#treating it like a movie release cause it’s inspired by a movie

[oldfashionedmorphine]

on the same frequency

📝 by @oldfashionedmorphine

🎨 by @kaiminluu

pairing: will byers/mike wheeler

rating: mature

word count: 57k

tags: alternate universe, not canon compliant, major character death, graphic depictions of violence, grief/mourning, ptsd, blood and injury, supernatural elements, time shenanigans, butterfly effect, thriller, emotional manipulation, abuse, grooming, implied/referenced suicide, angst with a happy ending

summary:

Ever since his best friend Will Byers was murdered back in 1985, Mike Wheeler wanted nothing more than to leave his hometown of Hawkins, Indiana and never look back—only each and every year he’s forced to make an exception when it comes to the holidays. And when Mike visits for Christmas in 1995, his mom asks him to help clear out some junk in his room and down in the basement before he returns home to Indianapolis. But when he comes across an old trunk containing his Supercom walkie-talkie and ham radio, he discovers something strange that has the potential to change everything…

(or an AU based on the movie Frequency from 2000)

➜ read it here!

➜ check out the art!

🎶 soundtrack 🎶

✨ chapter moodboards/previews ✨

ch1 | ch2 | ch3 | ch4 | ch5 | ch6 | ch7

special thank you to the @bylerbigbang mods for hosting this event!

tagging:

@greenfiend @total-serene560 @across-thestars @boahey @magentamee @daydreams-in-the-moonlight @soyboystan @foodiewithdahoodie @booksandpaperss @likegoldintheair @mandycantdecide @hazmatazz @sparks-olivarpente @1-tehe-1 @karenchildress @rebellius @maru-chu @septembr-moon @kamomillatea @trvbblemaker

[vani-ash]

KP X DFF AU

(Takes place around events of ep 7 DFF and end of Kinnporsche)

(inspired by I re-watched ep6 of DFF and somehow missed that they sing TSICY on their way to Pors house on my first watch)

Somehow Non and Chay run into each other and they look identical. Chay, wanting to have some time away from the mafia he's become apart of, comes up with the idea after hearing Nons story to switch places. Non is reluctant at first but when Chay promises he can help solve Nons problems he agrees (Non doesn't fully trust Chay and leaves out some details like Mr Keng and Phee).

Chay has a Theerapanyakul mafia ring that he uses when the mafia guys come after him to get them to leave him alone, he also has access to mafia money that he tries to use to help Nons family as much as he can without causing suspicion. Chay is disgusted by how Nons 'friends’ treat him but Non had said he wanted to finish his movie so Chay plays along with them for now.

And Then whatever happens causing Non to disappear happens to Chay instead.

Non was told by Chay that if he went to the compound he’d be able to just walk in, he’s nervous but he does and when he’s engulfed in a hug by a stranger he feels a little better. He recognizes the man from a photo Chay had shown him, Porsche, who was worried because Chay disappeared and lost his bodyguards for a few hours.

Chay had told Non that he wasn’t speaking to his brother or anyone else really so if he did nothing but stay in Chays room the whole time he’d be fine and no one would question or really bother him.

Then Non gets a knock on his door, it’s Kim, he was trying to apologize to Chay about his song being stolen and that it wasn't him that released it and he didn’t mean for it to happen.

(Someone on Kims team finds a demo Kim made of Chays song (tsicy) when he was helping Chay record it, and releases it under Wiks name without Kim’s consent. Because Kim hasn’t released any new music since his break up with Chay and his company wants new music from him.)

Non feels bad about how distraught Kim sounds, and lets him in. Kim hadn’t expected for Chay to actually let him in, it’s been a month since Kim had been this close to Chay and so the first thing he does on impulse is hugs him. Non, currently still processing the worst week of his life, doesn’t push Kim away causing Kim to kiss him.

Anyway Kim somehow finds out that it wasn’t Chay who forgave him and that Non isn't Chay and demands Non tell him where Chay actually is and when they show back up everyone is confused (because they killed him like 3 weeks ago or something) and is like WTF?! But when Non just acts like nothing happened they don’t bring it up, and so now Non and Kim have to figure out what happened to Chay.

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Parabellum 🪙 | Top Gun Maverick Imagine/John Wick AU

Set in an alternate universe where Top Gun is actually part of an underground assassins bureau in NYC

TGM Masterlist

Characters & Parings: Dagger Squad x Wick!reader (platonic/work relationship), John Wick x adoptive cousin!reader (platonic), The Bowery King (platonic), The Adjudicator (platonic) Zero + students (platonic)

Content Warnings: angst, profanity, banter, blood, violence, graphic depiction of injury, mentions of death and murder. AU set in the JW universe where Top Gun is a tactical assassination squad for The High Table. Set during JW: Chapter 3–Parabellum, but everyone is the age they were in TGM (so the year 2013 since all the movies are set within days of each other despite released years apart) | female!reader (she/her) | wc: 8k

Premise: There are two rules everyone who works for the Table must follow: 1. No business on company grounds, 2. All Markers must be fulfilled. For John Wick, there are several debts he is owed as he battles against the whole world after breaking rule number one. And two of them fall under rule number two. John’s in for quite the treat when he heads to the Top Gun hangar to cash on of his debts from none other than his cousin, who happens to be the leader Top Gun’s infamous tactical assassin squad.

Note: Y’all I am so hype for John Wick Chapter 4. JW is one of my fav franchises and Keanu Reeves is my baby daddy 🥵 Maybe once Chapter 4 comes out I’ll do a part two to this since I have no idea what’s gonna happen to John and also if you’ve seen John Wick 3, do y’all think Winston is part of the BK’s plan or did he really betray John for his own selfish needs? like the Parent Trap imagine I did, I basically rewatched all the JW movies cause there was a marathon and got inspired. I really need to focus on my school work though cause I didn’t do so hot on my first writing assignment (it was research methods and my professor didn’t have the instructions very clear 😭) but I had to get this done and out first before taking a small few days of break to do my homework. — Bee 🐝

I do not own any of the characters from TGM or JW, this is for fictional purposes and entertainment. Read over CW before reading and reblogs , likes, and comments are welcomed but please do not steal or repost onto other platforms.

——————————

The phone was on the edge of breaking by how hard she was gripping it, cursing and flinching each time Halo strung a thread through her skin to seal the gaping wound that nearly sliced her face off. She couldn’t see out of her left eye and her lips were split in diagonal from the direction of the blade. Never had she experienced being cut by a katana in all her years of service….but there was always a first for everything.

“What do you want?” She winced again, glaring at the wall with hatred. While the Bowery King, who was experiencing his own hell with seven cuts to him, relayed to her the most recent update of their mutual ‘friend’, Y/n ‘Domino’ Wick thought back to the past last week. As much as she wanted to avoid it, she knew what was coming the second the message appeared on her phone: ‘John Wick—Excommunicado in effect in 1 hour. All services closed. Open Contract set at $14m.’

Seven Days Earlier….

The message was just sent out, everyone in the hangar appearing confused when the cell phones beeped at the same time causing them all to withdraw theirs from their pocket. Upon reading the words, multiple eyes turned to the woman seated at her desk. An opened bottle of whiskey was beside her, a stack of papers to be sorted through in a basket. She appeared emotionless as she read the message once before sliding the phone back in its place and storing it away.

“What’s up with Domino?” Omaha looked at Fanboy and Coyote when the woman rose from her chair before kicking it across the room and disappearing.

Fanboy shook his head, sighing in apparent distress, “You’ve heard of John Wick?” Of course he wasn’t talking about the fact his name was on the message they all got, he meant if Omaha knew who he was.”

“Only from stories. Ain’t he like the best there is.”

“The best and even more,” Coyote commented, already checking to make sure his gun was armed. “Man’s a beast. People call him the Boogeyman—or Baba Yaga to be more exact.”

“Anway,” Fanboy brought the attention back to him, noticing Domino called over Fritz, Rooster, Payback, and Hangman. They all were deep in discussion. “Domino and John were both orphans in Belarus, growing up together at the Ruska Roma.” Knowing what the Ruska Roma was combined with the fact Domino and John knew each other, Omaha made a face of shock. “They’re kinda like cousins—not sure if they are blood related, adoptive, or just grew close enough that they see each other as such. She doesn’t say a lot about her past, but before she became Domino her name was Y/n Wick. Now that Mav and Cyclone retired she’s been in service longer than any of us.”

“Just don’t ask questions, alright,” Coyote warned with a glance, “I know you’re new to the whole thing but keep quiet and you’ll live longer.”

If only Omaha had asked what John Wick looked like. Would’ve saved him a broken arm had he done so because when the poor guy went to do his surveillance, he was shocked to find a bloody man in their parking lot who immediately got in a tousle with when Omaha charged him.

The private hangar was located just a few miles from downtown at a very small private airstrip surrounded by a chain link electric fence, far enough and secluded that nobody in their right mind—unless of course, they were in need of service—migrated to. And unfortunately for Omaha he’d never seen John Wick before…so how was he supposed to know the intruder was the infamous assassin.

The two were going at it for a good three minutes until it ended with Omaha’s arm breaking and John’s belt around his neck. His air was constricted, the man fighting back against the hold in hopes of freeing himself. Before John could do the final twist to end Omaha for good, the sound of a gunshot followed by a speeding bullet against his face had John tripping back, releasing Omaha who took gasps of breath.

“That’s enough you two,” a stern voice said, multiple footsteps approaching. Looking up, John's eyes landed on his cousin flanked by members of her Dagger Squad on either side of her, guns trained on him as a warning for John to not make a sudden move. “We don't want things to get messy now do we?”

It had been years since the cousins had seen each other, well before John retired to marry Helen. They were roughly ten years apart in age, making Y/n around 40 now that John just turned 50. He was her mentor and protector during their time in the Ruska Roma, having been brought to the U.S from Belarus when John was 11 and Y/n was barely a year old. It’s unsure if they were even related but considering John looked after her like a family member people just assumed they were. Then when she got older she ditched her birth name and started going by Y/n Wick.

When John had heard several years before he retired that Y/n became a member of the Top Gun tactical execution squad, part of him felt he had failed her. Of course it was likely for her to join the underground world they were pretty much forced into by being a part of the Ruska Roma, but he hoped she’d not dive too deep. She was only 22 when she joined, becoming one of the best associates in the organization. Then just before he retired she was promoted to second in command, now four years later she was the leader after her predecessors decided to step down.

Looking at her now before him, he could tell Y/n had become the hardened contract killer she was destined to be. Reputation nearly rivaling that of his own. As a member of the Top Gun Tactical Dagger Squad Y/n earned the callsign ‘Domino,’ learning how to fly a plane due to the fact Top Gun provided services to associates by transporting them to and from locations. As highly skilled assassins the team are often hired by mobs, including the High Table when they don’t feel like sending their personal squads, to take out private contracts. Sometimes Y/n was directly offered contracts especially by those who wanted to keep their dirty work as hidden as possible.

Taking in the current Dagger Squad, John recognized most of them: Rooster, Payback, Fritz, Hangman, Coyote, Yale and Phoenix. When they last saw each other eight years before they’d all been recent recruits. Now they were molded killers. The other bunch were new faces—including the one he just broke the arm of. They had to have joined within the last several years. All wearing flight suits with their patches on the left breast, John read: Harvard, Bob, Fanboy, Halo, and lastly Omaha.

“You good, Omaha?” Y/n asked, not taking her gaze off of John. The man moaned in response.

“I think my arm is broken, boss.”

“Halo, Bob,” she simply said, the woman next to her and the man on the end dropping their guns to move over to the fallen man. When Halo walked off, Rooster took a step to the right so he was now directly next to Domino. On the opposite side to her left was Payback.

The two haul Omaha off, disappearing into the hangar. “Well,” Y/n puts her hands on her hips. “You sure know how to make an entrance. Hello, John.”

“Hello, Y/n.” She glared at the name, but made no move to correct it.

“Did you really have to break my guy’s arm?”

John gave a light shrug, putting his hand to his injured shoulder that was bleeding from a stab wound. “He came after me.”

Y/n gave an unhumorous laugh, shaking her head, “John, you got a fourteen million dollar bounty on your head. Can’t really blame him for trying—If I didn’t have a sense of why you’re here I’d give my crew the word and let them light you up before finishing you off myself.” It was harsh coming from a family member, but John couldn’t blame her. They’d been estranged for years now with their last encounters anything but friendly.

What John didn’t know though was Omaha had no idea what he looked like. Y/n was just trying to get under his skin.

“Go ahead and pull it out,” she challenged, eyes narrowing at the man. The squad kept their weapons raised, but relaxed their stance at her order.

Slowly John reaches into his jacket pocket, removing one of two Markers, making sure it was the right one before presenting it to the group. He saw the woman immediately stiffen, face tightening as the anger never left her eyes. In fact it looked like it increased by the sight of the object.

A debt she had to pay.

“You’ve got some fucking nerve coming here, John. Some. Fucking. Nerve.”

“Y/n—.”

She cuts him off with a harsh tone, “You’re excommunicado, John. Services are now closed to you. As of five minutes ago that marker is void.” That last statement was actually on the fence.

There were two big rules in their world: 1. No business on company grounds. 2. All Markers must be fulfilled.

Given John broke rule #1 he was labeled excommunicado with the original contract of $7m by Santino D’Antonio doubled to $14m. Any and all services were now closed to him, even as simple as receiving medical treatment by a company doctor.

But what of the Markers?

John had two. One from Y/n and one from Sofia Al-Azwar, both given to John at different times, both where John had to transport and hide their children. In Y/n’s case she had gotten pregnant just shortly after leaving the Ruska Roma and was on her way to becoming a contract killer. She was barely 19 and in no way able to raise a child. So she called John and swore the blood oath to him that she would return the favor no matter the price or cost when the time came. Over 20 years later she still didn’t know what happened to her son. Sofia had originally come to Y/n to help her out when she needed to get her daughter away, but Y/n assured her John was better for the job, confessing he had done the same for her.

Would the Markers still have to be completed although he was banished and being hunted by the High Table? The same ones who order hits on those who don’t fulfill the Markers when presented by the person they owe? It was a tough situation.

It was Domino’s current situation.

John pleaded to her, opening the object to reveal her bloody fingerprint, “This is your blood. Your bond. When you needed help, Y/n, I was there. Now I need your help. You owe it to me, please.”

Y/n inhaled deeply before slowly exhaling, “Top Gun works for the Table, John. We have been in service to them for decades. They will come for us—for me, for helping you.” In the corner of her eye she saw some of the crew stiffen, hands gripping their weapons tighter at the fear of facing the Table.

John gave her a look, “They will come for you if you don’t.” That had her nearly falter, seeing a look of angst overtake her.

“Some family you are, John. Bringing death to my door. Risking the lives of my team!” She couldn’t help but shout, no longer holding back her anger. All she could think about was the fact the Table likely already knew he was there. They had spies all over the city. Once he leaves they’ll be sending someone even if she didn’t help him. “What the fuck do you want anyway? What’s the favor you so desperately need after all these years that’s made you put me and my crew in danger.”

“My ticket,” he simply tells her, watching her face become ashen. “I know you still have it. I need it now, Y/n. That’s all I ask for.”

A long time ago John gave Y/n his ticket every orphan of the Ruska Roma receives upon ‘graduation’. A symbol of the favor the organization owes them after spending years under them. Y/n had cashed in on hers a long time ago, but John had her keep his safe. Believing he’d never have to use it.

It was kinda ironic when she started thinking about it.

“You could’ve had it all you know,” she dryly laughs, gazing hard at the man she saw as a cousin. “You got out—away from this. Tell me, Jordani, was it worth it?” She waits for a reply but it doesn’t come. Of course it wouldn’t. She could see it in his eyes it wasn’t. “What were you hoping to gain by hunting down the Tarasov punk? You should’ve fucking known it wouldn’t have ended once you finished the job. You opened the damn door, John. You gave Santino everything he needed to check in on his favor that you owed him. It honestly baffles me that you, John Wick, thought it was a good idea to give that man a marker. You’re reasoning? I'll never know.”

She has to pause to cool down a bit before continuing, “You could’ve asked anybody else to help you that night—you could’ve asked me, John. You had the marker all this time. Why the fuck didn’t you use it then?” She raises a hand as a signal for him to keep quiet all while ordering the squad to stand down. “Don’t answer that. I honestly don’t wanna know. It’s your fucking karma at the end of the day.” Again she gives a dry laugh, “I just find it hilarious honestly. The reason you’re in this shit show to begin with is because you owed Santino—which would’ve never happened if you didn’t let your impulses take over and go after Iosef Tarasov. You let some punk ass kid bring you back. A domino effect at its finest,” she has to laugh at her own joke, but nothing about it was funny. “Now here you are, cashing in on all the favors you’re owed. Me….The Director…I take it Sofia is next on your list?”

No answer. Y/n tightens her lips, nodding slowly, “I thought so. She’s over across the sea. You think she’s gonna just let you waltz in, John?” Y/n smirks, “but first you gotta survive getting out of New York. And unlike the other night when it was just the city after your ass, you got the whole world wanting a piece of you now. Fourteen million dollars,” she hums, tilting her head like she’s deep in thought. “Saying it out loud…it’s tempting.”

“Fifteen,” Fanboy says, making all eyes turn to him. “The contract just went up.” Y/n nods, turning back to John with a shrug.

“You hear that, John? I wonder who’s responsible for adding the bonus.”

“You’re not gonna kill me, Y/n,” he says unfazed, making her narrow her eyes a tad.

“And what makes you so confident I won't? Pretty bold of you to assume when you got ten guns on you.”

John tells her like it is, “Because you would’ve already done it by now.” He got her there. She would’ve given the signal the moment they surrounded him if she truly wanted him dead. And as much as Y/n was pissed off with John, he was the last person she had who she considered family. And she was indebted to him.

Hating the fact he was right, Y/n just nods, “Fair enough, John.”

“Look,” he holds up the Marker, “you do this for me and we’re done. You and I are even and the Table can’t fault you for following their rules.” His reasoning makes her scoff.

“You don’t really know if that’s true, John. But thanks for trying to lighten the situation,” she was being sarcastic, having had enough of the ordeal. “I’ll be sure to tell whoever they send exactly what you said. Maybe I'll live to see the next day.” They just stare at each other, letting the reality set in.

“Fritz,” the man beside Payback responds with a look at her, “bring me the blue book with gold trimming in the safe. The one on the top shelf—you know the one.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he holsters his gun and walks toward the hangar.

“Coyote, go get the keys for the Ducati Diavel,” when he goes Y/n then calls to the woman beside Rooster, “and Phoenix, grab me a 9mm from one of the units.”

“On it.”

“Fanboy, and Harvard,” the two snap to attention awaiting orders, “Go check on Halo and Bob, see if they need help dealing with Omaha and call the Continental doctor if need be.” She sees John falter at the mention of the doctor, remembering he was just there and had to shoot him in a non-fatal area on the docs insistent to cover for the face he helped John. “Actually scratch that…take him to the urgent care that’s off the road past the gate. Tell them Domino sent you.”

“Yes ma’am,” they both say and head out, leaving Payback, Yale, Hangman and Rooster on either side of Y/n, the woman standing in the middle between the four.

“What are you doing?” John asks.

“Paying my debt,” she says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Ensuring the bargain has been fulfilled. You may have given me the impression all you want is your ticket, but I know you were hoping for something a little more. Consider it done.”

John shakes his head with a frown, “I wasn’t gonna—.”

“Mmmmhmmm,” she tightens her lips. “Sure you weren’t. How the hell else are you gonna get to The Director from all the way out here with nothing but a belt to defend you, John? I’m surprised you even managed to make it here within the hour.” Holding out her hand, Phoenix places the 9mm in the open palm. At that moment Coyote pulls up the motorcycle, keeping the keys in the ignition when he puts it on its stand. Then Fritz arrives with the book, handing it over to Y/n’s other open palm.

Approaching John, Y/n extends both hands to pass the gun and book to him. He holsters the gun first then opens the book to remove the fake page revealing the compartment with his ticket, aka the rosary, and a wad of gold coins. He pockets both the rosary and coins, before handing back the book and Y/n holds it out for Fritz to take back.

“You’re going to war, John,” she watches him open the Marker, pricking his thumb on the needle before placing his bloody fingerprint onto the open space beside her own. “With the whole damn world. Even if you make it to where you’re going…it won't end there. This is only the beginning.”

“I know,” he sighs, handing her the now complete Marker. “Consequences.” She gives a tight smile, fingers encasing around the object.

“Consequences. You should’ve thought about those before blowing a hole into Santino’s head. Would’ve saved you all the trouble.” He doesn’t react with the exception of a curt nod, knowing she was right. But he made his bed, now he has to lie in it. “Goodbye, John.”

“Goodbye, Y/n.”

They all watch as he mounts the bike and takes off into the darkness, becoming smaller with each minute until finally he’s out of their sights. Finally Y/n lets out the breath she had been holding, angry tears stinging her eyes that she refuses to let the team see. They’d never seen her scared before, she wasn’t gonna let them see now. Even though they had every right to be just as scared.

Gathering herself, she cranks her neck to the sky and closes her eyes for a brief moment before turning back to the remaining Squad members, the one who were coming up on ten years whereas all the others she sent away were only a couple years in. “Prepare the bunker,” she watched all their eyes widen, glancing at each other hesitantly.

“Are you sure, Dom?” Rooster questions, looking a bit unease. They hadn’t used the bunker in so long, it was gonna take time to prepare it. Not even the Table knew about it. Top Gun predecessors from when the underground crime world started built it for caution in case they were to have troubles with the Table. It was basically a whole level floor underneath the hangar equipped with everything they needed from food, water, bedding, clothing, and of course weapons and arsenal. They could survive weeks underground and no one would know. They had security surrounding the premises that they could access from below ground.

Domino was confident the Table had already been tipped off by an associate. They were gonna have to act quick.

“Very,” she walked a few steps, stopping so she was directly in front of the group. “Expect us to have company when the sun rises—maybe in a few days if we’re lucky. I’ll deal with the Table,” she assures, looking them each in the eyes. “When that happens I need you all to be in the bunker where you’re safe. And you will not come out until they have left the premises—regardless of what happens to me.” Immediately there were sounds of protest.

“Dom, that’s suicide,” Rooster states the obvious. Phoenix pitches in, “You’re not serious, boss.”

“There’s no way in hell we’re leaving you alone with them,” Hangman voices, going as far as taking a step closer to the woman. Fritz and Yale back him up while Payback comments, “You don’t even know if they’re coming.”

“I didn't ask for your input. From any of you,” she shuts them up. Rubbing a hand over her face, Y/n gives a tired sigh. “You don’t think I don’t know what they’re capable of? I have been in this life longer than any of you—I’ve seen everything you can imagine when it comes to the business we’re in. Or at least I thought until John Wick decided to cause hell two weeks ago,” she mutters the last part under breath. No one could’ve predicted that when John exterminated the Tarasov crime family that he’d be the Table’s #1 target. Where the rules were no longer black and white.

“My point is,” she calms down the raging thoughts in her head. “I’m the one who helped him. They are gonna come after me, but that doesn’t mean you all have to be in the crossfire. If they see you here, even if you’re not doing anything, they’ll kill you,” her tone turns harsher, to get it through their heads the seriousness of it. “I don’t want any of you going against the Table, not when I’m gonna need you all if I survive the meeting.”

“What do you think is gonna happen?” Yale is the one to ask the question.

“I don’t know,” she speaks truthfully. “But if John is going where I think he is…then tonight was just the beginning.”

Seven Days Later….

She honestly expected them earlier. Rumors spread in the days after John’s excommunication. An Adjudicator of the Table visiting those who assisted him. At the Ruska Roma, the Director had her hands sliced through with her entourage slaughtered just the day after John cashed in his ticket. Then the Bowery King was set to pay a price for refusing to step down after a warning of seven days to get his affairs in order. Many of his men dead within minutes. That morning he received seven cuts for the seven bullets he gave John the night he executed Santino, and was left for dead. Was he alive? Y/n wasn’t even sure. All she knew was Winston had until nightfall to step down from the Continental before they paid him a visit.

Right now though, in the early evening of the seventh day, Y/n sat in her chair in the middle of the hangar. Around her were Zero’s students, the man himself closest to her while the Adjudicator stood before her. Unbeknownst to the group the team of assassins they expected to have seen were down below watching the scene unfold through the monitors mounted on the concrete wall. They’d been underground for the whole week, Y/n not risking them being out in the open when she knew the Table would arrive at some point.

After the first day she was confident it was to spook her. Especially after discovering the Director was punished for her role in transporting John across the Atlantic. Yes, they were trying to scare her alright. They damn well knew she aided John Wick. They were just waiting for the right time to make their presence known.

“Where is the Dagger Squad, Domino?” The Adjudicator paced in front of her, eyes drifting over the empty hangar. It was too quiet for her liking.

“On a mission.”

“There were no recent contracts from my knowledge for your department. When did this happen?” She pressed, turning to the assassin. Y/n could tell she was examining her body language, hoping to catch her in a lie.

“A private one came in this morning. I sent them off just before you arrived.”

“From?”

“The Triads,” she answered confidently.

“Where to?”

“Out west. They requested the location to be confidential. You understand, right?”

The Adjudicator nodded slowly, not really sure if she believed the woman, but kept her gaze focused. Two planes were moved to make it look like they were gone. Domino hoped they would take the bait.

“I’m sure you know why I’m here.”

“I have my suspicions,” Y/n replied, remaining calm and unthreatening. “It wasn’t hard to guess after whispers coming in from the city.” It was obvious she was referring to the Bowery King and Director.

“And do you have anything to say for yourself about why you broke the rules and aided John Wick in his escape from New York? I am well aware of your personal history with him.”

Y/n willed herself not to react to the last comment, focusing on the question. “I owed him a debt. Which you already know—it’s why you’re here. Maybe you can tell everyone at HQ to add more details on the fine print of what to do when the bearer of your Marker breaks the rules. As far as I’m concerned,” she dares to shrug, “I followed them.”

“So you have a point,” the tattooed woman gives a tight expression, not liking her attitude. “You may have upheld the rule of the Table but that doesn’t mean you didn't do more than what you had to. Especially due to the personal connection involved. John Wick was seen coming to this location on foot and leaving twenty minutes later on a motorcycle.”

Y/n tilts her head, now looking bored. “What are you getting at? That’s part of what he wanted.”

“Tell me what all he wanted, Domino, in order for the debt to be paid.”

Y/n kept eye contact, the two almost in a staring contest with neither wanting to blink as she listed off what all she provided. “The book containing his ticket, coins, and a 9mm that he had me store ages ago for ‘emergencies,’ and a mode of transportation.”

“You didn’t offer one of your pilots to escort him to Morocco?”

“He didn’t indicate Morocco was where he wanted to go,” she fired back. Now she was playing dumb. Of course she knew he was heading there since Sofia was now the manager of the Moroccan Continental. “He just wanted those things and then said he’d be on his way. And because I didn’t know if the Marker was invalid given his status, I delivered with his request. Fulfilling the Marker because that is your rule.”

The Adjudicator takes a moment to think before placing her hands behind her back. “I may not have proof you acted against the Table, Domino, but rest assured we will find out if you did. Until then, I will leave you with a warning of what is to come when that happens.”

Y/n’s heart kicks in pace, stiffening when Zero comes to stand in front of her. Before she could react a searing pain erupted in her face, head snapping to the side by the force causing the woman to fall from her chair. “GAHHH!!” She audibly reacted as she landed on the ground, hands going straight to her face only to be drenched in the blood pouring from the gaping cut. She couldn’t even open her left eye, her right one watery causing her vision to be blurry. Looking up she saw Zero wiping his katana with his sleeve.

He fucking sliced her face.

The iron taste in her mouth was due to the fact her lips were split. It was a diagonal direction of the blade against skin, going from the edge of her right jaw all the way to her left temple—completely cutting her lips and slicing her eye. Speaking of her eye it was on fire, figuratively speaking. Glancing around she silently thanked the fact her eyeball wasn’t staring back at her meaning it was still in its socket. But judging from the pain and the fact when she tried to open it she was met with darkness indicated the eye was long gone.

Underground, members of the Dagger Squad had to refrain from getting into the elevator and rush in guns blazing. They were given orders, and if the Adjudicator did not report back to the Table they would know something happened and send their full force against them.

“She’s alive,” Rooster said in relief when Y/n moved, them all watching her hands go to her face. Phoenix changed the camera to a different angle and they saw the full extent of her injury. Everyone grimaced, some cursing at the sight of Domino’s bloodied face. It was literally sliced at an angle.

“Fuck,” Fanboy muttered, Halo already moving to gather medical supplies.

“She said to wait until they were gone,” Payback reminded them when a few started to move to the elevator. The Adjudicator, Zero, and his students had just left the hangar, but had yet to be fully off the premises. On the monitor it showed Y/n stumbling as she tried to locate the closet with towels and supplies. Blood trailed after her, leaving a line in its wake. It wasn’t until the cars passed the gate and were well off into the city that the squad rushed to the elevator.

“Domino!” Y/n heard someone shout, mind a bit hazy from the blood loss and beginning to feel numb.

“I got you, boss,” Fritz picked her up bridal style and rushed her to the makeshift medical room with Halo and Bob running behind him. Placing her on the bed they got to work. Halo started an IV while Bob did his best to apply pressure on the wound.

“She’s gonna need blood,” Bob said, cursing by the amount she was losing. “Who here shares her blood type?”

“Hangman, Phoenix, and Coyote,” Halo lists off, grabbing the syringe with a light sedative to help Y/n with the pain.

“We’re gonna need all three then. Fritz, can you—.”

“Already on it,” he doesn’t let him finish the sentence, yelling out their names who all appear within seconds. With Harvard the two begin setting up to remove a pint of blood from each.

“You with us, Dom?” Halo takes a light to shine in each of her eyes, apologizing when Y/n moans when her left eye is touched.

“As best as I can be. Just do what you have to do. If I die, I die.”

“We won’t let that happen,” Bob tells her. “You’re gonna be fine, Dom.”

For a good couple hours they were working on repairing the wound. Y/n was a little dozy from the drugs, but managed to stay away during the whole thing. When it came time for the stitches, Halo was about halfway done when Rooster came in with Y/n’s phone. “It’s the Bowery King.”

“Help me up please,” she motioned for them to help her sit up, Halo careful with the sting and needle in her hands. Bob and Fritz pulled to an upright position before she asked for the phone. Rooster handed it over, moving to stand with Phoenix and Payback against the wall. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Y/n placed the phone to ear. “What do you want?”

She received a chuckle, “You sound as bad as I feel.”

“Just fucking get to it. I can’t move my mouth without wanting to scream so let me hear what you have to say and let us be done with it.”

“Have you heard the latest on Mr Wick?”

“He’s the reason Berreda lost his balls.” She received another chuckle.

“Well our friend is stateside again. Lucky bastard cut a deal with the one who sits above the Table.”

Y/n stilled, blood running cold. “He found the Elder.” Those in the room who knew what she spoke of shared the same reaction.

“He did,” the King muses. “And the deal for him to remain breathing is to be forever bound to the Table. The first on his list of bidding is Winston.”

Y/n had to pull the phone away for a moment, in disbelief at the news. She almost wanted to laugh at how things seemed to turn out for John. “He’ll never do it. Winston knows how to manipulate him to get what he wants. I wouldn’t put it past the old man to betray him in the end.”

“I’m happy you and I are on the same page. I was thinking the same exact thing—which is why when the time comes, I’ll be there to pick John up.”

Right as he finishes his sentence all the phones beep, those in the room removing theirs to see the text. Domino looked at her own phone, shaking her head when she read: “The New York Continental status has been changed to Deconsecrated. In effect in thirty minutes.”

“Would you look at that,” the Kind hummed. “Just what I expected. I give it til dawn before they get tired.”

Y/n was starting to get annoyed, wanting him to cut to the chase. “So why are you calling me now?”

“Because I want us to be a step ahead of them, Domino.”

Y/n takes a moment before saying, “I’m listening.”

“I’ve been doing some thinking over the past week—and after this morning these cuts have sealed the deal,” he laughed at his own irony. “All this High Table bullshit….under the Table is where shit gets done and you know it. All of us are pawns in their game. I say it’s time we dethrone them once and for all.”

Y/n straightens her posture, processing what the King was implying. “You’re asking for war.” She noticed her team visibly reacting to the statement. “You’re wanting to go to war with the Table.”

“Quite so.”

“And you want me and my team to help you.” There was no need to say it like a question.

“Just think about it,” he tells her. “Wait the night out or wait for my call. We’ll discuss more then.” Before she could reply the constant beep filled her ears signaling he had hung up. Sliding the phone in place, Y/n stared ahead, this time not even flinching as Halo worked on her.

It was quiet for the remainder of the hour, the beeping of phones signifying the deconsecration of the Continental was in effect. When Halo cut the last bit of thread on Y/n, the woman downed the painkillers and gulped the water bottle in seconds.

“You’re all dismissed. Stay close to the hangar—I don’t trust that they’re not lurking by the gates.” When they all left she changed into a fully black outfit, ending with a leather trench coat. Then she shuffled through one of the cabinets to find an eyepatch, which was a fucking sight when she put it on.

“I look like that dude from those comics Fanboy reads,” she announced when she walked into the area everyone was in, many of them stopping what they were doing. Phoenix, Bob, and Payback were cleaning the blood off the floors while Hangman and Fritz watched the monitors. Halo was checking over Omaha. Yale, Harvard, and Coyote were going through inventory and finally Rooster and Fanboy had finished up calls with potential clients. All eyes turned to Domino, Fanboy having to hold back his comment of saying, “Nick Fury,” though he did have a small smile on his face.

“How you feeling, boss?” Payback questioned, taking a seat on a chair after discarding the bloody water from when he mopped the floors. His answer was a groan, followed by her saying, “Like I should’ve let y’all shoot John Wick and spare me from becoming a raggedy Ann doll.”

Falling into a chair, Y/n thanked the glass of whiskey from Fritz and accepted a cigarette, leaning forward to light it when he offered the lighter flame. Checking the time on the wall, it was approaching midnight. God did she blackout or something? Where the hell did the time go? By now the Continental was likely a graveyard.

“I’m sorry about this week guys,” she said softly, letting the smoke leave her lips, wincing from the sting as the stitches keeping them together served as a reminder of what happened. “I should’ve told you all about the Marker ages ago.”

“It wasn’t our business, Dom,” Hangman pulls up a stool, setting himself on it once it appeared the coast was clear. “Those things are between those involved.”

“Yeah,” Coyote pitched in. “None of us blame you. We probably would’ve done the same. We just hate that you were punished for upholding the deal.”

“It’s not completing the Marker they were upset about,” she taps the cigarette against the ashtray. “Had I not, it would’ve given them the excuse to kill me even though there is no official rule about Markers and those who bear one that are excommunicated. It was the fact they know I did more than what was needed. I could’ve just given John the ticket and sent him off, but instead I willingly armed him with the means to have better odds. That’s why they’re pissed.”

“But they have no proof,” Harvard said from the side. “How would they know you did?”

“They know our history,” she simply sighed. “That’s enough for them to have suspicion. Whether the Adjudicator did it on her own accords or the Table ordered her to give me a good warning that they’re onto me…what’s done is done.” She finished her cigarette, “Now we figure out how to keep them off our backs.”

Several of the daggers looked at each other, wondering how to ask the question they all wanted to know since her phone call. Rooster is the one to speak up, “What about the Bowery King?”

“What about him, Rooster?”

“He’s wanting war with the High Table,” he crosses his arms, ignoring the looks from those who were not present when Domino was on the phone. They appeared surprised, and a little uneasy.

“He’s out of his damn mind,” she told him harshly, trying to not show she was tempted at stepping down from her position to join the mission. Hatred at the Table was rising in her, the King making a fair point at how everything gets done under the Table but they get to reek the benefits of what they do.

Y/n wanted to fight back, she really did. But she wasn’t gonna take her team down with her. They still had lives and going against the Table would not be easy. If she were to take the Bowery King up on his offer she would do it alone and spare them all.

“You know he’s right,” Halo pitches in, surprising the woman. Then she remembered Halo was right next to her and probably heard the entire conversation. “Everyone of us, those in service and in management, are just pawns for the Table and those who sit above it. We’re the ones who keep this business alive while they get to sit back and relax.”

Catching onto that Halo was leaking what the Bowery King told Domino, Phoenix stands from her chair. “You’ve been in service longer than all of us, Domino. You said it yourself. Haven’t you realized things are starting to get out of hand? I mean look!” She gestures to Y/n’s face, “You followed their rules and they nearly took half your face off. Who gives a fuck if you did more than what you had to—John Wick is your family. How could they not expect you to want to help him?”

The others voice agreement, Fritz nudging Y/n lightly with his arm, “It’s not fair, Dom. It hasn’t been fair in years. I say we should do it.” He specifies when she gives a confused look, “Join the Bowery King.”

“No,” she shakes her head immediately, “No—if anyone is going against the Table, it’s gonna be me. I’ll step down and you guys continue what we’ve done here for decades. I will not have you all die because of my cousin's mess.”

“With all due respect, ma’am,” Hangman politely grabbed her attention. “It’s not up to you. Even if you step down, we still can join him if we please. So why not do it together. Because we’re not letting you go alone.” Everyone agrees with murmurs and nods, causing Y/n to drop her head between her shoulders.

“We’re talking war. Against the High Table—not some single crime syndicate we’ve dealt with before, this is all twelve seat holders, the Elder, and all their subordinates. Which we—,” she gestures to all of them, “we are those subordinates. This goes past New York…it’s the whole fucking world.”

“We know,” Payback says with confidence. “We know the risk, Dom. We’re willing to take it.”

Y/n connects her gaze with each member, seeing the determination in their eyes causing an emotion she couldn’t describe to swarm through her. What she didn’t know was they each were on board the second Rooster and Halo revealed the Bowery King’s offer. Seeing their friend and comrade nearly die by following the rules they all swore to obey ignited a fire in them. They were after revenge. Who’s to say the Table wouldn’t come after them in the future. Better to stop them now before that could happen.

The assassin was having trouble grasping it all. This was her family. The people she trusted most in the world. John was once that person, and right now he has a lot to do to gain it back, but if he joins the cause then they could be unstoppable. And from what the King told her, he was confident by dawn John would be involved.

“Okay,” she says softly. “We do this as a team. The same way we’ve always done. But no one—,” she lifts a finger to emphasize her point, “no one steps out of line or goes rogue because an opportunity arises. We have to play this safe. We need to be tactical in our approach. Even if it takes weeks, months, hell, even a year or more before we see some action, then we will be patient. The Bowery King, John, maybe even Winston if the old man doesn't become a snake, all of us know the best thing to do is hit the Table when they are at their most vulnerable. When that happens….it will break before our eyes.”

Seven Hours Later….

John looked lifeless as he laid on the cold ground. Who could blame him really after he fell over ten stories while hitting obstacles that broke his fall. Not even five minutes after he landed a white van pulled up in the narrow alley, Harvard and Yale hopping out from the back to drag the man into the vehicle. Before they could close the doors a gray pit bull jumped in, licking John’s face. Recognizing the dog as the one Y/n warned them about, they shut the doors and yelled for Coyote to start driving.

When they got to meet up point, John was handed off to one of the Bowery King’s surviving men, wheeling John into the underground tunnel they had all taken up camp. Coyote ditched the van with all three sneaking into the tunnel, careful for prying eyes. Once in the tunnel they got to work with half of the Daggers while the other half accompanied Domino where the King was located. Like the Top Gun boss, the King had stitches on his face and neck. His cuts were smaller than the one she received, but enough to do damage.

“How you doing, John?” He asked from his throne. John’s dog made himself comfortable on the couch. Off to the side, barely seen with the limited light stood Rooster, Hangman, Payback, Fritz, and Phoenix. “You look as bad as I feel,” he started to laugh the same way he did over the phone, setting down his orange soda, “Johnny, Johnny, Johnny. Raise a hand if you can hear me, John.”

With a tremor, John lifted his left hand to raise his index and middle fingers, making the King go, “Oh shit. They took a finger. Ain’t that a bitch?” His laugh increased in volume when John maneuvered the hand to show only his middle finger. The rumble of his chest from laughing made the King groan from the pain of his injuries there.

“Oh John. Fucking. Wick. So, the old boy keeps his hotel and you take the fall. Can’t say I blame him I would’ve done the same thing if I was in his shoes,” he pauses to inhale as he moves to stand from his throne, “But this High Table shit. Seven cuts. You should see what they did to your cousin. In fact, she’s right here.” A cane is in his hands when he begins to move closer to John.

The heels of Y/n’s boots echo, the light hitting her stitched face when she comes to stand beside the King. “Damn,” she mutters with a grimace. “That fall sure did a number on you, Johnny boy.” John doesn’t look at her, he keeps his head down the entire time. “Who would’ve thought we’d end up here? I was hoping to be rid of ya after last week. Funny how fate works.”

The Bowery King chuckles, focusing back on John. “Under the table is where shit gets done. And they about to find out if you cut a king, you better cut him to the quick. So,” he lowers himself to the ground, holding onto his cane. “Let me ask you, John, how you feel?” John pants, face still hidden by his raggedy hair. The King speaks with menace, “‘Cause I am really. Pissed. Off. Are you pissed off, Dom?”

Y/n crouches down, elbows resting on her hips as her one eye stares down on her bloodied cousin. Her tone is the same as the King’s, “I’m really fucking pissed off. You pissed, John?”

“Hmm?” The King awaits his answer, hands shaking from how angry he was. “Are you?”

The fallen man finally starts to move, the two watching closely as he holds himself up on his hands. When he turns to face them, they finally see his bruised face, but they are more drawn to his eyes. He’s absolutely pissed the fuck off.

“Yeah.”

………………

TGM Tag List: @avaleineandafryingpan, @caitsymichelle13, @cutelittlepotatofry, @luckyladycreator2, @poppyalice2001, @americaarse, @elenavampire21, @back-tooo-black

[venus-haze]

Honey I Just Wonder What You Do There in the Back of Your Pink Cadillac (Austin!Elvis x Plus Size!Reader Smut)

Gif credit to @karamelcoveredolicity​

Summary: Elvis takes you on a date to the drive-in, and when your movie choice ends up being a dud, the two of you find a way to keep yourselves entertained in the back of his pink Cadillac.

Note: This fic was majorly influenced by me listening to Bruce Springsteen’s song "Pink Cadillac" (which was actually inspired by "Baby Let’s Play House") a million times, so I recommend checking it out before reading. Reader is plus size and a cis woman in this. Also the reader’s body is described, but not in too much detail that it’s so specific. This is shorter than the other fics I’ve written because there just isn’t as much plot. As always, feedback is appreciated and requests are open🔮 Do not interact with my blog or posts if you are under 18 or post ED/thinspo content.

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings: Sexually explicit content. Do not interact if you’re under 18.

Going to the drive-in with Elvis was always a treat, especially when he’d bring you in his famous pink Cadillac. With so many guys taking notes from your boyfriend’s style now, the pink car didn’t stand out as much as it used to. In fact, you could spot several pink cars of various makes and models parked throughout the drive-in. You were glad for it, in all honesty, it allowed you more privacy for dates like this.

He had given you the money to buy popcorn and drinks, knowing if someone caught a glimpse of him walking around, it’d be the end of date night. You returned to the car just as the movie was starting, handing him his Coke and sliding across the bench seat, resting your head on your shoulder. From the first scene, you could tell the movie was gonna suck, and you were going to get an earful from him for picking it.

Less than twenty minutes later, you were proven right when Elvis looked down at you, giving you a playful glare from the driver’s seat. Not even half an hour into the movie, and it felt like nothing had happened. The acting was horrible, and the plot made no sense. You supposed it was your fault for trying to give a movie you’d never even heard of before a chance.

"I told ya we shoulda went to Rebel Without a Cause," Elvis said.

"C’mon, we’ve seen that so many times. I wanted to try something different," you said, weakly defending yourself.

"Yeah, and it’s a snooze-fest."

The two of you sat in silence for a few moments, before you said slyly, "I can make it up to you."

"I like the sound ‘a that,” he grinned.

You leaned close, kissing him softly while you rubbed his crotch. He deepened the kiss, his tongue slipping inside your open mouth. You could feel his erection beginning to strain against the fabric of his pants, smiling against his lips when he bucked his hips against your hand. Slowly, you pulled away from the kiss and nipped at the base of his throat. 

“At this rate, I think you might come before we even get our clothes off,” you teased, using your free hand to run your thumb along his plump lower lip. 

Without hesitation, he sucked on your finger, only releasing it when he let out the desperate moan you had been trying to pull from him, the one that came deep from his chest and drove you wild. It was almost too easy.

You focused on undressing each other, lips and teeth on bare skin as you discarded your clothes on the car floor. His breathing was heavy as he grabbed for your thick thighs, trying to pull you as close as possible to him.

“Fuck, baby, I gotta be inside you,” he groaned. “I gotta feel you.”

"I don’t know if there’s enough room up here," you said, looking at the limited space in the front of the car. Elvis never minded that you were plus size, but it did mean having to get creative when it came to sex outside of the bedroom, especially in tight spaces like storage closets or, in this case, his pink Cadillac.

"Just sit on my lap," he said, desperation evident in his voice. "You’ve done it before."

"Not in a car! Honey, my ass is gonna be bumping against that horn."

"Well," he said, biting his lip as he looked you over. "There’s plenty of room in the back."

You glanced at the backseat. He had a point. Only in your intimates, you began climbing into the back of the car, struggling to get your bottom half over the seat.

"A little help?" you asked, yelping when you felt him smack your ass. "Elvis!"

"Yes?" he teased, this time actually helping you get over the seat.

You laid across the leather backseat, watching as Elvis climbed over to join you, his arms on either side of your head to hold himself steady above you. He stared at your face, not doing anything for a few silent moments.

"Everything okay?" you asked, reaching up to caress his cheek.

He kissed the inside of your wrist, whispering, "You’re so damn pretty I don’t even know what to do with myself."

"Fucking me would be a good start."

"And I’m gonna have to do somethin’ about that mouth of yours later."

You laughed, pulling him down so he was pressed against you. You couldn’t believe you were self-conscious the first time the two of you had sex. You had no illusions that you were plus size, but you’d be damned if anyone made you feel bad about it. You ate what you wanted, wore what you wanted, and had developed enough of a "fake it till you make it" attitude that confidence came naturally to you.

Some men were jerks regardless of how you carried yourself, but you never found it difficult to keep your bed warm when you really wanted to. Still, Elvis wasn’t any man, he was the man who inspired an unprecedented lust in millions of women across the world, so when the time came for you to bare all to him, you were nervous. To your relief, there was nothing to worry about, he couldn’t keep his hands or eyes off of you.

Tonight was no exception, as he wasted little time in helping you get your panties off, and you reveled in the fact that you were the only one who got to see the truly unrestrained sexuality that the press just wouldn’t let up on. ‘Elvis the Pelvis’, if only they saw his—

You moaned when he slipped two fingers inside you, curling them so your back arched as you rolled your hips to get more friction. Your nails dug into the upholstered seats, feeling your breath catch in your throat as he used his thumb to rub your clit. 

“Don’t stop, honey,” you gasped out. “Oh my god, don’t stop.”

You could feel your pussy clench around his fingers, and you choked on your own breath when he slipped a third finger inside you. Just as you were about to orgasm, he pulled his hand away, and you looked at him with widened eyes at his betrayal. 

"What do you think you’re—"

"I’m sorry," he said breathlessly, pulling down his pants and underwear in one go. "I gotta feel ya when ya come, baby."

Quickly deciding that he shouldn’t get what he wanted so easily after denying you yours, you sat up a bit, taking his cock in your hand. Spreading the precum that was dripping from it down the shaft, you watched with satisfaction as his eyes fluttered shut, his bruised lips open wide as he moaned in pleasure. 

You kept a steady pace as you pumped your hand up and down his cock. He’d jerk his hips every so often, his cock twitching as you drove him closer to orgasm. Noticing how white his knuckles were as he gripped the driver’s seat next to him, you took it as your cue to pull your hand away. 

His eyes shot open, confusion written across his face as he stared down at you.

“Oops,” you mocked. You knew it was cruel to take that away from him, but part of you loved knowing you could really get him to beg for it if you wanted him to. This wasn’t one of those nights, though. Instead, you wanted him to ruin you.

He looked angry, eyes dark as they bore into the smug look you had on your face. You laid back down, raising an eyebrow at him as he glowered over you. Getting him this worked up was one of your absolute favorite pastimes.

"Don’t tease," he growled, the hypocrite that he was as he plunged his length inside you. You let out a sound that you didn’t even know you were capable of making.

"Harder," you whimpered.

"Baby—"

"I can take it."

"Fuck, you’re perfect," he groaned.

His pace was unforgiving, and you knew anyone within a few feet of the car would be able to know what was going on from how much it was rocking. Your fingers curled in his greased hair, pulling him in for a sloppy, desperate kiss that was more teeth and tongue than anything else, but you loved it. No one made you feel the way Elvis did. 

Your back arched when he licked the sweat that was dripping between your breasts, his eyes locked on yours as he did so.

“Elvis, don’t you dare pull away again,” you gasped out as you could feel yourself reaching orgasm again.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, voice raspy as he continued pounding into you. “Come for me, baby.”

It didn’t take much longer for you to climax, your toes curling as the sensation overtook you, and all you could do was moan his name over and over. He wasn’t far behind, your sensitive pussy clenching around his throbbing cock. You knew it wasn’t the smartest idea to have unprotected sex as often as you did with Elvis, but you loved feeling him come inside you, it added to the intimacy, and you were both turned on by it. You could feel him finish and pressed your lips to his for another kiss.

He pulled out, laying on top of you as you both caught your breath. Holding your hand in his, he pressed gentle kisses to your face, wiping away the sweat that had beaded on your forehead. After a few moments, he sat up, helping you sit up as well. You were still trying to catch your breath, feeling a bit light-headed from how much he got out of you.

“Will you hand me my bra?” you asked, noticing it on the seat next to him.

“You wreck me, ya know that?” he said, giving it over to you.

You smiled. “I could say the same to you.”

By the time the both of you had partially finished redressing, you realized the movie wasn’t even over yet, and you figured it hadn’t gotten any better. At least you knew you liked car sex now.

You settled against Elvis’ bare chest, not even pretending to watch the movie anymore. Instead, you played with his fingers which were resting on your thigh. You sighed dramatically to catch his attention.

"Bored again, Y/N?"

"Yes."

"Wanna try for a double feature?" he asked, a devilish grin on his handsome face.

"If you think you’re up for it," you said, glancing down at his clothed-again crotch.

He threw his head back, his hand on his chest as he feigned offense. "You wound me, darlin’."

Just as he was about to lean in and start kissing you, you were startled by someone tapping on the window. Immediately, Elvis grabbed his jacket, throwing it over his head and pretending to be asleep.

You rolled down the window a crack, confronting the carhop with a hostile, "What?"

"You and your fella gotta leave. We got complaints."

"Alright," you conceded.

"You got three minutes, or we’re callin’ the police about public indecency," he said before walking away.

You rolled the window back up, looking at your boyfriend, who was still hiding beneath his jacket.

"He’s gone," you said.

He sat up, and to your surprise started laughing. "That was close, huh?"

“Laugh it up, honey. You’re not the one having to do the drive of shame out of here.”

“Well,” he said, voice low and husky as he ran his hands up and down your bare arms. “I can think of some nice, secluded spots we could park. Won’t get no complaints from nobody.”

“Elvis,” you whined. “Not fair getting me all worked up again when I can’t do anything about it.”

He grinned, leaning back in the seat. “Better get to drivin’, then.”

You shot him a glare as you pulled on your blouse, not bothering to button it back up. He had to help you shimmy back into your skirt, which had gotten bunched up on the floor.

In a huff, you managed to climb over to the driver’s seat, half dressed as you turned the key in the ignition, revving the engine. He went back to hiding under his jacket, not wanting to risk being seen by anyone on the way out. You shot a glare at his covered figure from the rearview mirror as you pulled out of the spot and left the drive-in. 

After a few minutes of driving up the street, he emerged from his hiding spot, leaning over the seat to give you directions. He reached over, making you think he was going to at the very least grope you, but instead he grabbed his Coke from the cupholder to take a drink.

You pursed your lips in annoyance. “You’re mean, ya know that? Making me talk to that man while I was half-naked and drive outta there like I was some kinda hussy.”

“I’m sorry, baby,” he said, amusement evident in his voice.

“I’m not a hussy.”

“I know. You’re a very respectable girl.”

“Thank you,” you said. “Now where’s one of those secluded spots you were talking about.” 

[soyouareandrewdobson]

Dawn of Justice: A pointless comic to a rather pointless movie

I really don’t have much of an idea for an introduction here, so let me just hand you the comic and then explain why it is rather dumb.

The comic in question came out sometime in late 2015 or early 2016, certainly BEFORE the movie “Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice” had come out in March of 2016.

Now let me just say this: I am not a fan of that movie really. Frankly, Warner’s approach of creating a cinematic universe/franchise for DC akin to the MCU, has in my opinion always been a bit of a tonal trainwreck, starting with Man of Steel itself. Mind you, I have nothing against the actors involved in it, but I thought for a first “outing” for Superman it was a bit too heavy on the last act level of destruction and trying to emulate overall a tone more akin to “Batman Begins”. As for “Dawn of Justice”, I hated the way Lex Luthor was portrayed in it more like a knock off ginger version of Joker and it was silly in my opinion, how they already, in their second major outing for the DCEU, made a vs crossover movie with Batman and Superman, even though not really anything was much established of the cinematic world it was set in. To me it was already just in concept the equivalent of jumping from “Iron Man” in 2008, to “Age of Ultron” without the movies inbetween narratively.

That said, I do not hate the movie and if you find enjoyment in it, fine with me. I am at best indifferent, at worst I think we should look at it, see what worked and what didn’t, and learn from it for a future take on the idea, once the superhero boom and fatigue has ceased.

Somehow, that makes me however already more stable in mind than others, who hate the movie with a passion that’s  ridiculous. At least moviebob should reevaluate his life, when he thinks his greatest achievement (or one of them) is to talk for over 4 hours how much the movie sucks, believing by doing so he has shown Warner Bros how much of a smarty pants he is. Even though by doing so, he spend more time talking about it than the movie runs, even in the director's cut.

As for this comic… it is to me just reactional garbage like a lot of stuff Dobson did once he heard something “awful” in regard of entertainment he didn’t even care much for. Like how he thought the Mario movie will be a disaster, cause Illumination was animating it

Now to be fair, he wasn’t entirely wrong to react worried, as the movie was not that good. However, his very first reaction to the trailer alone (which he posted on twitter) is telling you already more about how he really feels and is just utterly dismissive of it, without outright saying it.

Yeah Dobson, Dark Knight Returns is not necessarily my favorite Batman comic of all time either, but even with Miller turning out not quite right in the last 15+ years, you have no right to really treat it like it has no value at all in the field of comics, as even your beloved Batman: The Animated Series took in part inspiration from it.

It is however his second tweet I could find about it, that kinda makes me chuckle

After all, it is essentially the very same thing/opinion he lets say the older man in the picture state about Superman and Batman, and how preposterous the idea of them fighting against each other would be, seeing how they are SUPERFRIENDS.

Which brings me back to the comic in itself and me actually wanting to explain, why it is kinda dumb in proper detail.

First, as stated before, it came out way before the movie even got released. So aside of some poster design that he could copy paste into it and some trailer material he had seen to make up his mind, Dobson had nothing to judge the product by. And I genuinely doubt he ever even bothered to look into it and judge it then based on the actual merit of quality or lack thereof. As long as he could rage about Zack Snyder and Snyderbros being neo nazis or whatever years later, why bother as a cartoonist and critic of nerd culture, to actually talk about a superhero movie. After all, he also never played a Metal Gear game, and that makes him still an expert on Kojima.

Second, the “generational gap” Dobson tries to show here is ridiculous. The “young” comic book fan -likely to be in his twenties, even though he looks older- actually being hyped for it, seemingly because he craves the violence of such a movie. As indicated by making a claw with his hand, having a facial expression that indicates less geek out and more “bloodthirst” as well as how he emphasizes the “Dawn of Justice” in a format that is normally saved for slasher movie titles like “Friday the 13: The Bloodbath at Menarche Lake”.

For fucks sake, Dobson comes off like some old geezer shouting at the clouds how the “younger” generation is craving for blood instead of a decent plot, even though many people younger than him at the time (quick reminder: Dobson was only around 33 to 34 years old when that comic came out) also had a problem with how that movie looked as well as its tone.

Also, the second person who is actually opposed of the idea of them fighting/ is confused about it, trying to portray the other age group, supposedly opposed to the concept of the movie? That character looks like he is in his late 50s. And I can tell you of actual experience, not many people in that age group would even care for superhero movies anyway. They have other things to worry about, like actually being responsible adults and getting their kids through college.

Okay, I apologize if that was rather insulting to some, but let us be real here: Most people at that age are not necessarily into comics anymore as an age group of 20-30 somethings in the 2010s would be And those that still are, would likely not act this confused at the idea, because with all the stuff that has been going on in DC comics within the last 30-40 years, this would likely just make them roll their eyes and think “aww shit, we go the vs route first” or be slightly intrigued if they can pull it off or not. After all, Superman and Batman/ Clark and Bruce may be friends, but that hasn't stopped people from writing stories where the two had to fight against each other. Just ask the people familiar with Injustice.

Really, the only reason we have that early retirement citizen look at the poster in confusion, is because Dobson needed someone to represent him and his opinion. And to be honest, the fact that Dobson, someone in his late 30s at this point identifies more with someone 15+ years his senior, is kinda weird. Like, is Dobson that old fashioned? Or did the years already have a bad effect at his looks and in real life he looked more to that, then he would ever admit?

Anyway, it just stinks of creating some sort of schism between generations, by insinuating that the younger generation is essentially bloodthirsty, while an older one would love something more positive. Which frankly, is dumb to assume, as age does not necessarily account for taste in some cases.

Honestly though, the funniest aspect of the comic for me however, is the way it is structured. Cause it reminds me of that pile of trash

And yeah, I know that Stan Kelly is meant to be a joke by the Onion about political comic artists in newspapers, but I honestly think those joke comics are to a degree so accurate to the mindset of some people on either side of the political spectrum, it hurts. And in regard of Dobson… well, Kelly is a joke. Dobson is the real deal.

Finally, like with many of his comics, Dobson likes to complain, but he does not really “offer” an alternative. Neither did he in comments or on twitter. And what alternative am I talking about?

Well, simple: If he thinks Dawn of Justice will suck cause he wants something more child friendly and comic like…

Why doesn’t he just recommend for others the animated movie “The Batman/Superman Movie: Worlds Finest” from 1997, based on the Superman and the Batman Animated Series of the 90s, on which later the JLA cartoon based its design and style?

Oh right! Because a Dobson only wants to complain but never help improve the status quo

[maybeillkeepit]

20. Ready To Run - First Aid Kit

"And perhaps I'll feel like this forever / I'm always ready to run"

This album is to folk and americana what stadium rock is to rock music. And that's not everybody's thing. It's very grand and cinematic, with a lot of emphasis on wide american spaces, from two sisters from Sweden. This song feels like the platonic ideal of their aesthetic, with the narrative of a relationship in which one of the lovers feels the call of the wild feeling very in line with classic Hollywood movies and americana/folk/country themes. I particularly love the combination of quiet self-reflection and huge orchestration and vocals.

19. In the Winter - Janis Ian

"And for a dime I can talk to God / Dial-a-prayer / Are you there? Do you care?"

I'M TRYING VERY HARD TO SPREAD THE JANIS IAN GOSPEL. She is (in my opinion) extremely underrated. If you like the Joni Mitchell/Carole King/Joan Baez-era singer-songwriter style, you would love her. She has recently released her official last album, The Light at the End of the Light which is beautiful. She has old blog posts you can read on her website about her and her wife making pasta. She has skits she has written. You used to be able to send her erotic haikus about Godzilla. She's everything to me. This song is on Between the Lines, along with At Seventeen, her most famous song. In the Winter is about loneliness. Straight up. It makes me so emotional I'm tearing up as I write this. Just listen to it, come on, you want to!

*Inspired by @coffeejoshy, I've decided to post my top songs of 2023. However, this is gonna be a little bit different, since it won't only be songs that came out this year. Instead, I will include one song from each of the 24 albums I've listened to the most this year, according to Deezer. Also, this will follow a kind of 12 days of Christmas structure, cause I love having a little treat everyday. These songs are in no particular order of preference.

[thenightling]

The fifty-or-so-year history of the pop culture Gargoyle

What are Gargoyles?   This is a post for new Sandman fans.  

Gregory and Goldie are dog and puppy-like Gargoyles.  

The original meaning of Gargoyle is a water spout with a demon-like figure carved into it, usually on churches and cathedrals such as NotreDame in Paris.  Though they resemble demons they are said to ward off evil spirits and scare away cowardly demons who mistake the creatures as being like themselves.  Some demons are apparently afraid of other demons.

The ones that don’t spout water are called Grotesques.  

In 1969 Cain became the host of the House of Mystery horror anthology comics, starting at issue 175, The Gift of Doom.  He was DC’s equivalent to EC comics’ own Crypt Keeper.  Cain raised gargoyles.  The versions of Gargoyles in his story were the stone statue kind but they would come to life. At the end of the story Cain kept one of the little statues, a baby gargoyle, whom would appear in later issues by the name of Gregory.  

Gregory was sweet, dopey, and very dog-like.  Cain even kept a box of treats for him. Gregory resembled a giant lizard or small dragon, and he could fly, but he had dog-like mannerisms and behaviors, and dog-like eyes.

In 1972 a low budget horror film was made called Gargoyles. The film featured actress Grayson Hall (Dr. Julia Hoffman in Dark Shadows).  In this movie the Gargoyles were humanoid and could speak.  

In The Sandman issue 2, published in late 1988 (though dated 1989) Cain (of the old House of Mystery horror anthology comics) gives Abel, his brother, a gargoyle egg, which contains the tiny Golden Gargoyle, Goldie.

Both of these versions of gargoyles (The House of Mystery / Sandman version and the version from the 1972 film) may have helped inspire Greg Weisman’s Gargoyles created for the Disney TV series of the same name in 1994. This version established a lot of rules people follow with Gargoyle fiction today. 

In Disney’s Gargoyles the Gargoyles were mostly humanoid, with Bat-like wings, looking vaguely demonic but actually noble, honorable, and with a natural sense of justice and an inclination to usually fight evil.  Much like humans though there are exceptions, usually caused by psychological trauma such as with the character Demona.  

The Gargoyles are humanoid and resemble a cross between a person, a dragon and a bat.  In fact the castle where the main gargoyles resided in the show was called Wyvern Castle. A Wyvern is a two legged, smaller, dragon.    

Later in the series you see that Gargoyles from Japan are more serpent-like, and ones in England have features matching a lion, a unicorn, and a griffon.  Later, in the Gargoyles tie-in comics, a stag-like Gargoyle would be introduced as part of the English clan to be the romantic interest for Lexington of the main clan of Gargoyles of the series.  The Gargoyles have no concern about sexuality.  Lexington was the first confirmed gay Gargoyle of the series. 

And there were two non-humanoid Gargoyles in Disney’s Gargoyles.  These were dog-like Gargoyles very similar to Gregory from The House of Mystery and later Neil Gaiman’s the Sandman comics.  These were Bronx and Boudica.  Much like Gregory in The House of Mystery they are very dog-like.

The consistent traits of Disney’s Gargoyles were that they turn to stone by day to rest and replenish their energy.  It’s an involuntary transformation and they are vulnerable while stone.  They lay eggs and yet the humanoid females have mammalian breasts. 

The versions of gargoyles in The House of Mystery / Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman have no such daytime limitations.   However they do share similarities to the dog-like Gargoyles of Bronx and Boudica of Disney’s Gargoyles.   

In 2014 the horror film I, Frankenstein was released in which, centuries ago, Gargoyles were sent to Earth to act as opponents of the forces of Hell.  The Creature from the Frankenstein novel ultimately chooses the side of good even though the gargoyles are at first mistrusting of him and the way he came into being.

The Gargoyles in I, Frankenstein were humanoid and could fly like previous versions and much like the superstition tied to the actual architectural gargoyles, were there to fight the forces of Hell.  However in I, Frankenstein they could shapeshift to human form and their wings transform into apparent capes or cloaks in their glamoured disguise.

Though their wings don’t transform, the gargoyles in Disney’s Gargoyles wings can fold over their shoulders like a cape.

[mikoriin]

What's your favorite movie, if you have any?

I HAVE SO MANY FAVORITES IS THIS AN EXCUSE TO RAMBLE???

so this is a long list of movies i have curated love for over the years so its under a readmore lmao not so much reviews but lots of gushing

now i cant choose an all time favorite. its just not possible im so passionate about so many different movies. but some of my fav fav fav movies ever are

Studio Ghibli's 'Laputa: Castle in the Sky' (1986)

ghibli's first full length film and hayao miyazaki's second full length film (as far as im aware, ive seen nausicaa too) and it is honestly a masterpiece, like damn what a way to start off your animation studio. this movie is both wholesome and very bittersweet. it has amazing characters, both villain, anti-hero, and hero. plus the romance between pazu and sheetah is so innocent and passionate. theres really such a fantastical element about this entire film its so inspiring to me and i hold it near and dear to my heart, i cry every time.

Jim Hensons 'The Labyrinth' (1986)

this was a childhood favorite of mine. my family LOVES jim hensons dark fantasy, and my brother and i grew up with this movie and the dark crystal (yes i watched the netflix series. yes i am forever bitter netflix cancelled it because it was truly so stunning) and the labyrinth was always my preference over the two even tho i do love both a lot. but this movie was just...so mesmerizing. my favorite scene is actually the ballroom fever dream scene. idk what most peoples' opinions on that scene is but it was soooo stunning to me i adored every bit of it. her whole LOOK THO!!!!!

Studio Chizu's 'Wolf Children: Ame and Yuki' (2012)

STUNNING MOVIE I CRY EVERY TIME!!!! not only does this woman win mother of the goddamn decade but this is such a strong coming of age story for not one protagonist, but THREE. its a coming of age for everyone in that family and how to find your own path and acceptance with growth and change. plus the animation is sooo stunning studio chizu has been slappin since the girl who leapt through time and such before then, but i was just soooo stunned by this movie's ability to mix the fluidity of their 2D and 3D. 3D animes can be rly hit or miss but they did this so well. beautiful stunning amazing movie 12/10 very recommend

Satoshi Kon's 'Perfect Blue' (1997)

this movie fucked me up and when i tell you ive seen it like 10 times LMAO its a psychological thriller and man the content warnings on this one.....its a bit of a traumatizing experience if youre a sexual abuse victim, but its Such a good watch. its got a rly good twist that i personally cant say is very good or not, its probably a bitttt dated. but its not focused on that one thing. this movie follows the trauma of mima and how she was treated by her higher ups and crew into doing things she was not nearly ready for or even wanted to do...but to make it to the top, what else can you do?

Disney's 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' (2001)

MY FAV FAV FAV DISNEY MOVIE EVER!!!!! say what u want about this movie but its one of disney's BEST!!!! the scene where kida is taken into the crystal light above the pool of water and becomes apart of the crystal? dude that scene Changed Me. so good i love it chefs kiss muah amazing fun movie

Disney's 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' (1996)

probably disney's darkest movie idk there are some classics from the 60s to 80s that i havent rly seen, but this movie gives me chills every time. the soundtrack? slaps. animation? slaps (thank u james baxter) characters? slap. this movie is SO GOOD and hypnotizing!!! and its so bold.

disney 2020s doesnt have the balls

Disney's 'Tangled' (2010)

FAV DISNEY PRINCESS FAV DISNEY PRINCESS MOVIE!!! i watched this shortly after it's dvd release because my mom bought it cause we always been a disney household and i fell in love with this one. yes i did watch the series. yes i did cry a couple times. tangled has my heart <3

Warner Bros' 'Cats Don't Dance' (1997)

FURRY MOVIE FURRY MOVIE!!! this movie got me into furries realistically. i love everything about this movie its so fun and charming and it has a very nice message of following your dreams while still being authentic to yourself. also lowkey about racism and prejudice in hollywood in the 1920s/1930s cough cough

Studio Ghibli's 'Spirited Away' (2001)

HOW CAN I ALMOST FORGET THIS CLASSIC??? my first ghibli movie!!! and it was such an introduction to miyazaki movies. it is such a fantastical take on japanese folklore. i for one am fascinated by japanese folklore, mythology, and culture in general so this movie is always such a treat and i can never get enough of it. one of my all time favorite movies, such a masterpiece.

Makoto Shinaki's 'Children Who Chase Lost Voices' (2011)

now this is one of shinaki's lesser known movies, but its my absolute favorite of his. this animation is still so stunning for 2011, and i can only imagine how impressive it was then considering how his stuff looks now lol but this is a high fantasy movie with miyu irino (♥♥♥♥) voicing the hero. dont ask me the rest of the cast i just hyperfixate on miyu irino specifically because he voices syaoran in the tsubasa series

ANYWAY!!! thats enough of that i could honestly go on and on but i figure i wont make this post any longer than it has to be hahaha thank you so much for the question!!!

[nandinip]

Movie Posters representing Gender, Race, and Disability

Background!

Movie posters are a visual aid used to draw audience in to watching the film. Movie posters are like a trailer that help provide information to the viewers and gets the viewer curious about the movie.Movie posters contain basic information like the title of the movie and names of actors, directors, and producers.

In 1890, Jules Chéret, was the first to release a movie poster! And since then movie posters have been a hit and many cultures around the world started using posters to attract an audience.

first movie poster!

How is gender represented in movie posters?

From 1950 to 1960, men were not represented in posters rather the posters only contained images of non-gender category or women posters.

From 1970 to 1980, no women were represented on posters rather it was all men. And in the 2000s men still are represented more than women.

It is interesting to note, that when a women is showcased on a poster, it is always of her being half-naked and wearing makeup. And this was to attract the male audience to the film. However, when males were/are showcased as hard workers, being adventures, and having high roles in societies such as officers and doctors. Sadly, this trend still continues.

Children are exposed to film and posters from a young age so to have females present as sex appeal and males as the dominant ones, it establishes unspoken guidelines in children and causes them to adhere this thinking when older. If we want to bring a change in thinking in the future generations, we need to stop creating harsh gender roles in film and film posters and start treating all genders as equal and not sexualzing one.

As seen in this poster, the women is half naked where as the man is fully clothed. Even though, she is holding a weapon in her hands, she is not taken as seriously as the man. She is present for the sex appeal more than her character in the movie. When looking at the man, he seems to have an important and dangerous job due to the weapon in his hand. But at first glance, the man seemed to have an important role due to him being fully clothed.

How is race represented in movie posters?

Movie posters exclusive have caucasians and not many African Americans. In this section, I will provide you with some examples for race being represented in film posters.

America's black culture represent in poland

1950s to 60s a lot of B-rated movies were produced by black indie companies

Asian Representation in movies (we watched this in class!)

How is disability represented in movie posters?

There are three main types how people with disabilities are represented: he helpless victim, the evil villain, and the inspirational hero

The helpless victim: usually depicted as having little happiness in their life and wanting to live a "normal" life. This character usually deceipted as needing saving from their disability. And usually is there to evoke emotions of sympathy in audience. These types of posters causes people to have a false assumption about people with disabilities as now the audience believes that people with disabilities cannot live a "normal" life and also establishes an inexplicable power difference causing people with disabilities to not get the same respect or treatment as people without disabilities.

The evil villain: Deceipted as dangerous and untolerable. This character is often seen in horror films, such as the Unbreakable trilogy and Gerald’s Game. These types of posters and films causes the audience to walk out with a lot of misinformation and fear about people with disabilities (physical and mental disabilities).

The inspirational hero: deceipted as someone "overcoming the odds". These types of posters and films are used to motivate people through a disabled individuals journey. Even though, this creates a positive stereotype it is still a stereotype. This also causes people who do not have disabilities to have an expectation that people with disabilities can overcome their disability if "they are hard enough".

movie where a woman is met with a severe accident but after the accident she learns to work with her body and get back on her feet by herself.

In this post I have explore how movie posters affect our perception of gender, race, and disability in society. People first are exposed to movie posters and they already have a mental note on the type of movie and the characters of the movie. So movie posters are always made with care and a lot of thought.

Citations:

Thank you for reading!

[sweetmorningdew]

150 Reasons To Stay Alive

To witness the beauty of a sunrise or sunset

To try new and delicious foods

To travel and explore new places

To experience love and connection with others

To make a positive impact on someone else’s life

To see your favorite band or artist perform live

To accomplish your goals and dreams

To watch your favorite TV show or movie

To read a good book that hasn’t been written yet

To laugh until your stomach hurts

To see the world change and evolve

To experience the joy of parenthood

To learn something new every day

To enjoy a hot cup of coffee or tea

To feel the warmth of the sun on your skin

To dance like nobody’s watching

To receive and give hugs

To collaborate and create something amazing

To pet a furry animal and feel their unconditional love

To discover new passions and hobbies

To watch a thunderstorm pass by

To witness a double rainbow

To make someone smile

To experience the thrill of adrenaline

To conquer your fears

To feel the satisfaction of a job well done

To challenge yourself and grow stronger

To practice gratitude and mindfulness

To make memories that will last a lifetime

To appreciate the small moments of joy

To inspire and be inspired by others

To champion causes that are important to you

To enjoy the changing of the seasons

To feel the rush of excitement in your chest

To indulge in your favorite guilty pleasures

To pursue your creative talents and passions

To listen to your favorite song on repeat

To watch a baby take their first steps

To witness acts of kindness and compassion

To support friends and loved ones in need

To feel the wind in your hair on a windy day

To experience a deep and meaningful conversation

To learn from your mistakes and grow stronger

To advocate for mental health awareness

To surround yourself with positive and uplifting people

To explore new cultures and traditions

To find peace and solitude in nature

To volunteer and give back to your community

To enjoy a relaxing bubble bath

To celebrate birthdays and milestones

To learn a new language or skill

To overcome obstacles and challenges

To discover your true purpose and passion

To appreciate the beauty in art and creativity

To witness technological advancements

To feel the comfort of a warm blanket

To make a difference in the world

To create a positive legacy for future generations

To find joy in the little things

To experience the excitement of trying something new

To watch a loved one achieve their dreams

To strengthen your relationships with others

To feel the rush of adrenaline from a rollercoaster ride

To appreciate the taste of your favorite meal

To feel the rush of wind on a bike ride

To release stress and tension through physical exercise

To feel the satisfaction of a job well done

To make someone’s day with a small act of kindness

To see the possibilities that the future holds

To contribute your unique talents and abilities to the world

To experience the joy of laughter and humor

To explore the wonders of the natural world

To feel the thrill of a spontaneous adventure

To witness acts of courage and bravery

To appreciate the beauty in everyday moments

To create art and express yourself creatively

To watch your favorite sports team win a game

To enjoy the feeling of accomplishment after completing a project

To feel the rush of excitement from a live concert

To see the impact of your actions on others

To celebrate holidays and special occasions with loved ones

To attend a fun and exciting event

To experience the joy of giving and receiving gifts

To feel the warmth of a cozy fire on a cold night

To enjoy the taste of a sweet treat

To feel the comfort of a warm embrace

To reconnect with old friends and reminisce about shared memories

To learn from inspiring and motivational stories

To experience the happiness of achieving a goal

To witness the beauty of a full moon in the night sky

To laugh with friends until your sides hurt

To feel the excitement of planning a trip or vacation

To enjoy the feeling of accomplishment after overcoming a challenge

To witness acts of kindness and compassion in the world

To feel the sense of belonging and connection with others

To discuss and exchange ideas with like-minded individuals

To listen to music that speaks to your soul

To taste the delicious flavors of a new cuisine

To feel the thrill of a new romantic relationship

To watch a beautiful sunrise or sunset at the beach

To experience the joy of being in love

To feel the satisfaction of completing a difficult task

To make someone smile with a kind gesture

To explore new hobbies and interests

To enjoy a peaceful moment of solitude and reflection

To feel the excitement of trying something new

To connect with nature and appreciate its beauty

To learn something new and expand your knowledge

To experience the joy of a good conversation

To make a positive impact on the world

To cherish the love and support of friends and family

To witness the beauty of a rainbow after a storm

To feel the sense of accomplishment from achieving a goal

To find inspiration in the world around you

To share your talents and creativity with others

To feel the rush of adrenaline from an adventure

To appreciate the beauty of art and culture

To connect with people who share your interests and passions

To experience the joy of music and dance

To feel the warmth of the sun on your skin

To witness the wonder of the natural world

To discover new and exciting experiences

To celebrate special moments and milestones

To feel the joy of helping others

To enjoy the taste of your favorite foods

To feel the comfort of a loving embrace

To watch a loved one succeed and achieve their dreams

To feel the sense of accomplishment from completing a project

To experience the thrill of new adventures

To witness acts of kindness and compassion in the world

To appreciate the beauty of nature in all its forms

To connect with others on a deeper level

To learn and grow from your experiences

To share your unique perspective and insights with the world

To support causes that are important to you

To create a legacy that will live on after you’re gone

To feel the excitement of pursuing your passions

To watch your favorite TV show or movie

To experience the wonder of the world around you

To connect with others and build meaningful relationships

To feel the sense of accomplishment from overcoming challenges

To witness the beauty of a starry night sky

To experience the joy of laughter and fun

To appreciate the beauty of the changing seasons

To embrace new opportunities and experiences

To feel the warmth of a cozy fire on a cold night

To witness acts of courage and bravery

To find joy in the simple things in life

To celebrate the achievements of loved ones

To experience the wonder and magic of life.

[themovieblogonline]

Barbie Review: An Exhilarating Pink Symphony

Let's take a moment to celebrate Greta Gerwig. From the moment I first watched Lady Bird during its theatrical release, I knew she possessed a crucial and unique voice that would leave a lasting impact in the years to come – and I was absolutely right. Little Women, her next film, based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott, has become one of my all-time favorite comfort movies. There's a certain magic in it that can cure any amount of sadness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBk4NYhWNMM This is precisely why I couldn't contain my excitement when I heard she would be taking on the project of Barbie. With Gerwig's involvement, you can always be confident that her work won't be just another generic, uninspired movie. Her films may not be everyone's cup of tea, but there's no denying the undeniable uniqueness of her voice. With Barbie, she's demonstrating her power and style like never before. The Good: Greta Gerwig's Barbie is an outrageously funny and visually stunning journey that brings the iconic doll to life in ways we could never have imagined. Bursting with vibrant colors and humor, this film is an absolute joy to watch. Set in the enchanting world of Barbie Land, the story follows Barbie and Ken as they venture into the real world, leading to a hilarious and heartwarming exploration of the human experience. The film's humor is its undeniable highlight. From start to finish, there isn't a single scene without something to laugh at. Gerwig's clever writing and the actors' impeccable comedic timing make Barbie the funniest movie in recent memory. The audience is treated to moments of pure hilarity, and the infectious laughter that echoes through the theater is a testament to its brilliance. But it's not just the humor that captivates audiences; the production design is equally impressive. Barbie Land is a visual feast, a kaleidoscope of colors dominated by the iconic pink hue. The attention to detail and creativity in creating this fantastical world is commendable. So much so that it reportedly caused a shortage of pink paint in the real world, adding a layer of humor to the film's influence on the physical world. The heart of the film lies in Margot Robbie's phenomenal performance as Barbie. Known for her versatility, Robbie embodies the beloved doll with charm, wit, and an endearing vulnerability. She effortlessly switches between comedic brilliance and heartrending moments, creating a multi-dimensional character that resonates deeply with the audience. This may well be Robbie's finest performance to date, cementing her as one of the most talented actresses of her generation. Alongside Robbie, America Ferrera shines in a supporting role as Gloria, a Mattel employee thrust into the whirlwind of the real world with Barbie. Ferrera's portrayal is warm and genuine, and her chemistry with young talent Ariana Greenblatt, who plays her daughter, Sasha, adds a touching layer to the film's emotional core.   Ryan Gosling's casting as Ken is a stroke of genius. His undeniable charisma and energy bring Ken to life in a way that no other actor could have achieved. Gosling's chemistry with Robbie is palpable, and their performances elevate the film to new heights. Both actors deliver unforgettable performances and deserve serious consideration for awards recognition. Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography is a sight to behold. Every frame is meticulously crafted, showcasing the colorful and fantastical world of Barbie Land with awe-inspiring beauty. The film's visual splendor enhances the storytelling, making it one of the most visually striking films of the year. Beyond its entertainment value, Barbie is an incredibly important film. Gerwig's direction, coupled with the superb performances, makes audiences fall in love with cinema all over again. It reminds us of the power of storytelling and its ability to transport us to magical worlds while also reflecting on our own reality. The Bad: If I'm going to be completely honest with you all, there was not a single element of Barbie that I didn't fall in love with. Perhaps you should stay away from this one if you're not a big fan of goofy comedies or if you're not a big fan of any of the actors or something along those lines. It's also definitely not a movie that you should take your kids to see, even though this is a Barbie movie. Trust me, it goes to some seriously deep places that took me by complete surprise. There are also some adult jokes in the film as well, so be warned. Overall: Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig, is an absolute triumph. With its side-splitting humor, jaw-dropping production design, and outstanding performances, it captivates audiences and leaves them with a renewed appreciation for the art of filmmaking. Margot Robbie's portrayal of Barbie is a tour de force, supported by an excellent ensemble cast led by Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera. The film's visual splendor, courtesy of Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography, further adds to its brilliance. Barbie is an experience that brings joy, laughter, and warmth, making it a must-see film that leaves a lasting impression on its audience. Read the full article

[sanjanablogs1]

Geetha Sakshiga

In recent times, Telugu movies have gained popularity among a wider audience in India, including those who watch Hindi films. Telugu cinema has been successful in breaking barriers and bridging the gap between North and South Indian movies. Apart from achieving significant box office success, Telugu films are also being recognized for their meaningful content, which is now attracting Hindi cine-goers like never before. The latest example of this trend is the emotionally charged and powerful Telugu film 'Geeta Sakshiga,' which is soon to release for Hindi audiences. This movie is based on one of the most socially relevant topics of our times, highlighting the harassment that women face in their daily lives and is inspired by true events.

The story of 'Geeta Sakshiga' is about a girl who is raped and murdered by the son of a minister. However, an innocent boy is falsely accused and put behind bars for the crime he didn't commit. The innocent boy is blamed solely because he was at the same hostel where the rape and murder occurred. The film not only depicts the hardships and injustices women face in everyday life, but it is also about women's empowerment. The film showcases how the friend of the victim becomes a lawyer and works tirelessly to bring the culprit to justice.

Directed by Anthony Matripalli, 'Geeta Sakshiga' has been told in a very powerful and emotional manner. The recently released trailer and songs of the movie have received a very positive response and created a huge buzz on social media. Adarsh and Chitra Shukla will be playing pivotal roles in the film, while other actors like Srikant Iyengar, Rupesh Shetty, Bharani Shankar, Jayalalitha, Anita Chaudhary, and Raja Ravindra will also be seen in important characters in the movie.

Director Anthony Matripalli said, "We made the film with the intention of drawing people's attention to the untoward incidents women face. The film shows how, even in an era where we talk about equal rights and respect for women, they are still treated as commodities and violated in every possible way. Women are raped and murdered by goons at their own will, and the victims and their families don't even get justice. The film is a fight against the system and the society that doesn't support the victims and their families. We have made the film with a lot of passion, which will be felt by the audiences on screen."

The soul-touching music of the film has been composed by Gopi Sunder, and the cinematography by Venkat HanumaNarishetti brilliantly captures the story on celluloid. The film has been edited by Kishore Maddali. The original Telugu version of 'Geeta Sakshiga' was released in cinemas on March 22, and the Hindi version of the film will release on March 24, two days after the original one released in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, it has become more important than ever to raise awareness about the issues of harassment and violence against women. 'Geeta Sakshiga' is a film that has taken up this cause and sheds light on the struggles and injustices faced by women in their everyday lives. Based on true events, the film tells the story of a young girl who is raped and murdered by the son of a powerful minister, while an innocent boy is falsely accused and imprisoned for the crime.

The film not only addresses the issue of violence against women, but also highlights the need for women's empowerment. It shows how the friend of the victim, played by Chitra Shukla, becomes a lawyer and fights for justice, despite facing tremendous pressure and opposition. Director Anthony Matripalli has made the film with the intention of drawing attention to the plight of women and the need for societal change.

The film boasts a talented cast, with Adarsh and Chitra Shukla in pivotal roles, and other actors like Srikant Iyengar, Rupesh Shetty, and Jayalalitha in important supporting roles. The cinematography by Venkat Hanuma Narishetti captures the essence of the story beautifully, and the music by Gopi Sunder is sure to touch the hearts of audiences.

'Geeta Sakshiga' is not just a film, but a call to action for society to recognize the struggles faced by women and work towards a better future for them. With its powerful storyline, impactful performances, and soul-stirring music, the film is set to touch the hearts of audiences across the country. The original Telugu version of the film released on 22nd March, followed by the Hindi version on 24th March, two days after the original release in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

[yoonia]

Oh my gosh it’s here!! I remember reading spotless minds a while ago and to wake up to find eternal sunshine posted was an absolute treat !

spoilers below??

It didn’t even feel like 30k+ words. I enjoyed every single word. I loved how everything kind of came back full circle, the message about grief, healing and moving forward was really 🥺🥺 dear to me. I was really nervous that reader would spiral again and I’m really happy and appreciative of how things unfolded.

Also! There was this one part in the smut that I found was absolutely dizzying. I’m a bit shy to point out which part…lmao. But just imagining Hobi the way you described him definitely made me all hot and bothered !!

I’m interested to know what your favourite part of the creative process was ?? Or how it was in general? This story seemed like a very fun concept to explore ☺️

Yayyyy!! I'm glad that I was able to brighten up your morning a little with this story 😆😆

omg I'm so glad that you didn't find the fic length somehow draining. I never expected to have it this long and I kept holding back cause I was worried that it would feel like the story was stalling, but in the end, I figured 'oh, what the hell' and let it grow the way it did so we could get a better closure for the story lol

About the reader, that's actually what I wanted to show everyone through this epilogue. In the past, whenever she went into a spiral during her hardships, she would keep it to herself and shut down instead of reaching out. In the present, she's grown to become someone who can communicate her feelings better. now, she's holding on to Hoseok when she feels powerless instead of shutting him away, and she's open to talking about her concerns and questioning everything until she finds her closure.

Ooohh, now I'm curious which part of the smut it was lol I have to be honest, writing the smut was the part that I enjoyed the most. Hoseok has been driving me nuts lately so I kind of projected everything into these scenes 😆

I love that you asked about the creative process. It actually WAS fun! I've watched the movie that inspired me so many times I think I have all the important scenes recorded permanently in my head lol But while I was writing this, I did it without rewatching the movie at all so I wouldn't get too affected by it.

Another part that I love to work on was stitching between the missing memories and their present lives, and showing that everything is going in circles without the pair ever really realised it. I didn't enjoy writing the conversations lol except for the one between (spoiler) OC and Hana's mom.

I'm actually thinking of releasing a trivia to show the hints in the story, small parts of my creative process while working on this, and some links that connect this story to the movie it was adapted from (since I did input some metaphors that people who watched the movie might catch on) and how it's connected to some of my other fics. Idk if anyone will be interested to see that 😆😆 but I'll probably share it soon

Thank you for reading the story, and for loving them through Spotless Minds

[writerlyhabits]

Knead You

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x female reader

Word Count: 12.0k

Summary: Baking with Bucky was a treat better than what came out of the oven, even when the night turns sour.

Ch 7 of the Neighbors Series | Masterlist | Ch. 6 | Ch. 8

Warnings: mild cursing, idiots in love, excessive pining, Bucky’s military days, a closer look at Bucky’s past with Hydra than we’ve seen so far, White Wolf makes an appearance, mention of minor character death and grief, Rebecca Barnes cause I can’t help myself, I think that’s it? Lots of fluff really. This is the longest thing I’ve ever written, so I think that deserves its own warning 😂

AN: Holy shit this is long 😂 I will not apologize, because everyone already knows I’m overly-attached to these two, but I will say that these chapters were never meant to be 12 thousand words long 😂 There’s uh… there’s a recipe they make from the gem that is @bdylanhollis on TikTok. He’s been making a lot of depression-era recipes recently and just has made such wonderful inspiration 😂 Thank you as always to my dearest @deceiverofgodss for helping get this posted in time for our sweet Bucky boy’s birthday!! It has nothing to do with his birthday, but it’s the thought that counts, right? 😂 I hope you enjoy 💖

You groaned as you rolled over in your bed, wanting nothing more than to remain there all day. Your body was still slightly sore from the night before, having been thrown around by the super-soldier next door more times than you dared to count. You were exhausted, even after falling asleep during the movie. The one you had watched on the couch… but here you were in your bed.

“You could stay, too,” you had whispered as Bucky continued to hold you close, unable to filter yourself in your sleepy state.

Another groan left your body, draping your arm over your eyes in embarrassment. You couldn’t believe yourself. Had you really asked him to stay? While he was lowering you into your bed? The man had carried you there, and you asked him to stay. What were you thinking?

“Maybe another night, peach.”

His words echoed through your head, remembering how gingerly he’d kissed your knuckles as he detached you from around his neck. A new wave of embarrassment crashed against you as you remembered clinging to him like your life depended on it, though the blow was softened by how unbothered he seemed to be about it. He had been gentle and soft as he cared for you, smiling fondly at you… and he hadn’t rejected you. And was it… a promise of it happening again? Was he entertaining the idea of ‘next time’?

You brought your hands back down to rub your face, forcing yourself awake, and proceeded to run your fingers through your hair. You felt your cheeks heat back up when you remembered the feeling of Bucky’s hands in your hair after he’d taken the time to release it from the confines of the retro updo.

“Ah shit…” you breathed, as images of the condition you’d left your apartment in the night before came back to you. You pulled yourself reluctantly out of bed, slow and groggy as you began to put one foot in front of the other, but when you took a second to look around you, you stopped in your tracks.

The polka-dotted dress you’d thrown over your desk chair was placed delicately in the hamper, and the shoes that you’d kicked off had been set down neatly beside your closet. Feeling much more awake, you ventured through your bedroom doorway, glancing into the open bathroom across the hall to see the counter clear of any of the tools that had been used the night before. The living room was much the same way, the pile of bobby pins you knew had existed on the coffee table nowhere to be seen, and your belongings set neatly on the table by the front door. The candle on the kitchen counter had been blown out, the blanket on the back of the couch straightened, each throw-pillow put in its proper place… and the door was locked behind him.

You couldn’t do much more than sit dumbfounded on the couch, knowing that after Bucky had catered to you, carried you to bed, he took care of your apartment. He had shut everything down for the night, from the movie to the mess you’d helped him make earlier in the afternoon, and it made you feel warm.

“Maybe another night, peach.”

Maybe there will be another night… where you might be able to hold him through the night, wrapped in his strong arms for longer than a few hours at a time in awkward positions on your couch. Thoughts like these invaded your mind, haunting you for longer than you’d like to admit. It made movie nights particularly difficult to focus on, curled up into his side like always, yet wide awake with the notion of what might follow. And it wasn’t like trying to sit away from him would help. He’d find his way over to you like it was second nature, and you certainly didn’t mind.

This mentality had persisted into the next week, distracting thoughts of the man in question all that occupied your mind the following Monday morning at work, unable to stop yourself from messaging the super-soldier throughout your day.

What are you doing for lunch?

I brought the rest of the spaghetti from the other night

Traitor.

You couldn’t help but smile at his message, having threatened to lay his claim over it last night, watching as he kept typing.

I’m over by that little Greek place you like. Can I pick something up for you?

It’s like you know I can’t turn that place down

The usual? I can drop it off in 20.

You’re wonderful

I try.

See you soon, peach.

It’s like he knew you would try and make some sort of rebuttal to his message, quickly sending one that brought a familiar smile to your face, a smile that always followed what had become one of his favorite nicknames for you. You had to look away from your phone to avoid turning into a mess, catching River’s eye from her spot not too far away.

“Who’re you texting over there? You’re smiling like a schoolgirl, it’s gross,” she snarked, a grin of her own forming as she walked over to you and tried to snatch your phone out of your hands, your attempts to hide your facial expression from her futile. You were able to pull it away from her before she could grab it, shooting her an exasperated grin. “You know that was a rhetorical question, c’mon show me what he said.”

“Excuse you, nosy, what if I’d like to keep it to myself?” She merely raised an eyebrow at you, and you crumbled. “He’s coming over to bring me lunch.”

“In the middle of the day? What did you say he does for work again?” Your mind drew a blank at her question. This wasn’t one you had readily rehearsed.

“He’s uh, he used to be in the military,” you tried, swallowing the lump in your throat. “I think he was medically discharged? He doesn’t really like talking about it.” River nodded with a tight-lipped smile, holding up an arm in silent question; she was scarily observant, it didn’t surprise you that she’d noticed the ungloved hand while at the diner. You internally cringed at your response, but at least it was adding up, and you gave her a similar nod in confirmation. The two of you sat in silence for a few moments before she opened her mouth.

“What’s he getting you for lunch, I thought you brought spaghetti… with bacon?” You let out a laugh, happy for the subject change.

“It’s this depression-era recipe he found… it’s just as weird as it sounds, but I was in a rush this morning,” you reasoned. “He’s bringing something from that Greek place I told you about.”

“That’s nowhere near your apartment, what’s he doing over there?”

“He didn’t say,” you responded, having wondered the same thing yourself. But you knew better than to exchange what would end up being cryptic messages back and forth, waiting to question him in person.

“Maybe I’ll just ask him myself when he gets here,” River teased, and you gave her a disapproving look, the usual response to her empty threats of telling Bucky half of the things you’d shared with her. Hearing the words come out of her mouth seemed to solidify that Bucky was on his way to see you. At work. He’d never done that before.

“Hey, my hair isn’t horribly messed up is it?” You asked, looking around a little before finding something you could see enough of your reflection through to inspect yourself.

“You look fine… what is going on with you two?” she asked, her tone a cross between exasperated and confused. You turned back to look at her, eyebrows raised in question. “You cannot stop texting him, and you two were acting off at the diner on Saturday. Did something happen?” The events of the past week were playing through your mind, and you weighed your options.

River knew something was going on with you and Bucky. Bringing her to the Diner had been an occupational hazard, it only allowed her to put all the pieces from the stories of your neighbor together. Because of it, she got to see multiple different sides of your relationship, and it gave away more than you’d ever planned on revealing. Though you didn’t have reason to regret it too much, River would pester you for all the details at work and proceed to appear perfectly innocent in front of Bucky each Saturday night.

“That first night you came to the diner… I fell asleep on him on the couch. No no, that’s happened before,” you started explaining hesitantly, having to calm her reaction before she got carried away with the wrong details. “He carried me to bed, and I clung onto him like a koala. But when he did I- I asked him to stay.”

“You slept together??” She asked in a harsh whisper, and your eyes just about popped out of your head.

“No, not like that, get your head out of the gutter,” you scolded, your cheeks heating up at the thought. “He didn’t take me up on it anyway, but he said ‘maybe another night’ and I can’t stop thinking about it.” She looked at you for a quiet moment, processing what you were saying to her.

“Has anything changed?”

“Little things, like we’re taking baby steps in a certain direction but have no idea where we’re going,” you explained, and River simply looked at you expectantly, gesturing for you to elaborate. “I mean… he’s a sweet guy, he has been as long as I’ve known him, but he’s only gotten sweeter. After he carried me to bed he took care of my apartment, shut everything down, and picked up a little. We usually take turns cooking, but he’s taken over the past couple of times… And last night, he put on a record and started dancing with me in the kitchen.”

“Don’t tell me he does that all the time, I will hurt you,” she deadpanned, fully engaged in your predicament.

“No, we’ve never done that before, we usually just dance in the living room.” She rolled her eyes at you, but you continued before she could retort. “We had to stop when the pasta boiled over, but it was quite possibly the most romantic thing that’s ever happened to me,” you gushed, unable to hide the wistful tone from your voice as you remembered the night before.

“This explains why the two of you walked into the diner holding hands the other day. Yeah, I noticed. I saw the two of you try to hide it when you got up to us,” she said pointedly. “What are you going to do?” Before you could answer her, you felt your phone vibrate in your hand.

I’m here when you’re ready.

“I’m gonna take everything he’ll give me,” you answered, turning away from her to go meet Bucky in the front of your building, and you had no doubt that her eyes were following you.

He stood beside the small waiting area, sunlight from the tall windows hitting him in all the right places, catching his blue eyes shining brightly in the light as he saw you approaching. He was clad in his usual, a plain t-shirt underneath his leather jacket, his dog tags resting on his chest. One gloved hand was in the pocket of his dark jeans, the other holding your new lunch, the smell wafting through the air absolutely divine.

“Hey peach,” he greeted, a soft smile spread across his face as you came closer. He opened his arms and you couldn’t help pulling him into a brief hug, noticing the cologne he usually wore to Morelli’s. Had he put it on to come see you? No, stop that. “How’s your day going?”

“Not too bad! It’s much better now,” you grinned, pulling back out of his embrace to look at him. His eyes danced across your face, lifting his free hand to tuck a stray piece of hair behind your ear, and you felt heat rise to your cheeks. “How about yours? What brought you out this far?” Bucky faltered a little before he was able to answer.

“I was just- I went on a walk, got carried away. Once I realized where I was I thought I would offer to get you food cause I know how much you like that place… it uh, made a good excuse to come see you,” he admitted sheepishly, his last few words trailing off quietly, but not enough to go unnoticed. It was cute seeing him like this, as much as his cocky confidence made your knees weak and your sides hurt with laughter, this softer side of him just made you want to hold him.

“Well, I’m glad you did,” you managed, cheeks hurting with the force of the smile that found its way to your face. “I- well, I’m glad that you came to see me, not just for the food,” you quickly explained, giggling as you stumbled over your words. He reciprocated, joining in your nervous amusement.

“I mean, what did you say that one time, I’m good for being a leg rest and a bringer of food?” he teased, earning a groan from you as you rolled your eyes playfully. “I knew what you meant, doll.”

The world around you was simply a blurred background behind Bucky, the sounds of people passing and work happening fading into the distance as you lost yourself in the gentle expression he was giving you. You wanted to be around him like this all the time, standing close enough to him to see his cheeks start to turn pink the longer he looked at you. You got to be the one capturing his attention, and it sent a tingly feeling through your body no matter how many times he’d done it.

“What are you doing after work?” he asked, bringing you back down from your spot in the clouds.

“Well, I actually was gonna see if you want to come over and help me with something?”

“Anything. Whatcha need?” he smiled with eyebrows raised sweetly as he waited to listen, and you had to look away from him for a moment, turning your gaze to the takeout box he was now handing over to you.

“I was gonna bake bread, there are a few recipes I wanted to try,” you admitted timidly, testing the waters. Taking your chances you looked back up into his blue eyes, finding them already looking at you, teeming with unspoken thoughts as he tucked his bottom lip between his teeth.

“I’ll be there.”

He pulled you in for one last hug and you held him close to you, careful to keep the box of food in your hands upright. He shifted in your arms ever so slightly while his arm held the small of your back, leaning closer to press his soft lips against your cheek, and the slight scratch of his stubble made you tense up against him. You felt like your feet were stuck where they were as he slid himself away from you, stopping to brush his thumb across your arm as he began to detach himself.

“I’ll let you get back to work,” he started, his arm leaving you as he slowly stepped backwards towards the exit, taking one last look at you. “See you tonight, sweets.” You could only manage a mumble of a parting statement, too distracted by him to function any further. His cocky grin returned to his face, almost as if he was satisfied with the obviously flustered state he was leaving you in before he turned on his heel, your eyes following him until he’d passed the tall windows outside and vanished from sight.

When you finally managed to start your return to River, she was already looking at you, her face telling you that she saw everything.

“So when were you gonna tell me you guys were dating?” she asked leaned up against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest while you sat down to start eating the food that was calling your name.

“I- we’re not…” As you thought about your words her brows raised accusatorily, and you rolled your eyes. “Look, I don’t know what it is, we haven’t talked about it or anything. We’re just letting it happen.”

“Stop fucking with me right now, please tell me you’re kidding,” she almost whined, quickly pulling up into the seat beside you, though the salad in front of her was an afterthought as she stared you down for an answer. “You’re telling me he kissed your cheek like that, but you’re just ‘letting it happen’?”

“Can we just eat? I- we’re figuring it out, okay? We’re just … taking it at our own pace.” River made no effort to hide her playfully disgruntled attitude as you explained your situation, neglecting to tell her that you were trying to give the 105-year-old man time to adjust to the feelings you were sharing on top of everything else he had on his plate.

“Fine. But if you could hurry it up, that would be greatly appreciated. You two are killing me over here.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

…

The knock on your door came a couple of moments after you’d closed it behind you, only having time to kick your shoes off and hang your bag on the hook with your keys. You grinned as you went to open the door to Bucky, who’d shed his leather jacket and gloves since you’d seen him last.

“Hey pretty girl,” he said sweetly, though you barely had time to react to his nickname as he moved in close to you, reaching his arms around your waist to haul you up into his arms. You wrapped around him instinctively, leaned back just enough to catch his easy, playful expression as he walked into your apartment, closing the door behind him. “How’d the rest of your day go?” You could only giggle in response.

“Are we going to ignore what just happened?” you asked as he walked into your kitchen, depositing you onto the kitchen countertop while he continued to give you a shit-eating grin.

“I said I would be your leg rest tonight, and I’m going to take my job very seriously,” he reasoned, and you rolled your eyes as you let out a huff of amusement.

“I can walk, Buck, my legs aren’t tired.”

“And we’re gonna keep it that way,” he told you while giving you a pointed look, a playful grin on his face as he set his hands on either side of your legs on the counter, your arms still resting loosely around his neck. “So, what are we making? Are you finally teaching me how to make your banana bread?”

“If I had bananas I would… But I did find a recipe I think you’ll like. It’s another one of your old depression recipes.” Bucky hummed in response, his brows raised while he listened, thumbs brushing the sides of your legs and his eyes never leaving you. “It’s for peanut butter bread, what do you think?” There was a warm feeling that engulfed you as you watched his eyes sparkle. You’d caught his attention… His entire body relaxed, the soft expression he was now giving you made you glad you were perched on the counter instead of having to trust your legs.

“That sounds good,” he sighed, and you couldn’t help but sit up a little straighter under his gaze, trying to hide the fact that his clear interest in the recipe was making you giddy. You waited a moment to let him elaborate, like there was a story about his past he was about to share, but that moment never came.

“I was also gonna make this recipe I saw for some sandwich bread… that would be where you come in,” you continued, poking his back with a pointed finger as you referred to him, a huff of amusement escaping his lips as he grinned. “Oh shit, I should feed my starter before I forget,” you said quickly. You released your arms from around him and pushed his chest so he would allow you to move, hopping off the counter before he could respond.

“Feed… what?” he asked as he watched you reach into your pantry to grab the flour, bringing it to a jar you had sitting on your counter.

“I made a sourdough starter,” you explained, showing him the small mason jar filled more than halfway of dough-to-be. “You have to feed it before you can bake it. My friend said I’ll know when it’s ready to bake, so… I don’t know, I’m trusting my instincts here.”

“How often do you have to feed it?” He asked as you mixed the jar, adding the flour and water necessary.

“I read somewhere to feed it twice a day, so I do it before I leave for work and then again when I get home.” You glanced at Bucky to see there was still a hint of confusion on his face. “I usually do it before you have a chance to come over, which is why you’re only just seeing it now.” A grin spread across his cheeks at your ability to read him, nodding slowly as he caught up.

“It eats a lot.”

“Yeah, you two have that in common,” you teased as you finished up with the starter, taking the jar and the lid over to the man who was giving you a look of feigned offense.

“What does that mean?” He asked as he took the jar you were putting in his hands, sealing the lid tightly on the top before returning it back to you.

“It means they should do a better job advertising when you adopt a super-soldier how much you guys eat to support all that muscle.” You were graced with the sound of Bucky’s deep belly laugh as he clutched his middle, hunched over as his amusement took him over.

“Is that why you’re always going to the grocery store, sweets?” He managed through his laughter, and you couldn’t help but join his amusement.

“Yes! I don’t want it any other way, but you eat me out of house and home, Buck,” you poked, and one more bout of giggles took him over, a little more boyish than the last. The sound of it combined with the way his nose scrunched made you weak.

“To be fair, I’m the one cooking most of it, and I leave you plenty of leftovers,” he reasoned brightly, and you nodded in agreement. “Speaking of, I was thinking of making that taco recipe you taught me while you’re working tonight, what do you think?” He asked as he took the last few steps to get closer to you once again, taking you by the shoulders and looking at you for an answer.

“You know you don’t have to,” you reminded a little wistfully, coming out more like a sigh as you couldn’t stop yourself from smiling even further. His thumbs brushed comfortingly against you as he stood back up to his full height, giving your forehead a soft kiss.

“Tacos it is.”

You already loved cooking with Bucky, it had worked its way into your daily routines, but this was a dream. He was listening and watching intently as you made the loaf of peanut butter bread, laughing along with you at the interesting set of ingredients while keeping an eye on his own workstation. He moved through the kitchen with you like it was second nature, soft hands letting you know where he was around you, and you had to do your best not to let it send a shiver through your body each time. He would hold your waist in one hand while coming up behind you, bringing the wooden spoon to your lips as he had you test his handy work.

With the bread needing a little over an hour to bake, it gave you plenty of time to enjoy Bucky’s dinner, sitting next to each other on the floor of the kitchen as you watched the loaf bake at a snail’s pace. You caught him up with the events of your day, leaving out the conversation you had with River after he’d left. You’d tried to get more about his day out of him, but once again all he gave you was a vague errand before he came to see you, and an afternoon with Yori that went better than others.

The real fun started after dinner, having cleaned up and put everything away, and setting up to make the other loaf of sandwich bread. The recipe alone made you excited, having wanted to try it for a while, but it was Bucky’s behavior that made you burst into giggles.

“What is it?” he laughed with you while he very exaggeratedly moved his shoulders as he kneaded the bread dough, sneaking a glance at you perched on the counter just behind and to the side of him, a cocky grin on his face. “Am I doing it right?”

“Yeah Buck, you’re doing just fine,” you smiled, dropping his gaze when he turned back to the dough in his hands. You just kept watching him. He wanted you to, he wasn’t subtle in his efforts to make a show of his back muscles under the fitting t-shirt, and strong arms that you had a perfect view of. You only had a little bit of shame, knowing that if he looked back to catch you ogling the veins in his right arm and the moving plates of the left, you would turn an incriminating shade of red.

Luckily, as he was wrapping up the dough to proof off to the side, the oven timer made the perfect distraction. You hopped off the counter to retrieve the loaf, moving to turn the low temperature much higher for the second bread. Almost the second you turned the peanut butter bread out of the pan, there was a super-soldier at your heel, drying his hands after he’d rinsed the flour off of them.

“How’d it come out?” he asked, looking over your shoulder.

“There’s only one way to find out…” You reached for a knife to cut off a slice, halving it and offering it to the man behind you. You almost couldn’t continue chewing the bite you’d taken of your own slice as you watched him lean further over your shoulder, vibranium fingers lifting your elbow to bring the slice in your hand to his lips.

You were even less prepared for the physical reaction he made once he’d had a bite, closing his eyes and his eyebrows making small movements as he knit them together, a variety of emotions going on at once. You could only watch as you enjoyed your own bite; the flavor was good, but you didn’t think it was quite deserving of the reaction playing out before you.

“Oh my god…” Bucky sighed, removing himself from around you as he tossed the towel in his hand on the counter. You set down the bread in your hands to get rid of distractions, worry starting to write itself across your features, wondering what could be going through his head.

Once you were turned back to fully face him, he had his arms wrapped around you in a tight embrace, burying himself in the crook of your neck. You moved to wrap your arms back around his neck, rubbing gentle circles across his back to try and provide some sort of comfort. The second your hands touched him, he released a shaky breath near your ear.

“It tastes like the one my sister used to make…” His soft words made your heart patter in your chest, and you couldn’t help but hold him a little tighter. “She used to send these little boxes when I was in the Army… She’d cram these long letters in there with a loaf of peanut butter bread just bursting at the seams.” There was a hint of a laugh in the way he said it, and you could picture the young soldier receiving a misshapen box full of snacks and his sister’s love. “She started baking a lot more when they died…. that was how she would cope with it,” he continued, impossibly quieter.

Bucky had mentioned his parent’s death in passing, only having gone into detail on one night when you had asked. It had been months ago when he had only just started opening up about his family, but it was the night you learned when to keep asking and when to let him open up on his own. Bucky was quiet for the rest of that night; he had been open with his answer, but you knew he’d closed himself off because of it, and you at least had the mind not to push. He told you how it had happened, about Becca coming home for the summer to help him sort everything out. He also explained how she had considered moving back home to stay with him, and how adamantly he’d urged her to go back and finish school.

And how it was the last time he ever saw his sister.

“I got a package from her every few weeks, and they made my day… I didn’t realize how much I missed them until… until I stopped getting them.” You were doing your best to hold in your own shaky breaths at this point, your heart breaking with each addition to the story. “I came back from being captured by Hydra the first time to a handful of bread boxes that had gone bad. And then I uh… I wasn’t exactly the easiest person to find, after that.”

There was no holding back the tears that had started falling down your cheeks, the waiver in his voice as he said that last sentence being the final push. You held him as tight as you possibly could, one hand rubbing his back while the other ended up on the back of his head as he nestled further into you. His hands held a firm yet gentle grip, as if you were the anchor keeping him steady as he allowed himself to feel his emotions for a moment.

It was hard to tell how much time had gone by when you finally pulled away enough to look at each other, feeling like both hours and mere moments had passed. His blue eyes were shining as they’d gotten a little watery, and you couldn’t help but offer a sad smile as he brought his hands to your cheeks, his thumbs wiping away the tears that had fallen.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to make you all weepy about bread, doll.” This time you managed a laugh, rolling your eyes at his comment as you placed your hands over his, trying to offer the same soothing comfort he was giving you. With your face in his hands, he pulled you closer to place a soft kiss on your forehead before moving to check on the other dough.

The rest of the night was quiet, but it was comfortable. The other loaf of bread came out beautifully, albeit much later in the night than you expected to be baking. And Bucky, ever observant, did more than his fair share to help clean up the kitchen and bid you goodnight, locking your door behind him as always.

…

Bucky couldn’t stop smiling. To himself, alone in his apartment, thinking of you. The way you looked at him while he made a scene of kneading the dough, laughing on the kitchen floor with him, your gentle touches as you held each other impossibly close…

He wanted more. More kitchen shenanigans, more gentle touches, more forehead kisses, more dancing... He knew he shouldn’t, and some days he even felt guilty about it. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy what the two of you had… he just liked it so much, the need for it never to stop was all-consuming at times.

There was just something unexplainable that drew him to you, it had been there from the very beginning. It made his smiles reach his cheeks, his hands unafraid to reach out for you, and you made him want to actually be a part of this new life he’d been given. You gave him a distraction, something to occupy his thoughts and lead them away from a darker path, something to look forward to every day.

Bucky remembered the first time he’d kissed you, lips just barely touching you, kissing your forehead as you sleepily locked up behind him. It felt right. Every time he held you in his arms he watched you get flushed and shy as he continued, kissing your hands and your forehead and your neck…. It lit a fire within him. It was everything he wanted in this world, it made him feel alive.

The sound of shattered glass broke him out of his thoughts. A scream made his blood curdle, and his heart dropped through his stomach.

It belonged to you; a sound he’d never even heard in the farthest stretches of his nightmares, and one he never wanted to hear again.

He practically ripped the door of his bedroom off of its hinges, muscle memory taking over and leading him through his apartment while his mind went into overdrive. He had to get to you. He flung open the drawer of the table he kept by the front door, taking the sleek black ka-bar knife in his other hand. He hadn’t touched it since he’d moved in, the only form of weapon someone of his reputation could possess without cause for suspicion, sitting in his front table in the event he got uneasy or needed a quick escape. Bucky held it tightly in his right hand for the first time in months… he had to get to you right fucking now.

Bucky had his front door opened not even seconds after the sound of your scream had made it through his walls, and he saw you popping through yours across the hall mere moments after he’d done the same. You were almost as fast getting out as he was… Good. It would keep you alive longer.

“Bucky,” you whined, fear and confusion written in your expression and your body language, and he was quick to your side as you practically leapt into his arms.

“What happened?” he asked a little gruffly, his body slipping back into a very defensive place almost instantaneously. As he waited for you to gather yourself enough for a response, he brushed stray strands of hair out of your face to be able to examine you, making sure you were okay.

“I- I don’t know. I was in the living room … something shattered, I came to you,” you managed as you struggled to catch your breath, restless hands searching for some sort of hold on him. He took one of your hands in his free one, holding it firmly to bring your focus back to him.

“Hey, I need you to breathe … go to my apartment, lock the door behind you,” he nearly commanded, trying to prepare you for as many of the situations his imagination was concocting as he could. When you nodded, he swiftly tucked you behind him, his knife in the other hand at the ready.

The White Wolf entered your apartment, his steps impossibly quiet as he maneuvered through the familiar area, eyes scouring his surroundings with his weapon brandished. There was shattered glass in the kitchen, no open cabinets, nothing to indicate you had been in the area. The window across from him was intact; no shatters, no signs of entry holes. Not a sniper.

His mind was racing ten thousand miles a minute. What if someone was here for him… Who? Hydra? Why were they here, what did they want, why were they coming after you? If they’d taken so long to find him, how the hell did they know to go after you?

He stepped into the kitchen, moving carefully around the shattered glass as he knelt down to examine it. The fractures of the glass were erratic, having no entry or exit points. The doughy mess of your sourdough starter that wasn’t strewn across the kitchen laid amongst the shards, spilling out of the dented lid he’d sealed earlier, the rim still intact.

Bucky was able to release a breath of relief, one that quickly turned into one of amusement as he realized what had happened. The jar you’d had him seal earlier, with his super-soldier hands, had trapped the growing dough and gases from the yeast inside the jar with no room for release. So it made its own way out. He almost couldn’t believe what had happened as he stood up, making his way through the rest of your apartment to examine it for good measure.

“You can come on out, peach,” he called across the hall to you as he tucked his knife in his pocket, unable to hide his amusement from his voice as he stood in your open door waiting for you to emerge. There was a long pause, but still no response from you. He called your name to try and get you to come out, but still to no avail. Bucky took the few steps distance from your door to his, wrapping his knuckles on the door the way he usually did with yours.

“Doll? You doing okay?” he asked softly. After a few moments he heard the faintest hint of footsteps and the clicks of his lock shifting, and you stepped timidly through his doorway with wide eyes.

“What was it?” you asked eagerly, worry still written across your features.

“It- your sourdough…” he tried, a laugh bubbling up from within him as the nerves left his body.

“What?” you asked again, put at ease a little by his amusement, but no less confused.

“Your starter exploded,” he managed as you released a sigh of relief. You were quick to pull yourself back in his arms, the two of you holding each other soothingly as you allowed your adrenaline to come back to a normal level. Bucky picked you up in his arms, carrying you back through the open door of your apartment, your feet touching the floor again where you could see the scene of the crime.

“You got scared by bread,” he couldn’t help but tease, trying to lighten the mood.

“Please don’t, I was actually terrified,” you laughed against him, arms circling his neck a little tighter.

“You had me pretty rattled there for a second too,” he admitted. As he felt you tuck yourself into the crook of his neck a thought he had in the heat of it all returned to him, and came spilling out before he could think twice. “I- there’s really no sugar coating it; I was so scared for you… I hope I never have to hear you scream like that ever again.” He waited with bated breaths as he stood there, vulnerable and waiting for your response.

“Well I’m hoping I won’t have another sourdough starter explode on me again, so we’re probably good,” you said lightly after a few moments, and he knew you were trying to ease his thoughts, lighten the mood a little more. “But on the off-chance it does, I hope you know I’ll be busting down your door again.”

“Was that your first instinct? Coming to me?” Bucky asked a little hesitantly, easing you out of his arms just enough so that he could look at you. You smiled sheepishly as you tried to bury yourself in the outstretched arm still resting around him.

“Of course it was. James, you… you make me feel so safe.” Your words were soft as you still refused to look at him, but they struck his heart with a determined accuracy he almost didn’t know how to respond. His gut reaction was just trying to get you to look at him again, tilting his head down to try and meet your gaze, resorting to tilting your chin up himself when you continued shying away from him.

He thought he’d have a little bit more confidence, but when your pretty eyes finally met his, his mind drew a blank. What did he want to say to you? Why did he need to see your face other than to admire your features… The space between the two of you was getting smaller, but on who’s accord it was hard to tell, the very tip of his nose brushing yours.

You scrunched your nose, he could feel it, his eyes having closed somewhere before you’d gotten to him. He was about to question the expression when it hit him, unable to stop his own nose from doing the same.

“Oh god, the yeast,” you laughed, the smell of the dough splattered across the kitchen finally catching up to you. “I don’t think I can ever make another starter after this one shattering and smelling this bad.” Bucky could only laugh in response, being sure to remember if you ever tried making another one to remind you of everything that had just happened.

“C’mon sweets, let’s get this cleaned up before it gets any worse.”

Even once the cabinets, the floor, and the counters had been cleaned of any of the sourdough mixture, the horrible smell still permeated the air. The fact that the two of you had gotten it all over each other in your attempts to poke fun at one another probably didn’t help, your clothes and skin alike permitting the lingering smell. You had even tried to escape it by attempting to wash up in your bathroom, but it was like the smell only got worse in the enclosed space, and soon enough there was no way to escape it.

“Let’s get you out of here, we’ll clean up at my place,” Bucky laughed, and before you could argue he took your hand in his, leading you out to the hall where you were able to take an unexpected breath of fresh air.

“It’s so much worse than I thought,” you giggled, trailing behind Bucky as he walked you back into his apartment. You had only been inside a few times, being able to count your visits on one hand. When you’d tried to ask why once, he admitted he just liked being in your apartment more. He’d been able to tell from the first time he’d come over months ago, moving boxes doing nothing to deter the sense of home you gave the space.

You had been in a bit of a rush when you’d sought shelter here in the thick of the excitement, running to hide away in his closet before you got a chance to take in your surroundings. As you stepped in behind the super-soldier, you noticed the space had hardly changed from the last time you’d been. The moderately sized television sat on a wooden table backed up against the brick wall to the right with the small grey couch, side table, and stray pile of blankets across from it. You noticed a new chair leaning against the half-wall in front of the small kitchen, like he was ever so slowly adding furniture to the bare apartment as he saw fit. As Bucky opened the drawer of the front table to deposit his knife, you couldn’t help but look at the blankets a little closer; there was a very thin blanket beside the warmer-looking one, despite the latter being shorter, and the pile almost looked… slept in.

“Bathroom’s through here,” he laughed a little nervously, a stark contrast to the confident man you were used to watching walk through your apartment like he belonged there. Maybe because he did…

His hand found the small of your back as he led you through to his bedroom, just as bare as the rest of the apartment with a bed that looked like it hadn’t been touched in days, stopping in front of the bathroom door and standing across from you like he didn’t quite know what to do with his hands. He took a sharp inhale as he scrunched his eyebrows like he’d remembered something.

“Let me grab a towel, you probably want to wash all that off…” You couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped you glanced down at the substance you were both covered in, looking up to watch him move in the space as he offered you a very neatly folded towel. “You go ahead… I uh, I don’t know what you use, there’s not a lot in there, I-” You cut him off as you reached out to place a hand on his arm.

“I’ll be fine, Buck. I’m not that high maintenance,” you teased, pleased with the smile on his face as he looked down at his feet. You moved to open the bathroom when the realization hit you. Besides the yeast-covered clothes on your back, you had nothing else to wear. “Oh shoot, let me run back and get something to change into…”

“Oh come on, I just rescued you from that! Here, just wear these,” Bucky started, sounding more like himself as he caught your attention, stopping you before you could get too far. He turned to reach into the closet you’d hid in earlier, pulling out a red henley and a pair of boxers.

“Are you sure?” you asked as he put them in your hands, not quite believing what was happening. This was a scene straight out of one of your dreams… was he really handing you his clothes?

“Can’t have you dying of yeast poisoning.”

“I don’t think that’s a thing,” you laughed.

“I don’t know, peach… I’d rather not chance it,” he threw back with a wink before he started walking back out to the living room, to give you your space.

You couldn’t help but smile to yourself at the sweetness of his actions tonight as you stepped into the shower, washing the remnants of the starter Bucky had gotten all over you from your body. It was like you saw a whole new side of him today, from bringing you food just to see you, the way he had brazenly flirted with you throughout the day, and the softness in the way he’d held you close to him. And now here you were, lathering your hair with a shampoo that smelled so much like him, and a set of his clothes waiting for you on the counter.

Maybe the sourdough hadn’t exploded; maybe you really did die, and this was some sort of heaven.

The red henley was thin, and a bit worn, making you wonder how long he’d had it. The fabric was stretched out, especially in the arms, and you tried not to think about how they’d gotten that way as you draped it over your body. It was soft and smelled like him… between that and the soaps from the shower, it was like you were wrapped in the very essence of Bucky. Wouldn’t that be nice…

“Shower’s all yours,” you offered as you stepped out of his bedroom, finding him in the middle of folding a blanket, the pile on the floor nowhere to be seen.

You didn’t miss the way his eyes lingered as he looked at you, damp hair and all, feeling the way his eyes followed you as you set your bundle of yeast-covered clothes by the front door. When you stood back up to find his gaze fixed on you, there was something that bubbled up inside you, a new sort of confidence that spilled out before you could contemplate it.

“See something you like, old man?” You were delighted by the chuckle that left him, a cocky grin spreading across his face at your bold question. You crossed your arms across your chest as you challenged him, a grin of your own starting to form.

Bucky ran his tongue across his bottom lip before pulling it between his teeth as he looked at you, not making any effort to hide the way he took in your whole figure, leaving you feeling a little hot and flustered. He took slow steps to cross the distance between you, his hands just barely brushing your arms as he reached out for you, and you were having a hard time keeping your composure when his gaze burned into you with an emotion you couldn’t quite place. Soft touches turned eager, as he gripped the henley by the hem and pulled you into him.

You felt like time had stopped as you watched him, only vaguely aware of the breath you were holding as you waited desperately for him to do something. His eyes danced between your gaze and your lips, and if he’d told you the world had started spinning you would have believed him. His grin got wider as he released an amused breath, having to force himself back up to your eyes.

“Make yourself comfortable, doll. I’ll be out in a bit,” he told you instead, leaning forward so the only thing touching you was his lips on your forehead, keeping his messy clothes away from your– his clean ones and releasing the shirt as he walked away.

You were done for. You had fallen prey to James Barnes’s charm, bright smile, sparkling blue eyes and all. All you could do was watch him leave as you stood in his living room in a haze, bewitched by the show that that cheeky shit had just put on for you. And then you let your mind wander…

He’d kissed your cheek in public, in front of everyone (and whether he knew it or not, in front of River) when he came to see you at work. He had carried you into your apartment when you got home, leaning so close to you while he set you on the counter, his hands just barely brushing your thighs while he listened to you. And after he had saved you from the exploding bread jar, you had been mere moments away from kissing him. You were right there, his nose had touched yours, his hands were holding you close… he was getting more affectionate by the day. You wondered how far he’d go, and at this rate, how soon you might be able to revisit that almost kiss.

Sinking down into the couch behind you, your body told you just how tired you were, and you struggled to keep your eyes open as you leaned into the cushions. But with the white noise of the shower, the warmth of the clothes around you, the sense of ease you felt being here with Bucky…

“You still with me, doll?” you heard him ask, your eyelids heavy as you turned to see him walking into the living room in a pair of sweatpants, a shirt rolled up on his arms as he went to pull it over his head. It gave you a nice view of his muscled chest, too tired to hide the way you were looking him up and down, paying special attention to the spot where metal met man just before it disappeared under the black t-shirt. The sight of him had certainly gotten your attention, less tired than you were mere moments ago.

“Mmhmm, I’m hangin’ in there,” you smiled, trying to ignore the look he was giving you that said he knew you’d just ogled him. Now that he was fully clothed he took the seat next to you on the couch, resting his hand on the back just beside you as he met your gaze.

“You’ve got an early morning tomorrow, you wanna head to bed?” he asked softly, reaching over to play with your hair as you rested against his hand on the back of the couch.

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” you teased, and you watched in amusement as Bucky fumbled over his words trying to explain himself, cutting himself off when your shoulders shook with an airy laugh. “I just want to sit and talk with you for a little. You know, ‘cause it’s been so long since we did that.”

“Mmm, far too long, we’ve gotta make up for lost time,” he smiled brightly, and you couldn’t help but giggle warmly at his retort. “You know, I think this might be the longest you've ever been over here.”

“I think it is,” you agreed, reminiscing on the handful of times you’d run over to grab something of his, or followed him in for a brief moment before he decided he wanted to put on a record in your living room. “I kinda wish it hadn’t started with me running to you screaming, but it is what it is.”

"I'm still glad you came to get me,” he reminded almost reverently as his hands grazed your forehead to move a stray piece of hair.

"Next time I could really sell the damsel-in-distress bit and leap into your arms. It’ll be just like in the movies," you teased.

"I’ll always catch you.” You turned into his hand as you shied away from his piercing gaze, his thumb brushing your cheek. You remembered the first time he’d said that to you, the two of you in a pile on the floor while he gave you that boyish grin that melted your insides. He had repeated it countless other times, and every time without fail, he always made you feel safe. There was no doubt you would be running to your super-soldier again to find comfort in his arms.

“There was another time I almost came knocking on your door…” you started, his eyebrows knitting together as he waited for you to elaborate. “I don’t know if you were awake, but there was a power outage a little while ago. I had the tv on and it just got eerily quiet. And when it’s quiet, there’s nothing to stop my brain from just thinking… I thought about coming over just to kind of fill the quiet,” you explained a little hesitantly, hoping you didn’t sound ridiculous as you opened up.

“Why didn’t you?” he almost pleaded, worry evident in his expression.

“I- well, I didn’t know if you were up. And if you were asleep, I didn’t want to wake you up, you know I never do,” you reasoned.

“That was a quiet night for me, too,” he told you softly. He hesitated a moment before he took a deep breath, his brows creasing to make the distressed wrinkle in between you both loved and hated seeing. “I’m usually up that late, I was only just starting to try sleeping when everything shut off. And like you said, when things are quiet, you can’t help but think…”

“I should have come over,” you sighed, watching the complicated emotions cross his eyes as they drifted away from you, and your imagination could only scratch the surface of what must have been going through his head. As the words left your lips, he glanced back at you, brows raised in concern.

“What would it have changed?”

“Well, for starters it wouldn’t have been so quiet,” you began, reaching out to rest your hand on his knee to offer some sort of reassurance. You were cut off by a yawn that attacked you out of nowhere, Bucky picking up on it immediately. “We could have talked each other to sleep.”

“You mean like we’re doing right now?” You smiled sleepily as you closed your eyes, leaning into the palm of his hand a little more. He tilted his head up ever so slightly as he moved to press a quick kiss to your forehead, before he gently slipped himself away from you as he stood from the couch. “Stay with me for one more second, I’ve got something for you.”

You pulled your eyes open to find Bucky rummaging around in one of the drawers of his front table, giving you a nice view of his back under the loose-fitting t-shirt. You had half a mind to get up and follow him, slipping your arms around his waist and resting against his back… And then you were met with his blue eyes again, a breath of amusement slipping out of him as he caught you watching. He didn’t say a word, simply holding up his hand to show you what he’d been digging for.

“Is that….?” you started, looking at the key he held between his thumb and pointer finger, the smile on his face getting wider as his only response. “I- when did you get that?”

“A little bit after you gave me the key to yours,” he admitted softly, fiddling with it in both of his hands as he looked down and away from you. “I uh, was just waiting for the right time to give it to you. Hearing you talking about seeking me out… I don’t know, it felt like as good a time as any,” he shrugged. You felt like there was something else on the tip of his tongue, watching him debate his words. Instead, he looked back up at you with a sort of conviction.

“I’m gonna put this with your stuff. If you need me, for any reason, use it. Please,” he instructed, holding the key out in his hand to make his point. “Doesn’t matter if you think I’m asleep; if it’s too quiet, if you blow up another sourdough starter, or you just don’t want to be alone. Please promise you’ll come get me.” You couldn’t help but laugh while he looked at you pointedly, placing the key gently on the pile of your yeast-covered clothes.

“I promise, Buck,” you managed, tired voice seeking to assure him. He made quick work of the distance between you, swooping in to place a chaste kiss on your cheek as he sat back down, though your eyes remained closed even after he pulled away.

You were fading fast. He was glad he’d at least been able to keep your eyes open long enough to hand the key off to you, but you were past the point of any further conversation. All he could do was look at you as you drifted off, that pretty smile fading from your soft cheeks as your body relaxed. Flashes of other nights where you’d fallen asleep beside him crossed his mind, though none were quite like this, where he had your full attention as you dozed off. He couldn’t chalk it up to a slow movie or wandering thoughts, you were comfortable enough around him to surrender yourself to unconsciousness in his care, and you wanted him to see it.

Bucky had never been more delicate as he guided you into him, soft touches linking your arms around his neck while he held your body close. Just as he’d hoped to avoid, you stirred, immediately gripping him tighter.

“What’re you doin?” you drawled, still half-asleep.

“Shh, it’s alright, I’m taking you to bed,” he whispered, not wanting to wake you any further. You made a sound of disagreement, clinging to him even tighter.

“No…” you whined. He couldn’t help the chuckle that rumbled through his chest, standing upright with you wrapped around him.

“No? You’re fallin’ asleep on me, sweets, you’ve got work in the morning.”

“You don’t like the bed.” Bucky froze in his tracks. After a few moments, he released a shaky breath, bringing one hand to cradle the back of your neck and hold you closer to him. You needed him. You were asking him to stay, just like last time… “Please, I don’t want you to be alone.”

And you knew he needed you.

He didn’t trust himself to say anything. He simply turned on his heel to the pile of blankets he’d set aside earlier in an attempt to make his empty apartment look somewhat functional, holding your body securely in one hand as he picked up the soft blanket with the other. Though when he turned back towards the couch, your grip got tighter again.

“I don’t want to be alone, James-”

“Hey hey, ‘m not going anywhere, I’m just getting a blanket,” he soothed, kneeling down on the couch as he lowered the two of you gently onto the cushions.

“But you’re like a superheater,” you teased as he eased your head to rest on his chest, pulling the blanket around you.

“And it’s February.” He wrapped his arms around you tightly, holding your body flush to his and resting his cheek against the top of your head as you nestled into him, already breathing easier than when you’d thought he was carrying you away. “I already saved you from yeast poisoning tonight, I’m not gonna lose you to pneumonia.”

“That’s not how you get-”

“Go to sleep,” he urged, cutting off your retort. You went to make another one but were silenced by your own yawn, and he smiled to himself when you seemed to surrender to the pull of sleep. You reached out to lay a hand on his chest, and he couldn’t help but bring the hand on your waist to rest over yours, his large one engulfing your own.

Bucky was certain he’d crossed over to some kind of heaven; the feeling of you sleeping so peacefully beside him –practically on top of him– felt like a bliss he had only ever been able to steal samples of as you laid in uncomfortable positions on top of each other after movie nights. You looked so peaceful, so relaxed as your body lifted with the combination of your easy breathing and his own, snuggled up right into him. Your body practically breathed comfort into him, and while he’d lost your conversation, you still managed to permeate his very thoughts as they drifted away to happier things.

It felt right. Pulling you into his arms a little tighter, placing yet another kiss to the top of your head, and nuzzling into your hair until he got comfortable. Had he known that sleeping next to you would’ve felt so nice… why hadn’t he taken you up on it before? The reasoning was getting lost in the recesses of his mind, consumed by you, and how perfect you felt in his arms. Half the reason he may have chosen to leave when you’d asked him to stay might have been because of how much Bucky wanted to stay like this forever.

And he very well could have, if the morning hadn’t come. Most other mornings he would notice the sun starting to peek through the blinds and groan about his lack of sleep, but this morning was very different.

It wasn’t often Bucky got to experience the golden sunlight hitting his eyelids, beating him to the new day as he adjusted to waking up, eyes fluttering open to survey his surroundings. As he glanced around the pleasantly quiet apartment, he took notice of how good he felt, surprisingly well-rested. It had been a peaceful night, the first in what had to be months, and it felt incredible. He looked back down at your sleeping figure, rested on top of him in nearly the exact same position you had been in when he urged you to sleep.

This was the view he could have looked at until the end of time, and he considered it. He let his mind wander, thinking of how long he’d be able to stay tucked underneath you, what you might be dreaming about as he played with your hair, how late you would end up sleeping in… Or how much you would if you didn’t have to go to work. His thoughts were then rudely shifted to how long it would be until you were stolen away from him and this peaceful morning.

Bucky ever so slowly leaned over you to reach your phone on the side table, and couldn’t help but smile when he saw his own face looking back at him. It had been your wallpaper for the last few days, a picture River had taken of the two of you laughing while he dipped you backwards, one in the series of photos that captured you tripping while he held onto you. He had seen it multiple times since you’d put it there, but it never failed to make him feel warm and almost giddy. And he wasn’t quite sure what it was about the picture, but he couldn’t get enough of it, spending a –quite frankly– ridiculous amount of time looking at it in his camera roll when he couldn’t sleep.

You looked radiant, with your bright smile and eyes closed in a laugh, one he could still hear bubbling out of your chest. It captured your very essence, the feeling that consumed him when the two of you were around each other. Bucky was surprised by how much he didn’t mind his own appearance in the picture; amongst all the goofy shots you’d tried to take of him in the past couple months, this one he actually liked. He looked like there wasn’t a worry in his head beside you, donning a smile that wouldn’t have been recognizable a few months ago.

Finally tearing himself away from your lock screen, he bypassed the pin and found his way to your alarm, trying to ignore the disappointment he felt when he saw how soon it would go off. It made him yearn for a soft morning where he could sleep in with you, holding you tight and placing soft kisses to ease you awake…

The feeling of strong arms squeezing around you while soft lips traveled across your cheeks was what brought you to life, though it may as well have still been a dream if you didn’t know better.

“Good morning, pretty girl,” Bucky’s husky morning voice whispered just beside your ear, and you couldn’t stop from preening into his affection as you smiled sleepily. “How’d you sleep?”

“Mmmm, good,” you sighed, stretching your limbs with a groan and settling your arms back around the super-soldiers neck. You cracked your eyes open to find him washed in the golden light of the early sun, and you wanted the image of it engraved in your brain. “You?”

“Best sleep I’ve gotten in a long time.” Your heart swelled as you admired him, taking note of the way his eyes sparkled, the effects of a good night’s sleep already evident in his body.

“Let’s just stay here, we can go back to sleep, do it all over again,” you bargained, earning a deep chuckle from within Bucky’s chest as he tucked his nose under the lobe of your ear and placed a feather-light kiss on the skin there.

“Hate to break it to you, peach, but you have to go to work soon.” You groaned as you buried your face into his firm chest, and you could feel his smile appear on the top of your head as his hands came back up to stroke your hair. “I woke you up so you’d still have enough time to get ready with all this moping.”

“What if I just didn’t go to work? They don’t need me, they can figure it out,” you tried, pulling at strings to try and stay here in this moment for as long as you possibly could. “I could just call out, and we can stay like this for hours…”

“No you won’t,” he laughed.

“Watch me.”

“You’ll feel guilty within fifteen minutes.” You knew he could feel you roll your eyes, knowing you better than you knew yourself at times. He gave your back a soft pat as he shifted back to make you look at him properly. “I’ll be here when you get back, I always am.”

“I know,” you sighed, a little defeated and wanting nothing more than to keep gazing into those soft, blue eyes. “But that means I have to leave.” He watched you for a few moments, contemplating something. He lifted one hand to comb your hair back out of your face and cup your cheek.

“I’ll be alright. Believe it or not, I do actually know how to function without you. Can tie my own shoes and everything,” he teased.

“Can you really? You know, with how often you wear those boots I was starting to wonder…”

“Alright, get off of me,” he grunted, and as you laughed you could tell he was trying hard not to smile with you.

“Make me,” you challenged. What you thought you would gain, you didn’t know, as you were promptly scooped up into the super soldier’s arms like you weighed nothing more than a handful of grapes. The blanket he had covered you with through the night fell to the floor as you clung onto him, and he only needed to hold you to him with one arm as he walked through his apartment.

“‘Make me’ she says,” he grumbled, grabbing keys off the front table and bending over to pick up your pile of clothes from the night before, keeping you securely tucked into the crook of his neck. “Do you know how stubborn you are?”

“You’re one to talk, Barnes,” you shot back as he approached the door to your apartment, fiddling with the lock before pushing it open and entering the space that no longer smelled like your sourdough starter.

“Says the one who’s being carried into her living room.” You opened your mouth to make a retort but lost your train of thought when you were deposited on your feet, finding yourself on the receiving end of one of his signature glares. You rolled your eyes as you snatched the clothes out of his arms and turned to your bedroom to discard them in the hamper.

“I’m telling River you were being mean to me this morning,” you hollered, and you heard him laugh exasperatedly.

“Sure, you do that,” was his only response, sounding distracted. When you came back out to the living room you saw him linking the key to his apartment onto your keychain, and you couldn’t help but smile as you watched him. “I can feel you looking at me,” he mumbled after a moment.

“You’re very busy, I was letting you work.” He shook his head as he smiled, taking a look back up at you as he finished his task.

“You always use something like a butter knife to get the ring open, I figured I’d just save you the trouble,” he shrugged, placing them back on the hook he’d gotten them from.

“What would I do without you?” As you watched his cheeks turn pink you crossed the space between the two of you, willing yourself to do something other than just sit there and wait for him to make the move for you. Ignoring the alarms in your head and the somersaults your stomach was doing, you reached up to grab his cheek in one hand and kissed the other, his hand instinctively reaching out to the small of your back to keep you close to him.

“I’m sure you’d manage.” You knew his words came from a place inside him where he still doubted himself, though his tone and facial expression didn’t match that sentiment. Bucky’s gaze made you feel like you were the only thing that mattered in this moment, the rest of the world cast to the side as a blurred and muffled backdrop.

“Well I hope I don’t have to,” you tried to reassure, not wanting his attention to leave you. Your words did earn a brief smile from him, disappearing as he grabbed your face and placed a very enthusiastic kiss on your forehead that caused a giggle to bubble out of you.

“I’ll see you after work, doll,” he assured gently, his hand lingering on your arm as he went to step back through the front door of your apartment, taking one last look at you before he parted ways.

“I’m counting on it.”

Thanks for reading!! If you’d like to be notified when I post a new fic, be sure to follow @writerlyhabits-library + turn on post notifications! 💛

Masterlist | Ch. 6 | Ch. 8

[remina-mina]

Kalim's Disney Inspirations

Ive been doing different analysis on Kalims character so far ive done his unique magic.

Unique Magic Analysis

i might do a full character analysis one day but ive already seen a lot that i agree with so i don't think i have anything new to say about that.

Kalim is one of characters where his character actually has mixed inspirations and this is typically used to highlight his similarities with Jamil throughout the story. Because Scarabia has only 2 characters the inspirations are split and overlap between Kalim and Jamil.

Sultan

His main personality is heavily influenced by the Sultan from Aladdin. Just in case you’ve somehow managed to avoid the plot of a 30+ year old movie, the Sultan is a well meaning idiot who is eventually betrayed by his trusted vizier Jafar. This is also the main plot of book 4 is Kalim being betrayed by Jamil who is mainly twisted from Jafar.

There are also little references to the sultan throughout book 4 like when Kalim tries to feed Grim crackers

During the promotions of the game if you get accepted to Scarabia Kalim says the line “I’m a great judge of character”

References to Jasmine and Aladdin

I'd argue that Kalim’s internal personality is inspired from Jasmine as many of his interactions have references to her character and actions. Some of these references do overlap with Aladdin but that's likely on purpose to add to the direct conflict between Jamil as he's twisted from Jafar and add to their similarities as he shares some traits with Aladdin as well.

Let's start with the most obvious reference-

Magic carpet scene: the entire scene is a very obvious reference to the Aladdin movie but it pretty much implies that whenever Kalim is stressed or worried about something he goes to the magic carpet as it's his best friend. Just as Jasmine is able to find refuge in seeing the world outside the palace Kalim finds that same comfort in being somewhere without expectations.

Throughout his Personal Stories Kalim has been linked with releasing trapped things free (including the magic carpet). The only person in Aladdin who releases animals or things free are Jasmin and Aladdin so it's very obvious this inspiration cannot be coming from the Sultan.

Releasing the White Birds- Both Kalim and Jasmine have scenes of them releasing birds free.

During his Dorm SSR, while he’s planning the parade the original rainbow parrots escape and instead of chasing after them he lets them go. This is reminiscent of the scene where Jasmine releases the white birds after seeing them trapped.

In Al’ab Nariya it is revealed that the Al Asim family park used to have animals in its cages but after Kalim let them all out of their cages and caused a disaster it was decided that the animals would be allowed to roam freely.

In Book 4 instead of being held hostage or trapped by Jamil he is instead flug away and treated just as Aladdin was in the movie.

In Book 5 Kalim talks about how he enjoys the original Aladdin story because it highlights forgiveness and someone putting in the effort to show they’ve changed. This can be a reference to Jasmine as she's the one who believed in Aladdin's heart.

Impact on Story

It's interesting to note that his inspirations from Jasmine and Aladdin are the parts of his character that Jamil largely ignores i believe that's on purpose. In the Aladdin movie Jasmine and Aladdin are brought together through realizing their similarities regardless of childhood. As Kalim and Jamil both have small inspirations from Aladdin it's used to highlight their similarities deeper down. Their overlapping inspirations might be what allows them to heal their friendship in the future.

[mysaldate]

I can't find the post anymore but there is something that has been bugging me about the recent "Jack is the wolves from the Jungle Book" post.

Now, full disclaimer, I think it's a great theory and you're free to believe whatever you want, but there are a few things that go against this being the only inspiration for Jack that you may be forgetting or possibly might not know about. I will try to keep this neat and organized but I got hit hard by insomnia last night so I'm sorry if it's a bit all over the place.

To start with, the wolves in Jungle Book are not the villains of the story. They are a neutral side at worst, yet Jack still has dark magic. I know this is a weak point but it's still worth thinking about, especially considering the hunter from Snow White gets to be twisted into a character with light magic and treated as an ally to the protagonist even though he did plan on violently murdering her.

This next point is something I can no longer prove and most people won't know about but bear with me here. Back in the day before twst even had a release date or voice actors, the official website was sharing the character designs and profiles. Up until they got to Ignihyde, each character profile had a part called "Twisted From:" much like the dorms do. For most characters, one or two inspirations were listed. Riddle was Queen of Hearts, Trey was both a card soldier and the mad hatter etc. Jack's entry, however, said "???" Now, you can take this multiple ways – either he has no base and Yana is just doing whatever feels right at the moment, or he has many various inspirations and it would be a hassle to list them all. Obviously, given Yana's track-record, making stuff up as she goes is not her style.

But there's still more. In the Twisted Archives interview, Yana stated that she wanted to include as many movies that were either commercially successful or had cultural impact, not in the west, but specifically in Japan, but Disney made her cut down a lot on the project. One of these movies with an impact is an old-school Disney live-action adaptation of Jack London's books, called Call of the Wild which is a story about a pack of wolves living in Alaska. Both Jack's name and his homeland made a lot of JP fans think that Jack might actually be based on these wolves. And while they are not the villains, Jack London's wolf stories rarely have an actual villain and rather focus on the harsh and often violent lives these animals lead in the wild.

Finally, there is the note of Jack befriending and racing a deer which a lot of people pointed out feels like a Frozen reference.

In conclusion, it is more likely that Jack is a merge of many different Disney wolves over the years, possibly caused by Yana having to cut her planned characters down to about 1/6 of the original cast (there was supposed to be almost 20 dorms with 4-5 members each). Thank you for reading!