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senditcolton · 3 years ago

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Always Leave Me Wanting More

summary: winning the Stanley Cup is every players dream. and now that your husband Ryan has managed to achieve it twice, the only thing he’s wants to do is celebrate with you... and think about what’s next for the two of you.

song word count: 5.9k warnings: smut! semi-public, oral (female receiving), and breeding kink

Disclaimer: Reading/creating content for married players isn’t for everyone. Please don’t read if you don’t vibe with it, but don’t attack me or others!

There were times in your life where you wondered if everything was worth it. If all the pain and heartache and sacrifices you made in your life actually mattered, actually meant something.

And then there were moments like these, when you realized that you would go through everything a hundred times over again if it meant that you got to be here: sitting in a ballroom, wearing your best dress, as you watch the love of your life receive a ring in commemoration of an achievement that every hockey player dreamed of.

You watch, the smile never leaving your face, as your husband Ryan opened up the jewelry box that held the St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup ring. Watching as his blue eyes lit up with such childlike excitement as he spied the diamonds nestled in the blue velvet. Watching as that dazzling smile widens once he slips the ring over his finger. You don’t say anything – you aren’t even sure if you could put this moment into words. Instead, you simply lean over and press your lips into his, feeling his smile against yours.

The night was perfect. That was simply the best word for it. You were surrounded by people you loved, people you admired, and currently, you were laughing with one of your close friends Melanie as she finished recounting her latest work drama, her daughter Hartford in her arms.

“You always think you’re being perfectly clear and literally spelling it out and still they don’t understand,” she sighs, her eyes rolling back.

“That’s always the case, and not just in work. Husbands are like that sometimes.”

“And kids. Saylor is getting into her ‘no’ phase and Torey and I are… working through it,” Mel laughs, looking around the ballroom. You follow her gaze and see Saylor toddling around the carpeted floor, running up to every person and saying hello. That is, until she spies Torey closing in on her which is when she runs off, her high-pitched giggles filling the room.

“Well, at least this one is still a few years from that,” you say, leaning forward and holding your hand out to Hartford. She gives you that adorable baby smile, her chubby cheeks bright and rosy.

“Thankfully,” Mel agrees with you. “Do you want to hold her?”

“Sure,” you reply and you hold out your arms, letting Melanie carefully transfer her daughter into your grasp and you lift her up towards you, resting her on your hip.

“So, how have you and Ryan been?” Mel asks as you gently bounce Hartford.

“We’ve been good. Just kind of taking in the married life. I’ve been focusing on work and, of course, Ryan has been working in his own way.”

“To great success,” Mel teases and the two of you share a laugh.

“Yeah,” you say, taking in everything around you. “We’ve been good.” You hear Hartford start to babble next to you and you look down, taking a brief moment to adjust the bow perched on top of her head. She has her arms outstretched, her small hands clapping as she continues to coo and you follow her gaze towards the Stanley Cup, standing big and bright and a shining silver in the center of the room.

“What’s that Hartford?” you ask, your voice light. “Is that the Stanley Cup? Did your dad win that?” Her response is more adorable baby nonsense and you can’t help the smile that tugs at your lips.

“Do you want to go see it?” you ask her, shooting a glance over towards Melanie, subtly aiming the question at her as well.

“Go for it,” she replies. “Besides, it looks like I might have to help Torey wrangle Saylor.” You both glance behind you and see Saylor continuing to laugh and run around the tables always escaping Torey’s grasp like she had been for the past few minutes. Mel glances back at you with an exasperated look and you both share a small chuckle before she departs to help her husband. You look back to the child in your arms and smile at her.

“Let’s go see Lord Stanley, huh Hartford?” She coos back at you in response and you walk towards the table where the Cup is sitting. Hartford’s excited giggles increase as you get closer and you laugh with her. When you finally arrive, you lean Hartford in close, her hands reaching out and grasping the lip of the Cup. You gently take her hands, bringing her back to you before crouching down to the edge of the table, your vision lining up with the bottom ring, the names of the Blues freshly engraved on the metal.

“There’s your daddy, Hartford,” you gently explain to her, pointing to the pressing of Torey’s name. “And there’s Ryan’s name,” you point a few rows up to where your husband is engraved. “And let’s see here…” you trail off, lifting yourself up to walk around the Cup, finding the Bruins 2011 win, “there’s your dad’s old team.” You point to the names in small print as Hartford continues to babble in your arms. You press a kiss to the top of her head and you continue to point at the Cup and all the names engraved on the silver; from some of the old great players as well as those more recent players who were sure to go down in history.

“I can also show you when the Blues won the Cup in 2019 but your dad doesn’t like to talk about that year because he was on the losing team,” you whisper into the crown of her head and you can hear her giggle at feeling of your breath tickling through her hair.

“What are you teaching my daughter now Y/N?” you hear Torey’s voice sound from behind you and you turn to see him walking up to you, Melanie close behind, Saylor’s hand wrapped in hers. Hartford starts to babble again as soon as she sees her dad, the Cup completely forgotten as her hands reach out to him instead.

“Oh, nothing,” you say as you help transfer her from your arms into his. “Just telling her about 2019,” you explain innocently and you see Torey’s eyes playfully glare at you.

“We don’t talk about 2019.”

“Well, you might not but I do,” you say, reaching out towards Hartford and she grabs on to one of your fingers. “When you’re old enough, you should ask you dad to show you the picture of him and Uncle Robbie during that series and then he can tell you how they became the bestest of friends after that.”

“Uncle Robbie!” Saylor squeals, recognizing the name and you and Melanie laugh at her response. Torey lets out a light-hearted groan, looking back towards you.

“Look at what you’re doing,” Torey lightly scolds and you just laugh.

“You know I can’t help it. Have to make sure the girls know their St. Louis Blues history. It’s very important stuff.”

“Well, we’re actually just about to head out,” Melanie explains. You peel away from leaning in to give you a quick half-hug, Saylor still holding onto her hand.

“Aw, already?”

“Got to get the girls home and in bed before they get too tired,” she explains and you nod in understanding. You lean in and give Torey a quick hug congratulating him once again on the win, even though everyone has said the same thing a million times over. You press another quick kiss to the crown of Hartford’s head, smiling as she lets out some more baby babbling. Finally, you crouch down and open your arms for Saylor. She comes running into them, giving you a hug and you wrap your arms around her in return. You quickly lift her up into the air, causing her to shriek and giggle at the sudden movement before placing her down again. You gently pull away from her, turning her towards her mother and she happily takes Melanie’s hand. You lift yourself up off the floor, watching as they all start to walk out of the ballroom but before you know it, Saylor is turning around.

“Bye-bye,” she shouts to you, her little hand waving and you instinctively blow her a small kiss, waving your fingers goodbye to her as well.

You sigh, watching as the Krugs head out, a soft smile appearing on your face as you watch Torey lean in to give Melanie a quick kiss, Hartford in his arms and Saylor toddling between them. They were such a beautiful family and part of you couldn’t wait for the day that that was you and Ryan; successful and happy and completely content.

You are still caught up in the moment that you don’t even notice Ryan coming up behind you, as if he could hear your thoughts, until his arms wrap around your waist. You don’t even startle, so sure of Ryan’s energy that your only response is to lean back into him, sighing as he presses a soft kiss against your temple. You almost expect it to stop there, Ryan never being one for big displays of public affection but you are caught off guard by his lips trailing down, kissing the spot behind your ear that he knows makes you weak and then moving even lower to kiss your neck. You are certain he can feel your pulse jump underneath him and it is almost confirmed for you as you feel his lips curl against your skin. He finally pulls his lips away from you and you take a few moments to catch your breath.

“What was that for?” you ask, your voice still a little breathless.

“Nothing,” Ryan whispers into your hair, his arms still wrapped tightly around you, his hands absentmindedly dancing across your waist and hips.

“Hmm, I’m not sure I believe you,” you hum, your body instinctively arching back into his. Ryan doesn’t say anything for a few moments, staying silent as his hands continue to rest heavily on your body.

“You’re really good with kids,” he finally mutters into your hair. You know those words should not have the effect that they do on you now but the way Ryan said them – the heavy tone, the almost growl that you heard lingering in the back of his throat, the way his hands tightened on your hips – it had butterflies erupting in your stomach and a rush of heat being sent down your body.

Spinning in Ryan’s arms, you turn to face him, your arms going up to rest on his shoulders, fingers tangling in the short hair at the nape of his neck.

“Have you been watching me, Mr. Ryan O’Reilly?” you ask teasingly.

“Only every second,” comes his quick reply, his sparkling steel blue eyes looking down at you through his thick lashes, your body warming under his gaze. You gently lift yourself up to connect your lips to his and you sigh as he pulls you in closer. Your heartbeat quickens as he deepens the kiss, his hands wandering from your hips to the small of your back and starting to sink lower until you pull away from him. His movements pause as you look up at him, a puzzled look on your face.

“What has gotten into you?” you question, your tone light but curious.

“Nothing. Like I said,” he continues, playing coy as his lips find their way back to your skin, a kiss punctuating each of his next words. “You’re just really, really, good with kids.”

“Ryan,” you say, drawing out his name in warning as you tear yourself away from him once more. Ryan simply grins down at you, his hands resting on the small of your back.

What follows is an entirely silent conversation.

One of your eyebrows raising in question. Ryan’s eyes darting around before focusing on a fixed point across the room. You following his stare to the small hallways that lead to the private restrooms. Ryan’s hands tightening on your hips, tugging you closer. Whipping your head back to him, your eyes widening in disbelief. A small shrug and mischievous look from Ryan. Your eyes rolling, tearing away from his gaze, gently shaking your head, a breathy laugh falling from you. A pause, the smirk tugging at your lips as the thought dances through your mind. A glance back at him, that grin still on your face. Lifting yourself up to capture him in a kiss that leaves both of you wanting more.

Pulling away from him, the glint in your eyes daring him to make the next move.

Before you can even blink, Ryan is unwinding himself from around you, taking your hand in his and walking you down towards the secluded hallway and it’s private rooms. You try to slow him, make your pace seem more leisurely so as not to arouse suspicion. Although, you wanted to be alone as quickly as he did.

The journey felt like it took forever but as soon as Ryan pulled you into the single bathroom and you heard the definitive click of the lock fall into place, all of your facades dropped.

It wasn’t clear who made the first advance but it didn’t matter when you had Ryan pressed up against you. You gladly let him take the lead, his strong body pushing you further back into the room, your lips still locked together. You let out a small gasp as you felt the back of your thighs hit the countertop of the sink and Ryan takes that as an opportunity for his lips to trail downwards. You head spun as you felt him all over you; his mouth tracing your skin, his hands dancing everywhere – gripping your waist, your hips, your thighs, lifting one of them up to hook over the back of his own as he pressed you deeper against the sink.

“Ryan,” you whine, his name high and tight in the back of your throat.

“What is it, darling?” Ryan whispers against your skin, placing open-mouthed kisses across your collarbones. “What do you need?”

“You.”

The response comes out of your mouth before you even register the words. Ryan lifts his lips off of your chest, his head raising to connect his eyes back to yours. You swallow thickly, feeling the heat radiating from his body and your own body warm from his previous actions. Your hands lift, coming to rest on the base of his skull, fingers gently running through his hair. One of Ryan’s hands follows a similar path, lifting from your hip to cup your face, thumb caressing your jawline and tracing your lips.

“I just need you,” you breathe out.

The corners of Ryan’s lips quirk up, his eyes soft as he continues to stare down at you. He did this often even though you weren’t sure if he even knew what he was doing; making you feel as if you were the only person in the world, that you were all that he ever wanted. It’s what made you fall in love with him in the first place… and you fell a little more every time he looked at you like this.

Ryan leans in closer until his lips just barely touch yours and you swear that you can feel everything; his breath fanning over your cheeks, the lightest tickles of his beard on your skin, the heat radiating from his body. There is a beat, a moment of silence where he just stays there and you can’t stop your chest from heaving, your fingers flexing as you try to resist pulling him that final millimeter towards you.

“You’ll always have me,” he whispers.

Your resolve finally crumbles and you don’t hesitate an instant longer before pulling his lips to yours. The kiss felt like fire, igniting your body, sending that passion and desire rushing through you as you try to bring him closer, deepening the kiss, both of your legs wrapping around his hips, heels pressing into the back of his thighs. Ryan groans into your open mouth and you gladly swallow the sound, desperate for everything he could give you.

It takes Ryan’s hands slipping underneath the silk of your dress for you two to break apart, your head falling back, hitting the mirror behind you, the contrast of the cool glass against your scalp sending another shiver down your spine. Ryan returns to the spot on your chest, kissing your hot skin above the neckline of your dress. You whine as you feel his coarse fingertips trace over the lace of your underwear, teasing you by touching everywhere but the one place you wanted.

The whimper that leaves your throat is a clear enough request for Ryan, who finally slips his hands underneath your waistband and runs his fingers down your slit.

“Fuck sweetheart,” he growls against you, his teeth grazing your collarbones as he feels your arousal pulsing from you. “Is this all for me?”

Your only response is another whine, your hips canting up, chasing his fingers, silently begging for more.

“You’re so fucking beautiful like this,” he continues and he resumes his movements against your core, “so wet and desperate. Just for me.”

You have to bite back the loud moan that wants to fall from your lips when Ryan finally plunges his fingers into you, his thumb coming to press against your clit sending another rush of heat down to your core.

Your body aches for him, lifting, writhing towards him if only to get feel him more. Ryan reads your desperation clearly and moves his fingers within you, the pressure on your clit steady. His other hand delicately slides the straps of your dress off of your shoulders, the movements in sharp contrast to those happening between your thighs. That is, until he pulls down the front of your gown, exposing your chest to the cool air of the bathroom. You gasp, feeling your nipples pebble before Ryan’s head ducks down, his lips closing over one of them.

The stimulation from his lips, his tongue, his fingers, against your breasts, against your core, is simultaneously all too much and yet not enough. Your body moves with reckless abandon: your head thrown back, chest heaving, hips chasing his thrusts, hands burying themselves deeper into his hair.

Somehow, your head is too scrambled to even gather how, Ryan untangles himself from you, removing himself from your body entirely. Your keening whine is short-lived before his hands grip your hips, your feet hitting the floor as he spins you around and you gasp as you feel the edge of the counter press against the tops of your thighs.

Ryan’s hands trace their way up your body, one gripping your breast, the other stopping to rest on the concaves of your collarbones, his fingers spanning across your throat, tilting your head to the side. His hot breath tickles against the shell of your ear and you press your hips back against his, whimpering when you feel the hard ridge of him press against the curves of your ass.

“Open your eyes, sweetheart,” he whispers and your eyes flutter open. The moan that threatens to spill from your lips is dangerous as your eyes connect in the mirror, the shiver that runs down the length of your body as you see his heavy stare on you.

“Look at me,” Ryan continues, his lips a whisper against your temple, “and tell me what you want. Exactly what you want me to do to this perfect fucking body of yours.”

You mewl, your head falling forward as far as it can, your eyelashes fluttering as you try to compose yourself enough to answer his demand. Ryan doesn’t make it easy, his other hand continuing to play with your nipples, his lips pressing against that spot behind your ear that he knows damn well makes you putty in his grasp.

“I want,” you begin, your words stuttered and unsteady. You attempt to gasp in enough air to clear your head to give him a full reply. “I want your mouth on me. Please, Ryan, please make me cum on your tongue.”

You feel his chest rumble in a soft chuckle before he presses a kiss into your hair.

“Anything for you,” he mumbles and you let your eyes close, melting back into his body before you feel him peel away from you, his hands disappearing from your skin. You open your eyes in enough time to see him shoot you a mischievous wink in the mirror before he is sinking down onto the tile floor behind you.

The trembles that echo through your body are never ceasing as you feel Ryan’s hands caress legs, fingers tracing up the taut muscle of your calves, over your knees before reaching the hem of your dress, toying with the fabric. He continues his path, pushing the silk up your thighs and you lightly pull your body away from the marble edge of the basin, allowing the fabric to lift the last few inches before Ryan is pulling your dress over the curve of your ass, letting it pool around your hips.

His fingers abandon the silk in turn for the lace that still covered your aching core. Ryan tugs at the elastic of the waistband, playfully snapping it against your skin before twisting it in his fingers and torturously pulling it down. You hiss as your soaked cunt is exposed to the cool air, your hips moving on their own accord. Ryan doesn’t give any form of acknowledgment; just simply continues to glide your underwear down until they finally reach the bottom of you legs. A warm hand comes to wrap around your ankle, gently lifting your foot off the tile and carefully pulling the elastic over your heels before repeating on the other side until the scrap of lace is entirely removed from your body.

Your head spins when you feel Ryan’s lips press against the smooth skin on the back of your thighs. His fingers retrace their path up your legs, his lips trailing close behind and you can’t stop the short breaths of anticipation that fall from your chest.

The hot and heavy palm that lands on the small of your back is demanding yet reverent as Ryan’s fingers splay out, pressing down against you and pushing your torso forward, exposing more of your center to him. He presses two teasing kisses on the apex of your thighs before his mouth finally hits your core. You moan outright as his lips move, his tongue plunging into your core, the vibrations from his own moans rushing through you. You can feel your own body thrumming as he continues to eat you out, his hands coming to knead the flesh of your cheeks, pulling your hips closer to his mouth.

“Fuck,” you gasp as his lips trail down to wrap around your clit, moving against your sensitive bundle of nerves, sending you reeling for more, whimpers falling from your lips as your hands try to grip the smooth porcelain of the sink in front of you. Ryan doesn’t stop, not that you would want him to when you felt like you were right on the edge of that precipice.

Even though you knew it was coming, your orgasm still takes you by surprise, rushing through you as you clench around nothing. Ryan feels your core pulsing against his tongue, hears those high whines pulling themselves from your throat, echoing around the bathroom as you fall apart. He continues to lap at your folds, gently cleaning the arousal spilling from you, extending your orgasm impossibly longer until your legs were trembling underneath his hands, the sturdy countertop the only thing holding you upright.

Ryan finally removes mouth from your core, once again pressing a light kiss onto the back of your thigh before lifting himself up. His hand reaches out to you, grasping your chin and pulling your head up from it’s slumped position to pull your lips into his. You moan into his open mouth, tasting yourself on his tongue as he presses himself against your spent body.

“So perfect, so pretty when you cum for me,” he growls into the kiss, his hips grinding into you, and you hiss as you feel the edge of the marble press into the delicate skin of the top of your thighs, the slight sharp pain mixing perfectly with the dull pulsing pleasure still thrumming through your body. The two of you continue to make out, lips and tongues clashing. You can feel Ryan adjusting behind you but your brain is so overwhelmed that you don’t react to his movements until you feel the velvet head of his cock press against your soaked folds.

“Ryan,” you moan into his mouth as he grinds against your bare core.

“Come on, darling,” he whispers. “Don’t you want me to fuck you, nice and deep? Bend you over this counter and fill you up?”

His questions send your mind into a tailspin and you can barely form a word as you feel him slide against your slit, nudging your clit causing more incoherent noises to fall from your lips.

“That pretty pussy of yours is practically begging for my cum,” Ryan continues. “So nice and wet for me, ready to take my cock. So, tell me sweetheart, is that what you want?”

You frantically nod your head in agreement, anything to stop his teasing torment.

“Uh huh, I need your words,” he murmurs into your ear.

“Yes, Ryan. Please. I need it, I need you. Please fill me up, give me your cum, make me yours.”

You might have imagined it, but you swear that you feel his mouth curl into a smile against the side of your skull at your begging. But you don’t have enough time to confirm or even care because before you can, Ryan presses into you, slipping into your tight cunt and you moan unabashedly as your head falls back against his shoulder.

Ryan plunges deeper into you, groaning against your neck when he feels your walls fluttering against his length. Your hands fly up to reach behind you, grasping at the back of his head, fingers tangled in his hair. Whine after whine falls from your lips when Ryan starts to move, creating a slow and sensual rhythm that makes you succumb to him and he leaves open mouthed kisses on your throat, careful not to linger in one place as to not leave a mark, still insanely cognizant of where you were and exactly what you were doing.

“Babe, faster,” you plead, desperate for him. Ryan obliges, pulling himself almost completely from you before sharply thrusting back into you. The force lurches your body forward, hands dropping back to the cold marble to steady yourself as your head falls.

“Like this, darling?” Ryan asks, his voice up ticked in a teasing lilt.

“Yes – fuck – just like that,” you whine, the obscene sounds of him slapping against you filling the bathroom. Ryan leans forward, caging your body in between the marble basin and his own, his chest pressed against your back.

There are too many sensations happening all at once, your mind spinning to try and register all of them: the heat of Ryan’s body draped over yours, the feeling of his steady thrusts in between your thighs, his hot breath against your temple. The edge of the countertop bites your thighs and you know the fragile skin there will be mottled with purple and blue bruises in no time. But you can’t find it in you to care because you know it was all worth it to hear the things that Ryan is saying to you.

“Gonna fuck you so good, fill this perfect cunt with my cum. Want to give you a baby. What do you think about that? Want me to fuck a baby into you?”

“God, please, Ryan,” you huff out, the sentence choppy as you can feel your second orgasm creeping up on you. Ryan can feel it to, feeling the way you clench around him when you get close. Quietly, his hand creeps up your chest, returning to its familiar resting place at the base of your throat as he gently pulls your head up. Your eyes fly open with a whimper as he slows his movement and your heart catches in your throat as you look into the mirror once more, seeing Ryan tight against you.

“Look at me, sweetheart,” he whispers, trapping your reflection under his stare. “I want you to look at me when you cum.”

Your only response is the barest of nods as you force your eyes to stay connected to his. He presses a contrastingly gentle kiss against your temple before moving again, slowly building up to the speed and forceful rhythm that he knows makes you unravel. You have channel all your power into keeping your eyes open and locked on him as Ryan’s hands fall to yours, your fingers intertwining as his body drapes almost entirely over you.

The pants that fall from you are fast and sharp as your high builds until finally, finally, the tension snaps like a rubber band and your orgasm hits you. Your head falls forward as your mouth falls open in a silent scream, your breath shuddering as wave after wave of pleasure crashes over you. Ryan is close behind you, powerless against the vice-like feeling of you clenching around him. The deep, guttural groan that rumbles from his chest vibrates through you and your core involuntarily flutters as you feel him spill deep within you.

You hear Ryan’s quiet voice, praising you and repeating your name like a mantra, bringing you back to him. A heavy sigh escapes your chest as you swallow, trying to gather yourself. Although, it proves difficult when you can still feel Ryan inside you, his lips dancing over your shoulders, pressing kisses in between your shoulder blades. His hands remove themselves from yours, fingertips running across your wrists and arms, coaxing you to release your white-knuckled grip from cool porcelain edge of the sink.

It takes a few more moments and a few more deep breaths before you do, your body growing lax. Ryan’s hands continue up your arms until they reach the thin straps of your dress that were resting against your biceps. He grasps the fabric, gliding them back up to rest on your shoulders before moving downward, adjusting the silk against your chest and slowly covering your exposed body.

After another heavy sigh, you lick your lips and swallow thickly, finally managing to lift your torso with a little help from Ryan’s hand now placed gently on your stomach as he pulls your body upright along with his. Your muscles are lax, the haze from your post-orgasm making you feel like you were floating. The most you could do is let your head loll back on his shoulder and release another sigh as you feel Ryan lips kiss your temple.

You turn your head to the side, finally looking up at him and meeting his loving gaze. You let a weak smile pull at your lips which Ryan mirrors. It is only a second until he is dropping his lips down to meet your in a dizzying kiss, consuming you completely. A whine comes from you, piercing through the silence of the bathroom as Ryan moves his hips, one final sharp thrust into you before slowly pulling out. His lips remain on yours the entire time, swallowing every final whimper that falls.

After what has felt like forever, you remove your lips from his, taking in another deep breath as the two of you lean back. It takes another few moments of staying like that, embracing each other until you finally pull away. Ryan separates his body from yours, adjusting himself, before reaching towards the sink, grabbing a wad of paper towels; the best he could do in this current situation. You smile anyway, accepting them and gently cleaning your thighs and core before tossing the paper.

The hem of your dress falls back down to cover the rest of your body, and you smooth out the fabric. Ryan quizzically looks at you, reaching into his inner jacket pocket and pulling out the lace of your underwear, the elastic dangling in the crook of an outstretched finger. You take the lace from him but only to tuck it back into his jacket, shooting him a smirk as you do. He returns your smile, placing a light kiss on your lips before his arms come to wrap around your waist once again and turning you towards the mirror. You stand there in silence, looking at each other’s reflections until you finally speak.

“Were you serious?” you ask, turning your head to look directly at him. “About everything you said?”

“You mean about kids?” he clarifies. You nod your head in confirmation and you feel his chest raise as he takes a deep breath in, tearing his eyes from you as he looks up. He did that a lot, when he was trying to organize his thoughts.

“I mean, yeah,” he replies. “It’s just tonight, I thought, you know, here I am, Captain of my team, celebrating with them after winning the trophy that everyone wants to win. And I have my beautiful wife by my side, supporting me like she always has and always does.”

You smile at his words, your heart silently reaching for him.

“But then I saw you with Hartford sitting on your hip and how good you are with her – with everyone’s kids to be honest – and I couldn’t help thinking: look at all this, all these things that I’ve accomplished… and yet that’s the one thing that I still don’t have.”

Ryan pauses, his eyes dropping down to reconnect with yours and your feel your breath catch in your throat for what felt like the hundredth time that night. Although this time, it wasn’t in anticipation or excitement. It was because Ryan was staring at you like you had hung the stars in the very sky.

“And I’ve never wanted to have that more than I’ve wanted it with you,” he concludes, kissing your forehead softly. You can’t stop the giddy smile that dances across your lips at Ryan’s words, your body curling into him.

“So, yes,” Ryan continues after a brief moment, “I’d like to start trying for a family with you. As long as you are ready as well.”

There is no hesitation when you spin around in his arms and pulling him into another kiss. Ryan gladly returns the kiss and you can feel his smile against your lips.

“I would love to,” you say, breaking away from him. “I would love to start a family with you. In fact, you actually kind of read my mind earlier.” Ryan shoots a small confused glance your way causing a small giggle to fall from you. “When Mel and Torey and Saylor and Hartford were leaving, I thought, ‘I can’t wait for the day that’s us’.”

“Who knows,” Ryan says, smiling down at you. “Maybe next year, that will be us.”

“That’s a tall order,” you laugh. “A baby and back-to-back Stanley Cups?”

“I know we can make it happen.”

#nicole writes #ryan o'reilly fic #ryan o'reilly imagine #ryan o'reilly smut #st. louis blues fic #st. louis blues imagine #nhl fic #nhl imagine #hockey fic #hockey imagine #la petite mort

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lunaserenade · 4 years ago

Text

Exposed

Masterlist

Part 12 of the Meet Me at Sunrise Series

Previous Chapter: Entangled

Next Chapter: Bruised

Author’s Note: FINALLY got past my writers’ block, more chapters to follow shortly!

Beta reading dream team: @violentcosmicsymphony and @briefgalaxycat

Paring: Marcus Pike x FBI Agent!Reader

Words: 1.4k

Warnings: None

Summary: A surprise visitor to the bullpen leaves Marcus a little more jealous than he would care to admit.

———

Deputy Assistant Director Nathan Gray was a lovely man, 6'4 with dark hair and warm hazel eyes that oozed charisma and charm. You were surprised when he entered the bullpen and settled by your desk.

“Deputy Assistant Director Gray, to what do I owe this honor?” You said with a smile, setting down the paperwork you had been pouring over this morning.

“I've been wanting to talk to you about the undercover work you did on the Christian Laurent case. I was very impressed with your performance.” He said with praise, although you missed the way his eyes raked over your body.

“Thank you, that means a lot. I really enjoyed going undercover, honestly.” You admitted.

“That's why I wanted to talk to you, actually.” Nathan sat on the corner of your desk, a move that did not go unnoticed by Marcus as he tried to watch inconspicuously from his office.

“I think you are very talented and would be an invaluable asset to the White-Collar division. I'd like to offer you a supervisory role to a team focused on fraud and forgeries.” Nathan continued, a warm smile on his face. You were stunned and caught completely off guard.

“I... Wow, that's a wonderful offer. It really is, but I'm really happy here with the Art Crimes team.” You answered. As Nathan looked deep into your eyes you were suddenly uncomfortably aware of how close he was. Marcus watched from his office as Nathan leaned forward and placed his hand on your arm, continuing his job pitch. That was what pushed Marcus over the edge as he found himself leaving his office, grabbing his jacket off the couch on his way out.

You heard Marcus call your name softly as he approached your desk, turning away from Nathan with a smile. There was an odd look on Marcus’ face that you couldn’t quite decipher as he stopped next to where you sat.

“Ready to go grab some lunch?” He said with a smile, though his eyes flicked over to Nathan almost as if sizing him up.

“Ooh yes. I just need a minute to get my stuff. Do you want to get Chinese today?” You said, looking up at Marcus.

“That sounds wonderful.” Marcus said as he put a finger under your chin, lifting it as he leaned down to give you a chaste kiss. You were a little taken aback, though pleasantly surprised, by his kiss. Although the pair of you weren’t actively hiding your relationship from work, especially since you were engaged now, it was very unusual of Marcus to show affection so blatantly in the office around other agents. Nathan looked surprised too as he stood up from his seat on your desk, standing there slightly awkwardly.

“I didn’t know that the two of you were together...” Nathan said, Marcus noticed the subtle look of disappointment on his face that you didn’t catch.

“For a while now.” Marcus said stiffly, and that’s when it finally hit you. Was Marcus Pike jealous? You gave Nathan a smile as you held up your left hand, your engagement ring catching the light.

“We got engaged last week.” You stood up, picking up your purse, and settled yourself at Marcus’ side. His hand was at the small of your back instantly, large and comforting.

“Congratulations.” Nathan gave you both a smile and nod, then turned to you. “Just let me know what you decide and reach out, alright?”

“I doubt I’ll change my mind, but if I do, I’ll give you a call.” You smirked and left the bullpen with Marcus, his hand drifting to your waist as you entered the elevator.

“What brought Deputy Assistant Director Gray by today?” Marcus said, trying to appear nonchalant but you could read him like a book.

“He’s trying to steal me away from you.” You quickly continued at the look of shock on his face, turning to wrap your arms around his neck as the elevator doors shut. “He’s trying to poach me for White Collar. He offered me a position leading a team here in DC, but I told him no. I’m more than happy with my job here. Plus, my boss and I get along really well.”

“Oh... I thought he was... well never mind.” Marcus turned a bit pink. There was a moment of relief that washed over Marcus’ face and then sudden concern. “Wait. A promotion?”

“Yeah, but I’m really not interested.” You said dismissively and then gave him a grin. “You were jealous, weren’t you?”

“Was it that obvious?” Marcus said sheepishly as the two of you untangled from each other when the elevator reached the first floor. You slid your hand into his and headed through the lobby, onto the busy streets of Washington.

“Just a little.” You stopped, stepping close to Marcus until your chests were brushing and cupped his cheek. “You won’t get rid of me that easily Mr. Pike. You’ve got me for the long haul.”

“I love you Mrs. Pike.” Marcus kissed you, slow and passionate.

“I love you too... and I could definitely get used to the sound of that.” You whispered softly against his lips, giving him another kiss.

“Me too.” Marcus pressed one last quick kiss to you lips and began to lead you towards the Chinese takeout restaurant a few blocks away. “So... about that promotion.”

“Nope, I told you I’m not going anywhere.” As you looped your arm with his, he was a bit relieved. Working with you was one of his favorite parts of his job, and you were a highly valuable asset to the team. But a promotion? He didn’t want to hold you back, but he knew how hardheaded you were. Once you made up your mind, he was hard pressed to change it. Maybe it was a conversation for another day.

———-

It surprised you and Marcus both at how much like gossipy teenagers Federal Agents could be. The next morning the news of your engagement quickly spread at the Bureau, heads of other various units swinging by the bullpen with congratulations to you and Marcus. There were more than a few raised eyebrows from higher ups who had been completely oblivious to your relationship, but you were delighted. The accidental freedom he had given the two of you by spilling the beans to Gray was refreshing. You didn't have to police your affection for Marcus around work anymore and it was lovely. You sat on your couch that evening watching a movie and let out a soft hum of contentment, your back pressed against Marcus' chest as his skilled hands worked at the muscles in your shoulders and neck. You laughed lightly at Gene Wilder as his antics unfolded on the TV. You found out recently Marcus hadn't seen most of Mel Brooks' movies and had decided it was a crime that needed to be corrected immediately, tonight's movie was Young Frankenstein.

“Sweetheart... I need to apologize.” Marcus said softly, his hands kneading at the knot in your shoulder.

“For what?” You said, a little surprised.

“For acting so possessive when Gray was flirting with you.” He said sheepishly. You repositioned yourself so you could look into his eyes.

“There is nothing to apologize for.” You smiled and kissed him softly. “It was kind of sweet. You wanted him to know I'm yours, and I am. I'm not going anywhere.” Marcus grinned at that, capturing your lips in another kiss and rested his forehead against yours.

“Speaking of going somewhere... As much as I don't want to lose you, I think you should consider that promotion in White Collar.” He brushed his nose against yours.

“But the team-” You started, you loved them as if they were your own family.

“Would understand, and you can't let us hold you back. This is a great opportunity, if it's something that interests you, you should pursue it.” Marcus insisted.

“... I'll think about it, I promise.” You assured him. “But for now, how about cuddles and more movies?” Kissing him you tucked yourself back against his chest, sighing happily when he wrapped his arms around you.

“Sounds like a perfect night to me.” Marcus pressed a kiss to your temple and settled in for the simple pleasure of a night in with you in his arms.

tagged: @diva-1992, @yespolkadotkitty, @sarahjkl82-blog, @seasonschange-butpeopledont, @mrsparknuts, @disgruntledspacedad, @mrschiltoncat, @giselatropicana, @sugarontherims, @cynic-spirit, @supernaturalgirl, @farfromjustordinary, @buckstaposition

Let me know if you'd like to be added to my tags.

#meet me at sunrise #marcus pike x ofc #marcus pike x reader #marcus pike #the mentalist #Pedro pascal #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal fluff #narcos #the mandalorian #fanfic #fluff #romance #self insert #reader insert

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natashasbanner · 5 years ago

Text

It’s In The Little Things

Five times Harry wordlessly showed Macy he loved her and one time he told her.

A/N: First day of Hacy Week y'all and I almost missed it. I found of list of different ways of saying I love you without saying the words and thought it would be perfect for this day. I hope you all enjoy :D

Also on AO3

Macy was deeply focused on the article she had pulled up on her laptop she didn’t hear anyone come outside until Harry set a cup of tea on the table beside her.

“Two sugars, right?” he asked when she looked up at him.

“What?”

“In your tea,” he said, nodding at the tea cup. “Two sugars?”

“Oh, yeah,” Macy nodded. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, smiling as he took the chair opposite her. “I hope you don’t mind the company.”

“Not at all, it’s nice out today.”

He took a sip of his tea with a smile. “I thought the rain was never going to let up.” He nodded at her laptop and asked, “What are you reading?”

“Um, nothing really.” Macy shrugged, tapping her keys absentmindedly. “Just an article about women in STEM fields.”

Harry smiled and tilted his head slightly. “That sounds like a little more than nothing. Would you mind sending it to me?”

“Really?”

He stopped his tea cup halfway to his mouth. “Considering I’m the head of the Women’s Studies department, I think it’s important to stay up to date on women’s issues,” he said in the same tone he used when he first started using the training orb with them.

“Fair enough,” Macy said with a soft chuckle. She scrolled down to the bottom of the article and copied the link and sent it to Harry’s university email.

His phone chimed a moment later and he pulled it from his pocket with a smile. “Thank you.”

Macy smiled back and found her place again. “Any time.”

She watched his brow wrinkle as he started reading and took a sip of her tea. She smiled softly to herself as she went back to her own reading.

“Ready to go?”

Macy nodded as she finished shrugging into coat. Harry was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs outside the lab, briefcase in hand and scarf neatly knotted around his neck. He offered his arm to her when she reached the bottom of the stairs and Macy looped her arm around his with a smile.

“Looks like it’s just you and me for dinner,” she said as they started walking toward the faculty parking lot.

“Oh?” he asked, looking over at her.

“Mel’s got a date and Maggie’s spending the night at Kappa.”

“I see,” he nodded. “What are you in the mood for?”

“I was actually thinking we could try the new sushi bar downtown,” she said and then shrugged. “If you were up for it.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

Macy smiled. “Great.”

Harry nudged her shoulder with his. “Did you finally tire of my cooking,” he asked with a chuckle.

She nudged him back. “I thought you’d like the break.”

“Believe me, I’d much rather make dinner for you and sisters than sit in my flat by myself,” he said, ducking his head slightly.

“And you’re welcome any time,” she told him seriously, giving his arm a short squeeze.

He looked over at her again, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Thank you,” he said with slight tilt of his head.

They lapsed into silence as they walked the winding path to the parking lot. Macy was watching the smile play on his lips when he suddenly took her hand and abruptly stopped walking.

“Watch your step,” he said, nodding at the huge puddle she’d been a moment from soaking her boot in.

She let a breath and sidestepped the puddle, Harry’s hand still firmly clasped around hers.

“Thanks,” she said.

He squeezed her hand. “Any time.”

Macy stomach fluttered and a warmth spread up her arm and into her chest. He only dropped her hand when they reached her car.

Macy sighed as she climbed into the passenger’s seat and leaned her head back against the headrest. She closed her eyes, listening as Harry got into the driver’s seat and started the car.

“Is your seatbelt on?” he asked and Macy cracked reached blindly for the seatbelt, clicking it into place.

“Are you sure you’re okay to drive,” she asked, cracking an open to look at him.

“While I don’t particularly enjoy this side of the road, you clearly need the rest.” He smiled and reached across the center console to take her hand. “It’s not very far.”

“If you’re sure.” Macy said, closing her eye again.

“I’m positive,” he assured her.

Macy smirked and settled in for the drive. She didn’t remember falling asleep, but when she opened her eyes at Harry’s gentle prodding they were sitting in the driveway of the manor. She straightened in her seat and looked over at Harry.

“We’re home,” he said, taking her hand and lifting it to her lips to kiss her knuckles.

“I guess I did need the rest,” she said, ducking her head slightly.

“Let’s get inside to bed then,” he said around a yawn. He kissed the back of her hand before turn off the car.

Macy didn’t need anymore prompting and quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and followed him inside.

Macy was all but running to make it across campus. She checked her watch for the third time in as many minutes with a huff. She’d barely make it before they closed the doors for the lecture. She’d been looking forward to this presentation since they announced that this professor would be visiting to give one lecture. Things in the lab ran over and now she’d be lucky to even make it to the auditorium.

She made it but had to sweet talk the kid in charge of closing the doors to let her in. The lights were dimmed and she had to squint to find an empty seat.

“Macy,” she heard Harry whisper from the last row a few seats over from the door. He waved her over and Macy hurried over.

“Are there any seats?” Macy asked, scanning the chattering crowd.

“I don’t think so,” he said, already moving to stand. “Take my seat.”

Macy wrinkled her brows as he collected his jacket and briefcase. “Are you sure?”

“I’ll be able to see better standing,” he promised, kissing her cheek as he passed.

Macy watched him set his things on the ground and lean against the back wall. She hesitated a moment longer before deciding that there’d be no changing his mind and took her seat just as the professor stepped onto the stage.

Macy checked her watch and frowned, looking over at Harry who sat at the table across from her. They’d decided to take their lunch off campus. There was a little cafe downtown with outdoor seating and it was perfect for the beautiful spring afternoon.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, tilting his head to one side.

“It’s almost time for me to head back to the lab,” she answered.

Harry pulled the napkin from his lap and wiped at the corners of his mouth before he set it on his empty plate.

“I’ll walk you,” he said.

Macy shook her head. “You should stay, you don’t have another class for an hour.”

“I don’t mind, I’ve got some grades to enter to keep me busy.”

“Okay.” Macy said, pulling the tip from her wallet. Harry stood and offered her his hand. She took it and he pulled her to his feet.

The walk back to campus was short and Harry gave her hand a gentle squeeze when they reached the lab. He pulled her close and brushed his fingers along her cheek. Macy smiled and leaned into his touch.

“I’ll see you when you’re finished,” he said softly.

Macy nodded and leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. She started to pull away, but he leaned closer and prolonged the kiss a few seconds longer.

“I’m going to be late,” she whispered half heartedly against his lips.

He pressed one last kiss to her lips before dropping his hands. “Very well.”

Reluctantly, she headed up the stairs, glancing over her shoulder before she went inside. Harry waved and she smiled as she pushed the door open.

“I love you,” she heard Harry’s whisper as she felt herself drifting to sleep.

His arm was thrown loosely over her waist, his cheek pressed against her shoulder blade. She turned in his arm and settled to face him.

“Say that again?” she asked quietly.

He was quiet and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but when they did she saw that he was smiling.

“Harry?”

“I love you, Macy,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her tightly against his chest. He pressed a short kiss to her forehead.

“I love you too.” she said, reaching up to tilt his head down to kiss him properly. She felt him smile against her lips. His fingers splay against her back as he deepened the kiss.

When she finally pulled away she laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

She slept with a smile on her face that night. Completely content in the arms of the man she loved.

If she was being honest, she’d always known he loved her without hearing the words. It was all in the little things and those little things had been adding up for a long time.

#hacy #hacy week #macy x harry #my fic #please enjoy :D

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forbiddensoul562 · 5 years ago

Note

For your prompt on Meronia, what about a fun domestic AU in which Mello calls Matt over to help cook Near a birthday dinner and cake (since Mello can't cook), and Matt is only slightly better? It'd be fun if it all happened by the aid of a few beers and setting off the smoke alarm too xD

I’m so sorry it took me a LITERAL AGE to complete this!! I also had to adjust the prompt just slightly…… so, oops…. Hopefully it still came out okay to you, though.

Please enjoy~

(More placed beneath a ‘read more’, in case that didn’t show up….)

–

The ingredients were: butter, flour, salt, sugar, eggs, milk, and a few other items. Combined together in just the right measurements it would all form…

One huge mistake.

“You put too much flour in!” Mello complained as he furiously stirred the yellowish batter in the bowl, as if each revolution of the spoon along the sides would somehow fix the overly lumpy contents.

“I put too much flour in it?” Matt immediately snapped back from where he sat on the other side of the counter, finishing off the last of his beer before adding it to the quickly growing collection of empty cans beside him. “Don’t try to blame this on me, you’re the one who said it was too watery.” He leaned forward on his arm as he watched the blonde through orange tinted goggles that were partially stained by flour.

Mello’s only retort was an annoyed huff as he stirred a bit harder, pouring his frustration into the action.

Baking a cake for Near’s birthday had been a stupid idea… He should have just reserved a table at a fancy restaurant and had them deal with all of this nonsense. Or, better yet, he should have just heeded Near’s original suggestion and ignored the younger’s birthday entirely.

But no… He’d wanted to be considerate. Sweet, even…

But it wasn’t sweet. It was lumpy, and runny, and, in fact, probably didn’t have enough sugar in it.

He’d even called Matt, hoping the redhead would be at least some help, but instead it seemed he was better at critiquing and criticizing Mello’s work rather than offering any kind of constructive comments.

Mello sighed, finally putting the bowl down and going to the fridge for another beer. Was this his second? His third? Had he had more than that…? In the very least, the growing pile of cans on the counter suggested that he should send Matt out to get more soon.

He sipped at the drink, letting the flavor of the hops momentarily dull his stress. Though, his contemplative moment was interrupted as Matt suddenly spoke up, “Look, you have two options. Either you start all over, again, for the third time today… or you just live with what you’ve created, put it in the oven and just hope for the best.” He leaned a bit on his hand, “But I’m telling you… you should put a bit more sugar in it. Sugar makes everything more palatable, right?”

Mello hummed as he downed about half of the can before setting it on the counter, “Yeah, we’ll have to just see how this turns out… I don’t think I have enough eggs left to start over again.” Nor the patience. Though, in his impatient and even slightly tipsy state, Matt’s suggestion to add more sugar sounded like reasonable logic.

He grabbed the bag of sugar and scooped out a cup, gently shaking a bit of it into the bowl.

“Put the whole cup in.”

Mello glared at the younger successor, “I’m going to throw this cup at you if you don’t shut up.” Sugar would hopefully sweeten this creation, but how much? Surely a whole extra cup would be too much. Maybe not to him, but Near never seemed to have much of a sweet tooth… He sprinkled just a little bit more into it, then set the rest aside and resumed stirring it all together.

“This was a horrible idea…” He grumbled when he momentarily paused to take another sip from the beer. After, he set the bowl aside to grab the greased cake pan and poured the batter in.

“Yeah.” Matt nodded, entirely unaffected by the glare the blonde sent his way. “Next time maybe just buy a cake and tell him you made it yourself. I mean, do you really think he’d know the difference? Just get him his favorite kind. Surely even he couldn’t complain about that, right?”

Mello’s actions suddenly screeched to a halt.

Near’s favorite? His favorite… cake?

Matt pulled up the goggles to sit back on the top of his head, all the while watching the gears spin behind Mello’s azure orbs and reading straight through him. “Mello…” He chided, “You didn’t even think to find out what kind of cake he likes?”

Mello swallowed down a sudden lump in his throat, distracting himself by sliding the cake tin into the heated oven instead of mulling over the fact that, in his attempt to be sweet to Near he’d completely forgotten to ask whether Near had a favorite kind of cake…

Did Near even like cake at all?

“How long am I supposed to bake this thing for?” Mello grumbled, grabbing his drink once again.

The redhead shrugged, “How should I know? Twenty minutes? Thirty? Just leave it in there until you can smell it, then we’ll check it. I think you’re supposed to use a knife to check if it’s done… stabbing it or something.”

Mello glanced between Matt and the oven he’d just placed the cake tin into. This was not going according to plan… Suddenly, the urge to send Matt for more beer sounded that much more appealing…

-:-

The two left the cake in the oven to bake and spent the time finishing off the case of beer while at the same time bemoaning the foolishness of trying to go above and beyond for someone’s birthday. What was the point? What did it achieve? Was it just some extra step to try and prove to someone that you really care about them? Was it even effective? More importantly, would it prove anything to someone like Near?

Mello was quick to stop that line of thinking, knowing he’d risk falling into bad habits if he let himself think that it was all for naught and that Near wouldn’t even care one way or another.

What was done was done. If Near didn’t like it, then that would effectively give Mello an out to never have to do something like this again.

Yet, even as Mello tried to justify his actions, a part of him felt bad. Even if Near didn’t care about his birthday, Mello still wanted the detective to feel like someone cared that he’d successfully made it another year circling the sun.

Another year circling around the sun together…with all its up, and it’s horribly lumpy, pitted lows…

It felt as though Mello had just laid back against the couch, his fingers folded together over his eyes as he took a second to try and figure out how to best present the cake to Near. Especially if it came out bad. The idea of scrapping the whole thing was beginning to sound more appealing…

But then, his nose pulled him from the brief moment of reprieve as a deep smell hit him, making his lips pull down as he thought to himself, ‘What is that? Doesn’t smell right. Smells like something…’

“Burning!” Realization hit him like a truck and he was quickly jumping up, swears spilling from his lips as he ran to the kitchen and yanked open the oven door. “Fuck…” A gray cloud of smoke hit him in the face as it was exhaled from the oven.

Just as Mello grabbed some oven mitts to pull it out, he suddenly heard the sound of the front door of the apartment opening, followed by, “I’m home.” Near’s voice called. “The hall smells like something’s burning somewhere, perhaps we should call someone about it.”

Mello found himself frozen in place, helplessly watching as the meager remains of the entire situation slowly cracked and fell apart in front of him. Near entered the apartment further and haphazardly kicked off the shoes he hated wearing, then he turned, his gray, vigilant eyes immediately finding Mello standing stark still in the kitchen… the oven still open… a slight screen of smoke between them.

“Ah.” Near exhaled, putting all the pieces together.

Before Mello could spit any number of defensive insults the other’s way, suddenly a shrill beeping sound broke through the tense air, making both of them wince.

“Shit.” Mello moved to grab a towel, waving it over the screaming smoke alarm to try to quiet it.

“So, you’re the reason the hall smells like something’s burning.” Near needlessly observed.

“Shut up!”

“I guess it would be bad form to call the building management to let them know that you’re not actually burning the place down…” Near continued.

“I said shut up!”

From across the apartment space, a door that led out onto a small attached balcony opened and Matt entered, exhaling out what must have been the last of a cigarette he’d just finished. “Oh, you’re home.” He casually greeted Near. “Mels baked you a cake. Or… something like a cake, anyway.”

As Mello finally quieted the smoke alarm again he reached for the oven mitts to busy himself with taking the cake out of the pan. His body flushed hot as embarrassment and shame wrapped themselves in a tight coil in his center. In that moment, he wanted only to seep into the floor, or perhaps even revert back to his old, childish habits and lash out against everyone involved and then flee.

As the black contents of the cake pan slid out onto the counter Mello couldn’t help thinking that perhaps fleeing wasn’t such a bad idea…

“A cake?” Near looked between Matt and Mello, “Why?”

The coil within Mello suddenly wrapped tighter, wringing out any confidence he still had left. “It’s your fucking birthday, you idiot.” He grumbled, finally shutting the oven door a bit too hard and throwing the oven mitts onto the counter with just a bit too much force.

Focused on his anger and his embarrassment about how the entire day was panning out, the blonde failed to notice the way Near’s expression shifted from utter confusion to one softer… silently and calmly chiding him at the same time. “That’s… not quite what I meant.” He finally replied gently, reaching up to toy with a lock of hair between his fingers. “What I meant was… you don’t exactly bake.”

Mello clenched his hands at his side, wanting to busy himself with anything that might make him feel as though he was anywhere but here, yet Near had such a way of making him feel paralyzed in place when he was placed beneath his gaze. “It’s just something fucking traditional. Something nice I wanted to do. To show I fucking care. But all you care about doing it talking it down. It’s not my fault!” His tone was becoming louder, finally releasing the pent up frustration.

All of that suddenly came to a stop when Near finally moved across the space to stand before him, pressed close against him and cupping his face between his hands, silently showing that Mello’s outburst didn’t faze him. It never had.

Near’s cool hands felt good against his heated skin; an instant balm to his venting anger. “Mello.” Near chided again, “What, pray tell, is in any way ‘traditional’ about either of us or anything surrounding us?”

“Absolutely nothing.” Mello spit just a bit too quick, as though his response would somehow hurt the younger successor.

“Then why should this be any different?”

Mello couldn’t look at him, nor could he seem to put to words his own reasoning… that for a moment perhaps he wanted to be normal, to pretend like they were no different than anyone else. Yet the universe always had other plans for them.

When Mello didn’t respond, Near pulled back from him, looking at the lost cause that was Mello’s attempted birthday cake. “It’s probably for the best, you know.” He said, reaching again up to grab a lock of hair. “If I’m being honest, I’m not much of a fan of cake, actually. Or sweets in general.”

Mello’s blue eyes flicked up in time to catch a smirk growing on Matt’s face. “Not a damn word.” He growled

“Didn’t say a thing.” Matt retorted, amused, as his hands dug down into his pockets. “But for the record…”

“No.”

“I did tell you so.”

“Fuck off.” Mello pulled away and made to step closer towards the exit of the kitchen. He was fed up with the day, and fed up with both Matt and now Near’s antics.

However, before he could get too far, he then felt Near reach out and take his hand, pulling him back once more. “I’m not so much a fan of cake. But, you know, there are other traditional routes you could take if you really feel the need to celebrate my birthday.” He offered a small smile. “Dinner?”

Something about the way that Near said it made all the tension in Mello’s being suddenly seep out in a heavy exhale. With just the simple suggestion Mello thought… perhaps the night could still be saved after all… He pulled Near in closer by their connected hands, quickly kissing him before saying quieter, “Fine. Dinner. Then maybe after I’ll make you dessert.”

He watched as Near’s expression shifted to one far more confused, “Mello, I... don’t think that’s... necessarily legal...”

No, there was most definitely nothing traditional about them.

#fsfics #Death Note #Meronia #niscuit-gravy

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queen-of-deans-booty · 6 years ago

Text

From Human to Animal and Back

Characters: Dean Winchester x Wolf!Reader

Word Count: 1,510

Warnings: fluff mostly

Request: Hey hey! I was wondering if you could write a Dean x Reader one shot where the reader gets cursed by a witch and is turned into a wolf and the longer she stays like that the more animal like she becomes? I know this is probably a weird request, but I was watching Brave recently and I thought it would be interesting to see the reader in a similar situation as Merida's mother.

Summary: When a witch turns you into a wolf, Dean and Sam try everything to get you back before you are stuck like that permanently.

Author’s Note: This is unbeta’d and any and all mistakes are all on me.

Feedback the glue that holds my writing together

Tags at the bottom

“Okay, just sit tight and we’ll figure how to get you out of this,” Dean said as he grabbed some books on animal transformations due to a witch. Whimpering, you placed your tail between your legs and your ears flattened to your head. Castiel looked at you before turning to Dean to translate what you just communicated.

“She said she’s sorry for getting herself in this mess. She feels as if it’s her fault.”

“Don’t do that, Y/N,” the older brother sighed. “This wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known that she was going to do that. She's dead which gives us time to figure out what the hell she did.”

“Just sit there and relax,” Sam added. “We will let you know once we find something.”

Grumbling, you walked in a circle before lying on the ground, hoping that the brothers could cure you quickly. The fact that your boyfriend seemed so calm about this scared you, even though he told you it wasn’t your fault. Getting turned into a wolf had its consequences, but there was nothing you could do, physically or mentally wise.

As Castiel is the only one that could communicate with you, you were getting pretty bored of the one-sided conversations. He was much more useful helping out with the brothers than listening to you ramble in wolf form. It wasn’t so bad being a wolf, but you missed being a human since there were things you could do as a human that you couldn’t do as a wolf.

For example, you really wanted something to eat, but there was no way you could make yourself something, so you trotted out of your shared room with Dean and to the library where the men were still reading. Barking, you got their attention before looking at Castiel. Giving him a few more barks, he turned to the brothers to translate.

“She’s hungry.”

“Alright, come on,” Dean sighed as he got up and led the way. Following him, you watched as he opened the fridge to find you something to eat. As he was browsing, you caught sight of the steak he took out of the freezer that he was going to make tonight. Since it’s been out for a while, the blood started forming around it as it defrosted, making your stomach grumble. Something inside you screamed to get that steak, but you were not going to eat raw meat; over your dead body.

“Here’s the last of the deli meat I got. You can have all of it,” he said as he grabbed a plate before setting the food on it. As he closed the fridge door, your eyes stayed trained on the meat until you could no longer see it. He placed the plate on the ground before patting your head.

Growling at the contact, you moved away before snatching the meat with your mouth. Dean watched you ravish the dead meat before leaving the room. As quickly as Dean placed it on the ground, it was soon gone, and you were wishing you had that steak instead.

More than half the day was wasted in the library, but neither one of them were any close to finding a cure. Since the witch died, it should reverse the curse on its own, but they didn't know how long you were going to stay in that form.

“Find anything?” Dean asked with a sigh. It’s been a while since he last saw you, and figured you were taking a nap somewhere.

“No,” Sam sighed as he rubbed his tired eyes.

“Cas, can’t you turn her back yourself?”

“I’m afraid not. The witch’s power is too great of me to do it alone. There aren’t many angels left who will risk leaving Heaven to help me. We’re on our own.”

“Great,” Dean groaned, turning his head once he saw you enter the room. “We’re almost there.” There was no point in giving you bad news when you couldn’t do anything about it. However, you couldn't understand anything he was saying. Something was happening to you because words were now just noise to you. For the past 5 hours, all you could think about was that bloody steak and how much you wished it were a live animal.

“Y/N? You okay?” Sam asked when you didn’t try and bark your reply.

The door to the Bunker slowly slid open, and with your newfound sense of smell, you could sense a bunch of different delicious animals outside. Rowena dusted off the snow from her jacket since she was called down here to help. In a split second, you were running full speed to the stairs, climbing up them and rushing past Rowena who gasped at your presence.

“Y/N!” Dean yelled as he got up to chase you, but you were already out the door, sniffing out those small animals.

“What’s wrong with her?” Sam asked as he got up.

“The way she looked at us, it’s as if she didn’t recognize anything we were saying. It was like she’s becoming more animal the longer she is like that. Soon, we won’t be able to turn her back at all, and she will resort to becoming a full-fledged wolf,” the angel explained.

“You better find a cure for this,” Dean said to the witch as he put on his jacket. “I am going to go find her.”

“Dean, that’s not smart. She will attack if she feels threatened.”

“Then you come with. You’re an angel, you can make her calm with your grace.”

“I guess it’s worth a try. Animals do tend to like me.”

“Great come on. Rowena, fix something together quick. I will not let my girlfriend turn into a wolf,” he declared as him and the angel left the Bunker, letting Sam and the witch figure all this out.

Using your heightened senses, you sniffed the ground before spotting a large rabbit. It was eating something off the ground until it sensed you near. Its ears went up as it stiffened, its little nose twitching like crazy. Keeping your eyes trained on the small animal, you both stared at one another before it dared to move. Leaping out of the way, your instinct was to follow it. Using your quick agility, you ran after the small animal, the only thing on your mind was killing it.

Picking up speed, you ran through the woods behind the Bunker until you cornered the little guy. It saw nowhere to go, and you approached it cautiously before pouncing on it. The rabbit thought he could escape, but you sunk your teeth in its tiny body before he could get away. Crushing the skeleton with your teeth, you dropped the dead animal on the ground before biting into its side to get the meat off. After taking a few swallows of the raw meat, you heard a branch snap, and you were on full alert. Seeing two people approach, your eyes immediately became slits as your bared your teeth. Growling, you prepared yourself for a fight that you knew you would win.

“Y/N, it’s me, your boyfriend,” Dean said slowly as he took one step at a time to you. When he got too close, you growled deeper as your saliva dripped from your fangs. The rabbit’s blood as smeared over your teeth and fur, bits of meat stuck between them.

“Y/N, we’re not here to hurt you,” Castiel said as his eyes glowed blue. The palms of his hands turned to gold as he held them out to you, but you only growled more.

“Why isn’t it working?” Dean hissed.

“Give it time, Dean,” Castiel muttered before focusing on you. Staring into the eyes of the angel, you felt the pulse waves come from his hands which did calm you. Giving up your threatening stance, you let the angel come near you. Once he placed his hand on your head, you sat on the snow and didn’t bother him for touching you.

“We got it!” Sam yelled as he ran up to the trio with the witch. He held a bowl of the liquid you need to drink in order to switch back. “Have her drink this.”

“Go ahead, drink,” Castiel ordered once Sam placed the bowl on the ground. Listening to him, you walked up to the bowl before drinking its contents. Immediately, your body shifted from animal to human, but without clothes.

Groaning, you laid in the snow, not caring if your bits were exposed to their eyes. Remembering everything you did when you were a wolf, you looked at the rabbit you killed before gagging.

“Fuck, I think I’m going to throw up,” you gagged once more, feeling the raw meat inside of you.

“Come on,” Dean whispered as he helped you into his jacket before picking you up bridal style.

“Thanks, Rowena. I owe you one,” you groaned as you rested your head on his chest.

“Don’t mention it. I needed to cash in a favor,” she said as she smiled at Sam.

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pinelife3 · 5 years ago

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What Women Think Men Think

In the 2000 film What Women Want, Mel Gibson accidentally electrocutes himself with a hairdryer in the bathtub which for some reason gives him the ability to hear women’s thoughts. This comes at a great time for him personally and professionally as it allows him to perform well in his job as an advertising exec, woo the lovely Helen Hunt, and bond with his estranged daughter.

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Sadly, the genius of What Women Want was not recognised by critics in its time and the film received poor reviews - however, it did perform well commercially, making it a great candidate for a gender-flip remake. Our prayers were answered earlier this year with What Men Want, in which Taraji P. Henson plays a sports agent who misses out on a promotion because she doesn’t get men. Surprising no one, What Men Want received worse reviews than the original, but managed to one-up it by also being a commercial disappointment. I haven’t seen it (I hear it is genuinely unwatchable) but from Wikipedia I gather that she drinks some magic tea and then can hear men’s thoughts which... makes her good in bed but doesn’t lead to as much professional success as you might expect. While What Women Want, directed by the great Nancy Meyers, is about a chauvinist learning to respect women, What Men Want is about a woman learning that most men suck and that they don’t deserve respect so it’s better not to work for them. What Men Want was directed by a man which, if you ask me, seems kind of pandering: why would a man make a film about how cartoonishly awful men are?

The rough premise of both What X Want films is that when the protagonist has access to the inner thoughts of the opposite sex, what they hear is revelatory: the opposite sex is apparently unknowable, inscrutable, vastly foreign. It requires magic (or bathtub electrocution) to know what others really think. Ha! Well, I have that magic. A portal to another world. A world where men, unobserved, unfettered by social barriers, freely say whatever they really think of any idea, image or product you present to them: Reddit.

I’ve often complained to Matt that practically any post on Reddit which features a young and/or attractive female woman girl will draw comments from men saying that they’re going to jerk off to the picture. Why do you think we care that you’re going to mash your genitals while watching this gif of a girl in a bikini using a homemade water slide? Why did my eyes and mind have to be subjected to this information about your plans for the afternoon? Did that first improbable spark of life, apes descending from trees, straightened spines, the birth of technology, everything our forebears strived for across eternity, really lead up to this moment where you wrote that on the internet? Why are we pack animals?

So the shtick of this blog post is: I sneak about on Reddit to find out want men want, what they care about, and think about. But! We ladies don’t care what they think about beer and barbecues (we already know that all men are practically BBQsexual, am I right?) so let’s identify a few things where we do care about what they think.

For our purposes, I think women only care about men’s opinions on women - and possibly also sexual politics. For sports, most political issues, food, music, etc. I think we all agree that if you ask a man what he thinks, he’ll probably give you a pretty straight answer. The fantasy of knowing what men really want is that it’s information you would not normally have access to, because you’re too shy to ask, or you’re concerned his answer would be evasive or dishonest. Most people aren’t dishonest because they’re mean liars. They’re dishonest because they doesn’t want to hurt your feelings - or perhaps because they can’t be bothered to argue. So some of the impulse to eavesdrop on someone’s thinking is an insecurity, it’s suspecting they’ve withheld or softened an opinion - and wanting to know the full truth even if it’s hurtful.

In particular (and mostly because I want to talk to someone about these books), I’m going to pick ideas from Sally Rooney’s novels to compare romantic men as written by a woman with the actuality of men on Reddit. Rooney writes love stories (or at least love-adjacent stories) which are widely read by women and have been enormously popular: this to me suggests that her idea of romantic men has resonated with many women and therefore it may be interesting to see if the interiority of the men she’s written could exist in the real world (or, at least on Reddit).

My methodology for trawling Reddit for relevant information is simple:

1. Is the attribute mentioned in Reddit’s NSFW directory? I don’t want to solely rely on the Reddit NSFW directory as a barometer for men’s interest in things, but I believe when trying to assess what men find attractive, this is a decent tool. I would venture to say that every (legal) niche interest is addressed by a NSFW subreddit: gamer girls, women in sundresses, redheads, anime princesses, cute girls, sexy girls, skinny girls, mums, teens, big boobs (attached to women with rich interiorities, I’m sure), mascara stained tears, and so on forever. Related to this: just because a subreddit exists to address a particular niche (e.g. braces), this doesn’t mean all men find that age group, attribute, body type, piece of clothing, etc. attractive - but it at least illustrates that someone found it attractive enough to create a community dedicated to it.

2. Is the attribute mentioned in any of Ask Reddit’s 'Men, what’s one unusual thing you find really attractive about women’ type threads? Men seem to sense that these threads are always started by women, so the responses are more romantic than sexual. Dudes tend to say the ‘unusual things’ they find attractive are freckles, when women can’t reach things on high shelves, messy up-dos, etc.

Question 1: Do men like the pale, non-sexy parts of women?

In Rooney’s second book Normal People, the male protagonist spends a lot of time looking at the female protagonist and admiring her pale delicacy.

You look really well, he says.

I know. It’s classic me. I came to college and got pretty.

He starts laughing. He doesn’t even want to laugh but something about the weird dynamic between them is making him do it. ‘Classic me’ is a very Marianne thing to say, a little self-mocking, and at the same time gesturing to some mutual understanding between them, an understanding that she is special. Her dress is cut low at the front, showing her pale collarbones like two white hyphens.

Later, he admires her pale lips and wrists:

He hasn’t seen her in person since July, when she came home for her father’s Mass. Her lips look pale now and slightly chapped, and she has dark circles under her eyes. Although he takes pleasure in seeing her look good, he feels a special sympathy with her when she looks ill or her skin is bad, like when someone who’s usually very good at sports has a poor game. It makes her seem nicer somehow. She’s wearing a very elegant black blouse, her wrists look slender and white, and her hair is twisted back loosely at her neck.

Women hope men think of them in this way: that men closely observe us and like what they see, that they can thrill romantically at non-sexy parts of our bodies like our under eye bags or bony elbows, that they’re so devoted they like us even when we’re sickly. Lolita has this to thank for its enduring popularity. Sure, Humbert Humbert is a broken man and a pedophile but he’s so lyrical:

I looked and looked at her, and I knew, as clearly as I know that I will die, that I loved her more than anything I had ever seen or imagined on earth. She was only the dead-leaf echo of the nymphet from long ago - but I loved her, this Lolita, pale and polluted and big with another man's child. She could fade and wither - I didn't care. I would still go mad with tenderness at the mere sight of her face.

Men want to be him, women want to be adoringly described by him.

Anyway. Let’s check Reddit to see what men really think of pale wrists and collarbones - or if they think of them at all.

There are no communities in Reddit’s NSFW directory focused on wrists or collarbones or any bony protrusion through pale skin. There is a subreddit dedicated to NSFW content featuring pale girls with ~420,000 subscribers but the focus of this content is sexy areas of the body (enormous pale breasts, perfect pale butts, etc.) and there is not much coverage of pale wrists and/or collarbones.

I also couldn’t find any references to pale non-sexy parts of women in any AskReddit threads related to things men find attractive about women.

Conclusion: I do not believe that men as a cohort are particularly into dark under eye bags, bony chests, etc. These are just things women wish men liked about them.

Question 2: Do men like damaged women?

In Rooney’s first novel, Conversations with Friends, the protagonist has the following conversation with her ~lover~ in bed:

I want you to hit me. I don’t think I want to do that, he said. I knew that he was sitting up now, looking down at me, though I kept my eyes closed. Some people like it, I said. You mean during sex? I didn’t realise you were interested in that kind of thing. I opened my eyes then. He was frowning. Wait, are you okay? he said. Why are you crying? I’m not crying. Incidentally it turned out that I was crying. It was just something my eyes were doing while we were talking. He touched the side of my face where it was wet. I’m not crying, I said. Do you think I want to hurt you? ... I don’t know, I said. I’m just telling you that you can.

In Normal People, the protagonists have a similar exchange during sex:

Will you hit me? she says. For a few seconds she hears nothing, not even his breath. No, he says. I don’t think I want that. Sorry. She says nothing. Is that okay? he asks. She still says nothing. Do you want to stop? he says. She nods her head. She feel his weigh lift off her. She feels empty again and suddenly chill. He sits on the bed and pulls the quilt over himself. She lies there face down, not moving, unable to think of any acceptable movement. Are you okay? he says. I’m sorry I didn’t want to do that, I just think it would be weird. I mean, not weird, but... I don’t know. I don’t think it would be a good idea.

in the context of these novels, this behaviour is a form of self-harm from women who hate themselves: even those I’m closest to want to take advantage of me, will do what they want with me, will hurt me if I let them. The perfect men, confused and innocent to this self-destructive behaviour, are concerned and decline the offer. The women interpret this as a form of sexual rejection but the reader knows this rejection is actually romantic. Could we really thrill over a man who agreed to beat her? No one talks about 50 Shades of Grey anymore but Mr Darcy lingers in the minds of mothers and BBC-watching daughters the world over. Rooney’s romantic leads are very nice men for not hitting the protagonist during sex.

Importantly, while the offer of subservience and sexual violence is not an immediate aphrodisiac, it adds to the overall appeal of our lady protagonists as women who are soft, damaged, not easily available, but also deeply vulnerable. Bob Dylan muses, basically (she’s delicate and seem’s like veneer. Sidebar on that line: I heard it when I was 17 and was jealous because it’s so good. Turns out this line is hotly contested in places where people contest Dylan lyrics. One tribe thinks it’s: she’s delicate and seems like veneer. Another tribe thinks it’s: she’s delicate and seems like the mirror. The tribe which is 100% wrong thinks it’s: she’s delicate and seems like Vermeer.).

These books both have this thread of college-aged women who hate themselves and want to be mistreated by their lovers, and lovers who are perfect and sensitive enough to like the control they have in the relationship, but not abuse it. My read on this is that women like to think that men like to save damaged women. Damaged meaning women who are clearly dealing with one or more of the following:

Untreated mental health problems

Self-medication dependencies

Daddy issues

Memories of growing up with violence/abuse/Teletubbies/war crimes/poverty

Heavy baggage from previous relationships

You know what I mean. So, let’s check Reddit to see what men think of damaged women. In the NSFW directory there are a number of BDSM subs, most of which are focused on women being dominated by men: women trussed up in elaborate rigs of ropes and straps, women being used in various ways, beaten, dominated. Most of these subs have between 100,000 - 200,000+ subscribers. This would indicate that there are a decent number of Reddit users who are interested in hurting their sexual partner.

(DISCLAIMER: I don’t mean to kinkshame. ContraPoints (I think in this video) argued that while it’s fine to be into BDSM and enjoy being hurt or hurting someone else, it does suggest some things about you. BDSM isn’t just fun. No one wants to be tied up and beaten/pissed on for no reason. You want those things because it means something to you to be treated badly or to treat others badly. Liking BDSM doesn’t mean you’re damaged, but it might mean something adjacent to that.)

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Furthermore, re: Reddit’s attitude to ‘damaged’ women, any time a guy on Reddit tells a ‘crazy ex’ story, someone from the 3 brain cells club will flop out an old cliché: don’t stick your dick in crazy. Men like to warn each other about damaged women. That cliché often attracts a popular counterpoint:

Crazy chicks are good in bed! What a treat: there are perks to dating a damaged woman. More than anything, men on Reddit love acting like they know a lot about women and wild sex. A damaged, compliant woman is great for clocking up these experiences.

I think we can say that some men do indeed like damaged women. The impression you get from Reddit is that a lot of these men would take advantage of the vulnerable Rooney protagonists, but that’s the point even within the novels: the man could have said yes, could have hit her - which the reader wouldn’t find romantic because we know that on some subcutaneous level she didn’t really want to be treated that way. A lot of romance only reads as romantic because we’re aware of the unromantic alternative: what if Richard Gere had treated Julia Roberts the way most men treat prostitutes? What if Bob Dylan compared a beautiful, mysterious woman to the 17th century Dutch painter Vermeer?

In the final act of What Women Want, Gibson loses the ability to hear women’s thoughts. The point the film makes is that he’s been so reformed by hearing women’s perspectives and relating to them as actual human beings, that he doesn’t need magic anymore to behave like a nice person. This is also because it would not be romantic to be in a relationship with a man who was eavesdropping on your inner monologue. If the relationship is real and working, then you don’t need psychic powers to anticipate how the other person is going to feel and respond to things. You can always just ask - and you’ll have to trust that the answer is honest.

Bonus: more of that lovable scamp Mel Gibson:

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#What Women Want #Nancy Myers #Mel Gibson #Helen Hunt #What Men Want #Reddit

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meddows-theblondebastard · 6 years ago

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Cocky Teaser (70s!Roger Taylor Imagine)

If you came across this imagine, don’t forget to comment or heart it if you like. Feedback is really helping me and giving me the power to continue what I’m doing. Hope you’ll enjoy your reading!

Also posted on AO3.

Warnings: teasing, we all like teasing, don’t lie to me, swearing and I think that’s all, ha.

Additional details: → Action taking place in the mid 70s or so.

→ 70s!Roger Taylor is how was in my mind writing this, but you can also imagine BoRhap!Roger Taylor.

→ There is going to be a part two coming soon. :)

PLOT: It’s nothing new for you. Just Roger Taylor being a cocky teaser in a live interview when he’s asked about the two of you. After all, could you ever complain?

Imagines

(Credits to Mel for the picture on Pinterest.)

After a hot, almost one hour long shower, you wrapped yourself in the blanket of your bed and turned the TV on. You are wearing fluffy pajamas and can’t feel any trace of cold air brushing your warm skin. The feeling is very satisfying. You let your wet hair hanging loosely over your shoulders and it smells like freshly green apples while you’re doing the channel surf. Roger texted you fifteen minutes ago to tell you that the interview will begin in a short time. Your phone almost slipped between your fingers in the water while you tried to read that message, but it turned out okay. So now, you actually found the right channel on which the interview would be broadcast and you are waiting for thr boys to be live. You wanted to watch this, Roger, Freddie, John and Brian will talk about the album they’ve just relased and it is very nice to see it. They are funny and full of jokes on TV, just like they are face to face. You thought about going to grab a snack or something to drink, but it was too late when you heard the show intro and saw the presenter. Watching carefully and already entertained, you remained on top of your bed, knees pressed against your chest.

„... As we announced last week, here we are tonight with the Queen herself.” The young women did the introduction gesturing toward the four men sitting on a couch and the camera was immediately focused on their faces. They already seem amused.

„Hello everyone.” They greeted and added something about how nice it was to be there.

„You seem very ready, what keeps you all so energic?” The beginning was always long and in slow-motion and still you had to wait until they would start the real talk. Your eyes were mostly on Roger and how he was reacting to everything. He had the usual messy, blonde hair hanging freely on his shoulders, wore a black, slightly unbuttoned shirt with matching color jeans and last but not least, a soft smile on his lips. That aspect made you smirk unwittingly.

While one after the other, each of them began to answer questions about music, future plans and concerts, you turned the volume up and searched for the brush to comb your hair. While doing that, you could hear their voices and how they would laugh ocasionally at the presenter’s choice of words. You have always appreciated that about them, how they were so natural and honest, not even trying to give tons of details to ruin future surprises. Or personal things. They are smart, classy and modest.

„Roger, may I ask you an innocent question? It’s for purely wise purposes.” Said the woman, putting her hands on the table she was sitting at. Roger was already on position and you became suddenly more concentrated than you were five minutes ago.

„Only I get to decide that, darling.” He says, but he isn’t concerned, he has a nice expression as always, trying to make everything be more true, if it was even possible. „But of course, I wouldn’t mind at all. What is it?” He continued. He’s a well-bred person, you can say, but if you reach too much of his territory – that strictly in a personal manner – he can become very observant. Distant and a little bit rude even. You got to know that about him within the time spent by his side.

„We’re all aware of the fact that you’re spending time with Y/N. You and her seem pretty close to each other, right?” Your eyebrows raised when you heard the words coming out from the woman’s mouth. Wasn’t that something too personal to ask? It is obvious that those people want to know, but is it necessary this way? Is it even polite? You sit on the bed again, your eyes being stuck on the TV’s image.

Roger didn’t even seem surprised when he heard that. He didn’t look pissed or confused, instead, he grinned. What? What is he doing?

„May I ask too, what are you trying to say?” He says.

„Oh, I bet you know it already! How are you two in terms of a relationship?”

This woman is a little too excited about that kind of detail.

„We are trying to figure that out too. It was last year when she started to study at Medical College while Roger himself was finishing it.” Freddie added, smirking in the blonde one’s direction.

„Is that so?” The presenter asked.

„Yes, mostly.”

„Oh my God.” You managed to whisper, shaking your head. He’s doing it again. Again.

„Are you two good friends?”

„We kind of fight whenever we get the chance, but otherwise, yeah, we get along pretty well. She has little interesting things in her character, it gets catchy to be around someone like her.” Roger details, looking like he was in deep thoughts. You can see the rest of the boys slightly giggle at him and the woman who asked all of this stuff seemed too content with what she was receiving.

Roger has a point. Anyway, thinking about the bound between you two is surely strange. Because you never understood how things were happening and never wanted to overthink just to make a sense. You two weren’t the absolute perfect definition of the word ‚friends’, it was always a middle point in which no one was getting closer and no one drifted away. Last year, you remember what it was like to be a proud student at Medical College. Your first days were so full, you barely had time to take breaks or meet new people. Roger was studying dentistry and came out of nowhere when you were trying to figure out your classes and where were they located. It is a big school and he helped you and said that you look new around there. He explained you almost every single detail you needed while you asked him who he was and what was his name. You would laugh right now. He couldn’t stop staring at the height difference between you two. Later on, he would’ve made fun of it without any problem. He was twenty-three that time and you were twenty. You would see him in lunch breaks and around the campus carrying different documents with him and being particularly distracted. He would’ve often offered to hang out with you in your free time, including weekends, so as you and him got to know each other. He’d told you that he’s having little performances with this band of his, in small locations around the town you were living in and one day he even got to invite you to one. From the start, Roger was a mysterious kind of guy, choosing his words with caution whenever he spoke. He was funny and always managed to have a small grin drawn on his thin lips. He is a skilled drummer, he has that spark in his eyes while he talks about music and you could always see how much he enjoys singing and playing instruments on stage. He even told you that he would’ve dropped college for a music career when both of you became comfortable enough in each other’s company. Luckily, he doesn’t have to worry about that anymore now; after settling everything with Queen, the boys get more and more recognition, they are working on the upcoming album, planning tours and … Roger’s been privileged lately.

This interview seems to be in his favor. He doesn’t avoid certain questions and isn’t afraid to speak about you, since it is clear how was it between you two. And he definitely knows that you’re watching, that’s why he has this kind of reactions.

„How well do you get along, if so?” The presenter’s voice is heard again, but you’re not so concentrated on her anymore. You watch Roger and how the boys react to his words. He shakes his head and laughs a little, then he shifts a bit on the couch.

„Honestly, she wouldn’t like me to answer this question, but I hardly ever listen to what she says. She gets red in the cheeks or starts to talk fast and all that. All we do is tease each other. Anyone of us is going to say anything.” You couldn’t believe what you heard. Actually, you could, it is just out of blue in Roger’s case. Why is he still blabbering about you? Live. While not only you yourself, but a lot of people are watching. Your relationship with him needs to be a thing of yours only.

Oh, you know him. You know him enough. He enjoys to piss you off, although it’s rare when you really do that.

„So you mean she’s watching us right now?”

„Yeah, she is.” He answered. „Hello there, Y/N.” He waved at the camera and on your TV’s screen, that was a hilarious moment. Damn.

You let yourself fall on your back on the bed, hands on your forehead and feet cold. A weak smile appeared on your lips suddenly and it was awfully wrong. No, don’t do that. You’re being a fool and you will never let Roger Taylor fool you. You were almost as good as him at this aspect. You played each other before, it is normal by now, but your ego needs to be fed. You don’t give a fuck about how that looks like, Roger doesn’t care either when it’s a win-win thing. He’s too full of himself sometimes. Well, you weren’t the kind of person to take that as it was. It was something in the air, you could say, you felt that numerous of times. And you will test that, just as Roger likes to tease you. Because he was a cocky teaser since day one. When he hangs out with you, when he’s drumming and you’re watching, when he makes you dress like him, when he gets both of you drunk … these are just a few of those moments. They’re memorable, but they show just a little part of you and him. There’s a lot more.

„We should really let these freaks alone. They’re special in their own way and you can’t understand that. Believe me, we can’t either.” You heard Brian’s voice but didn’t mind to look back at the TV.

„We can. Instead of that, we chose not to, because they might as well kill everyone around them with just a single glare.” John added and somehow, he was right. The woman laughed.

„Haha, good to know then.”

The rest of the interview was forgotten in a moment. You couldn’t concentrate on it anymore and chose to lay on the bed, underneath the blankets. But because you didn’t want to be rude, you let it finish by itself and after that, you turned off the lights and the TV and tried to sleep. Your phone buzzed somewhere in the room, it was Roger for sure. With a cunning smile on your face you ignored the sound.

You were both teasers.

The next morning, you still didn’t respond to his text. But he didn’t insist. After you woke up and ate your breakfast, you dressed in your already common black jeans, white T-shirt and leather jacket, tied your Y/H/C hair up in a not-so-neat ponytail and looked into the bathroom mirror. You never apply make-up, it’s not something you’d prefer so much. Some people along with your mother and some friends told you that you have beautiful features and that you don’t need any trace of make-up on your skin. You decided to believe that for good because it was actually true, though you never really appreciate details like these ones. Brian, John, Freddie and Roger used to compliment your clear skin when you would catch them staring at you. Besides Roger, who would try to look careless but smile after all when you would catch just a bit of him looking at you.

His house is almost an hour away and that’s a good thing right now. It would’ve been awkward to live close to each other and it would’ve gave him opportunities to try and visit you frequently. Or ‚check on you’, a comment which he used often to make you slap his shoulder or stick your tongue out.

Because you didn’t own a car, you had to simply walk the distance to Roger’s. It was good, you had the chance to think about what you needed to tell him, or how were you supposed to act. Last night, the thought of you two being more than weird friends who fight and purposely snap at each other was the main topic which made you be convinced that your indifference and eventual avoidance doesn’t really exist. You enjoy Roger’s company, even with his ego, behaviour and way of speaking. He is the first new pal you met in your first year as a student and he made sure, somehow, to make that worth it. Your personalities fitted well. Sarcasm, dirty jokes here and there, subtle looks, crazy and loud nights with the band, bold music, trips, hangovers … As much as you could say, these boys made gold out of your most important moments going through a totally new level of your life. You took all that fun in, knowing that you need to welcome it in order to create memories and things to last. The dangerous feeling of the unknown never really pushed you away from anything and that’s why you and the blonde bud’ kind of clicked.

Needless is to say that you would never take that back under any circumstance.

As soon as you got in front of the house he lived in, you heard powerful bangs echoing all the way to the yard. Early rehearsals, that was it about. Roger usually does that on free weekends. You didn’t knock on the door because he wouldn’t hear a single thing. Instead of that, you just entered the house and went straight to the kitchen in order to reach the garage where he was. You went to the stairs passing the dishes in the sink and even from the top of them, the drums were so powerful for your ears. Slowly getting down, you could see Roger behind his drum kit. He has his eyes closed and big headphones on his head. You don’t make a sound while you remain in the back of the room, watching him. He’s always so concentrated while drumming. The veins on his neck look like they might explode in any minute and his hands move in fast motion. You like the image very much.

With one more hard bang, he stops, finally opening his eyes. He exhales and puts up a big smile dropping the drumsticks somwhere near him and taking off the headphones.

„Nice view.” You ‚welcome’.

„Thanks.” He answers and gets up from the little chair he was sitting on. He pulls on his hair with a hand, messing it a little. „You didn’t answer my text last night.”

„I didn’t, yeah. I fell asleep.”

„Oh.” He said, opening a bottle of water and taking a sip from it. „What did you think about the interview? ’You liked it?”

„No, Roger, I didn’t like it.” You answered, anger being visible in your tone. You crossed your arms to your chest when you got closer to him, looking between the drum kit in front of you.

„I see. Your eyebrows are already frowned.” He added like it was an accident or like it wasn’t something new on you.

„What was that about?” You started „It gets catchy to be around someone like her … . All we do is tease each other. You know, I figured that out already. You did that on purpose.”

„Y/N, are we going to make a scene out of that?”

„You won’t stop, right?” You weren’t pissed because his strategy got to your mind in no time. You grinned a little at him as he was about to open his mouth again. But he was anticipating you.

You moved closer to the drums and searched for the drumsticks. When you noticed them, taking them into your hands, you banged a cymbal. And then another. And another, trying to recreate the beat and sound of something Roger once thaught you. You are too curious sometimes and you definitely can’t keep that to yourself. The drumsticks feel so big in your hands, you’re not used to them and it seems odd to try and play like Roger. He’s too good at this for you and it is a strong point for him. No matter how anxious you were to learn more from him, his technique is quite difficult for you, it's an art that only he can hold onto so well and you think it's better this way. Noticing your attempt, he swallowed his words and watched how you moved your hands, somehow like a proud teacher eager to congratulate your progress. Only that, it wasn’t about progress here. You positioned yourself on the little chair, thinking about your next moves. You banged to the left and right and the beat was built-up pretty good. You were kind of proud while your eyes found Roger’s. Your breathing fastened and you bit your lower lip.

Roger suddenly came behind you, leaning down on his knees, eyes locked on your frame. These drums are hugging you, literally, because you are still a short person and the sight of you behind such powerful instruments makes him wanna clap his hands for you.

„Center.” He murmured and instinctively, you banged just above your knees. „A little bit longer to the right,” he continued, his deep accent lingering through both of your ears. „Then to the left.” Your hands did exactly what Roger said to you and knowing he was behind your back made you tense up. You straightened your back but the warmth of his body kept reaching to your skin through clothes. You felt his hands taking a gentle grip on yours and he started to guide your movements. A little more bold as you were before, along with your own hands he banged continously to the right, then center and to the left and then a cymbal to create the slightly slow beat of ‚I’m In Love With My Car’. You smiled to yourself but Roger’s breath was hitting your neck and that made you so damn distracted. Swallowing hard, you wanted to keep your body as strong as ever, not going to let him take control over you. A few more bangs and you stopped, making Roger step back, but not getting up. Anything could happen and it was very hard for you to think about it. You wipe your hands off your jeans and finally get up from the chair, but Roger has other ideas. When you turn to face him, kind of unprepared, he’s looking at you still being on his knees. His naughty hands go up you legs and he’s slowly getting up right now, resting his palms on your waist. You feel a strong pressure on your shoulders and in your chest. Roger is now, and again, taller than you, a fact which only gets on your nerves. You try to keep any specific expression away from your face with eyebrows still frowned.

He wants to do something, but he does nothing still. He is looking down at you and you won’t dare to look back. It’s about you two. It’s about teasing. It’s about everything and anything you never said to each other. Trying to explain things was boring, always boring for both Roger and you. You would just show up into the room with messed up hair, accelerated breathing, but you would never forget to smile or laugh. You would take his leather jackets and wear them in his spite. You would laugh in his face, scoff him, yell at him, punch him in the stomach playfully or stick your hands into his sweaty hair. You would argue with him about being too noisy, annoying and not too serious for his liking, but you wouldn’t have a care in the world because at the end of the day, he would still throw a hand over your shoulder to drag you closer to him. He is so, so stubborn. So heated up, so ready to knock you down just to help you get back up. He loves when you listen to his songs and drumming, he loves when you want him to learn you what he does, but in your own way, you are a little bastard. And since this feelings thing started to go on and off between you two, what you did was only to make him want to make a move just to back off shortly after that. And looking into your eyes right now, at your baby face and big, confused eyes … It was so fucking tangled. Roger could feel this in his whole body. It took a good amount of confidence to close the distance between you two. Your noses touched and you felt as nervous as you don’t even remember being before.Trying to kiss you, you lifted one drumstick up and shoved it lightly in his abdomen.

„What are you doing?” You asked, not being able to hide the smirk starting to form on your lips. Roger laughed a little and snatched the drumstick from your hand, throwing it on the floor. He wouldn’t answer. You waited. What he did was to cup both of your cheeks with his hands and smash his lips upon yours rapidly. Your breath stopped in your throat and you froze. Your eyes widened while looking into Roger’s whose weren’t still closed as you expected. You did that before. This wasn’t the first time kissing Roger, it was actually the first time it felt like this. The real first time you two kissed each other was when you were both shitfaced along with Freddie and the others and he asked Roger if he would ever just kiss you. He never even thought about it. He’s said yes and then kissed your lips sloppily, fast, just like a simple peck. You didn’t feel nothing back then, because it was nothing serious.

In this moment, his hands went to touch your neck slowly and his eyes closed. You relaxed a little, but still managed to breathe in a fast manner, too nervous to make a move by your own. The only thing you could do was to let him do whatever he wanted. At some point, he stopped, opening his eyes again, puffing cold air right in your face. He seemed unsure and somehow uncomfortable, like he was afraid that he forced the note. Oh, screw it. Just screw it.

You shook your head and places a hand at the back of his head, pulling him too close. You were the one who started the kiss this time, moving your lips and feeling a big tension building up in your stomach. You encouraged him to open his lips and then he was in control. His tongue reached yours in gentle motions, his hands finding their way back to your reddened cheeks. With fast breathing for both of you, he ended up hugging you tightly through the kiss, something which felt so unusual for the way he previously acted around you. Who would’ve thought Roger Taylor is such a sweetheart? A crazy, furious, but cute sweetheart?

The intensity of the moment almost killed you and when both of you stopped for air, your lips remained slightly parted.The first instinct that came to your mind was to slap him in the face. Then, looking into his eyes, you wanted to smile. No one was saying a word and staring was ridiculous. Roger tried to smirk, it was visible on his face, but footsteps started to be heard upstairs. In a blink of an eye, you backed away from the drums you were almost laying on while Roger looked down at his feet. This is stupid. It was stupid to let him kiss you. It was never a game and you were convinced that you could beat his own arrogances, but now, that kiss softened you in a way which scared you. You hate the feeling.

„Did we interrupt something?” Freddie’s voice was heard in the room and when you looked in the stair’s direction, he was there with Brian and John.

„Hi boys.” You greeted them. „I didn’t know you were coming.”

„Roger invited us this morning. Hey, did you see the interview?”

„Yeah, it was funny.” You mumbled, not being in your scene anymore. Your lips were aching for a certain touch and that was beginning to piss you off. „I’ll leave. ’See each other around.” You announced and looked at Roger from over your shoulder. You could say he was analyzing you by his blue eyes glued on your body.

„Don’t you wanna stay? C’mon, we have to practice and you can watch and maybe sing with us!” Freddie added, smiling at you in a very sweet way. The boys were always excited to have you around when they were rehearsing.

„No, uh- … Maybe another time, okay? Good luck.” You wished them and then left the room. You could hear John whispering back: „What’s up with her?” to the others.

You wanted so bad to snap at Roger back there. But it wasn’t appropriate. It wasn’t okay and now you tend to overthink the situation. Really, what’s up with you? You don’t do this, you swore you would never overthink on Roger. Something burned in the back of your mind and you couldn’t name it. He would better explain himself quickly, you aren’t going to do this over and over again.

Thank you for reading! Thoughts? Are you excited for part two?

Read the other imagines that I posted if you still didn’t and don't forget that I accept requests!

xoxo, D.

#roger taylor imagines #roger taylor x reader imagines #queen imagines #queen #bohemian rhaposdy imagines #roger taylor #brian may #freddie mercury #john deacon #ben hardy #ben hardy imagines #ben hardy x reader #roger taylor x reader #meddows theblondebastard imagines

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jflashandclash · 6 years ago

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Traitors of Olympus IV: Fall of the Sun

Twenty-Nine: Calex

Arrows of Love Rain Down from Above

(or: When Your Spell Works too Well)

Calex would shamelessly admit: he was glad Euna’s ears were plugged, because, when the first vine snapped, he screamed like a small child. Plunging over the side of the cliff towards certain evisceration could make any chap tremble in his trousers. He was sure Hercules himself would have called out for his mum.

So, when their organic bungee cord snapped, and he felt their decreased descent spiral into a freefall, Calex panicked.

The vortex beneath them oscillated tumultuously. The skin on his face felt like it was flaking. Any dried blood tore off and sucked into the eternity of nothing below. His scarf fluttered violently in the maelstrom, twisting and tangling with the other assorted vines dangling off Euna. He was scared he’d drop Soul Pain and wondered if it even mattered anymore, since he and the bow would hit destruction at the same time. Gravity worked that way, right? A simultaneous fall into certain death?

“Euna!” he shouted.

Another vine snapped. For some reason, he had a feeling she wasn’t panicking the proper amount.

Calex could barely breathe between the scent of poisonous flowers and his own hyperventilation. Somehow, he thought he was ready to die when they jumped.

He’d been bloody mental. He absolutely wasn’t ready.

And he had no idea how to stop their fall.

Another tug at his legs as another vine snapped.

Their descent slowed more. Wait—slowed? Calex vaguely remembered something in physics about letting things snap under the strain of deceleration to relieve the burden or—or—whatever. Was that right? At the moment, he wasn’t thinking about ringing up his tutor to see if that was right.

He frantically glanced down—up? They were inverted, so up?—at their feet. He caught a glimpse of Euna’s face: the sweat beading on her forehead, her brow furrowed in concentration, and her mouth open in a scream that he couldn’t hear. He could see Jack’s head spinning along Euna’s belt and assumed Jack must have also been shrieking. More vines shot from their feet, connecting with the edge of the cliff—

Calex wished he hadn’t looked up. It was worse to see the cliff they had jumped from attached to nothing. Their foundation was a sliver of rock that seemed to hover, ready to crack off into the same nothingness they were trying to avoid.

More vines shot from their legs, plunging into the underside of that jut of rock. Four more snapped. Their plunge slowed more, so Calex could better comprehend how little would be left of them once they hit.

His black scarf tore from his throat, was caught in a wind tunnel downward, and tore into scrap fabric before those scraps ripped into particles too small to conceptualize.

His mouth was moving. Shrieks—apologies—he was apologizing to Gretchen and Winston, his stepdad and half-sister, for not calling home to say he was safe, for being too ashamed to contact them, for not letting them know what happened to Tom and Tiwa, for not being there to set up the funerals, for not supporting them during the hardest time in their life and reminding them what Tiwa would have said: Mum would say they would make it through this—that, one day, they would remember how to smile with sincerity and mirth.

The fifth, sixth, and seventh vines held.

Euna, Jack, and Calex came to an abrupt halt.

There was no time to celebrate. He wanted to exhale in relief, but Euna grabbed his face to look at her.

Her face was contorted in pain from the effort of keeping them stationary. She mouthed one word. More likely, she screamed it, but everything sounded like a dull echo with his earplugs in.

“FIRE!”

Then she shoved him away.

Their leg entrapment severed. He almost screamed again when he spun away from her, twisting uncontrollably without her stabilizing the vines that connected his legs to the cliff.

Nausea hit him hard. He thought about all the times he’d ridden on Vinyl, his unicorn, and needed to spill the contents of his stomach onto the pavement.[1]

Calex swallowed. He couldn’t do anything to fix his stomach now.

What he could do was release Reyna and Axel’s emotions that he had clenched in his fingers.

Now that he was away from Euna, he had space to fire. Calex held Soul Pain out. With the smearing colors around him, all exploding and smudging into blackness, his bow’s golden sheen glistened more radiantly. Despite the spinning, the weapon focused him, like the bow could aim more than an arrow. He gained control of his nausea.

He was a son of Eros. Primordial god of desire. The god that could bring other gods and full nations to their knees with a whim. According to that mythology, he was a direct grandson to this massive existence beneath him.

Here, dangling about fifty meters over a cliff near collapse, held by a couple of vines and roots that could snap any moment, with all sound dulled to a subtle din, and the circulation in his legs cutting off, Calex felt a sudden calm.

He was going to prove himself a worthy hero and do something no hero had done before.

Calex focused on the vortex under them. Everything slowed down. He didn’t feel like he was spinning anymore. Kaos itself seemed to quiet as he drew his bow. He visualized Persephone’s rosewood box, either in Euna’s hand or pocket, dangling maybe three meters from him. He concentrated on the violent desire tingling across his fingertips that he’d stolen from Reyna and Axel.

A crimson arrow blazed to life, notched along the golden arrow rest, painting his fingertips a deep shade of mahogany.

Calex fired.

The arrow flew downward.

For a horrified moment, Calex thought it might shred, like his scarf had.

But the arrow made contact with something. The red shaft did dissolve in a way familiar to Calex.

Anything for that box, he thought, trying to contain the feeling to a portion of Kaos.

A splitting headache struck him.

The nausea returned.

He could see it—for a split second—how Kaos thought, if you could call it thoughts, and why those god droplets had ruined Euna’s head. Time lost all meaning. The existence of others, even the gods, too much to conceive—

Calex fought back, remembering his mother’s face, Merry’s laughter. He focused his power just on that box, and just a tiny section of Kaos. The anchor point. Something ephemeral that mattered.

This wasn’t enough.

Another crimson arrow burned along his bow.

He fired.

Kaos was like Thanatos. A living being that needed to learn the beauty of the temporary, despite experiencing centuries as seconds. And, if Calex failed in convincing this creation god and forcing Kaos—her, he realized, it was a her—to love another, they’d all die.

Another arrow.

He fired.

His body felt like it was on fire. Pain crushed his chest. Normally, his bow felt natural and light in his hands. Pulling the string felt like dragging a boulder with a lasso of floss.

Everything shook.

Calex felt lightheaded when Kaos took form. His last arrow struck, and Calex could feel the fire ignite in Kaos. Out of the swirling mass of nothingness, a cluster appeared, like the constellation of a hand.

It was a hand; it was the size of a building.

That hand was reaching for them.

Thanks for reading! I hope all of you enjoyed! :D After all this is over, I feel like Calex needs a day to go home, drink some tea, and watch an Arsenal v. Manchester United game with Kally. Too much bungee-jumping over a vortex of death for one person.

Stay tuned next week for Calex’s chapter, Power Naps and Why I Don’t Like Them.

Footnote:

[1] Mel betanote: “I was hoping it was going to be a badass scene of them holding onto each other, straing and concentration faces to the max, and Calex cooly shooting his arrow while she held them stable.”

Jack: I will never let my characters look cool without consequence. Also, that is going to be the name of my next garage band XD

#Traitors of Olympus #Heroes of Olympus #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #PJO #HOO #TOO #fanfiction #Euna #Calex #Kaos #Jack #Inexplicable screaming #Jack the author dragging his feet about working on this and tales from mount othrys and original fiction #AHHHHHHHHHHHH

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Boss Level Pushes Action Movie Time Loops to Their Limits

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The new action sci-fi thriller Boss Level begins with former Special Forces agent Roy Pulver (Frank Grillo) and an unnamed woman waking up in Pulver’s bed, fully clothed, after what looks like a rough night. But things get rougher very quickly, as an assassin enters Pulver’s apartment and attempts to kill him. Pulver defeats him but ends up dying anyway–only to wake up the next morning and do the whole thing again, perhaps living a little longer and getting killed by someone else, but still dying.

In a running voiceover, Pulver casually informs us that this is the 140th time he’s done this. And he still can’t figure out why or how it’s happening, or how to break out of the time loop he’s stuck in. All he knows is that he will wake up again on the very same morning and despite doing everything he can to prevent it, will nevertheless get shot or stabbed, or beheaded or run over, for reasons unknown. He also knows that his destiny is linked to that of his scientist ex-wife (Naomi Watts), the son who doesn’t know Pulver is his father (Rio Grillo) and his ex-wife’s sinister boss (Mel Gibson).

Boss Level is directed and co-written by Joe Carnahan, who revamped a script originally written by Chris and Eddie Borey. It’s the first feature film Carnahan has directed since 2015’s Stretch, and continues his exploration of taking different approaches to hardcore action and crime thrillers, a track record that includes movies like The Grey (2011), The A-Team (2010), Smokin’ Aces (2006), and Narc (2002). But Boss Level is different in that it also represents Carnahan’s first full dive into sci-fi territory.

“The Boreys wrote this really great script called Continue,” says Carnahan when we connect via Zoom. “I had read it. It started out as kind of a rewrite job. I dug it, because I’ve always loved, as I think a lot of us do, the subgenre of the time loop. It’s kind of a proven commodity in movies. As I got into it more, I was like, ‘I’m not really a sci-fi guy.’ But [late director] Tony Scott, rest his soul, was one of my great mentors. I always loved the way he treated Déjà Vu, which is a great kind of brick and mortar approach to time travel.”

Carnahan says he applied the same approach to what eventually became Boss Level, explaining, “The more fantastical elements of it, I wasn’t really concerned about. But I did love the idea of kind of combining Groundhog Day and Die Hard–the way I think that Doug Liman did it with Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow. But I thought it’d be much funnier if the guy was just bored stiff by all of it and didn’t know what the hell to do.”

The title of the movie itself is a gaming reference (the “boss level” is the final and usually most challenging level of a video game), and Carnahan admits that the narrative is set up to mirror the way a player moves through the levels of a game–sometimes repeating them over and over again.

“That was absolutely deliberate,” he says. “I’m not a huge gamer. But when I was a kid, I played all those games. And it’s funny, I play with my kids now, I have an old stand-up that’s got all these games on it. I got to load up that arcade with all my favorites, Robotron, Galaga–all these dumb games that I loved. So I built that in, but I never wanted that to overwhelm the central core of the story.”

Incredibly, Carnahan’s journey to get Boss Level made started as he was finishing up The Grey more than a decade ago. He had worked with Frank Grillo on that film (now a minor cult classic) and wanted Grillo for the part of Pulver in his time loop tale. But getting the backing to make it was an entirely different story and took 10 years, eventually employing what Carnahan describes as “not a traditional financing structure… every piece of bad luck you could encounter, we basically went through it all.”

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Boss Level is now premiering on Hulu, a result of its long, twisting road to existence, the rise of streaming outlets and the effects of the pandemic on traditional theatrical releases.

“I think the age of our traditional theatrical exhibition is done as we knew it,” says Carnahan confidently. “I think it’s going to shift in ways that people who are at the leading edge of that right now are figuring out… But I don’t think we’re going to go back to 350, 400 seats in a traditional kind of–I just don’t think you’re going to have that happening. Not for the foreseeable future.”

The future, both long term and short term, is very much at the heart of Boss Level. Grillo’s Roy Pulver begins to gradually extend his lifespan on each turn of the loop, living a little longer every go-round and discovering another piece of information that he needs to solve the puzzle he’s trapped in. But while Pulver’s life, those of his wife and son, and possibly many others are at stake, Carnahan says that first and foremost he wanted to make a bonkers action movie that pushed the genre to its limits.

“I was able to make an action movie/Three Stooges film,” he says. “So it was kind of an ideal scenario for me, because we could really go bananas and gonzo with the stuff that we were doing. But listen, you’re always looking to evolve the form. I think that we want to keep pushing it. I don’t know that you’re going to be able to do just the straight action film anymore without any kind of emotional content–without some sort of heart and soul. I think the Marvel films have done this so well, combining this big kind of spectacle action filmmaking with heart, with these small, idiosyncratic and quirky moments.”

Boss Level is the latest movie to emerge from Warparty, the production company that Carnahan and Grillo officially began in 2016. Grillo, of course, has enjoyed a long career as one of film’s most reliable tough guys, especially in movies like The Grey, End of Watch, Zero Dark Thirty, The Purge: Anarchy, and The Purge: Election Year, while also playing the villainous Brock Rumlow/Crossbones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Carnahan says that their similar tastes and outlook is what makes the partnership work and drives their acquisition of material to produce.

“We’re always looking for kind of elevated genre stuff,” Carnahan says. “Stuff that we think we can sink our teeth into and make better than the sum of its parts, [so] that we’re not just doing an action film, or a horror film, or a thriller. We want to plus it up. Frank and I have a great ease of use. We have a great shorthand at this point. We just know how the other one’s going to move in a situation and what to expect, and so on. There’s great comfort and certainly great creative strength in that.”

With both men producing, Grillo acting and Carnahan directing or writing or both, the pair have several formidable projects coming down the pipeline. One is an English language version of the already classic 2011 Indonesian action thriller The Raid, which has yet to start filming, while the other, Copshop, is now in post-production. The latter film teams Grillo with Gerard Butler, and Carnahan promises that the sparks will fly between the two action heavyweights.

“They’re dynamite,” the director exclaims. “I’ll say right now, I don’t know that Gerry’s ever been better in a movie. That’s how good he is in Copshop. He’s dynamite, man. He’s really, really something in this film. I think people are going to kind of be blown away. And then there’s this young woman, Alexis Lauder, who’s basically the lead of the film. She’s just a movie star. She’s just absolutely captivating. And the movie is really good. I’m very proud of it and I think audiences are going to dig it.”

As for whether we’ll see Butler and Grillo go head to head in a fight sequence or two in the film, Carnahan doesn’t want to get into details but adds, “We’re not going to disappoint people.”

Right now, however, Carnahan is focused on getting the word out about Boss Level, and is not shy about what he thinks he, Grillo, and their team have accomplished with it.

“I think it’s the best action movie of the last five years,” he says. “I just think it’s awesome and it’s funny. It’s rare that you make a film where everything that movie tries to do, it succeeds at doing. I think that’s a great testament to the people involved in it and how, even when it seemed like it was born under a bad sign, we still persevered. I just think it’s a blast, and a hell of a lot of fun on a Friday or Saturday night.”

Boss Level begins streaming now on Hulu.

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melika-elena · 8 years ago

Note

First of all congrats congrats ily! You deserve ALL the followers Mel! (And all the Minty!) Fic prompt: my friend can’t stop talking about how they want to set me up with their other friend so we start texting each other and they’re hilarious but shy about meeting and ALSO there’s a cute bike delivery guy who brings my mail at work and winks at me whenever i sign for a package (surprise! they're the same person) AU

ILY ILY!!!! Here’s your fic :)

“His name’s Monty.”

Miller waited.

And waited.

He gave in. “Uh, okay.” He raised an eyebrow. “And?”

Clarke raised an eyebrow in return. “And what? His name’s Monty. Here’s his number.”

It had been a nice day today– his coworkers weren’t being too big of dicks; it was finally dark past six o’clock; and his beer was good, so instead of falling back on his usual surliness, Miller veered into amusement instead. “You know,” he said, “I had been expecting a more effusive recommendation for this guy than this.”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “Well, I’ve tried that with you before with other guys and you always found some stupid thing about them to talk yourself out of texting them,” she said. “So I’m done doing the hard work for you. Talk to them yourself and figure out why you don’t want to text them.”

“Well, that’s no fun,” Miller complained. “Not to mention complicated.”

Clarke leveled him with a stare that reminded him eerily of Raven. “If you don’t text Monty, you’re missing out,” she said bluntly. “All you need to know is that he’s great and I wouldn’t steer you wrong, okay?”

Miller opened his mouth to respond with something snarky, but then shut it. Well, that was true. Clarke could be an overbearing bitch sometimes, but her heart was in the right place, and even if her own dating life was a complete disaster, she could pretty clearly see other people’s.

“Fine,” he grunted. “Give me his number.”

From Nate (8:10PM)

Hey

This is Nate

Clarke’s friend

She gave me your number?

From Monty (8:12PM)

Hey!

Yeah, she told me she was going to

How are you?

From Nate (8:14PM)

Good

Awkward

From Monty (8:15PM)

Ha!

Same

It could be worse, I guess

This could be in PERSON

From Nate (8:16PM)

I’ll be fully honest– when you said that

I cringed

From Monty (8:24PM)

An introvert’s worst nightmare

I get it

This is meeting my social interaction

quota for the evening

So I don’t feel too guilty for sitting in my PJs

And watching Bob’s Burgers on Netflix

From Nate (8:25PM)

Ideal Friday night situation, imo

I love Bob’s Burgers

Did you hear they’re taking that off Netflix?

From Monty (8:26PM)

WHAT? NO!!!!!

What the flying fuck

From Nate (8:27PM)

It’s a fucking tragedy

They’re pulling a bunch of shows

Focusing on original content, I think

Which– if it’s like Sense8, fine

If it’s like Iron Fist, they can go fuck themselves

From Monty (8:28PM)

I have so many opinions

About both those shows

I don’t even know where to start

From Nate (8:29PM)

Lucky for you

I’m also doing nothing

We have all the time in the world

“Package for… Nathan Miller?”

“Miller!” Murphy called, bored, not looking up. “Package for you.”

Miller scowled as he came to the front desk. “You can sign it for me,” he said pointedly to Murphy. “It’s part of your job?”

Murphy ignored him.

“Any interest in switching careers?” Miller muttered to the messenger as he signed for the package, giving the messenger a flicker of an apologetic smile. His smile froze for a second as he handed back the slip and pen.

The guy was cute, there was no denying that, dark, shaggy hair, bright smile, and in his bike attire, it was evident that this guy had insane thighs, holy shit. The nametag on his shirt read Jasper. “Heh, my mother would be thrilled,” he said, “three career moves in a year. But I think I’ll stick with this for now.”

Miller snorted, despite his curiosity at the other man’s statement. “Let me know if you change your mind.”

Jasper laughed. “I will,” he said. “Have a good day!” He said, turning around.

Miller couldn’t help himself– he definitely checked out if those bike shorts made his ass look as good as his thighs (they did.) “Yeah,” he said. “You, too.”

From Monty (10:34PM)

Hear me out here–

ANH

ESB

ROJ

TFA

ROS

AOC

From Miller (10:36PM)

That’s MOSTLY right

But why are you kidding yourself

Empire Strikes Back > A New Hope

From Monty (10:38PM)

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong

Nate!!

How can you go wrong with the one that

STARTED EVERYTHING

I mean, come on

From Miller (10:40PM)

Everything about ESB is better

It gets to the heart and soul of the story

ANH is a lot of set-up

From Monty (10:42PM)

We need to watch the movies and see

From Miller (10:43PM)

Haven’t you seen the movies like, 27 times,

According to you?

From Monty (10:45PM)

Well, YEAH

But not with YOU

Miller and Monty had been texting for weeks now, mostly platonically. Sometimes it veered into flirting, and Miller was totally on board, but the idea of meeting face-to-face, even if he knew he liked Monty as a person? It freaked him out.

Not to mention… he might’ve also been engaging in a little real-life flirting, too, with someone who wasn’t Monty.

Jasper the Bike Messenger came by at least twice a week with packages, and just maybe Miller timed it so that he was always on his way out for a coffee break when Jasper came by, just so they could chat and then walk out together. Maybe it was a little obvious (especially judging by Murphy’s judgmental, snarky comments,) but Miller couldn’t bring himself to care. Jasper was just so cute, with his great smile and shiny black hair, and the way he used his hands to talk, (and those fucking shorts). Miller was working up the courage to ask him for his number, or to join him on a coffee break, or something, but the idea of Monty kept holding him back.

He and Monty weren’t exclusive; hell, they’re dancing around the idea of just meeting up in person. But Miller’d never been someone who talks to multiple people at once, weighing his options; that’s fine for some people, as long as everyone’s on board, but he didn’t work that way. He just couldn’t. And he didn’t know what to do about it.

“Hey,” said Jasper, smile lighting up his face as he came in. “No Murphy today?”

“Out sick,” Miller said. “Thank god. The temp agency might be sending us someone new next week,” he raised his eyebrows meaningfully. “Unless you want to step in?”

Jasper laughed. “Nah, I’m good,” he said. “But maybe if the next temp doesn’t work out.”

Miller’s lips quirked. “You like it?” He asked. “Being a messenger?”

Jasper shrugged. “Keeps me in good shape,” he said, and it was all Miller could do to bite back a, fuck, yeah, it does comment. “And, well, to be honest I had a fast-paced office job for a few years before this– it burnt me out, putting it mildly. I quit and wanted something completely different, and this is it. I don’t know how long I’ll continue to do it, but it’s good until I figure out what I really want. Bike rides help with thinking about that, too.” He grinned. “And my best friend works there, too, which is fun.”

“That does help,” Miller said, wondering if this was the moment where he should ask Jasper to coffee, but he was already getting back on his bike, and the moment passed.

Fuck. Miller rubbed his hand over his face as Jasper pedaled away with a wave. He really needed to get his life into order.

From Monty (4:28PM)

Nate

Is it the weekend yet?

I’m DYING

From Miller (4:32PM)

Only a half-hour left

Any weekend plans?

From Monty (4:37PM)

Not much

My best friend Jasper and I

Are going to be hanging out

Might go see the new Power Rangers

You?

Miller nearly spat out his lukewarm coffee. How many fucking Jaspers were there in the world, anyway? Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK. He was in some fucking trouble. It would just be his life where he had a crush on two best friends.

From Miller (4:48 PM)

Sounds fun

Is Jasper the same friend who you said used to

Make you dress up as the red and blue rangers

Every year for Halloween for like, ten years?

From Monty (4:50PM)

Yes, that’s him! Good memory

Yeah, he’s been my best friend for ages

Feel like I haven’t talked about him a lot

Even though we work together and stuff

He’s been really busy with his new girlfriend

So I haven’t seen him lately.

Best friends who work together. Jasper said it himself, too, so it Even though the thought that Jasper was unavailable should’ve made Miller’s life easier, it kind of punched him in the gut, anyway. He liked Jasper, and now he just felt guilt at the idea that the choice had been made for him because he liked Monty, too, and didn’t want to think of him as a back-up.

At least he knew enough now not to flirt with Jasper anymore, and he could just focus on Monty and continue on as they were. Yeah. Good plan.

From Miller (5:02PM)

It’s finally the weekend

Besides seeing the Power Rangers

Would you be interested in grabbing a drink?

From Monty (5:05PM)

Yeah

I would like that

Miller saw him basically the moment he came in and it took every ounce of courage in him not to turn around and hightail it out of there. What were the odds that Jasper would be here as well? Did Monty tell him? Oh, god, maybe Monty bailed and sent Jasper in his place.

Now he was actually considering leaving, but Jasper already spotted him, and he looked as confused as Miller felt, even as his face lit up in a smile.

“Miller, hey!” Jasper said, bounding up to him. “What a coincidence.”

“Hey,” Miller said, hoping he didn’t look as awkward as he felt. “It is. What, uh, what are you up to tonight?”

Jasper rubbed his hand at the back of his neck. “I’m, uh, meeting up with someone I’ve been talking to a few weeks now. Friend of a friend. I think it’s a date?”

Miller froze. “What?”

Jasper didn’t seem to notice. “Yeah, he’s a friend of my friend Clarke. She said that we were totally each other’s types, and at first I didn’t quite believe her– if you knew her, you’d know that her love life is a total shit show, but she was actually right! I, uh, I really like him, and–” he cuts himself off with a laugh. “And you really don’t care about that. Sorry.”

“No,” Miller still didn’t know what the fuck was going on, but he needed to find out now. “No, I really do. I think you’re here for me. Maybe?”

Jasper frowned. “What?”

“I think so, anyway,” Miller shook his head. “I’m also here to meet someone who I’ve been texting for a while. Someone my friend Clarke set me up with.”

Jasper’s gaping. “But I’m here for someone named Nate.”

“And I’m here for someone named Monty.”

They both said at the same time, “That’s me.”

Jasper– Monty is laughing. “What did you think my name was?”

“The first day you came into my office, your name tag read Jasper,” Miller said. “So I thought–”

“Oh my god,” Monty said. “I remember that day! I had to wear Jasper’s shirt because I spilled coffee on mine.” He gave Miller a questioning look. “But I thought– your name–”

“Nathan Miller,” Miller said with a smile.

Monty laughed again. “This is ridiculous.”

Miller gave him a sheepish smile. “I felt so guilty,” he said, “I thought–”

“Me, too,” Monty said. “But, uh, now it’s kinda like all my dreams are coming true.”

“Yeah,” Miller swallowed. “Same.” He cocked his head to the side. “Drink?”

Monty leaned over and took Miller’s hand, threading his fingers with his. “There’s nothing I’d like more.”

#i'll post this on AO3 but it's currently being stupid #mel writes #caitlyn #minty fic #minty #cinnamon roll and his sinnamon roll #the 100 #tv: the 100

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thethirstisoutthere · 8 years ago

Text

(kismet)

Paper Clip Post-Ep fic for @txf-fic-chicks challenge Rating: PG angst/fluff. Length: just under 2000 words Summary: Scully cleans Melissa’s apartment, with Mulder’s help. Spoilers: Paper Clip, allusions to season 4 & 7 Author: Me, @thethirstisoutthere, who hasn’t posted a fic on tumblr ever. Thanks to @kateyes224 for saying “why don’t you write a fic, Mel?”

Scully stood alone in Melissa's home, packing up the remnants of her sister's short life. It had been two weeks since the funeral, and Scully still couldn't believe that her free-spirited sister had been buried in D.C. The city didn't suit Melissa at all, but Scully knew why she had returned to it. After years of being on the road, hopping from boyfriend to girlfriend to job to city to religion to diet and everything in between, Melissa wanted to be with her family — to be close to her mother and her only sister. Scully wiped a tear from her eye, grateful that Melissa had spent her last few years in this staid, studio apartment in Georgetown. As Scully pulled another book from the shelves, she wondered if Melissa had known (she was so intuitive, after all) that her time on this planet would be short. But it was too morbid a thought, so Scully shook it aside.

It was the only way that Scully could get through her grief: she compartmentalized her feelings in the same way as she was left to organize Melissa's things. She made piles: to throw away, to donate, to keep. Scully had made the choice to forgive herself for her sister's death, to focus on the good memories and not the bullet that was meant for her. It was the only way she could go on living, and it was what Melissa would have wanted, anyway. She would have given Scully all of the bohemian advice in the known universe to calm her nerves.

Take deep breaths. Think positive thoughts. Choose joy.

Would she ever feel joy again?

It felt... impossible.

Scully slid into the dark place. The book fell from her hand. She collapsed to her knees. And wept.

***

Scully didn't know how long she had been lying on the floor of Melissa's apartment when she heard the knock at the door. The gentle rapping woke her and she felt a flush of embarrassment. She unravelled from her fetal position, dug her palms into the handwoven rug, and slowly, painfully, began to push herself up to stand.

Why did every simple movement feel like such a struggle?

As she rolled up vertebrae by vertebrae, Scully heard another knock. "Just a minute."

"It's only me. Take your time."

Mulder.

Had she mentioned to him that she would be at Melissa's? Maybe, in a haze... but she didn't expect him to join her. She walked to the door and unlocked it to reveal his half-smiling face.

Her partner.

She looked at him and felt something that she hadn't felt in a long time. She couldn't pinpoint the feeling. Was it relief? She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but whatever the surge of emotion, she managed to suppress it.

Mulder held two coffees in a takeaway container in one hand, a bag of pastries in the other.

"I thought you could probably use a boost." He entered the small, sunlit apartment, walked to the round dining table, and set down the coffee and food. "Croissant?"

"Not hungry. I'll take a coffee, though. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Scully crossed over to him and lifted the coffee to her lips. They stood across from each other at the table, sipped their drinks, and said nothing. They could have taken a seat at the table, but they didn't. Because Scully knew that if she sat with Mulder, she'd fall apart. And Mulder sensed it, ever in tune with her needs.

After a few minutes, Mulder started to pace around Melissa's apartment, taking it in. The crystals, the plants, the dreamcatchers. The bead curtain separating her bed from the open floor plan. Books on yoga, witchcraft, Hinduism. Melissa's Reiki certification, in a frame hanging askew on the wall.

Mulder noticed the piles. "So... you got a system?"

"Yeah. Garbage. Donate. Keep," Scully pointed.

Mulder pulled a book from the cardboard box next to the shelves. "Ahh... Spiritual Astrology. I guess it's safe for me to assume that this is getting donated?"

"You would be correct."

"Scully, you're a Pisces, right? Aren't they interested in escaping reality?"

"How else could I have worked on The X-Files for so long?"

"Ha. Touché. And here I was thinking that the only thing keeping you around was my winning personality."

Scully shot Mulder a slight smile, and felt a lightness for the first time in an eternity. It surprised her, how having Mulder in the apartment brought levity to the whole situation.

"You know," Mulder said, "I'm about as open-minded as they come, but some of the books on these shelves are making me feel like a skeptic. This must be what it feels like to be around me most of the time, huh?"

"Most of the time," Scully grinned.

"It's good to know you haven't lost your sense of humour."

"Mulder, thank you."

"For what?"

"Being here." Scully felt her voice crack and stopped herself just short of crying.

Mulder sensed a need to keep the mood light. "Well, these books aren't going to donate themselves. Do you want me to just pack 'em?"

"Sure, go ahead. I can start working on the dishes. I think some of them belonged to my grandmother — my mom might want them."

"How is your mom?"

"She..." Scully took a breath before continuing, "she still has a hard time being here. So... that's why I'm flying solo. Bill is shipping out to Japan on Thursday and Charlie is... being Charlie."

Ahh, the mysterious, estranged brother. Mulder knew that their relationship was a touchy subject and felt it best not to press.

"Hey Scully - do you think the Salvation Army will even accept this book or do they draw the line at the Occult?" He held up a black book with a pentagram on the cover.

"Someone will take them, just not me."

"You sure you don't want any of these books? Imagine how good they'd look sitting next to your medical textbooks."

"Mulder - "

"Crystal Enlightenment next to Applied Physiology in Intensive Care Medicine? Gives me chills!"

"They'd revoke my licence."

"It would certainly scare off any potential mates."

"Oh, yes," Scully rolled her eyes, "for my revolving door of suitors. You do realize that you're the only man that's entered my home in the last four years?"

Mulder smiled. He was happy to hear it. But he wouldn't tell her that. Not yet.

"You know, Melvin Frohike is also single and very interested," he said instead.

"Mulder - this china may be an heirloom but don't think I won't throw it at you."

Mulder chuckled. He continued to pack the books from the shelves into boxes, while Scully worked away in the kitchen cupboards.

***

They spent the rest of the day sorting Melissa's things, mostly in silence. Mulder checked in with Scully occasionally, but only when he was unsure of where to place something. Having Mulder around kept Scully from retreating into her grief, and she was thankful for it. Hours had passed and they had accomplished more together than Scully had on her own in a week. This is what their partnership was like — easy, safe, comfortable. They complemented each other, worked well together, even in the darkest times.

Scully stood in the tiny bathroom, packing up toiletries. Never one to waste, she resolved to take whatever she could use at home, but drew the line at crystal deodorant. At least Melissa's soaps were nice.

The bathroom door was wide open, giving Scully full view of Mulder across the apartment. He was standing in the light of the bay window, carefully placing small potted plants in milk crates. Focused on the task, his eyes were clear and sharp and earnest. Scully felt a pang in her heart as she watched this soulful man. He had become such a fixture in her life over the last three years. Her thoughts turned back to Melissa, and how she was really the only member of Scully's family who supported her decision to join the FBI.

It wasn't about the work, Melissa had said, but about the people she'd meet.

"I can sense these things, Dana. You're being drawn from medicine for a higher purpose, and it's not just because you'll be fulfilled by the work. You're destined to meet someone very special at the bureau. They're going to change your entire life."

At the time, Scully rolled her eyes — she was used to Melissa's unsolicited psychic readings and didn't give them much weight.

But looking at Mulder across the apartment, Scully knew that her sister had been right. Her relationship with Mulder, though platonic, was the deepest she had ever experienced with another person. Maybe it would turn romantic someday — but for now, Scully was content to simply have Mulder be the constant in her life.

And Melissa really liked him. That counted for something.

"Hey Scully - check this out!" Mulder reached behind the pot of a large philodendron and lifted a small Buddha statue. "What do you think he's doing back here?"

Scully placed the last of Melissa's toiletries in the small cardboard box and walked over to meet Mulder at the bay window.

"Was your sister Buddhist?" he asked.

"I think she believed in a lot of things."

"Hmm. It's weird that she'd have it stashed behind a plant. You'd think it be on display somewhere. I'm not super familiar with Buddhism but I'm pretty certain that you're supposed to keep the statue elevated."

Scully raised her eyebrow.

"You know, for maximum protection."

"Well... maybe you were supposed to find him, Mulder. I think you should keep it."

"You don't want it?"

"I'd feel like I'd be living a lie having it in my house, and there's no way anyone else in my family would take it. Besides, I think Melissa would want you to have something of hers. To thank you. For being here. For me."

Mulder didn't feel like arguing with a grieving woman, least of all Scully.

"I think it's kismet, Mulder."

"Since when do you believe in fate?"

Scully shrugged. "I just have a feeling that the Buddha is meant for you."

They shared a smile.

"Scully, do you feel like eating now? We're making good progress. I say we call it a day, grab some dinner, and pick everything up tomorrow. You in? I'm buying."

"Sure. But take the Buddha now so it doesn't get mixed up with everything else."

"I'm not leaving without him. You Buddha believe it, Scully!"

"Shut up, Mulder."

They grabbed their coats, walked out the door, and decided on pizza.

***

Melissa's Buddha statue sat in Mulder's car for the next few weeks. When Mulder re-discovered him during a routine car clean-up, he felt guilty for having abandoned him. He gingerly pulled the statue out of the trunk and carried him home. Not being a practicing Buddhist, Mulder felt weird about having the statue on display, but he still wanted to keep it as a memento — of Melissa, of Scully, of everything they'd been through together. The only square inch of his apartment that wasn't obvious (but still respectful, he thought) was underneath the fish tank. He made sure the statue was elevated, and faced him east. Mulder admired the Buddha's peaceful countenance in the warm green glow of the aquarium for a moment, but then he went to sleep and forgot about it.

It was there that Melissa's Buddha statue stayed for many years, out of sight and out of mind, but nonetheless keeping a watchful gaze on the comings and goings of Fox Mulder. He was there when Mulder faked his own death, and when Teena Mulder took her own life. And he was there on that fateful night when two lost and beautiful souls finally joined, consummating their relationship.

And from that moment, Mulder and Scully's lives changed forever. They were soulmates — just as Melissa Scully had predicted.

#here's a fic i wrote #txf fic chicks post-ep challenge #txf fic #msr fic #tw: death #tw: grief #msr #the x files season 3 #paper clip #remember all things #ha #snuck it in there #msr headcanons #the x files season 7 #and also #the x files season 4 #i guess #wow anyway hope someone likes it

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optometrist0 · 7 years ago

Text

What Does An Eye Exam Consist Of

Contents

Early stage condition which

Reverse the progression

2017 … your

50s. not near you and view

The top number in the fraction is the standard distance at which testing is done ( 20 feet). The bottom number is the smallest letter size you were able to read. A person … This test measures the curvature of the cornea (the clear outer surface of the eye) by focusing a circle of light on the cornea and measuring its reflection.

Named for the eye doctor who invented it, the Snellen Chart is the classic icon of eye care. With its letter-filled rows ranging in size from chunky to seemingly microscopic, this chart has graced many a medical office's hallway. It's a simple test to assess your visual sharpness. The doctor will watch to see the smallest row you …

Our primary test is the non-contact tonometer, which uses an air puff against your eyeball while you are staring at a light source. It is quick and painless. No instrument touches your eyeball. In some cases, the doctor may choose to perform a different glaucoma test that involves placing a numbing drop in your eye and using …

Eye exams are an important aspect of preventive health. … A comprehensive eye exam may alert the eye doctor to an early stage condition which can be crucial in developing a treatment plan that has the chance to reverse the progression of the … What is the Difference Between an Eye Exam and a Contact Lens Exam?

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Federal health officials, alarmed by the increasing number of cases of debilitating eye disease, are advocating a regular schedule of eye exams that include dilation … Pupil dilation consists of putting a few drops of medicine in the eyes.

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Cover Test. While there are many ways for your eye doctor to check how your eyes work together, the cover test is the simplest and most common. During a cover test, your eye doctor will ask you to focus on a small object across the room and will then cover each of your eyes alternately while you stare at the target. The test …

An eye examination should be part of your normal health routine and is an important part of looking after your eyes, but it's not just a test of your sight. … You may think of this as just an eye test, but it's more than a simple test of your sight. … Your browser does not currently recognize any of the video formats available.

(Similarly, though Mouse was born blind in one eye, his parents refused to acknowledge his disability … At the time of his death, the boy was studying to …

If you are lucky enough to have good eyesight, you may be surprised when your diabetes care team recommends that you make an appointment with an eye doctor. If your …

An exam “lane” consists of the typical equipment you’d find in an eye doctor’s office — an exam chair … “I did the heavy lifting, but they said, ‘This is what we want to do’,” Levine said of the Tuthills. Mel Proulx can be reached …

Fagien gave the boy several tests from depth perception to a medical exam of … usually consist of reading eye charts to check distance vision. Children with possible problems are referred to an eye doctor. Headaches and eye redness do …

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Are your eye exams as complete as they should be? Dr. Gary Heiting discusses what tests are included in a comprehensive eye exam.

Even if it does … SQE stage 1 exams will have to be taken in the same …

A comprehensive eye exam includes several tests. … A comprehensive eye examination takes about an hour, and it should consist of most of the following parts:

Know what to expect at your next optometrist visit! Learn about the most common eye tests you will undergo when getting your vision checked.

Starting with the S.A.T.s and ending with a series of medical licensing exams, including all the prep courses and … Gotta rule it out.” No, gotta not do that. Gotta sit tight and let it be: Reassure the patient, already panicky enough, that all will …

We Make It As Easy As Possible To Get Your Contacts, Exam & Delivery Included

Credit: Peek (Medical Xpress)—Visionary scientists have developed an adapted smartphone that can carry out eye tests and diagnose problems with vision. The portable eye examination kit … Also known as Peek, the kit consists of a …

“Because we do not … get them an eye exam and see if it fixes the problem.” The findings are published in the journal Optometry and Vision Science. Traci Pedersen is a professional writer with over a decade of experience. Her work …

The basic certification is the Registered Professional Reporter examination which consists … job and how do you deal with it? Sometimes we will work straight through without a break (judges will forget that we need breaks). I maintain …

Eye exams for adults can include many tests. WebMD let's you know what to expect.

Exam pattern: It consists of two parts: Part I … for you to get 6-7 hours of good sleep in order to start your day refreshed, with a relaxed mind. Do not study late at night. Give yourself time to relax a night before and watch your favorite movie …

Pablo Guzman-Salas and Juan Serna-Ojeda, an examination … worms can affect the eye and cause major damage. "Symptoms can range from mild to severe vision loss, blind spots, floaters and pain," Gorski said. "Treatment consists …

And if the individual is able to do this, he/she is guaranteed quality sleep … an average of eight hours of sleep in 24 hours. A cycle of sleep consists of two …

What to Expect at Your Eye Exam. Taking care of your vision is an important aspect of your preventative annual health plan. Just as you visit your family doctor or …

An eye examination is a series of tests performed by an ophthalmologist … A minimal eye examination consists of tests for visual acuity, pupil function, …

"I feel that [the ACP guidelines] are based on limited data and that annual pelvic exams do offer benefits so they shouldn’t be … The complete exam consists of an external look at the vulva, an internal look at the vagina and cervix with a …

Getting a contact lens exam involves a little bit more than the average eye examination, but both are necessary to ensure your eyes are healthy.

Are your eye exams as complete as they should be? Dr. Gary Heiting discusses what tests are included in a comprehensive eye exam.

Eye exam — Overview covers definition, what to expect and results of vision testing.

two students chatting loudly about an exam; a small child playing on the staircase, its mother watching anxiously. I’m feeling nervous. Conducting interviews is one …

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theonyxpath · 6 years ago

Link

Of course the big news is that we’re starting the Trinity Continuum: Aberrant Kickstarter campaign tomorrow, Tuesday July 2nd, at 2pm Eastern US time. And above is one of the pieces of artwork; this one featuring the dramatic moment when Randel Portman manifested his powers. Becoming then, The Fireman – the first known Nova (Aberrant).

Just one Word of Warning about the KS: as of the time I’m writing this, we are still waiting for the OK from Kickstarter after their review of the site. Certainly, we don’t expect issues after 30+ KSs, but if they don’t green-light this in time – just keep an eye out on our social media for when it will be live!

And while I’m at it, please note that you’ll need the Trinity Continuum: Core book in order to play TC: Aberrant, and we’ll have options for how you can include that with your rewards. We’re also going to give backers links for the finished TC: Core character creation chapter and the TC: Core Jumpstart along with the Trinity Continuum: Aberrant preview text released during the Kickstarter.

As previously, our goal with this Kickstarter is to raise the funds to print more books than the ones backers pledge for, so that we can get Trinity Continuum: Aberrant into retail stores. Scion 2nd Edition has only just been available for a month in retail, and our next Storypath System books to go into stores will be the Trinity Continuum: Core and TC: Aeon projects, followed by Dystopia Rising: Evolution and They Came From Beneath the Sea!, so we’re just getting started with introducing Storypath to the world.

Any help you can give by pledging to this Kickstarter will certainly help that effort!

Shunned By The Moon art by Leo Albiero

Like I mentioned last week, I personally have a long history with Aberrant, so I’m really looking forward to seeing where this KS goes. Plus, I got to work with Steve Kenson on this edition, a designer whose work I’ve loved since Mutants and Masterminds, and who was great to chat with on the couple of Diversity in Gaming panels we were on together.

I was so glad that after having pitched him on joining the team, and then poor Steve having to wait years as we hammered out the core Storypath rules, when at last I could finally contact him and say we were moving forward. A fair amount of that gladness was that he was still interested in the project after so much time had passed since we first talked about it!

But he was, and, in fact, you’ll be able to hear his fascinating thoughts on Trinity Continuum: Aberrant, as well as many other games and issues, on this coming Friday’s Onyx Pathcast where he is interviewed by the team!

In parallel with the Trinity Continuum: Aberrant Kickstarter, we continue to run the TC: Aberrant web comic You Are Not Alone right here on this site. So far, we’ve been thrilled with everyone’s comments as the storyline begins to talk about the world situation in TC: Aberrant and hint at the changes we’ve made to the setting in this edition.

Please be assured, we made no changes lightly, but this is very much a new edition, not a continuation of storylines from first edition. Our real world has significantly changed since the late 90’s when Aberrant was conceptualized, and so must the game’s setting. Plus, then, the idea of examining personality cults and deconstructing super hero tropes was still something fresh to the genre…not so much now.

We think we’ve moved the whole setting forward in ways that will thrill newbies and long-time fans alike, but we should know better how that has registered once You Are Not Alone and the TC:Aberrant KS have finished. Come along with us – and let us know what you think – it should be a fun ride!

Related Storypath System news: the Storypath Nexus Community Content site looks like it’ll be ready to go after this week. The July 4th holiday just jams up our effective time, so after this week we’ll be more readier.

Speaking of another world entirely, July is also the start of the Scarred Lands mega-campaign.The Vengeance of the Shunned starts, why, right about now, on the Slarecian Vault Community Content site for SL.

This was all planned by a team of community content authors headed up by Travis Legge, who we just recently brought on to lead the development of Scarred Lands. So, you could think of this mega-campaign as a really huge “audition piece”! But really, there are so many talented people who contributed, and I’m sure you’ll be seeing their names in official projects before long!

Wraith20 Book of Oblivion art by Mel Uran

Finally, I’d just like to encourage our community to give a listen to last Friday’s Onyx Pathcast. Our Trio have had a lot of fun during this past year of podcasting, and while they continue to bring their positive energy to last Friday’s episode, the subject matter is really not something that they are joking about.

The subject is Harassment, which is an issue that we at Onyx Path have been dealing with in a variety of ways since the company was founded. In fact, some of the strongest sections of this Pathcast are when Dixie, Eddy, and Matthew, speak of the different kinds of harassment they have personally encountered during their time in the TTRPG business.

From over-eager fans, to other industry “professionals”, to attacks and threats from strangers on the internet; all of these and more demoralize and frighten the very creators that our community look to for creative and engaging work.

I’ll provide you with another anecdote: if you look at our production in the 2017 time-frame, and the relative dearth of Kickstarters and number of seemingly stalled projects, a large number of these issues were because our creative teams were simply exhausted from dealing with harassment across the board. They had no creative impetus because so much of their time was spent defending themselves, and friends and co-workers.

A large part of our 2018 and 2019 Onyx Path Summits were about how to deal with all this negativity, including my shifting these blogs away from talking directly about these ongoing problems and into focusing on the fun and creative things we are doing. Not as a smoke-screen or panacea, but as a deliberate effort to remind both our community and ourselves of how awesome it is that we are able to create whole worlds for a living.

We can acknowledge the seriousness of the issues involved without letting that drive us away from the truly magical projects we create. You can hear that in the voices of Eddy, Matthew, and Dixie, and the conversation they have.

This is why this episode of the Onyx Pathcast is important.

Please take some time and give it a listen, if only to get a better grasp on the challenges we all face to bring you all of these:

Many Worlds, One Path!

BLURBS!

Kickstarter!

Starting Tuesday July 2nd at 2pm EDT, the Trinity Continuum: Aberrant Kickstarter will blast its super-powered way into our lives!

ONYX PATH MEDIA

Onyx Pathcast art by Michael Gaydos

This Friday’s Onyx Pathcast features world-renowned expert on all things super-heroic in games, Steve Kenson! The gang talk with Steve about his huge body of work, his specific brilliant design work on Trinity Continuum: Aberrant, and his many other interests: https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

And Here’s More Media About Our Worlds:

The live Onyx Path News was such a hit last week (watch it again here: https://youtu.be/ssolzT5iGOo) that we’ll be doing it live again this coming Wednesday! Subscribe to our channel and click the bell symbol to be informed whenever a new video goes up!

Matthew’s Contagion Chronicle actual play continues apace with multiple parts uploaded over the last week! Here’s episode seven, where our characters encounter (and slaughter) a bunch of Beshilu: https://youtu.be/U5yrLR1WYmI

Keep watching Travis Legge’s Scarred Lands actual play of Myths & Matchmakers over here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmiXCaSrrCIjmCJQQ7oLwLNahmDbdn_2J Seriously: he’s one of the best people to watch if you want to find out about this setting!

Devil’s Luck Gaming haven’t stopped with their epic journey through Scarn either: https://www.twitch.tv/DEVILSLUCKGAMING

And our journey through the Scarred Lands doesn’t end yet, as the always excellent Caffeinated Conquests continue to march through the Gauntlet of Spiragos here: https://youtu.be/ygamfg9yBak

Returning to the Chronicles of Darkness, Occultists Anonymous‘ latest episodes of the Mage: The Awakening 2E continue here: Episode 25: Igniting An Old Flamehttps://youtu.be/2va2Eae2jfcMammon has some time alone to reconnect with an old acquaintance. Atratus speaks with her dead brother. Wyrd has some concerns. Songbird… meditates.

Episode 26: Escalation https://youtu.be/L4pADEK8aPo Atratus, Songbird, and Wyrd the Seer have a discussion of what is necessary to handle the mysterious Letter Man. Plans are made to investigate the original meeting spot. Songbird remains in his room..

And the Keeper of the Archive continues their overview of Scion Second Edition here! https://youtu.be/nCg8aXg1c0c and https://youtu.be/iaLFToU6OD0

Please check any of these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games!

ELECTRONIC GAMING

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is now live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)

ON AMAZON AND BARNES & NOBLE:

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these fiction books:

OUR SALES PARTNERS:

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scarred Lands (Pathfinder) books are also on sale at Studio2, and they have the 5e version, supplements, and dice as well!: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/scarred-lands

Scion 2e books and other products are available now at Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/blogs/new-releases/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin-now-available-at-your-local-retailer-or-online

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

And you can order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link! And NOW Scion Origin and Scion Hero are available to order!

On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday, we are offering the Changeling: The Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition Player’s Guide in PDF and physical book PoD versions on DTRPG!

CONVENTIONS!

Gen Con: August 1st – 4th Save Against Fear: October 12th – 14th GameHoleCon: October 31st – November 3rd We’ll also be back at PAX Unplugged later this year!

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY WEBB (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum Core)

Wraith20 Fiction Anthology (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)

One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon) Titanomachy (Scion 2nd Edition)

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)

W20 Shattered Dreams Gift Cards (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)

W20 Art Book (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)

Redlines

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Second Draft

Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #1 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

Geist 2e Fiction Anthology (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Development

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Oak, Ash, and Thorn: Changeling: The Lost 2nd Companion (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)

M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Creatures of the World Bestiary (Scion 2nd Edition)

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)

Let the Streets Run Red (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

TC: Aeon Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Manuscript Approval

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Pirates of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)

Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)

Chicago Folio/Dossier (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

TC: Aeon Ready-Made Characters (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Editing

Memento Mori: the GtSE 2e Companion (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

Spilled Blood (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Heroic Land Dwellers (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

DR:E Threat Guide – Helnau’s Guide to Wasteland Beasties (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

DR:E Jumpstart (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

Post-Editing Development

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

V5 Chicago By Night (Vampire: The Masquerade)

V5 Chicago By Night Screen (Vampire: The Masquerade)

CofD Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

Distant Worlds (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Dark Eras 2 (Chronicles of Darkness)

Indexing

ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE!

In Art Direction

Contagion Chronicle

Dark Eras 2

M20 Book of the Fallen

VtR Spilled Blood – Waiting on the splat art.

Trinity Continuum Aeon: Distant Worlds – Sketches coming in.

Trinity Continuum Aberrant – KS Sketches and finals coming in.

Hunter: The Vigil 2e

Ex3 Lunars

They Came From Beneath the Sea

TCFBtS!: Heroic Land Dwellers

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

In Layout

V5: Chicago – A couple of chapters left to go!

Trinity Core – Getting cover specs from printer.

Trinity Aeon – Getting cover specs from printer.

CoM – Witch Queen of the Shadowed Citadel

Proofing

DR: E – annotated proof back to Josh

Aeon Aexpansion

C20 Cup of Dreams – This week.

Ex 3 Monthlies

At Press

Dragon Blooded – Deluxe shipping to Studio2.

Dragon-Blooded Cloth Map – Shipped to Studio2.

Dragon-Blooded Screen – Printing.

The Realm – PoD proofs ordered.

Trinity Core Screen – Printing.

TC Aeon Screen – Printing.

C20 Player’s Guide – PDF and PoDs for sale Wednesday!

Geist 2e – Need to input Errata.

Book of Oblivion – Putting in errata.

Trinity: In Media Res – PoD proofs ordered.

Scion Jumpstart – Gathering errata from Backer PDFs.

Scion Ready-Made Characters – Gathering errata from Backer PDFs.

Blood Sea – Errata being input.

WtF Shunned by the Moon – Advance PDF prepping for next week.

Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

On this day, at about 11:30 in the morning after 23.5 hours of labor, my first daughter was born, singing, well cooing, from first breath and looking right into my eyes with her baby blues. And today, she’s a Psychiatric Resident and mother of her own cute little baby. Time, it flies! Love ya, kid!

#Onyx Path Publishing

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simplemlmsponsoring · 6 years ago

Photo

New Post has been published on http://simplemlmsponsoring.com/attraction-marketing-formula/social-media-marketing/top-5-social-media-trends-in-2019-and-how-brands-should-adapt/

Top 5 Social Media Trends in 2019 (And How Brands Should Adapt)

What will be the most important social media trends in 2019 for brands and businesses?

Hootsuite’s annual report has the answers.

It’s based on a survey of more than 3,000 Hootsuite customers—from large enterprises to small agencies—conducted in late 2018. We’ve also included insights from interviews with dozens of industry analysts, as well as reports and data from Edelman, Gartner, GlobalWebIndex, Forrester, Econsultancy, Kleiner Perkins, We Are Social, and others.

New formats, challenges, and ways of engaging make 2019 an exciting time to work in social media. Here’s our roadmap for navigating and thriving in the year ahead.

Top 5 social media trends for 2019 1. Rebuilding trust 2. Storifying social 3. Closing the ads gap 4. Cracking the commerce code 5. Messaging eats the world

Bonus: Get all the insight and tools you need to inform your social strategy in 2019 with our free social trends toolkit. Find out how successful brands are adapting to each trend, access data from over 3,000 customer surveys, and read the full report.

Trend 1: Rebuilding trust Brands get human as the circle of trust on social media tightens

2018 represented a crisis year for trust on social media.

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal and a Congressional hearing, Facebook faced pressure from users and regulators to improve security, transparency, and accuracy.

Twitter, meanwhile, fought controversies over the large presence of bots on its platform, purging millions of fake accounts.

In recent months, consumers, regulators, and media observers have questioned the privacy, accuracy, and ethics of nearly every social network.

The result: 60 percent of people no longer trust social media companies.

For brands on social media, this shift presents new challenges and opportunities. Users have grown distrustful of many media and celebrity influencers (whose followings, it turns out, are often bought or fake). Trust has reverted back to immediate friends, family, and acquaintances on social media, as well as traditional and trusted journalism outlets.

Source: Edelman 2018 Trust Barometer Special Report: Brands and Social Media

Smart brands are focusing less on maximizing reach and more on generating transparent, quality engagement. Companies like Adidas and The New York Times, for example, are working to develop intimate, meaningful dialogue with smaller, more valuable audience groups. They’re creating communities and sharing insightful and researched content—then getting out of the way and letting passionate users talk to one another.

Hootsuite’s recommendations for this trend Beginner

Create a branded hashtag for Instagram aligned with community values.

To build conversation around your brand, create a short, easy-to-remember branded hashtag that brings your community together around a common interest. For example, Herschel Supply Co. has a popular branded hashtag, #welltravelled, for people who love to travel. They encourage their customers to share photos of Herschel products while exploring beautiful corners of the world.

Use hashtags to align users around a brand value or noble purpose, rather than just a product offering.

Take part in (or run) Twitter chats.

A Twitter chat is a public discussion on Twitter around a specific hashtag. Twitter chats are a great way to build community by generating lively discussions around your customers’ interests. The chats are held at a specific time, cover one topic or theme, and are led by a moderator.

Hootsuite hosts a monthly #Hootchat on social media marketing and strategy, bringing together a group of engaged participants who want to learn more about social media for business.

Build a Facebook Group around a core audience interest.

If you have a Facebook Business Page, you can easily create a Facebook Group to complement it. While your page will offer more general information, your Facebook Group can address niche interests and target your superfans.

The key for brands is to create a space where customers can talk to one another. Facilitate that engagement and then get out of the way. Avoid heavy-handed pitches or product plugs.

You can choose to make your group public or closed, and you should clearly identify the purpose of the group so people know why it exists.

Advanced

Include micro-influencers in your marketing strategy.

When planning campaigns, consider hiring a micro-influencer to improve the quality of your outreach with more niche audiences. Unlike well-known or celebrity influencers, micro-influencers have smaller, highly engaged social media audiences. They are more affordable for brands, are viewed as more trustworthy by consumers, and often drive better results.

One of the easiest ways to find micro-influencers is through a hashtag search on Twitter or Instagram. This will help you find people that have influence in your industry. To learn more about micro-influencers, check out this overview.

Start a secret group on Facebook.

Public groups on Facebook are open to everyone. Closed groups can be found via search but need admin permission to join.

And then there are secret groups: invisible and unsearchable to the outside world. The only way to join is to get a member to invite you.

For the right brands, secret groups can be an effective way to create an aura of exclusivity or intrigue, especially in the context of launches and special promotions. And members, free from the prying eyes of the outside world, may feel freer to share ideas.

Check out MEL Magazine’s profile of the potato-chip themed Gettin’ Chippy With It Facebook Group.

Run monthly Facebook Live Q&As sessions around commonly asked questions.

To keep customer trust, it’s important to communicate often, address problems proactively, and be as transparent as possible.

Facebook Live Q&As are an excellent place to start. They make your brand feel more human by having someone talk to customers in real time. They’re also easy to manage and budget-friendly to run.

Don’t worry about scripting beforehand—the goal is to be authentic and engaging in an informal setting.

Activate employee advocates.

To share technical info and unique insights, tap into the experts already on your team, from product specialists to your CEO. And encourage employees to reshare branded social content that’s relevant to their unique audiences.

Dedicated social employee advocacy tools can streamline the process of creating and amplifying social content.

Trend 2: Storifying social Content teams adapt as Stories offer new formats for sharing

According to consulting firm Block Party, Stories—the vertical, disappearing videos invented by Snapchat—are now growing 15 times faster than feed-based sharing.

Facebook’s own chief product officer Chris Cox shared a chart showing that Stories are set to surpass feeds as the primary way people share things with their friends within the next year. And nearly a billion users across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat already turn to Stories to share.

Source: TechCrunch, “Facebook Stories reveals 150M daily users and here come ads”

Social media is pivoting from text-based platforms originally designed for desktop use (think early Facebook) to truly mobile-only networks that enable users to capture in-the-moment experiences—and Stories embody that pivot.

Stories are overwhelmingly visual and meant to be created and consumed on the fly with nothing more than a smartphone and a creative eye. Because they’re ephemeral—often disappearing after a day—there’s more room for fun and experimentation. Stories feel real, immediate, and intensely personal.

For brands, this social media trend requires a major shift in focus in 2019.

While high-production-value posts are still important, it’s key to balance different content styles. Increasingly, brands are embracing the intimate, multimedia look and feel of Stories. The Guardian and Tictail are finding that less polished, more realistic Stories perform better than heavily edited takes filled with heavy-handed calls to action.

Hootsuite’s recommendations for this trend Beginner

Start experimenting with Stories.

An estimated four out of five major brands are already on Stories. If you aren’t creating Stories, it’s time to start.

Stories can be as easy to create as you choose, so there’s a low barrier to entry for any team’s skill set. Share content weekly (and at different times of day) to see what works best with your audiences.

Pro tip: Shoot your videos vertically. That’s how people watch them.

Create Story-specific content.

Your content should reflect the unique look and feel of Stories—raw, unedited, and live action.

Our social team at Hootsuite tested both professionally animated and live action Instagram Stories, and found that live action videos performed significantly better because they matched the Story aesthetic people are used to seeing.

Use the Stories Highlight feature.

Despite their off-the-cuff style, Stories can sometimes take a lot of time to create and share.

For brands reluctant to let their efforts simply disappear after 24 hours, there’s Highlights. Display select Stories as long as you want on your profile, along with a cover image. This feature is great for special promotions, campaigns, or longer, high-production videos that deserve extra attention.

Tap your team’s full creative resources.

Stories work best when they integrate video, storytelling, text, images, and more. Expecting a single social media specialist to integrate all these skills is a tall order. Instead, find ways for your video, photography, and graphic design teams to join forces to create something memorable.

Advanced

Get creative with your Story structures.

Stories are easy to create and allow you to produce content quickly, so you should experiment with different structures to find what works best for your brand. For example, you can create tutorials showing people how to use your product, give a behind-the-scenes look at your company culture, host a takeover, or run a Q&A on topics that interest your customers.

Add UTMs to your links to track success.

Business accounts with over 10,000 followers (or verified accounts) can add a “swipe up” feature to their Stories. This lets viewers follow a link to another website or landing page.

By adding UTMs to your Story URLs, you can track where users are going and get a better understanding of what content they like. If you don’t have access to the “swipe up” feature, add a link with a UTM code to your bio.

Get in early with Facebook Stories.

So far, Facebook Stories (which appear on the network’s flagship platform) haven’t really caught on. But CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants to get Stories right on Facebook and is investing a lot in the format.

Currently, only around nine percent of major brands post to Facebook Stories, but companies that get in early may enjoy an early adopter advantage. Plus, it’s easy—the tap of a button lets you syndicate Stories straight from Instagram to Facebook.

Experiment with AR and custom GIFs in your Stories

Consider adding augmented reality features and GIFs to your storytelling. AR experiences and GIF stickers are now widely available as features of the Stories cameras on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Use GIFs to enhance your images, grab attention, and direct viewers’ attention to something like a call-to-action or “swipe-up.”

Trend 3: Closing the ads gap More competition on paid social forces marketers to up their game

By now, everyone knows we’re in the pay-to-play era on social.

Accordingly, marketers are increasing social ad budgets (up 32 percent in 2018 alone) and producing more ads than ever before. One of every four Facebook Pages now use paid media. And Facebook already accounts for 23 percent of total U.S. digital ad spending.

But rising costs and fleeting attention are limiting ROI for advertisers.

To counter this, paid social teams are pairing ad money with equal time investment, creativity, and targeting savvy. And they’re paying to boost their best performing organic content.

Get the free toolkit now!

Spotify and Netflix are leading the way with creative social ads that are at once personalized and entertaining, rather than just bland banner ads squeezed into a news feed. The end goal is to generate user discussion and engagement, rather than simply “broadcast” an ad at an audience.

We’re seeing brands build out their social teams (both in-house and agency) with skilled cross-platform content creators versed in video, motion graphics, design, and more. Enhanced third-party ad targeting tools, which enable easy A/B testing (in some cases with hundreds of variants), are also becoming the norm.

Hootsuite’s recommendations for this trend Beginner

Understand and target the right audience.

Knowing your audience is key to high engagement. Each ad campaign should target a focused group based on interests, jobs, relevant competitors, and previous interaction with your brand.

Social networks have different targeting options depending on the type of ad you want to create. If you don’t know who you’re supposed to target and why, research your customers to understand what their challenges are. Also find out how they interact with your business, brand, products, and services.

Define your goals and metrics.

It’s important to show that social media has a positive bottom-line impact on your business. That’s why every ad campaign should have goals and metrics that tie back to business objectives and that you know how to measure.

Your metrics will depend on the type of campaign you’re running and the audience you’re targeting. Awareness campaigns, for example, might focus on impressions, while conversion campaigns should put more value on click-throughs.

Invest in high-quality content.

With more brands competing for people’s attention on social media, ordinary posts aren’t good enough anymore. You need to create high-quality content that will resonate with your audience.

Create compelling visuals, which are essential for clicks and high conversion rates on social media. Not every brand will have the budget for expensive equipment or a professional crew. But, learning some video basics or even hiring a freelancer can make a big difference.

Advanced

Repurpose concepts from top-performing organic content.

Creating high quality social ads takes time and money. Test your ad concepts as organic posts first to see how they perform. Once you see what’s working, you can adapt and..