#but because they did her so dirty in four. and i got basically No new content of jane developing or growing.

[guess-my-next-obsession]

Elementary, Chapter Four

pairing: pre-outbreak!joel miller x teacher!reader

chapter rating: E (18+ ONLY, oral (fem rec), unprotected piv, dirty talk??, unedited/unbeta’d)

word count: 4.3k

series masterlist | joel masterlist

“Alright, everybody. Please remember to fill out your reading log during the break,” you talked over a room full of distracted tweens excited for the upcoming Spring Break. “Am I talking to air?”

“I hear you,” Sarah answered your question as she approached your desk, her backpack slung over her shoulder. “And I wanted to apologize for last Friday. I was having a bad day and Jessie was making a big deal about me leaving the sleepover—“

“Sarah, sweetheart, you don’t need to apologize,” you assured with a kind smile. “Have you talked to Jessie?”

“Yeah, dad took me over to her house on Sunday night and we talked it out. I guess she was offended by me leaving, but I explained to her that I just get anxious sometimes and can’t—“ She sighed. “It just feels better being at home with my dad. I don’t have to try to be funny or cool or whatever.”

You smiled at the tenderness of Joel and Sarah’s bond.

“But anyways,” she continued. “My dad wanted me to ask if you were busy tonight—he still hasn’t gotten a new cellphone which, if you’re wondering, is why he’s having me act as the messenger.”

“Isn’t he coming to pick you up today?”

“No, him and Uncle Tommy are in San Antonio meeting with a developer or something like that,” she informed. “My grandma is picking me up.”

“Oh, well, you can tell your dad I’m free like always,” you chuckled and tried not to think about the fact that as today’s parking lot attendee, you’d have to come face to face with the mother of the man you’d been casually seeing for three weeks now. “Oh, and tell him he needs to get a new phone so you don’t have to play messenger anymore.”

“Trust me, we’ll probably be waiting years until he finally breaks down and gets himself one.” The two of you shared a laugh.

“In that case—“ You jotted your landline and cellphone number on a post-it note. “Here.”

“Miss? My mom wanted me to let you know that I won’t be doing any of my reading logs this week,” another student approached your desk and very sassily delivered his news. You chuckled out a scoff and fixed your attention on him while Sarah went back to her desk.

“Okay, Michael, why won’t you be doing your reading logs?” You crossed your arms over your chest and waited for his response.

“Because it’s Spring Break,” he defended.

“Yes, I’m aware. That’s why I didn’t assign any homework. All you need to do is keep reading at least a chapter a day of your book—“

“I don’t want to read my book. That’s basically homework.”

You gave him an incredulous look as you tried to gather what little patience remained in you after a long year of teaching fifth graders.

“No, Michael. Homework is what Mrs. Hill gave her students—a packet a day. What I’m asking if you is to do what you’re already supposed to be doing—reading a chapter a day of whatever book you want. That’s not homework, that’s just an activity.”

“Well, I’m not doing it.” He remained firm, mimicking your stance by crossing his arms over his chest.

The bell ringing interrupted whatever onslaught of frustration you were just about to bestow upon him, his smug smirk boiling your blood as he turned and shuffled out of class.

“Have a good break,” you called out to the rest of your students as they shuffled out of the classroom in a single file line.

“Hey,” Joel sighed out his greeting as he entered his mother and father’s ranch home on the outskirts of Austin. Sarah was sat in the living room on the floral loveseat covered in plastic while her grandfather, Paul, sat in his rocking chair fast asleep.

“How did it go?” Sarah offered him a smile as he rounded the corner of the loveseat to plop down beside her.

“Went alright,” he replied. “Got a good chunk of jobs lined up for me and the guys, so we’ll be good on work ‘til the end of the year.”

“That’s good!” She beamed, bringing a hesitant smile to her father’s face. Joel never liked to celebrate his successes—something he likely learned from his father. “Oh,” she tapped his arm as she remembered your conversation from earlier, quickly informing him about your lack of plans for tonight. “She also gave me her number to give to you.”

Joel watched as Sarah fished the note out of her pocket before handing over the crumpled up piece of paper.

“You think she’s home yet?” Joel checked his watch.

“Dunno,” she shrugged. “But grandma was talking about all of us going out for dinner tonight.”

“Oh, was she?” Joel looked disappointed by the sudden emergence of plans when he spent all day hoping that tonight would be spent just with you.

“Joel?” Mary, Joel’s mother, came walking down the stairs with a smile. “Bout time you came to see us.”

“I’m busy with the new company, ma, you know that,” he argued as he stood up to greet her, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“Busy with the company or with your new lady friend?” she teased with a grin. Joel whipped his eyes over to his daughter who already held her hands up in defense.

“My bad.”

Joel chuckled out a scoff before turning back to his mother. “It’s new.”

“And? That’s all you gotta say about her?”

“To you. For now.” Joel followed her into the kitchen, Sarah trailing shortly behind.

“What do you think I’m gonna do? Hunt her down and force her to look at your baby book?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” he retorted with a mischievous smile.

“Joel Miller, I swear if you do not give me at least a summary of this woman—“

“Alright, alright,” Joel sighed and looked to Sarah who was beaming with amusement. “She’s Sarah’s teacher. We met at a parent/teacher conference. She’s…nice.”

“Nice?” Both women repeated the descriptor as if it was an insult.

“Dad, you’re basically in love. I’m sure you can find a better word than nice,” Sarah reasoned.

“She is nice. Everything else is private,” he argued.

“Well, I guess we’ll find out at dinner tonight,” his mother shrugged with a smirk. Joel turned wild in the eyes and shook his head.

“No, no, no. She ain’t—y’all aren’t—no.”

Sarah laughed at her dad’s fluster and looped her arm around his waist hug him. “It’ll be okay, pops. Just breathe.”

“Oh, to hell with that,” Joel shook his head again, turning to his mother. “I haven’t even taken her out for a real dinner yet, ma. I’m not invitin’ her out to deal with y’all.”

“Deal with? Son, we are as civilized as anybody else—“

“Ma, you got a plunger? I clogged the damn toilet!” Tommy shouted from upstairs and Joel gestured in his direction as though to prove his point.

“Well not here. We’re in the comfort of our own home,” she defended as she made her way out of the kitchen to help her son. “She’s comin’ tonight! Better go on and call her up.”

“Christ,” he sighed and stomped over to the landline, his scowl fixed on Sarah as he dialed the number. “If she never speaks to us again, it’s on you.”

“She’ll love us.”

Although it wasn’t what you were expecting for the night, Joel’s call to invite you out to dinner with his family was impossible to decline just due to how much you missed him. Even if you turned into a ball of nerves every time you had to meet “the parents”, it was worth it just to be in the same room with him, especially after the day you had.

At seven, Joel, Sarah, and Tommy came to pick you up, but for once it was you running late. You invited them inside to wait while you finished getting ready, handing Sarah the TV remote and watching as her and Tommy instantly started bickering over what to watch while Joel followed you into your bedroom.

“How is this the first time I’ve ever been in your room?” He found a seat on the foot of your bed while you sat at your vanity, finishing up on taming your hair.

“Because I’m old fashioned,” you turned back to give him a wink. “But also because I can’t seem to get you alone long enough to give you a proper tour.”

“I know,” he sighed and walked over to you, standing behind you. He leaned down to kiss your cheek, the warmth and softness of his lips curing something that had been aching inside of you since the last time he kissed you. “I made a deal with my mom. She watches Sarah this weekend, and I suck it up and allow you to meet my chaotic family.”

“Mm, so I get you all weekend is what you’re saying?” You smirked at him through the mirror.

“All. Damn. Weekend.” He kissed your neck as a promise, your eyes fluttering closed as you relished in his proximity. “No interruptions. Just me and you.”

“S-sounds good,” you stuttered through your haze of lust and Joel smiled against your skin, seemingly amused by his effect on you.

“You got chills,” he rasped, his fingertips trailing up and down your arm. “That all me?”

“Just wait until you see what else you do to me,” you purred back, earning a groan of desperation.

“You two done yet?” Tommy called out from the living room. “We got places to be.”

“Save that thought for after dinner,” Joel mumbled against your cheek as he gave you one more kiss.

Five or so minutes later and you were on your way to the restaurant, nerves now replacing the butterflies you felt in your stomach as you thought about what his parents would be like. If they were anything like Tommy, Sarah, and Joel, you had nothing to worry about, but it was the uncertainty that drove you mad.

“You alright?” Joel stayed back with you as you pretended to have forgotten something in the truck, Tommy and Sarah heading into the restaurant to meet up with Joel’s parents.

“Just nervous,” you shrugged with a soft smile. “Anything I should avoid bringing up?”

“Politics. My dad’s a big Republican, so,” he winced. “But my mom is about as liberal as they come, so at least there’s that.”

“So I should stick to talking to your mom, then,” you joked.

“Come on,” he nudged his head towards the restaurant and laced his fingers with yours. “I’ll be right there next to ya, and as soon as we’re done with dinner it’ll be just us all weekend.”

You took a deep breath of courage and gave him a cheeky but bashful smile, bringing a similar one to his own face.

“God, I just can’t help myself—“ Joel cupped your cheek and tilted your head up to meet him as he leaned in for a surprising kiss, your hand finding purchase on his wrist to ground yourself.

“Mm,” you hummed as you pulled away from him earlier than he would’ve liked. “Let’s not stall anymore. Don’t want your mom to think I’m a bad influence.”

“She knows me well enough to know I’m the bad influence, but alright,” he tugged you off towards the restaurant with your hand in his.

As the hostess guided you through the busy dining room, you leaned further into Joel. He didn’t seem to mind the clinginess, his hand letting go of yours so that he could slide an arm around your waist.

“There y’all are!” A stout woman you presumed to be Joel’s mother stood up from the table where the rest of the Millers were seated, a big, dimpled grin on her face that resembled Joel’s.

“Ma,” Joel introduced the two of you by name, his eyes fixed on you as you shook her hand and allowed her to seat you beside her rather than next to Joel like you’d hoped. You gave Joel a nervous look from across the table as he sat himself directly across from you beside his father.

“It is so nice to meet you, sweetheart,” Mary fixed her attention on you. “Joel’s been pretty tight lipped about ya, so why don’t you tell me a little about yourself.”

“Well,” you chuckled nervously, but Joel’s reassuring eyes from across the table helped calm the frenzy of anxiety coursing through your veins. “I’m a teacher, have been for a few years now but this is my second year in Austin.”

You found it surprisingly easy to talk to Mary, her warm smile and sense of humor similar to that of her children and granddaughter. You told her where you grew up, where you’d been before coming to Austin, about what you liked to do in your free time, but mostly you told her the story of how you and Joel came to be.

Across the table, his father continued to remain stern and silent, only mumbling to his boys or to Sarah every now and again to remind them to use their manners. He seemed like a tough egg to crack, and while you were up for the challenge eventually, earning his respect today seemed unlikely.

“Joel, you ever tell her about your singin’?” Tommy spoke up from down the table, his question bringing a blush to Joel’s face.

“Yeah, I mentioned it.” He looked over to you and cracked the most subtle of smirks, no doubt remembering what occurred shortly after.

“Well, you gonna sing for her?” Mary asked with mischief in her tone, bringing an amused smile to your face.

“Not here,” he sassed, tilting his head at her mockingly.

“Why not here?” You prodded with a smirk, your foot finding his calf beneath the table. Joel gave you a chuckle and shook his head. “Oh, come on. Please?”

“Ya know, I pride myself on my ability to not cave into peer pressure,” he retorted with a quirked eyebrow, daring you to challenge him. You bit your lip and looked down at your plate, too flustered by everything him to look him in the eyes—especially given the current company.

“So, Sarah, how are you likin’ the whole dad datin’ your teacher thing?” Tommy asked, and the question earned the attention of the entire table.

“I don’t mind it,” she shrugged. “Maybe I would if it was Mrs. Clarkson from last year.”

“God,” Joel shook his head at the mere idea. “That woman terrified me and I’m a grown man.”

“Oh,” Sarah called your name. “Did you tell dad about Michael?”

“Michael? Who’s…uh, who’s Michael?” Joel’s jealousy was as clear as day, bringing amused grins to almost everyone’s faces aside from the ever stoic Mr. Miller.

“Michael is my student,” you clarified and eased his concern. “A shitty student at that.”

“Oh yeah?” Tommy asked with a chuckle.

“Yeah, he’s—well, I guess I probably shouldn’t be saying this around you, Sarah.”

“I promise I won’t talk about it,” she replied earnestly and you easily caved.

“He is just the absolute worst. And his parents are even shittier,” you lamented with a laugh. “Today he came up to me while Sarah and I were talking at the end of class, and flat out told me that he wasn’t going to be doing the reading log during the break because his mom said so.”

“Why doesn’t he just fake it like everybody else?” Tommy chimed in but quickly received an elbow from his niece.

“I don’t fake my reading logs,” she corrected.

“Yeah…right.” He gave her a sarcastic nod and turned back to you. “I’m just speaking from experience. I never did any of that shit and I turned out…well, I turned out decent.”

“Yeah. Maybe I am being too demanding,” you shrugged, turning back to your plate.

“No,” Joel was quick to interject. “Don’t listen to Tommy—he couldn’t even get into community college. You’re the one who went to school for six years to do this. You know what you’re doin’, that kid’s just a prick.”

You couldn’t help but fall in love with him a little bit as he stood up for you, his foot pressed to yours beneath the table acting as a sort of promise that he’d always be here to do this—to remind you of your worth.

“Thank you,” you mouthed just to him. “Anyways, it’s his loss—and yours too, Tommy. Reading is fun.”

Tommy mimicked your smile and chuckled. “I guess I’ll take your word for it.”

“Alright, don’t give your grandma a hard time,” Joel ordered Sarah as he hugged her goodbye in the driveway outside your house.

You watched the scene from the doorway, smiling at the way he swayed her and kissed the top of her head. If only all little girls could grow up with a father like Joel—not flawless, but as close to it as a man could get. There was no denying his love for her and vice versa, and the fact that you were being let into this beautiful family felt like nothing less than an honor.

“Alright, go on,” he ruffled the top of her hair with a playful grin. “I love ya, and I’ll see you Sunday night, alright?”

“Love you too,” she gave him one more hug before turning to you standing up the walkway. With a wave, she wished you goodbye as well, your smile widening at the gesture. “See you!”

“See ya, Sarah!”

Joel met you by the front door and watched Tommy and Sarah pull out of your driveway before he turned to you with an anticipatory grin.

“Well, just us now,” he husked, playfulness thick in his southern drawl.

“Whatever will we do?” you teased, hooking your fingers in his belt loops and tugging him closer.

Joel cradled your cheek and jaw with both hands as he leaned down to kiss you, both of you still wearing your grins through it. Walking you backwards into the house, you giggled into his mouth as you nearly stumbled over before he caught you.

“Clumsy,” he accused in a rasp.

“Your fault,” you countered and he laughed against you.

Joel’s hands traveled to your hips to keep you flush against him as he kicked the front door shut, your smiles fading as the kiss deepened into something so filthy even the humor of the almost-fall couldn’t penetrate it.

“God,” he groaned against your lips as he continued walking you through the living room to your bedroom. “I want you so bad, baby girl. Fuck.”

“Remember what we were talking about earlier?” you purred against his jaw as your kisses trailed down to his neck, Joel’s body pinning you against your open bedroom door. He hummed against you in confirmation and you smiled, taking one of his hands off your waist to guide it beneath the linen of your dress, his breath ragged as his fingertip grazed over your thighs until they reached the soaked lace of your panties. “This is what you do to me, Joel.”

“Jesus fuckin—baby, I need you,” he whimpered and sunk to the floor in front of you, his dark and dreamy eyes peering up at you for permission as he lifted the hem of your dress up. “Can I taste you?”

“God, you never have to ask,” you moaned back, taking the fabric bunched in his hands and holding it for him. Joel’s eyes dropped from yours down to the image right in front of him, his tongue swiping along his bottom lip at the sight of your white lace thong.

“You’re gonna make me lose my mind, baby,” he groaned again, his hands now running up and down the outside of your thighs.

The anticipation could have killed you, your chest heaving and skin prickling with chills from the simple sensation of his breath fanning over the wet spot on your panties, the lust in his eyes. Combing your fingers through his hair, you attempted to silently urge him on and he seemed to pick up on it, his hands sliding back up to your hips to hook into the tiny band of your underwear and slip them down your legs until they were kicked off.

“Baby,” he cooed as you draped one of your knees over his broad shoulders to open yourself up to him, his mouth watering at the sight. “I’m never gonna wanna do anythin’ else but stay right—“ He placed a kiss to your mound and your entire body jerked. “Here.”

His tongue swiped through your folds and you melted against the door behind you, your fingers gripping his hair now as you struggled to stay upright. Joel practically growled at your taste, his hands gripping your thighs as if he was holding on for dear life.

“Fuck,” you moaned as he tensed his tongue to circle your swollen bud until your arousal started to drip down your thighs. “That’s so good.”

Your praise earned you another growl, his tongue now flicking and circling, lapping and sucking against you until your thighs were shaking from the pressure building in your lower stomach.

“Tastes so fuckin’ sweet, baby girl.” He sucked your clit and made you cry out his name. “Yeah, just like that. Keep sayin’ my name, baby. Let everyone know.”

“Joel, fuck!” Your orgasm was imminent, the tingling in your thighs that traveled down to your toes and back up your spine fogging any sense of coherency you may have once had in his presence. “I—fuck, I—“

“I know, baby. Can taste it.” He shook his head and flattened his tongue against your clit, his eyes meeting with yours. You wanted to cry, but the pleasure you were feeling was too consuming. The only thing you could do as Joel sucked your now throbbing bud into his mouth was to cry out his name like a prayer—some sort of wicked salvation that beat out any other holier counterpart. “Come on, baby. Cum on my tongue. Wanna taste it…every fuckin’ drop—“

“Fuck!” You crumpled to the ground, your back sliding against the door until you were kneeling with him on the floor, your body shuddering as you rode out the waves of your euphoria.

Joel was quick to act, guiding you down onto your back while you were still lost in bliss. He kissed your face as if you were his most prized possession, his hands worshipping the curves of your still-clothed body.

“Need you, baby,” he whispered against your jaw as he placed a love bite there, your head nodding to give him consent to do whatever the fuck he wanted to do to you after that mind blowing climax he just gave you.

You only heard the clinking of his belt buckle before feeling his cock stretch you open, a choked cry slipping from your lips in time with Joel’s wanton groan. You peeled your eyes open and looked down at the place you were joined, delighting in the fact that neither of you were undressed, the neediness of the moment turning you both feral.

“God damn,” he groaned and let his head hang as he stilled himself deep inside of you after only a few thrusts. “About to embarrass myself. You feel too fuckin’ good, baby.”

“Don’t worry about lasting long,” you stroked his beard. “I just wanna feel you.”

“God, I—” He choked on his words and leaned over your body, propping himself up by his elbows on either side of your head. You wrapped your legs around his waist and dug your heels into his jean-clad ass to urge him on, desperate to feel him spill inside of you.

“Want you to cum for me,” you moaned, pressing kisses into the side of his face as he buried his head in the crook of your neck. “Cum inside me—“

“Fuck,” he shouted as his cock thrust into you faster and deeper, your wetness squelching around him and filling the room along with both of your ragged moans. “I’m gonna—fuck, baby. You sure?”

“I’m on birth control, it’s okay,” you promised. Joel lifted his head to look into your eyes, his face scrunched up in something akin to agony but you were sure it couldn’t have been further from it.

“Gonna fill you up, beautiful,” he leaned down and pressed his lips against yours. “Gonna have you dripping for me.”

“Yes!” His cock was hitting something inside of you that was making you see stars, your mind going back to that pleasure-dumb state you’d just been lost in, and before you had time to warn him, your walls fluttered in time with his cock spilling inside of you. “I’m coming, Joel, fuck!”

“Me too, baby,” he choked out through a string of profanity and moans. “Fuck, so fuckin’—you’re perfect.”

The two of you stayed there for a while, both of you turned into puddles of post-climactic bliss as you laid in each other’s arms. Joel hissed as he pulled out and rolled over onto the carpet beside you, both of you turning your heads to look at each other with wide, almost childlike grins.

“Be my girlfriend?” Joel choked out, nerves thick in his shaky voice. You laid there speechless for a moment, unsure of how to tell him that ever since you met him you’d been dreaming of the day those words would leave his lips. So, you kept it simple, a smile gracing your face as you reached over to hold his face.

“I would love to.”

[petew21-blog]

Poolverine

Spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine

Deadpool and Wolverine aproached Cassandra while the others were battling her soldiers. Wolverine was suppressing his rage, Deadpool, on the other hand, was suppressing his words. He was still talking, just not as much as he would normally.

Cassandra Nova was ready for everything. After all, she was here for her whole life. She has seen everything. Even Loki escaping from the void. But now, these two basically immortal beings stood in front of her. One was a bigger paij in the ass than the other.

Deadpool:"Ok, Baldilocks slash wannabe Walter White in your kingdom. We know we had our ups and downs from the moment you killed Johnny, may he rest in peace. We loved him and will never forget him. But I gotta rain on your parade here, and I hope your bald head is not too sensitive for some cold rain drops, because now is the time to let us all go and end this drama show."

Wolverine:"You said you'll be holding back."

Deadpool:"Ohhh, this is holding back. I haven't even started."

Wolverine:"She has the power to kill you with a snap of her fingers, and you still think the best way to stop her is to insult her?"

Cassandra just stood in front of them, speechless.

Deadpool:"I think your X-men spoiled you with all the WE'RE-ALL-IN-THIS-TOGETHER attitude. Well, pal! This is my show, and here, we roast our enemies before we stab them after many unsuccessful attempts, moment of desperation and a collab with Madonna."

Cassandra:"I have no idea what he is on about, but the two of you look like a married couple after twenty years of hating each other's guts. And you know what couple therapists always say to the unfunctional couple?"

Deadpool:"Yep! They say, ‘You either learn to compromise… or one of you learns to hide the body really well.’ So, which one of us is digging tonight, Logan?!"

Cassandra:"I just... How do you put up with him?"

Logan:"I have known him for like 5 hours and killed him several times."

Deadpool:"And so did I! Cute, aren't we?"

Cassandra:"I can't... See each other's perspective and get out of my sight."

The two were now transported via portal back to one of the worlds to empty Xavier mansion.

Deadpool, now in Wolverine's body, stood up and looked down. "Ohhhhh, baby, yesss. Look at these!!!" Wade now popping his new claws. "Snikt! Yeaaaah. Oh, I could get used to this."

Deadpool turned his head to the audience and said:"Hey folks. Not to alarm you. Deadpool is still here, just a slightly broody and hairier version. Only now I got! Claaaaaws!!!" Wade sliced through a nearby painting that immediatelyfell down, destroying a statue on the table. "Whoopsie. Just normal Wolverine collateral damage, am I right?"

Logan:"What the hell is this? Why am I suddenly feeling... chatty? I need to get of this tight red spandex and this horrible mask."

Deadpool is now doing ridiculous poses in the reflection of a mirror. Screaming and scratching the air. "Look at me, I'm like a Canadian action figure." Wink at the audience.

Logan:"Stop this Wilson. We need to get Charles."

Deadpool:"Oh I don't know, I got this sudden urge to sing and get a circus. We shouldn't waste time."

They both search the house, but all the X-men are gone.

Now in the privacy of a small bathroom. Deadpool, stands in front o the mirror, shirtless, flexing. "Ohhhh look at that". He pops out his claws again. "If only I had these babies during my last taco truck robbery .- I mena, purchase."

Deadpool grabs a comb on the sink. "The hair! What an untamed mane. I look like a mix between a badger and a bad scripted shampoo comercial." Then he leans closer to the mirror. "And check out this jawline. Ladies and gents, feast your eyes."

"One, two, three, four, five...six! Finally jackpot. It's really like a washboard for all my dirty clothes. I could do laundry on these bad boys, If I ever did laundry."

"And what do we have here." Deadpool raises his furry eyebrows, following the hairy trail under, leading to the massive buldge. "Oh Logan, I knew you've been hiding some serious adamantium down here, but damn. No wonder all the X-men want to sleep with you. Pun intended. I mean... If I knew that you had this much heat packed in here, I would have switched with you sooner."

Wade strikes a final pose and blows a kiss to his reflection:"Wolvie, you beautiful, hairy beast, I may never give this body back to you."

Logan enters the bathroom with a scowl, freezing in horror at the sight before him.

Deadpool in Logan's body, completely naked and a little too pleased with his new situation.

"What the hell are you doing, Wade!!!"

"Hey, Wolvie. Just getting acquainted with the goods. Man, you've been holding out for me. Honestly, If there was a claw shooting out of this thing, I wouldn't even be surprised anymore." Wade said with a smile, gripping his hard dick in Logan's face

"Get your filthy hands off my...!" Logan fighting the urge to kill his own body

"Logan, it's your hands, don't forget that. So that means I did nothing wrong. Your body that touched yourself. I haven't touched anything, if you think about it." Towards the audience:"It's like flashbacks from puberty."

"Besides, I only wanted to take your body for a test drive, Logan. You know, making sure that all the gears work before returning the keys. Quality control!"

"If you don't stop now, I'll claw off that smug off your... your real face when we get back" Logan gets closer to his old body, now feeling a strange urge to want him to get closer. Both of the bodies pulling towards each other

Deadpool:"Logan? Did you pay Magneto to get us closer? Cause I feel a strange force pulling me to you and I have to say i don't mind it"

Logan:"I'm not doing anything. I... No way. I'm trying to go away from you"

Deadpool:"Oh yeah, it's happening, baby. My body can't resist this beautiful, hairy pile of muscles, and your body is controlled by one of the most perverted minds alive."

"YOU SICK BASTARD. This is all your twisted head. If you'll be enjoying even a second of this." Logan shouted

Deadpool:"Oh, come on. It's just chemistry. You can't fight it"

Logan:"Gotta get control of this."

Deadpool:"No need for that. Your body's got the hots for me. I'm a walking talking thirst trap now. Give in, big guy. Let's make it weird."

Logan now with his new hands still in spandex, touching his old body. "Wade... When this is over... I'm going to make you regret all of this."

Deadpool:"I'm counting on it. But until then, you're mine"

Wade pulls of his old mask down from Logan's head:"Ohhh there is that crispy chipsy face I haven't seen for a while". Logan:"Please just shut up"

Their hands our now all over each other. Logan's burly figure standing above Deadpool's figure. Logan's body under Wade's control now pushes his old body towards the wall. Breaking it. They get to Cyclops and Jean's bedroom, now vacant, ready for their action. Dadpool starts making out with his body still on the ground from the collision. Logan wants to fight back, but gives up and makes out with his bearded face. It feels kind of nice, but he can't ever admit that to Wade.

Wade picks up Logan from the ground using his claws, and with their help, he rips of the spandex off of Logan. Scratching him in the process. Logan now moaning in pain, looking deeply into his old eyes. He now understands why many people called him a "beast." He did look like one. But sexy one at that.

Wade threw Logan on the bed. Turning him around. Logan was ready for immediate penetration, but suddenly he felt a moist thing pushing its way between Deadpool's hairy ass. Was he now experiencing rimming? "Wade, no...!"

Deadpool:"Don't worry, sweetpie. I know what my body likes. Just relax, enjoy and don't fart in my face"

Logan has never felt this feeling in such an intimate place. And it wasn't even his body.

Wade now turned Logan to his back. He positioned himself. "Ready? I know you're used to pain, but this might be a bit... unsettling."

Logan:"I can take a bit of pain... AHHHHHHH"

Deadpool."Sorry, boo. Haven't stretched out that thing for quite a while."

He started pushing more and more. At that moment, Logan tried to get up and leave. But something in Logan's body overtook Wade. He took both of his claws and pushed them through Deadpool's body's forearms, securing him in place. Logan screamed in pain. "Why???"

Deadpool:"Don't want you to give up during the best part when it stops hurting"

Sweat was dripping from Logan's body all over Deadpool's. All of Logan's hair were now glistening in sweat.

"Ohhhh moth.... This is so amazing. I feel like a Republican during the Fourth of July" Deadpool screamed out while his claws were still in place.

He picked up the pace, and when he saw that Logan was now moaning in pleasure and not in pain, he took out his claws and just enjoyed the ride.

"Oh Wolvie. I think I'm gonna get you pregnant now."

"Just fuck me!!!"

Now very close to the finish, Deadpool took out his dick and pointed it at his old face, cumming all over his old chest and hitting his body's eye. Logan came too, but on his stomach. He was still mesnerized. How come, through all these years, he never even thought about stimulating his prostate?

Both now watching each other, sweaty, out of breath.

Logan:"You won't tell a soul."

Deadpool looking at the audience, smirking:"Promise"

And at the corner of the room a quiet girly voice spoke out:"Promise". Kitty sunk into the wall leaving embarassed to the next room

Message from Inbox :)

Yo, i love your writing. And with your last story with Hugh and Ryan....What about their characters?, Wolverine and Deadpool swapping bodies thanks to Cassandra Nova powers that also made them aroused for each other in order to distract them from stopping her. Wade can't help but to give into Logan's body urges to dominate, and Logan just want the voices gone.

[fand0mswithbunny]

this is so different from the other posts i do but fuck it. descendants 4: rise of red review, spoilers ofc, we still boycott disney's ass, pirate this movie like uma and her crew ate the intro of this movie instead of watching this from disney+

keep reading if youve seen it or dont care about spoilers but tldr: if you havent seen it and see this as a spin off movie instead of a 4th installment, i say go watch it. its basically how i feel about the 2024 mean girls movie, im just here for certain characters, dynamics and songs, and a bit of the actual plot, its fun but definitely not for everyone, i liked parts of the movie/plots tho

okay honestly overall, despite the fucking terrible rushed ass ending, i still honestly enjoyed a lot of aspects of this movie.

songs, generally i liked. yeah its all pop-y but yk, none of them were unbearable, i loop red, whats my name (red vers.) and love aint it what about it

the editing was. a choice at times. like it will cut at the most random moments and when red was being transported and fell from that. pipe. thing in the castle it was so. disney channel editing core LIKE OKAY I KNOWW OFC IT IS but grahhhhhHH

the cg was good, direction was. also a choice at times. idk how to explain it but it felt like every scene was being directed like a music video and not like a MOVIE esp the lighting oh my god idk what it is but its so GLOWY AND WEIRDD

the characters themselves, i love the main cast, red, chloe, ella, bridget, etc. were all cool. IM A FIRM RED/CHLOE SHIPPER THEY ARE GIRLFRIENDS IDC and i also liked the dynamic they have with their past moms it was nice

oh yeah i dont mind how they wrote mal, evie, jay, and ben outta the story, i mean they gotta explain their absence yk. and i loved the carlos tribute, you can tell china was genuinely not acting in that tribute scene.

the vks were. okay. i dont mind that literally every villain/princess/disney protag goes to high school. this whole series basically feature length fanfiction anyway, idc personally about that. its weird URSULAS SISTER was the main antagonist. like i get having a completely new villain aside from the vks parents or something but. ursulas. sister??? besides you could tell me shes ursula and ill believe you.

its nice seeing filipino prince charming thats it thats all i gotta say RAHHH PHILIPPINES BABYYY 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 MY MANS GOT THAT 'PINO RIZZ OKAYYY

the plot was actually fun, but yeah I WISH WE COULDVE SEEN CASTLECOMING WE WERE ROBBED OF THAT i knew when red and chloe got the book there was like 10 minutes left in the film but cmonn we couldve had Morgie, I DONT KNOW somehow freeing the rest of the vks and them STEALING THE POCKETWATCH AND RED AND CHLOE HAVING TO GET IT BACK, GET ANOTHER 30 MINUTES IN THE FILM MAYBE, ANOTHER ACTION SEQUENCE, CASTLECOMING. but its finee im sure theres a fanfiction in the works somewhere that has that exact premise because thats what fanfic is for babyyyy

imagine. during the dance chloe and red are scrambling to find the watch, they see the vks, they find bridget crying because her best friend isnt there, she thinks ella bailed on her, they have to find the watch but, they gotta make her feel better right? red comforts her while chloe chases after them to find the watch, ella comes to the dance late after deciding, fuck my stepmom, get your hands dirty parallels, something something, the four of them all stopping the vks together, THEN they travel back.

i should just write a fix it fic for this movie at this point damnn i impressed myself

but yeah the ending does leave a lot of plot holes, if bridget didnt change from the past WHO DID, if Red even CONSIDERED a VK in this timeline? if not then WHO IS IT?? IS IT CHLOE?? its hella rushed, its ass, but i guess we'll find out in the 5th movie ig

also i thought they were totally setting it up for Ella to be the one that humiliated Bridget in the past, like the "I saw through her" in Love Ain't It we NEVER GOT ANY CLOSURE FROM THAT WHAT HAPPENED?? sighhh its okay its fine

i see this movie as a spin off movie rather than a 4th installment of the universe because it pretty much is, like its basically its OWN universe with the lack of the og cast and new characters. i unofficially coin it as the "Descendants: Redverse" because it just makes more sense

so many questions, mainly WHY, but yeah, still liked it, would rewatch. certain. parts of it. but honestly? a 7/10. leaning towards a 7.5

is this a recommendation? not sure, depending on who you are you could totally love this film or hate it, i say give it a chance and completely ignore the busted ass ending <3

anyways KENDRICKKK FANFIC WRITERSSSSSS- DROP SOME MORE CHARMINGHEARTS FANFICS/D4 FIX IT FICSSS. AND MY LIFE, IS YOURRSSSS

[sadhours]

Wicked Sensation

part eleven // billy hargrove x reader

part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | part six | part seven | part eight | part nine | part ten | part eleven | part twelve | part thirteen | part fourteen | part fifteen | part sixteen | part seventeen

a/n: i am sorry in advance.

word count: 6.4k

warnings: 18+ minors dni, homophobia, smut, dirty talk, rough sex, body fluids, mentions of death, cheating.

taglist(i love you all): @blue-eyed-lion @bbyhargrove @briefmongerfishzonk-blog @sweet-villain @actuallyspencerreid @trapistani

Wearing your brand new hot pink convertible strap swim suit underwear a pair of denim shorts, you grab your sandals and head into the kitchen to be greeted by your dad and brother. They’re making sandwiches for their day at the lake, fishing gear lined up by the door.

“Since when did you become such a fan of swimming?” your dad asks, packing the lunchbox on the counter.

“Since her boyfriend started working as a lifeguard,” your brother chimes.

It was true, before Billy got the job at Hawkin’s Community Pool you’d only swim when visiting your family in Florida. Now, whenever you had a day off from work when Billy didn’t, you were at the pool. He just looked so in his element there, he was a very impressive swimmer and you’d been lucky enough to catch him teaching the smaller kids lessons. Which had you imagining having a family with him one day, when before you’d been pretty dead set on never having kids.

“God forbid I want to see my boyfriend,” you roll your eyes.

Honk, Honk.

“Oh, Steve’s here,” you smile, grabbing your bag from the kitchen table and waving goodbye.

You’d asked Steve to come because you didn’t want to just sit by yourself and Eddie wouldn’t be caught dead there. Plus, Steve was trying to date and there were plenty of ladies lounging around so you knew he didn’t mind. Walking out to his BMW, you catch Neil washing his car across the seat and hope he doesn’t think something else is going on with you and Steve. He looks to you and you wave, “Going to visit Billy and bring him some lunch!”

Neil replies with a nod and continues spraying down his car. You plunge into the front seat with a sigh, Steve pulling away from the sidewalk and making the short drive to the pool.

“You gotta tell his dad what you’re doing?” Steve asks, sunglasses pushed up to the bridge of his nose.

You shake your head and check your hair in the mirror, “I just didn’t want him to think I was off cheating on his son.”

“Oh like men and women can’t be friends,” Steve counters.

“That’s what his dad thinks,” you admit and close the visor back up.

Steve finds you guys a spot, luckily where Billy’s post is in view. He looks absolutely irresistible in his tiny red shorts and they left little to the imagination. Your eye rake over his thighs and muscular chest, feeling yourself start to get wet just at the sight of him.

“You’re drooling,” Steve deadpans and you quickly lift your hand up to your mouth to find he wasn’t lying.

“Fuck,” you suck in, reaching in your bag and pulling out your pack of smokes.

“Jesus Christ,” Steve laughs, sitting up straighter, “As much as of prick he is I gotta admit, I’m impressed.”

Exhaling the needed smoke, you tilt your head at Steve, “Impressed with what?”

Steve motions to you and then to the row of housewives sprawled along the pool, “How he can do this and that to women. Meanwhile, I can’t even get a phone number.”

You eye the women, raising an eyebrow at Karen Wheeler putting herself on display for your boyfriend. You snort, “They all have a kid his age.”

“Hey, you’re basically a puddle at the sight of him too,” Steve points out.

“That’s so different, I’m only two months older than him and also I’ve actually seen what’s underneath those shorts,” you reason with a proud smirk.

Steve cringes, “Okay, gross. But still I don’t get it, is he just that hot? Am I not hot?”

You laugh, “You’re hot, Steve.”

“Oh,” Steve says likes just realizing something, “it’s because it’s an asshole.”

Rolling your eyes as you ash your cigarette, you don’t even want to justify Steve with an answer. When you see Billy starting to make his descent from his post, you stand up and push your shorts down your thighs and shove them into your bag before sitting back down, releasing the clip from your hair to let the natural waves fall around your shoulders.

You sat back down as you hear Steve mumble, “Pathetic.”

“When you’re getting laid again, I’ll consider your input,” you bite back with a sickeningly sweet smile.

“Ouch,” Steve gasps but you ignore him once Billy’s stepping up to you two.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he snatches the cigarette from you and glances to Steve, “King Steve.”

“Hargrove,” Steve grumbles and turns his attention elsewhere.

You turn your sweet smile to your boyfriend, “Hi, baby. How’s your day been?”

“Yelling at kids is fun,” he shrugs, sitting on the end of the lounge. “Got a lot better when I saw you.”

You lean up to peck his lips, hoping the housewives are watching. “I brought you some lunch,” you say and grin.

Billy rubs your thigh and smiles, “I’m starving.”

He’s so handsome, you think as your eyes scan his face and linger on his button nose. His skin has taken the sun nicely, a golden tan aiding in his beauty though it’s a stark contrast against your pale tone. Billy doesn’t mind though, it shows when he grins excitedly at the red marks he’s been leaving on your ass for months.

“Me too,” you say but you don’t mean it like he does.

“My lunch is an hour,” he informs you before teasing, “Think you can behave yourself until then?”

“Yes, sir,” you say meekly.

He hands the cigarette back after leaning in to kiss you a lot hungrier this time. He’s strutting off before you can catch your breath.

“That was almost vomit inducing,” Steve complains, turning his head to you. “Yes, sir?”

You laugh, feeling the heat start to diminish between your legs. “Sorry.”

Billy’s motioning you to follow him an hour later. You turn to Steve, “Go talk to a woman for God’s sake.” before you hop to your feet to follow the red shorts you can’t take your eyes off.

As you and Billy enter the break room, he glares to his male coworkers lazing around in there.

“Get back to work,” he demands and they jump up immediately, exiting the room and Billy locks the door behind him. The sound of the lock has your breath caught in your throat and you’re eager to see what he’s planned. He grabs you roughly, picking you up and dropping you onto the table. He’s at his knees in an instant, pulling your swimsuit down to your ankles. The power he has is intoxicating. The way the boys hurried out of the room at his command brought such a intense pressure to the bottom of your stomach, you didn’t know what to do with yourself.

“Such a whore, you are,” he drones between your legs, pushing them apart with his head. “Wearing this hot little number, bringing Harrington with you.”

His words are laced with venom and you feel your wetness seeping out, so close to his lips you wondered if he could tell. He sloppily kisses your thigh, his broad tongue feeling so lovely on the sensitive skin.

“Huh? You like teasing me? You love pushing my buttons and making me have no other choice but to fuck you senseless while I’m at work?” his voice is so low, it’s like music to your ears.

He slaps your thigh then, “Come on, babe, I’m not talking to an empty room, am I?”

You just whimper, unable to form a single thought as you feel his breath against your soaking pussy.

“Big girl words, now,” he warns, fingers digging into your thigh.

You gasp out, “No, Billy.”

“No?” he laughs between your legs and it’s so cruel, “Not only are you a slut but you’re a liar?”

“M’not lying,” you whine, feeling as he drags his fingertips through your folds.

“Then why are you so wet?” he hums.

You rock your hips against his touch, trying to get him to get a move on with things. You’re desperate but you’ve got some dignity, you won’t make this too easy for him.

“Answer me,” he stills his fingers and holds your hips against the table.

“Uh-uh,” you shake your head, writhing against his grip.

Billy gasps, standing up and slapping you across the face. He then grabs your jaw in his hand and squeezes your cheeks together.

He sings your name lowly, “Don’t lie.”

You whimper, seeing the way he’s straining against his teensy uniform, you think he might burst through the flimsy material.

“Fine,” you huff, “I love teasing you. I love pushing your buttons.”

“Why?” he voice is firm, serious and certain. It brings a electric jolt to your pussy and you squirm under him.

Your voice is shaky as you admit, “Because I want you to fuck me.”

He seems pleased, staring at your face under thick eyelashes with a devious smirk spreading against his lips. “You were thinking about taking my cock when he drove you here, huh?”

“Billy,” you whine out, your tip toes firmly pressed into the concrete floor.

He lets go of your face, bringing his hand to your breasts and squeezing on in his thick fingers. “You were,” he chuckles, before slapping the tit that was in his hand.

“Would you just shut up and fuck me already?” you beg, ears hot when you hear the anger in your voice.

“Brat,” he insults, but he’s pulling his shorts down to his thighs and his gorgeous, thick cock springs out. The tip is red and you can see precum leaking from it. It only makes you more impatient and you bring your feet up to the table, opening up for him even more.

“Little slut,” he coos, dragging his fingers through your glistening folds. He smears your slick on the tip of his erection before drilling it into your eager hole. You cry out and his hand grabs your mouth, muffling the sound halfway. He plows into you, his hips reckless as he gives you no time to adjust to his size.

“Billy,” you moan against his hand and it only drives him more wild. Pressing his other hand on your pubic bone while he unleashes vigorous thrusts into your heat.

You’ve never in your life felt like this during sex, he was so expertly talented with making you fall apart. He knew exactly what you wanted and when you wanted. He was also selfish, taking what he needed from you. You didn’t mind feeling absolutely used during these moments because he was so blissfully sweet when necessary. He somehow knew exactly what you needed, exactly what would turn you into a mess under his touch. It was almost supernatural.

“Good girl,” he grunts, “Look at your pussy taking my cock so God damn eagerly. You just need it so fucking bad, don’t you?”

You peer between you, watching as your pussy swallows his cock. You can feel how you’re gripping it hungrily whenever he pulls his cock back. You’d throw an absolute tantrum if he pulled it all the way out.

You groan loudly against his hand, his filthy words dragging you closer to bliss. He brings his blue eyes to yours, holding his gaze intensely. You can’t look away, you knew he’d take this all away from you if he did. His fingers move down to brush against your clit before rubbing firm circles against it and you feel your eyes cross as you struggle to maintain eye contact. He seems to like that, laughing softly as he picks up the pace of his thrusts.

“Look at you,” he coos, “So fucking dumb off my dick.”

The words pushed you over the edge, shaking against him while your orgasm thrashes through you. He was so overwhelmingly everything you wanted. He pulls back before giving you time to come down, pulling out of you, “On your knees.”

You obey, still feeling the waves of pleasure coursing through you while you fall to your knees on the concrete floor. Without having to be told to, you open your mouth and stick your tongue out. He makes a pathetic noise as he unloads on your face, completely missing the platform you’ve given him. You giggle as you feel him smear his cum all over your face, barely tasting his completion on his palm.

“You’re such a slut,” he breathes as he scans the room, looking for something to really clean you up with.

You keep your eyes closed, not wanting his cum to get in them. You’re relatively sure he’s wiped it from there but you don’t wanna risk it. Luckily, he throws what feels like towel on your face. You accept it, cleaning up his mess and dropping the towel, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

“And all for you,” you counter, rising up and pulling your swimsuit over your sweaty body with the motion.

“I’m the luckiest fucker in the world,” he mumbles as he looks at the clock on the wall. He’s got fifteen minutes to eat the lunch you’d brought him.

As if reading his mind, you grab your bag and pull out the ziploc bag. He grins, sinking his teeth into it with a grateful look. You giggle as you rub his stomach, pulling his shorts up for him.

Billy says something but his mouth is full and you can’t understand him. You tilt your head as you watch him swallow.

“My dad wants you to come to dinner tonight,” he repeats and you nod, knowing you’ll have to have Steve take a detour at the mall. He’d seen you in the pink dress the past three dinners. It might be weird if you don’t start changing it up.

You nod and Billy offers you a bite of the sandwich. You accept, fingers grazing across his wrist while you bite it. He looks so satisfied you start to feel another wave of excitement course through you but you shove it down. He had to get back to work but you knew Billy was more than capable of a round two.

“Maybe we can go for a movie or something after,” you suggest, rubbing your hand against your boyfriends bicep as you watch him eat. The way he looks so cute miles away from the filthy words and actions falling from him just minutes before.

“Mm,” Billy hums happily as he looks up at you, “The drive-in.”

“St. Elmo’s Fire!” you squeal.

“Uh-uh,” Billy takes another bite of the sandwich, “Day of the Dead.”

You roll your eyes, knowing whatever you two saw didn’t matter because you’d end up in the back of the Camaro where neither of you would be paying attention. He finishes his sandwich and pats your bum before unlocking the door and walking out, you following him closely behind. Billy stops where you’d been lounging before his break, not caring that Steve is there as he wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you into a heated kiss, licking into your mouth sinfully as his hands move down to grope your ass.

“See you for dinner,” he winks before getting back to work.

You hear Steve groan as you lay back on the chair, “Why don’t you two just record it and send it to every person in Hawkins?”

“Struck out, did ya?” you quip as you light up a smoke.

-

You’d bought three dresses today but the one you settle on is a simple spaghetti strap number that had a floral design resembling wallpaper. You’d styled your hair up in a ponytail, adorning your necklace with Billy’s initial for the first time in front of Neil. You’d also bought an apple crumble at the store and had transferred it to some of Mary’s Tupperware so you could pass it off as something you’d made.

Billy answers the door when you knock, leaning against its frame while he looks you up and down. “Mm, my little stepford wife looks so ravishing,” he purrs and you widen your eyes.

You know it’s gonna be a long dinner based on that, he’s gonna tease you all night. You push past him, casually saying hello to Susan in the kitchen but you don’t see any sign of her cooking. You look to Billy curiously.

“We’re going out,” he clarifies, “then after, you and I can go to the movies.”

Oh, you’d actually be seen in public like this. Which bugged you endlessly, but you look to Billy to try and rationalize why you were still upholding the charade. His smile makes you forget all about it, he laces his fingers with yours and pulls you close to him. You think he might kiss you and your cheeks flush, he was never affectionate around his dad or Susan, you didn’t think he could be.

“Who was that kid picking you up today?” Neil’s voice bellows, Billy drops your hand and steps backwards.

“Oh, that’s Steve, he’s a friend,” you say, innocently.

Neil looks at you a little intensely, making your skin crawl, “A friend?”

“He’s gay,” Billy says, a pointed look at you as a silent way to tell you to go along with it.

“And how would you know that?” Neil asks his son to which Billy replies with a scoff.

“Everyone knows it.”

You just nod, feeling your chest tighten. You hadn’t seen Neil like this before and it scared you.

“I don’t want you hanging around faggots, Billy,” he says then and Billy shrugs.

“He’s not my friend,” he looks to you and then to Susan, “Well we better start heading out if we want to make that reservation.”

The restaurant is nice, you feel underdressed and you’ve got no clue why Neil keeps looking at you. Max isn’t here which means more attention on you and Billy. Your anxiety is through the roof and you’d love nothing more than to have a glass of wine to calm your nerves. Your little lie about not drinking was really pissing you off right now. Billy seems less on edge than you, occasionally brushing his fingers against you thigh and you kick his ankle every time. Not now, you try to tell him telepathically. So either it doesn’t work or Billy likes pushing your buttons. You think the latter.

“Billy, did you buy her that necklace? I thought we talked about saving,” Neil say’s disappointedly while unfolding his napkin.

“It was my mothers,” you lie like it’s the truth, quick and without ease, “Her name was Barbara.” Another lie, her name didn’t even start with a B.

“How did she pass?” he asks.

“Neil!” Susan nudges him and you shake your head.

“No it’s okay,” no trauma, here. No, what your mother did was much worse than dying. “Car accident. She was in a coma for a few weeks but it wasn’t looking good.” You hope Neil can infer the rest.

“Oh, honey,” Susan places her hand on yours, “I’m so sorry.”

You smile awkwardly at her, “Thank you. I was just a little girl, she’d only had my brother two years before. He doesn’t remember her, much.”

That wasn’t a lie, that’s when she left and you were jealous that your brother had the luxury of not getting to know her. You feel yourself start to tear up and so you excuse yourself to the bathroom. When you walk out the door, Billy’s standing there with his hands in his pocket and he looks ashamed.

“I’m sorry, he shouldn’t ask questions like that,” he says, meekly.

You wrap your arms around him, lovingly. The thought of him being worried about you and following to make sure you were okay makes your heart swell.

“I shouldn’t lie so well,” you counter with a small laugh. Billy tightens his arms around your waist and kisses your neck.

“I know the last of that wasn’t a lie,” he whispers and you just squeeze him tighter.

You expect Neil to apologize when you get back to the table but he doesn’t. Susan keeps shooting you sympathetic glances and it’s all so ridiculous. You know Billy has the same abandonment issues with his own mother and neither of them seem to care about that. The two of you never talked about it but you think now you should. He clearly doesn’t have an outlet and you know how he feels, you can relate.

“Dessert?” the waiter offers and not one of you say yes.

You finally get to catch a breath when you get into Billy’s Camaro and let your hair down as he peels out of the parking lot.

“God, I can’t wait to get out of here,” he exhales as he flips his zippo up to light the cigarette you pull to your lips.

You giggle, “I can’t wait to see you out of here.”

“You’re a goddamn angel,” Billy says like he can’t believe it.

You lean over to kiss his cheek, feeling your heart skip a beat at the genuine compliment. He doesn’t dish them out too often but when he does you believe them. “I love you,” you confess.

“I love you, too,” he whispers, glancing at you with a slight blush to his cheeks.

Billy pays for the movie admission, parking as far away from cars as he can while still being able to see the screen well. You laugh though, asking him if it really matters.

“I actually want to see this movie, I’ll have you know,” he turns his nose up and you reach over to pinch it.

Actually watching a movie in the Camaro is difficult. You two can’t cuddle up in the front seat and you can’t see from the backseat. You can do other fun things there though. He awkwardly wraps his arms around your shoulder, the center column making it difficult to get comfortable. You turn and look at Billy, admiring his face while you hold onto the hand draped over your shoulder.

“Stop staring, you’re missing the movie,” he mumbles, his cheeks red.

You roll your eyes before turning them to the screen. But you can’t help yourself, your eyes are drawn back to his face and you start trying to count the freckles on his face. You blush when he turns his head to you, “Do I have to take you in the backseat and fuck the distraction out of you?”

Heat crawls up between your legs, his blunt and filthy words always leaving you breathless. The way he says them so confidently but so low, just meant for you.

“I mean hell, you’re so god damn needy. I already fucked your brains out once today,” he moves to grab your face, eliciting a soft whimper from your lips. Sometimes he could be so scary but it wasn’t like horror movie scary, it was like he was totally aware of the power he had over you and he knew he could do whatever the hell he pleased. And releasing yourself to such a force was incredibly terrifying but you wouldn’t change a single thing. No, Billy deserved to have control of you.

“S’not your fault you’re such a little slut, though. Can’t help but be hooked on my cock, huh?” he growls out, sliding his thumb into your mouth. You promptly wrap your lips around it and suck, dragging your tongue against the digit. “I bet you’ve already soaked through your panties. You’re a disgusting mess under that dress, aren’t you?”

You moan around his thumb, eyes wide as you gaze up at him. He pulls your dress up just enough for him to get his hand into your underwear, frowning as he feels your slick on his fingers. You suck harder on his thumb, excited at the touch.

“Fucking knew it. You’re such a filthy whore,” he purrs, leaning over to press hot, wet kisses to your neck.

You squirm at the touch, tilting your head to give him as much room as he needs. Billy slides his fingers through your folds, gathering the wetness and pulling away.

You whine but he brings his fingers to your mouth, you’re hesitant and he laughs, cruelly.

“Come on, you know you want to,” he insists.

And you do, because you know he wants you to. You shyly take his fingers in your mouth, the taste is slightly tangy but overall not bad. The satisfied, sick smirk on his face brings another wave of arousal over you.

“Get in the back, let’s makes this quick,” he says, nonchalantly.

You’re climbing over the center console before he can finish his sentence and he follows shortly after. He sits in the middle, unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants. He pushes them down just enough to pull his cock out, bringing his palm to your mouth. “Spit,” he demands, looking at you under his eyelashes.

You do as your told, a little embarrassed by how you still can’t manage to do it as easily as he can, trails of saliva connecting from your lips to his palm. He doesn’t care though, wrapping his fingers around his cock and stroking himself. You pull your underwear down, dropping them to the floor and hooking your leg over his thighs. He helps you, guiding his thick tip against your dripping hole. He grabs onto your shoulder and pushes you down on him, stirring a gasp from you as he bottoms out. You wrap your arms around him, pressing your chests flush together and burying your face in his neck. Billy’s arms circle around your waist, holding you tight. You do most of the work, so the whole let’s make this fast thing goes out the window. You roll your hips slowly, grabbing onto his curls as you try to get as close to him as possible. You hear him groan softly, holding onto you tighter. You’re so full of love for him you have to hold back crying, not wanting to freak him out. He pulls you back, sliding his hand up to the back of your neck as he gazes up into your eyes. You smile, rolling your hips a teensy bit faster. He caresses your cheek then.

“So beautiful,” he coos, “such a pretty girl.”

Your face flushes, grinding against him harder and faster. It’s only slightly funny to you that he can call you a whore but minutes later being so sweet and loving. It’s like he can tell exactly what you want before you give him any indication. He kisses you tenderly, rolling his hips up to meet yours and you moan against his lips. After a moment though, you feel him start to soften in you and he sighs, pulling you off of him and tucking himself back in his briefs and pulling his jeans back up.Your heart stings as you wonder what you did wrong, sitting besides him and looking at him curiously.

“Was too slow,” he mumbles, “too… I don’t know.”

“Romantic?” you whisper softly, playing with the hem of your dress.

“I guess,” he says as he crawls back into the front seat.

You feel like dirt, you feel broken so easily by him and you expect him to start his car up and drive you home. You follow him the front, staring at the sky instead of the movie.

“What did I do wrong?” you ask after a beat and he groans, shifting in his seat.

“Nothing,” he says with a roll of his eyes.

“Billy, that’s never happened before,” you try to explain, “I obviously did something wrong.”

“Can you cool it?” he bites and you sigh.

“Take me home,” you demand and he listens, turning the key in the ignition and speeding out of the parking lot in a hurry.

You don’t kiss him goodbye, just storm off into your room where you slam the door. You collapse on your bed and scream into your pillow. You might be overreacting but it hurt. You felt like he was suddenly unattracted to you. You despised how much his sexual prowess of you influenced your self esteem, that was probably the worst part. That him losing the mood could make you feel so utterly hideous.

Mary knocks on your door, “Honey? You okay?”

“Go away,” you cry out but she doesn’t listen. She opens the door and sits on the bed.

“Dinner not go so well?” she asks, reaching out to stroke your hair.

“Huh? Oh. The dinner went fine,” you mumble against your pillows.

Mary sighs, “What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk to you about it,” you say.

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not gonna talk about something so personal with my dads girlfriend,” you blurt out.

Mary nods, “Okay, well right now, I’m not your dads girlfriend, I’m a shoulder to cry on.”

Damn her, you think. She’s trying to be there for you in a way no one ever was and you think you’d be a fool not to take advantage of it.

“You can’t yell at me,” you say, sitting up. “I’m eighteen and I’m on birth control.”

“So it’s about sex,” she says with a soft laugh, “I won’t yell. What happened?”

You bring your arms up to hug yourself as you look at her.

“Did Billy do something you weren’t comfortable with?” she asks, her eyes suddenly worried.

“No! No… it’s the opposite.”

“You did something Billy wasn’t comfortable with?” she cocks an eyebrow.

“I guess… we were… ya know and then he just… stopped, like he couldn’t…” you try to get the words out without feeling too awkward, your face flush.

Mary laughs again and you cover your face with your hands, “Oh, god.”

“Honey, that’s normal. Happens to the best of ‘em,” she assures you but you don’t believe her.

“No. He’s eighteen, that doesn’t happen to boys his age. I obviously did something wrong,” you mumble. “Or he just suddenly realized what a hideous beast I am.”

She shakes her head, “No, I’m sure that’s not it. Sometimes things don’t align and the mood changes. I’m sure Billy doesn’t think you’re ugly.”

“He said it was too romantic,” you admit, though he didn’t exactly say it, he just agreed when you did.

“Sounds like an eighteen year old boy to me,” she laughs again. “Don’t worry too much about it. There’ll be plenty of awkward moments ahead of you. They just happen.”

She pats the top of your head and leaves your room. The talk doesn’t settle your stomach one bit, you stand up and walk to your window. You don’t see Billy’s Camaro, but you don’t remember hearing him take off. You jump when your phone rings, walking over to pick it up.

“Hello?” you answer.

“Hi, do you like Billy Idol?” Steve’s voice on the other end kind of surprises you.

You giggle, “Do you?”

“I don’t know, but somehow I got tickets to his concert,” he says.

“In Hawkins?” you ask incredulously.

“In Indianapolis. Do you wanna go?” he asks.

You smile, “Take a four hour drive with you? Sure, I’d love to.”

“Awesome, we better leave early tomorrow then, doors are at seven,” Steve tells you an you nod along even though he can’t see you.

Then he says, “We’ll probably have to get a room since it’s a long drive and all.”

You feel your stomach twist. The last sleepover you’d had with Steve didn’t go over too well with Billy. But hey, you enjoy spending time with Steve and you can’t let Billy dictate your life.

“I’ll pack an overnight bag,” you say before hanging up.

-

Billy is standing outside when Steve pulls up. He struts over and leans into Steve’s window.

“You two gonna have another pool day?” Billy asked with a raised eyebrow. He was just about to leave for work and thought it was odd you didn’t just tag along with him.

“No,” Steve counters, “I won some tickets on the radio. We’re gonna drive up to Indianapolis.”

“What? That’s like a four hour drive,” Billy says, taking note of the duffel bag in the backseat. Then you’re stepping out the door and Billy notices your backpack hanging off your shoulder.

“Oh, hell no,” he says, stiffening up. “You’re not taking my girl to Indianapolis for a night.”

You roll your eyes, tossing your backpack in the back before placing your arms on the roof of the car. Billy takes note of your outfit, the short leather skirt, the low cut shirt and how big your hair is styled.

“It’s one night. Can you cool it?” you canary, rising Billy’s blood.

“You’re a fucking joke,” Billy scoffs, looking you square in the eye. “Go ahead and take him to California.”

He starts to walk away but you call after him, “Tickets in your name, can’t change that.”

Billy waves his hand at you, “Whatever, bitch.”

“Asshole!” you yell out as he gets in his car and peels out down the street.

Your body is tense with adrenaline and you climb into the front seat, looking at Steve dumbfounded.

“Did we just breakup?” you ask, mouth agape.

Steve winces, “Kind of sounded like it. Listen, we can call off the trip…”

“No,” you sigh. “I’ll just talk to him when we get back.”

You aren’t sure what it meant. If you did breakup. It didn’t really feel like it. You two hadn’t really fought like that before but with the night before, you wondered if Billy was searching for an excuse to break up with you. He’d been cool with you hanging out with Steve since their fight. Granted, you hadn’t spent a night in a hotel room with Steve before but still.

“It’s fine, I don’t think I’ve even heard a Billy Idol song before,” Steve replies.

You reach into your purse and produce a Billy Idol cassette. Steve deflates, grabbing the cassette and putting it in the stereo before starting your journey.

-

The concert was fun. Fun you needed to have. You and Steve get drunk, thanks to your fake ID. You stumble back into the hotel room, a sixer tucked under your arm while Steve carries your purse for you. In the excitement of the night, you successfully pushed Billy Hargrove to the very back of your mind. So much so, that when Steve’s lounging on the bed and flicking through the channels, you crawl up onto his lap. You run your fingers through his hair and giggle drunkenly.

He smiles up at you, “What’re you doing?”

“Playing with Steve The Hair Harringtons famous hair,” you snicker, tousling his hair into a mess.

He laughs softly. You share a moment, gazing into each others eyes while your hands fall to his shoulders. Without thinking, Steve’s hands inch to your waist and he’s leaning up to kiss you. But he pulls back just as quick.

“I-i’m sorry, I’m drunk,” he whispers and he looks so cute and innocent and everything opposite of Billy. You hear it in your head, You’re a fucking joke. Go ahead and take him to California. Not exactly sure why it pushes you forward in the moment but you grab onto Steve’s jaw and pull his lips back to yours. It’s desperate, clash of lips and teeth before you find the right rhythm. Once you do, you feel incredibly warm and secure. He’s gentle, tentative and it feels sweet. He’s pulling you closer, like he can’t get enough while he slides his tongue past your lips. You slide your hands down his chest and he pulls back to catch a breath, smiling wide as he looks up at you.

The two of you should stop, pretend this didn’t happen. But you can’t, and either can Steve. He presses his lips to your neck and attempts to slide his fingers into your ratted hair. Your eyes flutter shut when he licks against your sensitive skin. A moan escaping your lips when he sucks a mark there. And you don’t worry about it, allowing yourself to be a slave to this moment. Steve takes an opportunity to flip you on your back, returning his lips to yours as he hands snake up into your shirt. He squeezes you over your bra and you giggle softly as your hands snake back into his hair.

He undresses you slowly, his eyes scanning over your body as he does so. He looks at you with earnest excitement and you feel your skin erupt in goosebumps. He hums happily when he sees, his fingertips tracing your curves. His eyes continue to drink you in for a moment before he’s pulling his shirt over his head and your eyes are drawn to his chest hair. You can’t help but reach out and touch it, eyes looking up at him through your eyelashes. He smiles, moving his thumb to caress your cheek and before you know it, he’s kissing you again. It’s all so sensual it feels brand new. He doesn’t grab at you with rough hands but with attentive, sincere ones. Your head swims from it, you actually feel beautiful in the moment. When you deepen the kiss, you feel Steve’s hands journey to his jeans and he attempts to unbutton them, but it seems like he’s having a hard time so you do it for him, never breaking the kiss.

Steve pulls back, getting off the bed and wandering to his duffel bag. You feel exposed so your arms move to cover up what you can. He digs through his things and retrieves a condom, striding back over to you. You swallow the lump in your throat. Why would he even bring condoms? Was he planning on this? He kicks his jeans and briefs off before crawling back between your legs.

He smiles down at you, “Is this okay? Can I keep going?”

You nod shyly, his smile helping in dissolving the worry you’d just had. He grins wider, bringing the foil packet up to his mouth and tearing it open with his teeth. He slides the condom over his member, pressing it to your entrance.

“Are you sure?” he checks in one more time and it makes you giggle, though there’s a twinge of regret already deep in your heart.

[yourmomsgranddad]

— 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃

— CHAPTER FOUR: HUG ME! Bring it in!

— SUMMARY: Falling back into old patterns make new feelings arise.

— WARNINGS: none!

— A/N: I promise the post time I have written down is 7:30, but I literally suck at time. But hey, A for effort. At least this one is on Saturday.

It didn't take long for you two to go back to being best friends. Kate figured it would take months and she would have to work at it for a while. But you two loved each other, you couldn't stay away.

She would come see you at your job, her mom's office, you two would get on her nerves and then go back to her apartment.

Sometimes you would lay on her bed and talk about everything under the sun.

You told her about your summer you spent in Italy, she was envious. She very easily told you about how she worked with Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton, you were proud.

And eventually, the sun would come up and you both would fall asleep.

You would fall asleep first and Kate would find herself watching you as your chest went up and down, seeming so serene in her place. You hadn't been in New York for long and you were already comfortable in her apartment.

Kate was bouncing off the walls.

She kept thinking about you in a different way and was very confused. She kept staring at you, memorizing all the dips and bumps on your face. At this point, she could draw you perfectly from memory.

She wanted to do something, kiss you, something. She didn't have the guts but it's not like you hadn't kissed before.

She kept thinking she could do it, you came pretty close a couple times. But something always stopped her. Closet guy. He wasn't just a shameful make out at a party, you were kind of serious about him.

You were always either texting him or talking about him.

He was basically your boyfriend and Kate was basically jealous.

She didn't want to be. She had just gotten you back and she didn't want to lose you because of some stupid feelings that probably weren't even real. That's what she kept telling herself.

So she never made a move.

It was better this way.

Falling into old habits, it also meant you had to learn about the new ones as well.

"Since when do you like lemonade?" Kate wondered. You were standing in her kitchen, mixing together the lemony beverage.

"Since I tried it at a party a while ago and got obsessed with it."

As long as she's known you, you hated lemonade. You always called it the sourest piss. Every time you drank it, you got sick to your stomach and wanted to pull your organs out. What changed?

As she watched you down two full glasses of lemonade, her stomach was rumbling. She needed a snack.

She reached behind her in one of her tall cabinets and pulled out a bag of chips.

"Since when do you like hot chips?" Your face crumpled, now you were the one that was confused and it showed.

"Since I got covid and my taste got messed up." She shrugged, going back into the bag with the worst red fingers you had ever seen.

Kate was a dirty kid, she loved getting in mud and jumping into fountains when she wasn't supposed to. But one thing she hated was eating with her hands. They were never clean and she didn't want to get sick. She always hated the red fingers. Why did she like them now?

You two were sitting in silence, watching The Proposal and suddenly, you had nothing to say to each other. Non-stop talking for days and you ran dry.

"What happened to us?"

That was a loaded question. There was so many answers and you were not ready for any of them.

"We grew up, Y/n. Once you grow, your tastes change." And that, right there? A loaded answer. It's like she had to tiptoe around what she could say around you. You were best friends, why did she have to?

She wanted to ask you so many things but she didn't want to open Pandora's Box. Not yet.

But she didn't. She stayed silent for the first time ever in her life. And suddenly your hangouts were no longer fun.

No more messing around in the office.

You were more quiet and you never really told Kate anymore things about yourself, and what you been doing. Kate didn't really recount her tales as Hawkeye anymore.

You were losing each other once again even though you were right next to each other.

And all because Kate didn't want to talk.

You felt cramped in Kate's apartment. You wanted to go somewhere else, so you suggested going for a walk in the park.

She agreed, mostly because it wouldn't be as awkward to not talk to each other if you were in an open space, surrounded by other people.

But it didn't help that it was cherry blossom season. Just walking down the walkway with the flowers falling around you, it was way too romantic for Kate's liking. It was stressful.

And you were suddenly in your element, already blending with the fauna. Great.

It was gorgeous and this was not helping her crush right now. Yeah, crush, that's what she's calling it. She figured it would go away since you two were barely talking but it was only getting worse.

You were getting tired so you decided to sit down and enjoy the flowers from the seated position.

"Do you remember when we snuck out of our houses to go to the park and catch fireflies?" Like it was yesterday, Kate thought as she looked up seeing the tale unfold before her eyes once again.

"Y/n! Come on!"

"No Kate! What if we get in trouble?"

"You're such a dweeb! Come on!" She was basically pulling you with all of her 10 year old might. You were almost out of the door and your whining was about to get you caught.

Eventually, she got you out of the door and you sprinted to the park.

As soon as you got there, you forgot all about the guilt you were feeling from leaving. The bugs looked like little lanterns, floating in the sky. You almost didn't want catch them, they looked happy.

And so did Kate.

Sneaking out was worth it.

"Back when things were easy."

"Back when you were around more." Kate felt bad for mentioning it but suddenly it was bothering her. Why did you have to leave? So she decided to ask.

"Why'd you leave?"

You looked down, trying to focus on the leaf that was tickling your shoe at the moment. You really didn't want to tell her.

"Are you sure you want to know? You might not like it."

Everything paused. Was she completely sure about this? Once she knew, she couldn't unlearn it. Could it be super horrible? No. She wanted to know. It's been too long.

"Tell me."

[nerves-nebula]

Wait so if Leo was the first to meet April, does that mean that the other bros are suspicious of her? What is their relationship with her like?

nah, ok well sort of. they all met her when they were wayyy younger (and therefore less cautious). Raph and Donnie were the most scared of her at first, but she's a little charmer, so it didn't take long for them to all become friends.

anyways here's a more detailed description of the dynamics:

Leo: Leo befriended April despite his paranoia (I mean he was also pretty young so it hadn’t fully set in yet either), and he kind of did it on accident too. He basically just ran into her while peeking out of the sewers, and she offered him candy, which is a rarity for the turtles so he immediately went “FUCK YEAH humans might be dangerous but this one has CANDY” and invited her into the sewers, which she said was nasty, so they played in a dirty alleyway instead lol. Leo kept coming back and asking for candy, and a few weeks later he was like “I’ve got a surprise!!” and introduced her to his bros.

Later on, Leo gets pretty jealous of April and his brothers, because he thinks that she likes THEM more than she likes him, which is totally unfair cause she was his friend first!! >:( but really its just that she tells him off more because hes the MEANEST one of them.

this insecurity and fear that she's going to stop hanging out with him is a long ongoing issue that comes to a head when Leo is like, i dunno, 16 or 17 years old, and starts spiraling about his brothers hating him and leaving him. but i dont have that super planned out so that's enough of that for now.

Donnie: Donnie has really bad anxiety and social skills, so he was harder to win over, but April’s nice, so over time he just got more chill about her. They're pretty close now, because Donnie is sensitive and April wasn’t raised in an abusive household, so she’s nicer about his emotions than anyone. (obviously his brothers don't always try to be mean but cruelty is kind of the default in abusive households)

Mikey: Mikey began playing with April almost immediately. He really liked having someone new to add to their games. But inside he took about as long as Donnie did to really trust her and think of her as someone they could rely on, instead of just a fun person to play games with every now and then.

Raph: Raph was won over pretty easily, also by candy cause he was always hungry. She offered him her sandwich once when his stomach growled and that was basically all it took to buy his undying loyalty. He was scared of humans hurting his siblings, but April was very harmless and sweet and most importantly NOT an ADULT. And at that point, Raph distrusted adults way more than children, regardless of species. 

April: For her part, she was really excited to have four new friends, even if they were weird and lived in the sewers and nobody knew that they actually existed. She did get more human friends later on, but she spent a lot of her childhood growing up alongside these Strange Sewer Turtles. As she got older she started to recognize their dysfunctional relationships more and that became a huge issue. She actually helped out in some aspects, like by (lovingly) telling off Leo when he’s being a huge dick, or listening to the others rant about Splinter. Before her, they’d never heard an outside opinion on their dad, and every time they talk about him she’s more and more convinced that he sucks. Which is really validating for everyone except Leo.

[scilessweetheart]

ranking actors by how good of a job they did in teen wolf: the movie

1. vince ATE. this was HIS MOVIE. it didn’t matter that he was new. it didn’t matter that i only kind of liked his character. he showed up like rent was due, playing injured and desperate and needing to please just like the original teen wolf.

2. holland never misses. from her hurt watching allison fight, to her soft looks with scott, to her using her banshee powers. she stepped back into being lydia martin like no time had passed.

3. tyler hoechlin. my life, my love. he didn’t get a lot of emotional range with his scenes which is why he isn’t higher, but i have no doubt he had the potential to do it. he was the same as i remember him, but also had those small changes just from him having a kid and growing up.

4. colton did a great job, but also he was basically playing himself. no real acting was done, but it was believable and entertaining, so i’m still counting it.

5. tyler posey can play scott so well. but he was too excited to be in the movie that he couldn’t really play anything but wistful and earnest.

6. it feels odd to put linden here because he had such a small role, but i love this man and his character so we’re doing it anyway. he did such a great job as the sheriff and still playing dad to all of the kids even though they’re now grown. however, his sassy side left with stiles and i will never forgive him (but mostly the writers tbh) for that.

7. ian bohen had such a strong entrance and then… nothing. i don’t know what was up but he just stopped acting half way through the movie. also props for sniffing and crawling on all fours with a straight face.

8. ryan played parrish so two dimensional the whole movie. malia comments on a look he gives and he’s just there like “what look 🧍🏼‍♂️”

9. i love shelley hennig. i really do. but they’re trying to give malia depth and she refuses to lean into it. she’s going to date parrish after this, and she doesn’t even seem to really like him.

10. jr bourne. WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU MAN. if there was one thing i could count on it was that man and he turned into some like poetic hipster with residual soldier in him.

11. crystal reed did a great job acting. that’s not arguable. the realization when her memories come back, the soft looks scott, the inner turmoil. that being said… she didn’t do a good job of being allison. her expressions weren’t as full and dynamic as they were in the show and it didn’t give her the same energy. she might as well have been a different character for me.

other comments:

- amy workman (the girl who played hikari) had very little range, but they downplayed her brand new character and this is her first movie role, so no hate to her, she got thrown in the deep end.

- melissa wasn’t in it for me to comment on anything. not her fault though, im so sorry they did you so dirty ma’am. same with dylan and khylin. i know they would’ve stolen the show.

[mrs-johansson]

Chapter 5: Avengers: Age of Ultron - Two Ghosts

Part 1:

“When can I meet her?” Dad asked as he came down to have lunch in my lab. “Soon. I want her to settle in, and I want her to have the hearing aid.” “And how’s that going?” He stood up and walked up to the table. “I’m just gonna run some more tests and we’ll see, maybe next week you two could meet,” I looked up at him.

“How is it that your friends have seen Katarina sooner than I would?” Dad had been trying to meet Katarina for months, but with James at the house and the setting time, I thought she could have a little more time. “Because they are not her relatives biologically. Clint helps me with babysitting and Natasha is… Natasha. Believe me, she’s worth the wait. I swear she has your attitude sometimes even though you two haven’t even met yet.” The proud and surprised look on his face was funny but also such a great feeling to see. “Okay show me some pictures then.”

***

The last couple of months have been hectic. Hiding James has been really difficult, but mostly for him. He couldn’t really leave the house without assistance and he was bothered by that obviously. Even though he’s very introverted and a house buddy, he wanted to get out there and explore the world on his own, which was not possible at these times.

So he stayed at home most days, spending time with Katarina and learning from within the four walls. He watched the news every morning and evening, surfed the internet for information, and read about the time he had missed.

We once visited the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where he learned about himself and the war, but mostly about the Captain America we know now. James was so eager to know everything and be present that sometimes he got lost in what he actually wanted. He still didn't have a plan for what would come next. I tried everything to make him look further but he got stuck.

Meanwhile, Katarina was growing fast. She’s not even one and she has the abilities and looks of a 3 year old. She knows sign language to a full extent, which she learned in just a couple of weeks.

It is incredible to see how she’s developing day to day, but not gonna lie I miss the previous steps. I wanted to see her open her eyes for the first time, roll over for the first time and I’m not even gonna mention the first steps. I know I complain about great things but these are also great things to miss out on.

When I work, she’s in kindergarten from Monday to Thursday and on Fridays, she stays at Barton's. She already sees Clint and Laura as her uncle and aunt, and the kids as her cousins. They treat her like family, which I appreciate out of this world.

And Natasha, she’s here on most Saturdays, when Katarina is just full of joy. Nat is definitely her favorite, apart from me of course. They bonded on a deep level and it brings me happiness but also so much pain to know that we couldn’t work out.

Maybe if it wasn’t for the break-up, we would raise Katarina together. But it’s never perfect, is it?

On Fridays, which is today, I usually bring dinner to Clint’s house and we have dinner together.

Pulling up to the farm, I could see the kids and Clint playing outside, kicking a ball around. Katarina’s dark brown hair was gently braided into two little braids, and the pants she had on were basically dirty as the ground. She enjoys being outside since at home we only have a flat still.

The Bartons looked up to the sound of the car and Clint alerted Rina that I’d arrived, and she looked my way too. Her attention left the ball imminently and with those little feet, she started running towards me.

Seeing this was something that made me appreciate every little thing. She was getting older by the second and I wasn’t gonna miss one more minute with her.

I got out of the car and quickly rounded it before picking her up.

“Hi baby,” I gave a kiss to the side of her head, then put her back on the ground and kneeled in front of her. “Your hair is so pretty! Did Laura make it?” I asked. “No, Natasha.” Nat’s here? “Wow, she’s so cool, right?” She nodded. “How was today? Did you have fun?” “Yes, we painted. I made you something,” she took my hand and insisted on getting inside.

Getting the take-out dinner I picked up Katarina and made our way towards Clint and the kids. “Hey guys, I got us Chinese today,” I greeted the three of them. “Copper, why don’t you guys take the food inside? We’ll be there in a minute,” I gave him the bags of food and the three of them walked in, Katarina grabbing a hold of Lila’s hand.

“What is she doing here? She hasn't been returning my calls for over a week. And I know she wasn’t on a mission,” I turned to Clint. He looked inside then at me with a sigh. “I don’t know why she didn’t talk to you then, but now she’s here to talk. It seemed pretty serious,” he said. “Great, just perfect.”

Walking inside, the kids already settled around the table, Laura and Natasha unpacking the boxes. “Hi,” I said. Nat picked up her head and I couldn’t describe the look she gave me. “I was just saying the other to Clint, how much I craved Chinese but he didn’t get me any,” Laura’s voice made me look away. “Because it was in the middle of the night and we live on a farm,” Clint stepped in. “I’m glad your craving will be fulfilled,” I said.

Grabbing the plates, I had to step next to Natasha. “Nat,” I nodded her way. “Y/n.” The urge to read her mind was so tempting but I promised everyone that I won’t use it on them. “You haven’t been returning my calls,” I said as I reached the shelf.

“It wasn’t a phone conversation that I wanted to talk about,” she said. Voice tense, body language just strict. “We can talk after I put Katarina to sleep.”

***

Katarina insisted that Natasha would be the one who stays with her until she falls asleep, so I did the dishes so that Laura could relax a little, but she kept my company throughout.

“Dinner was weird,” she said. “What do you mean?” “You and Nat. What’s going on?” I stared at the water as it flowed through the sink. “It’s been strange for a while. She’s dictating herself from me, from us really. She canceled last week’s Saturday and hasn't answered my calls since. Of course, Rina asked for her, because she’s obsessed with her. But nothing. And last week too, like she was distracted at all times. And if it was work she would definitely tell me.” “Maybe she’s seeing someone,” she casually threw it out there. “You think?” I stopped the tap and dried my hands. “What else could it be? It’s Natasha, you and work were the only option she could be occupied with, but there’s no you anymore, and if it’s not work… Maybe she found someone,” the sad smile on Laura’s face was something strange. I know she loved us together but I didn’t think she would actually prefer us over other relationships. But she also probably knew something.

“So, can we talk?” Natasha walked down the stairs, and both of us looked her way. “Yeah, let’s go outside. Good night, Laura,” I said to the woman. “You too guys.”

As we made our way outside I played all the scenarios in my mind about what could happen. Maybe she did find someone and wants to disappear from my life, or maybe it is a work thing.

We were a great distance from the house and we didn't talk a word on the walk. Then she stopped at almost the end of the lot. “I know about Barnes,” her voice was filled with anger. “And?” I shrugged it off, trying to act cool.

“Y/n, are you insane?” She stepped closer, veins popping out on her neck. “He is dangerous! And you let your daughter around him? There’s a chance that he’s gonna be that killing machine again, and what are you gonna do then, huh? Or what if HYDRA finds him? That’s why you won’t let anyone over to your place! And what about Steve? You’re just gonna let him suffer and look for him when you know damn well that he sleeps in your bed, eats your food, and plays with your daughter every day.” “You have no idea Natalia how fucking hard it is for me! If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have found Katarina. I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for him!” By now we were yelling at each other and I was glad the house was far away.

“I’ve been trying to help him settle in, to come up with a plan. But nothing. He doesn’t even want a glance at the future. For the past several decades he wasn’t Barnes, he wasn’t the Bucky Steve knows… But he’s trying to be the old him. He wants to learn and be human,” I explained but as I spoke she only got angrier. “How are you falling so easily into this? Y/n how can you be so naive after everything that happened?” Her hands spread to her sides, confusion hitting her face. “Naive?” I scoffed. “Every single day when I go home, I think he’s not gonna be there anymore. That he left, that they took him. For months I’ve been living on the fucking edge, scared to leave my daughter alone with him, scared to fall asleep next to him. I’m not naive, I just don’t want to make him feel even worse,” I said and turned around to walk back.

“No.” She simply said and I looked back at her. “No, you are just scared to be alone. You can’t be alone and you just won’t admit that,” she caught up to me and stood right in front of me. “Don’t ever talk to me about hating to be alone. I became a mother overnight, and I wasn’t gonna do this alone.” “But you are not alone,” Natasha took hold of my hand. But I took it away and shook my head. “I am.” “Y/n don’t shut me out now,” the want in her eyes was something I missed every day but I couldn’t let this happen. “I’m not shutting you out, but we talked about this. I can’t do this, not now… James is there and Rina, I-“ I stumbled over my words, didn’t even know what I wanted to say. “James…” She said quietly like she knew immediately. With the look she gave me, she definitely knew.

“You guys are a thing, aren’t you?” Her shoulders dropped. “We’re not a thing,” I looked away, shaking my head. “Oh don’t fucking lie to me. I know you, Y/n. You two are fucking for sure,” she got mad again, but mostly she looked disappointed. “What if we do? You have absolutely no right to question who I sleep or don’t sleep with. We broke up, Natasha. We ended things because it didn’t work. I’m sorry that I’m trying to move on. It hurts me like shit, that he’s not you, that it’s not us! I wanted you, Nat!” I yelled at her. She has no right to speak to me like that. “I wanted all of you. We had each other and now we don’t. So you don’t get to decide what I do with my life.”

***

“Good morning everyone,” Steve walked into the meeting room with Maria following him. Files in her hands she handed one to everyone. The team gathered around the table, while Steve presented our next mission.

“As you all know, we found another HYDRA Research Base. It’s in Sokovia, Europe. It is the base where we tracked Loki’s scepter and the plan is to retrieve it. The files have everything you need to know before we take off. Tomorrow morning we leave at 5. Any questions?” He looked around and everyone was silent. “Alright, see you tomorrow.”

***

Taking Katarina out of her seat, we made our way upstairs right away. It’s how the days go, in the mornings I drop her off at kindergarten and after work I get her and we go home to James.

After the meeting, I went to Stark Industries and we worked on some new projects and I finally finished Rina's hearing aid so I’m very excited to try it with her.

Opening the front door, I noticed the flat was awfully quiet. James usually is always on the couch when we get home, watching the news but now he isn't. The tv was turned off, no sign of James in the living room.

I shut the door behind me and put Katarina down, who took off to her room immediately. “James?” I called out once. Maybe he’s sleeping. I checked the kitchen and the balcony, but nothing. Bathroom empty. Then I made my way to the bedroom to see it was also without him in it.

And then I noticed an envelope. Lying on his pillow. My heart dropped and I couldn’t think of anything else other than he had left.

With shaky hands, I took hold of the envelope and saw my name written on it. Opened it and saw the handwritten letter. I sat down on the edge of the bed and read it.

Hey Doll,

We both knew this was coming for a long time now, but I think neither of us thought that it woulduld actually happen. I had to leave. For your and Katarina’s safety. I am a liability and it wouldn’t be safe for you two if I had stayed. I also didn’t want Steve to find me, he had enough trouble with me the last time we saw each other.

I won’t contact you and I don’t want you to contact me. The only communication I want is Katarina. I’d like you to send pictures to the address at the bottom every month. Just one picture of Katarina.

I am truly sorry and I promised I won’t leave you again, I am sorry that I broke this. But please forgive me, Doll.

Your James.

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #299: I <3 NY

January, 1989

Mr. Fantastic -- Invisible Woman -- and the Captain versus the... ORPHAN-MAKER?!

Whew, a lot to react to here.

First, hello, 1989! We’re almost 90s here!

Two, ugh, Orphan-Maker and presumably Nanny. Do we have to?

Thirdly, and on the topic of do we have to... Wow, it is going to be a sour feeling when the Avengers 300 issue milestone is a tie-in to an X-Men event. Because it doesn’t end here, in 299.

I know that’s just how things lined up, time-wise. Even Daredevil got choked by a vacuum and had to fight a dentist/cop/truck man. But it is sour. Especially on the heels of all the Dr Druid stuff. The Avengers have one of their best runs and then it all goes to shit and the team is disbanded. And then their big new roster moment takes place during Inferno, fighting X-foes.

Not an auspicious start.

But we haven’t started that start yet.

Right now we have no Avengers, Inferno, a Fantastic Four crossover?, and a the Captain.

How did we get here? That’s a long story. Here’s the short version.

Nebula Ravonna Kang wanted a super-weapon hidden in a bubble in time and she needed the Avengers to help her because of a predestination thing. So she took over the team by corrupting Dr Druid with sex and power fantasies. Dr Druid manipulated Captain Marvel into a depowering and then took over the team. Then he and Nebula Kang Ravonna mind-controlled the three remaining Avengers and took them on a field trip to the time bubble. Where the mind control was broken by three random Kangs, the Avengers fought against Kang Nebula Ravonna and Dr Druid, and then those two fell into a time hole. Plot unsatisfactorily resolved, Thor disbanded the Avengers.

And now we’re now.

This has to be an ironic title, right?

I know the Daredevil tie-in ended with a ‘hell yeah, New York, WHOO!’ moment but that’s Daredevil. I’m almost positive he’s a masochist.

Anyway, between Avengers 298 and now, the Inferno thing has kicked in full swing. Firebrand from Gargoyle’s Quest is attacked tourists. And a motorcycle that turned into a motorcycle robot man attacks the Captain.

Who punches it in the face and turns it back into a motorcycle and rides off on it.

The Captain is pretty unflappable.

I guess the motorcycle had a radio because the Captain hears a report about a major battle at 45th St.

He motorcycles that way and finds there are a bunch of Inferno demons causing trouble but that an unknown group of heroes are giving them a tough time.

Unknown to the Captain. But maybe not to the reader.

(It’s the New Mutants.)

They look like dorks in their shhh we’re sneaking out to endanger our lives, don’t tell Magneto outfits.

Anyway, they’re fighting demons. They’re doing a good job of fighting demons.

If you remember from Evolutionary War, Danielle Moonstar got her powers boosted so she can physically manifest things instead of just illusions now. So she wants to manifest a demon’s greatest fear and the Captain coincidentally shows up and swings a demon into a light pole.

Obviously, everyone first assumes that this weird dude on a motorcycle is the demon’s greatest fear.

In fairness, he looks like dollar store knockoff Captain America.

They don’t recognize him is what I’m saying.

The Captain doesn’t recognize them either. There’s just so many heroes around now and so many X-books.

Cannonball comments that the Captain looks like Captain America, which Steve unhelpfully answers that he and Captain America are old friends.

Are you hiding that you were Captain America, Steve? What’s your game here?

(And Cannonball basically figures out from that coy answer that the Captain is Captain America anyway so. Good job?)

The Captain asks the New Mutants hey what the fuck is going on?

And Cannonball gives Cap the quick and dirty synopsis. There’s a bunch of demons from Limbo causing trouble. S’ym (who is a very, very loose reference to Cerebus the Aardvark) is leading some of them in an invasion of New York. And there’s another demon called N’astirh, possibly because David Sim sternly asked Marvel to stop loosely referencing his stuff, which is rich when you remember all the references in Cerebus. Anyway, N’astirh is doing some nastier stuff involving sacrificing babies. He’s the dude that’s been messing with Madelyne Pryor but I don’t have time to go into Inferno stuff. Please don’t make me.

POINT BEING: that’s the situation.

Unlike Magneto, the Captain doesn’t have a problem with the New Mutants risking their lives. I mean, look how much he risked Bucky! So he tells them good luck fighting demons.

And decides to go recruit some more friends into the fight.

Speaking of things I don’t want to get into but in this case I will.

The Eternals.

After Jack Kirby’s Eternals run wrapped up, some loose ends were tied off in Thor. Usual Eternal leader Zuras is dead, currently, and his daughter Thena is leadering.

And she’s got brave new ideas.

Like letting the Forgotten One out of his jail.

The Forgotten One is an Eternal that’s been in Eternal jail for so long that everyone has forgotten his name. And/or he had his name stricken from the collective minds of Eternals, depending on when you ask. But his deal is that he’s All the Coolest Heroes, Actually. Just a cool Eternal mistaken for Gilgamesh and Hercules and so on.

What? You’re saying that there actually is a Hercules who also claims the same adventures?

Yeah, they were operating in the same area in the same time doing a lot of the same stuff.

Look, Jack Kirby loves Ancient Astronauts and Eternals wasn’t really supposed to be in the Marvel Universe.

Anyway, this guy is gonna be called Gilgamesh so I’ll call him Gilgamesh.

He’s just a big, buff dude with the Prince Valiant haircut.

Since he’s a monster fighting man, Thena sends him to help out with New York’s invasion of demons.

Since time is of the essence, Gilgamesh stops to forge an entire new set of armor and a new sword.

Priorities!

Meanwhile, in Connecticut. The Connecticut Richardses.

Franklin is scared because he had a premonition that a “bogey man” is coming so Sue lets Franklin squeeze into bed with her and Reed.

NOT A PANEL LATER, Nanny and the Orphan-Maker show up in their spaceship.

Orphan-Maker deactivates all the alarm systems and breaks into the house.

He uses some “pixie sand” to make sure Franklin stays asleep. And then he does the thing his name is.

He’s the Orphan-Maker. He makes orphans.

He pulls a gun to blow Reed’s brains out but Franklin astral projected (to Orphan-Maker’s confusion) and called for Sue.

Sue doesn’t wake up but apparently she reflexively threw up an invisible shield over the bed.

Phew. Imagine if two of the original Fantastic Four died in an Avengers book to an X-Men villain! Fans would riot!

The Orphan-Maker decides to just skedaddle with Franklin and does.

NOT A PANEL LATER, the Captain shows up.

Nobody answers when he knocks on the door in the middle of the night.

HOW SUSPICIOUS. 

So he investigates.

(In fairness, he sees the damage Orphan-Maker left breaking into the place.)

So Captain America breaks in through the same window Orphan-Maker left open and finds Reed and Sue sleeping under an invisible force field.

Which he can see, somehow.

Get your eyes checked, Cap. That’s not how invisibility works.

When he touches the shield, it FDSSSPT!s away and Reed and Sue wake up.

Sue says she had a weird dream about using her force field powers (AND THEN WHEN SHE WOKE UP THE PILLOW WAS GONE?) but quickly realizes that Franklin is missing and has parent panic.

Reed leaps into action.

First, he SOMEHOW recognizes that a dude called the Captain wearing a patriotic-ish uniform and carrying a shield is, in fact, Captain America.

He asks Cap what’s going on with him but Cap says that his thing can wait until after the demon invasion/child kidnapping thing.

Second, Reed activates the super-advanced security system.

Sure, the alarm lines were super obvious and easy to cut but the security cameras were running the whole time and captured everything.

Reed doesn’t recognize the armored dude that stole Franklin or the ship he got into but either way, he’s able to track the energy signature of the ship... TO NEW YORK.

Which is where the demon invasion is. Convenient!

Mr and Mrs Fantastic and their good pal the Captain get in a Fantasti-Car and zoom off.

Meanwhile, in the Eternal city of Olympia, Gilgamesh finishes his new armor.

Go back to the drawing board, ya dingus.

Most of it is fine, I guess. And gold and brown isn’t over-represented in the WORST ROSTER so they’re perfectly fine colors. The bull-head helmet looks dumb though.

Also, despite spending time making a new sword, he’s decided that since he hasn’t wielded any weapon in a while, he’s too rusty. So he’s just going to use his FISTS.

Gilgamesh: “I am long out of practice. A weapon too long in the scabbard whose edge has been dulled by time and rust. This will hone me again.”

Meanwhile, above New York City, Nanny leaves Orphan-Maker to pilot the airship while Nanny checks on Franklin.

Nanny is surprised that Franklin is so hard to keep asleep. She runs some scans on him and is further surprised at Franklin’s mutations (hahah cursed future knowledge).

She asks the sleeping kid what his name is and has a panic when he says Franklin Richards and that his mom and dad are Susan and Reed.

Nanny calls Orphan-Maker (Peter) and asks him if he really orphan-made Franklin’s parents and calls him out for lying when he lies about it.

So she swats his robot palm with an electro-switch. Because why not.

Nanny has a Concern now because they kidnapped MR FANTASTIC AND INVISIBLE WOMAN’S KID and didn’t KILL MR FANTASTIC AND INVISIBLE WOMAN!

Hey, I can’t see things going well for you either if you’d half of the first family of Marvel comics.

Now there’s a What If concept.

Anyway, Nanny has a Plan for dealing with PISSING OFF HALF OF THE FANTASTIC FOUR and she heads into the forge to go prepare.

She has a forge on her spaceship. Why wouldn’t she.

The Fantastic Three of Reed, Sue, and the Captain catch up to Nanny’s ship and Reed (gently) knocks it out of the sky with an energy drain.

The Fantasti-Car can do that. Why wouldn’t it?

Nanny’s ship bounces to a very safe and not at all hazardous stop in a park.

The Captain jumps out of the Fantasti-Car instead of waiting for it to park and lands on Nanny’s ship.

Orphan-Maker comes out and starts throwing fisticuffs and the Captain is surprised that the robot-suit dude doesn’t even flinch when Cap gets under his guard and hits him with his Captain vibranium shield. And further surprised when the dude bonks him in the head.

Invisible Sue finds that her powers just slide off Orphan-Maker. Like he’s got some kind of screening device protecting him.

Orphan-Maker hoists the Captain into the air to throw him but Mr Fantastic just snatches him out of O-M’s grip.

Then Orphan-Maker pulls a regular ass gun on Mr Fantastic.

I don’t know why this is so funny to me.

Maybe because he’s pretty clearly a child in a highly advanced robot suit and he pulls out a normal gun.

It has similar energy to those dragonball fanimated videos where characters who can blow up the world panic if someone pulls a gun.

The Captain just throws his not-as-mighty-but-still-pretty-mighty shield and smashes the gun. And when the shield boomerangs back, Cap throws it again and hits Orphan-Maker under the chin. Since the suit is tough but Cap noticed where its weak points were while he was getting hoisted.

Anyway, after getting bonked in the chin with a still-pretty-mighty-shield, Orphan-Maker sits and cries to Nanny that the mean men hurt him.

It starts to dawn on the Captain that inside this robot suit there’s just a small child but he doesn’t get to wrestle over this suspicion long because a different and red robot suit comes out of Nanny’s ship and bonks Cap in the head. Knocking him the fuck out.

People keep punching him in the head today.

Anyway, this is probably, definitely Franklin. Nanny is the kind of sicko who’d put a child in a robot suit and make him kill his own parents.

What a creep.

And she looks like an egg.

Mr Fantastic and Invisible Woman now realize that they’ve actually got to contribute to the fight more.

Invisibsue uses force fields to blow a mouth flamethrower so that Reedtastic can get in close and tangle around the new red guy.

But Red-Suit electrifies the exterior of the robot suit. Knocking Reed the fuck out.

Sue realizes that this new red guy doesn’t have a protective screen so she puts an invisible force field around him.

But red dude is beefy and punches through the force field bubble. And she can’t put up another bubble fast enough! But she has enough time to verbalize that she can’t put up another bubble in time!

With Cap unconscious and being sat on by Orphan-Maker and Reed unconscious, nobody is left to save her- Nah, just kidding.

Gilgamesh shows up in a flash of lightning.

I didn’t know he had lightning powers.

Was this supposed to be Thor?

It even does the KRACKTHOOM!

Anyway, Gilgamesh blasts red guy away from Sue.

Nanny comes out of the ship tsk-ing that another hero showed up.

She yells at red guy that his “homework isn’t complete yet! I want these people dead! All of them! And I want them dead now!”

Red guy (it’s Franklin. Its clearly Franklin. Even Sue and Reed realize that its Franklin by now) says he doesn’t want to kill people dead but Nanny threatens to take away his nice robot suit and what’s more “there’ll be no dessert for a month!”

Red Franklin: “Oh, no, Nanny! Not that!”

Nanny is actually pleased that Reed and Sue have finally realize because the knowledge will surely prevent them from fighting back seriously.

(What Nanny doesn’t know is that Reed has put Franklin in a coma at least once.)

Gilgamesh points out that Red Franklin isn’t his son and he’d gladly kill him to stop him from killing his own parents.

Invisible Woman: “Reed, what are we going to do?”

The Captain, who I didn’t know was named Reed: “Offhand, Susan, I’d say we were in for the trickiest fight of our lives!”

Nanny: “What’s so tricky about it? All you have to do is die!”

I say we let Gilgamesh crack this egg. In the violence sense.

Follow @essential-avengers​ because that’s the place. Like, reblog, and comment because it makes me feel good about spending my time liveblogging. Yell at an egg today. That’s no yolk.

[obsessedwithlute]

Aidas x Reader Fic, Chapter Two

When you got back to your apartment, your phone was waiting on the kitchen counter where you'd forgotten it, lit up with a text alert from Hypaxia.

Coffee at noon tomorrow?

It was nice having your best friend in Lunathion, but the amount of work she was doing meant you hadn't really gotten to hang out together. Finally, she had some time to do something together. A lot of the time it felt like you were best friends with a stranger. You hadn't wanted to tell Aidas because he'd ask too many questions (honestly, did he ever shut up?) but Hypaxia had been giving you the sense she was hiding something for months. Maybe you could finally confront her with the grand news that you weren't an idiot tomorrow.

You had some idea of what might be going, on but needed it confirmed before making any accusations. 

You replied, Sounds great! Regular place? 

She instantly typed back, Ofc. Gtg now but see u tmrw

Okay, she was definitely hiding something if she was using abbreviations! Hypaxia had once drunkenly admitted that she only ever resorted to them if she really wanted to avoid a conversation.

Hypaxia had never used them on you before.

You groaned and collapsed into your spinning desk chair, face buried in your hands. Between Aidas, Danika's murder, and this, your life was a complete shithole.

You had finally worked up the courage to finish chapter twenty-one of your current work- something that had been an exciting prospect earlier that morning- when your phone pinged with a text from the Autumn King.

Meet me in my office in seven minutes. Do not be late.

What the Hel could this possibly be about? And how did he expect you to get from the Old Square to FiRo in seven minutes? You didn't own a damn car!! And he knew better than anyone that the strange almost batlike wings that had resided on your back since birth and had been a mystery to everyone you'd met had always been folded in and incapable of flight. And there was no way you were texting Hypaxia and asking her to fly you, not when she obviously was trying to avoid you! You had enough headaches to deal with!

You typed out a furious response. Seventy minutes

You pushed yourself out of your chair and pulled your jacket over your frayed grey CCU Sunball T-shirt, and started on the trek to the Autumn King's villa.

It had been seventy-four minutes by the time you arrived. You hadn't run; it would only satisfy him to see you huffing and puffing to be there on time. You pulled open the door to his villa, completely ignoring the guards who basically begged for an ID, even though your one-of-a-kind wings made it obvious who you were.

You reached the Autumn King's office and yanked the door open. "You summoned?" you said in a dry tone.

"You dare mock your king?" he hissed.

"Oh, was I mocking Your Majesty? Deepest apologies!" You curtsied so lightly it could have been considered a borderline insult. There wasn't a chair for you across from the Autumn King's desk, so you sat down right on top of it, crushing a stack of papers as you did so.

The Autumn King pinched the bridge of his nose and looked you directly in the eyes. "The time has come for you to carry on the Fae bloodline." "Excuse me?" you barked. "I am not your breeding mare!" "I am your king, and you do not contradict me. You made your decision, Y/N. Live with it." Right after graduating, the Autumn King had shown up on Bryce and Danika's doorstep and demanded that Bryce swear allegiance to him, most likely on account of her Starborn powers. You had stepped in front of her and told the Autumn King you would adopt the last name Danaan instead. It had been in name only, really, and you never expected it to turn into anything more, Luna forbid this.

"I am not getting married, and I am certainly not having a child," you hissed.

"You will. And after you tie the knot, you will drop this business of yours. Writing dirty smut is not something I wish to be associated with the Fae bloodline," the Autumn King insisted.

"I right under an alias, so no one can associate my writing with your fancy bloodline!"

"I do not care. You are to marry Tristan Flynn three days after the Autumn Equinox, and this is not up for debate. You will consummate your marriage, and continue to attempt to reproduce until a child is conceived. Or," he said in a slightly lighter tone, "I could simply ask if Bryce Quinlan would like to take your place." "No!" you half screamed. "I'll do it. I'll marry Flynn and have a kid with him. I'll give up my writing and I'll do whatever the fuck else you ask. Just leave Bryce alone."

"Very well, then," the Autumn King said, nodding. "The announcement will be in two days."

[oldworldwidgets]

1-5 for teddy & 6-10 for lilah for the fallout ask meme !!!

Teddy

1. Which Fallout game are they from? New Vegas!

2. Which faction(s) did they join and which did they destroy? Why? He belongs to the Great Khans and, after he meets Arcade, the Followers. He destroys the fuck out of the NCR and the Legion. The NCR because of Bitter Springs (it was personal to him) and the Legion because fuck em.

3. What is their S.P.E.C.I.A.L.? S9, P1, E4, C9, I5, A2, L10

4. Give us a summary of their backstory. Oh great heavens. A very short summary: He was raised Mormon on an NCR ranch with his four older brothers and one younger sister. He got fed up one day, burned the ranch down (only he, his sister, and one brother survived), and became a drifter. Ran odd jobs, most of them ethically questionable bc they paid best. Eventually linked back up with his sister who pretended she didnt know him, then his brother who was in rehab with the Followers. He stayed at the Fort and was heart eyes with Arcade, but his brother was homophobic to them so Teddy left, causing his brother to OD the next day. Joined the Khans and stayed there for a few years before Bitter Springs happens. After that, he became an outlaw and basically hunted NCR with the Khans until he’s paid by the Mojave Express to deliver a pack of cards (Courier Three) and is shot by Benny (he got it wrong the first time). Events of the game happen, he pursues independent Vegas, then retires and lives a happy rancher life with Arcade afterward.

5. What’s their full name and does it have a meaning? Do they have any nicknames and how did they get em? Theodore Dawson. It doesn’t really, it just feels cowboy to me and I like the idea of a big mean man named Teddy. It does have a meaning in the context of his siblings though. Their names are Benjamin, Levi, Jacob, Noah, and Hannah; Theodore (named after his father) is the only name not found in the Bible.

He has a few “nicknames” that are just derivative of his name. When he’s young, he goes by Theo. When he’s a drifter, he goes by Dawson or Daws. After he finds his brother, he goes by Teddy (Arcade gives him the nickname). His bestie Amantis (@odd-ball-out’s courier) also calls him Bear.

Delilah

6. What’s their sexual, romantic, and gender orientation? Do they feel comfortable telling other people? She is a cis woman who is not attracted to (sexually or romantically) anyone. I guess rigidly she could be considered aroace, but really, romance is just something that she doesn’t prioritize, and sex has been completely ruined for her because she only knows how to use it to get what she wants.

7. Do they have any mental illnesses? How do they cope? Miss girl has PTSD from domestic abuse something terrible, but she copes by… uh… motions to her entire personality

8. Do they have any medical conditions? Is medicine/ treatment available for them? She is anemic, so she’s cold all the time and bleeds a lot if she gets injured, but there’s not much she can do about it in the wasteland. Just has to keep warm and avoid injury.

9. How much do they care about their outer appearance? What’s their “beauty routine”? How often do they shower/ bathe? She cares very much about her outward appearance because it’s really her bread and butter. Her whole theory of survival would be moot if she wasn’t hot enough to seduce people into giving her caps/info, buying chems from her, and underestimating her in gunfights. She doesn’t need to shower unusually often because pretty lady doesn’t like to get her hands dirty, but she maintains great hygiene for wasteland standards.

10. What do they fear the most? I don’t wanna say she’s fearless bc that’s not necessarily true, but there’s very little that phases her. She should be terrified of abandonment, but she intentionally keeps people at length so they can’t abandon her (which is… another problem entirely). Realistically, I guess the answer is that she’s most afraid of people she trusts getting angry/violent with her when she would never expect that of them.

[dommesticpet]

Kink Advent Day 3 - In Technicollar

Yesterday, I opened a door and found a collar. We've never really done anything with collars, so that in and of itself was a big surprise. What I did not realize is that said collar also included a leash, which, well, that's a head trip. @dommesticpet had to be somewhere in the morning - and got home as I was going out to take care of something - but after? We tried the collar.

I had to kneel in front of her as she sat on the bed, but I'm a little tall so she stood up and put it on me. I haven't seen myself in it, but she seemed to have that little smile in her voice that indicates it must look good on me. It was a big black one, with the metal stuff to hook a leash to.. which she did, and I got pulled in to kiss her. I'm sure this is basic kink 101 stuff, but as we've never done it, it was new, and exciting, and hot. Hotttttt. How many ts should I put on there? Probably more. I know some of you out there have a collar, or bracelet, or something you wear all the time, but I don't. My go-to aesthetic as an adult is "boring" or "obscure t-shirt," mostly so I can pass through most spaces without answering a lot of questions.

I admit I don't know if it was too tight. I could fit four fingers in between it and my neck, and I think I heard "two" was usually good, so maybe I just have a weird neck. (Collar expertise and advice is welcome.) There was a lot of fun making-out on the edge of the bed, with her making little moans seeing me kneel certain ways which was surprising and fun! I'm not used to getting that kind of reaction out of people, and we've been together for a while now.

What's most interesting, though, and I hope that identifying this doesn't kill it - we didn't do any hypnosis at all. We were both fully dressed for most of this, which involved a lot of her doing dirty flirty Domme talk things that were fantastic because apparently my wearing a collar turns up the domme-o-meter up to 11. I had a hard time making eye contact and I couldn't exactly tell you why - I haven't had a lot of experience with things around my neck.

I can say it works for me. I assume I must look good in it, as she seemed to like the idea of a kneeling, collar-wearing, adult at her feet wearing a green sweater. (The most seductive color of markdown sweaters?) Given we're usually playing head games, it was exciting to experience someone else being in control with a more physical, direct approach. You see pictures of this stuff all over the place and go "hey that looks pretty hot," so it's nice to confirm "hey, this feels pretty hot!" too. If it felt differently and I just started doing Scooby-Doo voices instead, that would probably bring Kink Advent to an end pretty quickly.

Note: The collar was a collar, not a Collar. This wasn't some big deal thing, we're trying out a new toy and I would say a collar and a leash may just be the thing for you.

Note 2: Being winter, meaning "dried out skin season," my neck was a little dry. She said it was a little red after I took it off, so I don't know if that's due to it rubbing on my neck, or a reaction to the material, because as far as I know it was not too tight or really even tight. But maybe it could be and should be looser. (Again, expertise is welcome.) We'll probably test it when we're watching TV this week to see what happens.

Note 3: Day 2 was the item, day 3 was playing with the item. What's day 4? I don't know, you'd have to ask her.

[zozo-01]

wip wednesday (midnight hockey edition 💞)

I was tagged by the lovely @autisticempathydaemon, but unfortunately, I don't have anything new to share in terms of fics. [sad face] SO!!! I shall share a lil reflection I did that I'm still really proud of!!!!

--

As a brown girl, I've watched my favourite player, Nazem Kadri (an Arab, Muslim man) be continually harassed for his race and religion. But the discrimination he faced was the implied kind.  The kind that many white people can excuse because, "it's not a violent action so therefore it's ok," while I and many brown kids feel hurt from the microaggressions around us within a sport we love. 

Racism being present in hockey is something I’ve known my whole life. Though I have never played the sport, I’ve been hearing horror stories of what happens to players who aren’t white. (Who look more like me than they do their teammates.) Growing up in Toronto, one of the biggest hockey markets, you hear these stories everyday on the news.

Nazem Kadri’s stories were the ones that hit me the hardest. As a Pakistani, Muslim girl, many of the racist comments he receives are similar to the ones I have heard. I remember at age 10, reading about both the racist and Islamaphobic messages he got during a game at the same age as I was. Sam Kadri, Nazem’s father said himself, “Somehow, people with these comments about 9/11 and bin Laden seemed to keep coming up somewhere. I would get furious. But what can you do? I would definitely confront people who talked like that if I knew who it was, but I couldn't put myself in a compromising position.”

 I remembered feeling… dirty in a way? The best way I can describe it was my brain rejecting my body. Maybe because it didn’t want to think of the horrifying implications? That the same things said about him could be said about me.

I remember feeling the exact same way when I had learned that St. Louis fans had sent racist threats to him following game 3 of the Colorado/St. Louis second round series.

What had happened in game 3 was that Kadri was pushed into Jordan Binnington (the Blues goaltender) by an opposing player. This caused Binnington to sustain a knee injury and led to him leaving the game early. Many Blues players and fans were furious at the incident as this was a significant blow to the Blues roster. To play the number one seed and Stanley Cup favourites without your starting goaltender is a death sentence. What added fuel to the fire was when the league decided not to suspend Kadri. While Kadri’s innocence can be debated, this isn’t the first time he laid a serious hit on an opposing player, Blues’ fans needed someone to blame and they decided for it to be Kadri.

Ashley Kadri, Nazem Kadri’s wife, posted some of racist and death threats that were sent her way after game 3. To sum them all up, they all had the sentiment of  “you’re different, and you deserve pain for that.”

And again that dissociative feeling came rushing back to me.

But I think the thing that hurt me the most was when his comments after his heroic game four performance didn't go in depth about his experiences. The line that stood out to me was "For those who hate, that ones for them." As if it wasn’t basically everyone. But honestly, who can blame him?

Players, coaches and referees of all races have been kicked out from hockey from all levels for reporting and standing up to racism. And even if he did go on a similar rant that Steve Kerr had after what happened in Uvalde, he’d be called the ‘angry brown man.’

Over the course of this project, I didn’t learn anything new. It just reaffirmed something that I’ve known my whole life.

I (and many POC kids like me) fell in love with a sport that didn’t love me back.

It's easy to call out racism when it's obvious, and the NHL commends players for speaking out about their experiences... until it's a coach calling a player the 'n-word,' or a player on the ice calling the opponent a slur, or when it's time to punish a whole fanbase yelling out hateful speech, suddenly the NHL goes silent. We've seen what happens when a player goes against the 'Boy's Club' in hockey. Both Kyle Beach and Akim Aliu faced the consequences. And like always, everyone plays innocent when these allegations come out.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. There are a number of Black, Brown and Indigenous kids in junior leagues right now that are preparing to be stars in the league. Quinton Byfield was taken with the number two overall pick in the 2020 Draft. K’Andre Miller has emerged as an amazing player this year for the New York Rangers. The league is diversifying. Slowly, but it is. It would be nice if these kids, who are all around the same age as me, weren’t subjected to numerous racist attacks for every mistake they make. 

With this project, I want the white fans in the league to know that racism is in hockey. There is no denying it and continuing to deny would do no one good. I also want these fans to (and excuse my language) shut the fuck up when a player talks about an experience of racism and other forms of bigotry years later. We have established that hockey culture prevents players and coaches from talking about their negative experiences. So I do not want to hear none of this “why didn’t come out back then” shit.

The information provided can help the league let go of the toxic nature of hockey culture, so that people can finally talk about their experiences without facing repercussions, accountability can be taken to make sure that racist people are removed, regardless of their power, and that BIPOC parents can feel safe to put their children in hockey. And that those children grow up and inspire a new generation of BIPOC hockey players and fans, the same way Nazem Kadri did for me.

My whole life, everyone has preached to me that "Hockey is for all." My goal and hope are that within my lifetime, that hockey will be for all.

[league-of-sam]

As Grim as the Reaper | Simon 'GHOST' Riley PREQUEL

Ghost x Reader, Graves x Reader

CHAPTER THREE

Phillip Graves x AFAB!Reader!OC 18+ MINORS DNI! t.w // angst, mental health, language, violence, death, sexual themes/SMUT, military inaccuracies, language inaccuracies (google translate).

As Grim as the Reaper: Masterlist

"You got everything you need, little bug?"

Shoving your last duffel bag stuffed to the brim with clothes into the back of the truck, you wiped the little dribble of sweat from your brow.

"Yeah, think so." you breathed.

Today was the day that you were moving.

Moving away from your family.

Away from your home.

Away from the SAS.

But it was for something new.

Today was the day, that after countless meetings and arguments and paperwork, you'd be transferring to the US Special Operations Unit, and moving to the United States for the foreseeable future.

"I'm so proud of you, you know." John said, taking your shoulders in his hands. "My little sister, off to see the world and fight like the hero I know she is."

You smiled, trying to hide the tears welling in your eyes, "Stop, John. You're gonna make me cry again."

"You're gonna be amazin', you know that right?"

"Course I am, I learned from the best after all, Captain."

He smiled, beaming down at you, "Damn right, ya did."

Once more, he pulled you close, hugging you tightly as if it'd be the last time he'd do it. But you were aware as much as he was that it would be a long time before you'd see each other again.

"Remember," he whispered. "We get dirty-"

"-and the world stays clean." you spoke back, a proud smile on your face. "I know."

He led you back into the building with a tight arm around your shoulder, turning slightly to click the car lock before shoving you through the door playfully, the two of you laughing as you moved down the corridor.

Waiting for you in the conference room with a screen set up was Kate Laswell, CIA Special Ops Chief handler.

She had been trying for the last four years to recruit you oversees, especially when your skill and antics with John in basic training caught wind, and soon everyone in the military was aware that unfortunately, there was a second Price, and she was just as good and as unorthodox as her idiot older brother.

After being injured in your last tour in Afghanistan with the British Army, you decided that now, you'd take her up on her offer, and transfer to the US branch of the SAS, the Special Ops unit.

She was overjoyed, of course, and a meeting with General Shepherd was set up as soon as humanly possible.

You hugged her as you greeted her, the woman becoming closer to you over the years she's checked in on you. You'd come to know her well, and honestly, it seemed like the only reason John finally gave in to this move was because he knew Kate would be responsible for you.

Taking a seat at the round table, John sat next to you, while Laswell opened the laptop to a waiting General.

"Kate? You read me?" His voice crackled on the stream.

"Loud and clear, General." She replied.

"Good." He nodded. "Hello again, Captain Price."

"General." John tipped his hat.

"And a pleasure to meet you, Sergeant Price." Shepherd greeted you.

"The pleasure is all mine, sir. Thank you for agreeing to this opportunity for me."

He waved you off with a chuckle, "As I understand it, we're the ones receiving the favour. I've read your file...you're incredibly skilled, Sergeant. I believe you'll fit in well with the team here."

"Thank you, sir."

You felt yourself blush at the praise. General Shepherd was one of the most esteemed men in the CIA, and to be complimented by him on your skill, well that was fucking awesome.

John nudged your shoulder with his, a grin of pride spread across his lips.

"However, you will still undergo training here. We have one of my best soldiers waiting for you, and you will begin training as soon as you're settled in. He will show you everything you need to know about being in Special Ops."

"Yes, sir. I can't wait to get started."

Shepherd nodded, and began to address Kate about an unrelated topic for a few moments, in which John took the opportunity to lean close and whisper.

"Don't get too in your head about Shepherd." He said, "He can be an absolute mard-arse, but don't take it personally."

"What, you don't like him?"

"Meh," John shrugged, "Worked with him on several occasions, he can just be...difficult. But ya gonna be fine, little bug. Just show him what ya got."

"Yeah."

It was Kate's turn to address you, then, pushing a small brown folder towards you. Picking it up, you flipped it open. Greeting you on the first page was a form to sign.

"Now this is just a basic consent form for your details to be shared within the team. Obviously, for reasons I'm sure we all know, we tend to keep your records as protected as possible, so we just need you to sign this to ensure you consent to your team knowing you."

You nodded, scrawling your signature on the black dotted line at the bottom of the page, before sliding the form back to her.

Next, was a profile page.

SAC Sergeant Alex Keller.

Age: 28.

Alias(es): Echo 3-1.

Specialisation(s): Close-quarter combat, knife combat, counter terrorism.

As you read over his file, you looked at the picture; sandy brown hair, blue eyes, moustache and beard groomed to perfection. Tattoos running down both arms.

Jesus, this man was gorgeous.

"Hey," You nudged John, "His moustache is almost better than yours."

"Fuck off is it-" He grumbled, rolling his eyes as he barely gave it a glance. "Ya such a cow, (Y/N)."

You couldn't help but laugh, hand over your mouth in an effort to preserve your professionalism.

"So, this'll be the guy training me?"

"Affirmative, sergeant. He is part of our Echo 3 team, the team you will temporarily join until we decide where you are best fit." Shepherd spoke.

"We are hoping to eventually form the secondary Echo team, Echo 6. With you being the first recruited for this project, you will be known as Echo 6-2, despite starting on the 3 team." Laswell said.

"Understood. Counter terrorism...there something going on?" You questioned.

"There always is." Shepherd answered. "Gotta be prepared for worst-case scenarios in this work, and our teams need you, Sergeant."

Both Laswell and Shepherd then continued to update the two of you on the current war on terror, the main enemies, problems, all general military things that you'd gotten used to hearing about in your years of service thus far.

"Now, the only thing left to address is your medical."

"Sir?" You said, eyebrows furrowed."

"Don't worry, you passed. But my medic team here are still feeling some concern over the injuries you sustained in your last deployment in Afghanistan."

"Oh."

"She's alright, General." John defended you.

"Are you, (Y/N)?"

You thought for a moment. Sure, the scar was still fresh on your torso, sometimes it hurt to lift heavier things than it usually did, sometimes it burned as you relived the memory. But taking the job with Special Ops was supposed to help you move on, not hold you back.

"I am, sir. I've been working hard here and I feel I'm in a place where I can move on from this. The injury will not hold me back, and I've recovered well."

"Good. That's exactly the answer I was hoping for. Welcome to the United States Special Operations Unit, Sergeant Price. I'll be there to formally greet you on your arrival."

With that, General Shepherd signed off, and the room settled into silence.

"Well, shit." You laughed.

Laswell joined you, pulling you to stand and wrapping her arms around you tightly, "I'm so proud of you, honey. You're going to be incredible."

"Thanks, ma."

You pulled away, locking eyes with John over Laswell's shoulder. She moved away to pack her things, allowing him to step into her place, wrapping his arms around you.

It didn't take long for you to bid goodbyes to the others around the base that you'd gotten to know well, albeit a few tears were shed. You were leaving behind the only family you had, after all.

"Gonna miss you." You mumbled into John's chest.

"I'll miss ya too, little bug. But don't worry, I'll call ya every chance I can, and Laswell's already given me your new address so I can send ya stuff."

"You don't have to do that-"

"Oh shut up before I change my mind."

You smiled sadly, squeezing him once more, "Thanks, John. Keep rockin' that bucket hat for me, yeah?"

With one last hug, he let you go, pushing you towards Kate.

You trudged over the car park, few solemn tears slipping from your eyes as you got closer and closer to your new life.

"I'll see you on the other side, Captain." You whispered, before turning and stepping into Kate's awaiting vehicle.

A whistle stopped you in your tracks, and as you turned back to face your brother, you let out a sob. Looking back at you was John, middle finger in the air.

I love you.

You smiled, returning the gesture, before climbing into the car, and watching as the figure of him got smaller and smaller as you drove away.

Missing John was going to damn-near kill you, but the anxious excitement that bubbled within you was increasing as you got closer to your new adventure. You couldn't help but feel like your life was about to change forever.

And hopefully, that was a good thing.

[roguemonsterfucker]

I had a friend who went through awfully similar through that person/company too. TW for child death; but she had a small child that ended up passing away from a respiratory illness. Her kids favorite animal was a wolf, so in her grief she went to order something from then too. She also paid everything up front.

But quite a bit of time kept passing, and kept passing, and kept passing. After a couple of years their was nothing. My friend went to send a message to see what the status of everything was and wanted to ask about how long to expect it this to take. It got ignored. A couple months later she tried to send another message and nothing. Rinse and repeat on that a couple of times. Eventually she shot a message on Insta asking for a refund and shortly after she had asked for a refund her account got blocked.

It's been quite a long time since i last talked to my old friend, so I'm not sure if they ever did get that refund, but even if werepups/asia wasn't a scammer, at the very least they have the worst customer service skill on the face of the planet.

I'm sorry if this message is too downtrodden and heavy just given the subject matter. But I guess I just wanted to chime up and say you weren't alone in how they were doing people dirty. I don't know if they still make them anymore but if they do then I feel at the very least people deserve to know what they might be getting into if they go to give their business to Werepups

Ugh, that's so awful. My deepest sympathies go to your friend.

And it is interesting that they paid fully upfront as well... More support for my theory that she only finished orders that weren't paid yet. =/

It is weird that they got blocked on instagram. That's where I was finally able to get a response. I first used email, and I got replies during the first year of waiting saying they were "six months behind." Then they stopped replying to emails.

Then I started messaging them on facebook. I got a response, but not a timeline. And then no response later.

Finally, I think I actually commented on an instagram post and that's when I got real replies, but by then I was just so fucking over it because four years had passed at that point. So I asked for a refund and they agreed.

Except I didn't get any updates on the status of the refund for a while. Not until I messaged then saying basically "hey, I don't have the same paypal I used to pay so a refund may be complicated, so instead I'm willing to take that new blank werepup kit you're selling for almost the same as I paid and call it even." Got a fast response there and they sent it. The kit cost $140 and I'd paid $150 (for a mini werepup).

I think they were very happy to pay me off without having to actually give me money.

But it was soon after that that I finally heard about the status of my werepup and found that it had been made.

So even though I got that kit, I can't even fucking look at the thing. Too many bad memories. I ended up selling it to my mom, who makes reborns, but she hasn't even done anything with it yet.

I'm still hopeful to get a werewolf doll at some point, but not one that Asia Erikson had any part in making. She may not be a scammer but she's a scummy person and I don't want her getting another cent from me.

Her brother tried to defend her in some of the Alternative Reborn facebook groups and he was generally just really shitty to everyone who felt scammed by Werepups, making all sorts of excuses.

Four years. There's no excuse, not when other people were getting their werepups in that time who ordered after me.

[starlight-time-machine]

Week in Review

11/05/2023 – 11/11/2023

Sunday

As expected, the Ichinose chapter last week was a fake out. Just one more gotcha – but just kidding this time! before the end of the road. And now that we’re here…it’s a little baffling to me that it took us 48 chapters and an entire year to impart the relatively basic message of “families aren’t perfect but you gotta keep trying anyway.” I wish we could’ve gotten more focus into each of the other family members like Tsubasa did, what with the whole set up of the seven deadly sins and all. I wish there weren’t so many twists that seemed to be only for shock factor/cliffhangers. And I wish this series had a stronger thematic backbone, but I’m learning that Taizan 5’s M.O. is all about bordering on trauma porn/shock factor until they pull it back for a conclusion that’s about as complex as you’d find in a Disney Channel movie. They always have great premises, but from what I’ve seen, I don’t think they have the skill to actually follow through with interesting and evocative ideas. I’m just glad the trip is finally over. I’ll give Ichinose a 3/10, and I honestly don’t think I’ll check out Taizan 5’s works in the future.

Next up is Undead Unluck, and it’s so serendipitous that we got this chapter right after episode 5 of the anime, because otherwise I don’t think I would’ve remembered Andy firing his fingers at the Round Table, and then I wouldn’t have caught this parallel of Fuuko shooting her guns at the UMAs! What a full circle moment. And oh my God Andy…pulling a Fire Punch, I see. Solid chapter overall.

Dandadan 127: YAYYY RIN!! LET ‘EM KNOW!!!

Magilumiere 90: Plot-wise I don’t have much to say about this chapter, but it’s fun to see everyone in the Manga Plus comments lamenting about Shigemoto being denied his magical girl dress.

Hmmmmm yeah okay, it’s the end of the line for Akane-banashi for me…I know I said I was going to stick with it for the rakugo stories, but I think I’ll just listen to a rakugo podcast or something. I’m glad I got to see fox Karashi before I went, though.

One Piece was fine.

CIPHER ACADEMY YAYYYYY I’m glad to finally learn more about Karigane and what a threat she can be! I also love when Byu’s eyes go into sniper mode, it’s such a unique character design detail. But oh boy……I tried so hard to get into mahjong when I played Yakuza 0, and I’ve since accepted that I’m just too dumb for it LMAO like, there’s no way I’ll ever be able to memorize all the point-winning hands, and I barely understand what a dora or tenpai is. I wouldn’t even be able to tell if I was winning if there wasn’t a video game telling me that I was…all of which is to say that this code battle is just going in one ear and out the other, I’m afraid. But I’ll just focus on the emotional journeys of the characters and I’ll still have a great time.

My friend and I finally marathoned a ton of House episodes, but they were all pretty standard fare. I can’t believe we’re only halfway through season 5 and there’s still four whole 22-episode seasons left…they really let TV shows go on forever back then, huh? What’s really surprising to me on this rewatch is how Taub has become my favourite character…? He’s pragmatic, self-aware, and doesn’t tend to get caught up emotionally – my kinda guy.

Monday

Finally got around to watching the Dirty Laundry episode that came out like two weeks ago. This one was pretty fun, with one or two wild stories, but still doesn’t reach the heights of some of the earlier Dirty Laundry episodes for me. And every time I watch, I think about how hard it must be to cast for this show, because not only do you have to get good comedians, you have to get four of them who are familiar enough with each other to have funny banter and to actually guess whose secret it is… And I fear that their talent pool is running out…or rather, their talent pool of people I recognise and would like to see on the show is running out.

Watched the new Make Some Noise episode while I was at it and I love seeing Jacob again, his energy with Lou is really fun. I feel like some of the prompts this season have been a little…subpar, though… I don’t like the ones where it’s just a pop culture reference that’s basically only one obvious joke, or the ones where there’s no real room to expand… But I think the guests this time did the best with what they got. But holy shit I did not enjoy the minigames in this episode…

Tuesday

Agh

Wednesday

Ack

Thursday

Aghhh

Friday

It’s been a busy week… I’ve gotten sucked into all my various projects and errands…but I always have time for new Undead Unluck episodes. Unfortunately, this was probably the weakest episode in the series so far. Story-wise it was a lot of setup for next week’s fight, and visuals-wise…look, I get it, there’s literally no other way they could feasibly do this on a TV anime schedule, but goddamn the 3D zombies look goofy as hell… I really hate seeing 3D human models in 2D anime, it just never looks convincing and completely takes me out of it. But it is what it is, I suppose.

I loved the part in the beginning of the episode though, where Shen was being cute and having fun banter with Fuuko. And then the fish-eyed lenses effect to amp up the horror vibes when they were listening to the recording was also a nice touch. Now I’m just really looking forward to seeing if Shen has his little unhinged moment next week. (Special shout out to the cameo from Mr. Spongebob himself, that made me laugh).

Saturday

Pretty good episode of SpyFam today. I love seeing the tension racket up as Yor and co. realize that they’ve been found out – the scene with the room service guy was particularly excellent. The Anya segment provided a nice balance of comedic relief, though perhaps it dragged a bit longer than it needed to. I’m excited to get into the assassin battles proper next week.

It’s fun to be eating Chinese food while watching Kusuriya, especially when it’s a super spicy mala dish…I feel like I’m doing a poison mukbang with Maomao. Rihaku is really cute in anime form! The Garden Party as a whole was adapted about as well as I could’ve expected, but I think I just prefer seeing it in manga form for whatever reason…probably something to do with the pacing of reading the dialogue versus watching it being spoken aloud.

Pretty barren week, huh? I wish I could say I was being productive the whole time but it’s more like I got sucked into my hobbies while watching a lot of YouTube in the background. Hopefully next week will be more eventful.