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bloodynereid · 7 months

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Reapers & Ravens

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pairings: jordan li x oc

tw: canonical violence and gore, allusions/talk about sex, alcohol and drug consumption and misuse (i don't condone the actions of the characters so remember to drink wisely), A LOT of mentions of death, iffy morals?? - if there are any more pls lmk

description: the story of a girl. a girl cursed by compound v to live a life without touch.

a/n: hiii and welcome to the first chapter of my new fic. I haven't written a multi-chapter fic in a while so be patient with me. some little disclaimers: as of the moment of writing this chapter i have only seen the first 3 eps of gen v so if something doesn't work plot wise with future eps i will try to come back and change it, secondly i do not support chance perdomo's actions - i felt like this needed to be stated cause his character andre will be a prominent part of the story and i would change it but he literally is the only one that really makes sense in his role in vic's backstory. vic's wonderful roommate was created all thanks to one of my mutuals (not sure if you want me to mention you by name) so all credit goes to them for gemma. FINALLY i hope you enjoy! the second chapter should be out soon and i'm always open to feedback so lmk your thoughts either in the comments or in an ask. love you and ty for taking the time to read my fic - my a/n will not be this long all the time i promise.

19 years ago…

A little girl lay peacefully in her wooden cot, the walls surrounding her were painted in a beautiful pastel lilac and a snowflake mobile lay spinning above her little head. The night was serene, the wind rustled the leaves of the great oak outside the girl’s window and a soft lullaby was echoing through the room.

The girl’s mother smiled down at her perfect bundle of joy as she laid the pads of her fingers right against the soft silky skin of her daughter’s hand. Everything was perfect for another few seconds before the mother started to feel herself fade away. She deliriously looked down at her hand where she suddenly saw her skin going gray.

The baby’s eyes flew open and she let out a happy gurgle as her mother started to wither away in front of her just because she held her daughter’s little hand.

“I love you my darling girl.” Were the last words that came out of the mother’s mouth before her soul was taken far far away. Too far for her daughter to follow.

The second that the tingly feeling that the baby experienced faded away she let out a loud cry. Her mama wasn’t moving and she looked all wrong. The little girl cried and cried and cried until finally the door to her nursery flew open.

Her papa filled the doorway as he let out a horrified gasp before kneeling next to his wife. His dead wife.

“Victoria, what have you done?”

Present Day…

I pressed skip to the song playing on my phone and shifted my gaze to the flashing scenery, music resonating through my headphones as I was being driven to Godolkin. It was absolutely insane that I was actually doing it. I was actually going to GodU. The whole situation just felt so unreal. Distantly I heard a voice calling out so with practiced precision I moved my headphones away from my ears.

“Sorry, could you repeat that?”

“Of course Miss. I was just saying that we’re nearly there.”

“Ok thanks Rob.”

I sent him a smile and replaced my headphones before taking a moment to examine my newest pair of gloves, the carefully crafted design on top of the white leather made me smile. Dad didn’t really pay that much attention to me ever since the incident™ but at least he seemed proud of me for getting into GodU. He had gifted me these gloves after stuttering out that they had once belonged to my mother.

I promised myself that I would try to wear them as much as possible since I barely had anything to remember her by anymore… other than the power my parents decided to inject me with. Life-force absorption isn’t all that common, as my relatives put it: ‘those powers… they’re a curse!’

Everything that touches me dies basically. It’s how my mother died and it’s how I kill plants and sometimes people (by accident I swear). I absorb their energy and it sort of works like a drug - I get a shot of life. Other people aren’t so lucky, they slowly turn into a gray statue and die.

Sometimes I’m able to stop before they're totally gone but with the potency of my powers they’re kaput by just 3 seconds of physical touch. I know it sucks, I can’t even shake hands for Christ’s sake!

“Miss? Miss?” I’m shaken out of my string of thoughts when I heard Rob’s voice echoing through the interior of the car.

“Yes yup sorry.” I took off my headphones and quickly shoved them into my canvas bag before looking out the window. There stood Godolkin University, the end goal of all my relentless studying and hard work.

“We have arrived. Are you okay Miss?”

“Yes I’m more than okay Rob. Thanks for driving me.”

“Of course, do you need any help with any of your boxes?” He asked as he unlocked the car and we both stepped out into the warm September air.

“It should be fine but thanks Rob really. I’ll see you at Christmas?”

“Definitely Miss Oaks, have a good semester.” He finished placing your 3 boxes and suitcase onto one of the many trolleys and sent me a smile.

“Thanks.” I gave him a little wave as he got back into the SUV and drove off. Turning to the big metal gates I took a deep breath to steady myself. Time for the start of the rest of my life.

Okay maybe I really should have asked Rob for help with these idiotic boxes. I’m a goddamn super hero. Why was I struggling so much with this? I was already regretting this as I walked past the Lamplighter School for Crimefighting, failing to push both the trolley and my suitcase.

“You look like you need some saving from a gracious prince.” I heard an eerily familiar voice as I looked up from my tortuous task. Andre Anderson. An old friend whose friendship was sort of forced on us by our dads, who happened to have been in the same class at Godolkin.

“Andre! Fucking hell I’m so glad to see you, please help me. I’m dying here.” I said dramatically as I sunk down to the ground next to all my stuff.

“You know you should consider majoring in Performing Arts if you keep up with that.” Andre said with a smirk but he still started to help by pulling my large suitcase towards the freshman dorms.

“Haha. You know I’ll be joining you at Crimefighting, my powers will probably render any makeup artist dead.”

“Oh please become an actress I would love to see that.” I narrowed my eyes at him and lightly punched him in the arm as he took a sip of his latte.

“Hey!”

“You deserved that.”

“Ok maybe I deserved that. So Vic, what are your first impressions?”

“It’s huge for one thing.”

“That’s what she said.” I rolled my eyes at his immature sense of humor before stealing the latte out of his hand and taking a sip, only to scrunch my face.

“What the fuck do you put in this? It’s literally pure sugar.”

“Hangover cure.” He said with a shrug as he stole the latte back. “You should come hang tonight. I can introduce you to everyone.”

“Mmh sure. I think you mean getting me into trouble.”

“When have I ever done something like that before?” Andre asked as his eyes twinkled.

“Oh just about every time I hang out with you.” Stopping in front of the freshman dorm room Andre looked at me and tried to make his usual puppy eyes.

“Please.”

“Fuck fine. You need to stop doing that.”

“Why? It works every single time.”

“I’ll see you later then?”

“Definitely, enjoy being around the freshers.” Andre gave me a military salute making me roll my eyes as I started dragging all my stuff into the building.

Weaving my way through a shitton of supes was way harder than I expected, at least I had a jacket on or a few of them would be very dead right now. Finally and by finally I mean, FINALLY I found my room, I clutched the handle of the door and pushed in when I realized I definitely had the wrong room. Two girls were already all set up in the room and swiveled to look at me weirdly.

“Uh hi? Shit I’m sorry, I'm in the wrong room.”

“Wait! Are you Victoria Oaks?” asked the shorter blonde one.

“Uh yes?”

“Holy shit I follow you on Insta hi! I’m Emma and this is Marie.”

“Oh cool hi.”

“I can’t believe you’re on the same floor as us. Want to go check out the Golden Boy’s workout? We’re going to head down in a few.” Right, okay, I should make friends. So time to compromise.

“Uh sure? What exactly would we be doing?”

“Oh you’ll see.” Emma says with a mischievous smile.

“Righttt that sounds incredibly ominous but I’ll see you in a few. I’ve got to go put down all my stuff.”

“Ok see you!” I smile and retreat back into the busy hallway but not before catching Marie’s remark.

“Who is she exactly?”

“DO YOU LIVE UNDER A ROCK?” Emma replied loudly, making me snort. Taking a deep breath I once again clutch the handle of the door across the hall and push it open to see a girl lying on the bed closest to the door. She smiles up at me and bounds over to the door in an instant.

“Hi! You must be Victoria. I’m Gemma, nice to meet you.” She says before extending her hand. I carefully move my gloved hand over to hers and shake it.

“Hi, it’s a pleasure to meet you too.” I took a moment to scan her appearance, she was absolutely stunning. Her red hair trailed down her shoulders and her smile seemed to light up the very room. “You’re so beautiful wow.”

“Aww thank you so much! You are absolutely stunning as well, like this blonde totally suits the whole vibe you give off.”

“Is it a good vibe?”

“Oh definitely.”

“Ok whew I was worried for a second there.” We start laughing and Gemma helps me sort out all my stuff in the huge boxes.

“Actually with the talk about appearances would it be okay if I ever shift into you? I love being able to get to know people more through their faces and stuff but only if you’re cool with it.”

“Shifting? You mean like shape shifting.” I ask as I look over to her curiously, picking up yet another pair of gloves which I placed on one of the shelves in the closet.

“Yup!”

“Oh I wouldn’t mind at all, that's such a cool power!” Her entire face brightened as her hair slowly started to shift and match the shade of my bleached one.

“Brilliant! Thank you. So… what’s your power?”

“Oh umm here let me show you.”

Carefully taking out one of my older plants out of the box I place it on the window sill and pull off my leather glove. Within just a few seconds of my fingertips placed on top of the delicate leaves the plant withered away and died. I could feel the zap of energy encase my being and I smiled. Life absorption feels incredible, it’s so encompassing. You quite literally feel full of life. For a second as I turned around I could see the blood and energy from Gemma’s cell move around her body but I shook off the stupor.

“Wow. Can you just do that with plants or?”

“Uh no people as well. Anything alive that touches my skin just dies.”

“So you can’t do human contact?”

“Nope, unless I want them dead.”

“What about sex?” I chuckled at her slightly incredulous tone.

“I think you need to reevaluate what you consider sex.”

“Oh okay wow” Gemma laughed and we continued to set up my plants on the windowsill and chatted about our favorite movies, surprisingly enough we had pretty different tastes but there were a few that we had in common - like our love for Clue. That was when we heard a knock on the door, Gemma looked at me with a clear question in her eyes.

“I met our dorm neighbors a few minutes ago and they invited me to go see Golden Boy train.”

“Ooo I’m so coming with you.” Gemma shifted her hair back to red and waltzed over to open the door as I finished placing my last plant pots.

“What’s the deal with his workout sessions anyway?” I ask as she pulls open the door to find Emma and Marie standing sort of awkwardly outside.

“Oh he’s like super hung, and when he blazes up his clothes all melt away.” Emma answers my question but when she catches sight of Gemma her jaw drops.

“Right, uh Marie and Emma meet my roommate Gemma.”

“Holy fuck you’re so hot.” Emma says, almost as if the words involuntarily jump out of her mouth.

“Why thank you, love, you are as well.” Gemma flashes her a dazzling smile.

“Alright then enough flirting. I have been promised to see some hot supes. Let’s go!” I exclaim as the little group makes their way towards the arena. Hanging back so I was walking next to Marie, we watched the two girls flirt.

“Oh that’s going to be very interesting. I don’t believe we’ve talked much yet, but I’m Vic. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too. Emma gave me a full on lecture on why I should know who you are but I kind of zoned out halfway through.” I let out a laugh at her admission and gently nudged my shoulder with hers.

“Oh don’t worry, it’s kind of nice having someone who has no idea who I am or who my dad is.”

“I’m glad, everything is so…”

“A lot, I know. My dad homeschooled me for the last few years of high school so being among this many people, especially supes can be overwhelming. If you ever need to chat or just need someone to hang out with, I'm your girl.” Marie gave me a grateful smile, “So what are your supe powers?”

“Blood manipulation.” My eyebrows shot up and I looked at her with astonishment.

“Holy fuck that’s awesome. I basically drain the life force of any living being.”

“Really?”

“Yup so don’t touch my skin unless you’re covered up.” I throw up jazz hands to showcase my gloved hands which elicits a short laugh out of Marie.

“Got it. You’re really nice by the way. Everyone here seems so like aggressively in your face.”

“Yeah I know. I’ve had to live around supes my whole life, it really isn’t at all like Vought or the movies say.”

We finally arrive at the arena and I take a seat next to her, Emma is sitting next to Marie and Gemma is still trying and succeeding at flirting with the blonde. Leaning over the railing I peer out into the main arena and spy Andre making his rounds with the group.

“Yo Andre.” I scream out into the stadium making him turn around, trying to find me in the crowd. The people seated around us had now turned to look at me as I smiled down at him. He smiled back and tilted his head towards where Golden Boy and some other dude were gearing up to fight, inviting me to come down.

“You sure?”

“Yeah get down here.” I turn towards my new group of friends and say: “You guys okay if I go down?”

“Since when do you know Andre Anderson? You know what don’t answer that question go, go, go. Tell us everything when you get back.” Gemma and Emma urged me out of my seat as Marie kind of sat there awkwardly but with an encouraging smile on her face.

I carefully picked my way down the stands and vaulted over the fence to get over to the sidelines of the fight. I poke at Andre’s shoulder as I fall in next to him as I watch the fight playing out. Golden Boy was obviously winning and wow Luke Riordan really had some moves.

“Oh hey Vic. It’s earlier than I expected to see you.”

“Well I did want to honor you with my presence more than once today.” I sent him a sarcastic smile which made him respond by pushing my shoulder.

“Wow Andre I can’t believe you have more friends than us, I feel betrayed.” I turned to the source of the voice and there stood a beautiful blonde, who had a big smile on her face. Little butterflies exploded in my stomach - how was everyone so damn attractive?

“Cate, darling, I hate to break this to you like this but I have a lot more friends than just you guys.”

“Oh how will I live knowing this information?” Cate said with a dramatic gasp and pretended to faint into Andre’s arms. He just pushed her up and they stuck out their tongues at each other.

“You guys are going to be perfect for each other. Cate Dunlap meet Victoria Oaks.”

“Hi! Nice to meet you.” I say as I extend a gloved hand only to be met with a similarly gloved hand, only that it was covered in brown leather instead of white.

“Oh my god, your gloves! I love these designs, you have got to tell me where you get yours. My collection needs adding to.” She says excitedly as she quickly shakes my hand and turns it over to inspect the handiwork. We continue to nerd out about gloves as the fight finishes and Andre throws Golden Boy some clothes, before they head over to us.

“Hi sweetheart you did great out there,” Cate throws her arms around him and they make out for a few seconds as I kind stand there awkwardly with Andre.

“Do they usually do this?”

“Yes. There is so much PDA I’m surprised they haven’t had sex in front of us yet.” Andre’s voice was raised in volume a little at the end which caught the attention of the couple.

“Oh right, Luke meet my new best friend, this is Vic.” Cate said as fixed her now slightly messed up lipstick.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you Vic. Andre has told us a lot about you.”

I cringed but shook my head trying to forget about the many instances the idiot had nearly gotten us arrested and the one time he did.

“Yeah well, I hope it’s all nice things because any time I do spend with this guy somehow ends with us breaking a law.”

“Oh we can relate. I remember this one time…” We started making our way out of the arena as Luke started to recount one of the insane adventures that Andre managed to string them into. It felt nice to actually be part of a group again and it was easy. Way easier that I thought it would be.

After a few hours of touring the grounds and eating at Vought-a-Burger, I finally trudged back to my dorm absolutely exhausted. Not that it wasn’t great getting to know Cate, Andre and Luke but the whole day had absolutely drained me.

When I finally opened the door to my room I was surprised to find Emma sitting on top of Gemma’s bed reading some random fashion magazine.

“Uh Emma?”

The girl basically jumped out of her position on the bed and whirled to face me. Suddenly her entire body shifted and there stood Gemma, looking rather embarrassed with a sheepish smile on her face.

“Look, I asked her if I could change into her body! This wasn’t without consent and she’s just so stunning and it’s the-”

“Hey hey, Gem. Chill, I get it, you have a crush on our neighbor.” I smiled a little teasingly as I tried to reassure her. Thankfully Gemma’s panicked look faded and was replaced with a grateful smile.

“Sorry.”

“It’s all good, you guys would look great together.”

“Do you think that Emma might actually like me?”

“Oh Gem, I think anyone would be lucky to have you. From the few hours that I’ve known you, you're genuinely one of the sweetest people out there. And that’s saying something cause you’re also a supe.” I gave her a small smile before opening up my arms to signal for her to hug me. She flew into my grasp and I was careful not to let my exposed face anywhere near her.

“Thanks I needed this.”

“Hey I’m here anytime, just don't touch any skin.” I sent her a teasing smile when she finally pulled away. “How about we have a chill night in? There’s this new show I’ve been meaning to start.”

“Great! We can have our first girl’s night.”

“Fuck yeah! I’ll just get changed into my pajamas and grab some of my snacks from the stash.”

After spending the night doing absolutely nothing except watching Yellowjackets and raiding snacks from the vending machine after my relatively large stash ran out, Gemma and I woke up sugar hungover. Somehow we managed to make it down to the cafe and bought some coffee, which was thankfully enough to wake us up.

“So you heading over to Performing Arts?” I finally asked Gemma after the caffeine started to kick in.

“Yeah, Marie and Emma said they were going to meet me there as well so…”

“Can you believe we’re actually doing this?” I ask as we slowly walk out onto the common, I readjust my favorite pair of black gloves, knowing that if we were doing any sort of combat sessions at Crimefighting I would probably end up damaging my mom’s ones.

“Nope, it’s still surreal that I actually got accepted.”

“What are you talking about? You literally have some of the most interesting and versatile powers.”

“Yeah but I’m on scholarship, if that somehow falls through…” I smiled at her reassuringly as we stopped at the fork in the walk.

“Look you’re super fucking smart and you have more control over your power than most of the supes I know. Gem, you’re going to be great and never let anyone tell you otherwise.” Gemma smiled at me after she thanked me and we both went our separate ways - time to see what orientation was going to be like.

I navigated through the slew of students making their way through the halls of the Lamplighter School for Crimefighting when I suddenly bumped into someone. Thank whatever entity out there that I had just thrown out the remainder of my iced coffee.

“Shit sorry- Oh.” I caught the eye of the person I had bumped into as I helped them gather the assortment of books, all Brink’s for the looks of it.

“Right yeah, it’s fine just be more careful next time.” The person just kind of ran off after I helped them with the books. Strange and kind of rude but also so very attractive. I smiled at myself, if bumping into people meant getting to meet more enticing supes then this year was going to be incredible.

“Hey! Hey! Victoria. Vic. Vicky.” I finally stopped and turned to look at Andre who had been relentlessly pursuing me for the past few minutes. Orientation went well and I got to meet some of the other supes - mostly it was just for selfies but still.

“You know I hate when people call me that.”

“Well it was a last resort, you weren’t stopping.”

“You don’t think there may have been a reason behind that? Maybe my dad is dying and this is the last chance I get to hear his voice.” I remarked in an overly bored tone, I could already tell from Andre’s whole face that he was about to invite me to do something illegal… again.

“I know for a fact that isn’t real since it hasn’t been on any gossip sites-”

“Wait since when do you frequent gossip sites?” I ask incredulously as he somehow starts to lead me towards the opposite direction I was going in the first place.

“Not the point. You’re coming out with us tonight.”

“Do I get a say in the matter or?”

“Nope, go get changed into something hot and meet me in front of Lamplighter in half an hour.”

“Excuse you, but I always look hot. Thank you very much.” I say scoffing but we both know I’m silently agreeing with his plans - like always.

“Oh I know darling. Now hurry up.” He pushed me softly (as softly as a supe could push someone) and I made my way to my dorm.

“Hey Gem. Good day?” I said as I threw my bag on the bed and started to look through my outfits, I needed something that would cover all exposed skin - I really didn’t need another incidental death on my roster.

“Yup! We really should plan out more ways to- wait what are you looking for?”

“Andre invited me out with his friends you’re welcome to come if you want.”

“Nope it’s okay. I’ve got some auditions I need to tape.” She said with a smile.

“You sure?”

“Yeah I’m not really in the mood for partying tonight, orientation was a lot.”

“Tell me about it. You can use my bedroom if you need any extra space by the way.” I shouted out from behind the wall as I laid out the different materials that made up my outfits - it was a mismatch of blacks, whites and reds. Cute.

“Thank you! Holy shit you look fucking incredible.” Gemma remarked as I walked back into her bedroom now wearing my going out outfit.

“Why thank you. I haven’t been out clubbing for a while so I thought it would be best to go big.”

“Always the best choice. Make sure you don’t get too smashed okay?”

“I will try. Byeee.” Her laughter echoes into the hallway and the door shuts behind me. I flash the security guard a smile before leaving the freshman dorm building and making my way to the Crimefighting school.

“Oh god please don’t tell me Andre has dragged you into one of his schemes.” I say when I catch sight of Marie standing next to Cate, Luke, Andre and someone I had a vague inkling that I’ve met before.

“Vic! You came!” Cate smiled and pulled me into a little hug when I was close enough to the group.

“Hi guys.” I said with a smile before turning to the stranger of the group. “I don’t believe we’ve met yet, I’m Victoria.”

“We have actually, I’m Jordan. You bumped into me this morning.” A giddy smile slowly spread out over my face.

“Oh right, you were the hot and mysterious person I nearly killed this morning. Pleasure to meet you.” A dusting of blush appeared on their face and we held eye contact which was annoyingly broken by Andre’s screech of:

“You nearly killed someone AGAIN?”

“Ok dude chill it really wasn’t that bad.” I roll my eyes at his antics and thankfully the exchange gets interrupted by Luke.

“Come on, we don't want to be late.” Luke said after removing his arms from around Cate and heading over to the driver’s seat. Andre makes a whole thing of opening up the passenger seat for Kate and I get into the back seat with Jordan sliding in next to me.

The entire car ride was spent awkwardly avoiding whatever feud Jordan and Marie had going one and trying to get everyone better. Cate and I talked more about our glove choices, mine were black with a red heart detail and hers were stunningly sculpted brown ones. The playlist was (thankfully) controlled by Jordan, which ended up with music that could have been stolen from my own playlist.

When we finally got to our first destination, my jaw dropped - I had only been to Seven tower a handful of times. Mostly to deal with lawsuits from accidental deaths, there were surprisingly few of them for the amount of death that seemed to follow me everywhere. Luke and Cate managed to get us up on the roof, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Homelander could literally hear us up here. Better not to think about that.

So I took a hit of coke after Andre passed me his little vial - drugs were a way to kind of quell the murderous impulses my power demanded plus they were fun to do when around friends. Doing coke alone does not have the same effect - trust me.

“Hell yes! I forgot you did this stuff.” Andre said as I spied Luke wandering off to talk to Marie.

“Eh sometimes. I usually stick to weed or shrooms. The harder stuff messes with this whole thing when I’m hungover.” I said as I raised my hands to try and illustrate my point, wow okay this was strong stuff. I could quite literally already feel the haze starting to form around my brain.

“What exactly is your power anyway?” Jordan asked as we continued to do some more bumps.

“Oh well basically everything I touch dies.”

“So your skin is poisonous?”

“No, I absorb energy or rather life force. Here.” I wander over to one of the randomly placed potted plants and take off my glove, only to place my fingers on the red petals. The plant started to shrivel up and die about a second later.

“Awesome.” We were both clearly starting to feel the effects of the coke. We started to laugh as we made our way back to the main group.

The next stop on our little unsanctioned outing was some fancy club that Andre had been raving about the entire drive over there from the tower. I lean against one of the golden walls as I watch Cate do her thing.

“We don’t have one but you don’t give a fuck. Right?”

“I do not give a fuck.” The doorman leads us straight into the club and I smile widely at Cate.

“You are such a fucking badass.”

“I know.”

After getting some much needed drinks I lean back against the red seats and stretch out my arms. This many people were making me antsy and drugs and alcohol can only settle so much of my power.

“So yeah, basically this fucking idiot decided we should have a lightsaber duel in the middle of Grand Central and someone must have called the cops cause they randomly pulled up and we were arrested for ‘disrupting the peace’.”

The entire group burst out laughing and one of the many stories I had from when Andre and I would hang out as teens - we sort of drifted ever since he got to GodU but it felt just like old times.

“Alright, alright, enough embarrassing stories about our arrests. You guys in?” Andre asks as he holds up a bag of Molly and Jordan snatches it from his hold.

“Is that cocaine?”

“Nah we finished all the coke. It’s Molly. Vic?”

“Ooo yes please.” Jordan smiles charmingly and passes the little bag over to me.

“Hey I don’t really fuck with powder. But I do microdose shrooms.” Luke says with an almost triumphant tone as he also pulls out another bag.

“Hey where do you get yours from? I need a good dealer now that I’ve moved from LA.” I ask Luke before passing the bag containing Molly back to Andre.

“I’ll send you my guy’s number.”

“Thanks man.”

“So, what do you say, freshman?”

“Uh-”

“Hey Marie, you don’t have to - we are not trying to peer pressure you but… it’ll be funnn.” I smile widely and wiggle my eyebrows making her laugh, Cate also joins in on my teasing and she relents.

“Yes, let's go Marie.”

“Whooo. Come on, let's dance.”

That’s when I suddenly feel a little part of me sober up, fuck. It was a bad memory - the last time I danced was homecoming. A really sweet guy had asked me out and of course I had said yes. It was one accidental touch of my cheek against his and a few seconds later he laid dead in the middle of the dance floor. I ended up changing to homeschool after that whole incident, there had been issues across the years but overall this was one of the worst.

“Vic?” I shake out of my stupor as I look up at Cate extending her hand in invitation.

“Nah I don’t dance.” She must have seen something in my eyes cause she smiled softly and retracted her hand.

“Ok, just know you’re missing out on a great time.” She pulled Marie off towards the dance floor and I took a sip of the whiskey I had ordered.

“Any reason you’re not dancing out there? I remember all those clubs we sneaked into and you fucking killed it everytime.” Andre asked as he leaned back against the cushions.

“Andre, darling, that’s not proper club conversation. I’m going to go get another drink, you guys want anything?”

“I’ll come with you.” Jordan exclaimed as they sprang up from his seat and started following me towards the bar. I could quite literally feel the smirk that Andre and Luke had on their faces. Suddenly I heard a small pop next to me and I turned to see that Justin had shifted.

“You want anything specific?” I asked with a slight tilt of my head.

“I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

“Wise choice.” I winked at them and leaned over to wave to the bartender. He, obviously trying to flirt, ended up giving us a bunch of free vodka shots and 2 whiskies, the top shelf stuff.

“So how are you liking GodU so far?”

“It’s greatish. There’s so many bloody supes.” Jordan just raised their eyebrows at me as she helped me carry over the drinks.

“Oh I definitely know what you’re talking about. Have you met Rufus yet?”

“No?” I look at them in question and she looks at me with relief.

“Pray that you don’t.” We dissolved into laughter for a second time that night and finally set our drinks down at the booth.

“Well don’t you two look cozy.” Luke remarked.

“You changed? Why?”

“Cause I fucking felt like it. And more free drinks.”

“Here here.” Luke agreed as we each held up a vodka shot.

“To the Seven.”

“No way.” I look at Luke in minor awe, he actually got a place in the motherfucking Seven.

“I literally just told you.”

“Yeah well you do know that I’m an open book, plus you have to invite me to the tower sometime. I crush so hard on A-train… imagine that man in bed.”

“And that is exactly why he won’t be inviting you.” I added after taking my shot.

“It’s the least surprising surprise ever but congrats. You deserve it. When are you leaving?”

“More like when do you get to be number one?”

“Please, the trustees think I’m too confusing. I’ll never get number one.”

“They put you in the orientation video.”

“Yeah so they can suck their own dicks about how progressive they are.”

I listen to each of them debating the merits and the downsides (mostly Andre) of getting ranked number one when I start to feel it. Goddammit. Every life force around me seemed to pulse. I could see literal life running through each person’s veins and the conversation started to grow further and further away.

Quickly fishing in the pocket of my jacket I pulled out a few tablets of the experimental drug Vought was testing out on well… just me. I place one of the cylindrical neon green pills on my tongue and wash it back with another shot of vodka. A few seconds later everything went back to normal and I watched Luke and Andre have a whole bro moment. It was actually quite touching.

“By the way I forgot to mention but you’ve looked so fucking hot tonight.” Jordan turned to look at me with a slight smirk on their face.

“Oh you haven’t seen anything yet.” She winked and I felt a blush start to color my cheeks. Okay game on baby.

We all end up dispersing after a while and I start walking around all the warm bodies, being extra careful to avoid my face touching anyone’s exposed skin. That was extra hard when you’re in a club so I decided to just take a step out onto the balcony. Spying through the doors, I took in breaths of sobering air and watched as Jordan easily flirted with a group of girls.

Fuck Vought and fuck my dad for this stupid power. I turned towards the ivy growing over the balcony railing and without a second thought I ripped off my gloves and pressed my palms to the stems.

Life thrummed through my veins, I sucked it in deeper and deeper until I finally reached the roots of the ivy. I felt them start to rot away and die as my power crept into every crevice and cell. Stealing away vitality. Suddenly I was wrenched away from my ivy killing by high pitched screaming. I leave for a single second…

Quickly pulling on my gloves I looked into the chaos that was created over a woman’s body whose throat was punctured by a tiny metal hummingbird. Andre you fucking idiot.

Calculating how to get out of the club without actually having to go through the chaos I saw a few window sills that would easily get me close enough to the fire escape on the next building.

Using my supe strength I jumped between each sill until I was near the fire escape. Taking a few deep breaths in and out I jumped and let gravity take over. It was a few seconds of bliss before my entire body slammed against the hard metal railing with a resounding bang. Goddamit sometimes I wish that I got pain tolerance when I was injected with V.

The next few steps down were easy and I was able to get to street level and disappear into the night without getting noticed. My phone dinged as I started putting on my headphones and I looked down to find that I had been added to a group chat:

(possibly Cate Dunlap): vic you good?

you sort of disappeared

we’re on our way back to GodU.

Me: yup all good

god Andre u need to be more careful.

A.A.: u don’t think I know that

u need us to pick u up?

Me: that would be appreciated

*you have now enabled geotracker with the group*

(possibly Jordan Li): see you in a bit!

Waking up after a night out was a bitch. Carefully maneuvering out of bed without activating my headache too much was even more of a challenge.

“You good there?” I heard a shout loud enough to rattle my very soul reverberating through the room.

“Fuck Gemma a little quieter please.” Her laugh twinkled in the air but even it's usually nice sound zapped my brain.

“I thought supes didn’t get hangovers.”

“Yeah they don’t- it was all the people.” And the experimental Vought pill I felt like saying.

“Oh shit yeah sorry.”

“Right, I'm going to have a shower.” Gingerly grabbing my shower essentials I picked my way through the already busy hall. Communal showers sucked.

Thankfully, 3 coffees later I finally started to feel a little more like myself. Andre had made me promise last night that I would have to help him with some power drink promotion. So off to commons I went, the sun seemed to burn my eyelids so a pair of slim blue lenses adorned my face. The shade perfectly matched my gloves.

What I didn’t expect to find outside the school of crimefighting was Luke. Completely flamed out and Andre stepped closer and closer to him. My eyes widened and I started running - the blue gloves were torn off and I nearly collided with Marie when Luke (thank the universe) stopped flaming out.

“What… Marie, what is going on?”

“I- I found him murdering Brink.” If my eyes widened any further I was pretty sure my eyeballs would quite literally jump out of my head.

“WHAT?” I turned towards Luke again to find that he had started walking away from Andre, muttering apologies under his breath. I could identify that crazed look in his eyes. He knew he was cornered and he didn’t want to run anymore.

Luke started flaming out and suddenly flew up into the sky… only to make himself completely explode. Blood, guts, muscle, bones and brains started raining down.

The ‘materials’ that managed to touch my uncovered face and hands thrummed with power. That was strange. It was as if they were still alive somehow. The cells oozed energy.

My power started to immediately absorb whatever life-force the cells had remaining and then I felt a foreign kind of ache. It felt like a cold burn spreading all over my hands and my face, bringing my palm up to my face. I was surprised to see a tiny flame start to sputter on.

What the actual fuck?

did you know that human cells can stay alive for hours and sometimes even days after you die? so yes the ending makes sense - I did research. also Vic has never "absorbed" another supe before - her mom was human.... so we shall see how that affects her hehe.

if you want to be added to the taglist lmk!!

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mayfriend · 6 months

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the way the andrecateluke trio truthers took multiple hits to the face this episode, but also not. the way andre loved luke and still betrayed him, the way cate loved andre and luke both and betrayed them, the way in luke's last message he told them he loved them. the way the last thing luke said before he died was say he loved andre, and he was sorry. he was sorry. this story was always a tragedy. they were dead from the beginning

#gen v #gen v spoilers #luke riordan #andre anderson #cate dunlap #meta #emily speaks #anyway uh. i need someone to write a happy poly au fucking STAT

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immediatebreakfast · 5 months

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Besides everything that happened, and Hyde's sudden, and convenient "disappearance" from London, I'm still very impressed how Jekyll keeps digging himself in a deeper hole while pretending that he is not even in a hole in the first place.

His lies are not sloppy by a mile because Jekyll cannot afford any kind of error whenever it is financial, or worse social. Yet, the glaring error of Jekyll's lies is that he tried to cover them up so much to the point of cancelling everything. The letter on itself was a mistake, it wasn't needed when Utterson already trusts Jekyll enough to believe in his spoken words.

When Utterson visited Jekyll he was prepared for anything regarding Hyde, but he found the man so miserable that he simply just laid out the facts in a dry manner like he always has done through the text. Hell, it could even be read that Utterson was sympathetic of Jekyll's visible sickness, he did not like how Jekyll swore on his good name that he would never contact Hyde again, but at least Utterson seemed conviced that this time it would be true.

Then the letter appears. Ah yes I have conveniently received this letter from Hyde that I don't know where it came from (while implying that he does know where Hyde is). I don't know what to do with this, but you do.

"Utterson; you would judge wisely, I am sure; I have so great a trust in you.

The letter is perfectly worded in a way that placates Utterson's worries immediatly, please don't show this crucial piece of information to the cops to solve the murder of an innocent man, no there was no envelope it is ashes now, and Jekyll let Utterson arrive to his own conclusions while not even saying a word, and getting the letter out of his house.

Truly a perfect cover up... If Jekyll didn't underestimate Utterson's nature of checking all of his information as a lawyer. Was the letter supposed to be a safe way to convince Utterson that it was all over, or was it a way for Jekyll to see if Utterson would lie to the police for him?

#Sorry if this doesn't make sense I think my braincells are dying via headache #There was no reason for him to write that letter #I don't want to think about it because we know that Jekyll Cates about Utterson but...#Does Jekyll think that Utterson is that naive?#jekyll and hyde weekly #the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde #henry jekyll #gabriel utterson

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andrewthedeadly · 6 months

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gen v au where nothing is horrible.

andre and marie become the instant bffs bc black solidarity and andres been itching for a fellow skin twin on campus.

he introduces marie to everyone and instead of murder marie and jordan hook up that night. ( you could say a different kind of murder was happening hehe)

the luke / cate / andre triangle is still there but is resolved through gods gift to horny people, polyamory. eventually they get there shit tgt after multiple boughts of angst.

about sam and emma i kinda like the idea that andre still goes to emma if he finds out and she still goes to find sam. but lets pretend cate had an early change of heart since luke is alive and well.

and everyone lives happily ever after

#deadly rambles #gen v #andre anderson #marie moreau #sam riordan #luke riordan #emma myers #jordan li #cate dunlap #my writing bone is tingling #a meet cute friend ship w andre/marie #they become eachothers confidants about they’re relationship #andre puts marie on w jordan #and marie tells andre take his head out of his ass #sam and emma jus vibe idk

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literaryspinster · 5 months

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I’m sorry but my fingers are just too itchy and I can’t take being excited to tackle a new fic for granted because the writer’s block has been absolutely crazy. After I’m done with the current chapter of my current fic, I’m starting my Jordan and Marie join The Seven story.

Some things to know-

It will be set about four years in the future

It’s an alternate universe where everything went relatively smoothly at God U

Nobody knows that Jordan can switch genders except for Marie, Andre, Emma and Cate, with whom they fight on a Teen Titans esque team with before Marie and Jordan are recruited (something happened in their past that made them decide to hide but I won’t get into a crazy amount of detail about it). They still change frequently but are very cautious about when and where. Marie was the first to find out.

Marie and Jordan were recruited after they performed a daring rescue that went super viral.

Marie and Jordan are an established couple and marketed as such.

Everything is fucked because it’s The Boys universe.

I don’t know what I plan to do with Sam but he’ll probably be there

Luke is still dead but the circumstances were different.

Let me know if this is something you would be interested in reading 😄

#gen v #limoreau #jordan li #marie moreau #emma meyer #cate dunlap #andre anderson #sam riordan #luke riordan #honestly writing this will probably help me finish the other one

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catepagewrites · 10 months

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BESTIES!

I truly didn't think this was going to be a thing but Poorly Wired Circuit is now available to pre-order as a paperback!

I want to thank everyone who has been so supportive and kind throughout this process. Self-publishing is literally the most confusing thing ever and I don't know how I ever managed to accomplish any of it! Thank you! Endless thank yous!

#cate tries to write a book #poorly wired circuit #pwc

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francesderwent · 8 months

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see the way it works is we’re all embedded in this lovely intricate life-giving web of relationships, from God the Creator down to the lowliest of insects. and when man sinned and tried to be his own god apart from that life-giving relationship, the web of relationships was shattered all the way up and all the way down. now that we live in a world marred by the Fall, we’re always starting from a place of having to piece things back together—our relationships to each other and to God and to the world around us and to ourselves. but what God’s Revelation in Jesus Christ shows us is that we cannot piece it back together on our own. even the effects of our own personal sins are beyond us to completely heal. the initial saving action must come from God, before we can participate in our own redemption. He is the only one with the power to make things to be in harmony again. what Jesus does on the Cross is make it possible for us to reach out and join hands once more.

#just riffing now #cate writes

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guessillcallitart · 1 month

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taglist: @aloeverawrites, @your-absent-father, @rbbess110, @yesireadbooks, @full-on-sam, @athenswrites, @albatris, @the-mindless, @anonymousfoz, @jacqueswriteblrlibrary (ask to be added or removed)

(moodboard pics from pinterest)

#victorianshannon #cate #onehitwonder #writerblr #my writing #writing #moodboard #character aesthetic #lgbtq characters #tw: cigarette

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bloodynereid · 6 months

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Forgotten Snows

pairing: cate dunlap x fem! reader

tw: mentions of andre, running away, swearing, kissing... that's literally it probably wow

description: cate decides to run away from her supe life, only to find a welcoming new home and maybe something more?

a/n: this low-key feels very rom-com-like lol. also sry for not getting to requests, this idea got stuck in my head and would not leaveee so i obv had to write it. hope you enjoy and lmk ur thoughts <3 ALSO WE NEED MORE CATE FICS PLS

Cate quickly readjusted her gloves and blew a few strands of blonde hair out of her face. The strong ocean wind beat relentlessly against her exposed cheeks and she cuddled closer into her thick white knit sweater. The cold of the metal railing bit into her arms, making Cate smile. She actually did it. She finally left.

After exposing The Woods and God U for what it was, Cate had made the executive decision to run away. She had caused so much hurt even when all she ever wanted to do was help people. The only person she told was Jordan. Her best friend who had clearly understood what she needed to do. Cate didn’t even tell Andre, fearing that he would somehow convince her to stay.

She didn’t know if she even loved him all that much anymore. Sure, she will always hold him dear to her heart but after everything… So she had scrounged up all the money she had been saving up, somehow coming up with a substantial amount to allow her to buy a little house in a remote island of Canada. It was located near the waterfront (only a 20 minute walk!) and overall the population of the island was about 200 people. Perfect.

Cate had even managed to find a job. Granted it didn’t pay as much as she would have been paid if she became a career supe but it would let her live comfortably for as long as she wanted. The job consisted of being a book editor for a random little online publishing house, which meant she could work remotely and totally online.

The remainder of her money was spent purchasing charter plane and ship tickets as well as a new, much warmer, wardrobe. She was basically moving into the Arctic Circle, which meant that her usual cardigans and shirts weren’t going to cut it.

Snow crunched under her sturdy boots as Cate hauled up her heavy suitcase along the gravel paths. A few hours ago she had finally arrived in the port of the island that she would now call home. Somehow she had been able to catch a car that was making its way in the general direction of her new house. Unfortunately for her, that same car dropped her off quite a few kilometers from her destination, but she couldn’t blame the elderly couple who looked like they were eager to finally get home.

Her supe stamina was the only thing that seemed to sustain her as she traveled the paths, constantly looking down at the map she had downloaded into her photos. Cate knew that her Google Maps probably would not work at all until she got closer to her new house. She didn’t expect there to be any signal on this island, except near specific houses or the three tiny towns.

The sun was starting to set by the time she had arrived at the path leading directly to her door. The lights inside the house were off but the porch light was on and smoke was coming out from the chimney. Furrowing her eyebrows, Cate turned to look at the house that sat a few paces away from her own and was surprised to see that a woman, about her age, was shoveling snow.

The woman had her headphones in but the gentle hum of her voice echoed through the expanse. She must be her new neighbor.

Cate smiled slightly before starting up her trek again. Finally seeing her destination had given the tired blonde a boost of energy. The clear path leading to her porch allowed Cate to pull her suitcase up more easily and after depositing it next to the door, she turned to look at the woman. Gravel poked into the soles of her boots as Cate made her way to her. Picking up a gloved hand she lightly tapped the woman’s right shoulder.

Soft folk music echoed through your old headphones. Shoveling snow was monotonous but necessary work. Especially with the newest addition to the island coming today. Cate Dunlap. Unfortunately estate agents weren’t really a thing on an island that sat in the midst of the Arctic Circle. So you had been the one to list everything online and figure a way to sift through all possible applications, which ended up being pretty scarce.

The second home, which your parents used to use as a guest house/office, had been listed for almost a year now. The only three applications you had gotten were from people who either seemed like escaped convicts or generally creepy men. Something that would not do if you were going to be living a few seconds away from them. But then a month ago a saving grace of an application arrived in your email.

Cate Dunlap, 21, single and was willing to move in as soon as possible. The letter that was attached as well as the recommendation made the decision for you. So here you were, after prepping everything inside the house - making sure it was warm enough and stocked up for the week, waiting for Cate to arrive.

What you didn’t seem to realize was that your old headphones were still pretty soundproof. The feeling of a hand against your thick work coat made a loud shriek come out of your mouth before you swiveled around, clutching your chest with one hand and pulling your headphones down with the other.

“Oh shit! I’m so sorry. I thought you-” Oh my God. Cate Dunlap was stunning. Her blonde hair was tucked under a black beanie and a white fisherman’s sweater peaked out from under her thick sage green coat.

“No, no I should be the one apologizing. I was literally expecting you, we just don’t get a bunch of people around here like… ever.”

“You were the one who did all this?” Cate asked as she gestured towards the house.

“Yup, I also stocked up food for like the next week or so.” Her mouth dropped in an incredulous expression.

“You really did not have to do that.”

“Of course I did! I sold you the house plus you deserve a warm-ish welcome to our wonderful little island.” You both let out a small chuckle and Cate continues to brilliantly smile at you.

“Wait, you were the seller? I didn’t realize that you would-”

“Also be living here? Yeah. Your new house was actually part of my family’s property since we built these two places. I’m just living here alone now, and I really don’t need all that space. So…”

“Woah, that’s so cool. It’s nice to actually have a local to help though, I haven’t lived in a place like this well ever.”

“I’ll be here if you ever need anything, and by anything I mean anything. Here, why don’t we get your stuff inside and I can get some tea ready?” You asked as you started to put your shovel away.

“Oh God yes, that sounds incredible right now.”

You pulled out a series of keys from your jacket pocket and swiftly got Cate’s house key out from the bunch. After giving the door a few firm pushes it flew open and the warm air started whooshing out.

“Here quickly, we don’t want the house to get cold.” You both laughed and Cate pushed her suitcase through the threshold. You pushed the door closed behind her and turned towards the blonde who was spinning around and marvelling at the surroundings.

Cate was completely taken aback by the house, she didn’t expect it to be so home-like already. Movie posters lined the entry of the house, stuff she had actually watched. The floor was hard-wood, which looked insanely expensive. Pulling her suitcase behind her, Cate took peeks at the different rooms that filled the house.

There was a living room which was covered in books, a desk and had stunning paintings covering the remaining walls, this was also where the fireplace was set. A bathroom with a full bath and shower, completely covered in what looked like hand painted tiles. The kitchen was similarly decorated but this time with bright blue tiles and had full appliances plus a huge pantry. Finally there was a bedroom at the end of the house, it was simple and much less decorated but looked cosy. The bed was covered in a variety of furs and there was an antique closet and vanity set. A space heater was also placed on one side of the room.

“So what do you think?” Came a questioning call from the threshold of the bedroom, spinning around she was met with the slightly nervous expression of her neighbor, even if her eyes shined with kindness.

“Oh my God it’s fucking incredible. Did you decorate it all by yourself? I didn’t even realize- wait, I’m so sorry. This was so rude of me but I never asked your name.”

“I’m Y/N L/N, at your service.” Y/N said as she gave Cate a mock bow, making both of them laugh. “And yup I had some extra time after my parents died and well renovating was a great distraction.” You added in a slightly more somber tone, with a wistful look in your eyes.

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry.” Cate started to say as a sad look appeared in her eyes.

“No, don't be sorry. I- they both had cancer, which fucking sucks but I continue to do their work. I miss them you know? They didn’t deserve to leave the world so soon.”

“My parents are both absolute assholes but I understand where you’re coming from. My uh boyfriend… also died, he killed himself”

“Shit, that fucking sucks. I’m so sorry. Ok well let’s get some joy back in here. This is turning into a deeply angsty moment when we should be celebrating you coming here… so why don’t go unpack and I’ll get some tea on.”

“You really don’t have to do that.”

“I want to. Now shoo before I make you.” Cate shuddered slightly in pleasure as Y/N turned around and made her way to the kitchen. God, she thought you were absolutely drop dead gorgeous. How the hell was she going to be able to function with you looking like that?

The next few weeks were spent in pure bliss for you and Cate. You spent nights at each other’s houses, binging movies on respective laptops or just curling up on the couch reading books. Life had slowed down a bit more for you than Cate job-wise because summer season was coming to an end. That meant shorter days, less tourists and much colder nights.

“So you never actually told me what you do?” Cate had asked one night as you were tucked under the array of furs on your bed as wind and snow howled outside the window.

“Oh I’m a conservationist mostly but I also work at the National Park, giving tours and making sure the habitats of the animals are undisturbed. Other than that I also write a bit.”

“Ooo what do you write, I could get you a deal with my company.” Cate said as she twirled around in the bed to look at you as you threw your head back and a ringing laugh filled the room.

“I don’t think so. My stuff is absolute shit. It’s mostly short stories.”

“Oh come on, it’s not.” Cate said as she softly smacked your shoulder. “And you have to show me one of your short stories sometime.”

“No way.”

“Yes way.”

“No way.” That little playful argument was concluded when Cate pounced on you and started tickling you.

The first time that your relationship was tested (and very much strengthened) was on a random Tuesday. You had somehow managed to rope Cate into helping you with fixing up your little snowmobile. You sighed loudly and threw down the tools before moving your oil covered hands to smooth over your face, which was definitely a mistake. Now instead of just being frustrated you were also covered in engine oil.

“Shit, that looks…” You sent Cate a glare which had her raising her arms in defeat but still letting a small snicker out of her mouth. “Sorry! What exactly do you need help with?”

“There’s a damn bolt I can’t reach, I swear I need to get some kind of stand for this thing-” You cut yourself off as you watched Cate easily pick up the vehicle and turn to look at you. That was when she realized what she had just done.

“Okay, okay, so before you freak out-”

“How the fuck did you do that? Wait, are you one of those superheroes?” You asked quickly, it felt like the words were just flying right out of your mouth.

“I- uh fuck, yeah I am. Look, if you want to stop being my friend I’m totally fine with that. I’ll even move out-” Cate started to stutter out, panic encased her features making your face soften.

“Woah, woah, woah. Catey I think you’re fucking great. Who cares if you have a little extra something that most normal people don’t. Actually I think it’s pretty fucking cool okay? Don’t you dare leave.” You exclaimed with a passionate tone in your voice as you stepped closer and closer to Cate. You grabbed her hands and looked deeply into her eyes.

“I- I don’t want to leave either.”

“You bet your ass you don’t.” Cate let out a snort and smiled brightly at you. There was something in her eyes that made you take the next move. A move that you had been wanting to make ever since you first saw her.

Carefully moving your face towards hers, you watched to see if Cate was going to pull away, but she didn’t. No, instead she surged forward and grabbed your face with her soft gloves, kissing the very soul out of you.

It didn’t feel exactly like fireworks, it was so much better. It felt almost like experiencing the Northern Lights. An array of beautiful colors and sensations flew behind your closed eyes. It also felt like all your nights cuddled up in bed, sharing a hot chocolate that would sear your tongues with each sip. Cate felt like home.

whooo that was fun to write. i love her sm - anyways hope you all enjoyed it !!! if there are any inaccuracies, i literally tried to do a bunch of random research but i probably missed some stuff sry so just lmk.

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epersonae · 2 years

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Writers Guild of America, East interview with David Jenkins (I've seen another link floating around but this one has a transcript, which I read instead of listening to the audio)

there's a lot of interesting stuff about process in this one, both the writing and the production, and the fantastical imagination of what they're trying to create. (note the Princess Bride reference!)

I'm particularly obsessed by/fascinated with this line in particular:

the first team is the writer’s room, which is going to be the brain of the show and it’s going to be the sociological imagination of the show

I think this also says a lot about where the show is coming from:

you’re looking for different writers and you’re looking for people of all different backgrounds and then you find them and very quickly it’s like, “Okay, cool. Now who’s writing comedic characters that I believe in? I believe that they have something going on internally. They’re not just jokes.” I don’t like comedy, I call it life is cheap comedy, where people are mean to each other and that’s the joke. I don’t like that.

also, what the fuck:

[Taika Waititi] talked about master and commander. I talked about 24 hour party people because I thought we could maybe combine those vibes, maybe those are two vibes that could be in the show.

#also it will never not be hilarious to me that he saw that the real life people sailed together and went: this is a romance right?#it's been a hot minute since I've watched 24 hour party people #ok someone write THAT AU lol #ofmd #ofmd interview #aaaaaaaaa he's in new zealand right now #also joking about Cate Blanchett jfc

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stellasfictionalworld · 2 months

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part 1.

part 2.

a/n: i love this dumb nepo baby who is trying his best. takes place sophomore year, and the golden/godolkin four are getting big. reader is referred to as cupid.

reader x andre anderson

cw: (i mean you’ve watched the show so) implied sex, swearing, under age drinking, fluff

word count: 1,010

It was the annual gala held for Godolkin University. The start of your sophomore year, and time for the Student Rankings to move around again. Your mission? Make it to the top 5. Your heels ached, and your stomach wanted something more than champagne, but you were terrified of your dress popping if you did. You laughed dryly, while your mom’s gloved hand touched your shoulder. Your face already started to ache from the fake smiles and you excused yourself from potential sponsors.

You’d given polite smiles all the way to the bathroom, then let out a deep sigh. You rubbed your face, fixed your makeup, and smoothed out any creases in your dress. Then you headed back out with your head held high. Despite the fact your mom lived through you, she still looked out for you. That pat on the shoulder was your cue to take a beat and come back with a non-pained smile on your face. You strode past the bar but whipped your head back to catch your peers at the bar.

Luke Riodarn, flying through the Student Rankings ever since the end of freshman year. His arms were around Cate Dunlap, who was using a bottle of vodka to cover up her giggles. Your eyes drifted to Andre Anderson, son of B-tier hero Polarity, with an arm slinking around a girl. Cate must have used her powers to sneak them a bottle of booze and they started to walk away. Then Cate found you staring at them, and she grinned widely. She curled her leathered hands and waved you over.

You took a step forward but didn’t move an inch closer. There was guilt pooling in your chest, but you shook it off. You’d guaranteed enough sponsors, plus your mom could take care of the rest alone. So you trailed behind the group and grabbed a pretty glass for yourself. You sat across from Luke and put your glass down.

“So, Cupid,” Cate laughed, her face flushed and eyes glassy, “I’ve heard you backed off on the… y’know…” she tilted her head to the side slightly.

“Fucking,” Andre finished the sentence for her. He poured you a glass and you nodded in his direction.

“Andre,” Cate said hushed with wide eyes.

“It’s fine. I got bored,” you shrugged and took a sip of the drink, “and realized I was a freshman whore,” you scrunched up your nose.

“And your ranking fucking dropped,” Andre cracked a smile.

“You should get a prize for that,” Jordan chipped in, “Fastest way to lose your rating, by the Cupid.” They had a smug look on their face and you rolled your eyes. They took a seat next to you and muttered a sarcastic “thanks.”

“That’s why I wanna go for more of a… Aphrodite vibe,” you said.

“That’s not bad,” Luke sent a smile your way.

“Anyway, this shit is boring holy fuck,” you rubbed the bridge of your nose, “I can’t fuck freely,” you groaned. It was true, now more than ever it was crucial. It could easily get political, and start unnecessary drama, leading to a plummet in your career (which hadn’t even started). You finished your drink and let Andre pour another one.

“Well if you ever need someone to fuck in secret,” Andre winked at you, “I’m down.”

“Don’t tempt me,” you said and then frowned, “but you aren’t the first to offer.”

That other girl from before was long gone, his attention now on you. Your cheeks were flushed from the good stuff already, but the way he inched closer to listen made your face burn.

“Ooookay guys,” Cate almost tripped while getting up and Luke flinched to catch her. “I’ve snuck in, drunk my booze, and I’m ready to go. Byeee,” she grabbed Luke’s hand with a wide smile before disappearing with him. Jordan had disappeared from your side too. You looked back at Andre and you both laughed softly.

“Shit,” Andre dragged out the word and then took another sip.

“Listen, Andre,” you started with your brows knitted together, “I appreciate your offer, but… I mean yes but… fuck never mind,” you looked over your shoulder. The dresses and suits were slowly dispersing.

“No no sorry,” Andre caught your eyes, and you swallowed thickly, “I didn’t mean it, kinda,” he said. “I mean yes that offer still stands but– fuck-” he scrambled for his words.

“I get what you mean,” you stopped him from further embarrassment, “but let’s start by being friends,” you said.

He looked a little surprised, but then his face melted into something softer. He poured out the last of the bottle.

“Friendship,” he nodded his head towards you, and you clinked his glass.

“Friendship,” you grinned.

…

You went to bed with a warm fuzzy feeling in your chest. Something you hadn’t felt since freshman year in high school. The alcohol helped numb out your mom’s bitchy comments towards you when you found her later that night. You fell asleep with ease.

When you woke up, you were immediately met with multiple notifications. One from an unknown number, so you opened its message.

1:05 am

hey this is andre.

1:06 am

i got your number from one of your old… friends? he kinda seemed like a dick.

You rolled your eyes, wondering which hookup it was. You never really had friends from freshman year.

1:10am

me, luke, cate, and jordan were invited to this party. let me know if you wanna come.

You saved his number and started to type out a text. Annoyingly enough, you couldn’t decide on what to type. You spent about 10 minutes before hitting send.

11:23 am

i’ll be there :)

You set your phone down, and it buzzed immediately. Your brows shot up as you saw a text from Andre. He’d forwarded the invite to you and told you to dress nice but not gala nice. You were hoping for a more chill setting for today’s Saturday evening, but it was a party, right? Who could say no?

#gen v #gen v x reader #andre anderson x reader #cate dunlap #jordan li #gen v fic #luke riordan #andre anderson #friends to more #bare with me on this fic #i love andre and needed to make SOMETHING #very excited to keep writing for this #reader x andre anderson

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coachbeards · 3 months

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this is still one of the funniest videos i've ever seen. i just love how this + season three's pressroom cemented that you should absolutely NOT give beard a microphone

#ted lasso #coach beard #beard going wildly off tangent is so real of him he's just like me #i love how beard is just a WILDLY opinionated person but about the WEIRDEST things. telling nate which british slang terms he approved of #telling nate that cate blanchett can't fit into famous kates bc it's a different spelling #he WILL ramble for two hours to the pub guys and write allllll his thoughts down in trent's book #which i don't think are critiques!!! i just think beard has a lot to say and we saw him do the same thing with his inverting the pyramid bo #beard feels a Lot and Says a lot

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bigirlsdontc5y · 6 months

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My thoughts on Marie, Jordan, & Halloween

If they don't do a couples costume...

Jordan is definitely the type to pretend they’re chill about Halloween when they’re absolutely not. If someone asks about their costume beforehand, they’re like, “I’m not going.”

Spoiler Alert: They go.

When (not if) they go out, their costume is most likely a character from an iconic video game or action movie. I can see them as Lara Croft, which is a great choice, because the costume is super slutty in both forms. Or they show up in a yellow tracksuit with black stripes on the sides, and when people inevitably say, "Oh, you're the bride?"

They’re like, "No, I'm Bruce Lee in Game of Death 🤨"

They chose their costume, specifically, to throw people off. It's a fun little game they play. But Marie guesses correctly on the first try, and Jordan is a little annoyed for the rest of the night.

Anyway, Jordan wins the costume contest with a costume they started working on at 9 pm the night before.

Marie, on the other hand, is 100% a last minute costume person. The only reason she’s dressed up is because Emma asked her to. And by dressed up, I mean she bought a cat ear headband from Walgreens for 5 dollars on her way to the event. Emma is going as a sexy mouse or Alice (of Alice in Wonderland), so they technically match. Just one person put effort into their costume, and the other person still has the tags on theirs.

If they do a couples costume...

I had a lot of different ideas when I was theorizing this. At first, I wanted Marie as Claudia from IWTV(2022). I feel like Marie would find a lot of comfort in her character. Claudia, like Marie, did not get to experience girlhood in the same way as her peers. Choices they could not make for themselves took it from them. Marie was given compound v as a baby, and they turned Claudia while she was unconcious. Both instances made them into something their family members were disturbed/afraid of. (This is me advocating that someone get to work on a Claudia & Marie edit.) But I eventually decided I wanted to do a couple's costume, and Claudia does not work with that.

Because I was still very attracted to the idea of Marie as a vampire, I stuck with it. I wanted to do something with classical monsters because the tropes they come with have so much fascinating symbolism.

Vampire novels, to me, are about hidden desires. Vampires are creatures that take what they want when they want it. Usually, it's an analogy for general hedonism, queerness, sex, gender ambiguity, etc, etc. The main character of a vampire novel is often disturbed by their desires, needs, and inability to control when they engage with those needs.

Jordan and Marie feel a certain amount of insecurity and discomfort around their powers. There was a time when Jordan didn't shift unless necessary, and Marie believes her powers make her a danger to society. Their discomfort harms them more than helps them because their powers are a part of their identity. Those characteristics make them conceptually aligned with the vampire.

Another choice, in line with the theme of identity and uncontrollable compulsions, was Maren and Lee from Bones and All. But I felt like Lee wasn’t a character that Jordan would be interested in embodying.

Eventually, I settled on Marie being a vampire and Jordan being a werewolf. Werewolves share a lot of themes with vampires, but there’s one key difference. Werewolves explore ideas around transformation. Sometimes, their transformation is permanent, but usually, the werewolf is in constant movement between being a werewolf and being human.

Werewolves are about a fear of the true self. It’s the idea that being free and exploring things outside the mainstream will hurt other people. Being different from the masses makes you a danger to society. This story is preached to a werewolf so often that they believe it themselves. They take desperate measures not to shift. Even though said measures harm them. A werewolf is depicted as being in constant emotional turmoil because they’re not “strong enough” to prioritize the needs of their community over themselves.

The werewolf's experience mirrors Jordan's experience. Their parents, ex-partners, and Vought tell them their identity is too confusing. That their identity is hurting their relationships. And that their identity is hurting their career. They tell Jordan that if they just stayed a boy, their life would be better. But Jordan knows staying a boy would be a disservice to themselves and their happiness.

Jordan putting on the costume of a werewolf is their form of reclamation. They take it on as a symbol of what they used to be (afraid of themselves) and contort it to their current feelings of who they are. Jordan’s Werewolf is about being yourself, being free, and making your own decisions.

The couple's costume Is 100% Jordan's brainchild, and Marie just agreed to go along with it. They go as a nerdy vampire and a werewolf jock. Their costumes are a fun twist on 1950s youth culture. While they’re visually mainstream, taking on the role of a monster separates them from it. The 1950s was a time when the policing of gender and sexuality was at an all-time high. Playing these characters for Halloween is a fun, transgressive experiment.

With that, I’ll walk you through each mood board and explain some of my aesthetic choices.

Marie’s preppy vampire has claw-like nails. Her teeth are sharp and uncomfortably white. She wears a neutral-colored button-up with a knit vest pulled over it. On her feet are a pair of unstylish black oxfords and fuzzy red socks. To keep her hair out of her face, she dons a ribbon or headband. A pleated skirt and leather belt tuck in her top. Blood paints her face.

The costume includes a brooch. Which is in reference to the 1950s youth culture practice of “getting pinned”. It implies that Jordan’s Werewolf and Marie’s Vampire are dating. I chose a pin that incorporated pearl with Jordan’s Frankenstein pearl necklace in mind. So it’s less of a pin and more that she has a piece of Jordan attached to her knit vest.

In her hand, Marie holds her school books, which she ties together with a brown leather strap. The book strap calls back to an era before backpacks were popular. It solidifies the time and place of her costume.

Jordan's werewolf has recently gotten into a fight. The skin around their stark yellow eyes is a dark, discolored purple, and there's a gash across their nose. Blood drenches the front of their crisp white shirt. They styled their hair after jocks of the 50s. By that, I mean (too much) gel helps to form perfectly placed curls .

For their ears, they have prosthetics that make them appear larger than they are. The ears add an extra amount of scruff to the otherwise clean-shaven look.

On their neck, Jordan has two bite marks. The implication is that the marks are from their vampiric girlfriend, Marie. I decided to include this aspect in their costume because I get the vibe that Jordan is the sort of person who engages in PDA. They like people to know Marie is their girlfriend, and the faux bite marks are a new way for them to do it.

I heavily considered having Jordan wear their signature bomber instead of a letterman. But if I went that route, it wouldn't be of a costume. So, Jordan is sporting a blue letterman jacket to solidify their werewolf's role as a jock.

(Bonus - Cate is a siren, Sam is Chucky, and Andre is a loser.)

Happy Halloween,

bigirlsdontg5y

#Begging someone to make a Marie & Claudia edit #gen v #marie moreau #jordan li #limoreau #jordan li x marie moreau #halloween #I had like 7000 Pinterest tabs open to put these mood boards together.#sam riordan #andre anderson #emma meyer #cate dunlap #Jordan's mood board took like three days to make even though I had a very clear image of what I wanted #In comparison Marie's mood board took me like an hour #happy halloween #halloween costumes #halloween costume ideas #While writing this I realized that we've never seen Jordan in jeans

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