#do not know enough men fronted bands to put together an example

[thatdykepunkslut]

Taylors wift is just elon musk for horse girls and gays who are afraid of faggots

[writefightandflightclub]

Too much information (Frankie Morales x GN reader)

Summary: you’re dating Frankie in secret, and Pope is on to you. Brunch probably isn’t the best place to put his interrogation skills to use, but do you really think that’s going to stop him?! No, me neither.

Author’s note: this is just a quick, silly, shortish blurb. Nothing special but the scene popped into my head and then my finger slipped, so here you go. It’s mainly between reader and Pope, but you are dating Frankie and he does appear.

Warnings: not really. Food mention.

GIF by @themarcusmoreno

“Is that ‘Fish’s t-shirt?” Pope asks bluntly, as he settles into the booth opposite you, the group gradually gathering for lunch. You had arrived first, and begun perusing the menu.

“Normal people might shoot for a hello,” you josh, standing and leaning over the table to greet him with a kiss on the cheek.

“Yeah, that too,” he grins. “Well, is it?”

Before you retake your seat, you take a quick look down at the garment in question. A marled-grey band shirt.

“No,” you answer adamantly, crinkling your face in confusion. “It’s not.”

“You sure?” Pope presses, and he leans in, resting on his folded arms. His stare is intense, and you suddenly feel like you’re in an interrogation. You suddenly feel very sorry indeed for his prior subjects, considering this is a mere taster of the intensity they were subjected to.

“Yes,” you say in a level voice, looking him dead in the eye.

“Hmm,” he nods, considering it, his hand rasping over his stubble. He takes a menu too, from the stash at the far-end of the booth. You hope he’s dropping the topic, but no such luck. “See. You already made one mistake,” he breezes, and you squirm in your seat. “You checked. You looked down, as if it could be Frankie’s t-shirt.”

You saw your jaw from side-to-side.

“Which I’m pretty sure it is,” he adds with a flourish of his hand, his eyes flashing with a smug pride.

“It’s not,” you snap, staring him down until he raises his hands in surrender.

“Okay.”

Finally. You look down at the menu, selecting your burger and milkshake combo. But he’s not done yet. Of course. Air seethes out out your nose. “Looks like his though. Doesn’t really fit you either. Not really your usual style,” he muses, as if ticking off a checklist in his head.

You huff, and look back up at him. “You have too much time on your hands, Pope. How’s that job-hunt coming? Or, actually, when did you last get laid? Think you need to find somewhere to direct all this excess energy.”

You should have said yes. Should have made-up an excuse about how you needed to borrow some clothes. Because it definitely is Frankie’s t-shirt.

He knows it. But if you admit it is Frankie’s t-shirt, at this point, you are admitting a whole lot more besides.

“Now now. No need to get personal.” You wish you could knock the shit-eating grin off his face. “Just answer the question.”

“This is how I wear my clothes now,” you say, gesturing down at yourself. It’s flimsy and you know it.

“Okay.”

You’re really starting to hate the way he says that.

He’s quiet for a beat, and you think he may have given up, but, to your ire, apparently not. Instead, Pope leans over the table and presses his nose right into your shoulder, taking a whiff. “Kinda smells like his detergent too.”

You pull back from him in disbelief. He recognises his detergent? “That’s fucked up, Pope. Why are you so obsessed with Frankie?”

Your comments don’t seem to rile him. Instead, Pope’s eyes flash with a sudden knowledge.

Balls. That was your second mistake. You called him “Frankie”. Not “‘Fish”. Fuck. You flare your nostrils in annoyance and only hope that Pope missed it.

“Well? Explain that. Why does it smell like... Frankie?” No chance that he missed it, then?

“Guess we use the same brand,” you dismiss, propping your chin on one of your hands as you continue to review the specials, in an attempt to obscure your face.

“Uh-huh. Okay.” You bristle. There it is again. Maybe he simply irritates all of his subjects into confessing. He’s certainly irritating enough for that to be plausible. “So, let’s recap, shall we? You dress like him now, and use his detergent? Why are you so obsessed with him?”

“He’s a role model for us all, pendejo.”

He ticks up an eyebrow, looking distinctly unimpressed by your insult.

“Pendejo?”

“And I really mean that,” you say, with a saccharine smile, even as you reach across and bat his cap from his head with a quick boop under the brim.

He half rolls his eyes at you, and yet you can tell he’s biting back a smile as he scoops it up from where it landed and places it by his side on the seat.

“So you weren’t at his place last night?”

“Nope,” you say, popping the “p” and refusing to look-up.

“Didn’t arrive together and stagger your entry to avoid being caught? Because I’m pretty sure his truck’s parked out front and yours... isn’t. And yet here you are, and here he’s not.”

Well. You don’t have an answer for that one. Not right away.

Pope grins smugly, enjoying that he’s getting under your skin.

Shit, where is Frankie? Where are the Millers? Literally anyone. Pope evidently thinks you’re the weak link while you’re alone, and you’re not doing a whole lot to prove him wrong.

“I walked here,” you say weakly.

Pope even goes so far as to dip his head under the table.

“In those boots? Don’t they kill your feet?”

Well at least he was paying attention when the boys made you walk all the way across town that time, to get to this one “must-visit” dive bar. Kinda sweet he remembered actually. Unless, of course, he simply gathers information to use it against you, during times like this, for example.

Eyes drawn away from the booth, you finally see Frankie walk through the door, and you let out a breath of relief. Still, as Pope raises a thick eyebrow at you, examining every expression on your face, you try to avoid looking at Frankie altogether, just so you don’t give anything away.

Pleasantly oblivious, Frankie comes in and settles right next to you in the booth.

“Hey,” he says brightly to the both of you, before smiling at you a little too long, and so -subtly but pointedly- you bump his knee with yours to alert him to play it a little cool. He doesn’t get the memo. Instead, he points down at your torso, without thinking. “Is that my t-shirt?”

Your eyes flutter closed to the sound of a smug, victorious laugh from Pope. Groaning, you put your head in your hands, peeking at your interrogator through your fingers. You watch him lean back in the booth, raising his arms to rest his head on his interlaced fingers, and a smug grin extending over his face.

“Fucking knew it.”

Quickly putting it together, with a gasp of breath, Frankie realises what he’s said. He quickly tries to smooth it over with some elaborate excuse, but you place your hand on his denim-clad thigh and gently shake your head. “He knows, Frankie,” you sigh. “He’s on to us. Basically interrogated me.”

There is a heated and mile-a-minute exchange between the two men in Spanish, and it sounds animated but is clearly somewhat good-natured, typical of their dynamic. Then, Frankie turns back to you. “You know how to shut him up, though?” he smiles. “Give him too much information.”

And he’s not wrong. As soon as Frankie begins to start describing a list of hypothetical activities from last night in vivid detail, Santi quickly holds his hands up in defeat. “Woah, Buddy. Alright. I get it. Fuck.”

Honestly - these two. You roll your eyes, even as you shake out a laugh.

“Hell. I need a drink,” you express, and you step away to the bar, leaving your interrogation behind for a moment.

As you look on though, it seems like poor Frankie’s interrogation is only just beginning.

“So, how long has this been happening?” Santi asks warmly.

“How long do you think?” Frankie asks out of curiosity- wanting to assess Pope’s abilities.

The man weighs it up, his hand smoothing over his stubble. “One month, give or take.”

“Three,” Frankie confirms, a hint of pride flashing in his soft, brown eyes as he realises you’ve outdone Pope, even for a little while.

In contrast though, victory is suddenly the last thing on Pope’s mind, and he’s more concerned with how damn happy his friend looks as he reveals this information. Pope mirrors Frankie’s wide, beaming smile, and he reaches across the table to deliver a few solid, congratulatory pats to his shoulder. “I’m happy for you, man.”

Frankie’s smile lingers, and he steals a sweeping glance over at you as you lean-up against the bar, his eyes shining as he takes you in.

“How’s it going between you? This a serious thing or just fucking?” Pope asks, although he could hazard a pretty safe guess.

Frankie’s hands disappear into the sleeves of his cord jacket, and his eyelashes flutter bashfully. “I’m in love, man. I’m in some deep shit.”

Santi smiles, tapping Frankie on the arm and giving him a heads-up that you’re on your way back over with the drinks.

You smile brightly at him from across the way, and Pope looks between the two of you. Frankie certainly does look like a goner, he considers.

“Plus - shit,” Frankie adds quickly, in the moment before you come back into earshot. “Seeing them in my t-shirt is Doing Things for me, man.”

“Hermano,” he chuckles. “That’s too much information.”

You arrive back to the table to the sound of Frankie’s delightfully throaty chuckle - your second favourite sound in the world (since hooking-up, you have found one noise he makes which is even better). As you slide in beside the boys, you see the doors swing as the Millers enter the establishment in tandem.

You gaze at Frankie for a few moments, and you steal a final glance back at Pope. He’s still looking at you, but now he looks satisfied, as if he’s put a final piece of the puzzle together.

You don’t know it, but Pope’s suddenly deeply happy for his friends. He has the final piece of information, and to him, it’s quite plain to see. You’re clearly in love; and you’re evidently a complete goner for Frankie too.

“Hey, Millers- did you know these two are hooking-up in secret?” Pope asks loudly as the brothers join you around the table.

Well - he’s got it partly right. You are hooking-up, but it obviously isn’t a secret anymore.

You could care less.

When Frankie takes your hand under the table, giving it a little squeeze, you can’t help the smile which lights your face. Suddenly, you can’t help wanting to tell the whole world that Frankie is your man. And, what better people to begin with than your squad?

[taags-old-account]

Punk Boy Beats The Shit Out Of A God

Did I finish the last paragraphs of the Oneshot? IN UNDER 10 MINUTES? It's a miracle! So, this is an MCU and TOA crossover oneshot that I did. The writing is horrible but the concept is fun. Read my horrible writing... if you dare!

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“Kneel before me.” said the gold and green dressed person, standing over the scrambling crowd. The people were trying to get away, Douxie couldn’t blame them, he saw the lunatic put that device in that scientist’s eye.

Upon the rooftops of a nearby building stood a 920-year-old master wizard; Hisirdoux (preferably Douxie) Casperan. Former apprentice of Merlin Ambrosius, part of the rock band Ash Dispersal Pattern, Guardian of Arcadia, Repairer Of Excalibur (although Nimue did that), Protector of Nari of The Eternal Forest, and Protector of this Realm.

On Douxie’s shoulders stood his familiar: Archibald (preferably Archie). “Seems to be the very annoying type,” said Archie, shifting slightly then licking his paw. The armored person had used their magic to create several copies of themselves, boxing in the civilians. “I said KNEEL.” they roared. Simple-ish magic to Douxie, illusions.

“Agreed. Very annoying.” Douxie replied, scratching his nose before scrolling through the runes of his gauntlet. “Should I do a dramatic entrance?” he asked his familiar, doing jazz hands and beginning to prepare himself. Douxie didn’t have to see Archie’s eyes to know that he was rolling them. “If you must.”

Illusion Person had started their Villain Monologue, “Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.”

Douxie’s eye twitched, the Illusion Person was about to get their ass kicked. But to the Rooftop Duo’s surprise, an old man had stood up and faced Illusion Person. “Not to men like you.”

Summoning his Spellcaster Guitar (‘Darling��), Douxie could already tell where this was going. “There are no men like me,” replied Illusion Person with a smirk.

“There are always men like you.” growled the old man. Douxie gave the guy instant credibility for the guts he had to face Illusion Person. Archie, still on Douxie’s shoulder, had switched over to his dragon form with a gold flash.

The Illusion Person decided to hold up their Glowstick Of Destiny at the man. Knowing what was coming Douxie prepared his shield spell to defend.

Up above in a Quinjet, Captain America was preparing himself to jump out. Piloting was Black Widow. “Look to your elder, people. Let him be an example.” Illusion Person’s Glowstick Of Destiny glowed bright blue before shooting at the old man.

Only for the man to be protected by a blue shield. And it wasn’t a World War II soldier’s, it was a magic shield. Jumping down came Hisirdoux Casperan, Spellcaster Guitar in hand and Archie snarling on his shoulders.

“You know, I have faced a lot of Buttsnacks like you, I’ve beaten the shit out of a lot of them too. You are no exception,” said Douxie twirling his guitar.

“A Wizard-” Illusion Person started, clearly knowing (somewhat) who he was facing. Though he was cut off,

“Master Wizard. Hisirdoux Casperan not at your service,” smirked Douxie raising a finger, turning his guitar back into his blue gemmed staff.

Suddenly a man with a different blue shield drops down. Captain America, “And you know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing.”

“A Soldier, a man out of time.” said the Illusion Person. HA! Definitely not the only one here.

“I'm not the one who's out of time.” he replied, Captain America then turned to Douxie “You should get out of here kid.”

Douxie just laughed in response “You’d be surprised to hear that I am older than you.”

“By several centuries.” continued Archie. Captain America was shocked to his core that okay, the dragon talks. From the Captain’s Perspective, Loki had just raised an eyebrow. From Douxie’s perspective, he saw Illusion Person put together some pieces about Douxie, not that he cared, but Douxie still saw it.

From above a jet had come close and was aiming its large rifles at Illusion Person. “Loki, drop the weapon and stand down.” said a woman’s voice, probably the person who was piloting.

Douxie raised an eyebrow, from the outside he looked slightly puzzled. Inside though his thoughts were running wild. What’s horse-fucker doing here on earth? I thought that Loki would stay on Asgard. Wasn’t there that thing about the Destroyer coming down to- OH! Goddammit. Stupid Fucking Gods. Go Home!

As fast as Zoe’s lightning, Loki had shot a beam of blue at the jet. The pilot maneuvers it just in time, meanwhile Douxie had yelled out “Tenebris Ellilium!” and shoots his hand forward, the whip wraps around Loki’s staff as Douxie pulls hard. The staff flew out of his hand and into the courtyard where people were scrambling to get away from the fight.

Douxie had now charged forward and was now clashing with Loki, Captain America not far behind him.

Douxie had summoned his staff while running and was prepared to swing at Loki, full-on in the head. But when Douxie swung, Loki had already rolled away and had grabbed his doomstick of destiny. Aiming it at Douxie before letting out a blast.

But Douxie was prepared, his staff turned back into his spellcaster guitar and Douxie strummed a note. Creating a blast of magic powerful enough to knock Loki back.

“How?-” Loki struggled to get back up. “-Who are you. How can you wield such powerful raw magic?”

But that was when Captain America threw his shield at Loki, but Loki knocked it away easily.

Douxie smirked, played a riff, then said; “My name is Douxie Casperan, Master Wizard, Successor to Merlin Ambrosius, Guardian of Arcadia, Protector of Nari of the Eternal Forest, and Protector of this Realm!”

Douxie walked forward, “and you. Are. Very. Stupid. For coming here. When I had. My day off.” Douxie knocked the staff away again easily from Loki again and basically shoved him to the ground with the end of his guitar.

After a moment of astonished silence from Loki, another sound played in the background. Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC Douxie immediately recognized.

Only a moment after the song began to play a man encased in red and gold armor landed down in front of Douxie and Loki. Douxie moved out of the way, guessing that Iron Man was probably going to aim his weapons at Loki.

Douxie’s assumption was correct. Because Iron Man did exactly that, “Make your move Reindeer Games”

Loki, logically stook his hands up in the air.

Captain America walked up and looked over at Iron Man “Mr. Stark.”

“Captain.” The Metal face moved over to Douxie who was petting Archie on his shoulders, now back in cat form. “Magic Rocker Child.”

Douxie grinned, “Iron Man.”

Douxie was probably going to have a lot on his hands. Including breaking the Mischief God’s mind control.

Please, Douxie isn’t a fool. He knows mind control when he sees it.

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Ok, I did really enjoy Douxie's rant about the gods. I feel like Douxie would have this eternal monologue full of swears and sarcastic responses, he just doesn't use them out loud because that's mean.

I know Loki is genderfluid, but I made him male for this one... so... I guess I'm sorry if I accidentally offended you? Also, Douxie would be well versed in Mythology so, yes, he knows about the horse thing.

Uh, either way, I hope whoever reads this enjoys it? It's just a concept, but if somebody considers this a prompt of sorts then go ahead and write a cool MCU and TOA crossover story! I am already writing my own. So uh... yeah.

[tmisaccidentreportbook]

MAG007, The Piper

Case #9220611, Clarence Berry Release date: April 7, 2016 First listen: 14th October. Out on the morning feed, I remember Clarence Berry talking about ‘meeting the war’ as I passed along side our predator proof fence, some 9 feet high and concrete.

OK, when I say I go off the deep end in this one...

Our first dive into what could be called historical statements, and plucking a name I know quiet well from both History and English literature classes.

- I don’t need to present too many numbers to you to tell you that Staff Sargent Clarence Berry was, indeed, lucky. Or incredibly unlucky, depending on how you slice it. 4 years at the Eastern front, when the average life expectancy was allegedly 6 weeks. The average day saw 6000 dead. It goes on. He was lucky to miss out on the Somme, where the allies bough 6 miles of ground with 60,000 causalities, 20,000 of them deaths. I don’t think they could hold onto it.

- I’ll try and stop. This isn’t a history lesson. It’s just an example of how numbers can be used to fuzz the edges of the horror of it all. Numbers don’t mean the same as names.

- At the name drop of The Piper, I’ll confess a chill went through me. I had years in the army cadets, but in UOTC at a Scottish Uni, I was introduced to the pipes and drums. A lot of people will decry the bagpipes as ‘not a musical instrument’, and I think I’d agree with them but not for the reasons they’d expect. A lot of instruments have served with the regiments; brass bands, drums, any number of pipes. Things that carry over the march of feet or the tumult of battle. And most have been ‘rehabilitated’ into the orchestra pit or the band stand. But not the bagpipes. The instrument that drones and cries against all logic of how the beast breathes. I think it strikes the same ancient fear response that the Carnyx did. They carry. And with the music, they carry battle.

- I know it’s the wrong war, some 30 years too early, but at the name ‘The Piper’, I thought of 21 year old Private Bill Millin on D-Day. 

- Clarence Berry speaks of growing up poor and joining the army as soon as he was old enough. And you’d think 100 years on or so, we wouldn’t be seen it, but we do. Recruiters hanging around universities, promising to take care of folks and that student debt if they only signed up and served. It chokes me a little, to think how many have aligned with The Slaughter to escape The Buried. I know, I’m over simplifying, and there are many that can speak much finer on it than I, folks who have been through the system. I just need to simplify it for myself, because the enormity of it is terrifying.

- ‘Boredom… it has a quiet terror all its own.’ The anticipation, the dread, it must have been exhausting.

- I think the introduction and description of Wilfrid Owens’ initial impression on Clarence Berry and his men could be applied to so many officers. Officers were of a social rank, at least initially before heavy losses, many mistaking good breeding as a hallmark for ‘ability to lead men’, ‘think tactically’ and ‘being able to keep one’s shit together.’ In reality, a lot of them were recent graduates, armed with a hand gun, orders that even they despaired of and Sam Browne belt telling an enemy sniper were to aim.

- ‘It came as no surprise to me when he mentioned he wrote poetry.’ I feel this carries the same sort of weight as a certain breed of white straight man, in today’s setting, mentioning he has a podcast.

- ‘Every time he tried to put the war into words it just sounded trite.’ I can not recall how many hours I spent on WWI poetry during English Literature classes and I hated every second of it. I’m not sure why, I couldn’t say it was bad per say. Nothing sticks with me. At least nothing that hasn’t be turned into song. I think it was the melancholy of it all, when what burned through me while studying the text and context, was fury. That it had come to this. And the knowledge it would happen again, within a generation. I was furious when all the poets seemed to focus on the tragedy of it all in great, detached sort of ways, not the white hot grief that I had no idea what to do with. But it’s strange, now I think about, that the words stay with me in songs, like adding melody helps then carry.

- ‘He longed to be remembered, to take what this war truly was and immortalise it.’ Monkey’s paw my dude.

- I looked up Savy Wood in the Aisne region of northern France. There’s a British cemetery with 430 identified causalities buried there.

- ‘All you could do against artillery was pray.’ I think WWI saw artillery used in a way that had never been seen before. Yes, large projectiles had been used in warfare for millennia and even cannon fire wasn’t any thing new. But the bombardments would go on. And on. And on. Like a siege that could have you buried alive or blown apart at a moment’s notice.

- ‘(He) turned his head to listen’. I think this is the second mention of Wilfred tilting or turning his head to listen. It put me in mind of the time one of my teacher’s mentioned at a parents’ evening, how I’d cock my head when something interested me. He fondly said it was like having a spaniel in the class room. If this head tilt is interest, is picking up the sound, it does make me think of a dog. And that leads me to Shakespeare’s ‘Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war,’ said by Mark Antony, envisioning the ghost of Caesar, rallying his own avenging. Another ghostly figure, commanding the battlefield.

- Barbed wire and mud. Disease was as much if not more of a threat to the average soldier then enemy fire. Antibiotics were not yet a thing. TB, pneumonia, dysentery, septicaemia, gangrene, tetanus. The list goes on.

- ‘Whistling tune was unmistakable’. Whistling. Whistles were used to signal an advance out of the trenches. Whistling could be the only warning you got of an incoming mortar.

- ‘And in that moment I knew what was about to happen. I looked at Wilfred, and as our eyes met I saw that he knew as well.’ I think this line a strange insight into how The Slaughter works. There’s a terrible uncertainty in war, right up until there is an even more terrible certainty. The not knowing up until the realising. I don’t think ‘realising’ is the same as ‘knowing’. ‘Knowing’ suggests some autonomy, some will. ‘Realising’, well, more often than not it’s out of your control. This may been why The Slaughter was able to halt The Stranger's earlier attempt at a ritual. The Unknowing brought down by the more terrible certainty. And every time I hear Berry mention ‘the strange music’, I can’t help but feel The Slaughter and The Stranger were more similar in their methods than previously thought.

- ‘Most definitely alive’. Is it me, or does this feel a little over sure? Like definitely alive and in no way being sustainable by unknowable powers?

- ‘the sweet scent of decaying flesh and the moans of pain and despair.’ We’re still a ways away from ‘Tales of a Field Hospital’, but there are constants.

- ‘ I met The War’. I might have capitalised it different from how it may be in the transcripts, but the way Wilfred says it, to me, it feels like he met The War. Not This War, but that which rides a red horse at the end of days and has been riding since The Beginning. The War.

- Three Faces. The imagery of three faces can be seen through history; Hecate, the furies, the 3 witches. But the one that caught my eye was the Japanese proverb of everyone having three faces; 1 for strangers, 1 for loved ones, and 1 for no one but yourself. And between the pipe playing, the screaming, the brandishing of weapons, the begging for mercy, the saluting, and the vomiting of blood and earth, I don’t know if I could confidently say just which was which.

- Being handed a pen to play its’ tune in return fr his life… yup definitely being sustained by an unknowable power… also I think we just witness a warlock pact?

- Dog tags of Joseph Rayner… Rayner?! WHAT!? Jonny? Jonny, is this just your name hygiene flaring up again or is this a Thing?

- ‘Flamethrower that marked me so distinctively’… So, Sir, would you consider yourself touched by both The Slaughter and The Desolation? Any others we should know about?

- The men who hear the Piper not making it back. I love this observation made by Berry, about Hamlin, the Germany town and the children lost to an older generation’s greed and arrogance.’Still, those are musings for poets, among whom I do not number.’ I wouldn’t sell yourself short Sargent.

- ‘This charged our commanders to spur us on to more and more aggressive actions, trying to push Germany into a surrender.’ The deaths that happened at the close of the WWI, possibly enrage me the most. Because it was ending. It was a war of attrition and Germany was bleeding out faster. There was no need to push, no need to attack the lines when it was an open secret that the surrender would be coming through in a few hours. But there were numerous instances in the last days of the war where assaults were made on positions for ‘glory’ and ‘honour’ and what ever horse shit was being peddled by the top brass at that stage.

- ‘I saw him cast a shadow that was not his own.’ The Slaughter makes a Stranger of another man.

- There’s something terribly sad about this portrayal of Owens. Aware of his own mortality and the debt that must be paid with the end of the war in sight. Knowledge that his continued survival means the damnation of other.

- ‘The bullet hole simply opened, like an eye.’ No longer ‘realising’, but ‘knowing’?

- The whiplash of going from that to the Archivist bitching about Gertrude’s filing.

- The Slaughter is an odd beast to me. We learn, eventually, that The Entities have been around for as long as they could be conceived of. And there’s always been war, even before humans were humans. We’re not alone in committing violence on our own kind as a species. But I imagine that it is The Entity that has undergone the most transformation over the millennia, that has felt its’ reach swell in waves like possibly no other, except perhaps The Corruption in the wake of pandemics.

- War, in all its’ forms, has changed so much. How it is waged, where it is fought, who is caught up, how it is perceived, what is justified as an acceptable sacrifice in its’ name. How it will ingratiate itself by stealing the faces of paragons; Justice, Liberty. And have a few closer to it sneak in at the edges; Retribution. I think The Slaughter is one of the most fascinating of The Entities, not only in the way it can hold the entire world in a barbed wire grip but also how the fear can drain and numb to the point that it chokes out hope. The Slaughter is terrifying because if it pushes long and hard enough, you may just lie down and accept it.

[thepineapplejuicer]

Know it all

Chapter 8

Nightcrawler fanfic (I do not own the X-men or the gif).

Violet Ashbourne is a gifted human hacker in possession of a radio, a secret device that gains her access to a large underground information network and electronics all over the world. Human and mutant coexistence has always been her goal, but will the betrayal of her mutant mother and father- once partners to her rise to power- distort her beliefs? Will the X-men be able to save her from her own pride and ambition? Or will she sacrifice everything, including the only boy she’s ever trusted, for vengeance?

Hunching over Forge's workbench, I gently place the wires between each other. The baton was now nicely polished and the newly attached, shiny red button made me feel safer already.  I place the tweezers down gently, still in slow motion so to not harm my new prototype. Setting it down, I glance at the other two things I tinkered with. My watch, once recovering scrap metal that was shattered from my encounter with Pietro, is now improved with wireless communication linking capability, an electronic overload capable of blacking out an entire street block, and preset orders to my favorite Chinese delivery joint.

The last gadget is not complete. It was an old Rubix cube, but with enough wires and an- illegal- AI program I was able to make it into a small command drone. High pitch chimes and digitalized chirps come from the Rubix cube as it tries to float on its own.

"Easy, your not ready for a flight test just yet." I catch it in my hands and smile as the small light that mimicked an eye movement stared up at me.

"I think I'll call you, DOD; Drone of Defence. What do you think?"

It hums.

"Oh yeah, voice diagnostics aren't done. Sorry."

DOD beeps and directs its glowing eye to the door.

"Yeah, I just need to grab something from my workbench." Forge barges in and is shocked by my presence.

"Oh, you're still here." He glances towards my room, "Did you even sleep last night?"

"Night?" I looked at the time on my watch, 5 am, amazed that I hadn't registered the hours pass me by. "I guess I was on a roll."

"Well, I see you made use of that old baton. What does the red button do?"

"Want to find out?" I grin, reaching over and putting on a pair of safety glasses, "I haven't tested it out yet, so be prepared for sparks. Literally." before Forge can take any procautions I press the red button lightly, igniting the white electric current wrapping around the metal baton.

"Woah!" A new voice comes in.

I switch it off and notice that Kurt is standing behind us, awestricken by the electric baton.

"You have a knack for this kind of thing." Forge smiles.

"My other creation isn't quite ready yet though." I rub one of DOD's Rubix squares with my finger.

"You're kidding, you made a drone?" Forge looks at DOD closely.

"That is so cool!" Kurt smiles, adjusting his odd-looking helmet.

"I can't say the same about that getup, what are you wearing?" I look over the panel box strapped to his chest with a datapad and the bike looking helmet.

"I've been working on a device to help Kurt slow down his teleporting speed so that we can see just where he goes. That brimstone dust has to come from somewhere, right?" Forge explains.

"Ja, and maybe we can figure out a way to make me teleport faster and farther."

"That's incredible."

"We are going to do a demonstration once everyone wakes up if you're interested."

"I'd like that," I look at Kurt, "Did you install any safety precautions?"

"No why?" Forge asks, rummaging through his workbench.

I glare at him, "because we have no idea what Kurt will run into if there is another place he transports to."

"He will have Logan with him."

"Oh yes, and Logan is a great help. I'm sure he will throw him extra carefully at enemies."

"He is sorry about that." Kurt interrupts, looking back and forth as Forge and I argue.

"Point is, Kurt should have something to protect him."

"It's too late to install something like that before the test run."

"I'll program it to overload if prompted."

"What?! No! That will fry the circuits!"

"Well, you should have been thinking about Kurt's safety. I won't allow him to go into danger like that without proper defense."

"Allow?" Kurt and Forge grin romantically.

"I absolutely forbid it," I whisper sweetly to Kurt. He smiles leaning casually into my personal space.

"And you can relax, Forge, this overload will only activate all active systems at full compacity, letting off an electrical shock. It will spook off anything directly in front of Kurt, but will not harm key components."

"You talk like a computer," Kurt chuckles, "It's kinda cute."

Forge rolls his eyes, "fine, you better hurry though the others are gathering in the training room." He walks out, leaving Kurt and me alone.

I begin working on the panel, exposing its wires and circuitry. I feel Kurt's eyes leave me and land on my computer systems, "Your work is fascinating, Vi. Why do you have so many monitors on? Can't you just do it from one?"

I smile at the nickname he called me, "It helps me sort through information simultaneously. Helps when there is a lot of information on a subject or I don't want to keep flipping between pages."

"What kind of information?"

My hands stop once I grab a wire between the tweezers, "Kinds that are better off controlled by someone like me."

"Then why do you do it if it makes you stressed?"

"Someone has to keep other people safe. The Xmen have their way of helping and I have mine. My parents used to help me with all this, but they don't exactly have the world's best interests in mind anymore; they'd start a third world war if it got what they wanted."

"You've never mentioned to your parents."

"That is a long story, Kurt. All you have to know is that they aren't the nicest people and I have no way of controlling their ambitions anymore."

"Maybe one day, you'll tell me the entire story."

I chuckle well aware that if I told him the whole story, how I got the radio, how I dealt with the previous owner of it, and what I've done to get this far, he would never look at me the same. The way he looks at an innocent person; a normal person.  I didn't want to ruin that.

"Yeah, maybe."

I close the panel on his chest but don't let go.

"Are you busy this Saturday?" he asks.

Goosebumps run along my arms, hoping that he is going to ask me to his school's dance. "No, not at all why?" knowing that I can't know for sure in my line of work.

He rubs the back of his neck and starts to trip over his words, "I had so much  fun on our date at the carnival." he stopped, "I mean- was it a date?"

I nod, moving the hair from his face.

"Well, there is this dance..."

"Kurt, everyone is waiting for you! Come on, we are so tired, I'm trying to catch some more Zs." Evan shouts from the room across from us.

"Ah, well, can we talk later?" Kurt asks, rubbing my elbow.

"Definitely."

Evan walks in, obviously not a morning person. Kurt and I back away from each other, "Yes, you're all set, just hold this switch here and the panel will overload." I go over.

"Right, thank you, Vi."

Kurt walks out the door with Evan. "I'll be there in a moment," I say, latching the baton into a clip holster on my thigh.

I hear Evan whisper teasingly to Kurt, "Vi? Dude!"

"Shut up!" Kurt hurries into the next room, ducking from my view.

Xavier watches as Logan and Kurt finish getting ready for Forge's test. The rest of the Xmen yawn and groan. "Did you get my pictures?" Kitty grins and elbows me. "Yes, Kitty."

"Did he ask you yet?"

"He's getting around to it."

"You two would look so cute together, Vi." Rogue chimes in.

There is that nickname again...

"Does everyone know?" I chuckle.

"He was asking us for advice," Scott whispers in, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I look at Jean, hoping she would let me in on something Kurt said to her, but she just stays silent, focusing on Forge's demonstration. We all follow her example and pay attention as forge prepares his demonstration.

"Alright Kurt, everything is hooked up- teleport at will. "

"Hey! I'll head over to the school and get a sneak peek at the decorations for the dance."

Everyone murmurs with glee and while Kurt readies himself to teleport. They stand there for a few minutes staring into space.

Then a few more seconds pass, "uh Kurt?" Logan asks.

"I- I don't know, I can't teleport."

Logan slowly turns his gaze to me.

I raise my brow with attitude, "What is there something on my face?" I feel Scott knock on my wrist bands.

"Oh. sorry." I move towards the door and Kurt and Logan immediately disappear in a puff of purple smoke.

*************

I pick my cuticles as my eyes scan the open area of the training room, waiting for Kurt's return. "Do you have a visual on them?" I ask Forge while getting up and shuffle him out of the way of his monitor.

He huffs, "yeah, right there." he points out Kurt's vitals and I am somewhat relieved. "Brief me on your back up retrieval plan."

"My what?"

I look stirnly at Forge, "your plan if they get stuck in there?"

Xavier looks over waiting for Forge to explain.

"Uh..."

"'Uh' is not a backup retrieval plan!"

"Forge, you informed me that you had a plan." Xavier wheels up to us.

"Well... I had one coming."

"Forge!"

As everyone questions Forge I hear a small buzzing noise come from his computer. "uh oh." I quickly kick Xavier's chair away and tumble to the side with Forge in my arms as his computer explodes from overload.

The sparks settle as the team coughs from the rising smoke. "What happened?" Forge asks, getting startled by the sprinklers turning on. I gather my wet hair and begin to drain it, "I happened, genius. That overload happened because Kurt activated MY safety measure."

A phone begins to ring and I instinctively grab my own.

"Logan?" Xavier asks into his own phone. "at the school?"

I can hear Kurt in the background, "Never teleporting again!"

*****

I fidget with my keyboard as the day goes by. Once the professor and storm retrieved logan and Kurt from the school everyone gave them some space. I objected to him going to school for the rest of the day, but he insisted he would be alright, even with how shaken up he was. He told me he saw red dinosaur monsters in the dimension he traveled to.

I sit up and search through the information my previous agents acquired. "Says here that there have been sightings of red reptilian giants when Doctor strange opened a portal two years back."

My monitor starts ringing as I find his contact information.

"Hello?"

"Doctor Strange? This is the commander." I ensure that the voice masking is working properly before continuing. "I'll cut right to the chase. I hear you've opened a dimensional veil in the past and some creatures had escaped from its fragments. Could you describe them?"

"Which commander? I hear your litter brigade is going through some dilemmas."

I pause, " Where did you hear this?"

He chuckles, "So this is the real commander? I had a hunch the last one was a fake. Someone contacted me claiming to be the commander and if I spoke a word about it I would be eliminated."

"How do you know I am not the imposter?" I continue baiting him.

"Because killing isn't your style. It's been a long time since you came to me for information. I'm guessing you're referring to the apex predators belonging to the brimstone dimension, courtesy of our mutual friend Azazel? Yes, I've run into them, and the only way to be rid of the pests is to mimic the portal of entry."

"So it is possible for them to escape through cracks of the closed portals?"

"Very."

"I appreciate the detail."

"Of course, commander. I do owe you after all."

I stay silent remembering the information I used to feed him regarding his old human girlfriend.

"And commander? I hope you kick those frauds out."

I hang up hesitantly.

"Find anything on those creatures?" Logan's voice comes from the door behind me. My brow narrows, "fortunately, I have."

"Great, whatcha got?"

"What do you have."

" 'scuse me?"

"It's 'What do you have?' not 'whatcha got?"

"Gotta problem with how I talk?"

"That is hardly the problem."

"So what? Is it ma throwin arm?"

My fists tighten, "Enough of this, I will report my findings to the professor." I lock my monitors before I leave Logan with an idiotic smile plastered on his face.

*****

"So we could be looking at these creatures coming into our dimension?" Xavier asks.

"We WILL be is more accurate." I correct.

"So we have to mimic Kurt's teleportation right?" "Forge begins, "Oh come on that is child's play for Vi and I. HA! Vi and I..."

Forge looks at my unamused expression and kills his chuckle, "Anyways we can totally rig that up, Vi!"

"I am glad you're enthused, we will need to construct it right away."

The front door opens and the student's laughter pours into the mansion.

"Let's keep this to ourselves, we wouldn't want to alarm the students so close to their dance."

Forge and I nod and walk out into the main corridor. I spot Kurt and decide that this is a better time than ever to give him the chance to ask me to the dance.

As I approach him his eyes lock on me, but he quickly turns around and teleports away. I reach the others as they look at me with an apologetic face.

******

Earlier that day (Kurt's POV)

"Ah, man! What do I do?!" I groan letting my forehead hit the table. "Well, you've kind of set yourself up, man." Evan chuckles.

"It's not funny! You know how much I wanted to ask Violet to the dance! I was so caught up in trying to ask her I didn't even think that Amanda would ask me."

"Why don't you just tell Amanda the truth?" Scott offers, more sympathetic to me.

"Oh ja. Hey Amanda! I can't go to the dance with you because I want to go with a different girl who doesn't even go here. I'm not that stupid!"

"Point taken. Sorry, pal."

******

later that night (Violet's POV)

Back at the monitors again. I lazily click around the blueprints for the device Forge and I need to complete as soon as we can. It's ridiculous for me to be upset that Kurt has another date, I am here for one purpose. "Geez, its only been a few weeks of being here, why do I feel so emotional about this?"

"Because you're a teenager." I groan as I see Logan come up next to me.

"That was a private thought Mr. Howlet."

"Oh ho ho, ya know ma actual name. How long it take ya to fish that out?"

"Please, your information may as well be posted on a wiki page."

He chuckles then shifts closer to me, "look I know ya don't like me, but you're still a student here-"

"I am no such thing! You will do best to remember that I came here to complete a job, not condone or contribute to your training of mutants."

"So you hate mutants."

"No! I don't. I - I don't know. No."

I sigh and get out of my chair, "regardless of my opinions on mutants I am not here to explain it to you. Nor do I need you to explain my own feelings."

Logan nods sarcastically and begins to walk out. Honestly, I am surprised he is leaving without a fight.

"Remember, we all have one thing in common kid, " he stops at the door, " We've all been afraid of our own minds."

My body cradles itself once he leaves.

"I'm here to do a job. I'm here to do a job. I'm here..."

The lights go out and the only thing illuminating on my body are the countless monitors on the wall.

"God. Why am I here?"

[captaincoffeegirl515]

A, B, C, D, N, O, P, S, Z

Ahhh yay! So many questions! ❤️

Also lol I basically spent my day slowly writing out my answers in the notes app.

A - Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed.

- Hardzzello. Currently my main hyperfixation! I just love putting the two together, even with different characters they've played. I also very much like Nightangel but lol I'm also very particular about the fanfics and art that I consume regarding that ship.

B - A pairing–platonic, romantic or sexual–that you initially didn’t consider, but someone changed your mind.

- Grami. Both as a platonic ship and as a romantic ship. Like I know they're close friends and care deeply for one another, but I never seemed to think of them in a shippy way until a friend pointed it out to me and how underrated the ship is. Now it's like my eyes have been opened and now I'm noticing how soft and sweet and affectionate they are with each other!

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will.

- R*ylo. Nope. Not for me and never will be.

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t.

- Pixie/Harland/Frank. Okay here's the thing - if it had just ended slightly differently, then I would've enjoyed the ship. But the movie decided to go with that ending and it just felt so disappointing with how Pixie's character arc went.

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

- Main fandom right now is the Queen/BoRhap fandom!

1. Definitely want more Rami in fics and art! I know people tend to focus on Gwil, Ben, and Joe because the three have been much more active in social media, (and certain other reasons). But c'mon, are you really going to leave out Rami?? The guy who brought Freddie Mercury to life in BoRhap?? That sweetheart??

2. I'm surprised that this needs to be said, but I want people to learn how to write Rami like an actual person, or at least try to base it on how he acts like in real life. Not sure if people still do this, but I used to see fics where they'd make him so unusually aggressive (bc racial biases towards black/brown men) OR they'd go the opposite route and make him super infantile and where he basically acts like a small child (bc apparently the only way they can think of to make a black/brown man not scary is to make him act and talk like a baby 🤢). Hopefully this has changed, but I'm not sure since I barely read fics by authors I don't know anymore.

Okay so this last one will be for the X-Men fandom!

3. More badass Kurt PLEASE! Enough of this uwu innocent bottom baby personality! Let him kick ass and flirt and be badass ffs!

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?

- lol I put my music on shuffle and got Take On Me by A-ha, a song that makes me immediately think of Joe Mazzello solely based on the jumpy/funky/fun vibes of the music.

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas).

- I just suddenly remembered how my friend reminded me about the BoRhap boys' age gap by saying that when Rami was 20, Gwil and Joe were 17. Then you have Ben who was only TEN. So like can you imagine an AU where they somehow met at that age? Just Rami, Gwil, and Joe panicking because they have this whole ass child right in front of them and they know nothing about childcare!

S - Show us an example of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged)

- aaahhh okay I will admit that I don't exactly understand this question. Like, an example from where? Canon? Fanfic? Why is there a prompts optional thing? Gah um okay I'll just answer it as me saying one of my headcanons!

Personally I think that Four from 6 Underground has ADHD based on his mannerisms and the way he gestures a lot and speaks fast and also because I relate to him and I also have ADHD, so there!

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go! (Prompts optional but encouraged.)

- I've probably said this before, but I am not over the similarities/coincidences between Queen and the BoRhap boys! It's not just from their looks! Like it's even down to their astrology with their sun and moon signs. And their relationships omg!

Like how Freddie was super close to John, then you have the decade-long friendship between Rami and Joe.

Brian and Roger were friends since the beginning of Queen and even until now, then you have Gwil and Ben who bonded over the fact that they're both Brits and can relate to each other more.

Then there's John and Roger's friendship and about them bonding more being the youngest ones in the band, meanwhile Joe and Ben's friendship is just such hilarious fun.

John and Brian have this sort-of friendship/rivalry going on, likewise with how Joe and Gwil pretend to fight over Ben.

Brian and Freddie have such an underrated friendship but it's obvious how much Brian cares based on how lovingly he speaks of Freddie, and it's the same with Gwil and Rami and how sweet and openly affectionate they are with each other.

Lastly there's Freddie and Roger being platonic soulmates, and while Rami and Ben's friendship may not be as open to public eye I can't forget the sweet things Rami said about Ben and how he called Ben the "glue" that brought them all together.

Aaaand I think I've rambled enough lol 😅 I hope you at least enjoyed what I let loose!

A-Z Fandom Asks

[louistomlinsoncouk]

Louis Tomlinson shot to international and unprecedented fame back in 2010, as one firth of One Direction on the X-Factor.

Fast forward ten years and Louis Tomlinson – now 27 years-old has experienced the most incredible professional highs with mind boggling achievements such as winning five Brit awards, embarking on record breaking international tours that outsold even Katy Perry and The Rolling Stones and selling over 50 million records worldwide all as part of one of the planets most successful ever boybands.

But during this time Louis has also experienced many personal lows, all whilst under the microscope of extreme public attention. In late 2016 Louis’ mother died and in March this year Louis also lost his sister. Despite these life changing moments, Louis has used the lows to empower him with him notably writing the powerful, Two of Us and returning to the X-Factor stage the day after his mother’s death to perform his collaboration with Steve Aoki, Just Hold On! Louis’ response to the darkest times of his life are nothing short of inspiring.

In our latest edition of GLAMOUR UNFILTERED, hosted by Josh Smith, Louis Tomlinson talks about how he has leaned into his vulnerability, how hard it was for him to establish his own identity away from One Direction to create his own path as a solo artist and how his relationship with the brotherhood in the band has changed…  

With a new album, new songs and a tour on the way, what does Louis 2.0 represent?

I haven't really thought about it really, but I think musically what I was really happy with on this album is my first single of this, Kill My Mind. I feel like I am a little bit more mature in my songwriting, and I feel like as time goes on, the more songs that I write, I feel like I understand lyrics more and more. I'm just honest I'd say.

What do you think has been the hardest thing for you to be honest about with yourself?

To be honest, I'm lucky with where I grew up. In Doncaster we wear our heart on our sleeves really. So, it comes naturally to me really to just be open about the way that I feel. I think it's important to do that in songwriting. I just see it as honesty.

There is still so much stigma around men being vulnerable – how have you navigated around the stereotype?

I'm aware of it, but it’s not how I operate personally. I've always kind of owned it. I think my mum did a good job of bringing me up and taught me good values. When we wrote Two of Us, that was obviously a very personal song for me, and probably the most vulnerable I've been, especially on a song. But it feels good to be honest and talk about these things and encourage other people to talk about these things.

What's been the most amazing reaction to that honesty for you?

It was with Two of Us, to be honest. It was just, I've had a couple of moments where fans have come up to me and told me what that song means to them and maybe they've just had a loss in their life. I never really had that in the band to that level, my lyrics really meaning something to people. So, that's incredible.

What have you learnt about yourself through being a front man?

I feel like I've learnt to trust my gut more and just own my decisions, because when there's a lot of people around you that, there's always a lot of opinions. So, I feel like I understand myself more as an artist, I understand myself more as a songwriter. I’ve just been trusting my gut more I think as I've got older. To be honest, kind of what you see is what you get with me and I've always been that way. There's not really too much complexity to it - I'm lucky like that. 

You have been through so many extreme private moments in such a public sphere. How have you coped with that?

It was definitely difficult at first, when I first got put in the band and having to deal with not having as much privacy. But I suppose as time goes on you grow to understand it and get used to it. To be honest, there have been some pretty hard times in my life, and although I wouldn't have chosen to have them played out in the public, some of the reactions and some of the stuff I got from fans was incredible too. It’s tit for tat really. It’s been difficult, but that's life anyway, it's just that on a massive scale. I suppose at the start of the band I struggled a little bit with that, but I think I'm pretty resilient and look, I'm lucky that I had the experience at that level. I'm also quite persistent. It was actually the third year that I'd auditioned for X Factor that I got put in the band and you have to have a certain amount of self-belief for that.

What advice would you want to give the you, who went through those private moments now?

I would just say, "Trust yourself and trust your gut, because those things are important, and nobody understands you better than you."

How strange was it for you to go from having that immediate support network of the other four members of One Direction almost gone over night?

It was difficult. There are still people around me that were, like my vocal coach for example, that were around, and she plays a big role in my career. So, there is still enough familiar faces to not kind of feel like alienated and on my own, but it definitely took some getting used to. One Direction was such a well-working machine, so it definitely took some getting used to. But I think, as you spend time on your own you find new people that you really got on with and develop those relationships.

How did you build your identity away from the band?

It took me a second to understand that I was on my own now, and my identity for so long was part of a collective, and obviously you still have an individual identity within that, but you're upholding this collective identity. So, I think it took me a second to kind of understand that I can be a bit of a chav again!

Did you ever feel like were having to put anything on during the band?

You see, I think sometimes people insinuate that it might be the record label and management that make you like this, but it's not. You're respectful of the fan base and their age, and we had a young fan base. Also, they've got mums who can get angry if you piss them off! 

Was there a turning point in discovering who you are as a person?

I think I'm lucky that I can kind of come to those conclusions almost through my music. As I've started trusting myself more musically and my musical instincts, there is an overlap with real life there as well.

What's been the career high and low you have learnt the most from?

The high I've learnt the most from would be collectively the One Direction experience and so much that comes with that. It was an incredible experience and taught me so much along the way. In terms of the lows, it's been quite difficult at times to understand the difference between the experience that I have with the band and the experience that I have now, and how relevant that is to a solo artist. I think that's taken me a second to work out, there's some, like the way I started my career as a solo artist and I released a couple of feature songs, which I think are great songs, but looking back I feel like maybe didn't say too much about me musically and my influences All of these things I've kind of had to learn from to get here really.

Looking back over the last ten years is there anything you would change?

In reality I wouldn't. I wouldn't because I think every mistake is all part of your journey, and you do definitely learn something every time. So, in terms of my career and how I've come across publicly and all of that, no, I wouldn't change anything to be honest.

What advice would you want to give someone who has gone through the same life experiences as you?

Find the people in your life that you know you love and trust and talk it through with people. Because I might come across as confident but obviously you have moments where you build things up in your head. The longer you live with that thought you think it's big, it ends up being bigger than the reality of the situation. So, I think just as much communication as possible especially with your family.

How has your relationship with brotherhood changed in your life?

I suppose my career has helped me see the world and meet a lot of different people, and I think that gives you a certain level of understanding. As I've got older really, my responsibility has changed with my sisters and my little brother. I'm currently trying to have a conversation with my twin sisters to go to the sixth form! I try to be more mature but as a brother you have to be.

How have you leaned into your immediate brotherhood of the band at different times in your life?

I think, honestly, there's obviously times where you have better relationships with other members than you do others, but that connection, that'll be forever. Definitely. Because, we experienced so much in a relatively short space of time and it was crazy what we all saw together and experienced, so I think that is something that we'll have forever, really. Definitely. Sometimes you might not see eye to eye, but that's the way friendships go in real life!

You can listen to Louis's tracks 'Don't Let It Break You Heart' and 'We Made It' now, taken from his debut album 'Walls' out January 31st

[xxisxxisxxis]

Gateway Drug | Part Thirty-Four

Table of Content or Part Thirty-Three

Word Count: 4.4k

Warning(s): Explicit language, Mentions of drug abuse, Explicit sexual situations

A/N: To the anon that asked about the pictures before chapters, I gave it a shot. Let me know what you guys think. Cintia Dicker is who I've always imagined as Viv (only difference is Viv has green eyes and Cintia has blue). Have a good night guys!!

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"...We're about to go on in a couple minutes, we're already late." Duff tells me, frustrated, after explaining everything he, Izzy, Axl, Slash, and Steven have endured ever since they left L.A. to embark on their first little tour as a band, along the west coast.

The first stop was his home town, and everything from losing equipment, losing their only form of transportation, hitch hiking in suffocating heat, spending all the money shared between them for a ride, and anything else that could go wrong, happened all under 24 hours.

After getting the full run down on what all had happened once they got back home, I decided the devil works hard, but Guns N' Roses work harder.

"Well, I wish I could have gone but I'm trying to get Nikki to acknowledge Vince before they start touring." I tell him, scrubbing at a soapy dish, the kitchen phone caught between my ear and my shoulder.

"Still?"

"He offered Vince blow the other day, after Vince just got out of jail, and is supposed to be sober. It wasn't blow. It was smack." I explain.

"Oh my God, that's fucked." Duff tells me.

"Him and Tommy thought it was the funniest thing ever so I replaced all their blow with unscented baby powder and flushed the real thing." I explain and he laughs. "They've been wondering why their blow is 'broken'."

"Now, is that what Jesus would do?" He asks jokingly.

"God gave me the idea. I did it. I am a good and faithful servant." I state and he laughs again.

"Oh, I gotta go, Viv." He tells me.

"Alright, good luck." I say, hearing Steven say "Hey, Viv!"

"Steven says 'hey'." Duff lets me know and I smile to myself.

"Tell him I said, 'hey'."

"I will. I'll talk to you again whenever I can." He assures me. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

"Bye."

"Bye-bye."

We both hang up and I rinse the dish I've been working on and place it in the dish wrack.

Glancing at the clock to see it's 8:00pm, Nikki should be back from the studio soon.

I finish up on the dishes and go take a shower since I've been stress cleaning and sweating a little.

By the time I get out and get lounging clothes on, Nikki and Tommy are in the kitchen talking, and go silent when I come in

"Hey, babe." Nikki tells me innocently, he and Tommy exchanging mischevious looks.

"What?" I ask them, glancing between the two of them.

"So...I was thinking..." Nikki starts. "...You know how you told me not to buy the vette last year, right? Because it only had two seats and we might have kids down the line and it's not really a family car."

"Yeah." I reply, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Well, because I'm a responsible husband and a happy wife equals a happy life, I made an investment." He tells me and I cross my arms.

"What kind of investment, Mr. Sixx?" I roll my jaw.

"Well..." Nikki trails off, and I'm darting for the front door before he or Tommy can grab me.

I swing the front door open to see a brand new jeep in the driveway.

"Nikki Sixx!" I spin around and he and Tommy wince a little. "You bought a car?! Another one?!"

"The vette's are the town cars, baby, the jeep is for more practical use."

"Like the motorcycle in our garage is for 'nights out with the guys'?"

"Exactly!" Tommy pipes in.

In a matter of seconds, I'm chasing Nikki back into the house.

"I'm going to kill you!" I threaten him.

"Tommy, grab her!" Nikki laughs out, which only makes me even more upset that my frustration is amusing to him.

Tommy misses me buy a few seconds before I'm jumping over the couch and tackling Nikki, straddling him and pinning him by his forearms.

"We don't have the money for a new car, Nikki!" I tell him, seriously.

"The album releases in two weeks, Viv. We've got more money than you think." He chuckles, assuring me, and I let out a breath as his eyes drift over my body, raising a brow at our position. "But I can pretend we're dirt broke if you promise to keep man handling me."

"Do I need to get you guys the video camera and leave you to it?" Tommy reminds us he's still here.

"Yeah, it's about time to add Volume Three to the collection, anyway." Nikki states, the corner of his mouth pulling up in his signature smirk.

Before your imagination runs wild, none of our sex tapes are still in existence. When Tommy and Vince's got out, I knew damn well I wasn't about to be best known for a sex tape(s)...

So they were all run over in the driveway and lit on fire.

"Speaking of the release," Nikki starts, nudging at me. "Our anniversary's the next week, but what're you wanting to do for a anniversary present—"

"—Your anniversary present is in the garage. And the driveway. And require insurance. And gas. And maintenance." I correct him and he rolls his eyes.

"I meant your present." He tells me. "What do think you might want?"

"I don't know." I shrug, then I remember what day our anniversary falls on, and slowly look at Nikki, my lips pulling into a smug smile.

I'm still not sorry for what I asked for, for our anniversary. But you know what? Hungover, slightly doped up from the night before, and exhausted, my trooper of a husband got himself together long enough to endure his own personal hell.

Nikki glares at me from behind his sunglasses as the preacher leads us into prayer and I nudge him with my elbow a little so he'll at least bow his head and pretend to care.

"Father in Heaven we pray, forgive us of our sins, Lord. God, we ask that you bless this message and prepare the hearts of those that need to hear it. I pray that you continue to watch over us, keep your hand upon us, and help us to be better. In Jesus' name I pray, amen."

"Amen." We all say, and Nikki scoffs out a mocking little snicker, making me elbow him and he raises his brows.

His smug look immediately falls.

I can't see his eyes but I know he's saying, "elbow me again and see what happens."

"If you turn in your Bibles to the book of Hosea, chapter three, verse one..." Brother Harting starts, and I take pick my jacket up from my lap to get my Bible from underneath it.

I flip to Hosea 3:1, and read along in my mind as he reads aloud:

"Then the Lord said unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine." He says, before looking up from the book. "To put it simply, for those of you not quite sure what that means, God is telling Hosea to marry a prostitute. The children of Israel at this time were beginning to stray from God and worship other gods and idols. They were not faithful to God. Like Gomer, Hosea's wife. I'm sure when he married her, he hoped she would stop selling herself and giving herself to other people." He explains. "Isn't it strange that so many of us assume marriage, or a child, will keep their significant other from giving parts of themselves to other people and other things when they were selling themselves to someone or something long before you even came along?" He chuckles out and I rub my lips together, a chord being struck within me. "God told Hosea to marry Gomer, and he did. But she didn't stay faithful. In fact, Hosea had to repeatedly go find her with other men and bring her back home. Now, God didn't tell Hosea to marry a woman that seemed like she could not, for the life of her, stay committed in the right path, to hurt him. God wanted to demonstrate how Israel was repeatedly unfaithful towards him. How we are all unfaithful to him at times, even when we don't realize it. Some of us even worship idols, and don't realize it. Obsession over money. Obsession over lust. Obsession over alcohol. If you are a workaholic..." He names a few examples.

"Cute, can we go now?" Nikki's grumbling under his breath to me and I don't even look at him, lacing my fingers through his, hoping to keep him quite like giving a baby a pacifier.

"I'm not saying wanting money, or having a drink with your dinner, or enjoying your work or really enjoying sex, is idolatry. It is when those things become addictive habits that consume your thoughts constantly, so much so, that you wake up one day and realize you haven't even acknowledged God in weeks. Some of us, months. For others, it's years. And when I say 'acknowledge God' I don't mean a little 'thank God' when something goes your way. I mean, getting in that comfortable space we all have when we can humbly approach God with all of our worries, concerns, hopes, dreams, and tell him about everything going on in our lives. When we take the time to talk to him like we would a friend. God wants to hear everything from us, whether it's something good that's happened, or something we need him to heal within us or help us with something we are struggling to do. He is never too busy." He smiles. "Hosea constantly chased and went after Gomer because he loved her. He made vows to God to marry her and he grew to love her. God loved the children of Israel, and he loves us. He used Hosea as a demonstration of how he always pursues and goes after his church when each of us stray, and let me tell you something, ladies and gentlemen, when Gomer got herself into a mess for the last time, she was about to be sold, like cattle. And Hosea went looking for her thinking she was up to her typical no good. But he came up on the auction she was being sold at. Keep in mind this woman had put him through years of hurt, and pain. He was exhausted, he was angry, he was broken...but he saw his wife about to be sold to men who would most definitely put her through hell, and Hosea suddenly couldn't see his wife's wrong doings. He just saw the woman he loved, the mother of his children, scared and in trouble. And he threw his hand up, and placed a bid for thirty pieces of silver on this woman. Six months worth of wages on a woman that seemed to do everything in her power to not be faithful to him."

"I think fucking not." Nikki doesn't even try to be quiet, causing a few people in front of us to quickly glance back at us.

I elbow him, harder this time, and he's grabbing at my wrist, harshly, pulling me to my feet.

Anger and frustration goes through me when he leads me through the double doors of the very small lobby.

"You're being a jackass." I hiss out the second he's pushed me into the ladies' room that consists of one toilet and a small sink.

"You're being a brat. You should be happy I even came to this bullshit." He snaps.

"One time isn't gonna kill you, Nikki. I'm surprised you're actually able to walk into a church and not burst into flames."

"Okay, fuck you!" He raises his voice and my hand is popping him in the chest before I can stop myself, "Shh!" flying past my lips.

His teeth grind together, and my thighs tense.

His hand is grabbing a fist full of my red locks, yanking my head back as he looks me in the eyes.

It's a slap in the face to him, but I can't help but let out a mocking chuckle, smiling up at him.

I completely disregard the fact we're in church, and my hands slide under his shirt, feeling his warm skin, my nails scratching down his sides.

He's letting go of my hair, reaching between us, and unbuckling his belt and tugging it out of his belt loops.

I squeeze my thighs together as anticipation starts building within my core, creating a slip between my thighs.

He's grabbing my arm and spinning me around to face the wall, shoving me forward.

My hands brace on the chipped, faint yellow paint, and he's yanking my hips back and spreading my legs while yanking my dress up and my panties down to rest around my ankles.

He gives me a moment of mercy, his hand reaching around to rub my clit while his leather restrained prick grinds against my ass, causing me to let out a quiet moan to avoid being heard.

Just as I start moving with his fingers, he pulls away.

"Bad girls don't get rewarded." He tells me smartly in my ear before I'm feeling heat radiate through my body after the sharp sting of leather hits my skin.

I take in a breath, arching my back, biting back another moan. 

By the time he's finished with lick number ten, my ass is bright red and aching, and there's a mess of wetness rolling down my legs and dripping on the floor.

I hear his belt hit the floor and he unties the laces of his pants, causing me to hum with excitement as he reaches for my hair again and turns me around to pull me to my knees.

I lick my lips as my mouth begins to water at the sight of engorged veins, aching for release as he strokes himself a couple of times, his precum beading out of his tip.

I open my mouth and stick my tongue out eagerly, looking up at him with begging, green eyes, wanting to taste him.

He looks down at me with a little grin, like he's proud he's been able to screw the submission into his innocent little "my body's a temple" Saint Vivian and corrupt her in every way that she would allow.

He gives me what I want, swiping the tip of himself across my tongue. I don't think he's expected me to wrap my tongue and lips around him just yet because when I do, he's gripping onto the side of the sink with white knuckles.

I hungrily swallow down the liquid leaking from him, thriving under his praise as he says:

"God, you're so fuckin' hot."

I press teasing kisses to his tip, down the underside of his shaft, and his balls, and he damn near collapses when I run my tongue over them before tracing my tongue back up him and taking him in my mouth.

He grabs at my hair, creating a punishing pace that's got tears running from the corners of my eyes with each thrust that has him brushing against the back of my throat.

When he finally lets me catch my breath, a line of my spit holds from my lips to his cock, so I catch it with my fingers and use it to keep jerking him off.

My pussy is beginning to throb, needing something, anything to relieve the pressure.

The fingers of my free hand fall to my clit, but it isn't quite enough.

I believe I take "bitch in heat" to a whole other level when I pull my dress up and strategically arch my back and rest my legs on either side of Nikki's right foot.

He looks at me, a little confused before I spread my thighs a little more, causing my clit to rest against the curve of Nikki's boot where his ankle meets his leg.

My eyes roll back as I begin to move back and forth, slowly against him, while still keeping my hand moving up and down on his dick.

I don't open my eyes until I feel him lift the toe of his shoe a little bit, angling the part I'm straddling to rest against my soaked sex perfectly.

My eyes stare up at him, the nails of my free hand bite into the back of his lower thigh as I use him for leverage while beginning to move feverishly against him.

He takes over on himself, allowing me to hold onto his leg with both hands as he watches me like I'm the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.

Tears stream down my face as my orgasm builds, the only thing able to come out of my mouth is "Oh, fuck" and "Nikki" in the form of breathy whimpers.

When I come, my eyes screw shut, my body shutters and I completely soak Nikki's boot.

"Face, mouth, or tits?" Nikki asks me in regards to where I want his cum.

I swallow every last drop.

After making sure my crucifix wasn't crooked, my floral Sunday dress and matching heels were perfectly put back on and my hair looked like it had never been touched, Nikki and I pretended we hadn't had a little anniversary gathering in the bathroom and returned to service in time to hear that last tid bit.

In which Nikki was pissed about having to sit through, but I suppose he did anyway without any more complaints because he knew it was important to me.

"Hosea bought his wife back, like Christ bought all of us with his bloodshed on the cross. That being said, let's throw out the idea that God only chases after perfect Christians and everyone else is no good and going to hell anyway so it's the perfect Christians' job to tell everyone else they're going to burn forever." Harting states as Nikki and I slip back inside, and I scoff, thinking of my mother. "We are all sinners, people. I've known Christians that condemn just about everyone and then go home and do the equivelant of what they were condemning others for. You can't tell homosexuals they are going to hell and there is no hope for them, and then go out and have sex outside of marriage. Or say tattoos are a show of paganism and a sin and then go home and call up your friends to gossip about other people. You don't get to decide what is and isn't a sin to better suit your lifestyle. And just because someone isn't like you or doesn't think like you, does not mean they are any less worthy of God's love and a lot of Christians need to be careful who they damn to hell because God doesn't think like human's do. Our bodies, our flesh, and our mind's are imperfect and I'm affraid many of these holier-than-thou types are going to be shocked when they end up in a place they don't want to be when they die because they spent too much time alive being too hateful and worried about how other people are living, they never looked at themselves and worked on their own relationship with God and their salvation before minding other people's. Any born again Christian who truly has God in their hearts should never, ever, feel comfortable telling someone else they are going to hell. We can disagree with someone's choices and decisions or relationships and friendships or addictions and habits or view points and opinions, and love them. And respect them. And be kind to them. And treat them like human beings and if you're worried for someone's soul, pray for them as much as you want. We are here to love and uplift others. That is the way we as Christians are meant to be because that is the way God is with us. We do things all the time he doesn't like. But he loves us enough to continously chase after us and bring us back to him, and never give up on us. And that love is open to anyone willing to accept it."

He closes out his sermon and we sing one last hymn before closing out in prayer, and head back to the car.

"Well?" I ask him and he takes his sunglasses off and rubs his eyes.

"I don't know what was more adorable: seeing you all enthused over someone that doesn't exist, or seeing you have my dick in your throat during church." He pipes, laughing. "Oh, that would be cool game to play. I could be the Pervy Priest and you could be the Naughty Nun." He suggest, his hand squeezing at my thigh in a tickling motion and I squeal, fighting to get him to stop tickling me and he finally stops."It was a good message, though. He had a very nice way of saying, 'just mind your own fucking business, cunt face'."

"Shh, Nikki!" I cringe at him saying 'cunt' in the parkinglot of a church.

"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to swear in the Lord's driveway." He sarcastically apologizes and I shake my head a little and crank the car.

Later that night, Nikki heads to Robbin's place to score some smack and blow from his dealer, before we go out to dinner, and I'm stopping by to see Duff and the guys at their rehearsal.

The clicks of my heels sound against the bare concrete where stained up carpet as been ripped up.

I see two masses of teased, blonde hair in the corner by a drum kit, a fluff ball of black, curly hair laying in the floor wear sunglasses, and teased red hair.

"Duff." Izzy states, and I turn to see him on a holed up couch in the corner, cigarette hanging from his lips.

"Izzy." I acknowledge him.

"Viv." He replies in the same tone, not bothering to look up from his guitar.

"Yeah?" Duff asks, glancing over at him to see me. "Hey!" He immediately stops what he's doing to come over, the other three boys looking up at me as well. "What're you doing here?" He asks, hugging me, and I look up at him after seeing Steven coming over here.

"Nikki and I were about to go out for our anniversary and I decided to come by since I haven't talked to you in a couple weeks. But, um, I know you've been busy I just thought I would stop by." I explain, smiling when Steven's energetic vibe spills over to me when he squeezes me to him.

"Well, we were just taking a break if you wanna hangout for a little bit." Duff offers.

I glance at Axl over Duff's shoulder, seeing he's irritated, and I let out a breath.

My relationship with Axl was about how my relationship with Vince was.

We loved to hate each other.

But not because Axl was a pig like Vince was. But because he and I were the same exact person.

I don't know if it was the overzealous religious up bringing forced upon us, or our struggles with similar mental disorders, but we both had the same nearly uncontrollable temper.

We got along most of the time, our issue, though, was that we saw things differently, and would get into heated arguments.

The longer the band stayed together, the worse Axl got.

It became more and more about him, and not so much the band.

When Steven was fired for getting too deep into heroin (as if he was the only one in the band with addiction issues) Axl had the honor Robbin, Vince, and Doc, all had been given: my fist to his face.

He was trying his hardest not to punch me back as I yelled:

"I'm not in your fucking band, I'm not on your fucking payroll, so I have no problem telling you, you're a fucking piece of shit and you need a hell of a lot more help than what you're getting right now! You're acting like a trigger happy crazy person, you have got your band members paranoid about who's gonna go next and for the love of God, Axl, of all the ways you could have handled the man that has saved your wife's life not once, but twice, you fire him for doing something you idiots were glorifying three years ago?! Get your shit together, Rose, because you're getting fucking messy!"

I had quoted him, from when he said, "get your shit together, Sixx, because you're getting fucking messy" after Duff and I had nearly been caught by Nikki.

The entire time they were on tour with us, Axl was paranoid Nikki would find out Duff and I were friendly with each other, kick Guns off the tour, and blacklist them through the label...

He got even more uptight when Steven and Slash accidentally gave me weed brownies a few days into the tour, and I was stoned out of my mind for six hours straight, and Steven, Slash, Duff, and were chasing me around and trying to make sure I didn't make it obvious to anyone on Mötley's team or Nikki, Tommy, Vince and Mick, that the supporting band got Nikki's stone cold sober wife high as a kite. Izzy just found it amusing.

One thing about Axl, though. He taught Tansy how to stick up for herself, which gave her the courage to publicly out her abusers in her agency and industry. I guess that's why I didn't kill him despite the many times I heavily considered it.

"I would hang around, but, I've really gotta get going." I tell Duff. "But I'll call you tomorrow or Tuesday and we can figure out when a good time to hangout before I go to Japan, alright?"

"Okay." He nods.

"Okay, I gotta go, Steven." I squeeze him equally as tight as he is me, ruffling his hair a little.

"Boo! Buzzkill." He protests my leaving and I roll my eyes as he steps back to his drums.

"I'll talk to you later." I tell Duff, standing on my tip toes to kiss his cheek innocently.

"Yeah. Have fun tonight." He tells me. "And happy anniversary."

"Thank you, sweetie." I say as I wipe my lipstick from his cheek. "Love you, be good." I tell them before turning to go.

"Love you." Steven and Duff say back.

"Viv." Izzy tells me as I head for the door, as his way of saying 'bye'.

"Izzy." I reply, before stepping out.

[troped-fanfic-challenge]

AUTHOR REVEAL of the JATP ROUND 2: FLUFF FICS!

The Tropes:

Exes

Time Loop AU

Camp Counselors

Prank Wars

————

Okay, Campers, Rise and Shine! (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by nik_knows_nothing

Summary: When Reggie launches a particularly ill-advised prank war at HGC Ranch, Luke’s fully prepared to take it in stride.

When the days start looping, though, he begins to suspect that this might all be a little bit above his head.

In other words, he’s at least 78% sure that the time loop isn’t a direct result of Reggie’s pranks.

Maybe 77%.

Oh, well.

At least he’s not in it alone.

(The Groundhog Day meets Gravity Falls meets Summer Camp meets The Author’s Own Distaste For Prank Wars AU that no one asked for. Ever. At all.)

Starting To Forget (Just What Summer Ever Meant To You) (Not Rated) [Flynn x Carrie] by bi_magic

Summary: Last summer didn’t end on a positive note for Carrie Wilson - she and her girlfriend broke up on the last night of camp, and she’s been miserable since. But it seems that the universe is intent on having her fix that this summer. Even if that means she has to live through the same day over and over and over again until she does.

Creative B.S. Was No More, Was No Less (Look Around, You're Gonna Miss What You Found) (Rated T) [Alex x Luke, Flynn x Reggie] by @americanhoney913

Summary: The midnight men move again

Don’t know when

Best friends forever

In trouble again

Here’s to you, here’s to me

Over the rafters and we’re free

— Over the Rafters, Rick Schiffman

***

Alex and Luke go undercover on a mission to a summer camp in order to find a talisman that could endanger the camp and all the kids. While there, they bond with the kids and make peace with the fact that they broke up.

While Alex and Luke are away, Flynn accidentally fucks with time.

bitch but like romantically (Rated T) [Flynn x Carrie] by @screamin-amuseum

Summary: The dining hall’s exactly the same as it has been for two mornings now, and Flynn doesn’t hesitate to poke Willie twice on the nose and whisper “pancake” on her way past their seat.

His eyes widen and he whips his head around to follow them, excitement glimmering in their eyes.

“Really?” they blurt. Flynn rolls her eyes and nods.

~

or: flynn gets stuck in a time loop. {for troped jatp round 2}

down by the bay (Rated T) [Alex x Willie] by @sunsetcurbed

Summary: Over time, Camp Phantom has simply become known as a selective summer camp: one that took only the kids that Caleb saw promise in. And Caleb wasn’t exactly lying. He really did take only the ones he saw promise in, he simply looked for different traits than others might.

For example, say, hypothetically, a boy who could see the future. Or, hypothetically, a girl who could interact with ghosts. Or, hypothetically, a boy who could summon objects to him with a simple thought. Or, and this is completely hypothetical mind you, a boy who could manipulate time.

Those might be some traits that Caleb saw promise in. Just, like, as examples.

Time will tell (But only if you do it right) (Rated T) [Flynn x Carrie] by @malecacidd

Summary: Carrie had been acting a little off for a week or so, but Flynn was pretty much known for seeing something in nothing, and that was probably what they were doing then. If something was going on, Carrie would tell her eventually.

OR

Who knew all it took was a little bit of miscommunication to mess up time itself?

and so it begins (Rated T) [Bobby x Reggie] by @comeonpeters

Summary: It’s the first day of their second week at Camp Carolling (they’re spending an entire month, and they’re getting paid to be there!) when Reggie gets a little lost in the woods. During this misadventure into the woods, he finds an egg shaped rock, an inhabited cabin that may or may not be riddled with signs, and something that might be magic. He probably doesn’t get paid enough to discover magic.

or, when they were thirteen years old, four boys met at camp carolling and eventually became a band that almost became something legendary. now, all four boys are coming back as counselors, three boys in one band and one boy in his own solo act.

so begins the reunion, though it doesn’t go how any of them imagine.

Porcupine Day (Rated T) [Bobby x Ray x Rose] by @wr0temyway0ut

Summary: It’s been fifteen years since Trevor broke up with Ray and Rose and they’re… not fine, but managing. But when Trevor to adds insult to injury and buys the camp across the lake from the one they once owned together, the two camps become locked in a bitter rivalry. With neither side willing to set aside their pride and work out their issues, the universe decides to settle their fates itself.

Day After Day (After Day After Day) (Rated T) [Alex x Willie] by hufflebibin

Summary: When Alex met Willie just after their senior year of high school, they spent a wonderful three months dating before their relationship ended in a blaze of glory. Now, four years later, they meet again as counselors at a summer camp. The only problem? Alex keeps reliving their first day together. The day that Luke had declared “Prank Day.”

This is not how Alex pictured his summer going.

clocks move faster (it's all we're after) (Rated G) [Julie x Luke] by @willexxmercer

Summary: Julie likes it when her friends are happy, so when she realizes she’s stuck in a time loop, she uses her knowledge to make sure everything works out for everyone… except she conveniently forgets to factor herself (and Luke) into the mix.

Touch of Magic (Not Rated) [Alex x Luke] by @williexmercer

Summary: When everything stands in Luke and Alex’s way of getting to be with the people they love, they have to repeat the day over and over until they can get the happily ever after that they want.

the play's the thing (that goes wrong) (Rated T) [Alex x Willie] by @madeline-kahn

Summary: Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day for Macbeth, but not so for Alex and the production of Hamlet that he is directing and starring in. And while he’s stuck repeating the day of the performance over and over, mishaps of all kinds befall the cast.

anything, anything (for another run with you) (Rated T) [Alex x Willie] by @aroacethetic-shitpost

Summary: The moment Alex steps foot in Camp Greenwood, he knows that this summer is a bad idea.

He knows it as soon as he sees tan skin, long hair, and a tie-dyed crop top at the check-in table.

Willie.

-

the camp counselor/exes/prank war/time loop fic of your dreams (unless you read all of the other troped round 2 fics lmao)

there’s a glorious sunrise, dappled with the flickers of light (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by @tonightthestarsalign

Summary: What comes next happens in slow motion. Luke’s foot catches on the last rung of the ladder. Julie watches as he stumbles a step forward, barely catching himself before falling on his face. The ladder clatters to the floor below. The trapdoor, no longer propped open by it, falls closed with a loud thunk, the lock clicking into place. They’re stuck.

“Luke!” she exclaims loudly. “Look what you did!” Julie drops to her knees in front of the trap door, desperately trying to fit her fingers between the wood and the stone to pry it open again. Of course it doesn’t work.

“What?” he snaps back. “I wouldn’t be up here in the first place if it weren’t for you trying to fuck us over.”

or: ex-best friends Luke and Julie, working as camp counselors at rivaling camps, find themselves stuck in a time loop

the daughter of apollo (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by @the-most-beautiful-broom

Summary: (the JATP x Camp Half Blood AU that nobody asked for)

maybe the world isn't ending (maybe it's been postponed) (Rated G) [Julie x Luke] by @tmp-jatp

Summary: Alex runs his fingers through Willie’s hair. “I think it’s best to just leave them to their own prank war at this point. Let’s not forget that time Julie put hot sauce in the coffee pot and my mouth was on fire for an entire hour.”

“You’re exaggerating, Alex-”

“I most certainly am not,” Alex cuts Reggie off.

“Or how about the time Luke tried to put glitter in Julie’s bed,” Carrie joins in, “but got my bed instead? I can appreciate some glitter, but even I know when enough is enough.”

“Suffice it to say,” Willie finishes after they’ve passed around a dozen or so more memories of pranks from the summer, “we’re all done being your collateral damage. Whatever Julie has planned for you tomorrow, Luke, you’re on your own.”

-

It’s the last day of camp and Julie has one more prank planned for Luke. He just doesn’t know what it is.

Here We Go Again (Rated T) [Julie x Luke] by @kybee1497

Summary: Julie blinked as she stared at the place Euterpe had disappeared. What did that even mean? What journey? Old places and lost faces? What was she talking about? But before she could dwell on the questions swirling around in her mind, the sky full of stars began to move, shifting in place and descending until they were all around her. Julie felt her feet leave the ground as she rose up and up. One star in particular was burning brighter than the others, growing bigger in front of her.

It grew and grew, until the light was blinding and Julie had to throw a hand up against the harsh light. She closed her eyes as the light surrounded her and then she was falling. Falling down, down, down.

————

All the Winners can be found here.

We hope you enjoy these fics from our fabulous Fantoms! Make sure to leave kudos and comments to show them some love! And don’t forget, if you missed the initial writing deadline you can still submit your fics to our Non-Anon Collection at any time! Thank you all so much for participating this round! Now that winners and authors have been revealed feel free to post about your fics, create artwork for it, if you like, and don’t forget to tag us!

We hope you all will join us for Round 3! The prompt drops at Midnight tonight!

[smartguyreviewed]

1x5 - Don’t Do That Thing You Do

Original air date: April 16, 1997

Alright, Disney. We need to have a little talk.

I take a lot of shit from you in the name of nostalgia. You repay me by selling all of your DCOMs on iTunes but since they are DRM protected, you then make me have to buy third party software to remove said DRM just so I can watch these movies for my own personal viewing. If you’re worried about me selling and distributing copies of your movies to people who also wanna relive them good ‘ole days, stop. People will find a way to pirate your shit regardless and actually have more than what you release. Really, just stop.

You then removed all of the Smart Guy episodes from YouTube so that the only dregs of the show left are sped up, slowed down, or only take up a third of the video player due to copyright shit. You gave me considerable hope when I saw you’d be putting all the original shows and movies (minus In a Heartbeat. Minus The Jersey. Minus The Famous Jett Jackson. Minus Model Behavior. Minus My Date With the President’s Daughter.) on this shiny new channel of yours.

I know you have a problem with misordering episodes, making certain episodes season finales when they shouldn’t be and just not having any general sense of continuity. I am still baffled as to why this episode, episode number 5 is not included in the first season, which is already hella short at just 8 episodes. Disney, do you enjoy making me wonder why I even fuck with you? Once I get a .mp4 file of Johnny Tsunami and maaaaybe Can of Worms, I’m through with you forever.

This one is gonna be long because TJ really pissed me off in this episode. But if you actually read the above, I love you because I’m literally just whining.

In this episode, I will actually feel bad for Marcus. Yes, Marcus, teenage horndog, sexist Marcus will tug on my heartstrings and make me relate to him. I know I give him a lot of shit, but at the end of the day, he’s still a teenage boy. A dark-skinned teenage boy in a family full of gifted and/or capable light skinned people, at that. In this family, guess who is the odd one out, the black sheep? Marcus. Coincidence? I just couldn’t help but notice some things Yvette does (like pursue dance at one point) are encouraged while Marcus’s hobby (music, another art) is constantly shit on by Floyd who wants Marcus to be more book smart. Or how Yvette didn’t get into any trouble for not trying to stop TJ’s party just because Marcus, who is younger than her, was in charge? Just two examples, but you get the point. 

We begin the episode with TJ bothering the big kids while they’re trying to rehearse for the upcoming Battle of the Bands gig. The gang needs cash to continue banding, especially since Mo’s strings are caca. Marcus is certain they will win and as soon as he manifests positivity about his future, something bad happens. Their guitarist breaks his finger. 

Marcus is whining to pops about this little roadbloack when we see Yvette has invited Gabrielle Union back to her place to study in the kitchen. None of that learning crap will be happening right now though, because Floyd has made Gabs wet. She tells Yvette who delivers the most visceral reaction. But Yvette...your dad is hot. And it’s perfectly normal for friends to have crushes on your parents. And you also date older men! Yvette has her moments where I hate her and this is one of them. Instead of just dropping it and continuing to study, she actually throws her friend out! You would have thought Yvette was Floyd’s damn girlfriend, the way she was acting. 

Because every show needs a montage here and there, we are now jettisoned to the garage, where Marcus is auditioning for a new piano player. Spoiler alert: they all reek, except for one guy who clearly must have been on some type of psychedelic drug to audition for a high school R&B band during a federal pursuit. The others were straight duds, including the most aggressive polka musician ever who thought his accordion counted as a keyboard. 

Marcus is fucked. His goose is cooked. His dream is deferred. How the hell is he going to pull a new piano player out of his ass in time for BotB? He suddenly hears someone tickling the ivories and is beyond impressed...and then disappointed once he sees its TJ. Turns out the little guy knows all their songs and then proceeds to explain music in math terms and I pretty much feel the way Marcus does here.

I mean, really, it’s annoying to know that your freakishly intelligent brother is pretty much good at everything, including the thing that you love more than anything. You share a room with this person, you see this person every day at school and you now have to let him in your band because of circumstances.  I do like that Marcus includes the rest of the group in his decision making, even though they really don’t seem to care about its direction as long as they can have sex with all the groupies. 

So now its Mackadocious +TJ and Marcus is doling out the “kicks” to everyone except TJ. But TJ, homie, you just entered the band and your role is to just play the piano, since nobody else is around. This is not the time for you to be trying to get your Regina Spektor on. Play your part! TJ gets upset at this, but once Marcus threatens violence, he immediately goes back to his role.

B plot land is just Yvette pissed off that her friend finds her father attractive. They go to the BotB thing and she even cuts in front of them. Jeez Yvette, chill.

When her bestie leaves a voicemail directed more towards Floyd, although flattered, he has to let her down gently. Yadda yadda, Floyd is about to have that uncomfortable conversation but it’s fine because Gabby met some dude in a black trench coat and needs Yvette to style her hair like Halle Berry’s in the last month’s Essence. Yvette is happy that things are back to normal, at the expense of her lonely father who most likely reveled in that small amount of validation as quickly as it was snatched away from him. Poor Flody. 

Anyways, back to the main arc of the episode. It’s time for the BotB and TJ is still vying for that piano solo but Marcus isn’t budging. This will end well. Once they get far enough into the song, Marcus is about to do his solo. He’s probably thinking that finally, the spotlight will be on him for a change and he can feel like he’s doing something worthy of praise. But this is TJ we’re talking about, and he is a petty little asshole, so he immediately hijacks the show and begins with his piano solo. Marcus looks straight dumb trying to hop back into his own set. So now instead of being a dick and doing the solo he wasn’t supposed to do, he has now embarassed Marcus. His feelings about the situation can best be summed up here.

The next day at school, we see that TJ is still hogging all of the band’s attention. Marcus’s insane level of togetherness right now is commendable, seeing as TJ clearly has no remorse for what he’s done and is now rubbing it in their faces. Just Marcus, though. TJ is a little babe magnet and is now basically getting girls for Mo and Goose to have sex with. Everyone is getting what they want right now. Except Marcus. 

During a rehearsal, TJ moves on to insulting Marcus’s compositions and telling the band that they need something “else.” Marcus has had it and decides it’s time for TJ to go. TJ tries to save his ass by apologizing for something he’s clearly not sorry for after the fact, but the damage is done. Now we all know that TJ is totally one to accept defeat and move on so I’m sure nothing else will come of a rather amicable split.

Later, Kid from Kid n’ Play shows up and offers Mackadocious some moolah if they play again, but with TJ, seeing as Mackadocious has been unwillingly changed to The Band With the Cute Little Kid. Marcus, putting his dream over his desire to teach his little narcissist brother a lesson (just kidding, he wants the money) asks TJ back, but he’s strangely okay with staying out of it. Marcus then grabs TJ and threatens him, calling him a little twerp. This is still funny to me.

Floyd comes in and breaks up the fight and forces the siblings to hash out their differences in a healthy way. TJ says he wishes he could sing like Marcus. Marcus hates that TJ is good at everything. They both apologize to each other and Marcus even asks if TJ wants to rejoin the band and TJ is about to ruin this totally fine moment between them by revealing his evil plan.

After being kicked out of the band, TJ wanted to get even. Instead of just taking the L and moving on, he reached out to Kid and offered some tax code write offs in exchange for promising Mackadocious a lot of money to perform a bogus gig where nobody would show up. Yes, you read that right. TJ wanted to destroy Marcus’s life and possibly crush his spirit to the point where he’d never want to pursue music at all. All because he did something shitty and got punished accordingly. TJ is a petty little asshole. Floyd hears this and allows the beating to continue. Did I mention how much I love Floyd?

Stuff I noticed:

- TJ’s shirt. Where can I find this shirt? Seriously, it’s amazing.

- Oh hi, Christina Milian.

- When TJ is mentioning the name of the band’s fan site, he just says it’s ww.cutekid.com which makes no sense because that’s too general to refer to a band and also sounds like pedo bait. 

[writethelifeyouwant]

You Got Iced- Chapter 2

Pairing: Jared x Reader x Jensen

Rating: T, for language (future chapters will be explicit)

Summary: Inspired in part by the challenge prompt and in part by this conventionhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAHS_RJ5Gac (which is fucking hilarious, go enjoy yourselves there). The reader is attending a Supernatural convention during a heat wave and gets her money’s worth out of her ticket that’s for sure.

Word Count: 3773

Warnings: None for this chapter

A/N: Written for @babypieandwhiskey ‘s Hot as Hell challenge. If anyone else wants to be tagged in the rest of the chapters shoot me an ask! I’ll be posting them over the next couple weeks as I finish them. I’m in the process of moving to a different country so it’s taking me a little longer to write than I’d hoped :) 

Smirnoff Ice finally consumed, Jared and Jensen each reached out a hand to pull you up from your knees. Jensen’s eyes were almost glowing with a kind of subdued excitement that you couldn’t conceive of a reason for. He clapped your shoulder in a ‘job well done’ fashion and then exchanged a glance with Jared while you were straightening your clothes and weren’t looking at them. Jared had the same excitement burning behind his eyes, and gave Jensen a firm nod. 

“What do you say we get you a real drink to wash that crap down?” Jensen asked firmly, like it was more of an instruction than an offer. 

“What?” You spluttered, not understanding what on earth was going on. You looked between him and Jared, hoping one of them would offer up some kind of explanation. Neither did.

“Yeah,” Jared cut in, “we have a cooler of stuff in the green room back there. Come sit down for a bit.” Jared hovered his arm behind your back, as if to wrap it around your waist, but he didn’t touch. In an almost dream-like state you let them guide you towards the direction of their green room, calling a hurried goodbye and thank-you to Rob, Rich, and the band who were being left behind you. 

Upon reaching the green room, which was just a small conference room with two couches in one corner, and a cooler set up on a meeting table, surrounded by other snacks, Jensen bounded to the cooler while Jared continued to guide you to a seat in the corner of the couch. 

“What do you want to drink Y/N?” Jensen called over his shoulder. “We’ve got beer, there’s some wine in a can… I think this is whiskey…” he rifled through the assortment of bottles crammed together. 

“Um, I’m not picky, whatever you guys are having is fine,” your voice almost came out as a squeak because Jared had just lounged himself next to you, taking up the remainder of the couch with his giant giraffe legs. And those giant giraffe legs were now centimeters from your own bare legs, that you had tucked up underneath you in your little corner of the couch. 

“And if he gives you a beer, you won’t make a face?” Jared poked at you with his knee. 

“I resent that implication,” you looked faux-shocked for a moment, making your eyes round and wide, but breaking into a quick smile that crinkled your whole face up like tissue paper. Jensen handed you and Jared each a bottle and thunked himself in the corner of the next couch, the arm he set on the endrest brushing dangerously close to yours. “So, I have to ask, are you in the habit of bringing random strangers back to have a drink with?” 

“We do every now and then,” Jared nodded sagely, as if this was a perfectly understandable and reasonable occurrence, and not your wildest dream come true. 

“Not to sound ungrateful but, why?” You pushed, taking a sip of your beer to cover up your embarrassment. 

“Your question,” Jensen grinned. “I know it wasn’t anything profound but we’ve been doing these things for more than a decade and no one has ever asked us that one before.” 

“We thought the ingenuity should be congratulated,” Jared chimed in. 

“Oh,” you let that bit of information sink in. “Cool.” You took another drink to give your face something to do other than blush with anxiety. 

“Are you a little nervous?” Jared asked kindly, no trace of his earlier teasing left. You nodded, blushing deeper. 

“Don’t be,” Jensen reached forward and patted your forearm bracingly. “Have some more beer, let yourself relax.” You quickly followed his instruction, grateful for the excuse to ingest the liquid courage much more quickly than you had been. Jensen smiled at you, satisfied with your response. 

“So, Y/N, have you come to any conventions before?” Jared asked, drawing your attention back to him. You shook your head. 

“No, this was my first one. I had to live vicariously through the internet, before.” A nervous laugh escaped you as you realised what a fangirl you sounded like. Jared seemed to know exactly what you were thinking. 

“Hey, don’t be embarrassed about watching cons on youtube. You love the show, that’s why you’re here.” Jared’s smile was reassuring and sweet. “We’re fans of the show too, that’s why we do all this stuff. We like being able to share this with people, we like seeing people excited.” 

“It’s incredibly vain really, but someone has to feed his ego. My love isn’t enough anymore,” Jensen mocked, feigning hurt. 

“Hey!” Jared gasped. You and Jensen laughed and you followed his example, taking a further draught from your bottle. 

“Were you planning on going to the concert tonight?” Jensen asked. 

“Oh yeah,” you nodded, much more comfortable discussing your love of music than your love of the two men sitting next to you right now. “I’m probably just as excited for tonight as I was for your panel.” 

“Yeah they put on a good show,” Jensen agreed. “I think Jason’s coming tonight too actually, he texted me earlier he thinks he’ll make it in time.” 

“Sweet, he owes me twenty bucks,” Jared made a small victory fist. The conversation moved around that night’s show, and music more generally, while the three of you made it through your first bottles. Favourite songs were listed, first concerts were recounted, funny memories regaled with smiles. By the end of your bottle you felt more at ease with yourself, letting your body unfold from the slightly defensive position you had been perched in, in the corner of your couch. 

Jared moved to get the next round, dragging a chair behind him on his way back, holding all three beers in his other mammoth hand. You grabbed the bottle he offered you, and your fingers brushed his when he passed it over, sending a burn through your skin that was made all the more jarring by the cold condensation running over the back of your hand. You blushed and glanced down quickly, but then realised how incriminating that looked, and so shifted your eyes back to Jared, pretending there was no reason for you to have broken eye contact. You noticed that Jared’s eyes flicked down to his fingers, and then to yours, for just a moment, before he shook the expression of contemplation from his face so quickly you thought you might have invented it. 

“Is there any particular reason you sit like that?” You had asked the question before you gave yourself a chance to check if you would sound stupid or not, nodding to how Jared had sat with his chair facing backwards, like he had earlier on stage. 

“No,” Jared shook his head, not giving any indication that he thought you were weird or stupid for asking, and you relaxed again. “I used to get in trouble for sitting like this in school, so I think I do it a load now because no one can tell me not to,” he laughed. 

“I just noticed Sam sits that way a lot,” you explained. “I guess I wondered if it was something you did because of Sam of if it was the other way around.” 

“Yeah, no that’s me,” Jared laughed. “We definitely bleed into Sam and Dean more than we realise sometimes. I never even noticed that one before.” 

“Just don’t start overthinking it every time Sam sits down from now on,” Jensen laughed. 

“I won’t be thinking any harder than you. You still have to concentrate on not sitting on Misha’s lap every take.” You actually choked on your drink a little. Jensen leaned forward and thumped you on the back. 

“Jesus Jared, don’t kill her.” You gave Jensen a small thumbs up to indicate you were fine while you continued trying to catch your breath. “He was joking, by the way,” Jensen looked at you seriously, urging you not to misinterpret the situation. “Misha sits on my lap.” 

You narrowly avoided choking on your drink a second time as you burst out laughing. “I am genuinely amazed people get any work done around you two.” 

“Us too, believe me,” Jensen laughed easily. 

“What do you do for work, Y/N?” Jared asked with genuine curiosity, taking another swig of beer. 

“Oh, I don’t right now, I’m in college. That’s why I could come to the convention at all, you guys never came near my hometown, but my college was actually close enough to manage it.” 

“What’s your major?” Jared pressed for more information. You couldn’t fathom the attentive interest shining from his face. 

“I, haven’t actually declared one yet,” you admitted. “I’m chronically indecisive.” 

“Yeah you really must be if you still don’t have a major this late in the game. I didn’t think they let you past junior year without picking one,” Jared bemused. 

“Dude,” Jensen looked at Jared in something between exasperation and abject horror, “I think she might not be as old as we thought she was.” Jensen dragged his beer free hand across his face, pushing his fingers into his eye sockets in a pretty good imitation of Dean’s ‘frustration and despair’ face.  

“Um, I’m a sophomore…” you interjected sheepishly, ashamed that you had been found out. You had admonished yourself in the back of your mind when you had first been tossed the Smirnoff Ice. It was stupid to drink illegally in front of a load of celebrities. Not that you hadn’t drunk plenty before but it was just usually at parties filled with loads of other underage students. Here, you were alone. 

“You’re a sophomore?” Jared asked slowly, cautiously. You nodded, grimacing at your own idiocy. “Which means you’re only…” Jared left his question hanging. 

“Nineteen,” you admitted, curling back into yourself, getting ready for the outburst that must be close to the surface. 

“Jesus Christ,” Jensen’s voice sounded like a hiss, but it was underpinned by something deep, something hungry. 

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, mortified. The bottle in your hand suddenly felt like it weighed as much as your school bookbag, and you hurriedly looked for a place to set it, settling on the floor. “I should probably go…” You scrambled off the couch, tears blooming behind your lashes as you looked around for your bag and avoided looking anywhere near Jared or Jensen. 

“Sit your ass back down,” Jensen barked without looking up from the hand still plastered over his face. Stunned, you sat back down immediately, now risking a glance at Jensen. 

“You’re not in trouble,” Jared piped up, drawing your gaze. 

“Yeah but we so are,” Jensen groaned, finally pulling his head away from his hand to look at Jared with eyes that seemed to convey a message only Jared was meant to understand. 

“Yeah, no kidding,” Jared agreed, downing the rest of his drink and swinging off his chair to grab another. Jensen followed suit and drained the last of his beer, accepting a new drink from Jared, a glass of whiskey this time. 

“I’m so sorry,” you said again, forcing the words past the catch in your throat. “This was really stupid of me, I should have said something when you offered me a drink-” Your apology rant was interupted by Jared’s bark of laughter as he sat himself back on the couch next to you, considerably closer than he had been previously. 

“Y/N, we’re not mad at you,” Jared leant forward, bracing his forearms on his thighs, and swirling his drink thoughtfully. “And we’re not worried about giving drinks to someone underage.” That bit of information shocked you out of your panic a little bit. You had figured that was the reason your age had disconcerted them, why else would it? 

“You’re not concerned that I essentially just tricked you both into breaking the law?”

“Y/N, come on,” Jensen scoffed, but good naturedly. “How many times do you think we got wasted before we were 21? It’s what kids do.” He gave you a half smile that only barely covered the grimace in his eyes.

“Well, I’m still sorry I lied,” you said. “I never wanted to get you in trouble.” 

“The beer is not what’s gonna get us into trouble,” Jensen’s smile fought harder this time, and you could see it beat out whatever it was inside him that was making him so uncomfortable. This was the sign Jared had been waiting for, his permission from Jensen to keep going with what they had planned before your age had derailed them a moment. “It’s more the fact that we’re really feeling like old pervs right now.” A twinkle of mischief made its way back to his eyes as he gave Jared a wry smile. 

“Why…” You were entirely confused by Jensen’s comment. No matter how hard your brain tried it could not identify the connection between your previous conversation and why Jensen was now calling himself and Jared ‘old pervs’. Or why he was calling himself that at all. 

“Y/N,” Jared said your name cautiously, savouring its syllables on his tongue as he slowly reached a hand over to your knee. “We didn’t just bring you back here because of your question.”

Jared’s fingers might as well have had live wires hooked up to them considering how far the shock radiated through your body when he touched you. They drew your eyes like magnets, and it took immense effort to look back up at Jared and over to Jensen, who had moved as close to you as his couch would allow him. Jensen reached forward and took your hand, squeezing it comfortingly in his bigger one. 

“I’m going to say this very seriously right now, I need you to believe us one hundred percent,” Jensen looked earnestly between you and Jared. “If you don’t want this, that is okay. We are not expecting anything from you, you do not have to do anything, you are more than free to tell us to shove it up our asses and leave you the hell alone.” 

You still had not said a word, frozen in astonishment between Jared and Jensen, who each had a hand on you. That was probably the only reason you hadn’t jumped up from your spot on the couch by now. Grasping for words you settled on Jensen, breathing deeply before you plunged into the deep pool they were pulling you into. 

“Okay, I’m gonna need you to be incredibly clear about what you’re talking about, and then I’m gonna search this room for hidden cameras and the signal for Rich and Rob burst in with the ‘gotcha’ crew.” Jared and Jensen laughed brightly, and Jared patted your knee reassuringly.

“We’re not pranking you, sweetheart.” Jensen’s voice had dropped closer to Dean’s, found some gravel in his throat to drag over. 

“What we’re asking, is if you’d be interested in having a little more fun with us... somewhere a little more private.”Jared’s mouth curled into a wicked smile, and he pulled your arm towards him, pressing a kiss to the inside of your wrist, and pressing his glass of whiskey into your hand. You looked down at your hand questioningly. “You look like you could use that,” Jared nodded to the whiskey. You swallowed hard, then raised the glass to your lips and drained it in three burning gulps. 

“Good girl,” Jared whispered under his breath, more to himself than to anyone else in the room, focusing on the movement of your throat as you downed the liquor. You heard him though. 

Your eyes flicked to his, wide and nervous, but also incredibly turned on. You shook your head to clear it from the warm haze the whiskey had settled in your cheeks to speak the other big concern on your mind. 

“You’re married,” you stated emphatically. “You’re both married. You talk about how much you love your families all the time! I can’t- I couldn’t…” 

“Yes!” Jensen did a small fist bump with his whispered acclamation. 

“What?” You were so beyond confused at this point it was ridiculous. 

“That was the last test,” Jensen admitted. “If you didn’t say anything about being concerned for our moral and our families we’d have to back out.” 

“That one is Gen and Dany’s rule,” Jared clarified. 

“Wait, they sanction this?” You took a second to evaluate if you thought they were lying then lit on another part of what Jensen had said. “What do you mean ‘last test’, there were tests?” 

“Yeah if Jared picks someone out then we usually ease into it to see if whoever it is seems like they would be into what we want. We weren’t lying to you before, your question was awesome, that was one of the reasons Jared wanted to throw a test at you to check.” 

“And I passed this test?” 

“With flying colours sweetheart,” Jensen grinned. 

“What was it?”

“The Smirnoff Ice,” Jared laughed. “We iced you to see if you would play along with our bullshit or if you would wind up backing out, that’s why I made sure I told you you didn’t have to drink it, you had an out if you wanted it.” 

“But what sealed it was how you dropped to your knees like that,” Jensen cut in, his gaze claiming yours and holding you there. “That’s what we’re looking for in this. Someone who’s up for being a submissive for us.” 

“And we know that’s kind of out there for most people so if that freaks you out or it’s not your thing that’s totally okay,” Jared rushed to cut in, once again making sure you had an out if you wanted it. You were pretty sure you didn’t want one but there was still a crucial hang up that they hadn’t actually answered yet. 

“Okay but, I’m still confused. Genevieve and Daneel are just cool with you guys picking up random girls for one night scenes?” You cringed internally, hoping you were using that word correctly, this wasn’t exactly territory you had experience in, outside of the internet. 

“Yeah they are,” they boys nodded. “And since you seem genuinely concerned that we’re stepping out on them, we have… where’s your phone Jared?” Jensen popped up off his couch and went to grab Jared’s phone off the table holding the cooler, where he had left it earlier, refreshing his whiskey while he was there. 

“Here,” Jared offered you his phone after he pulled something up on its screen. Jensen didn’t settle back on his couch but perched himself on the arm of yours, resting a hand on your shoulder as you pushed the solitary play icon on the black screen. 

“Hi!” Two chipper voices rang out in unison and the screen filled with an image of Jared and Jensen’s wives, sat at what looked like Jensen’s kitchen counter (it wasn’t creepy that you knew that, you told yourself, he’s the one who did the AD interview). 

“We hope you’ve been having a good day and the boys haven’t been giving you too hard a time!” Gen said. 

“We know what a pain they can be,” Daneel mock whispered before taking a sip of wine. “So, yay you, if you’re seeing this then they obviously think you’re something pretty special. You don’t have to feel bad, this is all totally okay with us-”

“Yup, everything is totally in the open, they’re not trying to trick you or us,” Gen assured you through the phone screen. 

“This doesn’t mean we don’t love each other either, so don’t worry about any of that.” Daneel’s smile was incredibly sincere and you let out a breath you hadn’t realised you’d been holding. “The thing is, me and Gen, we’ve all talked about this but neither of us is the threesome type.”

“And that was the one thing the guys wanted that we really weren’t up for,” Gen put in. “So we came up with this deal for them, they can have fun with a few people out on the road for conventions and stuff if they make sure to be careful, not pick up a lunatic, and always always make sure that whoever they pick up is gonna keep this to themselves.”

“For obvious reasons,” Daneel laughed. “So, if they’re letting you in on this little secret you’ve passed all the tests!”

“So stop worrying, and go have fun, sweetie,” Gen grinned. 

“Bye!” They waved in unison and the screen went black. 

“Any questions?” Jared asked gently. 

“I mean, in general, a million,” you laughed. “But I guess the big question would be how do you want this to work? Like, what exactly do you want from me?” 

“So you’re saying yes?” Jensen asked. 

“I think I am, yeah. But, seriously, what do you want?”

“Are you comfortable having a threesome?” Jared asked, in a manner that would have been appropriate if he was asking what pizza toppings you preferred. Your heart basically stopped at the image that produced in your head. Your body between theirs, their hands on your skin...

“Yes,” you nod. 

“Are you comfortable being submissive to us?” Jensen asked. 

“Yes… sir?” You threw the title out there on a whim, wondering if that was Jensen’s style. 

“You’ve never done this kind of thing before, have you?” Jensen grinned. 

“Which part? The threesome or the dom/sub stuff?” 

“Well I’m assuming, neither, based on your answers” Jared chuckled, and brushed the backs of his fingers up your thigh. 

“Yeah I- I haven’t,” you blushed and cleared your throat. “I haven’t done any of this before.” 

“That’s okay,” Jared’s voice was pitched barely above a whisper. “We kind of like that,” his eyes glinted, darting up to Jensen in a brief look of victory. 

“You know how to pick ‘em, Jared,” Jensen smiled, brushing your hair back over your shoulder and leaning down to touch his lips to the skin he uncovered. 

“This is really happening?” You breathed. 

“That finally our yes?” Jared asked, lips ghosting over the shell of your ear, pulling a shiver from your spine. 

“There’s one more thing I should tell you,” you yanked yourself back into your head, steadying yourself with a final breath before you chance smashing the glass on this illusion. Jared and Jensen backed off slightly to give you space. “When I said I’d never done anything like this I meant it.” You gave them a moment to absorb that but saw they hadn’t quite made the connection. “Like, anything,” you emphasised.

You saw their understanding slam into place.

Tags: @babypieandwhiskey @samsgirl93

[tomeandflickcorner]

Umbrella Academy Rewatch 1x08

1x01 1x02 1x03 1x04 1x05 1x06 1x07

The race is now on, as Allison attempts to find Vanya, in order to warn her that her boyfriend, Leonard, is actually Harold Jenkins, a convicted murderer who is believed to be the man who will bring about the apocalypse. 

As Allison drives out to the cabin that had belonged to Harold Jenkins’ grandmother in the hopes that she can find Vanya there, she remembers an event that had happened a year ago. She had been putting her daughter, Claire to bed and had just finished telling her a bedtime story about some of the exploits of herself and her brothers when they were still involved with their superhero stuff with the Umbrella Academy.  Particularly a time when they stopped a bank robbery.  When the story is over, Claire kept insisting on hearing another story, but Allison insisted it was time for her to go to sleep.  When Claire started to get demanding, Allison ended up using her power on her, by saying ‘I heard a rumor that you’re really tired, and what to go to sleep.’  This ended up getting Claire to back down and go to bed without a fuss.  Unfortunately, Allison’s now-ex-husband, Patrick, had witnessed this, and is clearly not happy.

Okay, so... is this the incident that resulted in the courts stripping Allison of her custody to her daughter, mandating that she had to take court-ordered therapy sessions before she could get visitation rights?  If so, that’s really stupid.  It’s possible I’m just not getting it, but why exactly was this such a big deal?  I don’t get if.  It’s not as if she was using her powers to force Claire to get her beer while she sat in front of the TV all day instead of taking care of her kid, or anything neglectful like that.  She was getting her kid to go to sleep.  I think we can all agree that kids that age need a consistent sleep schedule.  I’m fairly certain any mother in the land would have done the same thing if they were in Allison’s shoes.  Was there more to this story?  Was their some sort of concern that Allison using her power on Claire would have caused her permanent brain damage?  Was it a case of X-Men-esque paranoia?  I believe, in the X-Men comics, a lot of people feared the mutants on principle simply because they had out-of-the-ordinary abilities and therefore persecuted the mutants.  Did the courts have similar prejudice against Allison going on?  I don’t understand!

Regardless, this incident has ended up being traumatic to Allison, as she’s now sworn off using her powers ever again. And this is driven home when we hear Allison’s memories of other times she used her power on others.  Some seem pretty innocent.  Case in point one moment when she used her power to get someone (probably Claire) to like broccoli.  Eating vegetables is important, after all.  But with others, I can see why Allison is feeling like she was abusing her powers.  For instance, there were apparently times she used her power to force someone to be her friend, land an acting role, or even got someone to love her.  Yeah, I can agree those examples are pretty bad.  Eventually, Allison makes it to the cabin,  But when she gets there, nobody is home.  Which makes sense, since Vanya and Harold/Leonard are still at the hospital following the incident the night before.  

Speaking of which, we then switch over to them.  Harold/Leonard wakes up Vanya, who had been sleeping in the chair next to his hospital bed.  Vanya is surprised to see he’s already dressed, and even more so when Harold/Leonard announces he’s leaving.  After all, he probably still needs to be observed one more time before being officially discharged.  But Harold/Leonard states that’s not necessary, as the hospital just wants him to come back tomorrow so he can be fitted with a prosthetic eye.  Vanya, upon being reminded that he lost an eye, starts to apologize, but he waves her apology off.  They then head off.  But on the way, they’re stopped by a nurse, reminding Harold/Leonard that the doctor hadn’t discharged him yet.  Vanya is momentarily confused by this, as that statement has contradicted what he’d told her, but Harold/Leonard insists that he’s ready to leave, so he simply signs the voluntary discharge papers.  Before they leave, Vanya asks about the three other men that had attacked them, who were also brought into the hospital after being injured by Vanya’s power explosion. The nurse informs her that two of the men were DOA, but the third man was still alive, though in critical condition.

Back at the Umbrella Academy mansion, Luther wakes up with a massive hangover from his night of drinking at the rave.  He is shocked to find that a naked woman is lying in bed next to him, indicating that he brought someone back from the rave for sex.  Klaus then swings by Luther’s room and proceeds to simply be a typical brother, good-naturally teasing the flustered Luther for it, especially when he realizes this was Luther’s first time with a woman.  Klaus then gets serious, telling Luther that they’re having a family meeting downstairs.  

When Luther makes it down to the kitchen, Klaus pours him a cup of coffee, which Number 5 (who is clearly feeling better) promptly steals.  Ghost Ben is also there, but of course, only Klaus is aware of that.  While Klaus voices his awareness that Diego and Allison are absent, he nevertheless begins the meeting, informing his brothers that he managed to make contact with Reginald last night.  Luther is confused, reminding Klaus that he claimed he hadn’t been able to conjure up anyone in years.  Klaus admits this is true, but states that he’s now completely sober.  He goes on to inform Luther and Number 5 that Reginald wasn’t murdered but that he committed suicide in order to trick them into getting together again.  Luther, however, refuses to believe it, accusing Klaus of playing games again.  Until Pogo enters the room and confirms Klaus’ statement, also admitting he and Grace had assisted with the suicide, with Grace’s programming being altered so she wouldn’t be able to administer first aid on that fateful night.  Reginald had believed that, if the Hargreeves Siblings had banded together to try and solve the murder mystery, it might inspire them to want to be a team again, so they could save the world. Luther is incensed over this bombshell, especially since he was still feeling hurt over the revelation that his mission on the moon had been meaningless all along.  He berates Pogo for not saying anything sooner, despite watching him search for answers.  Pogo is visibly remorseful, but tells Luther that he had only been honoring Reginald’s dying wishes and that he had no choice.  This isn’t good enough for Luther, though, and he storms off, telling Pogo that there’s always a choice.  Number 5 also teleports off to think, leaving Klaus alone with Ghost Ben.

Sometime later, Vanya and Harold/Leonard return to the cabin.  Harold/Leonard attempts to reassure Vanya that what happened to the three toughs wasn’t her fault, and that she had acted in self-defense. Vanya is still shaken up, though, stating that she shouldn’t be able to do something like that.  It’s clear that, while she is starting to accept the fact that she does have powers, she’s upset that she can’t control them, with them only exploding out of her when she’s not trying to use them.  Harold/Leonard consoles her, stating he’ll help her learn to control it.

While all this is going on, we also get the subplot with Hazel and Agnes.  They did indeed run away together, but are now stuck in a traffic jam. Hazel grows morose when he sees that Agnes’ road trip has three years worth of sights in store, with her happily stating they have time to see them all.  After all, she doesn't realize the apocalypse is supposed to happen in just two days.

In a curious coincidence, Allison is also stuck in the same traffic jam.  Why she didn’t stick around at the cabin is anyone’s guess.  She ends up driving past the same restaurant where Vanya’s powers went haywire, seeing the police are there investigating the incident.  As Allison glances over at the crime scene, she notices Vanya’s scarf hanging from the restaurant's sign, making her realize that Vanya had been there.  So she gets out of the car and ducks under the police tape to investigate.  Allison is immediately stopped by a cop, Sergeant Cheddar, who is investigating the scene.  She tries to question him about what happened, but he insists that she simply read about it in the paper tomorrow.  Although, Sergeant Cheddar’s tune completely changes when he recognizes her.  It turns out Sergeant Cheddar and his wife are huge fans of Allison’s movies.  (Remember, Allison is a big movie star.)  Taking advantage of this fact, Allison tells him that she’s actually going to portray a cop in her next movie and is looking to do some research on law enforcement.  She asks if she can shadow him for the day, as it could help her develop her character if she could witness him in action for the day.  Sergeant Cheddar, being a huge Allison Hargeeves fanboy, agrees to this almost instantly.

Meanwhile, Diego is still in his jail cell.  He is visited by Detective Beeman, who informs him that they’re transferring him to upstate that afternoon.  He also states that he does believe in Diego’s innocence, knowing that he wasn’t the one who murdered Detective Patch.  However, that’s not enough to get the suspicion against him thrown out, since Diego was placed at the scene of the murder, and people on the force had witnessed the two arguing on more than one occasion.  Detective Beeman then reaches out to shake Diego’s hand, wishing him luck.  After they shake hands, Detective Beeman walks off, leaving Diego alone with the key he stealthily slipped him.

Back at the cabin, Vanya is practicing her violin, getting ready for her big concert.  As she’s practicing, Harold/Leonard secretly consults Reginald’s journal, which includes Reginald’s notes on Vanya’s powers.  The notes reveal that sound can help activate Vanya’s abilities.  This is further illustrated in a flashback, where Reginald, during a training session, managed to get Vanya to shatter a wine glass simply with the sound of a tuning fork.  Taking advice from this, Harold/Leonard takes Vanya deeper into the woods and instructs her to try and recreate the scene last night.  Vanya then thinks back, remembering the men laughing, the sound of them kicking Harold/Leonard and the rumbling of the car engine and a dog barking nearby.  Instantly, Vanya realizes that it was the sound of the car engine that did it, as that sound ended resonating in her mind to the point where it was the only thing she could hear before her power unleashed itself.  She finds the whole thing terrifying, but Harold/Leonard insists that its extraordinary.  He then convinces Vanya to try and tap into her powers again, getting her to focus on the sounds of nature around them.  Such as the wind chimes hanging from the cabin nearby, a squirrel in a nearby tree and the water rushing along a creek.  Harold/Leonard tells Vanya to focus on one sound in particular, with Vanya zeroing in on the sound of the water in the creak.  This results in Vanya’s power manifesting again. Harold/Leonard is ecstatic, but he sees Vanya is starting to panic, so he calms her down, informing her that her ability is tied to her emotions.  Vanya is confused how he knows this, as she doesn’t know about Reginald’s journal.  Harold/Leonard is able to cover up his slip up by claiming he made a lucky guess, going on to ‘theorize’ that Vanya can convert the sounds around her into energy when she is feeling strong emotions.  Vanya accepts this explanation and kisses him.  Though she has to push him out of the way when a tree branch falls towards them,

Of course we also get a reminder of how dangerous Vanya’s power can be.  In another flashback to her training sessions with Reginald, Young Vanya not only shattered all of the wine glasses, she also ended up cracking Reginald’s monocle.  Which also apparently left a cut along his cheek.  Reginald seemed almost fearful of the raw power she possessed, as he announced their training sessions were over for the time being.

We then cut back to the Umbrella Academy mansion.  Klaus is in his room knitting something when Number 5 walks in, trying to wrap his head around things.  He starts to discuss with Klaus his confusion about something that he can’t figure out.  He only learned about the approaching apocalypse by travelling to the future.  But Reginald, who can’t travel in time, clearly knew enough about it to know to kill himself a week before it happened.  Number 5′s musings are interrupted when Diego rushes in, having just escaped from jail with the key he got from Detective Beeman.  He informs them that Allison may be in danger, as he knows she went off to track down Harold/Leonard alone.  They search for Luther, locating him at a bar, still drowning his sorrows.  Diego tries to offer him some comfort, telling him that their father lied to all of them.  But Luther just wants to be miserable, stating he’s done with all if it- with Reginald, his brother and the whole family.  He states that if if the others want to save the world, they’re welcome to try, but he’s going to stay put and keep feeling sorry for himself.  Until Diego tells him that Allison headed off on her own to find Vanya, as Vanya’s boyfriend is a convicted murderer.  The knowledge that Allison was in danger pushes Luther into action, with him telling Diego he should have led with that detail.

Elsewhere, we see that Cha-Cha has managed to get free from her handcuffs.  She heads right over to Griddy’s Donuts, but finds the place is closed, with a sign from Agnes on the door informing customers that she’d decided to close the doughnut shop.  Angered, Cha-Cha breaks in to search for clues on where Agnes and Hazel were going.  In doing so, she finds a brochure for some bird sanctuary.  And then, for good measure, she blows up the building by turning on the gas burners and leaving a lit candle behind.

We then cut back to Allison and Sergeant Cheddar.  The latter is questioning Mr. Luntz, the guy who survived the incident with Vanya’s powers the night before.  Mr. Luntz reveals that it was all a setup. Turns out, Harold/Leonard had actually paid them to pick a fight with him, saying he wanted to impress his girlfriend.  But they had gotten drunk and got a bit carried away.  Allison cuts in, asking Mr. Luntz about the description of the guy who paid him, also showing him the picture of Vanya on the back of her copy of Vanya’s autobiography and asking if that was the girlfriend.  Instantly, Sergeant Cheddar realizes that Allison had lied to him and confronts her over it.  Allison apologizes for lying but explains that it was the only way she could get answers, and that she’s trying to find her sister, who might be in trouble.  While Sergeant Cheddar still isn’t happy, he seems to understand Allison’s reasons.  But before they could question Mr. Luntz further, the nurse stepped in, stating they’d have to come back later so they could run more tests on the injured man.

Returning to the cabin, Vanya announces that her concert is tomorrow, and she wants to practice her violin a bit more.  Upon hearing this, Harold/Leonard gets a bit petulant. He tries to coax Vanya to practice mastering her powers some more, as they already had a breakthrough and Vanya mastering her powers is important.  Vanya counters this by stating her music is also important.  Harold/Leonard instantly backs down, but he doesn’t seem to happy as Vanya steps out to practice her violin.  While she’s occupied, he quietly steps out.  So, when Vanya is done with her practice session and comes back inside, she finds that Harold/Leonard is gone.  Immediately, she starts to panic, searching the cabin for him frantically.  In her panic, she has a flashback to a point in her past, most likely after Reginald started to grow fearful of the magnitude of Vanya’s powers.  One evening, Reginald had brought Young Vanya down to a chamber deep beneath the mansion and placed her into a soundproof cell, telling her she needed to stay in a controlled environment.  Once she was sealed in, he left her down there for an undetermined amount of time.  To try and settle her nerves after that flashback, Vanya starts to practice her violin, simply focusing on the sound of the violin.

Meanwhile, Hazel and Agnes have arrived at the bird sanctuary.  Hazel, still mulling things over, asks Agnes what she would do if she knew she only had two days left to live.  Agnes replies she’d choose to be anywhere Hazel was.  Which is just too sweet!  I can’t with these two!  Anyway, Agnes notices that Hazel seems distracted about something and she asks him what’s going on.  Hazel tells her he can’t really explain at the moment, but there’s something he has to take care of before he can join her.  He tells her to go enjoy the bird sanctuary and that he’ll come back for her as soon as he can.  So, after sharing a kiss, Hazel drives off, with Agnes watching him go.  Of course, Hazel may have made the wrong call in leaving Agnes alone, as we see Cha-Cha is already on her way to the bird sanctuary.

Back at the hospital, Allison and Sergeant Cheddar are waiting to question Mr. Luntz some more, but the nurse comes out to inform them that he’s gone missing.  She had taken him out to for x-rays, but he disappeared.  Sergeant Cheddar states he’ll call it in, in case anyone spots him.  Allison then asks the nurse if she’d seen Vanya and the nurse confirms she had been there that morning.  Allison realizes that Vanya and Harold/Leonard had been there when she’d stopped by the cabin earlier and decides to try going back.  Sergeant Cheddar instructs her to not go anywhere, as Harold/Leonard might be dangerous, and they have a missing person to boot.  But Allison chooses to not listen to his instructions and heads off anyway.  

She arrives back at the cabin while Vanya is still playing her violin.  And Allison immediately notices the lights and rocking chairs out on the porch. are swinging from side to side, as they’re being manipulated by Vanya’s powers.  Allison quickly heads inside and finds Vanya, who is surprised to see her sister.  Allison is equally surprised when Vanya tells her of her newly discovered powers, but she pushes her amazement aside to focus on the more important task of getting Vanya to safety.  She tries to break the news to Vanya about who her boyfriend really is, telling her that Leonard Peabody doesn’t exist and that he’s really Harold Jenkins, who murdered his father when he was 13 and spent 12 years in jail as a result.  Vanya, of course, doesn’t believe her.  Allison tells her that the proof is all in the police file, which is waiting in the car, also telling her of the whole murder shrine of the mangled and defaced Umbrella Academy memorabilia they found in Harold/Leonard’s house.  She goes on to try and reassure her sister, saying that she can understand how it must be a lot for her to take in, but that she loves her and wants to be there for her sister.

Understandably, Vanya has an emotional breakdown.  She’d fallen in love with Harold/Leonard and can’t believe any of this stuff about him could be true.  Not to mention the revelation that she’s had this power all her life and never even knew it.  At that moment, Allison remembers an old childhood memory of hers.  One that never really made sense to her, but now that she’s learned of Vanya’s powers, she’s able to look at it again with fresh understanding.  It turns out that, while Vanya was being kept in that soundproof room when they were all 4-years-old, Reginald had told the other Hargreeves Siblings that Vanya was sick and had to be isolated.  But then he brought Allison down there and instructed her to tell Vanya ‘I heard a rumor you think you’re just ordinary,‘  (It was at this time that Reginald also started putting Vanya on that medication, which we now can see was meant to nullify her powers.)

So obviously, Reginald had been so fearful of Vanya’s raw abilities, he chose to simply keep them hidden from everyone rather than continue to train her to control them, and had even manipulated Young Allison to assist him in his goal.  And it kind of makes sense how nobody remembered that Vanya used to have powers when they were very young.  After all this all went down when they were 4. Not many people can have clear memories of their life that far back.  Anyway, When Vanya learns of this, she is understandably furious.  But in her anger, she ends up blaming Allison, accusing her of knowing she had powers the whole time and choosing to keep them a secret because she didn’t want Vanya outranking her.  Vanya continues her rant, declaring she plans on staying with Leonard, who was the only one who ever really loved her.  As Vanya’s rage builds, the light fixtures around the house start to go haywire and eventually explode, and Allison’s attempts to calm her down only enrage her further.  In sheer desperation, Allison elects to use her powers to calm Vanya down. But before she can complete her statement, Vanya lashes out with her bowstring, which ends up slicing through Allison’s throat.  

The moment this happens, Vanya’s rage vanishes, being replaced by horror over what she’d just done.  She dashes forward to catch Allison as she falls to the ground, clutching her heavily bleeding throat.   As Vanya cries out her apologies for hurting her sister, Harold/Leonard returns to the cabin.  He takes one look at the scene before him and seems to figure out what just happened.  So he grabs Vanya and physically drags her away, telling her that they have to get out of there, during a deaf ear to Vanya’s cries and sheer reluctance to leave Allison bleeding on the floor.  In the end, however, Harold/Leonard manages to drag her away and he drives them away from the cabin, driving right past the body of Mr. Luntz, who he must have killed to keep him from blabbing.  By the time, Luther, Diego, Klaus, Number 5 and Ghost Ben make it to the cabin, Allison has lost consciousness and appears dead.  And so the episode ends on that cliffhanger.

Final Observations/Questions:

Is Allison going to live?

What’s going to happen to Vanya?  Will she get away from Harold/Leonard?

While I do understand Vanya’s fury, it wasn’t fair of her to blame Allison for what happened.  Allison was just as much a victim as Vanya had been.  Thy were toddlers at the time.  Of course they wouldn’t question what Reginald was telling them.  And I believe Allison was telling the truth when she said she didn’t understand what happened that night until now.  And the fact that they all forgot that Vanya had powers at the age of four is also believable, since they were still very little back then.

What exactly did Reginald do to get Pogo to go along with everything he did.  It was clear from his facial expressions that he wasn’t happy with what he was doing to Vanya, but he still went along with it.  So what kind of psychological hold did Reginald have on him?

[hlupdate]

Louis Tomlinson shot to international and unprecedented fame back in 2010, as one fifth of One Direction on the X-Factor.

Fast forward ten years and Louis Tomlinson – now 27 years-old has experienced the most incredible professional highs with mind boggling achievements such as winning five Brit awards, embarking on record breaking international tours that outsold even Katy Perry and The Rolling Stones and selling over 50 million records worldwide all as part of one of the planets most successful ever boybands.

But during this time Louis has also experienced many personal lows, all whilst under the microscope of extreme public attention. In late 2016 Louis’ mother died and in March this year Louis also lost his sister. Despite these life changing moments, Louis has used the lows to empower him with him notably writing the powerful, Two of Us and returning to the X-Factor stage the day after his mother’s death to perform his collaboration with Steve Aoki, Just Hold On! Louis’ response to the darkest times of his life are nothing short of inspiring.

In our latest edition of GLAMOUR UNFILTERED, hosted by Josh Smith, Louis Tomlinson talks about how he has leaned into his vulnerability, how hard it was for him to establish his own identity away from One Direction to create his own path as a solo artist and how his relationship with the brotherhood in the band has changed…

With a new album, new songs and a tour on the way, what does Louis 2.0 represent?

I haven't really thought about it really, but I think musically what I was really happy with on this album is my first single of this, Kill My Mind. I feel like I am a little bit more mature in my songwriting, and I feel like as time goes on, the more songs that I write, I feel like I understand lyrics more and more. I'm just honest I'd say.

What do you think has been the hardest thing for you to be honest about with yourself?

To be honest, I'm lucky with where I grew up. In Doncaster we wear our heart on our sleeves really. So, it comes naturally to me really to just be open about the way that I feel. I think it's important to do that in songwriting. I just see it as honesty.

There is still so much stigma around men being vulnerable – how have you navigated around the stereotype?

I'm aware of it, but it’s not how I operate personally. I've always kind of owned it. I think my mum did a good job of bringing me up and taught me good values. When we wrote Two of Us, that was obviously a very personal song for me, and probably the most vulnerable I've been, especially on a song. But it feels good to be honest and talk about these things and encourage other people to talk about these things.

What's been the most amazing reaction to that honesty for you?

It was with Two of Us, to be honest. It was just, I've had a couple of moments where fans have come up to me and told me what that song means to them and maybe they've just had a loss in their life. I never really had that in the band to that level, my lyrics really meaning something to people. So, that's incredible.

What have you learnt about yourself through being a front man?

I feel like I've learnt to trust my gut more and just own my decisions, because when there's a lot of people around you that, there's always a lot of opinions. So, I feel like I understand myself more as an artist, I understand myself more as a songwriter. I’ve just been trusting my gut more I think as I've got older. To be honest, kind of what you see is what you get with me and I've always been that way. There's not really too much complexity to it - I'm lucky like that.

You have been through so many extreme private moments in such a public sphere. How have you coped with that?

It was definitely difficult at first, when I first got put in the band and having to deal with not having as much privacy. But I suppose as time goes on you grow to understand it and get used to it. To be honest, there have been some pretty hard times in my life, and although I wouldn't have chosen to have them played out in the public, some of the reactions and some of the stuff I got from fans was incredible too. It’s tit for tat really. It’s been difficult, but that's life anyway, it's just that on a massive scale. I suppose at the start of the band I struggled a little bit with that, but I think I'm pretty resilient and look, I'm lucky that I had the experience at that level. I'm also quite persistent. It was actually the third year that I'd auditioned for X Factor that I got put in the band and you have to have a certain amount of self-belief for that.

What advice would you want to give the you, who went through those private moments now?

I would just say, "Trust yourself and trust your gut, because those things are important, and nobody understands you better than you."

How strange was it for you to go from having that immediate support network of the other four members of One Direction almost gone over night?

It was difficult. There are still people around me that were, like my vocal coach for example, that were around, and she plays a big role in my career. So, there is still enough familiar faces to not kind of feel like alienated and on my own, but it definitely took some getting used to. One Direction was such a well-working machine, so it definitely took some getting used to. But I think, as you spend time on your own you find new people that you really got on with and develop those relationships.

How did you build your identity away from the band?

It took me a second to understand that I was on my own now, and my identity for so long was part of a collective, and obviously you still have an individual identity within that, but you're upholding this collective identity. So, I think it took me a second to kind of understand that I can be a bit of a chav again!

Did you ever feel like were having to put anything on during the band?

You see, I think sometimes people insinuate that it might be the record label and management that make you like this, but it's not. You're respectful of the fan base and their age, and we had a young fan base. Also, they've got mums who can get angry if you piss them off!

Was there a turning point in discovering who you are as a person?

I think I'm lucky that I can kind of come to those conclusions almost through my music. As I've started trusting myself more musically and my musical instincts, there is an overlap with real life there as well.

What's been the career high and low you have learnt the most from?

The high I've learnt the most from would be collectively the One Direction experience and so much that comes with that. It was an incredible experience and taught me so much along the way. In terms of the lows, it's been quite difficult at times to understand the difference between the experience that I have with the band and the experience that I have now, and how relevant that is to a solo artist. I think that's taken me a second to work out, there's some, like the way I started my career as a solo artist and I released a couple of feature songs, which I think are great songs, but looking back I feel like maybe didn't say too much about me musically and my influences All of these things I've kind of had to learn from to get here really.

Looking back over the last ten years is there anything you would change?

In reality I wouldn't. I wouldn't because I think every mistake is all part of your journey, and you do definitely learn something every time. So, in terms of my career and how I've come across publicly and all of that, no, I wouldn't change anything to be honest.

What advice would you want to give someone who has gone through the same life experiences as you?

Find the people in your life that you know you love and trust and talk it through with people. Because I might come across as confident but obviously you have moments where you build things up in your head. The longer you live with that thought you think it's big, it ends up being bigger than the reality of the situation. So, I think just as much communication as possible especially with your family.

How has your relationship with brotherhood changed in your life?

I suppose my career has helped me see the world and meet a lot of different people, and I think that gives you a certain level of understanding. As I've got older really, my responsibility has changed with my sisters and my little brother. I'm currently trying to have a conversation with my twin sisters to go to the sixth form! I try to be more mature but as a brother you have to be.

How have you leaned into your immediate brotherhood of the band at different times in your life?

I think, honestly, there's obviously times where you have better relationships with other members than you do others, but that connection, that'll be forever. Definitely. Because, we experienced so much in a relatively short space of time and it was crazy what we all saw together and experienced, so I think that is something that we'll have forever, really. Definitely. Sometimes you might not see eye to eye, but that's the way friendships go in real life!

You can listen to Louis's tracks 'Don't Let It Break You Heart' and 'We Made It' now, taken from his debut album 'Walls' out January 31st

[serenzippity]

Viva

Words: 3796 Member: Eventual Hyungwon/OC, mentions of Wonho/OC, OC/ OC Genre: Angst Warning(s): Language, domestic violence, discrimination, dark themes

Chapter One

August 15th, 2019 Starship Entertainment Seoul, South Korea

Every step that I took sent a pang of dread up and down my spine where it nestled in my brain and reminded me how much I didn’t want to be here. Maybe it was the pinch of my heels or the fact that it was 11 in the morning and I still hadn’t had my morning coffee. Maybe it was the fact that I was dreading dealing with my boss, a man of admirable skills but very old-fashioned ideals. But in the end, as I stared at the door to the meeting room I decided that it was because I didn’t want to deal with the topic at hand.

There was another damned dating scandal and the whole building was buzzing because of it.

Rolling my eyes, I did everything I could to steel myself at the knowledge I would be sitting through another round of ‘who is wrong because I’m never wrong’ with the company’s legal team. It was a chore itself just to open the door and take my spot near the head of the table. Soon the room was filled to the brim with men that all had sour looks on their faces.

Doing a quick tally, I counted practically the entire Starship Legal Team ranging from the corporate stooges to the entire Monsta X team, to even a few members of the other artist’s teams. Almost everyone was here because the scandal, despite not being public knowledge yet, was extremely high-profile. It wasn’t often that an idol decided to shack up with an international pop star.

The meeting began with honorifics and a brief on the situation at hand. The senior partner on the team, Mr. Park, spat out all the details as if they personally offended him and his family. Lee Hoseok, also known as Wonho, was currently in a long-distance relationship with singer Reagan Brooks after he met her on the Jingle Ball circuit. They were friends first and foremost, doing public events together when she came to Korea in March and somehow, they were able to keep the relationship quiet until a nosy intern came crying to the company. Shidae called for an inquiry into his contract by the legal team, thus culminating into the cesspool of old-school testosterone that was brewing in the conference room.

“After overlooking his contract,” droned Mr. Park, “It can be argued that Hoseok-goon did not formally violate his dating agreement. However, I’d like to recommend sanctions against him and a formal remand to end the relationship.” I cringed at a mix of the condescending honorific as well as the collective murmur of agreement from the other men in the room.

“This relationship is unacceptable for an idol in his standing, and it should never have begun in the first place,” cried one of the members of the WJSN legal team. If I didn’t have a sour taste in my mouth before, I did now.

‘Those poor girls,’ I thought as he continued to argue in favor of sanctions.

“All in favor?”

Every person in the room, save for me, raised a hand. This did not go unnoticed by Mr. Park, and the glare that he sent my way was intense. He did not like me in the slightest, often citing my connections as the only reason as to how I got this job. He was against me from the beginning— be it because of my last name or my sex— and there was always a tension between us.

“Mrs. Hamlin?” he seethed, eyes flitting up and down with distaste.

“Well, Mr. Park,” I said as I cleared my throat, ready to give my take on it despite the multiple pairs of angry eyes looking at me. “Despite the call for sanctions against Lee Hoseok, we legally cannot file them against him.”

“And why not?” He looked at me like I spat in his face, but after a year of his abuse, I was far from scared of his perpetually angry look.

“His contract states that he isn’t allowed to date until three years after the band’s debut date or until they have two wins, whichever comes first,” I tell him pointedly, looking down at my copy of the contract where I highlighted and marked prevalent points in it. “It has been four years since their debut and multiple wins, therefor he fulfilled that aspect of the contract.”

“We understand that—”

“Furthermore,” I said, forgetting hierarchy and not letting him finish, “Beyond the parameters of the dating restriction, his contract does not outline what will happen to him or the band should he choose to date after the prerequisites have been met. The contract simply moves on to his allowances and expenditures in the dorm. Legally,” putting a lot of emphasis on the word, “we cannot change or amend his contract to fit your moral ideals.”

The last sentence caused an uproar. It was like a bomb went off in the room as many of the lawyers cried out in anger. I understood that it wasn’t the best choice of words, but the law is the law. Despite being educated in America, Contract Law in Korea was virtually the same. Contracts cannot be amended at a whim and this was a case example of adherence over adaption.

“Mr. Park,” I hissed over the uproar, “You know that we cannot amend his contract without having a summit, drafting a new one, and forcing him and all the other members to renew their contracts prematurely. It would cost a lot of time and money to do so.”

The anger in his eyes told me that he was pissed off, but the slouch in his shoulders told me that he knew I was correct. “Enough,” he shouted over the voices of the other lawyers. They silenced instantly, but there was still a palpable tension in the room. “What do you suggest then Mrs. Hamlin.”

Clearing my throat, I flipped to the last page of my brief. I had outlined a plan of attack that would maintain the Starship ideals but keep from breaching his contract. “I suggest that we work with Ms. Brooks’ team. We keep the media out of it and work collectively to keep the whole thing quiet. They can meet on their own dimes, but the terms will be set by both managements. Everything must be quiet, discrete, and maintain a zero-tolerance for social media.”

Mr. Park leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face as he stewed over my plan of attack. I knew I was right, and he knew I was right even though he didn’t want to admit it.  “Alright,” he said with a groan, “We will work with the American team to connect with Ms. Brooks’ management. But in the meantime, you,” he said pointing to me, “will be the one to tell him and Hongsik to stay home. No unexplained trips or outings with her until this is settled.”

“But—”

“That is all. I want the Monsta X team notified today.” With that, he stood up and began to gather the papers scattered in front of him. I felt the fury within me begin to bubble, but I bit my tongue because I knew there was no getting out of what Mr. Park said. The command held the weight of a ton of bricks, and I felt the beginnings of a headache start to pound behind my eyes.

Gathering my things, I practically ran out of the room, ignoring all the nasty looks of my coworkers and team members. My heels clicked as I made my way into my office, and I could only guess that I had a sour look on my face because Seyoung was standing by my desk with a cup of coffee and a bottle of painkillers in hand.

“You’re an angel,” I groaned taking both eagerly. I popped a few and washed them down with the coffee before kicking my heels off and leaning back in my chair with an overexaggerated groan. “Can you find me an intern please?” Grabbing a notepad, I began to work on the task that was draining all my energy.

“Be right back,” he said before dutifully filing out of the room and returning a few moments later with a bright-eyed young woman.

“Take this memo to Hongsik on the fourth floor. Tell him that it is imperative that he, his staff, and the members arrive promptly.” I handed her a folder with the handwritten note. She nodded eagerly and pranced out of my office like a chipper doe. Normally I’d be amused by her enthusiasm, but the pounding behind my eyes was growing stronger and stronger.

“Rough morning so far?” Seyoung asked as he leaned against the doorway.

“You have no idea.” I slipped on a comfortable pair of flats and chugged on my coffee as I thought about a plan of attack for the meeting I was dreading. “I’m just good at my job and that means that I get the bitch work. It’s fine.”

“Well if it will help, do you want me to get you more coffee and some refreshments for the meeting I’m guessing you’re going to be hosting?”

I only gave him a pathetic pout and nod, finishing off the hot, bitter lifeblood in the cup. I tossed it and began to outline a brief for the meeting. I was meticulous when it came to the do’s and do not’s on the list that it was almost painful with the amount of effort I was putting in. Here I was, a partner under Starship, doing the work of an associate. I was thankful for my position and the opportunities I had been afforded the last year, but the blatant prejudice against me was really beginning to wear me down.

Granted, I came into the position with marks against me. I’d only been out of law school for a year before I was “offered” the partner position at Starship. It was a mix of nepotism, bribery, and threats that made me physically ill when I thought about them. However, for the last two years, I had become an expert at burying the darkest aspects of my life. It was like taking a layer of clothing off and throwing it into a bin. Shedding those parts of me became second nature. From the circumstances of my job to my marriage, everything worked against me in an effort to make me crumble. But I worked too damn hard to get to where I was.

Running my hands through my dark hair, I ticked down the minutes with busy work. Making sure everything was set for the meeting, I put my heels back on and began to pour cups of water from a pitcher that Seyoung graciously brought me. Everything was perfect for the awkward, and hopefully short, conversation that I would have to have with the group and their team.

The meeting was set to start at 3 PM sharp, but by 3:05 I was clicking my pen with nerves. By 3:15 the nerves began to die down and unadulterated annoyance began to take their place. By 3:35 I was pacing in my uncomfortable heels as I worked to calm my stewing mind. It didn’t help, rather the pacing just made me angrier.

“Seyoung!” My assistant scrambled through the door, surprised at my sharp tone. His wide eyes were fixated on my hands which were currently clenched so hard that my nails were cutting little crescent moons into my palms. “Find the schedule for Monsta X. If they are in the building I want to know where they are.”

With a nod, he dutifully returned to his desk and within seconds I had the exact location of the sources of my anger. Taking the elevator down to the third-floor practice rooms I stomped my way through the Starship building, scaring associates and interns alike with my angry eyes and gently bleeding palms.

I could hear the music coming from the biggest room the moment I stepped off the elevator. The deep vocals and house beats vibrated through the halls, beckoning me on my way as I rehearsed a scolding in my mind. By the time I reached the door the music was blaring, and I just wanted the thumping to stop. It aggravated the pounding that had returned to behind my eyes, and it only made me that much angrier.

Opening the door, I walked in to see the seven idols rehearsing their choreography with their team standing around watching them like hawks. No one even seemed to notice me come in and somehow that only added to my frustration.

“Pardon!” I yelled, my native language coming out though my reddening vision as I honed in on their manager. No one heard me, which prompted me to stomp over to the in-house sound system and pull the aux chord out of the speaker. A shrill pitch rang out, startling everyone and causing them to finally notice my appearance. The Monsta X members were in mid-position, some falling as the music cut out and they were awkwardly pulled out of their concentration. The team was scrambling to find out what cut the music, only to give me shocked looks at the anger on my face and the chord dangling from my fingers.

“Mrs. Hamlin what—” their manager, Hongsik, asked stepping forward. But I wasn’t in the mood to hear what he had to say. I quickly cut him off, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at him with rage.

“Ta gueule,” I shouted in French, quickly switching back to Korean. “You were supposed to be in my office forty-five minutes ago!”

“For what?” Hongsik looked at me with wide eyes at my harsh demeanor. He and I had met in passing multiple times and he was a pleasant man who I had always gotten along with, but right now that established acquaintanceship was out the window.

“I sent a messenger down here to tell you and your team to be in my office at 3 PM sharp.” I hissed the last word venomously, glaring at the older man fearlessly. “We have come to a decision about Hoseok’s relationship.” The blonde-haired boy in question looked down at his feet in shame at the mention of his name.

I gave the idol a once over, before looking at the rest of the Monsta X team with fury in my eyes. I dropped the chord on the floor and moved to walk out the door. “My office, now.” My voice was a dark whisper, offering no room for protest. I turned the handle to the door and slammed it, not looking back to see if anyone was following.

-x-

The meeting itself went well once the team and Hoseok finally made their way in. All of them were understanding of the terms, and surprisingly the idol was very complacent. Despite the relatively acrimonious first impression, Hoseok seemed like a nice guy who had genuine concerns for both the happiness of his fans and his girlfriend.

It only took an hour before I dismissed them, handing over my card to Hoseok just in case some of the other partners tried to change the terms of his contract again. He seemed appreciative, bowing deeply and giving me a beautiful dimpled smile that would have made any other woman swoon.

The rest of the day went on as usual, with the typical snide remarks from my colleagues and the copious amounts of busywork. I left the building at my average time with a wave to Seyoung before going outside and sliding into the car that my husband sent for me. The ride with his driver was silent, something that I had grown accustomed to after two years of marriage. It only took approximately five minutes to arrive at the lavish apartment complex, but he always insisted that I take the car rather than walk.

My feet ached painfully by the time I took the elevator to the top floor of the building and stepped out into the spacious penthouse. Every bone was screaming for release from the Louboutin pumps, and I finally gave them a respite as I walked through the threshold.

Damien was sprawled on the couch, intently starting at a news broadcast playing over his massive TV. Nothing was said, and he didn’t even acknowledge my presence as I made my way over to him and pressed a chaste kiss to his head.

“Hi baby,” I cooed against his soft dark hair, touching his cheek gently. He only grunted in response, and I took that as permission to leave him alone for the time being. I padded over into the master bedroom, quickly stripping out of my suffocating tights and pencil skirt in favor of a pair of leggings and a faded Georgetown t-shirt.

After a quick wash up, I made my way out to begin preparing dinner. Every move I made was quick and silent, the only noise in our expansive house was the droning of the TV and the sizzle of the chicken breasts in the pan. By the time dinner was ready, Damien had made himself comfortable at the dining table with his phone in hand. Like a good little wife, I plated everything and set it down in front of him with a glass of his favorite wine. Placing another kiss to his head, I got my own dinner ready and joined him at the table. The monotonous evening was something I was used to, the silence a lovely companion in comparison to the times when one or both of our tempers got the best of us.  

Damien was clicking away on his phone in between bites of food. There would be no show of thanks or any words of appreciation, but I’d more than likely find some expensive piece of jewelry or perfume sitting on my vanity by the end of the week.

The rest of the evening was silent as the grave, save for the clicking of Damien’s iPhone and my fingers hitting the keys on my laptop. We both worked after dinner for a few hours, practically ignoring each other. I didn’t show it outwardly, but every second of silence felt like a knife was being pushed deeper and deeper into my chest. At one point in time, we were so passionately and intensely in love, neck-deep in a honeymoon phase that seemed endless. We would worship each other and whisper affirmations of love until the sun came up during a time where I was so blissfully happy that I didn’t see the red flags.

I don’t know when it all changed, but somehow everything fell through my fingers like grains of sand.

Eventually, Damien and I retired into our bedroom. He was laying on the bed, phone still in hand with his body shining in the dim lamplight. I was finishing up my routine at the vanity, watching him from the corner of my eye. He was so beautiful as he relaxed at the end of the day, and I felt like I could potentially pretend we were how we used to be.

“Damien,” I cooed as I ran a brush through my hair. “Your birthday is in two days and I was planning on making reservations at—.”

“I’m leaving for London in two days. Raincheck.” He grumbled, not even giving me an opportunity to finish my thought.

I set the brush down hard, shaking my vanity but barely phasing my lounging husband. “You just got back from Singapore and now you are leaving again?” My frustration that accumulated throughout the entirety of the day came raging back in a tidal wave of emotions. I watched him through the mirror, angry at how he didn’t even look up from his phone at the obvious distress in my voice.

“Did you have another way for me to spend my day?” He was completely monotone, never looking up from the illuminated screen.

“Yes actually,” I said, my voice coming out as a broken cry. “I wanted to take you to this restaurant. Seyoung said it was wonderful and—.”

For the second time that night he interrupted me. However, this time around his attention was no longer focused on the device in his hand. Rather he was completely honed in on me, eyes alight with familiar fury. “Seyoung?” he hissed cynically, quickly switching from nonchalant to suspicious within a second’s notice.

It was one of his major flaws: he was insanely jealous. That dark part of him used to turn me on in a way that was unique to us, but after the wedding, the envy within him took a much more sinister turn. There were some things that makeup couldn’t completely cover-up.  

I regretted saying Seyoung’s name instantly. I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath, awaiting the cold touch of his hands on my body. I held in my jumping heart when I felt soft, yet firm fingers wrap around the column of my throat. They squeezed gently, forcing my head up as he hovered over me with a menacing snarl on his rugged face. “You and your assistant made plans together? Did you get cozy with him while discussing my birthday dinner?” Every word made him squeeze harder until my breathing was completely cut off.

Gasping as the sensation, I felt tears begin to gather in the corner of my eyes. The lack of oxygen mixed with pure fear had me cowering under his hands. His other hand came around and began to pop open the buttons of my sleep shirt. I began to see black spots in the corner of my eyes as the absence of air began to overtake my body. My hands tried to claw his away, but he just gave me an evil smirk at my struggle.

When he finally let go of my neck I fell forward onto my vanity, knocking products off the table in my effort to soothe my burning lungs. I didn’t have a single opportunity for respite before his hands came down to grasp my waist in a vice grip. He pulled me up roughly and pushed me forward onto the vanity. The edge of the table cut into my hips as he leaned into my body with bruising hands that groped and grabbed anywhere they could find purchase.

Damien bit the skin at the juncture of my neck, causing me to cry out in pain as the tears finally fell over my lashes. “I don’t like other men touching my things,” he whispered harshly into my neck before taking the lapels of my shirt and completely ripping it in half and bending me over the vanity.

A/N: I UPLOADED THE WRONG VERSION I’M SO SORRY! Here is the prologue of Viva! Next chapter will feature Hyungwon. Let me know what you think! Gif is not mine.

[unluckygreencat-blog]

Jewish wedding. Research.

Wedding for any religious Jew is almost the central event of life. In Jewish culture, the family is the cornerstone of Jewry, and the wedding is the biggest celebration.

The very first stage of a traditional Jewish marriage, is the Shidduch, or matchmaking. This means that the process of finding a partner is not haphazard or based on purely external aspects. Rather, a close friend or relative of the young man or woman, who knows someone that they feel may be a compatible partner, suggests that they meet. The purpose of the meeting is for the prospective bride and groom to determine if they are indeed compatible.

 But most often used is the appeal to special matchmakers. They must be subtle enough psychologists in order to correctly combine young people and create a strong married couple. Potential bride and groom initially go on dates (usually a few, about 3 or 4) in cafes and parks. It is believed that going to the cinema, for example, is a very bad idea - for these dates, young people should discuss their views on life, wishes for each other, family life and other nuances of living together. In addition, they will have a whole life to “look one way”, so at these meetings they better look at each other. Despite the fact that divorces in Jewish culture have existed since ancient times, a strong family "for all life” is still considered the best option.

Some families sign a contract, the tenaim, meaning "conditions," that delineates the obligations of each side regarding the wedding and a final date for the wedding. Others do this at the wedding reception an hour or so before the marriage. This contract is ordained by Mishnaic law (circa 170 CE) and according to some authorities dates back to Biblical times. The Ketuvah, written in Aramaic, details the husband's obligations to his wife: food, clothing, dwelling and pleasure. It also creates a lien on all his property to pay her a sum of money and support should he divorce her, or predecease her. The document is signed by the groom and witnessed by two people, and has the standing of a legally binding agreement, that in many countries is enforceable by secular law.

I think, Perhaps this prenuptial agreement is one of the oldest existing prenuptial agreements in principle in the world. It describes the husband’s responsibilities towards his wife, and provides for the separation of rights and duties and prevents divorces due to petty family quarrels - at least because the husband will have to pay a considerable amount for the divorce. The main responsibilities of the husband, by the way, are: - feed his wife - provide his wife with clothes - support a family - satisfy the wife in bed Sex in general is an important point in family life. It is especially interesting that, unlike many other cultures, the pleasure of a woman is put quite high. Most often, the wedding ritual has almost the same sequence: 1. Signing of Ketuvah 2. Concealment of the face of the bride 3. Passage of the groom to the Chuppah 4. Passage of the bride to the Chuppah and her "bypass" of the groom 7 times 5. Putting the ring on the finger 6. Public reading of Ketuvah 7.7 Blessings 8. Glass breaking 9. The privacy of the bride and groom in the room 10. Triumph and fun Hiding the bride’s face under a piece of fabric has a different explanation, but the most common of them is the groom’s awareness that the past beauty is temporary and can end, and the inner beauty will remain. Also, in some interpretations, this may be a sign of the bride belonging to the groom. A wedding is of great importance not only as a celebration of the creation of a new unit of society. It is believed that when a soul appears in heaven, before being sent to earth, God divides it into two equal halves and sends it to the earth in different bodies. And when people get married, then the two halves of the soul are united together again. This legend seems to me very beautiful and symbolic.

The Chuppah is a decorated piece of cloth held aloft as a symbolic home for the new couple. It is usually held outside, under the stars, as a sign of the blessing given by G-d to the patriarch Abraham, that his children shall be "as the stars of the heavens."

When the bride arrives at the Chuppah she circles the groom seven times with her mother and future mother-in-law, while the groom continues to pray. This symbolizes the idea of the woman being a protective, surrounding light of the household, that illuminates it with understanding and love from within and protects it from harm from the outside.

Сhuppah (literally) is the awning under which the wedding ceremony takes place. Usually it looks like a piece of cloth that rests on four poles, but now it can be almost anything. In addition, "Chuppah" is called the entire ceremony that takes place under this canopy - that is, the entire official part of the holiday.

Another interesting point is that the groom under the chuppah is escorted by the fathers of the newlyweds, and the bride by their mothers. Parents hold candles in their hands that embody joy and light.

The number "7" also has its meaning - this is perfection and completeness. After the bride walks around the groom 7 times, she becomes on his right hand, which means that from that moment she becomes his main support in life.

No less interesting point, I think, is that the bride put the ring on the index finger of her right hand.

There are many rules in a Jewish wedding - for example, the bride’s wedding dress is described in great detail, although now even in religious weddings a minimal set of rules is used. The bride’s dress should not have deep cuts on the chest and on the back, should have closed shoulders (ideally a sleeve at least to the elbows), and the skirt should cover the knees. The groom should be in a black suit, tie and always with his head covered. He is allowed to wear a yarmulke or hat at the wedding. Snacks on the table should be at least 18, since in Hebrew this number is consonant with the word "live" and ect.

The blessings begin with praising G-d for His creation in general and creation of the human being and proceed with praise for the creation of the human as a "two part creature," woman and man. The blessings express the hope that the new couple will rejoice together forever as though they are the original couple, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The blessings also include a prayer that Jerusalem will be fully rebuilt and restored with the Temple in its midst and the Jewish people within her gates.

The verse, "If I forget thee O' Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its cunning: If I do not raise thee over my own joy, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth", is sometimes recited at this point. With the breaking of the glass the band plays, and the guests usually break out into dancing and cries of "Mazaltov! Mazaltov!"

 Another obligatory point of the holiday is connected with this - after 7 blessings, the groom breaks a glass glass with his foot. This is not quite part of the marriage ceremony, but a custom that symbolizes (according to one version) that a Jew should never be 100% happy. In any case, his joy should be at least slightly overshadowed by the general tragedy of the people in memory about the expulsion of Jews from Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple about 2000 years ago. Then the groom reads a prayer, and after the celebration continues again.

After chuppah, the newlyweds retire to a room where they must stay for at least eight minutes - this is considered the beginning of family life and gives them the opportunity to talk for the first time in the past week.

The fact is that a week before the wedding, they stop communicating - they are allotted time to reflect and understand whether they want this marriage. In the room they can talk for the first time as husband and wife.

The dancing, in accordance with Jewish religious rules requires a separation between men and women for reasons of modesty, and hence there is a Mechitzah, or partition between the men and women. The main focus of the dancing is to entertain and enhance the joy of the newlyweds, hence large circles are formed around the "king and queen," and different guests often perform in front of the seated couple. It is not unusual to see jugglers, fire eaters, and acrobats at a wedding (most of whom are guests, not professionals!)

 It seems to me that Jewish weddings are very different from many other wedding rituals, which makes them look quite curious and unusual.

I think that in my project I will try to use the most vivid and exotic nuances of this holiday. For example, the "exaltation" of the newlyweds, dancing separately men and women, breaking the glass and other colorful moments.

Rabbi Mordechai Becher. The Jewish Wedding Ceremony [online]. [Accessed 23.03.2020]  Available from: https://ohr.edu/1087

Zelensky Group.  Chuppah - the Jewish Wedding Ceremony [online]. [Accessed 24.03.2020] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watchtime_continue=1403&v=qiQ11G7_ZSw&feature=emb_logo

The host is Boris Stern.Producer - Igor Schneiderman. Jewish Encyclopedia. Jewish wedding. [online]. [Accessed 24.03.2020] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgRumm1hZek

JEWISH WEDDINGS [online]. [Accessed 24.03.2020] Available from: https://www.bimbam.com/judaism-101/jewish-weddings/

[metaphorical-love-for-a-car]

Written In The Stars-- Brian May x Reader (1)

Part Two

Summary; An astrophysics student had the bright idea to form a band. He always had a passion for music and wanted to share that very same passion with others. Brian put up flyers on notice boards around campus, hoping that he could find other students to join him. After a couple of rather unsuccessful auditions, Brian found himself in a pub, during open mic night no less. That’s when he stumbled across you, a bartender who could play the piano. (Based on the movie A Star Is Born)

Warnings; specified fem! reader, slight language but that’s nothing new

Word Count; 1.4

Notes; yay! part one of my new series!! if ya wanna be on the tag list, let me know!!

Brian chewed on his lip as he lugged the massive amount of flyers across campus. Every once in a while, he would stop to hand some out to other students. He hung most of them on notice boards in different buildings. They were bright and flashy enough to draw attention to themselves. The flyers announced the forming of a new band; Smile. There was a part of him that doubted the name, but Brian tried to reassure himself “It’s a simple name, and it’ll be easier for people to remember,” he muttered under his breath, stapling the flyer to another notice board.

Brian had received a couple of calls from other students who wanted to join. Many of them, however, thought they were hotshots. They boasted about how great they could play, but when it came time to demonstrate, their lack of talent showed through. Brian would grimace with each sour note played, but he would put on an encouraging smile when the audition was over. “I’ve got a few more auditions this afternoon, but I’ll get in touch.” The student would leave, and Brian would try to erase the whole altercation from his memory.

Sure, you had considered going to university. You thought about getting a degree, but you weren’t sure what you would study. You finally decided that it just wasn’t for you. You had a perfectly fine job at a local pub. The pay was decent, and the tips were almost always amazing. It, quite literally, paid to be the only woman on staff. There were times where men would get drunk and start to harass you, but you had great coworkers who always had your back.

Wednesday nights were always your favorite. The pub hosted a weekly open mic night for anyone who wanted to participate. Local bands and singers would sign up a couple of days beforehand and then perform for everyone on Wednesday night. It was great. You got to listen to some talented people perform, or you got to laugh at the ones who bombed. Either way, it was always entertaining. 

Brian couldn’t take it anymore. He was about ready to rip his hair out and throw himself out of a nearby window. The cocky student beat the drums like a toddler hitting a ladle on his mother’s pots and pans. Finally, he lept to his feet and waved at the guy. “Okay, that’s enough! I’ve heard enough. Sorry, mate. You’re just not what we’re looking for.” The kid scoffed. 

“Your loss. Everyone says I’m great.”

“They’re lying,” Brian deadpanned, rubbing his face.

“Fuck you!” the guy shouted before storming out. Brian’s shoulders sank. God, he needed a drink.

The pub had only been open for about an hour. The only ones there were either staff, regulars, or musicians waiting for their turn to perform. As time crawled on, more and more customers trickled in. You did the same routine. Mix drinks, laugh at everyone’s shitty bar jokes, serve food, and clap for the performers no matter how terrible they were. 

You knew most of the regular customers’ faces, but open mic night brought along plenty of fresh faces. For example, the curly-headed man who had just taken a seat at the bar. You wiped off the counter in front of him then draped the small towel over your shoulder. “Hello, stranger. What can I get you?” He pursed his lips, leaning forward slightly.

“What would you recommend?” You grinned at him. He was definitely new.

“Well, we’ve got the usual- beers, liquors, and such. But we’ve also got some wine, and I can make a pretty mean margarita.” 

“I’ll take one of those, then.”

“Coming right up!” You hustled through the bar, mixing his drink. You would occasionally glance back at the stranger. He was intently watching the musicians perform. It was interesting, watching his expressions change. Sometimes he would grin and nod, while others he would grimace and turn his gaze elsewhere. He gave you a kind smile when you set the drink down in front of him. 

Your manager, Thomas, climbed onto the stage. He grabbed the mic, narrowing his eyes at a notepad in his hand. “Next up, we have- uh- Daniel MacNelly, who singing Setting the Woods on Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis, and George Cobbs, who will be performing it on the piano.” There was a small round of applause. Daniel pulled Thomas aside. He was clearly distressed.

“My pianist ditched me.”

“Okay, then just sing without the piano.”

“I’m singing Jerry Lee Lewis! I can’t do it without the piano.”

“Look, kid. I don’t know what to tell you. You either need to get your arse on stage and perform or go home. I’ve got a schedule to keep up.”

“Please, help me out here. Give me a couple minutes. Surely someone around here can play.” Thomas sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He muttered something under his breath before turning towards the bar. Thomas called your name and motioned you over. 

“Long story short, we need someone on the piano. You know any Jerry Lee Lewis?” You grimaced. 

“Only one song of his- Great Balls of Fire.” Daniel beamed.

“That’s perfect! Will you play it for me? Please?” The young man looked at you hopefully, like a puppy begging for a treat. You sighed, rolling your eyes. 

“Yeah, suppose so.” Thomas clapped your shoulder.

“You’re a good sport, (Y/N).” 

“Yeah, yeah.” You pointed at Daniel. “I expect you to buy a couple drinks and leave a pretty good tip after this,” you teased. He widened his eyes and nodded. Thomas made his way back to the mic.

“So, there’s been a bit of a changeup. Daniel MacNelly will now be performing Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis, and our very own waitress, (Y/F/N), will accompany him on the piano.” Thomas returned to the bar, and Daniel took his place behind the mic. As you made your way over to the upright piano that was sitting in the corner of the small stage, a couple of drunks shouted catcalls. You just held up a middle finger, which caused the crowd to laugh. 

Brian watched the scene curiously. His brows had knitted together. You didn’t exactly look like the type to be playing the piano, and your working as a bartender didn’t exactly help with that either. He couldn’t help but question your ability to play. Brian took a big sip of his drink, eyeing you carefully. When you started the song, a small grin quirked across your lips. The first couple of chords were simple, but as soon as Daniel finished the first part of the chorus, you launched into a series of riffs. Brian was taken aback. Your hands fluidly danced across the keys, as if it was second nature. Half the time, you weren’t even looking at your hands. You either watched Daniel or scanned through the crowd. Brian sat his drink on the counter, and his plan to get wasted was long forgotten. A large smile spread across his face as he watched you perform the piano solo. When the song ended, the crowd clapped and hollered. 

Daniel thanked you multiple times. You smiled and waved him off, saying that you had fun. When you returned to the station, the curly headed man waved you over. You smiled then pointed to his still-full glass. “Did you not like it?” His eyes widened as he let out a nervous laugh. A pink tinge spread across his cheeks.

“No, it was very good. I just... I just wanted to say that you were outstanding, from one musician to another. I’m Brian, by the way.”

“Thanks, Brian, but I don’t have time to chat about music right now.” You tilted your head towards the horde of people gathering around the bar. 

“I’ll wait for you.” Brian mentally swore, assuming that he had said that way too quickly, given the fact that your eyebrows jumped upward. “I mean, if you don’t mind, then I’ll wait till you’re not busy. You know, to talk about music.” You gave him a soft smile.

“Alright then, Brian. If you can wait that long,” you hummed before turning to address the ravenous crowd.

Tag list; @mothermercuryy