#there are a million reasons Andrew falls and this is absolutely one

[thelostgetfound-artemis]

Listen the only aftg scene I have a vested interest in seeing from Andrew POV is the Kathy interview.

I know he was drugged out of his mind but that was such a paradigm shift moment for him on his view of Neil.

Despite already finding him interesting, he clearly put Neil in the same box as Kevin in terms of being 'a person who is controlled by their fear and only willing to push past that fear for the sake of playing Exy.'

He doesn't see until that interview the major difference between them:

Kevin's own well being is Kevins top priority. I love him but he will risk others (Jean, Wymack, Andrew himself) for the chance at saving himself from Riko.

Neil on the other hand is prepared to put himself in the line of fire if it means protecting someone else from their abuser. 

the fact that at this point in time Andrew thinks Riko is what Neil fears too, but he's endangering himself for Kevin's sake oml

'Like recognizes like' is my absolute favourite reference for Andreil and this is the moment I believe it happens for Andrew. 

Neil is still a runaway, he's still Exy obsessed and a million other things that set him apart from Andrew, but in this one thing they are the same. 

The way his interactions with Neil change from that moment on are insane, the increase in casual touches alone is unreal. I want to be in Andrews head watching Neil tear Riko apart on live TV so bad oh god

[yourleftpinkytoe-blog]

Andreil soulmate au:

Background

Not everyone has a soulmate

To have one you need to fall into a very specific category of people

To put it simply “in order to have a soulmate you and your partner have to choose each other in every universe in existence”

This is a very rare occurrence

Like one in of every million people have a soulmate

You know you have one when you are born with a picture of something that holds meaning to you and you soulmate in every universe

There is only one way to make the marks disappear (when they do you are no longer soulmates in any universe)

“If romantic feelings are expressed and unreciprocated”

As long as there is a possibility for a relationship there is a bond

So all it takes is a no that is genuine for the bond to break

(So if affection is felt by one but never expressed then your still soulmates until the other party rejects you)

(If both parties hold romantic feelings for the other but are unable to be in a relationship then the bond is still there)

It’s basically a “yes, until it’s a no”

***

Nathaniel Wasinski was born with a soulmate to the delight of absolutely nobody. His father hated it for the soul reason of it being a potential joy for his son. He will go on to attempt to rid his son of the mark via a hot iron.

His mother hated it for being a distraction. Years after she would hate it for the fact that frankly, it’s too recognizable. Too distinct.

Abram likes it. In his eyes it’s something to latch onto. “In another universe maybe I’m not constantly in fear of the mob coming to kill me.” It’s hope but hope is not something he has room for so he doesn’t dwell on it.

Alex, Stephan, Chris nor any of his other identities have a soulmate. Abram’s soulmate is his and his alone. He only allows himself to acknowledge his mark in the dead of night locked in motel bathrooms. He traces the lines of the key, watching himself do so in the mirror. He doesn’t acknowledge the multitude of scars surrounding it. In those moments he lets his mind wander to all the possibilities. Who is his soulmate? Are they happy? Do they have a mom that rips their hair out too? Will they ever meet? If they do, could he even feel the types of feelings necessary for them to stay soulmates? Would his soulmate like him? He hopes so. It’s the only thing he lets himself hope for.

***

Andrew Doe was born with a soulmate, his twin brother was not. That distinction played a major part in Tildas decision. She knows the attention people like that bring. If she’s already going to have to deal with a snotty crying shit maker, she wants to do it in peace.

You’d think a child with a soulmate would be easily adopted. It is already rare for a child to be born with a soulmate let alone one that’s being put up for adoption. But Tilda’s track record for abandoning then subsequently coming back for said child put a bad taste in potential adopters mouths. So Andrew gets passed around from one hellhole to another, each with a new and exciting type of trauma for him to experience.

Andrew when he was young liked that he had a soulmate. He’d been abandoned so much but the idea of someone actually choosing him not just once but in every universe gave him hope.

All hope he had died when he was seven.

By the time Andrew Minyard is his legal name he no longer looks at his mark with any emotion at all. It was apart of him but he felt nothing for it. Or at least that’s what he tells himself.

He definitely doesn’t get an intense feeling of longing when he catches a glimpse of the key on his forearm. He definitely doesn’t ever think about his soulmate. who he is, what he’s doing, if they’ve met, how they could meet, what he look like. Is his life just as shitty as his own? No he definitely doesn’t think about that.

Except Andrew is only a liar when it matters and this doesn’t matter. So yes he thinks about his soulmate far more than he’d ever admit out loud ,But it’s not like it matters to him. His soulmate is a pipe dream, something to thinks about but never something he can have.

He’s too broken for his soulmate to choose him anyway.

[angelcabanag]

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

It Ends with Us is a romance novel by Colleen Hoover, published by Astria Books on August 02, 2016. It based on the relationship between Hoover’s mother and Father. Hoover described it in 2016 as “the hardest book I’ve ever written’’. As of 2019, the novel had sold over a million copies worldwide and been translated into over 20 languages.

CAST:

ATLAS CORRIGAN

Atlas was the main character Lily’s first love in the novel. She met him because he was homeless and was in need of food, shelter, and warmth. Atlas is my favorite character because he was never rude towards Lily, unlike the other men in her life. He always wanted what was best for her. He would always make her feel safe and encourage her to “just keep swimming.”

ALYSSA KINCAID

Alyssa was Lily’s best friend, employee, and sister of the second love interest of the novel. She had an uplifting attitude that added moments of happiness when the novel turned a bit dark. She always took care of Lily and was on her side even when her brother was not being a good boyfriend to Lily.

LILY BLOOM

Lily lives in Boston and has dreamed of opening a flower shop, which she later fulfills. Her father recently died and she spends a majority of the book reading her old journals about her first love and how her father was abusive. I respect her because she has been through a lot in life, and realizes her self worth throughout the novel by acknowledging she is in a toxic relationship and subsequently getting out of that relationship.

JENNY BLOOM

Jenny is Lily’s mom, who was also in an abusive relationship with Lily’s father. Her mom initially doesn’t seem like a great character as she used to ignore the abuse by Lily’s father, and never fought back or tried to leave him for Lily’s safety. However, by the end of the book, it is apparent that she really cares for Lily and their relationship does improve. 

EMMY KINCAID

Emmy is the daughter of Lily who is born at the end of the novel. Lily decides to leave Ryle for Emmy because she does not want her to grow up with parents who have a toxic relationship.

RYLE KINCAID

Lily met Ryle on a roof where she was there to reflect on giving the eulogy at her father’s funeral. Ryle seems like the perfect man for Lily, until he is unable to control his anger halfway throughout the story. He tries to get better for Lily, but is unable to stop the recurring domestic violence. The domestic violence aspect of the story is absolutely heartbreaking to read, and the book does definitely takes you on an emotional roller coaster.

ANDREW BLOOM

Andrew Bloom is Lily’s dad who really represents what a husband or father figure should not be like. He constantly hits Lily’s mom for no reason and even yells at Lily. He is my least favorite character of the story.

SUMMARY

In the romance novel It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, Ryle Kincaid and Lily Bloom are an unlikely couple from the beginning. Ryle is too focused on his career as a neurosurgeon to want a relationship, Lily refuses to be a one-night stand. When Ryle finally admits that he cannot live without Lily, Lily never dreams that the relationship will turn abusive.

Lily meets Ryle on the day of her father’s funeral. She has just given what she believes to be the worst obituary ever because she could not think of one good thing to say about her father, Andrew. Andrew was physically abusive to Lily’s mother, Jenny. He additionally put the first boy Lily loved in the hospital when he found the two of them in bed together. Andrew told Lily that she had brought shame on the family by falling in love with a homeless man.

Lily begins reading a series of journals she wrote as a teenager, focusing primarily on the ones she wrote during her relationship with Atlas Corrigan. Atlas was a senior in high school. He was homeless because his stepfather kicked him out of the house. He had nowhere else to go at the time. Lily helped Atlas by providing him with food and allowing him to take a shower in their house. She let him sleep in her room when it was too cold for him to be outside.

Lily fell in love with Atlas and was heartbroken when he moved to Boston after an uncle there said Atlas could live with him. Atlas told Lily he was going to join the Marines and would look her up when he returned. He did not want her to wait for him. It was that night that Andrew beat Atlas with a baseball bat. Lily knew he was alive, but she has not heard from him since.

In the present, Ryle gives Lily mixed messages about a relationship. He tells her that he does not want to make a commitment. Then, he sends her flowers or shows up unexpectedly at her apartment. Ryle finally agrees to test a relationship. During one of their first dates together at Lily’s apartment, Ryle hits Lily. Both of them are drunk. Even though Ryle has burned his hand on a hot casserole dish, Lily cannot help but laugh. Ryle apologizes to her, just like Lily’s father apologized to her mother. He claimed it was an accident. Lily warned him that if he ever hit her again, she would leave him.

That evening, Ryle and Lily went to a new restaurant. Lily had eaten there once before and knew Atlas worked there. She hoped they would not see him that night, but he came to their table to ensure their food was good. Lily could tell Atlas was angry when he saw the mark on Lily’s eye and the bandage on Ryle’s hand. He assumed Ryle had hit Lily. Atlas confronted Lily later and ordered her to leave Ryle. When Lily made excuses, Atlas told her that she sounded like her mother. Atlas hid his phone number in Lily’s phone in case Lily ever needed help.

Ryle hurt Lily again when he found Atlas’s phone number. He accused Lily of lying to him. When Lily followed him in an attempt to tell him the truth about what happened, he pushed her and caused her to fall down the stairs. Lily ordered him out of her apartment. The next day, Allysa, Ryle’s sister, convinced Ryle to tell Lily about his experience as a child. Ryle explains that he found his parents’ gun and unintentionally shot his older brother. Since that time he suffers with bouts of anger and sometimes blacks out. He begs Lily to take him back. With her help, he claims that he can overcome his anger.

Ryle attacks Lily again a short while later after he suspects that Lily is still in love with Atlas. He finds and reads Lily’s journals so he knows that the Boston magnet that Lily keeps on the refrigerator is a gift from Atlas. He also learns that the heart-shaped tattoo is an acknowledgment of the influence Atlas had on her life. Ryle tries to rape Lily in his anger and bashes her head with his when she bites his tongue.

Lily calls Atlas because she cannot think of anyone who can help her. In the emergency room, the doctor tells Lily that she is pregnant. Atlas allows Lily to stay at his house while she heals and tries to determine the next step in her relationship. When Lily leaves, Atlas warns her that he is unable to have a casual relationship with her. He wants her to come back to him if she is ever in a position where she is able to fall in love again.

Meanwhile, Lily tells Ryle that she wants to wait until the baby is born to decide the future of their relationship. She believes she is too emotional to make the right decision while she is still pregnant. Just moments after Lily gives birth, she tells Ryle she wants a divorce. She wants her daughter to grow up without remembering her father only as an abuser. Lily also knows that she is worthy of better treatment. About a year after her divorce from Ryle, Lily meets up with Atlas on the street. They decide on the spur of the moment to start a relationship.

MOOD

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover will have you feeling every emotion within the span of 376 pages. The story itself is heartbreaking and inspiring, sad and happy, romantic and painful.  It is eye-opening to the ways that sometimes the people we love the most end up hurting us the most.

THEME

It Ends With Us deftly and movingly examines issues of jealously, emotional, abuse, and generational cycles. What begins as a love story turns into a deeper investigation of what love is and isn’t, as well as the selflessness that frequently characterizes relationships that ride the emotional rollercoaster.

POINT OF VIEW

Only Lily’s point of view is used to tell this story, and I really like it. A heartbreaking book that will make you smile, laugh, and cry, It Ends with Us really lets you feel experience what Lily goes through.

SYMBOLISM

The novel establishes a strong link between Lily and Atlas and plants. Lily's early conversation with Ryle emphasizes her connection to flowers when she jokingly points out that her name, Lily Blossom Bloom, makes her love of flowers appear inauthentic. Lily's attachment to plants stems from her belief that plants reward the care they receive. "Plants reward you based on the amount of love you show them," Lily tells Atlas. Lily like plants, rewards Atlas with her love for all of his previous care and the care he continues to show her during her situation with Ryle by reaching out to him at the end.

CRITICAL APPROACH

It Ends with Us is open to criticism from all critical perspectives, including formalist approaches, psychological criticism, and criticism of reader response. The story definitely takes a psychological approach, as the protagonist of the It Ends with Us story has had to deal with domestic violence and other traumatic experiences that can affect her brain and thoughts. I am taking Because it deals with sensitive issues, the psychological tactics employed have a great impact on the reader of the book. The formalist approach, on the other hand, is a critical approach that regards the text being analyzed as a word structure that can be applied to any form of history. Finally, an article depicting how women who have experienced domestic violence find themselves conflicted when choosing between a mate and their own safety, and choosing their own well-being. , we can see the criticism of the reader's reaction.

[lonelyreputation]

Different (part five)

A/N: Here we are! The last part! Ahhh!! Can’t believe we made it this far!! Thank you to everyone who has read! All together, Different is 64 pages long which is just insane 🤯 Thanks a MILLION to everyone for EVERYTHING!! I couldn’t do this without you all 🤧 What a wild ride this has been🤧🤧

So……Happy reading 🤩🥳 And let me know your thoughts 😉 

REQUEST/PROMPT: Unrequited Love

Part ONE | Part TWO | Part THREE | Part FOUR

Let’s Chat!! | MASTERLIST 

Warnings: Few swear words

WC: 7.3K // fluff & slightly angst

                                         *Flashback to 2017*

Shawn still had the studio headphones on, and his eyes were still closed as if he was still trying to get in the right mindset to record this song, but he knew everyone was silent.  After what they all just heard, he knew no one would speak a word until he said something.

But after that song…What could he say?

He squinted one eye open, bracing for the worst, but he saw that everyone looked quite satisfied with themselves, “Uh,” Shawn coughed as he spoke into the microphone, “Do I need to cut it again? Re-record the bridge? Do another set of–––”

“It’s perfect, Shawn,” Andrew smiled at him as he clicked his phone off and slid it in his back pocket, “I’m going on a coffee run, anyone want anything?”

And just like that, four out of the five people in the room jumped up, offering to help with the order.  Not even three seconds later, Andrew wrangled everyone out the door, and Shawn was left in the studio with Brian.

With a heavy sigh, he took off his headphones and hung them on the microphone stand. Whatever conversation he was about to have with Brian, he knew there was no way he could avoid it.  Begrudgingly, he walked out from the sound booth and plopped down next to him.  He rested his elbows on his knees where he buried his face into the palm of his hands.

“So…” Brian drummed his fingers on his lap, “Are we gonna talk about that song?”

“Talk about what?” Shawn grumbled into his hands even though he knew exactly what Brian was referring to.

Brian let out a short laugh, “Seriously? We’re not going to talk about how that song just screams Y/n?”

Shawn snapped his head up and looked at Biran, “It’s not––”

Brian cut him off with a glare, “Don’t play that game,” he then softened his eyes and spoke in a less accusatory tone, “Staring across the room and laughing? Saying how there’s nobody like her? Waiting for when she’s ready?” Brian gave his friend a pointed look, “This is a song about a best friend.  This is a song about––”

“So what if it’s about her?” Shawn dramatically threw his arms up in the air and leaned his head back against the couch, not wanting to look his best friend in the eye, “It doesn’t matter because she doesn’t see me like that.”

“She literally looks at you like you personally hang the stars in the sky,” Brian said with a matter-of-fact tone, “How do you not see it?”

Shawn scoffed, “She has eyes for that guy in her quantitative whatever math class.”

“She’s literally only talked about him once,” Brian scoffed back at his friend, “But she’s always talking about you, always looking at you, always wanting to be around you.”

Lifting his head up from the back of the couch, Shawn looked at his friend with tired eyes, “I just needed to write the song to get it out of my system.”

“You don’t mean that,” Brain let out a sigh, because while neither you nor Shawn had confided your mutual feelings for one another with him, he knew the two of you had feelings for one another, “Trust me when I say that she likes you.”

“I more than like her,” Shawn blurted out before his mind could comprehend what he was actually saying.  His eyes grew wide, but Brian’s eyes sparkled with hope, “No––I didn’t mean it like that––I don’t know if I like her like that anymore––She’s just––”

Brian shook his head, finishing off Shawn’s sentence for him, “Different?”

Shawn slowly nodded his head, resting his chin on his hands.  You weren’t different in a bad way, his mind spoke to himself, but different in a way that he had trouble wrapping his head around what he wanted.  He cherished your friendship like no one else, you were closer to him than any other friend he had, and he loved you so much.

You were different in that sense––That he loved you more than any of his other friends…And the love he had for you was different than a friendship.

“Yeah,” Shawn said with a distant voice, “Different.”

///

Present Day

It had been one month since you last saw Shawn weaving through the crowd of Brian’s party to leave.  One month.  But in that one month, you realized just how much you missed him.  You thought day and night about what it would be like to be friends with him again––if it would be worth it.  And it was when you stumbled across a photo booth strip of the two of you at his New Year’s Eve party when the ache in your heart grew to be too much.

So in that one month…You gained the courage to send him a text.  

Right after you had your falling out nearly a year ago, you deleted all of your messages with Shawn, not wanting to be tempted to go back and read anything from him.  You didn’t want to be reminded of how nice he was and crawl right back to him––You wanted to forget that he ever existed.

So it was a bit weird when you pulled up a new message, typed in his contact name, and no previous messages showed up.

With anxiety bubbling up in the depths of your stomach, you held your breath as you typed out your message.

Hey, Shawn, I think this is still your number––

Backspace.

Hi, Shawn, it’s me…Y/n––

Backspace.

Shawn! Hi! It’s Y/n, I hope you’re doing well––

Backspace.

Why was composing a text to your ex-best friend harder than anything else you’ve ever done? It was just a text message.  A text message to a person who you once saw you sneeze chocolate milk out of your nose because he did something so outrageous it made you laugh.  

But it felt different.

It’s not different, the rational part of your mind spoke up, he’s still your best friend even though the two of you haven’t talked in nearly a year––you know he misses you, he made that clear at Brian’s party.

Oh, but it is different––the irrational portion of your mind shouted over your other thoughts––you confessed to loving him, he said he didn’t feel anything for you, you haven’t talked in nearly a year, and he ran out after he saw you kiss that boy.

You exhaled the breath you’d been holding in, and decided to just bite the bullet and send out the first message you typed.

Hey, Shawn.  It’s Y/n! I was wondering if you were free on Saturday to go on a walk?

You hit send before any part of your brain could convince you otherwise.  And right when the blue text bubble popped up on your screen, you felt your heart plummet into the anxiety that was at the bottom of your stomach.

What if he changed his number?

But it was a thought you didn’t have to dwell over for long because your phone chimed with a text message from the person on the other end.

Y/n! Hi…I’m glad to hear from you! I’m free all day Saturday so I can do whatever works for you x

A smile instantly spread across your face as you rapidly texted back a time and the location of the park you now walked at.  And just as instantly as you texted him, he texted you right back that the time and place worked perfectly for him.

Little did you know that Shawn canceled all of his previous plans for Saturday just for your walk.

///

“I could’ve bought my own coffee,” You took a sip of the drink that your hand was wrapped around for warmth, “Thank you, but I could’ve done it.”

Shawn tipped his head back slightly in laughter, “Next time don’t go to the bathroom when I’m ordering,” He turned his head to look at you with a smile, “And it also helped that you haven’t changed your order.”

You looked down at your coffee cup, feeling all tingly on the inside just like you felt around him before everything blew up in your face.  But you tried your hardest to push those feelings aside.  You were planning on being friends with him; on a walk to rekindle your friendship.

“I’m buying next time,” you lifted your head up and smiled at him.

His eyes twinkled bright, “I’ll hold you to it––And then I’ll buy the time after that.”

You bit the inside of your cheek, trying to hide your growing smile, as Shawn just confirmed he wanted to continue on going on walks, “And I’ll buy after that.”

Shawn faced his head forward, and from the corner of your eye, you saw that he was also trying to conceal his growing smile, “I think we have a good thing going.”

You nodded your head as the wind picked up a little, causing you to scrunch up your nose, “Seems like it.”

For the next nine minutes, the two of you walked in silence.  In the beginning, it was a little uncomfortable, but the more you continued down the winding path, the silence wasn’t too bad.  It almost felt like the old times where you didn’t feel the need to fill the silence––you were fine appreciating his presence more than any conversation.

It was a deep sigh from Shawn that broke the silence, “I…” He took a deep breath in through his nose, and then released it out through his mouth, “I owe you a real apology.”

You weakly smiled down at your sneakers, “I appreciate that, but I don’t want to talk about that day––”

“Y/n,” Shawn stopped in the middle of the pathway.  Reluctantly, you stopped with him and looked into his remorseful eyes, “I was a dick––Like an absolute asshole to you––I have no reasoning for it other than I didn’t know how to respond to you and even that,” He kept his eyes trained on you, “Is a shitty excuse.”

A sharp pain in your chest was weighing down the happiness you first felt when you saw Shawn waiting for you at the entrance to the park.  Because while you did think you deserved an apology, you didn’t want to be taken back to that day ever again.

“Thanks,” You nodded, “Can we get back to our walk?”

He held your gaze for a moment, waiting for you to say something else, but you kept your ground.  With a soft sigh, he nodded his head and the two of you continued to walk in silence.

Five minutes passed before Shawn let out another sigh.

“You’re really not going to say anything?”  His tone was full of defeat, he was expecting some sort of reaction from you, but you kept silent as he fell slightly behind.  He jogged up back to his place next to you, “I literally said that you ruined our friendship.  Said that you ruined tour––when you weren’t even there! And I got mad when you brought your boyfriend around––”

“So you were jealous?”

“That’s beside the point,” Shawn rolled his eyes, “The point is that you should be yelling at me, calling me every swear word in the dictionary, and maybe not even want to be this walk with me––”

“I was the one who texted you,” you stopped walking and Shawn instantly stopped his movements, “Why would I ask to hang out if all I was going to do was yell at you?”

Shawn let out a single breathy laugh, “Because I was a dick?”

You rolled your eyes, “Okay, fine,” you let out an aggravated breath, “I considered you the shittiest person ever, I cried for months, I thought I did ruin our friendship, I never expected to talk to you ever again” you looked up at him with sad eyes to see that his eyes mirrored yours, “And it hurt like hell.  But we’re passed that––I’m passed that––and I want to try to be friends again.”

Shawn nodded his head solemnly, “I’m sorry,” you glared at him, “I know you said you didn’t want to hear it, but Y/n, I feel so terrible and I should probably be apologizing for the rest of my life because I actually felt––” It seemed as though his mind caught up to what he was saying and he cut himself off, “I’m sorry. I just want you back in my life.”

You let him fidget with his fingers in silence for a few seconds, “Again, thank you for the apology, I appreciate it, but please,” your voice cracked, “I really don’t want to talk about it any longer.”

Shawn nodded his head firmly, “I––Yes––Okay.”

“Okay,” you took a sip of your coffee, “Can we get back to our walk?”

Shawn tried his best to cover up his guilt with a smile as he checked his hip against yours, “Let’s get walking.”

///

“This is the third time in a row you’ve bought the coffee,” you glared at Shawn, who had a proud smile on his face, as you took a sip of your coffee, “I’ve only bought coffee for us once.”

Shawn tsked, “Should get here before me then.”

“I don’t know what time you show up!”

“Exactly,” he winked, “Which is the fun of it.”

You playfully rolled your eyes at him, “Come on, what time do you get here then?” He shook his head as he took a sip of his coffee, “Please tell me? Why won’t you tell me? Can we just agree on a time so then I could stand a chance to beat you at the coffee shop?”

Shawn took another sip of his coffee, this time with a smile on his face, but he still left your questions unanswered.

“Fine,” you said with a huff, “I’ll just get here two hours early.”

“You’d have to get here earlier than that.”

You choked on your coffee, covering your mouth with your hand so you wouldn’t spit it out, “Excuse me?”

“Kidding,” Shawn unconvincingly said with a weak laugh, “Kidding.”

Skeptically, you nodded your head, “So, what’s going on in the life of Shawn Mendes?”

He shrugged his shoulders, “Nothing much…Recording new music, responding to Andrew’s texts telling me to check my email, sleeping…” He sneaked a glance at you as he sipped his coffee, “Going on walks.”

“No girls?”

This time, Shawn was the one who choked on his coffee as he leaned forward and spat out the hot liquid.

“What?”

You pulled a napkin from your back pocket and handed it to him, “Just a question, I thought that…” Your words trailed off as you watched Shawn wipe the napkin across his chin, “Friends ask each other that kind of stuff?”

Your voice grew higher in pitch with every word, not feeling confident at all.  On one hand, you wanted to be back in the role of the supportive best friend.  But on the other hand…It would absolutely kill you to know if there was a girl in his life.  

Because while you wanted your previous status as resident best friend back…You still coveted the spot of being his significant other.

“I mean yeah they do,” Shawn coughed and quickly shook his head, “But no…No girls.”

A chill––that you knew wasn’t from the cool spring breeze––caused you to shiver, “No Miranda?”

“That’s––How do––” you gave him a pointed look and his eyes widened in understanding.  

The bathroom incident.

He said there were no girls, but the fact that he wasn’t outright denying anything with her caused your teeth to clench.  It was a name that spun around your head like a revolving door.  

Recently, she wasn’t taking up space in your mind, but when everything happened with Shawn all those months ago…She was the only thing you could think of.

While you were big on not judging people you haven’t met before, there was not a bone in your body that didn’t loathe her.

Again, he coughed, “No, I haven’t seen her in…” He squinted one of his eyes shut as he looked up at the sun trying to break through the clouds, “God, it’s been months––Nearly a year?”

Nearly a year.

He hasn’t seen her since the two of you had a falling out.

A triumphant smile took over your face that you tried to hide by taking a sip of your coffee, “Well, if there’s anyone…” He looked at you with raised eyebrows, mouth slightly parted, as if he couldn’t believe the words coming out of your mouth, “I want to be the first to know.”

“How’re things with Charlie?”

It was your turn to look at him with shock written all over your face.  Charlie was the last person you expected Shawn to bring up.

You cleared your throat, “Uh, actually…We stopped seeing each other.”

“Really?”

You nodded, eyes trained straight ahead at the trees that were slowly starting to grow their leaves back, “Yeah. About a month and a half ago,” you shrugged, “He’s nice and all but it’s just…It wasn’t going to work out.”

“Are you okay?”

When you looked over at him, you saw that his eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were filled with genuine concern, “I––I think?” You took a sip of your coffee, “It was nice while it lasted but I––It was mutual––” lie, “––We both thought we’d be better off as friends.”

Shawn slowly nodded his head, concern still prevalent on his face, “Break ups suck and if you ever need anyone…” he offered you a small smile, “I’ll be around.”

“Thanks, Shawn,” You smiled at him, squinting your eyes slightly from the sun,, as it finally shined brightly through the clouds, “I really appreciate that.”

“Of course,” Shawn said with a smile on his face as he went to take a sip of his coffee.

From your peripheral vision, you noticed that he took a sip of his coffee to hide the smile on his face.  It was the same smile you tried to hide from him when you found out there weren’t any girls present in his life.

Maybe you did just as terrible of a job at hiding your smile from him.

///

This time, when you rode up the elevator to Brian’s apartment for one of his infamous parties, you were alone.

There was no Charlie. There was no Shawn.  And…You were okay with that.

You stepped off the elevator with a smile on your face and let yourself into Brian’s apartment when you got to his door.  And just like every other time you walked into Brian’s apartment, he was downing whatever drink he had in a red solo cup.

“Y/n!” He yelled out your name with a smile as he came barreling into you, “I’ve missed you!”

You smiled into the hug, giving him a quick squeeze before he released you, “I’ve missed you too,” you said with a chuckle as Brian took hold of your wrist to drag you into the kitchen.

“You need a drink,” he dropped your wrist as he went rummaging around the fridge.  He pulled out a can of coke and twisted his head back to you, “Vodka coke?”

“Sure,” you said as you leaned your back against the counter.

Brian opened the can with a psssh noise following as he poured the can into a red cup, “So,” he crushed the can when all the soda was out, “We haven’t been on any walks lately.”

You stiffened, “Um––Yeah––I––We should get back to that.”

“Mhm,” Brian hummed as he kept his eyes trained on the vodka he poured into your glass, and admittedly, it looked like a little too much for your liking, “Have you still been going on walks?”

“What do you mean?” You asked as you crossed your arms over your chest.

Brian stifled a laugh, “No need to get defensive,” he passed you your drink as you took a whiff of it, smelling the strong scent of vodka, “Have you replaced me on our walks?”

You took a big sip of the toxic drink Brian made for you to get out of answering.  But he stood there in front of you, patiently waiting for your answer with a smirk on his face.

Setting the drink down on the counter, you coughed into the crook of your elbow to clear out the leftover sting of vodka on your throat, “I mean, I wouldn’t say replaced––”

Brian mirrored your position; leaning against the fridge with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at you with a knowing glint in his eyes, “Don’t even try and hide it.”

You let your shoulders drop as your eyes went down to look at your shoes, “Did Shawn tell you?”

“No.” His voice was smug.  You whipped your head up with wide eyes to look at him, “It’s just obvious.”

“Obvious?”

Brian nodded his head, “Both of you seem happier…” he offered you a smile, “And if you were still upset with him, you would’ve asked if he was coming tonight so you could avoid him.”

“That’s not––”

His pointed look cut you off because there had been a few occasions where you purposefully avoided Shawn before you decided to reconnect with him.

You let out a huff, “Fine, okay, we’re friends again.”

“Friends?” Brian raised his eyebrows, “Have you talked about––”

You swiped your cup up from the counter and took two big sips, scrunching your nose up in distaste, “He apologized, I was appreciative that he apologized, we’re moving on.”

“You still like him.”

You had just brought the red cup away from your lips, hand freezing in the air, as Bian’s words echoed in your mind.

You still like him.

Did you still like him? On your walks with him you were beginning to feel that familiar warmth whenever he brushed up against you.  You were starting to feel like you couldn’t stop smiling around him again.  And you were beginning to feel the giddiness, nervousness, and butterflies in your stomach again.

You told Shawn your feelings, the irrational part of your brain piped up, if anything were to happen it already would’ve happened––He doesn’t like you like that, he made that clear.

But, the rational portion of your brain reasoned, things aren’t the same as they were a year ago. Both you and Shawn have changed, you’re not the same people, things change…Feelings change.

“We’re just going on walks,” you took a tiny sip of your drink.

Brian hummed, “So you wouldn’t freak out if I said he just walked through the door?”

“What?!”

You whipped your head around to the front door, eyes searching through the few people who congregated near the front door,  but you didn’t see the familiar mop of brown curls.  You searched harder for him, but still didn’t see him.

You narrowed your eyes at Brian, “Fuck you.”

Brian laughed with a shrug of his shoulders, “He’s been here for nearly an hour.”

You brought the cup up to your lips to take a sip as you rolled your eyes, “Sure.”

“Don’t trust me?”

“When have I ever?”

Brian brought his fingers up to his lips and whistled loud, “Shawn!”

And like a dog being called by their owner, Shawn emerged from the crowd, heading straight into the kitchen with a confused stare…Until his eyes brightened up when they landed on you.  You spat what little alcohol you had in your mouth back into the cup and glared at Brian.

“You should trust me more often.”

The way he said it, with a hint of glee in his eyes, was almost as if he was alluding to previous events.

You brushed him off and set your red solo cup on the counter as Shawn made his way to where you stood with Brian.  The three of you stood in a triangle in silence.  

Shawn slipped his hands in his front pockets and rocked back on his heels, “Y/n, hi,” he finally said after a few beats of silence, “Is he bothering you?” He jerked his head over to Brian with a laugh.

You chuckled, “Always.”

“Y/n was just telling me about your walks,” Brian gave Shawn a pointed stare.  Shawn’s eyes widened as he looked toward you, silently asking if you told him, but you shook your head. “Seems as though I’ve been replaced by you.”

You cleared your throat, “I think I saw Olivia when I walked in,” you set your cup down on the counter, abandoning the alcohol, “Haven’t seen her in a bit…” Your eyes darted between Shawn and Brian, “I think I’m gonna say hi.”

With a deep breath, you scooched past Shawn as he placed a comforting hand on your shoulder, momentarily stopping you from walking around him, “We’ll catch up later?”

While you wanted nothing more than to make up for the lost time, being around him––alone––still made you nervous.  But you nodded, a small smile tugging at the corner of your lips, “Sure.”

You didn’t see Olivia when you walked in.  You had no idea if she was even here.  But one thing you did know was that if you were going to ‘catch up’ with Shawn…You needed a breather before.  

And that’s how you ended up in Brian’s room––again––with your head in your hands, wondering to yourself if you were starting to like Shawn again.

But deep down, you knew that your feelings for him never went away.

///

“So, Shawn,” Brian said as he watched you walk off down the hall to his bedroom, he smiled, “What’s going on?”

Shawn shrugged his shoulders as he tried to push Brian away from the fridge, wanting to grab a beer before he knew exactly what topic he was going to bring up.  

Brain didn’t budge, “I need you sober for this conversation.”

“It’s not like I’ve been under the influence the countless other times we’ve had this conversation,” Shawn took up your previous place at the counter and leaned against it, crossing his arms, “I don’t see why I can’t have a drink.”

Brian raised his eyebrows and gestured his hands toward the path you walked away from them, “Don’t you see? This is your chance.”

Shawn shook his head, as he picked up the drink that you left on the counter.  He took one sniff of it and pulled his head back, nose scrunched up in disgust, “God, what was she drinking?”

“I made it,” Brian proudly smiled.

“Disgusting,” Shawn said right before he took a sip.  He instantly regretted it when he felt more alcohol hit the back of his throat rather than coke, “Were you trying to give her alcohol poisoning?”

Brian shrugged his shoulders, “She drank it––But stop going off topic,” he glared at Shawn because he knew exactly how his friend tried to deflect attention, “She still likes you.”

Shawn scoffed, “After how I treated her? I’m surprised she’s giving me the time of day.”

“And that’s why she still likes you,” Brian tried to emphasize his point, “If she didn’t like you anymore she would’ve deleted your number, never wanted to see you again––let alone go on walks with you––She texted you first!”

“So?” Shawn let out a deep sigh as he rubbed the toe of his boot on the floor, “I missed my chance.  She said she loved me for years––years,” Shawn said in a pained voice, “That means we both liked each other at the same time at one point and we didn’t do anything about it.”

“You both like each other now,” Brian said softly, “Forget the past––” he was cut off after Shawn glared at him, “Okay, maybe not forget the past, because you were an asshole and need to learn from your mistakes––but,” Shawn glared at Brian again, “Trust me when I say she still likes you.”

Shawn picked up the forgotten cup and threw his head back to finish off the rest of the horrible mixed drink.  He let out a little ah as he felt the burn in his throat, “She won’t talk about it with me.  We’re not at that stage yet––”

“Your friends,” Brian rolled his eyes as he lifted himself off from the fridge, “I get it.”  He patted Shawn’s shoulder, “Also, Olivia’s not here tonight.”

With that information, Shawn’s ears perked up and he tilted his head at Brian.  But he just patted his shoulder one more time before walking to the living area.  

If Olivia wasn’t at the party…Then she wasn’t out there mingling with everyone else, Shawn thought to himself.  And it was then that he realized what Brian was trying to tell him without explicitly saying anything; that you were alone, most likely in Biran’s room, waiting for him to come talk to you.

At least he hoped you were waiting for him, Shawn thought to himself as he said a Hail Mary, and walked down the hall to Brian’s room.

///

Like the last time you were at Brian’s place for a party, you found yourself in his room trying to clear your head.  Why did he feel the need to put all those doubts in your head? You were finally coming to peace with just being friends with Shawn.  But with everything Biran was trying to insinuate…It only muddled your thoughts more.

And like the last time you were in Brian’s room, you saw a sliver of light come from the door opening.  But this time you knew who walked through the door.

Slowly, you lifted your head up from your hands and offered him a shy smile, “Hey.”

Shawn returned your smile, “Thought you were catching up with Olivia?”

Your smile wavered as you tried to come up with an excuse, “I––Uh––It wasn’t her, just someone who looked like her.”

He nodded his head as he stood in front of you, rocking back and forth from heel to toe, “Can I sit?”

All it took was a slight nod of your head and Shawn took a few long strides until he sat next to you.  His legs were spread apart, one of his knees occasionally touching yours, as he hunched over a bit.  His forearms rested on his thighs and his folded hands dangled between his legs, “So…”

You stayed silent.

“I––The weather was nice today?”

You were a little confused with his small talk––especially how his sentence tapered off into the form of a question.  But you nodded your head, not knowing where he was going with it, “Yeah…Little chilly for spring, but it was…Okay.”

More silence.

The ringing in your ears was getting relentless and you were starting to feel uncomfortably hot sitting anxiously next to Shawn.  Whenever he deeply exhaled out of his nose, you heard it loud and clear, and it sounded as if he was trying to calm down while simultaneously motivate himself.

You go on walks with him, you thought to yourself, you shouldn’t be this nervous to be alone in a room with him.

But you were more than nervous.  You felt the anxiety in your stomach grow more with each passing second of silence, you heard voices in your mind taunting you about your failed attempt at sharing your feelings with him, and you had a sinking feeling in your stomach that was warning you that something was about to happen.

Not wanting to stick around for whatever your gut was saying, you pressed your hands on your thighs, standing up from the edge of Brian’s bed, “I should probably go––”

Shawn’s hand shot out to your wrist, somewhat firm to keep you in place, but also loose enough that if you wanted to, you could walk away from him.

“So you––uh––You used to go on walks with Brian?” Shawn blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.  It seemed as though he would say anything to make you stay.

Slowly, you nodded your head and sat back down when you felt him tug your wrist, “We ran into each other and it just sorta…Happened.”

Shawn hummed, “And then you stopped?”

“I started going on walks with you.”

A brief smile came across Shawn’s face as he peaked up at you, “I like going on walks with you.”

You gulped, you heard the undertone of the message loud and clear, but you weren’t sure if you were ready to re-hash everything, “I’ve been in Brian’s room for too long––”

“Maybe don’t leave…” He placed his hand on top of yours this time.  Slowly, he  flipped your hand around, palm facing up, as he slotted your fingers together,  “Not just yet.”

Having Shawn hold your hand like this––like more than a best friend––was something you wished whenever you saw a shooting star.  Unlike all the other times you held hands with him when you were just friends, it was always just a loose hold, and your fingers were never intertwined.

But now, he was holding your hand intentionally.  With his fingers tangled with yours, it felt like he wanted to create a knot that was impossible to detangle.

You were torturing yourself by looking at your hands together, as you spoke barely above a whisper, “What are you doing?”

“Something different.”

You let out a sigh and shut your eyes, “We can’t keep going around in circles.”

“I don’t want to go around in circles anymore,” Shawn squeezed your hand, “I want this.”

You clenched your teeth together, letting out an aggravated breath, as you picked your head up to look at him, “We’re not doing this again.”

“Y/n,” Shawn pleaded with you, “I––Not having you in my life was the worst–––”

“And whose fault was that?” You wanted to rip your hand away, but it had been so long since you last had any physical contact with him.  And you missed the warmth that flooded your veins when you were connected with him.

Shawn’s shoulders fell, “It was all my fault.  But not being with you––Whenever there was good news, you were always the first person I wanted to tell.  I wanted to call you and hear about your day.  And I realized that I never want to lose you again.”

One…Two…Three…Four…

“Do you even like me like that, Shawn?”

His eyes were wide, mouth slightly agape, as he looked at you with shock evident on his face.  But he blinked a few times, coming back to reality, as he  furrowed his eyebrows together, “Why wouldn’t I––Of course I like you like that.”

“Are you sure you don’t miss our friendship?” His hand squeezed around yours at the mention of that word, “We were apart for so long.  Are you sure you just don’t miss that?”

Shawn shook his head, “I don’t think you’re understanding what I’m saying––”

“I understand perfectly,” you cut him off, “You told me that I shouldn’t feel these feelings for you. You were the one who was so adamant about not ruining our friendship––”

Shawn continued to shake his head, “I’ve liked you for so long––”

“And I was so in love with you,” you ducked your head down and sniffled, “For so long.  And now…I don’t understand you.”

Slowly, you started to pull your hand away from his grasp, but he only held your hand tighter, this time not giving you an option to leave.  Because he knew if you left, the chance of you two becoming more than friends would be off the table.

“Please,” Shawn tugged on your hand for you to look up at him, but you still kept your head down, “When You’re Ready is about you, my feelings for you back then were so…Strong that I had to write it out, but I didn’t think you felt the same way.  I wanted more, but at the time we were just friends.”

You picked your head up and narrowed your eyes at him, “And you didn’t tell me this when I told you I loved you?”

“How was I supposed to react?” His voice was full of shame, “I didn’t know you were in love with me and it scared me––”

“Do you know how scared I was to tell you?” Your voice was soft, almost fragile, as if you could feel your heart breaking all over again, “And when you said you didn’t feel the same and I––”

“Hey,” Shawn shushed you as he heard your voice grow higher in pitch, cracking at the end of your sentence.  Hesitantly, he brought a hand up to cup the side of his face, as he shifted his body to face you, “It’s––I know I’ll never be able to apologize enough for what I did.“

He gulped, briefly breaking eye contact before looking up at you with pleading eyes, “I felt so lost without you and I realized that what we had was always more than a friendship.  And the only time I felt relatively okay was when I saw you in the park last December,” his eyes softened, “Even though you told me off…Those ten minutes with you made me feel something.”

“This could really ruin our friendship,” you mumbled as you felt his knees knock against yours.

Shawn hummed in acknowledgement.

“How––” you felt your breath hitch in the back of your throat as Shawn’s, once still thumb, started rubbing soothing circles on your cheek, “How will we do this?”

He hummed again, not giving you a proper response.

“This,” you felt your heart stop as he leaned forward, brushing the tip of his nose against yours, “If something happened between us would Brian have to choose?”

“I really don’t want to be thinking about Brian right now.” He spoke as you felt his breath hit your face.

“What––”

“Excuses, excuses,” Shawn tsked with a subtle laugh as his eyes closed.  He slightly leaned his head to the side, pressing a light kiss to the corner of your mouth, “We’ll figure it out as we go.”

“What if we mess up?”

Shawn opened his eyes, brown eyes full of sincerity, “I’d rather mess up than not know what it felt like to try.”

And without anymore excuses to spurt out, Shawn ducked his head and captured your lips in a kiss.  Even though you knew the kiss was coming, you still let out a slight noise of surprise, but you didn’t back away.  

You sighed into the kiss as he held the back of your neck, wanting to keep you as close to him as possible.  At the same time you rested your free hand right above his knee, he slid his tongue in past your lips.

The more you kissed him, the more you thought about how right he was.  You would rather mess up trying––with him––than not know what this felt like.  You put your friendship on the line the first time, and it suffered greatly, but now that the two of you were on the same page about feeling something more for each other…It seemed silly to let the opportunity go to waste.

Even though you’d waited years to know how his lips felt against yours––you didn’t count the drunk pecks with each other as real kisses––you pulled away.  He followed your lips to press one last kiss against them before leaning his forehead against yours.

A few moments of silence passed, “Should we…” You couldn’t help the glowing smile that spread across your face, “Should we head back?”

“Let’s stay here for a few more minutes.”

You nodded your head, pulling away from him brushing his nose against yours, as you scooted up right next to him––so that your thighs were touching––and leaned your head on his shoulder.  You felt Shawn release a content sigh as he pressed a kiss to the top of your head, and rested his head on top of yours.

Neither of you knew how long you sat on the edge of Brian’s bed for, but you were in comfortable silence, appreciating feeling close to one another.  It was Shawn’s hand giving you a squeeze that brought you out of your blissful daydreaming.

“Ready to head back?”

You snuggled your head further into the crook of his neck and shook your head mumbling a no.

You felt Shawn’s chest rumble with a bit of laughter as he untangled your hands and threw an arm around your shoulder, hugging you close, “Neither am I, but you know how much Brian hates when people are in his room.”

Nodding against his shoulder you let out a sigh, “Alright.”

Shawn peeled his arm off from you as he stood up, but he extended his hand to help you off the bed.  With a smile, you reached out for his hand as he pulled you up, sliding his fingers in between yours as the two of you walked out the door.  

Even when the two of you stopped at the end of the hallway, eyes scanning the apartment seeing how many more people showed up, he still held your hand tight.

“I’m going to grab water from the kitchen,” He looked down at you, “Want anything?”

You smiled, “Just a water please.”

Shawn nodded his head, but before he left for the kitchen, he slid his index finger under your chin, tilting your head up to look at him. His eyes shined with admiration for you, and he quickly lowered his head to press a chaste peck to your lips.

“Be right back,” you watched him stalk off to the kitchen with a lovesick smile on your face that you didn’t try and hide.

“So,” Brian seemed to appear out of nowhere as he slid up against the wall, “You told him?”

You didn’t know how he knew, but Brian always seemed to know your true feelings for Shawn.  You just hummed in response.

Brain let out a small laugh, the familiar hint of glee was back in his eyes whenever he mentioned you and Shawn together, “And he told you?”

You tore your eyes away from Shawn uncapping two water bottles to look at Brian, “We talked.”

“Knew it,” Brian’s smile was wider than yours, “Called it from the beginning.”

You rolled your eyes and shoved his shoulder, “You knew nothing.”

He softly smiled at you, “He’s always been in love with you, ya know?  He always talked about it.” His soft smile transformed into a smirk, “And it was so obvious you were in love with him.  I’m surprised he didn’t know.”

You bit the inside of your cheek, finally knowing that your feelings for him were reciprocated.  Deciding not to respond to Brian, you turned your head back to Shawn who was chatting with a friend in the kitchen as he poured the waters into red cups.

He was already staring at you, every now and then glancing at the person who was rapidly talking to him.  But his eyes perked up with happiness when he saw you return his gaze.  

You slightly tilted your head, furrowing your eyebrows as you glanced at the person who was talking to him, mouthing a “who?”

Shawn raised his shoulders in a shrug as he let out a small laugh, one that you returned.

You kept your eyes trained on Shawn as he politely excused himself from the person as he placed the plastic bottles into the recycling container.  He went back to grab the two cups full of water, and even as he weaved through the crowd to get back to you, politely dodging more conversations, his eyes never left yours.

You let out a content sigh, your heart picking up speed, with every step he took closer to you.  And when he reached you, he handed you the cup of water, throwing an arm around your shoulder.  He pulled you in close to his side as he nonchalantly struck up a conversation with Brian.

Even though you had no idea what their topic of conversation was about, you blindly nodded along to whatever they said.  The only thought you had swirling around in your head was how nice it felt when Shawn either squeezed your shoulder or slightly ran the tips of his fingers along your bicep.

Things were different now.

You tilted your head to the side, craning your neck up to look at Shawn’s side profile.  And just like every time––since the start of your friendship––when either of you looked at each other, the other one almost looked back instantly.  He smiled down at you, ducked his head down to press a soft kiss to your cheek, and you felt your smile grow even wider.

A good different.

taglist (add/remove yourself!) : @adelaidestreets, @alilovesshawn, @alina--jpeg, @fallinallincurls, @http-isabela, @lights-on-mendes, @mendesficsxbombay, @now-that-i-saw-u @particularnarry, @shawnmendez, @shawnsreputation, @shawn-youth,  @turtoix, @vinylmendes, @5-seconds-of-mendes, @pupsandducks @musicalkeys, @madatmendes @im-salt-but-not-salty @sunkisseddreamer, @crossedties @fortheloveoftheaussies, @illuminatepotter

[awfullyaster]

andreil shenanigans bc i’ve been thinking about them a lot lately (as per usual)

ok but thEoretically

what if

what if

one) andreil just laying in bed, facing one another, ready to go to sleep but not quite yet---and they’re just staring at each other. liek they Cannot look away. and andrew kinda lets it happen. neil is still slightly hesitant but still can’t look away. sir and king are asleep around--between???--them but if they noticed, they didn’t acknowledge them. and you know. they’re just kinda...staring. searching. for anything. worry, anger, doubt, frustration, panic, tension, any type of negativity. they’re looking into each other’s eyes--and they don’t see it. not a speck. it’s just serenity. comfort. dare i say, genuine enjoyment in the other’s gaze. and maybe, just maybe, it grows into a contest, like a staring contest--but instead of whoever blinks first, it’s whoever sleeps first. OR whoever reaches out first. because they’re just staring, silently, not touching, but close. real and there to stay. 

(idk where i was going with that)

two) ok but NEIL giving ANDREW piggyback rides: a concept. (of course this would be very far in their relationship when andrew is comfortable with neil touching all of him) and it could be for any reason. liek andrew’ll just call neil or nudge him, ask yes or no, and if neil asks why, there’d be a different reaason every time. i don’t feel like walking anymore. so no? both of our arms will be occupied so if someone asks to hold something we can’t. because you haven’t been lifting enough. i don’t need to explain myself to you. you know, amdrew being amdrew. but it’ll never be the truth (because we all know andrew): because he wants to. he actually wants to be just slightly above the ground, because he knows that he won’t fall. neil simply would not let that happen. and he controls the direction, so that he doesn’t put andrew in danger. and andrew trusts him. he really does trust neil to not let him fall. and he likes it, though you’d never, not in a million years, catch him saying that. 

(idk but it’s a cute concept to me)

three) hOly shit amdrew and neil getting those liek couple fashion winter item thingies--more specifically that one glove where you can hold hands in it--i forgot what it was called but them getting that,,,,right,,,,and i know they’re not a very affectionate type of couple--much less pda--but say liek,,,,idk it was snowing out and neil lost a glove idk and they just so haPpEn to have that sitting around and as well as andrew and andrew alone waiting for neil to finish getting ready for wherever they’re going--and andrew just suggests the glove, tiring of neil teleporting here and there looking for the other damn glove. and neil just freezes up because he did Not expect that but he was glad it happened but of course, wasn’t going to show it and asked if andrew was sure. and andrew just asks yes or no, and neil responds with yes, and andrew just walks up to neil, holds his hand firmly, and pulls the big ‘ol glove out one of his coat pockets (backtrack to their matching coats, yes, yes) and slips it on, and they walk out their apartment together, using one hand each for other tasks. (it was andrew. andrew hid neil’s other glove. it was in his other coat pocket the entire time.)

four) amdrew beimg affectiomate (especially during the early stages of their relationship) yes,,,,i am wEll aware that amdrew minyard is not a big fan of affection generally,,,,but just iMaGinE,,,,liek,,,when he first showed the first safe zone to neil (the hair) and neil just played/s with it sometimes. (because they’re simultaneously gentle and hardcore, as we know) not out of spite, not out of pity, just because he wants to. just because they both want to. andrew shows absolutely no sign of it, but he enjoys it. he doesn’t stop neil, but in just the slighest way, silently encourages him to proceed. and neil does. oR, maybe andrew lying his head in neil’s lap when they’re on the roof or giving him back hugs randomly or just running hands through his hair or lying his head on neil’s shoulder in the bus bc he’s Mr. Instigator and yk, it’s easier to touch than to be touched, so. (yes or no?s asked first, of course) and neil doesn’t mind. not at all. of course, it’s all so brand new to him, but it’s andrew, and he knows andrew. he trusts andrew. he knows there’s no malicious intent behind his touches. the reassuring thought keeps him grounded, at ease, and not itchy with the urge to run. because andrew is the reason he would choose to stay. every single time. even if his legs would disagree.

(idk what the fuck that one was or why i wrote it like that)

anyway i ran out of top-of-my-head ideas and i’m tired so thank you for coming to my ted talk

i was randomly looking at the almost-sunset and my brain instinctively wandered to reminiscing andreil roof moments and i want(ed) to cry

i miss andreil oh so much

sending my love to them

(and you)

(take care of yourself)

(you’re great)

[lotusss-flowerbomb]

Dark Knight (2)

Bucky x reader

Warnings: violence, smut (y’all knew it was coming), 18+

A/N: Hey cousins! Just wanted to thank you all for your interest in this fic. I hope this chapter lives up to the expectations you all had for the rest of this story. Enjoy!

Word Count: 3,801-ish

********

You clawed at Andrew's face trying to get him to release you. When that didn't work you reached out for a piece of the glass and cut his face. He finally let go and you coughed and gasped for air.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you!!" He lunged for you again.

You swung the glass towards him again and then his entire body went flying into a wall. You looked up to see Bucky rushing towards you.

He helped you up and examined your face and body.

"Wait!" You stopped him when he got close to glass.

"Deep breath," he said to you just before yanking the glass from your arm.

"Ow! You didn't even let me inhale," you screeched.

You heard Andrew groaning as he scrambled to get to his feet. Bucky turned towards him and moved you behind his back. He let Andrew stand before stalking towards him.

He spit blood on the floor before rolling his neck and preparing for a fight. He swung his fist towards Bucky who easily dodged it, grabbed his hand and broke it. The high pitched howl that left his mouth could’ve awakened the dead.

Bucky didn't stop there. He grabbed the same arm, punched his elbow completely shattering it and dislocated his shoulder before throwing a punch to his ribs cracking those too. When Andrew dropped to the ground, Bucky stomped on the shin of his right leg. Another loud crunch echoes through the room and then picked him up by his throat and squeezed.

"Bucky! Bucky, stop, you're gonna kill him!" You tried pulling on his arm.

"He deserves it," he said and squeezed a little tighter.

Andrew's eyes started rolling to the back of his head and he was begging to foam at the mouth. His body dangling as the entire right side was broken. 

"I know, but not right now. Bucky, please don't!" You stood in front of him and put your hands on his face.

Bucky finally let him go and his body hit the floor with a loud thud. He wasn't moving.

Just then Steve and Wanda came bursting through the front door. They looked to you and Bucky and then at the still body on the floor.

"He'll live," Bucky nudged his broken shin with his foot and Andrew sucked in a bunch of air and started coughing.

Shortly after, the police walked in and Wanda walked you outside to be seen by a medic. They examined you, cleaned up your cut and then prepared a stretcher for a broken Andrew.

Wanda stood by you while you gave your statement to the police before heading back inside.

"I'll pour you a drink," she sat you down once you reached the kitchen and grabbed a glass and a bottle of wine for you. Once the police left Steve came in and hugged you. Bucky stood across from you on the other side of the island.

"I told you," he pointed his finger at you. "I told you not to bring men to this house." He yelled.

"Bucky, you might want to —" Wanda started, but he cut her off.

"No! Stay out of it," he looked at her. "What if our daughter would have been here? He could have hurt her!"

You couldn't stop the tears from flowing. You were hurt by his words. How could he ever think that you'd put your child in danger?

"I'm not falling for the tears. If you weren't being so fucking stu —"

You threw your wine in his face before he could finish his statement and tossed the glass like a championship baseball pitcher. It hit the counter top, but Wanda used her powers and stopped it before it shattered everywhere.

"Okay, everyone just calm down," Steve tried to reason.

"Fuck you, James Barnes!" You got up from your seat and walked towards the stairs. You slammed your bedroom door behind you.

"You're a real ass do you know that?" Wanda started in on him, "she didn't invite him here. He followed her home, she thinks it may have been from the coffee shop where they met."

Bucky visibly deflated. He really was an ass.

"Looks like you've got a whole lot of apologizing to do," Steve smacked his back. "We'll get out of here, so you can get to it."

He and Wanda left. Bucky cleaned up the pieces of glass from the lamp as he thought about how he was going to apologize for the things he said.

********

When he was finished, he washed his face and decided that pouring you another glass of wine was the best he could do in the moment. He grabbed the bottle and a glass and headed up to the bedroom. Halfway up the stairs, he could hear you sniffling. He took a deep breath and continued on. Normally, he'd just leave until you calmed down, but now wasn't the time for him to run.

He knocked on the door softly before entering. You were lying in bed with your back towards the door hugging your body pillow.

"Go away," you said to him.

"I'm sorry, doll," he walked over to you and sat down. "I shouldn't have said what I said. I let my anger get the best of me."

"Just go, Buck."

"I can't do that."

"Why not? It's not like you don't know how," you snapped.

Bucky exhaled. He knew you still held resentment towards him for leaving. He never gave you a reason why he did and now might be the perfect time to tell you.

"I didn't just leave, because I don't love you or want to be a family..."

His long pause made you turn around. You made a hand motion for him to continue.

Bucky took a deep breath and proceeded with his explanation.

"I almost died on that mission," he looked down at the floor. "I had been back at the compound healing for almost a week before I came home."

"You what?!" You sprang up into a sitting position.

"Let me finish," he put his hand up. "While I was in the medbay, I just kept thinking about how it would hurt you and Jordy if I would have actually died. I figured it would be best for me to distance myself sooner rather than later just in case you ever had to be without me. You'd already know what it felt like."

The room went completely silent. Bucky couldn't place the look on your face. He couldn't tell if you were angry, sad or confused. You'd somehow managed to fit them all into one glare.

You picked up a pillow and swung it at him.

"That has got to be the dumbest fucking thing that I have ever heard in my entire life!" You kept hitting him.

"I know," he snatched the pillow away. "I know that it was stupid. It felt like the thing that I should do at the moment. I immediately regretted it, but after I'd already said that I wanted to leave I couldn't take it back."

You stood, no longer able to keep still. 

"Why couldn't you just tell me about the mission?" You paced back and forth. "Why do you have to be so dramatic?!"

"I couldn't tell you, because I already know you would've asked me to quit and I can't do that. After the things I've done, I owe it to the world to keep doing what I do." He said. 

You stopped in your tracks and walked over to him, pushing his thighs apart with your legs, so you could stand in between them. You cupped his face in your hands and looked into his eyes. They were full of sadness.

"Sweetheart, you're the only person on that team to give your life twice, because you were saving the world. You owe it absolutely nothing." You pressed your forehead to his.

He pulled you closer and wrapped his arms around your waist. This was the first time he'd been able to hug you in a long time and he missed it more than he was willing to admit.

Bucky wanted nothing more than to kiss you right now, but after what you had just gone through he felt like now wasn't the time.

"I'll run you a bath, it should help you relax so you'll get a little sleep tonight." He let you go and stood before he was no longer able to contain himself.

"Thank you. Oh hey, after that, can you run to the kitchen and grab me two slices of bread?" You requested.

"Bread? Why?" He asked, completely confused.

"I just need it," you shrugged and picked up the bottle of wine. You turned it up and started drinking. At this stage in “needing a drink” a cup was useless.

Bucky started the bath and then went to the kitchen for the bread you asked for. He seriously couldn't figure out what you needed with bread, but you hadn't eaten anything, so maybe you were just hungry?

"Ooh, yay," you did a little clap when he returned and handed you the slices. You stood from your spot on the bed directly in front of him.

"You were too afraid to tell me the truth about your near death experience, so you decided to be a drama queen and break up with me." You placed a slice of the bread on each side of his face, "What are you?" 

"For fucks sake," he rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying it."

"You know I've always wanted to do this and honestly, it is the least you could do. Now, what are you?"

Bucky stared at you for a moment before mumbling the answer under his breath.

"Aht! Aht! Louder for the people in the back. What are you?" You pressed the bread onto his face more. You were trying your hardest not to laugh.

"An idiot sandwich," he said before moving.

The damn broke and you flooded the room with laughter. Ever since you saw the old episode of Hell's Kitchen when Gordon Ramsey said that to a contestant, you’d bided your time until you had an opportunity to do it.

"It's not that funny," he rolled his eyes again.

"Yes, it is. You're just upset that I did it to you," you cackled.

He walked out of the room to stop the water in the tub and quickly came back to tell you the bath was ready. You thanked him and started getting undressed when you realized he was still in the room.

"Get out."

"I've seen you naked a million times."

"Well it won't be one million one. Go, go, go." You shooed him away.

He turned and left the room. You went to your tub and sank down into the perfectly tempered water. He still remembered exactly how you like it. You smiled to yourself.

********

After your bath, you applied your favorite body butter and put on a sports bra and shorts. They'd be your pajamas for the night. You could hear the TV playing downstairs. You shouldn't have been surprised. After what happened today Bucky couldn't be paid to leave you alone tonight.

You crawled into bed and tossed and turned for a while before calling out for Bucky. He appeared at the door within seconds and you never heard him coming.

"I don't think that I'll ever get used to you being able to be all stealth mode when you want to be," you said to him.

"What's wrong?" He came into the room.

"Can you get in bed with me? I can't sleep." You moved over and pulled the cover back.

"Are you sure?"

You patted the bed. The spot that was once his was ready and waiting for him. He kicked off his shoes and stripped down to his underwear. He never slept in his clothes, because of his unusually hot body temperature.

He slid into the bed beside you. You couldn't resist reaching up and pushing his hair out of his face. 

"I've been meaning to ask, how'd you get here so quickly earlier?"

"I was already on the way here."

"Really? But you knew Jordy was at my sister's, so why were you coming?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "I just had a feeling and then I got your call. I could hear you telling him to leave and then that... that scream. I mean, I fell off of a train, but hearing you... I've never been so scared in my life." His voice shook a little.

You could see the tears in his eyes.

"Oh no, Buck, don't cry," you wiped the tears away just as they were about to fall. "Just like always, you were just in time. Swooped in like my dark knight."

You pushed a stubborn stray loc of hair from his face and kissed his forehead. Then his cheek. You looked down at his mouth and back up into his eyes. You knew that you shouldn't, but your emotions were getting the best of you.

"Thank you for saving me and staying with me tonight," you said before kissing his lips slowly and softly.

You kissed him again and again until your tongue invaded his mouth. Basking in the feel of such a familiar action. One you'd both been missing.

He pulled away and broke the kiss, but you weren't done, so you planted little kisses on his neck.

"We shouldn't do this, doll. You're on an emotional wave right now and you'll regret it." He tried to reason.

"Mmm hmm," you hummed just before biting his earlobe. You knew that drove him insane. You slowly raked your fingers down his chest. 

"I'm serious, It's been months and if we start this I won't be able to stop."

"You promise?" You asked and gripped his rock hard dick.

He flipped you on to your back and crashed his mouth into yours. He pressed his hips into you causing you to moan in his mouth. He pulled your bra over your head and threw it to the floor. Dipping his head to take a nipple into his mouth, he swirled his tongue around the erected bud.

He rubbed his finger lightly over your clit in a circular motion. The whisper of a touch was sending chills up your spine. Then he pressed down on your clit and rubbed his finger around your slick hole before slowly sticking it inside.

The tiny gasp that escaped your mouth made him smile. He pulled his finger out and ran it across your lips.

"Open," he instructed. You opened your mouth and sucked your juices from his finger. "That's my girl," he said before replacing his finger with his tongue.

He lowered himself in between your legs, pulled off your shorts and trailed kisses down your right thigh until he reached your mound.

"Hold them wide open for me," he placed your hands on your thighs.

You were already shaking. You knew you wouldn't be able to keep your legs open while he ate your pussy.

He flicked his tongue over your clit slow at first and then fast. He stuck his tongue in your core and then sucked your sensitive bud into his mouth.

"Yessss, baby," you arched your back and pushed your pussy into his face even more.

You let go of your legs, but he quickly replaced your hands with his own. You reached down and grabbed a fist full of his hair and lifted his head a little. He peered up at you with his lust blown eyes.

"Spit on it."

He did as he was told and swirled it around with his tongue. He sucked your clit into his mouth really hard and then let it go with a loud pop. You pushed your hips up for him to do it again. Over and over and over again, until he started fucking you with his tongue again.

"Fuck baby, fuck, fuck, fuck! I'm gonna cum!" You screamed and rubbed your clit furiously just before squirting all over his face.

He moved back just enough to watch. Your legs were shaking so hard the bed frame was moving.

You grabbed his chin to pull him back up to you and pushed his wet hair from his face and kissed him.

"I need you. I need you right now," you said as you pushed at his underwear.

Bucky kicked the shorts off, but he took his time before entering you. Your legs were spread and your juicy glistening pussy was ready and waiting for him. He stroked himself slowly as he admired all of you.

You rubbed your clit and then patted your pussy softly before using your fingers to spread the lips. He couldn't resist anymore after that. You were opening up for him and he wanted to give you what you were waiting for.

He slid into you leisurely. He wanted to feel every part of you in this moment. You dug your nails into his ass urging him to give you more. When he finally bottomed out he stilled. He tucked his face in the crook of your neck.

"I'm gonna cum right now if I move. Give me a moment." He breathed.

You tightened your pussy around his throbbing cock.

"Fuccckkkk, please, doll, don't!" He pleaded with you.

You locked your legs around him and squeezed some more. When he tried to pull out his body stiffened and his toes curled. He moaned loudly as he bit your shoulder and released himself inside of you.

You smiled and silently congratulated yourself on a job well done.

Bucky never pulled out. His dick was still very much hard and ready to go. He sat up and looked at you.

"Why?"

"Why not?" You smirked.

He pulled out and flipped you over on your stomach.

"You know what to do," he said and slapped your ass.

Your pussy trembled from excitement. You rested your face on your hands, raised yourself up on your knees just a little and arched your back.

He spread your ass cheeks apart and watched as you pushed his cum from your pussy. He used the tip of his dick to rub it around and then he entered you in one swift push.

He fucked you from behind. Quick, rough pumps in and out of your pussy. You gripped the sheets and screamed into the mattress when you felt another orgasm building.

"Don't you fucking dare," he growled.

"No, please, I can't. I can't!" You panted.

"What did I say?" He smacked your ass hard. That didn't help the situation. He knew the harder he hit you the closer it would push you to cumming.

He slapped your ass again.

"Damn it, Bucky!!"

"Next time," he smacked your ass once more, "when I say stop, you stop."

Smack!

"I hate you so much," you clenched your eyes shut. You were literally on the verge of tears not being able to cum.

He pressed his chest to your back. "I love you too," he chuckled and kissed your neck.

He finally pulled out and gave you a break, but only for a moment. He repositioned you on your back and reentered your silk cavern. He'd completely switched his pace this time, so he could see you. He loved the way you'd bite your lip as he rolled his hips into you.

He started slow and then sped up little by little. You mewled beneath him as he stretched you with every stroke. He pushed your knees to your chest. He wanted you completely open to him.

"Bucky I —"

"It's okay, my love, go ahead." He rubbed your clit with his vibranium fingers. The light vibration you felt made your entire body tingle.

Your legs started shaking a little and then you felt the vibration intensity from his fingers increase. He fucked you harder and harder until your pussy erupted. You dug your nails into his right arm as you rode the wave of your orgasm.

Bucky's breaths were getting shorter and his moans were getting louder. He was about to cum. 

The bed shook with every movement, but you could hear that something was off.

"Bucky stop..."

"No, this is my pussy," he growled.

He was so close and he thought you didn't want him to cum inside of you, so he drove into you harder. He grabbed the headboard as he coated your walls with his essence.

"No, the bed is gonna — shit!" 

Before you could complete your sentence, the entire thing caved. When you opened your eyes he had you wrapped in arms.

You looked at each other and bust out laughing.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine," you rolled off of him and stood to look at the damage the two of you had just caused.

"I can't believe you broke my bed," you said in disbelief.

He walked over to the fallen mattress and pointed at the big wet spot.

"You do that and you can't believe that I broke the bed?!"

"Bucky, how are we gonna explain this to Jordy? She'll be home in a few hours."

********

You changed the sheets and Bucky did his best to prop the bed frame and mattress back up. He considered leaving before your sister dropped Jordyn back home, but you both decided that she would be more excited to see him upon arrival.

When you heard the front door open, your energetic little girl was already screaming for her dad and jumping into his arms.

"Well hello to you too, Jordy." You said faking hurt that she'd completely ignored you.

"Oh sorry, hi mommy," she leaned over to kiss your forehead.

Your sister raised her eyebrow and before she could say anything you swept her away to tell her about what happened the night before. You heard Bucky tell Jordyn to take her things up to her room and then she yelled something about having a present for you.

Suddenly there was a loud crash and the three of you went running up the steps to see what happened.

"I didn't touch it! It fell on its own," she yelled and ran into her father's arms.

"Oh no, it's okay baby daddy's the one who broke the bed," Bucky said before he realized.

"How?" She asked. Her little face was completely scrunched in confusion.

You waited for his explanation since he was the one to blab.

"I uhh... Was jumping on it??"

"Oh... Be careful next time," she cautioned.

You shook your head and turned to go back downstairs. You all said your goodbyes to your sister and settled in to have lunch. Bucky couldn't keep his eyes off of you and his baby girl. He was a fool to ever think that being away from you was a good idea. He'd do his best to fix this and make everything right again.

END

********

Taglist:

@titty-teetee

@bluestarego 

@ilovesupersoldiers

@andycanbeemotional

@bubblegumbarnes

@cleflove

@rosalynshields 

@imsonick

@buckysthing

@fanfictiontrash9 

[davidmann95]

Is that Solaris I see on the cover of Superman/WW Future State? He returns! I am suddenly interested in Future State.

Anonymous said: So, Future State? Not gonna lie, at the very least I'm liking the artist line up. Also, Idk about you, but the designs for Diana and Yara Flor (the Wonder Woman from the Amazon) are the only ones that I'm really liking so far.

Anonymous said: FUUUUUUTUUUUUUURRRRE. state

Anonymous said: Thoughts on DC Future State?

Anonymous said: Thoughts on Future State?

Anonymous said: You’ve probably been asked already but thoughts on Future State?

Anonymous said: So... Future State just kind of showed up and is very mixed.

Anonymous said: Future State Superman has a heroic cop battling a villainous anarchist. Topical.

Anonymous said: On Dc future state announcements???

Anonymous said:So. Future State's been officially revealed. Your thoughts?

‘Future State’ this, ‘Future State’ that! Look, what’re you gonna believe, Jim Lee or your lying eyes?

So this looks...pretty good? Infinitely better than their previous filler stuff like Zero Month/Villains Month/Future’s End/Convergence. And given Jo Mullein is part of this, Bendis isn’t doing these Superman issues, Steve Orlando mentioned on Twitter that he was told to set aspects of this up in Wonder Woman rather than it being allowed to appear apropos of nothing like most of these, and this isn’t built around a *single* all-encompassing tone or hook - along with getting Dan damn Mora to do your main promo images and a bunch of the character designs - I do believe the plan is that this is still going to lead into new ongoing series, just all the last couple of those crossovers I mentioned did. That’s probably where we’ll see Bendis doing Jon, the Zdarsky/Fraction thing, I expect more of Ridley Batman, and maybe one or two others. In any case, nice to see a bunch of fresh talent in the mix and a more diverse lineup both on and off the page, and a lot of these concepts are neat, even if there are as always some turds in the punch bowl. The anthology model being carried forward from the Walmart titles definitely heralds more of the same, whether in the main line or for a continuation of this. And as for the books themselves, I’m gonna take my reactions one by one.

The Next Batman: Obviously I’m down for this.

Dark Detective: Bruce having a specifically defined new role (as do most of the rest of the old guard) is a smart move for making this sustainable. Tamaki’s let me down recently, but Mora, and also if this follows up on Detective #1027 we might see the Black Casebook. Backups definitely look tepid though. I’m probably gonna hold off on making a call until there’s a preview.

Harley Quinn: Pass.

Robin Eternal: ehhhhhhhh

Catwoman: Oh hell yes, V/Schmidt doing a heist.

Nightwing: Nicola Scott doing Nightwing! Andrew Scott wrote a decent little Wonder Woman/Metal Men teamup story in one of the recent anthologies, so I’m up for this.

Batman/Superman: YES. This seems to be a bit of a prequel thing, but who cares, it’s Yang/Oliver doing World’s Finest.

Superman of Metropolis: I’ve only heard of Sean Lewis doing a few indie horror books, but of course I’m curious about the Jon-as-Superman book and the groundwork I expect it lays. His costume works for me, fitting that ‘sleek and futurey’ mandate without actually rocking the boat too much (and its differentiation is a lot more tolerable with Clark still rocking the cape and trunks), and the premise is really interesting - not surprising, as editor Jamie Rich says many of the ideas for the Superman books came from conversations with Grant Morrison. Which is probably why we’re seeing so much Seven Soldiers and DC One Million stuff in here, although bringing back Manhattan Guardian, given his background, and this premise, for this moment, is questionable at best.

Superman vs. Imperious Lex: This is probably going to be the best thing to come out of this whole shebang.

Superman: Worlds of War: Privately I called that Clark would be rocking the Kingdom Come getup in here (with the belt buckle from Man of Tomorrow for some reason?). I did NOT call that he would literally have the God of War sword. I’d be skeptical at best, but PKJ and Rich have both assured they’re not doing a Dark Superman thing with this, and hot damn, Midnighter backup by Becky Cloonan!

Superman/Wonder Woman: I think this is going to turn out to be one of the biggest gems of this entire enterprise. Dan Watters did an absolutely phenomenal short story for the last Batman: Secret Files, and it’s a big teamup against Solaris!

Kara Zor-El, Superwoman: The Bombshells team reunited! Here for it.

Justice League: God, this might be really good or it might be the biggest disappointment of the bunch. Just at the sight of that I want that to be the Justice League from now on, that is an all-timer iconic cover and set of designs to introduce a group of characters, the concept’s really good, and Flash being from another universe is so cool...and the actual book is Williamson/Rocha. Rocha’s a steady hand I trust well enough, but clearly this is where Mora should have been, and you’re really leaving this to Williamson? He has done good comics, but not many. I can only hope he’s basically a placeholder setting up the status quo for a Future State Justice League imprint book same as I think PKJ and Lewis are setting up whatever Bendis is going to do later. Still, I’m not writing this off entirely, Williamson has still done some good comics and this might well be as enjoyable a two-parter as it should be. And in any case, Ram V doing future stuff with the magic characters is a win.

Aquaman: I was going to say no thanks, but the premise is a little interesting, Daniel Sampere is a good hand, and I haven’t seen Brandon Thomas’s work before but at a glance he seems to have tried some ambitious sci-fi work at Image. I’ll call this a maybe.

The Flash: Hahaha, now we’re in the shit of it. Literally there is nothing about this that would indicate it was set in the future if not for the title, a flat regurgitation of the most tired old bullshit, and it’s by a Young Justice writer to boot. Glad to know even in the future the regular Flash book is going to suck.

Teen Titans: Speaking of books we can be assured will always suck

Shazam!: Who could possibly care

Green Lantern: This one I kinda don’t blame for being nothing, Far Sector is the big Green Lantern thing in this period and they’re not gonna fuck with that so they gotta work around the fringes. Hardly sympathetic enough to get me to buy it though.

Suicide Squad: Okay, alt-Earth Flash rules, but you come up with a disabled Flash with a heavily redesigned but still recognizable and extremely rad new look - looking every inch the “Far Sector but for Flash” premise I’ve been calling for - and you put her in this nonsense? And you waste Javier Fernandez here too? I guess Robbie Thompson is passable from what I’ve seen and maybe the whole Earth 3 thing will result in this turning out alright after all, but this feels like a waste, and that’s before you get to the one story here set in the 853rd century being about Black Adam.

Immortal Wonder Woman: Oh shit this one’s gonna rule though.

Legion of Superheroes: So’s this one!

Swamp Thing: This will be excellent too but I don’t care about Swamp Thing.

Wonder Woman: I’m seeing some immediate division on Wonder Woman - some like her new costume and some hate it (I think it’s really busy but like it a lot with the blues highlighted when Mora draws it), and I understand some have problems with a Brazilian Wonder Woman rooted entirely in Greek mythology rather than any sort of indigenous religion (which I am not remotely qualified to weigh in on). I’ll hope for the best, and obviously it’ll be very pretty, but I wasn’t blown away by Jones’ writing when I tried her Catwoman book, and I hope she won’t fall flat on her face regarding representation.

I’d divide this up into

* Basically no chance in hell: Harley Quinn, The Flash, Teen Titans, Shazam!, Green Lantern

* I’d need to hear good word of mouth: Dark Detective, Robins Eternal, Aquaman, Suicide Squad

* Fingers crossed, getting it but it could go either way: Superman of Metropolis, Justice League, Wonder Woman

* Yeah, I’ll grab this one, looks fun: Nightwing, Superman: Worlds of War, Kara Zor-El: Superwoman

* This is going to be really good: The Next Batman, Catwoman, Batman/Superman, Superman vs. Imperious Lex, Superman/Wonder Woman, Immortal Wonder Woman, Legion of Superheroes, and though I’m skipping it, Swamp Thing

A pretty incredible preliminary hit-miss ratio, and along with all I said before, big shoutout to Darran Robinson for across-the-board incredible logo design work. Like the Superman books mixing Morrison and Bendis, Batman is hyper-topical with a black Batman fighting super-cops who hate resistors in masks (whole Bruce can still be part of the fight but has to reckon with not being the guy in front throwing money around and setting terms anymore), Wonder Woman goes for the obvious pun, and JL feels appropriately iconic, while the rest is hit-or-miss as not central to further plans with this setting. I had zero expectations of this as anything other than Future’s End 2.0 with a couple leading into the not-5G imprint, but while I think that’s still the same basic endgame, for the most part it feels like they’re really trying with this one and I’ve got a good feeling about it.

[snarkwrites]

06 | gangsta ; sweetpea

Notes:

So.. the sexual tension. The longing. The lingering touches and all that awkward but cute shit.. That’s starting here. Can we say sloooow burn? Because considering I’m now six chapters deep and they really haven’t... Done too much as far as touching / flirting / interacting, yeah.. That’s what this is. If you weren’t looking for a slow burn, I’m honestly not sure what to tell you? Other than oops? Oh.. Also.. this chapter and the next one I’m posting will have a few days lapse between them as far as timing. So... just so you know. It’s alluded that Sweet Pea and Alyssa have kind of bumped into each other between this chapter and the next one, if that makes sense.

Also.. I’ve pretty much planned out what stuff I am using / changing a little now, so that’s good. I have a general idea. I might even add my own events / plots to this. I’m kind of.. tempted.

Warnings:

non canon compliant - this is the biggest warning, so if you’re into things that follow exact canon plot you are... definitely not going to like this. angst & slow burn, heavy sexual tension starting now, actually - this is just so everyone who started reading this thinking the smut would transpire in a hurry knows that apparently, it is not. violence / swearing & fighting, possible underage drinking and other shenanigans - look.. it’s high school. shit happens. also apparently, my ofc Alyssa uses the word fuck like all the time?... eventual sexual content / a virgin original character - this one is self explanatory. yes, i plan to write a smutty chapter in this at some point. when? i don’t rightly know. it’s got a while before we get there.

Pairing:

Andrews!Sibling OFC, Alyssa x Sweet Pea

Other Parts:

[ one - two - three - four - five - soundtrack ]

Other Stuff:

[ faq - tag list doc ]

Tagging:

@brithedemonspawn​ is the only person on my Riverdale tag list. If you’d like to be tagged for this story by all means.. Please let me know. Please, I beg. It’d make me super duper happy!!!

                                                     SIX.

“You could come up to the lake house with us. It beats sitting around here moping.” Veronica spoke up as she stepped in front of the television set in my father’s living room. I tried to peer around her, grumbling because naturally, she’d pick the one scene in the entire episode I’d been dying to see since I started to re-watch the show and she’d block it.

“You realize I am trying to see Charlie Hunnam’s bare ass right now, right?” I asked calmly. Reaching for the half melted pint of butter pecan ice cream on the table in front of me and my spoon. Nodding to the empty spot on the couch that wasn’t taken up by my legs. Veronica sat down and for a few minutes, neither of us really said anything.

“What’s your attraction to this show?”

“Jax Teller, Opie Winston... Motorcycles.. But mostly Jax Teller.”

“Which one is he?”

“The blond with the very nice backside.” I nodded towards the shot I’d been waiting an entire season for, Jax Teller getting out of the shower and walking across the room.

“You definitely don’t have a type, no, not at all.” Veronica gave a soft laugh as she muttered the words. With the scene out of the way, I turned to the side to look at her.

“I’m not even going to ask what you meant by that.” I muttered.

Things were always awkward and tense between us. We were polite. But that was about the extent of it. And I felt bad about it. Obviously not bad enough to actually make an effort, even though she seemed like a really nice girl and she made my brother really happy. Happier than he’s been in a long time if I’m being honest.

I just couldn’t get past the rift her family caused in mine.

Then there was her mother, trying to hook up with my father while her actual husband was locked up in prison… But mostly, the tension her father caused between my father and my brother.

“Listen.. I heard everything that happened between you and Reggie. And if you want to come to the lake house..”

I shook my head. “ I am not crashing on the whole double date getaway you guys have going on. Besides, I doubt I’d be good company right now.”

“You wouldn’t be crashing!” Veronica was quick to speak up. “I know you don’t like me. But your brother loves you and I really.. I want to try to get to know you.”

I nodded. Taking a deep breath as I admitted quietly, “It’s not you, okay? Look. I have zero problem with you. It’s all the crap that’s going on with my brother and your dad. I’m… I’m worried about him and how far he’ll go.”

Veronica sighed. We went quiet again and she admitted after a few minutes, “I am too. If you want the truth, I don’t really like how close my dad is to him either. I don’t trust it.”

I eyed her, a brow raised.

“That’s like a dream situation though. If your father likes him, you don’t have to worry about him resorting to any of his typical clownery to end things with you two.” I curled the ends of my hair around my fingertip as I tried to understand why she wouldn’t like her father and my brother bonding a little.

Then it hit me. It had to feel awkward. Your father popping in to borrow your boyfriend. But the look on her face told me that wasn’t the only reason.

“I know what my father’s capable of. And the more I try to stop it, the more he manages to get by with. I hate everything he’s done, okay? I just.. Wanted you to know that.”

I let her words sink in.

Eyeing her as I weighed mine. Managing a smile.

“You make my brother happy. I like him happy. So if you really want to try and get to know each other, we can. But I’m not going to intrude on you guys weekend get away, because one, awkward as hell and two, I can imagine that already happens enough with your dad butting in to get him to do something or another.”

Veronica nodded, smiling. “I understand. What are you going to do this weekend?”

“Honestly?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m probably going to rewind that one scene five million times and burn it in my mind… I thought about going down to the theater and catching that horror marathon but I dunno.” I shrugged.

“A horror movie by yourself?”

“Mhm.”

After my brother came downstairs, the two of them left for the weekend and I locked the door behind them, leaning against it. Wandering over to my dad’s stereo, turning it on a hard rock station I listened to when I was home by myself just to drive out the lack of noise in the house.

I wandered into the kitchen, gathering up dirty dishes and moving them to the sink. Taking chicken out of our freezer to thaw because I thought about making chicken parmesan for me and dad when dad got off work tonight.

Vegas wandered into the kitchen and dropped his leash at my feet with a soft thud. I stopped what I was doing to lean down and pet him, nodding to the door. “In a few minutes, buddy. I’ll go find pants.”

I finished piling dishes into the sink and I wandered into the laundry room, digging around in the dryer for the jeans I’d taken off earlier, tugging them up. The door bell was literally being leaned on and I froze.

Took a few deep breaths and reminded myself that all the Black Hood nonsense was behind Riverdale because the guy was dead. Thinking it was Archie and he forgot something and was in a hurry, I made my way over to the door, unlocking it. “Hold on, Archie, damn.”

It wasn’t Archie.

Reggie stood there.

“What do you want?” I scowled.

“I miss you, okay? This is driving me crazy. Can we at least just talk about what you heard?”

“What exactly is there left to say? You were basically gambling on my virginity.” I frowned and shook my head. Shivering as the wind picked up a little.

“We can go inside and talk, Alyssa.”

“I just told you. I have absolutely nothing to say to you. Look… what you did hurt, okay? Because  I thought… nevermind.” I muttered, going quiet. Blowing at bangs I’d just gotten cut earlier in the week. He reached out to attempt pushing my hair out of my eyes and I leaned away. Vegas yelped impatiently from the doorway, his leash in his mouth now.

Seeing Reggie, he started to make his way over. Reggie bent to pet the dog and I cleared my throat. “You need to go.”

“Just let me say what I came to say.”

I tapped a bare foot against white painted wood slats and tilted my head, gazing up at him. Waiting.

“The only reason I made the stupid bet to begin with is because you’re literally the one girl I couldn’t work up the nerve to flirt with. And when I did, my charm didn’t work on you. Kinda when I started to fall. You gave me a hard time, princess.”

“ I kind of wish I’d stuck to that, actually.” I muttered. “All you had to do, Reggie, was just talk to me? Ask me on a date, I don’t know…”

“I was stupid, okay?” Reggie went quiet. Stepped a little closer. “ I love you. When I made the bet, I didn’t know how I felt about you at all. Then I started to fall and I tried to get out of the bet, Alyssa, you have to believe me. I tried to tell you but every time I’d think about it, I’d freak out because you’re the first actual good thing I’ve had in my life in a while, okay?”

I scoffed. “Yeah, I doubt that.”

“I mean it. And I’m not going to stop trying to prove it.”

I shrugged. “Do whatever you want but I’m not guaranteeing it will work. I already went against my gut instinct and gave you a chance to begin with.”

I shivered a little, hugging myself. Reggie placed his hands on my upper arms, rubbing them. Gazing down at me.

“Reggie, you need to go. I just need to think.”

“Thinking is better than you saying you hate me now… I just.. You were my best friend when we were kids.. Then I kinda fell for you and now stuff just sucks.. I don’t have my best friend or the girl I love. Anything is better than nothing.”

Reggie left and I walked back inside, flinging myself at the couch. Pulling myself together for a few seconds. Really letting what he said sink in. Trying to figure out if I felt the same thing. Or if I felt anything at all.

I finally gave up trying to force myself into a decision and after leashing Vegas, I wandered out into the chilly night air. Down to Pickens Park because Vegas likes to wander around the big grassy area between the ballfields and the playground.

After playing  fetch with a stick Vegas bought over to me, I flopped onto the grass. Vegas settled beside me and I found myself just kind of lounging there lazily, watching the clouds roll over the darkening sky lazily. Pointing at constellations when I spotted one. Vegas seemed content to just lounge there, his head resting on my stomach with me lazily giving him behind the ear skritches.

A throat cleared from nearby.

Sweet Pea stepped out, hands in his pockets. Wandering over to where I’d lazily flopped onto the grass. Sitting down nearby with his back against the tree. Close but keeping a healthy distance between us.

“Do you always lay in the park at night and talk to your dog?”

“What if I do?” I answered, rolling onto my stomach, propping on my elbow to gaze at him, my hair promptly cascading in front of my face like a messy red curtain.

“Damn it. I should’ve just chopped it all off.” I grumbled, pushing my hair out of my eyes to look at him.

“You’d look hideous bald.” Sweet Pea flashed me a teasing smirk.

“Hmphf.” I grumbled in response to his comment. “What brings you to the boring side of town?”

Sweet Pea shrugged. “Wyrm was crowded. Full of shouting kids and shit. I wanted to take a walk.”

“Toni and Cheryl went to see that movie tonight.” I laughed softly. “They asked me if I wanted to go but I said I wanted to stay home. Kind of just not feeling it. Then my brother’s girlfriend asked if I wanted to go on that weekend trip they all took.”

“You could be soaking in a hot tub right now.” Sweet Pea teased, a lesser seen teasing smile tugging at his mouth as he glanced at me.

“Honestly? I’d rather eat glass than indulge in anything Hiram Lodge is a part of. I’ll be nice to Veronica and try to get to know her, but that’s pretty much it. You know he brought my brother a car, right?”

“Yeah. I heard.” Sweet Pea answered, glancing over at me.

“Dad wasn’t thrilled with it either. That’s fine. Absolutely fine. I want Dad’s truck anyway. I’ll just spend weekends helping dad work on it. It’ll be more time I can spend with the grumpy old man.” I smiled to myself. One good thing about moving to Riverdale was that I was finally getting to spend more time with my father and my brother.

“You couldn’t even see over the wheel though. Can you even drive to begin with?” Sweet Pea shot me a teasing glance. Quick to step away from me just a little further, raising his hands. “I’m not trying to invoke the wrath of the midget.”

“It’s called a booster seat, asshole. And actually yeah. I do okay at driving. I mean aside from a go kart incident back in Chicago...” I teased right back, the two of us sharing a laugh that fell silent.

Sweet Pea stood, holding out a hand.

I eyed his hand and sat up, grabbing hold. Letting him pull me off the grass. Vegas rose to sit on his hind legs, then made his way over, sitting down right between Sweet Pea and I.. the little space that remained, there is. When he’d pulled me up, he’d pulled me with enough force that I wound up barely pressed against him. Close enough that my breath caught in my throat for a few seconds.

We sprang apart. Sweet Pea’s hand settled on top of Vegas’ head lazily and he chuckled when Vegas licked his hand, wiping his hand on the thigh of his jeans.

“It’s late. And colder.” Sweet Pea pointed out, nodding in the direction of my house. I glanced up at the sky and unable to resist, I retorted, “You don’t say, captain obvious.”

I jumped back out of his way a little and he stepped up. Towering over me.

“C’mon. I’ll walk you back.”

“But sir. I have a perfectly capable guard dog? What would the upstanding hypocritical assholes on this street think.. A  big bad Serpent walking defenseless little me home?” I pretended to pout up at him, laughing softly. “I was joking.” I muttered a few seconds later.

He shook his head, muttered something I couldn’t quite make out and we started to walk down the sidewalk, towards my father’s house.

The streetlight flickered on above us, bathing us in soft and almost hazy lighting thanks to the fog that was starting to kind of set in.

The leaves crunched beneath my feet. Shattering this heavy air of silence that seemed to settle over us.

“I’m gonna.. Go. Back to the Wyrm.” Sweet Pea muttered abruptly a few seconds later. Lingering, even though he said he’d leave. Gazing down at me as if he were in a daze. Or caught up in his own thoughts. A million miles away.

“I need to get Vegas in the house.” I muttered, nipping at my lip as I held eye contact. Trying not to think about what I’d revealed to Cheryl and Toni a few days ago about maybe being attracted to him… But it was all I could think about at the moment. His eyes darted down, settling on my bottom lip. Then he shook his head, turning swiftly and disappearing around the corner up the street.

I walked inside, making the comment to Vegas, “That wasn’t weird at all, huh buddy?” Vegas just tilted his head, gazing up at me. I bent to take off his leash, hanging it up. Fluffing his fur before hurrying into the kitchen to grab myself a soda.

Settling in on the couch. Turning the television back on.

And promptly falling asleep in the middle of a rewatch of the first season of Punisher. And as I slept, I found myself dreaming about Reggie. And then, oddly enough, Sweet Pea.

When I woke up the next morning, it was to a few seconds of confusion because the dream I’d woken up from had been so vivid that I honestly thought it actually happened. I pouted as soon as the realization sunk in that it had been a dream.

And I grumbled in annoyance with myself because I wanted it to be real. Because lately, spending all this time around Sweet Pea, I was starting to feel like maybe I didn’t just think he was hot.

Maybe I actually did feel something.

Before that thought could take root, I was shoving it back out of my head again. Refusing to acknowledge it. Because the hot guys are always the ones that somehow manage to do the most damage. And I was still pretty hurt over the way things played out with Reggie. Afraid to open myself up. Afraid to trust. Afraid to try, if I’m being honest because I was at least 95 percent sure that Sweet Pea would probably laugh his ass off at me if I were dumb enough to do so.

[plathski]

There Is Beauty In The Way Of Things

Here’s an Alice character study oneshot for everyone whose starving for content for this fandom.

TW: A bit of period typical homophobia and mentions of animal cruelty.

Title inspiration: There Beneath by The Oh Hellos.

Word count: 772.

Alice was a calm, poetic girl.

She wasn’t angry and cunning like Maggie, or the voice of reason like Emma, she was just there in the background, drifting through life like a piece of driftwood in a lake. They were hurricanes, and she was an April shower. 

She liked it that way. Being out of the spotlight gave her time to focus on the little things that life had blessed her with, like the peacefulness of the woods as she strolled through it late at night, or the way the birds started singing outside as soon as the sun rose above the horizon each morning.

She also noticed Lizzie quite a bit, even if she pretended she didn’t.

Lizzie alway tried as hard as she could to fade into the background, but unlike Alice, it wasn’t easy for her. People on the street made comments about her chocolate brown eyes and how they seemed to always be open, and her odd behaviors were very noticeable as well.

So why on Earth was Alice so attracted to her?

She could’ve loved any other woman, like the gorgeous baker’s daughter that always smiles kindly at her, or the beautiful older woman down the street that’s always gardening.

But the one that drew her in the most was good ol’ Lizzie Borden.

She tried forgetting about her, she really did. One time, she stayed in her house for three days straight, doing every she could to keep herself busy in that small space, but if anything, that only caused her love for Lizzie to grow.

Why did she even think about any woman like this?

She was always taught that a man was what she needed. She needed a man to take care of her, to bore his children, to give her a purpose in life. And god forbid she want to do that with a woman.

But when she touched a man, nothing happened. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get a single butterfly in her stomach.

When she touched a woman, however, it felt absolutely stunning, like millions and millions of fireworks were going off. And she had no control over that.

So she decided that if she couldn’t get rid of her love for women, she might as well embrace it.

And so, she started hanging out with Lizzie more.

Lizzie was just like how the entire town described her: Eccentric, quiet, and mysterious. But she needed a friend, and Alice was more than willing to give her one.

As the days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, Alice could feel herself falling deeper and deeper in love with Lizzie. She clung onto every single word that came out of her mouth as if she was telling her the secrets of the universe, and Lizzie started paying her visits when her father wasn’t around.

She even started giving her flowers.

Was this her way of telling her the feeling was mutual?

Alice practically melted just at the thought. Maybe someday, her and Lizzie could get out of the city and move into a small cottage in the woods, where they could spend the rest of their lives completely head over heels for each other.

But then Alice remembered that those were just fantasies, and that no matter how perfect she thought she was, Lizzie would never like her back.

She continued her dull life as normal, buying desserts from the bakery, writing poems, picking apples, and all that normal stuff.

Until one day, the day of the incident.

Lizzie had invited Alice to the barn, and of course she said yes like the lovesick fool she was. They sat up in the massive hayloft, where the doves flew through the windows. Lizzie loved those doves more than she loved anything else in the whole wide world, and she rambled on and on about them to Alice, who obviously didn’t mind a single bit.

In fact, she thought it was adorable.

Eventually, Lizzie felt asleep, her head resting on Alice’s leg.

The blonde woman must’ve had stroked her frizzy brown hair and told her she loved her a thousand times before she drifted off as well.

The next day, Mr. Borden chopped off all the doves’ heads.

Alice tried everything she could to stop Lizzie from doing something horrible out of impulse. She told her she could stay with her, that she would protect her.

She could’ve done better.

She should’ve done better.

Only hours later, she found herself dashing through rows and rows of people in the garden, screaming that she needed to see Lizzie.

Finally, after what seemed like hours and hours of pushing, she finally made it inside.

Her life changed forever that night, all because she was in love with Lizzie Andrew Borden.

[calligraphywitch]

Acnl Foxhole Court headcannons: Pt.1

I'm blaming @kazz for this.

Neil:

Neil has like an oddly beautiful town. This man has put in 500 hours into this game and his town is absolutely gorgeous.

The only one that actually approves of his town is Kevin because it's all orange and Fox themed but it's very beautiful aesthetically.

Neil like most of the villagers but has a special hatred against egbert.

Neil however absolutely adores Bam and Fang.

He plays with the others alot besides Andrew because Andrew absolutely dispises the game and they share one.

Andrew:

Absolutely loaths the game

Bea and Wymack got him the switch because they kept hearing what a relaxing game ACNH was.

Which at first Andrew did enjoy animal crossing it was a good game

But then... Shari happened.

This man hates Shari to the point the game became "How do I murder a villager"

But dont doubt Andrew his town is also absolutely gorgeous this man is a perfectionist.

He has so many hours put into this game he had the golden flowers almost everywhere.

But again he hates Shari because shes destroys some of his flowers.

He does have a favorite and that's raymond he likes how picky raymond is and respects that.

Nicky:

Everyone usually hates Nicky town.

This man doesn't know how to not stop making his town into different things.

One week it could be a very lovely flower based garden and the next it's a city nightlife town.

Only reason why they come to his town is because Nicky usually always has the best turnip prices.

Nicky also absolutely loves most town members. Like this man can and will fall in love with all of them.

Him and Erik also do animal crossing dates.

Although because of it there a couple of times where Neil or Kevin will interrupt for turnips.

Nicky also has the museum all the way finished somehow.

Allison:

This badass women rules the fashion in her village and all of the foxes.

Shes created all of the foxes uniforms in the game and even Neil's scars and Andrew's Bandages.

She also has probably the wealthiest town in the game next to Renee.

They also do dates in animal crossing.

Allison's favorite Characters are Flick and Olivia. She adores the sassy villagers and loves flick because of tarantulas.

Her character is the most fashionable one with all the high designs

Her village is also the most expensive one, getting all of the most expensive items and making everyone else feel dirt poor besides Renee.

Renee:

This woman has everyone by there necks with money.

Tom nook who?

She was the first one to play the game and because of that she abused the crown cheat gaining millions if bells.

Thus when everyone else joined she loaned them bells but with hidden interest.

So almost everyone has around like 5 million bells of debt.

Besides Neil shes the only one Andrew can get to play the game.

She also has a beautiful town although it's often messy.

It's all pastels and some night life spots that are stunning.

[watchmegetobsessed]

“Can I join you?” (Shawn Mendes blurb)

september is finally here and to celebrate it i decided to participate in @fourtristattoos‘s cute art festival! it’s an amazing idea and i hope to be able to write something for each week! now here is my first one, it’s a cute little blurb that includes a line from my drabble list.

week 1 theme: falling leaves

drabble list masterlist

Shawn is lying on the couch, deep in thoughts about an article he is reading when Y/N bursts into the house, looking as excited as a kid on Christmas day. The hoodie she has on is clearly Shawn’s, it’s covering her hands half of her thighs and though it was once black, now it has patches and fallen leaf crumbs all over it, just like in her hair. Shawn glances up and a smile tugs on his lips seeing his girlfriend.

“What’re you up to, babe?” he asks, following her move to the kitchen, not even batting an eye at him.

“Nothing! But don’t come out to the backyard!” she calls out before appearing again and walking back out to the back yard.

This ban alone is enough to start his curiosity about what she might be doing outside, but he doesn’t want to ruin her fun. So being the best boyfriend he can be, he stays inside, making himself busy with answering some emails Andrew sent him last night. Taking two entire weeks off during the fall was possibly the best idea ever, he hasn’t been more relaxed in years, staying at home, doing nothing and spending some well-deserved time with his girlfriend who is thrilled to have him home for so long at once.

The more time passes by the more curious he becomes about the activities happening in the backyard. She has been out for an hour now and he can’t figure out what’s gotten her so busy.

Jogging into his wardrobe he grabs a hoodie Y/N has not stolen away from him yet, though it’s probably just a matter of time until he sees her dancing around the house in it too. Not that he minds, he loves seeing her in his clothes, he is absolutely sure that she looks way better in them than he does.

“Y/N?” he calls out sliding the glass back door before walking out and spotting his girlfriend working hard with a rake in her hands, collecting all the fallen leaves into one enormous pile in the middle of the backyard, creating an orange, red and brown colored mountain next to the pool that has been covered for the colder weather.

She spots him and jumps a bit, clearly mad that he came after her.

“I told you not to come out just yet!” she grimaces putting her hands to her hips and though Shawn wants to look as apologetic as possible, he can’t push the smile down at the sight of her.

“Well now that it’s too late you can tell me what you are working so hard on,” he chuckles walking over to her, taking a look at the pile from different angles. It’s sizable, reaches almost up to Shawn’s chest so no wonder she has been working on it for so long.

“I collected the leaves,” she proudly declares, as her eyes wonder over to a few leaves that has just fallen down from the oak tree at the back.

“Yeah, I can see that. But what for?” he grins putting an arm around her shoulders pulling her to his side as they admire her masterpiece together.

“To jump into it, duh!” she replies like it should have been his first thought. Shawn can’t stop himself from letting out a deep, amused laughter. She never fails to astound him even after so many years together. He kind of knew life would never be boring with her by his side, that was one of the reasons he fell in love with her so quickly and easily.

Smiling down at her he takes her hand in his.

“Can I join you?” he proposes.

“What do you think, why didn’t I let you come out? I wanted to surprise you so we can jump together.”

His heart thuds loudly against his ribcage as he looks down at her excited smile. Pulling her hand to his lips he gently kisses her knuckles.

“On three?” he then asks with a half-smirk.

“On three,” she nods, her eyes bright as she smiles at him thrilled.

“One,” he starts turning back to the pile.

“Two,” she continues, anticipation filling her tone and then they finish together: “Three!”

Her hard work suddenly flies into a million directions as their bodies dive into the leaves. A scream rolls out of her throat while Shawn starts laughing uncontrollably, fallen leaves covering them from head to toe.

Shawn turns to his girlfriend who is giggling and playing with the leaves around her and takes a few moments to admire her.

[arcticdementor]

In the fall of 2008, America’s wealthiest companies were in a pickle. Short-selling hedge funds, smelling blood as the global economy cratered, loaded up with bets against finance stocks, pouring downward pressure on teetering, hyper-leveraged firms like Morgan Stanley and Citigroup. The free-market purists at the banks begged the government to stop the music, and when the S.E.C. complied with a ban on financial short sales, conventional wisdom let out a cheer.

"This will absolutely make a difference," economist Peter Cardillo told CNN. "Now, if there is any good news, shorts will have to cover.”

At the time, poor beleaguered banks were victims, while hedge funds betting them down as the economy circled the drain were seen as antisocial monsters. “They are like looters after a hurricane,” seethed Andrew Cuomo, then-Attorney General of New York State, who “promised to intensify investigations into short selling abuses.” Senator John McCain, in the home stretch of his eventual landslide loss to Barack Obama, added that S.E.C. chairman Christopher Cox had “betrayed the public’s trust” by allowing “speculators and hedge funds” to “turn our markets into a casino.”

Fast forward thirteen years. The day-trading followers of a two-million-subscriber Reddit forum called “wallstreetbets” somewhat randomly decide to keep short-sellers from laying waste to a brick-and-mortar retail video game company called GameStop, betting it up in defiance of the Street. Worth just $6 four months ago, the stock went from $18.36 on the afternoon of the Capitol riot, to $43.03 on the 21st two weeks later, to $147.98 this past Tuesday the 26th, to an incredible $347.51 at the close of the next day, January 27th.

The rally sent crushing losses at short-selling hedge funds like Melvin Capital, which was forced to close out its position at a cost of nearly $3 billion. Just like 2008, down-bettors got smashed, only this time, there were no quotes from economists celebrating the “good news” that shorts had to cover. Instead, polite society was united in its horror at the spectacle of amateur gamblers doing to hotshot finance professionals what those market pros routinely do to everyone else.

…

The episode prompted calls to regulate Reddit and, finally, halt action on the disputed stocks. As I write this, word has come out that platforms like Robinhood and TD Ameritrade are curbing trading in GameStop and several other companies, including Nokia and AMC Entertainment holdings.

Meaning: just like 2008, trading was shut down to save the hides of erstwhile high priests of “creative destruction.” Also just like 2008, there are calls for the government to investigate the people deemed responsible for unapproved market losses.

…

The only thing “dangerous” about a gang of Reddit investors blowing up hedge funds is that some of us reading about it might die of laughter. That bit about investigating this as a “pump and dump scheme” to push prices away from their “fundamental value” is particularly hilarious. What does the Washington Post think the entire stock market is, in the bailout age?

America’s banks just had maybe their best year ever, raking in $125 billion in underwriting fees at a time when the rest of the country is dealing with record unemployment, thanks entirely to massive Federal Reserve intervention that turned a crash into a boom. Who thinks the “fundamental value” of most stocks would be this high, absent the Fed’s Atlas-like support in the last year?

…

In other words, it was all well and good for investment banks and executives of phoney-baloney companies to gorge themselves on funhouse profits on a funhouse economy, but when amateurs decided to funnel just a bit of this clown show into their own pockets, finance pros wailed like the grave of Adam Smith had been danced upon. The worst was Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman, who issued a somber warning that those behind the recent market frenzy are “in for a very rude awakening,” adding, “I don’t know if it is going to happen tomorrow, next week or in a month, but it will happen.”

This is the same James Gorman whose company just saw its 2020 fourth-quarter profits go up 51% versus the year before, with total revenues up 16% to $48.2 billion, matching almost exactly the 16% rise in the stock market last year. If you’re going to rake in $33 million as Gorman did last year captaining a firm that just siphoned off billions in essentially risk-free profits underwriting a never-ending bailout, should you really be worrying about someone else getting a “rude awakening”? There are 19 million people collecting unemployment who might be reading those profit numbers. Does this man know how to spell “pitchfork”?

GameStop has prompted more pearl-clutching than any news story in recent memory. Expert after grave-faced expert has marched on TV to tell Reddit traders that markets are complicated, this isn’t a game, and they wouldn’t be doing this, if they really understood how things work.

…

Furthermore, everybody “understands” what happened with GameStop. Unlike some other Wall Street stories, this one isn’t complicated. The entire tale, in a nutshell, goes like this. One group of gamblers announced, “Fuck you!” Another group announced back: “No, fuck YOU!”

That’s it. Or, as one market analyst put it to me this morning, “A bunch of guys made a bet, got killed, then doubled and tripled down and got killed even more.”

Regarding improprieties, leaving aside that the Redditors were doing exactly what billion-dollar hedge funds do every day — colluding to move a stock for fun and profit — the notion that this should be the subject of a federal investigation is preposterous.

…

While it isn’t a complicated story, some of the awesome humor of GameStop is in the mechanics.

Unlike betting on a stock to go up (i.e. betting “long”), where you can only lose as much as you invest, the losses in shorting can be infinite. This adds a potential extra layer of Schadenfreude to the plight of the happy hedge fund pirate who might have borrowed gazillions of GameStop shares at five or ten hoping to tank the firm, only to go in pucker mode as Internet hordes drive the cost of the trade to ten, twenty, fifty times their original investment.

Short-sellers bet by borrowing shares from so-called prime brokers (Goldman, Sachs and JP Morgan Chase are among the biggest), selling them, and waiting for the price to drop, at which point they buy them back on the open market at the lower price and return them. The commonly understood rub is that prime brokers don’t always really procure those original borrowed shares, and often give out more “locates” than they should, putting more shares in circulation than actually exist (as in this case). GameStop is exposing this systematic plundering of firms using phantom shares and locates, by groups of actors who now have the gall to complain that they’re the victims of a “get rich quick” scheme.

…

The home of James “rude awakening” Gorman, Morgan Stanley, got its bank holding company license (and the lifesaving Fed credit lines that came with it) late on a Sunday night in September, 2008, because the firm couldn’t have opened its doors without it the next Monday morning. They’d have been blown to bits, by “fundamentals.” Instead, they got rescued, given a forever pass to keep feeding at the neck of society while claiming, falsely, to be not-failures and not-welfare recipients, better somehow than the “dumb money” they think should be theirs alone to manage.

The rank selectivity of this makes any moral argument against the GameStop revolt moot. There’s no legitimate cause here, just an assertion of exclusive rights to plunder, which will doubtless be exercised now in the form of bans, investigations, and increased barriers to market entry. Probably also, in the political spirit of our times, there will some form of speech crackdown on platforms like Reddit, to protect us from the mob.

About that: there are many making hay of a description found on a Subreddit, to the effect that wallstreetbets is “like 4Chan found a Bloomberg terminal.” A columnist at the Guardian, settling into the rhetorical line sure to find acceptance among the wine-and-MSNBC crowd, admitted to finding the rampaging-id dynamic on 4chan funny as a young person, but strange now to “witness a brief and regretful adolescent occupation re-emerge as a prominent cultural force.” The author wanted to admit to laughing at this “intentionally senseless” behavior, but ultimately decried the “transgressive attitudes” of the Redditors.

This is where society will ultimately come down, of course, uniting to denounce $GME as financial Trumpism, even though it actually comes closer to being an updated and superior version of Occupy Wall Street. It’s likely not any evil manipulation scheme, but ordinary people acting — out of self-interest, but also out of sheer enthusiasm for one of the best reasons to do just about anything, because you can — on a few simple, powerful observations.

They’ve seen first that our markets are basically fake, set up to artificially accelerate the wealth divide, and not in their favor. Secondly they see that the stock market, like the ballot box, remains one of the only places where sheer numbers still matter more than capital or connections. And they’re piling on, and it’s delicious, not so much because they’re right, but because the people running for cover are so wrong, and still can’t admit it.

Buy the ticket, take the ride, nitwits. If you earned anything, it’s this.

[infiniteshawn]

Since We’re Alone | 1

Phoebe Rose Bray wasn't a spontaneous woman. But when she drunkenly applied to become a seat filler six months prior, she hadn't been thinking about her internship or her god-awful boss, Margaret, or her starving bank account. She'd been feeling ambitious.

And that's why when she got the email regarding the Sixty-fourth Annual Grammy Awards, she huffed a rather annoyed sigh and silently accepted the invitation.

A massive turn of events, a tragic production slip-up, and a quick diversion led her exactly where she hadn’t intended on ending up: in front of millions of people, wrapped up in the arms of a pop sensation.

a/n: here it is. 1.6 k. new series, or so i think. we’re gonna see how this one goes first. feedback: appreciated

She couldn’t believe she was doing this. Phoebe Rose Bray gave herself a one-over in her hotel bathroom, smoothing out her satin dress with her carefully manicured hands.

It wasn’t often that she travelled out of the country and it was far less often that she travelled alone. But when she drunkenly applied to become a seat filler six months prior, she hadn’t been thinking about her internship or her god-awful boss, Margaret, or her starving bank account. She’d been feeling ambitious.

And that’s why when she got the email regarding the Sixty-fourth Annual Grammy Awards, she huffed a rather annoyed sigh and silently accepted the invitation.

Phoebe began to understand the fuss about Los Angeles traffic when what should have been a ten-minute drive to the Staples Center turned into an hour-long road trip. Thank God Uber provided snacks.

It was more of a process than a celebration—for Phoebe, at least—and she was more interested in being assigned a seat than looking around for the faces of her childhood idols. Relieved to be inside with air conditioning and away from flashing cameras and hollering paparazzi, she settled into her seat and prayed to her lucky stars for a mediocre night.

The show was uneventful, for the most part. For the first half. As soon as the big categories began to surface, the crowd got antsy. From her spot at the back of the floor, Phoebe zoned in on the A-listers sitting closest to the stage, and it was clear they were shifting in their seats. Something was coming.

That something was Record of the Year, she deducted. She tried her best to focus on Justin Timberlake’s never-ending monologue about finally being able to host music’s biggest night, but the headset-wearing woman equipped with a clipboard was inevitable, and Phoebe knew where she was headed.

“You’re next,” the woman spoke, hastily yet quietly, “get ready.”

Phoebe kept a trained eye on the tops of people’s heads because she hadn’t memorized where each artist was sitting and it seemed like the only way she could possibly know where to go.

People came out—Katy Perry and some guy—to present the nominees. Phoebe straightened her spine and firmly planted her stiletto, preparing to jump up at any second. She reminded herself of the importance in being stealth, avoiding taking away from the artist’s acceptance speech because while this was their big moment, she was also contractually bound not to disturb the audience. Names were called. Snippets were played. An announcement was made. And before she knew it, Phoebe was silently power-walking toward the front of the arena, sitting her ass down in Lizzo’s still-warm folding chair.

The crowd had settled and she was giving a very animated speech about the song’s significance, and all Phoebe could focus on was the pointed boot almost touching her strapped-in-toes.

She was positive that the row of seven-or-so people sitting next to her were there together. Most of them muttered to each other during Lizzo’s speech, but the guy beside her was dead silent. He stared straight forward, face aimed directly at the stage. Phoebe could feel his brown eyes on her. She wondered if he was suspicious of her, or frowning upon the idea of seat fillers because maybe he believed that general audience members had no place up front. She never considered that the warmth engulfing her body wasn’t from her own embarrassment, but was instead radiating off of him.

The crowd broke into applause and they, together, realized that they, too, should probably be clapping. So they clapped. The show went on. And though neither of them said a word to the other, they were very aware of one another’s presence.

So much that Phoebe’s brain was running in circles, dreading the moment “Shawn Mendes” would be called as the winner of Album of the Year because he’d somehow have to wiggle past her, and she knew that with her luck she’d probably fall over. Her heart raced as she began debating whether she’d be standing with them in applause or remaining seated, and if she’d be shown on national television. It was all very much very fast and she didn’t even notice that Shawn was muttering under his breath in her direction.

“Psst,” she heard, and she turned in his direction quickly enough to give herself whiplash.

“What?” she whispered in a more offended tone than she’d hoped for. She just wasn’t expecting it.

“I said,” he spoke lowly, leaning in a little closer, “if it helps, I’m nervous too.”

“I’m n-”

“Yes, you are,” he cut her off, shooting her the million-dollar grin that was plastered on every billboard from New York to Tokyo.

He was ethereal. Phoebe knew that celebrities were ridiculously idealized in the media, and with the help of round-the-clock makeup artists and photoshop and endless reserves of cash, they were almost always eternally beautiful. But even this close up, with that damn curl hanging on his forehead, Shawn Mendes was inevitably gorgeous. She avoided his gaze.

“All I’m saying is,” he leaned in a little closer, and she was pretty sure she could feel his breath on her neck, “you can loosen up a bit. Sit back. Look around, no one’s looking at you,” he paused, allowed her to finally adjust to her surroundings, “except me.”

If she wasn’t blushing before, she was bright red now. She figured he would be like this—a womanizer, for the lack of a better term—but she never thought she’d fall victim to any of his one-liners.

Shawn clammed up when a uniformed-producer announced the final commercial break, and Phoebe sat in silence, unable to avoid eavesdropping on the group to her right.

“I’m not sure, man,” Shawn mumbled, leaning toward the suited guy beside him. Both of them were leaning forward, and Phoebe was able to make out the label on his seat. Andrew Gertler.

“Relax, Shawn,” the man she assumed to be Mr. Gertler spoke, “we’ve been here before. They’re either gonna recognize that you deserve it or they aren’t, and in both cases you need to remember that there’s a camera on you. Regardless of what you’re feeling, I need you to really sell it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Shawn nodded, “just happy to be here. I know.”

“Good,” the man said before taking a sip of his water, “I have a good feeling, kid.”

Shawn didn’t respond. He took a deep breath and sunk back into his seat, watching intently as the rest of his team had a muffled conversation about the afterparty.

Phoebe picked at her cuticles until Shawn rubbed his massive hands together and muttered, “Showtime,” and Timberlake came out once again, thanking everyone for coming and prefacing some montage video of past Album of the Year winners.

She nudged his knee with hers. Shawn’s eyebrows shot up a bit, silently asking if the contact was intentional or if she was just a bit twitchy. She nudged him again.

“If it helps,” she whispered, neither of them looking at each other, “I’m nervous too.”

She couldn’t help but notice the tight-lipped grin creeping up his cheeks in her peripheral vision, and she knew that was just what he needed.

But the wave of comfort and confidence that had overcome Shawn didn’t last long, because the video was over and Pharrell Williams was standing before them, hastily reading through a list of eight album names as if these artists hadn’t put their absolute hearts and souls into each body of work.

A name was called. Phoebe wasn’t sure who it belonged to, but it didn’t belong to Shawn Mendes. The sinking feeling in his stomach somehow translated to her because she, too, felt it. Weightless.

Something was happening, though. The split-screen of nominees hadn’t focused-in on the winner as it usually would, and by some work of the devil it was displaying a massive live-video of Shawn’s face. And the heartbreak-with-a-hint-of-anger written all over it.

Neither Shawn nor his team had caught on to the technical slip-up, and the few seconds they were all on camera felt like hours to Phoebe. She was thinking at a million miles a second, debating tapping him on the shoulder or just saying something, anything, to bring his attention to his very-public negative reaction.

She knew this would be the big headline.

Unless she could make an even bigger one.

Without thinking long enough to convince herself otherwise, Phoebe twisted in her seat and faced the man she’d been so intimidated by for the last half-hour. His distraught eyes met her determined ones, and before he could resist, she muttered something along the lines of, “Just go with it,” and lunged at him, kissing him with everything she had.

Shawn froze and Phoebe panicked—had he not hit on her, this wouldn’t have even been a thought in her mind—but quickly, he melted into it. The gears began turning and her words had convinced him that she had a reason, supported by the way she kissed him with such purpose.

Her hand was on his jaw and his were in her hair, and while he refrained from slipping her the tongue for the sake of everyone watching at home, he still kissed her wildly.

Andrew was jostling Shawn’s arm. The cameramen had sorted their shit out. And Phoebe was up from her seat and running out of the arena faster than any of it had even happened.

taglist: @shxwnmxndess @sunriseshawn @jollybonkpatroldonkey @jesuscheistkaren @casuallycoolcloud @sinplisticshawn @deafeningdeanhoagieturtle @rosieblondie @hannahlouiseee @change-perspective13 @abeautiful-and-cloudy-day @calthesensation @livsalzy

[amandaklwrites]

Movie Review: Austenland (2013)

Genre: Rom-Com

Rating: 10/10

Movie Review:

Let me begin this review by saying this is my FAVORITE movie of all time. So it’ll basically me gushing over everything and having no bad comments whatsoever. Because I don’t typically have a lot of bad comments about movies I love, but nothing about this movie especially.

The whole idea of this movie is just my thing—a woman in our modern era goes to a place to experience the life in Jane Austen’s books?? Why can’t this be a real thing?? Please?

There is so much about this movie that is perfect. The humor is bloody brilliant. I have a very weird sense of humor (though I find almost anything funny), and this movie pretty much sums up why I find downright hilarious. The randomness, the silliness, the pureness of just straight up humor. Especially Jennifer Coolidge; her character, her lines. She played that role perfectly, as Elizabeth Charming, and I couldn’t get enough of her.

Jane is me. I’m not kidding. I am more in love with fictional men and stories than real life. I would prefer to step into a book and never come back. So Jane’s dilemma with life and men and dating is something I struggle with constantly. So, yes, I would spend my life’s savings on a chance to experience something like Austenland. I liked how Keri Russell portrayed her—just a typical everyday woman who wants to find something romantical and fantastical. So of course I connected with her intstantly. Even the personalities are similar—extroverted introvert. I could easily slip into her shoes and that’s probably the number one reason why I love this movie so much. It could literally be me doing all this, so I’m just experiencing it through Jane’s eyes.

JJ Feild. JJ Bloody Feild. I love this man. I think he’s a brilliant actor, but I love his character as Henry Nobley. He’s just a dreamy man (in the film and outside of it), and I knew instantly when I first saw this movie that I was going to love Henry. Yes, he’s the “Darcy type” (don’t hurt me, but I don’t like Mr. Darcy at all—I’m more of a Tilney person, which funny enough, JJ played as well), but I like him much more as the movie goes on. He’s just a sweetheart, and at the end, I loved him way too much. It’s just so wonderful and I want to cry.

Please don’t hurt me on this either, but I didn’t love Bret McKenzie. No, I liked his acting and I thought he was a great addition to the film with his character Martin, but I don’t find him that attractive. And I found him… fake from the beginning. So I never liked Jane and Martin together. I felt like something was up. But he was funny and Bret was great at the rake, and I loved the really crappy fight Martin and Henry had at the airport. It was just too hilarious.

Everyone else in the cast was absolutely wonderful. Jane Seymour as Mrs. Wattlesbrook was a great person to hate. James Callis as Colonel Andrews made me snort laughing. Georgia King as Amelia was an absolute mess and psycho, but I loved her. Ricky Whittle as Captain Eastwood was just too amazing. Everyone in this movie was great and I loved every single part. They all brought the movie to another level and were so fantastic with the comedy.

Like I have probably said a million times in this review, everything about this movie is great. The comedy, the storyline (I do love rom-coms, even if we know how it’ll end), the landscape (I LOVE England), the whole plot of her escaping to her dream place. Even with Jane realizing toward the end that this wasn’t right, that this was a bad game when you didn’t know what was real or not, that was realistic and I was glad they delved into that. The filming was perfect, the moments made me swoon (yeah, I said it, sue me). I just flipping LOVE THIS MOVIE!

This is the movie that I could just have playing over and over all day in the background, because it makes me feel so happy and comfortable, and that warm and fuzzy feeling. It’s THAT movie for me, which everyone has that movie. I pretty much know every line, I still laugh at everything, I fall in love with Henry all over again. Yes, it’s that movie, for sure.

I also want to say that I did read the book, after I first watched the movie a few years ago. And I loved the book too. They did a great job of pretty much sticking exactly with the book (well, the writer was one of the screenwriters) and embellished it a bit more. I do have to say, this is one of those rare cases when I love the movie more than the book. But just because more was added to it, because of the cast and comedy, and watching it all unfold. For me, it’s a better experience to watch it (since it’s perfect to me) than read the book. But that’s okay, because the author was extremely involved!

I will watch this movie so many more times in my life, I know it.

[detectivejigsawpines]

North by Northwest Conspiracy-part 5 (The man with the magic key [and possibly a few loose screws])

Please, if there’s any superior being out there with any level of mercy, please don’t let this weirdo be about ta do some kind of striptease.

To Stan’s relief, he seemed content to remain in the rest of his clothes-and honestly, he could relate to wanting to walk around in just your shorts, sometimes wearing pants was too much effort.

“...Quentin Trembley?” Ford asked, looking perplexed.

“The eighth-and-a-half president of these several United States, my good man!”  Trembley grinned at his twin and walked over to him, holding out his hand. “Do they still shake hands in this time period?  What year is it?”

“Uh...it’s 1978.  And yes they do.” Ford gingerly returned the handshake.  When he pulled his hand back, he looked at his fingers and grimaced, discreetly wiping them on his pants; Stan guessed that being encased in peanut brittle for a hundred years made you a little sticky.  He was learning that it also did pretty weird things to the way you smelled.

“We’ve passed the year 1900?!  By Jefferson, this is amazing!  My horoscope told me the world might end in 1899-I guess it was wrong.”

“No duh,” Stan muttered.

“Eighth-and-a-half?” Preston gave a very bewildered frown.

“Aah!”  Trembley let out an alarmed yelp and hid behind Ford.  “A small evil accountant! Protect me before he tries to calculate my income!”

“That’s a child, Mr. Trembley.”  Ford stepped away from him.

Trembley gave him an indignant look.  “That’s Sir Lord Quentin Trembley III, Esquire to you, sir!  Former president of AMERICA, and founder of the town of Gravity Falls!”

********

For a moment they just stared at him, before Preston broke the silence.

“That’s a lie!” he squawked.  “My great-grandfather Nathaniel Northwest founded Gravity Falls!”

“No, he’s telling the truth!”  Ford held up the file on the Northwest Cover-up, which had remained clutched in his hand, and which he had just opened.  “It says in here that he was the actual founder, and that Nathaniel Northwest was-” the group was graced by the unexpected sight of Stan’s normally somewhat dignified older twin snorting, and looking like he was seconds away from bursting into deep belly-laughter- “a-a waste-shoveling village idiot who-choked to death trying to eat an oak tree so he’d turn into a wizard!”

At that he and Stan both burst into loud guffaws.  That whole sentence was just too funny for them not to.

“It does not!”  Preston ran forward and snatched the file, glaring at it.  As he read it, though, his glare changed to shock.

“No, that-that can’t be-this has gotta be fake!”

Ford snatched the file back.  “Then why would anyone bother hiding it down here?  Deal with it, Northwest-your whole family legacy is a lie, and the newspapers are going to love this!  Even though we’re going to have a hard time explaining how Sir Quentin-”

He looked around in confusion.  “Where did he go?”

****

Stan peered around the corner, and saw the apparent former president standing by one of the cave walls, attempting to stick a key into it.

...This explains a lot about why the laws here are so weird.  Ford’s gonna have a field day tryna decide on if this town is weird because this guy was the founder of it, or if he was the founder of it because the land attracts weirdness.

...Or somethin’ like that.

He walked over to Trembley.  “Whatcha doin’, slick?” he asked, resting the sword on his shoulder again.

“Trying to make my way out to see how the world has changed since I encased myself in my delicious tomb!” Trembley announced.  “This is the President’s Key, which can open any lock in America! I don’t see why it’s not working!”

“...How about you just go up through that tunnel?”  Stan indicated the way they’d come.

Any lock in America, huh?   A million greedy possibilities flashed through Stan’s mind.  He wondered if there was any way he could get the former president to lend the key to him for a few weeks.

“Also good.”  Trembley stuffed it back into his pocket, and marched towards the tunnel.  As he did, Ford and a visibly shell-shocked Preston rounded the corner and followed them out.

They emerged in time to see a triumphant-yet-exhausted-looking Dan deal a final blow to Ghost Eyes’s jaw, sending him to the floor next to the already-unconscious black guy.  He grinned proudly, spitting out a small mouthful of blood.

“And you can shove your theories on mankind being naturally evil!” he told the incumbent figure.  Then he noticed the group climbing up the tunnel. “Oh, hi guys. Who’s that?”

“The real founder of Gravity Falls, who kept himself alive for over a hundred years in a block of peanut brittle,” Stan said, somehow keeping a straight face.

Dan’s expression was priceless.

Trembley stared at the big lumberjack in astonishment.  “Incredible-he’s more than sixteen stacking-turtles high and at least bleventeen Tremble-quarts in diameter!  The future has giants in it!”

Ford leaned over to Stan.  “Between you and me, I’m beginning to see why he’s not in the history books.  Mr. Northwest was repulsive, but he seems to have been at least a little more mentally stable.”

“Uh, between the one who died trying to eat a tree, and the one who tried ta freeze himself in peanut brittle, which one actually survived?”

“...Good point.  But you still see what I mean, right?”

“AMERICA!” Trembley yelled.  Stan noticed that he seemed to do that every three minutes or so, for no apparent reason.

“Yeah, I see it.”

********

“...And then Andrew tried to shoot me again, leading me to believe that maybe he wasn’t going to let me stay with him after I was thrown out of office, so instead I came here and discovered this quaint little valley.  After my horse crashed into it. Fortunately a giant bull-man broke our fall...”

Trembley had decided to tell them his life story as they picked their way back through the cemetery to their car (Dan was dragging Ghost Eyes and the black guy, who both needed to go to the hospital).  A lot of it was gibberish, but from the bits he could understand, Stan learned that his term in office had been a major embarrassment to the country, and to Gravity Falls, so both had tried to forget he’d ever existed.  And for some reason, that kind of struck a nerve with him, that someone would throw you out and then try to erase you from the world’s memory just because you had some quirks and made a few dumb mistakes-

No.  No, he was not going to project himself on a hundred-year-old guy who tried to get in fights with eagles.  Absolutely not.

Stan rolled his eyes at himself, and looked down at Preston, who was following them, still looking a little like his entire worldview had been shattered and not seeming to care that his expensive-looking shoes were getting covered in dirt and mud.

Stan could almost feel sorry for him if he weren’t such an obnoxious little snot.

And then Preston looked up as they approached the gates of the cemetery, and his eyes widened and he let out a tiny gasp.

“Father!”

********

In some ways, Sir Quentin Trembley is relatively easy to write. You just put together a bunch of nonsense phrases and don't worry too much about whether he makes an iota of sense.

[thewritingandroid]

Learning to be Human // Part 5 Lessons on Greed - Markus

A/N: Hi Friends! Sorry it's been so long without an update! I told myself I was gonna update weekly, but then Life happened and it's been a fair few weeks without an update, so I'm gonna give y'all two this week in an attempt to make up for it. I hope you all enjoy!

Word Count: 1824

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5 

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." 

-Franklin D. Roosevelt 

“Why did you bring her here Hank?”

We were standing outside the medical center. There was a slight breeze that rustled the edges of my jacket. The world around us was especially grey today, and the sky threatened rain. The world looked like how I felt, empty, tired, and distant.

“Sometimes all people need to do to change their minds is personalize the issue. That girl had never seen a deviant before, all she knew were the lies fed to her by CyberLife. I thought if I brought her to see Connor, if she looked into his face, I could change her mind.”

“You were right. She saved his life. Who is she?”

“Her name is Jess Richards. She’s the executive assistant to one of the higher-ups over at CyberLife.”

“That explains how she knows so much about us. I can only hope she’s on our side.”

“She saved Connor, that’s a good step in the right direction for me.”

“Was it weird for you Hank? Seeing him like that when she activated his override?”

“Not really. When I first met Connor he was exactly like that, clean-cut and precise.”

“Really?”

“He wasn’t like that when you met him?”

“When I first met Connor, he had a gun pointed at my head. We were at Jericho, he had turned us over to the authorities, but he seemed so unsure of himself. He wasn’t a deviant yet, he was still completing his mission, but he already seemed to be feeling, choosing for himself. It was strange.”

“I’m not that surprised, Connor did what he wanted when he wanted. He even let a deviant get away to save me. Hell, he’s gotten himself shot a time or two protecting me from deviants.”

“Sometimes I think Connor is more human than the rest of us. Maybe it’s because of something in his programming. Do you think she’d give me details about it if I asked?”

“I’m not sure that should be high on your list of priorities Markus,” He sighed and leaned against the wall, “Did you ask around about the pictures I left with you?”

“I did. May says that none of the officers in the pictures you gave me were the ones at the border when she went to get them yesterday. She says after she alerted them, they told her to go find a safe place, and they would radio for backup and then handle the situation.”

“I got the radio from them, that’s why I showed up. Did anyone see these six yesterday?” 

“Some said that they were there early this morning, but I can’t find a single android who saw them after 8 am.”

“Connor was attacked around 9:00.”

“I got some rough sketches of the officers the androids remember seeing after 8 am, maybe they’ll be useful to you as the case progresses.”

“Thanks, I’ll take a look at them when I get back to the office. Are you going to be okay if I leave her under your watch for a few hours? I’ve really got to make some progress on my cases. Things are backing up since Connor has been out.”

“Yeah, it’s fine with me. Are you sure it's fine with her?”

“Markus, she’s so focused on Connor she won't even notice I’m not there.”

“Alright, I’ll see you later Hank.”

“What, you aren’t going to walk me to the border?”

“You know the way by now, and I’m not going to leave a CyberLife employee unattended in the middle of our territory.”

“Don’t trust her?”

“It’s not that. I don't trust some of us to leave her alone. I’ll see you later, get back to the station safe.”

“See ya, Markus.”

I watch Hank leave until he’s out of sight, then I let out the sigh I’ve been holding in since he got here and walk back into the medical center. Jess is still seated on Connor’s bed, all of her focus on the panel she had taken off of his head. She doesn’t look up at me until I sit down on the empty bed next to Connor’s.

“I’m just trying to straighten out the dent.” She smiles, but it’s a nervous smile, “did Hank go back to the station?”

“Yeah, he has work to do. Do you mind if I see that?” I gesture to the panel in her hands and extend my hand for it. She passes it over.

“Don’t we all, I’m missing 20,000 different meetings today. Do you think my boss will buy food poisoning?”

“I think he’ll find it more plausible than a story about how you hung out with android rebels and saved one of their lives,” I smiled and popped the dent out of the panel, then handed it back to her, “I get the sense that people over at CyberLife don’t really like us androids.”

“People fear what they don’t understand.”

“And hate what they can't conquer. Andrew Smith.”

“The world is changing, and the direction that it’s going is losing CyberLife a lot of money.”

“So this all just boils down to human greed?”

“Doesn’t it always?”

“I just find it hard to believe that people could value money over life.”

“That makes you more human than most, Markus.” She looks up at me and smiles, leaning back against the wall. “All of those big executives at CyberLife could stand to receive a lesson on empathy from you.”

“Executives like your boss?”

“Specifically my boss. The man is an absolute nightmare.”

“If he’s so awful, why do you stay?”

“I need the money. Living in this city isn’t cheap.”

“I’m sorry if we lose you your job.”

“Don’t worry about it Markus, I just hope they let me back in long enough to help you all a little more.”

“What do you mean?”

“Connor needs his part, you need access to your factories to make repairs, the fact of the matter is, my job is perfectly situated to help you get those things. Getting Connor’s part should be fairly easy, it’s the factories that will be more difficult.”

“I thought you said CyberLife blocked getting Connor the part?”

“They did, but I can request one under the purpose of research. I can tell CyberLife that after this incident, I want to study the part for defects. It’s still in the plans for the RK900, so it will be fairly easy to get my hands on.”

“900? Is CyberLife still making androids?”

“Not actively, but they’re still drawing up plans and creating new technology.”

She looks away from me quickly and her smile falls.

“What is it?”

“CyberLife is currently testing a bunch of newly developed technology.” She trailed off, looking at her hands, “recently…” she's almost whispering and I have to lean in to hear her, “recently some of the prototypes were stolen from CyberLife headquarters,”

She looks up at me and I can see a mixture of guilt and fear in her eyes.

“What was the technology that was stolen? What did CyberLife create?”

“I don’t know all of the specifics of the project but… CyberLife was in the process of developing anti-android technology.”

“Weapons?”

She answered my question with a small nod and I felt a sharp tingle travel up my spine, “I have to let the others know about this. I’m going to go get them, and when I get back, I’m going to need you to tell me everything you know about this new tech.”

Next thing I know I’m moving through the camp on autopilot, my mind a million miles away. I’m trying to keep the panic from rising into my chest and suffocating me. It’s suddenly very hot outside and I find myself sweating. I need to calm down. I find North first, sitting outside of the house we share. 

“North,” I pant, “I need you to get Simon and Josh and meet me back at the medical center.”

“Has something happened to Connor?”

“He’s okay, but I’ve just been made aware of an even bigger issue we might be facing. I need you to get Josh and Simon and bring them to the medical center.”

“Alright, consider it done,” She stands and puts her hand on my arm, “Calm down Markus, whatever this is, I’m sure we’ve been through worse.”

“I hope you’re right.”

I take more time going back, trying to calm my mind and my nerves. My hands are shaking. I don’t remember ever feeling like this before. I think back to how I got here, finding Jericho, becoming their leader, achieving our freedom. Why me? Why was I the leader of Jericho? Why was I the leader of our people? I hadn’t asked for all of this responsibility, all of this pressure. It wasn’t just about leading them anymore. Now I had to protect them, keep them optimistic and hopeful and keep working constantly towards better. I was keeping my people together, but at what cost? Letting myself fall apart? Everywhere I look I see problems. Houses built out of scrap metal, androids huddling together inside of them, and just how dirty everything is. Everyone is tense and everyone is afraid, because no one knows what is going to happen next. 

I’m stuck feeling like for every one step we take forward, we take three steps back. I know I’m not being a good example for my people. I spend most of my time locked inside my house trying to figure out what to do next. I preach peace and nonviolence while my people are murdered or shot within our own borders. I talk about progress to anyone who’ll listen, but all I’ve seen the past few weeks has been regression.

I feel alone. I have North, Josh, and Simon, but I don’t think any of them understand just how difficult this has been. I wish Connor hadn’t been shot, I could have really used his advice. He was always impartial and saw the big picture. He understands the consequences of action better than anyone I know. He knows androids and people better than I know either and he knows how to deal with them better. I wish he hadn’t been shot for more reasons than just that though. I fear that his shooting set off a chain of events that I don’t think I will be able to control when the time comes. Already I’m hearing whispers for a plan to strike back. Whispers calling for violence, whispers that I’m not sure I can make listen to reason.

Now I get the news that CyberLife has created anti-android technology and that the tech was stolen, meaning it’s now out in the open. We are slowly walking down the path to inevitable war, and I’m not sure how much longer it can go on before we’re too far gone to turn back.