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shwazzberryswriting · 3 years

Text

Improvising

Pairing: Hendery x Original Female Character|Reader

Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Romantic Comedy, Friends to Lovers

Summary: Hendery and his comedy improv partner attend a wedding together

Word count: 6.2k+

Rating/Warnings: Mature / Explicit Sexual Content; Smut, Kissing, Nipple Play, Nipple Licking, Creampie, Vaginal Fingering, Penis in Vagina Sex

*Part 8 of my "The NCT Frat House Series"*

Author’s Note: Knowing that Hendery was going to pursue comedy before changing career paths to become an idol, I was inspired to write a romantic comedy for my favorite Disney Prince (I mean, "romcom" my version comes with a lot more smut than most romcoms). Apologies in advance for any errors, I proofread and try my best to catch errors, but I don't always catch everything.

GIF Credit: wkhs-archive

“Is this seat taken?” Zoe looked to her left to see a familiar handsome face staring at her. His sharp cheekbones were highlighted well under the dim lighting of the table at the end of the banquet.

“It’s for my purse,” she replied, setting her pink silk clutch onto the white chair to her left. His dark eyebrows furrowed as he gave a sigh, the intensity from his brown eyes was letting her know he was frustrated.

“Surely, you can afford to give up your purse’s seat for me?” he asked, resting his hand on the back of her chair.

“The seat to my right is free,” she replied, resting her arms onto her knees, slumping over, averting his gaze.

“But what of the one to your left?”

“It’s for my purse.”

“Come on, you can’t repeat the same phrase,” Hendery said with a sigh, dropping his character. He picked up her clutch and sat down in the chair they’d been arguing over.

“Can we leave?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She sat up straight, resting against her chair, the cheap polyester from the seat cover itching her back. “We’ve spent two hours doing improv. You’re not tired of it?”

“Are you kidding me?” he said with a wide grin. “This place is a goldmine for situation ideas. When will we get an opportunity to try this out at an actual wedding?”

“It feels like relatives from both of my parents’ sides are throwing a wedding every 3 weeks,” she replied. “It’s not that special.”

“But this is the only one you’ve shown up to,” he reminded her. “So let’s take advantage of it. I wanted to go to the bar to try out a scene.”

“Let’s wait until my uncle Luis is done heckling the bartender first,” she said, throwing her hand up to touch his arm and stop him from moving. Uncle Luis was eager to catch the NBA Finals but the bartender couldn’t find the remote to the TV.

“He’s a character,” Hendery said with an amused tone. She looked over to see his eyes focused on the bar at the north end of the banquet, his mouth hanging open with a smile. “He seems sort of shady. Man’s got 3 smartphones and a flip phone. What purpose does each phone serve?”

“I try to know as little about my family as possible,” she replied. “Do you want to do our final scene?”

“Final? You want to leave after just one more improv run?”

“Everyone keeps wanting to talk to me about you,” she replied, giving a heavy, tired sigh. “What’s going to happen when I start getting invitations to do couple things with my cousins and their significant others?”

“New improv opportunities,” he replied, his eyes growing big for a few seconds.

“No,” she shot the idea down. She’d already regretted bringing him to her cousin’s wedding as her date. “What would I get out of our relationship?”

“The security of not having your aunts and cousins asking you if you’re still single.”

He had to keep reminding her why she brought him along to the unavoidable wedding of her second cousin. Her mom was obsessed with Emmy’s wedding. Zoe and Emmy were born 3 months apart, so they were used as a means for their mothers to compete against each other. It had been that way for as long as Zoe could remember.

Her mom had bribed her with $1000 to attend the wedding, so that she could compare notes for her own future wedding. It was one of those things where Zoe’s mom was more invested than she was. All she could do was put up with it in begrudging defeat.

Having a fake boyfriend was entirely Zoe’s idea. Even her mom thought that Hendery was her boyfriend. When the money was transferred to her bank account, she’d gotten a text from Emmy, stating how excited she was to see that Zoe had finally RSVP. She immediately followed it up with the dreaded, “So are you seeing anyone?”

Emmy was getting married. Zoe’s last boyfriend had been a 1 week fling during a bout of FOMO around Valentine’s Day just a few months ago. The fact that she was only 3 months younger than Emmy set Zoe off into a crisis.

Her insecurities got to the best of her, and she turned to her improv partner for advice. Hendery didn’t seem as interested in the money as he was in getting an opportunity to try out his comedy ideas. He had suggested they use the wedding as a place to try out some improv exercises together, and once the idea struck he was convinced it was a brilliant idea. What Zoe hadn’t anticipated was for her family to fall over each other to meet Hendery.

“Let me get you a drink,” Hendery said as he stood and held out his free hand to her. His left hand was holding her clutch.

“My mom’s going to corner you and pressure you to propose to me,” she said as she took hold of his hand. “That’ll be the perfect way for her to upstage Auntie Fa on Emmy’s big day.”

“Zoe-Bell!” one of her cousins shouted as she threw her arms around both hers’ and Hendery’s necks, knocking her head against theirs. “Take a selfie with me, bitch! Your princely boyfriend looks so good in that white suit, babe! Where do you pick up such cute boys?”

“Hendery, I don’t think you’ve met my cousin, Jan,” Zoe said when Jan let her go. The blend of wine and tequila wafted into her nose as Jan laughed, throwing her arms around Zoe’s shoulders. “Jan this is Hendery.”

“Nice to meet you,” Hendery said as Jan rested her head onto Zoe’s shoulder and reached her hand over to tap Hendery on the cheek. He smiled politely at the affection. “I’m her boyfriend. And Zoe’s my…”

He turned to look at her expectantly. She felt her face turn hot.

“We’re dating,” she turned to Jan, raising a shoulder into a small shrug.

“Gosh, you’re so cute together,” Jan said with a chuckle. “Zoe, everyone’s calling Hendery a prince. Prince Hendery. Gosh, Hendery, even your name is princely.”

“Have you ever done improv?” Hendery asked, his hold on Zoe’s hand loosening.

“We’re about to leave,” Zoe said, her grip around Hendery’s hand tightened. He wasn’t going to make a comedy routine out of her drunk cousin teasing her. “I’ll catch up with you on Facebook, Jan.”

“You’re never even on there!” Jan shouted when Zoe had freed herself from Jan’s embrace.

“You don’t even go there to lurk?” Hendery asked as he threw his arm over her shoulder. “Look at us, we do look cute together.”

He stopped them as they stood next to the bar, their reflection staring back at them from the wall behind the bar. There was no denying that she looked comfortable in Hendery’s arm. His smile was sweet and kind, and when he wasn’t cracking jokes or pulling funny faces, he looked very handsome. Her body felt secure resting against his, too.

Hendery was perhaps the person she trusted most, and they were at a function in which she was related to roughly half the people at the wedding. They’d joined their university improv troupe “FEI” (an anagram for “Far East Improv”) at the same time during their sophomore year. They learned how comedy theatre operated together, becoming good friends through the years.

“Are you still on the model high?” she couldn’t help teasing, catching him tightening his jaw and tilting his head in the direction of the light from the lamp to their left.

Hendery had been a volunteer during the university’s Spring Fashion Week, doing a runway show for his friend, Ten. Despite giving Hendery shit for modeling like Zoolander, she couldn’t deny that Hendery knew how to serve good face on the catwalk and at photo shoots with his handsome features. She could tell he was enjoying himself at the wedding due to everyone complimenting his princely features and cute name.

“Take some pictures, and send it to Ten,” Hendery said as he let her go. He rested his back against the bar counter, throwing his hands into the front pockets of his pants. “He wants ideas for his Fall line.”

“I don’t know why I do these things,” she said, taking Hendery’s phone out from her clutch and taking half a dozen photos with slightly adjusted angles. “Good?”

“Thanks,” he said as she handed the phone to him. He seemed satisfied after a few moments, letting her put his phone back into her clutch. “What can I get you?”

“Cosmopolitan.”

“OK, Carrie Bradshaw.”

“I’m a Samantha.”

“No, you’re not. You’re definitely Carrie. You’re hiding your money problems in your shoe collection, and you were hung up on that dude in your History class, a total Mr. Big. I told you he wanted nothing more than-”

“-I should have never told you to watch that show with me,” she cut him off as she saw her Uncle Luis turn around slightly. She didn’t need her shady uncle to listen in on her personal struggles. During a small comedy tour with FEI their previous summer, Hendery and Zoe watched Sex and the City on her laptop together. It had been their number one pastime. “You’re a Miranda.”

“I’d be lucky to land myself a Steve,” he replied, handing her a pink Cosmopolitan. He drank his own Cosmopolitan. “This is like drinking candy.”

“How are you, Zoe?” Uncle Luis spoke up as he took out a thick, brown cigar wrapped up in clear plastic. He pulled out another one and offered it to Hendery. “You smoke, son?”

“Thanks,” Hendery said with a bright gleam in his eyes, taking the cigar and placing it in his mouth.

“You look like a cartoon character,” she said as she pulled the cigar out of his mouth and pushed it against the counter back to Uncle Luis. “Thanks, Uncle Luis but my mom would kill me if she found out that my boyfriend is a smoker. He doesn’t even smoke.”

“But I do like free things,” Hendery said, raising his eyebrows gently. She warned him with her eyes, opening them wide for a moment. It was not time for him to start up a routine. “Say, Uncle Luis, you think these coasters are free for us to bring home?”

“They’re cardboard, we can take as many as we want,” Zoe said, picking up a stack and shoving them into his jacket pocket. “Satisfied? You’ve got some.”

“What about this empty martini glass?” Hendery asked after draining the contents of his drink. “Zoe, surely these glasses are free? $10 for a drink? It’s because we’re purchasing the glasses, too.”

“It’s an open bar, you didn’t pay for shit,” she replied. Her eyes darted to Uncle Luis. He seemed to find their bickering typical, and boring, turning his attention back to the TV behind where the bartender stood. “Let’s go home.”

“Let me set your drink down,” he announced loudly, taking her drink from her hands.

“Don’t you dare-” she began frantically, reaching over to take the drink out of his hands, but Hendery’s hold loosened and the small bit of Cosmopolitan spilled out as the glass fell over Uncle Luis’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, sir!” Hendery shouted as the liquid landed right on Uncle Luis’s lap.

Uncle Luis threw his arm up in the air as he screamed, the contents from his tumbler flying straight into Hendery and Zoe’s faces. It was a mess as Hendery and Zoe shouted at the cold liquid hitting them like a Three Stooges routine. The guests nearby all turned around to look at the ruckus. Hendery took his jacket off and began dabbing Zoe’s face and hair with it.

She heard people calling out her name, but felt Hendery wrap his arm around her shoulders as he threw his jacket over her, as if she was a pop star hiding from the media. It was ridiculous and her face was hot as she heard more voices calling out to her, but she felt grateful as she heard Hendery speaking loudly. His hold around her made her feel safe once more.

“No, it’s OK, Jan!” Hendery said as she felt and heard Hendery opening a door. “Just tell Zoe’s mom we’re off to the restrooms to clean up! No, seriously, guys! We’re good.”

“Thanks,” she said softly as she removed Hendery’s jacket from over her head. “Ugh, of course Uncle Luis was drinking scotch. Come on.”

She led him toward the suite where the bridal team had prepared toward the back at the west end of the venue. The bathroom in the suite was guaranteed to be clean since guests were using the restrooms at the front of the banquet hall.

“Are we allowed to be in here?” Hendery asked when Zoe swiped her card to unlock the suite.

“My mom helped with the costuming for the performances,” she replied. “She asked me to put her makeup back into her bag earlier. Don’t worry, all the performances are over. People just want to drink and dance now. No one should be coming in here.”

“Sorry about what just happened,” he said, undoing his tie and slipping it off as she led them toward the back of the large suite. They had to walk their way around a maze of rumpled clothing, wigs, and beauty products. “I didn’t anticipate your uncle throwing his drink in our face.”

“It’s what we deserve,” she said, shutting the bathroom door behind her, flicking the bathroom lights on. “We made a joke out of this ceremony, so we became the biggest joke.”

He chuckled as he began to unbutton his dress shirt. She took off her necklace and earrings before turning to grab a pack of makeup wipes. They were relatively silent as they cleaned up. Hendery stepped aside and picked up a bath towel to dry off his face and arms as Zoe washed her face and neck in the sink.

“Leave it,” Hendery said as Zoe began to wash the collar of his dress shirt. It had been sitting on the counter beside her bath towel.

“Ten’s going to lose his shit,” she said as Hendery took the shirt from her hands and began rinsing the suds out. Ten had lent out some of his designs for them to wear to the wedding. She felt guilty that they managed to get both his suit and dress dirty.

“Don’t worry,” Hendery said with a reassuring grin. “Ten will see it as an opportunity to create a newer, better suit.”

He was wringing the water out of the shirt while she was trying to dry off the front of her top as she rested her back against the counter. The silk fabric clung to her skin and the pale pink color contrasted rather erotically against her cold, hard nipples. She tried her best to cover her front with the towel she was using, but her face was flushed with heat whether Hendery noticed or not. They froze and looked at each other as they heard voices in the suite and the familiar clicking of the heavy suite door opening and closing.

Zoe scanned around the bathroom, and saw some cardboard coasters sitting on the counter next to the soap dispenser. They’d fallen out of Hendery’s jacket when they’d tossed it onto the large countertop space. Tossing her towel aside, she grabbed a few of the coasters and began stuffing them in the cracks of the door.

“What are you doing?” Hendery hissed as he remained rooted beside the sink.

She hushed him as she rested her body against the bathroom door, quietly turning the lock. She pressed her ear to the door, and heard at least 3 different voices talking. Jan’s loud slurring was prominent. The voices were talking casually, and after a couple minutes she heard someone proclaim that they found Emmy’s purse before the voices became fainter. The resounding click of the suite door closing confirmed they were alone in the bathroom once more.

“I was scared someone would try to break the door down,” she said at last, turning away from the door. “I mean, who wants to use the dirty bathrooms out front?”

She jumped into his arms as they heard the suite door open. The same cousins were now singing a Lizzo song at the top of their lungs. Their voices rang into the bathroom in an odd echo. Hendery threw his arms around her body as he slipped down to sit on the toilet. He grunted as she pressed her body up against his, trying not to slip off his lap.

“-was hiding her stash in the blue wig!” a voice exclaimed when the singing stopped.

“Should we do this in my car?” another voice responded.

“Let me roll us a couple joints, and then we can head out to the parking lot,” a third voice replied.

Zoe rolled her eyes as she realized that her cousins were toking up. Hoping they’d be quick and not use the bathroom, she turned her head over to apologize to Hendery. His face looked tense, and his eyes were shut. She realized his whole body was rigid, and he was breathing very slowly.

“Hendery?” she whispered into his ear. “You OK?”

His legs began to tremble, making her bounce in his lap, and he shook his head.

“What’s wrong?” she asked softly into his ear, afraid that her stoner cousins could hear her hushed whispers.

His only response was a couple awkward head jerks she interpreted as him attempting to tell her that he was OK but in reality he wasn’t. Wanting to ask him what was hurting or upsetting him, she squeezed his arm before turning her head to look at the door. Her stoner cousins had started laughing and singing again. She wrinkled her nose as the stench of marijuana infiltrated the bathroom.

“Reminds me of the Motel 6 in Reno,” she couldn’t help whispering into his ear, wrapping her arms around his neck. His whole body shook slightly as a smile appeared, and he opened his eyes. He gave a quiet, dry guffaw, making her smile.

“That place was haunted, I prefer this,” he whispered into her ear as he placed a hand on her neck to bring her ear closer to his lips.

The sensation of his hand warming up her neck sent a shiver down her back. His breath tickling her ear caused her stomach to bubble with heat. Zoe realized that the hard thing pressing against her butt was his hardening cock, and she took a sharp inhale of breath.

She turned her head toward Hendery’s face and her lips almost collided into his as their foreheads touched. Shutting her eyes in surprise, she felt his breath hit the right side of her lips. They breathed heavily together, and she moved to press her lips against his.

His hand on her neck moved up to run into her hair, touching the back of her head. Their lips moved together as they kissed open mouthed. His saliva tasted sweet like fruit punch mixed in with a hint of vodka bitterness. She dove her tongue into his mouth to taste him better. The suite door slamming loudly made her jump. They broke their kiss and he groaned as his cock twitched against her ass.

Save for his twitching cock, they remained still as they listened for voices or noises of people moving. Her heart was beating quickly. At first, it was adrenaline from fear of being found in the suite bathroom. But when she felt Hendery’s lips on her neck, she rolled her eyes back as she shut her eyes. His warm lips on her neck, moving up to her jawline, sent hot blood rushing through her body, making her nipples ache as the heat contrasted with the cold, wet feel of her silk top.

“Don’t kiss me like that,” she breathed, her voice trembling. His body tensed as he froze, his lips leaving her cheek. “It turns me on too much.”

She gave a loud moan as she felt his lips on her neck, the heat he gave her body sent her into a blind lust as her whole body lit up in heat. His mouth sucked on her skin, and she felt a hand grope her breast. She raked a hand through his hair as he licked her neck. His lips found hers and she moaned into his mouth as his hand found its way under her top, his warm hand giving her cold breast goosebumps.

“I’m a pervert, I’m sorry,” he panted against her ear before sucking onto her earlobe for a second. “I’ve been staring at your tits all day.” She moaned as she felt his fingers squeeze her nipple before flicking it back and forth with the pad of his middle finger. “Why aren’t you wearing a bra? Such easy access.”

His finger pushed the thin pink strap off her left shoulder before it trailed down to push the fabric of her top down to reveal her breast. She gave a soft inhale of breath as his fingers fondled her nipple. She rested her hand on his wrist and their eyes locked as she gave a gentle nod of her head, letting him know that she enjoyed it. His cheeks were flushed, and she wondered if her cheeks were as pink as his.

“The neckline and back plunge down too much for a bra,” she replied, her groin so hot with heat she could feel her slick heat move around her core. She squeezed her thighs together, hoping to save her panties from getting wet.

“I thought you’d say it was to make sure my dick got no rest today,” he said before dipping down to lick her nipple. She moaned, and grabbed onto his hair with both of her hands.

“You are a pervert,” she said before moaning again. Hendery had grazed his teeth against her nipple before giving it a flat, wet lick.

“You’re so pretty,” he said as he rested his forehead against hers.

“Only perverts say that after they lick pretty tits,” she accused him before planting a chaste kiss against his lips, resting a hand on his chin. “You’re my cute, handsome pervert, though.”

He smiled before kissing her neck, sending a sharp heat into her body once more. She placed both hands on his cheeks to direct him to kiss her on the lips. Her tongue pushed into his and she explored the feel of his teeth and the roof of his mouth. Their bodies shifted around as she stood up to hike up her dress.

“No bra, but you wore a thong and a fucking garter belt?” Hendery asked as he kept the skirt of the dress hiked up around her waist, bunching the fabric into his left fist.

She was standing before him, and she gave soft chuckles as his free hand groped the inside of her right thigh, digging beneath the garter straps. His hand slid up against her core, and she furrowed her eyebrows as she knew with certainty that her panties were soaked.

“Can I play with your body?” she asked, reaching over to knead his shoulders. They were muscular and firm. “Your skin feels so nice, all sweaty and smooth.”

“I wore boxers, no stockings or garter belts,” he said, his hand releasing her dress. Both of his hands were under her dress as he kneaded her ass, making her core flare up in heat again. “I don’t think you’ll have as much fun with my body.”

“Bet?” she asked, looking down at him as she rested her hands on his shoulders.

“Loser drives us home,” he said. “Whoever moans first is the loser.”

“Have fun losing,” she whispered against his lips before kissing him. He gave a gentle laugh against her lips.

She planted butterfly kisses along his neck, smirking to herself as she heard him swallowing his moans by making loud gulping noises. Her hands reached to grab his undershirt and lifted it off of him as her lips left his body. He pulled the right strap to her dress off her shoulder. She bit her bottom lip as Hendery grabbed both of her breasts and clamped his mouth on her right nipple, sucking hard. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, and she gave a soft laugh as he released her breast with a loud pop.

“You lose,” he said breathlessly, a half grin appearing.

“I laughed, I didn’t moan,” she replied, straddling his thigh, and thrust herself against him. “Your thigh is so strong.” She gave a loud exhale of breath, ridding herself of a moan as she felt him shift his thigh from side to side gently.

Closing her eyes, she heard him groan with his mouth shut. She had to shut her own mouth as the friction of her clit rubbing against him sent a vibrating heat up her back. They had the same idea as she grabbed his cheeks and they kissed, burying their moans into each other’s mouths. A couple garter clips snapped loudly as Hendery’s hand reached under her garter belt to tug her panties down.

“What the fu-” he began, pulling her skirt up to get a view of what was going on. She stood up.

“Hold on,” she said with a soft giggle, unclipping the garter clips from her stockings.

He breathed loudly through his mouth as he watched her pull her panties off. He stood and lifted her to sit on the sink counter, hooking one arm under her knee. His other hand slid up against her slit, and she took a deep inhale as his gaze locked with hers. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, furrowing her eyebrows as she felt his finger slide down to press against her entrance.

“So wet already,” he said as he flicked his finger up. She threw her hand over her mouth to muffle the moan that almost escaped. His eyes lit up as he gave her a bright smile. “Almost got you.”

He gave her a teasing smirk as his hand reached for the inside of her thighs, sliding his fingers along her skin, the back of his knuckles brushing past her warm core a few times. She wrapped her hand around his wrist as his knuckles teased her clit and pulled his hand up. Directing his thumb into her mouth, she licked the pad of his thumb before wrapping her mouth around it.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she swirled her tongue around his thumb before sucking on it, being careful not to moan as she bobbed her head gently. She made sure to swipe her tongue against the pad of his thumb a couple times. Her ego inflated as his mouth hung open, his own eyebrows furrowing as his eyes were glued to her mouth. Her hand reached out and touched his erection, silently telling him if it was his cock that was in her mouth he would have definitely lost the bet.

“Why now?” he breathed out as he slowly removed his thumb from her mouth. She made sure to lick up against the pad of his thumb, keeping her eyes heavily lidded to tease him.

“I don’t know, weddings are wild,” she replied, running a hand down the side of his body before reaching to caress his back.

She’d always found Hendery attractive, but kept her primal desires in check when there didn’t seem to be any romantic sparks between them early on in their friendship. Whatever was going on, she was too horny to care what anything meant outside of their current situation.

“I should have asked you out last summer,” he said, placing his hand on her hip. “That’s what I mean. Why did I wait until now to do something?”

“So much for asking me out,” she couldn’t help saying as her hands unzipped his pants and reached under his silk boxers to stroke his cock.

He gave a sharp moan as she squeezed his cock and continued to stroke him, making him jerk his hips toward her. Her chest felt heavy as her fingers felt the girth of his cock. It was thicker than she’d imagined, and her insides ached as she imagined what his cock would feel like inside of her. She grinned, raising her eyebrows for a second.

“Got you.”

“What the fuck,” he breathed out.

He grabbed her by the back of her neck and kissed her, their tongues mixing their saliva together as they fought to claim each other’s mouths. Her hands stroked his cock and massaged his balls as he unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants. Their kiss broke as she let go of his cock, and he groaned, giving a frustrated sigh.

She whimpered softly as his arm under her knee pulled her closer, aligning his cock against her entrance. With his free hand, he guided his cock inside of her, and their eyes locked as he pushed in deeper. She shut her eyes as heat spread throughout her body, his cock pulling her walls apart. He groaned as he tugged his pants and boxers down slightly with his free hand.

“Hendery, yes,” she whispered as she felt him begin a gentle thrusting. She moaned, and breathed out his name as she felt his mouth sucking on her neck. “Don’t stop.”

“You’re going to make me come,” he panted out when he came up for air. He kissed her before standing up straighter to change the angle in which he would fuck her, his arm shifting so he hooked her ankle over his shoulder. His hands kneaded her hips. “Bet I can make you come first.”

“Do it,” she dared him, bucking her hips gently.

She shut her mouth to muffle her moan as he thrust deep into her, starting a sharp push, building up speed quickly. She panted his name, begging him not to stop as his cock felt thicker in their current position. Two fingers rubbed her clit and she cried out his name in weak sobs. Her leg over his shoulder was feeling numb, but it paled in comparison to the way his cock lit up her body.

As she was on the edge of an orgasm, her pussy walls clamped around nothing. She saw the panic in his eyes as he withdrew from her, and he groaned as he came onto her thigh. The hot seed lit up her skin, and she breathed heavily as she watched him reach over to grab one of the bath towels from the towel rack.

“Don’t worry,” she said as she watched Hendery quickly wipe his come off her thigh before it could stain her dress. “Ten will see this as an opportunity to create a better dress.”

He chuckled as he looked away from her thighs, and she joined in on the gentle laugh.

“This isn’t a hook-up,” he said as he threw the towel into the sink, “right?”

“Of course not,” she said, sliding off the counter. She stood beside him and grabbed his hand with both hers. “I’ve liked you for a long time, but I guess I thought you didn’t see me as more than a friend, so I just…”

“Didn’t do anything,” he finished the sentence. “Yeah, we’re both idiots there.”

“Our sex is really hot, though,” she said as he turned around to press their bodies together, “right?”

“So fucking hot,” he agreed, bunching the skirt of her dress into his hands. “What the fuck?”

He laughed as she felt his hand touch her left ass cheek. A sharp sensation hit her - something pulling against her skin - and he grinned as he held a coaster in his hand. She didn’t understand so she furrowed her eyebrows, looking at him quizzically.

“You had this stuck to your ass,” he said before laughing.

“Jackass,” she said shoving him slightly, her cheeks hurting as she smiled and laughed with him.

“Look at the red round spot,” he said as he pulled her body up against his, and lifted the back of her skirt. Turning her head over her shoulder she looked in the mirror and saw the circular indentation on her ass cheek and groaned. Hendery laughed as she buried her face into his chest.

“Ow!” she yelped as she felt him squeeze her ass cheek. “Do it again.” He grunted as she pushed him up against the door and stroked his cock. She gave an approving nod and chuckled as he pinched her ass again. “You lost again, I didn’t even get to come yet.”

“I shouldn’t make bets with you,” he said before leaning down to kiss her neck. She shut her eyes and slowed her stroking. Hendery was growing hard again.

He sat on the toilet seat and stroked his cock. She hiked up the dress again, and turned her back to him. He entered her from behind as she sat down on his lap. His hands were on her hips and she rested her hands on her knees to balance herself. He dove deep into her, his cock hitting her sweet spot as she thrust against him.

“You can come inside of me,” she panted before giving out a lewd, low moan. She began pushing against him faster as she felt her orgasm nearing. Her insides were shaking and wanting to constrict. Every push lit up her nerves sharply.

“Fuck,” he grunted, and his thrusts slowed. His fingers dug into her hips as he came.

“You’re so hot,” she said in a stage whisper, shutting her eyes as she felt his come heat up her insides.

“This is hotter,” he said lazily, and she felt his hand reach over and his thumb flicked her clit. She gave a soft whimper as her nerves lit up in wild heat at his touch. “Do you want to come on me?”

“Yes,” she replied, spreading her legs open to give him more access.

She moaned and gasped as she felt him withdraw from her. Their fluids slid out from her, coating his fingers and her folds, spilling out and staining their clothes, making a mess of their thighs. Her body lit up in hot pleasure as he used two fingers to fuck her and rubbed her clit with his thumb. Her cunt clamped down on his fingers as she came.

“Keep riding my fingers,” he whispered against her neck as he continued to finger fuck her.

She thrust haphazardly as she let him overstimulate her, moaning out his name as his kisses on her neck sent shivers up her back. After she moaned his name against his ear, and she began flicking her tongue against his earlobe lazily, he withdrew his fingers from her, and gave one final lick against her neck.

They cleaned up silently and efficiently, though they both still looked completely fucked out when they were ready to leave the bathroom. Hendery’s dress shirt was damp at the collar, his pants were rumpled and the obvious wet spots were where they’d tried washing off their come. Her dress was in a similar state, but he threw his jacket over her shoulders to keep her partially covered.

“Back to the frat house or to your flat?” he asked her as they exited the suite together, his arm over her shoulders while she had her arms wrapped around his waist.

“Are you kidding me? My place,” she replied. “I don’t want Ten to see our clothes in this state.”

She wasn’t in the mood to run into any of his other seemingly endless number of frat brothers from the NCT Fraternity either. There were more than a handful of stories she’d heard about close encounters. She didn’t want to become another statistic in the NCT frat bros walking in on people getting busy epidemic.

“Good point,” he said with a laugh. He squeezed her shoulder and she rested her head against his chest, embracing the safety his hold provided her.

As they approached the front entrance, Zoe was congratulating herself for not running into anyone when she saw Jan and a couple of the bridesmaids returning from the parking lot. They seemed to be coming back from another toke session. She threw a hand over her cheek as she realized her cousins were taking pictures and videos of them.

“You two are so cute!” one of the bridesmaids said.

“Stop taking pictures!” Zoe whined. “Please? We’re going home.”

“We never got our selfies!” Jan exclaimed, rushing over to them.

“You really want a picture of me with my boyfriend?” she asked in exasperation. Hendery squeezed her and they shared a smile as their eyes locked.

“Call me your boyfriend again,” he said softly.

“Seriously, where can I get a guy like Hendery?” Jan demanded, bringing their attention back to her cousins as they looked away from each other.

Hoping her cousins were too drunk and high to notice the stench of sex on them, Zoe gave a loud sigh of relief when she was alone with Hendery. They finally reached her car, which was parked near the entrance to the venue. Handing her keys to Hendery, she gloated about not having to drive. They had 2 hours before they’d make it back home.

“I can’t wait to be invited to the summer cookout,” Hendery said as he drove them out of the parking lot, a shit eating grin on his face.

----

Thank you, always, for reading!

#nct imagines #nct hendery #wavy hendery #nct #wayv #nct wayv #nct smut #wayv smut #hendery smut #nct university au #nct au #nct college au #hendery x reader #hendery x ofc #friends to lovers #nct fanfic #nct romcom #nct romantic comedy #nct fluff

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tuiyla · 3 years

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Why did they insist on all these dude friendships for her when so many great girls were RIGHT THERE (we know why, hashtag glee hates girls)

Assuming you mean Tina?

I don't mind the guy friendships, Blamtina are cute and I much prefer Tartie as a friendship, but along with those I would have loved to see Tina's friendships develop a bit.

It's a shame because I think in some ways she's most removed, at least she is for me when I think of Glee girl friendships. Mertina were great in the first two seasons but it was really only crumbs and then it was just a scene or two like in City of Angels. Obsessed with how they were constantly on the phone and gossiping in season 1, give me more of that. And the phone call chains with Kurt, Artie, and Brittana! Let me tell you Anon, the Santinacedes trio is real in my heart and they keep the gossip train alive when it becomes an LA-Lima-NY thing.

Cohenberry were also good and I think had potential, but Tina ultimately was just a prop in Rachel's story and that... sucks. We've covered Quinntina, top tier but 90% background stuff. I like the idea of a Brittina friendship, given how often they're paired together for background vocals but in the later seasons the show made Tina the butt of every joke and that included Britt's humour. Shame. And Santina, I really wish I could list it with my other Santana friendships but there really isn't much there. WSS Santina are special and let me tell you, I do make the most of the season 4 crumbs. Tina's in a one-sided feud with Santana and it's hilarious because Santana "psychic Mexican third eye" Lopez, queen of observation, does not realize it. That's a comedy goldmine but the Glee writers once again missed an opportunity to be great or even good.

If nothing else I think Tina should have had more with the newbies. The season 4 girls as a group are underrated (helloooo Wannabe) and since Tina was with them the whole time I think it would have been nice for her to not only hang with the other seniors. Womanizer is a great duet with Unique and some parts by Marley and those three would mash really well methinks as a friendship. And who could forget how they do vocally, helloooo Mary's Little Boy Child! And once again I'm spreading the propaganda that Kitty is a Quinntana love child so she and Tina had much potential. They have some scenes but not nearly enough for my needy heart.

So yeah, Glee hates girls, otherwise they would have given Tina a proper girl friend (or girlfriend).

#tina cohen-chang #respect #glee asks #glee friendships #anon #tina asks #no but really santina's one-sided feud is hilarious and i needed more

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painted-crow · 4 years

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Fictional double Birds, webcomics edition!

I found/rediscovered some more Bird characters for y'all~

These pals are all webcomic characters, so you can read their stories for free :D the name headers link to the first page of their respective comics!

Just a reminder, clicking the images gives you better quality and can make the text easier to read. I've put alt text on the images with the relevant info--sorry if this still isn't the most accessible post. ^^;

Henry Jekyll (The Glass Scientists)

Thanks to @aubade-things for reminding me this comic exists, and for discussing it with me! I binged the whole thing a few days ago, haha.

The Glass Scientists is a webcomic about a haven society for mad scientists, in a world that does not like them. Jekyll here is trying to keep it from falling apart, but between mad science shenanigans, plain old lack of funding, and a fellow called Hyde who is definitely not the same person, who told you that, he's... uh... struggling.

Jekyll screams Badger secondary at first, his Bird secondary is just VERY burnt.

He idealizes Badger as a huge part of how he thinks a Proper Gentleman should be, and he has this super uptight Badger performance that does noooot actually make him happy.

His primary's shaky, too, but he's working on it. This just about says it all, honestly:

Yes, that is a figment of his own imagination yelling at him for using Bird secondary to sort out a major piece of his system.

Jekyll is peak "person who looks like they have their shit together but is actually a mess underneath" and I'd be okay with him being a little less relatable thank you very much

He is slowly reclaiming his secondary though:

Sidenote: I have had almost that exact experience, about the same topic, during a period where I'd burned Bird secondary.

(Seven year old Paint was obsessed with the idea of plant medicine. You know how some kids mix up "potions" with stuff from their back yard? I wanted mine to work. I had this giant textbook about it and everything.)

Alas, remembering was less useful to me; all it really gave me was an extra uncanny experience reading this webcomic :p

Thistle (Daughter of the Lilies)

Thistle is a cinnamon roll hiding a whoooooole lot of trauma and anxiety. I'll let you find those panels for yourself, though. Instead, here she is entertaining some children with her magic:

Sometimes she sounds like a Badger primary, but she's a full-fledged Bird:

Her secondary is a little singed, too, but hers is WAY better off than Jekyll's. She's doin ok.

Spoiler warning: the current comic arc shows her face, which is a major reveal--so if you want to puzzle out what her deal is on your own, start from the beginning and avoid the front page for now ^^

She's also super relatable, but in a way that doesn't bug me. I'm trying to figure out why Jekyll does... I think it's that he's an example of a very burnt Bird secondary that looks seriously familiar to me, but his primary is unstable too and I find that unnerving--I've never burned mine. To me, he feels deeply unhealthy in a way that Thistle doesn't at all. Thistle's morality is very clear and bright; the parts of her system she struggles with most are about how she sees herself, but I deal with the same thing (it's probably less common for Birds not to) so that's fine.

That does say something about the general tone of the two stories. DotL deals with some heavy topics, but it's a much more optimistic feeling world with a much more stable protagonist.

DotL fights with Girl Genius for rank as my favorite webcomic, period. Everyone should go read it, it's beautiful and funny and relatable and tragic and then it's funny again. Also there are dragons! At least one of them is plot relevant, and several of the pages he's on got turned into posters by popular demand because the art is just that good.

Speaking of Girl Genius:

Gilgamesh Wulfenbach (Girl Genius)

Girl Genius is a gaslamp fantasy comedy adventure romance about mad scientists, and it does all of those things really well at the same time. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's a goldmine for Bird secondaries.

This story has also been adapted into ebook and audiobook versions, so if comics are hard for you to read, that could be a more accessible option!

Snake primary is the most popular (Agatha, Tarvek, Zeetha, Bang, Krosp, Lars, and most of the Jagers) but there are a few Birds hanging around. The Baron is a Bird primary, I think, and Othar is some form of Exploded Idealist (double Lion?) but I'm going to focus on Gil because he's a main character.

The page that cements his primary for me is this one, where he's arguing with Snake primary Zeetha (who is Loyal to Agatha). Agatha's been the victim of some weird mind control stuff by the story's BBEG, but Gil hasn't gotten that context yet and the Baron (his dad) is convinced Agatha IS the BBEG.

And yes, he's technically pantsless in this scene but hasn't realized that yet either. It's not his fault... the "ability to rant" part of a Spark's brain wakes up long before their situational awareness does.

Also lol @ Zeetha's reaction. Gil is one of Agatha's Important People, and Agatha is Zeetha's, so he's safe, for now, if he behaves.

As for his secondary:

And:

Like many of the cast, Gil is a Spark and very vulnerable to nerd sniping. RIP his lost sleep.

Also mine, actually. I'm gonna end this here and try to go back to bed ^^;

Happy reading!

#sortinghatchats #meta #ravenclaw primary #ravenclaw secondary #burned ravenclaw secondary #paint speaks #q

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adamwatchesmovies · 4 years

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Ginger Snaps (2000)

Ginger Snaps is among the best werewolf movies ever made. This film takes the complex themes behind lycanthropy and uses them to their fullest potential in a story about the horrors of growing up that is alternatively funny and frightening.

Set in a small suburb that has recently seen a rash of dog killings, we find Brigitte and Ginger Fitzgerald (Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle). These misfit sisters are obsessed with death and repulsed by all the normals around them. When Ginger is bitten by a strange creature, she begins to change. Everyone else attributes the increased libido, hair growth, and behavioral changes to Ginger hitting puberty but Brigitte knows better.

With its connection between werewolfism and puberty, Ginger Snaps has hit a goldmine. A full moon comes around once a month; so does your period. Both concern your body changing without your control, both signify there's no going back to how things were before. In this film, the transformation is initially met with fear and misunderstanding but eventually embraced as part of the woman's identity. Sound familiar?

Though there are plenty of metaphors and allegories, it’s also the story of a young woman who begins transforming into a werewolf. People will get torn apart. But the story mostly centers around Brigitte looking out for her sister as she turns into a different person. The two already had a deceptively complex relationship before. It often felt like Ginger was more of a bully than a friend. In a way, this is the abusive relationship going even further. Ginger is turning into someone she wouldn't have approved of days ago but she can't stop. Not on her own.

There's more food for thought when we look at the side characters. Mimi Rogers as the mom seems ecstatic about her daughter beginning her transformation. It’s played mostly for comedy but look again and this time consider her last scene. She's not simply there to make you laugh. There’s a lot to be said about what happens to the one guy that keeps hitting on Ginger (Jesse Moss). Jason McCardy's fate is funny and says something about the difference between men coming of age and how differently society sees it than women's.

For several reasons, the theme of death comes back several times throughout the picture. It stars two teenage girls who are obsessed with death and romanticize suicide. Once Ginger is bitten, they’re forced to confront the idea seriously for the first time. Ginger isn't merely transforming into a killer, she could unleash a plague upon our world. What now?

This is a smart, layered story. The characters grow and reveal more about themselves as the events around them unfold. There are many funny sequences and the same amount will make you scream. If I have one criticism, it’s that there are times where it’s too smartly written, acted, and layered for its own good! Let me explain. This is a low-budget enterprise. Under $5 million, which means the big scene in any werewolf movie... is missing. The carcasses and gore look great but we don't have the big werewolf transformation/reveal. You're enjoying the movie so much it comes as a shock that all you get werewolf-wise... is THIS.

We don’t often get horror films of this caliber. Ginger Snaps has depth, scares, and some laughs. It offers everything you’d want to see in a horror film with ample blood and gore throughout and unsettling ideas. It might even unlock some profound conversations among teens and adults who watch it together. It’s got a few tiny issues in the special effects department, but we're talking minor stuff. Ginger Snaps is a cult film that deserves a much bigger fan base than it's gotten so far. (On Blu-ray, July 24, 2015)

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doomonfilm · 4 years

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Favorites : The Inkwell (1994)

In the wake of Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, the doors seemed wide open for a number of young Black directors to step into the business, and one of the youngest and brightest was Matty Rich. After writing, directing and producing the breakout debut film that was Straight Out of Brooklyn, Rich returned to the scene with a completely different look in the form of The Inkwell, but unfortunately (or possibly fortunately, as he found success in other realms), the film did not connect the same way as his debut. In my opinion, this was a shame, as I’ve deeply enjoyed The Inkwell from my first access to it.

Sixteen year old Drew Tate (Larenz Tate) is an emotionally stunted and misunderstood young man living in Upstate New York. His parents, Kenny (Joe Morton) and Brenda Tate (Suzzanne Douglass), decide to spend the summer of 1976 by taking Drew to visit his family in Martha’s Vineyard for two weeks. The Tates settle in with Spencer (Glynn Turman) and Francis Phillips (Vanessa Bell Calloway), Drew’s aunt and uncle, his grandmother Evelyn (Mary Alice), and his cousin Junior (Duane Martin), but things get off to a rocky start. Spencer and Francis suggest that Drew meet with their friend Dr. Wade (Phyllis Yvonne Stickley), a psychiatrist, much to the behest of Kenny, but Drew quickly finds himself obsessed with a local girl named Lauren Kelly (Jada Pinkett-Smith). Despite the constant teasing of Junior and his two friends, Darryl (Markus Redmond) and Moe (Perry Moore), Drew takes a shot at getting to know Lauren, and in the process, discovers more about himself than he realized was possible.

While The Inkwell is at heart a romantic comedy and coming of age film, at its heart, it’s truly a film about the struggle between socio-political and economic ideas that plague Black people in their struggle to find where they fit in. While we are given two extreme examples in Kenny and Spencer, at the heart of their characters, they perfectly define those concerned with the betterment of their people as a whole versus those who think that financial success will bring Black people to the place where they belong in society. Kenny and Brenda’s struggles with raising Drew also bring up long-held assumptions of and hesitations to use psychiatry and psychology as a way to raise a child, chiefly based on ideas that Drew would be labelled crazy, and they would be labelled failures as parents.

Speaking of Drew, I found myself extremely connected to and understanding of the character seeing that I was a young, imaginative and, at times, isolated individual growing up. Having our protagonist be an understanding, sensitive and caring young man rather than someone forced to make life-altering decisions with their back against the wall was a refreshing change of pace. Positioning Drew as the son of Kenny begs the question if Drew’s sensitive nature stems directly from Kenny’s radical posturing and outward focus, as if his personality and actions were a cry for attention of some sort. This is further driven home with details such as Drew’s doll/imaginary friend Iago whom he constantly talks to, or his tandem bike that publicly broadcasts his need for companionship.

It’s not only nice to see a film with a majority Black cast in a location such as Martha’s Vineyard, but more importantly, nice to see a coming of age film with Black characters that’s absent of the hood as the primary setting. Speaking of settings, the Phillips home is definitely impressive, and Junior’s room specifically is a goldmine of stimulus. With the many, many personalities presented through our characters, we are given a surprisingly deep exploration of Black identity. As a 1970′s film, it probably doesn’t need to be stated, but the soundtrack is KILLER. I remember this film being poorly received when it was released, which was a shame, because Matty Rich put together a truly poignant film… perhaps it was public expectations in the wake of the successful debut Straight Out of Brooklyn, but in my opinion, people missed out on a low-key classic.

With the iconic role of O-Dog the only one on his resume at the time, it would have been very easy for Larenz Tate to fall into the realm of typecasting, but The Inkwell allowed him to be as vulnerable and short of confidence as O-Dog was menacing and terrifying. Joe Morton channels enough radical posturing to be believable as an ex-revolutionary, but not at the cost of displaying caring and loving characteristics. Suzzanne Douglass displays all of the patience and unconditional love it takes to raise a troubled young man. Glynn Turman dives headlong into bougie characteristics with great aplomb, barely avoiding becoming a caricature in the best ways possible, while Vanessa Bell Calloway steps in as the support system that allows Spencer to validate his actions. Mary Alice plays withdrawn and guarded, only letting down her guard as the film comes close to resolution. Duane Martin brings most of the comedy beats to the table, and has great chemistry with Markus Redmond and Perry Moore. Jada Pinkett-Smith displays all the beauty and charm that makes her irresistible, while channeling all of the fierceness and selfishness it takes to make her wholly undesirable. Phyllis Yvonne Stickley and Adrienne-Joi Johnson bring the most grounded and sincere human elements to the table, while Morris Chestnut plays the stereotypical womanizer role to a tee. Supporting appearances by Akia Victor and R&B group Jade round out the main cast.

While the film was not a financial success at the box office, there has been a slow but steady growth of a grassroots following that has discovered the film many years after the fact. As someone who has been a day one fan of the film, it’s nice to know that I’m not crazy, and it’s validating to know that I was way ahead of the curve in terms of The Inkwell fandom. I will certainly continue to bear the torch for this slept-on classic, and maybe in due time, it will find the connection with the masses that it always deserved.

#ChiefDoomsday #DOOMonFILM #MattyRich #TheInkwell #LarenzTate #JoeMorton #SuzzanneDouglass #GlynnTurman #VanessaBellCalloway #MaryAlice #DuaneMartin #MarkusRedmond #PerryMoore #JadaPinkett-Smith #PhyllisYvonneStickley #Adrenne-JoiJohnson #MorrisChestnut #AkiaVictor #Jade

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themculibrary · 4 years

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Pepper And Tony (Pepperony) Masterlist

Links Last Checked: May 22nd, 2024

part two, part three

An Ache That Doesn't Go Away (ao3) - rebelmeg Rating: General

Summary: This fic picks up immediately after the scene cuts in Siberia, with Steve and Bucky walking away and Tony lying on the cement. In the time between the end scenes of Civil War, and before Homecoming picks up, this is what happens to Tony, from his and a few others' POVs, as he tries to heal emotionally and physically from the events in Civil War.

A New Life And An Old Past (ao3) - AlexaNDYE Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: Pepper Potts, a new student at her University, meets Tony Stark, a Student Teacher. After he offers to tutor her in Physics, things begin to spark between them, but not flawlessly, as some drama is mixed in between.

an exchange of voices in repetition (ao3) - sandyk Rating: Mature

Summary: Pepper hadn't really thought about the difficulties of planning a wedding around all the rest of her life.

From the Ashes (ao3) - shannyfish Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: Tony and Pepper start anew in New York. Starting over isn’t always so easy…

Healing the Fractures (ao3) - FriendLey Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: "I need... I mean… I could use a friend... Right now. Can you... Can you be that for me?" Tony anxiously asks her. "Of course! May I remind you that before everything, we were friends first." Pepper and Tony find their way back to each other after their infamous break during Civil War.

Internal Fire (ao3) - Beefgoddess Rating: General

Summary: Tony is very sick and Pepper is taking care of him.

invite the devil (see how you'll fare) (ao3) - Myrime Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: When Morgan gets kidnapped, the Avengers assemble again. Nobody hurts their family and gets away with it.

love is like a stubborn youth (ao3) - owlvsdove Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: The long-winded story of the meeting, hiring, working relationship, courting, and comedy goldmine that is Tony Stark's relationship with Pepper Potts.

Middles (ao3) - pukajen Rating: Explicit

Summary: “I was going to pack for you, but Jarvis said that at this stage of our relationship that it wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Mnemosyne's Lock (ao3) - VR_Trakowski Rating: Mature

Summary: It's Pepper who's hurt, but it's Tony who needs the comfort...

Reunion (ao3) - the_writer1988 Rating: Mature

Summary: In Civil War, Tony and Pepper are on a break… yet the events of Siberia may just bring them back together and towards a future Tony had wanted for them ever since 2008.

Ring of Fire (ao3) - NyxEtoile, OlivesAwl Rating: Mature

Summary: Post Iron Man 2.

"Why don't we take a vacation?"

"Like the last vacation where you stole a race-car and we almost got sliced into ribbons by your crazy, tentacle-having nemesis?" She put her hand over her eyes, remembering the car she was in getting sliced in half.

"No. No, nothing like that one. A good vacation." He tapped her nose as if to distract her. "You. Me. Secluded island. No work, no cameras. No suit," he added, like dangling out a carrot.

Robot Trip (ao3) - copperbadge Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: Tony is driving from Malibu to Manhattan with a robot in the back seat and Captain America riding escort at Pepper's behest. What could possibly go wrong?

Search and Rescue (ao3) - SailorChibi Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: There is no way Pepper Potts is going to let her fiancé die alone in space.

The Courting of Tony Stark (ao3) - boombangbing Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: It only takes her nine years to say 'I love you' back.

The Addition of a Variable (ao3) - AliciaMirza Rating: Teen And Up

Summary: A plus sign – an addition in the equation Tony Stark didn’t plan with, a new variable that just messed up all his previous calculations.

A liquor-filled fun night with his PA, Pepper Potts, has unexpected consequences for one billionaire playboy genius. No matter his brilliance, he wasn’t sure if he had the solution to this equation.

/or: in one universe Pepper Potts let loose for one night and gave in to the temptation with unexpected consequences for both her and her boss/

Tony's Girl (ao3) - Crosshairs Rating: Mature

Summary: When Tony Stark finally opens his eyes after being rescued from Siberia, he isn't the same man anymore. What happened in that abandoned Hydra base has broken him in ways that even Afghanistan hadn't.

But Tony is famous for his innate ability to fix things, even himself. Slowly, with the help of friends old and new, he learns to deal with his new status quo, picks up the pieces of his destroyed existence and rebuilds it from the ground up.

Until an unusual accident puts a new, interesting spin to his already interesting life.

you always stand up (ao3) - oldrival Rating: General

Summary: endgame fix-it !! with a happy ending for everyone.

#themculibrary #pepper potts #tony stark #pepperony #pepperony masterlist #mcu #marvel #f/m #masterlists

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 5 years

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Psycho Analysis: Pennywise (2010s duology)

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

27 years after the miniseries adaptation, a new adaptation of Stephen King’s It came along, and with it, a new Pennywise the Dancing Clown. As hit or miss as the miniseries was, pretty much everyone is in agreement that Tim Curry’s fantastic, hilarious performance is the one bright spot of that version, meaning anyone who would be playing Pennywise in the new version would have some pretty big clown shoes to fill.

Thankfully new Pennywise Bill Skarsgard is 6’4” tall, a size that is most certainly big enough to fill any size clown shoes his predecessor may have left. His performance is a fantastic new take on an iconic character, and while it certainly does have weaker elements to it (as Curry’s did), there’s still more to love than there is to hate.

Actor: Bill Skarsgard portrays Pennywise this time, and while he is quite obviously no Tim Curry, he most definitely is a Bill Skarsgard. I love everything he brings to this role: his intimidating height, his creepy voice, that weird thing he does with his eyes… in the same manner in which Curry brought his Pennywise to life with the voice and mannerisms of a charming kid’s show host, Skarsgard brings his Pennywise to life with the mannerisms of an alien beast that can only just barely put forth a front of normalcy as it hunts its prey, and because of this he manages to make Pennywise utterly terrifying.

Motivation/Goals: Pennywise’s motivation is the same as it always is: he comes around every 27 years to eat children, opting to spice them up with a healthy dose of fear before going in for the kill. Frankly, in this regard he is really no different from the Tim Curry version or the book version, though he does opt to do things in a more overtly sinister manner than the other two incarnations, and when it comes time for him to harass the adult Losers in Chapter Two, while he does opt for some jokes here and there, he mostly remains creepy and disturbing the whole time.

Personality: This take on Pennywise is actually quite interesting, as compared to the Tim Curry one, this one is actually legitimately terrifying… to a fault. He is so utterly monstrous that a lot of the time it’s hard to believe he could ever sucker children in to being his victims, with Georgie’s death being a prime example – Pennywise is so absolutely creepy to the point of salivating over the thought of eating Georgie that the kid nearly runs before he gets within biting range. He’s pretty light on the jokes too, but frankly I don’t see that as a big minus; I like that this Pennywise is creepier and legitimately unnerving.

Final Fate: This is where the Skarsgard version truly has the Curry one beat; instead of turning into a giant, awful stop-motion spider, Skarsgard’s Pennywise turns into a giant clown drider and tries to kill the Losers. While he manages to get Eddie in the final confrontation, the remaining members all band together and… basically just insult him until he shrinks down and they can rip his heart out. When I said this has Curry’s beat, I never said it was perfect, after all. At the very least a green glow post death implies that Matarin was helping the gang, and Pennywise seems definitively dead in this continuity, so at least this goofy finale leads into a happy ending.

Best Scene: Much like Curry, Skarsgard has no shortage of fantastic scenes to pick from, with my personal favorite being when he unfolds from the fridge to attack Eddie in the first movie. However, objectively speaking, I think Skarsgard’s most definitive moment is his insane little jig he does to try and weird out Beverly, which went absolutely memetic after the film released. Of course, what the memes don’t tell you is when Beverly does not respond to his goofy dance, he peels back his face and shows her his deadlights, causing one of the most wonderful mood whiplashes I have ever seen in any film ever.

Honestly, I do find it kind of amusing the funnier Pennywise got a best moment where he was actually scary, while the scarier Pennywise got a best moment where he was actually pretty funny.

Best Quote: Unlike Curry, I don’t feel like Skarsgard was really a goldmine of quotes. Still, he gets some good bits in where they count, such as when he feigns hurt feelings at Bill for not thinking his scares are “real” enough. However, I think his taunting of Richie over his closeted gay desires, complete with a goofy little song, is his best bit for just how many lines it ends up crossing before finally landing on darkly hilarious:

“Did ya miss me, Richie? 'Cos I've missed you! No one wants to play with the clown anymore. Play a game with me, would ya? How about Street Fighter? Oh, yes, you like that one, don't you? Or maybe Truth or Dare? Oh, you wouldn't want anyone to pick Truth though, would you, Richie? You wouldn't want anyone to know what you're hiding. I know your secret! Your dirty little secret! Oh, I know your secret! Your DIRTY little secret! Shall I tell them, Richie?”

Final Thoughts & Score: Skarsgard’s take on Pennywise is a take I just love. I love the weird quirks and mannerisms Skarsgard brought to the table, such as the eye thing his Pennywise does or the weir contortions and gestures and faces. I also love just how menacing and disturbing his Pennywise is, something that I felt was especially lacking in Curry’s performance; while Curry was certainly funny and had superb line delivery, he just couldn’t muster up a single shiver from me the way Skarsgard’s take on Stephen King’s monster clown did.

So, of course, I give him a 10/10. It really helps Skarsgard didn’t have a finale half as bad as Curry’s Pennywise did, and he did manage to be genuinely amusing in Chapter 2, though certainly not to the extent Curry’s Pennywise was. He’s an enjoyable take that, while not as entertaining in persona and comedy, is definitely a fun watch in terms of horror and sheer sadistic glee. It’s sort of a Heath Ledger’s Joker to the Jack Nicholson Joker that Curry’s take was: two excellent, valid performances of the same character that are great for different reasons.

But here’s the thing: they aren’t perfect. Out of all of Stephen King’s villains, Pennywise is one of the ones that could easily be an 11 out of 10. He’s iconic, he’s entertaining, he’s a big figure in pop culture and has inspired numerous monster clowns and eldritch abominations since his inception… and yet, every time the character has been put to screen so far, there is just something missing, that secret essence that King tapped into in his book that managed to make Pennywise equal parts darkly comic and unrelentingly monstrous. As far as adaptations go, these facets of Pennywise have been split into two performances, and if we ever got them in one performance, we’d have the definitive Pennywise that I could safely say is one of the greatest cinematic villains ever.

For now, we’re at least fortunate to be stuck with two great, unique takes on It. Let’s see how they do him justice 27 years from now in the next adaptation.

#Psycho Analysis #Pennywise #Pennywise the Dancing Clown #Bill Skarsgard #It #It Chapter 2 #Stephen King

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miraculouscontent · 6 years

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Why do you think the writers like to make Marinette's life a living hell so much? It's like every week, they get together and say "How can we punish this girl for being a superhero?" Do you think she'll ever get a break?

I mean, there are two options to the first question; one that gives the writers some semblance of credit and one that gives them none at all.

The option that gives them credit is that they’re just oblivious. They have the story they want to tell but they have to stall, so they shrug off any sort of chances for improvement and don’t notice that they’re slowly tearing Marinette apart.

The second option (and the one that I personally believe based on what I’ve read) is that the writers just think it’s funny. These moments tend to be played for laughs but we (as in me and my followers; not speaking for the whole fandom) don’t find it funny because Marinette has to be constantly torn down. If “Weredad” was just her slipping up for their supposedly comedic plot, then why did Tikki have to scold her?

Having a character be miserable for the sake of comedy can be really effective, but it only works if that character deserves it. Marinette has done next to nothing wrong to deserve how the show treats her.

“Dark Cupid” is a good example of this when looking at Chloe. Maybe Chloe should’ve been punished more, but she did get some comeuppance for everything she did and that’s why the scene where her picture was ruined was funny.

Another thing about it is that, because this is apparently the writers’ main source of comedy, it means that it’s prone to overuse. If a joke is overused, it stops being funny. Thus, the writers would feel the need to keep topping themselves to make the joke sustain for as many seasons as they need it to.

When Marinette stammering her sentences got old, they started having her completely derail into separate topics or stutter to even greater extents.

When Marinette being clumsy got old, they made an entire episode where it was Ladybug instead and she could hardly stay on her own two feet.

When Marinette getting embarrassed by things she said to Adrien got old, they started upping the humiliation by revealing her wall of Adrien photos to a TV audience as well as Adrien himself.

It doesn’t stop and doesn’t end because, in this hypothetical, the writers see Marinette as a comedic goldmine due to her clumsiness and anxiety. They don’t want her to calm down around Adrien because they want to keep the joke and, because Adrien is completely oblivious to all of this, it lets them do whatever they want without it actually meaning anything to the characters.

They don’t just want to have their cake and eat it too. They want a three-tier cake with decorations that tells them that they can have Marinette be the punching bag, have Marinette be the one who learns all the lessons, yet let the writers act like it’s a well-written experience because “it’s for laughs”.

Never mind the fact that the cake has been sitting out for years and adding more icing doesn’t make it taste any better.

As if she’ll ever get a break…I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. I wish I knew.

Season 3 is just steadily draining my life force away because I started out being like, “Yeah, the first episode was bad, but there’s no way they’d do this to Marinette twice in a row.”

Then “twice in a row” became “thrice in a row”. Then I started hoping that it wouldn’t be “four-for-four”.

Season 2 was pretty exhausting, but I’m legitimately shocked at how they refuse to let up on Marinette in Season 3. It’s almost become cliche at this point. Like, do we just need a “Marinette Torment” bingo card?

…Actually, here:

(full-size)

Mark five or more and you win, I suppose lol.

But really, do we or Marinette ever truly win?

#category: salt #category: staff #character: Marinette Dupain Cheng #other: ask and answer

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moosterrecords · 6 years

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#IFTTT #Blogger #Moosterrecords #punkrock #punk

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miniatureclover · 4 years

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Faraway Wanderers Reading Blog: Chapters 06-10

I AM BACK! Maybe I’ll be able to finish this live blog series before the live action comes out? Hopefully?

Chapter 6: The Beauty

Gu Xiang and Zhou Zishu are way too much together, ha. They also make a good team, surprisingly, even with Zhou Zishu having to bow out of the fight part way (throwing the same “poor fragile me” excuse Gu Xiang used right back at her…except he actually means it since the fool is literally dying a slow death by nails). He’s also a good teacher, and her a good student, and this really isn’t helping him lay low but ah well, I guess that flew out of the window once this whole mess started.

The fight scenes are pretty good, too. Gu Xiang is young and confident, but absolutely brutal and not afraid to use hidden weapons. She has good reflexes and instincts, though she is still young, and that’s reflected in her panic when she loses her weapon and getting overconfident. Contrast that with Zhou Zishu who is very observant and picks up some stones to help her out when he has to rest, and you can see the clear difference between them as people with two different experience levels. It’s really neat how the narrative manages to mix the characters’ life experiences, personality, and age into the way they fight without giving it away explicitly.

She blinked in astonishment — this ragged man’s ramblings worth diddlysquat, but his execution in battle was one of the cleanest and cruelest she had ever seen. It really made one wonder who he was.

Really throwing that image out the window. Guess it’s lucky he was nerfed by the nails, huh. And it turns out that our main character is also a rather brutal fighter, when he can fight without collapsing.

And here enters Wen Kexing, finally with a proper name! What an entrance. He’s already kind of a creep with no sense of personal boundaries, ha. He’s also really, really perceptive though. In a creepy way (who says “your shoulder blades are beautiful, therefore your face must also be beautiful”?? he’s such a ridiculous flirt).

Alas, we are left wondering whether Wen Kexing is really blinded by good looks or just very perceptive after Gu Xiang says that he has a tendency to exaggerate.

Chapter 7: Setting Off

Oh gosh, this poor boy. Protect him, he is precious. I’m talking about Zhang Chengling of course, who starts the chapter off crying because he has seen a lot of stuff go down, like his entire family dying to start things off, followed by people coming to kill him and a seemingly random beggar agreeing to deliver him somewhere safe? But, alas, might as well cry yourself a river while you’re at it, kid. It’s going to be a rough ride now that he’s stuck with this ragtag group.

Wen Kexing is such a clown. He has his wits about him, but he is such a clown with a punchable face. Zhou Zishu isn’t actually much better in terms of acting like a normal human being interacting with smaller human beings. At least Zhang Chengling is resilient. He bounces back quickly and continues to pester Zhou Zishu to become his teacher. He does still have nightmares, which makes sense after all he’s been through.

But he seems to remind Zhou Zishu of someone from his past, which is interesting.

Back to why Zhang Chengling is a precious bun and must be protected: after having nightmares and believing he’s woken his savior up, he says things like “I can…I can stop sleeping if it’s a problem?” That is not actually a legitimate solution to the problem, believe it or not.

Then some enemies arrive with a superpowered guqin/zither, which is hilarious no matter how many novels or dramas I encounter considering traditional guqin with silk strings aren’t very loud instruments (the description from the first sentence of the next chapter is right in that it’s more of a “thin” sound than other instruments).

Chapter 8: Moonshade

Wen Kexing is indeed an enigma, the perfect match for Zhou Zishu who is undoubtedly one himself. In between his moments of eccentricity, he provides a lot of insight to the martial arts world, the way he conveys the harshness of life in it striking a rather eerie note (Wen Kexing’s voice was gentle, “Even if he’s still alive, all of his meridians have been broken; he’s useless now. Death would be a happier fate for him.”) and slides right out of it a moment later.

This match also speaks to Zhou Zishu’s capabilities: injured, he managed to beat Qin Song who is apparently well-known for his ability to kill people with that zither, and with a crudely constructed flute at that.

He felt a particular aura from this man that suggested they might be birds of a feather, the other would definitely not do something if it didn’t benefit him. […] After lots of thoughts without any solid conclusions, he scoffed at himself — old habits died hard.

You two are indeed birds of a feather, glad you noticed. I do like how he slips back into old habits, after all, he only recently stepped away from his former life as a spymaster, it’d be difficult to put a stop to all of his old tendencies.

They even proceed to exchange a few moves, presumably to figure each other out, until the pesky nails driven into Zhou Zishu’s torso act up, which gives Wen Kexing an opportunity to be a creep and touch his face. Half of it makes sense, since he’s convinced Zhou Zishu is “a beauty” and hiding it somehow, but he seems the type to have done such a thing even without that reason.

This exchange is hilarious though:

-What’s my face made of? -Human skin. -It feels like it’s one with your body… -Well, I was born with it, so.

…I should hope so. These two are a comedy duo in their own right.

Gu Xiang continues to be a delight, in any case. She has no reserve about making smart comments as soon as Wen Kexing’s back is turned, probably knowing he can still hear her at a distance.

Finally, three days later, their little party manages to make it to Zhang Chengling’s father’s friend, but we’re only on chapter 8, which means there’s much more chaos to be had in their future. For now, Zhou Zishu is relieved he finished his self-imposed mission and gained some “merits”, but muses on how it’s exhausting to be good person, haha. Indeed, the world doesn’t make it easy sometimes, especially not the crazy martial arts world they live in.

Chapter 9: In the Woods

Name info-dump, I guarantee I will remember none of them. It does fill out the world and fits with Zhou Zishu’s character, since his job required him to know all the nitty-gritty details of the major players in the martial arts world.

Ultimately, the exposition serves to let us know why he decides stay in the manor for a bit, as he’s well aware that Zhao Jing and the rest of the people grouping up at his place aren’t as glamorous and gallant as they seem. Also, he’s already weak to Zhang Chengling’s puppy eyes, apparently.

Zhao Jing is catching onto the glaringly obvious hints at Zhou Zishu being far more than a random beggar, and his manipulation of Zhang Chengling’s eager to please nature might be a bad sign of what’s to come. Zhou Zishu is more than prepared for a little investigating into his real identity, and the deception runs deep enough that he has a whole fake history and job to go along with his name.

Zhou Zishu endures a round of social BS-ing, aka attempts to dig for information on him, which is explained in a really succinct manner: although the greetings and false praise are absolute bullshit and not genuine in the least, they do serve a purpose, which is to sort out who has relations with who, and who is an outsider to be wary of. It’s a good point. The boot-licking is a standard in the genre that emphasizes the importance of saving face and social relations. The author summed it up well.

After sitting through all that, Zhou Zishu decides he has stayed long enough and departs under the cover of night, except he can’t shake Wen Kexing off his tail, much to his annoyance.

I’ll admit, these two characters don’t draw me in quite as much as some of priest’s other protagonists, but their dialogue is a goldmine:

-“Escorting the young master Zhang is purely for gathering merits, so that I won’t have to endure any tortures in the Underworld after death. -“Correct, Brother Zhou truly shares the same mind with me; and as only beautiful people can do that, it is clear-” -“See, my dear soulmate, another chance for merit gathering has appeared.”

They continue bickering until they find a corpse in the forest, aaand this is where our plot kicks off!

Chapter 10: Netherworld

“Someone killed the Lord of Duan Jian Manor, and I’m a charitable person who wants to gather merits, so why not. And I’m bored anyway.”

Ha. And Zhou Zishu catches onto his BS right away, suggesting he might want to chase after Sun Ding because he’s the most powerful of the culprits who ran off. It’s hilarious how well-matched these two are, and how they just roll with each other’s ridiculous commentary.

Despite not wanting to get involved, Zhou Zishu can’t help it. His detective senses are tingling and he figures there’s nothing to lose since he’s a dead man walking.

However, their pursuit leads them to another dead body, and they take off after the person fleeing the crime scene until they reach a cemetery. Of course it’s a cemetery, haha. The person they were pursuing also disappears mysteriously. The whole scene is fit for a horror movie, complete with laughing animals.

Now, to be fair, and I’m not sure if this applies to owls, but some animals like foxes have truly terrifying vocalizations (one variation sounds like a screaming woman, for one). It’s no wonder people used to think demons and spirits existed. Unlike western depictions of the owl as a symbol of wisdom, among other things, in Chinese culture they’re apparently bad omens, at most used to ward off evil spirits.

Wen Kexing is so random and dramatic and loves to talk, haha. He tells a short story about owls being omens of death, then about locust trees being considered the door to the underworld. They really do find an underground cavern and river beneath the tombstone.

So! We have met our two main characters, become well-acquainted with their propensity to hide their true identities and incessant bickering when they’re together, and set the stage for solving a murder mystery. Decent progression for 10/78 chapters. I really love priest’s writing, which is always a delightful balance of pleasant and poetic description between good, distinctive dialogue and forward action to progress the story.

#faraway wanderers #tianyake #reading blog

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