#took it twice and marie was on top both times

[seraphfighter]

OCs as Other Characters

Tagged by: @trashcatsnark <3

I feel like most of my mutuals have already been tagged in this, but if you haven't, I'd love to see your results!

rules: take this quiz and share 5 (or more! or less! the world is your oyster!) results from the top 50 that you feel really fit your oc(s). if you don’t recognize very many from the top 50, feel free to expand into the top 100

Valerie Ramirez

Marie Kreutz (The Borne Identity): 86%

Rogue (X-Men): 85%

Hester Prynne (The Scarlet Letter): 82%

Inej Ghafa (Six of Crows & Shadow and Bone): 78%

Jyn Erso (Star Wars: Rogue One): 77%

[harmonybarmy]

I would assume that misty is going to kill and eat showtunes so I want to forgive her for everything, but since it seems like she just became showtunes 2.0 I simply cannot.

[bruciemilf]

I NEED more Poolverstorm content!

MY TIME HAS COME!

minute ororo shows up Wade is instantly obsessed. It’s not even romantic at first, — man’s saw how badass, caring, compassionate , patient, powerful, capable and brave she was and immediately went ‘new bestie acquired’

Will never stop bullying Logan for not choosing her since day one. Sir. If you think Wade’s gonna let him fumble the same bag twice you are MISTAKEN—-

Every interaction they have shortens Logan’s immortality (his bisexual senses are tingling and he needs 2-7 business days to recover)

One of Logan’s favorite memories from childhood is snowball fighting, sledding, — everything involving winter.

Wade likes autumn because it gets him one step closer to Halloween and he can finally order the pumpkin mega blast from Starbucks without feeling guilty. Ororo makes both happen specifically

WADE MAKES HER LAUGH!!! SO MUCH!!!!

Whenever someone asks Logan why he puts up with it, he just shrugs, “He makes her laugh.” (He’s so in love with Wade it makes him look stupid)

Wade had to plan an entire thing to ask Roro out. It was supposed to be extremely extravagant and complicated and grandiose, but, Logan went to Ororo instead, cheeks slightly flushed, and groaned something like, “Idiot’s just trying to impress you. Just…Don’t laugh too much? “

She already planned on accepting it, but she’ll indulge them.

Roro starts wearing Logan’s dog tags once they start going out. Wade basically steals everything from shirts to belt buckles, boots, tank tops, some of her necklaces, scarves, heels

Wade being slightly insecure about taking off his mask around them. At least at first. He tries to accept and adapt, — but it’s hard, when dating the prettiest people in the entire world! After Hugh Jackman, at least.

Ororo gently kissing his bare cheek one day, — maybe he lost his mask while trying to clean, or maybe Laura took it for her and Ellie’s play pretend games. She gets right and Logan gets left. “I like this face.”

“Yeah. Well.” He laughs because he’ll cry if he doesn’t, “you’ve always had a thing for weirdos.”

“Shut up, bub.”

“Okay, fine! Hot weirdos.”

Wade explaining how they call marry Roro legally if they kidnap the pope:

Logan is their GUARD DOG!!! Missions? One breath away from their neck. Claws out and ready. Shopping? Arms crossed, scowl on, daring someone to bother them while Wade tries to justify a 400 dollar Lego pruchase.

“My darling. No.”

“But it’s the WOLVERINE collection, Ro!”

Ororo sighs and gives Logan a Look. “Talk some sense into your husband, please?”

“When he’s annoying he’s YOUR husband.”

Blind Al and Ororo? Best of friends. Mother in law/awesome wife who loves her weird ass sons. Would test Ororo at first, like, “You can have everyone in this world and you pick those two? Why?”

“Wisdom has been chasing them but those two can run.”

“…Come sit next to me. You like cocaine?”

“Um—“

“OOOkay, — mushy introductions over, Laura, grab Mary, we’re LEAVING—“

LAURA ELLIE KITTY JUBILEE MOMMY DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIP WHEN!!!

Wade seeing how gentle Ororo is with the kids while still being firm, getting them in line when they don’t listen, but wrangling them expertly?

Ellie actually,,, ate her vegetables? Laura didn’t stab anyone over doing the dishes? Jubilee actually goes to sleep before 6 am?

“We have GOT to get her pregnant.”

Logan is so fucking tired. “I don’t think there’s a cure for whatever you’re on.”

“Alright, FINE. Get ME pregnant then.”

[twofrontteethstillcrooked]

deancas first kiss, s12 au. For @deancaskiss, belatedly 🎂🎉

When Cas came back into the cabin with their bags, Dean was fiddling with a radio on a bedside table. An energetic fiddle reel disintegrated into static which was replaced with a loud voice proclaiming that many, many fine and upstanding cars were on sale for low, low, bottom basement prices--

"Enough of that," Dean said, and snapped off the radio.

"Has something happened?" Cas dropped the bags on the rather well used couch and tuned all his attention to Dean.

"No, no. I'm fine and dandy." Dean wiped his eyes, which Cas was horrified to see were a little red, a little wet.

"Are you sure?" Cas crossed the small room and laid a hand in the crook of Dean's arm. 

Dean went still, looking back at him, before taking a breath. "Just a sad old country song on the radio." His voice sounded funny and it made Cas's chest ache. 

"Okay." Cas pulled back his hand. 

"I'm really fine." Dean's expression brightened as he looked past Cas to the window. "I think there's enough time for a walk before it's completely dark out. Wanna go with?"

"Of course," Cas said sincerely. 

Dean went still again, like he was surprised at Cas's agreeing to accompany him. He broke the eye contact with a small laugh, as though he was embarrassed about something. There was a light flush across the tops of his cheeks. It was incredibly attractive, and that, Cas knew, was not something that was to be mentioned.

"Sam says he and Mary should arrive in another hour," Cas told Dean a while later, after his phone had buzzed in his pocket. 

Dean nodded and kept staring out over the little lake behind the cabins. They'd taken the pebble trail that ringed the lake like a dirty pearl necklace and were seated on a big rock roughly the shape of horseshoe. Cas wished for a bit more cushioning and a less sharp breeze, but otherwise felt content. If he concentrated he could sense the warmth of Dean's body; he tried not to lean over towards it like a flower seeking sunlight.

The actual sun had drooped behind a bank of scraggly cypress and maples not yet in full leaf, their springtime samaras an almost purple hue in the fading daylight. The choppy water of the lake made clickety, whispery noises. A nuthatch in a nearby oak was either despondent or desirous, or both, and Cas felt a kinship.

"What was the song about?" he decided to ask.

Dean smiled, briefly. "Home."

"Oh." Cas waited.

"Nope, that's it, nothing else to it." Dean elbowed him. "Song just caught me the wrong way."

"The lyrics," Cas guessed.

"Yeah." Dean gave him a rueful look. "Guess I'm a little homesick too. Which is silly."

"I don't think so," Cas said. "These last couple of cases -- well, it's been nearly two weeks since we were back at the bunker."

Dean shook his head. "Sometimes home isn't so much a place-- Though I do miss our washing machine and dryer and the water pressure in the showers." He cleared his throat. "But that's not the point."

"A feeling of home," Cas started to work out. "It's about who you're with when you're there, I suppose."

"Exactly." Dean looked away. "And the thing is, I've been with my family these last two weeks. So that's been great."

"Except for the beatings," Cas posited. "And the beheadings."

Dean snorted. "Except for those."

"Despite those," Cas said, "I've enjoyed spending time with you and Sam and Mary."

"I'm glad you've been with us." Dean looked out over the water again and shivered. "I'm glad you're coming home with us too," he said quietly.

Something heavy and thorned curled in Cas's throat, for reasons he couldn't quite explain; it took him a moment to respond. "Well. So am I." His phone buzzed twice, sounding even more startled than he felt. He thumbed open the screen display and squinted at the text. "Sam says they had to detour off of I-70 and there's a bad storm moving in. They're going to try to find a room and hunker down for the night. Mary has a lead on another werewolf pack, if we want to meet them near Wamego tomorrow."

"That'd work," Dean said.

Cas sent a couple of texts and Sam sent back a thumbs up emoji.

Dean shivered again and hunched into his jacket a bit.

"We should go back to the cabin." Cas stood up and stretched while his lower back applauded his efforts. "Get you warmed up."

He hadn't meant to say something provocative; but Dean's eyes had gone dark as he watched him. 

"You stash a tropical beach in one of our bags when I wasn't looking?" Dean asked, his expression changing to one of amusement so quickly Cas almost blinked.

You've been imagining things, Cas told himself. Wishful thinking isn't reality. The weight in his throat widened, scratched.

"No," he managed to say. "But I'm sure the cabin has blankets…" He trailed off as the humor in Dean's face faded to something soft and steady, that earlier stillness concentrated, giving off its own heat.

Cas found himself corralled into the v of Dean's legs, Dean holding him at the hip with his hand as he traced the outline of Cas's lower lip with his thumb. Cas didn't need to take a breath except yes he did; and either way, Dean was standing and then his mouth was on Cas's and Cas realized how lonely starvingly cold both of them had been, how chilled by the breeze and the nightfall and the years of distance that suddenly, thankfully, no longer existed between their bodies.

The first kiss became the second became the third. There would be more and more, Cas thought, dazed at the sound of Dean's gentle groan as he let Dean slip inside. It was so much better, kissing Dean, than Cas had ever let himself picture or pretend it could be. When they finally paused, for a minute, they leaned against each other and took shaky breaths and smiled, tentative and hushed. They walked back to the cabin and locked themselves in for the night. They made good use of the blankets and the rather well used couch. 

"Is this what people mean by 'making themselves at home'?" Cas asked once, and Dean grinned and pulled him back into bed.

[bon2bonn]

This City

2022!F1 grid X female!driver!reader

Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Charles leclerc X female!driver!reader.

Words count : 1.2k

*the song belongs to : Sam fisherr , and the version I chose features Anne Marie , it's one of my favourites, and in a way it reflects how the female!driver felt through her 22 season and I saw that it fits with both Charles struggles with Ferrari through 23 , and Danny's through his journey after red bull till he went back in 23 , so I hope you enjoy it ✨. If you have anything to say, add or thoughts on this au! share let me know .

*First side/extra chapter of Weathering Your Storm au! (WYS) ✨

Lando sat back as he returned from refilling his drink for the second time that evening , the chatter of his friends going around him as they conversed and joked with eachother , not long ago they had dinner , all of those who could attend argued on who'll do the dishes and he unfortunately lost the rock paper scissors to both Daniel and Max, along with Charles who lost to Carlos and y/n . Both of them grumpled under their breath as y/n (the host for the night) teased them about breaking her dishes .

Their monthly dinner started off as a spontaneous get-together but extended to turn into an ongoing tradition , everyone took turn to host it once a month for whoever is available to attend , hosting or going out in lando's case (he almost burned his house down, twice) except for Christmas where it's almost mandatory to attend the end of year dinner .

This month it's y/n's turn and she did not disappoint, a decent homemade meal along with desert's and everyone's favourite drink of choice . now they scattered around catching up on what's everyone is up to , Carlos and Charles along with Max, Daniel and himself were the ones who stayed back as Seb , Lewis , Mick ,Lance , Pierre and yuki left earlier all having flights to catch the next day , but the rest opting to stay and enjoy the rest of the night night .

After few drinks Charles took a seat at her Grande piano, playing some tunes but still engaged in a conversation with Max and Carlos , arguing while they both shook their heads in denial, Daniel had his guitar (that he always leave at her place and she'd always jokingly say that she'd sell it to a junk yard if he keeps on leaving it behind) strumming it mindlessly as he and y/n who sat next to him with her feet kicked up on the table before them were talking about something that Danny nods at , his eyes are focused on her as she went on explaining before turning to Charles who started off a new tune getting his attention along with the others as he called "I know this song" before humming for a moment then strumming the stings following up the tune Charles started .

He turned to y/n who started humming along to the music stopping to nudge her to sing along "com'on , it's one of your favourites " , she shook her head " I can't sing to save my life" he gave her an eye roll scoffing as he say " you keep saying that but we all know that not true , and anyone who can sing better than lando is a great singer " earning a cushion to the head from the offended driver as everyone around fell into a fit of laughter agreeing to Daniel statement , but also ushering their friends to sing . As she finally obliged they restarted from the top . Lando took it as a chance to set his phone on one of the shelves adjusting the angle to get everyone in the frame " I'll send it to the group chat later" before sitting down .

Daniel started the first verse softly :

"I've been seeing lonely people in crowded rooms

Covering the old heart breaks with new tattoos

It's all about small screens and cigarettes

Looking through low lights at silhouettes

But all I see is lonely people in crowded rooms"

Nodding at her to start the chorus along with him :

" This city is gonna break my heart

This city is gonna love me then leave me alone

This city is got me chasing stars

It's been a couple months since I felt like I'm home

Am I getting closer to knowing where I belong ?

This city is gonna break my heart

She's always gonna break your heart"

Letting her carry on with the second verse :

"Monday through Friday I don't do so well

I wanna call you but I stop myself

And you're the only one I wanna run to , yeah

Cause I've been drinking lately , so I forget

Wondering what this place will give me next

Cause all I see are lonely people with broken hearts"

This time Charles joined in the chorus all three sang in harmony :

" oh This city is gonna break my heart

This city is gonna love me then leave me alone

This city is got me chasing stars

It's been a couple months since I felt like I'm home

Am I getting closer to knowing where I belong ?

This city is gonna break my heart

She's always gonna break your heart".

Her and Daniel joined together in the third verse :

" She's got a hold on me

I got a hold on you

She got me wrapped round her fingers

Yeah, yeah , yeah

She got a hold on me

I got a hold on you

She got me wrapped round her fingers".

She hit every high note with ease as everyone joined them in singing the last chorus :

"This city is gonna break my heart

This city is gonna love me then leave me alone

This city is got me chasing stars

It's been a couple months since I felt like I'm home

Am I getting closer to knowing where I belong?

This city is gonna break my heart

She's always gonna break your heart

I didn't mean to break your Heart"

Letting Danny strum the last note before adding softly:

"I didn't mean to break it ".

They all applaused at the end whooping and whistling as she joined them before covering her face as they turned to her with compliments and praise , groaning into her hands as lando passed her to grab his phone back .

Danny nudged her with a playful smile " if racing didn't turn out well , we could flip a coin and start a band , what do you say ?" she shoved him away "like hell I'd let anyone hear me sing in public!" Then turning to lando who looked like he saw a ghost tilting her head in question" what's wrong?" For him to look at her with guilt then showing her his screen that displayed an Insta live going with her own face now looking back at her , with comments flooding the side of the screen , frowning for a second trying to process what occurred before snapping her head to lando in disbelief , the rest came to take a look in curiousity all fitting in frame as comments rolled up before turning to lando who backed up in attempt to flee the scene .

The screen shook before it changed to Carlos holding the phone along with Max both trying to shut the live down (more like them reading comments and greeting fans instead) , lando is seen screaming for his life in the background where he got tackled by y/n on his way to the door , Danny and Charles trying to prey her off his back .

Max turned to them after reading some comments a hand on his hip as he called aloud over lando's screaming "y/n! Seb said You can't kill him , the live is still on! " Carlos added a second after "Fernando said do it" turning back to the screen right before it's turned off.

[hooked-on-elvis]

"Early Mornin' Rain" (1971-1972) + "Aloha From Hawaii" bonus performance (1973)

Recorded by Elvis Presley on March 15, 1971 at RCA's Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee · First released on the album Elvis Now on February 20, 1972.

RECORDING SESSION Studio Session for RCA March 15, 1971: RCA’s Studio B, Nashville. With a three-album agenda before him, Elvis arrived on the first day of the sessions with a runny nose and aching eyes. Yet he was determined to go ahead, and his enthusiasm seemed inspired by an unlikely source: contemporary folk music. The spate of home taping he’d done during the soundtrack years reveals that Elvis had been tuned in to the folk boom since the mid-’60s, and it was through the sweet harmonies of Peter, Paul and Mary that he was introduced to songwriters like Bob Dylan and Gordon Lightfoot. With Charlie and Red he’d harmonized for hours on songs like “Blowin’ In The Wind” and “500 Miles”; now Elvis had been listening to Peter, Paul and Mary’s interpretations of songs like “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “Early Morning Rain,” “(That’s What You Get) For Lovin’ Me,” and Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” and “I Shall Be Released.” Eager to work with similar textures himself, Elvis picked up on a suggestion from Charlie Hodge and brought in a male-female quartet, the Nashville Edition, to help on the sessions. The rest of the evening was devoted to Peter, Paul and Mary’s two Gordon Lightfoot numbers, “Early Morning Rain” and “For Lovin’ Me,” both grounded in the same sound: Restrained brushes from Jerry Carrigan’s drums, blended with a simple, effective bass line from Norbert Putnam. “Are you gonna play something with me?” James Burton prodded Chip Young, initiating a friendly duel between the two on acoustic guitar licks. Charlie McCoy (“the fastest harp in the West,” as one of his later solo albums dubbed him) took the solos. Each of the songs was true to its genre, but they lacked the feel the singer brought to any song when he was at his best. Elvis was having trouble. “Give me a Kleenex or something,” he asked Charlie, snorting in every pause, struggling to keep his nose clear and his voice open. After the evening sessions he checked into a Nashville hospital for treatment of what turned out to be secondary glaucoma. Elvis had been having problems with his eyes for the last few years, and no one who watched him record that night was surprised at his hospitalization.

Excerpt: "Elvis Presley, A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions" by Ernst Jorgensen. Foreword by Peter Guralnick (1998)

--

"Early Mornin' Rain" PRIOR RECORDINGS AND RELEASES Gordon Lightfoot wrote “Early Morning Rain” in 1964 but only recorded the song himself later, releasing his recording on the 1966 album "Lightfoot."

Before Lightfoot released his own recording, the song was recorded and released in 1965 by Ian and Sylvia, a Canadian songwriting and performing duo. Source: thesongbook.org

Peter, Paul and Mary, also folk revival stars, had a hit with Lightfoot’s song that year, as it reached No. 91 on the Billboard Top 100. Source: thesongbook.org

Peter, Paul & Mary - Live on the "Tonight In Person" Show (1966)

HONORABLE MENTIONS Going to more experimental recordings, more Rock and Roll was put into the tune by the groups The Grateful Dead and We Five. The Grateful Dead recorded the song in 1965 but their recording was only released in 2001 on the album The Golden Road (1965-1973) and again on the album The Birth Of The Dead in 2003. Here's their version:

We Five released their cover still in the 70's on the album Catch The Wind (1970).

ELVIS' VERSION (1972) With Elvis’ version, Gordon Lightfoot’s most famous song features the male-female quartet The Nashville Edition. The studio version was recorded in March 1971 and released almost a year later in February 1972 on the album Elvis Now.

ALOHA FROM HAWAII (1973 — U.S. AIRING) "Early Mornin' Rain" is one of the inserted songs on the Aloha From Hawaii TV special. A live performance of Elvis' 1972 release was specially taped onstage at the H.I.C Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii, following the January 14, 1973 concert, with no audience at the venue anymore. The footage - along with 4 more bonus tracks - was requested for the US airing by NBC (April 4, 1973). In total 5 songs were live performed by Elvis in January 14, 1973 in addition to the concert setlist itself. They were almost all Hawaiian-themed songs taken from the soundtrack album "Blue Hawaii" released in 1961 ("KU-U-I-PO", "Hawaiian Wedding Song", "Blue Hawaii" and "No More") with the exception of one, "Early Mornin' Rain". However when the concert aired in the U.S. on April 4, 1973 (NBC), the live performance of "No More" was left unused while "Early Mornin' Rain" apparently was a definitive track for the American airing of the 1973 Elvis special, for some reason. Director Marty Pasetta used split screens to show Elvis singing (he is alone on screen, no musician was shown behind him as usual for his live performances) while the rest of the screen was completed with scenes filmed in Hawaii - from staged romantic scenes to Hula dancers - showing the peaceful beauty of the island. Below we have the raw footage and then the final edit that aired in the U.S. television post concert.

MUSICIANS: Guitar: James Burton, John Wilkinson, Elvis Presley, Charlie Hodge. Bass: Jerry Scheff. Drums: Ronnie Tutt. Piano: Glen D. Hardin. Vocals: Kathy Westmoreland, The Sweet Inspirations, J.D. Sumner & The Stamps, Joe Guercio and His Orchestra.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Since "No More" was the only other non-Hawaiian-themed song to be taped for the Aloha From Hawaii airing in the U.S., I wonder what made Marty Pasetta decide to chose "Early Mornin' Rain" to complete the final cut of the Aloha special for the U.S. audience. Considering "No More" has the Hawaiian feeling present in its sound, which would make the song fit very well on that TV special and the vibe of the 3 other songs selected as - per say - bonus material, why it was left out? Perhaps it was a request from Elvis? Or either a request from the Colonel Parker and RCA Records, in a try to boost the sales of Elvis' last contemporary album released previously, in 1972, in which that song was released? I haven't read any books specifically about the Aloha From Hawaii yet, so if you happen to know something about the selection of the songs for this extra portion of the Aloha From Hawaii special, please, share it in the comments.

All I know it that I was really happy to see "Early Mornin' Rain" performed live on the Aloha From Hawaii special because I absolutely LOVE Elvis' recording of this song. I think Elvis' cover of that classic Gordon Lightfoot penned-tune remains oddly underrated.

[tooneys-russo]

Best Friend's Enemy

Plot: Ella and Charlotte are enemies on and off the field knowing exactly how to piss each other off. The only thing is that Ella's best friend Alessia may enjoy Charlotte more than she should.

WARNING: Smut 18+

Chapter 1

Ella Toone and Charlotte Anderson were mortal enemies. The Manchester United midfielder and Chelsea midfielder would constantly be at each other’s throats during games, for both club and country. Charlotte played for Australia and was a key midfielder, she was known as the key playmaker linking up with Sam Kerr up front and this translated perfectly for Chelsea. 

Once the 2021/22 season was underway all eyes were on Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal as the potential front runners for the title. Match week 3 saw Chelsea traveling to Leigh Sports Village to take on Manchester United, it was the match of the week and Charlotte was ready to play, especially against Ella. The Manchester midfielder was excited to be able to take on the reigning champions and especially taking out their cocky Aussie midfielder. 

In the tunnel Ella and Charlotte stood next to each other, Charlotte turned to the Manchester player. “Well Toone, I’m surprised you actually got named. Not been the best start of the season for you.” Ella clenched her jaw. “You’re one to talk.” Charlotte laughed. “Dunno if you saw my games Toone, I’ve scored three goals already.” Alessia was stood in front of Ella and turned around to the Aussie. “Shut up. She’s twice the player you’ll ever be.” Charlotte smirked. “Damn Russo. You gotta help Toone now? Thought she could take care of herself.” Alessia clenched her jaw. “You are such an asshole. Can’t wait for us to destroy you today.” Charlotte stepped closer to Alessia so they were face to face. “You can destroy me anytime you’d like. Nice to see you back on the field, Russo. Even if you play for a shit team.” She tugged at Alessia’s shirt and turned to face the front of the line. Alessia stood staring at the Chelsea midfielder for a second then got back into line. “Fucking hate her.” Toone said just loud enough that Alessia could hear her. 

The first half was started by Manchester United, with Alessia passing it back to Ella who was immediately tackled by Charlotte and dispossessed. The Chelsea midfielder played it through to Sam Kerr whose shot was saved by Mary Earps, Charlotte followed up the ball and scored in the top right corner of the goal. She celebrated and ran past Alessia giving her a wink, she glared at the midfielder as she took up her spot. By half time Ella was fuming, Charlotte was having a phenomenal game having scored one goal and gotten another assist. 

Alessia was more determined than ever coming back out for the second half to make an impact, three minutes in she got her chance, Manchester won a corner and Charlotte marked Alessia. She grabbed onto the back of her shirt and gave it a gentle tug. “Good luck scoring Russo. I got you in my back pocket princess.” Alessia pressed back against Charlotte trying to knock her off balance, Charlotte just grabbed Alessia’s hips holding her against her chest. “Didn’t know you felt that way about me.” Charlotte said in her ear. As the ball was kicked Alessia pushed Charlotte back and jumped up, the ball connected perfectly on her head and into the back of the net. Alessia smirked and celebrated next to Charlotte. “Who is in whose pocket now princess?” She said to the Chelsea midfielder. This spurred Charlotte on, she set up another goal and bumped past Alessia and Ella on the way back to her half with a smug grin. On the next run that saw Charlotte sprinting down the right wing, Ella was tracking her closely, she slid in and got Charlotte and then the ball. The tackle led to Charlotte sliding right into the field fencing, she got up quickly and pushed Ella back. “The fuck Toone, I know you are shit but that tackle was fucking shocking. Could have fucking hurt me. Is that the only way you could stop me?” Ella put her forehead against Charlotte’s as they pushed against each other. “Fuck you Charlotte, you might be winning but you are a fucking prick.” Charlotte felt a hand on her chest pushing her back, she turned and saw it was Sam Kerr. “Hey, take a walk.” Charlotte stepped back, catching the eye of Alessia who was pushing Ella away from the potential scuffle too. Charlotte and Ella were taken off to avoid there being any more issues. 

From the bench Charlotte watched the game, taking mental notes on what they could work on in the upcoming training sessions. Her eyes kept drifting over to Alessia Russo, she moved so incredibly on the ball, she was even phenomenal off the ball. It frustrating to know just how good Alessia was and to know that she played for Manchester. At the end of the game Charlotte shook hands with the Manchester girls, she shook Ella’s hand but neither of them spoke a word to each other. When Charlotte got to Alessia she held out her hand. “Good game Russo, I hate to admit it but you had a good game.” Alessia grabbed her hand and shook it, their hands lingered for a minute while they spoke. “You beat us 6 - 1.” Alessia bit back. “Not looking at the score, you move well. Very, very dominant. I would almost say I was impressed.” Alessia bit her lip as she stared at the midfielder. “I would almost say you had a half decent game.” Charlotte smirked and ran her thumb over the back of Alessia’s hand and let it go. “Catch you next game princess. Next time can you press your ass more into me during a corner, it was a bit of a tease today.” Charlotte winked as she walked off. 

Alessia sat in the change room thinking about the exchange with Charlotte, she was very annoying but also very hot. Ella sat next to Alessia. “I wish I could just punch her. If I ever saw her out I would knock her out.” She kicked off her boots. “She gets a kick out of pissing you off. You can’t let her get into your head.” Alessia looked over at Ella. “I know. But I need to kill her. She does my fucking head in. Can we go out tonight and just drink?” Alessia smiled and nodded. “Yeah, let's do it.” 

Alessia put on a black skin tight dress and put her hair half up and half down, Ella wore a crop top with black skinny jeans. They went out to a local bar, they sat in a booth with a few of the other Manchester girls, Alessia was at the bar when she heard a familiar voice. She turned to see the blonde Australian wearing a white t-shirt with black jeans at the pool table. Charlotte was chatting to a random girl, she had her arm around her waist and had a beer in her other hand. She quickly finished her drink and gave the girl a kiss on the cheek, then walked over to the bar standing next to Alessia. “Oh wow, Alessia Russo. How nice it is to see you out of a football uniform.” Her eyes raked over the striker’s body. “Anderson. Nice to see that this place just lets anyone in. Does that girl know just how insufferable you are?” Alessia finally turned to Charlotte. “Not yet. But I mean she doesn’t have to know anything about me to sleep with me now does she.” Charlotte motioned for another beer to the bartender. “Charming. I just feel bad for that girl having to admit to her friends that she actually slept with you.” Charlotte grabbed her new beer and slid over a 50 pound note. “Oh princess, I know you would love to experience a night with me.” Charlotte looked at the bartender. “Whatever she wants as well. Give me a call Russo if you want to do something you will regret.” Alessia watched as Charlotte walked back to the girl, Charlotte pulled the girl close and kept her hand on her lower back as they talked. Charlotte leant in and talked into the girl’s ear while locking eyes with Alessia. 

As the night went on the Manchester girls were getting more tipsy as they congregated on the dancefloor singing along with the music. Charlotte had lost interest in the girl as she watched Alessia dance, as soon as the Manchester striker went to the bar Charlotte followed her. “You look like you are having fun.” She leant against the bar close to Alessia. “Yeah I was. Until you came to annoy me.” Charlotte put her hand on her heart. “Shit you hurt me Russo. Why don’t you and I have a dance and you can decide if I am annoying.” Alessia looked Charlotte up and down then looked at her friends preoccupied on the dancefloor. “Give me five minutes princess.” Charlotte ran her finger along Alessia’s arm making her skin feel like it was on fire. Alessia leant in getting close to Charlotte making the Aussie’s breath hitch for a second. “Not in your wildest dreams Anderson.” Alessia grabbed her drink and walked back to her friends. The next time that Alessia turned to look at Charlotte the girl was gone. 

Alessia woke up the next morning with a headache, memories of Charlotte and how close they were and how gorgeous she was. Alessia was so thankful that she didn’t give into the Aussie, but she couldn’t stop thinking about her. To try and distract herself from the Chelsea midfielder she went onto Instagram, there was one notification, ‘CharAnderson has started following you’. Alessia stared at the notification and succumbed to looking at Charlotte’s profile, there were so many pictures of her at the beach that Alessia became fixated on, especially the ones of her skateboarding and surfing by the beach. 

It wasn't long until they were in close proximity again, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United were all at the same nightclub after their games. Ella and Alessia went to the bar and saw the Chelsea midfielder standing alone and sipping a drink. “Looking for another victim?” Ella smirked at the Aussie. “Ella Toone, can’t say I have missed you in the slightest. Alessia Russo however, I definitely have missed you.” Charlotte smirked as she looked at Alessia. “Charlotte, a pleasure as always.” Alessia rolled her eyes and turned away from Charlotte as she and Ella ordered a drink. Alessia’s eyes kept drifting to the Australian as she went to the dancefloor with some of the other players, her arm was snaked around Jill Roord and their bodies were pressed together. “You okay Less?” Ella looked at the striker. “Yeah, come on, let's go dance.”

The two girls joined some of the other players from all of the teams on the dancefloor, Alessia kept Charlotte in her eyeline while they all sang along with the music. Alessia excused herself to grab another drink, she leant against the bar trying to focus, definitely feeling the alcohol. An arm wrapped around her waist and a familiar voice sounded in Alessia’s ear. “Princess I know I am gorgeous but you just can’t seem to stop staring at me.” Alessia bit her lip and gripped her drink tighter. “S-shut up Charlotte.” The midfielder gripped onto the striker’s hip and turned her around so they were face to face. “Make me.” Her voice dropped. Alessia clenched her jaw and dragged Charlotte out to the smokers area into the far corner where no one would see them. She pushed the Australian up against the wall and kissed her deeply. Charlotte grabbed Alessia’s bum as the blonde tangled her fingers in Charlotte’s hair. There was nothing gentle about the kiss, it was desperate and lustful. Charlotte flipped their positions to push Alessia against the wall, her lips making their way down Alessia’s jaw to her neck. “Charlotte fuck.” Alessia held Charlotte’s head against her neck, the Australian’s hand slid up Alessia’s leg, under her dress and to her inner thigh. Alessia felt her knees getting weak as the hand made contact with her g-string making her moan. Charlotte reconnected their lips as she pulled the g-string to the side and a finger circled her clit. Alessia bit Charlotte’s lip making the girl moan into her mouth, Charlotte slid her finger further down and pushed inside Alessia making the girl dig her fingers into her back. The thrusts were deep but slow to begin with, this wasn’t enough for Alessia she pushed against Charlotte’s finger, the midfielder added a second finger and sped up. She dropped to her knees and circled Alessia’s clit with her tongue while continuing to finger her. Alessia gripped onto Charlotte’s head and pushed her deeper, feeling herself getting close to release, her legs shaking and struggling to keep her up. Charlotte felt as Alessia finally let her orgasm take over, her fingers didn’t slow until Alessia struggled to stand. “You okay princess?” Charlotte stood and held Alessia close to her body. “Shit.” Alessia rested her head on the Australian’s shoulder. 

The two stood there for a few minutes while Alessia caught her breath and found her feet again. Alessia looked at Charlotte and kissed her softly. “It's okay if you regret it.” Charlotte’s voice had a bit of vulnerability in it. “I don’t. I just can’t do it again. Ella would kill me.” Charlotte nodded knowingly, Ella hated her and she hated Ella. “All good princess. Have a good night.” Charlotte kissed Alessia’s cheek and fixed her clothes before going back inside. Alessia followed a few minutes later but Charlotte had left the whole bar. Ella pulled Alessia onto the dancefloor, barely noticing that she had even left for half an hour. 

The following morning Alessia followed Charlotte on Instagram and liked her most recent post. Hopefully it would break the ice between the two, she got up and had a shower washing off the night before remembering the moment with Charlotte. She didn’t regret doing it, it felt amazing and Charlotte is gorgeous but it would never work. Ella would kill Alessia if she found out they so much as kissed. Alessia looked at Charlotte’s Instagram but it was quickly obvious that Charlotte had blocked her, she rolled her eyes at the girl’s petty response to what had happened.

[j-rock101]

文法：〜ては（If・Because + Bad Result/Whenever ~/Repetitive Actions）

A(て-form)＋は、B。

In spoken Japanese, ては and では become the contractions ちゃ and じゃ respectively.

We’ve seen ては combine with phrases like ならない、だめ、いけない to mean something that you “must not do.” However, ては has several different uses.

If・Because + Bad Result

Aては、B。 （A［普通形］＋のでは、B。）* If/Because A, then B (Bad Result).

This is the base form for the grammars てはいけない and しなくちゃならない. ては is a conditional whose usage is very similar to ～たら, but while ～たら is neutral, ては carries a negative implication. It's used to express a negative result due to some action, or even just one's negative reaction to that action.* While it's common to see it paired with だめ・ならない・いけない like in the above grammars, it is not limited to those endings.

先輩　ついてきちゃ意味ないです［ビクッ］ Senpai, there's no point if you're just going to follow me. [Startled] [Speaker is on an errand from Senpai to fetch a drink.]

(『月刊少女野崎くん』 Girl’s Monthly Nozaki-kun,vol. 1 by Izumi Tsubaki)

Of course, depending on the translation, these alternate endings can still carry the meaning of "that must (not) be."

未来の僕の奥さんに傷が残っちゃ大変だ It would be a problem if my future wife were scarred. (= I can't allow my future wife to be scarred.)

(『魔法使いの嫁』 The Ancient Magus' Bride, vol. 1 by Yamazaki Kore)

Whenever ～

While て-form is used to simply connect two clauses to indicate a simple sequence of actions, ては is used to describe an action that keeps happening. In this case, ては is only formed from verbs.*

A(Verb) て、B。 When A, then B. A(Verb) ては、B。 Whenever A, then B.

These actions are habitual, with B happening every time A occurs. This meaning is not necessarily negative, and the phrase is not repeated.* *

そっ！あの赤いの行ったとこ 世界のいろんなとこ見たくてさ バイトで金貯めちゃ旅してんだ Yeah! Those red pins are the places I've been. See, I really wanna travel all over the world, And I go on a trip whenever I save up enough money working part-time.

(『あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない。』 Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, vol. 1 by Okada Mari and Izumi Mitsu)

Repetition

ては can be used to emphasize two actions happening over and over, similar to ～たり～たりする. However, while たり gives several examples (out of many), ては really stresses the repetition.* These two actions can be completely unrelated, even opposite actions. The ては phrase can be repeated twice, or the order of the verbs even inverted to further emphasize the repetition. This form is only formed from verbs.

A(Verb) ては、B。 Do A and B repeatedly, every day, constantly, always. A(Verb) ては、B、AてはB。 Repeatedly A-ing and B-ing, A-ing and B-ing. A(Verb) ては、B、BてはA。 Repeatedly A-ing and B-ing, B-ing and A-ing.

When repeated twice, the two actions are opposites (ex: turn on and off, draw and erase, eat and sleep.)*

だから何度も目覚めては　確認するにゃ So I keep opening my eyes over and over, just to check. [To keep the cat pun, consider: "meowny times" instead of "over and over".]

(『おじさまと猫』 A Man and His Cat, vol. 1, by Sakurai Umi)

白と黒の２つの神様がいました 白の神様はみんなに喜びを与えてやりました しかし黒の神様はそれを取り上げては悪さばかりしていました There were two gods, one white, one black. The white god bestowed joy upon everyone. However, the black god constantly took that joy away, and wrought only evil. [Language purposely elevated to keep the fairy tale/mythic feel.]

(『とつくにの少女』 The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, vol. 1 by Nagabe)

On top of the 3 usages above, Maggie-sensei lists a few more. Be sure to check out her page for more examples from a native speaker!

Advice & Suggestions

This one is another usage that is similar to ～たら, this time giving the advice a more elevated feel than the casual たら, or softens the impact of a straightforward ていただけませんか.

Aてはいかがでしょう。 Aてはいただけませんか。 Aては… [unfinished to allow listener to fill in the blanks]

Attempt with expected failure

ては is used to modify てみる when you're not optimistic about the outcome of an attempt.

Aてはみます。 I will at least give A a try...

J-Rock Examples:

山際も星も／ぼくらに気付いては／お話もした Both the mountain ridge and the stars / Whenever they noticed us / Told us stories as well ［赤い光線 - 交信］

東京にすがりついては／泣きじゃ��って　言えやしなくて I’m always clinging to Tokyo / and crying　and I just can’t say it ［関取花 - 東京］

革靴は知らぬうちに／あのリズムを奏でては列車中に空しく響��� Whenever my leather shoes unconsciously / tap out that rhythm, it echoes through the train in vain ［関取花 - 石段のワルツ］

[malcolm-reeds-pineapple]

Recently my brother and I drove five hours to go watch the eclipse with our dad. Due to time, we had to go on a day where it was raining and we also had to take my brother’s POS car rather then my less POS car because I took the insurance off mine while I’ve been unemployed. Anyway, a few notes about my brother’s car:

We only have third about 75% of the time

Windows (for the most part) can only be rolled down by the driver because the electrical is kind of fried and the child lock engages and disengages randomly.

His radio worked for about 3 months after he got it and then it randomly shit the bed so he uses USB computer speakers because (amazingly) the USB port still provides enough power to run them (knock on wood)

A squirrel pissed in his air filter a few months ago and due to scummy manufacturing practices, changing the air filter requires taking off the entire dashboard with a proprietary drill head. So, naturally, we have not changed that air filter.

We have a cache of Mary Brown’s honey dill sauce tucked away for occasions in front of the display screen that used to say it was January first, 2012 no matter how you set it, but now due to electrical issues, it now eternally says that the passenger door is open.

So already off to a great start. However, as we closed in on our destination, about four hours in, blasting weird Quebecois folk music on our USB computer speakers, the driver side wiper flew off and into the middle of a four lane highway. At this point, it wasn’t raining too much, and the next spot that could possibly have a wiper was literally our destination, so we had to press on. We figured the rain was dying down, so all would be fine.

All was not fine. Gradually, the rain really started coming down and I began to plan how we would Not Die. I grew up watching a lot of both Top Gear and RedGreen, so I have a very creative approach to car trouble. When we eventually had to pull over to avoid vehicular death, I gave my brother my plan.

The plan was to move the dinky passenger wiper to the driver side and then to avoid the horrible metal on glass noises when we used the wiper, we would tie fabric onto the passenger wiper arm. He agreed to the plan and we got out to execute the plan. Thankfully, I pack for a weekend trip like I’m going to shit myself twice a day, so I pulled out two pairs of underwear that I wouldn’t miss if the plan failed. Then, we used the drawstring from a pair of sweatpants to tie the underwear around the wiper arm. On a side note, the only thing we had to cut the drawstring with was a small chainsaw we were taking to my dad’s to clean up a couple trees.

Anyway, allow me to introduce to you……………… The Panty Swiper

[the-iceni-bitch]

Respect My Persistence

Kinkmas Day 8: Quickie

Relationship: Ari Levinson x Jake Jensen (Bear and Cubby, NLLYL)

Words: ~1.6k

Summary: What else can you do when the kids are all occupied?

Warnings: explicit language, explicit sexual content (unprotected anal sex, barely there prep, spit as lube, anal fingering, daddy kink, feminization, anal cream pie) established relationship, DILFS!!!!!!!!, babies! Toddlers! Twins! Sporty girl!! SPOILERS!! Excessive fluff and softness, SMUT!!!! 18+ ONLY!!

A/N: GAAAAAHHH!!!!! Their family is so cute and big and it’s too much to handle. They are such good dads!! I’m sobbing 😭

I am no longer doing taglists so if you want to stay up to date on all the latest filth, follow my sideblog @the-iceni-library and turn on notifications!

“Rach, do you have your cleats?” Ari put a hand on the top of Isaac’s head when he moved around him to open the fridge, shaking his head when Rachel ran back into the house to grab the gear she’d almost left. “Good job, sweet pea. You’re going to Mari’s after practice?”

“Yeah, quit it!” Rachel swatted at Eli when he threw a grape at her, sticking her tongue out at her brother when Ari gave the boy a stern look before she wrapped her arms around him and let him kiss the top of her head. “Where’s daddy?”

“They’re all asleep, I don’t know how I did it. Bean!” Jake grinned at their daughter when he walked downstairs and she ran to him, catching her when she jumped into his arms and swinging her around happily. “Did you wait just to say goodbye to me?”

“She almost forgot her cleats.” Ari moved back to packing the twins’ lunch and Micah’s bag, nodding when he heard a honk and Rach just shouted goodbye before running to the front door. “Love you too, sweet pea! Say hi to you uncle Curtis!”

“Look at you, you ate all your peas!” Jake scooped Micah out of the high chair when he squealed at him, kissing his chubby little toddler cheeks and letting him pull on his shirt while he told Jake all about the bug he saw on the window. “You’re gonna see even more bugs with your aunt and uncle, you’re gonna love it. Did you pack the sunscreen for them, bear?”

“SPF 50, I packed it. You two settle down.” Eli and Isaac immediately stopped running at the sound of their father’s voice, both apologizing and going to put on their shoes. “Ran and gorgeous should be here any minute, does little bubba here need to potty before the zoo?”

“No!” They both laughed when he shook his head with a furious pout on his face before he immediately shrieked with happy laughter when the front door opened again. “Auntie!! Zoo!!”

“Okay, go say hi!” Jake set him down and watched him toddle off to greet you and Ransom, the twins also zooming past to jump on your husband while you kneeled down to hold your arms open for the kiddo. “Sunscreen, sandwiches, the epipen is in there?”

“Cub, I packed all of it and checked it twice.” Ari wound an arm around Jake’s shoulders and kissed his temple when he let out a little huff, only disconnecting when you wandered in with the toddler on your hip while Ran still wrestled with the twin. “Hey gorgeous.”

“Hi Ar.” You grinned when he and Jake both moved to kiss your cheeks at the same time, scrunching up your face and laughing softly when Micah squeaked and buried his face in your shoulder. “That my little muffin’s bag?”

“Mmhm. Drysdale, come help your wife! Oi, little dudes!” Jake managed to catch both twins by the shoulders when they ran back into the room and gave them a serious look while Ransom took the bag from Ari and gave him a hug. “You two listen to your aunt and uncle and stay with them, we are not going to have a repeat of the beach incident, understand?”

“Yes dad.” Even though they squirmed when Jake hugged them and kissed their foreheads, they still hugged him back, hugging Ari too before following Ransom out of the house with matching grins on their faces. “Bye pop!”

“G’bye! Thank you again for this, gorgeous.” Ari hugged you again, pinching Micah’s cheek and kissing his little nose before letting you go. “Have fun!”

“We always do.” You let Jake peck you on the lips as you walked towards the front door, shaking your head when you heard your husband telling the twins they could probably convince you to let them pet one of the snakes.

“Oh my god, it’s so quiet.” Jake took a deep breath once the front door was closed, leaning back on the counter and sighing to himself while Ari lounged against the fridge across from him. “It’s weird.”

“It really is.” Ari shrugged when he tried to get used to the lack of noisy children as he stared at his husband, crossing his arms as he felt his chest getting warm at that beautiful crooked smile and the slightly rumpled but still very tight t-shirt the kids had gotten him for Father’s Day. “All three of the dumplings are really asleep?”

“Yeah.” Jake could feel his breathing get shallow as he stared back at Ari, the way his forearms flexed over his broad chest and the silver hairs that had just recently started appearing in his beard doing a lot of things to him. “It’s like a miracle.”

Ari grunted in agreement and dragged his teeth over his bottom lip and that was it. Jake barely had a chance to draw in a breath before Ari was on him, letting his lips part and whining softly when the larger man lifted him onto the counter and licked into his mouth while he worked furiously to undo his jeans.

“Jesus Christ.” Ari groaned when Jake buried his hands in his hair, biting his bottom lip and tugging on it while he yanked his jeans down past the curve of his ass. “When was the last time we had sex when the sun was still up?”

“I don’t want to think about it, just hurry.” Jake whimpered when Ari spat lewdly on his fingers before reaching between them to slide one into Jake’s ass. “They could wake up anytime, no prep.”

“Cubby, you know you need some prep.” Ari chuckled when Jake bit his ear and wrapped his fist around his fat cock as he stretched his baby out, slipping in a second finger and driving his hips into his husband’s hand while he stroked him. “But not a lot.”

“I don’t fucking care, my tight boy pussy is so goddamn hungry.” Jake purred at the feral sound Ari made at that declaration, rolling his body beautifully and batting his eyelashes at the man he had wrapped around his finger. “I need that fat Daddy cock.”

“Yeah you fucking do, little brat.” Ari kissed Jake deeply and pulled his fingers out of him, leaning on his hands and huffing out sharp breaths into his boy’s mouth while Jake lined him up. “Such a needy boy for Daddy’s dick, gonna take the whole thing like my good boy, huh cub?”

“Yeah, mmm, yeah… Daddy…” Jake practically sobbed when Ari grabbed his knees and pressed them together up to his chest, the feeling of his massive dick thrusting into his ass making his vision almost black out. “Love this thick cock, turn my pretty pussy out, Daddy, please.”

“Good fucking boy.” Ari started snapping his hips against Jake’s ass viciously, giving that plump curve a good smack and licking his lips at the way it jiggled deliciously for him. “Letting Daddy fuck you like a little slut right on the counter, so goddamn pretty watching that pink little pussy swallow me whole.”

Jake was struggling to answer Ari when he could feel his dick rearranging his guts, whimpering every time his hips met his ass and trying not to get too loud. It was so hard though, being only half dressed and pressed into the counter and fucked so roughly he was choking on it made his pleasure build so fast he knew it was going to be explosive.

“Daddy… daddydaddydaddy…” Jake was desperate, his gut winding tighter and tighter and his dick twitching against his abs while he gazed at Ari with glazed over eyes. “Come in my cunt, I need Daddy’s cum, fuck it deep.”

“Dirty boy, gonna fill you up.” Ari ground his dick deep and bit off a growl when Jake clenched around him. “Little pussy’s gonna be so full you can’t even hold it all in. Wanna watch your pretty prick make a mess for me first though, baby boy.”

It didn’t even take anything else, just those words and the way Ari’s cock was driving against his sweet spot made Jake’s entire body quake, Ari leaning forward in a rush and smashing his lips to Jake’s to swallow the shriek that was ripped from his chest while he fell apart. Jake couldn’t stop shaking when his cum shot all over his torso, gazing into Ari’s eyes and taking shaky breaths while he tried his best to get himself under control. But he couldn’t when his bear growled and throbbed inside him, whimpering when he felt that comfortable warmth getting pumped into his guts with deep rolls of his husband’s hips.

“Ari, holy fuck.” Jake finally took a full breath when Ari collapsed on top of him, smiling against his lips and pulling gently on his hair while his bear rubbed his hips. “I made a mess all over my shirt.”

“Shit, I’m sorry, baby.” Ari leaned back and sighed as he pulled out, pulling Jake’s jeans and boxers back into place before helping his husband out of his stained shirt. “I got too excited.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Jake wound his arms around Ari’s neck and purred when the man trailed his lips over his jaw, frowning a little when he heard one of the babies stirring over the monitor. “Ugh, I knew it was too good to last.”

“No, Jake, you go get in the shower.” Ari shook his head when Jake made a face like he was going to argue. “You were up with them half the night, let me get them settled again then I’ll join you. I’ll even suck your pretty dick and let you take a nice nap when we’re done.”

[kazoosandfannypacks]

"Wishing it Wasn't" by kazoosandfannypacks

Chapter 16/18: Waiting Room Confessions Pairing: CaptainSwan Rating: Teen (for gun violence in earlier chapters) Word Count: (1.1K/19.5K) Summary: Season 2 Canon Divergence: When Neal tells Emma he has a fiancée, she claims to have a new boyfriend of her own, and blurts out the first fairytale name she can think of: Captain Hook. Killian agrees to this ruse, but when feelings grow between the two, will the con be more than they can handle? Chapter Summary: Emma talks with her family and Neal, leading to her coming clean about the fake relationship. Tags: season 2, canon divergence, gun violence in later chapters, angst with a happy ending, fake dating, mild character death, mildly anti neal Author's notes: >:} Taglist: @zahara @kmomof4 @jonesfandomfanatic @booksteaandtoomuchtv @jrob64 @tiganasummertree @anmylica @teamhook @undercaffinatednightmare @gingerchangeling @lonelyspectator @caught-in-the-filter @ultraluckycatnd @cs-rylie @pirateprincessofpizza @pawshapedheart  [if you'd like to be added to or removed from this list, hmu in my dms or askbox!]

Also on Ao3!

 Maybe the only reason Emma had gone along with Killian in the "big car with the noisy lights on top" was so that she could fill out paperwork or give a detailed report on what happened. Maybe she wanted her due accolades at how well her magic had saved him- how well she'd saved him. Or maybe she just took pity on him- he had almost died, after all.

 Either way, Killian was glad for her company. She had a light about her that almost felt warm, like sitting around a campfire with your crew after a long day's hunt. He tried not to stare at her too much, tried to tell himself he was just looking at her to take heart against all the things that felt so different. The ride was a rough one, and so fast, and he lay on a stretcher. The car was filled with all manner of shiny and modern and beeping equipment, most of it Killian couldn't begin to understand the purpose of- and he knew the hospital would be even brighter, and scarier- certainly not scary to such an infamous pirate as himself, but certainly much more disorienting.

 He looked up at Emma, the Savior- his savior- as she finished speaking with a nurse and took a seat next to him.

 He couldn't think of anything to say to her besides the "thank you" he'd already given her, but he felt like he didn't need to, didn't need to say anything at all. Instead, he simply held out his hand to her, almost by instinct, like letting out an anchor- an anchor that snagged itself, as it should, in her hand.

 She took his hand and gently squeezed it, not once, not twice, but three times- and something in that gesture felt warm, felt safe- like somehow he wasn't alone.

 Emma sat in the waiting room, filling out as much as she could of the papers she was handed, meanwhile looking over her shoulder through his room's window every few moments to see if he'd be alright.

 She'd gotten a text from her dad a little bit ago, one that said he and Neal had gotten Tamara, and had gone back for Greg, and now both were safely in custody in the Storybrooke jail- and now her family was on their way to check in.

 She tried to make sure all the details of Hook's injury, as well as what she'd done to heal him were documented as best as she knew- which wasn't great, since she knew nothing of magic or medicine- but the doctors could figure out the technical jargon themselves.

 She glanced back again at Killian's room- he almost seemed like he was laughing at something Doctor Whale had said- then looked back down at the papers in front of her.

 "Emma!"

 She looked up to see Mary Margaret and Henry, David and Neal close behind, and she got up to talk to them. Mary Margaret threw her arms around Emma, and Henry joined in.

 "Is he gonna be okay?" David asked.

 Emma let go of her mom and looked back at the room- the same room David had been in when she first came to Storybrooke. As she did, Whale walked out its door, looking at some clipboards. He looked up at Emma and her family.

 "He's gonna be just fine." Whale said, "Thanks to you."

 "Emma?" Mary Margaret asked.

 "If hospitals across the country had people like Emma, they'd be in much better shape." Whale shook Emma's hand, then moved on to make his rounds.

 "Emma, what did you do?" Mary Margaret asked.

 "It's nothing." Emma said. "I just. I figured out how to use magic."

 "Magic?" Neal and Mary Margaret asked in unison.

 "I'm the Savior." Emma said. "Product of True Love. It's all in a day's work."

 "That's amazing!" Henry said. "What was it like?"

 Emma half laughed as she knelt in front of him so she could look right at him. "It felt like lightning and rainbows all at once, like I was holding fireworks- but quieter."

 "That's so cool!"

 Emma ruffled his hair. "You're right it was."

 David tapped Emma on the shoulder. "May I have a word, Emma?"

 "Yeah?" She stepped off to the other side of the room with him, expecting some kind of "okay now that you have magic you need to be careful it comes with a price" speech.

 Instead he said, "I'm so sorry. I should've believed in you."

 "It's alright." Emma said.

 "No it isn't." David said. "I should've listened to what you said, should've seen things for how they were- how you said they were- instead of how I thought they looked. I should've believed in my daughter."

 "I forgive you." Emma said, then gave David a hug. "And I understand. Once upon a time, it took me a while to believe in my kid too."

 She glanced over at Neal and Henry, and Neal walked over to her.

 "I'm proud of you." David told Emma, and gave her a hug.

 "Thanks." she said softly.

 David let go and walked away, giving Neal a pat on the shoulder as he walked by.

 "Can I talk to you too?" Neal asked.

 "Why?" Emma crossed her arms. "Gonna say sorry for not believing me too? I understand. You're forgiven."

 "That's not the only thing I need forgiveness for." Neal said. "I should've believed you about Tamara, but I also should've waited for you when I found out you were in Storybrooke. I never should've landed you in jail in the first place. I should've held out for Tallahassee, because it doesn't sound nearly as nice without you. I'm so sorry for everything I've ever done to you. Will you please forgive me?"

 He didn't deserve forgiveness, sure, but no one ever does.

 "I'll try my best to forgive you." Emma said.

 "And I hope you and Killian are really happy in your life together."

 Emma figured that if ever there was a time to come clean, it was now.

 "We're not together."

 "What?"

 "Killian and I," Emma said, "we're not dating, never were."

 "But you said…"

 "I said what I said because I was jealous. I told you I found someone else, because you found someone else, and I couldn't let you know that I cared." She bit her lip. "But I did care for you. I hadn't stopped loving you, even after all those years."

 "You know, I never stopped loving you either." Neal said. "I only told myself I did."

 "Really?"

 "I thought every day about how I never should've let you go."

 Even though he had abandoned her, he hadn't abandoned the thought of her. She did something she thought she'd never want to do again- she looked into his eyes, even just for a moment. Then he pulled her into a hug.

 "Tallahassee?" He whispered.

 But Emma didn't know what to say.

[candycandy00]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you so much for tagging me, @scary-grace! This was a lot of fun!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 

18, though I’ve only posted a fraction of my BNHA stuff on there and there’s even some JJK stuff I haven’t posted there yet. 

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

217,870. And wow it took me way too long to find that lol. I didn’t even know about the Statistics page! 

3. What fandoms do you write for? 

Currently, Jujutsu Kaisen and Boku no Hero Academia. I wrote for a ton of different fandoms back in my “previous era” I’ll call it lol. I wrote for One Piece, Naruto, Final Fantasy (mostly 7 and 12), Death Note, Gundam Wing, Harry Potter, Durarara!!, and lots of other things (almost all of it featuring non canon ships like Cloud x Yuffie and L x Misa). I’d like to try writing for Bungou Stray Dogs and Demon Slayer at some point. 

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

The Doll House (2,280)

Human (390)

The Offering (377)

How to Seduce a Gamer (300)

Little Miss Nobody (234)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to! But sometimes if it’s a comment on an older chapter of something I might not or if I got several close together I miss a few and then I’m too embarrassed to go back and respond later. Or if they just comment with an emoticon, I’m not sure how to reply lol. 

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

In my current era, it’s definitely the Mr. Compress chapter of The Dark Carnival. I have other fics that end badly for Reader but this one felt very tragic to me. 

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? 

Most of mine have pretty happy endings! 

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

Current era, I occasionally get people complaining that certain Readers are wimpy or stupid or whatever. I even had one person on AO3 write out a huge wall of text about how one of my Reader characters was a Mary Sue (they simultaneously complained that she was too weak and useless in a fight but also too perfect). But I tend to shrug off those comments. Readers are supposed to be Mary Sues. They’re literally Reader/Writer self inserts! Part of the appeal of x Reader fanfiction is the fantasy of Reader being an idealized version of yourself. So yeah she can hang out with the League of Villains and be the only girl Dabi has ever liked, or she can be old high school buddies with Gojo and Geto and they’re both crazy about her. It’s all fantasy. 

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? 

Yes! And I write pretty much all kinds that don’t involve my three “big no’s” (minors, animals, or scat/pee/vomit). 

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? 

Not since I was a kid, writing Sailor Moon/DBZ crossovers lol. 

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? 

Not in my current era, not that I know of. In my previous era, I wrote a Gundam Wing fanfic that got really popular in the fandom and was ripped off twice. Not exactly copied word for word, but very close in both cases. They basically changed the wording around a bit but kept the entire plot the same (and it was a very unique AU with a big, sprawling plot). 

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

Not that I know of!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? 

Like 20+ years ago a friend and I were co-writing a very fucked up DBZ fanfic together. It was actually pretty good, but it was unfortunately lost to time. I’d give anything to find it and be able to read it again, but she’s the one who was posting it and she deleted her account a few years later. 

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? 

I’m just gonna go with my current fave ships of my two main fandoms: BNHA (Spinneraki) and JJK (SatoSugu). 

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? 

Probably The League of Villains Heroes. I love it dearly but it gets practically no notes so I have little motivation to keep working on it. 

16. What are your writing strengths? 

I’ve always felt like dialogue is my strong point. Probably because, until I was up into my 20’s, I rarely read actual books and almost exclusively read comics/manga (which tend to be dialogue heavy). I think I’m pretty decent with plotting as well. 

17. What are your writing weaknesses? 

Descriptions! 😩 I am so bad at describing things. Or rather, I’m bad to just… not do it. I literally forget to. I’ve had friends read my work and be like “what does this place look like?” Or “what does that guy look like?” And I can see it all so clearly in my head that I forget readers can’t see it as well. 

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? 

I sometimes toss in some honorifics just because it seems weird to have certain characters not use them. Other than that, I try to avoid throwing in random Japanese (the only other language I would even consider using, just because these are Japanese characters). I did have Sukuna say his famous “Gambare, gambare” line once but it’s just too iconic! 

19. First fandom you wrote for? 

First I wrote for: Sailor Moon. First I actually posted a fic online for: Dragon Ball Z. 

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? 

I’m going to pick one from each fandom, only among completed fics. 

BNHA: Trending Topics

JJK: The Offering

Tagging @missrosegold and any other writer friends who would like to do this!

[essskel]

i've just seen you post a lot of cool asks and deep discussions over the past day and i got lonely and want to join the party hehe. so i was going to ask smth that ive been meaning to ask your opinion on for a while: what do you think about philippa's martyrdom and the rewriting of history which occurred after her death? i was always kind of shocked with how violent a death she was recorded as receiving, and shocked twice-over at how positively she was thought of a hundred years after her death. but it's just very interesting to me, especially because of the real-life historical context as it relates to christian martyrdom, and the message around it about history often being obscured - nimue and condwiramurs 'seeking the truth' of the ending of the legend of the witcher girl and debating what is factual history and what is made-up, while at the very same time, discussing the accounts of the members of the lodge and not thinking to question their positive impressions of their morality or motivations. it makes for some great dramatic irony. like nimue and condwiramurs being fans of both ciri and philippa despite the obvious antagonistic relationship between these two. (well, okay, i suppose they're just like us, then...)

Sorry this answer is late but YEAH what was up with Philippa's ending.

I was initially put off by it especially after her final scene that's filled with all this anger and persevering determination to keep Radovid from holding power over her. It feels like this push of strength that's followed up by 'and then she died horribly anyway' which took the wind out of the sails a bit for me.

But...idk, now I think I'm more at peace with it, because like you said, her crimes being swept aside by history in favor of a more heightened and reverent narrative is probably the best ending she could have asked for after the life she lived. It's such a time-honored pathway to infamy that historical figures fall into, particularly political figures in colonizing countries.

Going further, I have no idea if Sapkowski intended this, but to me, her ending and the legacy that nimue and condwiramurs have adopted might relate to some of the discussions of white feminsm and the way that complex or even downright awful, murderous female historical figures have been romanticized and martyred by 'progressive' groups in ways that they should not have been. Marie-Antoinette, Mother Theresa, Virginia Woolf, literally any British Queen, Coco Chanel, Bonnie Parker (of Bonnie and Clyde), ect. (that list was all over the place, sorry lmao that was off the top of my head) Some of those women are war criminals, some are Nazis, some are outspoken racists, but they've all been called feminist figures at some point, some still are.

So Philippa with her covert, hard to track operations of the lodge, paired with a very public and cruel death? Yeah, actually it does make sense that she's a saint decades later, and I don't think she'd be very let down by this either.

And in relation to Ciri, it just feels like a final reminder that it's not the world, or the countries, or even history that's on Ciri's side, it was only ever truly her family that knew her and respected her in full. nimue and condwiramurs try to know her and they do in their own very important way - I don’t actually fault them - but they can’t 100% do right by her or even know her in the way they hope because that’s just not how time works.

[bunnyonacupcake]

Here, have some writing!

This is a little mini fic I wrote a while ago Class Wars, an AU @brbuttons has within the Factory Rejects verse.

Behold, a story about Miranda Mary Piker. Daughter of the Headmaster and her teachers biggest fan. Well, until she starts to visit Bills candy shop and he reminds her she’s only 12. She’s allowed to be a kid. This here fic handles the fallout.

——

All good things must come to an end. Miranda knows this, though, she’d foolishly and ignorantly hoped it wouldn’t end so soon. It’s Friday morning as she hurriedly sweeps water over her frizzed braids, slipping her Mary Janes on as she snatches her bag and scurries out the door. Her parents as always work early, so early as to leave little Miss Piker home alone in the mornings to get off to school on her own. Normally, she leaves early enough to prowl the hallways as their unofficial hall monitor. These past few weeks however, she’s been indulging in that extra half hour of sleep Bill encouraged her to take advantage of.

“You can’t burn the candle at both ends and expect it to last long,” He’d said sagely, setting down a peppermint stick on the counter and sliding it over to her. Miranda had scoffed and adjusted her glasses but silently took the peppermint stick. He had a point. Always did.

Miranda practically skips up the steps to the school doors, slipping inside and hurrying off down the semi crowded hallways towards the pristine classroom door neatly labeled 7S. Normally, she’s the first one in, standing near the door as some mock sentry, adjusting her glasses and crowing Pratt based propaganda.

Today, the only sentry is Pratt himself.

Miranda feels something wrong the minute she’s in front of him. His neutral resting face is usually something resembling smugness or casual disinterest. Today, he stands with arms crossed, glowering. Miranda grips the straps of her school bag tightly. “Good Morning Misther Pratt.” She says obediently, staring up at him. His glowering does not falter as he looks at her, does not break out into that fake, perfect smile he usually gives her. “Miss Piker.” He says simply. He generally only uses their names if they’re in trouble. Miranda gulps.

“Come inside. I fear we have some unfortunate news to discuss. Don’t we?” He says, stepping aside. The hair on the back of her arms stands to attention as she follows his instructions, trying desperately to think what she’s done wrong. She’s done plenty wrong, she knows that, but she’s been so careful. Her parents haven’t heard any news of her spending time outside of school, her grades haven’t slipped, she’s brushed her teeth twice after every night of sneaking sweets-

Every seat is full except for her usual spot in the middle of the front row. She steps towards her desk to set down her things but Pratt clicks his tongue. She knows his little quirks well and freezes in place. Slowly sets her backpack onto the floor. Slowly turns around as Pratt closes the door. He folds his hands behind his back and strolls over to the front of the room, tutting and shaking his head. “Miranda Mary Piker. Grade A student, top of the class… beating out Gabriel Carver for the final seat in class 7S by mere points. By all intents and purposes a picture perfect student. A winner.” He says, staring down at her. Miranda instinctively folds her hands obediently in front of her, now painfully aware of every wrinkle and stray hair in her appearance. 7S children are supposed to be pristine. Perfect. Pratt sniffs and reaches behind him to take up the infamous conductor's baton that rests on the chalkboard ledge. He looks out at the rest of the children, sitting obediently in their seats. His scowl turns to a smirk.

He slowly starts to tap a rhythm onto his palm with the baton.

“And yet… recent events have proven otherwise. I have reason to suspect you, Miss Piker, have been colluding with the enemy. With Turkentine.” He says and the accusation causes a gasp to ring out across the classroom. A flush starts to creep up Miranda’s neck. She opens her mouth to defend herself but is quickly silenced with a look, Pratt slapping the baton onto the desk with a quick ‘thwap’.

“Should anyone have come to me with this information, why, I would have found it preposterous,” He says, now turning to address the room, “Insanity! But I have seen, with my own eyes, Miranda Mary Piker at the sweet shop in town. Not only engaging with its owner and Turkentine but even eating candy.” He says, his emphasis on the last few words making it sound like a criminal offense. It might as well be one in Pratt's class.

“Miss Piker, you wouldn’t happen to remember what my first words were to you all as a class?”

Miranda didn’t cry. She never cried. But being humiliated in front of the class, stared at… She feels the back of her throat tightening up.

“Um. You are our god, our… Our leader and our savior.” She says slowly, trying to take a deep breath.

Pratt purses his lips and tilts his head, feigning confusion. “No, I don’t think that’s quite right. I believe I said… Messiah. I am your messiah. Can you say that, Miss Piker?”

Miranda’s face burns. “You… are our… Methhhiah.” She mumbles quietly. Her lisp turns the word into a jumble of ‘th’ and hard ‘s’ sounds. Pratt's face contorts into a wicked smile she’s used to seeing, but never aimed at her.

“What was that, child? Say it louder.”

“Mesthiah…”

“Louder.”

“Mesthhhiah.”

The room is silent except for her and Pratt, as she tries her best to look obediently up at him. Hold eye contact Miranda. Winners don’t cry.

Pratt sniffs disinterestedly and scans the classroom once again. The faces he sees must look sufficiently scared into submission because he turns to Miranda once again. “I must remind you child that in 7S, we are here to build winners. Winners are not born. Winning is achieved through hard, diligent work.” He says. He uses one finger to push his glasses up on his nose.

“Hands on the desk.”

The air feels like it’s sucked out of the room as every child gasps and holds their breath. Hands on the desk to receive a smack is standard punishment, especially in 7S. But not once, not ever, has it been Miranda.

“No- shir, please I can explain!” She tries but flinches as he snaps his head towards her, eyes glinting behind his frames.

“I won’t tell you again child. Hands. On. The desk.” He says. His voice is cold like steel and as Miranda approaches and tries not to shiver. She puts her hands on the desk, palms up. She wants to close her eyes and hide away from it all but she knows she’s to keep her eyes open and watch. So she does.

Pratt whips his conductors baton down onto her open palms, hard. Despite her best efforts, a whimper escapes her trembling lips even as she tries to calm herself. It stings like hell and will surely bruise she thinks to herself as he whips it down again. Then a third time. Tears sting her eyes but he pulls away and sets the baton back onto the chalkboards ledge. “To your seat, Piker. Let that be a reminder of what happens when you lose focus in 7S.” He says stiffly.

Miranda nods quickly, taking a shaky breath. “Yes shir. It won’t happen again.”

“Good. Now, everyone, let’s open our arithmetic books to page-“

Class passes by torturously slow. Half of the class looks at her with smug looks and the other half regards her with pity. Miranda can’t tell which she hates more. When the bell rings for lunch Miranda knows the first thing she should do is study like usual. Get cracking on her homework, forget these notions of rest, disregard her newly found routine of going out to have lunch.. Yet her feet carry her as fast as she can to the now familiar facade of Bill’s candy shop where she shoulders open the door and stares at the kindly gentleman behind the counter. He turns with that soft familiar smile that turns to a face of concern as soon as he sees Miranda's distress. “Hey now,” He says with such genuine softness it brings tears to Miranda’s eyes, “What’s going on?”

It takes a lot of deep breaths, soothing words and a peppermint stick to finally get Miranda to talk. As she does the tall girl slumps in on herself and mumbles, tucking her hands under her arms to hide evidence of her supposed failures, her usual confidence gone. When she’s done she looks up at Bill again, tears shining behind her thick glasses. He stands before her covering his mouth with one hand with a look of horror and pity.

The bell rings behind her. Miranda tenses at the sudden noise while Bill relaxes at the sight of whoevers walks in. “Mr. Turkentine.” He breathes and closes his open hand into a fist, pressing it against his mouth. Miranda jerks up and nearly chokes on her candy. “I have to go.” She says quickly, slipping off her stool. “I can’t let anyone from class see me here again! I’m already in trouble and if my parents found out, oh god-” She starts to ramble. Scrambling to gather her bag, she pauses when Bill clears his throat. “Miranda.” He says carefully.

“Show him what’s happened.” Miranda swallows and turns to face Turkentine who stands at the doorway, face screwed up with confusion at the conversation he has clearly missed. She takes a breath then holds out her hands, palm up to reveal the thin and tender line of bruising. David moves closer, dropping his bag and kneeling to meet her height.

“Christ. What did you do to get this?” He mutters.

“That’s from Mr. Pratt. He did that as punishment for talking to you.” Bill says. His usually gentle voice has an edge of hardness to it. The idea of anyone hitting a child is despicable, let alone hitting a child as punishment for talking to another person. Turkentine blinks twice at her hands. Then he looks up at Miranda in disbelief. “He did this, for talking to me?” He asks.

Miranda nods silently. He looks to Bill behind the counter.

Turkentine clenches his jaw before standing and snatching his bag back up. He turns on his heel and marches for the door. “Wait! Where are you going?” Miranda cries, running after him.

He pauses with his hand on the handle as he turns to look at her.

“I’m going to have a talk with Mr. Twat.”

[silverhallow]

Could you imagine of it wasn't Rosamund? Rosamund already had it out for Sophie. Imagine if a member of the ton was so incensed that one of the most eligible men was snapped up by a no one. Obviously it must have happened under less than pure, chaste neat courtship. I could imagine that even the Queen would be interested in Sophie's origins and intruth only the Queens intervention could quell the rumours about sophie

So in my head, the queen asks Violet about Sophie and Lady Danbury and Violet both explain the same thing.

Sophie was visiting London at the time of the masquerade but her aunt who had brought her took Ill whilst Sophie was there, having insisted that Sophie attend the party.

Sophie was given the news of her aunts untimely demise which is why she flees in such a panic but having not been presented at court due to her aunts Ill health she didn’t give her name.

She returned to the country to mourn her family. Her last living relative other than the vague connection to the Penwood’s.

The new Earl is a drunk so just assumes this all true and says he sent Sophie money. No one knows why but he just assumes he did as she was family and because it really pisses Araminta off to have to confirm it, they go with it.

They explain that Benedict bumped into Sophie in the country where she was working to earn her way, they don’t say what as but most people assume it was something reasonabley respectable…

And the queen believes this story. She has no reason not to, and it was Lady W who reported the connect to the Penwood’s and Araminta is forced to confirm it to the Queen that she is a relative.

Everyone else seems to believe that Sophie’s past is respectable, she sounds and acts like a lady so why would they think anything else with the story woven.

Save for Mary Edgware who is friends with Rosamund and Rosamund is just bitter so may suggest that Sophie’s courtship wasn’t a long one as suggested, and was all of a week, tops.

So Mary after a few two many glasses of Champagne yells at the new Mrs Bridgerton at the Hasting End of Season Ball…

Which ends with the Queen giving Sophie her approval, Sophie crying twice… once out of upset and the last time out of joy at the queens words.

And Mary Edgware losing all her suitors.

[inevitablemoment]

“it’s not as bad as it looks.”

Word Count: 1,026

Warnings: Stab wound, fainting, blood loss, brief mention of secondary infertility and miscarriages, brief mention of premature birth, brief mention of temporary deafness, brief mention of neonatal health issues, brief mention of the COVID-19 pandemic

Fandom: Spider-Man (Raimi films)

Pairings: Peter Parker x Mary Jane Watson

It seems to be a running trend of mine this month to write for new fandoms. So, over the past few weeks, I’ve just fallen down the rabbit hole of anything Spider-Man, and right now, the Raimi trilogy has quite a hold on me. A good percentage of this fic is me dumping my post-trilogy headcanons on you.

Enjoy!

————————

Mary Jane was no stranger to exhaustion. But the last however-many hours had been challenging her ability to keep herself going on minutes of sleep.

It was one of the two days of the week on which her alternate would perform, as well as a parent/teacher conference day for the kids’ school district. She and Peter decided to make it a family day before they would have to go to meet with their teachers.

Then, there was this flash of sparkling gold, a few seconds of darkness... and then another flash of gold.

They were still on Time’s Square, with their first stop planned to have been the Disney Store, but she couldn’t place just why it felt so different from a few seconds ago.

Peter had been the first of them to notice one of the newspaper stands, all of the papers blasted with headlines talking about how Spider-Man was a murderer and a criminal. Before she could roll her eyes, she realized that the man-- or, rather, boy-- on the image was not her husband.

Although Mary Jane and the three older children-- seventeen-year-old twins Maisie and Annie (soon to be eighteen), and thirteen-year-old Benji-- were silently thinking the same thing, three-year-old Susan had blurted out, “That’s not Daddy.”

The children, of course, knew of their father’s secret identity as the web slinging hero-- Mary Jane could only imagine how difficult it would have been for them to keep such a secret from their own children when they resided in the same house-- and had been taught from day one to keep it. Though it was tempting to brag about it to their friends.

“We’re still in New York, just not-- our New York,” Peter had tried to explain.

Even as he tried to explain the concept of a multiverse, most of the scientific jargon went over Mary Jane’s and the children’s heads-- at least, except for Maisie.

Peter immediately went to buy the newspaper bearing the likeness of his other... self? Honestly, Mary Jane didn’t know how else to describe it.

“Whoever the Peter Parker in this universe is, he needs my help,” Peter said. “I... I know he does. And not just about this. Something... something’s gonna happen.”

Mary Jane took his hand. “What do you need me to do?”

“Take the kids and find someplace safe,” he told her. “I’ll call you whenever I can, but if you have to move, tell me where you are--”

“I will,” Mary Jane promised.

“I’ll come with you!” Maisie offered.

“Me, too!” Annie offered. “We can help--!”

“No, you’ll be safer if you stay with your mom,” Peter told them. “Okay?”

Maisie was visibly grinding her teeth in frustration, but Annie-- ever gracious and accommodating, the only one of the twins who never had to be scolded twice for the same misdeed-- said, “I understand, Dad.”

Peter hugged the twins, kissing the tops of their auburn heads, before he addressed Benji.

At thirteen years old, Benji looked every bit his father’s son, but had a solemn and quiet disposition that reminded both of his parents of the man that he was named for.

Benji-- their miracle baby after two miscarriages.

Whom they almost lost during a high risk pregnancy, an emergency C-section in Mary Jane’s twenty-eighth week...

“Benji, I need you to listen to your mom while I’m gone,” Peter instructed. “Can you promise that?”

“Yes, Dad,” Benji promised.

Peter picked little Susan up from the stroller. Their little surprise, conceived and born in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic, but had been welcomed into the family with open arms.

“Daddy, you leaving?” Susan asked, her small voice breaking Peter’s heart.

“Just for a little bit,” he said. “I’m going to help someone, but I swear that I will be back as soon as I can. I need you to be good for Mommy and your sisters and brother, okay?”

“Okay,” Susan agreed.

Annie helpfully took Susan into her arms, allowing her parents to share an embrace

“Whatever’s going on, I promise that we’ll be home soon,” Peter swore to her. “I love you, M.J.”

“I love you, too,” Mary Jane said, kissing him. “Stay safe, Tiger.”

Over the next several hours, Peter kept sending her texts, telling her about what was going on. After Susan continued begging, he answered a video call, looking like he was in some sort of lab. She caught sight of two other men in the background-- the baby-faced boy that she had seen, and the other looking like he was ten years younger than her Peter, both of them wearing their own versions of her husband’s suit. The boy from the pictures looked significantly beat up, making her stomach sink as she wondered what in her Peter’s history had just happened for him.

Almost an hour after the video call, everyone else around them began talking about “Spider-Man livestreaming with the Daily Bugle.”

One man had been gracious enough to show Mary Jane the video. It wasn’t her Peter, though. But as she heard the Peter of this world speak, her heart breaking for him as she heard his voice.

“Mom, is Dad there?” Maisie asked, looking over her mother’s shoulder.

“I... I don’t see him, Mayday,” Mary Jane said.

She couldn’t even recall how much time passed before she saw that flash of gold again. But, in an instant, they were standing in the living room of their townhouse.

Peter-- her Peter-- was standing before her.

Without a second thought, she rushed into his arms. The kids almost turned the hug into a full tackle, but he didn’t seem to mind. Mary Jane’s hands began to run up and down his back before she felt something on her hands. She pulled her hand back, and her stomach dropped.

Blood.

“Peter, what happened?” she asked.

“MJ, it’s not as bad as it looks, I swear,” Peter tried to reassure her.

But, he failed as he began to keel over.

“I’ll call 911,” Annie was the first to jump to the occasion, while Mary Jane put her hand over where she had found the wound.

Please... please be okay...