#when patching Ollie's overalls

[makeitquietly]

Busy Bodies (1933)

[dotieeee]

The Dream That Got Away

Chapter 7

Pairing: Dark!Morpheus x You (no Y/N!)

This is a multi-chapter fic — Weekly updates (either Saturday or Sunday) because I found a rhythm of sorts lol

(The entire fic has been outlined, so I will see this to the end, you have my word)

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Link to the Masterlist

Overall Warnings!! Take heed:

Morpheus is DARK – in canon, he changes for the better (or at least, tries to – but we don’t do canon lol, so he goes even more batshit crazy) cue obsession, manipulation, possessiveness, powerplay

18+ ONLY – explicit scenes will be present, some explicit language

DUB-CON and NON-CON scenes

Character death (sort of)

Creator vs Creation drama

And other dark stuff that may be added in the future

This chapter’s warnings:

mentions of blood and injury

signs of PTSD and trauma

You have been warned!! Proceed with caution!!!

Link to the previous chapter

Chapter 7: Nightmarish Visits

It was nice to sit back and watch the humans form their own dreams for a change.

You arrive in Maurie Ellis’ dream just as it starts. As you have seen in all your visits, her dream always begins with a memory: that of her getting lost in the woods as a child, from which she was rescued only the morning after. She had probably relived her traumatic experience night after night, being trapped in her five-year-old body, hungry, thirsty, and helpless. That was until she had chosen to participate in Ollie’s sleep trials.

By now, it was the third round of trials for his invention which he had temporarily named LeRêve – “It’s French for ‘the dream,’ I can’t think of anything yet,” you remember him saying. With his work now becoming increasingly popular among his peers, there are now three sleep laboratories running the LeRêve experiment, with three more on the waiting list vying to be a part of this groundbreaking study. He had a myriad of investors backing the study, and for the past eleven months, both of you had been busy – him overseeing the studies and rallying stakeholders, and you going back and forth between the participants’ dreams to observe the device in action.

Five-year-old Maurie, now aware of the nightmare she’s in, walks to a dead tree with decided steps and touches its bark. In an instant, the tree shakes violently before disintegrating into minuscule pieces. She picks up a piece of the tree and eats it, and when she swallows, the other trees also crumble, leaving behind tall mounds of what you recognize as tree bark. You watch your entire surroundings transform –  the night sky gives way to a pinkish, sunny glow; the forest floor, previously strewn with gnarly root trees and dead leaves and twigs, starts sprouting tiny blades of green grass, and right before Maurie, a cobblestone path appears, stretching on for miles until it disappears through the smaller patch of trees on the horizon. Now in her thirty-something-year-old body, she looks around in awe of her creation. A butterfly flies a little too close to her – she catches it, and like the tree bark she picked up, she also places it in her mouth and chews lightly before swallowing.

Curiously, you walk up to a pile of bark and pick it up. Making sure it is what you think it is, you bring it close to smell it – and the wonderful aroma of chocolate invades your senses.

Not the cheap, drugstore candy you’ve tasted in other dreams, no: Belgian, silky-smooth chocolate. Eagerly, you take a handful of pieces before sitting down on the grass. You regard Maurie with absolute pride – she had just managed all by herself to turn a recurring, nightmare-memory into a candy-filled hypnagogic dream that wouldn’t look out of place in Willy Wonka’s factory. Finishing your chocolate, you pluck a lollipop growing out of the grass to munch on as you watch her chase more of the poor butterflies, which upon closer inspection, are made of delicate, spun sugar. As Maurie crouches down to lick the cobblestone path, however, a resonating beeping is heard all over the dream, indicating that the dream is being drawn to a close.

You get up, stretch your limbs, and will yourself back to Ollie and his dream-space to report your findings.

***

Ollie sets down a cup of coffee on the coffee table right before you. Absently, you whisper ‘thanks,’ concentrating on the book you had propped on your knees. You hear him settle down on the couch before you and wait for him to say something snarky as always does, but surprisingly, he doesn’t say a word. Putting down the book, you see him facing you with an odd expression on his face.

“Out with it.” You decide to say.

“With what?” He asks innocently.

“I know that look on your face,” Raising your eyebrow at him, you continue, “Come on and just ask me, Ollie, how bad can it be?”

He rubs the back of his neck, a guilty grimace growing on his face. Before you could find yourself regretting asking him what he had in mind he blurts out, “Uh, I…Imayhavetoldafriendaboutyou.”

“You what?”

“He’s my best friend. His name is Marcus Sutton, he’s the engineer I told you about that duplicated the prototypes. We can trust him.”

Why did you have to ask? You rub your palms on your face, involuntarily whispering a string of choice curse words.

“Now, don’t lose me just yet, I didn’t tell him that whole you’re-a-dream thing, or else, he’d have committed me to the psych,” His hands holding out to you as if trying to placate you. “I told him you’re the really smart… friend who kind of helped me discover this.”

You place your hands on your hips, trying to maintain an irritated expression, but it’s a difficult feat with that wide, innocent smile of his plastered on his face. “So what are you saying, Ollie?”

“I need you to come with me to the Waking World, please. To meet him, that’s all.” As he sees your jaw drop at his request, he adds, “Look, he’s been badgering me for the past few months. You’ve no idea how much of a nuisance he can be once he’s made up his mind. Come on, Mera, please.”

“Are you seriously suggesting I commit treason?” You ask him incredulously.

“Just one dinner? Besides, your boss isn’t here. It’ll be like taking an extra five-minute break on your terms. Goodness knows you need a damn break.”

You don’t deny his analogy, but you cross your arms in mock annoyance, contemplating the request. Certainly, a short visit wouldn’t hurt, especially in your King’s absence, right?

Crouching down in front of you, he takes hold of both your hands, his smile widening as if sensing your train of thought.

“Please? The restaurant we’re going to has this amazing, melt-in-your-mouth mango-crumble basque-burnt cheesecake.”

Not being able to hold down our smile any longer, you reply, “Fine.”

Ollie lets out a delighted giggle. “I knew I’d get you at ‘cheesecake.’”

You watch him as he slowly brings your right hand to his lips and plants a kiss.

Then he had the gall to flash you a knowing smirk that sends butterflies flying in your stomach.

Swallowing that lump in your throat, you tear your hand away and get up from the sofa, focusing instead on the view of the gardens outside the tall windows. In an effort to maintain your composure, you joke, “I get two slices.”

From behind you, you hear him chuckle, saying, “Get the whole damn cake, I don’t care.” He gets in front of you, blocking the view, and softly adds, “I just want you to be there.”

You give him a furtive nod, muttering ‘great’ while avoiding that warm gaze of his. This isn’t a date, get a hold of yourself. You force your treacherous thoughts away and clasp your hands together, signaling your readiness.

“Alright then. Wake up, and I’ll be there.”

“See you.”

With a wink, he’s gone, leaving you alone to finally concentrate on the upcoming task of traveling to a world you’ve never been to before.

Ollie had thankfully constructed the study to match his own in the Waking Realm, making the work so much easier. In your mind, the thread connecting the Dreaming and the Waking is as clear as you’ve seen it more than a century ago – with a deep breath, you steel your resolve, close your eyes and grip the thread firmly. In an instant, you feel a tug in your navel, and you begin to fall.

The journey is surprisingly much lighter and quicker than you had anticipated. This allows you to keep your footing as you land on the Waking version of Ollie’s office and, on impulse, change your clothing to one that could be more acceptable for the mortals.

“Mera? Is that you?”

You turn around to face the Doctor, but you’re greeted with a tight, enthusiastic hug. Ollie lifts you off your feet and spins you around, earning an embarrassing yelp from you, but his unintelligible shouts of joy drown it out. Finally, he props you back down, cupping both your cheeks and squeezing them lightly.

“You’re here! You’re actually here, in the flesh! You’re – what the fuck are you wearing?”

You’re still breathless from his rather animated greeting, but you laugh with him all the same.

Looking down at your clothes, you remark, “Hmm, I suppose I haven’t been keeping up with fashion trends, these days.”

“Oh that’s fashionable – granted it’s the year two thousand and one, and you’re a backup dancer in a Britney music video.”

Sticking your tongue out to him, you walk to a mirror in the study and, with a wave of your hand, change your attire to a long-sleeved black dress with a classic heart-shaped neckline and with an A-line hem reaching just a little over your knees. Your eyes dart to the ruby and the gold chain on your head – you take it off and put it in your dress pocket, feeling lighter than you have ever felt in a century. Happy with your handiwork, you turn to Ollie and ask, “What time is the dinner, anyway?”

“It’s, uh… eight, I-I think?” He stutters absently, staring at you with his cheeks and ears all red. Gulping and running his hand through his hair, he mumbles, “You look really pretty.”

You mutter ‘thanks’ and give him a small smile. You could feel your own face threatening to blush, so you distract yourself with the clock on his wall to take a look at the time. Get a hold of yourself. Clearing your throat, you note, “It’s only thirty minutes away.”

Seemingly composing himself, he says, “Yeah, we better get going. I’m driving.”

“Aw, and I thought I’d finally get a chance to test my driving skills,” you feign a pout, earning a small, affectionate pinch on your cheek from him.

“Fat chance. I’d like to get there in one piece, thanks.”

***

You glance up at the clock hanging just above the towering shelves of booze on the bar: a little over eleven o’clock. For the bartender named Gabriel wiping the glasses on the counter, his day is just getting started. With a contented sigh, you stir your cosmopolitan with the toothpick-skewered cranberries, looking around the chic, arte-moderne bar you had moved to after dinner. You watch the patrons with a certain fondness, getting lost in the mellow cacophony of chatter, laughter, and light jazz music. After a while, you feel Ollie’s warm hand on your shoulder, and he takes the seat right beside you on the bar and orders an old-fashioned.

Turning the chair to face him with a relaxed smile, you ask, “Did Marcus get home alright?”

“Yeah, he just got in a cab.” His tender, smiling eyes never leave you as he takes a sip of his drink. “I hope the Waking World has made a good first impression.”

The dinner with Marcus was fantastic. Although the food in the Dreaming was second to none, the fare was made more delectable with the first company you had since Ollie – Marcus proved to be just as energetic, bubbly, and full of ideas as his best buddy. They made an instant connection in college with the same interest in sleep technology, so he was more than happy to help with the prototype devices when he heard Ollie’s idea, even throwing in improvements of his own. He said he was glad you talked him into it, because according to Marcus, Ollie was bored to death with the routine in the old clinic, and had no creative outlet. After the hearty main course, the three of you proceeded to decimate an entire cheesecake, while they animatedly recounted their misadventures in medical school. Cheerfully, your eyes wander once more around this total gem of a bar. So, as far as first impressions go…

“Everything’s wonderful, Ollie. Thank you for convincing me to come here.”

As your gaze focuses on him, he inches closer to you, your foreheads almost touching together. “That’s good,” he whispers, lightly brushing the hair framing your face with his fingers. “Because I still have so much to pay you back for. So fucking much.”

You don’t exactly know who leaned in first between the two of you, but your lips brush together lightly for a few seconds, before he pulls away, completely flustered.

“I’m sorry, was that okay? I don’t know what came over me,” he apologizes profusely, running his hand through his hair.

You take a sip from your forgotten cosmo, trying to convince yourself unsuccessfully that the heat in your cheeks is just the effect of the alcohol in your system. “Well, I haven’t slapped you in the face yet, have I?”

He lets out a breathy chuckle, and, looking at you expectantly, asks, “So, could we…?”

“Could we what?”

“You know what I mean, Mera.” He says with a serious tone. “I like you. A lot. You don’t know how hard it has been these past few months, trying to work and act normal while you’re there. It drives me fucking nuts.”

You couldn’t deny the way your heart seemed to flutter at his confession. At this point, the realization that you probably feel the same way, that you have been feeling the same way for a while, hits you like a ton of bricks.

The face of one furious Endless invades your thoughts – against your will, you remember the heated stares, unwanted touches…Suddenly feeling queasy, you start regretting your decision of getting your fourth glass of the drink; it wasn’t the brightest idea you’ve had in a while.

Ollie seems to sense your hesitation. “I take that as a ‘no,’ I guess,” he laughs dryly, emptying his glass.

“I’m sorry, Ollie, I just…” Inwardly, you fight back the emotions threatening to spill, and your voice trembles at the effort.

He somehow easily recognizes your distress, so he tries to amend, “Oh no, no, sorry I didn’t mean to pressure you!”

When he doesn’t get a response from you, he places a reassuring palm on your shoulder. “Mera? Forget I asked, okay? Is something wrong? Hey, you can tell me, you know that, right? If you need me to listen as a friend, I’m all ears. Unless I turned you off that much. Is it my breath? Odd, I just took a couple of mints before –”

“Ollie.”

“Yeah?”

Whatever feelings he had for you, you know you have to nip it in the bud, regardless of whatever you feel. Ollie does not deserve to be dragged into whatever business you had with anyone who might take his affections against him.

“I’m currently committed.”

“Oh.” He is stunned by your confession, then he smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his green eyes. “Yeah, I should’ve known. Someone as…beautiful and smart and talented as you…it wouldn’t be surprising.”

You could tell he's still reeling from the blow and he’s trying to hide it. I’m sorry, Ollie, this is for the best. “You know you’re quite the charmer.”

Motioning Gabriel for a shot of the whiskey bottle in his hands, he questions, “May I ask who? So I can congratulate the lucky bastard.”

There is no point in trying to hide it, least of all from him, so you say, “The King of Dreams.”

Halfway through his shot, he sputters, spilling most of the drink on his lap. “Wait. Your boss?” He asks incredulously. You could only nod in response.

“What the fuck? You didn’t tell me you’re practically royalty.”

“No, I’m not,” you say, grabbing a wad of napkins from the counter and throwing it on his lap. “I’m his creation. He gave me my current function, then he…changed it. Just before he left.”

“‘Changed it?’ That’s the most fucked up promotion I’ve ever heard. Doesn’t look like you want it, either.”

He’s looking at you with these wide eyes full of concern, but you shrug it off. “It doesn’t matter what I want. It’s my duty. I’m to fulfill it for him.”

“But, of course, it matters what you want. He can’t force you, can he? Have you told him about this?” You shake your head, so he adds, “Maybe you should tell him, then.”

But in your heart, you know that once the Dream King has made up his mind, there was no convincing him otherwise. So, you lie to Ollie through gritted teeth, no matter how much it pains you.

“Hmm. Maybe I will. When he comes back.”

“Good.” He nods in satisfaction, eyeing you sideways. “And don’t think I’m telling you to tell him just because… well, you know…”

Lightly chuckling, you reply, “Yeah, sure. So smooth, Ollie. Can we head back? I’m quite tired.”

He acquiesces, watching you finish off the cranberries on the toothpick. He pays his tab, leaving a generous tip behind. Walking out of the bar, he gently and wordlessly takes your hand in his. You give no sign of protest, and you swear you could feel him tighten his grip, only by a tiny fraction.

***

“It sucks that you have to go back to the dreams. I mean, we could have an actual, proper break…we could drive around the countryside, get some fresh air for once, admire the views…”

“Yeah, keep dreaming!” You shout from the kitchen, sitting on one of the dining chairs with a heavy sigh. From the hall, you hear his boisterous laughter.

After the drive home from the bar, you made a beeline to his kitchen and ransacked his cupboards for some drip coffee. You had just turned the electric kettle on, waiting for the water to boil. You’re bone-tired at this point, noting how much energy your brief visit to the Waking World had cost you. At least, you had some left to change into a pair of comfortable pajamas and a fluffy pair of house slippers. You hear the kettle click shut, so you slowly get up from your seat and pour the steaming water into the mugs, finding comfort in the waft of fresh-smelling coffee. You wait for the coffee to finish, then proceed to dump copious amounts of milk on both cups – Ollie likes it milky and sweet, the same way you do. You pick them both up and carry it them to the study, but you don’t even get past the kitchen exit when it hits you.

It’s a strong, mighty wave that sends you keeling over like you’ve been punched in the gut – it makes you drop the mugs you’re holding, and you collapse on the scalding hot mess of coffee and broken ceramic pieces. The pain doesn’t register; with shallow breaths, you’re filled with horrifying visions of a cracked circular glass cage, its shards flying everywhere; the sound of multiple gunshots is drowned out by the whooshing of strong winds controlled by the ancient, endlessly powerful being stepping out of the glass.

He’s back.

The ominous warning of the Voice awakens the dormant fear you had been downplaying and brushing aside for a long time. The return of your master might spell the salvation of the Dreaming, but what does that spell for you?

“Mera, what the – are you okay?”

Ollie comes rushing to your crumpled figure on the floor cursing under his breath. You’re soaked in coffee and one of your palms, now bloodied, had ceramic pieces sticking out of it. He scoops you up from the floor and sets you down on the kitchen counter. Taking your palm in his hands, he carefully picks up the shards and cleans the cuts, before wrapping your hand with a clean bandage.

“This is the second time you scared me half to death. Do it for the third time and I might just have a heart attack.” He tries to joke, but he fails to get a reaction from you. Cupping your cheeks so you’re looking at him, he asks, barely in a whisper: “What happened?”

Those green eyes bring you back to reality. You hold the hands cupping your face and tethering you to reason – having to lie to him once again sickens you to the stomach, but still, you find your voice and say, “I slipped. I’m sorry.”

The look in his eyes says he doesn’t believe you, but he’s sensible enough to let it go, so you get off the counter without preamble and go straight to the balcony on the study to get some air. You couldn’t be near him now that your time with him is coming to an end. Your King of Dreams, after all, would not take it lightly when he finds out the transgressions you had committed – coming to the Waking World being the least of them.

But if you go back now, what would you say? How would you explain to Lucienne and to your King your year-long disappearance? Would they believe you if you said you simply got stuck in the dreams and couldn’t find your way?

Can you go back, knowing you’ll be forever stuck to a function you dread fulfilling?

You rub your biceps, realizing it’s gotten cold outside. You step back inside the study, with thoughts of saying your farewell to Ollie. Perhaps you could do it once you see him, like ripping off a band-aid? You slowly pace in the study you had grown so fond of. Inside, you’re conflicted; you don’t know whether you could bring yourself to run away from the Dreaming and abandon the kingdom you call home, or just go back to your creator, confess your sins and let him decide your fate. You stop just before the bookshelf, lazily running your fingers over the books that you have read from cover to cover.

Without warning, your hairs stand on end, and you sense a presence behind you. Your breathing turns shallow, and you couldn’t help the tears brimming in your eyes from the trepidation – has your Dream King finally found you and come to fetch you himself? What will he do to you now that he knows you had willingly committed an act of betrayal by being in the Waking World?

The feeling of a hand on your shoulder finally breaks you.

You burst into terrified tears, mumbling all of the apologies you know to try to appease the being that had finally come to take you back to your world. A pair of strong arms wrap around you and pull you close, shushing you and trying to calm you down. Bristling at your closeness, you resist on instinct, and to your surprise, the arms let you go.

“Mera, Mera, it’s me, Ollie, it’s okay, it’s me!”

Through your tears, you peer, not into anger-filled blue eyes, but a pair of gentle, forest green ones – whimpering in relief, you break into a fresh bout of sobbing. You halfheartedly hit him in the chest with your bandaged hand, barely feeling the stinging on your palm.

“Don’t you ever walk up on me like that again, you, you fucking –”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” He places both hands on your shoulders to still you, and when you offer no resistance, he wipes your tears softly with his knuckles.

“I-I thought you w-were h-h-him!” You exclaim through your mess of ugly tears and hiccups. “He’s b-back, a-and I thought you were him!”

He regards you with utmost concern on his face, whispering his ‘sorry’ over and over.

You sit on the floor and hug your knees to your chest. You will your inner storm to simmer down, sniffling as you do. Ollie follows your example and sits on the floor right in front of you. You both stay in the same position in silence.

“Jesus Christ, Mera, just what the hell did he do to you?” He finally whispers. His hands are balled into fists like he was trying not to touch you with great effort – one of the many things you have grown to appreciate with him – he knows just what you needed, or didn’t, in the exact moment.

Finding your words, you say slowly, “He tried… he made…inappropriate advances.”

His expression hardens as the meaning of your words dawns on him. “You don’t have to say anything further.” He tells you with tenderness in his voice. “Can I hold your hand…please?”

At your furtive nod, he encases your trembling, uninjured hand with both of his.

“You’re not with him anymore. You’re with me, yeah? You don’t have to hurt like this anymore.”

Your heart tries to take comfort in those soothing words, but your head shakes automatically. “You know I can’t stay.” Please make me stay. Please. Don’t let me go back there with him.

“Can I hug you?”

The moment your ‘yes’ leaves your lips, he pulls you to him and tucks you under his chin. “I don’t think you’re going anywhere, not in this state. Damn if I let him near you and hurt you like this again.”

But what if it’s you he hurts?

This intrusive thought is the last thing on your mind before you close your eyes, falling asleep to the calming rhythm of Ollie’s beating heart.

***

The Dreaming Realm holds no fanfare for its returning, long-awaited ruler.

As soon as the ivory gates swing back at the command of its weakened King, it reveals nothing but the remnants of his empire – once the most majestic kingdom of all kingdoms, perhaps only second to the Creator’s – everything Dream of the Endless had built and nurtured since the beginning of time now lie in ruins. He is devastated at the sight – he’s also furious and bitter that his weakness had led to his capture, and his capture led to this – Lucienne must’ve felt this, for she explains how, in his absence, everything came falling apart.

She tells him of the library. The castle. The residents. The staff. Then she gets to you.

At the mention of your name, his heart wrenches in pain at the thought of a cruel fate befalling you. He recalls, with a pang of sorrow and regret, how your voice so desperately called out to him, and how, at that moment, he could’ve given up anything to come to your side, take all your troubles away and finally make you his.

His only loyal subject earns a glare from her King when she pauses at your name. To her credit, she doesn’t flinch, possibly aware of how urgent the matter is for him.

“You must tell me, Lucienne. What has become of her?”

Lucienne lets out a deep sigh before she speaks. “She said she was going to keep looking for you, for signs of you, in the dreams of the mortals, but the waters have been unsafe for her, Sir. Sometimes, she comes back weeks after, extremely exhausted. In her visits that led to her disappearance, I’d often find her unconscious on the shore. I have tried convincing her to cease her search for her safety’s sake, but she adamantly refused. That was about a year ago.”

Morpheus is rarely ever taken aback, but he is floored at his librarian’s recall of your relentless pursuit of his whereabouts. He allows his heart to soften momentarily at your unwavering loyalty – you had risked your own life to try and find him and bring him back to his realm and to your arms. Yet, he had no time to dwell on this – he makes an inward vow to reward you richly for your efforts. Lucienne’s as well, he adds. He worries about what has happened to you in the dreams: had something barred you from surfacing in the waters and, in turn, prevented you from awaiting his return?

He had much to do if he were to retrieve you from the sea of dreams. Stepping into the ruins of his palace, he gets to work, his resolve now ever stronger to rebuild his kingdom and bring it back to its full glory.

“I will bring them all back, Lucienne. I will bring her back.”

Whatever kept you away from him, he will crush with his bare hands, and he will need all his tools to unleash his fury.

***

Ollie made a rather convincing argument with you about why you should stay with him in the Waking. And you were sorely tempted to, except for the knowledge that the King of Dreams will eventually come after you, like the nightmares he had sought before his disappearance – or capture, if your visions had indeed revealed the truth. You are, after all, now a fugitive in Dreaming terms.

And you had revealed to Ollie this single misgiving – you trusted him with your life, now that you had no more secrets to hide from him. This big snag on his plan stumps him, of course – what could he, a mortal, do against one of the most powerful beings in the universe? The Dream Lord might have been weakened in his capture, but you know he will eventually gain his powers back to their full extent, as the Endless are all wont to do. It’s only a matter of time, the Voice adds.

Two days after your emotional breakdown in Ollie’s study, however, you’re hit by a sudden stroke of genius.

Who else, save Dream of the Endless, had enough knowledge about the Waking World to thrive in it for more than a hundred years? He might be a Nightmare, but at the moment, he is your best shot at perhaps keeping away from a master that would surely seek to punish you for your errors against him and the laws of his kingdom. To find him, however, you need absolute concentration, so with a word to Ollie about not disturbing you under any circumstances, you lock yourself in a room in his home and begin your search.

Finding the Corinthian was not an easy feat. Vaguely, you recalled how hard it was to find Candor in the Dreaming because she was masking her presence (and because you were juggling between your Dreaming duties and looking for her) – if the Corinthian is doing the same, you were likely to hit a dead end, potentially wasting your effort.

Dreams and Nightmares, however, have this unique way of sensing even the tiniest hints of each other’s presence.  While it’s true that your connections in the Waking World are significantly thinner than in the Dreaming, making it much more challenging to sense each other, The Corinthian hasn’t exactly been subtle. After six long hours of pure concentration and grappling through the thin, fragile strings of your connections, you find him at last – or a trace of him, at least, strong enough to tell he had recently been in there.

You focus on the trace he left behind and will yourself to it immediately – you had no time to waste.

You land on an empty, dimly-lit alley. It’s void of humans, at least until a door bursts open, and out stumbles a group of them in their early twenties, drunk on their heels and laughing raucously. Masking your presence, you get a glimpse of the establishment inside: you recognize it as a club with its flashing strobe lights and thumping electronic music. Using your Dreaming ability, you don a tiny, sequined dress and put on some makeup so you could fit in the crowd, and through this back door, you enter the club with senses on high alert.

You make your way through the frenzied, dancing crowd, muttering loud ‘sorry’s’ as you go, trying not to stumble on your high heels. Once you get to the bar, you order a cosmopolitan from the bartender. Realizing you had no money, you flash him your most charming smile, which seems to work – he sets your drink down on the counter with a wink, saying “it’s on the house.” You say your ‘thanks’ with the coyest smile you could muster, cringing inwardly at your behaviour. At the bar, you had a better view of almost everyone in the club, so you quietly scan the establishment for your target, ignoring the stares you’re getting and politely declining the men and women offering to buy you a drink.

It doesn’t take you long. You find him on the VIP balcony, leaning on the railing, wearing glasses dark as night: The Corinthian, staring back at you with a knowing smirk on his features.

Aware that you needed some sort of pass to get to the VIP lounge, you grab the waist of a tipsy young woman making a beeline for the stairs. She squeals with delight and holds on to you (shouting in your ear, “You’re so pretty!”), probably mistaking you for a friend. Finally, you get to the VIP section, shaking her loose, you walk to the Nightmare you’re seeking. His gaze does not leave you as you approach.

“Hello, doll. Come to buy me a drink?” He drawls, leaning close to you so he could hear, his charming smile growing wider.

With a serious expression, you respond, “Not in here, no. I need to talk to you, please.”

He lets out a knowing hum. “Stay close and try not to get lost.” He says, wordlessly motioning for you to follow him.

And so you do, until your way is blocked by a drunken man asking you to dance with him. You try side-stepping him, but he’s quick on his feet, making a move to grab your arm. Someone else grabs his, however, stopping the attempt.

The Corinthian tightens his grip on the man’s arm, danger rolling off him in waves, yet his charming smile never leaves his face. It’s quite a terrifying and mesmerizing sight: Dream’s perfect Nightmare, in action. When he lets go of the poor man’s arm, he says threateningly, “She’s with me. Scram.”

The guy backs away, still wincing at his bruising grip. The Corinthian then proceeds to snake his arm around your waist to pull you close.

“Don’t get the wrong impression, doll,” he leans in to whisper to your ears. “And try not to get into any more trouble; I don’t wanna have to murder anyone with all these people watching.”

With you in close tow, he leads you from the VIP lounge, downstairs, and to the back door. Once you were outside, he lets you go, and with a flick of your hand, your clothes change into something more modest. You let out a sigh of relief at finally being able to get rid of those heels, which you vow to never wear again.

The Corinthian watches you with amusement before gesturing once more for you to follow. He takes you out of the alleyway and leads to you a nearby dive bar, much quieter and a lot brighter than the club you were in moments ago. He chooses the farthest booth, probably to avoid being overheard. You sit on the cushioned chair, with him directly across the table. He orders a craft beer for himself and a cosmopolitan for you from the passing waitress, muttering how you seem the cosmopolitan-drinking sort. The waitress comes back after a few minutes with your drinks on a tray and a napkin with a phone number written on it, which she not-so-subtly slides near his beer.

Great, he’s managed to charm the waitress with just a look, you note inwardly with a slight shake of your head.

With a final wink in his direction, the waitress walks away with a spring in her step, leaving you both alone.

“I know you: you’re Dream’s little plaything. I believe we’ve met.”

He takes a swig of his beer before leaning back in his seat and resting his arm comfortably on the cushion.

You tilt your head, also leaning back on your seat. “I’m no one’s anything. And I believe we haven’t.”

“Oh, believe me, doll, we have. You just don’t remember,” he says with a knowing, lopsided smile. “Anyway, what do I owe this little date? You know Morpheus would hate to see us both this cozy.”

You roll your eyes at the mention of the Endless’ name. “Never mind him. I came to ask you how you plan on staying here, now that he’s back.”

“And why would you be interested in my affairs? I didn’t know I was your type,” he responds with a raised eyebrow.

With a grin of your own, you say, “Let’s just assume, maybe I’m inclined to stay here, too.”

His expression changes to one of genuine surprise. “Really? Well, I must say I’m proud of you, Mera! You’ve come a long way from following your King of Dreams like a lost puppy.”

“Things change. We change.”

He lets out a deep chuckle. “Not him, he won’t. So, what is it that makes you want to stay? Let me guess…”

You narrow your eyes at him, which he ignores. “Don’t tell me it’s a lover? Oh, he’s going to be pissed when he finds out his little dream has been playing around where she shouldn’t be,” he says with a gleeful tone. “He’s going to come after you.”

Not knowing how to react, you merely nod. “I know. Regardless of my reason, I don’t think I can go back.”

At your declaration, he leans with his arms on the table, losing his spirited tone. “Well, then. At least we now have something in common. You and I seek the same thing, doll: freedom. And he’s never going to give that,” With a flair, he fishes out a thin, silver dagger from inside his coat, adding, “But I have my methods.”

Understanding what he meant, you ask, “How? And I’m not saying I condone it – I just don’t think anyone can kill an Endless.”

“I know a few people I could recruit, doll. Believe me, it can be done.”

You shake your head at this outlandish idea. “I don’t think that’s the right question, either. Whether we like it or not, humanity needs Dream, and the other Endless, for that matter.”

“No, it doesn’t. One of them has gone for good, but look around you: they seem to be doing preee-tty fine if you ask me.” He then adds with a more serious tone – the most serious you’ve heard of him since meeting him: “So, if you really want to be free of him, doll, you have to fight for it. We both do.”

You place your arms on the table and clasp your hands in contemplation. Could you really take part in a scheme that could bring about your King’s demise?

“No, not in that way, I can’t.” You conclude.

Your Dream Lord might’ve demoted you to a role that you had absolutely no taste for, but he is still your creator – you owe him your life, and you sincerely wish no harm on him. Still, you acknowledge the Corinthian’s unconventional methods of dealing with problems are of his nature, and thus you couldn’t find it in your heart to judge him or resent him. You genuinely wish there could be a better way.

“But thank you, anyway. This has been insightful. I’ll find my own way, as I’m guessing you will. I wish us both luck. We’re going to need it.”

If he’s disappointed in you, he doesn’t show it. “Anytime, doll. Be careful of Dream. He’s not who you think he is. Oh, and next time you see him, ask him this: what happened to the others?”

“‘The others?’”

But he just gives you a secretive smirk. “Just ask him; he’ll know.”

He gets up to his feet, indicating that your conversation is over. His tone lively once more, he says, “Well, I hate to cut this date short, doll, but you’re not exactly my type. If you change your mind and decide to help, you know where to find me.”

He fishes money out of his pocket. “And next time,” he says, waving the note in front of him, “you’re paying.”

Even if you both had just discussed committing a crime against your creator, you couldn’t help the lighthearted chuckle that escapes you. Craning your head, you watch him saunter out of the bar, wishing you had met him in better, friendlier circumstances.

****************************** Link to the next chapter

Author notes on the Chapter:

Our Lord Morpheus is back!! I promise you'll see more of him in the next chapter - I just wanted this to showcase Mera's internal struggle, as well as the PTSD she has from all the trauma she endured with her master. Please stick with me on this!! We'll have more touch-starved, bat-shit crazy Morpheus in the next!

******************************

Author's notes in general:

Thank you, THANK YOU for reading!!

Please engage, comment and reblog!! I love feedback from you guys :) This is my first ever fic, so kindness is truly appreciated!

Thank you to my queen @queenshelby @endlessdreamqueen3 for encouraging me to pen this, as well as to my fellow Dark!Morpheus writers whose work I have thoroughly enjoyed and keep rereading :)

Post date: 12/3/22

Edit date: 12/3/22

Taglist: Just lemme know please if you want to be added, too!

Tagging the following:

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[beoneofus]

What do you think the boys’ favorite hobbies are?

I was gonna make a joke about paul's being masturbation but let me be actually serious 😭.

okay, okay. so I've kinda thought about this...

marko likes art, and I see him being into many different varieties of it. however, I don't think it's necessarily his favorite hobby nor past time... that's his passion. his favorite hobby; sunrise watching. he can't be on the sun or near it, but watching from afar through cracks in the cave soothes him. it doesn't necessarily make sense either, but he remembers as a human that the color orange always signified a warmth in him. that's why he uses it a lot when he paints, when he draws, when he looks for a new patch or pin to add to his jacket. I don't think the little vampire actually remembers much of his past because it was so long ago, he just knows that the most enjoyable moments were circled around orange and warmth. so he loves to watch the sunrise, because the color is so pretty - the way the sun beats off of the horizon is gorgeous, and he can only imagine how the feel of the heat from it actually feels. he misses it, being able to soak in the sun, but just watching it gives him closure.

for paul, I see him as someone who loves to collect things. you'd think he'd love to maybe play an instrument or do something music related, but once again that's his passion. when he's high, he often gets lazy and likes to either lounge around or go on a short walk because his legs don't hold out for long; with this, he learned that there's some pretty rad things out in the world. for instance, leaves. he finds the texture and colors of different ones really cool. however, I think his favorite thing to collect would be insects or small critters. they become his little buddies. he actually ended up adopting a toad he discovered in the grass not too far from the beach. it was so chill, that paul just had to keep the dude and name him olly. sick, right? he thought so too.

dwayne is definitely the one to revolve his being around things soothing yet... mysterious, in a way. so he took on the art of scribble journaling. he writes out his feelings, thoughts, takes on thw world and so on - but in a messy manner, with doodles and jagged drawings in between. he also likes to add stickers sometimes, but of course they have to fit his persona or else the entire journal is ruined. overall, he's a quiet guy, so I think him documenting shit is a perfect fit. correct me if you think otherwise.

ah, david.. now this is pretty hard to say. he's easy to read on one hand, but on another I'd have to say he's a tough case to crack. buuuut... I think david may be into something mediocre and calm, yet fun in a way. perhaps thrifting; fixing up old leather jackets, boots. I can see him adopting old wear and fixing it up to be more durable or overall new looking. it'd be a surprise at first when the others’ find out, but david wouldn't be too bothered. I actually see this as something he'd truly enjoy, which is why it won't be a problem to share it with his coven. cause, let's be real, the man has a funky style we all adore. It's his calling to be one with the wardrobe.

[madamemimic]

Fully completed the definitive edition of LISA the Painful this afternoon. Here are my thoughts. Spoilers under the cut.

Overall I was super impressed with the changes made to Painful.

First, the sprite change for Junior and the edit to Salvation Black’s intro were nice. Lisa’s got it’s fair share of edgy humor, sure, but those felt a little overboard and mean-spirited. Bloodiest Wolf is still… not great, though. I get that he’s supposed to be covered in blood and his skin isn’t ACTUALLY supposed to be that red, but it looks really bad.

The improved graphics and border art make the game way, way nicer to look at. Glad I don’t have to deal with differently-sized pixels fucking up the visuals.

Changes to the battle system are a little mixed, but overall good (and the issues are currently getting fixed thanks to SF’s frankly absurd community feedback response). TP not refilling when taking damage sucks, the alcohol boost is neat, battles are a lot snappier, seeing what status effects actually do is nice, and the flavor text at the top of the screen is super buggy. Again, a mixed bag, but overall an improvement in my opinion. Animated battle backgrounds are also fantastic.

Missing joy addictions getting patched in is nice. Annoying, but it’s what was intended.

I wish there was more new content throughout the game. I was expecting some new enemies and NPCs, but in my experience there really weren’t any up until the superboss. Then again, I might just be misremembering what was actually in the game. It’s been years since I played the original.

Campfire scenes fucking rule. They make your party members feel like actual people. Some of Brad’s dialogue in certain scenes feels a tad stilted, but I don’t care much. Queen Roger, Geese, and Ollie - party members that I never cared about in the original - became some of my favorites thanks to these scenes. Also, fuck Garth to Hell.

The superboss was incredible. The leadup to it was nauseating, the atmosphere was thick with dread, the conversation with Joy Marty was incredibly upsetting… and GOD, that fight. Took me an hour and a half, and I was having a blast the whole way through. So many new mechanics and twists and turns (Marty permanently reducing your party’s stats was a nice surprise) that all add to the helplessness of the encounter.

And the dialogue afterwards, my God. It adds so much content to Brad and Lisa’s relationship, their home life, and the guilt that Brad feels over her death. Fucking fantastic. The music is great, too.

Haven’t done Joyful’s secret stuff yet, but I like the warlord abilities. It doesn’t fix the gameplay issues of only having one party member, but no RPG really can. At the very least, it adds options.

Rest in peace Work Harder. You will be missed.

[poodlejoonas]

🖊 Sohvi

The girl who started it all! So Sohvi's start is pretty well-documented now but there are a lot of puzzle pieces that still need to be filled in. Her parents went through a rough patch when she was a baby but they worked out their problems together and became a lot stronger for it. From an early age, Sohvi refuses to be treated like a doll, so by the time she's 5 she almost never wears dresses. Instead, she prefers her band tees and jeans, starting off with colorful outfits like her mom and then moving on to an all-black closet like her dad. She's also drawn to music from as early as kindergarten, picking up the guitar even if her godfather Olli tried so hard to sell her on learning bass.

When she grows up, she becomes Joonas's carbon-copy, at least in music (Lukas can keep the sports side). She fronts her own band that goes on to represent Finland at Eurovision, placing 3rd overall and making her family proud by continuing a long tradition. She never has kids of her own - she prefers to be the cool auntie - but she goes on to adopt multiple huskies with her wife who's her total opposite, mirroring Kirsten's bubbly pastel aesthetic and Joonas's dark punk look. Joonas is happy with his daughter's fur children, considering that one of them is named after him! She's quick-witted and strong-willed, brave enough to stand up for what she thinks is right and still taking her job as the cool oldest cousin seriously. She's the textbook definition of a Porko. 🖤🖤

[glapplebloom]

Hopefully by now you’ve played the game or seen someone’s let’s play...

The story begins with something I didn’t expect: a council of animals from all different species. A young Zebra named Ribbon tells them a story about how they were almost killed by weird shadowy creatures which we know as Predators. Between this and other eye witnesses, the Llama in the group believes the prophecy is true. While the Rhino, the head of this group I presume, don’t believe in it, she still thinks its a good idea to find this Key the Predators are looking for and the entire council states that each species brings up their champion.

Chapter 1 begins with Arizona. And I hope you’re good with her because she’s the only one you get to play with. The Cattle knew of the past as they kept its knowledge with them despite everyone else forgetting it as Legend. So when Arizona’s father call out for volunteers, the first of the Book of Lore is broke: instead of everyone rushing to prove themselves, they all fled until only Arizona was the last one standing. She of course volunteers but her pops wouldn’t allow it. But while Texas is the leader of the Group, its Minnesota, his wife and Arizona’s mother, that wears the pants in this family. With her mother’s blessing and her father’s worry, she’s off to be the Champion of the Prairie.

The first bit of game play begins in the Canyon Pass. We get to see Arizona travel through it. While the over world looks like an RPG, this is always first and foremost a Fighting Game. Which leads me to one of my first problems: the platforming uses fighting game controls. It was an issue for me because despite being able to do so in other games, I had difficulty performing the short hops and super jumps it expected me to. Gonna guess it was the controller’s fault since it looks like a third party 360 Controller, but this becomes a bigger issue later on.

Despite agreeing to wait with a kind lady for the bridge to get built, Arizona sees a predator coming out of the “warned not to enter” Salt Mines and fights them off. Something to note is your health and levels stay with you after the fight. So if you’re not careful, you’ll be too low of health before you had the chance to recover. You can rebuild if you finish an opponent off with a super move, but for those who bought this game and aren’t into fighting games, maybe add some items that can restore health. One thing I will say I am glad for is the platforming doesn’t affect your health... Yet.

After getting out of the Salt Mines, our first boss encounter. It combines a normal fighting game engine with gimmicks depending on who you’re facing. Snakey, for example, attacks you from the background and you have to fight your way towards him while avoiding falling projectiles. It makes it more unique than how other fighting game story modes play it out. Downside, they expect you to remove 2 to 3 full health bars while you’re stuck with the one. Again, something people really good in fighting games can handle. Others will likely find it difficult. I like to think I’m in the middle but I am a person who favors Shoto Fighters and learned until after the fact Arizona has a smashing ground move that could be the closest to a projectile

Arizona is in the big city of the Reindeer. You can explore the city, see Pom chasing her dogs, and have an option fights with a bunch of Predators in someone’s basement (which honestly I believe is important to the story but you get to see that gate again in a later chapter) and in a hidden room in the library (sleeping with a Velvet Plush). I forgot to mention there are hidden costumes for you to find to wear on your RPG self. After finding the museum (with no help from the Reindeer), we get to meet boss #2: Velvet.

Now for some praising: the story mode does a great job letting us know of the main characters they focused on. The writing is very humorous and shows that this could be a great show if we get someone to produce cartoons for it. But because both are champions, only one could get the key: And that means they have to fight.

Velvet has three stages, but two share a life bar. The first is a normal fight. The second the wind constantly blows against you. This is when the rope can be useful to bring her in close if you’re position is right. The third phase is the most annoying. She’s in a tornado of ice and you have to get in close to hit her. But she’ll throw out various projectiles at you. Get close enough and you can hit her. But if you lose, you have to start from the last checkpoint. This is another problem I had. Granted, the check points are usually close to the boss encounter and there is a skip dialogue option, but to do so constantly when you keep failing is annoying when you can just put the rematch after the fight.

After that, you get to climb a mountain. This means more platforming. The biggest problem here is this time there are enemies. Bird Enemies. You can’t just hit them once and not worry, they got their own Health Bars and will attack you if you’re in their line of site. So imagine fighting game controls where you want to block these birds but instead turn around, leaving you open for an attack from behind. This is why I appreciate that Smash gives people a button to do jump as well as the ability to press up. That could help these platform stages so much more.

After climbing a mountain and fighting a murder of birds, she is found and patched up by a tribe of llamas. They warn her not to venture far but she does ignore them because she is on a quest. They do warn her of a monster in the maze and Arizona does indeed confront this monster: the Third Boss Paprika.

Like Velvet, Paprika has three phases with two sharing a life bar. 1st is a normal fight. Second is her sneak attacking you which you can avoid if you’re fast enough (or remember in the rematches) and third is she presses along the 4th Wall so she can jump on you from the front. Also, no one can understand her, not even her fellow Llamas.

After that, Velvet explores a temple. This is complete with Predator enemies, the in story Boss Gauntlet Gate, and block puzzles. You even drop two big ones on sleeping predators on the ground. After going through all that, you meet the final boss of this chapter: Oleander (or Ollie if you want to annoy her). 

Unlike the other bosses, Ollie has four phases (but you only need to get to the third one to continue the story line): Phase 1, a normal fight. Phase 2, she sometimes burst in energy that can do major damage. Phase 3, she flies around the screen shooting magical blasts at you. And the Final Phase, with the help from Fred (the evil spirit within the book), you have to avoid his attacks while stopping Ollie from unleashing a one hit kill move.

If you lose at Phase 3, the story continues. If you somehow manage to win, Fred pretty much destroys you and the story continues regardless. Arizona is beaten as Ollie finds the information she is looking for. As she leaves, Arizona gets up to continue her journey, beaten but not giving up on her quest. And that’s where the Chapter ends.

Overall, its a fun story and its one of the most unique story modes in a fighting game. But I can see three improvements: Add a jump button for the platforming levels, have healing items, and maybe give back some health between phases. But still I would say give it a try or at least a watch.

[ryollie]

abt the ollie knows guitar hc... whenever him and talbott get into a fight he plays rlly sad songs in the courtyard...and his audience is like aw man ollie’s probably going thru a rough patch with his so... and when he spots talbott in the courtyard, he’ll change the song to some sappy love song and is in an overall better mood....and his audience is like aw hes happy! hes doing well with his so, good 4 him! when ollie’s song choice becomes an indicator of how his rs is going with his audience hiweuwedwdkj

[roseonhissleeve]

yellow // chapter one

Part ONE

The rain was pouring.

It was the kind of rainfall that you felt in your bones— the kind that made you squint to try to make sense of what's two feet in front of you, and suddenly you’ve forgotten what sunlight looks like and what it feels to be dry.

Ollie loved it.

The streaks of color in her dark brown locks radiated through the mist that formed as droplets hit the ground. She sat on a patch of grass, tugging a blade between her fingertips as the raindrops fell upon her— they dripped down from the top of her head to the back of her neck, all the way down her body. Her eyes closed, and she smiled.

The second the rain started, the families and children that were playing in the park ran to find shelter nearby. But Ollie wasn’t like that— she didn’t run. She relished in it. 

It made her think of home, where it barely rained but when it did...god, it was a downpour.

She used to dance in her grandmother’s front porch whenever the rain would start. And she’d always be able to feel it— the humid air would always warn her and let her know that there was a storm coming. She could practically smell it. As soon as it started pouring she would look at her mother, asking for permission. Her mother would smile with a nod, and Ollie knew that she was free. She would dance in the rain for hours on end, twirling and slipping and falling only to get back up again.

If anyone asked her what her favorite childhood memory was, that would be it.

So there she was, sitting in the field of grass in the warm California downpour. 

She sat with her legs criss-crossed as if she was in Kindergarten again— her bright yellow dress was the exact same color as the Doc Martens on her feet, the ones that were scuffed and stained and almost three years old, but she never took them off.

She waited for the rain to end, and it did eventually, as all things must— it fizzled out with one last breath.

Ollie stood and shook her dress, which was now muddy and soaking wet. She picked her hair up into a loose bun and held it in place with the black hair elastic that had a permanent place on her wrist, and just like that, she was good to go.

As she walked towards where she’d parked her car, people started to stare— whether it was because of the rainbow of colors she had in her hair or the careless mud stains on the dress that covered her dripping wet body, she’d never know, nor did she care. She was used to the inquisitive gazes, she was used to people who claimed to care but really just wanted a good story to tell. She lived her life unapologetically, and that’s the way she liked it.

“Hello, beautiful,” she sighed happily as she approached her car: a bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle named Elle. She grabbed her car keys from the pocket in her dress and popped the trunk of the car where she kept her wardrobe— she grabbed the first thing that she saw: a pair of overalls and a bright purple t-shirt to go with it. Satisfied, she closed the trunk and slid into the driver’s seat, sticking the key into the ignition.

She was welcomed by the sounds of Train’s Drops of Jupiter as she slid on her yellow sunglasses, and singing loudly with the music, she began to drive.

*

The bell chimed above the front entrance to Angel’s diner as Ollie swung it open. Wearing a her fresh pair of overalls, she waltzed into the diner with her guitar slung across her back— her gaze fixated on the usual booth that she occupied when she came to Angel’s, and she immediately nabbed a seat at the table, opening a menu with her guitar right beside her.

“Oliviaaaaaa!”

Ollie glanced up from her menu and laid eyes on one of her closest friends— her bright blue eyes were all the welcome she needed after coming home from such a long trip.

"Lou!” Ollie squealed, leaping out of the booth and nearly knocking over a small pitcher of syrup. She beamed, practically running over and leaping into her best friend’s arms— Lou wrapped her arms around Ollie and gave her a squeeze.

“Hey, ugly,” Lou snickered tenderly, swinging Ollie side to side. Ollie released Lou from her grasp and flicked her long (very wet) hair behind her shoulder. She slid into her signature booth, glancing up at Lou who was standing at the end of the table with an "Angel's" apron worn proudly over her chest.

“Don’t tell me you were hanging around in the rain this morning,” Lou asked, handing Ollie a menu, “You’re going to catch a cold.”

“Guilty as charged,” Ollie grinned, reaching across the table to grab it as she practically bounced up and down out of her seat. “Friend, I’ve missed you! How are you? How have you been? How is school?!”

“I’m fine!” Lou chuckled. “Back at school, but I’ve only been there for like a week so I don’t really know what to make of it yet. I have to give a presentation in one of my classes though, which’ll be brutal because— ”

“Stagefright,” they both said simultaneously, Ollie smiling fondly as she nodded her head in understanding.

“We can’t all be performers. Don’t know how you do it." Lou sighed.

"What should I get today?"

“Doesn’t matter what I say, you’re gonna order the opposite,” Lou snorted, shaking her head.

“You’re not wrong,” Ollie replied cheekily.

“Of course I’m not,” Lou said. “Because I, your bestest, longest friend know everything about you.”

“You’re fucking scary, is what you are." Ollie rolled her eyes playfully.

Lou was quite possibly Ollie's favorite woman. Having gone to school for three university degrees and graduated with honors for all of them, Lou had eventually decided that what made her happy was to work at the diner— it had been three years since Ollie met her one night, when she was downing coffees at two in the morning trying to crank out a song. Lou had been a part-time student ever since.

“Where’ve you been this time? Florida? Washington? New York?” Lou grinned as she poured coffee into the mug on the table. "We missed you. What’ll we have? Scrambled eggs with a stack of pancakes and whole wheat toast?”

“I’m in love with you,” Ollie stated, grinning as she handed over her menu.

“So where was it this time?” Lou grinned.

“New York City,” Ollie announced proudly, tearing open not one, not two, but three packets of sugar and dumping the contents into her cup of coffee. “I spent about five days writing and playing and then headed straight back here. Stopped by a few places on the way, of course— I needed to eat and make some gas money. I’m sorry I didn’t call you, I couldn’t spare the change for the payphone.”

“That’s why I give you change every time you leave, dumbass,” Lou snorted, “So I can know you’re living and breathing.”

“Someone needed it more than I did,” Ollie stated simply, drowning her coffee in a river of cream. By the time she was done with it it looked more like milk than anything else, but she drank it happily.

“You need it, Ollie,” Lou sighed, tucking the menu underneath her arm. “You’re broke, you need it.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Ollie smiled reassuringly. “I promise, I’ve got everything I need.

***

Ollie straightened the straps of her overalls as she stepped out of her car, shoving her keys into the depths of her pocket. She was humming some Ed Sheeran as she reached up, tugging the ponytail out of her hair so that her unruly locks came loose. She opened the back door of the car to grab the pale brown guitar that awaited her, slinging it over her shoulder so that it rested across her back.

She skipped across the parking lot and into the establishment, careful not to slam her guitar against any doors. The bar was dimly lit and had an oddly cozy feel to it, like coming back home at the end of a rainy day. It was already packed even though it was barely eight p.m., proof that it was in fact Saturday night.

“What can I get for you, my friend?” The bartender asked her from behind the bar, inviting her to have a seat. She obliged, setting her guitar down against the seat beside hers as she hopped up onto the barstool.

“Just a Coke for me right now, please,” she smiled brightly, propping her elbows up on the counter as she swung her legs lightly.

“A performer, are you?” He smiled, grabbing a cup from behind the counter and filling it up with ice. His hair was a sandy blond color that reminded her of the way the drinks her coffee. His eyes looked brown under the lights of the bar and he was in that awkward handful of people that could easily be either nineteen or twenty-seven. His smile was uneven, like a small child who’s just eaten too much Halloween candy.

“Yessir,” Ollie replied, lowering her hands onto the countertop and tapping her fingers gently to the tune of the music on the speakers.

“You don’t look like the usual people who come play here,” he continued, setting the drink in front of her and leaning against the counter, now committing to a full-fledged conversation.

“What kind of people usually play here?” She chuckled, taking a sip of her drink and crinkling her nose at the bubbles running down her throat.

“People who look cool.” He smirked. Ollie arched a brow slightly as she set her cup down on the counter, leaning into the conversation as she smiled. She looked into his eyes and paused, realizing that he most definitely thought what he was doing could be classified as flirting. He definitely had to be on the younger side of twenty-one. “You look like a quirky mess, like you just stepped out of a hipster sitcom.”

“Maybe I did,” she concluded, leaning back to take another sip of her drink before hopping off of the barstool. She reached to grab her drink with her free hand, speaking to the bartender one more time. “Stop worrying about being so cool, buddy. It isn’t sexy.”

She picked Luna up and carried her over to the far side of the bar without looking back, taking a seat at a table next to the stage as she began to strum quietly.

This was her happy place.

***

“This is all wrong,” Louis groaned, toppling down onto the seat in front of the recording panel.

Liam sighed as he dragged his palm across his face with irritation, leaning against the wall near the corner of the room. The four of them had been having the same dilemmas for about three weeks now— little things, like how the lyrics weren’t meshing or the music didn’t match what they envisioned. He had to admit that when he had received the email asking if the band would want to get back together, he didn’t think it would be this hard.

Harry huffed softly from the couch he was splayed across, his oversized sweatshirt making him seem a lot smaller than he really is. His arm was draped across his face so that his nose was tucked in the crook of his elbow, and his eyes were closed. Niall had his eyes closed as well, gently plucking a melody on the guitar that the four of them had been trying to work on all evening— Louis was staring at the ground, tapping on his knees, his impatience getting the best of him.

“Listen, lads, s’fine, we just need a break,” Liam said, not completely convinced, but trying to stay positive. “Let’s call it for today, and we’ll come back tomorrrow and regroup.”

“Okay,” said Niall, opening his eyes to flash Liam a small, hopeful smile.

“Sounds good,” Harry said from his spot on the couch, barely moving.

Liam lifted a hand in the air with a quick thumbs up before grabbing his phone and wallet off the table in the middle of the room, spinning on his heels to walk out into the hallway.

They’d been tucked away in this recording studio in California for the past few weeks, trying to come together and figure out what their next steps were. It was a small space with only the single booth and not nearly enough room for more than one group to record at once, but it was perfect for them— private, isolated, and not crazy publicized. It was right next door to a dive bar which they constantly told each other they’d one day visit.

The first day they’d reunited, it had been a blast— they spent all day dancing and fooling around in the booth, playing their old favorites and jamming out to some of their solo stuff. They loved being back together, and you could feel it in the room.

But after the initial excitement wore off and it was time to get down to business, they realized that they weren’t used to this anymore— it had been a handful of years since they had to tailor their musical styles to the tastes of three other people, and they were finding it difficult. Lyrics would come together slowly, and they found themselves writing songs that sounded like copies of the old stuff they’d done. They were musically blocked.

The second he walked out onto the street, he was practically drenched. The rain was pouring down onto the sidewalk without remorse, and he shoved his items into the pocket of his sweater as he ran into the first place he saw— the bar above the studio, a bright neon sign flashing on and off.

He walked in and took a seat immediately at a free table near the back of the establishment, a “please seat yourself” sing hanging proudly by the door. He slid up the hood of his sweater and pulled out his phone, glancing around every now and then. The bar was filled with mostly middle-aged adults who had stopped there on their way home from work and errands, no doubt, with the exception of one table near the front of the stage that was occupied by a handful of teenagers.

It smelled of beer and dust and fifty year old cologne, and it all somehow worked— the dim lights had the sole purpose of hiding the slight cracks in the walls, and the brown paint reminded him of a campfire. The place was the manifestation of a shot of whiskey running down your throat— warm, lingering, and unapologetic.

Liam cleared his throat as he settled into his seat, scrolling through his Twitter feed and occasionally liking or replying to a cheeky tweet that he enjoyed. Within twenty minutes he was halfway through his beer, and he was already feeling more optimistic.

She was onstage when he first saw her.

The first thing that caught his attention were the five colors in her hair: pastel purple, blue, pink, orange and green had all been colored into her locks, and he immediately knew she wasn’t afraid of attention. They shone brightly under the stage lights, like fireflies in a pitch black cave.

When Liam saw Ollie, he knew that he had found the missing puzzle piece that he so desperately needed. He didn’t know how to describe it— the moment she got up on that stage and started singing, all that he could watch was her.

She was sitting onstage, guitar in her hand as she plucked the melody. It was effortlessly simple and breathtakingly complex at the same time, and it made all of the tunes that had been running through his head that day seem absolutely amateurish.

And then she sang.

Her voice was different, unlike any of the other voices that were out there— there was a tone to it that reminded him of shooting stars and volcanoes, along with the crackling of a dying ember at the end of a blazing fire. It was quiet and loud, fierce and serendipitous, shy and unapologetic— it was every single melody that he’d ever heard wrapped into one single note that shook him to the core and made him remember why he fell in love with music in the first place.

And she was here, in a dive bar in LA, singing Bob Dylan as effortlessly as a breath of air.

Liam watched her as she performed the rest of her setlist— it was a collection of what he could only assume were her favorite songs as well as a few originals she threw in here and there, every song bringing something different to the table. He had completely forgotten that he was supposed to have gone back home an hour ago.

“Thank you,” her voice resonated through the half-hearted applause of the crowd. It seemed like Liam was the only one who saw the untameable stage presence that there was to this girl— everybody else was more than content to return to their dates (or their drinks) and live their lives.

She flashed one last smile before standing up off of her stool, her guitar still slung across her neck. Liam watched as she knelt down to unhook her guitar from the speaker and walked offstage, straight in the direction of the bar.

He had to speak with her.

When he approached her he noticed a few things about her— she was drinking a glass of water, even though she could get free drinks for performing. She kept her guitar by her side at all times, as if it was a safety net. Her hair was a lot longer offstage than it seemed like when she was onstage, almost reaching her hips and curling at the bottom. It was a bit frizzy from the humidity, but if it bothered her she certainly didn’t show it. She was bent over a notepad, staring at the page and making occasional scribbles in the margins.

When he sat down beside her, she didn’t bother looking up at him at all. And Liam Payne wasn’t a narcissist by any means, but he wasn’t used to not being noticed when he wanted to be. He noticed that there was a necklace dangling from her neck with something that seemed to be engraved upon it, and he leaned forward slightly and squinted to get a closer look.

“You know, if you wanted to get a look at my tits you could at least offer to buy me a drink.”

Liam almost fell out of his chair.

“I, um— sorry, I— it’s not what it…I was trying to get a look at your necklace,” he explained, face bright red with embarrassment.

“I was joking,” she snickered, setting her purple pen down on the notebook and turning to look at him properly.

She looked different up close— her tan skin wasn’t reflected under the harsh stage lights anymore, and it was now a shade of brown, like the color of coffee after you’ve added three creams and three sugars. Her eyes were a dark brown as well, but moreso a shade of dark chocolate, and there was a light scar that sat on her top lip and went about three centimeters upwards.

“Hey, Romeo,” she interrupted his thoughts, waving a hand in his face. “Are you gonna introduce yourself, because you’re getting closer to a level ten stalker by the second.”

“I’m Liam,” he choked out, wondering if he should offer her his hand to shake. Before he could she took it, giving it a soft squeeze as they shook hands.

“I know who you are, I’m just messing with ya. Keeping you down to Earth and all,” she grinned, releasing his hand while simultaneously tucking her pen behind one of her earlobes. “I’m Ollie. Olivia. You wrote a song about me and all— although I think it was Harold who wrote that one, no? It’s a total bop though, I should thank you for that, there was a severe shortage of cool Olivia songs before you guys came along. Iloveyouiloveyouiloveiloveiloveolivia.”

“I’m glad you like it,” he laughed, relaxing a tad once he established that she didn’t think he was there to jump her.

“Love it,” she grinned, her fingers drumming against the countertop. “What brings you to this shithole, Liam?”

“Writer’s block,” he admitted, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. “Songwriter’s block, I guess. I’m stuck. You ever get that?”

“Honey, my entire life is one big shitstorm of a block. But can I tell you something?” Her eyes twinkled.

“What?”

“Writer’s block is just the way that your brain tells you you’ve been doing the same damn thing for way too long,” she confesses, taking a sip of her water afterwards. Liam nodded his head in understanding— yeah, that makes sense he thought to himself, wondering how this woman he met on a whim somehow seemed like she knew the secrets to the universe.

“I like your guitar,” he said.

Ollie had saved up for exactly three years to buy her guitar.

Three years of waiting tables and babysitting up to five kids at a time, three years of tallying up her tips and obsessively checking her banking account to see if she had enough. It was the second guitar she’d ever owned, the first guitar she’d ever bought herself, and the absolute love of her life. It had a bright purple strap that matched the streaks in her hair, and there were stickers on the back of it that Liam couldn’t make out from where he was sitting.

“Thanks,” she grinned. “Her name’s Luna.”

“As in the moon?” He asked, smiling.

“Bingo! Look at you, all cultured with your knowledge of Spanish,” she nodded with approval, playing with the necklace that hung across her chest.

“I don’t know a lot, don’t expect too much of me,” he chuckled, and just like that, they were best friends.

They sat and talked for quite some time— mostly about music, and the performance that she had given that night. Liam praised her endlessly and she accepted gracefully, admitting that it wasn’t her first time on a stage, but he would soon find out all about that.

When last call at the bar rolled around Ollie decided to tap out for the night, and Liam offered to walk her out. She accepted, slinging her guitar in front of her and playing a simple riff as they walked out the front door.

She drove a big yellow punch buggy. It had a few dents in it here and there and one of the handles only opened when you jiggled it first, but it was hers and otherwise in perfect condition.

“Thanks for the talk, and for not trying to get a sneak peek of my boobs again,” she teased, grinning as she opened the back door and slid her guitar inside. Liam caught sight of a few bags in the backseat and several pillows, although he didn’t think much of it at the time.

“Thanks for not pummelling me into the ground like I thought you were going to at first,” he admitted, grinning as he looked down at her. She was only about five foot three, about seven inches shorter than he was.

“Anytime, buggaboo,” she patted his arm, opening her driver door and shutting it behind her immediately. Liam walked up to the window and leaned in to talk to her again, smiling.

“You have any plans for tomorrow?” He asked, hope building up in his chest.

“I could make some time for you,” she grinned. She plucked her purple pen from behind her earlobe and handed it to him, reaching her arm out of the car and turning it upwards. “Gimme your number.”

He almost laughed at how middle school it all was, but he obliged and scribbled his cell number on her arm in her pen, checking it three times to make sure it was the right one before handing it back to her.

“There…talk to you soon, Ollie,” he said, taking a step away from the car.

“See you around, Payno,” she gave him a quick salute before shifting her car into drive, and before he knew it she was speeding off down the road, playing a particularly loud McFly sound at top volume.

She never would have guessed what would become of that night.

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[readingraebow]

Girl in the Blue Coat Section Two

Chapter 15-34

1. While Hanneke is cleaning out the papers in her closet, what clue does she find that makes her change her mind about what she thinks might have happened to Mirjam? She finds a copy of Het Parool. And then she bikes over to Mrs. Janssen’s and confirms it’s the same one Mirjam had been reading on the day she disappears. In the classifieds, Hanneke found a notice saying: “Elizabeth misses her Margaret, but is glad to be vacationing in Kijkduin.” Elizabeth and Margaret are the code names Mirjam and her best friend Amalia used to use to send notes to each other. And Hanneke hasn’t really though about Mirjam disappearing right after reading Het Parool. But now she thinks Mirjam went to find Amalia and boarded a train to Kijkduin after reading the notice.

2. What bad news does Ollie bring Hanneke? He says he went to the theater to talk to Judith's uncle but discovered that Mirjam has been brought to the Hollandsche Schouwburg. They were out looking for people whose names were on their list and when they couldn't fill their quotas, they just started rounding up anyone who had Jewish papers. And one of the names on the list is M. Roodveldt. She's scheduled to be transported in two days.

3. Where does Hanneke find Mina? She's staying with Mrs. de Vries. Which Hanneke thinks can't be right, when Ollie gives her the address, because Mrs. de Vries is hella mean and both Hanneke and her boss hate doing deliveries there. But, it seems, Mrs. de Vries also hides Jews because when Hanneke goes to visit Mina, she's also hiding her neighbors who "disappeared". And she also lives right across from the theater, which is why Ollie sent Hanneke there in the first place. Mina saw Mirjam's group brought into the theater and photographed it.

4. What plan do Ollie and Hanneke make to get Mina’s camera back and save Mirjam? Does the operation go as planned? So. Hanneke says that she can get a Gestapo uniform that they can use for the operation. She sneaks into Elsbeth's house and takes her friend's uniform and Ollie wears it to impersonate a guard. He then presents fake orders and tells them he has to search the baby carriages. He does and he successfully retrieves the camera. But then there's Hanneke's part. So she walked the stretch with Willem where the group will be lead from the theater to the train station and they decided that Hanneke will have to grab Mirjam before the bridge. So while Ollie is distracting the guards to get the camera, Hanneke is meant to get Mirjam. Except she finds Mirjam and she's trying to lead her to safety but Mirjam WON'T GO. And then Ollie is done and they're moving again and time is running out and when Hanneke grabs Mirjam to go, Mirjam runs IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION and Ollie grabs Hanneke and drags her to safety. But the guards chase after Mirjam... and shoot her. And then leave her body in the street for the rest of the group to walk around. It. Is. HORRIBLE.

5. What private/top secret information did Ollie reveal about himself to Hanneke in Chapter 25? So Ollie shows Hanneke his letter from Bas and in it, Bas says to tell Hanneke that he loves her and that she should move on. And there's a ~moment and Hanneke tries to kiss Ollie. But he backs off and says that he's in love with someone else. Hanneke guesses Judith but Ollie reveals that it's Willem. Which puts him in a whole different kind of danger because homosexuals were also rounded up during this time too. So she asks if he's in danger and he says he isn't as long as she doesn't tell anyone since no one else knows.

6. Why does Hanneke start to question if Mirjam had a birth mark on her chin and/or scars on her knees? Hanneke, Ollie and Willem go on a bike ride to do something "normal" but Hanneke is going too fast and ends up hitting a patch of ice and falling. She ends up scrapping up her knees pretty badly and then she remembers that the reason Mirjam got the blue coat in the first place was because she tore her other one and scrapped up her knees, leaving a permanent scar. But the girl she dressed at the funeral home didn't have a scar on her knees. And she also had a birth mark on her chin. So she has Ollie ask Judith about the birth mark and, as suspected, Mirjam didn't have one. The girl they just buried wasn't Mirjam.

7. What does Hanneke learn from Cristoffel about Mirjam? She learns that he knew it was Amalia hiding, not Mirjam. He had gone to school with both girls and they were in love with him. But he loved Mirjam and Amalia said she loved him more. One day when Mrs. Janssen was out of the room, Amalia came out and talked to him. She was the one who asked him to help her escape. The furniture that Cristoffel picked up while Mrs. Janssen asked Hanneke to help her find "Mirjam" actually contained Amalia so Cristoffel snuck her out and hid her at his house. But. She told him that she had inadvertently caused the death of Mirjam's family and he kicked her out... right into the hands of the Gestapo. So that's how she was captured and, later, killed. Mirjam, it turns out, has been safe all along. Realizing what she had done, Amalia rushed off to warn Mirjam and her family but she was too late and the family was already dead. So she switched coats and papers with Mirjam and sent Mirjam off to live with her aunt, reasoning that it would be easier for her to find her way out of the city and they would be reunited once more.

8. Describe the friendship between Hanneke and Elsbeth that is told brief snippets throughout the book. They were best friends, almost like sisters, and along with Bas, they were an inseparable group. But then Bas died. And Elsbeth fell in love with a German. And Hanneke didn't approve of the pairing or, rather, she didn't approve of Elsbeth having someone when she was alone. So Hanneke pushed Elsbeth away. And Elsbeth married her German. And even though Hanneke missed her best friend every day, they destroyed their relationship with words and now it's too late to fix their relationship. Even though Elsbeth kind of tried? She asked Hanneke to her wedding but it was because her mother told her to and she didn't think Hanneke would come. And Hanneke said she wouldn't. And that's where their friendship ended. The war divided a lot of things and their friendship was just another casualty.

  Section Two Reading Journal

Okay, so let me start off by saying that I LOVED this book! It was a wonderful story full of compelling stories and a lot of history and it was overall just a well written, engaging read. But the last 50 pages or so also made me cry my eyes out.

I mean. I get that this is a book about the Holocaust. BUT STILL. Amalia’s death was especially heart wrenching. And finding out everything that actually lead to it and her accidental betrayal. And then the afterword and even the last paragraph of the acknowledgements. I shed a lot of tears at the end of this book.

I love that this was a very different perspective of the war. It wasn’t your usual story of the horrors of concentration camps. It was about the horrors that were created outside of them. One teenager made a stupid mistake that had such dire consequences, all because of a stupid war. And I think that is a very powerful story.

I also loved all of the historical things that were peppered in this book such as Mina’s photography and the children who were saved and given to other families. I’m glad those things were based on real events. (Though I hate how tragically some of those stories really ended.) I also loved a line at the end of the historical accuracy afterward talking about how this is a story about a war but also about how we’re all heroes and villians.

This was such an incredibly powerful book and I know it’s definitely one that will stick with me. What an incredible read! I’m so glad we picked this book! <3

[lycanhood]

DCTV Crossover: Crisis on Earth-X Part 3 & 4

I just rewatched Part 1 & 2 of the crossover and something I didn’t catch the first time is how little Oliver and Sara are interacting. I’ve always really enjoyed their dynamic and all of the history between them, but they’ve barely spoken to each other in the crossover so far. I know Ollie is preoccupied with Felicity and Sara is dealing with Alex, but still I hope they have at least one convo. Though I suspect Sara is about to be very busy dealing with Snart. Also, I really enjoy Felicity and Iris’s friendship. It’s so obvious to me how much better friends they are the Iris and Caitlin, which is sad.

Anyway, here we go… The Flash 4x08

Stein seems to know alot about this :(

This gay prisoner :(

Aw Sara comforting Alex YASS!

Cisco! Dude, about damn time

Why didn’t the nazis take that ball from Wells?

I swear if this nazi bitch does anything to Kara

I am so not surprised Iris and Felicity have to save everyone. Girl Power indeed

“Because I like men and I like women.” SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE SCUM IN THE BACK!! Well thats not the only reason tho, right?

Omg Sara! My poor bb! I HATE anti-Quentin

Haha that gay prisoner is us to Snart “About time!” Are they in love?

Whoa who is this bright fellow?

“We’re not so different from them.” Kara freakin Danvers

Okay but if I hear the words “aryan perfection” ONE MORE TIME

“What do you care if I take your heart? You’re not using it.” damn

Iris and Felicity are the dream team

WINN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My boy is here! In the same episode as Cisco!!!! And he has a FUCKING BEARD!!!!!

GENERAL SCHOTT!!!

“Fingerless gloves” Haha Sara

Alex, thats not how dopplegangers work! Why does no one understand that?

Alex and Sara bonding over their sisters is everything

Oh the bright guy is The Ray from CWSeed? Gotcha, never seen that tho

I KNEW they were in love!

I kinda like General Schott

Why does she have to be awake? Doesn’t seem medically relevant

I love how Kara’s last threat is “My cousin will find you” when it should be “Lena Luthor will find you”

Terminator reference! ……..aaaaand now there is a robot, damn

An anti-waverider?!?

Haha Felicity has them fucked up

Oliver get on with it, anti-Quentin is suspicious

What’s doppleganger!felicity gonna do with that gun?

Red Tornado? Throwback

Kara Danvers you beautiful self sacrificing angel *wipes away a single tear*

I ship The Ray and Snart so hard

Agent Canary make such a good team

God Red Tornado looks awful  

NOOOOO! Don’t split up! You’re stronger together!

No stein no! Don’t do it! SHIT!! Its happening

Legends of Tomorrow 3x08

Jax yelling for Stein is killing me

Haha Snart, I hate his voice, but I miss his humor

GET THIS PSYCHO AWAY FROM KARA!!!!

RAY!!! I have honestly never been so happy to see the Atom

Hahaha “How was the wedding?”

An army would have been nice, but legends will do

Felicity protecting Kara! YASS!

“As far as final words go, those aren’t bad.”

Ooo our Oliver has their Kara!

“I love a good pop culture reference in a crisis” Hahahaha Cisco is me

“I just want to be with you.” way to get your priorities straight, Ollie

Oh god, if they make Jax take the firestorm cure and then Stein dies that’s gonna tear Jax up

Mick was a hero on Earth X trying to save cops from a fire? Nice

Caitlin, this outfit is...lovely

I’m gonna need Alex and Caitlin to patch up Stein, stat

Mr. Terrific is still a terrible name, much worse than The Ray

WHY ARENT WE FIXING STEIN?!? Get him into surgery or something!

Don’t you dare let do, Jax! This isn’t the Titanic! There was plenty of room on that door for Jack and there has got to be a way to save Stein now!

Jax: “I can’t do this!”

Me: *crying* bitch, me too

Oh no, we gotta watch his wife and daughter find out? Fuck

There is the Sara & Ollie interaction I was looking for, however brief

Ha Zari finally broke down and got a costume

Caitlin: “Great speech”

Ollie is so pissed

*rousing dramatic music* “Now let’s go kick some ass.”

Call in the National Guard!

This hero walk tho

I’m cool with Mick roasting Nazis

I do so love Cisco Ramon

KillerFrost did a superhero landing!!! Love seeing her working with the team

STOP with the heat vision thing!

“Nailed it!” haha

Please just fucking end it. Kill him just this one time

NOOOOO! Don’t let him go! I’m sick of his ass

Aw Ollie wasn’t gonna shoot the man while he was down, nice

I guess, he is technically a man of steel :/

I’m sure Earth-X will require a lot of punching

Snart’s staying? But...but their love. Why?

“All he wanted was to come home” Holy fucking shit *bursts into tears*

“It’s a hug thing” haha :) I still love Agent Canary, friends, fucking, or fighting

The fist bump

Barry just snatched John up, damn, rude, not cool

Why wasn’t he invited to the wedding to begin with?

Oh so now Felicity is the maid of honor, I see how it is

Haha John is such a buff minister

“Friend, partner, *cough* sister *cough*”

They do have such a beautiful relationship/friendship tho, so I’ll continue to try and overlook the practically siblings thing

Felicity! You’re stealing their moment! Not cool!

Damn, just be married already all of you

Jonas? Wow

So that was actually really good! Despite all the Nazi ugliness, I actually liked this crossover way more than last years. I think, the stakes felt higher somehow, and we had even more heroes, but it somehow felt more organized to me. The dynamics and friendships and dialogue seemed smoother to me and way more fun, yet less cheesy. I of course loved have Alex there, and Killer Frost too. I liked it alot. I think, attention was appropriately split and all the subplots and interaction were given proper attention and care. Overall, well done

[sandstroms]

          ❛ lili reinhart. female. she / her. ❜ well, well, well, if it isn’t KATE SANDSTRÖM. people say the SEVENTEEN year old JUNIOR reminds them of SITTING IN SUNLIT CORNERS SCRIBBLING IN A JOURNAL, A HAND-EMBROIDERED OVERSIZED DENIM JACKET, PHONE CONVERSATIONS IN A LANGUAGE NO ONE ELSE CAN UNDERSTAND which makes sense since they’re often described as OBSERVANT, LAIDBACK, & APATHETIC. i just can’t wait to see the sort of trouble they end up in. ❛ ollie. 21. est. they/them. ❜

THE STORY:

— kate and her older brother matteo ( age 21 ) are both half-swedish ( their father ). they were both born in stockholm but grew up in boston, their father coaching hockey at boston university and then an assistant coach for the bruins. they spent and still spend their summers in a lakehouse in sweden just outside of stockholm ( kate’s favorite time of year ).

— the money in their family comes from the men playing hockey. their father oscar sandström had a lengthy 15 year career in the nhl as a middle six winger ; not one of the superstars, no, but respectable as a player, wore an A more often than not, and made a few million every season in the process, as you do. but the true superstar in the family is matteo, drafted 29th overall in the 2016 draft to continue the family legacy in boston, who after a season in the swedish elite league had an unpredicated breakout season in the first half of the season in the ahl, got called up to the nhl and never went back. teams are still kicking themselves for passing him up. he’s got an eight year, eight million dollar contract kicking in next season — and he’s only getting better.

— kate is nothing like her brother. her brother was one-track, laser focused on one dream his entire life… meanwhile kate has no clue what she’s doing. she’s good at plenty of things ( drawing, writing, lacrosse, math, yes– even hockey ) but she never pursued any of them hard enough to become EXCELLENT at any of them. jack of all trades, master of none, right?? she’s never been able to focus on one thing in her entire life, probably because she gets bored easily.

— this in particular led to her outcast in her own family. their mom especially started pushing kate to find “her passion” freshman year of high school, because she believed that everyone should have a life plan. but kate had no interest in trying to figure it out and it only led to more arguments and tension in the household, which turned to long silences with curt comments undermining kate’s character. her father was mostly absent, too busy coaching or something else, too busy to really care about his non-hockey playing child. matteo is only one in the family she really gets along with because he never pushes her and put up with her sometimes meaningless rambles. she’s lucky that he’s around a lot, even in season with the city so close. the year he was in sweden was very lonely for her.

— timeline wise, the family moved out of the city of boston to whitelake when she entered high school.

MISC:

—  kate isn’t much for the high school athletic scene, though she did cheer for three weeks ( it wasn’t really her idea and she while she was good she didn’t like it ) before quitting, and then played lacrosse for her sophomore season ( she has no plans on picking it up again ).

— she doesn’t care much for the big shots on the football team either, preferring to go support her brother and the bruins in boston. she’s not vocal about her connection to matteo and the nhl though it’s probably not a secret either. it’s not something she flaunts but not something she hides — ya feel ? she’s super apathetic about who knows, if you know you know…

— she’s been writing more lately, both fiction and small sports pieces on the bruins. she keeps a blog that she posts occasionally on, just short funny stories and memoir pieces of things that happen in her life and with matteo ( with his permission, of course ). maybe that’s what she’ll pursue, but she doesn’t have much of a plan and despite her pushy parents, she also is lucky enough to not really need one.

— kate’s pretty much fluent in swedish, her and matteo grew up bilingual and going back to sweden every summer certainly helps. she has a slight accent when she returns in the fall from sweden ( mostly from speaking swedish all summer ), but it fades out pretty quickly.

— she drives a white jeep wrangler like the sporty legend she is ( jk not a legend, but she does drive a jeep ). the car was a birthday present from matteo over the summer.

— no one calls her katie. except maybe her brother.

— the best way to describe her is a loner by choice tbh. and a small amount of veronica mars vibes...

— constantly wearing the same oversized denium jacket that she’s constantly adding more embroidery and patches to. big fan of pairing it with a crop top tbh.

— she almost always carries around a small unlined notebook with her that she writes or draws in. she’s forgetful even at the best of times and find if she thinks of something genius, she better jot it down quickly.

OOC

          hey lads !! i’m ollie. apparently all i do nowadays is play hockey players and hockey players’ sisters.... what can i say.

[fabermemorialrink]

some mistake, part 3

This part marks the end of what would be chapter one! Still a good handful of sections to upload after this one, but uh I should warn you I probably left off in the middle of writing the most important part, so I hope y’all don’t mind some suspense later on haha. Thanks again for reading!!

So Derek takes Dex’s advice to heart and tries, he really does, and...it kind of works. There are some people in each of his classes that he becomes friendly with, that he can grab a bite with or have study sessions with. And the team has several guys he's pretty close to now. There's Shitty, who’s easy to talk to and shows his support for Derek in his free-spirited, oft-naked way, and Ransom and Holster, who take him under their defensive wing. Ollie and Wicks, Indy and Alph and manager Sierra who treats them all like her out-of-control little brothers.

Derek likes them all but just even being in school drains him every day, over time. There's nothing wrong with any of them, per se, but they're all part of the same system, and it's like a vortex of bleakness that everyone at Andover is caught in. So he goes to class and talks to the tolerable people, and re-learns every single morning how to ignore the intolerable ones, and he goes to practice and bonds with the guys, and when it starts cascading into the always present shadow of pressure and prejudice, he escapes to where he can take a moment, just to be himself without being berated for having the audacity to exist.

He doesn't usually see Dex when he's just meditating in his hidey-hole, his head poking out to rest on the roots and stare up at the treasured glimpses of sky that are revealed to him through the shifting leaves. But he realizes soon enough, shortly before he heads back to the city for Thanksgiving break (because all three of his parents are actually going to be home simultaneously for once) that when he dares to delve deeper, and the woods entangles itself around him slowly and imperceptibly until he's lost in a dark corner again, Dex appears like clockwork to rescue him.

It's an accident at first, just a genuine attempt to try and teach himself more about the outdoors. He read up on camping and shit, and some Thoreau for good measure, but putting what he read into practice doesn't seem hugely successful for Derek. Inevitably, he ends up stranded in the unknown - in the inner ring, as Dex finally tells him one day when they're sitting by a pond Derek's never seen before and eating trail mix he swiped from the dining hall - where his sense of direction fails him.

Dex is nothing if not supremely reliable and strangely, suspiciously, always aware of Derek's whereabouts, so Derek is never left waiting long before Dex storms out to chastise him for endangering himself. Derek still doesn’t get it, because literally nothing seems to live in the goddamn woods except his ginger stalker/self-appointed bodyguard/friend, so he continues to tell Dex to chill and make half-baked promises to not get himself murdered. Dex always does this hilarious hand-clench of frustration when Derek brushes off his concerns, but nevertheless semi-reluctantly puts up with his company until he deems it too dark or too cold for Derek to stay any longer.

Soon it becomes habit to search Dex out whenever Derek's feeling numb. On good days, they get along, talking about the junk they’re interested in. Dex isn’t up to date on the newest shows or movies that Derek likes, but they bond over the nostalgic films of the past, and Derek gives quick and dirty summaries of all the shitty books he’s read on long plane rides. If he exaggerates the inanity of some of the plots, well, it gets a laugh out of Dex, so whatever.

On not-so-good days, at least he has someone he can argue unapologetically with. Sometimes it's important stuff, because Dex is still very much a know-nothing white boy who doesn't understand what Derek goes through on a daily basis. And though Derek still doesn’t actually know much about Dex at all, he does know that Dex thinks he’s too damn rich to understand his hang-ups about buying nice but frivolous things, and dropping more than eight dollars on brunch. So they fight about these things sometimes, but because Derek can’t physically find his way back home without Dex’s assistance, it becomes a forced learning experience for the both of them, to learn to listen to one another without tussling like elementary-schoolers. It works more than it doesn’t, but they’re also both dumbass fifteen year olds who don’t know when to quit, so there are nights that Dex dumps Derek at the field without another word and Derek spends the next day moping in his bed, then moping in his hollow until one of them has enough guts to go and apologize.

And sometimes, their arguments are about whether the pet rock was the best cash grab of all time, or how much money it would have cost to fake the moon landing, or whether it’s a terrible idea for Derek to try a backflip on the ice.

What it comes down to is this: even when they fight, at least Derek feels alive. At least he knows the person he’s talking to cares, about something. They’re not always in sync about how they see the world, but Dex is real in a way the kids at Andover never are, and willing, in his mulish way, to consider Derek’s point of view after a shouting match. And, for all the faces and weird noises he makes, he’s a good listener. Derek practices his public speaking assignment on him and his oral presentation for Spanish; Dex claps in the right places and throws pebbles at him when he’s avoiding eye contact too much. He asks after Derek’s family and his team, and almost always remembers to ask Derek about his games. Derek thinks he probably follows Andover hockey more closely than Shitty’s parents do. Several invitations to their home games have been extended, but Dex always apologizes before turning them down.

Derek doesn’t put it into words until the day Dex sets him to work gathering herbs “for reasons” and they’re sitting in the dirt and fog picking through weeds and chirping each other about their bad hand-eye coordination. Derek has mist in his face and there’s soil caked under his nails from digging up tiny sprouts and silvery roots, but it’s been the best part of his day by far.

“How’d you get dirt on your nose?” Dex asks when Derek delivers another handful of shoots to him.

“Just living that natural life, Dexy.” Derek swipes at his face with the back of his hand, but from the look that crosses Dex’s face he’s not finding much success. He makes another attempt with the heel of his palm this time.

“No, you- there’s even more now,” Dex says irritably. He reaches up, as if to brush the smudge away himself, but aborts the motion halfway and digs him hand harder into the ground instead.

Derek grins, and tries again. “Did I get it?” he asks as he deliberately streaks dirt from the bridge of his nose across his cheek. The corner of Dex’s eye twitches as he fights with himself, until Derek slowly and deliberately digs up a solid handful of muck, ready to plaster it to his own face.

Dex dives for him as he brings his hand up in slow-motion, flattening him to the ground as they battle over Derek’s hand.

“You’re a literal child, I swear to god,” Dex hisses, wrestling Derek's arm in place long enough to smear most of the dirt off.

“Lots of adults enjoy the rejuvenating properties of a mud mask, bro.” Derek pats his cheeks gently with what's left of the soil on his hands, and offers the remainder to Dex. “Give it a try. Refreshed skin will bring out your freckles more.”

“Why would I ever want that.” Dex has to pin Derek’s arm down with his shoulder to protect his face.

“Seriously? People would kill for the Look you got going on, dude.” Dex’s eyes narrow when he hears the capital L, but Derek continues. “You're like a concept painting of autumn. All gold and red and orange.”

“What does that even mean, you weirdo?” Dex groans into the dirt as he rolls away from Derek, ending in a patch of brambly leaves that stick in his shirt.

“It means you’re beautiful inside and out. Own it.”

“Were you put on this earth to torment me?”

“Maybe! Aw, that's cute. Like we were made for each other.”

“What.”

“Well, like, if I exist just to annoy you, and you exist to be my bff, then it's kinda like we were made for each other, right?”

“Wait- are we even having the same conversation right now?” Dex asks, confused. He bounces up like a pop-up book insert to give Derek his classic squint of suspicion. “Who's what now?”

“You’re my best friend, Dex, is what I’m saying,” Derek tells him, smiling at him sideways from where he's still tipped over into the mud. This is what it should feel like, right? This comfortable, unfiltered ease that Derek has grown used to in Dex’s presence. No pretenses, no fear of letting his chill slip or his anger surge. Derek is Derek, and Dex, even with all his secrets, is Dex, and that's all they need.

“Oh. That’s not where I thought this was going. Are you sure?” Dex asks, scratching awkwardly at his hair tucked under his cap. He cut it recently, choppy and slightly uneven; Derek suspects he may have done it by hand himself. Hopefully not with the hatchet. He seems to be in disbelief, so Derek solves the problem the only way he knows how: by being extra annoying.

“No, actually, now that I think about it more, I don't know if I can be friends with someone who’s afraid of barbershop quartets.”

“Oh my god, I'm not afraid of them, I just think the striped vests are fuckin’ weird! And the hats, too, Jesus. It's creepy, okay?”

“You are legit the strangest dude I know. You scared of 90s boy bands too? Leather pants, frosted tips?”

Dex undergoes a deep, full body shudder of disgust, visibly trying to shake the memory off himself. “Quit it, Nursey-”

“Matching track suits! Bandanas and denim overalls!”

“I don't understand how the hell we’re still friends,” and Derek’s smile must be embarrassingly real, because Dex flushes that nice shade of red he gets when he's flustered but not angry, and half-heartedly gives Derek a “yeah, okay, me too,” which, in the current flow of the conversation is a non-sequitur, but Derek gets it.

When it draws close to six, Dex packs up his basket and walks Derek back out, even though Derek has got a pretty good handle on navigating the outer ring by now, where the forest isn't yet labyrinthine and dim. Like always, he halts at the edge, but this time, he stops Derek with a hand to his arm, his skin warm despite the biting coldness in the air.

Dex is about to say something, but Derek word vomits on him before he can speak up. “You wanna come visit my dorm? We could watch Netflix, eat stale pop tarts.” It's such a fantastic proposition that Derek is surprised Dex doesn't immediately begin heckling him.

“Sorry, but I, uh, also gotta get home. Besides, you know they'd never let me into your prep school dorm room. Blue collar cooties,” he says with the sort of uncasual shrug that says he's accepted long ago there are places he isn't meant to go.

“I can't believe you just used the word cooties in a sentence,” Derek says, trying to lighten the mood, because even he's more than willing to sneak Dex in, doesn't mean his friend wants to go. He probably wants to keep their lives compartmentalized. They can share the woods; everything else is off-limits. That's okay. Derek can handle that.

“Some of us have to make do with our dollar store vocabulary.”

“I didn't say I didn't like it. You have the best cooties,” Derek says solemnly and clasps Dex’s shoulder.

Dex shakes him off, but cracks a smile, so it's a solid win. “Shut your face, Nursey. You know I wouldn't fit in with those guys. You'll just have to bring your pop tarts here. Not the laptop though; electronics don't work right in the woods.”

Derek swallows thickly, suddenly overcome with this invitation. It's new. Dex almost always sees Derek off with a demand that he watch his back and stay in school, like some kind of twisted after-school special. He never makes any indication that he actually wants Derek to visit, though Derek’s learned enough of his tacit signs by now to know that Dex doesn't mind his company. “Yeah? What flavor?” he asks when he unties his tongue.

“Wild berry. Extra stale.”

“I'll open a pack and leave it in my math binder for a week.”

Dex must remember that Derek avoids even touching his math materials if he can, because he laughs, and gives Derek a little shove closer to the field. “I'm counting on it. Hey, we need to make some ground rules though.”

“Rules? Like the name prohibition.”

The first couple of times they ran into each other again Dex had reiterated the ironclad importance of Derek never, ever uttering his name while in the woods. Dex nods now, relieved that Derek’s been bludgeoned with that information until it stuck.

“Right. Never tell anyone your name; that’s the most important one. Rule number two: don't trust anyone you meet in the woods. Got it?”

“Uh, what's that supposed to mean? Didn’t I meet you in the woods?”

Dex makes a complicated face and a jerky, ambivalent motion with his hand that Derek does not understand at all. “There's just some strange people in here sometimes,” he says, still hedging around something. “Be wary around them. If they ever try to make you break rule number one, get the fuck outta there. Even if it’s me, okay?”

What? Why would Dex ever…”Okay? If you say so?” What’s Dex afraid of? Brainwashing? Doppelgangers? Clones??

“Promise me, Nursey,” Dex says intensely, gripping Derek’s elbow tight. “I might not always be around to watch out for you.”

Derek must look too hesitant still, because Dex pinches his arm and he lets out a yelp. “Alright, chill, Dex. I promise.” Then, narrowing his eyes, he ventures to ask, “Is this a cult thing? ‘Cause my parents know people. We can help.”

“It's not a cult thing. And if it were, it’s not like I’d admit it.”

“Hmmmm.” Derek looks around, giving the woods a leery once-over, before leaning in to hiss, “Blink twice if they’re watching us. Blink three times if they’re holding you against your will.”

Dex stares at him for a few seconds before blinking deliberately twice (!), then a few more times for a total of five. Derek’s brain flies into overdrive as he tries to decipher this. Is it five as in two plus three? Is he giving Derek a signal? Or is he just messing around?

While he dithers over this, Dex purses his lips and blows a sharp stream of air right into Derek’s eyes. He recoils, clutching at his face.

“Ow, what the fuck, Dex!”

“That’s enough cultist bs for one day. Time to go home, Nursey. Walk slowly; wouldn’t want you to trip on literally nothing again and ruin your pretty face, city boy.”

“Ha ha,” Derek grouses, still rubbing his eyes. He’s well aware of his bad skin and awkward legs. Dex doesn’t need to rub it in. “D’you practice those lines on the squirrels before you try them on people?”

“Don’t be dumb. You ever seen a squirrel around here?” Dex snipes back, but the corners of his eyes crease in a smile and he mutters, “I practice on the trees.”

Derek is still laughing as Dex shoves him out onto the field toward home.

[kenyauslander]

Character Chart for Hiromi

Character Chart Character’s full name: Hiromi Momoko Shirogane Reason or meaning of name: Hiromi is named after Hiro, Momoko is the name Hiro liked.  Character’s nickname: Harajuku Hiromi Reason for nickname: The same reason for May’s nickname Birth date: 4/20/04 Physical appearance Age: 13 How old does he/she appear: 10 Weight: 200 lbs Height: 4′10″  Body build: Chubby  Shape of face: Round Eye color: Brown Glasses or contacts: None.  Skin tone: Pale Distinguishing marks: None Predominant features: None Hair color: Black Type of hair: Straight Hairstyle: Long Voice: Tenor Overall attractiveness: 8.5/10 Physical disabilities: None Usual fashion of dress: Casual Favorite outfit:  Her Aries shirt and black jeans.   Jewelry or accessories: Her beanie.  Personality Good personality traits: Funny, weird.  Bad personality traits: Loud.  Mood character is most often in: A pretty ok mood.  Sense of humor: Dark.  Character’s greatest joy in life: Torturing Gackt, just because she doesn’t like him. Character’s greatest fear: Water.  Why?: Hiromi nearly drowned.  What single event would most throw this character’s life into complete turmoil?: If May stayed in Japan for the rest of her life.  Character is most at ease when: With May and the others.  Most ill at ease when: Around people who are stereotyped.  Enraged when: Somebody tries to mess with Gackt or May.  Depressed or sad when: May doesn’t call her back.  Priorities: Puns. Then school. Then fries.  Life philosophy: ‘Life sucks.’  If granted one wish, it would be: To find out why her mother hates Gackt with a burning intensity of a 1000 suns.  Why?: Because she wants to know what spited her mother.  Character’s soft spot: Hiromi loves cats.  Is this soft spot obvious to others?: Not really. Greatest strength: Being able to reach the bottom shelf.  Greatest vulnerability or weakness: Top shelf of ANY store.  Biggest regret: Not sneaking herself into May’s suitcase when she moved.  Minor regret: Joining band.  Biggest accomplishment: ACTUALLY getting something off the top shelf at Walmart.  Minor accomplishment: Getting an award at school.  Past failures he/she would be embarrassed to have people know about: Hiromi has fallen down the stairs, and slipped in a bathroom, all in the same day.  Why?: Because she’s a tough smol bean that can and will kill.  Character’s darkest secret: Hiromi secretly loves Hello Kitty, and doesn’t show it.  Does anyone else know?: May knows.  Goals Drives and motivations: Being a movie star.  Immediate goals: Being the best at the bass guitar. Long term goals: Being a nurse.  How the character plans to accomplish these goals: By studying real hard.  How other characters will be affected: May will be pleased with Hiromi’s ability. Lui and Hiro will be proud of Hiromi choosing a job where she can help people.  Past Hometown: Detroit, Michigan Type of childhood: Good.  Pets: None.  First memory: None.  Most important childhood memory: Hiromi tried helping Hiro cook, and she did a good job.  Why: Because. Childhood hero: Gackt (PLOT TWIST)  Dream job: Singer Education: Good.  Religion: Shinto Finances: Wealthy Present Current location: Detroit, Michigan Currently living with: Lui, Hiro, and Yoshi Pets: None.  Religion: Shinto Occupation: Bassist for The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Finances: Wealthy Family Mother: Lui Relationship with her: Bad  Father: Hiro Relationship with him: Good.  Siblings: None.  Relationship with them: None.  Spouse: None.  Relationship with him/her: None.  Children: None.  Relationship with them: None.  Other important family members: Jiro, Kira, Mei, and Kan.  Favorites Color: Black Least favorite color: Pink Music: Visual kei.  Food: Hibachi Literature: Comics Form of entertainment: Kabuki, and Vine Expressions: “DAYYYUUUM!” “That’s not how you use it, Dad.” “Don’t have a cow.”  Mode of transportation: Bike Most prized possession: Her beanie Habits Hobbies: Drawing, sewing Plays a musical instrument?: The bass guitar Plays a sport?: Nope.  How he/she would spend a rainy day: Indoors, sewing.  Spending habits: SPEND, SPEND, SPEND!  Smokes: Yes.  Drinks: Yes.  Other drugs: Marijuana.  What does he/she do too much of?:  Yell at Lui.  What does he/she do too little of?: Getting to know Gackt.  Extremely skilled at: Getting things off of the bottom shelves.  Extremely unskilled at: Trying to get stuff off of higher shelves.  Nervous tics: None.  Usual body posture: Slouched. Mannerisms: None.  Peculiarities: None.  Traits Optimist or pessimist?: Pessimist.  Introvert or extrovert?: Extrovert Daredevil or cautious?: Daredevil.  Logical or emotional?: Emotional Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat?: Disorderly and messy.  Prefers working or relaxing?: Relaxing.  Confident or unsure of himself/herself?: Unsure.  Animal lover?: Hell yeah.  Self-perception How he/she feels about himself/herself: Unsure.  One word the character would use to describe self: Funny.  One paragraph description of how the character would describe self: What does the character consider his/her best personality trait?: Funny.  What does the character consider his/her worst personality trait?: None.   What does the character consider his/her best physical characteristic?: Being able to fit in crawlspaces.  What does the character consider his/her worst physical characteristic?: Not being able to reach things high up.  How does the character think others perceive him/her: Most people like Hiromi.  What would the character most like to change about himself/herself: Her hair color. Relationships with others Opinion of other people in general: All people suck.  Does the character hide his/her true opinions and emotions from others?: Yeah.  Person character most hates: Gackt.  Best friend(s): May, LaTanya, Ollie, Hye, Kimi, and Jasper.  Love interest(s): None.  Person character goes to for advice: Jasper.  Person character feels responsible for or takes care of: Hye.  Person character feels shy or awkward around: Gackt. Person character openly admires: None.  Person character secretly admires: Gackt.  Most important person in character’s life before story starts: May After story starts: May

[smkkbert]

Olicity Fanfic Recommendations

A few days before Christmas I got around finishing another Olicity fanfic. Because of the holidays, I didn’t get around posting the review. Now I finally have the time, though. Today’s review/recommendation/meta post focuses on Start of something new by @bri617aroundtheworld. I should warn that this contains some spoilers though I will try to make it a little mysterious, so you will still be surprised if you read this before you read the fic (which I can only recommend!).

Check out my other fanfic recommendations here.

FRAMEWORK CONDITIONS

After I finished my last read, I wasn’t sure if I should start reading another fic before my two weeks off because I usually only read during my train rides. Since I was bored to hell, though, I just decided to read the first of the three unread Olicity fics on my tolino.

I love AUs – I love writing them and I love reading them. What was really appealing about the synopsis of this one was

a) Oliver is famous (something that Rumour has it by @overwatchqueens made me love)

and

b) there is a dog. I never read a fic with a dog in it, but given my sister’s dog that spends a lot of time with us, it really got me nosy.

OVERALL PLOT

The synopsis offers some first ideas what to expect when reading this:

a) Famous Oliver Queen takes some time off “to reconnect with his roots in Starling City” Hm… I sense you may have a secret Mr. Queen…

b) Oliver Queen and Felicity become friends. Oh yes… friends...

c) They might even become more than friends. Oh my god! I am a psychic!

But what more is the story about? The story is about two lost people. They both made mistakes in the past – rather unintentionally I’d say. They are both trying to forget their past – guilt-ridden about what they did. They both have to realize that they can’t run from their past because eventually it will come back to haunt them.

So apart from the story of their relationship as friends and more, Oliver and Felicity have to face their individual past. The fact that they both seem to have their skeleton in the closet doesn’t drive them apart as much as it brings them together. Sure, there are moments where their pasts stand in their way, but at the end of the day the fact that they have both been through rough patches gives them more understanding for the other and eventually brings them closer together.

TONE OR RATHER TONES OF THE STORY

The tone of the story is mostly light. The friendship between Oliver and Felicity creates some great moments that offer a mixture of sweetness and awkwardness. I don’t think there is any universe where these two together aren’t making the reader feel a thousand of different things at the same time.

The lighter tone is occasionally interrupted by some heavy (-- and I mean really heart-wrenching, soul-crushing, tears-evocing --) moments that mostly connect to either of their past. Let’s just say that “difficult” or “troublesome” doesn’t even come close to what they have been through in their pasts.

Lighter moment balance the heavier ones.

Felicity’s awkwardness balances the occasional sad moments.

Sweet moments of romance balance the breathtaking excitement.

This story offers more than one emotion for the reader to go through. It’s disturbing in one moment and cathartic in the next. I am just glad I got to read this one go because I am sure the story would have occasionally put me through a sleepless night…

OLIVER

Famous Oliver Queen with a dark secret – I think he is one of my favorite Olivers…

All Olivers are my favorite Olivers… except for Pre-island Ollie, but that’s Ollie and not Oliver… #JustSaying –- Ramble over.

So what is there to say about Oliver?

Oliver seems to be beating himself up for something that has happens in his past and that has made him taken some time off from Hollywood and everything connected to it. We see moments of his past self shining through – hello pre-island!Ollie!, I hope you never come back! – and if Oliver’s reaction is any indication, that is one more person he tries to distance himself from.

Oliver is a man trying to run from his past by becoming a better version of himself. He doesn’t want to be the lost soul he has been the last years and tries to find some real footing in the world, but it’s impossible as long as he hasn’t really dealt with what has happened in his past.

His secret is huge. It’s shocking! I was shocked! But is he really responsible? I guess that is something everyone needs to answer for themselves.

Oliver struggles with his past and he seems caught between his past that tries to pull him back in and the future he wants to attempt and it’s a great story for him.

FELICITY

Interestingly, Felicity seems to be going through something similar like Oliver. There are problems in her past. Unlike Oliver’s they don’t seem as obvious at the start, but when they appear, then they don’t just shine through. They break their way through the little cracks in the walls Felicity has built up around herself and knock everything down she has built. They threaten to destroy her in an instance.

The moment her past comes crashing back in, Felicity forgets everything around her. She forgets about her health and about the relationships she has built. She forgets where she is safe and where she isn’t. Felicity is terrified by her past and she has every reason to.

With Felicity I think it’s not her secret itself that is so shocking. It’s much more the way it comes back to haunt her. It starts a plot in the story that made the level of adrenaline increase in my blood and I might have willingly arrived ten minutes late to my class just to read the solution. Let’s just say this is not for the squeamish!

ARCUS

Part of the fun of the fic is the dog. He is written in a great way – like a dog but like a loved dog. I am not too much a fan of animals being written like they are human. He isn’t overdone in a way that makes him seem unnatural and that is something I really like.

He ships Oliver and Felicity. That alone should make us love him, right?

“Really, Arcus, really? You’re just gonna stay there on Felicity’s door mat and play lovesick puppy? Fine, suit yourself,” he grumbles and comes to a stop in front of his dog. “You know it’s not gonna change anything, buddy. It’s probably much too early for her to be up and even if she were up for some reason, it seems like we’re not very high on her talk-to list right now.”

He actually reminds me of my sister’s dog. Just like Archus he’s act like a big puppy and he loves to sit on people’s lap. (He has been 9 months old on the photo and he still loves to sit on my lap or my sister’s.)

And they are both very protective. My sister once took her dog to a walk in the dark. Suddenly he stopped, stood sill and he raised his heckles. Three guys came out of a shrubbery nearby and he freaked out. He started barking and snarling, jumping around her to make sure that they didn’t come closer. The guys didn’t seem interested in her anyway and left. The next day she read in the newspaper that these three guys robbed a pharmacy. That’s how protective dogs are.

DIGGLE

Finally a fic where I can comment on Diggle again! I think I haven’t done that in a while. Admittedly, in my AUs Diggle is often cut short because I choose to write Tommy as Oliver’s best friend.

Here we have Diggle as Felicity’s best friend and brother and he is so wonderful. There is one scene in particular where I my heart melted for him. He is protective of Felicity and he’d do everything to make sure she is safe and it is beautiful to watch.

TOMMY

It’s the first time I’ve read a story where Oliver has progressed, while Tommy is stuck to his selfish self and I have to say I love it!

OLICITY

Their relationship begins instantly. I was delighted to see that just a few sentences into the story these two were already meeting – under the best circumstances of course! And their bond begins forming instantly.

What’s fun about them is that because of Oliver’s fame Felicity knows him or even more actually. Felicity is one of his biggest fans it seems. OliverQueenMovieMarathons seem to be a regular activity on her schedule. Let’s just say she has a real crush on him. Of course Felicity can’t just admit that easily because we all know how cocksure Oliver likes to act. It creates some great scenes.

"So you know what my new movie is about, huh?" he asks with a self-satisfied smirk.

Cocky bastard.

And is he actually flirting with her right now? Lord help her, this man is gonna kill her.

"I…" she scrambles for an answer that doesn't make her look like she's a total fangirl of him. "I clicked on the trailer by accident a few months ago. And Ray Palmer is one of my favorite actors and he's really hot." Lie, lie, and another lie. She actually doesn't like him and definitely doesn't think he's hot, especially compared to Oliver.

His smirk disappears and he frowns unhappily at her for a second, searching her eyes. She's not sure what he finds there, but after a few seconds his smirk returns and he shrugs, "He's a douche, but I'm sure I could get you an autograph if you'd like."

Yeah, he looked right through her bullshit and called her bluff. And her horrified look at his offer is definitely not helping matters.

"That's what I thought," he says when she doesn't reply.

There’s a really thin line between being friends and flirting for these two and they both seem to be wondering to which side of the line their interaction belong. There are feelings, but what feelings are those and are they serious? Besides, even if there is more between them, then where does that take them? Oliver is having a year off right now, but what happens when the year is over?

All these question take them to different decisions. While one of them thinks that maybe it’s better to take a step back (it’s really more hesitance than anything else), the other decides to maybe make a plan to grow closer. Let the slowburn begin!

The fact that they are friends who are both falling in love more or less slowly doesn’t help with the difficult situation either. Given Felicity’s rather loose tongue let’s just say staying away is not as easy…

"Am I your servant now, Ms. Smoak?" he asks teasingly.

She hums against him. "Mhhh, I wouldn't mind that. You can cook, you have good manners, and you look really good. We'd just need to talk about the dress code."

"And what would that look like?"

"Bow tie."

"And?" he prompts.

"Maybe a pair of those black Calvin Klein boxer briefs you rocked during their ad campaign."

"I rocked them, huh?" he throws back teasingly, instantly loving this sleepy, unfiltered side of Felicity.

"Hell, yeah. I wouldn't mind licking whipped cream off of those abs," she mumbles.

"So you're saying you want to lick whipped cream off my body?"

"You're asking too many questions. Just read the text, man servant."

[…]

"Hey, Felicity?" he whispers before sleep can fully claim her.

"Hmm?"

"How often do you dream about licking whipped cream off my body?"

"Mhhh.... Every night."

What’s even more to love about the way these two are written is that their individual stories aren’t just overlooked when they are together. Yes, Oliver and Felicity form a connection to each other instantly. That doesn’t make them forget their past, though. When Felicity’s past makes the first real appearance, she doesn’t immediately trust in Oliver. Her trauma is still there and he can’t just magically repair it by stepping by. It’s one of the best and most heart-breaking moments of the story.

CONCLUSION

I recommend for everyone who hasn’t read this to do so as soon as possible. It’s a sweet fic with a wonderfully written slowburn that shows the slow but constant progression of the relationship of Oliver and Felicity.

It surprised me and made me laugh. It made me cry from times, but always helped to dry the tears.

So just read it.

[eastbridge-sb]

EFL Championship Match Previews – 29th February Saturday

Cardiff v Brentford

Two promotion hopefuls that have hit a bad patch of form are Cardiff City and Brentford, and both square off this weekend in Wales as they look to get back on track. Cardiff are winless in three, whilst it is four without success for Brentford. Both suffered midweek defeats, and for Brentford it was a surprising setback to strugglers Luton Town.

Whilst it was a shock loss for Brentford, deep down it possibly wasn’t as much of a shock as it is made out to be. The reason being is that Thomas Frank is suffering a bit of a selection headache at this moment in time due to several injury problems within his squad. In-form defender Julian Jeanvier was the latest name added to that list when sitting out the Luton game, whilst Christian Nørgaard was forced off in the second half. That means the Bees could be missing ten players this weekend, and six would be serious starting eleven contenders.

Cardiff have injury problems of their own, with star man Lee Tomlin still out with injury and will be for many more weeks. Whilst Cardiff are winless in their last two games since he has been injured, another worry is they haven’t scored a goal either. Tomlin is without a doubt their offensive spark and offers something completely different to the rest of the squad. Without him, the team misses out collectively, and that gives a big advantage to Brentford, who at least still have red-hot Ollie Watkins, Saïd Benrahma and Bryan Mbeumo fit and raring to go.

However, they were all available at Luton, a Luton team that has the worst defensive record in the league, but still came off second best. Frank had to change formation because of the injury problems, and perhaps that took something away from the team going forward as it moved them away from the 4-3-3 which has served them so well. A 3-4-3 may not seem that much different, but the dynamics do mean it is a sizeable difference to make an impact.

Brentford have been inconsistent away this season by failing win to 11 of their 18 away from Griffin Park. Cardiff have only lost twice at home, but they have a poor record against the top sides in this league. It is tough to pick a winner here, but it should be tight considering both have their injury problems, played in midweek and will afford big respect to the opposition. Under 2.5 Goals appears the most logical and sensible play.

Asian Total Goals Betting Recommendation: Under 2.50 at 1.860

Millwall v Bristol City

Millwall and Bristol City are two teams that still could make the play-offs at the end of the season, and another familiarity regarding these two is that going into this weekend they are in poor form. Bristol City are particularly having some problems on a count of losing four of their last five, including three in succession. Millwall have won once in eight.

Millwall did experience something of a bounce when Gary Rowett was appointed as manager. He won’t have been the first or last manager to experience this when taking over a new club. The problem is that once they bounce does end it is hard to regain it, and they’re finding that out now. The goals have dried up and that is without doubt their biggest problem. They’ve netted just two across their last six encounters, and in one of their previous four at home.

Bristol City have developed the tag ‘streaky’ over the last season or so and the run they are experiencing now unfortunately for them is something they’ve become accustomed too. However, the one positive that they’ll be holding onto is the fact that these runs have ended before when it seemed as though it never would. Therefore, they’ve got every chance of winning at Millwall on Saturday, but clearly they need to improve. Their showing at Huddersfield was their poorest for a while according to Lee Johnson.

Considering this is a clash involving two teams struggling for form and particularly goals, there is every chance a tactical affair may break out. There is no likely to be huge confidence in front of goal for either, so set pieces are going to be rather important on the day. Therefore, a scrappy match is anticipated, meaning that Under 2.5 Goals has to be a worthy consideration.

Furthermore, only one of Millwall’s previous ten has defeated this goal line. They often get teams to play to their level, and whilst Bristol City like to get on the ball and play, this is likely to be a back to front sort of match and little rhythm is expected for prolonged periods. Five of Bristol City’s previous six on the road also ended below 2.5 goals, plus we cannot ignore the lack of confidence aspect which will further bring these two out of sort’s opponents closer together. The first goal is likely to be key in this, and the earlier that arrives the better as the leader probably won’t go all out for a second.

Asian Total Goals Betting Recommendation:  Under 2.50 at 1.79

West Brom v Wigan

West Brom maintained their assault towards a return to the Premier League when beating Preston North End 2-0 at home last time out. It is now six without defeat, winning five. This was the perfect response to losing away at Cardiff, and Slaven Bilic has built a well-oiled machine. Wigan have come into life in recent times as well, and back-to-back wins have given them additional belief that they can produce another great escape against relegation for the second consecutive season.

Clearly WBA will be big favourites to win this match given they are top of the table and Wigan are battling relegation. However, a word of caution is that for all they’ve been in great form overall in recent times, their home record still remains a bit of a concern. They still actually have failed to win more than they’ve won at home; winning eight compared to a combination of seven draws and two losses at The Hawthorns.

It is also noticeable that West Brom have been made to work especially harder against the lesser teams in the league. Against the current bottom seven across 12 meetings, West Brom only have five wins. Also, their two home defeats came versus Middlesbrough and Stoke City respectively, who sit just above the relegation zone. Wigan therefore may fancy their chances.

Still, a big display will be needed from the Latics to emerge with a point, let alone all three. True, they do have back-to-back wins to their name, but versus mid-table opposition. The key for them now is to test themselves against the Championship elite, and for all that WBA have found it tough against the strugglers, Wigan have made life harder for the top sides, too. They drew with West Brom earlier in the season, won away at Leeds and beat Nottingham Forest.

It is hard to ignore Wigan’s general struggles away from home. Winning 3-0 at Reading last time out is as good as it gets for them on the road. They’re not three unbeaten away, so they’re now building some confidence in that regard. They do seem to come alive at this time of season to get them out of trouble. West Brom are almost coasting towards promotion, and they can ill afford to be complacent in this one.

Both are in good form and an entertaining contest is anticipated. West Brom’s inconsistent home form does open the door to Wigan to cause an upset, and they’re normally good for a goal, especially when in good shape. Wigan are rarely reliable defensively, and the Baggies are the top scorers in the league for a reason. Over 2.5 Goals looks the best call, all things considered.

Asian Total Goals Betting Recommendation: Over 2.50 at 1.750

Preview by:@JamesOR1.

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The post EFL Championship Match Previews – 29th February Saturday appeared first on Eastbridge.

source https://eastbridge-sb.com/efl-championship-match-previews-290220/

[getseriouser]

20 THOUGHTS: Tape it or leave it

ROUND One in the books, already nine teams are flag contenders and the pitchforks emerge for the rest.

Wasted pre-seasons, scarves thrown away and discarded in disgust, the Grim Reaper seemingly looms for half a dozen coaches already.

Could be worse, could be Steve Smith...

 1.        Let’s touch on the cricket up front. Warner is a pit bull, a junkyard dog, and has blown his top. A high-energy Ashes summer, further fuelled by the De Kock sledge against his wife and then Rabada’s antics, made worse by his suspension being overturned, has finally lost self-control when the ball wouldn’t go reverse in the third test – straw, camel’s back basically. Irrationally he has pressured Bancroft into an idea, Smith, the quiet, younger man child who before this all happened had a reputation for coming across as sweet, well-educated and the next Bradman basically, can’t contain his vice-captain when in this mood. Warner is the instigator, the sole proprietor of all the untoward descriptions of the ‘culture’ within the team. Smith is far from the kind of character needed to curtail him (Border, Waugh, they would have no issues you’d imagine), gets caught up and tries to protect his deputy. Bancroft, at the crossroads, out of form and feeling the pinch, gets leaned on and sees a way out, reverse swing might win us the game, a win might save my spot, an alliance to the leaders might be favourable come selection – its wrong but you can see why it might have been compelling. So now what? Smith probably gets 12 months, misses the summer but comes back in time to get a run up to the Ashes, Warner gets the same ban but is never picked again, Bancroft gets a ban but is certainly not lost to the national team down the track and the Test team has a resurgence against two Asian teams this summer who are notoriously bad travellers.

 2.        Onto the footy, and I’m going to start with the media, which is a bit rich coming from this column but alas. We are ok with ex-players jumping the fence and getting behind the glass passing comment on their former craft, be it in print, in front of a camera or behind a mic. But the old school journo, who never played the game, has come through the caper as someone with a nose for news and able to get the mail, the good oil, why are they now being celebrated for their on-field commentary. My main beef is with the media vehicles of Damian Barrett, Triple M most notably, airing segments and splashing headlines for his critique of club’s round one results. Now Damo, break news, write wonderfully prosed columns on the game, but when it comes the Bulldogs’ performance in Canberra, you are not at all qualified, we have better options! Mind you, watch me now do exactly that for the remainder of this column…

 3.        The Cats on Sunday, wow, get out of jail much? Didn’t look overly impressive, or that cohesive. Yes, Ablett and Selwood will likely share five Charlie votes between them, and they have another Brownlow medallist midfielder to come back in perhaps this week, but whilst they are very good trick ponies, the Cats in 2018 will be just that, a three-trick pony.

 4.        Ah the Pies. Glimpses of something good and then whooshka, a horrible disposal, a brain fade mistake, zero defensive coverage, and the Hawks walked it in. Their best footy looks to be ok, showed that last year, showed it in patches on the weekend, but the ultimate downfall is that it’s never there enough, there’s no reason to suggest it will change anytime soon and given they’ll go 2-4 at best after six rounds it’s all superfluous really. A ‘proper’ circuit breaker at the Holden Centre is their only remedy.

 5.        Tom Mitchell gets 54, he got the ten votes from the coaches, he’ll likely be best on from the umpires too. He is still probably underrated, a tremendous get by the Hawks. But, sure, Bucks should have sent someone to him no doubt, but he is far from the new Diesel. Take Clayton Oliver the next day, he only got 28 touches to Mitchell’s 54, yet the Dee laid ten tackles whereas Mitchell laid just the two. Between the two, take age out of it, I know who this column would rather.

 6.        Buddy, Buddy, Buddy. Wasn’t so much the local team christening the new stadium on Sunday but the local boy. Here’s a tip, and its paying $50 which for a two-legged multi is delightful, Franklin for the Coleman into the Brownlow. He plays 22 games he is a massive show.

 7.        Canberra showed us that the GWS are in this year up to their necks, yes, only one game but we saw what we needed to see in the first ten minutes. But for the Dogs, oh gosh, the sky has fallen in at Footscray it seems. Please. It was first up, with a key man going down early, on the road, against this column’s premiership tip, you know what, on the Dogs, yes I will hold thanks caller. They’ll win this week.

 8.        Lot to like for the fans of the losing team last Thursday. Yes, ended up 36 shots to 20 in the reigning premiers but its about 2019 for the Blues. Tangible results are secondary to ‘good signs’, and to that there are plenty, Cripps, Curnow, the other kids, the way they play, etc.

 9.        And on young Charlie Curnow, he is a tall forward that works in the 2018 version of this game. Mason Cox is not. So whilst it’s a project, its an experiment and the American clearly has potential strengths that could ‘help’ the Pies, there will always be weaknesses in his game that are not just exploitable but a liability. The best team minimises liability, the Tigers forward line last year for example, may have been awesome with say a Josh Kennedy in the goal square, but one thing you can’t say about the forward group is that it contained liability. The Cox liabilities are going to cost moments, which can cost games, and a long bow perhaps but those lost games could lose Buckley his position, a butterfly effect if you will.

 10.     The Bombers got themselves a nice, big, early scalp. And here’s the good news for those who enjoy seeing their team who play this grand old game – they only one have one game outside of Melbourne before Round Nine. Between now and then they are a more than a fair chance to win the majority of those which, by the bye periods, will have them set up with a very healthy win-loss record. This column puts a lot of emphasis on how good starts are integral to deep September action, this all bodes very well for the Dons.

 11.     And as for Port, yep, same thing, as we said last week they’ll get off to a great start, tick the box for last week. And good form is good form, whether its something impressive or just games you are expected to win, so no matter really the opponents or performances if the Power can get off to a good start, the momentum is such a strength in itself. Good starts breed success at the pointy end, Port are definitely a ‘buy’.

 12.     Poor Libba, such crap news; he is very important to the Dogs setup but overall it’s such a shame for him. Here’s to a big 2019, he is a genuine star.

 13.     So North Melbourne are throwing money at Andrew Gaff - good luck to both parties I say.

 14.     The Saints still have plenty of room that they actually have to use. Convoluted way it works, there is a salary cap and salary floor, so you cannot obviously exceed the cap, but you must have a minimum salary too. Further complicating things is that you must stay within these markers over a rolling four-year period. Therefore, you can be over the cap providing the rolling four-year result is that you were under on average. That’s the same with being under the cap, its ok for one year, but you need to ensure you compensate when the four-year average is calculated. Long story short, the Saints have been saving cap space, being deliberately under the cap floor on average in the knowledge securing a big fish would get them into the sweet spot – yet without luring such a star they would need to re-do existing deals to make the finances work, which is hardly ideal (overpaying for the sake of it). Jeremy McGovern, Olli Wines, two names that are seemingly open to the enquiry. Rory Sloane is ideal but I think he stays.

 15.     Paddy McCartin. Where’s he going? Bruce is the number one gorilla in the forward line and reasonably so, has earned the credits somewhat. McCartin clearly has the tools, but not convinced he can flourish. No-one had less touches than him on the weekend with his team getting the four points still, yes it’s a long road for him after last year’s badly interrupted year, but he turns 22 in a few weeks, drafted four years ago, this year needs to be somewhat progressive otherwise it’s time for some decisions down at Moorabbin. Not drastic, but things to ponder.

 16.     If Luke Parker played for a Victorian club he would be seen as a superstar. Credit on this rare occasion to Mark Robinson who put the Swan at no. 26 in his pre-season Top 50 but damn he is a gun. Has averaged 25 touches and six tackles a game pretty much the last four years, has only recently turned 25, a Brownlow runner-up two years ago, makes tremendous decisions, and is a rare mix of extremely gritty but very skilful. Had 32 touches on the weekend with nine tackles, that sort of game in Melbourne gets huge Monday night media coverage, but a Sydney performance Sunday twilight in Perth, in Buddy’s shadow, not so much.

 17.     Only 44 tackles laid by Dockers on Saturday, not the effort you want to start the year. Still bullish on their chances, potential, but their home opener against Essendon this weekend is crucial. Couple selection changes, better effort, get the season back to 1-1 and go from there, otherwise, as per our ‘starts’ rule, they will be doing themselves no favours.

 18.     Five goals between Jack Watts and Steven Motlop in the same game with old Toddley Marshall bagging four. Port won’t have much of an issue scoring this year, but ensuring the ball doesn’t just waltz out and result in opposition scores is going to be key. It’s hardly the Richmond mosquito fleet; turning the ball over close-ish to goal and scoring is what works these days.

 19.     How tough were the ladies at Princes Park on Saturday? Throwing themselves around, the hits were hard, it was damn impressive in less than helpful conditions. But notably, the defenders, intercept marking, showing composure, defending and rebounding under immense pressure, there’s a number of spuds in the men’s league who could take note.

 20.     We started with cricket, lets end with tennis – whilst he ended up losing to Fernando Verdasco in three, Thanasi Kokkinakis defeated world no.1 Roger Federer more or less within hours of Cam Bancroft stuffing tape down his Reg Grundys. It meant that essentially no media outlet noticed, or cared, but this column does. Annoyingly it seems we’re jumping off jungle-conqueror Bernie Tomic, but for Nick Kyrgios and Kokkinakis, this column sticks fat. A clean bill of health between the best Greek-Australian offering since The Wog Boy 2: Kings of Mykonos will end up in many satisfied Aussie tennis fans this year and beyond – get on board and stay on board with these two.

(originally published 28 March)