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onlylove4louis · 5 days

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I want to talk about the "You picked another one over me scene", but from the viewpoint of someone that doesn't hate Louis... (S2E4 Spoilers)

If you haven't seen the newest episode yet and don't want spoilers, scroll right past this post 👌🏽

So this scene:

She was wrong for this, and I will die on that hill. (not wrong completely for what she's saying, but for everything she's doing here)

It's a bizarre thing to come across so many people who would ritualistically dance on Lestats grave for his abusing Louis & Claudia, but then when it comes to Claudia being abusive towards Louis, suddenly abuse and poor treatment is "okay". He has no right to even so much as be mad at her, but she can treat him like garbage and verbally/emotionally abuse and neglect him for years and it's okay. She can come in and unload/explode on him, and destroy his property whenever she wants, simply because what she chose isn't working out for her anymore. And the coven master she told him was "safe" based solely on the color of his skin, is in fact not safe. And somehow that's okay. It's not.

She has no right to treat him however she wants, just because she's pissed off. And nor does he. His wrongs do not make it "okay" and I'd say the same thing for her, if Louis ever did this to her.

I wanna start from the beginning, which is to take it back just prior to this, for both of them.

Prior to this for Louis: He's actively going through an existential crisis, and is still battling actual insanity. But what is happening in this scene, and the tragedy of this scene:

Is that once again, Louis is realizing that he has to sacrifice something, that has been bringing him momentary happiness and a sense of peace, etc. Due to being a Vampire. He once again, because he can't help it, it's who and what he is. Was reaching out for humanity, attempting to keep some sort of connection with the human world. It's one of the reasons why his photography is such a problem and point of scorn, mockery and disdain for everyone else. Because it's a very human thing, it keeps him amongst the humans and not at the theatre. It sets him apart from them, and they don't like it. I digress, what's happening here, and why he's essentially giving up and burning his photos. Is because he's realizing it's just yet another thing he will never properly be able to do, something he cannot have. Because he's a Vampire.

(Yes, it's not the only thing that's going on in this scene. Or the only takeaway of this scene. But it is the thing that has Louis in such a vulnerable position. A low point if you will, when Claudia comes raging through the door)

Now, to what just happened to Claudia prior, that prompted her to come take out everything on Louis, like a punching bag. Because she can't take it out on anyone else, is:

I'm not going to add a picture or a gif, because it pisses me off too much. But Claudia (along with Santiago) are both reprimanded by their coven master (Armand). She's caught breaking another Vampire Law and shirking her coven/theatre responsibilities, along with the knowledge that she's sitting on various other broken laws already. Of which Armand has kept. Runs her mouth to the coven master, and he loses it with her. Also because like he implies, he's been giving her more leeway and freedoms, than he would or has with anyone else, and that any other coven master (save for Lestat) would. And then with Santiago. The rose colored blinders she had put on going into this, completely shattered. And the consequences of her own choices and actions are catching up to her and she's no longer having a good time. The dream/delusion has been popped and now it's withering away. And she's coming back to reality, and being forced to remember that reality, is garbage.

(Mentally tossing Armand into a furnace because we all know damn well, that wasn't ONLY because he's trying to regain control of his coven.)

Que, her heading straight for the only person that she can verbally beat on and blame for everything, because very much like his Mother, she needs to put it "somewhere". And she puts it all on Louis, because no one else would just tolerate it. Literally no one else would take it, but him.

So now, here we are, back to the scene at hand. Louis is in a very low, vulnerable spot. And Claudia is pissed, hurt and needing to dump on someone

I wont say too much here about the actual words exchanged. Because they're both wrong and they're both right. They're both actively seeking companionship outside of the other, they're both choosing others over eachother. They're both making mistakes and they're both messing up and they're both dealing with the consequences. Love makes everyone stupid and weak and fickle, etc. 'You and Me' becoming 'Him and you' is ALSO becoming 'them and you' and 'her and you'. He didn't tell her about Armand knowing everything since day one, she still hasn't told him about her numerous one on one convo's with Santiago, who due to her poor choices. Caught her breaking another Vampire law, and now knows that she writes about everything she experiences. Including what she (or they) did to their Maker, in her diaries. They're both failing eachother and they're both resentful of eachother, both for valid reasons. Neither one of them is an adequate companion for the other, they both need someone else, and the degradation of their relationship is coming from BOTH sides. Fault and responsibility is on them both and they both had every right and reason to say what they did in this moment.

Funny enough, but not surprising that I have yet to see anyone note. That her dislike of his "hobby" is very reminiscent of Lestats dislike of his affinity for books. Both, take his time and attention away from them, so they hate it.

But what I actually want to point out here, because there's so many things in each episode that I'm not really seeing people talk about is:

Claudia's assumption that Louis "filled in the details" of what happened to Lestat. She accuses him of basically telling Armand, what I personally think, is going to be revealed as the truth. And that's that Claudia is the one who both poisoned and cut Lestats throat. Now I could be wrong, but personally the assumed "betrayal" that Claudia is feeling in this scene, is not that Louis didn't tell her that Armand has known this whole time. But instead that she thinks Louis basically ratted on her. I think she thinks Louis broke and told him the "truth" of what really happened, that she's the one who did it. And I think that is what her actual anger/hurt is about, I.E him "choosing" Armand over her. She thinks that he chose to tell Armand their "secret" because his "love" and his desperation for love in general is making him "stupid" again.

But because she's so focused on herself, and this coven and what she's going through, and discovering Madeline that she doesn't see that he clearly doesn't "love" Armand. And, she's having such a shitty time here, that she doesn't even consider that he may be actually doing what he can to protect her, behind the scenes. Meaning, instead of confirming what Armand already clearly knows, that it was in fact all her. He instead said it was him. That he did it. Not even just that he "helped" but that he was the one who did the whole thing, alone. And straight out said that she did not even help. He saying "chasing it chasing it..." followed by "except he just threatened me with it. I think is actually her thinking that in chasing love from Armand, he told him that she's the one who killed Lestat and that the only reason Armand knows what she did to her maker, is because Louis told him. Which in reality, he didn't.

And now, thanks to Claudias carelessness, Santiago knows. And the mutinous coven has concrete proof of what she/they did. (or at least, that's what Armand has Louis believing, and is now telling Daniel/us)

Literally no one is getting the full picture here. And sadly, these two are so at odds with eachother and so disconnected with eachother and resentful of eachother, that they're not communicating. And it's the lack of proper communication, and the lack of unity. Is why they both, separately keep fucking up.

Last but not least, just a throw in. It makes perfect sense why Louis wouldn't immediately believe that Armand actually threatened her. But even I had to scream into a pillow in frustration for that. The same way I have to scream every single time she falls for Santiagos manipulations. He's putting trust in Armand only because he believes he has an upper hand, as well as being a result of it being years and Armand still sitting on their secret. And Claudia's putting trust in Santiago, because unfortunately her desperation is making her susceptible to his manipulations. And again, she thinks she still has the upper hand, at least when it comes to lying and manipulating. And these particular failures on both their parts, are gonna bite them in the ass.

#interview with the vampire #iwtv #amc iwtv #louis de pointe du lac #claudia iwtv #armand iwtv #theatre des vampires #heading head-first into utter disaster because they can't properly see eachother past all the shit #iwtv spoilers #S2E4 spoilers

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and-claudia · 2 years

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Kinktober Day 2: Daddy (Steve Harrington x fem! reader)

Warnings: Daddy kink, smut, p in v, use of baby and baby girl, slight mean! steve, Daddy Steve, rule breaking, car sex, NSFW (let me know if I missed anything)

Word count: 2k

If you are an ageless blog, I do not feel comfortable tagging you in my kinktober fics. So please keep that in mind when signing up.

And-Claudia's Kinktober Taglist

MINORS DNI!!

I woke up today and chose violence. Summer break had just started and I was determined to make the best of it. I knew my mom had a couple of movies to return to Family Video, so that was my first stop of the day.

I got dressed quickly since I already knew what I would wear. I had taken a cute outfit out last night and hung it on my door. I knew the outfit would drive Steve crazy. I also grabbed Steve’s hoodie off my bed for later tonight.

“Hey mom, I was going to go see Steve at work, want me to bring back those movies for you?” I asked.

“Yes, dear, thank you.” She said as she went to grab them.

To say she was oblivious to the true nature of my and Steve’s relationship was a severe understatement. She thought I was the perfect, responsible daughter I always was, or that she thought I always was. She never knew about the high school parties, the drinking, or the staying over at Steve’s. She believed every lie I told her. In her eyes, her little girl could do nothing wrong.

“Bye, mom!” I said grabbing my keys and heading out the door.

When I got to Family Video I parked and walked in. Steve was busy doing something but upon hearing the door he glanced up.

“Welcome to Fam-“ he stopped short upon seeing me.

“Welcome to Family Video.” Robin finished with a small smirk.

“Thanks, Robin. What’s wrong Steve? Cat got your tongue?” I asked, batting my eyelashes at him.

He raised his eyebrow at me. I wasn’t supposed to tease him in public.

“What can I help you with?” He asked.

“Oh, I think Robin can help me today. Besides, I think you have a customer.” I said pointing to the register where someone had just walked up.

He turned to see them as well and sighed before stepping away to help them.

“I just need to return these.” I said, handing Robin the tapes.

“Are you trying to piss him off?” Robin asked quietly as she took them.

I gasped dramatically, “I would never!”

“Mhm, sure.” She gave me my total for renting the movies and I paid her.

Steve finished up with his customer around the same time and immediately came back over to where I was.

“What are you doing here, baby?” He asked, he sounded like he was suspicious of me.

“I had movies I needed to return. And I figured I pick one out for us to watch tonight.” I said innocently.

“That sounds like a smart idea. Go ahead and pick out two, on the house.” He winked. “Okay!” I said enthusiastically.

Usually, the correct response would have been “Yes, daddy!” but in public, we kept that name under wraps. I skipped away in search of our movies.

“Did you make a decision yet, baby?” Steves's voice made me jump slightly.

“Nope.” I went back to looking.

He got closer and closer until he was right up behind me, his body pressed against mine.

“What the hell made you think you could get away with wearing this? Hm?”

I glanced around, making sure no one was within earshot. The only other people in the store were Robin and a customer standing on the opposite side of the store.

“I thought I looked cute. Do you not like my outfit, daddy?” I asked with a small pout.

“No, baby, I love it. You look stunning. And I’m sure every guy that lays eyes on you thinks the same.” He huffed.

“Really?” I asked acting excited at the thought of other guys checking me out.

“Other guys don’t get to check you out, remember? You’re daddy’s, not theirs.” He said lowly in my ear.

“I can’t help it if they like what they see.” I sassed, reaching out to grab a movie.

“Oh daddy, can we watch this one, please?” I asked, holding up A Nightmare on Elm Street.

“I don’t know baby, that one is pretty scary…”

“Just because you call me baby doesn’t mean I am one.” I sassed.

“Fine. Might as well make it a double horror night then,” He said, reaching to grab The Shining.

That almost made me drop my act but not quite yet.

“That sounds like fun daddy!” I said, taking the tape from him and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

I skipped over to the counter with the tapes in hand. Steve came up behind and slipped behind it to ring it up. He rang them up under his account so he wouldn’t have to pay as much.

“Okay now, go be a good girl and wait in the break room for me to get off. My shift ends at 5:00, can you be good for me for 30 minutes?” He asked.

“But it's so boring in there! Can’t I at least sit behind the counter so I can watch the movie you are playing?” I asked.

“Fine, but you sit here and be quiet. No talking to customers, or to Robin, you’ll distract her. Just sit on the stool and watch the movie. Understand?” He asked sternly.

“Yes, sir!” I gave a mock salute.

I sat there and did as I was told for a whole 5 minutes before I got bored. With a dramatic sigh, I caught Robin’s attention.

“You good, Yn?” She asked.

“Just bored.” I sighed again, this time making Steve look over to me.

He excused himself from the customer he was helping and walked over.

I shifted in my seat and watched excitedly as he walked over.

“Go help them, Robin, I need to talk with Yn.” Steve said sternly, not even looking at Robin.

Robin got the hint and walked off to help the customer Steve had just left. Once she was gone Steve began speaking to me.

“What the hell are you doing?” He asked, he was angry, yet, but his tone was still very stern.

“Watching the movie.” I said, leaning around him to see the screen, breaking one of his rules; eye contact when answering him.

“That’s not what I meant. And look at me when you’re answering, you know better. And to show up wearing that? You did it just to piss Daddy off, didn’t you?” His voice was low so no one else could hear him.

And I ignored him. Another rule, broken.

“Yn, I asked you a question.” He pressed.

“I heard you.” I said simply.

That pissed him off. Perfect.

“That’s it.” He mumbled, “Hey, Robin?” He called over, looking away from me.

“Yeah?”

“Yn isn’t feeling well. I need to take her home. Can you handle the store until the next shift starts?”

Robin knew. She knew all to well. And the way her nose scrunched up before she sighed said it all.

“Yeah, that’s fine. I got it. Feel better soon, Yn.” She said, shaking her head.

“Up.” Steve said to me once Robin had turned away once again.

I stood and he grabbed my hand and began to lead me to the back of the store. He took me out the back door and over to his car. I was confused when he didn’t lead me to the passenger side door and my face must have shown it.

“Did you really think I was going to take you home, or even to my house, after that stunt you just pulled? Absolutely not. Get in.” He said, jerking open the door to the back seat.

I climbed in and waited while he went to start the car. He left it in park before retuning to the door. I tuned to look back at him.

“Don’t look at me like that. You’ve done this before you know what to do.” He said, nodding me to scoot over and make space for him.

“Now, Daddy is going to fuck you like the whore you are determinded to be. And you’re not going to cum until I tell you that you can, understand?” He asked.

“I’m sorry, Daddy.” I tried to say.

“No. Too late to backtrack. You did this yourself. You knew the consequences.” He said.

He waisted no time freeing his already headening cock from his jeans as he shimmied them down to his knees. I watched with wide eyes as he used his hand to pump it a few times to help himself get fully hard.

“Are you going to just sit there and watch? You’re a big girl. Take it off.” He said nodding to my bottoms.

I did as he said and used a similar method to get them as he did, but I opted to take them completely off. Once they were off, we both maneuvered so I was laying back, my legs around his waist where he sat up on his knees, lining himself up to my entrance.

Without any warning, he thrusted into me causing me to moan. The pace he set was quick and rough. Every thrust of his hips was hitting that sweet spot deep inside that had me seeing stars.

“Daddy, m’sorry.” I managed to get out between moans.

“Like I said, baby, too late.” He said back between grunts of his own.

He brought one of his hands down between our two bodies and began rubbing my clit. I threw my head back at the feeling.

I could feel the need cum racing towards me. Steve must have noticed too.

“Remember what daddy said.” He reminded.

“Can’t. Need to cum… please daddy?” I begged, tears pooling in the corner of my eyes.

His hips came to a sudden stop with his dick buried deep inside. And his fingers stopped rubbing my clit and pulled completely away causing me to whine.

“Quit whining.” He scolded.

“Sorry daddy.” I said, eyes closed as I tried to catch my breath.

“Look at me.”

I did as he said and opened my eyes to find him watching me expectantly.

“You’ve been a bad girl today, you understand that right?” He asked.

I nodded.

He tilted his head at me, raising an eyebrow, “You know to use your words.”

“Yes daddy, I was a bad girl today.”

He nodded before speaking once again, “And should bad girls get to cum?”

“No, daddy.”

“You’re right. But Daddy is feeling nice today. If you promise to be good the rest of the week, I’ll let you cum.”

I nodded desperately as my words came out rushed, “Yes daddy, yes. I promise I’ll be good! I’ll be daddy’s good girl! I promise!”

“Good, girl.” He said before leaning over more to press his lips to mine.

He began his thrust again, this time not nearly as rough, but just as deep. This time when he brought his hand down to rub my clit once again, I nearly came from the city tact alone, the bundle of nerves already so sensitive.

“Daddy, m’close…” I mumbled, feeling my body already beginning to stiffen up, knowing my orgasm was fast approaching.

“Go ahead. Baby. Cum on Daddy’s cock.” Steve said gently, not letting up.

And I did. I threw my head back, just narrowly missing smacking it against the door, my walls clamped down on his cock as he continued to rock his hips into mine, helping ride out the pure ecstasy I was currently in. He wasn’t too far behind me as I felt him twitch inside me before letting go of his own release. The feeling of his cum shooting deeper inside me caused me to let out a moan.

He stayed there for a couple of minutes as we both came back down from our highs. Then he slowly pulled out but shifted us to where he was now laying on the seat with me on top, just resting my head against his chest. It was by no means comfortable, being cramped in the back seat but just being with him was all I needed.

“I really am sorry, Daddy.” I finally said, picking my head up.

“I know baby, I know. But that doesn’t excuse how you acted today. I think you’re really going to have to make it up to me tonight.”

“How?” I asked, tilting my head at him.

“You didn’t have your heart set on actually watching those movies tonight, did you?” He said, smiling, knowing he was going to make an absolute mess of me tonight.

Day 2 Kinktober Taglist:

@dannyramirezwife

@alexxavicry

@mystargirl-interlude

@gracieluvthemoon

@km-ffluv

@neo-chan

@potayaa

@chaoticevilbakugo

a/n:

Sorry this was late I am super busy and have had to put it off for a bit, which does mean all of it is behind now, I will get them out as soon as I can.

If you know you signed up for today but do not see your name/tag listed it's for one of two reasons:

You are an ageless blog (meaning your age is not clearly stated on your page.) That is one of the first disclaimers on the form, and by agreeing that you are not an ageless blog means that you should at the very least have 18+ on your blog, if you do not have that or your age, I will assume you are a minor and did not fully read my disclaimer and therefore I will not tag you.

There is some setting in place is not allowing me to tag you.

If you think it is a mistake, please dm me and I will try to help resolve the issue.

#stranger things smut #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington #steve x reader smut #steve harrington smut #steve x reader #kinktober 2022 #kinktober day 2 #minors dni #steve harrington x reader

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cosmoforia · 2 years

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just watched episode 4 and ... I've got some things to say, but first my opinions about the first 3 episodes:

They're fine, it had its ??? moments and the its supposed to be a serious scene but you just end up laughing your ass off

Like when louis's brother last words are: " I ate too much checkered cake " and he fucking throws himself off the roof like 😭???

Also the scene where lestat in a jealous state brings soldiers to louis's brothel and he says: well i thought we could have an orgy you could fuck them and i could eat them, and then later he says: I HEARD YOUR HEARTS DANCING! 1!1!!1 💀

I'm sure there are more but i really can't remember them rn lmao, but now let's talk about episode 4 :

The whole plot is based on the knowledge that Daniel and Louis are redoing the interview they did back in the 70s bc Louis is a big dumb dummy head who can't seem to get his life right and now he wants a second chance for some reason, right?

So what does Daniel mean when he says: for a killing machine i kind of like her??? You are already supposed to know who she is? And yes i considered his parkinson's disease but he clearly remembers louis and lestat's shitty relationship and keeps shitting louis for changing the story so why would he forget about claudia? that's just lazy plot-convenient writing.

Also about claudia .... I don't want y'all to pull the iTs hEr FIrsT rOlEee!!1! card bc it was also 11 year-old kirsten dunst's first role and she did THAT performance in the 1994 movie and she even stated that she didn't really understand claudia very well but she still did a jaw-dropping performance, and bailey bass did not understand the assignment very well, and neither did the costume designers -_-

But that's not all, why didn't claudia get her gut-wrenching + " the spark" transformation like Louis did? Bc the instance she turns into a vampire she's already so into it in an annoying way, canon claudia is simply fine and cool with her transformation since she didn't quite know what she fully was yet, all she knew was that she wanted and needed to feed. She was just a 5 year-old kid.

Now I'm sure bailey bass gave her all in this episode and sorry but not sorry ... her performance comes off as annoying and too much for me, i get the fact that she's a 13 year-old girl but we all know that that's not how canon claudia acted right? Even for a 5 year-old kid. Also a scene that pissed me off was when claudia asks for more blood and Louis says: you want more? UM LESTAT SHOULD'VE SAID THAT?? LOUIS WOULD HAVE PROBABLY GONE CRYING TO HIS COFFIN HOLDING CLAUDIA IN HIS ARMS LIKE A DOLL THE INSTANT HE WOULD'VE HEARD HER SAY THAT

Also they way this episode tries to gaslight me into thinking that she actually looked like a 13 year-old girl... nobody's fooled amc. And i kinda don't like the way they seem like a wholesome cutesy family ... they were nothing like that??? if they ever spent some "family time" it would be at operas or goint to finish off families with lestat, not going to kill couples fucking in the middle of nowhere.

And the part where daniel says that claudia was a bandage for a shitty marriage, yeah we know that but before claudia came louis and lestat already had a happy active sex life and louis just brought claudia bc he just can't live in peace for a minute.

And for last, the final scene where claudia goes: i'll forever be stuck in this flat-chested, thirteen year-old, hairless crotched, baby doll body.

Girl. You just fucked your crush and accidentally killed him in the process and i don't think he was bothered by your "flat chest" and "hairless crotch". 75 year-old in a 5 year-old body claudia wouldn't have even gotten a smooch on the cheek unless if it was a kind of what a wonder of a child! situation.

As my final words, I only hope that claudia better start acting mature and fast bc this is nothing what I expected for 2022 claudia to be.

#amc iwtv #iwtv #claudia iwtv #lestat de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #loustat #anne rice #the vampire chronicles #amc interview with the vampire

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buckyodinson · 3 years

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Warmth (Part 5)

Helmut Zemo x F!Reader

Summary: After you and Zemo are caught together, how do the boys react to Zemo (basically the events of Chapter 4 but from Zemo’s perspective this time)

Word Count: 900~

Warnings: angst, swearing

A/N: sorry this took so long!! I’ve had a looong week, and I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going with the story.

Find previous parts here!

Zemo stepped out of the bedroom, looking warily at Sam and Bucky.

Sam was pissed, staring with his arms crossed against his chest, but Bucky was seething. He looked seconds away from exploding.

Zemo opened his mouth but not even a syllable escaped before Bucky shouted, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?

“I’m sorry you had to see that-” Zemo begins.

“You shouldn’t be sorry we saw it, asshole. You should be sorry it even happened! Sorry you even entertained the idea!” Bucky snapped and started to walk towards Zemo.

Mere inches from Zemo, Bucky continued, “If I find out you hurt her in any way, I won’t hesitate to kill you.” Fear flashed briefly over Zemo’s features. He was being deadly serious, and Zemo could tell.

Sam puts a hand on Bucky’s shoulder, and Bucky stares for a few seconds more before backing off, and going to pour himself a drink.

Zemo goes to talk again, but a pointed look from Sam has him shut up once more.

“I know Y/N said that she wanted it. But did she actually want it? Or was she just scared to say no, because it’s you?” Sam had a serious expression, and Zemo could tell he cared a lot about you.

Zemo speaks softly, “To the best of my knowledge, she wanted it as much as me. She was the one who initiated the kiss while we were on the jet. As we were about to... I asked again, and she said yes.” Sam looks both relieved and worried at that answer, and Zemo continues, “You may consider me to be the bad guy, but I would never take advantage of a woman like that. You must believe me.”

Sam nods curtly in response but Bucky doesn’t look convinced. There is a brief silence between the men before Sam speaks up again.

“Do you have feelings for her? Or was it just sex?” Sam’s bluntness shocks him and Zemo feels a blush creep up his cheeks, stammering a little.

“I-I... I think I love her...” he admits quietly, and Bucky scoffs from across the room.

“What would you know about love?”

“I had a wife and son, you know that... And since their deaths, I’ve never felt happiness or peace like I’ve known the last few days with Y/N.” He admits it easily and Sam raises his eyebrows at the admission. Bucky still looks skeptical as he downs his drink.

Bucky speaks this time, “What do you expect to come from this, realistically? You’re only here as a necessity. I helped you get out because we needed your help, and once we’re done with you, you’re going back to prison. We’re not gonna let you run off into the sunset with Y/N.”

“I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to make the most of her presence while I had it.” Zemo shrugs and looks genuinely helpless, and Sam almost feels bad for him.

“You really do love her, don’t you.” Sam sighs, scratching at his jaw.

“I do.” He takes a seat on the sofa, looking up worriedly at the other men.

“Does she love you?” Bucky grunts.

“I don’t know. We haven’t spoken about any of this.” He sinks further into the sofa.

“And if she does love you, what then? Bucky’s right, you can’t just run off together. We have to take you back. And this time, they’ll probably put you somewhere more secure, where nobody can even visit you.”

Zemo just sighs in response, and Sam walks towards the bedroom, “I’m gonna check on her.”

Zemo hears Sam knock and ask if you’re decent, before hearing your sad reply and then the door closing again.

“I’m truly sorry for what I’ve caused, James.” Zemo

“I don’t want to hear it.” he glares at Zemo and both men fall into silence until the bedroom door opens again and they both look to Sam, who looks over to Zemo.

“Not that it’s necessarily my place to say it, but I think she feels the same too.” Zemo’s eyes widen and Bucky hangs his head, sighing.

“Well, what did you say to her?” Bucky asks.

“I told her that it wasn’t my call what happens next, and that she needs to decide what makes the most sense to her.”

“What’d you tell her that for?” Bucky snaps.

“She’s an adult, Buck. She has to make this decision for herself.”

“One of our friends just fucked the guy who tore the Avengers apart, and who put me through personal Hell again, no less. And we’re just gonna move past it like nothing insane has just happened?! And we’re gonna encourage them to accept their feelings? This is bullshit! And I’m the crazy one!? ” Bucky moves to storm out when they all hear the click of the bedroom door.

You emerge from the bedroom, eyes bloodshot from crying and with your backpack in hand, freezing as three sets of eyes land on you. You take a deep breath and straighten yourself out, putting on as confident of a voice as you can muster, “I think I should leave.”

Before any of them can reply, you carry on, “I’m only going to get in the way. You three all bring something important to this fight... I was just here as an extra pair of fists. And now... I’ve thrown a huge spanner in the works. And if we stand any chance of beating these guys, the spanner needs to be removed.”

The air in the room is thick, and none of them speak at first, so you walk towards the door. You hear them all call your name but you don’t stop until you feel a hand on your wrist.

Zemo taglist 1/2 (please comment/message/ask if you want to be added/removed):

@noavengers @let-me-read-fanfiction-in-peace @zemodaddy @lulu-yuming @ichigomiluku @multiyfandomgirl40 @gwenebear @aisling1985 @booklover2929 @myeternalsin @moongirl1313 @angiekurosaki @lieutenantn @hibiscusgardenia @plantpottt @whatiswrongwithpeople @writeroutoftime @maldita-insonia @fandomxreaders @loudbluepancake @montypythonsholysnail @bel-13 @ayuoudro @leblubbles @marvelsvision @there-will-be-p-e-a-c-e @and-claudia @multifandombtch @sinister-sleep @moonstuffsteve @endorpuff @thanoshadtosnaptwiceforyou @cryinggarbagebag @eristudytime @grifffins @reichelhache @whoreforsamwilson @booksarekindaneat @ajeff855 @sapphiredreamer26 @marvel-trash-bin @tendertales73 @nocturnal-world @buckys-sugardoll @galaxypox @valeskasgf @mochminnie @cheekybluefox @ashamed23 @lonely-ghost-daddy @miranda-paige @itslilithsstuff @incansas

(tumblr won’t let me tag some of you for some reason, maybe check your visibility settings - I’ll keep trying!!)

#zemo x reader #zemo x you #zemo x y/n #helmut zemo x reader #helmut zemo x you #helmut zemo x y/n #baron zemo x reader #baron zemo x you #baron zemo x y/n #baron helmut zemo x you #baron helmut zemo x reader #baron helmut zemo x y/n

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juletheghoul · 3 years

Text

Oblivius Chapter 3

So... more pain... yay!

I've become obsessed with these two in a very short time and I decided I'll just put out Chapters as I write them. Enjoy! <3

(Also - conveniently, Tom doesn't exist lmao)

Likes & reblogs are appreciated

Frankie Morales x F!Reader

Pairing: Frankie x F!Reader

Word Count: 1.7K

Warnings: Angst, yearning, 18+ language, (Please let me know if I forget anything)

Masterlist Series Masterlist Part 2

-------

Age: 17

“Hey! Don’t slam the door Spills - you know she’s… delicate.” He patted the dashboard affectionately as you put your seat-belt on - carefully so as not to drop the breakfast you’d brought for both of you. You stared at him incredulously.

“You mean this rustbucket?” You laughed as he carefully pulled out of your driveway.

“Don’t say that about her, she’s perfectly fine.” He turned on the radio and you heard the same song it always played.

“Really Francis? Queen again?” You sighed as you put the buttery half of your bagel into his mouth.

“Okay first of all, this song is amazing and it applies and secondly - the tape is stuck so it’s this or silence.” You could see the smile as he ate happily.

He never said it, but he treasured this time with you. You always gave him half of whatever you made and it always tasted better than anything he ever made himself. It was one of his favourite rituals, the little moment before the school day started. When it was just the two of you, lost in your own world; speaking your own language.

**Present day**

Who the hell is that?

The woman in the reflection wasn’t you, well - she certainly didn’t look like you anyway. She was much to wan - something was weighing her down, heavy on her shoulders. Her eyes were puffy and it looked like she’d been crying.

She was looking back at you, confused - she didn’t recognize herself either.

God I need to shower.

It helped but only a bit. At least your hair was clean, but that wasn’t going to be enough for tonight. There was no fucking way you were going to let them pick you up in this state. You had to look perfect - you had to look your best. Some delusional little corner of your mind reminded you that Frankie had feelings for you before, maybe you could tap into that somehow.

That’s a little fucked up, he’s engaged.

You ignored that thought as you picked out a flattering outfit and tried to work a miracle with your makeup. The reflection smiled back at you now, and you could almost recognize her - the sadness was still there but you were ignoring that too. There would be no room for sadness tonight.

“Hi! So glad you came out with us, you look lovely!” Claudia greeted you when you got into Frankie’s truck. Same truck you’d been getting into since you were a teenager, same truck he refused to get rid of because ‘shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken’. You saw the look Frankie gave you in the rear-view, saw his eyes quickly flash towards the exposed skin of your legs and a cruel little part of you soared at that. Got you it seemed to say.

“You look great Spills, Benny is going to eat you up.” He said it playfully but you heard the slight tinge of bitterness. Claudia didn’t notice.

“Oh yes, Benny is going to be all over you. They’re all going to love you, Will and Santi. I know they will.” Even her voice was sweet and you couldn’t help that it pissed you off how nice she was.

“Who’s Benny? Or Will or Santi for that matter?” The names meant nothing to you.

“Army buddies.” You knew him well enough to sense there was something that was bothering him, could it be the thought of his army buddies liking you? Your ego definitely liked that idea.

“They can be a little rough around the edges, but they’re sweet. Benny and his brother Will, even Santi. You’ll love them.” She was smiling at you, beaming.

We’ll see about that.

---

It made you a little sad when Frankie held the door open for the two of you as you walked into the bar. Nothing had changed, you knew that if you went to the last booth your combined initials would still be carved into the table. You knew that the second last stool was wobbly and if you sat there when you were too drunk, you’d fall and eat shit.

This is going to be fun.

Blessedly- thankfully- you did not sit at the last booth. When you walked in there had been a loud chorus of what you thought was the word ‘catfish’ which confused you profoundly, that is until you noticed Frankie laughing. They call you catfish? The people calling had slid a couple of tables together in the middle of the large room and had started the party without Frankie it seemed.

His smile was genuine when they greeted him and despite how you felt, despite how hurt you were that it wasn’t you on his arm - merging his home life with this army family he’d made - his happiness was lovely to behold. That smile, in this place was home. The bare bulbs hanging in this dingy bar, bathing him in golden light - seeing him like this made you ache, made you want to run your fingers through his hair. Made you want to kiss the little bald patch in his facial hair.

They all greeted Claudia and the spell was broken; it was almost overwhelming how much it hurt that it wasn’t you.

It should be me, it should have always been me.

“Okay okay - settle down, meet my best friend in the whole world. This is Spills.” He placed his hand at the small of your back - just barely - to bring you forward and they all smiled warmly at you.

“It’s nice to meet you - we’ve heard a lot about you.” A ruggedly handsome man with greying hair walked over to you and shook your hand warmly. He gave you a wink that suggested he knew more about you than you would have liked. “I’m Santi - but everyone calls me Pope.”

You went around as they all introduced themselves, a beautiful blond man named Will who called you sweetheart and gave you a -very welcome- lingering hug.

“Hey, I’m Benny - “ Frankie cut him off.

“Benny - behave please.” Frankie’s face was all smiles but you recognized the tone.

“I’m okay Francis. I can take care of myself.” You smiled at him sweetly and you shook Benny’s hand.

“Yeah Francis, let the lady speak for herself. It’s nice to meet you.” He smiled and guided you to sit beside him. You chanced a glance back at Frankie and you thought you caught a look of recognition between him and Pope but you couldn’t dwell on that. Your emotional attachment to Frankie could have been warping your perception of everything.

I’m seeing what I want to see.

---

Benny was chatty, he was sweet and a couple of years younger and you could tell he was a bit wild. Will - who you learned was his brother sat with the two of you and you learned about their childhoods, what had led them to join the army. You learned that Benny liked to box, which was strangely fitting and you learned that Frankie was one hell of a pilot.

At times you could almost ignore the rocks in the pit of your stomach, when Benny laughed and threw his arm around you. It felt nice to have someone pay attention to you this way, even if you weren’t exactly on the same wavelength. A little flirting couldn’t do any harm though and so you let it happen. You smiled sweetly and left his arm in place.

“So why do you guys call him Catfish?” The nickname was strange, he’d always been Frankie or Francis - Francisco when you were angry.

“Isn’t it obvious? Looks like a catfish with those ridiculous whiskers.” Will was laughing and when you looked back at him you found his gaze already fixed on you. On the closeness between you and Benny, you could see the way his eyes narrowed slightly.

Are you jealous right now? You’ve gotta be kidding me.

You could feel your blood boiling, was it all in your head? Were you just hoping that he’d be jealous of… what? Nothing was happening. Benny was cute, sure - but you didn’t want him.

I want you, you idiot.

Suddenly it was too much. You couldn’t be there surrounded by this part of his life that didn't include you. Pope walked over to the three of you as you got up - you needed to get out.

“Just going to grab some air - be back in a few.” You smiled as best you could, Will asked if you needed company, you declined politely.

The cool night air enveloped you when you opened the door - it helped a lot. There was a group of tables with ashtrays just outside the bar and you chose one of the empty ones. There was a gorgeous breeze out, you hadn’t realized how stuffy and suffocating it was inside.

Maybe it's just your brain.

“You okay Spills?” His voice crept down your spine.

“Yep - all good. You?” You could hear him approaching you, felt him sit next to you but you couldn’t look at him.

“I’m okay.” He sat beside you quietly, bumping his shoulder to yours. “What did you think of my friends?” You ignored his tone, somehow hopeful and bitter at the same time.

“They’re really nice, Benny and Will are sweet - Santi seems a little broody.” He laughed and you looked over at him - his big smile brought out your own.

“Just wait - once he’s comfortable around you he’ll never shut up. Those guys have been with me through a lot.” You kept forgetting that there was so much about his time away that you didn’t know. Things Claudia knew.

“You want to talk about it?” You bumped his shoulder back, knowing that sometimes he just needed to be asked. He looked at you strangely then, almost like he had just recognized you.

“Spills-” The door burst open with a loud laugh and Claudia came looking for him.

“Hey babe! Come on, they're making a toast.” She was all breathless smiles, wine dark lips and the end of your moment with him. He sighed loudly, a big smile on his face for her.

“Another time, let's go inside.” he said back to you as he walked towards her, towards Claudia and away from you.

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

Tag list: @frannyzooey @foli-vora @danniburgh @sambucky21 @greeneyedblondie44 @lola4pedro @mouthymandalorian @221bshrlocked @artsymaddie @supernaturalgirl @sleep-tight1 @softdindjxrin @wheresarizona @sherala007 @freak-nasty-thick-dick-mando @marydjarin @cannedsoupsucks @thirstworldproblemss @ilikechocolatemilkh @lori-tovar @freeshavocadoooo @hrk-fic-recs @greeneyedblondie44 @maxwell--lord @princessxkenobi @the-feckless-wonder @kirsteng42 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @thisshipwillsail316 @feministfanboi @dihra-vesa @gaiuswrites @stevie75 @sweet-creature98 @readsalot73 @tobealostwanderer @elegantduckturtle @diogodxlot @alczysz17 @evyiione @absurdthirst @beskarboobs @andruxx @littlemissoblivious @1800-fight-me @goldielocks2004 @maievdenoir @gracie7209 @omlwhatamidoinghere @bellaorisa @hellovanessax

#pedro pascal #frankie x reader #frankie morales #frankie catfish morales #frankie morales x you #triple frontier #francisco catfish morales #frankie x f!reader #pedro pascal fic #frankie x female reader #frankie morales x reader #frankie x you #oblivius

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hoodharlow · 3 years

Text

Como Antes

AN: So I'm gonna include this in the El Novio Quarantine Edition masterpost, so y'all don't confused with original El Cumpleañero on the actual El Novio masterpost. Also to shout out to @findingliam-o and her y/n-esque dreams that brought this baby back to existence.

Requested: by steph i guess lol, ilysm bby

Warnings: smut, brief angst and mentions of shitty boyfriend that gave out baby Claudia shit for not being a virgin

Word Count: 3.6k words

Claudia’s finger followed the words on the computer screen as she wrote down the quote she was going to use for her paper. She hated reading off PDFs because it made her eyes tired. She liked having physical copies of her assigned readings because she paid more attention to what was being said and she could write in the margins little annotations. The book she needed was at Calum’s house and there was no way in hell she was going to go back to his place after what Ashton said.

Calum had called and texted her nonstop, but she ignored him. She was just embarrassed that she acted like a coward. She should have stood her ground and told Ashton he was wrong about her. But she didn’t.

Even Michael and Sierra called her to check in on her after hearing through Luke that something happened between her and Ashton. Claudia ignored her too and the past week she acted like they didn’t exist. She just wanted the ground to swallow her whole and make Calum forget about her existence.

Frustrated with the reading she got up from her desk chair and went to the kitchen to get a snack. She grabbed a juice box and reheated some noodles she ordered the other day.

The house was surprisingly quiet. Her housemates went out to some frat party Ale's brother was throwing. They invited Claudia, but she wasn't in the mood to go. After getting home from Calum's, she cried at how stupid Ashton made her feel. They comforted her, reminding her that Calum knew her and that Ashton is a jerk that doesn’t know her.

She dumped her noodles on a plate and soaked the pan. She took her plate and went back to her room. Claudia knew she wasn't going to get her work done that night, so she pulled up Netflix. She stumbled on a show about three women robbing a grocery store because one of them had a daughter with a bad kidney and another was about to lose her house because her husband was a cheating piece of shit. While the other is just a mess working a minimum wage job.

Claudia was deep in IMDB trying to figure out where she saw the mistress, when she heard the doorbell. She paused the show and made her way to the front door. She peeked through the window sills and saw Ariel red hair.

Ashton.

She rolled her eyes and went to open the door.

"What do you want?" She deadpanned when she opened the door. She reached for a blanket and stepped outside.

"Hello to you too." Ashton sassed.

"What do you want?" Claudia repeated.

"I came to apologize. Calum hasn't talked to me in days and— why are you rolling your eyes?"

"Because you're full of shit. You're only here so you can go back to Cal and tell him you apologized so he can talk to you again. You only care about making yourself feel good after you stuck your nose where it's not supposed to be."

"Claudia,"

"Oh now it's Claudia. I was really starting to think my name was radio girl."

"You're really making it hard to apologize."

"I'm not. I'm just saying that just how you didn't give a fuck about my feelings when you told Cal that I'm only with him to catch some dick, I don't care about yours. If you came to apologize then do it."

Ashton was quiet. Claudia scoffed and turned back to go inside.

"Claudia, I'm sorry," He began. She turned back and leaned against the door frame. "It was shitty of me to say that about you. You're right, it wasn't my place to tell Cal that. In addition I shouldn't assume your sexual history."

"More like a lack of sexual history." Claudia mumbled out loud. Her eyes widened upon realizing she said that out loud.

"Oh you're a…"

"Yeah."

"Well, now I feel like an even bigger asshole." Ashton said. He scratched the back of his neck.

They both stood quietly, looking down at the ground.

"Um Cal didn't want a party for his birthday this year. Apparently, he has plans in the evening. So Sierra and I reserved a room at this restaurant for brunch. It's just gonna be the guys and Sierra. KayKay is still out of town and Crystal is working an event or something. I'm sure Cal would be happy to see you."

"I'll think about it."

***

Calum pulled out his keys from the ignition, yawning. Only Ashton and Sierra would plan to do something in the morning. Granted it was almost eleven, but with the lack of sleep Calum was going through, it was too early for him. Not to mention he didn't want to go. He was still pissed at Ashton for making things awkward with Claudia. Sierra reassured him that that was resolved and that he should go.

He grabbed his leather jacket and stepped out of the car. He shoved his hands in his pockets, surprised at how cold it was even with the bright sun out. When he walked in the place, he heard Ashton's hearty laugh followed by Luke and Michael's giggles, letting him know he went to the right place. He followed the hostess to a room in the back.

"About time you showed up." Sierra said, making Claudia look up from her phone.

She softly smiled at him. Michael pulled Calum into a hug, bringing him back to reality. Luke and Sierra hugged him as well and wished him a happy birthday.

Ashton got up and pulled him away from the table. He ran his hand through his red hair and cleared his throat.

"Claudia and I had a talk a few days ago." Ashton said.

"So I heard." Calum nodded.

"I apologized to her and we're good. But I want to apologize to you too." Ashton looked behind Calum's shoulder watching Claudia pose with Sierra as Luke took pictures of them. "I'm sorry for not trusting your judgment. You were right. Claudia's a good person with even greater intentions."

"Well, I wasn't expecting that." Calum awkwardly chuckled. "Uh, apology accepted I guess."

"One question though."

"What's up?"

"Why haven't you asked her out? It's fucking obvious to the world and their dog that both of you have feelings for each other."

"She broke up with her boyfriend a few months ago. I don't wanna ask her out and potentially fuck up a good friendship."

Ashton thought back to what Claudia accidentally told him so he just nodded and said. "You'll know when the right time is."

They went back to the table. Calum pulled Claudia to a hug when he sat next to her.

"Wasn't expecting to see you here." He said, placing his arm on the back of her chair.

"Ashton convinced men with free food."

"I did what?" Ashton asked, confused.

"Yeah, you offered to pay for my food too." Michael called out while sipping his mimosa.

The brunch went by smoothly. By the end their server came by with a red velvet cake Claudia made. She showed up early and asked the manager if they could hold the cake while they ate.

Calum offered to walk Claudia back to her car since she parked the furthest. She held onto his arm cold from the breeze that blew. She knew she should have worn a jacket over her turtleneck.

"What are you doing later?" Calum asked her.

"Nothing, probably watch some tv." She said, rummaging through her bag for her keys.

"Wanna go to a concert? Management managed to get me some tickets to see Bad Bunny and since you got me into him I want to take you."

"You got tickets? I've been trying to get some for weeks."

"So that's a yes?"

"Oh my god yes!" She wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you!"

They talked a bit, mostly planning out the night. Calum was picking her up a bit early so they could eat something beforehand because concessions are always a mess. As they discussed what they wanted to eat, a black Mercedes parked in front of Claudia's car, leaving her no room to get out.

"No mames," she cursed as the driver of the Benz walked past them. She smiled sweetly at Calum. "Can you pull out?"

"Pull out?" He blinked, confused.

"Like can you get my car out of the parking spot." she explained. "It's too snug for me."

"How did you even get your licence?" He asked her while taking her keys.

"I wore some shorts and a halter top." She gestured over her outfit. "You think a turtleneck and some jeans would have done the job?"

Calum shamelessly scanned her up and down, keeping his eyes on her ass for an extra second. He looked over to her and smiled. "It does the job for me."

***

"Here," Calum said, handing Claudia a flannel he had in his car. "I have a hoodie if you want."

"I'll take the flannel. You don't wear hoodies to a Bad Bunny concert." She said. She let one of the sleeves fall off her shoulder. "Also you're not getting this back. This is now my flannel."

"Oi! That's my favorite flannel."

"That's too bad." Claudia smiled as she fluffed her hair and tugged down her dress. She noticed Calum checking her out as she fixed her outfit on the car door's reflection.

"Ready?" He asked her. She nodded her response.

The arena parking lot was surprisingly packed despite the doors opening in two more hours. Calum and Claudia walked hand in hand, not wanting to get separated from each other. They went over to the line at the taco truck.

Claudia stood in front of him while they waited. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head. She relaxed a bit. She wasn't used to all the touching, but she didn't mind it. Calum made her feel safe and comfortable. He didn't do anything that made her feel like he wanted more from her.

It was finally their turn to order. Calum ordered a loaded quesadilla and beer. Before Claudia even processed he was ordering her five tacos de carne asada with the toppings on the side and agua de horchata. He paid the cashier and tugged her towards a free table.

"How did you know my order?" Claudia asked, reaching for his beer and taking a sip.

"We've hung out enough times for me to remember." He shrugged. He took back his beer and drank some. "There weren't carne asada fries on the menu, and you usually order tacos when they're not listed. Plus you've said that carne asada tacos are your safest bet at a taco truck."

"Oh." Claudia quietly said, playing with the wrapper of her straw.

She felt her cheeks warm up. Someone remembering the little things about her always got to her. It made her feel seen. Especially if that someone is Calum. He's an international rockstar that knows hundreds of people and he managed to remember her taco order.

The server came by their table and dropped off their basket of food. They pointed at the salsa station that had seven different types of salsas, limes, radishes, and pickled jalapeños with carrots. Claudia got up to get salsa while Calum stayed behind with their food. He watched her look disinterested at whatever the guy that was hogging the station was telling her.

"Hey, love," Calum called out to Claudia. He held up her phone in the air. "Your mum's calling."

She walked over to him and pretended to answer the phone. "Thank you,'' she whispered.

"What salsas do you want?" he asked.

"There's a creamy green one and the one that looks like regular salsa verde." she said, nodding along to her fake phone call.

Calum squeezed her hand and went to the salsa station. The guy that was trying to talk to Claudia was already talking to another girl.

"Excuse me." he said, wedging himself between them to get to the salsas.

He returned to his table. Claudia was on her phone, frowning.

"What's wrong?" He asked, handing her the salsas.

"Danny's here and he didn't even tell me he was coming up."

"Here as in LA or…"

"He's literally here eating Korean tacos on the other side." She sighed. She bit into her taco and chewed. Covering her mouth, she said. "It's fine though. No one is fucking this night up."

***

The concert went by quickly. They ran into some of Calum's fans and he took some pictures with them. He traded the group their tickets for the box tickets management got him. They wanted to enjoy the actual concert and not get distracted with all the other activities that were the private room.

"I had fun tonight, thank you for inviting me." Claudia told Calum when they got in his car.

"There's no one I would have rather spent the night with." He said shyly.

They both let out nervous giggles. Claudia smiled softly at him and took in his scent. It is a bright and woody cologne mixed with beer someone accidentally spilled on him. It was a comforting scent, as if she was at home. She looked up at Calum, and he glanced down to her lips.

He met her eyes and pushed back some of her curls before cupping her face with one hand. He leaned and pulled her for a quick kiss. As he pulled away, Claudia pulled him back and deepened the kiss.

Without breaking their kiss, she climbed to his lap and cupped his face. Her dress rode up to her waist. Claudia sighed into Calum's lips, feeling his hands slide up her thighs to her ass. She moaned out loudly as he squeezed her ass.

She pulled away and kissed down his neck, nipping and sucking. One of her hands wandered down to his belt. In one swift moment she unbuckled his belt and undid the buttons. Before she went further, Calum's hand pushed hers away.

"As much as I want to, I don't want our first time in my car." He groaned.

But Claudia only heard 'first time.'

"Did Ashton say something?" She asked him. The last thing she wanted was for him to find out that she was a virgin through his best friend.

"What does Ash have to do with this?"

"Nothing, I'm just confused why we stopped."

"Trust me I didn't want to. But I don't want a quickie in my car to be your first impression of me."

"Oh," she said, relieved.

"Yeah…"

"Good thing you live twenty minutes away. Maybe you can impress me there." She whispered, kissing his jaw.

"Wait seriously? You want to go back to my place?"

"Yeah." She sat back in her seat and pulled down her dress. Quickly noticing that they'll be stuck in the parking lot for a while, she turned back to him. "Maybe I can impress you with my mouth while we wait to leave?"

"You mean like a—"

"A blowjob? Yes."

“I’m not one to turn down a blowie.”

***

Calum had Claudia pressed against the door. Their tongues battled to see who got the upper hand. He grabbed the back of her thighs and effortlessly picked her up. He carefully carried her up to his bedroom. There once again he backed her up against the door

She pulled away and slipped off her flannel. Claudia helped him unbutton his shirt and helped him out of the ever present black tank top he wore under it. She slid her hands over his chest and up to his face. She couldn’t believe he was in front of her.

More kisses led them to the bed. The last few layers of clothes shed as they got reacquainted with their bodies.

“Can I have a taste?” Calum whispered in her ear. Claudia looked up at him with an unreadable expression. “I don’t have to, of course. Whatever we do is up to you. If you just want to make out then we’ll just make out. But if you want to have sex, fine by me. I want you to know that you’re not obligated to do anything. We can stop and just act like—”

“Go for it.” she said, stopping him from rambling.

“Wait, seriously?” His face lit up.

“Yes.” she softly giggled.

Claudia wrapped her arms around him as she deepened the kiss. She let out a soft whine when Calum pulled away. She watched him kiss her body as he made his way down.

He looked up at her when he reached her dripping core. “Ready?” he asked.

“Yeah…”

Calum placed her legs over his shoulders and gently kissed thighs purposely ignoring where she wanted him the most.

His fingers grazed her entrance, coating them with her arousal. He licked his fingers and continued to tease her. He smirked as her breathing quickened, and her soft pleas filled the room. He finally laid on his stomach and began to kiss the inside of her thighs before placing them over

his shoulders.

"Fuck." He moaned once he tasted her.

His tongue worked its wonders on Claudia. She never felt so desired. She was on edge minutes later. One of her hands

wrapped around his fresh blonde curls while the other tugged one of her breasts.

"Cal, please,” she begged.

“Gonna you use my fingers now okay?” he said.

“Just be gentle.” She said, stopping him from rambling.

“Of course.”

He kissed her thigh reassuringly. He made a show, licking his middle and ring fingers and making Claudia needy for him. Calum slid his fingers in her. He looked up and saw Claudia’s face contorted in pain.

“Did I hurt you?”

“No… a little, but it’s okay. You’re good, honest.” Claudia sait putting his mind at ease.

Calum nodded and buried his face between her thighs. He slipped his fingers inside of her once more. She squirmed at how he was thrusting his fingers in her. Then he added his thumb and slowly rubbed her clit, bringing her to her orgasm. He continued licking and thrusting his fingers into her as she came.

The tight grip on his hair loosened. Claudia sighed as Calum pulled his fingers out of her. He licked them clean and laid next to her. He turned to his side just as she did. He pushed back her curls and laid his hand on her cheek.

“I didn’t hurt you earlier, right?” He asked her softly.

“No, it kinda caught me off guard since no one’s ever done that. Overall A+.” she commented, earning a snort from him.

Calum gently pushed back and reclaimed her lips. They kissed for what seemed like forever. Not wanting her lips off away from him, he awkwardly reached over and patted around the nightstand, looking for the drawer. He pulled it out too hard and the drawer fell along with all of its content.

“Smooth.” Claudia teased.

“Shut up.” he bent down and opened the box of condoms, taking one out.

Claudia watched Calum slide the condom on himself before he got on top of her. He leaned down and captured her lips. They kissed for a while with some touches here and there.

“Calum, please do something.” Claudia whined. She reached for him and slowly pumped him.

“Eager are we, pretty girl.” He teased her. He lined himself up against her.

“Just want to get this over with.” she mumbled out loud. She cursed. “I didn’t mean like that…”

“Then how did you?”Calum got up and grabbed his boxers. “You just don’t tell someone you’re about to hook up with that you wanna get it over with, Claudia.”

“You do when it’s your first time.” She said quietly, wrapping Calum’s bed sheet around her.

Calum stood silent, processing what she said. His mind went over the little comments they said here and there throughout. Then it finally hit him.

“Claudia, are you a virgin?”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes it does. It makes a—”

“What, you don’t fuck virgins either?”

“What— Can we just talk about this?”

“What is there to talk about? You’re just like Paco; you want nothing to do with me because I’m a virgin.” Claudia met Calum’s eyes, hurt filled his soft brown eyes. She looked down, embarrassed at herself.

Calum is nothing like Paco.

“I’m sorry. It just all happened so quickly and I freaked out. You’re nothing like Paco, you actually like going down on me.” she added the last bit to lighten up the mood.

Calum sat next to her on the bed. He watched her pull the sheet tighter around her. She sniffled and wiped a few tears away from her cheek.

“Claudia, what really happened between you and your ex?” He asked her gently, not wanting her to feel obligated to share.

“Isn’t it obvious?” she laughed dryly. “He dumped my ass because I never put out.”

“He’s a selfish idiot.” Calum said. He pushed back some of her hair and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry if I pressured you into something you aren’t ready for.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m sorry for not telling you that I was a virgin. I was scared that I was gonna push you away or that I’d make things awkward between us if you knew… wait I just did the latter.”

Calum snorted. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her head once more. He scratched her scalp when she laid her head on his shoulder.

“Not to one up your awkwardness but Duke has been in the room the whole time.”

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palukoo · 3 years

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So! @thxngam and @claudiasjeancregg enabled me to talk about that scene in Dead Irish Writers and oh boy did I run with it!

So... the scene is super interesting for several reasons... let’s dive in...

It’s a scene that’s just women, and, by West Wing standards, several women, and you realize you’ve never really seen all the main women together without the men before that, I think. I mean, you also really haven’t seen how Donna and Abbey interact, which is why this scene is so good

The four of them actually have two scenes with this sort of thing off the top of my head-- this, and then during Zoey’s kidnapping arc with Amy and CJ trying to stop Abbey from going into the press room (though Donna doesn’t talk in that one)

I probably will bring this up again but on top of this not being a dynamic the audience has seen before, I don’t think it’s a dynamic that they’ve had before in this combination... like...

Any group of two of them I will accept having spent some time together, though I doubt Donna and Abbey are close (partially due to the power dynamics I’ll get into later) and Donna and Amy don’t know each other well

Any group of the three of them? Not so much

Amy, CJ, and Abbey maybe, because they do say or imply that Amy knows both of them and is friends (?) with both of them before we ever see her, but... I don’t see her as being particularly close with the campaign or administration, so... (but I’m SO glad we get it here and during the kidnapping arc)

Amy, CJ, and Donna is a dynamic I adore and that I think this scene kinda opens the door for it in a lot of ways but again, since I don’t think Amy and Donna are close at all at this point and Amy’s not that close the the administration at this point, I don’t see it

CJ, Donna, and Abbey I will absolutely accept actually but not in any sort of like meaningful or non professional context. The way Donna reacts to being invited in in this scene? This is new for her

Amy, Donna, and Abbey? Nope. Love it as a concept, but nope

So the four of them? Yeah, no

Which is relevant in like. The way women get to interact on screen and like. The way women are isolated in male dominated fields

(Amy, working for the WLC, is certainly in a less male dominated subset of the male dominated field of politics, as is Donna since a bunch of the assistants are women, and I get that Abbey has a very specific and gendered position in the show, but she and CJ are both absolutely in male driven fields)

And it’s relevant because Abbey’s shifting her anger into this like, feminist framing where she doesn’t not have a point (I’ll get there) but it’s also not really the whole story at all, which is why I think it was very smart of them to have it be this group to call her on it, because from any of the guys it would’ve been... easily yikes?

The other absolutely crazy thing here is the power dynamics which I know people have talked about before and CJ even calls attention to but you’ve got like

Abbey is sort of CJ’s boss, and her friend, but the nature of their positions in the administration are weird and they’re both honestly undermined a fair amount but a lot of the admin doesn’t take First Lady/Abbey seriously, so! It’s interesting!

Not in a direct sort of way but CJ clearly has more power than Donna, and they’re also friends

Do the math on Abbey and Donna, plus again we don’t really see them interact before this

Amy sort of exists outside of this, because she’s the only one who doesn’t work in the White House, but that also like. Is a dynamic in it of itself. She also definitely has a more visible and overtly powerful position than Donna and is sort dating Donna’s boss, so?

Also Abbey used to babysit for Amy which just makes this. A lot!

So I’m gonna try to sort of break the scene up into parts and do it like that. If I wanted to make this even longer, I would start before this scene because there’s a lot of relevant context/lead up, but I’ll just mention it

Donna’s just found out she’s not a citizen which is a lot

Amy’s kind of pissed at Josh who’s kind of pissed at her

Abbey’s also kind of pissed at Josh probably, especially if she caught any of what he was saying to Amy

Abbey didn’t want a whole thing and is obviously stressed about her license

CJ’s the one who caught that the guy was recusing himself and had to tell Abbey

“Claudia Jean?” “Yes, ma’am?” “Let’s go get drunk.” “Okay” should be a master class in acting

Also relevant is Abbey choosing CJ and Amy to get drunk with for this. They’re career women in politics who are her friends and who should understand this sort of.

So they get to the residence... “Awasiwi Odinak, far from the things of man...”

Abbey instantly cuts to complaining about Jed bc she’s angry at him and in her defense only some of it is misplaced!

But like... she says “what a jackass” and CJ immediately says “I’m gonna open the wine” in a very “can we not do this” way, and Amy just... is there. Hanging out. Trying to open drawers

As a note on that there is no way Amy’s being like. Genuine there. I love how awkward she is but she’s not about to take notes while getting drunk with them. She’s being awkward and funny and avoidant and I love her (like as a random note Amy is... very rarely still)

When she comes to sit with them and sits on the arm of the couch, it’s a really interesting detail that I see as her sitting as far away from them as she can without it seeming so blatant

And Abbey keeps talking, and neither of them really respond

CJ with the corkscrew is of course iconic and funny and I think it’s part of the reason the scene works and it makes sense because CJ’s uncomfortable in this scene. Her rambling about the corkscrew prevents her, momentarily, from being in this uncomfortable position that she’s put into so much more later where she’s thrown into the issues of Abbey and Jed’s marriage and she really doesn’t want to be because she has a ton of respect and care for both of them

What I mean by “the reason the scene works” is that it needs to keep being drawn back to funny before it can snap. It’s a very specific kind of bubbling tension, and I really like it

Abbey saying “I’m board certified in thoracic surgery” brings you back to the fact that maybe she won’t be for very long, but it’s said as a joke and moved on from quickly, so you can’t dwell on it

I describe Abbey in this scene as “erratically vulnerable” which I don’t know if that’s quite right, but I think there’s maybe a glimpse of her realizing what she’s saying here, and the specific implications in that moment, and then changing subjects immediately

And of course she asks Amy about Josh...

What I find really interesting about this is Amy’s response of “he’s... you know... he’s adjusting.”

Amy doesn’t pull punches with Josh usually, but she does here (she also seems to earlier when she tells him he’s right, but then she gets Abbey to bug him) and I think it’s because we’re seeing her talk about Josh, not to Josh

Abbey says “well let him adjust faster. Jackass.” which is again, funny, but so so indicative of how frustrated she is and how she’s taking it out because literally earlier in the episode she says to Amy and Josh something like “I still haven’t gotten credit for this (I love them and their responses of “we’ll see” and “jury’s still out” to that)

Enter Donna!

Side note on timing, Donna walking in as Abbey insults Josh vs Abbey walking up as Josh insults Abbey

Donna coming in shifts this scene a lot

For one thing, it sets up this interesting play (that feels like me being really contrived and probably is) on audience proxy, that if I get into will only complicate things so I guess... if you’re curious, ask

(Donna plays audience proxy a lot in The West Wing as they explain political concepts and whatnot, and it’s not a thing you see so much in these really character driven scenes because it becomes unnecessary and sort of clunky

But the thing is that in this scene at this point, Amy feels very audience proxy-y... I will concede that in any given scene it’s easy for me to default, in analysis, to Amy and her perspective, but she feels very much like an observer of CJ’s jokes and Abbey’s anger thus far in the scene-- it definitely shifts back to Donna after the fade out)

I also want to shout out Donna’s body language here! The way she steps in cautiously and plays with her hands as she talks is really good at showing her discomfort, and I think it’s neat to draw a parallel here between her and Amy a minute or two before. Like, seriously though, watch her hands in this scene. It’s so good

But Donna walking in this room shifts things!!

Pulls attention to the... D plot? I don’t know, it’s the B plot of the scene, but there’s a lot going on in this episode, which is funny in the context of watching it if not for Donna, and away from Abbey’s heavy plot here, like a pressure valve in that tension I was talking about. Donna looks nervous here, but everyone else seems to relax

It also makes this more of a... White House thing. Like, because Abbey and Donna specifically probably have not been friends much, it further complicates the lines between personal and professional relationships here

But let’s actually talk about the dialogue a little bit, because I think it’s really funny that she’s there looking for Amy for Josh, when Josh knows she left to get drunk with CJ and Abbey, and there’s not a second in that room where Amy is going to leave. It somehow feels shoehorned/plot device-y but also in character at the same time?

The line is “Josh was looking for Amy” to which Abbey says “She’s right here” and Amy just waves weirdly with half her hand since she’s holding her glass. Yes I know I keep fixating a little on Amy’s physicality, but it’s SO good

And then Abbey says “Where have you been all night?”

One of my FAVORITE exchanges this episode is “It’s a little tough to explain, ma’am.” “Tougher to explain than secretly prescribing Betaseron?”

The way Abbey jokes about it!! It’s very specific because it’s not an “I’m moving past it so I can joke about it” it’s that she’s specifically bitter and it comes out... not hostile, but something

That’s sort of what I mean by erratic vulnerability?

Donna explaining the citizenship issue with CJ’s convenient questions is a nice break, like I said, and Amy’s “you seem pretty calm about it” gives Donna the room to freak out about it a little

And Donna freaking out about it a little gives Abbey room to be the “rational” one? Not exactly?

It’s also just a nice contrast in how they show their anxieties and it works really well for them as characters

Donna goes to leave, and Abbey invites her to stay

Which is also interesting? Since like I said, I don’t think they’re friends

But it’s also super in character because there’s something very grandiose about Abbey and it’s there in this scene. Like she... wants an audience? Even as she’s sort of trying to get away from this room where she’s forced to perform? I don’t know

Donna’s genuine excitement here is so cute

She sits even further from them than Amy had, on a chair instead of the couches

Another great exchange? “I probably shouldn’t drink, though” “I wouldn’t worry about it!”

There’s also something a little awkward and desperate about Amy’s “Canadian, huh?” like she’s trying to fill the silence and keep it from driving straight back to Abbey’s anger and identity crisis, and I just like how they play off each other here

CJ "opens" the bottle, Abbey says they'll decant it, Amy says "Now it's a party" and does the most iconic slide from the arm of the couch onto the cushions with Abbey

And then it cuts back in, and they're all boozier, especially, evidently, CJ!

But there’s something to be said, if we’re tracing body language, for Donna now being on the couch and Amy leaning into Abbey so much

With the later context that they’ve known each other since Amy was a kid, I accept it, but it’s absolutely crazy in the context of Abbey as the First Lady and Amy joining them because “you think I don’t wanna write a book some day?”

I mean, I love it either way, but it makes more sense with the retroactive context

I love love love CJ laughing and rambling about the cork and the wine and then you get another really important shift. Because Abbey seems annoyed in general but more amused than anything by CJ’s tangents before the fade out, and she’s at this point way less endeared.

Which totally makes sense, of course, ‘cause if you’re stressed and frustrated, anything is going to annoy you, including and honestly especially your friend being rambly about something completely irrelevant

I also love Donna looking around at Abbey and Amy while CJ is talking trying to make like conspiratorially amused eye contact, it’s a really subtle, human detail

Anyways, Abbey interrupts CJ to make her stop (This is another body language thing where I love how leaned back she is, how she rubs at her forehead as CJ keeps going on)

And it’s here I’m gonna start being REALLY pedantic probably

“Mrs. Bartlet, I wanted to ask you a question but I’m not sure how” “What?”

First of all, this feels so... soft? This is actually why I’ll accept the babysitter thing

Amy playing with Abbey’s dress is so! good! Look, Amy’s so fidgety and I adore it!!

Also, I love this because Amy clearly doesn’t really want to ask, but she’s also not good at keeping quiet when something is bothering her

“Well, if the most they can give you is a year's suspension, is it...?” “That big a deal?”

Amy stops herself! Because she doesn’t want to say it! Or doesn’t know how to

Amy never actually criticizes her in this scene, which is neat, because Amy’s practically introduced to us through criticizing Abbey. One of her first lines in the show is “[Abbey] isn’t doing enough for women” and she has lines like “I’ll keep poking him with a stick. That’s how I show my love” but in Privateers, Josh also tells her “it’s okay to tell her you disagree with her” while Amy’s refusing to go against her. It’s not inconsistent-- I just think Amy has a think about criticizing Abbey to her face, kind of, and here, while Abbey’s this upset, of course she’s hesitant at best

“Yes.” “Yes. I'm a doctor. It's not like changing your major. You of all people should...”

Abbey really says this to Amy “who has had seven jobs in three years” Gardner, Amy “and I’d [stake my job and career on a political issue] again” Gardner... “you of all people should...” Amy’s a career driven feminist lobbyist, but she’s not someone who can tie her identity to a job which is the real issue Abbey’s having, she just wants to frame it like this

I love the way Amy looks down during this, too

(“You of all people should...” makes a lot more sense, actually, after Amy loses her job because of her and Josh’s political fights over marriage incentives in welfare reauthorization)

((Also, how many times did Donna change her major? It’s not relevant, really, it just makes this an even funnier room for Abbey to say this in))

“I mean, women talk about their husbands overshadowing their careers. Mine got eaten”

She’s valid for being angry about this, but also she’s conflating things. She’s not losing her license just because of Jed

Like, it’s fair for her to hate how much of herself and her career and her life she’s had to give up because her husband is the president. I think it’s important, even with Donna’s also valid criticism here in a minute, that Abbey’s not being irrationally upset. It’s a choice she played a part in making, but it was never going to be a good choice for her, and it isn’t really fair to her, and it isn’t really any one person’s fault

And yes, I DO love how Abbey talks with her hands here. It’s that kind of grandiose thing about her

“Your husband got eaten” “My career” “Yeah, well, I’m on dangling modifier patrol” “What is your problem?”

I’m going to lose it a little bit here, because it’s really funny at face value

Like, this is one of my favorite tww comedic moments. The timing is so good. But trying to analyze this scene? Watching this scene multiple times? This is them being snippy with each other. CJ is upset here, with Abbey

(One of the things I really like about Sorkin-style rapid fire dialogue is that there’s a rewatchability where you pick up on different things each time)

CJ’s really subtle about it, which is... CJ is very subtle about her emotions a lot and there’s something similar you can look at throughout the show as a whole and also this episode in particular with the different ways that she, Abbey, and Jed learn to put on facades and deal with being very, very public people. Abbey in particular in this episode has a lot of rapid demeanor shifts, but you get the same thing from CJ going to brief in some of the heavier episodes, or, like, Jed at Leo’s funeral

I mean, really, the “What is your problem” feels way more jarring than anything CJ has said because outwardly she’s just been joking, but there’s... a tension or something? A flatness to her voice? A lack of amusement? It’s a really stark contrast to how she’s been overly amused about the cork or whatever. It’s good, and I like that Abbey picks up on it and doesn’t let it keep going unspoken

I do wanna take a second here because CJ doesn’t fully answer, I don’t think, so I wanna answer for her

A part of it is just her loyalty to Jed, too, and specifically to the president I think, and the awkwardness of being thrown into Abbey being so disparaging about that

I also think that, as a character who takes on a lot of personal responsibility and, to an extent, guilt (less than some of the others, or at least less overtly), and internalizes a lot, it sort of bothers her that Abbey’s refusing to take responsibility here, like, at all, and that Abbey is externalizing all of her anger

The other thing is that we do unpack all of the team feeling betrayed and upset and angry with Jed and even sort of Leo during the whole MS plot, but we don’t really deal with any of them being angry with Abbey

And none of them would be, particularly, because she’s not their boss, their career, their friend, but she is CJ’s friend

She tells CJ “I wanted to be there when you were told” but she didn’t say “I wanted to tell you” (which. I could write a lot more about this but this is already too long)

And I think CJ hasn’t had any opportunity to address or unpack that

Oh, and here we see CJ refilling her own AND Donna’s glasses, meaning Donna is drinking. I would love to see the full transition between the scenes tbh

“Are you First Lady right now?” I love CJ’s sigh leading up to that, the way she doesn’t want to get into it

“What are you talking about?” “Sometimes you like to talk, and I think that’s great, but sometimes you're Abbey and sometimes you’re my boss, and I respect both very much, but--”

HOW is CJ this eloquent moments after the corkscrew monologue?

No, but this is really it, and speaking of taking things under the surface and calling them out (wow, I did it, the whole analysis, right there...), CJ is just shining a massive light on the weird power dynamics here, and that everyone in this room other than Abbey has a really, really valid reason to feel uneasy in this conversation because of those power dynamic

“I’m Abbey.” “Yes, I agree with her”

Cutting it off right here because I love how quick they are with this. Like, it’s Sorkin, so duh, but Abbey’s hand up cutting CJ off and as soon as she’s spoken, CJ jumping in to say what she wants to

This is interesting because Amy hasn’t exactly made a point for CJ to agree with, also. Like, it’s supposed to be “is it really a big deal?” but Amy did not say that. I just think it’s neat

Also, because I’m obsessed with CJ and Amy’s implied friendship, I love this moment

“Look, they take this job away from me, I got nothing. I don't have a cat. I could get one, but I don't have one. Frankly, I'm not wild about cats. I don't hate them. I'm just not... I could learn to like them, I guess, if I...”

CJ losing the thread here again gives the scene it’s rhythm... it’s ebb and flow of tension and humor... it’s funny, to watch this, but you also kind of want to get back to the point, too

“CJ?” (with the pointed arm motion, too) “You've got a husband, children, a home and a life. And we're talking about one year of your not having a medical license.”

I think CJ is mostly being like “It’s not all you are” and sort of “stop complaining” but it’s also a step away from a point that Amy also ends up approaching, which is... First Lady is a weird position, and they do something specific with it in the west wing

Essentially, neither Abbey nor Helen wants it and it sort of becomes about sacrifice and loyalty and public and political and private life balance, but the First Lady is a public figure, with responsibilities and powers and careers, and it’s fair to on a professional level be upset with Abbey for being so dismissive about those

It’s also fair for Abbey to resent being thrust into this role she doesn’t want

“Jed got censured, and that came with no tangible penalty, and it was a banner headline, and he's having a slow nervous breakdown.”

The way I interpret this is both that she’s bitter at having to bear the tangible penalty of the two of them, and she’s trying to justify being upset at it, at the perceived injustice

ALSO, Abbey’s voice here makes me want to cry, because she sounds like she’s about to cry, and I realize half of this analysis is me saying “Yeah they were right to call Abbey out” but like. You do feel for Abbey here. You understand why she made the choices she did and why she’s upset at having made them, at being put in a position to make them

CJ looking away and almost rolling her eyes here is also really good, she’s so frustrated at Abbey just willfully missing the point

“That’s different” “Why?” “‘Cause it is, and you know it.”

The thing that makes it different is actually, I think, basically the point Donna’s about to make. Like CJ’s close to making that same point, because the thing that makes it different is that what Abbey did is directly related to her doing her job poorly, essentially, and what Jed did isn’t, so of course she’s gonna get a more tangible penalty

“Okay, I’m First Lady again” “Okay.”

Abbey saying that is obviously a shield but also feels so vulnerable, like an admission that she can’t take it

CJ’s tone here is so good, too. Like she is backing off but the way she says it like “Okay well if you don’t wanna hear it that’s fine I guess”

Again, god, watch their hands

“You are First Lady, Abbey.” “Yes.” “And it’s not like it’s been a detour from healthcare” “No” “What, you’ve expanded Medicare to...” etc etc

Cutting in after that and keeping talking about it is... pretty bold honestly

The thing here is that Amy’s both arguing CJ’s point, basically, of like, you still have things, a career, and reassuring Abbey and being like it’s not giving you or your priorities or your identity up

It’s very smart, and it reminds me that Amy is, in very specific circumstances, really good at this sort of communication

I also love that she can list all this off. Like, of course she can, but I love it

When CJ says “There’s plenty of stuff left” I really wonder if she’s supposed to mean to list or to do but I like the sort of ambiguity there

Here’s another bit where the tension subsides, and the thing is, this is a weird sort of fake out ‘cause it almost feels like that’s going to be it, but no one has said the thing, the tension hasn’t fully erupted yet

“That’s not the point” “What’s the point?”

The point is that Abbey never wanted this, it’s not her, and god, I want to hug her

“I’m a doctor” could be a really poignant beat because that’s also the thing Abbey hasn’t explicitly said yet, or at least not emphasized, that this is about feeling like her identity is being taken away

But do they let us sit with this line? No. If they gave us a beat here, Donna’s line would feel weird on several levels

“Oh, Mrs. Bartlet, for crying out loud, you were also a doctor when your husband said, ‘Give me the drugs, and don't tell anybody,’ and you said, ‘Okay.’”

Donna has not spoken, I should point out, since before the fade to black. It makes the line really slap you in the face. Everything about this line, from timing (immediately after line before, long pause after it) to who is saying it is designed for impact, surprise

She’s also saying it very nonchalantly, half laughing. There’s a lot about her delivery that is exasperated, genuinely frustrated criticism, but it’s also just... almost playful teasing for a second in there

More on why it’s Donna saying it, though

I think you just don’t expect Donna to be... it’s not quite rude. Antagonistic at all? Beyond like lightly teasing the others? Certainly not to Abbey especially with the lead in of her being surprised and honored by being invited to drink with them

Amy criticizing Abbey doesn’t have the same impact. She’s not a main character, you’re probably gonna take Abbey’s side, really, and Amy criticizing her, like I said, isn’t new

You can’t take the personal elements out of CJ saying it. You can’t. They don’t give us a ton of context on CJ and Abbey’s friendship, but it’s very clearly deep, and CJ has also already explicitly backed off as far as this conversation

Remember what I said about audience proxy? Donna’s kinda their go to every-man, and this also is a window into how the public would feel about it. For the like, hundredth time, Donna and Abbey are not close, and she’s as close as you can get in this show, maybe, to an objective messenger for this while it’s still from a trusted, likeable main character. You have to balance feeling for Abbey with Donna’s valid point here

Also, Donna’s really good at reading people and casually calling them out/breaking things down.

(Aka being a stand in for explaining things (if it’s political, explain it to Donna, if it’s someone’s emotional shit they’re too repressed to say but you want the audience to get anyway, explain it through Donna. This isn’t criticism, I exploit the second often in my fic)

See also: her and CJ in No Exit, her and Amy about Josh in Commencement

(Donna doesn’t actually look at Abbey like at all as she’s saying this. She’s mostly vaguely looking down or looking at Amy. I don’t know what to do with that, exactly)

Abbey’s stare here!! It’s... shellshocked. Because I don’t know that she really has processed like, no, this was your mistake too, you did have agency in this, etc, bc she’s been using the anger as a defense all episode

Amy’s face is comical here, which I think is mostly not expecting that from Donna (which is the point) or from anyone to Abbey. Based on their relationship, there’s probably some base defensiveness on Abbey’s behalf, but I also think, and this is more headcanon, that like this is a position Amy’s been in before

“I used to get you in some jams” “Yes you did” plus her whole vibe, I have to assume Amy’s stepped out of line with Abbey before

CJ doesn’t look surprised, because hey! She knows both Donna and Abbey well, so she can maybe see it coming more, and like I said, I think she was really about to make the same point before Abbey stopped her, kind of. She looks like she’s waiting for it to catch up with Donna

And catch up it does! She looks over, panicked, to CJ, like she’s just remembered the whole layout of power dynamics CJ articulated

“Oh my god. You switched back to First Lady” “That’s alright”

I love that the first thing Donna says isn’t an apology, isn’t saying she was wrong, she shouldn’t have said that, she’s out of line, it’s just panic

And the fact that Abbey quickly just reassures her after! It’s so good

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Bartlet” “It’s okay”

The camera staying on Abbey here is really smart, the way she shakes her head and you can watch her distracted reassurance, her processing

Even without the “O Canada” etc stunt, I would insist, from Abbey’s reaction here, that she really isn’t upset with Donna, she’s just upset, but she does know, really, that she needed to hear that, that she’ll be grateful for it

CJ and Amy both make faces that are kind of like... quietly agreeing with Donna. Like a “Well, yeah, and now it’s been said, and that’s... a relief?” It’s good for the release of tension they finally give us

“He took the censure standing up, Abbey. I was very proud to have voted for him that day.” “Me, too.”

This is not the place for me to unpack my feelings on Amy and Jed

Her calling her Abbey here is interesting, personal, considering she’s been calling her “Mrs. Bartlet” all night and they’ve explicitly gone over the “you switched back to first lady” but I think it really works for the line

With this, it’s different, too, because it did come with no tangible penalty for Jed, but it’s still... something about integrity, maybe.

And Abbey saying “Me, too” is so gently hopeful, in a way, and it’s the first positive thing she’s said about Jed this whole time, really, and it gives you a nice feeling, like it’s going to be okay. Abbey and Jed, and Abbey just as a person

Donna looks so sort of regretful here you just want to reassure her that Abbey really, really isn’t upset with her, that she appreciates it, but it’s okay because you get the Canadian flags at the end

“Let’s get back to the party” is sort of one of the switches I’m talking about with Abbey, and you need it to move the episode along, and it wraps it all up

anyways this is an 11 page document and i’m sorry

#tww #my post #The West Wing #abbey bartlet #cj cregg #amy gardner #donna moss #dead irish writers #hmm tumblr is the worst there was more formatting here in post editor with bullet points under each other like section headers #but now yall get an even less comprehensible version :))))

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marchtomydrums · 3 years

Text

Jealousy 11

Alex Cabot X Casey Novak X Reader

*not my picture.*

Alex’s POV:

I make it to the warehouse knowing this is the location. I don't see anyone on the docks so I head to the door. Before I left the penthouse I text Olivia telling her to bring me food. It’s weird I know. However, if Claudia found out someone was following me there was no telling what she'd do. So I left breadcrumbs per se for Olivia to follow. God, I hope she figures it out. Two men are blocking the door, I tell them why I'm here and they walk me in. The warehouse is dark, cold, and wet. I look around to see if I can spot the two of you but I don't see anything.

“Alex, I see you got my note,” Claudia says. I turn around to see her making her way down the stairs.

“Yes, I did. Where are they?” I ask.

“Now. Now. We need to have a chat before that. “ she chuckles.

She makes her way over to me brushing the hair out of my face, her hand coming to cradle my cheek.

Snatching my face back I shout “I'm not fucking around Claudia! Where are they?!”

“I assure you they're fine for now. “

“What does that mean?”

“They will be fine as long as you cooperate. Now when we go into this room, we're going to play a little game. You will play or there will be consequences. Do you understand me?”

I'm still unsure about all of this but I need to make sure the two of you are okay. So I slightly nod my head yes. Claudia leads me up the stairs to a door. She opens it and allows me to enter first and she shuts the door behind me. It's dark, Claudia walks to the middle of the room and pulls the string of the overhead light. My eyes adjust and I see Claudia standing in the middle of the two of you. Both bound to chairs and mouths tapped over. Both moving your chairs to reach for me. I run over but Claudia stops me just short of you. “No Alex we have to play the game,” Claudia said her palm pressing into my chest pushing me backward.

“What game?!” I ask annoyed.

“You remember all those years ago when you said if it came to someone else or Casey you'd always pick Casey?”

“Yes.”

“Well, darling here’s your chance. So we're going to play a nice little game of would you rather. I ask you a question if you don't give me an answer I get to decide. How's that sound?”

“Screw you! Let them go!” I shout.

Claudia calls for the men. They come into the room with a chair and rope. Next thing I know I'm being tied to the chair and I'm in front of the two of you.

“I knew you wouldn't play fair. Nonetheless, let's get started, shall we?” Claudia asked me.

“So Alex would you rather let Casey get the first hit or Y/N?” she asked as her men stood on either side of the two of you ready to do as I say.

I shake my head “neither!”

“Oh, honey. No see that's not how this works. Either you answer or I do.”

Claudia waits for a couple of seconds before she answers for me. “Y/N gets first hit.”

“No!” I scream just in time to see the man's fist connect with your stomach. Tears pouring out of your eyes as he hits you repeatedly.

“Stop! Please stop!” I cry out.

Claudia holds up her hand stopping his assault.

“Next question. Would you rather Casey get hit or Y/N? These hits will be face only so choose wisely.” she asks.

Tears are flowing down my face as I shake my head. “Please. Please. Just hit me. Please.”

“Choose!” Claudia screams.

“I CAN'T!”

“YOU WILL! CHOOSE!”

“CASEY!” I scream. The man beside her starts to wail on her. I can see the tears in her eyes and the blooding falling from her face. I scream begging them to stop. You are kicking and screaming in the chair trying to get to Casey. Finally, Claudia tells him to stop. I see Casey look my way with Swollen eyes.

“I'm sorry baby. I'm so sorry.” I tell her.

“Would you rather Casey or Y/N to get cut?”

I look up at Claudia tears in my eyes.

“I’m not playing this game with you anymore! Let them go. Take me! I’m the one you want! I hurt you not them.”

“Oh honey I know that. But see this hurts you and that’s what I want. Now, which one will it be? Hmm?”

I drop my head praying that Olivia shows up soon. I can’t do this I can’t choose. But Claudia chooses for me anyway. I ran out of time when I heard her call your name. I look up to see the man rip you skirt open. He grabs a knife and slices you from you inner thigh down to your knee. You scream through the tape. Blood gushing down your leg, Casey is screaming through her tap. I beg Claudia to stop to end this. Wrong thing for me to say.

“You want to end this?” She asked me. I nod my head yes. She walks away to the other side of the room. She comes back with a gun in hand.

“Okay, this is how this goes. So one of you will be raped by my friend James here while the other two watch. Then we he’s done my other friend over here will kill whomever you didn’t pick. So you’ll be left with one girl who you let get brutally raped and the other will be dead. How’s that sound? “ she says not really asking me.

“So Alex who will it be?”

I look between the two of you. Both looking back at me. Casey and I locked eyes, having a conversation with no words. I don’t want to choose. I look back at you, and tell you I love you. I look back at Claudia who is waiting patiently for my answer.

“Casey gets raped and Y/N dies. “ I say quietly.

“Wow, so even now you choose Casey. This poor girl loves you and yet you’d let her die.” Claudia questions. I say nothing just looking back at Casey. Claudia sees and stops for a minute. Anger crosses her face as she starts to understand.

“Oh, I get it! You don’t want her to be hurt. You two think she’ll suffer less if she’s just killed. Is that what this is? “ she asked. Again no one said anything.

“Hmm, okay. Boys grab the girl. “

“No! I decided.”

“I don’t care what you decided. “

“Please Claudia!! She had nothing to do with this! Please!!” I scream.

The man unties you from the chair and slam you down on the table. Casey and I are screaming has he rips your clothes off. I’m trying everything to get my hands untied. Claudia watches my face the whole time laughing taking joy in our cries. She tells the man to untape your mouth so I can hear you scream. You scream for me, for Casey. It’s all too much. I can’t do this. I drop my head for a split second. The next thing I know the man that was once on top of you is now lying on the ground.

“NYPD! Hands up now!!” Olivia and Elliot scream with their guns drawn. Elliot and Fin go to handcuff Claudia and the other man standing next to Casey. Olivia unties me and goes to untie Casey. I run to you, Casey not far behind me. Your laying on the table sobbing. I lift your body up so Casey can untie your hands.

“I’m so sorry my love. I’m so sorry.” I sob as I hold you tight. Casey is hugging you from behind all three of us crying.

“Did he rape you? “ Casey asked.

“No” you shook your head “but it was close. Too close.” You tell her.

I look between the two of you, hugging and kissing, and I keep telling both of you over and over how sorry I am.

“It’s okay Alex. It’s not your fault.” You tell me.

“Yeah, clearly the bitch is crazy.” Casey says.

Olivia makes her way over to us telling me EMTs are here to check you and Casey out. The two of you walk together to the ambulance. Olivia looks at me and leans in to hug me.

“I’m glad we showed up when we did.” She tells me.

“I’m glad you knew to follow my trail.” I tell her with a small smile.

“Me too.” She says softly.

She walks me over to the EMT’s so I can be checked out as well. Of course we will all have to go to the hospital so they can take pictures, and clean our wounds. Looks like you’ll need some stitches for the cut on your leg. Overall, we’re all okay. And I can’t wait to get back home.

I look at Casey and she walks straight to me and holds me tight. I kiss her head, her cheeks, her lips. She chuckles and goes in to hug me again.

“Casey, I’m sorry I said your name. I’m sorry I played her stupid game. I wanted her to take me. “ I try to tell her.

Casey shakes her head and shushed me.

“Alex, it’s okay. I understand. We had to play the game either way. I know that was hard for you. I would of rather you pick me than y/n for the rape. She knew that. She knew we were protecting her that’s why Claudia was so pissed. She wasn’t mad because you chose for me to live. She was angry that we would rather y/n die than to go through that kind of pain. She realized that it didn’t have to do with me, that’s not why you didn’t pick her all those years ago. She realized how much you love y/n. That you would rather her die than to go through something so horrific.”

“ I didn’t want you to go through that either.” I tell her.

“I know honey I know. But I couldn’t live with myself however long that may of been if I had let them hurt her like that. “

“I couldn’t either.” I lean back in to hug Casey. We hold each other for a few minutes while we cry. I lean back just enough to kiss her one last time. I take a deep breath and let it out.

“Alright. Let’s go check on our girl.” I say with a smile as we head back over to you.

#fiction #lgbtq #law and order x reader #television #wlw #law and order svu #stephanie march #writing #casey novak x reader #diane neal #poly representation

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nobody-wants-ice-cream · 4 years

Text

Everything Wrong With The Umbrella Academy. Episode 5, Number Five.

We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals

Run Boy Run

Extra Ordinary

Man on the Moon

Disclaimer: This is all in good fun! I wanted to do a really nitpicky re-watch of the series and found some really cool and interesting things I didn’t notice before. This is meant to have a Cinema Sins-esque tone. However, I did take off a lot more sins than Cinema Sins would have because I do genuinely like the series and the people that made it possible. So all of the good things got one sin off and all the bad things got one sin added. This is a really long post, so grab some popcorn. If there’s anything that I missed, feel free to add it!

I would also like to add that normally you wouldn’t watch a show this way. I am purposefully looking for mistakes, easter eggs, and other things that we’re not supposed to notice. I am watching not with the goal of entertainment, but for analysis. So most of the things that I sin, I am seeing for the first time.

Number Five

The apocalypse looks incredible. Well done special effects team! I know I already shouted them out, but they deserve another one. Or two. -2

Five shades Dolores with an umbrella. What a considerate dude. -1

Heat of the Moment is an awesome song. -1

Five’s survival gear. Well done costume department. -2

Also, the progression of skill and age is really well done. -1

Dolores’s little santa hat. -1

And her sunglasses. -1

“Do you remember that little mansion just outside city limits where we-- yeah” Noodle incident. However, the way Five says this implies that I really, really don’t wanna know. +1

Argyle Public Library. Suddenly the reason why Five went there makes sense. -1

How did Five get all the way up there on the library walls? Did he use a ladder? If so, that was begging for him to fall and break his name. +1

Sean Sullivan (who plays Old Man Five) does an excellent job imitating Aidan Gallagher’s vocal patterns and movements. -1

The Handler is the first person Five sees after 45 years of isolation. +1

Title screen lunch box! -1

Also, Five kept a lunch box to remind him of his family. He had Vanya’s book but nothing else with their images on it. I’m sad now, but glad that Five at least had something. -1

Five is so hungover. +1

Luther looks like he’s about to cry when Five tells him about finding their dead bodies. My boy! +1

Tom Hopper is an excellent actor. -1

Five also looks like he’s about to cry. +1

Aidan Gallagher is an excellent actor. -1

Luther lifts up Diego and holds him like Diego is an angry toddler. This amuses me. -1

See! I told you. Diego figured out that Five was involved with the shootings at Griddys and Gimbel Brothers on Patch’s doorstep! -1

“They work for my former employer. A woman called The Handler.” No one in this show is allowed to have a reasonable name. +1

Underneath how callous Five is about Patch’s death, he shows genuine concern for Diego. -1

Diego has not slept at all. And he is planning to go after Hazel and Cha Cha. Good luck with that, buddy. +1

Luther finally gets tired of Five vagueing everybody. Good job, I’m curious too. Er, I was when this was my first time watching it. -1

The Handler decides to wear three inch red pumps to the apocalypse. +1

The Handler is as vague as a Multi Level Marketing schemer would be.+1

The Commission decides to wait 45 years to recruit Five instead of a more reasonable number. Like zero years. Honestly, if I was the Handler, I would have picked up Five as a young, impressionable thirteen year old. Then he would feel indebted to the Commission and wouldn’t have had time to come up with the equations to escape. The Commission has no logical reasoning skill. +1

“You’re saying that I could actually leave here? Go...go back?” Heartbreaking. Sean Sullivan gets another sin off. -1

“All of this, was supposed to happen”. Kate Walsh is a kick ass actress. -1

The Commission is composed of dicks. +1

Five asks Dolores for permission before running off to join The Commission. -1

Five’s mustache. +1

I would watch a spin off of Five’s time in the Commission. Hopefully season 2 explores this more. Dallas plot, here we come? Sin until we get some answers. +1

You can see Five’s epiphany in his eyes. His expression says “I’ve got it! I’ve got it!” -1

The words on Vanya’s book look real. The props department did not have to go that hard. -2

However, whatever notes Five wrote are indecipherable. And for good reason if he was attempting to fool an entire time commission. -1

The fire extinguisher Klaus throws confirms for Five that the portal works. -1

Also, Five is clutching Vanya’s book. It’s like he’s nervous to see them again after so much time. -1

The fall from the portal to the ground doesn’t break, scratch, or hurt Five at all. +1

Also, Dallas plot foreshadowing? Remains a sin until we have answers. +1

I hope that they show Five picking up his hat, radio, gun, and possibly the fire extinguisher and that is why we never found any of those in a grassy knoll. Season 2 better resolve this. +1

“But that’s murder”. Luther, you threw people out of buildings when you were twelve years old. That is also murder. +1

Aidan Gallagher kills the delivery in this scene. Well done. -1

Klaus still has Dave’s blood on his hands. Also, putting Klaus through even more trauma. +1

Robert Sheehan and the heartbroken thousand yard stare. -1

The music choice really works. -1

That emotional, awful scream. -1

The briefcase exploding may foreshadow Klaus’s comic powers. Sin until we get answers. +1

Hazel and Cha Cha casually murdered Claudia. +1

“Unauthorized round trip travel to 1968”. This is how we found out where Klaus went. It requires a bit more brain power to figure out the Vietnam war from here, however, I think that this was a clever way to do it. It brings us back to the reason Klaus ended up there. -1

Honestly, Hazel was right to not carry the briefcase on him. If Five had seen it at Gimbel Brothers then he would have taken it because he knows what it is. It would be an insurance policy or could be used as leverage. Either way, Hazel and Cha Cha were going to lose their briefcase. +1

Allison, you were there when Vanya made breakfast plans with Leonard. Is the coffee and bombolini your way of trying to distract Vanya? Because based on the makeup and the nice scarf, it isn’t likely that you will be successful. +1

Vanya has a framed piece of sheet music. Either that’s some really valuable manuscript or its something kitschy. Either way, it’s a sin. +1

“What are you concerned about?” Vanya, the red flags are everywhere. +1

“Like a woman who’s based her whole life on rumors.” Ouch. Allison is trying to give you genuine advice, Vanya. This was uncalled for. +1

Leonard is getting progressively creepier. +1

“Can you imagine sharing your birthday with six world-famous assholes who all know they’re better than you?” Choke on that irony. +1

Leonard doesn’t stop her by saying, “Wait, that’s salt!” he waits until she already put salt in it. Dick. +1

“What happened to the other girl?” Harold, you know damn well. +1

Good use of Beethoven. -1

Klaus is back in the bath. Bookends to his tourture. +1

Klaus is haunted by memories of Vietnam this time instead of just ghosts in general. Trauma. +1

I made eye contact with Aidan Gallagher again. +1

Klaus doesn’t want to talk about Vietnam with Five because the last time he tried to connect, Five jumped away. +1

Five looks really excited to connect about time travel with somebody in his family. -1

Five doesn’t care that Klaus was tortured by Hazel and Cha Cha. +1

Five, Klaus has been tortured and then was in some war (Five wouldn’t know yet) for almost a year. This proves that Five’s decision making is impared. Presumably by his hangover. +1

Diego takes out his dagger from episode 1’s bank robbery. This is significant because of something Patch said. That Diego runs around as a vigilante to prove that what he did with the Umbrella Academy had meaning. Now that that has gotten Patch killed indirectly, he feels upset and confused. The dagger that he used as a child is now a symbol of what he did to Patch. -1

The fridging of Detective Patch. Yes, I’m still pissed about it and will continue to be pissed about it. +2

At this point, Klaus doesn’t know about Mom’s “death”. And I don’t think Five does either. The Umbrella Academy of Not Talking To Each Other should be the school’s full name. +1

Allison and Cha Cha don’t see each other when getting into or out of the chairs right across from one another. +1

Allison is doing the equivalent of social media stalking her sister’s boyfriend. Smart. -1

Extra Ordinary bites everyone in the ass. Thanks, Vanya. +1

Five and Allison have the same slow, blocky handwriting. Did Reggie teach them to write as slowly and as large as possible? +1

Hazel and Agnes’s flirting. It’s cute? -1

Klaus ran down the stairs wearing Grace’s heels and broke his jaw when they were twelve. Trauma. +1

Diego can’t park for shit either. Diego and Five need to learn how to park vehicles. +1

Klaus’s little “Hey, Dave” when he sees Dave’s picture. -1

The show fakes out the vet confronting Klaus. Clever. -1

Diego is genuinely concerned for Klaus. -1

The vet is itching for a fight. Asking a drunk person to apologize? Dumbass. +1

“I’d like to apologize...that you are depriving some village of their IDIOT!” -1

Klaus and Diego get into a bar fight in less than five minutes. Checks out. -1

Agnes sees the birds the way Hazel sees normal people. I like the analogy. -1

Agnes does not own Griddys. Who does? Is she the manager or something? +1

Hazel and Agnes theme. -1

Diego’s face when Klaus says he lost the only person he ever loved more than himself. He’s thinking, “Klaus lost his Eudora”. -1

No way in hell Five would have been able to get up as high as the chalk goes. +1

Five is still using Vanya’s book as a notebook. Checks out. -1

The rifle Five pulls out looks a lot like the one he points at the Handler. It doesn’t look like the one he pointed at Kennedy. Why would Five lie about this? +1

Luther, you murdered people when you were twelve. +1

Luther dangles Dolores out the window by her neck. Logical, yeah. Fucked, also yeah. +1

The level of concern Five has for Dolores. -1

Also, well done creating tension, show. My heart was beating like crazy. -1

The Gigue from Partita No. 2 in D Minor by Bach is one of my favorite pieces. -1

No one stops playing like that. +1

Allison takes her not-stalking info to Vanya and presents it really accusingly. At this point, Vanya is sick of your shit, Allison. +1

“You’re trying to dig up dirt on a guy that I like, who does that?�� Everyone with an internet connection does this for the people they care about. What Allison did was hella extra though. +1

Vanya is getting more assertive. -1

Vanya is a dick to Allison. +1

“They’re a real frickin’ mess”. Understatement of the century. +1

Cha Cha wouldn’t know about the moon mission because Vanya’s book came out before it. Also, Vanya wouldn’t know that Five could time travel. +1

Diego you haven’t slept at all, as soon as you drop you’re gonna sleep like a baby. +1

The motel clerk doesn’t notice Cha Cha’s pistol, which was directly in his line of sight. +1

Diego doesn’t notice Klaus’s footsteps. +1

“Yeah but you also told me that licking a nine-volt battery would give me pubes” “We were eight”. Sibling culture. -1

Klaus saves Diego from gunfire the best he can. Even though Diego still gets shot, sin off for Klaus’s heroics. -1

“Was this all part of your master plan” “Shut up”. Sibling culture. -1

Audition panels are always dicks. +1

If you start an audition the way Vanya just did with the shaky bow contact, you’re fucked. +1

Imogen is a great violinist. Ellen Page is not. It’s really easy to see when they switch out. +1

Allison goes to Leonard’s place with no backup. Come on, even Diego has backup! +1

Allison doesn’t tell Five and Diego about how she got into Leonard’s house when they were breaking in again later. The window would have been much better than breaking the door. +1

Vanya’s powers are distorting her music. It sounds like her intonation is gone. Yet the conductor looks impressed. +1

Allison almost finds Helen Cho’s body. +1

The camera cuts to the attic entrance to show that it will be significant later on. -1

The Hargreeves car has HERMES on its licence plate. A.) nice comics reference. B.) Hermes is the God of Travelers. C.) Of course Reggie has a vanity licence plate. -3

Five and Luther connecting over their forced isolation. -1

Also, Aidan Gallagher and Tom Hopper play off each other really well. -1

“I’ve lived a long life, but you’re still a young man. You got your whole life ahead of you. Don’t waste it.” Luther’s face amuses me. -1

Five threatening while Hazel and Cha Cha doesn’t look ridiculous. I genuinely belive it. Props to Aidan Gallagher. -1

Five and Luther look so confused by Klaus and Diego arriving in an ice cream truck. This is such an underrated scene. -3

Ride of the Valkyries -1

Klaus’s little wave. -1

“Whee” I love Ben. -2

I want to know how they shot this. The behind the scenes after the Handler showed up and stopped time must have been strange to look at. -1

Luther protects Five with his whole body without question. -1

Five puts his hands in his pockets but then they’re behind his back in the next shot with no motion to explain it. +1

The Handler is a creep. She’s into Five. +5

Where and When did Five get that pistol? +1

So many memes come from this scene. -2

Five doesn’t have his finger anywhere near the trigger in some shots, but in others it’s two seconds from shooting the Handler. What’s up with that? +1

The Handler is so, so creepy. The hand caressing Five’s cheek? Eww. That all but confirms that she wants to be his Mrs. Robinson. +5

Kate Walsh plays an excellent villain. -1

Five made a deal with the devil because it was his only option. -1

[Gerard Way and Ray Toro’s “Happy Together” playing.] -1

Cha Cha was planning to abandon Hazel. Otherwise why else would she open the briefcase? +1

Ben gets shotgun. -1

Klaus finally gets to flip off Hazel and Cha Cha. -3

“SHIIT” Cha Cha, you got played. I love my smart boys. -5

Vanya did well at her audition! I’m proud of her! -1

Leonard knows the exact words Reggie would have used to describe Vanya’s powers. And he uses them here. +1

“I got first chair!” Congratulations, Vanya! -2

“No one’s ever believed in me like this.” Fuck you, Reggie. +1

Having sex with Leonard/Harold desereves a couple sins. +2

Helen Cho and Reggie’s book reveal. Leonard is a creep confirmed. +2

Dr. Pogo? More like Dr. Complicit in Reggie’s Bullshit. +1

Overall Review:

In case you couldn’t tell, this is one of my favorite episodes. Finally, all of our characters are invested in the apocalypse plot, even indirectly. Vanya’s powers emerge, the Handler and the Commission enter the chat, and Leonard is revealed to be a murderer and to have Reggie’s diary. Things are really heating up in this episode.

I had a really hard time finding anything wrong that wasn’t character flaw is character flaw and villain character is a villain. This is a fun episode. If I wanted to show someone an episode of The Umbrella Academy to get them hooked onto the show, I would show them this episode. It moves at a perfect pace and has enough mystery to keep everyone on their toes. When I first watched this episode, I decided to stay up all night and binge the rest of them. Before I was watching one every couple of days. Episode five is what really hooked me. Props to everyone that worked on it!

I want to give a special shout out to Sean Sullivan. He did really well playing Five! I hope we see him in season 2 for that one scene. If you’ve read the comics then you know the one.

Sins: 4

Sentence: Watching Klaus’s breakdown after Vietnam was more than punishment enough.

#The Umbrella Academy #all in good fun #luther hargreeves #diego hargreeves #Allison Hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #five hargreeves #ben hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #leonard peabody #hazel and cha cha #the handler

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let-me-write-shit · 4 years

Text

Like We Used To: 23

[Click Here For Previous Chapters]

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

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE:

“Do you think all of this is still necessary?” Elizabeth called from the bathroom, pulling on the tenth outfit in the last two hours.

She dabbed her forehead with a towel, starting to sweat from all of the movement as Claudia, the stylist, buttoned up the back. Harry sat on the edge of his bed beside Lisa and Jeffrey, discussing details of the upcoming fashion show and going over bits for the preparation for his Halloween concert.

After Harry left her house Thursday morning, they had been brought to the attention of more pictures that were captured of their outing at the pumpkin patch with Harry and Elizabeth holding baby Mia, pushing the stroller around, and picking out pumpkins together. The caption had been ‘Harry Styles Getting Serious With His New Girlfriend’. It was pretty clear that most people had assumed that they were an item, so did they really have to make an official public appearance as a couple? What was the point?

Elizabeth had spent all of Thursday and Friday getting as much work done as she could so that she could go to Harry’s on Saturday morning to get fitted for her Fashion Show before they left for Anne’s. Now that they were getting closer to the day of the show, she was beginning to have doubts about their ‘first official appearance’, and the anticipation of dinner tonight with Harry’s mom didn’t exactly calm her anxiety.

The door creaked open and both Claudia and Elizabeth looked up to see Harry poke his head in. He smiled politely and nodded at Claudia as if to say ‘can you give us a moment’, before she nodded understandingly and slipped out, closing the door behind her. Harry stepped closer and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ear and took her hand in his, looking all over her face.

“Are you okay?” He asked, sincerely.

Elizabeth sighed, looking down, “I’m freaking out a little,” she admitted.

“Talk to me.”

She took a deep breath, “I don’t know. I know it’s not supposed to be a big deal. Like, we’re dating, whoop-dee-doo! But, all of this,” she gestured down to her clothes that had clips everywhere to cinch in where needed, “it’s a lot. Why does there have to be an ‘official outing’, you know?”

“Do you not want to go with me?” Harry asked, looking into her eyes.

“No, I do, but…”

“So don’t think of it as an ‘official outing’ and just think of it as you just going to an event with your boyfriend,” Harry said softly, running his hand down her arm, “We don’t need to make it into a big deal. We’ll just tell the stylist to take your measurements and surprise us with your clothes. We’ll go, take a few pictures outside the event, enjoy the show, and go to the afterparty. There doesn’t have to be any official statement, I won’t stop for interviews on the way in, I think us showing up together is a statement in itself. Sound good?”

Elizabeth took a breath and nodded, looking down again.

“Is there something else bothering you?” He asked. When Elizabeth nodded he pressed, “Tell me.”

She felt all of her anxiety force its way out of her mouth, unable to control what she said as her hands quivered and her voice shook, “I’m pissing myself about going to your mom’s tonight. I haven’t seen her in so long. Does she even know we’re dating? Should I bring something? What do I even say? What if she hates me now?”

Harry let out a chuckle, pulling her into him tightly and kissing her on top of her head before lifting her up and setting her on the bathroom vanity. He stood in between Elizabeth’s legs, and squeezed her thighs before raising a hand to her face, lightly brushing his thumb across her cheek.

“Lizzy,” he chuckled again, “My mom adores you, she always has. She’s brought your name up in conversations several times throughout the years. She could never hate you. And yes, she knows we’re dating. I told her the morning after it happened. All she wants is to see you again. You know her. She’s the same as she was back then. Don’t worry.”

Elizabeth nodded once more, taking another deep breath to compose herself. Harry grinned, entertained by her sentiments, and leaned in, kissing her softly. When he pulled away, he looked at her up and down where she sat on the counter, legs on either side of him.

“You know, we’re in the perfect position to…..” he smirked, wiggling his eyebrow and biting his lip.

She smiled, leaning in and giving him another kiss, pining for his touch. She took in his bottom lip, biting on it lightly as she reached down over his pants to grab his soft member before letting go. As she sat back up, his lip flopped back into place and his eyes bore down at her, hungry.

“Later,” Elizabeth whispered in his ear before pushing him back and jumping off the counter.

Harry groaned, the left side of his lips upturned in an amused smirk, smacking her butt as she headed towards the door and making her let out a hushed yelp. He quickly adjusted himself in his pants and followed Elizabeth out of the room where Claudia, Jeffrey, and Lisa were. Harry let them know the plan, and they stayed until 1 PM to finish up getting Elizabeth sized and wrapping up a few more minor details with Harry.

Soon, it was just the two of them relaxing on the couch in Harry’s living room, watching the movie ‘Just Friends’ to pass the time until they had to leave for Anne’s house. Elizabeth was nose deep in her phone, typing away until Harry cleared his voice.

“Who are you texting?” He asked inquisitively.

Elizabeth looked up, wrinkling her eyebrows, “Nosey.”

“Well, you’re just over there on your phone when a movie’s on…”

“Am I not giving you enough attention?” Elizabeth teased, making Harry’s expression soften into a little laugh. Elizabeth continued, “For your information, I’m in a group chat with Sarah, Mitch, Kate, and Matt. We’re trying to plan a get together after your concert in a couple weeks now that Kate, Lewis, and Matt were able to get time off to go to New York for the show.”

Harry smiled at her, staring. It was longer than normal which made Elizabeth’s eyes dart from left to right, confused. He finally spoke, “I love how much my friends like you.”

Elizabeth smiled, blushing lightly while trying to play it off, “I mean, what’s not to like?” she flipped her hair dramatically. He laughed, crawling towards her on the couch to give her gentle kisses.

The car ride to Anne’s house almost felt like they were driving back in time. Although Anne was in a newer, larger home, she remained in the same area as when the two of them grew up. They passed their old school yard, the park they used to hang out at, drove down streets that they used to roam and ride bikes. Elizabeth stared out the window, smiling as she recalled the moments when her and Harry would sneak out late at night to meet up at the park and share candy, talking until the sun began to break.

When they pulled into Anne’s driveway, Elizabeth felt her nerves start to kick in, making her stomach flutter. Harry noticed, squeezing her hand reassuringly until she nodded, ready to get out. About halfway to the entrance, though, the door flew open and Anne ran out, screeching excitedly, heading straight towards Elizabeth.

“Oh my goodness, my dear Lizzy! Oh, I’ve missed you!” She exclaimed in her ear, pulling Elizabeth into a tight hug and tottering her left to right.

Elizabeth laughed, feeling her nerves fade away almost immediately, having the same effect from Anne’s embrace as she did whenever Harry hugged her. I guess that’s where he got it from.

Harry scoffed, “Uhm, hello? What about me? Your son?” he quipped.

Anne pulled away smiling widely, her dimples identical to Harry’s. She gave him a squeeze and laughed, “Sorry. Lizzy always was my favorite.”

Harry chuckled, mouthing an ‘I told you so’ over to Elizabeth before following Anne inside. “Is Gemma here?” he asked, looking around vaguely.

Anne smacked her tongue, “No, darling, she couldn’t make it.” Harry nodded and she said, “I was just getting ready to start cooking the tacos.”

“Can I help?” Elizabeth offered.

Anne smiled, turning to pat Elizabeth’s cheek, “See, this is why you were always my favorite. I’d love some help! Thank you, darling.”

They followed her into the kitchen where all of the ingredients were laid out on the counter. Anne instructed her to start putting things together for the cabbage topping while Harry was to chop some onions and she would cook the meat.

“You know, I always thought that there was something going on between you two when you were kids, but every time I asked Harry, he always said ‘no, mom, she’s got a boyfriend’. Or ‘Ew, mom, stop. We’re just friends’.” Anne mocked her son, giving the steak a quick mix, “But I always noticed anytime all you kids were over, whenever you were all laughing, he’d always look at you first.”

Harry groaned, blushing, “Stoooop, your embarrassing me.”

Anne looked over, pinching his cheek before turning back to a smiling Elizabeth. “I’m glad you gave him another chance. I know you must have been so hurt when he left. I was always upset with him for doing that to you all.”

Harry put his head down in guilt while Elizabeth nodded solemnly, “Yeah, it was pretty upsetting, but he’s definitely been making up for it. He’s been really great.”

“Good,” she ruffled Harry’s hair, “and don’t let him live it down, either.”

Elizabeth laughed, “I won’t.”

When they were younger Elizabeth had a habit of talking to Anne like she was one of her friends. It always seemed to embarrass Harry whenever he had friends over and Elizabeth went missing, only to find her and his mom laughing in the kitchen, and almost immediately they picked that up again. This time, however, Harry smiled happily watching as his mom and girlfriend laughed to the point of tears. Harry was right, there was no reason for Elizabeth to worry.

It had eventually gotten to the point where Harry felt comfortable enough to let the girls talk alone and he stretched out in the living room, watching TV while Anne and Elizabeth continued talking in the kitchen. At first they discussed Elizabeth’s job and she told Anne about her neighbor, Judy, and their old friends. The conversation then turned to Anne and how she managed to deal with the sudden fame of her son.

Anne sat back in her seat, letting out a contented sigh, “I gotta tell you, Lizzy. I’m so glad you’re back in his life. And mine. I can’t believe you’re still close with all the others. Kate, Lewis, JJ, Matt, Celeste. I wish Harry could have been a part of that. I’m sure the bond you all share is incredible. But I’m grateful that you all found each other again.”

Elizabeth nodded, smiling softly, “I’m really lucky to have such great friends. And now with Harry back it kind of feels like our little pack of friends is whole again. It’s pretty great.”

Anne nodded, but her smile started to slowly fade. After a moments thought she sat up, a more serious expression spread across her face. “Lizzy, I just want you to be careful.”

“What do you mean?”

Anne outstretched her arms on the table, opening up her hands in order to take a hold of Elizabeth’s. She gave Elizabeth’s hands a squeeze as she spoke, “I know your relationship with him is new, you might still be getting adjusted to his new….way of life. And I’m not sure how much you two have spoken about his previous relationships. There’s been a few, and I haven’t met all of them, but I do know the reason why most of his past relationships ended. Time. With the work he does, he rarely has free time. He’s always traveling, and when he’s not traveling he’s writing an album, and when he’s not writing an album, he’s doing press work. It’s a never ending cycle and the stress of it usually becomes the final straw. I don’t mean to scare you. I’m telling you all of this because I just adore you, and I love my son, but I don’t want you to get heartbroken. So just...be patient with him, and be careful. Will you?”

Elizabeth gulped. Somehow hearing this from Harry’s mom made her insecurities of their relationship seem not so outlandish. So far it hasn’t been too terrible, but she could have just come in at the right time. His schedule seemed to break all of his relationships before her, why would she be any different? Just because they used to catch fireflies at the park when they were younger?

KEEP READING

#Harry Styles #harry styles smut #harry styles fluff #harry styles fan fic #harry styles fan fiction #harry styles imagine #harry styles one shot #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #one direction #one direction fan fic #one direction fan fiction #one direction fanfic #one direction fanfiction #one direction blurb #harry styles blurb

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trashyvirster · 5 years

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I admit that s3 was tough to watch as a Viren fan; not because his character “died”, but because it felt like his CHARACTER ARC died. To a lot of fans, he seemed to be a cardboard cut out villain and not the complicated villain we loved in S2.

But looking back on it, that's the whole point. His narrative shows his slow descent into evil and his fervent fall resulting in his own death. You gotta wonder what it all means.

I think Viren’s death symbolizes the END of his arc as a villain.

Here’s my timeline of Viren’s fall, death and ressurection.

The Man Harrow Believes In

Uncorrupted Viren

Viren is a genuinely good person at the start of this timeline, the day of the King’s Portrait. He’s such a good person Harrow himself insists he stand in the King’s portrait with him.

Viren is uncorrupted. He smiles! Acts a bit nerdy/goofy. He conveys love and adoration for Harrow with just his eyes. And he shows kindness for Sarai and her kids.

Titan Heart

Uncorrupted Viren

The next stop on our timeline is the Titan’s Heart flashback. As far as we can see, Viren is still uncorrupted. We see just how complex he is as a person. Pragmatic. Argumentive. Supportive. Stubborn. Caring. Resourceful. Brave.

1. Viren genuinely wants to support Harrow because he loves him. As his best friend, as his King. “FOR HUMANITY” is NOT his goal. Serving Harrow is his goal, its what he lives and breathes.

2. Despite his pragmatic arguments, Viren risked his own life to try to save two individuals. In other words, the sacrifice of the individual for the greater good is NOT something he’s happy to sit with.

3. He is BLUNT and honest. Uncorrupted Viren does NOT manipulate. He doesn’t say white lies either. On the contrary, he says exactly what he’s thinking and feeling. And sometimes that makes him a bit of an asshole. At least he’s an honest asshole!

4. He’s not vengeful or hateful. Sarai’s death greatly impacted him, but Uncorrupted Viren only shows grief and guilt.

This is his true self. This is Viren.

Thunder Slayer

Corrupted Viren

The first time we see Corrupted Viren is in the Virrow flashback of S3 when he and Harrow slay Thunder. Okay, this flashback is full of monstrous plot holes, but I’m gonna include it.

1. His personality is colder.

2. He doesn’t even acknowledge Ez’s presence in the room, compared to the King’s Portrait scene. Worrisome.

3. Where once was grief and guilt, now there’s only hatred for Xadia.

4. Where once he just wanted to support Harrow; he arguably has changed his goal. You’ve guessed it. FOR HUMANITY!! An amazing goal sure; but it’s impersonal…..And cold.

5. He didn’t exactly lie to Harrow. He told him he wanted to destroy the egg and why……...But he now keeps secrets from his King, his best friend.

6. He steals zym’s egg as a tool to use, justifying it because dragons are deadly and dangerous to humans anyways. Slippery slope.

7. He coins Rayla’s parents, for no real reason?? At least its not murder. Lol

8. His form is corrupted, symbolizing he’s no longer his true self. And he hasn’t been his true self IN YEARS.

Corrupted Viren is of gray morality; he’s NOT evil. He justifies his actions towards Xadia with his mindset “FOR HUMANITY” in a time of war.

Though he steals Zym’s egg as a tool….he never actually uses it. If anything, this shows that while Viren has an addiction to collecting Xadians as tools to use……..He can’t actually bring himself to use them unless it serves some sort of purpose for Katolis or Harrow.

The Man Harrow Lost Faith In

Corrupted Viren

We’re finally at the start of the show. Yes, the soft Viren that took shippers by the heart when he woke up Harrow is - corrupted. He’s been corrupted for years. But even as corrupted, Viren tries his best to be a good man, to be the man Harrow believed in.

1. Insisting one soldier give his life to Harrow was pragmatic. But Viren choosing to give his own life for Harrow….that was personal. This wasn’t a “for humanity!” moment. He wanted to give us life to Harrow, because he loves him.

2. Yes, he is short with Soren. But he tries to treat of his children equally; bringing them into the office for the debrief, together.

3. He (eventually) shows softness to both of his children and a great sadness at the thought of leaving them. LET ME EMPHASIZE. HE SHOWS SADNESS AT THE THOUGHT OF LEAVING SOREN. The scene is when he pleads with Soren “I hope you’ll understand! I’ll do anything, anything!”

While this Viren is capable of such cruelty towards Xadians, he shows true devotion and love for his kingdom and family. He’s gray, he’s corrupted, but he still has a heart. And yes, he shows love for Soren.

Villain

Dark Viren

But sadly, when Viren said “Goodbye Claudia” he meant it. Because when he walked out of Harrow’s room on that fateful day, he was no longer the same man. SOMETHING happened to him in that room. But what?

Dark Viren covers the remainder of S1 and most of S2. To summarize the startling differences:

1. Claudia is now the only living person he shows any amount of love to. But even his relationship to Claudia is not the same. Before he was vulnerable and honest. Now he lies and manipulates; even to Claudia.

2. Blunt honesty is out the window. Why bother reasoning with people when they’re all absolute idiots? If Viren can’t make them understand, then he will simply manipulate them. Especially Soren.

3. Virens love for his son has died. He is a tool to cultivate and use.

4. Viren intentionally divides his children; treating them differently.

5. While before, Viren’s “FOR HUMANITY” pragmatism was much more gray- here it morphs into something much more evil. A complete lack of care of what or who is sacrified, even if it’s his own son.

6. Giving Soren the mission to kill the princes is evil. His first true evil action on this descent.

But Dark Viren is still a very complicated man, far from a cookie cutter villain.

1. He shows a reluctance to actually murder with his own hands. He could have murdered Runaan, he didn’t. He could have murdered Gren, Opeli, the council, ect. He doesn’t. Which makes the mission he gave to Soren all the more cruel; he’s hoping Soren will do what he has yet to; spill blood.

2. He’s still very cautious with every step, especially with Aaravos.

3. He genuinely believes Xadia poses a threat. BECAUSE AMAYA SAID SO.

4. While he got pissed off at the pentarchy, taking vengeance was NOT his original response. When he returned to Katolis after the failed meeting, Opeli bitched at him, but Viren is so defeated he doesn’t even bother to bitch back, he just answers “for nothing….”

Dark Viren would finally give into Aaravos, admitting he desires for some important men and women to listen to him. Somehow Aaravos heard “so...murder? lollol”

Murderer

Evil Viren

With Aaravos guiding him, Viren became a murderer. It happened at the end of S2 with the Shadow Assassin spell; making him fall deep into the path of evil. Whereas Dark Viren could be redeemed, Evil Viren walked an unredeemable path ensuring his destruction and death.

When Aaravos told Viren to stop when the soldiers were trying to arrest him, Viren argues “But I have all the power I need to destroy them!” Sounds like a cookie cutter villain right? Because he became one. All of this was back in S2.

We can talk at length at how cookie cutter Viren felt in S3, at how horrible and cruel he was to Soren. But Viren being a cookie cutter villain isn’t a mistake. IT’S THE WHOLE DAMN POINT.

The point is Aaravos is evil and utilized Viren’s corruption. And by the end of S3, he’s practically posessed by Aaravos.

It was Aaravos who took Viren’s desire to have the pentarchy listen to him and transform that into murder. It was Aaravos who whispered in Viren’s ear to LIE to Claudia, resulting in gaslighting Soren. It was Aaravos who schemed for Viren to have an army - to conquer Xadia. It was Aaravos who schemed for Viren’s army to be gifted/turned into “monsters”. It was Aaravos who told Viren to take Zym’s energy. Did you notice where it was going??............Aaravos’ staff.

True, Evil Viren still had some nuance. Calling Claudia his daughter, saying he wants humanity to flourish, lacking a plan for what comes after attacking xadia lol. But he is a hollow shell compared to the Man Harrow Believed In of S1. And he lacks the rationality and caution of Dark Viren of S2.

The end result of Viren’s absolute descent into evil; attempting Zym’s murder - was his own death.

Dead Viren

Viren died at the height of his evil villainy. And he really died. He’s like dead, dead, super dead guys.

But you know what else I think died? His narrative as a villain. Why? Because he already did that. He had everything he asked for. He had an army of four kingdoms. He had magic. He had power. He had “control”. He gave it all, and he lost it all.

He didn’t just lose his life. He lost everything. Everything but Claudia. But actually you can argue...that he’s lost her too.

Why would he want to go through that again?

Resurrected Viren

But Viren was ressurected. The question is, what is his narrative now? Ah, a speculative meta for another day!

So have hope mage fam, because we have four more seasons to go and Viren’s ain't going anywhere. …….Redemption, and possibly saving Claudia from Aaravos, is still on the table.

PS. In my last meta, I said the ritual was one of healing. Well bitches, I wasn’t wrong! (wink)

#lordviren meta #viren #tdpspoilers #tdps3spoilers #meta

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revisitingstoneybrook · 4 years

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#15 Little Miss Stoneybrook...and Dawn: Chapter 1

Let’s get this one started with some traditional BSC drama!

Right off the bat, we're hit with an "Order! Order, please. Order! This meeting of the Babysitters Club will now come to order - and I mean it!" Kristy getting right down to business right away. It also mentions that she raps on Claudia's desk with the eraser end of the pencil. If it's so loud in the room, I doubt anyone heard it. I’m surprised she doesn’t have a gavel. Eep, I shouldn't give her any ideas. Dawn mentions it's the special day where they're getting two new official members, Jessi and the Redheaded Dork.

Before I go any further, maybe I should explain who the club members are, and what the Babysitters Club is. She mentions the club was Kristy's idea, probably because Kristy threatened to blackmail her if she didn’t give her credit right away. I’m sure Kristy has dirty secrets on all of them. Since we're talking about Dawn, I'll guess her secret is that she makes midnight runs to McDonalds every night for cheeseburgers.

We're just plain great with kids. We love them! Yes, you love them so much, you spend all your free time organizing carnivals/plays/summer camps/masquerades/taffy pulls instead of doing stuff normal teens do, like go to the mall or gossip about other teens or watch MTV or something.

Kristy says her "mouth gets her in trouble sometimes." There’s a dirty joke in there somewhere. Oh, and for once, Watson isn't described as “a real, live millionaire!” here, he's just "a really rich guy." And aw man, no outfit descriptions featuring oversized shirts or jumpsuits for Claudia.

Let's see, Mary Anne and Kristy are very different, Kristy's super tough, Mary Anne cries if she steps on an ant. Kristy thinks boys were put on this planet to torture her. Well, considering how Alan Gray lives to torment her, I guess that's partially right. And it again mentions that Kristy and Mary Anne are both short, though in a lot of the group pictures together, Mary Anne is always taller than Kristy. Well, the cover art wasn't always known for consistency, was it?

This is one of those post “Stacey goes back to NYC” books, so we get about two sentences about her. Then Dawn moves into her talk about health food, hot weather, and how oh-so ~independent~ she is. She also says we should know about her secret passage. That sounds dirty but I’m leaving it that way.

And, in case you didn't know, Mallory's a dweeb with curly hair, glasses and, in the icing on the awkward appearance cake, is getting braces. And, we’ll just get this out of the way now, Jessi's black. *gasps* And wears reading glasses? Do we ever hear about her wearing them after this?

Kristy then announces they're inducting two new members and Dawn promptly gets bitten by the jealousy bug. How dare she induct two 6th graders when all Dawn got was a nod from Mary Anne and a pizza toast. Dawn is miffed over this and blames it all on Kristy's personal vendetta against her for stealing Mary Anne away. So while Dawn wonders why a big deal wasn't made over her, the phone rings and, like always, everyone screams they'll get it.

Kristy picks up, it's Dr. Johanssen, who asks for Claudia. Uh-oh. Them's fighting words! "That's not how our club operates," Dawn says with a frown. A breach in cult club conduct! And apparently the clients know that they aren't allowed to request specific people! What will Claudia's and Dr. Johanssen's punishment be?

Sure enough, Claudia takes the job and Kristy freaks out at her. Mallory asks what the big deal is and Dawn "explodes" at her that the BSC does NOT work that way, embarrassing poor Mallory (as if she doesn't have enough to be embarrassed about already). Dawn apologizes for yelling at Mal, then adds in that Claudia broke "the most important rule."

I honestly don't get why everyone always goes ballistic if a family requests someone. Are they all so insecure that they assume if a family requests someone else, they're doing something wrong? They've failed as babysitters? Is there something so incredibly wrong about a family wanting someone? All the girls have their favorite clients, it would make sense that the kids would have favorite sitters too. They all need to chill out.

Claudia explains that Charlotte misses Stacey a lot and figures that Claudia is the next best thing since they’re best friends. Dawn gets bitten by the jealousy bug again and wishes that Charlotte asked for her. And like I predicted, she wonders what she did to piss off Charlotte and feels like she's a bad babysitter. Shut up, Dawn. It isn't the end of the world if, of all people, Charlotte Johanssen requests Stacey's best friend since she misses her so much.

This hits a raw nerve because Kristy gives the bitch treatment to Claudia with a huffy, "Well, if that's what Charlotte wants." She adds that they're all great sitters and she invented Kid-Kits goddammit! Mary Anne and Dawn also bring up wonderful things from their babysitting resumes (Mary Anne getting Jenny Prezzioso to the hospital, Dawn saving two kids from a fire), all the while Claudia feels even worse. They're guilt-tripping her! What did they expect her to do, tell Dr. Johanssen “Sorry, I can't take the job as we don't fulfill requests in the BSC. I'll turn it down but offer it to everyone so they can get a fair crack as well. That still good?” This makes zero sense.

Claudia tells them all to forget about it and it isn't an insult to anyone. It's forgotten momentarily as they get back to the Induction Ceremony or the Make Dawn Seethe with Jealousy Ceremony (at least that's what Dawn sees it as). Kristy makes Mallory and Jessi stand facing her with their right hands on the notebook. Claudia and Dawn think it's dumb and roll their eyes as Kristy has them recite, “I promise to be a good, reliable, and safe sitter, and to be true to the Babysitters Club forevermore.” Then they each sign their contracts inside the notebook with their own blood.

Mary Anne, being Mary Anne, bursts into tears and Claudia and Dawn, who are still too cool for school (especially in Claudia's case), roll their eyes again. Meeting ends and Dawn mentions "Later, I wished it never had." Oooooh, foreshadowing for the next chapter!

#babysitters club #little miss stoneybrook...and dawn #bsc #snark #dawn schafer

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lost-your-memory · 4 years

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Old friends, aliens and curiosities - Part III

Listen, I can’t stop thinking about this gifset made by @lonely-night in which H.G Wells (Warehouse 13) & Lena Luthor (CW Supergirl) are old friends and working together in the present to retrieve a curiosity (A ping, darling) meant to kill Lena.

So this is VERY AU-ish and with a crossover no one knew we needed but well, we do. Here’s the third part (it covers the fourth gif, I think) with a little help from Winn and Claudia. Also, I’m making the plot up as I go, sorry about any inconsistencies. Next up, Myka finally arrives to National City and meets the infamous Lena Luthor.

---

The voices rising behind the doors of her office pull Lena away from a very urgent email and she lets out a quiet curse, in Irish. She groans and reaches out for her interphone.

“It’s alright Jess, just let her in. She won’t take no for an answer anyway,” Lena sighs, already letting herself fall against the back of her chair.

Sure enough, Helena Wells enters her office, dramatically pushing the double door open before striding straight to Lena’s office.

“Hand it over.”

Lena arches a surprised brow.

“Good morning to you too, HG ... “ She retorts, irony dripping from her tone. “Now, what is it I’m supposed to hand over to you?”

Helena looks pissed, the frown above her eyes deep and permanent.

“The artefact, Lena. The one you designed yourself, apparently,” Helena replies, curtly.

“I did what now?” Lena gapes, taken aback.

Helena’s frown deepens, much to Lena’s amazement. She didn’t think it was possible.

“L-Corp is the company behind some kind of … alien detecting device, programmed to recognise any non-human DNA,” Helena states, slowly and cooly. “It’s what has been modified to kill you.”

Lena lets out a chuckle.

“That’s not possible.”

Helena’s frown disappear as she arches a brow of her own.

“It’s not,” Lena insists. “That device was created to help identify non-human, it’s harmless. You just put your thumb on a button and the microchip processes your DNA. It turns green if you’re human, red if you’re not.”

“It doesn’t sound like a weapon,” Helena nods but she still looks annoyed. “Could the microchip be reprogrammed into something else?”

Lena goes to reply but then pauses, looking thoughtful.

The chip was designed to host a tiny software the L-corp bioengineers programmed in association with a team of highly skilled developers but only to process DNA, to recognise markers and transmit the information as to whether or not it was human.

“I don’t think so, but I can’t be sure. I’ll have to ask around,” Lena retorts, slowly.

“Well, don’t ask the team that originally worked on it, maybe?”

“Why not?” Lena protests, not liking the insinuation.

Helena gives her a pointed look.

“Someone clearly managed to do something to the device to make it so it would kill, but not anyone. You specifically …” Helena explains, thinking out look. “Until we know more about how it happened, I’d say maybe we don’t pull any alarm … I know the level of skills you put in your products so, to be able to hijack it like that and make a weapon out of it ... the person behind the artefact must be some genius too. Like maybe … the ones you employs?”

Lena doesn’t reply but the thought doesn’t sit well with her. Helena keeps looking at her with suspicions in her eyes and it’s extremely annoying.

“Alright,” Lena sighs, unhappily. “I still need to be sure it can be reprogrammed so I’m going to call … a friend of mine. “

Surprise takes over the suspicion in Helena’s eyes, before it mutates into mischief.

“You have friends? Beside me, I mean?”

Lena rolls her eyes. She’s walked right into this one.

Still, Helena is nothing if not single-minded. She crosses her arms over her chest and then sighs “Just hand over the artefact, Lena.”

“How many times do I have to repeat myself?” Lena growls, pushing her chair back so she could stand up. “I don’t have the artefact.”

She walks around her desk and heads for her liquor cabinet.

She understands where her friend is coming from but she’s tired of being accused of things she didn’t do. In between the Super, the government, the DEO and the dead Luthor heirs piling up in National City cemetery, she’s been accused of pretty much every evil on the planet.

“Bit early for a drink, don’t you think?” Helena muses from behind her and Lena just flips her before pouring herself an unhealthy amount of Scotch.

She brings her glass back to her office and then reaches out for her phone. She searches for a specific name in her contacts and then dials.

“Hello Winn,” Lena greets warmly as soon as Winn picks up. “I need an engineering favor, could you drop by L-Corp at your earliest convenience?”

She smiles when Winn replies he’ll be there in twenty. He doesn’t sound too surprised, just excited at the prospect of working with her again.

“Who’s Winn?” Helena asks when Lena hangs up.

“A friend,” Lena replies with a smug smile. “Yes, I do have friends beside you. Winn used to work at CatCo but nowadays, he’s ...“

Lena pauses and wonders if Helena is aware of everything that’s been going on in National City lately.

“Ever heard of the DEO?” Lena asks, knowing full well she could get in trouble for even mentioning the name of the organisation.

“Yes,” Helena shrugs.

Lena smiles because of course Helena knows about the DEO. After all, they’ve both worked for the Warehouse, another extra normal government organisation doesn’t seem like a big deal. Not even one that works and deals with alien.

“Well, he’s one of their tech guy,” Lena explains with a wave of her hand. “He’s extremely smart, far more than they give him credits for. I’ve always wanted to poach him for L-Corp but he’s loyal to a fault, he’s going to stick with Supergirl until the end.”

“Supergirl, uh,” Helena muses, sounding a big distracted.

“She’s everywhere,” Lena nods before sipping at her Scotch.

“I’m going to call Claudia,” Helena states, seemingly out of the blue.

“Erm, sure?” Lena blinks, looking a bit thrown off.

“When your friend arrives, I mean. They’ll have a look at the chip and nerd around together, we’ll get our answers,” Helena explains and Lena watches as she pulls what looks like a ---

“Helena Wells, is that an iPhone?” Lena gasps, mockery lining her tone.

“Shut up,” Helena groans as she calls her friend.

---

Half an hour later, Winn is bent over the coffee table and Claudia’s face is occupying the entirety of Lena’s huge TV.

They’re talking too fast, exchanging orders, ideas and suggestions while using a vocabulary that even Lena sometimes doesn’t get. Pieces of the device are scattered all across the table and Winn sometimes moves the tablet so that Claudia could see better.

“I need access to the software, can you plug me in?” Claudia asks, her slightly disembodied voice echoing through the office.

“Sure, one second,” Winn replies, pulling out a laptop from his back and setting it up on a corner of the table. He’s fast and sure and Lena watches, a little mesmerised, as he plugs everything together.

“All good, let me know if it works?” Winn asks but Claudia is already squealing in delight as she enters the software.

“Oh whoa, this is … top notch code,” Claudia breathes, sounding very admirative.

“Why thank you,” Lena laughs, amused. “Now, the important question is … can it be hijacked and turned into a weapon?”

“Easy tiger, let me work my magic first” Claudia mutters, hands flying over her keyboard so fast it crackled across the office. “So, while I am at it, did you two bang, in the 17th or 18th century? I can never remember which one …”

Lena swears under her breath as Winn lets out a strangled gasp. His eyes become so wide they look about to bulge out of their orbits.

“Whaaaaaat?”

“Whoops, sorry I thought you knew!” Claudia winces, her face slightly distorted by the format of the TV. “Sorry!”

“You’re … from the past?” Winn asks, looking at Lena as if she suddenly had three heads.

“Aren’t we all?” Helena laughs next to Lena, looking utterly amused by the situation.

“No I mean … you … 18th century?” Winn squeaks, clearly struggling to stay conscious.

“Breathe, Winn. Breathe,” Lena sighs, motioning for her friend to follow her lead. She inspires and then exhales and watches as he does the same. “Yes, I … was around in the 19th century.”

“19th! I was way off,” Claudia laughs but when all eyes turn to glare at the tablet, she shrugs and focuses on her work.

“It’s … complicated. I got bronzed for centuries but at some point, the system malfunctioned and I was suddenly free, but in the 21th century” Lena explains, eyes traveling back between Winn and her decanter.

“How did you … managed to have such an extensive and lively background then?” Winn asks, frowning. He looks pale but his eyes are shining with wonder. “I mean, you’re supposed to be the daughter of Lionel Luthor, infamous sister of Lex Luthor … Not to mention your mother, who was a piece of work … No offense.”

“None taken,” Lena lets out a dry chuckle. “I made a deal with Lionel Luthor. I handed over a big part of the fortune I had amassed while being in the bronze and he created some really plausible story for my existence.”

Helena arches an impressive brow but Winn shakes his head.

“No one ever dug deeper? I mean, you do look extremely good for someone who’s over two centuries old but come on, no one ever asked why you never aged?”

“You never did,” Lena counters with a smirk. “You’re the DEO most talented IT guy and yet, when you checked my background, everything was legit, everything added up. So why would anyone else bother?”

“That’s …” Winn pauses and then relents “... accurate.”

“Sorry to interrupt this lovely story, although you still didn’t reply to my earlier question,” Claudia chimes in, looking very amused. Lena only rolls her eyes but Helena chuckles affectionately. “Anyway, I found something.”

Lena, Helena and Winn focus back on the TV, on which Claudia is now sharing her own screen. Lines of code are scrolling down until she highlights something.

“See this?” Claudia asks, moving her cursor above a few lines that seems innocuous enough. “It’s like a backdoor to the code, something that allows access to anyone who knows where to look. I don’t know exactly how it works, it seems to be really specific but it’s the answer you wanted. It is possible to access the software on the microchip and from there, anyone who knows how it works can reprogram it. To turn it into a weapon tho, it would require some really specific engineering skills …”

Winn steps forward and the way he looks at the code makes Lena think he’s seen it before. He’s frowning and searching for something.

“You know who’s behind it, don’t you?”

Winn startles and fidgets with his hands, looking slightly uneasy. Behind him, the lines of code disappear as Claudia’s face returns to the screen.

“Winn?” Lena insists, taking a step toward her friend. “What is it?”

Winn looks torn and Lena figures it’s because he is loyal to Supergirl first. It stings, but she doesn’t waver and she takes another step. She’s barely taller than him, with her heels, but she still towers above him.

“It’s …. I’ve seen this code before, but I didn’t think …” Winn starts to ramble, nervously looking around. “It’s … the same code that was used by Lord technology, I found something similar in the drones he’s sent to … spy on … Supergirl, years ago.”

Lena frowns.

“Maxwell Lord? Didn’t he left years ago after Myriad?”

“So we thought, but he’s nowhere to be found …” Winn replies, his voice rising a little from how nervous he was.

“Maxwell Lord was a very public figure and I heard rumours about him still mooning over Cat Grant, his disappearance is a little strange don’t you think? Did someone investigate this?” Lena pushes, knowing that at least Alex Danvers must have asked about the former tech CEO.

“Alex tried but then with everything that occurred …”

“Right,” Lena sighs.

Cadmus took over pretty fast after Myriad and then, it had been one shit storm after another, until Helena Wells all but barged into her office a few months ago. No time to dwell on the absents.

“Do you still need my help or can I return to my chess game with Myka?” Claudia suddenly asks, startling everyone in the room.

“Myka’s back?” Helena muses, sounding both surprised and slightly dejected.

“Yeah, since yesterday,” Claudia answers. “Pete’s still in Chicago though. According to Steve, it’s not exactly going well.”

“Of course it’s not,” Helena scoffs and to Lena, the underlying jealousy is deafening. It’s well hidden behind disdain but Lena has been around Helena enough to recognise the signs. “You could join us, if you’d like? I have a feeling this is going to require some kind of intervention, soon enough … Your help, along with Myka’s, would be greatly appreciated.”

Lena bites the inside of her cheeks to stop the laughter that threatens to burst out.

She’s never seen Helena try so hard to catch someone’s attention, it’s a little embarrassing. Even Winn looks a bit uncomfortable, shifting from one foot to the other and fidgeting with his hands.

“Oh, uh …” Claudia stammers. “Listen, I’ll ask Myka. I’ll text you the answer. Gotta go, bye!”

Before anyone could answer, the video link goes off and the news immediately resumes back on Lena’s TV. It shows Supergirl saving a bus full of young children and Lena instantly reaches for the remote to turn the screen off.

“Well, that answers it,” Lena muses to no one in particular.

She finally caves and goes to her decanter, offering Scotch to both Winn and Helena. They both accept and after a minute, they all sit around the couch with a glass in hand.

“Winn, will you investigate the mysterious disappearance of Maxwell Lord? I don’t think it’s him but still …” Lena says, seemingly lost in her drink. “I still don’t know what I could have done to make an enemy of him but then again, it’s not a surprise.”

“So popular,” Helena sasses from her side of the couch, in between two sips.

“I’ll get on it right away,” Winn retorts, finishing his drink and standing up. “I gotta go, duty calls but I’ll keep you posted. If your friend Claudia comes around, will you let me know? I’d love to pick her brain about a software I’ve been working on …”

“With pleasure,” Helena nods, offering a tight smile to Winn. He nods and then waves at Lena before exiting the office.

“Who’s Myka?” Lena asks as soon as the door closes behind her friend. She keeps her eyes on Helena and doesn’t miss the sparkle that shines in the inventor’s eyes

“She’s … an agent, she works for the Warehouse with Claudia,” Helena says over the rim of her glass.

“Thanks, Captain Obvious,” Lena rolls her eyes. “I meant, who is she to you? Don’t try to deny it, I’ve seen that look in your eyes before.”

For a moment there, Lena thinks Helena is seriously about to ask what look but then the inventor shakes her head and sighs, looking melancholic.

“She’s … fascinating,” Helena admits, her voice lowering as she gets all dreamy. Lena barely resists the urge to pull up her phone to snap a picture. “She’s smart in ways I can’t quite comprehend, her mind is quick and remarkable and she’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. Her heart … She tries to protect it, behind walls made of protocols, laws and orders but it’s pure and generous, giving.”

Lena can only stare, taken aback by the raw affection in her friend’s tone.

The only person she’s ever heard Helena talk about in that way, all soft and loving, was her daughter Christina.

“I’ve hurt her, multiple times,” Helena confesses and her voice breaks ever so slightly. “I’ve almost killed her once and then … I kept running away. She’s chased after me for a long time but I was blinded by … grief, despair, anger. I didn’t realise how … dear she was to me, not soon enough anyway.”

The words are like an echo of her own feelings and Lena’s heart aches for her friend. She knows the feeling well. She had National City’s most beloved hero chasing after her for month, trusting her, believing in her and constantly supporting her, no matter what. She’d slowly started to believe it, that’s the worst part. That until it all crumbled under the poisonous revelation her fake-brother offered her before she pressed the trigger.

Lena leans forward and places a comforting hand over Helena’s thigh.

“Believe me, I understand. More than I could ever tell …” Lena whispers, thinking back on a pair of bright blue eyes filled with hope and loyalty that told volume of faith and trust. Those are eyes she can never trust again.

“Supergirl?” Helena inquires, looking at Lena with understanding shining in her brown irises.

“Yeah,” Lena nods, removing her hand from her friend’s lap. “I still don’t want to talk about it though.”

“Fine by me,” Helena simply replies.

They finish their drinks in companionable silence.

#Bering & Wells #Meets Lena Luthor #AU-ish unexpected crossover #Warehouse 13 Supergirl crossover #HG Wells #I have no idea what I'm doing don't yell at me #I'm making everything up as I go

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iwillhaveamoonbase · 5 years

Text

We Could Be Heroes Ch. 2

“You ready?” Callum whispered.

“Nope, but no matter what, we’ve got to try.” Rayla gulped as she loaded her video chat up. She had texted Runaan to ask when he and Tinker would be available to talk. Unfortunately, Runaan and Tinker wouldn’t be able to find time to come to Rayla’s school anytime soon. While Callum would prefer this introduction to be in person, Rayla was relieved that Runaan couldn’t kill the both of them if he was displeased by this turn of events. “They’re answering. Hide!” Callum hid behind his couch as she took a final breath. They were in his apartment because it was the only place that was currently safe from outside eyes and ears.

“Rayla!” came Tinker’s excited voice. He smiled wide and waved to her.

Waving back, Rayla tried to keep her smile even. She had always had a hard time hiding things from Runaan. “Hi, Tinker, Runaan.”

Runaan nodded as he looked over her form through the screen. “You’ve lost weight. Are you eating?”

“Yes, Runaan. I haven’t been eating as much because Bandlr keeps running his mouth at meal times.”

Runaan cocked a brow. “Bandlr’s been sending messages to me and Tinker about how he’s convinced that you’re spending too much time with Prince Callum.”

Rayla balled her fist a bit before letting out a hard sigh. “Actually, Callum is the reason I called.”

Tinker pushed forward a bit as a sly smile appeared on his face. “‘Callum?’ Not ‘Prince Callum’? I know you two have a lot of group projects but I never would have thought you would break decorum like that.”

“It’s more than that, actually.” Rayla traced her finger on Callum’s couch as she prepared herself. “We’ve been dating…for about a year.”

Rayla watched as a vein appeared on Runaan’s forehead. She knew that vein very well. “A year? You’ve been dating a human, a human prince, for a year? And you’ve said nothing?”, ending with a hiss. Rayla also knew that hiss very well.

“It’s not like we did it to hurt anyone. People want to hurt Callum already, so dating me isn’t exactly going to endear him to the masses.”

“Then why are you dating him?”

“Because I love him.” Rayla could hear the softness entering her voice. “He makes me happy and would never hurt me. He’s smart and artistic and he’s serious about not using dark magic. I have never seen anyone as devoted to learning primal magic as he is. I’m not asking for your permission here, but I do want you to give him a chance. He’s actually close-by and wants to meet you.”

Tinker’s face had a big smile but there was worry in his eyes. Runaan had steeled his expression as he looked at Rayla. “We’ll meet him, but you have to leave the room.”

“What? Runaan-” Rayla balked.

“Wait a minute,” Runaan’s voice suddenly got very quiet and inquisitive. “Where are you? This is not your dorm room.”

‘And I’m dead.’ “It’s his apartment.”

“You’re in his APARTMENT?”

“It’s the only place to get privacy. He lives in a nice building on the top floor. My dorm has thin walls-”

“WHY do you need THICK WALLS?”

“Because nobody knows we’re together, Runaan! We aren’t ready to tell the universe that we’re together and the universe will know if I call you from my dorm! I’m handing you off to Callum now.”

Rayla got up quickly and sat in a chair off to the side so she could still keep an eye on everything. Callum got up from behind the couch with a nervous expression on his face. “Hello, it’s nice to meet-”

“How often is Rayla at your apartment?”

“Well, we have been group partners in the past, so every once in a while.”

“Don’t lie to me. How often is my niece in your apartment?”

Tinker clicked his tongue before taking over. “Please forgive Runaan. He is very protective of Rayla. We raised her since she was four and she’s basically our daughter. I’m Tinker and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Callum let out his awkward laugh before nodding his head. “It’s nice to meet you, too. Rayla has told me a lot about you.”

Runaan could be heard in the background muttering ‘she’s told us nothing about you.’

“It was partly my fault that we waited to tell you. We just wanted to be together, but there are potential consequences that could come from our relationship. I’m sorry that it took this long for us to meet. I want to make her happy for as long as she’ll let me.”

Rayla could hear tapping from the other end of the call as she could practically see Tinker’s mind going a mile a minute. Runaan was had always been the more quick to anger between the two of them and rougher around the edges. But Tinker was just as concerned as Runaan was, even if he showed it differently. “Do you think you can? Being young and in love isn’t a recipe for happily ever after. It takes time and it takes a lot of work. You two don’t have a conventional relationship and you’ll spend the rest of your lives under a microscope. Not just because you’re a prince, but because there are not that many elf-human couples out there. There are even fewer than end in marriage.”

“I know. There’s nothing telling us this is going to be easy. I fully expect the world to turn on us. But, I want to try. We want to try. We don’t want to hide anymore.”

It was silent for several minutes. Rayla assumed Tinker and Runaan had gone to the side to discuss somewhere in the house. Callum turned to her and gave her the most awkward smile she had ever seen on his face while giving her a shaky thumbs-up. She couldn’t stop the loud guffaw that bubbled up. “I knew you were still there, Rayla!” came Runaan’s stern voice.

Several more minutes later and Tinker called for Rayla to sit next to Callum. Runaan sighed as he took Tinker’s hand, matching Rayla having grabbed Callum’s. “We will approve of this relationship, for now. If we have any reason to believe it is causing your grades to slip or that you are in danger, Rayla, I will bring you back to Xadia. We will be keeping a close eye on you as well, Callum. We will not tolerate any disrespect towards our niece. On top of that, if this relationship goes any further, we will be meeting your family.”

“I would expect nothing less. Thank you, both of you.” Callum lowered his head respectfully.

“Just make our niece happy. And try to keep his Royal Highness from getting killed, Rayla.”

“Will do, Runaan.” A few good-byes and promises to make Rayla eat more later and Callum and Rayla had signed off. They sighed as they sank into the couch. Callum wrapped one arm around Rayla’s shoulders, lightly stroking his thumb on her arm. “When are we talking to your family?”

“Next Saturday. Dad’s been bogged down with peace talks and events coming up and Aunt Amaya’s busy planning her wedding. It wouldn’t feel right to leave either one of them out.”

Rayla nodded as she leaned into Callum. “Let’s go to bed.”

“It’s 7:30,” came his slightly incredulous and exhausted response.

“It’s been a long day, Callum. I just wanna take a hot bath and relax in your comfy sheets.”

“Sometimes I think you’re dating me for my apartment.”

“To be fair, dorm room beds are the absolute worst. They do nothing for my back and I can’t take a bath for longer than five minutes since I’m sharing with six other girls. You’re just a bonus.” She patted his cheek in a placating manner as she smiled.

“Well, as long as I matter. I’ll make your bath.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“The last time I let you make the bath yourself, my floor was covered in bubbles.”

“It’s not my fault your fancy soaps cause a waterfall of bubbles. I just wanted a few.” Callum shook his head and got up to draw her bath. Rayla smiled as she relaxed into the couch. ‘One family down, one to go.” A quick knock at the door threw all thoughts of an early, pleasant night right down the drain. Rayla went to the door and looked in the peephole. Bandlr was standing there with Claudia muttering something. Rayla ran to the bathroom, where Callum had just finished putting her bubbles in. “Callum!” she hissed.

Not bothering to turn around, he muttered “it’s almost done, Rayla.”

“You need to come to the door. NOW.”

“What’s at the door?”

“Claudia and Bandlr.”

Callum’s eyes got big as he stumbled in his attempt to stand up. “What?! What are they doing here?”

“I don’t know. But I can’t answer the door because I’m not supposed to be here.”

Callum nodded before looking around. “Hide, Rayla.”

“What do you think I’m doing, you dumb human?” Rayla knew Bandlr would demand to check the whole apartment if he was looking for her. She quickly went into Callum’s closet and used his clothes to cover herself up as much as possible. ‘Why the fuck couldn’t the damn moon be full tonight?’

A few moments passed before Rayla heard arguing. It wasn’t loud enough where she could hear what was being said, but she could tell Callum’s voice from Bandlr’s and Claudia interjecting when she could. Footsteps made their way to the bedroom as she waited. “Once again, you have no business being in my apartment, Bandlr.”

“I’m looking for Rayla. That’s business enough.”

“So she hasn’t answered some of your texts. So what? All you do is piss her off! Of course she’s going to ignore you.”

“And how would you know any of that, Prince Callum?”

“It’s pretty obvious to anyone that has eyes and ears. She punched you last week, threw you over her shoulder a few days after that, and kicked you two days ago.” Rayla mentally counted the days in her head before quickly nodding. That sounded about right.

“It’s how we flirt, human. And I’m not leaving until I’ve searched this whole apartment.”

Claudia’s voice rang out as Rayla heard dialing. “I’m going to call the police if you don’t get out, Bandlr. I told you I would ask Callum if he knew where Rayla was and you followed me here. It doesn’t matter that we’re on the border; trespassing is still trespassing and neither one of us was actually invited here by Callum tonight.”

Bandlr growled in anger. “You think you can keep her interest by showing her the high life?”

“I don’t know what-”

“Cut the bullshit, step-prince. I’ve known the two of you were doing something for months. She’s always disappearing when you are and she walks around all smiles afterwards. She goes missing for hours at a time when you two are working on a ‘project’ and there haven’t been nearly as many in your classes as you claim there are.”

“If you really think something is going on, then maybe you should just give up. She obviously doesn’t want you.”

“You don’t get it, do you? Do you really think it would work between you two? There is too much bad blood between elves and humans. Your kind created dark magic and killed magical beings in order to use it and were expelled from Xadia. You retaliated by crossing the border and continuing to kill creatures in Xadia that had done nothing wrong. All you humans do is take and take without giving back. And no amount of rejecting dark magic is going to make up for the crimes humanity has done.”

“My father has made sure that my brother and I are well aware of the crimes that humans committed in Xadia. He has pushed for peace because he wants a better world for everyone. He doesn’t just want the humans to be allowed back in Xadia or for history to be swept under the rug. He wants elves and humans to live together like we once did. Dark magic is its own issue and it will take time for it to be handled, but it is being handled.”

“By you? Your friend here seems to love dark magic. If you can’t even get your ex-girlfriend to stop using it, how can you get anyone else to? All you would do is bring pain and suffering to Rayla. I highly recommend you let her go, or you’ll see the consequences of your actions.”

Rayla tried to stay hidden, she really did. But Bandlr was too much of an asshole for her to keep quiet. “Is that a threat, Bandlr?” She came out from the closet to the shock of Claudia and Callum. Bandlr looked as if he had known she was there the whole time and was waiting for her to come out. “You do realize it is a crime to threaten a prince, right?”

Bandlr snorted before shaking his head. “He’s not my prince, Rayla. He’s not your’s either. He’s not even of royal blood; just the step-son of a king who couldn’t say ‘no’ to his wife. We’re going back to the dorms.”

“You should learn to watch your mouth. I’m staying here. I’m not your girlfriend, Bandlr. I’m not your anything; you can’t boss me around like that.”

“I’ll tell Runaan-”

“Runaan already knows. Find a new threat.”

Bandlr blinked several times before glaring. “When did he find out?”

“About an hour ago,” crossed arms and head held high, Rayla was going to stand her ground. “He and Tinker gave their blessing. Now, are we going to have to call the police or are you going to leave?”

“Yes, let’s call the police and we’ll explain to them how an elf was found in a human prince’s room because of their illicit little love affair.”

“Or, we could tell them that Callum and I were working on a project, which is true because we were working on telling his family next, while you decided to barge in here. Given how many legitimate projects Callum and I have done together, plus Claudia’s testimony, who do you think they’re going to believe? Don’t be on the losing side of this, Bandlr. It will only make you seem weak.”

Bandlr continued glaring at Rayla before shaking his head. “Fine, I’ll go. But when people ask where you were tonight, do you think I’m going to lie to them? You can bet on everyone knowing by Monday.”

Rayla stepped towards him until they were separated by a foot. “Is your tiny brain really that focused on revenge? This is beyond petty and you know it. Revenge is for killing a king or destroying a Nexus. It’s not for not getting your way.”

“Who said anything about revenge? You hate lying, Rayla. And you’ve been lying for months.”

Callum wrapped an arm around Rayla, subtly holding her back from attacking Bandlr. “Give us until next Sunday, and then you can tell everyone you want to.”

Bandlr guffawed. “And why should I cover for you until then? So you can go to the press yourselves?”

“Because we’re telling my family about us next Saturday. I know how important family is in Xadia, so surely, you can respect us wanting to deliver the news ourselves. I don’t want my little brother to hear about this from anyone else.”

Bandlr bit the inside of his cheek. “Fine, you have until Sunday. But I will not lie for you, Rayla. You’ve made your bed by choosing to date a human. You’ll have to lie in it, too.”

Bandlr began to walk off, but Rayla couldn’t let him have the last word. “I would rather lie in his bed than touch your’s with a ten-foot pole, Bandlr.” He stopped in his tracks and rolled his shoulders in irritation. He stalked out, slamming the door on his way.

A sigh of relief left the room before a squeal escaped Claudia. “No way! No way you kept this a secret from me, Callum!” Claudia pulled Callum from Rayla and was shaking him. “I have spent the past year telling you to grow a pair and ask her out and you’ve been dating this whole time?! And you!” There wasn’t a lot that scared Rayla, but Claudia had just terrified her down to her bones. That determined stare of her’s could make a banther pause. “I’ve been subtly telling you to just admit your feelings-”

“There was nothing subtle about how you went about this, Claudia.”

“And you’ve been dating him. And you’ve been in his apartment? I’ve only been here twice! How often do you come here?”

“None of your business.”

“You have to tell me everything. When did you start dating? Why? What was the big moment? When did you start coming here, Rayla?”

Callum had finally wrestled his shirt from Claudia’s grasp. “It just happened, Claudia. There was no big ‘I like you, please go out with me’ moment. She came over for class projects, then we started having dinner here together, watched some movies and it just…”

“Happened,” Rayla finished for him. “We started making out without any sort of confession and the next thing you now, we’re talking about being exclusive and I’m leaving things here that I don’t want to leave around my dorm. We don’t really even have an anniversary because we can only guess when we started ‘dating’ versus hanging out.”

Claudia looked extremely put-out before sighing. “Callum, I would have hoped you would be more romantic than that. You were so romantic before we dated.”

“He’s plenty romantic, don’t worry about that. We just didn’t start out in a traditional manner.”

“Well, as long as he makes an effort. Seriously, you guys couldn’t tell me?”

Callum ran a hand through his hair before grimacing. “We couldn’t. Neither of our families knew and we wanted to keep it secret.”

“Fine, I guess. I’m telling Soren next Sunday, though. He’s going to be so excited for you!”

Callum smiled at her before leading her back to his door, Rayla close behind. “If anyone asks, Rayla is here, but we’re working on something.”

“I’m sure you’re working on something. I saw a second toothbrush in your bathroom just now.”

“Claudia!”

“Fine, fine. My lips are sealed. For now. Bye-bye.” Claudia finally left, taking some of the tension of the past twenty minutes with her. Callum groaned as he slowly sank to the floor against the door.

“We could just kill them. I’d feel bad about Claudia, but we could.”

“We’re not killing anyone, Ray.”

“No one would ever know it was me. With how many people Bandlr pisses off, it wouldn’t be too much of a shock.” Callum looked up to see Rayla smiling. She bent down until she was eyelevel and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll get through this together, right?”

“Right. You still want that bath?”

“Ugh!” Rayla threw her head to the side and lifted her eyes upward. “I need a bath, I need to sleep in your sheets, and I need some moonberry wine. You still got that bottle I brought back from last break?”

“In the cabinet. I haven’t opened it since the last time we drank it.”

“Good. I’ll pour us both a glass while you finish my bath.”

“The water’s probably cold by now.”

“It’s fine. Are you hungry? I can make something while you start it again.”

“Yeah, a little bit.”

“Well, looks like we’ve got some work to do.” Callum gave her a light peck before she grabbed his hand and brought them both back up. “You weigh less than a bag of feathers.”

“Says the person that can bench-press me, Claudia, and Bandlr.”

“Just you and Claudia. I’m working up to Soren in his ceremonial armor.”

A few minutes later and Rayla was relaxing with a glass of wine in her bath while Callum was munching on apple slices with Xadian honey. “Xadia has the best honey. I thought Duren’s was pretty good, but this is thicker and sweeter.”

“That’s because I always bring back Earthblood honey. It’s a bit harder to get because they only produce so much a month, but damn if it isn’t the best.”

“You’ve ruined me. I’m gonna have to marry you just to get access to this honey.”

“I thought you wanted to marry me because I can kick your ass.”

“That’s reason number one. This honey is reason number two.” Rayla held out her glass and he placed it next to his empty one. “You want anymore? There’s still another glass or two left in the bottle.”

“Nah. I think it’s bedtime.” It was almost a blur for Rayla as they drained the rub and she dried off while Callum took care of their dishes. The stress from the day was finally catching up to her. He entered the bathroom and slowly took the towel out of her clenched fist. “Callum?”

“Yeah, Ray?”

“Runaan and Tinker know. Bandlr and Claudia know. Your family is going to know in a week.”

“Yeah.”

“This is real, isn’t it? There’s no turning back now.”

“Do you want to?”

Rayla licked her lips and looked at him. “I haven’t been able to turn back since the moment I fell in love with you. I’m scared. And I’m scared that I’m scared. I’m not supposed to be, but I am. It’s not even about meeting your family, it’s the rest of the world I don’t want to meet. I’m not used to my life being on display for everyone. I don’t want everyone in Xadia to pick you apart like Bandlr did tonight.”

“What Bandlr said didn’t bother me. Viren has called me a ‘mongrel’ several times since he and my dad had a falling out. I’ve been called the ‘step-prince’ affectionately by Soren, but everyone else uses it to remind me that I’m not royalty. My mom was a respected general in the Katolian Army and my father was a poor artist that didn’t have a penny to his name. Harrow officially adopted me and my half-brother is going to be king and none of that changes the fact that not a drop of royal blood runs through my veins. I’m not that fragile, Rayla. I know you feel like you have to protect me from the world, but you have to believe that I can stand up for myself.”

“I know you can,” she reached for his hands and lightly kissed his palm. “I just can’t help feeling like everything is closing in.”

“I’m scared, too. Viren has been pushing his anti-elf rhetoric for a while and there are still people loyal to him in the capital. I’m not expecting the world to accept us overnight. I’ll be shocked if it does.” They both chuckled. Callum started to lead Rayla to his bed, settling her on it before cupping her face. “Let’s just call it a day. You were right; it’s been long and the both of us are exhausted.”

“OK. Now let me up so I can actually put something on.” Callum blushed red as he stammered, backing off so quickly he almost ran into his cabinet. “You can watch me take a bath but the second I draw attention to my nudity, you turn into a blushing mess?”

“Well, it’s just…I…please let me go to sleep.” Rayla laughed as she got up and put on one of Callum’s old shirts and her sleep shorts. They crawled into bed, Rayla spooning Callum as he threaded her fingers through his. “It’ll get better. It has to.”

“I know. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Despite the long day, the pair stayed wide awake as reality kept crashing down on them. Callum’s apartment had always been a safe haven; free from judging eyes and the demands of the rest of the world. Now that Bandlr had stormed his way in and he and Claudia knew the truth, it no longer felt so safe. Pretty soon, their relationship was no longer going to be private. There was no turning back now.

A/N: I have plans for Bandlr.

#rayllum fanfic #rayllum #tdp #the dragon prince #rayla #prince callum #we could be heroes #and here is chapter two #moonbase fanfics

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