#as danny. the biggest obvious one to me is this scene where he gets hurt. kinda spoilers kinda not since i dont say how he gets hurt | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lilianade-comics · 6 months

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With your new portal shenanigans Cheesemelt AU, I'm now picturing the "You exist to serve ME!" scene, except it's mid-to-late in the story... and Dani's the one who says it.

By this point Vlad's bonded with Dani and is working to keep her safe instead of hurt her. She's trying to attempt something really dangerous that she's certain will bring her to Danny, Vlad's trying to stop her because he's certain it won't work and could end up with her badly hurt or a ghost herself. And Dani's stressed and desperate, snaps, and spits out the line, shocking and hurting Vlad but, even moreso, shocking and scaring herself. One of those "Oh god, what am I doing" moments.

All this results in her panicking, possibly breaking the binding on Vlad, and booking it, because she's twelve and panicking. Cue Vlad having to accept that he actually does care for her even without being forced to do what she says, track her down, and insist on helping her anyway. Maybe he makes some excuse like, "If you die here you'll definitely become a ghost and then I'll be stuck with you forever," but in that special Vlad way where it's super obvious that he's lying.

Anyway! Just- love the new AU, it gave me Thoughts (obviously), thanks for all the delicious Cheesemelt content you've been making! ^U^

Ahh, thank you for the ask! I love your thought process here. I've had a thematic moment in mind that's quite similar to this! But first, some additional important context for the AU in question:

Vlad is a widely disliked, smarmy, ambitious independent warlord/general vampiric nuisance in the political landscape of the ghost realm. He's been vying for the title of Ghost King for ages, trying to get Pariah Dark and his court out of the picture so he can take the throne. It is the BIGGEST POSSIBLE blow to his enormous ego that he got himself bound to the will of a little girl and is being paraded around like her manservant. So he's trying to trick her into releasing him, trying to be unhelpful, trying to be mean, trying to do ANYTHING to get out of the situation with his reputation intact. He figures out pretty quickly that her brother is none other than a certain infamous pain-in-the-neck ghost boy, and just grits his fangs because at least if he's stuck with Dani, he'll learn where Danny's hideout is and can set fire to it. But at the same time, he's low key getting emotionally attached to Danielle because Vlad has no friends and is desperately lonely and hungry for attention.

Dani has been raised to believe that ghosts are untrustworthy, tricky beings (similar to how the fae are perceived in folklore), and doesn't think twice about proactively magically binding the first ghost who approaches her. She needs Vlad to help her find Danny and lead them both out of the ghost realm, and then he can go back to whatever nefarious activities he likes. He's not allowed to hurt or betray her while under contract, so she's not really worried about him (although, she was really hesitant to discard the blood blossoms she brought along. They guaranteed no ghosts could grab her, but they also made it impossible for Vlad to fly her anywhere her feet couldn't take her, so she had to get rid of them!)

Now Danny himself. He was around three when he fell into the ghost realm through a spirit ring drawn by his parents. It's been ten years since then. The way the ghost realm works here is that if a living person spends too long in it, they WILL become a ghost, i.e. they die prematurely. Crucially, Danielle doesn't know this. So Danny is fully a ghost by this point, doesn't really remember much of his life, and is playing a Peter Pan/Robin Hood role alongside his band of fellow child ghosts Ember, Poindexter, Youngblood, and Cujo. They're regularly causing mayhem for the oppressors of the realm, which prominently includes Pariah Dark and Vlad (Danny isn't a fan of either of them, and Vlad truly isn't sure if he's more annoyed by Pariah or Danny).

So! When this disheveled human girl comes rocking up to his secret hideout and tries desperately to convince him that she's his long lost twin sister here to bring him home, part of him is tempted to at least hear her out, but the other part that's backed up by his crew just knows this reeks of a trap set up by one of his enemies to lure him somewhere. ("seems like something Plasmius would do," says Ember). He ultimately tells a heartbroken Danielle to get lost because he can't take the risk just because he's curious.

Now we arrive at Dani's lowest moment. Her brother is a ghost, he doesn't want anything to do with her, and her entire quest is crumbling around her. She staggers back to wherever Vlad was waiting for her (and he isn't surprised she came back empty handed. He was, after all, already familiar with Danny.) Dani then has a complete breakdown! Because she's a child stuck in a different reality and her brother is dead and Vlad didn't tell her that he already knew. Vlad feels a little guilty, but his ego won't let him admit this, so he argues with her instead. How could this foolish child have possibly thought her insane quest would succeed? The odds were always against her and she never should have even tried something so pointless and dangerous.

Dani throws some iteration of the "I hate you/you exist to serve me" lines at him, shocking herself and REALLY making Vlad feel bad, and then she releases him from the binding and elects to find some way to convince Danny to listen to her on her own. Vlad looks visibly upset but is like "Fine! That's exactly what I wanted in the FIRST PLACE, stupid girl"

Vlad is happy to be free, but his emotional attachment to Danielle won't let him abandon her no matter how much he wants to, because her wellbeing matters to him, bizarrely. So he takes matters into his own hands.

He surprise "attacks" Danielle in front of Danny and co, dangling her by her ankle from high in the air and launches into a natural villain monologue about how well this pathetic girl did leading him directly to Danny Phantom, and how he doesn't need her anymore, and "Oh, Daniel, can you believe that your own sister came to me thinking I would help her find you? Using her was so easy." and then he drops her so Danny can catch her.

A fight ensues, Vlad makes a swift and flashy exit, but not before exchanging a knowing glance with a shocked Dani, who now understands that Vlad just secured her Danny's goodwill in the only way he could; by being a villain.

There's more to this AU, but that's a pretty significant moment in it! Thank you for sending me your thoughts, I love when people interact with my silly AU ideas and come up with cool ideas for them!!! <3

#danny phantom #asks #cheese melt

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chuckbass-love · 3 years

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Johnny smut#4

Hello lovely anon. Thank you so much for this request, again, i’m sorry for the long wait but i didn’t want to write this when i didn’t have much motivation and then have it turn out any less than perfect. I hope it’s worth the wait for you and that you enjoy it.

Also a lil A/N for everyone: To everyone who has requested, i’m gonna get back on it and try and get at least 2 or 3 out per week if possible. I lost motivation for a hot minute but i’m back. I love you all so much. Also, part 7 to only love can hurt like this will be up sometime in the next week or so. I’m still working on it but i already can’t wait for you all to read.

Disclaimer: My work is not to be posted anywhere else other than MY Tumblr, Wattpad and Ao3 without my permission. However, reblogs are welcome.

Pairing: Johnny Storm x Fem!Reader

Prompt #4: “You’d better be quiet if you don’t want to get caught”

Warning: Smut, explicit content, sexual intercourse, hair pulling, choking, mouth covering and swearing. 18+

Word Count: 5,160

GIF NOT MINE!!! Credit to @mcustarks go check them out❤️

Best Friends Brother

As your eyes glance around the beautiful garden filled with white chairs either side of the aisle with flower arrangements all the way to the alter. You can’t help but feel utterly enchanted by the scene, it’s stunning. However, you’re in the wrong place right now, Sue specifically asked you to meet her out back to help her get ready but as soon as you turnaround to head there, you bump into Johnny of all people.

To put it simply, Johnny isn’t exactly your favourite person and you’re not his either. Well, that’s a lie. When around others you don’t get along, you don’t hate each other you just don’t really have much to say since he’s always so cocky and you’re his older sisters best friend. But behind closed doors, the sexual chemistry is off the charts and you’ve spent too many nights tangled up in his sheets to count on two hands.

No one knows about your late night rendezvous though, especially Sue. And she can never find out. It would hurt her. You’re her best friend and Johnny is her little brother. So it’s a secret and it will always remain one.

“Wow” his lips curl up into a genuine smile as his eyes take in your figure in the floor length dark purple bridesmaid dress you have on “you look, great” he says as he tugs on his bottom lip with his teeth, clearly unable to stop those dirty thoughts running wild in his head.

“Just great?” you ask, brow raising slightly before you chuckle and move to walk past him but he grabs your arm just in time to stop you from going anywhere “not just great, but gorgeous. In fact if this wasn’t my sisters wedding then i’d say you were the best looking one here” he turns his head in your direction, his dreamy blue eyes meeting yours, both filled with lust and need. But you can’t do this here. Today is Sue and Reed’s day.

“Johnny” you whisper lazily, the feel of his skin on yours makes you shiver with desire for him to fill you up, kiss you and make you cum around his cock multiple times but that will have to wait. You really need to snap out of this. So you do, you blink and look back up at him before slowly pulling away from “Sue needs me now, i have to go” and just like that he’s behind you, watching as you walk away. Mostly just to watch the way your ass moves in that dress. You can’t say you blame him though, your ass does look good.

The second you step foot indoors you hear Sue moaning about anything and everything to who sounds like Alicia.

“Your saviour is here” you announce and Sue turns around, beaming at you and you can’t help but stare at her. She looks absolutely breathtaking and her dress is the most beautiful you’ve ever seen. She looks just like a princess. Alicia then leaves to go and check on Ben, leaving you two to it.

“Sue, you look amazing” tears brim in your eyes, drowning out your vision, she spots it immediately, rushing to hand you a tissue “don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. You’ll ruin your makeup”

You take it from her, dabbing underneath your eyes before taking the eyeliner from her to re do what couldn’t be saved in time “i can’t believe you’re finally getting your big day” you finish zipping up her dress before helping her out with her veil.

“Well i’ve waited long enough” she laughs as you finish up and you turn her round so she can look at herself in the mirror.

“Now, i just need to finish my make-up. Help a girl out?”

You don’t even bother to respond, instead you start helping, picking up her bag of products. Her foundation is done so it’s just her eye makeup and lipstick that’s left to do. You go with a nice subtle smokey eye with a little silver glitter on top. Then to finish it off you apply some nude lip gloss to her lips before leaving her to do her own mascara, you would hate to mess it up after all.

“Oh i forgot to check with you, is Johnny outside?”

Even the mention of his name has an obvious effect on your body and it’s something you’ve never been able to control but instead of letting it show, you put your poker face on, clearing your throat and mumbling a quick “yes” and thank god she doesn’t catch on or say anything. You must have hid it well.

“Right, ladies the guests are arriving now and Reed is helping them all to their seats so are you ready?” Johnny pokes his head into the room and Sue nods, letting out a deep breath.

He glances at you before Sue walks over to him to make their way to the other room in which she’s going to be leaving out of to walk down the aisle, leaving you standing there sighing.

Guess it’s time for you to take your own place too. You follow closely behind them and then you and Alicia wait for your queue to go, she goes first, then you. Flowers in hand, smiling around at all of the guests, every one of them dressed up in bright colours, wedding hats galore. And as you take your place next to Alicia at the side of the alter, you watch your best friend walk down the aisle with pride. She means the world to you and if there’s one person who’s the most deserving of happiness, it’s her.

Reed wipes away tears as she stands next to him and you feel your heart melting, more tears forming. Johnny watches you from across the way, wiping your own tears of joy before his focus shifts to the vows.

Sometimes he gets urges to ask you out on a date but as quickly as those urges form, they fade. There’s not a chance in hell of you saying yes to him and he knows it. He’s just a hookup and he’s no stranger to half platonic relationships. He’s never particularly been one for commitment anyway but something about you changes his mind. Since you’ve been Sue’s best friend for god knows how long now, he’s watched many guys come and go in and out of your life. He’s watched and even listened to the many times Sue has held you whilst you cried and to tell the truth, he’s never been able to fathom why anyone would ever want to hurt you. Why anyone would ever cheat or leave you. He always had the biggest crush on you and it’s never left.

Hence why one day he made a move, giving you his best cheesy pick up line at a party Sue threw one weekend. But you ignored him, it was only 2 hours into the party and you weren’t drunk enough to be taking him seriously. However, multiple drinks and shots later, he tried his luck again, and he hit the jackpot. You took him up on his offer. Whilst Sue was in the other room trying to clean up after her guests, you were in Johnny’s room, stripping off in-between heated open mouthed kisses.

It’s pretty obvious where that lead and the next day, you were so mad at yourself for letting it get that far. You cursed alcohol and your stupid brain as you quickly re dressed, repulsed at yourself and your actions. That’s when Johnny shot up, trying his best to make you stay, shutting the door as you tried to open it and standing in the way. You made eye contact with the player and he kissed you. You can’t recall anything else other than feeling captivated by him. His lips moved in sync with yours like they were always made to touch and you couldn’t control the way your body yearned for more.

And the rest is history. Since then you’ve been late night texting and meeting up whenever you could to hook up. Johnny eventually got his own apartment too which only lead to more often than not, the pair of you fucking like rabbits.

It hasn’t just been hookups though, as much as you’d love to lie and pretend that it doesn’t mean a thing, it does. You like Johnny, of course you do. He’s actually the only guy that’s ever been able to make you cum. The only guy who isn’t completely selfish in bed. He makes it all about you, every dam time and you feel torn when it comes to him. A huge part of you knows the two of you feel something deeper and more than just sex. You feel something more intimate. It’s definitely not love but it could be, one day.

Before you know it, you’re ripped from your Johnny themed thoughts as everyone starts cheering and clapping. You join in, watching Reed kiss Sue passionately before the two of them walk back up the aisle. You, Alicia, Johnny and Ben all follow behind with the guests joining in.

The reception is just inside and as soon as you all enter, the music begins. The real old school music. You’re The One That I Want from Grease. The DJ really has a way of luring everyone onto the dance floor right away. Usually at weddings, everyone sits down drinking and chilling before the buffet food comes out but not this wedding.

Sue grabs your hand and the two of you re enact the classic Sandy and Danny scene, overly dramatic though of course and unbeknownst to you, Johnny is watching your every move, unable to stop himself grinning like a cheshire cat. It’s very clear you’re having the time of your life and all he wants is to be able to dance with you.

Once the song is over, you walk around the room to look for the table that you’re going to be sitting at until you hear “over here” and you know that voice anywhere. You turn around to find Johnny sat down, a large glass of wine next to his beer. He ordered for you? Why?

“You’re next to me, hope that’s okay” he stands up, helping you into your chair and tucking it in for you before taking his seat again and sliding the glass of wine to you.

“White wine is still your favourite, right?” nerves fill his voice as he keeps his eyes locked on you “yes, it is. You remembered. Thank you” you waste no time in taking a big gulp of it, you can practically feel yourself getting aroused just by sitting next to the man and to think you’re going to have to deal with it the whole day is torture.

You press your thighs together, trying your hardest to stop whatever is happening in its tracks.

“You not going to dance some more?” he asks, sitting back in his chair, one arm draped round the back of yours “maybe in a minute, i’m still recovering from the first one” you giggle nervously, scared of being seen with him. Sure, you were put with him by Sue herself but what if your farce comes apart now, after all, he is being nice to you and the resting bitch face is missing instead a happy expression has taken its place.

Maybe no one will notice since it’s Sue’s big day, that could be the excuse you use if anyone says anything but then again, why should you care to make excuses? If you enjoy his company that shouldn’t be an issue. Maybe Sue won’t care. She’s always wanted Johnny to settle down with someone nice and you’re nice, right? She’s also wanted you to find someone too. But her best friend and brother getting together probably isn’t what she had in mind.

The song Crazy In Love by Beyonce comes on and Sue practically summons you to the dance floor, so you down the rest of your wine before you rush over to join her. Skipping the regular moves, you and Sue both start dancing like it’s just the two of you. No move off limits as you both grind your hips in circles, shaking your asses and laughing your heads off. She is the only person in this world that can make you laugh like that and you feel incredibly lucky to have her and to be here for her big day.

As your moves get more risqué you catch Johnny adjusting his cock in his dress trousers before drinking more of his beer.

The tension is building within you and you’ve never had to fight temptation so much in the whole year that you two have been doing this. You’re usually very good at waiting and making him wait for it but right now, it’s too hard. The next song that comes on is Check On It by Beyonce, again.

The more of the song that you dance to, you notice the lyrics surprisingly match your situation and a wave of confidence drenches you like rain.

If you got it flaunt it, boy I know you want it While I turn around you watch me check up on it Oh you watchin me shake it, I see it in ya face Ya can't take it, it's blazin’, you watch me in amazement

You continue to show off your best assets, making sure you tease and wind him up more before you make any kind of move which is what you usually do. Any time the two of you fool around, you make him wait and earn it, but it’s one of many reasons why he loves hooking up with you, you’re not easy, you know your worth and you’re 100% worth the wait.

The song finishes leaving yourself and Sue breathless almost. Reed stalks closer, handing his bride a drink and you head over to the bar to get another for yourself before sitting back down again. The buffet will be available soon and you’re desperate for something to eat. Peckish isn’t the word.

“Hello again” Johnny beams and you sip some more wine, a rather big sip yet again before you respond “hello. Are you gonna sit here the whole night?” you question with genuine curiosity, he only really danced a little when the Grease song was on but that’s about it and you aren’t oblivious to the other women checking him out.

“No i intend to dance i just need to be drunk enough for it first”

“I see, maybe then one of those lovely ladies will get a chance to dance with you” you say, observing one in particular who has been staring non stop.

“Please, i’d rather dance with you”

Your heart skips a beat and dare you say it, your vagina develops one. He’s such a sweet talker.

“You looked good out there, y’know” he motions towards the dance floor as if you didn’t already clock on to what he meant and you can’t deny the way your cheeks start to heat up as you thank him shyly.

That’s when he leans closer to your ear, his arm round the back of your chair again as he rasps “and that ass of yours in this dress, baby you got me so hard” his breath fans your neck as he returns to his normal sitting position but he doesn’t miss the way your breath hitches at the dirty comment. He knows all too well the effect he has on you and you know the effect you have on him.

In the past all it’s taken for him is for you to bite your lip and stare him down for him to get hard before. You’re his weakness.

Before you can even go to respond to him though, he clears his throat, tapping away on his phone as he stands up “anyway, if you’ll excuse me, nature calls” he slips his phone back into his pocket, walking away towards the toilets which just so happens to be right behind the DJ.

Your phone buzzes and you check to see a message from him ‘You coming?’ the text reads.

And that alone is enough for you to choke on your own saliva. You quickly sip your drink before standing up yourself and making your way over to the mens toilets. Thank God no one saw you.

“Johnny” you whisper yell until one of the cubicle doors opens, the bigger one at the end. He winks at you as he appears in the doorway and you strut over to him, allowing him to pull you in and lock the door. Your body is flush against his as he starts to kiss your collarbone first. If Johnny is anything it’s a man who loves to savour the moment. He hates quickies and loves to take his time with you.

You’re obviously not the first woman to fall victim to his touch but you’re the only one right now and you’re glad that he’s had experience, it’s clearly made him all the more sensational in the bedroom.

“Oh” you throw your head back on a quiet moan, hoping not to be too loud despite music blasting outside making it impossible for anyone to hear you.

“Every time you dance, you drive me crazy. Shaking that perfect ass of yours in this dress, making me want you so bad” his lips hover over your sweet spot, his breath fanning it just like it did before.

You wrap your arms loosely round his neck as your back arches and his lips attack your neck like a man possessed, everything about this moment should feel wrong and yet it feels so right. The thought crosses your mind that everyone is out there dancing and most likely eating now all while Johnny is playing with your dress, lifting it up to reveal the new panties that you brought for today. Purple lace to match your dress.

“Oh baby” he groans, tugging on his bottom lip at the sight as his fingers wonder down and slip inside. His cold palm cups your sex making you shiver in surprise before he makes you forget all about it by spinning you around so that you’re pressed against the wall. Caged in by his muscular body as he towers over you.

He presses a chaste kiss to the back of your neck and heat starts to rise to your cheeks, you can’t contain the flustered feeling that fills you. He’s always had a way of being so dominant and stealing all control from you in an instant, since you’re so used to the roles being reversed in your life, he was more than into changing that. And to tell the truth, it’s one of the many reasons that you keep coming back. He pushes you out of your comfort zone in more ways than one.

His fingers play with the flimsy material of your new panties, grazing over your clit multiple times until you’re poking your ass out into his hand. “Someones keen, huh?” his low, raspy and taunting chuckle fills your ear sending shivers up and down your spine and causing goosebumps to form all over your hungry body.

“Please, Johnny” you beg pathetically, once again pushing back against his hand in hopes that he’ll get a move on and touch your properly. Which of course he does. You know he can never resist your charm. All the more reason why he’s slipping your panties to the side now so that his fingers can circle your arousal covered hole, almost dipping into your honey pot but holding back.

“Beg for it” he growls, taking your right earlobe between his teeth and biting down lightly “beg like the good girl i know you are” he continues and you gasp before breathing out a quick plea “p-please touch me Johnny, i need it” as your hands find purchase on the wall.

The feel of his knee spreading your legs apart gets you all the more excited for what’s the come and that’s when he gives you all that you’ve been craving, slipping two thick digits inside of you, coating them in your juices as they hit that spongy spot. He’s never had much trouble when it comes to finding your weak spots, he knows your body inside and out at this point and there’s not a time where you don’t cum when you’re with him.

“That good baby? My fingers getting that little cunt ready for my cock”

Your eyes roll to the back of your head in reaction to the pure filth leaving his not so innocent mouth and just as you go to let out a near enough pornographic style moan, throwing your head back too, the restroom door opens making you stop yourself. Footsteps make their way to one of the cubicles that just so happens to be next to the one your in.

Johnny then takes it upon himself to pull his drenched fingers out of you, reaching his hand in front of your face and shoving them into your mouth for you to suck on, using his free hand to undo his belt and now you know that you’re done for. You know exactly what he’s about to do. His cock rests at your entrance, staying there for a second before he slides in. Your walls welcome him in the best way, wrapping around his cock as he splits you open, stretching you beautifully yet again just like he does every time. The all too familiar feeling consumes you.

“You’d better be quiet if you don’t want to get caught” he mutters in hushed tones, switching it up so that his hand is fully covering your mouth, suffocating you as he drags his cock along your warm velvety walls deliciously. Obviously you don’t want to get caught but right now the anticipation of what could happen is enough to make you clamp down around him, earning a hiss.

A noise that obviously catches the attention of whomever is next door to your cubicle since the unsuspecting gentleman speaks up “are you okay in there, man?” shit. It’s Ben. You feel a wave of shame wash over you as Johnny picks his pace up slowly “yeah, everything's fine” he chirps, as if he has all the time in the world to converse when he’s buried balls deep inside of you.

“If you say so” Ben responds before flushing, washing his hands and then leaving the room. Now it’s just the two of you again. Johnny takes full advantage of the alone time by pushing you right up against the wall, your cheek squished against the tiles, his calloused hands splaying across your ass cheeks now and spreading them apart. Only so he can take a good look at the way he disappears into your tight chanel with ease.

“Doing so well baby, taking this cock like a fucking pro” he grunts, wrapping his hand around your neck and pulling your head back with the help of his other hand grabbing a fistful of your hair at the scalp but keeping your whole body pressed into the wall.

Sinful moans escape your mouth and at this point you’re way past the point of caring or trying to be quiet. Unless someone walks in then you’re going to let go and revel in the feel of him. The way his body traps you in makes your clit pulsate, you love being manhandled and you always have but only by him.

Anyone that takes even so much as a look at Johnny, they think ‘player’ and they’d be right but they’d also think he’d never be the type of man to be as filthy as he is in reality. Not only has he got a foul mouth on him but he’s kinky not to mention skilful in more areas than one. Dick and tongue game on point as well as those magical digits of his and the way they dance across your sex both delicately and brutally all at the same time.

You’re certainly not complaining though.

“Fuck, Johnny” your back arches even more so than it was before as you shakily cry out his name with the kind of want that only he can spur on “what is it baby?”

“Don’t stop, i’m so close” you whimper desperately.

His pace is now rendering on animalistic as he fucks you into the wall with such vigor, wanting nothing more than to feel you come undone all over his cock, something he’ll never grow tired of.

“Come on then baby, give it to me” he eggs you on, keeping one hand wrapped around your neck still, tightening as the seconds tick by whilst his other hand smacks down on your exposed ass cheek, making it wobble a little which earns him a satisfied hum.

The two of you go crazy with you pushing back to meet his thrusts and him spanking your ass, both of you hungry for that release.

All of a sudden though the blaring music coming from outside stops. Making you panic. Johnny on the other hand is so close to reaching his peak and he knows you are too, so he doesn’t bother to stop.

But you hear the faint laughs of the wedding guests before what sounds like the DJ addressing everyone. Fuck. This better not be the speeches. You had one planned and so did Johnny.

He continues to fuck into you, grunting, growling and panting in your ear, driving you closer and closer to that edge. You can feel the coil twisting and turning in your stomach, on the verge of snapping at any second and you don’t think you’ll be able to hold back the noises when it happens.

“Gonna make you cream all over this cock baby and best believe i’ll be filling this sweet cunt up with my cum”

You rest your hand over his around your neck as your whole body starts to shake. You clench around his cock some more and just as you can taste the orgasm, the addition of his fingers pressing down on your clit push you off the edge and your head drops back onto his shoulder. The music starts up again, allowing you to really enjoy this. Your mouth hangs open whilst you scrunch your eyes closed, seeing stars as you fall into a pit of ecstasy. You can feel your legs shaking and threatening to give way but luckily for you Johnny moves his hands to your waist, wrapping around you so he can hold you up whilst he comes close to reaching his own end.

“Fuckkkkk, squeezing me so good baby”

You do it again for good measure and sure enough, he twitches inside of you, his hot cum painting your walls just like he said and a fucked out spent smile forms on your face making him laugh when he sees.

He rides the two of you through your highs before his thrusts come to a halt and he slowly pulls out. He then grabs some tissues, dropping to his knees and pressing yet another chaste kiss to your clit this time before cleaning you up. He can see that you’re struggling to stand so the second he’s done he rises to his feet, pulling you flush against him and then proceeding to push you up against the wall.

The two of you stare deep into each others eyes for a couple seconds, both of your chests rising and falling as you try to normalise your breathing. That was certainly an adventurous, dangerous and thrilling experience, one that you won’t be rushing to partake in again anytime soon. But it was amazing to say the least. The way he’s looking at you right now makes you want to throw caution to the wind and kiss him. So you do. You crash your lips to his, wrapping your arms loosely around his neck and as expected, he kisses back. His grip tightens on your hips, pulling you even closer if that’s even possible.

“What was that for?” he asks as you come up for air and you shrug, not even sure of what it was yourself. But all you know is you like him and this isn’t just some fling to you, some form of messing around until the two of you get bored. There is a genuine connection there, one that you can’t wait to explore some more.

“I don’t even know” you giggle, pecking his lips again.

Silence falls upon the two of you before he finally blurts out “go out with me” as if he’s telling you rather than asking.

“What?” you furrow your brows in confusion.

“Go out with me, on a date”

“I thought Johnny Storm didn’t do dates” you quip back, raising your brows with a smirk to match “i don’t but i’d like to try if it’s with you” and that alone warms your heart. The same heart that’s been crushed and broken so many times before and it’s almost like he’s mending it. Not that you’re complaining.

You take no longer than a second to think before you’re agreeing and kissing him some more. That’s when the music stops and you both look at each other.

He quickly zips up his pants, doing his belt up again and shrugging his jacket back on before turning back to you. With you both now looking decent again, you get him to check your makeup, he wipes the stray bits of mascara that smudged before kissing your forehead.

He lets you leave first whilst he waits an appropriate 2 minutes before he heads out too. No one suspected a thing and now it’s time for the speeches.

This is definitely going to be a wedding to remember...

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

Me and all my hoe personalities after writing this one:

General Tags: @deadlymistress24 @coffeebooksandfandom @chris-butt @holtzkinnon @mychemicalimagines @llamadelreyx @haus-of-bitch-talk @buckstaybucky @thewinchestergirl1208 @chrissquares @patzammit @dummiesshort @cevans-fics @americasass91 @toni9 @aaliferous @bradfordmyworld @thereisa8ella @kaminorogers @yassspose @randomsevans

Just Chris & His Characters Tags: @onetwo3000 @persephonequeenofthedead @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @rynabarnesrogers @princess-evans-addict @stxvercgersslut @chris-evanslover @bval-1 @thejemersoninferno @denisemarieangelina @janeyboo @evansphnx12 @whxre4cevans

LMK if you wanna be added to my tag list...

#johnny storm #johnny storm x fem!reader #johnny storm x female reader #x reader #x fem!reader #x female reader #johnny storm smut #smut #fanfiction #chris evans #fantastic four #fantastic four rise of the silver surfer #cevans #reader inserts #requests

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cock-holliday · 4 years

Text

TLOU2: Abby

MAJOR SPOILERS

So, I’ve been doing a lot of shitting on the game and I stand by it, but I want to get into how I feel about Abby. I don’t actually hate her, but I despise how the game handled her.

Lemme start by saying, when her character intro was dropped I was hyped as hell. Who is this buff mystery woman? I know a lot of fans were upset to not have Ellie/Joel content but I was intrigued by this trailer. Obviously this woman must be important. I thought she was going to be Anna, and imagined a thousand scenarios where we got flashbacks of Anna, Anna was possibly alive and that created conflict with Joel and Ellie and got into “what really makes a family” or something. Super pumped.

I also was more excited immediately recognizing Laura Bailey’s voice. I am a massive fan. Importantly, I also adored her as Nadine Ross in Uncharted. Naughty Dog gave us a buff, kind of scary woman antagonist who kicks your ass tremendously and the whole time I fuckin loved her. She scared me but I thought she was so cool, and was so excited for her to be in Lost Legacy. Same game company, same actress, but they fucked up big time in The Last Of Us Part 2.

I think perhaps the biggest roadblock to getting people to like her is the story order, as I and many many others have talked about, but the problems also extend beyond that. Giving us time to get to know Abby before she kills Joel would have been the most important first step but the way the game tries to FORCE you to like her is a massively glaring issue. Especially with how the game ends, her story is riddled with hypocrisy.

Every things the game punishes Ellie for, Abby is guilty of. ND uses this to attempt to convince the player that Abby is like Ellie, but she does not suffer the same fate, and the parallels are not subtle enough to be clever, just ham-fisted. Abby would have offered herself up for a cure? Ellie also probably would, but ELLIE didn’t get to make that choice. (Side note: Abby’s dad Jerry is incredibly unlikeable for me. They push a scene of him going out of his way to save a Zebra to humanize him, then he’s on board with sacrificing a child who cannot make this choice herself, pressures Marlene into agreeing, and then has no idea why Marlene would want to inform Joel? Fuck this guy so hard.)

Two flashback scenes do a shit job of being a parallel in the lighter-moment relationships between the dad/daughter pairs. In a scene with Joel and Ellie, Joel incorrectly guesses Ellie is into Jesse. It’s funny because we the audience know that she is into Dina, and I wrote it off as oh, silly clueless dad Joel. But in the Zebra sequence, Jerry correctly guesses that Abby is into Owen. It almost felt like the game was trying to suggest that Jerry and Abby knew one another better than Ellie and Joel do. My found family vs bio family issues with that idea aside, if it’s true, it’s not like we got to see any development between Jerry and Abby to give a single fuck about these people over Ellie and Joel, ESPECIALLY after Joel’s brutal death.

Now, for Jerry’s death, the performance was good, and I tried my hardest to be sympathetic. A young girl lost her father and possibly friends in that hospital fight. That’s awful. If I could pretend like I hadn’t seen Joel die, (or if that was how the story order played) I would feel bad for her. What happened to her is horrible and tragic.

The next issue is the death of Abby’s friends. Two main issues for sympathy: story order, the context of their deaths. Learning about Nora or Mel or Owen after they’ve died already makes it a challenge to feel something for them, and we spend so little time with them that I genuinely forgot their names pretty quickly. But worse is how their deaths play out. All of them fight Ellie. Ellie did not go out of her way to kill them, she wanted Abby, not them. The woman with the headphones (see how little I remember names?) understandably tried to fight to get free. Don’t blame her, don’t really mourn her either.

Mel and Owen are rightfully not trusting Ellie, and try to fight to get free because they think they will die either way. Can’t really blame them for fighting to get away, but I also can’t blame Ellie for having to kill them either. We the audience already know that Mel is pregnant, but Ellie doesn’t, and by putting Mel in a jacket that covers her belly, the game makes sure Ellie doesn’t know until she’s already dead. Again, Ellie isn’t given a choice, this time where she could have tried harder to spare Mel for the baby. As a result, she feels like a monster.

The one friend death that hit more like I think it intended was Nora, but probably not for the reasons ND intended. Nora insults Joel to Ellie and I don’t blame Ellie for reacting with anger. Super fucked up, puts Nora in a greater chance to get killed, just to hurt Ellie. I wanted to kill Nora. That being said, catching up to Nora as she’s choking on spores was not how I expected it to go. I commend Nora for defending her friend (Abby) by not revealing her location. But I also don’t blame Ellie for trying to force Nora to talk. Ellie swinging with tears in her eyes, practically pleading with Nora to tell her without needing to cause pain, is more humanizing than Abby, who was seemingly unresponsive to Ellie’s sobs while killing Joel. Ellie feels like a monster here, Abby does not. More than the idea of torture what doesn’t sit right with me about Nora is not Ellie’s decision, but that ND cast a lot of minorities into roles that face the most gruesome violence and deaths, often and usually for the advancement of a white person’s story.

On the flip side, we have Ellie’s friends. We have Jesse, a funny and charming character that provides some light moments and good banter with Ellie. We know him, we like him, we have grown attached to him (I know his fucking name) and then he is killed pretty dismissively, again as a minority prop to someone’s story, (Don’t even get me started on Dina). Jesse is running into a room, gets shot suddenly, we see a kinda gorey shot of his bloody face wound. It’s shocking, and there is no room to mourn because we immediately go back to playing as Abby and I’m supposed to feel bad for her after she killed her SECOND major character. No way.

In this lengthy flashback as Abby, many of her friends are unlikeable, especially Manny. When their friend Danny is shown in the body bag I was searching my memory for if he was one that I killed cause I couldn’t remember. I already know these people die, and often die after hurting or insulting Ellie and Joel, so I’m not quick to support them. Some of these characters shit-talk Joel and say they wish worse had happened to him. I don’t know any of these people long enough to feel things from their perspective.

A part that really sticks out for the hypocrisy is before you meet Isaac, when you’re in the apartments where several Scars are held prisoner. We know that the WLF and Scars are at war, but that I don’t know why, mixed with the fact that I don’t give enough of a shit about people on either side, makes it hard to care. I see them similarly to Hunters vs FEDRA. Don’t really like either of you, so knock yourselves out. The image of Scars tied up in cages and in obvious torture rooms was already not a great way to win me over OR give me a good side of Abby, but when Abby delivers the line suggesting she’d want to torture these people, you continue to lose me. Ellie is riddled with guilt, Abby does not seem to be, and talks sadistically about the Scars. Even if you want to suggest this is a parallel to Joel, the way he speaks of his atrocities is ALSO riddled with guilt and self-disgust. Perhaps Ellie’s most sadistic points are in gameplay when taking people out and she insults them, but these scenes ALWAYS have these people attack Ellie first and defend herself. I’d call them fuckers too.

They do all this, and try to SHOVE in moments obviously there to wink wink nudge me to like Abby, and they don’t work. I’ll be honest, in game 1, i didn’t immediately like Ellie. I could see where the story was going and wasn’t going to like her just because they thought I should. The pacing allowed me to come to like her on my terms. It was just the two of us all game so I had plenty of time to like her. By Bill’s town I came to really like her, and by the end of the game, she became one of my favorite characters of any piece of media.

The game gave me no time to like Abby, and moments I did kind of like her, they slapped me in the face with an obvious device meant to make me like her, and it isolated me further. The whole game made me go “yeah, yeah I get it.” You know when Manny tries to get Abby and Mel to be on good terms and he’s just way too obvious about it? I feel like Manny is Neil (and yeah the posts about their similarity is not lost on me). ND doesn’t let me grow to like these characters without this ever-present 4th-wall loom of “Do you like Abby yet? See, she’s like Ellie.”

I was very excited for this character, I was excited for Laura, I was excited for a character with “unconventional” proportions (I’m also a slut for ladies with big muscles, so there’s that), and I’m just left disappointed. I feel bad for Laura, I feel bad for what Abby could have been. Done right, she would have been a compelling character, but ND fucked her over almost as much as Ellie and Joel.

#the last of us part 2 #the last of us 2 #the last of us spoilers #tlou2 spoilers #tlou 2 spoilers #the last of us 2 spoilers #the last of us part 2 spoilers #tlou2 #tlou 2

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ashintheairlikesnow · 4 years

Text

Nate and Danny: The Lucky Ones

This is just a little recovery drabble - someone a while back requested a sweet moment with Nate and Danny, so here it is! You know, to get you all nice and relaxed before the next BTHB piece.

CW: Referenced past abuse/violence, noncon, drugging, dubcon (on both sides), trauma recovery. But, you know, I swear this one is really sweet at heart. Some hint of spice. Like PG-13 spice.

Tagging @bleeding-demon-teeth, @spiffythespook, and @special-spicy-chicken. Also I owe a debt to @orchidscript for this one, as it pulls from a scene she and I wrote out a while back in a different context. Oh, and here is a link to the song that is in this piece if you haven’t heard it before.

“No, Danny.”

“Please? Come on, Nate, please, it’ll help, I know it will.”

Nate looks up from his position lying in the bed, where he’s been for the past three days. Danny stands between him and the window, and the hint of sunshine outside lights a halo around the red hair, turning the edges to a brilliant gleaming copper. Danny’s face is slightly shadowed this way, not exactly silhouette. It fades out the scars until they’re barely visible, lessens the hint of silver-gray visible just at his scalp if you know where to look.

But it doesn’t matter how dark the shadows make Danny’s face, Nate can still see the vibrant warm blue of his eyes.

Danny’s wearing a heavy sweater and soft cotton pants - he’s always wearing sweaters now, even as the weather begins to warm, even as flowers bloom in the landscaping at the edge of the apartment complex’s parking lot and the leaves bud on the trees outside. The sweater is a deep green, nearly the same color as Nate’s own eyes, and sets off every inch of the redhead’s pale freckled skin.

Nate swallows against the way the guilt pricks at him, a million little needles that never leave him alone. He hasn’t moved in days because he’s been thinking about how much they’ve all lost, and his sense that the life he is building here - taking care of Danny, going to therapy, watching Ryan Michaelson be the world’s biggest jackass until he looks at his brother and suddenly that drops and melts away into a devotion Nate has never seen before - is all going to be ripped away.

It was too easy, sending Bram to prison.

It was all too easy, and it won’t last.

Nate looks up at Danny, who gives him a shy and nervous smile, and thinks, My hands tied you to the headboard even when I begged him not to make me. My hand held the knife. My hand pulled your head back by your hair so he could watch the blood drip in your eyes. My hands helped him put the muzzle on your face that last time, my hands cleaned you up when he let you back out of the cellar, my hands, mine, I am covered in your blood. I am complicit, I’m as guilty as he is, it doesn’t matter what happens with his eyes.

I deserve to be dead.

Why am I here?

He slumps back onto the bed. “L-Leave me alone, Danny. I j-j-just want to stay here today.”

“No.” The word is a surprise to both of them - when Nate blinks and looks up, Danny’s eyes are wide and a little frightened at himself.

Nate swallows hard against the rush of self-loathing as he reads the thought clear as day across Danny’s face: puppies don’t get to say no. “I, I mean…” Danny’s jaw sets, and Nate is even more surprised by the look of determination when those blue eyes move back to his. “I mean it. No. This always helped me when we did it up in the woods. I want to help you, Nate. I want you to believe me when I say I want you here. I want, um, I want… I want you to get out of the bed. Okay?” As though all his strength had bled out in his words, Danny’s shoulders slumped a little, hunching into himself, making himself smaller. “... please?”

It’s the crack in his voice on the final word that gets Nate to move. He’d tried to kill a man to save Danny. He’d burned down the cabin and driven away in the middle of the night. Whatever he was - however guilty - Danny didn’t see him that way.

Danny never seems to see the man that held him down to be hurt - only the man who watched movies with him late at night and helped him pick bundles of wildflowers to press, only the man who would sometimes kiss the bruises Bram had left with perfect tenderness. Danny saw the man who had saved him and not the man who was the reason he had been broken in the first place.

Danny saw the man who stitched him up after he was forced to step into the trap and not the man who had done nothing but uselessly hold him while Abraham made him do it.

Whatever he is, has been made into, Nate had discovered the ability to stand up when Danny needed him, in the end. Danny needs him to stand up now.

So Nate pushes back the covers, which seem to weigh three tons, and slides his feet off the side of the bed. He leans over for a second, hands on the edge of the bed, just sitting in his pajama pants and looking down at himself - the wicked stripe of pale, faded scar up his torso (Ashley), the twisted one along his collarbone (Bram), the smaller pockmarked places knives had gone in and out of him like love (Bram, always Bram, endlessly Bram).

When Danny holds out his hand, Nate reaches up with his good one to take it, lets Danny pull him up off the bed. Danny holds both of his hands, grip gentle and barely-there on the bad hand so as not to push the misplaced bones together.

“This helped, when you used to do it with me,” Danny says softly, looking down at him, and Nate tilts his head back to look up. It’s always so strange the way Danny can seem so small until you stand next to him and realize how tall he is, the height he hides as much with his personality as with the way he rolls his shoulders forwards and curves his spine.

If he disliked Ryan a little less, he’d ask if he was always like that, or if that was something he’d only learned in the cabin. After all, he and Danny had only seen each other a handful of times before Abraham came for him.

Nate had met some people and kind of fallen in with them, and Danny had been on the periphery of the group. Most of Nate’s interactions with him prior to the night Danny had come over to watch a movie with him - and Bram had finally hunted Nate down - had involved pretending not to watch Danny push and shove and dance with a crowd in a dark bar in front of a stage. Pretending his mouth wasn’t dry, that he wasn’t staring at the way Danny moved when the sweat slicked him up, dampened his shirt, left little bits of red hair stuck to his forehead and the back of his neck as he knocked back another drink, shot Nate a half-shy, half-bold flash of toothy smile before he went back to the crowd.

Nate had spent the time they were around each other pretending he wasn’t interested, because it wasn’t safe to be interested. Then he’d let his guard down, and here they are, nearly five years later, a broken puppy and Bram’s black-haired prince who burned down the fucking castle.

Danny takes Nate’s other hand in his, tilting his head with a nervous, shy smile, and Nate lets his eyes move back up to the halo of sunlight around his hair. Maybe Bram named the wrong one of us the prince. “H-How long have you been awake?” He asks, voice low and deep and uncertain. Danny smells like his shampoo and soap, an odd mix of flowers and something like mint. This close, Nate can tell his hair is still the slightest bit damp.

(do you like him better this way, baby?)

Of course I like him better free

(but he was so good for you, before)

He’s better for me now

Nate shakes off the thoughts, the hint of Bram’s voice that never quite leaves him, and sighs. “Fine. We’ll t-t-try it. But if it doesn’t w-work, you let me get b-back in the bed, okay?”

“It’s a deal. It’ll work, Nate, I know it will.”

There’s hardly enough room, with Danny’s big bed and his desk and a dresser, but Nate lets himself be pulled, moving to the one space in here big enough for what Danny wants to do. Now that he’s agreed to it, Danny’s smile has shifted, widened, become more certain of itself and sincere. It crinkles the scar tissue at the bridge of his nose, makes the broken line of his jaw on each side less obvious, makes the tiny pinprick scars from the sharp pieces that stuck off the metal and jabbed his skin less noticeable.

Nate wants to touch the scar, to trace it with his hands like he does when Danny is scared or goes too far inside his own head for them to follow. The touch that brings him back when he’s lost in the woods. He never wants to stop touching the scars, rub his thumbs right into them until they both forget what made them.

He swallows as Danny moves him, the taller man’s face gone serious and thoughtful, his eyes a little distant, lost in thought, in memory.

He made me hurt you so many ways, and when I can’t get out of bed, you still come here to pull me up.

There’s an infinite, innate capacity for forgiveness in Danny that Nate cannot begin to fathom, is utterly unprepared for. He doesn’t deserve it, didn’t expect it. He expected to be tossed out as soon as his testimony was done, as soon as his part in putting Bram away was over. Instead, Danny spent a day with his parents and came back shaking, fucked up, but with enough promised money to cover Nate’s therapy and medical bills and an offer to let Nate stay here as long as he wanted to stay.

Forever, Nate wants to say, but he never does. I don’t know how to start over any longer. I don’t want to start over without you.

“No, come, come here,” Danny murmurs, sliding an arm around Nate’s waist, pulling him close until they’re pressed together. Danny’s hipbones, still sharp from years of never eating enough, push just a little against Nate’s abdomen. “Too far away.”

“Wh-why?” Nate asks, and he’s asking a dozen different questions with that one single word - afraid of what the answer might be for most of them, desperately wanting an answer to the rest.

“Because it worked, when you did it on the days I didn’t want to get up off the mat. Because it worked, then. It can work for you, too.”

Danny’s arms slide around him, and Nate echoes the motion, his forehead dropping to rest on Danny’s shoulder, feeling the jut of his collarbone even through the heavy fabric of his sweater. When Danny starts to move, Nate moves with him, the slow shifting back and forth of a middle-school dance but without what Nate’s grandmother had called ‘space for Jesus, Joseph, and Mary’ between them.

He fights the hint of helpless, sad laughter, the thought of what his grandmother would think of him now, slow-dancing in the bedroom of… whatever Danny was to him. Whatever they were to each other.

(I’ve met real gods, you know - and real gods never forgive you)

Nate swallows, and he must tense, because Danny’s arms tighten around him. “Here, let me help the wrong thoughts,” Danny whispers, and Nate closes his eyes at the rush of shame there. Wrong thoughts, Bram’s words in Danny’s voice.

(do you think you’ve earned forgiveness, sweet thing? do you think you’ll ever earn it?)

Danny begins to hum, slightly tuneless and off-key, resting his chin on Nate’s hair, the two of them still moving slowly, back and forth. He’s too aware of Danny’s body, of the warmth of the arms around him. He’s too aware of the scars that his hands caused at Bram’s command, inside and out.

He’s too aware of what he’s done, too sure that he will never, ever deserve the forgiveness that Danny never stops offering him.

“I c-can’t-” He starts, and Danny’s arms tighten even more, until they nearly hurt, until they nearly steal his breath.

“Yes, you can,” Danny murmurs into his hair. “I could, for you. You can for me.”

There is silence, for a while, the sun cutting stripes through the blinds across Danny’s old wooden desk under the window, the rumpled covers with the quilt on top. The green of Danny’s sweater soft against his cheek, the hint of dark red and copper blending in his hair. He knows just what Danny’s eyelashes look like right now, closing against his cheek, bright, light ginger-copper and so long it’s fucking ridiculous - no one should have eyelashes that long.

“Better?” Danny whispers - and it almost is.

(your body belongs to me, your love is for me, your life is mine)

Nate shudders and shakes his head.

Danny nods against his hair, and there’s quiet for another little while. He’s not sure how long, because all he can think of is how much he doesn’t deserve this moment. He should be in prison right next to Bram, in his own solitary cell, a menace, a destroyer, a villain in Danny’s narrative.

Then Danny starts to sing.

It’s halting and cracked in his hoarse, rough voice, and Nate turns his head so his ear is against Danny’s shoulder, mouth just barely brushing the skin of his neck. This way he can feel the vibration of sound through Danny’s chest.

“It was a Monday when my lover told me, ‘never pay the reaper with love only’,” Danny sings, off-key, but Nate presses his lips together and his ear a little more against Danny’s sweater, listening to the soft sound. He knows this song, doesn’t he?

He’s heard this song before, but where?

“What could I say to you,” Danny sings, “Except ‘I love you’, and ‘I’d give my life for yours’?... I know we are, we are the lucky ones-... I know we are, we are the lucky ones. I know we are, we are the lucky ones, dear…”

“Wh-what are you s-s-singing?”

“Sssshhh,” Danny says softly, and Nate falls silent again. Danny never gives orders, never gives commands. He’s submissive and eager-to-please, nervous and worried all the time. This version of him is vanishingly rare, and Nate wonders if this was what he was like with his boyfriends, before - and Nate just never had the chance to learn about it, then.

“The first time we made love, I wasn’t sober,” Danny sings, voice warming a little, “And you told me you loved me over and over-”

I’m s-s-so sorry, I’m so s-s-sorry, Red, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, j-j-just look at m-me now, okay?

(what are you waiting for?)

‘Kay, can do it, can look-... your eyes are bleeding, Nate, like green sky, you’re stained glass, you’re a fucking saint sparking fucking starlight fuck, ah

J-Just look at me, Red, just look right at me, it’s going to be oh-okay, it’s okay, I d-d-don’t want to, I promise, I just, I have to-

(of course you want to. and if you don’t, I will)

Sssshhh, s’okay if it’s you. Always if it’s you. I want you too. Saint Nate, ha, Saint Nate saint… Saint Nathaniel, patron saint of, of puppies and fuck, what’d he put in my drink? Shit, you feel so good, don’t stop

Fuck, R-Red, I’m so sorry

(stop holding out on him, baby, he’s asking for it)

“-how can I ever love another, when I miss you everyday?” Danny kept singing, shifting them back and forth with the slightest movements in rhythm to his song. Nate kept thinking he’d heard this song before, somewhere, in his past, in the life before Abraham.

There was a life before Bram.

“Remember the time we made love in the roses? And you took my picture in all sorts of poses-”

Look at this, Nate! It’s like all the flowers bloomed at once this year! Here, let me make you a dandelion chain. My friend Kelli taught me how to do this when we were kids, let me make you one, it’s like a crown, like you’re a, a prince for real.

G-G-Go for it, Red, I’ll pretend I d-don’t look ridic… ridic-... that I don’t look stupid.

You never look stupid, you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met. Here, I’ll make chains for us both, that way we both look stupid, right?

Right.

You could never look stupid, you know. You always look so good.

Wh-what?

Never mind. Let me grab more dandelions, I’ll be right back.

Danny with the yellow dandelions woven through his hair, grinning at him, a flash of white teeth and crinkled scars and the sunlight that turned his freckles darker and darker while his skin stayed pale and white. Sitting shirtless in the garden while they worked, sun burning his shoulders reddish pink, the smile on his face when he settled the second chain on the top of Nate’s head.

And Bram never saw that moment - that memory was theirs, alone.

“-How can I ever get over you, when I’d give my life for yours?”

I tried to kill for you.

“I know we are, we are the lucky ones-... I know we are, we are the lucky ones… I know we are, we are the lucky ones, dear… my dear…” Danny’s voice cracks again when he tries to hit the high notes, and Nate is struck by how fucking awful his singing voice is, and how he doesn’t care at all, it sounds amazing to hear it.

Like watching him dance in his kitchen when he thought no one was watching, barely hitting the high note. The way his heart had leapt when Ryan had popped out onto the patio with a finger on his lips, the sound of Danny’s music blaring in the kitchen behind them, and whispered, come on, motherfucker, you have got to see what he’s doing now.

“It’s time to say I thank God for you,” Danny sings, “I thank God for you… in each and every single way-... and I know, I know, I know… it’s time to let you know, time to let you know, time to sit here and say…”

I’d kill for you again.

“I know we are, we are the lucky ones-”

I hurt you.

“I know we are, we are the lucky ones-”

I couldn’t save you for four fucking years.

“I know we are, we are the lucky ones, dear…”

I loved you so much and I still couldn’t save you.

“We are the lucky ones, dear…” Danny’s voice trails off, the two of them still moving in rhythm, and Nate takes a deep breath of the smell of Danny, the simple scent of his skin layered under clean soap and that weird floral shampoo he buys. His hands tighten in the fabric of Danny’s sweater.

“What’s that s-s-song?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s… it’s B-something, Naked…”

“Bif Naked,” Nate blinks. “I knew I kn-knew that song. I used to l-l-love her… where d-d-did you ever hear that song?”

“... promise not to laugh?”

“C-Cross my heart and hope to d-die.”

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Nate has to bite back the instinctive laughter in return, and barely manages it, and feels Danny stiffen a little. “Don’t judge! Ryan loves Buffy, or did. We watched all the reruns. She and some guy dance to that song, and I… I liked it, so I downloaded it and listened to it a bunch. I was listening to it earlier cleaning the kitchen, and it… made me think of you. Of… of us.”

There’s a silence that stretches between them, comfortable but weighty.

Then Danny says softly, “There’s an us, right?”

“Danny, I w-w-want to go back to the bed,” Nate replies in a rush, and feels Danny’s shoulders drop a little. Feels the sudden well of fear that threatens him. “W-wait. Don’t, just… just let me f-f-finish. I w-want to go back to the bed and I want y-y-you to come with me.”

Danny pulls back and away all at once, and Nate swallows back the spike of panic that he’s crossed a line, gone too far. They’ve done nothing more than this, than maybe a few kisses, since they came back. He doesn’t deserve any more. He doesn’t deserve this.

Danny catches his eyes, and Nate thinks, no one could ever earn the forgiveness you never stop giving me.

The scarred hands find their way up to his face, rough fingers with skin calloused to near-numbness by years of being forced to work too hard, to hurt himself. Nate’s own hands cover them, the pads of his own fingers pressing into the scars without flinching, without fear. He doesn’t mind Danny’s hands, he never has. He loved them clean and he loves them scarred. He loves the body he knows too well and for all the wrong reasons.

He wants to erase all the wrong ones, all the times Danny was hurt, and cover him over in something new. But maybe he isn’t the right person, for that - maybe Danny needs someone else, someone who isn’t complicit, who isn’t guilty, who isn’t-

“Yeah, let’s go to the bed,” Danny says, and smiles. Nate’s heart breaks, but it beats harder, too, and he can’t reconcile the two feelings, the sense of being given a gift, again, that he should never have been given at all.

“D-don’t, you don’t have t-to,” Nate says softly. “I know that y-you, that you need to take time-”

Danny leans in to kiss him, and Nate hasn’t felt the warmth of his lips quite like this since that night in the truck, since he took the muzzle off and Danny came back to life. “I need time,” Danny agrees, nuzzling against the side of his face. “But I have time. And I have, um, I have you. Can I have you, too, and time? Do I get to have both?”

Nate hesitates, uncertain what answer he’s meant to give to that, what the question even means. Then Danny grabs him by the hands and pulls him back to the bed, pushes him onto his back, and Nate’s uncertainty breaks apart and melts under the sudden weight of Danny climbing on top of him, pressing him into the soft blankets and the mattress that gives just a little under their weight. Danny kisses him again, slowly, wonderfully, hands running slowly up Nate’s sides. There’s a surety, a certainty, to him that Nate would give anything to see more of.

Nate, look, the body had a canoe in this shed. Do you… do you think I could lay down in it? Do you want to see if we can, um... do you want to?

Look, I found baby rabbits. Do you think the mother’s around here somewhere?

I, um, I made you this - for you. Do you like it? Is it okay?

Do you think we would have really gotten together, if it hadn’t been like this?

I’ll take a shower before he gets back, Nate, he won’t ever know.

Danny’s hands slide rough-skinned over Nate’s shoulders, feeling over the scars Bram left on him. He licks at the scar on Nate’s lip, the tiniest nick that only shows when he smiles, really, and finds his way to his ear and down his neck, trailing lips over the circles that Ashley cut into him, over and over again.

“D-Danny,” Nate murmurs, sliding hands up into his hair. “Danny, don’t d-d-do anything you don’t w-want to do-”

“I want to,” Danny says softly. “I want to. I want to all the time, but I’m not, I’m not supposed to want to any longer-”

“Hey.” Nate’s fingers tighten just a little in his hair and Danny stills, looking at him with the blue eyes, the sun catching them just right to make them seem almost to glow. His face is flushed and red, and Nate smiles at the sight of him, the way he bites his lower lip, just a little bit. “You get to w-w-want whatever you w-want, now, remember? We’re free.”

“Free,” Danny breathes out, shivering at the word. His hips press just a little into Nate’s, and he can’t quite catch his breath at the way that feels. Warm and human and he feels like a live wire under Danny’s body, shifting a little at the press of Danny against him. “I get to say no, now, right?”

Nate nods, slowly. “You get to say no. Forever. Anytime you w-w-want. Even right n-now, Danny. Tell m-me to fuck off, and I will. No hard f-f-feelings.”

“I don’t want you to fuck off. I want you to...” Danny colors, bright red covering up the freckles and scars across his cheeks, and they both realize the joke Danny wants to say at the same time as they realize he’s not quite ready for that, yet.

“You d-d-decide what happens now,” Nate says, firmly. “All y-you, Danny. Every step of the way.”

Danny swallows, hard, and lowers himself until he’s resting on his elbows, their bodies touching from breastbone all the way through their legs. The weight of him isn’t nearly enough for his height, and Nate feels the curve of his muscled shoulders, down his biceps, slides his hands up under the sweater, pushing it up to feel the rippled whip-scars that line his upper back. “If I get to say no, Nate, I want… I want to, um.” Danny looks to the side, shyly, then back at him. He leans in to kiss him, one more time. “I can’t... not to everything. But to a little... I want to say yes.”

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flowerfan2 · 6 years

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Bound To Be Together - Ch. 5

McDanno, T, A03

A continuous story of Season 9 codas exploring the bond between Steve and Danny as they grow even closer.

Chapter 5 - 9.05

Steve can’t sleep, going over and over what Danny had said after the stunt Steve pulled at the sand washing plant. Did Danny really think that Steve didn’t care about him? Worse than Danny’s words, though, had been the look of pure hurt on Danny’s face.

Steve has screwed up, again.

He goes out to the lanai in the dark, Eddie padding along at his feet, and is about to settle down for a good round of self-recrimination when he gets a better idea.

By the time the team starts filing in to the office the next morning Steve has completed all the paperwork from the day before, and printed it out for Danny’s review. It’s in a neat pile on Danny’s desk, with a few sticky notes poking out to indicate places where he needs Danny’s input. Getting this taken care of will save Danny hours of work, and show how much Steve appreciates him.

On Danny’s desk right next to the detailed report is a big box from Liliha’s. Steve got a dozen coco puffs – everyone’s favorite, of course – but also some of the chocolate and green tea puffs, and a few poi donuts, because he loves how Danny rants about how food shouldn’t be purple on the inside. He’s hoping they’ll bring a smile to Danny’s face.

Steve wanders out of his office and paces a little, trying to position himself in the best possible location to get a good view into Danny’s office but not look too obvious about it. Now that the time has come he’s getting a little impatient. He’s ready to fix this – he even almost knows what he is going to say, probably. So where the hell is Danny?

Lou meanders over and stands next to Steve. Soon Tani and Junior join him. Steve glances at them irritably. Can’t they give him a little space?

“Um, what are we waiting for?” Tani finally asks. “Do we have a case, or is this just a group meeting thing?”

Steve frowns at them. “I’m waiting for Danny.”

There’s an uncomfortable pause as the team finally realizes what Steve has been looking at – namely, Danny’s empty office.

“Danny’s not coming in today,” Lou says gently, and Steve feels a wave of panic until Lou’s next words sink in. “He’s got that conference this week, remember?”

He doesn’t, actually, which is almost as worrying as the fact that he’s not going to be able to see Danny now.

Lou gives Steve a considering look, and then wanders away into Danny’s office. Tani trails after him. “That’s the biggest box of coco puffs I’ve ever seen,” Lou says, his voice carrying. “What’d you do this time?”

“Oooh, boss’s in the doghouse,” Tani trills, grabbing the Liliha box off of Danny’s desk and bringing it out. “But it means we can eat these, right?”

Lou doesn’t wait for Steve to answer, just opens the box and smiles with approval. “That’s right, my friend. Can’t let ’em get stale.”

Steve makes a quick escape back to his office, ignoring the concerned look on Junior’s face. Great, just great, he thinks. A nice touch of humiliation to start his day. Just what he needed.

He stares at his computer screen for a few minutes, watching the screensaver slide around. Even his half decent plans go to shit.

“Steve, can I come in?” Lou’s standing at the door, brushing an errant donut crumb off his Hawaiian shirt.

“Yeah, of course.”

Lou tactfully closes the door behind him. It doesn’t do much good in their glass walled offices, but it’s a nice touch.

“You want to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

Lou is silent for a few moments, and Steve almost thinks that he’s going to leave him at his word, or maybe launch into some rambling story about golf, but no, this is not that kind of day.

“Danny seemed pretty upset yesterday, when he came back to the office.”

Steve nods. “That has been brought to my attention.”

“Something happen with the case? When you guys caught the perp?”

You could say that, Steve thinks. But what got Danny so upset wasn’t really the case itself, and he knows that now. It was Steve being careless with Danny’s feelings, and he’s not about to share this belated revelation with Lou.

“Just me being an ass again,” Steve finally says. It’s not a bad summary, and Lou can take it any way he wants.

Later that day, Steve sits in his truck, trying to compose a text to Danny. He got out of the office by telling the team he had a meeting with the governor, and it was true, although it’s been over for an hour. He can’t come up with anything to say. He doesn’t want to apologize over text, or over the phone. He’s no good with words. He wants to see Danny in person so he can watch his face. More importantly, he wants to make sure Danny can see Steve’s face.

Danny can read Steve so well. He’s sure that if Danny could see how sorry he is, he would understand. He might even see how much Steve cares about him. How much Danny means to him. There’s just no way to say it in a text, especially when Steve can’t seem to form the words in his own mind.

Procrastinating, he calls Liliha and asks if they deliver to the mainland. They don’t.

Before he gets any closer to texting Danny – or, god forbid, facetiming him and babbling uncontrollably – he gets a call from Junior. They caught a case. Steve sends out a thank you to the universe as he guns the engine and heads back to the Palace, then immediately feels like a jerk for being grateful that crime isn’t taking a break today.

Unsurprisingly, Steve lets himself be so distracted by the mystery of the little girl who is drawing pictures of murder scenes in crayon that he doesn’t reach out to Danny at all. It’s bad, he knows that, and the worry that whatever he says will be woefully inadequate just gets worse as each day goes by.

There’s an undeniable bright spot in his week when they reunite Mollie with her mom, and Steve lets himself relax. Danny will be home soon, and they’ll work things out. They always do.

When Mollie and her mother (and the social worker) finally leave, Steve tells the team to take the rest of the day off.

“At least Danny didn’t have to deal with this one,” he says, offhand. “Cases with little kids really get to him.”

Tani and Junior share a look.

“What?”

“Sir, Danny knows all about this case. Tani and I talked to him about it.”

“Danny was really helpful,” Tani says quickly, as if she’s worried that Steve is going to yell at them for wasting time or something. “He gave us some good hints on how to interview kids and how children affected by trauma behave.”

“Yeah,” says Junior. “There’s a real difference between the two little girls involved in this case and their experiences - you can’t just treat them the same way. On the other hand, they’re both about the same age, so there are a lot of similarities too.”

Junior turns to Tani and they break off into their own conversation about child victims. Lou gives Steve another one of those appraising looks, but Steve can’t think of anything to say that won’t reveal how unreasonably disappointed he feels.

This is exactly what Steve wanted – Danny sharing his expertise with their newest team members. Being a role model for them. It makes complete sense that Tani and Junior had talked to Danny this week.

Steve just wishes that he had, too.

#H50 #mcdanno #steve mcgarrett #danny williams #9.05 #episode coda #my fic

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miss-musings · 7 years

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The Defenders: Review

****SPOILERS FOR ALL THE NETFLIX/MARVEL SHOWS.****

Not like anyone is really asking for my opinion on the Defenders, but I thought I’d throw this out there for the Tumblrverse, to see if anyone agrees or disagrees with me.

A very long-ass review below the jump.

Some background: I love the Marvel movies. I really enjoyed Daredevil S1 when it first aired, and I loved Jessica Jones so much that I watched all of S1 in a single night. I was kind “meh” toward Daredevil S2. I didn’t really care for the Punisher storyline, and while I really liked Frank’s interactions with Matt/Daredevil, I didn’t like any of the scenes Karen had with Frank. In fact, I didn’t really like Karen at all, especially her ~thing~ with Matt. I’ve never liked them together, and while I understand they are a couple in the comics, I’m not a fan of the pairing. I didn’t really like Elektra or the Hand that much either. I was much more interested in Fisk and his Kingpin Empire in S1. All the mystical stuff really changed the tone and direction of the Daredevil story, and made it feel less grounded in reality, something I thought both JJ and Daredevil S1 did really well. I can buy blind guys who can “see” through their other senses, and weird psychopaths who can control people using pheromones or whatever. But, mystical ninjas who are resurrected and don’t have heartbeats… yeah, no, you lost me.

I started watching Luke Cage, but lost interest after Cottonmouth got killed off. Last episode I watched was Luke falling backward into a trash truck, unconscious, after getting attacked by his brother.

I didn’t have any interest in watching Iron Fist to begin with, but after I read the reviews saying it was mediocre and not as good as the other ones, I REALLY didn’t have any interest.

Basically, for me, the Netflix/Marvel shows had a strong opener with DD S1 and then peaked with JJ, and has been steadily going downhill from there.

So, yesterday I finished watching the Defenders. I had seen the first two episodes about two weeks ago, then was on vacation, and finally got the chance to sit down and finish the show during my Labor Day weekend. I watched the final six episodes in one sitting, which may have lessened my opinion of it. I get that the point of these shows is to binge-watch them, but sometimes I feel like that makes their flaws all the more obvious.

So….

I’d like to point out what I didn’t like about the show… things that I thought were weaknesses and then move on to what I *DID* like and thought the show did well. I realize that back-loading the positives like that will make it seem like I didn’t like it at all… and that’s probably fair. It wasn’t horrid, but I definitely didn’t like it as much as DD S1 or JJ. If I had to give it a letter grade, it’d probably be a C- or D+. It wasn’t a complete waste of time, but I’m not going to be watching it again anytime soon, and I’m not sure if I’d watch the second season (if there is one).

Basically every problem I had with the show can be boiled down to two main things:

1. This show tries to accomplish so much that it ends up accomplishing little to nothing in the end. (The opposite of Ron Swanson’s “Don’t half-ass two things; whole-ass one thing” philosophy.)

2. People and things matter!!!! … until they don’t.

So, first, my list of things that annoyed me about the show:

First of all, the fucking lighting and filters and shit. I get that it makes it feel like each character is in their own little ‘world’ of their own show. But, damn, does it have to be So. Fucking. Obnoxious? I get it: Matt is Red. Jessica is a bluish-purple. Luke is yellow. Danny is green. Switching back and forth between all the little filters in their individual scenes and the neon lighting during their shared scenes fucking hurt my eyes.

The music – especially in the later episodes – was also really obtrusive. Like, different times, particularly during that fight scene in the last episode, it felt so out of place. I didn’t notice the score, which may or may not be a good thing, but I definitely noticed the soundtrack at various points, and that was not for a good reason. The music was something I really liked about the first episodes of Luke Cage. At Cottonmouth’s little club, there was always some kind of musical act going on, and I felt like that really contributed well to the show’s tone and atmosphere. Here, sometimes the musical choices detracted from the show, IMO.

The action is all over the fucking place. Where DD excelled in the hallway and stairwell scenes, where all the action was across one long take, during this show’s larger action sequences, it cuts back and forth so much and so often between characters, giving them all of about 10 seconds before moving onto the next one, so that I can’t really appreciate their powers, their teamwork with each other, or just the action as a whole. It was more of like, “Okay, Jessica threw that guy against a wall, now let’s cut over to Luke taking some bullets. Okay, now over to Matt flipping around and kicking some dudes. Okay, quick, over to Danny throwing some punches.” I couldn’t really tell who was winning at any given point, until it cut back to a longer, wider shot and suddenly, all the ninjas were on the ground, and the good guys were all still standing. Also, they never really felt like a ~team~. Like, they all worked to accomplish a shared goal, but they never had any combos or instances where they played off one another’s abilities, really. It was all a bunch of one-on-one melees. Toward the end, the show also suffers from the Game of Thrones syndrome, where all the scenes are really fucking dark and it’s hard to tell who’s who and what the fuck is going on.

But, the biggest thing for me is that I feel like the show didn’t do much in the way of character development. Plot-wise, the show was all over the fucking place, but at least some shit got done in the end: the Hand is seemingly crushed, never to rise again. But, I didn’t feel like I got any real growth from any of the characters. Yes, there was some. I think Danny matured a bit. Jessica maybe became more self-aware of her own shortcomings when it comes to keeping in touch and taking care of the people she loves. Matt had to confront a resurrected Elektra. But… for as much time as we spent with them – especially all of them together – I really don’t feel like they changed all that much. Yeah, a lot happened; but that doesn’t mean they grew any.

Now, I understand that you could make the argument that the Avengers didn’t really grow all that much during their Avengers movie. Especially during the first one. Yeah, okay, but “Avengers” is a movie. And I think it’s fair to judge a two-hour movie differently than a 8-ish hour TV series. I think one of the reasons we don’t have more character development is so much time is spent introducing these characters and their respective worlds to each other and the audience. We have to talk about what the fucking Iron Fist is and what he can do and how he got his powers and what his responsibilities are at least once every episode. Matt has to get frustrated with Stick and refuse to talk about his personal life/details at least once every episode. So much time is spent on exposition and action sequences that it doesn’t leave a ton of time for character development.

Again: this show tries to do too much and ends up doing… well, not much at all, really. They try to give each character their own little arc and subplot, only for it to boil down to: fighting mystical ninjas in an underground dragon graveyard thing until they can blow up the building above them. I can’t describe any of the Five Fingers of the Hand (outside of Alexandra) in more than a sentence; the side characters are there just to either give or receive exposition; and the main characters (the four Defenders) don’t really grow all that much (as stated previously).

And, again, my other main point: things/characters matter until they don’t. Each of the Defenders’ sidekicks are okay with being sidelined in a police station for several episodes. Misty and the NYPD don’t do jack-fucking-shit during the penthouse or the Chinese restaurant fights, but only show up at the end of the season, when it’s a detriment to the good guys, and we have to stretch out the action over another two episodes. Trish and Karen are in a police station together for several hours, perhaps days, but don’t really talk to each other until the final episode. Jessica keeps saying that the only reason she’s staying in this fight is so she can get answers for her client, but then never has any kind of resolution with them at the end. The police give Colleen her sword back, and she doesn’t want to be sidelined, but then she’s okay with it, but then she’s not and she gets back into the fight, and then she’s okay with going with Claire to set the bombs and not to save Danny, which was the whole reason she even felt like she had to get out there to begin with. But, whatever.

The good guys are just running around for hours (days?) at a time, not ever eating or sleeping or changing clothes, really, which they sometimes call attention to.

The whole big thing about them possibly getting charged with terrorism and obstruction of justice and all those other crimes… nah, they all just get dropped for no reason. Let this be a lesson to you, kids: if you endanger dozens of people by blowing up a building in a densely populated urban setting, you too can get away with it scott-free!

The only other big thing that I had with it was that Alexandra was built up as the driving force behind this whole thing. We spent a significant amount of screen time on her just doing random stuff – listening to music, eating food, going to the doctor’s office, putting on her clothes. She might be the only character that we got to have nice, quiet little moments where she just did stuff that was all character-driven, rather than plot-driven. Then, Alexandra gets taken down by Elektra. I get why: adds drama, eliminates one bad guy while building up another, and subverts the audience’s expectations. But, this was a problem I had with Luke Cage too. In Daredevil, for instance, we spent a lot of time getting to know Fisk. And he ends up being the overarching Big Bad of S1 and makes an appearance in S2. He’s still around; he still has the ability to make an impact in Daredevil’s plotlines moving forward. Imagine if they had decided to kill off Fisk in the third-to-last episode of S1 just to set up the Hand. Ugh. I liked getting to know Cottonmouth in Luke Cage, and while his exit ~kinda~ made sense, I still didn’t like how we spent so much time with him only to have him NOT be the Big Bad and die half-way through the season. Same thing here. I think Netflix/Marvel likes doing this to pull the rug out from under us, but really it’s more annoying than anything. I would’ve much rather Gao had been fucking with Alexandra and playing like she was trying to keep everyone together, when really she was the one driving them apart, and then she gets everyone else to betray Alexandra with her. Or something. That seemed to be what it was building toward organically; but no, let’s throw everyone off by having Elektra kill her. And, then Elektra’s reasoning was really weird. She wasn’t really Elektra or the Black Sky, but kind of some hybrid that had some of Elektra’s memories and desires (like, wanting to be with Matt) but also had the Black Sky’s ruthlessness, and then also had this selfishness and fiendness to her that kinda came out of nowhere. Whatever.

Other little things that bothered me:

I still don’t like Karen. I’m sorry; I just don’t. She was fine in most of DD S1, but I absolutely hated her throughout S2. I feel like she gets the Mary Jane treatment: worrying and hand-wringing and nagging her superhero love interest so much so that, even though we should empathize with her, she really comes off as being more of a nagging bitch than a woman worrying about the man she loves.

Stick just died and Matt remembered it for like all of five seconds, and then nobody ever brought it up again. You’d think it would’ve been mentioned by Danny or somebody. Or Matt would’ve brought it up in his fight against Elektra. Stick was a major side character in Daredevil, Iron Fist (I’m assuming) and then had significant screentime in this show. Kinda weird how nobody ever talked about it or mourned for him. Also, super weird how they decided to have Stick attack Danny when he ended up getting killed off by Elektra two seconds later. Why have his character do a 180 like that out of nowhere, only for him to die right after? Doesn’t really make sense.

The way the Five Fingers of the Hand had described what was behind the wall, it made it sound like it was some kind of portal to the actual K'un-Lun, to like this paradise-like setting where they could finally be at peace or some shit. But, nah, dragon bones. It felt so anticlimatic by comparison.

Also, how long had they had this substance and they just NOW ran out? How long did that shit last? Have they had to resupply at other points over the years? Maybe it’s because I didn’t watch Iron Fist, but some of this shit didn’t make any fucking sense. And, didn’t they have like a whole army of undead ninja in Daredevil S2? Were all those assholes brought back using the substance? I’m so confused!!!

Danny was an absolute idiot for using his Iron Fist anywhere near that door. Like, dude, she told you exactly what she needed for you to open the door. Don’t give her what she wants, asshat!

Both Elektra and Alexandra did the whole “we’re not so different, you and I” thing, which I only noticed because I watched a great video on how overdone and poorly used this trope is. It’s cheap and it’s lame, and in both cases here, it didn’t really work. There was no emotional impact from it, and I didn’t feel like it was true in either case. It was like villain monologuing for the sake of the writers buying time until the good guys could show up, or something.

I feel like Iron Fist can be summed up as “A Knock-off Bruce Wayne.”

Anytime the ~mystical~ was involved, it lessened my enjoyment of the show. The scene where Luke is comforting the mom after her son dies in jail… that felt real to me. The scene where Jessica is talking the mom and daughter who are trying to find their husband/dad, that felt real to me. The scene where Matt is trailing Jessica and then gets frustrated when he loses her… that felt real to me!!! Any time Iron Fist or the Hand did virtually anything felt like such a different show. I imagine it’ll be the same whenever Iron Man starts hanging out with Doctor Strange in the Infinity Wars movies, but still, Daredevil, JJ and Luke Cage (the shows) all felt like they were grounded in some form of reality. One that had superpowers, yes, but it was also one that was akin to our own: with gray areas, and questions about actions and their consequences, where people died and got hurt. This show felt like a weird cross-over where all the good guys just happen to all be in the same place at the same time, all fighting against the bad guys, so why not team up to fight FUCKING MYSTICAL UNDEAD NINJASSS!!! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!!! OUR BIG BAD FOR THIS ENTIRE FUCKING SHOW WAS A GROUP OF MYSTICAL UNDEAD NINJAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!

Oh, and I should mention that … and I get that this is a superhero show where the weirdest stuff can happen… But the most unbelievable thing was that all four of them showed up to Midland Circle/ Hand HQ at the same fucking time. Why the hell was Luke even on the top floor? The ticket he found from that kid said to go to the parking garage. How the hell did Jessica and Luke even get up there? Danny was with that lady, and Matt took the stairs, but… Don’t businesses like that usually have some kind of pass you have to swipe in the elevator to access the top floors like that? That way randos don’t just walk into the building and go straight to the top floor??

What the fuck happened to those poor Chinese restaurant workers? Did they die? Did they go home? Were they just peachy-keen with their whole place being wrecked??? WTF?!?!?!

I like how Stick pointed out how he found Danny via his phone while they were hiding out at the restaurant… and then everybody kept hauling their phones around the rest of the time. Including Claire, who was answering calls in the middle of a sword fight. WTF?

And during the whole last two or three episodes, all I could think was: WHY THE FUCK DOESN’T SOMEBODY CALL THE AVENGERS?!!?!? THEY’RE RIGHT THERE, AREN’T THEY?!?! CALL IRON MAN, OR SOMEBODY!!! Gosh.

Okay, okay. I’ve ranted enough about the different parts of this show that annoyed the fuck out of me. But, if I disliked it so much, you might ask: why the hell did I finish watching it? Why didn’t I just give up midway through like I did with Luke Cage? What things does this show ACTUALLY have going for it? What did I LIKE about it?

First of all, as a Netflix/Marvel show, The Defenders has an amazing production value. The fact that they could afford Sigourney Weaver for even just six episodes is amazing. The effects and sets are all fairly good; and (again, outside of the mystical stuff) this felt like a real place. There was dirt and grime, and a lot of working parts and side characters who made an appearance (which could be a detriment sometimes). It’s a world that had coincidences, yes, but the fact that only two of the Defenders (Jessica and Luke) had met each other previously showed that, while some of them had heard of the others, this wasn’t such a small place that they’d all serendipitously crossed paths before. Claire introduces Luke and Danny. Foggy introduces Matt and Jessica (sort of). It felt just right. It wasn’t such a small world that everyone already knew each other, but it makes sense that in that in such a small area like Manhattan, there would be some connections (like Foggy working for Hogarth, for instance) that ultimately bring them all together when it’s needed.

Going off that, I really liked the contrast between Alexandra’s world and the Defenders’ world. All our heroes are in the grimy, poorer, dim-light, grungy areas. Even Danny, who’s a billionaire, seemingly lives a run-down dojo. They all seem to be kind of lower-class everyman sort of people. Whereas, Alexandra is very clean; she either wears or is surrounded by a lot of white and lighter colors (like cream and light tan), and she always seems to be in really good lighting – sometimes it even looks a bit harsh on her features. She’s got these refined tastes: eating fancy meals, listening to classical music, private performances, owning a bunch of antique books, etc. Whereas the Defenders eat at what looks like a two- or three-star Chinese restaurant as their first real pow-wow together, and none of their apartments look very clean or organized or fancy. I thought the contrasts between the good and the bad guys was strong, and did well to build up the world and ambiance of the show.

But, what really carries this show for me are the character interactions among the Defenders, once they start meeting each other. Like many people on Tumblr, I seriously enjoyed the dynamic between Jessica and Matt. You can tell that, in the short time they were together, Jessica grew to like and respect Matt – hence the whole scene with her client’s daughter where she alludes to Matt’s backstory. Matt also really respects Jessica’s grit and intelligence. Similarly, I also liked Danny and Luke’s friendship, although not to the same degree. I think when you break down a larger group of four or five people into pairs or groups of three, it really helps to develop the connections between not only the group as a whole but everyone’s individual dynamic with everyone else. For instance, that scene where Matt, Jessica and Luke are going to rescue Danny in the elevator worked for me, because Jessica and Luke already had a strong dynamic from her show (although I feel like they should’ve worked together more, and not just had a shoe-horned resolution at the end), and Matt and Jessica were building a friendship, so they felt like a fairly good unit together. Matt and Luke didn’t have that strong of a dynamic throughout the show, but the three of them in the police station, then on the run, then going down the elevator all worked because two of those three core relationships had some strength and weight to them.

This show also had a good amount of humor and heart to it. While I don’t think it was always well done, I seriously appreciated the effort. As I said before, that scene where the lady breaks down and cries in Luke’s arms because all her children are dead was fucking heartbreaking. The scene where Luke tells Danny that there are people out there caught in the crossfire of his war who don’t know any better, and are just trying to help their families… that was really powerful and well-done. As was the scene where Jessica keeps checking up on her client and daughter, because she’s worried for their safety (especially after what happened on her own show). And Elektra’s scenes in Matt’s apartment. And Matt deciding whether to attack the store owner who’s attacking the kids during the riot. There are some really good moments in there. Anytime there wasn’t mystical undead ninjas, a fuck-ton of exposition or any “we can’t tell you for your own protection” bullshit, this show could be really, really good.

Okay, I’m almost at 4,000 words, and I feel like if I’ve forgotten anything, I can add it in later. As I said, this show was kind of disappointing, considering how much it had been hyped up, and how long (since DD S1) I’d been waiting for it. But, eh. Between DD S2, Luke Cage, and the bad reviews of Iron Fist, I feel like the Netflix/Marvel shows haven’t been as good as I once felt like they were.

Again, this is all my opinion. Feel free to disagree with me. I haven’t really talked to anyone else or looked up any other reviews, so I don’t know if I’m in the minority on this one. Did you guys like it? What problems did you find with it? What were its stronger points? Do you agree or disagree with my review?

Thanks! ~miss-musings

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beaverla-blog1 · 6 years

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“The Shining” (1980) Review

Welcome back! This is going to be the first full movie review. Hopefully you have already listened to Season 1 – Episode 2 of “Here’s Johnny” and heard what both Justin and I had to say on this film. I am so very happy that this was the first movie we reviewed, not only because it is a personal favorite, but Kubrick is such a brilliant filmmaker and there is so much to dissect with this film. So before we start the review, let’s discuss some of the more important notes about the development and production of this horror classic.

This movie is based off of the novel of the same name, written by Stephen King. After the commercial failure of his last film, Kubrick needed to make a film that would be more financially successful but that would also allow him to flex his artistic ability. He decided to do a horror film, and for inspiration he locked himself in his office with a stack of horror novels and started his way through them. According to his secretary, there were constant slams against the wall as Kubrick discarded whatever book he was reading because it was not what he was looking for. However, the slams stopped and Kubrick emerged hours later with “The Shining” in his hand. According to Kubrick himself, the reason he chose the text was that “there’s something inherently wrong with human personality. There’s an evil side to it. One of the things that horror stories can do is to show us the archetypes of the unconscious, we can see the dark without having to confront it directly” (from Stanley Kubrick: The Complete Films by Paul Duncan). Kubrick did take a lot of artistic variance from the book, and although this allowed him to leave a great deal more to interpretation it also upset some people, including King himself.

A fun note in regards to casting; Kubrick’s top choice was the man who eventually took the role, Jack Nicholson. Others who auditioned for the role included Robert DeNiro, Harrison Ford, and Robin Williams. It blows my mind to try and imagine this movie with Robin Williams playing Jack Torrance. Stephen King is on record saying that he would not have picked any of these actors (B105FM in 2007).

Principal photography took place over a year, and each day is said to have been extremely long. Kubrick is known for his meticulousness and getting the exact shot he sees in his head. This is where some of the stories about the tensions between the actors and Kubrick arise. Kubrick apparently made changes to the script almost daily, and for anyone who has ever acted before it is obvious how frustrating that can be. Nicholson stopped even reading the new scripts and would just memorize lines or improvise right before shooting a scene. Shelly Duvall had an even more difficult time. She and Kubrick constantly argued, over the script, over the delivery of her lines, and her overall acting skills. Allegedly this fighting became so severe that she became physically ill and even started seeing her hair fall out. The scene where Wendy finds Jack’s manuscript was shot many, many times. This was not only due to Kubrick looking for a specific acting performance from Duvall, but also because he had different manuscripts each in a different language and with that language’s version of “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” (from Chris Hooton at the Independent, January 2017).

“The Shining” was also one of the very first films to use ‘Steadicam’. Steadicam allows a camera operator to maintain a steady shot regardless of his movements or any rough terrain. Garret Brown, the inventor of the Steadicam, was very intrigued by what Kubrick was using his new technology for with this film. So much so, that Brown became heavily involved with the filming and still proclaims the master vision of what Kubrick sought to place on film (from the audio commentary on the 2007 DVD release). The final budget was $19 million and the film made $44.4 million in the box office.

Plot:

I am not going to go into an in-depth discussion of the plot of the film. If you want that, listen to the podcast, go to Wikipedia, or WATCH THE DAMN MOVIE! Needless to say, it’s a great film with a whole lot to discuss. First, I am going to highlight some pros for the film, and then I am going to look at some cons. The film is great. There is a reason why it’s not only considered one of the best horror films, but also one of the best overall films of all time. The script is tight, the acting is brilliant and the tension throughout is palpable. I have also found that the older I get, the more I start to understand what happens to Jack Torrance. When you watch this as a kid, his craziness is scary but hard to relate to. However, as you mature and life starts showing you its hand, it becomes apparent that it would not take too much to take a normal man and turn him crazy. This film is also my favorite kind of horror film, because of how easy it is to see a situation like this taking place in real life.

It is important to note that the plot is not perfect, and those imperfections are far more apparent when watching the film critically. The injury timeline is a little screwy. Wendy tells the doctor at the beginning of the film that Jack hurt Danny five months prior to the start of the movie. However, when Jack is telling the ghostly bartender Lloyd about why his wife hates him, he says the injury took place three years prior to the events in the film. Although it can be explained away that Jack is starting to lose his grip on reality and his view on time is screwed up. And Kubrick is not one to let an error like that fly. But it is never addressed as such and I truly believe it was an oversight. I also feel that Dick Halloran was wasted as a character. I truly don’t see the reason why they brought him all the way from Miami just to kill him. He doesn’t even get to interact with any of the characters and his arc never develops. The film would have been better off having some random forest ranger come up and see what was going on at The Overlook. The furry scene is another that I find out of place. There isn’t a lot of setup for it, and it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the ghostly sights Wendy is seeing as she flees the hotel. It is iconic, I just don’t think it is necessary. Next, I feel the use of the N word is unnecessary. It might be that living in 2018, the word is so far from normal context that when I heard it used in the film I was immediately taken out of the scene. I also don’t think they can even use the excuse “it was a different time” because the film was released in 1980 and it was already established that it was taboo. Finally, my biggest problem is how fast Jack devolved mentally. The film had five months to play with, and for some reason they decided to use less than two for Jack to completely lose his mind. I think that the film would have been better suited to allow more time to pass to make Jack’s devolution make more sense.

With all this in mind, I gave plot 8.5 out of 10.

Cinematography:

I believe that this is one of the best films to use when justifying Kubrick’s genius as a filmmaker. There are three scenes in particular that I find illustrate this best. The first is the opening scene, with Jack driving up to The Overlook. It is shot from a helicopter, and shows Jack’s car driving on the mountain roads, surrounded by nothing but wilderness. It lets the audience know right away, without any need to speak words, that the family is isolated and that there is NO ONE around. The second scene takes place after Wendy finds Jack’s manuscript and his craziness is brought to light. Jack has his back to the large windows in the room and since this scene takes place midday, his face is hidden in the shadow. Wendy however is facing the windows and the light is illuminating her. And it’s as simple as that. Jack is shadowy because he is no longer the man we first met, and Wendy is in the light because she is finally seeing what the hotel has done to her husband. It’s a brilliant piece of directorship. Finally, the last scene that I really feel show why this film is a work of cinematic genius is when Jack is cutting down the bathroom door. The film is shot with Steadicam, so throughout the rest of the movie there are no shaky shots. But when Jack’s axe hits the door, the camera shakes. Each time. This is used to make the audience FEEL how hard Jack is hitting the door through camera work. It is so flawless, that the audience may not even notice.

This is why I give cinematography a 10 out of 10.

Audio:

I also strongly feel that the overall audio of this film is exquisite. One scene that illustrates this is Danny riding his tricycle throughout the hotel. When he is riding on the carpet, it is quiet. But the moment he hits the hard wood, the sound changes. It is abrupt but it is what it would sound like in real life. And again, when Danny goes from the hard wood onto the carpet it is silent again. It would have been so easy to ignore this, but Kubrick knows how important it is to hit the small details. Another audio aspect that I love is the main score. It is brilliant. If for some reason you don’t know it, go listen to it on YouTube. It will speak for itself. I also really enjoyed the “buzzing” that takes place periodically throughout the film. The buzzing will build throughout the scene, and sometimes it will lead to a scare and other times it will lead to nothing. It keeps the audience constantly guessing about what is actually going to happen. The last thing that I think is very important when discussing the audio quality of this film is Jack Nicholson’s delivery. At the start of the film he is articulate and charming. As the film goes on and Jack loses his mind, his speech devolves as well. Ultimately, he is reduced to grunts and screams.

Not surprisingly I gave audio a 10 out of 10.

How Scary is it?

When discussing how scary this film is to me, I feel I have to talk about how scary I found it when I was a kid and then as an adult. The first time I watched this movie, the horror came from the things that were scary to Danny. It is very easy to see how the events that take place in the movie could scare a kid. A rotting corpse attacking you in an abandoned room, two little girls that want you to play with them forever and ever and sometimes appear chopped into bits. Blood rushing down an elevator shaft and filling the hallway. And probably most terrifying of all, your father wanting to murder you. I think every son has a very basic fear that they are not good enough for their dad, and to have it realized in such a malevolent way is brutal for a young kid watching this movie.

As an adult, the fear comes from seeing what happens to Jack. It would be terrifying to be isolated in such a manner as the family is in this film. And to not only be isolated, but to feel yourself losing your grip on reality. To start questioning what is going on around you. To have your wife blame you for something you (think) you could never do again. And probably most basic of all, not being able to trust the one you love while dealing with all of this. This may not be the same kind of fear one experiences when watching a movie like “The Conjuring”, but the fear is one you feel deep in within yourself.

But even with all of that this movie is not all that scary, and modern technology prevents a modern audience from relating as well. Internet and cell phones make the idea of isolation seem so foreign, even when stuck on a snowy mountain.

This is why I rated this section the lowest. 7 out of 10.

Final Grade:

Out of 40, I scored “The Shining” 35.5. This gives the film an 89%, or a B+ which I feel it richly deserves. Even though the film may not be all that scary, the cinematography and acting make it more than worth the dollar it takes to rent on Amazon.

#Stanley Kubrick #Jack Nicholson #scary movies #horror #reviews #Stephen King #steadicam #redrum #heresjohnny

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netunleashed-blog · 6 years

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Where are the Love Island winners now? All the couples from 2015, 2016 and 2017 - from engagements to LOTS of splits

http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=25091 Where are the Love Island winners now? All the couples from 2015, 2016 and 2017 - from engagements to LOTS of splits - http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=25091 Love Island fans have been glued to their screens since the ITV2 show launched in 2015. And, now, a fresh batch of super-hot singletons are in the infamous reality show villa. With the help of Caroline Flack and narrator Iain Stirling, they're competing to find Mr or Mrs Right under the glare of the spotlight. This year, Danny Dyer's daughter, Dani, is in the cast, along with a doctor, a solicitor, a government advisor and a lot of muscles. But what happened to the previous contestants? And does the dating show really work? Here, Mirror Celebs examines how many of the Love Island couples actually stayed together after the show - and where our favourite pairs are now... SERIES 3 - 2017 Winners: Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies (Image: ITV) These two were so adorable they sailed to victory, last summer. Unfortunately, despite scooping the £50,000 cash prize, they went their separate ways in Decemeber. “With sadness, we’ve decided to separate. Our schedules made it difficult. We’ll remain good friends,” a statement said. Fortunately, Kem has his 'bromance' with Chris Hughes to fill any void. They've already enjoyed a one spin-off show and will now front another, also for ITV. Runners-Up: Camilla Thurlow & Jamie Jewitt (Image: Rex Features) They notoriously got intimate in the villa - despite the presence of 69 high-definition cameras filming their every move. Yet, defying the odds, Camilla and Jamie survived the show intact. These days, the couple are still together and spend much of their time using their fame to promote charitable causes, such as World Cancer Day. Who'd have thought it? Third place: Chris Hughes & Olivia Attwood (Image: Comedy Central) This pair need little introduction. Despite having obvious chemistry, they constantly argued during their time in the Love Island villa - and then some in the real world. Although they gave their romance a go on their on TV series, Chris and Olivia: Crackin’ On, it wasn't meant to be. In fact, their messy break-up was broadcast to millions. Since then, Chris reportedly briefly moved on with ex-Corrie actress Georgia May-Foote, while Olivia is said to have reunited with ex-boyfriend, Bradley Dack. Fourth place: Marcel Somerville and Gabby Allen (Image: REX/Shutterstock) Once part of boy-band Blazin' Squad, Marcel was - rather ironically - considered the nice guy of the competition. His connection with Gabby delighted viewers who wanted them to win, but they finished in fourth place. A nine-month relationship followed, but this came crashing down when he cheated on her during a lads' holiday in Spain. He then accused her of cheating on him with Dan Osbourne - husband of former EastEnders star Jac Jossa. Recently, he confessed that she won't answer his calls - which is probably for the best... Jessica Shears & Dom Lever (Image: ITV) They were the first couple to be booted from the villa, but that hasn't stopped Jess and Dom from embarking on a relationship together. To prove it, the pair stripped down to their swimwear to get ‘married’ by Richard Arnold on Good Morning Britain. Thankfully, it wasn't legally binding, but the pair are planning their own nuptials. Watch this space... Series 2 - 2016 Winners: Cara de la Hoyde and Nathan Massey (Image: ITV) Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Cara and Nathan were love's young dream when they hooked-up on series two of Love Island. They were arguably the strongest couple in the villa (had a few wobbles - nothing major) and were destined to walk away with the £50,000 cash prize, which they did. Cara even emerged from the show telling fans: "We will not let you down. We're going to get married and we're going to have babies." Well, the latter was correct but sadly the marriage prediction was not. Cara moved into a flat with Nathan in his native Essex, which saw them pop-up in TOWIE. They also spoke frequently in interviews about their inevitable engagement. (Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock) Then, in April, they announced a shock split. And a bigger shock followed just three weeks later: Cara was pregnant. She told OK magazine they hadn't been trying for a baby and had broken up around two weeks after finding out she was expecting. Fast forward to 6.30am on December 13 2017 and their son, Freddie-George, was born. They've both said they won't get back together for the sake of the child , but this also proved a dud prediction. The couple have since reunited and hinted on Instagram that more children may be on the horizon. Then in July 2018, while the latest series of Love Island was on telly again, they announced their engagement. Read More Nathan whisked Cara off to the villa where they'd met in Mallorca, blindfolded her and popped the question. Runners-up: Olivia Buckland and Alex Bowen (Image: ITV2) Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now These two had an interesting start on the show: they only got together after Alex had already slept with another contestant, Zara Holland. But they certainly made up for lost time, being crowned the show’s biggest rompers after having sex more than 30 times. They officially became boyfriend and girlfriend in the series finale, which Alex took to the next level by popping the question over New Year’s Eve, which they spent in New York. They now live together in Essex (with a French bulldog). (Image: ITV) The wedding will take place this summer and fellow Love Island star Cara de la Hoyde has already been snapped-up as a bridesmaid. Olivia recently told MailOnline: "We’ve got a lot sorted but the guest list is the hardest. "The ceremony is really small and we want to keep it family orientated. In the evening it’ll be party time!" Third place: Scott Thomas and Kady McDermot (Image: WENN) Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now They starred in one of the most romantic Love Island scenes of all time - when Scott asked Kady to go official while kneeling poolside surrounded by candles and towels arranged to spell out the words, ‘Be my GF?’. Following the show, their romance went from strength to strength. They lived together in Manchester and spent time in Australia supporting Scott’s brother, ex-Emmerdale actor Adam Thomas, while he was appearing on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Unfortunately, they split just 18 months after leaving the villa. Fourth place: Katie Salmon and Adam Maxted (Image: ITV2) Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Katie coupled-up with Northern Irish wrestler Adam, but it failed to launch. Once the show finished, they both confirmed via Twitter that they were 100 per cent single - and threw in a couple of cryptic metaphors. Adam said: “It's like when you're eating a kebab after a night out & the first few bites taste good but then u realise that it really isn't nice at all!” Katie retaliated: “It's like getting socks at Christmas. Practical but no fun.” Katie later confirmed a romance with model Dani Whittaker, while Adam is in a relationship with dance instructor Carly Taylor. Fifth place: Emma-Jane Woodham and Terry Walsh Er, and Malin Andersson (Image: WENN) Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now This was one of the more fascinating Love Island storylines: Malin and Terry hooked up at the start of the show and seemed utterly inseparable. When she was booted off in a shock elimination, he vowed to go with her but she insisted he stayed behind to finish the experience. So imagine her shock when newbie Emma-Jane turned up at the villa and Terry was immediately smitten, leaving a stunned Malin alone at home watching their romance develop - which included a VERY racy sex scene Malin then rocked up at the villa to confront Terry in a rather awkward scenes, and Tel later admitted he was sorry for hurting Malin, but he didn't regret his actions. "I’m not going to stay with someone for the wrong reasons," he said. "I want to be with Emma and life goes on." (Image: FameFlynet) Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now But, alas, it was not meant to be, and Terry and Emma later split. Terry announced the break up on Twitter, saying: "For people asking me or who it concerns me n Em have broken up. We’re still friends. One chapter closes another must open." Malin, meanwhile, who later spent £7,000 on surgery to look good on social media, was later linked to fellow Love Island star Tom Powell, who admitted to Daily Star in March: "It's somewhere in between being friends and a relationship." Tom Powell and Sophie Gradon (He was eliminated week five, she walked) (Image: ITV) Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Their romance was tested when Tom's ex, Emma-Jane Woodham, turned-up out of the blue, but Tom and Sophie genuinely adored each other. That was clear when he was eliminated in week five, which saw devastated Sophie alone in the villa - until Katie Salmon arrived, that was, and they became the first-ever same sex Love Island couple. Days after coupling up with Katie, however, Sophie cooled things off as she just wanted to be with Tom. She then quit the villa, saying she didn't want to lose him - unaware a furious Tom had been tweeting about how angry he was. Sophie and Katie became the show's first same sex couple (Image: ITV2) (Image: WENN) Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Afterwards, Sophie and Tom met up - on camera - and managed to patch things up, but had a rollercoaster romance until splitting months later. And it wasn't the most amicable of splits, with mud slinging on Twitter and allegations of cheating. Most recently, Tom has been linked to fellow Love Island star Malin Andersson, while Sophie found love with new man Ashley Ienco. They later broke up and she began dating Aaron Armstrong. Sadly Sophie died at the age of 32 on June 20, police confirmed. It's not thought to be suspicious. Rykard Jenkins and Rachel Fenton (She was eliminated week three, he walked) (Image: ©ITV) Their romance was one of the sweetest and most enduring in Love Island history; after meeting at the villa and forging a connection, the couple were torn apart by a twist that saw Rachel eliminated and Rykard told to remain on the island. But the thought of saying goodbye to Rachel when he'd just found her was just too much to take, so he dramatically quit there and then, leaving the villa alongside his beloved. One year on they’re still super happy together and, unlike other Love Island couples, have shunned the limelight to live a relatively normal life. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Series 1 - 2015 Winners: Jess Hayes and Max Morley Jessica and Max were crowned the first-ever winners of Love Island, sharing the £50k prize. However, the writing was on the wall when Jessica told Mirror Celebs less than 24 hours later: “We have a laugh together but we are not madly in love or anything like that.” So it was no surprise that two months later, the couple - who lived in different parts of the country - had split up, with Jess admitting: “Some things are just not meant to be.” Max added: “We gave it our best shot.” (Image: WENN) However, Jess seemed a little less amicable towards Max in a Facebook Live with Daily Star the following year, when she said: "You think you fancy someone but with Max, looking back at it now, it makes me cringe." "I would never, ever go near him again," she added. After the show, Jess found herself making headlines when she exposed her boobs at the Cheltenham Festival while attending with pal Katie Salmon - who would also go on to appear in Love Island . Max, meanwhile, went on to date Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby and fellow Love Island star Zara Holland. He also appeared in Ex on the Beach. Read More Love Island 2018 Runners-up: Hannah Elizabeth and Jon Clark (Image: ITV) Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now These two gave us our first - and only - on-screen engagement in series one, when Jon dropped to one knee and popped the question. Sadly for them, his grand gesture didn’t lead to them to victory (and that cash prize would have helped with wedding planning, given Hannah said she wanted the “biggest wedding ever” with a huge gown covered in Swarovski crystals.) In the end, there wasn’t to be a wedding: the couple called things off. (Image: Splash) Jon told OK magazine there was no animosity, they’d just been rowing and things hadn’t worked out. Hannah agreed, saying the engagement hadn’t been for show - they’d genuinely both loved each other and wanted to marry. Since Love Island , Jon's joined the cast of TOWIE alongside Chris Clark. Meanwhile, Hannah has found love with a new man, George Andretti, whom she's described as her "soulmate." Third place: Lauren Richardson and Joshua Ritchie (Image: WENN) These two paired-up as friends during their time on Love Island, two years ago. Sadly, romance didn't blossom for them, either. Lauren’s retreated from the spotlight over the last year, but Josh has been making his fair share of headlines. Joshua - who claims to have slept with more than 400 women - appeared in Ex On The Beach and had a brief fling with Stephanie Davis, following her split from Jeremy McConnell. Fourth place: Cally Jane Beech and Luis Morrison Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now These two actually dated before Love Island - but being at the villa gave them a chance to reconnect and remember just why they’d fallen for each other in the first place. The fact Cally was based in Hull and Luis lived in London had been a factor in why their relationship hadn’t worked previously, but after being thrust together on the show, the timing was just right. And they produced the first-ever Love Island baby! Cally gave birth to daughter Vienna Morrison-Beech after a 32-hour labour, saying: “The most amazing day and feeling ever. When 2 became 3.” WHAT ABOUT THE PRESENTERS? Caroline Flack and Andrew Brady Caroline Flack and Andrew Brady She hasn't always been an authority on romance - with a trail of broken relationships behind her (including Harry Styles, no less). But it appears that she's finally found Mr Right in the form of another reality TV star: The Apprentice's Andrew Brady. The couple got engaged earlier this year and he recently moved into her London apartment. There were rumours of infidelity (on his part), but these have been dismissed and the couple have recently returned from a loved-up holiday in Greece. Iain Stirling and Laura Whitmore Laura Whitmore and Love Island star Iain Stirling Off-screen, Iain Stirling is far more successful than many of Love Island's contestants. He's been dating TV presenter Laura Whitmore for more than a year - and happily admits he's "punching above his weight" with the blonde beauty. Iain, who became well known for his sarcastic Scottish drawl as the voiceover of reality show Love Island, said he takes no offence at suggestions his girlfriend is better looking than he is. In an interview for the Chris Ramsey show, he said: “I don’t mind it, because it just means I’ve done better haven’t I? “I’ve got someone who’s like me, but much, much better. And Laura’s got someone who’s like her, but much worse. “I think I’ve done quite well out of it, but I’m dead happy because she’s lovely and stuff.” Source link

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