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ncisladaily · 3 years

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NCIS: LA has officially bid adieu to the Wonder Twins, with Eric Beale (Barrett Foa) recruiting Nell Jones (Renée Felice Smith) — filling in as operations manager while Hetty Lange (Linda Hunt) was MIA this season — to co-run the international office of his company with him in Tokyo.

The offer came in the finale as Retired Navy Admiral Hollace Kilbride (Gerald McRaney) told her she had to either take Hetty’s position permanently or resign. She chose the latter. (Eric has only held a consulting position with NCIS this season.)

“The door always remains open for Nell at NCIS, but it may be time for her to be pushed out of the nest a bit and see where this new opportunity takes her,” Smith tells TV Insider. “We’ll just have to wait and see with this new chapter. Nell is like a lot of us. She’s a smart girl and she chose stability for a good long time because it was the smart choice. it was the safe choice. Although she will always be committed to her team, which has essentially become her family, I think she needs to put herself first when it comes to this sort of decision and I commend her for [it].”

Below, Smith opens up about saying goodbye, reflects on Nell’s time at NCIS as well as her own on the CBS drama and ponders the future for Nell and Eric.

So this is officially your farewell?

Renée Felice Smith: Yes, this is official. Nell has made an exit. It’s surreal to say this out loud, but I think it’s time. I think that I spent more time at NCIS: LA than I did in my entire school career. [Laughs] I guess it was K through 11. I was there for 11 seasons, and it was an absolute gift, such an incredible opportunity. It became a little film school for me. I made my own short films. I made a feature that went to South by Southwest (SXSW) and then went on to Hulu. I’m currently developing a few television projects, which is very exciting, and just released our very first children’s book [with Chris Gabriel]. Lots of good creative juices have been flowing and will continue to flow.

Nell did try to leave NCIS last season. Did she need this time back with the team before she could decide it was truly time to move on?

I think so. I think more than anything Nell was fulfilling the wishes of her boss, her mentor, Hetty, who called her back in and asked her to fill in for the time being. And I think she had to make this tough decision when faced with the people on her team who have become her friends or family, her whole world really, and she had to really put herself first and make this choice for herself. It’s not something she took lightly.

She says that she’s not sure about the job in Tokyo, but she does know that she doesn’t want Hetty’s job. What is it about this job in Tokyo that might be the right thing for her to get closer to figuring out what she does want?

I think it’s just safe. I think she needs the time and space away from NCIS: LA. She was a good girl. She made the smart choice. She chose stability for so long. But now it’s about really asking herself those tough questions: What does Nell want to do with the rest of her life? She’s in the driver’s seat. She’s her own boss now, which is just so empowering. I think her future will be very bright.

Nell and Eric say this is going to be “strictly business,” but might they be able to make a relationship work away from everything that may have reminded them why they couldn’t make it work before?

Hey, that’s a possibility! We should get you in the writers’ room. I think when you spend so much time with someone at work and then outside of work, it can become trying in a relationship setting. Your guess is as good as mine as far as what will happen in the future with Eric and Nell. I do think they have a very lovely mutual respect for each other. They really respect one another’s intelligence and those are always the best building blocks for a long-lasting relationship.

Talk about working with Linda Hunt again in that farewell scene.

It was quite emotional to have Linda Hunt back on set again for our final day of the season, and that scene was shot on our final day of the season. She was essentially sidelined by the pandemic this year, so to be able to see her in the flesh, let alone share a scene with her, with the Oscar winner, it was a chef’s kiss, the perfect sendoff. But this scene was really bittersweet. It was a bittersweet reunion for Nell. She wants to stay and catch up with Hetty, her mentor who has been MIA really for the entire season, but she can’t. Eric’s waiting for her. She has this opportunity in Tokyo that she’s committed to now. It’s this goodbye for now scene. But we just had the best time filming it. Linda is a dear friend of mine, and so to be able to share that time with her was truly a gift. Anytime I can watch her work, it’s like a masterclass, and I’m just a student and I bow down bowed down to the great Linda Hunt.

I was happy to see Nell’s goodbye with Kensi [Daniela Ruah] because that’s been one of my favorite relationships over the years.

I absolutely love Daniela Ruah as an actor, as a person, as a friend, as a mother, as a dog mom. She is just the most generous, giving scene partner. We have this mutual appreciation for each other. Nell and Kensi do as well, so I think that comes through in our scenes. We just have the best time working together.

Among the most entertaining scenes this season have to be pretty much anything with Kilbride, and you’ve been part of quite a few of them. What has he brought to the show?

Mack is an absolute legend. He is a bulletproof scene partner. He does not mess up. Iron sharpens iron. He’s witty, he’s prepared, He is everything you want in a scene partner and I would work with him for the rest of my days. Maybe we should go off and do NCIS: New York or something together because he is just unmatched. I really am very fond of Mack and we have great conversations off-camera. He’s a dear friend.

And Kilbride’s really pushed Nell to make choices about her career.

For sure. Kilbride sees all of Nell’s potential and I think Kilbride has a different bedside manner than Hetty does. Whereas Hetty will mysteriously put the puzzle pieces together in your favor and lead you with breadcrumbs along the path, Kilbride just says it point-blank. It can be startling as a young woman anytime an older male figure speaks to you with that stern quality. You go, “Wow, OK, just relax dude.” Or at least that’s what I do. “Pump the brakes.” That was Nell and Kilbride this season: Nell encouraging him to pump the brakes and “chill,” so to speak, and Kilbride not really getting down with that. These two characters have a mutual respect for each other. Though they come from different worlds, they can see each other’s value and obviously they show respect to one another, which is key.

What are the moments stand out to you for Nell over the years when you look back?

Wearing the elf ears. The mistletoe scene with Eric Beale. Riding in the Jaguar with Hetty. Going out and partnering with Eric [Christian] Olsen, Deeks. A lot of the fans were like, “Oh my God, it’s Velma and Shaggy,” a Scooby-Doo reference, which I thought was spot on whenever we were paired together. That was during Daniela’s pregnancy. The show was great in that way that it would morph and kind of accommodate for Daniela’s pregnancies, which were truly a gift to me and my character, because I was able then to go out into the field and do some action sequences: jumping up on the desk and roundhousing the guy to the face, sprinting. The camera guys who were positioned in a golf cart realized they had to drive faster because I was running so fast. I was a sprinter in high school on my track team, and yes, I can run very fast, but obviously, our crew didn’t know that because I was always in the office. [There were] these fun discoveries that would happen whenever I was out in the field with our incredible crew.

A recent scene with Sam I really loved — LL Cool J is just an incredible scene partner. And we were talking about what a different flavor this scene had brought to the show because Nell is usually quick with a quip, but she does not often drop the hammer. [There was] a conflict between the two of them, and Nell just has this moment where she really shows her stern side. That was great, just to watch the reaction on Todd’s face as the scene was playing out. And I remember our camera operator said, “Ooh, you scared me. I would do whatever it is you said I should.” It was refreshing, it was something different for Nell to play. I appreciate that too this season.

Every time I think of Nell in the field, I think of the episode “Kill House.”

Yes, that’s right. That’s an incredible episode. At the end of that episode, Daniela’s character Kensi shares a little exchange with Nell. And then we walk away and Daniela just instinctually grabbed me and put her arm around me and leaned in. I think she might’ve kissed my head or something like that. That’s kind of the beginning of the on-camera love fest between me and Daniela Ruah.

When I spoke with her early this season, she actually brought up that too.

Oh, no way! That’s so crazy. It made an impact on both of us.

You mentioned the children’s book that you wrote. What made now the right time for you to tell that story?

We wrote Hugo and the Impossible Thing as a celebration really. Hugo, our canine son, overcame a life-threatening illness, a brain tumor that nearly everyone told us would be just impossible to beat, but through great determination on his part and our part and with the help of some really very generous doctors, Hugo made it to the other side of his impossible thing.

We knew we wanted to share his message and we knew we needed to find the right metaphor to do so. Enter “the impossible thing”: this labyrinth of raging rivers and thorny mazes, giant boulders, towering cliffs. We really wanted to challenge the idea of “impossible” and reframe it. I feel like oftentimes we’re told something is impossible to accomplish because it’s just quite simply never been done before when in reality it’s just extremely difficult, but it’s possibly possible, but you just need someone who’s willing to try, someone who’s brave enough to try. We wanted to share Hugo’s message and hope always that it could inspire children as well as adults to conquer whatever their impossible thing may be.

#s12 #interview #Renee Felice Smith #ncis la #ncisla #NCIS Los Angeles

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real-jaune-isms · 3 years

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RWBY Volume 8 Chapter 9 Review/Remix

I cannot in good conscience joke that Rooster Teeth intended to go on a week’s hiatus after this cliffhanger, but I will say this was a hell of an episode for it to happen after. And while we wait to see what happens next, let’s take a little look at what’s happened here and now.

For the sake of not dividing up the action, let’s first cover what’s happening on the battlefield outside of Monstra. We open on a sweeping shot of the carnage thus far and see a good few nameless Atlesian soldier corpses to get our spirits plummeting. But Grimm don’t (with one terrifying exception) leave corpses so we don’t know how many of them have been taken out up to this point. It could be a very significant number, more than the body count on the human side! But Monstra keeps making more and we don’t have a way to replenish our forces so... it’s an endurance game more than anything else.

In a tactic I really didn’t see coming, the Atlas forces have dug trenches to fight out of like World War 1 soldiers. It makes sense, there are Grimm that we have seen have ranged projectiles so cover is a good move and it gives them a place to go over strategies before climbing out and going on the offensive. Just didn’t expect nearly century old battle strategy from an army with robots and mechs. Whatever works, I guess. We get a look in one of these trenches to see Winter briefing a squad on the plan to keep this area secure since it’s where an airship will be dropping off the bomb, and once it arrives their mission becomes escorting it inside Monstra. Amazingly, we can recognize 4 people in this squad as the members of Team FNKI! And WOW do they look out of place wearing the standard Atlesian soldier armor rather than their colorful and creative street clothes... Even their spunky personalities are taking a hit in this desperate situation. The next wave is approaching so everyone climbs out to start fighting back, and Marrow is shown a short ways away visibly upset over how many of their forces are just kids. Elm tells him to save the musings for after the fighting is done, and that does kick him into gear a bit. Everyone does a good job of handling the Grimm, Flynt and Neon tag teaming to take out a Goliath, and pretty soon the airship does touch down with the bomb. Left to his own thoughts, Marrow stares wistfully at Monstra and wishes good luck to “Juan”. Glad some things still haven’t changed.

Winter goes into the hold to sign off on its delivery, and Marrow follows her in to beg for a little more time for Yang and the others to get out first. She tells him they’ve allowed all the time they can and now it’s up to the teens to handle themselves. He calls her on this ambivalence, asks her if she’d be so dismissive if it were Weiss inside the whale. And for that matter, how is she going to be able to face Weiss and tell her 4 of her friends are dead because of Winter’s decision? Winter is visibly discomforted by that thought, but steels her nerve and replies that she will do so if she has to because that’s part of the job, so he should worry about doing his job. But you can tell she takes no pride in the job at this point.

With all of that battlefield drama out of the way, let’s talk about that group’s journey inside the whale. Through unseen means they managed to get inside, but the hallways all look the same and they aren’t finding a map any time soon. Yang points out this is like finding a needle in a... giant whale. More wonderful wit, brightens the mood immensely. Ren takes this opportunity to tell them about his new Semblance ability and says that he can use it as a sort of radar for other humans by sensing where the spikes of their emotions are. He can’t tell which one is Oscar, but he knows they’re all deeper inside Monstra so he’ll lead the way. Jaune reminds Ren that he can give him a boost with his own Semblance if he needs it, and Ren sheepishly agrees. Guess he’s still getting used to letting others in and being open about when he needs support. That was part of their whole three way argument on the tundra earlier this Volume after all. So this is them putting aside their differences and settling that. Jaune gives him some awkward finger guns and they head off.

We cut to Oscar lying on the floor of his holding room quoting a fairy tale to himself. Oz recognizes the quote as being from “The Girl Who Fell Through the World”, and Oscar isn’t shocked Oz knows it so well. He admits that yes, he did live through his fair share of events that became fairy tales. This particular story isn’t in the officially released book of Remnant’s fairy tales so we have to make some guess work about its plot and overall lesson. It seems to be a sort of mix of Wizard of Oz and the Hobbit where a girl craves to see the wider world and gets that chance through an adventure but when she returns she finds she can never quite fit in again because the journey has changed who she is forever. Oscar admits he’s growing to identify with the heroine of that story more and more by the day because he too has been sent through Remnant and come out the other side unable to feel the same innocent joy he did before he knew what the world really is. Oz thinks they may have to drop their plan of creating traitors in Salem’s ranks because it’s bearing no fruit, and suggests they start thinking about how to get his cane and get out of here themselves. Oscar has reservations about that, because apparently the more he uses Oz’s magic the quicker his soul is heading towards being lost as another past life for the single continuing existence that is Oz to look back on. Oz doesn’t blame him for wanting to delay that, and thinks just being Oscar is serving him pretty well. They don’t have time for further musings because Hazel comes in and drags the poor kid out of the room by the collar of his shirt.

Turns out they’re taking a trip over to the Home Depot, because Hazel is looking to procure a Lamp. He only half believes Oscar’s explanation of how Jinn works, so he wants to test it before taking the news to Salem and risking losing his head for reporting a lie. And if it does work, I guess he wants to know what that will entail. So he’s gonna make Oscar do it here and now. Before they can get underway with that, in comes Emerald to ask just what the hell they’re doing. Let’s find out, Hazel simply replies. That’s all the go ahead Oscar needs, and he calls for Jinn. Again, time stops around them and Jinn emerges from the blue smoke. She’s gotten a bit of an update to her model since Volume 6, and she’s as captivating as ever. Naturally, she wants to know what question they have of her, but no one seems to have one they urgently need answered. Hazel got all the answers he needed just by knowing Oscar was being honest about this and thus probably about a lot of other important matters. He decides now is the time to switch sides once and for all, he’s going to help Oscar AND Emerald get the hell out of here because neither of them deserve to be under Salem’s thumb. Oscar plays a little of the pronoun game and implies he wants his cane back before they leave, and Hazel seems to have no problem with that. Jinn remains playful, but must be getting pretty damn fed up with people summoning her without having a question to ask. Oscar deems it necessary to tell her that they’ll be taking her with them when they leave, as if that’s an alternative she was going to give much of a damn about. Hazel doesn’t think that’s a good idea, it’s the most prized item in Salem’s possession and she’s clearly going to know if it’s taken. He decides he’ll make a return trip to swipe it after the kids are out of the danger zone. They all head out as Jinn starts to fade into her cloud of smoke, but it seems they were not the only ones in the room at this time. With perfect chameleon-like camouflage, Neo was hiding in the shadows near the doorway, and emerges from nowhere like the Cheshire Cat. Now she’s alone with the Lamp and the knowledge of how it works. If only she could actually talk...

Back to our intrepid trio of heroes, Jaune is running on fumes with his Aura so he has to stop amping Ren’s Semblance. Ren apologizes of course, it does take a lot for him to both mask their emotional presences and search for other people at once, but Jaune says it’s fine. He’ll scout ahead while Ren takes a breather and doesn’t mask for a little while. With directions for where they need to be heading, Jaune jogs away full of optimism. Yang jokes about the two men patching things up after their spat the evening prior, but he decides its time for some patented Lie Ren wisdom. “It’s okay to be afraid, you don’t always have to hide it with a joke”. He’s not gonna judge her if she’s not in happy go lucky fun time mode, this is a seriously terrifying situation and she’s allowed to show fear and hesitation. At least, that’s the message I extrapolated from this and what we already know about Yang. Ren assures her he is scared too, but amazingly he can’t sense any such doubt or fear from Jaune. That man has full confidence and hope in getting this done, and if he believes then so will they. I really like that, it shows how much Jaune has grown from the noodle boy we first met. Speaking of the lad, he comes running back and tells Ren to mask them ASAP. A Seer is coming down the hall, and they hide from its view for as long as possible. But Ren is running low on Aura too and the effect wears off just before they’re in the clear.

Meanwhile, Hazel and Emerald are walking down a separate hallway and the former asks “You sure he’ll be okay on his own?” Clearly this means they let Oscar out of their sight so he can go get his cane, which shows a lot of confidence in the lad from these former captors. Emerald doesn’t have a clear answer yet, but she does stop Hazel and have him stand against the wall next to her. Salem is coming this way, and they need to let her pass. She stops, and naturally asks Hazel for an update on Ozcar. If he’s out here that must mean he has something to report. So, has he given up what they need yet? Hazel seems to immediately be cracking under pressure, the guy has no experience with lying or deception. Before he can stammer in place for too long, the Seers start wailing in the distance and that gets Salem’s attention instead. She realizes they have unexpected visitors, then almost immediately panics as she seems to realize the Lamp has been taken and these interlopers are surely to blame. Salem speeds off with all the grace of a kid riding a hoverboard, and it’s really quite amusing. I mean, we see her move her legs to walk but she just floats instead of running. We go back to the heroes finishing off the wave of what seemed to be Sabyrs that had come after them, and they decide to keep moving forward no matter the danger. Clever use of that phrase so near and dear to our hearts, and its good to see them gung ho about fighting their way through Monstra if it means finding Oscar.

They round a few more corners and find themselves face to face with Emerald and Hazel, and they’re none too happy about that. But good news comes suddenly, and Hazel steps forward to try and talk the situation down... only to be revealed to have actually been Oscar under the disguise of Emerald’s Semblance this whole time. She really is getting good at those illusions, it fooled Salem and was able to be cast on Jaune Ren and Yang at once. They are immediately much more happy to see Oscar alive and well, although the bear hug Jaune pulls him into might not help him heal any faster from the beatings he’s been getting. They still don’t know what to make of the fact that he was walking around with Emerald, and as soon as she makes a snippy remark they’re back on their guard. Oscar doesn’t quite know how to summarize everything that lead to this, but Yang insists someone give it a try. Emerald WAS the one who tricked her into “breaking” Mercury’s leg and becoming a public menace in Volume 3, she’s gonna need some good reasons to trust her now. Surprisingly, it’s Ren who has such an answer. Emerald is scared just like them, which would seem to show she is very much unhappy with being on this side of the fight and she wants to get out of this bad scenario. Em isn’t about to agree with that sort of admission of weakness, but she does have her own reason. She knows the way out, so if they want to leave they’ll all be leaving together. That’s enough to satisfy them for now, and they all get going.

They make it 90% of the way there, the ramping path down and out is just ahead of them... when Monstra starts pulsing and wailing. Emerald recognizes this influence, and she is frightened. The wall nearest to Oscar explodes, and Salem has arrived. She instantly takes stock of the situation, and deems Emerald the traitor in need of punishment for letting their prisoner out so she stretches her arms like my favorite rubber pirate and holds the poor thief closely with the intent to start that punishment immediately. She commends the girl for the improvements to her Semblance, but beneath the surface she is furious. Yang and Ren start shooting, and the fight with Salem has finally begun. She dodges the gunfire and responds with a beam of magic that Jaune jumps in the way to tank for Ren with his shield. They’re sent aback while Yang leaps in to unload a rapid volley of punches to Salem’s chest. A more baller move than punching this immortal witch in the titties, I never have seen. But that wasn’t all she did, she was actually leaving a bunch of sticky bombs that she jumps away and detonates all at once. Salem’s torso is blasted out of shape and she’s bending so far back you’d assume she’s the world’s greatest contortionist, but that doesn’t slow her down. She stretches out an arm to grab Yang tightly by the wrist and starts pulling her in as her chest starts to repair and reform at a rapid pace. Now it’s Oscar’s turn to attempt a rescue of his female companions, and he blasts some magic at Salem. Guess that fear of merging faster was kicked to the curb as soon as other people’s lives were on the line, and that’s pretty noble of him. But it’s a fairly weak blast, and Salem employs the classic strategy of hitting that motherfucker with another motherfucker by tossing Yang at him. Then she grows a bunch of Grimm arms from the floor to hold everybody down and leave them at her mercy. Emerald gets the special privilege of being held against a wall by some arms rather than on the ground, and is questioned on what she did with the Lamp. It’s missing, and Salem is dead certain Emerald is to blame despite her pleading insistence she hasn’t taken it and doesn’t know where it is now. Great job Neo, you made life that much harder for your former allies... Since Emerald isn’t offering any answers, Salem turns her attention to Oscar. At first it seems aloof and mysterious like before, but then she just lunges and grabs his face in anger. She’s mad that he keeps coming back to try and help this weak and selfish race instead of just letting her wreck it and end herself with the whole lot, as if he hasn’t already explained that he’s being forced to reincarnate by the gods she hates so much. But Yang is the one who snaps back, asking why Salem is so persistent. Sure, she had a tragic backstory and lost the love of her life. But that was thousands of years ago, she’s had plenty of time to get over it and move on. To grieve and accept Ozma was gone and be better. Instead she got pissed she couldn’t have her fairy tale ending and decided to make that everyone else’s problem. Salem has been the cause of almost every problem that has plagued Remnant since before the Great War, and Yang is calling her on it here and now. Go off, queen. Salem wonders just who Yang has lost to make her so indignant and so much more worthy of complaining and being the victim here than herself. Let’s list these losses, shall we?

Raven left home out of fear of Salem and her own hang ups with personal connections stemming from her upbringing (bandit lifestyle being so popular because there’s always towns to scavenge with Salem leading the Grimm)

Summer Rose is dead directly because of clashing with Salem

Pyrrha Nikos

Penny (she is back but there was still a lot of grieving on Ruby’s part and it had to affect Yang too)

About a dozen other Beacon students and visiting academy fighters at the Fall of Beacon, some of whom she probably got to know decently outside the ring and certainly respected as fighters in this defense effort

An arm because Adam was working under Salem and came to Beacon with vengeful intentions for Blake

About a year of PTSD nightmares flashbacks and involuntary fearful shaking

Her bond with Blake was fractured to hell and back because of the above incident, they’re damn lucky it was strong enough to be reforged with hard work and trust later

Now, some of those examples are a lot stronger than others, but they all affected her to some degree or another and all relate back to Salem. Naturally, she chooses the strongest example and says she lost her mom Summer Rose. This can be seen as throwing Raven under the bus as not being her mom in Yang’s eyes, but honestly after Volume 5 it just makes sense and it’s not like Raven would try to argue about it. Curiously, hearing Summer’s name just gives Salem a Cheshire Cat grin. I’m now realizing this is my second reference to that character in this review, but Alice in Wonderland is just that relatable here. Clearly she knows more than she’s letting on about Summer’s demise. Before we can get any more answers, Hazel arrives on the scene still playing the loyal subordinate role. Salem tells him she’s caught the traitor on their midst and he needs to take Oscar back to his room while she handles disciplining Emerald. He takes stock of all the kids trapped as he heads over to grab Oscar as asked, then pulls him in close to whisper “No more Gretchens, boy” in his ear. He suddenly drops him to ground again and turns to approach Salem. Oscar notices he was given his cane back when he wasn’t looking, and realizes what’s going to happen pretty quickly.

Salem holds a glowing ball of magic up to Emerald’s cheek with the implication that direct contac will be painful and possibly burning. Even under this threat of torture, Emerald has no answers and the fear of the seemingly inevitable brings her to tears. Lucky for her she gets a last minute save as Hazel runs up and sucker punches Salem, sending her flying a hundred feet through the air! She immediately recovers and starts flying before she can hit the ground, but the line in the sand has been drawn. As soon as she got sent flying the arms went away and all the kids were free to run away, which Hazel loudly yells for them to do as he rips his vest off and starts stabbing his shoulders and forearms with Dust crystals. Emerald lingers and wordlessly tries to talk him out of this, to run away with the rest of them. He just gives her a smile and turns towards his enemy. Salem asks if he really wants to turn his back on the path to vengeance she had promised him, and he responds that he’s instead choosing the righteous path his sister would have taken. Following her example is now the best way he can think to do right by her. So he’s gonna do that by using fire Dust to set his knuckle guards ablaze. She sends magic his way but the lightning Dust helps him quickly dodge and then he punches fireballs at her. He uses Revali’s Gale... I mean uses some air Dust to create an updraft and launch himself above her. He smashes some earth and fire Dust together to make a ball of spiky molten rock that he throws onto Salem and sends her crashing to the ground with an explosive impact. Then he just starts whaling on her, sending blood flying in 3 different directions and demolishing her upper body. But she makes more arms to hold him up in the air while she regrows her face. Emerald is still watching, not having moved an inch yet, but finally she decides retreat will be for the best. It’s why he’s doing this at all. Jaune seems to be doing a headcount as everyone runs past him, and realizes Oscar hasn’t left. He hasn’t made any moves to leave, in fact he seems like he’s getting ready to fight too. She’ll just keep coming after them at this rate, and Oscar seems to have a plan to change that. Salem shoots another magic beam at the now pinned Hazel, but he’s strong enough to pull against the arms and guard his exposed torso and put up a visible bubble shield of Aura. So she just tosses him away and immediately goes to where he landed and starts bashing his head into the ground. Oscar steadies his stance and readies his staff for whatever move this is gonna be. Salem notices and is ready to take him down before it can be ready, but Hazel continues to be a boss and gets her in a Full Nelson hold to keep her from going anywhere. She grabs his legs with a bunch of summoned arms, but it doesn’t discourage him. In a final act of vengeance, he bites down on a crystal of fire Dust he had popped into his mouth before grabbing her and they are both set on fire. She can’t escape his grip, and the fire seems like it’s hurting pretty bad. It’s only natural that they would reference the Salem Witch Trials by burning a witch named Salem, and I appreciate the idea very much. Oscar finishes charging up his staff for his attack, and Hazel gives him the go ahead. He knows this will kill him too, and he accepts that. It’s absolutely the same situation as Piccolo killing Goku and Raditz with the Makankösappö in the first arc of Dragon Ball Z, and that too is something I love to see. So Oscar puts up a magic shield and unleashes a blinding wave of golden light from the staff.

Fade to black.

Roll Credits.

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demivampirew · 4 years

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Keep Calm and Go to London Chapter 4

Chapter begins right after where chapter 3 ended.

Tag list: Here’s the incredible people who showed me support (thank you so much for that) and people who asked me to tag them too ☺️ (I think I will write a few chapters of this story, if you want me to tag you, tell me ☺️ ) @cavillanche @mary-ann84 @henry-owns-these-tatas @yespolkadotkitty @dancingwendigo constip8merm8 penwieldingdreamer iloveyouyen littlefreya wondersofdreaming alyxkbrl solariumss sweetybuzz25 @thethirstyarchive @agniavateira @honeyloverogers @hell1129-blog @luclittlepond

Trigger warning: talking about low self-stem, body image issues and toxic relationships.

- May I ask you a question?- Henry said breaking the momentary silence - Sure. Go ahead. - You don't have to answer it if you don't want to... why - he made a momentary pause, like if he was doubting if it was appropriate to ask me whatever he wanted to know- why did you break up with your ex-boyfriend? For what I've heard, you seemed to be crazy in love with him. I apologize if this question makes you uncomfortable like a said you don't need to answer it if you don't want to. - It's ok.- you assure him with a smile. You took a moment to think about what was the best thing to do. Even though Jared hurt you a lot, you still cared for him, after all not only you been in a relationship with him for five years, but you two had been close friends for years before that as well. It wasn't on your plans to go around talking badly about him, but something about Henry made you feel safe; you could not explain it but you knew that you could trust him not to share anything that you told him. Weirdly, you felt in a safe space to talk, almost as you did with your therapist. You sighed and begin to talk - To be completely honest, I'm not entirely sure that I was in love with him... I was in love with the version of him that I'd created on my head. We started dating when I was nineteen a he was thirty-eight. We dated for almost two years, but then we broke up because of a stupid fight. A few years ago, we run to each other in a Golden Globes after-party and we started to hook up, he didn't seem to want anything serious but I did, so he finally accepted to be in a relationship again. A year after that, I moved to his house, which I should mention is one of the reasons why we broke up, I hated that house, always packed with people - the house was also his studio, so he had employees all the time working - there was no privacy. I asked him to moved but he didn't want to. It was always his rules, that's the reason why we broke up...if I wanted to be with him, things would be as he wanted. I had a voice of course, I could complain all I wanted, but at the end of the day, it was all for nothing. Same for his "friends". He was friends with lots of models, some of them were former lovers. There was one in particular that I had problems with because he would spend time alone with this woman, and she even told to my face that she wanted him, but every time I bring her up in a conversation we'd fight and he made me feel like if I was a toxic controlling girlfriend, just because I didn't want him to see a woman that had feelings for him and that he slept with in the past. - you paused breath deeply and continue - You know, one time he got mad at me for defending him against people who gave him a hard time for his role as The Joker. I think that happened because he hates to acknowledge that he has haters. In his eyes, he's the king of the motherf-cking world. - you rolled your eyes and laugh- The main reason why I broke up with him is that he never wanted our relationship to go public. I never expected nor wanted to be in magazines all the time or being a celebrity couple or that sh-t. What I'm a person. I'm a woman. I want to be able to go for a walk with or to dinner, or on an important day like a movie premiere or award show my man. He never wanted that. When people found out about us, he didn't speak to me for a weak, because it was my idea to go out to a restaurant. For years ago, when I won my second Oscar, we were dating and we were both going to the event because he was a presenter. I asked him to go together as a couple but he said that he was going to go with the designer of Gucci - Alessandro Michele-, who is also his friend and other time he took his friend Zedd - the dj- instead of going with me. The fact he never wanted to be seen with me or people to know about us made me feel like if was embarrassed by me. I compared myself to all the women that he hung out with and all the women he dated before me and I felt horrible; I felt like I was so ugly and that was probably the reason why he didn't want people to know about us. He didn't people to know that he was with me when he could do so much better. - you were fighting the tears for falling. You took another pause to breathe before continuing- You're probably wondering why I stood in that relationship. A lot of my friends do. To be honest, the main reason is that I'm a romantic after all. I wanted a movie kind of love and what better than two friends that fell in love, fight, years late meet again and restart their love story. It seemed perfect to me. But I finally realized that I couldn't be with him anymore. As long as we were together, as long as I had to be in a relationship in which I only could be with somebody as long as I accepted their terms and my feelings were not important, I'd never been able to love and respect myself. And at the end of the day, that's all I want. After my breakup, I thought that I was going to be a mess, that I was going to cry all the time and feel even more depressed, but to my surprise, I feel relieved. I feel free. It's like a finally set myself free. I don't regret being with him, I learn a lot about what I want and not in relationships, about myself and life in general. You were concentrated in telling your story that you didn't even notice until now that Henry had put his hand in top of yours and was softly stroking it. After you saw this, you look at his face and smiled at him, and he nervously put back his hand as he blushed. You realized then that he probably did that unpurposely. He stood up and offered to get you another tea, which you accepted. While Henry was in the kitchen you notice his phone on a little table and that he just received a message and then you froze in a sign of surprise as you saw that he put the selfie that you two took the day before as his screensaver. You were blushing so much your cheeks were red as a tomato. You hoped that the redness disappears before he came back. A few minutes went by and he came back with a fresh cup of tea and a cup of coffee for himself. - So, what about you? - you asked - What about me what? - he replied confused and laughing slightly - When was the last time you dated someone? What happened? Also, you don't have to share if you don't want to. - I dated some for a few months recently but didn't work out. There was not a strong connection there. Before that, I dated another girl for a year or so, but or careers got in the way. Well, it was that and the fact that she got a lot of hate for some of my fans and realized that did not want to be with someone famous anymore, so we decided to be just friends. And by that, I mean that sometimes I give her a call when I know about a job that she'd be great for, and she gives me a call when she hears about a movie role that I might be interested in audition for. - I understand. It's cool that there are no hard feelings for each other. I wish that I could say the same about you know who, but the same day that I broke up with him, he slept with the woman I was talking about before. - What an a-hole move. I'm sorry. -Why you apologized for? You, British people, are way too polite. - you said laughing - It's ok. To be honest, I'm not completely surprised. He has the soul of a stubborn kid; "You hurt me, so I hurt you". Thankfully, it didn't work. It did bother me a bit, but it didn't hurt me. Not anymore. He's free to do whatever the f-ck he wants. I only expect him to leave me be. - You can tell me if he bothers you, I'll gladly help you with that.- he offered. - Oh, yeah? What you're going to do? Bake him some " Please, don't bother her anymore" cookies. - you said playfully and Henry started laughing out loud - You're way too nice. And also, don't worry, I can handle him myself. - I have no doubts of that.- he agreed. - Ok, so here goes another question: why haven't you made another movie in the last three years? You're really good and I can only guess that with your reputation you must get offers all the time. -First at all, thank you for the compliment. Second, I concentrated in my music career in the last few years and I've toured the world so I didn't have much time for acting and finally, yes, I get a lot of offers, but - you made a pause to give yourself time to think the best way to explain things- you know, winning awards is great, especially such prestigious awards as Oscars and Golden Globes, especially after winning because you get a lot of job offers, but in the same time it puts an incredible pressure on you to do good and to choose "good roles". I'm a big fan of comics and videogames and fantasy things, but I feel like people look down on "award-winning actors" who do those types of movies; and even choosing dramas and thrillers you have to be careful with the role you choose because when you only made four movies and had been preached for each one of them, you had a lot of pressure to do good or otherwise you were overrated and did not deserve all the praise that people gave you for your previous work as if you were just lucky in the past. - This industry is hard, isn't it? - he said - Definitely. I'm guessing that you also must have a lot of work offers after being Superman. - Yep, but mostly for roles that didn't interest me that much. When you're a big, muscular man, usually get offers for action movies and some of those the scripts are not that good. I'd love to have the chance to be in a different type of movie, something different for what I'm used to doing, but producers love to hire award-winning actors for comic movie roles, but it doesn't work so much the other way around, if you're known as a comic movie actor, you usually don't get to do lots of dramas and thrillers, and my looks don't help much. I'm an action movie type of guy according to casting directors. - That sucks. You're pretty talented, I can see that for your previous work, I hope you get more roles that give you a chance to shine a show how freaking good you are. - you assure him and he smiled at you. Time went by as you two chat about your favourite things, music, movies, etc. and got to know each other a little better. You exchange lots of smiles and laughs. You took a look at your phone for your surprise, it was midnight. - Omg! Is it midnight already? - you said aloud laughing- wtf? We totally lost track of time. - We did. - Henry agreed as surprised as you were. - I better go. - you said standing up- Could you call me a taxi, please? - you asked him - That won't be necessary, I'll take you to the hotel myself, let me grab my car keys. - he replied - Are you crazy Henry? It's midnight! It's way too late! A taxi will be fine. - A beautiful lady in a taxi with a stranger at midnight, I don't think so, not in my watch. - he insisted and you blushed after heard him called you beautiful. - Henry... - you began to say trying to convince him that it was ok, but at that moment unconsciously grab his hand in an attempt to stop him for getting the car keys and you felt electricity run through your body. You didn't let go of his hand as you came closer to him and stood face to face. - I don't think that we can be friends Henry. - you told him. - Why not? - he said looking deeply into your eyes, but you notice a little fear in his voice. - Because I like you... I like you a lot. And I cannot be friends with you because I see you and all I want to do is kiss you. A little bird told me that you told her that you like me too, is that true? Is there ever a chance that we could be more than friends? - you questioned getting even closer to him and Henry was speechless. Apparently, he didn't expect his feelings for you to be reciprocated. He made an assented move with his head and pressed his forehead against yours. With your free hand, you reach his face and stroke it and then he moved his head to look into your eyes again. You smirked at him and still holding his hand, you made him follow you to the couch. He sat down, as you directed him and then you got on top of him, cupping his face with your hands and then began to kiss him. He put one of his arms in your lower back and had the free hand on the back of your head. That energy that you felt every time he touched you was out of control now and you almost felt like if you were about to get electrocuted but you didn't care, it felt so good.

#henry cavill #fanfiction #demivampirew #henry cavill x reader

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debbielouocean · 4 years

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ask for nothing and that’s all you’ll get (this rule does not apply to jen harding)

jen harding/judy hale (also on ao3)

When she’d been living her life constantly afraid of getting arrested, things had been different. They’d been absolute shit, for one. But Jen had also never really had that much time on her hands.

It wasn’t that she never had the time to sit around her pool with a glass of wine in her hands; it was entirely a mental thing. All of her available time to think had been taken up by the question of “what happens if we get caught?” Which meant that she had been able to avoid other questions.

Questions that were starting to nag at her more and more every day. Questions like “what kind of perfume does Judy wear?” or “how many times a day can I put my hands around Judy’s waist without her questioning it?”

(The answers were, of course “none, Jen, I just have this amazing body wash that I got at this little boutique in Arizona” and “approximately a million”)

But the question of why Jen even gave a shit about all those other questions still hadn’t been answered. Or at least, that’s what she managed to keep telling herself.

“You’re like a thousand and ten miles away.”

Jen looked down at the woman who was curled against her side on the couch, looking up at her expectantly. “I’m watching the movie, Judy.”

“Mhm,” Judy said, pursing her lips, “What’s going on in that head?”

Jen tilted her wine glass towards the screen, where a middle aged father figure was lecturing a kid about his grades. “I really hate that guy. I don’t know what he’s been in before, but I hate him.”

“He’s pretty hateable,” Judy agreed, obviously not believing that had been all that Jen was thinking about, but letting her have her secrets if she felt she needed them. She’s probably just thinking I’ll tell her when I’m ready or some nonsense like that, Jen thought, before Judy could even start her next sentence. “His wife deserves better. She’s too nice.”

“God, did you just say someone was too nice?” Jen said, laughing at the ridiculousness of it. “Judy Hale, certified nicest person alive, thinks someone is too nice?”

“She literally gave a stranger her kidney. I would never.”

“You would.”

“I mean,” Judy pulled away from Jen, sitting up straighter and looking at her in the face. “If it were like, Charlie or Henry, then I’d give up both of them. But a stranger?”

Judy pulled an uncertain face, her nose scrunching up adorably. Not that Jen thought it was adorable, personally, but she was sure it appealed to someone. Somewhere.

“Or you,” Judy continued with a smirk, “If you weren’t being a dick.”

“Hey!” Jen snatched up a throw pillow that had fallen to the floor, holding it up in mock offensiveness. “I would give you a kidney even if you were being a dick.”

“I’m never a dick,” Judy said, holding up her hands to block to blow she was sure was about to come, nearly dissolving into a fit of giggles. “Certified nicest person alive, remember?”

“That was before I found out you wouldn’t give a stranger your kidney. The title’s been revoked,” Jen said, lightly booping Judy on the head with the pillow before tossing it back into the floor. “You’ll just have to apply again next year.”

“And what miraculous act do I have to perform to qualify?”

“I dunno.” Jen sipped her wine in thought, knowing she really should have stopped drinking two glasses ago. “Move in with an angry, widowed single mother and volunteer to help raise her chaotic children?”

“Well, apparently, that didn’t work for me this year so I don’t really see the benefit of doing it twice,” Judy said, punctuating it with a faux sharp look. Jen flinched back at the tone, even if it was a joke, even if she’d brought it up. And Judy immediately looked apologetic. “God, that was kind of dick-ish. You know I don’t mean that, Jen.”

“Yeah, of course I know,” Jen said, dismissively. She took another, larger sip of her wine and turned back towards the television, trying to focus on what was happening in the movie she’d never been watching to begin with. Trying not to think about how little Judy actually had benefited from their relationship. She got somewhere to live. But that was about it, as far as Jen could tell.

But Jen? Jen had almost nothing but benefits. Someone to help with the kids and the housework. An extra income to keep them from ending up on the streets (or worse, with Lorna). Someone to talk to every single night so she didn’t have to spend her time crying herself to sleep. And she got Judy. Judy who was kind and smart and funny and absolutely everything.

Well. She got Judy’s friendship. Which was still absolutely everything. But she had to admit that wasn’t really all she wanted. And thinking about how she wanted even more from Judy after Judy had already given her everything and asked for almost nothing in return? Made her stomach tie itself up in knots.

“You’re thinking again,” Judy whispered, her tone serious.

“Am I not allowed?”

“No, you’re allowed. I just wish you’d share that with me.”

Really, she had absolutely no right to look that fucking genuine. No fucking right to look at her with those eyes and just ask Jen to bare her soul on her living room couch while some Oscar-bait drama played in the background. But Jen couldn’t even find it in her to be mad. Unfortunately, she found it completely fucking endearing.

“I will, I promise,” Jen said, sighing. Because she knew how this would go. Eventually she’d break down and admit it. Out loud. To Judy. And Judy, because she’s too fucking good for her, would turn her down in the gentlest way possible. She just couldn’t deal with that right this second. “Just not tonight, okay Jude?”

#jen harding #judy hale #dead to me #fic #do i need to write a part 2?#of fucking course i do #will i?#eh we'll see #do they have a ship name? i don't know what it is if they do

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thebiasrekkers · 4 years

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Shadow’s Birthright | MYG

Chapter 03: Dark Passions

Plot: Riding in on thunder and lightning, two princes are born. But a crown cannot be shared. It can only be worn by one and one alone. The hands of man have separated the brothers, allowing one to live in wealth and comfort inside the palace while the other grows up among commoners. But Fate cannot be destroyed by the hands of man. A shared destiny reunites the brothers; one to become a king who descends into madness and the other will rise as a dragon whose journey has only just begun in order to claim a crown he does not desire to have.

Rating: NC-17 // NSFW

Pairing: Min Yoongi (Lee Yoon) x Female OC (Kalina Shuri)

Warnings: Historical setting, caste system, magic/sorcery, graphic violence, disturbing graphic images, religious tones, angst, slow burn, smut

Additional Warnings: Oral (female receiving), heavy teasing, internal possession, body worship

Previous Chapters: Prologue 01 02

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 4,869

Tag List: @luxekook, @pinkpjmin, @btsaudge, @flowerwrites06, @stillcopingxx, @taevkimchi, @aroseforyoongi, @vivpurple7, @happilystrongthroughthedark, @sw33tnight, @nikkitane, @mini-coop25

AN: And we have the smuts finally. Woo. I did it early this time, guys. Again, I just want to let everyone know that this series is going to be updated slowly. Like, one chapter a week. So just be patient with me. I promise you that it will be worth the wait. If you would like to be added to the tag list, feel free to drop me a line!

P.S. Please bear in mind that while the historical accuracy will be mostly correct, I am setting this in a time period in Joseon history where there was no such thing as a king who had a twin brother. Obviously that’s where the fiction/creative freedom is going to come in. Everything else will be period accurate, trust and believe.

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

“Never love anybody who treats you like you’re ordinary.” - Oscar Wilde

Kali sighed as she watched the moon slowly rise over the mountain peaks. The world was still and quiet, the occasional chirp of the cicada barely audible in the silence that blanketed over everything. Turning her head slightly, she smiled as she watched Yoongi sleep. It took a bit longer than she might have wanted, but with the aid of a sleeping draught, he finally relaxed and allowed her to tuck him into his bedroll.

San slept faithfully at its master’s feet, his large head lifting when he heard Kali move to stand. The wolf started to get up, but she placed her hand out and shook her head. The wolf yawned and shook its upper body before settling back comfortably on the floor. She bent down to pet the wolf’s head between his ears and smiled when one of his ears flicked at the touch.

Scooping up her satchel, she reached inside and pulled out several books. Setting them on a nearby shelf, Kali made sure the letter was nestled between the pages of the book on top. After ascertaining that the two of them were sound asleep, Kali pressed herself out of the humble mountain home and stepped out onto the cool night air.

“I’m sure he will be seeking me out soon,” she murmured, gripping the strap of her satchel in one hand as she lifted her face toward the sky, “the tiger will bare his fangs if I do not answer his summons.”

With a wave of her hand, the space in front of Kali rippled. The trees, grass, and fireflies all blurred and tilted in motion. Finally, a dark hole appeared and she stepped through the portal. Once inside, a swirling galaxy of stars and light appeared around her. The large expanse of the void rippled with each step she took. Many voices careened at her body from every direction, causing her heartbeat to elevate with each second she was inside of that dimension.

Another portal opened in front of her after walking several meters. Without blinking, Kali passed through the large black opening. When she reappeared, she was back in her own personal quarters in her home just outside of the Crown City. Sighing, she took a quick look over herself in her vanity’s mirror. Her satchel barely touched the ground just as a loud knock echoed from outside.

Kali had no servants. She had no need for them. Despite a certain royal’s persistence, she refused to have any attendants that could possibly spy on her during her ritual prayers or when she crossed into The Veil. Joseon was still a skeptical nation and its people were quick to yell “heresy”, even without all the information. Being branded a foreign devil, the last thing Kali wanted was anyone being able to prove just how much power simmered beneath her fingertips.

Adjusting the front of her robes, she retreated from her chambers and out to the main courtyard. Her estate was small in comparison to most noble households, but the King spared no expense when it came to her comfort. Her biggest budget crusher was her personal garden that was full of plants of different varieties to help with her potions. Kali took a moment to survey her plants, despite the heavy persistent knocking rattling the large wooden gate to her estate. She was in no hurry to answer since she already knew who was on the other side.

She managed to clip a few sprigs of tea leaves and some Nightshade before the erratic knocking began to grate on her nerves. Placing the items into the leather pouch that swung from her hip, she approached the gate and slid the large wooden bracer ff the panels. Shoving the wooden gate hard, it swung out loudly and knocked into the person on the other side hard enough for them to fall on their backside. He looked up, perplexed, as she scowled down at him, biting back an irritated snarl.

“Persistence is only a virtue in some religions, Sir,” she said, her tone even, “patience is a virtue every child of man should learn to embrace.”

The young man scrambled to his feet, dusting off his clothing as he readjusted the hat on his head. “F-Forgive me, Lady Shuri!” He quickly bowed his head, apologies tumbling from his lips, before he reached to his side and pulled out the messenger cylinder hanging from his shoulders. He hurriedly untwisted the cap, pulling out the rolled up piece of paper inside. With his head bowed, he handed it to her.

Unfurling it slowly, her eyes scanned over the elegant brush strokes that belonged to the Crown Prince. He was asking for, as she knew he would. Wishing for his fortune to be read was simply a ruse. It always was. What he longed for was something that she could happily give to him. As a subject of Joseon, even as a foreigner, it was her duty to give into his desires. It was the one thing she could do to help tampen the madness that was already starting to brew inside of him.

She couldn’t deny him, even if she wanted to.

Folding the note away, she slipped it into the sleeve of her robe. “I will be there as His Highness wishes,” Kali replied, already moving back into her estate.

“B-But, My Lady...His Highness, the Crown Prince, said that I should escort you personally.”

She glanced at the messenger over her shoulder, cutting her eyes at him. All he could do was stand frozen in terror before a dark smile spread over her full lips. “His Highness will receive me when I am ready to be received. He knows I have been traveling and need to change.” Kali began closing the gate. “I will see him soon.”

The messenger swallowed the lump in his throat, fearing more for his life than for the lack of her presence accompanying him on the way back to the palace. But if he was smart, he would relay her words exactly as she said them to the Crown Prince. He would know the meaning behind them and he would be patient for her. Otherwise there was no meaning or value to their relationship in the first place.

Pulling the pin from her hair, her dark tresses fell about her neck and shoulders as she entered her manor. It wouldn’t take her long to gather up the herbs and oils needed for a nice soak in the bath. As for her clothing choice, Kali knew she would have to pick something shimmery but tasteful.

Even if her robes would not be on her person for very long.

It was late and he’d dismissed his servants for the evening. There were the standard guards posted outside of his palace entrance, but other than that, he was completely alone. The Crown Princess requested to see him, for him to spend the night at the Magnolia Pavilion, but Yoon refused. He would see his wife another night. But not tonight.

Tonight was reserved for one person and one person only.

Yoon paced inside of his personal chambers for what felt like hours. Every so often, he would reach up to bite his thumbnail both from impatience and aggravation. It would be a lie to say that his anger hadn’t flared when the messenger returned with Kalina’s words. As impertinent as he imagined her tone to be, he knew that what she spoke was the truth. Kalina was not a person of Joseon and, as such, not one of his people.

She held a certain level of autonomy within the Joseon Royal Court because of her standing with the King. Whispers of him being bewitched by the foreign soothsayer spread throughout the different Noble Factions. But everyone also knew how faithful the King was to the Queen. He had two royal consorts, but the Queen always had his father’s favor above the others. The other two concubines were arranged marriages from two different court factions. Yoon’s own wife was a member of the Western Faction of Nobles.

As it stood, no one in the royal family could marry someone outside of their own country. Not like in the times of their ancestors, when Kings were warriors and legends were carved in stone; immortalizing them forever. Joseon was a strict nation; even more so after the Goryeon Empire crumbled to the ground. But if Yoon could have his way, he would pass an edict that allowed him to marry someone outside of their own nation state.

For his own selfish reasons, of course.

Flopping onto the silk cushion behind his desk, Yoon grunted. He was growing more and more impatient. How long was she planning to make him wait?

Just as he was preparing to mentally chastise her, energy warped in the far corner of his room. The Crown Prince stood, the steady beat of his heart escalating as the color palette in one part of his room began to shift. Saliva collected around the inside of his mouth as Yoon slowly stood from the floor.

This wasn’t the first time.

This wasn’t the second time.

Kalina rarely came to him in this fashion, but when she did, it never got old.

He could watch her enter through that portal like a timeless dream until he ceased to exist.

The first thing he saw were her sleeves; a deep, rich purple spun from the finest silk and trimmed in silver. Her lithe fingers, modestly decorated with stone rings, reached into the space that occupied his chambers. The rest of her entered his room, her skin like chestnuts freshly plucked as her raven hair danced about her shoulders - just barely hidden beneath the softness of the robes she wore. She was barefoot, her toes peeking out from beneath the hems of her dress; the aroma of rose petals and lavender oils permeating his senses.

Sweat prickled along the back of his neck, her own neck bare save for a single jade pendant that hung from a thin black chain. She dipped her head slightly, looking up at him from beneath a hooded gaze. Kalina’s long lashes accentuated the forest green of her eyes, cheeks slightly tinted a soft pink from either the warmth or a flush at seeing him.

He didn’t care which it was.

The portal closed behind her with a mere wave of her hand. The magic that existed there almost seemed to vanish, but he could sense the power that circulated through her blood. Her arms swept out to either side of her as she delicately lowered herself to the floor. Everything fluttered around her, the candle flames dancing at her mere presence. Her head was bowed, but he could still see the smile on her face; like she’d succeeded in trapping the greatest game the likes of which man had ever seen.

Like any warrior, Kalina seemed to hold no such openings for Yoon to exploit. Yet she could pierce through every single one of his defenses. All it took was one simple phrase.

“Kalina Shuri is here, my Crown Prince,” she said, a bell-like lilt in her voice. Kalina lifted her face as he stared pointedly down at her. “...I am here, Lee Yoon.”

The trigger was always his name. His true name.

No one was allowed to whisper it. Not even his own wife. His parents set that name aside when he was elevated to the rank of Crown Prince. Lee Yoon disappeared from within the palace walls.

Only this exquisite creature before him, a being who seemingly had not aged since he was a child, dared to call him by name.

Yoon launched himself from the other side of the room, intent on laying his hands over every single inch of her. But just as he was less than a meter away, something stopped him. His body was rigid and no matter how hard he grunted, he was unable to break free. Wide eyes moved to look at Kalina, watching as the woman held her hand out at him - palm facing outward. There was a soft vibration in the air that sang over his skin, causing the hairs on the back of his arm to prickle. Sweat slid down the column of his neck, disappearing beneath his robes.

“Kalina,” he managed to choke out, feeling the veins starting to pop near his temple. Yoon’s eyes narrowed as she slowly rose from her seated position. “Release me at once.”

She was standing at her full height and was still a full head shorter than him. Yet in that body thundered supernatural power that only existed in myths and legends. That same power that was holding him bound in place, unable to take a single step toward her. Instead, she smirked, inching her way forward as the sleeves of her robe slid off just a bit to bare a shoulder to him.

“Now, now, Seja Cheo-ha,” Kalina said, the bell tone replaced with something deep and velvety, “the night is still young and I have not seen you in weeks.” She leaned forward, pressing her nose into the curve of his jaw. Her scent filled his lungs instantly, breathing her in at the exact moment she breathed him in. “Let me have a look at you, hm?”

This was torture. Yoon should have her flogged, but the way she plucked him like a brand new harp was deliciously unfair.

“Release me now, Kalina,” Yoon half-snarled as he felt the tip of her tongue press against his throat, “you jest far too much.”

Her hand glided over his shoulder, teasing at the baby hairs near the back of his neck. Kalina lifted her face to peer into his eyes and had it not been for her spell, he would have lost his ability to stand completely. The sorceress pouted. “But you’re going to be leaving for a long journey soon, are you not?” He shouldn’t have been surprised, but the expression appeared anyway. “Is that not why you summoned me?”

Yoon frowned. She was going to make him beg. This was outlandish.

“Will you have me beg, woman?” The question showcased his ire, but this only caused her smile to widen.

“A lowly being such as myself would never request such a thing,” Kalina whispered, her hand gesturing over his body.

What spell held him was lifted. Upon his release, he grabbed her and harshly tackled her onto his plush bedroll. The sorceress released a soft giggle, failing to abate his anger. He hadn’t pinned her arms down and she took the initiative to reach up and pull at the small pin that held his hair in place. His white-blonde tresses fell around his shoulders like a soft curtain of wheat and he felt a ripple slip down his spine.

Her fingers combed through his hair and for a while, neither of them spoke. Only the hushed sounds of their breaths existed between them. He lifted one hand up to press the pads of his fingers against the soft skin around her jaw. He let his thumb dip in between her lips and Yoon released a soft hiss when he felt her bite down around the digit. The loose-fitting robes suddenly felt too tight as his erection threatened to rub itself raw against the silk.

Removing his hand from her face, he slid it between the loose fabric nestled around her legs. He could feel her heat and his brows lofted when he realized how bare her attire actually was. Her flush-kissed cheeks grew a deeper shade of pink and he flashed her a predatory smirk.

“Were you preparing yourself for me?”

Kalina huffed an impetuous laugh. “Isn’t it a servant’s duty to always know the needs of one’s master?”

He bit back a groan. Her words were like a spider’s web, trapping him further. The harder Yoon struggled, the more he was ensnared.

Tearing at her clothes like a wild animal, every layer was peeled away to expose her sweat-tinged skin to him. He saw her lifting her hand, reaching out toward where the candles were, but he swiftly snatched at her wrist to stop her. She lifted a brow at him, aptly curious as to his intentions.

“No,” he whispered, bringing her hand up so he could press a soft kiss to the inside of her palm, “leave the light.” He grazed his teeth along the center of her hand, giving it a sharp nip. “I want to have a look at you.”

Leaning forward, he pressed his face along the valley of Kalina’s breasts; soft, pugnacious and full of warmth. He could feel the thrum of her heartbeat against his nose and he trailed his tongue between her breasts, a lascivious hunger threatening to burst from his entire body. Yoon’s hand fondled one mound and he used his other hand to pull at the ribbons keeping his robe cinched to his body. He ached for her. Yearned for her to release him from his demons.

Because only she could and she knew it.

His silk trousers fell easily off his waist and he kicked them from his legs in haste. Reaching behind him, he pulled his dark blue robes off his body and tossed them to the side; abandoned with Kalina’s own robes. He was hard and ready, his hands coated in her juices as he reached down to play with her folds. Decreed by the Heavens to rule, Yoon could only see himself worshiping this witch that lay bare in front of him.

Her fingers curled into the hair at the crown of his head, urging him forward as he pressed kisses along her stomach. He turned to press his teeth into the tender skin of her inner thigh and he smiled when he heard the gasp push from her throat. Inhaling deeply, he relished in her womanly scent before diving into her velvet heat to have his late night snack.

Yoon swirled his tongue over her clit, the taste of her enough to get him intoxicated. The glistening moisture around her thigh made his mouth water. He wanted to draw as much sound from this woman as he could. He would never tire of this taste; this aroma. She smelled sweet and dangerous. A deadly draught.

She was a poison that he would happily drink, the promise of unparalleled ecstasy at the core of her being.

Her moans permeated the room, lost along the silk folding screens and the sheer curtains as her own sweat soaked into the silk bedroll. She quivered under his touch, his kiss, from everything he was doing to her and more. He pulled back from her folds, his lips shining with the leftovers of her essence and proof of the meal he’d indulged in. Kalina moved to kiss him, but Yoon stopped her with a gentle clasp of his fingers around her throat - bearing the brunt of his weight on his other arm that was braced just on the other side of her head.

Yoon selfishly licked his lips, cleaning his mouth of every drop of her. He wouldn’t share. Not even with her and it was hers to begin with. He teased her folds with the tip of his erection as he felt her hips rise up to meet his own with a subtle push. His teeth snapped as he hissed, his dark eyes meeting her smoldering greens. He had her where he wanted her. Where he needed her. The level of restraint he was holding back made his arms tremble.

The look on her face, that look, was for no one else. Just him. The way her heart beat in her chest? It was for him. Kalina was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life. The way the candlelight flickered across her body, cascading golden rays like the morning sun long her skin, was surreal. It was unfair. Why had the gods done this to him? Created a woman so blindingly beautiful with enough power to make any fearless man’s blood run cold? And he could not have her the way he wanted her; could not possess her the way he desired.

There were feral noises coming from Yoon as he leaned upward. Moving to his knees, he grasped Kalina’s hips and pulled her toward him. Her green eyes danced from the firelight and it nearly stole his breath away.

“Yoon-ah,” she half-sobbed, causing Yoon’s erection to swell even more. He was going to shatter and be dust in the wind if she said his name that way again. All it would take was one more croon from her voice and he would be ruined.

Ruined as he’d been ruined time and again by the sorceress.

He could stand it no longer! Yoon held her hips in his hands as he lowered his body. “Not yet,” he murmured, his hooded gaze roving over her body, “wait for me, Kalina…” His own form trembled as he settled her over the head of his throbbing erection.

Yoon bit down on the lower swell of his lip, holding her steady as her legs seemed to open up even further for him. He was drunk off her scent, his vision growing hazy for only a split second before righting itself.

Rolling his hips, he couldn’t help the narcissistic smirk that painted over his features as her legs moved to knock into his sides in an almost vain attempt to wrap them around him. Her heat squeezed him in a multitude of ways and the pleasure that he coaxed out of her was intoxicating - her mewls of strained lust urging him onward with each moment he drove into her. The sorceress’ nails dug into his biceps, gliding up the sweat-soaked surface up to his shoulders before grasping onto the meat of the muscle there.

Tiny puffs of air lifted from her swollen lips - lips that he’d teased and pulled at with his fingers. She was getting close and so was Yoon. His tempo accelerated gradually, a low growl pushing from his throat as he watched her rutting her hips against the slickness of his shaft - their pelvic bones crashing into each other with unbridled need.

Her cry of desperation echoed throughout the room, filling the space both around and between them. This spurred him on, reaching the edge of his own need for release as he felt the stinging pain of her nails dragging along his skin. There would be marks but it was of no consequence to him. He would deal with them before he began his journey. There would be questions but no answers would be given.

Heat spread through, filling her with everything until he was well and truly spent. The young woman beneath him had already succumbed to the pleasure she was given, her orgasm making her limbs grow weak.

Bucking his hips into her one more time, Yoon rode out the rest of his aftermath before slipping out of her with ease.

Rolling onto his side, he pulled Kalina with him so that she could nestle into the crook of his arm. For a while, all they did was share in heavy breathing as they attempted to recover. Yoon didn’t worry about falling asleep and someone finding them in that state in the morning. Kalina always left before the break of dawn, something that he mourned in the darkest corner of his heart. But decorum was standard in the Joseon Royal Court, something even he must adhere to.

He closed his eyes as her fingers traced over his brow, sweeping a few sweat-soaked locks from his cheek and tucking them behind his ear. Taking in another deep breath, he brought her just a bit closer to savor her warmth and scent.

“My poor, sad Prince,” she whispered, causing his eyes to snap open as he peered at her. Her expression looked solemn and Yoon wondered if Kalina was about to go to that far away place he could never reach. “So much pain. So much sorrow.” Her fingers, once again, combed through his hair. “So...unnecessary.”

Kalina’s words were cryptic. They always were. But they held a deeper meaning somehow.

“When you were a child, you were afraid, weren’t you?”

Yoon blinked, his lips parting slightly. “What nonsense do you speak, Kalina?”

Her eyes lingered on his for a handful of seconds before she pulled at his hair, pressing it between her fingers. “Your hair wasn’t always this fair. Once, it was darker than black.” It wasn’t a question. “Stories of unrest in the palace reached your ears. The struggles of your father in his youth before he was placed on the throne.” Her eyes lifted to look into his face. “Stories of bloodshed.”

An angry knot of pain began to form in Yoon’s chest. She didn’t need to finish this story. He knew it better than anyone. Being the oldest prince guaranteed that he was the next to obtain the crown. And while he had younger siblings, they were all princesses or far too young to even begin taking steps toward resting it away from him; his birthright.

But the fear was still there, gnawing at the back of his mind. His fear led to impulsive decisions. One of them being the ingestion of poisons. Not just one type, but multiple types. All at once. At the age of nine, he nearly died. The physicians were beginning to think that there was no hope.

The Heavens, however, had other plans. They helped him to survive; overcoming his own crazed attempts at ending his life. The result? His hair transformed from jet black to platinum blonde. It happened over the course of one week. There was no explanation for it other than his own body’s form of retaliation to the death that attempted to claim him.

Yoon was officially installed as the Crown Prince the following year.

He was pulled from his thoughts as he felt Kalina’s fingers slowly moving from above his right brow and down below his eye. They stopped just at the halfway mark from his lips and mouth. Something crossed her features, a somber expression, and he could only look upon her with mild wonder.

“This face will be marred someday,” she whispered softly, “but that day will not be tomorrow or the day after.”

Yoon sputtered a small laugh. “Mine will, you say?” He let his hand rest at the curve of her hip. “I’ve trained my body and mind extensively, sorceress. Unless it is you, no one would be able to get close enough to harm me.”

Because she was the only person he ever lowered his defenses for.

“You are a powerful and cunning young tiger, it is true,” came her gentle reply, “but that does not mean that your tail cannot be grabbed.”

His eyes narrowed. He wanted to question her; to demand an answer and determine the reasoning behind her ominous words. It was a warning, clearly. But a warning of what?

Before he could ask, however, Kalina was already pulling herself from his embrace and retrieving her robes. He sat up slowly, grabbing his own robe and draping it over his shoulders. Shuffling to his desk, he retrieved the hairpin and waited for her to finish wrapping herself up. Just as she cinched the wide silk waistband around her midsection, he began to pull up her hair. Her head turned slightly but he used his hand to keep her head facing forward.

“My Prince?”

“Shh,” he hushed, moving to gather up her thick waves in one hand, “let me do this for you.”

She hummed her assent, waiting for him to finish. It only took a handful of seconds to fully secure her hair in the pearl hairpin. Her hand moved to trace her fingers over the hair ornament and she glanced over her shoulder at him.

“Is it beautiful?” she asked while smiling up at him.

“It pales in comparison to you, sorceress, but it will have to do.”

Yoon cupped her chin in his hand, lifting her face up to meet his as he captured her lips in his own. They were dangerously close, but he held himself back. If he pursued any further, he would not let her leave.

He would cage her forever.

He watched her rise gracefully from the floor, the hem of her robes sweeping over the bamboo flooring. Every single curve of her form defied logic and as he watched her opening up the portal to leave, part of Yoon truly did want to capture her; to claim her as his and no one else’s. It was a selfish, hungry and dangerous desire, but it was there all the same. He could not ignore it.

With a soft gaze, she smiled and dipped her head low. “Your journey will be free of perils and you will obtain success. Have no fear, my Crown Prince.”

And like a dream, she disappeared into the void, dousing the candle flames and leaving Yoon to ponder her words as everything plunged into darkness.

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octothorpetopus · 4 years

Text

Have You Ever Wished For An Endless Night?

(Rafael Barba x Sonny Carisi, 7354 words)

By minnesotamemelord on AO3 (me)

Going undercover is one of Sonny Carisi's favorite parts of the job, especially when it involves fancy parties, expensive suits, and an open bar. Plus, he enjoys the drama of a good high-profile arrest, and tonight is no different. Except that tonight, among all of the suits and drinks and criminal elite, a familiar face threatens to blow his cover.

Sonny Carisi straightened his bow tie and frowned at his reflection. He was in the second floor bathroom of NYPD's 16th precinct, dressed to the nines. He gently slicked a lock of hair into place, and the frown turned into a smile. He looked good. That was good.

"Looking good, feeling good," he muttered to himself, and exited back into the squad room. Benson peered at him over the rim of her glasses.

"Nice suit, Carisi."

"Thanks, Lieutenant." Rollins came in holding a tray of coffee cups and gave a low whistle. Sonny rolled his eyes and ignored her. "So, are you bringing the van and sitting outside, or am I on my own for this one?" Benson shook her head.

"We'll be in the van, but you won't need backup. We're just there to listen in and make sure everything goes well." Sonny nodded.

"Are you sure all I've got to do is get Goldberg on tape? And that's all I need to arrest him?" Benson squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

"Carisi, we've got his DNA and all three of the clients are willing to testify. All we need is a confession that he assaulted them." Sonny took in a shaky breath.

"Okay. I'm ready."

The case: Henry Goldberg, a remarkably wealthy criminal defense attorney, sexually assaulted three clients. Sonny Carisi hated rapists, he hated billionaires, and most of all, he hated billionaire rapists. And tonight, he just happened to be throwing a gala for Manhattan’s finest legal professionals. So when Benson had suggested a sting to take him down, he had jumped at the idea to put on a tux and arrest his new least-favorite person.

”Wow,” he murmured into his earpiece as he entered the nicest hotel ballroom he had ever seen.

”Act natural, Carisi. You look like a fish out of water.”

”You can’t see me.” Rollins laughed, a tinny sound through the earpiece.

”Yeah, but I just know it.” She was right, of course, and Sonny knew it, so he tried to compose himself. His normal swagger blurred into an affected strut that matched the rest of the crowd, dressed like they belonged at the Oscars. Brilliant lights lit up the front of the St. Regis hotel, but Sonny tried his best to pay them no mind. After all, that wasn't what he came here for.

The ballroom inside the hotel was no less extravagant than the exterior. Crystal chandeliers dotted the ceiling, reflected across the white-gray marble that covered the floor. Well-dressed men and women drifted between tables draped in heavy white tablecloths, sipping champagne and congratulating themselves on having boatloads of money. Sonny’s wallet felt painfully light in his pocket. To him, it didn’t make any sense how people could make so much money and still be looking for more. He liked to think that if he had that much, after he paid off his many, many loans (law school, even at night, had not been cheap), and after buying his parents a new house and his sisters everything they needed but hadn’t been able to afford, he would probably just give it away. He didn’t know what he could do with that amount of money. And yet, the wealthy people surrounding him seemed to find plenty to do with it.

“Excuse me-” Sonny jumped. He had been so caught up in himself that he hadn’t noticed someone come up behind him until they tapped him on the shoulder. It was someone he vaguely recognized- he had been questioned, but never brought in- someone from Kubrick, Goldberg, Marx, & Associates. “Landon Marx.” He held out a big hand, which Sonny shook with just the right amount of vigor.

“Dominick Smith.”

“I don’t think we’ve met before, Mr. Smith.” Sonny grinned with practiced ease and gave the response he had repeated a dozen times in his mirror last night to burn it into his brain.

“I met Frank Kubrick at an NACDL conference last year, and we’ve kept in touch.”

“Ah.” Marx seemed to accept that with little to no hesitation. Kubrick had been offered a deal in turn for flipping on his partner, so in the event that their relationship was ever called into question, Sonny wouldn’t be caught. “Can I get you a drink, Mr. Smith?”

“I’m alright, thank you. Actually, I’ve been looking for Hank Goldberg. Would you mind giving me an introduction?” Apparently, Sonny was a much more convincing liar than he thought he was, because Marx didn’t even hesitate.

“Absolutely. I think I saw him by the bar.” Sonny trailed behind Marx, scanning the room. He recognized two city councilors, four judges, and the deputy mayor. Goldberg had webs across the entire city. That didn’t bode well, but nobody here could keep Sonny from arresting him.

“There he is.” Sonny saw a face he knew well from staring at a photo of it for the last week from across the squad room. The face belonged to one Henry Goldberg, who was tossing back scotch and laughing. A tiny red flame burned in Sonny’s stomach, but he quieted it. He just needed to wait. To watch, listen, and wait.

In fact, he was so focused on calming his rage that he didn’t bother to look and see who Goldberg was talking to. He probably should have, he realized later, because it would have saved him a lot of trouble, but the truth of the matter was that it probably wouldn’t, because even if he’d looked, he’d still have only had about ten more seconds to process that the person that Hank Goldberg was speaking to was one Assistant District Attorney Rafael Barba, who had been suspended a week ago and Sonny hadn’t seen since. It was also probably a good thing that Sonny didn’t have a drink, because if he had, he probably would have spit it out.

When Rafael saw him, his green eyes went wide momentarily, searching Sonny’s face. However, he was smart. Incredibly smart. It didn’t take him long to put two and two together- why would a cop be at a function for legal professionals? If he’d had to, Sonny probably could have covered it up with some bullshit about law school and Rafael would have been bored enough to take it because he just didn’t want to listen anymore. Lucky for both of them, it didn’t come to that. Rafael composed himself and smiled into his drink.

"Hank!" Marx completely ignored Rafael and tapped his friend on the shoulder. Henry Goldberg was thin, tall, with angular features and thick gray hair. If he were Italian, he could have been Sonny's uncle, maybe even his father. But Sonny wasn't focused on that. He was finding it rather difficult to be focused on anything other than Rafael. Still, he managed to pull his attention back to the real reason he was here.

”Dominick Smith.” He shook Goldberg’s hand- well, let Goldberg shake his hand.

”Hank Goldberg. It’s nice to meet you, Dominick.” He seemed to remember his previous conversation and he gestured behind him. “This is Rafael Barba.” Sonny forced a bolt of laughter down into his stomach and smiled pleasantly. He shook Rafael’s hand. Rafael was a much better actor than Sonny would have thought.

“It’s nice to meet you, Son-” His eyes went wide, and he coughed. “Dominick.” Or maybe not. He had fucked up, and he knew it. Luckily, Goldberg didn’t seem to notice.

“Can I get you a drink, Mr. Smith?” Sonny had opted out the first time, but sting operations always made him a little nervous, if he was honest, and with Rafael now thrown into the equation, he could use a little liquid confidence. If there was a little liquid luck in there too, all the better.

“Yes, please. I’ll have a dirty martini, if you don’t mind.” Rafael raised an eyebrow behind his glass of scotch. It wasn’t Sonny’s usual order (beer- whatever was cheap enough to save his bank account but expensive enough to not poison him).

A few moments later, Hank Goldberg handed Sonny a martini. It took all of Sonny’s self-control to not down the entire drink in one go. Instead, he took a reserved sip and smiled thinly.

“I don’t know how it’s possible that we haven’t met before, Mr. Smith. I thought I knew all of the lawyers in New York.” Sonny managed a laugh, but it sounded like a cat being strangled. Rafael shot him a glance that seemed to say get it together before you blow it, and Sonny composed himself.

“Well, that would probably be because I’m not from New York.” As the words left his mouth, Sonny could hear his own accent, more pronounced than ever. “Well, I’m from New York originally. Born and raised in Staten Island, but I’ve been practicing in DC for the last fifteen years.”

“I see.” Goldberg paused as Marx leaned over to whisper something in his ear. Sonny and Rafael shared a perplexed glance. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to speak in a bit, and I need a few minutes to prepare.” Sonny and Rafael waved him off, and at last, they were left alone. Sonny opened his mouth to speak, but Rafael silenced him with a hand, grabbing his arm and dragging him through an open door out onto the hotel balcony. It was a freezing February night, and the balcony was empty.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Rafael hissed, wrapping his arms around himself to shield him from the cold.

“Me? What the hell are you doing here?” Rafael rolled his eyes.

“Well, it’s a gala for legal professionals, and I don’t know if you remember, but I’m a goddamn assistant district attorney, and as I recall, you turned down that job, so I know exactly what I’m doing here, but I have a number of questions for you, Dominick Smith-” His eyes went wide with realization, and he looked as sheepish as Sonny has ever seen him.

“...you’re undercover, aren’t you?” Sonny nodded.

“You covered for me, why would you do that if you didn’t realize I was UC?” Rafael shrugged. “Marx introduced you as Dominick Smith, I figured you lied to get in here.” Sonny was utterly flabbergasted.

“Why?” Rafael shrugged again. It was infuriating how much shrugging he was doing.

“I don’t know, it’s your business.”

“It’s not my-” Sonny sighed, pinching the bridge of nose. “Whatever.” He leaned against the railing and looked out over the city, careful not to drop his martini, although it would have been interesting to see what would happen to the glass if it were dropped from ten stories up. “So,” he said finally, “you and Hank Goldberg seemed cozy.”

“Oh, come on. He’s an old friend.” Sonny groaned.

“Why am I not surprised?”

“What?” Rafael smiled, but the smile dropped away to reveal pure and unadulterated horror. “You’re not- I mean- your UC operation, it’s not-”

“We got some reports about Henry Goldberg and his interns.”

“And they’re credible?”

“We have DNA, Rafael.” Rafael tapped his toe against the stone tiles lining the balcony, as if impatient, but Sonny had known him long enough to recognize this motion. It was what he did when he was thinking something through, especially something that was difficult to understand. In this case, the idea that his old friend was a rapist.

“How did I not- how come no one-”

“You know why, Rafael.”

“Right, I forgot that one thing I did seven years ago in order to put a bad man behind bars means I can’t do my fucking job anymore-”

“Rafael, you’re suspended for two weeks. Stop being so dramatic.” Rafael paused at the railing and then he did something Sonny wasn’t sure he’d ever seen before- he laughed, loudly and clearly into the night. It wasn’t a chuckle or a giggle, it was a full, brilliant laugh, a little raspy, a little gravelly. Sonny quite liked it.

“I am being a little bit dramatic, aren’t I?” Sonny smiled widely and allowed himself a little bit of laughter too.

“Yeah, you are.”

“You’re going to arrest Hank tonight, aren’t you?” The smile dropped off Sonny’s face, and he felt ashamed, somehow. Not that he was arresting someone who had done a bad thing- he could never feel ashamed about that. But he felt ashamed that in doing so, he had hurt Rafael, even without meaning to, even if Rafael didn’t want to be hurt by it. Sometimes hurt was nobody’s fault, but saying that didn’t make the pain go away, and so sometimes it was just better to take blame upon himself so no one else would have to bear it.

“Yeah, I am.” He saw Rafael nod out of the corner of his eye, and when he turned to face him, to his surprise, Rafael was already looking at him. There was a funny sort of expression on his face, one Sonny didn’t think he’d ever seen before. It wasn’t angry or disappointed or upset like he’d expected. Instead, there was a sort of odd… fondness there, behind his eyes.

“Look, I don’t know… I don’t know if you’re right about Hank or not. I’ll be honest, it wouldn’t surprise me if you were. But I want you to know that I’ll back you. I’ll always back you.”

“Thanks, Rafael.” Sonny’s stomach fluttered. There hadn’t been this level of affection between them in a conversation hadn’t occurred since Mike Dodds’s funeral, and Sonny didn’t want to think about that. Still, he had never been one to handle his emotions in a “healthy” way (those were the exact words his childhood therapist used), so he did the only thing he knew how to do- he made a joke. “You’re so much nicer when you’re drunk.” Rafael only smiled and looked down into his glass.

“I’m not drunk. But thanks.” Sonny didn know quite what to make of that, but either luckily or unluckily for him, he didn have to. Before he could respond, there came a squeal of microphone feedback from the ballroom.

“We should head back in. I don’t want Henry to get suspicious because I disappeared.” Rafael looked up at him, that same puzzlingly gentle expression still on his face. He appeared to examine Sonny for a moment, for what Sonny never knew, and then nodded, knocking back the rest of his drink.

“You’re right. We can’t jeopardize your operation.” At the door, he paused, as if he wanted to say something more, but he didn’t. All he said was: “Have fun doing your job. I’m gonna go get shitfaced,” and he disappeared into the crowd. Sonny made a mental note to try to dissect that entire conversation later, but for now, he had a job to do. He turned his attention to the front of the ballroom, where, on a slightly raised platform, Henry Goldberg was beginning to address the gathered crowd.

“Thank you, everyone, so much for coming tonight. Working in law has always been a bit of a tricky business, and that’s certainly true nowadays.” There was a ripple of laughter. “Still, it’s nice to know that prosecutors and defense attorneys and judges can still be in a room together without ripping each other’s throats out. That being said, I’m watching you guys.” More laughter. Even Sonny was finding it difficult not to laugh, which surprised him. Well, it didn’t really surprise him. Men like Hank Goldberg tended to be incredibly charismatic, which was how they got away with doing the things they did for as long as they had been doing them. “So please- enjoy a drink or several from our open bar- if you need a ride home, we’re happy to call you a cab, and if you decide to do your own thing, you have my business card.” More laughter, mixed with a few “ooh”s of amused horror. “Have fun mingling amongst yourselves, everyone.”

Sonny watched him with a careful eye as the crowd dispersed. From his spot on the very edge of the room, his eyes followed Goldberg to the opposite corner, where he conversed quietly with his partners. Marx looked relaxed and comfortable. That was good. Kubrick looked nervous. That was bad. Sonny began to make his way over to them, trying to hide his desperation. He hated flipping perps to take down others, even if the others were far worse, because they were so rarely decent actors, and half the time they bombed the operation because they were too damn nervous. But if he could just get over there, he could keep Kubrick under control just long enough to get the confession he needed.

His comms had been relatively silent until now, and he almost jumped when he heard Benson’s voice in his ear.

“How’s it going in there, Carisi?”

“I’m getting there,” he murmured, moving his mouth as little as possible to hide the fact that he was speaking to evidently no one. “But Barba’s here.”

“What?” She nearly shouted, and this time he did jump, just a little bit. “What the hell is he doing here?”

“It’s a gala for New York legal professionals, Lieu. It’s honestly not that surprising. But he knows the deal, and he won’t out me.”

“Good.” Through the earpiece, he heard her sigh and say something unintelligible. “Just get the confession and make the collar. Preferably as soon as possible. I’d like to get home before we have to get back in.”

“Yes, Lieutenant,” he muttered, and muted the comm. “I hope I’m not interrupting, gentlemen.” Three heads shot up as he approached their small group, but Goldberg greeted him with a friendly smile. A good sign.

“Not at all.” Sonny slipped into their little triangle with a close-lipped grin.

“So, Mr. Smith, do you work at a firm in DC or are you one of those political fellows?”

“God, no. I’m not a masochist. I’m in-house counsel for a tech company down there.”

“Is the product any good? I’m a big investor in those software companies, but I didn’t know of any in DC.” Sonny froze, coughed, and smiled.

“We’re not actually public yet, but I’ll let you know when we are.” Damn, either Goldberg was incredibly gullible or he just didn’t care enough to be suspicious. Probably the latter.

“Landon.” Kubrick tugged gently on his friend’s arm. “I think I see Judge Horowitz over there. Didn’t you say you had something to discuss with him?” He led Marx away, with one last nervous glance over his shoulder at Sonny.

“So, Mr. Goldberg-”

“Hank, please.”

“Alright, Hank. KGM is a big firm. I’m impressed.”

“Well, I couldn’t have done it without Landon and Frank. And our one hundred and thirty two employees.”

“Wow. My legal department is about seven people total.”

“Nah, man, you have to keep growing. It’s good for everything- your workload, your bank account- hell, sometimes new employees can be good for your eyes, you know?” Sonny couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Goldberg was playing right into his hands.

“I hear you. We just hired a round of new interns and- whoo! That’s all I can say.”

“No kidding. These girls that work at KGM, they’re amazing. And they love me.”

“Really? In a firm that big, they know you well enough to love you?” Goldberg frowned, and Sonny jumped to fix his own mistake. “All I mean is how do you do it? I feel like even with my tiny department, I barely know my interns’ names.”

“It’s easy, man.” Goldberg threw an arm around Sonny, and Sonny knew immediately why he was being so miraculously forthcoming- Hank Goldeberg was hammered. Wasted. Positively shitfaced. “I give them what they want…” he shrugged and Sonny tried not to wince at the overwhelming stench of alcohol. “And they give me what I want.”

“Come on, KGM’s massive. It can’t be all of them.”

“Well…” Sonny held his breath. This was it. His miracle.

And then string music his ears from across the room, and Goldberg lurched away.

“Ah, good, the orchestra’s started.” He patted Sonny once on the shoulder and walked away.

“Shit,” Sonny muttered into his earpiece. “I was so close.”

“You got this, Carisi, just keep at him.”

“I-” Sonny had lost Goldberg in the crowd, but finally located him. Unfortunately, he was dancing with a defense attorney Sonny vaguely recognized. “Shit. He’s dancing right now, there’s no way I can get him to talk.” Benson sighed on the other end of the line.

“Fine. Just keep an eye on him, and the second he frees back up, you get a confession.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sonny leaned against the wall, perfectly content to continue drinking his martini and wait. Unfortunately, that was not what fate had planned for him. And unfortunately, fate’s name was Rafael Barba.

“This is boring,” Rafael said, folding his arms in that characteristic “too-good-for-this-shit” posture Sonny had seen nearly every day for the last four years.

“Speak for yourself.” Still, he didn’t look like he was having much fun. And then he did something that surprised Sonny more than he thought Rafael was capable for surprising him. “Do you want to dance?” He asked, holding out a hand.

“What?”

“Did you suddenly go deaf?” Sonny rolled his eyes.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Okay, so…” Rafael shrugged, his hand still outstretched.

“I- fine.” He took Rafael’s hand and allowed Rafael to tug him into the dance floor that had been cleared out at the front end of the ballroom. The orchestra was playing a nice mid-tempo waltz, and Sonny found that Rafael led with surprising grace. “You’re pretty good at this.”

“My mother made me take dance classes in middle school.”

“Weird. But not off-brand for you.” Sonny had to admit, this was nice. He liked the feeling of Rafael’s arm around his waist, his hand weighted in Sonny’s own hand.

“You know, you’re not too bad either. For someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Aw, you’re welcome.” The song ended and for just a moment, Sonny and Rafael were frozen, still holding one another in their arms. Rafael let his arms drop to his side with a start, and he cleared his throat, turning vaguely pink. “You should, uh-“

“Yep. Right.” Sonny turned around before he could make any more of a fool of himself and once again searched the room for Goldberg, who had once again relocated to the bar. Good for Sonny. Bad for his liver.

“Ah, Mr. Smith.” Despite being at least five drinks in, and aside from the definitive smell, Hank Goldberg was as composed as ever.

“I was wondering if maybe we could continue our conversation from earlier. Maybe somewhere a little quieter. The balcony’s a nice place to sit and chat.” Goldberg didn’t really respond, but he allowed himself to be led out onto the balcony where Sonny and Rafael had leaned out over the New York night only a few minutes earlier.

“Have you and Rafael met before? You looked, uh, cozy.” Sonny laughed and tried his best not to sound nervous.

“No, not that I can remember. He just seems nice.”

“I think he’s- well, you know.” Goldberg winked and Sonny repressed a gag.

“Anyway, you were telling me earlier- your interns. How do you do it?” He tried his hardest to sound amazed rather than disgusted.

“It’s easy, Dominick- may I call you Dominick?” Goldberg didn’t wait for Sonny to respond. “Mostly, they give me what I want, ‘cause they know I’ll give them what they want. Promotions, pay raises, second chair on the best cases.”

“And if they don’t?” Goldberg chuckled and for the first time, Sonny saw a glimpse of something dark in his eyes.

“Then I take it.”

“But, I mean…” Sonny conjured a “dumb blond” expression he had perfected in high school after he’d been caught in the bathroom with a still-smoking cigarette in the toilet bowl (smoking was a habit he’d long since given up). “They’re interns. You’re one of the most powerful criminal attorneys in the city. What could they possibly have that you want?” Goldberg scanned him with deeply analytical eyes. Sonny willed him to be convinced, to just say what Sonny needed him to say so that he could go home.

“Come on, what’s the one thing young, pretty interns have to give?” Sonny just stared, wide-eyed and confused. “Oh, right, I forgot you’re-” Goldberg waved a hand and Sonny pretended to laugh it off. If he couldn’t get Goldberg to confess, he might just have to punch him in the face. Just for fun. “Sex, Dominick. Sweet, glorious sex.”

“Ah.” Sonny blinked, as if it had just dawned on him. “So they give you sex, and you give them whatever they want. And if they won’t do it…”

“They don’t have a choice,” Goldberg finished with a sickeningly sweet smile. Sonny nodded, leaning on the railing with one hand, the other hand steadily creeping to the small of his back where his cuffs were dangling underneath his jacket.

“Right. Obviously. Well, I guess all I can say to that is-” In a flash, he whipped out the cuffs with one hand and pulled his badge out of his jacket with the other. “Henry Goldberg, you’re under arrest.” Goldberg froze. “Can you, uh, put your hands behind your back? Please?” Goldberg stammered, until he finally managed to say: “I- what?”

“Mr. Goldberg, I’m Detective Sonny Carisi with the NYPD. You’re under arrest for rape. Now, would you please put your hands behind your back so I can cuff you? Thanks.” Sonny spared a quick glance toward the doorway. No one had really noticed yet, except Rafael, who hadn’t moved. He leaned against the doorway, watching.

“Rafael, please, help me out here, man,” Goldberg pleaded. Rafael took a long, slow sip of his scotch, and shook his head.

“No, Hank.”

“Come on, you know I’m-”

“I don’t know anything, Hank. Except that I trust Detective Carisi a hell of a lot more than I trust you.” He met Sonny’s eyes and smiled imperceptibly. Sonny, holding onto Goldberg’s cuffed wrists, used his free hand to unmute his earpiece.

“Goldberg is cuffed and ready, would you guys mind pulling around the car?”

“You got it.” Several stories below, Sonny heard the purr of an engine.

“Come on, Hank.” With a gentle shove, Sonny and Goldberg moved back into the ballroom. This time they caught some attention. “People, if you don’t move back, I will arrest you all for interference in a police investigation!” As the elevator doors closed, Sonny saw Rafael one last time, still leaning against the door, his back to the ballroom, staring out at the indigo evening sky.

Benson and Rollins were waiting outside when Sonny and Goldberg arrived.

“I got him,” Rollins said, and took his place behind Goldberg. Sonny stretched, grinned, and winked at Goldberg.

“This is entrapment. Your case is nothing. I’ll-”

“You’ll do nothing, Hank, except get in the damn car and take responsibility for you actions,” Rafael said, strolling gracefully out the front door of the hotel. “I know you know a good lawyer.” He turned away from Goldberg and came to stand next to Sonny.

“Well.” Sonny looked down at Rafael, who was already looking up at him. They held each other’s gaze for a moment, then promptly burst out laughing.

“What an interesting evening. And I thought events like these were always boring.”

“Good interesting or bad interesting?” Rafael appeared to regard Sonny for a moment with that sort of enigmatic Mona Lisa smile.

“You’re going to put a bad man away, detective. I’d say that’s about as good as it gets.”

“Carisi!” Sonny whirled around to see Rollins gently shove Hank Goldberg into the back of her squad car. “I’ve gotta drop this guy in a holding cell and do some paperwork. I don’t suppose you want to help? ” Sonny laughed and shook his head.

“I did the legwork, I think you can handle the rest.” Rollins groaned.

“Do you want a ride home?”

“My apartment’s not too far. I’ll walk.” She nodded and slid into the front seat of the car, which Sonny and Rafael watched pull out of the hotel’s driveway and into the night. Sonny groaned and ran a hand through his hair.

“What?”

“I lied. I live on Grand Street.” Rafael’s jaw dropped.

“That’s in Little Italy. We’re on the Upper East Side, Carisi.”

“Exactly.”

“That’s seven miles.”

“Yup.”

“Alright, I’m getting you an Uber-“ Rafael moved to reach for his phone, but Sonny held up a hand to stop him.

“Nah, it’s fine, I’ll walk.”

“Why? It’s freezing.”

“I’m not that cold. And I like walking,” Sonny protested.

“Christ.” Rafael pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine, then. I’m coming with you.”

“Rafael, it’s over a hundred blocks. You live in Hell’s Kitchen. I can’t ask you to-“

“I’m not letting you walk that far home by yourself this late.”

“Rafael.” Sonny couldn’t help but smile. “I’m a six-foot-one white cop. I’ll be fine.”

“Sonny, we work in sex crimes. There’s literally a zero percent chance I’m letting you do this..” Sonny bit back a smile but nodded.

“Alright, fine. What’s your plan for getting yourself home? I’m not about to let you walk home if you won’t let me.” Rafael nudged Sonny with his elbow.

“I’ll call an Uber from your place. Come on.” He started off down the sidewalk, leaving Sonny behind. “What are you waiting for?”

“You’re going the wrong way, Rafael.”

“Oh.” He jogged lightly back to Sonny’s side and they set off together in the other direction.

They walked in comfortable silence, side by side, along the dark city streets. Every so often, they would pass under a street lamp and for that brief moment, Rafael was awash in a golden glow that made him seem almost angelic. Once, Sonny could’ve sworn he’d seen a halo over his head. But when they passed out of the light, the halo was gone, and Rafael began to shiver. He wasn’t wearing any kind of jacket over his tux- he hadn’t expected to walk, of course he hadn’t- and it was cold, even for February.

“Here.” Sonny paused and slipped his wool black coat off. He held it out to Rafael.

“No, it’s freezing-“

“Look, I told you, I’m not that cold. Just take the damn jacket.” Rafael frowned, but allowed Sonny to drape the jacket around his shoulders. It was too long for him, and he was drowning in it. Sonny bit back the urge to laugh. He had never seen Rafael look anything less than perfectly polished before. But now, his hair had been blown about by the wind and Sonny’s jacket was far too big for him. Sonny liked him like this. He looked so much more… real.

He was actually freezing now, but refused to shiver. He didn’t want Rafael to have any reason to give the jacket back.

“So, what have you been doing?”

“Oh, you mean since I got suspended?” Rafael cleared his throat. “Sorry if that sounded bitter. It’s just that I am.”

“You’re right, I’m- shit, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. I… I don’t know what to do. It’s weird. I wake up in the morning and usually I would go down to the Starbucks on the corner and then take the subway to work. But now, I wake up and I go downstairs and I get my coffee, and I just… wander. I’ve seen parts of the city I never knew existed until now. It’s insane. I went to a taxidermy museum in Queens two days ago.” Sonny snorted. “It’s funny, but it makes you think.”

“Think what?”

“That you can spend your whole life in a city and only see about a hundred square blocks.”

“You know, I didn’t even leave New York for school.”

“Trust me, Sonny, I’m fully aware.” Sonny grimaced, but it was more of a grin.

“Anyway, all I’m saying is that we’re in the same boat.”

“God, that’s depressing.”

“Well, you’re a ray of sunshine.”

“No, I’m not. I’d just like to be in the sun, for once.” Sonny got the sneaking feeling that Rafael wasn’t being quite as literal as he often was. “It’s been a long, long time since I’ve felt the sun on my face, Sonny.”

“Me too.”

“Maybe I’ll ask the DA to extend my suspension and take a trip. Cabo. San Diego. Hell, I’ve always wanted to see Cuba.”

“I hear Havana’s quite nice in March. Care to take me with you?”

“I think we can manage that.” Their eyes met, and Sonny prayed that it was dark enough that Rafael couldn’t see the deep scarlet flush spreading from the tips of his ears across his nose and cheeks.

“We should pick up the pace of you want to get home before two.” He pretended to check his watch.

“In that case…” Rafael patted Sonny’s arm and took a deep breath, before taking off down the sidewalk. “Race you to the next corner!” He called over his shoulder, Sonny’s jacket trailing behind him like a cape. Sonny laughed and took off running behind him, his long strides allowing him to pass Rafael in a matter of seconds. He had never seen Rafael like this before, bounding down the sidewalk like nothing in the world mattered at all. “Oh, come on, that’s not fair! You’re six inches taller than me!”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

They slowed back to a walk, still laughing breathlessly, still side-by-side. A light snow had begun to drift down on them, swirling around them like white confetti.

“I hate winter on Staten Island, but winter in Manhattan… I don’t know what it is.”

“I know what you mean. When I was at Harvard, I thought I would never like winter again because Boston winters are so utterly brutal. But when I got back to New York, I had no idea what the hell I was thinking.”

“Maybe it’s not such a bad thing we’ve never lived anywhere else, then.”

“Yeah.” Rafael stopped, looking up at the sky, and appeared to consider briefly. “And besides,” he said, his words coming out stilted, hesitant, like he was taking great care with his wording. “If we left New York, we never would have ended up working at SVU.” His sentence cut off there. It sounded unfinished, and for a moment, Sonny couldn’t figure out why. Then it dawned on him- there was a word that hadn’t been said, that had simply been left hanging in the air between them: together. We never would have ended up working at SVU together. Sonny’s breath caught in his throat, and suddenly the cold that had been flooding his veins for the last twenty minutes or so melted away until the only trace was in his freezing fingertips. He mirrored Rafael’s gaze and stared straight up. The sky was the same cloudy dark gray it always was, lit up by the odd passenger jet or satellite. And yet, under the mile-thick layer of smog, among all the brilliant light pollution of the city, Sonny Carisi could have sworn he saw stars.

Grand Street was dark and nearly empty at this time of night. There were street lamps here and there, but most of the light came from the all-night bodega on the corner. Snow had begun to gather on the sidewalk. Sonny kicked it up in bursts with every step, watching it as it whirled around their ankles, glittering in the light from the bodega. Sonny briefly considered “forgetting” to mention when they passed his apartment, but it was cold, and he didn’t want to keep Rafael out any longer than he already had. So he came to a dead stop on the sidewalk, allowing the snow to settle, his face dark, backlit by the light from his apartment building.

“This is you?” Rafael asked, looking up at the six-story brick walk-up.

“This is me.”

Sonny swallowed hard, his adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as he tried to come up with something to say. He and Rafael had never had a single moment like this, and if he let this one slip between his fingers, they never would again. “Do you want to come upstairs? I have a six-pack eating a hole in my fridge.” Rafael chuckled and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“That… actually sounds really good. But I have to be in the office early to discuss the terms of my suspension tomorrow. And I still have to feed my cat.”

“You have a cat?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s your cat’s name?”

“Thurgood.” Sonny paused.

“You named your cat after Thurgood Marshall?”

“Why not?” Sonny grinned and laughed, the sound of his voice bouncing down the empty street like an echo into a canyon. “What?”

“Every time I think I’ve got you figured out, I realize I don’t.” Rafael beamed. It almost seemed like he gave off a soft glow, and the snow resting on his hair and catching in his eyelashes made him look more angelic than ever.

“That’s my charm, Carisi.” Rafael shrugged, and Sonny’s jacket fell from around his shoulders into his arms. He held it out, but Sonny shook his head.

“Keep it. Give it back to me whenever you see me next.”

“That might not be for awhile if tomorrow morning doesn’t go well.” Sonny shrugged.

“Oh well. I have other jackets.” Rafael looked up at Sonny, puzzled.

“You’re a lot more complicated than people give you credit for.”

“...thank you?” Rafael shook his head and smirked.

“I’ll see you… sometime.” He spun on his heel and began to walk off. There was an odd sort of afterglow left in the air behind him, one that made Sonny forget it was the middle of February, one that made Sonny feel as if he would never need a jacket again if he could just keep seeing his draped around Rafael’s shoulders.

Sonny wasn’t entirely aware of his own movement until he was sprinting at full speed down the snowy sidewalk. It was a miracle that he didn’t slip and fall flat on his face, but he didn’t, and he caught up to Rafael only halfway to the next corner.

“Carisi, what are you-” Sonny didn’t give him a chance to finish before taking Rafael by the collar (the collar of his own jacket) and tugging upwards just enough that their lips met. Rafael didn’t freeze, even for a second. He wasted no time in throwing his arms around Sonny’s neck. They stood there, intertwined, for what seemed like hours, until Sonny finally let go, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath. Rafael had flushed a deep red, although whether it was from the cold or just simply that he was as breathless as Sonny was unclear.

“I’d offer to walk you home,” Sonny said, still holding Rafael by the collar, “but I think maybe we’d just get caught in an endless loop.”

“Yeah. Probably for the best.” And then Rafael smiled, as widely as Sonny had ever seen. He paused, his wide green eyes scanning Sonny’s face, and then he backed away, leaving Sonny grasping empty air. As he walked down the sidewalk, kicking up piles of snow, it looked to Sonny as if he were fighting the urge to skip. Sonny chuckled into thin air, ran a hand through his hair, and walked up the stairs and into the building.

Morning flooded Sonny’s room, and he leapt out of bed, staring out the window at the street below. The snow must have fallen even heavier after he had gone inside, because it had gathered in thick, fluffy piles along the side of the street. He fell back into his bed, smiling broadly, and clutched at the bedside table for his phone. Punching in the number came as easily as breathing this morning, and there were hardly two and a half rings before the familiar click on the other line.

“Good morning,” he said without waiting for a “hello”.

“Morning, yes. Good, we’ll have to see.” Rafael sounded as nervous as Sonny had ever heard him.

“So you haven’t gone to your meeting yet?”

“No, I’m on my way in now.”

“In that case, good luck.” Rafael laughed, a tinny but warm sound.

“I don’t need luck. I thought you’d have figured that out by now.”

“Right. I forgot the great Rafael Barba doesn’t need anything or anyone.” Rafael scoffed, which made Sonny laugh.

“I might not need your luck… but it’s still nice to have.”

“You always have it, whenever you need it. I’ve got it in heaps.”

“Look, I just got to the office…” he sighed reluctantly. “I’ll text you and let you know how it goes.”

“Oh. Okay. And Rafael?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re gonna kill it.” Rafael was still mid-chuckle when he hung up. Sonny let the phone fall onto the bed next to him, and he smiled up at the ceiling. Because just like that, he had an idea, a damn good one if he said so himself. But first, he had to get out of bed. And also maybe put on a shirt.

It was probably a good thing that Sonny had thought far enough ahead to get an extra coffee on his way. He had been waiting for over an hour, and he was almost done with his second, about to start in on Rafael’s, when Rafael finally appeared through the glass front doors of 1 Hogan Place. His face lit up when he saw Sonny, and lit up even more when he saw the tray of Starbucks cups in Sonny’s hand.

“You’re a god. A six-foot Italian god.”

“Six foot one,” Sonny corrected, and handed Rafael the one full cup. Rafael must have downed about half of it when he finally stopped to ask:

“Wait, what are you doing here?”

“Well, last night you helped me realize that I’ve lived in the city my whole life and I’ve barely seen it. So I thought I would bring you coffee and we could go out and explore.”

“Don’t you have work?”

“I promised Benson and Rollins I would babysit for them whenever they need for the next six months, so please say yes, ‘cause I have to do it either way.” Rafael nodded, and Sonny noticed he was still wearing his coat.

“Okay. Sounds like fun.”

“Nice! So, start at the taxidermy museum in Queens?” he asked as they started down the busy sidewalk.

“God no, that place was terrifying. I’ve never ridden the Staten Island ferry before, though.”

“Nice try. I’m not going to Staten Island. It was bad enough that I had to grow up there. Why don’t we start with a walk on the High Line and figure it out from there?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Rafael kept his eyes fixed in front of him, but his hand edged little by little out of the sleeve of Sonny’s coat until his knuckles brushed against Sonny’s. Sonny, personally, had enough of that slow-burn bullshit for a lifetime. He took Rafael’s hand firmly in his.

“Come on, man. Commit.” Rafael bit back a smile and rolled his eyes.

“God, is this what it’s going to be like all day with you? Because I’ll-” He turned as if to walk back the way they had come, but Sonny stopped him midway with a kiss. This time, Rafael did freeze, but only for a split second.

“Because you’ll what?” Sonny asked, still gripping Rafael’s hand.

“You know what? Never mind.” Rafael leaned into Sonny just a bit as they kept walking. “It’s going to be a good day,” he said, like he had just had a moment of total clarity.

“You think so?”

“Please.” Rafael squeezed Sonny’s hand and laughed.. “I don’t think. I know,” he said with a wink, and he pulled Sonny down the street, both of them basking in the glow from the steadily rising sun.

It was going to be a good day.

#barisi #barisi fic #barisi fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #rafael barba #sonny carisi #barba #carisi #svu #law and order svu #law and order #law and order: special victims unit #law and order: svu

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bamon4bamily · 4 years

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TVD 9x06 (part 3) Enjoy! =)

Bonnie wakes up, lying on what remains of Darius’s room. Darius, lying close by, still unconscious. His illusion realm has been broken, but at what cost? Bonnie looks at the devastation…

BONNIE: What have I done...?! Damon, Damon!… (She desperately searches through the debris to find him… there is no way he could’ve survived that blast).

DARIUS: (As he regains consciousness) I think it’s safe to say, you burnt him to ashes, love.

BONNIE: You are literally like a cockroach…

DARIUS: They don’t get nearly enough credit. I must admit, Bonnie, I was not expecting your gameplay… hit me from the inside, very smart. Unfortunately (looks around), there had to be consequences… Aw (grabs some ashes from the floor), poor Damon, I’m assuming this is him, or at least part of him anyway. Not only did he have to endure the pain of seeing his beloved with another man; he had to die because of her… just tragic. Maybe if he had more neurons rather than testosterone, he could have made it…

BONNIE: Arrogance… that’s always been your Achilles heel. You think you are smarter than anyone but you’re not; you might be book smart, I’ll give you that, but you’re an idiot when it comes to emotions. You are weak, Darius, straight-up, just a fucking crazy asshole, and I’m really tired of those... (Her eyes become pitch dark, everything begins to shake; the scenery starts to change from the mansion ruins into an old Insane Asylum).

DARIUS: Bonnie?!... What are you doing?! Stop!!

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DARIUS: (Now restrained with a straight jacket) How are you doing this? Illusions are my thing...

BONNIE: I picked up some tricks from your little house of horrors… thanks for that (winks). Guess you should have stuck to genetics.

DARIUS: Bonnie, please don’t... I can help you. Teach you how to control it.

BONNIE: I don’t need your help.

DARIUS: You killed the man you love because you couldn’t control your powers; trust me, you need my help.

BONNIE: Again, with the ego, and grandiose delusions … (Someone opens the door) Looks like it’s time for your medication…

DARIUS: (In disbelief) No...No! How?!

DAMON: (Dressed as a Doctor, holding a syringe) Gotta say, Bon, I think we deserve an Oscar for this one…

BONNIE: (She wraps her arms around his neck) Oh, we totally do! (They kiss).

DAMON: (Up in his face) You see, you little piece of shit, no matter how high you score on a test, or how many Frankenstein experiments and illusions you cook up, you ain’t got shit on us. We are the Batman and Robin, Bonnie & Clyde, Scooby & Shaggy, Holmes & Watson, Mulder & Skully, pb&j, of the operation; understand?

BONNIE: Plus, we actually do share a psychic bond, so he (referring to Damon) knew all along. Maybe you should pay more attention to what strange men tell you...

DAMON: Now, it’s my turn to play Doctor...

(As Damon is about to inject him; Danae, dressed as Nurse, comes in).

DANAE: Please, let me do the honors… (Damon gives her the syringe) I’ll take it from here.

DAMON: Well, Bon-Bon, that’s our cue to leave; we don’t want to get in the middle of their family drama… (they hold hands, as they are about to walk out, Bonnie turns around).

BONNIE: Oh, and just so you know, this (referring to her illusion realm) is my little house of horrors… and, unlike yours, there are no loopholes… guess the pupil does surpass the master. Enjoy! (Blows him a kiss). (To Danae) He’s all yours… (Damon and Bonnie leave).

DANAE: (Holding the syringe to his eyeball) Hello, brother…

Cut to – a little while later, Damon’s car; Damon and Bonnie are driving back to the Salvatore house. Bonnie is behind the wheel.

DAMON: I’m glad this is finally over, Bon.

BONNIE: Me, too…

DAMON: As much as I hate to admit it, there was a moment or two when I thought he’d figure us out… and I was terrified.

BONNIE: We’ve fought vampires, witches, werewolves, hybrids, heretics, psychics, sirens, the devil himself! But Darius has been the hardest to beat because it wasn’t about physical or magical powers, it was about inner strength; being strong enough not to be broken from the inside.

DAMON: (Kisses her cheek) You are amazing…

BONNIE: (Teasing) And, officially, the most terrifying person you know, am I right? (Transitions into a worried look) This Bonneficent persona of mine caused some serious damage…

DAMON: Bon, it was an illusion; you didn’t actually hurt anyone.

BONNIE: But I could…so many.

DAMON: No, you couldn’t; it’s not who you are.

BONNIE: I’m not sure I know who or what I am anymore…

DAMON: Bon, stop the car.

BONNIE: What?

DAMON: Just, please, stop the car. (She pulls over). Come with me. (They get out of the car).

BONNIE: Damon, what are you doing? We are in the middle of nowhere… (He lies down on the ground looking up at the sky, signals her to join him; she lies down next to him, he holds her hand).

DAMON: (Pointing at the sky) Look…

BONNIE: It’s beautiful…

DAMON: It’s beyond beautiful… I don’t think there are words to express just how magnificent it is… and; it all started with a big bang. That, right there, Bon, that’s who you are… never forget that.

BONNIE: (Kisses him) Thank you for this… (They cuddle and stare at the sky, then, without Damon noticing, she uses her telekinetic powers to play the intro song from the Bing Bang Theory show on her phone; she cracks up).

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BONNIE: I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist!

DAMON: (Teasing) Oh, you think it’s funny, do you? (He huggles and tickles her; they laugh, then kiss...). So, I have some blankets in the trunk, how about we stay here for the night, watch the sunrise; head back in the morning?

BONNIE: I love the idea (they kiss, cuddle, laugh and stare at the sky the entire night).

Cut to – early next morning, the Salvatore house. Damon and Bonnie walk through the door; as soon as she walks in, Caroline, who has been waiting anxiously for them to arrive, runs to hug Bonnie. Stefan, who has been waiting with her, runs to hug Damon).

CAROLINE: Bonnie!

STEFAN: Brother!

CAROLINE: Can I just say, you two are the best actors, ever!

STEFAN: I second that.

CAROLINE: (To Bonnie) You’ll have to run me through it once more, I totally got confused when you tried to explain it to me over the phone. But, for now, how about some breakfast? I know they might not be the best, but I made pancakes; so, be nice, and eat them.

BONNIE: What are you talking about, Care? I love your pancakes!

DAMON: She’s a natural. (Smirks; they go to the kitchen; Alaric is setting the table).

ALARIC: Bonnie! (Hugs her) I’m so happy you’re okay. You really had us worried there but I must say, your plan was absolutely perfect.

BONNIE: Sorry we had to leave you guys out, it was the only way it would be believable.

ALARIC: I know. (To Damon) Hey, buddy (bro hug). I always knew you could put on an act, but you deserve a standing ovation for this one; had me completely fooled.

DAMON: What can I say, Ric, it’s one of my many talents (winks). Unlike teaching which is why I had to resign.

ALARIC: And we’re glad you did, we were gonna fire you anyway.

BONNIE: So, how is Katherine doing? Did she snap out of it yet?

KATHERINE: (Leaning on the door frame) Aw, Bon… it’s nice to know you care…

CAROLINE: Much to our regret, she’s back to her old self… Though I’m curious as to why she is still here. (To Katherine) Your, not so helpful, work here is done.

KATHERINE: Don’t worry, Blondie, I’ll be gone by the end of the day. Packing takes time, especially when you are Katherine Pierce.

BONNIE: What happened to you?

KATHERINE: Some good old fashioned haunting; and, let me tell you, it is not pretty! Wouldn’t wish that on anybody... not even you, Goldielocks. I’m guessing the spirits didn’t mess with you because they were too busy screwing with me… you’re welcome. (To Caroline) So, as you can see, I was actually very helpful, unlike you, Barbie.

JOSIE AND LIZ: (The twins come in) Aunt, Bonnie! Uncle Damon! (They hug them).

BONNIE: Hello, pretty ladies, want some breakfast? Your mom made pancakes. (They make a face; she whispers to them) Oh, come on, they are not that bad… (They all sit down and have breakfast). So, where are Elena and Sam? Don’t tell me they went back to Whitmore, I really wanted to see her.

CAROLINE: They stayed at Matt’s; they’ll be here later.

BONNIE: How is he doing?

CAROLINE: Not sure, to be honest. Even after you broke the illusion, and Edward was able to get him out of that freaky bunker, Elena told me he still doesn’t seem like himself…

JOSIE: What kind of party did you go to, mommy? (Alaric signals Caroline to change the subject, the girls have no idea what really went down).

CAROLINE: (Making things up as she goes along) It was one of those…uhm... escape room thingies… you know? The ones where you have to escape the room...

ALARIC: (Trying to deviate from an almost certain Care screw up). It was a pretty bad party; Anyway; how about we go hiking today?

JOSIE AND LIZZY: Yes, yes!!!

JOSIE: Aunt Bonnie, will you come?

BONNIE: I’d love to! I just need a little time to rest. How about we finish breakfast, I’ll take a short nap to recharge, then we’ll head out.

LIZZY: Yei!! Uncle, Damon, you’ll come too?

DAMON: Of course, munchkins; but I also need a nap.

CAROLINE: (Being Caroline) Like you two will actually get any sleep…

BONNIE: Care! The girls…

CAROLINE: Oh…oops… what I mean to say is that Aunt Bonnie, and Uncle Damon, have a hard time falling asleep sometimes…

ALARIC: Caroline, just let it go.

DAMON: (To Caroline, as he is putting the empty plates in the sink) I have to say, Care Bear, you are getting the hang of this; they were pretty good (referring to the pancakes).

CAROLINE: (With pride) I knew it!

DAMON: (Grabs the syrup jar with both his hands and takes a bow) I’d like to thank the Academy...

CAROLINE: You’re such a dick!

BONNIE: Care! The girls…

CAROLINE: A dick… Tracy… I mean. You know, like the detective?

STEFAN: (Laughing) Oh, Care…

JOSIE: (Whispering to Alaric) Daddy, is mommy okay?

ALARIC: She’s fine, just tired.

DAMON: So, Bon; how about we get our zzzz on (takes her hand, they leave).

Cut to – Matt, Khuyana, and Tyler’s house. Matt and Khuyana in bed.

KHUYANA: I’m so thankful they got you out of there; I thought I’d lost you for good this time.

MATT: Not a chance… (kisses her). I’m so sorry you had to go through that; I completely lost myself inside that psycho’s mind games.

KHUYANA: I can’t imagen the horror you must have felt...

MATT: More like desperation; not being able to act on my own free will, being confused about who I was, and what I was doing there… really screwed with my head…

KHUYANA: (Hugs him) Well, as much as I dislike Edward, I have to thank him for getting you out of that place.

MATT: Me too; he risked a lot by doing that.

KHUYANA: How about we have him over for dinner to thank him. Do you think he’d come?

MATT: If you invite him, he won’t be able to say no.

KHUYANA: Great! I can invite Klaus too, he also helped to get you out, right?

MATT: Nah, he was there to get his friend Danae, could have cared less about me.

KHUYANA: Okay, he’s off the list then.

MATT: (Gets up) I’m gonna go check on Tyler, and see if Elena and Sam are up (kisses her on the cheek).

KHUYANA: Tell you what, I’ll make us some breakfast. How do some yuquitas sound? I’m sure Sam will appreciate it.

MATT: Yum, yes!! That sounds perfect! (Kisses her and walks out).

Cut to Damon’s room – Damon and Bonnie are taking a nap. Damon has his arms around her. She wakes up suddenly.

BONNIE: No… (gets up and goes into the bathroom. She pours some water on her face, stares in the mirror… (Damon knocks) Come in.

DAMON: Hey, you okay?

BONNIE: I’m fine, had another nightmare is all…

DAMON: (Holds her in his arms, worried) That’s not supposed to happen anymore; he’s gone…

BONNIE: I think it’s just the aftermath, they’ll go away eventually… they have to, right?

DAMON: (Holds her even tighter) They will, I promise.

Listen, we don’t have to go hiking if you don’t want to; we can stay here, watch some GOT and veg out, if you prefer.

BONNIE: I think a hike will do us good. (Kisses him).

DAMON: (Holding her cheeks and looking deep into her eyes) I love you, Bon Bon...

BONNIE: I love you too (they kiss).

DAMON: And, no matter how long it takes, we will find our way back to normal.

BONNIE: I’m sure we will… our kind of normal, anyway (they smile in complicity, kiss and hold each other tight).

Cut to – Sam and Elena, in one of the guest rooms at the Lockwood mansion.

SAM: I know we are not leaving today; after everything that has happened, I understand you wanting to stay. But, I need to know if it will happen, eventually?

ELENA: Yes, of course, I promise. I just need some time to make sure Bonnie will be okay; give me a week, two tops?

SAM: I’ll give you as much time as you need, I just want to make sure that it’s still what you want.

ELENA: It is, more than anything...

SAM: Good... (they kiss, as they start to make out, she gets a text).

ELENA: It’s Matt... he says Khuyana is making something called yoyitas for breakfast...

SAM: (Laughs) They are called yuquitas, and they are delicious!

ELENA: Let’s go then, I’m starving! We’ll have to make it quick though, Caroline wants us at her house in an hour so we can go hiking.

SAM: Sounds like fun, and normal. After this insane series of events, I really need some normal.

ELENA: Me too…

Cut to – The Mayor’s house. Edward, The Madame, and The Strange Man.

THE MADAME: Well, now that the Bennett witch took care of our Darius problem, can we move along with the rest of the plan? I’m getting somewhat impatient.

EDWARD: Patience, darling; we will get to it. But first, I have to clean up after Darius’s little mess, as per usual. For now, relax and indulge... just, for god’s sake, clean yourself up (she is all bloody from her breakfast dish). Anthony might be as discrete as they come but I don’t like him being exposed to these types of things.

STRANGE MAN: I can take care of that (licks the blood clean from her neck). Listen, I’m fine with taking some time for leisure; as long as you don’t deviate and lose focus like our friend Darius did.

EDWARD: I won’t. The difference between him and me is that I serve a higher purpose, not my ego.

THE MADAME: Who has the chess piece now?

EDWARD: The Sheriff.

STRANGE MAN: I don’t get it, he seems so expendable. Are you positive, he is the guy?

EDWARD: Beyond a doubt.

THE MADAME: And what about the bunker?

EDWARD: I got what we needed, took care of the rest...

TVD 9x07 (part 1) coming soon! Hope you stop by, read, and enjoy! =)

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theorangedeath · 5 years

Text

Some webcomic recs

Webcomics are as underrated as they are varied. I mostly read printed comics now, but there’s no way I’d have gotten there had I not found webcomics before - believe me, I tried, but this damn hobby is super inaccessible to a beginner, not to mention expensive. Webcomics are like fanfics in that regard - hell, some of them are fan comics - in that there’s something for everyone, all within your reach, but in order to find something you like you have to either 1. Get very, VERY lucky, 2. Be prepared to read a lot of bad stuff in order to get to the good stuff, or 3. Hear about them from people you trust.

I was a 2 - i would read anything, back in the day - and while i’m not as unconditionally enthusiastic as i was, there are still some gems I wish got the same appreciation as some talents in the industry. I’ll spare you the rest of the article (dm me for comic rants though), let’s get to it!

note: all the comics are numbered as “1″ because tumblr messed up the google docs formatting

Comics i still follow as they update because either tumblr starts posting about them right away or they’re on tapas

Check Please!

https://omgcheckplease.tumblr.com/

I’m probably not the one introducing you to Check Please, as it’s one of the most popular webcomics out there, thank god. The parts of the fandom i’m familiar with are cool and wholesome, just like the work itself. It’s about a southern gay kid, Eric Bittle, who joins the hockey team in his college. It’s impossible not to love every single character there, the sports drama elements are great, and the format is like solidarity put into panels. The Samwell Men’s Hockey team’s motto is “we’ve got each other’s backs”, and there isn’t a single part of the comic that doesn’t 100% incorporate that.

Heartstopper

https://tapas.io/series/Heartstopper

The 2000s so far have been a rough contest for the title of “sweetest ya romance” but guys, we found it, we can stop now. Nick and Charlie are in highschool, Charlie is gay and out (not by will), Nick plays rugby because apparently that’s what british jocks do. Can i make it any more obvious? It took me a while to fall in love with the artstyle but when i did i fell HARD - the creator is re-drawing some of the older chapters, though, so your experience might be different. The story’s captivating right away, and you want everyone there to be happy from pretty much page 1. The creator also writes ya prose, and some of her books are about other characters from the same school. I love all of them, but Radio Silence is my personal favorite. She also has two novellas about Nick and Charlie themselves, available as e-books.

Charity Case

https://tapas.io/series/Charity-Case

I rarely start new webcomics anymore, but boy, this one got me FAST. and that was even before I realized it’s a polyam love story, which i love but is surprisingly rare in webcomics - at least the ones i know. Julien, an irresponsible young musician, resorts to sharing an apartment with two roomates who are a couple. I fell for the unique, gorgeous artstyle first, and by the time i realized i’m also super invested in the story and characters, it’s already become one of my favorites. Plus, Julien’s hair looks so soft!

The Property of Hate

http://thepropertyofhate.com/TPoH/

THIS is what comics should be. There’s so much passion here, not just for the story but for the storytelling as well - and the two aren’t as separated as you might think. A young girl is recruited by a TV man to be a hero. The world they enter seems nonsensical and arbitrary at first, but as they travel she discovers its logic, stories and secrets. She will also, as her title suggests, need to save it. There’s so much i love about this comic that i don’t know where to start, so i’ll just say this: it’s absolutely inspiring, in every sense of the word. Also, read the creator’s duck comics, they’ll make you feel things.

Webcomics i occasionally remember to catch up on, get blown away all over again by how good they are, vow to check them regularly for updates then forget. And repeat

Wilde Life

https://wildelifecomic.com/

I think this is the first ever webcomic i read that had a plot? I got on the wagon at around chapter 1 or 2 and it’s hard to believe it but it only gets better with time, even though it already starts at 100%. Oscar moves to a new town and immediately makes friends with a ghost and a grumpy teen werewolf. It has both monster-of-the-week type problems and overarching plots, and reading it feels nostalgic and brand new at the same time. The fantasy world has this special feel to it, that makes me miss growing up in the american wilderness even though i, well, didn’t. Plus, the creator is cool as hell. I knit her a hat in high school in exchange for a commission.

Sfeer Theory

https://sfeertheory.com/

This comic got me through a hard time and i’ll forever be grateful for that. Also, it’s really, really good. This is another case of a comic where you fall in love with the art right away and before long you find yourself caring very much about the characters and the story. You might also find yourself growing out your hair to style it like Luca’s. If you’re me it’ll be a lost cause, so, uh, keep that in mind. Luca works as a technician at the prestigious Uitspan university. A mysterious, powerful man is looking to change that. While the comic’s biggest strength is probably the gorgeous, fascinating worldbuilding - and Luca’s hair - the characters are also ridiculously easy to relate to, even if we don’t know anything about them. Even the most meaningless extras are somehow compelling thanks to the dynamic, rich art style. And did i mention the hair? If you like it, you won’t be disappointed by everything else Little Foolery makes.

How To Be a Werewolf

http://www.howtobeawerewolf.com/

I almost didn’t read this one! My brain has decided i don’t like werewolves and i don’t know how to reverse that. But then i saw Elias’ body language and it was extremely fun and friendly, and so was the rest of the comic, and the rest is history. Malaya knows she’s a werewolf, but seeing as she doesn’t know any other werewolves, dealing with that is hard. That is until Elias discovers her and decides to help, along with the rest of his pack. It’s filled with family and solidarity feelings, some dark mysteries and themes, and the art is beautiful and expressive.

Monsterkind

http://monsterkind.enenkay.com/

Another case of read-everything-this-creator-makes-it’s-all-amazing! Wallace, a social worker, moves - or rather, is moved - to District C, which is mostly populated by monsters. His heart’s in the right place, and apparently so is his apartment, because his neighbors are cool as heck and agree, some of them reluctantly, to help him get his bearings. There’s a mystery to uncover, some monsters to help and a dashing tea octopus to woo - for Kip to woo, anyway - and it’s all a delight to read. Every single character brings their own lovable-ness to the table, and even with the darker parts, reading this comic kinda feels like being hugged.

Comics that no longer update

The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal - finished

http://tjandamal.com/

Guys. guys! I’m pretty sure this is my all time favorite comic, web OR printed. I have the printed version, i still read it online occasionally, a lot of the songs mentioned in it are now saved on my spotify, i had it as my phone background for a good couple of years, the whole package. Amal comes out to his family and it ends with him having to drive to his sister’s graduation in Providence. There’s a guy in his kitchen who just so happens to need a lift there, and he’s willing to pay, and Amal’s too hungover to argue. What follows is the best roadtrip story ever. I’m seriously considering getting my license just to recreate that route. I just really love this story, okay? Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, the creator’s music taste is GOOD.

Prague Race - to be continued in text

https://www.praguerace.com/

The fantasy aesthetic to end all fantasy aesthetics. And the characters are good and interesting. And the world is well built and leaves you wanting more. AND there’s a cat. And it looks so good! Leona is irresponsible and spontaneous and gets her friends in some weird shit that leaves them trapped in a strange world, dealing with several curses, trying to survive and make sense of it all. I could spend a lifetime looking at the art and die happy.

Shoot around - finished

https://www.webtoons.com/en/drama/shoot-around/list?title_no=399&page=1

A girl’s basketball team and its coach, Jeff, deal with a zombie apocalypse. They make the most of the post apocalyptic world. There’s drama, friendship, found family, love and hope - it’s basically everything a zombie apocalypse narrative should be. And i love how the creator plays with the colors from chapter to chapter!

Rock and Riot - finished

https://tapas.io/series/Rock-and-Riot

It’s cute! It’s fun! It’s a 1950’s queer ensamble cast high school drama! It’s what Grease would’ve been like in a better timeline, except we still got it in this timeline. The artstyle fits perfectly with the story and characters, but if you want to see what’s the creator capable of now, read their newest comic, Project Nought. It’s a cool sci fi story and just like in Rock and Riot, it’s super easy to connect to every character there.

Alright there’s a lot more but i somehow wrote 4 google docs pages of webcomic recs in one sitting (this is what i’m able to focus on? Really, brain?) and i think that’s enough for now. Like i said, please dm me if you want to talk about anything here, rec some of your own, listen to my rants or tell me i’m a nerd. Or all of the above. I might make a similar post with print comic, but right now i have some dogs to pet. Keep being cool!

#webcomics #webcomic recs #check please #heartstopper #charity case #tpoh #wilde life #sfeer theory #how to be a werewolf #monsterkind #tj and amal #prague race #shoot around #rock and riot #i have a tendency to rant #i just!! have a lot to say ok #many opinions

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all-the-heart-you-cannot-see · 5 years

Text

i just finished Elite S2

so here goes the opinion no one asked for WARNING, spoilers ahead (duh) and a long ass character analysis (kinda, im not a film student, sorry, its mostly me being kind of bitchy about everyone lol)

just like my last one, i’ll talk about Characters, starting with the new ones.

Valerio, the most scandalous of the three (and he had good competition) i have nothing agaisnt his character, except for the fact that he is a cliche (except for the incest, that’s a first) i like him, i like what he brought to the show and i like how the season ended for him, what i absolutely hate, is how the handled his drug abuse. no one seems really concerned with the fact that he is basically destroying his life and every time rehab is mentioned is just brused off in a joke or something, i really hope he ODs or something in the next season so something is done for the poor child. as for the incest, as scandalous and taboo as it is it kinda made sense for him to feel the way he felt, i mean clearly his father doesn’t like him one bit, and i don’t think his mother is any different, plus, without that whole thing Valerio’s character would have been nonexistent cause half of the time he was just there to act like a complete fool cause he was high.

Rebeka, she was ok, i don’t hate her but im also not super into her, i don’t have much to say about her, i like how she always responded to Lu, the girl needed the competition, i like what she does to Samuel, it made him less lame than the last season and i like how Cayetana calls her out about them being sort of, kind of the same. she is nice, didn’t had much of an arc apart from getting samuel into shady bussiness...but yeah, she was ok.

Cayetana, i like her character, tho i feel like she is a little bit the same Polo was on the first season, they don’t do much, until they do the thing and everything becomes a mess. i see people hate on her because of how manipulative she is and, listen, i absolutely HATE the way she treats her mother, that is not redimible, but out of all the terrible things other characters do (kill, publish personal videos, uncover murder, uncover a drug trafficking bussiness, among others) stealing from rich people, is pretty light grey on the moral scale compared to the other ones. And i like her, she is pretty smart, knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. does she have bad qualities? sure, a lot, but i still like her, fight me.

Carla, my love, my life, i still love her to death. is she a bad bitch? sure, but she is a bad bitch with feelings, i have mixed feelings about her relationship with Samuel, on one hand, they were pretty darn cute in every scene they weren’t trying do discover/uncover murder, on the other, i don’t like Samuel, so i don’t want him with Carla lol. Maybe i’ll be more inclined to hate on the “bad” characters if i had cared about Marina’s murder, but i didn’t, and i still don’t. So did Carla do a lot of shady and inmoral things? sure, do i care enough for that to make me hate her? no, i love her personality, i love her character, and i still love her.

Lucrecia, a bit more depth was added to her this season, i think we can all agree Guzman was very hot headed even before Marina died so i can only think about all the things Lu did for him, i mean that scene at the end of season one? that was pretty heavy, Guzman was with Lu because he needed her the same way he needed his mother, but not because he actually loved her as a romantic partner, and Lu might be a bitch, but she didn’t deserved to get played with like that. BUT all the sympathy i had for her went away on the last episode when she made Nadia’s video public, that was fucked up. I like her as a character but i don’t like her character, i don’t know if im being clear. i like what she brings to the story, but she is still a bitch and needs to apologize to Nadia.

Guzman, he was annoying to me for the first part of the season, he was acting like an idiot and did he have a reason for it? sure, his freaking sister just got killed, i would get crazy too, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t annoy me the same way it annoy Lu and Nadia, i get it boy, you are sad, but that’s enough, there are healthier methods, ok? he also doesn’t do much, he spends most of the season wondering what’s wrong with his life, playing with Lu and Nadia until the last episode where he realizes what has been going on and hides Samuel.

Nadia, the acting in this one was phenomenal, the scene where she breaks down in front f her parents, SOMEONE GIVE THE GIRL A FUCKING OSCAR, as for her storyline with Guzman and her religion...i have nothing against Nadia wanting to experiment and doing things she shouldn’t do because she is in love, and she is a teenager and she doesn’t want to miss out on those things, but at the same time, i wish they used her religion for a porpouse other than to show how unhappy she is. Sure, it can be hard not to be like everyone else, but for many muslims (and people from other religions with the same kind of rules) their faith is not a cage, like it seems to be for Nadia. So sure, give me a girl that fucks up and kind of abandones her religion, but also show me what her faith gives to her (i strongly recommend watching clip 4 from s4 of Skam, “the best of Islam”, it’s what i would like to see in Nadia)

Samuel, he is not as lame as he was in season one, but i still don’t connect with him, i don’t hate him, or his character, he is just pretty meh for me, again, maybe i’ll like him had i liked Marina in the first place, but i didn’t care that much, kudos to him for figuring everything out and thinking of that plan, a thing that i didn’t really get was him almost killing his brother...the poor guy has been in jail the whole time, all he knows is Carla killed Marina and almost killed Cristian because he was going to confess, so yeah, i think is reasonable for him to think that you are in danger if he sees Carla kissing you, you dumbass, next time just tell him whats going on instead of punching him to unconciousness.

Polo, he didn’t have much of a personality in season one, but damn the change in season two. he is insecure, sure and suffers from anger/panic attacks (?) but that doesn’t mean he isn’t as calculative and smart as Carla, i feel like the only reason he was such a puppy going after her in season one is precisely because of his anxiaty and insecurity, but once he starts to find confidence he stops being a puppy and starts becoming a bit more like his former girlfriend, in that sense they truly do deserve each other. about him i feel pretty neutral, about his character whitin the story, i think is pretty amazing, and im kinda hoping he doesn’t end up in jail.

Ander and Omar, i don’t have that much to say about them, compared to all the other drama the drama they go through feels insignificant even if its not. i love that they didn’t break them apart, i love how they handled the struggles of their relationship, from how hard it was having to hide, to how things changed once Omar could be more of himself, i also loved that change, i loved Omar’s speach to Ander’s dad, it was spot on and it deserved an standing ovation, in this whole mess Omar seems to be the only one with common sense i swear,he should share his braincell with the rest of them, cause they desperately need it.

Finally,

Cristian and Nano, i dont have much to say about them, i liked Nano’s character progression, it was obvious it was going to end that way, he already wanted to leave in season one, and obviously his relationship with Samuel would never be the same now after all that has happened, as for Cristian...i think the fact that he was written off this season just shows how unnecesary he was in season one, cause apart from giving the power moment that was Carla giving her mother the middle finger as she ran with two guys to hook up, i can’t think of anything else Cristian did for the show in season one, apart from being the comedic relief (that hey, Valerio filled that position with ease)

so that is what i think about the characters in Elite S2, i know how mean i sound lol but i actually love the show and i can’t way to see how they will untangle everything that they’ve done so far

#ELITE #nadia #guzman #ander #omar #samuel #lucrecia #valerio #cayetana #carla #polo

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unproduciblesmackdown · 4 years

Note

40, 47, 59, 62, 76

lmao hell yeah thanks for All this support i love it!! quastions

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

really idk i feel like even our schools’s Antics were pretty par for the course and i was just sitting in the corner reading the whole time basically......trying to think if anything wild happened in college but even then it was p similar. well you know what, whatever donors covered the majority of the cost of the school’s black box theater being renovated apparently Stipulated that every other year a rodgers and hammerstein production be put on. absolute freaks. my roommate/friend and their then-boyfriend, the one mormon i have Knowingly Known in my life, were in pirates of penzance (sic?) together. hilarious

47. favorite type of cheese?

i like cheddar and like, parmesan, smoked gouda.....let’s get that shit Sharp!!! and hard lmao

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

idk i’d be like an npc just doing their weird thing on their own. i’ve never played pokemons unless you count pokemons Go but i think about the famed “i like shorts they’re comfy and easy to wear” npc kid. like, yeah. i feel the same. and would say similar bullshit nobody asked about

62. seven characters you relate to?

oh god.........recognizing the self through the relatable characters :|

well let’s just talk about the wrol roles right off b/c the characters that Most occupy my gay thoughts (which is to say: my general thoughts) will inevitably get priority when it comes to Remembering things

1) whom among us doesn’t relate to jared kleinman........will roland emerging from relative obscurity and coming for our entire fucking lives like the goddamn legend he is. it’s tough b/c it’s like, oh well alana is relatable too, so is evan unfortunately sorry evan, and in ways i might ~usually act~ like one of those two more than jared but. no. it is Jared who wins the relatability contest, and we all get to be beautifully haunted by it forever

2) leaning hard into winston even with the few glimpses of him b/c somehow will Cannot play an allistic cishet. and this is even More of a case where maybe i don’t much have winston’s demeanor.......even without winston being a beacon of confidence, he has more confidence lmao. and he has that ability to just Be Himself in a situation which, i wish i had that moxie lmao. i am a lot more [usually trying to be accommodating wayyyy harder than i should], booo......even though he’s clearly not great at conflict considering how it doesn’t take Too much to put him out, it’d be pretty impossible for me to be all “called them hacks and lame” or carry out a very irritated monologue in front of four people in the first place lmao. but who knows. and it’s more in the details of like, oh no winston’s the odd one out even though he hasn’t really Done Anything, but we all ~understand~ why he Deserves it.........his expectation / treating it basically as Fact that he will disappoint people.......the [weird] [offputting] behaviors and his way of speaking in What he Says and How He Says It seeming wrong to people.......like it’s only 15-ish min of content that we have here and we don’t have the least info about will’s own thoughts on the character but it’s like. how is this such an iconic Gay Autistic Quant b/c these vibes are so rare. and i appreciate that he can be ~difficult~ lmao. same with jared though i didn’t mention it. i can be difficult!! love it for us...

3) briony atkins from murder of bindy mackenzie as a character who Does act more like how i Usually Act Like lmao.....god we’re only on three i forgot there was seven of these. and yet i know there’s probably at least 2 dozen characters who could make this list and i just won’t think of most of them unless directly reminded......but anyways yeah i mean in person i mostly do Not want attention unless i feel comfortable enough / in my element or whatever. especially if it’d be some situation like “sitting in a group of randos” lol. i mean it depends b/c i also can sometimes be ~on~ in terms of Masking and trying to be like Haha I’m Social I’m Regular and i def engage in Nervous Chatter sometimes, but like, very often it’s like god don’t talk to me and i don’t want to talk either.....and then yeah people Will be surprised that like, idk, i’m opinionated as shit and idk that i Enjoy Things / Have Thoughts And Feelings coz the assumption i guess is that you must simply have nothing to say. so the dismissal of this person who seemingly has nothing to contribute and must be Boring rings true lmfao.....but then of course it’s also important that her personality Under that is the one getting mistaken for emily’s lol cuz yeah At Heart i am sure of that dramatic / intense / excitable type Sometimes. but it takes some excavation before i am like “oh i can engage in my actual self” and like weeks and months to get comfortable w/ people and i’m always suspicious that anyone actually would enjoy it and i’m not too much......i am a motormouth actually and have something to say about any and everything and like to Have Fun Here but like. idk i come off as boring and can be Notably Quiet lmao

4) oscar martinez from the office is weirdly [Haha Same] sometimes lmfao. sort of keeps to himself but also has to pipe up with Opinions and Pedantry and the kind of Drama of a restrained theatre gay. some deleted scene from an episode where during an interview clip of Jimothy in a theater lobby and you have oscar call from across the group in that [wearied Ugh God] way of ‘jim, they’re remaking ___’ while jim just kind of gives a cursory “wow gosh” or whatever and like, i sure don’t have lots of Theatre Opinions but that “oh jeez i have a Take on this and have to share it with someone” vibe is like hahaha yeah.....it’s funny in the “the gang goes to the ice rink for a third of the ep” bit where you just catch oscar doing [ice skating turn] with some solemn intensity.......the “here’s a question nobody’s asking: is this worth it” quote.........way at the end where there’s a whole deal with one of the indoor plants and he’s like “why is it a He” @ the collective gendering of the houseplant lmfao.......i love the one thing where he and pam and uhh toby right? have the Finer Things book club or whatever and jim wants to join just like ~ironically~ and pam has to tell him that oscar doesn’t want him to join b/c he’s not going to take it seriously and use it as a Jokes Vehicle. and then you get the scene at the end where jim Is basically doing that and they’re just like taking it out of him and oscar’s all very seriously like “did you get it all out of your system” lmfao like yeah, earnest members only lmao.....the thing where he gets mad at angela’s like Jazz Musician Posed Babies posters all “it’s kitsch it Destroys art” lmaoooo and in a totally different season all “this is the problem with debate” over the completely inconsequential “is [whichever actress, i forget] Hot” “”””debate””””.......the whole tendency to get involved and always have a take to get across.....opinionated-sometimes-to-the-point-of-petty central. also that he’s the canon gay, are there even any others? anyways and as the us office’s spiritual successor i’ll add on to this by uh what’s the name of billy eichner’s character on parks and rec? it’s craig right. that Self-Powered Intensity is very #me as well.

5) augh god........im like lmfao shit who represents my Hater Club side. hmmm. oh no wait you know what. totally different but i love Prof Beatrice Hotchkiss in the trt nancy drew pc game. she’s holed up in her room writing all the time and just is weird when you try to talk to her all like no i won’t open the door, bring me food, do this Research, bring me my Ski Boots i guess......and then when you do meet her it’s all at like post-midnight in the lounge and she’s all like, encouraging you as a Night Owl and your investigative curiosity and all and i’m like oh word yeah being up in the dead of night is the shit. she’s just weird and passionate and this is another character i might not Act hardly at all like but who i vibe with lmfao. hotchkiss was the supportive adult in my life

6) remembering how hotchkiss is a historian made me think of academia which made me think of like, once again with “these vibes are So So Rare” i really ought to put the wrol role of Nato on the list cuz like. that essential representation of “gets gr8 grades but isn’t really ~academic~ / doesn’t care about that and really just cares about Hanging W Friends and [real specific interests]” is like wow damn that’s the Mood. coz like to an extent i can always Relate to the ~overachiever~ types a la the [nerd character gets all-A’s and other nerd shit] deal, but there’s eventually the issue of like.....those characters like bindy mackenzies and alana becks Care about their achievements (not exclusively as some ppl would have it 9_9) and are Studious whereas i always hated school and was a godawful student in terms of Habits and always got good grades b/c the devil was with me or something and like people will think i must have tried real hard and dedicated myself to Academics and stuff and it’s like.........no................not at all hardly, sure i did my hw every night but at like 11:29 pm or studied for a midterm at lunch right before the class lol or flipped through a lil bit of the sat study guide the night prior.........the “low-effort dumbass who Academically Excels Anyhow” representation is so crucial like!! i run into a wall when it’s the Good Grades nerd character who is real studious and focused and stuff like. couldn’t be me. meanwhile the “naturally weird + probably some ‘deliberate’ weirdness” and “likes animals” and “most likely to just wanna Roll With It” and “shitty focus lol” and “non sequiturs” and “without [activity] i do nothing” is all like....ahahahohoho..........nato rly got to make this list. and honorable mention for Wrol Jeremy. again: whom doesn’t relate!!!!!!!!

7) damnit i know there’s So many answers to [characters i relate to] and whom cover like, more particular Facets here but i’m struggling lmao. Uh. like i’m like, who’s the Hot Mess / continually evolving disaster characters i vibe with......who’s the peak despresso detached Haters rep......who embodies the solo production lifestyle........dammit you know what lol i tend to Feel for like, the background ~nobodies~ who might just get like totally destroyed in some movie with life or death stakes just to like, show how much danger our heroes / Important Complex Protags are. same w/ jeremy not feeling like the Hero / the one who the story’s about / the cool guy / player 1 / etc etc etc i’m like oo i’d be the npc who doesn’t really do anything, i’d be the rando getting blown away in the background of someone else’s story. on a totally different note another shoutout / honorable mention to wybie from the coraline lmfao one of the best characters invented from thin air for an adaptation......tangentially relevant b/c he’s entirely here to support the protag / not his story at all, just here to help and prompt interactions / exposition really.......but love that [weird loner kid who’s best friend is a cat and annoys the other kid and doesn’t Get it and has specific interests and entertains himself and just is doing weird shit around here tf dude lmao killing it] like, #mood. #lifestyle. less dismal to relate to than the bg person who dies......his counterpart who totally dies is somewhat fleshed out / given Investment so it doesnt Really count as [background Nobody who’s really just fodder for “defining the stakes / threat level”] Character Concept

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

latkes maybe......Yummy

#i expect to now just think of like ten dozen Other Characters who would've been great to mention #c'est la vie!!! c'est comme ca!!!! speaking of. thinking of the hc that winston jsut. drops french phrases into his speech sometimes #building on the moi....tbt ur benston fic w quelle horreur.....#nothingunrealistic1

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laila-rk · 4 years

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Sam Mendes’ 1917

So far the responses to Sam Mendes' 1917 seem to be largely swathed in disappointment. Multiple reviews acknowledge the film's technical prowess but fail to see much beyond this (Telegraph, Independent). I have two problems with this take: 1) reviewers are using the 'technical aspect' of the film as a back handed compliment and disregarding the effect said technology has on the film, 2) there's more to the film than the technical achievement but no one seems to be acknowledging this.

Sam Mendes' directorial debut was American Beauty in 1999 and by 2012 he was the arguably unlikely director of Bond film Skyfall, then Spectre in 2015— the former in particular a massive box office and critical success. He made a series of movies in between which vary in quality. Revolutionary Road essentially felt like it missed the mark and came across like a 'what happens if Leo and Kate survive the Titanic' domestic-sphere moody piece. A little self-indulgent. Strangely it has the mood of a Terrence Malick (we love) with the aesthetic vibe of the first half of Peter Jackson's King Kong (must be the naff 30s-50s costumes, shared also by Fincher's Benjamin Button, released the year before Revolutionary Road). Road to Perdition is the story of a depression-era Irish gang assassin (Tom Hanks) on the run when his son witnesses a killing by his boss. The film is poignant and beautifully shot and stars Paul Newman, in case Hanks wasn't enough. One feels Mendes may have been trying to replicate aspects of it in Revolutionary Road but the domestic sphere doesn't provide enough breathing space when you've already put up with Kate Winslet and Leo stuck on a boat and the bit about the raft... (Frankly I can't really see Kate as a legit actor since witnessing her utter glee at discovering on Who Do You Think You Are? that she is descendent of literal 'Swedish potato thieves.' Yeah, that's a real thing. There's a joke about band names in there somewhere). Perhaps the less said about 2009 Away We Go the better (I could never stomach John Krasinski, though Maya Rudolph holds it together, just about).

Mendes' career then hasn't been success after success. He managed to establish himself as a mainstream heavyweight director with the Bond films, but his endeavours besides have hardly been what they were in 1999/ the early 2000s. And this is what I wish people were considering when critiquing 1917. That's not to say it doesn't hold up as a stand alone film, as I believe it does. But if we're critiquing with Oscar in mind, context matters. I haven't seen all the nominated films yet, but as far as nominations, I think it would be meaningful for 1917 to win best director (if not best picture, which I don't claim it will end up deserving when all nominations are considered).

Sam Mendes is a theatre director. In the 90s, before he began making films, he was directing stage plays. Why was American Beauty such a success as a film, why does it stand out from his others? Alan Ball began writing the screenplay as a stageplay and shelved it when he believed it wouldn't work in theatre. Undeniably though, Mendes' rendition of it retains an element of the theatre— Thomas Newman's score is a soundscape for Lester Burnham's internal dilemma; xylophones are Lester's falling rose petals, sexual fantasies are played out in percussive sound. Burnham is the very much the narrator, his voice-overs opening and closing the film and guiding us throughout at the most erotic/ sexually fraught moments, when he can't speak to the people on screen (hence: repressed family). It's layered like a play, and personally I'd love to see its stage incarnation one day. The point is, Sam Mendes is a theatrical director, even when directing film.

Why does this matter to 1917? Because its success isn't just "technical brilliance", its what this technical brilliance does. Mendes has unshackled himself from awkwardly blending theatrical drama with the film medium (Revolutionary Road). He has taken his skill as a theatre director (he won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for his 2019 The Ferryman) and thrown it onto a cinema screen without fear or shame. He isn't pandering to film critics in any way. He boldly abandons convention in favour of a one shot effect (several shots in fact subtly stitched together) so as to convey a real feeling of moving through trenches, the sounds of other soldiers and the sight of their blown off limbs in the actors' (and our) peripheral vision. People seem to love to berate this one shot as a gimmick— was not colour rejected as such in the transition from black and white (yes, it was). Perhaps we just aren't ready for it yet. Which is only ever the sign of great art.

The one shot isn't done without justification — where else to we see a war film follow two, and then one character for the entirety of the movie? The one-shot effect creates a sense of what it's actually like to navigate life, with the physical world passing by you unexpectedly, a rat running by you and setting off an explosion, a hand passing you a flare gun. Speaking of which, allowing the flare to go up into the air, out of shot of camera, and slowly falling down in the background after a length of time, the characters having a conversation meanwhile! This is the stuff of theatre. No one is rushing for the sake of audience attention span, no flashy in your face editing, everything appears to happen in camera, nothing appears to happen in post-production. In this way, Mendes brings the stage to the screen, showing us that the forms needn't remain in separate spheres.

Regarding the criticism about the acting— do we really think Mendes is unaware that the acting isn't flawless when he cast 22 year old Dean-Charles Chapman (recognisable I believe only from GOT) and George MacKay? Is it not possible that he was invoking the innocence/ naivity of WWI soldiers (whose average age was 24)? The entire rat/explosion scene seems to me a nod to the innocence of the soldiers— when we watch this scene, do we think we would've walked so brashly through the trenches? I don't think so. Mendes astounds us with the characters' actions, so that we subsequently remember that these people were largely children. That said, the slightly shaky nature of the acting lends to the film's stage-feel. Regardless, none of the actors are nominated so we can all probably chill on that point.

Best Director should be awarded to someone using their medium to innovate and experiment, not someone who sticks to convention. Even Thomas Newman’s score for 1917 makes a departure from his established style for a more orchestral sound à la Hans Zimmer. We don't have to be enamoured with every aspect of a film but we should be able to acknowledge when it's forging a new path as an art form, instead of criticising according to convention. Sam Mendes has come a long way as a director since the wishy-washy 2000s films which have sadly marred his back catalogue. His fusion of theatre and film should be praised, and any minor discrepancies within the film (acting, the same people who loved Birdman getting a bee in their bonnet about one-shot camera) could surely be set aside to celebrate actual innovation. If we aren’t ready to view 1917 as innovative cinema, we can surely appreciate what a departure and sign of growth it is for Mendes as a director.

#sam mendes #film #film review #film critic #film writing #oscars #oscars 2020 #ww1 #ww1 film #cinema #american beauty #kevin spacey #benedict cumberbatch

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angelkurenai · 7 years

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Boys - Bill Skarsgard x Reader

Title: Boys

Pairing: Bill Skarsgard x Reader

Warnings: None

Summary: Imagine being Bill’s girlfriend and being casted to play Beverly’s older sister in the new IT movie. Even if you characters gets killed early you stick around for Bill and the kids who love nothing more than to tease him about your relationship because he is super sweet and cute with you.

“I wish I didn't have to kill you.” Bill mumbled, almost pouting at you and you just chuckled at him, shaking your head.

“You can't change the script, Bill!” you pointed out “But even as that, I promise I'm not holding a grudge on you. I'm sure if there is one man on this Earth whose arms I'd have to die in it would be you.” you said with a soft smile and for a moment he merely gazed back at you with a loving smile on his face.

“Die in my arms, not by them.” he said with an almost adorable frown as he looked down, swinging his long legs back and forth like a little child. Almost adorable because you couldn't tell much of your boyfriend underneath all the crazy clown make up he had.

“Baby” you giggled how cute he was despite it all “It's not your fault and you know that. Besides, come on Bill! I am very much alive and talking to you! It was just a scene, I'd love to have some on screen time with you but we couldn't have that. Let's just enjoy the time we have behind the scenes, yes?”

“I guess you're right.” he locked his fingers with yours, gazing down at your hands “It's just- It till feels a little fresh, that's all.”

“Bill” you let a soft sigh, realizing what he actually meant by that “Bill baby can you look at me?” you whispered, moving closer to him and cupping his cheek to make him face you because he obviously wouldn't otherwise “I am here, you know that right? You can see it. You can tell it apart, right baby?”

“I- I am. I really am and I'm sorry if I'm bring you down. It's just- I tried to put the least bit of emotion possible into it but I simply couldn't. And it just... it was too real that-”

“But it is not real. It may have looked like that but I am here, Bill.” you leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I am just by your side and that's over. It was just a scene.”

“I'm sorry, sometimes- when it comes to you I just- I know I shouldn't even think about it anymore but it's pretty hard.” he confessed with a tight smile and you shook your head.

“No, it's absolutely alright and I understand but you could have told me earlier Bill. I wouldn't have just let it slip.”

“I know you wouldn't. You're too damn stubborn to.” he breathed out a laugh and you giggled, nodding your head.

“Damn right I am. Which is just why you are not going to get rid of me that easily!”

“I don't plan on trying.” he shook his head and you grinned, leaning in to press your lips on his hard. The moment you pulled away he only laughed more and you raised an eyebrow.

“You hang out too much with Penny, boo!” he pecked your nose and you instantly touched it. Pulling your hand away you saw some red paint had transferred there.

“Who knows, I might be him in disguise.” you giggled and he grinned.

“You know-” you sighed softly as his eyes fell back on your hands “I would have loved to be a little more around you and the kids in front of the cameras but that doesn't mean I am going to stop coming here because my character's dead. Besides, I guess-” you paused and shrugged “It would probably make the audience freak out to see Beverly's older sister making out with the creepy clown that wants to eat her and all of her friends!”

“Would it really?” he smirked, raising an eyebrow as he looked back at you “I mean it wouldn't be that hard to believe you could make even Penny fall in love with you.” he shrugged with a seemingly innocent smile “You're too beautiful to just kill on the first 30 minutes of the movie.”

“That's... both weird as heck and cute.” you giggled as he broke into a grin and wrapped his arms around you, your own resting on his chest.

“But come on, think about it!” he said so excited “Wouldn't it be a great plot twist? You are not actually dead but only hurt because he saw how gorgeous you are and decided to-”

“Bill!” you exclaimed with a giggle and he joined in with laughter.

“No Bev, of course your sister is not dead! There she is, sitting on the lap of the monster that wants us dead and giggling!” you recognized that voice as Finn's and you immediately turned your head to see all the kids right behind Jaeden who had a phone in his hand and no wonder recording.

“Shame on you Penny!” Sophia said, or at least tried to say, with all seriousness and menace “Corrupting my sister after everything else you've done to us!”

“I'd say it's more like the other way round!” Bill said in a Pennywise voice and then giggled just like when he was in character, looking at you “But I know she does never complain about anything either!” he grinned that characteristic smile.

You gasped “Not in front of my sister!” you hit his shoulder .

“And now you're slowly turning into a clown like you!” Finn gasped in fake shock “You're about to go down Penny!”

“But it's not all my fault!” Bill replied once more in Pennywise voice.

“Great, and now you are denying it?! I can't believe you, you are so lucky you have her close!” Sophia crossed her arms over her chest.

“What?” you looked at Bill “Oh now! Shame on you mister! I thought we had something going on here! I should have never left my family to be with you, you boys are all the same! No matter what species you're in! Or from what planet!” you scoffed, turning your head away from him but he tightened his hold on your waist to keep you there.

“No please, don't!” he pouted very clearly but you still crossed your arms over your chest.

“And for what? Sewers and floating kids. Yeah, no thanks!” you insisted with a hard look on your face, despite him pouting and giving you the puppy eyes.

“But I'll try to- to doll things up for you!”

“Oh yeah with what? Red balloons maybe? No thanks.” you scoffed as he whimpered slightly like a little puppy, a scary and weird puppy maybe, and truth was you had a hard time to not give in and either laugh or just hug him “It's over, Penny. We're done!”

“And cut!” Wyatt said and everybody cheered, clapping.

“Fabulous! Fabulous!” Jack's voice was heard above the cheering and you giggled as both you and Bill took a bow.

“Thank you, thank you! I'll make sure to dedicate my next oscar to all of you!” you giggled, letting go of Bill's hand as the kids run closer towards the two of you.

“Just dedicate it to me and it will be all enough!” Jack exclaimed, shrugging everybody else off and you giggled, ruffling his hair.

“Hey, if you want to hit on her get in the line dude!” Finn hit Jack's shoulder playfully and you grinned.

“Agreed, absolutely agreed! You're not the only one here!” Jaeden said matter of factly and you and Bill laughed.

“I'm sorry guys, but in case you haven't realized it-” you wrapped your arms around Bill's waist and he did the same “I am more into creepy looking dudes! And don't worry, you'll get it when you're older!”

“It's all in the smile, guys, it's the smile that won her over!” Bill said with a chuckle and you all laughed.

“But you stayed back on set not just for Bill and you've said it!” Wyatt pointed out and you nodded your head.

“Absolutely-” you said and watched as they all acted so full of pride “I couldn't leave Sophia all alone with you weirdos!” you completed and she giggled as they all at once scowled.

“That was a low blow! A low blow (Y/n)!” Jack said with a fake sad face before he once more fake cried on Jeremy's shoulder.

“It's ok Jack, it's ok. It hurt us all.” Jaeden patted his back as Jack fake sobbed and whined.

“Look how traumatized he is!” Finn said overdramatically “We all thought you did it for us! How could you not, (Y/n)?!” he added and Jack followed with another sob that honestly only made you want to laugh.

“Why?!” Jack sobbed and you snickered.

“We thought we were special for you! And you're doing this all for a clown!?” Wyatt asked just as dramatically.

“Well, Sophia and little Jackson as well but-” you didn't have the chance to complete your sentence as Jack sobbed once more even more loudly.

“No! That hurts my heart!” and he fake cried more.

“Alright you drama queens!” you couldn't hold back your laughter “Since your feelings are so hurt, I'll admit I may have stayed behind for you too!”

“See-” Jack was suddenly all cheerful “-I told you it was easy to get it out of her!

“Damn it, I still thought she'd insist longer! There goes ten backs!” he huffed, handing the money to Chosen.

“Goo! Now let's go find the clown make up and-” Jaeden started but he was cut off.

“So you wanna be little clowns don't ya?” Bill asked suddenly in a Pennywise voice making them jump but some chuckle.

“Well well well-” he grinned, letting go of you as he leaned down with a characteristic grin “Let's see who will survive first to get to the make up and then compete with me!” he said and made a go for them only to have them running away while laughing.

He pretended to chase after them but gave them a lead “What?” he asked with a pout and head tilt, making it all the more creepy because of the make up “Don't they want a balloon?” he asked you with a frown and you and Sophia laughed, shrugging.

He grinned, approaching you “I shall see you later my fearless ladies.” he gave you a small bow as you and Sophia laughed “I have some boys to go after!” he winked at you, grabbing you face and pressing a deep kiss on your lips and you heard Sophia giggle.

“I love you.” he whispered against yours lips and you grinned.

“I love you too.” you mouthed and with a finally, Pennywise, smile he was off to find where they were hiding. All the while his characteristic laughter echoing as he said he was going to get them all. It was a thing on set anymore in between takes and if someone from the crew ever run into a scene like it they would just pass by without a second look.

“Oh dear” you breathed out, sharing a look with Sophia.

“Boys!” you both said at the same time and laughed.

“Come on, let's go have some girl time before we can deal with them again. Someone's always got to clean up after their messes.”

#bill #bill skarsgard #bill imagine #bill skarsgard imagine #bill one shot #bill skarsgard one shot #bill fanfiction #bill skarsgard fanfiction #bill x reader #bill skarsgard x reader #it #pennywise

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