#this went in a different direction than expected

[90stvqueen]

Before I read any reviews and let what other, smarter people have to say about Wicked (part 1) cloud my thoughts, I will get some of them down:

It was better than I thought it would be in a lot of ways, and exactly what I expected in others.

The biggest issue is that the movie fundamentally does not trust its audience to be able to think for themselves and put the pieces together. All the jokes are explained. All the important plot beats are drawn out to the point where they lose momentum in their effort to make sure everyone is on the same page. Every emotional beat is its own movie, and it was to the production's detriment in almost every case.

An example of this (and a spoiler) - toward the end of "Defying Gravity," the song fully STOPS so that Elphaba can start to fall, continue to fall, oh no, she's falling, now time slows, and she catches her reflection in a window, and it's the reflection of her child self, and now she's emboldened to act on her own behalf and save herself and in doing so, save the helpless, unloved child she once was, but we didn't NEED any of that, and in my opinion it didn't ADD anything of real substance. I thought it was corny, tbh, and I say this as a lover of corniness, cheesiness, kitsch, and camp.

The sets were beautiful. When the first trailers dropped, I was very afraid that it would all be CGI. But the sets were real and they looked real and I loved them. EXCEPT FOR the random stone Jeff Goldblum Elphaba finds in a cave during "The Wizard and I." Speaking of...

It felt like Elphaba's solo songs, rather than being a driving force, slowed the movie to a halt. During the ensemble numbers, duets, and Galinda's songs, there's movement. Choreo, montage, a sense of direction. Both "The Wizard and I" and "I'm Not That Girl" spent long periods of time just sitting in one place. Maybe that's not a fair assessment; INTG is a contained music-box kind of song, and TWAI had some movement - we see Elphaba hopping over stones with some CGI frogs and eventually breaking out of the Wizard cave and running through a field to look over all of Oz at a cliff's edge. But why make a movie if you're not going to play around a little bit? She has a vision midway through the song, and we don't see it. We see a different vision of hers later, but her "vision almost like a prophecy" in TWAI is just some rippling colorful lights on a giant stone carving of Jeff Goldblum's head. Maybe there was an image in there, actually. I was too distracted by the giant Jeff Goldblum tbh. Someone had to sculpt that. Wild

All of the performances were fantastic. I went in ready to be a hater, but credit where credit is due: Ariana Grande was great as Galinda. Cynthia Erivo knocked it out of the park, too, but I was less worried about her

I have so many more thoughts but it's way past my bedtime and this post is already so long, so I'll say one last critical thing:

In the Broadway production, the costume design progresses through the play as Ozians wear more feathers and furs, as a way to show how attitudes toward Animals are shifting. I felt this was really missing in the movie. The designs were beautiful, but they were missing that additional thoughtful layer.

[misspelledwordswizard]

I would love to see the chain react to reader from the atla universe or just one that uses bending in the same way? Just using bending unconsciously and freaking them all out because of it.

I love Atla, I loved writing this! I didn't know what kind of bending you were expecting, so I did waterbending, I hope you like it.

A notice about orders; I'm doing them in order, so if yours takes a little longer, it's probably because I'm working on others, but they'll all be done! And I'm very happy with them too, don't worry about it, you can send them, I'm loving your ideas.

It was a hot sunny day, so much so that Chain mutually agreed to take a break to go into the nearby river. It was a calm river with a small waterfall that made a pleasant noise in the environment. Wild and Wind were the first to jump in, excited as children, well, at least one of them was one. I couldn’t have been happier. You could say that the water is my territory, so on a day like this, being in cold water was paradise for me. 

Little by little, the others started to enter the river too. It was easy for them, they could just take off their tunics and equipment and get in, while I had to temporarily separate from the group to change and put on a bathing suit, but that was okay, it didn’t take long. Soon I was also entering the river to enjoy the sunny day. 

The cold water touched my body bringing a welcome feeling of relief, cooling my hot and sweaty skin, but this moment of peace was short-lived after I felt a wave of water hit me directly in the face, followed by the sound of childish laughter. That brat.  I imitated his attitude, pushing water with my hands towards him, hitting him with everything and stopping his laughter. The sailor still had the audacity to better himself with indignation, as if he hadn’t been the first to start. I could hear the others laughing in the background too, but they didn’t have the courage to get involved in this. Now it was war. 

Soon the area of the river where we were became a mess of water being splashed in all directions incessantly. Until I could feel a particularly strong attack coming from Wind, and instinctively wanted to retaliate even more. The movements so natural to me happened without me even being able to think about it, soon a small wave, but bigger than any I could generate with my bare hands, appeared next to me and went towards the Sailor, strong enough to make him stay underwater for a few seconds, raising his head in surprise and confusion right after. 

— Aha, I won! – I exclaimed excitedly, but my excitement died when I saw the lack of reaction not only from the sailor, but from all the boys. – What happened? Was I too harsh? 

— How did you do that?! – Wind was the first to speak, coming towards me excitedly. Only then did I understand my mistake. 

— Yeah, was that some kind of magic? – Wars asked, intrigued. 

— I’ve never heard of magic like that. – Hyrule replied, looking curious and suspicious at the same time. 

— Well, that’s because it’s not magic. – I replied, creating even more doubts in everyone, who remained silent waiting for me to continue. – You know, you may not know much about the place I come from, but there’s no magic there. On the other hand, there are people there who can have some control over one of the elements of nature, using specific movements. We’re called benders. 

Even when I tried to explain, they seemed terribly confused and incredulous.  Of course, they already knew I came from a different kind of world, and had somehow ended up here through a strange portal, but I’ve avoided talking about my home to them, precisely because I thought it might be too much for them to take in. Just as it has been for me. 

— So, you can simply control the elements of nature? – The Champion questioned, not very confident about it. 

— Not all of them, and we call it bending. There are four main types of bending, water, fire, earth and air. People who have this ability can only bend one of the four, with the exception of the Avatar. – I can’t tell if throwing all this information out was useful or just made the situation worse. 

— That’s cool! – Wind exclaimed. – Show me more, that’s really cool! 

— Well, that’s definitely interesting, could you demonstrate more of that? – Time asked, and I could tell he wanted to analyze it better. 

— Yeah, what do you normally use it for? – Twilight was the next to ask. 

— Well, waterbending can be used as a medicinal method, and each bending can be used for various everyday things, and for fighting. 

— You mean you could have used it to fight this whole time and you just chose not to?! – Legend seemed indignant at that. 

— Well... I already imagined it would be difficult to explain about this.  – I replied, while using my bending again as they had asked me to, making a large ball of water float over the river. 

— Cool. – Wild said. – Now that we know and you can use it, I’m sure it can be very useful. 

— Yeah, you said it has medicinal properties? That would be really good. – The Traveler questioned, receiving a positive answer from me. 

— Guys, you’re forgetting the main thing! – Wind said, getting everyone’s attention. – Have you thought about the games we can play with this? 

Everyone snorted at the boy’s childish answer, when we expected something a little more important than that. I was afraid to talk about it with them, but they ended up being much more understanding than I imagined. That’s good. 

— But I must admit that I’m very curious about this too. Can you show me other things you can do? You said there are four main bends, does that mean there are other smaller bends? – Sky asked excitedly, and everyone seemed as curious as he was about the subject. 

— Hey, this would be really useful for forging swords, can you help me next time I work on the Champion’s sword? – The blacksmith was the next to ask, which created a gap for a flood of different questions. 

— Can you close wounds? 

— What exactly would an “avatar” be? 

— How does earthbending work? 

— Can I be considered an airbender? 

— How do movements influence this? 

Soon, I was surrounded by curious blondes and being drowned in their curious questions. I think we’re going to spend a good amount of time on this subject. 

[rizlowwritessortof]

@jacklesversebingo Square #3!

Written for Jacklesversebingo2024. The prompt for this one is 'Come on. I'll show you how to dance.' This went a little bit of a different direction than I expected, but I think I like it - hope you do, too!

The big Founder's Day party for Vought International is a 70's disco theme, and your friend Camille has talked you into going, even though you'd rather stay home with a book and glass of wine. You never imagined you'd be dancing the night away with your superhero crush.

Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x Reader

Word Count: 2992

Warnings: Nothing but smut (and maybe a little glimpse through the cracks in Soldier Boy's armor)

Dividers thanks to @firefly-graphics

You walk up to the entrance, shivering a little as a brisk late-October breeze dances around your bare legs and ruffles your skirt. You hand the expressionless suited man at the door your Vought ID, and he nods, waving you by.

You’re not sure why you came. You are a low-level executive assistant at Vought, and you’re honestly surprised that they have bothered to invite people at your pay grade to this Founder’s Day party. You know very few people that you work with, and you would much rather be at home in front of your fireplace in your fuzzy socks with a glass of wine. But you had promised your coworker, Camille, that you would come.

“It’ll be fun! We get to dress up retro and cut loose on the company’s dime! And who knows? You might get a chance to dance with a supe!”

The whole night was planned around a 70’s disco theme. You had raided a vintage clothing store and found the perfect dress, a jewel-toned blue that shimmers in the light, the fabric soft and clingy, with a skirt that will whirl when you dance. If you dance. And if you don’t break your neck in the platform heels you’re wearing. You even tried to curl your hair in the Farrah Fawcett style, but you’re not sure if you really succeeded. Oh, well, not like anybody will really notice anyway, right?

Vought has rented the entire night club for the event, and you’re a little intimidated at the number of people attending. Once again, visions of sitting by your fireplace where you’re safe and alone flash through your mind, and you’re tempted to turn around and leave. But you hear your name, and turn to see Camille rushing towards you, her mouth open in amazement. “Oh my God, girl, you look fantastic! Where did you find that dress?”

She proceeds to pull you into the main room, over to a table she has already claimed, and you hang your jacket on the back of your chair and let her lead you to the bar. “Tequila sunrise, please,” you order, glancing around the room. They have gone all out for this – two huge mirrored disco balls hang above a lighted dance floor, both inactive at the moment. There is music playing in the background, but the DJ hasn’t started the show yet, giving more people a chance to arrive. The bartender slides your drink over with a wink and flirty smile, and you smile back. He’s dressed for the theme, right down to his puka shell choker.

By the time the DJ is in full swing, you are actually enjoying yourself. Of course, the tequila is probably helping, but you had expected to be heading back home by this time. A few people are on the dance floor, but you haven’t ventured out there yet. More tequila is probably needed for that.

It’s fun seeing all the 70’s costumes, but most of the supes in attendance are just wearing their normal suits, and it’s kind of a disappointment. Of course, they’re all in their own orbit – most of them wouldn’t be caught dead fraternizing with Vought peons.

Flirty bartender has just handed you your third (you think?) drink when a smooth, deep baritone interrupts your conversation. “Well, well, well - where has Vought been hiding you?”

You turn to face a broad chest, leading up to even broader shoulders, and from there… “S-Soldier Boy?” you stammer, instantly star-struck. You have never actually seen him in person, and he’s more than impressive. He has actually embraced the theme, dressed in a silky shirt swirled with iridescent blues and purples, open far enough to expose a pair of gold chains gleaming against his tanned chest. His light-colored bell bottoms are clinging to his powerful thighs, and they are doing nothing to hide his other – assets.

“Oh, kitten, you can call me Ben.” The tone of his voice is like a caress, and you nod, unable to speak at the moment. You take a swallow of your drink, watching as he turns to lean an elbow on the bar. “Seriously, why have I never seen you before?”

You clear your throat, trying to keep your heart from pounding its way out of your chest. “I work in the accounting department. I don’t suppose you get in there very often.”

He scoffed. “Never. Numbers are not my job. But I might have to find a reason to check in once in a while, if they’re keeping gems like you hidden in there.” You’re blushing, or it’s the alcohol, but either way, your temperature is rising. “So – how about a dance?”

You duck your head, embarrassed. “I – I don’t really know how. Especially this kind of dancing, I’ve never…”

He reaches over to take your hand in his, caressing it with his thumb, and your mind immediately begins to imagine his touch on other more intimate parts of your body. “Come on. I’ll show you how to dance. After all, I was here in the 70’s, you know. I practically invented The Hustle.”

You’re a little panicked as he leads you towards the dance floor, and you glance back at your table. Camille is staring at you with her mouth hanging open. The flashing lights make you a little dizzy as he pulls you close, his hand large and firm on the small of your back, holding you close to his body. He’s warm, and solid, and when he starts to move, he just guides you along with him. “It’s just like making love, baby doll – feel the rhythm and go with it.”

By the time you’re almost through the second song, you’re getting the hang of it. “You’re doing great. All you have to do is let your body do what it feels.” He leans closer, his lips next to your ear. “Your body’s got my body feeling all kinds of things I can’t do out here on the dance floor.” His hand moves down a little farther, and the movement of his hips is causing sparks to run up your spine. “Hold on, kitten,” he says, then spins you out away from him, twirling you and then bringing you back close, grinning down at you as he dips you back before bringing you upright again. You look up at him, your eyes sparkling as you laugh. “See, you just have to let go. Having fun?”

“Yes. Yes, I am,” you answer a little breathlessly, letting him have the lead and following as best you can. You’re not perfect, but he’s strong enough and accomplished enough to keep you where you need to be, and you are not hating the feeling of being held tight in his arms. The two of you are drawing some attention, and he obviously loves it, shamelessly showing off and bringing you along for the ride. You dance your way through Stayin’ Alive, Car Wash, Boogie Fever, Funky Town and yes, even The Hustle. When the DJ announces that he’s taking a break, you are a little relieved. You need a cold drink and to get off your feet for a while.

You move to head towards the bar, but Ben stops you, grabbing hold of your hand. “Come with me – I’ve got a nice, quiet spot where we can cool off.”

As soon as the two of you leave the main room, Ben backs you against the wall, his eyes fixed on yours. He bends to kiss you, slow and sensual, and when he finally raises his head, you stand there stunned for a moment. Of course, like many women, you’ve dreamed of this – but it’s so much more than you could have imagined. Then he takes you by the hand, and you follow him around the corner and down the hall. He opens a door and leads you into a lavish office, complete with a living room area and a full bar. “Want a drink?”

“I just need some water,” you say, your eyes scanning the room. “So – do you own this place or something?”

Ben laughs. “No, just a frequent flyer. Owner lets me use this room if I need, you know, a little privacy.” He hands you a bottle of water, opening one for himself and downing almost the whole bottle.

You stare at his lips and his throat as he swallows, feeling your body flush hot, finally pulling your eyes away and drinking a good portion of your water as well. You wander around the room, examining things here and there, the whole night feeling a little surreal. “So – can I ask you a question?”

“I’m an open book, baby doll.”

You pause your exploring, leaning your back against the front of the bar, looking up at him as he moves to stand in front of you. “Why am I here? I mean, why are you spending time with me? You go out with supermodels and movie stars. I’m just an executive assistant in the accounting department, just an ordinary girl, nowhere close to the glamorous people you’re usually with.”

He looks down at you, the back of his fingers brushing over your cheek. “The thing is – the people around me, they are always putting on an act. Trying to do or be or look like what they think I want. Not an authentic one in the bunch. It gets old. Sometimes – well, sometimes I just want to be with somebody real. Someone sweet and genuine,” he says as he gazes into your eyes. “Somebody who doesn’t put on an act. Somebody who just is who they are. So maybe I can fucking let down my guard for a little while.” There’s a fleeting flash of vulnerability in his eyes, gone so quickly you’re not sure you actually saw it.

His response to your question is unexpected, and you look up at him, debating with yourself for a moment. Then you step up close to him and reach to put your hands behind his neck, standing on tiptoe to press your lips to his. He sets his water behind you on the bar and slips a hand around to your back, urging you closer, the fingers of his other hand tangling in your hair as he angles his mouth over yours and deepens the kiss.

You cling tighter to him, your heart pounding, as he scoops you up and carries you over to the large sofa, lowering you down and hovering over you, your lips still sealed with his. Your eyes flutter open as he lifts his head, and he stares down at you with a warmth in his eyes that sets your pulse racing. “If you don’t want this, now’s the time to tell me,” he says, watching you closely for a reaction, but you pull him back down and kiss him again, no question at all in your mind. You want him, and you’re pretty sure your stars won’t align this way again.

Somehow he manages to slip his hands underneath you and unzip your dress, and he soon has it down around your waist. He stops, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth as he looks his fill. “You’re a beautiful girl,” he says, his voice rough with arousal as he palms your breast with one large hand, bending to flick his tongue over the nipple of the other. You let out a breathless moan, and he chuckles quietly as he sucks a mark into your soft flesh, one hand slipping up beneath your dress to explore the heat between your thighs. “So wet for me,” he murmurs, his mouth still teasing at your nipples, making you arch up underneath him. You are aching with the desire for more, and you let out a desperate whine.

He tugs at your nipple with his teeth before raising his head to look down at you, then standing up and taking your hand to help you to your feet. “Let’s get rid of this dress, shall we?” He slips the silky garment over your head and tosses it over a nearby chair. “Much better. And you won’t be needing these.” He tears your panties apart with one tug, dropping them to the floor, then pushes you gently back down on the couch. “Now, where were we?”

His lips are hungry as he bends to kiss you, his hands roaming over your skin. He finally slips a finger inside you, and your hips lift up to meet his touch. “Oh, you want more,” he teases as he lifts his head to watch your face, adding another finger and stroking inside you until he gets the reaction he’s waiting for. “Feel good, baby doll?” You nod, soft little noises escaping your lips, and you buck up hard as he begins to rub at your clit with his thumb. He ramps up the speed, and you are almost in tears, so desperate to relieve the tension in your body. When he moves his other hand to pull and twist at your nipple, that tension snaps and you cry out as you come, faintly hearing his soft, victorious laugh.

When he pulls his fingers free, you slowly let your eyes drift open, watching him suck his fingers clean. “You think that was good, just wait,” he says, raising up to one knee, his other foot planted on the floor as he unfastens his pants and pulls them down to free himself. Your eyes grow wide as you take in the sight – he is bigger than anyone you’ve ever been with, and you’re a little uneasy.

“Don’t worry, kitten, I’ll take it slow,” he says, and you swallow hard, nodding as he watches you. He lowers himself down, scooping one arm beneath your knee as he slots himself between your thighs and begins to push inside you. He nuzzles at your neck, whispering, “Relax,” and you take a deep breath and try. He’s not hurting you, but the stretch is intense, and you grasp at his biceps, your nails digging in. He continues slowly, a low groan in his throat when he is finally flush with your body. “Good girl.”

You shudder hard, and he crushes his lips to yours again as he moves, just slightly at first, allowing you to adjust to him. Then he raises his head, looking into your eyes as he begins to thrust, slowly building up to a steady rhythm, each stroke becoming harder, deeper. Your quiet little whimpers and moans are getting louder as he ramps up, fucking into you at a furious pace, so deep it almost aches, but it feels so damn good that you never want it to stop. “Such a sweet, tight pussy,” he growls out, and you begin to wail and shout his name as he pounds into you. “Come on, baby doll, I wanna feel you come on my cock.”

And you do, so hard it feels as if every cell in your body explodes, your cunt gripping him so tight he swears. “Fuck!” He keeps driving into you as you clutch mindlessly at him, hoarsely crying out his name. You are finally starting to come down when he lets out a long, low moan and unloads, flooding you with heat and sending aftershocks through you that make you clench your teeth, whimpering as you finally go limp underneath him.

When you walk out of the bathroom a while later, after getting dressed and doing damage control to your hair and makeup, Ben is standing at the bar. He finishes snorting something white off the bar top before tossing back the remainder of his whiskey. “So, time for the real party to start?” you ask quietly, going to retrieve your shoes from beside the door.

He clears his throat. “Gotta go mingle with the elite, part of the job,” he says, watching you slip your shoes back on. “And doing that sober? No thanks.”

“Then why do you do it?”

His voice is different when he answers – cocky, arrogant. “Hey, I’m America’s first superhero. That’s my fucking life, baby doll.” He turns to look at you. “Looks like maybe you’re done for the night.” He smirks. “Did I wear you out?”

You stare back at him. “I liked you better before. When you were just being Ben. Soldier Boy might be a superhero, but I think he’s kind of a dick.” You reach for the door handle, but he stops you with a hand on your shoulder.

“How about I walk you out. My driver can take you home, if you want.” He sounds softer again, and you hesitate for a moment before nodding.

“That would be nice, thank you.”

He escorts you back through the club, stopping to grab your jacket. Camille is on the dance floor, so you’re spared explaining where you’ve been. He keeps a hand on the small of your back as he guides you through the crowd, and you take a deep breath of the cool, crisp air when you finally make it outside. The quiet compared to the deafening noise inside the club is a relief, and you turn to face him with a smile as his driver pulls up to the curb. “Thank you, Ben. I really did have a great time tonight.”

He responds with a crooked smile, raising a hand to touch your face. “Yeah. Me, too.” He bends to place an almost chaste kiss on your lips, then another not so chaste, leaving you with face upturned and eyes slowly fluttering open. “Do me a favor, kitten. Stay just the way you are.”

You smile up at him a little shyly, then get into the back of the car when he opens the door for you. “Good night, Ben.” You watch him standing there, lighting a cigarette (or a blunt, you’re not sure) as you pull away. “Good night, Soldier Boy,” you whisper to yourself.

Tags for my lovelies: 

 @saenalife    @deanscarlett    @jensensgotyoudean    @jinkieswouldyoulookatthis    @deansdirtylittlesecretsblog 

   @geeklibrarian    @leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid      @mrswhozeewhatsis    @littlegreenplasticsoldier    @sleep-silent-angel  

  @darcia22    @winchesterprincessbride    @ellen-reincarnated1967    @eyes-of-a-disney-princess      @deanslittleangel2y5  

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        @savingapplepie-eatingthings    @kittenofdoomage    @masked-maiden42    @lean-mean-deanwinchester    @ericuhlorain  

  @undecided-garden    @ceeceewinchester    @typicalweirdbookworm          @callmesweetheartifyoumeanit    @youtoldalie 

   @tanithlowisabamf-blog    @deandoesthingstome    @jxackles    @nerdwholikesword    @soivebuiltupaworldofmagic  

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 @winchestersandwordprocessors    @percussiongirl2017    @bringmesomepie56   @akshi8278    @torn-and-frayed  

  @sandlee44   @wingedcatninja  @evansrogerskitten   @emoryhemsworth  @peaceinourtime82 

 @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior  @sarcasmqueen74   @maliburenee     @mrsjenniferwinchester   @yeehawbitchs  

 @emily-winchester  @hobby27    spnbaby-67   @zepskies  @ladysparkles78  

@alwaystiredandconfused   @just-another-busyfangirl    @muhahaha303    @deansimpalababy    @kr804573  

@suckitands33    @ej13928    @lmhf1

[safeturnip]

thinking about how when Grian says "BigB treated me right" Scar's immediate counter to that is to say how he built the Jellie panda sanctuary. because he says it like it's something Grian should care about, when Grian never once thought the pandas were important, and it's just. desert duo at certain points in time manage to have the most fundamental misunderstanding of each other's thought processes. and it's not all the time, because sometimes they'll be on the exact same wavelength, and it's absolutely incredible to see, but a solid chunk of time, their trains of thought are running in complete opposite directions of each other. it's like they have different ideas of what's important, and automatically expect the other person to think that way too.

like Grian-wise, he's always thought the life series itself is the most important, especially during 3rd life where he keeps reminding Scar that he's red, that he needs to kill people, that killing people is his end and final goal. he sets up elaborate traps and plans all for Scar's sake, so that Scar can kill people, but it never was for Scar's sake, was it? he's never bothered to ask if this is what Scar wants, just assumes that Scar has the same priorities as him, is willing to go through the same methods as him to achieve those priorities. Grian's main goal has always been to survive, to win, to play the game correctly, and when Scar wasn't giving him that in double life, he went to go find a partner who would.

and on Scar's end, he goes and focuses on his sand monopoly, his llama, his bee, his Jellies. he plays the long social game, promises allyship to everyone he encounters, and although murder is always there in the back of his mind, it's never in the forefront, it's not the first action that he selects. in double life, he ignores the soulmates mechanic and chases after an allay, calls it his soulmate while Grian is literally right there, when Grian has been spending his entire episode looking for his soulmate and keeping the two of them alive. and even after Grian drags Scar off to the side and drops a stalactite on his head, Scar is still so focused on the Jellie pandas, wants to build something for them no matter how many times Grian shoots his ideas down.

and it's so crazy to me how Scar brings up the pandas in wild life like he thinks it's a winning counter argument! what is he going on about!! the two of them just completely misinterpreting each other is such a fun concept to me.

(idk this is just me taking a two-line exchange and running with it in a completely different direction than it was intended. desert duo make me insane they make me so so ill)

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

Here's mine!

Rook: Juniper Aldwir, a dalish elf mage, I mostly went for the direct/aggressive dialogue options with a few of the more positive/nicer or joke-y options in companion convos. I went with the spellblade specialization and ended up loving it after a rough mage start. I also played arcane warrior/knight enchanter my first DAO and DAI runs though so. lmao. i have a type.

Faction: Veil jumpers! How could I not go with the scientific study of weird magic group... I've decided she's more on the geography and cartography side of the profession rather than mechanics/tinkering like Bellara, which is why she's not the one fixing the broken objects you encounter herself. I imagine she's the one drawing maps of all the places you go, making notes of interesting landmarks/items, etc. the crossroads drives her insane (bc it drives ME insane) because of the weird half reality half fade logic to the locations, travel, etc.

Companions/NPCs: My go to companion squad was Lucanis and Davrin or Taash for the best combos/fighting, and Emmrich because I enjoyed his comments/character a lot too. NPC wise, of course finally seeing FELASSAN!!! was great and he got so much more content and dialogue than I expected. was cheering every time i found another codex entry from him, and the Betrayal fight ruled. otherwise, like most everyone else i LOOOOVEEEE Teai & Viagos Divorced Energy... i'm obsessed. And then Antoine & Evka for actually wholesome, and Vorgoth bc idk wtf is up there but its sexy. but also THE CARETAKER what IS it... i have so many questions... that i will be filling in with weird headcanons probably. I also liked listening in on the two fledgling crows on the balcony who have a ton of unique banters, and a couple other npc banter points idk how to describe lmao. Some of the spirit ones in the crossroads I wish we got more of.

Romance: Lucanis my BELOVED obviously i am doing... an insane amount of lucanisposting lately... yeah I've got the full brainworms. even though the game itself was lacking in content my neurons are instead working overtime to try to fill in everything the game left out

Major decisions: I saved Treviso because Minrathous JUST had its turn being saved, shouldn't they like??? be mobilizing the ARMY they actually have over there by now??? they should have been better prepared idk what else to say. insane it got hit a 3rd time at the end anyway so i stand by my choice in picking Antiva. As for the companion endings, I felt most didn't really make a difference to me, with the exception of Emmrich. I kept manfred on this run becuase I was NOT ready to say goodbye to my gentle skeleton son 😭 next game i will romance Emmrich and make him a lich tho. As for the ending... I sent Harding to lead the second squad and Neve was the one who got mirror-kidnapped. Whcih did leave for an absolutely devastating post-Nightmare-In-Dreamland fade sequence where Rook suddenly had NONE of the companions she started the game with. Getting hit with losing Harding, losing Neve, and then the realization that Varric had been dead the whole time definitely makes for some angsty roleplay opportunity, though I do wanna replay it with Bellara in the final position just so I can watch her stand up to the gods, because i think that'd be pretty great. Ending-wise: I'm a Solavellan fool who's been pining for a real life decade now almost so I of course went for that lmao. I will play through all the other options just for the drama of it all, and probably come up with some adjusted exact sequence for how things go as a headcanon, but yeah.

again pls feel free to reblog & add yours, i've really liked reading about the couple who've answered so far :))))

ok i know ive been doing a lot of bitching about the game etc but putting that aside for a moment. Now that more people have finished Veilguard, I'm curious about people's first playthroughs!

What kind of Rook did you make (lineage, class, dialogue personality options, etc)?

What faction did you play as?

Fave companions and npc's?

Who did you romance?

The major choices--what'd you do? (which city, saved, notable companion routes you strongly prefer, what went down in act 3 and endgame...)

Any particular missions/lore you were excited about?

you don't have to be a mutual to reply to/reblog this! im just curious what we all veered to for the first run. i'm doing a second one now making different choices but it's interesting to compare people's first instincts.

[steddiealltheway]

By some twist in fate, Eddie and Nancy become friends.

It starts when Eddie sees her at The Hideout standing out very much in the sea of dark clothes wearing a lavender sweater and jeans. Eddie tells his band mates he’ll be right back when he rushes off to Nancy, noticing how people are starting to stare at her a bit.

“Nance?” Eddie asks, hands in the pockets of his black jeans trying not to make it obvious that he’s fidgety. He knows that she can defend herself, but it looks like some of the guys in the bar are going to test it, and he hopes his presence will make them back off a bit.

Nancy turns and her eyebrows furrow before she gives him a tight smile. “Eddie? What are you doing here?”

“Just finished up a gig. What are you doing here?” Eddie asks.

Nancy looks around and loudly says, “I was just here to see you play. I can’t believe I missed it.” She throws her arms around Eddie and whispers in his ear, “I’m looking into something.”

As she pulls away, Eddie smiles and puts his arm around her. “How about we talk outside?”

Nancy nods and walks toward the exit. Eddie turns and waves Gareth off as he stares at him with his jaw dropped.

As soon as they’re outside, Nancy lets out a deep breath and Eddie rushes off to his van, not trusting the few people outside staring. He opens the passenger door for Nancy and goes quickly to the driver side. When the door closes, Nancy immediately says, “I know this probably sounds crazy, but I think there’s a dog fighting ring below The Hideout.”

Eddie sits back and takes in the information. He shrugs. “Okay. I can believe that.”

Nancy rambles on, “And I know there’s not great evidence and it’s a shot in the dark but-” She stops and looks at Eddie. “You believe me?”

“Yeah. You’re one of the smartest people I know, and the Creel stuff checked out, so why wouldn’t I believe you?”

“I gave you no evidence,” Nancy says as if she’s trying to talk herself out of her own theory.

Eddie shrugs again. “Then, give it to me.”

And she does. Telling him about a dog she saw chained in the backyard of someone’s house with marks consistent with an attack. How the only time the owner brings the dog inside is when he leaves his garage to drive to The Hideout, although he usually parks in the driveway which means he probably doesn't want people to see him putting the dog in his car. How he parks at the back of the bar in a fenced-off section that only a few other cars can go in. How she’s seen dogs in the other cars and even barking in the back that fades almost as if the noise starts traveling down. But this is the first time she’s gone inside.

“Well, that all sounds pretty damning, but you’re going to have to stop your investigation style.”

Nancy crosses her arms. “What does that mean?”

“I mean, you stick out like a reporter, and your notebook was sticking out of your pocket in there. No one is going to talk to you, and if they think something is up, then you risk them relocating. So, I suggest we give you a metal makeover and you let me drive you here in my van because your shiny little car is just as suspicious.”

Nancy looks a bit pissed as she states, “I don’t need your help or protection.”

Eddie smiles. “I know you don’t, but I would be a great undercover buddy and excuse for your presence at The Hideout.”

Nancy narrows her eyes at him. “Why are you helping me?”

“One, you saved my life. Two, this sounds like an adventure,” Eddie says throwing his arms out with glee.

Nancy tries to suppress a smile before she sighs, “Fine, but if you blow the case…”

“I’m dead, and I never go on anymore adventures with you. Got it.” Eddie holds out his hand with a wide smile, and Nancy takes it, shaking it one time.

It feels like the start of a wonderful friendship.

-:-:-:-:-:-

“Wow,” Eddie says staring in awe at his work.

“I feel ridiculous, Eddie,” Nancy says, dark eyeliner smudged around her eyes, chains dangling over her tight black pants, and one of Eddie’s band t-shirts tucked into them.

“Well, you look absolutely metal,” Eddie says with a bright smile.

Nancy rolls her eyes but smiles.

Eddie thinks for a second before announcing, “We should stop by Family Video to show off your new look.”

Nancy scoffs.

“I always stop by on Wednesday! Please,” Eddie practically begs. He can’t wait to see the look on Steve’s face when he sees her. He wonders if Robin will be there too.

Nancy gets a little investigative twinkle in her eye. “You stop by every Wednesday, huh?”

Eddie eyes her. There’s no way she knows about his crush or the fact that he stops by every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and sometimes Saturday and Sunday depending on if Steve's working the weekend shift. He tries to brush it off. “Yes, so I must stop by today. Right now actually, so you’re coming with, Wheeler. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

Nancy narrows her eyes at him.

“Alright, we’re doing this the easy way. Got it,” Eddie says, voice cracking a bit with fear that only Nancy can evoke. Luckily, she follows him to his van and gets in willingly.

A quick trip over and a surprisingly pleasant conversation later, and Eddie is dramatically entering Family Video. His heart skips a beat when he spots Steve at the counter looking at him, and he nearly forgets the reason for his dramatics. Then, Nancy clears her throat, still hiding behind him, and Eddie makes eye contact with Robin who is raising her eyebrows expectantly.

Luckily, the store is empty when he dramatically announces, “Lady and gentleman, I present to you-”

“Ruth,” Nancy whispers behind him.

Eddie moves to the side and dramatically presents, “Ruth!”

Robin looks like she’s about to die on the spot, and Steve well… he looks a bit shocked.

Eddie hooks his arm around Nancy and walks her up to the counter. “What do you think Steve?" His heart tugs a bit as he notices the way Steve doesn't look at Nancy but instead focuses in on Eddie's arm draped around her shoulders. His jaw flexes and his nostrils flare as he looks at Eddie and nods. "She looks great like a female version of you." He tries to smile at him, but it comes off forced and almost scary.

Eddie's arm guiltily slides off Nancy and a blush settles over his cheeks. He feels weirdly embarrassed as he passes Nancy off to Robin who stutters while complimenting her.

Eddie takes the break to look at Steve who stares at a stack of tapes, fiddling with them as if to make it perfectly stacked. "Didn't realize you two were so close."

"We're working undercover on a case," Eddie says with a big smile, feeling almost giddy with excitement.

Nancy laughs, overhearing him. "We're investigating something," she corrects, but adds on, "An adventure." Her eyes light up and her eyebrows raise, and Eddie feels an intense platonic love for the woman.

He glances back at Steve who continues staring at his tapes. "Sounds fun," he says flatly.

Eddie feels another shoot of pain in his heart, almost stricken by guilt. He and Steve have been talking and relatively close for the past few weeks, but suddenly he gets weird when he becomes friends with Nancy?

It strikes Eddie suddenly. He's jealous.

Of course Steve would be jealous of Eddie parading around with his ex-girlfriend! It makes so much sense. He probably thinks he's corrupting her or something.

When Robin asks Nancy more about her investigation, Eddie can't help but lean over the counter and mumble, "You know that there's nothing happening between me and Nancy, right? She doesn't like me like that at all. Trust me. Don't have to worry about her being taken or whatever especially by me," Eddie rambles out, laughing at the end to add to how ridiculous the thought even is.

Steve looks at him confused. "That's not- that isn't..." He shakes his head and goes back to his stack. "I don't have feelings for Nance."

Eddie almost scoffs at that because hello. All signs point to jealousy. "So, you're not jealous?"

"No of you," Steve mutters still fidgeting with the tapes.

Eddie nods. Maybe he's just having a bad day or something. "Great, glad we cleared that up. But uh- are you okay?"

Steve nods and gives him that same tight smile. "Yup."

Yeah, he's definitely not fine, but he's not gonna push it. He glances over at Nancy to ask if she's ready to go, but then he sees the way she's leaning over the counter toward Robin, chatting animatedly about her evidence while Robin listens with heart eyes, practically drooling as she asks Nancy more questions. And what's even more interesting is the way Nancy gets flustered as Robin asks questions she hadn't thought of before and a blush slowly appears on Nancy's cheeks.

Eddie watches in awe as the two form more theories with their ideas bouncing off of each other as they slowly lean closer and closer until Nancy's arms are pressing against Robin's. Eddie softly smiles. If Nancy can tease him about his crush, he's going to certainly tease her about hers.

"Watch it there. You might start drooling if you stare too hard," Steve mutters to Eddie, hurt evident in his tone.

"Why would I be drooling?"

Steve rolls his eyes and loudly announces, "I'm going on my break." The two girls jump apart as he storms off to the back and slams the door behind him. Christ. What has him in such a bad mood?

"Damn, what did you say to him?" Robin asks with her arms crossed.

Eddie raises his hands. "I have no idea."

Nancy raises her eyebrows. "Oh, I have an idea, but come on. I think that was our cue to leave." She turns back to Robin and very regretfully says goodbye before Eddie follows her outside.

"Really, I have no idea-"

"He's jealous, Eddie," Nancy states with a small smile.

Eddie fidgets and says, "Well, he told me he wasn't after I explained you don't have feelings for me."

Nancy laughs, and Eddie stares at her. "What am I missing?"

"He's not jealous of you! He's jealous of me. He likes you, Eddie, and don't tell me I'm wrong because I know what he's like when he likes someone."

Eddie stops to think about the way Steve had hardly paid attention to Nancy and gave all his attitude to Eddie. But that can't be true, and he knows he can't say that to Nancy, so instead he stirs the pot. "And you like Robin, and she likes you back!"

Nancy's jaw drops and she splutters, "She doesn't- I don't- She... That is not what we're discussing right now!"

"Here's what I think," Eddie says, ignoring Nancy's attempt at changing the topic, "I think that you should go to The Hideout with Robin because you two clearly work well together, and she's a better investigator than I am. Plus, you two have the experience after the whole library and asylum thing."

Nancy takes a second to consider it and asks, "But what about you? I know you wanted the adventure."

Eddie's stomach flips a bit at how caring Nancy Wheeler is. "I think I've had enough adventure in the Upside Down to last a lifetime. Plus, I have a weak stomach, and I might throw up if I saw a dog fighting ring."

Nancy smiles and huffs a laugh. She looks down at her feet a moment before looking at Eddie with a determined look that scares him. "If I go with Robin, you'll take her work vest and cover the rest of her shift. Plus, I get your van so we have a ride."

"Deal," Eddie says handing her his keys without thinking.

"Have fun with Steve," Nancy says with a big smile running back into Family Video.

Shit, he had forgotten about that part.

Eddie races inside, but it's too late, Nancy is already talking to Robin about the plan. She hands over her vest to Eddie and squeals, "Tell Steve I'm not sorry at all."

The bell on the door rings as they both race out. Eddie sighs and makes his way to the back, hoping that Steve won't entirely lose his shit at the news.

He knocks on the door and gets a, "Leave me alone, Robin," in response.

"It's Eddie. Robin left with Nancy," Eddie says loudly through the door.

It quickly opens with Steve looking a bit frantic and confused. "She what?"

"She left to investigate with Nancy. I'm covering the rest of the shift."

Steve stares at him for a few seconds and sighs running a hand over his face. "I didn't mean to make you lose your chances with Nance. That was a dick move, man. I can cover the rest of the shift on my own, and you can go with them."

Eddie crosses his arms. "I told you she doesn't have feelings for me."

"Yeah, but you have feelings for her clearly. You couldn't take your eyes off of her after that whole makeover of yours. Turned her into your perfect girl or whatever," Steve says angrily, and Eddie sees that same jealousy returning.

"Why are you getting so jealous?" Eddie asks outright, refusing to fully rely on Nancy's explanation.

Steve runs a hand through his hair and rests it on his hip. He looks at Eddie for a few seconds, eyes wandering all over his face before blurting out, "Because I like you! Okay! And I thought maybe you did too because of how often you come in and talk to me, but clearly, I was wrong." He brushes past Eddie and goes back to that damn stack of tapes, fidgeting with them again.

Eddie takes a deep breath and says, "Steve?"

Steve tenses up, and Eddie continues, "You realize that I don't have feelings for Nancy because I have this huge overwhelming crush on you that I never thought would go anywhere, right?"

Steve turns around quickly. "Huh?"

Eddie slowly walks up to him. "Nancy tried to tell me that you were jealous of her, and I thought it wasn't possible. That there was no way that you could like me like that. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm dreaming right now."

"Me too," Steve says with his eyes wide.

Eddie stops in front of him and cautiously smiles. "So, what now?"

Steve smiles back. "You know, I once heard that if you want to wake up from a dream, you just grab someone in the dream and kiss them."

"Really?"

"No," Steve says stepping closer. "But I think it's worth a try."

"Me too," Eddie replies as he leans in and does what he's been dreaming of doing for weeks now. Steve's lips are soft and warm and Eddie feels like he could get lost in the way they move against his.

Sadly, Steve breaks the kiss and says, "Huh, not dreaming, which also means that I need to temporarily put the closed sign on the door."

Eddie's eyebrows furrow, still confused as to why the kiss ended early. "Why?"

Steve jumps over the counter and flips the sign. "So we can properly kiss in the back without the fear of people coming in. I'm still on my break, you know, and I know exactly how I want to spend every minute of it," Steve says all matter-of-fact as he makes his way back to Eddie and tugs him into the breakroom.

God bless, Nancy Wheeler.

(Oh, and Nancy's investigation pans out exactly as she expected. She busts the ring pretty fast, and in her article, she thanks ((her, now, girlfriend)) Robin and even Eddie for their help. And trust me, the fruity four go on plenty of adventures together. Plus, Eddie and Nancy are very willing to give their partners their platonic soulmate time, so they can also hang out.)

[drawnbinary]

Reunited 🥺💕

[angeldahlias]

peeta’s a sweetheart in and out of the bedroom. but he’s also a brat tamer and a tease and he loves to mock you for being just so fucking cockdrunk. “aw baby did i fuck you stupid?” no degradation, lots of praise, but he’ll be a little mean. calls you baby, princess, angel, sweet girl, babygirl. size kink. “aw are you having a hard time fitting my dick? you can take it babygirl, you’re so good for me” gets meaner when he’s tired or stressed. manspreader. loves when you blow him, he holds your hair and guides you but won’t make you choke. cowgirl is his favourite. loves to cover you in hickeys. can eat you out for hours. tells you to “use your words” while you’re a moaning fucking mess for him. always has to prep you with his fingers first. switch. worships the ground you walk on, your pleasure is his number one priority. absolutely obsessed with you, ready to go the second you flash him a seductive grin. fucking whimpers. loves when you grind on him. will cum in his pants. “fuck i’m sorry baby you just feel so good” so vocal, praise or moans it doesn’t matter. begs you to let him cum.

[cisthoughtcrime]

.

[thotsofintrusion]

freaky little wen junhui who invites you to a movie night with the members, but asks you to wear his favorite skirt and panties. junhui who makes you sit in his lap, no matter how many seats there are. when the movies started and everyone’s calmed down, he starts making his move. he slowly rubs up and down your thighs under your blanket and if any of the members caught on, they’d think it was just jun needing something to do with his hands. you know better though. you know the way jun thinks and the way he loves to start as slow as possible in working you up. you can feel the way he arches his fingers just a little to make his nails run into your skin as he rubs your legs. you can feel his slightly labored breathing blowing on the back of your neck. and you can feel the beginning of his hard on pressing lightly into your lap.

this goes on for a while. jun just sits there and rubs your legs, enjoying watching you slowly get more and more worked up for him as he starts to spend more and more time near your cunt. when the action picks up in the movie, jun gives your cunt all his focus. he flips your skirt out of the way and presses his fingers right into your clit, loving the way you jump the first time he does it. he rubs slow circles, feeling the way your cunt leaks more and more for him while he works. the feeling of your panties slowly getting more and more drenched is his favorite thing in the world.

when the climax of the movie hits, his torture starts. jun begins to press lightly into the spot of your panties right over your hole. you’re confused, up until now everything he’s done has been procedural, familiar, routine, but this is new. the deeper he presses his fingers into your panties, the more anxious you become. you’re nervous about what he’s planning, unsure if this is going to go well or not. you let him continue regardless.

soon enough he has your panties pulled tight around your hips and his fingers, no longer pulling his fingers out of your hole as he fucks you. he’s fingering you with your panties in the way. you’ve never felt anything like this before. with every move your underwear rub against your clit. the texture of the lace that jun loves rubs deliciously at your soaked walls. jun adds another finger and stretches you and your underwear even further.

you’re getting close and jun can tell. he slows down a little bit as you get closer and his other hand moves up your shirt to tug at your nipples under your bra. when you jolt and keen quietly through your lips, he lets out a cruel, quiet chuckle. you can see the edge. and jun leans into your ear and whispers, “we’ve got a long movie night ahead of us. are you sure you want to cum now? you know how i feel about stopping.” this halts you in your tracks, and you realize.

you’re stuck on this couch surrounded by twelve other men and your boyfriend wen junhui, who plans on making your wildest dreams come true.

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

We Shall Be Monsters

YA fantasy, start of a duology

follows a girl who will do anything to bring her dead sister back, and plans to do so after successfully resurrecting a dog, but before she can, her sister's soul turns into a vengeful bhuta - and she’s blamed and declared a witch

she’s saved by two rebels, who want her help to resurrect a dead prince from two decades ago to overthrow the usurper

but when she accidentally resurrects a different boy, they have to work together to find the right prince before the mistake is discovered or her sister’s spirit kills anyone else

Indian mythology inspired, siblings,

[rollercoasterwords]

12. you were drinking sangria and i was throwing oranges at you.

this one sounds amazingly chaotic :)

that does sound chaotic! i have made it. r/s lie-low-at-lupin's era canon-compliant <3

this prompt list

you were drinking sangria and i was throwing oranges at you

"it was sangria," remus says, making tea the muggle way, "definitely sangria."

"are you sure?" sirius wrinkles his nose, "i thought--wine..."

"no, sangria. you made fun of marlene for bringing it, remember?"

"oh." sirius sits, lets his smile calcify. no. he reaches for the memory, whatever scraps he can get, a dog under the dinner table. it's like wading through quicksand these days, spending any time at all inside his own head.

he really thought it was wine.

remus putters around the kitchen, opening drawers and cabinets, never once reaching for his wand. sirius wonders how long he's been living like this, shut away in his childhood home with all his mum's muggle kitchen appliances. hope lupin died four years ago. sirius can remember that, because he learned it after azkaban. because his mind still works, and his memory's still there, and it's just that there's twelve years of quicksand to wade through if he wants anything before 1993. and it's not 1993 anymore, because now it's 1995. sirius knows. remus told him. the newspapers all confirm that it's true. and if he could work out how to ask about his birthday, he'd even know how old he is. thirty-five, he thinks. maybe thirty-six.

he wants to ask if remus has been alone in this house all that time (four years and it's 1995 so hope lupin died in 1991 so has he been here? alone? all that time? since 1991?) but he's afraid to know the answer. doesn't know which would hurt more--a no or a yes.

there were two toothbrushes on the sink, when sirius arrived. remus threw one of them in the bin. like a muggle. why not vanish it? maybe it was his mum's. (who died in 1991).

right. so it was sangria.

"we should contact her," sirius says. his hair is getting greasy. he needs a shower.

"who?"

the sound of the shower is a rush. a hiss. not a crash. not waves on stone. and it's--well, it's water. it would be water. on his skin. no getting around that. maybe he can turn into padfoot. if his fur is clean, does that count? would his hair still be the same when he changed back?

"marlene," he says. and then, "mckinnon." he remembers these things. these people. their names. so she brought sangria, not wine--okay. who cares? sirius still remembers her name.

remus hesitates, two mugs in his hands, and gets that horrible crumpled-paper look on his face. like someone is crunching all his features in their fist. pitying. that's the word for it. fucking pity. if remus ever looked at him this way before, sirius doesn't remember it.

"sirius, she..."

he's frantic, diving into quicksand. marlene mckinnon, marlene mckinnon. she's dead, obviously. no other reason remus would have that look on his face. fuck. people aren't supposed to just forget things like that.

but what else was he meant to do? what else? sirius would love it if someone could fucking tell him. head so full of death and grief that the only way to keep the dementors at bay is to become a moth inside your own brain, eating holes through your own fucking hippocampus. be a dog, be a dog, be a dog. twelve years of forgetting. and now remus looks at him like that. and now he's under the table, begging for scraps.

two toothbrushes, and his mum died in 1991. fuck.

"right," sirius mutters, before remus can say anything else, "sorry. just...forgot for a minute."

he picks at a hangnail. he's going to make it bleed, and he's not going to flinch. that's his new party trick--not flinching. remus is still hovering, like a ghost with mugs for hands. merlin, it's like he forgets that magic exists. just levitate them. just set them down. just point your fucking wand at the kettle to heat it. just stop being such a muggle. he's such a fucking muggle now. why? whose toothbrush was that, on the sink?

"right," remus says. he licks his lips. they are the exact same shape that they have always been. sirius remembers their shape. it's one of the things he couldn't forget.

remus goes back to making tea, the muggle way, and the way he's not-looking is just as bad as the looking. the stiffness of his shoulders, the jerky movements of his hands. like they are two strangers in a kitchen. twelve years of dementors, and still, sirius never imagined anything that could hurt like this.

"oranges," he says, suddenly, canines sinking into another scrap of memory. remus glances at him, nose wrinkled--but there's a spark now, in his eyes. the promise of a smile in the curl of his lips.

"what?"

sirius's heart is a firework. yes, he thinks, like a man striking gold, yes. that's it. he remembers. there's still some of him left in himself. they can still be those people they were.

"oranges," he says, again, "i was throwing them at you."

remus laughs.

remus laughs.

fuck the toothbrush on the sink. fuck the bin and the muggle teakettle and the shower and the hangnail. sirius is going to die right here, right now, at this kitchen table. he's smiling so hard that it hurts.

"at your head!" he says.

"you were."

"because i wanted your attention!"

"you did."

the laughter has faded, now, and remus is leaning against the countertop, mugs abandoned, lovely hands fidgeting with the hem of his jumper. lovely, lovely hands.

sirius narrows his eyes. "and you were being a prat," he says.

that smirk. fuck's sake, that smirk. it could make a man swallow the ocean. remus's eyes light up with new colours.

"i was," he says.

sirius reminds himself how to breathe. remus's voice is different, now. rougher around the edges--chain-smoking bastard. and his sandy hair is shot through with gray, like the moonlight on the beach. and those wrinkles, around his eyes--those are new. sirius would have remembered those, certainly. they're turning his stomach into confetti.

okay, so they're not the people they were. so it was sangria, not wine. so there's a toothbrush in the bin--so what.

so fucking what.

it's 1995, and they're in a kitchen, and they're not strangers. how could they ever be strangers?

"i wanted to kiss you," sirius said, and he doesn't have to try, for that one. doesn't have to wade through quicksand to remember. just has to look across the kitchen, at this man with the moon in his hair and the stars in his eyes.

it all comes back, so easily.

[singsweetmelodies]

and i long for you to appear

Even if they're not actively best friends anymore, a part of Charles’ heart will always belong to Pierre. And that's why he's kept track of Pierre and followed every step of his career to this day.

That's why he knows that this article calling Pierre a bond breaker is bullshit.

He picks up his phone again, swiping past the article with a disgusted huff and going to his contacts instead. “Andrea?” he says, as soon as the call connects. “Get me in touch with Pierre's team.”

OR: When now-famous actor Pierre Gasly gets himself into a bit of PR trouble, it's up to his childhood best friend to step in and save the day. Thankfully, Charles is an expert public relations manager... the only question is if he'll be able to stop his feelings getting in the way when he finally sees Pierre again after all these years.

Written for my darling best friend @boxboxbrioche for the Piarles Winter Fic Exchange 2023/24 ❤️ i love you and i hope you love this!

A big shout-out and thank you to the rest of our amazing mod team, without whom this would never have been possible: @welightitup, @duquesademiel, @wolfiemcwolferson and @river-ocean. You all are AMAZING <3333

[partenopae]

bringing them back (again)!

[fishfoodmr]

All saltburn did was stand there and look pretty

[w1dowed]

@sav1ored : be my wife. three hundred & ninety prompts ; accepting.

     𝗶𝘁  𝗺𝗮𝘆  𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲  𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻  𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲  𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲,     but  maggie  had  come  to  understand  exactly  how  things  worked  here  at  the  sanctuary  amongst  the  saviors.     she  understood  why  they  followed  negan,  looked  to  him  to  keep  them  safe  and  lead  them  in  this  world.     it  was  so  different  than  what  she  had  been  used  to,  even  as  the  community  at  the  prison  had  grown  and  rules  had  developed  from  that,  it  was  nothing  to  the  scale  of  the  saviors.     the  group  was  organised  and  productive,  working  with  other  groups  to  get  supplies  that  they  didn't  have  access  to  already.     it  may  have  taken  her  some  time,  but  she  finally  felt  like  she  knew  her     𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲     here,  she  knew  what  she  was  capable  of  and  was  willing  to  do,  not  taking  shit  from  anyone  who  tried  to  underestimate  her.     which  a  lot  of  them  had  tried  to  at  first,  but  they  very  quickly  learnt  that  she  could  absolutely  handle  herself  and  it  didn't  matter  that  she  had  been  brought  in  by  negan,  she  was     𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀     in  her  own  right  and  not  someone  to  mess  with.

     𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿  𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴  𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁  𝗵𝗮𝗱  𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱,     maggie  would  always  remain  grateful  to  negan  for  helping  her  in  a  moment  where  she  had  thought  she  was  alone,  having  lost     𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲     that  she  called  family.     did  that  mean  she  liked  everything  he  did?     absolutely  not.     but  she  understood  that  he  had  his  own  part  to  play  in  the  way  things  were  run  and  she  would  never  question  him  in  front  of  anyone  else.     did  she  have  a  connection  with  him  that  no  one  else  seemed  to  have?     yes  and  she  would  always  love  any  time  she  got  with  him  one  on  one.     the  two  of  them  seemed  to  be  growing  closer  in  a  way  that  she  didn't  think  she  would  with  anyone  again,  she  couldn't     𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲     the  way  her  heart  raced  when  he  smiled  at  her  and  no  one  had  made  her  laugh  like  he  could.     whilst  she  knew  that  she  would  always   hold  a  special  place  in  her  heart  for  glenn,  she  had  come  to  terms  that  she  had  lost  the  people  she  had  once  held  close  and  she  couldn't  stay  stuck  in  the  past,  holding  onto  a  ghost.     there  was  just  one  problem  that  always  caused  her  to  keep  a  distance  from  him  in  a  certain  sense     -     the  wives.     the  women  he  gave  extra  protection  and  help  to  in  exchange  for  marriage.     it  wasn't  something  she  completely  understood,  or  particularly  liked,  which  seemed  to  be  a  shared  sentiment  from  his  own  daughter,  tilly.     from  what  she  knew,  a  lot  of  the  women  had  been  struggling  to  keep  themselves  and  the  people  they  cared  about  alive,  who  didn't  want  to  fight  or  do  what  they  had  to  survive.     something  that  maggie  had  stopped  thinking  about  a  long  time  ago.

     𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵  𝘄𝗮𝘀  𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆  𝘄𝗵𝘆  𝘀𝗵𝗲  𝘄𝗮𝘀  𝘀𝗼  𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱  𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻  𝗵𝗲  𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱,     the  surprise  evident  on  her  face  as  she  looked  up  to  him,  a  little  confused  and  insulted  by  it.     not  that  she  thought  he  saw  her  as  helpless.     it  was  more  the  idea  of  her  just  being  another  number  amongst  the  others  he  already  had.     plus,  if  this  was  him  attempting  to  make  a  move  on  her,  she  was  a  little  disappointed,     "     no,     "     maggie  said  with  a  smile,  still  a  little  in  disbelief  that  this  was  happening.     had  she  found  herself  thinking  about  him  in  moments  when  she  was  alone?     dreaming  about  what  it  might  be  like  to  kiss  him,  touch  him,  be  close  with  him  in  a  way  that  they  never  had.     there  had  been  moments,  almosts  that  drove  her  insane  and  made  her  mind  race  with  the  idea  that  they  were  thinking  the  same  thing.     she  never  been  someone  to  hold  back  when  she  wanted  something,  but  maybe  she  liked  the  idea  of  him  chasing  her  a  little.

     𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁  𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀  𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻'𝘁  𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴,     this  was  jumping  to  a  conclusion  because  he  clearly  was  so  used  to  getting  what  he  wanted,     "     i'm  not  like  those  other  women  who  you  call  a  wife.     i  don't  need  you  to  keep  me  safe  and  i  have  no  one  that  needs  your  protection  or  help,     "     maggie  told  him,  it  wasn't  like  she  was  saying  anything  he  wans't  already  aware  of.     the  only  people  she  truly  cared  about  was  him  and  tilly,  she  would  do  anything  for  them  and  she  had  thought  that  was  obvious  to  him.     maybe  that  was  why  she  was  disappointed,  she  didn't  just  want  to  be  his  wife  like  the  others.     if  he  wanted  her  to  be  his,  he  was  going  to  have  to  work  a  lot  harder  than  this.     running  a  hand  through  dark  strands  of  hair,  looking  away  from  him  for  a  moment  as  her  frustration  at  the  stiuation  built,     "     i'm  not  gonna  walk  around  in  some  skimpy  black  dress  and  be  useless.     that's  not  me  and  if  you  think  it  is,  then  you  clearly  have  no  idea  who  i  am,     "     green  eyes  find  his  for  a  moment  and  she  knows  this  is  a  now  or  never  situation.     despite  her  frustration,  she  knows  that  if  she  walked  away  from  him  without  giving  him  a  reason  to  keep  chasing,  he  might  give  up  and  she  couldn't  have  that.     knowing  there  was  little  to  no  chance  of  them  being  interrupted,  maggie  moved  towards  him,  closing  the  gap  and  she  kissed  him,  one  hand  cupping  the  back  of  his  head  to  pull  him  closer,  the  other  resting  on  his  chest.     it  was  the  kind  of  kiss  that  was  making  her  heart  race  and  legs  feel  shaky,  the  kind  of  kiss  that  she  didn't  want  to  pull  away  from,  but  it  was  also  one  that  had  been  a  long  time  coming.     certainly  one  that  showed  she  could  be  so  much  more  than  just  another  woman  to  him.

     𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴  𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸  𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘆,     hands  not  moving  from  where  they  were,  green  eyes  opening  slowly  to  look  at  him,  searching  his  face  for  a  moment  as  if  she  was  trying  to  figure  out  exactly  what  he  was  thinking.     she  was  a  little  breathless  and  if  anything  she  had  just  made  herself  want  more.     teeth  pull  at  her  bottom  lip  for  a  brief  moment  as  eyes  dart  to  his  lips  for  a  moment  and  back  up,     "     if  you  really  want  me,  then  you  gotta  show  me  that  this  is  different,     "     maggie  tells  him,  her  voice  softer  than  it  had  previously  been,  but  she  still  wasn't  about  to  back  down  from  this,     "     if  you  really  want  this,  you're  going  to  let  the  other  women  go  back  to  their  own  lives,  no  more  marriage,  but  you're  still  going  to  provide  them  with  the  help  they  need  because  you're  a  good  man,     "     despite  what  she  had  seen  him  do,  she  knew  that  was  the  truth,  that  there  was  a  part  of  negan  that  was  still  good  and  he  would  be  held  in  much  higher  regard  to  the  people  who  followed  him  if  he  helped  them  because  he  could  and  not  because  they  gave  him  something  in  return.     closing  the  cap  once  again,  maggie  kissed  him  again,  just  a  firm  kiss  that  still  took  her  breath  away,  but  when  she  pulled  back,  she  completely  stepped  away  from  him,     "     that's  all  you're  getting  till  you  figure  out  what  it  is  you  really  want,  negan,     "