#would be really funny to have the JL trying to catch him thinking he was a villain at first
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leafyeyes417 · 5 months ago
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Danny sat on a rooftop feeling confused. It was currently 3 days later than he last remembered. That was 3 DAYS with no memory of anything. He didn’t even know what city he was in. The only thing he is sure of is that it wasn’t mind control. His experience with Freakshow let him know that.
Along with this feeling more similar to the time his mom shoved high proof cleaning alcohol that was ectofied in his face during an excited rant. The fumes alone had him missing a few hours. Luckily Jazz was there and kept his blackout drunk self entertained.
So the question was, where the hell was he and what did he do?! Also, what caused him to blackout? Last he remembered he was in Metropolis and he got nearly hit in the head with a green glowing stone that he only vaguely could tell was somehow not ectoradium. After that? Nothing.
Aka: Kryptonite is highly compressed ectoplasm and causes Danny to get black out drunk just by being in its vicinity.
P.S. I also would love to see what chaos you think Danny would get up to lol
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hijinxinprogress · 1 year ago
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The JL finds out Captain Marvels identity and regrets it immensely
JL find out Captain Marvels a child and they start trying to parent him and just being awkward so it’s decided that Captain Marvel will join YJ (Clark started referring to Billy only as ‘son’ and ‘young man’ one time Billy saw an airplane and Clark leaned down and went “That there, son, is called an airplane and it-” “I’ll fucking stab you istg”)
To the public Captain Marvel is just extra supervision for YJ but the hero community knows it’s a way to discretely move Captain Marvel onto a team with people his age and be ‘safer’
But it doesn’t work out the way they want bc Billy’s a chaos gremlin much like YJ so they’re just doing dumb shit in the public eye bc they technically have ‘adult supervision’ (it takes Billy fifteen minutes to convince yj to go against being supervised by green lanterns)
“We’re literally your coworkers??” “I’ve literally never seen you before besides isn’t it illegal for cops to question a minor without their guardian present? 🤨” “Technically, he’s not their coworker bc he’s not in the jl anymore” “Kon” “What? I’m just saying!” “Stfu wait does Marvel even have a guardian??” “He doesn’t”
Anita and Billy are trading magic tips and teaching each other spells they should NOT have access to esp bc they’ve blown up thirteen city blocks and 1/4 of almost every planet they’ve visited with YJ
Cassie and Billy play high stakes games of catch above the earths atmosphere with missiles and shit in their free time and also during missions
Kon and Billy do just plain dumb shit they have no business doing and then playing up the ‘I’m just a baby…and I’m not even really human/I didn’t have a childhood so how would I know that I shouldn’t do that?’ excuse after bankrupting Luthor for the third time this month along with demolishing all of his newly renovated buildings (Which he and Greta repurposed to create low income housing and food pantries)
Cissie invites Marvel to all her Olympic events and he shows up to every single one with an obnoxiously large magical banner
Bart and Billy plan quips, one liners, and trash talk together and everyone hates it bc they only use the good ones on them but villains (along with everyone in their immediate vicinity) are subjected exclusively to shit like “nuh uh” and “make me”
Greta and Billy are taking down shady government operations with zero fucks to give (they had houses built for the people affected but they did also send a very long list of people to the hospital/morgue)
Billy makes Tim a magic skateboard that flies at like Mach 1 with so many magic cameras it’s concerning bc he thinks Tim being unhinged is funny especially it inconveniences or at least stresses out batman
But they’re mostly talking about what lies they’ve told the jl recently so they can plan their lies around each other “I lied to batman yesterday so you gotta back me up” and Tim’s fabricating evidence despite having no other information bc Billy will 100% “Aren’t you a so called ‘ethical’ billionaire? Nonono it’s whatever, I just thought you’d want to look out for the people but-”
And JL tries to lecture Billy about it ‘you should be more mature. I expected better’ and he’s just like ‘why?? I’m baby 🥺 I don’t know any better’ 
And Green Arrow’s so goddamn confused bc ‘Bro?? I’ve watched you do negotiations when Superman’s not available…’ ‘I’m just a little guy’ ‘I’VE WATCHED YOU STOP A WHOLE ASS INVASION IN TEN MINUTES’ ‘little baby man’ ‘But you’re one of the strongest members of the league???’ ‘You do know I couldn’t tie my own shoes like six years ago, right?’ ‘HOW OLD ARE YOU’ ‘Wouldn’t you like to know’
YJ and Billy just do a bunch of petty shit until JL has had enough and they’re like fine whatever it wasn’t a problem before
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wolfsbanesparks · 1 year ago
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Just now realizing I might have asked you a similar question in an ask before, sorry!
But I wanted to add on to it with a funny little thing
Geeen Lantern (Hal): Hey, Cap, it's been bugging me but I gotta ask, what's with you and your evil nemesis's daughter? You two a thing like Bats and that scary assassin lady?
Captain Marvel (Billy Batson, spitting out his juice): W-WHAT?!
Cyborg: Yeah, what's up with that? I've seen her on the news before, she doesn't seem evil like her old man, and she seems really fond of you. Hiding something from us, man?
Super-man (who totally wasn't eavesdropping the entire time): Oh? Did the Captain finally find someone? That's great! :D Tell me us more!
Batman: Alright, listen very carefully, Captain, when it comes to dating a villain's daughter-
Captain Marvel: AND IM OUTTA HERE BYEEE-
Just the awkwardness of the league trying to give Cap dating advice is hilarious to me
Oh my gosh this is absolutely hilarious!
I'm a sucker for the Justice League giving Cap awkward dating advice, especially in this sort of scenario where they are honestly way more clueless than they realize.
Because I honestly feel like after a certain point of knowing each other and fighting together, lots of the JL members would be inclined to "help" Cap find someone. They all think he's a catch but that he's just shy about romance (only a few are aware of how desperately he tries to avoid it). They want to see him happy, but mistakenly think a romantic partner would help.
So when news hits that he's built a rapport with the beautiful Beautia Sivana who is very openly flirtatious/in love with him, they all want to know every detail.
Half of them (like Batman) are warning him about not being lured in by a pretty face if she's related to a villain. The other half are trying to hype him up and convince him to ask her out. The ladies of the JL are trying to advise him on how to treat a lady on a date.
Cap can't escape. Every time he saves/helps/speaks to Beautia there is a new wave of interactions just like this.
Is their advice helpful? Probably not as much as they think it is.
Are both Cap and Billy mortified? Yes absolutely.
Is everyone on the jl mortified when they find out about little Billy being privy to their love advice? Also yes.
This is so funny to me and I love seeing stuff like this! It's just so fun!
Thanks for the ask!
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carterstarlight25 · 9 months ago
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Hi everyone! So I been thinking hard on a rather unique 3way crossover that I been considering about writing. Please feel free to give me your input.
The 3 way crossover consist of DC x DP x Halo Infinite. With the ships being Jason and Danny (Obviously). Master Chief and Bruce as the second ship to be included. And Tim Simping for Katrina. (Cortana 2.0 from Infinite)
I see these possible dynamics being cute as Chief will learn how to be human, and how to love. Him and Team Phantom Finding Family. Also I don't mean the bull Chief pulled in the god awful Halo TV Show!
Bruce will learn that killing isn't an act of God. It isn't you kill once, and become a mindless murderer. That there is a difference, between a Soldier doing his duty to protect humanity and his loved ones. And a mindless killer, enjoying the horror of its victims as the bleed out with please for mercy. Effectively stealing their innocent lives... Oh also learn to not be as emotionally constipated after Katrina effectively out smarts him into a therapy session with Jazz Nightingale. (Last name changed after she saved Danny from the their parents lab…)
Danny will learn what it means to be apart of a family. And how screwed the GIW are.~
Jason, finds out he’s ghost pregnant and a heavy underdeveloped Halfa. All while the Pit becomes a full ghost that he ends up birthing. Which is gonna be a Dinosaur that will be Jason’s “Nightmare.” To his Fright Knight. (I am really wanting to go for Altispinax, or Spinax Vivosaur from Fossil Fighters series. But idk, might just use the Giga from Jurassic World Dominion. Just to change it up from what I seen people have the Pits become.
How Chief comes into the story however, would be introduced via Clockwork leaving a very obviously placed Halo Infinite Xbox Game case with a unmarked disc inside it. In an Alley Danny was taking refuge in. With a sticky note of course. And a few chapters in, when he was alone in Wayne Manor decided to play the game. And by Play. I mean go ghost and jump into the game. But of course. With his Fabulous Phantom Luck (trademark pending.) A new power began to make itself known as the code latched on him on his way out. Bringing Master Chief and Katrina to life in the real world, with all his memories and Katrina with the entire UNSC Database.)
While that’s how I plan to bring in Chief and Co. the main gist of this will be an all out battle, to destroy the GIW. Outlaws, Sirens, Chief and the entire Batfam Team up.
Despite the JL repealing the Anti Ecto Acts. A few Private donors continue to find them to get their hands on Ectoplasm. The League of Assassin’s, Lex Luthor. And of Course Vlad Masters will be the main villains connected to the GIW.
I can see Jason and Chief getting along like wildfire. And when Bruce finds out Jason is one leading the squad his kids, trying to get them to go on a date with Master Chief. It leads to some funny moments I would think. And of course can’t forget Chief reluctantly surprise appearance in Civies at one of Bruce’s Gala’s. (I kinda wanna make him wear Olive Green suit and dress pants. Black Bow Tie with a white under suit. Black belt. And an Olive Green Military Cap to hide his Neural Implant. Maybe having all his Medals from the service pinned to his chest. At least the ones that match ones in this universe. So not all of them obviously.
And Jason would absolutely catch his father freeze up when he sees the handsome Spartan.
For looks regarding Chief’s face since we don’t know what he looks like. I was thinking Caucasian Male, short brown hair that could be the right height to spike it up at least. Not a complete buzz cut. Rather bright blue eyes. That do not glow like Danny’s. But at least around that color. Of course he will have some scars on his left Temple, his lip and across his right eye. Freckles too. His muscle mass would of course be a bit more built then Jason. Which says something. But, you know. Super Soldier and all. (Update: I did in-fact Draw it ^^. If you want to see. Let me know if you wanna see Master Chief in a suit at the Gala ^^)
The Ages I was gonna go for was as follows.
Alfred: Immortal (Thanks Clockwork!)
John (Master Chief): 46yrs (I know it’s not his cannon Age. But it’s what I want for the story.)
Bruce: 45yrs
Barbara: 29yrs
Dick: 26yrs
Jazz: 21yrs
Jason: 21yrs
Cass: 20yrs
Sam: 20yrs
Danny: 19yrs
Duke: 19yrs
Steph: 19yrs
Tucker: 19yrs
Val: 19yrs
Tim: 18yrs
Ellie: 14yrs
Damien: 12yrs
Katrina: 6 months old
And that’s the little Fanfic I been thinking about. Of course it’s just an idea. but I think it would be fun to write.
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llycaons · 1 year ago
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ep37: a-qing just can't catch a break
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the way his face just lights up when he has the opportunity to do something helpful...I mean I kind of get it but also. kid. get a hobby besides being a teacher's pet PLEASE
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ohh neat. wwx talked a lot in the book about commoner's solutions to problems without cultivator involvement. it would have been nice to see a more pointed critique of the highly specialized and often impractical and elitist education the rich sect kids get
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I love this shot. so mysterious and eerie! and he is so handsome <3
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it makes me so mad that wwx is joking about a-qing's looks, not so much because I care about him being a dick and scaring the kids on purpose, but because it's a shitty and narrow-minded way to view a young person who is clearly suffering some kind of horrible...death? every single junior includes some comment on her beauty or looks and it's so annoying. she's more than that! she deserves more!
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wwx scolding jl for emulating jc and sounding like a brat (or maybe more accurately to wwx's complaints, a little bitch) is weirdly satisfying to me. no he thinks the way jc raised jl sucks, actually, and he's trying to fix jl's attitude. here jl goes along with wwx's prank and then yells at him afterwards, even though he himself played along. a bit different from the jc situation sin he's a child, but I imagine wwx got irritated when he was younger a lot when jc would go along with his schemes and them turn around and complain about him as if he didn't particupate
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STOP WEARING HIS FACE! YOU SICK FUCK. it's so bizarre to see xxc in black that I didn't even recognize him this time around. with the eyes hidden, it's a bit harder to tell
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when I was reading swbts this weekend, she mentions that nobody actually follows all the precepts, because it's impractical and absurd. but there were some really obvious ones like 'don't murder' and it's nice to see that the lan precepts include some good things in there besides the well-criticized 'don't laugh without a cause' and such. also, lwj is the only person following every single one anyway and that doesn't have anything to do with whether he's a good person or whether he thinks wwx is a good person, either. they're really not connected and his character development is realizing that
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aww, they're all offering their blood up. this little scene where wwx asked if anyone has blank talismans and commenting on their cultivation level was also explained further in the books - strong cultivators can write their own, but still-learning kids need to bring talismans that have already been written
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wwx's face here is so sad. he admired sl and xxc so much and wanted to emulate them, and to see them come to an end like this...must be devastating. as if he hadn't already lost so much
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ALSO the idea that would-be lovers turned on each other and tried to kill each other. I imagine that would be very difficult for wwx given his own history with lwj
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spooky!
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ssc's actor did so well. that smile is all xy
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WEI WUXIAN CALLING XY A DRAMA QUEEN
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help why did he say it like that
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oh damn that's jgy
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xy interacting with wwx is so funny to me honestly. like a huge fanboy. his greatest psychosexual obsession is with xxc but he definitely has a thing for wwx too I know he wants to be topped or something
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classic line. we love not dehumanizing our autistic undead friend 👍
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STOP CARESSING HIS SWORD YOU CREEPY FUCK
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oh and this is also funny. wwx like 'are you bullying me since I'm still recovering?' (implying he IS recovering and could still rebuild a core 👀 and xy being like 'yep! as you recall I am a delinquent and I am acting like it!' and wwx being like 'no fair. MAN'
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omg and as soon as lwj appears and xy is like 'hehe we meet again' and lwj just refuses to answer, summons xxc's sword, and delivers THIS devastating line. love it. no bullshit. no tolerance
I feel like xy recognizes lwj as objectively handsome but he's not really into him
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his two-bladed sword is so sick too bad he's evil
I don't really think about villains in terms of whether they're 'redeemable' or not and I don't like to think of people as ontologically evil but man I don't think xy was ever going to be anything besides what he was. it did suck that he was mutilated as a child, and it must have been difficult growing up on the streets, but the glee with which he talks about mass murder makes me think he would have kind of taken any excuse to go wild and murder a ton of people. 'oh he just needed love and understand' well he got it! and he used it to trick the person who loved him into murdering more people and then he tortured and murdered their teenage ward/friend. I can appreciate a reading where he's more harmless and just funny in his destructiveness, but I will never be able to swallow AUs where he's genuinely a good person. loving murder is just too much a part of him!
there's also a line where the juniors make wwx say that lwj is good at stuff and he seems very taken aback to be asked, which is weird bc aren't they at least traveling companions? maybe he was confused at being asked to give an account with authority since he knows the kids still think he's a random jin exile who's known lwj for like. a few weeks max. man I don't like that moment, it seems really forced and awkward even if wwx is still in his 'I don't quite understand why lwj is doing this or how long it'll last' era. which also seems weird given them moments they've already shared and the comfort wwx has in stating with lwj? man, maybe it's easier if he doesn't have to think about it or explain it to other people. I GUESS
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god this sucks....that's his last connection to his mama
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A QING!!!!!!!!
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wwx comforting her is so. he's been such a dick to the kids this episode so it's nice to remember what a kind person he is when it really counts. and a-qing hasn't felt human touch in a very long time
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and when he says he'll do empathy, it's jl who objects! one of those 'aw, he really does care' moments
personal highlights:
while this wasn't as horribly dull and poorly done as the last third-party character focused plot (I seriously spent a lot of 34 thinking 'oh god, cql is bad after all), it didn't offer a lot in terms of special moments or humor. a solid 5/10. mediocre. let's see
wwx talking about folk remedies
the kids offering their blood. because they love him
wwx calling xy a drama queen
wwx seeing sl and xxc's bodies and realizing what state they're in. that shit hurted
"you don't deserve this sword' TELL HIM HANGUANG-JUN
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radiance1 · 6 months ago
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I had to do it :P
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Also, I love the thought of Danny evolving to look/feel like a blob ghost but is the furthest thing from harmless. Like, some ghost tries to eat a blob ghost and Danny is just... there... ready to beat them up until they step back. Or, alternatively, said ghost tries to eat Danny and fails miserably because, you know.
It's Danny.
(Not even gonna lie why I brought this up was because of a funny post about Deadman smelling like a high-class blob ghost or something to Infinite Realm ghosts and Danny struggling not to eat him.
Then I thought of it the other way around. Deadman (probably unconsciously or unintentionally) tries to eat one of Danny's blob ghosts and Danny is holding him up by like a kitten or something and staring at him with all the rage of a father or something lmao)
Anywho.
Of course mother and grandfather would understand! It's a dragon! A dragon! Playing along with being said dragon's son would just give him more opportunity to study him, learn all the information he can! He's doing this for a reason! Not just because he himself wants to stay with said dragon or because he can't really escape, nope!
Gothamites? Mad upset and panicking over the fact that their cryptid protectors are panicking because whatever they're panicking over? Obviously deserves to be panicked about for them too.
Even if they don't know what it is-
Does Danny even notice that he has people chasing him? Probably, probably not. Most likely too busy being a travelling dad over caring about whoever that is, especially when they can't even catch up to him!
As soon as Danny learned that there's been heroes and villains and metas going around, he doesn't even try to hide. He could just class himself as a meta and figure it out from there, besides! He has Henry to help him navigate human interaction properly!!
Henry manages well enough, though he is a bit... off. In some areas. To which he totally thinks he's actually doing really well in said areas and sees no problems with it.
Danny and Damian don't technically know enough to disagree. Danny is content to let him do his thing and Damian? I don't think he cares all that much over trying to study Danny's dragoness.
I think it would be funny if Danny somehow gets on the JL watchlist. Maaaybe as a potential member? How and why is up for debate though. Just think it would be funny for the Justice League to be keeping an eye on him while both the LoA and the Batfam are looking for him too.
Which would just make it funnier when they do eventually manage to catch Danny before he flies off. All three of them are there, the JL, LoA and Batfam.
The LoA and Batfam are obviously working towards the same goal, but the JL doesn't know why they're chasing after Danny and, assumes, it's for some nefarious purpose and tries to protect Danny maybe?
Oh I just thought of something.
I think it would be extra funnier if Ra's Al Ghul himself pulls up because of Danny being a possible pit creature and wanting to see for himself.
And Danny?
Danny just picks up Henry, Damian and his Blobl Ghosts and just inches away from Ra's while looking at him like he's the most disgusting thing alive (based on that thing I said about Danny + Ghosts not liking the Lazarus Pits and I think I read somewhere about Ra's using the Lazarus Pits so much that his blood kinda became it? I can't remember all that well but eh) and is so not vibing with him to the extreme.
So much so that it's very obvious that the Pit creature they've been chasing after is very agitated by Ra's Al Ghul's general presence.
Which just confuses them a bit, because he was fine when the LoA pulled up but totally different reaction to Ra's himself finally appearing.
Ra's Al Ghul: I believe you have a grandson of mine-
Danny: Nah fuck you this is my kid now plus you stink plus your trash plus your disgusting plus you're never getting him back plus fuck you.
Ra's Al ghul:
Literally everyone else: Damn-
Talia wants her kid back very damn much thank you very much. Does she care about the Pit Creature not wanting to give him to her father? Well, yes, mostly because she wanted to avoid that as well but she had a plan that did not involve it at all and was much easier to guarantee his safety that way rather than with an unknown.
Some of the Batkids? Probably laughing at Ra's being insulted first thing before he could even finish his sentence. But they would also like their newest baby brother back thank you-
Batman is silently brooding. As usual. But also kinda angry brooding because he also wants his son that he's never known about for years.
The JL is just... utterly confused over this whole display.
Based on the wonderful designs made by @puppetmaster13u specifically the Blob King Danny ones!
Danny stared down small child before him, scowling and pointing a sword at him, ready to stab him Danny bets. Danny slowly crossed his arms, letting out a slight hum.
This was not what he expected when his little ones wanted to lead him somewhere.
He turned his head slightly, staring at the pit that held glowing green water and, slightly. Ever so slightly.
Shivered.
The amount of life in that thing made his skin crawl, and he hasn't felt that in a while.
He then turned his gaze back down to the child, who, outwardly, looked no different. But he could see the curiosity hidden behind the pure hostility at the slightest shift to attention towards one of his little ones.
So, Danny made a decision.
Faster than the kid could react, he picked him up in a way that would let him not be stabbed immediately and left.
---
Henry fidgeted with his glasses, eyes determined not to find their way to the kid held by the King Class entity standing before him or, Danny, as he would be preferred to be called.
"Who is this...?" He looked at the ghost in question, silent hope in his heart that this isn't what he thinks it was.
"Your newest little brother!" Danny ruthlessly crushed said hope, albeit unknowingly. "Found him, liked him, didn't see any guardians around so I adopted him!"
Henry knew there was a lot of differences between ghosts and humans. But never had he been so dismayed over such a difference in culture.
"Um, Danny...?" He began, placing his glasses on his face as he sweat dropped.
"You can call me dad too, of course!" Danny flashed a beaming smile full of teeth his way, and Henry was touched by the sentiment, really, he was.
"You can't just kidnap a random child just because he seemingly," Henry stressed the word, to signify its importance and to hopefully drive home the point. "Had no guardians around."
"Well that's good!" Danny said, smile not dropping one bit and in fact, growing wider as his tail wagged. "Cause I adopted! Not kidnapped!"
"Danny-"
The ex-scientist was cut off by the sound of a blade piercing flesh, and he slowly looked down to find the child stabbing a knife through Danny's stomach.
Oh dear.
---
Damian smirked, finally having been able to injure his kidnapper. The man was a fool, daring to drop his guard around him and easing his grip. It worked out for Damian, of course.
He twisted knife in the man's stomach, utterly disregarding the other one entirely. He seemed weak, so he was a non-issue.
When a moment passed and Damian wasn't dropped, his brows furrowed a bit in confusion as he twisted the knife again.
A beat.
He slowly looked up the sound of a giggle, finding a wide, fanged smile staring down at him with curved, pleased eyes containing a touch of pleased surprise, a hint of pride and a glint that Damian could only describe as manic.
"Knew I picked up a good one." The man purred, voice sounding a slight bit inhuman in his excitement. "We're going to get along well, you and I."
The man giggled and Damian, shamefully, found himself wanting to step back as something felt off about the man. Foreign.
Other.
"Welcome to the family, little champion."
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mirrorhunt · 3 years ago
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I’ve got red in my ledger
betrayal | misunderstanding | broken nose
It's another late night, and Raffi has a talk with Rios
Raffi tries to choose. Bourbon or whiskey? Not that that matters. She’ll be drunk by the end of the first bottle both ways. Seven would say bourbon, Rios would prefer his hell-drink that's closer to Romulan ale than anything that could’ve been made on Earth. Besides, it smells like panettone she once made long-long ago. 
Bourbon it is. Raffi selects a combination and waits for her bottle. It’s late. Everyone with less demons than she has is asleep. She knows Seven is with Picard, giving him a lecture about his snapping at Soji today. Elnor and Soji are in their cabins. Agnes was having a headache and retired before dinner. That’s left Rios. And she has no idea where he was. She thinks she saw him in the morning while she was waiting for Picard to hurry up with his tea, but not after. Not once. She doesn’t remember there being trouble with the ship, but she wasn’t really paying attention to whatever Enoch was saying, left on the bridge alone. 
And, speaking of the devil, Rios appears. He has a smudge of something dark on his face, and he’s rubbing his hands off the rag. 
“Where were you hiding? La Sirena is not that big of a ship,” asks Raffi, pointing on the two-stories deck. 
“What? Oh, in the tubes. There was a leak in the cooling system, so I had to take a look,” he says dismissively, still trying to rub the grease off. 
“And it took you all day?” 
“Wha… What time is it?” frowns Cris, finally letting go of the rag. 
“It’s almost midnight,” shrugs Raffi, unscrewing the bottle. 
“Shit”, he throws the rag on the table, eyeing Raffi’s bottle. “Did something happen while I was there?”
Raffi shrugs. 
“Picard yelled at Soji for some bullshit, Seven’s dealing with him, kids went to sleep, and Agnes had a headache,” summarizes the day Raffi, taking a drink. 
“Shit,” repeats Cris, sighing. “I’ll ask Agnes in the morning. Is Soji alright?”
“Oh, she’d almost bitten his head off, she’ll be fine. I gave her some ice cream and it snapped her out of her murderous rampage,” Raffi waves her hand dismissively. 
“Good job,” says Cris, relaxing and ordering some dinner for himself. 
Raffi drinks while he eats, they both silent, Cris probably because he’s tired and she… Well, she’s just on the “don’t talk to me” stage right now. 
“Wanna go to the bridge?” suggests Cris, disposing of his plate. “I need to check out if I’ve done it right.”
“Yeah, sure,” agrees Raffi, hardly remembering when it was just them talking. With so many people on board, it was close to impossible to find a moment for just two of them. She doesn’t really want to talk, but with Cris it has always been easy to be quiet. They both have their own history and no one wants to pry on the pain of the other, apart when it’s necessary. Or when Raffi’s curiosity takes better of her. 
That first year when Cris got La Sirena, was fun. She teased him halfheartedly every time he called her, hearing loneliness in his voice. He’ll never say this, but he missed the ‘Fleet’s comradery. She knows, because she missed it too. It wasn’t so much for exciting adventures, going to where no one has gone before or whatever, but the crew. That feeling of belonging, of family, being surrounded by people who care if you live or die. It makes her want to live. And, remembering how the First Officer of Ibn Majid was with his crewmates that time she met him, he was the same. 
Maybe that’s why they get each other. Why they stick together. They both were betrayed by Starfleet for different reasons, and now the people, for whom they once would die for, who once were their family, hate them. 
She thinks back to the time when Picard contacted her and asked for a civilian pilot. She knew a ton of them, sure, but could think only of Cris. She knew Cris and Picard had a lot in common, and hoped it’ll do Rios good to talk with someone like JL. She just didn’t think Picard would bring a small army with him. Probably Cris needs to design his own uniform now. With hats and feathers. 
“No,” shakes his head Cris. Raffi frowns. “I said you then and I’m saying it now – no uniform.”
Oh. She must’ve talked out loud. Oh well.
“But that’s not a rejection of hats,” points out Raffi, sipping from the bottle. “You do look great in hats.”
“No hats.”
“Boring,” sighs Raffi, looking at the holo-screens. ETA is still two days away. She hates long journeys. 
Cris ignores her, checking whatever it was from his captain chair. Raffi takes another swing. 
“So why did Picard yell at the kid? What’s his problem this time?” says Rios, still going through his holo-screen. 
“Something about her still not trusting him,” Raffi winces, remembering the look on Soji’s face. The kid has her reasons not to trust them. She was fooled her whole life, even about who she really was. It’s natural. But Jl got used to people trusting him without a question just because he’s Picard. And he betrayed those people too. So what’s his problem with one more person not trusting him? 
“Well, maybe he should take his ass from his head,” Cris shakes his head. Raffi snorts. “What?”
“I thought I was the drunk one.”
Cris looks confused. Then, understanding, he gives her a half-smile and looks like he would throw something on her if there was anything nearby. He wouldn’t throw his cigar cutter, and definitely not cigars. So Raffi just snickers with mirth.
“And Agnes?” Cris drops the subject, and Raffi knows that he will check on Soji in the morning. He loves the kid, and she can’t blame him, especially knowing now what happened on Ibn Majid. 
“She’s fine. Emil told that she was just tired and needed to drink more water and rest. I ordered her to go to sleep.”
“You? Ordered her?”
“She loves orders,” Raffi huffs, and Cris sends her a warning glare. She ignores him. “I can understand now why you like her that much.”
“What does that mean?” Cris shifts in his chair. Raffi knows it means “run for your life”, but again, ignores him. She has almost a full bottle of bourbon inside of her, she has no self-defense mechanism. 
“Well, you didn’t look at her twice when she first came on board. Just a cute little doctor, who bit off more than she could chew. Who knew she would be a Romulan spy.”
Cris says nothing. Raffi drinks the rest and puts the bottle down. 
“I…” Cris’ voice is hoarse, like he wants to defend himself, but has no argument against her accusations. 
“I mean, she became so brave and found her voice right after Maddox died. Her friend as we thought back then. She barely cried, poor thing, and I thought, huh, the kid is more broken than I thought. Who knew she killed him in cold blood while we were thinking she was so naïve and too good to be there with all of us. But no. Little Agnes appeared to be right where she needed to be. With people who everyone thinks betrayed them. But the thing is – we know we didn’t betray them. And she did betray us.”
“Stop it,” almost growls Cris. Raffi laughs cruelly. 
“A Romulan spy on your ship and in your bed. That’s funny. And I thought she was an interesting choice, knowing about your Marquisa and that Iotian, Ledger, yeah? You must’ve felt she wasn’t so innocent then. I always thought your taste in women will kill you sometime. But, I think, now that that weird-ass crystal is out of her system, you’re probably safe.”
“Why are you so wound up about this?” asks Cris incredulously and hurt. 
“She almost killed us all! She wanted to leave the kids and JL to the Romulans!” Raffi is just about to scream with frustration. She had been thinking about that day for a long time. 
“She was scared!” 
“Yeah. So scared, she wouldn’t just tell us. Like we wouldn’t help her,” Raffi’s hands are itching to squeeze the bottle now.
Cris is silent for a moment. Raffi crosses her arms and buries deeper in the chair. 
“Maybe it was my fault,” sighs Rios, and Raffi takes pity on him. 
“It was Oh’s fault and her fanatic ideas. How could this be your fault?”
“I… I told her something that maybe guilt tripped her,” says Cris. Raffi turns to face him. 
“And what could’ve you possibly said to her to trigger… that reaction?” Raffi points her head towards the sickbay. 
“Well… I… Uh…” Cris shoots her a guilty look, and Raffi frowns. 
“What is it?”
She had never seen Cris so uncomfortable. Not even before that stupid undercover mission on Freecloud in that ridiculous suit that he somehow had pulled off. 
Suddenly she remembers something. Something she dismissed at times, thinking Cris was just stressed and trying to make weird jokes.
“You thought I was a spy?” calmly asks Raffi despite a storm of too well known emotions rising up in her.
 “Raffi...” sighs Rios, but Raffi stops him with her hand.
“You thought I would put you in danger? You, Elnor, and JL? Because, what? I had a couple of conspiracy theories? About how Romulans were planning to kill us all? That’s why I would’ve helped them?” Raffi almost hisses in anger. Who does he think she is?!
“You were out on Freecloud, alone, not planning to come back, and then you changed your mind! We had a Romulan tail, and we knew that the snakehead was trying to track us down to find Picard and Soji, what could I think?” shouts Cris, standing up. Raffi follows him. 
“Well, if you remembered that I told you that I had a son and was meeting with him, maybe you would think better that time!”
“Yeah, and maybe there was no son. Maybe it was just a catch,” coldly says Rios, and a chill runs down Raffi’s spine. 
“Why would I lie about him?!”
“Well, you tell me, ex-Intelligence agent Raffaela Musicer.”
Raffi swings her hand. One second, and Rios stumbles backwards, grunting in pain and holding his nose. 
“Son of a bitch,” hisses Raffi, stomping away and trying to hold her tears at bay.
“What is the nature of your emergency?” she hears behind her and grits her teeth. Rios doesn’t deserve the treatment. She wants him to hurt like she is hurting. 
“What is this about?” 
Oh, great. Just what she needs. Picard and his holier than thou attitude. 
“Raffi?” and Seven is with him. Damn it. 
Raffi holds a hand up, going past them as quickly as she can. She’ll be safe in her cabin. She can have another bottle there. 
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thefightingbull · 5 years ago
Text
Sequestered
3 weeks. 21 days. 504 hours. 30,240 minutes. 1,814,400 seconds.
Jason was doing math. In his head. Because he was bored. Worse? He was irritated. Not because of the boredom, but because he was going to spend nearly two million seconds sequestered from the rest of the world with his brothers inside an 864 sq. ft. apartment.
“It’ll be a well-deserved vacation,” Dick smiled genially from the kitchen table. “The JL can take care of whatever is happening out there.”
“-tt- As if anyone of us will survive this quarantine,” Damian scowled. He was perched on the back of the couch that Jason was currently lying on.
“As long as you behave yourself, we’ll be fine,” Tim replied sitting at Jason’s small table with his laptop on the opposite side of Dick. “Besides, you didn’t have to come along, Demon Spawn.”
“Neither did you,” Jason pointed out beneath at least three thick blankets. “Actually, not a fucking one of you needed to show up! In fact, had you not, you could be out there with Bruce instead of taking up my clean air, my food, and my limited fucking space!”
Not one of his brothers showed him an ounce of pity or sympathy. They all three looked at him with their varying shades of light-colored eyes. Damian looked disgusted. Tim snarky, and Dick? Well, Dick might have looked at him with a touch of guilt in his eyes.
Dick should though. This whole stupid thing was his fault. Dickie-Bird heard that Jason had a fever and just had to show up to check on him. While he was at it, Golden Boy might as well drag their dipshit brothers along and really make everyone uncomfortable. It wasn’t like the whole nation was about to panic and insist on quarantine’s or anything.
Jason sniffed hard, trying to rearrange the “congestion” in his sinus cavities.
“Just blow your nose, Jason,” Tim sneered as he scrunched his own.
“Fuck you, it’s my house, I’ll deal with my mucus however the hell I want!” he grumbled, ignoring the croaky quality of his voice.
“Guys let’s not fight. We’re just at the beginning of this quarantine. We can’t be at each other’s throats already.” Dick frowned.
“This is lame,” Damian huffed and slid down to rest atop Jason’s ankles. “You don’t think they’ll forget to feed my pets?”
Jason’s heart softened just a touch at the concern Damian showed toward another living being. He tried to sigh but ended up coughing instead. Luckily, Dick was on it.
“Alfred would never forget about the animals in your room, Dami,” The oldest offered gently.
“Unless you’re hiding more than he knows about, then those ones will probably starve,” Tim shrugged.
Jason shouldn’t have laughed, but he couldn’t help it. It was vicious and nasty and very much in Tim’s wheelhouse when it came to Damian. He kind of liked Tim’s dark side. The kid took a lot of shit from Damian in particular. It was good to see him stand up for himself.
“Tim!” Dick scolded. “That’s not funny, Jason!”
“My cell phone is dead, let me use yours, Todd.”
Jason rolled his eyes and pulled the phone from his pocket. He really didn’t mean for tickle in his nose to catch him off guard, but it did and Jason wound up sneezing on his phone when he instinctively brought up his hands.
“Gross!” Tim chuckled.
Dick however came to the rescue as usual. One hand held out some tissues for Jason and the other was handing Damian the requested cell phone. “I’ll grab you some wipes for your phone, Jason,”
“Thanks,” Jason mumbled, tossing the slimed device on the coffee table beside the couch.
Damian pulled out his cell phone and immediately started trying to get a hold of Alfred. “Alfred? I… I have a raccoon. It’s in my closet. Yes. I know… Up in the crawl space… You will? You promise?”
“I know I’m surprised, how about you guys?” Tim snickered.
Jason grinned, as Damian flipped Tim off. Dick frowned at the antics, but he was moving about Jason’s apartment. His older brother took the liberty of cleaning up, a rarity in and of itself, but Jason wouldn’t argue. He wasn’t going to touch his phone again until it was clean.
“You know, I don’t have the virus they think I do,” Jason explained. “It’s just a common cold.”
“No one’s going to let us take that chance,” Tim sighed. “Bruce says he’ll have some supplies dropped off, but I gotta say, I’m more worried about him.”
Jason shook his head. “Don’t be. Without us around to bug him, he’ll be a lot more effective. Especially since most of the criminals are hiding, too. It’s not like they can just waltz into a hospital if they get sick.”
Dick blinked as he held Jason’s phone in one gloved hand, the other scrubbing down the device with an electronic safe sanitary wipe. “You know, that’s actually a good point. Black Mask isn’t offering medical and neither is Two-Face.”
“Penguin and Black Mask might,” Tim disagreed. “They both have a legitimate business.”
“Maybe they have a bad guy hospital,” Jason laughed. “Could you imagine?”
Timothy grinned. “Half of them seem to be doctors, it wouldn’t surprise me.”
Even Damian couldn’t help but snicker. “-tt- Mr. Freeze is the safest in his suit. They’d make him do all the check ups and testing.”
“Harley would be on hand for psychological support,” Dick added with a barely restrained laugh.
“For as poor and pathetic as our city is, education is of the utmost importance in Gotham. Especially among criminals,” Jason smiled to himself. “Speaking of doctors gone evil, I wanna watch Hannibal.”
“You can’t, Dami’s too young,” Dick denied.
“What!” Jason exclaimed.
“He’s an assassin Dick, I doubt there’s anything more gruesome than his own actions on that show,” Tim shrugged.
“It’s happens to contain graphic sex, gaslighting, and other themes that are not suitable for children!” Dick defended his stance.
“Did you read that off the Parental Guidance box?” Jason asked suspiciously.
“I’m not a baby. I can handle a primetime television show,” Damian insisted.
“No,” Dick shook his head. “I am not giving on this, find something appropriate to watch.”
Jason grinned triumphantly and pointed immediately to his shelf of movies and television series. “Pride and Prejudice, it is! I want the BBC series with Colin Firth, top shelf, third to the left.”
Dick’s eyes widened at his mistake as Tim and Damian groaned. Jason coughed for effect, pulling his brother from the agony of his defeat. He clapped his hands in the obnoxious “chop, chop” call to action that Jason knew irritated everyone.
Three weeks with his brothers? It might be a small space, but it was his small space, filled with his favorite things. He had hours and hours of books to listen to, read, or thanks to miniseries events, watch. After Pride and Prejudice he might even go with Jane Eyre just to really torture them all.
They thought they had him beat when the quarantine was first announced. Ha! They’d crack long before he did.
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djinmer4 · 4 years ago
Text
MDZS Dream
SCRevenge scenario
Cloud Recesses burns, Lotus Pier dies as in canon, the Jin side with the Wens.  JC gets his core melted and gets released by WN, but the Jiangs never meet up again so WWX has no opportunity to give his core to JC.  JYL gets captured and forcibly married to JZX, to give the Jins some claim over Lotus Pier (a bribe from the Wens).  NMJ goes underground fighting against the Wens, ends up killing Wen Xu at some point.  Rather than focus on NMJ, WRH decides to attack the Unclean Realm, reasoning that NMJ will have to give up once he has NHS.
Except it doesn’t actually work that way and NHS proves way more competent at defensive strategy than anyone ever expects.  In the end, WRH has to reverse strategies, catching NMJ (with some assistance from MY) and using that to have NHS surrender.
Of course, despite having essentially conquered the entire cultivator area, doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing for WRH.  For one, despite being the largest cultivator sect, the Wens have vastly overextended themselves.  They can’t actually afford to replace all of the current administration, especially with people like LXC and WWX running a resistance against them.  So NHS rules Qinghe Nie as the Wens viceroy, with the threat that if anything happens, NMJ will be the one to suffer for it.
That doesn’t stop him from coordinating with JYL and LXC, and becoming the mastermind behind the resistance (he even eventually gets WQ and WN on board), but there’s nothing WRH can actually trace back to him.  Indeed, NHS sets it up so that WRH starts suspecting the Jins are behind the rebellion rather than anyone else, and JGS’s blatant power plays don’t help his cause.
At least part of this is due to getting MY to help the cause.  NHS doesn’t fully trust MY since he betrayed NMJ (NHS gets at least one other spy, SMY maybe, into Nightless City.), but if MY protects NMJ from any permanent damage in the Fire Palace, NHS will force JGS to acknowledge MY at the end of the war.  Except as time goes on, MY actually does get disillusioned and goes from wanting JGS approval to wanting him humiliated.
NHS meets JC along the way (although my dream didn’t tell me how).  JC ends up splitting his time working as an assassin for NHS (swords yes, but also demonic cultivation) or as his bodyguard.  They start a relationship along the way.  JC really isn’t the leader of Yunmeng Jiang at this point (JYL has been recruiting like mad, and the survivors reluctantly admit that for a cultivation clan they’d rather have a weak cultivating woman for a leader rather than a non-cultivator man), so they actually make plans that if they both survive, JC will marry into the Nie Sect.  A little something to look forward to.
Endgame starts with NHS going to visit WC.  He brings JC with him (so that JC can scout out Nightless City), and it was a pretty funny scene because NHS dresses up JC as his female concubine.  WC *squints* “You’re concubine looks an awful lot like the Violet Spider.”
NHS *breezily*: “She’s from Meishan Yu.  With Yunmeng Jiang gone they’re kind of desperate for an ally.  The Lans don’t do arranged marriages or concubines, everyone knows JGS has no problem abandoning his sex toys and there’s no way your father would you to have a potential assassin as a concubine.  I think they’re hoping I marry her” *leers at JC* “Besides, whatever Madame Yu’s faults, no one ever said she was ugly.”
WC: “That’s true.  Hey mind if I try her out for myself?”
NHS *shocked noises*: “WC, I’ve barely had a chance to taste her at all!  Save me some face and at least wait a few months before asking.  Besides, don’t your tastes usually run towards?” *makes hourglass gesture with his hands*
WLJ: “Exactly!  No one that flat could compare to me!” *starts making out with WC to prove that point*
JC *extremely petty, also starts making out with NHS because he’s like that*
NHS *Pikachu face because he was absolutely not expecting to get any on this trip*
Opening move of the endgame was actually killing JGS, then puppeteering his body (JC’s demonic cultivation) to have the Jin sect attack the Wens.  Stuff happens, JZX (both of them) die because unlike canon JYL never warms up to him again and has no problem with WWX offing her husband.  Besides, she already has JL by this point and she’s going to keep him to be Yunmeng Jiang’s heir.
The rebellion wins, pretty much the same way with MY offing WRH form behind.  Aftermath: WQ becomes new sect head (backed up by Qinghe Nie).  However the Wens lose a lot of money and territory and are no longer a Great Sect.  YJL takes JL back with her to Lotus Pier and she and WWX (assisted by LWJ) start rebuilding Lotus Pier.  NMJ finally gets released from prison and goes back to the Unclean Realm, but he’s in no condition to take up a leadership role right away (MY might have arranged so NMJ never got permanently maimed or his core melted, but NMJ spent a great deal of time getting tortured), so NHS is stuck with it for now.  Cloud Recesses also gets rebuilt (LXC and MY aren’t friends in this because NMJ was tortured for years by MY, and LXC can’t forgive that).
The Jins are the big problem.  NHS has JGS legitimize MY as Jin Ziyao before the he ‘conveniently dies of a stress heart attack’ and now there’s a succession crisis on whether the next head should be JL or JZY.  NHS backs JZY because he was helpful during the war, even though NHS is pretty sure this is going to be a problem along the line.  Yunmeng Jiang (all three of them) also backs this decision because they really don’t want JL growing up in Koi Tower.  This wasn’t resolved by the end of the dream.
Final plot point in the dream, as part of the reparations, WQ is offering to transfer the golden cores of the surviving Wen Sect cultivators (barring her and her brother) to anyone who got their core melted (no 50/50 here, WQ has had years to perfect the procedure and she’s going to be doing it in the best equipped room in the Fire Palace rather than some Supervisory Office in the middle of nowhere).  Starting with Wen Zhuliu, who somehow survived all the way through the war but is now going to be executed.  Dream ended with NHS encouraging JC to go through the procedure, even if it would mean that that would make JC the Yunmeng Jiang sect leader again and leave NHS alone.
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areusittingcomfortably · 5 years ago
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Their Tragic Sense of Life
Part 7
[All because I needed to explain how this happened!]
Over the years, Rios had come up with all kinds of creative ways to stay fit on La Sirena. He didn’t have enough holos for 5 aside soccer, although the ENH was always game for a kick about, even if it wasn’t in his programming and he sucked. One time he got so desperate for a bit of competition he invited the EHH to join in. Given that it was part of his programming, he turned out to be quite good, which only made Rios loathe him even more.
More often than not, Emmet was his go-to fitness buddy. He always kept Rios on his toes and gave him a good workout. The holo’s tactical and security programming meant he was skilled in all kinds of combat, so Cris had been learning a number of different fighting styles. Currently they were sparring with the double-ended spears once used by the Tekret Militia. Wooden shafts and Tritanium tips. Old school.
A comms window flickered open in front of him, and Raffi’s face appeared. He’d only just returned to La Sirena after catching up with her yesterday, and would have been on his way already if the ENH hadn’t been trying to figure out some kind of problem with the navigation sensors.
“Hey!” he yelled, ducking as Emmet thrust at him. “Did I leave something at your place?”
“What the hell are you doing?” Raffi asked.
“Training for the Tekret Militia.” he shouted, not taking his eyes off Emmet, deftly parrying the latter’s blow.
“Why?… Oh, nevermind. Put some damned clothes on.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m sending a client your way. He’ll be there any moment. Your EHH said you were ready.”
Oh, did he now? Funny he didn’t mention that. Maybe it had something to do with Rios deactivating the bugger twice that day.
“What’s the job?” he lunged sideways, trying to catch Emmet off guard, but he leapt out of the way.
“I’m gonna let him explain that.”
“Where to?” dodging another thrust from Emmet.
“He doesn’t know, yet. I’m working on it.”
He finally managed to get a decent thrust in, but Emmet twisted and parried it efficiently.
“Who? Who’s the client?”
Raffi hesitated, “Picard.”
Stunned, Rios spun to face her, dropping his spear in surprise. “Wha…?”
“Que chucha?! he swore, as Emmet failed to pull out of his lunge in time and the tip of his spear went deep into Rios’s shoulder, knocking him to his knees with the sheer force of it.
“Lo siento, lo siento.” Emmet apologised, grimacing. He yanked on the spear, trying to pull it out and only succeeding in breaking off the shaft, leaving the tip embedded in the Captain’s shoulder.
“What is the nature of your… oh!” exclaimed the EMH, with a look of horror.
“Cris? What the…?” cried Raffi.
Rios unleashed a torrent of furious curses in Spanish, clearly in a lot of pain. “I’ll call you back,” he gritted out, “did you really say Picard?”
“Yes. For fuck’s sake, Emmet!” she glared at the ETSH. “And you,” she said looking at the EMH, “sort him out. Don’t you dare de-activ…” but Rios was in too much pain to continue the conversation and had closed the comms.
Fuck, it hurt. “Hijo de puta!” he growled at Emmet, who recognised his cue to disappear.
“Get the medical kit.” Rios snapped.
“Yes, sir.” The EMH took off without delay.
Puta la wea! The pain was so intense he felt like he was about to pass out. He staggered to his feet and moved towards the pilot’s chair, trying to clear his head.
Picard. Did he really hear that right? Raffi was sending him Picard? There wasn’t a Starfleet officer alive that hadn’t dreamt of meeting Admiral Picard. Or dead, he thought grimly.
From what he knew from Raffi, though, perhaps their admiration was misplaced.
Still, it might have been nice to have been fully dressed.
He’d get the EMH to pull the blade out and pull some clothes on. They could use the dermal regenerator later, and if it scarred, well, it was only another one. He wasn’t sure what was pissing him off more, the pain in his shoulder, or the thought of meeting Admiral Picard in this state.
He’d barely made it into his chair when Picard and the EMH arrived.
Mierda. Mierda. Mierda. Concha la wea!
Hold it together, Rios, play it cool.
*****
Picard’s visit left him shaken. He thought he’d just about got his defences up in time, but the Admiral had seen through them almost immediately. He liked him, but he was uneasy about the mission. He tried to settle himself by reading, but his shoulder still hurt like hell, and then the damned ENH got in his head. “On the side of the angels.” Por la mierda! He deactivated it and called up the EMH to fix up his shoulder while he called Raffi.
“Hey.”
“Hey you. I was getting worried.” she noted with satisfaction that the EMH was tending to his shoulder. “D’you see him?”
“Yup.”
“That’s it?”
Rios made an indeterminate gesture. “I dunno, Raffi. Something feels off. Why’d you send him my way, anyway? You hoping I can drag something out of him about your big conspiracy?”
“No. Maybe. Where else am I gonna send him? You think I’d trust anyone else? What did he offer?”
“Enough to consider it. If I was sure about what ‘it’ is. You buying this stuff about the synth and her twin?”
“You’re not?”
“I don’t know Raffi. I don’t know him. You do. That’s why I’m asking.” The EMH finished healing his shoulder, and Rios gave him the briefest of nods, about as high a praise as the holo could hope for, before Rios deactivated it.
“Yeah, I do. To show up after all these years… of nothing. It means something. It’s all connected. I don’t know how, but it is.”
“And this twin – you think she’s still alive?”
“I dunno. If the Tal Shiar are after her, maybe not.”
“You coming with us?”
“No.” Raffi shook her head emphatically. “Hell no. Me and JL? We’re through.”
Rios looked at her shrewdly. For all that she claimed to be through with Picard, she also seemed concerned for his safety. “You think I should take the job?” he pressed.
“Yeah. If he pays enough.”
“But you’re definitely not coming?”
“Nope.”
“Two strips of latinum says you change your mind.”
“Two strips of latinum on there being a twin, but her being dead before Picard can find her.”
“Deal.”
*****
When Raffi asked to be beamed up, he wasn’t surprised. “Pay up!” he grinned.
“I’m not coming.”
“Sure, you aren’t.”
“I mean it. I just… wanna hitch a ride to where we’re going.”
“Any idea where that is?”
“Freecloud. And I don’t wanna talk about it.”
He didn’t press it.
Just as he’d never fully explained what happened on the ibn Majid, he knew Raffi still had a few things that haunted her, beyond what happened with the Federation and the Romulans. He’d done a little research and had his suspicions, but he said nothing. If she wanted to talk about it, she’d do so in her own time.
“It’s his mission, though,” he reminded her, “his say for the duration. You coming as my crew, or gonna ask him if you can hitch a ride?”
Raffi hadn’t though about that. “What would you do if he said no?”
“You think he will?”
“No. You’d still take me, though, right?”
“Only if you take over from the Holo Housekeeper and make everyone’s beds and sweep the floors.” he joked.
“Damn, I forgot you even had one of those.”
“Well, that’s rather the point, isn’t it? Programmed to operate in the background and never be seen. I’ve been trying to catch a glimpse of it for years, but it’s never more than flicker in the corner of my eye.”
“Couldn’t you just summon it?”
“Where’s the fun in that? What accent did you give it, by the way?”
Raffi screwed up her nose, trying to think back that far. “French, I think.”
Also on AO3
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crossdressingdeath · 5 years ago
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requesting jiang cheng rant plz c:
MORE RANTING IT IS!
Let’s talk about JL today. I didn’t really discuss it much yesterday because it was Very Late, but there is... quite a bit to unpack here.
JC’s introduction to the novel as a whole is him yelling at JL. This is the first glimpse we get of his character (emphasis mine):
The young man had thin brows and almond eyes. His features were handsome in a sharp way, and his eyes held a composed vigor, with a slight intention of attack, appearing to be two bolts of lightning as he stared. He stood ten steps away from Wei WuXian, his expression resembling a honed arrow on the bow, ready to be released at any moment. Even his posture emitted an air of arrogance and overconfidence.
He frowned, “Jin Ling, why did you linger for so long? Do you really need me to come and pick you up? Look at what a terrible situation you’re in right now, and get up!”
- MDZS chapter 7: Arrogance (Part 2), ExR translation
Remember that JL is currently on the ground unable to move. He’s not hurt, but that should still summon... I don’t know, concern from his primary caregiver?
And take a look at that introduction. He’s described as aggressive, arrogant, and overconfident. That is not a flattering summary of his character! None of those are good traits to have, especially for a political figure like a sect leader! And yet... that’s what MXTX decided was important for the audience to know. That’s what our POV character, JC’s brother, sees when he looks at him. Arrogance and overconfidence. (Side note: he’s also described as a youth in the ExR translation, which is kind of funny given he’s in his mid-thirties by this point.)
But this is supposed to be about JL and how JC should never have been put in charge of a child, not his introduction. So, moving on.
JC’s first interaction with JL that we get to see is him finding his nephew lying on the ground having clearly just lost a fight to a demonic cultivator. You would think JC of all people would know how much damage a demonic cultivator can do, given he’s spent a solid 13 years catching and killing them. I personally have my doubts as to whether the demonic cultivators he caught were all that dangerous or just people trying to defend themselves, but that is, I’ll admit, based largely on my own dislike of him and there’s no solid evidence either way. Anyway, you would think that someone who has all but made killing demonic cultivators his full time job would realize that his nephew is in an incredibly dangerous situation and focus on making sure he’s okay before anything else. Instead... well. Let’s flash back to that bit I quoted above (emphasis mine):
He frowned, “Jin Ling, why did you linger for so long? Do you really need me to come and pick you up? Look at what a terrible situation you’re in right now, and get up!” 
Yeah. So he does know that this is bad. And yet... there’s no ‘are you okay’. There’s no attempt to put himself between his 13 year old nephew and the presumed threat who just apparently defeated him singlehandedly. The first thing he does is get mad at JL for not being able to stand. He doesn’t even check to see if JL can stand! He acts like he’s just trying to get JL out of bed on time! Way to worry about your nephew!
And this is a consistent thing, too. He always reacts to anything JL does with anger. Like, name a single time he shows concern in a healthy manner that doesn’t involve yelling or threats of violence.
There’s the meat of the whole issue with his and JL’s relationship, actually: JC is constantly threatening to hurt JL. It’s no wonder JL turned out so argumentative when the man who raised him for at least half his life spends pretty much every moment shouting insults and threats at him! It’s the same as with JC and WWX; in both cases, the other person has become so used to JC constantly threatening them that they treat it like a joke. Except it’s even worse here than it is with WWX, because JL is a child who is reliant on JC to take care of him. WWX might not have had much real freedom as the ‘son of a servant’ against the heir to his sect, but he and JC were nominally equals, and if it came down to it he could beat JC in a fight if he had to. JL is 13 years old, facing a man two decades his senior who has near-complete control over his life. I don’t think I need to explain how incredibly fucked up it is that JC won’t even restrain his temper in this situation.
JC seems to treat JL more as an extension of his own achievements than a nephew. I’m sure you all know the type; JL’s successes reflect on JC, JL’s failures are entirely his own fault and JC helping him through them is a favour that he’s doing because he’s a wonderful person and totally not because that’s his job as JL’s guardian.
The saddest part? JL doesn’t even seem to acknowledge this as weird. His uncle threatens to break his legs and he just rolls his eyes. He is so entirely used to this that it doesn’t even register as something you Shouldn’t Say To A Child. JC is such a shitty parent that JGY, manipulator extraordinaire, is a better parental figure. At least JGY got the poor kid a dog. (Actually, JGY seems to have been a rather good parent to JL, inevitable betrayal aside, and I am entirely prepared to thank him for JL’s moments of good sense. There is no greater indictment of JC’s parenting than ‘the villain who murdered his own son and betrayed literally everyone treated your mutual nephew better than you did’.)
So... yeah. I’m not even a little surprised that JL ends up clearly (if unwillingly) fond of WWX; it must be nice to have an uncle who a) isn’t trying to kill you and b) actually treats you like a child under his care who needs to be protected. I think the fact that JL is still so loyal to JC says a lot about either the quality of his life so far or his own personality. He’s a good boy who deserves an uncle who treats him like a nephew who actually has thoughts and emotions.
Wrapping up here because I am Tired, but... yeah. JC is a terrible guardian and JL probably would’ve been happier living with any other member of his vast array of uncles.
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selfcallednowhere · 5 years ago
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March 8, 2018, Portland, OR
They opened with "Ana Ng," followed by "Damn Good Times." During the intro of the latter, when the band was already playing but Flans was talking before the vocal kicked in (which he is quite fond of doing, particularly when the song is one of the first few of the night), he said Portland is "the only town that counts." (I knew he was joking but I was still mildly bothered by this as a Seattleite dealing with the Seattle vs. Portland rivalry).
Afterwards, Flans was referring to the people who were around the edge of the room, which was blocked off by a barrier--he said they were in East Berlin. John: "We hope you'll think about what you did." Then he said that Flans hadn't said the thing about this being "the only town that matters" at any of the other shows they've done on this tour, and Flans said it's because a big percentage of the population of Portland is rock critics. Then he said that thing that keeps making me so sad, about how they have a new album and when they say they're going to play a song from it we should pretend to be enthusiastic about it.
After "I Left My Body" (great as always), "Your Racist Friend" (still meh on this song but I do love the trumpet-party-break section with Curt), and "Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had a Deal" (causing me to rock way out), John got out his contra-alto clarinet. He said it's "lower than the bass clarinet and at war with the alto clarinet."
They played "All Time What," then Flans asked John what he'd done all day. He said he'd "wandered around and dodged the raindrops--apparently it rains in this town." Flans said he did not go to the record store (there's an Everyday Music very close to the venue that he's been known to frequent when they're in town), which meant he had more money than he otherwise would've.
There was some funny banter after that. Flans said they'd gotten to stay at an actual nice hotel the night before, which was unusual for them. Then John said they were wearing crooked top hats and saying "We're gonna make it some day!" Flans said the hotel looked like "a movie set from the '30s," and they took something off a tray of food that probably cost $40. John said they were going to escape on a luggage cart disguised as luggage, and Flans compared them to Harpo Marx. Then John said that next they'd be running and their feet would make bongo sounds. So silly!
They played "Turn Around," which was SO GOOD, much better than the night before when John hadn't used his accordion due to technical difficulties.
After "Spy" and "The Mesopotamians," Flans explained that they're playing two sets, and the second set was "all hits," but they were hits by other bands. John said they're not even good bands, and Flans said they're "under the thumbs of our management," who are really mean to them.
They played "This Microphone," and then Flans said it's on their new album. He said it just came out on vinyl, and that it's a gatefold sleeve, which you can "clean your Oregon pot on."
Flans introduced "Bills, Bills, Bills" by again explaining how they'd been to the AV Club to cover a song for them. He said they first did "Tubthumping," but they weren't going to be playing that tonight because "if you sing it once you'll be singing it all week." He said he was going to be Kelly, John was going to be Beyonce ("a role he originated on Broadway"), and "the members of the band not with us will be playing the part of Michelle." So then they played it, and as always I was completely enraptured by Flans's full-on diva-ness.
They closed out the first set with "Birdhouse in Your Soul," which is a perfect set closer cos there's so much energy in the room when they play it.
Second set started the usual way, with the "Last Wave" video (which I was really tired of at this point, I never really liked it much in the first place and this was like the millionth time I'd seen it) and then "Older" to kick off Quiet Storm. I've been enjoying it on the contra-alto clarinet so much that it'll be a bit sad to (presumably) go back to it on keyboard when all this is over.
Flans pointed out the balcony was really far back and said it was "a mistake." John said it was the section for nursing mothers, and Flans said they'd combined that with the section for cigar smokers.
Flans introduced "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" by saying it was "one of the first songs we wrote," and then confessed that they're actually vampires (explains a lot!). John said not to post that on social media, but then said that it actually wouldn't matter because they wouldn't show up.
After they played it, Flans said not enough people were taking pictures with their phones, and he was "distracted by not being distracted."
Next was MY THEME SONG, still intense and special and emotional and wonderful every single time. It makes me sad to realize that this tour may be the only time I'll get to see it, but I'm just grateful to have been able to as many times as I have.
Flans said that the electronic drums have "all the power of EDM and all the musicality of not-EDM." Then he said the last song was from John Henry, and why don't they play more songs from that album? "Because it's not very good." (As someone for whom John Henry holds the elevated status of not only the album containing my all-time favorite song but also is tied for my #1 album overall, you can imagine what my reaction to this comment was.)
They played "How Can I Sing Like a Girl?," and then the rest of the band came back on stage for "Istanbul," including the crazy jam session at the end. Afterwards, John said he needed to catch his breath and he wanted them to talk for a minute before they played the next song, which made him sound like such an old man. Flans asked us how we were enjoying the sprung dance floor, then said maybe they should talk about some prostitution scandal (I'm not sure what he was referring to) or the "useless" tariffs Trump is proposing. John said he's divesting his money from steel and investing it in "Waynecoin. It's a psychedelic cryptocurrency. You feel like you're tripping, and then all your money is gone."
Then they played "Mrs. Bluebeard." At this point I took it as a foregone conclusion that John would screw up the lyrics since he had every other time I'd seen it, and sure enough he did. For the second time at the shows I've been to, he actually acknowledged the fact that he did afterwards. His excuse was that he'd been distracted cos he'd been trying to move the microphone with his lips so he could reach the higher part of his keyboard, but the crew had tightened it too much and it hadn't moved. Flans said that what he likes is when the crew sets up his mic stand so it's too tall for him, cos he's flattered that they think he's "of higher stature" than he really is.
Next came "Particle Man," "Wicked Little Critta," and "New York City." Then Flans said the next song features Dan on acoustic guitar. Dan played a little something, and Flans said it was from Dan's collection of "unreleased b-sides" and was entitled "Ah Fuck It." John said something about it reminding him of the Motel 6 commercials, and Flans went off on a classic hilarious Flans thing with him pretending to be Tom Bodett and saying "we'll leave the bugs out for you." Then he said if you're a rock band who wants to be sued you should just say that Motel 6 has bugs.
They played "Number Three," and then Flans went back to riffing on the Motel 6 thing (in character). He said if you're coming there and you have a dog with bugs/mange you should bring them and let them pee all over the carpet.
They played "When the Lights Come On," Flans introduced the band, and then they closed out the main set with the reliably superfun "Doctor Worm."
The first encore was the same spectacular duo as almost all the other shows on this West Coast trip: "Dead" followed by "Don't Let's Start." The second encore was "Man, It's So Loud in Here" and then "Fingertips."
It was a great set and a great show! A teensy bit disappointing because the setlist was nearly exactly the same as the previous night in Seattle, and the only reason it wasn't exactly the same was that they'd removed a couple of the particularly great songs they'd played, but otherwise no complaints.
After the show, I was hanging around the stage trying to get a setlist. I didn't get one, but I did snag something else really cool: a signed drumhead from Marty! That was a first for me. I think he might've given it to me because I told him I recognized his shirt as being from Out of Print Clothing, one of my absolute favorite shops (the one with the cover of The Metamorphosis that he's been wearing a lot lately), and we chatted about that a bit. Between that and him giving me a setlist a couple of days before, I finally felt like I could accept him as a full real member of the band--I've still been thinking of him as "the new guy" all this time. I feel silly saying that as he's been in the band for going on a decade and a half now, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with Marty's skills as a drummer or kindness as a person, both of which are clearly quite high--I just don't deal with change particularly well.
JL wardrobe report: a black pullover jacket, not too exciting, except for when he pushed up the sleeves for the second half of the show (I always love seeing his arms that way, it's much more exciting than when he's just wearing a t-shirt for reasons I can't really articulate).
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ofmorninglory · 6 years ago
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im not well versed in crossover AU's in general but go off about them anyway lay it on me
//screams// Guys, Tea is a Literal Blessing™ and I absolutely don’t deserve all this validation but I will soak up on it. 
So, the other day I was going through my Ao3 and I realized literally everything I do, ever, is a crossover, so I guess that’s kind of my thing now. Room Enough AU, however, is literally The Crossover™, you know? I have to admit I’ve been working on plotting it for way too many years (I think it was 2016; I’m not gonna lie, it’s been a hot minute) so it’s so much bigger in my head than what I actually have written. Some of the info I’ve managed to actually jot down somewhere is in this little tag right here, but I’m here to provide the basics on what Room Enough AU is and why it’s so important to me. 
Under the cut, to keep your dashes clean, my lovelies! 
Room Enough for All of Us is a crossover AU between Marvel and DC (because who didn’t see that coming, right?). While most of the crossovers for these franchises I’ve seen and read all start with Bruce and Clark meeting Steve and Tony (who, arguably, are each other’s counterparts) and while I absolutely adore the idea of billionaire Bruce Wayne becoming friends with billionaire Tony Stark, and Clark and Steve bonding over, you know, being seen as literal beings of perfection, Room Enough AU (which we’ll shorten as REAU from now on, although that’s a name I’ve never used for it, but there’s always a first for everything, you know?) actually starts with Tony Stark, betrayed and broken after IM, meeting (or rather, meeting again) one very problematic and highly-skilled pilot, Harold Jordan. 
After the events of IM and Tony being betrayed by one of the people he trusted most in the world, Stark Industries starts undergoing heavy restructuring (am I using the right word? Google Translate says so) and among all of these shifts and changes, Pepper insists that he gets a new pilot for his private plane. He goes to Ferris Air, of course, because it’s in California and he’s had contracts with them for years, and when he gets there, there’s this one roudy pilot who manages to not only evade all of the Stark Training Drones in the air, but actually destroys all of them in the process. Tony wants this pilot. He does. He recognizes under-paid talent when he sees it. 
Hal has absolutely zero idea of what is happening when Tony offers him the position as his private pilot. Jordan is not all that enthusiastic about being some rich kid’s pilot-for-hire, but after the stunt he’s just pulled? He really should think about getting a new job. Hal doesn’t say yes outright, of course not, he’s got more dignity than that, but Tony just won’t let up. 
Not only is Tony Stark some rich billionaire he doesn’t want to be working for either, he’s also one of Hal’s one-night-stands from two years ago. Is Tony fazed at all by this? He is not! Tony Stark is stubborn and he doesn’t care about anything other than getting this man a better salary. 
Tony spends about 300 weeks trying to get Hal to actually agree to the job, it’s ridiculous. His gifts are expensive, and they get more extravagant the more time goes on. He even gets Hal Captain rank back for him (if that allowed? I do not know, I have yet to research on this, this is actually a very new development born in the REAU discord chat). Hal draws the line when a Rolex ends up at his home (one of the fancy, classic ones, too, with the green cover) and Jordan calls Tony to tell him to back off. 
Twenty minutes later, Hal is agreeing to working for Stark. Carol fired his ass after that whole fiasco with the drones (”They were due for an upgrade, anyways! They’re old and I could do so much better, Ferris! It’s not a big deal.”) so he has to find a way to pay the goddamn bills or move in with Barry, and he doesn’t want to intrude on his best friend like that. 
Plus, he loves the sky. Maybe this job isn’t so bad. 
Against all odds, and with a lot of difficulties and obstacles, Tony and Hal actually start bonding. Except, whoops, Tony is dying from palladium poisoning, and just as our favorite green boy is warming up to the idea of not only being Tony’s pilot but also his friend, Stark suddenly does a 180 on him and completely backs away. 
(It doesn’t help Hal’s confusion that Tony spent the first few weeks of his employment literally changing everything about his life. He gives his company away to Pepper Potts, starts a mentor-apprentice program in which he is the mentor and this girl from Mexico is the apprentice, and just generally starts becoming a Good Man™, in Hal’s eyes.)
Long story short (to wrap this one up, because I could go on for years) Hal finds out Tony is dying with a little help from Natasha (who Hal decidedly stops liking when he finds out she’s been lying to Tony, but who he’ll warm up to again, eventually, and because she loves Barry a whole lot and keeps his boyfriend safe and happy) and then it’s a race against time to save Stark’s life. 
And because there is no one smarter (or faster) that Hal Jordan knows, he calls his good buddy The Flash into Tony’s Malibu home and tells Stark that Barry will help him or “so help me god, Anthony Edward Stark, I will find a way to bring your back from death to kill you myself”. When Tony is saved and Barry and him have managed to destroy his entire home, Hal feels like he can breathe again, and Allen smiles at him this sort of way when he catches his shoulders lose all the tension. (”wHAT? WHAT IS IT BARRY?” “You wanted to keep him safe” “He pays my salary, of course I wanted to keep him alive” “Harold” “Bartholomew”) 
So, Tony and Hal? They’re really, really good friends. Hal would probably die for Tony, and Tony would absolutely lay down on the wire to let Hal pass (take that, Steve). From the outside, they’re an unlikely pai, except when you look at it closer, they’re literally the only way universes could collide. Barry actually saw it coming from a mile away, but Hal refused to let Tony into his life (Hal is used to everyone leaving; Barry is the exception, of course he is, but that’s Barry there’s no one purer, nicer, or kinder in this whole wide world). 
After that, it’s just a lot of JL/Avengers shenanigans, mostly around Barry, Hal, Tony and Steve, once he comes along (and he and Barry aren’t at each other’s throats anymore). It follows losely through IM2, Avengers, probably IM3 (because Harvey Keener) and CA:WS (Barry and Steve bonding!), only to diverge somewhere between that and Age of Ultron (that doesn’t exist, to be all that much honest). I’ve plotted some of the things I want to happen, but since I’m messy and don’t have enough attention span to STAY FOCUSED, I’m still trying to figure out a lot of things. 
I’m probably going into Avengers Assemble at some point and work with that. There are some DC storylines I think would fit nicely in there, but I have big gaps in my comic knowledge, so I really have to search for the right things to put. 
The funny thing about REAU, however, is how much it has intoxicated every single of my other aus. All of the works that you can find in my Ao3 (right over here) are different iterations of this crossover, brought into different scenarios. 
We have Coffee Shop AU, my first non-powered baby whom I love and cherish very much and hopefully will finish one day. We have Hotel AU which is so weird and I have no idea where it came from, but it’s there and it’s some very sweet Clintasha. There’s Prom AU/Childhood Friends AU! That’s sweet and fluffy and features sticker stars and red crayons. We have dumb diner au! The newest published addition to the line of non-powered aus! They’re all great, they’re mostly always the same characters, the same groups of friends (in most non-powered AUs, Steve and Barry don’t hate each other. In fact, usually they know each other from a very long time, along with Bucky, and Steve protects Barry with every ounce of whoop-ass he is) and there’s always some cute-meet that ends up in halbarry ending up together (because yes, they’re all mostly halbarry with a side of stony bcs I’m trash) I’m currently writing blubarry au for halbarry week (which I miscalculated) and it’s actually turned into Paramedic/Blubarry AU and it has absolutely gotten out of control (I’ve finished what could be a first instalment at 13k) and there’s aladdin au for stony that’s still in process and is also a crossover. 
Aaaaaaand that’s mostly it, jsjsjsjsj I’m sorry this was so long! I’m so passionate about REAU and all my non-powered aus that it’s overwhelming some times!
Also, that post you did about Natasha? I felt that. My favorite Natasha is the Natasha who gets to be dorky, and cute, and who laughs at and with her friends. My favorite Natasha takes one look at Barry and goes “this one is mine now and if you hurt him I’ll make sure you pay dire consequences”. My favorite Natasha is Natasha painting Tony’s nails on girl’s night (that Tony always crashes, but he also sponsors the whole thing, so it’s alright). My favorite Natasha laughs like a hyenna when Clint makes a dent into their wall because he’s an idiot. My favorite Natasha is Dinah’s best woman, standing right by her, and wiping tears from her eyes without anyone seeing because she still wants to look at least a little bit tough. My favorite Natasha is so beloved by everyone who meets her and I’m !!!!! crying !!!!!
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bearryallen-blog · 7 years ago
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fluff alphabet. || ( john constantine )
A/N: hey there, i’m jinxie and this is my dc imagine / appercation blog. it’s still a bit new but feel free to have a look around. anyway, i’m starting off with something fluffy for one of my favorite assholes, john constantine. no gifs belong to me as they belong to their respectful owners, please tell me if you want yours put down. requests are open, feel free to send them in. masterlist / / what i do and don’t write.
anonymous requested: Fluff alphabet w/ John?
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A - Attractive (what they find attractive)
john is attracted to many gorgeous men and women alike, but your witty tongue and teasing just let him begging for more.
B - Baby (do they want a family?)
family, is rather a very tough subject for john in general since his father abused him and what had happen to astra during newcastle. so in most cases, he doesn’t want to have a family, he couldn’t deal with putting you or them at the risk of what he does.
C - Cuddle (how they cuddle)
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cuddling isn’t a common thing with him unless it’s usually just the two of you. but he usually switches from being the big and small spoon depending on the day.
D - Dates (what dates with them are like)
a rare bit in most cases but it’s mostly you to remind john that you two have a date. he’ll play it off saying that he remembered. though there’s some date surpises from john.
E - Everything (you are my…)
“you’re my better half, luv.”
F - Feelings (when they realise that they love you)
feelings were a bit hard for john, he just doesn’t realize them sometimes but his feelings were found after he saw you with someone else. he got jealous but was a bit glad when you two broke up before he came clean about it.
G - Gentle (are they gentle?)
john constantine? gentle? a little hard to believe but yes, he can be gentle but again like pda, it mostly happens between you two. though if you do happen to get badly hurt or after doing an exrocism of a demon inside of you, he’ll run up to make sure to cradle you. checking everything to be sure you’re still with him.
H - Hand/hold (how do they hold you? Do they hold hands?)
hand holding isn’t really his thing though there are moments where he’ll lace them together if he sees you feeling anxious, sometimes giving the back of your hand a kiss. but nothing too much.
I - Impression (first impression)</small
he was in a loop when you two first met as you were zatanna’s assistant and learning under her since you discovered your abilites a little late. but there was no way that you went easy on him until later.
J - Joker (do they pull pranks?)
pranks don’t happen often since you have to be serious for the job though there was a few. however the unlucky victim happened to be chas who was very much unamused by you both.
K - Kisses (how they kiss)
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there’s the soft sweet kisses to the very rough kisses depending on the situation and your moods. there’s a few in between but it’s not often. though he’ll snog you if he catches someone looking at you for too long.
L - Little things (what little things they love)
john doesn’t notice too many small things since he can be forgetful or he simply didn’t listen to it. though he does try to remember things that you liked such as flowers to bring you when you’re mad at him. though he’ll double check with chas if it’s the right ones.
M - Memory (favourite memory together)
there’s a lot of memories you both shared but one would have to be where everything was calm and you two just spend the day in peace for as long as you possible can since you know, you gotta go hunt demons and other supernatural ghoulies.
N - Nickel (do they spoil?)
spoiling comes in different form when it comes to john. you don’t get the fancy diamond rings or anything like that. john sometimes spoils you by finding a bottle of scotch or some booze you really enjoy. or when you two are alone, he spoils you in rather different ways if you get what i mean.
O - Orange (what color reminds them of you)
for some reason, it’s a purple that reminds him of you. perhaps it’s when the jl dark team and him saw your eyes glow to do your full strength that shined a purple glow to defeat your enemy. so now everytime he sees purple, it reminds him of you and not to piss you off to that length.
P - Petnames (what petnames they use)
petnames are rare with him, though sometimes he simply calls you ‘luv’ or 'sweetheart’ but there’s not much of petnames in your relationship.
Q - Questions ( what are the questions they’re always asking?)
they are mostly “are you sure you want to do this? or "why do you choose to stay?”; almost always some type of reassurance questions.
R - Remember (their favourite memory of each other)
funny enough, john doesn’t have very fond memories but his favorite memory of you is when he first saw you up on stage doing a solo act. he couldn’t believe that he had gotten lucky to have someone like you in his life even though he swears you can do better than him.
S - Sad ( how they cheer themselves/others up)
john tends to drink his problems away, least that was before he met you. he drinks still sometimes but you make him talk to you first before you two go out.
T - Talking ( what they love to talk about)
it’s hard to find something that this man loves to talk about besides his booze and the shit he has done but there are times he’ll ramble about you and what a lucky fella he is.
U - Universe ( a metaphor)
“and the world was their stage as their played many characters throughout their life.”
V - Very ( thoughts about each other)
honestly you think he was an ass when you two first met, well there’s some of it still there but you have grown to love some of his mannerisms and learned some british slang from him. john’s thoughts are a bit more sadder than yours. he always think you can do better than him and is scared that you could be taken like astra though sometimes he feels incredibly lucky to have someone like you to keep him grounded.
W - Why ( reasons why they love you)
you keep him grounded like mentioned above plus you bring out the good in him that is still there. like yes, john can be an ass but he does still have a heart that you remind him of.
X - Xylophone (what’s their song?)
ENDLESSLY - the cab that includes both of you.
Y - You (what you are to them)
you are the other piece of him that he didn’t know he needed until you came into his life and now he needs you in it.
Z - Zebra ( what pet they want to have)
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it was you to suggest it but it was a black cat that you decided to dub as 'sebastian’ though he is now more of your cat than john’s but john doesn’t mind it too much. though sebastian became sort of like salem from sabrina the teenage witch by accident.
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seriouslycromulent · 7 years ago
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Justice League Review & Recap (Warning: Get comfortable)
Soooo, if you’ve ever visited my blog in the past, you know I’m a DC comics fan. I’m not anti-Marvel, mind you. But I love me some DC. With that in mind, it’s important to note that I’m not your average DC fan or DCEU fan or DCtv fan. I tend to like a lot of things others dislike, and dislike a lot of things others like. That’s not me being contrary. I’m pretty much that way about most issues in life – politics, music, travel, etc. 
I’m telling you this to prepare you for my fangirl rantings. You might agree with some of them. You might think I’m loony about others. But understand, I’m not trying to convince you to agree with me. I’m simply expressing my opinion. I say nothing out of malice or a desire to run down someone or something any person loves. That’s not my style. I’d rather spend my time gushing over the things that bring my life joy than dedicate a lot of time and energy to tearing down things that don’t. (Case in point: I started typing a review of Thor: Ragnarok 2 weeks ago after I saw it, but decided not to continue and didn’t post it.)
With that said, let’s jump right in:
Warning: Spoilers be below, so I’m using a cut tag out of courtesy. And seriously, you might want to grab a snack because I’m going all in. 😊
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If you’re looking for a mild or hate-filled review of the Justice League, you might want to stop now. I loved the film, and I already plan to buy it when it comes out on digital release. I currently own 2 DCEU films: Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I’m attending the ACE Comic Con on Long Island in December, and I plan to see JL multiple times before then. I’ve already seen it twice. I’m a fan. So if you were hoping for an all-negative review or you’re not interested in the details of what I liked and didn’t like about the film, stop now.
Also, these points are not in chronological order of the film. Let’s do this:
What I Liked
Sassy Alfred is back! That dig about Bruce not dating was not missed, sir. Not missed at all. Alfred, never change.
Barry not knowing which direction was East = Me as a superhero! 🙄😏
When we came back from the theater, BvS: Dawn of Justice was on HBO. Both my mother and I said we didn’t even notice they put a photo of Pa Kent in the coffin with Clark at the end. So kudos to the continuity team for remembering to include it in Justice League. And shame on me for not noticing that before. Also, when the photo fell into the amniotic fluid during the resurrection scene, I can’t help but think that was meant to symbolize Clark losing a valuable part of himself in the process of coming back to life. (But hey! I was an English major. I see symbolism everywhere.)
I respect the fact that the DCEU acknowledges all the advancements in the digital world we live in today, but Commissioner Gordon is still sticking with the tried-and-true analog Bat Signal with the lever and the thick wires and the sparks every time he needs to beckon Batman to a rooftop. Jim, never change.
The line: “Yeah, something’s definitely bleeding.” - Batman (This was both funny and in character.)
I liked the subtle and not-so-subtle references to a world in a continual state of despair and upheaval littered throughout the film. We hear Alfred say, “I do not recognize this world.” And Ma Kent talks about having trouble even listening to the news anymore. I think someone else references the anger and bitterness that’s around us everywhere we go these days. I know most of these scenes were filmed before 2 years ago, but I swear that dialogue could easily fit in with many of the statements I hear every day in conversations with my family, friends and people online. Once again, Snyder dials into that realism that makes the DCEU feel rooted in the world we live in today. Plus, Arthur’s recognition of “people who don’t have anywhere else to go” is a much appreciated acknowledgment of the current refugee crisis, but its done in such a way that it won’t feel dated in the future.
Billy Crudup delivers more in his two short scenes than most actors do in entire films. He’s now one of the reasons I’m really looking forward to the Flash solo film.
While I’m handing out kudos for acting, I want to say I’m proud of Ray Fisher and the job he’s done on bringing gravitas to Victor/Cyborg. I saw some DCEU-hater videos a few months ago imply that he might tank the film because audiences didn’t know his work before JL, which is absurd. Most of us didn’t know Hugh Jackman’s work before X-Men, but we gave him a chance and now y’all crying over him leaving the role after Logan. Ray did a wonderful job conveying the struggle Victor’s going through without making us feel like we missed so much backstory we couldn’t follow his emotional journey. He was the right casting choice.
I appreciated the Amazon fight with Steppenwolf to keep him away from the Motherbox so much more on the second viewing. The details, the logistics, the combat strategy were so much easier to take in once I knew how the battle was going to end. If you were like me and didn’t quite grasp how well that was shot, please watch the movie again.
I really liked the end credit scene and the appearance of [REDACTED]! It was not the end credit scene I was expecting (the Trailer-bait scene with Alfred talking to someone off-screen was the one I wanted), but I’m not mad. [REDACTED] is no man’s poor substitute.
Me learning new things: I never knew Supes was as fast as Barry. I knew they would race each other all the time, but I never knew he could literally see him moving inside the speedforce. That’s news to me, and it made that scene feel even more awesome!
Commissioner Gordon’s comment about the amount of structural damage Batman caused at the Gotham Harbor made me chuckle. I appreciate them hanging a light on that constant complaint.
Now, I, too, kind of want to know if Superman has ever fought a hippo. I’m kind of mad Supes never answered that.
So glad I saw the film a second time because I completely missed the confirmation that the Lanterns helped defeat Steppenwolf the first time he attacked Earth. Diana said that nearby visitors from other planets helped them drive Steppenwolf into retreat, but I was too busy trying to take in all the details and I missed the oh-so-important green ring that falls off the guy’s finger. Lantern Corps confirmed!
I appreciated that Barry recognized that his attempt to get a fist bump from Victor could be considered racial charged. That’s why it’s nice when we see Victor finally giving Barry a fist bump at the end while the team looked out on the safe® nuclear power plant area.
I liked how they showed that Bruce does have bruises and gets hurt in his battles against the others. I know we didn’t get to see much of it, but those bruises were important to his story and his journey, just as his comments about knowing he can’t do this forever. 
What I Loved! 
Lois Lane is “the Big Guns.” You damn right she is!!
Aquaman/Aquamomoa really was wielding that quindent like it was an extension of himself. He flipped that thing around like it was nothing. And knowing Jason like I “do,” he put a lot of work into making it look fluid as possible. It’s kind of hard to miss with all the action on the first viewing, but when he’s fighting Steppenwolf alongside Diana, you can really appreciate how well he works the weapon to give himself a fighting chance with an enemy twice his size.
Diana calling Resurrected!Clark Kal-El. Bruce calling Resurrected!Clark Clark. This was me each time:
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Absolute favorite scene: Everyone fighting Resurrected!Superman. Not only because it’s well done, but because of this: It did a great job of showing how much of a threat Supes is going to be in the future. He had just woken up from a dirt nap, so he was in no way running on all cylinders and they still couldn’t really take him. Imagine how much of a threat Superman will be to the others when he’s at actual full power? Granted, Diana was holding back and Arthur was out of practice/rusty in the ass-kicking business, but even at their best, I think it’s clear they’re not going to be a true match for Supes when he is at his best. That was a clever “sneak peak” of a story to come.
Also, Superman catching Diana’s arms before she can clash her bracelets together, then headbutting her. Then her headbutting him. Then him holding her wrists, raising in the air, and headbutting her into the pavement. That was so awesome! It made me suddenly want to buy the video game and pit Wonder Woman against Superman over and over again.
Loved the head-nod to canon about Batman already thinking of contingency plans should they not be able to control Clark once he’s resurrected. 
I’m extremely happy with the inclusion of Victor as the linchpin to defeating Steppenwolf. I know a lot of people questioned his inclusion as a member of the Justice League, but he’s honestly a great addition. Not only because of the Motherbox technology, but because of his understanding and access to digital technology. In 2017, the Justice League needs to have someone on the team who can handle the digital aspects of a fight. Maybe it wasn’t as big of a component to fighting the good fight back in the 1980s, but it definitely is now. Cyborg is a perfect addition/update to the Justice League concept. It just works. Anyone still pushing back on this after seeing JL doesn’t really have a solid argument.
Favorite Aquaman moment: When Arthur finally joins the fight and helps the team under Gotham Harbor. When he came in and used his quindent to hold the water back long enough for the others to escape… I damn near jumped out of my seat with applause. You go boy! Talks to fish, my ass!
I love a good argument. That is, when writers create an argument between characters where it’s difficult to choose a side, I love that! That’s why I love how Bruce shuts Diana down about her trying to tell him to move on after Clark’s death. I understood her trepidation about using the Motherbox to resurrect Clark, but Bruce was 100% on the money when he said she’s the last person to tell anybody they need to move on after suffering a loss considering how she shut herself off for almost a century after losing Steve Trevor. Sure, Victor calls Bruce an asshole, and Barry said that they’d cover for Diana if she killed Bruce, but Bruce was still right.
This moment: Superman: “I knew you didn’t bring me back because you liked me.” Batman, awkwardly stammering: “I don’t … not …”
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Everyone has a small character arc that doesn’t get ignored at the expense of the action or storyline. I love it when storytellers do that! By the time the credits roll, 1) Diana learns to come out of the shadows and own her role as a hero. 2) Barry learns confidence in battle, even if he isn’t as strong or as sure-footed as the others. It’s clear by the end, he understands that his skills will come in time. Plus, friends. 3) Victor begins to see his condition/situation as something other than a curse, and we can see his relationship with his father start to mend. 4) Arthur starts to find his way back to interacting with the world as someone up other than an outcast from both sides of his family. 5) And, well, Clark comes back from the dead, and after letting off some steam, decides to forgive … eventually. 6) Maybe Bruce doesn’t have much of an arc since he spends most of the film trying to right a wrong he made, but I think that’s enough on his plate for now.
The scene that tugs at my heartstrings the most: Bruce acknowledging to Alfred that the team needs Clark. And that it’s Clark’s humanity that makes him remarkable. Not his powers. Not his abilities. The fact that he was willing to only use those abilities to help others, but also try to live a normal life with a job, a girlfriend and a desire to make the world a better place even without those powers is what made him special. I swear that whole speech just made me want to hug the writers.
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One word: Booyah!
What I Didn’t Like
No Perry. Not even a cameo. 😣
Where’s my Clark accepting Lois’s “Yes” for his proposal in absentia scene from the trailer?! Trailer-bait is mean, Snyder. Just mean. I don’t know if this is Whedon’s doing, but … yeah. Not happy.
Poor Barry tripping over his feet. 😟 I understand why it’s necessary to show him as a greenhorn, but it still makes me feel sad. 
I did feel as if the pacing in the beginning was a bit rushed. It was as if they were really quick to jump into introducing the team/convincing them to join. But I chocked that up to the studio over-editing Snyder’s work again. And I quickly put it out of my mind about 15 minutes into the film. Like any good DCEU fan, I figure the director’s cut will fix it, so I’m not too bothered.
I know the Russian family of four was just supposed to represent the host of families that have sought out the nuclear power plant area for refuge, but are now in danger of getting killed in Steppenwolf’s wake, but constantly going back to that one family made me feel like they were the only family in danger. I think it would’ve been more effective to include shots of a couple of other families bordering up their homes in fear of the parademons. It’s not like they didn’t have the budget.
When BvS came out, I said I think I would’ve preferred a clean-shaven Bruce Wayne/Batman. I was wrong. He looks better with the stubble. Much better.
Barry was at the beginning of his journey, so I understand the use of humor to cope with his new situation, but sometimes I felt like he was a little too much comic relief. Not that it was out of character for him. He was/is a guy desperate to make friends, so keeping it light even in serious moments does kind of fit him at this stage. But it did sometimes feel a bit much. I mean he is still struggling to get his father out of jail, and trying to get his life on track. His joviality felt a little too much at times. I love his geekiness, but I don’t want to see him not be taken seriously by the audience going forward. Hopefully, they will avoid that in future films.
The CGI for Victor looks brilliant, just like I said it would. I saw nothing wrong with it at all. It had weight and density. It appeared cutting edge without appearing unreasonably implausible. The complaints about it when the trailers came out were completely unfounded, just like I said. But … the CGI on Cavill’s face sometimes looked … no. Just no. That definitely could’ve been better. At times, he looked like his face was uneven in terms of depth. And others, he looked like his skin was too perfect. For a film with this budget and with their schedule, I expected better.
Unpopular opinion: I’m still unsure about Amber Heard’s casting. I’m trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, but based on the few films I’ve seen of hers in the past + the one scene she has in Justice League … I do not feel hopeful. I mean when I compare Billy Crudup’s big scene with Amber’s scene, I’m like, “How did she get cast in this franchise?” I’m on board with all the casting choices so far except hers. I’m going to try to give her more rope, but I’m not going to pretend to be a fan because other people are.
I still feel like people are going to walk out the cinema and go: “So what can Aquaman do?” It’s clear he’s strong, agile and fearless. And after bodysurfing a parademon through a building, it’s obvious he doesn’t bruise easily. But I still think people are going to go, “But what can he do?” We literally saw him use a quindent to hold back umpteen gallons of water, but folks are still going to talk trash. SMH. I wish the film did more to alleviate that prospect.
This, That & The Other
There was a lot more swearing than I expected. No judgment. It was just more realistic given the situations they were in, and since the general public seems to be bothered about the DCEU feeling realistic, it was more than I expected. I figured with all the clamoring to make things all light and bubbly as possible, swearing wouldn’t be as much of an option for the franchise anymore.
That joke Clark made about wishing he were dead after helping rip apart the Motherboxes: Too soon! It honestly made me feel uncomfortable. I’m still trying to unpack why, so I didn’t include it with the things I didn’t like in the list above. But honestly, it kind of deserves to be there.
Unpopular opinion: If they do bring in Green Lantern, I hope they choose John Stewart over Hal. If they go with Hal Jordan, everyone is going to compare him to Ryan Reynolds. Save us all from that unnecessary fandom war, and just go with John Stewart! Plus, you get to add another DC hero of color, and frankly, John was a better Green Lantern than Hal. Yeah, I said it!
I walked in to Justice League excited to see the upcoming origin films in this order: Aquaman, Flash, Cyborg. I walked out excited to see the origin films in this order: Flash, Cyborg, Aquaman. I still love Momoa, but I’m actually more interested in seeing Barry’s origin story more now than Arthur’s.
Why couldn’t Bruce just buy the farm back from the bank? Why did he have to buy the entire bank? Bruce is so extra.
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To Sum Up/Overall:
I don’t want my overall review of the film to be a reactionary one. By that I mean, I’m not interested in arguing or refuting others’ rumors, reactions or feedback. I feel like it taints the genuine impression I walked out of the theater with after seeing the film (both times). So I’ll say this:
I thoroughly enjoyed Justice League. I’m not upset, aggravated or disappointed in any way more than I was after watching Batman v Superman. I don’t think the film was as strong as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but it was a good solid film about a team coming together for the first time who were in very different headspaces to fight an enemy who is the precursor to the ultimate Big Bad we’ll see in Justice League 2. I thought the film did fine mixing heart, humor and story without sacrificing character development and purpose. It is not set up to deliver the same emotional impact as BvS, so I can’t genuinely complain if it does not do that.
I’m aware they had to, for lack of better phrasing, “dumb it down” because so many people felt lost while watching BvS. I didn’t feel lost watching BvS, but I respect the fact that not everyone is me, and I actually prefer films that don’t insult my intelligence. BvS was the first – and frankly, only – comic book movie that hasn’t insulted my intelligence. Justice League had to play to an audience that consists of more than just me so it’s structure is overly simple and easy to follow. Literally no one should feel like they didn’t understand what is happening in this film. 
There’s more humor, which is fine by me, but at times, it did feel out of place. That is not to say they aren’t allowed to be making jokes, but it felt out of place because you can tell when it’s not Snyder’s “voice.” And subsequently, it doesn’t feel like Superman’s “voice.” But again, I’m willing to overlook those moments because they were minor beats that didn’t detract from the film’s impression. It’s like having a few scratches or dings in the bumper of a vintage Shelby Mustang cobra. You wish the scratches weren’t there, but the car is still a work of art. 
Thankfully, I saw this film with my mother. My mother is a lifelong comic book fan. (My stepfather is also, but he had to work and couldn’t see it with us.) And I’m very lucky to have her perspective on these films because as a hardcore comic book nerd who has a ton of knowledge of the DC/Marvel universes, but doesn’t partake in any of the internet fandom infighting and overly dramatic social media scream fests, she allows me to see the film from the perspective of someone who just wants comic books to come to life on the big screen in an amazing way. She doesn’t dig for slights. She’s not interested in one-up-manship. She wants all the films to do well, whether they’re Blade, HellBoy, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Avengers or Justice League. And I think some of us you who spend a lot of time on the internet supporting your fandoms need to have someone in your lives who can do the same thing for you. Seriously, some of the reactions I’m seeing online are so tainted by this arbitrary competition and need to have everything “just so,” I really think you’re missing out on the joy these films are meant to bring you.
Yes, I’m excited to see the director’s cut of Justice League. Yes, I prefer my Superman having a more time-realistic coping process after having been dead for so long. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy watching a freshly resurrected Kal-El take down a not-quite-gelled team of superheroes without expending too much effort. Seriously, that entire sequence was fantastic and I will probably re-watch it multiple times. (Do I really just want to see other superheroes fight Superman? What does that say about me? Hmmm.)
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Anyway, if I had to make a major gripe about the film is that it’s missing that “something.” That soul that Zack Snyder brings to this franchise. And by that I mean, Man of Steel feels like Zack’s movie. BvS feels like Zack’s movie. But Justice League, although primarily directed by Zack, doesn’t quite feel like Zack’s movie. And I miss that. It works fine since this is the first time the team has come together and their still finding their rhythm, especially Arthur, Victor and Barry. But my hope is that by the time JL2 comes around, the studio will let Zack do what he does and give the film its soul. 
The DCEU films work for me because they feel much more grounded in reality, which is the hallmark of DC comics (yes, even the Atom). And although there is some element of that in Justice League, it doesn’t come across as well as it did in Zack’s other films. I can only assume it’s because the studio had him change certain details and the editing job Whedon did kind of imbued the film with a style that didn’t quite gel with Zack’s. Don’t get me wrong. Whedon can do realism, but his realism isn’t the same as Zack’s, and I feel like Justice League should have Zack’s realism from start to finish (at least within the same film). He’s the one who got us here, and he’s the one who will make it feel like its ours. Not the studio’s, if that makes sense.
No, the film wasn’t perfect. But literally none of the comic book movies have been perfect, even the good Marvel ones. They all have flaws. But I don’t need a film to be perfect to be a delight that I want to see over and over again. This film didn’t need a lot of twist and turns. The most important takeaways are 1) bringing the team together, 2) resurrecting Superman, and 3) testing their mettle against an agent of Darkseid. And that’s exactly what it accomplished. Was Steppenwolf on the same level as Lex Luthor? Hell no! But he’s not supposed to be. Steppenwolf is a club. Lex Luthor is a scalpel. Each film should have a villain that suits the desired outcome for the film itself. 
No civilians were killed, which apparently is a thing people only care about in DC films, but conveniently forget about in Marvel films. The fight scenes were epic. There was no room for ambiguity. And we got to see a team go on their first full mission together and begin to recognize why they’re better together than apart. Superman might’ve been able to defeat Steppenwolf on his own, but he didn’t have the tech skills to do what they needed Cyborg to do with the Unified Motherboxes. We saw Batman save the Flash. We saw Wonder Woman save Aquaman. The Flash helped save civilians. Superman helped save civilians. We saw all of them handle themselves well, but not perfectly. And that to me is exactly what we were meant to see this time around.
I give the film a solid B+, but only because I suspect the director’s cut will be an A-.
That’s it. The end.
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albionscastle · 7 years ago
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Don’t Play With Me
I have no trouble seeing Jack as a semi knight in shining armour type of guy as well as just drop dead sexy with the words when he wants to be.
There’s a part 2 in progress but it’s one I definitely can’t write at work ;)
FIC MASTERLIST
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Your phone signaled a text message just as you were about to walk into the building. Grabbing at any delay you could, you pulled it from your clutch, stopping just outside the doors.
JL: Harry’s havin a movie night, ye up fer it? YN: Can’t, about to go to a wedding I don’t want to be at. Wish I could though. JL: Why are ye goin if ye don’ wanna be there? YN: Bride is my cousin, I have to go, but my ex is the best man. JL: The fucklump wi’ the kid? The one who ghosted ye?” YN: That’s the jackass. JL: Jesus, that sucks. Where is this shindig, maybe ye can sneak away early and come over.” YN: At the lake. I doubt I’ll make it over. Tell everyone I’m sorry. I should go in, ceremony is about to start. JL: Call me if ye need anything.
You put your phone on silent and took a deep breath, wishing that any one of your friends was here instead of you being alone. But no, you had to be stubborn, preferring to go stag rather than with an obvious pity date. Fuck you really were an idiot sometimes.
Fiddling with your dress the whole ceremony, you were aware of your ex’s eyes on you. You could have shot your friend Lisa for picking the damn thing out for you. Dresses were not your usual wardrobe choice, least of all flowy, romantic numbers with no backs.
“Show that prick what he’s missed out on.” she had cooed earlier that day as she finished your makeup.
That was the problem, you thought, as the day went through its stages. He had winked at you in a way that made your stomach churn. And your family had noticed, every comment being about you showing off for an ungrateful fuckstick you loathed. You would have been better off staying invisible.
At least Jack would have teased you about suddenly being a girl, before handing you a beer and leaving you alone.
Alone and wishing he was the one winking at you in some private joke, and then touching you, and then…
You shook your head, that kind of thinking would do no good. Jack was your friend, nothing more.
Two drinks into the reception your phone vibrated again.
JL: How’s it goin? YN: I may drink myself into oblivion, or hurl. Jury’s still out. JL: Tha’ bad? Is he givin ye grief? YN: NO, I mean he winked at me which was enough to make my skin crawl. My family is being a bit...wearying.
There was a tap on your shoulder as you read his reply, causing you to jump, dropping your phone. Your ex picked it up and you shoved it aside without finishing.
JL: I cannae blame him so much fer winkin at ye, tha dress is stunnin.
You never even saw Jack standing near you at the bar.
“Well you look sexy. If you were trying to rile me up you succeeded.”
“Fuck off, I didn’t wear it to impress you.”
“Could have fooled me, you know I always liked when you showed off those tits. Could have got one that showed off your ass too though.”
God, how had you never seen what a dirtbag he was until after it was all done between you.
“You always were crass. Besides what do you know about my ass? You didn’t touch me below the waist the entire time I knew you.”
You were oblivious to Jack choking on his beer just out of sight.
“Why do you have to be like that babe? We had a good time.”
“You had a good time, I just faked one. Every time.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Sweetheart, you aren’t exactly a prize specimen to be throwing away opportunities.”
“What opportunity would that be? To lay like an inflatable date while you get your rocks off? I’ll pass thanks.”
“I don’t see anyone else stepping up. Come on baby, let’s sneak away for few and you can re acquaint me with that talent tongue of yours.”
You were actually going to throw up.
“I’d rather drink battery acid.”
He took a step forward, reaching his hand toward you and you instinctively stepped back, colliding with a human wall.
“There ye are lass, yer cousin wouldna le me away tae find ye.”
Jack’s voice was somehow in your ear and you stiffened in shock as his body moved flush with your back, the knuckles of one hand gliding up and down your bare arm.
“Jack?” you managed to squeak as his lips brushed over your bare shoulder.
“Who’s yer friend?” his tone told you he knew exactly who you were talking to.
“Not my friend.” You smiled as Jack slid his other hand around your waist. “My ex.”
“Ohhhh, right mate, I shoul be thanking ye then.”
Your ex looked uncomfortable as the - superior-in-every-way - Jack grinned smugly.
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, if ye hadna let her get away, she never would ha ended up wi’ me. I ken a prize when I see one.”
You almost laughed at the angry look on your ex’s face, but any thought of him was quickly eradicated as Jack pressed his mouth to the tender spot below your ear.
“Come and dance wi’ me.” he murmured, tugging you toward the dance floor.
You left your ex without a second thought, following Jack to the centre of the floor and reveling in the feel of his arm around your waist as he pulled you close to him.
“Jack, what are you doing here?”
“I couldna in good conscience leave ye alone wi’ the wolves.”
“What about movie night?”
“Lisa an Harry needed some alone time. An there’s a wee chance she filled me in on the history here.”
“Oh God.” you went bright red.
“Dinna worry, she didna tell me anythin half as bad as wha I just heard.” his voice was tight.
“How much did you hear?”
“All of it, I was ri there. Ye never saw mah text about seein ye in tha dress did ye?”
“I think I got interrupted.”
“Tha ye did, and the bugger is still starin at ye.”
“Fuck him.”
“No mah type love.” Jack winked at you and heat pooled in your belly.
God he was gorgeous. And he was watching you, his blue eyes alight with mischief as you bit your bottom lip against the way he was making you feel.
“Tall, dark and arrogant not your type, Lowden?” you quipped with a laugh.
“Nah lass, curvy and spunky fer me.” he leaned closer, his breath hot against your ear. “Tha dress looks fucking fantastic on ye.”
You shivered as his voice deepened and rolled over you, fingers gliding across the bare skin of your back.
“I almost didn’t wear it, I feel so self-conscious.”
“Don’ be, half the men here can’t keep ther eyes off ye.”
That thought didn’t help, at all.
“Jack.” you whispered, your cheeks burning.
“Tha prick is chompin at the bit to get at ye, an he’s no gonna get close.”
“Thanks Jack, you’re a regular knight in shining armor.”
“Och no, no armor, tha shite chafes.” he laughed. “Yer welcome, wha are friends fer?”
Yeah, friends. That was the big issue wasn’t it? For a moment, as his lips had touched your skin, you had allowed yourself to hope, imagine. For a few minutes you swayed together, silently. You could feel your ex’s eyes boring into your back, making your skin crawl. You shivered and Jack’s hand on the small of your back drew you closer to his warmth.
“So wha happened wi’ tha lump?”
“The usual. He ghosted me after 9 months of dating, never spoke to him again until tonight.”
“Sounds li a real dreamboat.”
“I really know how to pick them.”
“Don’ do that.”
“Do what?”
“Make it sound li it’s yer fault. Man like tha is just rubbish.”
“Guess they all are then.”
“No all of us.”
Your eyes met his, caught in the intensity of his gaze.
“I swear if tha bastard doesna stop lookin at ye like tha I’m gonna deck ‘im one.”
“It’s not worth it Jack.”
“Sure woul make me feel better.” he muttered, his palm sliding up your back to press your body closer to him. His other hand moved your arm to drape around his neck, fingers dancing down your arm, then your side to rest on your rib cage.
You felt your breath catch as his cheek brushed against yours, his thumb rubbing back and forth over the top of your ribs.
“Woman like ye deserves tae be worshipped.” he whispered in your ear, a shiver running up your spine.
“Get off, Lowden,” you huffed. “Stop playing.”
“I’m no plain. If ye were mine I’d make sure ye were screamin mah name wi’ yer fingers pullin out me hair.”
The breath left your body in a whoosh of shock and heat.
“Tha woul just be the start, the whole neighbourhood woul know mah name by the time I was done wi’ ye.”
Your knees began to wobble as Jack’s mouth made contact with your earlobe, tongue darting out to trace the edge near your earring.
“Jack!” you hissed, feeling his smile against your ear. This was taking things too damn far. And not far enough. You were a ball of tension and want, your feelings fluttering all over the damn place.
“Dinnae fret lass, I’ll no embarrass ye in front of yer family. But I cannae guarantee tae keep mah hands off ye when we leave.”
“Jack, be serious, that’s not funny.”
“Do ye see me laughin, lass? I’m takin ye home tonight and ye’ll no be sleepin.”
“You’re pretty damn sure of yourself.”
“Yer cheeks are red, ye’re pantin in me ear and yer heart is poundin. I think we’ve danced around this long enough, don’t ye?”
What could you even say to that? To any of it? You had no idea how things had changed from his earlier playful behaviour. He’d been playing a part, hadn’t he?
“Yer over thinkin, luv. It’s no complicated.”
“Would you be saying any of this if I wasn’t wearing this dress?”
“Actually this whole weddin business put rather a crimp in me plans. I had intended tae have ye on the couch wi’ me as usual, Harry picked ou ‘The Notebook’ tae watch.”
“I hate that movie.”
“Aye, but it’s go that one scene ye know. I was gonna lean over an tell ye how much I wanted tae do that wi’ ye.”
“You’re kidding! Jesus Jack, have you never heard of asking someone out, like on a date?”
His flush told you that he hadn’t thought about doing that and you felt that hopeful flame in your heart sink. He was just like the rest of them, only after you for one thing.
“I’m not some piece of ass that you can tap into whenever you start to get horny.”
“No! Lass it’s no li tha.”
“Save it Jack. You’re just like every man I’ve ever been involved with. You treat me like a piece of meat. It’s ok to sleep with me, act all friendly, but I’m not good enough to be girlfriend material.”
Not wanting to cause a scene you had slid out of Jack’s arms and kept his hand in yours as you led him to the door. Once outside and alone though, you dropped all pretense.
“Go home Jack, forget all of this. You just got carried away with making that asshat jealous. We can talk tomorrow.”
“Please love, it’s no wha ye think, I swear tae ye.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” you said sternly, turning to walk back inside, your heart aching as you listened to him walk away.
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