#wants to play all the time and will put her cellphone videos on full blast

[t-ierrahumeda]

After spending the whole day with my niece I reaffirm my never wanting to have a child.

[suchalonelysunflower]

“One of the Boys” (M.C)

Pairings: Michael Clifford X Reader

Summary: College!AU ~ Friends to Lovers. You and Michael are best friends since forever, that’s why you feel the need to hide your crush on him. But when he makes a hurtful comment, you are determined to prove him wrong. Could that be enough to make him love you?

Warnings: The reader uses she/her pronouns, I’m sorry if I make anyone uncomfortable with that, it was not my intention. Angst with fluffy parts. Language, low self esteem issues, cheating (a little bit, it depends on how you view it) one sexual reference and some grammar and syntax errors (English it’s not my first language, I’m sorry)

Word Count: 5.5K

Author’s Note: My first Michael Fic! I waited so long and it’s finally here ✨ This is slyghtly based on a personal experience (mine didn’t have this ending) I hope you like it! Feedback, reblogs and comments are always welcomed, I love to hear from you guys 💕 You can read my other works HERE 🦋

You had to admit it, you weren’t exactly a very ‘feminine’ girl. But that the hell was wrong with that? Yes, you preferred leggings and big hoodies over skirts and tight dresses. Yes, you skateboarded everyday to school and hanged out with boys all the time, drinking beers instead of fancy little cocktails. Yes, you never really cared about boy bands or artists like Justin Bieber or Drake. And yes, you would rather die than have high heels on for more than 2 hours straight. But that’s just who you are, how you’ve always been. His comment shouldn’t have hurt that much, but why are you crying about it?

You have been roomates with Michael since you two started college. You always joked about how you were going to live together someday and have a fridge full of junk food and soda. Well, now you do (except from the junk food part, that proved to be an awful experience)

To be honest, you didn’t have that many friends besides him and your other four knuckleheads you know and love from your early school days. Luke was the youngest of all of you, and maybe that’s why everybody thought he was the innocent one (even though he was the mastermind of almost every prank you ever pulled) Calum was the shy one, as people would put it, but just get to know him a little bit and you wouldn’t be able to shut him up. Ashton is supposedly the mature one, but his quick-witted mind and his inability of staying put in a place gives him the same amount of energy as a five year old. And then there was Michael, your best friend, there isn’t a time in your life where Michael wasn’t by your side, weather it was for pulling a prank on someone, skipping school or just playing video games in his basement, he was always there. So moving in together was a no brainer.

The friendship consisted on having the same level of confidence as an old married couple, trusting each other with everything, nothing being off limits, well, except for one thing…

You and Michael were friends and nothing more. That was clear for both of you. For years you both ignored the teasing and assumptions of you guys being a couple. Just the idea of it seeming so absurd to even imagine. But there’s a fine line between love and friendship.

Over the last few years, you began to think that the idea of being Michael’s girlfriend didn’t sound so bad after all. It was impossible to pin the pivotal point of that thought, but somehow somewhere along the road, you started to feel more flustered every time he leaned into a hug, felt butterflies in your stomach with each look he speared your way or how he said your name with such a caring tone. You found yourself thinking of him more often than not, especially on how his arms would look around you waist, how it will feel to be loved by him, to kiss him…

But you couldn’t think like that, not about your best friend. So it’s better to keep it hidden in the deepest part of your soul, praying to whoever’s above that it will go away soon, but when does that ever work?

Maybe that’s why his comment hurt so bad.

It was a lazy Monday, you didn’t have to work today and that meant you could spend your afternoon beating Michael’s ass in video games. But you couldn’t concentrate with your thoughts wandering over the man who owns your heart. It was the third time you let him win in Mario Kart when he caught on your mood.

“You really suck today, huh?” Michael asked as he watches Mario celebrate yet another victory.

“Or maybe you’re finally getting good” You replied, resting your head lazily in one hand, not taking your eyes from the screen.

Michael furrowed his brows, worrying as he heard a light sigh come out of your lips “Hey, are you okay?” He asked, but you don’t seem to hear him, so he accommodates himself on the couch in order to look at you properly and puts a hand on your leg, just right above the knee “Y/N?”

“Huh?” You say, finally lifting your gaze in order to meet his and oh, how you wish you didn’t. Lost in the sea of those green eyes that consumed every thought of your mind, you felt yourself blushing under him and trying very hard not to think on his hand touching your thigh “What? No, yeah. I’m fine.”

“Liar. You let me win, that never happens. Tell me, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong”

“Y/N,”

“Nothing’s wrong, Michael. I swear”

His eyes scanned you, knowing damn well something was up.

“Well,” He said, patting your leg, softly “If you’re not gonna tell me… Then I will make you”

Before you could even comprehend what he meant by that, he was already leaning over your figure with a devilish grin as his hands traveled to your sides and started tickling you mercilessly.

Tears formed in the corner of your eyes as you couldn’t contain the laughter that came over you. Begging him to stop, you tried to escape his grip, but it wasn’t the first time this had happened and you know this is a fight you can’t. Michael joined in laughter as he came closer to you, pinning you under him on the sofa.

But suddenly, his movements stop as he becomes very aware of the position you’re in. You give one last laugh before turning to face him, only to find him already staring at you. You shudder under his gaze as you realize the way his legs are intertwined with yours, wondering if it’s his cellphone on the pocket of his shorts or something else is brushing up against your lower body.

Michael’s eyes never leave yours as your breath becomes even. And he couldn’t help but notice the way that your lips parted slightly, almost inviting him for a taste.

“Hey, dude, sorry to bother you but.. Oh shit, you’re fucking on the couch?” A voice came through the door, making you push Michael onto the floor before getting caught in that position. Raising your head over the sofa, you were met by Ashton and Luke’s grin disappearing from their faces as your face came to view “Oh, it’s just Y/N. WAIT, Were you fucking Y/N?!”

Rolling your eyes and giving them the middle finger, you stand up from the couch, regretting ever giving them a key in the first place, and went straight to the bathroom, trying to hide the red of your cheeks.

But just before you could close the door, you heard Michael say “What are you talking about? It Y/N! She’s practically one of the boys!”

He didn’t mean to hurt you. He had good intentions with that comment, of course he did. But you couldn’t stop overthinking it, crying at the thought of you being so unattractive in his eyes.

“So he wants a girly girl?” You thought, already planning a strategy “I’ll show him, then”

That’s how it started. You began to wear the dresses that were long forgotten on your wardrobe, you started using makeup and styling your hair in something other than a messy bun.

It was confusing at first and not at all what you were used to, but there was a new energy surrounding you, a confident one. You were going to show Michael that you could be feminine, maybe that way he’ll notice you in a ‘more than just a friend’ kinda way.

The first time the boys saw you with your new look they were all sharing breakfast in your kitchen. With your apartment being closer to campus they might as well move in.

“Good morning, guys” You said cheerfully, not looking at anyone in particular.

They all stared at you, looking at you up and down. And just before you could reach the cereal box, the questions started coming.

“What the hell is going on?”

“Y/N why are you dressed like a girl? IS THAT MAKE UP?”

“Do you have a date? It’s 8 am on a Tuesday! Who are they? Vampires?”

“Who are you and what did you do to our Y/N?”

“Is the simulation broken?”

“Shhh” You said, raising the palm of your hand as you poured cereal in a bowl “It’s too damn early for any of you to do that much noise and I haven’t had my coffee yet” As in que, Ashton passed you your usual mug “Thank you, and to answer some of your inquiries. 1) Nothing’s going on, Calum. 2) I happen to be a girl, Luke. Thank you for noticing. 3) I do not have a date, nor I should use that as an excuse to put on some nice clothes. I just,, felt like it” You took a long sip from the hot beverage “The simulation broke down a long time ago and I’m still me. I’m just wearing different clothes, that’s all. Right, Mikey?”

Michael choked with his toast, coughing as he tried to gain some composure “Yeah, you look… great” He said with a shy smile, and he was right. The others joined in with the compliments, hyping and teasing you about how he will have to be more protective of you because you will sure bring home some hot dates looking like that.

It’s been a couple of weeks since that morning and everyday Michael complimented you. You’d be lying if you say that every word he says doesn’t fill your heart with butterflies. Maybe there’s a possibility that he feels the same way.

It was a pretty uneventful evening in the little coffee shop where you worked. You didn’t have many clients today, so the dim lights and the sweet voice of Hozier that blasted through the speakers allowed you to daydream. Michael’s face popped out in your mind, smiling as you remembered the way that he looked at you this morning. Finally proving that you were more than just “One of the boys”

You were so caught up in your thoughts that you didn’t hear the bell chime when the door opened, only waking up when you saw those same eyes that had you smiling just a minute ago standing in front of you, staring at you as well.

“Hey Y/N! How’s it going?” He asked, smiling at you.

“Nothing much” You shrug “Just the same amount of pain and tiredness of the average college experience” Michael rolled his eyes at your sarcasm. That’s when a giggle caught your attention.

The most beautiful woman you ever laid your eyes on was standing next to Michael. She had the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen and her wavy hair complemented her face like an angel. She sure didn’t seem real, how did you not notice her when she entered? Were you really that busy focusing on Michael?

“I can totally relate to that” The girl said with a smile, god even her smile was perfect.

“Y/N, this is Veronica. Veronica, Y/N” Michael introduced.

You smiled politely at her and she did the same “Oh, the famous Y/N! I heard a lot about you, I can’t wait to get to know you better”

Um, what? Michael has been talking about you? To her? You couldn’t tell if it was good or a bad sign.

“Really? Well, don’t believe anything he says. Unless they are good things, then he’s right”

“Okay! Thank you, Y/N” He interrupted, mocking annoyance “I’ll take my usual please, darling. And she will have…”

“Just a mocha, please”

You nodded “Coming right up” You smiled at her as she walked to a table. Michael leaned over the counter and whispered.

“Could you do one of those drawing people do in the coffee? She will love that. Thanks.” He gave you a kiss on the cheek and walked away, sitting close to Veronica in one of the booths just before he could notice the way your cheeks turned to a much brighter red.

An hour passes. Then two. Then two and a half. And you were standing there, acting as a witness of their chemistry. You cursed yourself as your eyes drifted towards them, watching them laugh and talk about life. It was clear that Michael was enchanted by her, moving closer and closer every time, and you could tell the feeling was mutual as she laid her delicate hand on his.

Of course Michael would go for the pretty girls. Veronica was gorgeous, you couldn’t pinpoint a single defect on that girl, not even with a magnifying glass and you hated that. You hated the fact that he brought her here, you hated the fact that you have to work while his love story unfolds like a Taylor Swift song, you hated that it you weren’t the one sitting next to him, talking about dreams and how everything just collides perfectly within the universe. But that’s not your story.

“Earth calling Y/N?” A voice calls in front of you “Hello?”

You blink a few times and stare at the tall blond man waving his hand in front of your face “Sorry, Luke. Didn’t see you there” You excuse yourself “What can I get for you?”

“The usual, but this time with at least four more shots of espresso. I have to put an all nighter again cause I have that stupid presentation and you are not listening to me again”

“Sorry, what? Four shots of espresso, yeah.” Your gaze averted his “Anything else?”

“Okay, what’s going on?” Luke followed where your eyes led and soon he was, too, staring at the reason of your distraction “Oh”

Out of the four of them, Luke was the only one who knew about your feelings for Michael. He was always very supportive and didn’t pressure you into confessing right away, knowing it must be hard for you. So he can’t imagine what is going on inside your head right now, watching the man you love on a date.

“He didn’t tell me he had a date” You told him.

“He mentioned this morning” Luke added “Said he met her at one of his classes and that she seemed cool. So he asked her out. He never told us he would bring her here “You clenched your jaw, trying to keep the tears at bay. Luke noticed that “I’m sorry, love. I thought he told you about it”

“She is gorgeous, Luke”

“She’s not you, though” You scoffed.

“Exactly”

“Y/N…”

“I’m fine,” You lied “Really, I’m okay. It was a silly crush anyway. And plus, look how happy he looks”

And it was true. Michael did look very happy chatting and flirting with Veronica. His smile reaching his eyes as she spoke and laugh at all his jokes. He truly must like her, and you… Well, some people are just meant to be the side character of another person’s story.

Luke let out a sigh, knowing well enough to assume you are just going to bury your feelings like you always do “He will soon realize what he’s missing”

************************************************

Well, six months passed and he still hasn’t realized. It’s been six month since that fateful evening where you got your heart broken by the man you love. It’s been six months since Veronica has been a constant part of your daily life, sleeping over, joining on movie nights and replaced your spot next to your best friend. It’s been six months of dressing more ‘girly’, wearing make-up and doing your nails, all of it trying to call Michael’s attention, to make you look more like Veronica, more like someone you are not. And all of that for what? You still ended up crying yourself to sleep almost every night.

Luke has been there for you all this time, letting you crash in his place whenever she came over and trying to distract you from the heartache by making jokes or goofing around, sometimes even letting you stay the night just to talk or cry or whatever you needed.

Tonight, however, it was a special night. Michael texted you saying that he finally found the movie you were dying to see for years! It was a special straight to dvd movie with Betty White that you remember it being your favorite growing up but you could never find it anywhere. And to say that you were ecstatic when Michael suggested a movie night for the two of you, would be an understatement.

You got the popcorn ready, ordered some pizzas and the ice cream was in the freezer. It was the first time in months that you would have time alone with Michael and, honestly, you missed him like crazy. Yes, you know he lives there, but it’s been a while since you guys actually talked or shared a good laugh together. Putting your feelings towards him aside, you just missed your best friend.

Suddenly, the bell rang. It wasn’t uncommon for Michael to forget his keys, so you weren’t really surprised.

“How many times do I have to tell you that we bought you that keychain for a reason and-“ But it wasn’t Michael standing at the door “Veronica.. I thought you were Michael”

The girl smiled, (really, not even a chip tooth?) “Yeah, he told me he’ll be a little late and that I should just go ahead” She said as she made her way into the apartment.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I love movie night!”

He invited her. It was a moment for the two of you and he invited her.

You couldn’t be mad, could you? She’s his girlfriend, after all. She could be here and he had every right to invite her, but… But it still hurt. You thought you’d be spending the evening with your best friend, he said you would. It was a special movie for the both of you, why invite her?

“Can I be honest with you, Y/N?” Veronica said, pulling you away from your mind.

“Uh, sure”

“I have to admit, I was really intimidated by you”

“By me? Why?”

“Well, when Michael talked about you I always thought I had to compete for his attention. It was always Y/N this, Y/N that… He assured me that you were just friends, but I didn’t believe him until I met you. I love that he has a friend like you. You really mean a lot to him so, thank you”

You nodded and muttered a “no problem”

She was right, you were just a friend of Michael’s. Why did you ever think you could be more? Especially with someone like her in his life? It was foolish, it was crazy. He would never look at you the same so, why keep trying?

“So, what are we watching?”

“Oh, um… I don’t know. I’m not staying” You said, hiding the pain in your voice.

“But Michael told me-“

“I’m spending the night at Luke’s today. I totally forgot”

You rushed out of the living room and went straight to your room, letting the tears fall as you started packing for a few days. You needed to get away as soon as possible. You couldn’t handle staying here at the moment, it hurt too much.

Just as you were packing the last pieces of clothing, you heard Michael opening the front door. And surely, a few moments later he was pushing yours open.

“What do you mean you’re not staying tonight?” He barged in.

Your back was facing him, so you couldn’t see him, you didn’t want to see him, but he sounded hurt. Quickly, you wiped your tears with the back of the hand and tried to muttered something close to an unbothered tone.

“I’m going to Luke’s”

“You always go to Luke’s, are you two a thing or something? Because you seem to live there more than here”

You let out a small laugh, was he really that dense?

“There’s nothing going on between me and Luke-“

“Then why are you always in his place?”

“It’s none of your business”

“Well, Y/N it is. It is because I wanted you to spend the night because we rarely see each other anymore and now you’re ditching me again!”

He raised his voice a bit, clearly frustrated and confused. That alone made your anger take the best of you.

“Oh please, as if you really want me here”

Michael frowned “What does that suppose to mean?”

“Why did you invite her?”

“Veronica? She’s my girlfriend, I though-“

“I know that she’s your girlfriend, I get it. It’s just-“ You took a deep breath, trying not to cry or scream or both “It’s just that tonight was special, and I wanted to share that with my best friend. Only with my best friend. But I feel like everytime we try to do something together she’s always there and-“

“You don’t like her?”

“What? No, that’s the worst part. I actually think she’s great” You turned around and closed your bag, ready to leave “Michael I’m not going start a fight, I’m going to stay with Luke for a while. Don’t wait up”

You made your way out of the room, but before you could reach the door Michael’s hand grabbed you by the arm, making you stop.

“Michael” You warned “Let me go”

“No, wait. What do you mean with ‘that’s the worst part’?”

“I’m not having this conversation right now.”

“Yes, you are” Michael made you turn around. You were now looking at him in the eyes, he seemed hurt but you,, oh, you were in pain “Y/N, what is going on? You’ve been avoiding me lately, you’re not staying home, you don’t talk to me anymore, you’re dressing differently and sneaking out everytime I’m here. Is it because of Veronica?” You shook your head, slightly “Then what is it? Why are you pulling away from me?”

“Because it’s too damn hard!” You say looking away from him, unable to contain the tears any longer.

Michael’s eyes winded at your answer. His lips parted in surprise at your sudden outburst, wanting nothing more than to hold you but knowing you won’t let him.

“What?”

“You don’t get it, do you? No, you never did” You cry silent tears as your voice comes barely above a whisper “I can’t stay here because it hurts. Everytime I’m here she’s here too, like a reminder of everything I’m not. And I’ve tried-“ you choke “I tried to look more pretty, to be more ‘girly’ and feminine, losing myself every day. Hoping that maybe you’ll notice”

“Notice what?” Michael said softly.

You let out a breath.

“That I’m in love with you, you idiot”

Michael was taken aback by your answer, but he still wasn’t letting go of your arm. You love him? That’s what’s this all about?

“But I know you don’t feel the same. You never did and you never will. After all, I’m just Y/N. Just ‘one of the boys’ am I not?” He didn’t respond “It’s okay, I came to terms with that, I wouldn’t expect you to say something anyways” You released yourself from his grip and grabbed the last bag that laid on your bed “I’ll stay with Luke tonight and I’ll pick up my stuff in a few days”

Michael shook his head, as if he just realized what you just said “Wait, you’re moving?”

“What do you want me to do, Michael? Stay here? Pretend that things will be the same after this?! Go and have a movie night with your girlfriend and say that everything’s okay when I’m tearing myself apart in front of you?” You ask out of anger “I can’t do that, Michael. I need time”

“Y/N-“

“Why do you care anyways? I’m not a main character in your life. I’m not the type of girl you would fall for, or that you would consider feminine enough. I’m not pretty enough or funny enough and I’m tired of that. I’m tired of being an afterthought”

You turned around, already reaching for the doorknob when Michael’s hand wrapped around your waist, twisting you so your back was pressed against the door and your eyes were on him.

“Y/N, you were never an afterthought” He breathed close to you.

“Michael, what are yo-“

“Stay, please” But before you could say anything else, you felt his lips on yours.

The kiss was everything you dreamed it would be. Fast, rough and passionate. His hands traveled down your spine as he deepened the kiss, getting more needy by the second. Your hands flew to his neck, bringing him even closer, wanting to feel every part of him. You wanted to let yourself go, to fill these long needed desire. But you couldn’t forget about the girl waiting in the living room.

With all the strength you could manage, you pushed Michael away from you as the tears came flooding down again.

“What the fuck is your problem?!” You spat at him in anger “You can’t do that to me. You can’t just kiss me and expect to fix everything. Who do you think I am?” You could tell he was trying to say something, but you were not in the mood to listen “I won’t let you do this to me. I won’t let you do this to her. I’m leaving, Michael. Get your shit together”

And with that, you ran through the door and didn’t look back.

A few hours later, you were settled in with Luke in his apartment. When you arrived, you asked him to please not say anything, that you weren’t ready to talk just yet. He just nodded and let you in.

You cried on his shoulders for what it felt like an eternity. Your head was pounding and your voice was hoarse. You’ve never felt so heartbroken before.

“C-can I stay here for a while? Until I find my own place?” You asked him.

“Of course, darling” Luke said, kissing your head “Take all the time you need”

You stayed like that for a while. He comforting you through your silent tears until you fell asleep.

A week passes by and you are not feeling any better. You haven’t been sleeping well and you’re barely eating despite Luke’s pleads. Ashton and Calum showed up one day to check up on you, but you still refused to talk about it. Maybe you were embarrassed, maybe the memory of that kiss was too recent, too painful to talk about. Maybe you just didn’t know how.

One night you fell asleep on the living room, the TV working as the background noise that drowned your thoughts. You were peacefully dreaming for the first time in days when the sound of muffled voices woke you up. You were still laying in the sofa, but Luke was nowhere in sight. That’s until you heard him talk.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea”

“Please, I need to talk to her” the other man pleaded.

Michael was standing at the door. He looked like a complete wreck. His hair was undone and a bit greasy from ruffling it with his fingers way too much, his eyes were bloodshot and glossy, still fighting to contain the tears in front of his friend.

“Look, man. I love you, but she doesn’t need this right now and-“

“Let him in, Luke”

The two tall men turned towards you. You were standing behind the sofa, your eyes never leaving Michael’s. Luke simply nodded and headed to his room, giving you the privacy you needed.

“I’ll be there if you need me” He said to you.

You muttered a small ‘Thank you’ to him before fixing your gaze upon Michael. He was still frozen by the door, unsure on how to say what he has to say.

Letting out a breath, you decided to break the ice “Michael-“

“I broke up with her” He said in one breath.

“You what?!”

“The night you left,,, I-I broke up with her because I couldn’t keep lying to myself anymore”

“What do you mean?”

He hesitantly took a step closer to you, afraid that he was overstepping again.

“All this time, for years, I’ve been avoiding my own feelings. Tucked them away at the farthest corner in my closet, hoping that they’ll fade soon. I couldn’t cope with them, I was too afraid to.

‘“I told myself that I was being foolish, immature and downright stupid for thinking that the girl I love would love me back. How could she? She was beautiful, shared my sense of humor, my interests and she was extremely cool. I told myself that a girl like that could never want me. But, strangely, she did, as a friend. And I was content with that, at least I would have her be part of my life.

‘“So I hid my feelings until I couldn’t see them, but that didn’t mean that I couldn’t feel them. And every day I would remind myself that she was my friend and I was beyond lucky for that. I kept letting myself down on a daily basis, trying to keep the thoughts away, hoping that one day I could believe them. But I never thought of the consequences my actions had towards the girl.

‘“Y/N, when you left I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Like a vital part of me was missing and you took it away with you. And I deserved it, I truly did. Y/N, I was an asshole”

“Michael,”

“No, I was. Hearing you say those things about yourself, like you were broken and needed to be fixed, it broke my heart, darling” His voice broke at the end, fighting helplessly to contain the tears that were burning behind his eyes “I- I never meant for you to think that I didn’t love you for who you were. That you needed to change in order to get me to like you. You shouldn’t change for anyone, love, you are absolutely perfect the way you are. You always have been and always will be.

‘“Y/N, you were never just ‘one of the boys’, you are my best friend, my soulmate and the best thing that has ever happened to me by far. I’ve always known that, but I was just too much of a coward to let it show and I’m sorry.

‘“When you told me you loved me, god. Y/N, I’ve never felt so happy and confused at the same time! I couldn’t fanthom the thought of you loving me, it seemed surreal after so many years of telling myself that it was impossible, almost like a cruel joke. But you did, and I could tell by your eyes that it was true, and I hated myself for that. I hated the fact that I was hurting you instead of loving you like I wanted to. I hated the fact that you felt like you had to leave in order for you to fix what I broke. I hated that I ruined our first kiss by a stupid impulse because you didn’t deserve that. You deserve the world and I was so scared of the fact that I might’ve lost the chance to be able to give it to you.

‘“ I broke up with her the night you left. It wasn’t fair to you, to her or to me to keep denying my feelings any longer. And I know that I don’t deserve it, but I’m standing here to ask you for forgiveness. I’m sorry that I made you feel less than you are. I’m sorry that I broke your heart. I’m sorry that I wasn’t brave enough to tell you this the moment you walked out the door that night. I will keep apologizing for the rest of my life if necessary, Y/N. But I just- I just don’t want to lose you”

You were standing in front of him. Tears rolled down your cheeks as you took in everything he said to you.

He loved you.

He loves you.

And you love him.

Michael was staring at his feet, too afraid to look up and see the disappointment in your face. To scared to lose you and everything you meant to him. Maybe coming here was a mistake, maybe you don’t want to know anything about him anymore. And he deserved that.

“Well,” You finally say, swallowing the lump in your throat “You still owe me that movie night”

His eyes light up as he saw you smiling at him. He returned it by grabbing you by the waist and pulling you closer to him. Leaning so your lips could met again.

Smiling into the kiss, you swore that you will never let go of the other again.

[northsidefabray]

Paint It Black

Who: Quinn & Judy Fabray (NPC) feat. mystery man

What: Judy confronts her daughter as soon as she gets home and, not getting the response she wanted, attacks Quinn. 

When: Dec 18, Afternoon

Where: Driveway outside of Thornhill

Notes: Mentions of @northsideclarington​ and @northsidesebastian​

As much as she would have liked to fully enjoy every second of the days while work was closed, Quinn knew that if she didn’t get something done, she was going to regret that first day back in the office. On the rare occasions that the mayor closed Town Hall, it was always insane the next day. With how ridiculously tired Quinn had been feeling the past few days, a byproduct she decided of the winter days when the sun set earlier and there was much less sunlight, the last thing she needed was an insanely busy day. Especially when every time she tried to drink coffee lately, she’d felt sick. It seemed her body finally preferred hot tea. So Quinn had done the responsible thing and decided to go home. 

The roads were slick, low temperatures turning compacted snow into icy accident traps. Hunter had offered to drive her home but Quinn, being the stubborn person she was, reminded them that she had lived in Riverdale her whole life and was used to driving in dicey weather. She bundled up, wrapped a scarf around her neck, and slowly made her way to the car. She’d sat in the driveway and let the heat blow at full blast until she could feel her fingers and the steering wheel didn’t practically burn to touch. There was a quick wave goodbye before she was on her way. Even with no one else on the road, Quinn barely drove over twenty miles an hour. Every turn threatened to send her into a snow bank and as she drove in silence, she suddenly wished she’d taken Hunter up on the offer. 

It took longer than it should have to get home but as soon as Quinn pulled up to the wrought iron fence, she muttered a silent thank you for the safe drive. Waiting while the gates opened, Quinn pulled her cellphone out of her purse and typed a quick message into the group chat she had with Hunter and Sebastian: Home safely. Going to warm up and get work done. Talk later ♥️  Once she pressed send, she took a moment to see that her mother had sent seven more text messages and left three more voicemails, on top of all the ones that she’d left Sunday after the Town Hall party. Quinn still hadn’t checked them and had no desire to. 

Ignoring those messages, she slipped her phone back into her bag and drove down the plowed driveway, the wheels finding purchase on the stone. Before she had even put the car in park, the front door opened. Her mother. As if she’d been waiting for her. Quinn clenched her jaw and suddenly considered the possibility of continuing to drive. She could turn around and go back to the warm apartment where she was surrounded by two people she wanted to be around but the call of an outstanding workload had her slamming the gear into park and turning off her vehicle. Her mother, Judy, stood a few feet in front of the car, staring at her with a look that would have made most people retreat from her. Quinn had long stopped letting her mother push her around, or intimidate her. 

“What do you want, mother?” Quinn asked as she climbed out of the car. Her eyes turned directly to the door that had been left open a sliver. She should have kept walking past the woman. Should have ignored the desire to engage her. 

Judy stood in front of her daughter, looking into the face that reminded her so much of her own when she was young. Sometimes it felt like another life when she was that young and reckless. Sometimes it felt like yesterday. Judy knew full well what it felt like to make mistakes. She knew how it effected your whole life when you loved the wrong person and as her eyes took in the annoyed expression on her daughter’s face, she felt a rush of cold nausea build inside of her, bile rising in her throat. 

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Judy said. A rhetorical question. 

Quinn could have played the game. Answered the question with a question. Pretended that she didn’t know what her mother was talking about but just like she didn’t have the patience for anyone else’s judgments on her life decisions, she had even less patience for her mothers. Instead of playing the game, she let an almost pleased grin curl her lips. 

“Yes, it is,” Quinn said. 

Judy’s face fell instantly, looking like someone had just told her that her favorite store had closed, or her favorite plastic surgeon was retiring. 

“Oh, Quinn,” she sighed. “Please, no.”

Quinn rolled her eyes and walked around her mother, bumping her shoulder against the other woman’s as she head towards the front door. “Get over yourself, mother,” she growled. “I love them and they love me. We’ve loved each other since we were children and you were too busy trying out lip injections for the first time to pay any attention to me.” 

“You’re ruining your life,” Judy hissed, following her. 

“You’re living in the wrong century. This isn’t as big of a deal as you seem to think it is. People love all kinds of people. Different sizes, shapes, genders, ethnicities, religions.” Quinn waved her hand dismissively. She was hardly the person to hate anyone for who they loved. Her high heels clicked up the few stone steps towards the door. “And frankly, I don’t give a damn what you think. In fact, you’re welcome to take your opinion on me and my life and shove it up your--” 

Quinn had started to turn towards her mother to accentuate her point but the large shadow stepping into the door frame stopped her, stealing words from her lips. 

She had no memory of the man’s face. He was large, scruffy, with dark eyes and a set jawline, wearing a leather jacket that looked very familiar but from her position, she couldn’t see if the Serpent emblem was on the back. Instantly, her blood ran cold. Not because he was there. Because of the way he looked at her. The way his eyes were narrowed on her as if he’d expected her, as if he’d been waiting for her. 

She took a step backwards and another, moving down the staircase as he stood wordlessly. There was something about this that she didn’t like at all. Screw work, she thought. She’d deal with being overwhelmed later. She didn’t want to be here, and her car wasn’t far up the driveway. 

“Mother? Who--?”

Quinn wasn’t sure what happened. 

One second she was upright and the next, her face was pressed against the cold ground and something hard had been knocked into her head. The spot exploded in pain, sending stars shining in her eyes. Her vision blurred for a moment, unable to focus, as her body lay crumpled on the ground in the driveway. What the hell had happened? As her vision started to normalize, her head pounding and the slick feeling of something sticky and wet rolling down her temple stole her attention. Then Quinn saw a large rock clutched in her mothers hands. 

Quinn shoved her hand on the ground, trying to push herself up before a wave of nausea hit her as the world rolled underneath her. Had her mother just hit her over the head? With a rock?

Judy hadn’t known exactly what she was going to do but she knew with perfect conviction that her daughter wasn’t going to change without some intervention. She was going to ruin her life, running straight into the fires of hedonistic hell in the arms of those two boys. Everything would have been perfect if Quinn could have continued being with Hunter Clarington alone. She would have had everything she ever wanted. 

But Quinn had to ruin it, like she ruined everything from the moment she dared to exist and grow within Judy’s belly all those years ago. She had heard from her friends at Town Hall about the Smythe boy’s song. Judy hadn’t been too surprised about that. Her daughter was a Fabray and Fabray’s were lusted after. Then she saw the video... She clearly heard her daughter tell Smythe that she loved him. She watched her kiss him. She watched him kiss Hunter before they left together. Quinn had been gone since that night and Judy knew exactly what she had been doing when not answering her calls and texts. 

Really, all of this was Quinn’s fault for giving into Sebastian Smythe. It was Quinn’s fault for not replying to her text messages. It was Quinn’s fault for not calling her back. Everything was Quinn’s fault because Quinn was weak. 

Well, no more. She wasn’t going to let Quinn be weak anymore. She would take matters into her own hands like she always did. When she heard the whimpered sound of her daughter’s voice, “Why?” Judy simply perked an eyebrow. She gripped the rock in her hand, reliving the feeling and weight of bringing it down on the girl’s head, and the way it felt to watch her body crumble to the ground. She shouldn’t like it as much as she did. Or maybe she should. What was motherhood if not being there to correct your children when they made mistakes?

Judy crouched close to her daughter, looking at the blood slowly trailing down from her head. “Because Quinn, you’ve lost your way. But don’t worry,” she said in a kind almost-maternal voice that other parents might use for promising their sick child they would feel better soon. “I’m going to fix you.”

Quinn didn’t see what happened after Judy rose. She was too much in shock and reached her hand up to touch the throbbing part of her head. When her palm came away slicked with blood, Quinn knew she needed to get up. To move. To run. But as she turned her head to see where her car was, her surroundings flooded in light, swirled until she didn’t know where she was. 

And then she heard two words. “Take her.”

Forcing herself to look back, Quinn felt dizzy from the sudden turn of her head but found the man from the door just a few feet away from her. Quinn threw herself back, legs kicking the ground as she tried to move away from him, fighting back when he reached for her. She kicked his arm, pushed her palms into the ground hard to get away but he was on her. 

He had her. 

And she screamed.

[xshatteredreflectionsx]

(It’s my birthday on Friday, and since I’ll probably forget to do anything when Morgan’s birthday rolls around -February 14- I decided to do something now.)

—————

█████ didn’t put much thought into her birthday. She had the misfortune of being born on Valentine’s Day, and was thus plagued by everyone around her being to worried about wooing their significant others. Her mother had called her that morning, and her step-father and siblings had also offered slightly awkward birthday wishes. That was enough.

The few people at the law firm who remembered it was █████ birthday poked their heads over the barriers between their desks to wish her a happy birthday. A few Valentine’s Day cards had been left on her desk, Some with the Valentine’s greeting hastily crossed out. Her mentor had left a vase of flowers on her desk and a hand written Birthday message

(“We deal with disingenuous people on a constant basis.” █████ recalled him saying once, after she asked him why he despited store-bought cards so. “Do we really need to deal with it on days that are supposed to be special?”)

The work day seemed to grind down to a crawl. Minutes felt like hours, and hours felt like years. █████ felt like she had aged more than just a single year when the work was finally done. Case files were neatly stacked together, pressed into folders, alphabetized, and finally locked away. She was in the process of putting her cards in her purse when a co-worker, Karen, stopped by her desk.

“So, I don’t know what you’re doing, but you must be doing something right.” Karen began, “because Damien is waiting outside for you. The Damien who’s running for mayor.”

█████ heart leapt up into her throat. If Karen noticed her shock, she didn’t say anything about it. Instead, she smiled coyly and leaned close. “Woman to woman: what’s your secret? No offense but you’re...” Karen paused, struggling to not come across as too offensive.

█████ huffed a sigh. She had heard this time and time again. She lacked presence, she blended into the background, she didn’t speak enough; even the clothes she wore failed to make her stand out.

“I went to school with him,” █████ replied curtly as she stood. “Now, If you’ll excuse me. Have a good night, Karen.” █████ nodded, more out of politeness than anything, and took her leave. It was only when she was alone that she let her frustrations out in a huff. No one cared when they were still in college. No one batted an eye if they ever saw Damien and █████ pinching each other to stay awake as they studied. Then Damien started campaigning for mayor, and suddenly it felt like they couldn’t just be friends. █████ never wanted to stand in the way of Damien’s dreams (and oh, his dreams were lofty, ambitious and wonderful), but...

█████ shook her head. No. She wouldn’t allow those selfish wishes to encroach on her tonight. Or ever. █████ couldn’t hold onto Damien forever, and to think otherwise was embarrassingly childish.

The chill of the February evening snapped her back to reality. As Karen said, Damien was waiting for her outside the law firm, leaning against his car as he practically buried himself in his coat to keep away the chill. When their eyes met, Damien’s face lit up like █████ had just presented the stars to him.

(She would do it. All he would need to do was ask, and she’d find a way to tear the stars from the sky. A whisper, and she’d lay the Milky Way at his feet.)

“█████!” He greeted. He crossed the distance and wrapped them in a tight hug before she could protest. “Happy Birthday.” He continued, giving her an affectionate pat on the back.

“You’re campaigning,” █████ finally managed to say, pulling away from Damien. “Shouldn’t you be-“

“Ah-ah. No. Stop.” Damien shushed her gently. “Although it certainly feels like it at times, my statistics will not suddenly plummet if I do not monitor them at all hours of the day. I can spare a moment or two to take a step back and breathe -my campaign manager actually encourages it. Moreover, I’ve not seen you in months,” Damien’s smile faltered at the edges and █████’s stomach clenched. She knew that, behind the charisma and intelligence, Damien was rather lonely. His best friend’s time was almost entirely consumed by the military. His own twin sister was basking in the glow of matrimony, and his brother-in-law was quickly becoming one of the most well-known figures in the theater world. And then there was █████, who had fanatically thrown herself into her work to compensate for her... inherent disadvantages.

“All right, all right.” █████ relinquished, “I’ll spend my birthday with you. I was planning on spending the night with a bottle of sparkling wine and my cat, but you’re not a bad replacement I suppose.” She said, nudging him playfully. Damien scoffed a laugh,

“Periwinkle is difficult to live up to, but I’ll try my best.” Damien offered █████ his arm, “shall we then?”

█████ linked their arms together. “We shall.”

————————

It’s my birthday~!

(It’s my birthday~!)

It’s my birthday~!

(It’s my birthday~!)

It took Morgan a few moments to realize who was singing, and where the song was coming from. It looked a few more times before they remembered that cellphones were a thing, and it was Jeff Goldblum from the most recent Thor movie. Dazed, they grabbed their phone from the night stand and, after fumbling with it for a few seconds, managed to turn the alarm off.

The ceiling of their bedroom didn’t look familiar, and their cheeks were wet. Morgan brushed their thumb under their eye, and sighed. It wasn’t the first time they had a dream that tangible, but they almost always heralded a day lost in a haze.

“That person isn’t you. Your name is Morgan. You live in Los Angeles. You’re a photographer. Your best friend’s name is Mark.” They mouthed the words over and over again as they pressed the heels of their hands into their eyes. The gentle, patient voice of their therapist echoed in their head as Morgan dragged themself out of bed and into the bathroom.

They splashed water on their face and took their medication. When Morgan looked into the mirror and saw her looking back, they ducked their head under the faucet as it pumped water out on full blast. “Don’t do this today.” Morgan pleaded mentally. When they dared to look back, they heaved a sigh when it was themself they saw in the mirror. Short haired, tired, and soaked, but them none-the-less.

Morgan’s special birthday breakfast involved pancakes covered in a gratuitous amount of Nutella. The foolish would call it excessive, but they clearly did not know the greatest way to pancake in the history of everything. More importantly it helped to ground them firmly in reality; they could either lose themselves to made-up memories about made-up people, or they could set their stove on fire. ... Again. Yeah, that was not a conversation they ever wanted to repeat.

Finally Morgan was able to sit down and enjoy a breakfast so covered in Nutella and powdered sugar it could qualify as a dessert (and who cared if it did? It was their birthday, they could have whatever they wanted). Their phone buzzed against the table and, reluctantly, Morgan picked it up to check it. It was unsurprising, but still upsetting, that Mark texted them before their own mother did.

MORK!: Good morning!

Hey, I’m thinking about doing another Markiplier Makes later if Ethan and Tyler have time. Can I count on you to be there?

Morgan sucked the Nutella and sugar off their fingers as they contemplated their answer. On days like today, she would practically be screaming that Mark was a distrustful snake. It was almost all in inprihensible rage that boiled and festered in Morgan’s stomach. They swallowed the rage down (it wasn’t theirs. It wasn’t real) and texted back:

Me: An afternoon of uncontrollable laughter as you three doofuses fail to do simple tasks? Count me in. : D

MORK!: Rude! We both know that I do those activities flawlessly.

But, yeah, I’ll text you the details when I hear from Ethan and Tyler.

Morgan smiled and put the phone down where it would be safe from crumbs. It wasn’t a birthday wish, but Mark was notoriously bad with dates. He probably didn’t even know it was Valentine’s Day, let alone one of his friend’s birthday. But, whatever. Busting their gut laughing at the prospective Markiplier Makes was as good a birthday present as anything else.

They finished breakfast with no further incident (or call from their mother). Despite the feeling of dread that had followed them around since they woke up, she seemed to have fallen quiet. It would never happen, but if she could go away forever Morgan would be as happy as a clam. As promised, Mark had sent them another text telling them to be at his house around 1, abd was incredibly secretive about whatever it was he wanted to make. It was a surprise, and Morgan would just have to be patient, so there (nyeh).

Their phone buzzed again.

Unknown Number: Happy Birthday.

Morgan stared down at the screen, thumb hovering over the option to delete the text. They sighed and shoved the phone in their coat pocket, raking their hand through their hair. Something warm fluttered in their chest, and she felt like she was smiling.

“You get this one.” Morgan thought, “But no bullshit today. Understand?”

They were negotiating with the voice in their head. Good lord this was ridiculous, but it was preferable to taking too much of their prescription. Their therapist had suggested not being so confrontational, so maybe there was something to making nice with the other personality living in their head.

It seemed to work, since she stayed mercifully quiet for the rest of the day, even when Mark welcomed them with a bear hug and led them to the kitchen, excitedly chatting away about how amazing the newest video would be. Morgan only half payed attention, because there was a Chica constantly vying for their attention (and trying to play in the wires).

It was a good birthday.

[ashleigh-luvs-14cats]

Finding the Right Present

This fic is a present for my greatest friend in the whole world, I thought I have a lot of things to say, but sadly I don’t at the moment.

Its in the same universe as my Rencounter Fic, with our two main Ocs, Amy is hers and Ashlen is mine; please check out her blog if you like My Hero Academia, Game of Thrones or Marvel. She makes great content and I love her for it

Happy Birthday @ice-cream-kitsunegirl

Enjoy this Fic I made for you.

“Come onnnnn. . .”

“No. .” deadpanned as Shinsou stared into his game system. Which I’m fighting the urge to throw it across the room and pin him to the couch and try out the new technique I’m working on.

“Please,” I begged, “I never did this before, and you know her better than anyone.

“Why don’t you ask the ‘Pomeranian’ to help you?” He countered, he still hasn’t looked up from his game.

“Weeeeelll,” recalling the bicker three hours ago, “let’s just say we turn it to competition after asking, and then we may have broken a gallon of orange juice or two.” Which led to a full hour of the Class Pres lecture of proper conduct inside dorms and owe him a gallon of orange juice. Shinsou paused his game and face me with his usual dead expression that clearly said, ‘You idiot.’. Usually, I find that endearing when it’s not towards me.

“Sooooo, will you please help me find a perfect present that’s better than the fluffy dog for Amy?” It has been close to a half a year being here in U. A and remembered that on July 9th, which is more than a week away, will be Amy’s birthday; plus it’s been a year since we were friends when we talk through the internet. Now I had a chance to know her beyond that, I wanted to give her something special as thanks for being my first friend and best friends.

Then I gave Shinsou my saddest look since all my cute faces don’t seem to work. But in all seriousness, I’m kinda nervous. “Please Shinsou, I never have done this before, and you know this.” Shinsou stares at me, which it always gave me a funny feeling, but I ignore it for the hopes that he will help me.

I added a small pout on my bottom lip, which is my trump card whenever I really want something; it works... most of the time. It only works on one of the older sisters and my stepfather. His left eye and a corner of his lips twitched and turned his back towards me, and I swore his ears are red, and that’s when I knew I won.

“Fine, I’ll help you out, but I won’t just hand over on what to give her. I’ll give you some ideas, okay?” he relented. To which I squealed and wrapped my arms around his neck and give a little squeeze,” Aww Thank you. Thank you!” I nuzzle on the side of his head, I noticed that his ears are a bit warm. “That’s all I need! I’m sorry that refer you as the living zombie!”

“What…” He turned to the side and looked at me with a slight annoyance along with some redness on his cheeks. I gave him a guilty grin, “Oh, it’s nothing really.” I let loose my grip, and with only one arm around his shoulders, “Sooo, when shall we get started?”

“Get started on what?”

I bit my lip to prevent me from screaming, and my shoulders tensed up; I also felt Shinsou’s shoulders tense up as well. We both looked back and behind the couch was Amy with her signature shit-eating grin, all with casual, yet she made it look fancy clothes. With hands on her hips, “Welll,” she giggled and glanced at my arm around Shinsou, “I REALLY hope I am not interrupting anything.~ And you didn’t answer my question. Soooooo can I assume you guys are a ‘thing’?

Her question snapped us back to reality, and we both looked at each other and just now realized how close we are. The second, after looking at each other, I pushed him away to the other side of the couch and scrambled off the couch. “N-no! I j-just asked if he could help me do some training exercises that Aizawa-sensei taught us, and I wanted more practice!” I rambled, and I rubbed the back of my head as I continued, “So I asked Shinsou to be my sparring partner. Right Shinsou?” Please buy this! Please buy this!

Shinsou also got up from the couch, straighten his clothes and gave me a slight rude look, although it might have worked without the small red tint on his cheeks, “Yea, its because she slacked off on the lessons, so she asked me for my help since she’s a total airhead.” he smiled smugly. I growled and merely looked away from that so called charming smile and muttered, “Am not.” Amy starred as us for a  second, trying to see our lie, but she merely smiled “OOOO-kayyy,” she snickered, a telling sign that she didn’t believe us. She’s a witch, of course, she can sense what’s wrong and all that; a quirk that I like about her except for this very moment. I shrugged and gave her a lopsided smiled and winked at her, a telling sign of me saying, “I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Soooo, how was the date with Yap Dog?” I asked Amy; not a second later, from the kitchen, “I HEARD THAT MS. FANCY!!” barked Bakugou.

“YOU WERE MEANT TOO!!”

Amy giggled at our antics, “Now now, guys chill out,” and answered my question, “It was great!∼We went to our usual restaurant, and we were surprised by the owners saying that we were their 5,000 customers and we get to eat the buffet FREE!!” She pulled out her cellphone, “They took our picture so they can place it in their wall along with other customers who are also thousandth customers! They gave me a copy! Which is SO CUTE!” and showed us a photo. Right at the center is Amy, with a happy grin, with her arms around Bakugou with his usual bitch face, and along with two old guys, who I assumed they are the owners, one on either side of the happy couple. The owners hold a banner above them saying, “OUR 5,000th COSTUMERS!” in bold letters and all decorated in sticker balloons and stars.

“How. .cute. .right Shinsou?” I looked over at Shinsou, he was done looking at the picture and went back sitting down the couch and opened up the game system, “Very cute.” he deadpanned. I rolled my eyes and smiled at Amy, “Wow, free buffet, huh? Lucky. Is that all you did?” Amy shook her head, “No, we did some small shopping at the mall, but it most of it was window-shopping, there were a lot of cute stuff that I wish I can get, but man those prices are so cringe-worthy!” As she continued on, Bakugou came out of the kitchen with a two sports drinks in hand and a bag of chips in the other, he spotted me staring and gave me his cocky grin in his face. DAMN IT! He already has an idea on what to give her! No doubt it was one of the things she was mentioning at the mall!

I force my smile to remain as I continued to listen to Amy, “Me and Katsuki are going to my dorm room and gonna watch a movie to finish our date! I’ll text you and Shinsou to come over after it’s done, okay?” she waved and walked along with Bakugou and head upstairs. Once they’re gone, I sighed and collapsed in the couch; grabbed the remote to turn on the tv and surf through the channels. Once I found the channel I wanted, I turned to Shinsou, who once again playing the game system. “Shinsou deeear?” I strain out the last word, he tensed but remain firm into looking at the screen of his game system. I faced him and took his off his hands and gave him my playful glare, “You said you would help me,” I gave my him my pouty face.

He turned flustered and cave in immediately, “Alright! Alright. Just answer me this then, what were things that you talk about when you talk to each other online?”

I thought about it and list some topics in our earlier days when we started being friends, “We talk about puns, stories of our favorite tv shows and movies, friends and family, and lastly our music.” I fondly think about our taste in music, it was almost identical that we freaked out when one of us mention bands that we like, especially our favorite songs from those bands. It was one of my best days ever, I started to go on till I paused...

I . . .

I think I know what to give her. . .

I hug Shinsou, “Oh my goodness! I think I know what to give her! Thank you so much! You are the best!” I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, he gave me a startled look, and his face turned a deep red, and rush to my room and begin preparing my gift for my best friend!

Day of the Party

Everyone is having a blast at the party, everything is Amy’s favorites, the snacks, drinks, music, even the theme colors! The Baku Squad, minus PomPom, were dancing to High Hopes on the dance floor with the birthday girl at the center with the silliest moves I have ever seen. Me and Shinsou were with the Deku Squad at the snack table with the birthday cake at the center, and the rest of the class were playing or watching video games at the main tv. At one corner are a pile of presents for Amy. I haven’t put mine in there because I’m a little nervous about what would she think, so I kept it in one of the large pockets of my jacket.

Shinsou senses my nervousness and tries to reassure me, “Don’t worry about it, no matter what you give her, she’ll be ecstatic by anything.” “Yeah, I know, it’s just that she’s my first friend ever and I want to give her something to repay all that she’s done for me, ya know?” Shinsou gave me a smug smile, “Heh, yea I get it, Amy... .is a type of person that really gets into your skin and will annoy the heck out of you,” we laugh in agreement and he continued, “yet. . for us. .we don’t mind at all.” To which I fondly look at Amy, who is trying to convince the Pomeranian to dance and he’s working so hard to remain where he is at till Amy gave him a tearful look. He relented and let her pull to the dance floor, and everyone including Amy cheered.

I chuckled at her antics and agreed with Shinsou, “Yeah, she’s pretty unforgettable.”

After 10 minutes of dancing and eating, Amy demands her cake, me and Shinsou put on the candles and light them up; she stood in front of her cake, and the whole class sang her happy birthday.

“Happy birthday dear Amy!! Happy birthday to YOUUU!”

She blew out her candles, and we all cheered and gave her hugs, Kaminari asked, “Hey Amy! What did you wish for!?” She shook her head, “Can’t tell you!” she sang song, “Otherwise the wish won’t come true!”

“AW!” Mina whined, “I bet it’s a really cool wish!”

“It IS!” Amy jumped right in front of her presents, “ITS PRESENT TIME! I WANNA OPEN THEM NOW!” “Will you chill out Sabrina!? It’s not like they are going away if you don’t open them!” Bakugou scolded.

“Whatever!!”

Each one gave her their present, Izu-chan gave her new headphones with cat ears, which she squealed and gave him a bone-crushing hug, but not to Izuku’s standards. Shinsou’s present is an actual witch hat, which made Amy laugh as she put it on, “OH MY GOSH TOSHI!! This is the cutest hat I ever had! Thank you so much!” She gave him a hug but with enough force that almost made him fall. “Geez Okay. You are welcome, you really shouldn’t eat so much sugar sticks.”

“Hehe! Sorry I couldn’t help it Toshi! They are just sooo good!”

Bakugou rolled his eyes as he gave his present to her, “Don’t say I don’t give you nothing! Got it?!”

“Aww,” she kissed him on the cheek, “I Luv You Too babe!”

“Yea Yea.” and Amy opened the small box, which I couldn’t help but bit my lip as she removed the wrappings from the present. She gasped and showed it to everyone, it was lapis lazuli earrings shaped into a small hearts. She squealed even louder as she jumped into PomPom’s arms, “These are the ones I saw at that Mall, you were paying attention! THANK YOU THANK YOU!!”  Bakugou growled but hugs her anyway, “Of course I pay attention you’re my girlfriend aren’t ya?!?”

“Yes, you are! And I love you for it!” She lets go and look at the present table, all of her presents was open, but she kept looking for more, and I have a feeling what’s she’s looking for.

I teasingly asked Amy, “Whatcha looking for Amy-chan?”“Yours, of course, It must be hidden from all the wrappings for the other presents! And I know it is yours cuz you haven’t given me your present!”

I shook my head as I pull out the box from my pocket, “That’s because I didn’t put it at the table, silly.” She saw the box and squealed as I give her my present, this time she carefully unwrapped the gift and opened the box. What she pulled out was a cd case with a white cover that reads:

Happy Birthday Amy!: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLflxyrJQiDpqho2tU44l1_NBJmHh8mCe_

Amy opened the case and saw the disc and found the note that I wrote for her, which she read aloud:

To my best friend. . . who always have my back when I need the most. These songs represent our treasured memories, so whenever we are apart, these songs will bring each other closer. No matter how far the ocean or land parts us.

With love, Ashlen

Amy looks up with her eyes started to water as I added, “One of our first conversations was about music, so I gave you song that we talked about, and there’s a list at the back. Look at the last one.” Amy flipped it to the back where there’s the list of songs.

And the last one is from the Queens: You’re My Best Friend.

I was surprised when she hugged me out of nowhere, I felt tears fell from my neck, “Amy? You okay?” She sniffed, “Yes! This is the best present you could ever give me!”

My eyes widen and hesitantly hugged her back, “I mean it’s not extravagant as Bakugou’s or cute like Shinsou’s.”

She pulled back a bit so I could see her head shake, “That doesn’t matter Ash! Sure they are really cool presents, but yours came from the heart. And no one can beat that ever!”

I felt my eyes started to tear up and smiled so bright and hugged her again, everyone ‘aww’ our moment except Puff Ball, which he rolled his eyes, muttering “whatever.”

“Happy Birthday, you’re my best friend, my witch-bitch,” I said fondly. She laughs and squeals happily, “Oooh bitch! And I say that playfully… You’re my homegirl for life!”

[ladyfogg]

Sick Like Me - Part 18/20

Sick Like Me - Part 18/20

Fic Summary: With unfinished business hanging over your head, being locked up in Arkham is holding you back. However, you have your eye on a certain red-haired maniac, who may be just the person to help you escape and realize your true potential.  Fic Song. Fic Playlist. Fic Masterpost.

Fic Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Jerome Valeska/Female Reader

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, for a complete list of warnings, visit AO3.

A/N: The song in this chapter is Time for Tea by Emilie Autumn. I really suggest listening to it. The only warning I have for this chapter is it’s...disturbing. By my standards at least. Also the certain item of clothing Queenie has Jerome put on just for her may or may not come from a certain scene from Shameless. Just sayin’.

You finally did it. After all the scheming, manipulating, and killing, your stepmother is strapped to that old examination table, unconscious.

Jerome stands next to you, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest as you both gather yourselves. Aaron is somewhere behind you, waiting for instructions.

There is no sign of the nerves from earlier, only excitement and adrenaline.

“Aaron,” you order to the big muscular man. He steps up to stand on your other side. “Your services up here are no longer required. I need you to go wait on the floor below this one. If Gordon or anyone else tries to come for us, you are to stop them no matter what. I’ve disconnected the elevator so they have to take the stairs. There’s only one way in or out of this place and you’re our last line of defense. Got it?”

Aaron nods. “Yes,” he says.

You smile and pat him on the shoulder. “See you on the other side of this, friend,” you say. “And don’t forget to wear your earpiece. I want to know if Gordon gets to you.”

He nods with understanding and then walks away, leaving you and Jerome alone.

“That sounded final,” Jerome comments.

“Yeah well, he’ll probably die or get arrested,” you admit. “And since he’s wearing his earpiece, I can just kill him if the latter happens.”

“What do we do first?” Jerome asks, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

“Set the stage of course,” you grin. “And get into costume. That drug isn’t going to wear off for another thirty minutes or so, and she’s going to be very disorientated when it does.”

“This is your show, just tell me what you need,” Jerome says, following you to the door tucked away in the back. “I live to serve under you, Queenie. Well, sometimes.”

You laugh, opening the door. It’s an old servants corridor that leads to the kitchen, and will serve as an emergency escape route should the GCPD actually somehow get to this floor. Right inside are piles of clothes for you and Jerome to change into.

You hand Jerome his and he looks through the items smirking. “After all this time, I still wind up dressing like a clown,” he comments. “Except for these…” He pulls out a pair of tight undershorts, raising his eyebrow at you questioningly.

“Those are a personal preference,” you smirk, leaning in close. “Just knowing you’re wearing them underneath will be a turn on. And honestly, your clothing is more like a ringmaster than a clown. I’ll be dressed as the clown. It’s literally her worst nightmare.”

Jerome wags his eyebrows and starts to strip so he can change. You watch for a second, before forcing yourself to do the same.

The sleeveless black and white striped dress is short, so short that the ruffled bottom barely covers your lady bits, which you’ve masked with a pair of red silky underwear. Your knee-high socks are striped as well, making it look like you’re wearing your old Arkham uniform, only modified. Jerome watches as you step into a pair of stilettos, his eyes flashing hungrily. He’s naked except for those shorts, and you also pause to admire the view.

“Do we have time for a quickie?” he asks, palming himself. His bulge is impressive, as always, but unfortunately there isn’t time to do anything about it.

“No, we don’t,” you pout, straightening your stance and tugging your dress into place. “But don’t worry, once we’re done here I’ll bend you over and take good care of you.”

Jerome laughs, stepping into the white pants you gave him and yanking them up. “You may have to keep that outfit on,” he says, wincing as he tucks himself into the restrictive pants.

You grin back at him, pulling on your long, striped, finger-less gloves. “I can do that,” you promise. You tuck your phone into the pocket you sewed into the dress, and draw out your compact.

As Jerome continues to dress, you smear white across your face and neck, making sure it’s coated completely before applying your black eye-liner. The finishing touch is ruby red lipstick, and after giving yourself a once over in the small mirror, you conclude you look damn good as you slip the makeup back into your pocket. You can’t wait to see your stepmother’s face when she wakes up.

While Jerome finishes up, you step back into the ballroom. You turn on the smoke machine and dim the lights, except for the one directly over your stepmother. It works as a spotlight, like a beacon leading you to the one thing you’ve wanted most over the last two years. Your fingers flex, aching to pick up one of the many instruments you have laid out. But after all this time, you vow to go slow and make her know every single angry, vengeful thought that has been running through your head since you stopped fearing her, and started hating her.

You step into the circle around her table, bile rising in your throat as you gaze at her face, wrinkles barely visible due to plastic surgery. The idea of changing your face never appealed to you. Why go through all that trouble to hide wrinkles?

Once you're on that train of thought, you think of all the times she mocked your appearance, and you clench your jaw. Hate doesn’t even begin to cover your feelings for this woman. She made you feel worthless for existing, and it’s only appropriate that you return the favor.  

Jerome silently appears next to you, dressed impeccably and looking dashing. Along with those wonderful pants, he’s dressed in backwards straitjacket, the buckles and straps loosely done. His black boots are so shiny you can see yourself in them, and the red jacket he’s pulling on adds a beautiful splash of color. Red looks good on him. Real good.

“We need some music,” he comments.

“We will later. But I have something better to listen to first.”

You pull your cellphone out and press a button. The screens around your flicker to life and the video of you and Jerome comes on, volume full blast, the noises of your fucking echoing loudly throughout the large room. He is absolutely delighted, grin so wide you’re sure his cheeks must hurt.

“Uh...boss?” Aaron’s voice comes over the earpiece.

“What is it?” you ask, slipping your phone into your pocket.

“Some of the guys just told me your trip mines on the third floor aren’t flashing anymore, and Gordon just showed up outside,” Aaron says.

Grumbling, you’re about to yell when Jerome speaks up. “I’ve got it,” he says into the earpiece. “Stay where you are, Aaron.”

Jerome turns to you, pulling you in for a kiss, smearing your lipstick. “Don’t have too much fun without me,” he says as he withdraws, a bit of red on his mouth. “I’ll fix everything. You just stay here and play.”

“Hurry back,” you urge, wiping the lipstick on his face away with your thumb. With your other hand you reach down to squeeze his ass, only to shudder when you feel the outline of those shorts.

Jerome kisses your nose and then he’s gone, off to handle things. You’re really glad you decided to take him with you. He's everything you’ve ever needed in a partner and you can’t imagine doing any of this without him.

You turn your attention to the images on the screens, taking time to enjoy how you and Jerome look together. It’s actually beautiful, how insync the two of you are, how you’re both moving desperately to chase your own pleasure. It’s the most beautiful piece of cinematic art you’ve ever seen. And it’s making you unbelievably turned on.

Your stepmother gives a groan of discomfort and starts to move. Attention instantly drawn to her, you slowly step backward out of the light, watching as she comes to consciousness. She’s confused at first, you can see it all over her face as the cloudiness begins to clear from her vision. She tries to move, only to find that she’s strapped to the table and can’t even shift. Of course, she struggles harder, whimpering with fear as she tries to free herself. Suddenly, a loud moan from the TV draws her attention, and when her eyes finally find the screens, she looks repulsed.

“Now you know how I felt,” you say loudly, making her jerk her head in your direction. “Having to listen to you and my father having loud sex for years can get really fucking annoying. It was actually the breaking point that night, did you know that? I just couldn’t stand listening to that headboard hitting the wall anymore.”

You’re shrouded by the darkness, so you know she can’t see your face. But your voice is unmistakable and she immediately reacts.

“Why are you doing this? I never laid a hand on you!” your stepmother insists.

Video You gives a loud moan as Video Jerome laughs wildly. “Take my dick, Queenie,” he growls. “God, you’re so good at it!”

“Jerome! Oh, Mistah J, fuck me!”

Your stepmother winces with disgust and instinctively recoils. At least she tries to. The table doesn’t let her.

“You’re right, you never did,” you admit, stepping closer yet stopping just out of the radius of the spotlight. “That doesn’t mean you didn’t abuse me. See, as stupid as I found therapy in Arkham, some of the stuff Dr. Thompkins said actually resonated with me. Like, just because I was never hit, doesn’t mean I wasn’t abused. According to her, words can leave just as big a scar. And if I had a physical scar for every insult, every backhanded comment, every word of disgust…” You step into the light completely so she can see your face. “I’d be completely covered with them.”

She screams.

The sound is music to your ears and makes you grin. “Do you like my look?” you ask innocently, playing with the ruffles of your skirt. “Sort of a, circus meets escaped lunatic mashup.”

You start to slowly circle the table, letting your fingers drag up her arm. “Speaking of circuses, do you remember, when I was eleven, and the circus was in town?” you ask. “Dad wanted to bring me, and you pitched the biggest fucking fit.”

The moans and grunts from the video add a deliciously dirty soundtrack to your words, and you take your eyes off your stepmother to stare at your sex tape with appreciation. You and Jerome gyrate against each other, nails and teeth finding purchase in already bruised flesh.

“I didn’t care either way,” you say, looking back at her. “See, that’s when he had just started to visit my room at night, and I wanted nothing to do with him. But he was insistent on all of us going as a family, and you cried.”

You hop onto the examine table, straddling her waist. She screams again and struggles, shutting her eyes and turning her head away.

“‘You’re so insensitive!’,” you whine, mocking her high-pitched voice. “‘You know how I feel about clowns and you want to drag me to that place, just so you can spoil your little brat!’”

You lean over her, and she whimpers, eyes still shut. “‘Look at her! She doesn’t even want to go! She’s so ungrateful! I don’t even know why you bother! You should send her away!’” You sit back with a wistful sigh. “And I remember thinking, ‘God yes, please send me away so I don’t have to listen to this cunt anymore.’ But unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Daddy had to keep me close after all. And so, he got his way, which he always did, and we went to the circus.”

You jump off the table and move to stand where her head is. In the background, you and Jerome finish, both screaming loudly. He pulls out of you to pump his release all over your chest.

“Aww, you’re missing the money shot,” you say. “Here, let me help with that!”

You grab her head and turn it towards one of the screens, using your fingers to pry her eyes open.

“Mmm, yeah, look at him shoot his load. Fuck he's so violent when he comes!” you gush.

“No, please I don’t want to watch this!” she begs, trying to shake her head free of your grip.

“But it’s hot!” you laugh. “He’s coming all over me and I’m just so spent. Look, some even got on my chin. Annnnd there I go, licking it away…” You groan with longing.

“Keep swooning over me, Queenie,” Jerome’s voice comes through the earpiece. “Definitely a nice ego boost!”

“He’s here you know,” you tell your captive. “Jerome needed to take care of a few things, but he’ll be back to meet you properly. It’s kind of a new tradition we have: introduce the other to our parents and then murder them.”

“I understand you hating me, but I never made you watch something like this!” your stepmother says.

“No, but you made me listen to it, over and over again,” you snarl, forcing her to look up at you. You lean down and press a smacking kiss to her forehead, leaving behind a red lipstick print. After, you shove her head to the side and move back around the table.

“Now where was I...oh yeah, the circus!” You jump onto her lap again and she turns her head sharply to look at you. “So we go, and I’m pouting because I’m bored. Clowns never did anything for me. Well, not until recently. Anyways, we’re there, Dad is being overly touchy and friendly, winning me things and buying me stuff, and you’re walking all stiff and scared because every time you turn around.” You lunge forward so you’re face is right in front of hers, the clown makeup beginning to run as you sweat. “...there’s a clown.”

She flinches, whimpering again, turning her head in an attempt to get away from you.

“And that’s when I realized you weren’t so scary anymore,” you say, stroking her cheek. “You have fears just like everyone else. A fact I remembered when I was planning on what to do with you once I caught you. I have to say, I never thought you’d work with the GCPD. You must be really scared of me.”

“Please, please just let me go,” your stepmother pleads. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry I said all those things about you. It was wrong, I know it was! I’ve been kicking myself ever since you killed him.”

“Oh, no you haven’t!” you snort. “You’re so full of shit. You’re not kicking yourself for saying them, you’re kicking yourself because I know you said them. And probably for not noticing how bat-shit crazy I am. It’s not your fault. I hide it well. Manipulating people is kind of second nature. Then again,” You lean in close with a wide grin. “I learned from the best.”

“I had my reasons!” your stepmother insists. “Yes, I tried hard to take all his attention! But I did it to protect you! I knew what he was thinking of doing, and that’s why I wanted you out of the way! I tried to save you!”

You laugh so loud it drowns out the sounds from the video tape. “Did you really think I would believe that?” you question, shaking your head and wiping the tears away. The action smudges your makeup even more. “You were saying that shit long before he started visiting me at night. Hell, I heard you telling your little friends how much of a nuisance I was. How you wished he didn’t have a daughter so you could inherit all our money.” At her horrified expression, you reach down to casually adjust the collar of her blouse. “I pretty much eavesdropped on you all the time. At first, it was because I was curious. Then it was because I wanted more information on you for blackmail purposes. You didn’t care about me. You didn’t even care about him. You cared about money!”

You wrap your hand around her collar as you swipe one of the scalpels off the nearby cart. “ADMIT IT!” you bellow, lunging forward and pressing the tip of the blade under her chin.

“Yes, yes, okay I admit it!” your stepmother says. “I just wanted money. Your dad disgusted me. If I wasn’t grossed out by him, I was bored. He was the worst! And you weren’t any better! So plain and quiet, always watching with those crazy eyes. And yet, he paid so much attention to you, way more than he did to me, and I could never understand it.”

Now that you have her going, it seems she can’t stop, blurting out everything she’s been bottling up over the years.

“I never got why he wanted you to have everything! Why should you?! You didn’t earn it! You didn’t work for it! I did everything for that man! EVERYTHING! And for what? For him to leave his fortune to some snot-nosed little girl who looked like his dead wife?!” she shouts.

“I WAS A CHILD!” you bellow, pulling the scalpel away, only to draw it across her collarbone. The skin splits and blood glistens in the spotlight as she cries out in pain. “I DIDN’T WANT ANY OF IT! THE ATTENTION, THE MONEY! NONE OF IT!” Realizing you’re losing control, you take a deep, shaky breath and rein it in. When you speak again, your voice is lower. “You blamed me for the actions of a full grown adult! You’re the one who should have been locked up!”

“You killed him, psycho! You deserved to be locked up!” she spits.

You pretend to consider her words. “Normally, I would argue,” you conclude, voice calm and steady. Letting go of her collar, you reach down to jam your thumb into her cut. “But considering locking me up forced me to meet the love of my life, I’d agree this time.”

“Aww, Queenie, you’re making me blush,” Jerome’s voice comes in clearer now as he steps into the circle.

Squealing with delight, you toss the scalpel on the tray and climb off your stepmother. You bound toward Jerome, jumping up to throw your arms and legs around him. He spins you once before putting you down and smashing his mouth against yours in a bruising kiss.

“Everything good?” you ask, reluctantly withdrawing.

“Mmm, more than,” Jerome assures you. “Gordon and his partner are still stuck on the first floor.”

“Excellent,” you purr. “Jerome, sweetie, I want you to meet someone.” You take his hand and lead him over to the table, where your stepmother is panting and crying, blood smeared along her collarbone. “This is my stepmother. We were just having the most wonderful chat.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Jerome says with an exaggerated bow. “And from the bottom of my heart, thank you for being such a piece of shit and bringing Queenie into my life.”

“You’re both insane!” your stepmother says. “Detective Gordon will stop you!”

You and Jerome laugh, closing in on her. “Not today,” you say.

“Mmm, Queenie, this video is dirty,” Jerome giggles, looking at the screen. It smash cuts to him sitting on an armchair, with you kneeling between his legs, gagging on his cock. “We really should have gone with another angle though.”

“Maybe,” you say. “We’ll make a better one later. Right now I have some work to do, and I’d really like some music instead.” You take your phone out of your pocket, shuffling through your playlist until you find the perfect song.  

Another press of the button shuts off the lights completely, plunging the three of you into darkness. The music amps up, blaring loudly, and you press one final button, turning on strobe lights.

“No! No, please! HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME!” your stepmother screams, barely audible over the music as you and Jerome move around her.

Your heart is drumming hard against your ribcage, the excitement and eagerness eating away at your self control. The beat of the music gets your energy up and you bounce slightly, preparing yourself for what’s to come. Next to you, Jerome is staring just as fiercely at your stepmother as you are, fingers twitching as he restrains himself from doing anything. This is your moment, just like he had his with his father. He’s not going to ruin it for you.

Unable to help it, you start to singing along. “There was a little girl, who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead, and when she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad, she was homicidal!” You straddle her again, extending your hand.

“Hatchet…” you demand.

“Check!” Jerome hands you the tool.

“Scalpel…”

“Check!”

“Rusty steel syringe…”

“Check!”

You lay the items on her chest except for the scalpel and Jerome takes the edge of the table, spinning it and laughing hysterically as your stepmother cries and screams.

“It’s time for war! It’s time for blood!” you sing, ripping open the blouse with the blade, bearing her chest to you. She thrashes and struggles, to no avail. She’s trapped and she’s not leaving alive. “It’s time for TEA!”

You begin to carve deep gashes into her chest, moving slowly and methodically.

“One day that little girl may find a filthy metal spike, and drive it right in the middle of your forehead. For she and her friends, this is very, very good,” you sing. “But for you the game is over – this is revolution!”

Grabbing her neck, you turn her face away from you and cut into her cheek, following the scars of her facelift, another stupid symbol of the rich and desperate lifestyle. She’s screaming constantly now, still shouting for the help that won’t be coming. Jerome is laughing, cheering you on as he lets go of the table and watches it continue to spin on its own.

“Hatchet…Check! Scalpel…Check! Amputation saw…Check!” you bellow. “It’s time for war! It’s time for blood! It’s time for TEA!”

The music keeps going, but you stop singing, focusing on drawing as many bloody lines in this woman as you can. The flickering lights don’t bother you in the slightest and you keep the grin on your face, noting how terrified her eyes are every time the light flashes.

Jerome picks up the singing for you. “We’ve got the tools, we’ve got the time, to punish a most worthy crime against humanity, somewhere it’s always time for tea. We’ve been trained by the very best, we think you just might be impressed, eradicate the enemy, somewhere it’s always time for…” He’s urging you to finish it, egging you on, supporting you in the very best way. “Revenge is a dish that is best served…NOW!”

The music is just as encouraging as Jerome. It sets the pace for your carving, the scalpel sticking to your blood soaked fingers.

“I am that little girl, I have that little curl, right in the middle of my forehead,” you join back in. “And when I am good, I am very, very good, but when I am bad, I am fucking gorgeous!”

Your control is slipping. The more blood you see, the more it sends you in a frenzy, and you find your cuts less precise, more erratic and angry.

In your ear, you hear Aaron growl and you know Gordon has reached the upper floors. Shit. How did he do that so fast? He must have brought a lot of backup. Fuck, you can’t take as long as you want. Jerome seems to hear the noise too because he spins the table one last time and hops on behind you. He places his hands on your hips and leans forward, lips brushing your ear.

“Hatchet…Check! Scalpel…Check! Electroshock Machine…Check! It’s time for war! It’s time for blood! It’s time for TEA!”

You toss the scalpel aside and grab the syringe, rage finally taking hold. You stab her over and over again, blood splattering across your black and white dress.

“We’ve got the tools, we’ve got the time, to punish a most worthy crime against humanity, somewhere it’s always time for tea,” Jerome watches excitedly, fingers digging into your hips. You can feel the press of his erection in your lower back and it only spurs you on. “We’ve been trained by the very best, we think you just might be impressed, eradicate the enemy, eradicate the enemy…”

You’re possessed. You can’t stop stabbing her and even when her screams bubble down to nothing, you keep going while Jerome whispers in your ear, “Go, Queenie, go! There’s my girl...let her have it…”

She’s nearly dead, her body convulsing and leaking blood from every bit of exposed skin. The hatchet slips as you attempt to pick it up, clattering to the floor in the chaos, and you climb down after it, Jerome following your lead.

The door to the ballroom suddenly bangs open and Gordon and Bullock stand there, bloody and panting, their guns drawn.

Your eyes meet Gordon’s from across the room and you lift the hatchet. “Revenge is a dish that is best served…” You swing the blade end down, burying it in your stepmother’s neck. “NOW!”

“NO!” Gordon screams, firing.

Jerome tackles you to the ground, narrowly avoiding the bullets and knocking over the tray of tools in the process. The shots hit a mirror instead, sending shards everywhere.

A large piece hits you in the face, cutting diagonally from your left eyebrow to your lip. Blinking the blood out of your eye, you scramble to grab one of your smoke grenades as it rolls away. You yank out the pin and Jerome takes it from you, chucking it in the direction of Gordon and Bullock.

“Jim, look out!” Bullock orders, yanking Gordon back just as the grenade hits the ground in front of them.

It goes off and they're stunned, coughing and sputtering. Jerome pulls you to your feet, hand gripping yours tightly as he tugs you in the direction of your only means of escape.

The detectives still manage to fire, and you feel a searing pain in your shoulder, the adrenaline making you too focused to even cry out. Jerome manages to get you through the door and slams it shut behind you. There’s no time to catch your breath, only a second to kick out of your heels. You both run as fast as possible through the penthouse, and you just manage to get to the front door as you hear Gordon and Bullock stumble out of the ballroom.

Aaron’s unmoving body lays at the bottom of the stairs. Jerome jumps over it and holds his arms out to catch you as you do the same. Each floor you pass is a mess of blood and people fighting, the goons you hired doing their very best to stop the officers who were unfortunate enough to back up Gordon and Bullock. In the distance you hear the trip mines go off.

The garage never looked so good. You grab the keys from your pocket and toss them to Jerome, heading for the black sedan in the corner. He gets into the driver’s seat and you throw yourself into the passenger’s.

“GO!” you bellow.

Jerome peels out of the space, and makes for the exit, only for two officers to appear, pointing their weapons. Jerome laughs and steps on the gas, flooring it. One man manages to jump out of the way, but the other makes a sickening noise as he slams into the front of the car, bouncing off the windshield.

Jerome skids out onto the main road and keeps going. “Wooo!” he shouts, excitedly banging on the steering wheel. “Now THAT was a rush! Queenie, you’re the most terrifyingly beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!”

“I’m also bleeding,” you grunt, pressing your hand to your shoulder. “I think I was shot…”

Jerome turns toward you sharply. “Are you okay?” he demands.

“It's nothing,” you assure him. “I’ll be fine.”

“Just lay back and rest, doll face,” Jerome grins. “You did it. You finally did it.”

A smile crosses your face, white paint smeared with sweat and your stepmother’s blood. Your body sags, endorphins and adrenaline running out. “Yeah, I did.”

[vkacerus]

5 different income streams for bloggers in 2019 Ever been asked the question ‘How exactly do you make money blogging?’ Despite the number of articles focusing on six-figure salaries and bought followers, most of the general public is pretty confused as to how you can turn taking selfies into a viable business. Like most new industries, there is no straightforward answer. However, there is a huge opportunity, with influencer marketing spend projected to grow to $5-$10B annually by 2020. The number of ‘influencers’ registered by HMRC in the UK is currently 27,000 and also set to rise to 100k. We’ve created an overview of the key income streams for bloggers in 2019 plus resources if you’d like to diversify. It’s important to be agile, understand the bigger picture and constantly keep innovating. 1. Brand collaborations There have always been marketing campaigns on billboards, TV and in magazines and now bloggers have been added into the mix. Brands can tap into an influencers following and credibility rather than use a model and products are usually incorporated in a more natural, relevant way. A brand will typically get in touch with a brief, deadline, and deliverables and you have to decide whether it’s the right fit or not. You can also pitch ideas if you have an existing relationship with the brand and it fits into their marketing strategy. With a rise of Instagram, some brands may want a mixture of blog posts, Instagram posts, YouTube videos, Instagram Stories or just one element. Other campaigns may require bloggers to take on a traditional ‘model’ role, so being featured on the brand's website or in print media, as well as bring contracted to promote across their channels. With the rise of podcasts and newsletters, there’s also an opportunity for advertorials to be placed in these formats. The most important thing is that each post has to clearly be marked as advertising, usually with ‘AD’ prefixing the caption. Swot up by using the Fohr ‘A Drink With James’ series for an insight into campaigns on the brand side and industry trends. 2. Affiliate links Affiliate links are a way for a publisher to earn a commission when a purchase is made through a certain trackable link. Basically, a ‘cookie’ is embedded in your computer once you click on a link and whilst it’s active (usually for 30 days), anything you purchase from that site will result in a commission for the blogger. Purchasing through affiliate links is a great way for your followers to support you as it doesn’t cost them any more. They can also help you gain insight into what your audience buys and arm you with data in order to pitch to brands. These links can also be used in newsletters and Instagram Stories. 3. Digital products Bloggers such as Vix Meldrew, Sara Tasker and Coco’s Tea Party have created passive income through courses, e-books or webinars. It’s more of an investment in terms of time but can reap rewards. The main benefit is that you have another source of income to rely on if brand partnerships are a bit slow plus it’s a chance to really nurture your community. There are ways of creating courses on Udemy or Teachable. 4. Freelance content creation This is ideal if you have a smaller following and a distinctive photography style. You may be approached to create a series of images that brands can use across their own channels. Fees for this can be lower than one-off Instagram posts and many influencers choose to charge a day rate. A super-influencer who’s really stepped this up is Chriselle Lim. She’s launched her own production agency Cinc Studios that create content for brands in her polished style. 5. Public speaking There can also be numerous public speaking opportunities at events, conferences, internally for brands and via traditional media outlets. This can come about by positioning yourself as an expert in a certain area or pioneering something that you’re passionate about. Is sustainability your thing? One way to stand out is by starting a podcast or creating a regular feature speaking to a camera on Instagram Stories. Research key events throughout the year (e.g. Stylist Live, Glamour Beauty Festival) and reach out to brands and production agencies ahead of time. If this doesn’t work, then consider combining income streams and pitch your own event to a brand. 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http://vkholidays.blogspot.com/2019/11/5-different-income-streams-for-bloggers.html

[airoasis]

Everything Wrong With Captain Marvel In 16 Minutes Or Less

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/everything-wrong-with-captain-marvel-in-16-minutes-or-less/

Everything Wrong With Captain Marvel In 16 Minutes Or Less

never much like the Stanley cameos and definitely don’t like logos but this is goddamn touching but while we’re on the subject of opening logos for movies let’s frame it this way imagine buying the new Taylor Swift album but before you can hear me you have to first listen to 20 seconds of a universal music group audio jingle it would probably be rocking and full of tight harmonies but it would still forever be 20 seconds of norway’s standing between you and your music that’s what opening studio logos do for movies place my hands so angry oh my god they give us the name of the city the description of that city’s importance and then a third line with an utterly incomprehensible series of letter and number characters do you know what time it is Jesus Marvel movies young Dumbledore young Pope Sherlock Holmes is there any beloved institution that Jude Law hasn’t infiltrated anything you know funny how I was thinking the same thing about this chatty friendly fight scene which happens in every movie there’s nothing dangerous warrior an emotion not even a nuclear weapon a landmine sharp sword sniper’s bullet jagged rocks meat from a plant that once had an e.coli outbreak control your impulses so easy miss start using this there’s so much goddamn pedantic mansplaining in the beginning of this movie that I fast forwarded to the end where Carol blasts the Balrog and watched it three times in a row future VR requires artificial tendrils that get to know you better than your spouse just because it looks kind of cool doesn’t make it practical so the burrito supreme searches your thoughts and becomes the person that you’re closest to before communicating I mean contact got murdered for doing that at the end of the movie so long the scrolls have invaded yet another border planet this time Topher already lost me dude if you think for one minute I’m getting all this down plus the three or four other names organizations planets he mentions in this briefing you sadly overestimate my ability to give it well marvel do you read me anybody copy as technologically advanced as they are at a Cree or apparently still reliant on 1990s cellphone reception this is some dusty furry dust things suspense I’m no expert but maybe if you spent less time screaming you’d be able to do more scrolling no one will be seated during the bunch of old portion of the movie some stuff is happening just try and keep track of the purple in the green they’re on different sides I think movie does a great job advertising the Air Force you don’t now the movie does pile on a bit heavy with this stuff about her constantly being told she’s not good enough I get that people are told that but in movie form maybe we don’t need to see it a dozen times to get the point okay fine we need some back story on why Carroll’s so driven to be the best but this exposition brain probe really feels more like a Nike commercial than an MCU film okay wait can you change the way the camera of your memory tilts so that you can pick up fine details let’s just like the zoom and enhance cliche but for your brain dr.

Wendy Lawson that’s her so Carol can hear the scrolls that are digging around in her memories and she in memory reacts to it you can’t change an event by remembering it right fright she got knocked out cold and captured on that planet with a single blast of one of these space Tasers now she’s impervious to them that’s not exactly full-sized so I guess we can call this a little helm scream in case you thought this movie’s 90s references we’re gonna be subtle she crashed lands into a king blockbuster huh movies playing this is a visual gag but was Carol seriously gonna immediately shoot any non-threatening presents in this environment what if this were the janitor doing a late-night cleaning this top shelf here goes hudsucker proxy hook something else that I’m pretty sure is hamburger hill then first night then jumping jack flash jr.

And just cause I worked at three different blockbusters in my lifetime and you could fire four there you have one job and I think half these movies on the Shelf star Sean Connery and Arnold Schwarzenegger how likely in 1995 is it that a blockbuster would be advertising babe with a giant poster and standee when that was only released in August of that year the church wasn’t coming out on video at this point honestly we take care of those dirty looks is quite simply the worst dry-cleaning advertising slogan I could even fathom why does a dry-cleaning service even need a slogan look at you be better off just writing your hours of operation talk about some nuclear yadda yadda how the hell does outdated 90s tech and a payphone and turn into a communicator with the ability to send signals to her people millions of miles away in space all did it book work sure she could make a space phone out of that but she couldn’t bypass Ma Bell in the ill communication once it’s real aliens find the earth to be way less than acceptable cliche okay if this call is urgent enough to use the sirens why not take the cops and shield until after daybreak to respond why was shield alerted at all it’s a broken window in a fucking blockbuster okay this d aging technology has officially gotten creepy as hell I’ll be honest Jana fired Sam Jackson looks pretty awesome here and I am terrified of how that technology will definitely be used in the future this is the most convenient Road near a train situation any city planner ever cooked up in pursuit and she should be easy to track considering she’ll be the only person in Los Angeles to take the train sure Stanley could have been reading Kevin Smith’s mole rat script in 1995 the movie came out on October 20th 1995 so this could be early in the year when it was about to get shot or something the problem is the record story just left Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the infinite sadness being advertised here is coming soon or already out came out October 23rd 1995 and while it’s insane that those two things were only three days apart Stan Lee would not have been reading the script in October unless he was just getting nostalgic about his cameo for the residents of LA to jump to an old lady’s needs and all but how is this even possible you’re telling me that after all the kicking Carol’s done three regular ask commuters could temporarily restrain her fight chase on top of a moving train I feel like I’ve never seen that before except always of course it is tunnels the only logical choice once you’ve opted for fight on top of a train what I’m still here at the blockbuster Coulson saw fury take off forever ago so why is he just calling it also look I think the young ending effect they’re using on Sam Jackson is amazing but they must have used all the resources on that because Clark Craig’s face makes Jeff Bridges and Tron Legacy look like fine art look movie no one in a major city subway terminal would look this hard and long and a girl in a weird costume subway terminals are beacons for folks in weird costumes I rode a train once with spider-man and Marilyn Monroe and a guy that look exactly like Richard Grieco only I don’t think that was a costume I think that was just Richard Grieco there you go now that no one can tell that’s an alien no one will ask questions about the body with a jacket thrown over its face inside the wrecked car ah cool the doohickey that the scroll dropped on the train gets inserted into the whatchamacallit and immediately displays plot convenient footage perfectly edited for maximum exposition alta vista internet cafes modems big computer monitors wasn’t 1995 hilarious but seriously how would carol have the first goddamn clue how to work this fad and sure the motorcycle guy was an asshole and probably deserved it but what did this vintage boutique ever do to anyone hey how’s your eye that’s a fine yeah they’re not gonna hem handedly try and shoehorn a reason for Fury’s eye patch into this movie I got word on a motorcycle thief that fits her description but instead of immediately following up on that lead I’m gonna waste valuable time at shield espousing this clunky dialogue might even drink a tear wine and stop by Sam Goody’s to pick up a jagged little pill CD before I act on any of this information toggling Scrolls can only some recent memories of their host bodies that is literally the definition of a stupid restriction to put on an ability just for plot or hero reasons why should they even be able to access any memories if all they’re doing is copycatting where are you born Huntsville Alabama does this do Carroll except to provide a little more backstory for fury is she able to verify this bolt in any way Ruth you’re not a scroll Carol is a dick – what if this is a jukebox from the 90s has to be 30% ac/dc CDs 40% Tom Petty CDs 29% journey CDs and 1% Van Morrison CD is that a communicator yeah state of the art – wig agent which would in no way and work in a bunker like this but I’m gonna keep making these nostalgic references as long as Marvel pays me to do so Oh how did this cat get into this official government covert facility and did they know he was a flirt come if so why is he out roaming the halls hey that’s exactly how Eminem writes his lyrics I’ll assume Lawson was writing the follow-up to Stan I want to question her along that sounds well evil and/or dirty all I know is we take them in to dead or alive dead or alive yeah agreed that’s excessive it makes no sense unless your bosses bosses a scroll poly these are the loudest lights I’ve ever heard can you imagine the constant jump scares you’d have to endure if you were collating these records the CGI cat is a king abomination and yes the actress is allergic and they had to do a CGI cat in some places but just take twenty thousand dollars of the money you’re spending on unifying Sam Jackson and put it into realistic in the cat god damn also they ran into that cat on level five in the storage room and somehow it ran several floors away from that position and got into the hangar and onto a prototype aircraft that they would eventually use Maria Rambo so how do we get to Louisiana I’m sorry but the amount of information they’ve gleaned from a few seconds of glancing through the records like Maria’s exact address is such bull that this movie is actively starting to stink what is Ronan looked like a character from mist here Carol appeared almost lifelike on the hologram earlier and even in full color his accuser tech still using dial-up or something she flashes little moments but I can’t tell what’s real I’ll tell you what’s real someone on this movie set design team thinks this single mother living alone with her daughter keeps a bowl on the table with 16 lemons in it that’s real that happened you’d better come take a look at this cliche that was all that survived the crash well that’s a lie you’re telling me a prototype aircraft crashed and every single piece of it disintegrated into dust including the rest of this dog tag but not this tiny corner of dog tag you know you really should be kinder to your neighbors you never know when you’re gonna need to borrow some sugar this is pretty hilarious but it’s also ridiculous to think that the scrolls stopped off at a fast-food joint to pick up some burgers and shakes on the way to Louisiana and how would you know about the sugar borrowing habits of earthly suburban Knights this soon into your stay on the planet that was before on you you uh before I knew what made you different from me honest Talos had to have gotten this information before the confrontation at the Pegasus base since that’s where he heard the recorder so if he knew that then why did he try to kill Furies ass he knew they were working together and now he’s all peaceful I actually really like this characters turn but given the sequence of events it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense what’s happening it’s loading windows 95 okay so Jude Law shot Lawson before she could blow up the ship but it takes like 15 seconds for him to show up at a distance in all this smoke plus their obstructed somewhat by the crash ship and they’re on the down slope of a hill how did he know where to aim Carol got her powers by being fantastic forward by the warp engine but the energy only hit her despite yon raw and about the same distance away she assumed his power she’s coming with us okay I’d maybe buy that this recording spurred Carol’s memory to recall the crash but she’s being unconscious here so how would she know this part quick question why did they leave the main house and all go to the one day from collapse cabin to listen to the audio it makes a nice shot but it makes no sense from a human being standpoint is this houses only computer out in the decrepit barn why does Talos still have Keller’s jacket on we’ve seen that when they morph into other humans they already have their clothes on but now that he’s turned back into his natural shape that jacket should be gone right she wanted you to help us find the core and why the hell didn’t she tell Carol about the reason for the mission in the first place I know it would have been weird to come out as an alien but they were already in top-secret mode this withholding of information both makes about as much sense as what happened to Poe in the last Jedi did you hear me man this depiction of the friendship between two strong independent women that is emotional but not corny is long overdue and it’s about goddamn time that Marvel showed it so I’m gonna take us in off because I’m totally a social justice warrior or virtue signal or whatever the latest term that’s complimentary but is being used to be derogatory take it off this moonlight shot makes no sense the pole at the bottom right of the shot shows a shadow that matches up with the moon’s location but then the spaceship thing that veers flew here has a shadow that suggests another even stronger light source off-screen to the right when they were handing out kids they gave up a toughest one lieutenant trouble so is everything cool now like KanCare remember everything about her life on earth black box recording was fucking magic what purpose does this function of the spacesuit serve like some cream was almost finished designing it and the supreme intelligence poked its head in and was like don’t forget to add the unnecessary color wheel why did they bring the can captivate this cat will lead her freak out on fury and cut his face but he doesn’t want to do it here in zero gravity which is baffling because I’ve owned a cat before a lawnmower can freak them out a clap of thunder can freak them out suspending in zero gravity but but have them clawing out the eyeballs of all the motherfuckers nearby until they were on solid footing the cloaking activated holy balls is there anything this magical wrist doohickey can’t do can it order takeout purchase ebooks access free porn ah Who am I kidding of course it can access free porn in her note she called us a tesseract you know I’m fine with the timeline of the tesseract the idea that Howard Stark helped found Pegasus in the 80s and handed it over to this project is totally okay I’m just tired of the fucking tesseract it shows up and seemingly every movie being on tesseract and stuff she’s a pinball wizard it’s gotta be a twist a pinball wizard has got such a supple wrist evil dude picked up the cat carried it all the way here and just tosses it casually and that is a ton of wasted effort what did you do to your uniform he got in her head just like we thought when Carol’s been calling with updates constantly since she’s been on earth and there’s no way they would know that the scroll to flipped his jacket it’s killer by the way does the supreme intelligence seriously have the bandwidth and the inclination for pithy one-liners species flirty threat hi so I’ll calmly place a cat’s eyes muzzle over its mouth and I just happen to be carrying on my person without us you’re only human flesh you may be you’re only human to me mistakes this montage of various Carol’s getting up after falling down is excessive and on the nose and over-the-top anjala you were reborn fierce because every sci-fi movie apparently needs an alien race to miss read something and call it something else like Star Trek with Vedra Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes with kolima this goes on for some time I will say this about the movie it waits until the perfect time to unveil Carol’s true powers and this is a goosebumps inducing moment so it absolutely deserves us in off having said that this reveals sets up the same issue as DC has with Superman Carol is all-powerful she hasn’t discovered everything she could do yet but she’s pretty much unkillable now and future movies and game mm we’ll have to do a ton of hand waving and marginalization for her to be included at all into the rest of the MCU okay let playing on just a girl during the climactic scene of this movie that’s more on the nose than anything ever literally the only more on the nose song you could have chosen is Meredith Brooks bitch or maybe Barbie girl or Cyndi Lauper’s well the movie never explains it or even suggests it but jaan raghav errantly has the ability to manipulate metal like magneto and I needs more backstory than anything in this movie that you actually gave a backstory fool god damn huh did that happen the movie is directly contradicting its own previous implications about the power differential here oh they’re dogfighting in the canyons just like an independent Sky Captain and the world of to marvel dude Carroll may be all-powerful but does she also have a GPS built into her headpiece how the hell did she know exactly where yawn Rhonda DUP she didn’t even see him crash poop to me you can beat me this is a great moment but it was also super fucking obvious that it was gonna go down like this this is basically Indy taking out the sword guy with the gun and Raiders of the Lost Ark motherf lurkin I’ll be back before you know it she will not for emergencies only okay and real emergencies too not like of an alien species is invading one of your most populous cities and your shadow government is about to nuke the god of it as a result and really it would take a giant stroke of some luck and some space gravity to avoid total annihilation you could totally handle that you think you can find others like her we found her and we weren’t even looking okay the logic here is stunning and yes they do end up finding more heroes but it’s not because they already existed Carol was a one-in-a-billion fluke banner still hasn’t tested gamma radiation yet Tony has to be kidnapped and build a suit in a cave black widow is just a human badass and Hawkeye is decent too okay with arrows just how amazing with this cat vomit scene be if we didn’t know where the tesseract went during the sequence on lawson’s lab it might have felt worth sitting through the 12 minutes of credits might have there I said it I like a cat ah I’m just a free we have Vincent yeah we happy your father and I were just discussing his day at work why don’t you tell our daughter about it honey Janie today I quit my job and then I told my boss to go himself and then i blackmailed them for almost $60,000 past nice pair your father seems to think this kind of behavior something to be proud of and your mother seems to prefer that I go through life like a king prisoner while she keeps my in a mason jar under the sink tell the supreme intelligence that I’m coming to end it you Tom I’m coming and hell’s coming with me before we get started does anyone want to get out you want to play blind man go walk with the shepherd me my eyes are wide just talk

[batterymonster2021]

Everything Wrong With Captain Marvel In 16 Minutes Or Less

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/everything-wrong-with-captain-marvel-in-16-minutes-or-less/

Everything Wrong With Captain Marvel In 16 Minutes Or Less

never much like the Stanley cameos and definitely don’t like logos but this is goddamn touching but while we’re on the subject of opening logos for movies let’s frame it this way imagine buying the new Taylor Swift album but before you can hear me you have to first listen to 20 seconds of a universal music group audio jingle it would probably be rocking and full of tight harmonies but it would still forever be 20 seconds of norway’s standing between you and your music that’s what opening studio logos do for movies place my hands so angry oh my god they give us the name of the city the description of that city’s importance and then a third line with an utterly incomprehensible series of letter and number characters do you know what time it is Jesus Marvel movies young Dumbledore young Pope Sherlock Holmes is there any beloved institution that Jude Law hasn’t infiltrated anything you know funny how I was thinking the same thing about this chatty friendly fight scene which happens in every movie there’s nothing dangerous warrior an emotion not even a nuclear weapon a landmine sharp sword sniper’s bullet jagged rocks meat from a plant that once had an e.coli outbreak control your impulses so easy miss start using this there’s so much goddamn pedantic mansplaining in the beginning of this movie that I fast forwarded to the end where Carol blasts the Balrog and watched it three times in a row future VR requires artificial tendrils that get to know you better than your spouse just because it looks kind of cool doesn’t make it practical so the burrito supreme searches your thoughts and becomes the person that you’re closest to before communicating I mean contact got murdered for doing that at the end of the movie so long the scrolls have invaded yet another border planet this time Topher already lost me dude if you think for one minute I’m getting all this down plus the three or four other names organizations planets he mentions in this briefing you sadly overestimate my ability to give it well marvel do you read me anybody copy as technologically advanced as they are at a Cree or apparently still reliant on 1990s cellphone reception this is some dusty furry dust things suspense I’m no expert but maybe if you spent less time screaming you’d be able to do more scrolling no one will be seated during the bunch of old portion of the movie some stuff is happening just try and keep track of the purple in the green they’re on different sides I think movie does a great job advertising the Air Force you don’t now the movie does pile on a bit heavy with this stuff about her constantly being told she’s not good enough I get that people are told that but in movie form maybe we don’t need to see it a dozen times to get the point okay fine we need some back story on why Carroll’s so driven to be the best but this exposition brain probe really feels more like a Nike commercial than an MCU film okay wait can you change the way the camera of your memory tilts so that you can pick up fine details let’s just like the zoom and enhance cliche but for your brain dr.

Wendy Lawson that’s her so Carol can hear the scrolls that are digging around in her memories and she in memory reacts to it you can’t change an event by remembering it right fright she got knocked out cold and captured on that planet with a single blast of one of these space Tasers now she’s impervious to them that’s not exactly full-sized so I guess we can call this a little helm scream in case you thought this movie’s 90s references we’re gonna be subtle she crashed lands into a king blockbuster huh movies playing this is a visual gag but was Carol seriously gonna immediately shoot any non-threatening presents in this environment what if this were the janitor doing a late-night cleaning this top shelf here goes hudsucker proxy hook something else that I’m pretty sure is hamburger hill then first night then jumping jack flash jr.

And just cause I worked at three different blockbusters in my lifetime and you could fire four there you have one job and I think half these movies on the Shelf star Sean Connery and Arnold Schwarzenegger how likely in 1995 is it that a blockbuster would be advertising babe with a giant poster and standee when that was only released in August of that year the church wasn’t coming out on video at this point honestly we take care of those dirty looks is quite simply the worst dry-cleaning advertising slogan I could even fathom why does a dry-cleaning service even need a slogan look at you be better off just writing your hours of operation talk about some nuclear yadda yadda how the hell does outdated 90s tech and a payphone and turn into a communicator with the ability to send signals to her people millions of miles away in space all did it book work sure she could make a space phone out of that but she couldn’t bypass Ma Bell in the ill communication once it’s real aliens find the earth to be way less than acceptable cliche okay if this call is urgent enough to use the sirens why not take the cops and shield until after daybreak to respond why was shield alerted at all it’s a broken window in a fucking blockbuster okay this d aging technology has officially gotten creepy as hell I’ll be honest Jana fired Sam Jackson looks pretty awesome here and I am terrified of how that technology will definitely be used in the future this is the most convenient Road near a train situation any city planner ever cooked up in pursuit and she should be easy to track considering she’ll be the only person in Los Angeles to take the train sure Stanley could have been reading Kevin Smith’s mole rat script in 1995 the movie came out on October 20th 1995 so this could be early in the year when it was about to get shot or something the problem is the record story just left Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the infinite sadness being advertised here is coming soon or already out came out October 23rd 1995 and while it’s insane that those two things were only three days apart Stan Lee would not have been reading the script in October unless he was just getting nostalgic about his cameo for the residents of LA to jump to an old lady’s needs and all but how is this even possible you’re telling me that after all the kicking Carol’s done three regular ask commuters could temporarily restrain her fight chase on top of a moving train I feel like I’ve never seen that before except always of course it is tunnels the only logical choice once you’ve opted for fight on top of a train what I’m still here at the blockbuster Coulson saw fury take off forever ago so why is he just calling it also look I think the young ending effect they’re using on Sam Jackson is amazing but they must have used all the resources on that because Clark Craig’s face makes Jeff Bridges and Tron Legacy look like fine art look movie no one in a major city subway terminal would look this hard and long and a girl in a weird costume subway terminals are beacons for folks in weird costumes I rode a train once with spider-man and Marilyn Monroe and a guy that look exactly like Richard Grieco only I don’t think that was a costume I think that was just Richard Grieco there you go now that no one can tell that’s an alien no one will ask questions about the body with a jacket thrown over its face inside the wrecked car ah cool the doohickey that the scroll dropped on the train gets inserted into the whatchamacallit and immediately displays plot convenient footage perfectly edited for maximum exposition alta vista internet cafes modems big computer monitors wasn’t 1995 hilarious but seriously how would carol have the first goddamn clue how to work this fad and sure the motorcycle guy was an asshole and probably deserved it but what did this vintage boutique ever do to anyone hey how’s your eye that’s a fine yeah they’re not gonna hem handedly try and shoehorn a reason for Fury’s eye patch into this movie I got word on a motorcycle thief that fits her description but instead of immediately following up on that lead I’m gonna waste valuable time at shield espousing this clunky dialogue might even drink a tear wine and stop by Sam Goody’s to pick up a jagged little pill CD before I act on any of this information toggling Scrolls can only some recent memories of their host bodies that is literally the definition of a stupid restriction to put on an ability just for plot or hero reasons why should they even be able to access any memories if all they’re doing is copycatting where are you born Huntsville Alabama does this do Carroll except to provide a little more backstory for fury is she able to verify this bolt in any way Ruth you’re not a scroll Carol is a dick – what if this is a jukebox from the 90s has to be 30% ac/dc CDs 40% Tom Petty CDs 29% journey CDs and 1% Van Morrison CD is that a communicator yeah state of the art – wig agent which would in no way and work in a bunker like this but I’m gonna keep making these nostalgic references as long as Marvel pays me to do so Oh how did this cat get into this official government covert facility and did they know he was a flirt come if so why is he out roaming the halls hey that’s exactly how Eminem writes his lyrics I’ll assume Lawson was writing the follow-up to Stan I want to question her along that sounds well evil and/or dirty all I know is we take them in to dead or alive dead or alive yeah agreed that’s excessive it makes no sense unless your bosses bosses a scroll poly these are the loudest lights I’ve ever heard can you imagine the constant jump scares you’d have to endure if you were collating these records the CGI cat is a king abomination and yes the actress is allergic and they had to do a CGI cat in some places but just take twenty thousand dollars of the money you’re spending on unifying Sam Jackson and put it into realistic in the cat god damn also they ran into that cat on level five in the storage room and somehow it ran several floors away from that position and got into the hangar and onto a prototype aircraft that they would eventually use Maria Rambo so how do we get to Louisiana I’m sorry but the amount of information they’ve gleaned from a few seconds of glancing through the records like Maria’s exact address is such bull that this movie is actively starting to stink what is Ronan looked like a character from mist here Carol appeared almost lifelike on the hologram earlier and even in full color his accuser tech still using dial-up or something she flashes little moments but I can’t tell what’s real I’ll tell you what’s real someone on this movie set design team thinks this single mother living alone with her daughter keeps a bowl on the table with 16 lemons in it that’s real that happened you’d better come take a look at this cliche that was all that survived the crash well that’s a lie you’re telling me a prototype aircraft crashed and every single piece of it disintegrated into dust including the rest of this dog tag but not this tiny corner of dog tag you know you really should be kinder to your neighbors you never know when you’re gonna need to borrow some sugar this is pretty hilarious but it’s also ridiculous to think that the scrolls stopped off at a fast-food joint to pick up some burgers and shakes on the way to Louisiana and how would you know about the sugar borrowing habits of earthly suburban Knights this soon into your stay on the planet that was before on you you uh before I knew what made you different from me honest Talos had to have gotten this information before the confrontation at the Pegasus base since that’s where he heard the recorder so if he knew that then why did he try to kill Furies ass he knew they were working together and now he’s all peaceful I actually really like this characters turn but given the sequence of events it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense what’s happening it’s loading windows 95 okay so Jude Law shot Lawson before she could blow up the ship but it takes like 15 seconds for him to show up at a distance in all this smoke plus their obstructed somewhat by the crash ship and they’re on the down slope of a hill how did he know where to aim Carol got her powers by being fantastic forward by the warp engine but the energy only hit her despite yon raw and about the same distance away she assumed his power she’s coming with us okay I’d maybe buy that this recording spurred Carol’s memory to recall the crash but she’s being unconscious here so how would she know this part quick question why did they leave the main house and all go to the one day from collapse cabin to listen to the audio it makes a nice shot but it makes no sense from a human being standpoint is this houses only computer out in the decrepit barn why does Talos still have Keller’s jacket on we’ve seen that when they morph into other humans they already have their clothes on but now that he’s turned back into his natural shape that jacket should be gone right she wanted you to help us find the core and why the hell didn’t she tell Carol about the reason for the mission in the first place I know it would have been weird to come out as an alien but they were already in top-secret mode this withholding of information both makes about as much sense as what happened to Poe in the last Jedi did you hear me man this depiction of the friendship between two strong independent women that is emotional but not corny is long overdue and it’s about goddamn time that Marvel showed it so I’m gonna take us in off because I’m totally a social justice warrior or virtue signal or whatever the latest term that’s complimentary but is being used to be derogatory take it off this moonlight shot makes no sense the pole at the bottom right of the shot shows a shadow that matches up with the moon’s location but then the spaceship thing that veers flew here has a shadow that suggests another even stronger light source off-screen to the right when they were handing out kids they gave up a toughest one lieutenant trouble so is everything cool now like KanCare remember everything about her life on earth black box recording was fucking magic what purpose does this function of the spacesuit serve like some cream was almost finished designing it and the supreme intelligence poked its head in and was like don’t forget to add the unnecessary color wheel why did they bring the can captivate this cat will lead her freak out on fury and cut his face but he doesn’t want to do it here in zero gravity which is baffling because I’ve owned a cat before a lawnmower can freak them out a clap of thunder can freak them out suspending in zero gravity but but have them clawing out the eyeballs of all the motherfuckers nearby until they were on solid footing the cloaking activated holy balls is there anything this magical wrist doohickey can’t do can it order takeout purchase ebooks access free porn ah Who am I kidding of course it can access free porn in her note she called us a tesseract you know I’m fine with the timeline of the tesseract the idea that Howard Stark helped found Pegasus in the 80s and handed it over to this project is totally okay I’m just tired of the fucking tesseract it shows up and seemingly every movie being on tesseract and stuff she’s a pinball wizard it’s gotta be a twist a pinball wizard has got such a supple wrist evil dude picked up the cat carried it all the way here and just tosses it casually and that is a ton of wasted effort what did you do to your uniform he got in her head just like we thought when Carol’s been calling with updates constantly since she’s been on earth and there’s no way they would know that the scroll to flipped his jacket it’s killer by the way does the supreme intelligence seriously have the bandwidth and the inclination for pithy one-liners species flirty threat hi so I’ll calmly place a cat’s eyes muzzle over its mouth and I just happen to be carrying on my person without us you’re only human flesh you may be you’re only human to me mistakes this montage of various Carol’s getting up after falling down is excessive and on the nose and over-the-top anjala you were reborn fierce because every sci-fi movie apparently needs an alien race to miss read something and call it something else like Star Trek with Vedra Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes with kolima this goes on for some time I will say this about the movie it waits until the perfect time to unveil Carol’s true powers and this is a goosebumps inducing moment so it absolutely deserves us in off having said that this reveals sets up the same issue as DC has with Superman Carol is all-powerful she hasn’t discovered everything she could do yet but she’s pretty much unkillable now and future movies and game mm we’ll have to do a ton of hand waving and marginalization for her to be included at all into the rest of the MCU okay let playing on just a girl during the climactic scene of this movie that’s more on the nose than anything ever literally the only more on the nose song you could have chosen is Meredith Brooks bitch or maybe Barbie girl or Cyndi Lauper’s well the movie never explains it or even suggests it but jaan raghav errantly has the ability to manipulate metal like magneto and I needs more backstory than anything in this movie that you actually gave a backstory fool god damn huh did that happen the movie is directly contradicting its own previous implications about the power differential here oh they’re dogfighting in the canyons just like an independent Sky Captain and the world of to marvel dude Carroll may be all-powerful but does she also have a GPS built into her headpiece how the hell did she know exactly where yawn Rhonda DUP she didn’t even see him crash poop to me you can beat me this is a great moment but it was also super fucking obvious that it was gonna go down like this this is basically Indy taking out the sword guy with the gun and Raiders of the Lost Ark motherf lurkin I’ll be back before you know it she will not for emergencies only okay and real emergencies too not like of an alien species is invading one of your most populous cities and your shadow government is about to nuke the god of it as a result and really it would take a giant stroke of some luck and some space gravity to avoid total annihilation you could totally handle that you think you can find others like her we found her and we weren’t even looking okay the logic here is stunning and yes they do end up finding more heroes but it’s not because they already existed Carol was a one-in-a-billion fluke banner still hasn’t tested gamma radiation yet Tony has to be kidnapped and build a suit in a cave black widow is just a human badass and Hawkeye is decent too okay with arrows just how amazing with this cat vomit scene be if we didn’t know where the tesseract went during the sequence on lawson’s lab it might have felt worth sitting through the 12 minutes of credits might have there I said it I like a cat ah I’m just a free we have Vincent yeah we happy your father and I were just discussing his day at work why don’t you tell our daughter about it honey Janie today I quit my job and then I told my boss to go himself and then i blackmailed them for almost $60,000 past nice pair your father seems to think this kind of behavior something to be proud of and your mother seems to prefer that I go through life like a king prisoner while she keeps my in a mason jar under the sink tell the supreme intelligence that I’m coming to end it you Tom I’m coming and hell’s coming with me before we get started does anyone want to get out you want to play blind man go walk with the shepherd me my eyes are wide just talk

[thepermanentrainpress]

BUMBERSHOOT: DAY 1 RECAP

Bumbershoot is more than just a music festival. It is a gathering celebrating all things art on a local, national, and international level across Seattle. Visual art installations, food trucks, projections, posters, street buskers, and brand promos were present all across the grounds of the Seattle Center. There are five stages for music and six more for the other programming (comedy, art, theatre, poetry, and film)—but Bumbershoot is still very easy to get around in. I was also impressed with the amenities and prices. I got many things for free: cookies, candy, sunglasses, and even energy drinks. Prices were quite reasonable for a music festival: there were many food items hovering around the $5 mark.

The first act I saw after arriving was Vancouver’s own Peach Pit. These four young men would fit into any decade in both musical and style aesthetic. Clad in pastel sweaters and hip haircuts, they could have been playing on stage 50 years ago and not seemed out of place. Nevertheless, their style translates into modern day: their tunes are fun, upbeat, and don’t take themselves too seriously. They sing of being a teenager and of the adventures they’ve gone on since they began. They also told hilarious stories of how their songs were inspired, such as the track “Chagu’s Sideturn” – about “a guy we met on vacation who was basically the Indonesian Jack Black. He kept asking us to sideturn with him, which we later found out meant doing crystal meth off his knuckles.” They finished with a song detailing their experience getting matching tattoos in Vegas after a very drunken night, and their self-titled track “Peach Pit.”

Next on, playing the main stage was another local Vancouver group: the electronic soulful trio, I M U R. They happen to be one of my favourite local acts, and this was my seventh time seeing them in the past year. Not only were they playing the same stage as Jorja Smith, Foster the People, Big Sean, and Flume, but this was their first ever American show. It was by far their best one yet.

I M U R’s music is mesmerizing, dreamy, and will have you finding yourself lost amongst a violin riff or looping voice. Lead singer Jenny hits the high notes as she sings of sex, smoking, and other sinful satisfactions. Amine hypnotizes us further shredding an electric violin—something underutilized amongst live acts. It’s all put together by producer Mikey operating the soundboard and guitar to complete the beat, leading to an experience that sucked in the entire audience. While I M U R was most likely unknown to most of the crowd, it’s safe to say everyone was a new fan by the time the first song finished. This group has a stage presence and musical style unlike most live acts I’ve seen, particularly in the electronica genre. I’ve seen them play small clubs and now jump to a huge stage that hosted all the main headliners, and they brought all the same charm as they do at a 50 person basement club show. They also looked fantastic utilizing all that space, projecting the I M U R logo on a 100 foot screen behind them.

PVRIS are rising stars from Massachusetts that really bring out the energy amongst the three of them on stage. The drummer in particular was a sight: I don’t think I’ve ever seen a drummer stand out with so much energy on a stage of their size before. They’ve already released two full-length albums and toured with such high-profile acts as Bring Me The Horizon and Fall Out Boy, and lead singer Lynn Gunn is only 23! She also steals the show, getting the audience to clap and jump at pretty much every song, with all eyes on her as she blasted vocals to trippy stage projections. The visuals accompanying PVRIS are cosmic and psychedelic, flashing images of stars, pretty lights, and dazzling shapes. PVRIS was one of the highest energy sets I’ve seen at the fest – they truly gave it their all.

They were a later addition to the Bumbershoot lineup, but their set ended up being one of the most popular there. Foster the People played the main stage just after 6:00. Projecting the title/font of their new album Sacred Hearts Club behind them, their set was rather short for a headliner – only 45 minutes. Nevertheless, their set was engaging, rewarding, and cathartic. Lead singer Mark Foster is well known for his dancing during his sets, but he seemed to take on a more somber tone for the night. While still clearly enjoying himself and putting on a nice show, his mood was probably explained by a speech given midway through the set. Referencing the current political situation, Mark gave a beautiful and poetic speech advocating for social justice and equity. “Nationalism, sexism, fascism, and racism are all coming back… it would be really boring if we were all the same, and our differences are what make us so interesting.” The speech was heated, obviously important, and passed on an important message that is truly something Mark cares about deeply. The setlist was about 50-50 from their first album Torches and from their current, Sacred Hearts Club – while I would’ve liked to hear more from their sophomore album Supermodel, it was still a decent set for the time frame.

I then caught a less high-profile act: the LA-based Chicano Batman. Rising stars that have already played Coachella twice and toured with Jack White, they are a quartet I could best describe as a Latino-influenced Grateful Dead. The crowd viewing them were probably the oldest crowd I had seen at the festival so far, but they’ve got universal appeal. Chicano Batman are very much a jam band, fusing soul, Latino music, and funk to create a timeless style. You could see these guys in a small jazz club or on a major festival stage, and the whole crowd would be dancing along to the same vibe. Some of the band members even wore tuxedos, and they had fantastic backup dancers to accompany their jams.

BROODS played most of the songs from their latest album, Conscious. This New Zealand brother and sister duo, Georgia and Caleb Nott, seemed truly excited to be playing Bumbershoot, and Georgia let the audience know to give a big cheer for some very important viewers: as it turns out, this set along with many others were being broadcast to various children’s hospitals across the country. A lot of their songs cover heavy subjects, but you wouldn’t know it unless you listened closely: every BROODS song is just as dynamic and fun live as it is on the studio recording. It was a dreamy, calming, yet also energizing set – and scheduled at 7:05, a good time to wind down before queuing up for major headliners of the night.

As night fell, I caught bluesy act ZZ Ward (who specifically said she was “bringing back blues”). Her full backing band had many guitar solos that were mellow and very jam-like in their state: not showing off but rather complimenting the solo act. While bluesy, she incorporates a lot of genres: folk, soul, and even some R&B/rap. She did multiple harmonica solos, something I’ve never seen in a live set before. It was probably the most relaxing act of the night, and most of the audience watching her were sitting down and taking a breather. She was very fun and smooth, and I think that’s a key act in music festivals: someone who’s family-friendly and has universal age appeal. Indeed, the audience ranged more in age at this set than any other I had seen so far—everyone from babies to seniors. Bumbershoot prides itself on being family-friendly, and acts like ZZ Ward encompass that universal appeal.

The major headliner of the night was Australian DJ Flume. As DJ acts tend to go, the major crowd and pit was intense: many audience members (myself included) chose to watch from the stadium bleachers instead. A giant curtain with a rose pattern came down as his set started, and this beautiful design extended to his whole stage setup. There were so many pretty colours of smoke/fog surrounding him, along with cubes lighting up surrounding his platform. While I have no doubt people in the pit really enjoyed and get attracted to the fest for this kind of act, I couldn’t help but think it was a bit boring. Odesza, a DJ duo, is another headliner of the fest, and basic EDM acts aren’t very engaging if you’re not part of the pit. I would’ve liked to see a little more variety in a festival that prides itself on all kinds of art and music – but Flume is still an attractive headliner for many.

The last act of the night was the absolutely bananas crazy South African duo (formerly romantic partners) Die Antwoord, Ninja and Yolandi. They’re known for their wacky image and intensive music/live shows, and they certainly brought it that night. In a performance at the Key Arena that was definitely not family-friendly (as anyone familiar with their music would realize), the two screamed, cursed, and danced just as much as they do in their videos and public persona. They had backup dancers in bright costume and a large stage setup with the word ZEF (the subculture the group is based off of) lit up and projecting crazy images. Said images included a colourful cartoon baby with a large erect penis. Ninja, the more intense of the duo, repeatedly cursed at the audience, stole their cellphones, and even briefly exposed himself on stage! While Die Antwoord may not be the type of act everybody wants to see, they gave it their all and delivered the type of amazing live show one would expect from them. Die Antwoord have indicated their upcoming album will be their last and they intend to disband immediately after, and I think everyone who saw them was glad we were able to while we still can.

Written by: Cazzy Lewchuk Photographed by: Timothy Nguyen