#I think he’s right that if he had unveiled that impression earlier

[owl---feathers]

Brennan’s Trump impersonation is so wildly good that I can’t fault him for hiding it from the world. Absolutely gobsmacked and crying laughing as he goes on a rant about hobbits, elves, and Denethor from the perspective of Sauron-Trump - but just. That is UNCANNY.

#I think he’s right that if he had unveiled that impression earlier #he would have been prompted to do it so so much #and it wouldn’t have been as funny while the bastard was actually in office #make some noise #brennan lee mulligan

[luxtout]

Flames Unveiled (Chapter 5- Red Eyes) Aegon II Targaryen X (Bastard Velaryon) Reader X Aemond Targaryen

Summary: After six years living away from Kings Landing, you and your family are summoned back, for reasons unknown. Your mother, Rhaenyra, has different plans for you. You swore to always protect your family, but at what cost?

Warning: References to / sexual content (18+), injuries, cursing, drinking, fights, angst

Tagged: @faesspace

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Hands gripped your waist, squeezing your flesh. Your breath hitched as the hand slid up your frame and stopping underneath your chin.

Your eyes remained close, no one spoke, only the feeling of hands roaming your body sent a wave of madness over you. Lips kissed the skin that was bit, causing little gasps and moans to escape your lips.

"Please," You moaned, your voice was needy, you reached for the figure's hair, but could not find anything. The voice was unrecognizable, only humming resuming its sucking on your neck.

Heat rushed to your cheeks, as you pressed your thighs together, pleasure rushed over you. A moan slipped from your lips, as your eyes cracked open to see a flash of silver hair...

The sensation of hot water pouring over your head brought you back from your daydream. You had awoken earlier from the dream, the aches from your core still lingered from the pleasure the dream gave you.

"Was it exciting?" Mara asked, her hands busy lathering soap on your scalp. She had pieced together your nighttime escapade when she noticed the rags beneath your bed, stained with wine and emanating a distinct odor.

"It was different," you sighed, glancing over at your handmaiden. Her fingers worked through your hair, but your mind wandered to the hands that had explored your body. You grappled with the confusing sensations in your stomach, a mixture of feeling both wrong and right. "Mara, I have a question. I didn't understand the sounds. The sounds the women in the pleasure house were making—were they in pain?"

Your handmaiden stifled a laugh, "Oh, let me think of how to explain this... The women were experiencing delight. It is normal, my Princess."

You fell silent, responding only with a thoughtful hum. As Mara rinsed your hair, she observed you clenching and unclenching your fists, lost in your thoughts.

"Are you alright, Princess?" Mara's voice was soft as she applied oils to your body.

"It's just," you began, "I felt off last night. It feels sinful to feel this way." You hesitated to reveal the details of your dream to her.

Mara continued to work, rinsing your body, and then spoke gently, "No, it is not sinful. Those are very normal feelings. They are what drive men and women..."

"Drive them to what?" You asked.

"Has your mother ever discussed... how to perform the marital act?" Mara whispered in your ear; her tone hushed.

You shook your head, a blush rising to your cheeks. "I'd rather not ask my mother about that. It would turn into a very long conversation."

Mara hummed and assisted you out of the tub, her gaze falling on a slight bruise on your waist. "Is that from riding Lyrax?"

You followed her gaze, feeling a slight pang of pain. You hadn't remembered what could have caused it – perhaps a bump or a fall, or maybe it had resulted from Aegon's firm grip when he pulled you away from the man in Flea Bottom. "Perhaps," you replied.

Your riding leathers were laid across the bed, and you instructed Mara to leave and instruct the guards for a carriage to take you to the dragon pit. As you dressed, you watched your reflection in the mirror, noting the light purple bruise on your waist, faintly resembling the impression of a couple of fingers.

The air was moist outside, and you knew that rain was expected later in the day. Lyrax enjoyed all kinds of weather, but he particularly loved storms, blending in with the grey clouds and rain. When you were ready, you made your way to the carriage waiting outside the Keep. Guards stood at the ready, nodding as you approached.

"Princess."

The carriage was comfortable, and you leaned against the cushions, ready for the short journey to the dragon pit. As you settled in, you heard someone enter through the door.

"May I join you?" Aemond was dressed in his riding leathers, and he didn't wait for a response before taking a seat. The carriage door closed, and it started moving along the stone path.

"Well, I don't see why not." You crossed your arms, attempting to avoid his watchful eye. His dagger, one you hadn't seen him carry before, was strapped to his hip, and he lightly tapped his fingers against it. "Have you seen Helaena?"

Aemond adjusted his position in the seat. "Yes, she's well. She wishes to apologize. As do I."

"Why must you apologize?" You responded almost too quickly, clutching at your leather, a noticeable anxious tick.

"For my brother," Aemond began, his hands falling to his knees.

"You don't need to apologize for him, and neither does he," you stated firmly, a slight smile curling at the corners of your lips.

Aemond's chuckle was low, "I knew you would say that. Aegon gets off too easily."

Your smile dropped, and your eyes took on a distant look as you remembered Aegon's growing problems. His once occasional drink at dinner had escalated into replacing every empty cup with more wine, his wandering eyes peering down the dresses of handmaidens. The change was nearly too much for you to bear. The two of you had been great friends, bonding as the eldest siblings in the family, but the mounting pressure seemed to have taken a toll on him.

"Why have you come to the dragon pit, uncle? I thought you had training to attend to," you asked as the carriage came to a halt.

Aemond nodded, "Yes, but Vhagar hasn't taken to the skies in weeks."

There was a lump in your throat as he mentioned Vhagar. "Well, I will leave you to it," you said before quickly walking from the carriage toward the dragon pit. The eager cries of Lyrax reached your ears, bringing a smile to your face.

"Māzigon kesīr, Lyrax," you called out to him, and like a child running to its mother, he squalled and rushed toward you, causing a few men to chase after him. "Easy."

The bond you shared with Lyrax was unique; even after years apart, you both acted as if no time had passed. Lyrax had missed you, and the loyalty he showed you was something you cherished.

"Ivestragī's sōvegon," you cooed in his ear as you mounted him. Let's fly. His grey wings spread, running slowly before pushing up into the air. Your fingers wrapped around the reins as you leaned to the side. You felt the light droplets of water as you rode into the clouds. Underneath Lyrax, you heard the roar of another dragon, and Vhagar nearly knocked Lyrax off balance.

Your heart leapt into your throat as Aemond eyed you from Vhagar. Vhagar's towering presence over Lyrax caused him to roar at the giant.

"That was a very dangerous move, Aemond," you scowled, trying to adjust yourself in the saddle.

"Why not ride together?" Aemond proposed, his smirk widening as he issued the challenge.

"Fine, if you can catch up with us," you responded, feeling Lyrax shift beneath you. He let out a triumphant roar as he dropped down, spinning through the wind. Such daring maneuvers were not uncommon when you rode with Lyrax, and you loved the exhilaration and the sense of freedom that came with them. Riding on the back of Lyrax was where you felt most alive. His speed and agility made it seem as though he could slice through the air like Valyrian steel.

Aemond made every effort to keep up, but his dragon struggled to match your speed. Vhagar's massive body dipped low, and his wings stretched wide above you. Lyrax shot forward, twisting and soaring upward before plunging down, sending you both freefalling toward the ocean below. You braced yourself for Lyrax to halt the descent and shoot back upward.

"Sȳrī gaomagon," you praised him, rubbing his head. Well done.

Aemond peered down at the scene from above, his heart sinking until he saw Lyrax gracefully ascend to meet him. He couldn't help but laugh at your boldness and audacity.

You both flew like that for hours until the rain started to coat your face. Landing the dragons in the rain proved to be the most challenging part, with the wind picking up as you closed in on the dragon pit.

Lyrax darted inside the pit, cooing in contentment before disappearing from your sight. The carriage was just a few paces away, but someone stood at the opening: the Queen.

Aemond remained behind, his gaze fixed on you until you nodded your goodbye. "Come here, dear. Before you get sick," the Queen's soft voice beckoned.

"I apologize, Your Grace. I hope you were not waiting long," you said as you took the seat opposite Alicent. She was attired in a dark green dress, with a black cloak draped over her, and her hair was elegantly coiled around her head.

"You do not need to apologize. I have heard that once you and your dragon are in the sky, you will stay up there for hours," she remarked, reaching out to take your hand. "You remind me of your mother when she was younger. Always with her dragon."

"I have heard stories. Is there a reason for this meeting?" You asked, your anxiety growing, waiting for her to mention your escapades with Helaena.

"We must make proper preparations for your name day celebrations," Alicent smiled, and the carriage started moving as you both discussed the upcoming event.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰∙∘

"Se dāria emagon ivestretan issa hen aōha kȳvana syt issa brōzi tubis." The Queen has told me of your plans for my name day, your voice softened as your mother's fingers ran through your hair.

"Gaomagon ao daor raqagon skoros īlon planned?" Do you not like what we planned? She sounded eager to know, her fingers halted, causing you to quickly shake your head. They both planned a three-day event, on the first day would be a grand feast, the second day a tournament, and the final day a ball.

Switching back to the Common Tongue, you addressed Jace, who was sitting in the corner of the room, and Luke beside him. "No, I think it's brilliant. But is it too much? I am only turning eighteen."

Rhaenyra smiled, "You are the daughter of the heir to the throne, my future heir. The King has approved."

Jace, however, changed the subject, "What were you saying before in Valyrian? It was hard to keep up." He was grinning, and his comment prompted laughter from both you and your mother.

"Jace, you never truly liked to learn Valyrian unless on dragon back," you replied with a laugh. Your mother joined in, and the tension seemed to ease.

"Sister, what about your flying today? I believe I heard two dragons overhead," Jace pressed.

Squirming in your seat, you began to explain, "Uh, Aemond was going to Vhagar-"

But your brothers' groans and your mother's stiffness interrupted you. Jace spoke firmly, "Do not go near him, sister."

"He did not try to feed me to his dragon. It was a friendly race," you defended yourself, your cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I will always remember what he is, brothers."

How could you forget.

Rhaenyra decided to change the subject, "That's enough now. Boys, why don't you take the air with your sister?"

Groaning in unison, your brothers reluctantly stood from their seats. You glanced at your reflection in the mirror; your hair hung loose, and you wore a simple blue dress that was a bit too long.

The courtyard was teeming with people, gardeners meticulously tending to the flowers, and the ladies of the court huddled together, whispering as you walked by.

"Dear sister, do you not bathe?" Jace sneered, his voice carrying so that the ladies could hear, and Luke began to gag.

"I will feed you to Lyrax," you retorted through clenched teeth. Your face burned with embarrassment as the ladies around you laughed and quickly walked away. "Did you find pleasure in that?"

The boys were consumed by uncontrollable laughter, Jace wrapping his arm around your shoulders as he gathered his breath. "Y/N, do you realize this will be our last moon together as a family?"

Your head cocked to the side, puzzled. "Why would you say that?"

The smile faded from Luke's face as his brother explained, "After your name day, you are to be married. Some lord will take you away to a part of Westeros, and it won't be long until you become Queen."

You shook your head, whispering softly, "I will not become Queen in this lifetime. You've seen how they challenge our mothers, right? For the realm to follow a second woman, it would shatter. No one would pledge fealty to me."

"I will kill anyone that tries to-"

"You will do no such thing, do not be stupid, brother," you admonished Jace, pinching his side. "Be smart, if anyone overhears this talk..."

"Niece, nephews, what a pleasure to see you all here today!" Aegon's voice interrupted your conversation. He stumbled into the courtyard, not holding a drink, but his brother was at his side.

You took a step forward and addressed Aegon, "Aegon, I thought you would be piss drunk by supper."

Aegon drew nearer, laughing as he pointed his finger. "That time cannot come soon enough, right, brother?"

Aemond straightened his posture, glaring at your brothers behind you. Jace attempted to hold you back, but his grip loosened with a shrug.

"Then I should not deprive you of your drink, uncle," you said, waiting for him to leave. But he didn't. He clasped his hands in front of him, smirking and unable to contain his excitement, rolling back on his heels with a chuckle. "May I ask what's funny, uncle?"

Aemond turned to his brother, appearing just as bewildered as the three of you. Jace and Luke attempted to reach for your sleeve, but Aegon finally stepped forward and leaned in close. His lips grazed your ear as he whispered, "Nothing. I was just thinking you would be such a lovely bride." He paused, then added with a wicked tone, "Or whore."

Your vision was blurred with anger, and neither of you noticed your hands raising, delivering furious strikes to each other. Anger seethed through both of you, with his hand finding your head and chest as your retaliation came in the form of slaps. Jace, Luke, and Aemond stood still for a moment, watching in disbelief as you both exchanged heated words in Valyrian, and the fight escalated from punches to slapping.

"Cease this!" Guards began to rush into the yard. Jace and Luke restrained you, while Aemond did the same with Aegon. Both of you were now bruised and bloody, with Aegon flashing a pathetic smile, revealing teeth stained with blood. "What is the meaning of this?"

Your chest heaved as you listened to Aegon speak, "We were just having fun."

The guard looked between the two of you, "You both will have to report to the King."

"The King?" You both whined, as the guard already started to escort both of you up the stairs. Embarrassment was all you felt as you walked shoulder to shoulder with Aegon, who seemed to share the same feeling.

"This is your fault," you accused, keeping your gaze on your gown, your fingers curled over the fabric, noticing specks of blood on the material.

"My fault?" Aegon laughed, sounding astounded by the accusation. "You struck me first."

"You started it. You got mad that I got the best of you in a fight." That comment caused Aegon to stop moving, and he only glared at you with clenched fists before resuming his steps.

The guard left both of you in the King's bedchamber, even though it was empty. Your lip quivered as you looked around, and Aegon had already made himself comfortable, helping himself to a glass of wine and pouring a second. "Here."

You were hesitant to take the glass, but you needed a way to soothe your anxiety. The wine was a sweet Dornish blend. Aegon downed his glass, and you followed, placing the glass back on the table.

"What is the meaning of this?" The King hobbled in, his breath was rigid as he tried to balance himself on his cane. The Queen and your mother ran in behind him, and you prayed to the Gods that Daemon did not show up.

Both of you spoke in a jumbled rant, trying to explain what happened, but the King, your grandsire, did not want to hear it. "Enough."

"Y/N, tell me why you struck him," Rhaenyra demanded, her lips pressed in a firm line as she waited.

"I do not know." Your words shocked Aegon, his eyes widened slightly. "We were talking, and I-"

"It was a playful jest," Aegon interrupted, pouring himself another glass of wine. "My niece and I were at a crossroads on dueling. She wanted to try since she could not hold a sword, and she decided to use her hands. It was a fair fight."

The Queen's lip quivered in anger, glaring at her husband. Your mother looked down at you, as if she did not know what to do. The King moved closer, saying, "Say your peace with each other and be done with it."

Alicent's face reflected the same look she had when Aemond lost his eye. She did not think that was sufficient. "She struck the prince."

"He struck the princess," Rhaenyra interjected, watching her father for a response.

You and Aegon felt like spectators in the verbal war that was about to start. Alicent turned to look at your face, noticing a bruised forehead, cheek, and a split lip. Her eyes shifted to Aegon, who had blackened eyes, a split lip in two places, and a gash on his cheek. She quickly made her way to Aegon, striking him where he stood.

He held his head down after the blow, but you heard him sniff, adjusting his posture to avoid any eye contact.

"He did not mean it, Your Grace," your voice faltered, noticing the tears forming in his eyes. "I am equally to blame."

Everyone stood still, watching to see what was to happen. "The both of you leave as we discuss your proper punishments."

You tried to swallow the lump in your throat, nodding as you turned to leave the room. Aegon stood frozen for a moment, but he quickly turned and followed you as his mother came near him again. You could hear the murmurs of the three adults inside before the door closed behind you, leaving you both out in the hall.

Aegon's eyes were glossed over, his jaw clenched in anger or sorrow. His fists clenched and unclenched, letting his guard down.

"Aegon," you started, your hand reached for his, but he hastily turned away, his face contorted with emotion.

"Don't you touch me," he spat, a tear slipping down his cheek. "Like you said, you're equally to blame, yet I get punished, always. You cloud their judgment because you were born a girl, and I, a disappointment. Now they are furious that I am taking you down the same path."

You stepped closer to him, licking your lips, tasting the blood. "If you weren't an asshole, you would not be treated like a disappointment."

Aegon licked his teeth, laughing bitterly. He did not respond, just stood in silence. The blood on your dress darkened, and you tried to rub it off with your nail. You fought the burning sensation in your eyes, but a tear rolled down your cheek. You were once friends with this man, shared jokes, played games, danced, and now you beat each other senseless.

A click of the doorknob made you both stand straight, and everyone walked out in a line, the King struggling to keep up with the women. "We have come to a decision. You both have confirmed it to be a game, but at your age, you should know better. Both of you, back to your bedchambers at once. You will stay there until prompted."

Your eyes found their way to Aegon one last time before he stomped away. Rhaenyra took your arm, guiding you with her free hand on your lower back. The Queen stood watching everyone disperse before following her son to further his punishment.

"How dare you make a fool of this family?" Your mother shouted as she closed your bedchamber doors.

"I made a fool? It is not I who started it!" You finally let the tears fall.

"Then tell me, why did you not speak the truth to your grandsire, the King?" Her hand rested on a chair, motioning for you to sit, but you refused.

"I do not know." You lost your voice again, causing your mother to laugh.

"If I bring your brothers here, will they tell me the same story? That they 'do not know?' Please, Y/N, the Queen wanted you to be as equally punished as Aegon. Be grateful she pardoned you."

You hated Aegon, and you were glad he was getting punished, but why did the thought bring tears to your eyes? "Leave me be."

Rhaenyra sighed, placing her hands in yours, "You are to be a woman grown. Your name day will change everything you know. If the gossip of this fight came to light... You are lucky."

You bit your lip, causing it to sting, "Leave."

Rhaenyra nodded, kissing your forehead as she made her way to the exit. You let out a sob; the air in the room was suffocating. Your dress was ruined; you grasped for the strings, ripping them from the corset. Torn fabric and string pooled around your feet, leaving you in your chemise.

You spent hours sitting on the floor, whether it be to read or to think. No one came to relieve you from your chambers, but you did not mind. A knock at the door startled you from your book, quickly finding your red and black robe, tying it around your waist. "Come in."

Aemond walked in, and Mara followed after, "I thought you could do with some dinner."

A smile formed on your lips as you watched him help Mara place the plates of food on the table. Mara eyed you with a wide smirk, but you lifted your hand to leave. "Thank you, uncle. You did not need to go to these lengths."

"No bother. The least I can do after my brothers... antics this evening." His voice was low, like Aegon could hear the conversation. He pulled out a chair at your table, pushing it in after you settled in.

"I apologize for my appearance..." You looked to the floor, the remains of your dress still coated the carpet and wood. "How is he?"

Aemond poured you a glass before speaking, "My brother knows his stunts will leave him in a compromising position with our mother. He does them anyway, but this time I truly do not understand why he did what he did."

You sipped at your glass, "I thought he would grow from these... He was never like this when we were children." You glanced at your plate, meat pie and roasted vegetables, making you suddenly aware of how hungry you were.

"It has been years since you had last seen us. Before, you were just a girl... now you are a woman grown." His eye lingered over every part of you, making you wish you had a gown on. "Your name day will come soon enough."

"I would rather wait. Your mother has come up with a very elaborate three-day celebration leading up to the day. It is something to entertain all in the realm, that is to be sure." You started cutting at your plate. Aemond moved his plate around, looking at the food in distaste.

Silence engulfed the both of you, turning your stomach sour. You watched his hand drop his fork, leaning forward as his fingers grazed yours. "Uncle, is the food not to your satisfaction?"

You did not know why you asked that, if it was genuine or if it was to cut the tension, but Aemond didn't respond. His hand rested on yours, his cold stare sent shivers down your spine, thinking of the dream you had.

"Uncle?" Your gut twisted as he scooted closer, his hand trailing up your arm to your face. Panic welled up inside you.

You sat looking at him for as long as it took for the food to grow cold. His eye never met yours, only glaring at how his thumb and forefinger rubbed your soft features. Your hand crept up to his, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks. In a flash, he let go, lifting from his chair and leaving the room.

You sat unbelievably still; shock went through you as the door clicked shut. Your eyes shifted to your plates; the food now turned your stomach upside-down, raising from your seat with a tremble.

"I thought he would never leave." A voice spoke from behind, and Aegon entered the front room with a stumble.

You jumped, "Aegon, what... How did you get in here? Did the guards relieve you?"

Your uncle was dressed in the rags he wore the night before; his shirt was a tad oversized for his frame. He discarded his cloak on the floor as he eyed your table.

"The passageways, remember?" He brushed past you, his hand brushing against your back and arm before sitting at the table. He picked up the fork Aemond was holding, shoving the food into his mouth.

"Did they not feed you?" You noticed his pace, clearing his plate and moving to yours.

"What was my brother doing here?" He questioned, ignoring yours. His eyes were focused on you, raking over every detail.

"It is not out of the ordinary, he comes here with supper, and we talk." Your voice was quiet as you watched Aegon pour two glasses of wine. "Why did you lie to them?"

He halted, his glass barely touching his lips, "We are not friends."

You nodded, "Of course not. You are my uncle."

"Not even that." You did not understand, "Drink."

You slowly reached for the glass, sipping the sweet blend. Aegon followed, his violet eyes staring into yours.

"I did not tell them because my sister cares for you. Last night, she begged to show you mercy. Aemond made me swear not to tell anyone, and I don't know why. I honor my family. You, I do not."

You swallowed the lump in your throat, drinking more of the wine. "You hate me that much?"

Aegon laughed as he refilled both of your glasses. "I don't hate you... I loathe you. Ever since we were kids, if you got in trouble, you were never punished, it was me being punished. When you left, it was like a weight lifted from my shoulders, but then you returned. You can speak out whenever you like, strike whomever you like, sneak about, and yet face no retribution. When I cut your hair, I felt a piece of you crumble, finally showing some weakness. I wanted to leave you in Flea Bottom with those people, but I didn't-"

You interrupted, "Then why didn't you? You said it yourself; you loathe me so. Trust me, Uncle, I abhor you. You claim I can do as I please, yet you can disgrace your wife by visiting whores in a pleasure house. You drink every moment of every day, beat on my brothers, and whisper cruel comments in my ear. The blood of the dragon flows through me just as it does through you."

He smiled down at you, raising his glass to his lips. "Seems you have gotten me all figured out, haven't you?"

You gulped your wine. "You blame me for your beatings, but maybe it's because you shame your wife, your mother's daughter, and the King doesn't love you because you're not his daughter."

After those words left your lips, Aegon slammed his glass against the table, standing up. His lips formed a straight line as he licked them, watching you squirm. You attempted to straighten up in your seat, waiting for him to speak.

"Is that so?"

You nodded, "Why are you here?"

He let go of the table, stumbling around it. "Just wanted to stop by before I left."

Confused, you snapped out of your chair, "You're planning on leaving? Are you going to Flea Bottom?"

You were both face to face, not uttering a word to each other. You wanted to leave with him, to see what he does, who he sees. You wanted to leave the confines of your room. His eyes raked over your face, leaning in closer. "Go to bed, niece. You've gotten into far too much trouble for this day."

"I wish to go," you demanded, "Take me with you."

He pushed you aside, walking to his cloak. "No. Do you want a repeat of last night? I suggest you stay here, or else I tell the Queen of your times spent in a pleasure house."

You followed him, "If I am to be with you, nothing will happen."

"Did you forget about our conversation? I loathe you; you abhor me?" He cracked a smile, fastening the clasp before fixing his hood.

"I understand, and my hatred towards you will be pushed aside if you take me with you. Just for tonight, then we can ignore each other forever. Please, I want the freedom before I am to be sold off as some old lord's wife."

You saw the conflict in Aegon's eyes, anger and pity mixed together as he sighed. "Get dressed."

A small smile appeared on your face, and you rushed to the clothes underneath your bed. You turned around to Aegon. "Don't look." You would normally be shy about changing in front of someone other than a handmaiden, but your excitement clouded all anxiety. As you slipped on all your clothes and grabbed your hat, Aegon made his way to you.

"How did you know I was finished?" You cocked your head, annoyance lacing your words. Aegon grabbed your hat, shoving it on your head to cover the white streaks.

"At least hide these." He quickly took his hands from your hat, walking to the secret passageway and pushing back the door.

The familiar rush of adrenaline filled your body as you both rushed down the stairs. Aegon shushed you as you both hit the open air. Flea Bottom was just as lively as the night before, with music and laughter.

As you made it down the stairs into the streets, Aegon kept you within arm's reach. You tried to pinpoint where the music was coming from, wanting to listen to the drums all night, but Aegon gripped you by the arm, dragging you down an alley.

"Hey! I wanted to—" You protested, but Aegon placed his hand over your mouth. His face was close to yours, making it hard to see who he was hiding from. In the corner of your eye, you noticed the flash of a gold cape.

"If you don't want to get caught, I suggest you pay attention to your surroundings," Aegon whispered harshly, letting go of your mouth. His hand reached for your forearm, and he weaved in and out of the crowds of people before leading you into a tavern.

The tavern was different from the one you and Helaena had visited; this one had lively music playing as people danced and sang. You couldn't take your eyes off the musicians, watching their feet tap to the rhythm.

A bump to your shoulder pulled your attention away. "Here, drink." Aegon had two glasses of wine, handing one to you. You nodded, taking the glass and raising it to your lips. You gulped it all in one go, and Aegon followed suit, turning to the barkeep, "Another."

This time you were both served something stronger in spirits. As you lifted the glass to your lips, you both twitched from the strong taste. The beat of the drum vibrated in your bones, and the animosity you felt between each other seemed to disappear. The drinks piled on as you both clearly became intoxicated.

Hours passed as you both left the tavern, returning to the Keep became more of a challenge. You both hummed, running into walls and each other, stumbling up the stone steps. Your hat fell to the ground as Aegon's hood slipped while he tried to bend down to pick it up.

"Forget it," you hiccupped, "I have no... no need for it."

His hand still wrapped around the hat, "You forget, no one can notice you."

Your legs twisted in front of you, stumbling in the passageway hall. Aegon barely caught you, laughter echoed as he stumbled over you.

"We... We must find my chambers," your speech slurred as you finally found your footing. You reached your hand out to him, and he hesitantly accepted, his body shaking as you tried to guide him to your room. You found your chamber with the door cracked slightly.

Your eyelids felt heavy as you spoke, "I must take my leave, uncle. It's late, and I am... drunk."

Laughter spilled from his lips, and he walked closer, "Why should we stop now?" He pushed past you and walked back to the table where your wine was left. The passageway door was left open, and the cool air filled your room. You watched Aegon discard the glasses and bring the pitcher, drinking straight from it.

Laughter left your lips as you watched the wine spill down his chin. He slowly walked closer, and his fingers gently lifted your head, bringing the pitcher to your lips, feeling it drop down your chin. You both stood in silence, drinking your wine for hours.

"I still loathe you, Y/N," his voice croaked, his eyes were glazed over, almost as if tears were going to fall.

"I know," you felt a burning in your face as you swallowed a lump in your throat, "I still abhor you too."

#aegon targaryen x reader #aegon ii targaryen #house of the dragon #aemond targaryen #aemond x reader #jacaerys velaryon #lucaerys velaryon #rhaenyra targaryen #alicent hightower #game of throne #daemon targaryen #slow burn #aegon x you #helaena targaryen #aemond x you #enemies to lovers #house targaryen #house velaryon

[rapigu1]

Manchester United vs Crystal Palace 3:1

Harry Maguire was booed by fans at Manchester United vs Crystal Palace. The boos were heard when his named was called out on the PA system and in the earlier stages of the match whenever the centre-back touched the ball.

Even though it is believed to be a minority in the crowd, it was still heard and the only word I can use to describe it is pathetic. Fans in attendance at the Melbourne Cricket Ground booed Maguire (via Daily Mail) without any good reasons for doing so. Maguire, like many players at Manchester United, endured an underwhelming campaign last season. Do we just write off the entire squad ahead of a new season rather than admire Erik ten Hag’s willingness to try get the best out of these players? I mean, this is not FIFA or Football Manager, and he was also hired to work with the current players in the squad.

Manchester United vs Crystal Palace 3:1

Manchester United made it three wins from three on Tour 2022, with a convincing 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Anthony Martial scored again, while Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford netted in the second half to add to their burgeoning pre-season tallies, while, despite a late concession to Joel Ward and red card for Will Fish, it was a team performance that will no doubt please Erik ten Hag, against an admittedly depleted Palace side. Here are eight things which caught the eye of our reporter at the stadium...   IT'S COLD IN MELBOURNE While those back in Manchester bask in record-breaking heat, it’s winter in Australia and Tuesday saw the city set its lowest morning temperatures in almost four years. Despite experiencing sun and blue skies all day, the mercury had barely risen by the time the game kicked off, with the players walking out when it was around seven-degrees Celsius – something you’d think you’re more likely to get at Selhurst Park in December than on a pre-season tour! It was all a far cry from last Tuesday in Bangkok, anyway, but fingers crossed for warmer climes when we get to Perth… A DEBUT FOR OUR NEW KIT The adidas 2022/23 away kit was unveiled at 09:00 BST on Saturday and it’s certainly gone down a storm with fans here in Melbourne – the city which held the shirt launch event at the weekend. This was the first match in which it was sported and it looked as good on the pitch as it did in all of our glossy marketing snaps. MALACIA MAKES FIRST START Our first summer signing had been a half-time substitute in each of United’s previous two friendlies and the Dutchman impressed against both Liverpool and Melbourne Victory, with the Reds not conceding a goal in the 90 minutes he was on the pitch in those games. This time he was given the nod from the off by Ten Hag and he was arguably our standout player in the opening half, proving vital in the build-up to Martial's opener... FULL-BACK LINK-UP A much-discussed element of Ten Hag’s tactic is his preference for attacking full-backs. At Ajax last season, Noussair Mazraoui and Nicolas Tagliafico weighed in with 11 goal contributions between them in 34 Eredivisie games and they were a vital channel through which the team played. Erik was presumably delighted then by how Martial’s 17th-minute strike came about, with Malacia switching the ball across the pitch for Diogo Dalot. The Portuguese right-back’s excellent reverse pass then found Anthony, who poked the ball home for his third goal in as many pre-season games. Read the full article

#Sport

[princess-of-inarizaki]

Hello, Can i have a Nekoma, Seijoh and Inarizaki with a reader. She is a analysis specialist and very knowledge about herb, she know how to make medicine and help a person who get injure, disease, sickness and. She is very short (about 4'8 ;-;) and very caring, rarely smile and talk. But she will softly smile and talk to calm person down when they get hurt or panic. Her smile make their day : ❤️💞💓 She help the coach when they have a headache, backache. She literally the school doctor lmao uwu

Hello cutie !! Thank you for the request <3 this is so precious, she seems like this adorable little doctor-chan, and I'd be delighted to write a headcanon for you.

Doctor-chan manager

Characters: Nekoma team, Seijoh team, and Inarizaki team.

Warnings: none <3

Nekoma

So the team hasn't seen you around in school, because you're always in specialised classes that help advance your talents. You're also almost always in the nurses' office, tending to injured and sick patients better than the nurse does.

The students who come in trust you completely, because you have always helped them relieve their pain with your gentle touch and wide array of herbs and natural remedies.

One day, as you are silently applying a balm to the injury of a student, he softly asks if you would be the manager of the volleyball team he's part of.

“they get hurt very easily, and it happens pretty often too. In fact, I think we have two members who are still injured, but their pride just won't allow them to seek help for it.”

You study the boy, who speaks in a soft monotonous tone, with his cat-like eyes and long hair.

You're also weighing the pros and cons of joining the team. Because you're very soft spoken and quiet, rarely showing emotion,it takes longer for people to warm up to you.

But on the other hand, you just couldn't stand to see people getting hurt, especially after knowing you had the power to save them with your talents.

You quietly nod at the boy, who later introduces himself as Kozume Kenma.

He leads you to the gym, where the team was practicing, and when they see this small, adorable girl walking behind Kenma, looking so shy and cute, they just stop practicing.

“are you kenma's girlfriend?” is the phrase you hear most of, until Kuroo, the captain, calms them down.

You quietly explain that you are not kenma's girlfriend, and that you'll be their new manager.

Your eyes swept the team when it fell on Yaku. You wordlessly walked over to him, and gently pressed a small bundle of peppermint leaves to his palm.

“to aid your headaches”, you said softly.

The team was in awe. How could you have known Yaku had headaches, and more importantly, how to cure it?

Kenma smiled, proud to find a great manager for the team, as the rest of the team bowed to you, and made your acquaintance.

They recognised that you didn't like talking or showing expressions, but they were okay with that, since Kenma was the same.

Speaking of which, you get along best with Kenma, because both of you are silent characters, who enjoy the comfort in each other's silence.

But the whole team are all very gentle with you, coming to you anytime they feel discomfort, or face an injury during practice matches.

And every time, you treat them with the bag of herbs you bring with you, and your gentle touch. It soothes and calms them, to have you care for them with such gentleness and love.

Instead of calling you "manager-chan", they call you "doctor-chan", which soars your spirits, because you've always dreamt of becoming a doctor someday.

You smile, the first time Kuroo calls you that, and the team just melts on the spot.

Their adorable, small manager is smiling, her eyes crinkling at the corners, and her cheeks rosy and red. They silently swear that they will play harder than before, and win just for her.

Just to see one of her rare smiles again.

Seijoh

It's Akira who suggests you join the team

After noticing how you excel in biology class, he generally wants to know what you want to be in the future, and you shyly say "a doctor". This causes him to realise you might be able to practice on his volleyball team first.

“we're always getting hurt, and who knows? you might be able to polish your skills faster.”

You think about it carefully before nodding, holding your bag of herbs and natural remedies closer to you.

This was the start of a new journey with new people, and even though you weren't all that good in social situations, you'd try, so that someday your dream would be realised.

When you meet the team in the gym, Oikawa's eyes light up when he sees you. “hey there little cutie. Who are you?”

You're flustered, but remain expressionless. “I'm the new manager, Oikawa-san”

Oikawa is delighted at the prospect of having such a cute manager, but his thoughts are shattered as Iwaizumi spikes a ball to the back of his head.

“don't scare her off or flirt with her, shittykawa”

The team apologize for their captain, and respectfully bow and introduce themselves. You do the same, and as you look down, your eyes rest on Oikawa's knee.

It must hurt really badly, you thought.

After practice is over, you motion for Oikawa to follow you to the bench at the back of the gym. He happily does so, teasing you in the process, only to be met with silence on your part.

After he's seated, you gently undo his knee pad to find bandages beneath it.

Oikawa goes quiet, wondering how you knew. His teasing tone from earlier is fine, replaced with an anxious expression.

You gently wipe aloe mixture on his knee, and rebandage the area, being delicate and careful.

“please take care of yourself, Oikawa-san.” is all you say to him after nodding and walking off. He is touched by your kindness, and impressed by your observance, and expertise at easing his pain.

The rest of the team also experience similar encounters, where you'd take them to the bench at the back of the gym if you ever observe them facing discomfort during practice.

The team always know that the moment they're on the bench with you tending to them, all their discomfort will be eased, and their worries will disappear.

They associate you with a sense of comfort and familiarity, and love how you always seem to know what's the right thing to do.

You have a calming affect on all the members, especially Iwaizumi and Kyotani.

The team want to express their gratitude for all you've done for them, so they search high and low for a book on herbs that you might like, and gift it to you as a thank-you gift.

They will never forget the way you smiled at them, realising it's the first time they've made you smile, and thank you wholeheartedly for being their precious manager doc.

[I don't know if it's canon that Oikawa has a knee injury, but I thought it would be fine to add it into my writing, since it fits the prompt quite well]

Inarizaki

You would be quietly researching herbs and spices in the school garden, when you come face to face with Kita Shinsuke, captain of the school's volleyball team.

He's surprised to see you there, because students aren't usually interested in plants, so he strikes up a conversation with you.

You tell him that you're a specialist at easing pains and injuries with the help of natural remedies.

Kita is extremely impressed, and invites you to be the team manager, where you might be able to further polish your skills, and you readily accept the sensible captain's invitation.

The next day, you follow Kita to the gym, where the team immediately takes a liking to you because you're so small and lovely.

Atsumu ruffles your hair immediately and introduces himself, whilst Osamu nods at you with a small smile.

Suna compliments you, telling you that you have a nice calming smell to your presence, which leads you to unveil your bag, filled with herbs.

Kita explains your talents to the rest of the team, and you do a small demonstration by applying a homemade rosemary, orange and lemon balm on the wrists of the team.

You quietly explain that it would help with their concentration, and true enough, their performance rate increases during the practice session, leaving them feeling revitalised and energised.

They think of you as the ideal manager, and are all very attentive to your needs. They don't think it's fair if it's only you looking out for them and tending to them, and therefore are always observant of you.

Atsumu once notices that the day is colder than usual and drapes his volleyball jacket on your shoulders, engulfing your small frame.

The rest of the team stop to look at you, and their hearts are so warm, they can't help it. The sight of you in their volleyball team's huge jacket is way too adorable.

You give it back to Atsumu at the end of practice, and he's delighted to find his jacket smelling like the mixture of herbs you always smelled like.

The team then start borrowing you stuff often too, because they love it when you return it to them and leave it smelling warm and comforting, exactly like you.

They also know that you don't show your expressions on your face, so it's hard to gauge how you're feeling, but after time and experience, they are able to understand your feelings better, eventhough you don't show it on your face.

You are a lifesaver in their matches, and one instance is when you were able to rid Aran of his muscle cramps, allowing him to make the winning spike.

Atsumu hoists you on his shoulders when they win, and despite all the commotion and excitement, they look up to see you smiling, your eyes shining and small laughs coming out of your mouth silently.

You couldn't help it, they were all just too precious to you.

The team almost sheds a tear after seeing you with that expression of pure joy on your face, and they ruffle your hair gently, thanking you for always being by their side and constantly being a driving force for their achievements.

Kita states that the best choice he's ever made was inviting you to become manager.

You smile softly once again, and retort back in your head that agreeing was your best decision.

Hello hello! I hope that was good. It's one of the softest manager headcanons I've written in quite a while, since I was trying a new style, and I absolutely love it :))

Taglist<3 @k-sakusa-old @osamusriceballs

#haikyuu hcs #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuufanfics #inarizaki #inarizaki x reader #haikyuu fluff #inarizaki manager #nekoma #nekoma manager #kuroo headcanons #nekoma x manager #nekoma x reader #inarizaki x y/n #seijoh #oikawa x reader #seijoh manager #miya twins #atsumu headcanons #osamu headcanons #oikawa headcanons

[kunstpause-archive]

Read on Ao3

Day 8: Adroit

And again some more modern a - I swear I am also going to write something else this month - eventually 😅

Emet/Reader

When Hades shows up the following evening, he holds to boxes of steaming Thai food in his hands, insisting that if you are already staying late, you should do so with a somewhat decent dinner. And it’s definitely more than decent. Not to mention the company is delightful. You talk about this and that, not even looking at the time as you tell him how you are slowly making your new apartment habitable. Hades meanwhile regales you with some more anecdotes of his friend upstairs and his never-ending quest to get him to work less. Over an hour has passed until you finally get around to talking about anything work-related.

“So, what kind of name is ‘Emet-Selch’ actually?” you ask the question that has been repeatedly on your mind.

In front of you, Hades coughs, needing a moment to not choke on his food before he looks at you with a question written all over his face.

“Pardon me?” he murmurs. “What?”

“The boss,” you point out. “I’ve wondered about that; it sounds like a strange name, don’t you think?”

“It’s more akin to a title, actually,” he says after clearing his throat, and that information makes you perk up.

“It is? Oh, kinda like a stage name?” you wonder. “That makes sense; I guess he is an artist, after all.” With a frown, you add, “So what’s his real name then?”

Across from you, Hades lets out a laugh. “I am sure you can easily find that out by employing twenty seconds of your time into a search engine, my dear.”

You shake your head vehemently.

“I am not going to google my boss; what if I find out something I really didn’t wanna know?”

He looks at you across the rim of his glasses like you lost your mind.

“And how is this any different?” Hades asks with a raised brow. “You don’t know what kind of stories I could tell you, after all.”

“Yeah, but then it would be your fault for blabbing and not mine for snooping,” you claim, nodding gravely to underline your point.

“That… is not how it works,” Hades mumbles before he goes back to his food with a shake of his head. “Seriously, you have not looked up the company you’ve come to work for even once?”

You had not. It’s not like you hadn’t thought about it, but ultimately, you had decided against it, and so you give him a shrug.

“It has a splendid reputation, everyone in my class wanted a job here, and I didn’t see the point,” you say before grabbing another bite. “I guess I just like to make my own impressions?”

“An admirable attitude,” Hades murmurs with another shake of his head. “If, perhaps, prone to complications.”

“Huh?” At his muttered afterthought, you look up, but he just waves it aside.

“Ah, don’t mind me.”

You finish your dinner with some more not work-related talk, and before he leaves to get some more work done himself, you give him the small folder you prepared with your proposed changes. He assures you that he will forward them once again as he wishes you a good night and a relaxing weekend.

You have both, but you are almost tempted to go to work on a Sunday for having nothing better to do. You could finally unpack the rest of your things, get your apartment into a state that is actually comfortable to live in, but you’re still not feeling like it. If you’re honest with yourself, it’s not necessarily the work itself you miss and wanna sit around at the company for. Out of all the people you have met over the past week, you definitely like Hades the most. He is kind, thoughtful, unobtrusive, and he listens to your complaints as well as talks to you whenever you both seem to have a little time. And sometimes… Sometimes you notice his eyes sparkle when he looks at you, and it is not only a welcome sight; it is one that sends little jolts of excitement through you each time you catch him. It doesn’t even matter that you have basically just met the man or that he seems to be a good few years older than you - you would like nothing more than to get to know him better.

A feeling that only grows on Monday when you go through your inbox, and an email from your boss already contains some parts of your proposed changes, together with a small thank you note for your very skillfuly adjustments. Hades didn’t waste any time relaying your thoughts, it seems, and you smile to yourself before you decide to visit the coffee cart downstairs and get him something as a thank you. You have no idea what he likes, except for coffee, of course, but the elderly lady behind the counter knows her customers, and a little while later, you are on your way up to his floor, carrying glazed donuts with you. You wouldn’t have suspected him of having a sweet tooth, but the coffee cart lady insisted that those were his favorite.

When you exit the elevator, you look around. You have no idea where his office is precisely, only the floor it’s on. You’ll simply have to ask the next person you see to point you in the right direction.

It turns out to be unnecessary, as you round a corner and practically run into the man himself.

“Persephone,” he greets you with a confused look, holding your shoulders steady to keep you from stumbling. “What are you doing here?”

The way he seems so surprised but at the same time genuinely happy to see you makes you smile. He looks a little different, and it takes you a few seconds to realize that, for once, he is not wearing glasses.

“Looking for you,” you say, holding up the bag with the baked goods to show him. “I brought a thank you for playing messenger for me.��

He looks a bit confused, but as he sees what’s in your hand, his eyes light up.

“Are those donuts?”

“You really do have a sweet tooth,” you laugh as you nod. “So, I was wond-”

You stop talking in surprise as his hands around your shoulders tighten, and he pulls you further around the corner all of a sudden, looking past you with a slight frown.

“What are you doing?” you mumble, unsure just how to react when Hades motions you to be quiet.

“Shhh, I think I saw Hythlodaeus,” he whispers, and now he has you thoroughly confused.

“Your friend?” you murmur back as you wonder about the sudden secrecy.

“He is trying to rope me into something, and I am avoiding him,” he explains quietly, shifting you just a little so he can peek around the corner. “Oh no,” he murmurs. “He’s heading straight this way. Get in there.”

He nudges you through the door right next to you into an empty office. Everything goes fast, and before you know it, you find yourself on the inside, slightly wedged between the office door and Hades, who quietly snaps the lock shut.

You look at him questioningly, trying to make sense of all this when he puts a finger over his lips, indicating you not to make a sound.

A second later, you nearly flinch when someone knocks sharply at the door.

“Hades, are you in there?” an impatient voice asks, and in front of you, Hades mouths the word ‘Hyth’ in a quiet explanation.

“You can’t avoid me forever, you know?” the voice comes again. “This fundraiser is happening, you are going, and if you want to look approachable for once, you’re bringing someone.!”

You have to swallow down a giggle as you realize what it is he is trying to avoid. Somehow, it doesn’t surprise you. He doesn’t seem like the very outgoing type.

“Come on,” comes Hyth’s voice again through the door. “You could ask that cute singing girl from downstairs you’ve been mooning over to come with you; it will be fun!”

Hades winces slightly in front of you, and your eyes widen at those last words as a sudden feeling of giddiness has your stomach jump. With the way Hades looks at you almost apologetically by now, there is little chance his friend means anyone else, and the thought is nothing if not exciting.

“I’ll just be back…” the voice from outside claims before you can hear the sound of someone walking away.

For a moment, you stay quiet, almost unwilling to say something. The slight tension in the air is far too precious, after all. But at the same time, you are not the calmest or most patient person, after all.

“Cute singing girl from downstairs?” you comment with a raised eyebrow, and for a moment, Hades has a sheepish look on his face.

“Well…” he starts, but before he can say anything more, you give him a playful wink.

“You know, I think I’ve heard of her,” you say with a knowing look. “Rumor has it she has been slightly mooning herself about some upstairs guy. So…” you trail off for a moment, grinning at him. “If you ask her, she might actually say yes.”

Something between you shifts as the sheepish look from earlier is completely gone from his face now, replaced by something decidedly different. Unveiled interest is in his eyes as a slow smile spreads across his face.

“Is that so?” Hades murmurs in a low voice, and you are suddenly acutely aware of just how close he is.

His arm against the door, he half cages you in, and with the way he is so much taller than you are, he is practically filling out your whole view. He gives you a long look, and then his other hand rises, and your stomach flutters as his fingers graze your cheek, gently brushing over your skin as he draws a strand of hair out of your face. He tugs it behind your ear, fingertips ghosting over your neck in the process, and you swallow heavily as you look up into his golden eyes that are, for once, not behind a pair of glasses. He is so close all of a sudden, and you lick your suddenly dry lips, very aware of the way his eyes follow the motion. You barely dare to breathe as you wonder if the intense way he looks at you means he is going to kiss you when his smile slightly widens.

“Good to know,” he finally says, letting his hand fall away but still keeping close.

“Are you going to ask?” you wonder with bated breath, and there is a twinkle in those warm eyes as he gives you a slight nod.

“Eventually,” Hades says, still smiling before he finally takes a step back. “But Hyth is not going to let this rest,” he adds with a frown at the door. “I’ll leave to go look for him, and you can sneak out of here a few minutes later.”

The assumption that you would somehow need to sneak out has you furrow your brow in confusion.

“Sneak out?” you ask. “Why would I need to do that?”

“You really don’t want to get people talking,” Hades says with a sigh. “Everyone on this floor is a horrible gossip; you have no idea what you’d set yourself up for if you just walked out of here.”

It doesn’t lessen your confusion at all as you wonder just why anyone would even care if you walked out of a random office with him, but before you can point that out, his hands run over your upper arms, and he nudges you to look at him.

“Persephone, I’m going to come by your office tonight, and I’m going to ask you to go to a fundraiser with me,” Hades says in a surprisingly serious voice. There is a slightly crooked half-smile on his face as he looks down at you with clear anticipation, and you smile back at him at that.

“I look forward to it,” you say with a genuine smile, but Hades doesn’t seem to be done.

“In the meantime, please do me one favor, and google this company,” he murmurs, and just like that, your confusion is back, and you scrunch your nose. “Trust me, my dear,” he insists, “You really want to know some things before you decide to say yes!”

That is not ominous at all, you think, but with a final smile, he lets go of you, unlocks the door, and is gone faster than you can process. A bit forlorn, you look at the bag still in your hand before, for the first time after being dragged in here, you look around the room. It’s the most spacious office you have ever seen. There are shelves willed with folders on one side, a couch, and a sitting area on the other, but at the center, behind a large desk, it’s the floor-to-ceiling windows that catch your eyes the most. The view from up here is so breathtaking that it takes you a few more moments to notice that some impressive things are hanging at the far wall. Honors, prizes, and rather prestigious awards. All made out to…

Emet-Selch.

You nearly let the bag of food slip from your grasp as you realize in whose office you stand, where Hades had dragged you in to. For a few seconds, you think you both can count yourself lucky that it was empty when you notice something else. There is a pair of glasses lying on the desk before you, glasses that look very familiar. You have stared at them quite a few times over the last week, after all. You realize that Hades’ colleague had straight-up assumed he was in here when knocking at the door, and behind the desk, the windows show a clear view of the nearby park as things suddenly click, and you are not sure if you are mortified, very confused or maybe even slightly angry. All you know as you put the bag from the coffee cart down on his desk for him to find later is that the first thing you will do when getting back to your office is heed his advice and look some things up. And tonight, when he shows up at your office, you will make him give you some answers.

#FFxivWrite2021 #FFxivWrite #Kunstpause writes stuff

[misssophiachase]

For @klarolinefallbingo​​ Jack ‘O’ Lantern

Part 1 of this drabble - Knives Out (Pumpkin Carving Consent) - is HERE 

Everyone’s A Winner

Klaus has decided to propose and thinks pumpkin carving is a good way to do it given Caroline lives for the activity and the holidays. Pity his competitive siblings didn’t get the memo on helping to behave and set the mood. 

Mikaelson Compound - New Orleans, LA - Halloween Eve

“Kol stabbed me,” Rebekah whined, gesturing to the red, bloodied mark that was already beginning to heal. 

“Nothing I haven’t done before and will do again, that’s a promise. Anyway, she dumped these disgusting pumpkin innards all over me,” he growled, attempting to remove the orange gunk from his dark hair. 

Caroline couldn’t quite believe they’d walked the earth for over one thousand years given the level of maturity they were currently displaying. But at the same time, it was incredibly amusing. 

Her boyfriend didn’t seem to share her thoughts given the dirty looks he was shooting their way from the other side of the courtyard. He’d been extremely protective and secretive of his finished product since they began carving. Caroline liked that they were both highly competitive and after tonight she knew that would translate well in their bedroom.  

Elijah meanwhile was incredibly zen putting the final touches on his pumpkin, clearly he’d learned how to block his siblings out after all those years spent together. 

“Maybe if you two spent more time carving and less time complaining we might finish these in time for this Halloween,” Klaus growled, finally finding his voice. 

“Someone is clearly worried his pumpkin won’t win the competition.”

“Last time I checked I was the artist in the family, little sister,” he scoffed. 

“Enough with the oversized ego, Nikalus,” Kol groaned. “So, when I do win, what’s my prize, darling?”

Caroline paused momentarily, realising she hadn’t thought of a prize. Given the Mikaelsons seemed to actually be participating and enjoying a holiday, Caroline knew she needed to think of something fast. 

“Well, I think you’re all doing an impressive job...” 

“Did someone spike her pumpkin spiced latte?” Kol asked curiously.

“Enough with the pleasantries, Forbes, what will I win?” Rebekah demanded. 

Gee, these Mikaelsons were a tough crowd to please.  

“You know it’s not about who wins and loses, right?” Elijah had returned to the conversation. “It’s about the fun of participating.”

“No, I think someone spiked his latte,” Rebekah snorted. 

“Nobody spiked anything,” she shot back tersely. “Why can’t you people just get along and appreciate the holidays? Is that too much to ask in this family?”

“Exactly! I’ll dagger you all if you don’t cease haranguing Caroline,” Klaus snarled. Given his tone, Caroline knew he wasn’t joking and would probably do it. 

“Threats aren’t in the holiday spirit either,” Caroline admonished. Yes, he could be hot when he was protective but wasn’t setting a good example either. 

“Okay, the winner gets bragging rights until Thanksgiving.” Given the unimpressed looks on their faces, Caroline knew that wouldn’t cut it. “Uh, and a special holiday trophy.” She lied. It was all she had on such short notice.      

“We get a trophy?” Rebekah asked excitedly. 

“No, I get the trophy,” Kol shot back. 

“Yes,” Caroline faltered, not expecting that to please the Original siblings who could have anything they wanted in the world. “And the winner keeps it until Thanksgiving when we’ll have another challenge and so forth.”

“Why didn’t you just say that from the beginning?” Rebekah asked. 

“Yeah, I could have definitely gotten into these holidays if I knew I could beat Rebekah.” 

Turns out that competitive streak ran in the family. Caroline loved Klaus but had always struggled fitting in with his prickly siblings. Maybe they were more alike than she first thought?

If it meant they would enjoy the holidays with her, Caroline knew she’d had a small victory. She couldn’t miss the way Klaus was flashing those dimples in her direction from afar, clearly reading her thoughts.

“Okay less talking and more carving. Once you finish we’ll light them up for judging and no peeking beforehand.”

The siblings were uncharacteristically quiet as they finished their creations. Caroline meanwhile had to come up with a trophy at last minute. Lucky she loved a challenge and was extremely resourceful under pressure. 

Two hours later

“This whole competition is fixed!” Kol hissed, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. Rebekah was close on his heels. 

“Talk about a conflict of interest. Unbelievable!”

“Way to ruin this moment,” Klaus growled. “For once could you two please stop thinking about yourselves and shut the hell up?”

Caroline meanwhile was in total shock, unable to reply let alone form words. Well, none that were in actual English.  She could only focus on the light-filled jack ‘o’ lanterns nearby.

“Well, I think it’s all rather lovely,” Elijah offered, gesturing to them lined up in a row in the courtyard, the glow emanating reflecting a warm, orange hue.

In any other situation this might have been romantic, heartwarming even. But not with this family.  

“He’s not only hoodwinked our judge, he carved three pumpkins. That wasn’t in the rules,” Kol complained.  

“His carvemanship isn’t even that good,” Rebekah critiqued. “His M’s look like H’s. I mean what exactly does ‘Will you Harry He?’ actually mean?”

Caroline meanwhile was still in shock. In fact, she’d blocked out any of their ridiculous remarks as soon as the jack ‘o’ lanterns were unveiled, his especially. 

“I think it’s time you all left.” Klaus ordered, breaking Caroline from her trance. “Except Caroline, of course.”

“But the winner hasn’t been announced yet,” Rebekah said, glaring at Caroline and no doubt trying to preempt the result. 

“Because that’s the most important thing right now,” Elijah murmured. “Okay, let’s leave these two alone.” They went, albeit begrudgingly, but Caroline knew they’d be back as soon as possible. 

That only left the possible fiancés in their wake. 

“I know you have high standards, love, but I was hoping you might like my offering?” Klaus asked, closing the distance between them. 

Caroline, meanwhile, was still stuck to the spot. She could hear him talking but her focus was still very much trained on the jack-o-lantern proposal she wasn’t expecting. 

At all.

“You carved me a proposal?” She squeaked, finally finding her voice. 

“I know how much you love the holidays and I thought it might be a good time to ask you to spend all eternity with me. I can’t promise that my siblings won’t show up from time to time to ruin things though. Tonight is case in point.”

“You carved me a proposal?” 

“Well, yes, and I also got you one of these,” he offered, kneeling down in front of her and flashing an impressive, princess cut, diamond ring. “If you’ll have me, of course?”

For being the most powerful creature on earth, he was certainly looking extremely vulnerable at that very moment. Caroline still couldn’t find the words even if she knew what her answer was given it was a no-brainer. 

Her silence was no doubt making him more nervous because he continued. 

“You are the love of my life, Caroline Forbes. For someone who has been on this earth for, uh a while, you have taught me more in the past few years than I ever imagined. You constantly challenge me and make me want to be a better hybrid, well for the most part.”

Caroline was struggling to hide her smile now. Who knew the Original Hybrid had it in him?

“Not only that, your passion for life, including the holidays, is contagious and I love the fact you’ve introduced my family to all new traditions. We didn’t have the best upbringing and it means so much that you can give us another chance to really live and experience things. Well, if you’ll agree to marry me?”

Now the tears welling in her eyes were well and truly free, spilling down her cheeks. She knew she loved him, she knew what her answer was minutes earlier but now it was going to get messy.

“You carved me a proposal,” she sobbed. 

“As you’ve mentioned before, and here I thought you’d like it,” he murmured, his discomfort obvious and not just because he was still kneeling on the floor. 

“I do, I love it,” she whimpered. “I love you and especially since you proposed on a holiday. And you can carve a pumpkin, no matter what Rebekah says.”

“I heard that,” Rebekah scowled. Clearly they hadn’t gone far. 

“So any chance you want to answer my question this century, love?” 

“Yes, of course I’ll marry you,” she rambled. “I couldn’t imagine my life without you and your crazy relatives.”

“We heard that,” Kol shared from the shadows.

He placed the ring on her finger and pulled her into his arms. Caroline revelled in his embrace, thinking life couldn’t get any better than this. And all on a holiday which made things so much better. 

Before they could really celebrate, his family converged on them. Yes, there was some minimal celebration but suddenly they were all standing by their jack ‘o’ lanterns in anticipation. 

“There is no way that is happening tonight,” Klaus chided. “We have big plans that don’t involve any of you.”

“Oh come on, Klaus. I did promise,” Caroline offered. 

“I don’t care,” he rebutted, picking her up and carrying her over his shoulder. Caroline was so swept up in the moment that she didn’t even call him out on his petulant behaviour. But she also knew what was waiting for her upstairs and couldn’t exactly complain. 

Turns out Elijah won the competition and the sought after trophy. But Klaus, Kol and Rebekah swore vengeance for Thanksgiving. 

And they were all looking forward to it for the first time in their lives. 

#klaroline fall bingo #klaroline drabbles #klaroline fanfiction #klaroline fanfic #soooo fluffy but hope you like it #everyone's a winner

[fyeah-bangtan7]

The Boundless Optimism of BTS

IT IS THE MORNING OF CHUSEOK, A KOREAN HARVEST FESTIVAL akin to Thanksgiving, and the members of BTS would normally be spending it with their families, eating tteokguk, a traditional rice-cake soup. Instead, Jin, 28; Suga, 27; J-Hope, 26; RM, 26; Jimin, 25; V, 24; and Jung Kook, 23, are working. Practicing. Honing their choreography. In a few days, the biggest musical act in the world will perform in the live-stream concert that, for now, will have to stand in for the massive tour they spent the first part of this year rehearsing. At this moment, they’re seated inside Big Hit Entertainment headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, the house they built, dressed mostly in black and white, ready to answer my questions. They’re gracious about it. And groggy.

Before I’m done speaking with them for this story, BTS will have the number-one and number-two songs on the BillboardHot 100, a feat that’s been achieved only a handful of times in the sixty-odd years the chart has existed. Their next album, Be, is weeks away from being released, and speculation about the record, the tracklist, the statement, is rampant across the Internet. BTS are, to put it mildly, huge.

There is something about complete world domination that can really cement a friendship. What jumps out at me as I connect with the members of BTS is their level of comfort with one another. Tension has a way of making itself evident—even over Zoom, even through a translator. There’s none to be found here. They are relaxed in the manner of family. Lounging with their arms around each other’s shoulders, tugging on each other’s sleeves, fixing each other’s collars. When they speak about one another, it is with kindness.

“Jimin has a particular passion for the stage and really thinks about performance, and in that sense, there are many things to learn from him,” J-Hope says. “Despite all the things he has accomplished, he still tries his best and brings something new to the table, and I really want to applaud him for that.”

“Thank you for saying all these things about me,” Jimin responds.

Jimin turns his attention to V, explaining that he is “loved by so many” and describing him as one of his best friends. Suga jumps in, sharing that Jimin and V fight the most among the group. V replies, “We haven’t fought in three years!” They tell me this distinction now belongs to Jin and Jung Kook, the oldest and youngest members. “It all starts as a joke, but then it gets serious,” Jimin says.

Jin agrees and recounts what their arguments sound like. “Why did you hit me so hard?” he says, before mimicking Jung Kook’s response: “I didn’t hit you that hard.” And then they start hitting each other. But not that hard.

Since the start of their careers, BTS have shown a certain confidence in their aesthetic, their performances, and their music videos. It’s right there in the name: BTS stands for “Bangtan Sonyeondan,” which translates to “Bulletproof Boy Scouts,” but as their popularity grew in English-speaking markets, the acronym was retrofitted to mean “Beyond the Scene,” which Big Hit has described as “symbolizing youth who don’t settle for their current reality and instead open the door and go forward to achieve growth.” And their affection with one another, their vulnerability and emotional openness in their lives and in their lyrics, strikes me as more grown-up and masculine than all the frantic and perpetual box-checking and tone-policing that American boys force themselves and their peers to do. It looks like the future.

“There is this culture where masculinity is defined by certain emotions, characteristics. I’m not fond of these expressions,” Suga tells me. “What does being masculine mean? People’s conditions vary day by day. Sometimes you’re in a good condition; sometimes you aren’t. Based on that, you get an idea of your physical health. And that same thing applies mentally. Some days you’re in a good state; sometimes you’re not. Many pretend to be okay, saying that they’re not ‘weak,’ as if that would make you a weak person. I don’t think that’s right. People won’t say you’re a weak person if your physical condition is not that good. It should be the same for the mental condition as well. Society should be more understanding.”

When I hear these words in October 2020, from my house in a country whose leader is actively trying to make the case that only the weak die of COVID-19, well, it sounds like the future, too.

IF YOU ARE JUST NOW CONSIDERING GETTING INTO BTS, IT IS natural to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff. It’s a bit like saying, right this second, “Let’s see what Marvel Comics is all about.” In the streaming age, BTS have sold more than twenty million physical units across fourteen albums. Their multi-album concept cycles, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Love Yourself, and Map of the Soul, have unfolded over multiple records and EPs. There are collaborations with brands, including a BTS smartphone with Samsung. There is a series of short films and music videos, called BU, or BTS Universe, and an animated universe called BT21, in which they’re all represented by gender-neutral avatars. Their fan base, known as ARMY, is a global cultural movement unto itself.

“Dynamite,” their first English-language single and their first American number one, is pure, ecstatic pop. Shiny and joyful. What sets them apart from many of their peers, and many of the pop acts who achieved worldwide fame before them, is what came earlier. Beneath the sheen and the beats has always been an unflinching examination of human emotion. Their lyrics seek to challenge the conventions of society—to question and even denounce them. BTS’s first single, “No More Dream,” unveiled at their debut showcase in June 2013, concerns the intense pressure South Korean schoolchildren face to conform and to succeed. According to Suga, lyrics about the mental health of young people were mostly absent in Korean pop music. “The reason I started making music is because I grew up listening for lyrics that speak about dreams, hopes, and social issues,” he tells me. “It just came naturally to me when making music.”

Suga’s early ambition of making music didn’t involve him being in a group at all. About a decade ago, in his hometown of Daegu, the fourth-largest city in South Korea, he started recording underground rap tracks under the name Gloss, listening to and learning from the early works of songwriter and producer Bang Si-hyuk, known as Hitman Bang. Bang is the founder and CEO of Big Hit Entertainment. In 2010, Suga, a junior in high school, moved to Seoul to join Big Hit as a producer and rapper. Then Bang asked him to become part of a group, envisioning a hip-hop act with fellow new Big Hit recruits RM and J-Hope. The guys call this “season one” of their development.

“At that time, I don’t think our label exactly knew what to do with us,” RM says. “They just basically let us be and we had some lessons, but we also just chilled and made music sometimes.”

It got more intense. The family grew, occasionally by accident.

V accompanied a friend to a Big Hit casting call in Daegu for moral support and ended up being the person chosen from those sessions.

Jung Kook was signed in a feeding frenzy after being dropped from the talent show Superstar K, fielding offers from numerous entertainment companies before settling on Big Hit because he was impressed by RM’s rapping.

Jimin was a dance student and class president for nine years running at his school in Busan; he auditioned at the behest of his teacher.

And then, to hear him tell it, Jin got picked up off the street. “I was just going to school,” he says. “Someone from the company approached me, like, ‘Oh, this is my first time seeing anyone that looked like this.’ He suggested having a meeting with me.”

“Season two is when we officially underwent hard training,” J-Hope says. “We started dancing, and that’s how I would say our team building started.”

School in the daytime, training at night. “We slept during classes,” V says.

“I slept in the practice studio,” J-Hope counters.

Hitman Bang kept the pressure comparatively low. And he encouraged the guys to write and produce their own music, to be honest about their emotions in their lyrics. Suga is on record saying that no BTS album would be complete without a track that scrutinizes society.

And yet for their new album, Be, they’re putting that aside. Even this has a greater purpose that relates to mental wellness: RM, the group’s main rapper, says, “I don’t think this album will have any songs that criticize social issues. Everybody is going through very trying times right now. So I don’t think there will be any songs that will be that aggressive.”

Though the new rules of COVID-19 mean they can’t come here and promote Be, its first single might not have happened in the first place but for the pandemic. “ ‘Dynamite’ wouldn’t be here if there was no COVID-19,” says RM. “For this song, we wanted to go easy and simple and positive. Not some, like, deep vibes or shadows. We just wanted to go easy.”

Jin agrees. “We were trying to convey the message of healing and comfort to our fans.” He pauses. “World domination wasn’t actually our plan when we were releasing ‘Dynamite.’ ” World domination just happens sometimes. You get it.

MAP OF THE SOUL ONE AIRED VIA THEIR ONLINE FAN PLATFORM and attracted almost a million viewers across 191 countries. The guys say they tried not to think about the enormousness. J-Hope adds, “I felt a little bit more nervous knowing that this was being broadcast live. I actually feel less nervous performing live at a stadium.” Jin replies with a smile, “J-Hope, born to perform at a stadium.”

The graphic layout of the title throws a colon between the final N and E, which makes it look like Map of the Soul On: E, and as I watch it live, as I do in my office at 3:00 a.m. with noise-canceling headphones and a steaming pot of coffee, it feels a lot like I’m watching Map of the Soul on E. It is an explosion of color and fashion and passion, over four gigantic stages, from the boozy swagger of “Dionysus” to the emo-trap introspection of “Black Swan.” Not a step, not a gesture, not a hair is out of place. If there were nerves, they didn’t come through.

There is also, at the end of Map of the Soul One, an intimate version of their 2017 track “Spring Day,” which encapsulates what’s really made BTS stand out. On the surface, it’s about nonspecific love and loss, about yearning for the past. “I think that song really represents me,” says Jin. “I like to look to the past and be lost in it.”

Fair enough, but there is an undeniable allusion, in both the song’s video and its cover concept, to a specific incident in recent South Korean history. “Spring Day” was released just a few years after the sinking of the Sewol ferry, one of the country’s biggest maritime disasters, in which a poorly inspected, overloaded ferry toppled in a sharp right turn. Hundreds of high school students drowned, having obeyed orders to stay in their cabins as the boat was going down. According to some reports, the South Korean government actively tried to silence entertainers who spoke out against it, with the Korean Ministry of Education fully banning the tragedy’s commemorative yellow ribbons in schools. I ask whether it was about a specific sad event, and Jin tells me, “It is about a sad event, as you said, but it is also about longing.” The song kept the disaster front of mind for young Koreans and for the media, indirectly leading to the impeachment and removal of then president Park Geun-hye.

If an overburdened, undermaintained, slow-moving vessel capsizing because of a reckless rightward turn strikes you as somehow symbolic of the country in which BTS are about to explode even further, you won’t hear it from them. “We’re outsiders—we can’t really express what we feel about the United States,” says V. But their actions speak volumes; in the wake of the George Floyd murder and subsequent protests in America, the group made a $1 million donation with Big Hit Entertainment to Black Lives Matter, one that was matched by BTS ARMY.

The fans offer a fascinating inversion of stan culture: Rather than bullying rivals like many other ardent online fan bases do, ARMY have put the positive message of the music into action. Their activism goes deep. Through micro-donations, they’ve regrown rain forests, adopted whales, funded hundreds of hours of dance classes for Rwandan youth, and raised money to feed LGBTQ refugees around the world. Where pop fans a generation ago might have sent teddy bears or cards to their idols for their birthdays, where five years ago they might have promoted a hashtag to get a video’s YouTube viewer count up, for RM’s twenty-sixth birthday in September, international fan collective One in an Army raised more than $20,000 for digital night schools to improve rural children’s access to education during the COVID-19 crisis. ARMY may have even entered the conversation around the 2020 presidential election when hundreds of thousands of Tulsa Trump rally tickets got snapped up online in June. The event’s actual attendance was pathetically low. No particular person or entity claimed credit for this top-notch trolling, but a video urging BTS fans to RSVP to that rally did get hundreds of thousands of views. We have no choice but to stan this fan base.

The relationship is intense. “We and our ARMY are always charging each other’s batteries,” RM says. “When we feel exhausted, when we hear the news all over the world, the tutoring programs, and donations, and every good thing, we feel responsible for all of this.” The music may have inspired the good works, but the good works inspire the music. “We’ve got to be greater; we’ve got to be better,” RM continues. “All those behaviors always influence us to be better people, before all this music and artist stuff.”

Yet for every devoted member of BTS ARMY, there is someone who’s looked right past BTS. Jimmy Fallon, whose Tonight Show hosted the group for a full week this past fall, was one of those people. “Usually if an artist is on the rise, I hear about them ahead of time. With BTS, I knew they had crazy momentum, and I’d never heard of them.”

Here’s a thought that used to be funny to me: There were members of the live audience of The Ed Sullivan Showon February 9, 1964, who weren’t there to see the Beatles. Elvis was in the Army, Buddy Holly was gone, and the three number-one albums in the months before Meet the Beatles! were an Allan Sherman comedy record, the West Side Story original cast recording, and Soeur Sourire: The Singing Nun. America had left rock ’n’ roll behind for the moment, and with the culture aimless and fragmented, it wasn’t quite sure what to pick up in its place. It is possible to imagine that a youngish, reasonably hip, and culturally aware human being might cop a ticket to that week’s show, settle into his seat, and say, “Bring on a medley of numbers from the Broadway musical Oliver! and banjo sensation Tessie O’Shea.”

The instinct is to laugh at that guy, and it’s a good instinct, because what a dope.

And then you become that guy.

Sometimes there is a whole universe alongside your own, bursting with color you’re too stubborn to see, bouncing with joy you think is for someone else, with a beat you thought you were finished dancing to. BTS are the biggest thing on the planet right now, yet the job of introducing them to someone new, particularly in America, seems like it’s never done. Maybe it’s because they are adored by screaming teenagers and we live in a society patriarchal enough to forget that screaming teenagers are nearly always right. Maybe it’s the cultural divide, in a moment when our country is unashamed enough of its own xenophobia to get openly bent out of shape when it has to press 1 for English. Maybe it’s the language barrier, as though we understood a single word Michael Stipe sang before 1989.

Whatever the reason, the result is that you might be missing out on a paradigm shift and a historic moment of pop greatness.

IF BTS SEEM A BIT CAUTIOUS WITH THEIR WORDS PUBLICLY, IT’S because—perhaps more than any other massive pop act in history—they have to be. Shortly after our second meeting, BTS were given the General James A. Van Fleet Award by the U. S.–based Korea Society for their outstanding contributions to advancing relations between the United States and Korea. In his acceptance speech, RM said, “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together, and the sacrifices of countless men and women,” as seemingly diplomatic and innocuous a statement as he could have made. But because he didn’t mention the Chinese soldiers who died in the Korean War, it didn’t go over well. The Samsung BTS smartphone disappeared from Chinese e-commerce platforms, Fila and Hyundai pulled ads in China that featured the group, the nationalistic newspaper Global Times accused them of hurting Chinese citizens’ feelings and negating history, and the hashtags “BTS humiliated China” and “there are no idols that come before my country” began trending on the social-media site Weibo. The pressure is not small.

Even as the number-one pop group in the world, even with their hard work day in and day out, even with tens of millions of adoring fans redefining the concept of “adoring fans” by literally healing the planet in their name, these guys still suffer from impostor syndrome. RM explains, “I’ve heard that there’s this mask complex. Seventy percent of so-called successful people have this, mentally. It’s basically this: There’s this mask on my face. And these people are afraid that someone is going to take off this mask. We have those fears as well. But I said 70 percent, so I think it’s very natural. Sometimes it’s a condition to be successful. Humans are imperfect, and we have these flaws and defects. And one way to deal with all this pressure and weight is to admit the shadows.”

The music helps. “When we write the songs and lyrics, we study these emotions, we are aware of that situation, and we relate to that emotionally,” J-Hope says. “And that’s why when the song is released, we listen to it and get consolation from those songs as well. I think our fans also feel those emotions, maybe even more than us. And I think we are a positive influence on each other.”

If there’s one thing they’re sacrificing, besides free time and the ability to speak freely without the Chinese foreign ministry releasing an official statement, it’s a love life. I ask about dating, broad questions like “Are you?” and “Is there time?” and “Can you?” and the answer to all of them is pretty clear: “No.” “The most important thing for us now is to sleep,” Jung Kook insists. Suga follows right up with “Can you see my dark circles?” I cannot, because there are none, because flawless skin translates even over Zoom when there’s an ocean between us.

So they’re not, at least publicly, having romantic relationships with anyone. If there is a strong relationship that’s guided their journey into adulthood, it’s with Big Hit. “Our company started with twenty to thirty people, but now we have a company with so many employees,” RM says. “We have our fans, and we have our music. So we have a lot of things that we have to be responsible for, to safeguard.” He considers it for a moment. “I think that’s what an adult is.”

“Our love life—twenty-four hours, seven days a week—is with all the ARMYs all over the world,” RM adds.

In a world that is determined to sand down anything that isn’t immediately recognizable to the average pop-music fan, when it comes to acquainting you with Korean culture, BTS very much do not wanna hold your hand. While the first song on night one of their Tonight Show week was a joyous but expected take on “Dynamite” with Fallon and the Roots, they took some chances during their second performance.

As a friend of mine, a thirty-three-year-old BTS fan in Los Angeles, told me, “The second song they performed was ‘IDOL,’ ” from 2018’s Love Yourself: Answer, “and it celebrated their Korean identity. They performed it in Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. They wore clothes inspired by traditional dresses called hanboks;it was almost entirely in Korean, so it felt super subversive. As a fan, I read it as: ‘Dynamite’ was an invitation, and this is who we are and this is our home.”

“I was a little concerned that people might not understand,” Fallon says. “I was like, ‘There’s nothing in English here.’ But what you see is just pure star power. Pure talent. Immediately, I thought, Oh, this is everything. If you’re that powerful, it transcends language.”

American popular music in the twenty-first century is more fragmented than it has been since . . . well, since Allan Sherman, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, and the Singing Nun battled for that number-one spot. The monoculture that the Beatles helped bring on has breathed its last breath. Each of us is the program director for our own private radio station, letting our own past habits and streaming-service algorithms serve up something close to what we want. Which is great, except that huge moments can whiz right past our ears. Each of us, even if we’re more clued in than our parents were when they were our age, can miss some era-defining, excellent shit. Particularly if the radio is our Spotify Discover Weekly, or the Pandora channel based on the band whose T-shirts we wore in college. We can let a moment pass us by if prime time is a Netflix binge, and the Tonight Show hour is spent on one more episode before bed. But we shouldn’t. “Honestly, I think it’s history that we’re living through with BTS,” Fallon says. “It’s the biggest band I’ve seen since I’ve started late night, definitely.”

THERE IS ALSO THE SMALL DETAIL THAT, UNLIKE THE BEATLES AND literally every other worldwide sensation to break in America, BTS don’t particularly need to go to the trouble. They are massive all over the world. Thanks to the recent IPO of Big Hit Entertainment, of which each member is a partner, they are all now incredibly wealthy. (Hitman Bang is the first South Korean entertainment mogul to become a billionaire.) What good is a culture in decline to a pop act this much on the ascent? “When I dreamed of becoming an artist, I listened to pop and watched all the awards shows in the United States. Being successful and being a hit in the U. S. is, of course, such an honor as an artist,” says Suga. “I feel very proud of that.”

They’re breaking out in a country that either worships them or fails to notice them. So do they feel like they’re getting enough respect in America? “How can we win everyone’s respect?” Jin asks. “I think it’s enough to get respect from people who support us. It’s similar everywhere else in the world. You can’t like everyone, and I think it’s enough to be respected by people who really love you.”

Suga agrees. “You can’t always be comfortable, and I think it’s all part of life. Honestly, we are not used to getting a ton of respect from when we first started out. But I think that gradually changes, whether it be in the States or other parts of the world, as we do more and more.”

There is, without a doubt, one colossal, unmistakable sign of respect for a musician: a Grammy. They’ve been nominated only once, and even then it was for best recording package. But their sights are set on a big one next year. RM puts it out there: “We would like to be nominated and possibly get an award.” Dragging the hoary, backward-looking, and Western-focused Grammys into the gorgeous, global world of the present through sheer force of will, talent, and hard work? Stranger things have happened. “I think the Grammys are the last part, like the final part of the whole American journey,” he says with a smile. “So yeah, we’ll see.”

The Recording Academy’s seal of approval is one thing. But BTS have already conquered the world, clowned tyrants, inspired individual fans to perform the small and achievable acts of activism that have collectively begun to save the planet, challenged toxic masculinity by leading with vulnerability, and, along the way, become bajillionaires and international idols. Whether the Grammys are paying attention matters about as much as what an Ed Sullivan audience member expected to see that night in 1964. BTS have already won.

© source

#bangtan #jungkook #jimin #v #suga #jhope #jin #rm #o:esquire #o:interview #201123

[aion-rsa]

The Best Korean Dramas on Netflix to Watch Right Now

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South Korea is one of the world’s biggest exporters of popular culture. From K-pop to K-dramas, Parasite to BTS, the East Asian country knows how to reach an international audience. Korean TV, especially K-dramas, have long been of interest to western markets, but it’s no longer just the Korean diaspora or romance drama fans underserved by western markets checking out K-dramas, international watchers of Korean dramas have become much more “mainstream” in the last few years, especially with Netflix’s increased focus and investment in the region.

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Netflix has played a major role in this expansion of Korean TV into the global market. The streamer has not only scooped up an impressive backlog of Korean originals as a global distributor, but, since 2016, has been investing in the Korean TV industry at the production level. At the beginning of 2021, Netflix released an official statement announcing the leasing of two production facilities outside of Seoul, citing the move as “another important example of our continued commitment to investing in Korea’s creative ecosystem.” According to the release, from 2015 to 2020, Netflix invested over 700 million dollars in Korean content. The company also has multi-year content partnerships with CJ ENM/Studio Dragon and JTBC.

Suffice to say, Netflix has a solid Korean TV section, filled with some of the best K-dramas around, both new and old. If you’re new to the world of Korean TV or if you’re simply looking for your next watch, why not try out one of the following…

Crash Landing On You (2019)

The absolute top secret love story of a chaebol heiress who made an emergency landing in North Korea because of a paragliding accident and a North Korean special officer who falls in love with her and who is hiding and protecting her.

If you’re at all tapped into the K-drama scene, then you have at least heard of Crash Landing on You if not binged it multiple times. An original production from Netflix, Crash Landing On You pairs rom-com and character drama elements with an exploration of the cultural pain inherent in the separation between North and South Korea. With charismatic and vulnerable performances from veteran K-drama leads Son Ye-jin as South Korean heiress Yoon Se-ri and Hyun Bin as North Korean soldier Ri Jeong-hyeok; some gorgeous production values; and a memorably melodramatic soundtrack, Crash Landing On You is a whirlwind action-romance that was one of the best shows of 2020, full stop.

Kingdom (2019-present)

In a kingdom defeated by corruption and famine, a mysterious plague spreads to turn the infected into monsters. The crown prince, framed for treason and desperate to save his people, sets out on a journey to unveil what evil lurks in the dark.

If you prefer your TV more horror-driven, Korean TV has some notable shows for you. One of the most internationally popular is Kingdom, a historical zombie drama about a 17th century crown prince who has to fight against a mysterious plague of flesh-eating zombies that threatens to overtake his kingdom. Most K-dramas are structured to tell their entire story in one season, but Kingdom has already had two seasons with a third predicted to be on the way, as well as a one-off special that just premiered on Netflix called Kingdom: Ashin of the North. If you’re looking to get into a longer-running K-drama that favors horror over romance, this could be the one for you.

Squid Game (2021)

45.6 billion won. 456 contestants stake their lives on childhood games.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably already heard of Squid Game, which is on track to become Netflix’s most popular series ever. The Korean social thriller tells the story of a group of 456 desperate contestants who agree to compete in a deadly competition for the chance to win the kind of money that could change their lives forever. Socially relevant and compulsively watchable, Squid Game takes a familiar premise and makes it new again with compelling characters, exquisite visual style, and cultural specificity.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha (2021)

When things go awry in the city, a dentist decides to go back to her quiet seaside hometown for a fresh start. There, she finds herself at odds with the village go-to handyman who’s always up to help and fix what’s broken—perhaps even matters of the heart.

If you’re looking for something a little chiller after the horrors of Squid Game, try Hometown Cha Cha Cha, which is basically a Hallmark Christmas movie in series form (which is to say a cozy romance). The series, which is currently “airing” weekly on Netflix, sees a big city dentist named Hye-jin decide to open an office in the small seaside town of Gongjin, where she once visited with her family as a child. It all happens on a bit of a whim, with Hye-jin not fully prepared for the transition to rural life in a town where everyone knows everyone’s business. Enter Du-sik, the town’s darling jack-of-all-trades, who helps the townspeople by doing any and every job they might need. The two couldn’t be more different, but fate seems to have brought them together. You probably have an idea of what happens next…

When the Camellia Blooms (2019)

Dong-baek (Kong Hyo-jin) is the owner of a small-town bar called Camellia. Her ordinary life turns topsy-turvy when three men enter her life — a good guy, a bad guy, and a miserly guy. What kind of stories will unfold in this sleepy town full of colorful characters? 

If you’re looking for another K-drama set outside of Seoul, When the Camellia Blooms is the story of a single mom Dong-baek, who moves to the fictional town of Ongsan where she opens a bar called Camellia. When local police officer Yong-sik declares his love for Dong-baek, she is initially not interested, but the two become closer the more time they spend together. Thrown in a solid supporting cast and a serial killer subplot and you’ve got yourself one of the most popular K-dramas in recent years.

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)

Desperate to escape from his emotional baggage and the heavy responsibility he’s had all his life, a psychiatric ward worker begins to heal with help from the unexpected—a woman who writes fairy tales but doesn’t believe in them.

There’s still a taboo around addressing mental illness in Korea, which is one of the many reasons why this 2020 drama about Gang-tae, a young man who is a caregiver at a psychiatric hospital, and Moon-young, a children’s author living with antisocial personality disorder, made such a splash. While the romance at its center is great, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay really shines in its exploration of Gang-tae’s relationship with his brother, Sang-tae, who is on the autism spectrum. In a press conference promoting the show (via Metro Style), Sang-tae actor Oh Jung-se said of the character: “If you meet someone like Sang-tae, who is on the autism spectrum, on the street, I think it would be nice if people could think ‘I would like to be with that person’ instead of ‘I would like to help that person.’”

Boys Over Flowers (2009)

Unassuming high school girl Jan-di stands up to — and eventually falls for — a spoiled rich kid who belongs to the school’s most powerful clique.

A K-drama classic, Boys Over Flowers follows working class student Geum Jan-di as she arrives at the elite Shinhwa High School on scholarship, only to meet and be unimpressed by a group of privileged boys known collectively as F4 who rule the school. The drama follows Jan-di as she goes from bullying target of F4 leader Jun-pyo to the object of his obsession. It’s a classic enemies-to-lovers set-up, and one that while cliche, is still worth a watch over a decade later, especially if you’re interested in checking out one of the most iconic K-dramas of all time.

Itaewon Class (2020)

On the vibrant streets of Itaewon, something is about to shake up the local food scene. Going up against the most powerful conglomerate in the industry, underdog Park Sae-ro-yi and his band of determined misfits seek to take over Itaewon and turn their ambitious dreams into reality.

Korean TV knows how to melodrama, and this story of revenge and romance set in Seoul’s popular Itaewon area leans into intense catharsis. Itaewon Class follows Park Sae-Ro-Yi, the owner of an up-and-coming Itaewon restaurant called DanBam that becomes a refuge for a group of social outcasts. Together, they work to take down the same business mogul responsible for the death of Sae-Ro-Yi’s father years earlier. Itaewon Class was extremely popular both in South Korea and internationally, and featured the first transgender character in a mainstream K-drama. Added bonus: the Itaewon Class soundtrack includes an original song from BTS’ V.

Mr Sunshine (2018)

In 1905, a Korean American U.S. marine officer returns to his homeland on a diplomatic assignment. Coping with his painful past in Korea as an orphaned servant boy, he finds himself in a complicated relationship with an aristocrat’s daughter.

If you’re into historically-driven period drama, then check out the beautifully-shot Mr. Sunshine. The K-drama is set in the late 19th and early 20th century in Hanseong, the city that would become Seoul and follows activists fighting for Korea’s independence. The story follows Go Ae-shin, an orphaned noblewoman who trains to be a sniper in the Righteous Army, the civilian militia that fought against the occupying Japanese forces, and Eugene Choi, a man who escaped slavery in Korea to become a U.S. marine, only to return to his homeland where he falls in love with Ae-shin. The series uses real-life history, including Shinmiyangyo, the Spanish-American War, the assassination of Empress Myeongseong, the Russo-Japanese War, Gojong’s forced abdication, and the Battle of Namdaemun as a backdrop for its epic story.

Signal (2016)

A cold-case profiler in 2015 and a detective in 1989 work together to solve a series of related murders spanning three decades using a special walkie-talkie to communicate with each other.

This premise has been used a lot—from 2000 Dennis Quaid/Jim Caviezel thriller Frequency to the 2016 CW TV adaptation of the same name—and for good reason. An analog device allows two people to communicate across time, and they must work to solve a murder together. It not only makes for compelling character drama, as two people become closer but are separated by years, but also is a fresh twist on the serial killer narrative. In K-drama Signal, the analog device is a walkie-talkie, and the characters on either temporal side of it are contemporary criminal profiler Park Hae-young and 1989-based Detective Cha Soo-hyun. If you’re looking for a good crime thriller, Signal could be it.

Hospital Playlist (2020-present)

Friends since undergrad school, five doctors remain close and share a love for music while working at the same hospital.

Like Kingdom, Hospital Playlist is the rare K-drama that tells its story across multiple seasons. The hospital drama just finished airing its second season weekly on Netflix, continuing its story about a group of doctors in their 40s who have been best friends since medical school. A true ensemble drama, Hospital Playlist is perfect for fans of Grey’s Anatomy but feels unique in its centering of a friend-group with a such a long history.

Vincenzo (2021)

Bringing his mafia past back with him to South Korea, Song Joong-ki stars as notorious Italian lawyer Vincenzo who isn’t afraid to lend his bloodstained hands to beat the untouchable conglomerates in their own game.

If you just watched the dramatic opening of Vincenzo, set in Italy days after the death of a mafia boss, you might think you’re in for a self-serious organized crime drama. But the Netflix K-drama quickly shifts into a story much more tonally complex. Part romance, part drama, part action thriller, Vincenzo has something for everyone. It follows Vincenzo (Space Sweepers‘ Song Joong-ki), a Korean lawyer raised by an Italian mafia family who must flee the country following his father’s death. As part of his plan of escape, Vincenzo travels to Korea to recover a stash of hidden gold under an old apartment building set for demolition by a corrupt corporation called the Babel Group. Because of this dilemma, Vincenzo becomes unlikely allies with the group of eccentric citizens who live in the building, as well as with a passionate and moral lawyer who has a vendetta against the Babel Group for his own reasons.

The “Reply” Series (2012-2016)

Take a nostalgic trip back to the late 1980s through the lives of five families and their five teenage kids living in a small neighborhood in Seoul.

The Reply series is one of the most popular cable dramas in Korean TV history. It launched in 2012 with Reply 1997 before continuing with Reply 1994 in 2013 and Reply 1988 in 2015. The ambitiously-structured series follows a group of friends and their kids, telling the story in present-day in addition to flashbacks. Featuring a fun soundtrack, as well as some incredibly performances, the Reply series is well worth a watch for anyone who loves character drama with a nostalgic twist.

Prison Playbook (2017)

With only days before his major league baseball debut, pitcher Kim Je-hyeok unexpectedly lands himself behind bars. He must learn to navigate his new world with its own rules if he wants to survive.

Prison Playbook is much more slow-paced than many of the selections on the list, but this character drama is worth the dedication. Though it’s often touted as a “black comedy,” it’s much more tonally light than that suggests, despite the subject matter. The story follows baseball pitcher Kim Je Hyeok, who is incarcerated days before his major league debut for assaulting the attempted rapist of his sister. It follows his life within prison, along with the lives of some of the other inmates and guards, including his old best friend, Lt. Lee Joon Ho, who is a correctors officer. Created by Lee Woo-jung, who also made the aforementioned Reply series, Prison Playbook is one of the most popular K-dramas in Korean cable history ever.

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Sweet Home (2020)

As humans turn into savage monsters, one troubled teenager and his neighbors fight to survive and to hold onto their humanity.

It’s been well-documented that Song Kang is a K-drama darling. The actor has appeared in many a romantic K-drama, including Netflix’s Nevertheless and Love Alarm. Sweet Home, however, is his rare horror appearance, and it’s well worth a watch just to see Song in a completely different context. Of course, this apocalyptic horror story has other qualities too, and holds the honor of being the first Korean series to enter the U.S. Netflix Top Ten. Based on a Naver (aka Korean Google) webcomic of the same name, Sweet Home follows Cha Hyun-soo (Song), a high school student who moves into an apartment building after the deaths of his parents, only to discover that the building also happens to be the home of a species of monsters set on world domination.

Nevertheless (2021)

Like a butterfly hopelessly attracted to a flower, this art student can’t seem to resist the mysterious young man who captures her attention. But the more they get romantically involved, the sooner she will have to decide—will getting close be worth it, when he doesn’t believe in relationships?

Speaking of Song Kang… Nevertheless is the latest K-drama to star the 27-year-old actor. The romantic drama stars Han So-hee as Yoo Na-bi, university art student who no longer believes in love following discovering her boyfriend has been cheating on her. When she meets Song’s Park Jae-eon, she is immediately intrigued. Though the two share an immediate attraction, they resist entering into a relationship due to their respective uncertainties about love. Based on a popular webcomic of the same name, Nevertheless feels unique in its treatment of modern dating life in Korea, depicting some of the more realistic, often internal struggles of what its like to date in your 20s.

My Mister (2018)

In a world that is less than kind, a young woman and a middle-aged man develop a sense of kinship as they find warmth and comfort in one another.

If you’re in the mood to cry, try My Mister, a drama about a financially-disadvantaged young woman just trying to stay afloat as she takes care of her sick grandmother amid mounting debt and a much more financially-privileged middle-aged man who is also being crushed by the weight of his life. The two work together, and form a (mostly) platonic relationship that helps both of them heal. Understated and deeply emotional at the same time, My Mister will subvert so many K-drama expectations in clever ways.

Memories of the Alhambra (2018)

While looking for the cryptic creator of an innovative augmented-reality game, an investment firm executive meets a woman who runs a hostel in Spain.

If you’re looking for another K-drama starring Crash Landing on You‘s Hyun Bin (and of course you are), then look no further than Memories of the Alhambra, a 2018 K-drama with an absolutely batshit (read: amazing) premise. Hyun stars as Yoo Jin-woo, a CEO who travels to Spain in search of the creator of an AR game set in the Spanish medieval fortress Alhambra. Once there, Jin-woo is pulled into a reality-bending mystery with life-or-death stakes and some unpredictable twists that I don’t want to spoil for you.

Romance is a Bonus Book (2019)

A gifted writer who’s the youngest editor-in-chief ever at his publishing company gets enmeshed in the life of a former copywriter desperate for a job.

Ostensibly based on the TV series Younger, Romance is a Bonus Book is a rom-com set in the publishing industry world. It follows single mom Kang Dan Yi as she struggles to reenter the workforce following her divorce. When he lies about her background to get a job, her life becomes tangled up with childhood friend and publishing phenom Cha Eun Ho.

I began watching this series to see how it compared to the U.S. version of the show, of which I am a fan. Honestly, these two series have only the most superficial details of their plots in common, which is par for the course in many adaptations. Romance is a Bonus Book is much more romance-centric than Younger, which balances the love life of its central protagonist with the many other relationships and concerns she has in her life. But that isn’t a bad thing. They are two very different shows with their own interests and strengths, but if you’re a fan of both rom-coms and the publishing industry, then both Romance is a Bonus Book and Younger are worth a watch.

Black (2017)

A man possessed by death. A woman who can see death. The earthly and the afterworld collide dangerously.

One character is possessed by the Grim Reaper. The other can see deadly spirits. Only Korean can turn this premise into a heartbreaking romance, as the two work together to save people marked for death. If you’re looking for a spooky season watch, you can’t go wrong with Black, which is a delightful (and, honestly, pretty complex) hodgepodge of Korean horror all wrapped up in a rom-com package.

What is your favorite K-drama on Netflix? And what upcoming Netflix K-dramas are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below?

The post The Best Korean Dramas on Netflix to Watch Right Now appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[cookiedoughmeagain]

Haven DVD Commentaries - 5.20: Just Passing Through

Commentary with Colin Ferguson, director for the episode (and also plays William), and Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn, co-creators of the show and writers for the episode.

The sound quality isn’t great on this one, so there’s no guarantee how accurate most of this is. Also I’m not sure I can tell Sam and Jim’s voices apart :/ But this is what I got from it: 

Hilariously, they started the commentary and got five minutes in before they realised they were on mute and had to start again.

This was shot in six days. Most of the season was two episodes per director, but this was just the one. Some discussion about how this was a lot of stuff to get done in only six days.

Colin says being a director after having already acted in the show makes the directing easier because you are more familiar with the show and the process and how everyone works. Sam asks about how different it is because as an actor you don’t really get asked for your opinion on what everyone else is doing, but as director you have to have an opinion on everything.

Colin talks about how Emily had injured her knee the week before - she could barely walk  on her own, which is why she is clinging on to all the actors she’s in scenes with. And so not only was this a short timescale to film the episode in, but Emily had to take time out to go get an MRI or physio.

They talk about how you can’t really lose Emily because then you’ve got no show, and Sam talks about the first season how she was straight into it and she’s in every scene. He’s impressed with how Emily knew all her lines (and Lucas his as well), even though she had so many of them to learn and they don’t always make a lot of sense when you’re shooting out of order and stuff.

Colin talks about this as the big episode with the ‘unveiling of the Colorado Kid sequence, and what happened and how it went down’. Jim says the very first thing they shot for the show was the Colorado Kid newspaper photo, and it was difficult because it was a freezing cold day but it was supposed to be taken in April so they had to try and get shots in between the sleet and warm up in between. Colin talks about how then six seasons later they basically have to re-create that photo with everything exactly the same, because it’s such a key part of the show. Jim talks about how at some point in season one they realised “it’s a photograph, but there’s a photographer IN the photograph” and how does that work; “I suppose the photographer should not have actually been in the shot”. But then they used that guy in an episode, and Colin says they have someone behind the photographer to keep the photographer in the shot.

Colin talks about the police station set and how the last episode was the zombie episode with stuff getting smashed up and now at the beginning of this episode they need to establish that it’s 2015 (“or whatever year it is, I know they’re a little off”) and there’s no one there to do that with because there aren’t any uniformed police around any more. Jim says that’s likely to be more of an issue when you come back to the present again.

They all laugh at Vince’s “this is what I wore back then” and Sam describes Richard Donat as a hippy in real life.

Jim says the nice thing about filming a time travel episode in Nova Scotia is that large chunks of it don’t feel like they have changed much in decades - and the police station set has that look too, that most of it would have been the same. Colin says the Nova Scotia maritime style is so established now it will never change.

The outside shot of Duke’s motel is stock footage. They had Eric on set for one day to film all of the stuff in the motel room.

Some of the scenes with Lucas and Emily on the beach were shot later with another director. Colin had time to do everything else except the most interesting emotional parts with those two so he had to leave that to someone else. So he’s going to be watching those scenes for the first time here.

They joke about the lights and effects to imply the helicopter landing outside, how they had to fight to include that because an actual helicopter was out; “It’s just wind; can we afford wind?”

Colin says for casting the motel scenes they went local, so all of the others apart from Eric are local Halifax actors. Sam jokes he can’t believe there are any left that they haven’t used on Haven already.

Colin talks about re-creating the Colorado Kid photo, how all of the actors are obviously five years older, so they had to re-cast the kid. He says that when they asked one of the guys in the background if he could come in he said; “Not only can I come in, I still have those jeans!”

With Vince and Nathan appearing in 1983 and the kid taking their photo, Colin talks about how every time he took a photo, none of them came out - all the film was out of date or whatever - except for one shot that he took. “And it was perfect, and it’s the one we used. It was perfect - it was amazing. We got so lucky. And then we signed it and gave it to him at the end.”

They talk about how great the police station set is, how one of the first notes they got back from the network in season one was how great the lighting was, how moody it is and how counter that is to what you see in a lot of TV police stations where everything is clean white lines, loads of technology and bright lighting.

They talk about how good the actor playing the younger Garland is, and how it’s great casting in that he looks just like him. Colin says all of the Toronto actors they brought in for this episode were great.

Colin says it must seem like so long ago for Sam and Jim since they wrote this, and Sam (I think?) talks about how stuff always changes between the script and the final product and that’s fine, but how they’re used to seeing it through to the end but here “we had to leave because we were working on something else.” So he can see the little differences that are new “either for production reasons or because someone had a good idea”. So he’s trying to enjoy those changes while also remembering the earlier versions.

Colin talks about how one of the problems pre-production was finding cars for the outside shots that would fit with the time period. It was really difficult to find any locally and they only managed it at the last minute. They wanted to use one of the classic cars they used in an earlier season, but it wasn’t practical to get it for one episode.

Sam comments on the younger Garland with his cigarette; “I like that he’s smoking, that’s great.”

Colin talks about the old Mac computer that’s on the other desk in Garland’s office, and how he got into a disagreement about whether they were available at this point in 1983. He didn’t think it was out at this point, but he lost the argument. The release date is maybe six months before this was set so it’s a pretty fine line. Sam; “There are exactly no people who would know that. And the thing is, when people do catch us out if we get things like that wrong; they’re happy. It makes them happy to catch us out, so it’s fine.”

Sam says he was so happy they could get Steve Lund back to play James Cogan and he really enjoyed writing him. Colin talks about how they only had Steve for one day, and they were pushed for time because there was a storm on the way. They talk about how quickly things can go wrong with production because there’s so many moving pieces. And Steve is the only actor who can play that role because we’ve seen him before. “And he was great to us, he fly in on the red eye to get there, he committed to it.” Sam says they checked with him while they were writing it to make sure Steve was both available and interested “and he was extremely interested” and he’s so great they were really happy to get him back.

They all agree the casting for the younger Dave is great. And all appreciate the idea that Dave would recognise an older Vince.

Colin says that Emily had a bit of difficulty with Lucy because she said that “Lucy has only ever been who she needed to be” and she didn’t have a clear idea of her as a person. Jim says they talked a lot when they were writing it about who they wanted Lucy to be, and about how she is an unusual incarnation of Audrey in that she picked up on what was happening sooner than the others did, so she had more time to be the person who is struggling to work out what to do. Colin says Emily would have loved to have spoken to them (Sam and Jim) about Lucy before filming this. But sadly they weren’t available. Sam says he loves to talk to the actors about the characters and what’s going on with them, but that 90% of the time actors will make the right interpretation just from the script. They talk about the actors and writers being able to lean on each other and help each other, and how well that works especially when you’re a few seasons in and everyone “knows the world”. Sam remembers back to the end of season one when Emily read the script with another Audrey Parker and phoned him up upset wondering if she even had a job for season two. He says they “had never told her that the memories in her head belonged to someone else, and we did that as a conscious decision because we didn’t want her to play it as if they were someone else’s memories”.

They talk about how there was a lot of discussion about what the thinnies would look like and what the rules for them would be - e.g. how quickly do they close up again - particularly for the ones made with the Colton Trouble, as opposed to the permanent ones that Mara was looking for a while ago. Sam says that what he loves about writing scifi, you can sit around with grown adults have the most surreal conversations - and get paid for it. And that then he goes home to his wife who is a teacher and how different her work days are.

Colin talks about shooting the scenes with Nathan and Garland in the Colton house; shooting everything in one day and how they were pushed for time, and they had to do all of this conversation in only two hours. There’s a stunned response from Sam that they did all of this emotional stuff in so little time. Colin says they set up the cameras to cross shoot and would do two takes through on one angle, then repeat for the other, and the actors did maybe 1 hour 45 minutes straight performance. More impressed surprise from Sam. Colin says the Lucas and the guy playing Garland were bug eyed by the end, but happy to get it all done; “their focus was amazing. We did all eight pages of script twice, then pushed in for a closer shot and did 16 pages worth again, then pushed in closer and did 16 pages again.” He says they did a similar thing with Vince and the younger Dave with their scenes in the house; “and you actually get to work with the actors then, you get to work with the dialogue” when they’re doing the whole scene through in one go and repeating it wholesale.

Sam says that one of his favourite things about Haven is having Vince and Dave in the show, because they are these quirky old guys but also they have all this history, they’re important to the plot, they’re emotionally important - “it feels so authentic, compared to some TV shows where no one’s over the age of 34 except for one guy”. But he says he thinks that changing now, partly because Netflix only needs a million or so people to love a show, and it doesn’t matter what age those customers are.

They talk about how Nova Scotia has some great houses to film in, and how picking the location for the Colton house, Colin had to agree it with Suds Sutherland who directed the next episodes because it’s in them as well. They talk about the specifics of where people are in a scene can change with the location (e.g. Lucy was originally written as overhearing Garland and Nathan from outside the window), because you can’t always write the specifics for a location you haven’t seen yet - even thought Sam and Jim find themselves arguing over those details sometimes then anyway.

Sam talks about how it’s so exciting when there’s something they’ve written that they liked on the page and then when they see the footage it works really well and it’s so cool to see. The high of that is higher than the low of something not coming out right. Jim remembers in season one when Vince bumps into Max Hansen on the street “and you suddenly saw Vince become a bad ass”  as one of those moments. Jim agrees and talks about rushing up to Nova Scotia to be there on time to see that scene filmed, because he really wanted to be there for it and how he got there just in time. Colin talks about how that kind of enthusiasm from the writers can feed through into the cast. Because the days are long and the seasons are long and if you have writers that don’t really care, you feel it and it makes it harder to care yourself about the role as an actor. Jim talks about how it can be hard, as a writer, to care, because it hurts “because you don’t want to let go of things but you have to let go of things because if you don’t nothing will get done.” Colin agrees that caring in this context is not necessarily a pleasurable thing because “writing hurts every step of the way.” Colin talks about how it can be difficult as an actor because you each first read the script at home on your own, and inevitable form pre-conceptions about it, and everyone forms different pre-conceptions, and then when you get everyone together to read through it together - that can be a challenge because some of those pre-conceptions need to go.

Sam and Jim talk about how their least favourite production challenge is simply not having time to do something, but if the challenge is that a scene needs to be re-worked that is interesting because it’s a writing puzzle to solve, and it forces you to really look at what are the absolute essential lines and what can be cut or changed. And sometimes when you’re forced to compress or reduce something, you end up with a better scene.

Colin talks about how it’s difficult for the actors playing younger versions of established characters, because they have to be like the older versions, but not so much that it becomes a caricature, and there isn’t usually much time for discussion between them arriving on set and starting filming. You can have conversations before hand, but you can’t necessarily cover everything in the same way as when you’re not actually doing it. But they did really well.

They talk about how lucky they were to get a sunny day for filming the beach scene with the Colorado Kid, because there was a storm on the way. And how a stormy day might have looked great, but would have taken three times as long to shoot.

Sam talks about how him and Jim knew from the very beginning that the woman in the Colorado Kid was not Audrey’s mother (as Audrey assumed) but effectively Audrey herself. Colin is impressed that them keeping that secret for a whole season. Sam talks about how they expected the fans to figure it out, how they were keeping an eye on the discussion boards waiting for someone to suggest it and they were pleasantly surprised when no one did.

Sam comments that the ratio between how goofy Lucas Bryant is as a person and how serious his is a Nathan Wuornos is “so incredibly high”. Colin agrees Lucas is the furthest from his character, and that he really liked the alternative universe version of Nathan as a doctor because that version of him was closer to Lucas Bryant.

Colin talks about how he had to get them to buy a longer lens to film the beach scenes, to get the long perspective shots to show the distance that you need for that shot. He says it was fun to reverse engineer James Cogan’s death scene so that he ends up in the right place to match the original photo. And how they wanted to have a wider shot when Croatoan (in Dave) is affecting everyone’s memories, but they couldn’t show too much of the area because there were modern cars there and they didn’t have the budget available to buy up the whole street and clear everyone out.

Colin comments that he thought it was cool that with Nathan going back in time and telling the kid where Duke hid the stuff he stole, the kid was able to get his better camera back, and take the Colorado Kid photo. So Nathan is a part of that photo too.

Colin talks about how they spoke to the actor playing the younger Dave, specifically in relation to when he’s possessed by Croatoan, to tell him who Croatoan is and what’s going on with that whole plot line so that he could reflect that in his performance. Sam and Jim figure that is the kind of thing fans pay attention to. Colin comments how frustrating it is to be an actor in that position of not having the full story of why your character is doing what they’re doing.

They talk about how you have to try not to get attached to character names when you’re writing new characters, because the names don’t always make it through the process of getting cleared by everyone they need to get cleared by. But that Audrey Parker is named after Sam’s daughter, and his other daughter is Lucy. And Duke Crocker is a good friend of Sam and Jim’s who performed Sam’s wedding ceremony together with Jim. So some character names matter to them more than others.

#haven syfy #haven dvd commentaries #5.20 - just passing through

[wrwerfews]

sat on the tarmac for the next five hours while mechanics tried unsuccessfully

The Panthers, who were seeking their second straight trip to the state semifinals, nearly returned there after pulling out the ultimate comeback in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. I think [for] anyone who's worked in television it's an ego thing really. She said they boarded the plane Friday after a two hour delay, then sat on the tarmac for the next five hours while mechanics tried unsuccessfully to fix a llantas 4x4 online hydraulic pump. One man said it was wrong to sell white people. Once he was so far off that he might have been an eagle, slipping in and out of distant clouds, but Dany knew the look of him by now, even when he was no more than a speck. From my three hours’ conversation with Katya I carried away among other impressions the strange but positive conviction that she was still such a child that she had no idea of the inner significance of the relations of the sexes. I was alone on the deck; Mr. He always got galeb spodnjicestraight to the point without sugar coating his thoughts and the same cannot be said for many hosts of other networks. Domi was named Canada best player by the International Ice Hockey Federation, with Demko, after making 38 saves, getting the nod for the Americans.. And when the autumn storms came howling, the coast got sleet and hail and freezing rain rather than snow. Satellite images show that Larsen C has been receding since the 1980s, and radar measurements suggest that its ice is also thinning, Rignot says. Eight days ago Asha had walked out with Aly Mormont to have a closer look at its slitted red eyes and bloody mouth. The girls were put into a large room alone, in total darkness, without bed or blanket, where they spent the night in sobs and tears, in utter ignorance of their brothers’ fate. The only person who showed her oakley miss conduct the least pity and offered her the slightest attention, was nike air max tailwind a servant girl like herself, who lived next door, and who coach products stole up to the room in which she was weeping ray ban aviators price alone, with a cup of warm

Mens ADIDAS ORIGINALS

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[dumbfuck-mojave]

FNV Companions React to Someone Being Aggressive Towards Rex.

@spidester basically came up with this idea.

TW: Mentions of violence against humans and animals. Some sexual flirtation. Swearing is the norm at this point

Fucking IDEK if these are out of character anymore we just roll with it. Also, shitty and inconsistent writing and react length ahoy. Also yes I lied and said this was going to be out last night but I got sick please understand-

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

Arcade: Six had dragged him into Ultra-Luxe because once again, they were being stupid and trying to beat some sort of goal they had set for themselves earlier that day at the gambling tables. Rex had also come in with them, but had wandered off with his snout up in the air towards the kitchens. While Six was focusing on the Blackjack table Arcade heard a sudden yip and bark behind him and turned to see two people laughing and kicking the poor dog. They weren’t dressed like the people that would usually gamble here and they certainly weren’t a White Glove, so Arcade just assumed they were some travelers that didn’t know Six’s reputation and love for their canine companion. Also angry at the situation unfolding, Arcade briskly made his way over to them.

“Excuse me-”

“Fuck off.” 

Now, that made Arcade very unhappy. Honestly, he expected them to be rude, but was still a little surprised at how quickly they shot him down, not even trying to start an argument or anything. Yet.

“Listen, gentlemen.” Arcade said sharply, “I suggest you leave now because you’d much rather deal with me telling you how vile of people you are than for my friend over at the Blackjack table getting word of what you’ve been doing to their dog.”

“Oh, tough guy, eh? Well guess what, we don’t give a shit about what you or your idiot friend have to say!” The taller of the men sneard, getting right up in Arcade’s face. “Fucking forget it, the dumb dog isn’t worth our time. They ran out of booze a while ago anyway.”

Arcade gave them a look of disinterest as the semi-stumbled out the door. He made….. eye contact?..... with one of the masked servers when he looked away from them, who also seemed relieved that the two men were gone, probably because they had trached dust and mud throughout the entire main room.  Making his way back to Six, Arcade was going over scenarios in his head about what Six would do once he told them. Turns out one of his guessed scenarios was true. He did know Six very well after all. Unfortunately for the men, they had decided to sleep naked that night and Six had found out where they were staying through a few connections. A few hours later the men’s clothes were strung up on and lit on fire in the middle of Freeside, with the neat edition of shoving several hungry geckos into the men’s hotel room. The men ran out into the Mojave, naked and with a few flesh chunks missing from their body, while Rex gnawed happily on his Brahmin Steak in the Lucky 38. 

Boone: A Legion party had ambushed them just outside of Red Rock Canyon as they were making their way towards Vegas from Goodsprings. The system they had was working well enough, Boone had managed to climb his way up on the hill to the right of the road and was sniping them from afar while Six was up close with their ripper. It was hard to get solid damaging headshots on them since they were those dumb helmets, but if he got lucky Six would get close enough to rip one of their helmets off so he could get a clear shot through their skull. Usually, there were 4 Legionaries in a party but Caesar must have really wanted Six dead at this point, so they were currently being surrounded by at least 12, possibly even more. As Six drop-kicked two legionaries into each other, Boone noticed one of the other Legionaries targeting Rex and backing him up against the Canyon wall. Luckily for Boone and unfortunately for the Legionnaire, there was no helmet in sight. Boone lined up the shot and it entered the target’s head with a whiz and a squish. As the now-corpse fell to the ground, the group of three reorganized amongst the carnage. Rex sat down at Boone’s feet and looked up at him, mouth open and panting. 

“Don’t look at him like that.” Boone said in a monotone voice, making the Courier laugh beside him.

“Boone, you’re talking to a dog.” The Courier started on their way once again to Vegas, looking down at the dog now trotting beside them.

“You want to go see the King Rex?”

*Bark*

“Look who’s talking to the dog now.” 

Veronica and Cassidy: The girls had decided to hang out together today, without the Courier. They also had Rex in tow and were currently sitting at the Atomic Wrangler’s counter. Both of these women were at least three bottles in each already and their laughter poured through the casino as Veronica slouched over and snorted at one of Cass’ merchant stories.

“There is *snort* there is no way he did that.” Veronica wheezed out, falling into another fit of laughter.

“He did! He just grabbed that fucker by his-”

Their conversation was cut off when a man walked over to them. Much too confidently, I might add. They both looked up at him in disgust and annoyance. 

“So, what are two beautiful ladies doing out here all alone. You know, why don’t we all go upstairs and have a little *fun* together. ” The man leaned in so far he almost touched noses with Veronica. Rex had been sitting idly with his head in his paws on the floor until this moment. When the man leaned in, Rex growled and stood up, brisling at the man. 

“Dumb dog.” The man grumbled, swinging out his hand and hitting Rex in the head. Now no one knew if the man had meant to hit Rex so hard that he slammed his glass dome into the counter, but it didn’t matter now. Veronica pushed up off the counter and shoved the man back.

“Who do you think you are?! First, you come up to two ladies who are CLEARLY disinterested in you, interrupt their good time, then you have the audacity to hit our dog?!” Veronica practically yelled, drawing attention from several others in the room. Two people in particular had the look in their eyes that was almost begging to see a fight.

“Listen, girlie, I do what I want, ok?” The man growled, cut off by Veronica shoving his back against the counter, “Oh, girlie, you want to start right now?” 

“She doesn’t want to do anything with you. Nobody would.” Cass said as she finally stood up, looking over Veronica’s shoulder.

“Now come on ladies, no need to fight over me.” The man slurred, the beginnings of a wolfish grin on his face. 

Now, Ronnie may be small but she has a power fist and can fuck some people up. In a flash, the man was on his knees with both arms straining behind him, courtesy of Cass. Veronica unveiled her power fist and a spark of fear appeared in the man’s eyes as she swung it dainlity near his temple.

“I could swing my fist sideways right now.” She started swinging faster and more aggressively, “And give you a good lesson about how to treat others around you with an indent on your head to remind you.” 

“N-No!”

“Oh, come on. I’m sure it would be no trouble for my friend here.” Cass sneered, tightening her grip on the man’s arms, making him squeal out in man. 

“Please, please! No!” 

As the once confident man was damn near sobbing just at the prospect of getting hit, Veronica and Cass looked up at each other and grinned. Dragging the man outside, Veronica used her unarmored fist to hit him into a puddle of… something. The man stumbled to his feet and looked back in fear at the doorway. Then sprinted off. 

“DAMN! NEXT TIME YOU START A FIGHT YOU BETTER BE ABLE TO FINISH IT!” Cass yelled after him before they retreated into the casino once more.

. On their way back in, two figures walked out the door, following the now out of sight man. Sometimes, if you want to see a fight, you just have to start one yourself. 

Ed-E: *Pulls out laser canon* “Beep beepbeep bop'' Translation: “You bitch ass motherfucker”. Even if Rex sometimes drools on Ed-E or accidentally whips a ball at it’s shell, Ed-E will still protecc and attacc. 

Lily: Ok no but honestly and sorry to disappoint but any scenario involving her reacting to this is just them fighting, her calling the Courier Jimmy, then absolutely rocking the perpetrators shit. Like, tear that person in half grandma. I wanted to write a longer thing out….unless

Raul: He and Six had decided to stop at 188 Trading Post for the night instead of attempting to walk all the way back to Vegas. They were low on supplies, tired and hungry, and Raul’s back was acting up again. Samuel was nice enough to let Raul lie down for a bit on one of the mattresses behind the bar while Six was focusing on cleaning their weapons and bartering. Just as he was about to drift off, he heard Six’s voice speak up above the radio.

“Don’t touch my goddamn dog like that!” 

“You don’t get to tell me what to do you fucking piece of shit! Oh fuck-” 

Raul stood up and peered around the corner to see a rather interesting sight. Six was straddling some random man and aggressively slapping his hands away when he tried to reach for them, all while screaming every obscene thing they’ve ever been taught, even some things in Spanish thanks to Raul. Samuel was looking very concerned at the bar, not wanting to get directly involved in this mess while Rex was barking his head off in the man's face. After Raul managed to drag Six off the man, he found out the man was an associate of Alexander and was talking about making a deal with him when Rex came up to him to sniff his hand. Agitated, the man reached down and put his fist around Rex’s muzzle, yanking him up on his back to legs. Nothing escalated past that point as Six had entered the picture by then. They eventually decided to just walk back to Vegas that night and extend their break home, but damn if Raul wasn’t impressed and kind of flattered at the way they gracefully told a man how they were going to cut out this tongue and feed it to rats. Raul is dad.

(The insult thing was definitely a nod to one of @nuclear-reactions posts)

Thank you for reading! Requests are open!

#original writing #fallout writing #my writing #fallout companions #fallout companions react #companions react #companions react to #tw: animal abuse #animal abuse mention #cw animal abuse #characters react #craig boone #raul tejada #veronica santangelo #rose of sharon cassidy #lily bowen #ed-e #arcade gannon #rex

[fics-and-shits]

Marvel Fic Recs

***smut

Tom Holland x Reader

Oneshots

The Interview (Actress!Reader) by @bigballofstress​

You’re Tom Holland’s costar and girlfriend since the end of Civil War. Usually, you go on interviews together, but this time, you are requested alone on Ellen.

Cinderella (Actress!Reader) by @thewackywriter​

Who knew that going to another boring award show and walking around barefoot would lead her right to her Prince Charming?

Drop the Mic by @young-and-bitchy​

You’re in a rap battle with Tom Holland. 

Vlogs by @spideyyeet​

Being in the vlog squad was dope af but having David Dobrik run into Tom Holland and getting him to surprise you was a whole other thing. Now let’s see what’s it like to have Tom meet the vlogsquad and be with the girl that’s making him rethink some decisions.

Tom Hiddleston x Reader

Oneshots

Send to All Pranks (Actress!Reader) by @thrandybaby​

You’re a British actress appearing on the Michael McIntyre Chat Show, but hilarity ensues at your expense when you accept the challenge to play the infamous ‘Send to All’ prank.

Morning After by @mindrunningfree​

After a drunken night out, you wake up in a stranger’s bed, and on a scale of one to ten, your level of confusion is a fifteen.

Platonic!Avengers Cast x Reader

Oneshots

Beliefs (Teen!Reader) by @supersoldierfreak​

A group press conference with the Avengers cast where you reveal your political views.

Sleeping Beauty by @chrixa​

You didn’t know that the Avengers cast can also be called sneaky paparazzi. Also you love sleeping. Who doesn’t, right?

Handmade With Love by @capsicletho​

Christmas is the time to give your loved one some gifts. What happens when you give your famous second family something handmade?

Clint Barton x Reader

Series

Agent 41 (Agent!Reader) by @nacho-bucky​

An easily-distracted SHIELD agent with a sweet tooth and too many pairs of sneakers. Nothing ever quite works out the way she wants. But hey - it does work out! Usually

Peter Parker x Reader

Oneshots

Clingy Peter Parker by @spider-bih​

A clingy Peter Parker and the reader loves it

Anything For You by @pparkerwrites​

Introducing Peter Parker, dog whisperer by day, Spiderman and dog whisperer by night.

Series

Far From You Trilogy and Blurbs by @hey-marlie​

Y/N Stark is really not here for this European school vacay because in this post-endgame world, she’s mourning the loss of her dad. But one (1) sticky boi Peter Parker is just trying to be the friend he once was while also trying not to flirt too much because if she rejects him (which she wouldn’t, not that he knows that) while they’re in Venice, holy hell he’ll just pitch himself off the gondola right then and there.

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Oneshots

Sparks (Enemies to Lovers AU) by @sunriserose1023​

You and Bucky started off on the wrong foot and it’s just been downhill ever since, and the last time you gave him a chance, you ended up with five broken ribs. It’s just not meant to be.

Cheap Thrills by @avengerofyourheart​

A bet within the Avengers becomes a battle of the sexes, with you at the center of it. Who will be victorious and could it somehow help you snag the man of your dreams?

Air B&E (Enemies to Lovers AU)  by @avengerofyourheart​

When a mission requires close proximity with your least favorite teammate, you try to make the best of it, but a change in plans adds new challenges and possibly a new opportunity.

Notebook (College AU) by @softlybarnes​

 Bucky and Y/N sit next to each other all semester. They never talk to each other, until one day they do. 

The Florist  // The Beekeeper // The Pumpkin Carver (Enhanced!Reader) by @softlybarnes​

Bucky and Y/N make flower crowns together. Both reveal more than they plan to.

Freckles (Drunk!Reader) by @softlybarnes​

The Reader likes Bucky’s freckles a whole lot.

The Regular by @brooklyn-boy​

Bucky Barnes is a regular at your bar. He comes in, he makes sure trouble stays away, and then he leaves. This really wouldn’t be a problem if he weren’t so good looking and you weren’t totally in love with him.

Fourth Time’s the Charm by @brooklyn-boy​

Bucky remembers the three times he meets a certain thief, and is blindsided by the fourth.

Trepidation by @brooklyn-boy​

You’re rescued from HYDRA by the Avengers, only to be met with a ghost of the past in the form of Bucky Barnes. They tell you he was brainwashed, that it wasn’t him, but you aren’t so sure.

Blink Twice by @brooklyn-boy​

Zemo kidnaps Bucky and injects him with some sort of drug that paralyzes him and takes away his ability to speak. He’s meant to die alone, in a ditch like he was supposed to back in 1944. But then someone finds him…

Uptown Boy (30s AU) by @brooklyn-boy​

You’ve spent so long pretending to be a selfish, conceited, spoiled little rich girl that somewhere along the way, the line was blurred. Now faced with an ultimatum, you have to decide if your pride is worth the only person who’s ever truly loved you.

The Scoop (POC Journalist!Reader) by @brooklyn-boy​

Bucky Barnes laments the fact that every single person he cares about is a dumbass when it comes to their own personal safety. He also hates every single journalist, newscaster or reporter he’s ever met until you.

Who Are You Trying to Fool by @notimetoblog​

A perfect chance of messing with new recruits presents itself to Bucky. Can he pull it off or will you foil his plan?

We’re Gonna Need a Bigger House by @sunmoonandbucky​

You find the courage to tell Bucky about your latest ultrasound.

But Here I Am (Agent!Reader) by @sunmoonandbucky​

After years of being separated from the Avengers, Bucky finds you during a job.

Take it Easy, Romeo by @sunmoonandbucky​

The Soldat remembers one person through it all.

***A+ (Dark!Professor Bucky x CollegeAged!Reader)by @chixkencxrry​

You thought that all your credits had been complete, but a glitch in the system forces you to take a summary course in order for you to graduate. Insert Professor Barnes, your history professor who’s a total ass.

A Year of Firsts (College AU) by @whitewolfbumble​

Part One // Part Two

It wasn’t supposed to be a year of firsts, but then you met Bucky and everything started to fall into place.

13 Cats and a Sorceress by @kentuckybarnes​

Beings from another dimension start to invade New York City, and cats invade Avengers Tower.

Sounds Like a Personal Problem (Law Firm AU) by @kentuckybarnes​

Part One // Part Two

“Remember that favor you owe me?” “Uh-oh”

Pulling Rank (Agent!Reader) by @kentuckybarnes​

A mission has gone badly, and you have a reckoning.

Start With My Name (Medic!Reader) by @kentuckybarnes​

Part One // Part Two

Things get out of hand at a strike mission against Hydra, and you’re responsible for cleaning up the mess.

It Doesn’t Mean Anything (Until it Does) (Agent!Reader) by @cordytriestowrite​

The things that you and Bucky do don’t mean anything so just drop it okay?

Vulnerability (Modern AU) by @mareli-carter​

“We’re both in small claims court and I got into a huge fight with the person suing me but you stepped in to hold me back before security got there.”

Important by @mareli-carter​

“I did that annoying thing where I put loads of smaller boxes inside one big box, and you’re getting really mad, but I can’t wait to see your face when you open the smallest box.”

Two Punks In Love (40s AU) by @jaamesbbarnes​

Years go by but the way you and Bucky care for each other doesn’t change. You’re still the punk who starts fights with anyone breathing in the wrong direction, he’s still a charming little fucker.

Bulletproof (Agent!Reader) by @jaamesbbarnes​

You and Bucky are the most competitive little shits there ever was.

Fair Play (Agent!Reader) by @jaamesbbarnes​

After a rough mission, you and the team go to Coney Island for some fun. Still injured, you can’t go on the rollercoaster with the others so Bucky decides to keep you company and to make your day as memorable as possible.

Saving the Day by @jaamesbbarnes​

On your way back home, you are being followed by a couple of creeps. When your eyes fall on the most impressive and handsome Avengers, you don’t think twice and find yourself a fake boyfriend and savior.

I’m Not Going Anywhere by @jaamesbbarnes​

Working for Stark isn’t always a walk in the park, it’s exhausting. But a certain super soldier and his constant flirting make it bearable. 

Emergency Room (Doctor!Bucky) by @jaamesbbarnes​

Who would have thought that going to the ER could made a bad night turn pretty nicely?

Series

Holiday Heist (Thief!Bucky, Modern AU) by @avengerofyourheart​

When the art gallery you manage is robbed on Christmas Eve, you suspect the handsome stranger who flirted with you earlier in the day, but instead of involving the authorities, you take matters into your own hands with surprising consequences.

Flour Girl (Enemies to Lovers AU) by @avengerofyourheart​

Discovering the cute guy you just flirted with is the heir of a rival bakery, you suddenly find yourself running into him all over the city. Can your small boutique bakery compete? And how do you deal with the guy who seems determined to make your life a living hell? Luckily you’re distracted by a secret admirer…But who is he? 

Playing With Fire (Modern AU) by @sunriserose1023​

Some things just do not mix. Oil and water. Fire and gasoline. You and Bucky Barnes. When it was good, it was great, but when it was bad, it destroyed everything in its path. You’d tried–both of you had–but some things just aren’t meant to be. A year after your break up, Bucky gives you a call, and you willingly dive headfirst back into his orbit. You set boundaries this time, put up walls, determined to keep yourself from being burned again. You’re not about to let him get too close. Only problem? Bucky didn’t get that memo.

***Incubus (Incubus!Bucky) by @after-avenging-hours​

When some of the best sex of your life leads to the unveiling of a world you barely even knew existed, you know you’re in a heap of trouble. James Buchanan Barnes is the kind of man that fills your deepest and darkest fantasies, mainly because he is one. When emotions get involved in a relationship that’s been founded on sex, there’s no turning back. And honestly, you’re not even sure if you want to.

***Disney Corruption by @after-avenging-hours​

Bucky joins you for your late-night Disney movie sessions.  It’s difficult for him to get through them without finding the sexual innuendos

***Hunter!Bucky by @after-avenging-hours​

Bucky is part of the hunting party for the village.  One day, he catches you in the woods, long after you should be tucked away, safe in the village.

Heartbeat (Soulmate AU) by @after-avenging-hours​

Soulmate AU where your heartbeat matches the beat of your soulmate’s; they speed up together, slow down together, skip at the same time, but that means they also stop together… 

I’ll Be Seeing You by @brooklyn-boy​

The Howling Commandos come across a tortured Italian woman in the winter of 1944. With only rudimentary means of communication, Sergeant Bucky Barnes still somehow finds himself falling in love.

Siren’s Song by @brooklyn-boy​

The Avengers come across the profile of an enhanced individual, missing and presumed still under HYDRA’s control. With the power to bend anyone’s will with just a command, the team decides to prioritize freeing this individual. But trust is hard to earn from a former HYDRA asset. Nobody knows this more than Bucky.

Clan of Three (Mandalorian!Bucky) by @brooklyn-boy​

Bucky Barnes is a Mandalorian bounty hunter. All he has to do is take this kid and her glorified babysitter back to the client and be done with it. That’s it. Simple?

Revival by @brooklyn-boy​

Bucky returns to his childhood home only to discover its inheritor struggling to return it to its former glory. Luckily for you, Bucky’s memory isn’t that bad.

Compromised by @brooklyn-boy​

As a Senator for New York, you’ve been fighting hard to have Sergeant James Barnes acquitted. An attempt on your life by a new terrorist sect brings you in contact with the Avengers themselves, and even closer to the man you’ve been working so hard to protect…

Uptown Girl (Millionaire!Bucky, Modern AU) by @brooklyn-boy​

Epilogue

Bucky Barnes is a bit of an eccentric millionaire. He lives alone, aside from his housekeeper/personal assistant. When his mother tells him he needs to get married or be cut off, Bucky lies and tells his mother that his long-suffering assistant is his fiance.

Out of Time by @brooklyn-boy​

On the run from HYDRA in 2023, you accidentally use your time-traveling technology to jump 80 years back in time. Safe for the time being and with Howard Stark vouching for the legitimacy of your time travel claims, you’re stuck in the SSR headquarters until you can fix your gear. Which wouldn’t be half as hard if a certain James ‘Bucky’ Barnes wasn’t so damn distracting…

Stereotypical (Model!Bucky, Modern AU) by @avasparks​

As a PA/secretary, you are all too familiar with the fantasies nearly all men share: banging their hot assistant. Former jobs haven’t worked out for you for that exact reason, and now starting out at a new company, as the secretary for the CEO of the hottest modeling agency in the country, you’re hoping this one will be different. But after meeting your new boss, Mr. J.B. Barnes, you’re not so sure if it will be. Then again, maybe Mr. Barnes is not as stereotypical as you think he is.

Sugar (40s AU) by @softlybarnes​

By a miracle of fate, Bucky Barnes does not fall off of the train. He does not spend decades as a brainwashed assassin. Instead, he goes home to Brooklyn to spend his life with a girl he adores, a snarky nurse that he met during the war.

Two Kingdoms (Royals AU) by @softlybarnes​

Y/N, set to be a queen, is taken on her wedding day by King James, the ruler of another land. At first glance, James’ Kingdom seems to be thriving but Y/N soon realizes something darker and more sinister is at work in James’ land. And she seems to be at the center of it.

City Love (CEO!Bucky, Modern AU) by @chrevastan​

You attend one of Natasha’s office parties against your will and end up meeting a charming stranger who turns out to be the person who runs the company.

Next to Me by @sgtjbuccky​

After an attempt on you and your identical twin’s life, your father calls in the Avengers for protection. Bucky soon realizes your father’s goal is solely to keep you sister safe, and decides that the times of doing the bidding of others are long gone, and takes your protection into his own hands.

Most Wanted (Thief!Bucky, Modern AU) by @sgtjbuccky​

The life you dreamed of wasn’t the one you lived. Day in and day out you tried to change the outcome, but somehow you always ended up right where you began. Fed up with it all, you wished upon a star and was granted with Bucky Barnes, and it wouldn’t take you long to realize that whatever mess you were about to get tangled up in, it would change your life entirely.

Merry and Married (Modern AU) by @sunriserose1023​

It’s been almost a year since the most humiliating moment of your life. You’ve done your best to move on—by literally moving across the country, starting a new job, and you’re finally starting to feel settled. That, of course, is when your bubblehead cousin sends you the invitation to her wedding—which is exactly one year to the day that you were left at the altar. You have to go, but you don’t have to go alone.

Astrophile (Firefighter!Bucky, Single Dad AU) by @all1e23​

Orion Rebecca Barnes’s favorite thing in the whole world (Besides her daddy of course) was spending hours after school in the bookstore by her house. Aunt Nattie takes her every time her dad has to work an overnight shift at the station and it’s her absolute favorite place. Plus, the owner GIVES her any book she wants because she’s the coolest girl Ori has ever met. It didn’t take long for Bucky to notice his daughter’s sudden interest in constellations and the large stack of astrology related books piling up in her room. He’s spent her entire life trying to teach her about the stars and where her name came from with little interest from his little comet and all of sudden she’s in love?

To Build a Home (Family AU) by @ussgallifreyfics​

The glimpses into a life Bucky never thought was possible for himself. A world where he would find someone who he could love and be loved in return - a person he could start a family with. This is how an ex-assassin navigates the world of parenthood.

Not Happening (Modern AU) by @notimetoblog​

An online dating site clearly makes a mistake when it matches you with the one person you cannot stand.

Hero For Hire by @delicatelyherdreams​

Tired of constantly being sat on the sidelines for missions, Bucky Barnes decides that he’s going to do his own hero work and offer his services to the public as a freelance “hero for hire.” He expects to be asked to rescue cats from trees or help little old ladies cross the street, but he doesn’t expect to get tangled up in your life. He definitely doesn’t expect to fall for you either. But, when you’re a hero for hire, you’ve gotta see the mission through.

<<p>Stray by @jaamesbbarnes​

When Bucky stumbles upon a stray cat near his building in Bucharest and takes him in, he doesn’t expect for his world to turn upside down.

Schlaflos (Rogers!Reader) by @mareli-carter​

Steve’s younger sister, a nurse during the Second World War, finds herself in Hydra’s possession after trying to help the Howling Commandos save Bucky.

The White Wolf (Mobster!Bucky) by @captain-ariel-barnes​

James “Bucky” Barnes is the most feared man in New York. What happens when a flower shop owner gets tangled up in his empire?

Sly as a Fox (Vigilante!Reader, SocialMedia AU) by @sunmoonandbucky​

After the blip, the Avengers continue on with business as usual.  But they soon find out that while they were away, someone took it upon themselves to do the job they left behind.

A Lesson in Love (College AU) by @buckyywiththegoodhair​

In which you’re assigned to write a story about romance, a subject you know nothing about, and Bucky, a hopeless romantic, offers you his assistance.

***Artistic License (Sugar Daddy AU) by @cametobuyplums​

Once upon a time in Paris, there was an aspiring creative down on her luck. What’s a beautiful young woman to do? Agree for the wealthy Bucky Barnes to be her Sugar Daddy, of course.

I’m With You (Modern AU) by @wkemeup​

When two strangers meet on a layover in the Charlotte Airport, they are sent on a whirlwind weekend filled with cancelled flights, painful questions over giant checkers, an ex-boyfriend’s wedding, and a confrontational graduation. They find that a lifetime can sit in the span of three days and it doesn’t take very long at all to fall in love.

Flowers Bloom (Soulmate AU) by @revengingbarnes​

Whenever someone is injured, flowers bloom on their soulmate at the area of the wound. You are born with flowers around your entire left shoulder.

Agent 28 (Agent!Reader) by @kentuckybarnes​

He’s a Soviet-trained assassin. You’re a secret agent. He has a thing for thigh holsters. You have a thing for his behind (who doesn’t?) But it’s all hush-hush. What shenanigans will the two of you get into to keep your affair concealed from the rest of the Avengers, all while you’re trying to save the world?

Howler & The Black Cat (Vigilante!Bucky x Vigilante!Reader) by @kentuckybarnes​

By day, you’re just another employee at Stark Tower. By night? A justice-seeker known as Black Cat. No one knows your secret, and certainly not your sometime partner in vigilante activity, sometime-pain in the butt Romeo, Howler. But no matter how hard he tries, you have no intention of giving in…

While You Were Sleeping (mentioned Steve Rogers x Reader) by @kentuckybarnes​

Mistaken as Captain America’s girlfriend following a near-death experience, you keep up the pretense under the suspicious eyes of his best friend, Bucky Barnes. But soon you find out that Steve Rogers isn’t all he’s supposed to be, and somehow, Bucky is so, so much more.

Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree (40s!Bucky x OC) by @kentuckybarnes​

In 1941 Brooklyn, a young woman spends her nights sneaking out of her parents’ house to play jazz piano at clubs. Although she disguises herself to keep out of trouble, it doesn’t fool everyone.

Sugar Daddy’s (Modern AU) cowritten by @kentuckybarnes​ and @nacho-bucky​

Suave, confident, charming Bucky Barnes has a deep dark secret – and you, a small-town investigative journalist, are determined to get to the bottom of it. What lurks in his shadowed past, and how deeply will you be drawn in? Co-written with @caitfairwrites!

Seven-Thirty (Modern AU) by @nacho-bucky​

You were planning on a productive — if lonely — weekend, but the little girl across the hall has different ideas about how you and Bucky Barnes should be spending your time.

Lemon Pie (40s AU) by @nacho-bucky​

Moments measured in messy days and peaceful nights; in too-tart pies and slobbery toys. Bucky returns from war to find a life he never expected: a rich symphony of mishaps and mayhem and immeasurable love.

​

#fic recs #marvel #avengers fic #bucky barnes fic #clint barton fic #tom hiddleston fic #tom holland fic #peter parker fic #loki fic

[tiesandtea]

Mat Osman about Coming Up - Boston Phoenix, May 1997

Direct drama: The Suede get swayed by soul

By Amy Finch for Boston Phoenix, May 15-22, 1997. Original article archived here.

"With this album the stuff I like the best is stuff like ‘Saturday Night,’ which is really plain. I think one of the things we tried to do was be less impressive. Brett had always written these lyrics that were quite impressive and they were quite," Osman pauses, "artistic. They sounded like they could almost be poems. This one we tried deliberately to make it a lot more heartfelt and a lot more simple."

On their first two full-length discs, the London Suede played pop symphonies that sparkled with glitter and swoon, and the bliss of feeling dreadfully sorry for yourself. No doubt the boys and girls who once worshipped the Smiths found a new home for their ardor in the glam-and-mope artistry of Suede ('93) and the theatrical elegance of Dog Man Star ('94). Both recordings forged a matchless mix of style and soul.

Suede's genius was fed by fetching androgyne Brett Anderson, who wrote and sang in a rapturous sob, and co-writer Bernard Butler, who constructed guitar backdrops steeped in drama. Drama that might've felt like insufferable farce if not for its self-awareness and rich beauty. "Have I gone too far inside my mind?", Anderson wondered at one point. Not too far to forget the allure of melancholy set to sound.

Right after Dog Man Star, Butler left the band, and fans worried that it meant the finish, same as when Morrissey and Johnny Marr stopped talking. Now that there's finally a Butler-less Suede disc, Coming Up (all are on nude/Columbia), one's first impulse is to zoom in on the imprint of his replacement, Richard Oakes, who was only 17 when he got hired two years ago. Sure enough, Coming Up does unveil a different Suede. ("London" was tacked on a few years ago in the US for legal reasons -- an American singer named Suede.) Coming Up turns away from lushly drawn self-obsessions in favor of a pared-down approach. And Suede come across as bent less on shaping intricate tableaux than on getting glitzed up for adventure.

Coming Up is full of exuberant decadence and pride, from the single "Trash" ("We're the litter on the breeze") to "Saturday Night" ("We'll go to peepshows and freak shows/We'll go to discos, casinos/We'll go where people go and let go"). Where did all that life-loving sparkle come from?

"Partly it came from Richard," explains bassist Mat Osman over the phone during a break from a tour that brings the band to Boston this weekend. Oakes, Osman says, was writing "really compact pop songs. It was the first record he'd ever made, and I think your debut record tends to be quite vibrant and quite exciting. It's a natural thing. You just want to stamp your mark on the record. And partly we were just happier. Dog Man Star was made in such an oppressive situation. We were fighting and it was done in bits, and you can't help but for that to come out on the record. This one, as a band, we were just a lot happier. It was actually fun to make.

"With this album the stuff I like the best is stuff like ‘Saturday Night,’ which is really plain. I think one of the things we tried to do was be less impressive. Brett had always written these lyrics that were quite impressive and they were quite," Osman pauses, "artistic. They sounded like they could almost be poems. This one we tried deliberately to make it a lot more heartfelt and a lot more simple."

Coming Up is the first Suede album done without a handful of outside-musician help. Besides Oakes, keyboardist Neil Codling joined the band. The new structure allowed for new freedom, says Osman. "It probably gives you a chance to shut up a bit because you don't have to fill in so many gaps. We're probably tighter than we've ever been, but that's also because we spent a year touring and a year practicing before we made the record."

"We used to be very rigid. In the past the songs would be written on guitar. Brett would put a tune to them, and then the band would flesh them out. But Richard's pretty open about the way he works. Some would just be Brett coming in with a phrase or a rhythm and we write around that, or just stuff the band does all together when we rehearse. We're trying to be quite open in the way we write."

For all its virtues Coming Up often lacks the earlier Suede's haunted fragility. The band's penchant for building an album around a thematic core is still in evidence, but the most glorious song on the disc is the understated "By the Sea." No glamor or primping here -- just a man and woman living along the shore, in a seaside shack, waiting to see what happens. The songcraft of other numbers may be more technically adroit, but "By the Sea" lingers like an unfinished love story. This time, the soul outweighs the style.

The London Suede play the Paradise this Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18, with Longpigs opening. Call 562-8800 or 423-6000.

#suede #mat osman #coming up #the london suede #coming up month

[tomeandflickcorner]

Episode Review- The Real Ghostbusters: Hard Knight’s Day

Okay, this is one of the episodes where I wanted to know more about the backstory to everything, but never got any answers. Also, why does Peter always seem to go for women that he clearly doesn’t mesh with?

The Ghostbusters are returning home after a successfully bust, and Peter is clearly in a hurry to get back to the Firehouse.  So much so, he immediately jumps out of the Ecto-1 the instant it pulls into the garage.  It’s quickly established that Peter managed to get a date for that evening, and he’s running a bit late to pick up his date.  As Peter hurries to change into his date clothes, he asks Janine where his shirt is. Janine tells him it’s lying out on a nearby table, but when Peter goes to fetch it, he discovers Slimer had chosen that same exact table to eat a pizza.  Which resulted in Peter’s shirt getting covered with green slime.  Peter immediately starts chasing after Slimer, who seemed immediately sorry upon realizing he’d been sitting on Peter’s clean shirt. Before Peter could get to Slimer, though, Winston and Ray manage to grab hold of Peter to hold him back. Ray offers to loan Peter one of his shirts, promising that he’ll look great.  Of course, it’s then revealed that the shirt Ray offered was a Hawaiian print shirt. Which made Peter look like Dale from Rescue Rangers.

Still, Peter headed out and soon arrived at the apartment of his date, Doris, who accepts the roses Peter brought her.  As Doris puts the roses in a vase, Peter started off listing ideas of where they could go for their date.  Doris, however, cuts him off, announcing she’d already accepted invitations for the both of them to attend a special evening showing of the Genevieve Tapestry at the Cloisters.  Peter doesn’t seem to be on board with that idea, but Doris doesn’t pay him any mind, and they end up taking a taxi to the Cloisters.  Upon arriving, Peter suddenly notices that Slimer had been following them. He quickly realizes that Slimer was hoping that he’d forgive him for getting Peter’s nice shirt dirty, but Peter announces he won’t forgive him, and he instructs Slimer to go home.  However, the miserable Slimer doesn’t relent and follows Peter and Doris inside.  Although, Peter soon spots him peeking out from a wall, and he once again orders Slimer to go home.

Doris sees they still have a few minutes before the showing of the Genevieve Tapestry begins, so she decides they can look at the Unicorn Tapestries first.  As they look at the Unicorn Tapestries, which Peter doesn’t seem too impressed with, Peter and Doris are approached by a man named Steve Jennings.  Steve is apparently a museum official, and he and Doris are previously acquainted with each other.  After practically shoving Peter aside, Steve strikes up a conversation with Doris, saying he’s glad she could make it and that he has a surprise for her.  Peter, feeling snubbed (and for good reason), steps in to point out to Steve that he’s there, too.  Although, Steve is clearly dismissive of Peter, even going so far as to call the Ghostbusters’ work  ‘nonsense.’ Naturally, Peter is quite annoyed by this. And when Steve and Doris head off together as the showing of the Genevieve Tapestry is about to begin, Peter attempts to call Slimer over to, I guess, prove to Steve that his line of work wasn’t nonsense.  But it seems Slimer had already left as he doesn’t respond to Peter calling for him.

At the unveiling of the Genevieve Tapestry, Steve talks for a bit about how it was recovered from the ruins of the Sans Pitie Castle. When the Genevieve Tapestry is revealed, both Steve and Peter remark on how there’s a striking resemblance between Doris and Genevieve.  Though Doris doesn’t seem to think that’s true. However, as they continue to look at the tapestry, a nearby painting of a group of knights comes to life, with the figures stepping out of the painting.  The leader of the knights, a man with a thick mane of red hair, announces his name is Sir Bruce Sans Pitie, and that he has been freed from Merlin’s curse.   Sir Bruce then spots Doris among the crowd of onlookers and mistakes her for Genevieve, whom he apparently loved, and he proceeds to abduct her.  Peter attempts to come to Doris’ rescue, but he quickly finds that he’s outnumbered by Sir Bruce’s knights.  Peter manages to bluff his way out by making Sir Bruce think that Merlin is right behind him and slips away when Sir Bruce was looking the other way. Although, he wasn’t able to get to Doris before making his getaway.  Sir Bruce then instructs his men to awaken every inhabitant of the castle, so the knights run through the Cloisters, bringing every statue and paining they come across to life.

By the time Egon, Winston and Ray arrive, with Slimer in tow (I’m guessing Peter called them), the Cloisters have been transformed into Sans Pitie Castle.   Egon announces that if they don’t reverse the process soon, then the changes will be permanent.  Upon hearing this, Steve is aghast.  Because he can’t stand the idea of losing all of the artwork inside.  Peter proceeds to introduce Steve to the other Ghostbusters by stating that Steve is the one who caused all the trouble.  Because, according to Peter, this all happened because Steve unveiled the tapestry.  No offence to Peter, of course, but I fail to see how any of this is Steve’s fault. Sure, he was being quite rude in snubbing Peter earlier, but it’s not as if he knew that showing Doris the Genevieve Tapestry would bring Sir Bruce’s painting to life.

Anyway, inside the castle, Sir Bruce is kneeling before Doris, still believing her to be Genevieve. He basically states that he’ll give her anything she desires.  Doris tries to insist she’s not Genevieve, but Sir Bruce dismisses this, believing that Merlin’s curse is preventing her from remembering. He then turns to look at the Genevieve Tapestry.  When Doris turns to look at it as well, she sees that the image on the tapestry is staring to fade.  When she asks why that’s happening, Sir Bruce simply turns to her with a smile.  It then immediately cuts to outside, where the Ghostbusters all hear Doris crying out for Peter.  Ray, upon hearing Doris calling out that the Genevieve in the tapestry is fading, recalls a similar incident back in 1942, in Peru.  It was referred to as the Amagortle Manifestation. Egon seems to have heard of this incident as well, since he explains that the following morning, the person who was abducted had appeared within a tapestry.  Peter realizes that this means, unless they can get Doris away from Sir Bruce, then she’ll end up being trapped within the Genevieve Tapestry, possibly forever.  So they’ve got a bit of a deadline here.

The Ghostbusters proceed to climb over the exterior wall in order to begin their rescue mission.  Ray consults a copy of the Cloister’s floor plan to determine their best route to the exhibition room where Sir Bruce is keeping Doris. Peter feels like this should be easy as all they have to do is trap Sir Bruce, but Egon disagrees.  He and Ray suspect that Sir Bruce and his knights were most likely tethered to the Genevieve Tapestry by Merlin’s curse, so they couldn’t be simply trapped. (Here, we get a strange moment where Peter seems to make a ‘then what do we do?’ gesture, only for Ray to get to his feet and start walking off without another word.  Did they skip a line there?)  

As the Ghostbusters make their way through the castle, Egon reminds them of something Steve told them earlier.  It seems that, up until tonight, the Genevieve Tapestry was either rolled up or covered up during the night.  Meaning this was the first time it was on full display after nightfall. This led to them speculating that Merlin’s curse had to be tied to the moon.  So if they manage to keep Sir Bruce busy until the sun rises again, then it might be possible to trap him in a Ghost Trap.  They proceed to sneak along the castle corridors, past a large courtyard area where a large group of spirits that had been released from their paintings are having a large feast.  But when the Ghostbusters make it past the courtyard, they notice Ray has disappeared. Because he’d spotted that Slimer had joined the partiers and was helping himself to the food that had been laid out. Winston decides to double back to fetch Ray while Egon and Peter continue on to the room where Doris is being held prisoner, but Ray has already been spotted by the ghosts.  And Ray and Winston have to run for their lives.  To escape from the spirits chasing them, they dive past a set of doors that some other ghosts were in the process of barricading.  As a result, they find themselves surrounded by a small herd of unicorns. Right away, Winston decides these unicorns might be just what they need.

Elsewhere, Egon and Peter have made it to the special exhibition room.  They see that time is running out, as Doris has started to forget who she is and is beginning to think she actually is Genevieve.  They have to get her away from the tapestry, and fast.  Before they can think of anything, one of Sir Bruce’s knights enters the room, announcing that the unicorns have escaped.  Upon hearing this, Sir Bruce mounts his horse and rides off in order to drive the unicorns out.   This gives Egon and Peter the chance to run in and get Doris, despite the fact that she now believes herself to be Genevieve.  

So now, Egon and Peter are running around with Peter carrying Doris/Genevieve over his shoulder.  Along the way, they spot Ray and Winston galloping past atop their unicorn steeds, chasing away the spirits from the other paintings.  Eventually Sir Bruce appears on the scene and begins chasing after Ray, Winston and the unicorns.  Ray and Winston manage to lure Sir Bruce outside of the castle, where the Lead Unicorn stops and turns to face Sir Bruce one-on-one.  Sir Bruce and the Lead Unicorn have a brief joust, which Sir Bruce effectively loses by being knocked off his horse.  That’s when Sir Bruce notices that the sun is starting to come up. He and his knights flee back into the castle, but before they could make it inside, Egon and Peter appeared before them, their Proton Packs primed and ready.  Still, despite their best efforts at catching Sir Bruce now that he was outside of the castle at daybreak, Peter and Egon are unable to stop Sir Bruce and his knights from forcing their way back inside the castle.  Even when Ray and Winston, who somehow managed to beat Sir Bruce back, try to assist them, their efforts are ineffective.  

When Sir Bruce manages to reenter the castle, Ray is ready to throw in the towel, stating they’ll never manage to capture Sir Bruce now. Especially since Sir Bruce knows he’ll be defeated if he comes outside after sunrise.  However, Peter has an idea.  He manages to disguise himself as Merlin and effectively frightens Sir Bruce outside the castle.  Once Sir Bruce is outside in the sunlight, the Ghostbusters are able to confine and trap Sir Bruce, with Peter rubbing salt on the wound by revealing he’d tricked Sir Bruce. Once Sir Bruce is confined inside a Ghost Trap, all the other spirits are returned to their individual portraits and tapestries, and the Cloisters are restored to its original state.

In the aftermath of the capture, the Ghostbusters check up on Doris, who seems to have no memory of what happened during the whole ordeal. But as Doris gets her bearings, she remembers the Genevieve Tapestry, and she announces that she wants to see it again.  Upon hearing this, the Ghostbusters all get horrified looks on their faces and start to run after her in order to stop her.  (Although, since the moon isn’t out anymore, would the whole Merlin’s Curse thing still be in issue?)  And that’s where the episode ends.

I really had trouble following this episode.  What exactly was Merlin’s curse?  Why did Merlin curse Sir Bruce in the first place?  Can we have a bit more backstory, please?  I know Merlin was from Arthurian legend.  And apparently so was Sir Bruce, who was an evil knight in King Arthur mythos.  But I don’t recall a Genevieve.  Unless they were referring to Guinevere, which is the Anglicization of the name Genevieve.  But if that was the case, that brings up even more questions.  Because Guinevere was said to have fallen in love and ran off with Sir Lancelot, not Sir Bruce.  Also, why exactly did Doris look like Genevieve? Was she Genevieve’s descendant, or was the resemblance just an uncanny coincidence?  Even the fact that the unicorns seemed to be on Ray and Winston’s side came out of nowhere.  The episode kinda addressed this with Ray asking Winston how he knew the unicorns could help them.  But all Winston can say is that he figured a guy like Sir Bruce was sure to have enemies. Even with that explanation, that seemed like a really lucky guess.  This episode just left me with so many unanswered questions, and I don’t like it. All that aside, I also have to ask why Peter always seems to go out with women that seem to be completely wrong for him. First it was Alice from The Collect Call of Cathulhu, now Doris. Both women seem to be more into intellectual discussions and the fine arts, neither of which are Peter’s cup of tea. Peter should really stick to women who share his interests.

(Click here for more Ghostbusters reviews)

#the real ghostbusters #rgb episode review #ghostbusters franchise

[edendaphne]

As promised, some angst starring Chat!Felix and Marinette (using some of the earlier concept art/designs)

Note: I'd been working on this oneshot and illustrations since before the most recent season 3 spoilers were released (the ones with episode titles and synopses) so everything in here is strictly an AU.

You can also read it here on Ao3

"I’m in love with you, Felix."

Felix stared at Marinette for a few seconds, then scoffed. He didn't have time for this today; he was planning his own love confession to Ladybug tonight and he didn’t appreciate any unnecessary distractions. Marinette’s abrupt declaration of love was merely one of numerous others he had received; call it another curse he was inflicted with, although this one wasn’t of magical origin like his ring.

"You don’t love me, Marinette," he snorted. "You love what I represent. Fame, money, fashion. You think you can get a taste of those things through me.” Looking away, he added, “Just like all the others."

Marinette faltered, "Th-that’s not true! I like you for you, not just because you’re an Agreste!"

"Is that so?" He replied sarcastically. "How could you? You don’t even know me,” he spat, words dripping with unveiled disdain.

Gathering as much determination she could, Marinette argued, "But I do! I’ve noticed things that you try to hide from others. You’re always very reserved and serious on the outside, but I know that inside you’re actually a very warm and loving person." She added a bit more quietly, "I know that you act a certain way because you’re afraid of being vulnerable, of letting people in and getting hurt, just like you’ve been hurt in the past."

Felix glared down at her from his height. "So you’ve been studying me? I don’t appreciate being psychoanalyzed, Marinette."

"No, that isn’t—! I didn’t—!" she stuttered, panicking on the inside, desperately fighting the urge to run away or hide, anything to escape from his judgmental gaze. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry or upset you! I just want to understand you and figure out—"

"Figure out what?” He interrupted. “How to impress me? How to talk or what to wear to make me notice you? Have you ever taken the time to actually get to know me?"

Marinette recoiled and curled in on herself, the sting of his words chipping away at her heart. "That isn’t it! You say I don’t know you at all, but you never accept my invitations to go on activities or dates! How can I get to know you better if you won’t give me a chance?"

"Maybe I don’t want to give you a chance. Have you ever considered that maybe I just want to be left alone?" He crossed his arms and said with finality, "Stop hounding me, Marinette. I can’t stand groupies."

Marinette gasped in disbelief. Bristling at being called a groupie, her stomach churned unpleasantly, suddenly feeling the need to throw up. With her voice as even as she could muster, she uttered quietly, almost whispering, “R-right. As you wish. I won’t bother you anymore, I promise.” She turned away from him, hoping she could force one foot in front of the other despite the sudden feeling of lightheadedness. “Take care of yourself, Felix. Goodbye.”

Felix sighed heavily in frustration as she walked away.  He could have sworn he heard sniffling, but it must’ve just been his imagination.

Hours later after dark, Felix ran across the rooftops as Chat Noir, getting some light exercise before his patrol with Ladybug and, if he were to be completely honest with himself, to get away from his stuffy mansion. He paused on top of the bakery by the school, enjoying the delightful smells of foods he didn't allow himself to partake in, when he heard Marinette tearfully talking on the phone. That was odd. Why would she be crying at this hour?

“No… I’m not okay, but I will be eventually. It'll just take time.” She sighed. “A lot of time." She paused, listening to the other side. "No… no, please don’t confront him. He made it pretty clear that he doesn’t want anything to do with me and I’m going to respect that."

Chat Noir became rooted to the spot. She was talking about Felix, about him, and the confession from earlier.

Marinette sighed and resumed tearfully, "Maybe he’s right. Maybe I really don't know him at all. Maybe I’ve just deluded myself all this time because I thought I understood him a little. Oh, how could I have messed this up so badly? I should never have confessed! …At least I know what he really thinks of me now. I’ve never seen him look at me that way, like I was the scum of the earth, like-" she choked down a sob. "Like I was lower than dirt! Like he hated me!"

Chat’s heart dropped and he felt like he’d been dropped into a tub of ice water. Had his words really affected her that much? He didn’t actually hate Marinette. She was a genuinely nice person, always helpful and cheerful, if a bit scatterbrained and lacking in punctuality. Still, the guilt settled uncomfortably in his gut and he felt slightly dizzy, his hands clammy underneath the suit. Part of him wanted to leave so he wouldn’t have to endure hearing the rest of this conversation, but another part deep within knew he deserved the torture of hearing how much he'd hurt her.

There was another pause as Marinette continued to sob. "No… I'm giving up on him. Maybe even giving up on love altogether. This kind of pain isn't worth it." She went quiet for a few moments, then replied, "Yeah, you're right. Thanks for checking up on me, Alya. You're the best… Yeah, I'll keep in touch… Sure... Love you too. Bye."

Flabbergasted, Chat Noir still couldn’t force himself to leave the balcony. Overhearing (okay, eavesdropping) this discussion had shaken him to his core. Marinette had been honest with him earlier. Her confession was authentic and heartfelt. And not only did she care about him, but she’d also been able to see past his aloof and unfriendly demeanor that he’d used as a shield from the world ever since he was a child. For as long as he could remember, he’d given up on trying to be understood, and Marinette was the only one that had ever even attempted to do so.

Choking back a hard, uncomfortable lump in his throat, he shook his head and stood up. He needed to calm his nerves before his meeting with Ladybug, so he attempted to convince himself that his actions were entirely justified. He couldn’t help the way he felt. He didn’t like Marinette the way she apparently felt for him. Maybe he could have been more kind in his rejection but that wasn’t who he was. Felix wasn’t a nice person like her. And Marinette was resilient. She’d get over it. She’d forget him. And eventually she’d find herself a person who was her type and would suit her better. It was never meant to be.

He ignored the large, empty pit in his stomach and with these thoughts in mind, he sprinted away into the night, blending in with the darkness where he belonged. 

“I’m in love with you, Ladybug.”

Ladybug widened her eyes incredulously, staring first at Chat Noir, then at the ruby red rose he was holding. She felt prickles at the back of her neck, dreading a conversation she’d hoped she would never have to have again, much less within the same day.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and suppressed a groan. Chat Noir theatrically professed his so-called affections for her just about every other week, and this time was no different. She simply wasn’t up for any teasing this night.

“Chat, can we stop with the shenanigans today? I’m really not in the mood. In fact, I almost called off tonight’s patrol.” At his questioning look, she elaborated, “Earlier today I got rejected by the guy I like and he… he didn't let me down gently." She turned away, trying desperately to even her breathing and blink away tears lest she open the floodgates again.

Chat took a step forward and took her hand, stating dramatically, “Who could have possibly been so cruel to you, My Queen? Surely they must be blind or idiotic to reject an extraordinary creature such as yourself.”

She scoffed through her nose. “He certainly didn’t seem to think I’m so extraordinary.”

Chat’s mouth widened into his trademark Cheshire grin and he replied with a flourish, “It’s a good thing I’m here then, for I’ll sing your praises far and wide all over France, letting everyone know of my adoration for you.”

Ladybug huffed incredulously, taking her hand away, her voice trembling as she snapped at him, “Chat, don’t. Don’t do this to me. Not today. Not after what happened to me earlier. Can’t you be more sensitive to my feelings and stop being so damn pushy?” After a long pause she took a deep breath and continued, “You don't love me, Chat. You… ‘you love what I represent.’”

Chat’s eyes grew wide as saucers, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu that was too close to be mere coincidence.

This can’t be… No, it couldn’t be, it just couldn’t. There’s no way fate would be this cruel.

Pushing the intruding thought aside, he argued, “But Ladybug, I do love you! I’ve loved you from the moment we met!”

Ladybug let out a small scoff. “Chat. We both know that’s a lie.” A few moments passed and she stated bluntly, “I know about your curse.”

Chat’s mouth dropped open slightly upon hearing her revelation, feeling something akin to whiplash. She knows, he thought. But how?

“You just want to use me. You always have.” Ladybug declared hotly. “Well, I'm not going to fall for it! They’re lies, all of it! Never in our entire partnership have you been honest with me.” She looked up at him and the tears finally started flowing. “You couldn’t care less about me,” she seethed.

This conversation was quickly spiraling out of his control. Desperately, Chat argued, “You know that’s not true! I do care about you!”

“Oh, please,” she dismissed him bitterly as the tears fell. “You only care about yourself. All you’ve ever wanted from me was a kiss to break the curse from your miraculous, and then you’d toss me away when you didn’t need me anymore. If you had just asked me then I’d understand, but you couldn’t even be forthright with me about it... After all we’ve been through together, don’t you think I deserve at least that?”  She squeezed her eyes shut, body shaking.

Chat felt his insides crumple and it was like his body was free falling. Despite Ladybug being correct in her assumption that he didn’t start their partnership with the purest intentions, he had sincerely grown to fall deeply, irrevocably in love with her.  Did she really, earnestly think he didn’t care about her at all after all this time?

“Ladybug, you have to believe me, that’s not how it is!” he insisted. “You’re the love of my life! You’re everything I could ever need!” Ladybug countered sharply, “But what about me, Chat? How about what I need?”

Chat replied quickly, “I’d give you anything you could ever possibly want! Anything you wish for would be yours.”

Feebly, she replied, “I don’t even know what I want anymore.” She muttered, aside, “Maybe Felix was right. Maybe none of us truly know each other.”

Chat Noir paled. This couldn’t be happening. All this time, right in front of him. The compassionate, thoughtful, ingenious, most important person in his life. And he’d been too blind, his soul too bitter to notice her. Thinking of it now, there was no real difference between the way the two of them acted, save a bit more confidence and outspokenness as Ladybug. The same couldn’t be said about him though. His outgoing and theatrical Chat Noir persona was the complete opposite of everything Felix was behind the mask. There was no way she could have guessed that they were one and the same. He, however, had no excuse. It should have been obvious. But Ladybug was right. He was selfish. And he’d been dishonest.  Not only that, but his heartless, cruel treatment of Marinette had ruined any possible chances he may have had with her. She truly was extraordinary and he was just…

I’m an asshole, he realized.

The pain etched on her face, the red and puffy eyes that were visible despite her wearing a mask, none of it belonged there. She deserved nothing but happiness but she was the one suffering. Because of him. 

He inhaled sharply as a flood of memories flashed through his mind of all the times when harsh words were directed at him, memories of his younger self hiding inside a closet, sobbing, desperately wishing for even the smallest amount of love and warmth. Until eventually, years later after countless heartbreaks and disappointments, he’d finally adapted and became numb to it. And while this defense mechanism helped him to protect his own heart, it had also rendered him uncaring and indifferent towards others. It was only recently, due to Ladybug’s kindness and influence, that Felix was slowly beginning to learn how to feel again (although admittedly he was still pretty lousy at it, as his current situation could attest to).

Ladybug sniffled and suddenly paused, as if a thought had just occurred to her. She steeled herself, resolve filled her face and she took a few rapid steps forward Chat Noir until their bodies were almost touching. She placed a hand on his chest and looked up at him, and yet her eyes looked hollow and dispirited. Her other hand moved to gently cup his jaw, then she closed her eyes and closed the remaining distance between them.

As she leaned in, Chat panicked. "W-what are you doing?!" 

"Giving you what you want," she said and puckered her lips.

He pulled his head back and she opened her eyes, revealing a now agitated look. Chat took a few steps backwards hoping to get some distance between them but she followed, never letting go of him, until he backed up against a wall and had nowhere left to go. She pinned him against it roughly, using both hands, holding him still enough for her to kiss.

“L-Ladybug, wait!” he stammered. “Don’t do this! You can’t!”

Exasperated, she cried, “Don’t you want to be free from the burden of being Chat Noir? You’d never have to see me again. That’s what you want, isn’t it? Your freedom?” she spat. “One kiss and you could get rid of all this, and we can stop this game. You don’t love me and maybe I’ll never be loved like I want to be, but I can free you from this curse. And from me.”

At that instant he did something he never believed he would ever do: he pushed her away. He couldn’t accept her kiss. Not like this. This wasn’t like her. She was hurting and lashing out and asking for help all at once. This wasn’t how he wanted to end his time as Chat Noir. It couldn’t end like this.

“Ladybug, listen to me!” he pleaded, holding her firmly by her upper arms. “I don’t want this and I know you don’t want this! I can’t let you do it! You mean so much more to me than this!”

She squirmed in his grip.  “I don’t believe you!!”  she shouted, barely able to see him through her watery eyes. 

Not letting go, Chat replied quietly, “I don’t blame you. I really don’t. I haven’t been a good partner to you; I’ve been deceitful and crass, and I’m sure someone else could do a better job at being Chat Noir. It may not come as a surprise to you that I’m not a good person in real life. In fact, I’m pretty damn horrible.” He gave a humorless chuckle.

Ladybug ceased her struggling and looked up at him in confusion.

Chat continued, “But I believe that we’re together for a reason and I don’t want to give up. I’d like to stay with you and continue to fight alongside you. I want to protect you, to destroy anything that would dare try to hurt you… But if that someone is me, then…” He tightly squeezed his eyes shut. “If you really don’t want me here then I can leave. I can leave you alone and I promise I wouldn’t bother you anymore.” He looked at her pleadingly, eyes glistening. “But if you would have me, if you would tolerate me, then I would stay with you forever. I promise.”

Through his hastened speech, Ladybug stared at him, wide eyed and full of disbelief, but as he reached the end, she broke.

Gasping and staring, a horrified Ladybug cried remorsefully, “Chat… Oh, Chat, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” She sobbed openly, not even attempting to suppress it. Chat gingerly pulled her close, gathering her into his arms. She trembled and heavy sobs violently racked her small body. He held her, soothed her, whispered to her, stroking the back of her head gently, careful so that his claws wouldn’t snag on her soft, raven hair. They stayed that way for a long time, clinging to each other like a lifeline.

An hour later, Ladybug and Chat Noir sat on the roof side-by-side, legs and hips touching. Chat's arm draped loosely around her shoulders and his thumb stroked against her upper arm, while Ladybug rested her head on his chest seeking comfort. The two sat in companionable silence; Ladybug’s crying had finally stopped and she was exhausted. Her breathing had slowed considerably and Chat wondered if she’d fallen asleep. He wished vehemently that they could stay like this forever, but they had school the next day and Felix had a very long apology to prepare, so it was time to part ways.

Chat gently nudged Ladybug’s shoulder and she stirred slightly. “Are you awake, Choupinette?”

“Hmmm…” she sighed airily and nuzzled into him. “Barely.”

He chuckled lightly and gave her a small squeeze. “I deeply regret having to disturb you, but alas, the time has come for us to say our farewells for the night.”

Ladybug harrumphed and tightly wrapped her arms around his waist in mock indignation, which caused him to laugh.

He booped her nose playfully. “You are simply too cute, Ma Choupinette. But we absolutely cannot allow such rebellion from you. You are going home even if I have to transport you there myself.” With this said, he abruptly jumped up, carrying her in his arms bridal style, the sudden movement causing her to throw her arms tightly around his neck and squeal in surprise. He followed up by vigorously tickling her ribs with the hand that held her torso.

She squirmed in his hold and laughed freely. “Alright, alright, you win, I’ll go home! Now let me down, you doof!”

Chuckling, Chat set her back down on the ground, yet his hands remained on her waist, not quite ready to fully let her go. Similarly, she had released her hold around his neck but her hands had slid down onto his chest. He could feel the hair on his arms stand up and his face heat up, along with the butterflies fluttering wildly in his chest, and he was grateful that his suit covered most of his body so she wouldn’t be able to see it.

Her expression sobered and she said with difficulty, “By the way… I’m sorry I tried to kiss you. And I’m sorry I said all those awful things to you.”

Chat stroked her cheek and spoke to her softly, “You don’t have to say sorry. Not to me. I know you were feeling devastated by what happened to you earlier. I should have been more considerate to your feelings, acted more tactful.” He frowned and he spat bitterly, “That other guy… he’s a fool. He doesn’t deserve you. He will never deserve you,” he said emphatically. “You’re too good for him, too pure and sweet and kind. There is no excuse for the way he treated you and he doesn’t deserve your attention, nor does he deserve your forgiveness.”

Ladybug looked away from him and shrugged. “He really isn’t a bad person. Honestly, I can’t even be mad at him. He had every right to not return my feelings and reject me, even if he didn’t go about it the right way. Now I’m just dreading how horribly awkward things are going to be at school.”

Chat’s eyebrows rose in shock and his throat felt dry. How could she possibly be defending Felix even now? Was it because she was in love with him and she was seeing him through rose colored lenses, or would she have been just as kind to anyone else? Knowing her though, he suspected it was the latter.

Hesitating, he gulped but finally asked, “Are… are you going to speak with him about it?”

She exhaled and she shook her head. “He seems to really dislike me,” she replied. “I won’t be talking to him unless I really have to, like if we have a school assignment together.”

Chat frowned at this. Had he really cost himself the friendship he hadn’t realized they’d had?

“I’m sorry,” he replied remorsefully. “I wish I could make it up to you.”

She smiled weakly, yet it was the most melancholy smile he’d ever seen on her beautiful face. He never wanted to see her look that way again. He felt the protectiveness that he only ever felt around her overwhelm him, promptly followed by the crushing reminder that it was he who had caused her such pain.

She patted his arm. “Don’t be sorry, Mon Foufou. It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known.”

Chat’s blood ran cold, the anxiety and self loathing he always carried within himself swelling exponentially every time he replayed that conversation in his head. He could never deserve her; not ever would he be worthy of her love. But... despite that, he still desperately longed for a chance. An opportunity to pursue her, to court her properly, to treat her like the Queen she was. Just one more chance to redeem himself, as much would be possible for a wretched person such as he, anyway. And maybe, just maybe, eventually she might forgive him. It was worth a try. She was worth the effort.

“For what it’s worth,” he spoke quietly, “I really did mean it. When I confessed.” He rubbed the back of his neck and felt his face redden. “I didn’t exactly say it the way I should have. I’m terrible at this sort of thing. Sharing my feelings and being sensitive to others. I’d like to try again sometime, and this time I’d like to do it right.” He wrung his hands together nervously. “You don’t have to say anything, I just…” he looked straight at her and said earnestly, “I just wanted you to know.”

Ladybug beamed at him, then nervously reached back to grab at one of her ponytails, developing a lovely blush that made her little freckles stand out. “Hmm… I wonder if that’s actually true. But in any case, thank you, Chat. Really.” She turned her body slightly, then added, “M-maybe someday, if you actually feel that way, and if you can prove it… Maybe we can--” she hesitated for a few moments, and continued, “Well… I won’t get ahead of myself. I don’t want to set myself up for any more disappointments. And I wouldn’t want to string you along, either; I’ll need time to get over my crush… a lot of time.”   Chat felt his limbs stiffen at hearing those words again, the words Marinette had uttered back on her balcony.  “I really did like him a whole lot.” She looked back at him and quirked her usual sweet smile. “But if you’re willing, then… I guess we can wait and see what happens.”

Chat Noir reached forward to take her hand, then lightly kissed her knuckles. “I’ll wait as long as it takes, My Queen. Anything for you.”

Big thanks to @imthepunchlord for letting me borrow Chat's nickname, "My Queen" 

Mega super gigantic shout-outs to my amazing fabulous betas, @kryallaorchid  and @chocoluckchipz who helped me with everything from brainstorming and editing to coming up with a title and summary (because I'm a hopeless hot mess) XD

#Miraculous Ladybug #Marinette Dupain Cheng #Felinette #Felix Agreste #Chat Noir #Felix!Chat #Ladybug #Eden Art #My Art: Miraculous Ladybug #Fan Art #fanfiction #Eden writes #oneshot #fanfic art #ML AU

[foyetsnewhitlist]

Perfect- Chapter 8

masterlist | ch. 7 | ch. 9

Word Count: 1,166 words

POV: Jordan and Reid are paired together. But how was Jordan able to figure everything out so quickly?

(This chapter is back in Jordans perspective)

“Morgan, Emily, you two go to the most recent crime scene and see what you can find out. JJ, I want you to go to the local police department and gather as much information as you can and coordinate with Garcia. Reid, (y/n), you two go to the first and second crime scenes and see if you can find any patterns. Rossi and I will go speak with the latest victims' parents and get them into custody in case they are in danger. We’ll bring their parents back to the station and coordinate with JJ,” Hotch orders.

“Okay, Hotch” Emily, Morgan, and JJ quickly say.

“Uh- um okay sir,” Reid says shakily and confused. Why would he pair US together? Of all people, it had to be him. Seriously? Today is just going downhill for me.

“Hey, partner! I’m glad to be paired up with a fellow genius for this case.” I said to Reid attempting to mask my hatred for this man. He almost unveiled all my secrets. Ugh this is gonna be torture.

“Haha, yea I can’t wait to work with someone that matches my IQ. It'll be interesting.”Reid responds, seeming just as unenthusiastic as I am inside. “We should get to the car now and head out,” he informed me. Reid and I get in the SUV and wait 5 minutes until Hotch exits the building and gets in his car.

“So, Reid do you know any cool facts about where we’re going?” I attempt to spark some small talk.

“Nope.” Reid responds clearly uninterested.

“None at all? That’s not like you.” I say knowing he’s lying through his teeth.

“Well, now it is.” He said which makes me think the hatred is equal. At least we have that in common.

“Is something wrong, did I do something to upset you?” I persistently ask, trying to figure out why he’s lying to me.

“Nope. I just wanna get this case over with.” This car ride feels longer than it really is.

“Just tell me what’s wrong! Did I do something wrong? OH, I know. It’s because I talked to Hotch first, right?” I ask although I know the real reason.

“You don’t even know half of it (y/n), you wouldn’t understand.” Oh no Reid YOU don’t even know the half of it.

“Look, Reid, I’m sorry I didn’t mean-”

“Just don’t bother okay? It’s pointless.” He rudely cuts me off.

“No, I have to say this. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble within the team. I stole something when I was a kid, and I should’ve told all of you right away. I don’t blame you for wanting to look into me. I see how close you guys are. I would do the same thing in your shoes. I’m not mad at you at all, I just wanna put this all behind us.” I said in my best fake apology voice. He thinks he knows the truth about me but he only knows a fraction of it. I think he bought it though. Hopefully.

“Oh, look we’re here.” He quickly changes the conversation.

“So it seems that our victim was an avid reader, judging by the number of books they’ve acquired over the years.” I pointed out to him.

“Hmmm. There are a lot of books, but when you open them they still have that new book smell and the pages are far from ever being used,” He informed her.

“So why did they have so many books? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Some people say that having an overstuffed library is a badge of honor. People that do this are called tsundoku. There is a known legendary library of Italian writer Umberto Eco, which contained a jaw-dropping 30,000 volumes. Did Eco read all those books? Of course not, but that wasn't the point of surrounding himself with so much potential but as-yet-unrealized knowledge. By providing a constant reminder of all the things he didn't know, Eco's library kept him intellectually hungry and perpetually curious.” Now that's the Reid I know and love! Wait. No. I didn’t mean that. I mean. Ugh let's just forget it.

“Forget I asked, wow.”

“No, that could mean something. It also shows that our victim was self-aware of their ignorance which puts them above lots of people in the world.”

“Okay and?” I ask pretending to not understand.

“My point is that this could be a pattern our unsub might be targeting consciously ignorant people. But how are they connected?” He starts to spiral and think out loud while staring at the impressive book collection.

“Uh, maybe this book club membership has something to do with it?” I said. Hopefully he didn’t see me plant the card here earlier.

“Call Garcia and let her know what you found, ask her to search if our other unsub had the same membership. I’m gonna keep looking around for more evidence,” he barked orders out.

“You got it, boss.” I pulled out my phone and texted my boss I was able to plant the evidence he had given me. Then I called Garcia, still pretending to be on the BAU’s side.

“Hey, Garcia! I’m putting you on speakerphone ’cause Reid and I found something.” Which is a blatant lie.

“Speak and you shall be heard!” Garcia says in her usual bubbly manner. She makes me wish I was really on her side. She’s so sweet… wait no she found out my identity to begin with. I hate her. I think.

“We found a book club membership with our victims' names on it. Could you cross-reference our other victims’ names with ‘Barnes and Noble Book Club Membership’ for us?”

“On it J-, sorry, I mean (y/n). I was just on the phone with JJ, so I was about to say her name.” She almost said my name… it’s been so long I forgot who I actually was. She doesn’t know that I overheard her did she?

“No worries! Just let me know if you find-” I start and then get cut off by Garcia,

“Bingo! All of our victims had a membership to the same book club. Huh, it turns out they all sent each other books, too, with a weird message on each delivery.”

“Garcia, could you send me a list of every book and message the victims were sending to each other?” Reid asked.

“Consider it done boy genius!”

“Thank you, Garcia,” I said before hanging up the phone. After I hung up I made sure to tell my boss everything that happened.

“(Y/n), let’s grab all of the books on Garcia's list and take them with us.”

“Okay, I’ll grab the laptop as well to see what else we can find.” We were gathering all of the books and putting them into a box and I couldn’t help but think about what I thought earlier. Loving Reid? I mean who wouldn’t love him? He's so smart, cute, and sometimes funny. NO, no Jordan he’s your enemy stop this.

tag list: @omgbigfluff @criminalvampminds @louiscardinalsshi123 @less-intelligent-spencerreid @ariccio50 @emilyprentissistoocute

no editor anymore so apologies if it isn’t as strong

#Criminal Minds #cm #spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #perfect #emily prentiss #Jennifer Jareau #aaron hotchner #jj #derek morgan #Penelope Garcia #garcia #baby girl #david rossi #spence #spencer x y/n #jordan #original content