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clockworkgraystairs · 4 years

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Christmas Dinner || Jurdan X-mas in July

AHHHH there is more Christmas!Jurdan!!!!!!!!! 🎄🎄

Rating: T

Summary: The Duarte's are hosting their Christmas dinner and Vivi sets a trap for Jude to bring his boyfriend and introduce him to the family.

I guess this can be considered a little prequel to You got me trippin?

This is also my first time posting somethin in 1st person sooo...let’s see how it goes lmao

Tags: @jurdannet @jurdannetrevels @slightlyrebelliouswriter23 @sweetlyvillainous @aesthetics-11 @thesirenwashere @jurdanhell @demydreamer-otaku-and-book-lover @nightbringer @b00kworm @mysweetvillain @thefolkofthefic @yafandomsdotnet @vanessa172003

[if you wish to be tagged/untagged or if I forgot to tag you pls let me know!]

A massive thank you to Becca @sweetlyvillainous for betaing this for me!! Love u 🧡

Masterlist Read on AO3

This is a terrible, terrible idea I keep repeating myself.

If I’d shown a little more steadiness with my sister I wouldn’t be in this situation. I knew she was nervous about presenting her girlfriend to the family, specially to our father. And because she is extra as hell, she couldn’t choose another date that wasn’t on Christmas Eve. For weeks now she’d been texting me, grumbling about how was she going to be able to pull it off. I told her to relax and just go with it.

What I didn’t expect though, was for Vivi to arrive out of nowhere to the school where I work, talking nonsense about me bringing a fake date to dinner with hopes of taking the attention away from her.

After spending 15 minutes trying to convince her it is not necessary for me to do that, her insistence is such I end up babbling how bad that idea is since I already have a boyfriend, and fake dating someone else would certainly create problems.

Big mistake.

Looking at me with something like betrayal in her eyes, now she starts questioning me about that boyfriend who I’d never talked about before. I bite my lip. When it comes to personal stuff I prefer to keep it private, even with my own family. I have my reasons.

And just because luck is not on my side today, in the middle of her inquiries I hear a faint “Hey, babe!” behind me. I groan. Of course. Of course he had to arrive in that moment.

We both turn to look at him. Cardan approaches us wearing that mischievous grin reserved only for me, so different from the polite smile he uses with his students. His hair is tied up in a bun as he also wears it for work, few curls escaping it in the most adorable way.

With a pang of panic, I notice Vivi noticing how dumbfounded I’m looking at him. Her eyes light up in a way that I know means nothing good. I frown at her.

“I was looking for you on the cafeteria, one of your students told me you were here.” He pauses. “I- didn’t notice you were busy though, sorry.”

“Not at all!” Vivi says with exaggerated enthusiasm. “I’m Jude’s older sister, Vivi! You must be her lovely boyfriend.”

“Oh, yeah I am. Nice to meet you!” If I didn’t know him so well I wouldn’t notice the slight blush on his cheeks or the way he looks at me in contained alarm.

It’s too late by the time I put the pieces together. When I realize what is about to happen, my sister is already handing Cardan a rolled piece of paper.

“I came to make sure Jude invites you to our family Christmas dinner! She’s so absentminded sometimes isn’t she?”

I’m going to kill her. Slowly.

Horrified, I stand there and see Cardan take the invitation, grinning. His polite, charming smile.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” He says. “Thank you so much Vivi.”

My sister turns to me and whatever look it’s on my face makes her hesitate. Although, not enough. She claps her hands once and makes an excited squeal. “Well I must go now! But I’m so excited you’re coming to join us Cardan, see you there. Ciao!”

With that she turns and leaves.

So here we are. My boyfriend driving by my side, as we are about to arrive to my parent’s house.

My knee bounces without control as I twist my scarf between my fingers. At any moment now, I’m sure my heart is going to bolt out of my chest.

“Jude dear, is everything ok?” He asks. I notice I’ve been quiet almost the entire road.

I turn to look at him. He looks dashing, even if it’s not a strictly formal dinner he always finds a way to dress as it was. Black ensemble and green scarf that stands out his pale skin, though his nose and cheeks have a touch of color because of the cold weather.

“Yeah it’s just... My family is a little,” I pause. “I don’t know how to explain it.”

We are not the type of family that introduces romantic partners, ever. My twin sister tried to do it some years ago with a terrible and embarrassing outcome. At some point in the middle of breakfast, she’d asked her daddy to pass the salt. Both our father and Locke moved to grab it at the same time. What came next, well… if that Locke dude had restrained himself to make a sarcastic and really tacky comment about it, maybe he would still be welcome in the house. Alas, he is not.

Ever since that day, every time someone brings a guest to the house my father gets in a mood that is pretty uncomfortable for everyone. Sooner or later he makes everyone run. Not exactly the first impression I want Cardan to have.

We’ve been together for some time now, about eleven months. But the topic of introducing our families has never been on the table so far. I know he comes from a problematic family even if he doesn’t talk much about them. As for me, I have to admit I’ve grown so attached to him that I’m terrified of Madoc, or any other of my relatives, scaring him away.

He takes my hand in his, warming it, and smiles softly. “It’ll be ok. Breathe.”

I sigh, hoping he’s right and grip his hand tighter.

The inside of the house looks as if Santa’s bag had exploded. There are lights and ornaments everywhere. Even the tree is bigger than previous years. A delicious smell of food fills the place. As I stare in awe I hear voices coming from the living room.

“Jude? Is that you?” Hurried steps sound in the wooden floor and a few seconds later my little brother appears wearing an absurd red and white onesie. He crashes against me and I laugh, hugging him back.

“You do realize that’s for little kids don’t you?” I ask. “It looks good on you, though.”

Oak scoffs and pulls back. “Well of course it does. I look good on everything.”

Cardan chuckles next to me and for the first time my brother notices him. His eyes and mouth open widely, blinking at him and then turning back at me. Once. Twice.

“Jude,” He murmurs. It cracks me up how shy he can get around new people. “Who’s this?”

Ah, here we go. I take a deep breath and grab Cardan’s hand again.

“Don’t be rude,” I warn him. “His name is Cardan. Cardan, this is my brother Oak.”

Cardan greets him, extending his hand to him. Oak shakes it, visibly puzzled. “And Cardan is…?”

“My boyfriend.”

A slow, mocking and devilish smile spreads on his face. I swear to god that kid was taken out from the movie Cheaper by the Dozen. All the shyness is suddenly gone.

“You and Vivi are really trying to give dad a heart attack today aren’t you?” He turns to Cardan and adopts a serious expression I almost believe. “Please tell me Jude doesn’t call you daddy.”

“OAK!” I hiss. I look at Cardan and he gazes back with amusement, I notice he’s biting back a laugh.

“WHAT? I need to know earlier if I need to take my phone out, last time I didn’t have time to record when dad…” He motions with his hand. Yeah, I remember.

“She doesn’t.” Cardan affirms. Mimicking my brother’s mischievous smile he asks. “Is there a story there I need to know?”

Oak hesitates, even though I’m sure he’s dying to spill it out.

“Taryn would kill you.” I remind him.

“She’s not coming. For what I’ve heard, either it’s Locke’s turn to visit his family or something about dad running him under the car if he dared appearing. I’m not sure.”

Great.

“What if I beat you at Mario Kart?” Cardan asks, pointing at the console resting next to the tv.

Oak squints at him. “Are you challenging me?”

“It’s not a challenge when I know I’m going to win.”

Turning to me, my brother grins. “I like him.”

I know this is the first time I’ve brought someone home, but still I don’t know if I should be offended at my parent’s surprised faces. Oak had to tell my mother twice that Cardan is my boyfriend before she nods in understanding.

On his side, Cardan is being the full gentleman. To be fair he always is, but I notice the extra effort he’s doing today. It warms my heart. The only sign of nervousness I notice in him are occasional deep breaths he takes when he thinks no one is watching.

We get to meet Heather too, who is adorable and I honestly don’t know how on earth she fell in love with my lunatic sister. In a matter of minutes Cardan is already friends with her which helps with her evident tension. Vivi seems to relax as well.

Christmas music plays on the background as we eat. This is probably my favorite part of the evening. Don’t get me wrong, I love gatherings with my family but food calls me on a spiritual level. Cardan knows it too, chuckling at my excitement while I’m serving us mashed potatoes.

“So, Cardan.” My father starts, serving the wine. My heart leaps in my chest, oh no. “You met my daughter at work?”

He nods. “Yes sir, I arrived there about two years ago. I teach preschool and first grade.” Winking at me he adds. “Jude used to hate me.”

Madoc turns to me, frowning. “What happened?” I roll my eyes, classical worried dad.

I take a long drink from my wine and shrug. “Nothing, he stole the ‘best teacher award’ from me, on his first six months. I’m pretty sure he bribed the students that year.”

To my surprise, my father barks a laugh. We all stare at him wide-eyed.

“Keep repeating that to yourself, love.” Cardan teases. “It was a clean triumph.”

“You’ve always been competitive Jude, that’s no secret.” Vivi adds. “It’s nice to finally meet someone who can pull up with that.”

I turn to glare at her. You and I are going to talk later. She sticks out her tongue at me.

“Do you guys have sex?”

“Oak!” My mother shouts as my father and I both choke on our wine.

When Cardan parks the car outside my apartment it’s already past midnight.

Surprisingly, this turned out to be one of the best Christmas celebrations I’ve ever had. My boyfriend somehow managed to not only avoid any uncomfortable moments around my family but also to wrap them up around his little finger. With jokes and tales about us the night had passed incredibly fast.

Toasts were made, hugs and gifts were given. By the end, we were sprawled on the floor wearing silly sweaters and watching the merciless Mario Kart match between Oak and Cardan. It ended up in a tie. Rematch was already set for New Year’s Eve.

It was everything I never thought it would be.

“Well, did Vivi’s plan work?” Cardan asks.

I turn to find him already looking at me with a knowing smile on his face. Still, it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“C’me on, you weren’t really planning on inviting me to your family’s dinner. Something was surely going on the day she gave me the invitation.”

Sighing I whisper. “I’m sorry.”

He knows me too well, more than I even know myself sometimes.

“Don’t be, it’s not a topic we usually discuss.” He shrugs, reaching my hand with his. His thumb makes slow circles on my skin “Still, I should’ve asked if it was ok with you. Forgive me if I crossed a line.”

“You didn’t. I just wasn’t planning for you to meet my family yet.” I regret those words the moment they leave my mouth, knowing how they sound. Cardan doesn’t let go of my hand but he stops his ministrations. “Wait, that wasn’t…”

“Jude, it’s ok.” He says, turning to the windshield. I know him well enough too, and notice the touch of sadness behind his words.

“No it’s not. Please listen.” I insist, my heart is beating fast now. That look on his eyes is exactly what I tried to avoid the whole night. “The reason why I wasn’t thinking to introduce you to my family is that they’re ridiculously hard and annoying with every new person that visits. And this is the first time I took someone home and…I don’t know, I-”

“You thought I’d leave?” He turns his gaze back to me, warily.

At the beginning of the day I did. But I don’t find the words to admit it, so I don’t answer.

After a moment of silence he asks “Do you want to know why I agreed to go?”

I swallow and nod. Cardan inhales deeply..

“We’ve been together for some time now. And you know, you must know, I’m not playing around Jude.” I start to say something but he silences me with a soft finger against my lips. “I love you. If I agreed to whatever scheme your sister had in mind it was because I wanted to show you that I’m not going away. No matter what.”

“My family…”

“They love you. It’s only natural for them to ask what my intentions are… and maybe tease us about it too. I’m willing to admit your dad is a little scary. But not enough to make me run away.” He winks, cupping my face.“There is nothing on earth that would make me want to run away, Jude. That’s how much I love you.”

Feeling my eyes sting I blink. “I love you too.”

We’ve said those words before. But I find that they acquire a different meaning, somehow deeper. My chest is suddenly too small to hold everything I feel for this man. He’s not going anywhere. He loves me. I’m grinning like an idiot and I’m proud of it.

I lean to rest my forehead against his. “Since it’s our first Christmas together… and you already met my family.” His smile widens at that. “Would you like to stay the night?”

“There’s nothing I would like more.” Cardan angles his head to give me a kiss that I accept gladly, coiling my arms around his neck. “I usually spend Christmas alone, I guess it’s time for new traditions.”

We remain entwined for some minutes, it fastly turns into something hotter and desperate. I’m already straddling his hips when I pull back a few inches. I bet my lips are as swollen as his. He is looking at me with hunger… and love.

“How about a tradition in which we spend Christmas night undressed and watching some crappy Netflix movies?” I suggest.

My toes curl when he leans to bite my lobe and purrs. “Yes, please.”

#a very jurdan christmas in july #jurdannet christmas in july #jurdannet #jurdan #jude duarte #cardan greenbriar #tfota #holly black #tcp #twk #tqon #qon #judecardan #jude x cardan #the cruel prince #jurdan human au #vivi duarte #madoc #tess writes

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bpdjennamaroney · 4 years

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Mr. Shu announces the new school musical. Lots of big numbers, a large ensemble, a super diverse cast. It’s about American history, he teases. “Hamilton, Hamilton, Hamilton,” half the glee club chants under their breath.

“It’s Ragtime!” Mr. Shu exclaims. “And casting is super easy. Rachel will be Mother, Mercedes will be Sarah, Blaine will be Mother’s Younger Brother, Kurt will be Edgar, Quinn will be Evelyn Nesbit, and Matt will be Coalhouse.”

The kids look around. Matt?

“Yeah, you know, Matt? Didn’t we used to have a--oh, fuck,” Mr. Shu says, realizing that Matt quietly disappeared in Season 1.

“American history isn’t cool unless it’s written by Lin-Manuel Miranda,” Artie says. “I bet Ragtime doesn’t have any sick beats.”

“Not cool? You’re calling this not cool?” Mr. Shu bursts out into the ”Gettin’ Ready Rag.” “Now, how sick was that beat?” The glee kids nod in agreement--the beat was very sick indeed!

Rachel is excited to perform Ragtime until Mercedes sings “Your Daddy’s Son.” She realizes how ensemble-heavy it is. Sure, she’ll get to sing Back To Before, but too many excellent songs would go to other people. Suddenly, an idea pops into her head--she knows the perfect musical to replace Ragtime with!

The next day, Artie announces that he listened to the entire Ragtime cast recording and one of the songs really spoke to him. He performs “Wheels of a Dream.”

Artie: I guess you have your Coalhouse!

Shu: Definitely!

Mercedes: *clears throat*

Shu: I mean, er.

Artie: What, you got another candidate?

Shu: M...Mike? Would Mike be acceptable?

Rachel: Don’t worry, everyone, I have the perfect solution to a lack of appropriate racial casting for a production of Ragtime--we do Rags instead!

Mercedes: Rags? is that an off-brand version of Ragtime?

Rachel: No, actually, Rags came first and ran for four whole performances on Broadway. It’s about experience of Jewish immigrants in New York at the beginning of the 20th century and the importance of unionization. There are two lead roles I’d be perfect for.

Rachel performs a mash-up of the title song and “Children of the Wind.” The Glee club is unmoved. Mr. Shu insists on doing Ragtime.

But then, Mr. Fig calls Shu into his office. Ragtime is notoriously expensive! The rights alone are over budget. He needs to think of an alternative.

He’s heartbroken about not being able to perform Ragtime. He saw it as a teenager and has his sexual awakening to Harry Houdini, Master Escapist. He falls asleep and dreams that he’s Harry Houdini. Then he wakes up, longing to perform Ragtime but knowing it cannot be (”Wanting.”)

The next day, he breaks the news to Glee club. They are outraged.

Tina: If we can’t do Ragtime, we won’t do any musical at all!

Mr Shu: Wait but like two days ago you didn’t even want to do Ragtime.

Tina: Things change!

Rachel walks to the front of the rehearsal room. “Guys, the politics of Rags is much more progressive than Ragtime’s. It’s about how progressive politics and unionization is the only way to the future, whereas Ragtime ultimately falls against--”

Artie: Let’s unionize!

The glee kids go on strike. They protest in the cafeteria, holding signs. Mr. Shu and Rachel support the glee kids’ passion, but they don’t mind doing Rags. They look on, torn, and sing an inappropriate duet of “Our Children.”

Suddenly, Rachel has an idea. She stands on a cafeteria table and starts making an impassioned speech about Rags. All the attention turns to her. The glee kids are enthralled. For once, they are all on Rachel’s side. (”The Night That Goldman Spoke at Union Square”)

Mr. Shu: I think we all learned a valuable lesson. Unionization is about compromise.

The kids sing a mash-up of “Make Them Hear You and Bread and Freedom.”

#glee #ragtime #rags

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omgyouatetheprincess · 4 years

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Janus’ Playlist

AHH JANUS' PLAYLIST LETS GOO

Not that anyone asked for my opinions

Okay so I'd like to start by saying that Thomas, Joan and Talyn did an amazing job on this playlist because every song fits Janus so perfectly.

Here are some of my thoughts on the songs and some interpretations I came up with or found on the internet.

Trigger Warnings - abortion. Mocking of religion.

Black Hole Sun - okay at first I was like 'wow this is really smooth and nice and the vocals are so sweet.' Then I heard the lyrics. "In disguises no one knows,

Hides the face, lies the snake". It's such a Deceit song and I imagine him dancing to it (with or without a partner).

Black Hole Sun by Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, Haley Reinhart

It Seemed That Better Way - holy heck, can I point out that this song is such a bop? Leonard Cohen has such a soothing voice and it reminds me of Patrick Page (aha Hadestown) and if Janus wasn't played by Thomas, I could imagine this as his voice. The song is about not knowing what the truth is and what to believe, and has religious meanings which could be countering Patton and his Catholic beliefs.

It Seemed The Better Way by Leonard Cohen

Anywhere - I feel like Patton would hate this because the first line is "It's a beautiful world if you've been lied to by parents and priests". Anywhere describes how the world isn't a beautiful as it may seem, and that people lie to make you see it.

Anywhere by The Scarring Party

Talking At The Same Time - it is immediately dark and that everything seems fake and a... Lie. A lot of Deceit's songs are about the truth or that everything is a lie and I have to give massive kudos to Thomas, Joan and Talyn because they did an excellent job portraying Janus through his music taste. The song describes how everyone talks at the same time, and what I interpret that as is that everyone says the same thing over and over. It's hard to explain so I'll let you make your own interpretations of it.

Talking At The Same Time by Tom Waits

all the good girls go to hell - I'm not going to lie (ha) but I don't like Billie Eyelash, but I'll see past the artist. My first thought when I saw the song without hearing it is that it's a good choice and Janus probably loves Billie Eilish. Spotify has meanings of songs so I'm going to go off there: "This song is in the perspective of the Devil / no matter how good you are, desperate measures will eventually break you / turn you into bad." I feel like Deceit would sing this around the house. This song is twisting Christian symbolism and the lyrics can be interpreted as Eilish praising people who go to hell as it's better than being morally good. (Also, just switch Peter with Patton)

all the bad girls go to hell by Billie Eilish

Denial - KDJIEKAKSNDENIAL? In Putting Others First, Janus is referred to as Denial and now this song? Everyone start clapping for Thomas and his team. Anyway, the song discusses themes of conflict within a relationship, and the denial and insecurity of being in a relationship near it’s end (source: Genius). Also, Roceit vibes?

Denial by The Vaccines

Trust In Me - first of all, heck yeah! I predicted this song to be on his playlist because it's a slimy snake song from Disney? Hello this is Thomas? I think it's a great song and Johansson's voice is angelic. Kaa is manipulating and hypnotizing Mowgli, and if Deceit could do the same you can bet your bottom dollar he would sing this. We love our not-evil snake boi.

Trust In Me by Scarlett Johansson

Razzle Dazzle - Janus singing this with Roman? Yes please? Okay so I get that this is a villian song, and I love that, but imagine Deceit in a shiny sequenced dress? I also haven't seen Chicago yet so I'm going off what I've heard - this song describes how it is too easy to put on a show and make the audience happy. Basically, acting is just professional lying. The line "Though you are stiffer than a girder they'll let you get away with murder" is so clever (no spoilers but he had it coming)

Razzle Dazzle by Richard Gere

[SLIGHT HADESTOWN SPOILERS]

When The Chips Are Down - I hecking love Hadestown so you can bet I squealed when I saw this song. This song is sung by the fates, who are portrayed at untrustworthy. The title of this song is derived from the idiom “when the chips are down”, meaning “when a very serious and difficult situation arises”. Eurydice is in potentially one of the most serious and difficult situations she could be in: her life is at stake. After Hades invites Eurydice to come with him to Hadestown, the Fates appear and encourage her to consider his offer. They tell her that she should look after herself now that she is starving and the “chips are down”. (Source: Genius). In my own words, the fates are convincing (or manipulating if you will) a poor helpless girl to put herself first and save herself. It also mentions how if you be good to get into heaven,you get a knife in the back.

Go listen to Hadestown, it's an incredible soundtrack.

When The Chips Are Down by Anaïs Mitchell, The Haden Triplets

[TW! Abortion]

Mandy Goes to Med School - okay so this song is about abortion, so we'll have to go off context. Mandy (or Amanda Palmer) has to pay for Medical School by giving abortions in an alleyway with a coat hanger, so I interpret this as having to do shady stuff to get what you want. I think him and Remus would enjoy this song together. I'd also like to note that Logan had a song by Amanda Palmer in his playlist... That isn't relevant but I wanted to note that.

Mandy Goes to Med School by The Dresden Dolls

I Put A Spell On You - 50SOG vibes? I really like this song, it has a nice rhythm and the lyrics are so creepy. This gives me vibes of Deceit cornering/pining another side/love interest because if our baby boy wants to be happy, he should. This is similar to Trust In Me because it talks about enchanting someone to get what you want. "I don't care if you don't want me, I'm yours right now." Chills. Janus singing this song would complete my life.

Also the singer calls the love interest daddy but we ain't shaming

I Put A Spell On You by Nina Simone

Evil Night Together - well the title has evil in it so... Perfect for our Evil Snake Boi. This song gives me huge Demus/Receit vibes because it's basically like "let's go on a date in the creepiest place."

What if we drank a drink in the torture chambers... Haha jk ...unless 🥺

Evil Night Together by Jill Tracy

Don't Tell Mama - another musical song? Roman would be impressed. This song is about an English singer, who's mother thinks she's in a convent (a nun), when really she's in a German s3x club. You can really tell why it would be so bad if her secret got out.

Don't Tell Mama by John Kander, Joel Grey, Jill Hawarth, Cabaret Ensemble, Harold Hastings

You're A Cad - definition of a cad: a man who behaves dishonourably, especially towards a woman... This song has a nice beat and gives me TikTok vibes, but it also gives me Moceit vibes (I say vibes too much) because the singer is saying "you're a villain, a cad, a rascal... But I'm like a fish on a hook for you and I still want you." Also, she has a sweet tooth?

You're A Cad by the bird and the bee

As Far As I Can See - all aboard the angst train, CHOO-CHOO "As far as I can see, nobody loves me. As far as I can tell, nobody loves you either" this song gives me such Roceit vibes because the meaning is pretty simple: if nobody loves Janus, then he'll take everyone down with him. I knew there would be that one song that tries to make me cry for our poor baby.

As Far As I Can See by Phantogram

Criminal - first of all, the cover is beautiful. Apple describes the song as “a description of feeling bad for getting something so easily by using your sexuality.” She also told in an interview: "One of my friends said to me, “Oh yeah, of course you aren’t writing.” So I was like, “The next time you see me, I’m gonna have a new song.” I wrote “Criminal” in 45 minutes when everyone else went to lunch because I had to have a hit. I can force myself to do the work, but only if someone is right up behind me." Which is the level of pettiness I see in Deceit and I am here for it. The context of the song is seduction and manipulation, so Janus using his sexuality to manipulate the other Sides is a cursed thought.

Criminal by Fiona Apple

Change - if any of them listened to Lana Del Rey, I sort of expected it to be Virgil. Change shows how Del Rey has matured, and I feel like it also portrays Janus' ability to adapt. "Change is a powerful thing... I'll be able to be honest..." Does this mean he's trying to change? Will we get more character development? LIGHT SIDE JANUS?

Change by Lana Del Rey

Devil In The Details - this song is about trusting the wrong person and taking advantage of something. "I am the first one I deceive if I can make myself believe the rest is easy.". More angst, yay.

Devil In The Details by Bright Eyes

Come Little Children - if you had a My Little Pony phase, you probably know this song. Come Little Children, also known as "Sarah's Theme" and "Garden of Magic," is a song sung by Sarah Sanderson in the film, Hocus Pocus to hypnotize children to lure them. Manipulation: a common theme.

Come Little Children by Erutan

Into The Unknown - I was really shocked to see this song until I realized, no, it wasn't the same iconic theme from Frozen 2. This short song is from Over The Garden Wall, a show Thomas watches but I have not. "If dreams can't come true, then why not pretend?" The show plays heavily on the battle between dreams and reality (source: Genius). The way I see this, Janus is convincing the Light Sides to do something, or specifically Roman to make his dreams come true through selfish means.

Into The Unknown by The Blasting Company

This playlist is one of the best because every song had me saying “Janus would so sing this". If you have any thoughts, feel free to comment!

As always, take it easy guys gals and non-binary pals peace out

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silverinia · 4 years

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I came for Baranski, I stayed for Baranski - a quick Christmas On The Square review someone* actually asked for

(* thank you, anon)

Disclaimer: I am in no way a professional of any sorts when it comes to film and I'm not a journalist either. The last movie review I've written was probably for a school assignment in eighth grade. I didn't do research for this and I've watched the movie exactly one time, so this is just for fun.

It was a Sunday, Sunday the 22nd of November, nearing the end of the train wreck of a year that is 2020. I woke up on an air mattress around seven am, my head aching, my throat itching with pyrosis and light nausea, it was still dark outside behind the closed blinds in front of the windows, when I slowly realised where I was, one of my best girlfriends sleeping next to me in her bed. I had crashed at her place after a warm, fuzzy evening of mulled wine, tacky Christmas movies I would never watch alone (Christmas Chronicles and Holiday Calendar, which I quite honestly didn't enjoy at all, but the company made it fun anyway), doing our nails, wearing the fun kind of face masks for a change and smoking too many cigarettes, as the soft pain in my head informed me right now. She woke up an hour later and the morning went by with coffee and reheated pizza for breakfast, when we decided to watch another movie and I realised that it was THE Sunday I'd been waiting for through Zoom interviews and Dolly Parton twitter memes and the infamous wig gate that will be briefly discussed in the following, and so we clicked on the small icon in the Netflix menu that said "Christmas On The Square".

And oh boy, was it a ride.

To start off, I should mention that I have a hard time watching most modern day American Christmas movies, as I noticed quite vividly again when I watched the two aforementioned Netflix productions last night. The character development is always foreseeable to say the least, the plot lines are plain clichés hunting each other like they're the kids in The Hunger Games, and the writing is generally so bad that you can join the actors in reciting the entire scripts on your first watch. I watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas once a year while I'm gift wrapping and pause every fifteen minutes to shamelessly stare at forties Christine Baranski (I think we should all turn away from the birth of Jesus and instead count our years based on Christine Baranski's date of birth) in flamboyant nightgowns and short Christmas themed dresses, looking so fabulous that every interpreter of Santa Baby ever could only dream of it, I watch Love Actually at least five times a year to lust over Hugh Grant, cry with Emma Thompson and miss Alan Rickman, I enjoy Bridget Jones, which I would definitely consider a Christmas movie, and that's it. That's my yearly Christmas time entertainment routine and I can barely tolerate anything beyond, because I'm still traumatised from the time when I was around five years old and on a holiday family visit where had to sit through National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the dumbest movie I have ever seen (my apologies if you like it but also, who hurt you?), with my cousins. I hated it. I hated every minute of it. And it scarred me for life.

But this was a Christine Baranski movie, I knew she was going to play the lead and so I was pretty much as excited about this as I could. And the fact that Dolly Parton wrote the whole thing didn't hurt either. As I said earlier to my friend I was watching it with, I have the pop cultural taste of a fifty year old gay man, a quality I am most proud of, and this simply ticked off all my boxes.

I expected something similar to a Mamma Mia experience that wouldn't cause me to crave packing my bags, give Covid the finger and run off to Greece. Light-hearted entertainment, easy to stomach, uplifting music and so little plot that the simplicity feels like a creative choice. That's what my pained, hungover brain knew it could cope with and that's not what I got.

The movie started and I was immediately in the zone. I saw Christine Baranski's name in the front credits (an experience that never fails to make me scream "Yass Queen" at the screen, regardless of where I am and who I'm with, as if I'm the sobering result that pops out of the package when you order Jonathan Van Ness on Wish), the setting was wonderfully corny (I grew up watching Gilmore Girls once a week, so give me warm fairy lights and a gazebo and I'm perfectly happy) and as my friend wondered whether Dolly Parton, in her exaggerated homeless attire that didn't make her look shabby at all, was green-screened into the setting because she stood out so much (which she was because the background dancers were dancing in slow motion, but to be fair, we were probably still a little too drunk to notice that from the start) and I told her I thought that it was just the natural glow someone who's Dolly Parton simply carries with them everywhere they go, I was happy. This was the movie I was prepared for. A movie in which the most problematic thing would be stereotypical characters and the wig they hid Christine's real, flawlessly handmade by God herself hair under.

And then, around five minutes in, Christine Baranski's childhood love interest was revealed as she pressed her perfect pointy nose against the window of his shop and sang about her unrequited love.

And suddenly, things started taking turns at a pace I was still way too sleep-deprived for.

Suddenly, in the middle of my general amazement at seeing Christine Baranski do literally anything and laughing loud at her impeccable comedic delivery, there were unresolved daddy issues, hanging prominently at the wall in her marvellously designed house (she literally says "Daddy" at one point and I couldn't help but think that only someone with her vocal skills could keep from making it sound cringe-worthily kinky). One moment, I was clutching my chest above my heart while she was bonding with little bartender Violet and munching on pretzels while downing some whiskey in that elegant way only Christine Baranski can bond with ten year olds who had it rough, eat pretzels and down whiskey, and the next she felt responsible for said girl's mother's death (which she kinda was too, but I'm not the boss of her). I was still busy making fun of how the very annoyingly, but when you're snacking on pizza with extra cheese at nine in the morning also highly funny, slow talking pastor's name was Christian, and suddenly there was a cancer scare.

It was a lot, a hasty sprint from major issue to major issue with a hint of comedic relief every now and then, and it didn't get any less until the very, rather poorly resolved, end.

The entire, constant up and down was followed by the movie's peak of suspense, the near death of precious Violet, something I couldn't even get too invested in because I was still so busy worrying about Christine's MRT results (I was truly fucking worried), not to mention that I hadn't even started to really process the sudden revelation of the love child and how it had affected her character's actions until this point. Was her constant tendency of pushing people away, as we've seen most clearly with her angel in training assistant who's name I cannot recall right now, the result of her broken trust in her father who practically ripped her son away from her after she had just given birth to him? Was it a result of her never getting the closure she needed with plaid flannel wearing Carl she was clearly still in love with? Maybe both? And what of the many issues was it that made her so incredibly shaken up when Violet blamed herself for her mother's death? Was it 'just' due to the fact that the closed pharmacy was on her, or was there more to it? Was it because she had grown up without a mother herself? Or did I miss a major piece of information because I was momentarily distracted, dumbfoundedly staring at Christine's very blue eyes? No time to ponder on that, little Silverinia, because here comes unconscious Violet in an ambulance, WEE WOO WEE WOO WEE WOO!

I'm not going to go in depth about what plot lines I thought were especially carelessly handled and why, real standouts were the sudden forgiveness towards her father who had still acted like a shitty asshole even though he might have had his reasons, because giving the baby up for adoption just wasn't his choice to make, and the fact that I kind of didn't buy how quickly Regina managed to forgive herself, especially for Violet's mother's passing, considering how deeply her tall, slim, dare I say angelic and entrancing figure was buried beneath the weight of all her issues. It felt rushed and incomplete, but that's as detailed as it gets because my major point is something else.

I think this movie made the great mistake of trying to be more than your average, flat, happy ending Christmas movie. I think no one involved thought it was possible to make it a big hit if the only real plot would've been great Dolly Parton music, fun ensemble dance choreographies, Christine Baranski's outstanding acting skills, fun settings and costumes and a redemption arch with as little plot as it could possibly take to make Christine likable to those who aren't already lost forever in the rabbit hole of being obsessed with her (poor fuckers, can't relate). They didn't notice that with the legends that were involved, they could've easily gone the Mamma Mia way. And I think that's why they tried to include heavier plot lines than most creators would've chosen, experiencing loss at an early age, struggling to find closure, dealing with sickness, teenage pregnancy, parents forcing their choices on their children when they affect their childrens' lives first, adoption, and the fear of losing your kid.

It was a lot and I don't want to say that it didn't work because my friend was crying, like, pretty hard and I questioned my entire existence all through the movie in not the worst way, and I did enjoy it a lot while watching. The "grief is love with nowhere to go" line was a real standout, for example, where the attempt of complexity DID work. It positively gave me fleabag season two, "I don't know what to do with it now, with all the love I have for her." - "I'll take it. It sounds lovely. You have to give it to me." feels, and that's about the biggest praise I can come up with. BUT (and this is written in capital letters because it's the big but) I'm also totally convinced that I wouldn't have enjoyed it if they hadn't cast Christine Baranski for the lead role. In my humble opinion, the hasty, not really at all resolved plot of this movie only worked because Christine Baranski is just a fantastic actress. She quirks a mocking eyebrow and you laugh. She parts her perfectly painted red lips and you immediately hang on them because you don't want to miss a single breath she, a literal goddess, graces us mere peasants of people with. She smiles and you're happy. She laughs and even while she's still laughing, you can't wait to hear her do it again. Her eyes fill with tears and you feel goosebumps on your arms, her voice slightly trembles, a breath hitches in her throat and you feel your heart shattering to pieces. As Chuck Lorre once said, this woman could read you the phone book and you would end up laughing tears because she just gets the job done. She knows what she's doing, she's an absolute pro in her game, and it doesn't matter, not even a little bit, what she's working with, because the work she eventually delivers with it is always at a minimum of 200%. I forced my friend to watch this movie with me because I adore this woman, and I felt for this movie because I felt for her. It wasn't the plot that sadly brutally overestimated itself, it wasn't the songs that I obviously enjoyed, nor the comedic elements that truly made me laugh a lot, it was all her. I came for Baranski, and I stayed for Baranski. This woman can do anything. She can even look graceful in a terrible wig job.

(side note / unpopular opinion: I actually didn't think the wig was all too bad. It wasn't good, actually far from good, but for me, nothing can match the awful wig game of Mamma Mia 2. I loathed that wig, I absolutely cannot stand it. So this didn't feel all that terrible. It definitely wasn't the most problematic part about the movie.)

I enjoyed watching this. It was a nice distraction from all the bullshit in the world. Watching it today was the first thing this year that actually brought me something close to excitement about the holiday season, even though everything will be very different and probably not quite as jolly this year. But it just gave me good vibes and as someone who did not watch this as a film reviewer, that's the biggest part of what leads me to enjoy a movie.

Will I watch this again? For sure. Will I enjoy it when I'm not hungover, having freshly done nails and munching delicious pizza for breakfast? Probably not as much, but it'll still have Christine Baranski in it. Would I recommend watching this? If you share my obsession with Queen B, one hundo. If you don't, probably not.

#Christine Baranski #Christmas On The Square #dolly parton #shitty movie reviews by yours truly

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platinummice · 4 years

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17 Questions, 17 People

I was tagged by @corvidexoskeleton thank you :)

Nickname: Nico, or Tobi

Zodiac: Cancer

Height: 5’6”

Last thing I googled: Big ass horse breeds

Song stuck in my head: Magnum Bullets by Night Runner

Number of Followers: i don’t know right now Tumblr mobile is dog turd and won’t tell me

Amount of Sleep I Got: uhhh I haven’t been to sleep yet and it is 6am lol I got like three hours in the other night though

Lucky Number: 3 or 33

Favorite Song: That’s the way it is by Daniel Lanois

Favorite Instrument: aww man do I gotta pick? I love a lot of them I won’t lie.. I guess the cello has to be my favorite right now nothing gives me the chills like a good moody cello song

Dream Job: I really wanna be on Broadway. Not even in like a big role just ensemble ya know? Singing, dancing, and a lil bit of acting

Aesthetic: um like dark cottagecore? Cottagecore with bones

Favorite Author: I have a hard time reading entire books? I do own I think all of Tolkien’s works though. Oh and whoever wrote Where the Wild Things Are

Random: In high school we did Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella for our yearly musical and I played the character Lord Pinkleton, well the musical director always came up with little nicknames for the cast and she accidentally let Lord Pink Daddy slip. I was called that for the rest of the year and during a live, recorded performance, audience and all, the lead male called me Lord Pink Daddy.

My brain is dead please pretend I’ve tagged people. If you see this and you think ‘I wanna do that’ then I tagged you

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thesocialfables · 4 years

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If anything could drown out the noisy chatter from a group of frightened and frustrated strippers, it was the sounds of Summer Walker. As the new girl at Heaven's Hideaway, Cameo had yet to find her crowd, although this came as no surprise to her. Put a group of women together, give them something to compete for, and it was high school rules all over again. The prettiest and most popular girls were on the top, with their own select group of equally – but never more – pretty girls to cower around them. Everyone else in-between either kept their heads down or on a swivel.

Back in her high school days, Cameo was in the popular crowd. She was pretty enough to be a majorette for the school's band, with just the right amount of tease to land the captain of the football. She also fucked him in the parking lot outside of prom, while his new girlfriend waited for him inside. But that was mostly a Bianca thing.

As the other girls loudly recanted their own versions of tonight events – and argued over the facts. Cameo put in her wireless Air Pods, turned Summer's sounds up to max volume, and moved around the locker room to prepare to go home for the night. Coming from Armory Homes housing complex, Cameo was used to messy females being the ultimate root of unresolved gunshots. And after the summer she spent working at Neanderthal's Bar and Grill, she was used to her place at the bottom of the pretty pyramid now. One thing she’d probably never get used to, though, was answering to Cameo.

"B-IAN-CA!" Rhapsody startled Cameo as she pulled one of the young girl’s Air Pods from her ear. She had been calling Cameo's name for a moment now; selective hearing was a skill she had far beyond mastered while growing up in The Armory. Embarrassed Cameo, apologized as she continued to pack away her things for the night. "Stop apologizing!" Rhapsody jokingly screamed as she lifted her hands towards Cameo's neck. She didn't know why she said those words practically all the time, and thinking about it only made her want to repeat them again. “What you going home early or something?" Rhapsody continued. With a confused look, Cameo watched as Rhapsody moved towards her locker to pull out her next ensemble for the night.

"They was just shooting." Cameo said to Rhapsody in a hushed tone. She didn't want to hear the room full of women the first time she entered the locker room, and she definitely didn't want to listen to their opinions now. She looked over the group, as they all laughed at her anyway. Even Echo chuckled a little, as she was leaning into the frame of the locker room's door, never too far from Rhapsody's side,

"Girl," Rhapsody spoke as she pulled a pair of fishnet tights over her thick thighs. "When niggas not in here shooting? Shit, they can't help it, they dicks is drunk. They either gone bust a nut or bust a gun." As Rhapsody and the other dancers joked about the type of men that frequent the club, Cameo began to change back into her work clothes and head onto the floor. Since she was still new, she hadn't made it to the main stage yet. Instead, Cameo would walk around the club and gave customers lap dances. Occasionally she would get a private dance, but for the most part, at these hours, they knew who they wanted to see. And they didn't want to waste whatever money they had left on Cameo.

"Hey,” Echo's voice called, just as Cameo went to leave the locker room. "You with us." Cameo went to question what she was talking about, but Echo had already turned and began to walk away, just as Rhapsody squeezed between Cameo and the door to catch up with her friend.

Bringing up the end of the three women, Cameo started to grow cautious. In a place full of women fighting to make the most money in one night as possible, there wasn't much sisterhood in the club. It was every woman for herself as Cameo pretty much stayed out of the way, or at least made sure they stayed out of hers. Aside from Venus, whose job was literally to make nice with all the dancers and keep them happy, Rhapsody was one of the first people to talk to her. Then again, Rhapsody was cool with everybody. Usually, the ones who had something negative to say about her did something to her first.

Echo, on the other hand, was different, and Cameo wasn't sure what she could want. Every girl had a story about Echo fucking them over, with a smile on her face. But Cameo knew better than to let locker room gossip be the deciding factor of her relationship with someone. Be that as it may, because her face was all over the club, Cameo always felt like she was in the presence of royalty when Echo was around.

"Have you ever kissed a girl before?" Rhapsody's voice questioned. Since she didn't look back while she was talking, Cameo figured the two women were speaking amongst themselves. But when the women stopped walking to turn and face her, Cameo knew they were talking to her.

"I thought you said she wasn't deaf." Echo whispered as they awaited Cameo’s answer.

"She's not! Her daddy used to beat them and shit. She hear what she wanna hear." Cameo wanted to correct Rhapsody, but she was the one who shared her past with the woman. It was her step-father. Her biological father was on Fox Island for a triple-homicide after he found out what was going on in her mother's home.

"I have. I'm not lesbian, though." Cameo spoke up.

"You are tonight." Echo plainly stated as she and Rhapsody resumed their pace. "Lesbians are the best customers. They tip extremely well, and since we all got the same parts, they don't grab on your shit like fucking animals."

"And they handle their liquor better."

"That's her opinion."

"No, it's science. I literally just said this! When niggas get the drinking, and they little pee pee get hard. All the blood in they body, that's full of liquor, goes straight to their dick. And boom! They dick drunk." Cameo wanted to laugh, but Echo wasn't. So instead, she just remained silent before asking,

“Where are we going?" The three women had ventured off to a side of the club Cameo had never been before. As they began to walk up a flight of stairs, Echo explained their escapade.

"The Upper Room. It's for VIP parties and guests. You do good tonight, you can come with us again. It's a separate cover charge for The Upper Room. Tonight me and Rhap with split it, next time we'll cut you in. You can keep your tips, and we'll split whatever ends up on the floor at the end of the night."

As the trio approached a door, Rhapsody turned to look Cameo directly in her eyes to sternly say, "Do not! Pick shit up off that floor."

"Events are usually only two hours long, but since it's almost closing time, we'll be here the rest of the night. Any questions?" Echo finished up, as Cameo just looked on, processing everything she had said.

Just as she went to pass Rhapsody an irritated look, Cameo spoke up, "Do we have to...you know?"

“Not if you don’t want to.” Echo answered while Rhapsody looked at Cameo, a little confused.

“Why you acting funny? You ain’t have no problems putting your mouth on Kendrix for some extra cash.” The look Cameo passed Rhapsody spoke her own frustrations with the woman. On their short walk, this was the second time Rhapsody had revealed personal conversations the two of them had.

As the words cleared Rhapsody's lips, Echo just repeated herself. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Ever.” Before turning to open the door to The Upper Room, she passed Rhapsody an indifferent look. As Echo disappeared inside the private area, alive with conversation and laughter, Cameo pulled Rhapsody back for a second.

“Look, I appreciate everything, Tangie, but I don’t fucking know her like that. And I’d really like it if you didn’t tell any and everybody my personal business.” While Cameo’s tone was stern and steady, Rhapsody couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m sorry,” She said in-between cackles. “No, seriously, for real.” Since she had yet to stop laughing, Cameo just went to make her money and go home, but Rhapsody stopped her this time, finally done laughing. “E asked me if you were cool, and maybe I did overshare a bit. That’s my bad. I promise I won’t say anything else. We cool? Can we get to this money now?”

Cameo had dealt with enough comedienne ass bitches to know this wouldn’t be the last time. She wanted to turn around and walk away right then, and probably should have, but she wasn’t making no money from begging for lap dances. The guy, Kendrix, was a regular at Heaven’s, and he had paid for a private dance from Cameo. It was her first private dance, and she wasn’t sure what Kendrix was expecting. She had heard the jokes and rumors about the champagne room, and even Venus said, “whatever happens in a private room is between her and God”.

As Cameo danced for him, Kendrix watched her closely. His eyes never left her body as she moved to the music, and he graciously threw money to the rhythm of her hips. She didn’t expect much conversation between the two of them, and she didn’t get it either. Halfway through the dance, he motioned for her to come closer to him. Sitting her frame in his lap, she could feel how hard he was through his jeans. And simply because she was still a woman, she felt herself grow wet as she continued to wind and grind on him, repeating what she had seen in movies. That’s when he asked, “Can I touch you?”

Cameo figured it would be simple, just some light groping on her breast, and that would be it. But Kendrix went straight for the kill, grabbing Bianca’s pussy. Naturally, she jumped up quickly and told him that was off-limits. With a guilty smile, he apologized and asked if she wanted to keep dancing. Cameo agreed – as long as the money kept coming – but she kept her distance, as Kendrix’s once attentive stare became intimidating and chilling. As they reached the end of their fifteen minutes, Kendrix spent more money for them to do it again. At first, Cameo refused, and then he doubled it. As she went to take the money from his hand, Kendrix pulled it back with a small smirk. “Unless,” he said, eyeing Cameo’s body over like it would be his last meal. She knew exactly what was implied by his tone, but in case she didn’t, Kendrix made it clear as he gripped the print of his penis through his jeans. All before pulling out another stack of cash to add to what he was offering. “You know you wanna see it.”

“Yeah, we cool,” Cameo spoke to Rhapsody. “I ain’t even really wanna do that, I just needed the money. So don’t tell anybody anything else.”

“I won’t. And like E said, you ain’t gotta do nothing you don’t want to. We wanted you because I like you, not because of that. I really just told her about you and Kendrix, right now.”

“It ain’t supposed to be nobody business, anyway.”

“It’s not, damn! I done fucked so many niggas back there, Alonzo done gave me my own room. But I get it. I ain’t saying sorry again. Got me up here sounding like you, shit.” Cameo could tell hanging with Rhapsody was going to be a challenge. From what Cameo had seen, Rhapsody never took anything seriously and swore she was funny. When in actuality, she was loud and obnoxious. Nonetheless, as Cameo followed behind her into the private room, she was grateful she wasn’t entirely alone at the club.

Inside the Upper Room, Cameo almost forgot she was there to work as she was drawn to Echo’s solo dance. That was until she caught the impatient glare on the woman’s face. Since Cameo expected they were entertaining a group of lesbians, she stepped up on the small stage in the center of the room to join Echo. Touching her body softly and staring into her eyes as she mirrored Echo’s movements. That was until she heard a very familiar voice from the crowd.

“Now, this what I wanna see.” Kendrix spoke, moving closer to the small stage to throw his money at the girls.

While Cameo didn’t expect to give Kendrix a happy ending that night, she held no hard feelings against the man. As long as he was spending money, she would always be who he wanted to see. However, before Cameo could entice Kendrix to empty his pockets, Rhapsody s body slid into view, “You can see from the couch.”

As Kendrix and Rhapsody continued talking, Cameo looked over the private party. It was hardly any women in The Upper Room, let alone lesbians. Either way, Cameo continued to dance with Echo under a shower of money, while Rhapsody controlled the intimate crowd of men. For a moment, Cameo felt the sexiest she had felt yet. All eyes were on her as the crowd took in the scene. There was no need for her to do anything extra to make the type of money she expected to be bringing home from the strip club. All she had to do was keep her body close to Echo’s and have fun.

“Nigga please,” She then heard Rhapsody’s voice over the music. “I know you begged the new girl to suck on your little ass dick. You gotta pay more me now, nigga.”

“This bitch,” Cameo mumbled before she went to go off on Rhapsody once and for all, but it was Echo’s gentle grasp of her hips that halted her for the moment.

“Do you want to be that girl? Every private dance from you comes with a happy ending?” Echo spoke slowly into Cameo’s ear. She wanted to clear things up, but Echo continued past her interjections. “That’s fine if you do – even better if you don’t. Either way, don’t step on another girl’s hustle- .”

As Echo whispered to her, Cameo watched Kendrix and Rhapsody closely. She began to wonder, was he one of Rhapsody’s regulars? Did they ask her to come dance with them simply because they wanted her to know to stay away from him? Did she want to be that girl? Just as Rhapsody and Kendrix went to slip out a side door of The Upper Room, Cameo cut them off.

“I’ll do whatever she’s doing…for double.” The words seemed to fly right out of her mouth, but Cameo’s mind was still thinking of something to say. As Kendrix smirked a little, she looked over to Rhapsody. She was sure the girl was getting ready to cuss her out, but she had a big ole smile on her face. And over Rhapsody’s shoulder, Cameo could see Echo giving her an approving look. “Or better yet,” She said, approaching Kendrix and slipping her hand into the top of his jeans, “You can take the both of us.”

“Just you,” He said as Rhapsody let go of his arm and turned to find another sucker for the night. As she left Kendrix and Cameo alone, he pushed her hand further down his jeans to grab ahold of his dick. The last time he had Cameo this close to him – she changed her mind, she even tried to give him his money back. He knew it was because she was still the new girl and that soon enough, she’d be offering hand jobs and rim shots in the back rooms just like all the other girls. “I knew you wanted to see it. You just like the rest of these hoes.”

Cameo suppressed her will to roll her eyes and call his bluff. She may have been a hoe, but he was the one paying $400 just to get his dick sucked.

#writing prompt #flash fiiction #short story #urban fiction #street lit #a social fable #fictional universe #way too high #WTH\LLS #the mason universe #black authors #black writers #black creators

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dragonpiango · 5 years

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My review of 2019

January:

So I recently graduated from community college in the previous December, and I started university at HT with a scholarship for piano performance. Honestly I thought going to a HBCU was going to be weird, but turns out I’m not much of an outcast. It was a nice transition to a new setting and new people and a breath of fresh air! It was amazing having a practice room to myself and the mental thought of “getting to know my music” became a reality although my first piano lesson with my new professor was strange. His impression of me was way different than what I thought. Although he is a outstanding teacher, he might have overthought what I was capable of.... him assigning me my pieces and they consisted of Bach French suite No. 5 in G Major, Mozart sonata K.332 in F Major, Chopin Nocturne in D-flat Major, Chopin Scherzo No.2 in b-flat minor, and the most memorable piece IMHO Ravel’s Une Barque Sur L’Ocean from Miroirs.

February:

So still settling into a new university and meeting new people (although I just stayed in the music building bc that’s where all my classes were) it was Black History Month. Being apart of the choir at school and the only ensemble they offered, we were pretty busy with a lot of performances BUT it was enlightening too. Everyone has been so welcoming and coming from a background in classical music I’ve been introduced to Gospel music not only for voice, but piano. From accompanying spirituals to gospel it really has opened my eyes that music doesn’t have to be so strict. It is a way of expressing emotions and from then on I took my repertoire more seriously in the sense each piece had its own “character.”

March:

This month is a crucial one, not only did I find my “clique” at school, but they only consisted of two people. Ant and KayP. Not going to use their names but these two were the only two that understood who I was and I understood who they were. We might have drifted a little bit since one has graduated but in the mean time, during these few months, have been my shoulder to cry on. They were very talented vocalist who taught me a lot in the sense of accompanying and vice versa. Since our school is small, our “accompanist” was my piano teacher, so every rehearsal was around his schedule, until I came into the picture. They really pushed me to get out of my comfort zone and really get me to where I need to be. During this time, I was still working retail and I have a true appreciation for those who commit full time to retail because lemme tell y’all. That shit is a lot of work. Especially around holidays. Balancing out school and work was a struggle, but I managed through especially when I don’t have a piano at home. I have to go to school to practice and with retail, all my extra time would be working.

April:

By this time, everyone is stressing because of finals, but luckily since I grabbed an associates degree from COmmunity college, I didn’t have to take my core classes and cry. Music classes were all my focuses were on especially performance. I had a few performances in between for our seminar where we perform in front of all the music students, and for me, being a pianist, I didn’t have to rely on my teacher for rehearsals and accompanying. I just focused on me and this got me ready for our benefit concert that I was honored to be a part of. KayP being the current Miss HBCU and queen of the school, decided to raise money for students of troubled pasts who have really turned their lives around in college and made a great GPA would be rewarded with scholarship money that we raised. I was the one who got to close the whole show out and it truly was an amazing experience. Being able to perform for a great cause is always heart warming and I will cherish that moment forever.

May:

So the semester comes to an end and I have juries (where we perform our pieces in front of the faculty and get graded ) what I did not know is that since our school is so small, they invite and pay other professors from the biggest university next to us UT Austin and have them come sit and grade us as well. That to me was a shock moment, because coming from a university in a small town before we had enough people and knew everyone. Community college DIDNT have juries for piano which was odd, but this was a perfect opportunity to really put my hard work into good use. After juries, I did splendid with a few mistakes that I was able to recover from, and lemme tell y’all. No performance is perfect. And I have accepted that. My piano teacher hooked me up with one of his good friends who owns and directs her own music school and I became a piano teacher there. Oddly, I’m the youngest teacher there with no doctoral degree and am working on a BA still..... but none the less, this transition really opened my eyes.

June:

School is finally out, and I reduced my retail job to just Saturday. I finally got my reputation as a teacher at my new job and gained students rather quickly to where I was almost booked up Monday through Friday. With little to no teaching experience it was a trial and error process. I was taking over a studio of a former teacher who had visa issues. So all his students were a tad skeptical with me more so their parents. But after observing lessons and learning their names it was only a matter of time that I was teaching them and really became someone they look up to. It started off rocky because I wasn’t used to a build your own schedule, from what I’ve experienced with teaching at a music school is that someone does the schedule for you. Not in this case, so having to communicate and try to accommodate every students schedule was a tough start, but once I got used to it, the ride was easy from there. Unfortunately, most students were gone on vacation so I had to work with only a few who stayed in town and accommodate those who were in town for that week. That aside, my communication improved after constantly talking with parents 24/7.

July:

This is where life gets exciting. My boyfriend had surprised me with tickets to go to Chicago. I would go back because the city is amazing and food is delicious and it’s easy to get around in Chicago. It was a nice break from work and really helped me bond with my partner. During this time we had two cats. One names Roger and the other Gladys. So a little back story, when I moved in with my partner, his cats basically adopted me. Gladys was a daddy’s girl and kept to Todd mostly but she was very seeet with me and made adorable monkey noises when you picked her up and cuddled with her. She was diagnosed with cancer and the year before that we made the decision to remove her tumor and hope that she would live a healthy life. Well this is where the tumor came back full force and in Chicago, I was a wreck because I felt bad enjoying my time away and leaving her at home. My partner (who is the mature one in our relationship) had a sit down with me about what to do with her and I lost it. He didn’t want to put her down either, but it was for the best. We agreed to keep her comfortable until we knew it was time. Before the month ends tho, we are back home and my sisters boyfriend sends me a text saying he is serious about her and wants to marry her. The retail I work for is a jewelry store and he had asked me to help pick out a diamond for my sister since he knew what she wanted. So this was the good news. We find the diamond, and have it set in her favorite setting and my boyfriend who is full of surprises gets me a ticket to visit her in LA.

August:

So my birthday month is here, and I fly out to LA to deliver the ring to my now sisters fiancé and they fly out to Italy and he does the deed and she says yes. Happy note. But as school starts back up for the new semester, my partner had a issue to where he would be in a state to where he couldn’t move much due to a unusual circumstance. And before that we decided to put Gladys down. It was a tough decision but we gave her the best life we could ever had hoped for her and I was emotionally drained from everything. Having to keep a positive attitude for my students and going to school and being an adult in general. The only way I got thru this period is from my best friend and coworker who knows what it’s like to go through life and it’s always better to have an open mind and ear to talk to. I call her my mamma because she’s like a mother figure to me but also a amazing friend. Without her, I probably wouldn’t have been mentally there at all for anyone. In the time of summer until now I haven’t had a chance to practice because I forgot to mention that i had a Jr recital coming up which is why my repertoire was so big.

September:

After everything passed and I’m in a better mental state, I proceed to my schedule of school and work and find a time to practice in between. What’s great about this month is that since the semester just started, I had plenty of time to catch up on my practice and really get my lessons to become productive in shaping and understanding different musical styles. My partner is all better and life is great because I was in the best part of my life. Doing well in school, amazing texting job, and a best friend who is there for me and most importantly my partner. He’s been my rock since we first met and I can always rely on him and vice versa. He understood that with my free day off that I needed to spend it practicing and told me to go for it and be as productive as I can. I honestly wasn’t used to that kind of support but I am grateful.

October:

This is where reality hits and my recital is next month. I get very crazy about everything. I had all my music learned but because of my indecisiveness, I kept changing how I shaped everything and my mind goes blank. Probably a dark time for me because I didn’t know how to handle this kind of stress. I’ve put on hour long recitals before and the only thing different this time is that I’m getting graded and want to make such a great impression to further my education to a dictator degree. The dress was eating me alive and on top of that, one of my students decided he wants to enter in a competition and I say why not. Let’s do it. Getting him ready for that and keeping my sanity was hard to do but I managed. He did well, but not well enough to get a medal but his parents were very impressed with how quickly he progressed with me. That’s always a plus, right?

November:

The month has come for me to have my big recital and I invited all my friends and coworkers and they all made it. I was truly nervous but if you don’t get nervous, are you even human? It turned out wonderful although the first piece (Bach French suite) was shaky, I had to tell my self that I was having fun and everyone here is here to support me and want me to do well. That little talk was a confidence booster and ended the recital flawlessly. After my recital, my job has their student recitals so my focus was all on my students doing the best they can and having fun. This month was fun because I was selected to do masterclasses for piano students through out my job and it was very enlightening to see how talented the new generation of musicians are! Only positive comments because I couldn’t honestly find anything wrong with any of the students performances and their teachers are amazing.

December:

So getting all my students ready for their recital was a big time investment but totally worth it because they all performed so well and I honestly cried bc I felt like a proud parent LOL. But after that was time for the semester to end up and one class was making me go crazy. Everything ended well and I had ALL A’s and one B but I know what to expect for next semester and everything will be great. Honestly this year has me all sorts of fucked up with emotions and I proved to myself that when I stay committed, I can really achieve what I want. This year was a great year for me and a way to end a decade because when 2020 starts, I know what I need to do and where I need to be.

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jbuffyangel · 5 years

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Undeserved Forgiveness: Arrow 7x18 Review (Lost Canary)

After seven years and 150 episodes (yes, I math’d it) Arrow has finally paid off a L*urel L*ance storyline in a way that makes sense and feels earned.

Let’s dig in…

Olicity

Sometimes the Arrow writers are so obtuse about their audience it boggles my mind. Then there are other times when they are so self aware I can’t help but laugh. “Lost Canary” is one of those self aware moment. It’s almost as if the writers said to themselves, “Okay. This episode is gonna be a lot about birds so we better give the audience some Olicity goodies to keep them happy.”

Smart move.

Arrow has to ship the boys off somewhere in order to have their all girls episode. Rene is off with Zoe on a school field trip while Oliver and Diggle try to find the person who killed Emiko’s mother, so they can convince her not to be evil. Or something? I think? It boils down to a interrogation of a Longbow Hunter. Yeah, remember the Longbow Hunters? Who knew they were still a thing? Not me.

It’s kind of fantastic all the guys are stuck with monumentally crappy storylines while the ladies have their moment in the sun. Ah the gloriousness of reversing gender roles.

Anywho, Oliver is going to leave Felicity which means WE GET WORRIED DADDY!

Oliver begs Felicity to take it easy.

Pffft, it’s like he’s never watched Arrow before. Dude, know your genre.

Felicity promises she’s going Netflix and chill. Oh girl, you totes just jinxed it.

And then it happens. Oliver rubs his stomach and says...

Source: olicitygifs

April 15, 2019 will hence forth be known as Precious Cargo Day in the Olicity fandom. We shall drink and sing in merriment while binge watching Olicity moments in celebration of this blessed day. For this is the day fan fiction came to life.

We’re five minutes and twelve seconds into this episode and I already think it’s fantastic.

After Oliver returns from his Longbow Hunter thing (Seriously don’t ask me what happened)

and Felicity returns from saving a soul and giving Earth 2 a hero to fight for them, our wonderfully stable and unproblematic married couple cuddle on the couch. Honestly, I don’t understand why Olicity snuggling and watching Netflix isn’t a hit show? It’s Emmy award winning entertainment.

Source: olicitygifs

Felicity was away from Oliver for a day and she practically ran into her husband’s arms, so I really don’t know how homegirl is gonna do twenty years without him. It hurts to think about, so let’s focus on the happy.

Source: olicitygifs

Oliver wants to order whatever Felicity is craving because he’s determined to be fictional perfection so no one can have realistic expectations of non fictional men. Felicity informs him L*urel is going back to Earth 2. He doesn’t care. I cannot describe to you how much Oliver Queen doesn’t care about any version of L*urel L*ance.

Once again I reflect upon the road we have traveled my friends. I don’t know how we got here, but our destination is glorious.

Worried Daddy is far more concerned that Felicity didn’t take it easy as she promised, but no worries the Green Arrow is here!

Oliver promises to take care of Felicity and then promptly falls asleep on her shoulder because he’s so exhausted.

Yup, that pretty much sums up the first trimester right there. You’re pregnant but you’re husband is the exhausted one.

She finagles a foot rub out of half asleep Oliver and they both collapse. MAX DOMESTICITY ACHIEVED.

Source: olicitygifs

Honestly, the show could have ended right here. I’d be thrilled.

Felicity Smoak and Canary Corp.

Yes, that’s the official title of the episode. Don’t @ me. Arrow has tried this Birds of Prey thing before. Remember Helena, L*urel and Sara in Season 2? Yeah, neither do I and why? BECAUSE IT DIDN’T HAVE FELICITY IN IT. Too bitter?

The Felicity Smoak/Oracle similarities were not lost on the Arrow writers and it’s clear they tried to adopt the moniker for our girl’s codename, but were shot down by the DC brass. Overwatch it is then and, as usual when it comes to Felicity Smoak and Emily Bett Rickards, she has made it her own.

This is Emily’s last season and therefore Arrow’s last chance to do a Birds of Prey themed episode with Felicity Smoak at the helm. Boy, they did not waste the opportunity. Thank goodness too because that would have been a real bummer.

“Lost Canary” is full on girl power. Arrow has many female characters, but the storylines are dominated by the men. It’s not a shocker. The main character is male. The writing staff I believe has been male dominated until a shake up this season. That’s not to say the male writers haven’t crafted a fantastic show with some amazing female characters – Felicity Smoak being at the top of the list. However, this show is long over due for the spotlight to shine on the female characters, actresses and writers.

Representation means hearing the voices of the marginalized, but “Lost Canary” is not simply Arrow ticking a box. Nor did the writers pad the episode with trite and insulting dialogue like...

(I will forever side eye The Flush for that one.)

No, “Lost Canary” is steeped in big life questions as it addresses the season theme of redemption head on. Each character has her own perspective on Bl*ck S*ren and redemption as a whole. Each character is given ample screen time to voice her perspective as the women debate the best way to handle Bl*ck S*ren’s recent downward spiral… or perhaps it’s a stagnant upward spiral. The point is the women are written like the multi faceted characters they are. WOULD WONDERS EVER CEASE?

Let the redemption debate commence.

Source: dcmultiverse

Bl*ck S*ren is back in the evil business. See, you can tell because of the all leather, black lipstick, cloak, tacky techno music and the sashay walk KC ripped off from Nina Dobrev.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

This is what I like to call an “Everything but the kitchen sink” visual trope. Oh hell, the kitchen sink was there too.

Bl*ck S*ren chucks the three piece power suits, with the shoulder pads that can fly her to Hong Kong, in favor of a more diabolical ensemble to convey her inner turmoil. The subtext is pretty much text. Arrow hammering away at it should be a monumentally huge tip off for where Bl*ck S*ren’s character is going.

The surprise isn’t so much where Arrow is going with this character, but rather in how they get there.

Admittedly, I struggled with E1 L*urel L*ance. I couldn’t stand her romance with Oliver, couldn’t keep up with her flip flopping personality, grew tired of her blaming everyone but herself, couldn’t forgive her for Tommy, hated her disdainful treatment of Felicity, and found her to be a insufferable pain in the ass, which she compounded by becoming a drunken, insufferable pain in the ass.

Whew. Season 1 and Season 2 were rough.

I had one bright and shining hope for this character – her Bl*ck C*nary storyline. It was a colossal disappointment.

Not even my deep love for the Lance sisters could save my investment in L*urel and I was overjoyed when Arrow killed her. It remains one of the best creative decisions this show ever made.

Regardless of the reasons for KC’s return (and there are reasons my friends), the writers smartly chose not to resurrect L*urel.

No need to bring back that mess. Instead, they started over with some doppelganger hijinks and crafted Evil L*urel aka Bl*ck S*ren from Earth 2.

It turns out Evil L*urel is a hell of a lot more fun than Saint L*urel. The character plays to KC’s acting strengths and she didn’t impede on Dinah Drake’s storyline as Bl*ck C*nary. Well, not much.

But the dramatic linchpin in Bl*ck S*ren’s character is that she’s not L*urel. Yes, she looks and sounds like the L*urel L*ance Team Arrow loved and lost, but no amount of time would ever make this woman into a replica of the one who died. This is a good thing because the woman Oliver Queen dedicated that ridiculous statue to was a hindrance to the story.

L*urel’s Season 6 arc was infuriating primarily because they reduced a meta human to a helpless victim. The writers shredded Quentin Lance’s character as he pursued his deeply unhealthy obsession with resurrecting his dead daughter through an entirely different human being. Let us never speak of it again.

Season 7 is a vast improvement. The good/evil push/pull remains the dramatic well the writers drink from, but instead of cramming old L*urel down Bl*ck S*ren’s throat they allowed her character to breathe. The fact she was different from L*urel is what made her interesting. Arrow didn’t run from it. They embraced it. And they paired her with an unlikely partner.

Felicity Smoak.

Bl*ck S*ren’s willingness to cross lines, including murder, was a necessary evil because Felicity’s husband was trapped inside the system. She needed help from someone with access and who wouldn’t be afraid to go over the line to get the job done. Suddenly, being evil doppelganger playing pretend lawyer was massive pro.

Bl*ck S*ren’s a sardonic wit and glowering demeanor made the perfect straight woman to Felicity Smoak’s ball of sunshine.

Except, Felicity wasn’t a ball of sunshine and more often than not L*urel was stopping her from going too far.

The two women worked in tandem as they questioned their morality and what defines good and evil. The ebb and flow of light and dark allowed Felicity and L*urel to see each other differently.

This sparked understanding, respect and finally compassion. Their interactions felt more honest than anything that transpired between E1 L*urel and Felicity and as a result their friendship was more believable.

I’ve enjoyed the good/evil/push/pull dynamic that’s made up the majority of Bl*ck S*ren’s arc this season because it was fairly even handed. When L*urel tipped too far in one direction they would shift her the other way. Every time L*urel helped Felicity with Oliver’s case or pulled her back from the ledge, she would follow it up with almost murdering someone.

Bl*ck S*ren’s instinct in almost any given scenario was to kill first and ask questions later. It flew in the face of the straight laced, law abiding DA image she cultivated by stealing E1 L*urel L*ance’s identity. The writers did this deliberately because everything that made Bl*ck S*ren “evil” is still there even as she tried emulating Quentin Lance’s dearly departed L*urel.

But eventually the writers need to pick a lane. Arrow has two choices – keep Bl*ck S*ren evil or redeem her. It’s kind of a like a love triangle. You can play with the back and forth for awhile, but eventually the writers need to make a decision. Otherwise the story loses any emotional authenticity.

The real shock of “Lost Canary” is how the writers present both sides of the argument. It’s so fair and logical. A L*urel L*ance centric episode is making sense. Talk about feeling like a fish out of water.

Dinah and Felicity are diametrically opposed when it comes to who Bl*ck S*ren is and if she can be redeemed. The argument boils down to nature versus nurture, but how Felicity and Dinah arrive at their individual conclusion fits not only within the scope of their own storylines, but within L*urel’s as well.

Dinah is nature. She firmly believes L*urel is an irredeemable killer and all efforts to save her are for naught because a killer is who she is. Dinah issues a warrant for L*urel’s arrest and believes she killed Diaz. I’ve been loudly advocating for some jail time for L*urel, but I didn’t really expect Arrow to go there. I’m not that lucky. A warrant for her arrest and L*urel on the run is close enough.

It’s understandable why Dinah believes Bl*ck S*ren is a lost cause. She witnessed her boyfriend’s murder at L*urel’s hand and a tearful apology doesn’t erase what happened.

Dinah has also been there any time L*urel has decided to murder someone, typically out of frustration, anger or to protect her own self interests. She would pull L*urel back from the ledge, but it’s difficult for her to believe BS was ever on the wagon when she so frequently fell off it.

Dinah is not wrong. L*urel is a murderer. Murder is L*urel’s default position whenever the going is rough, which is exactly what is happening now. Yes, L*urel is wrongly accused of murder, but let us not forget all the murders she did commit and has yet to pay for. Dinah didn’t love Bl*ck S*ren’s approach when it came to interrogating criminals, but the answer to these problems is not a crime spree.

Felicity is nurture. In the beginning, Felicity did not see Bl*ck S*ren as anything but criminal pretending to be her dead friend. She emotionally manipulated people and was reaping all the benefits of E1 L*urel’s life.

But the hubby was in the slammer and Felicity needed a lawyer, fake or real it didn’t matter. Desperate times call for desperate measures. L*urel was one of the only people to have Felicity’s back and their partnership grew into real friendship. Felicity has been the beneficiary of L*urel’s kindness and love, so she knows without a doubt there is good but it needs to be encouraged.

Felicity is so ardent in her belief that she bizarrely blames herself for L*urel’s crime spree because she wasn’t a good enough friend.

Let’s just pretend that’s true for a second (even though it’s not). The max penalty Felicity could incur would be paying for drinks some night. But L*urel tries to blow up Felicity and HER BABY. I feel safe categorizing that as an insane overreaction.

The truth is Felicity has been an amazing friend to L*urel and she continues to be throughout the episode. She proves to Dinah that L*urel has been framed by Emiko for Diaz’s murder. Felicity offers L*urel her support even after she goes on a crime spree.

L*urel: Oliver’s sister did me a favor because I was really sick and tired of pretending to be someone I’m not. Plus, no one believed it any way.

Felicity: I did! Look, what happened to you wasn’t fair. You were accused of murder, you lost your job, Dinah didn’t have your back I get it. You got a bucket load of bad news, but you are not Bl*ck S*ren. Not anymore.

L*urel: That’s funny I used to believe that too.

Felicity: Think of the good you’ve done L*urel. Think of honoring Quentin!

L*urel: Quentin is dead. Nobody cares about Quentin. He only wanted his daughter back.

Felicity: That is not true.

Well… far be it from me to disagree with my Queen but it is kind of true. This is a wonderfully impassioned speech even if I don’t agree with all of Felicity’s arguments. Sadly L*urel pretty much spits in Felicity’s face and is generally undeserving of all this support and understanding.

Felicity and Dinah have it out after L*urel tries to blow them up. Felicity continues to blame herself for this Bl*ck S*ren spiral whereas Dinah is firmly entrenched in the “Bl*ck S*ren Is a Murderer” camp. Felicity calls Dinah out on her hypocrisy when she boasts in a fit of moral superiority that she could have gone down the same road as L*urel, but didn’t.

Felicity accurately points out that the reason Dinah didn’t go down the same road was because she had the team. Dinah had friends who loved and supported her even when she didn’t deserve it.

Felicity ain’t wrong! I forgot Dinah is a murderer too. Yes, there is a big difference between murdering bad people versus murdering good people, but it doesn’t change the fact that Dinah has also taken lives.

While we’re on the subject on Vinnie, she also lied to the team about her relationship with him

and went on a crazy revenge bender after Bl*ck S*ren murdered him.

Dinah was in the Newbie tantrum up to her elbows, which included assaulting OTA when they refused to hand over Bl*ck S*ren.

Dinah was forgiven for all of these transgressions and welcomed back to the team with open arms without even apologizing. Now she’s the captain of the police force and a deputized vigilante. All of which would have never happened without Oliver Queen and Team Arrow.

Dinah was forgiven when she didn’t deserve it.

It was the second chance she needed to become someone who is deserving of that forgiveness.

(We can argue the semantics of whether or not Dinah really has become someone worthy of Oliver and Felicity’s love and trust another day. For the sake of this episode let’s just roll with it.)

Dinah continues to argue that even if all of that is true (WHICH IT IS HONEYCAKES) it doesn’t apply to L*urel because she doesn’t want a second chance. She never did. Felicity pushes back once again and argues the opposite. She thinks L*urel wants a second chance more than anyone else and didn’t realize it until it was already gone.

WOW. What a scene. It’s so invigorating to see two female characters argue passionately about something that has nothing to do with a man. This debate is about friendship, faith and forgiveness. It’s about the true meaning of redemption, who deserves it, and who decides who deserves it. Felicity and Dinah are arguing about their fundamental beliefs and challenging one another’s morality.

Source: hollandrooden

Dinah gave L*urel a chance and she blew it, so enough is enough. Felicity feels L*urel was succeeding at that second chance until she was wrongly accused. Sometimes people need several chances to get it right. I completely understand both Dinah and Felicity’s positions, which is how you know it’s a great storyline. If you can see both sides of the coin then the writers are mining drama with serious depth.

Both women are right and both are wrong. We’ve been exploring Bl*ck S*ren’s redemption since Season 5, but “Lost Canary” feels like the first honest conversation being had about it. I understand Dinah’s frustration because they are my frustrations.

I do not believe throwing on a three piece suit, playing lawyer, living someone else’s life and enjoying all the benefits someone else earned qualifies as redemption. Pretending to be E1 L*urel L*ance has protected Bl*ck S*ren from facing justice for any of her crimes. While I appreciate she’s helped put criminals away, freed Oliver Queen, and is a good friend to Felicity Smoak, it does not even out the cosmic scales when compared to the evil she has committed.

Bl*ck S*ren is a murderer. She was coddled by Quentin Lance because she looks like his dead daughter. Felicity reaches out again and again and Bl*ck S*ren continually rejects her love, support and forgiveness. I’ve watched Bl*ck S*ren time and again head out to murder someone as a solution to whatever problem she’s trying to solve. I’ve watched both Dinah and Felicity stop L*urel from committing those murders.

L*urel stopped because she was caught – not because she thinks murder is wrong. She doesn’t express remorse for wanting to kill someone either. She typically has a snippy remark for Dinah and Felicity as she slinks away from the scene of her premeditated murder.

Unfortunately, the writers are treating Bl*ck S*ren’s penchant to murder the same as E1 L*urel’s alcoholism. Felicity and Dinah tell Bl*ck S*ren to put down the drink and convince her to stay on the wagon. But we aren’t talking about booze. Bl*ck S*ren’s addiction is killing people. NOT. THE. SAME. THING. I get it, Dinah. Trust me.

Then there’s Felicity Smoak. She sees the best in Bl*ck S*ren even when she’s at her worst. Primarily because Bl*ck S*ren saw Felicity at her worst and pulled her back from the brink.

Felicity is not a killer because Bl*ck S*ren offered her hope. So, it’s understandable why Felicity refuses to abandon her friend especially now.

But that’s not all of it. Sure, BS was a good friend to Felicity, but that’s not why she is standing by her. The truth is Felicity Smoak is a really good person. She is intensely compassionate, loyal and supportive. Felicity sees the best in people and her ability to pull that light from those she loves is unparalleled. Nearly every character in the Arrowverse has benefited from Felicity’s steadfast encouragement.

I know this aspect of the character often frustrates some people. Some believe Felicity is used to prop up other characters. Her character suffers because she’s constantly launching another superhero.

The fastest way to cultivate a positive fan response to a new character is to filter that character through Felicity Smoak. She represents the audience opinions more often than not. Her popularity has a way of spilling over to problematic characters and it casts them in a more positive light. I don’t deny Arrow employs this practice often.

But I never saw it as a negative. Felicity is the believer. It’s what I love most about her. Diggle is the mind (moral compass) and Oliver is the soul, but Felicity is the heart. She is the hero of heroes.

L*urel L*ance was a wildly problematic character. The writers never quite knew what to do with her and they could never really settle on a personality with a defined set of characteristics.

We never knew what version of L*urel we were going to get week to week.

The writers struggled with her even more after rerouting the central romance away from Laurel to Felicity. Her storylines never seemed to get the necessary focus they required even though it felt like we spent an inordinate amount of time on L*urel. Watching Arrow develop her character was a lot like running in place, as @callistawolf once said.

Her messy history with Oliver also seemed to be the elephant in the room when it came to any friendship with Felicity. There’s never any discussion around the events of the Season 2 finale. Felicity wondered if Oliver’s “I love you” was real and I’m sure L*urel had some questions too.

Did she think it was all a ruse to save her life or did she simply accept that Oliver was really in love with Felicity? It seems like the latter although it’s never actually addressed. If there was any confusion on L*urel’s part I guess 3x01 cleared it up because the only thing on Oliver’s mind was Felicity Megan Smoak.

Arrow likes to pretend L*uriver never happened and it is completely understandable. It’s a bad dream we’d all like to forget,

but L*urel’s central connection to the team remained an ex boyfriend she didn’t like very much. I appreciate the show wanting to define a relationship between Felicity and L*urel outside of Oliver, but ignoring L*urel’s romantic history with him didn’t feel very honest.

Perhaps their friendship would have been more believable if the writers set aside time for L*urel and Felicity to bond outside of Team Arrow, but they didn’t. L*urel just shows up in the foundry and starts barking orders.

Even Felicity questioned their relationship status. Girl, same. They had moments of kindness, but we never saw them work as partners or enjoy each other as friends like Felicity and Bl*ck S*ren.

In fact, one of the most common arguments against L*urel being in the grave was that Felicity would never be that upset because she wasn’t that close to L*urel. HA! A lot of L*urel’s character was built upon telling rather than showing and her friendship with Felicity is one of the many areas the writers made that very frequent mistake.

The writers did not make that same mistake with Bl*ck S*ren. They gave her friendship with Felicity time to develop. They started off as enemies, but as circumstances evolved so did their relationship.

Bizarrely, this is why Bl*ck S*ren’s and Felicity’s friendship feels more honest and earned than anything Felicity had with E1 L*urel L*ance. Bl*ck S*ren’s connection to Team Arrow is through Felicity. She has absolutely nothing to do with Oliver Queen and IT’S FANTASTIC.

The writers tried to connect L*urel through Oliver for four years, but he was never the solution. Felicity is.

Felicity is the solution because she has a big bandwidth when it comes to forgiveness. No one has benefited more from it than Oliver Queen. Murder isn’t a deal breaker for Felicity. She fell in love with Oliver when he was dropping bodies. She barely blinked at Sara’s assassin history. Diggle murdered his own brother and I don’t think Felicity even commented on it. Remember when Roy thought he killed Sara? Who did he tell first? Felicity. She was freaked but calm. Dinah was a murderer and Felicity welcomed her onto the team with open arms. Rene pulled a gun on her and it was totally cool. I mean, sweet mother of Moses she was friends with Curtis Holt and tolerated his mansplaining and misogynistic bullshit, which says it all.

So is it really a shock Felicity is ride or die when it comes to Bl*ck S*ren? No. I identify with Dinah’s frustrations, but recognize Felicity is on the higher road. Simply put, Felicity Smoak is a better person than me. The belief she is giving Bl*ck S*ren is no different than the belief she gave to Oliver or Sara.

So, she’s challenging me as well. I cannot cheer Felicity on when she offers unconditional love to Oliver or Sara or John, but admonish her when she offers the same to L*urel L*ance. Sara was an assassin and I didn’t demand a prison sentence for her.

That said, I see one massive difference between Bl*ck S*ren and Oliver Queen. Oliver was remorseful about his past and crippled with guilt. He didn’t need additional punishment because he was already punishing himself enough. Oliver also spent five years in hell, lost nearly everyone he’s ever loved and is constantly sacrificing his happiness for the greater good.

His redemptive journey is wildly different from Bl*ck S*ren’s. Oliver didn’t get to just toss on a nice suit and call it a day. And he killed bad people!!! So, I maybe I can’t hold Bl*ck S*ren to a higher standard than other characters I love, but I can damn well hold her to the same standard.

So, is L*urel remorseful?

We don’t have to pick between Felicity and Dinah because it is possible to hold L*urel accountable and be compassionate. This is where Sara comes in.

Source: canarygifs

I have been incredibly frustrated with how Arrow has used Sara in the past when she’s come back as a guest star. I’m still ticked she didn’t get a goodbye scene with Quentin. The Sara I know on Legends isn’t always the same on Arrow, but “Lost Canary” is different. The writers give Sara her due and she reflects on her journey in a way she’s been allowed to before.

Everyone knows I’m a huge Lance sisters fan. The one saving grace in L*urel’s Season 2 storyline was when it stopped being about her relationship with Oliver and she began to focus on repairing her relationship with Sara.

I bought into the Bl*ck C*nary storyline in Season 3 because I believed Sara’s death was a life altering catalytic event for L*urel. “The Calm” remains my favorite L*urel L*ance episode and I will always believe Sara is her great love and vice versus. We all need something or someone to live for and that love doesn’t always have to be romantic in nature.

So, Sara coming back to town to protect her sister’s good name and offer some wisdom to Bl*ck S*ren made a lot of sense to me. Sara is the one who pieces together that maybe failing to kill Felicity and Dinah wasn’t a mistake after all. She uses her sisterly intuition and finds Bl*ck S*ren at Quentin’s grave.

Source: canarygifs

Sara gives it to L*urel straight in an EPIC speech. She owns all her past mistakes. Sara cheated with her sister’s boyfriend, let her family believe she was dead and then became an assassin.

Yuuuup. Sara Lance history sure is colorful! Each one of these errors in judgment is an unforgivable offense. And yet, L*urel found a way to forgive Sara. Well, after she blamed her for absolutely everything that went wrong in her and boozed her way through the liquor cabinet, but let’s not get bogged down in the details.

This remains my favorite Lance sister scene of all time because L*urel does not go to Sara offering forgiveness. No, L*urel comes to Sara begging for forgiveness. Despite everything she’d done and everything she suffered, Sara survived whereas L*urel was crippled by her pain. These two women found their way out of the dark together. Sara’s forgiveness put L*urel on a path to sobriety. L*urel’s forgiveness put Sara on a path to heroism. Neither of them truly deserved forgiveness for what they had done, but that’s not the point of forgiveness is it?

It was L*urel’s love, not Oliver’s that gave Sara the second chance she needed. Maybe Sara didn’t deserve forgiveness when L*urel gave it, but it sparked the beginning of her journey towards someone who did. Sara is the Original Canary, the captain of a time traveling superhero squad and the one and ONLY White Canary. She offers the wisdom of her life experience to help Bl*ck S*ren.

Source: canarygifs

She also calls Bl*ck S*ren out on her bullshit. She tried to be a hero for six months. TRYING? SIX MONTHS? She thinks that evens the score for years and years of mayhem, theft and murder?

We’re supposed to feel sorry for BS after she’s spent six months living in a comfortable apartment and getting paid well to do a job she didn’t earn.

Great, she helped Oliver out of prison. She also tried to kill him multiple times, so they aren’t exactly equal yet. When Sara tried to quit the murder business a lethal team of assassins came after her and she had to commit suicide to get them to leave her alone. But L*urel knows the horror of the Balmain double breasted, wool blend jacket. Poor baby.

I forgot she was accused of working with Diaz and lost her job. Yeah, except she did work with Diaz and SHE IS NOT A LAWYER SO SHE SHOULD LOSE HER JOB.

Then there’s being falsely accused of Diaz’s murder. Hmmm… who killed Vinnie again? L*urel being falsely accused of ONE murder compared to the multiple homicides she has committed and has yet to pay for in any real or substantial way does not equate. Yet, here she is with a stick up her ass and expecting everyone to feel sorry for her. You know, I take it back. She really is like E1 L*urel sometimes.

Sara explains what real redemption is and it is my favorite line of the episode.

Source: canarygifs

She’s right. Redemption is not a light switch that can be flipped on. L*urel can’t do a couple nice things and say, “TA DA! I AM REDEEMED!” It’s not how it works. There’s no endgame here. This is something L*urel needs work at for the rest of her life. She needs to fight every day to be a person worthy of forgiveness. When L*urel falls down, or life doesn’t go her way, she can’t throw an evil temper tantrum.

A real hero isn’t looking for a reward. A real hero doesn’t look for someone else to blame. A real hero doesn’t keep score. A real hero sacrifices and fights the good fight because it is the right thing to do. Does Bl*ck S*ren qualify?

No. She is not a hero yet. She is undeserving of the love, compassion and forgiveness Sara and Felicity are offering her.

But we all are undeserving of forgiveness. We are all broken in some way. We all do or say hurtful things. Each of us will either do something unforgivable or feel like we’ve done something unforgivable. What makes the difference in our life is having someone who loves us despite our sins.

We can see the people who have been loved when they are unlovable and those who have not when we look at the landscape of humanity. Sometimes we need a push in the right direction when we are at a crossroads, but not all of us have someone in our life who loves us enough to give one. The ones who do are blessed.

Bl*ck S*ren’s sins are deeply evil. She has dug herself a very large, dark hole. L*urel stopped Felicity from falling down the same hole because she knows there’s nothing but pain, emptiness and loneliness at the bottom. She knows how to stop someone from falling in, but L*urel does not know how to climb out. Bl*ck S*ren is stuck in a self destructive cycle. Felicity fundamentally believes every human being is redeemable if they want redemption, but some need more of a push than others.

The truth is we all need help out of the darkness. We all need someone to love us unconditionally. We all need someone reach down into the hole and offer a hand. But our redemption remains in our hands. It’s not enough for someone to reach out. We have to reach back.

All the evil hijinks boil down to a faceoff with Bl*ck S*ren and Felicity. Felicity tells BS one last time she believes in her, but ultimately it’s not about what she believes. It’s not about L*urel L*ance’s legacy or who Quentin wanted BS to be. This is about who Bl*ck S*ren wants to be. Free will my friends. It is a bitch.

COME ON! Nobody is killing Felicity Smoak least of all Bl*ck S*ren. L*urel is picking out china patterns in her head, so she ain’t killin’ bae. She joins Felicity and the rest of the birds and together they defeat the villain of the week. Sorry I really didn’t pay much attention to the partner.

Source: smoaktechs

In their victory celebration, Dinah decides not to arrest Bl*ck S*ren and even comes up with a get out of jail free card excuse aka “working undercover.” A relieved Felicity tells L*urel that everything can go back to normal.

But L*urel disagrees. It is time to stop running. It is time to stop pretending to be someone she’s not. It’s time to go back to Earth 2. She has to made amends in the place where she created so much pain. I. AM. SCREAMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No, it’s not a stint in the pokey, but I WILL TAKE IT. Going back to Earth 2 is the next best thing. It addresses my primary problem with L*urel’s redemptive arc and that is pretending to be someone she’s not. Being Earth 1 L*urel L*ance protected Bl*ck S*ren from all the damage she caused on Earth 2. If she really wants a shot at redemption then she has to go back to the place where everyone knows her as Bl*ck S*ren. Earth 2 is where L*urel will be forced to confront everything she’s done and accept responsibility for it. There’s no hiding, running or easy outs on Earth 2. That is the place where an honest redemptive arc can begin.

Felicity understands and gives her a parting gift – E1 L*urel’s Bl*ck C*nary suit.

Source: nyssaalghl

It’s a beautiful full circle moment. I don’t make the rules! Felicity anoints the superheroes, assigns the names and hands out the couture! If she says L*urel should be Bl*ck C*nary on Earth 2 then L*urel is going to be Bl*ck C*nary on Earth 2. Fine with me!

L*urel meets Sara once more at Quentin’s grave. Her story always comes back to Sara no matter what version of L*urel it is. Felicity was the push, but Sara’s words lit the spark. She launched L*urel L*ance’s hero’s journey once again. Cuz see the light?!!!!

Source: canarygifs

This scene also feels like a goodbye to the Lance family. Quentin is gone, L*urel is dead, Sara is off hero-ing through time, and Bl*ck S*ren is returning to Earth 2. This isn’t the end of L*urel’s redemptive journey. It’s the beginning. But it is the first time I believe she might deserve it someday.

Source: nyssaalghl

FLASH FORWARD TIME!

Dinah created the Canary Network to be a support system for women, so someone always had their back. It’s a reminder to Dinah of what she failed to give Bl*ck S*ren once. It’s a whole conglomerate of leather clad ladies supporting ladies! LOOOOOOVE IT!

There is no singular Bl*ck C*nary. No one woman holds the title. It fulfills L*urel L*ance’s dying wish in a way she couldn’t even imagine at the time, which is why it is so fitting.

Unfortunately, Galaxy One massacres the network in “Lost Canary” and Dinah loses fifteen of her girls. It’s a devastating loss for Dinah, but I couldn’t help but cackle a little. Arrow never misses an opportunity to throw a little petty at the LL fandom. Oh you’re made we killed once Bl*ck C*nary? Watch us kill fifteen! How do you like them apples?!

Dinah, Felicity and Zoe want to lay low and regroup after such a big hit, but Mia is fired up and ready for pay back.

Source: amunetblack

Dinah tries to convince her to wait for the surviving canaries to fight back when the time is right, but Mia defiantly says...

Source: amunetblack

It’s like they tailor made her for us fandom. Mia Smoak is perfection on every level.

Dinah calls in some back up to keep an eye on Mia.

L*urel.

She saves Mia from some Galaxy One goons. Unfortunately, the horror show of a wig is back, but let us pray there are less buckles on the suit. The lipstick has changed from black to red so serious upgrade in that department.

Source: dcmultiverse

It’s a beautifully symbolic moment because L*urel saves Mia in an alley where a body of a dead canary is lying. It’s the same kind of alley where Sara fell to her death and launched L*urel’s Bl*ck C*nary journey.

It’s the same kind of alley where L*urel’s journey was foreshadowed in the pilot,

but with a significant change. L*urel is no longer connected to the man in the story, but to the women. Sara, L*urel, Felicity, Dinah, Bl*ck S*ren, Zoe and Mia all weave together in one beautiful thread. Bl*ck C*nary no longer belongs to one woman. It belongs to all of them.

The beauty of this is I don’t have to sit through another half baked Bl*ck C*nary storyline for L*urel. I trust she’s earned the suit on E2. Even better she’s still Bl*ck S*ren. This isn’t 2.0 of E1 L*urel L*nce. Hopefully, all the snarky wit, aptitude for zingers and glowering that made me fall in love with BS remains. I just needed her to stop murdering people. That’s all. All of this means I might finally have a version of L*urel L*nce that I can enjoy.

L*urel gives Mia some wisdom that screams THERE IS GOING TO BE A SPIN OFF,

but what I loved most is L*urel is still trying every day to prove she is a hero.

Redemption is a journey and not a destination. And undeserved forgiveness is often the beginning of that journey. Nobody knows that better than L*urel L*ance.

Stray Thoughts

#Fact. Source: felicitysmoakgifs

Bl*ck S*ren pretending to be L*urel acts somewhat normal. She ratchets up the cheese factor when she's Bl*ck S*ren. I forgot about that.

Emily is having an A+ hair season. Really it's like a Vidal Sassoon commercial every week.

This made me emotional. Source: olicitygifs

"Let's just call her a genius and leave it at that." Hubby is so proud of bae.

Bl*ck S*ren versus White Canary is like a heavy weight boxer fighting a chipmunk.

Felicity and Sara flirting is everything I didn’t know I need. The love triangle was centered on the wrong person in Season 2. It should have been Felicity and not Oliver. Source: ebett

Yup. We all knew. Source: felicitysmoakgifs

“Felicity Smoak is killing people now." Sara is my spirit animal.

Sara has seniority Dinah. It should've been you sitting it out. Respect your elder. Source: canarygifs

The great evil of this episode is the grommet sweater. We must protect the actresses from this atrocity because it's spreading.

This was cute. Source: hollandrooden

Sara has a baby on Earth 2? I NEED THE NAME. WHERE ARE PICTURES?

Don’t tell me L*urel is not in love with Felicity. I know my truth. Source: hollandrooden

Spit my drink out when Sara said this because it’s ridiculous. That said, Arrow continually painting Laurel as a saint is a constant reminder they are never bringing her back. the more Arrow paints Laurel as saint. Source: danverskara

Was it snowing in the future? What was up with the weather?

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. 7x18 gifs credited.

The *** in names is so the review doesn’t show up in the tag.

If you’d like to support the blog, please buy me a cup of tea!

#arrow #arrow 7x18 #arrow reviews #olicity #felicity smoak #anti laurel lance #anti black siren #anti black canary #sara lance #anti dinah drake #arrow season 7 #arrow spoilers #arrow season 7 reviews #arrow season 7 review #season 7 episode review #season 7 episode reviews

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shadowsndaisies · 6 years

Text

Carrie: The Musical

a/n: okay so kind of excited for this one! this is my first Riverdale piece, and in honor of the 2nd musical episode, I just watched. I wrote this for Carrie from last year, and I’m planning to do another one based off of Heathers now that we’ve seen that beautiful fit. This piece is broken in sections as you’ll see, be aware of the warnings before you read!

Fandom: Riverdale

Pairing: Sweet Pea (kinda)

WC: 4297

Synopsis: Carrie episode from season 2 re-write

WARNINGS: character death, panic/anxiety attack (more so at the very end)

masterlist

Pre-Show: Rehearsals Begin

“I can’t believe you’re doing the musical,” Sweet Pea grumbled as you got off your bike.

“Good morning to you too, Pea,” you sighed.

“First Topaz ditches us because of the Blossom chick, then Fangs dips because of Keller, Jughead joined yesterday, and now you, what the hell am I supposed to do?” SP ranted and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes.

“First off I’m not actually performing and neither is Fangs and secondly you could always join the production,” you offer as the two of you enter Riverdale High.

Sweet Pea scoffed at that, “please tell me you’re joking,” he added a deadpan as his eyes slid to you.

“Not exactly, Pea, if we’re all in the musical, don’t you think you should probably come to see why?” you say as the two of you approach your locker.

“Hell no,” he stated simply, crossing his arms and leaning down to be closer to your eye level.

“Okay, well, enjoy being on your own for a bit Pea, because the rest of us have rehearsals today, I’ll see you later,” you nodded, after exchanging your books.

You tap Pea’s shoulder twice before walking away, shaking your head as his grumbles about enjoying the time off would suit him just fine.

After class you found yourself sitting in the circle with the rest of the main cast Kevin was giving a basic intro when Fangs finally showed, he slid into the circle between you and Kevin.

“Nice of you to show Fogarty,” you whispered to him, a playful look on your face.

“I’m a busy man, (y/n) you know that,” he winked slinging his arm on the back of your chair causing you to chuckle softly and shake your head.

You would’ve continued your conversation too if Cheryl hadn’t begun to sing. You had to give the redhead props, as she sang Carrie you could totally see her embodying the role of Carrie White. Although when she was done the smile that had come to your lips during her performance disappeared as soon as the thud that sounded with the falling of the sandbag was heard. You had physically jumped and Fangs’ arms had instinctively gone to pull you back, just in case.

Sweet Pea and Fangs were the same in that sense, the two of them had consistently been putting themselves in the line of danger to save you for years. A fight breaks out, the boys immediately push you behind them or one of them gets you out. For Fangs the reasoning was easy, he was your best friend, the flirting was all for fun and just a part of both of your natural natures. With Pea, the relationship was a bit different as often times he got a little too protective but at the same time would never give the honest answer, he was one of your closest friends and god were you grateful for him.

When rehearsals ended, shortly after the Cheryl and the sandbag fiasco Fangs walked you back outside to your bike, except when you got there you saw Sweet Pea waiting, leaning against his own Harley.

“Hey Sweets, what are you doing here?” you asked slowly as you and Fangs approached your bikes.

“Fangs texted me about the sandbag,” he stated and you rolled your eyes before glaring at your other friend.

“Seriously? I wasn’t even close to it, Cheryl’s the one who could’ve gotten hurt. Hell, I’m not even actually in the musical, I’m helping with costumes and filling in as an ensemble dancer and voice,” you clarify.

“Dead, she could’ve gotten dead,” Fangs argued.

“You’re not helping, Fogarty,” you squint at him.

“From now on, if you’re going to insist on doing this stupid musical because it is stupid, then I’m there, every time,” Sweet Pea decided.

“Fangs is going to be there constantly, and I don’t need a babysitter, I’m a big girl, Pea,” you attempted to object.

“You know this doesn’t really seem like you need me for this argument, so I'm just going to head out, I’ll see you guys back at Sunnyside,” Fangs managed to get out as you glared at Pea and he stared back.

It was once the roar of Fangs bike could no longer be heard did Sweet Pea speak up, “I know you’re a big girl, okay. Trust me I’m well aware, but here’s how it’s going to go down, I’m going to be there, end of story,” he stated.

You couldn’t help but scoff, “look Sweet Pea, I’m grateful for the fact that I have you and Fangs always looking out for me, but this time I have to say no. If something’s going on we’ll figure it out, okay? I’ve got Jughead and Toni and Fangs all in the musical. Not to mention I’m actually friends with Betty and Archie and Cheryl and pretty much everyone else, if anything happens I’m protected. And you’ll be the first to know. But you gotta give me space this time,” you sigh before starting your engine, revving it so that Sweet Pea wouldn’t be able to get another word in.

Act 1: B & V

Days began to go by without another incident, Jughead told you he’s looking into the whole sandbag incident and that he’s got his eyes open, Cheryl and Josie seemed to have made up, or gotten to the in the works stage of the process and your costume game was going strong, so was your ensemble voice. However, the tension between Veronica and Betty was beginning to become even more palpable. Though things did come to a peak during Veronica’s The World According to Chris number.

“Okay, Veronica I am obsessed with everything that just happened,” Kevin praised as those of us, not in the number clapped from our seats in the audience.

“Thank you,” Veronica smiled, her hands clasped together and a gleeful smile splayed on her lips, “it helps to be off-book and in full costume,” Veronica sent you a silent thank you which caused you to smile back.

The dry laugh from Betty drew all of your attention though, “don’t be so modest. You are the literal embodiment of Chris,” she began and you couldn’t help but send Jughead who was a few seats to your left a look of worry. “Never had a role been so perfectly type-cast.”

“Oh no…” you mumbled a hand already coming up to pinch the bridge of your nose.

“Betty…” Archie began but stopped himself when Veronica raised her hand, you also didn't miss the sigh that Kevin let out, one very similar to the one you let out as everyone straightened in their seats, the drama something they craved.

“What was that, Betty?” Veronica asked, walking closer to the girl who was once her best friend.

“I mean, think about it,” Betty began again, her tone flat as if this were boring her and were completely obvious. “Spoiled rich girl, check. Major daddy issues, check. Bad to the bone, trying to control everyone around her, including her boyfriend and best friend, check, check, check,” Betty finished taking a few steps closer to Veronica as well.

Fangs let out a sigh before turning to you, your fingers still pinching the bridge of your nose, trying to fight an oncoming headache.

“What do we do?” Fangs mouthed, looking straight at you.

“Nothing,” you shook your head and mouthed back, this was one argument where you all had to keep your mouths shut until there was more information.

Intermission #1: a conversation

“Yo, Red,” I need to talk to you,” you shouted through the halls of Riverdale High School when spotted the familiar flob of red hair by his locker.

“Hey, (y/n), what’s up?” Archie nodded, switching out some of his books.

“How are Veronica and Betty? I mean I like them, really I do, but the tension with the musical, and the incident that happened after the Chris number, I’m a little worried,” you explained.

“Don’t worry about it, they’re sorting it out, but trust me, it’s getting better,” he promised before shutting his locker and reattaching the lock. “All you need to focus on is making sure that we look like we’re from Carrie, yeah?” he nodded before walking away.

“Sure thing, Andrews,” you sighed before heading off to your next class as well.

Act 2: Cheryl Blossom

Some more time went by and the cast was becoming stronger and stronger and then Kevin got another note, of course, you weren’t supposed to know. But you were a Serpent and that meant you and Jughead were family. When Kevin decided to talk to Cheryl things turned out very different than how you all were expecting them too.

“Due to some unforeseen circumstances...” Kevin began, clearly upset. Fangs had moved his hand to hold Kevin’s shoulder soothingly, though, Kevin had pushed it away. “...Cheryl will no longer be playing the role of Carrie White,” your eyes widened.

Sure Cheryl was being targeted but Cherry Bombshell never backs down from a fight, ever. Clearly, you weren’t the only one to be surprised as everybody immediately began asking “What?” and “Why?”. As your eyes danced around looking carefully at everyone sitting in the circle they couldn’t help but fixate on Ethel Muggs for a moment, she seemed to be fighting a proud little smirk and failing.

“Let’s just say Penelope Blossom isn’t much of a stage mom,” Kevin announced to everyone before leaning towards Toni, she was sitting on the other side of you while Fangs was to your right.

Toni gave a quick nod before grabbing her stuff and walking away, you shared another look with Fangs, there was some weird shit going down in this musical.

“In the meantime, Cheryl’s understudy will assume the role,” Kevin concluded with a curt nod.

“Understudy?” Ethel asked the smirk had been wiped away by the new information.

“I appointed one after the sandbag incident,” Kevin explained and your eyes narrowed on Ethel as she let out what seemed like an irritated sigh, “Midge Klump.”

Applause erupted from all of us as our attention went to Midge who’s smile brightened and cheeks flushed just enough for us to notice.

Intermission #2: Sweet Pea Returns

“Fangs mentioned things have been getting kind of intense over at the musical,” Sweet Pea noted as casually as he could while the two of you were playing a game of pool in the nearly empty Whyte Wyrm.

“Yeah, figured you must be the soul that Fogarty cries his sweet little heart out to,” you snorted, taking a sip of your water and lining up for your shot.

“Just wanted to check in, see how you were doing,” he continued.

Your eyes squinted slightly as you adjusted your angle before taking your shot, another of the striped balls landing in a hole, a smile on your lips you turned back to your giant of a friend. “Careful Sweets, almost sounds like you care,” you laugh.

You were about to place your hand down to continue your turn but Sweets pulled you back by your wrist, forcing you to turn to him, “Damn straight I care, you tell me what’s going on,” he said seriously, eyebrows furrowed, gaze focused on yours.

And your mouth went dry, suddenly all words taken from you, the look on his face was serious, deadly serious.

“Fangs told you about the second note, didn’t he?” you whispered, you were just so close, a whisper was all you needed.

“You tell me, okay,” he repeated, his voice still low and still serious.

Your hand came up to grab the one he had on your other wrist, “I promise, Sweets. I’ll tell you,” you nodded and he let you go.

“Good, now finish your shot so I can mop the floor with you,” he said, clearing his throat, and that soft look, one that almost looked like fear was gone, and his normal hardened by the world facade was back.

“It’s not nice to tell lies,” you shot back, sparing him another careful glance before turning back to the table.

Act 3: The Cooper Drama

As soon as we started working with Midge as Carrie we had to do a full breakdown of the new dynamic, so we finally let Alice Cooper take the stage, it was going really well and then Betty’s name slipped her mouth. Your head dropped at the realization of what was coming next, Fang's hand came down on my shoulders, his thumb rubbing slightly soothing circles into the blade.

“Mom?” Betty’s voice was soft as she called out to her mother after the older Cooper finished her lines form the song.

“Don’t leave me, Betty,” Alice begged, a soft hiccup in between. “Don’t leave me like all the others,” she added before rushing off stage, Betty got up and followed right after her.

“Am I directing a train wreck?” Kevin asked and that caused me to sit up straight. Fangs shrugged his shoulders before lifting a cup. “And where’s my tea?” Kevin added causing Fangs’ arm to freeze.

“Alright that’s enough drama for me, I’m heading home. Fangs, you good or you need a ride?” you asked standing up and grabbing your bag.

“Rehearsals aren’t done yet!” Kevin interjected.

“Guess it’s a good thing I’m not on stage then,” you sighed, offering the group a peace sign before walking out of the auditorium and to your bike.

Intermission #3: your interview

“Why are we in the music room, Jones?” you asked, a bored expression over your face as you sat down on one of the stools.

“It’s your turn for confession,” Jughead jokes.

“Bless me, father, for I have sinned,” you shot back sarcastically.

“No, but really, this is your time to talk about what it’s been like working behind the scenes and with the cast,” Jughead prodded.

“Kevin’s my friend Jughead. And he asked me to help with costumes. I agreed. The cast is just more of my friends, so it’s been cool. I mean I’m not really one for people’s drama so that’s been a bit much but I don’t know. Fangs is breathing down my neck constantly because Sweet Pea’s doing the same to him. Oh! I just finished the digital file for the program mock-up, I sent it to Kevin so he could make some final adjustments before sending them to print,” you offer.

“This is lame, you know that? You’re giving me lame stuff to film, boo,” Jughead shook his head and you laughed.

“Sorry, my life isn’t some telenovela-like some of our other friends,” you scoff.

“Such a shame too, you could’ve been a star, kid, a star,” jughead trailed with a slight accent, causing you to roll your eyes.

“You’re something else, Jones, you know that?” you laugh as the bell rings.

Act 4: The Show Begins

On the night of the show, I arrived with a bag in hand, inside was my best dress. I wasn’t going on stage but I had been a lot of help and so Kevin had asked me to dress nice. When I walked into the dressing rooms everyone was preparing themselves.

As the curtain call drew closer and closer I had already changed and now was running around to make sure everyone looked perfect. We were all singing You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet as we went.

“You ain't seen nothin' yet. It's gonna be a night you'll never forget. You ain't seen nothin' yet. It's gonna be a night we'll never forget,” everyone was singing

“This will be just great,” Archie sang before I pulled him away from Veronica and to his costume.

“Oh, my life is gonna take flight. Can't wait till Saturday night, yeah…”

Sheriff Keller came in to take a picture of Kevin, and then they ushered you into the photo too.

“Eighty bucks for a tux?” Kevin sang the next line, gesturing to his own clothes, causing me to laugh.

“Damn, we better get laid,” Moose cut in.

“You've been prayin' for that since the seventh grade,” you sang back causing Moose to snort in return.

“It's the least we deserve after everything we've paid,” Alice added from where she was curling her hair.

“Got the food,” Archie.

“Got the drinks,” Chuck.

“Got the limo for ten,” Veronica.

“And we won't get a chance like this again,” everyone.

“We'll be leaving as boys but we're coming home as men,” boys.

“This will be just great! Yeah, my life is gonna take flight,” Chuck.

“Can't wait till Saturday night,” Ethel.

I walked out into the hall to hand costumes out to everyone as they passed.

Toni came first, “You ain't seen nothin' yet. It's gonna be a night we'll never forget.”

Then the rest, “You ain't seen nothin' yet. It's gonna be a night we'll never forget. You ain't seen nothin' yet. It's gonna be a night we'll never forget. You ain't seen nothin' yet. It's gonna be a night we'll never forget. You ain't seen nothin' yet. It's gonna be a night we'll never forget. You ain't seen nothin' yet. It's gonna be a night we'll never, no, never, we'll never forget. A night we'll never forget,” then they were ready.

Intermission #4: 10 minutes til places

“Ten minutes till places! Where is Fangs?” Kevin announced before looking to you.

“I don’t know, Kevin. I’ve been trying to find him myself,” you shook your head.

Sweet Pea hadn’t told you if he was coming tonight but you knew Fangs would know.

“Okay, you know what? You!” Kevin pointed at one of the many co-stage managers he had gotten to help with the musical, “give (y/n) your headset. I need to be able to talk to her in case we have a costume malfunction.”

The girl handed it to you with a smile before walking away to help finish final touches.

“Why’d you really give it to me?” You asked, your friend as you adjusted the headset.

“Keep your eyes open, I’ve got this queasy feeling,” he mumbled before walking away.

“(Y/n)!” Jughead called out to you from where he was behind the camera.

“Yeah, what’s up, Jughead?” you asked.

“When we find Fangs, stick with him, okay? Or find Sweet Pea and sit with him,” Jughead told you.

“Jug! Are you serious? I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” you grumbled before walking away.

Not even five minutes passed before you saw Jughead again, this time he was being thrown out of Ethel’s dressing room, “Really, Jones?” you asked.

“I think Ethel’s the one who wrote the notes, sounded like a guilty conscious to me,” Jughead responded, turning the camera towards me, and then to the side again, “Hey Moose!”

“Out of my way, Jones,” Moose spit back, a hand to Jughead’s chest for good measure.

Your eyes met Jug’s over the top of the camera, you were vaguely aware that he was filming you again, “What is going on with this musical, man?” you muttered.

“Something, diabolical,” Jughead answered, squinting his eyes slightly as he looked after the direction in which Moose had gone.

Act 5: The Final Act

The musical had been going well, you were sitting next to Jughead and Kevin in the middle of the front row, watching Alice Cooper sing before it all went to hell.

“All right, Carrietta, it’s time to come out of your closet,” Alice announced and the stagehands took their queue to raise the closet set.

We were supposed to see Midge, on her knees and she should’ve been singing, instead, your hands began to sweat and your heart began to move much more rapidly and you felt something sour rise up your throat. Midge was on stage, but not how it should’ve been.

“Uh, Kevin, did you reblock this scene? Why isn’t she on her knees singing?” Cheryl’s voice had an edge to it, the same edge that had made it slightly more difficult for you to breath.

Kevin could only stutter and my hand came up over my mouth, the feeling as if I were about to cry, or faint, or vomit all swirling through me. Because on stage was Midge, she was on the wall, suspended in place by multiple daggers in her body and around her, was bloody letters, “I AM BACK FROM THE DEAD ALL THOSE WHO ESCAPED ME BEFORE WILL DIE... B.H.”

“Oh god, no,” you muttered.

“I don’t think that’s part of the show,” Jughead murmured.

“Oh my god,” Kevin was finally able to spit some words out.

“Somebody should help her, for god's sake help her!” Cheryl screamed, and that caused Alice to turn around.

When Alice Cooper let out a scream of pure fear everyone began to move, but you were frozen the panic of the situation was getting to you, everyone seemed to close and the room felt like there wasn’t enough air and everything was too loud.

“(Y/n)!” Jughead shouted from where he was beside you.

“I-I can-can’t-” you shook your head violently and your body began to shake.

You were so focused on how your hands were shaking you didn’t realize when someone else came to stand before you, allowing Jughead to go run after his girlfriend.

“(Y/n),” his voice was stern and low and had an edge to it that made you look up.

There was Sweet Pea, he was staring at you so carefully but also with what looked like relief, then he notices your hands.

“Hey, just breath, okay, you’re going to be fine,” he attempted to soothe.

“Fine!” you shot back between ragged breaths. “She-she’s dead…” you tried to gasp for air and then Sweet Pea made a decision, he slipped his arms around you from where you were sitting, and with a small grunt lifted you into his arms.

His giant stature allowed him to move through the crowd relatively easily and he didn’t stop until he got you outside.

“Hey, I’ve got you, you’re going to be okay” he whispered a few minutes after he had set you on one of the picnic tables outside in the back, it was quieter there and the cold air helped to get you to calm down, his arms were on both sides of you and then you were hugging him.

He froze this time, surprised at how you had basically latched your arms around him, but his arms moved to wrap around you, and he squeezed you just enough to remind you he was here.

“You’re freezing,” he noted, his voice a soft whisper, just like it was that day at the Wyrm. He pulled away from you for a moment to slip his jacket off, he was wearing the leather one today, and then it was enveloping you.

“C’mon let’s get you home,” he said softly.

“I don’t want to go home, Pea. I don’t want to go back to an empty trailer, not tonight,” you whispered.

“Then you’ll come to mine, I told you I’m not letting you out of my sight,” he nodded, offering you his hand.

You nodded before grabbing it.

The Curtain Call

You were sitting on Sweet Pea’s bed, staring at a picture on the wall.

“That was a good day,” Sweet Pea said, his voice soft as he set some stuff to the side of you on the bed.

You didn’t respond and your hands were tucked under your legs to keep them from shaking.

“I got some clothes for you to change into,” he continued, but your eyes stayed focused on the photo. “(Y/n).... C'mon, work with me, tell me something,” he asked and you slowly turned to him.

He sighed and grabbed a wipe as he took in your disheveled face, makeup smudged and streaked over your face. “C’mere,” he said as he tilted your face up to him, tucking your hair back and slowly wiping at your face.

Your lips parted as he swiped the wipe by your chin, “I’m terrified,” you admit to him, voice cracking.

Sweet Pea kept one hand gently on your face as he threw the wipe into the trash bin, “Nothing’s going to happen to you, while I’m here, okay? I’ve got you. All the serpents do,” he promised, but it did little to soothe your nerves.

“That’s not the reason,” you breathed as one of your shaky hands came up to grip onto Pea’s wrist.

He stays silent, eyes flicking to yours as he grabbed your scrunchie from your wrist, his hands moving to your hair.

“I’m terrified for who’s next,” you continued and your eyes watered. “I don’t want to watch another person die.”

He tied your hair in a half bun and swept a few of your baby hairs from your face before crouching down to be eye level with you, “They’re gonna get this guy,” he said seriously.

“You don’t know that,” your voice cracked as you met his eyes.

“I don’t have to. Because what I do know, is that no one is going to touch you, because I’m here, always,” he reminded. “Here, these should sort of fit, get comfy, we can watch a movie or something,” he nodded to the clothes on the bed.

He walked out to go and change himself and carefully you unzipped your dress and changed into the black boxer shorts and grey t-shirt he had left for you.

When he came back he laid on his bed and you fell in beside him. With one arm over your waist, he started the movie. You fell asleep before the halfway mark, and his grip on you tightened slightly. There was no way in hell he was going to just let you go.

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someone-online · 5 years

Text

Things I will miss in being in my school’s production of Spelling Bee

All of us throwing shade at the actor of Chip when he didn’t know what was going on because one weekend he up and went on a trip to Mexico and didn’t tell anyone in the show until like 2 days before he went

All the girls in the dressing room lip syncing to My Unfortunate Erection when Chip sang it during tech week/performances

The actor of Panch just relishing being a dick to children and in general

The weird personas made for the people in the ensemble (we played audience spellers because the director doesn’t trust actual audience people after the first time she did the show)

Mitch Mahoney memes (e.g. Mitch’s bitches, Mitch’s Mahoes, etc.)

This one movement everyone does on the word “tornadoes” in Woe Is Me and everyone now just doing it whenever we hear the word

The fact that Leaf was such a favorite, like during the student matinee in the school day, he basically got standing ovations whenever he spelled a word correctly, and when he got out, everyone booed really hard and I heard people crying djdjdjdjjdjdhd

Dancing in the wings to Magic Foot because I get out before that song, but it’s still so fun to dance to

Jesus

Like our Jesus was just going around on a hoverboard and spraying holy water at people, which is also incredibly funny when he goes into the audience and does it (he said at some point that he heard someone in the audience go “Daddy Jesus suck me” and he gave them two sprays of holy water for saying that)

Talking to the guys who played Carl Dad and Dan Dad, like they’re incredibly awesome people and I think we’re friends now. Also the fact that during Woe Is Me (Reprise), they’re sitting in the audience and when Logainne spells “vug” incorrectly, Carl Dad just starts loudly sobbing and runs out of the theater

Also they both believe that they split up after the events of the musical, so I asked them separately at different times who gets custody of Logainne. Both of them agree it’s Dan Dad, though Carl Dad said he’s supposed to get her on weekends, but hasn’t seen his daughter in two weeks and is very mad at Dan Dad because the Father-Daughter dance happened on a Saturday and he still didn’t see Logainne

Performing the show was just. So much fun. Especially Pandemonium. I’m so surprised that I didn’t get any panic or anxiety attacks before or during the performances

There’s just this feeling, especially during bows, when everyone cheers and claps, and it’s like... a good feeling. I’m gonna miss that feeling

#an idiot talks #it was so fun djdjjddjjdjd #i need to draw the main cast of my schools production at somenpoint

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alitheamateur · 5 years

Text

The Grind-Chapter 28

The eve of fight night fell, and Colton was exhibiting extremely peculiar behavior. Not a bad type of peculiar necessarily, but the man just wasn’t his usual self. When I woke up to head for a swim at Temple, the bed was empty on his side and he hadn’t left a note, or word with my parents as to where he disappeared off to. In fact, according to mom, he must’ve left the house before 6 a.m. when she and dad left for their walk. It was a routine they had with the dog back home, and they had been continuing the morning exercise while on their visit to the city.

When I got to my locker at the gym, there was a single Peony taped to the handle, and a square yellow note tied to it’s stem. The easily identified chicken scratch belonged to the missing man in question, so I tore it open jaggedly to gather some answers.

Livvy,

Enjoy your swim, & don’t you dare think of doing anything in the weight room. I told Cal to watch you. You have a noon appointment with that girl who does your hair, & a 10 a.m. massage too. I have some stuff to take care of today but be at home and dressed by 6 tonight. Wear that white dress I like. The one from that party at the Pilot a couple months ago. And don’t eat. I’ll check in later. I LOVE YOU

Colton had been a lot of things the last year, but romantic was a new side. He rendered me speechless from heartbreak, pleasure, and laughter on a fair amount of occasions, but this was unfamiliar lands. Never did I believe such a cynical, wild, tormented soul like his could conjure up the cleverness or the desire to throw together whatever plan he had in the works. But I’d obey the orders, and call mom to steam the crisp white, ankle-length, summer gown he referred to from the office gala event he suffered through as my plus-one, and it’s also the first instance he suckered me into bathroom sex in the family stall. The thin, flesh-hugging stretch of the drapery curved into me, and the low-cut of the back allowed him a subtle peep-show during the owners speech, which had him nearly feverish for a taste of me before the main course was served. I was chatting with Ryan who was seated at our dinner table, when Colton told me I looked a bit peaked and needed a few minutes of good ol’ fresh air. Thoroughly confused, I followed his lead as he took my hand guiding me through the bar area into the public pavilion of the venue. The details are a bit foggy, but I can’t forget the memory of his thirsty tongue licking a bead of summertime sweat from the valley between my breasts.

I concluded on returning to my natural blonde look at the salon, and sang the praises of the on-staff masseuse at SJS Salon on my way out the door. The unwind of my slow laps in the therapy pool, and the exceptional massage had me exuding peaceful relaxation. After the continual sessions’ day & night at the gym, in the cage, in the weight room, at the Pilot, some self-love and spa time was the perfect prescription for a Zen Liv. And I wanted all my tensions free and clear before I met up with Colton for this mysterious evening ahead, so I could fully enjoy the company of my perfectly imperfect companion. Wherever the pathway of our evening led, I knew I’d retire home once it was said and done feeling cherished, and probably horny.

I was puckering to smooth out a plentiful layer of rose-shaded smudge proof lipstick at my lighted vanity when I saw my mother peep around the unlatched door. I looked away from my own reflection to see hers smiling back at me from over my shoulder, as she brushed my hair back curious to discover my earring choice. This overly-feminine, lady-like and sophisticated side of her only child was a glimpse of the daughter she wanted 10 years ago when I was wearing sweats to school every day, and only wore heels for prom or homecoming dances. Mom stayed dressed to the nines every day of the week whether it be a run to the post-office or even a check of the mailbox, so seeing the vision of herself even more so in me now with sleek hair, and a posh taste in stilettos was probably the proudest she had been in a decade.

“Honey, you look excellent! Your little nose healed up just perfectly too, I see.”

Of course, mother. That’s what most important, ay’?

“Yep. It feels fine now. Thanks, mom.” I pursed my mouth, tucking both lips in a stark line and misted a lavish amount of Colton’s favorite perfume onto the exposure of my neck.

“Do you have any ideas what Colton has planned for you? You’re dressed awfully formal.” My mother asked turning her head to survey the final touches of accessory to my ensemble.

“He told me what to wear, and when to be ready to go, so that’s about the most I’m aware of. He’s been pretty shady today. And we both know he’s developed a keen talent for lying lately, seeing as how he managed to get you and daddy here.”

The last text I received from him at 2 o’clock that afternoon was a strange selfie of he and Andrew at the forefront of an impressive Styrofoam cup pyramid they’d apparently built on the display counter at The Grind. Those two had become quite the odd pairing lately, but I was happy Colton jived so well with at least one of my friends. I assumed he just went by the shop for his usual black coffee to-go, and Drew simply asked his assistance on a new merchandise display, which turned into the two of them goofing.

Mom checked her waterproof, step counting watch for the time as she followed be into the bedroom I shared with Colton. “It’s 5 minutes to 6 right now, Livvy. Have you talked to him?”

My heels clacked when transitioning from the carpet, to the tile down the hall. I clicked the unlock button of my cell to place a call to the very man sitting on an arm of the couch in an open stance, with those hefty forearms pushing in his knees. He stood upon hearing the soft tick of my heels step over the rug under the coffee table, and I was able to get a much desired, exploratory look at the very, very surprising dapper two-piece suit he sported. It was an oxford blue, atop a slightly wrinkled button-down shirt that he left casually, and very appealingly gaping open just enough to taunt me with his pecks. He was explicitly, lethal and delicious in the foreign dress of any sort of formal attire. Maybe more so even than those perfectly snug gray sweats I pulled off him on many an ‘afternoon delight’ occasion. That is, assuming I have to have him clothed at all.

“Well hello there, Mr. Ritter. Someone is looking exceptionally handsome tonight, I see. I must say you wear this look well, babe.” I admired, pulling on the lapels of his jacket to situate the wrinkle of his shirt. I tenderly grazed a manicured nail over the freshly shaved goosebumps of his neck, and smiled romantically looking up to him under extended lashes.

“You two enjoy yourselves! Tony and I are going to grab some dinner, and we’ll lock up when we get back. I’m sure it’ll be a late night for you guys,” mom spoke up, still standing behind me undetected. Colton tilted around me to smile appreciatively at her before she turned in pursuit of the spare room where dad was napping.

“Will you ever walk into a room ‘n not instantly have me wantin’ to rip off whatever you wearin’, baby? You look…you look fuckin’ perfect, Liv. I mean that.” He fiddled with the every-day, dainty, gold letter pendant I wore as he spoke, then touched his pointer finger to the heart-shaped opening at the center of my satiny lips.

I wondered reasonably if we’d ever even make it passed the 4 walls of our bedroom seeing the adamant, alluding examinations we were trading in the silence of our family room.

“As long as you promise to replace whatever it is you just have to rip off, then be my guest by all means.” I popped one shoe-covered foot into the air, and boosted up on the other desperate to touch myself to his mouth.

“Get. The hell. Out. That. Door. Now. With ya’ teasin’ little ass.” Colton palmed the front of my dress to clutch over the warmness of my womanly center.

We altered his plan a bit, and decided my car would be the most practical option for transportation considering the height of my designer heels. Once we exited the driveway, I couldn’t help but blast him with pestering questions, and chatting.

“Just sit tight, ‘ight. We ain’t far. You can hold out a few minutes, Livvy. A surprise here ‘n there ain’t gonna kill ya’.”

I unhappily sat tight as advised and waited a drawn out 10-minute car ride that steered us to a parking meter on the street near The Grinds’ entrance on the sidewalk. The white light of the ‘open’ sign that would’ve typically been plugged in the window was powered off, along with the appearance of any other lights, or evidence of business behind the door.

“Colt? What are w-“

“No more questions, okay? Hold on.”

I watched him shove my keys from the ignition inside the pocket lining of his coat, to jog around and assist me from the passenger seat onto the concrete walkway. I smelled something fishy, but I couldn’t place a sure finger on it just yet. With one arm clinging around my average size waist and the other holding my hand, we waited for the street sign to change then scurried along the crosswalk. Colton confirmed the time on his watch just as he gestured me to enter the strange darkness of the generally busy coffee shop.

I couldn’t move much passed the entry mat laying in front of the doorway due to the pitch darkness of the room, so I waited intriguingly for my next instructions. Colton moved in behind me and stepped straight for the location of the light switch he was apparently familiar with. Rather than the hardwired overhead lights of the café igniting with the flipping on of electricity, twinkling, warm garden decorations on green strands taking their place. The dusky glow hanging over our heads bared a table for two waiting empty in the middle of the open floor, and some sort of urbane, bubbly beverage sweating inside a tin bucket of ice. Calm, lazy melodious music struck up, and I finally escaped my confusion to scan for Colton.

“These a’ for you, baby. The best, for the best.”

He offered me a familiar a pink, fluffy bouquet which had become his apparent staple over the last year, and I could smell the odorous fog from gift laying in my arms. Taking a closer look over his face, I noticed he’d groomed up exceptionally precise, and his beard had been combed and trimmed. Colton Ritter may have even been wearing hair product, Ladies and Gentlemen. His matured facial lines, and the barely detectable softening sag around his eyes added a story-telling detail to his aging mug, but I admired every frown line, and ghosting scar.

I rested my arms over his shoulders, dangling the hefty bouquet in my hand behind his back to settle in for a lengthy embrace when a begging, muffled reverberation of hunger grumbled from my empty stomach.

“Well, you did tell me not to eat, silly!” I patted over my angry insides to stifle its interruption.

“I got just the thing to fix ya’ right up. Here. Let’s get you in a seat and I’ll be back.” He took my hand, and I took the seat he offered up, placing the flowers in a waiting vase at the center of his table spread.

Colton lit four small tea-light candles with a zippo frim his pants pocket, and kissed the crown of my freshly washed hair.

“I like the blonde, by the way,” he winked dragging his feet backwards to disappear into the back kitchen.

A few clanging plates and some ruffling feet could be heard as I sat legs crossed, and chin rested on my elbows. Mother Liz always cut my arms with a slap when I would prop my elbows up onto the tables, chastising my etiquette or lack thereof. I repeatedly listed off a careful list of the ‘important dates’ to mark the many milestones of our relationship to assure I hadn’t forgotten some crucial event on this day. There had to be some reason Colton had gone to such odd, starry-eyed measures, and my nosey, sharp-witted journalistic side was beating me to death to get to the real story hidden under wraps.

STOP IT! Let the man have this. Don’t ruin it because you’re a meddlesome pest who can’t just enjoy a surprise.

Just then, a smell so aromatic and reeking of garlic wafted like a puffy cloud of deliciousness into my nose. I inhaled deeply through my nostrils to trace the yummy culprit, and found the man exiting a revolving door that hid the kitchen. He had two enormous, blotchy, grease-stained pizza boxes marked from my very favorite deep-dish joint stacked in one arm, and a covered Dutch oven dish cradled in the left arm. Colt’s tongue peeped like the head of a snake from the corner of his mouth, walking strategically careful so not to drop the hot contents of his clutches.

“So, since you trained so hard, and it nearly killed ya’ cuttin’ out all those carbs, I figured you’d maybe want some’n downright filthy ‘n covered in cheese to hit the spot. Drew tried to tell me I should get some fancy takeout from that place you two are always goin’ to, but I knew this would suit ya’.”

He opened one of the boxes to reveal a cheese deep-dish smothered in sliced, tender black olives.

“You want me to eat the whole thing?” I chuckled with a large goading laugh, and quarter-sized eyes.

“One fa’ you,” he answered sitting himself to open the other cardboard box in his place setting. “’and one fa’ me.” Colton rubbed his hands together anxiously, like a giddy boy about to dive into an ankle-deep mud puddle.

“But you may wanna save a lil’ room for this too, baby.”

I watched as he pulled the sturdy lid from top the black dish, and fluffy, warm steam rolled from the inside. Peeping over the edge in anticipation, I discovered a dark chocolate, gooey treat, topped with whole praline pecans and stringy caramel drizzles.

“Colt, you made that? All by yourself?!” I smiled adoringly when the look of utter pride beamed from his coy face.

It was a turtle dessert my mom taught me to make, and my absolute favorite. Colton had stayed been at my old apartment one night, back before the fight, and said he needed a ‘sugar fix’. The city was covered in powdery snow and muck, with temperatures reaching their lowest degree all winter. Neither of us could stand the thought of leaving the warm solace of my couch, so I whipped up that same dessert for him. We demolished the entire contents straight from the dish, sharing a spoon for vanilla bean ice cream on the side.

“Liz wrote the ingredients down for me, but I remembered pretty well how you made it that night. Don’t be gettin’ all wound up before ya’ even taste it now,” he tittered taking his first bite of pizza.

We ate majority of each cheesy pie, (him asking for a slice of mine) then hysterically cackled for a good half hour after he sampled (and gagged on) a swig of my favorite merlot from a local winery. When our favorite Bob Dylan tune struck up on his iPod, I asked him to dance, and he obliged hugging me tightly with one arm, and gnawing on the last piece of pizza he clutched to in the other. The raw, real-life imperfections of the moment that would’ve had most females curling a lip in disgust, and trouncing far, far away from a man with such qualities as Colton Ritter, only had me needing his presence in my life more so.

“How’d you pull this off Ritter? I must say, I didn’t know you had it in ya’, babe.” I muffled with a full mouth of his well-made chocolate cake as I dabbed the corners of my mouth.

“Just called in a favor to my pal Andrew, no biggie. The bastard only made me pay him 200 bucks to make up for his ‘lost profit.’” Colton used his most sardonic air quotes to underline Andrew’s no doubt tantrum for his role.

“You been workin’ so damn hard, Livvy. And I just wanted to do somethin’ to make you feel special. Help ya’ relax and take the edge off of a lil’ about tomorrow night. ‘N judging by those sexy, heavy little wine eyes you been givin’ me, I’d say I did a fine job.”

The excellence of the entire evening, hand-in-hand with now a present buzz of red wine after so many months, made the air around me feel as if it touched my skin like expensive cashmere. My insides felt as if they were humming with muggy decadence, and no unkind thought weighed on my mind.

“Oh God, stop it!” I covered my face, ashamed of his insinuating light-weight insult.

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, Liv. I ain’t just sayin’ shit right now. I mean that. You’re perfect now, jus’ like this. And ya’ perfect on the couch with your face painted in one of those goopy masks you put on before you check your work email at night.” He leaned over the round table, mazing through the empty boxes, and melting candle wax staining the tablecloth to encase my fingers. Any fool could see there was nothing but earnest passion in his eyes, and a blatantly truthful, sureness in his voice.

“I love you. And don’t sell yourself so short! You are the perfect one. Even with all those demons, and whatever else is hiding in that head of yours.” I wanted to caress and pet his always warm cheek, but the distance between us caused me to settle for a tight squeeze of his hand, and a kiss to his scarred fingers.

“A perfect man wouldn’ta let somebody like you get away, baby.”

“Stop with that! We’re here now. Together. And we’re happy. Plus, there are more important things going on right now we should be worryin’ about.”

I knew I could back out of my fight right now, even the night before, and Colton would support my decision without hesitation, and anyone else who didn’t, would suffer at the hand of his consequence. The reality of what I knew I’d be doing only a few short hours from now, was a frightening one. But, one that I had agreed to for myself at the hands of no ones’ force. I wanted to make Colton proud of me for something more than just having my nose shoved in front of a computer screen 10+ hours a day. I had to prove to him, the world, my parents, and mainly myself that I was capable of greatness. That I had the potential to step out in faith, and achieve something like this with some courage like the old Liv.

“We’ve done everything in the gym we possibly coulda, baby. You’ve done everything. You need t’ believe in yourself like you were always tellin’ me. I’ll be there standin’ in that corner for you, I promise. And if ever you wanna cut it, just say the world ‘n we’ll walk outta there first round. You can do this, 2-1. Clear eyes, remember?”

“Thank you, Colton. For being the man that you are, and sticking with me through this even though we both know you hated the idea. And for all this God, it’s incredible, really. I’ve desperately needed some alone time with my guy.” I scooted to the front ledge of my chair, resting on the table to wink suggestively at the tantalizing specimen opposite my gazes.

“Calm ya’self, you dirty girl. I know wha’s goin’ on up in the head o’ yours. I got one more place I need to take you. Then, I can assure you…. I can really fuckin’ assure you, that I’m gonna get real good and close to every piece of your creamy skin under that dress.”

tags: @torialeysha @eap1935 @littleluna98 @mollybegger-blog

#Tom Hardy #tomhardy #tom hardy fanfiction #tomhardyfanfic #tomhardyfanfiction #elizabeth olsen #tommy conlon #thegrind

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fanfics4all · 6 years

Text

The Northside Serpent: Part 15

Request: Yes / No

Request are open but ONLY if they’re Halloween<3 Have a nice day/night

Sweet Pea x Keller!Reader

Word count: 2068

Warnings: Death

Y/N: Your Name

Summary: You’re Kevin Keller’s little sister when you’re mom left to go to war and your dad started cheating (I’m making it so he’s been cheating since season 1) You started rebelling; dying your hair, getting a nose piercing, tattoo, and hanging out on the southside.

PLEASE DO NOT STEAL MY WORK, I WORK HARD ON MY FICS AND IT’S NOT COOL TO STEAL SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK!

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Masterlist

(Not my photo, credit to whoever made it!)

Kevin made me come to school with him early to ask Jughead to be the videographer. I really didn’t want to go to school early but I didn’t have a choice. So I was also forced to go to the before school musical practice. I watched them sing and dance and I sat next to Fangs while they did this. After they were done everyone sat in a circle on chairs and Kevin smiled.

“Welcome to Carrie: The Musical.” He said and then Fangs pulled his chair into the circle, next to Kevin and Toni.

“Okay. Next, introductions.” Kevin said and I rolled my eyes. Jughead was behind everyone filming the behind the scenes.

“I’m Archie, I’m playing Tommy Ross. The boy next door.” Archie said.

“I’m Betty, I play Sue Snell. The good girl.” Betty said.

“Veronica Lodge, playing mean girl, Chris Hargensen.” Veronica said.

“I’m Cheryl Blossom, playing the iconic role of Carrie White.” Cheryl said standing up.

“Tone deaf.” Josie said with a cough and I bit my lip. Oh boy…

“Who’s playing your mom? Margaret White.” Ethel asked.

“I am.” Alice Cooper said walking in.

“Ah!” Kevin said with a smile.

“Mom?” Betty asked.

“Wait, seriously?” Ethel asked.

“Settle down. Yes, it’s untraditional but to me, there’s nothing more amateur than age-inappropriate casting.” Kevin said and I rolled my eyes.

“It’s a school play.” I said and Kevin narrowed his eyes at me.

“I’m really looking forward to getting to know who this woman is, you know, get under her skin. And, of course, to spend some quality time with my daughter, Elizabeth.” Alice said and Betty smiled.

“Uh, sorry.” Chuck said walking in and everyone rolled their eyes.

“I thought rehearsal were in the Music Room.” He said.

“No problem. All are welcome here.” Kevin said and I scoffed. Chuck sat down and they kept talking.

“Why am I even here, Kevin? I’m not even in the play.” I asked when they took a break.

“Because, you don’t have anywhere else to go.” He said and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Anywhere is better than watching you guys put on a stupid play.” I said crossing my arms.

“Dad wants me to keep an eye on you, so you’re staying here.” He said and I rolled my eyes.

“Of course he does.” I said annoyed and just walked over to Toni and Fangs.

“Hey Quinny, how are you doin’?” Fangs asked.

“Eh, I’d rather not talk about this…” I said and Toni placed her arm around me.

“Forget about that, we’re talking to him. Besides that, how are you and Kevin?” She asked and I groaned.

“Ughhh, I still don’t want to talk to him or my dad.” I said annoyed and they sighed.

“He’s your brother, you gotta talk to him.” Fangs said and Toni nodded.

“Maybe when he gets his head outta his ass.” I said crossing my arms and they laughed. The break ended and I went back to sitting on the sidelines.

“Okay. Act one scene one.” Kevin told everyone as they looked at the scripts.

“Actually, before we begin…” Cheryl said standing up and putting her script down.

“I’ve heard whisperings that some of you ensemble-vultures don’t think I’m fit to play or sing-” She said and looked at Josie.

“No.” Josie said shaking her head.

“The role of Carrie White. So, to settle this matter once and for all. Maestro?” Cheryl called out.

“Okay, uh, Cheryl-” Kevin said but she cut him off by starting to sing. Cheryl finished and Toni stood up to clap. I also started clapping and soon everyone else joined in.

“Wow, I think I speak for everyone when I say that was undeniable, Cheryl.” Kevin said. Cheryl was walking back to her seat when a sandbag fell and almost hit her. We all looked at her in shock. After that happened Kevin decided to call it for practice. I stayed in the shadows throughout the day just like I have been for the past week. I just really couldn’t kick the horrible feeling I felt from Sweet Pea breaking up with me.

After school Kevin and I went home and he told me that he found a letter in his locker from the Black Hood. He said that the Black Hood didn’t want Cheryl to play Carrie but he wasn’t going to recast her. After he told me that I just stayed in my room until dinner where I ignored my family. I really didn’t want to talk to them since they literally ruined my relationship. During the whole Carrie rehearsals Kevin forced me to go with him. When I refused him he had Toni, Fangs, or Jughead make me come. They all claimed they wanted me to keep my mind of Sweet Pea. I watched as Betty, Archie, Veronica, and Chuck practice their scene where they were both wanting to help/hurt Carrie. Once it was finished Kevin told everyone it was finished and then we went home. The next day I was dragged there once again. Cheryl and Josie were practicing their scene and honestly this was probably the only scene I was excited to see.

“In this scene, gym teacher Mrs. Gardener is being a friend when out girl has none, out of sheer kindness.” Kevin said, I was sitting behind him and Fangs.

“I’ll fake it as best I can.” Josie said with a sigh and Cheryl looked her up and down. The music started and Josie was the first one to sing.

“Stop, stop, stop.” Cheryl said and everyone stopped.

“Okay, Cheryl, I’m the only one that’s allowed to stop.” Kevin said and I rolled my eyes. God he’s taking this too seriously.

“I can’t do this! I can’t have you hating me while we’re singing a song about friendship.” Cheryl said and my brother shook his head.

“I know everything I did was legit crazy, Josie, but I was wrestling with some dark, Carrie White-like demons, and I’m so, so sorry. So please, please forgive me.” Cheryl said and they started singing again. I sighed and watched as they both were making up. Ugh, I wanted some drama… After that was done Veronica was up to practice her World According To Chris scene. God could Kevin cast anymore obvious? Betty the good girl, Veronica the bad girl, it’s a little on the nose. She finished and everyone clapped.

“Okay, Veronica, I am obsessed with everything that just happened.” Kevin said walking up to her.

“Thank you, it helps to be off-book and in full costume.” Veronica said with a smile and Betty laughed.

“Don’t be so modest. You are the literal embodiment of Chris.” She said and I smirked, guess I’ll be gettin my drama after all.

“Never has a role been so perfectly type-cast.” She added.

“Betty…” Archie said trying to stop her and my brother sighed.

“What was that, Betty?” Veronica asked.

“I mean, think about it. Spoiled rich girl, check. Major daddy issues, check. Bad to the bone, trying to control everyone around her, including her boyfriend and best friend. Check, check, check.” Betty said and I smirk nudging Jughead.

“Looks like your girlfriends finally figured it out.” I said and he shook his head at me. Kevin told everyone they could leave and they did. I was stuck with Jughead and he was watching as Archie was talking to Betty in the back.

“A little jealous are we?” I asked him.

“Shut up Quinny.” He said shoving me.

“How are you anyway?” He asked turning the camera off.

“I’m doing as best as I can be after my first boyfriend broke up with me because of my family.” I said sitting back in my seat.

“Hey, we’re talking to him okay? Toni said you made him happy so he’s not just gonna throw that away.” Jug said giving me a side hug.

“He already did…” I sighed. I could feel a wave of tears ready to escape. I got up and walked over to my brother who was with Fangs.

“Hey Kev… I’m gonna go home…” I said and he looked at me worried.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” He asked and I nodded.

“Yeah… I’m just tired. I’ll see you at home.” I said and walked out. I walked home and locked myself in my room. I took out my phone and started going through mine and Sweet Pea’s texts. Why was I torturing myself like this? We haven’t talked in weeks, hell I haven’t even seen him besides in class. Maybe Toni was wrong and I didn’t make him happy… I cried myself to sleep again that night.

The next day I was yet again forced to go to rehearsals but this time Cheryl wasn’t there. I looked at everyone confused. Where was she? She wouldn’t be late, she wanted to play Carrie more than anything.

“Due to some unforeseen circumstances, Cheryl will no longer be playing the role of Carrie White.” My brother said and Fangs tried to place his hand on his shoulder? Did Fangs have a thing for my brother? Good luck with that.

“What? Why?” Toni asked.

“Let’s just say that Penelope Blossom isn’t much of a stage-mom.” Kevin said and I scoffed.

“I think Cheryl’s by the gym bleachers.” He told Toni and she grabbed her stuff and left.

“In the meantime, Cheryl’s understudy will assume the role.” My brother said.

“Understudy?” Ethel asked.

“I appointed one after the sandbag incident. Midge Klump!” He said and everyone clapped. After that announcement everyone took their seats. Midge and Alice were going to practice one of their scenes. Everything was going well until Alice said Betty instead of Carrie..

“Mom?” Betty asked.

“Don’t leave me, Betty. Don’t leave me like all the others.” Alice said while crying then ran off. Betty got up and followed her.

“Am I directing a train wreck? And where’s my tea?” Kevin asked Fangs.

“Yeah you are. What did you think was gonna happen?” I asked rolling my eyes.

“Shut it you!” Kevin said looking at me.

After what felt like forever it was finally the night of the play. Kevin made sure we were dressed nice, so I was dressed in black lace dress, black and silver flower earrings, a black and silver flower necklace, and some black heels. For makeup, I up on a dark red lip and black and silver eyeshadow with a wing. I also curled my hair and put a bow in the back.

It was definitely too dressy for a school play but Kevin was making us so we had to. I was sitting next to Cheryl and Jughead and he was sitting next to my brother. We were watching the play and everything was going great. Alice was singing one her songs where Carrie was locked in the closet and everyone was loving it. They set looked amazing too.

“Alright Carrietta, it’s time to come out of your closet.” Alice said and the set lifted. What everyone saw was horrific.

“Uh, Kevin, did you re-block this scene? Why isn’t she on her knees singing?” Cheryl asked.

“I-I…” Kevin just stuttered, he didn’t know what to say. There on the wall was Midge Klump stabbed with multiple knives and with things written in her blood…

“I am back from the dead all those who escaped me before will die. B.H.” I read and we all just stared in shock, not processing what was happening.

“I don’t think that’s part of the show.” Jughead said shocked.

“Oh my God!” Kevin said.

“Somebody should help her! For God’s sake, help her!” Cheryl yelled and Alice finally turned around. She screamed and everyone started screaming and freaking out. We all got up and Kevin grabbed me pulling me to the stage but I got out of his grip and ran for the door. Two people stopped me and I looked up to see Fangs and Sweet Pea. Fangs grabbed me and pulled me out of the school with them.

“What the hell was that?” Fangs asked shocked.

“I don’t know, the Black hood must be back…” I said scared and Sweet Pea wrapped his arm around me. I froze not really knowing why he was doing this.

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep you safe.” Sweet Pea said and they took me on their bikes to Sunnyside Trailer Park.

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scarecrowandmrking · 5 years

Text

Gotta Raise A little Hell

I started dancing at The Dive when I was just 16 years old. It beat staying at home, getting my ass beat by my dad when he got drunk and listening to my mom making excuses as to why she had married such a worthless dirt bag. This isn’t one of those stories about how I was destroyed by my circumstances, turned to drugs, went on to live a life of crime. Truth is, I work damn hard to get where I am in the world. At 24, I have a place of my own, a nice car, all the spare cash it took to keep me in nice clothes and also working my way through college. The owner of the place, Mo, was a real piece of work. Always talking trash about the place and the girls who worked there, but he had your back when the chips were down. I can’t say the same for some of the chicks I worked with. Stripping was a business. At the end of the day, we were all selling a product and trying to make sure we got our piece of the pie. You had to be nice and go along to get along, if you knew what was best for you. It’s not good to have too many enemies around here. But, deep down, you couldn’t keep from having your favorite girls. There were the ones you looked up to. The ones you watched every night do their thing, wishing you could dance the way they did. Make the kind of money they did. Then there were the girls who would cut you, but you envied how nobody ever fucked them over. And if anyone even tried, they would end of walking away with a limp. I was about fifteen minutes late to the club, which got me an ass chewing by Mo. “You know how many bitches want to work here? Get your shit worked out.” I rolled my eyes, moving past Mo towards the back of the club. Something caught my eye as I did so, and I turned my head towards the stage. My mouth dropped. Sitting at the front of the club, long legs stretched out before him and a pair of shades obscuring his eyes, was the actor Mark Pellegrino. I fought back a squeal of excitement. Lucifer was my favorite character on Supernatural. Mark played him with such a sexy, seductive flair. My eyes roamed over his long, muscular body. He was decked out in a nice pair of jeans and a black t shirt, a gray jacket over that. His attention was fixed on the stage. I felt a faint twinge of jealousy as my gaze wandered to the tall, ebony beauty dancing to a fast beat. Perfect breasts bounced, pert nipples grazing the pole as Shandra went through her routine. I have always liked the dancer, admired her grace and way with the patrons. Tonight, she had chosen a school girl ensemble, complete with pig tales and ruler. As I watched, she mimed smacking Mark on top of the head with the ruler, giving him a sly smile. “Play nice,” he tells her, his voice low and husky. The ultimate daddy dom voice. I felt myself starting to get wet. I turned to Mo. “Tell him to meet me backstage.” The owner of the club raises an eyebrow at me. I’ve never asked him for anything before. I could tell he found the idea interesting. “You know the rules,” he warns me. I think he knows I won’t be obeying them tonight. But he’s long since realized to give a little on some things. Keep the peace with the girls. I nod. Then turn and run through the door that leads into the back of the place. When I get in the changing room, some of the dancers try to catch my attention. Everyone is eager to tell me the latest gossip, who was fucking who, who had dropped money on this or that, where everyone was when they weren’t working their ass off on the pole. People outside the life never got how hard it was to be a performer. How difficult it was to be in the life and still do the things you wanted to when you were off, body tired and just wanting some good sleep with nobody pawing at you or jerking off onto the floor. I ignored everyone, running to my stuff and grabbing my she devil costume, complete with horns. The flimsy piece left little to the imagination, having a mostly open chest and being entirely crotch less. I went over to my make up station and applied some heavy red eye shadow and ruby lipstick. My mind was already going through the moves I would be making a couple of minutes from now. The music I wanted. Just how far I intended to go with all of this. I knew Mo would respect my decision. He didn’t mind having a stripping 16 year old in his club years ago, so I understood that his grasp of the law wasn’t exactly rock solid anyway. The VIP room in the Dive consisted of a round room with a low ceiling, it's only furniture a heart shaped couch pushed up against the wall. A pole had been erected in front of the couch, kept wiped down and cleaned by one of the maintenance dudes, who’s job I never envied. Mark was waiting for me on the couch when I came into the room. He’d tucked his shades into his jacket pocket. A crooked grim lit up his face when he saw what I was wearing. I could tell that he appreciated the reference. “What’s your name, kitten?” I ignored him, waiting on the music to start. A second later, the first cords to Dorothy’s Raise Hell came in over the speakers.

Gotta raise a little hell Young blood, run like a river Young blood, never get chained Young blood, heaven need a sinner You can't raise hell with a saint Young blood, came to start a riot Don't care what your old man say Young blood, heaven hate a sinner But we gonna raise hell anyway

I felt the music work it’s way into my body, into my bones. I kept my eyes on Mark, loving how his gaze moved over my writhing body, taking in my full, heavy breasts as they swayed to the rhythm. My long black hair, streaked with blue, swept back over my shoulders and flowed down my back. I spread my legs on the bar, using my hands to hold myself in the air. I had been doing this since I was a teenager. It was as easy as breathing to me now. I knew when to dismount, draw out the routine for the maximum effect. I could tell that the routine was working. There was a definite bulge in the actor’s jeans when I had finished. As the music stopped, I moved to straddle Mark. “Easy there,” he stiffened as my weight came down upon him, my hands reaching out to stroke his shoulders. “I don’t think this is allowed.” “I’m the Devil,” I say, kissing his cheek. “Fuck the rules.” I was surprised when Mark gave me a big, open mouthed kiss, his tongue delving into my mouth. I felt my pussy clench instinctively. Fuck, his body felt so damn big and good between my hands. I could feel his erection rubbing against my bare pussy through his jeans. I rocked against him a little, rewarded when he moaned into my mouth. I pulled away, taking a moment to enjoy the look of lust on his face. He had a raw, wonderfully nasty about him when he was turned on. Like he wanted to bend you over his knee and do all sorts of terrible things to you that would leave you raw and satisfied when he was done. I let my thoughts wander to just what those things might be as I pulled his shirt up, running kisses down his broad chest while at the same time unbuckling his jeans. Mark closed his eyes and let out a deep, guttural moan as I took his entire length into my mouth, all the way down to his balls. I kept things slow at first, working him up as I learned what he liked and how fast he liked it. I reached under and played with his balls. My tongue moved over the top of his glans, swirling in a circle around the very sensitive tip. I wanted to swallow his nut. I never did things like that. But, with this sexy as hell man sitting here, cock in my face, I wanted nothing more but to deep throat him as hard as I could until he filled my belly with his seed. A second later, another need pushed its way into my thoughts. It had been around 14 days since my last period. That special window when nature made sure things happened. Maybe that was another reason my pussy was so hot and wet. Why I was so close to orgasm, when his cock wasn’t even in me yet. I got on top of him again, not giving him much time to react before I took his cock in my hands and moved him to my wet opening. “Please,” he groaned, head thrown back, eyes only partly open. I struggled to get the head of his cock in me. He was bigger than any partner I had before, but I loved the soreness his cock made as he stretched me to my breaking point. I moved into three slow, deep thrusts, enjoying the long orgasm that rippled through my body. I whispered his name against his chest, hiding my face there. It was so intimate, having an actual climax in front of someone for the first time. How many guys had not even been able to make me cum? And yet he had done it without even trying. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Mark grabbed my ass, holding me still so that he could pound the fuck out of my dripping cunt. I grabbed his shoulders and hung on, begging him to go faster, harder. I couldn’t get enough of him. The scent and taste and feel of him. He was like an addiction I could see myself giving up everything for. I cried out, bit him, kissed his neck. There was something so freeing about this experience. About taking charge and fucking who I wanted to. Being the aggressor in a world where I was always treated like the prize. I could tell when he was about to come, I felt a deep thrill go through me as I leaned back and took in the sight of his teeth clenching, his eyes squeezed shut. Most guys looked ugly when they came. But not him. “Fuck,” I heard him blurt out a moment before I felt the warm spurts in my pussy. I groaned. God, he could really fill a girl up in more ways than one. I ran my fingers through his hair, soothing him as he finished coming inside of me. His body still shuddered, but his breath was slowly coming back to normal. He looked up at me, the sly smile back on his face. “You're good at breaking the rules.” My mind drifted to how much enjoyment I would have jerking off with his cum later. I could already feel the gooey slick dribbling down my legs and turning me on again. “You have no idea,” I replied, kissing him on the cheek.

#mark pellegrino fan fiction #mark pellegrino

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