#and being a mix of both whenever he’s around Nick in public

[clambucket]

I’ve come to admission that the gay agenda has a limit, natsby may be founded on the hard rock or the wet marshes, but after a certain point I don’t care what it’s founded on. When I came back to this narrative perspective I felt that it may be a fun and silly head canon that I still enjoy, but leaving the statement at “Nick was in love with Gatsby, and Gatsby loved him back” erases large parts of their characters, flaws, and foundations.

[kitkatscabinet]

If you’re still taking the quarry requests I have an idea for Ryan x reader where the two are secretly dating but don’t like it to be public since they’re don’t wanna be teased and are private people and there’s moments when they were almost caught and just brush it ofd but one day they got set up by the others which made them give up and announce that they finally caught them then run away before the others could say anything

This one is a little short sorry :(

Genre: fluff

Word count: 594

You had known Ryan for a few years now and had been dating for almost as long, which is how you found yourself working alongside him that Summer as a counsellor. Both of you were pretty private people by nature and neither of you was big on public displays of affection. You hadn’t even needed to have a full conversation about the prospect of keeping your relationship on the down-low and Ryan’s misconstrued status as a loner greatly helped to keep it secret.

It wasn’t that either of you were ashamed of the other you just didn’t feel the need to tell anyone. Besides, there was a childish part of you that enjoyed the sneaking around after experiencing a few close calls.

The first time someone caught you being a little too friendly was when Jacob caught you wrapped in an incredibly long and intimate hug, it was made worse by the fact you had abruptly jumped back at noticing Jacob’s presence. You had played it off as Ryan comforting you after a long day, people did at least know you had been friends for years, Jacob had accepted it easily enough but as time passed more and more incidents occurred. Abi would catch you leaning against his shoulder or vice versa, Nick had caught you kissing him on the forehead once and you had to pretend that was just a thing you did for all of your friends. Dylan upon finding out had jokingly asked for one and you’d ended up providing one, fully committed to the bit. Emma was the one that noticed the stares, Ryan loved to watch you interact with the children from afar to the point it had become glaringly obvious. Kaitlyn had even witnessed you napping together one afternoon, yet whenever anyone brought it up the both of you would confirm, just friends. After all no one had necessarily witnessed anything inherently romantic, all the witnessed actions were just as easily platonic, especially if the group thought you were as physically affectionate as you had continued to portray yourself.

What the pair of you didn’t know however, was that there was now a group on conspiring counsellors watching your every move. Somewhere along the way they had decided you would make a cute couple and had tried to set you up multiple times. You thought it was funny and played the oblivious fool pretty well if you said so yourself, meanwhile Ryan was mostly clueless not picking up on the subtle social your friends were displaying.

It had been two weeks of this however, and you had finally had enough asking Ryan if he was ok with people knowing you were surprised when he said he didn’t care anymore.

“You know I’ll take being able to kiss you whenever I want over secrecy” he had admitted. Surprising you greatly but it had mostly made you giddy. The fact that he would be willing to endure any possible ribbing or people prying into your relationship to be able to show you affection had you hiding your wide smile in embarrassment.

The next time Emma tried to push you two together you pulled Ryan into a kiss, ignoring the mix of astonished gasps and excited yells that filled the air. “Thanks for trying to set us up guys but we’ve actually been dating for years now” you cheekily said as you watched Nick’s jaw drop in astonishment. Before anyone else could comment your used their surprise against them and tugged Ryan off after you in a fit of giggles.

[thethreemages]

Do you care to share more about Niles being a vampire~?

Accck, my apologies for being so slow to this, buuuut here's some juicy Nile info for yall~!

In Terra, there are two types of vampires generally known to the public: naturally-born and "created" vampires (aka: humans that got bit/transformed by one through artificial means). Nile's parents were both naturally-born vampires, deciding to remain secretive in raising their family as to not disturb the nearby human community (only going down occasionally for important supplies around the house).

Back in the day, Nile lived with his parents, older sister and younger brothers. As his folks were of the pacifist kind, they did their best to instill in their children how to be good, honest vampires no matter what the public perception thought of them.

When Nile was about 10 years old, his family got attacked by human poachers (the kind that hunted after supernatural "monsters" in Terra, like vampires). Nile was able to escape within the nick of time... but the rest of his family sadly wasn't so lucky. The only things he was able to recover from his home were a pair of earrings and a gold neckpiece he still wears to this day, in remembrance of his family.

Following this period of wandering on his own, Nile was eventually found and taken in by the St. Aurelian temple (who were unaware of his vampiric nature, due his then-traumatized state preventing his true-features from coming out). For the first few months of staying there Nile was completely mute... until Meradyth defending him from some bullies prompted him to finally speak out in thanks (though its left him with a permanent "soft/raspy" tone of voice).

As he grew older and puberty set in, Nile had a... particularly hard time trying to balance his vampiric nature with wanting to learn the holy temple's teachings. For awhile he was able to sustain his natural thirsts with some nearby fruits and hunted animal blood... but one day he just couldn't take it anymore as he finally opened up to Meradyth of what he was (which she thankfully agreed to keep secret, and even offered her own blood to help satiate him whenever he needed it).

As an adult upon becoming accepted as a temple acolyte, Nile had to undergo a ceremony where he bathed himself in holy water. Having spent the last few months training his body to sustain the effects (as vampires have a natural weakness to such water)... he was finally able to complete the ceremony with relative ease. As a further-side effect, his natural Dark magic become partially "blessed" into half-Light magic from this (thus changing his official mage title to that of a "Night Mage" instead).

As Nile went on to become a teacher at Ravilda's, he kept his true nature a secret for at least the first couple years... only feeling comfortable enough to open to Headmaster Auran, Prof. Ramon and the Kodiak's at first. One night his urges became so strong that he broke loose from his "restraints" and bit the Headmaster... which made him feel all sorts of guilt despite his boss' reassuring that it was okay. Eventually he did go on to tell some of the other teachers the truth... though he has yet to tell those like Elyvia for how naturally judgmental she is of such "creatures".

Currently, Nile's diet has grown relatively "varied" to a mix of consuming regular food, blood (of which he's very particular about), and specialized red, pudgy fruits that produce a thick blood-like juice to act as a "substitute" for his vampiric cravings. To the average human, these fruits taste pretty bitter... but to him, they taste more like a rich, decadent flavor (almost akin to chocolate).

In terms of what his "true" vampire form looks like, it tends to vary on some nights between him still looking relatively human (but with glowing red eyes/pointed ears), to a more "beastly"-like form with him having bat wing protrusions and talon claws. His mindset becomes like that of a prowling predator... speechless yet unpredictable in his thirst for "prey".

[marvelous-maximilian]

[AO3]

Tony not-so-subtly wrinkles his nose, and Howard can’t help but empathize. He, too, is beginning to lose his patience, and would quite literally do anything to get out of this conversation as quickly as possible. Their audience, however— a senator who knows just enough about rocket science to bullshit his way into looking like he knows what he’s talking about— isn’t really giving the Starks an opening to hightail it out of the interaction. 

Obadiah had been getting on Howard’s case, recently, for rather understandable reasons. He was the CEO of a multi-million dollar company, whose wife had recently died, and he had vanished from the public eye for months. The longer he stayed in isolation, the more people wanted a story, and many have already begun to weave conspiracy theories and outright slander. After a certain amount of months, the story that he was busy ‘grieving’ seemed too flimsy to the public, apparently. The board was getting restless, a point Obadiah kept making, and so Howard had no choice but to accept an invitation to a charity event. One that Maria would typically be the one to attend.

Of course, many had expected Howard to come alone, like he usually did when he went out to make connections. Instead, he had taken a leaf from his late wife’s book and brought along Tony, and went even further to bring along Peggy and an agent of hers by the name of Nick Fury. He can’t understand why people would be surprised by this. There’s no way in hell he’s letting his son out of his sight, not even for a single night. Besides, Tony was always seen at charity events alongside his mother. Howard may not be Maria, but he was still Tony’s parent, and there was nothing wrong with keeping this unofficial tradition of attending charities together alive.

Unfortunately, not everyone seemed to agree with that line of reasoning. While a good half of the attendees were charmed with Antonio, having met him before on many occasions and were quite used to his quick wit and abundant intelligence, the other half that Howard was more familiar with were... Condescending at best. At worst, they were downright insulting.

The amount of times the Starks had to endure blatantly false accusations of Howard buying Tony’s way through his schooling, from both business rivals and supposed partners, was enough to really get their blood boiling. Many were too caught up in their own egos to catch Tony’s displays of higher knowledge. Some even laughed and called him ‘cute’ when he attempted to open a discussion on artificial intelligence.

(Howard can already tell that Tony is going to take those personal insults and use it to fuel his ambitions. He doesn’t know where, exactly, his son got it into his head to pave the way for real, fully-functional artificial intelligence, but from the few comments the boy had made, Howard had no doubts that he will succeed. When Tony was focused, practically nothing could shake him out of it until he was finished with the job.)

This senator in particular seemed to be among the variety who wasn’t attempting to be insulting, but certainly came off that way. He spoke like he was the smartest man in the room— which, considering the amount of scientists in the room, he most definitely was not. He had continuously brushed away every attempt at conversation Tony made with a shake of the head, pointing a look towards Howard in a ‘kids these days, they think they know everything’ sort of expression.

As if Howard would agree. Christ, it really had him grinding his teeth.

Things really came to a head when the senator ruffled Tony’s hair. 

Let it be known that Antonio Edward Stark did not like being touched by people unless they were either family, or had explicit permission to do so. He didn’t like hugs from strangers, he didn’t like it when old ladies pinched his cheeks, and he very much did not like having his hair tousled by grown know-it-alls who can’t help talking down to people who are smarter than them.

“You should carry a plant around,” Tony said, fluttering his eyelashes in that all-too-innocent way he does before he says something that’s bound to make Howard lose his marbles. Big eyes paired with his now mildly messy hair, he looked like the picture of sweetness. 

As a businessman, Howard should probably make some attempt at stopping his son from insulting any of the other guests, regardless of how absolutely infuriating they are. Especially when they’re someone in such a high position of power. As a father, he’s rather looking forward to whatever his kid has to say, regardless of the many scrutinizing eyes on them.

Fatherhood wins out, so he stays quiet, letting the senator dig his grave as the man leans down and starts to talk like the patronizing imbecile he is.

“And why is that, young man?”

“To replace the oxygen you waste whenever you talk,” Tony replies, grinning back sharply. Beside Howard, Peggy chokes on a sip of apple cider, and starts coughing.

Around them, the noise of the other guests decrease in volume, many having overheard. The coughs seem to echo a bit in the silence, so Fury guides Peggy away from the center of attention, blending into the crowd, but keeping an eye on the Starks. Neither agents want to end up with their faces plastered in the tabloids, but they still have a job to do.

The click of a camera goes off.

“Tony,” Howard scolds, putting on the act of a disappointed father. “I’m so sorry for my son’s behavior, if you could excuse me for a moment—”

He picks Tony up and into his arms, then walks away, not bothering to wait around for Senator What's-his-name’s remarks. As soon as they’re far enough, out of earshot and away from the majority of the eyes that had witnessed the interaction, Howard leans towards his son’s ear.

“Do you have any idea,” he whispers, “Any idea, how difficult it was not to laugh?”

Tony giggles, and buries his face into his dad’s shoulder, body shaking in a way that, to those peering from the outside, made it look as though he were crying.

“Seriously. Fantastic performance, Tony,” he continues to whisper. “You’d do pretty good as an actor. I think you deserve a reward.”

“Make it something that looks like you’re trying to shut me up,” Tony suggests, mumbling into Howard’s coat.

“Great idea. Let’s go get you some juice, yeah? You’re probably thirsty, I bet.”

“Orange juice?”

“I don’t see any spread out, but I’ll ask one of the staff.”

They don’t have orange juice, but they do have banana milkshakes, for whatever reason, and although that isn’t what Tony was hoping for, he takes it anyways. A flute of champagne is also offered to Howard, which the man isn’t too happy about, but he still accepts it with a smile. It’s not like he has to drink any of it, right? 

Tony seems to have the same idea, because after a small sip of his milkshake, he clearly decides that he hates it. The boy doesn’t show it in his expression, but the carefully blank mask is just as much of a tell as scrunching up his face would be. 

“Don’t like bananas?”

“I do,” Tony assures, slightly turning his nose away from his glass. “I don’t think I like it mixed with milk though.”

Howard chuckles and pats his son’s head.

“You don’t have to drink it, then. C’mon, let’s go get Peggy and leave. We’ve been here long enough, and I’m sure we’ve got some orange juice at home.”

After abandoning the milkshake and champagne, they find Peggy and the younger agent, Nick, not too far, the two having been watching the Starks from the crowd. The journey home is not necessarily long— not even a full hour away, in fact— but it’s long enough that Tony ends up falling to sleep against his father’s side in the car. It’s not the first time Tony’s fallen asleep beside Howard, but the novelty of it never seems to wear off whenever it happens.

When they roll up into the driveway, rather than waking his son, Howard lifts him up and carries him towards his room, walking past SHIELD agents who aren’t all that great at pretending they’re not completely amused by how adorable a sight the father and son duo make. Or maybe they just think Tony is adorable, which would make sense considering they’re all wrapped around the kid’s finger.

Halfway towards the bedroom, Tony blinks himself awake, grumpily squinting up at his father. Howard gives him a fond smile, about to tell him to go back to sleep, when things suddenly go to shit.

Tony’s face twists up in pain, and he starts crying.

“Antonio?!”

Immediately, Howard kneels down and sets Tony onto the ground, and SHIELD agents begin to crowd in.

“Papá,” Tony groans, wrapping his arms around his stomach. “Papá, fa male.”

“Maybe it’s food poisoning,” one of the SHIELD agents suggests, which makes the universe decide to prove them wrong, evidently, because that’s the exact moment Tony turns on his side and starts vomiting blood. 

Howard freezes up, breath stuttering to a stop. He sees Maria and Tony’s faces side by side, and it’s like his world is crumbling around him. He doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t know if he can do anything, and the panic taking over him is drowning out the voices and chaos.

“Out of the way!”

Peggy pushes past the SHIELD agents, clapping a hand on Howard’s shoulder, forcefully turning him to look at her.

“Howard, pick him up. We’ve got to go.”

“What?”

“The hospital,” Peggy explains. “Pick him up, we’re getting back in the car and driving to the hospital. Now.”

Her instructions bulldozes through his panic and has him spurned to action. Not even a minute later, they’re speeding towards the nearest hospital.

[razorblade180]

OC test:Speech!

[everyone shall be put in front of crowd and say something. Think of it like rallying troops, orientation, declaring war, whatever. The crowd is 500 strong.]

All the characters stand on a stage, overlooking the wave of people. Jacquelyn stands behind a podium with a microphone while everyone waits their turn.

Jacquelyn:Ummmm, sup? Not much for speeches so I’ll keep this brief. I don’t know what problems you all have, your background, or where you’re heading. What I do know is I’m down to listen to all of it. A traveler loves a good story, so make it your best.

The crowd of people seem a bit caught off gaurd, yet enlightened. They lightly clap and nod as she bows before letting Sienna take the spotlight.

Jacquelyn:Good luck!

Sienna:(How the hell do I follow that up!?)

Sienna:*clears throat* Yo, my name is Sienna Frost. The lovely lady before me was my mother if anyone was wondering. I might have two sets of ears but I assure you, story time isn’t my favorite thing. You wanna show me who you are, then do it instead. As far as mine goes, don’t worry where I’ve been. Just watch where I’m headed. I just might surprise you.

She held up a peace sign and made her exit, leaving the crowd with nothing to say. It would’ve felt like going against her words. Jael came up next. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. The girl chose to back away then began to float up to draw everyone’s direction.

Jael:Remember, on the ground or in the air, look up to me.

That’s all she said before leaving. All the characters were absolutely stunned. Even Carmine. She was sure she’d be the only one to say something wild. Yujin awkwardly walked up next. People immediately started to smile and seem pleasantly surprised.

Yujin:By the looks of some of you, I take it you see my mother’s face in me? That’s fine, it’ll make this easier. Yujin Xiao Long, the girl that’ll be in future text books. Until then, watch me do my thang!

She gave the crowd a prideful smile and a fist bump into the air to hype them up. The crowd did it back and cheered. Tenzen used that energy and added it to his own charisma, choosing to stand on the podium.

Tenzen:Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about. Those with heart of fire and wild dreams, stick around! We’ll have the time of our lives! Never stop doing what you want!

The crowd got even more hyped as him and Yujin high fived before running off stage into the crowd itself. Everybody was given a high five and watched both leave as they laughed. Nick was next to go up. To get their attention, Nick made a glyph in the sky that made it snow. A quick change in the crowds attitude was immediately noticed as they stared at the dignified young man show his usual charming smile and kind eyes that made the women blush and most of the men jealous.

Nick:Good evening, I’m glad to see everyone so lively. As heir to a company you would think I’d be good a speeches. To be honest, I’m panicking inside right now. I made it snow, who just does that!?

The question got the crowd to laugh a little. Jealous faces unknowingly got a little softer.

Nick:Anyways, I just wanna tell everyone here that no matter the situation, lean on me. If not, then those you care about and have better spending habits. Hehe, I think I’ve said enough. Thanks and I hope you all have a good time listening to everyone else.

Crowd:(He’s so polite...)

Snowflakes crew:(There he goes, charming the masses like usual.)

Summer walked up next. Much like her twin brother, a glyph formed in her hand that quickly mixed with fire dust in her clothing. The warm of brace of embers flew out of it like a flicker camp fire that was drawn toward the snow. The gentle blend of fire and iced danced in air around the crowd, leaving them amazed. Summer was no stranger to a crowd or a stage. This might be her easiest test yet. The girl sung a simple word that enchanted everyone like a siren spell. “Mirror~”

Summer:I hope you all enjoyed that little tease. I typically like to warm my voice before addressing an audience so I though of that on the fly. Anyways-

The crowd interrupted her with applause. She hadn’t even spoken what was on her mind and they were hooked! Summer chose to accept it and made her way off the stage. It was even easier than she thought. She turned to Veronica and stuck her tongue out. The faunus responsed by flipping her off and walking away.

Eliza:You’re not making a speech?

Veronica:No, I hate people and do this sort of thing too much. I’m goons go draw or some shit. (Summer can’t say she had a better speech if I never do one.)

Valerie:Wait, this is optional? Guess I’ll leave too.

Eliza:At least day a sentence you two!

Both girls rolled their eyes and walked up together.

Veronica:Sometimes being the change you want and the change the world needs are two different things entirely; acknowledge way and take the step forward, not backwards.

Valerie:A jack of all trades is an ace to no one. Not that it’s a bad thing. Just find the other playing card.

The girls waved to the crowd and went off. Valerie started thinking, which card was she? Nick clapped for the two of them like he always does. Eliza took the opportunity to step forward. A snap of her fingers negated all the semblances still at play. Eliza took a running start to hop off the stage and land with a mighty thump that started a wave of sprouting flowers. This was beginning to be more of a talent show then a public speaking test. What was once winter had turned into spring!

Eliza:Sorry, but I think being eye level and warm with you all is far more appealing. I doubt many of you have heard of the a Marigolds but that’s fine. All you have to know is I’m the one who will elevate their status. Playing nice with others isn’t my strongest quality but fairness is. If by any miracle fate comes to join us together for a purpose, I promise I’ll stand by to the very end and pull out all the stops. I simply ask to put in all the effort you can as well.

A gust of wind came by and swept petals into the air as Eliza did a curtsy. As far as theatrics go, it was show, but more than that. It was the truth. A fair and honest truth. Like a gentle breeze on a spring day. Sparrow stood up to go next.

Sparrow:I....do not care about outcomes.

Crowd:.....What?

OCs:Yeah, what?

Sparrow:Good, bad, surprising, or boring; those concepts don’t apply whenever I’m sailing across the seas with passengers and crew mates. Everything that happens is apart of epic journey. Now I’m not gonna stand here and act like I’m anything special, because I’m not. All the same I am a captain and a damn good one at that. For those who passing through life with ambition in their hearts and freedom through their veins, sail with me. You might just be surprised. Thank you for your time.

The ex-military man put on his captain’s hat and walked away, never looking back at the crowds faces. All he heard were the footsteps of those who dared to follow him. The allure of his words reached some of the young men and women. 500 became 450. Kovu felt nervous, but a bit more confident as he went up to go next. All the women, children, sons and daughters, he looked at them in a different light because of Sparrow.

Kovu:Before Sparrow went up here I had the idea of talking about my family and how they motivate me to do my best. While that is true, now I can’t help but sing a different tune. This isn’t my first time with a microphone in front of my face and it probably won’t be the last. It’s what happens when you’re a Belladonna and your other mom is a top rate huntress. Still, it doesn’t feel real that I should get a microphone and a podium because of that; I’m just a regular guy. Being down there feels more comfortable to me than being up here ever will. Average strength, intelligence, normal qualities, but I guess that last one is debatable.

Carmine:Yeah, you dork!

The crowd and Kovu chuckled at the call out. Carmine didn’t know people too well, but she knew Kovu well enough to know when he’s being hard on himself. She spoke up more for his benefit than anybody else.

Kovu:The point is I’m stunned that despite me just being some normal person, I’m very thankful for the fact that you all stand before me to listen. That’s what motivates me most. Thanks, I’ll keep doing my best.

The crowd happily applauded for him. No fancy tricks or even something to leave the biggest impression. Just a boy who made a speech. On a stage full of giants in their own right, having Kovu being so relatable was a breath of fresh air in its own way. Carmine gave him a thumbs up and finally stepped forward. She ignored the podium entirely, choosing to project her voice to all who looked. The commanding yet calm presence she gave off was already at play.

Carmine: Once upon a time my mother Ruby Rose saved the world. She did it with strength, intelligence, and kindness above all. Her dream to protect others fueled her keep striving towards a happy ending. That same compassion wasn’t paid forward unfortunately and my mother suffered a loss some time later that nearly broke her. My mother wasn’t a very religious person until that incident from what people tell me, but it helped give her peace of my. Everyday she prayed to her god for the strength to press and breathe new life into her symbolically. Until one day it became literal. She asked her god for strength and he gave her me. I’m hopes and dreams given flesh. Not just hers, but I’m yours too. *points to the crowd* To all of you good people wanting peace and needing a defender of your normal life, pick whatever god you worship and thank him for me. To those who decide to rot the world they live in with hate and malice, choose a god and make your peace when you meet me. My name is Carmine Arc Rose, the greatest huntress, no, the greatest huntsman in general to ever walk Remnant. I’ll move forward first to keep you all safe. See you at the finish line, eventually.

Her body faded away into rose petals that were carried into the wind. She was never there to begin with. Carmine had more important things to do. The crowd once again fell silent as the petals kept scattering. All the other testers were at a loss for words themselves, except Kovu.

Kovu:Oh boy, as blunt as ever. To think she’d declare her standing among them like that? She might’ve just told them out right how far away they are compared to her.

Yujin:That was badass!

Sienna:More like cocky. She said she’s the greatest huntsman ever. What does that make her mom?

Kovu:The greatest hero. There’s a difference between the two in Carmine’s eyes. Try not to bring it up though. It’s a can of worms she won’t answer. Ruby is no doubt a Great huntsman but....Carmine has feelings about that title.

A petal gently fell into his hand before taking flight again. Aero still silently resting in the question tree with Carmine sleeping under it. Her little brother fast asleep in her lap. An exceptional huntsman yes, but an even better big sister.

[sea-side-scribbles]

Fanfiction: Sympathy For A Downer

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22737214/chapters/74036610

Chapter 54

Nick was sorry for leaving Arthur, but he was also glad to go out at nighttime, so nobody would see him walk around - and if his band and Virgil were still asleep, they wouldn’t notice that he was gone. 

Anyway, when he left the hatch, he found that all his hopes had been in vain. 

Tonight of all nights, the street was crowded with Bobbies. He wondered if it was because of the gig, because his fans went rampage after it. 

Hiding in an alley, he warily eyed the tall men patrolling. They were usually nice, he thought, but now he had a bad feeling and he didn’t know why. 

He sneaked along the alley, finding that even his breath was too loud. When he turned the corner, a Bobby was promptly also turning the corner from the other side, and both of them stared at each other for a moment.

“Mr. Lightbearer“, the taller man shouted and fastened his steps. “Wait!“

He alerted even more Bobbies that were near.

“Mr. Lightbearer!“, Nick now heard from everywhere, alongside with he pattering of footsteps into his direction. 

He panicked and ran. It was horrible. Whenever he ran along a narrow street, there were at least two directions the Bobbies could come from. And when he considered the options why they probably chased him, he felt even worse. Cowering in a dark entrance of a shop, he watched the Constables gather at a crossing nearby. He prayed for them to walk in the other direction, but they came closer. Pressing himself against the wall, his head was spinning.

Should he run? Stay and hope for the best?

He was paralyzed when a Bobby paused to look around, close to his hiding spot. Then he made an uncertain movement and the taller man noticed it and started to walk right towards his direction. Nick broke into sweat. 

He could stay, greet him as always, and casually ask what the matter was.

Or, he considered eyeing the truncheon on the man’s belt, he could skip being nice and run for his life. At the last possible moment, he started to run, as fast as he could, rounding another block that he knew because there hat once been a dealer. His trash bin was his only hope. Quickly, he crawled into it and listened to the footsteps coming closer again.

Why did Kitty talk?, he asked himself. She got everything she wanted! The ring didn’t have a diamond, but who cares? It was a personal item, worth a fortune if she sold it to fans! 

After a few minutes, he noticed to his relief that the Constables didn’t expect him to be in a trash bin and went away. Nick oriented himself and left his hideout to very carefully sneak home.

He was completely out of breath when he arrived at home. After entering through his backdoor and stumbling through the kitchen, he unwillingly looked for the others. He was here to say he was okay, after all. 

And if they jumped at him and called him a murderer, that was the risk he had to take. 

He received stares when he came into the living room. A bit embarrassed, he stopped in the doorframe and mumbled a “Hi guys…I’m back…“

He was ready to run if he needed to.

The first one who got up was Virgil. Nick saw that his face was pale and his eyes were red. He immediately felt sorry for him. 

“Nick! Oh, I’m so glad you’re back! Are you okay?“

He walked over to him and Nick was happy to fall into his arms, relieved that his manager didn’t think bad of him. Virgil hugged him tighter than usual, his hands moved along his back, probably searching for bruises.

“I’m okay…“, Nick said quietly. “I’m on Joy again…How are you?“

“Well, we were worried. You’ve been talking about blackmail. Is that true?“

He shoved Nick away a little to look him into his wide innocent looking eyes.

“Yes“, Nick said. „It’s such a mess.“

“What happened?“

Nick sighed because he had to explain it all for a second time. He sat down with Virgil and the band and told them how he got into the mess with Kitty and her murdered husband.

“I have no idea what really happened“, he concluded. “Perhaps I didn’t even see it. Could’ve been anyone…“

There was silence for a while. Nick could almost hear them rack their brains.

“She can’t make you a murderer that easily“, Virgil started thinking out loud. “We could still charge her instead.“

“Oh, please, Virgil, no publicity! You know there’s still a lot of people who would believe her. And what’s the point of winning in court if nobody buys my records anymore?“

“And what if we make her forget?“, Brad suggested. 

“How do you plan to get so close to her?“ Nick didn’t want them to get involved into Arthur’s plan.

Brad shrugged. “We could pay her a visit, say we want to congratulate her for becoming Mrs. Lightbearer…and we present her some Oblivion-mixed tea.“

“What if she’s making us tea from it?“, Chris wanted to know.

“We won’t stay for long…we’ll have to go, you now, writing songs…“

“And what if she’s having a tea party with all her friends the next day and they all get insane?“, Morrie asked.

“Who would know?“, Brad shrugged again. Chris had to chuckle at that.

“Probably their husbands?“

“I don’t know…it’s very risky…If they link this to us somehow…it would only make it worse“, Nick mused.

“We need to make sure she’s the only one taking it“, Morrie went on.

“How? By grabbing her and pushing it down her throat?“, Matt felt uncomfortable about it.

They pondered.

“Well, she’s also not very fair…“, Brad considered it.

“She could’ve done it herself“, Morrie said, dropping everyone’s mood some more.

Nick defended her again. “No, I don’t think it was her. She couldn’t do it….She’s a bit crazy but not violent.“

“So, what else could we give her?“, Brad went back to planning.

“Maybe you shouldn’t risk your own reputation like this“, Nick said. “I should do it.“

“Oh, come on, if you set one foot out of your house, every paparazzi around would stick to your heels! But us? Nobody recognizes us on the street! We can do it!“

Everyone nodded and Nick gave them a doubtful look.

“The only other option is that you marry her“, Chris pointed out.

“I could drug her after she moved in an nobody would know“.

“But then you need a divorce.“

“Should be easier when she doesn’t know what’s going on.“

Morrie stepped in: “Don’t give in to her game, she could drug you too! We don’t know what she’s capable of!“

“She’s just a nice girl that fell in love with the wrong guy! She’s not a killer!“

“So, you’ll marry her?“, Morrie asked with a horrified expression.

Nick shrank a little. “I don’t have to do it soon“, he said quietly. “She could forget it all by herself.“

“No way! That girl will never forget you! Especially not when she sees you in the press almost every day or hears your records everywhere!“, Morrie urged him.

Virgil, who had listened all the time, spoke up again: “If you plan to drug her, I’ll cover you. I’ll tell everyone you weren’t there if they ask me. I don’t want to lose you to a maniac fan.“

“See, with Virgil at our side, what could go wrong?“, Chris tried to comfort Nick.

“Maybe you’re right…“, he said quietly, avoiding their looks. “Thanks for caring“, he still added even quieter.

Somehow, he managed to get out of the room, with the excuse that he was tired. It wasn’t even wrong. He dragged himself along the stairs and stopped in front of his door. Listening to the silence, he soon heard other footsteps approaching, that were certainly Morrie’s. He expected his lover to come and have some more words with him. Nick just looked forward to cuddle with him again after all the talking.

Morrie appeared at the corridor and saw his lover waiting for him. Nick was surprised that Morrie pulled him into a hug. 

“What are you doing?“, Morrie whispered. “What are you doing to yourself…to me…?“

When they had shut the door behind them, he went on: “Do you still plan to marry her?“

He sounded more afraid than anything else.

Nick cupped his face with his hands. “I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me. Your career is just starting and there’s so much that could go wrong. I caused this mess and I should get rid of it myself.“

“But there’s no other way!“, Morrie urged him. “I don’t want her to get you! I don’t want her to put her hands on you again! Don’t do this to me, Norrie!“

“Alright…“, Nick fought with himself. “But I won’t let you go until your plan is absolutely perfect! We still have time to think this through. I’m engaged - so what? That doesn’t mean anything, I could still break up with her.“

“No, you can’t! She’ll sue you!“

Nick fell silent. Morrie too, and they hugged again.

“You scared me, you know?“, Morrie whispered, “You’re such a good actor, you really looked like she means the world to you.“

“Oh, god, Morrie, I was so afraid she’ll notice that I don’t want her at all…“

“Don’t do that again“, Morrie pleaded.

“I won’t, I promise.“ Nick kissed his cheek and ruffled his hair.

“Do you? Since you’re such a good actor, you could lie to me and I wouldn’t know…“

“But, Morrie, no…“ Nick looked him into the eyes. “I can’t lie to you. You’re too smart for me.“

Morrie closed his eyes and turned away.

“Then tell me what’s wrong“, he begged. “I feel that something’s off! I don’t want to be so blunt! I want to trust you! But you don’t tell me anything! You’re putting yourself in danger and all I can do is watch!“

“I’m sorry.“ Nick was nervous. “But…I wasn’t keen on telling you that I’m the suspect in a murder case!“

“Because you were afraid I’ll believe it? Because you don’t trust me?“

“I trust you, Morrie…But it wasn’t quite a nice story to tell…“

“That’s what I mean!“, Morrie blurted out. “It’s not a matter of trust if you tell me just the good things! You should tell me your problems too! We should be a team!“

“I’m sorry.“

Morrie hung his head.

“I know I can’t make you trust me. I understand. I just don’t know if I have the strength…“ his voice began to shiver. “I’m tired. I should go to bed,“ he added rather stiffly and moved to leave the room. 

Nick was quickly behind him.

“Please stay! I do trust you! Don’t leave me!“

“Then tell me what’s going on.“ Morrie’s eyes searched his. “What’s happening?“

„It’s going to be alright, my love“, Nick said, putting all his hopes and dreams into these words. “We’ll find a way out of this. She won’t get me…“

“Is there more?“

“No…we’ll become rich and famous, and then I’ll marry you.“

Morrie froze and silenced. Nick used the moment to pull him into a kiss, but before their lips met, the other man turned away and escaped his grab.

“Morrie?“, now Nick was pleading.

“I don’t want to be like this, but where have you been?“

Nick had expected that question to come at him eventually. “I ran back to Kitty….I tried to argue with her, make her stop…Well, surprise, it didn’t work.“

“You tried everything, didn’t you?“ Morrie sounded sarcastic.

“What do you mean?“, Nick shyly responded.

Morrie sighed deeply. “You had sex tonight. I can smell it.“

Nick fell quiet, wondering how the hell he smelled that.

“I can’t smell her perfume“, Morrie whispered, eyeing Nick, who shrugged helplessly.

“Perhaps she did wash it off? She was already in bed…“ Nick wiped his neck, thinking. “Look, I was out of my mind and I can’t remember much…“

Morrie didn’t move. Nick closed the distance between them and lay his arms around his lover’s shoulder. Their hearts were beating against each other when he said: “Look at me…look and me and tell me I don’t love you.“

Morrie’s brown eyes searched him. Nick stood completely still, afraid of making any wrong move.

Suddenly, Morrie’s finger stroked his cheek.

“You can always make me feel like you need me“, he whispered.

“I do need you“, Nick insisted. “I do…“

„For what?“

Nick was confused for a second.

“For life?“, he answered. „Trust me, I will marry you…if you still want me…“

Morrie’s hand remained on his cheek. “I guess I won’t be bored with you.“

Nick tried a smile, not knowing if his lover was joking or complaining.

Morrie stayed and Nick did his best to make him not regret it.

The next day came and Arthur prepared his mission as good as he could. He sneaked around the music shop to find out when it would supposedly close and Kitty would go home, and then he looked up her house for a good spot to get in. Luckily, it had a backyard with a second entrance that he could pick without being seen. Behind that he assumed a Downer detector. 

Well, it helped to be a bit jolly while drugging other people against their will…

Not that he felt sorry for her. He rather despised her for making his lover suffer. And after all, Wellies loved to forget, didn’t they? She’ll live happily ever after, not knowing she even had a husband. 

At night, Arthur put his plan into action. He shortly stopped by the shop to see if it was really abandoned. Could be that she was still at work for some reason. But all was well. At her home, all her windows were shrouded in darkness, so he assumed she was asleep. He picked the lock first before he took the Joy and entered her kitchen. It was silent, only the clock at the wall next to the dining table was quietly ticking. The carpet dampened his footsteps. 

Normally, he would look around for food or other useful things, but this time he only wanted to get this over with. He had a syringe prepared. Oblivion was a pill, but in his hatch he had managed to grind it into a powder that he mixed with water, so that he could let it drop into her mouth she’d swallow it. Theoretically, it should work. He had more pills with him, just in case he needed another option. He quickly ascended the stairs and looked into every room that was open, just in case she was not in her bed yet. Also, because he had no idea where her bedroom was. He saw photos of Richard Bates in neat frames at the wall and felt watched. 

But Richard wouldn’t mind, right? He wouldn’t want her to marry someone else anyway.

When Arthur reached the third floor it was still very quiet, and when he found the empty bed, he thought he should’ve known that something was wrong. He looked around in the room, but she was nowhere to be found. Why would she hide anyway? She also didn’t jump out of any corner to attack him when he rummaged the other floors again. 

Entering the backyard, he felt nervous. 

Did she have to visit a friend just tonight of all nights? 

He also felt unsure about what to do. Simply because he didn’t want to leave empty handed, he went back to the shop. All lights were still off, but he considered she could be working in a storage room that had no windows. 

The shop had a backdoor, too and after picking it, he found himself in a storage room that was full of shelves and boxes. Nobody was there. 

Arthur by now ignored that Kitty needed to be asleep for his plan to work, all he wanted was to find her. 

The next door opened into a larger room. The counter was right in front of him and something large lay on it. With a bad feeling in his stomach, he stepped closer. Seconds later he regretted it.

It was Kitty, or better, what was left of her. She was covered in blood, certainly her own, because her stomach was open and her insides spilled out. It looked like someone had angrily hacked into her and pulled everything out he could grab. Arthur wasn’t an expert though. It was only his very first impression before he hastily left the shop again out of the backdoor and didn’t stop his escape until he was back in his hatch. 

The news that Kitty was gone on holiday spread rapidly around town. It reached Nick when he was  shaken awake by Morrie who seemed to be out of breath.

“Kitty Bates is dead“, he rasped instead of wishing him a good morning.

Nick, still half asleep and very slow on the uptake, mumbled “What?“

“Kitty Bates“, Morrie explained slower, "…She’s dead.“ 

He fell quiet, as if he just now realized the gravity of his news.

Nick eyed him, slowly processing his words. His stomach seemed to understand them first. He gulped. “Really? Are you sure?“

Morrie silently handed him the newspaper he had been holding all the time. Nick’s gaze fell on a photo of a cheerfully smiling Kitty, surrounded by a colorful frame of hearts.

Gone On Holiday, said the headline, and now Nick’s brain began to understand, the way it started to spin.

“But…how…what…“ Nick stared at Morrie and Morrie eyed back. Nick saw that his lover was looking at him rather warily, but his own look wasn’t any less concerned.

“You didn’t…?“

“Hell, no!“, Morrie blurted out. “We didn’t go near her.“

Nick stared back at the photo, terrified by his own thoughts. 

“Norrie“, his lover said quieter, still concerned. “You said you only argued with her. Is that true?“

Nick heard how uncomfortable he felt asking this kind of question, but he was still upset.

“You think I did this?“, he shouted.

“I don’t think you would hurt anyone on purpose, but…do you know something? You were so calm yesterday, just as if you wouldn’t mind marrying her anymore. Perhaps there was another reason.“ Morrie didn’t look at him anymore. He spoke to the wall, that wasn’t staring daggers at him like Nick was.

“I was calm because you were helping me!“, he shouted. “All of you had a plan and I thought it’s going to be okay! And now this…What the hell do you think of me?“

Nick was on the edge of tears. Regret burned in his chest. He blamed himself and didn’t really know what for. For trusting a Downer? That he didn’t see through the beautiful eyes of that sweetheart to find the rotten core inside?

“Norrie…“, his lover’s voice was shaking too. “What if you saw it? I’m just trying to help.“

“How is that helping me?“ Nick slapped Morrie’s hands away. “You could’ve done it yourself! You’re  getting the most out of this! Now the problem is solved and she’ll never touch me again!“

Now Morrie was upset. “Does that mean I need you more than you need me?“

“For fuck’s sake, Morrie, that’s not the point! We’re both suspicious! But I’d never suspect you!“

“Really? You suspected me right after looking at the announcement!“

“No, I thought it was Oblivion that killed her! Is that possible?“, Nick asked, full of hope. “Can Oblivion accidentally kill?“

Morrie shook his head. His expression was pitiful again. “Not the way she died.“

Nick looked back at the newspaper.

“It’s not in the article, but people talk about it. Virgil got the information out of Hunt. She died just like her husband, completely dismembered.“

Nick pressed his eyes shut. “God, that’s awful.“

“Norrie, if you remember anything“, Morrie urged him again.

“Stop it, Morrie, I’m not a killer!“

Nick turned away from him and left the bed.

“Where are you going?“ Morrie sounded like he was about to panic. Nick didn’t answer while stomping down the stairs.

“Norrie!“, the call echoed through the corridor.

Nick stopped at his front door to take another look at his lover.

“I’m going to see my therapist!“, he shouted.

“What? Now?“ Morrie helplessly stumbled.

“Yes! Now! With all this shit going on, I need treatment! Either that or my entire stash of drugs! What would you prefer?“

Morrie opened his mouth but had no words. Nick slammed the door shut in his face with a simple: "Bye!“

He had never reached the tunnel suite in such a short amount of time before. He could’ve been more afraid, thinking about how Kitty and Richard died. He would probably stand no chance in a fight. But his anger blurred his mind, his disappointment and regret. 

Because his suite was empty, he hammered against the door to Arthur’s hideout. It was locked, what looked like a confession to him.

“Come out, you coward! Look at me and tell me what you did!“, he yelled.

“Who’s there?“, Arthur’s shy voice sounded though the door.

”You know very well who I am!“

“Nick?“

“Open the door!“, Nick shouted and hammered some more.

“I won’t let you in unless you calm down!“

“Afraid of looking at me, are you? Is it so hard to use your weapons on someone who’s not asleep?“

“If you think that I’m nothing but a rotten killer, I’ll never open that door for you again!“

Arthur’s words broke through Nick’s anger. Reconsidering what just had happened, the feeling of regret became even stronger.

“Arthur, just tell me you didn’t do it!“ His voice was a mere whimper.

“You really think it was me…“

“I’m not thinking anything! I was out of my mind! Please, come out!“

“What will you do to me?“

“Nothing, I swear! I’m unarmed! I wouldn’t have a chance against you! Please, come out!“

He heard Arthur unlock the door and a moment later, the tall man stepped out, his expression was a mixture of disgust and disappointment. And sadness.

He remained stiff when Nick fell into his arms.

“I’m so sorry!“

Arthur pushed him away.

“What did you want to do with me?“

“Nothing, I just wanted to talk!“

“Some way of talking! You had the accusation already finished! You had no doubts it was me!“

“Please, you needed only one word to convince me I was wrong!“

“Well, what a lucky bastard I am! One wrong word and I’d be pushing up daisies!“

“No, I could never hurt you! Except…with words I guess….“ He sobbed. “I’m so sorry…I promise I won’t hurt you again.“

“Great!“, Arthur snapped. “So it’s all over! Let’s pretend it never happened, take our Joy - oh wait, I’m not taking any Joy! I will always remember this!“

Nick opened his mouth, but Arthur wasn’t finished.

“I thought you were not like the other Wellies! I thought I could trust you! I was fine with staying here, waiting for you instead of living my life with you as any normal person would! Do you know how it feels to be a Downer? An outsider people can thrash in the streets and no one cares? You made me feel different! You treated me like a human being! Someone you wouldn’t blame for everything that goes wrong and treat like a pile of trash if you need to vent! But what do you really think?“

“I’m sorry…“, Nick said meekly, cowed by Arthur’s outburst. „You were just the only person I knew who was there…“

“So what? When you told me that you were in Bate’s house the same night he died and that you were innocent, I believed you! But you’re not a rotten Downer like me, right?“

“Arthur, please don’t call yourself that! You’re a person, and what a wonderful person you are!“

Nick felt that these words had lost their magic in this moment.

“I was always so happy to see you…“, Arthur said bitterly.

Nick dared to come closer. “Me too…Please, I’ll make up for everything!“

„I don’t know, Nick“, Arthur touched the doorframe and backed away into the room behind him.

Nick darted forward, grabbing the other man’s arm.

“I love you, Arthur!“

Arthur gave him one last sad look before he freed himself and closed the door.

[house-of-tykayl]

cystar tho (headcanons)

imagine

cyborg and starfire are the cuddliest couple ever. the PDA is incredible. star will perch on his shoulders like he’s a climbing post/bird perch and generally just drape herself all over him bc he’s got a lot of surface area and she wants comfy. and cy will just grab her out of midair for huggles before letting her float away again like a balloon headed straight for the atmosphere. star will float higher when she wants to look over his shoulder at something (bc hes the only titan taller than her) and sometimes cy will just reach up and touch her waist and lead her around in the air like that while they chat

the other titans support them, but are simultaneously disgusted by the excessive amount of PDA. cy sometimes milks star’s affection to troll everyone, especially at the breakfast table. “hey star i havent had my morning kiss today” “oh apologies” “do that long tongue thingy again babe” “if you two dont let me eat my waffles in peace for just ONE morning i will open a portal to the seventh circle of hell and chuck the both of you inside”

star is living for the unabashed affection bc cyborg has no qualms about being proud boyfriend in public. like he’ll wrap an arm around her and go “hey star’s my girlfriend :)” and the grocery store clerk’s like “we know, that’ll be $15.99″ and star’s just beaming, holding the plastic bags full of snacks and unorthodox food combinations

if cy’s generous with the lovin wait till you see star lmao. “you are looking most beautiful today!” she keeps saying shit literally no one else will say, either (possibly) coz of the robot thing or just coz starfire’s being starfire, and cyborg’s just like *clutches_chest.jpeg* because she a lil weirdo but she makes him feel normal and appreciated and that he’s great the way he is, that he’s desired even if a lot of him isn’t organic anymore. like yes!! my boyfriend is comprised of 80% robotic parts!! he is extremely strong and the “cool”!!! is he not absolutely wonderful???

ok but starfire can almost never get enough touching, and cyborg’s just like aight *picks her up and carries her around on his arm for an hour* and she’ll just be giddy the entire time

more under the cut

star doesnt have a lot of preconceived notions of what a normal human relationship is, outside of things she sees on TV and robin’s incomprehensible push-pulling over the years. so she doesn’t care one bit about the fact that she’s cuddling a robot. she’d figured starting a relationship with anyone on earth would be something different for her regardless– so a lot of the things cyborg used to think a partner would find problems with, end up not happening because man, this alien chick. “may i lay together with you in your bed?” “girl are you saying you wanna sleep while standing up?? on my charging port???? surrounded by 3478012 cables and wires?????” “is there no room? then may i sleep on the floor?” she just wants to be with him

heck more bed shenanigans would involve like, cyborg awkwardly trying to lie down on star’s bed, and it feels weird coz he hasn’t slept in a real bed for years and while it feels nice he’s kinda sinking into the mattress and he’s self-conscious about leaving a dent in the frame?? or like rolling over at night and squashing star which would be awkward coz he’s more than a little heavy?? then star hops in and cuddles close and is all like shhhhhhhhh slep time

silkie is usually very happy about cyborg’s presence in star’s room, if only because he can gnaw on cy’s legs while they sleep. cy begins to think it’s also revenge since there’s a lot less space on the bed with himself in it, and silkie struggles to find room near starfire to sleep at night. they eventually just get a bigger bed. silkie is a lot less stressed– but cyborg still wakes up with chew marks in his legs

if either of them are too tired from a battle that day, the other will carry them to bed. BB laughed his ass off the first time he saw starfire princess carrying cy to his room (star’s perfectly capable of carrying his weight but her arms aren’t necessarily long enough to hold onto him properly, making it a little cumbersome and awkward), but cy just tiredly gives B the finger

cy will talk to star in awkward broken tamaranian and she’ll get all giggly. everyone else assumes it’s cute flirting, but he’s actually whispering dirty, raunchy shit. that she taught him. and she continues to teach him tamaranian, occasionally dropping new words while otherwise speaking english, and waiting for him to ask about what they mean.

cy will sometimes smack star’s ass and then run for his life before she can return the favor, because he always ends up with an overly-enthusiastic handprint-shaped dent in his ass. it’s a terrifying game of tag. BB will chase them chasing each other with a camera to add to his album of “cyborg’s dented ass” photos that he shares with the whole titans network

cy teaches star about the niches in earth/american culture, the kinds of things that are a little harder to learn about on your own, or things she otherwise wouldn’t have had a reason to learn. he tells her about old american tv shows and explains obscure slang words and how to make telemarketers hang up first and what the contra code is and why he mashes it in every time he boots up a new video game. it’s a crash course mix of useless trivia and miscellaneous culture that makes star’s head spin– but she’s excited about learning all the same, the power of just knowing more makes her feel more comfortable on a planet where she is always a foreigner

it’s kinda why star adores all the different nicknames cy has for her like “fly girl” “baby doll” etc because it makes her feel “in” coz she gets all these cool nicks of names like other earth people!! she fits in!!!! and he’ll say it so fondly it makes her blush half the time. cy definitely notices and thinks its super cute at how excited she gets over pet names. she tries to nickname him back at one point but it felt awkward and she struggled to come up with them, and cy reassured her that he liked her saying out his name anyway, its cool. just be yourself babey

cy loves teaching star things in general, he’s patient and she’s always an eager student. he once took a few hours showing her how to play video games and while she didn’t really take to it, she did learn how to not break the controller whenever her virtual car’s about to crash into the divider (she still shrieks when it happens though)

initially, star is a bit nervous about touching some of cyborg’s robot parts like the implants and consoles coz she’s not sure how to deal with them? alien tech is one thing and earth tech is another, and then there’s the advanced shit that made up cyborg’s body and literally keeps him alive. she’s petrified at the thought of accidentally breaking something like what if she presses the button that turns off his lungs???????? and cy is like why the fuck would i have a button to turn off my lungs?? so one day cy just sits her down so she’s leaning back against his chest, and he looks over her shoulder as he shows her how to navigate his arm console. press this button and choose this option, no the screen wont break even if you press hard, dont use the browser to download malware on my arm like BB did, etc. the ui’s pretty intuitive and star gets it pretty quickly, then she gets all excited. cy teaches her about all the maintenance he does on his body and how his charger works and all that shit and she like oooooo

“if the t-car is your baby, does this mean i am its mother? cyborg does she like me enough? should i assist in changing her oil? *panicking* WILL SHE ACCEPT ME AS HER ADOPTED K’NORFKA?!”

(the t-car is a sassy one, easily jealous and protective– but ultimately, she does approve of starfire, if only just barely)

they spend a lot of time in the garage together. whether cy’s fussing with the t-car or putting together a new gadget, star’s a helpful assistant when it comes to welding or heavy lifting. and while she doesn’t necessarily get programming, she still helps cy with all the calculations and math involved in it; the concept of physics as she has encountered on earth is primitive compared to tamaran, and cy will often challenge her to crack a tough equation before his computer can. while the computer usually gets a result first, star will just explain that its answer was wrong in the large scheme of things, before she starts going in depth into that nerdy science shit to find a more effective way to wire whatever project they’re working on and cy’s just like  ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ heart eyes ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ at how smart she is

they fucking love food. while all the titans are hanging out in the common room, star and cy spend an inordinate amount of time in the kitchen. star will literally eat anything, at any time, and cy would go like “yo star want a sub??” and shes like “YES I WOULD LOVE THE EDIBLE SUBMARINES” and they go make the tallest sub ever and then Eat it

they just cook together a lot, one of them being head chef for the hour and the other being the kitchen assistant. cy’s usually in the lead when they’re making food for the other titans (to prevent food poisoning), and star is happy to learn new recipes that aren’t lethal to her friends– that, and licking all the mixing bowls clean. cy purposely gets sauce etc on his face so that star will see and lick it off too. then star will very unsubtly smear food on her face so that cy will wipe it off with his finger and then things get handsy. (they’re both aware it’s a game, but they pretend like they don’t.)

cy gets them matching aprons and a tiny chef hat for star. she asks him why it’s so tiny or even necessary but he just thinks its cute af on her lol

it helps cy’s ego when star will also eat literally anything he puts in front of her while enjoying it unironically. of course, cy quickly learns that starfire’s favorite “earth” foods are things that most people wouldn’t consider food at all, so while he’ll prepare Real Food for himself, he had to start a new custom cookbook for the random combinations of ingredients that starfire likes to ingest. he’s torn between feeling like his chef skills go to waste on her, or being proud at how good he’s become at figuring out the kinds of food combos she likes based on the flavors and consistencies she’s inclined to. but ultimately she’s just so cute and happy when she smiles at the taste of m&ms on raw steak that cyborg’s just like ahh. fine.

cyborg: *sighs while writing* “edamame in a cherry-chocolate reduction: get a handful of fresh edamame, washing is optional, pour hershey’s chocolate sauce all over it, add cherries but don’t remove the pits or the stems, sprinkle in some drops of 7up, then cover that shit in mustard. stick it all in the microwave for 1 minute, doesn’t really matter what temperature? prep time: 3 and a half minutes. the fuck did i just write”

star: *wolfs down that edamame shit like its the best goddamn thing ever*

raven:

meanwhile, while cy can’t stomach star’s tamaranean food, he does go out of his way to learn how to prepare the stuff himself, for whenever star’s sick or feeling down. the nostalgic taste of home tends to help her feel better. the bowls of wustlepus might keep trying to strangle him, but hey, cy can handle it

cy used to think we was master of stuffing his face, but he quickly found out that you do not challenge an alien with 9 stomachs to an eating competition and expect to win. it’s still fun, of course, to pick a restaurant and watch her slowly but surely put away food with a grace that cy doesn’t (care to) have. robin and BB cheer will them on, raven is disgusted but plays referee anyway (even though it’s not like the result ever changes)

“are the table manners required for today’s duel of excessive food consumption?” star will ask cy innocently, but she’d be smiling a lil smugly because she knows she’s gonna win like always

(at some point, the restaurant manager will start eyeing them nervously from the doorway of the staff room, unsure about whether to ask the titans to leave before they run the kitchen dry, or to take advantage of the publicity.)

cy and star are a couple that isn’t inclined to subtle about anything. that means smooching all the time. mwah noises. flirting. glomps. yelling at shit together for fun– cy just expresses himself loudly, while shouting at each other is a form of affection on tamaran. they’ll sometimes wrestle, sometimes arm wrestling and sometimes all out full-body on the floor (actual wrestling tho, not a innuendo; star usually wins). they keep denting walls and furniture with their messing around and the other titans are like /(e_e)\ *passing out earplugs* and at some point robin is like guys… just… keep it in your rooms please

but being loud isn’t exclusive to daytime. nobody fucking knows how the hell an alien and a robot get it on, but based on all the god damn noise at night, they’ve apparently figured something out. maybe more than one something. it is a mystery

“hey, star… ever heard of a vibrator?”

most of their making out happens in the gym tho, let’s be real. they’ve been checking each other out for years in there. now they just get frisky after (or during, or before) a workout, culminating in yet another “workout”. they never lock the door, and after enough incidents the other titans just end up boycotting the gym entirely in lieu of the other training room

with the added privacy, star opts to work out in the gym without a top on. or a bra. then she heads for the treadmill

“you never wear clothing, cyborg, so why should i?”

cyborg keeps dropping his weights on himself and just ends up covered in dents, two mangled prosthetic legs, and having done no training at all

they’re such a peppy excited pair that sometimes things can get a bit too wild. there’s a pile in the back of cy’s room made up solely of dented/crushed/melted/ripped arm and leg prosthetics, all damaged because cy was busy pampering his superpowered alien gf a lil too much. starfire feels super bad but cy is like, he has to fix his limbs after a lot of battles anyway, it’s no big deal. he also hasn’t bothered to suggest a workaround yet because watching her lose control is hot (and maybe getting his hand melted is kinda kinky)

they sometimes troll the other titans– usually robin– by whispering in tamaranian behind them and snickering, pretending like they’re talking about them. robin used to be extra miffed by this, but after learning that cy’s tamaranian is actually still shit enough that he has yet to learn to string together a proper sentence longer than 3 words, robin knows they’re just fucking around with him. at one point robin turns around on the couch and throws some tamaranian right back at them and cyborg’s like :O what the fuck? what the fuck?? and star’s like yeah actually robin asked me to teach him tamaranian too. and robin’s like :) and cy is grumpy he can’t antagonize him with it anymore (and that it’s not exclusively his and star’s code language anymore, but really, you can’t own a language like that)

star likes to cart cy around while flying, but he’s just so bulky that he doesnt look all graceful and shit like robin; he just looks kinda goofy dangling in the air with her holding him under the arms. but even if he felt a little self-conscious, he forgets it quickly when she lets him skim the ocean with his feet or take him up over the clouds– he’d thought he lost everything with the accident that left him a robot, but getting to fly like this is something he never could’ve even dreamed of even when he was all human. like. this must be what it actually means to be living. everything happens for a reason

cy gets a UV lamp installed in his body just in case they get stuck somewhere and there’s no sunlight for star, he can’t replace the sun but it might help

he also turns his heaters up a bit when they’re cuddling coz he knows she likes warmth, as long as he’s not running the risk of overheating his system, but his metal parts can be cold to the touch and while she doesnt mind it at all he just wants her to be cozy….

cy’s like the only titan taller than star, so she usually floats to be eye level with him. he big and bulky and strong and he reminds her of galfore, and that’s part of why she always felt protected and safe around him. not to mention star’s been getting taller than most earth people her age; she sometimes feels like a tall poppy, sticking out of the crowd too much. so she lowkey enjoys being smol for once compared to cyborg, especially if she ever feels like hiding behind him, or being carried by him, the comfort of a sort of bodyguard that she doesn’t necessarily need but is there if she wants

i keep bringing this up but star sitting on cyborg’s shoulders/arms like. the result is this tall stack of a couple that towers over all the other titans– then like everyone will be chilling on the couch when they hear making out noises from above and they look up and its just star floating around cyborg’s head as they smooch and everyone’s like -_-

all the meme fun aside, they’re always able to confide in each other whenever they’re upset. they’ll sit together in silence and just lean on each other or hug and wait for someone to spill. if (when) it comes down to “will i ever fit in?”, because that kinda worry never completely goes away, they’ll be reassured that they know the few places they’ll always be accepted– and that’s in the titans, or in the unconventional relationship between a half robot and an alien nuclear bomb

star likes being around cy coz he’s so sturdy, in more ways than one– he’s strong enough to tank stuff so it’s safer to roughhouse with him. she loves being able to give the biggest of hugs without worrying too much about crushing a ribcage (earthlings and their Fragile Little Bones!)

cy loves how small star is compared to him bc shes fun to pick up or pluck from the air and cuddle ♥ and she’s so warm, just radiating heat both literally and metaphorically and she’s so full of life and heart, and cy’s once again reminded of what it really means to be human– by a goddamn alien, no less

they like to touch each other’s faces, just caressing n stuff like they do in “how long is forever” and the teen titans go comic #24, staring into each others eyes and shit and going all (uwu) they just love to touch each other okay even back when they were just friends!!!!!!!

HAVE I MENTIONED THE SMOOCHES. star will just kiss cy all over his face because its fun and she knows he likes it. then cy returns the favor, except with increasingly exaggerated kissing and nomming noises because it makes star laugh and blush like crazy. it’s horribly embarrassing for anyone else watching. star & cy are usually standing in the middle of the corridor by this point, and then robin was gonna head to his office, but once he sees the path is blocked– by this no less– just returns the way he came without a word

if anyone tries to make star feel uncomfortable for being alien or misunderstanding something, which does still happen sometimes, they’ll quickly find out they’ve got the goddamn terminator comin for their ass. or they’ll turn around and see 6 foot tall robot man with arms crossed and red eye glowing and he’ll be like (: hey there (:

star keeps leaving the garage with motor oil all over her face. none of the other titans knows how to address it, or if they even should, so they don’t

anyway theyre in love

[ligit-squid]

Mother Instincts

Written sometime in 2019

Just a reminder that Jasper is no longer a Marvel oc, in fact she no long is an oc but a character in the CCI. This is a one shot based off a Pinterest post.

When you live in a big city like New York, people tend to forget a place with beauty has an ugly side. Jasper noticed this a long time ago, ever since she came to America as an immigrant at the age of nineteen. All the people she saw living on the streets, runaway kids. It set off a burning fire in her heart. As time progressed and Jasper became engaged to Tony, she felt that fire grow and want to become something. That’s when she decided to act.

Between working in the labs of Gold Compass, the weekly team meetings with Nick Fury, and being a parent, Jasper put together a plan. With that plan, she needed her family's help. She made a special request to Tony and her soon-to-be-stepson. Then she’d go around New York with Loki and Thor, looking for a large building.

Jasper was going to make a homeless shelter for adults and kids alike. They had eventually two warehouse-like buildings about fifteen minutes away from the tower. They were perfect. Jasper had made the purchase for the buildings, then called in the team. The team divided into two teams, one for each building. Tony, Steve, Natasha, Clint, Sam, Scott, and Vision were one team. Jasper, Thor, Peter, Loki, Pietro, Wanda, and Bucky were the others. Jasper’s team were the ones to create the children's building. They each had a job to do; Jasper, the furniture. Pietro, Wanda, and Peter painted the walls to be more welcoming. Loki and Thor, gather things for entertainment. Bucky, gather a supply of nonperishable food. In all, it took a full week of work to complete both buildings.

The colored woman then had Tony and Peter place the special request inside both buildings. Two A.I.’s, meant to be loving and caring, and to protect any of the inhabitants of the buildings. M.O.T.H.E.R. and F.A.T.H.E.R.

M.O.T.H.E.R was to comfort anybody and act like any loving mother. Along with her coding came protecting programs. If anyone tried to hurt anyone her programs told her to keep safe, she would do so flawlessly. She also would act as a tutor for the kids or the adults that got no education. M.O.T.H.E.R.’s acronym stood for marvelous, optimistic, trustworthy, happy, enthusiastic, and relaxed. Each word matched with her purpose. Whenever she spoke, she had an accent just like J.A.R.V.I.S. had, but an Italian accent instead of a British one.

F.A.T.H.E.R. was an A.I. meant to act like a good father. Instead of most of M.O.T.H.E.R.’s coding, he had gotten more of a caretaker set of coding. He would make sure everyone was healthy, got medical care, ate correctly, and would regularly check on each person that was in the system. He also had protective programming like M.O.T.H.E.R. and was meant to do the same. He too, an accent, but a Scottish one.

The whole thing became public two weeks later when Tony and Jasper had called a press conference. They explained every part of their plan, and that they would welcome all the homeless to the two buildings deemed as Legacy Gold. They explained the additions to a homeless person living there; free healthcare, free food, shelter, etc. Jasper had made sure to say everyone in the Legacy Gold program would be under Avenger and the Avengers-In-Training’s protection, added along with the two security programs. Not long after the conference, homeless people started to arrive. They were given new clothes and food immediately. They were placed in their designated building and assigned a bed and given a tour.

No later after the program was launched, kids who were not homeless had started to show up, asking from somewhere safe to be. When they were asked why they were not at home, they explained their lifestyle back at home with their families. It was either due to abuse, alcohol problems, drug problems, or a mix of them. It didn’t matter what, they still felt unsafe at home. Jasper still let them stay. 

It was a year into the program, and the Avenger’s had met all kinds of people, some nice, some bad. They had loved many of the kids, they had even come to see them in their free time. What warmed Jasper’s heart the most was the relationship between Bucky and one little girl. Bucky had come with the other Avengers-In-Training and had been wearing a thick sweatshirt and glove to hide his arm. He still felt like a threat to other people, and he didn’t want other people to make a connection that he’s an ex-murderer. One particular day, one of the younger girls who had gotten away from a bad home life had gotten surgery. In the end, they had to remove her left hand due to how bad her hand was, as well as how long it had gone untreated. Her big chocolate orbs sparkled when she saw Bucky. She’d walked up to him and tug his sleeve a bit. He looked at the little girl, who appeared to be maybe nine or ten, and shyly smiled.

“Can I help you miss?” he had asked.

“You’re like me,” she smiled, showing off her small pearly teeth. One of her top-buck teeth was missing. She showed him her prosthetic that had replaced her hand. “You’re my hero.”

While Jasper and the others watched them, they saw how emotional Bucky had gotten from it. His eyes became teary and he had decided to remove the glove, also showing his metal hand. The girl placed her hand onto his, her smile only seemed to grow.

“M’ name is Isab’lla.”

“My name is Bucky, it’s nice to meet you, Isabella.”

Throughout the rest of the day and the next Bucky had a noticeable smile on his lips. Sam teased him a bit for that, but the old soldier kept smiling. Jasper, of course, told Tony about what happened. From then on, Bucky showed off his prosthetic more, encouraging those who also had them. It made the ex-soldier and the others happy. Very happy.

[wxnhvs]

       ♚◞  𝑨𝑺𝑲 𝑴𝑬𝑴𝑬  .  »   brayden nam  & lennon nixon .  ˎˊ˗      @seosoojae​​

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 ?  :  

         considering they had   after all the drama & all the waiting, he wanted to make sure to make it special, for both of them. after picking her up from her house, he gifted her a teddy bear that he’d won at that ( dreaded ) carnival -- he’d been saving it so he could give it to her at the most opportune moment. brayden then took her to a quaint & cozy italian restaurant, sapori d’italia, with outdoor seating, which ended up being their “ go - to ” spots in the future. 

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫’𝐬 𝐮𝐩  :  

        brayden is pretty affectionate with lennon to begin. initially, when he notices she’s upset, he’ll graze his knuckles over the soft skin of her cheeks, asking if she wanted to talk about it & reassuring that he’s here for her if she needed. letting her prop her legs onto his lap, he lets his hands run over the smooth skin, grasping them gently every now & then as he listens to her vent about whatever is on her mind. naturally once she’s feeling a little lighter, he HAS to shower her in kisses. it’s just how it’s done.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 ( 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 ) ?  :

       BOTH ; brayden –  considering he’s an early bird, many times he finds that the two fell asleep on the couch. rather than waking her, he untangles himself  &  lifts her up bridal - style and carries her up his bedroom so she could be more comfortable. if it’s a good day, he gets back into bed with her. lennon -- when she finds that bray has fallen asleep with his head in her lap during their movie night, she leans down and brushes the tip of her nose against his before dropping a soft kiss on his lips. he’s a light sleeper, it doesn’t take much for him to stir awake.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐮𝐩 ?  :

         NEITHER ;  if it ever came to the point of someone getting splashed awake, it would be completely accidental. brayden’s on a call with nick and accidentally spits it out, shocked at something his friend said -- only to realize it fell on to lennon. let’s just say he was gonna give nick an earful, quickly hanging up so he could grab her tissues and begin groveling.

.    *    ◜  𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫’𝐬 𝐮𝐩  :

         being that brayden has always woken up early to get his day started, it’s more than likely that he wakes her whenever he’s back from the gym, drenched with sweat. he knows how much lennon dislikes the smell, so he purposely gets into bed with her  &  slips his arms around her. she responds instinctively with a lazy grin, shifting closer -- only till she realizes that it’s that time. post-gym time, aka time to wake up.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 ?  :

       BRAYDEN ;  when lennon starts cooking or baking, the kitchen is basically off - limits. she takes her culinary seriously -- almost too seriously, in his perspective. so when he saunters in, eyes full of mischief, she’s ready to kick him out. except he’s distracting her by walking up behind her and resting his chin onto her shoulder. after a few feathery kisses, he’s dragging his finger through the batter only to swipe it across her collar bones. all hell breaks loose.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐣𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 ?  :

        BRAYDEN ; he’s relentless at this point, risking his life just to get a reaction out of his girlfriend. after the chaos he triggered when she last tried to bake, he was essentially banned from the kitchen  &  yet still has the audacity to walk in when she begins mixing ingredients. this time he keeps his distance and hands raised with a,  “  i come in peace.  ”  she tolerates him only until he actually suggests putting weed in the brownies -- and can we guess what happens ? she kicks his ass outta her quarters.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 ( 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 ) 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭 ?  :

        NEITHER ;  it hits him all at once. he’s been noticing how warmth would flood into his chest whenever he’d catch her gaze across the room or if they were doing something as simple as helping each other wash dishes (  it’s the only time she lets him into the kitchen tbh ). he plans on confessing how he feels for the blonde sooner than he ever expected.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ?  :

        BRAYDEN ;  at this point in his life, he’s had his share of altercations ( one of them -- over her ). at the end, it proved to be worth it, even if it was against his best friend. so of course, if anyone ever tried approaching her in the wrong way, he’d have to step in and show them to back tf up.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ( 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐭 ) ?  :

        LENNON ; even though he shares a pet with her best friend  &  current ex - girlfriend, she’s totally up to adopt another dog -- any animal really. though she loved dogs more than anything, majority of their DMs consisted of all kinds of furry lil animals doing crazy things.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫 ( 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐝 ) ?  :

         in bed, INITIALLY -- they’re both pretty quiet, testing the waters to see how the other is. bray gets more spurred on when she if she voices just how much she’s enjoying it ; once they’re more comfortable, they’re absolute freaks. they’re both pretty loud whether it’s him asking her if she likes it or her sensual moans, though he’s muting them with his lips against hers. out of bed, they’re both just straight up loud. they’re always making each other laugh or he’s doing something that has her yelling at him ( all fun  &  games though ).

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 ( 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐝 ) ?  :

        BOTH ; in bed, they’re both quite the risk takers ya feel me. they’ll try all kinds of different positions until they realize what REALLY gets the other going. then it’s just game over. if they weren’t risk takers out of bed, they probably wouldn’t have even gotten together considering she’s best friends with his ex  &  his best friend had the longest crush on her.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 ‘𝐝𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐲’ 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ?  :

          considering he’s got literal daddy - issues, he’s not sure how he feels about it. so if she ever used it on him, he’d be turned on more by the way she’s looking at him than by the actual word. after they smash, he def talks to her about it -- making sure not to make her feel weird or uncomfortable for even using it.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐤 ?  :  

        bray loves her lips & how they feel against him -- anywhere really. just when she’s about to reach her peak, he loves capturing her lips in a kiss, her moan vibrating against his mouth when he does. he’s also a fan of hickies, but moreso in places where nobody can see -- in a place where only the two of them know. like a little secret.

.    *    ◜  𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬  :

         not gonna lie, in public, they might just be THAT couple. if he wants to kiss her while they’re on the line for starbucks or any line for that matter, you bet your ass he will. though, it’s usually chaste in front of others. he’s no pig. except when they’re in private, he likes grasping her hips and pulling her close, moving his lips against hers slowly to revel in the feeling.

.    *    ◜  𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫’𝐬  :

        brayden likes buying her things ; if he sees something that reminds him of her, he’s buying it. often times he finds himself in the baking aisle of a grocery store just to pick up some sort of frosting / cake - mix / or sprinkles, that she might like. if there’s some stationary he thinks she’ll like, he’ll grab that too. and if he’s about to go see her, he’ll stop by at starbucks to by her favorite drink before showing up to her place.

.    *    ◜  𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧  :

          often times, brayden finds himself staring at her with endearing hues when she’s talking or laughing with her friends. even if he’s sitting a few feet away and is amongst the guys, he’ll make his way over, gently grasping her chin to drop a quick kiss against her lips and give her a little bop on the tip of her nose. other times, he’ll pull her into his lap even if there are other seats available. he just likes being close to her ( like a clingy heaux ) lbr.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 ?  :

        BRAYDEN ;  he knows exactly what’ll get a rise out of her and will probably go out of his way to do it, only because he finds her reactions cute. when she switches it around on him, he’s a goner. when she’s dominating, he finds her even more attractive. he too, is a whipped ass hoe.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 ?  :  

       BOTH ; there have been times where he’s heard lennon singing in the shower  &  he’ll literally bust through the door to sing the main hook of the song as if he’d composed it.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 ?  :

       BRAYDEN – his daily showers are after his workouts. even if she’s tired, he’ll manage to convince her into joining him with a simple, “  don’t worry baby, i’ll take care of you.  ”  even if she’s resting her head against the tiles with her eyes closed, he has no problem carefully massaging shampoo into her blonde locks -- he’s also lowkey fascinated with the way they get so much darker under water  &  probably mentions it after. 

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐱 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡 ?  :

        LENNON ; more often than not it’s because of brayden’s touches  &  him insisting on helping her wash her body parts that gets her in the mood. it probably makes her wonder whether it’s all pre - planned. lbr, why wouldn’t he want to ? even if its quick  &  rushed, he knows how much she likes when he’s pressing himself against her from behind.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 ?  :

       BRAYDEN ; being the perfectionist that lennon is, he knows how much she enjoys playing hostess at family events. she loves making sure everyone’s happy and taken care of -- and he likes to make sure she’s taken care of. the table is full of her cousins and their significant others  &  he doesn’t even flinch when he slips his hand onto her inner thigh, tips of his fingers drawing little circles on against her skin. the same goes when his sister is around -- except, it would be too evident if he ever pulled anything around evie. she would never let him live it down  &  lenn would probably never forgive him for it.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 ?  :

         neither make a fuss over what to listen to as it really just serves as background music to their conversations. although, bray is more of fan of rap and r & b EXCEPT he’ll find himself listening to random oldies from frank sinatra  &  start serenading lennon promptly after.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 ?  :

        BOTH ; it’s date night & they just dined at sapori d’italia when it begins to rain. they could run inside but they’re both on a ‘ successful - date ’ high  &  decide to savor the moment. considering the restaurant’s old italian music was playing loud enough for it to be heard outside, brayden couldn’t pass up on the moment, offering her his hand before pulling her into his embrace for a slow dance. were there oldies swoonies ?  you bet.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 ?  :  

        NEITHER ; brayden has always been rather timid when it came to discussing something as serious as marriage -- after seeing the way his father broke their family, only to start a new one with another, took him down a bottomless pit of dark thoughts. except now, there was always a bright light at the end of it all -- now, it didn’t pain him as much when he thought of marriage and the possibility of a family with lennon. she knows his family history  &  wouldn’t want to push him on it either. so of course, when -- at some point -- he does propose, it knocks both of them off their feet.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 ?  :  

        growing up, he’d never entertain the idea of a happy family with the shit show his father put him & his sister through. and yet, when this blonde ray of sunshine known as lennon nixon enters his life, he finds himself with five children. each one given a middle name of someone that means something dear to them ; eliana aurora nam, arabella lorelai nam, grayson nicholas nam, rowen evangeline nam, & maddox amir ( a ) nam.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 ?  :

         though each one has a little bit of both of the parents -- it’s rowen evangeline nam that’s daddy’s girl af. he’s not sure whether he has a soft spot for her because she has his sister’s middle name, but if he needs to be convinced for anything, the other siblings send her his way. eliana took after her mother the most -- even though she inherited her father’s dark locks, she had her mother’s hazel eyes and bright smile. she was the one brayden worried for the most, not wanting some punk ass idiot to approach her. while grayson was a perfectionist in the kitchen, maddox was working magic with his fingers, taking after brayden with the piano. arabella was a little bit of everything, a perfectionist sloth who also happened to be a musical genius. brayden still questions why they used ‘ lorelai ’ as her middle name -- though, if he questions it one more time, lennon would kick his ass.

[sinfvls]

          hey all you cool cats and kittens !  it’s carole desi from big cat rescue and i’m here to deliver a tubular trio to this glorious group. i’ve been on the hunt for a solid supernatural rp for idk how long and i’m so stoked to find a home in bloodshq  &  begin writing / plotting with every single one of you !  admittedly, their backgrounds are pretty underwhelming because they’re all new muses ( lord help me ) and i’m still getting a feel for them, and i have just a few wanted connections up for grabs listed at the end of each of their blurbs, so if you see any that strike your interest please feel free to slide into my ims ( but i’m also super open to anything, so feel free to hit me with your ideas too ! )  &  now without further ado, i give you  DAMON BELMONT ,  NICHOLAS SPENCER  &  VERONA ADLER. 

damon belmont  has been seen walking the seattle streets. the werewolf has been in town for  one week, and are known to be  aloof  but also very  loyal.  the  thirty seven  year old is the  vice president of the mongrels motorcycle club.  if you tilt your head and look at them in a certain light they might resemble charlie hunnam. their pronouns are  he/him.  damon’s werewolf gene is  triggered.

statistics & connections

doesn’t know who his parents are / were.  he was found abandoned in the woods of hayfork, california as a wee babe by a pair of hikers.  tossed into the social system, he hopped from foster home to foster home, until finally sticking with a woman named delilah belmont, who eventually opted to adopt him.

she lived off the grid, in the backwoods, where she fended for herself by hunting for meat, growing her own produce, and even tended to livestock. damon thrived in this lifestyle, learning how to survive in the wilderness. he didn’t go to public school. instead, he was homeschooled by delilah, who taught him only what she valued to be of great importance. she wasn’t gonna raise no soft, yellowbelly who couldn’t fend for himself.

however, one day while out hunting, the two were attacked by a grizzly bear and it mauled delilah nearly to death before damon put a few rounds of bullets into it. there was no saving her, and she knew it. instead, she begged damon to end the pain. out of mercy, he killed her, and thus triggered the werewolf gene he didn’t even realize was in him. the confusion he had to deal with alone as a result was heartbreaking. he didn’t understand what he was, seeing himself as a monster whenever there was a full moon to unleash his inner beast. damon thought he was the only one of his kind, until he met a group of mysterious travelers.

the mongrels motorcycle club, what everyone assumed to be a band of criminals. damon first met them at a dive bar in town, where he’d been planning to drink himself into a stupor. they knew what he was immediately and offered him a home; a new family with them. while he had so many unanswered questions, the young werewolf also had nothing to lose, and so he joined the bloodmoon pack and never looked back. 

the acceptance and relief from knowing he wasn’t an abomination was overwhelming. never did he think that he would develop such a strong bond with another person, let alone an entire pack of werewolves. the bloodmoon pack has been travelling just about everywhere, stopping in areas to rest before carrying on again, living as vagabonds, and picking up “strays” / other packless werewolves along the way. he’s been with the pack for sixteen years.

( more tba yikes )

wanted connections

bloodmoon pack / mongrels mc members.  still need a president, sgt at arms, road captain, enforcer, chaplain, etc. info can be found on the wanted connections page on the main !

soulmate. listen, he’s been around the block and i think it’s safe to say he’d have found his mate by now asdjkhg. she could have already been with the pack when he joined, or joined after him at some point. completely open to plotting all the details. filled by cleo clarke

( more tba maybe sdjhfg )

nicholas “nick” spencer  has lived in seattle for  twelve years, and are known to be  broody  but also very  altruistic.  the  twenty one  year old human  goes to school at seattle university.  if you tilt your head and look at them in a certain light they might resemble finn cole. their pronouns are  he/him.  nick is  unaware  of the supernatural.

statistics & connections

born in los angeles, california to a pair of admirably gifted parents, nicholas spencer lived a fairly privileged first eight years of his life. his mother, a soap opera actress, and his father, a talented chef, gave both nick and his older sister a life full of love and luxury. yes, everything was absolutely perfect in their world. until it wasn’t.

at barely eight years old, nick was violently thrown along with his sister into one of the most traumatic experiences any child could go through; they lost their parents to a fatal car accident. being forced to move to seattle with his sister to live with their aunt, he didn’t fully understand what it meant; he couldn’t properly process what was going on. the pain of his loss was expressed more out of anger, feeling as though their parents abandoned them. and thus, nick’s out of control behavior was born.

suicide mention tw.  he struggled in school. his emotions betrayed him. instead of relishing a happy childhood, nick found himself pushing everyone away, getting into fights, sneaking out late at night to run around the city with his friends and get into all sorts of trouble with them. he couldn’t count on his hands how many times the police picked him up and brought him to his aunt’s doorstep. it only got worse once one of his best friends was found dead, written off as a suicide, though it didn’t add up in nick’s eyes and seemed so much more sinister. the young man was nearly deemed to be a lost cause, until he discovered his passion for writing.

language arts or literature was the last thing anyone would ever think to group with nick spencer. he was quite eloquent, sure, but the one thing he always did was play basketball at one of the outdoor courts in seattle. anytime he needed to blow off steam, to contemplate life, or just to shoot hoops, you could always catch him at the court. but his english teacher noticed how well he could articulate his thoughts and feelings on paper, and submitted one of his pieces to a writing contest, which earned nick the win and three thousand dollars as a prize.

bewildered by a talent he hadn’t even realized was in him, nick embraced it. he started writing in a journal ( which he keeps safely tucked away beneath the mattress of his bed ), documenting every feeling and thought as a way to express his emotions in a more productive manner. this talent earned him a full ride scholarship to seattle university, where he’s now a literature major with plans of either becoming an author or perhaps an english teacher, to follow in the footsteps of his high school teacher who he came to idolize.

( more will be added later oop )

wanted connections

his three best friends ( see listed in wanted connections on the main ! )

someone he doesn’t see eye to eye with, maybe opposite in personality or morals. most likely someone he went to high school with or someone who also attends seattle university ( bonus points if they’re supernatural )

some bad folk he may have accidentally gotten mixed up with, either in the past or current ( or both sdfhkjg ). could literally be ANYTHING, maybe he saw something he shouldn’t have, maybe there’s some drug scandal he got mixed up in and now can’t get out of ??  

more tba eventually !

verona adler  has been seen walking the seattle streets. the fae has been in town for  three years, and are known to be  restive  but also very  fervent.  the  twenty four  year old works as a  bar & grill waitress.  if you tilt your head and look at them in a certain light they might resemble dove cameron. their pronouns are  she/her. 

statistics & connections

oakdale, louisiana.  born and bred.  she was raised middle to two brothers, one older and one younger, but was the absolute apple of her mom and dad’s eye, being their only daughter. her family was reputable, as were the strawberry fields they owned. people from all over the state would pay a petty price to pick a few cartons full of the famously juicy adler strawberries.

at a very young age, verona had to learn how to better control her emotions, which is very difficult for a child to understand and do. she was known for glowing tantrums, and levitating when particularly elated over something. however, in due time, the young faerie learned to hide these paramount parts of herself from the world surrounding them, out of fear over the potential backlash of human ignorance.

she’s been very personable her entire life, much like a light in a dark room. excelling in school, she mastered both academics and the social aspect, she was on the school’s yearbook committee as well as the cheerleading squad, and played an active part in her community as best as she could, generally through volunteer work. a true southern belle, through and through.

however, verona was exhausted. she couldn’t stand pretending to be something she wasn’t; hiding her true colors from the world just because the world was deemed to be much too censorious when it came to being different. while she adored her family and friends, she wasn’t being true to herself which left her unhappy behind closed doors. so, at the age of twenty one, she found an ad in the paper for a roommate in seattle and the city was evidently huge in comparison to her small town. the thought of living somewhere that was hopefully more accepting was an absolute dream, so she packed her things and made the move.

she’s been living in seattle for three years now, working at the same bar & grill she started off with as a waitress and she loves it. she loves meeting people that come from all different walks of life, the mixture of humans and supernatural is perfect. though she’s still a little put out by hiding her true self, she enjoys being surrounded by a bigger populace of supernatural beings that she generally doesn’t have to hide around.

( more tba probably ... eventually )

wanted connections

exes / flings / one night stands.  her friends calling her a slut is just teasing and gets a laugh out of her, a stranger calling her a slut will put vee in a full on rage, but all in all .... girl gets around.  NOT because she’s a sex fiend, but because she loves the idea of being loved, and therefore looks for it in all the wrong places sdfahkfjg. 

best friend ( supernatural only pls ! ).  she needs someone she can fully open up to without worry of being judged, rant / vent to each other about all the shit in their lives, talk about things they wouldn’t normally be able to talk about in the public, etc. a good wholesome friendship.

someone she annoys / who annoys her / or both.  girl is basically a constant ray of sunshine & agonizingly curious / nosy, and that probably presses at least one person. she can’t stand some who’s a grump without a cause & has an insatiable need to pick people apart in order to find out wtf happened to them / the reason why they are the way that they are.

maybe her brother(s) ?  i mean, if anyone wanted to pick them up, they’re free to snag !!

more tba later !

[emulateharry]

Five Weddings

Written as a gift for goseaward as a part of Grylesfest 2019 on ao3.

ONE

The sun was just past the zenith and starting its descent, splashing golden light on the gathering at the edge of the black sand.  Nick stood at the end of the aisle with Pig and Aimee, who, by virtue of her online ordination by the Universal Life Church, was officiating.   When the string quartet began playing Pachelbel, he looked up to see Meshach standing under a bower of tropical flowers at the other end of the long white walkway, Stinky on a leash at his feet.  With a wide smile, Mesh began his slow walk past family and friends to his groom, Stinky padding proudly beside him.  Nick looked around trying to fix all the details in his memory.  He tried to look serious but could not contain his smile.  He was getting married.  On the beach.  In Paradise. 

Images flitted through his mind of all the years he thought this day would never come for him.  First because it wasn’t legal (such bollocks) and then because he never thought he would find someone (not so much bollocks).  Well, not someone that he truly fancied who fancied him back. He slid his eyes to his left, pausing on Harry, who was half-turned away from him.  Harry’s expression was serious, almost stoic, as he watched Mesh walk down the beribboned and flowered runner.  With a tiny shake of his head, Nick brought his attention back to the man he was about to pledge his life to.  Just as Mesh reached Nick and Aimee, Pig let out one of her grunting barks, an inelegant sound that inspired her name, and the guests laughed. 

“Meshach, I promise to love you as much as I do our dogs.  From this day forward, I will lint roll the chairs whenever your parents visit.  I will love you in sickness and in health, as long as you help with the vet visits.  I promise to cuddle you as much as I do Pig and Stinky and to pick up treats for you whenever I get some for them.  When you’re having a bad day, I promise to sit close by and nuzzle you until you feel better.  I promise to be your biggest fan, to encourage you to pursue your dreams.  I promise to love you enthusiastically and fiercely and forever.”

Nick’s voice cracked slightly on ‘forever’ but his smile grew wider, if that were possible, as he turned back to Aimee.  She took both their hands.

“Today is all about love.  It has been my honour to officiate your ceremony and now I get to say something you’ve been looking forward to.  I now pronounce you married.  You may kiss your husband.”

The kiss was sweet and hot and gentle and filled with promise.  As they parted, Nick whispered an “I love you” that only Mesh could hear over the applause of the guests.  Mesh pulled him into a hug and Nick tucked his face into his husband’s neck.  When he opened his eyes he saw Harry standing and clapping but Harry wasn’t smiling like everyone else, in fact, tears were streaming down his cheeks.  Alexa handed Harry a tissue and he dabbed at his eyes.  Meshach released Nick and they both bent down to love on the dogs, who had been miraculously well-behaved during the short ceremony.  Handing their leashes to Aimee, Nick took Mesh’s hand and they walked back down the aisle together, the sun still smiling on them. 

The dinner reception was a blur.  The toasting and the roasting and the champagne and lack of food, combined with the energy and anticipation of the day, had pushed Nick just over the line of intoxication.  Mesh was dancing with Aimee and with Nick’s sister Jane when Nick finally got a chance to sit with Harry and Alexa, his suit jacket long since discarded somewhere in the room.  Alexa was teasing him about the vows he had written while Harry watched quietly, a smile on  his perfect pink lips.  Nick recognised it as his public smile, not a real heartfelt expression of happiness.   Nick knew that face better than its owner sometimes.  His gaze slid up to Harry’s eyes and locked there.  He almost gasped, those green eyes undid him every time.  Even today, his wedding day, those eyes captivated him and drew him in.  And he saw… sadness?  What was that about?  Harry quickly looked away, and Nick winced at the loss of connection, so he did what had always worked in the past to cheer Harry up. 

“Okay, Styles.  What’s with the teary eyes?  I saw you blubbering away there.”

The flush that crept into Harry’s cheeks only made him more attractive, damn him. 

“I always cry at weddings,” he murmured defensively.

“Your mum’s, Jay’s, Ben’s—no tears.”

“Not that you saw, Grimmers.”

“Mmhm.  Well.  Not today, Henry, not today!”  Nick stood up and grabbed Harry’s hand, pulling him up too.  “Alexa, be a darling and commemorate this auspicious moment of my wedding day...the moment that Henry Stars smiled.”

Harry’s lips began to curl up in the corner of his mouth, whether from the silly tone or the physical contact, Nick wasn’t sure.  He reached up and squeezed Harry’s cheeks between his fingers and cooed at him.  “Come on now, give us a grin.”

“Stop, Nick!”  Harry barely managed to contain the giggle that threatened. 

“Who’s got a pretty smile?  Who’s got a pretty smile?”

Harry laughed at the silliness of the situation and posed for Alexa.  At her “Got it”, he turned and hugged Nick fiercely. 

“Wish you all the happiness, Nicholas.  You deserve it.”

Nick felt his throat constrict and his own eyes prickled.  He looked at Harry’s expression and could not help himself.  He reached up to stroke his cheek.  Later, he would put it all down to the high content of alcohol mixed with his blood and bathing his brain, but in that moment, the life that would never, could never, be flashed before his eyes.  He felt a momentary stab of pain, a pain so great that he gasped out loud.

“Are you okay?”

“Cramp.  Big toe.  Fuck’s sake that hurts,” he said, bending down to massage the supposedly offending digit through the shoe leather.  He hoped that the distraction had worked on his friends … and himself. 

With the perfect timing of his profession, Mesh glided over and drew his husband onto the empty floor for a romantic ‘first dance’.  Nick’s attention was thankfully fully captured, and he didn’t notice when Harry excused himself for the evening.  Only later in the weekend did he realise that Harry must have left Hawaii early without saying goodbye, because he didn’t see him again.

TWO

 Nick sat at his assigned table on the left side of the room.  He was attempting to entertain Ellie or Emmy (or whatever her name was, Nick couldn’t be arsed to remember) while Harry was toasting his sister and her newly minted husband.  It wasn’t easy because Elspeth seemed immune to irony and inflection and thus his humour was falling flat.  He was about to try a knock-knock joke on the model when Harry returned at last. 

Nick averted his gaze as she pulled Harry close and tried to choke him with her tongue, at least that’s what it looked like to Nick, and he swallowed down a retch.  He reached for his glass of water and distracted himself from the show the waifish mannequin was putting on.  What the fuck was Harry thinking?  He saw the woman’s hand slide to Harry’s crotch and give a squeeze.  Harry giggled.  Ugh.  Of course.  He was thinking with his cock. 

God, Nick felt bitchy today.  Understandable, really.  It had been less than a year since his marriage had dissolved like a fizzy pink bath bomb in a giant tub of water, and weddings still rubbed the wound painfully.  Mesh seemed to be recovered and happy, he had moved on before the ink on the dissolution was dry.  It was taking Nick a lot longer.  It’s because you’re getting old.  It was a constant refrain in his head, these days, a reminder that life was slipping away and everyone around him was settling down.  Well, except for Harry.  He was still happy sampling the smorgasbord of women the world had to offer him.  And Nick?  Nick couldn’t even get a decent date to a friend’s wedding.  So unfair.  Gah.

“Oi!  Nicholas!  Over here!”  Harry was snapping his fingers at Nick after having extricated himself from the octopus. 

“What are you on about?”

“D’ja like my speech?  Michal almost choked on his champagne,” he said proudly and with only a slight slur.

“Yeah, Harold, it was really good.”

“I told Mum Gems would like it.  Doesn’t she look great, Grim?”  Harry’s face shone with happiness as he watched his mother and sister on the dais.  He turned to Nick, seeking his 

confirmation.

It took Nick’s breath away.  That face, those eyes, the light of a thousand suns.  The first time Nick had seen that expression was years ago, after the Brits.  Nick was still on the Breakfast Show and him and Harry had stayed out until the wee hours partying.  They went back to his flat so that he could shower and change clothes before work.  Harry was a cuddler, especially when he was drunk, and he’d snuggled up to Nick in the car and it was like freeing himself from a koala to get them both into the flat.  They were giggly and breathless and once the door was closed behind them, Harry had turned to Nick and kissed him.  A soft, happy kiss.  A taste of the nectar that ancient bards sang about.  As first kisses go, it was perfection.  Nick had been instantly sobered yet impossibly drunk on Harry.  When they pulled apart, Nick saw Harry’s expression, his innocent look of adoration, and knew that nothing else in life would ever compare to witnessing it.

“Yes.  Beautiful.”

Harry grinned at him before his attention was snatched away from Nick by... Dora?  Nora?  Nick watched them together and was puzzled.  What did Harry see in her, besides the obvious?  Yes, she was pretty in that cookie-cutter model way, but forget being able to have a conversation.  Her IQ was south of 90 and her repertoire seemed to be limited to 5 or 6 topics on a good day, basically a troll with a pretty face.  Meanwhile, Harry was innately intelligent and constantly challenged himself to keep his mind sharp.  He was well-read and well-travelled and could conduct himself respectably whilst conversing on almost any subject.  Nick found himself assessing the odds that this ‘relationship’ would last longer than a month.  Not that Nick had any room to throw stones on that account. 

Harry leaned over to kiss her, (what was her name? Philistia? Phlegm?) but was stopped by her finger on his lips.  She had just applied lipstick and didn’t want him to muss it.  Harry smiled and moved to kiss her cheek instead.  Nick nearly goggled at her stupidity and swallowed a snarky comment with a sip of water.  When one is given the opportunity to touch that beautiful mouth with one’s own, one never, ever turned that down.  Yet she did.  Several more times before the evening was over, in fact.  Idiot.

Nick stayed through the first dance, through the karaoke, through Mr. And Mrs. Mlynowski’s well-choreographed departure.  He had a lovely conversation with Anne, ate more than he should have and then pleaded a headache so that he could escape, escape the presence of so much happiness and hope.  It was far too painful to contemplate, and watching Harry with, er, Consomme’ only added to the hurt and loneliness that he felt. 

Nick was waiting for the valet to return with his car when he heard his name.

“Nick!”  Harry was hurrying out to the queue line. 

“‘M so glad you could make it, Nick.”  Harry reached out to hug him.  Nick hesitated for only a fraction before allowing himself to be drawn in.  He let himself relax into Harry’s arms, let the scent of alcohol and spicy cologne envelope him.  The brush of Harry’s lips against his cheek made him smile, his first genuine smile of the day. 

“Call me next week, k?” Harry said, and then he was gone.  

Nick was left stood alone on the kerb and the valet was holding the car door open for him, so Nick went home and watched ‘The Notebook’ and indulged in ice cream and maudlin thoughts of romance and impossibilities.

THREE

The breeze smelt of brine and freshness as it blew over the castle walls and into the courtyard.  Nick lifted his face to the sun and enjoyed its warmth in the cool air.  November 1. Samhain.  A legendary good day to begin a marriage, the end of the harvest and the beginning of the quiet time of year.  

It was early yet and he had come out to the garden to take in the beauty of the day and sip his tea.  At the clink of china, he looked up to find Harry walking towards him carrying a cup and saucer of his own.

“Morning Nick.  Beautiful day for a wedding.”

“Harold!  When did you get in?”

“About 2 this morning.  Had to drive up from Manchester.  There was a mix-up in the travel plans and Glenapp Castle is not the easiest place to get to.  On a side note, I’m looking for a new assistant.”

Nick laughed at his obviously false grumpy tone and stood to hug him.  “Well, whatever.  I’m glad you’re here.”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”  

There was a certain gruffness to his tone that he tried to cover with a cough.  Nick smiled indulgently and offered him a scone.  They caught up for a few minutes, Nick laughing at one of Harry’s jokes and then falling silent.  He closed his eyes and smiled, trying to catalogue all the emotions running through his veins.  Happiness, joy, hope, and a bit of nerves if he was honest.  He was grateful to have his best friend there with him. 

“Where is Adam?” Harry asked, bringing Nick out of his reverie.

“Not sure.  Sleeping in maybe.  And it’s Calvin—you know that.”

‘Yeah, like my name is Harold or Henry Stars.”

Nick snickered.  “Yes, Henry, my MUM asked about you last night.”

Harry shook his head, smile growing.  “Will she ever learn my name?”

“Dunno.  Got her so confused with Adam Richard Wiles and Calvin Harris—she calls him Dickie and that’s that.”

Harry laughed out loud.  “Dickie and Nickie.  I’ll have to get you some personalised pillows or some such.”

“Don’t you dare!  By the way, I had the weirdest dream last night.  You and I were running through my old neighbourhood in Oldham wearing kilts and trying to find all the sweets.  An old crone was laughing at us and grabbed us both by the ears.  She gave us each a coin, filled our sporrans with candy, and sent us out the door, whacking our bums with a broom made out of rosemary.”

“How much did you have to drink last night?” Harry asked with a laugh.

“Not enough for that kind of dream.  Anyway, when I woke up this morning there was a sprig of rosemary and a sixpence under my pillow.”

“That’s really weird.”

“Oh, shut up Henry.”

They finished their tea and, realising the time, headed to their rooms in the castle to get ready for the ceremony which was scheduled for 1 pm.  Harry got dressed in his room then headed upstairs to help Nick with any last minute details.  Nick looked up when Harry entered and gave a low whistle.  Harry was wearing a traditional Highland tartan kilt complete with jacket, waistcoat, a sporran and hose.  He had a white lace jabot at his throat.  His only departure from tradition were custom Gucci brogues.  Damn but the man was beautiful. 

“Are you…” Nick began but Harry interrupted him.

“Of course.”  Harry turned his back to Nick and flicked up the edge of his kilt, mooning his best friend.

Harry greeted Aimee and made conversation while Nick recovered himself.  Unlike his first wedding, Aimee was not officiating this one.  Instead she was Nick’s best man, a role Harry would have been honoured to fill but he hadn’t been asked.

“So what are your duties Aimee?  Hold the rings?  Calm down the groom?  Or at least one of them?”

“Yeah, Harry.  Oh, I get to help with the hand-fasting too,” she answered.

“The what?”   

“It’s a Scottish tradition.  Cal always wanted to include it when he got married,” Nick explained. 

“I still have no idea what you are talking about,” Harry said.

“Here, it’s like this Harry.  Do you have a cord or a ribbon?”

Harry reached into his sporran and removed a banana, his mobile, and a Gucci tartan scarf.

“The scarf, give it to me.  Okay.  So you and Nick hold hands.  No, both of them.  Yeah, like that.  Then the ribbon, or in this case the scarf, is wound around your hands and then tied loosely.  A blessing is offered and voila’.  You’ve tied the knot.” 

She was grinning at them.  Nick rolled his eyes and shook the scarf loose.  

“It’s all bollocks if you ask me.  But my fiancé wanted it, and I want to make him happy.”

“Well then, Nicholas, that is what you should do.” 

***

 Tuesday morning, headlines in The Sun and Daily Mail screamed about the secret wedding of legendary DJ Calvin Harris, nee’ Adam Richard Wiles, and television and radio presenter Nick Grimshaw.  The happy couple was said to be honeymooning at an undisclosed location.  The paps had been out of luck and only the official photos released by the happy couple were used.  Harry meanwhile had been caught at Heathrow and dozens of shots were circulating the internet.  Fans were disappointed that he was not smiling in any of them.

FOUR

“And Chris told me that Gwyneth sent them a gift,” Nick muttered conspiratorially to Harry before taking another drink of champagne.

“No! What was it?  Poisoned fruit or summat?”

“It was a set of holistic linen sheets, handmade while the crafter thinks happy thoughts about the recipient.  Oh!  And it came with an aphrodisiac candle and some aromatherapy good mojo spray.”

“Did Alexa toss them into the rubbish bin?”

“No, she said she’d use them in the guest room.  One of them at least.”

Their laughter was interrupted by the return of Harry’s date, Clarissa.  She plopped onto the seat next to him and affected a pout.  Nick used every ounce of his self-control not to roll his eyes.  Harry had dated some vacuous women in the past but this one was the worst.  He could not understand what Harry saw in her. 

Avaricious, spoiled, and damn near anorexic; she wasn’t even pretty. Nick worried about Harry sometimes.  Okay often, he worried about him often.  As Harry got closer to his 30th birthday, and he’d just turned 29 in February, he seemed to be more and more restless and determined to find the perfect mate.  It was like his biological clock was ticking or something. 

Nick hadn’t been to his friend’s last birthday party.  He had been in the throes of his second disintegrating marriage.  It was all his fault, really.  At least that’s what Cal had said just before he slammed the front door and then whooshed out of the garage never to be spoken to again.  Why couldn’t he remain friends with his exes? Other people seemed to have no trouble.  The only one he had managed to keep was Harry, and they had only dated briefly a decade ago.

Had it been that long?  

They had both been so young.  Harry had still been in One Direction and the Nazi-like management had nearly ruptured an artery when they found out he and Nick were an ‘item’.  Harry had quietly listened to their ranting and threats and then turned and walked out of the meeting.  He had gone straight to Nick’s and holed up there for almost a week, refusing to speak to anyone except Nick until his mother called him, worried. 

Harry had agreed to attend a meeting whereupon the management dicks hammered at him again about ruining the brand until he threatened to walk away from it all.  They had quieted down when they realiszed that this charming, soft-spoken kid was absolutely prepared to make good on his warning.  Harry ended up giving them an ultimatum before heading back to Nick’s.  Nick, who had been scared shitless for his boyfriend, was truly terrified when Harry recounted the relevant points of the meeting he’d just attended.  All he could see was the glorious career Harry was prepared to throw away for him… and he couldn’t let him make that sacrifice.  He told himself that Harry didn’t realisze what he was about to give up, that he worried that Harry would regret it and blame him.  

Their friendship had survived the break-up, barely.  Harry felt that his grand gesture hadn’t been appreciated for what it was: a declaration of love for Nick.  Nick felt that Harry was too young to realisze what he was doing.  They repaired the relationship one night when Harry was off tour with 1D and showed up at Nick’s with an armful of romantic comedies and a couple of bottles of tequila.  They drank and watched movies and hashed out the hurts until the wee hours of the morning.  Then they curled up in Nick’s bed and cuddled until they fell asleep. 

The tens of millions of One Direction fans had no idea how close they had come to losing their beloved boys two and a half years before the ‘hiatus.’

When Nick had first heard Made in the A.M. he had been shocked.  Though he hid it well at the station, he had taken the CD home and listened to one song over and over again.  Though they had never talked about it, Nick knew that “If I Could Fly” had been written about him.  He had spent the weekend drinking and crying over opportunities lost.

His rumination was ended abruptly by Clarissa’s long fingers snapping at him.  “Wake up Sleepyhead!  Do you want another drink or not?  I’m going to the bar.”

“I’m good.  Thanks,” he said. 

Harry had been summoned by yet another friend of the happy couple to pose for selfies with them.  Nick was watching him so intently that he didn’t hear Alexa swish up to the table.  He pulled his features into a mask, but it was too late.  She had seen.

“Why don’t you talk to him Nick?  I mean, really talk to him.  Tell him the truth.”

“Tell him what?  That a forty year old man with two failed marriages fancies him?”

“Thirty-eight.”

“Oh whatever.  Close enough.”

“You are selling yourself short.  And you’re not giving him enough credit.  You will never be happy if you keep trying to find a substitute for the real thing.”

What is this?  Relationship advice from the woman who has been married for exactly…” he looked at his watch, “90 minutes?”

“Fine.  Ignore my advice.  But I know I’m right.  Oh god, gotta run.  Carlotta is steaming her way over here.”

“Clarissa.”

“Oh whatever, Grimshaw.   She wants me to make her the spokesmodel for my brand. I don’t know what Harry sees in her,” she said softly over her shoulder as she hurried away to a group of friends and family to hide from Clarissa.

“No one does,” Nick answered, but she didn’t hear.

FIVE

“Calm down, Nicholas!  You said it yourself.  ‘Third time’s the charm’.”

Harry smiled at the groom fumbling with his bow tie.  Nick stood in front of the full length mirror, shirt untucked and trousers unbuttoned, grappling with the piece of silk.  Pausing again, he met Harry’s eyes in the mirror as he found another thing to panic about.

“Sam was subdued at the dinner last night.  He wouldn’t tell me what was wrong.  What if he’s got cold feet?  Everyone’s out there—Harry I don’t think I can take the humiliation of another failed marriage.  I’m a punchline now—even to myself.”

“Nick, it’s okay to have jitters before your wedding.  Sam’s probably just excited and nervous just like you.”

“I need another glass of wine,” Nick said and moved to the table across the room. 

“You might want to take it eas--”  Harry was interrupted by Nick’s yelp of pain as he stubbed his toe on a chair leg.

“Shit, that hurt!” he yelped, reaching down to rub the offended appendage.   “If I broke it, the shoes will never fit.  Wait!  My shoes!  Where are my shoes?”

“They’re right here,” Harry replied with a smirk.  Opening the box containing the shiny black oxfords he offered “Come here and tie your tie.  I’ll tie your shoes.”

Nick walked back to the mirror and Harry knelt down, slipping the patent leather on the proffered left foot and tying securely.  Maneuvering the right shoe on Harry grazed the stubbed toe and Nick howled out a protest.

“Hold still, it’s almost in there.   Come on now, push a little.”

The door burst open and Nick’s fiancé barged in.  He took in the sight before him, his brain jumping to a conclusion. 

“Sam! It’s bad luck to see each other before the ceremony,” Nick’s voice sounded strained.

“H-how could you?  On our wedding day?”  Sam’s face was suffusing with red.

“What?  What are you on about?”

“You know, you’ve called me his name at least a dozen times.”  Sam’s eyes were looking dangerously moist.

“What? Who?”

Harry rose slowly and moved to stand behind Nick’s right shoulder.

“Last night even.  You called me ‘Harry’.”

Nick stood frozen as the colour drained from his face.

“I came in to reassure myself that we were going to be okay and find him on his knees and your trousers undone!”

“Sam!  I was tying his--” Harry began but Sam cut him off.

“You shut up!  It’s always you!  He moans your name in his sleep.  He even called me ‘Harry’ when I was sucking him off.  You’ve ruined my life!”

Sam made a move towards Harry but Nick stepped between them.

“Harry’s done nothing wrong.  He’s just--”

“Shut up!  Shut up!  Shut up!  Ramon told me you were cheating with him but I didn’t believe him.  Now I see it with my own eyes.  It’s over!  How could you ever say ‘I do’ to me when you never stopped saying I did to him?”

“Sam--”  Nick reached for him.

“No!  I’m going back to Ramon!”

“But our guests!”

“You mean your guests Nick,” he said, then stifled a sob with his fist as he stumbled from the room.

Nick stood stiffly staring at the door while Sam’s wails echoed down the hall.  It was a while before he felt Harry’s hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Nick.  I didn’t mean to--”

“No.  It’s alright.  I knew it wasn’t going to work out.  I think that’s why I was so nervous.  I’m not in love with him.”

He hung his head as Harry squeezed his shoulder.  Nick reached up to pat his hand after a moment and took a deep breath.

“I guess I’d better go tell my guests that the wedding is off.  At least they’ll have the reception to look forward to.”

“Wait, Nick.  Don’t tell them.”

“What?  I can’t leave everyone just sitting there when they’ve surely heard him carrying on.  I’ll just tell them I’m a three time loser and we’ll move on to the dinner and the party.”

Nick headed for the door but Harry grabbed his arm.

“Was it true?  What he said?  About me?”

“C’mon Harold, let go.  I’ve got to—“

“Was it true, Nick?”

Nick steeled himself to look into Harry’s eyes, those green eyes that he loved so much.

“Yes,” he managed at last.

Harry searched his face, questioning then made a small nod.

“Good. Then marry me.”

“What?!”

“You heard me.  Marry me instead.  Today.  Right now.”

“Have you gone mad?”

“Do you know why I’ve never got married?  Because I didn’t love any of them.  Not one.  And I tried.”

Nick just stared at him.

“Do you know why I’ve never dated another man?” 

Harry paused for a reply but Nick was dumbstruck.

“Because you’re the only man for me.  Nicholas Peter Andrew Grimshaw, I love you.  I have loved you my whole life.  Will you marry me?”

Tears filled his eyes and his voice cracked when he answered.  “Yes, Harold, I will.”

“You know my name isn’t Harold, right?”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

And he did.

At the first strains of the music, the small crowd turned to see Harry and Nick standing at the back of the room together.  As Shania sang ‘Still the One’, they walked hand in hand down the aisle, both men beaming.  They stopped to hug Anne and Gemma, both of whom were crying.  Just before he released her, Anne whispered to Nick “It’s about time.”  That was when his tears started. 

Next stop was Eileen and Jane and Andy, who hugged them both fiercely.  Eileen reached up to whisper to Harry “He’s always loved you Henry.  As have we all.”   

“Mum, his name’s---”

“Harry.  Yes dear, I know.  But he’ll always be Henry Stars to me.”

Harry bent down to kiss her on the cheek. 

They arrived at the end of the aisle and stood looking at each other as the song faded away.  The minister gave a speech and had them repeat traditional wedding vows. He pronounced them married, and then Nick turned to Harry.  He looked into those eyes, so green he could get lost in their depths.  Harry took Nick’s face gently in his hands and stared into his eyes. 

“I love you.  I am so proud to have married you at last.”  

And then he kissed him.  And then kissed him again.  And then again.  Nick was giddy when they finally pulled apart to applause from their guests.

[a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives]

How I unwind: Luke Arnold

Bearing more than a passing resemblance to Michael Hutchence is something Luke Arnold says he has been hearing about for years. Now it's being taken full advantage of in the actor's role as the late frontman in the docu-drama INXS: Never Tear Us Apart, which screens on television from tonight. The one-time Sydneysider fielded Unwind's questions from Cape Town, South Africa, where he is filming a second series playing Long John Silver in the pirate-themed American TV drama Black Sails.

My first thought on waking up in the morning tends to be …

Where am I? I've slept in six different apartments around the world in the last month, plus airport lounges, planes, in the back of cars. I'm living in multiple time-zones so I'll just grab a few zzz's whenever I can and wake up in a daze. Then I'll start hunting for coffee.

Something I couldn't live without is …

My family. I know I should say some kind of object, but I lose stuff so often I can't get attached to anything material.

Born for it: Luke Arnold as Michael Hutchence

I've been spending most of my time lately on …

Planes. I barely knew what a frequent-flyer point was a year ago, now I'm collecting them like crazy. I'm getting to see a lot of the world, which is great, but I've still never been on an actual holiday overseas that wasn't for work.

Growing up, what INXS meant to me was …

The embodiment of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. There was something about INXS that, from the outside, embodied that fantasy. And the ''sex'' side of it definitely comes out in the music. I had a self-made INXS mix CD in my car when I was in high school and it served me well. Play Need You Tonight at the right moment on a dance floor and it can work magic.

The most challenging part of playing Michael Hutchence in Never Tear Us Apart was …

Covering so many years in such a small amount of time. Toby Wallace does an amazing job of playing a teenage Michael and I play him from 19 to 37. There is a huge development in Michael's character - both as a person and as a performer - through the years. Plus as we move from the '70s to the '80s and into the '90s, everything moves forward: dance moves, hairstyles, fashion. All these things needed to be accurate to the time but we'd shoot out of sequence. On the first day I think we shot nine scenes in seven different time periods.

A memorable moment I had with a member of the real INXS around the movie was …

The first week of rehearsals, when Tim Farriss joined us to take us through band practice. I mean, it doesn't get much better than that. Because we had to match our performance to the archival footage of their concerts, I had written out the lyrics with stage directions on this messy collection of notepads and paper spread out around the microphone stand. Tim came up to me during the day and told me that was exactly how he remembered Michael being in rehearsals. I got a huge boost of confidence because of Tim's support from the very beginning.

I'd describe my real-life singing skills as …

Developing. I had a huge fear of singing in front of people for a long time and struggled to find my voice. At drama school we had to do public concerts and I'd kind of just make a mockery of it out of fear of properly trying and failing. But over the years I've been working at it, wrote some songs and even had a band for a bit, and I'm lucky I did.

The music I have on high rotation is …

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Like Michael, I'm a huge Nick Cave fan and that's what I generally play in my green room before shooting. I've bought tickets to see them three times but always end up missing the concert because of work. I've got a ticket to see them later this year so hopefully it finally happens.

On screen I most like watching …

Anything with a sense of adventure. I grew up loving Indiana Jones, Zorro, The Never Ending Story, and my taste is still pretty similar. I watch anything, in any genre, but give me a good old quest any day.

The most interesting part of playing Long John Silver in Black Sails has been …

Discovering the reality of pirate life. We're really exploring the world in a way that has never been shown on film or television before. The battles feel real, the politics and lifestyle makes sense and you feel like these people actually existed rather than being fantastical. It's always a challenge but I wouldn't want to be on any other show.

Taking up my reading time is …

Scripts. Black Sails shoots for half the year, which means I get to find new projects in the break. After season one I did and now I'm looking to see what's out there for beyond season two. After playing my dream role, it's hard to know what to do next.

I get wound up when …

I deal with bad pedestrians. I think it needs to be addressed on a worldwide scale. Someone should do an international ad campaign: ''Whatever side of the road the cars drive on, that's the side you walk on.''

I like to unwind by …

Going back to my parents' place and turning off my phone. [I] usually do the cryptic crossword with my dad, spend the morning at the beach, play a bit of PlayStation with my brother and have a beer and barbecue in the backyard. The more I travel, the nicer it is to come home. 

- The Sydney Morning Herald

[iamcinema]

IAC Reviews #015: R.S.V.P (2002)

Well, I suppose it’s safe to say that leaving the city isn’t going to do us much good with avoiding trouble. I guess if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em I suppose. I heard there’s a crazy party going on and we’re invited to join in on the fun. Let’s see what they’re up to and if it’s worth it. Just be sure to practice your social distancing and keep your masks on, and I’m sure we’ll be just fine.

_______________________________________ 

For this, we’re going to go back a-ways to the mid 2000s when FearNet was still around and if you were like me, you’d find yourself turning to it for a quick fix of the flavor of the week - which was typically lesser known or underrated slasher films or B to Z-grade horror films; like that from Troma. It was around here that I’d soak up what I could on long, boring summer nights and I was usually in for something halfway decent if I not only never heard of it before, but it appeared that a lot of people on IMDb didn’t either judging from the sparse reviews and next to no posts on the message boards. Along with today’s feature, this would include others like The Curve (1998), Cherry Falls (2000), My Little Eye (2002), Taboo (2002), Zombie Nation (2004), and S&Man (2006).

R.S.V.P is a 2002 dark comedy / suspense film, depending on who you ask, written and directed by Mark Anthony Galluzzo, who didn’t go on to do a whole lot in his career. Our story centers on a psychology student, Nick, with a obsession with true crime who invites his old friends and professor over for a fun night at his apartment where the only party game they’ll be playing is murder. It stars some familiar faces, like that of Jason Mewes, Reno Wilson, Rick Otto, Jonathan Banks, and the late Glenn Quinn. If you have a weakness for slasher oriented films from 90s to the early 2000s, then you might already be on board from the trailer alone; both with it’s general concept and how, even in 2002, the 90s are still carrying on in spirit. It’s almost nostalgic in a way, conjuring up memories at the movie theater with the black light carpeting, the smell of overpriced buttered popcorn, and the deafening THX logo opener. But, the question now is if that sweet nostalgia comes with a bitter aftertaste that’s hard to swallow.

R.S.V.P In One Gif:

Okay, so maybe this is going to be a bit harsh given what I have to say next. But, bear with me for a moment.

________________________________________ 

Watching RSVP is a lot like sinking in lava. You think you’d abruptly catch on fire, but instead you sink slowly as you burn up due to the density of it. After all, we’re talking about molten rock here. This is the definition of a slow burner film if I’ve ever seen one and I know for some, that’s a hard pitch to sell because it can feel like scenes drag on and on for too long. I’ve griped about this in the past with films like Las Vegas Bloodbath (1989) with all the filler content and how the third act is like pulling teeth to blow through because it feels like nothing is happening. Well, in this case nothing of importance is happening.

So, what’s the deal with this then? The bulk of the film surrounds our protagonist, well antihero is probably a better title for him, Nick and his obsession with serial killers as a psychology student and how one would orchestrate the perfect crime. This discussion and obsession comes to ahead with two others early on; his professor Hal Evans and friend Jimmy, alongside a reoccurring theme of referencing and discussing true crime - with the 1924 Leopold and Loeb case being a subject of interest for Nick specifically due to the nature and legacy of the murder. Oh, and holy hell does this movie show how much it aged since the film was likely in production just as Gary Ridgeway was identified as the Green River Killer.

From here, we get a taste of who we’ll be stuck with for the next 90 minutes and I can’t say for sure if this is a party I’d stick around for, as it becomes almost another drunk/stoner college kid flick. I won’t say a ton about who is who and their relationships to each other to avoid straying too far into spoiler territory because just about all of it is strung together by foreshadowing. While there’s no surprise who our killer is, the suspense and mystery comes in the form of the motivation and when or if Nick will get caught while on his killing spree. The film has been compared to Hitchcock’s style of suspense in a few ways, and it reminds me of an example he made about suspense vs surprise with a bomb under a table;

“...In the first case we have given the public fifteen seconds of surprise at the moment of the explosion. In the second we have provided them with fifteen minutes of suspense. The conclusion is that whenever possible the public must be informed. Except when the surprise is a twist, that is, when the unexpected ending is, in itself, the highlight of the story.“

Unfortunately from here on out, there doesn’t feel like a whole lot to comment on beyond some minor exposition that links everyone together; such as three of the friends being in a band and there being some tension between some bitter ex-lovers. It’s more so just scene after scene of things happening and it feels like a drag, even if the metaphorical bomb is lurking just around the corner, which can have you just barely holding out for what the next murder will be and even then it’s hard to say if it was well worth the wait. The acting is a somewhat mixed bag and many of the characters are forgettable. It’s not the absolute worst I’ve ever seen, but not many of them did much to hold my interest enough to care if they lived or died.

Also, did I mention how strange the music choice is? We have moments where we have 90s electronic style beats, and then we cut to what I think is “Habanera” from Carmen and “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from The Nutcracker.  I don’t get it. It’s kind of weird and a bit goofy if I’m being honest for the general tone it’s going for - unless that just plays into the dark, satirical comedy aspect. Speaking of which, some moments (especially the murders) are like a fine grilled ham and cheese sandwich with the payoff that I’m sure Patrick Bateman himself would recognize.

If I had to give one decent thing to say about it, it’s that the final act is probably the film’s strongest suit since the first ten minutes with our final chase and a further look into Nick’s psychology with understanding his methods of madness. I will say that while doing some research on this, I came across information about an alternate version of the film where we learn that Nick wasn’t the only person with blood on his hands. However, these scenes were removed due to confusing test audiences, but they can be found on the DVD. According to IMDb, this given more significance in a scene that plays during the credits, but I’m sure you could fit those pieces together on your own with how the final act plays out as a whole. But, I will say I wonder what I’m missing out on and if it parallels the Leopold and Loeb case; especially with how certain film adaptations were a bit heavy handed with focusing on LGBTQ themes, and given what we see unfold, it did pique my interest a bit.

________________________________________ 

So, now we’re here. The party is over and the dead are waiting to be picked up. Where do I stand on this one? I recall when I saw this years ago that I didn’t exactly care for it and I rated it 3/10. I thought the characters were bland and uninteresting, it was too hammy for my general liking for being classified as a dark comedy, and I didn’t really care for the pay off. It was a major blur, and I suppose that’s telling to how invested I was in it. But, now we’re here close to 15 years later and something had to change, right?

Well, sort of. I guess it’s just more so telling that my own niche hobbies and interests are bleeding into things and why I have a guilty enjoyment for things like The Curve (1998) and the August Underground trilogy (2001-2007) and it’s focus on true crime, murder, and the concept of the true perfect crime. It was neat to look back on, even if it was just brief glimpses of the criminal psychology discussions. I still don’t particularly care too much for most of the characters, mostly the members of Whiskey Dick. The kills themselves are okay when they’re done well, but a good portion of them are cut to white so you miss all the action. The film is relatively bloodless as well, which is something I felt let down by, as the goriest scene happens in the opening and it’s downhill from there for the most part as far as that’s concerned.

Overall, this is just meh to me. I wouldn’t call it atrocious, but it’s not good either, not even by Saturday night popcorn flick standards. It’s a okay watch if you’re bored and don’t have much else going on, just don’t expect anything worthwhile even for the times. There’s better films from the era out there, but there’s also worse...so much worse.

RATING: 4/10

[pipbabi]

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[easyobsession]

DWTS24 Cast Announcement and why Simone Biles won’t win.

Do you feel it? The anticipation, the desire, the lust for shirtless foreign men mixed with the scent of sweat dripping on hardwood?

YOU’RE GODDAMN RIGHT YOU DO. BECAUSE IT’S TIME FOR ANOTHER SEASON OF OUR FAVORITE SHOW WE LOVE TO RIP APART SINCE THIS IS OUR VERSION OF THE GODDAMN NFL.

IT’S TIME FOR MY RECAP OF THE DWTS SEASON 24 CAST ANNOUNCEMENT. BASK IN MY DISPLAY OF EXCITEMENT VIA CAPS LOCK. HERE WE GO, KIDS.

The Guys

BONNOR BOLTON with pro partner SHARNA BURGESS:

To start us off, like a large portion of the cast this season, especially the males, I have no clue who this person is. Apparently he’s a bull rider and model? Because those two things are commonly associated with each other… Anyway, he looks 12 but apparently is almost thirty. Now, if you remember back to season 8, rodeo cowboy Ty Murray (ex-hubbie of singer Jewel, though they were still married at the time) managed to get to fourth place with Chelsie Hightower. Now I won’t take anything away from Ty, but the competition wasn’t incredibly stiff that year outside of the top 3. That being said, it is possible this Bonnor guy (raise your hand if you’ve ever heard that name before. Me either) could turn out to be the next James Hinchcliffe and shock us all (shoutout to James. We love and adore and miss the hell out of you and Shar. #GetMarried). But I doubt it. My expectations are low. Moving on.

RASHAD JENNINGS with pro partner EMMA SLATER:

Please welcome the latest inductee into the Pro Athletes I’ve Never Heard Of Because They Are In Fact Athletes Club! His bio says he’s a running back in the NFL. Wasn’t Tim Riggins a running back on Friday Night Lights? GO RIGGINS! (Shoutout to everyone in Dillon, Texas. #TexasForever) …That’s it for my football knowledge. But congrats to Emma for getting a partner that isn’t old enough to be her grandfather and is actually in good physical shape. He won’t win, but he sure as hell won’t be as bad as her usual partners. Yahoo!

CHRIS KATTAN with pro partner WITNEY CARSON:

I’m never upset to see Witters. I missed her on the tour. This guy’s turn on SNL was before my time, so I’m 0/3 thus far. I’m gonna make a guess based on physique and just first glance (because I wouldn’t be the Lo you all love if I wasn’t a judgmental asshole) and say he’s gonna suck and be out early. Sorry Wit. Enjoy your time with the troupe.

DAVID ROSS with pro partner LINDSAY ARNOLD:

Again, I’m always happy to see Lindsay. We’re up to 0/5 for my recognition of the males of season 24, and we have our second inductee into the season 24 IDK Athletes Club. My knowledge of baseball is limited to the new FOX show Pitch (watch it. Fall in love with it. Obsess with me and my friendys in the #bawson tag. And yes, that is Mark Paul Gosselaar from Saved By The Bell. Zack Morris is a sexy motherfucker with that beard. #ShamelessPlug) but he seems like a nice guy. Horray for the MLB finally getting someone on the show. Or really, I’m sorry to the MLB for finally getting someone on the show. Moving forward.

MR. T with pro partner KYM HERJAVEC:

I KNOW THIS ONE! YOU GUYS, I KNOW WHO THIS ONE IS. And Kym is using her married name! (BTW, sidenote, I’ve started watching SharkTank and now adore Robert. Just sharing #Sharkaroo) Anyway, I think we all know how this is going to turn out. Lord help us. And I’m already sick of hearing that catchphrase.

NICK VIALL with pro partner PETA MURGATROYD:

Sigh. Yes, I know this one too. First of all, let me say welcome back Peta. We’ve missed you and couldn’t be happier to see you back on our screens. However, I’d rather see her with damn near anyone else but this guy. Am I watching this season of the Bachelor? Hell no, and Nick is the reason why. I didn’t watch his seasons of The Bachelorette- I actually have only seen a handful of seasons, but I’m aware of what’s gone on. And I’m opposed to him being the Bachelor for two reasons: #1. It should’ve been Luke. And #2. He’s a dick. Go ahead and try to convince me otherwise. I’m waiting. He won’t be great, and hopefully he won’t be around long. Sorry Nick, yet again you’ll be sent home with only your hand to console you. BUH-BYE NOW.

The Girls

SIMONE BILES with pro partner SASHA FARBER:

Another sigh. Am I excited she’s on the cast? Yes. Will she do well? Pointless to even answer. Am I excited to see the routines she does and how epic her partnership with Sasha will be? Of course. But I’m 95% sure she won’t win and here’s why: it’s also why I’m upset she’s on this season: they can’t and won’t have two identical winners directly next to each other. Simone isn’t even just a gymnast like Laurie, she was literally on the same team and is damn near a carbon copy. Is that a bad thing in life? Hell no. She’s tiny, adorable, and too precious for planet Earth. Make no mistake, I’m in love with the girl. But Simone winning would be almost an exact repeat of last season, which I do not think TPTB (sorry, I mean “the public voters” O.O) will allow. This is why when directly after the Olympics Simone said she couldn’t do the fall season of the show because of other commitments but would love to do the spring season, I was concerned when they announced Laurie. It’s like when Riker Lynch competed and his sister Rydel (shoutout to R5 for being fucking rockstars. Also, #TeamRallison you are missed) said she’s wanted to do the show for a long time, I said even if her schedule worked out it would have to be several seasons before she competed because having siblings back to back is too similar. So really it’s unfair to Simone and unfair to Sasha as well that she’s competing this season, because it’s an almost guarantee she won’t win despite the fact that we know she’ll be one of the best on the floor. Will she make it to the finale? Of course. But I sincerely doubt she has a real shot at getting the mirrorball.

CHARO with pro partner KEO MOTSEPE:

Okay. I get it. With a lot of the male vets being gone, it makes sense that Keo would get another shot as a pro. Plus, in this scenario whether or not he’s a great teacher doesn’t really matter. Do I know who this woman is? Yes. And…I don’t think I need or want to say much more. Godspeed.

ERIKA JAYNE with pro partner GLEB SAVCHENKO:

The Housewives is actually one of the few reality shows I don’t watch, primarily because I simply don’t have the time. So I have no clue who this woman is. I have a feeling she’ll be similar to Kim Zolciak, who I also did not know during her run in season 21 but quickly fell in love with and still follow on social media to this day. So who knows? I’m open to it and wish her well.

NANCY KERRIGAN with pro partner ARTEM CHIGVINTSEV:

Nope. Don’t know her either. But I remember when poor Dorothy Hamill, another former Olympic skater, back in season 16 was tragically forced to drop out of the competition in week 2 due to injury. Dorothy’s first performance was epic though, and she and Nancy seem somewhat similar in build, so… perhaps this could work well. If nothing else, we know the Olympians know how to train. Again, I wish her luck. Let’s see how this goes.

NORMANI KORDEI with pro partner VAL CHMERKOVSKIY:

I will be honest: of all the members of Fifth Harmony, Normani is not my favorite. She’s actually 4/5 for me, and yes, I still count Camilla. But I’m open to new things. She seems cool. And just because she isn’t my favorite member of Fifth Harmony doesn’t mean I don’t like her, she’s just not my fave. I’m excited to get to know and love her. I think she’ll be great. I look forward to seeing her partnership with Val. I’m good with this.

HEATHER MORRIS with pro partner MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY:

OH MY HELL KIDS, HERE WE GODDAMN GO. “Did you know that dolphins are just gay sharks?” “Whenever I pray, I fall asleep.” “Mr. Schue, is he your son?” “When I pulled my hamstring I went to a misogynist.” “It’s a male duck.” “I’m pretty sure my cat’s been reading my diary.” “She’s the one they made me talk to when they found out I was keeping that bird in my locker.” IT’S BRITTANY MOTHERFUCKING S. PIERCE. Yes she toured as a dancer with Beyoncѐ. Yes she knows how to not just dance, but slay. Is it fair? Probably not. Do I care? Find my fucks, I dare you. This is my girl, this is my pick, this is it. The end. I’m sorry Simone, honestly I am and I wish to hell you weren’t in such a shitty position, but this is my One. Mic drop. I’m done.

The Troupe and Missing Pros

Again, sorry to see Mark absent, but he’s moved on and seems happy so good for him. I’ll miss Allison like hell and wish both her and Jenna well in whatever they’re doing next and hope to see them return at some point. Meanwhile, I’m popping bottles and toasting because #MANTISLESS24. Make it trend! Watch me work! PS- welcome to the newbies in the troupe. Mama’s spikin’ her Dr. Pepper tonight. YES INDEED!

Predictions

EARLY EXIT/THANKS BUT NO THANKS: Charo, Chris, Mr. T, and possibly Bonnor (he could go middle and surprise us).

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD/AT LEAST YOU TRIED: Nick, possibly David, Nancy, Rashad, possibly Erika (she could go lower. We’ll see if she’s more Nene or Kim).

GOING ALL THE WAY/LOVE ON TOP OF THE LEADERBOARD: Normani, Simone, Heather. Final 3, I’m calling it now. Unless they end up shocking us and letting Simone have it, I’m gonna predict Heather takes the mirrorball, Simone gets second, and Normani lands bronze. I know Amber Riley won back in season 17 and Heather winning would be the second Glee star to win, but I don’t think that matters as much as two Olympians from the same team winning back to back. That’s my prediction as of now.

I’ll be on vacation in DISNEY WORLD (yessir, let’s go Mickey) for the premiere but I will of course check out the routines online that night. I’m coming home Tuesday so within the next day or so I’ll watch the whole show and either write up something for this blog or toss out some tweets. Keep an eye out.

And that’s it! Season 24, it’s on. I thought for quite a while over the break that last season was season 24, so there you go. Big shock, I have no idea what’s going on. What else is new?

Feel free to join the discussion and hit me up on social media which has changed since last season- I am now @lauthom93 on Twitter and Instagram. You can also comment on this post, check out my ask box, or send me a message. I’m always down to talk. :)

You all know what time it is. Say it with me:

Until next time, love, hugs, and inappropriate gestures. <3

I love you guys to all the moons and back.

-LO.

[ruffsficstuffplace]

The Keeper of the Grove (Part 44)

In the beginning, Weiss' parents had thought that Nick and Freya were just completely enamored with their newest grandchild as they had been with Winter, cooing over Weiss, begging to let her be put in their arms and care as much as possible, and taking her out to Candela or jetting off to the other parts of Avalon.

Both even went so far as to take year-long sabbatical from her research laboratories and leave from his seats at company boards, the careers the two never truly quit even though they were officially considered retired.

Weiss had fond memories of that time, if blurry, and frequently pieced together from holos and second-hand accounts.

Her grandfather's strong, calloused hands holding her, carrying her, and raising her up in the air, making her feel like she was Queen of the Realm. Her grandmother's voice explaining scientific concepts and events in history that flew right over her head, but soothed and entranced her nonetheless. The two of them looking at her with such love and affection they oftentimes ended up crying from joy.

And of course, there was the constant, bizarre but amusing mix of flirting, affection, and verbal abuse that characterized their relationship.

Jacques had complained, largely because Tov's predecessors only ever discovered the spontaneous grandparent-granddaughter trips AFTER they had stolen away in a rover or jetted off in the night, but Snowie placated him.

“Just you wait,” she said, “they're going to get sick of her and start begging for us to take her back, just like they did with Winter.”

They didn't.

If anything, as Weiss' first birthday got closer and closer, they started to get more demanding; ignoring the letters from their colleagues and constituents reminding them that their vacations were fast ending; sometimes even outright kidnapping her for spontaneous trips, with the most memorable incident being Frosty snatching her granddaughter right from her father's arms during a public photo-shoot, Tony flying overhead, and Nick holding her by her legs as she hung out from an open door.

Weiss remembered the holo clear as day: Nick effortlessly hoisting his wife and second granddaughter back up into the cab, Freya nestling her in her arm and putting a bottle into her mouth with her free hand, Tony extending his hologram out the driver-side window, casually saluting the crowds, an amused Snowie, and a scowling Jacques before he closed the doors.

Jacques had threatened to put in a restraining order after that—emphasis on “threatened,” as Nicholas and Freya were two of the most important, iconic, and beloved founders of Candela, and were all but untouchable.

He needn't have worried, for just a week after that, the allegedly invincible Nick collapsed in the middle of a busy street, all 6'7 feet and 317 pounds of him laying face down on the floor, struggling to breath as his wife frantically called for help as their granddaughter cried in distress.

In hindsight, the reason for their obsession with spending every single one of their waking hours with Weiss was obvious:

They knew their time was running out.

Nicholas spent the last of his days in a hospice, his wife all but living with him on-site, and his daughter and grandchildren dropping by as often as they could. Jacques made a big show of spending every single Uroch the company could spare in trying to extend his life, but if he wouldn't sign the consent forms (and pass every test that asked if he was still of sound mind), then the treatments would mysteriously flounder, be they gene therapy, cybernetics, or even the nigh miraculous “Life Serum” pharmaceuticals developed shortly after Candela's completion.

“It's like his body is just… refusing to live any longer!” was how one of the many baffled doctors had explained it.

Weiss had less fond memories of those times.

Seeing her titanic grandfather bedridden, unable to stand up or carry her in his arms like he used to, his famously strong grip getting weaker and weaker as time passed. The lawyers that frequently dropped by, going over his estate with him, plans for his successors in the organizations he sat in, rooting out and calling out Jacques' sneaky attempts at getting him to sign off more and more of the company to him before he officially kicked the bucket. Falling asleep in her grandfather's or grandmother's arms, then waking up back in her crib, or in her mother or sister's lap as they road back to Manor Schnee.

It was a slow, ugly death that dragged on for months, an extremely ironic closing chapter for the “Man Who Couldn't Stop Moving.”

He kept on living, however, “sheer force of will” being the only reasonable explanation anyone could offer. Weiss' first birthday neared, and at her, Freya's, and Nick's insistence, he was airlifted from his hospice, and personally delivered to Manor Schnee by VTOL, with Tony as the pilot AI.

(Because of Tony's already extensive record of independent behaviour, decision-making, and blatant breaking of and circumventing the rules—acts that should have been far beyond the capabilities of any transport AI—the CTC had been EXTREMELY reluctant to let Nick access his creation's source code again, let alone modify him to be able to fly aircraft outside of the city proper.)

She remembered sitting in his lap as Freya personally pushed him around in his wheelchair, Nick dressed in one of his favourite, battered suits—the one that had seen more than its fair share of accidents, transit mishaps, and the odd foiled assassination—smiling, proud, and happy as could be to have made it to see his granddaughter blow out the one tiny candle on her titanic birthday cake.

Then, three days later, at 2:37 AM, Nicholas Schnee breathed his last, and the next day, 10:54 PM, Freya “Frosty” Schnee followed him into the Aether.

Both causes of death were “Heart Failure.”

It was Weiss' first experience with loss—true, permanent loss, when grandpa and grandma weren't coming back, when there was no way life would ever be like before, when mom and her older sister became that much more protective of her, when her father began to be around less and less as he completely took over the Schnee Power Company.

Their last words to her were delivered by holo, made after they had returned from Weiss' birthday party.

“Stay curious,” Freya said. “Never stop asking 'Why?' Whenever there's a mystery, you don't stop until you find the answer.”

“Be good, Weiss,” Nick said. “Just be good.”

And now here she was with all her family dead or effectively gone from her life, giving away the last memento she had of them.

Weiss laid on her side, staring at Winter's Eluna plushie in the corner, floating in the center of a protective bubble generated by a carved stone underneath it. She had been the one to pass on one last night with the plushie, had been the one to insist that all of them lock it with their DNA or magical signature, so Weiss couldn't change her mind and risk damaging it in any way and drive the value down.

She hadn't realized that it meant she wouldn't be sleeping that night, too used to snuggling up to it before bed, her first night in the Valley and the sore-stiff incident aside.

Ruby carefully opened the door without knocking; she and the others had just finished their after-dinner meeting, going over their finances, scheduling their shifts so they could continue to help Weiss with her endeavours and training, and most importantly, making a budget for luxury spending so they wouldn't all go insane from boredom, or permanently giving up their creature comforts.

(Apparently, Penny had a paid membership to a “Mechanical Hearts” online community. What that entailed, no one asked, nor wanted to know.)

Ruby was careful to move around with the least noise possible, acting like she would on a hunt, or when she had infiltrated Manor Schnee.

“I'm still awake, Ruby,” Weiss said as she turned over on her other side.

Ruby flinched, looking appropriately enough like a deer in the headlights, before she relaxed. “Can't sleep?” she asked.

Weiss sighed, casting a look at the Eluna plushie. “Yes...” she muttered.

“I've got just the thing!” Ruby said. She scurried off to her many piles of belongings, digging through them until she pulled out a familiar looking plush toy with a scythe prop.

Weiss tensed up for a moment, until Ruby came walking over with her Keeper of the Grove plushie—very different from the ones from the Plushie Palace. This one was wearing a snow white coat, and the infamous mask was off, revealing a friendly face with pale silver buttons for eyes.

“It's of my mom,” Ruby explained. “Uncle Qrow said she and her won a plushie of herself this one time they snuck into Candela on the Eve of the Ether; it used to look just like the ones they usually sell, until he hired a maker to make it look more like her.”

“And you're just going to give it to me…?” Weiss asked.

“Well, yeah!” Ruby said. “But can I borrow her when I'm sad?”

Weiss smiled as she gently took the Keeper Summer plushie from her. “Well, duh? I thought that was pretty obvious.”

The two of them looked at each other, before they burst into giggles.

“Good night, Weiss,” Ruby said as she headed back to her nest.

“Good night, Ruby,” Weiss whispered back as she snuggled up to her new plush toy.

She wasn't as objectively fluffy, soft, and cuddly as Eluna was, but she made her feel safe and comfortable all the same.

Weiss was in her dreamworld once more, this time in her and Ruby's bedroom. The plushie was gone from her arms, the real Summer perched in the corner and watching over her with the Keeper's scythe resting on her shoulder.

She smiled and waved.

Weiss got up and waved back.

There was a knock on her door, before it opened. A familiar face stepped in, wrinklier than ever.

“Excuse me, but I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” said a heavily accented voice.

Weiss jumped off her hammock. “Grandma Frosty!” she cried as she run over.

“Weiss!” Freya cried as she waited for her with open arms. “Oh, look at how much you’ve grown!” she cooed as she hugged her.

“Sorry to say, you’re not going to get much bigger than that,” Nick said as he stepped in, ducking his head out of habit.

“Oh, hush!” Freya said, glaring at her husband as she let go of Weiss. “We both know physical size doesn’t matter, it’s what you can do with it—you of all people should know that!”

Weiss groaned. “Grandma!”

“What?” Freya asked, confused. “I was referring to all the blunders guts-over-brains here has done.”

“Like you haven’t made any screw-ups yourself...” Nick growled as he stood over her.

Freya was unfazed, craning her neck well up to glare at him. “Those were failures of which I was well aware of the potential consequences, unlike when you gave that Jackass your blessing to marry our daughter! I always knew there was something off about him, Nicholas, but no: when push came to shove, you just couldn’t say no to Snowie!”

“Oh, and it’s suddenly all my fault? You’re her mother, shouldn’t you have had the advantage in romantic advice?”

“YOU KNOW DAMN WELL YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE SHE’LL ACTUALLY LISTEN TO!”

“WITH ADVICE YOU GAVE ME TO PASS ALONG TO HER SINCE YOU CAN’T GIVE IT WITHOUT SOUNDING LIKE A CONDESCENDING BITCH!”

Summer stepped up to Weiss as the two began to bicker, a 6’7 battle-scared titan built like a brick-house, VS a tiny 5’1 ball of Hate, little less than 100 pounds soaking wet.

“Does this happen a lot?” Summer asked.

“All the time,” Weiss replied.

Summer smiled. “Heh. It’s pretty funny!”

Weiss nodded. “Yes.” She smiled. “Yes it is.”

Nick and Freya bickered, their voices unintelligible for the sound and the fury, both gesticulating wildly with their hands, before finally, they stopped and turned away from each other.

“Bitch...” Nick muttered.

“Asshole...” Freya spat back.

Nick sighed, and turned back to Freya. “You’re right, though, I was an even bigger dumbass than usual with Jackass.”

Freya turned back to him. “Yes, yes you were! But on the bright side, he did make her happy for a time, and gave us two beautiful grandchildren.”

“That he did, which is about the only good thing I can say about him.”

Freya's face softened. “I love you, Nick.”

Nick's did too. “Love you too, Frosty.”

He picked her up off the floor so they could kiss.

“And speaking of beautiful grandchildren...” Freya said as she was set down. “How are you feeling, Weiss?”

Weiss frowned and shrugged. “Conflicted, honestly. Also, I’m starting to realize you guys only ever appear in my dreams whenever I’m having trouble with something.”

“That we do!” Freya said. “It’s quite an interesting psychological phenomenon, that in times of emotional or physical distress your subconscious decides to split into separate personalities of sorts with us as the faces of them.” She sighed. “How I wish I were still alive to study it, and more importantly, offer you an unbiased second opinion, if you could even call this a second opinion at all!”

“Don’t we all, Frosty?” Nick said. “Anyway, what’s eating at you this time, kid?”

Weiss turned to the Eluna plushie, thankfully still just a toy in its protective bubble than the Fae Eluna trapped in a magical prison. “Should I really pawn her off?” she asked as she turned back to her grandparents. “It’s the last thing I have of Winter—of any of you. I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do...”

“Well, ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in general is extremely difficult if not impossible to accurately, objectively claim given the incredibly relativistic nature of morality and--” Freya started.

Nick put a hand on her head. “What Frosty here means to say is: we can’t decide that for you, kid.”

Freya glared at him, before turning back to Weiss. “Yes, grossly oversimplified, only you can decide whether this is the right course of action.”

“Any way I can try and tell?”

“There’s numerous Old World and Avalonian philosophers who have attempted to answer that, but I like to subscribe to Utilitarianism: whatever benefits the most people is the ‘right’ decision.”

“Just be careful not to become like your father, becoming a monster all in the name of ‘Progress.’”

“The road to Hell is indeed paved with good intentions,” Freya hummed.

“Completely, super-duper biased over here, but I think you should pawn it and get Ruby a ticket to Candela,” Summer said. “It’s not like you aren’t all planning on getting it back eventually, right?”

Weiss nodded. “Right.”

Nick walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. “Look, Weiss, life is full of confusing and complicated situations where it’s hard to find out what the right thing to do is, if it’s not just ‘Bad’ and ‘Worse’ like they say in the Queensguard.

“Don’t stress too much about everything, and just try to figure out how to make today a little less crappy than yesterday—it’s how we all survived and kept ourselves sane out there, when we still hadn’t hit the jackpot with Candela.”

“And be wary of bizarre, unexpected results and developments you couldn’t have hypothesized nor theorized about, such as falling in love with an overconfident troglodyte like this asshole over here,” Freya said, affectionately wrapping herself around Nick’s side.

“Yep!” Nick said. “Always knew one of these days me and your grandma over here would end up at each others’ throats, though it wasn’t exactly in the way either of us thought...”

Weiss cringed. “Aw, gross!”

Freya smirked. “You put the two us together, you better be ready for the chemistry.”

Weiss groaned. “Just get out of here already!”

“Alright! We’re going, we’re going!” Nick said, he and Freya smiling as they headed out the door.

Weiss sighed as they closed it after them.

“Aww, I wanted to see more of them being all sweet and salty,” Summer said.

“Easy for you to say when you don’t have grandpa’s very detailed journals burned in your head...” Weiss muttered.