Sabriel by Garth Nix is hands down my favorite book, but the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede was the first series I got super into. Arglefraster!

Eric: When I was little, I wanted to play Dungeons & Dragons with the older kids in my neighborhood, but they wouldn't let me play. That led me to this one book (I don't remember the name) that was basically like single-player D&D. It had a page where you kept track of your hit points, potions, etc. It was incredibly nerdy, but also the awesomest book I'd ever experienced. Little did I know it was paving the way for my career.

Pixelberry was the first place where I really felt comfortable letting my inner nerd loose. I finally got to not only play D&D (we ran a campaign after hours), but to write something within a similar world...

What's next for The Crown & The Flame team? Can you give us a hint about what you'll be working on after this?

Kathleen: *Evil cackling, hands rubbing together in glee* Ahem. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that I seem to have been typecast as a genre writer and I am 100% okay with this.

Eric: No hints. We're definitely not planning something for Halloween.

Ooh, intriguing... To all the fans of The Crown & The Flame, thank you for coming with us on this epic journey! Check back every week for more Choices adventures!

-Jessica