#to be fair I haven’t read anything about I just saw the costume and wanted to roll my eyes and mutter into the void

[dream-thief-forever-amen]

I just saw the new concept art for the “gay” Spider-Man and thought “well, if you’re going to take it as far as that… why stop? I mean, the Grace Jones shoulder pad shape, the eyeliner designs on the mask, the princess sleeve cuffs, the stripper designs of the waist down? I’m not sure the average human can read that as gay enough. Are we sure that’s enough gay indicators for the heteros? What if they’re in space or something? Just give him heels and make his costume a fucking glittery rainbow too.”

No offense to Kris Anka but that looks like an ice skating costume. I’ve got nothing but love for my extravagant queens out there, but you could just make a new superhero character if you’ve got to go this far to sell us the concept of “gay!”

I guess it’s doubly annoying cause Peter Parker is already one of the super heroes easiest to read as gay just as he is. He’s already the type of guy who would roll up the sleeves of his white tee shirt. I mean, if you took his love interests out of any of the films you’d have a hard time convincing me he couldn’t easily be interpreted as a young gay man.

No changes needed to be made to give us a gay Spider-Man. Or a bisexual Spider-Man. Just have him kiss a dude. Problem solved. We already have one Spider-Man who would be happy to do it, too.

[superfreakerz]

TDDUP 31

AN: Idk  who’s still active considering I haven’t uploaded this story in almost 2 years but hopefully someone will enjoy it! :)

Chapter 31

Under the Mistletoe

Natsu grinned to himself as he tacked the decoration just underneath the door frame to the bedroom. With its white berries, beautiful green leaves, and the red ribbon tied around the stems, he was sure it was going to bring a smile to Lucy’s face when she saw it. And if she somehow missed it, then he was more than happy to point it out to her since it meant stealing a kiss from her.

“Natsu? What’s that?” Lucy’s voice called out.

Turning around to face the girl, he gave her a grin. Grabbing her hand, he quickly pulled her close to him. 

“Look up,” he said, planting his hands on her hips.

Lucy glanced up, her eyes landing on the mistletoe that hung over them. Her lips curled into a small smile, her cheeks tinted pink having been caught off-guard. 

“Mistletoe? Where’d you get that?” she asked with a laugh.

“Borrowed it from Cana,” he answered, peering down at her with a toothy grin. “In her words, it was going to ‘get me laid.’ Figured I would test her theory out. So? Whatcha think?”

Lucy playfully rolled her eyes. “I think that we still have a lot more decorating to do before the others get here. But…” Leaning towards him, she pressed her lips against his in a chaste kiss. Pulling away, she smiled up at him. “It’d be breaking tradition if we didn’t kiss.”

Natsu watched as Lucy headed back to the living room to continue decorating for the Christmas party they were throwing. Lucy, wanting to be festive for the holiday, wore a skimpy Santa suit that Natsu couldn’t tear his eyes away from. Not only did it show a nice amount of cleavage, the dress was so short that it barely covered her bum. Another nice touch that spurred his desire was the white fluff that hemmed the edges, giving it a real Christmas vibe. She also wore white knee-high socks, which always brought his attention to her creamy legs. To top it all off, she wore a Santa hat. 

Natsu’s pants felt tight just looking at her.

Following her out into the living room, he wrapped his arms around her from behind. He could tell that she felt him hard against her from the way she jumped.

“Can’t we just take a lil’ break and do something else?” Natsu asked. He brushed Lucy’s hair out of the way and softly nuzzled the shell of her ear. Her body melted into his as he ran his hands up her sides and over her breasts. He was about to slip his hands underneath the cloth when she jumped away from him.

“No, Natsu,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him. Her face was flushed with heat as she continued, “We can do that later but for now, we have to finish decorating. They’ll be here soon.”

Natsu huffed, crossing his arms with a pout. “Why are we celebrating over here anyways? It’d be easier to just meet them there. They already have a bunch of decorations up.”

“I don’t want to intrude during the holidays.”

“What do you mean? You aren’t intruding. You’ve been there tons of times by now!”

“I’ve only been there a few times, for your information. And I just don’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable.”

“Who would feel uncomfortable with you coming?” Natsu asked, arching a brow.

“Well, Mira for one,” Lucy answered, her lips tugged into a small frown. 

Natsu immediately understood, rubbing the back of his head. “Look, don’t take it personally. Mira’s just… different. It doesn’t have to do with you. She can’t really handle bein’ around mortals much. That’s why she’s the only one who turns down her chances of going to the outside world.”

“I know it’s nothing personal,” Lucy replied. “But it doesn’t matter. I’m not offended or anything by it. It’s just that she deserves to feel comfortable in her own home on Christmas. I’m okay with just having you guys over. And I’m okay with you going over there to celebrate too.”

Natsu frowned, uncomfortable with the thought of leaving Lucy alone for even a minute on Christmas. He promised her months ago that he would spend the day with her, how could he just leave?

“You know I don’t hafta go,” he said. “The others can go back without me. I’ll stay here with you.”

Lucy smiled and shook her head. “Thank you, Natsu. I appreciate that you’d do that for me, but you should go back later with them. I’m not the only person who wants to spend Christmas with you, and I’m not going to be that girlfriend who keeps her boyfriend away from his friends. It’ll just be for a couple of hours, so you’re going. And when you get back, we can exchange presents.”

Before he could argue, she grabbed some more decorations from the box, gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and went to hang  them up.

About ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. 

“Merry Christmas, Lucy!” the rest of the gang shouted the moment she opened the door. 

Lucy beamed at them. “Merry Christmas, you guys! Thanks for coming over!”

As everyone headed inside, Lucy noticed that she wasn’t the only one dressed for the holidays. Juvia adorned a beautiful blue dress covered in snowflakes and sparkles, a little tiara resting on her head. 

“Juvia is an ice princess,” the girl said when she noticed Lucy staring.

“You look beautiful, Juvia!” she replied. And it was true. The blue complimented her hair and fair skin perfectly. Her eyes moved over to Gray. He wore a top hat and some black jeans. As usual, he was without a shirt. “What’s up with the hat?”

“The guild always makes me dress as Frosty the Snowman on Christmas,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“So you wore a hat? Or was there more of the costume that you stripped away?”

“There was more, but they’re long gone by now.”

Lucy nodded, moving her gaze over to Erza and Jellal. While they weren’t fully dressed up like Juvia and herself, they wore cute reindeer headbands. 

Levy, on the other hand, wore an adorable elf costume. It was red and green, which although contrasted her hair greatly, still managed to look amazing on her. Her leggings were striped in the same green and red, and her hat had a bell at the tip. 

“You look so cute, Levy-chan!” Lucy gushed, wrapping the petite girl in a hug. 

“You too, Lu-chan!” the girl replied. 

Gajeel pushed past the two girls, allowing Lucy to see his costume. He was dressed in a Santa costume, his hair spray-dyed white. A scowl was plastered to his face as he grumbled, “Damn Shrimp, makin’ me dress up like this.” 

As soon as he was out of earshot, Levy cupped her hand around her mouth and whispered to Lucy, “I didn’t make him dress up like that. He woke up hours before everyone else so that he could get ready.”

Lucy covered her mouth with her hands, trying to stifle her laughter. Just the thought of Gajeel happily getting ready to dress up as Santa Claus had her nearly hunched over in laughter.

“Your apartment is so festive, Lucy,” Erza’s voice called out to her. 

“Thanks!” she replied, her smile as bright as the lit-up Christmas tree she had Natsu put in the corner of the living room. Lights were strewn across the ceiling, decorations were tacked to the wall, and she even woke up early in the morning to bake Christmas cupcakes. To say she loved Christmas was an understatement. She hadn’t been able to really celebrate the holiday in a long time, so now she was going all out.

“Can we open presents already!?” Natsu asked, bouncing excitedly in his seat.

“We just got here, idiot,” Gray said, rolling his eyes. 

Erza chimed in, “I agree with Natsu. We should open presents now.” Even though she kept a straight face and was still in her seat unlike Natsu, the twinkle in her eye made it obvious she was looking forward to presents just as much as he was. 

“Presents it is then,” Lucy said with a laugh. Everyone sat in the living room, presents sitting in their laps. With how big their group was, they decided to do a secret Santa exchange to save money. “Who goes first?”

“I will!” Erza exclaimed, a bright grin settling over her face. “Whoever got me, step forward!”

Lucy stood from the couch. “That would be me!” Handing Erza the gift, she watched as the redhead tore away the wrapping paper in an instant, revealing a rectangular box. Lucy watched anxiously as Erza removed the tape from the box’s sides. She may not have known Erza long, but she thought she knew her well enough. Though the redhead tried to hide it, there was a girly side to her. 

Erza opened the box, pulling out a violet dress. It was made of silk and was long enough to reach the floor. The sides were slit to reveal her legs, giving it a sexier feel.

“This dress is gorgeous, Lucy!” Erza said in awe. She grabbed the tag, her eyes bugging out of her head as she read the label. “HK!? This must’ve cost a fortune!”

“It wasn’t too bad,” Lucy replied, waving her off. Though in truth, that dress alone cost most of her allowance. Still, it was worth it to see her friend smile. 

Erza stood from the couch, holding her arms out in front of her for a hug. Lucy winced, knowing how rough the redhead could be. Knowing it was rude to turn it down, Lucy went in for a hug, praying that she wouldn’t bruise from it. Sure enough, Erza smashed her head down on her chest in what only she would call a hug. 

“Thank you, Lucy!” Erza said.

“D-Don’t mention it,” she replied. She sat back down on the couch, her head dizzy.

“Her hugs hurt, huh?” Natsu whispered in her ear.

“So badly,” Lucy replied with a nod. She then watched as Erza handed Juvia a small box. The wrapping paper was crinkled, and looking closely, Lucy could see that there were some extra scraps taped on, probably because she ripped the bottom layer. 

Gently tearing the wrapping paper away, Juvia opened the box to find four slips of paper. Confused, she picked them up and read the words printed on them. Immediately, a bright smile graced her face. 

“Oh, thank you, Erza!” she exclaimed.

“Wait, what is it?” Levy asked, unable to see what they were from where she sat. 

Juvia held up the slips of paper. “They’re two train tickets to Crocus and to the Crocus Garden!” 

“No way!” Lucy shouted. “I heard that they have a rainbow sakura tree over there! I’ve always wanted to go!”

“Well, the extra ticket was meant for Gray, but I suppose you could bring Lucy instead,” Erza said with a shrug.

Lucy laughed at the panic that washed over Juvia’s face. “Don’t worry, Juvia. You don’t have to bring me. It sounds like a fun date for you and Gray!”

The blue-headed girl heaved a sigh of relief. 

Natsu nudged her lightly. 

“I didn’t know you wanted to go there,” he said.

Lucy smiled at him. “Yeah. I’ve never been to Crocus before. I would love to see the rainbow sakura tree someday.”

“Then I’ll take ya there!”

“The train ride is over six hours long. I don’t think you’d last, Natsu.”

The boy glared at her, crossing his arms with a huff. “If you wanna go there, then I don’t care how long the train ride is. We’re going!”

Lucy giggled at his pouty face, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Natsu. I’m looking forward to it.”

Turning her attention back on Juvia, she watched the girl hand Gajeel his gift. It was kept in a tiny gift bag, small enough to make Lucy wonder what could possibly fit in it. Reaching inside, Gajeel pulled out what looked like a receipt. His eyes scanned the printed words before his eyes grew wide.

“No fucking way,” he said, whipping his head towards Juvia.

The girl nodded quickly, her smile wide. “Yep! Juvia bought you an electric guitar! Juvia left it back home though because it was too hard to wrap.”

Lucy’s jaw dropped on its hinges. An electric guitar? That blew the cost of the designer dress she bought Erza out of the water! How Juvia could afford to even buy it, she didn’t know. 

She watched as Gajeel- the boy who was usually a snarky hardass- turned into a weeping mess as he thanked Juvia and showed Levy the receipt. 

Lucy was surprised that Juvia would spend so much money for someone that wasn’t Gray, but after hearing from Natsu that the two were best friends since before even joining Fairy Tail, she couldn’t say she was too surprised. They must’ve known each other for decades- hell, depending on how old they were, maybe even centuries. He always stood up for her when people made fun of her for speaking in third person, and she was the one that dragged him from heading down a dark path and into Fairy Tail. Their friendship was strong, and Lucy admired that.

Lucy was brought from her thoughts when she heard Gajeel and Natsu arguing. Apparently Natsu was teasing Gajeel for crying. Before a fight could break out, Lucy and Levy forced their boyfriends to sit down by pulling on their ears.

Gajeel grumbled to himself before handing Jellal his present. 

Jellal’s brows rose. “You didn’t have to buy me a Christmas present. You just bought me a birthday present a few weeks ago.”

“Yeah, yeah. You say that every year. You should know by now that people are still gonna get you a Christmas present,” Gajeel replied, rolling his eyes.

Jellal smiled before ripping away the wrapping paper. Inside was a leatherback journal along with a calligraphy set. 

“I know Erza retrieved your old research journal from a museum or whatever, but I figured you could use a new one. And Shrimp here told me that you like to do calligraphy too.”

“I do. Thank you, Gajeel. It’s very thoughtful.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Lucy chuckled. “What a tsundere.”

Gajeel turned red in the face. “Shut up!”

Jellal grabbed a perfectly wrapped gift- much different than the gift his wife had wrapped- and handed it to Natsu. The pink-haired boy lit up like the Christmas tree, snatching it with a quick word of thanks before ripping into it like his life had depended on it. He uncovered a box full of different snacks, hot sauces from all over the world, and gift cards to fast food chains. 

“I truly did not know what else to get you besides food,” Jellal admitted. “After you caught the basement on fire with the pyrotechnics kit I bought you, I was prohibited from making that mistake again.”

Natsu grinned, grabbing a bag of chips and tearing into it. “Hey, this works for me!” Grabbing the wrapped gift at his ankle, he tossed it to Levy. “Oi, catch!”

Levy squealed, fumbling as she just barely caught the present. “I’m assuming this isn’t fragile.”

“Nope. But it did cost an arm and a leg to get it, so you better be glad!”

Levy perked a brow before opening the present. Inside the box was a stack of papers, stapled at the top. Her eyes scanned the words, confused as to what it could’ve been. 

“What is it?” she asked. It appeared to be a story, though there was no covering to it. 

“It’s a Heartfilia original!”

Levy’s eyes nearly burst out of their sockets. She whipped her head between Natsu and Lucy, the latter blushing. 

“Lu-chan wrote this?”

The blonde nodded. “It’s the very first story I’ve written. I started that way back during my first lifetime and I recently finished it. When I told Natsu about it, he said that he wanted to give it to you for Christmas. You’ll officially be my first reader, just like I promised!”

Levy burst into a fit of tears before tackling Natsu and Lucy to the ground. “I’ve been waiting for this day for forever! Thanks, you guys!”

Natsu laughed. “Don’t mention it!”

“And don’t show it to people either! It’s embarrassing!” Lucy added. 

Levy nodded, eager to read the story when Gajeel reminded her they were still in the process of Secret Santa. 

“Oh, right. Here you go, Gray!”

The boy thanked her as he accepted the gift. It was in a small gift bag. Reaching his hand in, he pulled out two slips of paper. 

“H-Holy shit!” he shouted. “These are concert tickets to see Lyra! They’re my favorite band!”

Natsu stood up, grabbing a ticket to see it himself. “No way! You gotta give me the extra ticket!”

“Why the hell would I wanna see a concert with you!?”

“Not like I wanna see one with you either, but I love Lyra too!”

“You can give the extra ticket to whoever you want,” Levy said with a shrug. Truthfully she wanted Secret Santa to end as quickly as possible so she could hurry up and read Lucy’s story. “Anyways, you’re next, Gray!”

   Gray handed Juvia the tickets for safekeeping- mainly to make sure Natsu didn’t steal one. He stood up and headed towards Lucy, the last person left in Secret Santa. 

“I got you, Lucy,” he said, his lips curled into a small smile.

She mirrored his expression, accepting the gift. She assumed he wasn’t good at wrapping since it was in a bag. When she reached inside the bag, she realized that he didn’t even use tissue paper to hide the present. 

Her fingers brushed against something smooth. Grabbing the object carefully, she pulled it out of the bag. It was a beautiful wooden box, its edges intricately carved. The top was painted a stunning starry landscape. She went to open the box, only to find a heart-shaped lock keeping it shut.

“The key is in the bag too,” Gray said, noticing her confusion.

She fished inside the gift bag for the key, inserting it into the lock and opening the box. The inside was lined with velvet, and the top had a small mirror glued to it. Lined pads were in the box, clueing Lucy into what the box was.

“It’s a jewelry box,” Gray said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I made it myself.” Smiling over at his girlfriend, he added, “Juvia painted the top though.”

“Thank you, Gray!” Lucy exclaimed, jumping up from the couch and hugging the boy. “It’s beautiful! I can’t believe you made it yourself!”

“Don’t mention it. I figured it’d be better than leaving your locket in a tampon box. That’s what the lock is for. Now you can keep it somewhere clean and safe.”

Tears pricked Lucy’s eyes. He made it so that she can hide her locket? Throwing her arms around the boy, she thanked him again, all the while wondering how she managed to find such great friends. She also made sure to thank Juvia for the beautiful painting she did on the box. 

         As the group split up into pairs to gush over their presents, Lucy excused herself to go to the restroom. When she was finished, she was surprised to find Natsu waiting outside the door. 

  “What are you doing?” the girl asked. She had known him long enough to recognize that mischievous glint in his eyes. 

   Instead of replying, the boy simply pointed up. Following his finger, Lucy found mistletoe taped in the doorway of the bathroom, hanging above them. Natsu’s hand slid up her thigh below her skirt. 

   “Are you crazy?” Lucy whispered, peering over his shoulder to make sure nobody was coming. “Everyone is here right now! We could get caught!”

   “Good luck being quiet then,” Natsu replied with an evil grin. He slid his hand up to her rear, giving it a squeeze. Pushing her hair out of the way, he sank his lips over her neck. 

   Lucy gnawed on her lower lip in hopes of staying quiet. “You know, a mistletoe is just for a quick kiss on the lips, not this.”

   Natsu shrugged, continuing his exploration of her neck. His hands slowly grazed her curves until brushing against the side of her breasts. Before he could grab them, Lucy reluctantly pulled away from him with a glare. 

   “Not while our friends are here!” she said, smoothing out her dress. She lightly smacked his hand away when he tried to reach out to her again. Sticking her tongue out at him playfully, she scurried off to join the rest of their friends back in the living room. Natsu chuckled before following after her. 

   Eventually, the group cleaned up the apartment as it was time to head back to Fairy Tail for the next Christmas party. 

   “Are you sure you don’t wanna join us, Lucy?” Gray asked. 

   Lucy nodded, faking a yawn. “Yeah, I’m a bit tired now. But I’ll see you guys tomorrow!” The only person she told about the real reason she didn’t want to go to Fairy Tail was Natsu. She didn’t want the others to worry and try to reassure her. She was fine with them going to celebrate with the rest of the immortals. She was happy enough with the time she got to spend with them. 

   The group nodded, saying their last goodbyes before heading out the door. Natsu stayed behind. 

   “Are you really sure about this?” he asked. He still hated the thought of leaving her by herself on Christmas.

   Lucy smiled. “Yes, Natsu. I’m fine, I promise.”

   “We can just stay in my room the whole time if you’re that worried about Mira!”

   “No. I want you to be able to celebrate with everyone. And I’m sure they’re looking forward to celebrating with you too. I’m fine, Natsu. Now shoo.”

   Natsu sighed in defeat. “Alright, but I’m coming right back here later tonight, okay? And if you change your mind, let me know and I’ll come walk you to Fairy Tail. Or if you get lonely I can come here.”

   “Yeah, yeah, I understand. Now go. You’re already late enough as it is.”

   Natsu gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll see you later.” 

   Before he could change his mind, Lucy waved and quickly shut the door, locking it so he knew she was serious about wanting him to have fun with everyone else. Staring at her empty apartment, admittedly the girl did feel a pinch of loneliness. Regardless, this was the best Christmas she’d had since her first life, she could deal with a couple of hours on her own. Grabbing a cup of hot chocolate, she curled up in a thick blanket and turned on a Christmas movie. The loneliness she felt quickly faded away. 

   Natsu cheered with the rest of the immortals, clinking his glass of spiked eggnog with everyone else. They had just finished the annual Fairy Tail Secret Santa. For this Secret Santa, he was assigned Cana, who was by far one of the easiest people to shop for. Give the girl a bottle of booze and she’s indebted to you for life. 

   He had also gotten a gift from Juvia, who was his Secret Santa. It was a hoodie from his favorite band, along with their newest CD. He still had to give Lucy her gifts later, and was eager to see what she got him as well. This year was shaping up to be the best Christmas ever. 

   When the party died down and people started heading to their rooms, Natsu decided that it was time to head back to Lucy’s. He went to his room to grab the gift he kept stashed away so that she wouldn’t find it. 

   “You heading over to Lucy’s now?” Gray asked after entering their room. 

   “Yep. Just had to get her present first.”

   “So, what’s the real reason she didn’t want to come over here? She wasn’t really tired, right? Is she still feeling nervous around everyone?” 

   “Kinda,” Natsu answered, rubbing the back of his head. “Truthfully it’s just Mira.”

   Gray winced. “Oh. Yeah, that makes sense.” 

   Mira was a nice girl, one of the nicest he had ever known. Unfortunately, her past with the mortals was the most traumatizing story he had ever heard. It was one that everyone knew not to ever bring up, for they knew the girl was haunted by it everyday. Nobody could blame her for keeping her guard up around Lucy, nor could they blame her for being the only immortal to turn down a chance at seeing the outside world. 

   “Yeah. I told Lucy that it wasn’t personal and that Mira was a bit different than the rest of us, but she still decided to stay home. She didn’t want Mira feeling uncomfortable on Christmas.”

   Gray smiled. “Lucy’s a really nice girl, huh.”

   “Yep,” Natsu replied with a grin of his own. “Anyways, I’m out of here.” 

   With hurried steps, the boy rushed up the stairs of the basement and out the door. He made sure to lock the doors to the pub behind him since the immortals were free to roam the top floor on Christmas. 

   Excited to see Lucy and still feeling guilty for leaving her, Natsu wasted no time in unlocking the door and closing it behind him. What he saw when he turned around made his jaw drop to the floor. 

There in the living room stood Lucy, practically naked. She still adorned the Santa hat she wore earlier, but she had discarded the dress. Instead, she had a Christmas bow taped to the middle of her collarbone, the ends flowing and covering her nipples. She also wore red underwear with white trimming on the edges. 

   “Welcome back,” Lucy said, her hands behind her back. 

   “How long were you waiting there like that?” Natsu asked, nearly choking on his tongue while he ogled her. 

   “Not too long.” Lucy lifted her arm above her head, revealing a mistletoe in her hand. “Well? Are you going to join me?”

   Natsu nodded his head so fast it felt like it was going to fall off. He ripped off his pants and rushed towards her, nearly tripping in his haste. Grabbing her by the hips, he crashed his lips upon hers. 

   “I take it this is my Christmas present?” he asked with a grin, lightly tugging the end of the bow that was taped to her. 

   “Yep. Wanna unwrap me?” 

   Natsu’s hands eagerly ripped the bow off of her before carrying her to the bed. Dropping her on the bed, he quickly tore off his shirt. Lucy squirmed below him, anticipation filling her fingertips as she tugged on his boxers. Without wasting another second, he took them off along with hers. 

   “You are so hot, Lucy,” Natsu said as he pressed his face between her breasts. He always enjoyed the feeling of being between them. 

   “Oh yeah?” Lucy replied with a smile. His praise always managed to turn her on. 

   “Mhmm. I mean, you were practically naked when I got here.”

   “Because I’ve been looking forward to this all day. Now, are you going to get me off or am I going to have to do it myself?”

   Natsu grinned before grabbing her breast in one hand while nuzzling the other. He could feel Lucy moving below him, trying to guide his cock to her folds. In his haze, he remembered the last time they had sex. 

   “That’s right, I have to repay you for last time,” Natsu said.

   “Hmm?” Lucy absentmindedly hummed out, too focused on the work he was doing on her breasts. 

   Instead of using his words to explain, Natsu trailed kisses from her breasts down to her navel, then to her thighs. He left feather-light kisses over right thigh, hovering over her folds before moving to her left. He stifled a laugh as he could feel Lucy getting impatient every time he neared her folds. Unable to hold himself back for too long, he pressed his lips against her flesh, slowly sucking on her skin. 

   Lucy nearly screamed at the sudden pleasure that raked her body the moment Natsu’s lips touched her sensitive skin. Her breaths grew louder as his lips worked over her. When his tongue suddenly grazed her clitoris, she let out a harsh breath. 

   “Fuck,” she said, covering her mouth with one hand while the other gripped the sheets. 

   Natsu glanced up at her with a proud grin. Grabbing her wrist, he pinned it to her side. 

   “I wanna hear you,” he said before returning his lips to her flesh. His tongue circled around her entrance before delving into her. Since he stopped her from covering her mouth, she opted for grabbing his hair instead, finding that she had to do something with her hands. His mouth was driving her crazy. 

   “N-Natsu,” she breathed out. “I’m not going to last long at this rate.”

   “That’s fine,” he replied, his breath warm against her flesh. It sent a shiver down her spine. “I want to make you cum like this anyways.”

   Not bothering to wait for her reply, he dragged his tongue over her clitoris before giving it a hard kiss. Lucy screamed out in pleasure, thrusting her hips and grinding his face. Switching from kissing and licking, he knew that Lucy was about to break, judging from her quick breaths and the way her legs shook around his neck. In seconds, she shuddered against him, her grip tightening on his hair as she moaned out his name. 

   When it was clear she was done, Natsu laid beside her with a grin. 

   “Well? How was it?” he asked. Though, he could tell from her flushed cheeks that it was more than good.

   Lucy tried to regain her breath as she replied, “We’re definitely doing that again sometime.”

   “Sounds good to me.”

   “Well, it’s your turn now!” Lucy exclaimed, sitting up. She positioned herself between his legs, stroking his hot shaft. 

   Taking a quick peek at him, she found his eyes squeezed shut as he enjoyed himself. Not wanting to keep him waiting, Lucy dragged her tongue against his cock before shoving it in her mouth. She started slow, still not used to this yet. When she started to feel more comfortable, she pushed herself further, allowing his whole shaft into her mouth. 

   “Fuck, Lucy,” Natsu ground out. 

   Knowing that he enjoyed it, Lucy picked up the pace while still going as far as she could. Tears pricked her eyes, but she ignored it in favor of pleasuring him the way he did for her.  

   Natsu tried to control his breathing, but the way Lucy’s hot mouth tugged on his cock had him nearing sweet release. 

   “L-Lucy, I’m about to cum,” he warned. 

   The blonde only nodded. That only made the fire in Natsu burn hotter. 

   Lucy, feeling adventurous, decided she wanted to try something new. Something that she had read about in a mature book once. 

   Instead of shoving his cock as far as she could in her mouth, she went halfway down his shaft. Using her hand, she pumped the lower half while sucking the top. 

   In seconds, Lucy felt something hot shoot into her mouth as Natsu shook beneath her with a groan. She allowed him to ride out his orgasm before eventually withdrawing. Not knowing what to do with the liquid in her mouth, she quickly gulped it down. 

   Natsu winced. “Sorry, was it gross?”

   Lucy shook her head. “Not at all, no need to apologize. I wanted to do it.” 

   Natsu smiled. The two laid there in a content silence, their bodies tired. When they finally regained their energy, Lucy stood up from the bed and grabbed something from the closet. Turning around, she smiled while holding a neatly wrapped gift. 

   “You got me a gift?” Natsu asked, his voice laced with childlike excitement. 

   “Duh! You didn’t really think sex was your only gift, right?” Handing him the gift, she watched as he tore off the wrapping paper and quickly opened the box to reveal a painting of him and Igneel. 

   Natsu looked up at Lucy with watery eyes. “W-What… How did you do this?”

   “I commissioned an artist to paint it for me,” she answered. “I noticed that the picture you have of you and Igneel was old and a little torn, probably because of how much time had passed since it was printed. I didn’t want it to get ruined since it’s your only picture with Igneel, so I had someone recreate it. A canvas is more durable than a picture, so hopefully it’ll-!”

   Lucy’s words were cut short as Natsu pulled her in for a tight hug. She could feel the light tremors of his body. Smiling, she wrapped her arms around him and allowed him to cry onto her shoulder. 

   “Do you like it?” she asked. 

   Natsu pulled away, wiping his eyes before smiling at her. “I love it. Thanks, Lucy. Oh, I got you a gift too.” Grabbing his previously discarded sweater, he pulled out a long, velvet box from the pocket. “Sorry, I didn’t have time to wrap it. And it’s not as good as the gift you gave me…”

   Lucy lifted his chin to meet his gaze. “I’ll love it. Don’t worry. Can I see what it is?”

   Natsu nodded, handing her the box and watching as she opened it. Upon doing so, Lucy gasped, one of her hands flying up to her mouth. Inside the box was a beautiful necklace with dangling diamond charms of constellations. 

   “Natsu, it’s beautiful!” she exclaimed. She gave him a worried look. “This must have cost a fortune!”

   The boy shrugged with a laugh. “Don’t worry about that. My housing and tuition is free, so I have a good amount of money saved up. You like it?”

   Lucy nodded, wiping a tear from her eye. She had never received a Christmas gift from a boyfriend before, and his knocked it out of the park. 

   “Of course I do! It’s beautiful! Thank you so much, Natsu!” 

   “I’m sorry mine isn’t as sentimental as yours. I probably should’ve put more thought into it. I just know you really like stars, so I wanted to get you something related to that.”

   Lucy grabbed his hand with a smile. “Do you know why I love the stars?” After he shook his head, she continued, “It’s because of my first mother. We used to stargaze every night, and she taught me about a bunch of constellations, all of them being on this necklace. This necklace is plenty sentimental. Thank you, Natsu. I love it so much.”

   They hugged again. 

   “Merry Christmas, Lucy.”

   “Merry Christmas, Natsu.”

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

His Dark Materials - Season 2 Episode 7 *FINALE* (Thoughts and Rambles)

We have a LOT to unpack here oh my god oh my god

When I say I was screaming and yelling during the episode, I mean I was LITERALLY screaming and yelling

This post is mostly screeching and capital letters, you’ve been warned

“So cold” “life or death meant nothing” - well shit. Accurate description of a Spectre attack damn

I didn’t know what those creepy noises were at first and I was sat here absolutely TERRIFIED because it was creepy as fuck. Then I realized it was cliff ghasts because they said something that I recognized from the book and I was like “oh shit”

Pan and Will talking is the sweetest omg

The fact that Pan told him that Lyra thinks he’s as brave as King Iorek Byrnison :’)

“She’s the best friend I’ve ever had” “You’re her best friend too” - STOP, MY HEART

Lyra was awake and heard the whole conversation :3

“I’m no longer an aeronaut” :( “I’m an insect” - LMAO

Hester and Lee’s banter remains my favourite thing and now it’s bittersweet tbh...

“You could never be an insect, Lee” “Okay, hare” - bless them

Marisa finding where Lyra was staying and then finding Lyra’s coat?? And crying with it pressed to her face?? :’(

In case I haven’t mentioned it already, I am incredibly gay for the witches/their aesthetic/costume. Absolutely beautiful queens, all of them

Oh hi, it’s Mary and the two kids!

The fact that Mary helped them find their adults :’)

Also, “We like you miss” - BLESS

I’m kind of confused as to whether the blue flower petals are important or if it’s just her smelling them? IDK

“I’m close to my father, it’s time I found him” - OOF OKAY UMM ARE YOU SURE

“I let my best friend down” - Noooo Lyra, no you didn’t! :( Your dad is a terrible parent and killed him, that’s not your fault!

“Maybe this is how I let you down” - Well done, Asriel and Marisa, you’ve fucked up a perfectly fine child is what you’ve done

Will telling Lyra that she hasn’t let him down :3

That witch turning up because she was trying to warn Marisa about the spectres, only for Marisa to torture and kill her... oof

FUCKING MONKEY I CAN’T DECIDE HOW I FEEL ABOUT HIM

“She’s MY daughter” - Okay, damn, lady...

“EVE. She’s the mother of all” - OH FUCK YOU TOLD HER. OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK

THE SPECTRE ATE HER DÆMON OMG NO THIS IS HORRIFYING WTAF

Seriously, the way the witch went so grey and lifeless and just fell to her knees and down... Urgh, my stomach is turning

Just when I thought I hated the monkey again, he starts whimpering because he’s afraid of the Spectres :(

“Stop whimpering” - DAMN MARISA YOU ARE A STONE COLD BITCH HUH

Pan being the damn voice of reason and telling Lyra they should stay with the witches like yes, Lyra, listen to him for once!!!

Okay but why are the Magisterium soldiers lowkey dressed like German soldiers from one of the World Wars???

I’m not really surprised that BBC left out the detail of Ruta and Asriel fucking when she found him to be honest XD

So the witches think that the Æsahættr is a person but it’s actually the KNIFE. AND THEY DON’T REALIZE. RUTA YOU DON’T NEED TO GO ANYWHERE, IT’S LITERALLY RIGHT THERE

“...That’s not my dæmon.” “Run.” - OH SHIT OKAY MY WHOLE BODY JUST TENSED UP

So umm Lee got shot and FUCK NO FUCK NO I’M NOT READY FOR THIS EMOTIONALLY THANKS

I LITERALLY DO NOT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN OKAY

“You’re either with me or against me” Umm he’s your dæmon?!?!

THE WAY SHE SCREAMED AT HIM OH MY GOD SHE’S FUCKING TERRIFYING HOLY CRAP

“What are you frightened of?” - oh, I don’t know, Marisa, maybe because YOU FUCKING SCREECHED AT HIM. MAYBE HE’S FRIGHTENED OF YOU

Also I love the detail of Marisa getting onto her hands and knees, sort of crouching and mirroring the monkey’s body language. I just love the parallel

The way the monkey flinched from her when she went to touch him omg :( No dæmon should be THIS afraid of their person (or at all?!?!)

Honestly, I find this series’ portrayal of Marisa fascinating tbh

“We have to do whatever it takes to keep her safe” - Umm, like maybe drugging her and hiding her in a cave for months? 🤔

Also in case I didn’t say this before, the fact she has complete control of the Spectres is fucking scary and always has been from the very first time I read the books

Okay so Lee is fully aware that he’s going to die if he stays behind but he does it because he knows that it’s the best chance of making sure that Lyra ends up under the knife’s protection (because Jopari will find her). All Lee wants is for Lyra to be safe and that hurts my heart so much, he loves this child so much :’(

“I love that little girl like a daughter” - LEE STOP MY HEART IS ALREADY BREAKING AS IT IS

NO NO NO NO I AM NOT AND NEVER WILL BE READY

Oh hey Red PAN-da (sorry I know I keep repeating that joke but honestly LOOK AT HIM)

“Once I change, you’ll stop changing” - OH SHIT. So we’re having THAT conversation then

“What do you think you’ll be?” “A flea I hope” - LMFAO I LOVE IT

“Is it Will that’s changing you?” “I think” - FORESHADOWING FOR AMBER SPYGLASS ANYONE?!

All the meanwhile, while Lee is dying and shit is going down, Ms Mary Malone is just chilling in a cave on a mountain by a waterfall, just reading

I literally struggled to watch Lee’s final scenes. I literally didn’t want to watch it because I cried reading it in the book, and I knew I’d be the same here

The fact that Lee HATES taking away people’s lives but he says “it’s theirs or Lyra’s”... I love him. He loves her so much.

“Think about anything, think about bacon!” - LMFAO I LOVE YOU HESTER YOU ABSOLUTE GEM

THE BULLET CLIPPED HIS SCALP AND I HAD A HEART ATTACK 

“This is my fault, isn’t it?” - NO HESTER NO DON’T YOU DARE BLAME YOURSELF DARLIN’, YOU ARE THE BEST AND WE LOVE YOU AND LEE LOVES YOU

I do this everytime I read the book and I did here even though I know what happens, but I was praying mentally that maybe Serafina would reach Lee in time... just maybe...

I’m really sitting here crying over Hester and Lee on a Sunday night, love that for me

Hester limping :(

“Don’t you go before I do” - FUCK YOU BBC AND PHILIP I’M SOBBING MY EYES OUT

“Oh how far we flew” - STOP IT. STOP IT RIGHT FUCKING NOW I SWEAR-

I literally yelled and cried out “NOOO” when Hester faded away and Lee died. I am so upset even though I KNEW it was coming. I am literally not okay.

Oh god no Will, now is not the time to be walking away from Lyra and that witch 

Also why is that witch asleep on guard?? Come on, love, do better, it’s not like these are the two most important children in all the universes.... 

To be fair to Marisa, I’d feel pretty invincible if I were climbing up a mountain while the Spectres were guarding me/on my side

WILL AND JOHN FINALLY MET AHHHH

“I was told I’d find my father here”  - YEAH AND THAT’S HIM WILL ASDFGHJKL;

I’m low-key disappointed that there’s no brawl between Will and Jopari here. Like they instantly recognize each other and... hmm. I know there has to be changes but still.

“Your mother, Will, where is she?” - Awww. John really didn’t stop loving her :’)

“My son... is the Knife Bearer” - oooooohhhhhhh

“You have a dæmon” - that’s right, Will. Don’t worry, you’ll get one next season

The way I audible went “oh shIT” when Mrs Coulter found Lyra fast asleep. Like I said, I knew what was going to happen but STILL

I’m not really surprised that those Spectres killed the witch who was supposed to be guarding Lyra and Will tbh like that’s what happens when only ONE witch guards two teenagers and that witch falls asleep

The way that Lyra panicked when she woke up and saw her mother stroking her cheek omg 

Off topic but I’ve only just realized that Jopari has a fucking man-bun LMFAO OKAY

The fact that Jopari tried to get back to Will and Elaine but couldn’t will always hurt me

“And you chose these people over your family?” - I MEAN-

“I’ve thought about you every day.” - Awww

So John tells Will that he has to go to Asriel and bring him the knife, and he tells him all about the war that’s coming and I have LITERAL chills because I’m so ready

“And then we go home?” “... And then we go home.” - RIP MY HEART OUT, IT WOULD HURT LESS

“I’m not strong enough” - yes you are, Will! I promise you, you are! And Jopari says, “Both of us were brought here” - exactly! You were brought there for a reason by fate or whatever you want to call it!

“Your duty was to be my father” - WILL REALLY CAME FOR HIS DAD LIKE THAT I GUESS

“Look what you’ve become without me” - Oh my god, just when I thought I wasn’t going to cry again

JOPARI HUGGING WILL, SEEING THE SOLDIER AIMING, AND THEN PUTTING HIMSELF BETWEEN THEM SO HE TOOK THE BULLET INSTEAD OF WILL ASDFGHJKL;

So in the book, Jopari is killed by a scorned witch who had once asked him to be her lover, but he had turned her down (because of Elaine and Will obviously), and she kills Jopari in front of Will and then he kills her (I think?). But here it’s just a soldier leftover from the Lee vs Magisterium fight, so... yeah. Kind of a little peeved about the change personally but whatever I guess.

“The night is full of angels, they will guide you now” - AHHHHH

Also, might just be me, but maybe that line would have been slightly more impactful if the scene had taken place at night

This show really said “fuck healthy parental figures” I guess

Except Will’s mum, she’s the best and if anything were to happen to her we’d all riot

SAYAN KÖTÖR FADING AWAY NOOOO I HATE SEEING DÆMONS DIE

Okay, last little gripe, but I just wanted to say that in the book, Will doesn’t realize it’s his dad until literally the last second before his dad dies - like they both realize and then BAM, Jopari is killed. And while I do love the father-son reunion, I am kind of annoyed by the change because it was such a huge punch in the gut in the book that Will searches for so long for his dad, only to lose him the second he finds him.

Serafina finding Lee’s body and kissing his forehead was yet another punch in the gut, thanks Pullman/BBC/BadWolf

The fact that Will had to bury his dad :(

Also, WILL WEARING JOPARI’S JACKET OH MY GOD MY HEART

Oof that shot of his amputated fingers...

So the narration, when it started I thought it was Jopari at first, like from one of his letters... but then as it continued, I went “hang on”, and then I said outloud “wait, is that ASRIEL?!”

DID MARISA REALLY PUT LYRA IN A FUCKING TRUNK?!? BITCH ARE YOU OKAY?!?

Will putting his hood up like his dad did just hits differently

Okay so um ASRIEL HI I WASN’T EXPECTING TO SEE YOU THIS SEASON OH MY GOD THE SCREAM I LET OUT

HIS MONOLOGUE BY THE WAY IS FUCKING ART AND A MASTERPIECE BUT I WAS TOO BUSY CRYING OVER JAMES MCAVOY TO WRITE THE WHOLE MONOLOGUE DOWN

Oh, hi Stelmaria!

It always makes me scream that this man is not only Lord Asriel now but he’s also fucking Mr Tumnus and MOTHERFUCKING BILL DENBROUGH LIKE HOW IS THIS MAN INVOLVED IN SO MANY OF MY FANDOMS?!?

ANGELS ANGELS OH MY FUCKING GOD-

“We stand with you, Asriel Belacqua” - AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

“Let us prepare for war” - FUUUUUUUUCK

(I was deadly serious when I said this was just me screaming and crying by the way)

I’m still reeling over the fact that Marisa put her daughter in a fucking trunk. Like I get you can’t exactly carry a drugged child about in the open but Jesus Christ, love, really?!?

Also Ruth Wilson / Marisa Coulter in a headscarf? *chef kiss*

The way that the screen went to black as she put the lid on the trunk down - SHIT OH SHIT GOOSEBUMPS

THE CREDIT SONG IS SO BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE IT HAS FUCKING ANGELS NOW I’M-

I WASN’T EXPECTING THE POST CREDITS SCENE OH MY GOD

ROGER?! ROGER! IT’S ROGER I’M NOT OKAY-

BBC YOU CANNOT JUST DROP THAT ON US LIKE THAT FUCK-

“What is this place?” - I’M SCREAMING SO LOUD I CAN’T HOLD IT IN

For anyone unaware, the reason I’m screaming so loud over the post-credits scene is because in TAS, while Lyra is drugged and in a groggy sleep, she has these visions of Roger talking to her from the Land of the Dead, which then later leads to her and Will actually GOING to the Land of the Dead and... well, the rest is even HUGER spoilers but YEAH I’M NOT OKAY.

Honestly, I’m just so happy and emotional because I’ve been waiting over a decade for a decent adaptation of not only NL but for TSK and TAS too, and we’re 2/3 there now. Just one more book/series to go... I wish we could have it now. I really hope that filming for the final one starts ASAP because if we have to wait two years just to see the conclusion to this series, I might cry.

This series is so amazing, and this season especially has been so incredible to watch. It’s been the highlight of my week for seven weeks, and I have no idea what I’ll do with my Sundays now that it’s over. I’ve asked for the DVD for S2 for my birthday already (since it comes out 29th December and my birthday is 13th January... just saying), and words can’t describe how much I do love this series. I know it sounds hollow since I say it about so many things I’m into, but this was such a huge part of my childhood and it’s one of my favourite fantasy series of all time. It’s truly one of the most incredible pieces of literature and now it’s making for incredible television... I love it so much.

[justthehiddleswrites]

Make Me | Tom Hiddleston x Reader

Pairing: Tom Hiddleston x Reader

Summary:  Tom takes off for a month of filming and can't find his favorite blue sweater. Reader finds it at home but instead of sending it along, she decides to have a little fun. What will Tom do when he comes home?

Warnings: Smut, FluffF, Long-Distance Relationship, Vaginal Fingering, Oral Sex, Sex,Vaginal Sex, Sexting, Teasing

-

“Damn it!” Tom cursed as he threw clothes around the room. He cursed again when he reached the bottom of the suitcase. “I swore I packed it!”

He grabbed his phone and punched in the number.  You stepped out of the shower to hear your phone ring. You smiled at the name on the screen.

“Hi, honey. I thought you weren’t calling me until tomorrow.” you cooed into the phone as you wrapped a towel around you.

“That was the plan. Have you seen my blue sweater lying around?” Tom snipped into the phone.

“Which blue sweater?”

“Ha, ha. Very funny. You know which blue sweater, darling. The Smeadley one.”

You furrowed your brows at his tone. You know Tom is particular about his clothes, but you didn’t appreciate him snapping at you. “No, I haven’t.”

“Well, will you keep an eye out for it, darling, and send it my way. I would appreciate it.”

His pleading tone softened your poor mood a bit.

“Sure, honey—” “Fantastic, love. I will call you tomorrow. This place is a mess.” Tom interrupted.

“Okay.” you said back, your mood returning at Tom’s interruption.

“Love you.”

“You too.”

Tom hung up the phone, and you tossed the phone onto the bed. You moved to the closet to get dressed for the day. As you pulled a dress off a hanger, you glanced at the floor of Tom’s side. A tangle of shirts and pants covered the closet floor. You scoffed.

“Just once you could pick up after you pack?” you groused to no one in particular. As you pick up the discarded articles of clothing. At the bottom of the pile, you found a navy blue sweater. Tom’s sweater.

“Well, look what we have here.” you smirked as you picked the sweater up. You held the blue knit up to your face and inhaled the scent of Tom. The sweater smelled soft and masculine, citrus and woods. You placed the dress in your hand back on the hanger. You pulled Tom’s sweater on and looked in the mirror. The sweater was a bit oversized on you but it looked good. You pulled on a pair of jeans and some boots. You grabbed your keys and headed out the door for a day of errands.

-

As Tom sat on the set, he flicked through photos on his phone. He avoided social media as a general rule, but when he was away on set, he always peeked at your social media. He smiled as he watched you laughing and smiling back in London. His smile faded as his eyes scanned the photos.

“That little minx!” he muttered under his breath as he closed out Instagram and pulled up his messaging app up.

Anything you would like to tell me, darling?

Tom stared down at his phone waiting and willing your response and expected apology.

I don’t know what you are talking about? I love you. Miss you. Can’t wait to see you in three weeks. :heart emoji:

Tom frowned at the screen.

That is not what I meant. Are you wearing my sweater? My favorite sweater? The sweater you swore you couldn’t find?!

Tom’s eyes bored holes through the phone as he studied the three dots moving off to the side. Someone repeating his name interrupted his stare down. He looked up to discover a production assistant looking at him.

“They are ready for you, Mr. Hiddleston.” her meek voice asked and her eyes pleading.

Tom snapped the phone off without seeing your response and stood, straightening his costume.

“Of course.” he gestured behind her. “Lead the way.”

She smiled and hopped around to take Tom to set.

-

As you settled down to eat lunch, your phone vibrated in your pocket. You pulled it out as you shoveled a big bite of chicken into your mouth. You smiled to see Tom texted you.

Anything you would like to tell me, darling?

Your brows furrowed at the loaded question looming on the screen. What did he mean? You typed your response, hopeful Tom would provide more information.

I don’t know what you are talking about? I love you. Miss you. Can’t wait to see you in three weeks. :heart emoji:

You continued to eat chicken and veggies as you saw the dots moving on your screen, waiting for Tom’s response. Your lips curled into a devious smirk when his text came through.

That is not what I meant. Are you wearing my sweater? My favorite sweater? The sweater you swore you couldn’t find?!

Ah, he has been trolling your Instagram account. You intended on wearing his sweater just the one day and then sending it along. But the sweater was so damn comfortable. So you kept it, wearing it more and more. You didn’t even consider Tom spying it on social media. But now you couldn’t resist taunting him.

You ran upstairs and threw the sweater on before taking a selfie.

You mean my sweater? :winking emoji: I found this discarded on the floor of our closet. Abandoned by its previous owner. :crying emoji: But not to worry I gave it a good home.

You giggled as you pushed the send button, tossing the phone to the side. You half expected Tom to call you but the phone set in silence. You snatched it back up and headed back downstairs to finish your lunch.

-

Several hours passed before Tom got back to his trailer and read his notifications. He saw you responded not long after he went to shoot his scenes. His smile dropped from his face at your message.

You mean my sweater? :winking emoji: I found this discarded on the floor of our closet. Abandoned by its previous owner. :crying emoji: But not to worry I gave it a good home.

Tom hated to admit the sweater accentuated your curves in a way that made his trousers tighter than usual. He pulled at them as he typed with one handed.

Not fair play, darling. Lying to me. You’ll pay for that when I get back.

Within minutes, Tom received another notification. His eyes bugged out at the latest photo. You stood there, still wearing his sweater, but you had pulled it down and angled the camera.   Your text caused the corners of Tom’s mouth to curl into a smile.

Make me.

-

Tom responded to your photo about when you sat down for dinner.

“Since when do we ever play fair?!” you exclaimed as you read Tom’s message. Your hands disappeared underneath the blue sweater and within moments you pulled out a nude lace bra, plopping it on the counter. You pulled on the hem, the neckline teasing at your collarbones. You took a couple of shots before taking a peek.

“We can do better,” you tsked as you flicked through the shots. You took a different angle, leaning over a bit. “Much better.” you noted as you selected one to send to Tom.

Make me.

You smirked as you put the phone down on the table and started preparing dinner for yourself.

-

The next three weeks was a texting tennis match between you and Tom. He would send photos of pretending to cry over his purloined sweater. While you countered with more and more lurid poses of you in various states of undress, save for your newly acquired sweater. Tom found nights in his hotel room growing more weary as his hand a poor excuse for what he needed, nay wanted, after seeing your pictures all day, every day.

The last day of shooting arrived and Tom couldn’t wait to get home, even going as far as asking Luke to book him on an earlier flight back to Heathrow. For once, his flight landed on time and traffic cooperated. He arrived at your shared home just in time to intercept the food delivery guy.

“May I take that please?” Tom inquired as he tapped the young man on the shoulder. The poor man jumped about two feet, bobbling the food containers.

“AH!”

“I am so sorry. I live here and would like to take the food inside. What do I owe you?”

The delivery man muttered out a number. Tom paid him, giving him a generous tip. The man handed the bags over and scooted down the stairs and back to his bike. Tom adjusted his jacket before hopping up the last few stairs and knocking on the door.

“How much do I… Tom!” you screamed as you opened the door. You lept into his arms, planting kisses on his face before kiss him on his lips. You pulled Tom into the house while he shut the door behind you.

Tom spun you around and pushed you against the door, his tongue insistent and his hands pulling you closer. As his hands traveled down from your neck to your shoulders, he pulled away as his hands settled on your hips.

“Is that my sweater?” he asked turned his face as you tried to kiss him again.

“I presume you abandoned this sweater. It’s my sweater now.” You pulled the hem out lifting it to show off your lacy cheeky panties.

“Stop trying to distract me, Y/N. I am back here to claim what is mine.” He tugged at the neck, pulling the top away from your body.

You twirled out of Tom’s grasp and headed for the stairs. “You and what army?” You snipped over your shoulder before sauntering up the stairs, hips swaying.

Tom lunged at you, grabbing you tight around the waist. He lifted you up off your feet onto his shoulders, carrying you to the bedroom.

“Oh I have an army, darling.” Tom growled in Loki voice, sending shivers through your body.

Tom pushed the bedroom door open with his foot and dropped you onto the bed.

“Now what you were you saying?” Tom whispered as he crawled up your body to suck on your pulse point.

You stifled a moan before quipping back “You will have to pry this sweater off my body.” “That can be arranged.”

Tom pulled the hem of the sweater up, revealing her underwear. You tugged the sweater down, but he grabbed your wrists and pulled your arms away.

“Oh darling, you know better.” he growled into your ear as he kissed down your neck. This time you let loose a small moan. “I missed hearing those noises over these past weeks.”

“I’ve missed you too.” you breathed as Tom shifted his grip to free one hand. His other hand continue to snake underneath the sweater.

“I missed your kiss,” Tom recited as the sweater lifted to reveal your heaving chest. “your breasts, your lips…” he leaned down and sucked your nipple, turning it into a hard pebble. You arched your back to meet his lips. “… but most of all I missed…” you held your breath “… my sweater!” he finished as he whipped the sweater off your body and threw it over to his side of the bed.

“Not fair!” you yelled as you attempted to pull away but his grip too strong.

Tom returned his attention to your other breast. “Since when have we ever played fair, love.”

You whined as Tom’s lips left and he stood up. He pulled off his own shirt and unzipped his jeans pushing them and his boxers to the ground. He climbed back on top of you.

“You’re overdressed.” he tugged at the waist of your panties and you lifted your hips as Tom hooked his thumbs and pulled them down and off.

You gasped as the cool air hit your skin and Tom placed himself between your legs; he glanced down to your core. “So wet for me.” he purred as he lowered his head. “So ready.”

You felt his breath on your inner thigh and you bit your lower lip. “Fuck, Tom.”

Tom lifted his head and smirked at you. “In due time, darling. In due time.”

You expected Tom to go straight to the main event, but he nipped up your inner thigh, stopping just before your core, letting his breath send shocks through your body. You bucked your hips, desperate for friction but Tom held your hips tight against the mattress.

“Patience, love.”

“Fuck patience, Tom, It’s been a month.”

Tom chuckled as he lowered his head and licked a long stripe across your slit.

“Yes!” you moaned as Tom worked up to your clit and alternated between sucking and flicking the bundle of nerves with his tongue.

“You enjoy that?” Tom muttered.

“God, yes!”

You gasped as Tom slipped one long digit into your pussy and began to pump in and out and slow pace. As his finger curled inside with each thrust, you felt your release inching closer.

“Shit, Tom. Yes!” you gasped, reduced to single syllable words.

“Come for me, darling.” Tom urged as he slid in a second finger. Within seconds, you pushed over the edge, clenching around Tom’s fingers, juices gushing.

Tom pulled his fingers out, dripping.

“Care to clean up?” Tom held his fingers in front of your face.

You smiled before taking them into your mouth. Your tongue ran over Tom’s knuckles and you licked up very last drop before he popped his fingers out.

“Obscene, darling.” Tom commented. “I loved it.”

You pulled him down into a deep kiss, Tom tasting you on your lips and you tasting yourself on his.

“I am not going to last long with your mouth like that.”

“Fortunately, we have all night.”

Tom smiled and without further warning plunging his cock inside you. You moaned from the fullness and gripped Tom’s hips to pull him deeper.

“God, I have missed you.” Tom grunted as he began to rut into you.

“I missed you too.” you panted in between thrusts.

Tom continued to thrust, chasing his own release. You snaked your hand between the two of us. You rubbed your clit in tight circles.

“Come on…” Tom pleaded, “Come with me.”

Tom’s thrusts became more and more urgent, his hips snapping each time. You pressed a little harder, seeking your own orgasm.

“Fuck!” Tom yelled as he came, spilling inside you.

“Yes!” you followed just moments later.

Tom collapsed onto of you for a few minutes, chest heaving and breath laboring. He rolled over to lie down beside you. He pushed the hair off your forehead and placed a soft kiss on your temple.

“I think I am going to need a bit of rest before Round 2, love.”

“Well, we left food downstairs…”

“Perfection.”

“I’ll go get it.”

You sat up and walked over to his side of the bed to pick up your underwear. You pulled them on.

“Do you want chicken or beef?” you asked as you slipped a top on.

“Either is…” Tom answered as he opened his eyes to look at you. “Isn’t that my sweater?”

“I told you…” you said as you spun in the doorway. “This is my sweater and you will pry this sweater from my cold dead body. Buy a new one.”

You stared Tom down for a moment before he lept from the bed. You ran from the room as Tom tugged on his boxers, intent on taking back what was rightful his.

[delaber]

Could you do like a short piece where Daveed and reader are a thing but not really a couple. And he ruins it by not wanting more but comes back and apologises. Thanks!

Title: Stepping Up

Pairing: Daveed Diggs x Reader

Note: Thanks anon! First time I’m writing Daveed. This was fun and challenging.

Word Count: 1.7K

Warnings: mentions of sex. Slight angst. I think that’s it but let me know

"U up?"

Two words and a question mark. That was all it took and you felt your heart start pounding in your chest. Your feet started moving around, unable to stay in one place. You had to shred the duvet, you had started sweating. Two words and a fucking question mark and he could make your body betray you. Two words and you were ready for him.

You had to actively remind yourself that you were in withdrawal. That you couldn't hit him back no matter what. That he hadn't treated you the way you deserved. That he was fine and sweet and wonderful - but a dick nonetheless.

Still, it was hard to resist temptation. If you finally allowed yourself to text him back he would be here in a jiffy. You needed it. You missed him. And suddenly everything came rushing back: Daveed's athletic body the first time you'd seen him jump around on stage, his smile as he had introduced himself to you, his teasing manner as he had thrown around millions of jokes to you and the rest of your cast-mates. How you had already fallen for his wicked charms by the end of the first rehearsal. How you had flirted desperately to get him to notice you, and how he had finally pulled you backstage and kissed you in secret. It had all lead to a daring affair between the two of you, Daveed fucking you roughly every day in between rehearsals and later in between shows. His long fingers curling inside you while you moaned his name, the taste of him on your lips, his demanding movements as he took you in various positions all over your dressing room.

And no one could know. Not even Jas or Leslie or Oak. Daveed had made you promise not to tell - that this was your personal thing. You had agreed and said 'of course' right before he had hoisted you up beside the powder room mirror and slid into you. At first, the sneaking around had been nothing but arousing - you one hundred percent condoned it; your only goal back then had been to keep fucking Daveed in your costumes, the blue revolutionary jacket always open against his toned chest, but as the weeks proceeded, you felt yourself wanting more from him.

You wanted to be able to snog him senseless every time you saw him. You wanted to intertwine your fingers with his in public. Treat him to dinner. Take him home. Watch movies on lazy Sundays. Run your hands over his abs in your own bed. Waking up to find him covering your body with kisses.

But Daveed had said no. That he didn't want those things. That he didn't want to engage in anything serious with someone he worked with. That you were just co-workers who helped each other relieve some of the stress that the highly demanding job craved. Nothing more. In other words, you deduced that you were his stress ball - and you got angry! You yelled, and you threatened to kick him out of your dressing room, and you even threw a small lipstick at him, but his chocolate brown eyes were so sweet and so kind that you eventually felt yourself nodding along to his arguments of how the two of you could mess up the entire production if you started dating and things didn't work out. You sighed and you nodded and you agreed with him. And not even ten minutes later had he pulled off your panties, bent you over the couch, and dropped to his knees behind you. A lousy way to make up for it.

You had let it continue like this for eight months until his contract finally ran out and you were no longer co-workers. You had been looking forward to this. On his last night at the theatre, Daveed had stumbled into your dressing room in his Jefferson robe. The door behind him had barely closed before he had ripped your corset open, his warm fingers immediately rolling your nipples they way he knew you liked it. He had pressed his pelvis up against you and whispered in your ear that he had been hard on stage all night, patiently waiting for the show to be over so he could come see you. And you had decided that now was the time; slowly, you had turned around in his arms with a smirk and you had asked him out seeing as you wouldn't be working together anymore. You had thought it was a sure thing. But Daveed had pulled down your pants mumbling "My contract's in effect until tomorrow," right before you had felt his tongue on your skin.

"So what happens if I ask you again tomorrow?" You'd panted as his tongue was joined by his fingers.

"It'll still be a no," he grinned up at you, apparently unaware of your aching heart. He was a good man. If he knew the effect he had on you, he would've either stepped back or stepped up.

"And what happens after tonight?" You'd asked.

"We keep fucking," he had grinned with a content sigh as he spread your legs apart.

That was five weeks ago.

Now you had endured five weeks of Daveed constantly texting you that he was stressed, or hard, or thinking about you. Five weeks of him sending you dirty texts explicitly describing what he wanted to do to you. Five weeks of you ignoring him completely.

And now you were staring at his text consisting of two words and a question mark, contemplating if a small toe-dip into your old addiction was such a catastrophe. You felt your phone buzz in your hand as another text from him ticked in: 'I know you're reading my texts. Please stop ignoring me I miss you.'

You almost choked. In the year you'd known Daveed this was the most sensitive he'd ever gotten with you. You read the second text over and over and over again contemplating what to do; text him back? Call him? Or keep ignoring him?

In the end, you decided to call him up. He needed to be told of. He answered before the fourth ring.

"Hey," he almost whispered.

"Daveed," you let out a sigh, "you can't keep texting me."

"I know. I know I'm sorry," he mumbled, "are you mad at me?"

"Of course I'm not mad at you," you said quietly, "but things can't go on like this."

"I know... Are you in love with me?" He said abruptly but in a soft voice.

You went completely quiet when you felt your heart ache. So he did know about it. He had managed to put two and two together... "it isn't fair of you to ask me that," you almost whispered, "you know I am."

Daveed went quiet too and you could hear his steady breathing on the other end of the phone line. After a couple of seconds he finally said, "can I come over?"

"I'm not sure it's a good idea."

"Please. I have to see you. I want to apologise properly," he groaned painfully, "can I please come over?"

Unable to resist him, you breathed a short "yes," and ten minutes later opened the door to him.

"Hey," his face curled up in a smile the minute you came into sight. He stepped closer to you, and pulled you in for a soft hug, "you look cute."

"Yeah, well thanks," you mumbled against his neck. You didn't want to reciprocate his compliment even though he did look awfully cute too.

He followed you to the living room.

"Whiskey?" You asked him.

"Nah, I gotta stay sober for this," he shook his head.

"Sober for what?" You asked quietly.

"I - ehm - I wanted to apologise. Like a man," he looked at you with a firm gaze, "I've been a dick and I've been treating you badly."

"Yeah," you nodded and folded your arms across your chest, "you've been acting like an ass. When did you realise?"

"It's embarrassing for me, but I honestly didn't realise before you started ignoring me. I was so used to having you around me all the time, and suddenly I missed you like crazy," he took a deep breath before he continued, "I was so sexually frustrated that I called a friend back home in California and told him about it all. I thought he would agree with me and call you stone-cold or something like that but instead he called me an idiot. He called me out for the way I've been treating you. He made me realise why you wanted to ask me out. I didn't even realise. I'm very sorry."

"It's okay," you said softly, "I know you didn't mean to."

"Good," Daveed nodded and looked like a schoolboy who'd just been scolded and you suddenly felt bad for him.

"I didn't mean to ignore your texts. After your time was up at the theatre, I wanted to keep seeing you - it was just too rough. I had to back off."

"I'm glad you took care of yourself. It's made me realise some stuff about myself that I want to change. I want to be better."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Let me start by making it up to you," he smiled, "tomorrow's Valentines day. Let me treat you to dinner. Give you the proper date you deserve."

"I'm not going on a date with you just because you're sexually frustrated and you know I'm an easy fuck," you huffed.

"No! Never! But how about going on a date with me because I like you and I want to see where it could go?"

You shot him a look.

"I understand if you don't believe me but in the past couple of weeks I haven't just missed having sex with you. I've really missed... you. The goofing around, the banter, your infectious laughter. I want to treat you to a date. Let me take you out."

You looked at him suspiciously, "romantically?"

"Yes. Rafa was right. I have a crush on you too. Let's see where this goes."

A small smile crept onto your lips, "okay. If you're sure."

"I'm positive," he grinned and pulled you in for a hug, "fuck I've missed you."

@ramp-it-up

[ectonurites]

Conner Kent in Suicide Squad/the Infinite Frontier era: wtf is going on

Alright lads hello I just need to type out some theories/thoughts about what’s going on with my boy Kon right now. This is more for myself than anything else (just trying to organize my thoughts) but since some of y’all like to hear me talk about comics (and some of this discussion has already been happenin in my inbox) I figured i’d format it and put it on here too! its like 4k words and written over the last few days mostly at 3am. sorry <3 

this is basically just me going like

Also fair warning that like, I can be wrong and misinterpret things just as much as anyone else can, like I use panels to support why I think what I do but a lot of this stuff is subjective/complicated to understand so like... in general somethings should be taken with a grain of salt, especially because exactly what changes to the universe were made by Death Metal/Infinite Frontier haven’t been super super clearly defined yet. Also sometimes comic writers make the most random nonsensical shit happen, so I as a fan am also allowed to theorize about random nonsensical shit.

But to start: let’s backtrack!

Many months ago when Infinite Frontier was first announced they dropped some promotional art, and I remember being a little confused because. Well:

(Variant Cover spread for Justice League (2018) #59)

(Variant Cover spread for Superman (2018) #29)

Notice how Conner is back to his Teen Titans 2003 look up top, but in his YJ 2019 look at the bottom? This seemed weird to me! But then they announced that Conner would be part of the Suicide Squad ongoing title, in the T-shirt look, so I wrote this discrepancy off in my brain as ‘oh I guess that cover was just the last hurrah for punk Kon’ and moved on with life.

In Suicide Squad right away we learn he’s very much so there against his will:

(Suicide Squad (2021) #1)

Which corroborates more or less what we were also shown in Future State: Suicide Squad, although admittedly it tells... a slightly different version of the events. When I first saw both of these together I just chalked it up to being a bit inaccurate as it’s shown as a memory in Future State:

(Future State: Suicide Squad #2)

Issue 2 we saw him in action with the Squad, trying to do his best to still be a hero despite the team, but things get a little more interesting in the following issue. It starts off with an account of his history

(Suicide Squad (2021) #3)

This page gave me a few immediate red flags, mostly minor things that had to do with coloring, so more irl problems than things to take seriously in-universe (Kon’s pants are the wrong color in the first Superboy shot, and Bart’s Impulse costume is in Kid Flash colors instead of the correct Impulse ones) but then also it just bugged me the phrasing “he joined Young Justice” when he was a founder of the team, he didn’t join it he made it with Tim and Bart.

But again, chalked that stuff up to just.... writers/artists being inconsistent/unaware of things that they should be aware of, or even Nocturna just not being specific with details. But it did still strike me as a little odd considering the very accurate use of villains in those same shots, Scavenger who was a reoccurring bad guy from Kon’s solo days and showed up basically nowhere else (even holding the Spear of Lono and everything!) and Billy/Harm (Greta’s brother) from Young Justice.

But then a few pages later we got this:

(Suicide Squad (2021) #3)

Which is interesting. My first instinct was to think he’s being drugged w kryptonite or something thats leaving him hazy/out of it, but my thoughts on that have kinda changed, we’ll get there in a bit. But in general the context of ‘something’s wrong’ made the slight discrepancies on some details of his own history make more sense.

I also want to then bring up the next part to this story, the crossover issue in Teen Titans Academy.

(Teen Titans Academy #3)

So a few things. Does it feel weird to anyone else that Conner Kent, a known previous Titan who literally has a framed picture of himself in a case there, would set off alarm sensors like that? Wouldn’t he be... recognized as a Titan not an intruder by their sensors? Interesting! Anyways.

He looks really pained looking at that picture, and sad, and almost frustrated, which ya know makes sense and hurts my heart because he misses them! He misses his friends and being happy. 

But, importantly for a criticism I wanna make thats less theory related and more just me bein annoyed at Tim Sheridan, that’s a picture of Conner. Right there. That’s Superboy, on display at Teen Titans Academy, so the people who frequent this building would know who he is and what he looks like and be able to recognize him, he’s even in the same outfit and everything. Alinta recognized him at the end of Suicide Squad #3. 

So why does only one person during this big fight then comment on his presence?? Why doesn’t it get a bigger reaction???

(Teen Titans Academy #3)

And after the fight we don’t see any on panel moment of Wallace going up to the staff Titans (who weren’t present for the fight) and saying like “HEY NIGHTWING UHHH SUPERBOY WAS WITH THE SUICIDE SQUAD?” we just see him talking with his friends upset about Crush leaving. We see Alinta talking to them but we don’t see the exact dialogue. So I do just wanna take the writer by the shoulders and shake him a little bit and ask WHY because that just feels like... something you’d wanna address on panel! This is like the first time since joining the squad that Kon’s at all in contact with people from his life before Waller got involved, I feel like not addressing those people’s reactions to it/not discussing it at least a little bit on panel (especially when Conner CAME UP in the previous TTA issue, Dick brought him up and everything!!!) is a really odd choice. Maybe it’ll happen next issue and i’m just impatient, but who knows. Anyways, gripes with Sheridan aside, lets move on.

I wanna bring up how Conner... doesn’t really respond to Wallace’s question? At all? Except to just fight him off, not even an attempt at a ‘Sorry’ or anything? (the ‘Ha! That all you got?!’ seems to be coming from Culebra not Conner, although the placement of the bubble is vague enough it could be that it was supposed to be Conner? but it seems more like what she’d say, especially as she’s grabbing Emiko like that) That just feels weird. It feels off. In general he speaks so little in Suicide Squad #3 and this issue. Tbh it almost feels like he doesn’t really recognize Wallace which I mean I suppose they never exactly met (they would have theoretically during Death Metal, basically all past/present Titans were together for a while during that), but Kon’s been back in existing long enough he’d have a sense of who current heroes are anyways.

But right, so, lots of little things that feel weird... that gets us caught up to the most recently released comics... but in this household we look at solicits as they drop. Which gives us some info on what’s coming up a few months ahead of time, albeit without full context obviously. Issues #4 and #5 don’t mention Conner in their descriptions or show him on the covers at all, because there’s just other plot things going on, so ya know seems things will be quiet for him for a bit.

But then we got the August solicitations and oh BOY it’s a doozey for him! And some things start to kinda connect perhaps!

I want to just take a moment to look at that specific wording. “The teen calling himself Conner Kent” I’m probably reading too much into it but that feels deliberate, like why wouldn’t you just say ‘Conner Kent’? Usually these kinds of descriptions are trying to keep a low word count, not add in extra words that don’t need to be there. It makes it feel like that’s a name he’s using that... doesn’t actually belong to him.

So the theory I want to propose (that has been floating around already) is that based on these covers and the description, and how the Conner we’ve been seeing in Suicide Squad apparently talks about his own personal history like he’s ‘reading a wikipedia entry’ and had little response to people he should be aware of like Wallace and apparently isn’t recognized as a Titan through a bio-scan and also bearing in mind those initial promo arts with two separate looks at the same time for him... I think we're looking at a situation where the Conner in Suicide Squad so far has actually been a clone of original Conner (like... like he’s Match 2.0 or somethin) the whole time, that’s just not aware he’s not the original. 

Now that’s the base theory I wanna work with and build off of, but there’s MANY different directions that could go in/ways that could work.

For example, one idea is that the Conner we saw in #1 who was chained up is the original Conner, and he’s been being cloned and held captive, so everything else with Conner in Suicide Squad so far has been this Match 2.0 

Another idea could be the original Conner in #1 is also the Conner in #2 who Waller had then commented wasn’t ready during the mission in Arkham and had zapped with a lil Kryptonite, and after that moment she took him off the field because his spirit hadn’t been broken enough to be obedient (as he was a lot quieter in Issue #3 & the TTA crossover compared to #2, and #3 is when the Nocturna thing with the history happened)

Or it could even be original Conner in #1, then in #2 was one clone that wasn’t ‘ready’ that after that point she stopped using him, and switched to a diff clone for #3, because like that first cover did show a LOT of clones. That could be more just ‘artistic interpretation’ or something, covers sometimes do exaggerate/mislead, but it also could indicate we’re looking at a lot of clones.

(Suicide Squad (2021) #2)

With all of those in mind I also wanna bring up this little bit from Future State Suicide Squad:

(Future State: Suicide Squad #2)

Again Future State is a ‘possible future’ so stuff from it isn’t set in stone, but the idea of ‘she still has his YJ 2019 outfit somewhere’ makes me think it could be something along the lines of like, Clone!Conner finds original Conner and frees him and he gets back his YJ outfit, which could lead to like the imagery on that variant cover/the idea from my very first part of this post where I was talking about Kon being shown in both outfits in different places.

Alternatively entirely from all that, another option is that she maybe got ahold of what was needed to clone Kon, but doesn’t even have the original Kon in her possession. (again with the Future State thing, she could be lying since elsewhere in Future State we did also see a copy of YJ 2019 Kon’s costume in one of the Jon-focused Future State comics in a display case 🤷‍♂️) Which could also lead to that confrontation on the variant cover & the promo art thing... and could also explain why we have seen nothing about anyone looking for him, because in that sort of scenario he wouldn’t have even been missing in the first place.

There’s a lot of possibilities! It’s still too early to solidly know anything, but I feel pretty confident we’re entering another cloning related plot with our Clone Boy so it’s... ya know. Clone time. On the one hand it’s annoying because god we have done clone/multiple Kons plots before. We’ve done them so much.

BUT on the other hand, I think it could be interesting to use this situation to tie into some older stuff from pre-reboot that I can see some connections to, because due to Infinite Frontier altering the world and people’s memories it’s all technically fair game storytelling-wise again (and like, the use of Scavenger specifically in that flashback way above, who’s not a super well known villain in general, makes me think maaaaybe the writer did do some of their Kon homework)

Something also just dawned on me that i’m not quite sure what it means but still is worth mentioning: The Conner here in Suicide Squad is back in his Teen Titans Vol. 3 outfit, and his history as he tells it stops during Teen Titans Vol. 3. And doesn’t... mention when he died? It feels like it... stopped before that, because like I feel if he was telling his life history (even the wiki version LMAO) the part where he died and came back would be pretty important to bring up?? And Nocturna specifically says that he didn’t explain how that stuff from TT Vol. 3 then led to him in his current situation. That’s a pretty big gap (like uhhh everything from resurrection until he got lost on Gemworld + all the rest of the Young Justice 2019 stuff?) So like.. there could be something funky going on here that has to do with that. 

Similarly when he flashes back in Future State: Suicide Squad to his past it also goes right from Teen Titans Vol. 3 to the current Suicide Squad run? Like I get it’s one page so they can’t show that much, but the fact that there’s now two places that flash back to that same specific time period and nothing past it until the Suicide Squad feels just... noticeable! Not concretely indicative of something, but noteworthy.

(Future State: Suicide Squad #2)

Like...this almost has me thinking maybe it could be something where like, they tampered with his dead body and cloned from that? BECAUSE, for those of you who may not be familiar with how Kon’s resurrection (during Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds) worked, when he came back there was time travel involved! He was brought back to life in the future (like. Legion of Superheroes era) because it was a process that took that thousand or so years to work/heal him (essentially because of his hybrid dna the process that healed Clark when he had died back in Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen in the 90s just took a lot longer, but its the same Kryptonian healing chamber thing) meaning when he came back to the present alive again, his dead body was still also in the present just in it’s process of healing. Meaning especially if we’re bringing back stuff from before the reboot, Kon likely has his dead body just vibing out there while he’s goin around living life 🤷‍♂️

SO them doing something related to that could explain the choice to put him back in the T-shirt (since thats what he wore in the era his brain would be caught up to if we’re relating this to when he died) and why he’d recognize himself in a group photo with Bart, Cassie and Tim but maybe not someone like Wallace who didn’t exist back then. I don’t know, this branch of thought is still half baked. Will maybe come back and elaborate on this later. But I’m now really thinking there might be a connection to the early Teen Titans Vol. 3 era specifically because of it being referenced twice in stuff with this Suicide Squad.

ANYWAYS moving on, this is probably a shot in the dark and I only thought of it because I just was reading 90′s Superboy, but right away when thinking about ‘Amanda Waller’ and ‘Cloning Kon’ I was reminded of some stuff about the circumstances around the first clone that was made of Conner: Match.

(Superboy (1994) #35)

Match was created by an organization called ‘The Agenda’, that was after a while primarily under the control of The Contessa, Lex Luthor’s ex-wife, aided by Amanda Spence who had a personal grudge against Kon bc her dad was Paul Westfield the guy Kon was originally cloned from (before the Lex/Clark retcon). They were the big bad guys of an arc called The Evil Factory in Superboy (where Cadmus personnel got replaced with clones) which also then tied into the Sins of Youth event over in Young Justice (Remember how Match was posing as Superboy for a while there? yeah). After those plot lines finished the Agenda was pretty defeated (Amanda Spence was still out there and came back later but still) and... who got their hands on the remaining Agenda tech?

(Superboy (1994) #87)

Why none other than Amanda Waller herself!

If they re-canonized pieces of this (which also tied into Young Justice which ya know, YJ 2019 was all about re-establishing stuff from YJ even before Death Metal happened soooo) it would totally make sense for Waller to have complete access to the exact technology used to clone Conner before. 

Now, a thing to consider here though is what happened to Kon after he’d been cloned that first time, where his DNA got all destabilized by the process (and he needed to go through a procedure with Roxy as a genetic template to keep him together, which was how he got stuck at age 16 for a while). This was something where he was fine for a period of time before the side effects began to kick in. Now, I think it’s worth mentioning that was also back in the days where he was not yet Lex & Clark’s clone, but still Paul Westfield’s. So there could easily be a ‘now that certain Kryptonian genes have kicked in as he got his newer powers it doesn’t destabilize him the same way’ reasoning or something along those lines to avoid this problem. Alternatively, it could be an interesting thing to embrace rather than retcon away, especially if we’ve been seeing Clone Conner in action and Original Conner hasn’t been in our focus, things could be wrong with him that we just don’t know about.

Another branch of thinking that I think is even MORE a shot in the dark but could be interesting (or again even related to what I just said, could be a combo of things) is if this somehow ended up related to those clones that were reverse engineered from the remains of Match from the very end of Teen Titans Vol. 3

(Teen Titans (2003) #99)

All of them were then taken down with Kryptonite and killed in battle (by Rose & Damian) 

(Teen Titans (2003) #100)

But like... idk man if Waller got her hands on those corpses or even just the data from Dr. Caligan that he extracted from Match to make them... that could also be a potential way to make some new Conner clones, and that could be why the bio-scan thing at Titans Tower wouldn’t work properly because of the thing he says above about it not being a “complete match’

One thing I don’t think is the case, but has been brought up to me, is stuff with New 52 Kon. I’ve talked extensively about New 52 Kon in recent weeks because I read through all his stuff, but the thing that makes me shy away from him being part of this situation is the fact that... he’s not interchangeable with Kon the way I think some people think he is. He wouldn’t visually be recognized as Original Kon because he is literally on a genetic level a separate person. They’d prob look related, sure, like they’d pass for brothers because they both have Clark’s DNA, but New 52 Kon has Lois’ DNA and Original Kon has Lex’s. New 52 Kon would likely look more like Jon, rather than Kon. Lois specifically commented in an Action Comics issue that Kon had some resemblance to Lex, even. So like, things like Wallace recognizing him or him looking at his own matching reflection alongside the group picture at the Tower... those wouldn’t happen the same way if this was New 52 Kon.

Now I think it coooould theoretically be possible for Waller to have gotten her hands on that future N.O.W.H.E.R.E. cloning tech that had been used to make New 52 Kon, like I wouldn’t rule that out. Because she knows where the remains of their bases are as shown in Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016) #16-17, and like, Harvest is dead so she could easily just send teams out there to gather shit if she wanted. 

Onto some other things I don’t think are actually related but that I was reminded of/wanted to address:

I feel i’d be a bad timkon fan if during all of this discussion of past stories with cloning Kon I didn’t even bring up Tim’s cloning attempt stuff, but I think it would ultimately be unrelated. His tech was stolen from Luthor, and his attempts didn’t succeed because he was trying to build from scratch without Cadmus’ the data about how they altered the DNA from the original process. 

(Teen Titans Vol. 3 #34)

Then that initial cover for the annual really reminded me of part of the Hollow Men story from Superboy Vol. 5 just with like... Kon in a room full of copies of himself. I don’t think this story would be related either because it was more magic Tannarak stuff rather than regular cloning, but ya know. It’s the imagery.

(Superboy Vol. 5 #9)

It also really reminded me of the stuff from Hyper-Tension which was hypertime stuff not cloning but again just... visually.

(Superboy Vol. 4 #62)

In general I don’t think we’re EVER gonna see Black Zero or any of these multiverse Superboys again LMAO.

To try to sum up all of this in a way that might make sense here’s kinda a... flowchart of some of my main ideas for what the cloning situation could be/how the logic could work. Again this is borrowing stuff from across continuities because Infinite Frontier means theoretically anything’s fair game. (Also I don’t think I mentioned this earlier but I do mention it in the chart, but I think it’s also reasonable that Waller could get her hands on Cadmus tech if Cadmus is like properly made canon again. She just has funky government connections!)

Also I just now thought of this now several hours after I already made the chart and I don’t wanna remake it so sorry not incorporating it there but I remembered there was also that bit during House of Kent where Clark took Kon to the Hall of Justice and they were running some tests on him, so I’m thinking it’s also possible Waller got ahold of that data/that might be how she found out about Kon in the first place for this timeline. And they indicated that there was something wrong with him there, where he might eventually lose his powers or something, so maybe she tried to do cloning stuff to be able to have a copy of Superboy in his prime or something??? before that started kicking in. I don’t know, just more things to consider:

(Action Comics (2016) #1028)

ANYWAYS in conclusion: there is clone fuckery of some sort happening, I’m curious where it’s gonna go, and I just want Kon to be okay.

If you actually read this uhm. props to you bc this probably makes no sense to anyone but me its just word vomit <3 

[motherjoel]

Leading Lady (Spencer Reid x Reader)

chapter four- talented little thing

wc: 1.8k

summary: you get to know the team a bit more before your first tech rehearsal

a/n: hope you guys like it! im also taking oneshot requests if you guys feel like you’d like to request something :)

chapter index: chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3

-

It wasn’t long before your small apartment felt even smaller- the team had showed up within 5 minutes and although you were extremely overwhelmed, you knew that this was the safest you could be. Reid was frantically running around, talking to various people in FBI jackets and you felt like you were standing in the eye of a hurricane. You sat down at your kitchen table and put your head in your hands, trying to calm down when you felt a presence next to you. Looking up, you saw the blonde agent you had met the other day, Agent Jareau was her name. 

“It’s going to be okay, I know the chaos can be a little much but this is how you know we're working our hardest,” she said, resting a comforting hand on your arm. 

“I know, and I'm really grateful. You've all been great, and Spencers… he's… great,” you decided, smiling to yourself. So, hey, maybe you had a little crush on the guy. It wasn’t like you could act on it, with him sleeping on your couch, but you couldn’t help the butterflies when he rambles about facts or blushes when you notice him looking at you.

“Yeah he is,” she smiled. “And he seems to feel the same way about you. I haven’t seen him this worked up about a case in awhile,” she said, her voice sounding a little suspicious.

“Oh,” was all you could muster. Maybe he just feels responsible for you and he doesn’t want to mess up. Before the two of you could continue your conversation, the team made their way over to you with a woman on a video chat screen who you remembered to be the bubbly Garcia. Spencer had his eyes trained on the files in his hand, the rest of the team was focused on you. The woman with black hair, Prentiss, spoke first.

“Y/N, is there anyone in your life that has been acting differently recently, maybe taking more interest in you?” she asked. This was surprising to you.

“You mean… I know this crazy stalker killer?” you asked, shocked. You thought it was just some random dude who has a vendetta against thespians. Morgan spoke next.

“Well, the thing is, none of the other victims had been followed this closely. It’s a change in his MO, leaving these photos on your door. He's taking special interest in you, and we think it's possible he's killing these other women as a way of playing out his fantasies of you,” he says with a concerned look.

“So… this person is killing all of these women because of me?” you questioned, your chest growing tight. You looked to Spencer for comfort but he was still looking down at the file. You know you shouldn’t feel guilty, there wasn’t any way you could have caused this, but you couldn’t help the overwhelming feeling. It seemed like Agent Jareau could sense your panic and she grabbed your hand in hers, Morgan put a hand on your shoulder. 

“It’s a strong possibility,” said Hotch. “Which is why it's important that you continue to go about your daily schedule as usual. We don't want the unsub to panic once we're onto him and get more people hurt. Spencer will continue to live with you and go everywhere with you, it's only a matter of time before the unsub messes up and makes himself known,” he finished. This was definitely a lot to take in, and although you appreciated the comfort of Agent Jareau and Agent Morgan, the one person you really wanted to comfort you was in a different world.

“So I can still go to my rehearsal tonight? It’s important that I don’t miss it, it’s the start of tech week” you said, hoping that it wasn’t too soon to be out in public. 

“Tech week?” questioned Morgan.

“Oohhhh, how exciting!” said Garcia and you smiled at her, grateful that you still had the show to keep you sane.

“Tech week is the week before the opening performance of a production where all of the technical aspects of the show are present and used in the rehearsal process,” Spencer said, as if on instinct, without looking up.

“Yeah,” you agreed, “and it's kinda important I’m there…” you trailed off.

“Oh my gosh, I forgot we're protecting a talented little thing! Eponine is a dream role of mine!” Garcia almost shouts.

“Aw, stop you’re making me blush,” you laughed, briefly forgetting the situation you were in. That's when you noticed the stern look from Hotch and you looked back to see Garcia with wide eyes mouthing “I'll text you.” You smiled and gave her a thumbs up, returning your attention to Hotch.

“Yes, you can go. If the unsub knows your schedule, he knows that it would be out of the ordinary for you to miss this rehearsal,” said Hotch, much to your relief.

The agents soon finished up at your apartment, and Agent Jareau (who you now call JJ upon her request) gave you her phone number in case you had questions or wanted to talk, which you thought was very nice and you were glad the two of you hit it off. 

Your apartment was now empty aside from you, still seated at the kitchen table and Spencer sitting on the couch. The agents were only in your home for an hour or two but it felt like an eternity. You hadn’t eaten yet all day so you decided to ask Spencer if he wanted to get lunch with you. You walked over to the couch and sat on the opposite side from him.

“So… wanna get some food?” you asked hoping he would look up from his work, and he did, but his face didn't show the soft smile that you had grown accustomed to.

“You want to go out now? Right after a stalker left a menacing envelope on your door?” he asked, with a skeptical look on his face. His harsh tone took you by surprise and your face visibly fell.

“Well I have a rehearsal later anyway, so we have to go out eventually…” you trailed off, his eyebrow still raised at you. “Fine, I guess we can order a pizza,” you huffed and walked back to the table where your phone was.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and you turned around, surprised.

“For what?” you asked, genuinely curious. He didn’t have anything to be sorry for, it's not like he was stalking you and killing these innocent women.

“I’m sorry that this is happening to you and I’m sorry you're stuck with me as company,” he said, looking away.

“Well I guess that first part makes sense, but you're great company!” you told him. He looked skeptical. “Seriously,” you continued, “I don’t know if any of the other agents would have ‘delved deep into their psyches’ with me, or gotten me to tell them about my dead dad,” you said bluntly.

“Well to be fair, you kind of did that without me asking…” he said with a slight smile. You gasped in fake shock.

“Ohhh, so that's how it's gonna be,” you laughed, the tension in the room dissipated. “Well I'm ordering the pizza now, cheese okay?” He nodded and smiled before focusing on his files once again. You were satisfied with yourself, glad that things seemed normal again.

-

Hours had passed since you ordered the pizza, which the two of you shared on the couch while watching Gilmore Girls (Reid, even being the genius he is, remarked how fast they talked in that show). It was time to leave for your rehearsal, and although Spencer insisted on driving, you could use the fresh air on a walk to clear your mind (or as fresh as the city could offer). You grabbed your purse, your script and water bottle and walked out the door with Spencer in tow, locking the door behind you. He offered to hold your script and you were hesitant but ultimately gave in.

The second your foot hits the sidewalk outside of your apartment you feel off. Maybe you were overreacting, but it was a similar feeling to the one of being watched that you had experienced a few days ago. You picked up your pace and Spencer seemed to notice and he did the same, his hand instinctively resting near his holster. You tried to make small talk in case anybody was listening in.

“So, the rehearsal is probably gonna be pretty long, but it might actually be entertaining. I mean you’ve read Les Mis in a couple languages so the show should be pretty easy to understand,” you jokingly told him. He chuckled beside you.

“And it's okay that I watch? Your director wont mind?” he asked.

“No, I'm sure it's fine if I just tell him once I get there. Fantine’s boyfriend watches rehearsals all the time,” you reassured him, before realizing what you had just said. “I mean not that you’re my, you know...” you said before he leaned down and lowered his voice.

“It's okay- the cover, remember? As far as anyones concerned, I'm your boyfriend,” he told you. This did about as much to reassure you as it did to give you butterflies. You just nodded and did your best to hide your blush. It wasn’t long before you were outside the theater, and you were thankful for that. You trusted that you were safe with Spencer but you couldn’t help being on edge 

The two of you stepped inside the lobby area where your director was finishing up a phone call. He hung up the phone and turned to greet you.

“Y/N, hello! Thank you for being on time,” he said, his voice laced with stress. You wondered who he was mad at for being late.

“No problem John. Oh, is it okay if my boyfriend sits in on the rehearsal? He’s visiting from out of town and he loves theatre,” you said, trying to seem as convincing as possible, although you didn’t hate the lie of Spencer being your boyfriend.

“Fine, he can take a seat in the back. Go get your costume on, mic check in 30,” he said, barely addressing Spencer before darting off and picking up a phone call. 

“So… I guess i'll see you soon. I might be able to sneak around and watch the first part of the show with you, I'm not onstage for a while,” you told him while leading him into the auditorium, seating him in one of the last rows.

“Okay,” he smiled. “Go break a leg,” he said, which sounded a little unnatural coming from him but it was really cute. The two of you laughed and you walked back out into the lobby to get changed in your dressing room, not taking notice of his eyes following your retreating form.

-

taglist: @mcntsee, @diesinspanishbcimhispanic, @chickens-are-life, @rexorangecouny

[pink-imagines]

bad day

request: Hi. I'm going through a rough patch rn (someone I thought of as a best friend stabbed me in the back) and it's really hard. I was wondering how Bakugou, Kirishima, and Twice (if you write for him) would react to their normally perky s.o. suddenly being to upset to even get out of bed. Thank you so much.

a/n: this is kind of like part 2? anon asked for kirishima and twice too, so i’ll deliver! i decided to put both of them in this one, so scroll down to read twice’s!!

warnings: angst, crying

masterlist

requesting rules

Eijiro Kirishima

With yet another sigh you carefully cleaned the cuts over Eijiro’s body, he had gotten hurt during one of his shifts again. You felt his eyes on you but you refused to look up. “Y/N, I-” “I’m not your nurse, Eiji.”, you stated coldly, “I know that I’m still trying to find a job but that doesn’t mean it gives you the chance to be more reckless.” “I know-” “You need to look after yourself better, your work is dangerous.”, you pressed a bit harder with the cotton pad, making him hiss. “I get it, alright!?”, he snatched his arm away from you, “You don’t need to tell me how to do my job!” Not a single word managed to leave your lips as he walked away. Anger took over your body and you threw away the first aid kit with a haste. You didn’t give a second glance to where he stood in the kitchen, you simply walked into the bedroom and slammed the door behind you. Were you being childish? Maybe so, but you really couldn’t control your emotions. You fell asleep then and there, you didn’t even wait for Eijiro to come back into the room.

When you woke up the next morning he was already gone. The anger you felt the night before was gone, and you were left as an empty shell. After noticing his absense you didn’t feel like getting out of bed, and so you fell back asleep. 

-

Eijiro couldn’t focus on the words in front of him. He was never much of an office worker at all, he’d rather be out doing the hero work, but today was especially hard. Not only had he hurt your feelings last night, buthe didn’t even have time to apologies this morning. He had thought about waking you up but decided against it as he knew you needed your rest. Luckily, today he got to go home at five pm instead of having to work late. Eijiro already had a plan on what to do; he’d bring home your favorite food for dinner, apologies right at the doorstep, and cuddle you for the rest of the night. He knew you were just worried about him and that you weren’t actually mad - even though your words hurt he shouldn’t have reacted that way and he needed to apologies.

The hours went by slowly, but eventually it was time for him to get out to the streets for his last shift before he could go home.

-

After a while of waking up and drifitng back to sleep again you decided to sit up in your bed. It was around four, you had slept all day instead of looking for jobs like you should have. Eijiro would be home in an hour and you dreaded every minute that passed. 

You knew you had done a bad thing last night. Shouting at him for doing his job? You sighed and rubbed your temples lightly to try to get the thoughts of it out of your head. To be fair, this week had been horrible. Five job interviews and none of them had led to anything. You barely got to spend time with Eijiro either, since he worked late, and the one day when he’d come home early you had fought with him. Another sigh escaped your lips, this time shaky and a quiet whimper followed it as you were trying to stop the tears from spilling onto your cheeks. Without as second thought you went back to bed and hid the sobs in your pillow. How had you gotten out of bed before when it was this easy to just stay? Here nothing could happen to you. For a moment you were safe there in your cocoon of blankets.

-

When he opened the door he wasn’t met by your figure sitting on a chair by the kitchen table, scrolling on your laptop and looking for jobs. You weren’t by the window, having a phone call with a potential employer. You weren’t drinking tea in the kitchen, or doing a face mask in the bathroom, and you hadn’t left a note saying that you were at the gym. He walked around the entire house, which he knew you wouldn’t like since he still had his hero costume on - that didn’t matter, he just had to find you. 

Eijiro walked past the bedroom door and heard quiet whimpers coming from there.

-

The door to the bedroom opened suddenly and you let out a squeak in surprise. However, you didn’t turn around to look at the person barging in. You’d rather keep your puffy eyes and tear-stained face to yourself. “Y/N? Baby?”, Eijiro’s voice was soft, as if it could cause you harm if he raised his voice, “Are you okay, honey?” You felt Eijiro sit down on the bed and put a hand on your shoulder. “I got you some food, okay? It’s from your favorite place, I put it on the kitchen counter.”, he explained softly, “I’ll go take a shower, why don’t you go out and start eating?” “... not hungry...”, your voice was muffled from the pillow and blankets. “... have you already eaten?”, Eijiro asked and you shook your head, “Did you eat earlier today then?” You shook your head no and heard him let out a careful sigh. “Y/N... you know I don’t want to sound rude but... honey, did you get out of bed at all today?”, he asked and you shook your head again, “Y/N...” “It’s fine...”, you croaked out and sat up, still not meeting his eyes, “Go take a shower, Eijiro.” “Baby, I don’t want to leave you like this-” “I’ll go eat, okay? Just... go shower. You know I don’t like it when you walk around with your hero suit on inside...”, you hated how cold you were towards him but for some reason you couldn’t help it. You got out of bed, feeling his eyes on you as you walked toward the kitchen.

When you saw the take away bag on the counter you smiled slightly to yourself. He’d always get you this when he was trying to apologies, usually you didn’t eat junkfood at all. You took out the food and saw the box with your favorite dish written on it. The shower turned on in the bathroom and you assumed he had started showering.

Two strong arms suddenly wrapped around you, making you jump slightly. “The food’s already starting to get cold... we can heat it up later. Come shower with me, okay?”, Eijiro kissed you where your neck met your shoulder. It was hard to not give into this offer... you leaned against his bare chest and waited for him to give ou another kiss. When he did you mumbled out: “Sure.”

Usually when you showered together you’d have a lot more... fun. This time it was very wholesome, if you could call it that. He helped you wash our hair, you helped him wash his hair. No kisses shared, there were barely any glances shared, and there were especially no words said.

Once you were out of the shower you grapped your hair dryer and dried off your hair after wrapping a towel around yourself. You were thankful that Eijiro had made you crawl out of the cave that was your bed, the feeling after a hot shower was one of the best ones out there. Eijiro tapped on your shoulder and then pointed at the hair dryer, begging you with the look in his eyes.

You started drying his hair and he had a satisfied smile on his face as you did so. There was a cut on his arm and you were about to say something until you remembered last night and decided not to mention it. Instead you directed your attention to his hair. “Your roots are starting to show.”, you muttered and looked at the dark hair peaking out from under the red, “Do you need help coloring it again?” “I was thinking of letting it be.”, he admitted, “You said you liked black hair, didn’t you?”, he peered at you with one eye and kept the other closed. “I guess I did...”, you tried to keep yourself from blushing but it was near impossible, “I like your red hair too, though.” “Mhm...”, he hummed, “... we’ll see what I do with it then.”

Once you were done in the bathroom you heated up the food, and while you were waiting he looked at you with a serious face. “Y/N, I’m sorry about yesterday.”, he said and took your hands in his, “I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you for worrying.” “I should be saying sorry.”, you gave in and leaned your head against his chest, “I took out my frustration on you... it’s been a bad week.” “... maybe we both did wrong then?”, he suggested and you nodded, “So then let’s just leave it at that and communicate better next time.” “Sounds good to me.” you nodded and gave him a soft smile. “You said you had a bad week, honey?”, he asked as he lifted you up and placed you on the counter. “... it’s just that I haven’t been getting any jobs at all. I went to so many interviews for nothing...”, you sighed and leaned your forehead against his, “... I know I’m not usually like this-” “You don’t have to be happy all the time.”, he interupted, “Nobody is. It’s okay for you to feel shitty sometimes - just talk to me about it, even if it’s hard.” With a small smile you pressed a kiss to his forehead and then jumped off the counter just in time for the food to be ready.

You ate while watching a movie, the two of you cuddled up on the couch. Eijiro stroke your hair back from time to time and sometimes he’d comment something about the movie quietly in your ear - as if someone else was around to hear it.

After eating you tried doing the dishes but he quickly pushed you away and did them for you. “Do you want tea or something before bed?”, Eijiro asked sweetly. “I want you.”, you said and wrapped your arms around him from behind. “I think I can fix that for you.”, he chuckled and turned around in your embrace, “I love you, okay?” His hands went to the sides of your waist, where they slowly rubbed patterns on your skin. Eijiro leaned down and pressed a few pecks on your lips, leading them down to your jaw and then neck. “I love you too.”, you mumbled and brought his lips back up to meet yours again.

-

permanent taglist: @theoceanphoenixhasrisen | @raven-r0ses | @darkbeautyswife | @sondering-thoughts | @gowoneandonlyone | @bnhabadass | @queenblackcat | @jayetheanimefreek101 | @witchy-anna | @cutest-celestial-princess | @missymysa | @karebear5118 | @weebartistinc | @crystal-lilac |

[peaches-writes]

super random prompts for today bc im feeling nostalgic~

tw // death

at 1100 years of you fulfilling your punishment as a human turned grim reaper, no one could blame you when you confess that you don’t really know yourself now if the promise you swore to chan before he died by your sword in his first life is still serious or holds meaning to you. it was a long long time ago, already muddled in your failing memories, when you swore to the joseon era prince that you would ‘find and torture him in every life he gets’ because he invaded your village and branded you as a criminal (which ultimately led to you doing the things that got you landed with your current spiritual punishment). at present, having already met different versions of him in his subsequent lives and delivering him to the afterlife each time without fail, you’re not sure anymore if you can still hold onto this promise and cause him trouble. after all, every version of him that pops up on your radar throughout the centuries never remembers what he did in his first life, let alone remember you. plus, the only time he sees you now as a grim reaper is on his death bed, when you come to fetch him and confess to causing some of the misfortunes he’s experienced in the life that he’s lived. 

so imagine your surprise when the gods inform you that chan only has one reincarnation left to spend and that he’ll spend it in the 21st century seoul, right where everything started. you’re then furthermore petrified when this version you meet not only has the ability to see and interact with ghosts by his 3rd eye but also finds the journal you unknowingly drop at his neighbor’s funeral: filled with notes on him and his previous lives as well as the confusing feelings you’ve unconsciously developed over the years. the final nail in the coffin, however, is that he’s not smug about it when he eventually finds you at the local graveyard, unlike how you expected of the chan from the joseon era. instead, he asks you all about his past lives, your punishment, and what he should expect in his next life if he has any. this time, with no means of escaping from his 3rd eye and his dangerously fast biking skills, you’re forced to confront the soul of the person you once called your enemy. 

more of the kids under the cut!

minho receives a google form link from you at the strike of midnight on your 1st anniversary as a couple, initially opening it on the assumption that it’s the survey form you previously coerced him into agreeing to answer for your senior thesis. the computer science major is then thoroughly surprised when the link opens to a red and pink-themed form titled, “y/n’s boyfriend application!” with questions ranging from, “full name so i can flames it with my name” to “rate my annoying habits from ‘i love them dw’ to ‘this is probably going to be one of the future reasons why we’ll break-up.’” he messages you first before anything else, asking you just exactly ‘what the fuck is this application for, babe?’ to which you only reply with a spam of winking emojis. actually, you only reply with winking emojis and actual winks when he decides to videocall you into answering him, leading minho to answer the form while you’re peeking over on a small browser on his laptop screen. your boyfriend mainly answers the questions lightheartedly, even reading his answers aloud to you after (”what number on the fan do i like? four, of course!” “minho, you’re a monster.”). that is until the last question which he only smiles at before spending the last five minutes of your videocall typing continuously then ending the call after submitting, preventing you from interrogating him and his sudden change in behavior. 

it’s only after the call that you see his answer to the last question (”why do you love me”), an entire eight paragraphs of him just mindlessly rambling about whatever comes at the top of his head to answer the question: ranging from his favourite and least favourite memories of you together, the things he loves about you coupled with the things he claims to not like about you (before shyly admitting towards the end that he still finds things to love about them), and an “overall there’s a lot of reasons why i love you: some i’ve mentioned, some i haven’t, some i’ve discovered, and some i will find out about in the future when we celebrate our 2nd year anniversary, 3rd, 4th, and the ones we’ll eventually forget what number they’re supposed to be because we’ll probably be married and busy with a lot of other things ;) there’s just no one definitive answer to this question, to be honest, but this is what comes at the top of my head. happy one year, baby <3″ 

when the fabric of reality that blankets seoul is reported to have been ripped at the seams, you start mysteriously losing some of your personal belongings to the parallel dimension’s version of your apartment. at first you blame it on your public enemy no. 1 and roommate, changbin, who does have a habit of borrowing things without permission and forgetting to return them. when you find a blue-haired and heavily tattooed changbin using your hair dryer in the bathroom one day (clearly looking very different from the roommate you’ve been living with for 6 months who has blonde hair and piercings only), however, only then do you realize that it’s been your roommate’s parallel version who’s been unknowingly receiving your things. what’s more surprising is him getting visibly confused at you initially throwing a fit at him when you mistook him as your real roommate, explaining to you later on that he and your parallel version are dating. you purposely avoid parallel dimension changbin for a few days in embarrassment from the latter, that is until he sits you down in the living room a week later (while your dimension’s changbin is out at his part-time job) and asks you, “so, what’s your problem with my parallel self? maybe i can help!”  

only parallel dimension changbin proves himself to be unhelpful when all he comments on your subsequent ramblings is a cheesy grin and, “your roommate’s probably in love with you. god, i can’t believe that even in your reality i’m stupid.” 

in a world where the person who doesn’t reciprocate an individual’s strong feelings instead of the other way around, hyunjin’s had his own fair share of sick days and pharmacy runs to suppress the flowers that bloom in him from admirers who fall way too deep into his charms. he’s slightly grown desensitized to it, having already memorized what to do and what to say to the people who are forced to confront and apologize to him each and every time. when it’s you who’s suddenly confessing your sudden feelings to him, promising that you’ll get over it in a month and even stay away for a while for his sake, only then does he feel a strange mix of dread, worry, and fear at the pit of his stomach. he doesn’t want you, his best friend, to ever leave his side but at the same time he can’t find it in himself to reciprocate your feelings for you to stay. for the first time, he doesn’t know what to do nor what to say to you, the daffodils suddenly feeling heavier in his lungs the more you try and distance yourself and see new people.

 jisung, unlike how the cliche trope goes, always bets everything on him missing his shot at your subdivision’s basketball court. he always says something along the lines of, “if i miss this shot, let’s go the movies!” or “if the ball falls off the rim after 5 seconds, you’ll go to the beach party with me!” despite being the star player of your high school basketball team himself. he always purposely misses for fun and gets his reward, of course, even when you remind him to shoot properly through flustered expressions and feigned huffs. this has then caused you your entire summer time and allowance, all spent glued to jisung’s hip and buying him all sorts of things from ice cream, extended time to borrow surf boards at the beach, and even a ride ticket to the travelling carnival’s ferris wheel (where he stole a kiss from you at the top like the cheesy little shit that he is). 

whenever you ask him why he bets in reverse each and every time, however, only then does his confident smirk disappears into his blush and he turns his entire face away from you; too shy to admit that you make him a little too nervous whenever it’s just you watching him shoot hoops. give him a rest, he just wants more full assurance that he’ll get to spend more time with you, as boyish as that sounds. 

you probably should’ve known better than to provoke chenle and wooyoung when you told them over the student council meeting that a marriage booth probably wouldn’t give you a lot of revenue since your school festival this year doesn’t fall on valentine’s day week. you probably should’ve expected that the first thing they’d do after the student assembly, when the festival is formally opened, is to drag you into said marriage booth—your english classroom decorated from top to bottom in cheap white cloth, plastic flowers, and an edit of your senior alumni bang chan as jesus—and put you into one of the flower crown veils they probably got at someone’s baptism, explaining that they need someone to kickstart the booth and attract more customers. but most of all, you probably should’ve expected that these two troublemaking vice president and secretary of yours wouldn’t hesitate to take this opportunity to torment you even further because suddenly you’re getting fake married to felix, your chem lab partner and long-time crush, who also has his own ‘sins’ to atone to chenle and wooyoung (something about ditching them at a party because he saw an injured cat stuck up on a tree on the way to the venue). the two of you stand in front of the “bang chan altar” for 10 minutes with han jisung in a questionable pope costume, the two of you attracting passersby who are mostly your classmates murmuring “oh my god, y/n and felix?” or “i knew it! those two are so cute together!” as the two of you are forced into exchanging cereal box rings and saying impromptu vows. 

what you didn’t expect from this experience, however, is felix suddenly confessing in his vows, clearing his throat awkwardly while sliding the purple plastic ring on your ring finger and saying, “this isn’t how i imagined it to go but we’re both here, all of our classmates are here, and you’re looking really pretty today so, uh...y/n, i just want to say that i’ve really liked you for a long time.” 

your grandmother shows you her first look of disapproval over your weaved fabrics when you start creating pieces that seem to resemble the aura of a boy. as much as you don’t want to see her disappointed, tradition still stands that you have to design your fabrics according to how you would interpret your dreams and since you turned 18, all you’ve been dreaming about is your potential soulmate. of all 7 billion in the world, you just have to be one of the rare ones with the ability to interpret your dreams on textile and have these said dreams be your soulmate bond to someone else as well. instead of arbitrary colors or shapes resembling nature like your grandmother and everyone else, you’re trying to recreate the face of a boy your age with the kindest smile you’ve ever seen and the prettiest brown eyes; instead of putting the sounds of the ocean or the chirping of birds as they would be usually heard in dreams onto colorful fabric, you’re trying to mix red, orange, and yellow dyes on threads just to try and capture seungmin’s golden voice whenever he would sing to you in your dreams. your soulmate becomes your muse, the lasting impressions he makes on you in the 3 real-time seconds of dreaming that you spend with him embedding themselves into the blanket you’ve been tasked to make for the winter. 

seungmin is more than flattered of course, finding genuine fascination in what you do and excitement to see you in person once university allows him. it’s only at the end of the year, however, right on christmas day, when he finally sees you on vacation in your town with his family—finding you at the beach party his new friend hyunjin invites him to where you dance around the bonfire with your own friends, wrapped in the blanket made of warm colors that just scream his very soul and aura. your eyes meet almost as soon as he arrives because of your soulmate pull, causing you to become flustered at realizing that you’re wearing the blanket design that’s been inspired by him, and before he knows it, kim seungmin is running to you and grabbing your arm. “hi.” he pants breathlessly, his relieved smile shining brightly against the orange glow of the fire to your side. “finally. it’s you!” 

jeongin stares at his laptop for a solid 5 minutes in complete and utter confusion before his roommate seungmin pokes him on the side of his head and asks if he passed his dream university, snapping him out of reality. it’s not that he didn’t pass the entrance exam, definitely not because he’s still feeling confident from answering it from almost 6 months ago. rather, it’s that the acceptance e-mail sent to him by the university is for a completely different name, your name out of all applicants out there—that one person he sat next to at cram school and turned down at the end of the summer. logging into his social media accounts, he sees people voicing out their concerns for similar incidents, that they’re getting acceptance or rejection e-mails of other applicants instead of their own, and posts that aim to track down who’s gotten who to remedy this. when seungmin hears this, he simply shrugs and urges jeongin to simply message you and get over it since the two of you are connected on social media anyway. but still, jeongin takes another hour to message you with a simple, “hi, i got your e-mail. should i forward it to you?” even closing his laptop in a hurry and running back into the comfort of his blanket as soon as he hears the dreadful ping of the messenger app. he knows he shouldn’t be flustered to message you, especially with something as important as your acceptance letter, but he can’t help but feel weak in the knees at the thought of having to talk to you again after almost a year because all he can think about is that he really shouldn’t have rejected you in that offer to go to the movies in the first place. 

what’s worse is that, since he sent the message over online, his thoughts can’t help but overthink your simple “really? here’s my e-mail” reply that comes not even a second after he sends his message—even more your follow-up reply of “i got yours too btw! i’ll forward it to you when you forward mine” when he doesn’t reply immediately. jeongin’s fingers uncontrollably shake as he musters up the courage to reply, face blushing red the entire time as he e-mails you your acceptance letter. all this time, considering how the two of you haven’t talked in a long time, he only thinks about one ambitious thought: “is it a bad time? to bring up that movie offer again?” 

[mookoo-writes]

~Dice and Secrets~ (Ford x Reader)

Authors Note: I just played Swooning Over Stan’s and-

Fandom: Gravity Falls

Pairing(s): Stanford Pines x Reader

Warning(s): Gender Neutral Reader, Cursing probably, nerds crushing on each other, post Weirdmageddon

Anyway, please enjoy~

“Roll for initiative!”

The sound of groans along with multiple rolling dice echoed through the hall. It was 1 in the morning and the shake was silent besides the occasional dice hitting the table. 

Why were you up this late? That’s simple. You were continuing a Dungeons, Dungeons, and more Dungeons campaign along with avoiding being caught playing such a game. Why you kept it a secret from everyone, you couldn’t say. This was just one of your guilty pleasures along with going to Renaissance Faires and dressing up. 

You had picked this time to avoid the risk of someone busting down the door and seeing the pile of multicolored dice scattered across your desk. Your friends didn’t have a problem with it since they live in a different time zone where your a couple hours ahead of them, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t question you with your suggested meet up time. They had eventually got the reason out of you, which resulted in the topic of Ford. You hadn’t talked about your feelings for him to anyone until that moment, so you may or may not have gushed for a few minutes like a lovesick high schooler. 

“Damn it Manny, why did you kick that rock.” Your friend scolded while multiple pieces of paper were being shuffled around. “I didn’t know there was an orc camp behind the bushes!” Your other friend groaned with a sigh. “At least we just healed. Oh, and I rolled a 16.” You added to the conversation, juggling the 20 sided die between your fingers. 

The DM looked up at his papers and rolled his dice a couple times. “Okay first in the order is one of the orcs. He is going to attack your player Y/n since they are standing the closest. I’m going to need you to make a saving throw.” You groan and mentally cursed your friend. 

At that moment a certain someone wandered out of his lad and up the stairs to the hallway your room was located. The familiar sound of a die hitting a hard surface made his attention go towards your slightly cracked door. A mental battle ran through his head as to whether to take a peak or not. Ford was just going to ignore it until he heard your voice along with some unfamiliar ones. His curiosity got the best of him and stepped closer to your door. 

“That’s a 9 but with the modifiers that will be… 15.” Your mental math abilities were a bit slow considering it was so late at night. “Okay… you only suffer a mere scratch to the arm from the orcs double headed battleaxe.” You silently cheered to yourself while pumping your fists. Your friends laughed at your actions until one of them had spotted someone in your doorway. They were about to say something to you until they closely examined the man; Glasses, trench coat and a red turtleneck sweater underneath. So that was the man you were gushing about a few calls ago. They could have fun with this. That same friend made a group chat with everyone in the call except you to tell them what plan had unfolded in their head. Everyone read the message and looked at you with a large grin. 

“Y/n, you don’t have headphones or earbuds in do you?” One of them asked. “No, no I don’t. I couldn’t find them. Why do you ask?” You rose a brow at your friend before going back to juggling your dice. She merely gave you a sly smile before replying, “No reason.” You glanced at her before dismissing her question. 

“Y/n your rolls have been on point this session!” Another friend pitched in with an enthusiastic tone. “Thanks, I have to make sure I’m not on the brink of death unlike last time.” You chuckled to yourself at the memory of an intense battle that went on last session. You were about to ask about the battle that was currently going on until someone else cut you off.

“Oh! That reminds me, have you finished your Ren Faire costume yet Y/n?” Okay this is weird. Usually all of you are focused on defeating the opposite opponents, but even your DM is getting off track. “Um, No? I still need to add small touches to the staff but I don’t see how this is relevance to the ga-” You were cut off once again, them completely ignoring your question.

“You still have that extra ticket or have you asked him yet?”

It was at that moment Ford could feel the grins of your friends being directed to him with one of them giving a wink.

The question made you freeze in your seat, face becoming slightly red. Where is all of this coming from? “N-no and I don’t think I will. I don’t have the confidence in that, hah.” You gave a sad chuckle and rubbed the back of your neck in embarrassment. 

Fords face became flush when he connected the dots; the sudden stop in your campaign with a question completely irrelevant to what was happening along with the stairs and grins thrown his way. Were you really going to ask him or do your friends think he’s someone else? 

“I don’t think he would have time, anyway. He’s always in the basement working on various projects and I would hate to take up so much of his time.” Your tone sounded sad and a bit disappointed. You saw one of your friend’s frown at your words before speaking up. “Going by the things you have already told us, I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to go,” That friend glanced over at Ford. “but if he makes you upset in any way, you bet I’ll book a ticket to fly over and kick his ass.”

Ford nervously swallowed at your friend’s stern words. One of his fingers were hooked at the edge of his collar as his face deepened in red at the thought of you asked him out. Not only that, but going to a Ren Faire in costume and everything! Believe it or not, but he had always wanted to take a special someone to an event like this. It had always been one of his dreams to share the world of fantasy and magic with a romantic partner, but lost hope the older he got. 

Your friend looked back at you and said with a closed eye smile, “Oh yea, they also have cosplay stuff stored in the back of their closet along with a 6 foot foam sword they made! You can’t hide your nerd self forever Y/n!” 

“Who are you talking too…” You turn around in your chair and make direct eye contact with the one person you didn’t want to see. The die you were holding dripped to the flour with a thud as you stare at Ford with wide eyes. 

You quickly turn back around and muted your friends before they could say anything embarrassing (as if they didn’t already). “How… much did you hear?” You hid your face in your hands, trying to hide your beat red face. Ford fiddled with the collar of his sweater yet again, trying to find the right words. “I’ve heard enough.” He steps into the door, closing the door behind him. 

You take a deep breath, wondering if you just destroyed your friendship. “Please, just… forget that every happen.” Ford rose a brow. “Why would I do that? You haven’t even asked me yet.” 

You paused at his words. What? “What do you mean?” You uncovered your face with a confused look plastered on it. Ford walked over to where you had dropped your 20 sided die and picked it up. “Well, you haven’t asked me if I wanted to go or not.” He looked at you, a small smile along with a shade of red dusted his face. “You would want to go with me?” Your voice still sounding confused but with a hint of hope in your words. “Of course! That sounds like a lovely time!” Ford held out the dice for you to take while his other hand rubbed the back of his neck. “That is, if you’ll have me.” You took the die out of his hand, figures brushed together briefly before pulling away. A small smile rose to your lips as you held the 20 sided die in your palm.

“Yea, I’d like that.”

Bonus:

After Ford left your room, you unmuted your chat. “That was one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen!” Your one friend yeld. Your face turned beat red at her words. You had to turn down the volume until she was done gushing about how romantic that was. “H-how did you hear that? I thought I was on mute?” You questioned while hiding your face with your hands. The DM chuckled to himself. “You muted us, not yourself. We all heard and saw everything.”

You’re not going to hear the end of this. 

[plumeriaheart]

Hi~ I saw you were looking for requests, so here I have some. Can I get d, h & k with Mammon, Levi and Beel? :3

SFW Headcanon asks 💞  | currently accepting

THANK U SO MUCH... Those are some good boys and I’d be happy to write for them!! This got really long, so I put h & k under a read more~

D = Dream(What do they dream of doing with their s/o?)

MAMMON has extravagant dreams: he wants to take his s/o on the most expensive dates, shower them with anything they could ever ask for and then some. He wants to spend all of his money on you. Please, make sure he doesn’t actually do this -- Mammon is absolutely terrible with money, and it’s the thought that counts to you, right? You’ll have to stop him from buying you whatever interests you, but he’ll still try to buy some gifts for you. Few things beat the way your face brightens up when he gets you something you’ve wanted for a while, and it’s worth the embarrassing blush on his face. More importantly, though, Mammon has smaller dreams, too. When he imagines you waking up next to him, being able to see your smile first thing in the morning, or holding you in his arms as you drift to sleep... It’s a bliss that rivals even Goldie.

LEVI dreams of having a s/o that understands and supports his interests. He gets self conscious enough as it is, and doubts will flare up every so often. What he really wants to do with you, though, is simple -- a couple’s cosplay, going to a convention with you, taking you to his favourite idols concerts’... While he can ask you for the latter, he’d be very hesitant to ask you to do a couple’s cosplay with him. What if you don’t want to be seen with him? What if he ends up making you look bad in his cosplay? What if somebody else wears his costume better than him?! It’s a wish he won’t voice, but should you be the one to bring it up to him... He’d jump at the opportunity. Levi will need some reassurance; he’d look at you and see how great you look (a normie, at that! How is it fair that you look so amazing cosplaying that character?!) and compare it to himself, thinking about how there are so many more attractive people than him. Feel free to shut him up with a kiss; it will leave him bright red and stammering, but he’ll forget his insecurities long enough for you to shower him with compliments. 

BEEL, as expected of him, dreams of a s/o that won’t judge him for his hunger. It’s not something he can help, after all, and he’d rather not deal with more judgement than that of his brothers. It would be too easy to say that he dreams of going to every restaurant with you, but he does. But that’s every date the two of you go on, and soon enough you find that there aren’t many restaurants left that you haven’t visited yet. And though he dreams of somebody to cook for him for the rest of his life, he is aware of how huge a task that would be. Beel wouldn’t want to burden you with that, but he doesn’t have to -- you find joy in preparing meals for him and seeing his face light up every single time. It’s simple, sure, but Beel doesn’t need much more than that. However, he will go out of his way to take you to new places if you’re up for it. There’s a new fast food joint two towns over? He’ll make sure that he can take you there sometime. A restaurant, the first of it’s kind, opens up in a city three hours away from where you live? Well, buckle up, because this demon wants to experience new dishes with you -- he finds they taste much better when he gets to enjoy them with you.

H = Hugs(Do they hug their s/o? How often?)

MAMMON prefers to be the one that gets hugged, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t pull you into a hug when he longs for your warmth. Which is to say... almost always. Sure, he’s going to blush and say about how he’s doing this for you, but both of you know that his heart skips a beat when your arms wrap around him. He’s clingy, and if you let him, he’ll have an arm around you or you sitting on his wrap whenever you’re hanging out -- just to make sure none of the other brothers could get any ideas, okay? It’s not that he wants to feel your warmth or for the scent of your hair to fill his nose or... Please give him his daily dose of hugs, or you’ll have a pouting demon to deal with for the rest of the day.

LEVI is the type of person that wants to hug you, but struggles to find the courage to do so. Most of his hugs happen in the spur of the moment, and he’ll stutter apologies once he’s fully aware of the hug. It’s more likely for you to hug him, and though he’ll ask what you’re doing, his arms eventually find their way around your waist. If you’re the one initiating the hug, it’s okay for him to hug you back, right? The longer you’re with him, the more used to it he’d get. Levi is especially prone to hugging you close when he starts to feel jealous, and he won’t have any qualms about doing so right that second. You’re free to continue doing whatever you want, as long as you don’t mind Levi clinging to you and glaring at whoever looks at you for too long while you do it.

BEEL gives you all of the hugs you could ever want. He’s not shy about it at all, and he would love to give you hugs whenever he gets a chance to. They’re all bear hugs, of course, and there is no place safer than his arms. Aside from that, you’ll be able to see a warm smile on his face every time he hugs you, and his smiles -- have you seen them? They’re bright enough to chase away rain clouds. Beel would love to wrap his arms around you from behind, resting his head on top of yours; and he’d love to have you laying on his chest, arms wrapped around you protectively. This boy will take any chance he gets to hug you, and each time, you’ll be able to feel your heart skip a beat.

K = Kiss(Are they a good kisser? Do they like to kiss? How often do they try to kiss you?)

MAMMON thinks he’s a great kisser, but his kisses are greedy. This is to be expected, of course, coming from the Great Mammon himself. Don’t let him know you think his kisses are anything but perfect... But even if you do, that won’t stop him from kissing you again. How else is he supposed to get better if not through your help? Besides, it should be an honour to be kissed by him...! Mammon isn’t too fond of kissing, if only because it awakens a hunger inside of him that he tries to suppress. If he wasn’t trying to hold back all the time, he would be kissing you 24/7 -- and as much as he’d love to have you all to himself, he knows it’s just not reasonable. The best kisses for Mammon are the ones that you initiate, putting your all into them, because they make him and his needs feel validated.

LEVI is... not a great kisser. Not in the beginning, at least -- he picks up on it quickly, if you let him. For the same reason, he doesn’t like kissing all that much. Sure, he wants to kiss you, but what if you kiss him and realise he’s not that great? You could do so much better than him, and he’s reminded of that when his lips clumsily meet yours. You have to tell him that you don’t mind, that you find his inexperience with kissing to be adorable, and perhaps you’re even willing to teach him how to get better? All that aside, you’ll have to be the one to initiate the kisses. Same as with hugs, he’ll get more used to it over time, but be prepared to initiate the majority of kisses yourself. 

BEEL is an okay kisser. He’s able to be passionate, but more often than not his kisses will be rather simple. He shows his affection through hugs rather than kisses. That isn’t to say that he doesn’t like kissing you, because he loves the way your lips feel against his. Usually, he’ll kiss you during times when he feels overjoyed, looking for a way to express his happiness with you. Most often, his kisses will be a bit clumsy, if only because he wasn’t expecting to kiss you in the first place. But those times that he intends to kiss you? Be prepared to be knocked off your feet; quite literally, because Beel would easily pick you up in the heat of the moment, bringing your face closer to his so it’s easier to keep kissing you. Afterwards, he’d feel a bit embarrassed that he let go of himself like that, but if you let him know you didn’t mind, he’ll give you a quick nod and a smile. One great way to get him to kiss you, though, is to wear flavoured lipgloss. Just be warned that you may not be able to get away from him once he gets a first taste.

[adragonhoardingstories]

Of Blood and Bonds- Chapter 5

@mystery-5-5 @synnesstra @thesunanditsangel

@abrx2002 @clumsy-owl-4178 @daminett4life @zalladane

@heaven428 @unmaskedagain

@dawnwave16 @kris-pines04 @emeraldpuffguide @hypnosharkrebeldreamer

@weird-pale-blonde-person

@ravennightingaleandavatempus

@persephonebutkore

@be-happy-every-day-please @blue-peach14 @annabellabrookes

@jaynintodd @st0rmy-w1th1n @bluerosette23 @ladysblackcat @18-fandoms-unite-08

@vixen-uchiha @novicevoice @jessigurl-design @tinyterror333

@rebecarojas07 @sparkle9510 @magicalfirebird @mewwitch @shamefullove

@ravennightingaleandavatempus

@sassydepression @caffeinetheory

@reyna-avila-ramirez-alreanaldo

@krispydefendorpolice @mermaidofthelost @drarryismylife101 @ladybug-182 @northernbluetongue @i-like-fairytail-and-stuff @iloontjeboontje @mjisntme

Tag list for this is closed!

On that note, this book will contain swearing, mentions of rape and torture. I will try not be explicit but that's really relative. Read at your own risk. There will be warning before if I make a explicit scene so that you can skip it.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy and don't hunt me down for this.

Happy New Year

---------------------------------------------

Another day she had needed to spend with the idiots in her class. Once again, she felt like cursing her parents. 

Marinette was by all means done with Lycée, she was following University courses but after Tom and Sabine had disowned her in all but name, it's not like they knew that. Most of her old relations had no idea what she was up to and it suited her not seeing them ever again. 

But despite everything, the Dupain-Chengs she didn't consider herself one anymore did to her, they still didn't want her to dishonour their family even more so they made an arrangement with her and her Lycée.

She had to at least show up for the exams and any school functions and they would leave her alone to do as she pleased instead of sending her to a boarding school and well with all her responsibilities, she never really had a choice. 

Which brought her here - on the Gotham Field Trip. She really didn't know why they had even sent her here, they were only wasting their money and Sabine must have known that the chances of her meeting Bruce were high, especially since their activities were centered around Wayne Enterprises.

Today they were going to be assigned to one person they had to shadow all day - it was supposed to help them get some actual job experience. 

Marinette was chosen to shadow the CEO - how surprising - and it just so happened that today was one of the rare days Bruce Wayne was in the company so she would have the pleasure of helping both him and Tim depending on who needed her most - yay her. 

She was willing bet her future fashion empire that Bruce had orchestrated this in an attempt to get a chance to talk to her. 

However she had to admire that one good thing come out of this - Lila Rossi got served. 

Like she had mentioned it before, she didn't have anything to do with her past classmates except the bare minimum but it seemed even now the liar still felt threatened by her every time they met. And honestly, she couldn't care less except that wench was the reason her parents had turned against her and of course how could we forget the worse thing of all? That Lila Rossi was willingly working with Hawkmoth - a known terrorist. 

So the jobs had been announced and Lila has started her usual act and name dropping and oh there must have been a mistake, Timothy told me that I would be chosen to work with him since I'm already used to helping him. That had received a sharp look from the one delegating and a simple comment about Miss Rossi you are to report to our legal team, they have something prepared especially for you. Seeing Lie-La pale and shut up so yeah that had been the highlight of her day. 

But now, now she was most certainly going to be forced to speak to her father and she kind of wished that Lila had succeeded for once. 

Just as the lady she had grown to like was about to show her the way, her father magically appeared not really, she had seen him hiding in the shadows for the last five minutes and offered to guide her himself. 

As she predicted, he said nothing else, until they were in his office but once the doors were closed… 

"Mari-" He started to speak but then the doors banged open and a haggard looking Tim Drake stumbled in. 

"Nette, I heard I got you today. Thank fuck I didn't get one of the brats." He stumbled in on the couch, paying Bruce no mind and grinned at her. "Plus, I get sister bonding time so win-win for me."

Marinette looked from him to Bruce. "You have impeccable timing." She informed him. "So I'm going to make you coffee."

"You are an angel." He declared. "An absolute angel. Now I understand why Damian likes you so much."

Marinette laughed it off. "Damian likes me because I don't call him Demon Spawn Timbers."

"In my defense." He groaned. "He was a brat back then and now, well it's basically a nickname. Call it brother's privilege if you want. And he knows it."

Marinette smiled gently at him as she placed a cup of coffee in front of him and Bruce, and sat down drinking her own cup. "Does he know that?"

Tim blinked at her, a thoughtful expression taking place on his face. 

It lasted until he tasted the coffee, then it was replaced by awe. 

"This is so good, how is this so good, it's literally the same thing I drink everyday? Can you work for me permanently?"

She was amused and this conversation seemed to shock her father so it was a plus. "But Timmy, if I change my career how are you going to get your special MDC suits?"

That strangely made him go serious. 

"About that, I needed to talk to you." 

Marinette raised an eyebrow, this should be good. 

"What would you think if Wayne Enterprises becomes the main sponsor for MDC?" 

She leant back in her seat crossing her feet and took a long sip of her drink. 

"Now why would I agree to that?"

Tim looked surprised while she was careful to keep her own face carefully blank but he recovered quick enough and seemed to thrive on the challenge. 

Marinette could pinpoint the exact moment when he changed to his game face. "Why wouldn't you? This in the long term will benefit you especially when you decide to release your line or officially start your company."

"Who said anything about releasing a line? Right now I'm on a clientele only basis and the greatest thing about MDC right now is my anonymity. My business is flourishing and I'm on high demand, especially among celebrities so you can imagine the price I get for each of my works. Why would I want to change that?"

"While that is true, the novelty will eventually wash off. Your designs may be good enough for you to get some loyal customers but you won't be as you put it in high demand anymore. And I may have known you for only a while, but I doubt you haven't planned for the future."

Marinette could admit, she was a little impressed. "Also true, but I'm currently a millionaire and have more than enough money to launch a line by myself."

Tim opened his mouth to interrupt but she continues before he could.

"And yes, I do understand how accepting your offer will benefit me more but signing with you also means that will represent my brand and how can I - bearing my own interests in mind - accept knowing is publicly involved with Wayne Enterprises?"

He looked completely lost and Marinette was probably having more fun that she should with this. "I'm not sure I follow?"

"I mean that even if people don't outright state it, everyone knows that the Wayne finances and outfits the Gotham vigilantes."

"And your point is?" The poor boy was going to make her say it. 

"Your costumes are a fashion disaster Timmy, an eyesore if not a horror?" 

"They're not that bad!"

"Do not get me started on the first Robin's costume. Were you not in your right mind when you allowed it?" For the first time in the day, she spoke to Bruce. 

"Wait, you know?" She shot Tim a questioning look. Why hadn't told him, she figured it out? The boy just shrugged and she sighed. 

"It's not that difficult to figure out Bats. You and Mom literally met while you training in extreme martial arts and the way she described you doesn't match up with the idea the media has of you so I was already suspicious and then I met them and I saw them in costume, they have the same build and everything and their alibi was frankly terrible. Also the rate at which you take in kids matches with the appearance of each new Robin."

"When was the last time you got your IQ tested?" He demanded. 

Marinette elected to ignore that comment in favour of finishing her conversation with Tim. "So?"

"So if I get everyone to agree to a costume redesign by you, you'll sign?"

"I get to re-design and remake all of your costumes as well as become the go to for the family for all your events."

"That's a lot of conditions."

She shrugged, a smile playing on her lips. "Those are my terms but if you'd like, you can consider the part about your costumes a favor to you sister so that she doesn't get a heart attack everytime she sees you suited up."

"I'll agree as long as you admit you're exaggerating."

Marinette gave him a deadpan look. "Have you ever seen the Red Hood helmet. I have nightmares about it."

He considered it. "Yeah okay that's fair. So should I start working on the papers?"

Marinette shook her head. "I'm going to rebrand once and for all once I'm 18 along with my face reveal."

"Rebrand, why?"

"Like you rightly pointed out two nights ago MDC stands for Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Well I don't want to be a Dupain-Cheng for longer than I have to. I'll be changing my name hence the rebranding."

"Would you consider Wayne?" Bruce asked softly. Marinette paused. She had been considering taking Master Fu's name actually. "I don't know B."

"I'll leave you two to talk." Tim said slowly getting up and she would have protested but she could not run from this forever and the Kwami pressing against her leg seemed to agree. 

"Yeah just…" She took out her phone and send him a contact. "That's my lawyer, you can send her the papers to review. I'll talk to her about it."

Tim checked his phone and went slack jawed. "Elle Woods. Elle Woods is your lawyer." He threw his hands up in defeat. "I don't know why I'm still surprised at this point but I'm gonna ask, how did you get her to work for you?"

"She's one of my regulars. "

"Of course she is." Tim muttered. Marinette watched silently as he went to refill his cup of coffee but ended up taking the whole coffee machine with him and walked out of the door. 

Marinette turned to Bruce. She was not looking forward to this but she sighed and got up. "I'm supposed to be working so give me something to do."

"I thought you agreed we need to talk Marinette."

"I never agreed to anything." She reminded him. "But yes we'll talk." She pointed a finger at him. "While I work. So, give me something to do."

"You need this to be on your terms." He noted. 

"I know you've researched what happened. After having been stripped from my senses and having my will taken away from me, yes I do enjoy being in control." She dared him to say something. "So. Give. Me. Something. To. Do."

"You can arrange the paper on the desk. According to the project names, put it in alphabetical order with A being on top."

Marinette set to work without another word. Bruce took that as his cue to start speaking. 

"You know about Batman. The year I stopped talking to you was when when I was assumed dead-"

"Then why?" She cut in sharply. "Did Alfred not even deign inform me that my father was dead? Or what about after you came back?"

He stayed silent. 

"The truth B is that even before that you were speaking to me less and less. Your phone calls, rare as they were, were always so short I was never able to tell you what i wanted." She gave out a humorless laugh. "You know I used to be scared that you didn't want me. I mean why else would you keep me a secret from your other children? So I didn't complain because I didn't want to stop having the little time you even gave to me. Guess, I was right in the end."

"No." He stood up and came to stand in front of her. "Marinette sweetie, please believe me. I fell in love with you from the moment I saw you. I've never not wanted you but my lifestyle was always very dangerous but I never realised how much it really was until Jason died and then shortly after I returned Damian died. Every child of mine has been traumatized in some way by my enemies. I didn't want the same to happen to you. There are villains out there who know who I am. I got scared Marinette, distancing myself from you was me trying to protect you. I know - I know it doesn't excuse me not being there for you but you need to know I am so so sorry. Please let me make it up to you. "

Marinette felt the kwamis on her person press against her, offering their silent support. 

"I'm willing to try." She said at last, finishing arranging the last of the documents. She looked up at him and could basically read the hope in his expression. "But you need to give me space. I'm not coming to live in Gotham nor am I going to defer to you. I've built my own life, you're not going to interfere with in. You can be in it but you don't get to try and change things."

"Okay, okay I can work with that."

"Then you've got yourself a deal." Marinette offered him her hand to shake and he did shake it but right after, he pulled her in a hug. 

Bruce realized his mistake when Marinette stiffened up but she relaxed in his arms and she slowly, almost hesitantly clutched his shirt, like a small child holding their dad's shirt, trying to hide in his arms. 

And a father's heart broke all over again.

[eastofthemoon]

Manage to write this Ducktales fic for Halloween. Enjoy!

Title: Afterthought

Rating: G

Characters: Darkwing Duck and Launchpad

Summary: Drake is trying to make plans for Halloween, but doesn't realize how extensive Launchpad's are. 

Archive of Our Own

--------------------------------------------------------

“Almost there...just a bit more,” Drake muttered as he carved off the last bit of pumpkin. He grinned as he stepped back to admire his work.

His Darkwing Duck jack-o-lantern. He had carved every detail of the eyes, the beak and that ever-so-confident smile.

“Almost perfect,” Drake said aloud as he reached into the trunk and carefully lifted out the items required. “Just need to put on the final touch and voila!”

The small hat, mask and cape fit the pumpkin perfectly!

Drake took a photo to share with the DWD Fanclub, reaching for his coffee as it uploaded. “Much better than all those Gizmoduck pumpkins, if I do say so myself.” 

He took a sip, but spat it out moments later, coughing as he looked into the mug. Why had his drink betrayed him with its bitterness? The answer, naturally, laid in the abyssal darkness of the liquid before him.

“Ah,” Drake grumbled. “I always forget the milk.”

He muttered to himself as he went into his fridge and snagged the milk carton. As he added it to his coffee, he glanced to his calendar.

“Haven’t heard from LP for a couple of days,” he said aloud.

Launchpad had told Drake he was going to be busy with preparations and wouldn’t see him for a bit. That hadn’t bothered Drake since they had just spent a week marathoning the entire TV run of Darkwing Duck, trying out another fan's recommended watching order. 

Besides, Drake knew some people took decorating for Halloween seriously, and LP did like committing whole-heartedly to things.  He was getting a bit of a foreboding feeling from the plans, though; from what Drake had seen of Launchpad's crayon blueprint scribblings, this was going to be on a whole new level.  And much as he didn't want to bother him, it had been close to a week since they'd spoken.

Maybe giving Launchpad a call would help - and if anyone could appreciate his masterpiece for Halloween, it would be his literal partner in fighting crime.  Drake reached for the cell phone and hit dial. He heard the beeping as he took another sip of his drink and swallowed it in time to hear his partner answer.

His ear was greeted by the loud whirring of a chainsaw.

Drake nearly dropped the phone until the roar stopped and he heard Launchpad’s voice. “Hey, DW!”

“Uh, hey, LP,” Drake answered as he lowered his cup. “You okay there?” He narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t crash into your toolshed while answering the phone again did you?”

There was a deep sigh. “I wish,” Launchpad replied. “Sorry, I was just finishing final preparations for..the night.”

Drake sipped his coffee again. “How is that going, anyway?  You've been keeping kinda quiet.”

Launchpad clicked his tongue. “Well, the inner barricade is pretty solid structurally.  I've got enough fuel to keep the burners going, but I think I need more metal sheets for the outer wall.”

Drake raised an eyebrow. Just how big was he planning to make this thing?  And - burners?

“Since I assume you’re staying put I figured I'd stop by your place once I was done patrol for the night,” Drake replied.

There was a gasp from the other end.  “YOU’RE PLANNING ON GOING OUT?!”

“Sure,” Drake said as he set down his mug, placing his  hand on his hip. “Crime doesn’t take a night off just because it’s a spooky night.  I mean, the new mayor is talking about having crime take a vacation, but that's just talk”

“Oh DW,” Launchpad said as it sounded like he was tearing up. “You’re the bravest hero I know.”

“Uh thanks,” Drake replied. 

He was of course brave - braver than Gizmoduck at any rate, and there weren't any other heroes he knew of around - but the enthusiasm was welcome.  It was a bit much, though; Drake was just going to make certain no one tried to do any pranks on innocent victims or steal some kid’s candy. It wasn’t that huge of a deal.

“I can pick up a pizza and we can relax with a movie?” Drake continued.

“If we survive the night,” Launchpad replied in a dark tone.

“You...really get into the spirit,” Drake replied.

“What do you mean-” Launchpad started but then cut himself off. “Oh, wait, got to go. Delivery guy is here with the barbed wire. Got to go!”

Drake barely had time to say bye before he heard a click and put his phone away.

“I really don’t get the theme he’s going for but at least he’s dedicated,” Drake muttered.

-------------------------------------------------------

“You jerk! Give it back!” a kid dressed up as a cupcake yelled.

The Beagle Boy laughed as he began to rummage through the kid’s treat bag.  “Finders keepers squirt!”  

“You didn’t find it, you stole it,” the kid dressed as a fire truck said as he tried to yank back the bag.

“Still found it, still mine,” the Beagle Boy replied as he shoved the kid back. “Now scram before I-”

“I AM THE TERROR THE FLAPS IN THE NIGHT!”

The Beagle Boy and his victims all froze as they looked around.

“I AM THE CANDY CORN THAT LIES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BAG FOR MONTHS!”

“Blackarts?” the Beagle Boy said aloud. “That you?  If this is a prank-”

“I AM DARKWING DUCK!” 

The Beagle Boy was greeted with a kick to the face. He grunted as he fell back and tossed the candy bag in the air. Darkwing flipped, caught the bag and tipped his hat at the Beagle Boy.

“If you want candy, you’ll have to go trick-or-treating like everyone else,” Darkwing Duck cried. He held up a fist. “So leave these kids alone or else.”

The Beagle Boy grunted and glared. “Or else what?”

Darkwing Duck grinned and brought his face closer. “You want to find out?”

The Beagle Boy sweated, trying to stand his ground, but then growled as he began to step backwards. “He didn’t have any good candy anyway.”  He grumbled under his breath. 

The kids came closer as they watched the Beagle Boy retreat and then joyfully looked up to Darkwing. 

“Thanks, mister,” said the cupcake kid.

“You are welcome,” Darkwing said triumphantly as he handed back the bag. “Anything to help a citizen.”

“You got a great costume too, but I thought it was supposed to be red,” said the fire truck kid.

Darkwing halted and forced a smile. “Um..this isn’t a costume. I am Darkwing Duck! Avenger of the weak and...what are you doing?”

Both kids reached into their bags and held out a piece of candy out for him.

“Here you go,” the cupcake kid replied. “Only fair you get candy too!”

Darkwing decided to let the correction go and took the candy. “Thanks, kiddos! Now you'd best get home before it gets too late.”

“Okay, we will,” said the fire truck kid as they waved and ran off.

Darkwing sighed as he unwrapped the candies and popped them into his mouth. “Fourth time tonight,” he muttered. “Oh well, at least they kind of appreciate me.”

Suddenly his phone rang. Darkwing reached for his phone and saw it was Launchpad’s number.

Didn’t think I was running that late, Darkwing replied as he answered. “LP?”

“IT’S A HOLIDAY!” Launchpad shouted so loud Darkwing had to pull the phone away from his ear. “IT’S JUST KIDS DRESSED UP IN COSTUMES! AND THEY GIVE OUT CANDY AND-”

“Whoa, whoa, LP slow down,” Darkwing replied. “What are you talking about?”

Launchpad quickly told him the summary of his night and with each passing word Darkwing could only blink dumbly.

“Let me get his straight,” Darkwing said as he found a bench to sit on. “You thought this whole night was cursed because you read an ‘ancient scroll’ which was actually a candy wrapper and that all the trick-or-treaters were demons.”

“Yeah, funny huh?” Launchpad said with a laugh.

Darkwing was flabbergasted. Then suddenly the conversations the past few weeks flew into his brain and they took on a different meaning. 

“I really need to practice my detective skills.”

“Say again?” Launchpad asked.

Darkwing shook his head. “Nothing. My patrol’s almost done. Want me to stop by your place?”

“Sure! I’m just going to get this free candy from Mister McD, but I’ll meet you at my place.” Launchpad laughed. “Man, it’s a relief to know I don’t have to fight off eldritch horrors in October.”

Darking chuckled. “Yeah, I’ll bet-”

“Now I just have to worry about the flying archers in February,” Launchpad said darkly.

Darkwing went silent. “Come again?”

“It happens every winter.  Crimson streaks everywhere marking the resting places of the fallen, hunters around every corner seeking out new prey,” Launchpad continued. “I'm starting to suspect they're assassins - their targets marked with the design of the beating heart they seek to still.”

Darkwing clicked his tongue. “Launchpad, have you ever heard of a Valentine?”

“Valen-what?”

DW rubbed his forehead and made a note to have a long chat with him.

[teamhook]

The song in your heart... Burlesque :|:CSMM

This is my second submission for the @captainswanmoviemarathon

Thanks to everyone in the Discord for letting me bounce ideas and for all the help.

Thanks to @ultraluckycatnd for Beta services :)

The story is loosely inspired by Burlesque, it will not be a retell of the movie. I hope you guys enjoy reading it.

Art by @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713

Summary: Small town girl Emma Swan moves to L.A. to follow her dreams. The best view on the Sunset Strip becomes her home. But is she bound to find true love in a dashing bartender? 

AO3

FFN

The bright sunlight is the first thing the blonde sees as she exits the bus station. This is what she had saved for. Hours of tedious work at that hole in the wall diner. Sure she didn't plan beyond the trip, but she couldn't help the smile that engulfed her face. This was her first step in making her dreams come true.

She secures her duffel bag after checking her money stash. First, she needs to find a place to sleep.

She really should have done some research before leaving Storybrooke. She pulls out her phone and does a quick search for cheap hotels. The thought of being in such a big city for a small-town girl should be scary, but there was no time for fear. I am not nothing, I was never nothing.

She can't believe she is riding in a taxi. Sure, she's from Maine, but even they've heard of Uber. The car stops suddenly. "Miss, we've arrived."

She looks out the window and smiles at the man. She hands him his fare. "Thank you." She grabs her bag and leaps out.

The hotel is the least expensive one she can find, and she pays for a week in advance. She's tired, so tomorrow her search for a job will start.

The next day, the blonde, Emma, is full of energy. She has been applying online but decides the old way can still work. First, she needs to get something to eat. She enters a small diner that reminds her of home and circles a few printed ads while she has her lunch.

She walks the Sunset Strip, trying her luck at a few bars looking for new talent with no luck. She sighs and makes her way to the next one. The day ended quickly as her feet clicked on the pavement.

The darkened street is lit by a lounge's marquee with inviting lights. On the balcony, a woman smiles. The blonde crosses the street hurriedly and her eyes fall onto the enticing poster calling for her to enter the lounge. The entrance walls are filled with images of old-timey beauties of the past along with great singers and dancers, and the music caught her attention, drawing her further in.

"We don't have windows but we do have the best view on the Sunset Strip. Twenty dollars, come on honey. Help a man out."

"Excuse me?" she replies as she was taken out of the enchantment of the music.

"Fill out this fine establishment," he smiles hopefully.

She looks around the jammed room and asks, "Is this a stripper club?"

"No, no. Darling, I should wash your mouth. You haven't seen anything like this before. You won't find a pole inside unless you count the waitress. Come on." He extended his hand out for the fee.

Emma bites her bottom lip. She digs into her jeans pocket, pulls out a twenty-dollar bill, and hesitantly hands it to him.

He smiles brightly and invitingly points to the lounge. "Enjoy!"

She's hesitant as she makes her way through the tables to the bar. The smile was instant; she loves music, it's her escape. She finds a stage with a group of beautiful women dancing and singing.

Show a little more

Show a little less

Add a little smoke

Welcome to Burlesque

The bar is full but what she really needs is a drink.

"Lass, can I get you something to drink?" an accented voice calls for her attention. Her green eyes meet dazzling blue ones surrounded by kohl that enhance the color; the auburn-highlighted, dark-haired scruff unable to hide the square jaw surrounding luscious lips.

She smiles. "Only if you're buying."

"Welcome to L.A. and the Burlesque Lounge." He smiles brightly as he hands her the drink.

"Uhm, thanks." She smiles and turns her eyes back to the stage.

"So where are you from?"

"Oh, from a small town in Maine. How about you?"

"Ah, from Boston."

"Boston, you don't sound like you're from there."

He laughs, "Aye, originally from London but moved to Boston years ago. I still can't rid myself of my accent, I'm afraid. Killian Jones, at your service."

"Emma Swan. So tell me, who do I have to flirt with to get up there?" she says as she points to the stage.

Killian scratches behind his ear as his attention is turned temporarily towards the waitress. "Sweetheart, how about doing your job?"

The girl giggles. "Yes, Captain," turning to go to the nearest table.

"Sorry about that, Emma Swan, and if that's you flirting, you are in dire need of lessons," he smirks.

"I'm sorry. I'm not about to waste my talents on someone who wears more eyeliner than me," she smirks back.

He laughs. "Fair enough. Through that door over there, flirt away, Swan. Ask for Cora."

"Thanks."

"Oh, and Swan? Use my name." Killian smiles and starts pouring some liquor into a glass.

"Thank you." She follows his directions.

Behind the doors, it's complete chaos; girls running around half-dressed, rushing to get ready for the next act, all talking at once.

"We're on in five minutes, five minutes, ladies. Come on..." a deep voice comes through the speakers.

"I'm almost done!" one of the girls yells.

"Ladies, tick-tock, time is almost up," Henry says.

"Does anyone know where Zee is?" Cora asks, annoyed.

"All spotlights are supposed to pull in!" Henry screams.

"Ashley, your boyfriend is so hot!" another dancer says.

Cora sighs. "Tonight, Netflix and Chinese?" she asks Henry.

"Yes, I wouldn't miss it." Henry smiles fondly.

"Cora, I lost a contact lens on stage," Rory says.

"Alright, if you fall off the stage just remember you're still a princess," Cora says.

"You're a goddess," Henry reminds her.

"Thank you, Henryyyy!" Rory says with a bright smile, while Cora rolls her eyes.

"Jonathan, the sink is broken, again."

"I'm not calling a plumber, Tiana," Jonathan declares. "Cora, we need to talk about this letter."

Cora sighs dramatically. "Jonathan, how many times do I have to say it? I don't want to discuss this while I'm working."

"Cora, Graham Humbert is coming tonight."

"And what do you want me to do?" Cora asks.

"This isn't going away, Cora. You never want to discuss this. You avoid me like the plague," Jonathan says, holding a paper.

"I didn't divorce you so I could spend more time with you."

"I still own half of this place," he says and walks away.

Emma timidly walks up to the woman she saw on stage earlier. She is sitting regally in front of her mirror putting make-up on.

"Why are you in my mirror?" Cora asks with a raised brow.

"Excuse me, are you Cora? I'm looking for her. I'm friends with Killian and I'm looking for work."

Cora continues to refresh her make-up. "Where have you danced?"

"In front of my mirror at home, but I can dance."

Cora sighs. "Leave your information with Henry. He will let you know when we're having our next audition." Cora points to Henry.

"Uhm, do you know when I should expect the call?" Emma asks.

"Henry?" Cora calls out.

"Where the hell is Zee? She is really late!" Henry says, annoyed.

Emma quickly says, "I'm never late."

"That's good to know," Henry says. "Sweetheart, leave your details with Killian, your friend, and we'll be in touch. We are currently trying to run a show here."

Emma smiles. "I have never seen anything like that before. I need a job and I really want to work here."

"Sweetheart, I love the enthusiasm, but it's really bad timing. We'll be in touch. Promise," Henry says with a warm smile.

"Let's move, ladies!" Henry turns to the dancers, finally in their costumes.

Emma starts to walk out deflated when the door bursts open and a fiery red-head enters.

Cora and Henry both turn to her, matching mock smiles on their faces. "We are so happy you could make it. You missed the opening act and we were saying how amazing it would be if you made it to the next one."

"Sorry, I'm late, but beauty like mine takes time," she smirked as she started getting ready for her number.

"You know what else takes time, Zee? Finding a new job," Cora says with a deadly glare.

Zee laughed. "Yeah, right! You wouldn't have a show without me and you know it." Looking towards Emma, she orders, "Hey you, waitress. Get me a sour-apple martini A.S.A.P." She snaps her fingers as if by magic the drink would appear in her hand.

"Zee, she doesn't work here," Ashley said, smiling.

"Then she isn't busy, is she?" The redhead turns her attention to her mirror.

Emma stares back at the rude woman.

"Didn't your mama teach you it wasn't polite to stare?" Zee said mockingly.

Emma gasps, "I just can't help myself. You are so breathtaking."

Zee laughs, "Well, at least you have good taste. Stare away."

"You know, no one would ever guess." Emma smiles.

"Guess what?" Zee glares.

"That you're a man. Not that there's something wrong with that." Emma shrugs as she walks away.

Zee shrieks. "You little-"

Henry and Cora interrupt, "Zee, the show must go on."

Emma's on her way back to the bar as she notices the waitress from earlier flirting with a customer and ignoring the other patrons calling for her.

After a few stops, Emma finds her way to the bar. "I'll have a vodka and a cosmo for the big guy over there."

"Swan, what are you doing?" Killian asks.

"Killian, give me a chance and I'll show you I'm way better than her. She is too busy flirting to do her job. If I'm not better, you don't have to pay me," Emma pleads.

Killian sighs, "Alright. Let's see what you've got."

The next day, as Ashley starts the routine to 'Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend', Cora and Henry look on. The lounge is busy and the patrons are enthralled by the act on stage.

A kiss on the hand

may be quite continental

But diamonds are a girl's best friend

"Henry, isn't that girl the one that was backstage yesterday?"

Henry smiles, "I believe so."

Cora turns her attention to Killian. "Why is she tending to the customers?"

"She really needed the job and now she is our new waitress," Killian says.

Cora looks at the bartender. "Killian, darling. When did I make you, head of Personnel?"

"She just picked up a tray and started taking orders," he says as he scratches behind his ear.

Henry mutters, amazed. "Really?"

"Her name is Emma," Killian says with a hint of a smile.

Cora calls out, "Emma, hey Emma." She waves the young girl over.

Emma walks with purpose as if she's ready to fight to keep her newfound job.

Cora stands up and looks Emma up and down. She sighs. "You need to maximize your assets; you got them, show them. Work them to your advantage. Oh, and Emma, don't ever go behind my back again." The warning was evident in the older woman's voice.

Emma smiled, "Yes, ma'am."

"Emma, don't ever call me ma'am again," Cora hissed.

A flustered Emma replies, "Yes, sir. No, I mean your Highness. Cora."

Cora shakes her head. "Get on the floor, and remember to work it."

Tiffany's!

Cartier!

Black, Starr, Frost Gorham!

"Excuse me," a masculine voice calls to Emma.

Emma smiles. "Yeah, what can I get you?"

"Dewar's 18 on the rocks and a bottle of Dom for the table, and keep them coming. Oh, and will you let Zee know I'm here?"

"I'm sorry and you are…?" Emma asks.

"A Platinum member, Graham Humbert. And you are?"

"Emma," she replies.

"Emma," he repeats as she walks away.

Zee rushes backstage as she struggles to finish getting into her costume. She finds Henry looking on. "I know I'm late, but better late than never. What is that waitress doing here? I want her gone!"

"What did she ever do to you?" Henry asks.

"She said I looked like a man!" she scoffs.

Henry smiles. "Well, that can't be the first time you've heard that. Zee, go get dressed for the next act. Ashley had to go on in your place."

Zee shrieks, "Merlin, my spotlight!" She goes on stage and once there, pushes Ashley out of the way as she dances and lip-syncs.

"Damn it, Zelena!" Henry yells, frustrated. That girl is going to give him a heart attack.

I've heard of affairs that are strictly platonic

But diamonds are a girl's best friend…

"Emma!" Killian calls out. "Swan, what do you need?"

Emma snaps out of her singing daydream. "Dewar's 18 on the rocks and a bottle of Dom-"

"And keep them coming?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, so he is a regular then," Emma confirms.

"Graham Humbert, real estate tycoon and currently dating Zee," Killian says.

Emma sighs as her attention lands on the stage, "I wanna be up there."

He smiles as he finishes getting the order ready. "And do you have the talent?"

She nods, "Yes, I do."

"Good, you're up." He pushes the tray to her.

She rolls her eyes as she takes the tray.

He simply laughs.

Meanwhile, inside Cora's office in the back, Jonathan, Cora, and Graham are in conversation.

"Cora, the way I see it is simple. I assume all your financial obligations, and I pay you each five hundred thousand."

"Where is the partnership in that?" Cora turns to Jonathan.

"How about a partnership?" Jonathan asks Graham.

"Sorry, I'm not partner material. The deal is very generous. I leave with my final offer."

"Graham, tell me why is it that you want my club so badly?" Cora asks.

Graham shrugs. "I just like it, and when I see something I like, I have to have it."

"That must have made you very popular growing up as a kid," Cora snarks.

"I did okay."

"Cora, just think of what you could do with that money!" Jonathan says.

"You know what you can do with that money, Jonathan?"

"The way I see it is simple, you're in trouble and I'm in the position to help. We can all come out winners. Remember, you got that balloon payment due at the beginning of next month."

Cora turns angrily to Jonathan. "Seriously? Did you also tell him about the queen-of-hearts tattoo on my ass?"

"Of course not. This is just business."

"I don't think you will get another offer. At least not as generous as this one," Graham insists.

"Graham, I'm not interested. My club is not for sale," Cora says with finality.

"Think about it, the offer is on the table," Graham states before he leaves.

Zee has just returned backstage to get ready for the next number. as Emma arrives with drinks. "Ladies, here are your drinks!"

The girls stampede to get their drinks.

Cora makes her way through. "Wait one-second girls, which one of the drinks is Zee's?"

"Tom Collins and the shot," Emma replies.

Zee tries to grab the drink, but Cora beats her to it and drinks it with a smile on her face. "Here's mud in your eye, Zee.

Now I got a buzz, and you gotta change, you're on," Cora says.

"Just because you're my mother doesn't mean you can tell me what to do." Zee crosses her arms.

"Zee just go get ready," Cora demands with a look that could stop a beating heart.

Zee leaves in a huff.

Henry approaches Cora. "Honey, I don't know if you noticed, but was Jonathan talking to Graham Humbert?"

Cora sighs. "That would be because Graham wants to buy my club."

"Are you serious?" Henry replies.

Meanwhile, Emma hesitantly approaches the duo after hyping herself by the door.

"Cora, I was hoping I could run an idea by you," she stammers, "on how to make the show better. I know you are really busy but-"

"Speaking of the show, have you talked to Dave about the new vocals?" Henry asked Cora as he looked over the costumes.

"Vocals, that's exactly what I was trying to talk to you about." Emma smiles. "None of the girls sing, they lip-sync."

"Except for Cora," Henry states as he turns all his attention to Emma.

Emma lets out a nervous laugh. "Right, except for Cora. I just think the audience would really love it if the girls would sing and dance."

Cora stands in front of Emma. "No, they wouldn't."

"Honey, the people come here to watch the dancers dance and lip-sync to the greats." Henry grabs Emma and guides her to the door.

Emma tries for one last attempt to make her case. "I just think this would work, I don't understand why we can't try something new."

"Because it's above your paygrade," Cora says. "Henry, please remove her."

"Emma, honey, I think your friend Killian needs you back," Henry says as he gives her the final push outside the door.

@rumdrum91 @itsfabianadocarmo @xsajx @hookedonapirate @kmomof4 @searchingwardrobes @seriouslyhooked @profdanglaisstuff @let-it-raines @revanmeetra87 @snowbellewells @hollyethecurious @kymbersmith-90 @branlovestowrite @thejollyroger-writer @shireness-says @ilovemesomekillianjones @thisonesatellite @thesschesthair @winterbythesea @stahlop @resident-of-storybrooke @superchocovian @lfh1226-linda @artistic-writer @thislassishooked @shardminds @winterbaby89 @xhookswenchx @ultraluckycatnd @gingerchangeling @laschatzi @wellhellotragic @xemmaloveskillianx @courtorderedcake @pirateherokillian @optomisticgirl @darkcolinodonorgasm @sherlockianwhovian @andiirivera @djlbg @nikkiemms @jennjenn615 @scientificapricot @officerrogers @imlaxdris71 @therealstartraveller776 @kday426 @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713  @donteattheappleshook @spacekrulesbians @lassluna @carpedzem @captainodonoghue @killian-will-do @jarienn972 @tehgreeneyes @demisexualemmaswan​ @queen-serena88 @swanslieutenant @tiganasummertree​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @bethacaciakay​ @ohmakemeahercules​ @jonirobinson64​ @klynn-stormz​ @mariakov81​

[enkelimagnus]

Club

Bucky Barnes Gen, 1542 words, rated T

Jewish Bucky Barnes, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Episode 3 Power Broker 

Bucky's thoughts and feelings during the party at Sharon's house, while they wait for her to find Nagel.

TW: alcohol drinking

Read on AO3

Part 23 of Making a Home - the Jewish Bucky series

--------------

Bucky has no idea what he's drinking. He knows it’s supposed to be strong, some sort of clear grain alcohol in quantities that would knock out a normal man. He’s not a normal man though. He hasn’t been in a really, really long time, and G-d Almighty he can feel it right now.

Sharon’s house is now a club. Bucky doesn’t really like clubs. The pounding of the music is relentless, the noise of the people unending. Conversations and laughter and bodies and the smells of a hundred perfumes, a hundred alcohols, a hundred body chemistries. It’s too much, hefeels too much.

He can’t even taste the alcohol. That’s how overwhelmed he is.

But he’s got a fucking job, and he’s going to fucking do it even if it kills him. Which, it probably will, because he’s keeping Zemo alive, and Zemo has no intention to return the favor.

It’s fine. Bucky knows it. He can deal with that later, once the mission’s done. It’s not something he needs to burden himself with right this instant. There’s way too much for him to deal with already. Sam, Sharon, the noise, the smells.

The sights are alright, it’s dark in here and his eyes adapted almost instantly to that.

Truth is, he’s hungry too. He hasn’t been eating enough since he left the States. He let himself forget it, he let himself refuse the extra food offered. It’s an old habit he can’t seem to break. When someone offers him more than the initial serving, he says no.

That food can go to someone else that needs it more than him, that’s what his mind tells him every time. May they be Wakandan children or Brooklynite ones. He doesn’t need the extra food, he’s strong enough to go a little hungry and still work to make sure no one else does. He’s a welterweight anyway.

The second he gets out of this house, he’s getting himself enough satay to feed a small army. And he’s not sharing.

He’s too hungry not to think of food. But the smells around him make him want to puke.

He needs to focus.

Sam isn’t far, he can feel it. He’s too hyper aware right now not to feel where the American soldier stands, a little awkward, a little out of place. Did he go to clubs often when he was younger? What were they like in Louisiana? Sam’s good-looking. He must have been an appreciated visitor. Was it something he enjoyed doing? Bucky never asked. To be fair, he never asked anything.

He knew Sam had a sister. It was in the intel Hydra gave him when they realized Steve had that strange pilot by his side. A sister, Sarah Morris, a brother-in-law, Antoine Morris, one nephew Antoine Jeremy Morris.

He now knows there’s a second nephew, Cass, and he knows Antoine Morris died, and he knows Sam’s family has a boat. It’s not enough. He asked the guy to follow him into a fucking pirate island, for fuck’s sake. He should know more.

His eyes catch movement and he’s grateful for the distraction it causes from the devouring guilt in his stomach.

Zemo’s dancing. His motions are stiff, inelegant. Not that Bucky’s would be much better. He hasn’t danced since 1943. It’s still strange to see. It feels robotic. Did Zemo attend a lot of clubs growing up as some young noble of an Eastern European country? Before he joined the Sokovian army and rose up the ranks fast enough to be an established commander and colonel by age 37?

The Asset never had to deal with Zemo directly, therefore Bucky has no information on him. He’s pretty sure he killed one of his wife’s uncles once, but that’s as far as it goes. He was never a direct target, he was never anything but a random, far away name, a footnote.

He didn’t need to be told what happened exactly to Zemo’s family. He heard the man was Sokovian and that was enough. Bucky saw Sokovia fall from where he was in Austria, on the tracks of his own past. He saw the large cloud in the sky. He didn’t need more to know that it was a world-ending sort of catastrophe.

“The Winter Soldier’s back in town,” someone says to Bucky’s left and he shifts. Has he been recognized, again? Is this going to put Sharon’s entire operation in even more danger?

“Yeah, at the Brass Monkey. My brother saw him fight. Took out ten men in 30 seconds.”

“That guy’s a machine.”

They have no fucking idea, do they? The two people chatting about him start moving, walking in his direction and Bucky tenses. Their eyes stop on him for a second. There is no reaction. They just keep walking.

They haven’t recognized him. With this jacket on, covering the arm, no one has recognized him. That’s been the line he’s walked on since he came back to civilian life. If his arm is hidden, no one recognizes him.

The Winter Soldier is an aesthetic.

A man with a metal arm is only that, especially in the enhanced land of Madripoor. A man with a metal arm and a harness is kinky. A man with a metal arm, a harness and who obeys to Russian: that’s the Winter Soldier.

His skin color allows him to blend into the background of every picture. He’s unremarkable, when he doesn’t want to be.

And right now, in this room, he’s just a white guy with a metal hand, if someone is looking. And no one really is. He exhales deeply. Sometimes, he is grateful for the anonymity of the aesthetic, grateful that unless he’s doing something specific, no one will recognize him. Sometimes, he hates it. He’s a wolf in a dollar-store costume and all the sheep are oblivious.

Fuck, Bucky needs a smoke. Or six. He orders another of the clear alcohol glasses again. Thank Sharon and her open bar policy for him. She must have known he’d consume the equivalent of two bottles of vodka tonight. After all, she was a close friend of Steve’s for more than two years.

Steve was never much of a drinker, but she probably knows supersoldier physiology enough. And she knows Bucky’s a drinker, the same way Zemo is. You gotta take what pleasure you can have, no matter how small it is.

Bucky still can’t taste that alcohol.

“You know anyone in the powered business?” someone asks, upstairs, right above where Bucky is swallowing liquid.

“Man, that’s the Power Broker’s turf,” another replies. Bucky can’t see either of them, but there’s a thick rolling accent in their voice, something… Arabic. He can’t place it quite yet. He might be able to, given some time.

“I know, I know, but there’s new enhanced popping up all around,” the first voice tries again. The accent is British, mated with something else, a slight clicking sound. “I’m sure the big guy won’t mind one or two ending up with someone else.”

There’s a shuffling noise, a fist bumping into a leathery jacket, the sound easily recognizable. “Listen. None of my business. We don’t fuck with the Power Broker interests or we get a warrant on our heads. I like my head.”

They move away in a loud clinking noise and when they start talking again, they’re too far for even Bucky’s ears to pick up. Interesting. They might just be talking about the FlagSmashers. The Supersoldier population multiplied by at least three times in the past couple of months.

Maybe there’s something else too, but it’s not a priority. Might just be a newly discovered bunch of Inhumans. The epidemic was over eight years ago, soon after the fall of Sokovia, while Bucky was in Europe. He remembers how careful he’d been to keep himself hidden, when people and the governments started looking for powered individuals. He remembers the constant need for control, the constant stress, looking over his shoulder.

A new crop of Inhumans surfacing now would make some noise, in the aftermath of the Blip. It would heighten the tension already closing and narrowing minds. When you’re trying to rebuild yourself after that kind of event, after the displacement, after the injustice caused by a giant alien, the newly-discovered alien-given powers of your neighbors would feel like a threat. Bucky knows that kind of mentality.

Something to keep an eye on, once they’re done, he guesses. Not that he’s allowed to keep an eye on anything.

He has no idea what will happen when he comes home. How will Lieutenant General Henricksen react to him switching teams without really asking for permission? He doesn’t know what kind of strings Walker pulled so Bucky could have free reign. He finds himself thankful for it, and he hates it.

He doesn’t want to owe a man like Walker. He doesn’t know what he promised Bucky would do in exchange for that change of hands holding his leash. He doesn’t want to find out. Whatever happened, he doesn’t want to find out.

Sharon coming to let them know she’s found Wilfred Nagel is the perfect distraction from that horrible line of thought, and Bucky follows her lead without question.

[majorshiraharu]

Discussion of Limitations in Live Action & Style Choices

This will be all spoilers for the new episode of the Mandalorian.  I’m putting it under a cut so no one accidentally gets spoiled. Fair warning it is long af, I tried doing a mix of my opinions and information from the show, films, etc. I tried putting the more opinion parts in italic, might have forgotten some parts tho. I spent way too long on this lmao

--------------SPOILERS BELOW------------------

I'm putting my thoughts for each time I watched it. That way, you can see how rewatching changed my mind some. I also had almost a whole day to process the episode before I watched it again, then I had a few hours to think about it and add to this, and then now I've watched it for the third time. This will be a mix of my reactions and opinions and then some information about The Mandalorian and things I think many people are overlooking. Especially in a time when we have major blockbuster films with pretty amazing CGI and people have come to expect that level of detail in everything. If you don’t want to read my reaction/opinion parts, skip down past “3rd Viewing” (the sectioned area)

1st Viewing When It Dropped; Right After Watching: — Okay honestly not the biggest fan of this Ahsoka, I feel like they could have done a bit better with her lekku, montrals, and the contacts because they kinda took me out of it a few times. She didn't move a lot like Ahsoka, but then again she does move and act more like the Rebels version, so if you haven't seen that I can see how this would be more off-putting. She's much older at this point and probably can't move as well as she used to. Also, I know we've come to expect the effects of high-budget films and their fancy CGI, but this show is not that and I think they truly did the best they could with what they had. I'm too tired now, but will write about that stuff in my second viewing section. Overall, I think in the scenes where she interacted with Mando and the child were very well done and felt like how I thought Ahsoka would be after the journey she had over the past years. Those moments felt like Ahsoka to me, and I really enjoyed. 2nd Viewing; About 16 Hours After First Viewing: — So I took some time today to think about last night's episode, I also decided to hop on social media and see what people's reactions were. I was surprised how on Twitter and Reddit I hardly found anyone who disliked this version, longtime fans, new fans, people who didn't know Ahsoka. It seemed like most people really loved it and were extremely happy to see her in live-action. Some people didn't like the way her lekku & montral looked but otherwise enjoyed it, and then there were a few people who said it didn't feel like Ahsoka to them. Now here's my opinion on the second viewing, I liked her more after watching it again. As mentioned above she's definitely more like her Rebels version, and we have a few years when she and Sabine were out searching for Ezra and Thrawn. We don't know what she's been through but clearly, she's much calmer and wiser, which I think fits, it's not like how she was in Clone Wars but it's been like 25+ ish years, so she's had a lot of time to grow and shouldn’t be the same. The actress who played her was pretty stiff and monotone during more scenes than I would have liked, but all her scenes with Din and the Child were excellent, and felt pretty close to Ahsoka, really liked her in those. The action scenes were very cool at the start. Her fighting style was more like her fighting in Rebels. I would have liked a few more shots of her with her signature lightsaber hold, but they included them during the right moments, so that doesn't really bother me that much. Now for the mostly on Tumblr infamous lekku & montral, on second viewing I didn't mind them as much because it wasn't as shocking. The length should have been longer imho, and they definitely needed to change the montral, that's what I have the only real problem with. The montral just looked too short, was angled back quite far, and yeah, just didn't look like any animated version, concepts, or even any cosplays I've seen. This was the only thing about her that I really just didn't like and bothered me some. 3rd Viewing; Most of my opinions stayed the same, I watched it this time with some of my friends who love Star Wars and one who loves Ahsoka as much as me, so I wanted to see their reaction. They all loved her, tho they agreed the length should have been longer and the top should have been different. But they all really loved the episode and her.

--------------------- Now all that said, here are some counterpoints and information because I thought it was important to look into why it might be that way, and I will also include ways that I think it could have been done better. Besides having some cosplay experience of my own, I have no idea what they went through to pick or make this look, and it could have been always ended up a lot worse. First off they need to consider the actress, the material, how it moves, how heavy it is, how it looks in movement, fight scenes, etc. - There is concept art that shows many types of looks for her, and while I think they picked my least favorite of them, people need to understand that there was a reason. We don't know and may never know, but it was a choice made. Concept art from the end of the episode:

It could have also been that it looked better in person, or that they wanted a distinct look for it in live-action to make it feel more realistic or unique. Here is other concept art of Ahsoka from Rebels and The Clone Wars, Link Here

----------------- Also, many people aren't aware of this, but the Mandalorian is made to look a lot like the OG movies. They specifically try to only use camera angles/ movements from that time. They try to do action that fits the original films style and also is similar to old westerns. They have a very specific look they're going for, and a lot of people don't know this. This also includes the use of miniatures, puppets, and as many realistic things as they can for costumes and the interactive parts of the set. They use CGI and new tech too, but aside from the large screen they use for scenery they seem to only use CGI when it's really needed and not for everything like blockbuster movies or even some shows do, aka they don’t overuse it.

Here are two links for more info on this. They are long but have a lot of cool insight into the show: link for filming style here — link for the tech they use for filming here They have the tech and probably money to have made Ahsoka's lekku & montral CGI, but it was a deliberate choice in style not to do this. Was it a good idea, maybe yes, maybe no, maybe a mix? In Season 1 Chapter 6 of The Mandalorian when they had the Twi’lek Xi’an and I saw how her lekku moved I was concerned for if they ever included lekku in a more prominent role.

As you can kind of see in the above gif, they didn't have enough weight to them and were too foamy/rubbery in their movement. It seems like the same stuff was used for Ahsoka's, which resulted in the same problem. Since we've only known her in animation where they can change things to a much more finite degree, it's off-putting in live-action, and it kinda falls into the uncanny valley which I think is why it's slightly weird to see. If we had seen her in live-action first this probably wouldn't have bothered people as much.

Video Link to show it better

I included the older Clone Wars version of Ahsoka in here because I believe they mixed her looks together to come up with the live-action design. - We saw Shaak Ti in live-action years ago and many people are pointing to that as what they should have gone with for Ahsoka. A reminder that was done for a film, not a TV show, so there will be differences in quality and style. I do think they could have used that as a model to base Ahsoka on, they should have access to old headpiece unless it just deteriorated with time. Here’s a video that includes behind the scenes looks of Shaak Ti, Youtube Link Here  

Also here’s a look of Ayla from the Prequels and from the original trilogy of the Jaba palace Twi’lek to compare how they look with the Twi’lek in the Mandalorian.

I think the original trilogy looked better than the lekku in The Mandalorian so if they’re using similar material to keep it more fitting to that time, maybe they need to make them longer to hold more weight and look like actual flesh and not foamy rubber.

They could have also gone the route of making different headpieces with other material depending on what they were being used for. Again it's a TV show, not sure if they have the time or money to do this or think it's worth it for just one episode. But they could have had one made of that foamy material for action scenes, and then one that looked more like Shaak Ti's for scenes where she just talked or moved some. Honestly, this would have been their best option, and as far as I can tell, that wasn't done. I see people mention they could have done no action or less action and made better lekku, but there are already people complaining that there wasn't enough action or movement in her action scenes. You can't please everyone, and I think they struck a good balance.

----------------

Other opinions of mine on her live-action version. I think Ashley Eckstein should have been the one to play Ahsoka in live-action, or I think they should have dubbed the voice. The actress playing her in this wasn't bad, but honestly, she brought nothing new to the role and didn't do enough to capture the smaller nuances of Ahsoka's character. Some of these problems could have been fixed by dubbing her voice, even if she didn't move or look like how people wanted Ahsoka to in live-action, having her voice would have made a big difference. I don't know if Ashley was brought in on this; she hasn't mentioned anything as far as I have seen. I would find it strange if she wasn't involved since Dave and her are friends. Both really love the character, but he doesn't have full control over the show and maybe she wasn't made a part of it for one reason or another. But if she wasn’t, I think that was a bad choice, she’s the one who brought her to life in the Clone Wars.  -  I also think that we don't always need a big name or famous person playing a character, we could have a dubbed voice and had someone performing it who was a stunt woman or an actor who isn't as well known, this has been done in Star Wars before. 

Also look at this cute cosplay of Ashley as Ahsoka:

--------------------- TLDR: Lekku and Montral are not easy to make or look real, I think the creators did the best they could with the style they try to achieve (again we don’t know behind the scenes stuff or their choices), there is stuff that could have maybe improved the look. Many people don’t understand the amount of work that goes into something like this and that sometimes choices are made for a design that you may not like, but that doesn’t make it wrong. Art is a creative thing which includes taking risks, putting a unique spin on something that exists, and sometimes making choices that not everyone will like.

--------------------

But still I’m happy we got to see live action Ahsoka and I’m glad she was able to bring joy to so many people. I’ve watched the Clone Wars since I was a kid and have always loved Ahsoka and while I have my nitpicks about her live action version, overall, I think they did a good job. I was disappointed at first, but now not so much, and instead I just view her as a different version and that she’s unique in her own ways. I remember when Rebels Ahsoka came out a lot of people hated that version, personally I loved it, there are aspects of her design I didn’t like as much tho.

I also feel this was her only appearance in The Mandalorian, I don’t think she will return again, as far as the story goes, I don’t think there is a need for her to return either. I personally would prefer to have Ahsoka stay as an animated character if she got her own show, animation suits her better and has fewer limitations for the creators.