#probably why she knows who Joseph was or knew of his existence

[mako-ink]

Sketching up my hopefully first part of a few illustrations I wanna do for Leon’s birthday :3 I need to finish Melanie’s hair and outfit sketch

[irefy]

How old is Maugris (part 3/???)

The woman I mentioned before is likely European. I think this for a number of reasons, one of which being she is a makar who is deliberately hiding her gifts. Joseph never once suspected what she was, and Maugris didn’t jump into children, so he couldn’t have been making the choice to hide it. And why would she hide it in the U.S? It’s celebrated, there wouldn’t really be a reason to. You could say to avoid fighting, but The Enemy didn’t exist yet, and there hadn’t been any notable evil makars for a couple generations because Maugris was laying low. A likely explanation is the European ban on Makars. This is actually really helpful because it tells us when Maugris left Europe and came to the U.S. It had to have been AFTER 1966, and if we’re using the five year gap logic from before with her age, that would put Maugris leaving Europe at around 1971.

Now, this is where things get…messy.

All we know about the past lives after that woman is that

(1) Maugris was laying low. This actually is an important detail because it tells us a lot about the life prior to “laying low” lives. This is a guess, but based off of maugris’s character it seems likely that he wouldn’t just decide to lay off the evil for a while. I mean, this guy had literally no qualms about consistently murdering innocents. That means that for him to just stop for a while, the last “evil” life he had had to have made a huge impact. This significantly narrows down what “Several Generations” can mean. (Note: I think that these ‘breaks’ were not common for him. He started all this when he was young and probably didn’t figure out about the take a break thing for a while.)

And

(2) Maugris’s known, documented lives are generally focused on the evil ones. We don’t really get names for anything else, so what we need to figure out is how often he reaches extremes that would force him to take a break from evil doing. To do this, we need to find which life came directly before the laying low ones, or how many evil lives he’s lived and figure out the proportions compared to normal lives he’s lived.

Thankfully, we do have actual text confirming a number. (For once.)

In Golden Tower, at the bottom of page 154, Call says he’s been 17 different evil mages, and Aaron helpfully corrects that number to 18.

“‘…Even though I’ve been seventeen different evil mages.’

‘Eighteen,’ said Aaron. ‘But who’s counting?’”

This specific quote is very important, not just because it holds one of the only concrete numbers in this series, but also because of the specification. Notice that Call doesn’t say he’s been 17 different mages, but that he’s been 17 different *evil* mages. An important distinction, because it tells us whether Call is being counted or not. If he *were* being counted, Aaron’s correction would consist of one less life, not one more. Throughout the entire book, Aaron is in Call’s head trying to convince him that he’s not evil, what Maugris did doesn’t reflect on him. It wouldn’t make sense for him to be saying this constantly and then undermine his own point later with that comment. Plus, he’s been in Call’s head for months at this point, he’s seen the amount he’s struggled because of being labeled “evil.” Even if he knew Call would be okay with it, it just…doesn’t strike me as something he would do. So, Call is not being counted. (And also, if Aaron’s correction counted Call, he’d say 19. If he were counting Call, there would still be a missed life. Of course, Aaron’s correction could just be in reference to just Call, but I’ve already went over why I don’t think that. You could say it was just a joke and these numbers don’t even matter, but the correction of 18 proves it’s not just a casual comment—if it’s just a joke with no truth to it, why correct it at all? And why specifically with 18? I think that 18 is the actual number, and it would make sense for him to know and not Call—he was kinda busy being bombarded with memories to accurately count, it makes sense he would miss one.)

So 18 lives, not including Call.

Based off of the flashbacks and names Call yells during them, 9 of those lives were spent evil overlording. That leaves the remaining 9 to be in-between years (and also the woman.) So, of the named generations, nine of them were spent being actively evil and one of them was a rest generation. The remaining 8 generations were also likely rest ones. Our creepy carcass connoisseur really got around.

Before I move on, I think it’s important to note that while Aaron separated out Call from the number of “evil mages” Maugris was, it’s unlikely he did the same for the rest generations. This is because of his personal connection to Call, and the unique circumstances surrounding his swap. Call is, for all purposes, a functionally different person than Maugris, even though they share the same soul. It wouldn’t have been like that for the lives he laid low in, and it didn’t mean that he wasn’t still being actively evil and scheming in those years, it just meant he was being more on the down-low about it.

Now that we’ve established there were nine evil lives and nine rest generations, we can begin to try to put together some semblance of an order.

We know that for several generations (including the woman’s life) prior to Constantine was a rest life. I think that for these rest generations to be at all effective, they would have to last AT LEAST three lifetimes. Why? Because for the idea to even work, you would need all those with first hand accounts to die off. From the number of rest years, and the fact that at least three would be needed for each time he skipped, I think it’s likely he only did the breaks like two, maybe three times, at most. (Personally, I think it was two (I’ll explain why in a later part) but that’s up for interpretation.) That significantly narrows down unaccounted for time, and gives us a clearer picture of when some of those evil lives had to take place.

We know that before the woman, there were “several generations” of laying low. This is where I’m going to put four of the rest generations. (Yes, the other five have a place, I just haven’t gotten there yet. And yes, splitting it unevenly WAS intentional. There’s a reason four go here.) and then one evil life.

From here, I looked up average life expectancies from the sixties back.

The term “generations” can mean different things depending on life expectancy. A generation today is expected to live longer than generations from the early 1900s, so we have to take into account how long a body he took would be able to live. If he was taking bodies in their 20s or 30s, the amount of time he could spend there before the body died off would be greatly reduced. Since there is no way to really tell for which generations he was which gender, I’m going to use the male estimate when numbers vary by only 1 or two years. When estimates vary for larger amounts of time, I’m going to average those estimates.

In the 1960s, lifespan for men and woman combined was about 66 years. If Maugris took over a body at 30 and left at the average life span, he would’ve been in that body for a total of 36 years. Subtract the established 1966 by 36 and we get another body hop occurring around 1930. In 1930, the average lifespan was around 43, meaning Maugris would’ve been in that body for about 18 years. As we get further back, I think Maugris would’ve entered bodies younger due to less life expectancy. So, instead of 30 being point of entry from here on I’m going to use 25. 18 years back from 1930 was 1912.

¡WARNING! CRAZY CONSPIRACY RANT BELOW

1912 I say??? WELL YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE HAPPENED IN 1912!?! THE FUCKING TITANIC. TIME TO FINALLY REACH ONE OF MY LONGEST HELD HEAD CANONS ABOUT THIS MAN.

Maugris is a meat hopper, we all know that. He could be anything or anyone at any time. I could be Maugris. You could be Maugris. YOUR CAT COULD BE MAUGRIS. WE ARE ALL MAUGRIS.

When I read the Golden Tower the first time, I ran across the scene where Maugris is standing on a sinking boat and there’s elementals in the sea. This immediately set my crazy conspiracy senses tingling. I wasn’t until I read the scene again that things finally clicked for me. The titanic. It just gave titanic, and once the thought was there it just wouldn’t leave. Like an annoying fly, constantly buzzing around my head. I tried to disprove it. There’s mentions of an armada burning in the background. The Titanic is kinda notorious for sinking via iceberg.

But.

There are many theories that before the ship even set sail, that there was a coal fire on it. If there was one, doesn’t that make it possible for there to be another?

No, I thought. No.

It very clearly sank via iceberg. Also, there were no other ships around (at least, not ones that could be considered a part of any type of armada.)

And yet.

Maugris was in Europe at the time, so it’s not crazy to believe he may have heard about a supposedly invincible ship. Maugris liked invincible things. He thought *he* was invincible. Plus, according to my math, he body hopped in 1912. Was he on the boat and then body hopped into someone who got off?

Possibly.

Is there any canon backing for this?

Not really.

Do I choose to believe this because the mental image of Maugris trying to fit on Rose’s door makes me laugh?

Yes.

Do with that what you will.

END RANT

In 1910, the average life expectancy was 38 years. If Maugris body hopped into a person who was 25, he would’ve spent 13 years in that body. 13 years before 1912 is 1899. In 1900, life expectancy was 40 years. This gives us 15 years of time Maugris spent in that body. This puts us at 1884.

So, we’ve found the end of several rest generations. This next life was an openly evil one. There’s no real way to know for sure which evil mage it was, but I have a guess. It would have to be someone who made enough of an impact to make Maugris take a break, but not enough of one to be vividly remembered (by the U.S.) 4 generations later. This would be the last evil mage that Maugris was in Europe, likely who got Makars banned. Someone who was distant enough to not be the first thought when you consider evil makars. Who do I think this was?

Ludmilla of Prague.

TIMELINE

-Cold Massacre in 2002

-Constantine gets a soul replacement in 1998

-Maugris leaves Europe in 1971

-woman gets her body stolen in 1966

-Maugris body hops in 1930

-Maugris body hops in 1912

-Maugris body hops in 1899

-Maugris body hops in 1884

YEARS OF BODY STEALING (SO FAR)

~134

Part 1 Part 2

[vermifraud]

jojo sexuality headcanons lmao parts 1-3

ive scrounged the internet (well, lightly sifted through and then got bored) for a jojos bizarre adventure sexuality headcanons post that I agreed with completely and I literally could not find any so here’s my opinion that nobody asked for 😘

feel free to argue with me in the comments I’ll probably respond lol

first up Jonathan joestar- straight ally

I think most people can agree that Jonathan is probs the straightest joestar (that I know of, I’ve read up to part 7 but I’ve heard gappy is pretty fucking straight) but yeah he’s straight

He probs doesn’t even fully understand what being not straight is but if someone he knew came out to him he would be very supportive even if he didn’t know what it rlly meant

speedwagon-gay

idk if this is a hot take or not but this man did not have any sort of interest in women and was never married which if he was gay would make since back then bc being not straight wasn’t the norm lmao also there was that one scene in part 2 where Joseph was implying that speedwagon might’ve felt something more than friendship for jonathan so that’s why i think this

(I’m not gonna do dio bc his bisexuality was already confirmed by the one and only araki so that doesn’t rlly need an explanation 😭)

joseph joestar: bicurious (female leaning)

I was scratching my head tryna come up with a sexuality for this fucker and eventually settled for bicurious bc we all know that there was sum going on with him and caesar but also he had a wife whom he cheated on with another woman so I mean

caesar was def his awakening that he might like men but sadly the rocks smashed caesar before Joseph could 😔 also Joseph wears far too many crop tops to be straight like let’s be honest

(bicurious applies to oldseph aswell)

Caesar zeppeli: homoromantic bisexual

dis bro would never date women. but eat them out? Hell fucking yeah

he like dick too tho bc ik damn well if this hoe didn’t get crushed by a rock he would not have a wife like bro what

The words caesar and wife have no business being in the same sentence. Yk this hoe would have a hella 100% Italian husband named like Giuseppe or some shit who would only eat spaghetti for dinner literally every night

this poor dude just wanted some joestarussy but we all know that rocks are homophobic 😔

lisa lisa-lesbian

she’s lesbian bc I said so she married a dude bc she was bored ok I literally do not care what anybody says

look at her

she’s a lesbian

for all the pillarmen it literally depends on the day, like one day they have big buff boyfriends and then a good nights sleep will make them like homophobic superstraights

jotaro kujo: gay demiromantic asexual (sex indifferent)

first off jotaro really does not strike me as the type to think about romantic relationships all that much and definitely does not consider anybody for a romantic relationship upon first meeting them. he needs time to feel something more than platonic. I’ve seen people say that he’s aroace which I do think could be possible but I personally think that he does want love and care wether it be platonic or romantic

asexual just makes sense for him I’m pretty sure the majority of the fandom (not including the homophobic pissbabies) can agree with this. he doesn’t understand how people can just look at someone and feel attracted to them, bro probably discovered asexuality when he saw a meme that he related to and saw the asexual hashtags in the caption bro

also he’s just gay. like there is no way that he likes anybody except men. if this bro wanted a gf he’s got plenty of hoes to choose from. But he didn’t. Also he treats his hoes like shit lmao

and don’t even THINK about bringing up his wife (whom didn’t even have a name cause she was so unimportant, for convenience I’m gonna call her samantha smith) bc you and me both know damn well that samantha smith only exists to continue the bloodline. we also all know damn well that araki would make plot points that contradict against characters to continue the story. people who think jotaro is straight need to get real

noriaki kakyoin: panromantic aceflux

listen I was going to say he was gay but I changed my mind because I really can’t imagine him caring about gender all that much. he does look like a twink tho I can’t deny it

Also araki did actually confirm that kakyoin likes both men and women (he said something along the lines of “I could see kakyoin falling in love with a man” idk I’m too lazy to look up exact wording) but I mean you can take one look at this dude and be able to tell that he is both not straight and has pronouns. I mean look at him

also I’m tired of people characterizing him as the UwU pissbaby fucktoy so he’s aceflux 1. Because I said so and 2. Because it just makes sense idk how to explain it

(ps if I see a kakyoin milf hunter joke in the comments to argue against kakyoin being not straight im going to fire a missile at your house bc telling the same joke for like 15 years isn’t funny luv xx)

polnareff: pansexual

dis bro is desperate. he can’t be affording to care about gender man he’s tried to rizz up like 15 genders and failed at all of them you think he can actually afford to be anything but pansexual? also he fr fr just gives off stereotypical chaotic pansexual vibes

jokes aside tho he def don’t care. aslong as you give him validation you’ve already won him over

muhammad avdol: gay demiromantic demisexual

he don’t really think about it all that much he only realizes if he likes somebody after he’s super close to them definitely. He do have a touch of the gay tho

if you disagree with any of these I would love to hear your headcanons in the comments!/gen

pls no like super heated arguments tho lol

also I might do parts 4-7 in another post cause this was fun asf

[thisgirlnamedblusy]

heyyy!! can i request something with laurel :))

normie student reader

reader found out a long time ago about Marilyn being laurel but she didn’t say anything because she had fellings for her

it was at the point laurel was getting stung by the bees but before wednesday can stomp on her face she saves laurel and helps her with her stings and confesses to laurel when she asks why she saved her

Yesss, I love this idea!! Sorry about the language mistakes!!

Beyond good and evil

Pairing: Marilyn Thornhill/Laurel Gates x Fem Student Normie! Reader

Warnings: Bad choices, irrational love

Word count: 2,404

Summary: Crackstone was defeated, and now is Laurel’s turn. You were in love with her, and you don’t want her to get caught.

N/A: I love your requests!! Feel free to send me any ideas you have, requests are open!! Sorry about the language mistakes.

“It's over,” Wednesday said when she saw that man burn. Joseph Crackstone had managed to come back to life, and he hadn't done it by himself.

Marilyn Thornhill, the teacher you had fallen in love with since your arrival at Nevermore, was the real responsible. She was Laurel Gates, the only survivor of that terrifying family, the family that dreamed of killing all the outcasts, and died trying to.

That didn't affect you. You were not one of them. You were just one normie, sent to that academy solely because of your difficulty in integrating into a "normal" people high school. You didn't agree with that decision, at least until you met her. The innocent and subtle admiration you felt gradually turned into something stronger and stronger. You didn't know if it was because of that smile of hers, because of her eyes, or because of her apparently kind and affectionate way of being, but it took you two months to be completely in love with her.

But love sometimes makes idolatry towards a person go beyond the limits of good and evil. One night, after your usual nocturnal walks, you saw that woman enter that place, which was once the Gates family mansion. It was the evidence that your strange partner, Wednesday Addams, needed to complete the puzzle about everything that was happening.

The most logical thing would have been to run to Nevermore, and inform Principal Weems of what you had seen, that Marilyn Thornhill did not exist, she was always Laurel Gates, the person responsible for the horrible things that were happening. But you did not. You stayed silent. The love you felt for her was too great to be able to act in a rational or responsible way. You knew what telling what you had seen meant, and you didn't want, you didn't want Laurel to be arrested, to be taken away from you, you didn't want to never see her smile again.

That mistake was not a real change of events. Everything went crazy when it was Wednesday herself who discovered the mystery, causing something similar to a war in the academy courtyard. Laurel resurrected her ancestor so that both the pilgrim himself and the youngest daughter of the Gates family would carry out their revenge.

But it could not be. Wednesday, and the rest of the students managed to thwart all of their plans, killing Crackstone by sticking a sword in his heart. Now you were there, standing, at the Nevermore courtyard. Victory was satisfying, but a question kept going through your head. Where is Laurel?

A "click" that came from one of the porticos stirred up your doubts. Laurel appeared, with no trace of the kind and caring woman you knew. She was holding a pistol, and glared at your dark classmate.

“You bring a gun to a sword fight. It's probably the smartest decision you've made today,” Wednesday said, unmoved by that gun that was pointing directly at her.

You looked at that scene while you shook your head, very scared. You knew you could forgive her anything, but if she pulled the trigger, everyone who knew about your feelings would take you for a sick person, who should occupy a bed in the nearest mental hospital.

“I won't be able to kill all the outcasts, but I can kill you, Wednesday,” Laurel said, holding the gun firmly. She didn't even seem to notice your presence.

Before the fateful shot rang out, what looked like an insect landed on the gun barrel. You widened your eyes, realizing what kind of insect it was, a bee.

A buzz began to fill the tense silence that had formed, and a cloud of insects approached the place where you were. The visibly furious bees pounced on the redhead, engulfing and attacking her mercilessly. The screams came later, and after trying to get away from the bees, without success, Laurel fell to the ground, covering her face with her hands, to avoid being stung by them, although it was a little late.

“That's what happens when you mess with Nevermore, bitch.” Eugene, the boy who was in a coma, appeared on the scene, hands up, probably controlling the bugs.

Wednesday and you looked at him. But your eyes quickly went to that woman writhing on the ground. She was the love of your life, and she was suffering, suffering a lot.

“The hives are always united,” the boy said, smiling triumphantly. Wednesday outlined a half smile.

You shook your head, watching how those insects didn't give Laurel any respite. Anger began to fill your insides.

“Enough,” you said, causing your two companions to look at you.

“(Y/N)?” The boy asked.

“Eugene, make them stop,” you ordered him, while you listened to the agonized cries of the woman on the ground.

Wednesday looked at you with a frown.

“Damn, she's suffering,” you said desperate, noticing that no one seemed to listen to you.

“What about us? I remind you that she wanted to kill us all,” the brunette told you.

You didn't want to answer, so you just acted, grabbing Eugene by the collar of his shirt, almost lifting him into the air.

“Make them stop! Now!” You yelled with all your forces. The boy looked at you scared and nodded, moving his hands as he could.

Immediately after, the cloud of insects that surrounded Laurel dispersed, disappearing from the place. She was moving, crawling on the ground, but she was badly injured.

“She's not going anywhere,” Wednesday said, approaching the redhead without losing sight of her.

“Shouldn't we call the sheriff?” Eugene asked, when you released him.

“(Y/N), Eugene, don't look,” Addams told you.

You saw what her intentions were, and an atrocious fear ran through your nerves.

Without thinking clearly, you ran towards her, just as she was right in front of Laurel, ready to deliver the coup de grace. You pushed Wednesday roughly, making her fall to the ground.

“What the hell are you doing?” She asked, grabbing her arm, probably injured from the fall.

You didn't answer, just knelt next to Laurel, who looked up at you.

“Calm down, calm down,” you told her, while you put her head on your lap, caressing her gently. “I won't let them hurt you.”

“(Y/N)…” She sighed, with a small voice

Wednesday glared at you and turned to you. You weren't going to let them get away with it. Your heart was pounding and your head stopped thinking rationally. You looked for a way to push her away, feeling the ground with your hand. Soon you found something that could serve you. The old pistol that your beloved was holding a while ago was there. You weren't thinking about shooting at all, but it could be a good distraction.

“Don't get any closer!” You yelled, pointing the gun at your classmate, who stopped instantly, raising her hands slightly.

“Don't do nonsense, (Y/N). The sheriff is on the way,” she told you.

“Shut up!” you yelled, without lowering the gun. You moved a bit, not taking your eyes off your startled and surprised companions. As you could, you took the redhead's arm and put it around your shoulders, lifting her up with you.

“(Y/N), what are you doing?” the bee boy asked, who was hiding behind Wednesday.

“Laurel, can you walk?” You asked the woman, who nodded slightly, between hisses of pain.

“Now, we're going to get out of here, and none of you are going to try to stop us, is that clear?!” You yelled nervously. You had completely lost your mind, but you weren't going to back down now.

Bianca Barclay, your mermaid classmate, approached the place, with a strange look.

“Stop them, Bianca,” Wednesday ordered. Immediately afterwards, the siren approached you, possibly with the intention of hypnotizing you. You were so nervous that even tears flowed incessantly from your eyes. Pain, regret, unconditional love, they were the feelings that dominated you at that moment. You had no choice but to raise the arm with which you were holding the gun and shoot into the sky, causing everyone to back away.

“I said don't move!” You yelled, unable to prevent your voice from modulating with tears.

Bianca put her hands up and nodded.

That gesture was the signal that told you it was time to escape, you didn't know where, but you did know with whom.

Dragging Laurel with you, you made it out into the yard. You dropped the gun to the ground and grabbed the redhead, who was barely moving, in a better way.

“The… The car…” She sighed.

You understood right away and looked for her vehicle in the surroundings. When you located it you walked towards it, as fast as you could.

“In the pocket, (Y/N)…” She indicated to you. You nodded and juggling, you looked in the pockets of her work clothes, until you found the keys. In doing so, you noticed the large number of bites on her arm.

Nervous, you opened the car, and looking to all sides, in case someone came, you carefully put Laurel inside it. Without wasting any more time, you started the car and left the academy.

You'd be lying if you said you weren't scared. Within a few minutes, the entire Jericho police would be looking for you. You had to find a place where you could hide. When you passed the Gates mansion, you braked abruptly. The gates were open, the place was dark. You had neither the time nor the right mind at the time to think of a better place, so you turned and entered the grounds of the old house.

You stopped the engine and stayed for a moment, thinking about what you just did. If she were your girlfriend, your partner or your lover, your judgment probably could forgive those acts. But none of that. You were just in love with her. Not even Laurel herself knew of your feelings.

You looked at her. Her breathing was strong, and her face betrayed the horrible pain she was suffering. You had to do something, and soon.

“La, Laurel,” you said softly. She looked at you, her eyes pleading, empty of that darkness they had only an hour ago. “This, this is your house. Do you have a first aid kit in there?”

Laurel nodded, beginning to realize what you'd done.

“The basement… Take me to the basement,” she told you.

You obeyed and as you could, you took that woman to the place she indicated. It seemed as if at some point, that place had been a kind of laboratory. You located a small stool and led Laurel there, sitting her down gently. With the mobile flashlight, you searched for something similar to a first-aid kit. You found it soon and headed back to the redhead, who was struggling to stay upright.

You were terribly nervous. You carefully lifted a sleeve of her clothing, only to find an indefinite number of hideous bee stings. Experience worked in your favor, since you had been a monitor at a summer camp, and you knew how to treat these types of injuries.

“It hurts so bad, (Y/N),” she hissed, looking up at you with bright eyes.

“I know, I know. I'm going to cure you, okay?” You said, opening the kit.

“(Y/N)… Why?” She asked as she let herself treat her wounds. You lowered your head and let more tears spill down your cheeks.

“I…I…” You stammered.

“I tried to kill all of you… I've done horrible and unforgivable things, but you saved me… Why, (Y/N)?” She insisted. It was logical that she was asking that question, after all.

“Because I love you,” you said, sighing. You expected her to pull away, to yell at you or hit you with whatever object was closest to her. But none of that happened. One of her hands trembled towards your face and caressed it with almost imperceptible movements.

“I know, (Y/N). I've always suspected it,” she told you, leaving you almost speechless.

“Did you know that?” You asked, continuing to heal her arm. She smiled, wiping away all the evil it had previously seen on her face.

“Why have you risked so much for me? That you love me doesn't seem like a sufficient reason,” she told you, with a softer voice, probably relieved by your treatment.

“Love is irrational…” You sighed, trying to keep your voice calm.

You noticed how that hand that was caressing your face rested on your chin, slowly raising it towards her.

“No one had done anything similar for me, ever…” She told you, looking into your eyes. “(Y/N), I thought I was sick for having feelings for you. But, due to the circumstances, I guess none of that matters anymore.”

After saying those incredible words, she lightly tugged at your chin, kissing you on the lips in an unusual way for the person who thought of killing every living thing in that school. You were surprised, keeping your eyes open. You didn't see possible that an action as reprehensible and despicable as rescuing a murderer from her punishment could have that kind of reward. Carefully, you brought her hands closer to her face, trying not to hurt her, and finally closed your eyes, enjoying a kiss that seemed like to be in slow motion.

You parted and smiled, as if you were two lovers who had just discovered yourselves.

“You have to go back to Nevermore, (Y/N),” Laurel told you. “I don't want you to suffer the consequences of my actions.”

“What? No!” You said, shaking your head. “I'll stay with you…” You sighed, preventing your thoughts from considering going back to the academy as a good idea.

“(Y/N), I can't allow it. You are very young, you have your whole life ahead of you.”

“I want to go with you, Laurel. I want to go far away from here, away from everything. I want to run out with you and not look back...” You said, sobbing.

The redhead hissed in pain as she noticed those horrible bites again and she looked nervously to the her sides.

“It's okay, honey… It's okay…” She told you, trying to calm you down. “Are you sure? You can never come back here.”

“I don't want to come back...” You said, excitedly.

“Okay, okay…” Laurel sighed, looking at her injured arms. “But you'll have to drive.”

[kevinsreviewcatalogue]

Review: After Hours (1985)

After Hours (1985)

Rated R

<Originally posted at https://kevinsreviewcatalogue.blogspot.com/2023/06/review-after-hours-1985.html>

Score: 4 out of 5

After Hours is not the movie I was expecting. Between its director, its cast, its '80s New York setting, and the fact that Popcorn Frights screened it a couple of weeks ago, I expected a dark, downbeat noir thriller with horror touches, and perhaps one of Martin Scorsese's lesser films given that it came from his period in the '80s when he'd lost the approval of critics and audiences. Instead, I was surprised at just how funny the film was, albeit going in a very different, darker, more Kafkaesque direction with its humor versus what we often associate with the R-rated '80s comedies that it only superficially resembles. It's a film born from a successful filmmaker who was at a low point in his life and career, and damn well knew it, channeling all of his frustration with his struggle to get The Last Temptation of Christ made into a story of a man having the worst night of his life as everything that can go wrong, does go wrong, often in such a manner where you can't help but laugh and cringe at the same time. It's one of the darkest versions of this kind of movie to exist, don't get me wrong, but that movie is a hilarious, surreal, gut-busting comedy that I absolutely enjoyed.

Our protagonist Paul Hackett is a yuppie in Manhattan who inputs data at a firm and longs for more out of life. One night, while at a diner, he meets Marcy Franklin, a beautiful woman who tells him that her roommate Kiki Bridges is a sculptor who makes plaster-of-Paris paperweights, and leaves him her number, ostensibly in case he wants to buy one but really because she's into him. Later that night, Paul obliges and heads down to Marcy and Kiki's apartment in Soho, in what turns out to be the beginning of a series of events involving a dead body, a pair of burglars who for once weren't carrying stolen merchandise, a bartender who's lost the key to his register, a punk nightclub, a vigilante mob, and a whole lot of really weird women.

It's the kind of night that feels absolutely cursed, an experience that most of us can probably relate to even if the threat of death never came up for us the way it has for Paul by the end of this movie, and Paul's actor Griffin Dunne does a great job of selling it. Dunne plays Paul as a man bored with life, the film opening with him doing perhaps the most soul-sucking office job you can imagine. You understand from the moment you see him why he might run off into Soho in the middle of the night, simply on the promise of meeting a beautiful woman. As the film goes on, he grows to regret his decision in increasingly bewildered and desperate fashion as the city tortures him with every indignity it can throw his way and uses him as its own personal chew toy, from little things like losing a $20 bill to some outright wacky stuff, slowly but surely sinking into madness as he goes. Each new scene makes you wonder how the city is going to fuck with him this time, like an old-school point-and-click adventure game that throws all manner of increasingly bizarre obstacles in the way of what should be a simple goal. "If I want the keys to my apartment back, I've gotta go to the bartender's apartment, but there are burglars on the loose and the other people there don't know me, so they think I'm a criminal..." Given the hell he was going through at the time, it was no wonder Scorsese saw something in Joseph Minion's screenplay.

And the movie wouldn't have worked as well as it did if not for how Scorsese once again made New York the other main character. In this case, it's not a bustling metropolis, but a place in the wee hours of the morning (after hours, if you will) where the streets are deserted and the people you do meet are more likely to be the freaks and the weirdos. I can easily picture the version that Tim Burton (the director originally attached to this) might've made, and it probably would've been an inventive film in its own right, but Scorsese fuses that style with his own background as the guy who defined the image of 1970s/'80s New York on the big screen, creating a slightly askew version of his usual "gritty realism" where it feels like anything bad can happen, and not just the things you hear about in the next morning's headlines. It feels like a place that hates Paul and wants to see him suffer for the sake of its own amusement, and Scorsese, filming a New York devoid of traffic, makes the place simply feel wrong, like a maze designed for his torment.

The supporting cast, too, nails it. Being among the few people in the neighborhood who live their lives at night, they're strange even for the standards of New Yorkers, from Linda Fiorentino's kinky artist Kiki to Catherine O'Hara's stuck-in-the-'60s ice cream truck driver Gail to Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong as the small-time crooks Neil and Pepe. Most importantly, however, as Paul interacts with all of them, we get perhaps the most uncanny element of this film's upside-down New York: a place where everybody seems to know each other, like a small town that just so happens to be nestled in the middle of Manhattan. People who don't treat each other as total strangers? Now that's how you know something's wrong in the Big Apple, especially if you're an outsider. It adds to the feeling that Paul's night has gone completely sideways, like something has not only gone totally wrong ever since he stepped out of his apartment into the wild world of New York's nightlife, but has been totally wrong since long before he entered the picture, like he wandered into something that by all logic shouldn't exist in the middle of the City that Never Sleeps but does so anyway. It builds to an ending that arrives suddenly, but feels like the perfect punchline for everything we just witnessed.

The Bottom Line

I was not expecting After Hours to be the movie it was, but I'm glad I got to see it. Martin Scorsese and the cast together do a great job lending a very off-kilter black comedy feel to his usual style, and I had a great time watching it.

[sohin-ace]

Kakyoin - Fateful Day

Kakyoin x Jotaro's sister reader

I freaking love the Joot-sister prompt

You were always used to Jotaro and you walking separatedly from and to school. The guy had way longer legs than you and would rather not be seen with you in public and near school, for reasons mysterious to you.

At first you felt offended that he would be ashamed of you, or just not bear your presence.

You did not know, in fact, that the reasons he kept his distance from you as much as he could when on schoolgrounds or when going to school, was to protect you from danger.

Not only was Jotaro constantly surrounded by crazy girls who would probably harass you for existing in his world, but he also had troubles, to understate, with local delinquents and other gangsters who wanted to throw some hands at him.

Furthermore, with the new discovery of that bizarre, seemingly evil spirit that started following him around, you were really the last person he wanted to hurt.

Unfortunately, being distant from his little sister wasn't near enough to protect her this time.

One fateful day, soon after your grandfather arrived in Japan and Jotaro got out of holding, you were walking home from school as usual.

Jotaro was already a solid five minutes away in front of you, which meant you were all alone.

You didn't mind the lone walk, the town was peaceful and you were used to it. But something irked you when you felt an insistant presence behind you.

You turned around, checking, but no one was there. You shrugged the feeling off, feeling a bit stupid for thinking the worse and kept walking, telling yourself it must have been a cat or an innocent someone who got home.

"Jotaro~! Welcome back- hm? Where is your sister?" Holly asked as she welcomed her son who just came home.

The boy grunted, reluctantly accepting his 'welcome home' smooch. "She's coming. She's just slow."

After a long while of waiting for your return, Holly started to worry, stress and anxiety clouding her mind. Panicked, she barged in Jotaro's bedroom. You weren't usually this late.

"Jotaro, are you sure Y/N was behind you? It's been almost thirty minutes and she's still not back…"

Jotaro huffed in annoyance as he got up from his laid down position on his bed.

"Yare yare daze, quit worrying over nothing, she's probably fine."

" 'Probably'?!"

"What's going on, Holly?" Joseph joined in after hearing the commotion.

"Y/N's not back from school yet… I'm scared something might have happened to her…" Holly explained to her father, dread even more evident in her voice as she worded her worries.

Joseph rubbed her shoulder in reassurance, "It's okay, Holly, I'm sure she's not that far. Jotaro! Get up and go look for your sister! You're supposed to keep an eye on her, that's your role as a big brother!"

The old man scolded as the teenager stood up and got on his way, as if he had been asked an annoying chore.

"Yare yare, you're all so noisy over nothing." He put his shoes back on and took his leave.

Stopping every once in a while and unable to shake off your uneasy feeling truly delayed you. You were sure you'd never hear the end of this if your father knew how late you were today.

"Kujo..." A sudden deep voice called right behind you, and you turned around, meeting with a complete stranger. "…Am I correct?"

"Yes?" You replied a bit shyly as you turned fully to him. "And you are...?"

As you now had a better look at him, you realised how handsome he actually looked. Not at all how you imagined a potential creep following you.

He wore your school's uniform but you didn't recognize his face. He must be a new student, you told yourself. He had beautiful red hair and a white shawl that flew gracefully in the wind. He was also strongly and elegantly built. Just who was he?

But all that charm quickly shifted as he smirked eerily in response. He approached you, his eyes glaring into your soul and you stepped backwards as fear built up inside you. Why was he looking at you like that so suddenly?

The uneasiness from before came up tenfold, this time completely justified. You spoke up as he came uncomfortably close to you, towering over your much smaller form.

"U-um… Did you need something…?" You hesitantly stuttered as he now stood arm-length away from you.

"Yes I do." He spoke confidently, his goal like set in stone. "I need you to lead me to your brother."

"What? My brother? If it's a fight you want with him, I won't let you." You protested with more confidence, now that you started to understand where he came from.

You were used to people trying to pick fights with Jotaro. You knew your brother had way too many enemies for his own good, and surely you wouldn't let anyone get to him and filter them out if you had the occasion.

"Who even are you? I don't recognize you from school…" You squinted your eyes warily. This boy arised too many questions in your mind.

Kakyoin smiled softly at you, which you didn't trust at all. He was fishy and there was something in his eyes that you quite couldn't put you finger on.

"My name is Kakyoin Noriaki." He sighed. "I didn't want to use force on a lady, but you don't leave me any choices..."

Before you could even react, green tentacle-like appendices appeared from behind him and lunged at you. You gasped and bolted away as fast as you could.

You knew it. It was bad. Real bad. You had no chance against a Stand user like him, you couldn't manage your own newly found Stand just yet. It was exactly like your grandfather said.

You tried to run, but not even 2 meters far and his green vectors wrapped around your ankles.

As you were about to trip and land on the floor, more of the tentacles wrapped around your legs, waist, arms and wrists, preventing you from falling, keeping you still in mid-air.

You couldn't move. Kakyoin came up behind you as you struggled in Hierophant Green's grip.

"Well that was easy." He snickered over your tied up and desperate form.

"LET ME GO!! LET ME- HMMFF!" He put a large hand over your mouth, effectively silencing your now muffled screams.

"Shhh! Don't make this harder for us, I'll just borrow your body real quick. It'll be over before you even know it. I'll make this painless, I'm a gentleman."

He released your mouth and Hierophant green squeezed itself around your neck, choking you, your mouth agape for you desperately needed air.

He took this advantage to grab your wrists and lock you against his chest as his Stand released you to nest itself inside your opened mouth.

Your body tensed up at the foreign and disgusting feeling of the spirit slipping down your throat and you violently squirmed in Kakyoin's grip as he forced your mouth closed, keeping the Stand inside to own your will and possess you. Just as Dio had taught him.

"Good. That's good. Jotaro would never kill his own sister, now would he? Even though his own sister will kill him. How tragically ironic."

He wrapped his arms back to your midsection as you stopped squirming, tired and breathless from fighting against him in vain. He held you against him as he knew you would surely collapse if he let go.

"Haaah… Ahh… Haaaa… Haaahh…" You panted shakily, scared and exhausted as your head hung low and your cold hands rested upon his own, barely able to swat them away from you with how shakey you were.

You were weak and alone, which was perfect for him to use. He chuckled and you felt the rumble of his chest against your back as he did. You felt like crying.

"It's too bad that you have to die. You're so cute, I would have loved to bring you to Master Dio with me."

You suddenly felt nauseous. You felt his stand inside you, trying to slide itself into every part of you and take control of your body.

You tried to resist, your arms and legs were shaking, your arched your back and writhed in pain, you knew your own Stand was fighting against it.

To Kakyoin's utter shock, Hierophant Green was violently pushed out of you by your own Stand as you let out lung-piercing coughs. Spitting the enemy out like some flesh-eating parasyte.

"WHAT-?!" Kakyoin yelped at the scene, but was then forced to let go of you as your Stand punched Hierophant Green in the face, the red-head owner feeling the hit full-force as well.

Kakyoin fell down, knocked down by the impact as you collapsed to your knees, coughing up and vomiting spit and blood.

Adrenaline pushing you through, you didn't let yourself any time to recover and took this chance to run away as fast as you could, taking sharp turns and passing through narrow paths that you prayed he wouldn't fit through or have the idea of searching.

You eventually lost track of him, gasping desperately for air as your lungs hurt in a dry and sharp pain, fed by the ceaseless pounding of your heart. Your legs were shaking uncontrollably, you couldn't take it anymore.

Right as you passed the Torii gate of the temple nearest to your neighborhood, one you walked through every day, you passed out cold onto the paved holy ground.

Jotaro slowly walked his way back to the path you usually both took to come home after school. He walked and walked, but still no trace of you on the way.

Although he would never admit it, his anxiety grew inside him and his heartbeat quickened as he realised that you were way too far from home for his own liking. You were right behind him, how could this happen?

He started to feel guilty that he didn't even check if you were still following him or not. Especially when he realized that so many people, people who yearned to get under Jotaro Kujo's skin, could easily do so by taking you down and harming you, his own sister.

His train of thoughts were interrupted when he found something, or rather someone on the stoned floor of the local temple. And as he approached the figure, sure enough, his eyes widened and his heart jumped in his chest. No...

"Y/N…!"

He immediately kneeled down next to you and lifted you to his lap. He checked you up and down for injuries and noticed you had fresh bruises forming on your wrists and neck and you were bleeding from your mouth. He could not believe what he was seeing.

"Aah… Jojo…" you whimpered in a wheeze as you recognized your brother's voice and his smokey scent.

"Who did this to you? What's the name of that fucking asshole?!" He growled, his gruff voice contrasting with the care he held you with.

"H-he's a stand user like you… Kakyoin… He's after you, don't go to school tomorrow…" You croaked and coughed out while looking up at his worried eyes and your brother scoffed.

"Yare yare, you're stupid to think I won't go to school and drum his ass."

He lifted you up and carried you back home to get your injuries treated. As to be expected, Holly freaked out at your state and Jotaro received a earful from Joseph who told him to never let a young girl walk all by herself, let alone his little sister and especially with all the trouble he gets into.

The next day, you stayed home to rest for the day, making you feel much better. Thankfully you had no major injuries and the Speedwagon foundation doctors knew about Stand inflicted wounds.

You had interesting chats with the guest Abdul and Joseph spoiled you all day like you were his baby which, to be fair, you were in his eyes.

In the mean time, Jotaro had met with Kakyoin and had an inevitable fight. Unfortunately, what Kakyoin had going on was much deeper than just wanted to bully Jotaro. When Jotaro came back home, he brought Kakyoin's unconscious body and you learned about what happened to him, about Dio, the fleshbud, and why he aimed at killing Jotaro.

Knowing what had transpired and with you doing much better, you decided to go check on the boy. You felt it was important to start allover with him.

You knocked gently on the guest room's door and slid it open, revealing Kakyoin in his injured state. Your brother truly did not hold back, you thought.

"Hello Kakyoin…" You greeted a bit shyly as you walked through the door. The red head looked at you with wide eyes as he recognized you.

"Y-...you're the girl I attacked yesterday?" You nodded and he sighed sadly. "I'm deeply sorry for what I did… That was.... Despicable of me..."

"Don't worry," You approached him and knelt down at his side. "My grandfather explained what happened to you. I'm not mad. You weren't yourself."

Kakyoin then glanced at your bruised neck and looked away in shame.

"I can't believe I harmed a girl… in such a low, awful way…" You chuckled lightly at his exaggerated worry.

"Hey, I'm fine! Look, you're in an even worse state than I am. Stop fretting and let us take care of you, okay?" You gently smiled at him.

He looked at you with a soft gaze. He bit his lip and blinked back the tears that prickled in his eyes. Were all members of this family pure redempting angels of sympathy and goodness?

"Thank you, Kujo, you're very kind..."

"Just call me Y/N." You smiled as you leaned in to move out some hairs that were stuck to his frontal bandage.

"Y/N…" He softly repeated, a blush rising to his face. Even your name was beautiful, he thought to himself, never daring to say it out loud.

His heart fluttered in his chest at your feathery touch and he felt suddenly much shier. He wanted to hold that soft hand in his own, but before he could even do anything, Holly called your name from afar.

"Y/N! Can you please come here for a second?"

"I'm coming!" You replied before looking back at the boy. "Sorry, I have to go. I'll let you rest until dinner is ready."

Kakyoin nodded and laid back down on the mattress. He let out a soft 'oh' of surprise when you gripped the blanket and tucked him in sweetly before getting up and leaving, sliding the door close behind you.

He sighed, unable to fight his little goofy grin.

"Damn it… I'm falling in love…"

Old writing again. I'm really just putting the dusty stuff I should have posted a year ago. I apologize for the poor litterature.

[lulu2992]

The sins and virtues of Collapse

Part 6: Jerome, Ethan, and the Deputy/Judge

Jerome

It was a pleasant surprise to see Jerome again in “In The Beginning”, especially since he wasn’t out of character and his original actor, Martin Roach (whose voice I love), is back too! However, what Collapse shows is that Joseph became friends with him before “stealing” his congregation, which is… not something anyone in Far Cry 5 ever mentioned. It’s reminiscent of the story told in one of the live-action trailers, “The Baptism”, in which Joseph arrives in Hope County, apparently alone, and finds Jerome. Later in the trailer, the Father is dragging an unconscious Pastor and then marching with his new followers. In the original game, Jerome says it was John who got him abducted and beaten, and he never says he once befriended Joseph. Plus, Eden’s Gate already existed when the Seeds arrived in Hope County from Georgia, and they already had followers. In Far Cry 5, people say they organized barbecues and went door to door to offer fruit baskets in an effort to attract new people. It doesn’t seem like Joseph needed to directly steal anyone’s flock.

Ethan

In “What Child Is This?”, the Voice shows Joseph his future, New Eden, and his son, Ethan, who is also played by his original actor, Kyle Gatehouse (my favorite part about the character). Joseph is confused and says he doesn’t have a child because it wasn’t in the plan God had laid out for him. While he’s totally right and giving him one was New Dawn’s biggest mistake for this exact reason, that game also told us that Ethan’s mother, Megan (who’s never even mentioned in the DLC), left Hope County before the events of Far Cry 5 when she was already pregnant, and she told everyone she was in her goodbye letter. How did Joseph not know she expected a baby? Again, it makes total sense to me that he wouldn’t conceive a child knowing that it wasn’t in the plan (and because of the cult’s rules) but, since New Dawn changed that, why is he so surprised in Collapse?

In the mission, Joseph must free and protect Ethan. At one point, he’s attacked by a very aggressive “false Ethan”, but the real one is surprisingly… pure. In the DLC, unlike the Heralds, Jerome, and the Judge, the “real” Ethan never appears as an enemy in the world. But in New Dawn, he’s choleric, resentful, and will go as far as to sell New Eden out to the Highwaymen just so he can have what Joseph doesn’t want him to have for his sake. He’s not an angel, but God showing him as such in “What Child Is This?” is interesting and probably another proof that He’s unreliable and manipulative. As for the vision that shows Joseph carrying the inanimate bodies of his two children, it’s truly the most emotional of the DLC, maybe even of the Season Pass. It hurt but it was beautiful.

That being said, even though Collapse is set years before the events of New Dawn, it seems Joseph didn’t learn anything from it; he will still fail his son in the future and ruin his life even though he swore he wouldn’t.

The Deputy/Judge

Finally, the Deputy/Judge makes an appearance in the DLC. In “Providence”, they’re first mentioned in the vision in which Joseph realizes there’s only two years of food left in the bunker and wonders if killing the Deputy is an option. Then, he decides against it because, if he does, he wouldn’t have saved anyone. This is strange for several reasons. First, considering how prepared Dutch was and how many beds he had in his bunker, it seems unlikely he didn’t have enough food for two people for seven years. Then, in New Dawn, Joseph wrote he considered killing them “as a mercy” because of how emotionally “wracked” they were, not because resources were scarce. Finally, in Collapse, Joseph eventually keeps them alive because he wanted to save someone, but what the DLC keeps implying is that he was the only person who was supposed to survive, that it was God’s plan all along, and that Joseph knew this. So why keep the Deputy alive anyway?

In another vision, Joseph talks to them and notes that they tried to cut their sin for him, which is something that could have happened and makes sense, I think. Then, he tells them they don’t have anything and anyone anymore, “no reason to carry on”, but that he can give them one. He tells them they have judged him and were right to do so because he was wrong, and officially makes them The Judge. To me, the vision really makes it seem like the Deputy only assumed their new role because Joseph manipulated them, but the reality is more nuanced and complex. They were already tortured by their own guilt and, in a note found in New Dawn, asked for a mask because they were scared and didn’t want other survivors to recognize them. The vision hasn’t happened yet in “real life” when Joseph experiences it in Collapse and he seems reticent to save the Deputy because they were his “greatest adversary”. But… they’re already in the bunker together. It was Joseph who decided to carry them while they were unconscious. He saved their life, called them his family, his child, and told them they would “step into the light” together when the world would be reborn. It was never God’s idea, it was always Joseph’s, so why is he surprised now like he never chose to share the bunker with them in the first place?

The Deputy/Judge is still faceless, genderless, and almost voiceless, which makes sense considering they were a customizable protagonist. Even though their relationship with Joseph (and the Heralds) is, like many other things, flawed and oversimplified in Collapse, I enjoyed seeing them again. Having to shoot them hurt as much as shooting Joseph’s other family members which, I think, was the intended goal. Emotionally speaking, it worked.

[joeandtaylorfanfiction]

Christmas Competition

Hey everyone! I have ADHD so there might be a few spelling and grammar mistakes I’m so, so sorry for them! I did try my best! This is placed in 2019, btw.

Christmas was a very important and exciting time for Taylor and Joe. It was the time of the year when they got to spend together, as it was one of the only times neither of them was working. And it was also the only time of the year that they broke the no-present rule. They even had a competition about who could give the best present, and to say the least, Taylor was winning, by 3 to 0. But this year, this year was his time to shine.

Joe stared at the small box in his hand. The box he had for God knows how long. He bought it maybe a month after they started dating because he knew that she was gonna be the one, but it took him this long to finally find it in himself to ask her the question. Tonight. He was gonna do it tonight. He opened the box one last time, the ring inside was simple, yet elegant, just what his girl’d like. It had one big diamond in the middle and small ones surrounded the entire ring. It wasn’t something extremely expensive or some designer stuff. But it was somehow perfect. And he knew Taylor’d love it.

He pulled up to Taylor’s parent’s driveway and got out of the car. Today was gonna change all their lives.

They spent last Christmas with Joe’s, so this year they were at her’s. Joe was here last month, too, even tho Taylor didn’t know. He sat down with her parents and asked for their blessing. Both Andrea and Scott couldn’t think of a better man for their daughter and gave it without a second thought.

He got out of his car, it was snowing intensely, he could barely stand straight against the cold wind, and made his way to the door.

***

“Taylor, time’s up.” Abigail said from the other room and Taylor lifted her head from her now wet lap, “C’mone, we have to check it.” she said, kneeling next to her best friend, “Look, it’s gonna be ok. You’re probably not even pregnant, it’s stress or something.”

But Taylor knew, she had that feeling in the pit of her stomach, it couldn’t be anything else. She knew it the first time she threw up in the morning, and then she went to the kitchen and yelled at Joe for leaving the door open, something she usually didn‘t even care about.

“It’s just that,” Taylor said, sniffing and rubbing her eyes to her sweatshirt. “We talked about kids just… it was always in future tense, you know. Never… now. I don’t know if I’m prepared to have a baby.” she said and Abi hugged her, “No one’s ever fully prepared.” she said, “C’mone, turn it over.” she said pointing at the test that was set on the floor right next to them. Taylor nodded and picked it up.

Yep, just as she expected. Positive, “Shit.” she whispered and looked over at Abi as tears started spilling from her eyes, “Oh honey.” Abi said and pulled her best friend into a hug, “Shh, it’s gonna be ok, I promise.” she said.

A few minutes passed, and her sobs calmed. Why was she crying? She wasn’t sad, she always wanted kids, and when she met Joe… she knew she wanted to have his kids. “There’s a baby inside me,” Taylor said, finally processing everything, “Oh my gosh I love you so much,” she said and placed a hand on her stomach. She was so scared a minute ago but now… how could she be so in love with something she didn’t know existed a few seconds ago?

“How will I tell Joe?” Taylor asked, looking back at Abigail.

“There’s only a week till Christmas? And meanwhile, you can also get a blood test to confirm it,” she said and placed a hand on her best friend’s back.

This woman she knew since they were 15. They went through everything together. And now… how did they even come here?

“I’ll win again.” Taylor said with a smirk on her face and Abigail rolled her eyes and laughed, “Thank you,” Taylor said, looking back at her, “For always being my friend.”

***

“Joseph, finally!” Andrea said as she led Joe inside the house, which smelled like newly-baked apple pie and cranberry sauce. She gave him a hug and led him inside after taking his coat.

As they walked inside, they passed through old family pictures. In one of them, Austin and Taylor were standing proudly next to a snowman, one where Taylor couldn’t have been more than 4, a family portrait… he couldn’t wait to have this with her one day. Their children, their own little family. Couldn’t wait for the day when they’d hang their kids' photos on their walls. Tell them about how they met, about music and movies and love.

“Hi handsome,” Taylor said as he walked into the kitchen, “Love the sweater,” she said and chuckled. He was wearing one of those classic ugly Christmas sweaters.

“I missed you too,” he said as he hugged her from behind and kissed her first on the cheek and then on her lips, “I think you missed me a little too much,” Taylor said and giggled, “How was London? How are Liz, Richard, Tom, and Patrick? God, I missed them so much I wish I could’ve came with you.” she said.

“They’re all amazing. Don’t worry about it, you can come the next time. They were all super understanding. You had work stuff.” he said and pushed her hair back from her face.

“You’re gorgeous.” he whispered and kissed her again.

“Get a room you two,” Austin said and wrinkled his face, “Oh, stop being a baby,” Taylor said and laughed as she pulled away from Joe.

“I’m gonna beat you this year, by the way,” Joe said. Taylor looked back at him and laughed, “Hah, we’ll see about that.” she said and rolled her eyes. Oh if only you knew Joe thought and smirked.

“That competition's still on?” Austin said and let out a laugh.

“Yep.” Taylor said and looked at her little brother, “It’s the only time we give each other presents so we might as well just do it.” they all laughed as Andrea entered the kitchen.

“Everything looks ready, why don’t you kids move to the table and keep the conversation going there.” she said, shaking her head.

They moved to the dining hall and sat down. Joe poured himself and Austin a glass of white wine. But just when he was about to pour Taylor a glass she put her hand over her glass, “I’m not drinking tonight babe. I’d like some diet coke tho.” she said and smiled.

“Who are you and what did you do to my sister?” Austin said, widening his eyes, “I’ve never heard Taylor Alison Swift say no to a glass of wine.” Joe said, supporting her brother’s argument.

“Chill, you two. I’ve been drinking a little too much these days, so I thought it might be a good idea to give my body a break.” she said and took a sip of the coke Joe poured for her while she talked.

Soon enough, her parents were also at the table and they started eating and chatting. This was one of the rare occasions where all five of them were at the same desk, and they for sure used it to their advantage tp catch up. Taylor realized how much she missed this, sitting around the table with the people she called her family.

When everyone finished eating and the chatter got cold, her parents started taking the dishes to the kitchen and Austin opened some Jazz from YouTube, Joe stood her up and offered her his hand, “May I take you up for a dance?” he said, with an overly heavy british accent, he was obviously a little tipsy, but not enough to not understand what he was doing. Taylor chuckled but took his hand, and Joe pulled her into his arms, burying his head in her messy curly hair, “I love you.” he whispered, pulling her sweet scent in.

“I love you too.” Taylor said and Joe felt her smile. He heard her parents walk in and sit on the couch. Now. He had to do it now or else he might not be able to find the courage again.

He pulled back and looked into her eyes, “I know traditionally we have to wait till tomorrow morning to give presents but… I don’t think I can wait any longer.” he said and took a deep breath in, held both her hands and knelt in front of her, pulling out the box he had been holding onto for dear life since this morning, “Taylor Alison Swift, Thank you for being with me tonight. Thank you for giving me a reason to live. Thank you for loving me with all my flaws and mistakes. I loved calling you my girlfriend but I think we’re done with that era of our lives. So would you do me the honor and marry me?” he asked. It was like time froze. Taylor knew her answer, of course she did, she had been waiting for this moment pretty much their entire relationship.

“Yes,” she whispered, slow tears spilling from her eyes. He put the ring on her finger and stood up to give her a hug. Her family watched the moment, tears welled up in her parent’s eyes and Austin came to give her sister and his soon-to-be brother-in-law a hug.

“I never would’ve thought you’d do it this way, I mean I knew it was coming soon but…” Taylor said as she hugged Joe again.

“Me neither.” he said, “I wanted to wait till we were back home but when I saw you like that I- I knew I had to do it,” he said and kissed her again.

“And you won the competition this year, my man. Finally,” Austin said and Joe grinned.

“He might’ve, but he chose the wrong year for that,” Taylor said and took a deep breath in.

“C’mone there can’t be a more amazing present than this! And just look at that ring, I’m not one to understand too much from jewelry, but it’s gorgeous.” Scott said, taking his daughter’s hand into his.

“Well, I was also gonna wait to give you this till we were home,” Taylor said, as her mother handed her her bag, knowing exactly what she wanted to do. Andrea, Abi, and herself were the only people who knew, till now. She rummaged through it and finally took out a small envelope. She handed it to Joe and indicated he opened it.

“Now let’s see what this is,” Joe said as he opened it, to find a small, black and white paper. He looked at it, then back at Taylor.

“Is this- are you-” Joe said and Taylor nodded, “Oh my gosh.” Joe said and pulled her into a hug, tears streaming from his eyes kissed her on the lips once, twice, “I love you so much” he said, pulling her even closer somehow.

“What is that?” Austin said as Scott took whatever Joe was holding.

“What is this? '' he said looking at his daughter and Joe, “It’s an ultrasound picture.” Taylor said, rubbing off her tears of happiness.

“So does that mean-” Austin said trying to process all this new information

“It means that you’re gonna be an uncle,” their mom said and gave Taylor another hug. Austin looked at Joe, “You got my sister pregnant?” Austin said with a joking tone

“Well, you know it takes two-”

“Joseph!” Taylor said, hitting his arm jokingly as she felt her face get redder and redder. “Well, if it makes you happy, you won, yet again.” Joe said and laughed as he pulled her into another hug.

She looked at her dad who was still staring at the pictures, for a moment, she thought that mayeb he was a little mad. Her father was never protective over her, but he was a religious man. But all her worries faded when she saw the smile on his face, “My baby’s gonna have a baby.” he said and gave her a hug, “You aren’t that little anymore are you now?” he said and she shook her head.

“Well, we might as well open all the other presents now, no need to wait till tomorrow,” Austin said moving towards the tree.

The rest of the night was spent laughing and opening presents. When they were done, everyone placed themselves on the couch, her parents placing themselves on the old couch they’ve had for god know how many years now and slowly falling asleep as Austin moved to his room to talk with his girlfriend,

who wasn’t here because of her work.

Her and Joe sat on the small sofa,which had been Taylor’s favorite forever. They put a blanket over themselves, as they let their their bodies slow down, whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears and catching each other’s lips once in a while, “I love you,” Joe whispered into her ear as they sat, her head on his shoulder, and legs thrown over his, “I wouldn’t change this for anything.” he said and placed a small kiss on her crown. At that moment, Taylor knew that no matter what happened in life, she’d always have him

Thank you so much for sending this!

[fanfic-wonderland]

Chasing Time {Tom Riddle} - Chapter 4

Summary: Tom and Florence have an encounter and she realizes that he's probably more messed up than she thought.

Word count: 2k

Prologue | Ch.1 | Ch.2 | Ch.3 | Ch.4 | Ch.5

_____________________________________________________________

Florence was finding it harder and harder not to stare at Tom for more than five seconds.

She wanted to analyze every single thing about him, hoping to get something out of it, somehow. It was also becoming inevitable for her to keep comparing him to the Tom in the pictures she had seen a while ago. Although it was impossible for them to be the same person, there was a strange feeling in her gut that wouldn’t stop bothering her about it.

Who the hell is he?

She watched him carefully as he chewed on his food, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down while he was smiling at something her grandmother had just said; she and her grandfather were conversing with him but, as always, his words and his gestures did not really meet his eyes. It was clear to Florence that Tom did not necessarily like her grandparents but, for some reason, he was still around. Why would he want to be around people that he did not like, then? Did he really have nowhere else to go and this was the best that he had at the moment?

Tom Riddle did not look like the type of person who would get lost so easily, though. In fact, Tom Riddle looked like he always knew what he was doing.

It had only been a few days since he arrived at their home but it was already starting to feel like too long. Of course, her grandparents did not mind him -to them, he was just an ordinary guy, who would often help Evelyn while making tea, or help Joseph by carrying heavy things around. He had not gone out much, only when he accompanied Florence to the mall and on another occasion when Evelyn had asked him to go grocery shopping with her. Most of the time, he spent it in his room, which Florence was grateful for because that way she had a lesser chance of bumping into him in the kitchen or anywhere outside her bedroom.

Their interactions had been minimal so far. They did not exchange words except for when Evelyn would send Florence to let Tom know that the food was ready. She would try to leave his presence as quickly as she could whenever she realized that Tom actually wanted to say something else. She preferred it that way.

When everyone was finished with their lunch, and Florence helped her grandmother with the dishes, they all went their separate ways. The last thing that she remembered before heading upstairs was her grandmother popping a tray of cookies into the oven.

Once inside her room, Florence tried to distract herself by playing her music on shuffle and doodling on her sketchbook. These days, her main focus was to keep digging for information on Tom but it was safe to say that she had not been successful in her search. It was almost like he didn’t exist, or like he popped out of thin air one day and he just happened to land nearby. She figured that, even though she was desperate to figure him out, she needed a break because it was starting to get to her, bad. She couldn’t lose herself over a guy like him.

Almost twenty minutes had passed when she heard her grandmother on the door. “Sweetie, would you mind taking the cookies out of the oven? I’m headed to take a shower.”

“Coming!”

After fighting against the laziness that took over her as soon as she touched the bed, Florence finally stood up and exited the room. The sweet aroma instantly hit her nostrils as soon as she stepped on the end of the staircase, her eyes automatically closing as she inhaled it in. Grandma certainly made the best cookies around.

She headed to the kitchen and did as she was told, taking out the tray and setting it aside until it cooled off a bit. Once she was done, she headed for the stairs, again, but gasped loudly once she noticed a figure sitting in the living room. “Jesus,” she breathed, placing a hand on her chest as it heaved up and down. She glared at Tom once she finally regained herself. “Could you maybe announce that you’re there next time so I don’t get a fucking heart attack?”

With a sigh, he stood up from the couch and stretched his arms. Florence saw the same damn object he always carried around in his hand. “Well, you seem to dislike me so much that I didn’t think you’d want me talking to you.”

“Yeah, you’re right, but I don’t want you sneaking up on me, either.” She rested her hands on her hips.

Tom quirked a brow, followed by a low chuckle. “I wasn’t sneaking up on you, though, I just happened to be enjoying some quiet time here. Does that sound like I was sneaking up on you?”

Florence huffed. “Whatever, okay?” she turned on her wheel to walk back up to her room but stopped herself when she realized that she could not deal with the curiosity any longer. “What is that thing you’re always holding?”

Tom looked down at the Time-Turner before putting it in his pocket and looking back at her flatly. “It’s unimportant.”

“Clearly It’s very important because you never let go of it and you’re always staring at it as if you’re waiting for something to happen.” She pointed out. “So, tell me, what is it?”

Tom almost rolled his eyes at her. She really could not let things go and that could become a huge problem for her if she kept pushing it. “You’re the detective, shouldn’t you know already?” he said, a calm smirk on his face that she so dearly wanted to wipe off. “How is that going, by the way? Any leads on me, or are you still empty-handed?”

Florence bit the inside of her cheek; he clearly wanted to get under her skin. It was working, though, and she hated it. “I’m taking my time.”

Another chuckle rang on her ears, almost like he was mocking her. “Well, maybe you should hurry up because I don’t plan on staying here for too long. Perhaps your research skills are not as good as you thought.”

As Tom walked past her to head upstairs, Florence could not help herself when she called out the first name that came to her mind. “Merope Gaunt!” She was even surprised by the fact that she still remembered it. “Does it ring a bell?”

Tom froze, which made Florence suddenly feel uneasy. The way his body tensed up made her feel like maybe she had said something that triggered him in a way. She didn’t think it would be so effective, though, but when he slowly turned back to face her, she saw how his eyes had changed. They were darker, almost like two voids, and it honestly scared her. She had not seen him look so angry before. Was it even anger that she was witnessing? Or was it something much, much worse?

Regardless, she couldn’t seem to keep her mouth shut. “She died giving birth at a place called Wool’s Orphanage, is that right? Did she mean anything to you?”

It happened in one quick moment. Tom’s hands wrapped around Florence’s throat as he pushed her back until she hit the nearest wall with a loud thud. She almost cried out in pain, but the shock of his actions took over and she couldn’t seem to be able to react properly. Her mouth hung open but no words seemed to come out, only small gurgling sounds. “Who told you about that?” he growled, his grip on her tightening. “Tell me, you filthy little muggle, how do you know this? Or are you not a muggle at all, perhaps? Tell me.”

But Florence still couldn’t speak and her vision was becoming blurry. Tom was blinded by fury but once he finally noticed the way that her face was turning red he immediately let go. She gasped for air, while at the same time making sure that she stayed as far away from him as possible. “What the fuck is your problem?!” she managed to let out.

Tom’s gaze seemed almost empty as he watched Florence cough nonstop, like there wasn’t any sort of emotion behind it. Like he didn’t feel any guilt or regret about what he had just done to her and, frankly, it was a terrifying sight. In the middle of processing what had just happened, she realized that she had no idea what he had called her, but by the way he had said it -Florence had never heard so much hate and disgust coming from a person’s words before- she knew it couldn’t be good.

A door upstairs swung open but Florence did not pay any attention to the creaking sound until she heard footsteps coming from the stairs. When she finally turned her head away from Tom, she saw her grandad looking between the two of them. “Everything okay in here? I heard loud noises.”

“Yes, everything’s quite alright,” Tom’s demeanor changed in the blink of an eye, the blank expression replaced by the charming smile he would often use to blind people. Florence stared at him in disbelief; how could someone switch from a psycho to a proper man so quickly? “Florence and I were just having a debate but we’re done now. Isn’t that right, Florence?”

The words caught in her throat for a moment before she could finally bring herself to nod and act like nothing had happened. “Yeah,” she spoke quietly. She tried to give her grandfather her most convincing smile. “Everything is fine. The cookies are ready, by the way.”

Hesitantly, Joseph nodded. “Okay then, I’ll just take a few with some milk.”

And when he did that, he went back upstairs, but not before throwing one last glance at their direction. Tom went to follow his lead and go back to his room but Florence grabbed his arm, gripping it tightly so that he could understand how livid she was. When he turned to look back at him, she said through gritted teeth, “I’m going to give you a chance to leave this house by tomorrow, or else, I will call the police. Do you hear me?”

He narrowed his eyes at her and brushed her arm away. “Do as you wish.”

And then she was left standing alone in the living room.

***

Tom observed the Time-Turner in his hands as he laid on his bed, his free arm resting behind his head. It was almost starting to become a routine at that point, just him watching the damn thing as if he stared for too long it would magically repair itself. What was most frustrating was that he had no lead on anything; he didn’t know of any wizards around, he didn’t know anyone who knew about Time-Turners, and he still, embarrassingly enough, did not know where to begin searching. The Potters, from what he had learned, were very secretive so it would be very tough for Tom to find them; furthermore, he did not know which Potter possessed the Invisibility Cloak at the moment.

But maybe that Florence girl can help…

She certainly seemed to know a lot about Tom’s past. Way too much, he would say. The only explanation that he could come up with was that she was a witch -a filthy mudblood- but she did not show any other signs of being so. He could read her well during their encounter earlier; by the way her facial expression had changed so drastically, she didn’t even know what “muggle” referred to. She was clueless as to what she had started…

So, how the hell did she know so much?

Times were very different, that was certain, so maybe doing research was much easier than in the forties. But how did one begin to look for that type of information, and just how much could someone find?

Tom’s original plan was to get rid of her, one way or another. It pained him to admit it but, in order to find out more about fixing a Time-Turner, that plan needed to change. He needed to keep a close eye on her but, most of all, he needed her help. And, in order to get just that, he needed to gain her trust first.

[return-of-a-space-cowboy]

The Princess who became a swan pt2

You had a look of displeasure as you were forced to sit on Kars lap as he stroked your hair while reading a book. Occasionally you would shift your leg only to hear the chains rattle.

“Dear swan, are you so eager to leave the nest?” Kars asked in his usual condescending tone. You merely huffed as you sat on the cold marble floor.

“Are you mad about the cage? I can assure you that it’s for your safety, I can’t have you nearly killed again” he cooed as he reached for your shoulder only to have you slap it.

“Sometimes in hindsight I think to myself that maybe I should have let him kill me, I’d have rather that than have you degrade me further like this…” you spoke with venom in your words.

“I promise you I’ll leave someday… and I’ll never come back to this hell” you continued which he responded with a smirk.

“You really are such a brat, I offer you protection and heal your wound and you repay me by spitting it right back in my face” he spoke as he normally did, however the sudden tense atmosphere made you regret what you said.

“Even if you were to leave I know you’ll come back, where else do you have to go?” he chuckled as his crimson eyes pierced your soul.

“You have the stupidity to speak so venomously to me, yet you cower when I acknowledge your words” he continued before grabbing you from the back of your head.

“You really shouldn't keep trying to push me away, because if you do… then you’ll have no one”

🦢🦢🦢

For days and days Joseph couldn’t help but think about the maiden in the forest. He talked and talked about her refined features to his rivaling knight. As more days passed he heard talks between his Mother and various officials from kingdoms near and far in arrangement of a soiree and the mentioning of finding someone to marry him off to.

He knew in his heart that he had to find her again as he couldn’t bare the thought of another woman, so for many days and nights he searched the land in hopes to find her but with no luck of seeing the maiden in white he’d seen on that fateful night, perhaps she was a woman of the wind only to vanish and never return.

As the soiree approached his hopes grew less but he was too stubborn to give up anything he started.

🦢🦢🦢

You waited inside of a golden cage, shaking it as you flapped your wings in anger as you saw Kars return. If he had been a moment later your human form would have been mangled inside of it but he had no care for your wellbeing as you were merely a pet or at worst an object in his eyes.

“Oh I’m dearly sorry my swan, you must have been so restless for my return” he spoke as if he was making his words sound like some vague attempt at an apology. He finally opened the lock and let you free from your small cell into the bigger one you had been confined in for so long.

You looked back up at the moon through the window with a heavy heart as you returned to your human form. Then a bright idea sparked in your mind before you ran up to Kars and wrapped your arms around him, he was surprised but enjoyed the sudden affection.

“Oh yes I have my love... for I have realized how harsh I’ve treated you, my one and only” you spoke with crocodile tears in your eyes. He looked down on you and smiled but did not let his guard down as he was cautious of what malice intentions were hidden behind your teary eyes.

For days you held up your act as much as it sickened you deep down like a bitter poison. letting his hands touch you in a way that made your skin crawl as he wished and returning such words of affection that made you want to gag on them.

As you sat beside him letting his fingers brush through your hair while reading one of the many books in his collections you finally decided to fulfill your plans now that you were no longer in chains.

“I’m parched, do you want a cup of tea made while I make some for myself” you asked knowing that he hadn’t had a drink for quite some time.

“Yes my swan, I’d enjoy that” he replied, still paying attention to his book. You looked to the window and saw that it was not long to sunrise before heading to the kitchen and heating some water over a fire. You grabbed a pair of fine porcelain tea cups and placing them on a tray, you fiddled you hand in the pocket of your dress before grabbing a vial filled with a white powder and pouring it’s contents into one of the cups and in the other you added a teaspoon of dried petals from various flowers.

As the water had finished boiling you added the tea leaves to his cup. Adding the water you carefully stirred the sleeping powder into his drink, making sure the powder fully dissolved into the tea before adding the rest of the water into your cup. You returned to him with the tray in hand and placed it on the coffee table beside him. You picked up your cup and sat beside him.

As you let your tea cool in your hands you tried not to look at him, the anticipation was too much. You kept looking in the corner of your eye to take a sip.

“Why do you keep glancing at me like that?” he asked as he noticed your strange behaviour.

“I’m just a little anxious… It’ll be morning soon and you’ll probably throw me in that cage again…” you muttered before finally taking a sip of your tea.

“Perhaps I’ve been too harsh on you my swan, you’ve been so well behaved that I think it is only fair that you have the privilege to sleep beside me” he spoke as his fingers twirled the strands of your hair before taking a sip of tea. He noticed a bitterness on his palette as he drank it, he gave you a glance but spoke no more words.

Eventually he finished the cup and continued to read for a few minutes before he was overcome by sleep. You sat up and took a few soft steps before running as fast as you could to escape from his domain into the darkness of the last hours of night. Where heavy clouds passed through the tall, old trees. Thunder roared in the distance, warning those of it's fast journey forward towards them.

🦢🦢🦢

As morning arrived the rain pelted down against your wings unforgivingly as you tried to fly below the blackened clouds. You grew tired as you had flown for hours, yet your stomach ached knowing that you were still within Kars reach. By now he would have woken up and caught on to what you had pulled on him.

You found yourself succumbing to exhaustion, your body dipping lower as your eyelids grew heavy. You finally decided to take cover in the forest below. You found an old, hollowed tree and nested yourself inside it to take shelter while you regained your strength.

As you slept you dreamt of many fantasies both good and bad, your wishes of reuniting with your family came to fruition only to be snatched away by the nightmares of Kars tormenting you through your existence. The lines between dream and nightmare overlapped so many times that it became disorientating.

You heard an incoherent voice that aroused you from your deep slumber. You rubbed your eyes before opening them even then your vision was still a blur.

The first thing you noticed was the bright moon that made the figure in front of you a mere silhouette before your vision cleared enough to reveal the man who had shot you with the arrow.

You cowered back a bit in fear of the male, unintentionally letting out a squeak.

"Aww are you a scared little mouse" he snarky commented with a slight chuckle, loosely reminiscent of how Kars mocked you. Your expression turned sour as you looked at him, which made him avoid direct eye contact.

"Ok ok, I'm sorry… don't take it like that" he responded before holding out his hand to help you up.

"I was wondering what happened to you that other night, you were in a real hurry with that arrow in your arm" he said as he waited for you to take his hand, which you reluctantly did.

"You should at least say something, it's rude to not respond when a prince is talking to you" he commented as he didn't like it when others ignored him.

"At least give me your name" he continued as he pinched your cheek. You pulled away before you finally spoke.

"I don't want to tell you my name" you hissed in response. Sure it seemed harsh but if word were to spread about your emergence it would break your heart. You couldn't bring yourself to show yourself to your parents and explain what happened since your Disappearance, or the consequences that Kars would condemn you to.

In your thoughts Joseph could see your expression soften and reveal the sadness in your dazzling eyes. He pitied you for that, how such a beauty could wear such a morbid look was criminal.

You were pulled out of your thoughts when the male tapped the tip of your nose while exclaiming bop in a goofy manner.

You were taken back by his action, maybe just because you've been starved of touch from the others in the world. He laughed at your confused reaction.

“What’s so funny?” you asked him as you frowned. He chuckled as he ruffled your head.

“You’re really uptight for someone who hides out in the woods at night” he commented.

"Well I have my reasons" you sternly replied as you folded your arms.

"What, are you an escaped convict or something? Have you got a bunch of bandits hiding in the trees ready to strike me down" he mocked as he rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"I wish, all you need to know is that I'm a fugitive and I don't have a lot of time to waste dilly dallying with an egocentric jerk like you, now if you excuse me I have to get back on my journey" you explained through a clenched jaw as you tried to storm of only for him to grab your wrist.

"Aw come on, I didn't mean for you to get the wrong idea… if you need help I can give it to you, how about I take you back to my castle? I can make sure whatever you're trying to get away from doesn't find you" he offered but you shook your head profusely as you pulled your hand away from him.

"No, I can't… it's impossible" you replied abruptly.

"Why-" he was going to ask before you cut him off.

"Because I can't…" you said bluntly as you put your hands on your hips.

"Well whatever is going on with you I can Help… I promise you, just tell me what you want?" He said as looked at you with such a needy attitude.

"Perhaps you could bring me some food, it's rather hard forging in the woods" you said, when you offered an inch he took a mile.

"Of course I'll bring you some food, I'll bring you some every night" he offered before realising how late he'd been out.

"I should probably head back home now my swan, tomorrow I'll return" he said as he kissed you on the cheek before leaving you alone once more. He thought calling you his swan was endearing but it only made you since as it reminded you of who you had escaped.

He seemed absolutely infatuated with you. It clicked in your mind that maybe if you loosened up to him, maybe he would vow his love to you.

As written in Kars notes the victim must have another that is unaware of the curse proclaim their love to them and keep their promise til they wed. All you needed was to keep up the loving act until you married him and hide the curse.

[lokiodinsonofasgard000]

Time and Space: Ch.1

Prolouge

The woman was forced in a room telling her to put her hands on the wall “Oh I don’t think that is necessary” she said disapprovingly as they ordered her again to put her hands on the wall “I’m unarmed” but stopped when they pulled out this device almost the size of a screwdriver.

She was about to explain it was harmless but an agent forced her onto a chair and cuffing her in making her whine out to the tightness on her wrists.

She looked around taking in everything, but she was helpless without her little device they confiscated from her, it was known as a sonic screwdriver; a multifunctional tool that directs a beam of ultrasonic sounds at a desired contraption to vibrate it loose, in addition to many other things it uses directional waves to scan and detect live forms and others without being detected.

“So, mind telling us what’s in that blue box?” a darked skinned man with an eyepatch walked in as he put his gun on the table

“My word” she beamed excitedly “You’re Colonel Nicholas Joseph! Helping good ol’ Captain America taking down Hydra back in May 1944, now look at you. Running the biggest operative agency, Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division”

Fury looked shocked then enraged by her knowledge as it was classified information. The woman gulped as she added quietly ‘so I’ve heard’ before avoiding his gaze as she tapped her feet on the ground become restless as she could feeling something was off

“Seeing you know so much, smartass” he said with a death glare “why is there no information on you in our databases? There’s no trace of you ever existing. So let me ask you, Who.Are.You”

“Well…I don’t usually travel this far” her voice trailed a little “I’m a long way from home if I’m be particularly honest with you”

“You don’t look alien” Fury spoke losing his temper “Don’t tell me we have more Asgardians”

“Oh I’m not of Asgard” she laughed “If Odin heard you say that he’d have your head- hold on”

the woman had a look of panic she started to get desperate as she yanked at her handcuffs

“You don’t understand! I can’t be here!” she called out with such seriousness

“Tell me who you are, and we can try and reach an arrangement” Fury spoke as he glared finding her dangerous as she grew restless “Now who are you and what are you”

“Doctor… I’m the doctor and I’m not meant to be here!” she expressed “Look me up if you want but you find anything. I’m not even from this reality or timeline!”

“Doctor who?”

~~~

“It was some woman in a blue box…” Wanda explained as she tried to hold on to the little memory she had of the vision “…but something else followed”

“Not another alien” Tony whined “I still have PTSD from that thing”

Loki frowned as something itched at the back of his head as he felt familiarity of the woman both he and Wonda saw. Wanda not once taking her eyes off Loki, she had a suspicion that there was more to what he knew

“No… she looked human” Wanda mumbles.

Thor made a noise of expectation as he marched to Loki grabbing his brother from the shoulders and held a gleeful expression “Brother you know better than to project memories on others” spoke Thor as he turned to the other “My apologies Lady Wanda. You probably saw my brother’s overly imaginative friend. What did you call her? Doctor (Name)?”

Loki’s eyes grew wide as the name unlocked something in his head. The other started to question what was going on and back chatting about how Loki was just trying to mess with everyone. Wanda stayed silent and serious

“I don’t think it was Loki” Natasha spoke once seeing Wanda’s expression

“Loki you know more than what you are letting us know” Wanda said warningly

“Brother?” Thor asked turning to Loki.

-

-

A little boy woke from a loud gush of wind force rattling his window before hearing a loud crash coming from the Palace gardens. Curious, he got out of bed and walked to his balcony alfresco and looked down seeing a blue box with foreign language reading something. He pursed his lips tight and made his way out with his dagger on his belt as he made a quick change of clothes, determination on his face as he reached the gardens.

His little heart pounding of the possibility of fighting someone. He grabbed his dagger tight in his small hand as he carefully placed his footing to avoid sticks and twigs on the ground to snap under his careful weight. He walked up to the blue box as the doors sprung up; wide eyes as he saw light and smoke come out as a woman poked her head out

“Hello there, I’m the doctor” she beamed before looking around and her face falls “Where am I?”

“In the Palace gardens” he managed out “what is a physician doing here? I’ll have you know if you try anything I will gut you like a fish”

The woman stared at the boy shocked by the words but not by the delivery, the boy’s voice trembled as he threatened her with his dagger in hand “and what’s your name?”

“Answer my question physician” he attempted to order out “I mean it, I will do it if I have to”

“hmmm…” the woman hummed with the nod as she pulled herself up and sat down her legs dangling towards the boy “And what would I be doing to deserve that? Or at least what would I have done to deserve such a threat”

The woman looked around and gave a sniff of the air “Air is breathable but not earth…this is somewhere new” she mumbled as she jumped down and crouched in front of the boy threatening her with a dagger “so What’s your name kid”

The boy put down his hand as he gave her a light glare “You’re not from here, if you were you’d know who I am and where you are. Clearly not from the other realms eithers” he backed away from her a bit

“Oh I’m just traveling” she chuckled “but realms…which realm am I in then?”

“Asgard”

“and you are?” she asked waiting for the boy to answer her question

“Loki…”

“Well hello there Loki of Asgard, I’m the doctor” she held her hand out to the boy “doctor (Name)”

[multifandom-girlie]

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟓

Imagine: “Could I request a Daniel Gillies smut like they are both at the comic con(they are both in the originals) and he is teasing her while he answers a question ? Or makes fun with Joseph and he says some dirty things.” Requested by @elijahspersonalwifeyyy .

Pairing: Daniel Gillies x Reader

Warnings: Smut

Words:

Edited: Yes

A/N: I apologise @elijahspersonalwifeyyy for the incredibly long wait. I’ve had this lined up to post but with coursework and writing so much at the same time, it’s made it difficult but I refuse to quit. I’m not a quitter. I’m also not a person to announce a hiatus. Either way, hope you enjoyed ! There is a lot to read I know but we needed a build up and this is one of my favourite comic cons ever, I wanted to do the before hand scenes either way so. Don’t forget to check out my new story “On The Way” !

All of us at the current moment in time were stood backstage waiting to be called on. I couldn't tell you how irritated I was when I went on after Joseph and then Daniel followed. They were both irritating enough to me together anyway but they were in a particularly annoying mood today and I was not prepared for it.

“The man who will break your heart and then rip it out and then probably eat it. Joseph Morgan.”

The whole audience cheered as he walked on and he waved quite casually as he did. 

“The women who brings all men to there knees but still can't find anything better to do than drink wine. Y/N Y/L/N”

I giggled as I walked out and I saw the audience screaming and Joseph giving me a mischievous look.

“The brother with a suit for every occasion. Daniel Gillies as Elijah.”

He walked out, threw me a quick smirk and blew a kiss to the audience as they screamed. He pulled his chair out and smiled at everyone.

“Nice jacket.”

“Yeah. Give it up for this jacket ! Huh ? Out of a suit and into a smoking hot jacket.”

“I know right, the one time he's not wearing a suit.”

“Thank you. It was actually a gift from Y/N.”

“Aw that’s super sweet Y/N.”

“Thank you. It was actually a gift for our anniversary.”

“Really ? How many years ?”

“Seven.”

“and very sweet.”

He called the rest of our costars out and we continued on with the panel.

After the host had started the panel with a question for Julie and Michael, it was now a group question for me, Joseph and Phoebe.

“Uh now going to the show, we've seen Klaus and Lily and Klaus and Hayley kind of trying the uh co-parenting thing and it did not really go so well as we all saw. How is Klaus going to be as a parent now that Hayley isn't around and Lily and Elijah have reconciled ?”

As soon as the question was asked, we all turned to Joseph.

“Uh you know, before he alienated his whole family by toasting Elijah's girlfriend, sleeping with his wife and and and cursing the women he thought he was in love with um Klaus survived under this sort of umbrella of Elijah's protection and forgiveness I suppose and so Elijah was always a voice of reason and Hayley was always there to battle it out with him. So, I would say badly. He's gonna do badly as a single parent you know and I think he knows he's kinda messing it up but he's trying. At least he's trying. You gotta give him that. Even if he's warping the minds of his two daughters, one before she's even uttered a syllable and the other before she get's old enough to realise that Klaus and Lily aren't actually together you know like she’s thought for years.”

“Geez. So uh how are are Lily, Elijah and Klaus going to tell her ? Who's going to be the one that does it or will they all do it together ?”

I decided to answer this questions, being more involved with the story line of my children.

“I think that Lily will have to be the one to tell her and whilst doing so will definitely have to be quite cautious when telling Sofia, you know not only because she's only 7 years old but also because she’s thought of Elijah as her Uncle her whole life- and although that hasn't changed it's still going to be difficult since this latest revelation is that, her Uncle Elijah that she adores oh so much is now also 'mommy's boyfriend' or in more formal terms her step-dad. So I think she's going to be confused and it might be quite difficult for her at first but I think she’s mature for her age and that she will understand quite quickly that, Mommy and Daddy aren't together and that despite realizing that her mom was married to her uncle I think she will quickly appreciate the fact we told her because of her understanding personality. “

Daniel quickly leaned forward and spoke before the host could ask another question.

“The moral of the story is, don't sleep with your husband's brother. Especially when not using protection and then deciding to get back together with your husband before trying to force him to sign the divorce papers.”

The whole room suddenly echoed with loud laughter and I couldn't stop giggling myself despite being offended for my character. I hit his arm playfully. He grinned at me and rested his hand on my leg as the room calmed down and he slouched back in his chair a little.

“Very true. So, I mean he can always just compel a few dozen nannies but he does have Elijah there to help him co-parent you know not just with Sofia but with Hope. I'm thinking like shared schedules, late night feedings...Whose doing what ?”

“It’s like we both wake up and the baby is crying and it's like, are you going to get her or am I ? Alright, I'll get her.”

“Yeah no it's gonna be me. I'm gonna do the graveyard shift, I know that all to well. But we gotta remember too, Lily and Freya are going to be doing a large share of the work.”

“Oh yeah, they can do it. There you go.”

I giggled and hit Joseph in the shoulder for the comment.

“Sexist.”

“No, come on. Lily's already been through this twice she knows’ what she's doing and Freya's Switzerland at this moment in time, I think for both of us to be in there...I’m gonna stop talking.”

We all chuckled at Daniel's comment.

                                               *

“Now we're going to go to audience questions in just a little bit but first I wanted to do something fun. I know it's not the holiday's and I know we don't have a big ass bonfire in front of us but I thought it would be quite fun if everybody kinda thinks about a wish for their character for the future, just throw it in the imaginary bonfire.”

“Well, I'm a human....so I just want to stay alive.”

“Good answer.”

“Oh I forgot you weren't a character.”

“I have wishes for everybody but I don't have a character.”

“I do wish for Julie that Supernatural Judge Judy becomes her next spin off and Exploding Ovaries is the title of Daniel Gillies' next memoir. 

“A wish for Hayley would be that Hope can live a normal, happy existence. I think would be what she would want the most.”

“That’s very sweet.”

“Thank you. That's it, I'm done.”

“Uh, I think for Elijah...I mean other than wishing that his girlfriend's wouldn't be incinerated or his wife doesn't sleep with his brother again...”

I giggled at Daniel's comment, despite his comment towards my character and spoke with Joseph, simultaneously. 

“Oh, come on.”

“I'm not letting that one go easily. So, uh...I would wish for him. Oh man. I wish for him, I’m actually wishing for something dark, like I sort of would wish for...a great division between the brothers before reconciliation.”

“So that's how it's going to be.”

“So, my wish for Lily is um...to finally find that bloody fertility spell that she's been looking for, for centuries. So that her and Elijah can have children of their own which they want more than anything and move somewhere outside of New Orleans in a nice family home, away from the drama.”

“That’s very sweet.”

“Uh, I wish everyone would just do what Klaus says because he's always right. He knows what he's doing. It's for the greater good. Come on. Get on board with his plans. Everything will be alright in the end. Not everyone will be alright in the end but everything will be alright in the end. Right ?”

“Um, I wish Marcel would cross over. No.”

“I wish for more of your cleavage.”

I couldn't help but laugh a little when he says comments like that. Even though it wasn't directed at me, I knew the double meaning behind it. Daniel has not taken his eyes away from my chest today. That's what breast feeding does to you, I suppose. When Daniel picked my outfit this morning, I was glad. I was going to wear some leather pants and a red blouse with some heels but he somehow convinced me to wear a dress. God was I glad, I actually listened to him. It was hot in San Diego summer heat and I underestimated a little when I decided on leather pants. 

“Yeah. We gonna get some dollar bills. Let's see some ones. Tryna make some money out here. Somebody, put on some Usher. Slow jam. Uh yeah...”

“I have a twenty. What can we get for a twenty ?”

“Break it up. Break it up.”

“Make it into ones and let's make it rain.”

“If I throw loose change at you, can I make it hail ?”

“Alright, moving on. Next subject.”

“Um, Davina is a witch and I think it would be really cool if she could fly. So, whether it's a broomstick or something else...I still think it would be really cool.”

“That’s a good one. Um, mines pretty selfish. I hate shaving, so I wish we could work something in so Vincent could have like a huge beard.”

“I changed my mind, I want superpowers as well. Three one foot long, retractable adamantine claws from each hand please.”

”Why is the camera on me ? I wanna fly. I wanna see these guys fly. I want them charging up walls and...we don’t have the budget for that. I wanna see more vampirey stuff. Why am I wishing again ? I exhausted my wish.”

“You guys can make as many wishes as you want. This is your made up tradition.”

“It’s raining wishes on you.”

“Raining for your wishes.”

“God this is embarrassing.”

“T it up.”

“T what up ?”

“What do your need for a rain of wishes ?”

“What happens when it rains ?”

“An umbrella.”

“What ?”

“An umbrella, sweetheart.”

He closed his eye in frustration and dropped his upper half into my lap, whilst we all laughed at his slow mind.

“Oh shit. Umbrella. So sorry, so sorry.”

“The rain, the umbrella...”

“Dropping hints. Awesome, alright well let’s turn it over to some audience questions.”

                                               *

“Hi, my name is Julia and first I'd like to say, I love you all. Especially Joseph Morgan and Danielle Campbell.”

“Thanks. Thanks a lot.”

“Don’t worry, I love you Daniel.”

He squeezes my thigh and leans in to kiss my head. Before deciding to move his arm around my shoulders and hugging me into his side. I rested my hand on his thigh as I hugged him back.

“I love you too, beautiful.”

I blushed and smiled, whilst the audience all awed. Which prompted the red in my cheeks to darken. I sat back up straight and he returned his hand back my thigh, yet this time a little higher up and whilst stroking the fabric of my dress up my thigh.

“My question is for the whole cast and it is, if you were able to play another role...who would you wanna play ?”

“On our show ? Or just in general ?”

“Yeah. On The Originals.”

“I..I think I would choose Hayley. The Hyrbid female. She's a pretty cool character. Your welcome.”

“Um, I would play...Klaus. Mind you probably better but...”

“I don't wanna play anybody else, I wanna play Elijah.”

“I would play, Elijah....purely because it would be an absolute blessing to wake up that hot everyday and he's a pretty awesome character.”

He smirked at me and moved his hand further up my leg, his fingers now resting at the hem of my white lace thong. I gulped a little but held my composure. It seemed hat every time I complimented him, he got further up my leg and closer to my core. Like a game...and I was more than happy to play.

“If...If I had to absolutely play someone else uh, I would play Oliver because I just think he needs to be brought back to the show...and uh #saveollie. Bring him back !”

“Uh, I would play Elijah because I think I look damn good in a suit.”

“Yeah, you do.”

“Buttoned up to the naval.”

“There we go. I know it's distracting for you, my body.”

“I cannot concentrate. I refuse to continue.”

“Um, I would play Genevieve. I thought she was a really cool character. She was a lot of fun to work with.”

“I see some Genevieve fans in the house, awesome.”

“Um, yeah I think I might choose Elijah too. I think uh, it's a really cool character that Daniel has created.”

“They both quietly believe they can bring more to the role, is what they’re saying. Not quietly, they're saying it to an audience of like three thousand.”

“Only because of what you've done with it Daniel.”

                                            *

“Hi Guys, wow that's loud. I'm so sorry, my name's Marissa. First, I want to say Daniel I watched saving hope and your death killed me. I'm so sorry that you died.”

“Yeah, tell me about it ! I was gutted.”

He squeezed my thigh a little more and started making circles with his finger on the spot closed to my core.

“Oh my goodness.”

Yeah, oh my goodness indeed. He really knew how to make a woman feel good, without hardly doing anything...quite literally.

“Um, so my question is for Julie and Michael. Um, I was wondering...there’s so much violence on the show and so much adult stuff and I was wondering if the network or the studio has ever told you, 'No you can't do that’ ?”

We all started laughing in reply to the questions.

“Oh, we have a story about that don't we...Leah.”

“I don't wanna tell the story again.”

“There's things that we did that couldn't be shown.”

“So here's the thing about broadcast television is that, apparently you can decapitate someone, you can drive a knife into a vampires skull, you can rip out their heart, you can shove a pencil up their nose, you can stab them a million times with glass but when stimulating a sex scene...if there's any movement at all that one would define as thrusting...”

“No thrusting. Pull back on the thrusting.”

“A motion that originates from the hip.”

Charles decided to get up and share a demonstration of thrusting and everyone on stage started laughing and the audience started to scream. Daniel gripped my thigh a little harder, due to jealously. I didn't have to ask him what the reason was, I already knew. At the best of times, he was not a jealous person. He loves and trusts me and Charles a lot and he knows nothing would happen but when he's horny and in need of some attention...he does get jealous. Understandably so, I know because we both do. His pinky finger then started to stroke me, through the lace of my pants.   

“It’s difficult because I don't actually remember thrusting being in the script. That was something the actors chose.”

“It was a creative choice. I mean, look at Charles...you would do the same thing. Also, let's not forget the originators of this little problem.”

The audience stayed silent, indicating that they weren't sure how to react to her last sentence. I leaned into Daniel and rested my forehead against his bicep in retaliation to Leah's comment. I couldn't stop giggling, despite the finger rubbing against my wet thong and the blush rising on my cheeks. Daniel was using his other hand to pinch his forehead, whilst chuckling.

“Come on guys, explain it.”

“So, what happened was we were doing the flashback sex scene of Elijah and Lily's wedding night. Daniel got a bit too excited and started to thrust a little and I tried hiding it by opening my legs a bit more.As I did, my underwear snapped because it wasn't as flexible as I thought. So, I had to pay a fine for showing too much skin because the sheets had come off of me a little and we hadn't realised. Not that it was much it was just a little side boob, still.”

“So, it wasn't the thrusting ?”

“No, ironically it wasn't.”

“Let me tell you. There was some excellent, simulated thrusting in those scenes. That was cut, per broadcast standards. While, I think in the same episode seventeen people got brutally massacred. It is what it is.”

“Some of the best thrusting. I hope it makes the special features.”

“Charles called Leah, for some extra rehearsal before hand.”

                                           *

“Hi I'm uh Skylar. Um, I know that between you there has been a myriad of different supernatural creatures. Uh, Phoebe...I think you've been a werewolf, a witch and a mermaid. Uh, in really life...What would you wanna be ?”

“Well, I would say witches because witches don't have to turn on a full moon and they don't have to be like plagued by vampire...the demon’s of vampires. They can just have all the power and really cute outfits...and if I can look more like Danielle Campbell. I'll take it.”

“H20 rocks!”

“Thank you ! Well actually I-Im gonna say a mermaid then. Like, life is better under the sea and I think I would be a mermaid.”

“I don't know-"

“Merman ?”

“Merman. No, I...um. I'm pretty pervy...so I'd say like invisibility.”

“Um, so I'm not pervy at all unlike Daniel. I do think that Heretics are soooo cool though. Like, they can do magic and they are vampires but still have all those human capabilities...like procreation. So, yeah a heretic.”

His hand stopped stroking me through the lace of my panties suddenly and I instantaneously felt a cold gush of air race up my well-shaved legs and punching me in my core. I felt the frayed edges of my lace tickling my upper thigh, where they shouldn't be. Hinting that my favourite pair of thongs had been snapped. I turned to Daniel and narrowed my eyes at him whilst he just continued the panel, like nothing happened. His hand when back to it’s original position resting on my thigh, clearly in punishment for making a comment about his pervy answer. 

“Nah, I'm happy where I am. You know, Hyrbid. Definitely not, invisibility. When I joined the show, I thought I was only gonna be a vampire so I was thrilled when I was a werewolf-vampire. I'm sticking to my guns.”

“I like being the token human. I'm just gonna like stay there. Create more mermen.”

“Season three, season of the mermen.”

“The next spin-off.”

“That would be so cool, let me be a mermaid. I would kill it .”

Joseph put his arm on the back of my chair, looking at me after I made my wish known to be a mermaid.

“You better not cum in the water.”

The entirety of the room ruptured into fits of laughter. Even Daniel, who had now moved his hand closer to my core again. Letting his fingers stroke my entrance. Meanwhile, I continued laughing...ignoring the feeling of my husband’s gentle and sensual touch. 

“I’m blushing.”

                                            *

“Hi, I'm Katie. If you were to go to Comic Con, on the floor. Is there anyone you would dress up as ?”

The first thought that came to mind was pleasing Daniel. If I said him there was no doubt he'd give in. The problem was, was it a risk I was willing to take...at a comic Con in front of three thousand fans and some of my closest friends.

“Daniel Gillies.”

Every one repeated my answer and whilst doing so I was discovering that I was unequivocally correct with my thought process. Sure enough, Daniel plunged his fingers straight into my entrance leaving me to deal with the resounding squeal that ripped from my throat. Causing Daniel to laugh at me, influencing Joseph to join in.

                                            *

The final question had just been answered by Daniel and I was leaning my head into Daniel's shoulder to help with controlling the moans erupting inside me. The warmth in my stomach has just appeared as quickly as it vanished again, Daniel had stopped and chuckled at my irritated expression. Nevertheless, I got up and shoved my now broken thongs in Daniel's jacket pocket and waved at the fans with a bright smile on my face as we all walked off. We had just got out of the fan's eyesight when a hand delivered a hard slap to my barely covered assume cheek as this dress was so short. I span around and grabbed his wrist before dragging him further backstage, behind a screen next to the dressing rooms.

“What do you think your doing ? Playing around like that during a panel and then not even letting me finish ?!”

I didn't even let him reply as I dragged his face down towards mine and kissed him lustfully. His hands wandered down to my waist and clutched the already tight fabric tighter around me. The other unoccupied hand drove down to my ass and clutched it, allowing the skirt to rise up. Exposing the bare skin of my cheek. I used one of my hands to undo his zipper before pulling his dick out and stroking it. Clearly, he was eager because before I knew it. I was pressed up against the wall, sticking my tongue down his throat and moving myself up and down on his already hard cock. What we hadn't realised that the screen had moved, as Daniel had knocked it with his foot when walking to the wall. He pulled away and smirked at me.

“You told me we wouldn't have public sex after last time.”

“This is the last time Mr Gillies, I'm promising you.”

We smiled at eachother and kept going against the wall. His tip caused some tension when arriving to a depth he hadn’t before but it was a pleasurable one most definitely. The lips of my pussy enveloped his tip and he ran it through my drenched folds before deciding to plunge into me once again. I was about to scream and he knew I wasn’t good at being quiet when he fucks me so good. I clung onto him hoping it would relieve tha ache he’d created by filling me so good. He sat down on a chair that was sat in a chair of the little area backstage. Sitting down, allowed his thrusts to speed up rapidly and his face to rest in between my smooth and nearly covered beasts. He bit my hardened buds through my dress and caused a shive of please to shoot down to my core and promoting me to burst.

I then decided to let go and couldn’t help but let out a gratifying scream for him. I was coming down from my high and the screen pulled back. A man that looked about 40, eyed us disgusted and told us to move it.

“Well atleast I won the deal ?”

“Remember the deal we had ? If I was right about is having sex in public again no matter how much you denied that we wouldn’t. Your were very adamant.#

*

MASTERLIST

[kylosgenesis]

Teardrops on Fire

Synopsis:

Steve Rogers is the last Alpha of the an almost extinct Lycan pack. With only less than 100 members left. Steve must produce an heir to ensure the species survival and reduce the chance of attacks from others. Omegas are rare, and betas have a hard time producing children. Steves reality is finally setting in as his obligation of producing an heir faces a major set back.

Reader is the last suitable omega to mate with Steve, due to the fear of her daughters fate in the pack, her mother kept her hidden from the pack after her own exile. Only her mother, and Bucky's family know of her existence. Bucky is Steve's right hand man, and the packs best warrior! He and the reader developed a friendship and bond over the years, but age forced them to become distant.

What happens when she presents and her first heat cycle comes? Her body is in excruciating pain and a strong fever quickly overcomes her body. Facing the fear of her daughters possible death, her mom calls on the only person who can save her at this point, Alpha Steve! Bucky and the alphas friendship will be tested. The reader will be faced with her love for Bucky or her duty to the pack.

Chapter warnings : descriptions of death, abuse, blood, and mentions of miscarriage.

Chapter 2: Honey I tried

“When did it start?” Bucky was holding on to the edge of his kitchen table.He felt nauseated with the thought of her, sick and yearning, He couldn't even picture what she had grown up to look like, A part of him was scared of his own emotions.

“It hasn’t yet!”

“ At least not as of this morning.” her mother was breaking apart! Bucky could tell she was very scared and exhausted! He knew that her daughter's well being must've weighed heavily on her, he could see the physical manifestation of her pain. In just a few hours her nails had been bit to the core, and her tears streaks had left vivid and raw tracks around her cheeks.

“Buck! I know this is a lot to ask, but you have to tell Steve! Were worried she wouldn't make it otherwise. This will be her first heat”

He’d almost forgotten his mothers presence in the room, cause he turned around and met her eyes, tears streaming down her face. She'd grown fond of her friend's daughter over the years. After her own kids had left to form their own lives, she could still go to her and relive some memories of her little ones' younger days.

“I know! I'm still wrapping my head around it, but I know what I have to do” agitation surrounded his voice. He didn't know when his heart started to feel like it wanted to jump out of his chest or when he gripped the glass of water that was left on the table so hard it shattered, but it was evident that he wasn't going to be getting any rest that day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bucky parked his pickup in front of Steve's house. It was the largest house in the village, it wasn't Steve's choice, but he'd inherited it from his father, and his father had inherited it from his father before him. Being the house farthest away from the city limits, but right in the middle of the village meant Steve was protected, but could also be easily accessed.

Looking back at his passenger seat he saw Winnifred with her mom cradled upon her shoulder, comforting her best friend through the probably the second hardest day of her life.

“You should stay here Ma, I'll go get Steve” I know he’ll be happy to see you, but I still don't know how he'll react to her'' He opened his tool box on the bed of his truck and pulled out a large fleece blanket. Neatly folded he handed it over to his mother.

“Just keep her company till I come back”

The lights in Steve's house were on, but Buck could hear the sound of wood being shopped and Steve's grunts coming from the back of the property. As he reached his best friend's view, he took a deep breath. It was all gonna be different now, for all of them.

Steve had a large pair of headphones in, and was clearly a few songs deep into his playlist because when Bucky came around the corner; Steve almost lost a hold of the axe he was holding! Lookin at Buck he lowered his bulky headphones and stabbed the axe to the soft moody ground next to the small uncut piece of wood he was about to turn into lumber.

Steve's hair was not as long as Bucky's, and he had taken a liking to a neatly kept beard.

He grew it out as a joke at first! Clint dared him to grow it for a month, and after a month he'd grown fond of the style.So for the past year now, Steve looked less like a young soldier, and more like those lumberjacks from the cheesy romance novel covers his sister Rebecca loved to read.

“Hey Buck, didn't expect you around so late” Steve combed his hair back with his fingers. A nervous habit Bucky had noticed since childhood, especially when he had a lot on his mind.

“Couldn't sleep?”

Bucky was concerned for his friend, momentarily forgetting the reason for his sudden visit.

“ Banner called! Wanda was there earlier today, she wasn't feeling well. Turns out she was pregnant, and didn't know it!

“Steves that's awesome, when is she due ? we need to celebra…” as he looked into his best friend's eyes he saw the pain behind his look.

“She was miscarrying at the same time she found out she was pregnant, Buck. That's the third pup we've lost this year.I don't know how we're gonna get through this, It's getting harder and harder to keep everyone safe, and pretend we're not gonna be extinct in 50 years”

“Steve…” Steve's gaze was filled with a mixture of tears and rage. He took everyone's pain personally. And hearing about Wanda had awoken an unease within his soul. He couldn't fight the problem! How could a man used to protecting and fighting, deal with a problem that didn't require a fight?

“There’s an omega! She presented this morning!

“Who is she?”

“Remember Katerina? She … uhh … after she was exiled from the pack, she had a daughter!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 20 years ago

“We can't just let him die! We have to take him outside the walls! Someone out there can help him”

Joseph was the second in command to Benjamin Rogers. Two of the strongest alphas the entire western district had ever known. Both feared together, but explosive apart.

Benjamin had fathered a son 7 years earlier, a frail boy. He was often sickly and his future wasn’t promised! He wasn't meant to live much longer, the boy had once again woken up sick. A high fever overcoming his small body.

Benjamin had changed after his wife's death, he blamed the boy for Sarah’s death. A man that was once kind, and dedicated to his family, now lived like a wandering dark shadow inflicting cruelty against anyone that disagreed and crossed his path. His pack was strong! But there was no harmony, only fear.

Sarah had been a beautiful alpha as well as Benjamin. She had a hard time carrying Steve to term, at 7 months she fell bedridden and two weeks later, she had a seizure that compromised her pregnancy. Benjamin himself had to cut the boy out of his dying wife. That choice, as his wife laid there lifeless , covered in blood, and cut open like an animal awoke a demon in Benjamin. He saw death in his son's eyes, that is why he could never love him. He could never care!

Katerina took care of his young baby like her own, she had struggled to have a baby of her own so when Joseph came home holding a still bloody wailing baby, she fell madly in love with the small bundle in his arms.

The boy was small, but smart! He picked up words as young as a few months, and as a toddler he was incredibly gifted. Steve excelled in art, and even knees bit of music. Katerina loved to sit down and play piano! A young Steve would lean into her side and follow suit to her fingers on the side of the pano with his small hands. Joseph and Katerina watched him grow up, and took care of him.

Steve got sick often, but nothing too serious!

One day as she prepared breakfast she had a feeling of dread on the pit of her stomach, she ran upstairs to check on Steve and found him comatose on the bed!she wailed as she held her adopted infant son to her chest. Joseph came running to her after hearing her screams. He picked up the boy from her hands and loaded him into the car, with Katerina at his side he headed to Benjamin's house.

That was the first time Benjamin had seen his son since his wife died, his son himself nearly dead!

"Please Ben! He needs help! There's another pack two hours away, they have a doctor that can help him. She can heal him for good, please open up the walls so we can go to her! They both pleaded with Ben for hours, but to no avail!

The man was already covered in anger and reeking of alcohol, “Don't you dare challenge your alpha Joe! If I find out you defied me and left this territory you will never be allowed back”

Katerina couldn't let her boy die! With that warning in heart, she and her husband plotted to get little Stevie outside the pack territory, and to that doctor.

Behind Ben’s back, and knowing the consequences in his heart Joe called the Alpha from the neighboring pack, the other alpha had the resources ready for them to arrive in the morning. His doctor, a witch, was ready to give little Steve the life he deserved.

In the early morning of the night they sped their way through the woods. Once they reached the border a car awaited Rina, a beta from the fury pack was ready to take them to their pack.

Ben had closed the pack off to treaties when his wife died, he believed the world was dangerous and the pack was better off without interruptions, he couldn't even save his wife! His pack did not deserve to be mercied, they didn't deserve to live if she couldn't. So Ben slowly watched his pack become secluded and lost.

In the morning Ben, even drunker than the night before, had shown up at Joe's doorstep demanding to see the boy. Fully convinced he'd be dead by now, when Joe failed to produce an explanation as to why his wife was gone and so was Steve.

Ben lost it!

He called a pack meeting on which he publicly executed Joe, whether it was a display of power or just pure psychopathic joy. Joe’s death left the town broken, when Katerina came back with a healed Steve, she found herself widowed and exiled.

As a last sick jab into Joe’s heart even after his death, Ben took Steve!

As the years went by Steve forgot his early years, he forgot Joe and Katerina!

Steve remembered stories of his betrayal, her exile! How their actions forever changed a pack. He grew up kind, giving, and strong! Even if Steve didn't experience or know much love from his father, he was full of it!

And thanks to that witch both Katerina’s little growing heartbeat and Steve were stronger than ever!

Tags:

@austynparksandpizza @exposition-belongs-somewhere

[slashermovieslut]

Third Time’s The Charm - Chapter Two - Joe Goldberg x Male Reader

(A/N: This chapter contains some NSFW content! I tried my best to be neutral about reader’s genitals, so I didn’t imply one set or the other. This chapter also contains triggers for the reader being kind of mistreated by their roommate, but nothing intense. And as always, the standard obsessive stalker triggers that come with our favorite creep!)

Your Facebook is public, which is good for me but also bad, because what if some creep used it to stalk you, (y/n)? You don’t post on it anymore, not for ten months, but there are plenty of things on it that tell me more about you. You go to college at St. Joseph’s, so your hoodie really was from your college, and your status is single, thank god. There are plenty of pictures of you on your profile, almost all of them years old. You left Facebook when your parents and aunts started joining, just like most people your age. Your family tag you in all sorts of posts. Events, photos together, chain mail letters, jokes… you don’t respond to all of them, and I hope if I tagged you in something you would respond to me, but it wouldn’t be some cartoon character talking about getting wine drunk in the middle of the afternoon.

Your aunt, the one with the wine memes, she likes to check in when she goes places. She should really stop doing that, (y/n), because it puts you in danger. Your address is just out there for everyone to see, because on September fifteenth at 2.34 in the afternoon she checked into the Statewell apartment building with the caption, “Moving my nephew into his new apartment!” But the Statewell apartments are close, and they are in one of the bad areas of town, which I don’t like. How much do you worry at night that something bad will happen while you sleep? If I was with you I would protect you, or better yet, move you out of that dangerous little cardboard box apartment and into my place. 

I watch you sometimes, in secret. It’s not hard, not like it was with Beck. I don’t have to wear disguises or hide, I can stand out in the open without worrying about being recognized. On a street like this, people mind their business. Except me, of course. I’m minding your business, and your business is beautiful, (y/n). You’re as dirty as I thought, sitting on your living room couch with your laptop propped against the coffee table, pleasuring yourself to the tinny sounds of porn through the laptop speakers. God, everything about you is fucking perfect, isn’t it? I could watch for hours, even if all I can see is a silhouette through sheer white curtains. I really need to buy you better curtains, so other people won’t see you like this, because I don’t think you even know they can see you. You’re self conscious, I can tell, so I bet you don’t even think they would care to stop and look, but you’re wrong. You are worth watching, probably too worth it, because now I have to worry that I might not be the only one watching you. 

Your apartment is on the first floor, right on the corner, so you have two windows. The front one is lit up and neat looking, but the side window is covered with boards, nailed haphazardly by someone who hardly knows how to hold a hammer. Was that you, (y/n)? I want to see inside the house, but the curtains block just enough to keep me from picturing the little environment you remain cooped up in all day. I peek through the cracks between boards instead, peering into a darkened room that looks like a disaster zone. Is this your room? If it is you are messy, but I can forgive messy if I have to because it’s you, and I love you already, mess and all. 

I am acting casual, acting like I have stopped to grab a newspaper from the box in front of your apartments when I see that you have company. He pulls a key out like he owns the place and he unlocks the door, walking in and not even wiping his feet, tracking mud in on carpets that look freshly vacuumed, and I hate him right away, even more than I would hate him just for existing near you. He doesn’t respect you, I can tell, and I don’t care if he’s a friend or something else, you deserve better. He steps on the backs of his shoes to remove them and marches into the house, splaying out on the couch, your couch, the couch I’ve seen you masturbating on every night this week. 

“Hey, do you have rent yet?” You ask from the hall. You sound nervous to even ask, and I can’t tell if you’re just anxious or if you have a reason to be worried, but if this man gives me any more reason to hate him I might have to do something about him. Still, if you need a roommate in a cheap little place like this, you’re in worse of a place than I thought you were. 

“No, I don’t have rent yet, stupid, I thought I told you already that I’m still looking for a job.” He replies, and I want to tear his tongue out for talking to you that way, but I just stand next to the box, pretending to read a newspaper, but clutching it so tight it starts to rip at the edges. Who the hell is this guy and why does he think it’s ok to use that tone with you? Does he think you’re his servant or something? I need to know who the hell this guy is, and what he is to you. If he’s your boyfriend, you’ve got terrible taste, (y/n). I’m going to show you how a real man will treat you, and you’ll never want an asshole like this again. I am spending too much time near your house. It’s early morning and I should be taking care of opening the shop but instead I am on the other side of the street from your apartment, watching your door and waiting to see you again. I’m losing it, I know, and I should be trying to stop this, or somehow slow it down, but it’s like an avalanche, once you start it you really can’t stop it, and I have already started falling in love with you, (y/n).

You walk right past me as you leave, and I almost hope you’ll recognize me, but thank god you don’t. As you pass I reach out, slipping the phone out of your back pocket and into my jacket, and I think you would hate me for this if you knew I’d done it, but you will never know, because I’m going to be more careful this time. I’m going to hide this in the shop, not in my apartment. I’ll keep it in the cage, with all the other precious things I own. As I walk away, toward the bookshop, I scroll through your phone, taking in the little slice of your life stored within the screen. You have two missed texts from someone named Hunter, “I’m sorry” and “I just need a little longer.” I don’t need to read anything else to know who it is, but I open the messages anyways, because I want to know who he is, what he is to you. There’s years worth of messages here, but it only takes me a few minutes of scrolling to find what I want to know… 

This is all the information I need to make my decision. As soon as I possibly can, I am going to make sure Hunter is never a part of your life again. 

[desire-tenderness]

𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕖

{This is a fanfic dreamed and desired. All I write about is my feelings, sensations and desires.  TEXT BY: L.M} Day 1 - Embark on the dazzle. October 9, 2023, Monday. I am exhausted, the recording will begin on Tuesday at 11 am. I think I slept only 3 hours and 20 minutes or I’m just kicking it out loud. This was a very tiring trip I confess. Maybe because it was almost a change of two months and a week. On the bright side, the production has provided a nice apartment for me to live in. My new home is beautiful and comfortable, one block away from Crescent Street, here in Montreal - Canada. Honestly, I can’t believe I’m finally having the opportunity to work with Xavier Dolan, I left my family in Brazil to embark on this dream, I already miss them. I should tell you that I have no idea of the cast that will be on this project, but the script looks fabulous. Before I embarked on this opportunity, I realized a portion of the dream. I and 7 other members of the team dined with Dolan last Thursday, debated the first decupagents and agendas. We had already read the script before the meeting, is it a low-budget experimental drama, and honestly? I lost my breath. I’m not in the position of art director I’ve always dreamed of, but I’m in the position where I have full knowledge and experience. Curious, I am not trembling with nerves, I am completely at peace with this realization. However, very anxious. We’re less than two hours away from reuniting in Saint-Laurent with the cast of "A race by Joseph". [.... ] - Less than two hours later. Okay, I’m about to get my guts out from all the nerves. I’ve heard of some names on the list of actors, including Troye Sivan, Vincent Cassel, and Louise Coldefy. The team is sensational and fucking, Xavier is like a master for me. I need to make these days my best college. I’m at home/rental number six, it’s wonderful. I can see two cars coming through the window, and "God bless me so that Suzanne Clément is in this cast" [Spoiler, I wasn’t, I had to accept], I think I’m going to have an anxiety attack, I need to splash water on my face. I lost count of how many times I filled my hands with water and threw it in my face, I needed to understand that I was really living this moment. I came out of the bathroom apprehensive. Céline handed me a cup of tea mix of Sage, Eucalyptus, Lemon Peel and said "Hey, relax, I’ll see you in the living room.. ah, one more thing, don’t freak out". I feel a chill creeping all over my body as I walk through the door frame. Everyone was waiting for me in the room so we could debate the first two weeks of the recording. I could feel my legs swaying to the point of not having enough sustenance to stand. Timothée Chalamet was sitting on the arm of Dolan’s armchair in silence, reading what would be the 4°page of some document. Quickly he gets up and presents himself squeezing my hand gently. Silence has taken over the environment, I don’t remember my name. [I remembered! ] It was remarkable how difficult he was to pronounce it, it made it all very comical, in seconds we were all laughing. At that time, other cast members performed, but my thoughts were so far away that I don’t know if I missed any important information. [Damn, how many questions are going through my head right now? I don’t even have control over them. Stop! Focus, your future depends on this delivery. ]

[.... ] With the passing of the hours I was reasonably more relaxed and with an unparalleled feeling of gratitude for what was happening to me. We discussed the script, much of it together, the day was very productive. I kept looking at him, he’s so funny and authentic, I feel comfortable now. Obviously we wouldn’t be friends, he wouldn’t notice an assistant director [even though I’m the director’s right-hand man]. The team will be dining with the cast soon, it’s 5:47 pm and I haven’t been able to confirm my presence at this dinner. What’s my problem?! Celine: You’ll go, right? We’ll go home together and unpack. Me: Oh Céli, I don’t think I will. I have a lot to pack, tomorrow starts the recordings and I want to do everything right. Celine: No, you are not going to organize things by yourself. Nor has dinner there in the house, let’s eat please, I’m starving. Think you need to catch up! Me: Relax Celi, I’ll do things in my time, have a wine while I cook something and sleep early. Look, Wednesday we won’t record.. We can go downtown and get a quick look at the city, what do you think? Celine: You’re hopeless. Well, I’ll tell you about it. Arriving at the apartment I opened all the windows, and went to cook thinking about what the following days would be like. I decided then that I should not intensify anything, it could disrupt me at work and I can’t let my impulsive Aryan side get out of hand. I decided to go to the disco and see what the last song the host of the apartment heard. Well, did you start playing Nick Drake’s Pink Moon and honestly? I can’t let the pink moon get me. Fuck, I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my entire life, it’s as fascinating as on screens or in photographs. [Stop! Concentrate. ] [...] 00:01 am The wine bottle is 98% empty now. I have not yet fallen asleep and Celine is already in her 8th deepest sleep. I need to sleep. She said that they were so energized, that the team’s relationship is great and that she ate a delicious Poutine, I found it very courageous for those who will spend the whole day recording tomorrow.  [I’m laughing alone while imagining a disaster] I will sleep and tomorrow will be the first day of my life. I swear I was born now and suddenly everything changed. Things will be built from now on. Timothée Chalamet? I hear you’re a good actor, I don’t know you. Good night and see you soon.

Part 2

Day 50 - And I’m probably happy, could it be different? November 27, 2023, Friday. There are times I do not write in this "virtual diary", my days are super busy. Today we finish the work a little earlier, we finish the movie! I think it’s 4:00 now. Right, and why did I come back to write? Well, I wanted to forget the feeling that took me completely 50 days ago. But today something has happened that does not allow me to escape any feeling that exists here. Louise is severely ill, Christ! We’re at the end of the shoot, she’s Timothée’s date, missing four takes of a kiss between them for her last acting scene. Dolan needed two different angles and he didn’t have a voice voice available so suddenly. Louise and I have very similar hair and what I feared went through Dolan’s mind. "Be the Double" he said. Yeah, Chalamet and I kissed today, and, hell, there was no professionalism on my part or for a millisecond, I feel terrible! I felt like I had been thrown out of a plane and I was in a free fall. My heart had never accelerated so much. My fantasy almost made me believe that one of the butterflies in my stomach was coming out of my mouth 1 minute later. Holy shit! [What if it was not reciprocal? Of course it was not, silly! We are friends. ] I’m so pissed about it, I’ll tell them why.

All these days I’ve really become friends with Timothée, can you believe it? I’ve always been very afraid to talk to him because he doesn’t find me interesting enough. But we have an unusual tune. We had a lot of coffee together, a lot of claquettes I hit due to recording mistakes, we went out with the guys several times, even "alone" and that’s okay, we talked about Brazil and he made sure to go there anytime, I even smoked one of his cigarettes, even hating cigarettes. We were talking about how funny Vincent is and how amazing he is, and we were talking about how they were both working for the first time with Xavier Dolan. We laughed at stupid things until the belly hurt and even bet race in the parking lot next to the location. [He won, of course, has huge legs].

One day we were together cutting fruit for the rest of the team on the set as we talked about Georges de La Tour, "That ordinary painter" I said, and he gave a delicious laugh. He’s much simpler than I thought he could be, carries an admirable humility. And I swear, it was fine, because I was fascinated by that friendship and I could feel that it would last for many years. I’ve learned to deal with your stunning beauty. I liked the way he accepted me and had fun with me. He didn’t think I was silly. I was working for a salary and a bright future, and suddenly I felt I had won the lottery until that moment after the kiss. I feel like I’m failing at my resolve. To finish screwing with my mind, Celine told me something that made me much more sensitive about a feeling that, I swear, once again, I had managed to forget. Although I often fantasized that a mood was going on, I knew it was impossible. He definitely sees me as the cool girl makes him laugh and that he can truly trust. Celine: Look. I, for recklessness, overheard Timothée talking to Troye about you. I did not hear enough but I must say that your tone of voice was of pure indignation... Troye said, "She’s the kind of girl you want so much, you feel sorry for". Me: God damn it, did he hate my kiss?! I’m going to die, Celine! Troye clearly should be making fun of the situation. Who am I supposed to show up at Dolan’s tomorrow for dinner? Celine: Calm friend, you are traveling.. I have noticed things and I will not open my mouth. Everything will be fine, seriously.. kiss the chalamet? How can you be angry about that? [laughed] By the way, tomorrow after dinner, I’ve arranged to spend the night at Julie’s, do you want to go? Me: Oh.. I’m not in the mood to hear Julie talk all night about the new vegan recipes, sorry, pal. Celine: Okay.. I won’t bring you nice things. [My phone vibrated. I was reluctant to look, but it could be work.. ] Text Msg Timothée: I hope you’re okay, you seemed strange going away. Want to talk? By the way, you did well in tonight’s performance, you should try harder. Me: Says my angel, how are you? I am well, of course I am. [laughs nervously and it was noticeable] I was just nervous to have to act for Dolan and know that I will see myself on a movie screen, even if at closed angles. By the way, Mr. Chalamet, thank you very much. I have the seal of approval that interests me hahah Msg of text Timothée: I like it. See you tomorrow? Me: Yes, of course, until tomorrow! Msg of text Timothée: [video uploaded]

Part 3

Day 51 - Ecstasy, landscape of the soul. November 29th, 2023, Sunday morning. I don’t know how to write about how last night went.. I was upset, but I remember everything. I won’t be able to keep this journal after that I’ll tell. We were all gathered at Dolan’s house, drinking and laughing a lot, toasting to finish this incredible project. I already felt completely dizzy and with the warm body, things kept spinning in my head, it was so beautiful. He wore a leather jacket over the green sweatshirt, had a golf cap (Odd Future) hanging on one of the pants straps where his belt was, the black jeans almost on his knee and a red vans, and that hair.. that hair! It’s like a restless ocean. I was wishing to walk across the room and kiss him again with all the intensity that belongs to me, he would like it this time. My body was on fire, suddenly I was frozen, it’s coming toward me. I knew I could spoil any conversation by being totally random and awkward, I was dying of shame in advance. Timothée: Are you happy? Me: Sure, congratulations! You did a great job, I’m very proud of all of you. Timothée: Thank you, but none of this would have been the same if you weren’t on the team, right? Me: Right! [Cheers] [Silence] Timothée: What are you thinking right now? Me: Who you are, Where you’re from, don’t care what you Did as long as you love me..[I started singing As Long As You Love Me by the Backstreet Boys, really?] Timothée: Oh my God! [He laughed almost for the world to hear]. Are you going to Julie’s with Céline? There’s going to be a vegan class. I’d like a pizza, okay? Me: Look.. I also wanted a pizza instead of vegan food.. But I’m getting dizzy and I think I’m gonna go home and do my drunken show in the shower. Timothée: Ah.. Right, you’re dizzy, but you still know how many fingers you have here? [He did an 8 with his fingers] Me: Yes, of course. I’m fine, man, I’m weak but not that weak. Give me a skateboard there! [I screamed, and they didn’t take me seriously] Timothée: So.. we can go for a coffee to break the alcohol and fill the stomach with a piece of pizza, what do you think? Me: Wooah! Come on, send world pizza! [I couldn’t say no, I was completely taken. ]     We got to what used to be a kind of blinker-light coffee, it had a super-hot vibe. We sat down and made the request, we laughed drunk and said nothing that made sense, I felt our friendship alive again. However, the silence and the exchange of looks came, so we could hear the music that played in the background. It was "And I Love Her" by the Beatles”. Suddenly he began to sing. Timothée: "She gives me Everything and Tenderly. The Kiss my Lover brings, she brings to me and I love her." Me: Yeah.. beautiful music. You sing over and over again better than me. When did you start playing music? [My hands started sweating] Timothée: [he laughed] Are you all right? Me: Timmy. .ah.. I think I’m going home to take another shower, rest and call my family, I don’t know. Timothée: Okay, I’ll accompany you, I can’t let you go back alone so late. Me: You don’t need my angel. I’m a ninja! [I made the shameful gesture of a martial coup and tripped. The truth is I wanted him to insist] Timothée: Without that [laughed] let’s go!

We got to the apartment, he came up with me and put his coat on the couch. I offered him water, am I pathetic? He said he did not want to, but that if possible, he would like to stay. I felt as if we were talking by telepathy, I am not crazy. He feels the same. I said he could stay, even super apprehensive. I took two cigarettes from Kumbaya that I made on Tuesday and shouted from the room "let’s get some air on the balcony while we smoke!?". Upon returning to the room, he had put Cigarettes after sex to play, silently. Nothing but the music. Breaths. Another dose of silence. My body pumped blood with so much speed, [says something] I thought. He touched my right hand and looked at me. Those green eyes made me feel warm inside as never before. I got up the courage to pull him to the balcony that led to the fire escape. The sky was beautiful and the wind touching our faces was like a sky giveaway, I needed that fresh night air. Timothée: Do you need me to say it? I can say it. Me: I know what you’re going to say and I’m terrified. You want me too. Timothée: I want to. You make me feel good. I feel my presence truly when I share a moment with you. "Sometimes I think I’ve felt everything I’m going to feel in my life. And from now on, I won’t feel anything new. " Me: I promise that one day I will feel that everything is right. but it feels so wrong. Man, I feel like I’m living a fanfic, and I don’t want to wake up tomorrow and none of this ever happened, or worse, if it’s real, our friendship being compromised by what’s possibly going to happen here. He put his hands on my face, kissed my forehead. Timothée: The heart is not like a box that fills, L. It expands in size, the more you love someone. I’m different from you. It doesn’t make me love you any less. It actually makes me love you more. I want you. Me: Right.. We are here only briefly, and at this moment I want to allow myself joy. I want that, Timothée. And I promise that one day I will feel like everything is fine. He lovingly bowed to touch his lips to mine. Feeling those soft lips against mine, it was almost like an apocalyptic sensation, the world could end right there, would have no problem. We kissed as we entered through the large window of the room, the first pieces of clothing filling the lonely floor of the room. The music Sunsetz conducted our intimate dance. The words "you have to do the right thing, do the right thing" started to disappear from my head.

I feel overflowing out of the body, sensitive, I am under the effect of exaltation, very intense feelings of joy, pleasure, admiration, reverent awe... Timothée. I truly love him. We are lying on the living room floor, apparently wrapped in a curtain that has been disastrously removed. Timothée, his breath is hot, the sound coming out of his mouth shivers my body. We were like the painting of Egon Schiele - Gli Amanti (L'Abbraccio).

Blackout. Light. The voice of an angel reaches my ear. My eyes open. He looked at me in silence, I could smell his mildly sweet citrus smell all over the room. Its aroma stimulates my sensations. Timothée: I’ll make you a cup of coffee. I’ll be careful with the amount of sugar, it’ll be just the way you like it. Keep lying down, angel. Geez, what happens now? I don’t know, he doesn’t know, you don’t know. Anyway, I feel complete.

[off-in-the-moors]

Joseph Kavinsky analysis, part 1

aka how did I get here and why is he the reason

Warnings: spoilers for the whole Raven Cycle, mentions of: drug-use, abuse, death, murder, homophobic slurs, xenophobia

Part 1 // Part 2

After finishing The Raven Cycle and analyzing every chapter, character and the overarching plot with my friend, we were left feeling empty. It's been few months, I kept looking-up more TRC related things, other people's opinions, look through fandom content and even read some post from the author's, now deleted, tumblr account, trying to find answers to why I'm feeling like this. Why the books seem to decline for me in quality as I kept reading? Why I can't see Ronan in the same light as the rest of the fandom? Why I couldn't like the author? And the answer was looking me in the eyes the whole time.

"Depending on where you began the story, it was about Joseph Kavinsky."

I loved his character from the moment we met him in The Dream Thieves and still think about him to this day. But why? In a way, Kavinsky is too familiar to me, from his attitude, through appearance to his voice. It’s like I knew him, and this isn’t surprising. I met/saw Kavinskys on the streets, I know Kavinskys, and I was a Kavinsky once in my life. Although I'm the opposed to him, I still sympathies with him and understand how it feels to be in dark places in your life. And I'm not the only one, many people adore him and don't deny his actions to be terrible. But on the other side, the majority of fans hates him and titles him "the worst/most evil antagonist of the series". But why? What about K makes him so polarizing? The simple answer is: the way he was presented and the function he played in the plot. Even then, K's whole arc in TDT was handled horribly and damaged the way readers will view, not only people like K but also themselves. This and also future posts, I’ll be analyzing everything relied to K, including his treatment after book's release by the author and what some deleted scenes and unused ending can shine on.

This is part 1 of a series of posts to come.

This part is about the narrative and characters views of Kavinsky.

Narrative and characters

Narrative is a powerful tool of telling a story, well crafted and coupled with character's internal-voice makes the reader view the story under different light. In a PoV of one character, one thing might bring-up different emotions and ideas, than the others. Exploring relationships and events differ, because everybody experience it differently. But problem begins when the narrative forces a reader to a opinion, without backing it up with reasons or giving a opposing one. In case of Joseph Kavinsky, before we properly meet him, we are told by the characters to hate him and the narrative backs them up in reasons to hate him. All the reasons given to us at that time, boil down to "I heard a rumor."

Gansey hates him, because "There was nothing about Kavinsky that wasn’t despicable" and "he thinks life is a music video". He doesn't want Ronan to associated with him, which is connected with him covering and getting Ronan's ass for the mess he made, having him project his anger and frustration he has with Ronan on to K, who part-takes in the same activities and probably with Ronan, is understandable. But I didn't expect much from a guy who: payed the school officials so they won't kick Ronan out; insulted Adam and throw Adam’s abuse at his face, just to instant of apologizing to him, make a pity party for himself (also having Adam apologies to Gansey for his rightful outburst isn't okay), is fine with having a romantic relationship with Blue while she's still with Adam, hurting him even further but makes it all about himself, etc. Him hating K, just because of his lifestyle, made sense. But were the line was crossed, was when he started to decide on other people's worth. Lines like "we matter" (on which I'll extend later in the post) or "Ronan is fixable and has a soul [Kavinsky doesn't]", were used not only to show what Gansey himself thinks of K (he isn't a human being to him), but also demonize K and make the reader not consider him an equal to the Gangsey (a teenage).

Blue hates him, because he's yet another Raven Boy. Her hatred comes mostly from her distance for them, rich boys with privilege to which Gansey gang is an exception (although two out of four are exactly the kind she hates, and she told Noah directly she wouldn't be friends with him if he was alive) (There can be made a whole post about Blue's hypocrites regarding Raven Boys, but this isn't it). She also talks about how she doesn't feel comfortable around K and "if she couldn’t forgive Kavinsky for always managing to make her feel so insignificant", which makes sense. But while describing him, she calls him "a import from somewhere else", not only lessening him as a person but also making a xenophobic comment, noting his long nose as one of the factors (you could say, she meant him being from New Jersey, but you don't "import" stuff from inside a country, you only "import" from abroad and K is Bulgarian, doesn't matter if he's an immigrant or just has Bulgarian roots). Later, while discussing what to do with K draining the ley lines, Greyman offers to talk to him, to which Blue asks him "can you make him feel worthless while you do?”. Yes, she asked a hit-man, who killed not only Niall Lynch but also multiple people (including three on pages, which was described in the case of the ones breaking into Montmouth) for money. (Yes, fans say it's fine he murdered Niall, because he was a dick and horrible father, but what we forget is that it wasn't a fast death. It was slow and brutal, having him bludgeoned to send a message to Declan. No "he was a weapon in Greenmatle's hand" can excuse it.). Plus, he beat-up and threatened Declan with a gun if he doesn't give him the Greywaren. "Making him feel worthless" can only mean the worst. Kavinsky was a asshole, but he didn't deserved that. Also Blue gives the idea to give Kavisnky to the Greyman instant of Ronan, which was shot down, but not because it's horrible, inhuman and they can't decide on someone else's life, but because they think Greenmantle's people will come back also for Ronan. They were ok, with K being basically a scapegoat so Ronan will live.

Adam just "hates that prick" and "looked at the table with a studied disinterest" when K approached their table at Nino's, those are his only interaction in anything Kavinsky related (In a part regarding the "original" ending, we'll see it wasn't always the case.).

Noah barely exists in the series after The Raven Boys and never comes in contact with K or gives any opinion on him, outside of "ducked his head down into his shoulders, but couldn't take his eyes off the newcomer".

Ronan's relation with K could be its own post all together and there already are some good post about it, but for this one, I'll only mention few things. He gives us a very "I hate him but I'm into this lifestyle" attitude. He races against K but doesn't want to have anything to do with him or he's "dogs". (Yes, Dream Packs canon name is "Kavinsky's pack of dogs" as Ronan calls them. Ironically, Ronan gets angry then Declan and K called him "Gansey's dog" but is fine when Gansey calls him "his dog".) He never thanked or acknowledged K saved his life from the Night Horror. He accepted K's help in dreaming-up the new Pig but afterwords ditches him without even a slit gratefulness (his motivation being remembering Gansey's words), and mocks that K thought there could be anything between them (friendship or relationship, it dependents how you interpret it), turning this into just using K to get what he wanted. And yes, what K did while Ronan slept (tracing Ronan's back tattoo with his finger) was unacceptable, if it really happened and wasn't just phantom-touch while falling asleep (if it was real, it can be interpreted as K acting out of his internalized homophobia, letting himself a moment of “curiosity”, but it still wouldn't make it fine).

Ronan and K insult one-another multiple times through-out the story but the difference is quite showing. K's insults are mostly homophobic, calling Ronan a "fag" or implying Ronan and Gansey are together. This is a typical teenage insults, but are also showing of K's internalized homophobia if viewed through "Don’t say Dick Gansey, man. Do not say it. He is never going to be with you. And don’t me tell you don’t swing that way, man. I’m in your head." and "It's a bomb. Just like you." scenes.

But Ronan, excepting the typical insults like "ball-sack", goes after who K is. "Bulgarian mobster Jersey trash piece of shit" or "Russian" (to the latter, K responded "Hey now, let's not make this ugly") are personal, referring not only to from where K's from, implying he's a mobster like his father and just calling him "a waste". Unfortunately, K's whole character is already one big stereotype of Slavs as viewed not only by Americans. But insulting someone for being "Bulgarian", something they had no control over, is xenophobic. (And for "Russian", as a Slav myself, let me tell you. Calling a non-Russian Slav "Russian" is a quick way to get on their bad side.) And if you're like "Ronan isn't xenophobic, because he's Irish" or "Maggie isn't xenophobic, because Ronan...", you have no idea how things work in Europe. This is the same argument as "He can't be racist, because he's black". TRC fandom is always ready to bring-up all K's sins and even enlarge them, but when in comes to Ronan, all his sins are either forgotten or excused.

One more thing I want to touch on is one of K's parties. After Monmouth got broken into by people looking for Greywaren (which Greyman broke into first), Gansey thinks it must be Kavinsky's doing, because of the fake ID left in front of the door. Him and Ronan go to K's party, he tells them, it's a substance party and asks where are theirs. As an answer, Ronan hits him in the face and throws through a car, just to show him his blooded knuckles with "This is your substance.". The rest is Gansey and Ronan not believing K, that he didn't trash their place, and a "different Gansey" throwing a Molotov cocktail at K's car. After that, they leave. But one thing isn't sitting right with me. The "This is your substance" is a beloved, may I say iconic, scene that is glorified by fans and cited as this "Ronan is so cool and K soo deserved it" thing.

Here's the thing. K is in full right. It's his party, on his rules. Gansey and Ronan just came from nowhere, probably for the first time, so the rule is stated for them. And Ronan's response? Physically assault K. Even if he's angry about the apartment, still he shouldn't just assault him. And Gansey does nothing. And one more thing: K never hits Ronan back. Not in next chapters, not at the end. Never.

Before the chapter ends, we get probably my most hated line from this book:

"Closing his eyes, Gansey leaned his head back on his seat, chin tilted up, throat green in the dash lights. There was still an unsafe sort of smile about his mouth — what a torment the possibility in that smile was — and he said, “There was never a time when that could’ve been you and me. You know the difference between us and Kavinsky? We matter."

We matter. And he doesn't. I could talk about this line and how damaging it is to people who see themselves in Kavinsky, but instant I'll say, why I hate it.

I have anxiety mixed with being introverted and back-in-the-day I felt isolated from my classmates, desperate for friends but only had toxic ones who dropped me so the popular girls would talk with them, just to be friends with me again after some time, bullied to the point of breaking multiple times, and hating myself for not fitting in, unable to connected with my peers in anyway. The line "we matter" echos my worst fear and thoughts from that time. "Everyone matter, you don't". I was too young to even have those thoughts, but they were always there. In the back of my head, like a recurring nightmare.

Just the idea, someone can say with confidence that someone, anyone, doesn't matter, makes me sick. No one has the inside to what's going on in someones life, to what thought are plaguing their head. Everyone's life matter and to say something like this in a book targeted to 12-18 year olds, who are at there most vulnerable stage, is not only irresponsible but enraging. Gansey is saying this about a guy his age, who is drug-addicted and self-destructive, because he doesn't like him and wants Ronan to stay away from. No one calls him out on it. Not Ronan, not the narrative. Nothing.

Until the kidnapping of Matthew and the paradox/question "did the tattoo tracing scene happened?", Kavinsky did nothing to earn hatred from the reader. He was living his life, being a stupid, reckless teenage boy with a power to get everything he wanted. Ask yourself a question: "If you had the power to pulled anything* from your dreams, wouldn't you go crazy with it? Maybe in a very selfish way?"

*  Throughout TRC and CDtH, we see no limit to what a dreamer can pull-out. From a pen or working car, living creatures (animals, copies of real people or purely made-up) to abstract things, like a word with power to animate the dead or an apocalypses.

Yes, K's dreaming drained the ley lines, causing Cabeswater to disappear. But did K knew about it? He knew that he needed to wait for it to recharge before dreaming more things and he did just that. The over-draining was cause by preparations for this Fourth of July party (dreaming many copies of his Mitsubishi) but same did Ronan’s dreaming (but Cabeswater acts as weird gatekeeper, so Ronan seems to be forgiven). But did he knew about Cabeswater? Or furthermore, Glendower? We can't confirm or deny it, but considering K isn't from Henrietta and probably is there only for school, he's there for about 2 years. Would he be interested in some random forest or some Welsh King, which just idea of him being in America is so far fetched to believe in?

No. All he was interested it, was parting and wasting himself away.

We don't get any other or opposing opinions on Kavinsky, only the ones given by Gangsey. They are the outsiders looking in, not having any inside, just rumors and their shallow observations/interactions. But we don't even get any "inside", not from other Raven Boys or even the Dream Pack (who are barely characters). After K's death, the only thing we get is Gangsey's not caring or being glad K's gone. Aglionby is silent and Henrietta, doesn't even acknowledge Fourth of July's Party even happened (but to be honest, the town feels like a theater stage than a living place). The only mentions about K that gives some idea someone noticed anything, was his name alongside Whelk’s and Dittley's in the newspaper at the end of BLLB (but this plot point is never mentioned again).