#secretly i think duncan really wanted to get you on his side but since you were already w merry and noel he knew it wouldnt really work

[northern-passage]

Right, the confusion was on my part, sorry! I thought the shackles Merry could end up wearing were the same blood iron ones the Hunter could end up in if you made certain choices in C2. I figured Duncan and company just had the one pair, so that's on me lol.

And apologies for my previous question. I can picture perfectly in my head what it is I wanted to ask, but getting it from my brain to keyboard as you saw is beyond me.

Although it's irrelevant now that I know that the shackles Merry ends up in are just plain old ones.

no worries!

and when it comes to Merry's shackles, i do think it's only noted in the route where you actually deconstruct them, because the hunter will comment that they're only made of regular iron and it will be easy for them to break down. the other routes either have Duncan intervening or Lea getting injured before the hunter can really look at them, but it will be clarified later on.

[divine-donna]

for me...formidable

i'm going to commit to the bit and make this a real thing. because i like the idea of tashi getting her fellow tennis player back in the game.

this will also be another time where i'm specifying reader's gender. so a female reader. and they're the same age as tashi.

unfortunately did i technically make covid canon in the universe? yes. yes i did.

pairing: tashi duncan x fem! reader

context: 2019 (briefly), late 2020 - 2021

"are you just going to keep eyefucking your husband? or...?"

you turn your head back to look at her. "sorry." you feel the phantom feeling of pain shooting up your leg and your fingers go to scratch at the scar on your leg.

tashi glances over. your husband and hers. playing tennis in the country club. she can overhear the conversation from them. come on art! do it! beat me!

"and how are your kids?"

"they're fine. doing well in school. having fun at sleepaway camp. it's just me in the house. feels unnatural." your stomach churns at the thought of your kids.

that's not to say you didn't love them. you loved your triplets. but your triplets reminded you that you could have had a different path. you could've had them later after you won the coveted venus rosewater dish. to finish your collection of trophies on the shelf. to finish a grand slam career title.

you feared you had aged out of the sport. and that there was no chance for you. a comeback was out of your league.

"he still keeps you at home?"

"yeah. even though i saved his career." you take a sip of your virgin strawberry daquiri. "that whole speech, the whole rebrand idea...was me. it was my idea."

"he's been keeping you locked up since college. so i'm not surprised." tashi's fingers tap on the table as she looks out at the men playing tennis.

"locked up since i got my injury." you scoff. "hate it. i hate seeing that empty space on the shelf. there's enough room for another trophy. for wimbledon." you sniffle. you blink back the tears. your husband always scolded you for getting emotional about it.

"you healed. you recovered well." tashi cocks her head to the side, and she pushes her sunglasses up so they rest atop her head. "why aren't you playing?"

"dan says...some shit about not wanting me to get hurt again. it's real bullshit."

"yeah. it is. you should play."

you raise your eyebrows, looking at tashi. "tashi."

"what? you can do it. you're still young."

"i'm 31. i don't...i don't want to be one of those players that comes back way past their prime. besides, i wouldn't even know where to start-"

"i can coach you."

you nearly spat out your drink. you swallow it down and ignore how cold it is, how it painfully travels down your system. "huh!"

"i can coach you. feel like you're...a lot easier to work with than some other people." tashi leans back in her seat. you were always receptive to her advice and criticism back at stanford. you always took things to heart because you strived for perfection and for pushing yourself.

and secretly, tashi wanted to piss off your husband. she's always hated dan.

you purse your lips. "tashi i...no. don't. you don't need to!"

"art wants to retire. after he tries for the u.s. open. win or lose. he wants to retire. i need someone new. and i think you deserve a second chance."

"that's...that's if i can even play the same. i'm old! my body is...completely different from when we were in college. i have three kids-"

"dan can watch the kids, for once. just...you don't even have to tell me now. you can think about it. if you want to play but not go with me, that's fine too. i would just hate to see a stranger try to say what you should and shouldn't do."

after all, you deserve to be cared for by the woman who knows you the best.

lockdown was a time where you really sat and thought about your tennis career.

you were tired of just taking care of the kids all day, of being locked in with them all the time.

and what you hated the most was that empty space on your shelf, staring at it all day, every day. you hated it when your husband showed it off on facetime to his friends. he almost bragged about the fact that there was a missing trophy, that you were missing a grand slam.

about two months into lockdown, you text tashi.

– let's do this – comeback of the century, right? – and i want you on board

"art's excited for you."

"is he?" you look at her as she's writing something on the legal pad. she always enjoyed the feeling of the paper. she was writing with a pen you had bought her. it was from a stationary store and the kind that had a tiny tennis ball and tennis racquet attached to the clicker.

"i think he's just happy to...relax." she looks up, watching the way your body was being stretched by the trainer. "you're a little bit older. and you have some clotting issues since giving birth. i can get in touch with some people to help craft a suit that will help."

"tashi, don't you think we're doing too much?"

"we aren't. you're older. and your body is obviously different from art's. for one, you literally made and carried three kids. we just need to get you the right equipment, get your body back into shape, and train you up."

the look of hesitation does not go unnoticed. "we can stop at any time-"

"no. i want that dish." you say it through gritted teeth. "i'm going to fucking get it."

tashi feels her lips curl into a satisfied smile. "hell yes we are."

"i registered you for a tournament. they're starting to open things back up." tashi lightly hits the ball and watches the way your legs move with precision. you hit the ball and it knocks over the cone all the way to your left. "you're basically a whole new player. some people might remember you, some won't. so we're leaning towards a new public image." she hits another ball.

you hit it and knock over the final cone.

"what does dan think about all this?" she asks.

you shake your head, wiping the sweat off of your forehead. "i'm divorcing dan."

tashi raises her eyebrows. "oh. is everything okay?"

"everything is fine. i...just hated him. don't hate the kids. they're sweethearts. and he's wasn't around enough for them to really grow attached to him. i...i was trying to work things out when he swooped in like a hawk and shoved that ring on my finger." you loved not being able to wear it. "i finally worked those things out."

"good for you. you deserve better."

like her.

but tashi would never say that out loud.

charleston. the perfect opportunity for a comeback.

you've faced worse. you had to remind yourself of that. the charleston open was not as serious as the other tournaments of the past. your hands were cold and frigid beneath the air conditioning. and they were growing numb.

"hey. hey. you're going to do great."

tashi's hands are warm. they cup your face, making you look at her and deep into her brown eyes.

she's always so warm.

"i can't feel my fingers." you mutter.

"here." she moves her hands to take yours, pressing them flat together between her own. "warm enough?"

"i can...feel it coming back."

tashi watches the way your eyes look all over the place, how they take in the crevices of the wall. you were always an observant person. you always liked looking at the walls of the locker room.

the catsuit looked really good on you too.

"what if...this is all a mistake..." you mumble.

"then it would be a waste of hard work and materials." she doesn't mean to sound cold. "and technically, you would have divorced dan for no reason."

you finally look at her. her eyes are soft. and you understand. she sees another shot within you. the same kind of shot she saw within art.

"yeah. i guess." there's the remnant of a laugh leaving you.

tashi leans forward. her lips are soft. and she tastes like prosecco. her perfume is warm with spices.

you kiss her back, leaning towards her, leaning into her. it feels right. kissing her feels right. just like that one time you two kissed in the showers at stanford.

tashi pulls away. she feels your hands. your hands were warm. hers were a little cold now.

"decimate that bitch."

[marshunter06]

Hello! 35 for Duncney please!! Have a great day 💛💛

Hi Anon! My day’s been pretty smooth so far, thanks! I hope you have a good one too! Also I will say the angst monster nearly took over when I saw this prompt but then I thought of smol duncney, so this is set in the TDR verse. If you wanted angst then my bad, but I’ve been in such a fluffy mood lately (:

35. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

Being a four year old is tough, especially for a certain green haired toddler. All he wanted to do was escape the daycare and live his life already. He was tired of the same routine and following rules, unlike his Princess over there sitting by herself reading another one of those things called books again. Speaking of his best friend, she hasn’t spoken to him all day! Not that he wants her to talk to him… and why did he call her his best friend, it’s not like they’ve ever said that about each other... It’s officially been hours since they both walked into the building and she’s barely even looked at him. Maybe he was too harsh to her for teasing her over her fear of the green jelly they had as a snack yesterday. He’s never seen her that horrified before and she was fearless, or so he thought. Now that he thinks about it, she still looks upset even as she’s flipping through whatever story she’s reading.

“Hey Princess!”

No reply, she didn’t even turn her head to give any indication she heard him. He sighs, he remembers his mother’s words telling him that he needs to apologize when he did something wrong, even if he didn’t think it was that big of a deal. He crosses to the other side of the room where the giant armchair is to approach her. Her head was still buried in her book when he nervously asked her to forgive him.

“Hey Courtney… I’m really sorry for what I said to you yesterday. I shouldn’t have tried to chase you with the green jelly after your reaction. I promise I won’t do it again. Please just say something to me.”

She does finally look up at him, but with a confused expression, she had no idea where this was coming from. Sure he was bothering her yesterday, but she never held grudges against him, she knew that he was joking with her. He was secretly a big softie, and had she stood her ground and firmly told him to stop, he would have. Truth be told, she found her fear to be a bit ridiculous too, seeing him poke fun at her made her more determined to not let her phobia affect her come next time they get the snack food again.

“Are you still mad at me? I really am sorry.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

“Then why won’t you talk to me? You’ve just been sitting here reading!”

“Duncan, I’m not mad. I’m just trying to finish these new series I started after I got him yesterday. Besides I thought you would want to go play hide and seek with the others.”

“Oh… so we’re good then?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t we be? You’re my best friend.”

“You’re my best friend too Princess.”

[anneshirleywasmychildhood]

Jess/Rory (Gilmore Girls), Sokeefe (KOTLC), Violet/Duncan (ASOUE), and Shirbert

don’t know the second, don’t have strong opinions about the third, and already answered the last so doing this for Jess and Rory.

Coffee shop AU: Who is the barista, and who frequents the coffee shop?

Jess works as the barista and Rory is the grad student that does 90% of her work there. Yes, it’s because they have great coffee and totally doesn’t have anything to do with the cute barista. Sometimes, when it’s late and there’s not too many customers he comes over and talks to her about what she’s learning in her journalism degree or to talk about books they’ve both read. She likes it.

Highschool/College AU: Who is the straight-A student, and who’s the backrow slacker?

I think we all know this one, like Rory would ever be a slacker.

Rivals to loves AU: Who takes their rivalry seriously, and who is half in it just to push the other’s buttons?

I can see it both ways. 1) Rory takes everything seriously. Jess noticed this and likes that he’s thinking of her at all so he plays it up. 2) Jess forms a bit of a rivalry with Rory who’s still at her old public school. Rory originally ignores it, but then Luke notices that he got a 92% on his english test in an attempt to one up Rory. Luke begs her to play into their rivalry so he can do well in at least one class. She does, and quickly finds it’s actually hard to stay at the top of the class with him actually trying. Also, to the surprise of even Luke, his other class marks start to go up. He graduates, and even wins an award from his english teacher. 

Enemies to lovers AU: Which one switches sides?

Jess doesn’t care enough about anything to care about not switching sides.

Soulmate AU: Who is eager to meet their soulmate? Who absolutely does not want to meet their soulmate?

Rory isn’t that eager to met him, but everyone around her is so excited for her. Lorelei never got to meet her soulmate since the words on her arm were super vague and meaningless so when Rory had some fairly specific ones they are all really happy for her. Lorelei puts it all the expectations on Rory and she, well, isn’t as excited as she is. Jess, on the other had, pretends he’s not that interested in the whole thing because he wants to maintain his tough exterior. But secretly? He lies awake late at night looking at the words over and over again. 

Doctor AU: Which one is the long suffering doctor? Which one is the patient?

Rory is the doctor, Jess is the patient. He comes in every three months or so, with some scrap or another. He does skateboarding and gets injured a lot. One time he comes in with a broken leg. Rory is like “why would you do this to yourself?” and Jess is like “well, it’s not so bad. I get to see this really cute doctor” with that little smile or his. This time he has to stay for a while, overnight in fact, so he and Rory get a lot more time to talk. He also has to come back every two weeks to get x-rays and check ups and he and Rory take lunch together every time. The day he gets his cast off, he asks Rory out on a date and to everyone’s surprise she says yes. 

Bodyguard AU: Who is the bodyguard? Who are they protecting? Which one is secretly pining for the other?

Jess is the bodyguard and Rory works for the UN, trying to pass legislation to move cities towards green energy. She’s been getting lots of death threats lately and her bosses send her a bodyguard to protect her. he is secretly pinning after her, which makes his job pretty hard. Eventually, after he saves her life a few time she starts to developed feelings for him too but insisted that it was just because he had saved her life. But even after he left and was replaced with a different bodyguard (he had requested a transfer for some reason) she still felt for him. So she texts him, asking him why he transferred and he says it’s because he was in love with her and couldn’t do his job properly and she deserves someone who could give his full attention to protecting him and sadly he wasn’t that person. She texts him back saying that she had feelings for him too. They agree to have coffee together. Eventually, they move in together. Jess still works as a bodyguard, but stops when they get married.

Pirate AU: Who is the pirate? Who is the member of the royal family who did not sign up for this?

Jess is the pirate. Rory is the granddaughter of the kings and queen and they kidnap her because she’s a much easier target for randsom than anyone in the palace. But they treat her really well and when she learns that if they accept the randsom she would be forced to live with them full time and wouldn’t be able to see her mother again she begs Jess to take her away and not accept the trade. He had never had a hostage telling him not to take money that would release her. He tells her he needs the money too bad, he has people to pay and mouthes to feed. But he says that he will stay in a bay nearby the castle till the next dawn. If she can find a way to escape the palace, he will take her away, but only for a year. This was dangerous because if she called the guards and told them where he was he would be done for but there was something about her. He wanted her to come back and be with him. She does, and they sail the sees together for an entire year together before coming back to the palace. She is sad to leave him, but her sadness goes away when the next day it is revealed that he applied to be one of the Royal Navy’s Privateers (basically state-sanctioned pirates). He eventually makes his way up in the royal navy and earns the favour of the king and queen, and goes to visit Lorelei once a week and takes a letter back to Rory to keep her in touch with her mom. When he proposes, the entire kingdom celebrates.

Childhood best friends AU: Which one was super obviously in love with the other the whole time? Who was oblivious until they were older?

Rory is in love with Jess in elementary school. In middle school she gets over him and starts to date Dean. That’s when Jess starts to notice her. In high school, she and Dean break up because her old feelings for Jess start to resurface. Jess’s feelings for her begin to ramp up as well. But they don’t ever actually confront those feelings. They just keep them to themselves. At least they try to. On the day of graduation it accidentally comes out through Rory never having had alcohol before and thought two glasses of champagne to be a good start. They start dating immediately.

[buryme-makeoutcreek]

Book Review:

4.5/5

Book: Ruthless Gods

Author: Emily A. Duncan

Pages: 432

Publisher: Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Publishing Group.

Summary:

Darkness never works alone... Nadya doesn’t trust her magic anymore. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn’t belong to him. Malachiasz is at war with who--and what--he’s become. As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. They’re pieces on a board, being orchestrated by someone… or something. The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet—those voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer.

Review:

I adored this book and nearly teared up when I found out that the last book in the trilogy doesn’t come out for another year. I found the characters in this sequel to be better developed and enjoyed the different dynamics explored, especially that of Serefin and Nadya as they were working against each other in the first book. 

I also really enjoyed the expansion of magic in this book along with the power of the Gods and how the Gods are just monsters that got people to worship them. This was super interesting and even though the idea of Gods=Monsters is fairly prevalent I’ve never seen it taken so head on as this book did. To add onto that Malachiasz is wonderful in this book as my sad boy love, his internal struggle about constantly grasping for something to fill the gaps within himself that he doesn’t know was just *chef’s kiss. Although some of his behavior seemed strange and nearly out of character for both monster and man I found this problem to be pretty much cleared up by the end. Also Nadya x Malachiasz 4evr I don’t care how toxic it is! I love it!

There is so much betrayal in this book and it is so delicious. Each character is so motivated towards their own goal that they’re willing to stab anyone that gets in their way despite their love for the person. Which is how I like my YA fantasy novels. Characters staying in character and working towards their goals. While some character remained too underdeveloped for my taste (read more below), I really liked the addition of characters like Katya and expansion of some characters like Kacper. I think some of these characters just need to be fleshed out more so that their place in the overall story feels like it has a purpose. 

I also really like how Duncan allowed some more freedom in POV, with the interludes allowing us to experience the point of views of side characters and the struggles they were going through and I’d definitely like to see more of these in the next book, especially as the author seems to have the story expanding to (potentially) new places. 

The darkness in this series and the blood curdling descriptions of gore and monstrosity are worth the price of admission alone (so many eyes!). I definitely recommend this book to make you feel anguished and like cursing the names of the silent gods who control you.

I’m going to go into a more spoiler review below so don’t read on if you don’t want that! 

One thing I’ve consistently had a problem with in this series is that I feel like many things are not explained. Which is fine for the most part, but when so many questions are posed about magic and where magic comes from and few of these questions are clearly answered it does get a little tedious. Hopefully this problem doesn’t continue into the final book of the series. 

I also have found Parjjahan to still be severely undeveloped when it seems she’s supposed to be one of the four key characters, according to the prophecy given in this book. And yet her story revolves mostly around following Nadya wherever and trying to decide whether she will take the throne her Father’s death has given her. I still feel like we’ve haven’t been given enough time to really connect to Parjiahan, which is a shame because she seems like a really interesting character. To tack onto that, at the end of the book, such a big deal is made about Parjiahan’s decision to be Queen (I assume) and we’re made to feel like it will have effects on the immediate battle but it doesn’t which was very anti-climatic. Hopefully her being Queen will have some bearing in the next book and not just be a way to wrap up a prophecy. 

I also find it disappointing that Parijahan and Rashid remain so undeveloped, despite being by the protagonists side for two whole books. As they are some of the only main characters who are POC. 

I also found the arc of Kostya to be anti-climatic. His return has been teased since the beginning of the last book when Serefin left him alive and when Nadya found him in the salt mines I expected him to have been secretly created into a monster that would betray Nadya. But instead he kind of just yelled at Nadya for associating with heretics and then died? His death felt like it’s timing was off and his presence wasn’t significant enough in the story to warrant his return in my opinion. 

[janiedean]

I'm at the bottom of my bed, dying of flu. Can I have cute J/B family with children headcanons? That'd be my dying wish.

aw sorry anon I hope you get better soon! that said:

when they’re having the first one they both spend the months leading up to it fretting a whole damned lot because she worries about being unfit for it and he’d worry about either turning out like his father or he’d freak out about actually being able to acknowledge them

the moment brienne grasps that she makes sure he gets to feel the baby kick whenever there’s a chance to

they both secretly hope the first kid has the other’s eyes because you know they would

they would have a lot of pregnant sex

the moment brienne tells him he gets a moment of ‘oh so I have to change rooms’ before realizing he doesn’t have to and brienne spends the entire evening tearing down some practice dummy because she hates that he would have that in his first reactions to the news

I vote that the first is a girl and they 100% name her catelyn not because I’m a stan but a) she brought them together, b) if I’m right about brienne killing ls to save his neck she’d feel guilty about that, c) jaime would feel guilty about his family’s role in her death nvm that he did want to keep her oath so they’d see it as paying their respects imvho

a few months after the birth brienne can absolutely brag to any noblewoman side-eyeing her like ‘oh your husband never even cared for your firstborn until they were four? mine takes turns to check on her in the night with me :)))’

when the other kids are born they don’t fret as much also because meanwhile they got the gist of it

I stand by what I wrote in that fic once where she went off doing knightly business for the crown once in a while when he stays on tarth with the children and absolutely thrives doing that

he’s 100% the fun parent and brienne gives up on her kids not swearing before the age of eight very soon

if he grows out his hair again you 100% bet brienne is put in charge of braiding his and any of her female daughters’ at some point you will take family braiding nights away from me

since I like them having three kids for symmetry but reversed (ie two girls/one boy) the make kid absolutely ends up helping brienne out during the braiding nights because like hell he cares for that nonsense on himself but it’s fun

(for male kids when it comes to those two when it comes to names I prefer duncan or after her father for reasons so take whichever, for an eventual second girl tbh these days I like to think they’d pick some name that’s not after anyone else and that they’d just... like you know, though if they name the male one after selwyn then I like the idea of the last girl being rohanne XD)

also the male kid turns out having taken after his uncle so tyrion is absolutely delighted to have him over at casterly and he’s even more delighted that finally he has a nephew he can gift books to knowing they’ll actually get read

re what the girls end up doing I vote that catelyn the second is the kind who liked to occasionally spar but also liked embroidering so she’s good at defending herself but never got that much into swordfights beyond that so she ends up getting the best of both worlds and brienne has a lot of ‘oh she’s everything I hoped I could be once’ moments to which jaime goes like ‘wench sorry you are both a knight and a lady deal with it’, rohanne instead would be 100% down with the knighting business and when she hears that her mom said she’d never marry anyone she could best she goes like OH I LIKE THAT ME TOO

(ofc both jaime and brienne give her their blessings)

(she ends up losing on purpose to whoever she decides she wants to marry bc given who are her parents she’s really damn good and she also inherits both valyrian steel swords bc her siblings don’t want them OOOOPS)

at some point all those kids will go through some nice let’s say fuck it to gender roles experiences and they get the same education in the sense that they all learn the same necessary things (ie they all learn to sew and use a sword at least enough to be somewhat proficient tho they’re not pushed to go further if they don’t like it, if one of them doesn’t care for singing lessons they’re spared from them bc they’re useless but not from history lessons because that’s important and so on)

while brienne’s out doing knightly things jaime and selwyn absolutely have a lot of nice times together and jaime’s like at least someone who actually was a good parent is around while selwyn’s like ‘tywin was an asshole but it’s good to know you’re nowhere like him regardless of how much you’re worrying’

;) I went for canon but if you wanted modern au we can consider XD have fun!

[bewaretheundead91]

A very Eventful Christmas Part 2: Wine and Tiramisu  

Summary: You are on your way back to Washington D.C. to spend time with your family for Christmas. On your way you run into a man from your past.

Duncan Shepherd X Reader (Y/N)

A/N: Christmas is around the corner? I’m sorry, due to my job I tend to hear Christmas music earlier than most. So I’ve been inspired to start a Christmas series. Subject to be edited and changed.

Warnings: (none)  a slow burn, inspired by cheesy Christmas rom com tropes...a lot of rom com tropes/clichés here...and plot.

Part 1

“Chicago to D.C. is ready for boarding,” A woman calls from over an intercom. “All heading to D.C. from Chicago may board the train now. The train will be departing in 30 minutes.”

After taking a glance up at the wide eye and smiling train attendant, you drop your eyes back down to the phone in hand, still angrily texting Erica, your cousin, about the free coffee you had taken from Duncan Shepherd. If only you were the girl you were 5 years ago, that made men cry when you had the chance. The girl that was brave and said what was on her mind. Fast forward to the present and your raging fire has transitioned into a timid candle flame. Chicago was too cold most days for a social life.

And he remembered my coffee order, you type out, misspelling the word remember a few times, out of typing too fast, my damn coffee order and he thought he could just talk to me. I was trying to hide from the guy and it was obvious. The audacity of it all, Erica responds ending with a eye rolling emoji, Did he say where he was traveling to? You look around your surroundings, there is no gray coat wearing man with soft wavy locks and a scruffy beard. You sigh. He didn’t say anything and of course I was not going to ask you text then shove your phone into the pocket of your coat. You stand up and walk to your train car. Your fingers grasp the ticket and you pull it out so that attendant can scan it.

“Good evening,” The smiley attendant greets. Her makeup is on point and her hair is perfect. “You’re seat is actually not too far from here, just a few rows down and on your left.”

“Thank you.” You reply stepping onto the train and instantly hit the heat on blast from inside of the cart.

You look down at your carry on bag to make sure it was still zipped and continue deeper into the train cart. Quickly you find your seat near a large window with a collapsable trey large enough to fit your computer. The seat looks comfortable enough for the multiple hour travel, being cushioned. You secretly hope that no one has the seat beside you. You sit down and make yourself comfortable. There was an urge to turn your phone off during the ride, but you couldn’t commit to that or the potential pile up of voice mails and missed calls from your editor or family.

“Estimated arrival time to Washington D.C. is…” You block out the rest of the dialogue and glance around the exterior of the train. People were still running to board the train, family and a cute couple walking hand and hand closely. You roll your eyes at the romantic scene before you. Young love around the holidays, good for you guys, I’m sure something will mess it all up, you thought to yourself and cross your arms over your chest, wow that was vile thought. I take it back, all of it.

Your mind wanders to what going back home would be like, your younger sister planning a wedding to be married to a young entrepreneur for a the latest electronic selling out off the shelves. Your mother being delighted to see the couple together and then nagging about how you have been single for years now since you left the D.C. area. That dreaded city, she would say you think to yourself, full of dreadful people, just like your late grandfather. Dreadful people you should even think about dating let along marrying. Washington D.C. has many eligible men for marriage.

The train had been making its way for a few hours and you start falling asleep with the ambiance of the train car along with the subtle hum of the train. Your face falls flat against the window and mashes against the glass, you were tired and finally you have a space to sleep. Your mind drifts off to the couple you earlier, than to  a series of different romantic Christmas comedy movies where young people fall in love and then to the cheesy cookie cutter, over formulaic movies you also equally love that would marathoned on cable. The movies where most of the main characters fall in love by Christmas.

The thoughts transition and you find yourself sitting on a couch sipping hot cocoa wearing a matching flannel pajama set. A series of knocks come at the door near you along with soft singing voices. You get up and answer the door to a group of Christmas carolers singling the chorus of All I Want For Christmas is You. Feeling a cool breeze, you wrap arms around your body and listen to the carolers with am excited smile. The group of singers, break apart a low voice starts to sing along with them. Your eyes meet the bright blue eyes of Duncan Shepherd who was wearing a red sweater with a large fuzzy Christmas tree on it and a big red Santa hat. He looks up at you lovingly holding a poster with large letters that wrote out “To me you are beautiful”…he flips the poster to reveal another one, “Than all the diamonds I could buy, than anything I could ever buy”…he places the poster behind another,“You are priceless, and I love you”. The heart in your chest begins to pound and you feel your face blush.

“Excuse me, Miss,” You hear a voice over the the carolers and Duncan. The carolers do not stop. You look up at the ceiling of the room you were in and frown in confusion. “Miss, I’m sorry to bother you.”

A hand touches your shoulder and you jump in your seat, colliding with the collapsable table. Before you can prevent yourself, you fall back and hit the window, face first clumsily. Finally your eyes open to see a train attendant holding a trey with a glass of red wine.

“I’m sorry for scaring you,” She beams. It was the attendant from earlier. “Are you okay? Did you hit your head hard?”

“I’m fine, but I didn’t order that,” You say sitting up in the seat. You rake your fingers through your hair smoothing the strands out and pat your cheek that made contact with the window. You look over to the glass and see a faint makeup print. “I’m sorry you have the wrong person.”

“The gentlemen in the gray coat sent it over,” She says with a smile. “He thought you might enjoy a nice red blend while you look out the window. He’s so charming.”

“Excuse me what?” You ask tilting your head in confusion.

“The gentlemen a few rows down.” She points out down the isle.

You sit up a bit more and straighten your back to gain height. You look down the isle to see Duncan Shepherd speaking to another train attendant who was handing him a glass full of a brown liquid. A frown scrunches across your face and you slowly slump back down in your seat, fixing your coat.

“Whiskey,” You snarl, looking up at the ceiling. “I can’t take this.”

“You would prefer whiskey?” The attendant asks.

“No,” You say wide eye tilting your head even more. “Just please take this back, I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but I don’t take drinks from strange men…I mean strangers.”

“But he made it clear that you two knew each other.” She nods.

“Miss,” You look at the name tag on her blue blazer. “Ms. Jessica, he might think he knows me, but I don’t know him. So please just take this back or give it to him. Or how about have a glass of wine on him.”

“Oh,” She nods. “I see.”

“No,” You shake your head. “Whatever you are thinking…he’s an acquaintance and I’m not really in the mood.”

The attendant walks away with the glass of wine and you peek behind the seat in front of you to witness his reaction. The attendant, Jessica, approaches Duncan and shows him the trey with the glass of wine. Duncan was resting his head on his hand casually staring down at his glass of whiskey.

“Mr. Shepherd,” Jessica’s voice changes, it goes lower in pitch, like she is attempting to be seductive. You scrunch your nose. “She does not want the drink, sir.”

“Oh really?” He posture changes and he turns his head to the side glancing at the seat beside him. His wavy hair bounces and you mash your lips together tightly. “Y/N refusing a red blend?”

“Yes, sir,” Jessica responds with a disappointed look.

Duncan shifts his body so he can turn towards your direction. He quickly turns his head and makes eye contact with you. You duck down behind the seat in front you of you embarrassed, feeling your cheeks burning.

Please don’t come over here, you think to yourself, please do not for the love of God come over here.

“Do you have any desserts?” You over hear him ask Jessica. ���If I’m going to drink this wine I need something sweet to eat with it.”

“Would you like a menu?” She asks.

“Is tiramisu available?” He asks.

“I believe it is, sir.”

You pull out your phone and send Erica another text, he just tried to send me a drink on the train. He’s on the train with me.

Jessica shortly walks back down toward your direction, this time she has a trey with the glass of wine and piece of tiramisu. Jessica pulls out your trey and places the drink and dessert in front of you.

“Mr. Shepherd was adamant that you enjoy these treats on behalf of himself,” Jessica says then glares at you. “Just take the damn drink and dessert so I can go back to what I’m supposed to be doing, please. I’ve got three cars on this train that I need to check up on.”

“Just leave it then.” You say with a sympathetic look.

“Thank you, Ma’am,” Jessica says. “Try to enjoy them. They are expensive.”

“Of course they are.”

Before you sat a glass of wine from Duncan, another one of your favorites, and a big chunk of tiramisu, also another one of your favorites. The idea of Duncan Shepherd remembering those tiny details about you makes you annoyed. You groan to yourself and an idea pops into your head. To deliver the items back to Duncan yourself and walk away.

You unzip your carry on bag and pull out a compact to check your appearance. Other than your eyes looking tired and your mascara minimal smeared beneath your eyes, you look good for a long train ride. Your hair to your atonement was only mildly messy and starting to look gross. You close the compact and pull out you minty lip balm and coat your lips generously, then grab the drink and plate. Boldly you walk down the isle and approach Duncan’s seat. His head perks up, his piercing eyes meet yours, and a warm smile appears across his full lips. Heat rises up from your chest and to you cheeks.

“Please stop all of this,” You shout, practically throwing the wine and dessert onto his collapsible table. “I know that you think spending money is a personality trait, but it isn’t. If it is, it’s not a great one.”

“Y/N,” He says looking hurt and rubs the tips of his fingers across his lips. You quickly make your way down the isle towards you seat. You hear the squeaking of a chair and boots meet the floor of the train car behind you. A firm hand grabs your bicep. “Is it so wrong that I want to treat an old friend to something sweet?”

“Please, don’t touch me.” You say trying not to gain any attention. Duncan takes a step closer and towers over you. His eyes looking just as tired as yours, sheepish, and looking a bit more scruffier than usual once you get a better look at him. But you admit to yourself that he is still the attractive man that has made many women and men swoon.

“I just thought two of your favorite things could make the trip a bit more comfortable. I did not mean to offend.” His voice was soft, something different from earlier. You look down at his large hand still laced around your arm. He drops it. “Sorry.”

“I’m not offended,” You say taking deep breath. “I’m confused and annoyed. I didn’t expect you to be on this train, but out of course you expected me to be here.”

“I only assumed you were going back to D.C. because of the holidays, where did you assume I’d be off traveling to? Of course I’d want to spend the holidays back at home with my mother.”

“I just didn’t expect you to truly be on a train.” You say licking your lips. You watch as his eye stare down at your mouth.

“We are on a long train ride with nothing to do, perhaps we could talk.” He suggests.

“I was honestly hoping to sleep and relax before having to see my family.” You close your eyes and shake your head. “And I can’t be seen with you. Actually you can’t be seen with me. I don’t want to be affiliated with you.”

“I understand, but tell me,” He begins. “Who’s going to notice? Especially on this train.”

“That’s why I love Chicago, no one really knows me and I want to keep it like that. That is one reason I decided to take a train as well.”

“Is that true?” He laughs. “Do you really not enjoy being the center of attention?”

“Typical Shepherd.” You roll your eyes.

“But also who didn’t enjoy watching you,” He smirks. “You knew what you were doing.”

“You were watching a lot of people.” You say.

“Maybe I was,” He says raising his brows. “But there was one I had a focus on.”

At that moment the train starts to buckle on the tracks, making the individual cars move bumpily around the tracks. Suddenly you lose balance and fall forward colliding with the tall man before you and arms wrap around your body in attempt to soften the impact. Your hands meet the rough fabric of his coat, touching his chest, and you land directly on top of him. A grunt escapes his mouth and you feel his hot breath on your lips. You open your eyes to see your lips mere inches from each other and forehead mere centimeters. His eyes bolt open wide and his lips slightly part. There was whiskey on his breath. His hands slide up your back and you shiver.

“Sorry,” You say attempting to get up, but you fall between his legs in the process and chest meets his harshly. “I’m really sorry, this train, the tracks…”

“Can be bumpy, traveling across the country. It’s okay, are you okay?” He asks sounding genuinely concerned. He sits up onto his backside and runs his finger through his now wild hair. “You didn’t hit your arms or twist an ankle did you?”

“I’m fine,” You say finally getting to your feet. The heat flares in your cheeks again. “I’m the one that fell on you and your arms secured me in place.”

“You’re right,” He laughs. The train car shifts again and you fall forward against Duncan’s chest again. He wraps his arms around you holding you in place. You gaze up at him and shake your head. Honestly the view was not bad from there. Stop it, you internally scold at yourself. “Maybe you should sit down.”

“I was on my way to my seat already.” You say pushing him away. He laughs. You adjust you coat.

You walk back to you seat and sit down. To your surprise Duncan did not follow you. He was certainly a charmer for the kind of man that he was.

[michael-langdon-appreciation]

When are we getting part six of the runaway saga I’m honestly dyingggggg

You wanted Part 6 my love? Here it is and the bombs are dropping. No Jim in this one because…the Reign of Michael is beginning.��😈

Michael stares Duncan down, using the distance between them to dramatic effect. Duncan waits calmly, clasping his hands in front of him. The lights flicker and Michael has to remember to breathe, to not cause a scene in the middle of the hospital. 

Duncan watches the lights returns to normal, ‘How dramatic.’

‘Fuck you.’ Michael hisses, ‘Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you.’

‘Yeah.’ Duncan’s lip curls, ‘Well fuck you too. I knew you weren’t going to like it, but I was done being smothered by you Michael.’ 

That throws him, ‘Smothered?’ Michael repeats, and the dagger is twisted even further in his gut. ’When did I ever-’

‘You always have.’ Duncan’s pacing back and forth, ‘Ever since you saved me you’ve been obsessed with controlling me, Michael. I have no life, no freedom outside of you. Your Cooperative, your foursome, your clutches.’

Michael’s teeth sinks down into his lip to stop himself from screaming, ‘You know I can tell when you’re lying to me.’ He bites the words out evenly, ‘You love them. All of them.’

‘Yeah I do, despite how I shouldn’t.’ Duncan checks his watch, ‘But you’re fucking toxic Michael. I knew nothing else but you in the beginning. I didn’t know love was anything more than power plays, tactical moves and dominating your opponent and you encouraged that. You hooked yourself into every fibre of me and polluted my mind that I should be so grateful to have you because who else was there for me? Jim showed me that love isn’t about that. It can be doing nothing, it can be gentle, kind without needing to fucking own someone. I don’t have an identity that isn’t you and I had to try and regain some of myself back. Do you know how hard that was? People thought I was dead cause I went silent after coming outta prison. I had to grovel to get back in with my Uncle after everything, had to sweet talk Annette for days-’

‘YOU HAD NO ONE.’ Michael thunders, ’NO ONE GAVE A SHIT ABOUT YOU.’ The lights waver again, but Michael couldn’t care less anymore. ‘I made you into the man you are today. You’d be nothing without me, an ex-con working some shit job.’

‘Look, Michael. I never wanted to hurt you.’ Duncan’s about-facing, ‘In the beginning I thought I could spend some time with Jim at the new apartment, then introduce you and Y/N when we were comfortable. When I was feeling like me again.’ 

The words burn at Michael’s ears, ’So Jim has, what? Made you remember who you are? He’s fixed what I couldn’t? Restored you?’ 

‘No.’ Duncan searches for a literal way out. His eyes rove from one end of the corridor to the other, ‘I felt…free with him.’

His magic rears before Michael can control it. His eyes have rolled into the back of his head and the world is a blur. There’s a thud and Duncan’s slammed against the door to Jim’s room. His feet dangle off the floor, Michael’s magic levitating him higher and higher, ‘Michael!’ Duncan thunders, but the fear is evident in his voice. 

Michael lets him drop at once. The hand he has stretched out before him is shaking and suddenly he can’t speak. He hasn’t lost control like that. Not since…the Butchery. 

Duncan staggers wildly, his limbs flailing, ‘What the fuck?’ He roars, ‘Magic? Michael?’

‘You deserve it,’ Michael keeps his voice even.

  But Duncan’s striding over to Michael, shoving his chest up against his. ‘We’re in a hospital, you could hurt someone.’

‘You’ve hurt me!’ 

There’s a horrible silence, one that has Michael slamming his fist against the nearby vending machine. It feels even worse than slipping up with his magic, because Michael never admits his emotions easily. He’s the collected one, the voice of reason. He’s the one the others turn to when all is lost and a long time ago, that used to include Duncan Shepherd. 

‘Michael. I didn’t-‘ 

Jim’s door opens. Y/N ventures outside, ‘What the hell is going on?’ She hisses, ‘You two can wage war anywhere but here.’

Duncan throws Michael a hostile look, ‘Apologies. Didn’t mean to get flung against a door today.’

‘Yeah, well.’ Y/N runs a hand through her hair, ‘We deserve it.’

He caught sight of it the moment he laid eyes on her again. The mark, the evidence of Y/N’s time with Duncan marred on her skin. His claim on her soul. Michael’s feet carry him forwards and Y/N remains stock still. She maintains his eye contact, something Michael is secretly commending her for. His fingers push her hair aside, revealing the mark, Michael running his fingertips over it. ‘You slept with him?’

She takes in a breath, but remains firm. ‘Yes.’

At least she didn’t deny it, ‘Why?’

‘It just…happened.’ Y/N catches Michael’s wandering fingers in her own, ‘And I’m so sorry, Michael.’ 

Her eyes slide to Duncan who’s just watching from the sidelines, ‘It was a spur of the moment thing.’ He offers, but Michael knows better.

‘Peonies?’ He keeps his voice light, ‘Y/N’s favourite?’

He’s so satisfied when Duncan is momentarily silenced. Michael cups either side of Y/N’s face and pulls her into him. She can’t stop him, he moves too fast and crushes their lips together, holding Y/N in place. Her hands rise to extract him, but Michael’s moved away from her before Y/N even has time to react properly. She steps forward, her eyes dazed and wanton from his display of dominance. Michael runs his finger down her lips and then slinks towards Duncan. Michael seizes him and pushes his lips onto Duncan’s, claiming the man right in front of Y/N. Michael can hear her intake of breath, enough to impassion him further as Duncan succumbs to Michael. With Duncan however, Michael leaves his lips nearby, ‘You won’t touch her again.’ He orders, Michael’s voice a murmur. ‘Neither of you will.’

Duncan backs away from him, his eyes wide, ‘You can’t stop us.’

Michael’s already turning away from him, back to Y/N. ‘See to Jim, Duncan. That is who you are here for after all. Tend to your Beach Boy.’ His hand latches onto Y/N’s wrist, but she doesn’t fight him. Both Y/N and Duncan can taste the danger in the air, Michael’s coolness far more sinister than his magic. Michael’s hand finds the back of Y/N’s hair as he presses one gentle kiss to her forehead, ‘Don’t think I won’t fight for you.’ 

‘You can’t just take her.’ 

Michael makes sure to send Duncan his sweetest smile, ‘Do you really want to find out what I’ll do if you stop me?’

Michael’s darkness overflows the moment you cross the threshold of your house. He slams the door shut himself, preferring to use his magic to charm you right towards him. He holds his arms open, ‘What’s wrong, darling? You just have to come to me?’

‘Michael?’ You caution, as your arms wind around his neck.

His fingers latch into your hair and yanks your head back. His nose nudges over the hickey, ‘Fucking slut.’ You whimper, trying to break free of his spell but Michael has you right where he wants you, ‘Letting him mark what’s mine.’

‘I didn’t.’ You manage to get it out, but Michael cuts you off.

‘Didn’t mean to let him cum inside you?’ Michael’s voice is laced with sarcasm as he licks a stripe over the hickey, ‘His dick slipped inside huh?’

You know he could end you for it, but you can’t stand the lies anymore. ‘I didn’t let Duncan mark me.’

Michael freezes, his lips still hovering over your neck. You wait for him to put the pieces together, ‘Jim.’

It isn’t good. Not when Michael’s voice dips into a low growl like that, ‘He caught me off guard.’

‘Fucked off guard, bitten off guard.’ Michael’s voice is lethally light, but his face comes back into view. ‘You stupid girl.’

You bite back your emotions. Michael’s humiliation is working and you know you deserve every barb he’s slinging your way, ‘I’m so sorry, Mi-‘

‘Get on the bed.’

That you didn’t expect, ‘Wha?’

Your feet move of their own accord, traipsing towards the bedroom. You try to turn to look at the Antichrist, but you’re stripping your clothes off along the way, leaving a trail for Michael to follow. Your cheeks burn as you plant your face down into the bed. Michael’s got you in your underwear and your ass sticks up for his pleasure. You can’t see him, but you know he’s in the bedroom with you, ‘What are you…doing?’ You ask, ‘Magic is-’

‘Forbidden? Banned?’

You know any confirmation will end with pain so you clamp your mouth shut. The wait is torturous and you can feel yourself clenching up at what Michael could have planned. He could cane you, hurt you, fuck you without any prep. Then, a warm hand slides over your right bum cheek, just stroking over your flesh, ‘I thought you would understand how badly I wanted to make us work.’ His palm makes contact with your flesh, a sharp sting vibrating all the way up your body. ‘I thought you of all people knew the depths of my love.’

‘I do.’

Another slap, this time hard enough to make you whimper. Michael soothes it though with his warm touch, ‘Clearly you do not understand that my intention with you, Y/N is the endgame. If Jim and Duncan want to ruin us, break us and then fuck off they are welcome to. My issue lies in when they try to take you from me.’

‘You love Duncan most.’ You say, unable to help yourself. ‘I saw how you snatched your phone up every time it flashed. Desperate for a text off him.’ Your cheek earns you another spank and you let your cry escape freely. ‘Michael!’

His hand is there again rubbing over the red handprint your sure is blooming, ‘I loved you all.’ Then there’s fingers inching down your underwear, sliding in-between your folds to make sure you’re already wet.

You are. You always are when it comes to Michael, your dominant, your first love. 

Shame ripples inside from how easily he’d turned you on, how he’s right. You’re a slut for all three of them, but Michael knows exactly how to twist you round his fingers, pulling your strings taught till you are dancing for him. ‘What are you going to do?’

Michael turns you over himself, letting the magical hold release itself. He yanks your legs apart, sliding up between them. His hands slide up your stomach, slow and sensual, Michael’s eyes never leaving yours. 

He pauses, his eyes falling to your stomach. You watch him, but Michael’s attention isn’t remotely on you. He’s fixated on your stomach and just when you’re about to call him out for his new kink, he leans down, pressing his ear to your belly. 

You….can’t be.

Michael’s head rolls to catch your eyes, ‘You are.’ He confirms, ‘I can feel it. Hear it.’

Tears prick at your eyes, because you’re on the pill. ‘I was so careful with that,’ You whisper, staring down at your stomach. Michael’s ringed fingers have moved to hold your stomach as his fingers fan out. You watch him listen, feel almost communicate with the little baby. ‘Who’s?’

‘Jims. You’re too far along to be Duncan’s and if it was me, we’d definitely know already.’

You don’t quite know what Michael means by that, ‘How…far along am I?’

‘Roughly two months.’ 

The world crashes down around your shoulders, ‘You knew, before now. Didn’t you?’ Michael’s second hesitation is all you need. You toss a pillow at him, ‘Fuck you!’ 

‘I knew you didn’t want a child.’ Michael says quickly, ‘I was…fucking jealous. Furious, Y/N.’

You climb off the bed, heading for the door. ‘So what? You just take away all my symptoms? My morning sickness?’ You inspect your stomach, ‘I’m hardly showing, what is it some kind of sick magic? A ritual to your dad to keep hiding it?’

Michael flies after you, catching you by the shoulders. ‘Yes, I alleviated your symptoms Y/N. But that’s all. I didn’t want you to have to handle it till you were supported. Till this was straightened out.’

You twist your shoulders out of his grasp, ‘No Michael, you couldn’t stand the idea that it was Jim’s and not yours.’ Michael falls motionless and you take your chance to head back into the living room, picking up your discarded clothes as you go.

‘Where are you going?’ Michael demands, ‘You’re in no fit state to go anywhere.’

‘DO NOT.’ You jab a finger into his chest when Michael blocks your way. ‘You are done deciding things for me. I’m done with all of you.’

You try to move, but once again your feet are stuck, ‘MICHAEL LANGDON.’

Michael moves towards you again, ’I don’t care.’ He says, ‘I will be the one that is here for you. Always. You think Duncan’s gonna stick around now there’s a child on the way? You think Jim’s ready to be a father?’

The tears are welling because Michael’s right. None of you should be raising a child, but if you’d had to pick a father you had always wanted it to be Michael. He was the natural fit, the leader of you all. You put your head in your hands, ‘I’m not ready to be a Mom, Michael. Everything is such a mess.’ You peer at him through your fingers, ‘God, I’m such a-’

Michael just pulls you into his arms, ‘Y/N, you didn’t know.’ 

You let him hold you. What else can you do. Betrayal is still lancing like knives inside you, but you have to believe Michael’s intentions were right, however misguided. Neither of you know how long you remain standing together, you wrapped securely in Michael’s arms. You take a deep breath and a wave of calm rolls over you, ‘I’m…pregnant.’

You can feel Michael’s nod, ‘You will be an incredible Mommy, Y/N.’

It sounds so wrong. 

‘We have to tell them.’ You say, ‘Jim and Duncan. They have a right to know.’

‘They do.’ Michael’s hands slide down to take your hands, ‘And what they choose to do after that is on them. Not me, I’ve kept you protected from now and I don’t intend to stop that. I love you, Y/N. I’ll be it’s father, if I have to.’

‘Michael, that isn’t your responsibility.’ 

‘I will gladly undertake it.’ His lips press against your forehead, ‘But I want exclusivity, Y/N. No more fucking around. There’s just me.’

‘If Jim wants to be in his child’s life we have to let him.’ The words feel so foreign, like you’re stuck in a movie. ‘I won’t do that to him and he’s still in hospital.’

A glint flashes in Michael’s eyes, ‘You won’t let him go, will you?’

You frown, ‘What?’ But Michael isn’t looking at you anymore.

‘Either of them.’

‘Michael, I thought you loved all of us.’

He’s pushing you back towards the sofa, guiding you with a firm hand, ‘I still do.’ He declares, ‘But I won’t take any risks now. It’s time I had a taste of what I want. I’ve been good, I’ve been patient. It’s my turn now.’

You drop onto the sofa and Michael’s prowling right above you. His hair tickles your face, his eyes nearly black. Michael’s vow hangs in the air as his fingers dip back into the waistband of your panties, ’What are you going to do?’

He presses a lazy kiss to your inner thigh, but his eyes are obsidian. Michael’s tongue pokes out as his eyes drag all over you, ’If that baby can’t be solely mine, Y/N. Then I’ll just have to fuck a new one in it’s place.’  

TAGGING: @michael-langdon-owns-my-soul @langdonsinferno @pastel-cloudz @misslanabananaa @lovelykhaleesiii napping-is-my-favorite @tickled–pinkmoodpoisoning @lvngdvns @ccodyfernn @asstichrist @yourkingcodyfern @langdonsdemon @satcnas @russianspacegeckosexparty @rosy-pugs @luxuryglitterhoe @langdonsoceaneyes @sodanova @petersfern-fics @avesatanormalpeoplescareme @sassylangdon @confettucini @sammythankyou @wroteclassicaly @Sloppy-Wrist @Langdonalien @alexcornerblog @sevenwondr @queencocoakimmie @sojournmichael @langdonsdemon @satcnas kinlovecody @kylosbabe @americanhorrorstudies @xxpixiefromdixiexx @elenareginaauditore @dadddysprincessss @gremlinkween @readsalot73 @astir-bread @i-will-die-for-jim-mason @ms-mead @mega-combusken @hanhanxx @kahhlo @thelangdoncooperative @sojournmichael @langdonsrapture @ritualmichael @cryptid-coalition @sloppy-little-witch-bitch26@infernal-langdon @jim-mason2 @duncandimension @dark-jim @jimmlangdon @xtheinevitableprophecyx @moontheweirdpan @moonlit-void-to-the-far-unknown @bbyduncan @divinelangdon @theladynymph @xlangdons-evilbabygirlx

[hisgirlwonder]

Wicked Games - Part One

Length: 3.6K words Warning: Smut (sex, mention of degradation, Michael secretly is a cuck?, etc etc) and angst   Synopsis: Every lawyer is given a case they would rather not work on and you’re no exception to this. Someone you know all too well ends up being your latest client, how will you cope under the pressure? You’re the best of the best in the world of law but you are, after all, only human. Notes: Today comes the day when I finally publish something about a character other than Michael. I’ve been staring at it for days because I didn’t want to ruin Duncan (I haven’t seen HOC) so hopefullyyyyyy this is okay! I’m kind of nervous in writing other things because my heart lies with Michael but I have been feeling such a pull to write for Cody’s other characters (I have some of an outline for another series for Michael x Reader x Jim so keep an eye out for that! It’s going to be a bit angsty from what I have so far) (also this is probably my favourite version of Y/N I’ll write about to date because we love a strong woman)

“Hello, Mrs Langdon,” Michael purrs, grinning at the sight of you coming through the front door. You plant a kiss on his cheek and apologise for the late arrival home; telling him those idiots at work were to blame.

Taking off your jacket feels like an effort with all of the buttons and a pair of tired hands; eventually you get there and hang it up on the coat stand. Michael asks if you had a rough day and your response is a heavily exhale of exhaustion followed with a remark of you have no idea as you’re kicking off your heels.

He closes the door and asks if you’ve eaten. You nod, explaining that you ordered in sushi earlier. It was unfortunate because having dinner together was one of the things that helped you unwind after a long day and today you had to miss it. It turns out your newest client held you back for much longer than intended and when you finally got to pack up for the day night, you leave feeling deflated because all you’ve done is run in circles and achieved nothing.

Michael sinks his warm thumbs into your trapezius muscles to try and massage the tautness out. You were never one to give up a fight because you thrived on winning but the weight of this was so heavy and it was only day one.

You feel those smooth hands glide down to rest on your upper arms and Michael tells you he’s going to get you a drink. A sigh of dejection erupts from your lungs, and you push past it to thank him before he disappears into the kitchen.

*

Michael re-appears with a drink in hand and as you’re taking it from him, you smile weakly and mouth thank you. You swallow a few mouthfuls to calm yourself before offloading onto your husband.

“I don’t know what I’ve done to be dumped with this case. I just, I mean, I just really wanted to slap the shit eating grin off of his face. He’s even more unrelenting than I remember.” You say, dumbfounded in disbelief at how anyone could have that kind of attitude.

“Oh, so you know him? Obviously, you can’t tell me specifics about the case but, might I ask, who is it?”

“Duncan Shepherd.”

You and Duncan ran in the same circles ever since your rise to power in the world of law so you’d been around each other more times than you’d like to admit. You couldn’t forget the first time you met – it was an opening for an art gallery where he gave you nothing but grief about being married all the while trying to win you over. It was almost like he forgot you were a lawyer who was well-versed in reading people. That, or he just didn’t care. Duncan did like a challenge.

Michael stays silent, making an oh face. He knew exactly from your recollection of stories and meetings what Duncan was like. Being the best of the best when it came to your profession had its perks but it also had its downfalls, like old men trying to buy their way into spending a night with you or pretty boys with more money than sense.

You’d represented your fair share of guilty people in passing but never one who got on your nerves as much as Duncan did. Maybe it was his comment about Michael being a “ball and chain” for you that did it, or perhaps it was more than that.

“I get the feeling you’re going to need something stronger than just a cocktail, I’ll be right back.”

*

As your eyes are scanning over the photographs on the mantelpiece waiting for Michael to return, there’s one that takes your interest and sends you headfirst into the throes of nostalgia.

It was from the engagement party where one of your best friends had styled you - she’d commissioned a very famous designer to create a black, cinch-waisted dress with a sweetheart neckline. Oh, you felt so glamorous and had no idea what life had planned for you following that night.

You smile to yourself when remembering how adamant she was for you to have curls and for them to be done by her; she spent what felt like hours perfecting them. The makeup was polished off with a deep plum coloured lipstick and she’d joked about how you looked like her very own masterpiece. Completely biased though because she’d always reiterate her belief that you didn’t need makeup since you possessed such natural beauty.

Your heart feels as if it has sunk to your feet when you recall what else happened. How could you forget? The joy of that evening fell short when your mother decided to pull you aside and snap, asking why you felt the need to dress the way you did. She was referring to how dark your dress and makeup were, because in her mind her own flesh and blood should take after her, dressing in shades of salmon and lilac. Sadly, it wasn’t the first time she’d called you out like this and it wouldn’t be the last.

Her serpent-like mouth had bitten you one too many times and now, older and wiser, your heart had become cold towards her. Every person you meet remarks about how your parents must be so proud of you and you want to laugh in their faces and admit the truth – that your father is nowhere to be found and your mother will never be satisfied with anything you do. It’s as if you were an aversion to her eyes as well because she was constantly telling you that no man would ever love you if you were to dress like you’re always going to a funeral. Even Michael professing his love in front of the room full of people wasn’t enough.

*

Either Michael must have been stealth-like or you were too engrossed in what you were thinking about because you didn’t hear the bottle of vodka on the table nor did you hear him come up behind you. The fixation on your younger self in the picture was interrupted by the feeling of his arms encasing you and the warmth of his chin resting on your exposed shoulder. “What are you doing?”

You point to the photograph, pained with a longing in that moment for how things used to be. Before law school, before all of this stress, before Duncan fucking Shepherd came into your life.

“This simultaneously feels like a lifetime ago yet so recent I can almost taste the entrees we ate that night. She’s ruined so many things. It was the beginning of some of the best things to happen to me,” you look down at the diamond ring on your finger before continuing, “But when I get like this, I’m reminded of her disapproval. Life would be much easier if my father didn’t decide to abandon me and leave me with her.”

“M/N is and will always be jealous of you, Y/N. You looked radiant that night and she was just projecting her own insecurities onto you. Do you remember the day we were introduced? I was wearing god knows what but I will never forget the sight of you in those ripped black jeans and boots. It gave me a raging hard-on to see you dressed like that. You’re even more beautiful now because you’re my wife.” He squeezes his arms around you in comfort before continuing, “Let’s forget about that and focus on something else. You’ve had enough drama for one day. Work was hard, wasn’t it? I think I know a way we can relieve some of this pent up energy.” As he’s talking, the bulge trapped in his pants is pushed into your ass and all of a sudden you become distracted.

You place the now empty glass beside the photo in question and guide a hand upwards to stroke at Michael’s face. You knew what he wanted but decided to play along, questioning him in a coy voice, “Oh? And what might that be, Mr. Langdon?”

Michael’s unwraps himself from you, positioning his hands on your hips and caresses your lower back. “Maybe we can go to the bedroom and I can fuck the frustration out of you.”

/

Hands are travelling up your sides to meet at the top of the zipper, pushing your locks over to one side. “Let me.” The slider glides down, parting the teeth and allows the dress to fall to the floor. He touches his lips on the curve of where your shoulder meets your arm; he’s planting kisses on your skin while eager fingers are unhooking the clasp on your bra.

By now you’re standing only in a small pair of underwear and the moment you turn around Michael snatches you up; hands digging into the flesh of your ass. He’s smirking in enjoyment, almost salivating at the thought of what next comes out.

“I was thinking about you in that pretty red dress of yours I like at work today. You’re innocently knocking files off my desk as you’re trying to place them in front of me like a clumsy little girl. You’re bending over to grab them but your feet are apart enough so everything is exposed…” he pulls you in even closer before continuing, lowly growing in thirst, “…and it’s obvious to see your slit is glistening for me; ready to be fucked.”

If you didn’t know you were alive before, you sure knew now because you feel your heart quicken and nostrils becoming flared as you expel out hot breaths of want. Those few words forced you into a state of submission - one where you’d do anything no questions asked.

Your mouths meet in what starts off as a slow, loving kiss but quickly transforms into a salacious mess; lips turning red, swollen, and spit covered. Both of you were becoming drunk on the other. He instructs you to get on the bed and you follow through without hesitation.

*

With eyes glued to him, you watch as he’s sitting on a chair nearby undoing his tie. You become occupied with the thought of how you’d rather them around your throat than loosening the item of fabric he now throws on the ground. Michael teases in the hopes it’ll set you off by warning not to get too excited because he’s staying dressed for what he has planned.

He was right to think that way because with his comment you transform into a brat, rolling your eyes and whining, “Can you not? You’re strangely looking like Duncan did earlier.”

Michael reaches down to untie his shoes and every now and then looks up at you and the only reaction to your words is a silent smile; one that said you just wait. Once his shoes are off, he walks over to the bed and towers above you, asserting you in dominance. He grabs your face in a hand and breaks his reticence, telling you, “I think you’re forgetting who makes the rules.”

In the blink of an eye, Michael has ripped off your underwear and runs a single finger up your slit to feel the slick leaking from your folds. You’re ignorant enough not to realise Michael wasn’t the only reason your body was behaving this way. He, however, does know and pushes your thighs apart to see what he’s dealing with. Tips of his digits are drawing shapes against your bud - you think he’s letting them wander aimlessly but Michael was actually spelling out the word Duncan.

“Duncan really makes you mad, doesn’t he?” Michael teases with words laminated in a devilish tone. He could see how you were visibly responding to him and it drove him wild. Michael noticed at the mention of Duncan’s name you did jerk your legs shut but there was a brief moment where you bucked your hips and Michael could read between the lines; he knew precisely what it meant, even before you did.

Forceful hands pry your legs apart as if to say I’m the one who is in charge and when he begins to touch you again, he changes it up and uses all four fingers. The blood rushes in between your legs, swirling around and causing tumescence in your loins.

“He makes you red hot, doesn’t he?” The deliverance of those two words made you wonder if he was insinuating something entirely different. Something that you’d never considered until now. Maybe your brain had kept this revelation hidden away until Michael decided to open your eyes to it. Maybe, just maybe, this was for your own benefit because there’s no way you would have willingly accepted your own want for him of all people.

Michael slips two of those four fingers inside, curling around and massaging your soft spot in a continuous but inviting come here movement. Not leaving any part ignored, he light grazes his thumb against the surface of your already stimulated bud and it makes you writhe around in pleasure. All attempts at trying to keep composed and innocent fail as your words become broken and you’re a stuttering mess, “W-w-what a-are yo-o-ou d-d-doing?”

Then suddenly, an unfamiliar feeling washes over you and you’re not sure if you like it but you have no choice because it’s consuming you; the want need for Duncan to be committing unspeakable acts against your body. Michael’s almost gagging over you coming undone from a few simple wo­rds and figures it’s the perfect time to take himself out of his pants knowing you’d be pathetic and desperate for a cock inside you.

*

The old adage goes “silence is golden” but this was the exact opposite. You needed something to stop you dissipating into the fever that was burning deep within your core. You wanted to snuff out the fire inside because you had absolutely no idea how you were going to work with this lingering.

Michael positions his body between your legs to stroke the head of his throbbing cock against your slit, mixing what was leaking out of himself with your own wetness. He takes it up a notch by sliding in a minuscule amount and taunting you, with words like you know, your body is giving me the answers your mouth wouldn’t dare speak.

His icy blues are locked onto you as he pushes past your entrance, gauging your reaction while giving you more of the thing you yearned for. Michael’s having too much fun being a tease but it becomes too much and you spit angst at him, “Can’t you just fuck me already?”

Michael provokes you even further and suggests, “If you want it so bad, why don’t you just behave and bend over the bed like a good girl. Bad girls don’t get what they want.”  He knew what being called a good girl did to you and used it to his full advantage whenever you were in a state like this.

You don’t know whether to laugh or feel bad that this exact situation was what Duncan had predicted at that party. Goosebumps hit your skin as you can hear him. “I can already see it now – one day you’ll be bent over a bed, pussy soaked with your own filth and you’ll be begging for him to fuck you when really you wish it was me.”

And that’s exactly what is happening. You were bent over and beginning to be fucked, like a cock-deprived slut. It was more than just your usual lust over Michael but it also included being wrecked and ruined by Duncan, and you hated yourself for it.

“If you really do want this, there’s only one thing I want in return.” Michael tells you, rubbing a hand over your ass, “I want you to tell me exactly why he’s so bad. I want you to feel it.”

“Duncan Shepherd is a sanctimonious, smug asshole. He thinks he’s a hot piece who can get whatever he wants whenever he wants. He-“

Your outburst is interrupted by Michael moving back inside. You’re wondering when he’s going to fuck the neediness out of you because he was deliberately holding back and moving very slowly. “Keep going. Remember, I want you to feel it.”

“He always thinks he can do whatever the fuck he wants and not get away with it. This is why I’m stuck with him, because of his actions, and now I have to see him every single day until this damn trial is over and done with.”

There it is, your distaste for him. You thought it was stronger than the urges that reverberated throughout your body. The truth is you wanted to fuck Duncan out of hatred, then make him watch as you fuck Michael out of adoration, and for both men to pour load after load into your open mouth; deep down your willing throat. You wanted to be defiled but only by your own control.

Michael’s hands are gripping into your thighs to say your body is mine and he picks up his pace. He grunts, “More. Tell me more. Feed it to me, baby.”

“He’s such a pig. He treats me like I should beg to be the ground he’s walking on. Remember his ex? She said he’s so vain that he likes to fuck in front of a mirror so he can watch himself.”

Your pussy twitches at the very clear image in your head of him pounding away at you like he did with her, almost as if it had happened in real life. Were you jealous? You couldn’t deny that Duncan was hot, because he was, but he knew it. You also knew that he’d be good in bed despite the disgusting ego. The thoughts of being used and abused by a man like this, specifically Duncan, drove you mad in every way possible.

“Do you ever think it’s because he wants to fuck you?”

That slight twitch turns into a full-on throb and every muscle within the confines of your cunt begin to tighten around Michael’s cock – your body growing unfaithful with its admission of the things you were trying to remain tight-lipped about. It’s one thing to find someone attractive but it’s another entirely for it to be someone you’ve spent years loathing. Duncan was everything you couldn’t stand in a man yet your entire existence was begging to be destroyed by him.

“My bet is he’d like to turn you into an incoherent mess. His hand is probably lathered in fake slick right now and he’s fucking himself to the thought of you in the dress you wore today.”

Your knees were growing weak and you were barely holding on. You being sent in a direction you’d never been before. Before tonight, Michael was the only thought and person which brought you pleasure in all the ways. The truth was that Michael wanted you to feel this. He secretly had lusted after this for so long and now he finally got his chance.

And that’s when it came. The words that would tear you in two, causing the same reaction in your body akin to a dam bursting its banks.

“I can guarantee that Duncan would love to be here right now, seeing your pussy full with this cock and us taking turns on you all night, filling every hole.”

Michael was the filthiest and there was no doubt about that but it’s as if the events of tonight had given you a key to a hidden lock inside him – you opened it and it unleashed something wild and untamed. His mouth and his member cause you to explode as if you’re a supernova; stars littering your vision as evidence of the intensity.

A lustful growl emits from Michael’s lungs as you drop to the mattress, knees weakened completely. “I knew exactly what that meant.”

It seems like your climax transforms him into some other being. He begins pounding away at you mercilessly, throwing caution into the wind and slamming his body into yours like he was trying to punish you for thinking such dirty thoughts.

Michael’s positioned now with his torso against your back, taking in your mixed scent of perfume and sweat. He thrusts a few more times and you both cry out in enjoyment – you’re still swimming in the pool of your orgasm and he meets you there, unloading himself inside your pussy. Once the last drop is spilt he rolls off your body and onto his back.

He breathlessly throws an idea at you, “Maybe we should make our own game, Y/N. Duncan Shepherd needs to atone for his sins of the flesh. You should play with him, make him bend to you however you see fit, and, when the time is right then we can take it even further. There are only two rules.”

“Which are?”

“Number one, have fun. Number two, fill me in on everything. Also, remember, it’s Duncan.”

You knew what it’s Duncan meant because you knew Michael all too well. It meant don’t worry, nobody is going to believe someone as manipulative as him if he tries anything.

You didn’t care. Your impulses took over and you agreed to his game, asking when you were to start.

“Tomorrow.”

Taglist: @avesatanormalpeoplescareme @sensitivethot @sacredlangdon @sammythankyou @sevenwondr @langdonsdemon @queencocoakimmie

[esc-imagines]

Imagine: Secretly dating Duncan

Pairing: Duncan Laurence x Reader

Word count: 1306

Warnings: cuteness, friendship, romance

A/N: I’M SO HAPPY THAT DUNCAN WON, MY COUNTRY WON! AND WITH SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SONG TOO! I’M SO FREAKING PROUD! Written for the awesome anon that came up with this idea <3

These past few week have been so crazy, we have been on the full promotour with our countries delegation. I’m one of the back up singers for my home country this year and we have been doing good in the odds ever since the promotour started. We have met so many nice and talented people from all over the world. But my personal favorite is Duncan Laurence from the Netherlands. We first met in Amsterdam at Eurovision in Concert. Since then everyone had become close already, Sarah even made a whatsapp group. I had been becoming quite good friends with Duncan, Luca, Mahmood and John. They are such sweethearts all of them.

Awh thinking back to the promotour makes it seem like that was ages ago. Now the real work was starting. I step into the big tour bus waiting outside of the airport for us. I’m one of the first people to step inside and to my big surprise the Dutch delegation is already in the bus. “Y/N!” I hear Duncan shout from the back of the bus. A big smile forms on my face and run towards him. “Duncan!” I fling myself around his neck and he catches me mid-air hugging me super tight. “I missed you babe.” I softly say in his ear. “I missed you too.” He says and kisses me on the cheek. A blush creeps on my face and I smile at him.

We haven’t really talked out ‘us’ and also haven’t shared like a real kiss yet, but I think we both know that we really really like each other. Luca has been trying to make us kiss ever since he found out that I like Duncan and he has been pushing Duncan to tell me how he feels about me.

“Dunc, do you have some free time tonight by any chance?” I pout and put on my best puppy dog look. Duncan chuckles, “I always have time for you!” I cheer and plant a kiss on his cheek. “Let’s meet at my room around 10?” I say and he nods in reply. I jump up from my seat and race over to Luca who also is in the same bus as us. “Dude, I think tonight I’m gonna ask if he likes me.” I smile and grab a hold of his arm. “Finally! This is so overdue, it’s so obvious he likes you.” He smiles and pulls me in for a hug. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

Later that night I wake up from a knock on my door. Shit, I must have fallen asleep. “Coming!” I shout as I run over to the door. I quickly open up the door and see Duncan on the other side. Already in a comfy onesie, living his best life. “Look at you, you look so cute!” I grin and pull him in for a hug. “Thank you, you look pretty cute too. A sleepy look is a cute one on you.” He chuckles. “Shut up.” I mumble into his chest. He laughs a little louder and releases me the hug. I flop onto the couch and Duncan sits down next to me. I turn towards him, and put my hands on his arm. “I can’t believe it’s almost about to start.” I smile. “I know, it’s seemed so far away and now it is finally happening. You know what I mean?!” He beams with the biggest smile on his face. “I’m really happy to able to share this with all of you guys, everyone has been so amazing.” I smile and softly squeeze Duncan’s arm. He smiles and shyly looks down at my hands on his arms.

Silence falls over the room, but it’s not an awkward one. We are just enjoying each others being in the room. Finally Duncan looks back at me with a big smile on his face, twinkles in his eyes. “I really like you Y/N, and I have been thinking about what to do with these feelings for a while now. You know what I mean? But I-I just really want to do this first.” He leans towards me and presses his lips sweetly on mine. My heart beats so fast like it has never done before. My hands travel up to his face and tangle themselves in his hair. We deepen the kiss allowing our tongues to play together. I have been thinking about this moment a lot and it’s better than I ever imagined. We both softly pull away and rest our foreheads together both breathless from the kiss. “I really like you too.” I softly say and bite down on my bottom lip. “Oh thank God.” Duncan smiles, he grabs my face and once again kiss me this time even more passionate.

I smile against his lips, Luca was right we should have talked about this way sooner. Because I can’t get enough of kissing him. But my heart sinks to my shoes as a realise that we can’t tell anyone until the competition has ended. I pull away from the kiss and scoot back a little. Duncan looks at me with concern. “What’s wrong?” He takes my hand and strokes it softly. “The media can’t know about this, our delegations would kill us.”

“I know you are right, can’t we just enjoy this moment right now? We will figure the rest out later alright?” Duncan sighs, he cups my face and kisses me once more. “Yes please.” I smile and kiss him back.

----------------- two days later -----------------

Duncan and I agree to keep our relationship a secret for now at least, especially from the media and our delegations.  But we did decide that we wanted to tell a few of our friends, seeing as they did start to notice and they would find out sooner or later. We wanted to tell them ourselves rather than them hearing it from someone else. Duncan was on his way to my room with John and Luca, we told them we wanted to have a jam session together. Mahmood was a little early and was already waiting with me. “What do you want to drink Alessandro?”

“Just some water is fine, thank you.” He replies. Just as I walk back with our drinks there is a knock on the door. I quickly make my way over to the door and I am greeted by 3 smiling boys, Duncan is standing behind John and Luca already grinning from ear to ear. “Come in guys, nice to see you again.” I hug both of them and we all sit down in the living area of the room. I pour everyone a drink and sit down next to Duncan. “So guys, I didn’t ask you over just to make music together..” I grin. I see Luca’s eyes widen, he knows but he keeps quite and nods. “We have something to tell you.” I grin even more. “WE ARE DATING.” Duncan shouts excited and quickly kisses me.

“I KNEW IT!” Luca shouts, and rushes over to me pulling me in for a hug. “You kept it a secret from me! How dare you!” He says fake hurt. “We have to, you are the only ones that know.” I smile. “I’m so happy for you guys.” John smiles. “But I’m not surprised, this was to be expected. You have been hanging out so much.” Mahmood sheepishly smiles. They both give us a hug and congratulate us. “You can’t tell anyone though until after the final!” Duncan says, I nod in agreement. “Of course we get it.” John smiles and shoots us a wink. “Thank you, I love you guys.” I smile, I go round kissing all of them on the cheek and finally setting myself down on Duncan’s lap. The rest of the night is spend singing, making music and a lot of laughing, oh what a night.

[drunklander]

Drunj!Der Yells About Outlander

Thoughts on Ep. 413

I’ve been singing Jefferson’s “The emperor has no clothes.” line from Washington on Your Side all day. Because honestly, that’s basically how I feel about Outlander at this point. Obviously every season when the press tour rolls around the cast and crew are going to talk about how it’s their best season yet and yada yada talking point bullshit. And in the segments after each episode they’re obviously going to pat themselves on the back for being so fucking brilliant. But I have to ask, are they delusional and believe what they’re saying? Or are they self-aware enough to realize that they’ve been putting out a worse and worse product every year but they’re contractually obligated to only say good things about the show? (I’m not stupid, I know that regardless of what they really think about the show they’re putting out, they’re never actually going to say it’s not good. That’s not how this works.) Some, like Balfe, I think are aware that the show isn’t what it used to be. And some, like Matt and Toni, I really think believe they’re doing a good job.

But as long as they keep spouting off the same nonsense about how everything is awesome, a certain segment of the fandom will keep agreeing that the emperor’s new clothes are indeed amazing, while I’m just over here like uh, y’all realize he’s nekkid, right?

Anywho, I’m really looking forward to a very long hiatus.

As much as I tend to not like the title cards anymore, this one included, Otter Tooth being like oh fuck this white kid in his racist costume is valid af.

I do appreciate that they show the Mohawk playing lacrosse in this episode and in 4x12. Because as much as it’s associated with prep school white boys today, it was invented and played by Native American and First Nations tribes, including the Mohawk.

(I signed up to play lacrosse in high school thinking that girls’ lacrosse was like boys’ lacrosse, but it’s not. You can’t check or anything. Lame.)

These fuckers are really bad negotiators. Like hey, we *really* want this guy. Like we’re desperate to get this guy. We didn’t just give you the upper-est of upper hands in this negotiation. Nope.

Tehwahsehwke brushing off the stuff they brought to trade with as just trinkets for Roger gives me life.

Has Claire been wearing this stone all season? You’d think they would have shown her wearing it more or something. But why would they do that when it can just pop up again out of nowhere.

Also, like, why the fuck would you wear a stone you found by the skull you think belongs to a Native American ghost dude who was hatchet’ed in the back of the head to a Native American village. Like, sure she doesn’t know the connection yet, but like, seems like something you’d maybe want to leave at home.

Also who the fuck are you guys, Frasers, refusing to leave someone else’s village when asked? You’re in no position to make demands. I know you want Roger back for some reason that I will never understand, because he’s the worst (only partly being sarcastic), but you’re the fuckers who sold him away so... Just leave and come up with Plan B, don’t make everyone hate you on the way out.

Oh the irony that the racist af term is “Indian giver” when it’s the white folks who go back on their deals...

Murtz being indignant about Bree and Lord John’s engagement makes me mad all over again that we were robbed over his reaction to Jamie marrying Laoghaire.

They’re like really leaning into the benevolent slave owner bullshit, and it’s gross, tbh. Like Bree’s just totally chill being waited on by an enslaved person. This show is killing meee.

Claire making demands and Wahkatiiosta being like “bitch, please” gives me life. Like Claire, you fucking idiot, you’re really not in a position to make demands right now.

Otter Tooth really is a tragic figure. I’d say it’s weird to spend this much time on someone that’s already dead (Just to set up Donner? I’m assuming that’s why they’re doing it?), but honestly, giving the Mohawk something to do that’s not about white people is fine with me.

Really Claire, you have all these opinions about ghosts? Since when?

(Since eventually they need to explain Jamie’s ghost. So why weave in ghost-related mythology organically when you can randomly shoehorn it in with a line that makes everyone scratch their head.)

“Not one of my finer moments.” Understatement of the season, Bree. Seriously, wtaf. And putting in this meta line doesn’t make it better.

“Da told me I should forgive him.” I hate that she was doing things because someone told her she should instead of because she wanted to. Because, again, Bonnet doesn’t deserve forgiveness. Part of forgiving someone, imo, is that they need to be sorry for the thing that needs forgiving. And Bonnet is not. So fuck that guy, he shouldn’t be forgiven.

“I already have.” In this instance, Jamie at least admitted he fucked up and is trying to fix it, but that’s like the first time something like that has happened. And honestly, I’m looking forward to him continuing to try to be worthy of this forgiveness she’s granting him. Because if next season starts with them just being buddy buddy, I’m gonna roll my eyes a lot.

Uh, why *would* this Mohawk dude let you escape with Roger. He owes these white people nothing. Why on earth wouldn’t he raise the alarm. He’s not the bad guy here.

Oh good god it’s not even half over yet.

I should be feeling things about Jamie and Claire possibly being separated again, but the show has managed to make them so meh this season that I really can’t be bothered to give a fuck, tbh.

Also, like, we’ve seen them say goodbye like it might be forever so many times already that like it’s kind of losing its meaning if we don’t also see them being *together* like they’re on borrowed time. Which we haven’t this season.

I miss caring about Claire and Jamie. Make me care about them again, show. This season was supposed to be them building a life together and enjoying finally being married and settled and knowing that every minute together is precious because it’s one they never thought they’d have. And somehow the show instead made them secondary characters in their own story to the point where this moment isn’t even evoking a reaction from me.

Young Ian really hasn’t had much to do all season, but what he has been given has been good and I love him a lot. And major props to him for being like yeah, I fucked up, I’m owning it, I’m gonna apologize and I’m gonna be the one to stay. Take note, literally every other dude in this show, be more like Young Ian.

Although, man, as much as I love the growth Young Ian goes through in the books, it’s gonna be so... problematic, to put it lightly, to have a white kid cosplaying as a Mohawk for the rest of the series when we’ve never had a fully developed Mohawk character.

Murtagh’s whole speech to Jocasta can directly translated to our current trash fire of an administration not being able to grasp what the federal employees they furloughed were going through during the shutdown. But this isn’t a political show. Nope.

Yes, I know that this was all written and shot months ago. But discussing privilege and and using your privilege for good is also political.

Murtagh’s pretty chill about Jocasta owning people for someone who was indentured for years.

As great as Murcasta is as a ship name, I don’t ship it. I’m here for them being inappropriate fuckbuddies, but she’s a fucking slave owner and he’s a Regulator. So hard pass on going full Duncan Innes here.

Also it’s cute that the producers were like this is a brand new idea because in the books, Murtagh’s dead! It’s like guys, you don’t get originality points for giving a canon book plot line to a different character.

Also I swear to fuck, they’d better not do the Jocasta is secretly having a relationship with Ulysses. Because not only is that fucked up on its own, but now if she’s banging Murtz, it makes her even more garbage, because not only does she enslave people, and bangs someone she technically owns, but she’s also a cheater.

Also, is Jocasta only against sex outside of marriage for women who have never been married before? (And I specify women since Murtagh has never been married and she’s not giving him any shit...) Or is she only against it if it results in a pregnancy?

“Jenny will be totally cool with this. Yup. Jenny will totally get it and be absolutely fine with this whole situation.” Are you fucking kidding me?

Jamie deserves all of these punches, but Roger remains the worst.

The difference between Young Ian running the gauntlet and Roger running the gauntlet is striking. Young Ian knows that this is his one chance to prove himself to the Mohawk and he is not throwing away his shot.

Young Ian smiling when the Mohawk accept him is like the only thing in this episode that makes me feel things. Because like this kid is the youngest of a whole squad of siblings and has always been the awkward one who gets into shenanigans accidentally, so like it’s really nice to see him being accepted into a group on his own merits.

“Because she said terrible things and turned ye against me.” Weird way to say “because she told you the truth about how awful I am and made you realize that I am, in fact, the actual worst,” Roger.

He’s never going to apologize, is he. Of course not.

“How could you think such a thing?” “Well, you see, my daughter apparently doesn’t care enough about you to tell me anything about who you are. And you’re enough of a dick that her servant thought you were a rapist. Because, you *are* a dick. And I’m enough of an asshat that I sell into slavery first and never ask questions later because lol toxic masculinity is grand.”

“I left because she told me to go. She actually told me not to come in the first place. And I was an asshole to her in our own time. And then I was an asshole again to her in this time. And really I should just fuck all the way off because I’m the worst and she deserves better and has made it clear that she isn’t down for how I’m treating her. But nope. Why do that when we can forget she ever had any issues with me so I can play the victim card forever and then get welcomed back into her life no problem.”

“But even then, I came back for her. Even though, again, she made it clear she didn’t want me.”

I hate Roger so much. He is literally more worked up over the fact that it was fucking Bonnet who raped Bree and how Bonnet made him sail to Philly than he is about Bree being raped. What the actual fuck, bro.

“Somewhere between here and Fraser’s Ridge. You know, casually somewhere on the eastern seaboard. Really narrows it down.”

“I don’t think you can go through with a child.” They keep saying that but like they have no proof of it? Are they really just saying it so much to set up them doing just that in season six?

In this instant, Frank 2.0 is worse than the OG twatwaffle. Don’t worry, Frank is still the actual worst. He’s an emotionally abusive fuckwad and I hate him with the passion of a thousand fiery suns. But Roger here isn’t dealing with someone who left and fell in love with someone else and is having the child of the love of her life. He’s dealing with someone who was violently raped and is choosing to keep the child and love it on its own merits. And he’s fucking hesitating about whether or not he can live with that?! Are you fucking kidding me? Go fuck yourself, Roger. And then fuck all the way off. Because Bree already deserves better, but the fact that you need to fucking think about it, like she’s somehow not worthy of your love because of what she went through, is fucking irredeemable. 

I. Hate. Roger.

ALSO! Can we fucking talk for a second about how they’re making Bree’s rape and pregnancy about fucking Roger? Not omg is she ok, not omg how is she coping, not omg is she getting the care and support she needs. No, none of that. Instead we get fucking “are you, a man, ok with this.”

But since we’re apparently making this all about good ol’ Rog. He literally two fucking minutes ago called Bree his wife. Like in sickness and health, richer or poorer, no matter fucking what, married. I know he didn’t fucking think he was going to stay in the past forever or to become a parent in this way, but guess what? LIFE IS FUCKING FULL OF SURPRISES. SHIT DOESN’T ALWAYS GO ACCORDING TO PLAN. YOU WANT TO SAY YOU’RE MARRIED TO BREE? THEN NUT UP OR SHUT UP, MISTER “I WANT ALL OF YOU.”

I HATE THIS FUCKING SHOW SO MUCH.

“And we will choose his birthday wisely, but ye can be sure the lad was born in wedlock.” Oh fuck off, Jocasta.

Thank fuck this season is over because the are they/aren’t they married whiplash about the handfasting is annoying af. Literally one scene ago Roger was saying she’s his wife and now they’re lying about birthdays because she’s not married.

Ok this is shallow but did they decide that Sophie could wear makeup this season and Caitriona could only have the bare minimum to try to make the age gap seem bigger? Because honestly, the difference in their faces is quite noticeable. 

Unpopular opinion alert, but I’m totally fine with Claire and Jamie not being there for the baby’s birth. I mean, I’m kind of sad Claire wasn’t there. But she can be there for the next one. But like, Jamie hasn’t earned being with Bree in such a personal moment. Their relationship isn’t at that level.

“We told him everything. But since he’s the worst and loves the *idea* of you and not *you*, the truth was too much for his imaginary version of your relationship so he bounced. Like an asshole.”

We’re gonna be stuck with Bonnet for two more seasons, aren’t we. Ugh. They could have just killed him and been done with it, because honestly he’s not interesting enough to keep around, but the more they keep talking about how he died in the prison, the more it’s basically guaranteed that he’s going to show back up...

I’m glad Claire and Bree get a moment alone, tbh. But Bree will be “surrounded by family” at the Ridge? Really? Because pretty sure it’ll just be you and Jamie now. Since Ian is gone. And Roger went AWOL. And who knows where Murtz is gonna go...

They really love using no dialogue dinners instead of doing actual work on the characters’ relationships with each other this season, don’t they. Le sigh.

Cool that everyone is super down with Jocasta now. Because clearly ep. 4x02 didn’t happen.

Oh ffs. The literally did a running toward each other and meeting in the middle with a hug shot. Fucking kill me.

Ok, so Bree and Roger had a kind of flirty friendship that was basically just based around them both knowing about time travel. And then they sort of did the long distance relationship thing. And then Roger proposed in the most awful way possible, refused to listen to Bree’s very reasonable response, slut-shamed her for being ok with sex before marriage even though he himself had had sex before, was a dick to her when she tried to have another conversation with him, and then he followed her into the past when she expressly said not to and implied that she wasn’t planning to stay in the past permanently. Then we’re somehow expected to just accept that she’s over all of her reservations about marriage and Roger being the worst when she agrees to handfast with him, but then he’s the worst again and she rightly tells him to fuck off. And then he can’t decide if he can accept a woman he “loves” after she’s been raped?! And now we’re supposed to think that they belong together and should get the cheesiest, most cliché shot of all time? Are you fucking kidding me, show? How the fuck are we supposed to ship this?

Roger is the literal worst.

This isn’t earned at all and I hate it.

Also, wtf is up with this ending? Why not end it with Bree and Roger going back into the house?

Although, Claire’s face when Murcasta are forehead fucking is my everything.

Like there’s no reason to end on a cliffhanger that’s not even really a cliffhanger? Because like, we already know that Tryon was eventually going to call in this favor from Jamie? We’ve known this since they accepted the land grant? And like, the tension between Jamie and Murtagh over being a Regulator is already established and clearly Jamie isn’t going to actually kill Murtagh?

This is dumb. This show is bad. Thank fuck it’s Droughlander.

[marshmallow-the-vampire-slayer]

MTVS Epic Rewatch #194

DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!

VM 3x16 Un-American Grafitti

Stray thoughts

1) The smiles of these two fucking idiots as they pretend to be friends while secretly pining after each other, I hate them so much ugh!

2) Oh, this sardonic self-deprecating asshole, stop breaking my heart!

LOGAN: Lots of advancements since the last time I buckled down. How 'bout you?

VERONICA: Uh, "Violence in Early Adolescence."

LOGAN: Ah. Need me to autograph your textbook?

It’s nice to see them chat and banter without all the angst, even if it’s short-lived and all pretense, though.

3) Veronica is all smiles and sunshine until Logan uses the word “both” to refer to him and Parker. The realization that Logan wasn’t just bluffing and that not only was he dating someone else but he also seemed to have zero hang-ups about their break-up just utterly destroys her. 

4) This is actually refreshing, and it’s not the only time it happens in this season…

VERONICA VOICEOVER: I took this case so I wouldn't have time to dwell on Parker's birthday party and now, here I am, sitting in a car with nothing but a whole lot of dwelling time on my hands.

Veronica’s voiceover clearly implies she’s far from cool with the idea of Logan being Parker’s Picture Perfect Boyfriend. It’s the most outspoken she’s been as regards how she really feels about Logan and their break-up. We get the same type of voiceover in There’s Got to be a Morning After Pill, when Veronica goes bananas and stalks Madison because of her misplaced vendetta. Hardly ever did Veronica let us on in her inner feelings during times of emotional turmoil caused by the ups and downs of her relationship with Logan. In fact, in the early seasons, she usually went uncharacteristically silent when Logan was concerned. I think that in spite of all their fuck-ups, Logan and Veronica actually were in a much more mature and vulnerable place now than they ever were (think of their intimate conversations in Wichita Linebacker and Poughkeepsie, Tramps and Thieves) and it’s shown in Veronica’s voiceovers.

It’s sort of a step in the right direction for Veronica, and it’s hard to argue it’s not related to Logan’s claims that she always puts herself at a distance and never lets herself need others. 

5) I love this little callback…

AMIRA: Veronica Mars?

VERONICA: Amira. Long time, no see.

AMIRA: Yeah. Like since my senior year, when you made my Pirate Points worth less.

But… wasn’t Duncan the one who did that?

6) I think this is the moment when Veronica decides she will get her revenge on…

You don’t go ruining Veronica’s jacket and expect her not to get you back.

7) I know Ronald is only a kid, but damn does it feel good to see Veronica putting that little dick in his place…

RONALD: What does a criminologist do?

VERONICA: Oh, grads usually go into work in law enforcement. I'm considering pursuing a career at the FBI.

RONALD: You're a girl.

MRS. HILLS:  Ronald.

VERONICA: Actually, Ronald, did you know that on average, girls develop faster than boys and have higher levels of cognitive functioning, including math calculation, written language, and verbal fluency?

RONALD: So?

VERONICA: Well put, Ronald. We need fireman, too.

There’s nothing wrong with being a fireman, though.

8) This is hands down one of my favorite moments in the series, I don’t know why I get so much pleasure from seeing Veronica reenact a scene from Pulp Fiction almost verbatim and using a paint gun in lieu of a real gun.

9) Poor Mr. Clemmons but aww at Veronica shooting "Towelie” for making fun of him.

10) How didn’t Mac read Veronica’s expression? That’s not the face of someone who has ever been cool about anything ever.

MAC: You ready? We can offer them our table.

VERONICA: Sure. 

11) And I love how dumbfounded Veronica is about Mac and Logan actually getting along. I brought this up in a previous recap, but it’s pretty obvious the only reason Logan didn’t form any bonds with Mac or Wallace is because of Veronica’s need to compartmentalize. Mac sums it up quite nicely here…

VERONICA: You and Logan seem chummy.

MAC: Guess I never thought much of the guy when you two were dating. Surly thing, you know. But since he's been around so much lately, I've seen his sweet side. Probably the side you saw all the time.

VERONICA: Oh, yeah. That side.

And in fact, it begs the question: did Veronica keep Logan away from her friends and family because she feared they might not like him or because she wanted them to continue seeing him as the dark, brooding, dangerous type so that she could keep the “real” Logan all to herself?

12) Piz actually gained a couple of cool points because of this reference…

PIZ: It's like the new Rocky Horror. Now at one point people throw plastic spoons at the screen. You gotta check it out. It'll-it'll change your life.

But don’t worry, he’ll lose all of them and then some by the end of the episode.

13) Wallace, you’re such a good friend to all your friends, I love you.

WALLACE: I thought you were going to Yoyo Taco on Saturday.

PIZ: Yo La Tengo. Yeah. But, you know, this sounds more fun. What?

WALLACE: You're like one of those guys who stands behind the players at the poker table and pretends he's playing.

PIZ: Sorry, I've never been to Vegas, so what exactly...

WALLACE: Look. Every once in a while, you gotta go all in.

PIZ: Right. Will do.

WALLACE: Excellent.

PIZ: I don't know what that means, though.

WALLACE: It means we're going out tonight. You're going to talk to some girl who knows you're alive. Wait, actually, that's not what it means, but it's a start.

14) I’m not addressing the mystery of the week because I feel it’s so wrong in so many aspects I don’t even know where to start.

15) Now, this is awkward…

KEITH: Last time I saw you, you were nineteen, and that was...just a couple weeks ago. (…) Mind if I see those IDs of yours. I guess I don't have to ask where you got these.

 KEITH: You recognise the work? Out of thirty-seven citations yours truly wrote in six campus-area bars last night, no fake ID could hold a candle to your standards. You may not want to believe this, honey, but there are mistakes you can't take back. What if they'd gotten drunk and stumbled into the street like Jim Wilson. Would you want to explain that to their parents?

This is yet another instance of Veronica’s almighty and reckless attitude.

16)

DICK: Veronica Mars! What's that line about the beginning of some sort of friendship?

17) Isn’t there here a bit of foreshadowing, though?

MAC: Sorry. I was afraid you were trying to get back at Logan somehow by coming as Dick's date.

VERONICA: Ew. Yeah, nothing says "I'm over you" like dating down.

18) Oh, the cringe, the c r I N G E!!!

19) And the pain, oh, THE PAIN!!

20) Jebus, the subtext in their conversation is so overwhelming, though.

LOGAN: I girded myself for seeing you with a date tonight, you know, proof you weren't pining away.

VERONICA: All the periodically good ones were taken and I pine for no man.

LOGAN: Hmm. Well maybe you should try branching out. I mean, who knows, maybe there's a consistently good one here tonight.

I kind of wish she had brought up the fact she had been eating his face when he approached her.

Anyway, it’s kind of obvious that Logan is disguising the truth as a joke and that he had mentally prepared himself to see Veronica with someone. Joke’s on him, though. Have you ever thought about the fact that Logan’s joke about sending the weird guy on Veronica’s way was the catalyst that brought Veronica and Piz together? If Logan hadn’t sent the guy, then Veronica wouldn’t have run to Piz for help. In turn, Piz wouldn’t have pretended to be her boyfriend, Wallace wouldn’t have confronted Veronica about how insensitive she was being with Piz’s feelings, Veronica wouldn’t have apologized to Piz, Piz wouldn’t have sloppily kissed her and Veronica wouldn’t have chased him.

21) Veronica was pushing it, though. She could really be an asshole sometimes. There’s no way she wasn’t aware of how he felt about her. Also, bless you, Wallace.

VERONICA: There you are! Sorry, this is a “break glass in case of emergency” situation. I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend.

PIZ: Oh, sorry. You're right, babe. Bad boyfriend. Fresh drink coming up, okay.

WALLACE: (…) You need to listen to me right now, okay. What you're doing is cruel.

VERONICA: Are you kidding? When I told him my name... He did that whole "banana fanna fofanna" thing.

WALLACE: No, not him. Piz. If you don't know he has a thing for you...

VERONICA: Piz doesn’t have a th-

WALLACE: You're smarter than that. Be a good person. Just put him out of his misery.

22) MY EYESSSS! MY EYESSSS!

Isn’t this the most awkward and awful kiss in the history of kisses? There’s nothing about that kiss that would’ve swept Veronica off her feet. If you’d like to read more about what I think of this scene, go here. And if you want to see something that can’t be unseen go here.

Totally unrelated, but if you get me a kofi I’ll be forever grateful!

23) My heart.

Ugh, that ending.

fuck you, Piz.

[reactingtosomething]

Reacting to X-Men: Evolution

An Entry Into the "Popular Girl Who Isn't a Bitch" Genre

The Setup: Find Miri and guest reactor Caroline’s reaction to the 90s X-Men cartoon, specifically the Dark Phoenix Saga, here. This installment directly continues that conversation and covers both X-Men: Evolution and comparisons between the two series.

Among other things, Evolution has the distinction of introducing Laura Kinney, a.k.a. X-23, who soon migrated to the comics, and whom most people now know from Logan. But as previously established, Miri is especially fond of Evolution’s Rogue, so for comparison to the 90s animated series, she and Caroline watched some Rogue-centric episodes and some Jean-centric ones: the pilot, “Power Surge,” “Walk on the Wild Side,” and “Self Possessed.”

 MIRI: Ok, X-Men Evolution!

This show was one of the first pieces of culture that I can remember loving

CAROLINE: So as a youth I was SUPER against it on principle

Because I loved TAS so much

MIRI: Because it was SO different from what you knew and loved?

CAROLINE: So I never even gave it a chance

MIRI: Makes total sense to me

I appreciate you doing so now

What did you think?

CAROLINE: BUT I watched some maybe two years ago with a friend and was surprised by how much I enjoyed them!

MIRI: Yay!

CAROLINE: And I felt that way again watching these

MIRI: It’s just so charming, right?

CAROLINE: It's a very different take but one I can definitely enjoy

Oh for sure. Super charming

And I love anything that centers on a Jean/Scott love story

MIRI: I will say they are all shockingly bad at being subtle about their mutant powers. Like, the secret would be out in no time

Yes, they do the love triangle very interestingly, because it’s doubled with the whole football boyfriend thing

(Duncan?)

Yes, Duncan. AKA Jean’s terrible football boyfriend

CAROLINE: So this my main problem with the show I think: I either want ALL the X-Men to be mutant teens secretly figuring out their lives at a normal high school. Or I want the show to be set entirely at Xavier's school where everyone is a mutant

Doing both locations is just confusing to me and feels illogical within the world

MIRI: Huh. I feel like it works the way Buffy works. But I’m very biased, obviously

CAROLINE: It feels like having Xavier in their lives is too much of a safety net

Or the high school stuff is at odds with the training stuff somehow

MIRI: I see it more along the lines of Kim Possible having her life and her missions, and the tension of both against each other make each side more complex

But I will admit that the stakes are fairly uneven

CAROLINE: I guess I'm just used to the idea of the X-Mansion being a school

MIRI: And it’s unclear the extent to which they are being trained and for what purpose.

CAROLINE: So it's weird to me that they have two schools

MIRI: That makes sense

CAROLINE: And they live at one of those schools but learn at the other

MIRI: I think they may have tried to straddle the line between training these kids to be superheroes and training them to control their abilities for their own good/the safety of others

And kind of gone back and forth as the plot demanded, which isn’t great

CAROLINE: I was super into the high school stuff though

Which is why I wanted more of it

MIRI: Yeah, I think that is what works better

CAROLINE: Also Storm 100% should've been a teen too

I was a little mad about that

MIRI: Huh, so just Xavier, Wolverine, and Beast as the adults? That would have been entertaining

CAROLINE: Or... no adults

JUST TEENS

MIRI: Ooh, just all of them in high school?

I’m into that

CAROLINE: And no Wolverine, that voice actor was terrible

MIRI: What are you talking about, bub?

CAROLINE: Ha!

K: I do prefer this costume to his classic one, though

Even Wolverine as a teen would've been fine

I mean I realize that is entirely against the canon as he's ageless

But they could've made it work

Angsty teen Wolverine

MIRI: Eh, there’s plenty that’s against canon or just outside of it

Ok, I need to take a moment to just gush about how much I love angsty goth teen Rogue

Because it is A LOT

CAROLINE: Go for it!

MIRI: She has so many feelings and she wants to be loved so badly! And she makes the ridiculous outfits work shockingly well!

Basically, she was one of my first crushes and I had NO idea that was true until like 4 years ago

M: Bisexuality in a heteronormative world is an adventure, kids.

CAROLINE: I feel like the movies and these two series give us three VERY different takes on Rogue

Yet they all work really well on their own ways

MIRI: And the voice actress is amazing.

Yes! I’d say this one is a little closer to the film one, but still pretty different

CAROLINE: Yeah she's great! I great cartoon crush all around

MIRI: Hahahah thanks

Honestly, I thought the Scott/Jean/Rogue love triangle moments at the end of the “Power Surge” episode were the most compelling storytelling EVER as a kid. Especially when Jean talks through Rogue at the end

CAROLINE: Oh yeah that was heartbreaking

MIRI: I think the way people changed from x-men to Brotherhood in this show is really interesting

CAROLINE: And Rogue's powers being a metaphor for unrequited high school love is perfect

Oh yeah that one dude was super hot

Speaking of cartoon crushes

MIRI: Which one?

CAROLINE: Quake maybe?

In my head he was Gambit, which he definitely wasn't

MIRI: Ohhhhh Lance? The one Kitty seems to be dating in the second episode?

CAROLINE: Yes! I was super into him

MIRI: Not my type of unwashed 90s boy, but I respect your opinion

I like that they can be dating or friends or whatever, which on “Enemy” teams

CAROLINE: It's a fun idea

MIRI: And Tabitha can change sides, but then also be a in a girl gang with Jean, Kitty, Rogue, and Amara

CAROLINE: And another reason I feel like the show would've been better if it were an all high school series

MIRI: You may be converting me here

CAROLINE: Aahaha

I did really enjoy Kitty as well!

She wasn't a big part of TAS or really the movies either

K: In the comics, she’s actually introduced in the Dark Phoenix arc

MIRI: The fake Valley Girl thing bothered me at first, but you get used to it super fast and I like the character a lot

CAROLINE: And this series encapsulates her nicely

MIRI: No, she was super secondary in the movies

Which is a shame because Ellen Page

CAROLINE: I love how diverse the X-Men are in terms of personality types

That's a fun conceit of the show

These people probably wouldn't have been high school friends if they weren't linked by their powers

MIRI: And on that score, the conceit of them all living in the Institute is nice

CAROLINE: And now they all have to figure out how to get along

That's true

MIRI: Because they’re pseudo siblings in a way they wouldn’t be without living together

CAROLINE: But also they're all dating each other?

MIRI: ….yes

CAROLINE: This is where things get weird

MIRI: Also yes

CAROLINE: And the amount of supervision they have is confusing to me

It's either a ton or none

MIRI: Mostly none

CAROLINE: The show probably just didn't want to deal with parents, which I get

But I don't think this Xavier is a great caretaker of teens

MIRI: I like the terrible attempts at lamp-shading like when the kids say “I can’t believe Duncan’s parents let him have parties”

Yeah, this Xavier is more of a Fun Uncle than a parent

CAROLINE: A recipe for disaster

Anyway the interpersonal dynamics between the teens were all great

Especially Scott and Jean, as I mentioned before

This Scott voice actor is SO much better than TAS guy

MIRI: Yeah, they really are fun. I totally forgot that it takes them so long to get together

In part because they’re clearly endgame from the beginning

CAROLINE: "Boring couples who take a long time to get together" is my favorite thing in the world

MIRI: And in part because my heart always lay with Rogue and I had a lot of sympathy for her doomed crush, since Scott clearly loved Jean

Hahahahaha

Also, they both have amazing hair

CAROLINE: SO amazing

Although I feel like this version of Jean is a little off somehow?

MIRI: Scott’s little floppy front bits are the most of the era thing

How so?

CAROLINE: From her comic book characterization I mean

I'm not sure I would immediately see her as a popular star athlete

Her empathy is spot on

MIRI: Yeah, I think they felt like that was a high school archetype they had to use or something

CAROLINE: But in my mind she would be a student council leader or something

Well-liked but maybe not "popular" in the conventional sense

MIRI: The perfect student who is perfect at everything and feels so much pressure from it feels like a story that was on every other show at the time

CAROLINE: True

MIRI: It is interesting to see an x-men (x-man?) who is popular

CAROLINE: But that is basically what I imagine for her

True!

MIRI: since they are fundamentally outsiders in so many ways

I wonder if a non-mutant friend/frenemy who inhabited that spot would have worked better

CAROLINE: There’s an interesting subtext in X-Men about mutants that can "pass" as human.

Especially with Kurt as a kind of POV character in the premiere

MIRI: VERY!

CAROLINE: Who obviously has such a bigger hurdle than Jean when it comes to joining normal society

MIRI: They did interesting (and unfortunately on the nose) things with that concept re: Beast and Mystique in First Class

And here it’s less explicitly addressed but I feel like I’m ok with that

CAROLINE: Agreed. And TAS doesn't necessarily delve into much at all

TAS kind of focuses on the big social metaphors

Whereas Evolution is about the personal side of being a mutant

MIRI: The opening Toad stuff delves into this a bit too--those guys made a lot of toad puns/insults for people who didn’t know he was a mutant

CAROLINE: And both are super compelling parts of the X-Men franchise!

MIRI: And I think the contrast of that kind of thing versus the loving “fuzzy elf” comments to Kurt from the other Xmen is interesting

Yeah, there’s a lot of different ways to use the “mutants as other” thing well

CAROLINE: I will say, while Evolutions is incredibly watchable, the episodes we watched could also feel a little shallow?

TAS crams WAY more story into 20 minutes than Evolutions seem to

MIRI: Yeah, I will not argue with that

CAROLINE: Even if it does so in a pretty stilted way

MIRI: I think this is a very clear shift to the idea that kids shows should be about kids and Kid Things

CAROLINE: Agreed

Kind of talking down to the audience at times.

MIRI: They do more than that sometimes, and there are episodes that deal with more serialized plot elements that we didn’t watch

But for the most part they are simple stories with not a whole ton going on

CAROLINE: But with solid nuance in the subtext!

MIRI: true!

CAROLINE: Just not maybe in the actual storytelling

MIRI: exactly

I think it was very much designed to be watched as a Saturday morning cartoon, in a block with like 5 other shows

CAROLINE: But I could still totally see myself watching more when I'm bored someday

They are fun and sweet and require very little from you

MIRI: I might be wrong about that, but that’s how I remember it

CAROLINE: Whereas TAS tends to feel drawn out

In a way that's both good and bad

MIRI: Yeah, it’s very easy to just let Evolutions play on autoplay

I did really love the concept of one of these episodes though, and it will probably surprise no one which it was

CAROLINE: Ha! The Rogue one?

MIRI: Actually not! I like the character moments in that a lot, but as a discrete episode concept “Walk on the Wild Side” may be one of my favorite things that has ever happened

CAROLINE: Oh yeah that one was abused and delightful

MIRI: I mean it’s kind of terrible and every genre show ever has done version of it

CAROLINE: *absurd

MIRI: but is adored it

*I

CAROLINE: It's very fun!

MIRI: A musical roller blading superhero girl gang getting dressed and bonding sequence is basically what’s lacking from all current superhero media.

(That and enough female characters of consequence to actually have a girl gang. SHADE INTENDED)

CAROLINE: And a random music video sequence!

Please see the amazing music video sequence at the end of this post!

Who doesn't want one of those?

MIRI: No one I want to know

CAROLINE: I also really loved the Rogue/Jean dynamic that seems to exist throughout the series

Kind of like the Cyclops/Wolverine one in TAS

MIRI: Yes! There’s always a tension, but also a love and kind of understanding

Like, we’re both in versions of the same situation and we can hate each other or understand each other

CAROLINE: They maybe don't always get along and are sometimes rivals but there's mutual respect and admiration there

MIRI: I really like that

CAROLINE: Not making the two "rival" female characters hate each other feels pretty progressive for the early 2000s

Or for now

MIRI: Sadly true

The gender stuff is handled super clumsily and I’m pretty sure Tabitha is a full 7 years older than Amara, but I just love the girl gang dynamic they get to SO MUCH

CAROLINE: Ha! I was really not into Tabitha

But I did love Amara

MIRI: She’s annoying, but I love that she can be well intentioned and also bad at it

I mean, she’s an asshole. Honestly, stop blowing people up in the shower and shaving people’s heads

CAROLINE: Yeah she was way too much for me

MIRI: But her destroying the car and thinking that was helpful seems very true to form to me

CAROLINE: Jean's feminist rage was amazing

MIRI: Defintiely

(I cannot type that word correctly today!)

I also really loved Scott falling out of his chair

CAROLINE: And as much as I don't fully buy into Jean's characterization I do like her as an entry into the "popular girl who isn't a bitch" genre

MIRI: A rare and compelling genre!

CAROLINE: See also: Liz in Spider-Man Homecoming

MIRI: LOVED her

CAROLINE: That blonde girl in Princess and the Frog

MIRI: Also a fave

CAROLINE: It's an underserved genre

And, again, an asset of having a big ensemble cast

Lots of POVs to sympathize with

MIRI: They did a good job of letting the focus shift in different episodes

CAROLINE: And some really solid high school metaphors! The idea of being along onstage and being able to read everyone's critiques of you is legit terrifying

MIRI: There’s a pretty reliable core of Jean/Scott/Rogue, but there are definitely episodes that focus on Kitty and Kurt, or Spyke or whoever

CAROLINE: *mentally read

MIRI: This episode and the Buffy telepathy episode combined to convince me that telepathy would be a horrifying super power

CAROLINE: I remember liking Spyke a lot, although he wasn't in any of the episodes we watched for this

MIRI: I know! I’m sorry about that

CAROLINE: Although I still maintain they just should've made Storm a teen rather than giving her a nephew

MIRI: I did get to be reminded of the fact that he SKATEBOARDS INTO BATTLE though

hahahahaha noted

CAROLINE: Keep Spyke, just make her Storm's cousin or something

*him

MIRI: I like how adamant you are on this point

CAROLINE: I feel VERY strongly about it

MIRI: Does Storm being one of the adults in the (earlier) movies bother you?

CAROLINE: No because it felt like we were supposed to be equally invested in the adults and the kids there

Although Storm was definitely underutilized, which sucks

But this is CLEARLY a teen show first and foremost

MIRI: Ahhh, it’s the sidelining that bugs you. That’s a good point

Yeah, I’m with you there

CAROLINE: Although going back to costumes, Storm's costume here is pretty cool!

MIRI: The adults don’t have plots, with the sort of exception of Mystique

CAROLINE: Not as iconic as in TAS but a sleek update

MIRI: Yes! Basically Storm is always amazing looking

CAROLINE: I was pretty happy with all the designs

Kitty's collar was adorable

Jean's costume is MUCH more flattering than in TAS

MIRI: I have serious questions about Mystique’s little skull details around her waist

Yeah, Jean upgraded

Rogue’s goth outfits are obviously amazing

CAROLINE: I have serious questions about Mystique in this series

MIRI: YES, please ask them

I do too

How long did Mystique raise Rogue? Like, did she take 5-10 years off of being Magneto’s henchwoman? Was she a stay at home mom? did she have a day job?

CAROLINE: I guess mainly just: Does she need to be here?

Ahahah

Different lines of questioning

But those too!

MIRI: Let’s do yours first, because there’s no way to answer mine

CAROLINE: She just felt out of place to me

Not sure if it's a performance thing or what

MIRI: I like her as a betrayer for Rogue, and the danger being right there in the school in a way they couldn’t fight

I feel like it may have worked better if we’d watched the whole arc, but I may just be being generous in my recollections

CAROLINE: No that's super fair

I think she was just WAY too much of a cackling villain in the premiere

And I kind of tuned out

MIRI: The moments where she talked to shadow monster Magneto (which, what even??) did feel really out of place to me

CAROLINE: Again, I kind of just want it to be a low stakes (but high for the characters) high school show

MIRI: I wonder if it was a case of the writers wanting to do the big plotty arcs like Apocalypse but not knowing how to marry them with the high school problem of the week thing

CAROLINE: Without the mythology stuff

Yeah there's clashing creative impulses there for sure

MIRI: Yeah, I think you’re right

Honestly, I didn’t remember anything about magneto or Apocalypse in this series

Not a bit

But I could have described the scene where Jean is floating in the air surrounded by stuff and they all try to help her in perfect detail

CAROLINE: Totally

MIRI: They definitely did a much better job with the teen stuff, you’re right

CAROLINE: Secretly I don't care about plot at all

I just want character moments

That's how I feel about TAS too

I don't remember storylines but I remember Storm's claustrophobia.

MIRI: I didn’t know she was claustrophobic

That’s so relatable

I love it

CAROLINE: Yes! It's SUCH a great character detail

She's an all-powerful goddess

But also has a completely relatable fear

I think there's an episode where a building collapses and she's trapped in rubble

MIRI: Also it makes total sense because her powers would not help at all

CAROLINE: I remember finding that SO compelling as a kid

MIRI: Ahhhhh that is a nightmare to me

(I actually am claustrophobic)

CAROLINE: I always relate to characters way more through their weaknesses than their strengths

YOU ARE STORM

MIRI: I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO FLATTERED

M: Look at Storm, living her best life, raising some plants, being an inspiration

K: One of the great sorrows of the movie rights separation of the X-Men from the MCU is that we may never see Storm as the Black Panther’s One Who Got Away (or, well, The One His Marriage to Whom He Annulled Because an X-Man Flooded the Capital of Wakanda While Possessed by a Fragment of the Phoenix Force)

M: I have a lot of questions

Actually that’s a lie: I was once told that I looked like the female leader of an otherwise male motor cycle gang

CAROLINE: Ha!

MIRI: And while it’s utterly untrue and ridiculous, I hold that compliment close to my heart to this day

CAROLINE: As you should!

MIRI: I look like a preschool teacher more than anything else, but I want to look like a motor cycle gang leader

At least the tv version of one

CAROLINE: You can be both

MIRI: Thank you ❤️

CAROLINE: Preschoolers are just a mini motorcycle gang

MIRI: that is SO true

Ok, one more episode that I do want to talk about specifically--the Rogue one, aka “Self Possessed”

I like that this storyline totally follows the same early beats as “Power Surge” and they have zero shame about it. They even show flashes of scenes from “Power Surge” in the cold open

CAROLINE: And I enjoyed both episodes!

MIRI: Same!

I’m also really impressed on an animation front--all of these transformations must have been a job and a half

CAROLINE: The Evolutions animation style is just so much more pleasing to watch

MIRI: Yeah, I’m way more into this one visual

CAROLINE: Even as I can appreciate the detail of TAA

MIRI: *visually

CAROLINE: *TAS

I do think "Self Possessed" gets a little style over substance at the end though

As I think Evolutions often does

MIRI: Yeah, it’s that light on story, heavy on Coolness thing again

CAROLINE: Yeah they could've crammed a lot more story in there I think

As TAS makes clear, even separate from the multi-episode structure

MIRI: The amount of story they did have definitely could have happened in 12 minutes or so

Made super clear by the way they reused clips--we only watched 3 other episodes, and we’d already seen several chunks of this episode

Also, I really can’t tell if Sabertooth has plot lines or if he just shows up to cause some indiscriminate violence whenever they need it

CAROLINE: I feel like that's what Sabertooth is best at

MIRI: I know that’s not super relevant in this episode, but it reminded me of it

That’s fair

Also, he seems to be Wolverine’s dad in this iteration??

CAROLINE: I love how drastically storylines can change between iterations

MIRI: Or maybe it was brother, which is what I think they are in other versions. I don’t know.

K: Just in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which was so bad that the Days of Future Past movie retconned most of it out of existence.

M: I may have read the graphic novelization prequel to the Wolverine origins movie.

Yeah, same toys in drastically different sandboxes

Oh, on that score--Can Mystique transform into animals in other iterations?

CAROLINE: Ooh good question!

I'm not sure

K: Not originally, but I haven’t gone through all the alternate reality versions

MIRI: It was very cool but also kind of felt like cheating to me

CAROLINE: She changes into a statue in the first live action movie

So there's that

MIRI: Ohhh, the mini state of liberty? Am I remembering that right?

CAROLINE: Yes!

MIRI: Hmmmmmm, but did she actually change to statue, or just to be a woman who looks like a statue?

Either way it’s very cool

CAROLINE: Very

Okay so I think my thesis here is that TAS and Evolutions are different in intention and flawed in different ways, but they're both GREAT with characters in their own ways.

MIRI: Agreed!

For all “Self Possessed” is story light, I do like the question of identity Rogue is always wrestling with in the face of multiple people in her head

That’s very high school/human

CAROLINE: For sure! And they do cool stuff with that in the movies as well

Kind of

MIRI: Yeah, especially the first one. Then they move more into how do I be myself when I’m so limited in how I can touch people and express myself to the world

Which is also cool and important

CAROLINE: God, X-Men are just the best

I love sci-fi as metaphor

Or superheroes as metaphor

MIRI: Me too

Honestly, one of my least favorite things about the MCU and now the DCEU is that superheroes are so Adult now

Because the exploration of it all as metaphor for teenage things is so right to me

But obviously that’s not all they can/should be used for!

Look at the government business in the beginning of the first Xmen movie

CAROLINE: X-Men as a franchise is truly always relevant

In so many ways

MIRI: That’s such solid use of sci fi as 1:1 metaphor for real life. And it’s done SO well

I really just love the Xmen franchise a lot

CAROLINE: I must say, there's one area in which TAS is CLEARLY superior to every other X-Men iteration

And that's the THEME SONG

MIRI: hahahahahahhaha

CAROLINE: Maybe the best superhero theme song ever

K: So good that this fan-made alternate title sequence for X-Men: First Class riffs on it in a cool-yet-unsettling way. (But my favorite superhero theme is probably Shirley Walker’s Danny Elfman-based Batman theme for the 90s-early 2000s DC cartoons.)

MIRI: BUT you must admit that the individual stylings of the names in the Evolution credits are delightful

CAROLINE: Sure sure. But it has nothing on that music

MIRI: Also the fact that the “credits” have their mutant names, not character names or actors’

CAROLINE: Which I was truly jamming out to while watching these eps

MIRI: Yes, the TAS music is better

CAROLINE: I had the same thought!

About the names

It's adorable

MIRI: Yes!

CAROLINE: And genuinely helpful for new viewers

MIRI: I am utterly mindblown that the two shows were so close together chronologically, because they’re so stylistically different

On every front

CAROLINE: The 90s to early 2000s was a surprisingly big shift

MIRI: TAS ran from 92-97, and Exolution was 2000-2003

(I saw that typo and left it in because I love it)

CAROLINE: And I think both series are REALLY tethered to the eras in which they were released

MIRI: Yeah, they 97 to 2000 jump sounds short, but it looks like TAS stayed very true to itself, so it’s really a difference  between a show started in 92 and one started in 2000, which is much more different

CAROLINE: Agreed

MIRI: Honestly I thought TAS was 80s at first

CAROLINE: It very much feels like that

Again because I think it was so influenced by the comics

MIRI: Whereas Evolution is so self consciously “current”

CAROLINE: And pulls almost entirely from that aesthetic

MIRI: Like, Scott has his stupid sunglasses

Which are so early 2000s and so clearly too flimsy for their intended purpose

CAROLINE: Ha! Totally

Okay: Have we reach any grand X-conclusions here?

MIRI: We seem to mostly think that all X-iterations are good X-iterations

Which may not be earth shattering, but I think is a good thing to explore

They’re trying to do very different things and mostly succeeding

CAROLINE: And that X-Men are a flexible enough idea to handle many different concepts

MIRI: Also, media creators should trust their audiences more than they usually do

CAROLINE: Which I suppose is why they were invented in the first place!

MIRI: Which is true both in TAS and Evolutions, but in different ways!

True!

Basically, it’s a great franchise and should be in everyone’s top 3 at the very least

CAROLINE: There's something for everyone in X-Men!

K: I have a special fondness for Colossus, whom I always played in the old arcade game, and who is the best part of Deadpool. Something something afraid of vulnerability something...

MIRI: What surprised you the most upon rewatch of each?

CAROLINE: Probably the depth of the character drama in both actually

MIRI: Yeah, I would have to agree there. That and how much I loved TAS Rogue. All Rogues are good Rogues, apparently

CAROLINE: #RogueForever

#BlastedSalami

MIRI: Oh, I meant to ask you--why is Jean Grey your favorite character?

CAROLINE: I really love female characters who are super powerful but also afraid and uncertain about their powers

Going back to the "flaws are relatable" thing

And I love that she's fundamentally good

Which I think some people dismiss as "boring"

But which I really love in superheroes

MIRI: That makes total sense and I think I have not given Jean Grey her due in the past

CAROLINE: She's a very easy character to overlook I think

MIRI: I’ve never been anti Jean, just never thought about her that much

Exactly

Well then I’m glad we got some good Jean focus in here!

CAROLINE: Also I feel like the male X-Men always get the most focus

MIRI: Ughhhhhhh so true

CAROLINE: So I'm glad we took a different approach

Rogue and Jean forever!

MIRI: Rogue and Jean forever!!!

CAROLINE: Separately or together

Thanks so much to Caroline for joining us! Remember to follow her on Twitter, and if you feel like it, us too.

X-Men: Evolution is streaming on Hulu.

Of course, we couldn’t leave you without the very early-aughts opening titles:

Plus, the entirety of Bayville Sirens musical superhero suit-up sequence. Please watch it, because life is hard and you deserve good things:

[vrmbles12]

Total Drama First Generation Cast Ranking

My Choice- I’m just using seasons 1-3. I haven’t re-watched 5 since it aired, but I don’t think it affected these standings. Ridonculous Race didn’t affect these either

1- Duncan- Duncan has been my love since episode one. So he was definitely getting a top three spot. We got so much characterization from him though, making the merge every season. Of course characterization is how I like you or not. Plus I just loved his bad boy but secretly good side, it was a fun line to see throughout the seasons.

2- Noah- I love his sarcasm. He’s been my favorite for about five years or so, whenever I started becoming really sarcastic.

3- Lindsay- Honestly, I’ve been re-watching and really love Lindsay. I wanted to bump her up higher, but I love the other two as well but for longer. Though just saying that Lindsay could honestly have made a contest for number 1 (Sorry Noah you were either 2 or 3), if I hadn’t loved Duncan since episode 1. Her TDI elimination deserves it’s own spot.

4- Heather- If you asked me to make this in 2008, now way would Heather have been anywhere but the bottom. Season 3 though with the introduction of Al made it so you wanted Heather to win, at least for me to win. As I rewatch the first season, I do have to respect her playing the game for all the times except for Lindsay’s elimination, because as Duncan said “that’s cold”. I do like her manipulation tactics in the game.

5- Gwen- Gwen I always felt was the sane character of TDI when she was first introduced. Which to childhood me, was not what i thought of for goths. I thought of them as scary (like everyone’s reaction to Ennui and Crimson’s outfits in the air guitar challenge from RR). She just seemed like an honest, relateable character.

6- Al- Al is like Justin 2.0. I felt like Justin disappointed me as a villain (more in his section), but Al improved. Al was able to take his looks and his words to turn himself into a threat. He also knew how to play the game as well as Heather, if not better. He made me start to cheer for Heather, something I used to think impossible. At the same time, I was cheering for him. What can I say, he did his job good.

7- Owen- I loved Owen as the comedic relief. Though sometimes I thought the fart jokes were over used, he provided some other great examples, like Mr. Coconut (The real number one of this list. I forgot to add him and renumbering is too much work). Like Gwen, he seemed like a relateable guy that you might hang out with in real life. I mean I love Duncan, but he’s not the kind you’d hang out with. Owen you would. I also loved to see him in all of the alliances or friendships he had.

8- Cody- I loved Cody season three. He turned into someone I came to love that I was rather indifferent towards earlier. After Duncan got eliminated, I wanted him to be the winner. He’s just a fun, awkward, dork, and who doesn’t love someone like that?

9- Izzy- Can’t deny that Izzy was whack. That’s what made it fun to watch her. She started off as slightly crazy, and even season one had her as on hte RCMP list. I also really love how she was able to cheat the system to come back in season two by competing as E-Scope, not Izzy. My only problem was that you knew she was always going to be eliminated and come back, after the first season. She was never a competitor that I felt you honestly would think would win. She was fun to watch, but because of that fact, it limits her.

10- Leshawna- I loved Leshawna and Heather’s fights, mostly in season one. I felt like that was where they were the strongest. Throwing her off the cliff was great.

11- Geoff- Geoff was a bro, and not like the douchy frat-boy bro. He was the relateable one that you could probably be friends with. I don’t like him as much as the ones above, but he’s nice and relatable, so he’s got to be higher up.

12- Harold- Harold was someone I grew to like over re-runs. I used to like Courtney, so he was disliked for quite a while for eliminating her. I actually like that now, not because of my stance on Courtney. I liked that because it made Harold seem like he could have actually been a threat to others in the competition with doing that. Sadly he gets eliminated the next episode and doesn’t get a chance to act similar to this again. I would’ve loved to see a new direction of him to be an evil dork, but it wasn’t done.

13- Courtney- I know some people will hate this, but Courtney is my middle. She’s not here because I’m indifferent towards her. She’s here because sometimes I like her, like most of TDI, and other times she would get on my last nerve. I’d think about it for the week after the episode. She’s a character that I want to like when I see season one, but in the other seasons I start to lose that interest. So 13 was halfway since she’s either liked or my bottom.

14- DJ- DJ is a fine character. I liked seeing him in the guys’ alliance. Though I did get confused why he’d help or be okay with pulling pranks on Harold then later turned into the ultimate sweetheart. Like it almost seemed out of character, but it’s how it started. It could’ve worked if he saw Momma and she told him she was disappointed with him, thus why he turned more soft. But it sometimes seemed like that edge of him was gone. I mean you can pull a prank but be an over all nice person, but the 2&3 seasons didn’t want that to be for DJ.

15- Sierra- Sierra was an alright character. I mean I understand her obsession with tv characters, but sometimes it got annoying. Since she only appeared in episodes with Cody, we didn’t get much to see her without that. Yeah she’s a X generation basket weaver, but that’s not personality. I know 5 dealt with that more, but I’m not including that here. She’s also middle because she only got one season of the original three to develop her. If she had more, she might have moved positions.

16- Tyler- I loved him with Lindsay, or the time before when he tried to flirt with her. Dumb jock who was a comedic relief when he got the pain. I just felt like he got sent home so early in season 1, and didn’t compete in 2 that it limited his character. He got to grow in 4, but he didn’t get enough.

17-  Bridgette- Bridgette I used to really like when I first watched the series, mostly in the time of season one. I lost that attraction as time went on and never gained it back. I don’t hate Bridgette, I’m just not necessarily a fan of hers. She’s nice, but eh, I don’t feel her.

18- Trent- I used to love Trent, especially season one. Well until that Heather kiss. Yes Heather kisses him, but he melds in, no rejection. Had he pushed her away I would’ve liked him longer. I loved that ship as a child. Also season two I didn’t like the whole number nine thing. I think it would’ve been cool if it was executed better. You first see Trent’s obsession and he’s eliminated the next episode later. I felt like it was thrown in last second as a reason to get rid of him. Good idea, execution not so much. Also the fact that he wasn’t cool with Gwen and Duncan being friends. Like yeah I know that was a jump from last season, but that was only two days after the last special. Clearly you would’ve all been at playa des losers, and seen it grow. (You the longest since you were the first eliminated out of the three). Like there wasn’t really much space for them to hide and start anything without you or the cameras. Plus in a house of 22 teens, no one would’ve seen anything (Looking to Tyler at season 3). Had Trent stayed calm like season 1, I would’ve liked him more. 

19- Zeke- Zeke I don’t necessarily like. As himself he’s pretty neutral. Yeah I didn’t appreciate the sexist comment, but you do see him realize his mistake by the episode between seasons 1 and 2. He can agree to not be sexist to be part of a team. So he does get growth. Obviously he’s always eliminated first episode so not much characterization is given to him so he can’t be high. I just liked the transformation he got as a fun thing to watch. It brought in fun to the series. 

20- Beth- I don’t really have anything for or against Beth. She’s not my favorite but is in no way a bad character. She’s here because everyone else I like more (well except when I don’t for Courtney), and basically everyone below I dislike. Just need some neutral ground here. She’s the bottom here for the ones I’m fine with but don’t hate because I’ve just never got into liking her. Not like dislike form of not liking, I just don’t necessarily care for her one way or another.

21- Eva- Eva actually seems like she could have been a fun character to watch. Never someone I’d probably like, but her anger was fun to watch. Only problem was she basically never appeared in the series, and all she was only ever angry. Katie and Sadie could be dumb but have a fight, but Eva didn’t get the chance. She had potential and didn’t annoy me so she’s up here.

22- Katie- Katie and Sadie are two characters that pretty much equally annoy me. They were tolerable for like the two seconds they were introduced or whatever but not really otherwise. Katie is ranked higher only because from one of the later episodes when she calls Sadie too fat for the bus, it made me laugh. Just gave me one line to like her more so she’s just so slightly higher.

23- Justin- I just never felt anything with Justin except annoyance. I mean season one he doesn’t speak and is a theme song and was tolerable for not lasting long, but season 2 I just remember being annoyed by him. He was someone I was open to liking, but it came off to annoy me. Only because of Katie’s one line making me laugh, thus a moment of not annoyance is why she’s higher.

24- Sadie- Sadie along with Katie, are just frankly annoying and irritating. Sadie had more screen time and failed to impress me in any way, shape, or form.

25- Blaineley- Blaineley’s here because she wasn’t on the show that long. She’s appeared in ten episodes on the series and only spoken in six. Only two of these was she a contestant. I live in America, where we never saw the aftermaths (You had to know they were online and I didn’t. Never saw in reference to being on tv.) So her speaking lines for me were shorter. I just felt like with Celebrity Manhunt she was boring, and I only got two more speaking episodes from her. She didn’t wow me with her words enough to be higher because she didn’t have much of a character, though more than Justin in TDI.

[michael-langdon-appreciation]

Honey give us prt 5 plz

Honey...here it is. Part 5 everyone!!! 

WARNING: Features some sad content, a little fluff and a little smut! You’ve all be warned... 🙈 I’m SORRY BUT IT HAD TO HAPPEN! Also will be making this into a masterlist or something soon so LOOK OUT FOR IT! 😘💕

Michael could feel something was horribly wrong upon arriving home. He had never returned home to find Y/N missing. What life did she have but him? No friends, cut off from Jim and Duncan, he was her life force and Michael was proud to hold the leash tight. His feet carry him straight into her room, the bedroom neat apart from one earring dropped onto the carpet. Michael picks it up, holding the little drop earring up to the light. It’s one Duncan bought her, a pretty little drop. 

The memory assaults Michael at once, Y/N above him sliding down on his cock as those earrings wave back and forth with every thrust. Jim’s fingers trailing up Michael’s chest as drags Michael in for a kiss. He can practically hear Y/N singing for him while Duncan pounds on the door from outside, desperate to join in. 

Happy times. 

Simpler times. 

The urge hits him, the earring getting warmer in Michael’s hand the longer he holds it. Just a simple spell, child’s play to him and he’d know exactly where Y/N is. Divination, one of his earliest masteries. But no, Michael won’t do that to her. He slides the earring into his pocket and heads for his usual vice, a giant glass of red wine. He pours it, tying his hair into a bun and unbuttoning his shirt. Michael leans on the countertop, taking measured gulps as he checks his emails. 

Cooperative bullshit, a text from Dominos that should have been for Duncan really. He pushes his phone away, unable to think about Duncan. He drains the wine glass and pours another immediately. Michael’s sure that tonight he’ll finish the bottle and he’s half-way through his second glass when a faint buzzing catches his attention. It’s coming from the hallway, Michael investigating with all the grace of a panther. 

Y/N’s handbag, the one she uses most days sits on the mantlepiece in the entryway, next to the vase that holds their keys. Michael had been so disturbed upon entering that he didn’t even notice it. He fishes inside, retrieving Y/N’s phone which is vibrating in his hand.

Ice slides into his heart as Michael stares at the Caller ID - ‘Beach Boy’, Jim. 

He’s been so good. Michael’s resistance has been iron-clad. He hasn’t read a single message from either Jim or Duncan and he knows that Y/N hasn’t either… But calls, he didn’t even think about her secretly calling Jim at night. When he’s asleep or out of the house. Michael knows that neither Jim nor Duncan have been inside the house. He’d know in a second if they had, but what has Y/N been filling her time with? Sexting Duncan, his Duncan? Planning her future with Jim, a future without him?

He sees red, nearly crushing the phone in his hand and before he can gain any self control Michael’s typing in her password and re-dialing the last number. It picks up almost immediately, ‘Listen to me you little fucker-’

‘Michael?’ 

He blinks, taken aback by the voice on the other end. ‘Medina?’

‘Oh thank God. You need to get Y/N now, she’s with you right? You live together?’

And suddenly the feeling makes sense. It wasn’t Y/N, Michael was feeling at all. Jim’s presence still wafts through the air, vibrant and hollow. Michael swallows, ‘He’s not okay, is he?’

Medina’s clearly been crying, ‘He’s in hospital, Michael. I found him in the bathroom, he hit his head on the sink. There was blood everywhere, choking on his own vomit. I…Y/N’s his emergency contact and I had to let her know cause she’s all Jim’s been talking about.’

‘I don’t know where she is.’ The fear grips his voice, ‘She’s been out all day.’ 

‘You need to come now, Michael.’ Medina says, ‘Find her however you can. I…I don’t know if Jim’s gonna make it past this one. There were pills everywhere.’ 

‘I’m on my way.’ 

He ends the call, already feeling faint. The world is tilting on it’s axis, because Jim’s in serious trouble and Y/N’s missing and Michael doesn’t know how the fuck he can help or why it’s always left to him to clean up everyone’s mess. His hand retrieves the earring, turning it over in his fingers. Michael’s eyes slide shut as he focuses. 

It’s not an invasion of privacy…not when it’s life or death. 

When Jim comes around there’s a figure slumped in the chair and a weight on the bed. An IV sticks out of his arm and Jim can hear the ever-present beep from the heart monitor. His heart thumps as he takes in the two figures, but it’s too dark to make out much. He reaches out, his fingers running through their hair, ‘Y/N?’

They lift their head and then scramble for the light switch, ‘Jim?’

It’s Medina. 

Disappointment sits on his tongue, like when you swallow sea water. He opens his mouth to ask when golden curls come into view, ‘Michael?’

The Antichrist looks reserved, hands behind his back but Jim knows better. He hasn’t slept, there’s dark circles under his eyes. For the first time, Michael Langdon looks unwell, sickly. Jim never wants to see it again. 

‘I tried to reach Y/N and he picked up.’

‘Did he?’ Jim pushes down his retort, that no one should be answering Y/N’s phone but Y/N.

‘He’s done more for you in two hours than any of the staff.’ Medina continues, pushing Jim’s hair off his forehead. ‘Healed your forehead and made sure the drugs left your system, his knowledge of medicine is…wow.’

‘Isn’t it just?’ Jim’s eyes are still on Michael who eyes him hard enough for Jim to get the message, Medina has no idea who he really is. 

‘He’s…amazing.’ Medina praises, throwing Michael her kindest smile. Jim’s mouth drops a little. Medina, his sister who snarks and judges everyone likes the Antichrist. Not that she has any idea who Michael really is. 

‘Harvard.’ Jim supplies, ‘Top of his class.’

Medina nods, squeezing the back of Jim’s hand. She looks to Michael and then to Jim and picks up on the atmosphere instantly, ‘I’ll let you both…talk.’

Michael takes her place sitting on the edge of Jim’s bed. The moment Medina’s out of the room, Jim’s hand flies across his cheek. 

The sound echoes off the room, as does his yelp of pain, ‘What the fuck?’

Michael hasn’t moved an inch, his eyes glowing with pleasure, ’You deserved that.’ 

‘I’m in hospital, you prick.’

‘Of your own doing.’

Jim’s speechless, ‘Fuck you!’

He remains as stoic as ever. Then Michael’s fingers reach out, trailing over Jim’s legs. He can feel the warmth from under the blanket and Jim finds himself fighting off a blush with a hard cough, ‘Stop it.’

’I thought you were past this.’ Michael’s fingers trail up to Jim’s shoulder, ‘Why would you do this?’

Jim swallows. There is no way he is going to admit the truth to Michael, that it was just simpler. That ODing meant that they had to speak with him again, if he hit that balance just right so he’d wind up in hospital. If he could see Y/N again, speak with her, touch her. 

‘I missed you.’ His words have more truth behind him than he thought, ‘All of you.’

Michael doesn’t catch his meaning. His fingers play with the thin hospital gown Jim wears, ‘We missed you too, dumbass.’ Michael won’t look at him though, ‘Y/N especially. It was so hard for her to ignore your calls, your messages.’

Hope ignites inside Jim, catching onto him as if his insides were made of oil. 

‘Are Y/N and Duncan coming?’

Michael looks to the door, ‘Yeah.’

Jim frowns, Michael-eloquent-Langdon being so casual is a rarity. ‘When?’

‘Soon.’ 

Jim’ll take it, because he has nothing else left. His fingers remove Michael’s from his hospital gown, starkly aware that he’s naked underneath it. The stray thought shows on Michael’s face and Jim looks away, unable to watch the smirk dawning on Michael’s face. But neither of them let go of their intertwined hands. 

Duncan hasn’t let go of Y/N’s hand. Not during the phone call, the taxi ride, not even as they storm through the hospital. All it takes is a fat wad of bills and Jim is upgraded to a private suite in the hospital with as many visitors as he desires. Not ethical, not fair but Duncan Shepherd has never done fair before. 

Y/N’s a mess, her cheeks crusted with dry mascara and eyes that look like two massive bruises. Her make-up’s run together from wiping at her eyes and she won’t accept any of Duncan’s tissues. Her sole focus is on Jim Mason, on finding him. Y/N drags Duncan through corridor after corridor till they find Medina waiting outside. She knows who they are, or at least who Y/N is. Intelligence so fierce sparkles in her eyes and Duncan is instantly transported to Annette and how she looks at him with that eagle eyed glare. 

‘You’re Y/N?’ Medina asks, standing at once. She takes in the state Y/N’s in, ‘Jim uh…he has a picture of you two as his background, on his phone.’ 

Duncan bites down hard on his lip, hard enough that he can taste blood.

Of Y/N, not him.

‘Is he…okay?’

Medina nods, ‘He’s gonna be fine.’

Duncan’s hand finds Y/N’s back, ‘Go in.’ He encourages, ‘I…I should wait.’

Y/N takes his hand, ‘Wait?’

‘After…everything.’

Understanding dawns on her. Y/N pulls him closer as if she’s considering something, but her eyes slide to Medina and then she’s gone, disappearing into Jim’s room. 

Duncan’s eyes fall to the two of plastic chairs sat just outside Jim’s room. Medina kicks her legs about, avoiding eye contact with him for a while. ‘So who are you?’

He wants to tell her. That he loves her brother so fucking much and how he fucking ran to hail a taxi on hearing the news. Duncan plasters a smile on his face, ‘Just a friend.’

Medina nods and Duncan thinks he’s got away with it, but then Medina cocks her head to the side. ‘A friend like Michael is?’ She laughs a hollow, low sound. ‘You clear don’t have siblings. Never-mind a twin.’ 

It’s the first time he’s let himself smile since news came. They fall into silence, Duncan staring at the door to Jim’s room while his mind races through today. Meeting with Y/N, taking her and how fucking incredible it felt to be completely encased in her again. Draining the champagne together while they both lay, languid and saited in each others arms. God, it was like the cheesiest romance movie. Until Michael’s call came, shattering Duncan’s perfect illusion and bringing them crashing to earth. 

Jim, overdosed, in hospital.

He’d nearly abandoned Y/N all together in his frenzy to dress, grab his wallet, phone. His mind was only on getting to UCLA Medical as quick as he could, forgetting the young woman crying on the bed. Duncan had been forced to dress her, Y/N beside herself as she spluttered her thoughts out to both of them. He’d fought back his own tears in the taxi and Duncan closes his eyes to stop them from spilling forth now.

Why had he left? Why had been so prideful? Why had he ever thought sleeping with Y/N was a good idea?

Because you missed her. His conscience has been nagging him constantly, You wanted her, to be the one to get her back. To claim her. To rub it in Jim’s face.

It’s sick, it’s so fucking cruel of him to tangle his heart with Y/N’s again. No, he hadn’t expected those feelings to slam into him again, to look down at her and have missed her warm body against his, how she smiled up at him and made Duncan forget he wasn’t wanted by his family. That he was the black sheep, the outcast. With Y/N he was just Duncan, accepted. 

When he looks up, Medina’s gone and Duncan can finally wipe away the tears that are threatening to fall. He takes his time, rubbing his eyes till they’re raw and little stars dance across his vision. Duncan knows what to expect when he’s looking up, so he stands and brushes his coat down and looks up into the eyes of Michael Langdon. 

You cradle Jim’s face in your hands, ‘Hi, Jimmy.’

He cracks a smile, ‘You came.’

‘Of course I did.’ Your thumbs stroke his cheeks, ‘Jim, you stupid stupid boy.’

‘M sorry.’ Jim’s eyes burn into yours, ‘I just….’

‘What?’

‘Didn’t see anything left for me.’ He confesses, ‘No reason to go on.’

You slide your hand down to rest on Jim’s heart, ‘Never, ever think that.’ 

Jim’s hand hovers over yours, ‘I’m so sorry I took you away.’ He says, ‘I panicked when I saw those plans…when Duncan-’

You hush him, not wanting Jim to work himself up again, ‘I know.’

’Now I’ve lost you.’ Jim mumbles, ‘All of you, maybe.’ You can’t bear the thought of it, of Jim ending his life because he thought no one loved him. A couple tears escape, dripping down your cheeks ’Don’t cry.’ He says, wiping them away. ‘You’re here now.’ 

‘You haven’t lost us.’ You reaffirm, ‘Duncan was trying not to cry in the taxi and Michael…well, he was the first person here.’

‘Where were you? Why didn’t you answer?’

You can’t tell him…can you? It would ruin him. You can see it in the way Jim leans forwards into your touch, the light back in his eyes. He looks at your as if you’re the sun, beaming and showering him in your warmth, ‘I was with Duncan.’ The admission falls out because you can’t hold back the truth. You can’t lie to Jim, the boy who was so scared to lose you he stole you, kicking off this entire fiasco. 

The life died in Jim’s eyes, ‘With Duncan.’

You tell him everything, the hours spent curled up and wan in Duncan’s arms flowing like a river from your lips. Jim listens to everything, silent and with a face of stone, ‘He fucked you.’

‘Mutual, uh…fucking.’ You correct, ‘It was never meant to happen like that.’

Jim considers you, his eyes roving from your eyes to how you’ve clenched your hands together, ‘Do you love him?’

You flex your hands, staring at your fingernails, ‘I don’t know.’

‘You used to.’

‘I love you all.’ You admit, ‘But I don’t think I should.’

‘Why?’

‘Because it’s not right.’

Your vision blurs with tears. Guilt eats away at you, ‘I’m so sorry, Jim.’ 

‘You don’t want the three of us?’ He summarises, ‘You want to start over? Fresh?’

‘No!’ You don’t think about it, you reach over and peck Jim’s lips. ‘I’ve only ever wanted things to be like how they were before.’ 

There’s a thud from the doorway that has you jump. Jim too glances over, ‘Well, at least I got us all together.’

You can’t help a chuckle, ‘You did that.’

‘Redeemed myself.’

Jim leans up, pushing his soft lips back onto yours. This time you pull away, ‘I can’t do that again, I’m living with Michael.’

‘Do that mean you two are off-’

‘No.’ You say quickly, ‘We haven’t done anything at all.’

It’s music to Jim’s ears, ‘Nothing?’

‘No, we’ve waited.’ 

Jim’s head falls to the side, ’And Duncan?’

You grimace, ’I’m sure he just did it to get back at you.’ It’s been floating round your head for a while, the elaborate set-up. Why Duncan would choose to woo you over Michael, why he would risk the Antichrist’s wrath. 

Jim’s persistent though, pushing himself up the bed and letting his fingers run up your arm, ‘Then what’s stopping us?’

You shudder under the oh so familiar touch, ‘Michael. I can’t hurt him anymore.’ Jim’s lips find your collarbone, his teeth rolling over the skin as he suckles it, ‘Jim. Stop.’

‘They don’t have to know.’

You feel a chill enter your bones, ‘No.’

Jim’s tongue slides all over your exposed skin, ‘I’ve wanted you for so long. Hungered after you, craved you.’

‘You’re not well.’ You excuse, ‘There’s still medicine in you probably, Jim. I can’t.’

Jim’s fingers dig into your arms, ‘You’re not leaving me again.’

Your mouth drops open a little, ‘I didn’t want to-’ But there’s a storm in Jim’s blue eyes, something dark. Something you’ve never seen directed at you, in fact the only time it’s ever been present is when Jim outed Duncan. 

Jim’s kisses remain feather-light, dropping down your arm to kiss your hand, then he starts on the other side. You let him, caught up in this Jim, the boy you haven’t seen before lurking underneath. ‘What are you doing?’

His teeth sink down, deep into your neck and the gasp that leaves you is high, the pain making your legs shake on the bed, ’Claiming what’s rightfully mine.’ When he breaks away, the skin on your neck is already beginning to bruise. The hickey is in plain sight, for all to see. There’s no hiding it, not from Duncan or from Michael. 

It’s exactly what Jim wanted. 

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