#also to people who are excited that things are getting better between her and stephen...

[rainbownixie]

i normally ask u abt stranger things but i'm gonna switch things up today. u should talk to me about stenbrough + aro bill maybe

also i hope u feel better soon <333

the way i've been thinking about stenbrough today- you literally read my mind!!! and bill is so aro (demiromantic actually) lol it's canon stephen king told me himself actually!!!! (gonna focus more on the 2017 adaptation because i can and because the 90s film and the book give me more hanbrough energy)

bill has never really liked anyone romantically. never understood all the romance in general. he understands why people like it so much (specially after having to hear eddie talking about richie all the damn time), but he's somehow unable to portray it in his stories because he doesn't know how it truly feels like! so he feels the need to fall in love and look for the thing he lacks before it's too late! he's an impatient boy, after all

he feels deeply attached to stan. he cares a lot for him and often finds himself drawing the boy because he just looks so... beautiful that he can't help it. bill just loves spending time with him. it's relaxing and calm and somehow a bit exciting (his heartbeat goes faster whenever stan smiles or laughs) but he guesses it's because he's different from the other two idiots he calls his best friends. stan is different from everyone else, really.

and then bevs appears! and she's obviously pretty and awesome and the coolest girl he's ever met. he definitely feels something for her, but he can't exactly explain what. attraction for sure, but thanks to that bill assumes he likes her. romantically. it's actually just a silly crush because, in all honesty, who wouldn't have a crush on bevs? (probably reddie only tbh)

oh, and stan hates it. he doesn't have beverly, of course, he would never. in fact he likes her a lot! she's pretty much the only one smart and cool enough to handle all of those idiots with him. they get along. it's just that... bill looks at her the way stan wants him to look at him. and it's frustrating, because he used to think there was something between them. perhaps he was just wrong.

and bill keeps thinking he's somehow in love with bevs, so he tries to write something romantic once again. but he can't. he just can't. he can draw beverly and describe her beauty but he can't, for some reason, write down what he feels for her. maybe he's just broken, or that's what he thinks. because for eddie is so easy to be in love with richie (even if he constantly denies it) and bill just wants to feel that way.

even when beverly flirts back, he just can't get himself to feel the way he wants to feel around her. the way he feels around stan. but he still thinks it's because stan is just different. even different enough to compare him to bevs.

stanley talks to richie about bill A LOT. and it's funny because he always tries to complain and blame bevs, but he just can't. and richie makes fun of him and makes jokes to comfort him, but he genuinely doesn't know what to do because he's also in love with his best friend and he's a coward just like stan. at least they're both losers together, and that sort of comforts them both.

eddie knows bill is in love with stan. it's painfully obvious and it's killing eddie with frustration because he knows that if he tells bill then he will probably deny it and say it's impossible. because stan is special and different but not in that way. and eddie is so so tired of hearing bill talk about how pretty bevs is, but how he still doesn't know how love feels like and doubts that he will ever love somebody. (little does he know that it's because he's demiromantic)

ben builds their little underground hideout!! and god bill thinks it's the perfect place to stare at stan without him noticing. he can seat on a corner while he talks with another loser and draw him. he's just pretty okay? what's bill gonna do? not draw him??? his whole sketchbook is full of drawings of stan and sketches of all the birds he likes.

they often go bird watching together. because bill loves drawing the birds (and stan) and stan likes to talk about them for hours. bill really likes his voice.

every time bill feels lonely he calls stan and viceversa. they often even meet late at night in secret just to spend time together and watch the stars. they almost kiss once, but bill for scared before it could happen.

stan loves reading bill's stories. he often gives him ideas and analogies and metaphors to use!! he's his fan n1 and his beta reader. although they don't realize he's his beta reader, bill just likes to show him his stories first because it feels right.

stan always lets bill finish his sentences and helps him with his reading because he knows how annoying it is for him when people interrupt him

remember that period of summer where they aren't together? yeah, well. richie has to deal with stan complaining about how careless and how much of an idiot bill was. that he's an asshole and a jerk and selfish for making them all go through that. and richie sort of agrees, to be honest. because he misses being able to be with eddie and the others and the whole thing almost gets them killed. but he knows it's even harder for stan, because it isn't just a silly crush on bill. he's in love with bill. and only richie knows how that feels.

stan knows that bill and bevs see each other from time to time that summer. it really bothers him but it's not like he's going to apologize to bill. he really feels like shit because he thought bill would care enough to go after him and apologize, but apparently stan isn't special enough.

bill calls eddie once to apologize and they talk a lot (when his mom isn't home ofc) and he mentions he misses stan. because he does! he's gotta be honest and he misses stan the most! he even has his silly little shower hat against spiders with him only because he refuses to let go of it. oh, and he starts writing something. it's pretty angsty, but it's better than nothing. and he knows it's about stan but doesn't really want to accept that the 'love' part is about him too.

the whole clown thing happens, and bill almost loses stan. and he doesn't want to lose someone else again. he realizes, then, that he's of course scared when bevs is all possessed by the deadlights. he loves her. but he doesn't love her the same way he loves stan. it's scary too, but it's not the same type of scary.

then ben kisses beverly, and bill thinks he's supposed to be jealous. he should be, if he really liked bevs. but he isn't. he doesn't care. he's just worried and wants that damn kiss to work. and it works! but maybe he should've been jealous, or so he thinks.

yay! scary clown is dead! all the losers cheered! and bill finds himself not leaving stan's side when they get out of there. not because ben, bevs and mike are together and richie and eddie are walking on their own. but because he wants him close. and he doesn't exactly know what's the feeling inside of him, but he wants to hold stan's hand. he doesn't, of course, but he wants to. and he suddenly feels the need to write.

he gets to hold stan's hand and kind of wished it was on another circumstances, but that have to make that umm pact with blood? (i'm with eddie here that's so damn unhygienic) and he gets to look into his eyes directly. he looks down, and bill feels the urge to kiss stan. because he knows he's still scared af and is only doing the whole pact thing for them. and he wants to calm him down. eddie told him one day that kissing reduces anxiety, but he knows he doesn't want to kiss stan because of that.

stan only makes that promise for bill (and maybe for richie too) because he just doesn't want to picture a future in which he has to fight and not be on his side. he also doesn't want to look like a coward. damn, even ben and eddie are doing it! and bill is so damn close he wants to cry.

bill kisses bevs, only to know if he actually feels something for her. but he doesn't feel anything, and wishes he could've kissed stan right then and there when he had the chance. bevs only smiles when he sees his shocked expression, because he just realized that he's in love with stan. and she's too smart to not notice.

time goes by and bill gets married to audra! but it's weird because he still feels empty, somehow. he loves her a lot and he knows her by heart but they haven't really created that bond he needs to write romance. well, he doesn't remember his youth so he just assumes he isn't good at writing romance and that's all. but then he finds himself, after mike's call, being able to think about thousands of romantic ideas for his books. and it's weird because he's fucking frightened to go to derry again, but he doesn't feel empty anymore.

(stan isn't dead bc i said so) stan shows up! awesome! and he's married to patty but his heart literally drops the moment he sees bill. he's just so... so different but yet the same bill he knew.

bill wants to draw stan the moment he walks through that door and if he weren't so damn scared he probably would've asked him to go bird watching right at that moment.

they find out they're both married! and it's... uncomfortable. bevs sees that. she knows. richie knows. MIKE DEFINITELY KNOWS. and it's so damn obvious.

they get a moment together alone in that motel and bill wants to show him something he's been working on and confesses he's only been in love once and doubts it could happen again. he doesn't get to say with who or show him his story, because then bevs says something about seeing all of them literally dying and everything gets a bit tense.

yadda yadda yadda pretty much normal plot

they obviously find stan's object first, but he can't be with anyone because they're supposed to find those things alone. so he comes back to the motel. and guess what he finds???? exactly he finds the pages bill wanted to show him before! and they're all about how lonely someone can feel when they can't fall in love, but how complete the protagonist felt around his curly haired best friend. one that loves birds and is a boy scout. and stan feels guilty and as a really shitty husband because he loves patty, but it's bill telling him somehow that he loves him back and he just can't help but smile.

stan is so freaking scared because he doesn't want to die but doesn't want to leave them all alone either. they need him for it to work. bill tells him that he needs him there with them. and they're so close and bill didn't stutter once so he accepts. richie raises his eyebrows at him and he hates it.

yadda yadda yadda plot of the movie. scary clown happens. stan actually saves eddie! no one dies! this is amazing! god i love to fix stephen's bury your gays trope!

he tells bill at the quarry that he read what he wrote, and bill stutters and gets all nervous but stan is just so damn done with their back and forth that he just kisses him! the losers are all so damn happy and reddie is canon too bc i said so

anyway they end up on a polyam relationship with patty and audra because i love those girls with my whole heart and bill ends up loving stan and his wife the same! demiromantic stuff he just needed to bond more with her and have stan close.

this was so damn long i am sorry i just love them- i loved this ask btw people never ask me about IT so it's awesome to talk about it here <3 (i'm too tired to read all of this again if there's any typo i am sorry) and this really helped me so!!! thank you so so much 💛💛🌻🌻

#these two are my beloved #whenever someone asks me stuff like this i always end up writing long ass fics here #i am sorry about that i kin bill i'm a writer it is what it is #i somehow always end up making everything polyam??? great tbh those girls deserve to be happy #stenbrough #bill denbrough #stanley uris #it 2017

[notallthosewho-wanderarelost]

Quick non-spoilery Multiverse of Madness review

Only gonna talk about things that aren’t spoilery, so a lot of my thoughts/things I liked or didn’t like/plot holes are not in here.

Does include some very very vague spoilers I guess, I warn right before where they are and don’t name any names, but putting this here just to be courteous.

Edit: added something to the fourth bullet.

Still processing, but so far I feel like overall it was kind of disjointed, I guess I would say? I’m not sure Raimi’s style of cheesiness works well in the 2020s. I kept getting pulled out of the movie by the dramatic zoom-ins to people’s faces and and the parts where it was so obvious a jump scare was coming. It also felt like there was something missing in between the movie’s ending and the first credit scene and I’m confused.

The story was also kind of disjointed as well, though I can’t quite articulate exactly how or why yet. It just didn’t quite feel coherent. If you asked me to give you a one sentence summary of what this movie was about I would really struggle. Might be a product of this being more of an event movie than a solo, similar to Civil War. I wish they hadn’t done that, Doctor Strange deserves a good trilogy of movies and comics show that it’s perfectly possible to write a good story about Stephen with other magic users as a solo.

I liked the first Doctor Strange movie much better, it’s actually one of my unsung favorite MCU movies. I can’t decide if I like MoM or not. I guess right now I don’t hate it, but I don’t really like it either.

As I’m sure anyone could guess, I’m not at all happy they did that Thing that I reeeeeaaaally didn’t want them to do. I knew it was coming because I got spoiled for it, though I admit it happened even faster than I expected. (Which I have to say didn’t make any sense to me at all. Marvel what on earth??) I’m not sure how I would have handled this without having been spoiled for it, I think I would’ve been super emotional about it and it was easier on me emotionally because I was expecting it. I do wish I hadn’t seen quite the level of detailed spoilers that I did, though. Won’t say anything else because, obviously, spoilers, but BOY DO I HAVE THOUGHTS.

I wasn’t a big fan of how America was written- she wasn’t badass enough imo, and she felt like more of a MacGuffin than a character most of the time, so that was a letdown. She’s so cool and kickass in comics and I was excited to see that onscreen. They also downgraded her powers, which is a major bummer. (Maybe she’ll get her comic powerset in the future?) Can’t say any more about this either because spoilers.

The other thing that bugged me that I can talk about without spoiling anything much was the marketing- why give Rintrah and Sara Funko Pops when they’re each in the movie for like 1 minute and neither really does anything? What a waste of cool characters. Sara is Wong’s love interest in comics, and Rintrah has what seems like a really nice friendship with Strange in comics. (They also appear to have racebent Sara from Cheyenne Native American to Black and I wonder why?) And there was no explanation of who Rintrah was or why he was in Kamar-Taj, there’s just a green Minotaur suddenly. The other marketing thing they did that didn’t match with the movie I guess I understand, but those two characters I’m pretty annoyed about.

I enjoyed Stephen’s character arc a lot! VERY well done. Can’t go into more detail because spoilers, but it was really good and I feel like it suited him very well.

Some very, very vague spoilers in the next bullet, I guess:

Loved getting to see a certain character who was previously in a tv show and way underpowered get to actually use their multiple powers on the correct level, because unlike said show this movie had a solid budget that wasn’t 3 dollars and a tissue. (Kidding, obviously, and there are things I really liked about the show, to the point where I think I’m one of the few people to find things I liked in it, but the lack of money for effects was a big factor in sinking it.) I’m very glad they kept the same actor though, because that whole cast was extremely on point and deserved better. I do feel like the show costume was better in at least one respect, because the mask in this movie didn’t look great on the actor, and I like how the show didn’t do a mask but still worked in the important element that had to be on the character’s head via a crown-thing.

Last but not least, THE CREDITS SCENE, HECK YEAH, FINALLY!!! And absolutely A+ casting choice on multiple levels, I’m SO excited to see more! Though bummed it’s going to be a long wait.

#dsitmom #doctor strange in the multiverse of madness #a rare text post appears #my stuff

[trainsinanime]

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness

Or was it “in the”? Anyway, didn’t love it. Spoilers.

Yeah, this one didn’t really do it for me. I mean, I wasn’t bored, so that’s a plus, but it’s still my least favourite of this Marvel phase (at least) by far. There’s some fun and inventive visuals here (although not as many as the film thinks are fun), but the story just doesn’t come together.

The biggest issue are the characters. I hate what they did with Wanda; I hate what they did with America Chavez; I never liked Stephen Strange that much to begin with; and there isn’t enough Wong in here.

Wanda is the biggest issue here, because her arc is just so goddamn stupid. She’s watched too much magic Alex Jones and now she’s processing her grief over her lost family by being evil, until she learns that doing so is evil… again. It’s a retread of her arc from Wandavision, but told badly. And since her entire anguish is over kids that moviegoers have never met, we have this bizarre situation where the arc doesn’t make sense unless you’ve seen Wandavision, and if you have, then it’s really unsatisfying.

It also doesn’t help that we see at best half of that arc; at the start of the movie she just reveals that she’s become evil now, off-screen. That did not sit right with me.

(Finally, I think it’s funny that her motivation is literally the same as Fisk’s in “Into The Spiderverse”. Between No Way Home and this, Marvel just keeps trying to remake Spiderverse, but they keep forgetting to put the strong character arcs in that made Spiderverse so great.)

America Chavez also deserved better. She can be really cool in the comics, I swear! Here, though, she’s just a magical MacGuffin girl, who basically doesn’t get to make any plot-impacting choices until the final moment. Her banter and bonding with Stephen Strange felt entirely unearned (at one point they literally went past a magic window that randomly revealed their backstories), yet there was also way, way too little of it. This could have been fun if he had started to mentor her, at all, or if she had actually told him something useful about the multiverse. But most of the time she was just there, a prop to be saved.

Stephen Strange himself… look, I didn’t like the guy, I just don’t think he’s that interesting, and this movie did nothing to change that either way, so I guess that’s a win? The idea that Stephen Strange is more dangerous to the multiverse than Wanda sounds interesting, but they don’t really explore it in detail. His arc of letting others take control feels like the writer picked it up from a big book of standard character arcs. It doesn’t tie into any theme of the movie, and his arc doesn’t really have much to do with Wanda’s (America sadly didn’t get an arc).

I guess the final thing of note is how little the Marvel in-jokes landed. Yes, yes, Fantastic Four, okay, why should we care? And when Patrick Steward appeared on screen, you know the movie was expecting applause, but in my theatre, the people just laughed. Stuff like bringing up the terms “616″ or “Wondergore” (or however it’s spelled) just aren’t that exciting if they’re not part of an actually good story; something that other Marvel movies know.

So overall: Surprisingly gory, not that interesting, most characters in it deserved better.

#doctor strange #multiverse of madness #marvel #mcu

[stinkybreath]

I’m proud of how this turned out so I’m crossposting from fb but I respect you so I’m putting it under the cut. Here’s 5 of the absolute worst bullshit I put myself through consuming in 2023 in my lifelong pursuit of cultural literacy. Individual explanations underneath each for those who are interested in me being a hater 🫶

I have tried really hard to develop my critical perspective this year so I do have actual thoughts about these but I did me best to make them entertaining as well.

The Stand - This year I embarked on an effort to read more Stephen King because I really like the Ranged Touch guys and I wanted to better engage with their show Just King Things. I read Carrie first (more on that in another post), which really set me up for such monumental disappointment when it came to this fucking book. Jesus Christ. I have scarcely read a better selling or more beloved work of popular fiction, and I have also separately scarcely read a more offensive and poorly constructed work of popular fiction. I don’t even know how to begin addressing the headache it gave me, but I was pissed off almost the entire time I read it. Caveat here that, like everyone else, I did love the “no great loss” section both on its own merits and as a cute little Vonnegut nod.

Goodnight Beautiful - I read a lot of shitty thrillers because they get miscategorized as horror very commonly- and while I don’t think genre boundaries are hard and fast I do think that these are very distinct groups- but they’re almost as satisfying so I guess I’ll take it while I’m here. But my lord. This is one of the shittiest shitty thrillers I’ve ever managed to make myself finish. I have brain problems that make it difficult for me to distinguish between characters when there’s a lot of action or time weirdness or whatever whatever, but based on reviews that I trust, it was so poorly done that even normal people couldn’t follow what was happening until the author took the reader by the hand and shoveled the answers directly into their mouth.

Stolen Tongues - for YEARS I’ve been hearing people rave about how unique and effective and just good this book is. My experience, however…

1)author can’t turn a phrase to save their life *vine boom*

2) this has such an extended ‘nlog breasting boobily’ description of the girlfriend that I think I literally gagged *vine boom*

3) racist. *vine boom vine boom vine boom*

No One Is Talking About This - one of my biggest pet peeves is the way most people (authors, journalists, thought leaders, your parents, congresspeople) talk about the internet. It is broad, with both the lack of specificity and the extremity that implies. The way someone talks about the internet can tell you so much about their perspective that they must not know how revealing it is or they’d be more embarrassed about how they sound (again, more on this in another post). This book is a great example- it’s inauthentic to the core. There are some readers who clearly interpreted this as funny glibness but the particular way Lockwood takes internet haterism ad absurdum lets me know she’s never had one single internet argument with someone. It pissed me off so royally that I nearly sent this author an email except I’m not convinced she understands how to open those.

The Vile Thing We Created - the only book on this list that I did not finish and yet felt qualified to speak on anyway. Suckered again by booktok! There was sufficient hype for this book that I let myself get excited, I even spent a few of my actual dollars to get the ebook for convenience. I am really enthusiastic about engaging with themes of the horror of parenthood, good or bad, because I find them an interesting reflection of social ideas about parents. However. Let me just excerpt some of this dreck so you can feel the full force of the normie milennial local cringe that is baked in to every sentence:

Lola was elbow-deep in her fifteenth batch of macaron batter for that week. Spring orders were in full swing, as were an ocean of orders for baby shower treats. It never failed. She never refused the business. Quite the opposite. Macarons meant time. Time meant money. She easily brought in an extra twelve-hundred dollars a week during baby shower season. Music floated into the kitchen from the living room record player. Depending on her mood, Lola’s extensive vinyl collection met her every need. While baking, she usually threw on some David Bowie, Foreigner, something along those dramatically-opposite lines. Today, Louis Armstrong’s “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” danced in the air, trumpet notes accompanying Lola’s bopping around the kitchen.

……….yeah. You can see why I ragequit at 15%. It’s also really fucking weird about the dialogue of the black characters.

#skingtag #stephen king #goodnight beautiful #the vile thing we created #no one is talking about this #stolen tongues

[buttercream-squad-imagines]

Tinder in Real Life

Pairings: Harry Lewis x fem!Reader, Sidemen x platonic!Reader Word Count: 2k Warnings: Language some people may find offensive, sexual themes, recycled lines from Sidemen Tinder in Real Life because I'm not at all creative Request: Hey! Could you do reader x Harry imagine where the sidemen do a collab video with the reader who is also a big youtuber and Harrys celebrity crush. And during the video the reader is very flirty, leaving Harry a flustered mess when the flirting is directed towards him, but very jealous when its with any other sidemen.

The Sidemen were one of the biggest groups on YouTube and one that you were very familiar with. At the age of 23, you were a fair bit younger than some of its oldest members but yet you had a close relationship with JJ, whom you had met through YouTube.

You had started your channel when you were 17, just under four years ago, making makeup videos, which was a passion of yours when you were younger. Not that you were any good at it back then. Those videos quickly become unlisted when your channel started blowing up in late 2016, now nearing 20 million at the present time.

It wasn't long before you expanded your horizons and had started making different sorts of videos, including vlogs of your everyday life - which wasn't and still isn't that exciting in your opinion - and those where you just had a laugh, attempting to do stupid challenges that were so popular back then. It was those, however, that grew your channel. Your fans seemed to love them and so you gradually started to make more.

As your small channel began to grow significantly, it caught the attention of KSI, a member of the Sidemen, who reached out to you to for a collab. You were ecstatic. You couldn't believe it at the time, why would someone like KSI with 20 million subscribers want to collaborate with you? By that time, you couldn't exactly call yourself a small channel anymore, with almost 5 million subscribers but it still didn't make any sense to you.

You and JJ quickly bonded after filming together. You had a very similar sense of humour and interests. As the years went, the older boy became one of your best friends, the nature of your relationship being very teasing and flirtatious but the both of you knew it was a joke. It was just the way you both were.

Though despite having known him for nearing 3 years now, you had never met the rest of the Sidemen, with the exception of Simon, as he lived with JJ. Which is why when he texted asking you to collaborate with the Sidemen, you couldn't turn the offer down. You were a fan of the group and the content they were producing. You thought the videos that they made were exceptional, that they were pushing the envelope of the standard of content on YouTube and often found yourself excited for new videos.

He had explained that they were filming another of their 'Tinder in real life' but a YouTuber version with the likes of BambinoBecky and ChiWithAC. You were so excited. You were finally going to meet the rest of JJ's friends and you had the opportunity to be a part of a Sidemen Sunday.

You arrived at the studio the boys were filming at in the afternoon, finding and greeting JJ before he introduced you to the other sidemen in addition to Lux, Freezy and Stephen.

"And you've already met Simon." He finished.

"Yeah. Nice to finally meet you all. JJ tells me a lot about you guys." You laughed.

"Because that's assuring." Ethan pointed out with a chuckle, the other boys letting out agreements.

"Not all bad, I promise." You teased, winking at him. Ethan felt the blood rushing to his face, immediately becoming flustered and stumbling over his words. You found that you often had that effect on people as you could be very direct and flirtatious even when you didn't mean it. To you it was just friendly banter.

"Geez Y/N, stop flirting with people you met literally five minutes ago." JJ rolled his eyes.

"You sound a bit jealous, Jide." You smirked, a teasing grin spread across your face.

"Nah, allow it." There were eruptions of laughter around the room, coming from the boys. You were quick to notice Harry standing out of the way and was significantly quieter than the others, with what seemed to be a forced smile on his face.

Harry was in his own head, barely paying attention to what was going on around him. When JJ had told him that you were going to be in the next Sidemen video, he panicked. You were an accomplished YouTuber who he was quite fond of to say the least. Well, that would be an understatement, he had a fairly large crush on you. A crush that no one but Freezy and Lux knew about.

He knew that JJ had been friends with you for some time now but never considered the possibility of even meeting you. His anxiety acted as a barrier to even the thought of it. But he was currently in the same room as you and had said nothing more than a short 'hello'. He longed to have the confidence Ethan had to speak to you, even more so for you to look at him the way you were.

Already you were flirting with JJ and Ethan, something that caused a pit to form at the bottom of his stomach. He wouldn't admit it, but he could slowly feel the jealousy forming. Not that he had anything to be jealous about in the first place!

You continued to speak with the boys as you got your mic set up, telling them stories you were sure would embarrass JJ.

"Y/N, stop." The older boy whined. He could be like a child sometimes, but it was one of his more endearing qualities. He simply wouldn't be JJ if he wasn't.

"No, carry on." Simon laughed.

"Oh, don't worry, there's plenty more where that came from." You teased.

"I think it's time we started, don't you think?" Harry grumbled.

"Right." You smiled at the boy, who's cheeks became tinted red. He ducked to hide his face and walked around to stand in the line, hiding himself in the middle.

"Hi, I'm Y/N, I'm 23 and I'm from Y/H/T." You spoke to the camera once you were given the go ahead.

"I'm Simon, I'm 28. I like to practice safe sex."

"Always a good start."

"I could tie you to the bed, so you don't fall off." He finished with a giggle. You acted like you were pondering it for a moment before letting out a laugh and swiping right.

"I'm down for that." You teased. The boys all let out rumbles of laughter

"Hi, I'm Ethan, I'm 26 and kiss me if I'm wrong, but you're gonna swipe right."

"What would you rather?" You joked. Ethan shrugged his shoulders and walked closer to the board, sticking his head through with his lips puckered, eliciting a cry of protest from Harry that this wasn't allowed. You laughed and made an over exaggerated motion to swipe to the right, causing him to pout playfully but walked over to the right anyway.

"Hi, I'm Josh, I'm 28. KSI has a top ten single, but you're the only hot single I can see."

"Wow, that was smooth!" You said with a grin. "Definite yes from me."

"I'm Callum, I'm 26. Are you into fitness?" Freezy asked.

"Can't say I am." You replied, unsure of what turn this could take.

"How about you fitness dick in your mouth?"

"I wouldn't get too excited babes, I gag on my toothbrush." You laughed. "We could try though."

You swiped right on him, chuckling as you watched him let out a yes before joining Simon, Ethan, and Josh. You frowned slightly, a crease forming between your brows as you saw Harry whisper something furiously at his friend but ultimately got distracted by Vik stepping up to go next.

"I'm Vik, I'm 25. My ex-girlfriend always said I'd never do better than her, wanna prove her right?" You could hear the cries of the boys in the background, some scolding him, others laughing.

"Man actually said prove her right. Not wrong." JJ shrieked with a shocked look on his face, holding his head with his hands.

"You need to find someone for that." You snarked, swiping left on the boy, who shrugged and walked off.

"Damn! You got told!" Lux cackled.

"Uh hi. I'm Harry. I'm uh 25, no I'm not I'm 24." He stumbled. "Are you sure you're a muggle? Because that ass is magical."

"You should see how magical it can be." You spoke before cringing at yourself and laughing, swiping right to avoid a reply. The boy's face grew a bright shade of red, closely resembling the colour of a tomato.

"Geez, is that an offer?!" Freezy yelled from the right side. You laughed, observing how Harry whispered furiously to the boy to stop and winked at him once he had could see. Your laughter only increased as you watched JJ step up.

"I'm JJ. I'm 28 and are you a raisin? Cause you're raising my dick." The boy in question stood in front of you so confidently, hands clasped together in front of him so seriously that you just lost it. By the time you composed yourself, there were tears almost falling from your eyes.

"A* for effort." You laughed, swiping right eliciting a cry of success.

You had wrapped up filming your segment of the video, which conveniently was the last of the day. You found JJ who you spoke to whilst the other boys were otherwise occupied talking to each other.

"Cheers for coming, Y/N/N. You've been great."

"Anything for you." You joked.

"Don't tempt me." He laughed. You could feel eyes on you, eyes that were burning into your side. You turned your head to see Harry staring you and JJ down before looking away after being caught in the act, and suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

"Does Harry not like me or something?" You whispered to JJ, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden.

"Not that I know of." He frowned looking at the younger boy. "He can be a bit awkward at times and gets flustered a lot."

"Right." You agreed. You excused yourself before sauntering up to the boy in question, calling his name to snap him out of the daze he appeared to be in.

"Oh, um hey Y/N." He stumbled.

"Hi." You smiled gently. "I uh, I was just wondering, do you... have I done something to offend you?"

"Offend me? Why, uh, why would you think that?" He rambled.

"It's just... it's nothing, it's probably just me overthinking things." You waved it off, feeling like a complete idiot.

"I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I don't like you. I don't not like you, in fact I really like you! Oh, um I mean I like you, you're very pretty." The boy couldn't stop rambling which made you laugh. "No, wait."

"You think I'm pretty?" You blushed interrupting him. Harry felt his mouth go dry, not being able to get anything coherent to come out. "Well, Harry, I really like you too."

"What?" His eyebrows shot up so far it was almost comical. "Really? So, you don't like the other guys?"

"What? No." You laughed. "That's absurd. Why would you think that?"

"You seemed very..." The boy trailed off, not wanting to offend you after you had admitted to liking him.

"Flirty?" You finished, causing him to nod. "I'm like that with everyone, I don't mean to be half the time."

"Oh."

"Well, how about you give me your phone number and when you finally grow a pair, you can ask me out?" Your confidence levels had shot up spontaneously.

"Uh, sure." His cheeks had become a dark shade of red as he passed his phone to you so you could put your number in. You kept looking up at him as you typed, putting your name under 'Y/N x' in his contacts before handing it back to him.

"Y/N! Come on! We're going to Nando's!" JJ called from the other side of the room.

"Call me." You winked. Your bottom lip was caught between your teeth and was currently the only thing from stopping the wide grin from spreading across your face. A grin that hadn't disappeared from your face for the rest of the day, much to the curiosity of JJ, who was disappointed when you refused to tell him why, or more appropriately who, had put the smile on your face.

#sidemen imagine #sidemen #Harry Lewis #Harry Lewis x reader #Harry Lewis x fem!reader #Wroetoshaw #Wroetoshaw x reader #Wroetoshaw x fem!reader #Wroetoshaw imagine #Sidemen x reader #Harry Lewis imagine #Sidemen fanfic #w2s x reader #w2s imagine #w2s #KSI #jj olatunji #jj olatunji x fem!reader #jj olatunji x reader #jj olatunji x platonic!reader #behzinga #miniminter #Callux #Calfreezy #Tbjzl #vikstar123 #zerkaa #KSI x reader #KSI x fem!reader #KSI x platonic!reader

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Amoreena | Chapter Six

Chapter Six

main summary: Heaven is a real place and it's located exactly 14.6 miles away from the FBI, Quantico Headquarters. Off behind a small park, under a fantastical willow tree surrounded by wildflowers, in every colour young minds can imagine.

Don't forget, heaven also comes with angels.

Chapter Warnings: slight smut** angst, spencer's overthinking and anxiety, passing out, plot twist, very understanding reader, happy ending, smut implied but not graphic

word count: 6.2K

from the beginning <3

Derek and Savannah planned to come over on Sunday morning to introduce Hank and Amoreena, his namesake and his honorary daughter meeting felt very important to him.

Y/N and he spent the morning cleaning up the house, making sure all the books were away and the coffee was on so when they pulled in at 11 for brunch they’d be ready.

Amoreena was beyond excited at the idea of a 16th cousin, not knowing about Henry or Michael yet either, bringing her total to 18 cousins.

Spencer learned something new about them and the farm every single day he was there. Which he expected, it had been 8 days and he was all but moved in. They joked just that morning about them moving too fast, shrugging it off and living their lives anyway.

Derek and Savannah were one of the sweetest couples Spencer knew. They had a love he admired, it also blossomed fast and stayed strong through everything Derek went through.

Derek was always going to be his rock, someone he loved deeply and cherished more than he could ever explain to anyone. More than a brother, a long-lost lover, a confidant, his best friend in the whole world. If he could live through everything he’s been through and still be happy, so could Spencer.

Amoreena is out the door and meeting them before Y/N and Spencer are even aware they pulled in. “Hey little lady, I’m your uncle Derek,” he can hear Derek’s sweet voice that he only uses with kids.

They walked out onto the porch to see Amoreena shaking both their hands before asking if Savannah needed help carrying her purse. Ever the little helper, she intended on making the best introduction to her new family members.

“Spence, this place is amazing!” Savannah gushed as she pulled him into a hug, and then Y/N, “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“You too! You’re all so pretty, holy cow,” she swoons, “what does the FBI put in the water over there?”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s running off over here too,” Spencer compliments Y/N right back.

Derek gives Y/N the biggest hug he’s ever seen, “you are my new bestie, anyone who loves Reid as much as me is a keeper.”

“I like this one, Savannah you have good taste,” Y/N teases, holding Derek in her embrace.

“We got the best guys the bureau had to offer and stole them away,” she laughed, wrapping an arm around Spencer as they turned to see Hank.

“Well, someone had to put them to good use,” Y/N had an arm wrapped around Derek too, slipping into Spencer’s life effortlessly.

Hank was almost 5, it blew Spencer’s mind to think that Derek had been a father for 5 years now. He was the sweetest little guy, holding Amoreena’s hand as the two of them walked up the stairs.

They had sandwiches and muffins in the garden, everything was homemade and grown on the farm. It was a life Spencer was excited to get used to, they even made their own cheese and wine in the summer for the farmers market.

Every time he learned a new detail about this place it got more perfect.

Hank loved the goats, he crawled right in with Amoreena and sat down in the mud. Petting the babies and letting all the mamma goats nibble at his hat as they got close. He giggled and screamed, petting all of them nicely as Amoreena told him all their names.

Derek was very quick to pick out a cowboy hat and pretend he was southern, trying out his fake accent and making Savannah laugh as they explored the farm, skipping through the fields and kissing in the grass. They were just as in love as Spencer and Y/N, they all got along like couples who have been friends since college.

Like this had been their life all along, nothing about it felt new. It just felt right.

Everything about her fit into his life like she was handcrafted for it, picked and polished before set in a box and hidden away from the world. She was a collector's item and he was a collector, keeping her close and never letting her go. He knew her worth, but the feeling she produced in his heart was better than anything in the world.

Before they know it, it’s almost 3 and Hank is about to fall asleep in the grass as Amoreena reads him a story. Derek and Savanah are laying back on a blanket half-listening as they watch the clouds. Spencer and Y/N doing the same.

It’s wonderful, he makes eye contact with Derek while running his fingers through Y/N’s hair. He just smiles at Spencer, prouder he can even express.

“I think it’s about time we head out,” Derek cuts into the peacefulness of their day.

“We’ll be back, and often,” Savannah laughs, “I’m going to hide here from the hospital, you don’t have service right?”

“Not if you turn it off and leave it in the car,” Y/N laughed too, pulling Savannah into a hug and walking with her towards the house. Best friends in the making, it was going to be trouble for him and Derek, exciting, but frightful at the same time.

Savannah excuses herself to the bathroom before they leave, Spencer offers to help Derek carry his tired little toddler to the car so they can talk. He was excited to hear Derek's thoughts about the day, proud of the life he could introduce them to.

“Can I ask you a serious question?” Derek finally cut into their quiet walk to the car with a very serious tone.

“Sure,” Spencer nodded vigorously, a little nervous.

“Do you remember when we lost that bet in 2008?” Derek started, “JJ and Emily were saying it wasn’t fair, that we were hogging all the sexiness and smarts and we should just donate sperm to help the population?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you actually do it?” Derek watches Spencer’s mind wandering as he recalls everything.

He has donated sperm twice in his life, keeping it between him and Derek the first time, telling no one about it the second time. The first was when JJ got pregnant with Henry, teasing him that he should make more geniuses in the world. Emily was even considering having a baby on her own back then before everything with Doyle went down.

The second time was after Maeve died in 2013 when he realized that he might not ever get to actually be a dad.

Donating again purely in the hopes that in 18 years someone would find him in search of a connection with their birth father. It seemed like the only way he’d be able to be a father one day, and that was right around the time Amoreena would have been conceived if she’s 7 now.

Spencer looks at him with wide eyes, “you think she’s mine?”

“Without a doubt,” he whispers, stopping to put Hank in his car seat and give Spencer some time to panic.

“She’s not mine,” Spencer keeps shaking his head, so hard that Derek is worried it might fall off as he panics, “she can’t be, that would be insane. No way, no I’m not even going to pretend she is. Nope.”

Derek places his hand on Spencer’s shoulder to calm him, “do you know who her father is?”

“No,” he whispers as he closes his eyes, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “She tells people that Amoreena is her fiancé Stephens, no one really questions that she had her 2 years after he died, but Y/N doesn’t even know who her father is.”

“That’s a serious conversation you need to have with her, regardless, she deserves to know you’ve possibly got other geniuses walking around out there.”

Spencer felt his anxiety dump adrenaline into his blood, making him sweat and panic as he turned around in circles a few times. He looked physically drained, not know what the fuck to do moving forward.

“I can’t go talk to her right now while Amoreena is there,” Spencer panicked as Derek finally closed the door, Hank was all situated and ready to go.

“I can bring you home?” Derek offered, “go get your things and tell her that you have to go.”

“Okay,” he whispered, trying to calm down enough to face her.

Walking back up to her house felt like it took forever, even passing savannah as he all but ran, stepping inside the house to see Amoreena reading on the couch while Y/N was in the kitchen, whistling happily, waiting for him to come back.

Amoreena looked up at him with a smile, “are you okay?”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine,” he lied with a fake smile. “I actually have to go, Derek needs help with something at his place and I’ll be back later for dinner, okay?”

“Awe,” Y/N’s voice travelled from the kitchen to where he was, she walked into the room with an apron on and a towel in her hands. “I was hoping you’d help me make a pie.”

“I’m sorry, hun, I’ll be back soon,” he assured her, “I love you guys.”

“Love you, Dad,” Amoreena smiled, before returning to her book.

Every time she called him dad it made his heart stop, but that one made his breathing stop too, he struggled to swallow as he turned his attention to Y/N approaching him.

Y/N gave him a big hug and then he was gone, running down the driveway and hopping in Derek's car as fast as he could. Still overthinking everything, his mind memorizing every look on Amoreena’s face and trying to see if there was any proof in her being his.

There was a lot. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, he didn’t want to think about that at all. She was his regardless, no DNA test would change how he loved her. He was more afraid of Y/N’s reaction to finding out.

Savannah didn’t ask what was going on, leaving him and Derek to be as weird and cryptic as they always were together. Looking out the window quietly as Spencer had a panic attack in the back seat.

He convinced Derek to drop him off at the clinic where he donated the sperm both times. Still absolutely pissed off with himself that one of the biggest decisions of his life was the one he forgot about, wanting to know if he could find out anything about his potential offspring.

“Sir, I’m so sorry,” the nice receptionist tried her best to stay calm as Spencer rushed through his dilemma.

“Only a child can learn who their father was when they turn 18, if they choose to contact you it’s up to them. You agreed to that when you donated.”

“You can’t even tell me how many kids I have out there?” He tried to reason with her, “I’m in the FBI surely you can make an exception for me it’s not like I'm going to stalk the kids, I just want to know if one’s going to contact me one day,” he tried everything to get her to open up.

“What’s your name?”

“Spencer Reid.”

She stood and walked into the back, opening a cabinet full of records and pulling one out. She opened it, running a finger along with the document as she read it over.

“You have four offspring so far, none of the other samples used have produced a child, the women were all IVF as well so it wasn’t your swimmer's fault; if you wanted to donate again,” she read him all the facts and somehow it just made him panic more.

Y/N’s voice echoing in his mind, “after I did IVF.” She said those words. He heard them. She didn’t know the father. His name wasn't on the sample. It was anonymous. Everything caught up to him at that moment.

“Thank you,” he whispered, white as a ghost as he tried to turn away, dropping to the floor and passing out instead.

When he woke up, he was somehow back in Derek’s car on the way back to his apartment. Hank and Savannah nowhere to be seen, the radio on low as Derek paid attention to the road. It was quiet, he didn’t even know Spencer was awake again until he sighed.

He didn’t say anything to Derek, instead, taking out his phone and texting Y/N.

Spencer: Hey, something serious came up. I won't be able to come back till after bedtime and then I need to tell you something important that might make you very mad at me.

Y/N: you’re going to make me go grey being this ominous

Spencer: I’m sorry, but it’s going to be a lot to explain.

Y/N: should I get wine or something harder ready to listen?

Spencer: Honestly, I’m not even sure yet.

Y/N: cant wait… love you?

Spencer: I love you too, don’t forget that!

Y/N: as long as you don’t either ♥︎

—

He pulled up to Y/N’s house at 9:30, knowing that Amoreena would be well asleep by then. Unbothered by any crying or yelling that could arise from the news he had to share with her mother.

He was terrified to tell her but he needed to. Relationships only work with communication and he knew that, respecting her and loving her enough to do anything in his power to keep her in his life.

He walked inside to see the lights all off, heading around the back of the house to see her in the garden with a drink, surrounded by little lights twinkling as she listened to her favourite Taylor Swift album, he wasn’t shocked in the slightest to find her like that.

“Hey,” he announced himself to her so she wouldn’t be startled.

Her smile warms his heart and clears the butterflies from his stomach for a quick moment, “hey cutie, did you want me to warm up some dinner for you?”

“No thank you,” he shook his head softly, standing by the gate and not wanting to get too close. “I need to tell you something and you might get really mad at me.”

“Alright,” she sat up straighter, hands on her knees as she played with the material of her jeans.

“I donated sperm as a joke in 2008, but then again in January of 2013 when my girlfriend died because I thought it would be the only way to maybe have a kid find me one day when they turned 18. I never thought I’d get to have a family after Maeve died,” the words fell out of his mouth and onto the patio.

“Oh my god,” was all she said, eyes wide and mouth open, she was completely still.

“I went to the clinic and they won't tell me who my kids are, apparently there are four of them so I have no idea if it’s Amoreena or not and I’m just so sorry for not telling you. I honestly forgot, and I don’t normally forget. After everything that’s happened to me, I just forgot, I’m sure it looks like I found you on purpose or something but I assure you that I didn’t,” he wasn’t sure why he was just dumping all these thoughts on her when he hadn’t even thought them through, but they wouldn’t stop.

“There’s only one way to find out,” she shrugged then, smiling at his confused face. “We have more and see if they look like her.”

“You’re kidding?”

“No,” she shook her head, “I’d never joke about making another Amoreena, that would be amazing.”

“You’re not mad?” He blinked at her a few times, wondering if he heard her wrong, twice.

“Why would I be mad at the fact that you might be her real father and the reason she’s the smartest person on earth? She’s literal walking sunshine, am I supposed to be mad you could give her fully biological siblings? I wanted your babies even if she wasn’t yours,” Y/N paused, eyebrows raised as she made her point.

“If I’m supposed to be mad about you completing our family then I’m furious,” she laughed as she stood up, walking over to wrap her arms around him.

“Even if you’re not her father, you’re always going to be her dad,” she whispered as she reached him.

He looked down into her eyes, the most beautiful and caring woman in the world, cuddled into his chest in the middle of paradise. He couldn’t help but laugh, it was insane how easy it was to love her.

“I love you,” he reminded her.

She pulled him down into a kiss, holding her hand on his cheek lightly as he pressed his lips to hers. She rested her forehead on his as they parted, “I love you more.”

“Doubt it,” he teased her with a smile, pulling her in closer and lifting her up into his arms.

“Where are we going?” She giggled.

“Where would you like to go, Princess? This is your kingdom after all.”

The biggest, most suspicious grin appeared on her face then, “put me down,” she instructed and he followed. Setting her down and feeling her grab his hand instead.

She led him inside the house and up the stairs, placing her finger over her lip to let him know to be quiet. She pulled him inside her bedroom for the first time and he was absolutely mesmerized.

It was like a jungle of books in there, pictures of her and Amoreena all over the walls and the cutest mushroom bedsheets in the world. It was like he walked into her mind, it was calming and beautiful and just what he imagined.

Peaceful.

“We’re not staying in here,” she whispered towards him, pulling him into the closet.

She pulls out 2 black garment bags and places them on the bed before looking through her jewellery box. She brings back a small velvet box and places it in his hands.

“Would you want to do something insane with me?”

“Always,” he can’t help but smile.

“My grandma always wanted Stephen to propose to me with that ring, but he used his own mothers instead,” she whispered. “I don’t want to have an official thing, I already planned one wedding and never got to have it.”

“Okay?” He tried his best to follow along, analyzing her facial expressions to see just how nervous she was, as well as the underlying sadness of time missed. Just like she had mentioned that first night he stayed here.

“I had my grandma’s dress tailored to wear at my wedding, I’ve never put the final version on,” she unzips the one bag, revealing a silk white dress with an incredibly long train.

“My grandpa's suit is in the other one, I think you will fit into it,” she reaches out a hand to pull him closer to the bed and look at it with her. “I just want to put them on and tell you I love you in the field and just call you my husband. I don’t give a single shit that it’s been a week, why should I wait a year to call you that when I can start now?”

He doesn’t know what to say, he’s speechless for too long and he knows that it’s making her anxious but he can’t speak. His eyes turn glossy and his hands shake as he holds the small box in his hands, opening it to find a beautiful ruby on a gold band, surrounded by small diamonds, alongside her grandfather's gold band.

He gets down on one knee then and she pulls him right back up to his feet, shaking her head. “It can’t be like last time, I don’t want to repeat a single part of it. I can’t lose you too.”

“You never will,” he’s finally able to speak. “I’m not going anywhere, believe me, you are the most important person in my life. I would drop everything and hide here forever to keep safe, if you wanted me to, I’m too in love with you to go anywhere.”

She smiles at him with wide eyes and the glimmer of hope returning. She picks up her dress and heads to the bathroom door, “put the suit on and meet me downstairs?”

“Yes Ma’am,” he winks at her before taking the suit down the hall to his room.

He notices the wedding photo on the night table again, taking the suit out of the bag to see nothing really changed since the last time it was worn. Her grandfather was tall and skinny like him when they got married, so he fits into the 1950’s suit almost perfectly.

He straightened everything out in the mirror, making sure he tucked the ring box back into his pocket before quietly tiptoeing back down the creaky wooden steps.

Y/N wasn’t done yet, he could hear her walking around in her room softly as she paced from her dresser to the bathroom over and over, most likely trying to find something in her jewellery box and looking in the mirror more than once. She didn’t sound nervous, her feet weren’t hesitant, she sounded like a woman on a mission, that was a good thing.

He was the nervous one, scared out of his mind with the fear he wouldn’t do this right. That she had dreams, plans and expectations he needed to live up to and what if he couldn’t? He put his face in his hands and tried his best to push all the fears away but they kept swirling. Making his brain hurt, he didn’t want to fuck anything up with her. She was already so understanding and wonderful, she’d given so much to him already he can’t fuck this up—

And then she’s walking down the stairs. Like sunshine; parting the grey skies as the thunder clouds dissipate and the rain washes down the streets, he’s fine again.

“You look beautiful,” he whispers.

Her smile was priceless, “thanks, cutie, I’m so glad it fits you!”

He followed her towards the kitchen where she picked up the phone, dialled a number and waited, “hey mom.”

“Spencer and I are going on a late-night walk, outback, yeah, Amoreena is asleep, can you just keep an eye on the house? I’m going to let Rufus in to keep guard anyway,” Y/N explained over the phone, agreeing and humming to whatever her mother said in response. “love you too, thanks."

She let the dog in like she said she would, handing the overly friendly golden retriever a treat before finally pulling Spencer outside and towards the barn.

They were both in running shoes, it was incredibly adorable for the occasion and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Her hand was so soft as she tugged him along behind her, her dress and hair blowing in the wind as they walked.

She grabbed an old kerosene lantern from the barn, lighting it quickly and holding it by the handle, “you ready?”

“I am,” he smiled softly, still anxious in his core, more so now because he was overly excited to be spending the rest of his life with her.

They continued to walk down past the barn, through the cow pasture and finally entering a clearing. It was full of lilacs and ragweed, yellows and purples blowing ever so gently back and forth under the moonlight.

“This is where my grandparents would read to me, and where they renewed their vows when I was 14, and this is where I got the call that I was pregnant with Amoreena. It’s a very special place to me,” her voice was barely a whisper.

Spencer took the lantern from her and placed it in the grass, it illuminated the both of them just enough that they could see each other's faces and know exactly how much they loved each other without even having to say any words.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Spencer’s words were careful, he didn’t want her to think he didn’t either.

She nodded softly, “I loved Stephen very much, I don’t think I’ll ever stop, but I loved him enough to know he’d want me to be happy, he’d really like you and don’t tell him this but I think I love you more than I ever loved him,” she made light of a very heavy subject.

Smiling at him like he was the world, he fully believed her. “I thought Maeve as it for me too before she died, I was so, so wrong. Every day I discover a new level of love for you I didn’t think possible the day before, I never want to stop searching for how deep my love for you goes.”

“To new adventures,” she whispered.

“And happy endings,” he replied, remembering the conversation they had about the Disney characters they loved the most just yesterday morning.

He removed the box from his pocket, opening it and taking her ring out of the fabric. The tiny diamonds around the ruby sparked in the light, shining little rainbows over their faces as they smiled at each other once again, cheeks aching from all the happiness.

“What finger do you want to wear it on? Seeing as we’re doing this our way,” he compromised for her very easily.

“The middle one on my left hand, you?” She asked as she took his ring out as well.

“The ring finger,” he whispered. “I want you to be close to my heart forever.”

“Okay,” she whispered back, pushing the ring onto his finger first before placing her hand in his, waiting for his hands to stop shaking so he could put it on her.

He pushed it right back towards the knuckle, holding her hand in his after and just staring at the ring. He just married the woman of his dreams.

“Holy shit,” he whispered to himself, making her laugh.

“What?”

A tear trickled down his cheek as he tried to smile at her, his jaw wobbling as he tried to stay calm but he couldn’t, he let himself cry softly as she cupped his face with her free hand.

“I love you too, Spencer,” is all she said, pressing her lips to his, finally.

He held her there in his embrace, lips touching as they breathed each other in. The smell of the field and the flowers that were once so strong in his nose, now he only smells her perfume, he almost forgets where he is as they kiss. The world could have stopped and he wouldn’t have ever known, too caught up on loving her.

He doesn’t pull away when the kiss breaks, instead, resting their foreheads together as they breathed.

“I’m going to love you until the day I die.”

She brushes their noses together softly as if to agree, “give me at least 40 years with you, and then I’ll meet you in heaven?”

“We’re already here,” he whispers, “you and Amoreena are my angels.”

They kissed again, just as soft and perfect as before. She smiled at the end, pulling back and taking her cellphone out of the dress pocket that he didn’t even know was there.

She set it on the fence post that separated the cows from the field, making sure it was steady and setting a timer. She rushed to Spencer and pulled him back into the same kiss, letting the phone take a burst of photos for them to remember later on.

“Pick a song,” he whispered into the moment, seeing her face scrunch as she became confused. “We need a first dance, I know your grandparents had to have danced out here at least once if she loved music as much as you say she did.”

“I love you,” is all she can say as she beams a smile at him. Skipping over to her phone and doing just as he asked.

“I need a piece of Amoreena in this moment,” she explained her song choice, making him think it would be the Elton John song, but it wasn’t.

A beautiful piano balled played before he heard the all too familiar voice of Taylor Swift, the girl's favourite. “Seven, because that’s how many years it took for us to find you.”

He takes her hand again, twirling her around before pulling her body into his. The both of them holding on tight as they swayed to the song, it fit every single aspect of his love for her to a T. Like it was Taylor made for them.

“Sweet tea in the summer Cross your heart, won't tell no other And though I can't recall your face I still got love for you Your braids make a pattern Love you to the Moon and to Saturn Passed down like folk songs The love lasts so long,”

It was so unbelievable. She had mentioned the love she felt for Stephen, he mentioned his love for Maeve, both of their faces hard to bring to memory as they fell in love with each other. A new feeling, a happier love, a long-lasting one that wasn’t nearly as flimsy. Powerful and strong like the earth's gravitational pull, he was never leaving her.

She’s singing the words ever so softly beside his ear, her voice is softer than Taylor’s and his favourite thing he’s heard all night, but he’d never tell her that.

They kiss randomly throughout their dance, listening to more songs as they swayed in the evening breeze. The cows coming to the fence to see what was happening, they twirled and dipped and jumped with each other, it was perfect.

She pulls him in for another kiss and she is all giggles, high from the dopamine and serotonin rush they were both on. Like someone injected sugar right into his veins, he was unbelievably sweet on her.

“We’re you serious?” Spencer whispered against her lips before she can pull back any further and disrupt the courage he felt.

“About what? I’ve said a lot tonight,” she teased him gently.

“About having more kids?” His voice is low and his eyes can’t meet hers as he prays she was being honest.

She nods softly, “never been more certain, actually, I would have 10 more of your kids if they’re all as perfect as our Amoreena.”

Our.

He tilts his head to the side and presses his lips together in a tight smile, he lost all control of his tears a while back, feeling them slip down his cheeks as he took everything in. She had given him everything and then some.

“How are you this perfect? It’s been 8 days since I laid eyes on you and you’ve managed to make every single dream come true, while simultaneously creating new dreams I never imagined I’d be allowed to have. You’re the best thing that has ever happened in the world Y/N, I’m so incredibly in love with you I could scream right now,” he is more passionate than he plans to be, she stares at him with more lust than happiness this time.

“Prove it and make love to me, you said you’d rather fuck me at home. Well,” she kept teasing him opening her arms and twirling around as she showed off the farm. “This is your home now, husband.”

“Where should we go?” He felt adventurous, willing to take her against the fence if the cows wouldn’t eat her hair, the thought alone making him giggle to himself.

“What?” She can't help but giggle right back.

“I thought about fucking you against the fence for a hot second and then the intrusive thoughts kicked in and I thought about the cows eating your hair,” he admitted with a fierce laugh.

“I love you so much,” she shook her head and sighed, the same way she did at the museum when Amoreena made her laugh.

That was all the proof he needed. Never would he question how she felt, if she loved him half as much as she loved Amoreena then he was blessed by far. This was over the top.

He picked up the lantern then, handing it to her as well as her phone before picking her up bridal style and attempting to carry her back to the house. He made it to the barn before she begged him to put her down, wanting to skip the rest of the way with him.

Giddy as all hell, the two of them snuck back into her house. Rufus, the best guard dog in the world, was passed out on the couch and didn’t even move as they walked in. Locking the doors and windows for the night before tiptoeing up the stairs again.

Luckily, Amoreena’s room was on the opposite side of the house from Spencers. Y/N pulled him down the hall and inside the room, lightly closing the door before leaning back against it and sighing.

“Are you sure? I never asked you what you wanted,” Y/N whispered.

Spencer just shook his head and slipped out of his suit jacket. “All I want is to have a big happy family with you, where ever that takes us, I’m up for the adventure.”

Y/N was the one who teared up this time, looking away from Spencer and at her grandparent's wedding photo on the side table. She walked past Spencer, brushing her hand against his arm as she did so, picking up the photo and kissing it softly.

She turned it face down and turned back to Spencer, “help me with the zipper?”

He nodded, silently stepping forward and brushing her hair off her back, freeing her from the dress. He pressed his lips gently to her sun-kissed shoulders, surprised by the array of freckles, kissing the pattern they made on her skin as she let the dress slip to the floor.

He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her from behind as he continued to kiss her neck and shoulder. She hummed into the feeling, tilting her head to the side so he had more room to explore, her hands cover Spencers as she felt up his arms, still in his embrace.

She had the softest skin on earth, he could spend the next 14 hours kissing every square inch of her. It was all perfect and he wanted her to know it, “get on the bed,” he whispered in her ear as he pulled away.

He picked her dress up off the floor and put it on a hanger from the shirt he had on. She watched with soft eyes as he hung it on the back of the bathroom door, keeping it safe and taken care of while they became a married couple.

He slipped out of the tie and started unbuttoning his shirt, she laid back against the covers, pulling her grandma's quilt off and folding it at the end of the bed. She laid back and waited as he slipped his pants to the ground and finally joined her once again.

She met him halfway for a kiss, holding his face as he knelt between her spread legs, she leaned back and took him with her. He hovered then, barely touching her as she leaned forward to keep kissing him, eventually wrapping her arms around his back and pulling him down.

Skin to skin for the first time ever.

It’s slow and explorative, they take their time as they enjoy every single inch of each other's bodies. She’s soft and perfect, she fits in the palm of his hand like he’s always been holding her. Moulded for her and her alone.

He’s never made love before. Sure, he’s had sex but never in his life has it felt like this… no, this was perfect. It was everything he’s ever dreamed of and then some. Her kisses felt like dreams coming true, her touch so light it was like sunshine on a hot day, just dancing over him.

It was perfect.

He brushed her hair behind her ear, still inside her, as he took a moment to just look at her. Her eyes were hypnotic, he was so dawn into her it was like she controlled him. He kissed her gently on the forehead, “I love you,” he reminded her, for the millionth time that hour.

She pulled him in closer, breathing against his neck gently as they continued. Her nails on his back were amazing, he felt the sharp pain of her grip which only excited him more, fastening his pace, both his hips and where his thumb was pleasuring her between their bodies.

She looked like she was floating, relaxed as she laid against the sheets, blissed-out while she took it all in, panting airy nonsense as she got closer and closer.

She was quiet, they both were. It was silent as possible while they made love for the first time ever. She was everything in the world to him and then some, he couldn’t believe she was real as they both finished and managed to somehow get closer to each other.

Another level of love was just unlocked in his heart, he was never going to stop loving her. That would be the only impossible known to man.

tag list: @shemarmooresfedora @spencers-dria @spookyspence @reidsfish @manuosorioh @mochionly @samuel-de-champagne-problems @jswessie187

#spencer reid #spencer reid smut #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #spencer reid self insert #spencer reid request #criminal minds smut #criminal minds imagine #amoreena

[theravenclawlover]

Welcome to the Industry of Porn

Paring: Avengers X Female!Reader

Warnings: +18, heavy smut, drinking, slight angst in later chapters, fluff if you squint, and my English as usual.

Word Count: 3,101.

Summary: AU where the Avengers are Pornstars. It’s pretty self-explanatory.

Chapter: 6.

Chapter Title: Metal Fingers and Flexible Girl.

A/N: I gotta admit, I did a lot of changing for this chapter. That's why it took me so long to get it ready, and also I've been actually reading from the stack of books I have. I finally got around to finishing "The Outsider" by Stephen King, I liked it.

"You gotta be shitting me?" said Cassie as she looked at you incredulously while a small grin played on her lips.

"Why are you making it sound like it's a bad thing," said Bucky as he raised his hands in the air, but then he grinned, "I am really good at my job, thank you very much."

"Jerk," said Cassie as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Nobody's questioning your job, I just didn't think Stark was going to be putting me with the ones that have more time here? I thought maybe the other way around. You know what I mean?" you said as you looked around with your cheeks turning a bit red.

"Oh, so you wanted easy, like Spidey or maybe even Scott?" asked Natasha as she laid her head on Steve's thighs. The man blushed lightly as one of his hands went to her hair. They had told you that they weren't dating, but you and Cassie—even Bucky—were eighty-five percent sure something was up.

You blushed a little as you nodded but you shrugged not sure if telling them that it didn't matter or yourself.

"It doesn't really matter, but it was my way of thinking like 'baby steps'. But I think I'll be fine with Robocop over there," you said you stuck your tongue at him which turned into a smile. He rolled his eyes at the overused nickname, but he couldn't help himself but smile when you did.

He just knew it was going to be fun.

When the morning came to officially start working at Avengers, you woke up feeling a little bit nervous, yet a weird wave of excitement came with it and you were sure why. You've seen the man naked more times than you can count with both your hands, and you knew what he could do; you've seen that from your phone and from that one time you got to see Steve and Bucky go at it, granted, it had been a little because they used that prosthetic hand that looked somewhat real—he liked his metal one better after he grew to see it as a good thing and not a bad thing. You were nervous because you were only a couple of hours away from having the man fuck you in front of cameras, but the excitement was because the man was about to fuck you not just with his dick, no, those fingers were more than ready to be inside of you and that was enough motivation to get your body ready.

You walked into the kitchen to find Wanda, Natasha, Cassie, Peggy, and Gamora eating breakfast as they conversed.

"…that way the outfits don't clash, oh hey sleepy head, good morning," said Cassie as she saw walk toward the pantry door.

"Morning, what were you guys talking about?" you asked as you took out your favorite cereal.

"Cassie has this idea for our photoshoot tomorrow, and is pitching the idea to us before she goes to the makeup and costume department," said Gamora in her soft yet hard voice.

"Oh, fun," you said as you set your bowl on the kitchen island and took a seat between Wanda and Cassie.

"Are you nervous to get Barnes all to yourself," asked Peggy with a salacious grin. You shifted on your stool as all eyes turned to you.

"Nervous, but I'm sure I'm not the only one that's probably gotten a little nervous about having a one on one with him," you said with a small shrug.

"You are the first one aside from Rogers to get to fuck him as a one on one. Sure, we all have fucked Barnes once or twice but there's always more people involved," said Natasha as she sipped her orange juice. You stared at her with wide eyes at the new information.

"So that's why he was all grins last night," said Cassie as an afterthought.

"Well, now I'm even more nervous."

"Just think about his metal hand and you'll be fine." Peggy still held that damn salacious grin.

"Alright, we are going to pick up the scene from the point you open the door."

Anthony and Joe were both talking to you and Bucky as they directed the new scene which was the one that contained the sex scene that you had been dreading yet awaiting with utmost want.

"So, we're good?" asked Joe a last time before heading to his directing chair. You and Bucky nodded and then walked to your positions.

"Silence in set…and…ACTION!"

You opened the unlocked door of the apartment, gun in hand as you were ready to fire in case anyone jumped to attack you. Your eyes roamed the room quickly and noticed that it was clear, but something told you that the whole apartment was not. You had been sent to follow one of the many leads SHIELD had on the Winter Soldier. With cautious steps, you moved around the room and checked any room that you thought he could be, but as you moved to walk past the kitchen a foot knocked your gun off your hand. Before you could fight back, the man you had been looking for tackled you to the clear space of the living room. You grunted as you landed on your side, but quickly recovered and elbowed the man on the face. It startled him for a second, but it was enough for you to push him with your feet as you turned on your back. He landed backwards but his hand was right next to your gun which he grabbed and aimed at you, but you quickly kicked it back and sent it to the kitchen behind him. And then your knee met his jaw. You ran past him toward the kitchen to grab your gun, but the man got up faster than you could run, and he grabbed you by the waist and dragged you to the kitchen island where he threw you against, making you let out a grunt as your tummy connected with the border of it.

"Who the fuck are you and what do you want?" he growled right next to your ear which made you shiver.

"I was just sent here to be of help, Captain America has been looking for you for a while now," you said as you struggled under him. He was pressing his whole body on top of yours while his metal hand took a hold of your head from slamming it against his face.

"Fuck the guy a couple of times and now he wants to bring him to his place," he said with almost a chuckle in the back of his throat.

"Fine, don't come with me but there are others that are also looking for you and I'm sure they will not be as nice and good looking as me," you said as you relaxed under him because you were starting to ache all over. Sensing your body relax made him relax which had his hips lower down to touch your ass.

"is that a gun or are you actually happy to see me?"

The man groaned as you pushed your ass against his groin. He grabbed ahold of your hair and pulled your head back that way you were able to see his face.

"Don't do that," he growled so close to your face that some of his spit landed on your cheeks, but you couldn't help the wicked grin that spread on your lips as your eyes looked at his dark ones that made his deep blue eyes a lot more alluring.

"Why? Am I getting you too excited, Soldier?" you pushed yourself harder against him and this time he pushed back. It made him close his eyes momentarily at the friction, but you had seen it and it had sent a ridiculous amount of slick down to your underwear.

"You wouldn't be able to handle me, princess." He had meant it to sound like a warning, but it only made you take it as a challenge.

"Trust me, you won't hurt me, I'm a big girl."

It seemed it had been enough teasing for the man because as soon as you said those words with the dirtiest grin directed at him, he turned you around and pulled you into a bruising kiss. He still had you pinned down which made it impossible for you to roam your fingers through his long hair, and the kiss had you practically moaning with need.

"Only a kiss and you ready to be on your knees," he said as he literally pushed you down to be on your knees. You happily waited for him to take his cock from its tight confinement.

"You're probably not that big, sweetheart," you said in a mocking tone, and you knew you were just making the man build up until he snapped and used you in all the ways he wanted.

He didn't respond with his words, but rather with the presence of his cock right in front of your face.

"Nothing to say now? Open up, princess," he practically purred with a grin as you obediently did. Your eyes followed the movement of his hand as he grabbed the thick and long cock and guided the tip of it inside your waiting mouth and tongue.

The dirtiest, sluttiest, and neediest sound erupted from your throat as the taste of his pre-cum touched your taste buds. You grabbed the base of his cock as your other hand grabbed his balls while your mouth eagerly sucked him off.

"Fuck, someone's eager," he gasped with his head thrown back as your mouth had him in the clouds.

His hands were on your hair as he helped you down his cock when you started to take him down your throat and his eyes were on you. But when you looked up at him, he could've cum, because your eyes were teary, a little red, cheeks red, sweaty, and your lips were wrapped around the girth and length of his cock.

With a whine as you sucked on his tip, he pulled you up before he could cum, and you stumbled a little as he turned you on your stomach and bent you over the same spot you had been previously pinned. His big hands roamed your body before both hands landed a nice smack to each asscheek which made you yelp but at the same time, your ass was ready for more if he wanted. Instead, he took a hold of your pants and dragged them down your legs, revealing the soaked garment of your underwear. He pulled your legs apart and kneeled down, his hands—one cold and one warm—spread your cheeks open, and as you bit your lips expectantly, his tongue met your soaked sex. You moaned as his tongue greedily explored your lower lips. He was eating you out like a starved man, tongue lapping at you, lips sucking the best he could, but the second you saw stars was when the cold hand that was helping him spread your cheeks for him, slowly made a path down your thigh and then up toward your clenching hole. You were moaning, your head kept lolling to the side as if you couldn't find a comfortable position, and your hands were clawing at the flat marble while your eyes were shut tight. But when his cold metallic fingers started to tease you as he lapped at your tight asshole, you shrieked at the harsh contrast from all the warmth that you were feeling.

"Oh fuck, please," you whined as his metal fingers kept teasing you, never fully dipping inside of you.

"So needy," said the brunet as he smirked when he pulled back to see how his fingertips glistened from the silk he was collecting. You whined when you felt his hands leave you, but then you moaned when two of his fingers plunged inside of you with a slow thrust which made you feel the stretch more than if he had just gone for it.

"You take my fingers so good, doll," he groaned as he saw how your pussy sucked his fingers in greedily. He was obsessing over the sounds you were making, the way your slick dripped down whenever his fingers tried to pull back, the way your legs were quivering as you tried to keep steady, and the way you kept muttering things to either him or yourself had him grinning like a mad man. He was obsessing over how much he wanted to grab you and fuck you senseless, but not before you came around his fingers. Good thing you were close.

"That's it, gorgeous, cum around my fingers, I bet they feel really good," he said before he gave a bit to the lower part of your asscheek which made you yelp, but it might have also been because of the ways his fingers picked up speed. You tried with all your might to keep your legs open, but when all the build-up finally snapped, your knees buckled under you. The Soldier noticed before you could collapse, kept you steady, and his fingers moved so fast that the squealing of your pussy drowned the shriek that came out of you when you came around his fingers.

"Fuck, doll, that's it," he grunted as some of your cum landed on his lips and cheeks due to the rapid motion of his fingers. He waited until you were breathing alright before he pulled his fingers out of you. He stood up and turned you around, your eyes were hooded, and a small smile was on your lips.

"Open up, princess." You opened your mouth obediently as his soaked fingers went for your mouth. You moaned obscenely when the taste of you was on your tongue, and your eyes never broke contact with him as he stared at the way you sucked his fingers off like you had his cock not long ago.

He picked you up and sat you on the kitchen island, and he positioned himself between your opened legs and pulled you down for another bruising kiss. You pulled back as he took the rest of your clothes off while your hands did the same to him. In no time both of you were fully naked and panting into each other's mouth. He pushed you back against the cold marble, your legs wide open for him and he grabbed ahold of one of your legs while with his other hand grabbed his cock to tease your sensitive sex.

"Look at you—" he inserted the tip of his cock which made you whine at the stretch it gave, "—you've only had my mouth and my tongue and you're already dazed out. You sure you can take my cock, baby girl?"

"How about you fuck me already, all this talk is making me believe you're scared your cock won't be enough," you said as you held a glare that only made the man growl and push the rest of his thick cock inside of you.

You both groaned loudly, and not letting you adjust to his size, the man started to savagely thrust into you, one leg held by his metal hand while your other legs hung in the air. You took ahold of it, and pull it down from your ankle, that way you spread yourself even more.

"Fuck, look at that—" the man let go of your leg "—hold it too."

You obeyed, and now you held your legs wide almost like a full split while the Soldier grabbed you by the waist while he proceeded to bury his cock with a hard and deep pace. His eyes were glued to the sight of his whole cock going in to then come out fully slicked of your juices. You looked at him to see how his eyes roamed your pussy and his dick which made you blush but due to your already flushed skin, it went unnoticed. It seemed he was hypnotized by you, and with that in mind, you pulled your legs down to the point you were now doing a full split on the kitchen island.

"Oh fuck," he whined as the sight of you became too much for his mind to withhold. He was fucking you harshly and you could only take it all and before you knew it, you were cumming with a shout of a 'shit' as you struggled to keep your legs spread while two of his fingers found your clit.

The man was speaking but just watching you squirm, moan, whine, and curse while you came around his cock. He couldn't hold his own orgasm anymore and after a couple of harsh thrusts, he pulled out, and with the loud grunt, he came all over your spread legs, torso, and a little over your tits.

You kept your legs spread like that for a minute as you came down from your own high.

"You know, I still need to bring you in," you said as you slowly shifted into a sitting position. The man only stood in front of you, eyes roaming your body, looking at your cum-covered body.

"He thinks because I'm now free of HYDRA's control I'm going to go with him and try to be better?" he asked with an annoyed expression, "there's nothing aside from him there."

"That's not entirely true," you tilted your head with a grin on your lips, "as far as I'm concerned, now we are friends, and by the way, I'm Agent Violet."

"You make it sound like you fuck your friends," he said with a huff for a laugh as he approached you.

"Well," you shrugged as he pecked your lips, "we just like to enjoy the moment."

"You really know how to sell what your selling."

"CUT," shouted Joe, "print it, that's in."

"That was perfect you two," said Anthony as he approached you and Bucky while both of you were handed a robe which you took with a smile.

"Thank you."

"No need for a reshoot later, the rest of the day should just be the other scenes and we'll call it a day until tomorrow," said Joe as he stood next to Antony.

He let both you and Bucky go and get clean up before the next scene.

By the end of the day, you were ready to collapse on your bed and sleep till the next morning. Which you weren't sure if you were ready for, after all, Thor was a bigger guy than Bucky.

Welcome to the Industry taglist:

@ginger-haired-queen

@arianabrashierstuff

@stylessugarhigh

@hanaamara

@fckdeusername

@mimilie98

@duskangxls

@pigwidgeonxo

@kteelou

@actuallybibis

@hallecarey1

Permanent taglist:

@cnco-ravenclaw-46

@musiclover812

@teapartydreams

#+18 #welcome to the industry #avengers #avengers au #steve rogers #bucky barnes #natasha romanoff #captain america #winter soldier #smut #reader #reader insert #multichapter #theravenclawlover #tony stark #wanda maximoff #pietro maximoff #peggy carter #sharon carter #peter parker #clint barton #pepper potts #mcu #marvel #spider man #thor #loki #peter quill #sam wilson #gamora

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Podcasting "Take It Back"

This week on my podcast, I read “Take It Back,” my Medium essay, “Take it back: Copyright reversion, bargaining power, and authors’ rights,” all about the obscure, but increasingly exciting realm of copyright termination at reversion.

https://doctorow.medium.com/take-it-back-e3689628f4f0

What’s copyright termination? Under US law, creators can file paperwork after 35 years and get their copyrights back, no matter what kinds of contracts they’ve signed. That’s vital, because creators generally negotiate from a position of weakness.

Take Superman creators Siegel and Schuster. They were just two of a vast cohort of would-be comic book contributors. DC had a buyers’ market for their creation. They signed away their rights to Superman for $130, and died in poverty.

Normally, the way this works is that an investor (publisher, label, studio, etc) who strikes a bargain with a creator whose work makes it big gets to make out like a bandit, and the creator’s consolation prize is that they can shop their next project around for top dollar.

For example, The Beatles’ early record contract paid the Fab Four one penny per record sold. They split that penny four ways, but only after the label took out fifteen percent for “promotions.”

Sure, those mega-platinum top sellers meant The Beatles could negotiate better deals for their later deals, but for those early money-spinners, fractional pennies were all they could hope for.

That’s where reversion kicks in. Only a tiny minority of works have any commercial life after 35 years, but those are also the works that generate the lion’s share of the income for the investor orgs, and not all of those creators have a second act.

Many of them are like Superman’s Siegel and Schuster — creative teams with one big score that makes billions for their investors, who themselves languish in poverty and die in misery and obscurity. That’s one place where termination can make a difference.

If Siegel and Schuster had been able to revert their rights — or even credibly threaten to do so — DC/Warner would have coughed up enough money to see the pair through to a comfortable dotage and a fair share in the returns from their labor.

It wasn’t to be. When Marc Toberoff went to court on behalf of Siegel and Schuster’s heirs to get their rights back, Warners went scorched earth in retaliation, suing Toberoff for having the audacity to challenge their perpetual billion-dollar right to their $130 Superman.

Toberoff lost, but today he’s representing the heirs of the most prolific Marvel creators, including Stan Lee himself, in a bid to claw back the Marvel pantheon from Disney. Disney has hired Toberoff’s Superman nemesis, Dan Petrocelli, to represent it.

Toberoff’s 2014 suit on behalf of the Superman creators was before its time. Today, the currents are shifting. Antitrust has emerged from a 40-year, Reagan-inspired doldrums, and become a muscular, relentless force for labor rights.

Victor Miller, creator of the Friday the 13th franchise, just won a bid to terminate his copyright transfer to the films’ producers, in a surprise upset with far-reaching implications.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/friday-the-13th-copyright-termination-appeal-1235023236/

Termination is fascinating, because it’s a counter-monopolistic right, unlike copyright itself. Copyright is “alienable,” and can be signed away. In monopolized entertainment markets, that means that copyright is almost always transferred from creators to investors.

In a monopolized market, giving creators more copyright is like giving your bullied kid more lunch money. The bullies who control the school-gates aren’t gonna let junior hang onto the extra money you slipped him — they’re going to take that, too.

So when we give creators more copyright — longer terms, the right to control new uses like sampling — all we’re really doing is giving labels and studios and publishers more rights, which they non-negotiably acquire as a condition of permitting access to artistic markets.

Termination and reversion are fundamentally different — they’re a way to let (some) creators negotiate from a position of strength: now that their work is a commercial success, they can demand compensation, on pain of clawing their rights back.

My colleague Rebecca Giblin and her collaborators recently published a groundbreaking study documenting the use of termination in US copyrights, and the incredibly bureaucratic hurdles that stand in the way of creators getting their due.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3880708

They show how creators from George RR Martin to Stephen King to David Eddings have taken their rights back — and how prolific writers like Francine Pascal (Sweet Valley High) and Ann Martin (Babysitters Club) have taken back their rights on an industrial scale.

Most successful was George Clinton, who terminated the copyright transfers to 1,413 songs, which had been stolen from him by a scamming ex-manager — obviating years of expensive litigation.

Termination is a way to turn copyright into a labor right. Shortening the termination right — say, to 20 years, or even 14, the original term of US copyright — would let creators, rather than their descendants, make extensive use of it.

And while nonprofits like the Authors Alliance have done excellent work in automating termination, the fact remains that the process is too onerous and needs reform.

https://www.authorsalliance.org/resources/rights-reversion-portal/

But as I say in my podcast introduction, any reform to copyright termination needs to take account of what Yochai Benkler calls “commons-based peer production” — free/open source software and Creative Common content.

It’s one thing to rebalance the lopsided negotiating leverage between creators and investors — and another to let some rando who contributed 7 out of 1,000,000 lines of code terminate their free software license and create legal liability for billions of users.

That’s not an insurmountable hurdle — but failing to deal with it could create yet another senseless division between free culture advocates and people who advocate for fair creative livelihoods — when in reality, their interests are aligned.

Here’s the notes for this episode:

https://craphound.com/news/2021/10/03/take-it-back/

Here’s a direct link to the MP3 (hosting courtesy of the Internet Archive, they’ll host your stuff for free, forever):

https://archive.org/download/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_403/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_403_-_Take_It_Back.mp3

And here’s the RSS for my podcast:

https://feeds.feedburner.com/doctorow_podcast

#pluralistic

[travasourus-rex]

Dear Marvel Studios, A.C Bradley, and Bryan Andrews, I’d love to see a complete timeline of Captain Carter’s adventures in the modern day, please and thank you!

After rewatching the What If...? finale, two things are abundantly clear to me.

1. Stephen Strange is always the GOAT regardless of what universe he comes from.

2. I'd love more of Captain Carter going through the same adventures Steve Rogers went through in his original modem day timeline, because while the adventures will largely be the same, the excitement lies in how Peggy would differ in her approach and reaction to these events. Let me break it down movie by movie.

The Avengers: The What If...? finale picks up with Captain Carter in the modern day at the start of The Winter Soldier, but I believe there could vast changes in this universe's version of the Avengers movie. Obviously, Peggy would lead the Avengers because when a solider of her caliber shows up in modern day, you have her lead your team of superheroes against an alien Invasion, no question. Steve Rogers was very by the book in the first movie, but Peggy would throw the book out at whoever doubted her and carry her team through the situation to the best of her ability as a true wildcard similar to Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff, maybe this is when Peggy and Nat begin their close (romantic) relationship. I think she and Tony would get along famously because each person can fulfill a role the other person lacks in their life. For Peggy, it's the way she still feels connected to her previous life in 1940's, her long lost friend Howard and his fantastical inventions through further adventures with his son. For Tony, it's the way he would gain a deeper understanding of Howard, including the negative aspect of his father, through the stories and memories of the person who knew him best, which is why I believe Peggy would join Tony in his investigation of SHIELD and how HYDRA has secretly infested into the organization.

The Winter Solider: Because of her preliminary investigation with Tony and Nat, Peggy would definitely shoot the whole HYDRA is secretly SHIELD thing in the foot before they had a chance to take off running, especially if she retains her memory of what Age of Ultron Nat said. Like Steve, Peggy would do everything in her power to free Bucky from his brainwashing as he is the strongest connection to her past life. I imagine Peggy would form a brother-sister bond with Sam Wilson like Steve does in the original movie, and deepen her (romantic) relationship with Nat. I would love to see Peggy's reaction to escalator kiss between the two.

Avengers: Age of Ultron: Peggy's role in Age of Ultron would be similar to Steve's role in the original movie, but Peggy would use her close bond with Tony to empathize with him more when everyone on the Avengers is angry with him about creating a killer robot A.I, maybe she tells him of her previous adventure with the Guardians of the Multiverse and the battle against Infinity Ultron to further warn Tony against creating Ultron in the first place.

Civil War: I'm not sure if the Civil War would happen in the Captain Carter universe because I always thought Peggy is better at forming friendships and being empathetic with people. She would stick to her morals like Steve, but she she's clearly a superior military strategist and use her abilities to prevent any civilian casualties and stop Crossbones' plan entirely in Lagos. Peggy would still reach out to Black Panther and the Wakandians for their help in permanently freeing Bucky from HYDRA’s mind control after working with Tony to discover that Zemo doctored footage of the U.N bombing, she would also be extremely sensitive in the way she tells Tony about Bucky assassinating his parents immediately after learning about it herself. If a Civil War does break out, Nat would switch teams to be close with her (girl)friend as everyone comes together to defeat Zemo stronger than ever. Side note: I can't get the image of Captain Carter mentoring the new hero Spider-Man in a extremely jovial big sister type role.

Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame: Tony would likely confide in Peggy about his nightmares and visions on Thanos soon after first experiencing them and she would tell him of her experience with Infinity Stones and the Guardians of Multiverse due to their close relationship. So the entire Avengers team is ready to stand together with a well formulated plan when The Black Order shows up on Earth looking for Stones. Tony still goes into space to rescue Doctor Strange and willingly brings Spider-Man with him because since Peggy and Tony were able to find common ground in their differences and keep the Avengers together in this universe, Peter Parker received state of the art Stark tech from Tony and state of the at military training from Peggy, who has evolved her fighting style with the times to make the boy ready for the task ahead of him Peggy stays on Earth and uses her positive standing with the Wakandians to form a stronghold in the country as well as use their superior technology to get the Mind Stone out of Vision's and destroy it without killing him in the process long before Thanos arrives on Earth. I imagine the Infinity War movie proceeding as normal until Thor and Thanos arrive in Wakanda, where Peggy has a quick conversation with Thor and tells him how she faced other-worldly beings like Thanos before and how she lost absolutely everything to defeat the monster. She will not go through this pain a second time, so she tells him to focus his rage over Loki's death and straight for Thanos' head with Stormbreaker because she's not fucking around this time! After Thanos is defeated and the day is saved with the entire still alive, I'm not sure if Peggy would use the power of the Stones to go back in time to be with Skinny Steve, or choose to remain in the present to be with Natasha because I feel like Peggy has an unbreakable bond with both of them. Whatever path Peggy chooses, she will eventually choose to pass on the Captain Carter/Captain Britain mantle to another quick witted fast talking Brit who has been in the background of Peggy's story since she first arrived in the modern day, much like Sharon Carter was for Steve, and this particular Brit has venomous Spider-like powers to boot. Her name is Jessica Drew.

So, I let my uncontrollable love for Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman take over towards the end of this hypothetical timeline/mini fanfiction. I really enjoyed first season of What If...?, my favorite episodes are #4, #2, and #1 in that order, my favorite character is Superior Strange, but I also greatly enjoyed T'challa Star-Lord and Captain Carter. Peggy's Stealth Suit in the finale is straight up dope and I can't wait to see where the show takes the characters in season 2.

#captain carter #peggy carter #haley atwell #what if #the watcher #jeffrey wright #t'challa star lord #black panther #chadwick boseman #doctor strange #benedict cumberbatch #black widow #Lake Bell #Steve Rogers #Josh Keaton #iron man #Tony Stark #mick wingert #thor odinson #chris hemsworth #Spider-Man #peter parker #hudson thames #Spider-Woman #Jessica Drew #peggy x natasha #peggynat #steve x peggy #steggy

[kingpreciouswrld]

I'll Be There For You

Fluff Prompt- “I just want to be there for you”

Pairing: Miranda Priestly/Andrea Sachs

Word Count: 3k

Summary: Andy just wants to be there for Miranda, even if that means she works behind the scenes to help the editor.

A/N: My first official fanfic. I haven’t watched The Devil Wears Prada a lot and to be honest, I think I’ve only seen it twice, but I love this pairing so much that I wanted to research and study both characters and the movie before I wrote this. Took about two days before I was finally happy with the whole thing :3

_______

It’s been six months since Paris Fashion Week. Six months since she decided to stay. Andy didn’t know why she stayed. Well, she knew why, but it wasn’t for the fashion scene.

It was for Miranda.

The commanding, direct, cutthroat, white-haired fashionista who stole her heart. Miranda said that she saw herself in the young woman: strong work ethic, driven, and devoted. Was it a compliment? Andy likes to think so, yet it intimidated her so much. So much so that she almost walked out on the woman. But Andy didn’t dare to think about life without seeing the editor daily.

So she stayed.

_______

“Go to Cartier and get 25 necklaces. Watch them pack it, last time they were tangled and Miranda fired at least three people that day. Then go to Calvin Klein, the showroom. I’ll give you the address. Ask for Ivan, tell him we’re doing a reshoot tomorrow, we need at least ten skirts. Stay away from Liz, she isn’t that helpful and on your way back, pickup Miranda’s coffee. Remember, one no foam skimmed latte with an extra shot and three drip coffees with room for milk. Searing hot”

Andy shooed off the new second assistant while she stayed back to man the phones. Miranda was out for the morning and it was Andy’s job to train the girl. This was the fifth assistant since Paris and each girl was slowly getting better than the last. Andy was promoted to first assistant when Miranda moved Emily to the art department. The job duties weren't different from when she was second assistant though the dynamic between Andy and Miranda was.

Miranda had changed once they landed back in New York. There were Emily’s and Nigel’s promotions, both of which were surprising, yet the two were very excited and very grateful to the editor. Miranda had also started to open up around Andy. For someone who wasn’t fond of small talk, the editor would make comments about how incompetent people were or how some articles of clothing were hideous. Whenever Miranda wanted coffee she’d “order” Andy to get a coffee for herself. There are instances where Miranda would forego her infamous catch phrase and replace it with a quiet ‘Thank you.’ Each time she heard it Andy would break out into a blinding smile and each time Andy swore that she saw a small twitch of Miranda’s lips before her stoic mask was back in place.

It was the small things that Andy noticed. That’s why it was a big deal to her. For Andy, Miranda respects and trusts her to the point where Miranda could speak freely around her. Andy felt honored to see through the small cracks of Miranda’s walls and she could feel herself falling even harder for the editor.

From the beginning months after Paris till now, Andy swore to herself that she’d help to make Miranda’s life easier. Not just because it was her job, but because she truly cared for the woman.

_______

Just as Andy finished setting down a scalding hot coffee in the office, Miranda came flowing through from the elevator. Lips set in a firm line, her heels clacked against the floor with her brisk pace, never stopping even as she threw her coat on the second assistant’s desk. She had just come back from a showing at James Holts’ studio, surely it wasn’t that bad? Her curiosity was quenched when she got a message from Nigel and she groaned mentally.

Miranda had just gotten off the phone from her ex-husband, Stephen, as she pulled up to the building. Going off Miranda's icy entrance, Andy knew that Stephen had canceled last minute. Again. It was planned that he was to watch the twins for the weekend since Miranda would be out of town for the weekend. Andy knew the man was flaky and usually his cancelling wouldn’t be a problem because the girls had their nanny Cara but the girl was out of town herself. Hence why Stephen was supposed to watch them and now Andy has to deal with the fallout but she was determined to make sure the girls were safe and taken care of for the weekend.

Andy followed the editor as they entered her inner sanctuary, notepad and pen in hand. Miranda had her hand nursing her head, massaging a headache away. “Confirm Demarchelier for tomorrow then pick up Patricia and her medicine from the vet. Pick up everything on the list, Patricia’s on a new diet. Then pick up the girls and take them home. Dinner is in the fridge, bedtime is at nine and don’t give them any sugar past seven no matter what they say.”

The brunette stopped her writing and looked up at the editor. Miranda continued to flip through the magazine in front of her as if nothing had happened.

What?

….What?

“Mira-”

“That’s all.”

_______

After the initial shock, Andy made the necessary arrangements to stay with the girls. Andy quickly got Patrick on the phone for Miranda before she told the second assistant the plans for the rest of the day. The girl was scared to death about being the only assistant in the office but Andy reassured her that she’ll still be available if she had any questions and she left Runway.

Andy and Roy went around town. She picked up the St.Bernard and got groceries for the dog’s new diet. As Roy pulled up to her apartment, Andy’s mind was still reeling. Miranda didn’t outright say it, but she basically asked (okay well maybe told) her to watch the twins. The question was, why? She highly doubted the woman would entrust a different nanny, a practical stranger, to watch her precious girls, but why her? She’s sure the editor wouldn’t even trust Emily to watch the twins. Andy wasn’t complaining though, not at all. She felt honored and touched that she had Miranda’s trust and she’d be damned if she’d let the editor down. After packing a bag, she quickly made her way down to the town car and the two of them, along with Patricia, were off to Dalton.

Upon seeing Andy instead of their father, the twins perked up and practically threw themselves into the car. The three of them had bonded a bit after the Harry Potter incident. Every night that Andy delivered the book, the twins would come down and talk to her about their day. She’d help the girls with their homework assignments and even give the occasional advice whenever they had troubles with friends. They would always ask how their mom was at work and Andy always reassured them that their mother was just fine. They made Andy promise to look after the editor and Andy was more than happy to do so.

Throughout the rest of the evening, they had a little girls' night. They watched movies, painted their nails, and did each other's hair. Andy and the girls even pampered Patricia, painting her little nails on her front paws and putting a bunny ear headband on the dog. It was a bit of a struggle trying to get the ears on the St.Bernard which ended up with Andy chasing the dog around the room while the girls just sat back and watched the whole scene unfold, recording everything. The twins were ecstatic to spend more time with Andy and they weren’t surprised that their mother let her watch them. Alright, maybe a little surprised but they weren’t complaining. At dinner the twins talked Andy’s ear off, spewing suggestion after suggestion about what they should do or where they should go. Although she was happy about their enthusiasm, she finally got them to calm down when they all agreed that they’d talk more about the details in the morning.

_______

Her blaring alarm bounced off the walls of the guest bedroom as Andy groaned herself awake. Once she realized where she was and whose house she was in, she stared up at the ceiling getting lost in her thoughts. The fact that she had slept over in Miranda Priestly’s house and that she’s in here now was still mind boggling. Seeing the townhouse in all its glory was as if she had a small glimpse of Miranda’s world and Andy stood all amazed. She was seeing a different side to the fashion editor. The interior of the townhouse was amazing. The color schemes differed from floor to floor yet it all worked together. Colorful and abstract paintings hung on the wall but there were also things that held family value. There were paper birds that were strung together that were draped around a bookcase on the second floor, pictures of the girls were situated on the coffee table in the sitting room and Miranda being a lover of flowers and their meanings, had multiple bouquets of different flowers on every other table.

Miranda had given Andy, this small town girl who dreamed of being a journalist but actually became an assistant, this ticket to see a of what the editor’s life was like and all Andy could think of was why? She knows what she hoped the reason could be, but Andy didn’t want to get ahead of herself but you bet that she dreams of it being true.

Tired of stressing and guessing, Andy threw on her clothes and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. It was decided last night that they will have crepes and french toast for breakfast and Andy thanked her lucky stars that she lived and dated a cook. She cut up some fresh fruit, freshly squeezed some oranges, and started to make both batters.

Andy was focused on making a good breakfast so she heard the twins come trudging down the stairs before she saw matching messy red hair come around the corner. As she platted the last crepe, the twins sat down at the kitchen island and started to dig in. Even though they just woke up and were currently stuffing their faces, the two were as energetic as they were last night, spewing out even more suggestions than before. Caroline wanted to go to the art museum and Cassidy wanted to go to the zoo. Both options sounded wonderful to Andy and even she couldn’t choose what they should do first.

After a heated game of rock, paper, scissors, and negotiations it was decided that they will go to the art museum and grab some takeout from Shake Shack on their way home. Miranda would never take her children to a place such as Shake Shack but the twins specifically asked for it and Andy just couldn’t say no. It’s okay, Miranda didn’t have to know.

_______

The art museum was fantastic. Although Andy has been to the museum multiple times with her friend Lily, she was amazed to hear Caroline’s knowledge of the art work and the artists who created them. Caroline became a little tour guide of the group, making comments and giving out fun facts here and there. She knew both of the girls were smart. They were definitely knowledgeable in areas that differ from usual kids their age, but it always amazed her to see how vast their knowledge really is.

The trio made their way home, cutting through the park before stopping at Shake Shack. She hoped no one would recognize the twins or else Miranda would hear about it within the hour and she knew the girls wouldn’t rat her or themselves out. They looked over the menu for a while, debating on what they should get. Cassidy and Caroline got the shack burger while Andy settled for the chicken bites. The twins couldn’t decide on what fries they should get so Andy just got an order of regular fries and an order of cheesy bacon fries. God, if Emily was here she’d have a heart attack just hearing about the cheesy bacon fries. They were almost out the door until Caroline stopped them and said that you can’t eat Shake Shack without getting a shake.

With the twins sipping on their shakes, the trio finally made their way back to the townhouse. They all settled around the kitchen island and dug into their respective foods; the twins even picked some chicken bites from Andy’s plate and Andy always tried to swat their hands away. Caroline continued talking about the paintings and sculptures they’ve seen with Andy listening intently and nodding along. The subject changed when they started to talk about tomorrow, and Caroline went on her own knowledge spree about the different habitats and animals that were at the zoo.

Seriously, these kids amazed Andy.

_______

And that’s how Miranda found them.

The twins and Andrea were talking around the kitchen island with their greasy takeout and sugary milkshakes topped with extra whip cream and she watched with amusement as Andrea tried to keep her food away from the girls. Miranda stood in the doorway taking in the scene. She’s never seen the girls take to someone so easily before, aside from Cara. The three never knew this but Miranda knew about the late night talks they had. She would listen to the hushed conversations and smile to herself from the second floor hallway. Every time she heard her girls’ voices with Andrea’s voice, her heart fluttered.

Andrea wasn’t like anyone she knew. She managed to weasel her way into the editor’s heart and Miranda wouldn’t have it any other way. The girl was kind and sweet, yet hard working and determined. Andrea was a force to be reckoned with when she was given a task and she would always get things done in one way or another. To Miranda, Andrea was ethereal; the brunette would walk in a room and the atmosphere would feel lighter. Hell, her presence alone had the power to calm the fiery editor. Andrea was the warmth that slowly melted her icy walls. Miranda cared for the girl, more than a boss should.

Before Miranda could make her presence, she caught Cassidy’s eyes. “Mom! You’re back!” Caroline looked up towards the doorway before letting out a squeal. Both girls bolted towards the editor as Miranda opened her arms. The force of the impact from the girls caused Miranda to stumble backwards a bit with a little ‘oomph’ as she was attacked by the redheads. Kissing their heads, Miranda hugged the girls tightly, “We finished early and Donna was nice enough to give mommy a ride home.”

As the family had their little reunion, Andy looked away from the scene in front of her and tidied up a bit. When Miranda’s presence was known, it came rushing back to her that she was Miranda’s assistant. That was her boss. This was just another task Miranda had given her as an assistant. No matter how different the task was or how different things had changed between them, she will still be seen as an assistant. Right?

“Andrea.”

Andy snapped her head up. She was so concentrated on her thoughts that she failed to notice the absence of the girls. It left her and Miranda alone. Alone. Together. In Miranda’s kitchen. Oh God.

Miranda walked closer towards the brunette, eyeing the takeout on the table, “I see you’ve been spoiling my children with... greasy calories and sugar.” Andy chuckled nervously as she fidgeted with her fingers.

“The girls asked for it specifically and they used their puppy eyes. It was a tough showdown and I just couldn’t say no.”

Miranda hummed in acknowledgement before letting a small smile play on her lips. She knew all too well about those puppy eyes. She fell victim to them many times. “Understandable.” Miranda picked up one of the french fries from the paper bag and plopped it into her mouth, leaving Andy to stand in front of her with wide eyes. The editor looked up at the assistant with a raised brow and a small smirk, “Surely you know that even I indulge myself from time to time?”

Andy tried her best not to gape at the scene as the editor started to pick at the bacon cheese fries, “Of course Miranda. It’s just...I’ve never imagined Miranda Priestly eating bacon cheese fries with her fingers. I mean, maybe with a fork but still.” Andy was even more shocked when the editor let out a laugh. Not one of those fake, dainty laughs, but a real laugh. It was beautiful. It was all Miranda. “Be as it may Andrea, I’m not the one with cheese on her face.”

The brunette blanched in horror and faced away from the editor to try and wipe the leftover cheese off her face. How long has it been there? Why didn’t the girls say anything to her before? Did Miranda know the whole time? Why couldn’t she have said anything before?

Her thoughts were stopped as she felt a hand lift her chin up and wide brown eyes met soft and amused blue eyes. Miranda stood in front of her with a napkin and a small smile, “Silly girl.” As Miranda wiped away the cheese, Andy held her breath. She could feel her skin tingle under the editor’s hand. All of her senses were heightened and her sense of smell was filled with Chanel No.19. The two were closer than they ever were before and Andy was scared to move. Scared that if she did, whatever this moment was would end.

“Why?”

Andy’s brows furrowed ever so slightly. Miranda’s eyes flitted across the young woman’s face before searching her chocolate brown eyes. “You didn’t have to watch them. You could have declined. Yet you didn’t.” Andy held her breath. “Why?”

The brunette searched the editor’s own eyes and watched as the softened ever so slightly, a twinkle of vulnerability showing through and Andy knew that it was now or never.

“I just want to be there for you.”

A moment of pause followed, the two of them communicating through their eyes. Andy just wanted to show Miranda that she cared. She cared more than an assistant should. She cared about the woman’s life outside of work and that included the girls. It included everything and anything that crossed Miranda’s path.

Satisfied and a bit relieved with what she found, Miranda slowly moved her hand to caress Andy’s cheek, lightly rubbing her thumb along a soft skin.

“Thank you.”

______

A/N: I didn’t want to end it with dialogue but I felt like if I continued it, it would be too long for a prompt fic. Anyways, I tried lol BUT feedback is always welcome whether it’s negative or positive, both help with the writing process :)

#mirandy #miranda priestly #andrea sachs #the devil wears prada

[yandearest]

May The Odds Be Ever in Your Favor (Hoseok x Reader Hunger Games AU) Chapter 6: What Happens When You Care

Summary - Living in District 4 you never thought you would have to worry about being selected for the Hunger Games. With a training centre right near the dock of the houseboat you lived and fished from, your district was known for volunteers who trained their whole lives for a shot at glory and riches. But at age 18, your name is called and no girls volunteer to take your place. Your devastation is answered when Kim Namjoon volunteers for the males shortly after. Tall, muscular, highly intelligent and charming, the years of diligent preparation have bestowed Namjoon with the expectation of being the next District 4 champion after Finnick Odair last won 3 years ago.

Fishing for a living has granted you skills with a knife but, as your mentor Finnick is quick to describe, your beautiful face may well be your best asset.

Upon arrival in the Capitol you are quickly faced with the reality that Namjoon may not even be the biggest danger inside the Arena. Especially when you capture the obsessive attention of District 2′s own volunteer, and killing machine, Jung Hoseok. Hope soon fades from ‘survival’ to ‘the mercy of a painless death’ but Hoseok certainly has other plans.

Pairing - Hoseok x (fem)Reader

Genre - thriller, angst, yandere

Word Count 4.1K

Warning: This chapter is quite heavy with 3 deaths described in detail. There is also a (foiled) attempt at sexual assault.

PLEASE AVOID READING IF YOU CONSIDER THIS CONTENT UPSETTING

The following is a dark fic featuring a yandere character, violence, obsession, and coercion. By no means does writing about this in a fictional setting condone any of those behaviours, much like Stephen King writing horror doesn’t mean he approves of psychotic killers in reality. Please avoid reading if any of these warnings makes you uncomfortable.

Previous Chapter: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Cross posted on A03 so people can subscribe for updates/notifications

Hoseok had been on edge ever since the careers had collectively agreed to move to the top of the waterfall. He had kept his eyes peeled on the journey upwards, hoping to catch a glimpse of you amongst the trees, but to no avail. When they had eventually reached the top, the group had quickly set up a camp along a part of land near the edge, using the tent, fire supplies, pot, rice, and multiple weapons they had carried with them. The tent was rather small, most likely designed to fit two people, but with the dropping temperature three was a comfortable fit.

After a dinner of boiled rice, the group of five agreed to take turns of three sleeping in the tent and two keeping watch outside. Hoseok took the first guard shift, far too anxious to sleep, with Yoongi taking the other. Hoseok didn’t mind Yoongi, he didn’t annoy him by talking and mostly just sat by the fire.

The top of the waterfall was cold, but Hoseok felt himself becoming increasingly concerned watching the fog crawling across the trees, as he paced around the edge of the cliff. It looked like a blanket was covering the entire arena, as far as he could see, with the top of the trees just barely being visible from where he was. He knew it was pointless, there was no way he would be able to see you tonight, and from the projected faces displayed earlier he knew you were still alive. But he couldn’t help but feel worried sick.

His unease only grew at the sound of the first canon in the night, causing him to stop in his tracks.

“She’ll be fine,” Yoongi’s gruff voice sounded from his place by the fire.

Hoseok grunted in return. He could easily snap, asking how Yoongi would like it if it were Krystal out there instead, but that wouldn’t do anything to help.

He was concerned to the point it was like his stomach was in knots, but at the same time he felt like he just knew that canon wasn’t for you.

The rest of the night passed slowly. Hoseok declined to swap during the first rotation of the guards/sleepers, still feeling too high strung. But by the time the next swap was scheduled he knew he had to sleep in order to be alert and have the best chance of finding you the next day.

There were lingering doubts in his mind about whether his alliance could betray him and kill him in his sleep, but that was a fear everyone had to face when working with others in the game. Yoongi was asleep on the other side of the tent and Athena was next to him, he doubted either of them would try to make a move first. So, with his thoughts entirely on you, he eventually fell asleep.

 ***

 To say that you didn’t sleep well throughout the night would be an understatement. Rather than “sleep” you would describe it as momentary pauses where you passed out from sheer exhaustion. You had spent the last eight (or so) hours either waking up between canons (three in total) or from your own nightmares. Whether the tributes who had died were a result of the freezing temperatures or from a more vicious end, you had no idea. As creepy as you found the concept of a fanclub, you couldn’t help but be extremely grateful for their gift of a blanket. Without it you had no idea if you would have managed to survive the night. And if you had managed then you were sure you would have been in a much worse state.

You were woken up by your body temperature, feeling much too smothered and hot beneath the blanket. Pushing it off your body (but being careful not to lose it over the side of the branch), you noticed that the fog from last night had been quickly burnt off by the morning sun, poking through the trees. You quickly realized how thirsty you were, and took a swig from the bottle of water in your bag, making a mental note to find a water source to refill it as soon as possible. You folded your blanket tightly and stuffed it into the bottom of your bag, followed by the water bottle and lastly the rope from the tree as you untied yourself. You kept your new knife inside the front pocket of your pants.

Looking down to try and map your descent, you felt dizzy seeing just how high up you were, and you certainly were not excited about having to climb another tree all over again (assuming you even made it to the end of the day). With a shaky sigh, you clasped onto the trunk tightly and slowly began to lower your weight until you felt your feet touching the branch below. Cautiously you climbed down, gradually becoming more confident with each branch that you passed, as the distance to the ground below lessened.

You were half way through leaning your legs down to the next branch, when you heard the sound of snapping twigs and footsteps. In a panic, you quickly scrambled to swing your legs back up and tried and hide. Lying flat with your legs, stomach and chest, pressing onto the bark, you felt your heartbeat pounding in your ears as the footsteps increased, meaning there was more than one person coming your way. As the sounds kept getting louder, you pressed your eyes shut, begging that whoever it was wouldn’t be looking upwards.

“Stop! Please!” a loud shriek sent a shiver down your spine at the sheer panic in the girl’s voice.

Very cautiously, you peered over the side of the branch to see a petite girl wildly running through the bushes, whilst a larger boy chased her. He was much stronger and faster, narrowing the distance between them with every step, as the poor girl pleaded with him in shrill gasps to stop. Neither of the pair were looking upwards in your direction – the girl too busy trying to escape and the boy’s eyes were focused squarely on his target. It was as the girl was directly under your branch that the boy made his move, tackling her brutally to the ground, and slamming them both into the trunk of the tree. You gripped onto the branch to stabilize yourself, but being only a few meters above the ground, you weren’t in a life-threatening position if you fell. Instead you felt sickened at the sight below of the boy rolling on top of the girl, his larger body obscuring her entirely from your view.

You immediately thought of the boy from 7 yesterday tackling you into the river. You had been lucky enough to have had a weapon to defend yourself with, but you doubted the girl below you had anything as you couldn’t see any movement coming from her. Maybe she was being strangled, maybe the boy was bashing her head into the ground below. All you knew is you couldn’t just lay there and watch her be assaulted.

Grabbing the knife from your pocket, you unsheathed the cover and grasped the handle. With only a few meters to fall, you pushed off from the branch and landed directly onto the boy’s back. Your weight pushed him to the side and off of the girl, before he could even turn to see who had attacked him, your blade was sinking into the side of his neck.

Not making the same mistake as yesterday, you ripped it out in order to keep your weapon. You watched in horror as the boy took strangled gasps, choking on his own blood as it gushed from the neck wound and soaked his clothes, along with the ground that he fell forward onto. Feeling the red sticky substance on your skin you frantically began wiping your hands on the bark of the tree, picking up leaves from the ground and trying to get it off of you.

It was as you were grabbing for more leaves that you realized you hadn’t heard a single thing from the girl that the boy had been attacking. You didn’t want to see, but you felt a sickening compulsion to look. Turning towards her body on the ground you saw her lying flat on her back, eyes staring wide at the sky above. Her neck was bent at a grotesque angle, leaving her quite obviously paralyzed, however you could very faintly still see her mouth twitching, indicating that she was barely still alive. But what made you feel significantly better about the lingering blood on your hands and knife, was the buttons from her shirt being torn open, exposing her bra-covered chest beneath. You didn’t want to think of what would have continued to happen if you didn’t intervene.

Ignoring the last choke of the boy along with the sound of his corresponding canon, you hesitantly approached the girl. Dropping your knife at your feet, you held up your hands to show her you meant no harm. Her eyes were glazed over and her breath was now nearly nonexistent. You doubted she even knew you were there. Feeling tears stinging in the back of your eyes, you dropped to your knees beside her and pulled her shirt back over her chest. What buttons were still left, you looped back into their holes, trying to restore her dignity in her final moments. You stayed by her side, and it didn’t take long, until her canon sounded too.

 ***

 “That’s it, I’m fucking going, now”

With every canon that sounded, Hoseok had only become more unsettled. But it was the two sounding near back-to-back that finally sent him over the edge. Typically, in the games the opening blood bath is the major loss and things simmer down over the next few days, but there had now been five deaths since you were separated. The fog had definitely been related to some, but for the number to be that high, other tributes had to be killing too – the Capitol wouldn’t want to wipe out so many themselves, it was still too soon.

“Wait, just hold on a second,” Athena snapped “You don’t even know where you’re going to start.”

“Well it’s better than me sitting on my ass up here,” Hoseok snapped back.

“No, actually, it isn’t. You want to go run off into the jungle and get yourself killed? You don’t even know if she’s still alive and you want to leave the rest of us one man down to chase after some idiot who ran away?”

Hoseok’s anger was palpable and it was surprisingly Krystal who leapt up from her seat on the ground, to try and ease the tension. Quickly she stood in front of Hoseok before he could go after Athena, raising her hands to try and calm him down.

“I get it. She was attacked, she didn’t run away. If I was in her position, I’d want someone to look for me too.”

Hoseok nodded curtly. He was infuriated by Athena and also at Krystal from stopping him before he could’ve knocked the teeth out of her mouth. But Athena wasn’t his priority, you were.

“Don’t even think about it,” Yoongi growled in Krystal’s direction.

“What? It’s true, what if it were me? Wouldn’t you be trying to find me?” Krystal turned away from Hoseok to reply to her brother.

“I never said he can’t go,” Yoongi nodded towards Hoseok, who was now grabbing an empty bag and shoving a few supplies inside, preparing to leave. “But you’re staying here.”

“Excuse me?”

“I didn’t volunteer, just to watch you risk your life for someone else. She could have come back to us after she fought off seven. She made her choice when she ran into the forest instead.”

“But-”

“I’m not asking you to come with me,” Hoseok cut Krystal off before Yoongi could.

“YN’s in my alliance too,” Krystal frowned.

“I don’t care,” Hoseok bluntly stated, swinging the bag over his shoulder and following it with a quiver of arrows.

“So what? You’re just going to run off through the trees alone, and hope you magically find her, without you or her getting killed by the other tributes?” Athena asked, her sarcastic question laced with a biting tone.

“He’s not going alone.”

The group turned towards Namjoon stepping out of the tent, with his own bag across his shoulder. He had been the last to switch from guard duty to the tent last night, and everyone had just assumed he was still asleep.

“Well that’s great. Did I miss the memo for this alliance where half of us are whipped for some girl we’re eventually going to have to kill anyway?” Athena threw her hands up in exasperation, before angrily taking a seat on the ground next to Yoongi (the only person left with half a brain if you asked her).

Namjoon rolled his eyes at Athena’s outburst, instead taking his pick from the weapons pile. The sword would be too big to carry whilst trying to remain hidden, so he opted for a smaller dagger.

“YN is my district partner and someone I’ve known for years. If your mentor taught you anything you should have known to watch our interviews, and you would have seen I had my own feelings for her long before these games,” Namjoon dismissed.

Athena scoffed and shook her head as Hoseok narrowed his eyes.

“But this isn’t just about her either. The cornucopia is still loaded with supplies, because no one can camp there. We can take empty bags with us and bring back more food items, along with any remaining weapons. Whatever we take means less for the other tributes, and more for us.”

Hoseok pretty much had the same idea, his own bag was only packed with a water bottle, knife, a few protein bars, and a lighter, leaving plenty of room for more supplies.

“Good, it’s settled then.” Yoongi spoke up, eager to see the two leave before his sister could try and force her way in to join them. “You two go get the supplies and try to find YN whilst the rest of us stay here and look after the camp. I’m going to try and use a spear for fishing, but you’re not getting shit unless you bring food back too”.

“Fair enough,” Namjoon agreed. Hoseok nodded once in acknowledgement.

“Let’s go.”

 ***

 Krystal cared too much, at least that’s what her brother had always told her growing up. They had been born into as wealthy a family as one could possibly be from within the districts. Their father worked for the Capitol as a peace keeper, and insisted they begin training as soon as possible, in the event their names were ever called for the games. But despite an authoritarian regime supporting father, and daily lessons on how to kill other children since the age that she could read, Krystal somehow still found herself caring about other people.

Growing up she questioned things – like why other people had to starve on the streets whilst she always had food to eat – that always lead to her father angrily yelling that it’s “just the way things are!”. Her father’s reaction had been enough to stop her from asking him again, but it hadn’t been enough to stop her from trying to help. She would sneak extra bread rolls out of the cupboard and into her lunchbox, so she could share with other children in her school that didn’t have any food to bring. The harsh world around her couldn’t beat the kindness out of her, it just caused her to hide it better.

Krystal’s gentle nature was exactly why Yoongi had volunteered when her name was drawn – to her dismay. Yoongi had similar thoughts on how awful the world was, but he lacked the optimism to see it as a place worth saving. He didn’t even see it as a place worth living in for himself. His sister was special, she could actually have a life worth living if she returned. Yoongi reasoned his life could have some purpose if it was used to keep someone like Krystal alive for longer. He had told her as much on their train ride into the Capitol.

They didn’t have a ‘plan’ besides aim for a career pack alliance, let Yoongi do all the killing, and find a way to make sure Krystal would be the one to leave at the end. But what little plan they did have was disrupted through the inclusion of you.

Because Krystal cared too much, she saw how terrified you were of another member from your alliance. So, she took you under her wing and tried to protect you from Hoseok as much as she could. Yoongi didn’t like it (“she’s going to have to die anyway, may as well let him be the one to kill her”), but she could tell that there was something more sinister to Hoseok’s actions than what appeared on the surface. She reasoned that if you did have to die in the arena, it shouldn’t be from an obsessed stalker.

Because Krystal cared too much, she imagined herself in your position being attacked from behind at the cornucopia and having to fight for your life. Seeing Hoseok’s violent torture with her own eyes, she couldn’t blame you for running into the forest – especially knowing how fixated he was on you.

Because Krystal cared too much, she waited until her brother was distracted with his spear fishing attempts – yelling out to him that she was going to use the ‘bathroom’ and would bring back some firewood – to sneak off into the forest, following the tracks that Namjoon and Hoseok had left.

Given she had to sneak off, Krystal didn’t have the luxury of packing a bag or making any real plan. All she had was the pocket knife that she had been able to slip inside her pocket. Her basic idea was just to use her tracking experience (from childhood training) to find Hoseok and Namjoon. From there she was mentally tossing up the options of; joining them as a group to look for you, following from behind and just watching to make sure that you were okay if they found you, or looking for any traces of you that appeared along the way to then split and try to find you first.

Taking off in the direction that Hoseok and Namjoon had left in, Krystal began the descent back down the steep land, towards the bottom of the waterfall. The trip upwards yesterday had been far worse, given the careers were all having to climb with supplies loaded on their backs. Going down was far easier, but came with its own challenge of being careful not to slip and be sent tumbling. Krystal was also facing a different issue of needing to be as quiet as possible. For now, she didn’t want Hoseok or Namjoon to know that she was tracking them, and she also didn’t want to risk being attacked on her own by any other tributes.

The fog from last night had left a dewy moisture on the land, which made for optimal tracking conditions. Once Krystal came across two sets of footprints in the muddy dirt, all she had to do was follow the path that had already been walked. Because she had to wait for Yoongi to go fishing before she could leave, Namjoon and Hoseok already had a solid twenty-minute head start. Judging from the length between each step, they were also moving rather quickly.

The descent into more even land took around thirty minutes. Judging from the lack of deviation in footprints or sounds of a canon, Namjoon and Hoseok hadn’t run into anyone yet. True to their words from earlier, the duo’s footsteps seemed to be heading in the direction of the cornucopia. The arena was large and based on her memories from yesterday the cornucopia was still another twenty minutes, or so, away. Whilst she was no longer on the side of a cliff, the part of the forest Krystal was in now, remained on a hill. Only now there weren’t gaps between the trees where she could see how much further downwards there was to go. Instead the treetops were all above her, making it difficult to navigate her direction given she couldn’t properly see the sun. At least she still had the foot prints to track.

Krystal really wished she had been able to pack a water bottle. The temperature had rapidly increased as the morning went on and the atmosphere in the forest was extremely humid, causing her to sweat from the physical work. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, Krystal let out an exhausted sigh as she continued to follow in the footsteps before her. She tried to place her foot inside the prints that were already there to avoid being tracked by anyone else, and also try to reduce any noise her steps would make.

Another fifteen minutes later and Krystal began to find herself getting frustrated. She should be close to the cornucopia by now, except there wasn’t any sight of water nearby and she couldn’t hear the sounds of the river either. This was making no sense, had Namjoon and Hoseok gotten lost? But Namjoon had been the one to guide them to the top yesterday and he had a clear sense of direction then. Maybe they had been side tracked? But by what? There were still no signs of any altercations. It was probable that one of them had seen you (or something of yours) and that was why they were still moving inland. But she found it strange that she hadn’t seen any signs of starting to catch up with them. She was expecting to have spotted them, or to be able to hear them by now, given it had been nearly an hour, but so far there was nothing. Just the same footsteps.

Krystal continued further on before a weight suddenly knocked into her side, causing her to stumble into the closest tree. Before she could even think to reach for her pocket knife, her body was spun around and her back slammed against the trunk. The force of the shove sent her neck swinging backwards, causing her head to painfully knock into the wood, leaving her momentarily stunned. A large palm covered her mouth to stop her from screaming, as a muscular forearm pinned her body in place, just below her shoulders, preventing her from being able to reach for her knife or try land a punch.

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a little follower.”

The panic Krystal felt eased slightly upon realizing Namjoon was the one to have caught her. She let out a sigh through her nose, preparing to tell him off for excessively throwing her against a tree, except Namjoon wasn’t releasing his grip over her mouth that would allow her to do so.

“Now what are you doing so far away from camp? Especially after your brother told you not to leave… unless he doesn’t know that you’re here.”

Hoseok’s familiar voice drawled as he stepped out from behind the trunk of another tree close by. There was something foreboding about his tone that she immediately didn’t like.

Flickering her eyes between the two, Krystal began to pick up on details of her surroundings she had otherwise been missing from focusing too much on the footprints. Certain trees with odd shaped branches looked strangely familiar, and finally the penny dropped that she had been walking in circles.

Krystal quickly realized that what little relief she had felt at being caught by her alliance members was very much misplaced. Her eyes widened in fear and she began to thrash against the bark, as Hoseok stepped closer whilst withdrawing a knife from his back pocket. But it was too late, with Namjoon’s elbow over her shoulders and his palm covering her mouth, there was no way for her to even scream before she felt the blade being plunged between her ribcage, straight into her heart.

Because Krystal cared too much, she was dead before her body could hit the ground.

 ***

 Character kills:

Day 1 – 8

Boy D3 (Unknown attacker, knife)

Boy D7 (Hoseok, knife – O.B.)

Boy D11 (Opening Bloodbath)

Boy D12 (Hoseok, arrow - O.B.)

Girl D3 (Namjoon, sword - O.B.)

Girl D9 (Hoseok, arrow - O.B.)

Girl D10 (Hoseok, arrow - O.B.)

Girl D12 (Opening Bloodbath)

Day 2 (so far) - 5

Boy D5 (Overnight conditions)

Boy D6 (YN, knife)

Krystal D1 (Hoseok/Namjoon, knife)

Girl D5 (Boy D6, broken neck)

Girl D11 (Overnight conditions)

Initially this chapter was planned to be combined with the next one, however, after hitting 4000 words and thinking about how much I want to include in the next part - I decided to split it.

#yandere #yandere bts #yandere hoseok #yandere bts fic #yandere jung hoseok #y!hoseok #bts x reader #dark bts #dark bts au #HUNGER GAMES AU #dark jhope #hoseok au #hoseok x reader #hoseok fic

[popculturebuffet]

Scottrospective: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together! or Days of Summer

Hello all you happy scottaholics! Welcome back to those of you who’ve read the rest of this retrospective and welcome to those of you just joining us. This is the Scottrospective, my look at all 6 volumes of Scott Pilgrim, the game and the movie. It’s all the video game refrenes, slice of life story telling and boob punches you can handle!

It’s been three months since I left off with “The Infinite Sadness” , and while I intended to cover this one for Valentine’s Day, my schedule got away from me and with March being full up, this ended taking till April

I”m not too put off by it though as the hiatus between these two reviews is fitting for this one both in story and out. In story there’s a couple month time skip between books, while out.. this book got delayed a few times.  

This is notable to me at least because this was the first volume of the series I bought when it came out. As i’ve brought up before I came into the series via the Free Comic Book Day Issue and the second and third volumes, picking one up later. I still have my original copies despite no longer really needing them thanks to having the color editions in general. Always will provided something dosne’t happen to them. So this was my first instalment that I got to read fresh and got to wait for and be hyped about and i’d saved enough money that I was able to pre-order it. So the experince of waiting and waiting for the book only to keep seeing it slide back is vivid in my mind as is the frustration I felt having the one thing I COULD NOT WAIT FOR, keep going further and further back. 

So with this long wait and the fact I bought this one when it came out, as I would for the next two which didn’t get delayed thank god, this volume naturally means a lot for me. When I wrote Scott Pilgrim fanfiction, this volume’s status quo is what I based it on. It was the coolest to me and the one I loved to reread the most. It has the most contained story, the most character growth at the time, and the best art due to Bryan’s style having finally hit it’s stride. Not that the art for volumes 1-3 is bad mind you, but it’s very clear his style was changing and shaping into what it is now with each one and while it’d change a bit more, this volume is where the style and quality everyone thinks of when they think of this series and the kind you see on various art done from it comes from. 

So as you can tell i’m excited for this one. Before we get started there WERE two shorter comics released between this one both for Free Comic Book day, the first of which, Free Scott Pilgrim, is the reason I got into the series and the second, the Wonderful World of Kim Pine .. was both delightful and sets up Kim moving in with Hollie for this volume. Originally I intended to cover these in this review.. but I realized they wouldn’t of helped the pacing and this review is going to be way longer than my standard as is.

So instead I came up with the compromise. I did review them.. but as bonus reviews on my patreon. For just one buck a month you can read them and help me reach my stretch goals which now include reviews of Lost at Sea, Seconds and SnotGirl, aka Bryan’s OTHER comics. You can find my patreon THROUGH THIS LINK HERE if your intrested in the exclusives or helping me reach my reviews. I also intend to do an exclusive of Monica Beetle, a short comic Bryan did starring Scott’s dad in the 70s at some point so keep your eyes peeled for that, as well as the three strips he did of Style, the comic that gave us the prototypes for Lisa and Kim. 

I will talk about their connections and setups for this volume briefly: FSP sets up the next ex as a ninja, with Roxy having a bunch of posters come to live and pummel our boy, while Wonderful World has Hollie tell Kim she can move in with her. It’s not much, hence why i made these exclusives but they are good stories, so check them out. And with that JOIN ME UNDER THE CUT, as we enter Scott’s world once more as he grapples with the past, employment, and saying the L-Word... which might be Lesbians. I don’t know. Find out bellow!

So we open Two Months after Volume 3 with a beach birthday party! Complete with Kim in a swim suit!

But it’s for Julie who lobs a volley ball at Scott’s head when he and Ramona try to make out. 

I also dont’ know if “Manfiesting out of all the world’s collectives sorrows” counts as a “birth” necessarily but whatever. I love a good beach story. It’s just a fun setitng for swimming, romance and battling a giant crab with the help of the bird what lives in your backpack.

So after the beach our heroes get dinner and Ramona sweetly calls Scott the nicest guy she’s ever dated. He responds with “That’s sad”. Blunt, but entirely accruate. Julie calls it pathetic and tries to counter Ramona RIGHTFULLY saying “who the hell asked you?” something that really should come after EVERYTHING Julie said with “Back off bitch i’ts my birthday”

So later that night Sex Bomb-Omb has a beach sing along, and I can’t help but notice Neil’s hairy legs. 

I mean yes it does make since for a 19 year old to have leg hair, but of all the characters besides Stephen, the ONLY other character we’ve seen it with to give it to, why the character you specifically single out as “Young” it’s just a weird choice I never noticed before. 

But anyways Julie has to whine about it because she’s Julie, she can’t stand other people being happy and complains the song...

One of my faviorite moments of the series. Knives puts a nicer spin on it, she’s here too and not over with Neil because, as we’ll find out later they broke up, but she just asks if Knives should be drinking. She shouldn’t but for fucks sake lady she was just trying to talk. I also do like that despite Julie trying to control Ramona’s love life, you know the thing the VILLIANS are doing, Ramona cannot stand her now.. and honestly probably never did. 

But Julie, SOMEHOW turns out to be right for once as Kim and Knives have disappeared later that night, and Scott elects to go look for them. Also Ramona says she wants to marry kim while drunk after Julie asks if she does. The throuple is strong with these three... serioulsy that’s my one true pairing for all three now. I mean it ballances out their collective flaws, it’s cute and Ramona is just as into her boyfriends ex as she is her actual boyfriend even when she’s not hamered. Why the fuck not?

Scott instead finds the two making out. I will confess I shipped these two when I was younger.. but I don’t. Not because their gay or anything or because I found another ship for them but because the age gap is still just as wide as it was for Scott. The game did not get this memo and made them a couple which is... ehhhhhhhhh. I mean I wouldn’t mind either being bi, but it just brings up the same problems even if their both hammered. I also question why this scene exists. No really outside of one face punchingly dickish comment from Scott later, this never comes up again and it doesn’t effect Kim’s or Knives character any. Why have this? it’s clearly not fanservice, it’s just a thing that happened. And while Scott Pilgrim as a series does have some of those, as does life and that’s fine.. this is a bit too major, i.e. Kim and Knives, two of the main cast, making out, drunkenly or not, to just.. gloss over you know? I feel Kim would feel majorly guilty for this, as she has the most active moral compass of the main group, and Knives would be massively confused but it’s just.. forgotten because I dunno. In a story that’s otherwise pretty stellar this stands out as an utter waste of potential. I’m not saying have them hook up, gay or not it’s still not better than what Scott did, but have them at least talk about it and have both grow or something from it. Sheesh. 

So we cut to.. another day. Maybe the next day I dunno but it’s August. Point is Scott and Wallace are grocery shopping and Wallace notes they can’t get fancy mayo as their barely in budget. I would’ve glossed over this scene... but @panur​ pointed out back around the Infinite Sadness review that this scene reveals something very intrestng: Scott.. is kind of a fincial burdern to Wallace. Before this while Scott mooched off him it wasn’t all that clear that Wallace was struggling. 

But here we notice that outside of some Havarti, it’s just the simplest stuff imaginable: turkey, bread, boxed mac and cheese ramen noodles... it’s nto BAD stuff, I have all of that in my house and it’s good stuff... but it’s not the kind of thing that you need to carefully budget for. Now granted part of this probably is Wallace as he likely spends a LOT on drinks, condoms and two 2 liters of diet soda a day.. but while he really needs to adress his alcohol issues, the rest is fair. He should be allowed to have as much sex and diet coke as he wants it’s his money. Same with the havarti. He earned it if he wants some really delcious cheese with herbs, seriously Havarati is the best, then that’s his bidness. But the rest of the time he’s barely managing to get  a basketfull of cheap food.. because he has to provide for Scott. It’s clearly something Scott dosen’t get and something I can relate to not getting. It took me a while to get how hard it is to budget for a full family, let alone two people on one income like Wallace has to. But Wallace is working on a nice job... but still a call center or something. He can’t pay for everything and the finccial stress is about to give as their landlord wants to meet with them. And as we’re about to learn things were even worse than we thought. 

Our heroes head home where we get a truly iconic conversation when, over margeritas (again proving my point that while Scott certainly isn’t HELPIGN wallace’s finacials, it’s not all on him)

This will be imporant later.. both the Lesbians part and Scott’s struggle saying it. he tried earlier on the beach but couldn’t get it out and Ramona clearly didn’t want to hear it as she kapt sshhhhing him.. playfully of course but still. 

So some time later it’s moving day! Kim is moving into Hollie and Josephs, and Scott, Stephen and Jason are helping. You might be wondeirng who the hell Jason is. He’s Kim’s boyfriend. I do not likes him. Not because he’s kim’s boyfriend, getting upset because a fictional character you fancy is dating is just patently stupid. I’ts like getting upset a celebrity crush is in a relationship: you had no chance anyway why. I wasn’t even bothered as a kid. I don’t really like him.. because he has no real personaliy and no real baring on the plot and I struggle to think why Bryan included him other than for a really annoying plot twist next time, which does not help my liking him knowing what’s coming. 

But while our heroes help our heroine move in, and Scott is suprised Hollie is there despite Kim having told him a minute ago she was moving in with her, something I can relate to sadly, we get something vitally plot important; Stephen passes Joseph’s room.. and notices he has a small recording setup in his room. Stephen quickly begs him to record the band’s album and Joseph agrees if only because he finds Stephen hot. Eh i’ve seen better relationships start on less, fair enough. And yes I said relationship more on that in a bit. 

So after a brief scene of Scott and Ramona having lunch where Scott fails to know her age and when Ramona says he could just ask.. hea sks and she dosen’t tell, not a bad scene character wise just not very plot important and probably should’ve bene swapped in order with the previous scene, we get to the next day. There’s a heat wave so Wallace orders Scott to go to the mall maybe find a job. He emphasises that. 

Instead Scott just sorta bums around thirst but nto having any money.. until an old face shows up. 

For those who forgot like Scott has, it’s Lisa Miller from the Volume 2 flashback, the girl who had a crush on Scott and was close friends with him and Kim. After a tackle hug  and some panic Scott eventually remembers.... if in a curiously unique and self serving way

At the time this was just hilarous. Now it’s very clear foreshadowing for the big twist in Volume 6. The two catch up while Scott is very clearly attracted to her but very clearly dosen’t want to be, with Lisa wondering where kim is, finding about Ramona, etc, before offering Scott lunch as the two catch up and Scott is very conflicted about how he feels. It’s nice visual stuff as he’s blushing, something more clear in the color version and trying to desperatley sort things out. As for why Lisa’s here she’s moving to the states soon, but is staying with her sister for now. 

So after an incdental scene with Wallace we catch up with Knives, who has broken up with Neil. And after some talk about Clash at the Demonhead, Tamra notes Knives apparently put a big x on her shrine of Scott... which baffles Knifves as she sure as hell didn’t do it and is still, sadly, obessed with Scott as ever. Granted Tamra isn’t at all helpful here claiming she did it even when she says she didn’t, is clearly confused and while yes we don’t know who else would care Tams, that just makes it all the more creepy. Stop gaslighting your bestie, she’s already got enoguh issues. She dosen’t need thinking she might have a split personality on top of the stalking, obession over a guy who has no intrest in loving her back, and attempted stabbings. Knives dosesn’t get a ton of focus in this one sadly. She kind of takes a back seat, and while sh’es not GONE from the volumle and someone close to her does impact it, she dosen’t really have any personal progression, negative or positive, like she does in every other volume, a shame since her personal jouney is one of the most intresting of the main cast. 

Anyways that night Scott hangs out with Lisa, having not gotten around to telling Ramona she exists yet and plays a game of find the Kim Pine. She goes to Neil’ and Stephen’s place for practice, but finds no one there and Neil being a dick... get used to that it’s going to get about 80 times worse soon enough. Though we do get this classic panel i’ve gotten some use out of 

He goes to Kim’s place, but she , Hollie and Satan’s Misterss have all left to Sneaky Dee’s, the local mexican place, for something to eat and Stephen is either high or doing.. something with Joseph. 

Yeah i’m not hiding that Stephen turns out to be gay in the final volume or cheating on Bitch and a Half with Joseph. And even if I hate Julie with the power of a frozen sun, I still dont’ think cheating on her is kosher. He could’ve just broken up with her and while part of it was likely confusion, and he could also be bi and not decided which one he wanted to be with, it’s still a dick move.. and later makes him a hypocrite but that’s a rant for next volume. 

So our heroes FINALLY find Kim, along with Hollie and Mouthface. And a nice thing I like is that Kim and Lisa are just.. increidbly close, happily catching up and making plans to hang before Lisa leaves, that despite Lisa having feelings for Scott the two ended up as close and She and Scott did and i’ts sweet to see. it’s also just.. rare to see Kim GENUINELY happy. I mean look at her

It’s not like she HASN’T smiled across the series but normally she’s just so miserable, likely because her best friends are a grumbly asshole who forces them to hang out with a raging typhoon of bitchiness, and an insenitive asshat who she never got closure with. This is the first decent human being whose not Ramona or Hollie, and that last one’s not going to last, in a while. It’s genuinely sweet to just see her.. enjoy the moment for once, honestly engaged with someone. Ramona shows up and finally meets Lisa, who apparently was on Degrassi.. I mean she says candaian show no one ever watched, and I watched that plenty but i’d like to think she was on there for a season or two. I liked Degrassi.. I honeslty miss it and think it could use some form of revivial and think porting it to netflix was a smart decision.. what wasn’t so smart was not having the other seasons leading into it on there. Need to watch more of it. 

So the next day Ramona stumbles into Scott’s dreams and both are annoyed, with Ramona suggesting he get a job. This finally gets him to try. He asks about Wallace’s work but understandably, he dosen’t really want scott there and asks if he even knows. So Scott sets out to ask his other friends for jobs, while Knives shows up saying she’s “totally not stalking him” but someone is following HER, a mysterious spiky haired dude in a black leather jacket, shades and with a sword on his back. Whu-oh. 

He tries Second Cup, with Julie annoyed that Stephen’s recording.. it’s hard to tell if she’s annoyed because she’s a bitch or because Stephen is both gneuinely annoying right now and clearly screwing around behind her back. My take?

But Scott realizes maybe getting a job at his Sister’s place of work who also works with his arch enemy might be stupid and backs out. He next tries Kim’s, but backs out of that too, admitting to kim it’d be stupid and Kim lists off all the reasons (His lack of resume, the fact them working together would be stresful and his ountain of late fees) why that’d be stupid, but in a jovial way. For once i’ts clear that while she’s still taking the piss out of them she isn’t mad at Scott.

In fact she genuinely helps him get a job, taking him to Stephen’s work since hers is dead right now anyway, a vegan place.  While Scott naturally compares things to a job system as he’d start as dishwasher while Stephen taught him prep, Scott agrees to genuinely take this seriously and Stephen’s boss decides “eh why not” when he asks her to employ him. Scott is gainfully employed baby! God I miss that. Seriously i’m not pimping my patreon for shits and giggles. 

But as he celebrates and Kim wishes she could punch his life in the face, they run into some trouble on the way home: Katana man who slices a motherfucking bus in half and chases them, with Scott reluctnat to fight because he has a sword and Scott does not, which is valid. He does escape though using subspace. He and Kim part awkardly and he returns home to Wallace throwing a party with two intresting charcters, a woman and a man of color, one of the few in the entire work, who are never seen again. 

The next night is practice.. or rather recording, and we start to see Neil get edged out, with him unable to come due to exams and clearly not happy about it, and Stephen just kind of ignoring anything he cares about like the dickhead he is. It dosen’t get any better as “recording” ends up just being Scott, Ramona, and Ratfaced Knacker watching bored with Joseph and Stephen work. Eventaully Scott and Ramona decide to get out of there as things are getting tensed between thing one and thing bitch, and leave.. and take Julie with them for some reason. 

So the three have dinner with Lisa, Kim, and Jason before The Mummies Curse thankfully leaves. Jason thought they were friends. 

We also get this exchange. 

I mean.. she is the better option. She his THE option. But before we can get the obvious answer of 

Stephen comes in with Knives. He smuggled her in. This leads to problems when Scott returns from the bathroom to find Queen Bitch throwing a bitch fit about him having brought her and screechs at her when she dares to talk to him “How do you even know my name?” Well Ted Cruz, you see when someone is an actually thoughtful and likes other people, they keep track of things about them and don’t constnatly tear them down or assume their partneer is automatically bonking a 17 year old instead of you know, actually forming something of a friendship and not shutting her out sensing she needs this friend group. Some people are not vacous piles of vitriol who care about nothing but themself and seem to go off at the slightest thing. 

Scott takes Ramona home but finds a drunken barely awake wallace so no sexy times. Not that he could anyway as the next day is the meeting with Peter their landlord. 

Peter reveals they’ll have to clear out by the 27th as their lease was for one year and their paid up.. as in only the first and last month. The two part melacholy knowing this sucks and isn’t a great situation. Then it’s time for Scott to work work, angelica, work work, eliza and peggy. After grueling day, can relate, he runs into  a wisp on teh wend and steels himself for a fight.. okay he bitches about it being too hot but it’s Scott. so it’s expected. He does get a hit in on his mysterious persuer.. and that’s when we meet Roxy.

Via boob punch, something Scott’s not proud of but in his defense, as Roxy keeps complaning about it, he was blindly struggling for a hit and din’t know the next Ex, or any of them, were female.. not that Ramona didn’t suggest it loudly enough by empahsising “exes” but scott’s a bit of a fuckwit. She mentions “everyone allways remmebers you”.. which is kind of ominus and tells me she tried to hook back up with ramona despite her having a boyfriend and she rejected her. Still on good terms though. But this confusing encounter ends with Roxy vowing she’ll get him next time gadget, next time. 

So we get some assorted slice of life scenes with the band, lisa and what have you as Scott tries to get in touch with Ramona but she keeps avoiding him. THat’s not worrysome at all. And Lisa brings up high school while drunk and clearly hits on Scott. He sidesteps it with her drunkness.. but this clearly isn’t over or going to stop being a problem. 

Speaking of problems Wallace makes Scott confront the truth: He either needs to find a new place to live or commit to staying, though Wallace is trying to nudge him toward asking Ramona to move into her place. Scott starts thinking it over, it being very hard especially since, as Stephen points out this was his very first place of his own.. but Stephen also points out these things are temoporary.. right before Scott ducks from katana guy. 

At work Scott wonders who it could be, though it turns out Stephen’s met him before, as he’s brought his family in here. So he’s PROBABLY not one of the exes.. but it leaves the question why he wants to cut Scott in half like Dewey Cox’s brother. But it turns out he’s nto the only enemy Scott’s casually running into as Roxy is there too.. with Ramona. 

The two talk, clearly about Scott and Lisa with Roxy trying to convince her he’s cheating and Ramona rightfully trusting Scott: while he IS attracted to her, he’s been fighting it every step of the way. Scott storms over to find out what’s going on and while Ramona is more distracted by his new job, she eventually realizes Roxy did attack him and he simply dscribed her poorly when he mentioned the incident over the phone. Scott is confused as he dosen’t get it. Is she with one of the exes what? After some hiinting from both parties, and Roxy rightfully mocking him for not getting the obvious... he finallyg ets it in the grandest way possible. 

So Roxy gets ready to fight and Scott can’t because sword, and gets fired in the background as he hides in Ramona’s bag and Ramona prepares to step in. Roxy screams at her for trusting him and defending him when Ramona.. just dosen’t her boyfriend to be bisected by her ex. A fight insues and a damn cool one at that. I honestly wish the movie had taken more from this, but simply didn’t have time leading it to instead be more like the envy fight with a bit of the Winfried Hailey fight from Free Scott Pilgrim. 

Roxy chases her and Ramona rightly points out Scott can’t run forever but takes him into Subspace.. where Roxy heads them off, having “taught you everything you know bitch” leading to a cool fight in the wintery version of subspace. Again why THIS wasn’t used instead I have no real idea. We also find out she’s a half ninja but she eventually leaves afer Ramona presses that button.. but Rammy is actually apologetic about it and Roxy’s “I hope you and your 24 children are happy together comment” is telling. 

Upon this readthrough of the volume.. I realized Roxy is the most layered and intresting of the exes next to Gideon himself. None of them are out and out terrible, but most of them have pretty simple motives: to kill Scott, ???, profit. Or in Todd’s case to kill scott, bang around and be a dick. But Roxy.. genuinely wants Ramona back. She’s the ONLY one who does: Gideon kinda does, but only in the sense that he wants her for his collection. But Roxy geninely still loves her, admitting so during this fight. And it’s not like she has no chance: out of the 7 exes she’s the ONLY one who parted with Ramona on anything resembling good terms. While intrestingly we don’t find out WHY they broke up, Ramona didn’t cheat on her like she did everyone else she was with. The two have coffee and hang out and Ramona geninely dosen’t even consider until Roxy tries to attack Scott that she’d really try killing him and tries her best to talk her out of it. But what holds Roxy back is her anger: She’s so bitter about the fact Ramona is bi or pan, so dedicated to viewing Ramona’s very orintation as a betryal (though Ramona calling it a phase dosen’t help and the movie RIGHTLY has Roxie comment on it and fly into a rage over it), and so driven to make sure the woman she loves dosen’t get hurt again that it blinds her to the fact Ramona dosen’t love her the same way anymore, and that while Scott is objectively a dick, and a cheater, and a greasy buttcrack pooflap, he is not a terrible person. A meh one sure, but he’s got good to him. She’s so biophobic she simply can’t see he’s a harmless moron.. well harmless to Ramona even with the cheating. He’s killed two people at this point and will kill again. Also she apparently has issues with only being a half ninja but this is never adressed. Point is Roxy’s really grown on me and is now probably my faviorite ex.  

Scott and Ramona talk it over on their way to Sneaky Dees and Scott finally asks to move in and gets a yes. His response is downright adorable. 

So at Sneaky Dee’s Young Neil is just a bit absolutely irate with Scott.. which isn’t fair as them not playing things is entirely on the blocky face asshole. Yell at him.. which he does, pointing out that they haven’t played shows in forever, and that the lady who owns Sneaky Dees not only runs shows, in the upstairs space, but has been asking them to play. Kim is rightly curious about this and to both Stephen just keeps saying “We’re recording right now.” And some of you may of wondered why I hate him. Well while he’s not exctly stellar in the first half in the second Stephen becomes goddman insufferable, slowly destroying the band for his affair and not giving one iota of a shit what anyone else wants. He’s a selfish, egomanical cheating prick. And yes I get it their recording an album.. but doing live shows would give them extra practice, MONEY, even if likely not a lot and exposure for said album. I get professoinal bands stop touring for a bit to do an album but you are not a professional band, and said bands still often iron out the album on the road. God you suck.

But while Scott sidesteps this argument he walks into another where Ramona confronts him about lisa about liking her.. and he rightly says if there was anything, which there was not it’s in the past. And while yes he is a cheater, she does not know this yet. This plot honestly would’ve worked better if she learned about the knives thing sooner, but instead she just comes off as paranoid for listening to Roxy about something that isn’t happening. Yes Scott’s been shown to be attracted to her.. but he’s been ashamed of it, fighting it and in denial about it, and is clealry all in with Ramona. Being attracted to someone else on a phsyical level does NOT mean your relationship is doomed. 

Things get worse as he goes home to ruminate.. and instead sees a man’s Penis. And Wallace..is at his second most unsymapthetic, not letting Scott get a shirt or a bus pass or something like a decent human being for no goddamn reason. Usually when Wallace is a dick to Scott, Scott’s earned it and badly needs a slap in the face. Here he’s just being a prick because.. the plot needs him to? I dunno it dosen’t work for me. It’s in character, I just don’t have to like it. 

So with no other options.. Scott ends up at Lisa’s. And so we get the last temptation of Scott. Lisa admits, embarassed that she’s been wearing sexy dresses and what not specifically to attract him, with Scott also mentioning how things are rough, Lisa tries to fight it herself pointing out he’s with ramona.. and when Scott points out they didn’t do anything in the past Lisa points out they should’ve.. and maybe they should now. 

We fade to black as Scott ends up in a dream and finds Roxy, who naturally has the same skill and tries to Freddy Kruger him before he wakes. He finds Lisa but they didn’t do anything: Scott pushed her away and babbled about how much he loved Ramona instead. As i’ve said.... his heart was never with LIsa... and even when he was so close to giving in he couldn’t. It’s a tangible sign of growth: He screwed around on Knives with Ramona, and given how bad things were getting with Ramona, it would be oh so easy to once again ditch a relationship the minute he found something else and oh so understandable. But... he dosen’t. He loves Ramona even if he hasn’t said it, he wants to make this work, and he’s changed. She’s changed him. He’s not quite a good man yet.. bu he’s getting to be good enough. Love turned him from a skeezy dumbass into a far more loveable dumbass. Ramona’s gotten him to stop dating a teenager (even if again he cheated), face his past with envy to finally move on and now get a job. He’s realized just hwo much she means to his life and world and so he goes to tell her. 

Riggghtttt after going to get his job back and works a shift, with steven wanting to punch his life in the balls. Stephen shut the fuck up. Just because Scott is lucky and your stuck dating satan’s scrotum does not mean you get to punch his life int he balls. Kim does, because he’s put her through more shit but not you. 

He goes to second cup to talk to Stacey.. only to end up at the wrong one where Knives also now has a job... and we finally get an answer to who the mystery katana guy is...

Yup turns out wielding giant weapons in vengance runs in the family. As for how he knows about Scott her aunt mentioned her boyfriend, everyone freaked out and obviously while her mom was mentioned as knowing in volume 1, they did not tell her dad whose brain turned into an engine of vengance and defaced the shrine. While part of it is apparnetly racisim for Scott being white the fact is he clearly saw Scott’s photograph. The guy is 5 years older. I get him being protective. Still dosen’t justify cutting off his head. His balls maybe but not his head. 

And then Scott ran, once agian finding a subspace entracne.. and this time we see inside ramona’s head and well...

Yeah.. that’s.. kind of fucked, and Ramona isn’t happy scott saw that, though she backs down once Scott explains..a nd then gets upset over him staying at Lisa’s but before SCott can tell her he loves her it turns out Roxy stayed over. So yeah, Ramona might of cheated, she tells him to alk it off and he runs around in a psycadelic haze of emtoinal confusion. And meets.. someone new...

Scott snaps out of his funk and ignores his doppleganger heading back for Ramona... whose fighting Mr. Chau. Scott left the door to Ramona’s head open and he followed him through Subspace. Scott lures him into the house and away from her only to run into Roxy. This leads to both of his attackers fighting and her wondering if Gideons ent him “Why does no one ever belivie in me?!” 

She soon realize no i’ts just unrelated and calls Scotto ut on hiding behind not having a sword and behind her being a woman, caling it a flimsy excuse. I mean she’s tring to kil lhim. It’s okay to hit an enemy combatant. Scott realizes he has to stop running... and get real with ramona leading to a truly epic, romantic and heartfelt speech and given how far he’s come and just how heartfelt it is it’s a real sign of how deep he feels. Sure we’ve seen genuine chemstiry between the two.. but htis moment is a shit.. from a simple relationship.. into true love. 

I may of only had a few but Relationships are not easy, They take work, they take time, they take patience and theyt ake love.. but if your willing to work with someone, look past some flaws and help them with the rest.. then it’s worth it. And Scott has finally realized it and for the first time in a while is running TOWARDS something difficult, actually working on this relationship and talking with his partner instead of running finding someone else or wallowing. He’s truly grown up. While he still has miles to go.. he’s taken about 50 steps forward with this. And as such given the kind of unvierse we’re in, as Ramona is genuinely touched by it he levels up a glowing sword with a heart shaped hilt coming out of his chest.. and realizing what’s happening he pulls it out....

So Scott faces off with roxy and in an awesomly short battle, their sords clash.. and he bisects her. 

Scott then honestly talks down Mr Chau who leaves after a nod, and Ramona tells Scott she loves him two. The two make out and all is well.

One make out fades into another, as we cut to Scott moving in with Kim and Blockhead’s help. Well kinda they only had one box but they owed him one. He and wallace comiserate over the end of their time as roomies. They’ll always be friend but it’s truly the end of an era. Also Wallace gets off another bit of dickery as he’’s very glad it all worked out for scott...

 Now there’s the Wallace I know and love. Dickish but just the right loveable kind of douchebag with that swagger. 

Back at Knives house she’s apparenlty into somebody though who I have no idea, Mr Chau give sher his blessing and she.. apparenlty doesen’t know chinese. I dunno. As I said her subplot this go round was her weakest overall. 

And so we end with the whole gang gathered to see Lisa off. It’s a REALLY nice shot, and one of the only times Wallace is seen with the Sex Bomb omb side of the group. Oh sure he goes to their shows and what not, but generally their never in the same vincinity so while there’s no interaction I still find this neat. Seriously the whole main cast is there, it’s a really lovely shot

Also Jason and Hollie.. who are getting awfully chummy. Whu Oh. And of course Craphole and Mouth Face are as likeable as ever. 

So we jsut get a genuinely nice sene. Except Stephen and Julie reconciling. Fuck that. Please move on. And as everyone fondly wishes Lisa adeu and wish she stuck arond the res tof the series we end on Scott and Ramona snuggling, Scott asking her her birthday and finding out she’s 24, and they both will be come september. Scott wishes this moment could last. 

They probperly snuggle as the volume ends on a high. 

Final Thoughts:

Yeah.. Gets it Together is, on rexamination, DEFINTELY my faviorite of the 6. Besides personal value i’ts hte best contained story, contaning lots of character development, great character moments, jokes, and EASILY the best art so far, with goregouness and creativty abounding. 

There is a problem here or there: Stephen and Julie’s subplot feels underbaked, and not just because I hates them, and there are several scenes that don’t further plot or character stuff. Ther’es also stuff that could’ve been expanded on.. but given this is still a pretty meaty graphic novel, it’s understandable why it wasn’t.. though it is why I’d love a streaming series since while the movie is excellent, a full series could expand on stuff from the books more Brian simply didn’t have time for. Knives also didn’t get a lot to do. 

But their drowned out by tons of great decisions: Lisa was a wonderful additoin to the cast and I genuinely wish she’d stuck around, adding in some energy, blending well with the Sex Bomb Omb crowd, and having great dynamics with everyone and her arc with Scott is heartbreaking,knowing she can’t have him but wanting him anyway having never gottne proper closure on the man she’s always wanted. She’s a heartbreaking character and its nice to see her end in a decent place and on good terms with Scott, having let him go for both thier sakes. 

And while Lisa is a highlight everyone is on their a game here for the most part apart from knives, girl hitler, and captain dumbass: Scott grows signfigantly but is funny as hell, Wallace has an intresting arc trying to nudge Scott out without being overt about it, scared to really confront him, Kim is in a happy and serene place for once and it shows. The villians are also intresting: While Mr Chau is a tad underbaked, he’s sitll a cool imposing presence. I do think he shoudl’ve had more to do with the plot.. but is still just so freaking cool it papers over that and him just.. disappearing after this like poor Lisa. 

Roxy is far more intresting, having clearly more going on than we see and while I wish we’d got her backstory, she’s easily the most engaging of the exes, being the only one to actively compete with Scott (All her and ramona end up doing is making out a little it turned out), and have bigger stakes than just “The glasses wearing douche asked me to beat up my exes boyfriend and I was like alright. 

All in all Gets it Together is really magical, the series high point, and just damn fun and it was a pleasure to go through

Next Month on Scott Pilgrim: It all falls down as we take a look into what once was my least faviorite Album, vs the unvierse. Two perfect assholes try and murder scott with Robutts, his relationship and band crumble and things get sad so very very sad. 

Next on this blog: More LIlo and Stitch! The Proud Family come to Kauai and get into a fight with our heroes. Also wizard kelly... who if nothing else is now far more tolerable now i’ve had to spend another volume with the wicked bitch of the west. Touche universe touche. See you at the next rainbow. 

#scott pilgrim #ramona flowers #wallace wells #roxanne richter #knives chau #stephen stills #julie power #mr chau #stacey pilgrim #neil nordgraf #young neil #comics #oni press #scotrospective #lisa miller #kim pine #jospeh

[rosequartzwriting]

Christmas at Stark Cottage

Pairing: Doctor Strange X Reader (gender neutral)

Description: You and Stephen spend the first Christmas after the snap with Pepper, Morgan, Peter, May, Happy, and Rhodey. Even though you all miss Tony, he brought you all together. 

Warnings: Might be emotional (has prompted tears from a few readers)

Word Count: 2.2k

A/N: Originally posted to Qutoev for Christmas 2019 / Grammar updated

Part of my Dec 2020 Holiday One Shot Schedule/Master List

Masterlist | Fic Reading Recs | Ao3 | Quotev | Coffee

The Stark cottage was covered in a fresh blanket of snow, the cold wind and fluffy snowflakes blowing by as you and Stephen stepped through the portal and began to walk up to the porch and front door. The beautiful area dashed in white and the house decorated with bright lights and wreaths gave you the impression that this Christmas day would be an amazing one.

You kicked the snow off your boots and shook out your hair of snowflakes, Stephen following your actions as you both got under the dryness of the front porch. It was not snowing this much in the city so you did not expect to be bombarded with snowflakes. You reached forwards to knock on the door with your free hand, the other holding a plate stacked with your famous sugar cookies that were a hit every year. Stepping back to stand beside Stephen, you looked up at him and smiled. The happiness on your face made him crack a warm smile of his own.

This was the first Christmas since the blip, since Thanos was taken down and everyone that flew away as ash had returned. To Stephen, it was just another Christmas, but he knew you had a few without him and that brought a little sadness to his heart. You had told him that during those years you would spend Christmas day with the Stark family, making festive memories and teaching Morgan how to make your cookies. By the way you told the stories he knew you loved it, but deep down he could tell that with him gone it was missing something.

This morning he made sure to make you pleased, to make up for all those missed years without him. Christmas morning was just perfect. Just the two of you waking up in the Sanctum without a worry, exchanging the gifts you got each other and sharing a beautiful morning. You couldn't ask for a better Christmas, but it was just getting started.

Again you were invited for Christmas dinner with the Starks, a few more people attending alongside you this year. You brought along all the gifts you got everyone and were just waiting to step out of the cold and into the warmth of friends.

The door swung open, Pepper instantly greeting you with a big grin and a hug. She let you both in out of the freezing cold. The smell from the kitchen hit you, hinting to you the amazing meal Pepper always made every year. You saw that Happy, Rhodey, and May were already here and lounging in the living room, soon the house was full of greetings and wishing each other Merry Christmas. Pepper took your plate of cookies, allowing you to take off your coat and boots. She admired how beautifully decorated they were. Then you could hear sets of footsteps running their way down the hallway followed by excited giggles.

"Uncle Stephen!" Morgan ran up to him and jumped on him before he got the chance to do anything else and gave him a big hug. He was occupied with carrying the bags of gifts you two had brought, so he put them down so he could kneel down to her height and hug her back.

While you smiled at the two, someone dashed up to you and hugged you as well. It was Peter who gave a cheery "Merry Christmas, (Y/N)!" as he threw his arms around you. You hugged him back, glad Pepper was now holding your plate of cookies. He might have knocked them right out of your hand.

"Whoa cool necklace!" Peter pointed to the pendant that was around your neck, instantly recognizing what it was. It was your present from Stephen, he had got a necklace made to look like the Eye of Agamotto, a golden eye with a little shining emerald in its centre.

"Thanks," You smiled, kissing the sweet boy on the cheek, "It's my gift from Stephen."

Peter then held up his fist towards Stephen, enthusiastically asking for a fist bump with a dumb grin on his face. Stephen playfully rolled his eyes and accepted before the teenager surprised him with a hug.

You looked down saw the little girl looking up at you with excited eyes. "Come here you!" Morgan leaped up onto you in a hug as you laughed and spun her around. Her adorable giggle made you want to keep squeezing her in hugs, but you put her down so she would not get dizzy. "Merry Christmas honey."

She looked like she was about to say something to you but she caught sight of the thing her mother was holding. "Cookies!" Morgan cheered at the sight of the plate you brought.

But Pepper held them up above her so she could not reach, "No, not till later." Morgan pouted.

"Can I help with anything, Pepper?" You asked, helping Stephen to put your bags of gifts under the brightly coloured tree.

"I could use a little help with bringing the snacks and appetizers out, thank you (Y/N)."

"Does that involve (Y/N)'s cookies?"

"No Morgan."

~~~

"So I take the tank, fly it right up to the general's palace, drop it at his feet. I'm like 'Boom! You looking for this?'"

Stephen just looked at Rhodey. He then realized it was supposed to be funny, but it was not. Rhodey looked disappointed that he did not laugh, but Happy was laughing at Stephen's blank expression.

"Why does that story never hit anymore?" Rhodey mumbled into his glass as he took another drink.

"Well, how you became War Machine does sound like an adventure." Stephen tried to clear up the slight awkwardness as he smiled.

"He tells that one all the time." Happy said, "That line used to be funny-"

"Hey!"

Happy continued, "but it's gotten old."

"Okay Happy, that's enough." Rhodey tried to change the subject.

As if in answer to his prayers, it did as Peter and Morgan entered the living space, wearing their winter coasts and covered in scarves, hats, and mittens. Morgan was clearly missing one of her fuzzy socks and she was skittering around the room, looking on the rug and between the armchairs to find it.

"What are you two up to?" Stephen asked, giving Peter a look of curiosity.

"We're gonna go outside!" Peter replied, giving a smile like a six-year-old trapped in a teenager's body.

"I can't find my fuzzy sock!" Just then she found it by the Christmas tree and quickly put it on. "Found it! Okay, I'm ready!"

"But it's starting to turn into a blizzard out there." Happy pointed out.

"Well, we wanted to have a snowball fight," Peter whined.

"Snowball fight?" Rhodey asked, sounding intrigued. "Count me in!"

"Yay!" Morgan shouted.

Happy looked at the face Peter was giving him. Like the boy was trying to convince him to come too. He gave in. "Alright me too I guess."

"Stephen, come on you too." Rhodey encouraged.

The little girl hopped over to him, pulling at his sleeve. "Come on, uncle Stephen. Come play with us." He saw the excitement in her eyes, also the fact that her coat was a little too big for her body made her too cute to say no to.

Stephen looked at the bottom of his glass before shrugging and downing it in one swig. "Okay, wait for me."

Morgan and Peter cheered in content. The group all got on their winter gear and slipped outside into the cold snowfall for some fun.

~~~

You entered the living room to find it empty, swearing to yourself that you heard voices just a minute ago. There were half-empty glasses of drinks and eaten snack platters on the coffee table, signs of people but no one was there. You laughed a little but also wondering where everyone had gone so fast. Placing down a plate of finger sandwiches you were asked to put out, you straightened out a little of the messiness that had occurred since you last were out here.

Pepper and May were in the kitchen, starting to plate dishes and clean up with your help as dinner was going to be ready to serve soon. As you organized the coffee table, you noticed the roaring fire in the fireplace. The brightness called to you, you had to go and warm your hands near it afterwards. But while doing so something caught your attention.

There were a few framed pictures on the mantelpiece that instantly caught your eye. The first one was of Peter giving Morgan a piggyback ride, the smiles on their faces making it all the more wholesome. The next was one you took yourself and sent to Pepper. One of a candid picture of Morgan, Peter, and Stephen when you all went to an amusement park together, the carnival lights lighting up their laughter filled faces after Peter had dropped his ice cream cone down the front of his shirt. You were surprised she framed it, which made you feel really good.

The last one pulled a certain string in your heart. It was a picture that was taken a while ago. Near the beginning of those long five years of darkness. But this picture told you that it was not all darkness in those times. In it was a tiny Morgan, Pepper, you, and Tony having a picnic beside the lake. The memory of that day, the memory of Tony that day, came rushing back to you. You remembered Happy had taken that picture, right before Tony dragged him out to the lake to test out a little boat. Neither of them knew how to use a paddle as someone else was trying to do the same and ended up crashing the boat. You and Pepper laughed so hard when those two came back soaking wet in lake water, tiny Morgan just giggling as she did not know what was happening.

You huffed out a laugh at the memory as you looked at the picture. Then you thought about what it would be like if Tony were here now. Making everyone laugh and cracking remarks in between eating the snacks that were out. Constantly trying to get on Stephen's nerves on purpose. He would see how much Morgan has grown and just how much she has become like him.

You wondered if he was seeing you all now. His family, not just by blood but everyone in this house tonight, is still stuck together even without its glue.

The idea made your cheek twitch. You missed him so much. At that moment you realized that even with this being the first Christmas having Stephen back, it was also the first with having Tony gone. You told yourself you would not get sad about it as you returned to the kitchen.

"Everyone is just gone." You said, capturing the attention of the two others in the room.

"What?" Pepper exclaimed, looking up from spooning finished roasted carrots onto a dish.

"Yeah. I just heard talking in the living room a few minutes ago. Now it's empty."

"That's weird. I'm sure they haven't gone too far."

"Found them." May was leaning over the counter and looking out the window, a smile on her face. Pepper joined her, letting out a chuckle at what she was seeing.

You moved in between Pepper and May to glance out the window, and sure enough, there was a sight that made you smile widely. Outside in the backyard in the fresh and perfect snow, everyone was in the middle of an intense snowball fight. Snowballs were flying everywhere and the sounds of their faint laughter obstructed by the windows. The group did not seem to be bothered by the freezing cold or the continuous snowflakes that were becoming so large that were falling from the sky.

Stephen was cheating. He was using his magic to quickly form snowballs to help his teammate, Peter, attack the other team of Happy, Rhodey, and Morgan. You noticed how unfair it was that Stephen and Peter had the advantage of both of them having powers of some kind. But everyone looked like they were having fun regardless of the disadvantage some had. The smiles on their faces and their snow-covered winter clothes and their blushing cheeks from the cold made your heart warm.

Seeing them together, having all of you together, was something you would not trade anything for. To have this family together after so many years of being apart. And you had one person to thank for that. Sadly he was not here, but you knew in spirit he was.

Dinner was so close to being ready and the sun was getting low towards the horizon. You decided to call everyone in to warm up. They all came in, covered in snow and trembling from the cold. You, Pepper, and May helped the group shake the snow off their coats. Just to mess with you, Stephen grabbed your bare forearms and kissed you on the cheek; hands and lips freezing cold which caused you to jump back. He chuckled and threatened to do it again but you hopped out of his reach just in time. May started up a kettle to make hot chocolate for the snowball fight participants while you and Pepper worked on the finishing touches on a few dishes.

The whole family was in the kitchen, laughing and having a beautiful Christmas. The Stark family.

#doctor strange #doctor strange x reader #doctor strange fanfic #doctor strange fanfiction #stephen strange x reader #Stephen Strange #stephen strange x you #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #peter parker #morgan stark #pepper potts #marvel #happy hogan #rhodey #reader insert fanfiction #reader insert #marvel reader insert #tony stark #gender neutral reader #gender neutral imagine #gender neutral

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 34

💖 first time reader click here 💖

A little bit of plot, but mostly ironstrange x reader filthy porn. Bukkake stuff. Stephen finally opening up a lil bit, I mean... I've slept through a 1/3 of a hospital and lemme tell you, doctors are kinky bastards. On the same note, there's definitely going to be a chapter where all three men are involved after the plot shit is resolved.

There was something big brewing. I had a hunch... which was more like a strong sense of doom... hanging over me and the rest of the world. Peter also had noticed the sudden spike in anxiety, quoting the sudden disappearance of many low-tier mutants from the streets. Usually, Peter dealt with at least a few enhanced enemies during his patrols but the closer it got to Christmas, the less enhanced bothered with small-time crimes, the more intense the buzzing of his Spidey sense became.

Now that my immediate lack of income wasn't a problem anymore, I set business onto that damn mercenary. I was no spy, I was no SHIELD operative but... I could be very clever.

First things first, I had to make sure I would stay alive no matter what. A subdermal tracker was a good guarantee of security and I spent many hours making one - having to keep it a secret was incredibly hard, I hated lying to my loves and I hated avoiding Wanda even more - I was constantly on the edge around the telepath, hyperfocused on keeping up the pretense of normalcy.

I wouldn't be me if I couldn't successfully pull off a whole ass façade. Unfortunately, the continued failures of the people searching left and right for the mercenary only fueled my strength for the inevitable fuck-fest that I would have to create in order to make sure my people get the peace they fucking deserve. The web of lies grew in size every damn day.

Subdermal tracker, an implant that reports directly to Friday upon activation. It hurt like a bitch - I had cut myself open, an inch wide gash on the inside of my forearm - and put it in without any anesthesia in my own bathroom, not even thinking twice before making up a lie that I had been careless in the lab and hurt myself.

An antidote to common tranquilizers, creating it gave me a headache the size of Moscow but I'd been successful; Tony assembled the whole team when he found it out, offering me a ridiculous amount of money for the formula. It was weird. SHIELD was interested, too, and I had to witness Tony and Coulson argue. Apparently, the agency wanted to recruit me and Tony was adamantly against it, totally forgetting the promise Natasha had given me. In the end, the spy and Coulson shared a quiet conversation and the man left, respectfully complimenting my skills.

I sold the formula to Stark Industries, unable to get rid of the weirdness of the situation. I had to shake hands with my own boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend... In a business setting. What. Just what. Bucky and Stephen couldn't stop laughing at the face I made all throughout that day - and Clint even went as far as to bake me a gag cake, a cartooney handshake drawn in frosting on top of it. I hit him with a spatula, Loki smiled in his direction for the first time in, like, ever. It was a trip and Tony had way too much fun with the incident.

Perhaps, turning myself into a cyborg stew wasn't the best plan that was possible to think up in a few weeks' time but I've never claimed to be exceptionally intelligent; if anything, I've always considered myself to be a moderately educated idiot. It is common knowledge that there are two halves of a whole idiot: my second half was on his way from California, having had received my very detailed e-mail about the whole cursed box fiasco and the consequences that followed. I could barely contain my excitement at the prospect of seeing uncle Eddie and his symbiote again.

Tony wasn't even half as excited; if anything, he bordered on outright hostile, bickering, and sassing everybody left and right. It could have been the situation at hand finally getting on his last nerves. It could have been his jealousy, the same that appeared every time I paid extra attention to someone that wasn't him, Bruce or Stephen. Either way, Bruce was sighing all the time now and Stephen's remarks began to fill with poison once again.

Just like the good old times, I guess. I was forced to pull a Me over and over, interrupting their petty arguments with increasingly absurd remarks. I felt like everybody was laughing at me these days, which ended in only one way it could have...

"Brat," Stephen's patience was paper-thin and, being forcefully distracted from yelling at Tony, he directed his angst at the nearest person - me. "I oughta put you over my knee. I swear to Cosmos..."

"Blah, blah, blah. Don't you ever get tired of listening to yourself talk?" I raised my eyebrows, tone deceptively calm. "You're talking too much for someone who can't even..." I didn't get to finish my sentence, suddenly finding my mouth firmly glued shut. It was magic - the sensation was pulling, but not unpleasant. Reminded me of a ball gag Tony had used on me in the early days of our relationship.

"Now, Dumbledore, hold your horses..." Tony interjected looking none-too-happy. The engineer placed a warning arm on the sorcerer's bicep, their little spat seemingly forgotten.

"What, Tony? She's been nothing but a mouthy urchin the past few days, I can't stand it anymore," They shared a meaningful look; no matter how much Tony wanted to argue, he knew Stephen was right. What he didn't know was that there probably have been a magic versus science altercation... Or worse. Humiliation was a small price to pay for some (relative) peace.

I did what I do best. I annoyed them further, throwing up a juicy middle finger to the two men and turned around with a huff, mind set on finding Loki to undo the mute ban Stephen gave me. Needless to say, I didn't make it very far.

In mere seconds, I was sandwiched between the two men, Stephen's finger delicately holding my chin to force me to look into his eyes. Tony was holding onto my shoulders from behind me - I could feel the tension, my engineer was almost buzzing with it. I was pretty sure my eyes were laughing anyway because Stephen's frown slowly transformed into a coy smirk once his stormy blues focused on my face.

"Brat," He repeated once again. "She's doing this on purpose."

"I can't say I'm surprised," Tony's breath tickled the nape of my neck. "That does sound like our little Princess," Apparently, it took all of a 0.1 second for Tony to switch from annoyed to horny. Men, they were so easy to play. "Baby, if you wanted our attention you could have just said so," He chastised me, hands sliding down to my waist.

I hummed, and then aggressively hummed some more until Stephen removed the magical gag. "Not like you'd notice it, being occupied with tearing each other's hair out," I pouted.

The sorcerer briefly averted his eyes, leaning down to softly kiss my pout. It was very unlikely I'd get an actual apology but a kiss I won't be complaining about either. "So, your best tactic was to annoy us even more? How does that work out for you?"

I pulled on the tied fabric around his waist, bringing him closer to me. "Pretty good, if I'm being honest. You're exactly where I wanted you to be," Carelessly, I began untying the layers of silks and cotton I had become intimately familiar with over the course of the past few weeks. Most of the time Steph wore his wizard garbs and while figuring out how to undo them was a trip at first, I had gotten him desperate enough a few times, for him to show me a few tips and tricks for easier access.

Tony snorted somewhere behind me. "You just want us for our bodies," His hands wormed their way under my shirt, brushing the underside of my breasts. Bra? Hardly know her. "Our beautiful, sexy bodies." Yes Tony, very humble.

"When will you learn, people?" I asked rhetorically, simultaneously leaning into both Tony's and Stephen's touch. "Why fight each other when you could be fucking me into oblivion instead?"

Stephen snorted, still not completely used to the at times crude things that left my (and occasionally Tony's) mouth. I had a hunch the sorcerer was holding back somewhat - for whatever reason - and I was eagerly waiting for him to get comfortable enough to reveal that special part of himself. Whatever it was, I just knew it was delicious and sinful and-

"Do you really think I will be giving you what you want after your little... Stunt?" Steph went balls out; his voice dropped and the intensity of his stare left me breathless. The hand that was stroking my face wrapped around my throat as he had some sort of a silent conversation with Tony.

"Yeah," I emphasized the word with an inaudible 'duh' behind it but obediently trotted along as Stephen backed up towards the couch, leading me by the throat like a pet on a leash. I was steadily going into 'no thoughts, head empty' territory.

"I like it when you get all bossy," Tony remarked casually but he was close enough for me to hear the strain in his voice. Every time we fucked, Tony eagerly gave up the control to Stephen. I definitely saw the appeal. Stephen Strange demanded authority effortlessly, his stern but fair attitude simply demanded to kneel.

That's just what I did. As soon as Stephen made himself comfortable on the Italian leather couch, I dropped to my knees, looking up at the man with big round eyes. Just like Tony and Bruce, Stephen had his own weaknesses when it came to moi and I wasn't ashamed to exploit them. Steph's stroked my hair, carding careful fingers through it, slowly unbuttoning his pants with his other hand.

"If you insist on being mouthy, I have a better task for you," He husked, pulling me closer towards him. I called it his doctor voice. Honestly, I don't have a clue how his surgical team could be around him with their pants on back in the day... The man was a snack on a silver platter.

Steph's erection sprang free. I didn't hesitate to wrap my hand around it, stroking the underside of his glans just like he liked it, looking to the side where Tony landed on the couch next to Stephen, a curious look on his face. Yeah, Tony liked to watch. Me and Stephen or me and Bruce... Me and Stephen and Bruce? That's an idea for later.

"Don't mind little old me," Tony smirked his trademark Stark mischief, getting comfortable, ditching his oil-stained shirt and unbuttoning his pants to lazily palm himself through his boxers. "Carry on," The smirk only grew when Tony noticed both me and Steph eyeing him with amusement.

I hid my grin, nodding my head, before wrapping my lips around the tip of Stephen's cock, relaxing my throat to prepare for the intrusion. Sweet and salty, the slit on his cockhead was mercilessly teased by the tip of my tongue.

Stephen murmured encouragements under his breath as I began to bob up and down, him controlling the pace with a hand in my hair, just the right balance between cruel and gentle. The sorcerer was always too good to me, bringing me to the point of overstimulation and instantly soothing the ache afterward; "Fuck, darling, your mouth feels like heaven," He groaned as I snuck a look upwards to see his lips parted and a steady flush crawling up his neck.

"She knows how to work a man, doesn't she?" Tony's lust had him panting, hips moving into his own hand. He leaned closer to Stephen, brushing my hair behind my ear with a tender hand. "Merlin needs to share," Tony began pulling me in his direction. I reluctantly let go of Stephen's cock, keeping up the pace with my hand as I scooted closer to Tony to be able to mouth at his stiff erection.

Watching me suck cock always got Tony hard enough to pound nails with. I couldn't blame him, I knew what I could do and did well; by the time I made my way down his thick flesh, drool was dripping down my chin and the make-up around my eyes was surely smeared by tears. My engineer was much less gentle than Steph, pounding my face without reservations.

"I know you can take it, baby girl, fuck," My face was held in his strong grip, thumbs digging into my jaw. "Such a good girl," The two words went straight down to my pussy and I had to squirm and clench my thighs together, whining at the lack of friction.

The air was pierced by a low moan - Stephen was fisting his erection almost desperately now, almost as desperately as I was humping the air, whining like a bitch in heat at the taste of Tony's cock in my mouth. I knew neither of the men would last long, not with all that pent up tension running through their minds and bodies.

"Fuck, come here, baby girl," The engineer yanked me off his cock, gripping the base of it so forcefully his knuckles turned white. I was all but dragged into the space between them; still kneeling, barely seeing with snot and tears smeared all over my face, I couldn't hold in the broken moan as the realization set in.

"Keep your eyes open!" Steph instructed furiously, scooting to tower over me. Tony followed in his steps as I obediently lifted my eyes to their cocks and then their faces; nearly identical furrowed brow expressions stared back at me, lips moist and eyes wide. Both men stroked themselves with renewed vigor.

I hummed softly before sticking out my tongue; their reaction didn't let me wait long. Strings of pearly white cum landed in my hair, on my face; I felt the warmth on my skin and tasted their salt and musk on the tip of my tongue, reflexively swallowing each and every drop that landed in my mouth, savoring it just like I savored the sinful groans that left their mouths.

"Fuck, you're so good to us," Tony panted, gracelessly falling backward onto the couch.

Stephen, however, didn't hurry to catch his breath, giving me a thoughtful look. His fingers shook more than ever but he paid no mind to the discomfort, gathering the cum dripping down my face with two fingers and offering it to me, holding them up to my lips as I gently cleaned them off. And he did it again, and again, until Tony gave a weak moan of recognition, throwing an arm under his head.

"Be polite, Princess," Stephen's voice hadn't lost the lust in it just yet.

"Thank you, sir," I mumbled, utterly captivated by the way he was looking at me. Stormy blues radiated a strong sense of intensity, devotion perhaps, that I wasn't ready for.

Stephen smiled at me, almost coyly, before kneeling right next to me and bringing me over the edge with a few sharp, clever movements of his hand. I held onto his shoulders for dear life, barely noticing Tony's reaction - if there was one - my other lover seemed to be as surprised as I was, choosing to hang back and observe the unusual situation.

I had a feeling that whatever it was, it would make another appearance during our playtime. It wasn't just sex, it wasn't making love - it was... Something. I loved every second of it.

@another-stark-sub ​ @mostly-marvel-musings  @vozit ​ @littlegasps ​ @pilloclock ​ @shereadsinquiet @downeyreads @hermione-grangers-wife ​ @individualistfem ​ @sleep-i-ness @capbrie @lillsxd @agustdowney @dee-vn @justanotherblonde23 @fanngirl19 @persephonehemingway @softie-socks @schemefrenzy @letsby @romeo-the-cactus @jelly-fishy-babie @mikariell95 @gladiosamicitias @toomanyrobins @i-cant-hangout-im-drumming

#bun writes #party favours #tony stark x reader x stephen strange #Tony Stark x reader #bruce banner x reader #stephen strange x reader #tony stark x you #bruce banner x you #stephen strange x you #tony stark x y/n #bruce banner x y/n #stephen strange x y/n #tony stark smut #stephen strange smut

[reidandweep]

I’m So Proud of You

Spencer Reid x Reader (female)

A/N- I can’t believe all the lovely comments from ‘Stitching’. Thank you so much! Once again, any requests, send them my way. x

Word Count- 2179 words

Warnings- Fluff, mentions of drugs, and cuteness.

Being part of the BAU for the past five years, Y/N had seen many people come and go: Hotch, Derek, Alex, Kate, and Stephen. Some in sadder ways than others. She had also seen people return like Emily. But throughout those five years, Y/N had formed a bond with these people and those who were still a part of the team. None more so than the resident genius, Dr Spencer Reid.

Throughout the years, Y/N and Spencer’s friendship grew stronger and stronger as the days past. She could easily say that he knew her better than anyone. He knew her quirks, habits, her secrets, and stories. Spencer could say the same for Y/N. She knew about his life, his regrets, his worries, and his dreams. About the highs and lows that happened before she even knew him. Y/N never judged Spencer and Spencer never judged Y/N. Even though the duo knew so much about the other, they still surprised each other every day.

The BAU was quitter than usual. Whilst a case was in the horizon, waiting to be called, the team worked flittered around the building. Paperwork upon paperwork stacked high on the corners of desks, slowly but surely being filled by each member. Spencer and Y/N sat side by side in silence, a single pile placed on the end of their shared desk, as the other members of the team had left to get lunch Not long after Y/N was first appointed, the team realised how she gravitated towards Spencer. They could see the looks shared between the pair. It was never a shock that when someone would be looking for Y/N, she would be situated at Spencer’s desk or vice versa. The silent company seemed to calm the pair and keep up their motivation. It was much easier for them to have a larger desk to share.

Y/N pushed up her glasses, carefully rubbing her eyes, trying to rid of the ache she was beginning to feel behind them. Pushing her glasses back down, she leaned her head on Spencer’s shoulder as she glanced up at her best friend. Spencer paused his writing and looked down at the woman, smiling when he realised, she was staring up at him.

“Taking a break?”

Y/N began to nod her head but ceased as the pain shot back.

“Yeah. Had a headache behind my eyes for about 10 minutes. It doesn’t seem to be going away.”

Spencer placed down his pen and slowly moved his chair to face Y/N’s; his shoulder moving from underneath her head.

Y/N lifted her head back up and watched as Spencer cupped her face with both his hands. Moving her head from side to side, he looked into her eyes. The action was unexpected for Y/N, and while the boundary of touch had disappeared over time between the pair, Spencer’s hands cradling her face still made her nervous. They brought her comfort; soothing her flushed skin.

“Your eyes are not red or swollen. There is also no excessive tearing so it cannot be a cluster headache. It is most likely eyestrain. We have been filling out the paperwork for an awfully long time. Let’s both take a break. I will go grab you a cold coffee as you seem awfully flustered.”

Before Y/N could say a word, Spencer’s hands had left her face and he had started the trek towards the break room.

Y/N stared at where he had headed. Her heart melting at the man’s compassion. He always made sure she was alright. Whether it was her physical or mental health, he made sure that she was happy and healthy. Y/N tried to do the same. Often times, it led to the pair knocking on each other’s apartment door, or even hotel door when on a case, and asking for the others company. Derek and JJ often joked that they may as well book one less room when on a case as it was rare for the pair to stay in their separate rooms.

Whilst waiting for Spencer to return, Y/N grabbed her phone from her pocket to quickly check her emails. Looking at the date, she suddenly remembered the importance of it. Pushing her chair, Y/N swivelled around to her desk draw, opening it as she reached in to grab a small giftbag.

Quickly closing the draw, the woman moved back to her original space; holding the gift in hand. Placing the giftbag on Spencer’s side of the table, she eagerly awaited his return.

She did not need to wait long as Spencer walked back into the bullpen not even a minute later. One scolding hot, sugar filled coffee in one hand, and one freezing cold, syrup filled coffee in the other.

Oblivious to the gift before him, Spencer handed Y/N her drink as he took his seat.

“Thanks, Spencer.”

Spencer smiled at her gratitude. Turning his chair to place his own coffee down, Spencer became perplexed at the sight of the giftbag on his desk. Looking between the bag and Y/N, he could detect her nervousness and excitement at his reaction.

“It’s not my birthday for another four months.”

Y/N could not help but smile at the man’s confusion.

“You know for a genius, you sure are oblivious sometimes.”

Spencer continued to be confused by Y/N’s words.

“What is it for?”

Y/N smiled at the man before her. She couldn’t help the tears that began to collect in her eyes.

Spencer sprang into action, moving his chair closer towards her again, as his hands cradled her face trying to stop her tears.

“Is it the headache? You should’ve told me it hurt this badly. I’ll ask Emily if I can take you home.”

Y/N shook her head in his hands, letting the watery smile stay on her face.

“No, you goof. I’m fine. My headache is nearly gone now.”

Spencer let his hands fall from her face. He watched as Y/N pulled a small black box from the bag, placing it in Spencer’s hands.

“I didn’t know you when it happened, or when you were first fighting against it.”

Spencer listened, trying to correlate Y/N’s words with a specific event in his life. It couldn’t be his time in prison, as it was merely months ago, and she was there for him every step of the way. Spencer still kept her letters she sent him in the draw of his bedside table.

“But you have told me how hard it was and how it is still sometimes hard to forget. You’ve been through a lot more since then, and you’ll continue to go through it and more. So, hopefully, when you look at this, it can remind you that you are so strong and brave. That no matter what, you have a family who is here for you whenever you need them. That I’m here for you. I’m so proud of you Spencer.”

Spencer looked at Y/N as his mouth went dry at her words. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he watched Y/N motion at him to open the box.

Ever so slowly, Spencer opened the black box, unsure of what would be inside. Once the box was fully open Spencer could not help but admire the content as he lost his breathe. Pulling the item out the box, Spencer turned it in his hand.

Inside Spencer’s clasp was a signature ring. Made of silver, the ring shone in the light, as the engraving of a compass laid proud on the top.

“Read inside the band.”

Spencer did as Y/N instructed. Flippin the ring, he looked inside the band to see the words ‘we acquire the strength of the battle we have overcome’.

Y/N watched as Spencer couldn’t help but let the tears well in his eyes at the realisation of what the gift symbolised.

Pushing her chair closer, it was Y/N’s turn to cup Spencer’s face.

“I know you don’t like to think about it, Spencer. But you’re 10 years clean. That is such an amazing achievement. We are all so amazed at what you do every day and how hard you work. I can’t even describe how amazing you truly are.”

Spencer looked towards Y/N; his eyes still filled with unfallen tears. He never really acknowledged the time passed since he stopped taking Dilaudid, and neither did the rest of the team who knew. It was a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ kind of conversation. But Y/N had known for a long time. While she thought she was being sneaky, Spencer noticed when she would check certain things with him. Often glancing at his arms to make sure no new marks had appeared. Unintentionally keeping a closer eye on him when he seemed more agitated than usual. She did it because she cared. Because she loved him.

With his empty hand, Spencer slowly cupped Y/N’s neck, and closed the distance between them. Y/N instantly reciprocated the kiss, happily surprised at his reaction, as she guided her hands from his face to his hair. Before they could go any further, wolf whistles were heard across the bullpen.

Pulling apart, the pair looked in the direction of the noise to see Luke, Emily, and Tara walk through the doors; food in hand.

“Wasn’t expecting to see that when we came back.”

Y/N and Spencer both went red at Emily’s teasing.

“Sorry Em. Spencer was just really happy with his present.”

Luke and Tara laughed as the pair pulled a part. The three walking closer to the duo’s desk to see the empty box on the table.

“Must have been one hell of a present.”

The group chuckled at Luke’s words.

Emily began to head towards the debriefing room.

“Well, I’ve gotten everyone’s lunch so you better hurry before it gets cold.”

Luke and Tara soon followed her, smirking at the pair still sat at their desk.

Y/N began to stand, walking towards the debriefing room. Noticing Spencer was not by her side, she soon stopped, turning around to see him sat at their desk; admiring the ring with a smile on his face.

Walking back over, Y/N grabbed Spencer’s hand and pulled him to stand up. Spencer watched as she grabbed the ring from his grasp and placed it on his finger. Smiling up at Spencer as she held his hand, Y/N pulled him towards the debriefing room.

“Did you know the tradition of wearing the engagement ring and wedding band on the fourth finger of the left hand can be traced to the Egyptians, who believed the vena amoris, vein of love, ran directly from the heart to the top of this finger.”

Y/N couldn’t help but giggle at Spencer’s fact.

“Don’t you think you should ask me out before talking about wedding rings, huh Spencer?”

Spencer flushed at her words, pulling her to a stop just outside the debriefing room door.

Moving to face her, Spencer never let go of her hand. Biting his lip, Spencer took in a deep breath.

“Would you like to go on a date? With me? Preferably tonight to the Doctor Who exhibit?”

Y/N beamed at Spencer’s words. Squeezing his hand, she felt the coolness of the ring in her palm.

“I would love for nothing more. Except to eat my lunch right now. So, let’s go.”

Spencer chuckled as they let go of each other’s hands to walk into the debriefing room. Taking their seats across from each other, Spencer and Y/N soon tucked into their food, adding to the present conversation going on between the team.

As Penelope reencountered a story from her hacking days, JJ eyes caught the gleaming ring on Spencer’s finger. Leaning towards the genius, she pointed at the object.

“Emily mentioned that you got a gift of Y/N. Is that what she got you?”

Spencer nodded at JJ, his mouth filled with his lunch.

“And you gave her a kiss as a thank you.”

Spencer swallowed his food, and glanced towards Y/N, watching as she laughed at Penelope’s story.

“Yes, but also because I haven’t felt the way I do about her before.”

JJ looked shocked at Spencer’s confession.

“Not even with Maeve.”

Spencer shook his head, looking towards JJ.

“No, not even with Maeve.”

JJ looked towards Y/N seeing her smiling at Spencer. JJ couldn’t help but smile herself.

The team all ate their food as they shared stories between them. Laughter filled the room that is usually so dark and solemn.

While they all knew a case would be called any minute, they couldn’t help but appreciate these small moments. The whole team sat together, enjoying each other’s company.

“So, what’s this I hear about canoodling in the bullpen?”

Y/N and Spencer flushed at Rossi’s question as the whole team laughed.

The pair shared a look, their cheeks shining brighter as the team continued to tease.

Spencer unconsciously played with his ring, as Y/N glanced down at his action and joined in on the laughter.

Spencer wouldn’t change a thing that had happened to him, if it meant he got to live what was happening now.

A/N- Just a little cuteness and warmth for Spencer. :)

#spencer reid imagines #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #spencer reid imagine #criminal minds #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds x reader #matthew gray gubler #matthew gray gubler x reader #matthew gray gubler imagine

[bi-bard]

An Extra Dose of Chaos- Malcolm Bright Imagine (Prodigal Son/Criminal Minds Crossover)

Title: An Extra Dose of Chaos

Pairing: Malcolm Bright X Reader 

Requested: Nope

Word Count: 1,861 words

Warning(s): Violence in canon of both shows

Summary: (Starts on season 13, episode 7 of Criminal Minds) The BAU found themselves in a time of need after their final confrontation with Scratch. Though absolutely devastated by the loss of Stephen Walker, (Y/n) was somewhat excited to not be seen as the new kid anymore when Malcolm Bright was brought on to the team. Now, if he could just stop making such a mess of things...

Author’s Note: THERE MAY BE A PART 2 OF THIS BUT I’M NOTE SURE YET! It took a long time but... I found a way to connect them! I am so excited! Also, I doubt Malcolm would’ve lasted this long in the B.A.U but this is the best way to put him in the story without using two seasons that were airing at the same time (Season 1 of Prodigal Son and season 15 of Criminal Minds)

Please consider supporting my Ko-fi account. It would mean a lot to me. If I know there are people interested in it, I’ll get the monthly donation part set up. 

Buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi.com/khoward0 

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

I let out a sigh as I walked to the round table. Another day without Stephen. We had both joined the team around the same time, but I was still declared a new kid because he beat me here by about a month. Garcia had given Luke the official title but I still felt it whenever we were debriefed on a case. Stephen gave me someone to relate to. 

I looked over to the door as J.J walked in. She grinned at me.

“Emily hired a new agent,” she said. I nodded. “How are you?”

“Shaky but desperate to get some work done,” I replied, forcing a smile. I knew she was going to say more but luckily the team walked in before she could.

Emily stayed standing as everyone got settled in their seats.

“Everyone, this Malcolm Bright, he’s our new agent,” she said, pointing at the man standing next to her. He waved. Emily and him made their way to their seats. “Take it away, Garcia.”

Malcolm had sat in the spot right next to me. I glanced over at him while he read the case file. He seemed... giddy? That wasn’t the right word but I don’t think there was a better one. Something that should’ve disturbed him just... didn’t.

It was a strange case. Victims were kidnapped, had symbols carved into their faces, and then were found in their cars but miles away from where they were last seen. All without any memory of what had happened to them. 

“Alright, wheels up in 30,” Emily said before standing. Everyone followed close behind her.

“Hey, Malcolm,” I said, stopping the new guy before he left. “How are you feeling? I know some of this stuff can feel overwhelming on the first day.”

“I’m alright,” he replied. “Believe me, I’ve seen worse.”

“When,” I asked, my eyebrows furrowing together for a moment.

“Oh, y’know, research for school and such,” he shrugged the question off. “I’ve gotta get my go bag.”

“Okay, see you on the jet.”

“We have our own jet?”

--Time Skip--

“Spencer,” I said, looking at the photos of one of the victim’s injuries. “These can’t be taser or stun gun marks.”

“Why,” the doctor in front of us asked. 

“They usually burn the skin around the radius of the mark,” I replied. “There’s no burn mark.”

“Did the victim report a metallic taste in her mouth,” Spencer asked as Malcolm looked over my shoulder at the photos. 

“They’re probably snake bites,” Malcolm noted, cutting the doctor off a little bit. “Blood tests would show if there was any venom present.”

Spencer turned around and listed off a few blood tests that I could never remember. I closed the file. 

“A snake as a way to subdue a victim, that’s risky,” I said, looking at Malcolm.

“Hot day, lock the snake in the car, and wait,” he mumbled. “It leaves a lot to chance. This is the element that matters. There’s no way a snake is a weapon of opportunity.”

“If it’s a dangerous reptile, there’d be records of licenses,” I said as we followed Spencer out of the hospital. “Once we have the kind of snake, we could ask Garcia to cross-reference.”

“Except if it was bought on the black market,” Malcolm added. 

“You do not know Garcia,” I smirked, picking up my pace to keep up with Spencer. Damn this boy and his gazelle legs. 

“She seems delightful,” Malcolm shrugged. None of us spoke again until we were in the car. “So... why does this guy choose body modification? Why specifically the scarring? Surely tattoos would have a similar effect to the women’s self-worth.”

“I don’t know yet,” Spencer replied. “I say we relay what we know to the team and see what they say.”

We both nodded, waiting for him to start the car.

--Time Skip--

I wondered why my heart could beat so fast yet I could look so calm when we got to crime scenes. It was like my fear responses stopped halfway. I’m sure there was a reason for it but there are some things you think about but don’t really want the answers to. 

I took a deep breath as the car stopped. I unbuckled quickly. We had split up. Matt, J.J, Malcolm, and me in one car; Rossi, Spencer, and Luke in the other. Emily stayed back at the police station to help us out as much as possible. 

Matt and J.J went around the back to keep watch. Malcolm and I got to the front door. I was just about to lay my hand on the doorknob so we could be smart about this...

and then Malcolm sprinted in. No count, no warning, he just ran in without any warning.

“Malcolm,” I hissed, following him quickly. What the hell was wrong with him. 

I barely got there at the same time as him when he busted the door down. 

“F.B.I,” I shouted, actually doing my job. I followed him inside.

He didn’t have his gun aimed. Did he have it out when he first ran in? I kept my gun fixed on Desi- the unsub- who was just staring at us. Her mom tied to a chair and her sister trapped on one of the seats you’d see in a tattoo parlor.

“Desi, drop the knife,” Malcolm said, holding his gun up. 

“You- You don’t know what she did to me,” she replied.

“We do,” he nodded. “We know about the neglect and... and the abuse.”

“I was so scared,” she was whispering.

“Who wouldn’t be,” I asked. “You were just a kid-”

“I tried so hard to erase any sign of her,” she continued. “And there she is on the front page. They think she’s perfect.”

My eyes drifted towards the snakes in the room. 

“The perfect woman! The perfect mother! They don’t know what she’s capable of... what I’m capable of.”

“We know,” Malcolm nodded, grinning at her. “I also know that if you surrender and we walk out of here, everyone else will know too. She’ll have to live with that. Isn’t that what you wanted? For your mom to live with the shame of all of this?”

Desi went to move forward, towards the snakes.

“Desi,” I said firmly. She stopped... for a moment. She then ran at the container, shoving it towards the ground before sprinting out the other door. 

“Help her mom,” I shouted, walking over to her sister. “Hey, stay with me, yeah? We’re gonna get you help.”

I went to call for an ambulance, only stopping for a second when I heard gunshots. I shook it off, calling the ambulance before helping her sister up and out of the room. Malcolm had already left with her mom.

--Time Skip--

We were all on the jet later that night. Some of the team was playing poker, others just relaxing. I was lounging on the small jet couch, cradling a mug of tea. 

“Hey,” Malcolm said softly, sitting next to me. I nodded as a way to acknowledge him. “I’ve only known you for a few days but I can already tell that silence is not a good sign.”

“You ran into the house with any regard for safety,” I replied. “Your gun wasn’t drawn, you didn’t wait for back-up and was just lucky I was there, and you ran into an active crime scene without announcing that you were the F.B.I.”

“I did almost everything wrong.”

“Pretty much,” I sighed. “But you did a good job reasoning with Desi. As good of a job as any of us probably could.”

“Well, I’m sorry about what happened... but can I ask something?”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you so worried,” he asked. “I’d say you were angry but you aren’t displaying all of the signs of anger and you can’t just be nervous about the unsub because the event is over with.”

“I was the new kid before you,” I explained, already questioning whether or not I was ready to talk about this. “Around the same time I joined, Stephen Walker did. The team was looking for this serial killer that called himself Mr. Scratch. We thought we had found him and we knew the house was safe... we thought we were gonna catch him. Then, I think he laid spike in the road. Our cars crashed into each other. It was bad. Emily was kidnapped, the rest of us unconscious... except for Stephen. He died in that accident before they’d even found the cars. I had to tell his wife. I couldn’t even look to my right on my way home because her tears had stained my shirt. I lost the person I was closest to on the team.”

“Now you see another new kid running into snake dens like it’s no big deal,” Malcolm concluded. I nodded.

“It makes me really nervous,” I looked down. 

“I’m sorry,” he replied quietly. I shook my head.

“It’s alright,” I looked back up at him. “Just... please don’t do something like that again.”

“... I’ll do my best.”

I chuckled at his hesitation. If all went well, Malcolm would fit in just fine.

--Time Skip (In Between Seasons 14 & 15)--

“Hey,” I said as Malcolm walked over to his desk. He had yet another meeting with Emily and Cruz. This time it went a step further. “How’d it go?”

“I had a meeting to explain my actions,” he explained, grabbing his go-bag. It was pretty much the only thing he had at his desk. “And they fired me.”

“What,” I asked. I bit the inside of my cheek.

“Are you surprised that it happened or are you surprised that it happened?”

“You did punch a sheriff,” I trailed off. 

Malcolm nodded and started walking toward the elevator. I stood up and followed him quickly.

“Where are you gonna go,” I asked.

“Probably back to New York,” he shrugged. “My mom wants me back there anyway.”

“Oh,” I nodded. I wanted him to stay closer. I wanted to see him. I looked down nervously as we waited for the elevator. “It’s gonna be boring without you here.”

“Always kept you on your toes,” he chuckled. The elevator dinged. “You should come visit. Just give me a call.”

“Okay,” I replied. I was going to just wave but then jumped when Malcolm quickly kissed my cheek and stepped into the elevator. I could only watch in shock as the elevator doors closed. 

“Did that just happen,” Garcia asked, walking over to me.

“Oh my god,” I whispered, looking at her. “Oh my god!”

“Go talk to him,” she shouted as the other elevator opened. I ran in, waving at her and telling her to let Emily know where I went.

What I didn’t see was J.J walk up to Garcia after the elevator doors closed.

“What’s (Y/n) doing,” she asked. Garcia just grinned. 

“Proving that you owe me twenty bucks,” she replied.

“No he didn’t,” J.J said. Garcia nodded. “I’m waiting for (Y/n) to confirm that before I give you money.”

“(Y/n) might still be in shock when they get up here.”

...and maybe I was.

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

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