#with the twist and stuff even though you know maria is okay

[neotheater-kid]

I was like, recently years old that I found out Orpheus and Eurydice is Just Book OF LIFe????? Like what?/! That's

#book of life spoilers #I'm trying to use tumblr language properly #anyway #can't believe I had to sandman to find this out #I googled the myth and indeed its core shared elements with book of life I noticed in the sandman retelling are still present #I worded the post this way because that' probably definitely not book of life's only mythological influence #But 1) musician #2) gf gets bitten by a snake #3) musician goes to the land of the dead to save gf #and 4) sings and everyone cries #with the twist and stuff even though you know maria is okay #and then #there's that good dramatic irony #I think #pretty sure if I remember correctly #it still like #subverts that part of the original myth #so even if you know it you don't totally know what to expect and that's rad

[iluvshinytwink]

"Did you just say you love me?" - Jude Bellingham

"Be my lover every night."

Synopsis: In which you're baking with Jude as a date where Jude plans to say his first 'I love you' to you !

Now Playing . . . Ruthless by The Marias

a/n: i may or may not have gotten this idea from a show ive been binge watching for the past month 🙄🙄

ITWASJUSTAREALLYCUTEIDEAOKAY..

This also may or may not be an escape to forget im a layout artist for my exam and i literally have nothing in mind.

When Jude wanted to bake in your house you were a little skeptic, well, a little nervous on the fact he might burn your house down. This was your 6th date with your boyfriend and every date felt better then the last! Not this one though since there was a probability your house would burn down.

With enough promises that your house wouldn't burn down from your boyfriend you reluctantly agreed to it.

"Jude?" You greeted confused over the phone.

"Hi! I'm gonna come over by 5, okay?" Jude's enthusiastic voice said from the other line.

"Huh? I thought your practice was until 6?" You asked, sipping your drink. "They'll understand." Jude laughed. "And you already have the ingredients set and everything?" You smiled. "Yeah, duh. I have cookie cutters and everything!" Jude giggled which made you roll your eyes out of embarrassment and a little amusement. "Okay, bye then, Pillsbury Doughboy." You joked with a smile.

"Yeah, bye-- I--" Jude stammered. "I?" You chuckled, waiting for him to finish his statement. "I-- I'll see you later." Jude quickly said before ending the call.

Jude dug his phone in his pocket with a sigh and a racing heart. Right there. He was gonna slip, right there. A sigh escapes Jude's lips. He was so close to saying the forbidden words: "I love you". He's been wanting to tell you those words ever since the first date ended and a few minutes ago he was about to say it, over phone of all places.

This date was about having fun and making cute things with his girlfriend but mostly, this was the date where he wanted to say the forbidden words to you. The words that's been on his mind every time he looked at you. The words he wanted to say to you then and now. The words he wanted to hear from your lips too.

Jude hops in his car, checking the time which read 4:35pm. Jude looks over to the passenger seat where a brown bag full of baking equipment laid on top. Jude spots a bright red shape peeking out of the brown bag and decides to take it out.

It was a bright red cookie cutter. Jude couldn't help but smile as his heart raced knowing that he bought that stupid little cutter just for this occasion. Maybe you'll laugh at him wholeheartedly because of the cutter or you were going to giggle uncontrollably because of how cute it was, either way, he'd enjoy it with every passing minute.

You went over to your kitchen and started preparing. Jude didn't specify what the two of you were going to bake as you didn't bother to ask.

You wiped a damp cloth on your counter as your heart started pounding. Even after all these dates you couldn't help but feel giddy whenever you knew he was coming.

You didn't know what specifically was gonna go through this date but all you knew was that your house was going to be filled with honey-dipped laughter and pounding hearts.

About 30 minutes pass and you hear a knock on your door.

"Landlord!" The voice shouts. You felt your eyes rolling to the back of your skull knowing who this voice was.

Your hand twists the doorknob, opening it.

Your eyes meet his and you couldn't help but feel a dust of pink powdering your cheeks.

"Hi." Jude breaths out with a smile, his pearly whites peeking. "Hey." You whispered with a bashful smile.

"I didn't know my landlord could be so cute." You said, breaking the silence. "I didn't know either." Jude laughs as he enters your house.

"What're we baking?" You asked as Jude places a big brown bag on your counter. "Cookies!" Jude says with a smile, you smiled back joyously. "All this stuff for cookies?" You said, looking over the brown bag which was filled to the top with whatever ingredients Jude thought may be needed for cookies.

Jude begins taking out the items from the brown bag and you immediately noticed the bright red cookie cutter along with other cutters. A blush dusted your cheeks as you examined it.

Jude looks over to you, smiling. "This is so cute." You breathed out. "You bought this for me?" You said, looking into his eyes. Jude nodded with a chuckle.

Jude stirred the batter in a pot while you watched. "I want to stir." You said. Jude giggles, continuing to stir. "No, you're in charge of decorating." Jude said, looking over to you. "I'm the brawn, you're the beauty." Jude says with a proud smile.

You and Jude sat on the floor, eyes glued on your oven as the orange light illuminated both of your faces.

"Do you think we added enough chocolate chip cookies?" Jude whispers to you. "I think we added too much." You whispered back.

You looked over to Jude, his eyes still on the oven. You could see the orange light shade his face and you could also see the orange light in his eyes as he stared with focus. His mouth was gaped a little as he stared.

A warm smile wrapped your lips.

Around 30 minutes pass and that was 30 minutes of Jude doing nothing but sitting on your kitchen floor as he stared at the cookies which slowly rose.

"I think they're done!" Jude shouts excitedly. An excited yelp was heard from you as you quickly got your oven mittens.

You opened the oven and soon came an aroma thag engulfed the both of you. Jude takes a big inhale before exhaling, pleased with the smell.

You place the baking pan on your counter as Jude followed the aroma like a hungry dog.

"Can we put the cutters in now?" Jude whispered with awe. "Not yet, you're gonna burn yourself." You laughed. "But it smells so good!" Jude exclaimed. "Just wait another 15-25 minutes, Jude." You rolled your eyes, dragging your boyfriend away from the cookies.

The two of you were situated on the couch, your knees hugged to your chest as a show played on the TV. Jude's head was on your shoulder as he was slowly drifting to sleep.

"Tired from baking already?" You whispered to your boyfriend. "No." Jude blurted. "Maybe." Jude whispers.

The two of you were now back in your kitchen as the two of you hovered on the fresh batch of cookies.

Jude quickly took a cutter and pressed it on the batch. You laughed at his excitement. You quickly took the heart-shaped one and pressed it on the pan.

Jude takes a small piece of the pan and pops it in his mouth. You looked over to him, waiting for a look of approval or disappointed.

Jude's eyes quickly light up and his lips tug into a pleased smile. "Mm!" Jude exclaims. Jude takes another piece and offers it to you.

Your hand was about to reach out for the given piece before you decided to open your mouth for Jude to pop it in.

You opened your mouth with a giggle. Jude smiled wholeheartedly, placing the piece of cookie in your mouth.

You took a piping bag in your hands which was filled with mild frosting to decorate the cookies with. Jude takes another piping bag and begins to decorate his own heart-shaped cookie.

Jude takes a deep breath. This is where his plan was finally going into motion. He was going to write 'I love you' on the cookie and hope you got the message and hopefully reciprocate the message.

"I'm done with mine!" You squealed, looking down on your cookie. "I'm done too." Jude sighs with relief. You face your boyfriend, eyes looking for his plate with his cookie. You looked at his part of the counter and noticed that there was no plate with no cookie. You looked over to your boyfriend who was also facing you and with his hands behind his back and a cheeky smile wrapping his lips.

You laughed, excited with whatever design he made that made him hide it from you.

"Close your eyes." Jude whispered with a smile, nearing you. You closed your eyes as you tried to fight your smile.

Jude takes a deep breath, heart racing and itching.

Jude brings the plate to his chest, he looked down at the cookie once more trying to see if there were any imperfections.

Jude's head then lifts to you where you were still smiling giddily.

Jude then thought if you weren't going to say the words back, his heart sinks. He looked back at you and he suddenly calmed down. Deep down he knew that you loved him even without even saying it. And he hoped that deep down you knew that too.

"Open your eyes." Jude whispered and you did so. Your eyes quick found the plate and quickly read the message displayed.

"I love you." The cookie read. Your mouth gaped open as your heart began beating faster. You looked up to your boyfriend to be assured of the message.

"I love you." Jude said a little weakly. Your eyes met his and his eyes displayed nothing but love, love that was for you.

"I love you too." You breathed out with a smile.

This was so detailed for what ☹️💔💔 i love making fluff ‼️‼️ with all the angsts i've made i think i've forgotten how fun writing fluff was WAGHHGGAGAGAG

I SWEAR BRO BEABADOOBEE AND THE MARIAS DOES SOMETHING TO YOU ESPECIALLY WHEN UR WRITING FLUFF 😼😼😼

#jude bellingham #jude bellingham x reader #jude bellingham x you #jude bellingham imagines #delulu hours exe #iluvshinytwink

[joels-shitty-puns]

Pins and Needles - Chapter 5

Pairing: Post-Outbreak!Joel Miller x Reader

Series Summary: Joel has known you for several years, but it was always strictly business, which was easier and preferred. However, after you run into him in Jackson, avoiding him is more of a challenge than you'd like.

Series Warnings: 18+ only (MDNI). Alluding to sexual scenarios. Mention of masturbation. Kissing. Age gap, reader is 39/40 Joel is 56/57. Violence!!! This features outbreak day memories. Blood, stabbing, cannibalism, death, infected. An airplane crash. Spoilers from season 1 of TLOU HBO. Deaths from that season are mentioned. Nightmares. Angst/tension. Let me know if I missed anything!!

Other stuff: Reader is referred to by the nickname Needles, but other than that descriptors are avoided! Reader is fem.

This series was based on these two anon requests! Here and here

Series list: Here

Word count: 1.2k

Patrolling with Tommy went relatively smooth, picking up supplies at a drugstore and fortunately not running into any trouble. It was only a half day journey when you returned, Tommy approving you for full duty as soon as possible. With Joel.

Walking through the gates to Jackson, you and Tommy went your separate ways, him walking over to where Maria stood near the gate, baby on her hip, waiting for him. When he reached his wife, his smile lit up his face. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips before grabbing the baby from her arms and kissing their child on the head. It made your heart sting and you looked away, only to meet the gaze of Joel. You looked down, avoiding his eyes, and walked home. Alone.

The whole walk home, your mind drifted to Maria and Tommy, how happy they were to have each other. It made you long for the life you may have had if not for the outbreak. You felt silly getting upset over something so trivial as love in a time like this, but despite your best efforts, a stray tear managed to break past your defenses. You quickly swiped it away, like a cat with a Christmas ornament, and began to jog homeward. With the icy air nipping at your nose and lungs, at least you'd focus on how cold you were instead of your feelings. You hoped.

The run didn't seem to clear your head, but it wasn't long before you reached your doorstep. Twisting the key, you stepped inside and headed upstairs to shower before dinner. Maybe the shower would clear your thoughts.

_____

A half hour later, you were dressing in your warm coat and boots, heading out the door for dinner. But upon opening the door, you were met with Joel’s hand, reaching to knock on your front door. Fuck. What does he want? He's never done this, even in the QZ.

“Joel?” You asked, your breath practically knocked out of your lungs in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Did I do somethin’? You've been here two weeks and I've barely seen ya. Everytime I do, you look away like you hate me,” he asked hurriedly. If you didn't know better you'd think he sounded hurt.

“No, you haven't done anything,” you finished, leaving any further questions for him to ask, but not for you to offer. Though you hoped the conversation would die.

“Okay.. then why are you avoiding me? I know we never really talked much before but y’never avoided me before. We're goin’ on patrol together tomorrow and every other shift, so we should clear any issues up now,” his softness died at the end of his reply, replaced with sternness in his tone. But he didn't scare you. Not until he reached out to touch your shoulder. 

Your body tensed, not used to the feel of a gentle hand, and having been so touch-starved for the past 20 years. As much as your body wanted to lean into his touch and maybe experience more touch, craving the dopamine, you jerked away.

The look on your face must have spoken a thousand words, because he pulled his hand away quickly, showing that tinge of sorrow in his eyes for only a flicker before his mouth set in a firm line.

“No issues Joel. Like you said, we never really talked much before. That always seemed easier,” you replied before adding in a whisper you weren't even sure you wanted Joel to hear, “closeness only results in painful deaths.”

His eyes met yours and you wonder if he heard you. Instead of responding, he gave a single nod and turned on his heel, heading out into the snow.

You can't help but feel a pang of guilt settling deep in your stomach. This isn't what you wanted. Feelings…

You take a deep breath and step into the snow by your front step, your boots crunching on the sleet. Folding your hands in your pockets, you make your way to the town cafeteria for dinner, wondering what you can do to fix this situation with Joel.

Should you fix this situation with Joel? Maybe some distance would do some good.

_____

All throughout the meal, you could feel Joel's eyes darting over to you. You wanted nothing more than to leave this building and walk back home, but Tommy told you that you wouldn't be served food if you only took it to your house again, to eat alone.

So instead you chose to eat alone in the cafeteria, a table by yourself, watching everyone else sit with loved ones. Maybe you were making the wrong decision by closing yourself off. But when you first received help from another survivor after outbreak day, it was the advice you were given. Keep your distance.

_____

After the plane crash, your ears rang and the plane was smoking, but you were alive and conscious. The pilots were okay, and you made your way to one of the few living members of this aircraft. The old lady who lent you her needles. She looked to be asleep and you hoped she wasn't dead. 

“Ma'am?” You asked, walking over to her. She didn't respond, so you took a pulse. She was alive, and you gently shook her shoulder, making her come to.

She seemed okay, only slightly rattled and maybe a mild concussion at the worst. You were all lucky to have lived. But as you looked down at the needles still tightly gripped in your bloody hands, you felt your body start to shake and tears begin to well. You killed someone today. You killed other humans today. You were a murderer.

As you looked at the old woman, she set her frail hand on top of your unwrinkled fist, still gripping the needles tightly. Somehow, she seemed to understand completely, as she unwrapped your fingers from the needles. What were you supposed to do when you walked off this plane? They were insane, but you're the one who will be going to trial for murder.

You stepped off the plane, waiting to be met with police snipers and sirens blazing. But instead, the airport was completely empty. It was eerily quiet. What the hell was going on?

You walked into the terminal, where news flashed across every television. People were in a panic and banging on the doors of the airplane entrances. Turning to the television, you were met with the answers you searched for. An infectious disease that turns people into a host for a fungus. Resulting in a complete loss of humanity until you were simply a shell, doomed to suffer at the will of the fungus.

Moving to the nearest payphone, you dialed your family, only to reach voicemail. You called again and left a voicemail. You called again and hung up. You called again and received a busy sound. Your stomach twisted in a knot at the worry that something may have happened to your family.

Eventually you did hear the truth of your family. They were gone. Some were infected. Some were killed by other dangers. But gone. All gone.

After that loss, the loss of other survivors and friends, you decided to take the advice of that one survivor and never get close.

But that was before you met Joel.

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfic #pedro pascal fanfiction #a! wrote a fic #joel miller #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal x afab!reader #joel miller x reader #joel miller fanfic #joel miller smut #joel miller fic #tlou fanfiction #tlou fanfic #tlou #tlou fic

[randomgentlefolk]

CPC CHAPTER 154

Blaine and Lance 😭 I feel bad that their scene in this chapter gives me hope.

I know this isn't a good time for this but OHO?? 👀 Suzanna why does it seem like you're only worried for Lorena? Maria is there to, you know.. *COUGH COUGH*

Are..are they putting the bandage on the armor..?

Nah they did Lorena dirty by putting that freaky mask on her 💀 I say, Let her bite!

Wait so Leland is planning to rule 2 kingdoms at the same time? Or is he going to give the Plaid throne to Blaine? I don't think Blaine is in an exactly healthy mental state though.. Uh but it's Leland anyway. What did we expect.

I just can't imagine him wearing pastel ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ

Can you imagine him wearing pastel? I can't.

Haha everything might be going along with Leland's plan right now, but the second Frederick's crew came in, Well we'll see what happen :)

Speaking of the Omniscient Clam, I'm still wondering what connection it may have with green eyes and a piece of paper that is seemingly inside the green eye?

Something related to golden, green, and paper would be Frederick because of his golden hair, green eyes, and his love for book (paper, especially considering the ripped papers from his past in his dorm).

I remember theorizing something about this, but I forgot :') maybe if I remember it later I will post it.

Oh wait so he's planning to leave Jackie in the prison/dungeon to die? Well that was expected but still..damn, Leland 💀 (i wanted to say a dark joke but nah)

FREDERICK BEING A LEADER!! I knew his management skill would come in handy in this war thing!! Is. Is Aurelia going to melt the whole door..? Wait no nvm I think she's just gonna melt the side lol. Really thought she was gonna melt the whole door there 💀

Hm, I wonder if Prez's birth pill is working. I mean, I dunno. The side effects are accurate to what was prescribed in the label, but who knows. Maybe she's gonna transform into a giant spider mid-battle? Or maybe, half spider?

Oho? I see Saffron is blushing haha. The probability that he might have a crush on Syrah is hilarious to me considering their past. Or maybe it's another plot twist and is just going to be something silly?

Uhh okay I can never understand politic/royalty stuffs so I might need someone to explain this whole parliament thing to me..

LANCE. I BELIEVE IN LANCE. Right now he doesn't have any confidence, but I have hope that when Frederick break in, he's gonna join him.

Okay, allow me to be a Blaine fan real quick:

THAT'S! Those eyes are filled with pain! I can sense it jekwwmw he. I love him okay. This panel gives me hope. I think Maria will at least forgive him a little? Considering her sympathizing expression.

Uh, limoncello is an alcohol, right? Okay limoncello is made of lemon zest. Correct me if I'm wrong because I'm too tired to research. Anyway, lemon peel is highly flammable. So I'm just guessing here. Are they going to make fricking molotov cocktail?! THAT'S SO COOL. But at the same time who in the world knows how to make a molotov cocktail there? Whitney? The old guard? Syrah?

JAMIE AND LEOPOLD IS HERE!! Took them long enough lmao. And this whole time, Jamie knows?? I guess that explains why he never says anything even tho Gwen was thinking about the cpc while making the brownies.

Seeing her reminds me of the theory in discord about how this woman might be Lance's mother because of biological similarities.

I wonder what Isolde is preparing? Maybe something related to that parliament thing?

Ughh that's all for today I'm so sorry but my eyes really hurt right now from all the screen times I'm sorry again uh I'm gonna sleep now.

Mono out! (Not exactly in to hear your thoughts because I'll be asleep but go ahead! I'll read it when I'm awake)

#cursed princess club #cpc

[saintgoths]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ᴇɪɢʜᴛ

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT - WHITE ORCIHDS.

WORDS - 2,745.

RATING - G+. [fluff and angst].

SUMMARY - as isabella has a gut feeling that ivy is hiding something from her, she soon finds the pride to apologise to joel about her previous behaviour.

Ellie had stayed the entire night at the Rosalinds, she wasn’t one to eat much but the anxiety she had felt while she had sat down to eat breakfast with Ivy and her mother---had commenced her to stuff large portions of food in her mouth.

Being the keen woman she was, Isabella had looked from Ellie to Ivy, from Ivy to Ellie, suspicious to why the tension between the two girls was acute and fervent. With her eyebrows knitted down, Isabella had gently gripped the body of the fork she had held between her digits ere she asked them the question that had bubbled in her mind.

“Is everything okay? Something feels different…weird,” Isabella questioned and forcible, the two teenage girls had looked at each other before Ivy twisted to look at her mother, her expression stiff and awkward.

“Everything’s fine mum,” Ivy muttered out; and in disbelief, Isabella pulled her back to press against the carefully wooden designed chair that had been gifted to her from Maria, the matriarch’s expression doubtful of the answer her eldest child had given her.

Quickly reticent, Isabella had put down her single cutlery while she had gently sucked her teeth in brisk ponder. “I don’t believe that,” Isabella responded, “did something happen between the two of you?”

Fluctuant, Ivy gently breathed through her nose, clearly not bugged enough to continue her mother’s curious discussion. “No, nothing happened between the two of us---”

“Well, did something happen with someone else---”

“Gosh mum!” Ivy tiredly cried out, “nothing happened, you’re probably overthinking it.”

Surprised by Ivy’s random outburst, Isabella had raised the both of her eyebrows, her gut had now screamed that something had happened but the woman had thought it would best to question her daughter when it was a better time. Awkward, Ellie had lightly shrivelled up in her seat, by the corner of her eyes the Williams girl had noticed that Ivy had done the same, she had been embarrassed by her manners and had now slowly played with her food.

“I’m sorry,” Ivy lowly muttered and with a hum, Isabella had accepted Ivy’s amend and had focused her attention towards the two girls who had loudly made their way down the wooden stairs, even though Venus and Scarlett had made a ruckus with their sound, Isabella had found it quite nice that their content energy had trampled against the recent bitter aura; and with kind emphasis, the Rosalind matriarch had greeted them before they had sat down against the empty seats.

Comfortable on her seat on the sofa, the television that Joel had brought them a couple of days back had lowly played in the background, Ivy’s eyes had been stuck on the wide screen while she could feel her mother attempt to read her mind, thus, with the edges of her eyes, she could see her mother rub her thumb and fingers against each other, her eyes narrowed as she unsuccessfully hid her spy mission.

Slightly aggravated, Ivy sighed before she spoke to her mother, “Everything is fine ma’.”

“I know you like I know the back of my hand,” Isabella forwardly worded and genuinely humoured, Ivy twisted her gaze in direction of her mother. “You seem and feel different,” Isabella pointed out and beaten, Ivy crossed her arms, annoyed how her mother was such an observant person.

“Well, if something did happen, I would’ve told you, like always,” Ivy spoke to reassure her mother who had eventually relaxed her tense and solid shoulders.

Elated to see that what she had said to Isabella had worked, Ivy hastily smiled at her who gestured to pull Ivy into an embrace. “Well, you should know that if anyone had done anything to you, I’d have a shovel ready to dispose their body.”

Entertained, Ivy pushed out a laughter from the back of her throat while she had accepted her mother’s hug, and as much as she had tried to push the feeling away, Ivy didn’t realise how much she had needed her mother’s embrace, and if Isabella had known of the Rowan situation Ivy would’ve released her prisoned tears and soaked them into her mother’s shirt, but she couldn’t do that right now. “Well, I’m glad you and Ellie had made up.”

“It was just a misunderstanding,” Ivy explained and for a few minutes the two women had communed about the previous altercation she had shared with Ellie, but as soon Ivy had enough of speaking of that anterior circumstance, the younger woman had pulled her arms around her body, her mask filled with curiosity and conjecture.

“Why did Joel do that?”

Alert, Isabella blinked in response to her daughter’s inquire, embarrassed, she had softly raked her nails against the back of her neck as she summed her answer. “Adam said something that pissed him off,” the older woman sheepishly shrugged and entertained, Ivy moved herself closer towards her mother who had attempted to hide her inelegant façade.

“Did you sleep with him?” Ivy joked and entertained by her own assumption, Ivy chortled until she recognised the gawky and green look her mother had in her eyes, surprised that Ivy had assumed the correct answer the girl had pressed her hand against her chest, shocked.

Artless, Isabella crossed her arms while she readied to defend herself. “I---I he didn’t give me what I wanted the day he invited me to his home so I went to search for it from somewhere…someone else.”

Taken by surprise, the younger woman had fell into a fit of laughter, as her mother continued to explain about her romantic endeavours, as she had finally straightened her demeanour and hid her laughter behind her hands, Isabella could see the wetness stem in Ivy’s eyes, the cries of laughter had caused the woman to eventually laugh about her own high libido.

“Well, Joel has the right to be angry about the Adam part, but I’m surprised you fucked our Arabic teacher,” Ivy truthfully answered and finally shameless of her lewd habits, Isabella shrugged her shoulders. “You should speak to him,” and as much as Isabella had wanted to fight over Ivy’s small advice, both her and Joel were adults and capable of having a mature discussion.

As she had breathed heavily through her mouth, Isabella readied herself to stand to her feet. “You’re right,” the woman muttered ere she had eventually pulled her bottom off the sofa and prepared herself to speak to her partner.

The night Ellie had slept over, Scarlett and Venus had shared the young girl’s bedroom, they were comfortable enough to share the same bed, but the blond-haired girl had observed that Venus had slept against the floor that night.

“Venus, were you sleeping on the floor yesterday?” Scarlett curiously questioned and slightly alarmed that the girl had saw that, Venus lightly lifted her head up from the novel she had finished reading.

Graceless, Venus awkwardly beamed at Scarlett who ogled back at her. “I just finished Fire and Blood,” Venus casually informed and un-humoured, Scarlett placed her hands against her hips, unsatisfied that Venus had decided to dodge her answer. “It was hot,” Venus shrugged.

“Were you sweaty?” Scarlett suspiciously inquired and gawky, Venus bounced her shoulders.

“No.”

“Then what was it?” Scarlett asked and avoidant to reply, the girl had remained quiet. “Did you sleep-walk again?” Scarlett poked and in response, Venus shook her head, in wander, Scarlett nibbled her bottom lip ere she continued what she was doing before she decided to interview the youngest Rosalind.

Isabella had come up with numerous ways to apologise and explain herself to Joel within the duration she made way to his home, before she left her cabin, Isabella had made sure to grab a bouquet of White Orchids to gift him the second he opened his door; in flower language, White Orchids had meant the sincerest of apologies and that was what Isabella had genuinely felt.

With the flowers in one hand, Isabella had used her free hand to knock against his wooden door, his home had stood tall and silent but it had responded with life once she had heard movement shuffle behind the entrance. Joel had calmly opened the door, his eyes inviting and kind, definitely the opposite of what the Rosalind woman had expected from him.

The woman couldn’t control the pout she had on her face, and Joel himself couldn’t resist being angry at her, sometimes he would claim it was because she was too beautiful to be angry at. He had noted the flowers in her hand and stiffly smiled at her. “Can I come in?” Isabella shyly requested and softly, Joel had widened his door for the woman to step in.

“Sure,” he hummed while he had accepted the flowers Isabella had offered him, the second she had entered his room Joel had closed the door behind her.

Timid, Isabella had played with her fingers, the obnoxious confidence she had in her home had combusted with death, before she had spoken, Isabella had released a shaky laugh. “Alright, so, I’m sorry---”

“It’s okay.”

Surprised, Isabella gently threw her head back. “That’s it?” Isabella worded out, apprehensive of the circumstance. “No yelling? Being grumpy?”

“It was a moment of jealousy,” he responded, “and you can do whatever you want.”

“No, you had the right to be angry about me and Adam,” Isabella reassured and as she had softly taken a step towards him, the brown-haired woman reached to hold his hands. “I’m sorry for doing that, and thank you for forgiving me.”

“It’s okay angel,” he whispered, and candidly, a smile spread across his face, one that was able to dissolve and warm the beating heart in Isabella’s chest; and with smoothness, she had pushed herself closer against his body, her left hand had smoothly stroked the short strands of his grey and brown beard, the colour mixture had complimented his image and Isabella had loved how it presented him to be a man of age, strength and wisdom, because he was.

“I’m now yours, Joel,” Isabella fluently comforted, while her brown eyes had swam in his hazel orbs, Joel’s sight had effortlessly landed against her pink lips and his eyes arrived like hot seams of desire. “I’m only yours, okay?”

Reassured, Joel had dropped every rope that held him back from ravishing the woman who had stood in front of him, his large hands had let go of her paws and he hastily moved his hands to the back of her body just as he had brought her slender figure contra to his.

Immediately, his lips had enveloped hers, the strands of his beard tickled her face as there was a temptation in his mouth to lick her tongue, his hands had found way to grope her buttocks which had pushed a moan from the end of her mouth, the surprise had caused her mouth to open and there, Joel took the opportunity for his mouth muscle to dance and tackle hers.

Out of breath, Isabella pulled away from him, parts of his upper clothing wrapped between her fists, both of their foreheads had mildly touched each other but content, Isabella had let out a shaky laugh. “I don’t like arguing with you.” She kindly pronounced and agreeable, Joel had pulled his lover into a soft embrace.

“Me neither.”

12th of February 2021

Isabella had felt the world sit on her shoulders the second she entered the home she shared with Kai, Lana had dropped her off from the hospital visit and had even provided the idea to come home with her but the Rosalind matriarch had wanted to be alone with her husband, Kai, the man who had been loyal to the faux religious scriptures forged by the Oraphim Cult themselves, which had made Isabella wonder if the man had the amount of loyalty he had for them, for her too.

With Ivy in his arms, Kai had strode towards his wife, his eyes wide with curiosity. Isabella was such an expressive woman and what the man could see was that the woman was about to let herself to cry, exasperated, but not only towards the world but to herself, Isabella choked back a whimper, the palm of her hand spread against her mouth to keep back the sounds of lament. “What happened?” Kai suspiciously inquired but Isabella had the sudden commodity to keep her feelings and thoughts to herself and quickly evaded the touch of her husband.

Aware that Isabella had wanted to treat him with silence, Kai had then carefully placed their daughter down, his face already beaten with a pained expression while he traced after the footsteps of his wife. “Izzy?” Kai carefully called out, his expression placed with a frown, ruffled, the man placed his hands on his hips. “Isabella?”

“If I have done anything, I’d like to know, you know I don’t like it when you give me the silent treatment.”

He had then quickly aimed to reach for her arm, but with her swift movements, it had reminded the man how agile Isabella was. Though, the girl had finally turned to look at him and at last, he had seen the expression on her face, the time she had used to walk away from him she had allowed streams of tears to cover her face, but the time she allowed Kai to see her, Isabella had attempted to wipe her tears away. Her eyes still angry but there was a measure of hurt behind them.

“I’m sick,” she revealed, her voice covered with a tone of frustration so jiggered that Kai could hear the pain behind her voice, frustrated, she rubbed her five-month-old belly, tired and bothered by everything and everyone around her. “This place is making me sick.”

Weary, Kai sighed, confused he brought himself closer to her. “What do you mean by that?”

“They said that my body is too weak and the pregnancy is likely going to be bad for the baby and I,” Isabella thoroughly explained and taken by surprise, Kai pulled his hands off his hips, his eyes had darkened with alarm and abhorrence the second he realised that this pregnancy could leave with an outcome, of him losing his wife and his son, leaving him a widower with a child that had barely finished her toddler years.

“You’re supposed to tell me whenever you’re going to go for a check-up,” Kai muttered, his voice uneasy with fright, he had known the struggle women have when they become pregnant and how anxiety-bringing it was, Kai had heard of people who had lost their wives through pregnancy, some of them being his own friends, but Kai would’ve never thought that there would be a time where he would be kept on his toes with despair in thought that his wife was not going to make it.

“Well, I thought you were too pre-occupied with your faith to even realise that I was becoming sick, or to even care about my trimesters---”

“Isabella don’t say that!”

Infuriated, Kai pulled Isabella close to him, his eyes inflamed but had been sprinkled with flecks of anguish. “We’ll get through this together, Bella,” he reassured, but he himself was unsure if the end of his wife’s pregnancy would end in happiness.

Perhaps, Isabella could feel the uncertainty from Kai herself, but she had comprehended that right now he had wanted to be by her, yet, there was a speck of doubt, if the pregnancy had gone well would he return to his steel-like loyalty to the Ophanim faith?

“Everything will be fine,” Isabella whispered as she could feel Kai’s hand gently clasp her face, the hold the two of them had with each other’s vision, as Isabella had stared up at him, her eyes suddenly coloured with a theme of sternness. “I’ll be fine if we just left this place,” and the second she had said that she had saw the hesitance in his face. “Kai, this place is not good.”

With his lips pursed, Kai examined his wife’s face and could feel the fear and desperacy that had been written all over it. “Okay,” he eventually sighed before he pleaded, “but please, we leave after you give birth.”

As much as she had been unenthusiastic with his offer, in the end, the both of them would be leaving the community and that was what mattered. “Sure.”

masterlist

♆

#the last of us #ellie williams #joel miller #the last of us 2 #tlou #the last of us two #tlou2 #joel miller x oc #tloutwo #joel miller fanfiction #ellie williams fanfiction

[peridhot]

Cursed Princess Club by Lambcat

Meet Gwendolyn – living proof that princesses don’t always have it all. See, although she lives in a castle and her father is the King, Gwendolyn isn’t like a movie princess, or even a fairly-tale princess. She’s got a big heart, but isn’t particularly attractive and doesn’t have a Disney-quality singing voice. But one night, she accidentally stumbles upon the twisted world of the Cursed Princess Club, and her life will never be the same. Hexed and cast out, the ladies of the club are just the people Gwendolyn needs to show her that just because she doesn’t “fit the mold” does not mean she’s any less of a princess.

Read to completion.

Wow.... Okay, first thing's first: it was a really good story. I love drama, and this series certainly had it. The Plaid Queen especially kept me on my toes frequently. Everything about her story... it was like she drove the drama lol. I love her. Anyway, the story itself was very charming, though it did feel as though it dawdled at some points (and to be fair, it's very possible that they only felt that way because reading on a weekly basis is far different from binge reading). Now, that said, let me admit something: I... honestly don't remember a lot of it. Not that it's forgettable by any means!! I just... have a bad memory. Reading for multiple years, with breaks included, just means that I'm bound to forget some things. So, sadly, unless I do a full reread, I won't be able to give a full and proper summary of my feelings on the story. Based on what I do recall, though, the story is very good!! Some of the jokes and humor is somewhat dated, but not horrifically so. I thought Gwen's journey to self acceptance and appreciation was beautifully done. I will say (unrelated to Gwen's journey), it felt like the small picture was occasionally lost to the big picture. Case in point being that the cast of the cursed princesses was thinned out significantly as time went on, and less time was spent in the club as well, to the point that we could almost forget about them all, which is sad. Not that I hate Gwen's journey, but I was genuinely very excited to see a story about cursed princesses, emphasis on the plural, and to see more of their daily lives with their curses. I was saddened that we didn't do that. Well, we did it for a short while, but I mean that I wanted to do it for longer, you know? Some of my favorite princesses were left at the wayside for pursuit of the bigger picture, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it was kind of disappointing. Other than that, I've never been one who greatly enjoyed open ended endings, so the vague ending we got, while not bad, wasn't my favorite. It was a very well written ending, but I did want to know more, you know, wanted to see further in the future. What is Blaine's path like? Frederick's rule? Will Gwen move to the Plaid Kingdom to be his Queen one day? What of Maria's future? What about Lorena? Do any of the cursed club members ever break their curses? Did Jamie and Leopold have something? What about the ex-Plaid King, will he ever get to make amends? I don't know... the ending was good, but I wish it had more concrete future stuff. That's just a small opinion, though, and really just a nitpick. Anyway, as for things I enjoyed... I enjoyed the drama (as I said), the cast was strong and interesting, the various curses on the princesses were all pretty interesting and unique, Gwen's journey was well written, as was the start of the journey for Blaine, and Frederick's journey... there was a lot that was really well done! Overall, it was a very enjoyable webtoon, and it's sad it's ending. Thank you, Lambcat, for giving us this wonderful story. I would read it again.

#comedy #drama #february 2024 #started reading it way before that tho. probably at least a year or two ago.

[digitalmadness]

◤❀Cнαrαcтer'ѕ Sтυdy: ✿◢

Members of the Oracle (Xiuying's hostess club):

➤ Isamu: The manager who runs Oracle. Regardless if Xiuying is present or not, you will find him doing his job. Even making rounds to ensure every booth with a hostess and a customer is alright or going in the back to make sure that the girls are okay. He doesn't mind being one of the few guys who works there. In fact, Isamu loves his job. Not only because it's a good job he managed to have found after going through multiple jobs, but this job as a manager allowed him to be who he is. Expressed the person he hidden for a while to fit in other places.

He may seem a bit stoic and cold, but truly, he is a sweetheart. He is a bit awkward around new people. Around the employees of Oracle and the regulars, Isamu is a chatty man, who adores talking about fun facts not many know as well as subjects that interest him.

Cute HC to know? Isamu is the test subject for the girls to do a complete make-over. He is perfect for the job since most shades and colors of make-up - regardless of what it is (lipstick, eyeshadow, etc) - goes with him nearly perfectly. He never wears the make-up beyond the dressing rooms.

Isamu may not be this muscular man, but he sure knows how to put up a fight. He knows how to break up a fight and defend any girls who are in need of help.

➤ Liena: Liena may not be a hostess, but she is a mentor to any that works for Oracle. In meaning, a hostesses - new or old - are put under her care. While Xiuying knows her stuff, Liena is the one that knows every trick in the book. She will eventually know how a woman will work under her and gives tips and pointers that will aid the new hostess. From appearance-wise (making the hostess looking cute or sexy or alluring based on how she looks) to how they should act. If a hostess wanted to try something different, Liena is there to help out, though she knows what she is doing. A little twist Xiuying had decided to put in for her own hostess club.

If she's not busy training new hostesses Oracle has employed, she may act as the second manager.

Despite her age, Liena looks beautiful. Everything about her cones off as wealthy, though she was never wealthy to begin with. Her gaze may be sharp like a bird watching, but it does draw people in.

➤ Etsuko: The number one girl at Oracle. Rightfully so too. With an award-winning smile that radiates warmth and makes others feel happy, she knows how to pull men in. Her cheery and bubbly self knows no end. Her warmth is contagious, making others feel at home. Even outside of being a hostess, she is a bubbly person. The difference between being on duty and off of it us that she is more talkative with her customers. She knows how to make conversation and bring out her customers in talking as well as getting them to stay more and get more alcohol. Outside of her job as a hostess, she's a bit on the awkward side and tends to be shy. Etsuko isn't sure how to carry a conversation and will end up cutting herself midway, leaving people to guess what she's trying to say or encourage her to finish off what she is meant to say.

➤ Maria: While she may be mixed in terms of ethnicity - being blasian - she has earned her spot as being the number two girl at Oracle. Sure, her loudness (loud voice, loud personality, loud laughter) can overwhelm others, but in the end, much like Etsuko, it is contagious and make people feel almost homey. She knows how to charm her way around. Her knowledge of drinks - where they cane from, how they were made, and what can go well with it - as well as food makes people go wild. The other hostesses and customers alike. Not only with drinks and meals, but also other subjects she has a lot of knowledge on. Make-up, outfits, the best places to go, how to treat a hang-over, what's the best things to help your physical health, etc.

➤ Yuming: Yuming is the youngest hostess to come into Oracle as well as the newest. Being only twenty years old, she has a cute charm to her that draws customers in. An adorable face with a shy smile, she knows how to keep customers go head over heels for her. Sure, she does mess up a lot, though to customers, it's part of her charm. Such as mixing up drinks or unsure how to carry a conversation.

#『Hᴇᴀᴅᴄᴀɴᴏɴs﹕』

[submissivekillers]

Yo yo yoooi! Can I please have a lost boys x vamp reader who’s like the very first vampire to be born and she comes and meets the boys cause she’s traveling across the world to visit all her “children” - so basically ancient ass vamp reader who looks 20 something meets the lost boys cause she’s meeting the rest of her kind

like what i do? support me on kofi

ngl i basically pictured reader as a pre-milfication lady d while writing this jhgfdsa. brainrot!! also mild max slander

length: 2.2k

If there is one rule you’ve managed to learn over the long years of your existence, it is this: humans will take any opportunity to make fools of themselves. 

Santa Carla is no exception.

Even in the early morning before the hordes of hormone-addled humans descended on the beach, the air had been heavy with smoke and blood and sex, so strong it almost overpowered the scent of the sea even when you'd peeled off your sandals to wade in. In its own way, it's exhilarating; the anticipation had your old blood stirring, your excitement mounting as the sun dipped low and the crowds swelled. From the window of your little motel room, you'd had a wonderful view of the flood of humans that spilled onto the boardwalk, the vast majority of them young and already inebriated to some degree. Ripe for the picking.  

It's not humans that you're hunting for tonight, though. At least, not yet.  

At a leisurely pace, you wander the boardwalk, taking your time to enjoy the local color. You indulge in a vivid blue cloud of cotton candy, try a couple rides, win yourself a stuffed whale after breaking a few bottles and promptly gift it to the first kid you see. A belligerent twenty-something who stinks of beer tugs at the hem of your white dress as it swishes around your thighs and you break his wrist without a second thought, disappearing into the crowd long before his scream of pain is lost in the echo of blaring music and shrieks of sugar-fueled glee. 

You're in line behind a gaggle of chattering teens at an ice cream stand when your nerves prickle, feeling the weight of eyes on the back of your neck. Without turning, you inhale, nose wrinkling as the acrid smell of old blood fills your nose. They absolutely reek of the stuff - it's so strong that you're a little surprised even the humans aren't picking up on it. But then again, maybe they just can't pick it out under the layers of weed and exhaust smoke.

The teens disperse, laden with several precarious cones of ice cream, and the bored woman behind the counter waves you up. You open your mouth, but there's an arm around your waist before you can say a word, a cool body pressed against your side. A ringed hand slaps a crumpled five-dollar bill on the counter, mismatched bracelets jingling with the motion. 

"We got the lady's order tonight, Peggy," comes a voice from your other side. You glance over the top of your glasses (cheap, heart-shaped things rimmed in vivid pink, scavenged from last night's meal) and meet the gaze of a cherubic blond, his pale blue eyes calculating as he worries his thumbnail between his teeth.  

The arm around your waist squeezes tighter. You turn your head, tilting your chin slightly so you can lock eyes with another pair of baby blues. They sparkle at you mischievously as your fellow vampire, bends to whisper in your ear, teased blond mane tickling your nose. "What can I get for you, baby girl?" 

You make a show of considering your options, pouting faintly as you prop a hand under your chin. You slip your other hand around his waist, idly toying with the mesh of his ridiculous fishnet top and grinning when he shivers at the scrape of your painted nails. "Chocolate shake, I think," you murmur, looking up at him through your lashes. "Are you getting anything?"

Rocker boy shakes his head, tips you an exaggerated wink as he shoves the fiver towards the increasingly petrified-looking cashier. "Nah, all yours tonight."

"Sweet of you," you chirp, popping up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. He beams at you sunnily, shooting an excited glance at the cherub over the top of your head.

Peggy pushes your shake over the counter, lid only half-on in her haste to get the three of you away from her little stand. You manage to flash her a smile (aiming for sympathetic, but perhaps landing closer to smug) before you're pulled away, happily taking a sip of your drink as the cherub comes to walk at your side, trapping you between their bodies. You address the rocker first, catching the way his eyes dart down to catch you licking the ice cream from your lips. "You got a name?" 

"You can call me Paul, baby," he purrs, then wiggles his brows at you suggestively. "Or daddy, if ya want." 

You snort around the straw of your shake, unable to resist the grin that tugs at the corners of your mouth. It's definitely one of the more low-effort pickup lines you've ever heard, but something about him - the goofy little eyebrow waggle, the answering grin when you laugh at him like he knows exactly how ridiculous he is, his overall puppyish manner - manages to push it over the line from sleazy to charming. "You should be so lucky."

"I'd be the luckiest man in the world, I think," he flashing you a smile that's slower, more seductive than his cheesy grin - the kind of smile that would make any pretty young human a little more willing to spread their thighs. 

It's perhaps more effective on you than you care to admit, but you ignore the lazy heat that curls down your spine, turning to bat your eyes at the cherub. "How 'bout you, handsome?" 

"Marko," he says shortly. His face is young, but he's definitely the older one here - you can always tell by the eyes. "And you're on our turf."

"What, a girl can't take a little vacation in peace? I thought this was a free country," you huff in mock indignance.

Marko narrows his eyes at you. "Free country, maybe. Not free hunting grounds." He gnaws his thumbnail again, scanning you like he's trying to judge a threat - though it seems he can't help lingering for a long moment on the bare skin of your thighs. "Mind coming with us? David wants to meet you." 

David. The name is familiar - Max's first, if you recall. From what you'd heard, he could be quite a territorial creature. 

Paul, perhaps mistaking your thoughtfulness for unease, squeezes your shoulder reassuringly. "Hey, you're not in trouble. We just wanna make sure you're cool, you know?" His thumb draws steady circles over the arch of your shoulder blade. "This is our turf, but if you're not gonna cause any trouble, you'll be okay." 

The expression on Marko's face makes you doubt Paul's optimism, but you play along, curling a hand around his bicep and leaning in. "But what if I like causing trouble?" 

Paul grants you another sunny grin. "Then you can cause trouble with us," he murmurs against the shell of your ear. "I bet we could show you a good time." 

Marko clears his throat, distracting you from your flirting, and you're suddenly aware of the scent of blood grown stronger - along with the pungent smell of motor oil. Looking ahead, you see a group of bikes before you, two more vampires leaning against their respective rides. 

Both handsome, and you can tell they're both strong - but it's clear from a glance which one is the leader. 

"Thanks for fetching our guest," the blond - David, you know instinctively - rumbles, his voice a warm, sardonic purr. He looks you up and down, the weight of his eyes like a physical thing. "Welcome to Santa Carla."

"Do you give all visitors a personal welcome?"

"Only the interesting ones." He smiles at you, the edge of a fang glinting in the light. "Come with us. There's someone you should meet." 

You lift a brow. "Oh? And here I figured you were the one in charge around here?" 

"I am, don't get it twisted," he shoots back lazily, pulling a battered pack of cigarettes from inside his duster. "But our sire wants to meet you." 

"Ah, so you're the lead enforcer," you muse, nodding. David gives you a look caught between exasperation and amusement and takes point as you're herded after him. "And you?" You chirp, turning to the dark-haired boy who walks behind you. 

He blinks languidly at you. "...Dwayne." 

Strong and silent. You can appreciate that in a man. 

You're lead to a video shop in the center of the boardwalk, fielding Paul's flirting, Marko's questions, and Dwayne's cautious stare as you go. David walks slightly ahead of the rest of you, puffing on a cigarette and occasionally glancing at you out of the corner of his eye.

As you approach the door you hear Dwayne sniff, his rumble of "Maria's not here yet," barely audible even to your heightened senses. 

"Good," David murmurs, pulling open the door with a merry chime of the little bell. He bows his head, making a sweeping gesture to usher you by. "After you."

Drifting inside, you're assaulted by flickering screens and lurid posters, a storm of color and noise. You run a fingertip down the spine of a videotape, but a whimper draws your attention. Bending at the waist, you catch sight of Max's hound hiding under a desk, watching you with ears pinned flat to his skull. 

Shame, really. You found him rather cute, but the beast had always been terrified of you. 

A familiar scent reaches your nose, and a familiar face follows soon after - though he's changed significantly since the last time you saw him. The trappings of the modern world suit him well, you have to admit; the thick glasses lend a sort of non-threatening charm to his face, which you suppose is the point.

"Thorn, what's gotten into"—he stops so quickly his shoes squeal against the floor, the friendly shopkeeper guise dropping in the space of a blink—You." 

"Maxie." You greet, inclining your head. "You look... alive. In a manner of speaking, of course." 

He steps between you and the hound, hands curled into tense fists at his sides. "What are you doing here?" 

"Just sightseeing, really," you say soothingly, holding up your hands in surrender. "Figured the time was ripe to catch up with the world, see how all my little birds are doing. Carmilla sends her love, by the way." 

"This is my territory," Max hisses through his teeth, eyes bleeding yellow. "You know you can't be here without prior notice, it's law—" 

You sigh through your nose and snap your fingers. "Maximillian, kneel."

He falls to his knees hard enough that the tile cracks under his weight. You step closer, lifting his chin to meet his furious glare; he visibly strains against your order, a vein pulsing in his temple. You have no doubt that he would tear your throat out if given the chance.

But you've been alive entirely too long to let a little upstart like Max get the better of you.  

"I'm not here to cause trouble," you say, calmly, but firm. "But I made the laws, Max. You would do well not to forget that." 

He bares his teeth at you, face fully transformed to reveal the beast within. You look at him impassively for a moment, then sigh, turning on your heel and edging past a stunned Dwayne. "I'll meet you outside, boys."  

You push through the door with more force than strictly necessary, the tinkle of the bell almost mocking your dampened mood. Disappointing. Max had always clashed with you, even if he lacked the nerve to do anything about it. You'd hoped that a few hundred years apart might have cooled his animosity towards you, but clearly that was too much to hope for. 

You suck on your straw, making a face at the airy rattle you get instead of ice cream. All out of milkshake, and still so thirsty.  

The bell jingles again, heralding the approach of Max's coven. "I apologize for not warning you," you say before any of them can speak, twirling your empty cup. "I did have a feeling Max would react badly to seeing me. He's always been a bit of a cunt when things don't go his way." 

"How old are you?" Marko blurts. 

"Don't you know it's rude to ask a lady's age?" You tut, waving a finger in mock-indignation. "Really. No manners at all."

David steps forward, eyes glittering in the neon lights. "You turned Max." 

"No," you say, smiling to show off the long, curving points of your canines. "But I turned his sire. And I turned the sire before her, too." 

Glances are exchanged. Dwayne and David hold each other's gaze for a long moment, then Dwayne breaks away to glance at Marko, murmuring something just quietly enough that you don't catch it. Paul smiles, curious and admiring, and when David looks back at you there's a cautious interest written in the lines of his face. 

"Tell you what," you purr, looping your arms around David's neck. His gloved hands come to rest on your hips, leather creaking as he idly kneads the flesh hidden beneath soft cotton. "My throat's feeling a little dry. Why don't you boys take me for a drink, and then I’ll answer a few questions."

#the lost boys x reader #the lost boys imagine #horror imagines #sfw

[cjsinkythoughts]

FATWS One Shot #6 - No One Said Anything About a Metal Arm

Word Count: 2011

Warnings: Explosions, Gunshots, The Winter Soldier, Implied Death, Stevie Almost Crying

Setting/Characters: Towards the End of Captain America: The Winter Soldier; Reader, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Natasha Romanoff, Maria Hill, Nick Fury, Bucky Barnes; Mentions of Alexander Pierce, Arnim Zola

A/N: This one took me a while to write and I’ll tell you why. Rewatching this movie made me want to do a complete rewrite of it. I had so many ideas of where the reader could be and why and what she was doing then and all that. But…I told myself this is a One Shot of her unofficially meeting Bucky for the first time. Which is why it seems incomplete - because it kinda is - it’s just that scene picked from the movie. Am I happy with it? Eh. Am I holding back from writing more parts and just saying “forget this piece, it never happened”? Maybe. But, I can’t. I wish I could. But if I were to rewrite this movie, I’d rewrite the next one. And the next one. And it would take me months to finish these. So…this is what you’re getting.

Also, NO ONE MENTION WHAT’S ABOUT TO HAPPEN IN A COUPLE HOURS! I’M THIS CLOSE TO FREAKING OUT!

Thanks! As always, it’s not beta’d, so please excuse mistakes! Enjoy reading, be kind to yourselves and others, and stay tuned!

FATWS Masterlist

cjsinkythoughts Masterlist

********

Sitting on the edge of the old dam was calming. Peaceful, even. The constant sound of the flowing water, the trees swaying in the slight breeze. It was nice to take a breath after everything that had gone down the past week.

To say you were worried was an understatement. The last time you saw Steve was the evening after you met Sam. He dropped you off at your place, refusing your invitation to stay saying that he should probably check on his apartment since he hadn’t been there in a while.

A lot had changed since then.

Steve was wanted by SHIELD, along with Natasha. Fury was considered dead, but was actually still kicking in the structure beneath your feet with the help of you and Hill. You had tried to go after Steve, but it was too risky. Pierce - who you were almost 100% certain was behind this whole thing - had been keeping a close eye on you since Steve ran away, knowing you’d be behind him. You tried to catch the blonde at the hospital, but you were seconds too late, meeting up with Natasha who told you STRIKE already took him away for questioning.

You had been called by Hill and she told you what had happened. Fury had asked for your help specifically, considering the amount of times you’d had to fake your own death while being undercover. And you’d been dealing with that ever since.

You had wanted to go get the three of them - you learned Sam joined Steve and Natasha, which somehow didn’t surprise you - but Hill refused, saying you needed to stay there just in case.

But Fury was fine, no one was coming, which is how you found yourself swinging your legs above a hundred feet of rushing water.

It didn’t last long. A car pulling up to the side entrance caught your eye and you immediately swung your legs around to rush towards the stairs. It’s not like you haven’t gone longer without seeing Steve before. You’d gone months without seeing him. It was your job. But this was different. Whether it was because for the first time he was the one who left or because he was on the run from the organization you worked for, you didn’t know and didn’t care. All you knew was you needed to see him. Make sure he was okay.

It took you a while to get there, all the stairs and corners and twist and turns. You got there just as Fury ended his explanation, hearing him tell the trio, “can’t kill you if you’re already dead. Besides…I wasn’t sure who to trust.”

Your footsteps were echoing and you were sure Steve heard you but when you entered the room, his eyebrows shot up, his eyes widening. “Honey?”

“Oh thank fucking God.” You breathed out, jogging over to squeeze him tightly. 

“Y/N…” He murmured in your hair, hugging you tightly back. “What happened? Why are you here?”

Pulling back, you jerked your thumb over your shoulder to the director. “I’m saving his ass.” Your finger then jabbed into his firm chest, your lips falling into a frown. “And worrying about yours. Are you okay?”

“I am. Natasha got shot, but she’ll live.”

You looked over at Natasha, who nodded in confirmation, before looking back into those azure eyes of Steve’s. “What happened? Pierce is keeping a tight lid on everything. I was gonna come find you, but I couldn’t because he was watching me. It’s a miracle I got away from them to help Nicky boy. I haven’t gone out since. But, honest, I was gonna-”

“Honey, honey. You’re rambling again.” Steve chuckled, hand resting on the back of your head, fingers tangling in your hair. “It’s okay. I’m glad you’ve been safe here. Pierce is behind this whole thing-”

“Yeah, I figured that-”

“-It’s HYDRA, Y/N.”

You froze. “What? HYDRA? Whaddya mean?”

Steve nodded. “HYDRA’s what’s been infiltrating SHIELD. It’s a long story, but Zola continued it when he was hired for-”

“Operation Paperclip. Yeah, I remember learning about that.” You ran a hand over your face. “Okay…” You hummed, looking at the three of them. “Let’s…talk about it more in a little bit. I know we gotta act soon, but Natasha and Fury need to heal a little bit longer and you should get some rest. You look tired.”

Everyone seemed to agree with your statement, starting to disperse from the room. You started walking out, too, when Steve grabbed your bicep and pulled you aside, down the hall a ways away. You opened your mouth, only for him to pull you into his chest.

“I’m really glad you’re okay.”

You nodded, lightly scratching his back, your arms around his slim waist. “I’m glad you are too.” You could feel how tense he was, which was understandable considering what he’d gone through the past couple days. But there was something else. Something in the grip he had on your shirt. The way his heart was hammering against your chest. His erratic breathing and his ducked head. You pulled away to catch his jaw between your fingers, eyes scanning the anguish in his own. “Bubba? What’s wrong?”

It took a moment for him to answer, his eyes growing sadder with every second that passed. “It was Bucky.”

“What?” You felt like the air was knocked out of you. “What do you mean?”

“The Winter Soldier. The assassin who shot Fury. The one who tried killing us on the bridge. It was Bucky. It is Bucky. I saw him, Y/N. I saw his face. It’s him. He survived. When they experimented on him, it must’ve…God, I’m so…I didn’t even notice…I didn’t even check…I left him…” he shook his head, which fell to your shoulder. “Stupid. I’m so stupid.”

“No, no.” You shook your head quickly, fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck as you twisted to kiss the hinge of his tense jaw. “It wasn’t your fault, Steve.” You mumbled softly, lips brushing over the shell of his ear. “It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known. He fell thousands of feet, Stevie. You wouldn’t have found him even if you did.”

HIs grip on your hips tightened. “But I didn’t even try.” His voice broke on that last word. “And how could I not notice something going on with him? There were two years between being experimented on and falling. How-?” Voice catching in his throat, he stopped talking to stop himself from crying. You knew he hated crying.

“You can’t do anything about past Bucky.” You reminded him gently. “But you can help him now.”

“He didn’t even remember me.”

“Then make him.”

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

To say you were pissed was an understatement. “I’ve been doing undercover stuff for years! This is a piece of cake!”

Steve shook his head. “You’ll be more helpful with Hill. You know more about Project Insight than me, Sam, and Natasha.”

“Bullshit, Steven! You just don’t want-”

“Honey, please.”

You clenched your jaw, glaring at him as he gave you those fucking puppy eyes, his dumb pink lips stuck in a pout. Letting out a rather aggressive puff of air, you looked away. “Fine. But I hate you.”

He beamed and nodded. “I can live with that.”

“Okay.” You glanced at the others. “You all ready?”

“Let’s get these sons of bitches.” Sam stated, making the final adjustments to the wings.

Natasha gave a smirk. “As long as you are.”

Turning back to Steve, you raised an eyebrow, waiting for the captain’s orders. He nodded. “Let’s head out.”

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

“There’s a problem on the flight deck.” Hill informed you, looking at the alert. 

“Alright. I’ll-”

“Stay with Hill!”

You rolled your eyes at Steve’s voice through the comms. “Sorry, Cap. You’re breaking up.”

“I know I’m not, Y/N! I’m serious! Stay there!”

But you were already moving towards the flight deck. “I’m not gonna sit on my ass here, Rogers! Hill’s got it covered! I’m just gonna go check it out!”

“Honey-!”

“Bubba!”

The line went quiet and for a moment you thought you lost connection. “Please stay safe.”

You let out a sigh at his quiet pleads, nodding even though he couldn’t see you. “That goes for you, too, Steve.”

By the time you got out there, most of the jets were in flames, pilots and crew members scattered around the deck. You scanned the wreckage, trying to find the source-

A gunshot made your head whip to the side. Found it. Or, more accurately, him.

He was standing on top of one of the jets, gun pointed down at the pilot that was sitting in it. Before he could slip in the cockpit, though, you took out your gun and fired at him. Even though you knew who he was, when he looked at you it made your blood run cold. It was confirmation - not that you didn’t trust Steve - but still. Seeing is believing. yet seeing the same eyes you’d seen sparkling up at you from pictures now staring you down, void of any emotion? It was hard to believe it was the same person.

“Oh shit. Bubs?”

“What?! What’s wrong?! Are you okay?!”

You took a couple steps back as the Winter Soldier, no. Bucky - Steve’s Bucky - strode towards you. “Uh…nothing, nothing. I just I, uh, found your Bucky.”

“Y/N, get outta there now! I told you to stay with Hill!”

“Fuck!” You dove out of the way as the assassin started shooting at you. “Now’s not the time for reprimanding, Steven!”

You tuned out his cursings so as to not get distracted when you became engaged in a hand-to-hand fight with the fucking Winter Soldier.

“Hi.” You grunted, ducking under his arm and throwing a kick at him, faking it at the last second. Except, he’d already grabbed your ankle. But you did kick him with your other foot. But…he didn’t really move and it made you fall back, so…fail. You let out a grimace when the wind was knocked out of you, but you couldn’t lay there for long as he moved to slam his foot down. You rolled out of the way, swinging your legs up to hit him in the back of the knee. “Nice to finally meet you.”

He growled as Sam exclaimed, “are you seriously chatting with him?”

“It’s mostly one sided - dammit!” The both of you had gotten on your feet again, and you tried hooking your left knee around his left shoulder to tug him down, but he had slammed you against a jet, your leg stretched in a very uncomfortable position as your free foot stood on your toes. He had his metal arm - which no one had informed you about and you were kinda salty about it - against your throat, his other hand coming up in a fist.

Bouncing on your toes a bit, you finally lifted your free leg up to knee him in the side of his face, making you wince slightly at the stretch and the burn in your left thigh, which was the only thing besides his metallic limb holding you up against the jet.

He stumbled to the side, throwing you by the leg on his shoulder. You went sprawling against the pavement, a hiss leaving your lips at the serious roadburn you no doubt just got. Sitting up quickly, not wanting him to get the upper hand, you let out a breath seeing him swiftly moving into the cockpit of the jet he just had you pinned against.

“Guys…he’s…heading your way…just a…heads up. Also…thank you. It was nice…to fucking know…about the metal arm…beforehand. I’m just gonna…rest here for a minute…”

“You’re not hurt too bad, are you?”

“No, Cap. No, just…gonna be aching for a while. Ugh…” Begrudgingly, you got up to your feet. “I think I’m gonna…go back and chill with Maria.”

“Told you so.”

“Shut up, finish your job, and don’t die, Rogers! And next time, please, for the love of God, mention the metal arm!”

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

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

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

All Works Taglist (Open):

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#cjswriting #fatws series oneshots #fatws series oneshot 6 #fatws series #falcon and the winter soldier series oneshots #no one said anything about a metal arm oneshot #steve rogers x reader #kinda #💛🧭 #❤🐦💙🦾⏪

[tuiccim]

Terrigenisis (Part 8)

Pairing: Steve Rogers X Bucky Barnes X Inhuman!Reader

Words: 2247

Summary: After undergoing terrigenisis unwillingly your life is turned upside down when you are deemed too dangerous to return to life as a civilian. You are put with the Avengers team to train and rebuild. As you hone your powers and skills, you must also decide if you can find home and love again. Or is your curse to be a lonely wanderer forever?

Warnings: Fluff and SMUT (18+, NSFW) 

Terrigenisis Series Masterlist       Divider by @firefly-graphics​

Two weeks later, the three of you wake in Bucky’s bed, where you end up most often. Steve looks at the clock and groans, “I gotta head back to my room.” 

"No, stay." You murmur, pulling him closer. 

"I gotta change for our run, Doll." Steve chuckles.

"No run today. Just bed." You whine. 

"You say that everyday." Bucky laughs sleepily. 

"I mean it everyday." You grumble. 

Steve kisses you, "I'll see you in a little bit."

"We need to build a secret passageway between our rooms." You say.

"Actually, I was thinking…" Steve pauses.

"What were you thinking, punk? Don't leave us in suspense." Bucky says.

"I was thinking once all this is out we could combine our three rooms. Turn it into an apartment with a living room and a small kitchen."

"And a bigger bathroom." You add.

"Exactly. What do you think?" 

"Sold." You grin.

"Same." Bucky says. 

“I love you.” Steve says.

“Love you.” You and Bucky say in unison. 

You start to get up as Steve leaves but Bucky hauls you back against him. "Where ya going, Doll?"

"I should go change for our run, too." You chuckle and snuggle against him.

"I know. Just wanted a few extra minutes." Bucky nuzzles his face into your neck. 

"Mmmmm… Bucky. We have a-" you're interrupted by a kiss, "mission briefing-" another kiss, "at nine." You give up talking for a moment and just give in to Bucky's need for attention. However, when Bucky's hand begins to drift south of the border, you stop him. "We have to train. Let's go, love." Rolling away from him quickly, you bounce out of the bed. At the door, you blow him a kiss before heading to your own room to change. 

You go on your run with your guys and Dizzy then train, shower, and go to the mission briefing. The mission is a simple turn and burn. The entire team goes and returns in less than 14 hours but somewhere towards the end of the mission you notice a change in Steve’s demeanor. You had recovered a good bit of Chitauri weapons and energy cells from the base you had invaded. You wonder if it brought back memories of the Battle of New York for him. 

After a quick shower, you head to Steve’s room. He answers your knock and you slip into his room. 

“I was about to head to Bucky’s room. What are you doing?” 

“I wanted to check on you. Something triggered you on this mission. I could see it.” You see him warring with himself. 

“Chitauri stuff always brings back New York.” He says quietly. He moves to his desk and pulls a small card out of his drawer. It’s a vintage Captain America card stained dark brown around the edges. Dried blood.

“Coulson.” You say without thinking. 

“You know about Coulson?” Steve says, surprised. 

Realizing your blunder, you recover quickly to say, “My last team told me about him.”

“You never did tell me about your team from before. You’ve never spoken about them.”

“It’s classified, Steve. I can’t. I’m sorry.” Your eyes beg him to understand. 

“I have level 8 clearance. Your clearance is only level 6. You can tell me.”

“It’s codeword classified. Please understand, love, I would tell you if I could,” you look at him pleadingly.

“I understand. I didn’t mean to push you.” Steve wraps his arms around you in a hug.

“Do you want to talk about it?” You ask. Steve nods and tells you the story of meeting Phil Coulson and his death before fighting the battle of New York. You hold Steve the entire time he speaks. “I’m so sorry you lost him. It sounds like he was a good man who you respected.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, doll. I know you’ve lost a lot of people too. I shouldn’t let it affect me so much.”

“Don’t ever apologize for telling me how you feel.” You say as a knock sounds on the door and Bucky enters. 

“Hey. Everything okay?” Bucky looks between the two of you. 

“Yeah. I was telling her about Coulson.” Steve says quietly and takes the card from your hand. He looks at it, sighs heavily, and places it back in the drawer. Bucky wraps his arms around Steve from behind and Steve’s head drops down as he covers Bucky’s hands with his own. 

“It wasn’t your fault, baby.” Bucky says quietly. 

You move to them and wrap your arms around them from the side. Part of you still feels like you are an intruder in their relationship at times. A larger part of you right now felt incredibly guilty that you couldn’t tell him that Phil Coulson was alive and well and Director of the Inhuman division of Shield. There is a chance you can, you realize. Once the three of you separate, you agree to meet in Bucky’s room as usual. You hurry to your room and grab your phone. Dialing the special line Hill had provided, you wait for an operator to come on the line. 

“SHIELD.” 

“Codeword: Tahiti. Protocol: Delta. Team: Avengers.” You say. 

A brief pause and then a single word, “Denied.”

“Codeword: Tahiti. Protocol: Delta. Individual: Steve Rogers.”

“Denied.”

“Direct line. Fury.”

“Denied.”

“Direct line. Maria Hill.”

“Approved.”

You hold on the line as it rings through to Hill. “Maria Hill.”

“Hill, I need to talk to Fury.” You say emphatically.

“He’s not going to clear the team to know about Tahiti.” Hill says curtly. 

“I can’t keep lying to them, Maria.”

“You aren’t lying. You just aren’t telling them everything.” 

“It’s not right.”

“But it’s what has to be. I’m sorry. I know this isn’t easy but the less people that know about the Inhuman Division the better right now.”

“Right. A bunch of Enhanceds shouldn’t know about a bunch of Gifteds even though one of them is among them.” You reply sarcastically. 

“I’m sorry. Good luck.” Hill says, hanging up. 

You resist the urge to throw your phone at the wall. After taking a few minutes to calm yourself, you change into a nightgown and make your way to Bucky’s room. You find Steve and Bucky already curled up together in the bed. Steve is laying on his side with Bucky curled around his back. You slide into the bed, facing Steve and wrap your arms around the two of them. 

“Hey Doll.” Steve whispers.

“Hey Baby. Are you okay?” You ask. 

“Yeah. I’m okay. I think I’m in your spot though.” He chuckles lightly. 

“I think you’re right where you need to be. Wrapped up in the arms of the two people who love you most. Right, Bucky?” You say. 

“Absolutely. We’ve got you.” Bucky whispers and kisses Steve’s shoulder. 

“I love you both, too.” Steve says as he puts his hand to your neck and pulls you to him for a kiss. His lips move over yours firmly and his tongue slips into your mouth. You moan as you press more firmly against him. Steve’s hands become more demanding as he lifts your nightshirt up to grab a handful of your bare ass. He presses his forehead to yours and says urgently, “I need you. I need both of you.” 

“You have us, Baby. Whatever you need.” Bucky’s hands rove over both of you. He helps Steve slide his pants off and Steve’s hands pull your nightshirt off. Bucky gently strokes Steve while Steve explores your folds. He traces over them lightly pulling breathy moans from you as he thrusts into Bucky’s hand slowly. When he presses a finger inside you gasp at the pleasure that rolls through you. He works you quickly building your passion until you’re thoroughly wet and then pulls your leg over his hip. His hard length slides along your wetness until he finally presses home. You kiss him as he sheaths himself inside you and you feel Bucky’s hand trail over your body until he rests it on the small of your back encouraging each thrust. 

“Bucky, need you.” Steve groans as you clench around him. 

“I’m right here, baby. What do you want?” Bucky whispers. 

“Need you inside me, Buck. Please.” Steve says.

Bucky prepares himself and Steve slows his thrusts into you as Bucky presses into him gently. You reach around Steve, opening him for Bucky. This is the first time they’ve shared this intimacy with you. You were always the one in between them and their focus was more on you than each other, but tonight Steve needed to feel you both. To feel the love you have for each other envelope him. Bucky readied Steve and then slowly pressed into him. Steve’s body tensed and relaxed at the intrusion. 

“Fuck, Stevie. You’re so tight around me. Been too long since I felt you. God, I love you.” Bucky groans as he begins to gently thrust into Steve. Steve’s face twisted in passion and he moaned as you clenched around him and Bucky thrust into him. 

“Oh, God. It’s so good. Feeling both you.” Steve grabbed you around the waist and pulled you down on his cock hard causing you to cry out in surprise. “Shit, did I hurt you, Doll?”

“No! Don’t stop, baby. Give it to me. However you need it. However you want. Give it to me. Now.” You say staring into his eyes. The intensity in his face turns you on even more and you stare into each other as he repeats the action over and over again. The three of you move in rhythm, moaning your pleasure, and giving into each other’s needs. Your orgasm builds with each thrust into you, each grunt as Bucky works into Steve, and each moan Steve releases as he feels his two loves surrounding him. 

“I’m close.” Steve grits out as he slams into you again. 

“Me, too,” you and Bucky say nearly in unison. 

“Fuck. I want this forever. It’s…” Steve falters as the pleasure washes over him. 

“Perfect.” Bucky groans as he loses himself to the sensations. You hold tightly to your two men as your orgasm overtakes you. Each of you release long moans as you cum together and even after your bodies rock together as you come down from the high. 

The next morning as Bucky showers, Steve is sitting against the headboard as you wake up.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

“Mmm, good morning.” You say as you stretch. You look up at him with a smile but his expression is troubled. “Hey. What’s the matter?” You ask as you sit up. 

“Are you… happy?” He asks. 

“Steve.” You pull yourself up on your knees next to him, “Yes, I am. Very happy. Why would you ask me that?” 

“I just… were you okay with what happened last night?” He asks looking down at his hands. 

“Baby.” You cup Steve’s cheek as you move to straddle him, “I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t I be okay with last night? We made love. It was wonderful.” Steve looks into your eyes searchingly and suddenly it dawns on you what he’s alluding to. “Stevie, did you think I’d be upset that Bucky was inside you?”

“It’s not that I want you less or, or, or anything like that. I just needed-”

“Shhhh,” you put your fingers over Steve’s lips. “Don’t ever feel like you need to justify your love for Bucky, emotional or physically. To anyone. You and Bucky were together before I came into the picture and you told me your relationship was physical. Why would you think I’d ever have a problem with you two making love in any way you wanted to?”

“There’s still just a stigma to it, I guess. We haven’t done that before with you and I don’t know. I guess a part of me still felt like because you were here we shouldn’t anymore.”

Your heart hurts at that confession. Despite everything, he was still holding back from you. Scared that you would judge him for loving Bucky so completely. A tear falls from your eye and you swipe at it quickly but he sees. 

“I didn’t mean to make you cry.” Steve’s voice cracks a little. 

“I want you to love Bucky as completely as you love me and vice versa. In every way you see fit. Please don’t hold back part of your relationship just because of me. I want to be with you both. In every way. In any combination of ways.” You give a little laugh through your tears. “Love us. Love us all the way. With everything you want to give us. I promise you, I will never judge your love for Bucky. Love me enough not to hold part of yourself back.”

Steve’s chest heaves as he puts his forehead to yours, “I love you. God, I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, Stevie.” 

“Can I join in on this love fest?” Bucky’s voice breaks in. 

“Just the man we were talking about.” You sass. 

Bucky sits next to Steve and puts his arm around him. “In our time, Doll, our love, our relationship would never be accepted.”

“I know. And even now the three of us being in a relationship will be hard for people to accept, but I would walk through fire for you two. A few nasty comments definitely won’t change my mind.” 

“Mine either.” Bucky says. 

“I’m with you.” Steve says. 

“Til the end of the line.” You smile at them. 

Part 9 

Masterlist

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Strikethroughs could not be tagged. 

#Stucky #Stucky x you #Stucky x reader #Stucky series #Stucky fanfic #Stucky fanfiction #Inhuman #Inhumans #Inhuman reader #Bucky #Bucky x you #Bucky x reader #Steve Rogers #Steve Rogers x you #Steve Rogers x reader #Captain America #The Winter Soldier #marvel #avengers #reader insert

[onebatch2batch]

Heyo, dialogue prompts: 14 or 30? 😊

HI THIS WAS FROM FOREVER AGO BUUUUUT that's my m.o. so here we are. Hope you like it!!

And no, I'm never going to stop writing different versions of Frank and Karen getting together, you can't make me :)

--

14. “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

Frank can practically hear David scheming, and he’s proven right when an anthropomorphic mop of hair bends into his line of sight and he says, “Hey, remember in the bunker, when we were still on the run?”

They’re both standing in David’s front yard. Frank’s van is in need of an oil change and a replacement filter and since he’s not keen on anyone else working on his getaway vehicle, he called up David to request use of his paved, suburban driveway. It’s been a few weeks since he’s managed to get over here, and David had instantly agreed on the condition that Frank stay for dinner. It’s a beautiful summer day, even if it’s a little hot, and he’s feeling a little off-kilter from the sounds of children playing all around. It’s so painfully normal that for a moment he’d regretted asking, and then David had offered him a drink. The taller computer genius doesn’t know shit about cars, so he’s alternating between fetching more beers and talking Frank’s ear off. It’s been about an hour now, and Frank has slowly relaxed into the background noise.

“Yeah,” Frank responds dryly around the flashlight between his teeth. He’s elbow deep in grease and not really interested in where this line of questioning is going to go, but David has other ideas.

“Uh huh. You know, when you got yourself on the news after that kid held Karen hostage?”

If Frank is affected by the name, all David notices is a sharp glance. “Yeah.”

“And how you freaked out and begged for my help and said she was family?”

Frank straightens and sets the flashlight down on the bumper of the car. “You got a point, Lieberman? I’m busy.”

“Yeah, I have a point. Was that all just bullshit, or what?”

They stare at each other. Frank’s jaw ticks.

“...what.”

“Thought so.”

“No, what?”

“Well you made this huge declaration and then almost got yourself killed trying to rescue her so--”

“God damn it, Lieberman, you’re never going to let that go, are you--”

David shakes his head, exasperated. “I mean, we haven’t even gotten to meet her yet and it’s been six months since Madini used her government wiles to give you a new identity--”

Frank scowls. “It’s none of your--”

The other man cuts him off quickly, hands up. To Frank’s immense displeasure, the other man looks less cowed and more placating. “I’m just saying, invite her to dinner next week. What harm is there? Maybe something good might happen to you for once, god forbid.” His friend stares him down, using every couple of inches of height to try and look intimidating. Of course it doesn’t work, but Frank is too busy thinking about having a family dinner with Karen, with his friends, like a normal person. Like a couple. He realizes too slow that David is leering at him, pleased.

“David, shut the hell up.”

“You’re blushing. Is that a yes? I’ll tell Sarah.”

--

Karen doesn’t question it when Frank calls her up after half a year of radio silence. She asks if it's a casual dress dinner and what kind of wine to bring, and then announces she’s got to go and she’ll see him Friday at six sharp.

He doesn’t know if that’s better or worse than her just telling him to shove it.

--

Friday creeps up on him, and by the time he parks outside of her apartment it hasn’t really sunk in that he’s about to take Karen Page to a domestic dinner in the suburbs. Because it’s definitely not a date, even though it kind of is. It’s the stuff he used to do with Maria and the kids all the time when he was on leave; double dates and cook outs and all that crap. He’s rusty as hell and usually shit company, but they keep asking him back. And now, he’s throwing Karen into the mix.

It’s a feeling similar to being shot in the head and waking up in a hospital room. Disorienting and uncomfortable as hell.

He picks her up in the van, leaning against the side of it as he waits. The Lieberman’s neighborhood is outside the city, about a twenty minute drive. It’s going to give them plenty of time to talk, and he’d barely restrained himself from looking up conversation starters online before leaving his place. He doubts there’s any suggestions for a vigilante-cum-construction worker who’s picking up a date he’s spoken a handful of words to for the first time in six months. He’s just considering cancelling the whole thing when the door to her building opens and she steps out.

He’s seen Karen a lot of ways. He’s seen her in pencil skirts and heels and blouses, in tshirt and jeans, bruised and bloody. He’s never seen her in a sundress with her pinked shoulders bare to the world and strappy sandals on her feet. Her hair is in a long braid over her shoulder. She looks fucking resplendant. Absolutely divine. Fucking poetry in motion.

He’s fucked.

“Hi,” she greets, coming to a stop in front of him. She’s got a bottle of wine in her hands. Her eyes punch little, individual question marks into his skin when she searches his face.

“Hey.” He inhales, bracing for her reaction. His throat closes up when he gets a whiff of her perfume. So familiar from the handful of times he’s been close enough to smell it--something soft and floral, something that makes his head swim. He thinks back to that moment so many months ago, swaying together in the elevator, her skin against his, her perfume subtle under the metallic tang of blood.

Karen doesn’t immediately go for interrogating him. She only lifts the bottle in her hand. “I brought a white, is that okay?”

Wary relief loosens the knot at the top of his spine. He nods, pushing off the car to open her door. “Sure.”

When Karen climbs in, carefully arranging her skirt around her, the dark interior contrasting with the soft yellow of her dress, Frank thinks about a conversation with Curtis all those months ago. Wonders when the kick is coming.

They spend the first ten minutes looking out separate windows and listening to the radio. After that, Karen starts talking like she’s made her mind up about the evening is going to go. She asks him how he’s been, if he’s gotten a job, how Dinah is, what the Liebermans are like. Nothing is accusatory. They could be old friends passing one another on the street, the way she’s talking. Almost like she’s talking to a scared dog. Coaxing it out of a corner.

Guess he deserves that.

By the time he pulls onto the appropriate street, it almost feels normal. They’ve fallen into a familiar back and forth that’s easy to keep up with, and when he opens her door she gives him a small grateful smile, accepting his hand on the way down.

He’s not disappointed when she lets go to straighten the fabric of her dress. He’s not.

--

As always, the Lieberman household is an explosion of domesticity. There’s shoes on the stairs, a sweet smelling candle burning on the coffee table, toys and books strewn over the floor. Pictures line the walls. When Frank knocks on the door, Zach opens it like he’s been waiting for them.

“ Hi, Pete!” he greets excitedly, and then his eyes land on Karen. “Who’s that?”

“Hello, I’m Karen Page.” She crouches down to look him in the eye and smiles. “You must be Zach, right?”

He flushes, twisting his fingers nervously. “Yeah. Are you Pete’s girlfriend?”

They’re saved from answering by a sudden, high pitched shriek. “Frank!!”

Karen manages to stand out of the way just in time for Leo to come barrelling down the stairs directly into Frank, hugging him tightly around the middle.

“Frank, Dad says you were here Saturday but you were gone before I left Ann’s house!!” she pulls away and waves a book at him. “I’m reading the book you told me about!”

He grins down at her. “I waited around for ya, but your mom said you wouldn’t be home until later. How’s the book, huh?”

She scrunches her nose. “I don’t know yet. I’ll let you know. Are you Karen?”

Karen laughs. “I sure am. Leo, right?”

“That’s me. Come on, my mom is in the kitchen.” She nudges Zach and then four of them head into the other room. Sarah Lieberman is standing behind the kitchen counter, chopping up a head of lettuce. When they walk in, she beams at them.

“Hey guys, welcome! Hang on, let me finish this. Pete, David’s out in the garage trying to fix the sprinklers. Can you--?”

Frank rolls his eyes. “Say no more.”

He lifts his brows at Karen, but she gives him a jerk of her head. Frank huffs and stalks off after kissing Sarah on the cheek, Leo trailing after him talking about sprinkler systems and tools. Zach joins his mother behind the counter and peers at Karen curiously. She sets the bottle of wine down.

“So Karen!” Sarah exclaims, dumping the lettuce into a bowl. “Let’s get you a glass of wine and chat. How’s that sound?”

--

They end up on the patio furniture. After completing the salad and sides, Sarah turns on the grill and then ushers them to the corner of the patio, refilling their glasses.

“So,” she starts, and peers at Karen over the rim of her glass. “I’m going to be forward, but I get the feeling you’ll appreciate that. What’s the deal with you and Pete? Sorry--habit. Frank.”

Karen could have guessed this was coming, even if she expected a little more subtlety. And Sarah’s right, she appreciates the bluntness. It gives her a chance to answer in kind.

“I don’t know.” She runs a finger over the rim of her glass, frowning. “I haven’t--we haven’t spoken in...a while. Six months, actually. And the last time I saw him..well, it didn’t go as well as I’d hoped. I thought I scared him off, actually.”

“How so?”

And the story falls out of her mouth, in pieces. She hasn’t spoken to anyone about Frank, about her feelings for him--the good or bad--or about that afternoon in the hospital. “--and I thought...I thought maybe he would finally kiss me.” She runs a hand through her hair, frustrated. “And then he pulled that I’m not a hero bullshit and that’s the last I saw of him. Until he called this week.”

Sarah rolls her eyes. “That sounds like him. Honey, did you know when we first met he was gathering information on David?”

“Ah, yes. I was the one who found David for him.” She grimaces. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be! We’re lucky he came looking. Without him…” she shrugs. “I would still be a widow. And my kids still wouldn’t have their father. I’m just trying to say he may do things backwards, but he ends up doing things for the right reasons. Even if it takes him time to figure that out.”

--

Dinner goes well. Dinner goes really, really well. Not that Frank was worried--there isn’t a person alive who can sit down with Karen Page and at the very least admire her. The Liebermans fall in love with her immediately. The kids demand that she stay for a board game after dinner. Leo brags about her science project. Zach shyly asks if Karen likes football. Sarah drills her with questions about her job. David keeps her laughing while stupid jokes and send Frank knowing glances throughout dinner that makes Frank want to throw peas at him.

Karen is charming, sweet, and great with the kids. She gets along with David and Sarah, and sends him warm, unsure smiles until dessert.

They play Apples to Apples, and the kids decimate. Karen is a close third. Frank loses terribly, but he’s still busy ruminating over the warm feeling in his chest at the cacophony of noise that surrounds him as everyone submits to another peal of laughter to notice.

“Frank,” Leo says innocently once they’ve put the board game away and Sarah has told the kids it’s time for bed. She stands in the doorway to the kitchen and looks at him sternly, hands on her hips. “Please bring Karen around more. It’s not fair that you get to hog her and we’ve just met.”

“Leo, that’s Miss Page to you.” Sarah tries for sharpness but ends up laughing. “Off to bed. Don’t forget to brush your teeth.”

“Bye Miss Page!” the kids chorus, and then it’s just the adults.

“Great kids,” Karen laughs. “Smart, too. You’re in trouble.”

Sarah sighs and pats her husband’s cheek fondly. “Yeah, we know. Somehow both of them got his brain.”

David chuckles, turns quickly to press a kiss to his wife’s palm. “At least they didn’t get my hair,” he jokes.

Karen sneaks a glance at Frank, then quickly looks away. He catches it, just briefly, as does David.

“Sarah, we should probably make sure the kids are actually brushing their teeth. I’ll tackle Leo if you tackle Zach, tag team it? We’ll be right back, guys.”

It’s quiet in the kitchen after that. Karen takes a sip of her wine and taps her fingers. There’s something on her mind, he can tell. When she doesn’t say anything he leans forward to capture her gaze. “What is it?”

“Why now, Frank?” Karen asks.

The conversation he’s been dreading. A feeling of shame bubbles up so suddenly it nearly knocks him off his chair. He scratches his neck for no reason other than to expel the nervous energy building in him.

“I didn’t want to…” There’s no use pretending like they’re talking about something else, not when she’s staring at him like that. Like she's been waiting all night for this conversation while he’s been tricking himself into thinking it may not happen. His finger dances restlessly on the table top. “I didn’t want to get you sucked back in.”

“Into what?” She arches a brow. “You?”

“Me. My life. My goddamn baggage. I know you deserve better than me.” He clears his throat. “So I wanted you to have a chance to live your life without my ghosts hanging around.”

“Frank Castle,” Karen sighs, exasperated, “please don’t tell me you’re making decisions for me. And that still doesn’t answer my question--why now?”

His expression tightens. “C’mon Karen. I’m just tryin’ to keep you safe--”

“How many times do I have to tell you--”

“As many as it ta--”

“Frank--” David steps into the kitchen, Sarah in tow. They pause, looking between the two people seated at the table awkwardly. “Oh, are we interrupting something?”

“No, David. Thank you both for tonight. I think I should be going.” Karen stands and looks at Frank. “I have loved you for two years, Frank. No amount of avoiding me or trying to protect me is going to change that. Excuse me.”

And then she walks away.

--

He catches up to her just down the street. As soon as he sees that familiar head of blond hair he pulls the van over and hops out, jogging to catch up. Karen glances at him and then pauses, as if waiting for something.

“Let me drive you home,” he asks. “Please.”

He doesn’t take her home straight away; she doesn’t ask. Frank drives until he finds a spot overlooking the water. The heat has finally broken and a cool breeze comes in through the open window, stirring Karen’s hair. He shuts off the engine. They sit in silence while he tries to decide what to say.

“I guess I should start by apologizing,” he says finally, tapping the steering wheel. He’s past nervous, he just wants to fix his own screw up. “I’m sorry, Karen. I don’t want to make any decisions for you. I should have--I should have talked to you about it. I should have started this conversation a long time ago.”

“So, start it.” She’s watching him, waiting. There’s a tense expression on her face--like she’s either trying not to cry, or trying not to smile. Or tell him off. He’s not sure which, yet.

Frank clears his throat. “Okay. Uh. I’m not gonna make excuses, I’m just gonna tell you what I know. I know that I have done some shit, and I’m going to continue doing that shit. I’m not ever gonna be normal. I know that you’re smart as hell, and you check me, and you’re a fucking force of nature. I know that I have been telling myself that you deserve more than some--fuckin’ vigilante who wakes up to nightmares more than he doesn’t. I know you deserve to be safe and happy. You deserve more than I can give you. But uh,” he takes her hand cautiously, waits for her to pull away, relaxes when she doesn’t, “...I wanna try.”

“You gotta mean it, Frank,” she says, voice watery. “You better fucking mean it.”

“I mean it. I swear to Christ, I mean it.”

She pulls her hand away and for a millisecond, he thinks he’s said something wrong. Then she’s unbuckling her seat belt and clamoring over the armrest into his lap. It’s not the most majestic first kiss he’s ever had (of which there are few) but her breath is hot on his lips and her fingernails scrape gently over his scalp as if entreating him closer. Frank makes a low groan that he hasn’t heard from himself in a long time--too long--and then Karen shifts and his breath catches in his throat. The heat of her, all wrapped up in his arms, her hair falling over one shoulder as she peppers his mouth, his cheeks, his jaw with the tiniest of kisses.

He could have ruined this without even knowing. He almost ruined it before it even happened.

“I do want you, you know,” Karen murmurs against the skin of his jaw, fingers grasping his shirt. “All of you.”

“I know.”

“Does that scare you?”

He pushes gently until he can look her in the eyes. “A little,” he admits. “I don’t wanna fuck this up.”

“You’re doing okay so far,” she says, smiling. “Now that you’ve pulled your self-deprecating head out of your ass.”

“Took me long enough.” He cradles the back of her head in one hand, drawing her closer until their lips meet again. They’re both uncomfortable at the weird angle but it’s not until the horn beeps once, gaining the attention of a woman walking her dog, that Karen reluctantly returns to her seat.

They work to catch their breaths, watching the water.

“The Liebermans aren’t upset I left so--...abruptly, right?”

“Nah,” Frank chuckles, grasping her hand. He finds an indescribable amount of comfort in brushing his thumb over the ridges over her knuckles. “Actually, I think they like you better for it. Sarah almost chased me out of the house with a goddamn spatula.”

“I knew I liked her. Take me home? I’ll make coffee.”

“It’s a date.”

--

Frank’s phone lights up that night. If he were to reach an arm over and hold it up to see, David’s text would read, WELL?? Did you get the girl, Lloyd Dobler?

But he doesn’t. He tugs Karen closer and goes back to sleep.

#kastle #kastle ff #kastle fanfic #my writing #answered #cant-think-of-anything-creative

[the-mighty-jellybean]

Crown of Thorns

“What will I be when I grow up, Lady Mother?” Y/N asked, the bed sheets wrapped high under her chin, arms clutching her knees.          

“You will be Queen, my darling,” she cupped her face, and she leaned into her touch, “and a warrior.”

Series Summary: After the need for their alliance during the Battle of Titan, King Stephen asked in return for his services, that King Anthony of the Iron Islands’, first born daughter would be given in marriage, to his sons, Prince Steven and Prince James of the Kingdom of Kamar-Taj. Despite King Anthony’s other offers, King Stephen would only agree to one, or there would be war between their two Kingdoms. Leaving King Anthony with no choice, he sacrificed his first born daughter, in hopes of sparing his people of anymore suffering. Anthony prayed that the men would care for his daughter, and love her as he did, but a sparkly crown can hide a thousand secrets.  

Pairing: Prince!Steve x Princess!Reader x Prince!Bucky

Series Warnings: Strong Language, Violence, Angst, Fluff (There will be some fluffy stuff I promise, I can't resist), Smut: This series will include some aspects of Dub-con/Non-con: Steve and Bucky aren't going to be Prince Charmings. More Warnings will be posted on Chapters.

Masterlist

Part Eleven: A Night To Remember

Chapter Warnings: Smut!: Dirty Talking, Dubcon, Exhibition, Vaginal Sex, Oral Sex (m/f receiving), Dom!Steve, Dom!Bucky, Strong Language, Bodily Fluids

Word Count: 4.5k

Y/N felt as though her heart had plummeted into her stomach, as she slowly placed Morgan back onto the floor, looking between Bucky, Steve and the Alderman.

“O-okay.” Y/N stuttered, she noticed that almost everyone was staring at her and the men, as she was led from the main hall. Her heart hammered against her chest, when the congregation got larger and larger, as they walked to a new bedchamber.

“Where are we?” Y/N whispered to Bucky, but he didn’t respond to her, his eyes had grown dark, and he kept them looking ahead, “Bucky…Buck?”

“These will be your new chambers, now that you are married.” One of the elderly men spoke. The room was a lot bigger than Y/N’s last sleeping arrangements, but that was to be expected considering three people were going to be sharing a room.

Y/N felt slightly relieved when Wanda and Maria walked into the room and made their way towards her.

“Undress.” One of the Alderman demanded.

Y/N looked horrified, as she clutched at her dress tightly, looking to Maria and Wanda for help, but they just gave her a sad smile.

“It will be alright, my lady.” Wanda spoke softly, slowly beginning to unlace the corset that had kept Y/N restricted all day. Throughtout the day Y/N had counted down the hours, until she could take off the constricting item of clothing, however; now that she was faced with being naked in front of so many strangers, she would be happy to wear the corset for the rest of her life.

“Are they going to stay for the whole thing?” Y/N harshly whispered to Maria and Wanda, as she looked at the old men, who seemed fairly settled in their position, as they overlooked the bed.

“Only until you’re all naked, and you’re on the bed, then a screen goes up.” Wanda explained.

“But they’ll still be in the room?” Y/N asked in a panic, Maria didn’t respond, only squeezing her shoulders once her wedding dress was removed.

When the material hit the floor, Y/N quickly covered her bare chest with her arm and cupped her lower region with her hand. She looked up to see both Steve and Bucky were standing completely naked on the other side of the room. Neither one of them was making any effort to cover up.

To be honest Y/N couldn’t blame them, they did have nice bodies. Bodies of soldiers; of warriors. They were chiselled and sculpted, yet their skin was not completely perfect, their chests and torsos were battle worn; scars and scrapes littering their limbs. Especially Bucky’s left arm.

It was harshly scarred and when he noticed Y/N staring, he shuffled a little on his feet, Y/N could tell he felt just as uncomfortable as she did, yet his features were still stoic, much like Steve’s.

“Princess, lay on the bed.” The Alderman pointed.

For a moment Y/N froze, her feet couldn’t leave the floor, she was completely terrified. 

“Princess, you must lay on the bed.” The Alderman was beginning to sound frustrated, as his old face was twisted into a scowl.

Eventually Y/N’s feet began to listen to her brain, and she dragged herself towards the bed, sitting on the edge, before shuffling to the headboard.

“The Lady’s maids must leave the chamber, this is no place for women.” The Alderman demanded, banishing Wanda and Maria. Y/N’s eyes widened as she watched them leave, the last hope of comfort fleeting out of the door. 

“Sires, if you please.” The Alderman waved his hand, Steve and Bucky walked to the edge of the bed. They both leant down, each of them wrapping their hands around Y/N’s ankle, they heaved her to the end of the bed.

Y/N let out a squeak, as she clutched at the sheets, trying to hold back the tears.

The sound of wood scraping across stone filled the room, and Y/N watched as two steward boys pulled a sightscreen across, finally the elderly faces of the Aldermen congregation were concealed.

The fear was still thriving through Y/N’s veins, as she looked up at Bucky, a man she thought she had broken through. Images of them dancing only moments ago filled her head but going by the look on his face. This was going to be a very different experience.

“You need to get me hard.” Steve spoke, his vulgarity made Y/N cringe, as she looked down at his shaft, that was only half hard, between his legs. He was still big, despite it not being erected to its whole size. Y/N’s throat went dry as all she could do was look at it.

“I don’t know how.” Y/N’s voice was shaky and sounded watery, as her vision was growing blurry with tears.

“Please don’t start crying, we don’t have time for that.” Steve sighed, as he shuffled up the bed on his knees, until he was level with her head. Y/N’s eyes clamped shut, as his member brushed against her face.

“Open your mouth.” Steve commanded, he grabbed her chin, trying to keep her head turned towards him.

“Please…don’t..” Y/N begged, but it fell on death ears, as Steve pressed down on her chin, her mouth forced open.

Steve fisted the base of his cock, before he angled it into Y/N’s mouth, pushing it down her throat hard.

Y/N immediately choked, as the tip of Steve’s shaft hit the back of her throat, making her gag, and the tears that had been building in her eyes springing free.

“Take it easy Steve, we don’t want to break her on the first night.” Bucky chided, but it was so quiet Y/N barely heard it, as she continued to choke around Steve’s cock.

“Always a goody-two-shoes.” Steve grumbled, he relaxed his hips slightly, and pulled out a little bit, so that Y/N could breathe.

Steve hardened on Y/N’s tongue, and he groaned when she instinctively moved her tongue against him.

“Good girl, you’re learning quickly.” Steve praised, before he rocked his hips into Y/N’s face, this time being more careful of her gag reflex, “Buck get her wet.”

Y/N’s body burned with humiliation as Bucky lifted her legs up, so they were slightly bent, her feet dug into the bedsheets, as she was spread out wide for him. Y/N tried to squeal in protest, but the vibrations only encouraged Steve further, and he rutted his hips a little too hard, making Y/N gag once again.

The Princes had no shame as they spoke loudly and openly about what they were going to do to Y/N and her body, despite the many spectators that lay behind the thin curtain. If the candles burned just right, Y/N could see the outline of their figures, staring and glaring.

Bucky’s head ducked between Y/N’s legs, and she hummed against Steve’s cock, when Bucky licked a long strip up her core.

“Fuck she likes it.” Steve taunted, he groaned as Y/N’s lips tighten around him, as she tried to hold back her moans, when Bucky started to suck on her clit.

“I want to hear her Steve.” Bucky demanded, his mouth still close to her core, his hot breath fanning over her saliva covered lips.

Steve pulled out of Y/N’s mouth, she let out a strangled sob, as she gasped for breath, but she didn’t have long to recover, as Bucky started to suck harder on her entrance, and a stifled moan ripped through her throat.

“I love the way she moans.” Steve’s eyes rolled at her desperate whines and whimpers.

“Please stop.” Y/N panted, but Bucky held her legs further apart, this time bringing his fingers up to her clit, and rubbing at it gently.

“You don’t really want us to stop, do you sweetheart?” Steve teased, taking one of her nipples between his thumb and forth finger and pinching harshly.

Y/N cried out in pain, but a little bit of her liked the burn as it morphed into pleasure, the ache fading away, as she concentrated on Bucky’s fingers, pleasuring her little nub.

“I don’t want this.” Y/N tried to shuffle away, but she was quickly stopped in her tracks, when Steve swung his leg over, and sat on her chest. He rested his tip on her chin, as he teased her lips with the little dribble of precum that leaked out the top.

“Shh.” Steve hushed Y/N, before pushing his tip back into her mouth, “Is she wet enough yet?”

Bucky broke away from the harsh sucking that he had been mercilessly performing on Y/N’s clit, as he released it with a pop.

“Almost, don’t you think we should stretch her a bit.” Bucky noticed the way she would squeeze his tongue, when he dipped it into her core. She was tight, as most virgins are, and even though Bucky knew that he had to keep a façade up with his audience only a cotton sheet away, he didn’t really want to hurt Y/N too badly, or no more than was necessary.

Steve, however, did not think the same.

“No, I want to be inside her as soon as possible.” Steve climbed off of Y/N’s chest, with the weight gone she felt a little less trapped but caged nonetheless by the harsh grip of Bucky’s fingernails that were digging into her thighs, as he held her open.

“You should try her mouth, keep her quiet whilst I show her what she’s been missing.” Steve pushed Bucky out the way, before pulling Y/N to the end of the bed, and flipping her over, so that her legs hung off the bed. Bucky moved so that he was sitting in front of her, as she used his thighs to balance herself.

“Please, I’ve never done this before.” Y/N pleaded, as she heard Steve spitting on his hand, before he rubbed it aggressively into her hole.

“I know, I can’t wait.” Steve said excitedly, before he rubbed his tip against her swollen and abused folds, before he began to ease himself in. Bucky was quick to take hold of the sides of Y/N’s head, and move her line of vision to his own cock.

He was thicker than Steve, but equally as big, and unlike Steve, he didn’t appear to need any assistance in getting hard. Bucky’s tip looked angry, as white droplets dribbled down his sculpted shaft.

“Just relax, angel, we’ll be finished soon.” Bucky whispered, the first bit of encouragement she had received all night. Yet Y/N couldn’t quite focus on his words, as Steve thrusted unforgivingly into her aching hole, making her cry out in pain.

“You’re hurting me.” Y/N blubbered, looking to Bucky for some kind of reassurance, but he could give her nothing, as he positioned her mouth over his member, and pushed it into her warm mouth.

“Relax your throat, princess, it’ll feel better I promise.” Bucky tried, but Y/N’s throat was constricted as she tried to shriek with pain, when Steve decided to push all the way in, sick of taking it slow.

Y/N could feel something trailing down her leg, but she couldn’t look, as her eyes were filling with tears, as Bucky thrusted into her mouth.

Steve didn’t give time to adjust once he bottomed out, and instead he continued to pound into Y/N’s abused core, setting a brutal pace. Y/N’s walls squeezed him hard, which only invigorated him, as he speeded up his thrusts, the bed posts shaking with the force.

Bucky groaned, when Y/N started to suck on his member without him having to tell her and Steve noticed.

“That’s it, good girl,” Steve moved Y/N’s hair out of her face. A kind gesture if it weren’t for the agonising pace that he was moving his hips, “You’re squeezing me so good, gonna make a good little wife, making me feel so good.”

Steve’s pace grew sloppy, as his face scrunched up, as he neared his release.

“I’m gonna cum.” He yelled, which made Y/N’s body burn even more with humiliation, as she was once again reminded of the men, who began to chatter excitedly behind the curtain.

Soon Steve stilled, as he spilled his seed inside of Y/N, filling her up to the point Y/N could feel some of his seed spilling out of her core.

“Ah, fuck that was good.” Steve sighed, pulling his slowly deflating cock from Y/N’s entrance, “Come on, Buck your turn, you must be desperate by now.”

Steve smacked Y/N’s ass, which only made her whimper louder, her legs were shaking with exhaustion, and Bucky could tell. Slipping his hands under neath her, he lifted her onto the bed, sitting her on top of his torso.

Bucky moved some of the hair that had stuck to her forehead out of her face, cupping her jaw, so that Y/N was staring into his big soulful eyes.

“I’m sorry.” Bucky whispered, it was so quiet that Y/N almost missed it, but she caught the wind of it, and she knew he needed to stay quiet for her sake.

“Must you…” Y/N’s eyes trailed down to her core, which was humming and throbbing with pain, Bucky gave her a sad smile, before he pulled her head down, so he could kiss her forehead.

“I must.” Bucky confirmed, stroking Y/N’s cheek when he felt her tense, “But it’ll be easier now, Steve has stretched you, it shouldn’t hurt as much.”

Y/N didn’t know what to say, all she wanted to do was curl up, and hide, but she knew that would not be an option, she sighed out, both out of tiredness and in confirmation, and Bucky captured her lips with his own.

“Get on with it.” Steve grumbled, leaning against the bed post, his arms folded, “Some of us are exhausted, and would like to sleep.”

“Shut up, you got your turn, now it’s mine.” Bucky growled, which made Y/N gulp, as his tone was harsh and loud, but he held her face, and brushed their noses together.

“I will be gentle.”

Bucky lifted Y/N slightly, so that he could slip his hand between Y/N’s legs, so that he could grab his stiff cock, that lay resting against Y/N’s behind, begging to be used. Much to Bucky’s distaste Y/N was still wet with Steve’s seed, but at least that would act as extra lubricant for when he would eventually push his shaft inside.

“Deep breath.” Bucky instructed, before aligning himself, and pushing into Y/N’s tender core. Y/N gripped onto Bucky’s biceps, he didn’t stop her, letting her seek comfort, anyway that she could.

Like Bucky had said, Steve had stretched her some, and it was a lot easier for Bucky to slip in, but there was still a slight burn as Bucky was thicker. Y/N flinched slightly, and Bucky stopped his hips from moving.

Bucky brought his thumb to Y/N’s clit, and gently stroked it, slowly coaxing the girl into relaxing.

“That’s it, pretty girl, just relax.” Bucky praised into Y/N’s ear, mindful of his audience, “I’m almost all in.”

Y/N gave him a small nod, and Bucky pushed the rest of his length in. Y/N grunted in response, and kept her head buried in Bucky’s neck, as he started to gently thrust in and out, one of his hands rested on the small of her back, guiding her hips up and down, the other rested in her hair, keeping her close to him.

“That’s it, just take me all in.” Bucky cooed, before gently increasing his speed.

Soon the uncomfortable pinch Y/N was feeling earlier, was beginning to unwind, and quickly she started to feel small waves of pleasure, washing away the pain.

“Ugh, you are tight, that feels so good, you feel so good.” Bucky praised; his praise felt different to Steve’s. His seemed genuine and made her stomach glow and turned her on.

Y/N couldn’t help but feel that there was something missing, and it was annoying her. She no longer felt any pain, but it felt like there was still an itch, that she didn’t know how to scratch, and she started to whine and mewl, hoping Bucky might know.

Sensing Y/N was growing frustrated, Bucky reached between their two bodies, and found Y/N’s swelling clit, and gently began to rub in small and tight circles. Y/N’s body shuddered, as she bit down on Bucky’s shoulder to try and stop the shriek of pleasure that she wanted to let out.

“Is that better, angel, am I making you feel good now?” Bucky whispered, kissing her hair, not even bothered by Y/N’s teeth, which had clamped down onto his skin.

“That feels so much better.” Y/N whimpered back.

Bucky was spured on by this, and his thrusts got harder, this time Y/N loved the way their skin slapped together, and it made her walls tighten even more, Bucky groaned in response, before he felt his balls start to twitch.

“I’m cumming.” He yelped, much like Steve had, this time Y/N was not distracted by the chatter that broke out from behind the curtain once more, instead Bucky kept her occupied by rubbing her clit faster, which brought her own release.

She clawed at Bucky’s chest, as she held back a screech as she felt her legs begin to tremble, the elastic band in her stomach had snapped, and she was currently on cloud nine, as she orgasmed for the first time in her life.

“Oh fuck.” Bucky grumbled, his load shooting into Y/N’s core, much like Steve’s it dribbled out and along his cock, mainly due to the angle that the two were in.

“Finally.” Steve rolled his eyes, but Bucky ignored him, and was careful to remove himself from Y/N, being gentle not to hurt her. He quickly grabbed a blanket when a steward boy started to push the sightscreen back, and he threw it over Y/N, so she was covered up.

The men, who had waited behind the screen, clapped, and Y/N hid her face in Bucky’s chest, and he cupped the back of her head, stroking her hair.

“Right, we’ve finished,” Bucky rumbled, “Now fuck off.”

The men seemed unsurprised by the Prince’s language or annoyance, and they quickly grabbed their chairs, and made haste for the door, and left the room. Wanda and Maria nervously stepped back into the room, their eyes fixed to the floor, as they feared what they might see.

“Sires, we must help our lady to wash.” Wanda bowed, her eyes briefly flicking up, before her face turns a shade of scarlet when she noticed that Steve was wondering around the room, still completely naked.

“There will be no need, my brother and I will help her wash.” Bucky informed, before waving his hand.

“But your Highness-“

“Go, can’t you tell your mistress doesn’t want to see you.” Steve ushered the women out of the room, and Y/N gripped Bucky tighter, as he yelled.

“It is alright, we will get you ready for bed tonight.” Bucky promised, kissing Y/N’s hair, before he slid out of bed, to grab his own nigh shirt, “Brother, cover up, we’ve seen enough of you tonight.”

“I can’t I need to wash the blood off first, you should do the same.” Steve grumbled, Y/N’s breath caught in her throat, when Steve mentioned blood, but then she remembered the feeling of something trickling down her leg when Steve had started to thrust into her.

“Let’s sort our wife out first, she’s been through a lot tonight.” Bucky grabs a bowl, before carefully filling it with the warm water that had been simmering on the fire, since they had walked in.

“No more than what was expected of her.” Steve shrugs, taking a loud bite from an apple.

Bucky doesn’t respond, just scowling at his brother, before he wandered back to the bed, and placed the bowl on the bedside table.

Tentatively he placed his hand on Y/N’s back and rubbed it gently.

“Y/N, angel, we must wash you.” Bucky spoke softly, as he tried to ease the young woman onto her back.

“Please, just let me sleep.” Y/N pleaded, she didn’t want to meet the faces of anybody for the rest of the night, quite possibly the rest of her life.

“I know, my love, but you did bleed, and we must wash the blood, otherwise you may get an infection.” Bucky reasoned.

Reluctantly, Y/N turned over, wincing slightly, but Bucky hushed her, rubbing over her lower stomach gently.

“It’s okay, the water is warm, and I will be gentle.” Bucky promised, before he gently lifted the blanket, Y/N felt her face burn once again as she was exposed from the waist down, she doesn’t know why she cared so much, when the only men in the room, were the two men who had just taken her virtue.

Bucky dipped the washcloth, into the steaming water, rinsing it, he slowly moved between Y/N’s legs, being careful to part them slightly, so that he could wash away all of the blood, and other stains.

Y/N’s eyes glazed slightly, when Bucky pressed a little too hard, and she grabbed his hand to stop him from moving.

“Sorry, darling, I will be more careful.” Bucky lifted Y/N’s hands off of his, and rested them on her belly, whilst he continued to wash away the blood.

Y/N cringed when she saw that the white washcloth had been stained a light pink, once Bucky had completely finished and rinsed it for the last time.

“Steve make yourself useful and changed the sheet.” Bucky commanded, as he threw the water into the chamber pot, so that it could be disposed of in the moring.

“No way that’s a maid’s job, and you sent them away.” Steve refused, glaring at his brother.

“It’s the least you can do, you arse.” Bucky threw some fresh sheets at him, which Steve caught just before they could wrap around his head.

“I don’t think I can stand.” Y/N worried, when she realised, she would probably have to leave the bed, in order for Steve to change the sheets.

“It’s okay, princess, you aren’t supposed to stand for three hours, anyway.” Bucky revealed, which made Y/N’s eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“What does that mean?”

“After the bedding ceremony the bride must lay down for three hours, so that their husband’s seed can travel to your womb, its supposed to improve the possibility of you becoming with child.” Bucky explained, and Y/N’s blood ran cold.

She had just become a wife, a matter of hours ago, she was not prepared to become a mother quite yet.

“Relax, my love, it is only a myth.” Bucky kisses Y/N’s forehead, when he sees her worry, “But if the Aldermen were to come back in here and see you standing, then we would be in great trouble, and we would probably have to go through all that again.

Y/N swallows thickly, but nods in understanding.

“Well where will I lie down, if Steve is cleaning the sheets?” Y/N looked around the room, not seeing many long-shaped chairs suitable for laying on.

“In my arms.” Y/N squeaked as Bucky lifted her up, making sure that she was wrapped in the clean blanket from before, so that she would not grow cold. He carried her over to a small set of table and chairs, and kept her cradled on his lap, as he looked at Steve expectantly.

“Come on, bedmaid, get on with it.” Bucky ordered, and Y/N had to hold back a giggle, as Steve started to change the sheets, uttering things under his breath.

The longer Y/N laid in Bucky’s arms, the more tired she realised she was becoming, and Bucky held her tighter, when he felt Y/N growing heavier in his arms.

“Hurry up, Steve, someone is getting a little sleepy over here.” Bucky unintentionally starts to rock her, as he hears her yawn lightly, holding tighter to his chest.

“Shut up.” Steve retorts, quietly, finally working out, what why the sheet fitted on the bed.

Eventually he finished with changing the sheets, after a few uttered curses, and outright swearing.

“There you are your Highness; I hope that it is sufficient.” Steve whinged, before he jumped into the bed, and turned towards the wall, quickly falling asleep.

Bucky rose from the chair, shushing Y/N as she whined in protest of being moved. Laying her on the bed, Bucky is quick to hold her against his chest, as he settles beside her.

Y/N lays her head on his chest, the sound of his heartbeat, once again bringing her comfort, after a stressful night, and soon she was softly falling asleep, making sure that she gripped onto Bucky’s arm tightly.

Taglist

@readermia @this-is-a-chilis-drive-thru-dea  @bbywtchh@liakrichards@nisha-misha97 @waywardwifey @xxblueslothxx @randomtails @emma-is-a-nerd @hhxppyyy @viviennebloom @in-a-constant-daydream6 @actualhobbitjenny @sexyvixen7 @roleplay-multifandom @sassysaltyrat @sebastianstansqueen @cltex84 @kmuir1 @lemonadygirl @supernaturalwintersoldier @jbarness @kaithezaftig @superhero-missouri @dance-dreamer @sebbybabie @yesfanficsaremylife @highlyselectiveextrovert @lady-x-red @what-is-your-wish @leahnicole1219 @lokisgoddesofpower @ariesmadness97​

#Steve Rogers #Steve smut #steve fic #steve rogers x reader #dom!steve rogers #Bucky Barnes #james bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #Bucky angst #bucky barnes x reader #reader insert #steve x reader #reader angst #Dark Fic #dark marvel #darksteve #dark bucky x reader #darkbucky #Marvel Movies #marvel smut #marvel fanfiction #medieval marvel #Prince!Steve #princess!reader #prince!bucky #prince!stucky #stucky #stucky x reader #ROYAL AU

[itsclydebitches]

RWBY Recaps: Volume 8 “Witch”

Happy Saturday, everyone! Well, it's perhaps happier provided you didn't watch today’s episode lol. Getting through these 18 minutes felt like watching an extended version of a CinemaSins vid. I heard a little 'ding!' every time something nonsensical, contradictory, or just downright stupid happened. My mind became a pinball machine. 

Which, in the interest of being fair as opposed to just snarky, only matters if you're looking for something resembling emotional depth in this show. RWBY, for all its faults, is enjoyable as a mindless spectacle. It's when you expect — or simply hope — for anything more that this very fragile house of cards comes tumbling down.

If it’s not clear already, today’s recap contains copious amounts of salt. Fair warning. 

With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s dive in. Episode nine is titled "Witch," which is fitting since many members of our group go toe-to-toe against Salem herself. The narrative issues inherent in having your heroes fighting their final boss years before the series is meant to end might have been avoided if it weren't for Oscar's ridiculous, sacrificial attack... but we'll get to that.

We open with a sweeping shot of the Atlas battle, as hundreds of dead soldiers segue into endless grimm. Hold onto that image for a bit. At the end of this carnage is, of course, the mouth of the whale. We cut to Jaune, Ren, and Yang already safely inside.

"Well," says Yang, "that was harrowing."

I'm on the fence about this choice. On the one hand, yes, it's good that RWBY knows it can skip over extraneous scenes. We have NINE characters to keep track of and develop, fourteen if you count Ozpin, Maria, Winter, Ironwood, and now Whitley. Plus villains. There simply isn't time to show every insignificant moment... but was this insignificant? Obviously finding Oscar and escaping Salem's clutches is the true hurdle of this mission, but that doesn't mean getting through an entire army of grimm is in any way a cake walk. I'd be more willing to ignore this time skip if it weren't likewise presented as such a challenge for Winter's team. They have to "clear a path" to the whale, but our trio got there unscathed and unnoticed? The obvious implication here is that Ren just masked them the whole way — supported by his aura breaking later in the episode — but it still feels like we missed an important chunk of this task.

I'm nit-picking though. As said, I’m straddling the fence on this one and, given that, I'm inclined to settle on a, "Good job, RWBY. You're keeping the writing tight," if only because I don't have much else to praise about this episode. Throw the poor, struggling show a bone lol.

Now that they're inside, they realize they haven't the slightest idea how they'll find Oscar. “Like finding a needle in a giant…whale… why did we think this was a good idea?!” Because you and your friends are idiots who no longer bother to think about a situation before throwing yourself straight into it? This isn't me being mean to Yang, she literally says as much later on. Our heroes no longer get by on intellect, strategy, and skill, but rather plot armor and a staggering number of coincidences. For example, Ren.

Yang: Wow, it sure is lucky for us that on our way to this incredibly dangerous mission Ren inexplicably developed a new part of his semblance. Now he can not only mask peoples' emotions, see the true emotions that someone is feeling, pull thoughts out of their head about what they believe about a situation, but can also track someone across long distances through their emotions alone. Even that doesn't actually help us find Oscar, we just got lucky again when, in this maze of a whale, he ran right into us!

Me: So what were you going to do if this meta-world stopped giving you the most contrived solutions in Remnant history?

Yang: Die gloriously, I guess.

What Yang actually says is, "Okay. That's new!" and they enter the literal belly of the beast wielding a shield of convenience.

Jaune is also being awkward again because remember, RWBY doesn't know when to incorporate humor and when to treat a situation seriously. He reminds Ren not to "drain [himself]," he'll help him, and it's clear the scene is hinting at their earlier fight. There's a lot to unpack there, but I want to save it for the second conversation.

For now, we cut to Oscar, curled up in his cell, repeating stories to comfort himself. Yeah that's fine. I could use a broken heart right before Valentine's Day.

“She brushed off her bumps and bruises, for nothing hurt worse than the loneliness in her chest." It's a line from The Girl Who Fell Through the World, which Ozpin recognizes given that he's "lived through" a fair number of fairy tales. He immediately asks how Oscar is holding up — because he's a caring person! — and Oscar admits that he never understood why the girl of the tale was sad upon reaching home again. Now he does: she wasn't the same person anymore. I don't think the fact that Oscar has had both a metaphorical fall — leaving his farm to 'fall' into this war — and a literal one — falling through Atlas to unlock his magic — is lost on anyone. This is a nice allusion to our themes. Yang's speech to Salem later on? That’s something else entirely. 

Storytelling done, Ozpin says he thinks "this plan to divide might have run its course” and it's time to try and find a way to leave. I'm sorry, I love my farm boy, but what plan? He didn't do anything. At least nothing that could remotely be termed an intellectual plot. Oscar convinced Ozpin to try and turn Hazel by telling him the world would end under Salem's rule and the only reason that worked is because the story decided to chuck out Hazel's entire character. You know, the one that hates Ozpin above all others, wants the world remade into a non-Academy horror show, can't understand that people make their own choices, is terrified of Salem, and has no reason to trust a prisoner he's currently torturing. Oscar's "plan" hinged on his writers erasing a great deal of work to build a new story that fits said “plan.” He didn't even get Emerald involved, she just — again, conveniently — eavesdropped outside their door at just the right moment.

To be clear, I'm not against a story being written to work in the hero's favor. Of course things are going to be convenient in a happy-ending tale. Someone manages to hold out just as long as they need to, a sword is lying just within reach, you, yes, happen to run into the one person you're desperate to find. This kind of stuff is reassuring, telling its audiences that sometimes things do work out for the best. It's enjoyable... but only provided the hero's entire success doesn't hinge on fate being shockingly kind to them. That's what RWBY has become. A world where Salem doesn't attack Mantle, Amity Tower is suddenly finished, the group can charge into any deadly situation they want to and bank on destiny twisting around itself to ensure they come out of it safely. A hero finding a convenient weapon nearby to defeat their enemy with is only reassuring after we've seen them implement a brilliant attack, struggle, nearly win, but then suddenly be faced with failure, necessitating that little push from coincidence. They earned it. The hero doesn't get to run in blindly and find a Defeat Bad Guy plot point gift wrapped for them at the first sign of trouble. They just die.

RWBY used to be a better written show because that's precisely Pyrrha's story. She charged a Maiden unprepared, without a single plan or hope for success, and she died. That's what happens in a dangerous, internally consistent world, but RWBY has since lost the second half of that formula.

I'm harping on this because this entire episode is built on that foundation of coincidence, something that shouldn't be happening at all, but especially not when you're pitting the heroes against Salem herself.

So yeah, it just gets worse from here.

Back to Oscar. Without the cane magic is the only weapon they have at their disposal, but he's reluctant to use it because every time he does, they merge more quickly. 

They... do? 

Okay, there are three major problems with this announcement:

I'm pretty sure we've only seen Oscar use magic once: creating that barrier to survive the fall through Atlas. That was the point of his near death experience, to unlock something that had previously been unavailable to him. Yet if he's only used it once, why is he so sure that it hurries the merge along? What's this "every time" business? This confusion could have easily been avoided if the show had just let Oscar use his magic this volume, tackling some other questions and gaps in the process. Let him use it to fight off the grimm in Mantle, giving him the opportunity to admit to at least Jaune, Ren, and Yang that Ozpin is back. He could have used some magic against the Hound with Ozpin's encouragement, answering the question of why he was entirely silent while the two of them got their ass beat. Give us a moment where Oscar uses his magic against Hazel, nearly escaping in the process, but is captured again at the last moment. Basically, his line makes it sound like magic has been this ongoing resource with an established downside when... it hasn’t.

Coinciding with all of the above, how is it that Oscar can suddenly use magic at will? Yeah, yeah, he unlocked it during the fall, but really? You open up the magic gates and from then on out it's as natural as breathing? This is the same issue with Ruby's silver eyes. The story gives these characters incredible powers, but never has them talking about how they work, let alone training them. They just exist, perfect in execution, as soon as the plot needs them. (See: the final shot of this episode.) At least Weiss had to practice her summoning for multiple volumes.

Finally, the question of how Oscar instinctively knows how to use magic could easily be answered with, "Well, he's kind of Ozpin now," but that would require the story to actually explain what the merge is. "We merge faster," Oscar says, but what does that mean? The Ozpin and Oscar we see in this scene are fundamentally indistinguishable from the Ozpin and Oscar who existed at his aunt's house, four whole years ago. They're still separate people, with one controlling the body and the other existing as a consciousness he can talk to. Nothing has changed. The show keeps insisting that Oscar is going through this deep and painful arc of losing himself to Ozpin... despite the fact that he has yet to lose a single bit of Oscar-ness. Has he changed? Well of course, but anyone going through these experiences is going to change. Remove the "merge" aspect and Oscar's confidence or power up is likewise indistinguishable from any of the other characters' developments. Nora is becoming more of an individual this volume. Ren is becoming more powerful in his semblance. Neither have an Ozpin to force that change, it just happens on its own. So what separates Oscar from every other character going through a formative experience? When is “I’m not the same person anymore” due to unnatural magic vs. just growing up? 

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy our boy is getting more screen time — and that the cast is actually being kind to him now — but overall his arc is objectively terrible. He bought some clothes, told Ironwood he was as bad as Salem, told Hazel how to access the Relic, and then asked him not to be a villain anymore. Somehow these things are presented as significant moments of growth while the real questions surrounding his merge go unanswered.

“Honestly, I think you’re doing just fine on your own," Ozpin tells him, but he's not. God knows our boy is trying, but this is a moment where Ozpin's self-hatred (and the story's insistence that the younger generation is intrinsically better than the older) is blinding him to the situation. Oscar has made terrible decisions lately, in as much as he's been able to decide anything at all, and now he's rejecting escaping captivity because he's terrified of a concept he doesn't even understand yet. None of that is fine. Reassurance is one thing, but painting this situation as Oscar making better choices than he would with Ozpin's input is insane. He literally just decided to keep them in Salem's clutches indefinitely because something something magic is scary, I guess. Oscar doesn't need a, 'You're better than me' speech, he needs a reality check so they don't both die. Remember back in Volume 5 when Oscar, a brave but idiotic 14 year old, insisted on fighting someone entirely out of his league and Ozpin was like,

then saved him from getting his head crushed in like a cantaloupe? We need more of that. Our teenage heroes need guidance, but because RWBY keeps insisting that every adult they encounter is corrupt or incompetent, that hasn't happened in three volumes. They're just aloud to decide things like, “Let's tell our captor the Relic's password because UwU ~trust~” and then the story bends over backwards to make that work. Instead we could, you know, let characters learn that they can be wrong. 

The snow scene was the beginning, but RWBY really went off the rails the day it let Qrow warn the group against stealing from and attacking an allied city, only for them to call him an idiot for doubting them. Now, Ozpin doesn't even get to warn Oscar about stupid decisions, he just agrees with them, reassuring and passive. Never mind the complication of whether Ozpin is even emotionally capable of providing guidance after they labeled him the worst thing to ever happen to them. 

Why does RWBY keep ruining my faves 😔

Anyway, we’ve got to stay on track. Oscar has decided to just lie there but, luckily for him, Hazel's redemption — I use that term so loosely — has begun. He drags Oscar out of his cell before we cut to Winter. 

She's leading a portion of Ironwood's army, trying to get things ready for when the bomb arrives. Neon and Flynt are a part of her team, sharing scared glances and trying to remain optimistic. It's a legitimately hard-hitting moment, striking that balance between horror and hope. Funny though, I wonder that RWBYJNOR would think of their friends fighting for evil Ironwood...

Marrow, continuing the tradition of insisting that our heroes be both adults and kids simultaneously, looks sadly at the soldiers heading into battle and goes, "But... they're just kids." I would like to remind everyone reading that Ruby is younger than them. Anyone who thinks that these teenagers shouldn't be fighting grimm — the thing they have been training to do as their professional career, during an unprecedented attack on their home — should not simultaneously be looking to the girl who is two years younger as his savior. (Something that, while not overt yet, is very much where Marrow is heading as he continually doubts the Ace Ops and looks to RWBY's group as his new, moral leaders.) I'm glad that, for once, this perspective is firmly called out. Elm arrives to tell him point blank that he needs to figure out his personal ethics later. It doesn't matter because there's an army of grimm out there and monsters aren't going to spare anyone, adult or child. Quit philosophizing and kill some already.

Back to Hazel where we get the doorway shot from our trailer. He's taken Oscar to the Relic, because of course he has. Do I really need to list how convenient this is too? Apparently, "the moment we move that thing, this place goes on high alert," but there’s no alarm for when Oscar is taken from his cell, they enter the Relic's room, or when they use it. What does a movement alert matter if someone can just waltz in and waste the last question themselves? Put some of those endless grimm in the room to guard it, Salem!

Just assume that I am, at any given point in this episode, letting out the longest sigh my lungs are physically capable of.

Emerald shows up, demonstrating both the convenience of everyone arriving when they need to, and the very real danger that Salem herself could come in and discover what they're up to. Hazel has Oscar summon Jinn, only to immediately say that “Actually, I think all my questions are answered now.”

I'm sorry, how does this answer any of Hazel's questions? His driving question was not, "Is the Relic actually a magical object capable of doing magical things?" but rather "Are you telling me the truth about Salem's plans to summon the Gods and destroy all of Remnant in her quest to finally die, thereby changing who I'm going to support in this war?" Seeing a naked, blue djinn does not answer that question. 

Hazel's "redemption" is non-existent. He — we — learned about Salem's death wish despite how that contradicts previous lore, then he trusted Ozpin despite that contradicting his entire character, now he joins the heroes because, literally, he sees Jinn floating there. It’s bad enough that Hazel goes from clear villain to sacrificial hero in a matter of in-world hours, but we don’t even get a reason for why that change occurred. 

Oh, there's also this:

So Jinn doesn't come out of her lamp unless someone intends to ask a question, but does it for Ruby because she's special, yet still reiterates that this won't happen again. Then Oscar summons her without intending to ask a question, she comes out anyway, confirms that none of them seek knowledge from her, and happily pops back inside her lamp because eh, it’s whatever.

If RWBY had any courage the three of them would be cursed now for toying with a powerful, magical object. Remember the days when Jinn was a little terrifying because it felt like she was warping her answers and we had no idea what she might do to someone who used her carelessly? When she felt like a djinn? Good times.

Or better times, at least. 

So Good Guy Hazel and Good Gal Emerald promise to get Oscar out. Never mind all the horror they caused, the people they killed, and that for Hazel, at least, this defection is coming out of nowhere. 

Anyone remember that Emerald orchestrated Penny's death? No? Just me?

As they leave it turns out Neo was camouflaged against the wall, because she was also precisely where she needed to be. Does everyone just periodically pop into the Relic room to see what’s going on? At least this time it's not working in the heroes' favor. Remember when I said it's beyond idiotic for Oscar to just hand out the Relic information to known enemies currently holding him captive and torturing him?

Yeeeeaah.

So Neo's got the Lamp. Funny how all of this could have been avoided if Ruby had just put it in the vault like she came to Atlas to do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

We return to our trio where Jaune and Ren need to rest because their aura is giving out. Good! These guys fought a battle, fought Neo, fought more grimm, fought the Hound, traipsed through the tundra, presumably fought through more grimm to get to the whale, and have been using both their semblances to look for Oscar. It's about time their reserves started to falter.

Jaune decides to scout ahead a bit, leaving Yang and Ren to talk about nothing of importance. I mean that seriously. Remember a few days ago when I spoke about how, if the snow conversation does come back up, Ren's points would be entirely ignored for a nonsensical “I’m glad we’re friends” speech? Remember how I also spoke about how every emotional beat now is entirely generic and you could replace any character with another and not a single thing would change? Yeah. This is both those arguments in one. Nothing is said about the points Ren made. His problems with how the group has been acting lately and the very real, very deadly consequences it has had are flat out ignored. We went from

"But these aren't the kinds of decisions we should be making because we have no idea what we're doing!"

to

"Forward, no matter what!"

in a matter of hours, with precisely zero insight into how Ren went from one perspective to the exact opposite. Kind of like Hazel. Because see, RWBY doesn't write arcs, it just writes one thing until it decides to switch it up for something else, with the opposite idea presented as a “resolution” or a “twist.” Our creators writes scenes they know the fandom is begging for without considering how to get a character to that place, let alone how to get them out of it. That's all Ren's speech was, the equivalent of moral fan service. Here's a glimpse of actual character depth and a morally gray situation... now forget it ever happened because we're back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Instead of working through the laundry list of issues Ren raised, Ren instead accepts Jaune's aura help — something they've been doing since Argus — and tells Yang it's okay to be scared. These moments are meaningless and, as said, could have been between anyone in our cast. Ren could have told Nora she doesn't have to use jokes to cover up that she's scared. Jaune could have reminded Ruby that she can depend on him. Yang could have tried to keep Blake and Weiss' hopes up. This scenes ignores the individuality of the characters, like the fact that they just fought over very different world views, to instead favor any dime-a-dozen moment of support. The number of times this volume has rejected the conflict and resolution the group needs for bland, generic reassurances staggering.

Also, apparently Jaune isn't scared at all? I don't think that's as good a thing as Ren seems to think... 

Then Jaune immediately rounds the corner, terrified lol.

One of the seer grimm is on its way and he tells Ren to mask them. Apparently he had been masking them before — one of the reasons he's so tired now, trying to do two things at once — but it's only here that they go black and white again. Ren manages to keep it up for a little while, but his aura breaks before the seer passes and they're spotted.

Hark! A consequence!

That was well done. It makes sense and it adds to the stakes. We've seen the insane amount of fighting the group has done since Volume 7, we just established that they're at their breaking point, and then Ren's aura fails him right when he needs it the most. Add this to the miniscule pile of things that were well done this episode. 

Salem runs into Emerald and Hazel, the former of which is acting very suspicious when asked if he's made any headway with Oscar. The seer's alarm interrupts them though and... okay. Was I the only one who cackled during this moment? Between Salem's voice acting and the fact that she just yeets herself down the hallway, it came across as really funny to me. 

Either way, it is a bad situation. Our trio is trying to figure out what to do, to which Yang responds, "Do what we do best… charge blindly into danger!!”

Ren's aura is broken. Jaune barely has any left and it’s unlikely he could heal right now even if Ren had any aura to amplify. If Ren takes a single hit anywhere important he is dead.

Me, on my knees, surrounded by the ashes of the Hound, the last bit of serious storytelling we had: "For the love of God, the kingdom is on fire and simultaneously dying of cold. There's a grimm army decimating hundreds outside. Half their group is missing and they're wandering lost inside a devil whale, about to have the most powerful being Remnant has ever known personally try to kill them — can we please have their attitudes reflect that?"

The answer, in case you were wondering, is no.

Back to the bomb. Whatever scientists were given this task have completed it and Marrow watches as it's flown out towards the whale. "Come on, Juan" he whispers and I'm all, "Juan?" Apparently it's a callback to last volume when Marrow couldn't remember Jaune's actual name, but it took me hopping onto the RWBY wiki to remember that. 

As death via explosion inches closer, the trio runs into Hazel and Emerald. Turns out though that Hazel is really Oscar, disguised through Emerald's semblance. Nice trick! Jaune immediately drops both weapons to hug Oscar and, while that's nice and all, it's also the stupidest thing he could possible do in enemy territory. Also, Oscar has been beaten up by the Hound, tortured with magic, and likewise beaten bloody by Hazel. I was hoping for a tender hug like the one Nora gave him, not a giant squeeze for more comedy purposes. It just feels like RWBY has no idea how to manage the tone of this volume, let alone the torture of a child...

There's the obligatory, "Why should we trust you?" from Yang regarding Emerald joining the team, to which Ren responds, "Because she's scared, just like us."

That doesn't prove anything. Literally everyone is scared right now. There is a war going on. I really cannot emphasize enough how RWBY throws out Deep™ sounding lines that are, upon inspection, absolutely nonsensical. Nora reminding Penny that there are different parts to her personhood, Hazel saying that all his questions have been answered, Ren announcing that Emerald is scared... it's all worthless chatter that has no bearing on their problems: How do I keep from being hacked? How do I know you're telling the truth? How do we know you're trustworthy after you spent years trying to kill us? But of course, because it's RWBY, Ren's announcement is treated as some sort of secret truth that everyone accepts. Emerald joins up.

As they head for an exit we return to Marrow who, frankly, is getting on my last nerve. I know the fandom loves him because he's clearly leaning towards Team RWBY, but does anyone actually listen to what he says? He starts yelling at Winter for sending in the bomb because the trio might still be alive in there, despite:

Seeing for himself the hundreds of soldiers that have fallen trying to keep Atlas safe

Knowing and hearing again from Winter that the only way to stop this carnage is to take out the whale. Given more time, the whole city falls

Sadly announcing to the world that children shouldn't have to fight in a battle, rather than just joining the fray and helping to keep those kids safe

How does Marrow think those kids are going to be able to stop fighting? How does he think he'll get a city to return to? It's no wonder that he's drawn to Ruby because both characters stand around twiddling their thumbs, mourning that things are bad, and blaming others for imperfect solutions rather than doing something to make the situation better. Marrow's disgust at Winter over the bomb is precisely the same as Ruby's disgust at Ironwood over Mantle: how dare you not have a plan that results in both victory for us and zero sacrifices? They want perfection which, yes, is an admirable trait, but their problem is they refuse to do anything until that perfection appears. They’re paralyzed, a trait that’s particularly dangerous when your story insists that perfection will never appear: it’s not a fairy tale. So they just continue to get mad at others for the fact that they live in an unfair world. You want that perfect solution? Think it up yourself. Otherwise, stand aside and let those coming up with something do what they can to make things better. 

Marrow goes so far as to drag Weiss into things, trying to guilt Winter with the knowledge that she'll have to relate the death of her sister's friends back to her. Winter, because she's a badass who isn't in denial over the situation, tells him that yes, she will shoulder that responsibility. To Marrow's credit he backs off then, but man. RWBY has legitimate moral questions here — when is holding out for a few worth risking the many? — but they go about exploring it in the most frustrating way possible. I personally have no respect for the guy who wants to announce that Children In War Is Bad instead of, you know, using the power he currently has to protect those kids already neck deep in a battle. 

Because John Mulaney remains relevant:

"There shouldn't be a horse in the hospital :( "

"We're WELL PAST THAT."

Marrow is the one going, "There shouldn't be kids in a war :( We shouldn't have to kill a few to save the whole kingdom :( " and everyone around him is like, "No shit, dude! But this is the hand we were dealt! You going to help us, or what?"

Literally all of these characters could have been so much more than what they currently are.

Except Winter. She's doing great.

Now for the final scene. Our group nearly manages to escape the whale, but is incapacitated by some sort of screechy power that Salem employs. 

She contorts her body, stretching out her arms to snag Emerald, and the others have a brief, but intense skirmish. Jaune manages to block a blast of magic aimed at Ren with his shield — nice — and Yang dots Salem's face with a bunch of bombs before blowing her sky-high — double nice. Oscar shoots out some magic of his own because, yeah, I guess he can just do that now? It really feels like it came out of nowhere after eight episodes of being the punching bag. 

Of course, Salem immediately reforms. She traps the group with grimm arms that come out of the whale, interrogating Ozpin about why he bothers to keep coming back. There's a very sad answer there of, "I don't," referring to his lack of choice in reincarnating to fight her.

Yang interrupts their little tet-a-tet to throw the question back in Salem's face, calling her out on her choices. A great idea but, as always, execution: "because something bad happened to you once upon a time? No one gets a fairy tale ending."

I’m sorry, but that dialogue had me cringing. Like I said before, way too on the nose. There's keeping with the fairy tale theme, and then there's shoving the viewer's face in it. More of Oscar's musings on how he relates to the protagonists of fairy tales, blurring the lines between storytelling and reality, which in turn encourages the viewer to consider how they see themselves in the RWBY cast. Less... whatever this is.

Yang goes on to talk about how many people Salem has taken from her, which upon reflection makes a certain amount of sense if you toss in all the people who are here, but changed somehow due to Salem's influence, as well as acquaintances who died as a result of her meddling: Raven is scared off, Tai suffers as a result, Pyrrha dies, Penny dies, Yang loses her arm and her school. I think the dialogue could have been revised to reflect that better though because what Yang implies is that Salem has killed countless of her loved ones, yet what she says is, "Summer Rose. My mom." Honestly, for the few seconds this exchange was happening my thoughts weren't even on Summer. Yang calls Salem out for killing loved ones and my brain went, "Pyrrha??"

That's how little they've done with Yang and Summer. I know in the past I've argued that RWBY has a "better late than never" situation going on, that I would praise them for making the right writing choices even if they arrive years too late... but now that we're here, I find that it's a hard problem to overlook. Summer is Yang's mom? When's the last time we heard that? Volume 2? Whenever the conversation with Blake was. Since then Yang has called Raven "Mom," focused on that emotional connection (or lack thereof), was excluded from the conversation with Qrow, comforted Ruby after she was blindsided by Salem's taunt, and otherwise hasn't mentioned Summer at all. There is no foundation for this accusation except a few lines about getting cookies as a child and the fact that we're tossing references in now makes me worried that we'll indeed get a grimm!Summer reveal. Better remind the audience that she exists before the twist arrives! Honestly, as much as a part of me wants to praise RWBY for trying to get things back on track, moments like this just ring hollow now. They waited years and now it’s too late. It doesn't help that this is the episode where we shrug off Ren's speech. What will Yang's cutting admission amount to based on this trend? Probably nothing. Summer will become Yang’s mom again in another six seasons. 

Salem, obviously, doesn't care. The real Hazel arrives and she orders him to take Oscar back to his cell. Instead, he gives him his cane with a whispered, "No more Gretchens, boy."

Behold, another meaningless line. Hazel hates Ozpin for "forcing" Gretchen on a mission and "getting" her killed. The whole point of his villainy is that he doesn't understand the concept of choice and that bad things can happen to good people with no one able to prevent it. Not every loss has a responsible party attached (outside of, you know, Salem/the grimm). So what is he even demanding here? No more huntsmen schools? That's what you wanted Salem for. No more "forcing" people to fight for you? Ozpin never did that in the first place. Or is it just a strange promise that no one else will die here? RWBY seems to be under the impression that they can just name drop dead family members — Summer, Gretchen — and that's that. Emotional depth created, never mind a lack of buildup or clarity. 

Then Hazel punches Salem across the room and she releases every single hero from their bonds. See the theme of this episode: convenience. Hazel shoves a whole bunch of dust crystals into his shoulders and yells that he's doing what Gretchen would have wanted, clearly sacrificing himself so that the others can escape. The battle between him and Salem is pretty decent. I enjoyed the dust vs. magic creativity and the sheer damage Salem can take before reforming. This fight really showcases how not human she is.

It does, however, bring into question Hazel's reveal about her needing an hour to heal at the longest. I mentioned how unlikely it would be that our heroes would get the chance to "kill" her multiple times, yet here we are, just a few episodes later. They got that opportunity and... does it matter? Salem's reforming doesn't appear to slow down at all, despite her head getting obliterated at least three times, so at what point does she need longer than a few seconds to heal? If this was meant to be a potential weakness the group would eventually exploit, we needed to see it here, both for that setup and to keep it consistent with Hazel's story.

Regardless, they fight and at first it looks like a pretty straight-forward sacrifice on Hazel's part, giving the group their chance to escape. Except... Oscar.

"She'll just come after us," he tells Jaune, turning away from him to fight.

I need a list for this: 

Of course she's going to come after you. This is not some shocking revelation. At no point has anyone thought that escaping the whale is the answer to all their problems, it just creates one less problem to deal with. Namely, the problem of "Our ally is captured, being tortured, and may give up important intel to the enemy. Oh, also he's about to be blown up with a bomb." Salem coming after them doesn’t matter. What matters is making her plans as difficult as possible as you work to come up with more solutions of your own. This is just a smaller version of the Ironwood conflict: “Well, Salem will just follow Atlas into the sky so it’s useless to attempt escape, or to buy ourselves time.” It’s really not. I know I’ve used this ridiculous comparison before, but if you’re ever chased by a horror movie serial killer hell-bent on your destruction and your reaction to this problem is, “Why run? He’ll just chase us. The only possible choice is to fight him with a 99% chance of our death,” then I beg you to re-evaluate things. 

What was the point of coming to rescue Oscar if he was just going to stay behind? The whale is about to be blown up by a bomb and the trio risked their lives ten times over to get to him. If I were them I would be pissed. We went through all that to get you out and now you’re refusing to leave when we have a chance? Thanks for that. 

Same with Hazel. Not that I care about the guy, but if I was sacrificing myself for others to escape I'd be pretty annoyed at them randomly deciding not to do that.

What does Oscar even think he's going to do? Kill the immortal witch? The entire point of our series is that they can’t do that (yet). 

However, if he is able to do something significant via Ozpin's magic, why didn't Ozpin do that generations ago? Somehow I don't think a younger Ozma closer to the height of his power was in a worse position to attack Salem than a tortured, aura-less kid who unlocked his magic yesterday. The more RWBY reveals about Salem, the more I go, “Okay, but why didn’t his happen [insert any number of years] ago?” 

Did Jaune actually leave? I assume he's just grabbing an airship or something before coming back to drag Oscar away, but seriously where did he go?

There's no way I can approach this scene without throwing up my hands and going, "What? WHY?" Which is a real shame because we finally get to see a bit of what the cane does and it’s... precisely what Ozpin's magic has always done? I mean, we saw that green shield five years ago and now there's a giant white beam. Okay.

If the beam just hits Salem with Generic Magic Power then there was never anything secret about the cane, it’s just, you know, Ozpin’s weapon. If the cane does something significant to hurt her we're left with the question of why it took literal generations to use it. Nothing is making sense to me and the only way I can think to salvage this scene is if Jaune runs back in, snags Oscar like a sack of potatoes, and runs out yelling about how he's clearly suffering from a concussion because what are you trying to accomplish here?

It doesn't help that this moment feels... final. Hazel has managed to hold Salem in place. Oscar has unlocked his cane and lands some mega hit right before Hazel passes out and looses his hold. Not only does this feel like a scene that should be at the end of the volume (we've still got five episodes), but also the end of the series. RWBY is building Salem into an unbeatable enemy by giving her more and more powers, and simultaneously eliminating the stakes by having our currently weakest character (in terms of exhaustion/injuries/aura/training) landing a shot like that. Why would you nerf Salem's threat level like that in the middle of a volume? Especially with a tool our group has had available from the start? If the cane does damage, maybe lead with that in the, “Here’s why we should stay and fight” office conversation. 

I assume that Oscar's hit will obliterate Salem to the point where both he and Hazel have time to escape, or he obliterates both of them (“Do it”) and that's somehow presented as a better choice than just running while Salem is captured, or the bomb will interrupt things somehow... but it's just so shoddily done. At the very least, if they were going to have Oscar refuse to let someone fight alone, have it be an actual friend he's staying to assist. Having Oscar refuse his own rescue to help Hazel has more than one problem attached to it. We can say what we want about RWBY's themes of forgiveness, but this guy was torturing him just a few hours ago while serving Remnant's version of the devil. Just let him sacrifice himself and move on.

And that's where we end. Oscar powering up, the cane getting all magic-y, and him shooting a crazy big blast that engulfs both Salem and Hazel. I can't believe how not excited I am about my farm boy doing something badass, but here we are.

Overall I think this episode was way worse than last week's. We absolutely had problems in "Dark," particularly when it came to the Hound and the group's blind devotion to Ruby, but at least those moments were cushioned by an otherwise decent episode. "Witch" felt like I was watching something closer to a parody of RWBY, one deliberately poking fun at the fandom's desires: erase all conflict for awkward silly times, your favorite villains are instantly good now, the heroes go toe-to-toe with the main antagonist because why not, throw a bunch of magic in there for good measure, and wrap it all up in some over the top "this isn't a fairy tale" lines. I can see the pieces of a much better episode here — Emerald sneaking Oscar out with her semblance, Neo snagging the relic, Flint and Neon, Hazel attacking Salem — but it simply didn't come together.

I know I said this last time, but I have no idea what we're going to do for another five episodes. Salem slowly reforming from bomb damage as the group tries to keep Penny from opening the vault? The grimm attack halted with the whale gone so Qrow can go after Ironwood? The longer this volume runs, the more I think it was a mistake for them to introduce Salem as a fightable antagonist now. RWBY doesn't know what to do with her besides have her inevitably fall in the final season, so until then she's left being stupid (Relic), passive (Mantle), or, likely, written out of the story temporarily so the heroes can turn their attention towards smaller conflicts and weaker foes. They literally can’t beat Salem yet, but they can’t focus on other problems when she’s around without coming across as negligent, so if you have to find ways to erase her to make room for that... what was the point of bringing her here in the first place? We could have established that Salem is bound to her realm and had her send the Hound and whale to attack Atlas. There, all the fun parts of the volume without her complicated presence. 

Well, the next five weeks will certainly be interesting, at the very least... 

Until next time 💜

[Ko-Fi]

#rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby volume 8 #rwby witch #mymetas #rwby recaps

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1024 - Initial Thoughts

Happy Volume 100 Day! Indeed, Volume 100 officially comes out today, it's a shame we didn't get more of those We Are One segments (just like the Nissin noodle commercials) but it wrapped up nicely

There's also a chapter to deal with though so let's get to it

Spoilers for Chapter 1024, Support the Official Release too!

I forgot to mention the special Popularity Poll colour spreads last time but here's our middle one mainly involving the Straw Hats, Vivi, the remaining Supernovas, Bon, Merry, Woop Slap (seriously how?) and some villains (Crocodile, the rest of Moria and Enel). Sneaky bit of Sabo on the side too who'll be fully displayed in the next spread

Oh Usopp, your braggadocios scamp you. He's spreading Fear of God by claiming some recent KOs are due to his Conqueror's Haki

Also claiming to have defeated 2 of the Tobi Roppo...I mean he contributed at least, maybe word it like 'I fought two of the Tobi Roppo and I'm still standing'

Plus he's riding a very unimpressed Alligator SMILE atrocity XD

Horsealina chan (aka Speed) is back to protect sweet child Tama, as it turns out the KOs are from Big Mom's Conqueror's Haki who's fighting on this floor, which must mean that Law and Kid are taking it to her

Also it's still worth applauding that Nami, Usopp, Speed nor even Tama have succumbed to BM's Conqueror's Haki

Luffy's status is still unknown to the crew though, and Nami does seem a bit nervous about it when asking Franky

Franky's right though, no news is good news because if Luffy was defeated or dead he'd be paraded around by the Yonko

Franky is also making motions to move Nami and Usopp with him to the performance floor, so the crew's gonna be converging soon

Some Heart Pirate action too as they fend off any attempts at enemies intervening on Zoro and Sanji's fight with King and Queen, seems like Law they don't like to be told to do stuff by the Straw Hats either

Everyone's bouncing from the Third Floor too thanks to Maria's arson attempts

Out in a blaze of Yohoho is Brook carrying Robin, but no you're not cremated just yet, need to be ashes for that

Look at Robin so peaceful, as Brook guards over her and also is eager to know how things are going

He calls Jimbei who's on the Fourth Floor with Kid's remaining crew, didn't know Kid has a feral female crewmate

Trust Jimbei to be concerned about the big picture of Kaido, but he also mentions how people are fleeing the castle, is it because of the fight in the Performance Floor or because we've reached mainland?

Showing Kawamatsu defending the line does make me think the former

But back to Yamato vs Kaido now, looks like some parent/child attack tennis

Since we can't avoid it now I know the Vivre Card Databook is saying that Yamato is female but since Yamato is identifying as Oden and was still canonically called Kaido's son I'm gonna continue to use male pronouns for the time being. Don't read too into it okay or leap at me for using the wrong pronoun because it's a can of worms right now and I don't want to be part of it

I mean, come on Yamato it's not like you expected Kaido to take it easy on you when you're trying to stop one of his endgame plans

Flashback time! And that's where the Dragon statue used to be...

Kid Yamato is precious, and also has Conqueror's Haki

Kaido all about not winning any Father of the Year awards, he's been starving Yamato, says if he wants to be Oden then he'd be better off dead, then threw him in a cave for a month

Yamato isn't alone though, there are three master swordsmen samurai in the cave too

And now he entices them, with a serving of food for one and a load of swords to fight over it

And the twisted cherry on the bastard cake: 'But I thought you were Oden', was there ulterior motive though? Oden would be able to inspire the Samurai right? I guess not for his own gain though given how he's treating Yamato

The Samurai grab the swords, but they hand Yamato the food: Samurai don't get hungry...unless they're Kin'emon and Momo, like how Kunoichi don't get hungry unless it's Tama

Full on Tama vibes from Kid Yamato eating their first meal in ages, I see that Oda

Dang then one of the Samurai just cut the chains off of him

Since I was given away on spoilers (like seriously guys use the 'Keep Reading' thing, it's the best way to hide spoilery stuff for those who don't wanna be spoiled) this must be Ushimaru, and he does look like those old Zoro pictures

He also now has an eye injury, but he feels disgraced, probably because he was captured rather than killed

Look at this little baby who is probably 5 foot tall hiding behind Oden's journal and doesn't know how to read yet

Looks like Yamato had 3 Dads, all of them Samurai, who taught him to read Oden's journal so he could fanboy more

10 Days pass and Yamato is weakening, seems like the Samurai feel that Yamato will need to be in the fight

Ushimaru though with the Shimotsuki crest on his back has had enough of prison, the Samurai are busting out and in turn giving Yamato freedom from the cave too

Amanowato, I feel like that's important, but the only thing I can find is a special dance (Amanowato Mai) that's performed on the day of the Annual Festival - October 15th...which is a Friday so maybe...

Back to the present and Yamato asks the tough questions, what right does Kaido have to steal freedom?

But Kaido makes a usual cruel response, there are no easy answers

And then we conclude with a clash of Thunder Bagua

Whooof, lot in that chapter huh?

We've got collective chaos with the Straw Hats as they do as expected begin to converge towards the performance floor, perhaps for the final hold off before Luffy and Momo arrive.

Oda though must've known that we were hoping for a Zoro flashback, because he then gave Yamato one instead XD It was cool to see some supportive people in Yamato's past, but while Yamato4Nakama fans will point that he now has a link to Zoro via Ushimaru we also have to note that Yamato's backstory may not have enough tragedy to be a Straw Hat (I'm joking in this btw, Carrot doesn't either unless the Dukes die but Zoro and Usopp's backstories aren't so tragic either)

Yamato giving me Tama vibes when a child is interesting, I do wonder why we have gone that route other than adorableness, but you can see where his strong admiration for Samurai lies too. Wonder how he got Oden's journal so young though

But yeah, no break which is good, I have a feeling though we'll get one next chapter after the colour spread is finished, 1025 could be setting something up big so Oda can pass out for a few days till giving us fire once again

#one piece #one piece spoilers #one piece wano #wano country arc #wano arc #onigashima raid #straw hat pirates #usopp one piece #god usopp #nami one piece #cat burglar nami #franky one piece #iron pirate franky #cyborg franky #jimbei one piece #first son of the sea jinbe #jinbe #brook one piece #soul king brook #nico robin one piece #devil child nico robin #heart pirates #kid pirates #animal kingdom pirates #beasts pirates #kaido one piece #hundred beast kaido #yamato one piece #shimotsuki ushimaru #op spoilers

[bestillmyslashyheart]

“So wait,” Maria laughed, “you broke up with your fiance by packing up your car and driving away?”

Liz nodded, half cringing as she did so. “I couldn’t face him!” She shook her head and took the shot Maria offered. “There was nothing wrong with him or with us, it just wasn’t right? And I didn’t know how to explain that to him?”

“So you just left,” Alex concluded.

Liz nodded. “Relationships suck,” she pronounced before tossing back the shot. Maria laughed and handed out another round. Technically she was working but she’d overstaffed the schedule that night so she wasn’t needed. 

“That they do,” Alex murmured in agreement before downing his own. Maria and Liz both turned to stare at him in unison, twin looks of intrigue and glee on their faces.

“Oh?” Maria teased.

“Do tell,” Liz added.

Alex laughed and shook his head. “I’m not drunk enough yet.”

“I can fix that,” Maria told him earnestly. She quickly filled his glass and pushed it back over to him. “Talk to us, Manes,” she ordered.

“You’ve been a man of mystery ever since you got back,” Liz chided gently. 

Alex winced. It was true that he hadn’t exactly shared much since returning to Roswell and reuniting with Liz and Maria but he hadn’t had a lot of practice in recent years talking about himself. Everyone who needed to know something usually found out on their own. It worked for him.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Maria muttered suddenly. Alex looked up at her in surprise, Maria wasn’t one to cuss often, only to find her staring over his shoulder. He started to turn but didn’t make it very far before a tall blonde form was pressing up against him.

“Where is he?” Isobel Evans-Bracken demanded sharply. 

“Hey!” Liz cried. She reached out to shove Isobel away from Alex but Isobel brushed her off without looking away.

“Back off, Evans,” Maria ordered. But Alex waved her off.

“Hello to you, too,” he greeted idly. Ignoring her eye roll, he tossed back his newly filled glass. 

“Where is he?” She asked again.

Alex turned his head slightly to look at her. “Do they not have courtesy where your from?” Isobel stifled her flinch but Alex caught it. “Most people say hello first.”

Isobel clenched her jaw. “Hello, Captain.” Alex thought the stress on his rank was entirely unnecessary. “You’ve been home for about a month now so again I ask, where is he?”

“You have a phone, yes?” Alex asked instead of answering.

Isobel scoffed. “As if it does me any good. Now stop avoiding the question.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “I don’t know.”

“Bullshit.”

“I really don’t.” He really didn’t. 

Isobel stared at him like she was trying to get inside his head but Alex ignored her again. “Fine,” she said finally, holding out her hand. “Give me your phone.”

Alex saw Maria and Liz tense at the order, both of them already on edge from Isobel’s sudden appearance and her behavior thus far but he ignored them and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He even unlocked it before handing it over.

Isobel snatched it from him and stomped over to a corner, the phone already pressed against her ear. Alex watched curiously, honestly unsure if she would get a response. It’s not like Alex always did. 

He didn’t have to wait long. “So your phone does work!” Isobel said loudly before continuing in a quieter tone. If Alex strained, he could maybe make out what she was saying but he wasn’t sure he cared enough right now to try.

“Max?!” Liz sat up straight next to him. It was the only warning Alex got before the other Evans twin pressed up next to him.

“Hi, Liz,” Max greeted her warmly before turning to Alex. “Where is he?”

That gave Alex pause. He’d expected Isobel to badger him for information, had been expecting it ever since he crossed the city limit a month ago truthfully, but Max had always kept his distance from Alex. He glanced up at him. “I don’t know.” He gestured over to where Isobel still stood. “She took my phone and seems to have gotten through so go ask her.”

Max went to his sister’s side without another word.

“Okaaaay,” Maria dragged out. “What the fuck?”

---

Alex was more than a little tipsy when he finally got home. He was drunk enough that he probably shouldn’t have been driving but he really hadn’t wanted to spend the night on Maria’s couch so he let her sober him up a little bit before he left. Max and Isobel hadn’t stayed long after her phone call ended and neither one of them had bothered to tell him what the emergency was but Alex did get his phone back so he pushed the encounter out of his mind. Getting Liz and Maria to drop the inquiry had been a bit harder but eventually they realized he wasn’t going to answer their questions and dropped it. For now, at least.

When Alex pulled up to his house, the headlights reflected briefly off the shiny metal of an Airstream. It was parked behind the house, almost hidden from the road. The beat up old Chevy was in the extra parking spot next to Alex’s.

Alex turned off his car and carefully got out. He ignored the truck and the Airstream and the implications of them being there when Alex hadn’t seen either for close to six months.

It was late, he was tired, he was drunk, and he just wanted to go to sleep.

So of course, he opens the door to the sound of a saw.

“Michael!” He yelled helplessly, the noise making his head hurt already. Alex dropped his keys on the table next to the door, made sure the lock was turned, and ventured closer to the noise.

It was coming from his bedroom. No, he realized as he got closer, it was coming from his bathroom. Alex peeked in the doorway and groaned loudly, the sound covered up by the machinery. This morning he’d had a shower tub, now he had a hole in his bathroom. Michael was crouched on the ground, cutting pieces of something Alex couldn’t identify. He had his protective gear on and Alex knew he was oblivious to everything but what was right in front of his eyes.

With a loud sigh, Alex flicked the light switch. Almost instantly, the saw cut off and Michael turned to face the doorway. His hair was a mess, his clothes dirty from his work, and he looked exhausted.

He was still the best thing Alex had seen in months.

“Hey,” he greeted quietly, turning away almost immediately. He started cleaning up his work.

“I need a shower,” Alex complained. His leg was killing him and he felt gross after spending all night at the Pony. Coming home to yet another one of Michael’s projects was not what he’d had in mind for the night. Especially since he hadn’t heard from him in weeks.

“You’ve got another bathroom,” Michael replied. 

Alex thudded his head against the door frame and instantly regretted it. “It doesn’t have handrails.”

“I put the ones from here in there,” Michael told him. 

“Why?” Michael didn’t offer a response other than to cut a glance at Alex’s leg. Alex rolled his eyes. Sure, Michael had promised after his injury to make sure his house was accessible but that was three houses ago. He let it go. “How long are you staying?” He asked instead.

Michael’s shoulders slumped just a little. “Don’t know yet.” He never knew. “You?”

“Don’t know yet,” Alex replied. Michael nodded like he’d been expecting it, though Alex had always had an answer before.

If anyone asked, Michael would deny he’d done it until his dying breath, but a week after Alex left for basic training, Michael packed up his stuff and followed him. He played it off like he wanted a road trip, like he’d ended up in the same town as Alex by pure happenstance, but they both knew he’d followed him. It set a pattern after that: Michael never stayed forever, taking off every now and then with his Airstream and going who knows where, but he always came back to Alex. Even when Alex received new postings, Michael would show up within a month. 

It was unconventional. But it worked for them. Sort of. Mostly.

They weren’t monogamous but they were committed. Mostly. Alex might define it as an open relationship if they’d ever actually had a conversation on the subject. 

When Max and Isobel needed to get a hold of Michael and couldn’t, they called Alex. Or besieged him at the bar. Alex sometimes knew where Michael was. But not always. 

Michael went to school except when he didn’t. He picked up odd jobs and trade skills when he needed to. He never tried for more and it drove Alex crazy. He had so much potential and Alex couldn’t help but think he was squandering it chasing after Alex like he did.

Alex was in the Air Force. That hadn’t changed. Not yet. Neither had Michael’s aversion to it. Michael correlated the Air Force with Alex’s father and most of the time he could look past it for Alex’s sake but sometimes he couldn’t. Those times were times when he would pack and up and leave and Alex wouldn’t see him for months at a time.

Alex’s injury and his refusal to accept an honorable discharge had sent Michael running as soon as he’d made sure Alex was okay. 

It was the first time Alex hadn’t been sure Michael would come back.

“I’ll have a new shower in by tomorrow,” Michael told him, yanking Alex from his thoughts. “It’s got a bench and some other stuff to make it accessible.” Alex held in his sigh of relief. He’d been making his shower tub work for the last month but it was exhausting. 

“Thank you,” he told Michael sincerely.

Michael nodded in response and stood up, his work tidied enough not to trip Alex up in case he needed to get by for any reason. “Come on,” he shooed. “Shower.” It was a wordless offer to help and Alex appreciated it.

Alex didn’t move. He waited right where he was until Michael was right in front of him. “Hi,” he said softly.

“Hi,” Michael huffed in fond amusement. “You gave my sister your phone.”

“You didn’t have to answer.”

He shrugged. “I thought it was you.”

Alex twisted his fingers in the front of Michael’s shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. “I missed you.”

Michael kissed him again, longer this time. “Missed you too. Now shower. You smell like the floor of the Pony.”

#malex fic #my fic #rnm #i cant write my big bang so im writing something else?

[michael-runs-hot-guerin]

Who's Really Lucky

Coda post 303

--

"Wait, stop at Alex's house," Michael said from the back of the jeep. He held the dog close to his body. "It's the turn after this one!"

"I'll lose the ambulance," Max said.

"Alex is his friend, he'll want to know and be there!"

He took the turn sharply. "Call him so it doesn't take long! Is is picking up Rosa, Rosa is calling Liz."

Michael dug his phone out. "Alex, Alex, pick up, Alex--"

"Guerin? Michael? Are you okay? What is it?"

"It's Kyle, we're almost to your house to pick you up, he's going to the hospital, A-Alex..."

"Fuck, okay, I'm-- I'll be out in a minute, I'm. It's-- it's bad?"

Michael took a shuddering breath; he hadn't gotten out, but even from the jeep it looked awful. God, he had seen him that morning. Told him to stay alive. "Yeah. Yeah, it was really bad. Max tried, but... He's been shotgunning nail polish remover the whole drive. We're here."

Alex was outside with his crutches, phone held to the grip as he headed for the jeep. Michael threw open the door and helped him up. They laid his crutches on the floor. "Wh-Why's there a dog?"

"Uh, long story, this is Lucky," Michael said. The dog stretched out over both their laps. "I'll tell you later."

"Okay, and what happened to Kyle?" Alex absently ran his fingers along the dog's back.

"Reckon he got in a fight outside the Police Station, not sure who with or how long ago, um, he lost a lot of blood, he-he was impaled on a thing," Max explained.

"Impaled on a thing?"

"I closed up the front hole, at least, and he was still breathing a bit before that, I think..."

"It was through and through? How big was the thing? Where was it?"

Max held up his hand to indicate a large circle, and Alex let out a pained gasp in response. Michael covered his hand shakily. Lucky twisted around to lick where they joined.

"It was, it was through his gut, on the right side."

Alex took a deep breath. In, out. Michael mimicked him subconsciously. "Cameras outside the station?"

"Yes."

"See you doing the alien thing?"

"Fuck," Michael said quietly.

Max shook his head as he pulled into a spot. "Using my powers makes everything blow out. There'll be a glitch in the video when I did that."

Alex squeezed Michael's hand. "Okay, good, but whoever he fought'll be on there. They won't get away with this."

All Michael could do was nod as Max frowned at his windows. "It shouldn't get to hot or too cold for him in here, right?"

"Huh?"

"Lucky," Max said. "We can't bring him in."

They looked down at the dog still stretched across their laps. "It's not ideal, but there's no other choice," Alex said. "Come on, boy, off."

The dog sighed but plodded over them and then jumped into the front seat.

"Good boy," said Max. "Stay."

Michael waited beside Alex's door as Max went ahead. "Has anyone called his mom?" Alex asked, foot firmly on the ground and crutches in hand.

"Uh, I don't think any of us have her number," Michael said.

Alex paused to get his phone from his pocket, then handed it to Michael so they could keep walking. "Valenti, Michelle."

"What-What do I tell her?" he asked as the line rang.

"That Kyle was hurt and he's at the hospital," he said calmly.

The line picked up. "Alex?"

Michael swallowed. "Michael Guerin on Alex's phone, Sheriff. It's about Kyle, he's in the hospital."

"I know, the paramedics called me, I'm on my way. Is there any news?"

"We just got here," Michael said. "Sorry."

"They won't tell us anyway," Alex said. "We're not immediate family. Max might be able to get something."

"How'd it happen?" Michelle asked.

"He got in a fight outside the Station," Michael said. "Max and I found him."

"Thank you," she said. "I am going to hang up and focus on driving now."

"Okay."

They caught up with Max at the counter. "She could only tell me he's in surgery and needed a massive transfusion. We can wait back through here."

Slowly, all of Kyle's friends and family were crowded into the waiting room, all trying to comfort each other, Rosa still trying to reach Liz on her phone.

Alex and Michael sat together, knees brushing. "He came to see me this morning," Michael said quietly.

"What for? Thought you didn't like him."

"I don't!" Michael sighed. "I can't just... let go of how he treated you. I know it was a long time ago, but so were-- But I know you care about him. He brought me a radio his dad wanted him to have, last night it turned on and played a song and his dad's voice, and we found some alien glass inside. His dad told him to get out."

"Get out of what?"

"The alien stuff. And I said he was right, he should stay alive rather than get involved in our bullshit," he said.

Alex squeezed Michael's shoulder. "We're all adults here, Michael. We make our own choices. And... Sorry, did Kyle say what song it was?"

"Um, some really old one I guess, like, I don't want to set the world on fire, I just want to start a flame in your heart," he said. He sniffed. "Is that important?"

"Kind of. But not at the moment," Alex said.

Rosa jumped up from where she was sitting on Alex's other side, phone to her ear. "Liz! You have to get back to Roswell. Liz? Ugh, Heath. What?"

She looked around the room and landed on Max, who was failing to eavesdrop subtly from in between Michelle Valenti and Isobel. Rosa narrowed her eyes. "Well you can tell her Max is fine, but Kyle isn't, and she needs to get her ass down here. Oh? I didn't hear you tell her it's Kyle. Uh-huh, that's what I thought. See you soon."

She put her phone away and stalked up to Max, whom she kicked in the shin. She hissed, "You marked her!"

Max blinked in confusion. "What?"

"She blew out all the lights at her place an hour ago and collapsed and thought you were dying!" She kicked him again. "Effing pendejo."

"What the hell," Michael said. "How could she do that..."

"Rosa, quit it!" Max whispered back. "Now's not the time, alright, I didn't do it on purpose, I didn't even realize I had! Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she was with her co-worker, he's driving her here."

Max nodded. "Okay. All we can do now is wait, then."

Rosa spun without another word and sat back down beside Alex. He gently pulled her over for a one-armed hug.

"Mrs. Valenti," a nurse called, and everyone in the room held their breath. "Your son is stable. He needs another transfusion, but you'll be able to see him within an hour."

The sigh of relief that went around the room was palpable. Alex rubbed Rosa's shoulder and said, "He's okay, he's gonna be okay."

Michael laced his fingers together with Alex's properly, then dropped his forehead to his shoulder. Max and Isobel hugged each other, then he comforted Mrs. Valenti as Isobel and Maria spoke in a low voice to each other about what this meant for her vision.

"I texted Liz that he's stable," Rosa said. "She's still on the way."

All they could do now is wait.

--

"So, is Lucky your dog, Max?" Alex asked hours later. They couldn't all stay at the hospital; Michelle promised to text him any updates.

"Lucky got accidentally shot and then healed today," Max said gruffly. "Well, yesterday."

"Why did you shoot a dog in the first place?" Alex said.

"I didn't. The alien I was cloned from did."

Alex stopped in the middle of the parking lot and leaned heavily on his crutches. "What."

"Long story, like I said." Michael offered, "I can fill you in on the way to your house?"

"Yes, please do. First tell me where Lucky is going to stay."

"Uh, with me, I guess," Max said. He reached through the window and patted the dog on the head. "I don't really have anything for him, though. What do they even eat?"

"Dog food," Michael said helpfully. Once they were all in the jeep, Lucky jumped into the back and stretched out on their laps again. "I used to help with Sanders' dog, maybe I should take him to the junkyard."

"Do you have dog food?" Alex asked.

"I have canned ravioli, dog food comes in cans, close enough."

"No. Okay. Well, I have some stuff, since I'd been wanting to get a dog, and they can eat plain cooked chicken, so until the stores open I have that."

"You wanna take him?" Max said.

"He seems like a good boy," Alex said, and Lucky's tail thumped against the door. "I love dogs."

"If you're sure," Michael said.

"Uh huh, now tell me about this clone thing."

It took much longer than the car ride to explain, so Alex invited the alien bros inside for tea. They helped him get Lucky set up, and then they explained everything about Jones.

--

#types directly into tumblr like a madman #rnm fic #maria mention #hmm #rnm s3 spoilers #my fic #okay yeah #okay I'm tired now so that's it good night #long post