#and that she and janet from the good place get to make out more xD)

[laufire]

watched A League of Their Own's pilot. utterly fell in love with Max (and her sismance with Clance <3).

[Caption: gif from A League of Their Own. Clance emphatically tells Max "I love you more than anyone else in the entire world. You know that, right?", making Max smile, fond. Clance's husband is standing behind her.]

[inkabelledesigns]

Bendy: Dreams Come To Life, but as an Isekai?

Okay, so I’ve had this idea for a few weeks now, and I want to ramble about it. So late one night, I was chatting with my friends, and I threw something down in our ideas chat that a lot of us jumped right on. 

What if you had a story where someone from modern times woke up in the body of Sammy Lawrence, within the context of DCTL? 

This lead to a long series of discussions, and I think I have a grasp on what I want to create now. I’ve got a prologue ready and a first chapter in the works for a fanfic, but I need to go and reread DCTL to make sure I’m remembering the details right. 

https://www.definitions.net/definition/isekai 

So what is an isekai? I wasn’t too familiar with the term before chatting with folks about it, but this link should give you an idea as to what it is. Some isekai stories focus on a character that is transported to a fictional world, but others will put them in the role of a character that already exists in that piece of fiction, which is closer to what I’m doing. You ever heard of that manga where some guy was reincarnated as Yamcha in Dragon Ball Z, and then drastically changed Yamcha’s role throughout the series because he knew everything that was going to happen? That’s kind of what I’m doing here. 

My story focuses on 24 year-old Samantha Lorenzo, an animation nerd who obsesses over BATIM with her roommate, Janet Fey (credit to @fiddle-dee-dee777 for the names, it’s a clever parallel!) Sam is an active theorizer who loves picking apart the Bendy lore, while also being a huge nerd for stuff like DnD and classic films. She’s read up to the ending of The Illusion of Living and is currently working to pick apart the details, when out of nowhere, her life is flipped upside down. She wakes up one morning in the body of Sammy Lawrence, within the time that DCTL takes place, a little before Buddy shows up. Once she realizes that this is in fact not a dream, she tries to prevent Sammy from getting drenched in ink and protect Buddy from his inevitable downfall, but that’s far harder than it seems. 

On the flipside, 1946 Sammy Lawrence wakes up in the body of a recent college graduate, confused as to where he is, why he’s wearing a nightgown, and generally having an existential crisis until Janet comes to his rescue. Jan takes care of Sammy while he’s in Samantha’s body, which forces him to acknowledge that, as far as they’re concerned, he’s a fictional character. So while Samantha is trying to save everyone, Sammy and Jan are unraveling the mystery of how this happened, how to fix it, as well as indulging in various shenanigans. 

Bottom line: It’s a damn fun story, and I don’t want this one to be something I fizzle out on, because it’s just such a good time. But in order to be confident in it, I need to really hammer down what happens in DCTL, it’s been so long since I’ve read it that I forgot some things. Like I’m here questioning if I’ve put the infirmary in the right part of the building, the building layout is so hard to keep track of for someone as directionally challenged as me (and if you know of anyone who’s mapped it out, please send it my way, I’d really appreciate it). Obviously I’m not gonna be completely canon compliant, it’s a fanfiction, I’m allowed to have a little fun. But at the same time, I wanna make sure I’m doing this media justice.

There are a few things I’d like to get out of the way. Big one: I’m including Jack. I don’t know at what point Jack is out of the picture, since we get no mention of him in DCTL, but we know he’s alive in 1943, which is only three years before. I want him to be there, hell, I’d love to have a moment where Samantha unknowingly prevents his death, but we’ll see. That’s the other thing about this fic. I dunno if you guys have noticed, but I’m a nutcase when it comes to Bendy. A lot of what I’m putting into Samantha definitely comes from my own over-analysis of this world, where she’s looking at it as trying to give these characters the best ending possible. This girl is packed with all the knowledge that I have of this franchise, and she’s gonna use it to her full advantage to manipulate the outcome. But knowing the world of Bendy does not mean knowing the day-to-day lives of these characters. As I’ve discovered in starting to write this, Sammy Lawrence not knowing where the bathroom is in a place he’s worked at for a long time is kind of sus. XD So part of the challenge is getting Sam to accept that this is more than a story, these are real people in-world that she’s tampering with the lives of. 

The last thing to note is that I want to make it hard for Samantha to prove she’s not Sammy. At first, I want her to just appear to be a bit off, but hey, Sammy’s quirky, so it could just come off as him having an off day. But part of living in Sammy’s body means dealing with some lingering things from him, such as his skills as a musician and feelings towards some of the characters/subjects. So when asked to prove that she’s somehow not Sammy, it’s really, really hard to be convincing. One moment I had in mind was Jack coming out and asking her the time signature on one of his favorite pieces to prove it, and she blurts out the right answer and quickly covers her mouth in horror. 

I’ve also considered playing with other characters having nightmares of things they couldn’t possibly have experienced, which starts to put some things into question. And this has its pros and cons. Buddy having nightmares of being Boris? Oh god that would be fun to write. But then possibly having Joey learn what’s coming? Oh that would affect things a lot. That’s one of the things I’m eager to play with: Sam has to be careful of who has what knowledge when it comes to what’s going to happen in the future to these characters. Certain characters learning things and sharing them with others could be incredibly dangerous. 

So yeah, that’s my rambling about a fanfic idea that’s currently in the works. Thank you for indulging me! I’d love to talk about it more and bounce ideas around, so hit me up if you’re interested in chatting. Goodness knows I’ve had fun sharing it with my smaller groups (and a huge thank you to all of you for indulging my craziness on this, I really appreciate having you along for the ride!) 

But of course, I gotta tell you the title. Right now, I’m calling it Nightmares Are Reality, a nice parody of Dreams Come to Life, I think. I look forward to exploring this nightmare with you!

[disregardcanon]

OH MY GOD! i wrote this thing back in like, last february and never posted it. so. here have the bnha characters in the good place au! 

featuring ochako as eleanor, iida as chidi, kirishima as jason, bakugo as tahani, and deku as a whole host of things including kamilah and janet XD 

relationships include: past tsuchako 

this is disjointed and rambly but there’s some good stuff so i hope you enjoy it 

ochako uraraka dies. then, she wakes up in an office building starring at “everything is fine!” in glaring, yellow letters. some weird old white man in a suit with a polka dotted die explains things to her. you know, how she died. how it was unpleasant and embarrassing. but now she’s in the afterlife, apparently, and things are hunky dory. this is the good place. 

there was backstory before this happened, of course. in order to die, someone had to live. 

before ochako was dead, she was alive. she was a little girl who wanted to grow up to become a hero to support her parents, but they tell her that she should be a hero to help other people, not them. 

they die in a tragic car incident, ochako gets shuffled through the foster system, and grabs tightly onto that idea of becoming a hero to make her parents proud and be able to support herself and give herself a good life. 

in american society, people cannot get provisional hero licenses until they graduate from high school and they cannot become licensed heroes until completing a bachelors degree. kids who can get provisional licenses right out of high school are much preferred for hero courses at colleges, and it’s nearly impossible to get a provisional license right out of high school unless you were able to attend a specialized hero prep school. 

ochako is a foster kid in arizona. ofc she can’t afford prep school, does not get a provisional license, and cannot make it into a hero course. she studies her ass off for the next year, taking a gap year, and she’s able to pass the entrance exams and agrees to sign away her soul in student loans. but the program so heavily favors kids that had prep school experience and already had their provisional licenses. while working and trying to put herself through school, she just can’t keep up with the rigorous schedule and the bias against her. 

ochako drops out of the hero program after a year of failing to stay afloat, and she just wants a god damn stable job. so, she goes into sales. not exactly sales that are on the up and up either. think. selling fake drugs to old people. 

she gets into a relationship with tsuyu asui and they bond over failed attempts at hero careers. tsuyu decided to go into counseling instead and is still trying to make her best effort to be A Good Person TM and ochako gives it a try for awhile, but it starts making her feel inadequate pretty quickly and she gets defensive. 

tsuyu psycho-analyzes ochako more than ochako’s ready to deal with and easily figures out her issues and tries to like, solve them. ew, and ochako ends the relationship and falls back into her selling fake drugs to old people ways before dying in a blaze of shopping cart related glory. it was apparently, hilarious, because after the shopping carts hit her she subconsciously used her quirk to send them up in a shopping cart mushroom cloud. which crushed her again. 

yeah ochako’s really glad that she can’t remember any of that.

“so,” michael the architect says, “would you like to meet your soulmate?” she’s had a lot of casual flings and hookups, but never anything serious other than tsuyu. so. yeah she’s pretty interested in meeting her soulmate. 

he’s kind of hot, in a nerdy as shirt way. 

“this is your soulmate, iida tenya.” 

“is that first name first or first name last?” ochako asks. she’s japanese american and knows enough japanese to be able to puzzle out that his name IS japanese, but she can’t for the life of her tell what order that’s in. 

“she’s american,” michael says. 

“ah,” he says, “then i’m tenya iida.” 

he gives her a little rundown of his life, and apparently, the life of a moral philosophy professor is actually... pretty intense. at least it is when you started off life wanting to be a pro hero. 

“you mean you almost killed the hero killer?” admittedly, ochako doesn’t pay all that much attention to world events, but the hero killer fiasco was sort of a big deal. a serial killer only targeting professional heroes? and for reasons he thought were completely justified? that was the biggest news story for at least a week, even in america. 

“he paralyzed my brother,” tenya says, “i’d never been so angry before in my life. i truly think that if he hadn’t beaten me, i would have.” 

“wow,” ochako says, “that’s dark.” tenya nods. 

“i was lucky my friends pulled me out of it.” he talks about his friends saving him, friends that apparently include PRO HERO DEKU. which, like, ochako’s not that invested in the japanese hero scene, but everyone knows about pro hero deku. 

the dude worked his way onto the hero scene with a quirk that hurt him whenever he used it, took over all might’s position, and admitted to being quirkless until he was fifteen. he used almost all of the immense amount of money that he made as a hero building up his own charities, doing work for community organizations, and trying to support disabled and quirkless organizations around his country. he’s the kiss babies save people then go home and continue doing favors for people when he gets there type. 

deku was a good guy. like, a REALLY good one. he was one of the most famous heroes in the entire world when ochako died, and she’s pretty sure that he was going to take the number one spot from that explosive asshole any day. hell, he was even always NICE to the guy, acted like they were friends even though the explosive shitstick always treated him like dirt. 

ochako might have had a little bit of a hero worship crush on the guy, okay. it’s not that big of a deal. 

“so then how did you become a professor of moral philosophy? sounds like you had a good gig going at that hero school of yours.” U.A. is the best known hero high school in the entire world. she’d sort of dreamt of going to U.A. herself as a kid.

“i realized that morality is... a lot more complicated than i thought it was before. i made a rash decision and it almost cost me my soul. hero work is complicated and muddy and i didn’t want to be left running around in circles doing it, never knowing what was right. instead i dedicated my life to studying what’s right. now i always try to make the most ethical possible decision. at all times.” 

“that sounds forking exhausting,” ochako says. tenya looks shocked. 

“forking. FORKING,” ochako glares, “you know i don’t mean forking right?” 

“yes,” he says, “i do. the good place does not let you curse. many of us do not like it.” well. that’s good to know that he looks like a nerd and he IS one. 

“well i forking do dumbash,” she says, “do you think that’s going to darn me to heck?” 

“dark impulses aren’t what make people good or bad,” tenya says, “acting on them does.” 

tenya iida, ochako soon realizes, talks a big game for someone who can’t decide on a flavor of yogurt because of the possible ethical ramifications. 

kirishima opens his eyes and sees a smiling, old white man. that’s generally not a good sign. normally smiling white people are either attorneys or librarians who are about to scold him for falling asleep on the library couch again. 

“you, jianyu li, are dead.” kirishima almost says “dope” but then he realizes that it is not, in fact dope. the guy asks if he wants to not talk because of some taiwanese monk thing, and seeing that kirishima is most definitely NOT a taiwanese monk he decides to go with it and not give anything away. 

he goes a couple of weeks before he finally talks to the girl with the big eyes and the auburn hair who wasn’t supposed to here in the good place either. 

“oh god,” she says, “please tell me that you’re smart enough to get us out of this. please” 

“um, maybe? i’m from florida” 

her eyes widen and she whispers “no” 

“my name’s kirishima,” he tells her, “or some of my boys call me ‘ro. it’s short for eijiro. no biggie tho.” 

“we are so forked,” ochako says. 

he’s american dawg. if you really get into, japanese american, but he’s not taiwanese. that’s probably racist. weird, racist algorithm 

“you, bakugo katsuki, are dead” 

“dead?” 

“yes, dead.” 

“i forking died?” bakugo demands. 

“yes, but you were the number one pro hero at the time of your death and now you’re in the good place. i think you can think of that as a victory.” well, that does make him feel a little better. at least deku never succeeded him in the rankings, even if he’s number one hero now. 

“forking,” he says, glaring at the air, “forking! you know i don’t forking mean forking, right?” 

“i’m aware,” michael says. 

michael goes onto explain all the rules of the good place, including the not a robot not a boy assistant that can cater to their every whim. an assistant who just so happens to look exactly like someone bakugo would prefer to never see again. 

“FORK!” bakugo screams. 

“i am deku,” he says, smiling and tilting his head like a curious owl, “how can i help you?” 

“wait,” ochako says, eyes widening with glee, “he looks just like deku.” 

“uraraka!” bakugo shouts. ochako shrugs. 

“if you had a sex robot of your celebrity crush are you saying you wouldn’t go to town? come on, ground zero. i’m only human.” bakugo looks horrified. 

“not a sex robot.” 

“but are you a robot not for sex?” she asks. 

“not a robot,” he chirps, “also i am sentient but do not consent to sex with you.” 

“oh,” ochako says.  

“that’s called rape, and you know where rapists go?” 

not a sex robot smiles as he chirps, “the bad place!” ochako shudders. 

“uh,” she asks, “what exactly... happens in the bad place?” deku opens his mouth and the screams of a thousand tortured souls come out. 

“that is what happens in the bad place,” he says, “but you do not need to worry about that. the good place’s algorithm put you here.” ochako giggles nervously. 

“IT SURE DID” 

“i can’t get away from forking deku,” bakugo says, “even in heaven.” deku smiles at him. 

“actually, you can get away from the original, pro hero deku. i am only a source of all the knowledge in the universe.” not-deku smiles widely but it doesn’t reach his eyes. it’s damn creepy. 

“why the fork do you look like him?” 

“they chose pro hero deku because he’s the most popular figure currently on earth. they thought this face would set the residents at ease.” 

“well it forking doesn’t,” bakugo says. 

“i am sorry that you feel that way. is there anyway that i can help you?” not-deku asks. 

“change!” bakugo demands, grabbing not-deku roughly by the arms. 

“i cannot do that,” not-deku says, “now that i’ve been programmed with this face, i am stuck with it. it literally will not come off.” then he grins again. 

“fork you,” bakugo says. deku just smiles again. if he thought that the thing had feelings he’d be sure it was trying to piss him off. 

bakugo slams his palm into his face. 

“my soulmate is a forking idiot,” he says. 

“you just figured that out?” ochako asks, snorting. 

“holy motherforking shirtballs,” ochako says, “we’re in the bad place.” 

“that can’t be true,” bakugo says, “i wouldn’t go to the bad place.” he was a pro hero. despite his flaws, he did a lot of good. 

“you think that you belonged in the good place?” michael says, and he laughs so hard he almost cries, “you- bakugo katsuki? you were just a hero so that you could be the best at something and try to pound deku into the ground. you never even used your platform to try to help people. it was never about helping people. it was always about your ego and your need to destroy deku.” bakugo feels an uneasiness in his stomach as he realizes that michael is right. he doesn’t deserve to go to the good place. he was always a shitty person. 

“what about me? what did i do to deserve to be here?” iida asks. then a horrified realization shows on his face. 

“oh no,” iida says, “the almond milk.” michael glares at him. 

“it wasn’t the almond milk, iida. it was everything you ever did after you tried to kill the herokiller. you made a mistake, and then you over-corrected in the worst possible way. you went from trying to help people to doing nothing but thinking about your own ego-centric view of morality. you could never make a decision, and that hurt the people around you.” 

michael snaps his fingers and the world goes white. 

“doug forcette? melissa shield? midoriya izuku?” shaun laughs, “you think any of them are going to the good place?” shaun laughs and laughs as they send him through the portal back to the bad place. 

“you all stay here,” michael orders. 

“don’t poof anything,” not-deku orders, “my void feels weird with all these people in here.” 

“what do you mean? deku’s not going to the good place?” 

“oh no,” the accountant says, “there’s a negative 10,000 point value for becoming a pro hero. deku’s doing well, all things considering, but he can’t overcome that handicap.” 

“what about all might?” 

“oh he’s in the bad place,” the accountant says, like saying that the symbol of peace is burning in hell is just a normal bit of trivia. 

“not even ALL MIGHT went to the good place?” michael asks, his eyes widening. 

“oh no no no,” the accountant says, “pro heroes are too messy and selfish. for every good action that they take, they cause so much harm. their wealth is a drain on society. even the most virtuous end up doing more harm than good.” 

“there were some bets going around that bakugo katsuki might surpass endeavor’s record for highest negative score a pro hero ever racked up, but he died too quickly. it was a real shame.” 

“tsuyu asui?” michael asks. from ochako’s memories of the woman, she seems like a fine specimen of humanity. 

“no,” the accountant says, “therapists often end up messing up more than they fix.” 

“well, is midoriya inko headed for the good place?” 

“no,” the accountant says, “motherhood is messy business, michael.” 

“malala yousafzai?” 

“activism is even messier.” 

“how many people got into the good place this year?” 

“none” 

“last year?” 

“none?” 

“ten years ago” 

“none.” 

“when was the last time that anyone went to the good place?” michael asks, his voice rising in fear. the accountant does some typing, some searching. then he comes up with his answer. 

“571 years ago,” the accountant says blithely. 

“oh shirt,” michael says. 

“do you want to save people or not?” bakugo demands. 

“of course i do, kacchan,” deku says, “that’s what i’ve always wanted.” 

DON’T REMEMBER WHERE I WAS GOING WITH THAT ENDING BUT HERE YOU GO 

[killian-whump]

(I wanna preface this with a trigger warning for mentions of rape) Hey, I was scrolling through my twitter feed and saw some people being nasty about season 7 (and the cast) but something that stood out to me was the fact that there's a couple of people who are accusing Wish!Hook/Rogers of being a r*pist and accusing him of admitting to it. I'm currently rewatching s7 and was wondering if there was something I missed, either explicitly or implicitly stated 😅

OH MY GOD, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

Are these people STILL going on about that shit???

I’m going to fucking rant about this for a bit, so hit the jump. Or don’t.

Okay, refresher for Nonny and those who are new to this ShitShow:

A bunch of people decided to opt out of S7, because Emma Swan was no longer going to be on the show. Now, not watching a show after your fave character/actor leaves it is absolutely understandable. There’s nothing wrong with it. However, hate-watching that show, campaigning for it to be cancelled, attacking the actors, writers, show-runners and crew who are continuing to work on that show or join the show after your fave’s departure... That’s all completely shitty (and absolutely batshit CRAZY) behavior. There is NO excuse for it. Ever.

And that segment of batshit crazy assholes is who we’re talking about here.

Now, most of these motherfuckers haven’t even watched S7. They base their crazy-ass opinions on synopses of the episodes, and heresay from their similarly sanity-impaired friends. So most of the time, it’s useless to counter their rantings with facts and canon interpretations. They’ll simply repeat, “Well, my friend Janet said it, and I believe her.” or some other nonsense.

So. With all of that in mind, Episode 2 of Season 7 re-introduced Wish Hook to viewers and revealed that he was Detective Rogers, set up Emma as his “savior” as a respectful nod to the idea of every Hook being “destined” to be saved by Emma Swan, and also established his primary and singular drive as a character - reuniting with his daughter. THOSE were the main points of the episode.

However, the fuckwits I spoke about above decided to focus, not on any of the important aspects of the episode, but on his cockamamie plot to score a True Love’s Kiss from Emma in order to cure his poisoned heart. The plot entailed using magic to de-age himself, returning to Storybrooke with Regina, getting a kiss from Emma to cure said heart, then returning to his own Enchanted Forest to reunite with Alice. It is this last part that the nutters refuse to believe. They prefer to believe that Hook intended to stay in Storybrooke, take over OG Hook’s entire life, and in so doing - engage in sex with Emma under the pretense that he is “her” Killian. And that is where the rape claim comes in.

Now, for those of us who actually watched the show, it’s painfully (and embarrassingly, for those nutters) obvious that Wish Hook would never have stayed in Storybrooke for even a second longer than necessary after curing his heart (or finding that his plot didn’t work). His entire impetus as a character was to reunite with Alice, his daughter. Remaining in Storybrooke, a realm far away from where his daughter even IS, and maintaining the charade of being someone else, someone without said daughter, and bothering to keep up that pretense... doesn’t suit his character’s main goals whatsoever. It’s ludicrous to think he would. It’s literally insane and one has to be awfully dedicated to besmirching the show and the character to even maintain it.

And yet, they do. Their ONE “ace in the hole” is that they managed to get one of the writers (Adam Horowitz, I believe) to answer a question about what Wish Hook intended to do with his plan with an admission that Wish Hook intended to take over Hook’s life. Now, I’m gonna come right out and say it: That answer, regardless of who it came from, also doesn’t fit the narrative of S7 or Wish Hook’s main drives as a character. And I’m also gonna say that sometimes even the people who should know best about a show don’t... and also, sometimes people mis-speak or are trying to emphasize one thing (in this case, how “bad” Hook was going to be to get what he wanted, and how “in need” he was of Emma’s saving him and setting him right) instead of the more important thing (that these fuckers had no interest in Wish Hook’s redemption and only wanted to bait Adam into saying something they could use as “proof” of their claims).

But regardless, it’s the ONE thing they have to “back up” their insanity, and they use the fuck out of it. Mind you, these same people will summarily throw out any and all claims that there wasn’t rape involved or intended there as factually incorrect, regardless of where they come from. Instead, they will simply trot out that ONE well-worn screencap yet again and insist, as always, that they are right and Everyone Else is wrong.

So... Long story short, it’s absolute apeshit, and the people who argue it’s true are so asinine and obsessive that they’re not worth arguing with. You can’t change their minds or make them see sense, because they desperately want to cling to their belief that S7 Is Bad and Wish Hook Is Bad and that they were/are right to boycott, campaign against the show, and attack those who took part in creating it, because it is clearly Bad and does Bad Things. This is also the entire basis of their claims that Wish Hook, Rogers, and S7 itself are “triggering” to them and deeply disturbing. They use this claim to try to essentially erase S7 from existence by complaining whenever the S7 exclusive actors are involved in “Once” events, or whenever S7+ actors refer to S7 events or Wish Hook, himself. Colin has even been directly accused by these assholes of “approving” of rape and being “insensitive” to his fans by wearing clothing he got from Rogers’ wardrobe to conventions. It’s absolutely batshit, toxic, and rude.

I suspect this is all rearing its ugly head yet again because Jen is scheduled to appear at Enchanted 3, and some of these crazies (who are all Jen fans, incidentally) are already trying to get Starfury to not invite anyone who exclusively starred in S7. Which, considering the only other announced star is Tiera Skovbye, I sincerely wish them all the luck in the world with XD But regardless, the SANE fans are all pretty much telling them, “Hey, what? That’s rude? Why are you being a dick?” and I’m assuming the jerks quickly resorted to “but rape is bad!” arguments to derail all the legit complaints about their shitty-ass behavior.

SO! My advice to you, Nonny, and to everyone else... is to mute those assholes and not engage with them in any way, shape or form. Like the comments of those poor fools who try, because their hearts are in the right place, even if their brains are doomed to be scrambled by the illogical reaches they’re about to be subjected to. It’s good to show support for the sensible people in our fandom(s). But I don’t recommend actually engaging with them, yourself. They’re hateful, toxic people... and your entire life will be better off for steering clear of them. Also, there’s only about 10-20 of them in their entirety, so once you weed them out and mute them, it’s like they don’t even exist.

And, hopefully, if they’re ignored by enough people for a long enough time, they’ll move on to something else. I guess that hasn’t happened yet, but here’s hoping it happens eventually. If not for our sake, then for Jen’s. I can’t imagine getting a reputation for having fans who literally harass and stalk her co-stars, employers and even people who simply continue to work on a project after she voluntarily leaves it will actually help her career at all.

Don’t get me wrong here, working with Jen on Once was a huge step up for Colin’s career... but the crazies in her fandom are literally following him into his next projects, naysaying them, criticizing and insulting him, attacking his fans for supporting him and his projects, and insisting that nothing Colin does will ever be as good as the work he did with Jen... and that’s just fucking NUTS. And it’s not limited to Colin. Remember the fervor when Josh Dallas dared to call another actress his “Tv Daughter”? Yeah, that was charming. If this keeps up, it won’t be long before Jen’s earning herself a reputation for being “lovely to work with, but comes with a cloud of toxic fans who will make her co-stars sorry they worked with her for YEARS afterwards.” And, I mean, color me weird if you want to, but I think that’s generally NOT a good plan.

[madrut16]

BB Rewrite: Chp. 13 - The Dungeon (Part 2)

Author’s Note: I thought I would have this out sooner but I’ve had a lot of assignments due for the end of the semester so it got pushed back. But, I finally I had some free time to finish it! I’ll try to get the rest of the chapters done as soon as I can but, I’m gonna be in Vegas for a few days after I leave college so it might be delayed.

Also, yes I did change my name and give my blog a makeover. I figured I would fully commit to my Bloodbound obsession xD. 

Disclaimer: All of the characters and dialogue not originally mine belong to Pixelberry studios. Also, this is really long (13000+ words) so take breaks if necessary!

Summary: The plan to rescue Adrian and protect the serum unfolds, and suspicions are confirmed. 

Tags: @endlesshero1122, @kinda-iconic, @liittleemiixeer, @krishnu213, @simsvetements, @regina-and-happiness

Isabel's skin tingled with fear and excitement as she approached Raines corps. She had come up with elaborate plans before while she was still at her internship yet, none with these high of stakes. This was the one she wanted to work the most. It had to. She didn’t know if her heart could recover if it didn’t.

"Remember the plan," Lily told her in the earpiece Janet had given them all from security. Her friend was staying behind at Kamilah's office to monitor and do all of the behind the scenes computer work.

"Yep, in and out as fast as possible.”

As she reached the front entrance, she was stopped by a burly man dressed in all black who upon seeing her, scowled. 

"Vega told me to watch out for you. You're not getting your boy toy back sweetheart."

“I know.” 

The man rolled his eyes. “Then what do you want?” he demanded. 

Isabel swallowed the simmering anger she felt and frowned, feigning a defeated expression. "I mean no harm, I swear. I just want to get my things from the office real quick," she pleaded. While she saw some resistance waning, he still wasn't completely hers yet.

"Uh huh. Yeah right"

Others would be worried, but not her. 

She pursed her lips in annoyance. "Look, I get it, I got in over my head okay! I just want to leave this all behind me and forget that everything happened," she cried, using the real emotion she felt earlier to produce crocodile tears. "Is that really too much to ask?”

She looked at him innocently for a full minute, even making her lip quiver for effect. 

From the hidden earpiece, she heard Jax comment from his position patrolling the streets, "Damn, even I'm convinced."

She ignored his remark and maintained her forlorn stare at the guard until she saw his expression change and she knew that she had broken him.

"Fine, thirty minutes only, no more. You humans really are that weak,” he scoffed. “Once you get past the lobby there's no one stationed, so you shouldn't have a problem."

Isabel exhaled. "Thank you, so much." 

She continued to keep up her sad, exhausted appearance as she entered the building and the entire walk to the elevators until there was no one in sight. Finally, she sighed, a brief smile creeping up.

"We're in the clear."

The elevator doors opened and she sprinted inside, quickly using her key card to produce the hidden buttons. As it moved up each floor one by one, she paced around the small space. Patience was one thing she did not have.

"Isabel, slow down," Kamilah told her. She was surveying the other side of the building. She also had Janet go ahead to the club and monitor from the outside in case any surprise developments occurred.

"How--?"

"I can hear your footsteps. Relax, everything is going perfectly so far. The more you panic, the more mistakes will be made."

The human sighed. "I know. But I don't have a lot of time before they realize I deceived them. I can't go over that thirty minutes by much."

"Hopefully you can be quick then."

The elevator finally reached the Executive level and she sprinted out of it as the doors opened. Her arms stung from being scraped against the metal as she slipped between into the lobby but she ignored it. It would definitely leave a mark though. 

She reached her desk in seconds and found the tote bag she'd left with her spare clothes. Next, she filled it with the things they would need that she had access to: water bottles, a lighter, and weapons including makeshift wooden stakes, a small collapsible knife, and the pepper spray she kept for emergencies.

Looking around, she noticed the security cameras and realized that someone working for Vega had probably hacked into them to watch inside. Luckily, Isabel knew how to disable them since Adrian gave her access to the security software. She hastily logged into the computer and loaded the program.

Smiling, she stared into one of the cameras. "Goodbye," she sneered. "Can't wait for you to realize you aren’t the only ones who can play chess," she muttered before shutting the whole system off. She watched as the red lights on the cameras abruptly disappeared and the lenses were covered. Now, the whole building would be cut off from prying eyes. 

"Nice work," Lily told her. Manipulating technology was usually her thing. "Glad what I've taught you hasn't gone to waste."

For good measure, Isabel used her knife to cut the wires connecting the security system to the computers so that they couldn't be turned back on. Then, she turned her attention to getting into Adrian's office, where the real work could be done. After making sure no one was in there, she picked the lock with some tools and slipped inside, bolting the door behind her.

"Okay, I'm in," she said into the ear piece’s microphone. "How are we doing on time?"

"Fifteen minutes," Lily said.

Isabel smirked. "That’s more than enough." 

She began to open the different drawers and cabinets and quickly found the blueprints all rolled up. She grabbed the correct ones and stuffed them in her bag. She also discovered two black walkie-talkies, probably at least twenty years old. However, when she turned one on, the crackle told her that they still were good as new. Although not part of the plan, she took them anyway. They would be useful for getting out of the city.

All that was left was destroying the vials of serum and getting the car. Using the phone on Adrian's desk, she called the head scientist in the lab.

"Hello?"

"Tony, it's Isabel."

He let out a surprised gasp. “Isabel? What are you doing here?

"Adrian isn't going to die today, we have a plan to rescue him. But, once Vega finds out, he’s going to come for the serum, maybe even use Adrian to get it. I need you to make sure the supply is gone down there in the lab, all of it," she told him curtly. “I’ll deal with the batch in here.”

"Oh...um, okay. You mean to destroy it right?" he asked, quickly getting on board.

"Yes, get rid of it, in any way you can. We can always make more after this is over,” she said before explaining her suspicions about Nicole. 

The scientist let out a sigh. “I hate to say it but I think you’re right. She’s been acting strange even before you were hired.”

“How fast do you think you can get rid of it?" she asked.

She heard him doing the math. "Only ten minutes, fifteen at most. Adrian already had a plan in place just in case to destroy production. I'll tell the others to get to work immediately."

"Good, thank you!" 

“Actually, I have something to help with your plan to catch her. And make sure they don’t get the serum.”

“What?”

“I’ll show you when I get there. I’m heading up as soon as I give the command to the lab,” he told her before abruptly hanging up.

Confused, she shrugged before opening the secret wall where Adrian kept a batch of vials in a safe, remembering the complex pattern he taught her. She unlocked it revealing the samples which she promptly dumped on the ground and broke with her foot, the red liquid oozing out onto the fancy carpet. Isabel cleaned up the glass and threw it in the trash and moved the rug to cover up the stains. 

Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door and seeing Tony through a space in the hinge, she quickly opened it. Before she could speak, she was handed what looked like a batch of the serum. She raised an eyebrow. 

“What is this exactly?”

"A decoy. These puppies have red food coloring to make it look like the real thing. I figured you could use these."

"Wha--? How?" she stammered. They looked completely identical. 

"It was my idea months ago. I designed it in case the real thing was in danger and we need to swap it out. Guess my instincts were right." he told her.

She quickly took them from him. “Wow, that’s brilliant! I wish I’d thought of it myself.”

He turned to leave and then paused, looking at her once more. 

"Oh, and Isabel?" this time, emotion pained his face. 

"Yes?" she asked.

The scientist swallowed hard. "I can tell you care about Adrian a lot.

Her cheeks flushed and she nodded. “I do.”

He proceeded to put a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

“Bring him home, will you? For all of us," he told her.

"I will Tony."

He gave her one last smile. “I can tell he chose the right person to get attached to. And that his high praise of you is warranted.” Then he left leaving her in shock. 

(Adrian really thought about me like that?)

"Ten minutes Iz!" Lily shouted. 

Pushing down the lump that formed in her throat, she willed herself to return to her task. “Got it Lilz.”

She placed the decoy set in the safe where the real ones used to be and sealed the wall back up to be opened later when both hers and Vega’s traps were sprung.

“Now, where are his keys?” she wondered, continuing to rummage through his desk drawers.

"Adrian usually keeps them in that cabinet somewhere," Kamilah said.

Turning, Isabel rummaged through the shelves until her fingers closed around the cool metal. “Perfect!”

She surveyed the room before slipping back out and locking the door. This time she only rode the elevator back down to the fifth floor before heading for the stairs in the back of the building. They allowed her to get to the hallway next to the garage without anyone seeing her. As she made it to the first floor, she almost collided with Nicole.

(Speak of the devil.)

"Isabel, what on earth are you doing here?" the blonde demanded, her icy eyes boring into her.

"Oh, I was just getting my things while I still can," she replied, her hopeless demeanor returning.

She could tell that Nicole was buying it already. "You poor thing. I'm sad about it too, but there's nothing that can be done now."

The assistant saw something in the woman's eyes that sent a chill up her spine. She did have something up her sleeve. Delilah didn't call her a human lie detector without reason.

"You know," she said, "You were right." She sniffed before looking up at the ceiling as if she was about to breakdown completely. "I was never cut out for this! And now, I just want to move on and forget.” A single tear made its way down. 

She was met with a proud scoff. "I knew you were. I tried telling him but, he wouldn't listen. He has a habit of getting too attached to people. And now, he's going to die for it."

Isabel bit her cheek to keep from trying to punch her. "I need you to make sure the other employees get out safely before Vega shows up. I don't want them to end up as collateral damage," she asked instead, with a worried demeanor. “And stick around in case something happens. You know how Kamilah is.”

Nicole flashed her a smile, almost taunting her. She thought that they had already won. "I will do that. Nice knowing you Isabel." she sneered before pushing aside her to walk up the stairwell.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she ran into the garage and hastily opened the outside doors and unlocked the silver sports car. Slamming the door, she put the key in and her seatbelt on. It was then that she vaguely heard shouts from the building.

"Just as you predicted. Man, you're good," Jax whistled.

Isabel smirked although she was still on edge, terrified that their plans would be fooled. "Thanks. Now, I'll drive into the alley and pick you both up. Then, we go get Adrian."

"Roger that."

She started the engine and sped out of the garage, driving for a block before pulling to a quick stop where Jax and Kamilah hastily climbed inside.

"Go," Kamilah ordered looking over her shoulder and Isabel knew that Vega's men were already getting prepared to follow them.

"Hold on tight!" she exclaimed as she pressed hard on the gas pedal, the tires skidding as they drove through the streets, weaving in and out of traffic.

Gripping the seat, Jax asked her, "Are you sure you know how to drive this thing?!"

"Yes. However, we can't infiltrate The Shrike if we get caught now! So, I may have to get creative."

"Point taken."

Checking the rear view mirror, Isabel could see one black SUV that was two cars back that had been with them the entire time.

"This guy is hard to shake," she warned. "Be prepared for sharp turns!"

After a few minutes of turning different corners at high speed, she finally lost the other car and she slowed down a little. They still needed to go fast in order to get to their destination with enough time to pull everything off. The talk with The Baron could go on forever if he chose to drag it out. 

Kamilah proceeded to direct her to where the club was until the familiar facade and the loud jazz music signaled that they had arrived. She pulled the car into an alleyway a few blocks ahead of where Janet was waiting. 

“You finally made it! I was afraid that they had caught you for a minute.”

Isabel smiled. “Vega’s men were doing a good job following us so I had to take some detours.”

This was confirmed by Jax’s groan behind her as they all walked back to the parking lot. “You all owe me drinks after this...and Tylenol,” he grumbled as he set down the secret equipment he brought for down in the cellars. 

“You know we don’t have time for jokes,” she told him. “But, I will be happy to oblige your request later. I’ll probably need some alcohol myself.”

Carefully, they all went over the plan one final time.

"Okay, here’s how this is going to work," Kamilah told them. "Lily, you've hacked into the prison system correct?" 

"Yep. Did that before you even left Adrian's." she said over the ear piece. 

"I trained you well," the senior vampire continued. "Now, I'll go in with you two and try to get The Baron to give us Adrian in exchange for Jax. If that doesn't work then we'll add in plan B." she gave Isabel a look and she nodded.

He was still in the dark about that part. He looked at them confused. “What is plan B? You didn’t say anything about that.”

Isabel gave Kamilah a look. “Can I? she asked, her conscience getting to her. She didn’t want to keep him in the dark any longer.

“It’s your idea.”

“Plan B...is for Kamilah to add to the deal by offering me also.”

Jax’s eyes widened. “What?! That place is dangerous for us...but for you? If something happenes...they could kill you!”

Isabel sighed. “I know, but I want to help Adrian and I’m the one person The Baron would do anything to get rid of.”

“Y-you let her do this?”

“She can hold her own Jax,” Kamilah said. “I wouldn’t agree to it if I didn’t think she could handle it.”

Jax sighed, still not thrilled with the idea. Finally, he tossed Isabel one of the masks which she caught perfectly. “If you’re serious, then you’ll need one of these.”

She smiled at him, a determined fire in her eyes. “With you’re combat skills and my mind, Adrian will be out of there in no time.”

“So, are we good with this part of the plan then?” Kamilah inquired. 

Isabel thought for a moment before gasped. “Wait!” she exclaimed. “I don’t think our end of the deal will work. It’s too obvious.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Baron is already going to assume we want Adrian and if that’s what we offer him, he’s not going to go for it, no matter what we give in return. We need to pretend like Adrian is a lost cause and ask for something else,” she insisted. “Maybe about politics. You know he wants to have as much influence as possible.”

Kamilah considered that. "That's...a good catch Isabel. I have to agree. Okay, how about instead I ask for his vote at the next Council meeting?"

"That should be more convincing," Janet mused, knowing about each of the Leader’s weaknesses. 

"We’ll do that then,” Isabel said, taking over the review. “Moving on, once we have Jax down there, Lily will turn off the lights on our signal. Jax, that’s your cue to attack the guards so you can get the keys and find Adrian. In the meantime, Kamilah will keep The Baron occupied with or without me. There should be a back exit you'll take him to once you've freed him and we've made it out of the club. Then, I will get the car and call Nicole. Hopefully, Adrian will want to go back to Raines Corps for the serum where the trap will be set. Got it?”

Everyone nodded. "Janet, do you have the wires set?" Kamilah asked. 

The redhead replied instantly "Yep. I’m assuming you have the lighter and gasoline?” 

“Of course,” her boss said with a smile, tapping her pocket where the flask and lighter were held. 

Isabel’s heart rate skyrocketed as Janet left. While she wasn’t participating in the actual rescue, she would be getting supplies for when they were on the run. 

"Oh god, I really hope this works!" she exclaimed worriedly. There were so many things that could go wrong. And afterwards, it would be a challenge escaping Adrian's office once they were trapped inside it. She just hoped her gamble would pay off.

Kamilah put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I believe it will. We have to. If we stick to the plan and communicate with each other using the ear pieces we should be fine." The CEO gave her a brief smile. "Besides, they think you're weak because you're mortal. I did once. So let’s use that as our advantage, shall we?"

The pep talk was just what Isabel needed. "Okay, I'm ready.” 

As the three of them finally strolled into The Shrike, every head turned to stare at them. Isabel bristled with nervous energy as the walked deeper into the interior, remembering her treatment the last time. She and Kamilah were holding Jax at both sides with his hands bound in iron shackles, wearing a dejected expression. 

They approached the other end of the long hallway where The Baron's hulking figure was flanked by two of his guards. 

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" he sneered with his hoarse voice, the cigar smoke drifting from his right hand.

Kamilah shoved Jax roughly, causing him to yelp in pain. "Move you Clanless scum," she sternly ordered. 

She was using the anger about Adrian to put on the perfect show.

"Let go of me!" he shouted back, also playing the part. Briefly, Jax met Isabel's eyes and she feigned having to look away apologetically. 

(I hope we're doing the right thing.) 

Her mind raced with troublesome thoughts once more. She didn't want something to happen to him that she couldn't undo. He deserved to live just as much as Adrian did. Swallowing, she put on a neutral expression as the group met The Baron at the midpoint of the room. 

The man doubled over in laughter for several minutes before howling, "And what exactly is this?!" 

Kamilah rolled her eyes. "This is Jax Matsuo. Leader of the Clanless."

The light expression quickly vanished. "I'm familiar."

The mind games were getting annoying for Isabel who crossed her arms. "But did you know he's the one who killed two of your Clan?" she countered angrily.

"Isabel," Jax pleaded, keeping up the act flawlessly. 

As part of the plan, she ignored him and said emotionlessly, "It was him. He did it to rescue me." 

The Baron smirked at them. "Is that so?" he said slow and condescendingly. "Fascinating." He nodded and one of his men suddenly punched him in the stomach. 

"Hfffff!"

"That's just the beginning, you mangy cur," the Clan leader barked. 

Isabel's stomach quivered uneasily, but she steeled her resolve and as The Baron looked toward her with narrowed eyes, she met it with an intense stare. 

(Try it. We'll see who outsmarts who better.)

"And what exactly is this?" he demanded loudly. "Because I always look a gift horse in the mouth."

Kamilah sighed impatiently. "Not a gift. A proposition," she offered. 

Just as Isabel predicted, he scoffed at them. "Don't tell me you think I'll let Adrian go…" She was now grateful that she had them switch strategies last minute. 

"No. I know he's doomed," the other Clan Leader lamented artificially. "I've made peace with that. However, after he's gone, we will vote to determine who will take his place at the head of his Clan.”

"Undoubtedly. I do know how these things work," The Baron replied, almost bored now. 

She continued her explanation of the deal. "I want you to follow my lead in the vote. And in exchange, I will hand Jax over to you, to do what you wish with him."

A smile appeared on the vile man's features. "Ah, Kamilah, how quickly one's mind turns to one's own interests in times of flux…" 

He turned to Isabel and lifted a hand to pet her cheek. This made her sick to her stomach. However, unlike with Lester, she doubted she could get away with physical violence here. Especially not without Adrian to back her up. Instead, she gritted her teeth and glared at him, refusing to look away. 

"And this one," he mused. "I suppose she's yours now?"

"Indeed," Kamilah replied. 

The Baron continued to taunt them. "Sweet little thing. Is she sad about the imminent demise of her dear Adrian?"

Isabel's blood boiled and she couldn't hold back this time, not when he was getting Adrian involved. "Go to hell!"

"Still feisty, I see. I like that…" 

(You can thank my Latina blood.)

He proceeded to pet her as if she were some plaything for him to enjoy. 

Her palms balled into tight fists and she jerked away. "Keep touching me, and you'll see just how feisty I can get."

The tension was escalating quickly...just like she had hoped. Only this part she didn't have to fake. 

"Isabel," Kamilah demanded. This also technically wasn't part of the script and it was also making it more dangerous than it needed to be. She needed to be alive in order to save Adrian and make out in one piece. 

She calmed down inside, going back to faking the emotions. "We made our deal, there's no reason for me to suck up to him any more than I already have," she retorted, rolling her eyes.

Kamilah relaxed and pushed Jax roughly towards The Baron. "So what do you say, Baron? You can have him in exchange for your vote on Adrian's Clan."

He let out a dramatic sigh. "Hmmm, I don't know…" he pondered. 

"Just think how much pleasure you'd get from completely defanging the Clanless movement."

“It would be fun to torture him. But I've already promised Vega my vote. Turning on him will have quite the cost," The Baron replied

"I called it!" Lily said in the earpiece. "Get ready to go in there," she said, her voice laced with concern. 

A cunning, ruthless smile slowly appeared on Kamilah's face, setting the stage for them. 

"Okay," she purred. "How about if I sweeten the deal?"

Meanwhile, Isabel mentally prepared herself for what was next.

"Go on?" The Baron waved his cigar in the air.

The assistant began to play her part and feigned a look of surprise and fear, as if to say that this wasn't part of the plan. Then, on cue Kamilah pushed her towards The Baron and she pretended to gasp in horror. 

"I'll throw her in too," she insisted emotionless. 

"What?" Isabel exclaimed, using the real fear she felt to make her bluff more realistic. "Wait, Kamilah, th-this isn't…"

The CEO shrugged. "Sorry, Isabel. But Adrian's my blood brother. You're just a pet."

They both assumed their respective roles well and now Jax quickly improvising outrage. 

He turned to Isabel fuming. "Ha! You thought the Council were your friends? Little lesson, Isabel...if you swim with sharks, you'll get eaten.”

"Quiet!" Kamilah ordered. 

Almost immediately, The Baron began to fall into their hands. "Well, that's a much more tempting deal. I'm open to negotiation…"

"Excellent." 

Isabel wanted to smile as much as Kamilah was--their bluff was working. However, she had to stay committed. 

"Wait a second…" she pleaded in a false state of alarm. 

"Kamilah, let's go talk in my office," The Baron proceeded to say. "Guards, take these two down to a cell."

Just like that, their risk had paid off. The exhilaration from Isabel's scheme falling right into place took over and she barely managed to keep the frightened expression on her face. The guards grabbed her and Jax and she prepared to give them an encore. 

"No!" Jax shouted, still clueless about what really took place.

"Hey!" she yelped as Kamilah and The Baron departed. She continued her deceitful struggle to resist the two guard as they hustled them away. 

Suddenly, Jax grabbed her arm, desperately trying to get her attention.

She finally looked at him. "You okay?" he asked. She gave him a tiny nod, before looking down dejectedly.

"Hey!" one of the guards growled. "No talking. Let's go!”

Their grip was torn away as they were pushed forward once more. The guards hustled them down some stairs towards a dank, dark cellar where all that could be heard are screams and moans. A chill went up Isabel's spine and she willed herself to remain calm as she thought of Adrian being one of them.

(Don't worry Adrian, I'm coming for you!)

After a minute or so, she realized that she could finally drop her false demeanor. Taking in what she had just done, deceiving The Baron into letting them inside, a sly grin appeared. 

With a sigh, Jax grumbled, “For the record, I’m still not enthused about your self-sacrifice.”

“Duly noted. I’m still helping,” she replied. 

He responded with a scowl. “Jesus Christ, do you even know what you just walked into?” he fumed. “This place is dangerous for vampires, but for you? It could be a death sentence!”

Isabel rolled her eyes, as she became annoyed at him. She was tired of people doubting her. “Hey! Without me, The Baron definitely wouldn’t have let you down here so you’re welcome. And I know what I signed up for! But, I was always taught to put others first.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper so that the guard couldn’t overhear. “And to fight for those I care about, no matter how high the stakes are. Just like you do for the Clanless, right?”

“Yes...but this time if you don’t take care of you, there won’t be a you for you to care for others. For him.”

The head guard then put an end to the heated discussion. 

"I said don't talk! Or we'll start the torture early!" he growled.

Isabel resorted to examining her surroundings. Suddenly, she noticed a fragment on the wall beside her, as if it appeared out of nowhere. 

(What?)

A strange electric feeling consumed her as flashes of a vision consumed her: a meeting in a factory...tortured prisoners...and the members of the Council in sharp 1920's clothes. 

She was strongly drawn to the torn image but managed to snap herself out of it. She didn't have time for that. Plus, she had a feeling of familiarity, as if this had happened before. And that made her suspicious. So she ignored it and it faded from her mind completely, as if it had all been her imagination. 

She shook off the strange encounter as the guards escorted them down a long, dim stone tunnel line with iron-barred prison cells. Taking a deep breath, Isabel started to concentrate on finding Adrian...and that first involved getting the guards off of them. 

"Go on, keep moving!" one of the men ordered as her mind analyzed every detail, an eerie calmness washing over her. She was doing what she did best and for a cause, one she wanted more than any other. Her attention caught momentarily on the rows of cells as dozens of prisoners, both mortal, and vampire, pleaded and cried as she passed by. 

"Please...help me…"

"M-My daughter...she's out there...she n-needs me…"

Isabel could see that it was living up to its hype. The place smelled like rotting meat and sounded like the depths of hell. 

(God, this is unbearable.) 

As much as she wanted to look away, she couldn't. She had to look for Adrian. 

(Is he in one of these cells?)

She looked to her left and met eyes with a miserable looking man, his body was bloody and bruised and he clutched the bars of his cell.

"Please, I...I…"

She gave him a sympathetic look. She wished that they could rescue them all but, she doubted that was possible. "S-Sorry…"

The gas-powered torches around them flickered and pulsed even as the prisoners begged and moaned. 

"Damn," Jax muttered angrily. "I'd heard rumors about this place, but it's so much worse than I thought."

"Who are these people?" she asked. 

It was the noisy guard who answered. "Criminals that didn't pay their dues. People that got nosy. Members of The Baron's Clan who got outta line. Really it's just anyone who pissed off the boss."

As if Isabel needed more reasons to hate him. Ruling a Clan like a dictator and torturing members if the don't obey was pushing it, even for him.

"And he's allowed to do this?" 

The burly man shrugged nonchalantly. "What the Council don't know can't hurt 'em, right?"

The hidden microphone on her shirt picked up everything, and she knew Kamilah heard. 

"Speaking of which…" The guards slowed down in front of an open cell and prepared to push her and Jax inside. With a smile, the man guard sneered, "Your new home." 

Jax turned and looked her in the eye. They both nodded in agreement. 

(Not so fast.)

"Now!" he growled. 

Isabel whispered into the microphone wired into her clothing. "Go!"

Back at Kamilah's office, Lily heard the command loud and clear. "Copy that."

Using Janet's intel and the company's powerful computer system, she had hacked into the prison system. Hitting the Master Power button, she teased, "Lights out, assholes."

Inside the dungeon, the torches' gas valves snapped shut, and at once, they all went dark.

"What the hell?" the guard exclaimed as everything was plunged into complete darkness. 

Smirking Isabel and Jax slipped on the infrared goggles that they had hidden underneath their shirts.  

"Ready?" she asked, determined now more than ever to save Adrian. 

"Let's do this," he replied. 

"What happened? Where'd the lights go?" The guard was still trying to figure out what had happened. 

Jax stepped inside the open cell and used the metal bedpost to break the chains of his handcuffs. Smiling, he said, "And now…" He threw open his jacket to reveal a pair of sheathed daggers. "Showtime."

Isabel pulled out the pink pepper spray hidden underneath her sweater. It wasn't a lot but, it would create more distraction.

Jax suddenly sprung into action, moving in a graceful twirl. With a forceful throw, he buried one stake up to the hilt into a guards chest, causing him to instantly crumple into a pile of ash. 

The other guard fumbled in the dark seething to himself. "You sneaky, little…"

Jax lunged at him, but the guard was too fast and too strong. He hit Jax with a hard backhand, knocking him to the floor. His knife clattered out of his hands. 

"Crap!"

"Jax!" Isabel exclaimed as the guard swiveled, slamming the cell door shut behind him to trap Jax inside. Then, he turned to her menacingly. "My eyes have adjusted," he boasted. "Which means you're dead meat, girl."

(Uh oh.)

She swallowed, desperately looking around for anything to defend herself. He came forward in the dark, getting close to her and her mind raced quickly. Then, she noticed the keys dangling from his pocket which she could probably reach. 

Using the anger she felt about Adrian, she pulled out the mace and sprayed it before running towards him at top speed, surprising him as she smashed into him. 

"Rarrrgh!""What the hell?!"

Taking advantage of the confusion in the darkness, she kneed him in the groin before hastily unhooked the keys hanging off his belt loop, and dashed to the cell door.

 "Hey!"

"Isabel?" Jax warned as she unlocked the cell door and looked just in time to see the guard rush her from behind, grabbing her tightly. 

"Isabel!"

His breath was hot in her ear. "What do you think you're doing?!" At least a foot taller and two hundred pounds heavier, he picked her up easily by the collar, her feet dangling helplessly. 

"Hey!" she shrieked, trying violently kick him in the shins. 

Suddenly she heard Jax's voice. "Let. Her. Go." He rolled out of the cell and drove his dagger into the guard's kneecap. "Ugggkkk!"

The guard dropped her and Jax ripped the knife free before driving it into his chest. On top of him, he smirked, "Gotcha."

The guard crumpled into ash, as Jax walked out of the cell. 

Isabel looked at him impressively. "Nice moves, Matsuo."

He chuckled in response. "You weren't too bad yourself."

"Think we're doing okay?" she asked, catching her breath.

 He thought for a moment. "Don't hear any alarms, so I think we pulled it off. Let's hope Kamilah's holding her own with The Baron."

They heard her chuckle before faintly telling The Baron she thought she heard something amusing. They took that as a cue that everything was smooth on her end.

 Isabel spoke into the earpiece mic again. "Lily, lights on please."

"You got it!" Hitting a key on the computer, she restored power and the lights flickered back on. 

Anticipation made Isabel's stomach fill with butterflies and whole body tingle with an electric feeling. Now they just had to find Adrian. Her and Jax peeled off the goggles and began to quickly head down the hallway looking for him. 

"Do you see him?" she asked worriedly. 

(Stay strong Adrian. You'll be out of there soon.)

Jax shook his head, and saw that her emotions were clouding her focus. "No...and we need to hurry before they realize what we've done. By my count, we've got three, maybe four minutes."

“Right. Luckily, I have been told that I’m perceptive.”

As she regained her high concentration, the pleading faces of the other prisoners continued to stare out at them from cells lining the hallway. Isabel felt horrible as they reached out hands and called out as she passed by, but right then, she had a single-minded focus. After a minute of endlessly searching with no luck, she decided her best bet was to start calling for him. She hoped, needed him to recognize her voice. 

"A-Adrian!...Adrian!" she exclaimed desperately. 

Almost instantly, she heard something like a groan that she instantly knew was his and her heartbeat quickened. "Jax, over here!" 

She ran as fast as she could to the cell where it came from and found him in a drugged state slumped against the back corner. Seeing his condition, she instantly felt her eyes water as her heart broke. 

"Oh my god," she whimpered.

 He slowly lifted his head up and his face twisted with mixed emotions. 

"Isabel? Is...Is that really you?" he managed to whisper. 

She nodded before yelling to Jax, "Quick! The keys!"

"Here!" 

She fumbled with them as the tears spilled over causing her hands to shake. 

“Come on Isabel, come on,” she muttered.

Finally, she found the right one and unlocked the cell before immeditely rushing to Adrian's side. His face was haggard and his eyes were bloodshot. Her feelings took over as she impulsively crushed him to her for a few moments, all of the emotions she had been feeling over the course of the night flooding out. She let out a sigh of relief when he made the effort to embraced her back. “It’s okay! You’re okay.”

After a minute, she pulled back enough to see his face. He looked at her in shock. "You...came for me. I had this...hope but...I didn’t think..you actually did this...for me.”

She gave him a tearful smile. 

"Of course I did," she cried. "I would never leave you." She reached out and touched his cheek and in return, he squeezed her hand tightly. She bit her lip before admitting, “You mean too much to me now.”

"Isabel, I…"

As much as she wanted to hear his voice, she knew that he needed to save his strength for the escape. "Shh. Talk later. Let's get you out of here."

She heard footsteps coming down the stairs towards the dungeon and knew that they had to make it quick. 

"Not to break up this oh-so-touching reunion, but we're about to have company," Jax said sternly.

Isabel nodded, her focus coming back to where it needed to be. "We need to get out of here. Like now."

On cue, they heard a guard exclaim, "What the hell is going on down there?"

She scanned the rest of the prison with the blueprints pictured in her mind and found what they needed. "Quick! The back exit.”

“Getting Nicole as bait now,” Lily said from the office.

"Come on," Isabel told Adrian. "We'll help carry you." Hastily, her and Jax helped him towards the back stairs. But as they're almost at the the door, Isobel noticed a lever labeled, "MASTER CELL DOOR RELEASE". 

"This would free them all. All of The Baron's prisoners," Jax confirmed.

Adrian scowled, adding angrily, "Not to mention wreak total chaos on his operation."

(Releasing The Baron's prisoners would let us get some revenge. Plus, we could have allies for the fight ahead with Vega!)

Isabel looked back and saw that they had just enough time if they acted now.

"Then what are we waiting for?" she shouted, all of the anger for Vega and The Baron as well Nicole hit her all at once. "Let's pull that damn lever!" 

She grasped the heavy metal level with both hands and tried to pull by herself, but it wouldn't budge. Then she saw why: with the amount of rust on it, it looks like it probably hasn't been touched in decades. "Oh, come on!" she fumed.

She heard the hurried footsteps of a small pack of guards coming down the front stairs and her heart rate accelerated. Suddenly, both Jax and Adrian both put their hands over hers. She looked up at them in surprise that quickly morphed into determination. She met Adrian's intense stare and she felt the electricity in their eyes. 

"Let's do this," he thundered. 

Jax joined in on the sentiment. "Hell yeah." 

All three of them pulled hard and the level slammed down with a thud. Isabel beamed as every cell door along the hallway creaked open simultaneously. 

"That is badass!" Lily exclaimed. 

A stunned silence overtook the prison. Then loud hollering filled the space as the prisoners started streaming out of their cells. Isabel felt electric, as if she was a superhero.

(This is what making a better world feels like!)

"Follow us!" Isabel yelled, overcome with relief and joy. She turned and ran as fast as she could up the stairs, with Jax and Adrian close behind. The prisoners began to follow them.

"We're free! Oh my god, we're actually free!"

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Hurry, they're right behind us!"

Isabel looked over her shoulder and saw the guards catch the pack of fleeing prisoners on the stairs. Then, a brawl broke out and she watched in shock and delight as the guards were hurled down, kicked in the head, and one was even impaled on his own weapon. 

"Whoa…" And here she thought she had seen it all. 

"What's going on?" Jax exclaimed, turning to see the commotion.

“A revolution.” As much as Isabel wanted to stay, they couldn't. They needed to be at the office in time to set the trap for Nicole. "Just keep going! Get Adrian out of here!"

They did as she was told as she looked back and saw a small figure emerge from one of the cells. Eventually she noticed that it was a small child. The little boy was in old-fashioned clothes, looking around quietly.

(Oh my god! I've got to go back and get him!)

"Wait here! I'll be back in a minute!" she told Jax and Adrian.

She bucked the tide of prisoners streaming up the stairs, hugging the wall as she made her way back to the boy. "Hi there, little guy." His brow pinched as he looked up at her.

 He spoke in a foreign language. "A kto ti?"

"I...don't know what that means. But I'm Isabel."

"A ya Vladimir. Zdrasti." She vaguely made out that he was probably Russian and it was his name. That was not one of the three languages she had studied. 

"Right. Why don't you come with me and I'll get you out of here?"

She heard Jax swear on the earpiece and ask Adrian, "What the hell is she doing?!" 

His mic barely picked up on the response. "What always does, put others first."

Smiling to herself, she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the exit with you. "I couldn't just leave him behind! He's just a kid!"J

Just then a guard, a greasy vampire she recalled seeing in The Shrike the first time she visited, came up behind her. His eyes glowed bright red. "Stop right there!" He lunged forward, and she dodged once before he knocked her down to the ground. 

"Oooof!" she yelped, hitting the ground hard. She scrambled to get up, scowling as he sneered at her. "Get...away from him!" 

She was still trying to regain her breath. 

"Looks like you're too slow," the creep replied.

In anger, she pulled out the pepper spray and dowsed him as he started for the boy. “I said, don’t touch him!”

“ARGH!” Seething, the vampire clutched his forehead in agony. “I’ll be back for you!” He approached the kid menacingly.

As Isabel approached, prepared to try to defend him, the boy stared at her, then his expression changed making her stop in her tracks. 

"Eto bula oshibka." he growled, startling the creepy guard. 

"Wait...what now?" 

Faster than any vampire Isabel had seen the boy pounced, tackling the man to the ground. "Raaaaaaaghhhhhh!"

"No! Wait! Get off of me!" Shrieking and hissing, the child tore into vampire, driving his thumbs into the man's still inflamed eyes with a wet squish.

"Oh my god!" Isabel shrieked. "Um guys, I think he'll be fine. I'm...just going to keep running now." She hurried to catch up with Jax and Adrian, managing to avoid the remaining fights and bloody confrontations on the stairs. "Did you see that?" she gasped, rejoining them. 

"Holy crap that kid is terrifying!" Jax replied with a nod. Adrian looked equally horrified. 

Finally they all burst out onto the street level amid the stream of escaping prisoners. Around the corner outside, Kamilah paced anxiously. As the three of them rushed out, she looked up and a relieved smile appeared. 

"You made it!" she exclaimed, her clothes ripped in several places. 

Examining her, Isabel was quick to determine how they got there. “And The Baron?” she asked with worry. 

"Bashed his head in with a trophy in his office. He should be down for quite some time."

"Oh my god!" 

Meanwhile, Adrian stood there silently, trying to take everything in. Finally he said, "I'm not usually one to question a rescue, but do we have a getaway plan?"

Isabel smiled proudly before pulling out the car keys safely in her back pocket. "You'd better believe it." 

She quickly disappeared, leaving him utterly speechless. She ran the two blocks where his sports car was still parked in the alleyway and climbed inside. Seconds later, she screeched to a halt back in front of them, a smirk on her face. 

“Adrian," she said with a wink. "What do you think?”

Adrian looked at her with an impressed smile. "Isabel. I really need to stop underestimating you." 

They all piled inside.  "Hang on!" she ordered hitting the gas pedal hard. As she zoomed away, she looked back and saw hoards of exhilarated former prisoners flooding out into the street. Behind them The Shrike suddenly went up in flames. 

"Timed it perfectly," Kamilah said, sitting back in the seat with satisfaction. 

"Did you set The Shrike on fire?!" Adrian wondered looking back at the now raging inferno.

Isabel nodded. "Janet planted the wires before we got here and Kamilah used the gasoline when she was done with The Baron." Then, she returned her attention to the road.

Granted, she didn't think they would have to worry about the prisoners when they planned it. She realized that all of them hurt and crowding the streets probably put them in danger.

Kamilah answered. "Normally, maybe not. But with the chaos that's about to sweep this city, I suspect most of them will be able to escape into the shadows."

"Besides," Jax scoffed. "Anything's better than being locked in there."

"True…" Isabel sighed, deftly piloting the car through the city streets as a comfortable silence spreads through the vehicle. "Jax, can you call Nicole for me?" she asked, ready to initiate the last part of the plan. 

He nodded and grabbed her phone, dialing the VP and putting her on speaker. 

"Hello? What is it?" the blonde snapped and Isabel had to bite her tongue. 

"Did Lily tell you about our rescue plan?" she asked urgently."

Yes...why? Did something go wrong?"

"No, not at all. In fact, we got Adrian out! He's in the car with us."

"What? That's...incredible," Nicole said, though her tone didn't quite match the words. "I didn't think you would be able to do it."

(Oh, I know. Keep underestimating me.)

Biting her tongue, Isabel told her, "Look, if you still want to be a part of the plan, can you meet us somewhere with a change of clothes?"

"...yeah, I can do that, for Adrian, of course. I'll meet you near Central Park," Nicole said before abruptly hanging up. 

"That was...rather odd," Adrian observed, his brow furrowed. 

(Oh, you have no idea.) 

Isabel sighed but didn't say anything. He needed for the upcoming betrayal to be a surprise. A few minutes of silence passed before the madness of what transpired hit her fully.

"Oh my god," she exclaimed sitting back in the seat amazed. "I can't believe we actually pulled that off!"

"Of course it did, you're plan was brilliant!" Lily exclaimed as Jax pounded a fist triumphantly against the ceiling. 

"Hot damn," he whistled. "I'll give you Council vamps this, you know how to make a night exciting."

Even Kamilah was beaming. "Good work. All of you."

It wasn't long before they pulled into the curb at the edge of the park and Nicole ran up to meet them. 

"Here's a suit, boss," she said through the rolled down window. "Figured you might need it." She joined the crew in the back seat and they began to drive again. 

"Thank you," Adrian told her. In the passenger seat, he quickly changed into his suit before staring out of the window silently.

Isabel could help becoming nervous again. She had no idea how they were getting out of Adrian's office when they were probably going to be surrounded. She figured they would do that on the spot, but there was a lot of risk involved.

Sighing, she found his hand and gently squeezed it. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. "Did they hurt you?"

He smiled at her wearily. "They tried," he told her, jaw clenched.

"Oh no…"

She met his gaze as he continued. "The guards have some...novel methods of torture. But I'll live."

From the rearview mirror, she caught a brief change in Nicole's expression. An evil smile maybe? It was so faint, she barely noticed it. But it was enough to confirm her suspicions and make the precautions worth it. Nicole was in on it, Isabel felt it in her gut.

Turning back to Adrian, she stammered, "I'm glad we got you out of there when we did."

"Me too." He smiled at her gently before turning his head to speak to the others in the car.

"I need to thank you. All of you," he told them. "Kamilah, this couldn't have been easy for you to do. You've openly defied the Council…"

"I've lost one brother. I'm not losing another," she replied sternly.

Next, Adrian looked over at Jax. "And thanks to you, too. I don't think we've been properly introduced."

Isabel felt dumb for not mentioning it in the parking lot. "Oh, Adrian, this is Jax Matsuo. He's, uh...Clanless."

His eyes narrowed and the two regarded each other warily.

She felt the need to say something more. "Jax is also the one who helped me escape The Shrike before...remember? I promise he's trustworthy, he just wants to protect his people."

"Mr. Matsuo. Your reputation precedes you," Adrian finally said nodding.

Jax simply tilted his head. "Does it now? And what exactly have you heard about me?"

"Good things. Mostly," the CEO replied, looking briefly at Isabel who breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, well, that's what I've heard about you too. Your friends made some pretty big promises. I expect you to keep them."

Adrian hesitated before reaching out to extend his hand. Jax stared at it in surprise before shaking it.

"To a long and fruitful relationship," the Clan leader said.

"If you say so." It was shaky but, it was a good start.

Kamilah cleared her throat. "First things first," she told them. "We need to get out of the city as soon as we can. It's not safe for us here right now. Once word gets out about what happened, every vampire in the city's going to be hunting us."

"I know we need to run...but first we need to stop by my office first. For the serum," Adrian replied with a frown.

Isabel was once again right on the nose. She and Kamilah made eye contact and exchanged a look.

Kamilah feigned shock. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Serum?" Jax inquired confused.

Isabel forgot that they hadn't filled him in on that part. She sighed, "It's...a long story." Then she turned to the passenger seat and said, "Adrian, that's something you need to do. I'm not saying it's a good idea, but I get why you need to do it. I trust you."

He gave her a sad smile. "I appreciate that, Isabel. I wouldn't even dream of it if it wasn't important." Then, his face twisted in anger. "Vega set this whole thing up to get his hands on it. It's too powerful to risk falling into his hands."

(Already have that covered, but you can't know that yet.)

"Isn't it in that super-secure safe?"

She was referring to the one in the office, where she had destroyed the first batch.

Adrian sucked in a breath. "That safe buys us time. But sooner or later, he'll find a way to get in."

Nicole smiled, though not for the reason he thought. "I agree. The serum needs to be protected, It's the corporation's most valuable asset."

She clearly thought that this was playing into her hands. Little did she know, Isabel was already two steps ahead.

Kamilah frowned. "Fine," she surrendered. "We'll just grab it and go."

The plan was unfolding almost perfectly.

"Is anyone going to tell me what this magical serum actually does?" Jax wondered, eyes wide.

Isabel did the explaining, once she received a nod from both Adrian and Kamilah. "It lets vampires walk in the sunlight."

"What?! You know what? From now on, I'm just not going to ask any more questions."

"Probably for the best," Adrian agreed.

Isabel quickly pulled up to the curb in front of the Raines Corporation building and Adrian and Nicole hopped out.

"We'll be right back," he told them.

Jax's eyebrows raised. "Never stops with you lot, does it?"

"Never," Kamilah sighed. She gave Isabel the signal. 

Nodding, she jumped out of the car too, joining them. She wasn't going to let Nicole trap him in there alone.

"What do you think you're doing?" the blonde asked with an icy glare, now rattled. "We'll just be a moment."

Crossing her arms, Isabel stood her ground. "Um, I'm definitely coming. I've been through all of this with Adrian so far. I'm not stopping now."

(Plus I'm the one who knows what you're really up to.)

She could see the wheels turning in Nicole's head, scrambling to try and throw her off. "I'm just...looking out for your safety. Who knows what Vega might have up his sleeve."

Adrian interrupted their argument. "We'll be in and out before anyone knows we're here. But we have to go now."

"I'm still coming with you," she demanded. 

After a minute he nodded over Nicole's continued protests. "Okay Isabel, if you’re positive. She is perfectly capable of doing this Nicole. I wouldn't have hired her if she wasn't."

“I am. If something goes wrong, I want to be there."

"I'll be ready in case you need a getaway driver," Jax told them before jumping into the driver's seat with a smile. "Sweet ride…"

With an amused smile, Adrian commented, "Fine. You dent it, the deal's off."

Leaving Kamilah and Jax in the car, they headed upstairs with Nicole to Adrian's office. His gaze fixated momentarily at the torn security equipment before getting into the office.

"Hurry. Please," the blonde fretted.

Isabel knew she was rushing for a different reason. She sat back watching Nicole like a hawk, her arms folded tightly as she dreaded the interaction that would occur next.

Adrian headed to the wall and exposed the hidden panel. His fingertips glided over it, the elegant complex series of patterns Isabel did a few hours earlier. Her breath hitched in anticipation as she heard the gears whirling, latches clicking, and the operation of the powerful mechanism. The wall slid open to reveal his safe and the serum that was supposed to be inside. 

"And there it is," he said smiling. He reached for it, but just as he did so, the door to the conference room flew open.

She wasn't surprised and yet she still gasped. More to do with her suspicions being correct. Still wearing the earpiece she whispered. "Code red!"

This alerted Kamilah and Jax back in the car to prepare for an escape and Adrian looked at her confused but she couldn't say anything. 

"I hope you can get him out of there Isabel!" Kamilah exclaimed as a half-dozen vampires burst into the office, leveling crossbows at Adrian.

"Oh my god!" she shouted, the scene frightening her even though she knew it was coming.

Furious, Adrian looked around frantically. "What is this?"

His assistant answered for him, shooting daggers at Nicole. "A trap Adrian!”

The blonde's eyes narrowed at her as she realized that something was amiss with her rouse.

A soldier ordered, "The serum. Now."

"I know you. You're one of Vega's men!" Adrian roared.

"What I am is the guy about to put a bold through your heart! Hand over that serum!"

"Never!"

Isabel watched the man start to lunge for Adrian and jumped into action. She impulsively lept in front, putting herself right in between him and the guards. "Stop! Don't shoot him!" she growled.

Adrian looked at her in shock. "Isabel, what are you doing?!"

She stopped for a moment.

(What am I doing?)

Then her resolve crystalized and her scowl returned as Nicole stepped forward. She planted herself more firmly against him. "I'm protecting you, since I'm the only one in here who will."

The blonde rolled her eyes before beginning her monologue. "Enough. This is over."

Adrian's looked at both of them bewildered before turning to his VP. "Nicole! Run! They'll shoot you!"

Isabel shook her head. "No Adrian, they won't. Will they?" she demanded, wishing she could interrupt what came next.

"What?"

"No, you're right Isabel. I don't think they will," Nicole replied, smiling mischievously.

The crossbows remained trained on her and Adrian and he looked over at her. "What is she doing?"

"Betraying you," she told him bitterly.

Then, Nicole took her place alongside Vega's men. "Sorry, boss. But that serum is mine now."

Isabel watched Adrian's expression darken as he realized her assistance was a trap. But, unbeknownst to Nicole, she had an ace up her sleeve which she could finally reveal.  

The mental game of chess was coming to an end. She was coming for the king, and she sure as hell wasn't going to miss. 

.....

[writingwitchly]

Memories

HELLO! could you write an angsty Remus X reader imagine in which she is best friend with the Marauders especially with Remus and has a huge crush on him. James, Sirius, and Peter know about her crush on Remus and encourage her to tell him when she finally builds the courage to do it, Remus introduce them to a girl (maybe a Hufflepuff?) and it's obvious they like each other and the reader has to pretend to be okay because Remus goes to her for advice because she's his best friend.  Love you! ~ @thedarklordsdiary <3 (espero que te guste y que sea un poco como te lo imaginabas)

Pairing: Remus Lupin x reader Word count: 2,9k (why are my texts always so long) Warning: jealousy / angst / some fluff A/N: I was not really comfortable while writing angst!Remus, so I switched it to angst!reader (teen Remus as I imagine him just isn’t capable of being angry XD). Also, I made it my fight to end every single one of my imagines in a positive tone, because there is already so much negativity in this world, that we don’t need to add more. Anyway, I hope you all like it!

You throw a glance at the clock, sigh, and pout.

It’s only 5 p.m.

Your husband will be home in about an hour, but his promise to bring you to the theater, something very rare because of the war going on, makes you impatient.

To occupy yourself, you pick up the books from the table next to the fireplace and, after circling around the room without knowing what to do with them, you end up putting them back where they were.

Fighting the urge to check the time again, you fold some covers that laid forgotten on the back of a chair.

Then, you glance up.

5:10.

Ugh.

It’s as if the time moved backwards.

Suddenly, as a thought crosses your mind, you childishly clap your hands together: you know what to do while waiting.

Careful not to bump against anything in your excitation, you half-run, half-walk toward a very old commode, a family piece of furniture you got from your grandmother when you got married.

From one of the drawers, you take a small, wooden box. It is covered in multicolor paint, shallow grooves filled with dust, and blackened burns.

Lovingly looking at your precious treasure, you take a seat in the comfortable sofa, and delicately open the box, from which you extract a stack of pictures.

As you make your way through your school memories, your vision becomes blurry, and a few sighs escape you.

“This one,” you mutter to yourself, looking at the image of your younger self, probably fourteen or fifteen years old, repairing a pair of glasses right on the nose of its disheveled owner. A plump boy next to you is showing all his teeth in a lighthearted laugh. “Was taken by Sirius.”

You turn it over, and a sentence in round, tight letters says:

Y/N fixing James’ glasses after he tripped while trying to impress Lily Evans. I almost died laughing. 4th year

With a smile, you put the photograph aside.

The next one you grab shows three teenagers, the middle one being you, flashing huge smiles through the opening of their helmets. In the back, a big motorbike can be spotted.

Behind this picture, you read:

Y/N, Sirius, and our deer friend, after their first ride on Pads’ new motorbike. 6th year

Then, you pick one of the portraits you’ve cherished the most until this day. It’s of you and the most amazing boy you’ve met during your school years. Remus has been your best friend, but also your teenage crush, and this for so long you can’t even remember when it started.

You flip the photo:

With love to my wonderful best friend, Remus. 7th year

A tender smile curls your lips.

The next few images all include you and your full group of best friends in seventh year, when Y/N and the Marauders became Y/N, Lily, and the Marauders.

A particularly messy caption describes the six of you as:

The most gorgeous creature ever (me), the second most gorgeous creature ever (Pads), my future wife (Lily), the best best best friend in the whole world (Y/N), my best friend guy who reads TOO MUCH (Moony), bagel boy (Wormy).

After laughing for a great deal of time, until two big tears come rolling down your cheeks, you put this picture aside as well.

However, the next image instantly sobers you.

Remus stands in the middle of it, an arm wrapped tightly around your shoulders. Until this, everything is perfect, besides your frozen smile. But it’s what he is doing with his other arm that sucks the cheerfulness out of you: it's wrapped around the waist of a blond girl with cute dimples and an affable smile.

You don’t need to read the caption to remember what happened this day, nor why your smile looks so… fake.

“Y/N!”

The call comes from behind you. Without even turning around, you speed up. You know this grating voice way too well, for its owner has been following you non-stop in the past two weeks.

“How many times will I have to tell you, Adam? I am not interested in going out with you! Nor with anybody else,” you point out. Which is a blatant lie.

If Remus asked you out, which, according to Peter and Sirius is bound to happen sooner or later, your answer would be a big yes.

Before Adam could reach you, the corridor ends, and you find refuge on the moving staircase. With a wave, you dismiss your insisting pretendant as the stone steps rotate to the left.

Convinced that you’re out of danger, your pace slows down to normal walking.

Today is the big day. You have finally managed to build enough confidence -- or craziness, you still can’t decide which it is -- to face the situation. James has encouraged you to do so for at least two months now. His exact words were, “Go big or- go big anyway, because Remus likes you as much as you like him.”

By the end of today, you will declare yourself to your best friend, who has become the person you dream to kiss.

But before, there is something you have to do.

As you enter the next hallway, holding your books firmly in your arms, your eyes widen. A short, blond guy with a bright smile is looking at you with what he surely believes is a seductive smile.

“What do you want from me?” you snap, knowing perfectly well what he is waiting for.

“Now that you ask about it, a kiss would be perfectly fine,” he answers in an irritating, honeyed voice.

“Listen,” you say, tired of having to bear with this child’s advances, “You are an attracting boy, but go find somebody else to harass. Somebody of your age, Gilderoy.”

A bit taken aback, the boy doesn’t protest as you stride away.

Two in a row. This is not a good omen.

You want to reach your destination before anybody else, more accurately any of the members of your fan club, can stop you again. Is it asking too much?

“Y/N!”

You were ready to spit a cutting response, but you manage to hold it back at the last moment.

James’ call came from a few feet behind you, and you swing round to face him.

“What are you doing?” he asks as he gets closer, nonchalance in his steps and his hands in his pockets.

“Breathing, walking, avoiding guys… Common stuff,” you answer, a hint of laughter in your tone.

“I’ve had enough smart answers coming from Evans this week, please spare me yours during the weekend,” he says, rolling his eyes. Then, his gaze falls down on the schoolbooks you are carrying. “You’re not going to study on Sunday, are you?”

His disgusted look makes you smile.

“We’re three weeks away from our N.E.W.T.s, Potter. So yeah, I’m going to study.”

“You’ve studied enough in the past two years, brainiac! You have to have some fun, come on! We’re all by the lake. If even Lily agreed to drop her essays for a day, you can do it!”

You sigh, unsure of what to do.

“Remus is there too,” he adds, with a mischievous smirk, to convince you.

“Fine,” you breathe, biting your inferior lip, and the two of you join the rest of the group.

As you approach the shadow of the trees bordering the Great Lake, you spot black, mousy, and red hair contrasting with the green grass where Sirius, Peter, and Lily are lying.

A bit upset because of the absence of the light-brown-haired boy you like so much, you still imitate them under Lily’s supplications.

For nearly half an hour, the five of you stay spread on the ground, looking at dragonflies and talking about random topics. Then, shuffling makes you look up.

Your silent wish has been granted: it’s Remus coming toward you, and your heart skips a beat.

However, your excitement drops as you focus on the person next to him. Blond locks, dimples, joyful smile, round curves: Janet Seidel.

Your heart shrinks a bit. Remus has been talking about her for so long now that you don’t know what to expect.

“Y/N.”

For the third time in the day, you react to your name. But this time, the call makes your interiors melt.

“Remus,” you greet him as you stand up. The boy gives you a tight hug, to which you respond with as much enthusiasm as if you hadn’t seen him in a long time.

Is Janet watching? She better be. You don’t like to share, and Remus is yours. Even if he doesn’t know it yet.

“Can I talk to you?” your tall friend whispers in your ear, “I have something to ask you.”

Your breath accelerates, and you look at him in hope.

“Something to ask me?” you say, as if it was the strangest thing in the world.

He glances at you quizzically.

For a split-second, you had almost forgotten that you are his best friend, ready for a talk whenever he needs one, and the insane word ‘date’ had popped into your mind.

“Yeah, of course,” you promptly add, which dissipates his perplexity.

He grabs your hand -- for Merlin’s socks, your arm goes numb -- and walks you toward a deserted place a few feet away from where, you observe from the corner of your eye, Janet is now chatting with Lily.

“So, um- This is not easy to say-” Remus starts. Your attention is abruptly redirected to him, and his eyes, and his scars, and…

Y/N, stop it.

“Well. There is this person that I have been liking for quite long-”

Um…

“Funny, friendly, and pretty-”

Red signal.

“I like it when we hang out together-”

Is this about you?

“We’ve been friends for long now-”

There are signs that it’s about you: you’re funny and friendly, you’ve been his friend for so long.

“And I guess I have to take a step forward-”

The word ‘date’ keeps popping in your mind.

Yes please, I want to go out with you.

Your palms are all sweaty.

“So I wanted to ask you-”

Yes, yes, yes…

Your heartbeat is faster than the Hogwarts Express.

“If you have any advice to give me.”

“What?” you ask, startled.

“Yes. You know, as so many boys have asked you out, and you’ve always said no, I am sure that you could tell me exactly what I shouldn’t do,” he laughs.

Somebody dropped a bucket of ice on your head, or the whole content of the Great Lake has been poured on you. There is no other possible reason to describe your inside reaction to his comment.

“Excuse me?” you let out, more like a defensive answer than a question.

Remus’ grin fades a little. He understands you better than anybody else, so your sudden change in humor couldn’t go unnoticed.

“You- Are you talking about Janet?” you ask, as desperation already makes its way through your body.

“Yes,” he confirms, and the sparkle of amusement in his eyes disappears. “Why?”

“Oh, nothing,” you whisper in a cold tone, your gaze lost on the surface of the lake.

An uncomfortable silence falls like a wall between Remus and you and, for the first time in years, you don’t know what to tell him.

A bitter taste invades your mouth, and the despair you were feeling slowly turns into something else. Something cold. Something ugly.

Jealousy.

“That’s what I am useful for, then, huh?”

Tears threaten to leave your eyes, but you hold them back. You have hidden your feelings for so long that you are not going to ruin everything, make a fool of yourself, by revealing them now.

Now -- that you know who he prefers.

“What are you talking about, Y/N?”

His furrowed brow makes him look even better tha-

Stop it, you silly, don’t make it even more painful!

“‘m just reflecting about how useful it is for you to have such a cold hearted friend,” you say miserably. The words don’t even make sense, but your heavy heart needs to be relieved. And this works just fine.

“Wha-” But you cut across him,

“Yeah, that’s what you think, isn’t it? That I refuse every boy’s advances because I have no feelings, right?” Shocked, he opens his mouth to answer, but you don’t give him this opportunity, “But guess what, Remus Lupin-”

You are not responsible for what you are saying anymore. Your brain and tongue are far away from each other, in opposite worlds, not tuned together.

“I haven’t accepted to go out with anybody because, out of all the people who asked me out, the right one hasn’t asked and-”

Oh, crap. You’re already on the run, you can say it.

“I discovered that he likes somebody else.”

Your revelation apparently paralyses him.

Shit.

“Y/N,” he breathes, an upset expression on his features, and you suddenly wish you hadn’t said all this. “I am sorry. If I had known that somebody broke your heart, I wouldn’t have talked to you about this.”

Oh…

He thinks that you’re talking about somebody else.

“I’ll help you to fix this,” he whispers, as he takes you tenderly in his arms. “Do you want to talk about it?”

It all went so fast that the logical part of you is relieved, but the emotional one doesn’t know what to do.

“No,” you sigh.

Resting your head on his chest, you slowly let some tears flow.

Mybe it’s better like this.

“If it can help you,” he murmurs, “I like Janet, I like her very much-”

Merlin’s beard, how is this supposed to help you?

“But there is somebody else I like more, with whom I may even be in love,” he says, regret and sadness molding his tone, “Unfortunately, this person doesn’t show any interest in me, and I am trying to convince myself that I have to move on.”

You groan, feeling an additional ton of grief crushing your heart.

There are two people he likes.

“I won’t ask Janet out,” he finally decides.

Your brain needs a few seconds to process the information, but when it does, you’re confused.

The greedy part of you approves, but then: Janet is the best you could wish to Remus. If you can’t have him, you’d be less upset to see him with her.

Yes, less upset, not happier.

“Why?” you finally ask between two muffled sobs.

“Because I will stand by your side and support you,” he answers. “You’re the most important person in my life. I don’t want my best friend to be hurt.”

Oh, Merlin. He is so caring. You feel really bad about your selfishness.

After all, he deserves to be happy, and the fate doesn’t want you to be his other half.

“I think you should.” This costs you a huge effort. “She seems to like you.”

You smile, and he grins back, but both of you look more desolated than anything else.

“You two there! Come here for a picture!”

Sirius’ strong voice reaches you through the sound of the lake’s waves and the tree’s dancing leaves.

In a common decision, you walk back toward your friends, arm in arm.

As soon as you get to them, Janet pulls Remus toward her, laughing like a child.

“I want one with you!” she shouts, and you draw back to allow them some space. “Y/N, you too! You’re Remus best friend!”

How can Hufflepuffs be so adorable? Even if this girl is your rival in love, you can’t despise her.

You sigh, take a few steps forward, and let Remus grab you by the shoulders.

Immersed in your memories, you haven’t noticed the loud ‘crack’ noise announcing that your husband is back.

“Y/N, darling, are you okay?”

A bit lost between the past and the present, it costs you a few seconds to realize that he is standing in front of you, his face contracted in an expression of concern you know so well.

“What happened to you?”

It’s just when he sits by your side and wipes a tear from your cheek that you understand his worry: you’d been crying.

Then, his gaze travels from your face to your hands, which are still clutching the old photograph.

“Oh,” he simply breathes.

With unmasked empathy, he pulls you toward him, and you end up sitting on his lap. He wraps you in a warm embrace, and delicately kisses your forehead. You smell the scent of rain, old manuscripts, and chocolate swirling around you.

“Did you finish planning the mission?” you ask, wanting to relax the atmosphere.

His eyes meet yours, which make your cheeks burn.

Oh, for Merlin’s sake, Y/N, you’ve been married for a whole year now.

“Let’s not talk about the Order now, okay? Let’s make it just about us. Ready for the theater?”

Gratitude and love fill your heart, and you repeat to yourself once more how lucky you are to have such a great husband.

“Of course,” you say eagerly, “I have been looking forward to it since you left.”

“I love you, Y/N,” he smiles.

“I love you even more, Remus,” you smile back.

Just a short list of quick facts:

Remus never dated Janet, he cared too much about your feelings and wanted to be 100% present for you.

Janet ended up going out with Adam, and they married two years after leaving Hogwarts (one year and three months after their first date). You stayed friends and went to their wedding.

Remus and you finally admitted to be in love with each other a few days before leaving the school (with the guys’ help, of course).

You two married shortly after James and Lily.

[toast-the-unknowing]

Hey, I see you reblogging a lot of The Good Place and it looks hilarious xD I was wondering if you could tell me what you like about it and is it worth letting my soul get sucked into another show?

oh my god, please do yourself the favor of letting the Good Place into your heart and soul. I mean, for one thing, there's only two short seasons so far, so it's not actually going to be THAT much of a time investment.It is a fantastically written, beautifully crafted show -- the kind of thing that when you're watching feels breathless and easy, and when you think about it, you go, oh my god how did they even PULL THAT OFF? It has plotting and attention to detail that would be impressive of any show, never mind a sitcom (not that comedies don't require their own tight plotting, but people expect it less, and so they get away with it more and are generally underappreciated when they do pull it off). It has FANTASTIC one liner jokes and gif-able moments, but it also has brilliant comedy that is earned over the course of entire episodes or entire seasons of build up. And it has such range -- it's not afraid of being smart and quoting philosophers I barely remember from school, but then it'll turn around and make a joke about celebrity babies or buttholes. I feel about it the way I think a lot of people used to feel about Arrested Development, that you get something new out of it every time you watch it.But, well, what do I really like about it? What I really like about anything that I really connect to -- I love the characters, and I love the relationships between them. I love Eleanor and how fucking terrible she is and how you completely understand why she's terrible (and don't we all love being terrible sometimes? Yes, if the Uber driver talks to me, my ride should be free). I love Tahani and how brittle she really is. I love Jason and what a fucking dork he is. I love and hate how Chidi *is* me, in my anxious indecisive beauty/horror. And I love, I love the friendships -- I love Michael and Eleanor, who bring out the best and the worst in each other. I love Michael and Janet, I love Janet and Jason's weird connection. Honestly there's no combination of characters that if you put them together I'm not excited to see what happens. It's one of those shows that, no matter who is the episode is about, I get excited -- "Oh, goodie, it's a X episode!"Also, Eleanor has the biggest crush on Tahani and this is very very important to me. Tahani is the sexiest skyscraper.But yeah, in short -- I love the characters. I love the plot. I have been surprised by this show so many times, only to look back and realize, yes, it could never have been any other way. Also, I quote this show *all the time*. It feels like it's always been a part of my life, and it's wild to consider in retrospect that it's only two years old.

[pika-ace]

Have you seen The Good Place? I watched the first season a few days ago, and the entire time, I thought Vanessa and Usnavi would be perfect as Eleanor and Chidi in an AU! If you have Netflix, you should check it out!

I JUST watched the first two episodes and oh my god, it’s freaking PERFECT FOR THEM!! I kinda feel bad since this basically means the whole fucking barrio is dead, but I kinda love the idea of humiliating deaths, like Usnavi was doing stocks in the bodega and a full box of sodas fell on his head and Vanessa was pushed by a bunch of shopping carts into the road and got hit by a bus or something; I wonder if the rest of the barrio dwellers could all have funny and kinda ironic deaths? XD As for the rest, I’m thinking that maybe Abuela or Kevin could be Michael??? Haven’t watched the whole season, so I’m not sure. But I think it would be hilarious if Carla was Janet. Just Carla being a HUGE database and knowing LITERALLY EVERYTHING. 

So we got Vanessa who was accidentally taken to The Good Place by mistake cause she was SOMEHOW mistaken for ANOTHER Vanessa Otillia Garcia who like volunteered all over the world, helped orphans, basically was a freaking saint, while in reality, this Vanessa worked at a dead end fashion company, left her alcoholic mother in a rehabilitation center, and brought guys home all the time. If you don’t know, only the saintliest of saints get into the Good Place, so while Vanessa isn’t a BAD person based on her life, she’s not good enough for THIS place. So Usnavi, of course, agrees to help teach her how to be good while dealing with the shenanigans of Vanessa making the Good Place collapse into chaos since she doesn’t belong there, aaaaand I’ll have to watch the rest of the season to get more info from here. ((Also, I’m thinking that from what I see, families don’t stay together up there, so maybe Sonny is the only one of his family up there and Vanessa and Usnavi slowly warm up to him and pseudo-parent him since he’s never going to age here; aka this could be another AU with parental!vansnavi!!! ))

[pattyrv9]

Making a list of all the CDs I own cause I tend to forget while buying more xD

5 Seconds of Summer - 5 Seconds of Summer 5 Seconds of Summer - Don’t Stop EP 5 Seconds of Summer - LIVESOS 5 Seconds of Summer - She looks so perfect EP 5 Seconds of Summer - Sounds Good Feels Good Ada Szulc & DJ Adamus - 1000 miejsc Alain Clark - Live it out Alesha Dixon - The Alesha Show ALEKSEEV - Pyanoe Solnce Alicia Keys - The element of freedom Ania Rusowicz - Mój big-bit Abraham Mateo - #AreYouReady? Alexandra Burke - Overcome Alvaro Soler - Eterno Agosto American Hustle OST Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman Ariana Grande - My Everything Ariana Grande - Yours Truly Ashlee Simpson - Autobiography Avril Lavigne - Let Go Avril Lavigne - The best damn thing Beyonce - 4 Beyonce - B’Day Beyonce - I am...Sasha Fierce (Deluxe) Beyonce - Beyonce Beyonce - Crazy in Love (single) Beyonce - Dangerously In Love Blog 27 - <LOL> Blue - One Love Bownik - Bownik Bridgit Mendler - Hello My name is... Brodka - Clashes Bruno Mars - 24K Magic Bruno Mars - Doo-woops & Hooligans Bruno Mars - Unorthodox Jukebox Bry - Bry Busted - A ticket for everyone Live Busted - Busted Camila Cabello - Camila Camp Rock OST Camp Rock OST Collectors Edition Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam OST Charli XCX - True Romance Chico - In Limbo Chris Brown - Graffiti Christina Aguilera - Back to basics Christina Aguilera - Christina Aguilera Christina Aguilera - Stripped CNCO - Primera Cita Cris Cab - Where I belong Cody Simpson - Paradise Coldplay - A head full of dreams Coldplay - A rush of blood to the head Coldplay - Ghost stories Coldplay - Kaleidoscope EP Coldplay - Live 2012 Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto Curly Heads - Ruby Dress Skinny Dog Dawid Kwiatkowski - Element trzeci (SPRZEDAM) Daniel Bedingfield - Gotta get thru this Daniel Bedingfield - Second first impression Daria Zawiałow - A kysz! Dawid Podsiadło - Annoyance and Disappointment Dawid Podsiadło - Annoyance and Disappointment (Deluxe) Dawid Podsiadło - Annoyance and Disappointment  2.0 Dawid Podsiadło - Comfort and Happiness Dawid Podsiadło - Comfort and Happiness (CD+DVD) David Guetta - Listen Demi Lovato - Demi Demi Lovato - Don’t forget Demi Lovato - Here we go again Destiny’s Child - Destiny Fulfilled Destiny’s Child - Destiny’s Child Ed Sheeran - Multiply (X) Ella Eyre - Feline Ella Henderson - Chapter One Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP Eros Ramazzotti - Noi Ewa Farna - Ewakuacja Example - Playing in the shadows Example - The evolution of man Foster The People - Torches Fismoll - At glade Fismoll - Box of feathers G-Eazy - The Beautiful & Damned G-Eazy - These things happen G-Eazy - When it’s dark out George Ezra - Staying at Tamara’s Girls Aloud - Out of control (x2) Girls Aloud - Sound of the underground Girls Aloud - Tangled Up Girls Aloud - Ten Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown Gouryella - From the heavens Gosia Andrzejewicz - The best of XD Gwen Stefani - The sweet escape Hairspray OST Halsey - Badlands Halsey - Hopeless Fountain Kingdom Harry Styles - Harry Styles High School Musical 2 OST High School Musical 2 Non-Stop Party Edition Hilary Duff - Most Wanted HONNE - Warm on a cold night Hozier - Hozier Hurts - Exile Hurts - Surrender Imagine Dragons - Smoke + Mirrors Imagine Dragons - Night Visions Imagine Dragons - Night Visions (Deluxe) Imany - The shape of a broken heart (Deluxe) Imany - There were tears Imany - The wrong kind of war Izzy Bizu - A moment of madness Jake Bugg - Jake Bugg Jamelia - Thank you James Arthur - Back from the edge James Arthur - James Arthur James Bay - Chaos and the calm James Blunt - Chasing Time: The Bedlam Sessions James Blunt - Moon Landing James Blunt - Moon Landing (Apollo Edition) James Blunt - Moon Landing (Deluxe) James Blunt - Some kind of trouble James Blunt - You’re Beautiful (single) James Morrison - The awakening James Morrison - Undiscovered Janet Jackson - The Best Janet Jackson - The velvet rope Jedward - Planet Jedward JLS - Exlusive DVD: The videos JLS - JLS JLS - Jukebox JLS - Love you more (single) JLS - Outta this world Jonas Brothers - A little bit longer Jonas Brothers - Jonas Brothers Jonas Brothers - Lines, vines and trying times Justin Bieber - Believe Justin Bieber - Believe Acoustic Justin Bieber - My World Justin Bieber - My Worlds Justin Bieber - My Worlds: The Collection Justin Bieber - Purpose Justin Bieber - Under the Mistletoe Justin Timberlake - Future Sex/Love Sounds Justin Timberlake - Justified Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak Katy B - Little Red Katy Perry - Prism Katy Perry - Teenage Dreams Kelly Rowland - Simply deep Kings of Leon - Come around sundown Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite (Experience Edition) Kylie Minogue - Fever Kylie Minogue - Kiss me once Lady Gaga - Artpop Lady Gaga - Born this way Lady Gaga - Joanne Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster La La Land OST Lana del Rey - Ultraviolence LemON - Etiuda zimowa LemON - LemON LemON - LemON (CD+DVD) LemON - Scarlett Leona Lewis - Echo Leona Lewis - Spirit Leski - Splot Lily Allen - It’s not me, it’s you Lilly Hates Roses - Mokotów Loic Nottet - Selfocracy Loreen - Heal Olly Murs - Right Place Right Time Organek - Głupi Manchester - Manchester Mans Zelmerlow - Chameleon Mans Zelmerlow - MZW Mans Zelmerlow - Perfectly Re:damaged Mans Zelmerlow - Stand by for... Matt Cardle - Letters Matt Dusk - My funny valentine McFly - Motion in the ocean McFly - Room on the 3rd floor (x2) Mela Koteluk - Migracje (Edycja specjalna) Męskie Granie 2014 Męskie Granie 2015 Mika - Life in cartoon motion Mike Dignam EP Miley Cyrus - Bangerz Miley Cyrus - Breakout Miley Cyrus - Hannah Montana The Movie OST Miley Cyrus - Younger Now Milky Wishlake - Wait for us Mrozu - Rollercoaster Mutya Buena - Real Girl Nadine - Insatiable Natalie Imbruglia - Left of the middle Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten Negatyw - Albinos Nelly Furtado - Loose Nelly Furtado - The best of Nextpop’s Tunnel Vision Vol.1: Slow Burning Nick Jonas and The Administration - Who I am One Direction - Best Song Ever (single) One Direction - Four One Direction - Live While We’re Young (single) One Direction - Made in the A.M. (Deluxe) One Direction - Midnight Memories One Direction - Midnight Memories (single) One Direction - Take Me Home One Direction - Up All Night Paloma Faith - A perfect contradiction Paloma Faith - Fall to grace Paloma Faith - The Architect Patrick The Pan - Something of an End Pharrell Williams - Girl Pink - The truth about love (Fan Edition) Piotr Lisiecki - Rules Changed Up Plastic - I Want U (single) Plastic - Living in the iWorld Plastic - p.o.p. Rebecca Ferguson - Heaven (Deluxe) Rihanna - Good girl gone bad Ronan Keating - 10 years of hits Ronan Keating - Ronan Room 94 - No strings attached Sam Smith - In the lonely hour Sam Smith - The thrill of it all Scissor Sisters - Ta-Dah September - Dancing shoes Shakira - Laundry Service Shayne Ward - Breathless Sia - 1000 forms of fear Snoop Dogg - Bush Snow Patrol - Up to now SoundGirl - I’m the fool (single) South Blunt System - Potęga w czynie Star Guard Muffin - Jamaican Trip Sugababes - Angels with dirty faces Sugababes - Change Sugababes - Overloaded: The singles collection Sugababes - Taller in more ways Sylwia Grzeszczak - Komponując Siebie Tegan and Sara - Heartthrob Terrific Sunday - Strangers/Lovers Timbaland - Shock value Tokio Hotel - Schrei so laut du kannst The 1975 - The 1975 The 1975 - I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It The Killers - Direct Hits The Neighbourhood - I Love You The Neighbourhood - The Neighbourhood The Neighbourhood - Wiped Out The Pussycat Dolls - PCD The Script - #3 The Script - No sound without silence The Script - Science & Faith The Wanted - The Wanted The Weeknd - Starboy Tom Odell - Long Way Down Troye Sivan - Blue Neighbourhood twenty one pilots - blurryface twenty one pilots - vessel US5 - Here we go US5 - In control Usher - Raymond VS Raymond Westlife - Back home Will Smith - Willenium Will Young - Friday’s Child Will Young - Let it go Yannick Bovy - Better Man Years & Years - Communion Young Stars 2014? Zayn - Mind of mine

[tonystarkjr]

ohohoho are those prompts real? I don't know if i got it right but if you want to/have time/have nothing against tony/loki avac au with loki being: 43. “Are you scared, yet?” and tony being: 37. “Am I supposed to be scared of you?” bonus points if they gonna kiss XD

Thihi. Of course. I’ll do anything for you! Also i want those bonus points!!____________Tony never had i date before. Or a relationship. Nothing. Not because he didn’t want to. Just because every woman he had asked had just laughed (Jan), laughed even harder (Amora) or nearly stabbed him with a knife (Nat). So yeah still nothing there.“What am i doing wrong, Jan?” Tony lays on his bed and whines. Jan is sitting on his chair and is painting her nails. She looks not really interested and Tony frowns. “Wrong?” She asks and then shakes her head. She picks up another colour.“I….not a single girl likes me.” Tony looks out of his window. He can see Nat talking to Bucky. And she actually smiles. What the fuck. Tony has never seen her smile before? “Well you are kind of an asshole to girls.”Jan sighs and stops in her movement. Tony tries to look really sad and whines again. It’s so embarrassing, that there isn’t anyone who likes him back.“Am not!” Tony pouts and looks away. Jan is always a bit to honest. “Alright, alright. You aren’t an asshole. But you talk like one. Sometimes. Stop with those puppy eyes, Tony!” Jan giggles and Tony throws a pillow at her. She is the asshole here!“I just want…i want to be loved, too.” Tony whispers this time and suddenly Jan looks really sad. Tony just shrugs and looks out of the window again. He can see Steve with Sharon. Like. Even Steve has a girlfriend before Tony!“Does it have to be a girl?” Jan asks now. Tony sits up. “What do you mean?” He nearly squeaks the words. He can already feel the blush on his cheeks. It’s not that he…never thought of it. But…“Well maybe it would go just fine with another boy, hm?” Jan looks at her nails again and smiles a bit. Tony still sits on his bed and wonders. What if he would try it with a boy? “And…what should i exactly do to…uhm date a boy?” Tony stutters again. But that’s okay. Janet wouldn’t tell the others students that. She likes Tony to much for that.“What do you mean? It’s exactly like dating a girl.” Is the only answer he gets.“I know that! But…do you know anyone that would date me?” Tony is always flirting with all the girls but he never tried it with a boy. It’s just that he would be…shy.“Of course i know someone.”*“Loki?!”“Hello Antonio.” Loki just grins at him and Tony can see Jan in the background. She gives him a thumbs up. Tony groans.“What do you want?” Tony doesn’t understand this joke. Loki is just here to make fun of him, he knows that. “Well the dear Wasp told me you would like to date a boy. And i really want to see how you are going to embarrass yourself.” Loki laughs again and Tony can feel the heat in his face. Not because he is blushing. No because he is so angry.“I don’t care what you think! You don’t have a date either!” Tony scolds and Loki frowns for a moment.“Well maybe you want to be my date.” “Pardon?” That can’t be right. Did Loki just…asked him? For a date? Tony opens his mouth again, but he doesn’t know what to say. Loki doesn’t smile anymore. He looks a bit uncertain.“You want to date a boy? I’m a boy. Sometimes. So yes or no?” Tony isn’t sure what to say about that. To be honest Loki does look really good. Tony can’t say he hasn’t thought about it. “Do you want to scare me?” Tony looks Loki directly in the eyes. But to be honest he is a bit scared. He doesn’t know what to do. Loki laughs.

“It would flatter me yes.” Loki smiles again but this time it looks a lot softer. Tonys stomach flatters. “So uh…and now?” Tony could slap himself. Why can’t he do anything right when it comes to dating. He is just helpless.“Aww Antonio. What would you do if a girl would date you?” Loki asks and Tony shrugs. He doesn’t know. Why doesn’t he know this?“I would…uhm court her?” Maybe this is not right? Loki he presses his lips in a thin line. But Tony heard Cap saying this the other day. Steve wanted to court Sharon. And it looks like he was right with that, because he has a girlfriend now.“So what if this is not your thing, hm? Maybe i should court you? Not everyone likes that you know? Some girls doesn’t want that. Amora par example. She wants to make the rules. And maybe you don’t like to court anyone and that’s why you are so bad at this.”Tony nods once. Maybe that is true. He knows that there are no right rules in dating. Some girls want to be courted. Some don’t. The same with boys. There are no gender rules with that and he is glad about it.“So meet me tomorrow yeah? Same time, same place.” And with that Loki is already gone.Tony just stands there alone and smiles a bit. Loki wants to court him. Oh god!*“Antonio.” Tony is there the next day. After he hasn’t slept at all. Because yes he was nervous! Thank you very much. He also wears a very expensive shirt today and a really tight jeans. But nobody needs to know that.“You look really beautiful today.” And boom. Just like that Tony blushes. Nobody in his life told him that before. Hot? Yes. Sexy? Yepp. But never did anyone called him beautiful.“Oh uhm thanks. You look great, too.” Tony mumbles the words a bit and smiles. But he can feel that his finger shake. Loki even smiles back at him. It’s a very nice smile.“So since you don’t know if you really like boys yet. We’ll take it slow.” That is really sweet, Tony has to say this. Loki really tries to be a gentlemen. A moment later Tony can see a bit of green magic and then Loki has some really beautiful flowers in his hands.“For me?” Tony never got any present from someone special before. His parents bought him everything he wanted when he was little, so he would just shut up. “Of course they are for you. Your favourite.” Tony doens’t know why Loki knows that about him. But he is right.“Thank you.”“So i have something for you. It’s a dinner at the avengers park if you want?” Loki smiles again and Tony smiles back. He really like the idea and after he nods, they start walking.After a few minutes Tony really wants to take Lokis Hand. But when i tried that before with girls he got hit (again Nat, why fucked he so much up with her?). But Loki sees his attempt and chuckles.“Yes Antonio. You may hold my hand.” Normally Tony would say that his name is not Antonio, but Anthony. But to be honest he likes how Loki says it. He doesn’t take Lokis hand, but a moment later Loki takes Tonys hand in his and squeezes it.Tony is happy. He feels really good with Loki at his side. Lokis hand is warm and a bit taller than Tonys. And sometimes Loki even strokes his hand. “Everything okay?” Loki asks when they are at the avengers park and Tony thinks about it. He is nervous yes. But he isn’t scared about dating Loki.“More than.”“I’m really glad.” Then he snips with his finger and Tony can see a blanket on the green grass and everything he loves to eat. a picnic. That is so cute. “Sit down, Darling.” Tony blushes at the nickname, but again. He likes it. Gosh he likes Loki! “You are too good to me!” Tony smiles a bit and sits down. Loki shakes his head.“Everyone should be good to you. Everyone should see how beautiful you are.”*It’s late and already dark outside. But Tony is still sitting on the blanket. Loki is right next to him and Tony has his head on Lokis shoulder. They are talking for hours now and Tony can’t stop smiling.“So yeah it was nice to see Thor again. Even if i can’t say that to him. You know i have to safe my bad boy image.” Loki laughs again and Tony joins him. He feels so calm and safe with Loki.“And are you a real bad boy?” “If you want me to be one.” Loki turns Tony around so that he is laying on the blanket. A moment later Lokis face is right above his.“Are you scared, yet?” Loki whispers and his eyes flicker towards Tonys lips. Tony can hear his own heartbeat, because it is so loud. “Am I supposed to be scared of you?” Tony whispers back and Loki shakes his head. A moment later Tony can feel Loki lips on his own and gasps at the feeling. The kiss is really sweet and Tony feels like he can fly without his armor. Lokis hands are on his cheeks a moment later Tony tangles his in Lokis hair. Jan wasn’t right. He doesn’t want to date boys. He just wants to date Loki.____________well i dont know if you like it - but here it is :D

[definitelynotscott]

Dear Author for Purimgifts 2017

Hello, Friend! Do not feel bound by this letter as these are only suggestions. I’m sure I will love whatever you create! However, in case you are feeling lost and directionless in the pursuit of what to write for someone you don’t know very well, I have taken the time to write some things out that will hopefully serve as a compass to point you North. :D

General

Yes, Please. - Positive family stuff like bonding, teasing, meddling, supporting, interfering, protecting, etc. (blood relatives or found family, both are good).

Friendship stuff, I love to see friends working together and helping each other accomplish goals (big or small), also hanging out and just enjoying each other’s company, when they can exchange positive physical contact (hugging, kissing, cuddling) without it being taken as romantic/sexual that makes me happy.

I like romance too, getting together is fine, but that seems to be the most common kind, so if you wanted to do some established relationship stuff (1st-50th anniversary, going on a mission/adventure as a couple for the 1st-50th time, having/adopting a child, raising that child/children, threatening each other’s enemies, etc.) that might be kind of cool.

The trope where soulmates (platonic or romantic) have their first words written on each other’s bodies is fun, especially if one person said something either horrible or commonplace (”Hi,” “Excuse me,” you get the idea) and the other person resents it.

Cultural conflict is awesome. Things where standard behavior, action, phrasing, body language, terminology can lead to conflict, misunderstandings, etc. because they mean one thing in Culture A and something else in Culture B, I love that. (I love Janet Kagan’s books, particularly Hellspark.)

I like to laugh, sometimes at the suffering of fictional characters, but I lean more towards fluff on both the fluff/angst axis and the fluff/smut axis.

While I haven’t written much, I do tend to write what I want/like, so that can give you a clue if you’re still searching

No, Thank You. - Incest, infidelity, torture, gore, rape/non-consensual stuff, mind control, mental collapse/breakdown, teacher/student relationships, the phrase “Make me a woman!” .

Fandom Info

League of Legends

My favorite character is Lux Crownguard, and the fandom portrays her in some ways I don’t like, so I’m just going to come out and tell you what NOT to do and help you avoid accidentally spiking my blood-pressure. Basically it’s a rant about stuff you probably wouldn’t do anyway, so if you want to skip it simply remember I like her better as an awesome superspy and powerful mage than some helpless, naive princess.

*START RANT* Do not write her as stupid or foolish, she is canonically a prodigy. Bubbly and goodhearted does not equal stupid. Do not write her as helpless, she can reverse engineer spells after one viewing in a highly magical world, she is overpowered as hell. Do not write her as overly naive, she was conscripted into the army at age 13 and then served in a spy in Noxus (a place known for being violent and Darwinian, remember?). She may have managed to hold on to her innocence in some ways, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t know what’s what. Don’t write her as a weakling. True, she’s less buff than many champions (she is tiny and a mage) but she went through basic training, is an active member of her country’s army, and runs around wearing metal armor (less than some, but again, she’s a mage). Don’t write her as a weak-willed, submissive, shrinking violet. You cannot channel massive arcane power with a weak will, and, come on, she runs around yelling “In the name of Demacia, I will punish you!” This is a much smaller issue, but I’ve see a couple of stories where they depict Lux as a good cook, which doesn’t seem logical to me. First, she’s a noblewoman, cooking is what servants are for in their eyes. Second, she might have pulled some KP duty in the army, but that doesn’t really lend itself to gourmet cooking (”Look honey, I cooked 15 gallons of beans!” *stifled groan*). The only place I can see her learning to cook would be in Noxus, out of self preservation. And then she definitely wouldn’t advertise it. Demacia’s Lady of Luminosity can cook Noxian food but not Demacian food? How embarrassing! *END RANT*

So, now that I’ve ranted… Things you CAN do in this fandom. I mean… she’s a spy, so she’s probably thrilled when people gauge her wrong. Me, not so much. If you wanted to write something where someone underestimates her and then gets #REKT that would be juuuuuust fine.

If you’re interested in writing something family oriented, Lux and her brother Garen would be something I would enjoy, I love them both. Then, of course, there’s the Du Couteau family. If you want to write about Katarina, Cassiopeia, and Talon interacting that would be fun too!

If you’d like to write about friendship, Lux & Janna hanging out having fun, or comparing magic, or their experience as highly specialized mages would be good. Ezreal & Lux is another possibility. (They’re my NOTP though, but I’ve already ranted once this letter. Just… NO ROMANCE!) I’d love to see the two of them hang out, eat pizza, do each other’s nails, try to hook each other up with people… (romcom hijinks ensue) maybe they double-date the Blood Brothers? *shrugs*

For romance my preference is to pair Lux with Darius or Talon. I know they’re on opposite sides, but the points where they intersect are what interest me. Darius understands loyalty and service, and family, things that are important to her. Talon has more family loyalty than loyalty to his government, and they both assassin and spy aren’t such different careers (the fact that he’s The Blade’s SHADOW, and she’s all about LIGHT tickles my fancy as well). Also, see my previously expressed love for cultural conflict. That’s one reason I like Lux. As someone who understands both Demacian and Noxian culture (she understands it well enough to be an undetected spy there at least) she’s in a good position to solve or instigate some cultural incidents.

Shadow Unit

I’m very sad our time with these characters has ended, so pretty much anything would be great. I feel like the Purimgifts community could fall as much in love with Esther Falkner as I have (which is why I wrote a recommendation), so anything with her would thrill me. As previously mentioned, I like found family dynamics, so some Worth & Gates interaction would be good. Or if you wanted to write something set after the original works I’d love to see something with Nikki in her new role. Some of the Gammas, Natalie Summers-Barrington, Susannah Greenwood, or Anna Krol (especially Anna Krol!) I’d love to read about. If you like writing less fluffy stuff, Frost is always an option!

Marvel Universe

I used to read their comics a lot, and while I haven’t recently, I have a decent understanding of the general Marvel Universe background, so if you want to branch out from the fandoms I have listed go ahead!

My favorite character is Darcy Lewis, although I also love Pepper and Natasha. A story where the three of them combined their powers to save/take over the world would be awesome. Or even something less plot-y and more hanging-out-with-friends would be enjoyable. I did (ahem) write a summary for a Darcy story I’d like to see, and while it’s probably too long for a Purimgifts story XD it might give you an idea or two. If you feel like going crack-y, envision a world where Pepper Potts is a descendant of the Potts family from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Inventors are her destiny and/or inventing is in her blood!