#i'm glad Jim wasn't there

[nevertrulyset]

I honestly didn't know what to expect with "Those Old Scientists" but I think it's my favorite Jonathan Frakes movie now.

[writingwithciara]

is she really yours -quinn hughes-

summary: quinn has loved y/n literally his whole life, but she's about to get married to someone else. will he have the nerve to tell her before it's too late?

word count: 3.9k

pairing: quinn hughes x reader

notes: i had an idea while listening to music, which is usually the case. i didn't like the way it ended but i honestly just wanted to finish it, plus i wrote most of the ending at 3am. i hope you enjoy it anyway.

when y/n was born, her mom made sure that ellen and jim were the first ones to meet her. she beamed with pride as she noticed the tears in her best friends eyes.

"would you like to hold her? she asked. ellen nodded and y/n's mom passed her the baby.

"welcome to the world, y/n." ellen smiled as she was handed the tiny baby. quinn, who wasn't even a year old, crawled his way over to his mother. "say hello, quinn."

the boy just babbled but when y/n reached her hand out and grasped his finger, he couldn't help but smile widely. ellen and y/n's mom exchanged a look, knowing that their children would be great friends

when luke was born, y/n had just turned 3 years old. she saw him for the first time and she was infatuated. she decided right then and there that she was going to protect him for the rest of her life.

quinn stood next to her and smiled down at his baby brother. he also decided that he would protect luke along with her. together they were going to be unstoppable.

when she was 9, y/n found herself with her first crush. she didn't know how to deal with it so she thought going to quinn for advice would help. it didn't.

when she found out the guy she liked was crushing on another girl, she experienced her first heartbreak. her immediate reaction was to run to quinn. he made sure she was safe and didn't leave her side until she was asleep. even though he was still young, he knew he loved her. and it pained him to see her so broken over a guy who wasn't even important.

at y/n's 13th birthday party, which only consisted of her family and the hughes family, y/n got a present from everybody. even jack got her something, despite labelling her as his 'rival' the year before. the only present she didn't receive during the party was one from quinn. she didn't know why it hurt her at the time, but she smiled anyway and moved onto the cake.

later that night, while sitting out by the pool in her backyard, y/n was alone & thinking about what her future was going to be like. she wasn't alone for long because quinn sat next to her and smiled.

"happy birthday, dumpling."

"yeah i suppose." she kicked the water and avoided eye contact.

"i'm sorry i didn't give you your present at the party." he handed her a small box wrapped in blue paper.

"it's alright. you didn't have to get me anything." she stared at the box in her hand.

"just open it. please?" quinn looked at her nervously as she slowly unwrapped the box.

"it's a charm bracelet." y/n picked it up and looked at the charms he picked out. "i love it, quinn. thank you." she threw her arms around his shoulders and he didn't hesitate to hug her back. y/n slipped the bracelet on her wrist and smiled.

"glad you like it." he smiled, kissed the top of her head and stood up. "happy birthday." he whispered to her before retreating back into the house to help with the cleanup.

it was decided right then that y/n loved quinn. she wasn't sure if it was platonically or something else, but she was sure there was love there.

when she finally turned 16, y/n was so happy. she had one thing on her wish list and that was to have her first kiss. the boys had each already had theirs. quinn's was last year, jack's was when he was 12 & luke's happened a month before jack's. y/n felt like she was far behind where she should be in life and that didn't sit right with her.

this was also the year that she determined that she loved quinn romantically & just as she was going to tell him, he announced to everyone that he had a girlfriend. it shattered y/n's heart and she couldn't run to him to pick up the pieces. so she turned to jack for help. he had gotten over his original 'hatred' for her when she ended up taking care of him during a particularly bad cold a few months prior to her birthday.

so when he saw the tears flowing down her face, he didn't hesitate to use the knowledge that quinn had passed on to him to make her feel better. he handed her one of his hockey hoodies and let her pick a movie to watch. as they settled into his bed for the night, jack felt a bit of anger towards his brother for announcing his relationship at y/n's party. he should've waited for another time, but instead he had to go and ruin y/n's special day.

when the movie was over, y/n looked at jack. "thank you for tonight. i thought for sure my birthday was ruined but this really helped me."

"it was my pleasure, truly." jack smiled down at her and suddenly realized he didn't get her a present this year. "oh my god. i am so sorry i didn't get you anything this year."

"it's fine. you did more than enough for me tonight." she bit her lip and began to pick at her nails. "besides, there was only one thing on my wish list this year."

"and what was that?"

"i wanted to have my first kiss at my party and i wanted it to be with quinn, but that was never going to happen. oh well. wishful thinking, right?" she chuckled nervously.

"i can do it, if you want."

"what?"

"i mean, i'm not quinn, but if your only wish was to have your first kiss, then i'd be more than happy to do it. but only if that's okay with you."

"i guess there's really no difference in who i get it from. as long as i get the kiss, right?"

"yeah. right. so, what do you say?"

"let's do it." y/n smiled and leaned in. jack's lips were way softer than she figured they would be. when they both pulled away, jack looked at her.

"so how was that?" he asked nervously, afraid he might have messed up her dream.

"i have nothing to compare it to. but it felt really good. better than i expected, actually. so, um, thank you."

"you're welcome." jack smiled and pressed play on another movie.

when y/n was 18, quinn was about to leave michigan to become a professional hockey player. y/n and quinn were at the draft and they were both nervous.

"you're going to get picked by an amazing team and you're going to have a great rookie year. i'll be cheering for you no matter where you are."

"thanks. that's actually really comforting to hear." quinn smiled as y/n squeezed his hand. they watched as other players were called onto the stage. so far, 6 people had been drafted by the nhl and quinn was starting to doubt himself. but when y/n tightened her grip on his hand, he knew he'd be okay.

"the vancouver canucks are proud to select, from the michigan wolverines, quinn hughes."

"that's you." y/n stood up with quinn as he hugged her tightly and headed to the stage to get his jersey. as she watched him up on the stage, she couldn't help but feel sad that he wouldn't be around anymore. he was going to be playing his heart out on the west coast while she was stuck on the east coast.

by the time time quinn returned to her, she was crying but she tried to hide it as he approached her.

"hey, what's wrong?"

"you're going to be so far away. who am i gonna come to when i have a problem or when i just want to talk?"

"facetime exists, you know." he chuckled.

"but you're going to be too busy."

"too busy for you? never." he reached up and wiped her tears. "i'm always going to be here." he pointed to her heart and smiled. "it's going to be okay."

"okay." she smiled weakly as he pulled her into a hug.

he was being strong for her but he was breaking inside knowing he couldn't physically be there for her. he needed her in his life and he was determined to keep her in it, no matter what it took.

their plan worked for a while. they called each other and facetimed as much as their busy schedules would allow. and it was sufficient enough to keep their friendship alive, but eventually, it came to an end.

the 'before bed' facetimes turned into rushed phone calls and the calls on their birthdays were shorter than either of them wanted. just a quick happy birthday and they were over.

but y/n understood. quinn was a professional hockey player and she was busy at school in california.

it was there that she met a guy named hunter and fell in love with him almost immediately. he was everything she had wished for and although he wasn't quinn, she was fine with that. he treated her like she deserved.

they were together for 2 years before he asked her to marry him. she said yes and they began to plan for their big day. when they were planning who to invite, y/n wrote out quinn's invitation immediately. hunter didn't question it because he knew how much it would mean to her to have him there. sure they had drifted apart because of their schedules but he was still one of her best friends.

when quinn received the invitation, he felt his heart break. he wasn't sure if he wanted to attend the wedding of the girl he loved his whole life. so he thought hard about his decision. he knew how much it would mean to her if he was there and he didn't want to ruin her big day. so he accepted the invitation and even though he could've checked box to bring a plus one, he didn't. there was nobody he wanted to attend a wedding with because none of the girls were ever going to measure up to her.

it was finally the day y/n had dreamed of. all her friends and family were going to be there and she couldn't be happier.

she was in the room getting ready with her bridal party, which consisted of jack's girlfriend, lindays & hunter's sister, destiny. her mom and ellen were also in the room.

"oh, honey. you look absolutely gorgeous." ellen sipped her drink and admired her best friends daughter.

"thanks, ellen." y/n smiled and looked in the mirror.

"how do you feel about getting married?"

"and to my brother, of all people." destiny smiled.

"hunter's great. he really is." y/n ran her hands down the front of her dress nervously.

"but?"

"but what?"

"the way you ended that sentence seemed like there was a 'but' coming."

"you guys know me so well." y/n sighed and turned to destiny. "hunter really is great. but it's just that he's-"

"he's not quinn?" she looked at her friend. "it's okay. i get it. quinn seems pretty awesome and i'm not mad that you love him more than you love my brother. but i think you should tell hunter before it's too late."

"ellen, are the boys here?" y/n ignored destiny and turned towards her best friends mom.

"i'm not sure. but i'll go check." she walked out of the room and in the hallway, she ran into quinn. "hey sweetie. so glad you could make it."

"i almost didn't come." he chuckled nervously.

"why?"

"because the girl i've been in love with my entire life is getting married. it hurts, mom." he sighed. "but i can suck it up for a night because it'll make her happy that i'm here."

"oh, sweetie. i'm so sorry. i always thought it would be you two on this day. ever since the day she came home from the hospital and grabbed onto your finger with her hand. you smiled so wide that day. i'll never forget it. i could tell you loved her, even if you were only a few months old."

"that's sweet, mom." he chuckled and pointed to the room. "is she in there?"

"yeah. let me get everyone out so you can talk to her." ellen smiled and returned to the room. she walked over to where y/n was standing and whispered in her ear. "quinn's outside and he wants to talk to you."

y/n turned to face everyone and smiled. "okay you guys. the wedding is about to start. let's get in our places."

none of the girls hesitated as they walked out of the room. quinn made sure to stay out of sight until he saw his mom. she gave him a thumbs up and he slowly approached the door. he knocked twice and waited.

"come in." y/n called from where she was standing. quinn walked in and they made eye contact through the mirror.

"wow. you look amazing." quinn smiled.

"thanks. you do too." y/n turned around and walked towards him. "i'm so glad you're here. didn't think i could do this without you."

"are you kidding? i wouldn't miss your special day for anything."

"you know, when we were younger, i had dreams of marrying you. it always went south though, like some kind of sign that it would never happen in real life. and i guess that ended up being true. because here i am, set to marry the man i currently love in about 10 minutes," she glanced up at the clock. "with the man i used to love standing right in front of me. crazy how life works, huh?"

"yeah. that is pretty crazy." quinn looked at her. "you and hunter seem really happy, from what i've seen. you must really love him."

"yeah. i do. he's the best."

"that's good to know. glad someone's taking care of you and treating you like you deserve." quinn smiled and pulled a box from his pocket. "open this after the ceremony."

"okay." she smiled. "see you out there?"

"yeah. i promise." quinn walked out slowly, regretting that he didn't take that opportunity. he walked down the hallway of the venue until he got to the foyer, where he stopped. there were 2 doors. he could either take a left and go find his seat, or he could walk out the front door and never look back.

before his mind could decide, his feet were already taking him to the front door. he got in his car and turned out of the parking lot. part of him felt bad for not sticking around after he promised y/n he would, but the other part of him knew that if he had stayed, it would've hurt him. so he was thankful for his decision.

back at the venue, y/n linked her arm through jim's as they prepared to walk down the aisle. y/n was nervous and he could tell.

"it's okay to feel this way, you know. you don't have to pretend everything is perfect."

"i know. but i'm getting married. a girl normally only gets one of these days her whole life. what if hunter isn't the one i'm supposed to be with?"

"then if the marriage doesn't work out, there's always another chance. you're still young and beautiful. shouldn't be hard to find someone."

"what if the guy i really wanted to be with was the guy who has been by my side my entire life? and i somehow screwed that up but not going with him to vancouver when he offered?"

"honey, if you don't love hunter, you need to tell him. and if you really love quinn, then you need to tell him that."

"you're right, jim. thank you." y/n sighed. "could you go and get hunter for me?

"yeah. sure." he opened the door and walked in. y/n got a brief glimpse of the seats and noticed the one she reserved for quinn was empty. did he really not stay?

"hey, honey. what's wrong? jim said you wanted to talk to me." hunter walked out and it was then that he noticed the tears on her face. "are you getting cold feet? because that's understandable."

"i don't think i can marry you, hunter." y/n took a deep breath. "i love you, i really do. it's just that..."

"you're not in love with me?" he sighed and looked at her. "is it quinn?"

"i'm sorry." y/n wiped her tears from her cheeks. "i tried to get over him. i really did. but seeing him here a few minutes ago just brought back so much memories and i regret not taking the chance when i had it." she looked up at him. "you're not mad, are you?"

"no. i'm actually glad you came to this conclusion before we got married." he chuckled. "if he really makes you happy, then i suggest you tell him. i'm sure he'd be thrilled to know you're in love with him."

"how are you so calm and understanding about this?" y/n smiled.

"because i love you and i value your happiness over anything else. and since we're being honest, i don't think we were meant to be together. of course i'm always going to love you. but you deserve to be happy. and if it's not with me, then i respect that. thank you for telling me."

"you're probably the coolest guy ever. thank you." y/n hugged him and smiled. "um, can you tell everyone that even though there wasn't a wedding, they can still take part in the reception? i'm not gonna deprive all these poor people of food and a party because i mde the decision to not get married."

"you got it." hunter smiled. "now go be happy."

y/n kissed his cheek and ran out to her car. she was thankful she didn't choose an extremely long or puffy dress, as she was able to fit in her seat. she threw the veil in the backseat and looked at her phone. quinn's location was pinging at the lake house so that's where she drove. she spent the drive trying to figure out what she was going to tell him.

when she arrived and saw his car parked in the driveway, her heart started beating faster. for the first time in her life, she was nervous to tell him the truth. she didn't have any reason to be nervous but she was.

she got out of her car and entered the house quietly. she wanted to head up to her room and change out of the dress before she went to see quinn. luckily, most of her clothes were still in the dresser. she grabbed a pair of shorts and one of quinn's old umich sweatshirts.

when she was done changing, she went down to the dock and found quinn sitting on the back of the boat. she climbed on slowly, being careful not to make the boat rock, before she settled down next to him.

"what are you doing here? shouldn't you be at your wedding?" quinn asked, sounding rather annoyed to see her.

"i couldn't go through with it."

"that was your one chance at happiness and you just blew it, y/n. why would you throw it all away?"

"my one chance? quinn, i'm 23 years old. i'm still young and beautiful. i'll have more chances."

"why did you come here?" he sighed.

"i needed to see you. felt like we had some unfinished business."

"what do you mean?"

"after we talked, i realized that marrying hunter was not what i wanted."

"and what do you want?"

"isn't it obvious? i just called off my wedding because i know that i'll never love hunter as much as i love you."

"why would you love me? i haven't been that great recently."

"i've loved you my whole damn life, quinn hughes. i didn't realize it til i was 9, but that's when my mom told me the story of my first day home from the hospital. i reached out and-"

"you grabbed my finger with your hand and didn't want to let go." quinn smiled, remembering the story his mom told him. the memory was slowly coming back to him.

"your mom was always telling me that with the way you smiled at me that day, that she knew we were destined to be together. i never believed her because it never seemed like it. but now i-"

"i love you. and i have loved you since the first moment i saw you." quinn interrupted y/n and looked over at her. "there have been so many times over the past 23 years that i've wanted to tell you, but i could never do it. i couldn't risk the friendship we've had our whole lives."

"i loved you too, quinn. and i was going to tell you on my 16th birthday but you brought nicole to the party and told everyone she was your girlfriend. it really hurt me and it sucked."

"i know. and i'm sorry i ruined your special day. it was not my intention."

"it wasn't completely ruined. i had jack." she smiled.

"wait a second. you told me that you had your first kiss on your 16th birthday. was it with jack?"

"yes. it was. but it would've been you if you hadn't shown up with your girlfriend and broke my heart."

"again, i'm really sorry about that. i really thought nicole was going to last longer than she did." quinn chuckled nervously. "what can i do to make that night up to you?"

"maybe you can give me what i really wanted that night. and maybe all will be forgiven."

"what did you really want that night?"

"well i wanted my first kiss to be with you."

"i can't be your first kiss. but i can be your last." he looked at her expectantly & moved a piece of hair from her face that had come loose.

"okay." y/n took a deep breath and leaned closer. after 23 years, her lips finally met quinn's and it was just as she had imagined it. his lips were softer than jack's and he was a way better kisser than hunter. the only time she felt fireworks in a kiss was in that exact moment.

by the time they both pulled away, y/n's face felt like it was on fire.

"what do you think? did it live up to your expectations?"

"even better than i imagined. easily the best kiss of my life."

"even better than hunter?"

"oh. by far. jack's kiss was better too, not gonna lie." she smiled and looked at him. "but yours is by far the most incredible kiss i've ever had."

"glad you think so." quinn smiled. "so, was hunter mad?"

"no. he was actually very understanding. told me to go to you & tell you how i feel."

"so, you love me?"

"yes, quinn. i think calling off my wedding for you makes it pretty obvious."

"is it too soon to ask you to be my girlfriend?"

"yeah. maybe a little too soon. let's go on a date first." she smiled and held his hand.

"can i still kiss you?"

"oh, absolutely." she smirked and pulled him in for another kiss.

she never belonged to hunter. she was always quinn's & they both knew that.

----------

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[findafight]

Wait. Wait. Kinda part 2 to this post. For the angst of it all. Cw: implied and assumed homophobia

Because sure, after that dinner Joyce relents in not being, y'know, openly confused or frustrated with Steve being around. El obviously adores him and Jim is always glad when he comes around. Joyce can put up with Steve for them. But she's a stubborn woman, and somewhere in her mind, Steve is a Bad Egg. So she's still not 100% on board.

All this rears its head one night after a lot of their world saving group has had a movie night and ended up in a puddle on the floor. Steve is squished between Robin and Eddie, snuggled up all cozy. Joyce sees this when she quietly pads out of her bedroom to just. Check on the kids.

Eddie and Steve are sat up, Robin's face pressed against his hip. They're whispering something, heads leaned close. And they lean in further, silhouetted by the moonlight filtering in, and kiss. It's pretty chaste, though not a peck.

Joyce's blood boils. Steve has a girlfriend, he should not be going around kissing his friends like that, stringing them all along. She feels strangely vindicated, that her assumptions about Steve were right, that he wasn't actually a good guy or had changed at all. She almost yells at him then and there, but holds off. No need to wake everyone up. She can lecture him in the morning.

Once everyone is fed and lounging in the late morning, she pulls Steve out onto the porch.

"I saw you kiss Eddie last night" she says, without preamble. "And I cannot believe you would think behaviour like that is acceptable in my house."

Steve blinks, clenches his jaw. "Jo--Mrs Byers. I--"

"I don't want any of your excuses! It's despicable what you're doing, and I won't have it. For whatever reason, those kids look up to you. What kind of example are you setting for them? For El?" Steve's eyes widen, and if Joyce hadn't been so caught up with her anger she probably would have seen that instead of being ashamed or embarrassed, Steve is scared. "She looks up to you so much, though I can't imagine why. You need to clean yourself up, Steve. For real this time. You can't go around doing whatever you want. It's disgusting and disrespectful. Did you even consider the people you'd hurt? How doing shit like that would affect the lives of people who care about you? They deserve better than that." She shakes her head. Arms crossed. Steve is tense in front of her, but he doesn't say anything. To her, that's as good as confession. "Everyone talks about how you've worked hard to improve yourself, become a better person. But after last night? I just don't believe it. No one who's really changed, really a good person, would do what you did." She sighs. "You should probably leave now."

Steve nods stiffly. "Right. I'll. Uh, I leave. Can you...please, don't tell anyone, ma'am. I'll Grab my bag and I'll get outta your hair, but don't tell. I'm so sorry. Please." She purses her lips. His girlfriend deserves to know, but Joyce has no clue who that is (it might be the Robin girl attached to his hip, but she has no way of knowing). She nods once. Steve's shoulders slump.

Stepping back into the house, Steve quickly and jerkily snags his backpack from the corner it was shoved into before leaning over to whisper something in Robin's ear. The girl nods, looking worried.

He doesn't look at Eddie.

For a while, her house is Steve-free. Joyce breathes easy, hoping their talk was a wake-up call for steve. He is painfully polite when they bump into each other, Robin usually by his side with a strained customer service smile. Small talk is non-existent.

But then Will starts getting quieter. Maybe avoiding her. Certainly does his best to be small and doesn't look in her eyes. She has no idea what's going on, and she's worried.

What if the Upside Down came back? What if there's something wrong with her boy? What if everything they've fought for and sacrificed didn't mean anything and it's never actually over?

She tries to talk to him, but he shrugs her off, says he's fine and not to worry about it. Assures her it is definitely not the Upside Down.

Finally, after two weeks of Will looking absolutely miserable when he talks to her, she gets Jonathan to try. Tension around the house is high, Steve is barely around and always skitters away when he sees her, and in combination with will, it's out everyone on edge.

She doesn't mean to eavesdrop. But she doesn't not mean to either. It's just that they're on the porch, and she was in the kitchen and heard something, and when she went to see, she heard them talking.

"it's not--i want to tell you but it's not my secret to tell."

Jonathan sighs. "Will. I can't help if I don't know what's wrong. Please. Talk to me. I'll love you no matter what, you know that."

Will heaves a breath. "I had a talk with Steve --" and oh, the rage in Joyce's chest when she hears that. What did he say to her boy?? "And...uhg. fuck. Okay, you have to swear, swear! You're not going to tell anyone what I'm going to tell you. If you figure it out, because I don't. It's not mine to tell."

"okay. I swear. I won't go spilling Steve's secrets."

"you have to mean it, Jonathan. It's dangerous!"

There's ruffling fabric. Jonathan's voice is softer. "I promise."

"Steve said he was telling me because he thought we might be...similar. In some ways. And he talked about who he's dating. And that Hopper and El and Robin and Eddie know. And that they're all safe. Y'know? Like you are."

"okay..."

"and I said you were, and he said that was really good, and then emphasized that if I ever wanted like, and actual grown up to talk to, not just another teenager, Hopper was safe. But. The way he said it made it seem like...I don't know, but something was off? And I asked him." There's a pause. "I asked him if Mom knew. And he said yes. But he hadn't... Before that, he hadn't said she was safe. Jonathan..."

Something...wasn't adding up. Joyce was trying to puzzle what she wouldn't be safe to talk to about. She'd been in the tunnels and Upside Down and through it all. Her children, and by extension the children that had helped save them, were always safe in her house. To come to her if they felt unsafe. Why Steve would tell her own son she wasn't --

Will continued. "Steve said that it'd probably be different because I'm her kid, y'know? She--she did all this stuff to get me back and to keep me safe and loves me. So she could. So she'd maybe change her mind. For me."

"Will..." Jonathan's voice sounds pained.

"but what if she's not? What if that's where it ends? Shell save me from a demogorgon but not love me for this. Steve's saved my friends half a dozen times, Jonathan! He got--he got tortured" that is not something Joyce knew. When the hell did that happen? "with Robin to protect Dustin and Erica, Billy beat him half to death when he stepped in to protect Lucas and Max! He's good! I'm not as close to him as the others but he still told me. He trusted me enough with a secret that I can't even say outloud about myself yet! And Mom still-" will hiccups, and Joyce wishes she knew what he was talking about. Wishes he was saying these things to her, so she could comfort him.

Heaving a breath, Will is quieter. "Steve's the reason no one's died. He's El's first brother. And she still called him disgusting for-- for kissing someone he loves."

Ice fills Joyce's veins, a heavy pit balls in her stomach. Because that's not--she didn't--it wasn't like that.

But Steve had begged her not to tell anyone. Had stood still and not tried to justify anything and called her ma'am when he asked her not to tell. Held himself still when she was around and bolted at the first possible opportunity, leaving disappointed people in his wake. Oh, shit. Oh, she's fucked up so badly. Hurt some kid because she was suspicious of him from over three years ago and assumed the worst. Instead of realizing that maybe the reason he and his girlfriend were keeping it quiet was because he didn't have a girlfriend at all, and that the boy he kissed that night was his boyfriend, she had just assumed he was cheating. And then she'd told him he was disappointing and disgusting and a bad influence on the kids. Even after, he still made sure Will knew there were safe people around, that he'd have someone to talk to. And all she'd done was make him scared of her.

"oh, buddy."

Will's voice is muffled, and Jonathan has probably pulled him into a hug. It cracks when he speaks. "how can she say that about Steve but still love me? When so much of this shit's been my fault?"

"none of this is your fault. Don't believe that, will. No one blames you or El for any of it. You know that, right?"

"okay..."

"it's true. And as for mom...I don't know." Jonathan huffs "I'm not sure. I'm sorry, buddy."

Joyce turns then, feeling sick. She shouldn't have eavesdropped on her children, but now she had she was going to make things right. Hopefully.

Ensure everyone, including Steve, knew she was safe.

Part 3

[lee-laurent]

Honeymoon Phase - Matthew Tkachuk

Summary: A month later, Matt and Freya return to the Hughes' Lake House; and their families finally get to see how in love they really are.

Content: FLUFF like toothrottingly, adorable fluff. mentions of sex but no actual smut, teasing, mentions of past angst

wc: 1.5k

notes: this is part 2 to under the radar! influenced by one of my favourite moots ever @toasttt11 !! go show toasty some love!! this was so fun to write! enjoy :)

"Are Matt and Freya up?" Ellen asked, flipping a pancake.

"Matt sleeps in," Brady commented, snatching a blueberry from the bowl on the table.

"Freya's never been an early bird either," Jim laughed.

"I'm not waking them up. I don't want to accidentally get a glimpse of Matt's dick," Jack smirked, making Luke snicker.

"Jack!" Ellen gasped.

"Just telling it how it is, Mom."

"Doesn't mean we have to say it aloud, Jack," she scolded, placing a large plate of pancakes on the table.

"I'm sure they'll be down soon," Chantal joined the conversation, "If not... they can fend for themselves."

Matt groaned, rolling onto his back and pulling Freya's body on top of his. His wife was a deep sleeper, so him adjusting cuddling positions didn't wake her. He had one arm holding her by her waist, the other under his head.

"Frey?" he mumbled.

"Mmm."

"You ready to get up?"

"Mmm."

"K," he replied, slowly opening his eyes. He smiled at the sight in front of him. Freya half-dressed, her face buried in his shoulder. Her chest pressed against his, one hand gripping his bicep, the other flung out to the side. He reached out, tapping his phone to check the time.

10:15

God, he was gonna get shit from Brady when they got down there, especially if anyone had heard them during the... late night the couple had shared the night before. Matt decided to give Freya fifteen more minutes, before he was pulling her up with him. She held onto him like a koala, her face in the crook of his neck.

"Freya. Baby, we're gonna miss breakfast."

"Tired."

"I know, love. We can go to bed early."

"I want to sleep," she slurred.

He placed her on the floor, the cold hardwood making her jump.

"I'm up! I'm up! Jesus, Matt! Trying to give me hypothermia!"

"The floor isn't going to give you hypothermia, babe. Get dressed; breakfast time!" he clapped.

She sighed, digging through her drawers to find an outfit. Matt went to the corner, doing the same in his suitcase.

"Not sure how I'm supposed to stay family friendly when you're walking around like that all week," he smirked, gripping her hips and pulling her into him.

"Perv," she giggled, leaning her head back on his shoulder.

"Can't help it when my wife looks like a supermodel."

"You flatter me, Matty."

"Maybe I could enjoy some breakfast in bed before we head down."

"What do you mean? Breakfast is- oh! Matt!"

"Glad you caught on, babe."

"I'm going to eat," she rolled her eyes, leaving him to pout in their room.

"Look who decided to join us!" Jim teased, watching his youngest enter the dining room.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it, Dad," she smiled, pressing a kiss to her dad's cheek.

Matt followed behind her, looking like a lost puppy. He stood behind the barstool she'd sat on, wrapping his arms around her waist. Their families watched as he whispered something in her ear that made her giggle.

"Ew," Luke mumbled, grabbing even more pancakes.

"Any plans for the day?" Chantal asked, pulling the attention off the couple.

"I'm gonna take Matt out on the boat," Freya grinned excitedly, placing a hand on his.

"Like Hell you are," Quinn scoffed.

"What? I have my boating license."

"And? I don't need the boat being christened."

"Quinn!" Ellen rolled her eyes.

"Wasn't the plan, Quintin. But now that you mention it..." she narrowed her eyes at him, smirking.

"You wouldn't dare!" Jack gasped.

"Of course not. You fucking idiots," she sighed, shushing Matt who was laughing into her shoulder.

"Well, you two have fun."

"Thanks, Mom. We'll see you guys for lunch!"

The two families were gathered in the backyard, playing a very intense game of volleyball. Freya had decided to sit out to make the teams even. She was lounging in a deck chair, cheering on her family... but also her husband on the opposite team.

"Good job, babe!" she cheered.

"Who's side are you on here, Frey?" Luke laughed.

"Yours. But my husband is on the other team, so..."

"I'll never get used to that word," Quinn shook his head.

"What? Husband?"

"Yeah. He was never even your boyfriend to us."

"But we can all see how happy they are, Quinn," Ellen scolded, getting ready to serve the ball. Matt turned, shooting a wink at Freya.

"I'm cheering exclusively for Matt now," Freya stuck her tongue out at her older brother.

"You better not be doing that when we play the Panthers," Jack complained.

"She's been doing that," Matt teased.

"You trying to get your ass whooped, Tkachuk?"

"I'd like to see you try."

"I'll do it for you," Freya offered to her brothers, "He wasn't supposed to tell you guys that."

Matt marched over to her, flinging her over his shoulder. She laughed, pounding her fists on his back.

"Who's whooping who's ass?"

"I'm winning," she giggled.

"Are you now?" he smiled, shifting her so he was holding her by her waist. She scrunched up her nose as he pressed a kiss to it, placing her down on the ground. She threw a fake punch at his face, Matt pretending to stumble backwards.

"KO!" Luke shouted.

"And the winner is... HUGHES!"

"Why do we always have to watch his shitty movie?" Freya complained, picking at the loose threads on the blanket covering the couple.

"Because it's not shitty, it's a masterpiece," Jack retorted.

"It was 8% on Rotten Tomatoes."

"And?"

"That means it's shit."

"Babe, just watch the movie," Matt groaned, placing his hand on her upper thigh.

"Whatever."

"That's what I thought," Jack sassed, pressing play on the movie.

"You're right, Frey. This is terrible," Matt whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"That's what I was trying to warn you of, but nooooo, you just can't listen to your wife."

"I-"

"Will you two shut up! I'm trying to watch the movie," Luke snapped.

"Sorry."

Freya leaned into Matt's touch. She was loving being able to be close in front of their families. He trailed his hand a little higher up her thigh, earning some side eye. He ignored the warning, resting his hand right on the edge of her pajama shorts. She shook her head slightly, lacing their fingers together under the blanket.

"I love you," he mouthed.

She just leaned up and kissed the side of his mouth in response. He smiled, leaning in for a proper kiss that she gladly gave him. He kissed the tip of her nose, turning back to the movie. Little did they know that Quinn was watching the whole interaction and he could barely fathom how in love his little sister really was.

"Can you stop?"

"Why?" Matt smirked, running his hand up the front of her shirt.

"Your hands are cold."

"And?"

"And... it's annoying. You're annoying."

"You don't mean that. You loveeee me."

"Meh," she shrugged.

Freya was sitting on the kitchen counter, Matt standing between her legs. It was late and everyone else had gone to bed.

"You don't mean that."

"Meh."

"I can leave," he jokingly offered.

"Nooooo," she pouted, pulling him back by his shirt.

"That's what I thought," he put his hands on her waist under her shirt, squeezing. She wriggled, gasping from the cold contact on her skin.

"Do you think my brothers still hate you?"

"Nah."

"How do you know?"

"Quinn asked me earlier if I wanted to help him grill. And then later Jack came in our room and threw a box of condoms at me. So, I think we're in the clear."

"Jack is such a menace."

"Said he wasn't ready to be an uncle."

"Hmm," Freya tapped her finger against her lips.

"Shut up," Matt laughed, kissing her neck. "No babies yet. We agreed."

"I know! I'm joking!! I have to finish school first. Then we can discuss."

"Whatever you want."

"I love you, Matthew."

"And I love you, Freya. You ready for bed?"

"Yep! Let's go!"

Matt started to walk off, quickly noticing that Freya had made no move to get up, "What are you doing?"

"Carry me?"

He rolled his eyes, "Let's go."

"Yay!" she wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist.

"My own personal koala."

"Duh."

"So..." Luke started, "We can all agree that Matt and Freya are perfect together?"

The two families looked around, all nodding. Freya and Matt were sleeping in... again. And the rest of their family members took it as their time to have a meeting.

"They're so cute," Chantal cooed, "Matt loves her to bits."

"I agree," Ellen smiled, "I've never seen Freya this happy."

"I'm still pissed I wasn't invited to the wedding," Brady smirked.

"Shut up. None of us were."

"I can't wait to have grandkids!" Chantal added excitedly.

"Ew," Jack muttered.

"Grandkids? Who's pregnant?" Freya asked sleepily, wiping the crusty bits from her eyes.

"You!"

"Me? I'm very much not pregnant," she laughed.

"Soon enough," Matthew teased, holding onto her hand.

"WHAT?!"

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

One of the things about Stede that absolutely kills me is that I don't think we ever see him defend himself.

Stede has such a negative view of himself, and it's clearly gotten to the point where he thinks everyone else is justified in assuming the worst, too. He acts so confident that it's almost something you can miss, so I can't even blame Ed for not noticing just how bad Stede's self-image is.

Stede never tries to explain his behavior. He just nods along when other people tell him how they interpreted his actions.

S1E3: Stede, about to be hanged, says "I deserve that" when Jim calls him "the worst pirate captain in history." Now, yes, he's been just the worst pirate ever up until this point, but he's literally about to die and he doesn't even try to get sympathy or reassurance.

S1E9 - Stede never even bothers trying to explain that Nigel's death was an accident, he says he stole Nigel's sword and jammed it through his head. Part is obviously to make sure he takes the blame instead of Ed, who already confessed, but he could have given the true account of events.

S1E10 - Stede seems bummed but definitely not surprised to see Mary and the kids are doing so well without him. Never explains himself or tells Mary that he'd been feeling so trapped and terrible. When Mary tried to skewer him, his biggest cricitism was about how maybe she should have tried smothering him or using a pillow instead.

S2E1-E3 - Stede can only assume Ed's behavior at the beginning of the season is his fault alone, but he never, ever tries to pass blame. He never even thinks about blaming Ed or any crew members' actions. As far as he's concerned, the responsibility is his alone.

S2E4 - I think it's very natural that Stede's explanation to Ed wouldn't include the fact that Chauncy dragged him out of bed and shot himself in front of him. It might make Ed feel better to know Stede wasn't just panicking about their relationship moving too fast, he'd also just been through a very traumatic event, but Stede doesn't think of it like that. As far as he's concerned, he has no excuses and Ed is right to blame him entirely.

Always, every time, Stede assumes everyone is always working with the understanding that Stede fucked up big time and he deserves complete blame for everything that happens as a result. He never tries to contextualize his actions. He assumes the worst of himself and thinks everyone else is right to do so too.

I'm glad Ed's started to pick up on how much Stede is desperate for approval. I hope he realizes how much Stede needs reassurance and how much good saying "you're not the worst person alive and you're not irredeemable" will do for him.

[dreammeiser]

Is it okay to ask what where the inspiration for the characters of Dream along?

Of course! I'm always dying to talk about their creation and inspiration but worry about getting too wordy/annoying about it, so I hardly talk about it unless asked (please ask me about my brainrot heeheehee). I can only fit so much on an Instagram Story or a Tweet, so I'm glad you asked here. I guess this will be the master reference for them. Sorry in advance that this is wordy!!

I made these characters spanning the past 14-15 years, with their story only being worked on about 10+ years ago, give or take. I will mention that they were made with Earl as a starting point while I was working at the cool puppet place; the show I was interning on wasn't scratching the creative itch I had, so it was recommended to me to make the project that I wish I was working on. :oD

The Muppets, Sesame Street, Osamu Tezuka's works, and Moomin were some animated/puppet media off the top of my head that always stuck with me my whole life and have influenced my retro inspired work the most. They all had such sweetness and charm to them, and all felt like a found family :o) My favorite trope. Puppets were also just deeply meaningful to me because they were physical forms of creativity and childlike wonder you could hold and play with! I thought whenever you made one, you put a little bit of your heart and soul into them.

I wanted the Dreamalong Gang to have the charm of Jim Henson's and Tove Jansson's characters, but I wanted them to have the humor and intrigue of Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall, Don't Hug Me I'm Scared, and Welcome to Night Vale. DHMIS and Night Vale actually inspired the story the most because they were both a really nice mix of absurdist humor and horror! Sleep Paralysis Demons were a point of intrigue for me that I thought were perfect for a Dreamscape setting, so I started working on including those.

The Dreamalong Gang has little bits and pieces of friends that I had loved, but I leaned into the group dynamics more for them. They're composed of friends I wished I had growing up!

Visually, I'd think of a fun/dream adjacent theme for the characters to tie them all together thematically. I know people tend to bark at me when they see what I'm inspired by but, I don't like to copy directly from my inspiration sources. They're just there to inspire you, ya know?

Archie's theme was Wishing Stars and Bedtime Stories; Hunson Abadeer from Adventure Time used to be on here, but I moved away from anything that might've made Archie spooky. I forgot to include Peter Pan and his Shadow on here, but they inspired him as well!

When it came to palettes, sometimes I'd have something in mind for them already like with Roy G Biv, Archie, and Mae-- Roy has his kidcore rainbow/SMPTE bars, Archie had some of my favorite blues and creams with a pastel minimal rainbow, Mae's were based off the colors of a golden hour rainstorm I had seen on my travels. Other times I had to play around with what color I hadn't used much of yet. I wonder if you can tell which colors are my least favorite and which ones I like a lot hahaha :'o)

I would also think about stories and songs that went with the characters thematically and use those to shape their character a little further, like looking to The Impossible Dream from the 1972 Man of la Mancha and Moon River for Archie, as well as old Ole Lukoje fairytales. He used to draw inspiration from Hijo de la Luna, but I wanted his story to be more upbeat on surface level with hidden tones of sadness instead of dramatic.

I don't want this to get tooooo long, so I'm going to put a pin in it there. If people want to know more in depth inspiration sources for specific characters feel free to ask! I like being open about my inspiration sources and my process since so many other artists gatekeep stuff. I hope this was a nice read!! :o)

[spaceorphan18]

The Rogue and Gambit Project: Previously On X-Men... Gambit

It's time to talk about Gambit! The nice thing about Gambit is that he was, at the time, a relatively new character, having only been around in the comics for about a year. Which means there is way less to cover! Boy, are we going to have to deal with some questionable art, though.

The Basics:

Name: Remy Etienne* LeBeau

*Okay, so, this is the funny thing about the name Etienne. Apparently, it started out as fanlore, and - as so many things that happen in fandom - gained popularity as fanon from a particularly well known piece of fanfiction from way back when. I believe it's actually been used in canon at this point. It is on Marvel.com - which is the official site. I'll keep a look out for it to show up.

Also, in case you didn't know (and I'm sure you did), Le Beau is French for The Beautiful.

Backstory: Just like Rogue, Gambit's backstory is shrouded in mystery. He's a thief. He's from New Orleans. He's Cajun. That's all your getting for now. Don't worry, we'll peel back the layers. ;)

Power Set (via uncannyxmen.net):  interkinetic power allows him to produce bio-kinetic energy within his body and use it to convert any inorganic object's potential energy into kinetic energy on contact, making the object highly volatile and explosive on contact, internal energy also grants him heightened agility and creates static interference that shields his mind from detection

I should also give the obligatory comment of - these powers are toned down from his full abilities because of /reasons/ which we'll get to eventually. He had Mr. Sinister give him a lobotomy and, we've all been suffering the consequences sense.

Alright, let's dig into Gambit's pre-Rogue run...

Uncanny X-Men 266-267

Uncanny X-Men #266

I have to start by appreciating the fact that Gambit is a thief who wears bright pink and metal boots. It's a bold look.

Anyway, the funny thing about Gambit is that the character he turned out to be ended up being a lot different from creator Chris Claremont's initial ideas. Apparently, he was supposed to be, ultimately, a villain and, while he was supposed to be a love interest for one of our characters, it wasn't Rogue, it was... Kitty Pryde. He was also supposed to be a Mr. Sinister creation and a third summers brother. Yeah, I'm kind of glad Claremont left before any of this stuff really came to fruition.

Also, I once read that Claremont claim that original artist Mike Collins made Gambit too pretty. Which is funny, because ngl, I really am not a fan of the look in his debut, and it will be a while before he really earns his name.

Uncanny X-Men #266

I also want to note that Gambit's powers were a little different back then. He didn't have playing cards yet, and instead used metal spikes as throwing devices. The powers were designated in green. And were charged from his eyes. Also, interesting to note - his eyes aren't red on black yet, either.

There's also 'hypnotic charm' thing that was kinda used in the early appearances. He does use it in his first appearance to tame some of the Shadow King's Hounds.

Uncanny X-Men #266

He's gonna be calling her 'Stormy' for years. She's gonna love it. ;) (Btw - he calls her Stormy 4 times in this issue alone.)

Okay, so... Gambit shows up, crossing paths with Storm at a mansion of some rich person. Storm is de-aged (for... reasons) and is running from the Shadow King and his minions. He's busy stealing art from the rich dude (who apparently is not home and has no security, lol).

And thus, one of my favorite comic book friendships is born. And really, this first appearance is a lot of fun as Gambit and Storm play off each other's strengths to get away from the Shadow King.

Uncanny X-Men 267

Jim Lee is going to add some of Gambit's more iconic features -- such as throwing playing cards (Gambit's Ace of Spades shows up in this next issue) and using some kind of staff (hilariously, it's a broom in this issue).

Storm and Gambit's adventures continue. He takes her to New Orleans for a while so she can recover from the Shadow King. They go thieving -- playing Robin Hood -- stealing from rich people because they can. And then the Orphan Maker comes along, who makes Storm a teenager? (Idk - the whole thing is weird - she'll become her real age again in the next story arc.)

Uncanny X-Men #267

And then Storm is like, hey, I have a crazy idea....

Uncanny X-Men Annual #14

Fun fact: Because of release dates and such, Uncanny X-Men #266 wasn't the first comic released to have Gambit in it. The Annual technically came out first, though it clearly takes place after Uncanny 266-267. But this is the first time we see Gambit among the X-Men team. Not that he does anything remotely interesting during this whole thing. He doesn't even speak, kind of hides awkwardly in the background.

X-Tinction Agenda (Uncanny X-Men #270-272; X-Factor & New Mutants)

Uncanny X-Men #270

Welcome to the X-Men, Gambit! Hope you survive the experience!

He's in the credit roll now, must be official. ;)

Gambit joins the team just as the mega X-tinction Agenda crossover starts. (Uncanny X-Men joins New Mutants and X-Factor for this one) And, I'll be honest, this isn't one of my favorite crossovers. The whole thing revolves around the nation of Genosha, how they're using mutants for slaves, and how all the teams come together to change the status quo. And of course, mutants get capture and tortured and a few killed. Fwiw X-Men: The Animated Series did do this storyline.

Uncanny X-Men #270

Gambit and Cable don't (won't) get to cross paths very often, so I found this an interesting panel. Anyway... Gambit really has very little to do during this crossover. When Storm gets captured, he is really concerned for her (as he considers her his partner at the moment) but he's not really vibe-ing the whole team dynamic yet.

Uncanny X-Men #272

This is arguably the coolest thing Gambit's done as of yet. Dude pulls a spike out of his leg to use as a lockpick and gets himself rescued. I'm glad they give him this, because, again, for the most part he's just kinda hanging around in the background not doing much.

I will say - he and Jubilee get to cross paths, which is going to be a source of fun in the next arc.

Space Shenanigans (Uncanny X-Men 273-277)

Uncanny X-Men 273

Some of my favorite issues are when the team is regrouping. Post- X-Tinction Agenda, it's clear that things in the X-Office were changing. Claremont is at this point sort of being pushed out, while Jim Lee and Co are becoming more the driving force behind the books. On panel, the teams are kind of merging. X-Factor's first era is drawing to a close, and the X-Men are resolidifying after being in flux for so long.

We're about to get a Space Soap Opera, as Claremont so dearly loves, but this issue is a bit of a breather between the arcs. And we get this bit of tension between Storm and Gambit - where Gambit is ready to move on, but Storm is back on solid footing again. They don't explicitly state why Gambit sticks around, but he definitely does...

Uncanny X-Men 273

I swear, this is Chris Claremont's favorite joke. He's used it before this moment, and he'll do it again. It's impactful the first time, but it does get old the more Claremont does it. However, we get the first highlight of the dynamic between Gambit and Wolverine -- which will be antagonistic for a while, but is fascinating.

Uncanny X-Men #274

Doesn't Gambit look sexy in his yellow team uniform?? ;)

Btw - as I mentioned earlier, this is the first issue Gambit and Rogue appear in together. Though they be miles and miles and miles apart.

Uncanny X-Men #275

The whole crux of this arc, that I've been kind of ignoring, involves Xavier being brainwashed in space (or something) and of course the X-Men get involved in space politics (again). Honestly, space stories are Claremont's favorite trope, so it doesn't surprise me that the end of his run are filled with a couple of them.

Anyway -- if there's one person impervious to Gambit's charms - it's Jubilee. They get to hang out a lot during this arc, and it's really delightful since they team up to kind of figure out what is going on with Xavier acting weird and all the odd space kool-aide people are drinking.

Uncanny X-Men #277

I actually really like this cover. Gambit's got a sword and a spear! Plus, he looks like his 90s cool self now. The blue and yellow uniform doesn't suit him AT. ALL. But we don't have to deal with it too much longer...

Uncanny X-Men #277

See... I told you Claremont was gonna do this again, lol.

Uncanny X-Men #277

The nice thing about this whole space arc is that Gambit really gets to come into his own. He now looks cool (note the red eyes are here!). He's doing fun stuff. He's taking on Wolverine and holding his own. He's being smart and tactical and an asset. They've paired him with some great X-Men to start off with, and it's paying off.

Meanwhile, we don't really know much about him. As many of the other characters state, his background is shrouded in mystery... (whether you like what it actually is can be debated as we get to it). But for now, he's intriguing as a new comer.

And this is where we're at as two story lines come crashing together and our two romantic leads get to meet for the first time.... off panel.

But I'll get more into that next time when I discuss... The Muir Island Saga!

[elliespassagerprincess]

ultraviolence by Lana del Rey with toxic/mean/abusive!ellie who hurts reader x painslut reader who kinda loves it

Ultraviolence - (ellie williams x reader)

hi anon! I'm sorry this took so long, its been a while since I've written something like this, so it took me a while to get into that mindset. I hope you enjoy<3

This story is based off the song, Ultraviolence by the queen Lana Del Ray, if you can please listen to the song as you're reading:)

Pairing: ellie x fem!reader

requests are always open, feel free to leave one:)

Warnings: toxic relationships, manipulation, cheating, reader is toxic

Summary: In which she became the person, you've always wanted

Authors note: wheeeew its been a while since I've written a fic that wasn't hcs, but I'm glad to be back!

He used to call me DN

That stood for deadly nightshade

'Cause I was filled with poison

But blessed with beauty and rage

Jim told me that

He hit me and it felt like a kiss

Jim brought me back

Reminded me of when we were kids

there was always something about Ellie.

You weren't sure if it was her dorky personality, or how she would apologize to table if she accidentally walked into it.

There was something about this girl.

And ever since you were a little girl, you knew you knw she was special. You felt like she was holding back. There was another side, you wanted to see.

You were both 7. You remembered watching Ellie, better known as four eyes because she wore massive glasses, sit alone once again. You remembered walking up to her, and asking her to play tag with you.

You still remembered the smile that spread across her face, because finally someone wanted to play with her. And since then Ellie has just always been there.

The two of you became friends. You aren't sure how, but she was always there.

You were Ellie's everything, because you were there for her during her loneliest years.

You knew how much you meant to her. You knew how much she loved you, and you took advantage of that.

Ellie's innocence and purity was something that intrigued you. You truly thought she was odd. No matter how old the two of you were, you always saw her as four eyes.

Nothing more than that. There was no romantic feelings from your side.

Ellie was everything you weren't.

She was sweet, kind, loveable.

But you were sick. A sick twisted individual who took advantage, of someone like Ellie.

But who could blame you?

Ellie was attractive, strong, financially stable, and well you were someone who saw the opportunity.

So it was actually Ellies fault.

She should've not trusted you so easily. She should've not let you in. Ellie brought this upon herself.

With his ultraviolence

Ultraviolence

Ultraviolence

Ultraviolence

I can hear sirens, sirens

He hit me and it felt like a kiss

I can hear violins, violins

Give me all of that ultraviolence

you didn't know when it all started.

You weren't sure when you developed this "kink".

Was this a disease? Or were you just fucking weird?

In 11th grade you remember your teaching yelling at you for failing a another test. You were called "pathetic", a "failure".

Most people would cry due to humiliation, but you couldn't help but feel your thighs clench together.

You thought you were weird. This was fucking sick honestly.

You went out of your way to make people mad, so that they would yell at you. To degrade you to an extent.

god you loved it.

Ellie had asked you to be her girlfriend when the two of you were 18. You took pity on her.

She was so soft. So naïve.

Ellie had no place being with someone like you. Someone who craves to be hurt. You were a painslut and Ellie, poor Ellie wasn't. She wouldn't be able to do that to you.

You were trapped in a relationship, where it was healthy. It felt safe. You enjoyed it sometimes, but there was one thing your heart craved. And maybe the thing Ellie was holding back was it.

You wanted to leave Ellie, until that one night.

The two of you were at a party, and Ellie was drunk out of her mind. You don't even know what she saw, or who said what but she was really fucking mad.

"You're fucking cheating on me bitch" Ellie slurred as she pointed her finger at you. You licked your lips at the insult, at the aggression, she spoke.

Focus.

"Ellie you're drunk, i didn't do anything"

"give me your phone"

"Ellie-"

"I'm not asking again" she yelled.

Fuck yes. This is what you want.

You handed her the phone, and you watched as she searched and she found nothing. She threw your phone across the room, you flinched slightly.

god she's so hot.

Ellie got up and grabbed your arm, bringing you close to her face, you smelt the alcohol in her breath.

She looked at you with dark eyes, before uttering "Don't ever think of cheating on me" she let go of your arm.

She grabbed you and it felt like a kiss.

When Ellie woke up the next morning, she couldn't remember a thing.

She was back to being herself. You wanted her back. You needed her again.

You realized, she was drunk. You couldn't keep her under the influence forever, just because you liked that version of her.

After that night you knew she was hiding a part of herself from you.

Drunk words are sober thoughts they say.

So maybe deep down she was actually toxic. Maybe she was the person you craved.

All you had to do was to figure out, how to get through to her.

He used to call me poison

Like I was poison ivy

I could've died right then

'Cause he was right beside me

Jim raised me up

He hurt me but it felt like true love

Jim taught me that

Loving him was never enough

you were like poison.

Destroying anything in your path. Infecting those with your poison.

After that night you realized Ellie's biggest insecurity was that you would leave her. And you used it to your advantage.

Of course you had to, how else would've you got what you wanted?

You would flirt with other people in front of her. You would talk to other girls, send them pictures. You did whatever it took. You were practically cheating on her.

You knew she would never leave you.

And you watched as Ellie slowly disintegrate into madness.

There was no more happy, go lucky Ellie. There was no more smiles. No more care free days.

Ellie lived in fear. You were out of her league. She knew she was going to lose you.

If you were by her side and Ellie could die peacefully. You taught her how to love and how to be a better person.

If you left what would become of her?

Everything went down hill. Ellie started taking your phone. She became more aggressive with her words.

The lovely girl you once knew was gone. You killed the old her. And the person she was becoming was someone you've always dreamed of.

You had a curfew, and when you came home late it would end in her insulting you.

"Who else are you fucking huh? You're practically showing the world your whole body"

you lived a life of fights, make up sex, and jealousy.

You loved every fucking second of it.

She was hurting you and it felt like true love.

I love you the first time

I love you the last time

Yo soy la princesa, comprende mis white lines

'Cause I'm your jazz singer

And you're my cult leader

I love you forever

I love you forever

Ellie loved you, and you loved her.

You love her today, tomorrow and for the rest of your lives.

Ellie became the women you would choose in every lifetime.

Ellie was your leader. The person you would finally follow.

You love Ellie. You'd love her for eternity.

It was truly a sickining thing, you were doing to the poor girl, but God you were selfish. You wanted it all. All the insults, pain, negativity. You craved it.

For the sake of this relationship, you hoped Ellie stayed as toxic as she did.

[wolven91]

Backyard Grill

The ursidain's mighty stomach growled in frustration.

Jimbas or 'Jim', to his human colleague, was starving! Jim liked being called Jim, it meant he was accepted by a human and acceptance by a human meant he got certain benefits. The giant creature's stomach protested again, as if saying 'where's the rest?!'. He wasn't actually starving. Oh sure, the ursidain known as Jim got what was required from the ship canteen each day in the form of three flat meals that totalled the calorie content that his kind needed to maintain themselves, but by the deep forest, in his opinion this stuff would barely fed a sparrow! Jim stroked a broad tongue over the long-emptied plate. If he closed his eyes, he could still taste the meal.

Jim's look of misery was removed when he opened his big brown, but sad eyes and saw Uncle Rich walking up.

Uncle Rich was a human and was neither Jimbas's uncle, nor, to Jim's knowledge, was the uncle to any of the other aliens aboard the Community ship. But nonetheless, everyone called him their 'uncle'. As a guest and part of the 'Guardian Initiative' program, Jimbas was assigned to Uncle Rich so he had a partner through all this and a mentor to learn from. Jimbas honestly had found he had learnt more from Uncle Rich than he suspected Uncle Rich had from him. The ursidain now knew how to open a bottle of 'beer' with another bottle of 'beer' now.

Uncle Rich had been more than welcoming and had ensured Jim that the human was grateful for the guardian's assistance. Not that it seemed it was needed, without exception the human had taken to the stars with ease and a warm smile.  Even when meeting the other races, in most cases he'd been openly welcoming.

There was a bit of a culture clash, his eating habits and what he considered appropriate with regards to weight. To an Ursidain, it was important to keep a high body fat percentage or at least enough muscle to keep the pounds on. It was a mark of success and of readiness of the person. A very common saying amongst the 'bear people' as his human colleague would often call them, was "I'll survive the winter." It meant you were ready and in the best shape you could be.

The human, in contrast, actively avoided taking second helpings. Even when he gave the ursidain serving a wink and a smile, he would decline two ladles of food rather than the assigned one each. It was odd, so very very odd. But when Jim had asked Uncle Rich if he didn't enjoy eating, the human laughed! He gave the far larger alien a knowing look, an elbow to the gut and promised that he'd see what 'good eating' was soon.

Jim was very confused that day. Today however, Uncle Rich had a pep in his step and practically ran to Jim's table before skidding to a stop, with a wide knowing grin.

"Good news! We'll be planet side in the next few hours!"

"That is good news!" Jim paused, scratched a meaty paw against his skull has he thought, before adding; "Why is that good news?"

"My folks have already got everything prepared and are camped out in a field as we speak. We've got permission take the skiff and land almost on top of them." The jolly human declared in a whisper so that no one around could hear them. There was a moment as Jimbas turned that statement over in his head. It didn't make sense. His folks? Other humans?!

Jim looked him over once more; the rough grey fur that sprouted from his chin and head gave him a 'wise' air. Uncle Rich was well respected and often took on the task of resolving personal issues between the crew long before they made their way into the chain of command. It didn't make sense, but starving or not, meeting other humans would be a pleasure and an honour!

"Mmrf... I'll be glad to have dirt under my claws again Uncle, the grating The Galactic Community enjoys on their ships is all well and good for easy repairs, but it's hell on the feet." Jim said, pressing a thick thumb into the black pads of his lower paws. Jim's stomach growled again loudly.

"Ah! I'm glad to hear you're hungry, are you going to make it another hour or two?" Uncle Rich asked with a slap against the pelt on Jimbas's back.

"Mm, it'll be touch and go, but I will do my best friend." Jim replied as he stood, his rotund belly 'popping' clear of the bench he was sat at.

At twelve feet tall, Jimbas towered over his 'Uncle', and with his body's mass, outweighed him by several degrees, but he still felt a deep connection with the human. If this was something that the other humans felt, he understood why they would consider him their 'uncle'. He would make a fine ursidain... if he put on a few pounds.

Hours later, when Jim stepped off the Skiff's ramp he sighed as he felt the dirt compress under him and rise up between his claws. The ursidain flexed his toes with his eyes closed and sighed with content. The breeze carried the smell of meats Jimbas didn't recognise, they were cooking and smelt delicious.

His stomach reminded him of its existence. The huge creature felt a light backhanded swat against the side of his belly from Uncle Rich who strolled past laughing. It took a moment for the ripples across his flab to settle down even with his paws held against himself.

"Common then! I want to show you a 'proper' meal!" Called the human who was being tackled by other humans. The ursidain allowed a subtle eye roll to the human's back, like a human would know a 'proper' meal.

Jimbas expected to be sorely disappointed by the size of everything. He made a point to only nibble, he didn't want to be rude to the humans. The ursidain doubted that even a family of humans could create enough food to satisfy a fully grown ursid-.

His thoughts derailed as he truly focused on the small crowd of similar looking humans. 

They had several coolers opened and a grill larger than some of the fully installed kitchen units Jim had seen in his time amongst the stars. The coolers were near-overflowing with raw meat of various shapes, colours and sorts. The grill was practically groaning under the weight of the meat that was sizzling away on the bars. 

And the smell.

Oh the smell! 

"Hey! Hey! Jim! Ya' drooled on me! God.." Uncle Rich bemoaned, wiping at his shoulder which now sported a dark wet line down his chest, he stomped off towards the family who, on noticing his shirt, began laughing and calling the giant bear over. 

Jimbas was 'subjected' to the first challenge for his stomach that he'd experienced since leaving his home planet. He ended up sat next to an extremely old human who seemed to believe he was looking 'thin' despite never having met the woman before this day. His plate was piled high while the rest of the family tucked into their own meals. 

When he finally saw his plate once more, it was snatched away, refilled and returned with neary a question. 

Eventually a younger member of the extended family, currently nibbling on a sausage skewed on the end of a fork, explained. 

"Uncle Rich sent us a message last month; said you were always hungry. Grandma took that as a challenge."

Every steak, every sausage, every burger, breast and thigh, made the ursidain's jowls drool as a never-ending torrent. He first tried to eat slowly, but the spices, the sauce rubs and salts that were liberally applied left him desperate for another bite, again and again. 

It was evening by the time the bear had to hold up a paw in defeat.

"Please... I beg of.. Mercy." He deferred his pleading to the old crone of the table, who allowed a slight smile to tug at the edge of her mouth. 

Jimbas eventually found himself belching to the delight of the children, flat on his back. The echoes of his powerful expulsion of air caused ripples of the glowing insects to dance up around them. He had to admit discomfort from the children that sat upon his overstuffed belly. Not once in his life had he been overfed before...

An unforeseen outcome occurred thanks to this event. 

Shortly after returning to the ship, Jimbas met up with an ursidain ship, his old ship and crew! His extra inches that were added to his waistline were immediately noted by his 'former' crew. News travelled quickly back to ursidain territories, all the way back to the capital world; Source.

The ursidains had learnt that humans could cook. The race was on, to find more humans!

[whumpsday]

Kane & Jim #E2: Stay With Me

Chronological masterlist / Writing order masterlist

content: recovery, comfort, nightmares, whumper turned whumpee turned caretaker, whumpee turned caretaker turned whumpee, vampire caretaker

Whumpmas in July Day 9: "Stay with me"

this is a flash-forward taking place about two years out from the present arc! made as a sort of follow-up to A Nice Thought.

be warned that this piece has... ⚠️spoilers⚠️ for the present arc! it's nothing i haven't hinted at before in ask-answers though, and this series is non-chronological anyway.

-

Kane was up and running the second he heard the scream.

He flung the basement door open, dashing up the stairs as fast as he could without breaking them. Up, up, down the hall, another door-

No one else was there. Jim was just lying in his bed, trying to catch his breath, the room dimly illuminated by the plain night light he always kept on.

Just a nightmare.

"Are you alright?" Kane asked, stepping back into the doorway. He knew how Jim was with nightmares by now, that his presence wouldn't be welcomed. "I was just- I can go."

Jim looked up at him with tired, scared eyes. "Stay with me? Please?" he asked, his voice small.

Kane was surprised, but he didn't need to be told twice. He was by Jim's side in an instant, the bed creaking slightly as he sat down on the soft blanket next to him. "Of course. Whatever you need."

"Thanks, man." Jim stared up at the ceiling, eyes wet with tears as he tried to control his shaky breathing.

"You don't usually scream," Kane noted, concerned.

Jim gave him a weak laugh and a nudge on the arm. "Guess I'm turning into you, huh?"

Kane rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but smile a bit, too. At least Jim felt well enough to joke around. "I don't even do that as much anymore." It'd happened about once a month when Jim first took him home, but by now, it was down to two or three months between. He'd almost never heard Jim do it, maybe twice in nearly three years here. Not counting back in vampire territory, of course.

"Yeah, you do." Jim scooted closer, resting his head on Kane's hand.

"Do you want me to hold you?" Kane blurted out. He regretted it as soon as he said it. How stupid, Jim was a grown man, he didn't need-

Jim didn't even hesitate. "Yeah."

Well, if he was agreeing...

Kane scooped the man into his arms, leaning back against the headboard. Jim rested his head against Kane's chest, tears leaking into his shirt. He must be so scared...

"I won't hurt you. Never again," Kane reminded him.

"Wasn't you this time," Jim mumbled. "It was your brother."

Ah. "Well, he certainly can't hurt you."

"I know. My dumbass sleeping-brain's the one that doesn't." Jim tapped the side of his head and sighed. "You know, it's stupid, but I actually used to- ah, forget it."

Kane pushed down the urge to question him. This was about making Jim comfortable, no matter how curious he was. "Alright," he agreed.

But Jim had never been one for holding his tongue, and continued without encouragement. "Back then, back at your old place, after- like during the last two years especially? I used to fantasize that you'd hold me. Like if I asked on my birthday or something. You were nice on my birthdays. I just wanted someone to, and you were the only one there." He turned his face away, embarrassed by his own admission.

Kane would never stop regretting how he'd treated Jim, but this was a particular knife between the ribs, hot and silver and twisting. He clutched Jim a little closer. "I'm sorry. I'm glad I can hold you now," he whispered.

Jim turned back to look at him. "Would you have said yes?"

He didn't answer for a bit. He had to think about it, had to give Jim the real answer, not whatever he assumed Jim wanted to hear. He'd been getting better at that. So much had changed, it was hard to put himself in his past self's shoes, the man who would hurt Jim without a second thought.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Maybe. Depending on my mood, I could have gone either way. I can tell you this for certain, though: even if I'd said no, I would have wanted to, for the same reason as you."

That earned him a small smile. "Yeah, that tracks."

"I can stay here the whole night, if you want," Kane offered. He glanced at the window: the blinds were already closed. He was okay. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. I've been just as bad."

Jim was well-aware. He'd stayed with Kane some nights, too.

"Yeah, okay."

They laid silently like that for a while, the crickets softly chirping in the night. Jim worried about inconveniencing Kane- there was still a layer of fear to it, even after all this time, even after he was the one who asked Kane to stay. Like he would be judged as badly-behaved and requiring discipline.

But Kane didn't do anything. It was just nice.

"It's kind of pathetic," Jim muttered. "He barely even got me, you know? C or Chewie or Graham or whatever the hell he's calling himself now was with him for eight years. I shouldn't be having the stupid nightmares and needing to be held when I'm a goddamn thirty-six year old man and he barely even got me."

"He's back to C again right now, I think, but he told me he's thinking about trying Graham again last time we spoke. I think he might really stick with it next time," Kane mused.

"Good for him." Jim always just asked him what his name was that month whenever he said hi to the guy so he wouldn't get it wrong.

"You know, I think of thirty-six as rather young," Kane continued. "Most humans probably would-"

Jim laughed. "Yeah, 'cause you're old as shit, grandpa."

Kane sighed, his chest rising and falling deeply under Jim's head. "Yes, I'm up there, so you can't go saying you're too old to be getting frightened when I do the same thing at one-hundred and eighteen. As I said, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Besides... I don't think I helped things, as far as your reaction went. You already had nightmares, the face just changed."

"Well, you're helping things now."

Kane didn't have a rebuttal to that one. "You should try and get some sleep. I won't let anything happen to you."

He was safe. He was safe. Jim just had to remember that. Couldn't get much safer than with a vampire protecting him. "Okay. Thanks."

"Any time." Kane began softly humming a tune, a song Jim didn't recognize, but one that soothed him anyway.

He slept peacefully through the rest of the night.

-

stay tuned, the big one's coming wednesday.

taglist in reblog!

event: @whumpmasinjuly

[starry-eyed-wild-child]

~ i'd never want once from the cherry tree ~

kappa x reader

summary: a family gathering takes an unexpected turn, and you swear you're going crazy

warnings: kinda yandere!kappa? alcohol, kappa deserves his own warning (he ain't really in this part much tbf)

a/n: you have a twin brother in this, I'm sorry it's probably inaccurate but it's a huge plot line later on!)

It was late in the afternoon, the sun began to set, bleeding pretty colours of a vibrant pink and orange hue. You'd already showered and had changed into some more comfortable clothing - a patchwork shirt and a pair of mandala pattern shorts. You'd made yourself a herbal tea, flicking on the record player in the corner of the room still going until there was a firm knock on your front door.

Your smile widened, becoming ecstatic at the sight of your parents and twin brother. Eagerly, you opened the door, welcoming them into your home. As you shut the door, you gasped for air when your mother pulled you into a hug.

"I can't believe you still have all these." your dad said, chuckling as he gestured to the record player playing softly.

You laughed softly, turning up the record player a notch.

"Got in just before the rain?" you teased, nudging your brother Fionn playfully. The two of you had always been close, and your parents had said you'd always had a strong connection. Growing together meant that you shared a bond that many usual siblings couldn't even imagine sharing.

"Did you cook something?" your mother asked, glancing over at the kitchen, the scent of the lentil bolognese cooking bringing a wave of nostalgia - a staple family dish in your household.

"Only the best lentil pasta you've ever tasted." you said proudly, moving into your small kitchenette so that you could stir the tomato sauce you'd prepped for the family meal.

Your parents smiled, glad to hear that you still loved cooking, after all these years. It was always something that you'd loved, and it was nice that that hadn't changed.

You took out the hand painted bowls from your cupboard, little trinkets that you and Fionn had made as kids. You served it on the table with two large bowls of salad and bread so that your family could help themselves. Feeling generous, you cracked a bottle of red wine open for your folks, knowing it would certainly please your mother at least.

"Tastes amazing, as always, sis... maybe you should start serving it to the family."

You almost choked on your pasta, sipping at your water to wash it down. Your parents looking over at you concerned, hiding you awkward cough with a low chuckle, hoping that your parents didn't catch on to what Fionn was implying.

Hell, you weren't even sure what he was implying.

"Are you alright, honey?" your mother asked, leaning over the table a little. Your dad leaned back in his chair, glancing between the two of you.

You nodded at your mother, still washing down your pasta with a large gulp of water as Fionn nearly spat out his wine from laughing. Your parents grew a little suspicious at the unusual interaction but they soon waved it off dismissively.

"It's nothing... think Fionn here is just afraid I'm gonna run away and start feeding cults or something." you laughed, though your own words made your heart skip a beat at your own implications. You knew it wasn't far from the truth, but you doubt you'd be there to feed them.

"A cult?" your dad asked, glancing over to his son with an amused brow. "What you wanna be the next Jim Jones or something?" he joked. You laughed though you hid it well enough so that your parents couldn't see it.

"C'mon, you know she'd never do anything like that." Fionn snickered, smirking as your dad shook his head. Your brother took a sip of the wine, pretending to choke like it was poisoned koolaid making you playfully kick him under the table.

"Actually, dad, yeah... I'm gonna run away and fall in love with a cult leader and everything." you joked, making your dad roll his eyes with a fond smile at your teasing gesture.

"Oh yeah? Some hippie with dreadlocks and a joint in his mouth in the back of a van? Would you go for that?" your dad said jokingly, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

The entire situation was very ironic. There was so much truth in your words and you had no idea.

You nearly choked again on your food, coughing loudly as tears brimmed in the corner of your eyes.

"I'm just saying... I don't want you falling in love with some weird hippie that lives in the back of a van, okay?" he said jokingly as he reached over to steal some of your bread from your plate. "That would be a nightmare."

Your father chuckled, amused by his own joke. In a way, you knew he was just trying to look out for you.

"Well... what if I become the weird hippie that lives in the back of a van?" you bit back playfully, raising a brow at your father.

Fionn smirked, amused that you were even bold enough to go this far in front of your parents. But to his surprise, there wasn't any suspicion - as though perhaps your parents weren't as perceptive as you believed them to be.

"I wouldn't let you do that... too dangerous.... no weird men, okay? I don't want anyone stealing my little girl away."

"Guess you won't be coming to the wedding then?" you smiled, nudging your dad as you stole your bread back from his plate.

Your dad's eyes widened as he looked to Fionn, then back to you. "Wedding?! What wedding?"

Your mother looked over, smiling when she caught on to the conversation. She looked between you and Fionn with a knowing, dreamy smile on her face.

"Married? You're getting married?"

You and your brother burst out laughing. You shook your head dismissively as you choked on your words.

"There's no wedding, Mama," you giggled, "nobody's getting married."

"I can't believe none of our babies are married yet," she said, looking over at her husband with a dramatic tone, "what have we done wrong?"

You chuckled softly at the dramatic display, sipping at your wine. "Nothing, Mama. Just don't suppose we've met the right people yet." you shrugged nonchalantly.

Though your words stung to say. You had met the one. You were sure of it. Though you knew your parents couldn't know that this was the life you were choosing. You didn't like this. Not one bit. You hated lying to your parents and knowing you'd have to create an entire web of lives to keep them off your back.

Fionn looked over at you with a knowing smirk before turning to whisper into the ear of your mother. "I think she's already in love. She's got that look..." he whispered with a chuckle.

You pretended that you hadn't heard him - but you did.

Your mother, however, looked... happy. All she'd ever wanted for her children was for them to be themselves and find love. Her mind worked in romanticism and fairy tales like that.

"Anyone for dessert?" you spoke, desperately attempting to shift the topic at hand. "It's tiramisu... grandma's recipe."

Your parents agreed, and Fionn joined you in the kitchen to help dish out the dessert and clear away the dinner plates. You were only halfway through the night and already you felt your nerves creep in like an unwanted guest.

Fionn threw you a sympathetic smile, sensing your anxiety.

"Still got board games to get through." you joked to Fionn as he laughed, offering to take your dessert bowl to the table.

After dessert, and some mindless chatter, your family followed you into your living area, watching intently as your dad attempted to set up monopoly on your coffee table, mumbling and groaning to himself.

You and Fionn were insanely competitive with one another, and so it wasn't a surprise that he groaned and muttered at you under his breath when your brother found that he was losing.

Your parents held hands, something that always made you smile. The sweet, wholesome gesture softens your features. They had, you supposed, what you had always wanted. A tender, gentle love that lasted forever.

You suddenly looked up in surprise - when you swore you heard a knock on your front door and yet it went completely past your parents.

You heard it again. Again... and again... as your family went about the routine of the game, completely oblivious.

"Should you get the door, honey?" your mother asked with her eyebrow raised, glancing over her shoulder at your wooden front door.

You glanced around nervously, gulping as you stood to your feet. Though to your surprise, there was nobody on the other side to greet you. You shrugged it off, dismissing your thoughts as quickly as they came, closing and locking the door.

"Must've had the wrong house..." you said quietly, rejoining your family on the floor around your coffee table.

Throughout the night, there were no more intrusive questions or subtle jokes about what had happened, to which you were relieved. after packing away, you led your parents to their room, kissing them goodnight.

You rejoined Fionn downstairs, two mugs of chamomile in your hands.

"What was the deal with all that?" you asked your brother with an irritated tone, crossing your arms over your chest.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" he said, eyeing you with a glare at the accusation. "It's weird that you thought someone was at the door."

You sighed, throwing yourself down on the couch next to your brother.

"No, Fionn... I heard it and you did too... I know you did." you said, sipping at your tea and rubbing a hand over your eyes. "Listen, if you're playing with me on this..." you began but he held his hands up in defence. No, Fionn wasn't that much of an asshole.

"Look, I just thought it would be funny to see you panic... I didn't think you'd actually believe I heard it." he said, his eyes softening as he watched you look away.

"I know... but I really did hear it, Fionn..."you spoke lowly, starting to become a little scared. Kappa had barely been on your mind all night so why was everything flooding back now?

"you're a dick... but you're my brother and I love you, yeah?" you smiled, ruffling his hair with a cheeky grin. To ease your mind, you flicked on a movie so that you could both criticise how awful the special effects were.

You sat there, laughing with your brother as he threw popcorn at you, cheering when you caught one in your mouth perfectly. Fionn clapped mockingly, making you take a dramatic bow. It was nice. It made you forget about everything. About the cult leader waiting for you to show him a sign. Anything.

It was then you noticed it... a figure. A silhouette behind him.

Your breath hitched, hands trembling.

"Fionn... stay still. There's... something behind you." you said lowly, almost so quiet he couldn't hear you.

Your eyes widened, searching frantically around the room, Fionn following your eyes with a concerned expression etched into his eyes. Your breathing quickened, inhaling deep breaths as you glanced around the room - but there was no sign of anyone.

You took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself down. "i'm just a little jumpy." you said with a sheepish laugh, "I don't know what I thought I saw." you said, brushing your shoulder with Fionn's to reassure him.

He smiled, though it looked a little too forced as he took in a deep breath. "Let's just... finish the shitty movie, yeah?" he asked, glancing back at the television.

He was here. You knew it. And in an odd way, it made your heart warm knowing you'd see Kappa again.

"That movie way so dumb." you laughed, switching off the television screen. You watched as Fionn walked to the front door, checking your lock for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "Jesus, Fionn, you know you've checked it about ten times." you smiled, though flattered that he wanted to make sure you were okay.

"Yeah I know, I just... I have a bad feeling." he said, looking over at you with concern written across his face.

"I'll be fine, Fionn..." you assured, playfully telling him to get his ass to bed. You followed him up the stairs, bidding your twin goodnight before heading to your own room. You sat on your windowsill, lighting up a cigarette, hoping to smoke away the stress of the night.

You thought about him again. How you hadn't seen him since that night. The night the family broke into your home. The night you'd let Kappa have you.

The night you fell in love.

It was crazy to think that you'd met him once and yet you'd become obsessed. You'd fallen in love and had your heart broken all in one night.

"Knock, knock." a voice whispered from the corner of the room, a mischievous tone to the voice.

You flinched at the unexpected noise but your heart leapt as you threw away your cigarette. You couldn't believe it. Clyde had wanted to be reunited with Bonnie - and so soon.

"You didn't really think I'd wait that long to see you again, did you?" he asked with a smirk, looking you up and down, like he was undressing you intently with every look.

"My brother is in the next room." you whispered, shutting your window behind him as he went to sit on your bed. You were wearing the same little nightgown you wore the night you met, making him smile fondly.

"Why are you worried about him?" Kappa whispered back with a smirk. "Can't I come see my girl?" he asked, tugging you closer so that you straddled his legs.

"Oh, I'm your girl now, huh?" you joked, resting your hands on his chest. "We meet once and suddenly I'm your girl?" you teased, threading a hand through his hair.

"Mhm... that's right.." he spoke into your ear, nipping at the skin of your neck as if to taunt you.

"Jesus! Not so fucking loud." you hissed quietly, glancing at the door as Kappa laughed lowly. "What would they say, huh? If they saw their precious little baby like this?" you teased, referring to your parents.

"I reckon they'd be quite surprised... they have no idea about their little girl's wild side. Her little obsession with me." he whispered teasingly.

His breath was warm on your skin, and your face heated up as he nipped at your skin. "If anything, it's you that's obsessed with me..." you bit back playfully, softly tugging at his hair.

"You know I can't keep my hands off you." he murmured into your ear, nipping and biting at the skin of your throat, his hand gripping at your thigh.

"Why are you here?" you asked, not harshly but with tenderness. With a gentle curiosity.

"i needed to see you, sugar..." he spoke, his voice a little quieter than usual. He looked into your eyes, hands roaming the exposed flesh of your thighs. "I couldn't stop thinking about you... are you not happy to see me?"

You sighed contently, holding his face in your hands, his face buried in your chest as he pressed soft kissed there.

"You're mine, y'know that?... only mine, sugar." he breathed with a possessive glint in his eyes, leaning in to press a slow kiss on your lips.

"Mhmm... all yours, Kappa." you hushed out, desperate not to disturb the rest of your family. "So what do you think... about me joining?" you whispered softly, referring to what you asked him the night you met.

He chuckled, running his fingertips up and down your bare arm. "You're not gonna let me say no, are you, sugar?" he asked, a small smile on his lips as he looked up at you.

"I wouldn't mind seeing you around all the time..." he whispered, toying with the lacy hem of your nightgown.

"If my parents told me I'd fall in love with a cult leader and join a hippie cult I would've laughed in their faces." you giggled, the sweet sound amusing Kappa.

He was flattered that you wanted to join this life with him. Meet the family and lead alongside him. And he couldn't help but think back to the other night, at the bonfire with Theta. How jealous she was and how excited the family were to meet you.

"Who would've thought, huh?" he teased, chuckling lowly to himself as well. He could feel your lips on his skin, cradling your head to his chest as you left small, heated kisses on his shoulders - his heart racing.

Kappa tilted your chin up from his body, making you look into his eyes. He grinned, admiring the sight of you above him, so adored and flushed before leaning in and giving a passionate kiss to your lips.

"You're real pretty, sugar." he hummed gently, "and all fucking mine." he said possessively, holding your waist to steady you.

You nodded with a content hum. You swore you could stay like this forever with him. You wished you could walk out with him right now - to show your parents who you loved and who you were going to marry someday.

You were pulled from your reverie as you heard a knock on your bedroom door, your eyes widening as your blissful peace was cut short.

"Sis? You still up?" Fionn's voice called from the other side of the door.

[half-oz-eddie]

One week after being taken in by Joyce and Jim, Billy's found it hard to kick his old habits.

He's found himself rather dependent on drugs and alcohol. So, he does what he usually does to deal with time at home— he gets high and drunk.

He always did it to numb himself, mind and body. So he wouldn't feel the punches. So the screams wouldn't sound so loud. So his body could still feel relaxed in frightening situations. So he could still sleep at night after facing the waking nightmare which was Neil hargrove.

He didn't need to do it anymore, but he still did.

Jim wasn't trying to smother the boy. Eighteen's still an adult, even if he's a kid in Jim's eyes. So he just...waits for Billy to eventually come home, hoping to God he doesn't have to go out looking for him.

10:30 PM...11:42...12:20...1:35...

2:32AM, Billy finally stumbles in the house, quite noisily. His keys hit the floor, he mumbles curses under his breath, he bumps into the coffee table because he's not used to navigating this house in the dark just yet.

He sighs in annoyance and just plops down on the couch. He's already feeling a little uneasy because he made so much noise.

Jim surfaces from his bedroom and sits next to Billy. He shines a flashlight in his face, answered by a groan and the quick reflex of Billy slapping the flashlight away.

"You're wasted, aren't you?" Jim assumes. "Joyce has been worried sick about you. I stayed up all night waiting because she sat by the window waiting to see you park in the driveway."

"Mmh." Billy groans. He's not coherent enough to respond, to apologize.

"How the hell did you drive like this?!" Jim questions.

"I do it all'a time. S'no big deal."

"It's a big deal. Are you crazy? You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"So what?"

"So what?! Billy! How do you think we would feel if something happened to you?"

"I'unno. I just got here. Wouldn't matter."

"It would matter. Jane loves you. Will and Jonathan really like having you here, and Joyce, psh, forget it. You're her baby, just like her other boys. She knows what you went through and all she wants to do is take care of you."

Billy whimpers in response before a soft sniffle can be heard.

Jim places a comforting hand on Billy's shoulder. "Don't cry, alright? Let's sober you up so you can say goodnight to Joyce."

"M'kay." Billy nods.

Jim makes him a cup of coffee and a sandwich.

"Listen. You don't have to check out whenever you come home. Things're different now. It'll be nice if you're present so we can feel like a family."

"You don't need a screw up like me in your family."

"We're all screw ups, Billy. We've all screwed up in one way or another, or been screwed over by life. That's what makes our family so great. We understand each other."

Silence filled the kitchen. The kitchen clock ticked and the lightbulb above them softly buzzed.

"Sorry." Billy finally said. "I'm not used to this."

"I know. You want some cookies and milk?"

"I'm not a kid." Billy rolled his eyes.

"You're my kid. And you can have cookies and milk if you want 'em."

Billy chuckled. "I guess I do want them."

"Atta boy." Jim excitedly opened up a pack of Oreos and poured himself and Billy some milk.

They'd eaten nearly half the package when they heard someone clear their throat.

They both turned to see Joyce standing in the doorway, her arms folded over her robe.

"Having a late night snack, are we?"

"Sorry." Jim apologized. "Did we wake you?"

"No. I was already up. I went to check Billy's room to see if he'd come home and...here he is with you, eating all the snacks."

"I'll replace the oreos." Jim promised.

"I don't care about the oreos, honey. I'm just glad you're home." She said, smiling at Billy. "I was worried you wouldn't come back, then I wouldn't know if you were safe or taking care of yourself."

Billy frowned. "I didn't mean to worry you. I-I swear I won't do it again."

"I hope not." She approached him and kissed his forehead, then snatched the oreo out of his hand and dipped it in his milk, before shoving the whole cookie into her mouth.

Billy laughed as she strutted away, bidding a quiet goodnight before returning to bed.

"I guess I'd better turn in too." Jim said with a stretch as he stood. "What about you?"

"Yeah. I think I'm gonna do the same."

"Goodnight, kid."

"G'night dad."

They looked at each other wide-eyed. Billy didn't mean to call him dad. Not this soon.

"Sorry was that...that was weird, right?"

"Not to me. Whatever makes you feel comfortable."

They smiled at each other before heading to their rooms.

Billy snickered at the pajama set Joyce had laid out for him on his bed. He hadn't worn a pajama set since he was 8 years old, but the red lounge pants and matching cotton shirt were so soft, and the made bed was even softer.

He didn't want to feel numb anymore. He wanted to feel the comfort of his bed, and the warmth of his loving family.

[lettheladylead]

Hi! I was looking through Magica De Spell’s Wikipedia page today and it says that Magica has a sister named the Wicked Witch of the West, who has children named Witch Child and Warlock. I couldn’t find any information of them online so I was wondering if you knew anything about them, if they exist at all.

If they don’t, do you think you could instead do a character post on Magica’s cousin Matilda? Your old family tree posts helped me a lot in understanding Duck lore.

Aw I'm glad those posts help!! I'm still down for making them 'cause it's a lot of fun for me to find old comics and do some research.

So before I talk about Witch Child, I wanna clarify some things that are relevant to the character.

This is another case where Americans can't stop themselves from taking "sister" and "aunt" literally. Aunt can be used to refer to any older woman in someone's life. Sister is frequently used in stories about witches (because a coven is like a sisterhood/sorority, it's a whole thing). Neither imply blood relation! Even "cousin" is often used to refer to friends/neighbors. Different cultures and languages treat words like that very differently than Americans do.

Witch Child, Warlock, & Witch of the West are all from a very specific time period of Brazilian duck comics where Magica and Madam Mim (from The Sword and the Stone) were living together/dating/???? and interacted with other Disney movie characters. In this specific timeline, the ducks live amongst regular humans which is very strange but you just gotta accept it. Magica also lives in Duckburg I think? It seems like she and Scrooge just run into each other randomly so I believe she and Mim have a house in Duckburg for whatever reason

"Witch Child" is not her name and I don't know why she's referred to like that on InDucks/other wikias. Her name in Brazil (where she was created) is Magali, in Italian she's Maghetta/Maghina/Streghella (inconsistent names in translations are very common), and in French she's Seraphine. None of her comics have an official English publication so again idk where "Witch Child" comes from! But I'll probably refer to her as Streghella for the remainder of this post 'cause it's easier that way.

OKAY now for details:

In Streghella's first comic, Magica gets a letter from a friend asking her and Madam Mim to babysit her friend's daughter. Streghella is whiny and rude and a troublemaker. She ruins a magical career opportunity for Magica and it's pretty funny

Then there's a whole bunch of comics where she just appears for no reason, making trouble. She's a surprisingly powerful witch but she just loves to piss everyone off, especially Mim.

Another important note about Streghella - she was only really drawn by two comic artists during the height of her appearances (in the 70s, pretty much). The above drawings were all done by an artist named Jim Fletcher. But she had a lot of appearances drawn by an artist named Glenn Schmitz, who drew her completely differently.

I don't know if I would've realized these were even the same character if it wasn't documented lol but y'know they didn't have the same resources in the 70s that we have now so they did what they could.

Anyway, from what I can tell her personality stayed mostly in tact through most of these comics. Whiny, stuck-up, nosy, but also very funny and magically powerful. She would occasionally interact with Scrooge or HDL but mostly her appearances were in Magica and Mim comics.

Oh there's one comic where she looks like this for some reason?

BUT THEN what's interesting is Streghella making a few appearances years after her comics all came out. First there was one comic in 1995, then twice in 2011 and once more in 2016. There's also apparently a 2020 appearance but I couldn't get my hands on it :(

In her 1995 appearance she looks really cute but her personality is, well. Personality-wise she's completely unrecognizable. Now Magica makes comments about Streghella always trying to be good and getting in trouble for being good all the time.

(Ignore the bad english translation I was just popping pages into google translate lol)

She's still a troublemaker in the sense that she tries to trick Magica and Mim into consuming a potion that will make them good, kind people. But then the comic ends with Magica doing something nice by choice and it's cute but yeah the character is nothing like her original self.

Her first 2011 comic is where she...wants to go to a Jonas Brothers concert and chats with April May & June online to try and make it happen. Something like that. It follows along with "Streghella is too kind and Magica tries to teach her to be evil" from the '95 comic, but for some reason the colorist made Streghella a brunette. Idk! They also forgot her iconic hat!

Next 2011 comic has Huey Dewey and Louie accidentally traveling to a magic academy. It's very Harry Potter-y? I guess? Streghella is friendly and does some magic. You can tell it's her 'cause of the pigtails and bows. But still no hat :(

In her 2016 appearance, she's been reading April May and June's blog and wants to help them with some problem. Magica is like no be mean and Streghella's like no I want to help! You get it.

This comic is pretty fun. Magica turns herself into Grandma Duck and puts a truth potion into some cake Streghella bakes for the Duck Family and gets a bunch of secrets out of them.

There's also a joke at the end where Daisy accidentally reveals Brigitta's age to everyone (we don't get to see it) but according to this comic, Brigitta is much older than she looks lol Not that we didn't already know that.

Anyway so that's all there is to know about Witch Child/Streghella. She's cute!

Warlock time!

Warlock is Streghella's brother. He's only in four comics total and they're mostly very early comics - his real name is just whatever Streghella's name was at the time but with an -o at the end. If she's Maghetta, he's Maghetto. If she's Maghina, he's Maghino. You get it. He'd probably be Streghello if he had a named appearance more recently.

His personality is not very distinct from Streghella's. He's also magical and a troublemaker. In his first comic he arrives in the mail, in a, like...little jail cell? Crate? Idk? And then Magica and Mim eventually box both kids up into the crate and ship them away.

(Yes that's supposed to be him, apparently.)

He appears in the magic school comic as well...

And that's it! There's not really anything else to know about him.

Last but not least...the Witch of the West! Actually, that's a lie. Least. She appears just the one time. And I'm gonna be honest. I don't think she's the biological mother of these bird children.

'Cause yeah she's a human witch. Idk if she's from another Disney property or if she's supposed to be the witch from the Wizard of Oz. Idk man. But Streghella calls her "mama" and she refers to Streghella as her daughter so I'll take those ones literally.

There's nothing much to say about her - she doesn't have a name and all she does is drop her kid off with Magica and then reappear when Mim and Magica threaten to lock Streghella inside a bottle.

NOW if you're wondering...how do these characters connect to the previously known characters that are related to Magica De Spell?

They do not! The fact that Streghella has made a few recent appearances means you can decide how you want her to fit in, but trying to blend these different canons will not be seamless. You just gotta take what you like. Streghella frequently refers to herself as Magica's apprentice so you can always take that route, too.

Aaaaaaaaaand since you asked, I'm happy to talk about Matilda! God there are too many Matildas in duck comics. I have never met a woman named Matilda in my life. It's fine.

Matilda De Spell (not an official name but I call her that anyway) - Magica's teenage cousin! Is she actually, biologically, Magica's cousin? Probably not. But it's fiiiiiiine.

I did actually scanlate all three comics that Matilda appears in, so you can read them if you'd like:

There's not really anything to know about her outside of these comics. She's tomboyish, spunky, fun. Really looks up to Magica. I think their dynamic is fun and I always like to see more teen characters lol I think I've portrayed Matilda as Amelia De Spell's younger sister but that's definitely not canon, just me trying to stick the blondes together.

Anyway sorry this ended up being such a long response. I haven't had the opportunity to research random duck characters in a while. I hope this has the answers you wanted :)

[111-prxtty]

Close calls ~ Chris Alonso x fem!reader

A bit of brain rot from a girly who is loosing the plot a tinsy bit 🫠

Warnings: nothing bad I don't think, mentions of a shoot out and some hugging with a side of a peck on the cheek

★

A few months into this relationship and you guys were struggling. Not with each other, it was great with each other, but with keeping it separate from work. You didn't work directly with each other but you worked closely with the team and it was torture.

There were a few close calls, you got away with most of them but there were a couple times you weren't too sure.

You two were usually pretty good, only sneaking a quick peck on the cheek out of sight from her team members or an arm dropping particularly low during a hug. And the great thing was that no one batted an eye at how touchy you were because you and Chris had always been close so it wasn't unusual.

The closest you came to being caught was one of the few times you actually went out with the team on a job and you managed to get caught up on the wrong side of a shoot out. Luckily you just made it out of the firing line so you came out unharmed and immediately ran to Chris, wrapping your arms around her neck as hers clung to your waist, you slumped against her tired and scared but she held you up. When Jim brought it up afterwards Chris just brushed it off, saying how you were closest to her so it made sense that you ran to her, glad no one seemed to notice the kiss she pressed to the side of your neck to comfort you.

Another close call was that time you were alone in the locker room, leaning against her locker. You had your arms thrown over her shoulders, mindlessly playing with the straps on her uniform, and she was playing with the belt loops on your pants whilst you were pondering over where to go for dinner at the weekend when you heard the door open and a few people coming in. You drew back from each other quickly and pretended to be getting something out of her locker before leaving and hoping no one saw.

★

I know this is probably absolute shite (I don't want to read it through guys sorry) and I definitely could have been working on something better but oh well. I am working in a Phoebe request and I'm sorry it's taking so long to whoever requested it, I'm trying to make it worth the wait for you I promise 🫶🫶. Anyways thank you if you read this, I thought I would write for someone else there are very few fics about, I feel like it's kinda my thing now ig and I'm happy to serve!!

[nitewrighter]

How much does the fact that Moore himself considers "The Killing Joke" one of his greatest writing regrets factor into your thoughts on it?

I mean, I can see why he would have a lot of regrets about it because of the climate of the time and the infamous "cripple the bitch" exchange, and, obviously, because it steered the Joker as a character into the much darker and edgier version we know today and set a lot of nasty precedents in comics with a proliferation of violence against women as shock value. It basically created this situation where everyone wanted their writing to have the impact of Alan Moore, but unfortunately, they weren't Alan Moore and were in fact just kind of sexist dickbags for whom the actual horror and emotional impact of the dark content of the stories is transformed into the cheap and exploitative--I guess the TL;DR version of it is, Alan Moore is George R. R. Martin, but if GRRM realized his writing spawned 800 David Benioffs and D.B Weisses who would go on to define the fantasy genre for the next three decades. I'd be full of regret, too.

I think for me, not to like, disparage Moore or anything, but I do feel like the Comics Code created the atmosphere that was primed for him to have this massive splash on comics: Readers were hungry for stories with drama, lasting impact on characters, confrontation with uncomfortable questions that had long been more or less brushed off by virtue of the temporariness of the medium and the suffocating rules of the comics code. And Moore's content fit the bill.

If it wasn't Moore, it would have been someone else, but I'm honestly kind of glad it was Moore. It's even kind of funny in a morbid way, considering Moore was more or less over superheroes as a genre to begin with--but as I've talked about with my posts with early superman, the edges of superheroes as a genre is porous. I've talked about Superman being a Screwball romantic comedy in a sci-fi setting, so it's not unthinkable that Moore would end up dragging the conventions of the superhero genre to darker places by incorporating more elements of horror, pulp, crime noir, and even some Lynchian soap opera/gothic elements. I mean, it's equal parts fascinating and painful, because even though it sent comics down this dark copycat path, it really should have revealed how remarkable it is you can plug other genres' storytelling conventions into the superhero genre. Moore's stories slap not because they're Superhero stories, but because he's plugging superheroes into his stylistic/genre comfort zone.

But also the thing is, I'm one of those people who prefers Barbara Gordon as Oracle rather than Batgirl, and I do feel like the core of the Killing Joke is really more about the folie a deux of Batman and the Joker and I genuinely really like that. I also think that as we (rightfully) get caught up in the horror of the position Barbara is put in, we completely brush over the fact that Commissioner Gordon was literally being lead around naked on a leash. All the outrage I ever heard about the Killing Joke was Barbara getting crippled and the photos, literally no one mentioned Jim Gordon being lead around naked on a leash and kept in a circus cage! Like, is that not also a shocking violation of his personhood? I think both Gordons were meant to be seen as a unit, they were both humiliated and dehumanized, and they both represent two sides of Batman--Barbara representing that childish, powerful emotional core, the kid in a Halloween costume who hopes if they punch enough faces they can bring daddy back, and Jim representing Batman having to be an adult, having to recognize the boundaries of the law, and having to act as a guardian. Like, yes, Barbara and Jim, are obviously, to their credit, brilliant detectives, but they're also placed in these relationships to Batman of 'mentee' and 'Mentor/Partner.' For the Joker, it wasn't about using Barbara to hurt Batman and Jim, so much as it was about using *Barbara and Jim* to harm Batman. But that's also why ultimately the Joker's focus fell on Jim in relation to Batman--Jim Gordon represents these adult, institutional realities, the idea that ultimately you have to work to protect a society, and Joker wanted to use the adult who represents accountability to that society to prove his whole "One bad day" philosophy. the Joker basically goes through his most famous version of his whole "One Bad Day/Society is a Joke" spiel in that comic. I was going somewhere with this. This was going to link back to Moore somehow--Ah well. See above point of, "Genre-impact wise, I can see why he would have regret about it. But also I think those genre impacts were due in large part to people only valuing the story for its shock value and you can try to make yourself as simultaneously clear and representative of your personal style as possible, but that's not going to stop The Point from flying right over people's heads." Something something "Wow cool robot!" comic.

There is so goddamn much to unpack in The Killing Joke, both in its textual relations to the characters and the potential inspirations Moore was working from, and in its impact on comics. I feel like I'm gnawing on a big mutton bone.

[bengiyo]

5 moments from 2023 BL that felt new or different?

I feel so much pressure to do a good job with this one. You're an OG. You've been in this game longer than me. I'm pretty sure you've actually seen more than me.

La Pluie Episode 6

Sure, we've had a lot of sex in BL in recent years. What's special about La Pluie is its willingness to release the sexual tension and explore the emotional space on the other side of that. Tai and Phat actually started making out on the goddamned floor, we got a sneak peak of Saengtai's bulge, and we mentioned that he was still aroused while they were sitting on the couch later. They also talked about what was going on between them and some of Tai's hangups. Usually these shows love to interrupt these moments because they don't know what to do with the characters once they bone. Not this show!

Jong Chan Adapting to Seung Hyun in The New Employee

This wasn't my favorite show of the year, but my man Jon Chan is one of my favorites of the year! I like that he was solidly in his 30s and looking for a partner. I like that he didn't exactly understand all of Seung Hyun's hang-ups about the ex, but decided to let that go and focus on building their future. His exasperation about this felt distinctly gay.

Jim and Li Ming's Relationship in Moonlight Chicken

I like calling Moonlight Chicken a gay family drama more than a BL because I don't think romance is the central driving factor of the show, but it feels like splitting hairs. What is my favorite part of this show is that the only "I love you" said in the show is between Jim and Li Ming. I love that the relationship between a gay man and his gay nephew feels like the heart of the show.

Seo Lee Joon being a Terrible Gay in Love Mate

I know a lot of y'all got your knickers in a knot over the way Ha Ram determinedly pursued Lee Joon, but I feel like we ignored how fucking rude Lee Joon was in this show. This man goes on the apps to flirt with people without making it clear he's only going to date them once before abruptly cutting them off and blocking them. This is mean! We are fucking gay! We have a hookup culture with its own language! This thing where he wants the flavor of first dates and sets up his dates for extreme disappointment is so mean. He was going to make a whole dating app about how bitter he was about his own breakup. This man needed to face his own issues, and I'm glad a stern dicking turned him around.

The Sex Scene in Candy Color Paradox

This is a show that tried and failed to punch above its weight. The leads were too inexperienced to carry a kinda dense script, and they got blown out of the water by the talented Izuka Kenta for about three episodes. It's really unfortunate because I think Kimura Keito and Yamanaka Jyutaro put in real work in this show. Their bed scene was probably the most stylish of the entire year. It is worth watching just that scene because it really stands out. Also, they discuss m/m acts the morning after in a way that felt refreshing.

Ask me Top 5 BL 2023 Anything