#plus i like to imagine the gloves were originally black so it makes sense for the fencing mitts at least to be dark

[midnightcrows]

"My master in life was revenge," said the Sleeper. "My mission is one of— Goddamn it, I'm not going to start talking like this."

[thescoundrelprincess]

The Way You Look Tonight

Jugenea Fan Fic

This was originally gonna be a snippet but I got too involved in it... just a fun and sweet one :)

(Mature Content)

December 1947

“After you dear,” Vincente gestured to Judy into the Mocambo.

Gene and Frank were sitting with all their friends around the bar, clowning around with each other. Gene was only a bit tipsy, not wanting to get wasted tonight. He did that yesterday. He didn’t want to have a shitty hangover again. Although it was fun, and worth it, he actually wanted to feel well and normal on Sunday.

“Want a shot, chum?” Frank slurred to Gene, holding a shot glass in Gene’s face.

“Sure, vodka though.”

“Alllllrighty.”

Frank was the drunkest among all of them. However, Peter, Van, Mickey, and many other stars he was just at work with this past week weren’t far behind.

“The man wants vodka,” Frank gave the bartender the shot glass he had. Gene and the others chuckled.

“Man, Frank’s already plastered ain’t he?” Van chimed to Gene.

Gene nodded. “Maybe he’s having women troubles this weekend.”

Frank accidentally fell into Gene, almost falling over. His balance was comparable to a teeter totter. Gene grabbed Frank’s arm, catching him.

“You good?” Gene asked, holding back his laughter.

“Yes Mr. Kelly, everything’s just swell.”

Frank regained his balance and the bartender handed all of them their shot glasses.

“Shall we make a toast gentleman?”

“Sure Frank,” Peter chimed in. “To what shall we toast?”

“Hmm…” Frank said, stroking his chin. He looked around for a minute, in thought, staring at everybody. Then, he turned back to all of them, eyes wide. A lightbulb lit in his head.

“Alright men, get your glasses ready, I’ve got a toast!” Frank yelled.

“We aren’t deaf Frank,” Bing yelled across the bar.

“Aye, Crosby, you can shut your trap now,” Frank replied sarcastically, raising his glass. All of them raised their glasses towards Frank’s.

“Fellas ready?”

“Yes Frank, who’s the toast to?”

“To Judy Garland!”

In the doorway, Gene immediately caught Vincente slipping off Judy’s beautiful mink coat, revealing a jet black, off the shoulder dress, hugging Judy’s luscious curves. She had a pearl necklace on with pearl earrings. Pure white gloves covered both her hands. His eyes drifted towards her legs. She had sexy, jet black stilettos on, matching her dress. Her hair was down in pin curls, a look he never got sick of. However, this time, she looked even sexier. Arousal shot to the pit of his stomach.

Gene quickly raised the shot glass and gulped it, wincing a bit from the burn, still gazing at Judy. As the drink went down his throat, it was almost like the farther it went down the more memories flooded his mind about Judy, and they got even naughtier as time passed. While Judy was smiling and waving at everyone, he could only focus on her curves. They just finished filming The Pirate about a month before, and he hadn’t seen her since. Throughout filming he not only supported Judy and helped her out through her troubles but also brought her affection… and pleasure. They would release their pent up sexual frustrations in their trailers when no one was around, or when filming was over, especially after a passionate scene between their characters. Gene and Judy tried to stay away from each other, but it was virtually impossible. They both knew there was some uncanny magnetism between them they would never escape unless they never saw each other again, but they could never bear that; they loved each other dearly, more than any sort of love in a purely sexual relationship.

At The Pirate end-of-filming party, Gene and Judy made love one last time; they silently agreed to end their affair, both knowing they had to focus on their marriages and children. Especially Judy. She struggled terribly on The Pirate and she wanted some stability in her life. She hoped to get that stability back after the picture was over.

Gene wanted to shake off his nerves. “Hey, can I have a gin cocktail?” The bartender smiled and nodded. Everyone was gazing at Judy now since Frank toasted to her.

“I need to get a drink for the gal,” Frank slowly spit out, becoming more obnoxious by the minute, yet still charming. He could see Judy making her way to the bar with Vincente. The bartender handed Gene his drink.

“Helllllooooo Judy! And hello Mr. Vincente Minnelli!” Frank kissed Judy on the lips and hugged Vincente. They both could tell Frank was quite drunk.

“Hello Frankie,” Judy giggled. She looked over and caught Gene’s eye. She could sense his nervousness and could tell he was eyeing her dress. She felt herself blushing.

“Hello Frank,” Vincente smiled, patting his shoulder. “It’s nice to see you here.”

“Nice to see you too!”

Judy smiled at Gene and he returned the gesture. Holy shit, Gene thought. She’s even sexier up close. She walked over to him and he slowly leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. The aroma of her fruity perfume hit his nostrils like a wave, turning him on instantly. His lips on her cheek felt heavenly, her skin was so soft. Removing his lips, he exhaled against her face and leaned away.

“Hello darling,” Judy said to him, full of warmth. Vincente came over and shook Gene’s hand.

“Hey, glad you guys could make it,” Gene stated enthusiastically. “There’s a ton of us here and I couldn’t imagine you guys missing. But I have to admit, I didn’t think you guys would show, just because you have Liza.”

“Oh, we’ve had a babysitter for her, so it’s fine. Vincente and I are planning on taking her to the park tomorrow.”

Gene couldn’t stop smiling at her… and staring at her. Her whole face lit up when talking about her baby girl. Even though talking about Liza put a barrier between him and Judy, he loved the little girl and he was proud of Judy being a mother. Plus, he didn’t care at the moment, because she looked so beautiful and he was distracted by it.

“You guys care for a drink?”

“Of course, after we say hello to everybody first though. Hopefully it won’t take too long. Come on darling,” Vincente grabbed Judy’s hand. Judy smirked back at Gene. She looked him up and down. He knew that she knew he was looking at her, in a non-innocent way. But he also knew she liked it. She had this uncanny sense of knowing what other people, especially men, were thinking about. And he knew she liked the attention on her. Did she do this because I’m here? No, how would she know I was here? … His arousal was growing. He needed to stop this… her husband was here.

“Hey Van, I’m heading outside really quick, I need a breath of fresh air.”

“Alright, see you later.”

Judy walked over to almost every table, saying hello to everyone, until she sat down at a table with Kay, Roger, and Arthur. She talked and talked for many minutes, but she couldn’t get Gene off her mind. Butterflies were fluttering inside her stomach. She would never forget his support and love for her during this past shooting of The Pirate, and of course their love making. She thought things would get better between her and Vincente after filming, but their fights persisted. Their romance and passion dwindled ever since Liza was born. Vincente was the perfect father, just not the perfect husband anymore. Judy was having doubts. And with each sip she took of her drink, the more Gene stuck in her mind. Him staring at her… He looked so good too. She wanted to go and talk to him, maybe spend time with the boys near the bar. She glanced over at the bar; all the guys were laughing and clowning around. Ugh. They were having so much fun. She lowkey wanted to get drunk… she needed a break. But she knew Vincente wouldn’t want her to. It would just cause a fight, or at least an irritating tension between them. And she hated it. So, she held back.

“Darling, would you like to dance?” Judy asked Vincente.

“Sorry honey, I would, but I’m feeling a little queasy right now. I’m not sure how much longer I want to stay.”

“Darling, what’s wrong?”

“I just feel a little sick, that’s all. Do you want to go home right now?”

They had only been there for about 90 minutes. It was only 10 o’ clock. Judy was not about to leave.

“Not really, I mean we just got here. I wanted to take a nice break, release my stress…” Judy muttered to him, looking away. “Everyone’s here, you know, I’d like to catch up.”

Vincente didn’t want to upset her. He understood her logic. He wanted her to have fun, as long as she got home safely.

“I guess I can just leave. Can someone take you home?”

Vincente paused and glanced around. Everything seemed to be going haywire. Tons of people were drunk. Then, he spotted Gene. He looks sober. Maybe he can take Judy home.

“Hold on honey, I’ll be right back.”

Judy watched Vincente leave the table, and walk in the direction of the bar. She watched as he approached Gene. Her heart stopped. Why was he talking to Gene?

Gene got a bit drunk but was sobering up a bit. He thought it was strange that Vincente was approaching him.

“Hey Gene, can you do me a favor?”

“Sure, anything.”

“Can you take Judy home for me tonight?”

Gene cleared his throat. “Well, uh, of course. Why, are you leaving?”

“Yes, I feel a bit under the weather. Judy wanted to stay and catch up with everybody. You look the most sober among everyone, and I trust you. Would you please keep an eye on her as well? Don’t let her get too drunk. She seems to really listen to you.”

Gene was touched in a way. Him and Vincente had become great friends and they were very close. And of course he was close with Judy as well. He felt bad that he had an affair with Judy during the picture, but the feelings he had for her overrode his guilt.

Gene looked down and contemplated. Of course he would say yes, although he was a bit nervous. Judy was making him nervous. The way she looked made him so giddy and aroused, he wasn’t sure he could control himself. But, he would try to stand ground. He wanted to keep Judy in good care while her husband left.

“Yes, anything Vince. I hope you feel better. I’ll get Judy home whenever she wants to leave.”

“Okay, just don’t get her home too late. If anything happens please get a hold of me.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later.”

“See ya Gene.”

He watched Vincente walk back to Judy. Judy was staring at Gene. She looked a little confused. I wonder how she’ll feel about this.

“I asked Gene to take you home so you wouldn’t need to look for a ride. He’s responsible and the most sober out of any of them.”

Judy swallowed nervously but a little excitedly. “Oh, okay. Thank you darling.” Vincente leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, holding her hands. “I’ll see you later honey. Have fun.”

“Thank you, I hope you feel better.”

She watched Vincente walk towards the door and leave. Now she could do whatever she wanted… and she wanted to talk to Gene. Immediately she turned around in his direction. He wasn’t in her line of vision anymore. Where’d he go?

She knew she’d see him eventually. Heading back to the bathroom, she went to apply more powder and another layer of red lipstick.

After a few minutes, she walked out and felt someone tapping on her shoulder. She turned around.

“Heyyyy.”

It was Gene.

“What were you trying to do, scare me or something? It didn’t work.”

“No Judy, just wanted to talk to you, that's all.” She saw him eyeing her collarbone and towards her breasts. Crossing her arms, she cleared her throat, and Gene’s eyes immediately lifted upwards. He met her gaze.

“Whatcha lookin at, buster?”

“A very beautiful woman.”

“Hmm, am I the only woman you’ve said that to tonight?”

“Who else would I have said it to?”

“Literally anyone else.”

Gene raised his hands to her shoulders and ran them down her crossed arms. “No Judy, you’re wrong. You look smokin baby. Why, when you walked in everyone turned to look at you.”

Judy’s butterflies fluttered even more; she loved whenever he called her baby.

“That’s only because Frank’s drunk ass held a toast to me.”

“Yes, to the most special and sexiest woman ever to enter the room.”

Judy blushed at his comment. His smile was adorable, and she couldn’t help but accept his compliment and giggle.

“Okay, well I don’t know about you, but I need some drinks. Take me to the bar? I’d like to socialize with all you clowns. Although I love sitting with Kay and the others, I’d like a change. I need to catch up with everyone.”

“Sure.”

Judy turned and started towards the bar until Gene grabbed ahold of her shoulder.

“Ah ah ah, now wait a minute. You got to promise me something.” Gene pointed at her, giving her a parent look.

“What did you have in mind?”

“You can’t get wasted. Someone told me to keep an eye on you.”

Judy suddenly became irritated. Didn’t Vincente trust her? But, she decided to be playful.

“Mr. Kelly, since when do you give me orders?”

“Your husband gave me orders which I must give you. Get it?”

“Eh, I guess we’ll see what happens.”

Judy grabbed Gene’s hand and walked quickly towards the bar.

“Hey Judy!” Frank and all the others slurred loudly.

“Hey fellas!” Judy took a seat next to Frank and Gene sat back where he sat previously. She was the center of attention. “Can you get me a greyhound please? Double the vodka,” she smiled charmingly at the bartender.

“You sure about that Garland?” Gene eyed her, raising his eyebrows.

Judy grabbed his tie and yanked it towards her, his face about a foot away from hers. “Yes Gene, I’m not a child.”

“Woahhh Judy, what’s going on over here?” Frank turned to face them. “I like a feisty Judy, at least when she ain’t feisty towards me.”

“Vincente left and he wants me to-”

“Ah, hush.” Judy put her finger to Gene’s lips. “Vincente doesn’t want me to have fun. He doesn’t want me drinking too much.”

Gene tried to be the bigger guy and take care of her but he was struggling. All he wanted to do at that moment was swoop her away and fuck her against the wall. She looked so sexy and she was acting very sensuous towards him. Her pulling his tie, her finger on his lips, her piercing brown eyes… the blood was flowing to his dick. Her outfit wasn’t helping it either. She looked stunning.

“Well, if I were you, I wouldn’t black out, but I’d have a few drinks. I’ve only had a few and I feel grrreat,” Frank stated, exaggerating his hand movements while he talked. Gene couldn’t help but laugh along with everyone else watching Frank sort of embarrass himself. Frank was his buddy, and he loved him, but he realized that Frank influencing Judy to drink a lot would not help his predicament.

The bartender handed Judy her drink. “Thank you darling.” She turned to Gene. “You getting anything?”

Gene admitted defeat. He couldn’t completely control Judy. He would just have to sober her up a bit before he took her home. “A whiskey sour, please.”

After he got his drink, they all just sat there and socialized. Judy was loosening up, and Gene was too, even though he wasn’t planning on it. Almost everyone else was approaching the plastered stage, but still managed to function somewhat normally. They all socialized together, but Gene and Judy couldn’t keep their eyes off each other. And even though they had just filmed The Pirate, they still had a lot to catch up on.

There was a band playing very slow, sensual, serene music. Judy was having a great time. However, she still hadn’t gotten to dance with anyone. Gene would be the perfect partner of course. But, this whole time she could feel their sexual tension; she had no idea what would happen at the end of the night. She honestly didn’t care. Vincente had been pissing her off lately and she wanted to get away from him. Studio stresses as well barely kept her on her feet. So, why not spend the night with Gene? It doesn’t sound so bad… does it? Judy silently shuffled through these thoughts while loudly socializing with Gene and the others. I don’t want him to think this is just a one night stand though… I want to be with him forever. He means more to me than this. Judy could barely think straight; she had quite a few drinks. Let me just ask him to dance.

“Gene?”

Gene turned to look at her. “Yes Judy?”

“Are you up for dancing with me?”

Gene slowly smiled and nodded. “Always.”

He held out his hand to her and guided her to the dance floor. Gene loosely wrapped his arm around her waist and intertwined his fingers with hers. Feeling bold, Judy leaned her head on his shoulder, scooting closer to his body.

“Judy, what are you doing?”

“Dancing, that’s all.”

“Yes, but what are people gonna think with you being up on me? Your husband was just here.” Gene wanted to pull her even closer, but he had respect for Vincente, and also her reputation, so he was trying to place logical thoughts into her intoxicated brain.

Judy looked up at him. “Was just here, those are the key words. Was.” Gene could see her eyes watering a bit. “Lately he hasn’t been supporting me, we aren’t as compatible as we used to be. These past few months have been hard, especially with Liza. He’s a dear father… but not… well, you know.”

Gene didn’t know what to say, he knew she was hurting. He rubbed her back a little bit, and he leaned his cheek a little closer to hers, nuzzling it slightly. “Everything will work out in the long run honey.”

Gene wanted to change the subject. Talking about her and Vincente made him uncomfortable, especially since he knew him and Judy had been intimate while she was with him. Startling her, he quickly spun around in a circle, pulling her closer to him so she wouldn’t fall. Judy started laughing.

“Woah Gene, I’m dizzy,” Judy said while trying to stay balanced. “Do it again.”

Gene did it once more, but in two circles. Judy was laughing hysterically. Gene couldn’t help but laugh with her; he loved seeing her happy, even if part of it was from being intoxicated. She deserved a night away from her stresses.

“I guess you aren’t as sober as I thought you were.”

“I’m fineee,” Judy said, dancing again slowly in his arms. “I feel swell.”

“Okay, I say you don’t drink anymore for a bit.”

“Only if you keep dancing with me.”

“That’s fine with me.” Gene ran his free hand up to her hair, pushing away the baby strands from her face. He caught another glimpse at her; her big chocolate eyes staring at his, her cute button nose, and those beautifully shaped red lips that looked so inviting. Her white alabaster skin that was so silky, contrasting with her jet black dress. He wanted his mouth all over it, but he refrained. He didn’t want to jump back into a relationship, or whatever it was with her. That all ended with The Pirate. But Judy’s charm was becoming increasingly irresistible. If she made a move, he didn’t know if he could control himself.

The band began to play, “The Way You Look Tonight”, that melodic Jerome Kern song. Gene always loved this song, and Judy did too. Everyone did. This song suits her perfectly, Gene thought.

Yes, you’re lovely, with your smile so warm,

and your cheeks so soft,

There is nothing for me but to love you,

and the way you look tonight

Judy nuzzled her cheek against his, and suddenly they were dancing cheek to cheek, Gene swaying her back and forth. He could hear her humming against him; it was so sensual. Any sound that came out of Judy’s mouth was hypnotic.

“I’ve been wanting to dance all night with you, you know.”

“Oh, have you?”

“Yesss,” Judy hissed. Judy was melting into him.

“Why me?”

“Well, first of all, you’re the best dancer in this joint.”

“I guess I can’t protest against that.”

“And also,” Judy ran her hands up his chest, “I've been wanting to thank you for what you’ve done for me.”

Gene knew how much he helped her, especially during The Pirate. Whenever her and Vincente argued he was always there to comfort her; she confided in him. And even though Gene and Vincente became close partners during the shoot, Judy knew he could trust him. Their relationship stemmed from For Me and My Gal, and he would never do anything to upset her or rat her out.

“Of course Judy, I’d do anything for you.”

“Would you?”

Gene nodded and squeezed her hand in confirmation.

Gene whispered into her ear the lyrics playing,

And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,

touches my foolish heart

Lovely; don’t you ever change,

Keep that breathless charm,

Won’t you please arrange it?

“Cause I love you,” Judy looked up at Gene. “Just the way you look tonight.”

Judy smiled wide at him, her eyes sparkling. The wrinkle in her nose was so adorable. She was so full of warmth, and the feeling of her against his body was delicious.

“This song fits the occasion perfectly,” Gene chimed into Judy’s ear, his nose grazing over her hair, smelling her perfume.

“Why’s that?”

“Like I said earlier. You look stunning, Judy.”

Judy was fishing for compliments. “So I don’t look good any other day?”

“Now you know I didn’t mean that. You always look beautiful, but tonight…” Gene whispered, “You look especially sexy.”

Judy giggled. “I must say you look very handsome as well.”

“Thank you. You’re also very flirty when you’re drunk.”

“No, I mean it,” Judy wrapped her hand around his neck. “Thanks for everything, really, even dancing with me. I’ve been going through a lot lately and it seems like you perfectly understand me, and I don’t even have to say anything at all sometimes.”

Gene knew Judy was being a bit vulnerable since she was drunk, but he did feel bad for her. He could give her the world, but it wasn’t possible; they both had separate lives, and significant others.

Gene and Judy continued to sway to the music for many minutes, occasionally taking a break for a few drinks, until Judy started to get tired. It was a few minutes past midnight.

“Darling, I’m getting tired. Can we leave?”

“I’m kind of tired myself, so yes. Let me drink some water first. You need some water too.”

“No, I’m allergic to water.”

“Judy,” Gene ran his hands down her arms. “Listen to me, you need some water. Come on.” He latched onto her hand, he sat her down at a table, and then he went to get some water.

Judy's senses were reeling. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was drunk or because her feelings were real, but it didn’t matter. She loved Gene, and she needed him. In the past few hours, she felt happier than she had in a long time. And those hours were after Vincente was gone. Dancing with Gene this evening did something to her; it increased her longing for him. Her previous feelings never really went away even though they pretty much agreed to end their affair at the end of filming. They elevated. She didn’t want the night to end… to have to leave Gene. She missed the days where they would see each other everyday and let out their frustrations in their trailers. Or when Gene would comfort her after filming ended for the day. It was very emotional to think about; she was torn, but she didn’t want to do anything she would regret.

Gene returned with two glasses of water. He handed the one to her. “Drink,” he instructed Judy. Judy grabbed the glass and sipped at it, stealing glances at Gene. When she was almost finished, they made eye contact.

Gene could see a twinkle in her eye, a look of desire. No, I can’t do this. He had a great time with her tonight too, and his feelings were just the same. Him and Betsy were doing well at the moment, but just one touch from Judy and he’d completely let his guard down, even if he didn’t want to. She was so hypnotic to him. Once she latched onto him with some sort of glance or quip she couldn’t escape his thoughts. Ever since he saw her walk into the club with her gorgeous, sexy outfit, he couldn’t get his mind off of her. Okay Gene, Vincente wants you to take her home. He trusts you. Don’t ruin it… Maybe there’ll be another time in the future.

“Judy, did you drink all of it?”

She tipped the glass vertically up in the air until all the remnants of the liquid were gone. Then, she set it down. “Ahh,” Judy let out a breath. “Yes Gene, I drank it all. Please don’t tell me you’re gonna give me more, because I won’t drink it.”

Gene thought about it. Just one glass of water will be adequate. She’s stubborn anyway. She’ll be fine.

“No, I’m not gonna give you anymore. When did you want to leave?”

“What time is it?”

“12:30.”

“We can stay for another 15 minutes, say our goodbyes, then leave.”

Judy and Gene sat down and socialized for another 15 minutes, saying goodbye to everyone. Their last stop was the bar. Gene also wanted to check on Frank.

Peter walked over to Gene while Judy was going around the circle. “Hey Gene!”

“Hey Pete, we’re heading out, I just wanted to say goodbye.”

“Who’s we?”

“Judy and I.”

“Where’s Vince?”

“He felt a bit under the weather and left early, and Judy wanted to stay. He asked me to take her home.”

“Oh, that’s nice of you. Wish you could stay longer.”

“No, I’ve been wanting to head out myself. I wasn’t wishing for another hangover after what happened last night.”

Peter laughed, remembering the chaos. “Don’t blame ya man. Drive safe.”

“Thanks bud. Also, where’s Frank? Last time I saw him he was pretty gone, just wanted to check on him.”

“Someone took him home, I don’t know who. It was pretty chaotic over here. Now that I remember, you were probably too busy dancing with Judy to notice, I’m assuming. He made a pretty big scene.”

Gene chuckled nervously. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

Peter laughed. “That’s true. Alright man, I’ll see ya,” he shook Gene’s hand and they parted ways. Gene waited for Judy. Finally, she was finished.

“Ready kiddo?”

“Yes,” Judy replied, seemingly a bit tired.

Gene went over to the coat rack to grab her mink coat. Judy followed him and allowed him to put it on for her. As he put it on, he got the perfect view of her back. All he wanted to do at the moment was run his tongue all over it. Stop it, Gene. However, he couldn’t completely control himself. He leaned in close to her neck, letting the pleasant scent of her fill his nostrils.

He whispered into her ear, gently, “After you.”

Judy was a bit startled, but in a pleasant way. She had nervous butterflies. Does Gene feel the same way I do right now? His lips so close to her cheek made her skin tingle, and she felt even more pleasant since she was still quite a bit tipsy. Gene held the door open for her and she walked out.

“Thank you sir.”

Gene bowed playfully, with gratitude. “Anything for the charming, beautiful date I had the privilege to be with tonight.”

Judy giggled, smiling. Gene held his arm out to her, and she locked hers with his. It wasn’t too dangerous of a move, it was only innocent. But they both knew deep inside that this physical touch might trigger something more.

They finally reached Gene’s car. He grabbed his keys and unlocked it, opening the door for Judy. Helping her in the car, she easily sat down. Before he shut the door, he stole a glance at her slim legs and stilettos. He loved her legs.

Opening the door on his side, he plopped down in his seat and started the ignition. He sat there for a moment, realizing he was almost out of gas.

“Fuck,” Gene muttered, annoyed.

“What is it?”

“I gotta get gas. I’m on E.”

“Do you think you can get me home before that?”

“No, I’m sorry, we’re gonna have to go get some.”

Judy didn’t mind. The more time with Gene the better.

“No, it’s totally fine Gene. Besides, I get to spend more time with you.”

Gene raised his eyebrows at her, pointing at himself. “Aren’t you sick of me yet?”

“Never.” Judy flirtatiously responded, tapping his nose with her finger. He loved when she did things like this. But, it only increased the tension between them.

“Are you fit to drive buster?” Judy asked, breaking the silence.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because you were drinking.”

“I drank more water than you and drank less alcohol than you, and you seem fine.”

Judy sat there for a moment, trying to think of what to say. “I’m still a little tipsy, but I feel great. Just in case, how many fingers am I holding up?” Judy held up her two fingers.

Gene laughed at how cute she was. “You know that isn’t a true test Judy. I see your two fingers,” he moved his hand to put her fingers down. His hand was now covering hers, on her lap. When he didn’t move them, Judy slowly intertwined her fingers with his. She gazed at him with nervous excitement but tried to hide it.

“It’d probably work on Frank,” Judy quipped.

“Yes, you’re probably right about that one.”

Gene pulled out of his parking spot, fingers still intertwined with hers. She turned on the radio, and “The Way You Look Tonight” was playing. Gene involuntarily squeezed her hand; it brought him back to the intimate dancing they did only hours before.

“Hey, what do ya know? And it’s Crosby! Turn it up.”

Judy turned up the volume. She felt Gene squeeze her hand moments before. He must really think I look good tonight.

The song ended right when they arrived at the gas station. Gene let go of her hand to turn off the ignition.

“Alright honey, I’ll be just a second.”

While Gene was pumping the gas, Judy’s mind was reeling again. Her gut was telling her something was about to happen, between her and Gene. And she had this sense that Gene was sensing the same thing too.

When Gene finished, he got back into the car and began to drive off. The weather was perfect outside, so he rolled down his window.

“You should roll down yours too.”

Judy began to roll down hers. The cool air hitting her face felt so refreshing. She closed her eyes and delighted in the feeling.

Gene looked over at her, and was happy to see her enjoying herself so much. And she looked so beautiful. The pale glow of the moon reflecting off her face, along with her beautifully shaped side profile… her upturned nose and her lips… Who could resist that?

“Hey, you wanna go stargazing or something?”

Judy opened her eyes wide and turned to Gene. “What?”

“Go stargazing. It’s beautiful outside. We don’t have to for long, but it’s such a clear sky, we can see the stars so clearly. If you want we can lay out on some grass, I have a blanket in my trunk. Or we can just sit in the car. I think we’d have a better view outside the car though.”

Judy contemplated the idea. It does sound lovely… but will Vincente be worried? She honestly didn’t care what he thought but she just didn’t want to start another argument with him. Gene read her thoughts.

“I won’t get you home too late. Besides, it’s only about 1 o’ clock. We don’t have to stay for long.”

Judy’s mind said no, but her heart… and body… said yes. To lay with Gene in the stars was a dream come true.

“I’d love to. And I agree, we’d get a better view on grass or something.” Judy smiled at him bashfully, but full of charm. It went right to Gene’s heart, and also his groin.

“I know the perfect place.”

Gene kept driving for about 5 minutes, until he went over a bridge and they arrived at a park, with surrounding trees and benches. He turned the car off and walked over to open Judy’s door, helping her out. He opened the trunk to grab a blanket.

“There’s one spot where you can see them very well, but we’ll have to walk. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes, but let me just kick off these heels. My feet are killing me.”

Judy playfully kicked her stilettos off, them flying a few feet in front of them. Gene laughed at her silliness. He went over to pick them up for her. “I can carry them for you.”

“Thank you darling.”

Gene led Judy to a patch of forest. Judy felt uneasy. It was pretty dark in there, you could barely see.

“Now we just have to walk through this.”

“What?!” Judy asked him, petrified. “You don’t know what’s in there Gene!”

Gene grabbed her hand assuringly. “Trust me, it’ll be fine. There won’t be any flying monkeys or anything.”

Judy couldn’t help but laugh at his joke, and it put her at ease. “Well, if there is any, I’m letting them take you first.”

“I’m not so sure about that. Maybe some chicken hawk will swoop down on you and carry YOU away.”

“Gene, you’re such a ham,” she playfully hit his chest. The Pirate reference hit them both in the heart. Memories of their romantic rendezvouses flooded back to them. Neither of them knew what was in store for the next few minutes but they were willing to take that chance; they didn’t want to leave each other.

“Okay, be quiet.”

Gene led Judy through the forest for about a minute. The moon lit up the defined trail they walked on, which settled Judy’s nerves. Suddenly, an open field appeared in front of them, revealing the most perfect view of the sky.

“Ahh,” Gene breathed out in success. “What did I tell you?”

“Alright, sorry for not trusting you at first.”

“Apology accepted.”

Gene laid the blanket out on the ground, sat down, and patted it, gesturing for her to sit down. He put her shoes near his feet. Judy came over and sat down next to Gene.

“I’m honestly a little hot, would you help me take this off?”

Gene nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

He grasped the edges of her mink coat, pulling it off, revealing her in that sexy dress again. Shit. Gene could feel his pants starting to bulge. He couldn’t help it. His mind didn’t want to go there… and he didn’t want to do anything with her, out of respect, but just seeing her like this threw away any sort of self control he possessed.

Judy really wasn’t that hot; maybe a bit from the previous alcohol but otherwise she was fine. She knew that Gene was really affected by her outfit. My God, he only complimented me a million times. She wanted him to make a move on her. She missed their intimacy even though it was wrong. But in her heart, and based on the way her body felt, it felt anything but wrong. Butterflies coursed through her stomach.

Gene folded the coat and put it down by her shoes. Judy laid completely down, stretching out. Watching her, he got a full view of her body; from her feet up to her waist and breasts. She’s really trying to make me cave isn’t she? She yawned.

“I could just sit here and sleep, it’s so peaceful.”

“Yes it is,” Gene replied. “And also no one else is here. I kind of got a headache from how loud it was at the Mocambo.”

“I didn’t actually, when we were dancing all the sound seemed to blot out…” Judy looked at him longingly. “It was peaceful for me then, in a different way. It was like I was able to escape all my problems by just swaying with you to the lovely music.”

“Yes, I guess so. I’m glad you felt that way. I felt the same way too, and I confirmed it when we left because Pete told me Frank created a chaotic scene at the bar,” Gene paused, “He ended up leaving, but neither of us noticed. We were too busy… dancing.”

Judy looked at him surprised. “So that’s why we couldn’t say goodbye to him?” She chuckled. “That’s Frankie for ya.” She sat there for a few more moments in silence. “You’re right, we were too distracted.”

Gene leaned back to lay down with her. He kicked his one foot over his other and crossed his arms behind his head, resting peacefully under the starlit sky and crescent moon. They kept stealing glances at each other through the corners of their eyes; the silence increased their tension, but also made it tranquil.

Judy pointed to the left, over Gene. “Isn’t that the Big Dipper?”

Gene's eyes followed in the direction she was pointing. “Yes, good job. And that's Orion,” Gene pointed over her to the right. “See the three stars in a row?”

“Yes,” Judy squinted at it. “I’ve never noticed that one before.”

“Really?”

“No,” Judy continued, “I haven’t done something like this in awhile. I’ve always been so busy and stressed out.” She placed her hand over Gene’s, turned, and gazed into his eyes. “Thank you for taking me here.”

“You’re welcome sweetheart.”

Judy snuggled in towards his chest. Gene’s heart started to beat a million miles per minute. I hope she doesn’t notice. He slowly wrapped his arm around her shoulders, however in a loose manner. They continued to sit in perfect tranquility.

He looked down at Judy. Her breathing was slow and rhythmic, her eyes closed. He noticed her beautiful eyelashes resting against her eyelids. The natural light from the sky lit up her face, accentuating her highlights. The bridge of her cute nose, her cheekbones, and her Cupid’s Bow were even more beautiful than before. Wow.

“Judy?” Gene whispered. No response. “Dorothy? Springtime? Manuela?” Judy stirred and started to smile.

“What’s with you and the picture references?”

Gene chuckled, happy she was awake. “They all bring me back to you.”

“Why do you need to come back to me?”

Judy knew she was making the situation uncomfortable, but what Gene said really stunned her. This almost confirmed that Gene was feeling the same way she was.

Gene sat there in silence, and then sighed. “Darling, memories of you just elate me.”

“What memories?”

Gene almost choked on air. She was really digging into his soul. Not only with her words, but with her pleading eyes.

“Oh, well, there’s so many,” Gene responded slowly, thinking of the right words, “Most recently our last picture.”

Judy inwardly smiled. She knew it now. They felt the same way. Memories of him consoling her, comforting her… pleasuring her, rushed into her mind. And the same thing was happening to Gene.

“You know Gene…” Judy whispered, hardly audible, “I feel the same way.”

Gene exhaled, his heart beating faster now. He couldn’t take it anymore. The tension was too much to bear. He started to lightly stroke her forehead, his hands slowly running through her gorgeous curls.

Judy knew he was flustered; she could practically hear his heart pounding in his chest. His hands running through her locks felt heavenly. She wanted to fall asleep again, but didn’t want to waste the precious moment and opportunity. Inch by inch, she moved up to meet his face; Gene was hypnotized. Her bare moonlit skin contrasted with her black dress. The curve of her hip while she laid on her side so close to him was in his plain view. He felt his hand inching towards it, wrapping up around her back to pull her in closer. They both looked at each other, eyes clouded with anticipation, waiting for the other to do something. Judy wrapped her one arm around his neck, while her other elbow propped her up next to him. Shivers went down Gene’s spine as her slender fingers cradled the nape of his neck.

They didn’t have to say anything. Their touches and gazes said more than words ever could. Judy longed for Gene; with him she could escape reality… but that wasn’t the only reason. He met her every need in the perfect way. She knew he always wanted the best for her, and he did everything in his will power for that to happen. If Judy needed to talk on the phone late at night? He would answer. If she needed comfort on the lot? He would meet her. If she needed backup? He would do his damndest to help her get her way. Did he always understand? No, he didn’t have to. Did he ever say no to her? Never….

They were so close they could feel each other’s breath against each other’s lips. Gene smelled the faint scent of alcohol coming from her… Was it her or the alcohol doing this? As if Judy could tell what he was thinking, the grip she had on his neck became tighter, letting him know this is what she wanted. She leaned her head in, inching closer to Gene’s lips. Gene tried to keep his eyes open, to witness the beauty of her face before she kissed him. Her eyes were closed, lips were parted… for some reason her face wasn’t lit from the moon anymore. It got a lot darker outside; the ambiance was so sensual, full of passion. The thickness in the air, awaiting her kiss, was choking his senses…

Right before Judy met his mouth, a huge boom shook the ground. Judy shrieked. They both immediately sat up. The sky was dark and the moon and stars were blocked by clouds. Rain started to pour on them.

They both came back to reality. “You’re really scared of storms, aren’t you?”

“Hell yes,” Judy replied in confirmation. They made eye contact; they could both see how flustered they were, their chests rising and falling rapidly. “I could tell you about this story that happened when I was little but I don’t feel like boring you with that. We’d better go. My coat is gonna get all wet.”

They both quickly stood up and Judy grabbed her shoes and coat, while Gene folded the blanket.

“Let’s get out of here.”

Gene and Judy ran through the forest, back to the park, and to the car. Gene fiddled with his keys while the rain drenched them. He stuck the key into the keyhole and unlocked the car. Both of them plopped onto the seats, and Gene threw the blanket in the backseat. Trying to catch their breath, they sat there in silence while Gene turned on the car.

“Cold?” Gene breathed.

Judy nodded. Gene turned on the heat, it immediately kicking on. After a minute, Gene took a deep breath and sighed.

“What are the chances of that happening?”

“It didn’t look like it was going to rain at all. It was so clear outside.”

“Maybe it was nature telling us to go home,” Gene chuckled. “What time is it anyway?”

“Don’t know,” Judy glanced at the time on the clock. It was two in the morning.

“As much as I don’t really want to go home… You should take me. It doesn’t seem this late though. Sure your clock’s right?”

“Yeah, it’s right.” Gene put the car in reverse and began to pull out of the park, back onto the road.

It was almost silent the whole car ride. Neither of them looked at each other, they were almost too nervous too. I can’t believe it, Gene thought. They almost started to make out back there, or at least that’s what would’ve happened. Gene wouldn’t have been able to stop himself. Why is it so hard for me to resist her?

Judy’s insides were tingling. She was having the same thoughts. But she honestly didn’t care. She wanted it. She needed it. Why did it have to rain?

Gene turned right onto Judy’s street. Approaching her house, he put the car in park and turned off the ignition. Rain streamed heavily down his windshield and all the windows. They couldn’t even see outside.

“I don’t even want to open the door, I’ll get soaked,” Judy said, defeated.

“You’re already soaked.”

Judy eyed Gene, annoyed. “Not that bad. My hair’s a little messy but otherwise I’m fine. Sitting in here dried me a little bit. I’m not about to go back in that downpour.”

“Suit yourself.”

Gene turned the key in the ignition slightly so they could play the radio and keep the heat on. The awkward silence was terrible.

Judy wanted to break it. “Are you going home after I leave?”

Gene’s rapid thoughts about what had happened in the field were interrupted. “Yes. Tomorrow I wanted to just relax and do stuff at home. I didn’t want to be out super late and I didn’t want to drink a ton, I had a wicked hangover this morning.”

“Oh no, I’m sorry, I’ll let you leave,” Judy turned to reach for the door handle. Gene leaned over and grasped her hand.

“No, Judy, it’s fine,” Gene said quickly. “What I meant was out late drinking. It’s not even that late for me. Don’t worry about it. I don’t want you to get sick going out in that pouring rain right now.”

Judy smiled tenderly at him, intertwining her fingers with his slowly. “No, I need to stop being such a baby. I’ll be fine. I’m tired anyway, and I’m sure you are too. Thank you so much for everything. I’ve had such a wonderful night.”

Gene smiled back at her. She’s so adorable. “Okay, if you insist. Maybe I’ll see you around soon.” He slightly squeezed her hand.

“Yes, I hope so. I’ve haven’t seen you since our last picture. That’s why I like making pictures together… we see each other almost everyday.”

“Yes, we do.”

“Yeah.”

Judy didn’t have anything else to say. She looked around and started to reach for the door handle with her other hand. Gene took the hand he was holding and kissed her knuckles. The sensation sent shivers throughout her body. She tensed a bit; Gene felt it.

“Anything wrong?”

“No, I’m just dreading opening the door.”

“Take your time, whenever you’re ready.”

Judy fiddled with her coat on her lap. Her shoes were drenched on her feet. She was pretty sure her feet were covered in mud and dirt, but she didn’t care. She felt bad for keeping him here, but the last thing she wanted to do was leave. However, it seemed as if there were no other option.

“Okay, I think I’m gonna open the door now.”

“Alright, have a good night Judy.”

Judy turned towards him. She leaned in to give him a friendly hug, then pulled back. With her one hand on his shoulder, she whispered, “Thank you again.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek. His lips lingered against her skin, his hot breath warming her cheek. He felt Judy relax, her fingers less tense in his.

After a few seconds he pulled away from her face. Even though they got drenched a few minutes ago at the park, her makeup still looked perfect, and her hair looked beautifully messy. And her outfit was still sexy.

Judy sighed. “Okay, I’m gonna go now.” She looked out the window, dreading leaving. It started to rain harder; the rain pellets slamming against the car were now deafening.

“Ugh,” Judy groaned quietly.

Gene’s mind was on overdrive. All he wanted to do now was kiss her sweet lips. He didn’t get the chance to when stargazing. Why not now?

“Wait, Judy, you aren’t gonna leave without giving me that kiss back, are you?”

Judy faced him, laughing nervously. “Oh yeah, sorry about that.” She slowly leaned in, tilted her head, and tenderly pecked his lips. It had more of an effect on her than she thought it would; she didn’t want to pull away, but she knew she had to.

“Is that okay?” Judy puffed out against him, suddenly seeing his eyes full of desire. Her face turned blank. Their mouths were only a few inches apart. Even though she only pecked him her mouth was tingling from the feel of his lips.

“No,” Gene breathed softly.

“What?” Judy furrowed her eyebrows at him.

Gene tilted his head a bit and was leaning towards Judy. His arm started to trail around her waist, his lips parted. This time Judy saw his gorgeous face, full of passion, with his sexy scar.  She closed her eyes and parted her lips too.

Gene stopped right before he met her lips, wondering whether or not this was right. It was right. Gene, too eager to think about the consequences, met Judy’s lips with fervor. He heard and felt the vibration of her satisfying groan against him. She let go of his hand and immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer. Thank God the rain was pouring; no one would be able to see clearly inside the car. Yet, no one was probably outside anyway in this weather.

Her mink coat steadily fell on the car floor and she repositioned herself, kneeling on the car seat, Gene doing the same on his side. Gene tugged and pulled against her luscious lips; he was so hungry for them.

“Mmmm,” Gene moaned in response to her passion. She was pulling at his neck, shivers coursing throughout his body. He felt his erection growing. Despite the fact that Judy always turned him on, this time he really felt the love she had for him over the desire; this kiss was filled with feeling, unspoken words, and longing. His heart filled with warmth and giddiness.

Judy was so glad he finally kissed her. She felt his passion and love for her as well through the kiss. It couldn’t be any more perfect. Although she started to get aroused, she felt more emotional than anything else. His lips tugged at hers in sincerity, love, and care.

After making out for about five minutes, they both needed more. Gene felt his hands moving towards her breasts, cupping them through her dress. Judy moaned in reply, leaning into his hands. Then, his hands trailed to her sides, going down towards her ass. She felt him pulling her up off the seat, cupping her bottom. He placed her on top of him. He picked her up as if she were a feather.

Gene leaned the seat back a bit so she wouldn’t beep the horn on accident. He latched onto her for dear life, afraid somehow she might disappear. His hands roamed everywhere; all over her curves, he kneaded her sides, her ass, her breasts. Sparks of arousal shot down between Judy’s legs.

Judy cupped his face, and nudged her tongue into his mouth. He gladly accepted it and passionately intertwined it with hers. He massaged her tongue so sensually, rhythmically, matching the movements with his caresses. He tried to emit every inch of love he had for her through his touch. Judy did the same, running her hands through his hair, down his neck, and along his chest.

Gene pulled back for a second to catch his breath. “I’ve missed you, Judy.”

Judy latched onto his lips again, sucking them between hers. “Trust me, I did too. And it wasn’t just because of this.”

Gene growled against her lips, slowly tracing them with his tongue, then plunging in again. They were getting even more heated even faster. Judy’s hands began traveling towards his groin. But, Gene didn’t want anything further to happen; although he wanted to fuck the daylights out of her, he didn’t want it to be a quickie in the car. He quickly pulled her hands away, intertwining his fingers into hers.

Judy accepted it, but she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold out. Her heart was pounding and her chest was heaving; she felt lightheaded from the tingles she was feeling. She felt her nipples peeking and her center aching. She began to rock against him slowly, brushing over his erection. It felt so good. But, Gene held her still. She whimpered.

“Touch me, Gene,” Judy whimpered pleadingly, grabbing his face, staring into him. “Please.”

Gene was torn. He could barely resist her begging, but he didn’t want to make love to her, for good reason. He was returning her to her husband, and it didn’t feel right when Vincente had his trust. And once again, he didn’t want just a quickie with her at the moment.

He smashed his lips against her once more, silencing her. Then he pulled back. “Judy,” he panted. “I don’t want to have just a quickie in the car.” He leaned in to kiss her neck lovingly. “And I know that you, deep down, wouldn’t want that either.”

Judy sat back for a minute, brushing her sweaty, messy hair out of her face. “Yes, you’re right,” Judy admitted. Her core was aching so bad. “But,” she squeezed his hands pleadingly, “Please touch me. I promise it won’t go any further. I’ve missed having intimacy with you. If you don’t want me to touch you that’s fine, but please, Gene.”

She gave him such an irresistible, seductive, yet innocent look. He thought for a second. Can I control myself? I want to please her… but is it right?

“Are you sure Judy?”

She let go of his hands and pulled at his neck tie, bringing his mouth to hers. “Yesss,” she hissed, wrapping her arms around his neck, leaning into him and meeting his lips. At this point, he couldn’t say no to her.

He ran his hands up and down her sides, then flipped her around. She sat on his lap, leaning back against him. Hands hovering her breasts, he started to circle her peaks. Judy couldn’t help but lean her head back against his shoulder, relishing in pleasure. She let out a moan.

“Yes Gene,” Judy puffed out. She ran her one hand behind his neck, rubbing it. Then, he took one hand away from her breast and lightly brushed the outline of her arm and side with his fingertips, back and forth. He knew she loved this kind of touch.

Judy’s senses were on overdrive. His touch made her shiver with pleasure, but made her heart full of warmth.

Gene planted wet kisses and licks onto her neck and he continued to touch her rib cage and then down to her navel. He got the perfect view of her body, in the sexy black dress she was wearing; it was almost too much to bear. Even though he loved it, he wanted to rip it right off. Hands trailing down to her hips, he loved the little sounds of anticipation she was making.

“Please Gene,” Judy begged. “More.”

His hands approached her legs, running his hands up and down her thighs. Each movement up he pulled up her dress even more, so he could have access to her inner thighs and center. He could feel her breathing in short, shallow breaths. She tensed up a bit as he met her inner thighs.

“Relax Judy,” Gene whispered into her ear, biting her earlobe. “You wanted this, so just take it in.”

He ran his palms along the upmost part of her inner thighs, touching where her thighs met her sex. Her dress was far enough up now to where he could touch her most intimate spot. His hand hovered her core.

Judy was throbbing by this point. She couldn’t control her breathing. Being intimate with Gene was different compared to any other man she was with; even her husband. Vincente and her lost their spark a while ago, mostly after she had Liza. Despite that, Gene always made her feel something no other man did. He put pleasing her and tending to her needs first. She felt so free and sexy with him; she never restrained herself. Just a touch from him could heighten her senses, when a touch from anyone else would feel like nothing.

Gene lightly touched her mound through her panties. Then, his hand went down further. He felt how wet she was; she was soaked through the cotton fabric. He felt his erection grow even more. Judy moaned at his touch, and the fact that she could feel his erection pressing against her bottom.

“Baby,” Gene growled in response. He pulled his hand away and then gripped the hem of her pantries, slipping his hand inside. He collected her arousal on his fingers and began to rub her pearl in intimate circles.

“Gene,” Judy moaned into his ear. He kissed her neck slowly, letting his lips linger.

“Yes?”

“Don’t stop.”

Gene kept at it, running his fingers up and down her slick folds. He felt her melting into him more and more as he circled her bud. He took his free hand and ran it up to her breast, circling it through her dress, in a rhythm matching his caresses on her core. Judy sighed in pleasure, running her hands along his neck and into his hair. The continued rain pelting on the car was deafening, but Gene and Judy were so focused on each other that the sound drowned out.

Gene continued his caresses, running his lips along her cheek. Her face looked beautiful; she looked angelic. Her lips were parted, and her eyes were closed. She had the most perfect face shape.

He moved his leg a bit under her to spread her legs wider. She felt even more euphoric than before. She thought she’d die from the sensations. Gene started to move his fingers faster; he felt her get even more soaked and swollen.

Looking down at her, he saw her brows starting to furrow. He made his caresses even faster, and he felt Judy lean even more against him. Wanting to kiss her when she came, he pressed his lips into her, slipping his tongue inside. He felt her tense up; he knew it was time.

Judy was sweating so bad; he made her feel so good. And his lips on hers triggered her orgasm; a wave of pleasure flooded her senses, until it kept coming in more waves. She moaned loudly into his mouth, her hands gripping onto him for dear life. He continued to caress her nipple and her bud, faster now, helping her ride out her orgasm. She involuntarily jerked her bottom against his pelvis. Gene almost came from her movements, and her contractions near his finger. She looked so sexy; her sounds made it even better.

Judy was finally sated, and she let out a sigh. Gene removed his hands from her.

“Aching anymore?”

Judy shook her head.

“I could tell how horny you were.”

Judy laughed weakly. “Well, you do something to me, darling, that no one else can.”

“Same here.”

Judy met her lips with his once more. You couldn’t fit a sheet of paper between them, their bodies melted together. Gene’s erection was ever-growing, but he didn’t want her to do anything. He thought it would be best to let her leave… even though he was in agony.

Almost instantly, the rain settled down, and the car became visible inside again. It was the perfect signal for her to leave. Gene gently pushed her chest, moving her away from him.

“Alright Judy, you better go.” He glanced over at his clock. It was 3 am. Judy eyed it too.

“Holy shit, time flies.”

“Yes, when you’re with someone you love.”

Judy smiled warmly at his comment. She met his lips again once more in a tender kiss, then she moved off of him back into the passenger seat. She grabbed her coat off the floor.

“Thank you again Gene. I had a lovely night.”

“The pleasure is mine,” Gene grabbed her hand and kissed her palm.

Judy noticed his prominent erection bulging through his pants before she got out of the car. She giggled.

“What?”

“I’m sorry about… that.”

She pointed to his groin. Gene looked down and laughed.

“Don’t worry about it honey.”

“I’ll be returning the favor next time,” Judy replied, raising her eyebrow at him with suggestion.

“Sounds good to me.”

Judy leaned in once more and pecked him on the lips. “Okay, I hope to see you soon.”

“Me too,” Gene replied smiling, turning on the ignition. Judy grasped the door handle and opened the door, getting out of it slowly. She looked at him.

“Goodbye, Gene.”

“Goodbye, Judy.”

[theodora3022]

Bloody Rose(Sebastian Michaelis x Vampire F!reader)

Request: Sabastian with a female vampire s/o? Can be yandere or not! You choose.

Notes: I made this in headcanons form and I’m typing on mobile during witching hours, so bear with me dear anon-

I decided to go with fluff since I am in a soft mood today~~

Warnings: Fluff, mentions of blood

To others, you were a tailor owning a small haute couture shop, a spinster who make her living by making outfits. But they won’t know you been doing this since the Georgian times.

You move from county to county, around England every decade or so, to avoid suspension. Luckily no vampire hunters has ever been on your tail: you consider yourself as a good subject to the crown despite being a blood drinker. You only consume animal blood, which made you a harmless vegetarian. Being a forever maiden is not unpleasant by any means, apart from being banished from sunlight. You miss being able to run around in the sun freely. When you do go out during a sunny day you cover yourself in fabric as much as possible, resulting you with overly pale skin.

Contrary to common belief, you slept until the afternoon, opening up the store even during the day. You had forced yourself to change your biological routine to fit in the human society. Although your bed resembles a traditional coffin in shape, it is never an actual one. The mirrors in your shop were not backed by silver, so you can still see your reflections.

You happened to be at late Victorian London when a mysterious murderer decides to drain the blood of thier victims like a vampire would, how unfortunate.

You were one of the suspects, so Sabastian and his lord were obligated to pay you a visit. Although they did not put you as priority to begin with: you never done things like this. 

You welcomed them to your store with a polite smile and warm greetings, as any good saleswoman would. 

Ever since transforming, you had not drank a drop of human blood. However, you can still smell the scent of their blood even through skin. It feels like...a natural perfume to you, to describe it at best. Some are sweeter then others, like tempting sweet delights, and you had to make sure you are well fed before going near them. 

That little lord’s blood is sweet and tempting. The butler, however, his blood just...is that even blood? You thought to yourself. It reminds you of the mighnight, danger lurking underneath the peaceful surface.This man is no ordinary human, you can sense that much. You had never delt with a demon before, therefor your knowledge is rather limited, only from books and theaters. 

Vampires are demons are cut from the same cloth, in a way right? Both can only venture in the shadows for eternity, trying to get by without being slain by those self righteous dastards. Sebastian had met some of your kind over the centuries, albiet none of them are as lovely as you are. You still act like a young human woman, if not for your overly pale skin you would be considered as normal. He wonders what made you this way, as all vampires, save a selected few, are humans before something happened. You seem like a kind lady, not one of those blood-hungry lowlifes he had seen before. 

You showed Ciel your collection, took his measurements when he demanded, never flinching away from the young lord’s cold attitude. When you went into the inner chamber to retrive more material choice, Ciel decided you are most likely not the murderer they are looking for, and Sebastian agrees. There is not a single scent of human blood on you or anywhere in sight, as demons can smell such things even one uses the finest soap to cover the traces.  Even though you are a vampire, if you are harmless to others Ciel is not intersted in fighting you(he has a demon for butler, so?).

“But she is a fine tailor, right milord? Maybe you can just make this a normal shopping trip.” What an unsual person you are, thought Sebastian. He might just take a little more time to observe you. It has been forever since he met another immortal being that does not irritates him.

“Very well. This would not be a complete waste of time then. I need a new suit for the social season anyway.” The young man tsked.

When they asks you to deliver the order yourself, you were hesitant about going outside. Your ususal customers send their servents to collect their orders, as you insisted so. You know what sunburns can do to you, but they offered you a down payment you cannot refuse. It is a risk you are willing to take. Even vampires needs gold to survive, if you do not wish to massacre humans for food.

The moment you stepped onto the estate, covered in a long hooded cloak and gloves, you can sense great calamity has occured in this location rather recently. But that is none of your concerns, the customer’s private life is nothing to pry about.

The servents...they are an odd flock, to say the least. They might seem clumsy or even impotent, but you know that butler knows better then to hire three imbeciles.  

After you made your delivery, Sebastian insists on you staying for the afternoon tea. You wanted to decline, since normal food has been tasting like wet paper ever since that awful day, but you find it hard to say keep saying no to such a comely man. He is the most goregous male you ever seen, and you say that as an immortal. The term “devilishly handsome” is like a tailor made suit for him. 

To your surprise, you can faintly taste the refreshement’s fruity flavours. When you were human yourself you have always loved food, missing it much when all you can taste is blood. So you helped yourself to quite a few tarts and biscuits, not knowing the demon had added special ingredients just for your vampire taste buds. You were so focused on your plate that you missed Sebastian’s calculating smile. 

That esclated rather quickly, soon you found yourself promising to tailor more clothes for Earl Phantomhive, therefore being on their premise more. 

Sebastian would always treat you to a plate of mouth-watering refreshments before you depart. Soon you find yourself answering his somewhat intrusive questions, as it is only fair to give him some compensation for those delicious treats.

The questions are surfaces ones at first. What is your favorite color or your preferred weather. Then to more personal territory, such as the reason behind your spinsterhood or what in a man that attracts you the most. You would blush madly, a feeling you have not felt in years fills your empty soul, and tell him your little answers.

How endearing. Compare to werewolves who behaves like canines, vampire leans closer to the feline side. You reminds Sebastian greatly of the black cat he encountered last spring. Your nonchalant and cheerful attitude are identical to the lovely creature. Oh and how he loves petting her soft fur. He wonders how your hair would feel under his hands. He initially might just be curious of how an odd vampire you are, but now the demon had found you to be quite an entertaining presence.

It has been so long since you had any friends, so you opened up to him quickly, disregarding the risks. You even revealed your identity to the man in black after he swears on his heart to not tell a soul. 

“My entire family was slaughtered by venegeful vampires. My father used to work as a vampire hunter for the mad King, therefore he made enemies of many. Ironically I survived, only to found out I turned into this. A creature who can only hide in the shadows forever. I swore I would never be like those blood suckers, I would never kill someone just to saitate my blood lust. Thank you Sabastian, for all those delicious cakes. They made me feel human agian once more. Also thank you for listening to my rambles, it has been so many years I confided in someone.” So you where a noble lady once. That is where your fine but antiquated manners originates from.

What a calamity you had suffered, yet you remain strong and lighthearted nonetheless. Moving from place to place, afraid to be burnt for your youthful appearance.You deserve to be cherished as the treasure you cleary are. No more hiding and running, not if he can help it.

You gladly accepted Lord Phantomhive’s offer to serve as the household’s tailor, the pay is generous and working for one person greatly reduce the risk of being discovered. Plus you get to spend more time with your new friend Sebastian! It is an offer you cannot turn down.

Sebastain is in a contract right now, but Ciel could only live so long. Prior to meeting you, he never thought about the future after his contract is completed. He imagined the two of you traveling across the European contient as friends, or something more, for the rest of your infinate lives. He has always been alone whenever he was not in a contract with humans, but the idea of being with someone forever is rather appealling to the demon. 

Even though he does not let his emotions discract him from his duties, you can still feel how he smiles whenever you enter the room. You would curl up your lips jovially in return, sometimes even teases him for having a charming smile. 

For now, Sebastian would be your good friend, always lend an ear to you for anything, or offer his shoudler should you need it, as long it does not get in the way of his duties to his liege. But who knows what would happen after the contract is completed? The world is yours to explore, with infinate amount of time, with him by your side.

[angelinasway]

Regaining Hope

Pairing: Clark Kent/Buffy Summers

Warnings/Triggers:Torture, Violence, Mention's of Major Character Death, Bad Language, Sexual Tension, Eventual Smut

Summary: Takes place during Man of Steel. When Buffy discovers the U.S Military trying to keep quiet about an object buried in a twenty thousand year old glacier, she immediately thinks the worst. However, when a surprise visit to the Canadian Arctic puts her in the path of a mysterious stranger her whole world is changed forever.

[TTH]  [AO3] [FFN]

Authors Notes: I should first say that this takes place about eight and a half years after the first arc of the Season 8 Buffy Comics, however I’m only using aspects of cannon. The back story will not follow the comics as you will be able to see pretty quickly in this chapter. Secondly, I actually really do love Lois so please don’t bash me for being self-indulgent by wanting to see my two favorite Superheroes get together. I can promise you all that there will be no Lois bashing in this fic. Thirdly, as far as Clark’s story goes it follows Man Of Steel so if you’ve seen the movie you know his story. Thanks for giving this a chance I hope you all enjoy reading. Also thank you to my wonderful beta Hipkarma for giving this chapter a look for me. Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Chapter One

Buffy lurched as the helicopter made touchdown onto the ice. She closed her eyes briefly, mentally preparing herself for what was sure to be a battle of wills between her and one Colonel Hardy. She hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting him yet, but just by his photo she could tell he was going to be a pain in the ass. There wasn’t much love lost between the Watchers Council and the U.S military. Not since Maggie Walsh and the Initiative, and certainly not since General Voll. The Governments of the world as a whole always seemed to have a really bad habit of sticking their noses in things they just didn't understand, hence why she was here in the freezing Canadian Arctic in the first place. Willow had created a program that had been monitoring all military chatter since Voll decided to commandeer Amy and a skinlessly resurrected Warren to attack the W.C. Headquarters in Scotland. That had been almost ten years ago, and since then Buffy had been dealing with countless other countries attempting to harness power or create weapons out of a force that they just didn’t seem to understand could never be controlled. The U.S however, had managed to keep their noses pretty clean since General Voll, even going as far as to work with her and ask for her help when needed. That’s why it was such a surprise to find out that they had found something buried in the snow that predated civilization and were trying to keep it under wraps. Especially from the W.C. And to make matters worse, she was just coming off a week-long mission from hell. Just last week she caught Russia restarting their subspecies research facility and when the shit had finally hit the fan, she had been forced to send in a team resulting in the deaths of two of her girls. After that, she and Wesley had spent the next day getting a hold of the girl’s families, which of course left her holding a big-ol-bag of guilt and the nightmares and sleepless nights to go along with it. So, to say she was cranky and pissed to hear about the U.S. keeping stuff from her would have been an understatement. She was furious! However, she was also willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that maybe this actually wasn’t her jurisdiction. The Helicopter door slid open pulling her from her mental preparation. She blinked when her eyes met a pair of startlingly brilliant blues, surrounded by a handsomely rugged face, and scruffy beard. A green baseball cap adorned his head, hiding what she assumed from the few strands that were messily poking out of the brim was hair so brown it was almost black. He was probably somewhere in his mid-twenties, though on second inspection his eyes held the maturity of someone closer to her age. “Here let me help you.” He said loudly, so his voice could be heard over the whirling of the propeller and the grind of the engine. He held out a large gloved hand as she undid her seat belt and stood on unsteady legs. Her own gloved hand reaching for the strangers. As soon as her hand touched his however, she gasped, almost recoiling in fear, her inner Slayer rearing her head at the sudden sensation of power. And wow, was it powerful. She had never sensed anything like what was behind this man’s strong grip in all her years of slaying. It didn’t feel mystical in nature and it certainly wasn’t demonic. It was almost foreign, as if it didn’t belong here. Strength knew strength however, no matter where it originated from and her Slayer sensed him with a voraciousness that she had never experienced before. She felt a bit light headed and weak kneed by the sensation, and she had to shake her head to clear it of the roaring in her ears. Her eyes shot to his, widening in bewilderment and for a split second he had the look of a dear caught in the headlights. It was gone the next instant though, and a mask of a charmingly shy and unassuming guy replaced it. ‘Quick reflexes then, and someone who’s used to hiding in plain sight.’ The look worked well on him and she admired the quick cover. Only someone who had been living a double life could pull off a cover like that. Regardless of her admiration though, she needed to know if this guy was a threat or not. Especially with the way her Slayer was chomping at the bit and her heart pounding in her ears. So, she squeezed his hand slightly harder than she’d ever dare on someone human, just to let him know he wasn’t the only one standing there that was something other. It had the desired effect, though the fact that he didn’t wince was a little unnerving. His eyes shot to hers as she passed him, an innocent mixture of awe, curiosity, and fear burning in his irises. She knew then. He was no threat to her. The eyes were the windows to the soul and there was no doubt this man or whatever he was, had one. Plus, there was no way anyone could pull off a look that full of innocence if they had nefarious intentions. She removed her hand, breaking the overstimulation to her senses. She tried her best to cover what she had just felt by giving him a brilliant smile and winking conspiratorially. “Normally I would be worried about anyone carrying my bags considering how heavy they are, but something tells me it’s not gonna be a problem with you.” “Buffy Summers?” A new voice asked, distracting her from her assessment of Mr. Tall, Dark, and Muscular. She turned to meet the kind eyes of another man not much older than herself. "Hi." She said in greeting, reaching her hand out to shake. "Jed Eubanks, Arctic Cargo, nice to finally meet you, Miss Summers." Buffy raised an eyebrow in surprise, side eyeing Mr. Powerful for any reaction. "You heard of me?" She asked, watching the stranger’s reaction. When all she got was a look of curiosity and befuddlement her hackles finally lowered enough to completely believe that whatever or whoever he was didn’t have to do with her being here. Eubanks grinned, commanding her full attention as he said, “Little more than that, I was stationed in Afghanistan about five years ago. My chopper went down near Baghaln.” Buffy winced. “I remember that, a terrorist organization had commissioned hellhounds and were feeding their hostages to them.” “Saw you fighting that day.” He nodded. “Never seen anything like it in my life.” He paused, almost as if he was gathering up the courage to continue. “I was next in line you know, if it wasn’t for you and yours, I’d have been dog chow. I never got the chance to thank you for saving my life Miss Summers.” Buffy smiled softly at the man. It had been a while since she’d been thanked so sincerely. She linked her arm with his. “Call me Buffy, I’m sure I’m gonna have Miss Summers shouted at me enough today to give me flashbacks of high school.” Eubanks laughed. “Well, least you know you got one person rooting for you.” Buffy’s eyes traveled back to the mysterious stranger, who had been watching them with rapt attention. Questions, fear, and confusion still simmering in his eyes. She imagined it was very much similar to the look she was giving him, curiosity brimming over like an over flowing stream. She gave him a small nod of acknowledgment, hoping he understood it was her way of saying they would speak later, before she turned back to Jed and plastered on a huge smile. “Now show me where this camp is. The sooner I get this over with, the happier I’ll be.”

******

Clark watched the young blonde woman walk away with Jed, his heart galloping in his chest. She knew. Somehow, she was able to sense he was different. Part of him was horrified at the prospect of her walking into the basecamp below and announcing to the entire camp what and who he was. It was an old fear, one that had guided him and comforted him on cold lonely nights. If he just kept disappearing, no one would ever know the truth. Another part of him however, was beyond curious about her. How could she sense him like that, was she an alien too? When she squeezed his hand earlier it hadn’t hurt, but had he been a normal man it very well may have fractured a bone or two, and he doubted she just went around breaking people’s bones for the fun of it. No, she had definitely been testing his strength, which begged the question, how did she get hers? The military seemed to know her pretty well however, and even Jed himself had encountered her five years ago in Afghanistan. Which almost seemed impossible, because she really didn’t look much older than twenty-two. God, she was beautiful though, with those bright green eyes that looked older and far more tired than someone her age should be allowed to be. She was just the kind of girl he would have only dreamed of asking out when he was younger. He shook his head, finally forcing his eyes away from her retreating form, but keeping his hearing locked on her until he was sure he wouldn’t have to make a sudden and quick exit. He reached for the two duffle bags she brought with her, the first one pretty light and obviously full of clothes and toiletries. The second one however, was quite heavy and when he heard the sound of metal clanging against metal, he did a quick scan of the items in her bag and almost recoiled in shock. It was like a medieval arsenal in there, three sharp looking swords, a wicked looking red and silver axe, six daggers, four sharp looking wooden stakes, two flasks filled with some type of fluid, a cross, two pistols, a shotgun, and a pair of night vision goggles. ‘Who is this girl!’

******

“Colonel Hardy I presume.”  Buffy said with a saccharine smile, holding out her hand to shake. Not at all surprised when he didn’t return the greeting. She then turned to the elderly gentlemen to his right. Her smile softening in recognition. “Dr. Hamilton, how many times do we have to run into each other before I can convince you to ditch these macho elitists and come work for me.” “Miss Summers, always a pleasure.” He said with an amused smile, side eyeing Hardy’s annoyed frown. “I wasn’t aware that you had clearance for this project?” Colonel Hardy said a little too arrogantly.   Buffy’s smile grew, oh she was going to love putting this man in his place. “Oh, you wouldn’t, orders went through about,” She looked at her watch. “thirty minutes ago. You should probably be getting a call from General Swanwick any minute now.” Just as predicted, a young soldier came through the door the next second and Buffy couldn’t help the smug smile that crossed her lips. "Sir, General Swanwick is on SATCOM." It was immediate. The look of self-assurance morphed into pure annoyance within the span of mere seconds, and it was worth every bit of discomfort she was sure to receive in the next few days of her stay. Sure enough, Hardy did not disappoint. He excused himself and as he passed the officer he said, "Please ready Miss Summers accommodations and make sure they're as sparse as possible." Buffy chuckled in amusement, looking at Dr. Hamilton with a conspiratorial twinkle. "If he thinks making me crap in a bucket is gonna offend my delicate sensibility, he's mistaken." The Doctor chuckled, "I wasn't aware you had a delicate bone in your body Miss Summers." She snorted, "I hide it well." Her eyes then traveled to the scientific equipment obviously used for monitoring the anomaly. "So why don't you bring me up to speed on this find of yours, before Hardy comes back and attempts to make my life a living hell." Dr. Hamilton shook his head, leading her over to a computer screen with what looked to be a satellite image. "You do seem to enjoy ruffling their feathers." “Well, what can I say, never been much of a fan of authoritarianism. Also, not exactly easy to trust an entity that’s tried to have you killed more than once.” Buffy said, as she leaned over to get a better look at the dark blob like shape covered by layers of snow and ice. “So, what am I looking at? An Old Ones sarcophagus?” “We don’t believe its demonic in origin.” Dr. Hamilton stated. Buffy frowned in confusion, “But weren’t the samples of ice taken around the object more than twenty thousand years old? If it’s not demonic, what the hell do you think it is?” “A vessel Miss Summers,” Colonel Hardy said, walking back in the room. “A vessel not of this world.” Buffy blinked and turned around. “When you say not of this world, I’m assuming you mean…” Hardy’s smirk was patronizing. “That’s right Miss Summers, extraterrestrials. A spaceship. A topic I might add, that you know absolutely nothing about.” Buffy rolled her eyes, “Oh, as if you do.” “I know more than you Miss Summers.” Hardy responded indignantly. Buffy snorted in derision, her lip curling at this man’s stupidity. “So, what happens if you dig this thing up and you’ve got a violent alien that’s been sleeping in stasis for the last twenty thousand years?” Buffy shook her head. “Furthermore, I’ve seen Alien. What if the aliens inside crash landed on earth because a giant fucking Xenomorph is inside?” “I can assure you Miss Summers we’re taking every…” Buffy threw her arms in the air. Finally losing her patience. It looked like she was the one who was actually going to be doing the yelling today. This was just so typical, as if she didn’t have enough on her plate with Russia and Sudan creating their own Initiative-like secret facilities. “The fuck you are!” She shouted. “See this is the problem with you guys,” she pointed. “This is what happens, this is always what happens!” She started to pace, her fists clenched at her sides, uncaring of the sudden wary looks she was receiving by both Dr. and Colonel, as well as the few other scientists and soldiers in the room. “You discover something…for instance that demons and monsters exist, and instead of just killing it or leaving it the hell alone, you gotta study it, dissect it, see how it works, until eventually you’re trying to harness its power for yourselves!” She shook her head in disgust, “And do you wanna know who always has to clean up the mess? Me,” She pressed her fist against her chest, “It’s always me.” Her voice softened then, a sigh whistling between her teeth as her eyes locked on both a flabbergasted Dr. Hamilton and Colonel Hardy. Okay, maybe she went a little to far there. It wasn’t exactly fair to blame them for the previous week. “It’s not…If I was only dealing with this kinda stuff once in a while I wouldn’t be so cranky. I apologise for insinuating anything about anyone in this room.” She shook her head. “It’s just every single country on earth has their fingers in the demonic cesspool one way or another and I’m getting really sick of doing damage control on top of all my other Slayer duties, not to mention the lovely annual apocalypse that never really takes a vacation. Throw aliens in the mix now and the fact that I haven’t slept very well in a week and yeah, Buffy’s stress level just hit a new high.” Colonel Hardy’s disposition seemed to soften slightly at her words and he stepped forward, “I heard about Russia and am very sorry for your loss.” He sighed, “But we aren’t them, Miss Summers. I’m willing to play ball. Please let me be the first to promise, if we find anything that could be deemed even slightly dangerous as far as alien lifeforms go, we will hand it over to you immediately, without question.” She chewed on his words for a moment, figuring this was the best she was going to get as far as cordial cooperation went, and figured she throw out an olive branch so he knew she really wasn’t trying to step on his toes. “Yeah,” Buffy agreed, sighing with a nod. “Yeah, okay. And if it’s really just a ship I have no problem with giving you free rein on any alien technology you find. Just…just do me a favor, don’t make me regret this by killing us all with it.” Hardy cracked a smile then, “Alright Miss Summers, I think I can agree to that.” And surprisingly enough, he held out his hand to make it official.

****

Clark was more than impressed with the young woman who had pretty much wormed her way into his heart without her even knowing it. She was feisty as all hell; he'd heard her entire conversation and had been caught chuckling to himself a few times. Considering how quiet and reserved he normally was, the other guys on the crew were probably thinking he'd gone insane. There were a few things that were talked about that confused him however. Like her speaking about demons and monsters like they exist. Though, considering the fact that he existed, he wasn't all that surprised there could be something out there that was possibly a greater threat than even himself. He was just surprised he'd never run into anything of the sort before, especially considering how long he'd been traveling. Then again, he never really actively sought out situations where he was a savior, those situations usually just kind of found him. Buffy however, spoke as if she had been doing these types of things regularly for years. So much so, that not only was the military aware of her, but they had deemed her a threat on more than one occasion. He could certainly relate to that, for he knew if they had any idea of what he could do, they would do everything in their power to either try and kill him or use him as a weapon. And that was something Clark absolutely refused to have happen. It not only would disgrace his father’s memory, but it would spit on the very sacrifice John Kent made for him. When he was younger, he always thought that the fear his father sometimes wore on his face was because his father was afraid of him. It was one of the things that had led to the words he used the day his dad died. He remembered how frustrated he was that day; his father was being so stubborn about letting him go to college. He remembered thinking it was because his dad wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on him anymore. That he was so afraid of his son hurting someone…that he would never let him leave Smallville. Then that tornado hit, tearing Clark’s entire world to shreds and he was never able to tell his dad he didn’t mean what he said. It was his father’s sacrifice that finally made him realize that all that fear and distrust he saw etched in his dad’s eyes was never directed at Clark at all. His father had always trusted him, it was mankind that he was so afraid of. So, revealing himself to the world was absolutely out of the question. However, for the first time in Clark’s entire life, he felt he might have someone else he could trust enough to confide in. The simple fact that she hadn’t told anyone what she suspected about him was almost enough to make him trust her. The fact that she didn’t want the military to get their hands on an alien, for fear of what they would use it for and the harm it could cause to the human race also helped greatly in making him want to trust her. She was incredibly cautious about how they should go about unearthing the vessel and spoke of bringing in a witch friend of hers to put a ward around it in case there was something dangerous inside. It truly was a sound plan; it would let them be able to open the ship without accidentally releasing some deadly creature or virus by mistake. It’s also the reason he was now changing his plans of waiting a few days before he went in search of the ship. He hadn’t known magic existed until a few minutes ago and he had no idea if he was vulnerable to it or not. He didn’t think so, but he sure as hell wasn’t willing to stick around and find out. As much as he agreed with Buffy’s plan and admired her caution, he knew in his gut that this might be his only opportunity to find out where he came from. Something deep inside of him told him that the answers he sought were on that ship. He dropped the bags off at her trailer after Jed had informed him which belonged to her, noticing how sparse the accommodations were. Just like Colonel Hardy had ordered. There was only a cot, blanket, pillow, space heater, and sure enough in the corner was a bucket and a roll of toilet paper. He shook his head in amusement, apparently this was not the first time she was forced to rough it. He could hear her and Colonel Hardy heading this way, discussing the ship and what other precautions might be taken to ensure that no one would get hurt. On an absolutely and unexpected whim, Clark pulled out the notepad he’d been keeping in the inside pocket of his jacket and wrote down the first thing that popped in his head. He didn’t know what made him do it, and he hoped she didn’t take it the wrong way. The poem was called “I am” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, and he didn’t really remember the entire thing, but the first verse had stuck with him. He quickly ripped the sheet of paper off the spiral, folding it, and tucking the sheet under her bag where just the edge could be seen. He stuffed the notepad and pen in his back pocket, getting to the door just as they were walking up. Their eyes found each other’s immediately, the intensity of her gaze sending an electric shock up his spine, his heart speeding up. God, those eyes of hers were like the color of the fields around the farm in spring. She raised an eyebrow in question at him but he just smiled politely and held the door open for her and the Colonel to pass as he slid by and down the steps. She followed his gaze and he found himself completely turning and walking backwards a few steps, before forcing himself to break contact and walk away. He was going to go talk to Jed, see if he could learn more about her. Plus, his shift was almost up and twilight was approaching. Soon it would be time.

******

When his gaze broke from hers it was like having a bucket of ice water doused on an over heated system. She stood there watching him walk away, her heart pounding in her chest, a loud rush of air she hadn’t even realized she was holding breaking from her lungs. Her nerves still tingled from the heat she felt in his gaze, and she was startled to realize she hadn’t had a reaction like that to the opposite sex in a very long time. Hell, she wasn’t quite sure she ever had a reaction like that, at least not one she remembered. She shook her head, turning back to the Colonel, only to notice he hadn’t missed the staring contest either. She thought he looked amused, but wasn’t quite sure. “Something I need to know about?” Buffy rolled her eyes, “I’m a red-blooded female. I’m allowed to notice a good-looking man when I see one.” The Colonel hummed, his green eyes accusatorily sizing her up. “Seems like he noticed you too.” Buffy’s eyebrows shot up and she frowned. “What exactly are you implying, Hardy?” “Just making sure you didn’t send a spy in close to gather information.” He answered seriously, eyeing her warily, as if she would do something like that so unnecessarily. She rolled her eyes, laughing at the absurdity of that statement. “Colonel, if I were to do something like that it would only be if I felt I was in danger, and I can guarantee it would be another Slayer and not some well-built, redneck, with puppy eyes. No one but the W.C. and the General knew I was coming, why would I risk the little bit of leeway I knew I would gain by showing up unexpectedly, and ruin it by having a spy already in your midst’s. Please do give me some credit.” Hardy shrugged unapologetically, leaning against the wall, “I still don’t understand how your people figured out about the find when we’ve only known about it for a week.” “Oh, so that’s what this is.” She said, raising an eyebrow and looked around the almost empty trailer. He smirked, “That’s what this is.” She shrugged, it didn’t really matter to her if he knew or not. She wouldn’t be sharing the technology no matter how much he tried to intimidate her. Not that she would actually be able to explain it anyway. “A friend of mine created a program that relies heavily on magic to monitor, decode, translate, and record when certain phrases or words are used in any and all military or government communication around the globe.” The Colonel’s eyes sharpened and she watched as his jaw clenched, a vein popping out on his forehead. “And I don’t suppose you’d be willing to share that little piece of technology would you.” Buffy shook her head, “Absolutely not. I’m not helping you war with other countries.” “And you call yourself some sort of hero.” He said snidely, heavy condemnation in his voice. “Do you have any idea how much something like that could help us?” Buffy froze, her back stiffening at his implications. She turned to him, her lips pursed and eyes as sharp as daggers. “It’s my job Colonel, to protect humanity. All of it.” She said, voice trembling just above a whisper in pure rage. “It is not my job to get involved with petty wars that mean very little when every year there’s some demon who gets the idea in his head to destroy every single one of us.” She pointed to the door, “I think its time for you to go now. Sun’s setting anyway, I hear it can get forty degrees below zero some nights.” Hardy frowned and opened his mouth as if to say more, but decided against it. Instead, he said, “Good night Miss Summers, will speak more about this tomorrow.” She stopped him with a hand on his arm, “No we really won’t. Despite what you may think, I’m not trying to hoard technology so I can be some kinda all-knowing God and rain judgment down on everyone. It’s the whole reason its only designed to pick out key words and phrases. I don’t want to know everything, but magic in the wrong hands is the most dangerous thing on this planet. It’s more dangerous than any demon I’ve ever faced or any God.” She sighed, removing her hand. “Trust me when I say, science will get there, you don’t need magic to move it along.” His frown deepened, before he seemed to sigh in defeat. He nodded once, then left her trailer without a word. Buffy sighed, hoping that was the end of that. She really didn’t want to have to keep explaining herself. She walked over and sunk down on the cot, reaching for the lighter of her bags and pulling out her satellite phone. She called Wesley first, knowing he would be waiting up for her to check in. She gave him a brief description of what had happened so far, leaving out the mystery man for fear of making him worry when he already had so much on his plate. Wesley agreed that Willow should be the one performing the warding spell around the ship, and agreed to make the necessary travel arrangements. Her next phone call was to Willow herself, and she smiled at the cheery voice that picked up. “Is the Arctic as cold as they say?” Buffy chuckled, “Yeah Wills, its pretty cold.” Then added, “But don’t worry, you’ll be experiencing it soon enough.” She could hear the frown on the other end of the phone, before an irritated whine escaped her friend’s lips. “But I don’t wanna go to the Arctic, you know how much I hate the cold.” Buffy chuckled, “Yes, but apparently they think they found a spaceship and we need you and your magical-witchy-talents to make sure no hibernating Xenomorphs escape and wreak havoc amongst the populous.” There was a long still silence, before the expected giddy meltdown on the other side of the phone. She heard a squeal of delight, before several vowels that sounded suspiciously like they should have been words. Buffy chuckled, “Breathe Willow, oxygen is of the good.” There were several panting breaths before, “Gods, Buffy do you know what a find like this could mean for us? The technology alone could help…” “Hold your horses there, Wills.” Buffy interrupted. “I already promised the U.S. that they could have the ship.” “Wait, what?” Willow protested. “Buffy if it hadn’t been for Voll joining up with Amy and Warren, those two would have never gotten powerful enough to join up with…” “I know Willow,” Buffy said, cutting her off before that train of thought could even be realized. “I’m just saying, why should we trust them when they’ve put us through so much?” Willow said, the pain and resentment clear in her voice. Buffy, sighed. “I don’t know Wills; guess I’m just getting more forgiving in my old age.” She paused, hearing Willow sigh sadly and knowing exactly where Willow’s thoughts were taking her. They had all suffered the consequences of General Voll raising Amy and Warren up from annoying nuisances, to actual threat. When they inevitably betrayed him, because that’s what happens when you align yourself with crazy, Amy and Warren had managed to gain enough clout to join up with a recently desouled Angelus, and together they had amassed an army of witches and demons alike. By the time anyone caught wind of what was going on it was already too late. Giles had been the first casualty in the chaos. Buffy freezing up when it happened, unable to even react to what her eyes were processing. Spike had been the one to pull her out, and for months he had been the one to push her to keep going. He had been her rock in that time, an unwavering support system without any expectations of what could possibly be if they made it out alive. Wesley and Illyria had joined the fold shortly after Spike's miraculous return, followed by a severely wounded Charles Gunn and an empath demon named Lorne. Buffy had offered Wesley the Head Watcher position, being too far gone in her grief of losing the man who was more like a father to her than her real dad ever was. However, it was losing Spike three months later that had fully pushed her over the edge. It was the only time in her life that she went completely dark, and it was Angelus who paid and then some. She had never thought herself capable of torture before that moment. Figuring she wouldn't have the stomach for it, but she'd been so very wrong. She had given her Slayer full control, and by the time she was finished with him there had been very little to stake. She remembered hating not just him in that moment, but Angel too. Years of pent-up emotional trauma caused by him leeching out of her as she bled him dry. Hatred and rage boiling inside of her at the fairytale romance they'd so naively convinced each other they had. It was never a fairytale; it had been a nightmare from the start. Even soulless Spike on his worse day would have never tried to break her so thoroughly. Angelus, in essence had succeeded in what he started so many years before. Except, instead of the broken pile of tears he expected would be the outcome of his mental torment, he got the broken primal force of the Slayer in full. He must have realized his mistake somewhere between her cutting out his tongue to shut him up and flaying his skin off the muscle and sinew because when she got to his eyes, they were full of the most potent fear she'd ever seen on a creature such as him. She remembered her Slayer purring in delight at the heady look of horror that was etched on his face, so unlike the arrogant knowingness he'd been giving her for hours. She remembered the feel of his sticky, coagulated blood as it spurted onto her face when she slowly pushed the blade into the brown pupil. The same eyes she had once thought so beautiful. She remembered how it felt to twist the knife until there was nothing left. The only sound Angelus able to make was a gargling, choking, scream. Buffy shook her head, banishing the gruesome memories to the back of her mind. She had disappeared for two years after that, running every few days to make sure no one could find her, too ashamed to face anyone. Wesley had finally found her in that broken-down, abandoned hovel, too weak to keep running.  He hadn't asked what happened, he'd simply taken her in his arms and held her. When she had eventually shattered completely, sobbing dry tears, because she was to dehydrated to produce any, Wesley had stroked her back, hushing her. He never once asked what happened, but she suspected he already knew. There was a haunted look in his eyes that told her he had danced that fine line once himself. “Buffy? Buffy are you there?” Willow asked, forcing Buffy out of her memories completely. “Yeah,” Buffy said, shaking her head and blinking several times. “Sorry, what?” “I said, is there anything else I should know?” Willow huffed, a worried edge to her voice. Buffy chewed on her lip for a minute, thinking of her handsome stranger. “Yeah,” She said again. “There’s definitely something else.” She was quiet for a long moment, before finally saying. “Look, I didn’t say anything to Wesley, because he’s dealing with a lot right now, but there’s this guy here and he's...well..." she paused, shivering slightly at the memory of his hand in hers. "He's like uber-powerful." "You mean like Glory and Illyria powerful?" Willow asked, the worry in her voice unmistakable now. "I mean, like take Glory and Illyria, put them in a pot, add a few other Old Ones, stir, and you got this guy." Now Willow sounded downright frightened. "You're kidding? And he's working for the military?" Buffy shook her head even though Willow couldn't see it. "No, he's actually working for the cargo company the military contracted." "Huh?" Willow said in confusion. "Yeah, and here's the thing, he doesn't feel like a demon, or even mystical. It’s almost like..." and that’s when it all began to click into place. Spaceship, uber-powerful guy working as a civilian near said recently discovered spaceship. Power that felt foreign to her, not other worldly, but out of this world. She froze, her eyes landing on a piece of paper tucked under her weapons bag. With a shaky hand she reached down and unfolded it, her eyes scanned the quickly scribbled words on the page. "Willow, I... I gotta go." Buffy said, hanging up before she could hear her friend’s protest. She reached for her weapons bag, unzipped it and pulled out her Scythe. The words of the poem repeating in her head. She thought about changing into her suit, but decided against it. She wasn't sure how much time she had, but the sun had set a while ago and she had a feeling if she didn't leave now, she'd never see her handsome stranger again. She donned her jacket and her beanie, throwing on a backpack already prepacked with survival supplies. She opened the door and ran full speed out into the night. The forgotten poem falling into the snow, the words bleeding out as the slush soaked the paper. 'I know not whence I came, I know not whither I go But the fact stands clear that I am here In this world of pleasure and woe. And out of the mist and murk, Another truth shines plain. It is in my power each day and hour To add to its joy or its pain.'

[Chapter Two]

[eringurumi]

The Mandalorian Pattern

Ok! Here is my original crochet amigurumi pattern for the Mandalorian, to go with my other yarn creation, Baby Yoda. As before, if you use this pattern, please link back to my page, and tag me or send me a picture! I will slam that reblog button so fast! Or tag me on insta: @ erin.gurumi

Fun fact: this isn’t my first time around Mandalorian armor... In 2013 (!) I crocheted my friend a Boba Fett amigurumi, which you can see HERE and HERE. I improved the pattern a bit, but I did want to share because there are some in-progress pics which could potentially help, as I’m unfortunately not the best at taking them while I work!

Technical stuff: I used a 3.0 mm crochet hook and these yarns: 

Loops and Threads Impeccable in Walnut Tweed (body and cape)

Red Heart Super Saver in Cafe Latte (belt and bandolier)

Red Heart Super Saver in Light Grey (armor)

Red Heart Super Saver in Black (visor)

Red Heart Super Saver in Carrot (gloves)

I was really happy with the brown color I found for the body (this project was the first time in YEARS I’ve actually opted to increase my stash and it was worth it!), but I think there is plenty of room to experiment with other colors! 

^ Helmet 

I think it was such a bold choice to go with uncolored metal for the Mandalorian’s armor! It’s very hard to simplify and not be evocative of medieval knights or Trojan/Spartan warriors... In this picture, you can see I made a short strip of grey yarn that I thought could be the seam down his helmet, but I decided it just didn’t work for my scale.

6 sc in a magic circle

inc 6x to make 12 stitches

(1 sc, inc) 6x to make 18 stitches

(2 sc, inc) 6x to make 24 stitches

(3 sc, inc) 6x to make 30 stitches

(4 sc, inc) 6x to make 36 stitches

2 rows of 36 stitches

1 row of 36 stitches, with 12 black stitches in the front

1 row of 36 stitches with 12 black stitches aligned with previous ones 

4 rows of 36 stitches in grey

1 row of grey, add two increases at the front (38 stitches)

1 row of 38 stitches

I found it easiest to eyeball where I wanted to start the black yarn for the visor, rather than count out how many grey stitches before the color change. At the end, leave a tail but don’t pull the loop through, since changing to the brown yarn for the under helmet part will be a color change.

^ Front visor section and bottom of helmet:

Before closing off the helmet, I made the front separately and sewed it on - I think that’s much easier than trying to do color changes in each row and keeping them nicely lined up, plus, it gives the helmet just a bit of texture that I like to imagine gives the suggestion of some contours. 

6 foundation single crochet in black

turn, 6 sc in grey, tie off leaving a tail

reattach grey yarn to other side of the black, 6 sc, tie off

sew onto helmet

To close off the helmet, change to the brown yarn, and for the first row crochet only in the back loops to make a sharper change between the helmet and the underside (neck?) area. I was not super precise with this part, as all I wanted was for the underside to be mostly flat.

(2sc, dec) ~9x in back loops to make ~29 stitches

(1sc 1 dec) until closed (stuff part way through)

tie off and weave in tail

^ Legs (make 2)

To make the feet look more boot-like, I did all the foot-to-leg decreases on one side, but most of the shape comes from just smooshing it with my hand. Also, I tried to evoke his one larger armor piece by having an extra row of grey on his right leg, but it ended up being a bit subtle. (I know his armor is only on the front of his legs, but I didn’t want to color change that often in such a small space, and the back of the leg is hidden enough by his cape that I don’t mind!)

6 sc in a magic circle

inc 6x to make 12 stitches

(1 sc, inc) 6x to make 18 stitches

1 row of 18 sc in back loops

(decrease 8x), 2 sc to make 10 stitches

6 rows (his left) or 5 rows (his right) of 10 stitches in brown

color change to grey in back

3 rows (his left) or 4 rows (his right) of 10 stitches in grey 

For one leg, tie off the tail, for the second leg, make sure that the loop is still available to start the torso section. (I chose which leg to begin the body based on the direction I was crocheting, for me it ended up being HIS right leg). Make sure both legs are stuffed!

^ Torso:

The torso is made by connecting the two legs with a round of crochet. I started with the brown yarn, switched to a lighter brown for the belt section, then for the breast plate unfortunately it’s just a bunch of color changes! My best advice is to keep securing and tying off ends as you go, and stuffing as the body gets taller.

On right leg, color change from grey to dark brown, chain 1, slip stitch into left leg, sc around both legs (~20 stitches - if it ends up more, just decrease in back to that)

another row of 20 stitches in dark brown, color change to light brown

2 rows of 20 stitches in light brown

(1 dec in the back) 7 grey in front, 12 dark brown in back (19 stitches)

7 grey in front, 12 dark brown in back (19 stitches)

(1 dec in back), 6 grey in front, 12 dark brown in back (18 stitches)  

6 grey in front, 12 dark brown in back (18 stitches)

(1 dec in back) 5 grey in front, 12 dark brown in back (17 stitches)

5 grey in front, 12 dark brown in back (17 stitches)

(1 dec in back) 4 grey in front, 12 dark brown in back (16 stitches)

(1 dec in back) all dark brown (15 stitches)

(1 dec in back) all dark brown (14 stitches)

Finish off and leave a tail to sew the head on.

^ Arms (make two):

I was really happy with my decision to make his little orange mitts - for such a simple costume with very little ability to emote, those gloves really help to draw focus on small gestures!

6 sc in magic circle in orange, color change to brown

1 row of 6 stitches in brown

(inc, 2 sc) 2x to make 8 stitches

Take one tail of the orange yarn and thread it through to the second brown row, chain 3 and loop it over, securing it back into the brown yarn to make a thumb

Change to grey, 4 rows of 8 stitches

Change to brown, 5 rows of 8 stitches

Stuff and finish off leaving a tail.

^ Bandolier / Assembling body:

Sorry he looks a little dismembered here... but at this point you’re almost done!

For the bandolier, in light brown, chain ~9 (I just measured it across his chest plate from belt to shoulder)

Tie off the end and pull both tails through the body, making it snug against his chest, tie off and weave in ends

Sew head onto body using the tail from the neck, weave in ends

Sew arms on leaving a little room between them and the head (so his pauldrons will fit!), weave in ends

^ Pauldrons

These are simple! Make two!

6 sc in a magic circle

(sc, inc) 3x to make 9 stitches

To attach them, since I liked the look of the stitches sitting freely on the arms, I took the tail from the center and sewed it through the arm, then used just a single stitch on the upper arm and lower arm to hold them in place.

^ Cape:

A lot of the taper on this cape was because I was accidentally dropping stitches at the beginning of each row - I am terrible at crochet when it isn’t in the round! I used half double crochets since I like how they make a slightly looser texture than the body. You can also see here why I try to color change in the back - it doesn’t end up looking super even!

foundation single crochet 14, turn

1 row (14 hdc, turn)

9 rows of (1 dec, hdc across, turn)

This got me to approximately 5 stitches across, which looked like a good size to fit between the shoulders. I took the other tail and wove it up the side until both tails were coming from the top of the cape. Tie off the end and sew onto the back of his neck!

I know that was a lot! As always, feel free to ask me questions if you get stuck or something doesn’t make sense, since it’s very possible I made a mistake in my write up! Best of luck crocheting your very own Mandalorian! I hope to see him and his partner in crime Baby Yoda off on many adventures together! 

[ceruleanwhore]

Let’s talk about LoK’s shit worldbuilding

Technology is what I’ve seen the most people the most opinionated about, so that’s where I’ll start. Plenty of people out there share my opinion that having LoK be set in basically the American 20s is just some really shitty worldbuilding but I’ve also encountered plenty more who are of the opinion that since it’s technically possible, that means it’s good. For those who aren’t aware: just because something is technically possible does NOT make it good. AtLA is set in a more traditional fantasy world with a hard magic system where the setting, character design, and everything else are meant to feel older (even though this time it isn’t modeled after Europe). There is some technology in AtLA and what is shown works with the nature of their world and their society so it isn’t like, say, a lamppost from England being dropped right into this little fantasy world and disrupting things. The trains in Ba Sing Se are a perfect example of this with how they are operated by benders and also fit, visually, with the surrounding buildings and whatnot.

The issue with LoK is that it seems that there was no real thought around the development and incorporation of new technology in the context of the world. Instead, it’s as though they copied and pasted the American 20s in there and it’s really jarring. This would be the part where I said that just because it’s possible doesn’t mean it’s good writing- just because our industrial revolution was at breakneck speed doesn’t mean that having your fantasy world develop the same way is a good idea. For a little context, let’s compare this to the Lord of the Rings. Imagine that Christopher Tolkien one day decided to write a whole new four part series set a century after the end of Return of the King. So now, seemingly out of nowhere, boom, technology. Minas Tirith is basically 1920s Chicago, they have cars and stuff. And the thing is that there was a little bit of technology in LotR, just like with AtLA, so that is a fair comparison. 

Also, like I said earlier, it feels lazy with how they’re just throwing in some of these different types of technology. For example, a glove that electrocutes people with no explanation whatsoever on how it works doesn’t make sense. Not to mention, the fact that anything relies on lightning bending, which is SUPPOSED to be super fucking rare (more on that later) is beyond stupid. 

I think this reflects an ongoing issue with Korra where they clearly think that they should be trying to make things more “realistic” but either don’t realize or don’t care that in the process they’re wrecking that ‘fantasy’ feel their world used to have, which brings us to our next topic: people.

Just like how they decided to go the ‘realism’ route with a breakneck industrial revolution, they also decided to go that same route with homosexuality and, more importantly, homophobia. Friendly reminder that if you’re writing fantasy and you spice it some with some good, wholesome gay content, you DO NOT have to ruin it with fucking homophobia. It’s supposed to be fantasy, you dense fuck. It has its own problems but the Dragon Prince is an absolutely perfect example of how to write gayness in fantasy, i.e., perfectly common with zero homophobia to be seen. Writing it like Bryke did just to double down on “it’s been like 90 years since the war ended but did you know the Fire Nation is fucking TERRIBLE and Sozin is basically HITLER?” is weak, stupid, and fucking annoying.

The other thing I want to touch on is race. Basically, put whoever you want in your story and have them look however you want them to look but keep in mind that the way you do or do not introduce groups of people can affect the quality of your writing. What I mean is that with a fantasy universe like this, it’s all wysiwyg. When the gaang traveled around *the world* meeting and interacting with all kinds of people from all kinds of places in all 3 remaining nations (and showing memories of the air nomads that are now gone), that’s your chance to showcase all that wonderful diversity. By the end of the series, when their tour of the whole world is over, you should have a complete picture. 

Again, think about LotR for a second. By the end of Return of the King, you’ve encountered all the different types of men that ever existed in any of Tolkien’s writings (kinda sorta including the dunedain, and there’s even a reference or two in there with Aragorn tying that in all nicely), multiple kinds of elves, dwarves, goblins, hobbits, ents, huorns, the eagles, Tom Bombadil and Goldberry, the Nazgul, and multiple maiar (some good, some corrupt). The only race that hasn’t appeared in any of this that does exist in Tolkien’s other works is the valar but, otherwise, you, as the reader, along with characters like Frodo have been introduced to each and every race in middle earth, and, frankly, the Valar can be excused because they all are in the Undying Lands (plus Manwe might have been mentioned with the eagles.) Now, compare that to LoK where, with a Rowling level of retconning, they decided to just add some more races out of nowhere with no explanation 90 years or whatever after the original series. 

I just know that, for myself, I would’ve loved to see all this included from the beginning and incorporated into the original series and the travels of the gaang. Instead, we have it so AtLA is pretty set one way and then in LoK there’s just that one random dude with an afro and then, going into the comics afterwards, they decided to start incorporating different races in a way that feels like a JK Rowling tweet (“Hermione was black all along, even though I described her in the books as having light skin and picked a white actress to play her, I swear!”) So, basically, when you’re writing fantasy, you kind of have to include everything like that because that’s how the genre works and it’s not like in normal fiction where you can just have a black character without any explanation. Once again, the difference between how fantasy writing works and things being “realistic”.

As for realism, yanking the white lotus out into the open by their ear like an errant child is so unspeakably dumb and unrealistic. They’re a SECRET society who transcend the four nations and operate in SECRET jfc. After the war ended and the old folks home was no longer fighting the Fire Nation, the rest of them should’ve been able to go back into hiding no problem. But to drag their asses into this mess just to make them like Korra’s personal bodyguards and guards at high security prisons is so fucking stupid it hurts.

So then, to finish this up, let’s talk about bending. First off, there’s the issue of how bending forms have just… ceased to exist and/or been replaced with vague yet aggressive punching. Remember when Katara had to learn all those water bending stances and there was even a scroll of them? Or when Aang had to learn fire bending forms from Zuko? Well fuck that, now everyone can just punch at stuff instead. Never been able to airbend even with what should be proper form? Try waving your fist around!

The other thing is how so many of these characters are just “so naturally gifted” and can either successfully bend well with little to no experience or casually do stuff that’s supposed to be hella difficult. An example of the first point is Zaheer who just got his airbending like 3 days prior but suddenly can fucking fly and an example of the latter would be the blood bending, just all of it. That’s kind of another thing, though, how they’ve taken these things that were special and notoriously difficult and then watered them down and made it so literally everyone can do it. You know how lightning bending was a really cool thing only Ozai and Azula, the Fire Lord and princess who are both also known to be especially skilled benders, could do? Not anymore, now pretty much any fire bender with a pulse can shoot lightning out of their fingers. Same goes for blood and metal bending.

Also, can I just say that I’m mad at how pro bending was done? The earth bending stuff with the Boulder and all that worked because that framework of wrestling is really well suited to the element. Now, it’s what I’ve been saying where it’s like ‘oh yeah we can just put all the elements together in this boxing type shit because everyone in this fucking series can bend by punching, right?’ They had an awesome opportunity here to figure out different styles of fighting sports tailored to the different types of bending and they said ‘nope, fuck you’ and gave us that shit. Or just sports, in general, based around if the people playing and benders and, if so, what type of bending they have.

The last main thing with bending though is the absolute horseshit of harmonic convergence and kinda just season 2 in general. For starters, Korra getting her bending back because dead Aang was like “here ya go” was bullshit. I feel like it would’ve been better if that had been when Unalaq got introduced as her spiritual guide and, through working with him, she eventually was able to reach Wan, see his whole backstory like we got in episode 7, and then, afterwards, she could contact Raava directly and somehow with her get her bending back. Then, afterwards, she could go back to Republic City and give everyone their bending back and start helping with reconstruction from Amon. Season 2 doesn’t need a villain and it most certainly does NOT need that dumbass ‘dark avatar’ bullshit. 

Also, in terms of the air bending, seriously, fuck that shit. If air bending is going to come back then maybe, I don’t know, after following my other advice have Korra realize that not only can she take bending away (like Aang) but she can also give it so she could just go around to all the acolytes and make them airbenders. Or, if that would fuck up the balance or some shit, have her go around and make all the people who lost their bending to Amon into a fresh batch of air benders. You can’t really introduce something like energy bending and then expect us to believe that the only way to bring air bending back is for Aang to fuck a lot and then rely on following generations and subsequent incest, plus hc is fucking stupid when you have a character who can straight up just give people bending.

Oh and all that convergence shit brings up my last point of discussion, the way they retconned and fucked up the lore. Just like with what they did with lightning, blood, lava, and metal bending, they also decided to just do everything they could with those fucking turtles. Just like with Azula’s lightning bending, the entire fucking reason the lion turtle works so well is because of how it is so rare and special and all that so once you take that away, it doesn’t matter anymore smh. For most peope, champagne is special. You know why? Because most of us aren’t out here drinking the shit by the gallon every day. So yeah, between that and the way they threw away already established lore (that was further reinforced by experiences of characters in the show) makes it just a big old “yike”. All they had to do was fanagle a bit to keep Raava and Vaatu but ditch the whole hc shitshow and just maintain the parts that are already established.

[virlath]

Reading into the red lyrium idol and Solas’ end-game

The lyrium idol seems to be a major plot device in DA4.

The story recounts a group of spies sharing information on Solas and his plans, detailing all the information they know so far with a few lies and/or embellishments interwoven throughout. 

There is one thing everyone at the table seems to agree on though and that is: the importance of the red lyrium idol to Solas’ plans. 

But is it the same lyrium idol we know of?

In all the spies’ stories, they describe the idol as specifically depicting two figures.

Carta dwarf: ...It’s not much to look at—a couple hugging, too thin to be dwarves—but it’s sitting there, glowing softly like a ruby lit by the grace of the Maker himself. Mortalitasi: When he opened the thick chest marked with the Carta’s protective runes and drew it forth, we saw it clearly—an idol crafted from red lyrium, which seemed to show two lovers, or a god mourning her sacrifice, depending upon how it caught your fancy. Bard (disguised Solas): ...He whispered something as he picked it up, tracing his gloved fingers gently along the crowned figure who comforted the other,

For those of us who have been obsessively squinting at every little detail on the idol from all angles, it’s now quite clear there are in fact three figures on the idol, not two.

The fact that Bioware cleaned up the model from DA2, made the idol the centrepiece of the teaser, and outlined the shape of it in the corresponding mural, indicates that the description of the idol showing two figures in the book is not an accident.

The difficulty in verifying the authenticity of the idol itself is actually one of the biggest questions I have raised since reading the book, and makes me wonder if the lyrium idol in TN is the same as the one Hawke found in DA2.

We already know the Carta assassin was briefed by Varric:

“I’m only here because Viscount Tethras called in a few favors,” he said, smiling broadly, “but I didn’t expect to be the best-informed person in the room. You don’t even know what he wants, and I can tell you that!”

If anyone in Thedas could describe and spot the original idol it would be Varric. He did after all find it with Hawke, and his brother went crazy from it. 

How then could his hired spy get the description of the idol wrong, unless he was lying? And even if he was lying, why did the Mortalitasi and Bard (Solas) back him up by also describing the idol as portraying exactly two figures?

They are all spies in the room- they are supposed to pay attention to detail. How could they miss an important detail such as that? 

So, after reading this story, I have a lot of questions.

Who is the mysterious third figure in the idol and why did no spy notice it on the idol they described?

Are there multiple idols floating around that we don’t yet know of?

Did Solas plant a decoy, hoping to throw everyone off the real idol? Meaning, is he also still looking for the real idol?

Can he or the idol itself affect how it’s perceived by people in reality?

Did a chunk break off when it was smelted into Meredith’s/Samson’s sword, and is a piece still lying around somewhere in Thedas?

===

The idol’s purpose

It seems that the idol is extremely important to Solas and his plans. He claims it belongs to him, and it is clear he intends to reclaim ownership of it no matter the cost. In fact, he claims to already be in possession of it (though I am doubtful of that).

The Bard (Solas): Slowly, he lifted the red lyrium idol from the pillow where it rested. He whispered something as he picked it up, tracing his gloved fingers gently along the crowned figure who comforted the other, but I could not make out the words, for I fear they were elven... The idol’s journey is now complete, and it has found its master. He will destroy anyone in his way without regret or hesitation, and whatever he intends, I do not believe we can stop it.

According to the Mortalitasi’s story, the idol is in fact a ritual blade:

When our power, plus the power of our arcane possessions, plus the power of his slaves’ lives, had all come to him, the Tevinter mage raised the idol before him, and I saw a spike of lyrium spring from the base of the idol, so that all at once, it was not merely an idol, but a ritual blade. He slashed his own hand, and a wave of power pulsed through the cavern. It was as though we were the blood, and the cavern was the body through which it flowed, and we fell, all of us, to the ground, our minds pulled into the raw chaos of the Fade by the power of his ritual.

It turns out the Mortalitasi actually intended on using the idol as part of a blood magic ritual to bind spirits to their will so they could repel the Antaam invasion.

...every dream, every demon, every half-interested spirit would urge them back to the north, away from humanity. Their resolve would weaken, their invasion would crumble, and all would go back to the way it should be.

Now remember in DA2, Merrill tells us a story of a blade to end the elven civil war when she recounts the story of the Dread Wolf:

“Fen’Harel was clever. He could walk among both clans of gods without fear, and both believed he was one of them.”

“He went to each side, and told them the other had forged a terrible weapon, a blade that would end the war.”

“He told the Creators it was forged in the heavens, and the Forgotten Ones, that it was hidden in the abyss.”

In TN, Solas seems very sentimental towards the idol. This makes me wonder if he made it into a ritual blade, and took the gambit the evanuris would seek it out and unwittingly use their own power to seal themselves away.

It would be so ironic and totally Solas’ MO if that were the case, that the idol which bears Mythal’s resemblance was the key to their own prisons.

===

Why is the idol so important?

We know of the elven upstart. He is a mage named Solas, and his ritual has already started to affect the Fade. We cannot risk him acquiring this idol and finishing what he has begun.

It seems like the idol is at the centre of everything, anchoring the imprisoned evanuris and the Black City in place.

If the Mortalitasi’s blood magic ritual were to succeed, I could imagine mages becoming possessed by a a demon or even one of the evanuris by becoming a willing host. After all, the point of their ritual was to obtain power to defeat their enemies.

In fact, the Mortalitasi’s ritual reminds me a lot of the ritual described in Solas’ secret room in Trespasser which is also reiterated in the Forbidden Oasis. In both instances, a demon is summoned using blood magic to defeat their enemies.

Mythal seemingly used blood magic to win the war against the titans. What if the ritual the Mortalitasi used was in a similar vein?

“YOU MEDDLE PAST YOUR UNDERSTANDING, FOOLISH MORTAL MAGES, AND IN DOING SO, YOU THREATEN ALL CREATION.” “YOU USE MY IDOL CARELESSLY TO VANDALIZE THE SEA OF DREAMS. NOW FEEL THE PAIN OF WHAT YOU HAVE CREATED.”

I am convinced the idol/blade could be used as part of a blood magic ritual to summon a demon, either summoning the evanuris (who I believe are “demons” like Imshael and the like) or a demon from the void.

===

Solas’ end-game

We are led to believe at the end of Trespasser he simply wants to restore the world of his time. Imo that’s only partly true.

I think Solas tearing down the veil is simply the necessary first step for him to destroy the Black City and the false gods for good. This is where I think the idol would come into play. 

The veil is also a fabrication created by Solas, and there have been signs throughout the series from DA:O to DA:I that the veil is tearing apart, irreparably.

Demons seize every opportunity, every tear in the Veil, to enter our world. Once the Veil is torn, it is extremely difficult to mend, some say impossible. 

What does it mean to pierce the Veil, that which separates our world from the realm of dreams and demons? For the average man and woman, it is a frightening thought to consider just how fragile this separation actually is.

The Veil is not a physical curtain, not a structure limited to a particular place—it is everywhere. It is in their home, in the streets where they walk, in farmers' fields as well as remote mountain vales. At any moment it could be torn to shreds, allowing demons and other horrors to flood into our world like water through a burst dam.

Apart from the Inquisitor, no person in Thedas has successfully been able to seal rifts.

This means over time, with more veil tears and death, the more fragile the veil will be. Eventually, it will break entirely. I think this would be inevitable, whether or not Solas destroys it. 

Cole calls the Veil wonderful in Trespasser, because it was created to forbid. And we know the veil forbids all the demons and false gods from entering the physical world. With the idol now floating around in Thedas and with a weakened veil, I think there is a possibility using the idol could summon or release the evanuris from their prisons.

His measurements of the veil and testing of its strength indicates to me he is still trying to see how he can fix the veil or work it into a new plan. With the loss of his orb, the idol may be the last piece of security he has.

This is why I don’t buy the fact that he simply wants to tear down the veil and restore ancient Elvhenan like he wishes he was in the past. There has to be more than that- there is no way he hasn’t accounted for the Redcliffe possibility.

Since Solas is the actual creator of the veil, he alone has a chance at preserving what remains while fixing/amending whatever plans he had for the false gods.

It actually makes a lot of sense that Solas would not want to tell anyone too much about his plans, even the Inquisitor. Not only does he not trust people, I think his actions in TN prove he is worried about the idol falling into the wrong hands and the temptation to use it. 

Maybe his actions and letting Charter go free is even an indication that he is manipulating the Inquisition to continue ‘working against him’ when in fact they are a part of his grander plans.

[ick25]

Pokemon designs I don’t like. Part 1.

Everyone has Pokemon that they don’t like. Sometimes they are ugly, sometimes they lack creativity and other times they’re just lazy, so I’m gonna talk about the Pokemon designs that always bothered me and why.

Gen 1.

(Old lady voice): Back in my day there were only 151 Pokemon.

Jokes aside, I grew up with the original 151 Pokemon, and of course there were Pokemon I didn’t particularly like, but many of their designs never really bothered me. Most of them were creative and made sense in a way, some are not very appealing to me, but let’s be honest, there are a lot of real animals and ideas that are not exactly cool looking. 

However, there are a few Pokemon that I just can’t stand to look at or wonder why they look the way they do. So I’ll talk about the Pokemon designs from gen 1 that I don’t like.

But first, some dishonorable mentions.

Jynx.

I was considering Jynx for this list, but then I realized... It doesn’t bother me. True, it’s weird and many people think it’s a racist stereotype despite being inspired by a fashion trend in Japan, but Jynx doesn’t look too human and its original face reminded me of a Shelder or a Tangela because their faces are hidden. I never saw it as a stereotype, I saw it as a mysterious creature hiding in some kind of weird woman shape armor, the black was like a shadow covering its real face, and now that its purple, the mystery disappears, now its just a weird grape head Pokemon.

Pinsir.

Pinsir’s mouth disturbs me, a lot, but that’s no reason to add it in my list, have you seen a bug’s mouth? Plus, its design is based on a stag beetle and those aren’t the nicest looking bugs. Just because I think a design is ugly or not great doesn’t mean its bad or less creative.

Dragonite.

I have to get this out of the way. I always hated Dragonite simply because it ruined the Dratini evolution line. Dratini and Dragonair make sense, but Dragonite just crashes it, its even worst because it has that dumb face I just can’t take seriously. Nevertheless, Dragonite’s design is okay, it’s just not my cup of tea.

Now, on to the real list.

1. Golbat.

We can all agree that Zubats are annoying because you keep encountering them in caves, but at least its design is kind of cool. Golbat, on the other hand, is not. Why did Zubat’s ears shrink? This is more mouth than Pokemon and those feet are just silly looking. It takes away Zubat’s almost scary design and replaces it with a big fat bat that gets too heavy to even fly anymore. Evolution hasn’t been kind with this one.

Grade: 6/10.

2. Hypno.

What am I looking at?

I have no problem with Drowzy’s design because it is based on a Baku, a yokai from Japanese folklore that looks like a Tapir that eats dreams, so Drowzy is like a mixture of both the animal and the yokai, but its evolution went on a totally different direction. Its face is so ugly and almost human like, a human face on an animal body is just wrong!

And don’t get me started on it’s creepy Pokedex entry. 

If Drowzy takes away your dreams, then Hypno will give you nightmares.

Grade: 7/10.

3. Hitmonchan.

Not bad, but I always wonder what it is every time I see it. Is that skin or some kind of shell? Where did it get the boxing gloves? Why is it wearing a dress?

 I understand that not all Pokemon are based on animals and some of them are just like, well, monsters, specially fighting type Pokemon, but Hitmonchan just feels kinda out of place solely because of the gloves and the clothes. It could be better.

Grade: 9/10.

4. Mr. Mime.

The Mr. Mime scene is the best part of the Detective Pikachu movie, but if you think about it... What is it?

I seem to have a problem with humanoid Pokemon, they are just so uncanny to me. It would make a little sense to me if it was like some kind of ape, but its more like an alien that took the form of a caricature of a clown trying to pass for a mime. I just can’t imagine why would somebody want to capture and train this space clown or how can it even exist in the wild, because if you see it in the Let’s Go games, he just walks around like a person, that’s weird! What’s next, trying to catch Quasi Modo?

Grade: 4/10.

Those are all the Pokemon I don’t like from Gen 1, what Pokemon designs do you hate? Let me know in the comments.

Part two will be Gen 2 Pokemon.

[starryse]

Café of Hell- Literally

Kim Taehyung Demon! Au

Genre: fluff, angst, humor, fantasy, demons

Group: BTS (Taehyung)

Pairing: Demon!Taehyun X female! reader

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For the past 3 months you’ve been working at the coffee shop near your university, which luckily for you, was only a few minutes away. The tips were always generous and the customers were polite, even if you messed up their order. Sure it was a minimum wage job that didn’t exactly allow you to buy gucci, but it paid your student debts and kept the electric on in your small apartment down the street. Plus, you just happened to be favored by your boss and receive discounts on all coffee drinks, how good for you since most nights when you got home from school were spent cramming in study guides and chugging down the cold vanilla latte from that morning. And the same happened to go for you now, as you sat on your grey carpeted bedroom floor, iron-man socks clad to your sprawled out legs, highlighter clutched in your hand as notes were scratched across your sociology homework that just happened to be due first thing tomorrow. The clock seemed to speed up when you really needed it to stop just long enough to finish this and rush to the night shift at work. Night shifts weren’t rare for you, so to have to rush through your homework and scramble around to get ready were almost a normal thing in your apartment. As soon as you finished the question you had spent ages on, the playlist that was once on shuffle was shut off as you stuffed the papers into your bag by the messy bed that had all your notes and clothes clustered from the headboard, all the way to the bottom where you stood. Tossing the floral bag onto the havoc looking bed, you pulled the hair-tie off of your wrist, threading it around your disheveled hair away from your face. You puffed your cheeks out as a breath of air came out, taking in a single moment of silence before you continued to run around your apartment getting ready. The curtains that were originally tied up were now flowing down the window, and the pumpkin candle aroma that filled your cozy apartment started slowly dying down as the smoke from the flame took its place. After tossing your laptop into your bag and grabbing your phone off its charger, you quickly shuffled your away through the door, locking it in the process.“5 minutes to spare tonight, nice Y/N” You glanced down to the time on your phone, taking a quick break from rushing to work, knowing you finally had time to get to work unlike the previous days where time was just a figure of your imagination.. In other words, you were so late out the door your boss thought you died. Typically you would drive to work since it had been either highly cold or pouring outside, but today was different. You were actually on your way early this time and the weather was calm and breezy, unlike every other day in your life. The cream colored building came into your view as you rounded the corner of the cafe.

The bell chimed as you stepped into the shop, the smell of coffee and the warmth of the heaters immediately hitting you. Shrugging off your long coat that held past your knees, you were met with the familiar face of your boss.“Somethings wrong, you’re never here when you’re scheduled to be. Who died? Do I need to call animal control?” The older lady’s face was filled with concern, but the underlying smile was clearly visible as she took the coat of your arms and hung it up on the employees rack. You smiled at that, rolling your eyes at Miss Kim's way of playing around.“Actually yeah you should, I saw that creepy guy back out there hugging the lamp pole, he doesn’t seem to ferile to be around people” Jeongyeon spoke up behind the cashier as she poured the frothy coffee into the cup, passing it to her customer. You walked behind the counter, grabbing your apron and tying it around your waist, “And I think I saw him at the market the other day. I overheard him talking about the “scary black eyed people he saw coming out of the cafe” i’m slightly concerned for him” you snickered at your friends comment, walking over to the register starting to work as quickly as possible, “Dudes probably on drugs or something, maybe he had one of Miss.Kim’s special drinks as she calls them” Jeongyeon chuckled at that, grinning at the inside joke between the two of you, as she proceeded to clean out the machines.

A few hours passed as your shift came close to an end, the last customer had ordered their drink as you locked up the register for the night, with only the machines left to be shut down. Jeongyeon had left an hour ago, leaving just you and Miss.Kim in the dimly lit shop. You tugged of your apron, replacing your coat on the rack, and began to clean around the cafe before you made your way home. As you swept the coffee beans off the floors, a sigh came from behind you.“y/n, dear, I know you have an early class in the morning but you’re the only one I can rely on with this.” miss Kim began, as she walked around the counter to you, placing her coat over her shoulders and slipping her white gloves onto her hands, “I really have to get home to Insu, apparently even at 15 the boy can’t be left alone without getting into trouble” Kim looked up from buttoning her coat, swinging her purse onto her shoulder, “Anyways, would you be the sweetest angel and lock up the cafe for me? Just make sure the doors are locked and the files are put away and locked up, it should only take another hour ish I promise! I’ll add more money to your paycheck, and it’d really help me out.” The stammering lady finally stopped rambling as she glanced up to you in hopes you say yes.You force a smile onto your face as you peer down to the aging lady, “Of course, Miss Kim, as long as you get home safely to Insu!” you usher the frazzled woman to the door, making sure to keep the smile on your face.“Oh thank you y/n, you’re such a dear!” Miss Kim opened the fairy light framed door, as she began to rush to her small car in the parking lot.

You groaned, tugging out your ponytail, letting your hair cascade to your shoulders. The look of joy was nowhere near evident on your face, as the dark circles under your eyes seemed to be even more prominent. “Alright y/n, all you have to do is lock the doors and you can go. Then you can get home to your warm house with all your fluffy blankets. Let’s get this done.” You grabbed the keys to the file cabinet in the storage room, putting all of Kim’s important documents away into safe keeping in the locked room. As you walked out to the counters you heard the familiar rumbling sound from the world outside. You popped your head up, looking out the large windows in the shop, being met with the large drops of rain pouring down onto the pavement. Streaks of purple lightning could be seen hitting trees in the farther distance, signaling a storm was beginning. As if you hadn’t groaned a lot previously that day, you did it again just for shits and giggles. The frustration that was hidden in you was slowly bubbling up to the surface as the realization that you weren’t going to get home until even later that night set it. How fantastic. Before your luck went downhill like the rain, you remembered the sticker covered laptop you brought with you for break earlier that day. After making yourself a pumpkin chai latte, you settled in the booth against the corner of the moon lit cafe, pulling out your laptop and opening up the new drama you began a few days ago.

The previously filled cup was now halfway empty and becoming cold as you shifted against the cushioned bench, the rain pouring outside not seeming to let up. The clock on your laptop read 12:13 a.m. You had officially been there for another two hours than intended, and from the looks outside it was going to be even longer. Your eyes began to feel heavy as your focus on the drama was fading, drowsiness taking over you as it got later and later. A loud crash from the room behind you quickly awakend your senses, your eyes widening and head shooting up from its position against your laptops keyboard. Not knowing whether to get up and investigate or shrivel up in the corner like a coward, you froze in your spot, waiting for another sound or a figure to come out. This was not how you planned on going out, half asleep and huddled on a bench in your workplace at 12 am. Growing tired of waiting, you gained the courage to seek out the cause of the crash. You stood up from the bench, shutting your laptop quietly and slipping your shoes back on. You silently began to move over to the counters, scanning around the dark shop. The air was tense and the only sound that could be heard was the rain slamming against the walls of the cafe. Your body rounded the corner before your eyes could look past the wall, and the first thing your round eyes set on was the large shadowy figure standing over the coffee pot. A shriek left your drying mouth, as you scrambled away from the figure. The shadow visibly jumped back, dropping the coffee in the process.

“Ah damnit! Look what you made me do, I was excited to drink that!” A deep voice cut through the room, covering up the loud sound of you panting. “Wait a minute, what the hell are you doing here, you shouldn’t be here?!” The mysterious person turned towards your attention as you were splat against the beige wall, hands gripping onto the plant that was previously on the counter. The man sniggered as he looked over you, “what exactly do you think the little leafy plants going to do? Health me to death?” You looked down to the plant that was tightly pressed against your chest, then back up to the owner of the laugh. His eyes were set on you as you scanned over him. His hair was dark and ruffled against his forehead and his eyes seemed to have a vague glint to them as he smirked at you. His shoulders were wide as he stood tall against the counter, his dark jacket covering his broad chest. You made no sudden movements, rather you just continued to stare up at the man, as you fiddled with the plant in your grasp.

“Um okay. Well I’m Taehyung! What’s your name girl who planned on hitting me with a plant?” Taehyung extended his hand over the register, a rather boxy grin etching across his face. Fuck it. You reached out to shake the males hand, slightly smiling (honestly you just look frightened) at him, “y- y/n” The handsome guy shook your hand, locking eyes with you in the process.

“Cool cool, nice to meet you, I think, y/n. I’m just gonna make my coffee if you don’t mind.” Taehyung turned around, releasing your hand, and began to remake the drink you made him drop. Your mouth finally closed after hanging open, all form of moisture gone, Sahara desert maybe? After relishing in whatever just happened with the stranger, your senses finally kicked in.With a shake of your head, you stepped up from the wall and walked over to where the mysterious boy was making his coffee.

“How did you even get in here? I had those doors locked?!” You watched Taehyung pour his coffee into a travel mug, God knows where he found that, the coffee filling all the way to the top of the lid, the froth foaming over the edges of the cup. The white substance dripped onto the countertops, eventually slipping down the cabinets to the floor you JUST mopped.

“Dude cmon I JUST cleaned those floors, that took my pure labor man” you rolled your eyes at the boy who seemed to brush off the fact you just worked to make the floors spotless. Taehyung took a swig of his coffee before turning to face you, walking around the counters to where you were, sitting on top of the light grey counter top. The honey skinned man watched as you reached for a napkin from the nearby booth, wiping away the mess the latter had made. A toothy grin made its way onto his features, something about watching you poor humans work just made him all joyful inside.

After tossing the soaked coffee stained napkin into the trash bin, you scoffed at the sugar packets left around the coffee pot. Seriously, the dude was raised in the depths of Hell I swear, what decent human being doesn’t toss their garbage? The sweet sound of silence filled the air as you clean the rest of the strangers mess, the drowsiness you felt earlier completely discarded. Taehyung clears his throat, setting down his cup, “To answer your question, I got in through the floor. You humans and your pointless questions, how else do you think I’d get in if you locked the door? Do you expect me to crawl through the window, possibly getting my Versace jacket caught in the frame? So weird.” Taehyung sighed, leaning back on the counter, his hands pressing against the cool material. He pursed his head over his shoulder, dark strands of hair falling gently over his eyelashes, as he watched your face crumble with confusion. You uncrouch your knees from your spot in front of the trash bin, facing the weird boy to your left.

“Did you just say you came up through the floor? And I can float through walls too, right?” You boasted with your answer, walking back over to the bench you were in before the ruckus Taehyung caused. The devil himself kicked off the countertop, nearing his eyes at you,

“I don’t know CAN you? You don’t have to believe me, y/n, you shouldn’t even be here right now talking to me in the first place.” He scoffed, taking a seat on the chair opposite of you. You pulled a face at the arrogant man, “last time I checked you’re the one talking to me and I'M the one that works here, in reality I should’ve called the cops ages ago.” Taehyung scowled in your direction, his tone lowering (if that was even possible with this dudes voice dayum) “Call the cops, I really want to see how that works out for you, human.” You pinch the bridge of your nose, rubbing your cheeks afterwords, distaste was evident across your expression. “Human? You’re a human too, dumbass. Seriously what’s wrong with you, you’re the one that came in here, made a mess, and now you’re acting as if you have the rig to be an ass? Bitch please, eat a snickers.” Regaining his composure, Taehyung slouched back in his chair, realizing that arguing with this girl wasn’t even worth his precious time. He had an eternity to live, why spend it arguing with a mere human girl he’ll never see again once the gates open. Taehyung hummed in response, craning his head around to look out the window. The rain was falling down as hard as ever, and the lightning has not ceased up since you last checked it, before you were jolted up from Taehyungs presence.

“It looks like the rain isn’t going to stop anytime soon, why don’t we play this civil until one of us leaves, hm?l Taehyung glances over at you, his eyebrows raising slightly waiting for your response. Your lips pursed together as you sucked on your lip, your baby pink vans tapping against the table leg. As you thought about what Taehying said, your leg still pressing against the table leg every so often, the sudden grip against your ankle causing you to blink up in surprise. “I said to be civil, I didn’t think that meant kicking my leg with your foot every 20 seconds.” You pulled your leg from Taehyungs hand, tucking it behind your other leg in front of you, your cheeks flushing the same color as your shoes.

“Sorry it’s a habit. But yeah cool civil I can do that whatever.” You rested your chin on your palm, leaning against the table. The two of you sat in silence listening to the rain drop against the roof of the café. As the night progressed and the storm carried on, the temperatures lowered to much colder weather than earlier, causing the chilly breeze from the howling wind outside to seep through the cracks in the shops door. The cold current snuck to the table, right along your arms, causing you to shiver and wrap your arms around yourself for some warmth. You stood up from the spot you were glued to the last half hour, brushing the hair away from your eyes. “I’m gonna go turn up the thermostat, I’m unfortunately not cold blooded so I’m getting chilly. Do you need another coffee or whatever it is you drink?” Taehyung peered through the crack in his arms from resting his head on the table, looking up to you. A quiet yeah sure could just be heard from the mumble the yawning boy let out. Your feet threaded across the icey floor boards, you being extra thankful you decided to wear the thick Christians socks your mom bought you, today. After making Taehyung his drink, you set off to the back room to turn up the thermostat, there was no way you were letting miss Kim find you as popsicle stuck to her bench tomorrow. Flicking on the light switch to the room, you immediately dropped the freshly made coffee straight to the floor in front of you, the liquid seeping through the grey carpet instantly.

“TAEHYUNG” the name left your mouth before you could even process it, you, meanwhile, stashing yourself away behind the desk chair by the door. The heavy footsteps of the person behind the name came faster than you thought when you were met with the owner of it stopping in front of the desk. Taehyung’s eyes brightened instantly seeing the cause of your distress, that same boxy grin etched across his face, “about time, they waited long enough this time!” glancing back and forth between the two things, you gawked at what just happened.

“Taehyung” you slowly got up from behind the chair, standing behind the door, “why in the hELL IS THERE A HUGE ASS HOLE IN THE MIDDLE OF MY BOSS’S OFFICE” Taehyung simply turned to look at you over his shoulder, his jackets zipper rattling, “that, my dear y/n, is my ticket home” your eyebrows knitted together though your mouth stayed hung open. “Talk soon, babe.” And with that, the boys golden eyes turned a dark hue as he waved his hand at you before diving into the bright hole on the ground. As you stood there in confusion as to what happened, the hole began shrinking, the bright light it cascades slowly fading, until there was nothing left but the coffee stain you spilt into Miss Kim’s office floor.

“What in the actual fuck just happened.”

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[niksixx]

My Type

Requested: Anonymously! (My brain really went crazy with this and strayed a bit from the original request but I hope you all like it either way!)

Pairing: The Dirt! Nikki Sixx x Plus Size Reader

Description: Can I request uhhh about a plus size reader and Nikki?? I was thinking like she’d be at a party feeling herself and not caring about what people think of her and catches Nikki’s eye? 

Warning: Your typical mean girl trying to make Reader feel uncomfortable, but Reader is a fucking badass woman😛

Y/B/F: Your best friend

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Taking one last glimpse in the mirror on your wall, a confident smile fell over your face. Your best friend had convinced you to join her at a club and you hadn’t had a day off from work in weeks it seemed, so you jumped at the opportunity to let loose. It was also your birthday and she refused to let you stay in.

The dress you had chosen hugged every one of your curves perfectly; It fit like a glove. Some days you’d be frustrated with your body, vowing to work yourself hard at the gym, but other days like today, you didn’t have a care in the world. You were beautiful, sexy and you knew you looked hot, so whatever self-doubting thoughts popped into your head, you pushed them aside. Sure, you had some insecurities as did everyone else, but they wouldn’t ruin your night. You wouldn’t allow it.

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“Y/N, I won’t let you fall, I promise!” Y/B/F grabbed your hand and helped you out of the car, steadying you on the sidewalk.

“I don’t understand. Why am I wearing a blindfold to a club?” It didn’t make any sense to you. You had been to most bars and clubs in California, so you were confused as to why your friends wanted to surprise you.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Y/B/F giggled, slinking an arm through yours. “We’re not going to a club. Take off your blindfold.”

As you removed the blindfold you were met with many familiar but some unfamiliar faces all screaming the same words. “Surprise! Happy birthday, Y/N!”

Dumbfounded, you looked at Y/B/F. “What is this? Where are we?”

She led you into the beach house, both of you smiling as guests threw glitter in the air. “Duh, it’s a surprise party for you! You remember my old friend Vince from high school, right? He’s the lead singer of Mötley Crüe. This is his house!”

“I heard my name,” Just then a man with shaggy blonde hair and bright white leather pants wrapped you and Y/B/F in a hug. “I don’t think we’ve ever met before, but happy birthday Y/N. There’s cold beer in the coolers out back by the pool and all the liquor you can imagine behind the bar. Let’s have some fucking fun.”

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Tommy had just given you and Y/B/F your fifth shot of the night, and to say you were feeling good would be a gross understatement. Everyone at the party had taken the time to fetch you a drink or wish you a happy birthday. Mick Mars had even placed a tiara on your head and wrapped a birthday sash around your body.

Throughout the night you danced with Tommy, Vince, and Y/B/F, downing drinks and singing along to the music blasting through Vince’s home without a care in the world. Every so often, your eyes would wander to the corner of Vince’s bar where a man with black hair and a leather jacket casually sipped his beer, throwing a wink in your direction whenever you stared at him. He undoubtedly watched you the whole night, taking in the sway of your hips in the black party dress.

You were sitting outside eating a piece of cake enjoying the fresh air when Y/B/F tapped your arm. “Okay, Nikki Sixx has been staring at you all night.”

Cocking your head to the side, you took another bite of cake. “Who?”

Y/B/F’s eyes went wide before she slapped your thigh. “Uh, Nikki fucking Sixx...Vince’s bandmate…the bass player for Mötley Crüe! C’mon, Y/N, I know you’re not that into rock music but damn, how do you not know who he is? He’s the definition of sex.”

Looking behind you, you noticed the same man from earlier. He had switched from beer to a bottle of Jack Daniels and had rid himself of the leather jack, showing off his tattooed arms. When he caught you looking at him again, he sent a smirk your way. It was a bold one at that, daring you to approach.

“Why are you just sitting there?” Y/B/F asked. “Go talk to him.”

“Nah,” you said cheerfully, finishing the rest of your birthday cake. After throwing the plate in the nearest trash bin, you shot Nikki a smile before turning back to your friend. “If he’s interested, he’ll come to me.”

Not even a minute later you felt a tap on your shoulder as you were dancing in Vince’s living area. Your eyes widened at how tall the man was and how his smile seemed to be the brightest light in the room.

“Hi gorgeous,” he said, sending a wink your way. “Would you like to dance?”

You eyed him up and down as he did the same to you. “I was wondering when you were going to come introduce yourself. Tell me about yourself, handsome.” You said, curling a strand of hair around your finger.

“I’m Nikki,” he replied with a grin. “And my secret talent is picking out the prettiest girl in the room to dance with, so it’d be a shame if you turned me down.”

“She’s not your type,” said a snooty voice. You and Nikki turned to see a short, busty girl with bright purple hair. You remembered Tommy calling her Liza. Her lips were pursed together in a thin line as she glared directly at you. “If you’re trying to get laid, you could do so much better. Like me, for example.”

“Yo, what the fuck is wrong with you?” Nikki seethed, cowering over Liza. Biting your lip, you clenched your fist. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“Don’t worry, Nikki, I’ve got this.” With a forged smile, you grabbed Liza by the pony tail and dragged her outside. Party goers watched from inside the house and on the patio as you pushed Liza into the pool, completely drenching her.

“You bitch,” She squealed, flailing her arms wildly. “Do you know how much this fucking dress cost?

Bending down, you shot Liza the fakest smile. “Frankly, I don’t give a damn about you or your dress. The only important things you need to know are one, I look fucking hot in my dress and two, Nikki’s head will be between my thighs tonight, not yours.” Grabbing a beer from the closest cooler, you cracked it open, pouring the contents over Liza’s head. “Now I know this is Vince’s house, but this is my party. So, do yourself a favor and get the fuck out.”

You watched Liza’s eyes widen in horror as cheers and laughter erupted around you. Crinkling the beer can, you chucked it in the trash bin before prancing back inside the house where Nikki was watching the scene unfold with a shit-eating grin on his face.

Sheepishly, you tugged your dress down. “Listen, I’m not sure if you meant what you said earlier or if you were just messing around, but--.”

“Are you kidding?” Nikki asked. His grin widened, if it were even possible. “A girl that defends herself like you did is so fucking hot, and that,” he said, jerking his thumb toward Liza, who was struggling to climb out of the pool. “Was fucking badass, babe. I think I’m in love.”

Chuckling, you shook your head and smoothed a piece of hair behind your ear. Nikki took a step forward, cupping your cheek tenderly. “Now, what was that thing you said about my face between your thighs?”

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The next morning you woke up in one of Vince’s guest bedrooms, Nikki sleeping peacefully beside you. Sighing, you pulled the thin sheets up to your chin.

Nikki had made you feel like the most beautiful woman. It’s a damn shame he probably only wanted some action, a typical rockstar. The kisses, his touches, everything was so light, gentle, loving.

Quietly, you shimmied to the side of the bed, halfway out when you felt a hand wrap around your thigh. “Where do you think you’re going?”

You searched your brain for an excuse and then sighed and instead opted for the truth. “Isn’t this what usually happens after you have sex with a rockstar? You leave?”

“Well yeah, but only if it’s a one-time thing,” Nikki yawned, offering you a tired smile. “What you and I did last night? That’s not a one-time thing, princess.”

With pink cheeks, you sat on the end of the bed. Did he want to see you again? Or maybe he just wanted to have sex one last time?

“You look confused,” Nikki whispered. “I meant what I said last night, Y/N. You’re beautiful, everything about you is beautiful.”

“I feel like I’m not someone you usually go for,” You murmured. “I’m not your type.”

“My type?” Nikki snorted. “My type is a gorgeous, strong woman who is confident, kind, and gloriously sexy. You match that description perfectly.”

He pulled you closer to his chest, lazily drawing shapes on your legs. Your briefly shattered confidence had been restored the moment Nikki looked at you last night as if you were the only woman in the room.

As you watched his fingers dance across your thighs, you realized that no, he wasn’t just looking for sex. He was looking for you.

[meowloudly15]

Stranded: Day 8 - SOMETHING OLD SOMETHING NEW

WARNING: LONG RANT INCOMING

I got two very nice comments from The Evil Author on FFN and wanted to reply but couldn't cuz he's got the PM feature turned off. So, here are my replies. They contain info that you all would probably like to see.

First of all, thank you for reading and reviewing!

Second, yes, there are discrepancies between the canon and this fic, and I won't claim that this fic is set in canon. I misremembered some information from Spiderverse when writing this fic, before Netflix posted it. Three major differences come to mind:

1. In the movie, Miles was at Visions Academy for at least a couple months before Gwen showed up. In this fic, he shows up at roughly the same time that she does. Changing this element to make it canon would affect little to none of the plot.

2. In the movie, Kingpin's collider is at the basement of his penthouse, and the Alchemax facility is located a considerable distance away. It doesn't hold a collider. In this fic, the Alchemax facility is where the original collider is, and it's considerably closer, only about twenty minutes away as the spider swings. (The new one will be at Kingpin's penthouse.) Changing this element to make it canon would affect the plot pretty significantly. (E.g. how would Gwen know to be at Alchemax at the time at which Miles and Peter B. are there?)

3. In the movie, the spiders recognise each other upon first glance, or even when they are near each other, like when Gwen is at her locker and Miles passes behind her. (This is, however, not incredibly consistent, as the B-Team doesn't recognise the others until after their introductions are over.) In this fic, Spider-Pete doesn't recognise Gwen as a fellow spider when they meet face-to-face. Changing this element to canon would probably affect the plot.

And finally, I shall never abandon this fic. It will be completed, come hell or high water.

Thanks to everybody who has bore (beared? borne? boreded?) with me through these past few months. I hope the schedule slips haven't impeded your enjoyment of the fic. As always, enjoy!

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Gwen looked down at the two startled spidermen, sizing them up.

SOMETHING OLD SOMETHING NEW

That could mean any number of confusing, conflicting things. She decided to judge them only on the basis of what she could see.

The spiderman on the left was dressed in the exact same style of suit that Spider-Pete had worn. However, he was wearing sweatpants and no shoes and otherwise looked considerably less dignified. (Of course, that could have been because he was trussed up like a snared insect.)

The one on the right was smaller and younger-looking. He wore a cheap Spiderman costume and basketball shoes and had dark skin. Could he be Miles?

"Gwanda?"

Yep, definitely Miles.

"It's Gwen, actually."

The guy on the left spoke up. He sounded like Spider-Pete, except his throat sounded like it was filled with sand. "Oh, so you know her. That's cool."

"Long story short, we met in school."

"The long story can wait. Are you gonna let us down?"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "I don't know, would you rather stay here?"

"Okay, enough sarcasm. Let us go."

She obligingly leaped to the higher branches and yanked the weblines free. Anti-Spider-Pete and Miles both plummeted to the ground.

It couldn't hurt to show off a bit more.

She tossed the computer to Miles, then dove backwards out of the treetop, intending to shoot a webline and slowly descend to the snowy surface.

JAMMED FINGERS

Rats. She'd forgotten to repair her webshooters last night.

Of course, both of Gwen's gloves misfired, and she plummeted headfirst to the ground. Served her right for trying to show off.

"You okay, man?" asked Miles, handing the computer back to Anti-Spider-Pete.

"That was completely intentional."

Anti-Spider-Pete nodded. "Sure it was."

Gwen smacked her gloves against her leg and dusted the snow off of her suit. "Let's get going before Alchemax shows up with bigger guns. Where are you guys headed?"

Anti-Spider-Pete shrugged. "Uh, I dunno, someplace where we can make another goober?"

Gwen blinked, then nodded. It was best to just play along. "Okay, I'm coming with."

"I, uh, I like your haircut," said Miles, his eyes looking anywhere but at her haircut.

Gwen furrowed her brow. "You don't get to like it. C'mon, let's go."

She took off, Anti-Spider-Pete hot on her heels.

Miles muttered, "How many other spider-people are there?"

"Save it for Comic-Con." Anti-Spider-Pete webbed the back of Miles' shirt and yanked him along for the ride.

What was Comic-Con? Was it like DashCon?

"Where are we headed?" asked Gwen.

"The bus station. We gotta find a lab or something."

Gwen was not opposed to the idea of taking the bus instead of using her dysfunctional webshooters, but she didn't know why Anti-Spider-Pete would do so.

"Why the bus?"

"'Cuz it's less exhausting. Plus, Miles isn't too good at this spider business."

Miles, still dangling from Anti-Spider-Pete's webline, nodded reluctantly.

Gwen nodded. Her suspicions were correct. Miles had gotten his powers very recently, possibly after she had arrived at Visions Academy. No wonder her spider-sense wasn't triggered as strongly by his presence in the beginning.

Speaking of which, there was a constant faint buzzing at the nape of her neck. Was it just because, as was repeatedly said, Anti-Spider-Pete and Miles were like her? Or was something more sinister at play here?

There was only one way to find out.

The bus station wasn't far from Alchemax. A small concrete terrace with a glass roof stood 80 yards from the parking lot. Anti-Spider-Pete and Miles ran to pick up two coats that had been unceremoniously discarded on the ground not far away.

Darn it. Gwen had left her street clothes in Alchemax. Well, it didn't matter at this point. She still had the school uniform at Visions, at least.

They all pulled off their masks and boarded a bus. Miles dumped a handful of spare change into the farebox. The bus driver muttered something about "nutty cosplayers".

Serendipitously, the bus was nearly empty, aside for the bus driver and a half-asleep middle-aged man at the front.

Was Anti-Spider-Pete actually named Peter? He looked enough like him, except he was older. Much older. Definitely a lot worse for wear. His nose looked like it had been broken and re-healed at least a dozen times. He also had a fading black eye and a five-o-clock shadow. At least his hair was brown. That was normal.

"What's your name?" Gwen asked.

"I'm Miles," said Miles.

"I know your name. I don't know his." Gwen gestured to Anti-Spider-Pete.

"My name's Peter B. Parker."

"Specifically with the B?"

Anti-Spider-Pete shrugged. "Yeah. The B stands for B-"

"You know what, it doesn't matter," Gwen interrupted. "Nice to meet you."

"You too. What's your full name again?"

"Gwen Stacy."

Peter B. blinked, and his smirk vanished. Coincidentally, the bus passed into a tunnel.

Why had her name turned his countenance so sour? Was it… wait. That was the same reaction that she had had upon seeing Spider-Pete for the first time.

Gwen decided to lighten the mood. "Or, if you're my dad when he's angry, it's GWENDOLYN MAXINE STACY, GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU WALKED IN HERE AT MIDNIGHT WITH TWO BLACK EYES AND A LIMP!" Gwen switched to the best impersonation of her dad that she could manage.

Miles laughed. Peter B. cracked a grin, though he still seemed uneasy, even wistful.

"What was it like?" asked Miles. "I mean, like, what was it like back in your dimension?"

"Well, uh, I've been Spider-Woman for the past 2 years."

Gwen mentally facepalmed. She was Ghost Spider now. Old habits were hard to break.

"And yeah, normal superhero stuff happened. Saved my dad. Joined a band. I don't know if that's normal, but still. But…"

Gwen hesitated. She needed to mention the really important moment, the moment that had truly kicked off her superhero career. But she couldn't bring herself to talk about it. She was supposed to forget about it! She couldn't just… tell people about it!

"... I couldn't save… my best friend. So, now I save everyone else. And I don't do friends anymore. You know, to avoid distractions."

Gwen parenthetically wondered if "everyone else" included herself. No, she was too far gone. She was a ghost. But back to the story.

"Then I got sucked into this portal, and it sent me here. I got blown into last week. Literally.

"Long story short, I got arrested, broke out of jail, beat up a gang, found my way to Visions Academy, impersonated a Russian, stole government files, broke into Alchemax, got sedated by Doc Ock, broke out of Alchemax, got a new haircut, broke into Alchemax again, broke in a third time, and now I'm here."

Miles and Peter B. stared at her.

"Could you say that again, but slower?" asked Miles.

Gwen facepalmed. "Okay, long story even shorter, my spider-sense told me to go to Visions Academy. Then I met you there."

"Oh. That's cool."

"So, uh, Peter, how 'bout you?"

She was genuinely interested in hearing about Peter B.'s experiences. Maybe he would hint at why her name made him so sad.

Peter B. sighed, as though he was sick of telling his origin story. "Where I'm from, for the past 22 years, I've been the one and only Spiderman. Pretty sure you know the rest. I saved the city, fell in love, saved it again, got married, saved it some more, maybe too much. Had some marital issues, made a couple dicey money choices. Never invest in a spider-themed restaurant.

"Then you know, typical superhero stuff over the next few years, kept saving the city, broke my back, a drone flew into my face. I buried Aunt May. My wife and I split up… but I handled it like a champ."

Peter B. started blinking hard to suppress his tears.

"Did you know that seahorses mate for life? I mean, can you just imagine being a seahorse and seeing another seahorse and making it work?

"She wanted kids. I… It scared me.

"Well, all of a sudden, I got pulled through this real weird portal thing one day. And weird things happen to me a lot, but this was really weird. Like, really. What was even weirder was that here, I was dead. And blond. Dunno why. Maybe I should dye my hair."

Miles chuckled a little. "Hey, wait a minute. What if Spiderman from here had dyed hair? I mean, think about it. He dyed, and then he died. You know?"

Gwen and Peter B. blinked.

"Yeah, that wasn't funny," said Peter B. He leaned back and rested his feet on the seats on the other side of the aisle.

"Okay, maybe a little. Good try," countered Gwen. "So, uh, what's your plan now?"

"We're gonna make another one of these," said Miles. He lifted a broken flash drive out of his pocket and held it out. "It's an override key, for the collider."

"A goober," corrected Peter B.

A what?

"Yeah, a goober, whatever. But Peter broke it."

Gwen examined the flash drive. "He did?"

"Yeah, but keep that between you and me." Miles switched to a confidential whisper. "He's embarrassed about it."

Gwen could have heard Peter B.'s eye roll from three counties over. She chuckled.

RELATIVE CHAOS

"Hang on, I think I know a place where we might be able to get help." She handed the "goober" back to Miles, who stowed it away.

"To make another goober?"

"Yeah. I hope so. Probably."

Gwen pulled out her notebook and flipped through it until she found Mrs. Parker's address. She tore out the page and handed it to Peter B. "This is the place."

"Neat. Then here's where we'll go."

After a minute of slightly awkward silence, Miles said, "Uh, I'm... sorry about your friend."

"Don't worry about it," Gwen replied. "But thanks."

That was nice of him. Miles seemed like a nice kid. Awkward and goofy, perhaps, but nice. Confused and weirded out by his powers, for sure, but nice nevertheless. Quite the opposite of herself. At least he had help. The poor kid deserved help.

"I know how hard it is, having to figure all this stuff out on your own," she said.

"Yeah, it's nice not being the only spider-person around."

"Definitely."

Miles hesitated before continuing. "You… wanna take a selfie or something? You know, two spider-people from different dimensions chilling together? In the same dimension?"

Gwen grinned. "Yeah, why not?"

She lifted her phone. She and Miles smiled for the camera.

"Wait, can I-" Peter B. started to say.

The camera clicked.

"C'mon! I wanted to be in it!" groaned Peter B.

"I mean, you're in the selfie. Just not your face. And, you know," Gwen smirked. "That might be a good thing."

Peter B. heaved a sigh. "Teenagers are the worst," he muttered under his breath.

"So now, like, how are you gonna get the picture to me?" asked Miles. "Can… uh… can I have your number?"

"Uh, I dunno if that'll work. You know, this phone's from another dimension and all that. So… huh." Gwen pressed her hand to her forehead and thought.

"Just air-drop it to each other," said Peter B.

Miles and Gwen exchanged a look. "What's air-drop?" they asked simultaneously.

"You're Gen-Z-ers, and you don't know what air… right. Different universe. Here." Peter B. sighed and sat upright. "I'll show you how it works."

Gwen hadn't realised how embarrassing it was to be taught how to use technology by a guy who was probably old enough to be her dad. Spoiler alert: it was very embarrassing.

Miles hesitated for a moment, looking back and forth between the photo on his phone and Gwen. "Uh, if you ever want to do friends again, I'll keep a slot open."

Gwen froze.

She wasn't going to open up to Miles. Not so soon. Not here. Not now. Not yet.

At the same time, she did get lonely. Not that she would ever admit it.

He was a nice guy. He wouldn't make a bad friend.

No. Not a chance. Gwen wasn't going to open up just so she could get hurt again. Or hurt someone else again.

"I'll... keep you posted."

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[angstymarshmallow]

The Things That go BUMP in the Night

Hi folks! I haven't done this sort of blogging in awhile but I really wanted to jot down some of what I thought about the new book released this week. For starters, although I know I'm a fan of the genre I was still pretty happy with the first two chapters - but like with everything, I still have my gripes about it. And without further ado, let’s get started!

1. Lore. One of the never-ending questions I’ve always found interesting to answer is - how do people that aren’t human fit into the same universe? How do they co-exist. Originally I’ve asked these kind of questions in another post but this specifically was one of the most important questions, going into this book. 

I imagined from the beginning, there was some sort of glamour involved - and I was right! It's not to say it's a hard conclusion to come by lol, in some ways it is kind of textbook. But I think while it is a good way of explaining their world; it would have been more interesting if it was all out in the open (including bloodbound), rather than being quite so hush hush. How would that work? Wouldn’t there be mass panic? Well maybe at first, we are talking about things that go bump in the night, but I imagine there would have to be some kind of legislation in place to support their existence and to keep them in some kind of line. (I’ve read a series once that did something akin to this and there’s been other things where I don’t think this would be something impossible to accomplish). 

That isn't to say nighthunters like Nik wouldn't still have a role within society. They could be a special task force assisted by the government to protect the...well ordinary from the unordinary and vice versa.It just would have been nice to see another explanation other than the more popular substance of - "oh my god, we had no idea these things exist!" But then I guess there would be no reason for glamour anymore, if everyone's accountable for their actions. However, this doesn’t take away from how awesome it is to explore this new detail regardless of whether everyone knows it. And I think it’s worth mentioning that I do like a lot of other things they’ve showed us. They paint this picture of New Orleans, uniqueness. Vera one of the first characters we meet, implores us that the city isn’t black and white but rather there are lots of gray areas when it comes down to the city. 

From the little pieces of context from Vera, to meeting people such as the seemingly charming Garrus and Ivy as well as the shy Krom; as the reader it’s already been established to us that there is more to the supernatural world than just black and white - everyone is a monster. What I really enjoyed is seeing the different representation of supernatural beings in just the little details they’ve allowed to naturally come up within dialogue. And it makes sense! Just like people, supernaturals differ from one another. Plus that kind of detail - I eat that good shit like it's breakfast, and now I'm just waiting for a full course meal.

2. Introduction to Other Characters.

Another refreshing take from this story was the way in which they introduced some of the characters. Particularly, how Vera Reimonenq and Nik Ryder were introduced to us. I can’t even think of another time where we spent almost immediate one-one with a female LI first instead of a male LI. It was surprising and I jumped on the chance right away.

Vera herself is very interesting. I was particularly drawn to the fact that  she swears satin gloves. I think touching is a sensitive thing for her; specifically touching with her bare hands which may allude to the kind of supernatural she is; or more specifically the kinds of abilities she has which sets her apart from “other humans” . I like that we had the chance to know a bit more about her; the fact that this is her first time home in a few years and although she didn’t confide in us why she left- it is clear that something has drawn her back here. It sets up for a very unique love interest :D.

Nik feels a little more cookie-cutter. A hunter with a dark sense of humour and a tragic backstory (i feel that to my soul when he brought up quite briefly; his father in his first diamond scene and the cuts that MC notices when they see a flash of their body). This is my personal biases coming out to get me because I love that kind of detail, and I live for that kind of angst. I also appreciate witty banter and it’s clear to me that whatever MC’s relationship with Nik becomes - they will have some kind of rapport between them.

Garrus, Krom and Ivy.

There’s very little we know about them, considering we spent a small time with each - but Ivy more so when MC and Nik agree to ‘help’ her in a way to find answers as to that creepy monster which appeared in the first chapter. Garrus is what I expect from the fae; charming and probably very easy to be seduced by, Krom was adorable in his own way and Ivy - she interested me the most. She felt a lot more personable and transparent. I think this is partly because of the  time we spent in knowing her a little more than the others, and also because she may be more of a reoccurring character because of her little shop that Nik obviously knows his way around.

3. The Set Up?

There isn’t much to say plot wise about the first two chapters. Naturally it asks of us as the reader several questions. Why can our MC see past glamours? Who wants to protect MC so badly that they’ve paid an extensive amount of money to hire a hunter? And what does this have to do with the necromancy? These questions (and many more), are undoubtedly going to be answered over the course of this book. Although, I’ve already began wondering about this in length - as I have no doubt many others have as well. I like that it sets some objectives in a clear way from the beginning and honestly, so far it has the kind of action packed I never realized I needed for this kind of genre. It’s refreshing to be pleasantly surprised for a change and so far, I expect to keep up with series (diamonds and all).

The pacing so far is great and I’m looking forward to learning more about the Nightbound universe!

TLDR: I really enjoy the set-up of how they’ve painted supernaturals. Although, I was disappointed like Bloodbound, humans don’t coexist with supernatural beings - rather they live among them completely unaware because of glamour.  The lore is really interesting so far and I’m enjoying the characters we’ve met along the way - particuarly Vera and Nik (I think they’ll be big movers in terms of plot) and overall, I think it’s setting up for a great adventure! 

What are your thoughts?

[mikauzoran]

Marichat Drabble: Comparison

“I legitimately cannot tell if this shirt is too low-cut,” Marinette sighed, angling this way and that in the mirror.

The shirt in question had a neckline like any regular t-shirt, rimming her collarbone. The problem was that directly below the neckline was a large panel that had been cut out between the neck and the chest. A modicum of coverage was provided by thin strips of fabric running vertically along the panel like cell bars.

Chat Noir looked up from his position sprawled out on his stomach on her chaise, reading a comic in the original Japanese.

He nearly fell off of the chaise. “Uh…well…what’s your typical standard for too low-cut?”

Marinette pursed her lips and turned to face him, one hand going to her hip. “This is weird, but there’s a mole in the center of my chest.” She tugged one of the strips of fabric out of the way to reveal a cute little mole situated in the valley between her breasts.

Chat tried not to stare, but…this was incredibly pertinent to his interests. That mole was going to make appearances in future dreams, he just knew it.

“Normally, if the mole shows, I know the top is too low. If the mole is covered, I’m good,” she elaborated. “With this top, though, the panel goes lower than the mole, but the mole is covered by the strip of fabric, so…it subverts my usual standards. I can’t… How am I supposed to tell if it’s too low?”

“Does the shirt make you feel uncomfortable?” With a great deal of effort, Chat forced himself to look her in the eye.

She shrugged. “Not especially. It’s just cleavage. It’s not like you can see…well…you know. It’s not like I’m bare-breasted.”

Thank you oh so much for the mental image, Marinette. I really needed that.

“Does it make you uncomfortable? As a man in general, I mean.” She cocked her head to the side and awaited his judgment call.

Yeah. I mean, with all this talk of your breasts, my pants are a little tight, and I’m kind of uncomfortable, but what’s a little arousal between friends, right?

“Let’s put it this way,” Chat sighed, shoving down his frustration. “If—big if—” he prefaced, “I were your boyfriend,”

She raised an eyebrow.

He wasn’t sure if it was a skeptical eyebrow raise or an eyebrow raise indicating interest. Maybe it meant nothing and he was just overthinking things.

“I would want to be with you whenever you wore that shirt,” he informed. “I would want you on my arm or within arms’ reach at all times because the second you were out of my sight, some horn-dog would be flirting with you, and I’d have to rearrange his face for him.”

“Hm,” Marinette hummed in amusement. “Really? That sexy?”

“Yes,” he answered with deadly certainty. “Marinette, if you want guys to trip over their own feet for you, wear the shirt. If you want guys to look at your face and listen to what you’re saying, wear something else.”

She chuckled at the gravity with which he made the statement. “What I’m hearing you say is that you don’t think I should wear this to the benefit concert with Adrien this Friday.”

“You can do whatever you want, but if you wear that shirt, you’ll be torturing that poor slob. He won’t be able to concentrate on the orchestra at all,” Chat declared, imagining sitting beside her in the dark for two hours with a perfect view down her top if he gave into temptation and looked to his left.

He wondered if he could get away with resting his hand on her thigh. No. Definitely not. Too forward. Completely inappropriate. Maybe her knee? He could try it. Maybe if he was feeling brave. But what if that made her uncomfortable but she was too polite to say something? Maybe he could slip his hand into hers. That was benign enough, right?

She drew him out of his thoughts with a musical snort. “Adrien isn’t like that.”

Chat returned the snort in indignation. He was glad she thought highly of him, but…there had to be more realistic expectations between them. “Princess, is he a teenage guy?”

“Yes.” Marinette rolled her eyes, turning back to study her reflection.

“Then he’s like that.

“He’s not,” she insisted.

“I guarantee he’s thought about you naked.”

“Chat Noir!” she gasped rounding on him.

He shrugged and kept going. “He’s had at least one dream about having sex with you.”

Her face went scarlet, but he couldn’t tell if that was from embarrassment or anger.

“He’s a guy, Marinette. However nice you think he is, however polite and gentlemanly he acts, he’s still a teenage guy, and teenage guys think about sex.”

“I suppose you would know,” she retorted sarcastically.

“Yes,” he laughed tersely. “Because I’m also a teenage guy, and I’m thinking about having sex with you right now.”

Internally, he cursed. Had he said that out loud? He mentally cursed again.

She scoffed, however, waving a hand dismissively and turning back to the mirror.

He wanted to scream. She didn’t even believe him.

“He likes you, you know,” Chat spat bitterly. She drove him insane sometimes.

“False,” she decreed. “How many times do I have to tell you that Adrien and I are just friends? Get your jealousy under control, Chat Noir. You do not have a monopoly on my friendship, and you’re going to have to learn how not to be threatened by the other males in my life one of these days.”

“This isn’t jealousy, and I am not threatened by Adrien Agreste,” Chat sulked. “I’m just stating a fact. Agreste likes you. Why else does he always buy you presents and ask you to be his date for things? He’s courting you.”

“By that logic, YOU are courting me. And you’re not. He is not. We’re friends. That’s just what friends do,” she groaned in exasperation. “They hang out and give presents. Believe me, he is just expressing friendship.”

“He has other friends, Marinette. There are other girls in his life he could ask to be his date from time to time. Heck, he could even bring Nino as his plus one, but he never does. It’s always you. Doesn’t that mean something?”

“It doesn’t have to,” she muttered, sounding suddenly morose.

“Just because you’re only friends now, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have feelings for you,” Chat warned. “That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want you two to be something more.”

“Can we drop this?” She met his eyes in the mirror, looking downtrodden. “Please?”

“…Sure,” he whispered.

It was quiet between them for nearly a full minute as Marinette studied her reflection, not really seeing herself. “…I think it is too low-cut after all,” she eventually sighed, slipping the shirt off over her head.

Chat was treated to yet another look at her red and black polka dotted bra. He’d decided that she was going to be wearing that bra in his next “First Time with Marinette” fantasy. He hadn’t made up his mind yet if he was going to be Adrien or Chat. Usually Adrien got the lacy pink lingerie set. Maybe the red and black polka dots could be Chat’s.

“Does it not bother you, changing in front of me?” he wondered in a neutral tone.

“No. I mean, I’m wearing my bra. It’s not like I’m stripping naked….” She whipped her head around to look anxiously at him over her shoulder. “Does it bother you?”

She was only now thinking of asking after having changed in front of him how many times?

“No,” he fibbed. He wasn’t “bothered” in the sense that she meant. He didn’t mind her changing in front of him.

Yes, it kind of irked him that she didn’t see taking articles of clothing off in front of him as a problem, but…

“It’s just…I’m not neutered, you know. I am a boy under the leather cat suit, and you’re alone in the house with me, taking your clothes off. Have you ever thought about that?” he inquired in a level tone, not letting his annoyance show.

She shrugged into a long-sleeved, off-the-shoulder red top that covered the mole at the center of her chest. A delicate lace band ran teasingly around the top just above the tops of her breasts. “It’s not something I’ve ever had to think about. You’d never.”

He wanted to leap at her, crush his lips to hers and prove her wrong, make her see him as a man.

But then she killed that line of thought with a chuckled, “I trust you.”

He sighed, letting his face fall into the throw pillow on the chaise. “Bugger me,” he grumbled, but it came out muffled.

“Hm?” She peered back over her shoulder. “What was that?”

He lifted his head. “Nothing.” He took a single look at her new top and froze, entreating, “Please wear that.”

“I think I will. I can wear the earrings you gave me with it,” she decided happily. “Yeah, this one’s much better.”

She pulled the top off and slipped back into the shirt she’d been wearing when he’d arrived. “I think I’ll pair it with my black pencil skirt and call it a day.”

“Super,” he sighed, picking up his manga and trying to figure out where he’d left off.

“…Is it weird to rely on a mole to determine the decency level of your wardrobe?” Marinette wondered, picking up the five or six rejected outfit choices from the floor and putting them away.

“I don’t think so. But, I mean, I do the same thing, so either it’s normal or we’re both the same kind of weird,” he answered with a shrug.

“You do the same thing?” she echoed quizzically. “How?”

Chat sat up and rubbed at the back of his neck. “You know how sometimes I have to do promotional photoshoots for my father’s company?”

She nodded.

“Sometimes that involves swimsuits or underwear or low-cut jeans,” he explained, “and I have this mole on my hip that, if it shows, that’s too much skin.”

“Where?” she prompted.

He stood and pointed just above the crease of his leg.

“Show me?” Marinette inquired curiously, a mischievous grin playing on her lips.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

“I showed you mine,” she pouted.

He shrugged. “I suppose fair’s fair.”

Without breaking eye contact, he pulled off his gloves and slowly began to tug down his zipper.

She watched the hypnotic descent of the bell with what he thought was undue interest, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy being the center of her attention.

He leisurely slid out of the sleeves, letting the top half of the suit hang around his waist behind him.

“How are you wearing boxers under that skintight leather suit?” Marinette giggled.

“Magic,” he snickered. “Do you like my magical boxers?”

“What are they made out of? Is that regular fabric? How does this even work?”

All of the sudden, she was kneeling on the carpet in front of him, touching the band of his boxers, investigating the suit, and trying to figure out how it was lying flat over the boxers.

Chat tried really hard to keep his mind out of the gutter. He did not succeed.

He cleared his throat. “Princess?”

She looked up questioningly, utter innocence on her face. She’d gotten caught up in the clothes and wasn’t even thinking about their position.

“You had wanted to see the mole?” he reminded.

“Oh, right!” she laughed sheepishly, sitting back on her heels and watching him expectantly.

He rolled down the waistband of his boxers, revealing the mole on his hip.

“That is pretty low.” She reached out and poked it.

“I didn’t get to touch yours,” he teased.

She cocked an eyebrow up at him. “Did you want to?”

Despite the fact that she had just poked his mole, she sounded as if she couldn’t fathom why anyone would want to touch hers.

He looked away, hoping the angle would hide his blush. “Nope. I’m good. Thank you. If you don’t mind, I’m going to put my clothes back on now before Sabine gets home and decides to walk in on us.”

“Ugh,” Marinette groaned at the thought, rocking back and pushing herself up to standing. “Please no. It was bad enough the other day when you accidentally spent the night. I think she could sense something was off.”

Chat hummed noncommittally as he pulled the suit back on.

“Can I zip it?” Marinette inquired with all the enthusiasm of a six-year-old.

“Why not?” he chuckled, willingly submitting as she grabbed the bell and slowly tugged.

“I love the bell,” she chuckled.

“I love that you love the bell,” he confessed breathily.

[snailanimations]

@princeasimdiya12 requested I redesign Shawn so here he is! As usual I have Opinions, but I’ll leave those under a cut, hope ya like the result!

Okay so Shawn’s whole thing is surviving the zombie apocalypse, like literally that’s his whole thing. So I kinda see what they were going for, or at least I can kinda make up a rationale for the whole thing? His goal is to be ready for anything, right, so he’s ready for any type of weather. He’s got the hat and the sweater just in case it gets cold, but he’s also got what I guess is a life jacket in case he needs to float somewhere I guess? And then sneakers, okay got it. But if that’s what they were going for they didn’t go nearly far enough to make it believable.

Firstly, if you’re preparing for survival but you don’t know what kind of weather to prepare for, it makes sense to me to always prepare more for being cold. Because you can always take clothes off, but if you prepare for it to be hot then you’re fucked if it gets cold. So I guess that’s what the sweater and the hat are for. But let me tell you something, those things aren’t going to be nearly as useful as they seem.

Firstly, the sweater is ill-fitting and leaves his hands completely bare. Which means the first thing that’s going to happen is he’s going to get frostbite on his hands, and then he’s going to freeze to death because the sweater froze from being exposed to the outside elements and not pressed up against his body heat. It’s much less likely for that to happen if he wears a more form-fitting sweater, which I put him in. Not to mention giving him gloves, although keeping them fingerless just in case he needs the fine motor control. Plus the sleeves are long enough to go down around his hands and act as mittens. Then I also added a pocket to the sweater for extra warmth and carrying small things if needed. And lastly, the bit around his neck will keep that warm when need be.

Also jeans? Worst thing you can have in cold weather. Honestly, worst thing for hot weather too. They’re gonna freeze immediately in cold weather, making them useless to keep warm, and they’re not going to breathe and be very good for hot weather either. So I opted for leggings, because let’s be honest, there’s no time for gender roles in the apocalypse. They’re gonna breathe better and also be form-fitting, which is more helpful for the same reason the sweater is.

I used the hat to kind of replace his long shaggy hair. Because super long hair isn’t going to be helpful if you’re running and your hair is all in your face. I guess the aesthetic they were going for was kinda trashy looking? But honestly if he’s really trying to survive and that’s all then he’s not gonna give a goddamn about keeping his hair long. I gave him bangs just to kind of call back to the original design, but otherwise I imagine it’s short under there. Plus the hat will do a better job of keeping his ears warm, especially compared to the original hat.

I gave him a backpack because I don’t imagine Shawn would be caught dead without some kind of provisions, so of course that can carry a multitude of things, including blankets, more clothes, food, water, etc. So it just seemed like a natural edition to a survivalist.

And then the boots were added because sneakers just aren’t going to cut it when you’re doing a lot of physically taxing things in intense temperatures. If it’s really cold, his sneakers aren’t going to keep him warm. But if he has to climb something, his boots are going to be much more useful, as they’ll have a better grip on the bottom than the slick bottoms of normal sneakers.

Lastly, his color palette. I mostly just cooled it down and desaturated it a lot. Black is good at keeping a person warm since it absorbs sunlight, and lighter colors are going to reflect sunlight better and keep you cooler. So the bulk of his body and, where I imagine the most fabric is, is a lighter color, so that if it’s hot, it’ll bounce off of the sweater and he won’t heat up as quickly. The places with less fabric like the leggings and the gloves, are as dark as they can be, so that more light will absorb into them and keep him warmer, especially since these are places that aren’t going to make you heat up too quickly and start to make you want to pass out, like heat going toward the torso and head. (I mean, I imagine having your legs cooked wouldn’t do you any favors, but it’s a smaller surface area that’s totally black so.) And the colors in his skin are a good contrast with all the blues, while still looking unified because it’s a cooler, desaturated color from his original skin tone.

If you want me to believe your character is fit for survival then show me don’t just tell me, you know? I don’t want to have to guess if he’s prepared for something if the whole point of his character is that he IS prepared.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #499

Top Ten Everything Ever

Four hundred and ninety-nine. That’s how many weeks I’ve been doing this four. Four hundred and ninety-nine.

Next week is the big five-oh-oh and I’m doing something typically stupid, but I wanted to make it a real celebration. That means for the next three weeks you’re going to get some rather meaningful and special Tops Ten; lists that have been long in the making, or that are just bonkers-level awkward for me to do. Like this one.

I mean, I’ve ranked films, games, fictional guns, and robots that made me cry. How much longer can I do this for? How many more weeks am I going to put myself through this?

Give me a barrel with bottom unscrap’d.

There’s nowhere to go but up, ladies and germs, and so I present to you the list to end all lists. The most definitive list possible. A list of everything. A list of my favourite things in all of time and space. A list of the official best things ever.

I mean, what more is there to say? This covers everything. I’ve tried to avoid it being really specific to one film or one person. And, of course, it doesn’t include people I know in real life, or events that have happened to me. These are, in their own way, big, sweeping things; film series, franchises, bands, stories that have in their own way changed my life. Just the greatest things I’ve come across in my nearly 40 years on this planet.

And you can’t say fairer than that.

The Transformers comic: this should be obvious to anyone who knows me well, but there’s no greater influence in my life, in terms of storytelling or entertainment, than Transformers. And of all the variants branching off from the Prime Timeline (pun very much intended), it’s the comic that’s greatest. Whether it’s the melodrama of Simon Furman or the intricate plotting of James Roberts, I’ve been addicted to the Transformers comic for the vast majority of my life. It has fundamentally shaped how I consume fiction and the sorts of things I’m into. It’s also really changed how I write, and, in fact, the original Marvel run is at least partly responsible for the fact that I write at all. I drew Transformers comics as a kid. I planned out elaborate multi-issue arcs before I was a teenager. I wrote detailed synopses and snatches of scripts for Transformers movies that would never be made. And I robbed, wholesale, motifs and lines of dialogue for the original books and comics I was working on too. It changed my life. It’s not hyperbole to say Transformers is the single biggest piece of fiction I’ve ever touched. Till all are one indeed.

The films of Steven Spielberg, 1975-1982: Spielberg is my favourite filmmaker, but it felt a bit weird to just say “Steven!” as one of the entries here. So instead I’ve decided to hone in on his early career, despite the fact that knocks out one of the biggest influences of my life, Jurassic Park. But everything I love about Spielberg is in these movies. His skill with a camera, his love of light, his great eye for casting, his way with actors; I mean, Close Encounters, which I probably first saw aged about twelve, is just a microcosm of all my interests in my teens: aliens, government conspiracies, determined men going on a crazed quest, and above all a pervasive sense of hope and optimism. Spielberg’s craft is exemplary, but that’s also true of many of his peers. His flair for action scenes and love of spectacle is entertaining, but there are many directors of whom you could say the same. What I love about him – what keeps bringing me back to him – is his warmth and optimism, his belief in the best of us. Even in his darkest movies, in Schindler’s List and A.I. and Munich (which has one of the bleakest endings of his career), there’s still joy and warmth and something worthwhile and wholesome to fight for. And whilst Raiders is a thrill-ride and E.T. an emotional tour-de-force, all of his preoccupations are encapsulated in Jaws, a tense horror film, a buddy-comedy, an entertaining rollercoaster, an acting masterclass. But it’s still Jurassic Park that made me want to make a movie.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe: so when I was a kid I was reading Transformers and Ghostbusters and other Marvel-published adaptations, but not really any actual Marvel comics. However, as a result, I became very loosely familiar with who Iron Man and Doctor Strange were (and Spidey of course) through references and back-up strips, and that time Death’s Head fought Tony’s nephew Arno Stark. No, when I started reading “proper” comics – mainstream superhero stuff – it was DC. I loved Batman, so I bought Batman, and that was a gateway to the rest of the DCU. However, despite the successes of the various DC movie adaptations, it’s the MCU that really, really got its hooks into me. For one, they’re really good adaptations, well-cast, with some great set-pieces. But the interconnected stuff is what really sings. Not just the characters popping up in each others’ movies, or even the overall arc leading up the crossover events; no, it was the actual shared-ness of it, the way the destruction of SHIELD had an impact, or the Sokovia Accords, or Asgard, Skrulls, magic… everything has an impact, an effect. And sure, it’s incredibly good fun to follow the breadcrumbs and try to work out where things are heading. As we enter a new phase – literally and figuratively – I just can’t wait to find out what’s next.

Grant Morrison’s Batman: talking about interconnectivity, no one does it better – or weirder – than Morrison. His Batman arc – and I’m referring to the character not the title, as it spans multiple series and even, arguably, includes work he did on JLA years earlier – is a web of connected theories, images, themes, events, and references. What does the Zur-En-Arrh graffiti in Gotham mean, not just in the here-and-now, but also as a long-standing reference to decades of Batman’s past? The anticipation of uncovering the next breadcrumb, the excitement of deciphering the next reference; it was long-form storytelling as a form of existential theatre, and it was sublime. But he also did two things that have utterly changed my view of the character. On the meta level, he presented a Batman where everything was canon; the grim thirties Shadow-inspired vigilante, the goofy fifties space adventures, the hairy-chested love-god of the seventies… it all happened to one man over a span of about 15-20 years. Fair enough; that’s cool storytelling. But his idea that Batman was not a miserable, psychopathic loner, that he was not insane or struggling to cope or still traumatised by his parents’ death, that Bruce Wayne was a nice guy with friends and family, who’d used his pain as a weapon, who’d gotten past his rage and grief and turned all the negative stuff outwards. Batman was what was built from all that, and Batman allowed Bruce to grow. And what did he do? He found other lost children and saved their lives, allowing Dick Grayson to take over. Batman is a force for good, in a similar way to Superman in Morrison’s All-Star book, making people better by association. And his confrontation with Darkseid in Final Crisis is extraordinary; brilliant as-is, as a piece of comicbook badassery on the page, but the metatextual resonance it’s given – Batman as a good man versus the font of all evil, David versus Goliath, Theseus and the Minotaur – is brilliant. How it ties in to Morrison’s wider Bat-epic, the whole Black Glove stuff and the devil and time travel and the myth of Batman’s creation and all of it… and just the simple thing of Batman’s last act being shooting the embodiment of evil, saving a human life, and then saying “Gotcha,” before dying, is perfect. Perfect.

The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge: when I was little, I played Spectrum and C64 games at my cousins’ house. Then I got an Amiga – I think maybe I was ten? – and I started playing Amiga games. And it was fun and all, but then I read a review in Amiga Action, and my life changed. It was something called an “adventure game”, and it let you walk around chatting to people and interacting with the world, with great big colourful graphics and characters whose mouths moved when they spoke. And then I played it. My love of the medium and its possibilities was cemented then; and, fittingly, it was through the wordy, hilarious dialogue and comedy antics of a wannabe pirate who may, or may not, be selling these fine leather jackets. It’s not overstating things that my gaming tastes were defined by this game and its technically superior sequel. The quirky set-pieces, the weird puzzles, the playing with form (like when you “die” in Monkey 2), and the smart use of Lucasfilm in-jokery. The first game’s “How to Get Ahead in Navigating” gag/puzzle will live with me forever, as will the second game’s bonkers, nightmarish, beautifully constructed ending. As good as they were, none of the subsequent games could hold a candle to it, especially as the whole aesthetic changed into something much more cartoony. But these two? They’re my Big Whoop.

Star Wars: I imagine I know a lot of people in real life who would be surprised – nay, astounded – that I would list my ten favourite Things of all time, and yet Star Wars would not manage to break the Top Five. That’s because that as much as I love Star Wars – and I do, I really do – it didn’t hit me, didn’t speak to me, apart from one brief and weird moment in my late teens. It was games that made me fall in love, I think; games and toys. And, I have to confess, it was the prequels; the intricate digital visions of gleaming cities and impossibly acrobatic Jedi. I love the goofiness and ultra-seriousness of Lucas’ vision, sadly muddled now by the earthy chaos of the sequels. Star Wars is cool; for a while, it defined my idea of cool in cinema. An exciting sci-fi reimagining of ancient and endless myths, a confusing smorgasbord of weird stories and arcane philosophy. Plus spaceships and rapscallions and laser swords. So yes: whilst it was never my faith, so to speak, it’s still one of the coolest and most original pieces of fiction in my lifetime, and to this day there are very few things at all that I find more exciting and evocative than the thought of a Jedi pirouetting through the air with their ‘saber lit.

Middle-Earth, in print and film: one of my most vivid memories of childhood is my mum reading me The Hobbit (and also Macbeth, funnily enough). Then I bought myself my own copy, read it as a kid, read it again as a teenager, wrote (aged about 12 or 13) a sequel in which Gollum comes back to reclaim the ring. I remain to this day baffled that my teacher did not think to tell me that there actually was a sequel to The Hobbit. Eventually I did hear about it, watched the Ralph Bakshi version, and – when I read in Empire that it was gonna be a film and Sean Connery, of all people, was gonna be Gandalf – I thought it best to take the plunge. And I adored it. whilst there’s something about the lyrical simplicity of The Hobbit that I prefer, the depth and scope of The Lord of the Rings – and Tolkien’s subsequent, more disparate writing – that moves me on a profound level. It’s not just the epic nature of the work – the story itself, with its grandiose tales of heroism and adventure – but the sheer balls of the man to make such a thing, to craft wholesale an entire mythological ecosystem. And then the films! I can’t believe they managed to do that; it was pure lightning in a bottle, and we know that because they didn’t quite manage to do it a second time with the Hobbit movies. But all those glorious moments: “Fly, you fools”, “For Frodo”, “I can carry you”, “Go away and never come back” – bloody hell.

Empire magazine: it feels a bit weird, for some reason, citing a magazine as a Favourite Thing. It’s a magazine, a periodical, a journal; it tells you the news and recommends films. it’s not supposed to be part of the culture, part of the fabric of one’s being. But whilst you could debate whether criticism itself is culture, Empire definitely has a culture. It’s a club, nay, a family; something that has been entrenched in recent years through its podcasts and live shows. But for me it began as an education. I started reading it, really, to find out more about Jurassic Park (there we are again, the secret eleventh part of this list). But it went on, showing me more films and filmmakers, introducing me to esoteric industry concepts, broadening my horizons. I always liked film, but Empire made me love film. It reflected my tastes but then it enriched them, codified them, offered me new flavours. It was the first magazine to put Lord of the Rings on the cover; it celebrates Spielberg and the MCU; it had articles about The Greasy Strangler, for goodness’ sake. So much of what I love about film I learned from Empire over the last (nearly) thirty years, and so much of what I love about Empire now is because of what I learned. Bangily-bang.

Traveller’s Tales’ LEGO games: the games that did not make this list, I don’t know. Halo; man, I love Halo. Or what about classics like Lemmings, Worms, or SWOS? What about Mass Effect, Deus Ex, or Fable? What about Mario Kart, what about Civilization? They all deserved a place, really. But there’s something esoteric, timeless even, about the heights of the LEGO games. I remember playing a demo – on the first Xbox, I think – of the first LEGO Star Wars, and being blown away by the fact that, well, it was good. When the games started coming out on the 360 – Star Wars II, Batman, Indiana Jones – I was in the gloriously fortunate position of getting a lot of them for free at CITV, and I devoured them. The simple mechanics, the generous, forgiving gameplay, the satisfying tactile feel of smashing objects and collecting studs. There was something just so rewarding about playing them. And the fan-service! Giving you all those beloved characters, all those worlds, all those genuinely funny in-jokes, references, and cut-scenes. Plus they’re great to play with kids. Time went on, some games were better than others; I feel they reached their peak with the first LEGO Marvel Super-Heroes game, presenting us with an open world New York to play in and a collection of comic book characters that fitted the gameplay perfectly. Subsequent games have either put new restrictions on play, or given us more complicated stories and mechanics, or – really – just over-egged the pudding slightly. I’m really, really optimistic and excited for The Skywalker Saga, long overdue, and promising something of an overhaul. it began, really, with Star Wars; and I feel with Star Wars they’ll have their greatest hour.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: fun fact: finding the tenth spot on these lists is very hard. How about a brand I love, like Xbox, or the BBC, or even Disney? Or another writer or director – what about Aaron Sorkin? Or a TV show – Doctor Who, perhaps, or Star Trek? Or how about, oh I dunno, Shakespeare? I like him. But I’ve not talked about music, so let’s do that; we’ll go out on a number. I’m not a musical person; I didn’t grow up frequenting record shops or listening to mix tapes in my room. I liked songs, but mostly I came to music through film. That was even true with Nick Cave, who I first heard in an episode of The X-Files, and read about in the X-Files magazine. But he remains one of the few artists, The Bad Seeds one of the few bands, that I continue to seek out and listen to regularly (rather than just saying “Alexa, play nineties rock”). I love the different styles, from the distorted noise of the early, post-Birthday Party years through the sombre melodies of Nocturama. I love Cave’s lyricism; his evocation of myth, his use of imagery. I love how he manages to get phrases like “morally culpable” into a song. I love the humour as well as the tragedy, the references to things both real and mythological, the sadness and eloquence of it all. I love how so many of his songs are about sex but are also really moving and meaningful; how much of the music is infused with pain and sorrow but is also uplifting. The horrible evocations of Cave’s own abuse in Do You Love Me, through to the references to his son’s death in Girl in Amber. I love Cave’s voice. I don’t know if this has come through in this list, but something I really like is stuff that makes me cry but isn’t necessarily sad. I cry when I read Sandman, when he wins the Oldest Game by challenging the end of everything by becoming “hope”; I cry when Donna tells Josh, “if you were in the hospital I wouldn’t stop for red lights”; I cry when Steve Rogers jumps on that dummy grenade. I think it’s hope and heroism and love. And that’s something that I get constantly, mainlined, intravenous, from Nick Cave. As Morgan Freeman says in Seven, “The world is a fine place and worth fighting for – I agree with the second part.”

God, there’s so much stuff not listed here. So many things I love that I feel are core; no Pixar, no West Wing, no other filmmakers cited, really, apart from Spielberg. But ten’s not a big number, and I contain multitudes.

Thanks for reading.

[man-i-dont-know]

BNHA Chapter 175 & 176: Thoughts and Spoilers

Hello, I am back. Sorry the last couple weeks were busy. Anyway, I am really loving these two chapters so lets get right into it.

Preparation for the festival continues, and Deku still really can’t dance. We see a cute Eri and by now y’all probably decided that it was Aizawa doing her hair, and I agree (the dudes got some long locks himself, he knows how to do hair I can guarantee that). The class has made some serious progress and they are all nervous/hyped for the festival. Then a little bit of plot happens, Deku realized some of the ropes that will support the disco bal- ahem - Aoyama, are frayed and they need new ones. Deku says he’ll go out and get some new ones after his morning training (nothing will go wrong I’m sure). Kaminari notes that Deku will be cutting it close with training, shopping and prepping for the festival. So finally, the day of the festival arrives.

Hatsume hasn’t slept or bathed in a week and runs out into the woods to find Deku to give him his modified gloves (and damn they are stylin’). The sytlin’ aspect is actually something Mei consciously had in mind when she made it, which amazed me because all of her previous “babies” have been just straight up robots, but this time she had Deku’s hero costume in mind when she developed it. Mei is going to be a top-class hero support... uh.. person? Is there a title for it? Engineer? Something like that.

Deku is running a tad late because he was working with the gloves so much, but now he is going to get the ropes. He passes some of the festival which is nice to see that it is all coming together. He falls even further behind because the store he was thinking of was not selling any ropes that would work. At precisely 8:30, Deku bumps into two very suspicious individuals coming out of an alley. This oddly... gentle... individual diverts his path away from Deku and mentions something about a high-end brand of tea. Deku recognizes the brand as the one Momo so graciously served Class 1-A the other day. The mention of tea got this suspiciously suave individual’s attention and started a conversation without thinking. Then, legitimately, the scene gets tense. They start to piece together who each other are. “A high-class student,” “a suspicious character linked with tea,” “a student in the UA area,” “a familiar voice,” “he is a student at UA!” “He is Gentle!” Cue all black panel with Gentle and Deku staring each other down. I loved this sequence for a couple reasons: 1.) neither character is stupid, they’ve deduced who the other is very quickly with minimal interaction, 2.) other shows or stories keep characters in the dark about simple stuff for ages just for tension, whereas here nothing was kept hidden for long, but maximum tension was reached in three pages, 3.) the characters aren’t dumb! I can not stress that enough! God I love seeing characters figure thing out like normal human beings, it is so refreshing to see, 4.) and both characters are taking the other very seriously (more about that later).

Deku then does something that I adore, he asks Gentle to stop. Straight forward and honest, he leaves Gentle open to several options, one of which is dropping the idea and leaving entirely. It also speaks volumes of Deku’s character, despite being a hero confronted with a known villain, his first instinct is a peaceful resolution, not a fight. He does not instigate a fight, such a peaceful kid (despite how freaking crazy he is during his fights). The chapter ends like this, with a small counter saying the performance will take place in an hour and twenty-eight minutes.

The next chapter starts with Gentle admitting that Deku outted him, and Deku checks to see if there are any civilians on the street to worry about. I love that small gesture cause that is something that is typically neglected in stories, bystanders and if they are in harms way. Deku determines that they only thing now is to prepare for a fight. gentle has the same idea, whips off his disguise and tells Brava to start filming and not to stop under any circumstances. Gentle starts with a flourish and poses for the camera, Deku lunges, and basically hits one of those saran wrap pranks where it is pulled across a door frame. This saran wrap however is incredibly elastic and launches Deku backwards at high speeds. Gentle confirms that his quirk is elasticity, which is similar to what I imagined, so I am glad one of my theories was close to the mark. Gentle actually seems very surprised by the sheer force that Deku was launched at, meaning that he doesn’t put any force into his quirk at all, all the bounce comes from outside force (makes sense in this cause Deku was using Full Cowl). The distance that Deku was launched intimidates Gentle, saying that if the kid could withstand that, he must have some serious power behind him. Coming to that conclusion, Gentle and Brava book it.

Deku gets up and chases them further, Gentle sets up a trampoline and bounces Deku into the air so they can get further away. Gentle takes this moment to talk to Deku, saying that he understands Deku’s desire for the festival to go well, but Gentle is prioritizing his attack over the students having fun, which as a villain should be a given, but Gentle doesn’t really give off the villain vibe. Gentle and Brava make another dash for it, and Brava recognizes Deku from the sports festival, saying that he was “the crazy boy who fought by destroying his arms.” Gentle then gives a face of comedic fear, and I love it, Deku’s madman reputation is giving people pause now, I love that he is scaring the crap outta people he hasn’t even meet yet. Something similar occurred kinda recently in One Piece, I might write a post about that later. Anyways, Deku is tumbling through the air. He is remembering a conversation he had with Eri, and how she is looking forward to the dance party (THIS WAS SAID WHILE ERI WAS TRYING TO SMILE AND IT WAS SO SWEET I BECAME PHYSICALLY ILL THEN I LOOKED AT IT MORE). Deku is also remembering helping Jirou compile a load of notes she took for the other band members. She had notes on par to Deku’s hero notes, and Deku was thrilled cause originally he thought Jirou had a favorite hero she wanted to take notes on (Deku’s reaction to this was not like himself, much more like a friend’s though I can’t really place whose, Iida maybe? Either way, friends are rubbing off on each other). It is shown later Tokoyami using those notes, and its implied that Bakugou has already read it, which makes sense with his academic jock vibe.

This is all to show that Deku absolutely can not allow Gentle to get anywhere near to UA. Deku is about to launch a midair attack, remembers his training with All Might and comments about dancing from Mina. This combination allows Deku to fire off an air blast while upside down to stall Gentle. Deku immediately catches up with a Full Cowl jump and sends both of them into a construction site. And that is where the chapter ends, but I’ve got a couple other thoughts I’d like to share.

So there are a couple things I absolutely adore when some elements are included in a story. One of which is recognition. Not like a character starts off well known, but when a character works hard and somewhere during the story you realize, oh crap, this character is really well known now. Deku is getting there and you’ve got no idea how much that hypes me up. The implications of this fight with Gentle could launch Deku even further into the public eye. If Deku defeats Gentle, that will be the first villain Deku took down without help. On top of that, the whole thing will be recorded, meaning Deku will have to learn a lesson or two about camera awareness or at least he has to acknowledge the celebrity aspect of heroing. I would love for Deku to get interviewed or something, maybe we see a new article about him or something. Plus, imagine this: Deku starts to develop a fan club. Of course Eri and Kouta are the founder and president of the club, but imagine Deku getting recognized in public positively (we’re just gonna forget about Shigaraki “recognizing” Deku in the mall). To sum it up, Deku is moving up in the world, and there is some major potential for him to get his name catapulted into the pro-hero world.

The other thing I absolutely love is when opponents recognize each other as strong enemies. Far too often villains are so egotistical that they refuse to see the possibility that their adversary could beat them, even if they have already been beaten. A fight where both sides realize they can lose makes the fight 100x more tense, and this is what is happening here. Gentle is legitimately wary of the strength that Deku wields, and Deku is the cautious type by nature, so of course he too is aware of how this situation could be very bad. A fight between equals is sooooo good. Those are two of things I love seeing in stories, I got a couple others, but those are the ones that apply to this chapter.

That should be about it. Thank you for taking your time to read this whole long thing. I am thinking that I might try to diversify this blog to some other stories as well (anime, movies, etc.), though I have been busy recently so I am not sure how that would work out. I’ll figure it out later. Again, thank you for reading and I hope you have a great day.