#she’s obviously no Tara strong but she’s doing a good job I think

[melancholy-ember]

Curious...and you absolutely do not have to do this. I've just been thinking about Jane and the rest of the team during the lockdown and just...what were their reactions when they heard about Kate being shot? How close were they to her? How did the news break? What's their convo around telling Lucy? Were they worried about both of them? I'm so curious

Oh boy, not going to lie I got this ask a little while ago, and I couldn't answer it right away because I didn't want to risk spoiling future chapters (Lucy's mindset). Now that we've gotten a bit of a closer look into said mindset, with a much deeper understanding coming soon, I felt a lot better about posting it.

That being said, anon, I am very sorry that you had to wait so long to see this! I never forgot about you!

Missing Moment #4: The Lockdown Pt. 2

Agent McGee, Tennant was sure, was fairly adept at his job.

His countenance was unfailingly passive, his tone was authoritative without being commanding, his mannerisms were concise and consistent with someone who was very good under extreme amounts of pressure. He didn’t bark orders, and used the power he had been given in a way that still offered a level of respect and dignity to each of the agents that were indefinitely trapped in the bullpen. 

None of these things made her any happier to see him, especially so early in the morning.

McGee made his way over to where she, Jesse, and Kai were congregated, interrupting the light, absent conversations they had been engaging in with the quiet clearing of his throat. In acknowledgement of the sound, they promptly halted all discussion. “Sorry to interrupt, but Vance needs you in the war room, Tennant. He says it's urgent.”

Tennant nodded, exchanging a meaningful look with Kai and Jess, both of whom had immediately stiffened up at McGee’s words. If Vance was calling her to the war room, for a matter that couldn’t wait… there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that they were all thinking the same thing…

Lucy.

“Alright,” Tennant said, projecting a level of ease she didn’t feel. Her heart was thudding sharply in her chest, but with both Kai and Jesse looking at her for reassurance, there was no room for her to panic. Her team needed her to be strong. “Lead the way, Agent McGee.”

The young man nodded, and together they made their way through the bullpen and up the stairs to the top level of Pearl. When they got to the door of the war room, McGee knocked gently against the glass door, still in lockdown mode, before stepping back.

“Come in,” Vance called out, sounding slightly distracted.

After they made their way inside, Tennant looked up, only to pause at what she was seeing. Knight was standing next to Vance, both of them seemingly going over a blueprint of a building that had been marked up with various notes, the easiest escape routes highlighted in bright yellow. There were coordinates and names and dates and—

McGee closed the door behind them.

Vance turned, tucking the highlighter he had been using behind his ear. Next to him, Knight offered a small, polite nod of greeting. Tennant returned the gesture before looking over and meeting the Director’s gaze. “Agent Tennant, I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here.”

Barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Tennant simply nodded again. “Yes, sir. Is everything—”

POP! POP POP!

She jumped slightly at the noise, immediately recognizing the sound of gunfire. Knight cursed slightly under her breath, spinning back around, and typing rapidly at the computer monitor. After several, long seconds—the agent blew out a sharp breath, obviously frustrated. When Vance took a step closer to her, Knight looked up and shook her head solemnly.

Vance nodded once, index finger going to the comm device in his ear. His expression stayed calm. “Agent Tara, do you copy?”

The world tilted abruptly.

With every passing moment of silence, Tennant felt more and more like she was about to be sick. She took a step towards the monitor, intending to… she didn’t know, exactly, but Vance held up a hand, halting her progression forward.

“Agent Tara,” the Director tried again, his tone ringing with a bit more intention this time. Beside him, Knight’s lower lip was caught between her teeth in an outward manifestation of her nerves. The possibility of being sick was becoming less and less hypothetical with every passing moment of silence. “I recognize that you may not be able to speak freely, that’s okay, but I need you to say something. Anything at all, so we can get ears on you.”

More silence, followed by the slightest crackle of static.

And then—

Laughter.

“He looked scared shitless, did you see that?”

It was undeniably Lucy’s voice, but the tone and words were so crass, so unlike the young woman that Tennant had come to know that it almost didn’t seem believable. While she was still in the process of coming to grips with what she had just heard, Vance and Knight had both slumped in quiet relief.

They weren’t at all fazed…

… because they didn’t know Lucy. They didn’t understand just how horribly opposite the part she was playing was to her innate character. They didn’t understand the magnitude in which things must have changed, the level that Lucy must have been forced to take it to in order to keep her cover.

But Tennant did.

And the knowledge was making bile churn dangerously in the pit of her stomach.

“Great job, Jules. That was incredibly impressive.”

That voice was different.   

Pruitt.

Vance nodded in satisfaction. “Alright, Agent Tara. We’re going dark for a minute, comms are transferring over to Knight.” With a single click, the audio abruptly cut out, and everything was suddenly silent.

“Wait,” Tennant said belatedly, having recovered from her shock a half second too late. Her mind was still frantically scrambling, trying to process and make sense of the exchange she had just overheard. It was an endeavor that had been doomed from the start, seeing as she had absolutely no context for it. “Can you get her back? I want to talk—”

“No time,” Vance interrupted coolly, slipping easily into the chair that Knight was hovering around. At the approach, the young woman wordlessly stepped a few feet to the right, and the NCIS Director began clicking through the tabs. “We got an urgent message through a secure browser, from one Michael Curtis. Does the name ring a bell?”

Tennant frowned, nodding slowly in answer. What could Curtis have wanted to tell them that was so dire he had to do through the channels? “He’s ASAC for the FBI team stationed on the island. We have a liaison, her name is Kate Whistler. He’s who she reports back to.”

He raised a brow at that, looking either disapproving or impressed.

At the moment, Tennant really couldn’t manage to bring herself to care which.

“It’s always good to develop a good working relationship with neighboring agencies. Good work Tennant,” Vance followed the words with a nod of approval. The somewhat pleased expression only lasted a moment, and then the Director cleared his throat solemnly. “He’s been accredited through outside channels, so I’ll switch over to him now.”

Vance clicked out from whatever he and Knight had been working on, switching to a secured tab, and suddenly she was face-to-face with Michael Curtis.

He looked rough.

And there really was no other way to put it, the FBI ASAC had deep, dark bags under his eyes that were strikingly obvious, and there was a subtle pallor to skin that spoke of extreme stress. He wasted exactly no time. “Whistler was shot.”

Tennant blinked at the abrupt words, the suddenness of the declaration catching her completely off guard. She was vaguely aware of the way Vance had leaned back farther into his chair, a cool, interested gaze watching her closely. “Is she okay? What’s her status?”

“It happened yesterday, midday.” Curtis ran a hand through his hair, and the way it trembled was visible through the screen. Tennant swallowed thickly, her stomach twisting sharply. “It’s still in the early stages, but it has the potential to go south quickly. Last I heard they had just finished surgery and she was on a ventilator.”

Surgery.

A ventilator.

“She’s not—” Tennant paused, taking a slow, steadying breath in. Beside her, Vance’s chin tipped up just the smallest bit, catching the swell of emotion. Knight took a few steps closer, resting a gentle hand against her back in a silent show of comfort. The gesture helped, if only because the subtle weight helped ground her slightest bit. “She’s not able to breathe on her own?”

Curtis shook his head solemnly. “It took… longer than it should have to get to her. There were reports of an explosion, so the bomb squad had to clear the scene first. Our resources were elsewhere, and Whistler paid the price for it. She lost a good amount of blood, but the doctor thinks she’ll pull through. She’s tough.”

 “Yeah,” Tennant agreed somewhat distractedly, still reeling slightly. “That she is.” 

Between the apparent existence of a spy under her nose, Lucy being undercover, the brunette’s sudden, sickeningly adopted crassness, and Kate literally getting shot, it felt a bit like the rug had been pulled out from underneath her.

How the hell had everything spiraled so quickly out of control?

She was worried about what information might have been leaked to enemies while under her watch. She was worried about how her team was handling the psychological effects of being locked within the confines of their workplace, monitored twenty-four seven while simultaneously having very little to no contact with their families. She was worried about Lucy being okay—not just physically, but mentally—because the effects of this case would linger, that much had just been made brutally obvious. She was worried about Kate making it through not only the next few days, but also the recovery itself.

She was just so fucking worried.

“You're close to her,” Curtis said, bringing Tennant back to the present. “I just wanted to let you know. But things are chaotic over here, so I'm signing off. Take care of yourself out there, Tennant.”

Tennant swallowed, trying and failing to completely banish the lump in her throat. “You too, Curtis.”

The FBI ASAC gave her one last nod, and then the call ended.

Vance was still regarding her with a level of questioning in his gaze that was palpable, but he opted not to comment on it. Whether the decision was a show of mercy or the desire to garner more information before deciding to address it, Tennant didn’t know, and right now? She couldn’t bring herself to care, not with everything else that was going on.

Slightly dazed, she followed McGee back to the bullpen, able to see the anxious looks on her team’s faces from several steps away. Their anticipation was palpable, so thick the air itself was nearly tangible with it. By the time she actually made it to them, they were practically vibrating with impatience.

“So?” Jesse asked as soon as McGee took his leave, beating everyone else to the question. Still, Kai, Ernie and even Commander Chase now were all listening intently, waiting for some kind of news with bated breath.

Tennant blinked, genuinely unsure where the hell she was supposed to start. “At some point Lucy must have had to go deeper into her character. I don’t know what happened but the voice I heard in that room… it wasn’t my special agent.”

Everyone was quiet, trying to absorb the ramifications of the statement. 

“And Whistler was shot.” Instantaneously, all eyes went to her, and Tennant held up a hand before any of them could comment. There was no sense in letting everybody’s questions trip over each other in their haste to be asked when she didn’t know much more than they did. “All I know is that it happened yesterday, and that Kate's alive but on a ventilator.”

Silence.

Deep, haunting silence that spoke of a rush of internalized feelings and thoughts. She had no doubt that the shock she was feeling was echoed by the team she had gathered around her, and typically she would muster up the strength to give some kind of inspiring speech but right now…

She hadn’t spoken to her kids in two days, her youngest agent was currently in the midst of a deadly scheme that went who knows how deep, and her friend had been shot. Tennant had no words of encouragement and resilience to offer, no moral-boosting pep talk to give.

Not right now.

“Fuck,” Kai whispered after another long moment, breaking the quiet with the impassioned, hissed curse.

And Tennant didn’t need to be a mind-reader to know that he had just summed up what everyone was feeling.  

#faster than a hairpin trigger #my writing #missing moments #really sorry again anon #and to everyone who sent in a 100 I see and appreciate you all so much #life got a bit crazy unexpectedly #but I see you all and cannot thank you enough for the love #you guys are the best

[chasingfictions]

ok on that note i do genuinely love most of the dark horse comics like even when they're awful they are awful in a way that is Wonderful For Me Personally but i DO find it interesting that they spend like the whole time just trying and failing to generate compelling love interests for xander and willow specifically ?

like the xander stuff is more obviously upsetting to me just bc like :))) i have mixed feelings about anya's death in the show finale :)) but ALSO like, the way the s8 comics actually Do do a good job of setting him up someone to be a comics love interest for him??? like it's been a while since i reread them but, renee the slayer is cool and dorky and nice. and is kind of a fucking loser just like xander and thinks his loserness is cool and also you know, has super strength which works really well with xander's Whole Deal. AND she alsoo comes across as a character with a distinct and established vibe and characterization , which the dark horse comics aren't always the best at for new characters they invent ? but then they just, kill her for shock value ? and then make her whole arc retroactively about fridging a black woman for xander's pain. when actually i think if they Hadnt killed renee, she was a strong enough character who was introduced early on enough that she could have had a really compelling run in the comics ? and still felt like an organic part of the group ? but the later seasons instead have to roll with the xander/dawn stuff which is frankly . fucking gross . and i get that you can't just Discard that plotline because it's a big part of s8. but??? post-s9 gives a perfect out with the whole dawn's emotions reverting back to factory settings thing? except instead of going with that as a new path forward they just, bring them back together as a couple and have them be endgame and get married and it's just kind of icky and they didn't have to??? except that i think they Did feel that they Did have to ! because they felt they didn't know how to give xander a new love interest otherwise after the deaths of anya and renee . and it could have been SO avoided ??

and with willow!!!! fjslkdf the way willow has sort of the opposite thing, where they give xander one doesn't-really-fit love interest from the start and keep it, where with willow they keep just trying on different love interests and having them not work ? like, kennedy, saga vasuki, lake the scary army lady, calliope the witch who is Definitely Not A Tara Stand-In ;)))) and like, to me willow's arc sort of Works for a time? there's something about her continually trying to get involved with people who just Aren't Right For Her, and her living out her 20s in a bunch of different relationships that don't pan out that feels authentic, and also i think works with the listlessness and unsure sense of self that comics willow has as she tries to figure out where she fits in the world and in her magic. and there's also something about the fact that she keeps dating really Commanding Domineering Powerful People Who Aren't Right For Her, when her final love interest is much more softspoken and gentle and much closer to the Oz-Tara continuum of willow's type -- even if her and calliope don't stay together . but it just again points out like !!! the comics sort of Can't figure out a way to improve on the love interests of the later seasons ? and like, not every story is about Finding The One, and i don't think it detracts from willow's storyline that she doesn't have a girlfriend at the end of the comics canon? but i DO think the fact that they keep sort of flinging new girlfriends at her, and the one who feels the most authentic to her is really similar to tara (shy softspoken witch who doesn't have a lot of faith in her powers and grows in her confidence through knowing willow .... ahem...) just points to the fact that they Should Not Have Killed Tara To Begin With .

this is a needlessly long post maybe, but im just endlessly fascinated by the dark horse comics canon and the way it, as it comes into its own (imo s9-s11), is kind of grappling against the legacy of s8 and the tv show , and in so doing often exposes the structural cracks in some of the story it was left with

#ANYWAY universe where renee becomes a comics regular and joins the gang :))) #universe where tara is alive the whole time :)))) #btvs comics

[thecaroliner]

Well. I did it. Last night I started watching PPG 2016. I’d really like to do a video about it at some point….. so far my only positive about the show is that it’s cute how the streaks the girls make when they fly off are different for each of them and really stylized. Nice touch. Other than that it’s just super boring and uninteresting

#i also don’t hate bubbles new VA #she’s obviously no Tara strong but she’s doing a good job I think #ppg #ppg 2016

[twh-news]

Despite nearly 600 voice roles in her prolific voiceover career, Loki star Tara Strong still had to audition for her fan-favorite character Miss Minutes. Strong was initially tasked with bringing the Time Variance Authority’s animated mascot to life in its Jurassic Park-inspired orientation video, which brought Loki up to speed on his current predicament. But in episode two, Miss Minutes even took the form of a hologram that briefly interacted with Loki. So despite her vast resume, Strong was more than happy to audition for such an enigmatic character.

“It’s actually quite surprising for many people to learn that most voice actors — even ones who’ve been in the business for 30 or 40 years — often audition for parts they’ve already had,” Strong tells The Hollywood Reporter. “You have to constantly keep proving yourself in auditioning for new studio people and new showrunners even though they may have hours and hours of tape on you for a character you’ve already done. So I’m happy to audition, and thankfully, it worked out.”

While she can’t say much about Miss Minutes’ future, Strong can confirm that we haven’t seen the last of her.

“I can cryptically tease that you’ll see her again,” Strong shares. “There’s much more to be revealed, and it’s fun to watch that unfold. The beautiful thing about this character is you don’t really know who she is, where she’s from, what her origin story is, how sentient she is, if she has a horse in this race at all, and what her intentions are, if any. Like any good, exciting adventure, TV or film, you are left wondering that all the time. So she’s an intriguing character, and that will continue.”

When Loki director Kate Herron revealed to THR that Miss Minutes’ introduction video was inspired by Jurassic Park‘s Mr. DNA cartoon, most viewers assumed that Strong’s Southern accent was paying homage to the Southern accent of Mr. DNA, but that wasn’t the case.

“I didn’t even know that until I saw Kate Herron talking about it in an interview,” Strong reveals. “I didn’t even make that connection initially when I first started seeing some of the footage. But it is a fun comparison because they both have this juxtaposition of very high-end, modern technology with very basic, classic ’60 and ’70s animation.”

In a recent conversation with THR, Strong dives even deeper into the audition process for voice roles, and then she explains why she wants more synergy between live-action and animated comic book properties.

Since you have a few voice roles [nearly 600] under your belt…

(Laughs.) Just a couple.

I have to imagine that you just got a phone call for Loki‘s Miss Minutes.

I had to audition! It’s actually quite surprising for many people to learn that most voice actors — even ones who’ve been in the business for 30 or 40 years — often audition for parts they’ve already had. You have to constantly keep proving yourself in auditioning for new studio people and new showrunners even though they may have hours and hours of tape on you for a character you’ve already done. But this character, since it was new, needed an entire audition process because I think they were in search of what felt best for this character. So I’m happy to audition, and thankfully, it worked out. (Laughs.)

How much did they tell you?

Normally, for an audition, they’ll give you a drawing of the character, a character description, sides and some backstory into their world, but we really got very little information. I called my agent after I received the packet, and I was like, “Um, can you tell me anything else about this character? Is she sentient? Is she A.I.?” And my agent was like, “I don’t really know.” So nobody knew what it was because it was so top secret. In fact, I didn’t know what it was until I booked it, which, of course, was very exciting. So based on the information that I had, I laid down three different versions in my home studio. I always do the preliminary audition in my home studio. Sometimes, it’ll take me 5 minutes, and sometimes, it’ll take me 3 hours to get it exactly right, knowing that there’s hundreds or thousands of people vying for one role. So I’ll think about what’s going to separate me from the other people and how I’m going to give them something special that they’ll glom onto. For this one, there were three different versions: one of them included an accent, one was a little bit more A.I and one had a little more emotion attached to it. Obviously, once I saw what it was, it made sense that they were keeping it on the DL.

Did they inform you at some point that they wanted an homage to Mr. DNA from Jurassic Park?

No, they didn’t! In fact, I didn’t even know that until I saw Kate Herron talking about it in an interview. I didn’t even make that connection initially when I first started seeing some of the footage. But it is a fun comparison because they both have this juxtaposition of very high-end, modern technology with very basic, classic ’60 and ’70s animation. So it’s this beautiful mix of things that just somehow seem to go together to create this visually stunning and exciting world, as well as the voiceover behind it. It just all seems to go together to create this enigma. Who is she? Where is she from? What’s her origin story? Why does she look like she’s from the ’70s but she knows everything from the future. It’s really cool.

When it came time to record in earnest, you must’ve been baffled by what you were reading, but then again, you’re probably used to it.

Yeah, and I’ve done several voices with similar descriptions and similar varying levels of A.I. I was the voice of the singing refrigerator [Bridget] on an episode of Modern Family, and initially, they wanted it very Siri-like. And then we added a little more attitude to it. So I’ve done that sort of thing several times, and I know how to manipulate my voice enough to sound like A.I. It’s that sound where you question whether there’s actual emotion behind it. Miss Minutes is such an interesting character because initially you think she’s just someone who’s giving exposition on what happens to you when you get to the TVA. But by episode two, you realize she’s got a little attitude. So she’s a lot of fun to play with.

Before live-action comic book stories became a global juggernaut, animated comic book movies and shows were a primary frame of reference for a lot of these characters. So I’ve always felt that there could be more synergy or crossover between live action and the animation/voice acting community. Are you hopeful that your role as Miss Minutes can help bridge that gap?

That would be pretty wonderful. It is true that voice actors and legacy voice actors — who’ve been at it for so long and are so brilliant at bringing characters to life just with their voice — get passed over for on-camera celebrities that maybe the casting director wants to meet or because someone thinks they’ll bring big box office. If you were to record two very big animated features, one starring on-camera people and one starring people who’ve been doing voiceover for a while, you would definitely hear the difference in the little idiosyncrasies and other things that we know how to do in order to bring this action to life. Overall, there certainly is plenty of crossover when you look at someone like Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, or my favorite, Mark Hamill, who’s brilliant at doing both on-camera and voiceover. But then you do have the A-list celebrities who will come in for an animated session and freak out when they see what everyone else does. Of course, it’s still acting, but it’s a different form of acting. It’s like asking a tap dancer if they do ballet. It is wonderful that the Internet has given voiceover actors a lot of love that maybe their predecessors never knew existed. Now, people can look up who their favorite voiceover actor is, and when I go to a comic con, I’m treated like a superstar who people know. It’s wonderful to be able to give back to those fans, and give hugs, and hear stories about how shows shaped their childhood or brought their family together or got them through a depressing time. So that kind of stuff has been really nice. I certainly didn’t anticipate Loki being so huge, and the reception to Miss Minutes being so wonderful and so loving right out of the gate. So maybe this will give networks [and studios] pause, so they think, “Hey, let’s give one of the voiceover actors a shot at this role. Maybe it’ll be more fun than so and so from The Office. Just for this time, let’s see how this goes.” (Laughs.) If somebody suits the role and does a great job, they should be granted that role regardless of how many Twitter followers they have or how many episodes of an episodic they’ve done.

Loki director Kate Herron said that Miss Minutes is about to go on an “interesting” journey. So what can you cryptically tease about Miss Minutes moving forward?

Well, I can cryptically tease that you’ll see her again. (Laughs.) There’s much more to be revealed, and it’s fun to watch that unfold. When you see the first episode, you think perhaps that she’s just a recording on a screen, but in episode two, we see that she can become a holographic form and interact with Loki. He even responded to her and asked, “Are you a recording, or are you alive?” And we still don’t know. The beautiful thing about this character is you don’t really know who she is, where she’s from, what her origin story is, how sentient she is, if she has a horse in this race at all, and what her intentions are, if any. Like any good, exciting adventure, TV or film, you are left wondering that all the time. So she’s an intriguing character, and that will continue.

She got her own character poster, so that’s usually a sign of importance.

She did! And she has her own Twitter! She also has the cutest emoji hashtag I’ve ever seen in my life. (Laughs.)

When Morgan Freeman gets hired for voiceover work, he’s hired to do Morgan Freeman. So what percentage of your jobs ask you to invent a voice, versus using something that’s trademark Tara Strong?

That’s a very good question. Like I said before, they’ll give you a drawing of the character and some backstory into who they are. And then you, as the voice actor, have to try and imagine what production had in mind for this character. With that said, you have to be free to let something organic come to you and take chances. Sometimes, things don’t happen until the very last minute. My favorite example of that would be Teen Titans. When I first read for that, I was already doing five tragic teenage girls: Batgirl for the same network, Ingrid from Fillmore!, Kylie from Extreme Ghostbusters and Shareena Wickett from Detention. I was like, “Gosh, I have to make each character different, but I’m not sure how to make Raven stand apart from the other similar descriptive personalities.” So when I read for Raven, I just put myself in the acting mindset of where she was, and I read the part. And when I walked out of the studio, I passed the booth where the engineer, director and writer were sitting. So I turned to [casting director] Andrea Romano, who I’d been working on Batgirl, and said, “I just had this other idea. Can I try something else?” And she said, “Sure.” So I went back in and that’s when I had this idea that Raven had this weird little roll every time she spoke. So that was not something I planned when I first walked into the studio. You have to be unafraid to try something new and different, and to also be malleable to what production wants. Sometimes, they’ll really love what you did, but then they’ll want her to be older, or missing teeth, or have headgear, or Southern. (Laughs.) So you have to be ready to jump right in and try all kinds of different things until it lands right into the pocket of what works for that voice.

Would you perform your voice roles the same way in live action? Or would you use less inflection?

More than likely, it would be less broad because the cameras are there. On an animated show, if the line is “Whoa!” and your character sees a hot guy or is falling off a cliff, you have to know how to bring that action forth with your voice. When you’re watching something on-camera unfold in front of you, you don’t have to tell the audience so much with your voice. If you’re doing a sitcom, it’s going to be bigger than if you’re doing a single-camera drama. I just worked on a series for 6 months in Toronto, and my character was basically an on-camera Harley but as a drug-dealer mom. It’s a show called Pretty Hard Cases. And it wouldn’t have worked if I played her as broad as animation. With that said, if I got to play actual Harley Quinn as a mom, it would be bigger than that, but probably not as big as an animated thing. It would be somewhere in the middle. Even within animation, you tweak your level of performance based on the world. For instance, I’ve done many iterations of Harley where she’s the high school girl, or in some cases, she’s even darker than Joker. So you have to know the world around you. Some of the best actors that sustain long careers are very highly aware of what environment they’re in at each moment. So the show or the movie really dictates the level of performance.

#loki #loki series #tara strong #interview #miss minutes

[unsteadyimagines]

Curiosity Killed the Cat (Spencer Reid x Reader)

SUMMARY: After a very intense and stressful case, Y/N and Spencer are to share a hotel room for the night. Y/N decides to unwind and make herself at home with a hot bath – accompanied by a special helping hand. Much to Spencer’s surprise, he finds himself in a sticky situation as to whether or not act on his desires. Because after all, curiosity killed the cat.

WORD COUNT: 2.7k

WARNINGS: Smut (masturbation)

NOTE:

***Feedback is always welcome for future improvement!

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Entering through the automatic hotel reception doors, Y/N can feel her feet ache from her heels with every step she takes, which she hopes will no longer be many. Standing in the elevator with Spencer, all that can be heard is the music playing before they reach the seventh floor.

“Oh my god, I don’t think my feet have ever ached so badly from heels before,” Y/N laughs, stumbling aimlessly down the hall clutching onto Spencer’s arm for support. Not that he was much help, he was stumbling just as much as Y/N. They first pass David’s room, then Tara’s, then Luke and Matt’s, and finally, Emily and JJ’s room, which happened to be right next to Y/N and Spencer’s.

“Could you two keep it down! It’s already 2am and we’ve had a long day.” Luke and Matt lean against their hotel room door, lightly yelling across the hall, laughing at the state Spencer and Y/N were in. It’s not that they were drunk, they were just tipsy but the lack of sleep they’ve had in the last 48 hours was definitely a strong contribution to their intoxicated state.

This was probably one of the hardest cases Y/N and the rest of the team had experienced, it was so physically exhausting there was not one part of their body that didn’t ache. When Y/N and Spencer made it to their room, Y/N struggles to successfully swipe the key card through the slot, taking a few attempts before the door was able to open. As soon as Y/N stepped onto the carpet, she rid herself of her heels, feeling the soft carpet under her aching feet while Spencer takes off his jacket, chucking it onto his bed. Both of them sobering up slightly, they start getting ready for some much needed sleep.

“Do you want to use the bathroom first? I was going to run myself a bath.” Y/N asks, opening her suitcase and grabbing out her pyjamas, underwear, toiletries and a small satin pouch.

“No that’s okay, you can go first. I’m going to stay up for a while and read anyway,” Spencer smiles, grabbing his book and making his way to the couch.

Y/N walks into the luxuriously big bathroom, locking the door and turning the faucet on, the sound of the running water echoing in the air. Massaging her own shoulders while waiting for the bath to fill, she knew that her strained muscles would soon be relieved by the hot water. Meanwhile, Spencer was making himself comfortable on the couch, already many pages into his book, deeply engrossed.

As the bath starts filling halfway, Y/N decides to hop in, sighing in content at the water temperature that was helping sooth her entire body, closing her eyes and finally letting herself relax after what could definitely be described as a physically draining and lengthy day. Humming to herself, she lays there completely still, growing tired the more she’s relaxed.

Running her hands through her hair and massaging her scalp, Y/N suddenly begins to miss the touch of another person. She misses how men would would stroke her head and knead her skin, but this only made her frustrated because she was laying in the water alone. This had her yearning…

Being deprived of her own touch or anyone else’s, she slowly slides her hands up over her stomach, lightly brushing her fingertips over her nipples, which are already growing sensitive to her touch. Tugging at each nipple with a gentle force, she squeezes her thighs together, trying to release some of the pressure that’s already forming. Trailing her hands down her stomach, she lays her hand flat against her pussy to the slickness that is already there, curling her toes slightly at the touch.

She then remembers the small satin pouch she brought into the bathroom with her. Her mind wanders, slowly bringing the pouch closer towards her. Debating in her head whether it was a good idea or not, she fears there’s a chance that the bathroom along with the running water won’t be loud enough to muffle the sounds that would soon be coming from inside. Maybe Spencer might be so immersed in his book that the sounds around him will drown out.

“Hey, Spence!” Y/N softly shouts, waiting to see if he will respond. She waits a few seconds and hears nothing, confirming to her that Spencer can’t hear her, or at least hopes he can’t. Making herself comfortable, she leans further back into the bathtub, resting her head and taking a deep breath. Opening the satin pouch, she pulls out the vibrating device she didn’t expect to need while away on the job. In saying that, she couldn’t be more grateful to herself for packing it anyway.

Settling in, she excitedly turns the power of the vibrating wand on, a soft buzz filling the air, the vibrations she feels in her hand get her all the more excited to really relax after a long day. Slowly running the head of the wand down her neck, to her chest, she circles her left nipple and then her right, her breathing getting slightly heavier. The sounds she’s making as well as the wand turning her on even more now. Letting out a deep sigh, she then slowly starts to run it down her stomach, circling her navel before trailing further down to her core – the area she needed it most.

“Mmm yes,” she whispers to herself, the pleasure already making her eager for more. Running the toy up and down her pussy, she can’t keep still, her hips bucking up into the vibrating head, whining in satisfaction. Once she got used to the feeling, she presses a button to increase the speed, the vibrations filling the room even louder this time. She could feel herself getting more wet, moving the toy even harder against her pussy.

“Fuck,” she moans louder, gripping the ledge of the tub tightly with her other hand. Her head falls back in pure bliss, drowning out the outside noise.

Meanwhile, Spencer – who is still oblivious to what was going on in the bathroom, was flipping page after page, finding the quiet and dimly lit room so peaceful among the constant chaos that was his job. He thought he could hear people outside of their hotel room door, but didn’t think too much of it, and instead turned another page, changing his position on the couch.

Y/N, on the other hand, was squirming, trying to muffle her moans at the risk of getting caught. She decided to change her position, standing up and sitting on the ledge of the tub, spreading her legs on either side. Placing the wand against her pussy again, her legs struggle to stay wide open, wanting to relieve some of the aching pressure.

Once again gripping the ledge of the tub making her fingers turn white, her breathing shortens into small pants, her release getting closer. Her pussy throbs, dripping into the water below her, while she struggles to maintain her composure.

“Oh my god, fuck yes,” she gasps softly, her head rolling back.

“Right there,” she moves the toy faster and faster, her pussy pulsating, the pleasure almost becoming too much. At this point, she doesn’t even care about the possibility of Spencer being able to hear her, too wrapped up in the pleasure she’s giving herself.

Bending the head of the toy slightly to add more pressure, she whimpers, her eyes flutter shut, and her mouth opens, but she can’t utter a word - only soft pants being able to escape. The vibrations against her clit have never felt so good, so she uses her other hand to pinch her left nipple, wishing it was someone else’s hand; a hand much thicker, bigger, rougher.

Inhaling sharply, she can’t keep quiet anymore, “Fuck yes, right there, oh my god fuck.” Moaning loudly, this time it captures Spencer’s attention. He thought he heard something as he looked up from his book, placing his bookmark in the page he was currently reading. He waited to see if he could hear it again, and he did. Completely unaware to what it was, he gets up from the couch and walks slowly and quietly towards the bathroom door, wanting to make sure Y/N hadn’t had an accident. It was a farfetched worry, but he remembered they both had been drinking despite the intoxication mostly having worn off by now.

“Y/N? Are you okay in there?” Spencer asks, knocking on the door, hoping to get a response.

“I-I’m fine Spencer, t-thanks” Y/N replies, her voice trembling.

“I thought I heard noises, so I just wanted to check if you were alright. You know, make sure you hadn’t fallen asleep or drowned,” he explains, looking up at the ceiling.

“O-Okay S-Spence… I’ll be d-done soon… oohh,” Y/N replies, which Spencer found a little odd, but decided not to question it. Just as he took one step away from the door, he heard another noise, except this time he obviously assumed it came from Y/N, gasping loudly and the sound of water splashing around. Pressing his ear to the door as subtly as he could, his heart instantly started beating heavier once he realised what she was most likely doing in there.

“Mmm shit, oh- oh fuck yes,” her moans start getting louder, which gives Spencer confirmation of her actions. He gulps, wondering if he should give her privacy, fearing that he’s already crossed a boundary despite Y/N still not aware of Spencer’s ear against the door. But when he hears the toy’s vibration echo in the air, it only turns him on even more, his jeans suddenly getting that little bit tighter.

He feels incredibly guilty and creepy listening to his co-worker partake in such an intimate act, but he can’t help himself, listening further. The thought of Y/N naked and wet, pleasuring herself is what encouraged him to quietly unbuckle his belt, unzip his pants and push his hand down until he was gripping himself teasingly, biting his lip to stay quiet.

He could hear the water splashing quicker and Y/N’s breath become more ragged, which only made him move his hand up and down his hardening cock faster, quickening his pace, resulting in his breathing becoming shallower.

“Fuck,” he groans in a whisper. Biting his lip isn’t keeping him quiet enough, so instead he bites into his fisted hand, while touching himself with the other. Rubbing his thumb over his tip that’s now leaking pre-cum, he shudders at his own touch, sinister thoughts running through his mind.

While Spencer continuously palms himself, running his hands up and down his shaft, Y/N is so close to her climax, her soaking wet clit throbbing against the silicone head of the toy and her legs trying to shake themselves shut. “Oh g-god, f-fuck, fuck y-yes mmm.”

She’s so close she can feel her need for release building; she doesn’t have long till she comes completely undone. Y/N increases the speed of the vibrator one more time, a jolted spark running through her entire body and a deep heat forming in the pit of her stomach signalling to her that she’s about to orgasm. Tugging at her nipple with her other hand, bucking her hips up into the air with ragged moans, she finally releases all her stress and anxiety from the past week.

“Ooohhh shit, fuck, holy – fuck,” She exclaims loudly, squeezing both her eyes and legs shut, shivering from her orgasm – waves of pleasure cursing through the entirety of her body. Absolutely exhausted, she regains some strength, sitting herself back in the tub, soaking in what was left of the lukewarm water, and trying to even out her breaths.

While Y/N recovers post-orgasm, Spencer is just reaching his. Rubbing his cock harder and faster than before, his breath comes out deep and in pants, trying to be as quiet as he can - yet failing. His toes curl in his shoes, his hands longing to grip Y/N’s hair but settles for his own.

“Oh my god, ah – holy fuck,” he grunts, coaxing himself through his own orgasm, his head leaning against the bathroom door as he brings himself back to reality. When he comes out of his own little world, he realises he can no longer hear Y/N. Not wanting to risk being caught, he hurriedly cleans himself up before making his way back to the couch, picking up his book as if he had never left his spot.

10 minutes later, he hears the lock of the bathroom door, and out walks Y/N with wet hair and a flushed face, in sweats looking refreshed and muchmore relaxed. She stands leaning against the door, smirking at Spencer. Spencer’s eyes glance over to Y/N’s, confusion and nervousness written all over his face. The fear of Y/N potentially hearing what he was doing because of her makes his throat tighten and a knot form painfully in his stomach.

“You heard me, didn’t you?” Y/N asks, anxious to hear his answer. It’s not like she purposefully wanted him to hear, if he had, but the pleasure was all too much for her that she simply just could not keep quiet. Waiting for Spencer’s response, he lets go of his book and fiddles with his hands.

“Oh- uh, heard what?” Spencer acts cluelessly, not wanting to give himself away. He would be devastated if she found out and became repulsed by his behaviour. No longer being able to make eye contact with Y/N, he becomes interested in the front cover of his book, wishing the tension in the room could disappear. He doesn’t know whether it’s sexual tension or an awkward one, but either way he wanted it gone.

She slowly prowls her way over to Spencer who’s analysing her every move. Once she reaches the couch and she’s looking down at him with that same smirk as before, he gulps, confused as to what to do. He’s never been in a situation like this before. Y/N places her hands on both sides of his shoulders and straddles his lap, her eyes now level with his. Spencer’s hands stay by his side, not knowing what to do until he knows Y/N’s intentions. He lets out a low gasp as Y/N begins to leave light, feathery kisses all over his neck, gently rocking her hips into his. Making her way back up his neck, she grabs both sides of his face and roughly slams her lips against his.

Spencer’s too aroused to reject her touch. Instead, he grips Y/N’s hips, helping her to move their hips in sync, earnings small whimpers from the both of them, only increasing their need for each other – a need for each other they didn’t even realise they had. Disconnecting their lips, Y/N whispers in Spencer’s ear, making him shiver in pleasure. “I know you heard me… in the bathroom. I could hear you too, Spence,” running her hands through his hair, she tugs resulting him in letting out a loud grunt, gritting his teeth in both pain and pleasure. She smiles, surprised she has this effect on him already - and they’ve barely even started.

“Y-you sounded… sounded so fucking h-hot, I-I couldn’t help myself – fuck!” he hisses, grinding his hips with Y/N’s even harder, her back arching in ecstasy.

“F-fuck Spencer, please please just fuck me,” Y/N whines, attaching her lips onto the nape of Spencer’s neck again, feeling his cock grow harder and harder under her dripping wet pussy – which was still covered by her pyjamas.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Spencer chuckles, lifting Y/N off the couch with her legs wrapped around his waist. He spins around, throwing Y/N back onto the couch, making her squeal loudly and spread her legs for Spencer to nestle in between, attaching her lips back onto his, kissing every area of skin she possibly could to leave marks.

Little did they know they both wouldn’t be getting any sleep, fucking till 3…4am, before having to leave to get on a flight in the next few hours, not caring in the slightest whether the rest of the team could possibly hear everything in the rooms next to theirs.

Tags: @emmalvei-blog​ 

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[wylanvnneck]

This 2 part fic was written for the Secret Snusband Gift Giveaway hosted by @jurdannet​ and @jurdannetrevels​ for my lovely Knife Wife @lilacs-with-lavender​.

Rating: T for Tyrannosaurus

Summary: Inspired by an episode of my favourite Cop TV show, ‘Castle’, in which a bet takes place with pretty high stakes, although the plotline has been tweaked to fit this fandom. My Knife Wife said she loved the Enemies to Lovers trope so that’s what I’ve (tried to) write here and I hope you enjoy the story of Homicide Detectives Jude Duarte and Cardan Greenbriar and their mutual enmity.

Warnings: Not so graphic descriptions of murder and mention of drugs. (Really not sure what I need to tag, so please let me know if I’ve missed something.)

Posted as a Gift on AO3 | Part 2 | Masterlist

Part 1

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“Victim’s name is Taryn Santorini, a metal sculptor by trade, she was found by her doorman fifteen minutes before we traced the address in Chloe’s hand back to her.” 

Detective Jude Duarte looks down at the motionless face of a scared looking brunette, a crimson splatter painting the tiled floor around her lifeless body. The room around her is a mess, clothes scattered everywhere, bed ruffled and unmade and metal figurines placed haphazardly throughout the little apartment.

“Lil, talk to me, what are we looking at?”

Before the white-blonde haired medical examiner crouched on the floor by the body can answer, a smooth dark voice that Jude so detests cuts through the air behind her.

“Why, Duarte, I’d say that the fact that Tara What’s-her-name was shot and killed is rather obvious.” The despicable excuse of a detective steps forward, a smug grin pasted to his face. Cardan Greenbriar, entitled little rich boy, over-confident bastard and sadly, her partner.

Patience, Jude reminds herself, patience was a virtue. 

“I meant, as I’m sure Lil knows, with what model was she killed and when?”

Liliver shoots her an amused sympathetic look before turning her gaze back to the victim.

“Looks to be a gun with a 45 caliber, same as the one used to kill Chloe Tatterfell. I’d say Taryn here has been dead for about 12 hours so pretty close to Chloe’s time of death, maybe just a half hour or so afterwards.”

“So chances are it’s the same killer.” Cardan interjects, the smug smile a little less vibrant now. 

“Yep. I’ll have to get her back to the morgue so  I can do a full inspection, see if I can find anything helpful.”

Jude steps back from the crime scene to give her some space, almost bumping in to the officer taking pictures of the area for later use. 

“Thanks, Lil.”

“Just doing my job, sweetie.”

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Jude clips a glossy picture of their latest victim onto the precinct’s murder board. “Garrett and Van questioned practically all known associates of both Chloe and Taryn and none of them could recognise the other victim. There’s no obvious connection between the two and yet, for some reason they were both killed on the same day, by the same person.”

“And with the same gun.” Cardan is leaning back in his chair, his posture insouciant and his curly black hair falling lazily over his forehead. Surely that was a violation of precinct dress codes? Not that he’d care either way, rule breaker that he was. God knew it was only because of his daddy’s clout that he’d even graduated from the academy in the first place, whilst people like Jude had to work hard and save every penny and fight to get anywhere in the field of Law Enforcement.

“Ok, I’m going to head to the morgue whilst Van and Gare check through the victim’s phones and financials, see if Lil has anything for us.”

“I suppose, being the dutiful partner that I am, I should come with you?” Cardan’s drawl is as irritating as usual and Jude can hardly wait to get out of the proximity of his stupid raven locks and smoldering eyes.

“Please, you’d be doing us both a favour if you didn’t.”

“Aw, come now Jude you know you’d miss me.” He lets out a dramatic sigh as he half heartedly stands from his chair to join her as she speeds by towards the exit and she just barely resists the urge to throttle him.

Lil bustles around her examining room as she adjusts the fluorescent lamps shining down on both the victim’s bodies’. 

“So, apart from the type of bullets that killed them, the only similarity that I could find between the two victims is the fact that they both have tattoos.”

Jude raises a brow. “Everyone has tattoos.”

From across the autopsy table Cardan’s eyes gleam as he smirks. 

“Oh really? You got some ink on you, Duarte?” 

His tone is disbelieving and Jude can’t resist messing with him a little.

She pastes an obviously fake flirtatious smile on her face and drawls in a sugar sweet voice, “Guess you’d have to find that out on your own, Greenbriar.” 

She bites at her lip for good measure and thinks once more of how bad she would be at flirting in earnest. Lil certainly couldn’t keep the laughter out of her gray eyes. Cardan, however, has a strange look on his face, one that Jude can’t quite decipher, but she’s pretty sure she’s just one-upped him and she can’t deny the slight sense of triumph that the thought gives her.

 She turns her attention back to the victims. “You were saying, Lil?” 

“I’m saying that these tattoos seem to have been done by the same artist. Look,” she pulls back the white cloth covering the body of Chloe Tatterfell, gently pushing a strand of brown hair off of her shoulder to reveal the cartoonish character of a rose, inked in with dark black ink.

She then turns to Taryn’s body to reveal a similarly styled tattoo of a mermaid on her wrist. Just as she’s pulling back the cover Jude’s back pocket vibrates and the sound of her plain ringtone travels through the air. Quickly she swipes upwards to answer the call and it’s Garrett.

“Yo, so we looked through the victims’ phone records and found a connection. Both Chloe and Taryn made a phone call on the day that they were killed to the same number, belonging to a Locke McCutchins, he’s got priors including robberies and domestic assault.”

By the time he’s finished speaking she’s already waved a quick goodbye to Lil and turned to walk out the door, not bothering to check if her partner was behind her.

“Alright, text me his address, let’s go pick him up.”

“Locke McCutchins, open up, it’s the NYPD!” Garrett bangs on the door and the force is so strong that the wood vibrates as Jude clutches her pistol in her hand, body flat against the wall of Locke’s apartment with Cardan right beside her.

There’s no answer and the door is broken down as she, Cardan, Garrett and Van file into the room in a practiced motion that’s as familiar to her as breathing.

Right in front of them, sprawled across his couch, lies the dead body of Locke McCutchin, his tawny eyes still open and gazing unseeingly up at his ceiling, a dried red patch visible on his shirt.

Garret drops to the floor beside the couch, his sandy hair falling over his face as he leans over to check Locke’s pulse whilst the rest of them look on after having taken note that the apartment was clear.

“Body’s cold, he’s been dead for hours, entry wound looks to be about the same size as the other victims.”

Jude scrunches her eyebrows as she stands in front of the murderboard for the second time that day.

“So, Chloe Tatterfell, Taryn Santorini and Locke McCuchins were all killed within the span of 24 hours, all with the same gun, presumably by the same killer and yet so far the only connections we’ve found are Taryn’s address that was found written on Chloe’s hand, the phone call from both women to Locke and the similar tattoos on both Chloe and Taryn, but not on Locke.”

“Hmm.” Cardan seems to materialise out of nowhere, carrying a paper cup of what smells like freshly brewed coffee. Jude was convinced that he took his coffee with added alcohol but she had yet to prove it.

“What’s with the glare?” he asks.

“It automatically deploys itself when you're around.”

He scoffs. Twirls his coffee around. Takes a long, slurping sip.

“Hey, Duarte? Don’t get me wrong, I mean, the feeling is mutual, but what exactly is it that makes you despise me so much? I’d like to know so I can make sure to keep doing it.” 

Jude barely deliberates over her answer before she responds. 

“Being an overly cocky, obnoxious jerk who has only managed to get this far thanks to his Daddy’s fat purse will definitely be the best way to make me hate you, trust me.”

He grins but there’s no humour in the curve of his sensual lips, his eyes are cold metal.

“You think that the only reason I’m a detective is because of my father?”

“Yup.” She makes sure to add plenty of emphasis to that one word.

Cardan opens his mouth as if to speak, stops, presses his lips together so hard that they turn pale before the colour returns to them when a slow smile spreads across his face, this time full of humour, but the decidedly darker kind.

“Let’s make a bet. If you can figure out what the connection between our three victims is before I do, I’ll go right up to Captain Madoc myself and request a change of partners so you can be rid of my ‘overly cocky, obnoxious’ self. Deal?” 

He was extending a challenge and Jude was never one to back down from those. Besides, the chance to be rid of him with no cost to herself or her reputation was too good to pass up on. Still, there had to be a catch, with Cardan, there was always a catch.

“And on the complete off-chance that you figure it out first? What happens then?”

“If I figure it out first...you have to come with me as my date to this party that my dad’s having in a couple days.”

Those last few words come out in a rush and Jude has to take a moment to decipher their meaning. Followed by another moment to wonder if she’d somehow completely misunderstood what he’d said.

“You want me to what?”

“Be my date to a party. Honestly Duarte, do you have any idea how many women would jump at this opportunity?” His tone is disgustingly nonchalant. 

“I-” she struggles to find the words. “Take one of them then! Don’t you have a girlfriend, Nicasia or something like that? Blue hair and eyes? High pitched voice? Talks a lot about how much she gets seasick?”

“You know, for someone who’s only met Nicasia once you do remember quite a bit about her.” His steady gaze on her is intense.

For some incorrigible reason Jude has to resist the urge to flush.

“I’m a detective. It’s my job to study people.”

“Right. Sadly, Nicasia and I are no longer together, if we ever were. I got bored. Hence, why I need a date.”

“I’m sure you could just take one of your scores of female admirers, you don’t need me.”

“Is that jealousy that I detect in your voice?”

“Cardan.” 

“Look, the point is, I can’t be bothered having to deal with yet another simpering female who thinks that one night on my arm means a promise to a life-long relationship complete with marriage, a fancy mansion and exactly 2.5 kids. All I want is a companion for one night so I don’t get hounded by my mother for not having a girlfriend by which she can procure some grandchildren.”

“Oh so now you want me to be your fake girlfriend?”

He rolls his eyes up at the ceiling and she fights the urge to slap him. 

“It’s just for one night! Besides, I thought me winning was barely even a possibility to you.”

She makes a noise at the back of her throat. “It is.”

“Then I don’t see what the problem is. Do we have a deal, or not?” He holds out his hand, sculpted eyebrows raised in confrontation.

She doesn’t really think he has much of a chance of figuring it out before her, but he had admittedly also proven adept at figuring certain things out in previous cases so there was definitely no certainty that he wouldn’t win, for all her bravado. Yet, her competitive nature couldn’t bear the thought of surrendering, so she pushes her unease aside and grips his hand in a firm shake. 

“Deal.” 

There’s an awkward moment when he takes a little too long to release her hand from his grip. Once he finally does, the rather pointy tips of his ears reddening, they both turn back to the murder board and the view of their murder time line and crime scene pictures, furiously trying to connect the dots in their heads.

A random thought intrudes in her brain.

"Wait, what if Garrett and Van figure it out before we do?”

As one, she and Cardan both turn towards the opposite side of the office where the two officers in question sat in front of their computers.

Van was typing in data on his computer, eyes glazing over and the tuft of black hair atop his head trembling whilst Garrett, or, The Ghost - as he was sometimes called thanks to his tendency to take months before answering non-work related messages - stood eating glazed donuts with one hand and speaking to someone on the phone held in the other. Jude loved the both of them but she had to admit that they didn’t exactly paint the most inspiring picture. 

Once again she and Cardan are in sync when they promptly turn back towards the murderboard and proclaim, “Nah.”

Van’s excitement is clearly written on his face when he walks straight up to Jude’s desk the moment she arrives at the precinct the next morning, slamming down a manila folder with the NYPD crest printed on it onto her neatly arranged table top.

Immediately she reaches out to open it, desperate for a break in the case that would not only put a three time killer behind bars but also ensure that she herelf wouldn’t commit murder if she lost the bet and had to pretend to be Cardan’s girlfriend for a night. The thought makes her want to shudder.

“So, I was looking into all of our victim’s financials and I noticed an anomaly. Two weeks ago on the 7th they each deposited 95 hundred dollars into their savings accounts, but we’ve got no way of tracing the money back because the amount is under the IRS’s investigative limit” Van takes a quick pause before continuing, “but that’s not all, both Taryn and Chloe have credit card charges for small amounts at a tattoo place called Fair Folk Inks down in Queens.”

“Great, that’d be the place where they both got tattoos, I’ll go down there and ask the owner a couple questions, thanks Van.” She puts the sheaf of financial accounts back into the folder and takes a quick swig of her usual morning coffee, black, no sugar before preparing to head out once more.  

“Going somewhere, partner?” 

She’d bumped straight into Cardan when stepping into the elevator and she lets out a small groan of frustration as she steps back from his sturdy form. He looks annoyingly chipper, usual cocky smile in place and laughter in his tone as he looks down at her slightly shorter self. His cologne is strong and emanates the scent of the woods and sunlight in the small elevator. The woods and sunlight? Clearly foregoing the rest of her morning coffee hadn’t been a good idea.

She’d thought she could make it out of the building before he finally arrived, necessitating in having to take him along as well, but clearly fate had other ideas. 

“Tattoo parlour. Queens,” she grits out.

“Let’s go then,” his tone is sickly sweet.

“Hi there, you guys lookin’ to get inked?” asks the pink haired girl behind the counter in fishnet tights and a tank top, looking up from where she is perched on a stool behind the counter when she hears them enter.

The parlour itself is shiny and white, the smooth metal counter and two spaced out black leather tattoo chairs complete with wheeled stools are the only pieces of furniture in the small space. Mounted on the walls are designs, each of them evoking a sense of fantasy. A pixie there, a selkie here, an ornate dragon, all staring right back at Jude as she takes in their surroundings. She takes note of the fact that the pictures staring back at her were very reminiscent of Chloe and Taryn’s tattoos, solidifying her suspicion that this was where they had got them done.

Before she has time to explain the reason for their visit, Cardan pipes up.

“You know, I’ve been thinking of getting one of a slithering snake, maybe across my back? I believe it would add to my already abundant sex appea-”

“Actually,” Jude cuts him off with her most scathing glare, to which he irritatingly responds with a grin. “We’re here on official business, NYPD, we need to speak with the owner of this establishment.” She holds up the badge that she’s just extracted from her plain black wallet as she speaks.

“That would be Vivi, hang tight a sec I’ll go get her.” With a sway of her hips Heather trounces off behind a curtained section at the back of the parlour. 

Unable to stand still for even a few moments, her partner has already wandered over to the corner of the room, pointing at a pinned up design, ““That goblin over there reminds me of Van.”

She ignores him. 

“Oh come on Duarte, you have to admit, there’s a definite resemblance.”

She spares the quickest of glances at the design and it’s true, there’s a striking similarity, but she isn’t about to give him the satisfaction of agreeing so she simply makes a non-committal grunt of recognition.

“Tell me, are you always this tightly wound or is it just for the majority of your day?”

“Excuse me?” Her eyebrows have inadvertently traveled upwards on her face and she can’t believe he has the audacity to say what he just did, although really, she shouldn’t be so surprised.

“Come on Duarte, we’ve been partners for quite a while now and I don’t think I’ve ever even seen you laugh.” He’s standing a few feet away from her, his expression serious, not backing down.

“It’s called being professional.” She can feel the muscles working in her face as she hisses out the words through gritted teeth, blood pounding furiously. 

“Ahem.” She whirls around to find a tall bronze haired woman with striking cat-like eyes that were currently meeting her gaze wearing a lazy look of amusement.  

“Heather said there were some policemen who wanted to ask me some questions?”

Jude cannot believe that she had just gotten so sidetracked by her insolent partner that she’d forgotten why she was currently standing in the middle of a Tattoo parlour in Queens, clutching a set of regular sized close ups of three now dead people. She tamps down the irritation at her own actions as she thrusts out the photos in front of the woman facing her, Vivi, the pink haired girl had said.

“Yes, ma’am, do you recognize these people?”

She watches intently as Vivi carefully peruses the pictures before answering, “I know the two girls, Taryn and Chloe, we’re friends, I’ve even tattooed the both of them. I’m not really sure who he is.”

“Are you sure you don’t know him? Look carefully.” Cardan is all business now, stepping up to Vivi.

“I’m sure.” Vivi’s tone is almost defiant, daring him to question her again.

“You said that you were friends with the girls, how close were you?” 

“They came into the tattoo parlour at the same time about a month ago and we started up a conversation, we exchanged numbers and would meet up for a drink from time to time.” 

“Did they ever meet up with just each other?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“Can you think of any reason as to why they’d both be killed by the same person?”

“They’re...they’re dead?”

Jude had intentionally asked the question in a way that would require a reaction and she wasn’t sure that she was entirely convinced by the shocked undertone of Vivi’s voice.

 “I’m afraid so, ma’am.”

“She’s hiding something.” Once again Jude is back in front of the murderboard, furiously capping and uncapping a whiteboard marker as her mind whirls. She’s full of nervous energy, on the brink of a precipice and she wants nothing more than to be able to push herself off of it.

“Agreed.” Cardan is pacing the floor between her and the murder board and his posture indicates that he’s just as worked up as she is.

“But what I can’t understand is why she would kill two of her acquaintances plus a random vending machine operator, I mean, there’s no clear motive.” She’s barely conscious of the slight pain that tingles as she worries at her bottom lip.

Cardan halts in front of the board, takes a hard look at the scrawled timeline on it before once more resuming his brisk walk.

 “And what the hell is the connection between these three victims? They lived in opposite neighbourhoods, worked in completely different areas and fields, never seemed to have been in the same place at the same time and yet somehow they were killed by the same hand. Also, where did all that money come from?” 

His phone chooses precisely that moment to start ringing and the sound of ‘Horns’ by Bryce Fox cuts through the tension. 

“It’s Liliver,” he mouths as he swipes upwards to answer and puts the medical examiner on speaker phone.

“You got something for us Lil?’

“You bet I do. I had scraps from the victims’ clothings tested to try and find a common link. What I found were traces of bleach, acetone, sodium chloride and ammonia.”

“Drugs. They were making drugs. That would explain all the money.” Jude is burning and luminescent with victory, until Lili’s next words cut her down.

“It’s not drugs.”

“How can you tell?”

“Because of what isn’t there. If your vics were making drugs, there’d need to be a couple more ingredients. That being said, they were definitely up to something.”

She lets out a sigh of defeat. “Thanks, Lil.”

Cardan hangs up before bringing his fingers up to his temples, massaging the sides of his head as he burns a hole into the board in front of him.

Jude bites back a scream. “This is like the start of a bad joke, a teacher, a sculptor and a vending machine operator walk into a tattoo parlour…”

He scoffs, “Yeah, except we don’t really have a punchline.”

“Other than ‘they made a bunch of money and got themselves killed.’”

There’s a lull in the air and the frustration is palpable. There was so much more than just their bet at stake here, there was the need for justice for these three victims, who regardless of their crimes likely didn’t deserve what had befallen them. Besides, there was no way that they could let a ruthless killer roam the streets freely.

Suddenly, Cardan whirls around to face her, once again bringing his pacing to an abrupt stop, with a speed to rival that of the animal that was his tattoo inspiration.

“Made a bunch of money,” he repeats. 

He sounds like he’s just jumped off of the precipice. She, on the other hand, remained firmly mounted to the ground. 

“What?”

“A sculptor who works with metal, a chemist and a vending machine operator...I know what they were up to.”

Slowly, the light starts to dawn on her and her pulse speeds up. Yes, she thinks.

“Think about it, when counterfeiting money, what’s the biggest problem you face? Finding the paper,” he continues.

“And a vending machine operator would have an endless supply of one dollar billls!”

“Exactly, then the chemist would come in, using the chemicals that were found on the vic’s bodies to white wash those bills.”

“And then the sculptor would be able to fashion a set of metal plates with which to type in fake serial numbers’ so they can get larger denominations of money…”

“Right! So, plates, paper, there’s just one missing ingredient.”

Beaming smiles break out on both their faces when, in unison they reach the same conclusion. 

The 12th Precinct’s interrogation room had contained many suspects from the time it was built. Some were innocent and some were guilty, but there was no doubt in both Jude and Cardan’s minds that the feline woman currently seated across from them with her legs up on the table was one hundred percent guilty. 

“So you think you’ve figured it all out, huh?” Vivi’s drawl is deceptively flippant.

“I think so.” Jude answers calmly. “For instance, we’ve figured out that you were involved in and likely the mastermind behind a counterfeiting operation that raked in a substantial amount of money. You provided the last ingredient needed, the ink from your tattoo parlour stocks that was used to print on the bills.”

Cardan leans forward. “We’ve also surmised that you killed your partners in said operation; Taryn Santorini and Chloe Tatterfell, both of whom you met through your tattoo parlour, just like you said.”

“And our third victim, Locke McCutchins? Yeah, we know he was your cousin, once removed on your mother’s side wasn’t it? A distant enough relationship for you to not be flagged when checking his family, but close enough for you to enlist him in your scheme so you had access to vending machine bills.” Jude continues, she and Cardan having perfected the art of interrogating together ages ago, their tactics working smoothly together alongside each other. 

Vivienne sneers. “So what? You have no proof.”

“On the contrary, ma’am, we do. You neglected to hide the metal plates that you got Taryn to make for you in a place that wasn’t under a loose floorboard of your room, easily found with the aid of a search warrant.” Cardan smiles.

“You also tripped up when you stored your used gun with matching ballistics to the weapon that killed our victims in the same place as the plates.” Cardan’s smile is copied on Jude’s face.

Vivi’s skin pales and her cat’s eyes narrow into slits as she bangs the table, hard, before slouching back in the metal chair, the fight leaving her.

“Well, I suppose the jig is up, as they say,” she drawls.

Satisfied, Jude stands up and gathers the notepad and pen that she’d left on the desk and then bends over the interrogation table to meet Vivi’s gaze.

“What I can’t understand, though, is why? Why would you kill them if you’d already paid them?”

The Accused smirks. “It was all that idiot Lockes’s fault. He’d gotten himself into debt with some mob shark and needed more dough to bail his sorry self out. I wasn’t about to give it, he had his cut and that was all. But then, he threatened to go to the cops and tell them about what we did. Couldn’t let that happen, so I figured I’d kill ‘em all of. Just to be safe.”

The casual way in which she speaks of her deeds chills Jude to the bone. Wordlessly, she turns her back on yet another cold hearted murderer and exits the room with Cardan right behind her.

They come to a stop in front of the now empty murderboard, its surface shiny and white, devoid of words, but not for long. There was always a murder happening somewhere or the other, Jude had been a detective long enough to know that.

“So, now that Vivienne Insmire, tattoo artist, mastermind and ink supplier of counterfeiting operations and killer of ‘friends’ and distant male cousins is safely behind bars, I think you and I have a certain matter to settle, Duarte.”

She’d been trying hard to avoid this moment all day, pushing back thoughts of her close defeat and what its consequences would be. It seemed like now, she'd run out of time. She gulps.

“I suppose-” she almost can’t bring herself to say the words, “I suppose you won our bet, then.”

“Yup.” He’s not even trying to hide his gloating, “and you know what that means.”

The noise she emits is one that is resigned. She knows what’s coming.

“I’ll pick you up at eight tomorrow.”

“Or I could just take a ca-”

“Don’t be late, Duarte,” he calls over his shoulder as he leisurely strolls towards the precinct exit, slinging his leather jacket over his shoulder.

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

If you’ve made it all the way down here, congrats! Here’s a link for part 2.

Tagging the lovely people on my short but treasured TFOTA taglist; @cupcakesandkittens​ (who helped immensely during the writing of this fic and who suggested adding in the interrogation scene❤) and my very own talented Secret Snusband, @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln​

Please let me know if you’d like to be added to or taken off of my taglist💕

#anyways Liles I hope you enjoyed! #dd writes #secretsnusband #tfota fanfic #the folk of the air fanfiction #the folk of the air #jude duarte #cardan greenbriar #castle #cop au #enemies to lovers #i would also like to say #that i absolutely love vivienne duarte #but she was also badass enough to make a murderer #and i couldn't resist #hopefully this first part was intriguing #and the second part is cheesy in all the right ways #jurdannet #jurdannet revels

[ticklykitty216]

I mean... not sure of the scenario, but perhaps something with the goldenarm gang?

(Ohohoho, I had an idea mulling around for something to do with the Goldarm Gang, specifically Belle, and now I finally have my chance!)

(This one got REEEEALLY REALLY long because I’d been thinking about this for a bit, so kinda sorry in advance for the long story? lol)

(I always take so long to actually get the tickling part, you should know the drill by now. Go to the “ ** ”if you just wanna skip to tickling bit)

***

The Goldenarm Gang had just returned to their hideout after a successful heist. Their leader, Belle, was stashing their loot away while the other two members, Edgar and Tara, waited for Belle to return.

Edgar was sitting in a chair reading a book, with his feet propped up on the table, while Tara was sitting on a mat that was slightly in the corner of the room, meditating.

Belle opened the door and sighed, wiped her forehead with her golden arm and threw a single bag of gold onto the table, the coins spilled out around Edgars boots and he looked up from his book to see the commotion.

“Whoo! Good job on that heist gang.” Belle said walking over to a map of some small towns, and placed a note that said “Done” on one of the towns. “Of course we did good, those suckers didn’t even know what hit them.” Edgar said, in a rather monotone voice and turned the page of his book.

“You’re right about that!” Belle said with a quick laugh and turned to look at him, before a slight frown crossed her face “Boy, what have I told you about putting your feet up on the table?” Belle said. Edgar looked up and glared before he reluctantly took his feet off the table, Tara opened her eye, she could already feel tension brewing between the two.

“Now don’t look at me like that, not after I just complemented you and your work.” Belle said and walked over to the table and pulled up a chair to sit at it. Edgar rolled his eyes but closed his book and placed it on the table, “I think we need something more challenging.” Edgar said. “More challenging?” Belle said raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, that heist was almost too easy. It felt off to me.” Edgar said, “Yeah, I chose an easy target because your a new member, I ain’t gonna immediately throw you into the deep end.” Belle said and leaned forward towards Edgar, and Tara huffed, so much for a peaceful night...

“I can handle a more challenging heist!” Edgar said, frustration dripping from his voice, “I’m sure you can, but we just hit a small, but well known town. All the bigger towns, with the bigger banks, are gonna up security. We’re gonna have to lay low for a bit.” Belle said crossing her arms and looking down at the gold on the table. “Then we should strike immediately! Before they can up security!” Edgar said slamming his fist into the table.

“Hey! I’m leader of the gang! And I call the shots!” Belle barked out slamming her own fist into the table, she stood up and walked around the table towards Edgar “I appreciate your enthusiasm and love for theft, but you gotta know when to back off.” Belle said and Edgar stood up as well as Belle now stood in front of him “Both, when doing heists, and when talking to your leader like that.” Belle hissed out. Edgar glared before a huff escaped him, “I still think you’re being too cautious, we can still do so much!” Edgar growled.

Belle herself huffed and rolled her eyes before glaring at the teen “Boy you are lucky I’m in a good mood tonight,” she said and took a step forward threateningly, Edgar’s scarf raised itself in defense, he obviously had no plans to attack Belle (he wasn’t that stupid) but he was ready to jump back if she went to strike him. “Cause if I wasn’t I wouldn’t hesitate to put you in your place!” Belle said and jabbed her fingers into his side.

** Edgars eyes widened and a choked sound came out of him as he took a quick step back, his scarf shuddered. Belle made a confused look and Tara cracked her eye open to see what happened. Edgar’s face heated up as Belle took another step forward and jabbed him again “Snrk-! Stop!” Edgar said quickly slapping Belle’s hand away and backed up again. Belle stood there for a second before it clicked, and she smirked “Edgar... You’re not ticklish are you?” Belle asked, she took another step towards him.

Edgars face turned another shade of red and quickly looked over his right shoulder “No! Why would I be?” he said and started to walk backwards, and Belle kept pace “If you really aren’t ticklish, then why are you acting suspicious?” Belle asked and cracked her knuckles. Edgar swallowed and tried to quickly jump backwards, but he’d tripped over his chair and stumbled back.

Belle, like a cat waiting for the right moment, lunged at Edgar and grabbed his arms, and took him down to the ground. Tara just watched on from her spot on the floor as Belle wrangled the moody teen, Belle had managed to get his scarf off, and in the scuffle his hat had been knocked off as well. “BELLE! GET OFF OF ME!!” Edgar yelled as he tried to push the older woman off of him, but she was strong despite her appearance, and didn’t budge.

“Come now Edgar!” Belle said as she pinned his left hand down with her golden arm, Edgar had his hand gripping Belle left wrist and it slowly descended down to his side, “I thought you said you wanted something more challenging!~” Belle teased as her hand finally made contact with the teens side and started to quickly scribble her fingers into it.

Edgars eyes bulged and he bit the inside of his cheek, and started to kick his legs. A smile found it’s way to face and he closed his eyes and started to tremble under Belle’s fingers. “Hehe, what’s wrong boy? Cat got your tongue?~” Belle teased as she stared to squeeze up and down his side. He opened one of his eyes to glare at Belle, and he cracked when she’d squeeze near his hips, “Behehehelle! Stohohop!” he giggled out, “There ya go!” Belle said and chuckled.

Belle took her golden hand off of Edgar’s wrist and quickly brought it to his other side. He spluttered before a louder laugh left him. “BEHEHELLE! NOHOHO STOP!” he laughed and tried to push her hands away “Stop? Now why would I do that?” Belle said as she started to squeeze more up towards his ribs. “NOHOHOHO!! STOHOHOP IT! NOHOHOT THEHEHEHEHERE!!” Edgar cried and started to wiggle back and forth.

“Not where, here?” Belle said, her hands went under his poncho to his ribs and started to scribble her fingers into his ribs “BEHEHEHEHELLE! STOP STOHOHOHOP! NOHOHOHO HAHAHA NOHOHOHOT THEHEHEHERE!!” Edgar shrieked and shook his head and kicked his legs. “Ha! I didn’t realize you were this ticklish!” Belle said and snickered, her hands traveled back down to his sides and stomach, she lifted the hem of his shirt up and gently skittered her nails over his exposed belly, while her right hand squeezed his side.

Edgar let out a squeak before he started to thrash, “BEHEHEHELLE NOHOHOHO MOHOHOHORE!! PLEHEHEHEHEASE!!” Edgar laughed as he tried to pull his shirt back down “Oh? You’re already begging? I haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.” Belle said menacingly “GOHOHOHOHOOD PAHAHART?!” Edgar laughed out.

Belle pulled her golden arm away from his side and used her teeth to pull the glove off of her hand, she pulled his shirt (and subsequently his poncho as well) and managed to wiggle her golden fingers up into the teens armpit.

Edgar lost it. The cold touch of her golden hand against his sensitive skin sent his nerves over the edge. He let out a high-pitched shriek and his laughter went silent, before it came back as a loud, screechy and shrill laughter. “BEHEHEHEHE- HAHAHAHAHA- BEHEHEHELLE!! NOHOHOHO- HEHEHAHAHAHA-!! NOHOHOHO MOHOHOHOHORE!!” Edgar said, barely managing to get the sentence out through his laughter.

“I don’t know Edgar, I mean, you look like you’re having fun down there.” Belle teased as she gently fluttered her nails over his waistline. “Besides, I think you deserve this for backtalking me all the time!” Belle said. Edgar could feel tears starting to slide down his cheeks, and he was slowly losing the energy to fight back.

Belle was actually starting to feel a little sorry for the kid, but she didn’t stop immediately, she let her cold, golden hand travel down from his armpit to ribs, then all the way down to his sides and belly. “Edgar.” Belle said, with a certain edge to it that brought his attention back to her “YEHEHES?!” he laughed out, his hands weakly trying to push her hands away by the wrists.

“I’m leader of the gang, correct?” Belle said as both her thumbs drilled into his hipbones “YEHEHEHES!!” he cackled out and arched his back “So... That means you gotta listen to me, right?” Belle said and watched for Edgar’s reactions. He paused for a second before he responded, “YEHEHEHEHES!!” Belle hummed at his response, “And if that means you’re gonna listen to me, that means you won’t backtalk me and question my decisions, right?” Belle asked.

“YEHEHEHES! YEHEHES OK WHAHAHATEHEHEHEVER YOHOU SAY!! JUHUHUHUHUST STOHOHOP ALREHEHEADY!!” Edgar squealed out as he wiggled in a last ditch effort to escape Belle’s merciless fingers. “I want to hear you say it.” Belle said as her golden fingers got dangerously close to his belly button, “Tell me you’re not gonna backtalk, or questions my decisions. AND that you’ll follow my orders, no matter how much you disagree with them!” Belle said.

Edgar gaped at her before another peal of laughter left him. For a few seconds he didn’t say anything, and Belle huffed. “Come on Edgar, say it!” she said and repositioned herself so she could get closer to his stomach “Don’t make me start blowing raspberries...” he warned. His eyes widened up at her, “NOHOHO DOHOHON’T!” he cried out and she raised her eyebrow “Then say it.” she said.

Edgar turned his head away and a conflicted look crossed his face, he really didn’t want to promise that, but he was slowly starting to go insane from all the tickling. Belle rolled her eyes, and a smiled crossed her lips despite herself. “Fine then, I guess we’re gonna have to give some raspberries then.” she said and grabbed his wrists and pinned them to his side. “Wahahahait! WAIT NOHOHO!” Edgar cried out as Belle sucked in a deep breathe.

“NOHOHOHO WAHAHAIT STOOOOOHOHOHOHOP!!” Edgar shrieked out, and Belle stopped, her face was a few inches away from his quivering stomach, when she exhaled her breathe teased his stomach. “Ihihihi... Ihihihi... G-gihihihive mehehe a sehehecond..!” he giggled out. “Hurry, I don’t have all day!” Belle warned, she was really tempted to just go ahead and blow that raspberry regardless, “Hohohohohold ohohon! L-Lehehet mehe catch my breheheheathe!” he cried out.

Belle rolled her eyes, but did let him catch his breathe. After a minute or two of Edgar gasping and giggling he looked away, shut his eyes and swallowed both the lump in his throat and his pride, he looked back at Belle. “Ihihihi prohohomise... I prohomise to lihihisten toho yohohou, ahahand to nohohot bahahacktalk you...” he said through a few giggles. Belle sat back up, though her hands still pinned his down “And promise to follow my orders, even if you don’t like them.” she said, with the scolding tone. “Behehehelle!” Edgar whined out, “Say it, or I’ll tickle you to death boy!” she threatened.

Edgar flinched at her words, and a loud whine escaped his through “FINE!” he shouted, “Ihihi also prohohomise to fohohohollow yohohour orders...” he said. “Even if you don’t like them?” Belle asked and he growled, “Yehehehes... Evehehen if Ihihi dohon’t like thehehem...” he said and looked away from Belle.

“There!” Belle said as she put the glove back on her golden hand and stood up off of him “That wasn’t so hard was it?” she asked and pulled the teen to his feet. He stumbled for a second, not expecting to be pulled up so quickly. Belle grabbed him by his shoulders as he steadied himself, he pulled his shirt and poncho back down and walked over to where his hat and scarf were on the ground.

“Go take a bath and get ready for bed, we might not be going out to do a heist, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to do around the base!” Belle said and clapped Edgar on the back as he walked by her, he just growled in response before he disappeared down a hallway.

“Mmmm hmmm mmm?” Tara asked from her corner, she was in a relaxed position with her legs still crossed, “Oh he’ll be fine, he’s just sore I made him giggle!” Belle said and laughed, Tara rolled both her eye and her third eye “Mmmhmm mmm mmmmmh!” Tara said, “Oh don’t you start too! What, do I need to tickle you to?” Belle asked and wiggled her fingers in Tara’s direction.

Tara’s eyes widened before she shook both her head and her hands “HMMHMM! HMMHMM!” Tara said and Belle really started to laugh “I’m just kidding!” Belle said and motioned toward the hall, “You should get ready as well, I’m gonna go check the perimeter to make sure Edgar didn’t accidentally alert anyone.” Belle said picking her rifle up and winked at Tara.

Tara got the message. Tara stood and stretched before she walked down the same hall Edgar had, Belle clapped her on the back as well before Belle headed out the door of their base.

#Kitten_Blunders #TicklyKitty Writes #brawl stars tickle #brawl stars tickling #this one got really long #safe to say I had a lot of motivation/inspiration to write #I have another request in my inbox; don't worry I saw yours #I did this one first because like I said; I had this idea floating around longer #god I love belle #belle is not above tickling people to get her way #also edgar kinda deserved it #and I just imagine tara's in the background watching this happen like- #*God; you both are such children...* #tara's too mature for tickle fights #or so she'll have you believe

[johannas-motivational-insults]

Glimmer’s Upcoming Villain Arc

So, I’m pretty sure Glimmer’s going to become one of the villains at some point in the final two arcs of SPOP. Not a Horde-aligned villain, obviously, but I think she’s going to have a villain arc and may even end up fighting against Adora. Sound crazy? Well, there’s actually precedent for all this in the Buffyverse, with the Dark Willow story arc. I will get more into those parallels below.

First, though, let’s look at Glimmer and her situation in isolation.

Glimmer is currently in a vulnerable position. She’s grieving the loss of her only remaining parent (so far as she knows) and she’s now going to be saddled with the responsibilities of ruling Bright Moon, all while lacking a parental/mentor figure to guide her. And who do we know who loves to guide and manipulate young people with magical powers? Shadow Weaver.

Some people saw Shadow Weaver allying with the Rebellion as the beginning of a redemption arc. However, it actually makes a hell of a lot more sense for the writers to have put her there to gain influence over Glimmer and kickstart her villain arc, starting with their unexpected connection in season 3. Though Glimmer clearly hadn’t forgiven Shadow Weaver for torturing her in season 1 or for emotionally abusing Adora throughout her childhood, she decided the Rebellion needed this evil woman’s help. It was a means to an end. But now that that mission to save Adora and disable the portal was a success, she probably won’t hesitate to ask for her help again.

Not only did Shadow Weaver gain a bit of Glimmer’s trust, Glimmer loved the boost in power she got from Shadow Weaver. She’s complained several times about how she thinks her powers aren’t that useful or strong, but Shadow Weaver fed her ego and gave her a chance to increase her powers. When she successfully teleported the Princess Alliance into the Fright Zone, she was ecstatic.

“We did it! I did it! That was amazing!”

Simply put, Glimmer is power hungry. Just look at her eyes when Shadow Weaver is talking about her potential to be a great sorcerer like her father.

This scene and the following scene in the tower gave me the creeps so bad, you could just feel Glimmer being pulled to the dark side by the promise of power. And now post-season 3, not only will she be craving that feeling of power again, there’s an inciting incident prompting her to use it.

With her mom trapped in an empty dimension forever, which is essentially hell (especially for an immortal person ffs), Glimmer will probably do everything she can to get her out. I’m guessing she’ll go to her Aunt Casta for help, but Casta will say there’s nothing to be done (at least not without resorting to dark magic), so Glimmer will go to Shadow Weaver out of desperation. Even if Shadow Weaver could come up with a way to bring Angella back, she’ll say she can’t, because she can use Glimmer’s grief for her own ends.

Shadow Weaver’s motive for defecting to the Rebellion was to take down Hordak and Catra, and at this point she could easily convince Glimmer to help her get revenge on Catra. In fact, there’s a chance Glimmer will go to Shadow Weaver herself looking to team up and get this revenge, though it’s more likely Shadow Weaver will plant the seed and manipulate her into thinking it was her own idea.

Inciting incidents aside, Glimmer has always been someone who had the potential to break bad. Like Catra, she’s power hungry and eager to prove herself, brash and impulsive, and quick to resort to violence. She’s easily blinded by emotion and can be quite heartless, both of which were illustrated in 1x01-02 by how she treated Adora because of what the Horde had done to her father.

She’s also morally gray, willing to go to extremes to achieve an outcome that she considers to be good or just. Her decision to free Shadow Weaver and use her to access the Fright Zone is a great example. Another notable instance was when she had Catra as a hostage in 2x02 and threatened to kill her to counter Catra’s threat against Entrapta. She was eventually talked down by Bow, but only while complaining about how having to take the moral high ground isn’t fair. She was clearly frustrated that entire episode by the constraints of being one of the good guys, and it culminated here.

Fighting for the rebellion, Glimmer is a force for good. But if she decides to chase her own agenda, her powers and personality could easily be used for evil. Especially when there’s someone there expertly guiding her down that slippery slope. 

Now, if the plot does indeed go this way, it will put Adora in a rather unfortunate position. If it comes down to a situation where Shadow Weaver and Glimmer have an opportunity to kill Catra, Adora will have to intervene on Catra’s behalf, for several reasons. 1) Catra is the most important person in her life, as we all know. 2) She cares for Glimmer’s soul. She knows that if Glimmer murders Catra it will haunt her and change her, and she doesn’t want that for her friend. 3) She feels the need to protect the helpless. Catra will probably be all alone in the world at this point, having pushed all her friends and allies away. So not only will she not have allies to fight with her, she’ll be in a poor state mentally, maybe even welcoming death. Even if she was in good shape, she wouldn’t stand a chance against Glimmer and Shadow Weaver’s combined magical powers. And since Adora can’t stand watching defenseless people get hurt, this will force her to step in and protect Catra despite all the negative feelings she has for her right now.

There are two people I could see pulling Glimmer out of this spiral, bringing her back to the light: Bow or Micah. Adora isn’t the best at sympathizing with someone’s dark impulses while fighting tham, as we’ve seen multiple times with Catra. Her job is to protect the world, and she will prioritize that over everything else, including her best friend (don’t we know it?). So that leaves Bow to talk Glimmer down, either by appealing to her morals (somewhat likely, but wouldn’t work at that point) or by reminding her of her innate good side, of the person she is deep down and the love he feels for her. The other way this could go down is Micah escaping from wherever he is trapped (he’s alive, yo) and convincing Glimmer to stand down with a dose of parental love and wisdom (and a big hug).

There are so many parallels to Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this potential situation, and here’s where we get into the Willow comparisons. SPOILERS for BtVS under the cut!

The comparison between Catra and the rogue slayer Faith has been made many times before, along with the relationships these two characters have with the respective heroes of their shows. But if Catradora is Fuffy, that leaves Glimmer in the Willow role. And there are actually a lot of similarities between the two characters, both being fiercely protective but tempermental magical sidekicks to the hero (who hate being called sidekicks, btw). Both have had trouble making friends in the past, and both have a dude they were best friends with for years before the hero came along and turned them into an inseperable trio.

And now, there are notable and worrisome plot parallels between Glimmer and Willow in seasons 5 and 6 of BtVS.

Buffy sacrifices herself to save the world at the end of season 5, and the “Scooby Gang” believes she was sucked into hell in the process, so they decide to try to bring her back via magic. There is some dissent among the ranks, but ultimately they defer to Willow (who leads in Buffy’s absence like Glimmer will be leading the Rebellion in Angella’s absence), and Willow is not afraid of dark magic. In fact, we already saw her use it in season 5 against Glory (that season’s big bad) after Glory temporarily stole the sanity of Willow’s girlfriend, Tara.

Willow’s attack on Glory was emotionally motivated - she went off on her own after the others thought they had talked her down, thinking an attack was unwise. It was clearly motivated by revenge rather than strategy, which was made exceptionally clear by what she said to Glory.

(This scene actually reminds me a bit of the aforementioned incident with Catra in 2x02, only more extreme. The situations were obviously different, but the vengeful overtones and the mages’ frustration with allies trying to constrain their powers were similar. Both of them were struggling with impulsiveness, morality, and vengeful desires.)

Willow is ultimately successful in bringing Buffy back, though it turns out to not be entirely a good thing. If Glimmer fails to bring Angella back, as I theorized above, she could easily skip ahead to the end of Willow’s season 6 arc, the next time Willow suffers a great loss.

(The middle of Willow’s season 6 arc is her getting addicted to magic and using it in morally dubious ways on Tara and her other friends, which causes Tara to leave her until after she stops using magic and recovers from the addiction. SPOP’s writers could include something like this, but I don’t think they will, for time’s sake. More likely they will just continue to show Glimmer being tempted and corrupted by power as she gets closer to Shadow Weaver, rather than using her powers on her friends.)

The end of Willow’s season 6 arc starts with the notorious shooting death of Tara Maclay. When Tara is hit by a stray bullet and dies in Willow’s arms, Willow attempts to use magic to bring her back, but is denied. This sends her into a spiral of rage and grief, and she spends the next two episodes attempting to kill the shooter and his hapless allies. She catches up to Warren and flays him alive, but the others escape with Buffy’s help. (In the finale she tries to end the world because she believes it is for the best, as life is too full of pain. SPOP definitely won’t pull this same plot point twice, but the revenge quest up to that point is absolutely something that would work for Glimmer.)

Speaking of Buffy stepping in, let’s look at parallels to the situation Adora will find herself in, if my theory is correct. 

Buffy tries to dissuade Willow from murdering Warren because she believes it’s wrong and she doesn’t want Willow to have to live with it after. When she finds Warren’s body she decides Willow has gone too far and stands against her when she tries to go after Warren’s allies. Willow is tired of Buffy’s lectures on morality, of living by the good guys’ rules. She wants revenge, and Buffy is standing in her way. She’s also tired of being treated like a sidekick and is eager to show Buffy who is more powerful. They end up having an epic fight scene before she decides to end the world.

With the way she gives in to her dark impulses, fights against Buffy and their friends, and tries to end the world, Dark Willow actually ends up being the big bad of season 6. Her best friend Xander is the one who ends up saving the world - not by fighting her, but by blocking her magic with his body, reminding her of who she has been all these years, and telling her repetitively that he loves her. He literally saves her (and the world) with the power of love and friendship, a recurring phrase on SPOP.

The perfect parallel here would be Bow stepping in and reminding Glimmer of the goodness inside her. Perhaps he’d face off with her while Adora is fending off Shadow Weaver. But yeah, for the reasons I outlined above, Bow would be the perfect candidate to call Glimmer back from the brink of becoming a murderer. He’s known her longer than Adora and is more empathetic. Xander is often referred to as “the heart” of the Scooby Gang, the one who lacks magical powers but makes up for it with his empathy, courage, and enthusiasm. Bow fills that same role in the Best Friend Squad and Princess Alliance, and he wears a literal heart on his chest. (Yes, Xander is problematic in some ways but damn it that’s so off-topic and I’m not getting into it.)

I don’t think Glimmer will actually succeed in her quest for vengeance, or at least it won’t culminate in Catra’s murder. SPOP deals with some dark themes but it's meant for a younger audience than BtVS, plus Noelle surely knows better than to kill a fan fave wlw. But Glimmer will probably have an opportunity to kill Catra and be dissuaded at the last second, then have to embark on a redemption arc of her own.

Again, this is all just a crazy theory, but the idea of Glimmer going dark is both scary and exciting. She’s most interesting as a character when she’s struggling with her darker urges, and I think SPOP has been hinting at and slowly setting this up over the first two arcs. Now with an inciting incident at play, she could easily give in to those urges in the wake of her grief, letting her vengeful streak bubble to the surface like it did for Willow. I can’t wait to see where the story takes her in arc 3.

#spop #she ra #she-ra #meta #theories #glimmer #dark glimmer #glimmer and shadow weaver #best friend squad #glimbo #shadow weaver #catra #bow #adora #btvs #parallels #dark willow #willow rosenberg

[okimargarvez]

MAGNETISM - 1

Original title: Magnetism.

Prompt: Luke and Penelope are stuck together during the lockdown.

Warning: none.

Genre: romantic, family, funny, drama.

Characters: Penelope Garcia, Luke Alvez, Roxy, Sergio, BAU team (mentioned).

Pairing: Garvez; Katt, Willifer, Maxcer, Prendoza, Rossi x Krystall, Tara x O.C. (mentioned).

Note: oneshot 81 in Garvez collection.

Legend: 💏 😘🐶😈.

Song mentioned: Vai ad amarti, Tiziano Ferro.

Magnetism - Masterlist

GARVEZ STORIES

You say you don't want me, but you die if I leave

 Day 1 of the captivity - locked together

 Finally, that sound. -Penelope...- on the man's face there are deep wrinkles of concern, she manages to notice them despite the quality of the video is not the best. His clear eyes are sad and pierce the screen. But the dominant emotion is another. Guilt. She recognizes it because she feels it too, but she hopes her face is a little less transparent, she doesn't want to add more stress to him. The hand continues to caress the dog's soft coat.

But suddenly, with a senseless, unexplained delay, she feels a chest pain, a sense of tightness, as if both lungs and heart have stopped working properly. -Luke!- she shouts, bringing both hands to her face, trying to mask her anxiety at least in part. She thought she got used to it. Instead, she just teased herself. -Are you okay? I feared that...- she doesn't even know what. The situation is still too uncertain, but she knows it, inside herself. It arrived; the virus is arrived in the United States. For weeks, a month, they followed the events and the misadventures of China and then of Europe, in particular of Italy, because she had some friends there, people she had met during her vacation with Kevin. And they deluded themselves that however it didn't concern them directly, that it would never have happened to them. Staying closed, segregated in their own homes, not knowing anything, apart that it would have been better to washing your hands even before the emergency. But about the objects, how long does the virus last on the objects? Surgical masks and gloves are the 2020 fashion.

Luke seems able to follow her reasoning even if she just thinks about it, she didn't say it out loud. He watches her pupils bounce from side to side as she reflects, squeezes her fabulous brains. -Yes, I'm fine, I'm fine, but...- the contact, the mental connection, however, is reciprocal. She too reads his mind. And here's where his guilt comes from.

-You are stuck there, right?- Penelope's tone is not of reproach, but resigned, sweetly sad and for him it is even worse in this way, he needs her to accuse him, to shout at him the worst possible, only in this way he could feel less guilty. But he knows that she would never do it, not the expert at forgiving whoever, outside of herself. He also loves her for her big heart, doesn't he? And for her breasts, even if she doesn't like when he calls them in some vulgar ways, that's why he uses Spanish, so she can't understand what he means.

He nods. -Yeah. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have went with the team, you needed me...- in fact she isn't feeling too well. She coughed all night, the one before he left, but she didn't want to go to the doctor, or to the hospital. Stubborn, as always, she insisted that it wasn't the virus, no, there was no need to worry about her, everything was going great. He should consider positive that she never coughed now, but for a short call she would also be able to hold back. What the hell is to love someone who never put themself first.

In fact, she is smiling at him, one of her splendid smiles, even if she looks paler than usual. -Hey, hey, love, it does not matter, we will make it.- what many are repeating, but despite her influence on him, he can't show himself positive and confident like her. Not until they have found a vaccine, and especially not until he has her in his arms again. -It matters just that you're safe and well.- she's telling him. He reaches out and touches the screen, even if it's useless, annoying. Sometimes he hates it, his job.

-You too.- he sees her imitate him and his mind reminds him the freshness of her delicate little hands, her perfume. -But I don't know how I will...-

 -... survive another minute in your presence.- she gives him a little push, understanding how the man has not grasped the message at all, on the contrary, he continues to stay quietly close to her, too close. She can smell his perfume, that fantastic mix of woods, a grain of fabric softener and something else that is sure to be attributable to Roxy, who has proven herself very good with Sergio, much more, in fact. Their meeting almost moved her, but since Luke would have noticed, she had to hold. -Why I had to get stuck right with you?- she snorts, moving away to put on a tea for two, obviously without asking him. As circumstances forced him to become her permanent guest, he has no right to speak.

For Luke it's okay anyway. Both know that he has been back single for a while and the man thinks it was a really nice coincidence that they were together at the outbreak of the quarantine, luckily that Roxy was there too... well, he is not very honest with himself, the case has nothing to do with it, if he is here, in the Garcia temple, it is precisely because she had lost a bet from O'Keefe and they were planning to take a nice walk (maybe even a little run) with Roxy. When he arrived at her place, she pulled him inside abruptly and he struggled to hide his reaction to that sudden, unexpected contact. What are you doing out there, are you crazy? They will arrest you! She had shown him the screen and on her purple sofa they had watched the breaking news. Covid 19 had come also to their place, the situation was starting to be bad and it was advised not to leave the house except for emergencies. Luke's apartment was not very close to Garcia's, quite the opposite, practically on the other side of the city. But with his badge he would surely have gone unnoticed. And despite the fact that she hasn't stopped complaining about his inappropriate presence, she didn't want to know to let him go. This is why he convinced himself that she is not completely serious.

After all, they have experienced strong moments together in recent months. After she told him that thing about her stalker... it was at that moment that he realized that they would end up together, even if he doesn't know when. For this he smiles as he puts the sugar bowl on the table. The first day of "captivity" as she called it, is not even concluded. Definitely worrying. -Am I really the worst company that comes to your mind?- he asks, pretending he is more sad than what he really is. Of course, she falls for it, at least initially, and a shadow passes before her eyes. Pushing a chameleon-shaped mug in his direction without pouring a single drop of the contents, she again has that falsely annoyed expression. Luke sighs; after all, he loves her for that too.

-

Hope you like this idea; see the masterlist for more notes.

tags: @flufflehufflepuffle​​ @alex-wotton @gubler-s-whore​ @majo0803 @princesstreaclefanfic​ @shyladystudentfan​ @londonrosebooklovingwitch​ @dreatine​ @auriel187​ @inlovewithgarvaz​​

Tell me if you want to be removed or added to the tag list ^^

#garvez #criminal minds #cm #penelope garcia #luke alvez #penelope x luke #luke x penelope #garcia x alvez #alvez x garcia #tiziano ferro #vai tu ad amarti #quarantine #lockdown

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #467

Top Ten Romantic Couples in Superhero Movies (& TV)

It’s Valentine’s Day this weekend. Woo, I guess? I dunno. I’m not generally cynical about holidays but Valentine’s Day does seem to be entirely focused on selling cards without any of the associated pleasantries of, say, Christmas or Halloween. I’d rather just try to be nice to my wife all year round. At least because of the apocalypse all the restaurants are closed so we can’t be tempted to pay through the nose for a set menu. Anyway, it gives me a strained excuse to tie this week’s Top Ten to something vaguely romantic.

Superheroes are often horny. This seems to be a defining characteristic of the artform. Whether it’s their descent from ancient myths, or their creators’ origins in writing romance books, or just a function of genre storytelling in the mid-twentieth century, there’s quite a lot of romantic angst in superhero stories. Pretty much every superhero has a significant other; Lois Lane even got her own comic that was actually called Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane. It’s hard to conceive of many heroes without their primary squeeze, and often – as we get multiple media adaptations of characters – we can add diversity or a twist to the proceedings by picking a lesser-known love interest, or one from earlier in the character’s fictional history; for instance, Smallville beginning with Cark Kent’s teenage crush Lana Lang, or The Amazing Spider-Man swapping out Mary Jane Watson for Gwen Stacey.

Anyway, I’m talking this week about my favourite superhero couples. I’ve decided to focus on superhero adaptations – that is, the characters from movies and films based on superhero comics or characters. I find this a little bit easier as I don’t have a phenomenal knowledge of sixty years of Avengers comics, but I have seen all the movies a bunch. As many comics as I’ve read, and as much as I love various ink-and-paper pairings, I can arguably talk more authoritatively about the fillums than the funny books. And let’s be real here, kids: my favourite comic book romantic couple is Chromedome and Rewind in Transformers. Also if I split them in two I can talk about comic couples next year. Woohoo!

It really is hard thinking of these things nearly nine years in, folks.

So! Here, then, are my favourite movie-TV Couples in Capes. Obviously there’s a fair bit of MCU in here. And I’ve been pretty specific about “superhero” romances: so no Hellboy and Liz Sherman, sadly (and I do really like them in the movies, of which they really need to make a third). Some are civvies-and-supes; some are capes-and-capes. You’ll work it out.

Superman & Lois Lane (Christopher Reeve & Margot Kidder, Superman, 1978): who else? The most famous romance in all of comics, a combo so strong it remains the focus of pretty much every interpretation of the character, but arguably never better than here; so good are Reeve and Kidder that their fast-talking banter and inherent goodness set the template for a huge swathe of other comic adaptations to follow. She’s sarky and streetwise; he’s gormless and good-hearted. She leaps in where angels fear to tread, he’s an invulnerable alien in disguise. They have buckets of chemistry and an utterly believable (tentative) romance. They’re perfect performances and the scenes of Clark in Metropolis for the first time (including Superman’s balcony interview with Lois) are the best bits of an already excellent film.

Raven & Beast Boy (Tara Strong & Greg Cipes, Teen Titans Go!, 2014): on a totally different register, we have the comedy stylings of the Teen Titans. Raven and Beast Boy had a flirtatious relationship on the original Titans series, but on this longer-running and much more demented comedy follow-up, they were allowed to make the romance more official (I nearly said “explicit” but, y’know… it’s not that). The jokes and banter – BB the love-struck, jealous suitor, Raven the too-cool partner who feigns nonchalance – build and build, but every now and again they’re allowed a moment of genuine heartfelt romance, and it hits all the more strongly amidst the ultra-violence and outrageous comedy.

Captain America & Agent Carter (Chris Evans & Hayley Atwell, Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011): the premier couple of the MCU, Steve and Peggy spend a whole movie flirting (she sees the goodness of him even before he gets all hench) before finally arranging a date that, we all know, is very much postponed. Peggy casts a shadow over the rejuvenated Cap and the MCU as a whole, founding SHIELD, inspiring dozens of heroes, and counselling Steve to her dying days. She remains Steven’s true north (like Supes with Lois, Peggy’s an ordinary human who is the actual hero of an actual super-powered hero), guiding him through the chaos and tragedy of Endgame, until they both get to live happily ever after. Even though he snogged her niece.

Batman & Catwoman (Michael Keaton & Michelle Pfeiffer, Batman Returns, 1992): Pfeiffer delivers a barnstorming performance as Selina Kyle, all barely-supressed mania and seductive feline charm. The chemistry between her and Keaton is electric, and propels the film forward even when the Penguin-runs-for-mayor stuff gets a bit daft and icky. There are beautiful moments of romantic comedy when they’re both trying to cover up injuries they gave each other, and of course there’s “mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it” – a line that runs a close second to “dance with the devil” when it comes to Burton-Batman quotations (just ahead of “never rub another man’s rhubarb”). Burton, generally favouring the macabre villains over the straighter edges of the heroic Batman, nevertheless makes great play of the duality of the character, and how this is something he and Catwoman can share – both “split right down the centre” – but also how this means a happy ending for either of them is impossible.

Spider-Man & Mary Jane (Tobey Maguire & Kirsten Dunst, Spider-Man, 2002): whilst a lot of this is really down to the sexiness of them kissing upside-down in the rain, there’s a nice duality to Peter and MJ seeing through each other too: he sees the wounded humane soul beneath her it-girl persona; she sees the kind, caring man underneath his geek baggage. This arc plays out beautifully across the first two films (ending in that wonderfully accepting “Go get ‘em, tiger”) before sadly getting all murky and unsatisfying in the murky and unsatisfying third film. Still: that kiss.

Wonder Woman & Steve Trevor (Gal Gadot & Chris Pine, Wonder Woman, 2017): probably the film that hews closest to the Clark-Lois dynamic of the original Superman, to the point where it includes an homage to the alleyway-mugging scene as Diana deflects a bullet. Steve is Diana’s window into man’s world, showing her the horror of the First World War but managing to also be a sympathetic ally and never talking down or mansplaining anything. He’s a hero in his own right – very similar to another wartime Steve on this list – and very much an ideal match to the demigod he’s showing round Europe. And, of course, Gadot’s Diana is incredible, both niaive and vulnerable whilst also an absolute badass. There is an enduring warm chemistry to the pair, with a relationship which we actually see consummated – relatively rare for superheroes! The inevitability of his heroic sacrifice does nothing to lessen the tragedy, and no I’ve not seen Wonder Woman 1984 yet.

Hawkeye & Laura Barton (Jeremy Renner & Linda Cardellini, Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2015): I love these guys! I love that Hawkeye has a relatively normal, stable family life. He has a big old farmhouse that he wants to remodel, he’s got two kids and a third on the way… he’s got something to live for, something to lose. It humanises him amidst the literal and figurative gods of the Avengers. And they’re cute together, bickering and bantering, and of course she is supportive of his Avenging. I hope we get to see more of Laura and the kids in the Hawkeye series, and I hope nothing bad happens to them now they’ve all been brought back to life.

Wanda Maximoff & Vision (Elizabeth Olsen & Paul Bettany, Avengers: Infinity War, 2018): theirs is a difficult relationship to parse, because they’re together so briefly. They cook paprikash together in Civil War before having a bit of a bust-up, and by Infinity War they’re an official couple, albeit on the run (and on different sides). That movie does a great job in establishing their feelings for each other in very little screentime, with their heroic characteristics on full display, before the shockingly awful tragedy of Wanda killing Vision to save the galaxy, before Thanos rewinds time, brings him back to life, and kills him again, and then wins. Their relationship going forward, in WandaVision, is even trickier, because we don’t know what’s up yet, and at times they’re clearly not acting as “themselves”, defaulting to sitcom tropes and one-liners. Will Vision survive, and if he does, will their relationship? Who can say, but at least they’ll always have Edinburgh, deep-fried kebabs and all.

Batman & Andrea Beaumont (Kevin Conroy & Dana Delany, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, 1993): woah, Batman’s back but it’s a different Batman, say whaaaat. Animated Batman has had a few romances, from the great (Talia al-Ghul) to the disturbingly icky (Batgirl, ewwww), but his relationship with Andrea Beaumont is the best. Tweaking the Year One formula to give young Bruce a love interest that complicates his quest is a golden idea, and making her a part of the criminality and corruptiuon that he’s fighting is a suitably tragic part of the Batman origin story. Conroy and Delany give great performances, him wringing pathos out of Bruce, torn between heart and duty (“It just doesn’t hurt so bad anymore,” he wails to his parents’ grave, “I didn’t count on being happy”), her channelling golden age Hollywood glamour. The tragedy of them rekindling their relationship years later, only to wind up on different sides again, is – again – so very Batman. It’s a beautiful, earnest, very Batman relationship, a great titanic tragedy of human emotions and larger-than-life ideals. And they both look good in black.

Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy (Kaley Cuoco & Lake Bell, Harley Quinn, 2020): this one’s a little bit of a cheat, as I’ve only seen the first season of the show, where Harley and Ivy don’t even get together. But in the wider, non-canonical sense of these being characters who are part of the pop-cultural ether, Harley and Ivy will always be a couple, I feel; and there’s definitely enough in there already to see the affection between them, not yet consummated. They adore each other, are always there for each other, and as the season follows Harley getting out of her own way and acknowledging the abuse of her relationship with Joker – and finally getting over it in the healthiest way possible for a bleached-white manic pixie in roller derby gear. And all through this, holding her hand, is Ivy. They’re utterly made for each other, and I’m glad that they do get together in season two. I hope that Margot Robbie’s rendition of the character can likewise find happiness with a flesh-and-blood Ivy. Hell, just cast Lake Bell again. She’s great.

Just bubbling under – and I’m really gutted I couldn’t fit them in – was Spider-Man & M.J. from Spider-Man: Far From Home. Like Batman, I’m comfortable including multiple continuities here, and those cuties offer a different spin on a classic relationship.

#valentine's day #romance #top ten #love #superheroes #comic book #movie #films #dce #mcu #marvel

[rahirah]

via Barb's Place Ms. Fix-it by Barb C Rating: G Setting: Post-The Gift Characters: Willow, Giles Synopsis: If Willow doesn't take care of things, who will? Author's notes: Written for the 2019 Which Willow Ficathon. This is a stand-alone, canon-compliant fic. (I.e. not part of the Barbverse.) Buffy Summers had been dead for exactly one week, three days, eighteen hours, and forty-two minutes. Not that Willow was counting. She didn't have to; the slow and steady energy drain of the spell she was using to keep the body from decaying while they all decided what to do was counter enough. The click-click=click of her heels on the pavement followed her around the corner as she turned off Wilkins and onto Maple, heading for the Magic Box. The sun's last rays painted the western sky a brilliant orange behind the roofline of the storefronts. The strap of the satchel she carried dug into her shoulder, and she concentrated on the small discomfort, willing it to drown out the whirring of her thoughts. Inside her head, Goody-Two-Shoes Rule-Following Willow kept pointing out that concealing Buffy's death was seriously dodgy, and could only cause more problems the longer they kept it up. Once the authorities did get involved, surely they wouldn't be happyif they found that Buffy Summers' friends had just... buried her in the back yard, well, in Miller's Woods, in a home-made coffin, without a permit or an autopsy or a death certificate, as if she were a pet goldfish or something. Buffy had died without a will, so would the house go to Dawn, or to Mr. Summers? Or to both? Would they have to go through probate? (What even was probate, anyway?) She was pretty sure that they couldn't afford a lawyer, if Mr. Summers wanted to fight for custody, and even if they could, what judge would let a minor stay with a couple of unrelated barely-out-of-minorhood hemselves women instead of her own father? And could they pay the mortgage? Would the bank foreclose? But Dawn didn't want to go live with her father, and no one could contact Hank Summers anyway. And there was also the hiding-the-Slayer's-demise-from-demonkind-because-the-replacement-Slayer-was-doing-ten-to-twentyness of the whole situation. What Willow really wanted to do was curl up somewhere and cry. But if she did that, nothing would get done at all. Dawn was a mess, Xander was obsessing over the planning of the aforementioned back-yard funeral, Anya was great at pointing out problems but not nearly as forthcoming with solutions, Spike was an alcoholic puddle on the crypt floor. Tara could offer emotional support, but not much else. And Giles, the actual certified grownup, was wandering blankly through the motions of, well, just about everything. So (argued Subversive Countrculture Hacker-cum-Superwitch Willow) obviously the only thing to do was fix up the Buffybot yet again, and pretend that Buffy Summers was alive and well. Not that that would really help much on the paying-the-mortgage front, unless they sent the Buffybot out to get a job, which at this point was looking like a better and better idea, but totally aside from all of that, the truth was, part of her simply wasn't able to bear the idea of sealing, stamping, or certifying that Buffy Summers was really most sincerely dead. The sign on the Magic Box door said "OPEN," but only a single light shone in the back of the store, illuminating the rare books section. Willow cupped her hands against the glass and peered through the blinds. She could see a dark figure hunched at the reading table. Was Giles just... sitting there, in the dark? Biting her lip, she pulled the door open. The jangle of the bell was loud in the nearly-deserted street. The hunched figure straightened. "Ah. Willow. I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting you." Giles stood, a slow, jerky unwinding, and came to meet her, a particularly musty volume tucked in the crook of one elbow. His deeply line face was unutterably weary. Not just tired, but lost. Not that Willow imagined she looked particularly chipper herself; it had been a rough couple of weeks. He crossed to the checkout counter, set the book down, and flicked on the switch for the front lights, flooding the store with brilliance. Well, relative brilliance. Willow caught a glimpse of The Rituals of Osiris on the cover, embossed in eye-twisting curlicues. Giles adjusted his glasses. "I beg your pardon. I was just doing some, er, inventorying. I've been composing my final report to the Council, and frankly, I needed a bit of a breather." He trailed off, and Willow gulped. Final report? She wasn't oblivious; Giles had been chafing at the bit to go back to England for years. Or was it champing at the bit? Whatever, Giles had been doing it. But always before there'd been something – someone – to tie him to Sunnydale a little longer. "No, no, I was wondering if Anya was around? For financial-type questioning and answering. I can come back tomorrow if it's a bad time." Were there any good times? "You - you're not already finished with the report, are you? Are you sure you included all the relevant details? The monks, the Knights, the minions? Whatever was up with Ben? There was an awful lot going on." Giles replaced his glasses. "It's quite comprehensive, I assure you." He busied himself behind the counter, doing something mysterious with receipts. "I'll submit it as soon as we determine how to best... handle the details of Buffy's passing. Once that's done, I'd expect to hear back from Travers very shortly with my new assignment." Apprehension blossomed into panic. Giles couldn't leave. Not now. Everything was changing, falling apart, and she couldn't move fast enough, hold on hard enough, to keep the shards together. I have to fix this, I have to fix this, I have to fix this. "You can't leave," Willow blurted. "I mean, no matter what we do, the Hellmouth is still going to be here, being all hellish and mouthy, and if we're trying to convince the demony types that Buffy's still around – " she unslung her satchel and plunked it down on the counter top, rubbing her aching shoulder. "Shouldn't her Watcher be around too? For verisimilitude?" Giles straightened, sighed, ran a hand over his face. "Willow... we've had this conversation before." "No. No, no, we haven't." She waved her hands in agitation. "Not this one. We had a similar-yet-different, almost but not quite totally unrelated conversation! Last time you wanted to leave because you thought Buffy didn't need you around, and now – " "Buffy is no longer around to need me," Giles finished. "But that's exactly why you have to stay!" Willow pulled a sheaf of printouts from the satchel and fanned them out across the counter – schematics, wiring diagrams, reams of C++. "Buffy's gone. I've got to the get the Bot repaired if we're going to have a hope in heck of fooling Social Services, but that's a walk of the cake variety compared to getting it to fight demons on the regular, and it's – " His expression wasn't softening. Giles had serious leaving-on -a-jet-plane face. Think, think, think – what had snapped him out of it the last time he'd wanted to leave? Buffy, of course. Buffy telling him that she still needed him. But Buffy was gone. (Did it make it better or worse, saying 'gone' instead of 'dead?') Buffy couldn't need him anymore. Except, except... inspiration struck. "Giles, it's not going well. The demon-fighting of the Bot, I mean. I was hoping you could help." "Er." Giles regarded the stack of printouts with an expression of faint alarm. "I'm afraid that my expertise doesn't extend to chipsets. And what do you mean, it's not going well? The robot was quite successful against Glory." "Not that kind of help. And that's because we were basically just using her as a distraction." She leaned across the counter, voice dropping to a confidential whisper, as if the Buffybot were listening in and might get its feelings hurt. "The problem is, the Bot's strong, but she's not very tough. She's actually pretty fragile – all those delicate gears and servos and circuits. She wasn't engineered for heavy-duty demon fighting. She's got all this fighty-kicky programming based on Buffy's combat style, but when she's actually fighting a demon, if it gets its hands... claws... appendages on her, a lot of the time it can just rip her apart. That's fine if we just bring her out once a year to fight some major baddie, but if she's going to be patrolling every night? She can't heal by herself, and we have limited supplies for repairs, and..." she threw up her hands. The glasses were getting a thorough polishing again. "That's unfortunate, but I'm not seeing how I can be of assistance. I'm neither an engineer nor a programmer, Willow." You're not getting away that easily, mister. "You don't have to be! What she needs is a teacher. That's the beauty of it. She's got learning routines. I don't want to think about whatever it was Spike wanted her to learn, but she can incorporate new options into her decision trees. Someone needs to show her a different kind of fighting style, one that minimizes her chances of getting grappled. And there's nobody who can do that better than you can." Giles was wavering, she could see it. Maybe Fake Buffy was better than no Buffy. She stared up at him, beseeching, willing him to say Yes, yes, Willow, I'll stay, I'll help you. Finally, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Very well. I'll make the attempt, at any rate. But as soon as the robot is capable of protecting herself adequately, I really must – " "Oh, Giles, thank you!" Willow flung herself across the counter to give him an impulsive hug, scattering the printouts and knocking the book to the floor. She let him go with a squeak if alarm and dove after them. Giles knelt to help her pick the papers up, and she stuffed everything back into the satchel willy-nilly. "This will work, I'm sure of it! She's almost ready for a trial run – I'll call you as soon as she's ready! Oh! And I'll come back tomorrow morning to talk to Anya." She couldn't exactly say her heart was lighter as she left the store, but at least one piece of her shattered world was glued back into place, however temporarily. Surely Giles would realize after awhile, that staying was the right thing. Willow hurried along the darkening streets towards Buffy's house, where Dawn and Tara would be waiting. Tomorrow... well, maybe tomorrow Anya would have some ideas for what to do about the money, and the legal questions, and... Willow groaned. There was so much still to do, so many things she had to make right – because who else would do it? It was all too much. Even with the Bot... everything would be so much easier if only... If only Buffy wasn't... She shivered, though the late spring evening wasn't cold, not at all. Buffy was gone. Buffy was dead. And there was nothing she could do to make that right. Her eyes stung. She wiped them defiantly, then ran a thumb under the satchel strap. Her heart might be ligher(ish), but the satchel definitely seemed to be heavier. She opened the flap, peered inside. What on earth...oh. Drat. She'd stuffed Giles' spellbook in there by accident. She should return it. But she was almost back to Revello Drive, and she was going back to the Magic Box tomorrow to see Anya anyway... she'd keep it just for tonight. Maybe read a few chapters. She'd been wanting to brush up on her Egyptian rituals anyway. Maybe it would distract her from her problems, if only for a little while. What could it hurt? End comments

#IFTTT #Barb's Place

[gaysparklepires]

30. First Round

Read on OA3 - Links up Top!

How was I going to find time alone to hunt down J. Jenks, and why did Alice want me to know about him?

If Alice’s clue didn’t prove to be helpful, what could I do to save those I loved?

How were Edward and I going to explain things to Taras and his family in the morning? What if they reacted like Ivan? What if it turned into a fight?

I didn’t know how to fight. How was I going to learn in just a month? Was there any chance at all that I could be taught fast enough that I might be a danger to any one member of the Volturi? Or was I doomed to be totally useless? Just another easily dispatched problem?

So many answers I needed, but I did not get the chance to ask my questions.

Wanting some shred of normality, I’d insisted on staying in the cottage that night. Jacob was more comfortable in his wolf form at the moment; the stress was easier dealt with when he felt ready for a fight. I wished that I could feel the same, could feel ready. He ran in the woods, on guard again.

Once we were back at the cottage, I tried to unobtrusively search to see if there was a chance Alice had left something—anything else that could help me. When my search proved in vain, I returned to the front room of the cottage to ask my questions of Edward. The ones I was able to ask, at any rate; one of the most difficult problems was the idea of trying to hide anything from him, even with the advantage of my silent thoughts.

He stood with his back to me, staring into the fire.

“Edward, I—”

He spun and was across the room in what seemed like no time at all, not even the smallest part of a second. I only had time to register the ferocious expression on his face before his lips were crushing against mine and his arms were locked around me like steel girders.

I didn’t think of my questions again for the rest of that night. It didn’t take long for me to grasp the reason for his mood, and even less time to feel exactly the same way.

I’d been planning on needing years just to somewhat organize the overwhelming passion I felt for him physically. And then centuries after that to enjoy it. If we had only a month left together... Well, I didn’t see how I could stand to have this end. For the moment I couldn’t help but be selfish. All I wanted was to love him as much as possible in the limited time given to me.

It was hard to pull myself away from him when the sun came up, but we had our job to do, a job that might be more difficult than all the rest of our family’s searches put together. As soon as I let myself think of what was coming, I was all tension; it felt like my nerves were being stretched on a rack, thinner and thinner.

“I wish there was a way to get the information we need from Elena before we tell them about everything,” Edward muttered as we hurriedly dressed in the huge closet that was more reminder of Alice than I wanted at the moment. “Just in case.”

“But she wouldn’t understand the question to answer it,” I agreed. “Do you think they’ll let us explain?”

“I don’t know.”

I couldn’t waste one second of time today. There were answers I needed and I wasn’t sure how much time Edward and I would have alone today. If all went well with Taras’s family, hopefully we would have company for an extended period.

“Edward, will you teach me how to fight?” I asked him, tensed for his reaction, as he held the door for me.

It was what I expected. He froze, and then his eyes swept over me with a deep significance, like he was looking at me for the first or last time.

“If it comes to a fight, there won’t be much any of us can do,” he hedged.

I kept my voice even. “Would you leave me unable to defend myself?”

He swallowed convulsively, and the door shuddered, hinges protesting, as his hand tightened. Then he nodded. “When you put it that way... I suppose we should get to work as soon as we can.”

I nodded, too, and we started toward the big house. We didn’t hurry.

I wondered what I could do that would have any hope of making a difference. I was unique, to be sure, and I was a tiny bit special, in my own way—if  having a supernaturally thick skull could really be considered special. Was there any use that I could put that toward?

“What would you say their biggest advantage is? Do they even have a weakness?”

Edward didn’t have to ask to know I meant the Volturi.

“Alec and Jane are their greatest offense,” he said emotionlessly, like we were talking of a basketball team. “Their defensive players rarely see any real action.”

“Because Jane can burn you where you stand—mentally at least. What does Alec do? Didn’t you once say he was even more dangerous than Jane?”

“Yes. In a way, he is the antidote to Jane. She makes you feel the worst pain imaginable. Alec, on the other hand, makes you feel nothing. Absolutely nothing. Sometimes, when the Volturi are feeling kind, they have Alec anesthetize someone before he is executed. If he has surrendered or pleased them in some other way.”

“Anesthetic? But how is that more dangerous than Jane?”

“Because he cuts off your senses altogether. No pain, but also no sight or sound or smell. Total sensory deprivation. You are utterly alone in the blackness. You don’t even feel it when they burn you.”

I shivered. Was this the best we could hope for? To not see or feel death when it came?

“That would make him only equally as dangerous as Jane,” Edward went on in the same detached voice, “in that they both can incapacitate you, make you into a helpless target. The difference between them is like the difference between Aro and me. Aro hears the mind of only one person at a time. Jane can only hurt the one object of her focus. I can hear everyone at the same time.”

I felt cold as I saw where he was going. “And Alec can incapacitate us all at the same time?” I whispered.

“Yes,” he said. “If he uses his gift against us, we will all stand blind and deaf until they get around to killing us—maybe they’ll simply burn us without bothering to tear us apart first. Oh, we could try to fight, but we’ll be more likely to hurt one another than we would be to hurt one of them.”

We walked in silence for a few seconds.

An idea was shaping itself in my head. Not very promising, but better than nothing.

“Do you think Alec is a very good fighter?” I asked. “Aside from what he can do, I mean. If he had to fight without his gift. I wonder if he’s ever even tried...”

Edward glanced at me sharply. “What are you thinking?”

I looked straight ahead. “Well, he probably can’t do that to me, can he? If what he does is like Aro and Jane and you. Maybe... if he’s never really had to defend himself... and I learned a few tricks—”

“He’s been with the Volturi for centuries,” Edward cut me off, his voice abruptly panicked. He was probably seeing the same image in his head that I was: the Cullens standing helpless, senseless pillars on the killing field—all but me. I’d be the only one who could fight. “Yes, you’re surely immune to his power, but you are still new in this life, Beau. I can’t make you that strong a fighter in a few weeks. I’m sure he’s had training.”

“Maybe, maybe not. It’s the one thing I can do that no one else can. Even if I can just distract him for a while—” Could I last long enough to give the others a chance?

“Please, Beau,” Edward said through his teeth. “Let’s not talk about this.”

“Be reasonable.”

“I will try to teach you what I can, but please don’t make me think about you sacrificing yourself as a diversion—” He choked and didn’t finish.

I nodded. I would keep my plans to myself, then. First Alec and then, if I was miraculously lucky enough to win, Jane. If I could only even things out—remove the Volturi’s overwhelming offensive advantage. Maybe then there was a chance... My mind raced ahead. What if I wasable to distract or even take them out? Honestly, why would either Jane or Alec ever have needed to learn battle skills? I couldn’t imagine petulant little Jane surrendering her advantage, even to learn.

If I was able to kill them, what a difference that would make.

“I have to learn everything. As much as you can possibly cram into my head in the next month,” I murmured.

He acted as if I hadn’t spoken.

Who next, then? I might as well have my plans in order so that, if I did live past attacking Alec, there would be no hesitation in my strike. I tried to think of another situation where my thick skull would give me an advantage. I didn’t know enough about what the others did. Obviously, fighters like the huge Felix were beyond me. I could only try to give Emmett his fair fight there. I didn’t know much about the rest of the Volturi guard, besides Demetri…

My face was perfectly smooth as I considered Demetri. Without a doubt, he would be a fighter. There was no other way he could have survived so long, always at the spear point of any attack. And he must always lead, because he was their tracker—the best tracker in the world, no doubt. If there had been one better, the Volturi would have traded up. Aro didn’t surround himself with second best.

If Demetri didn’t exist, then we could run. Whoever was left of us, in any case.

And... if Demetri didn’t exist, then Alice and Jasper could be safe forever. Is that what Alice had seen? That part of our family could continue? The two of them, at the very least.

Could I begrudge her that?

“Demetri...,” I said.

“Demetri is mine,” Edward said in a hard, tight voice. I looked at him quickly and saw that his expression had turned violent.

“Why?” I whispered.

He didn’t answer at first. We were to the river when he finally murmured, “For Alice. It’s the only thanks I can give her now for the last fifty years.”

So his thoughts were in line with mine.

I heard Jacob’s heavy paws thudding against the frozen ground. In seconds, he was pacing beside me, his dark eyes focused on mine.

I nodded to him once, then returned to my questions. There was so little time.

“Edward, why do you think Alice told us to ask Elena about the Volturi? Has she been in Italy recently or something? What could she know?”

“Elena knows everything when it comes to the Volturi. I forgot you didn’t know. She used to be one of them.”

Jacob growled beside me.

“What?” I demanded, in my head picturing the beautiful dark-haired woman at our wedding wrapped in a long, ashy cloak.

Edward’s face was softer now—he smiled a little. “Elena is a very gentle person. She wasn’t entirely happy with the Volturi, but she respected the law and its need to be upheld. She felt she was working toward the greater good. She doesn’t regret her time with them. But when she found Carmen, she found her place in this world. They are very similar people, both very compassionate for vampires.” He smiled again. “They met Taras and his family, and they never looked back. They are well suited to this lifestyle. If they’d never found Taras, I imagine they would have eventually discovered a way to live without human blood on their own.”

The pictures in my head were jarring. I couldn’t make them match up. A compassionate Volturi soldier?

Edward glanced at Jacob and answered a silent question. “No, she wasn’t one of their warriors, so to speak. She had a gift they found convenient.”

Jacob must have asked the obvious follow-up question.

“Elena has an instinctive feel for the gifts of others—the extra abilities that some vampires have,” Edward told him. “She could give Aro a general idea of what any given vampire was capable of just by being in proximity with him or her. This was helpful when the Volturi went into battle. Elena could warn them if someone in the opposing coven had a skill that might give them some trouble. That was rare; it takes quite a skill to even inconvenience the Volturi for a moment. More often, the warning would give Aro the chance to save someone who might be useful to him. Elena’s gift works even with humans, to an extent. She has to really concentrate with humans, though, because the latent ability is so nebulous. Aro would have her test the people who wanted to join, to see if they had any potential. Aro was sorry to see Elena go.”

“They let her go?” I asked. “Just like that?”

His smile was darker now, a little twisted. “The Volturi aren’t supposed to be the villains, the way they seem to you. They are the foundation of our peace and civilization. Each member of the guard chooses to serve them. It’s quite prestigious; they all are proud to be there, not forced to be there.”

I frowned, troubled by this.

“They’re only alleged to be heinous and evil by the criminals, Beau.”

“We’re not criminals.”

Jacob huffed in agreement.

“They don’t know that.”

“Do you really think we can make them stop and listen?”

Edward hesitated just the tiniest moment and then shrugged. “If we find enough friends to stand beside us. Maybe.”

If. I suddenly felt the urgency of what we had before us today. Edward and I both started to move faster, breaking into a run. Jacob caught up quickly.

“Taras shouldn’t be too much longer,” Edward said. “We need to be ready.”

How to be ready, though? We arranged and rearranged, thought and rethought. Have me in full view? Or hidden at first? Jacob in the room? Or outside? He’d told his pack to stay close but invisible. Should he do the same?

In the end, Jacob—in his human form again—and I waited around the corner from the front door in the dining room, sitting at the big polished table. Jacob sat a few chairs from me; he wanted space in case he had to phase quickly.

Though I was glad to have Jacob nearby, it made me feel useless. It reminded me that in a fight with mature vampires, I was no more than an easy target; I didn’t know how to protect myself.

I tried to remember Taras, Kate, Carmen, and Elena from the wedding. Their faces were murky in my ill-lit memories. I only knew they were beautiful, two blondes and two brunettes. I couldn’t remember if there was any kindness in their eyes.

Edward leaned motionlessly against the back-window wall, staring toward the front door. It didn’t look like he was seeing the room in front of him.

We listened to the cars zooming past out on the freeway, none of them slowing.

“I really made everything as difficult as I possibly could, didn’t I?” I murmured, mostly to myself.

“What do you mean, Beau?” Jacob asked, though he was looking towards the front room. Edward’s eyes locked on to me.

“If I had just let Edward and Carlisle change me as soon as I got sick…”

“Beau, love, you can’t know how that would have changed things.” Edward argued.

“But I’d be a full vampire, the Volturi wouldn’t be confused about what I was.” I countered.

“Maybe, but I wouldn’t have stuck around.” Jacob frowned. “I wouldn’t be here with you.”

“But you’d be safe!” I insisted. “They wouldn’t be coming after you or the rest of the pack.”

“Unless Sam changed his mind and attacked the Cullens for breaking the treaty—or if I had gone ballistic.” He frowned, watching me carefully.

“Jake, I can’t see how this is anything but my fault.”

“No,” Jacob and Edward said at the same time, but before they could argue further, we heard the sound we’d been waiting for: the slowing of an engine on the freeway, the tires moving from pavement to soft dirt.

Edward darted around the corner to stand waiting by the door. Jacob and I stared at each other across the table, desperation on our faces.

The car moved quickly through the woods, faster than Charlie or Sue drove. We heard it pull into the meadow and stop by the front porch. Four doors opened and closed. They didn’t speak as they approached the door. Edward opened it before they could knock.

“Edward!” a male voice enthused.

“Hello, Taras. Kate, Elena, Carmen.” Three murmured hellos.

“Carlisle said he needed to talk to us right away,” the first voice said, Taras. I could hear that they all were still outside. I imagined Edward in the doorway, blocking their entrance. “What’s the problem? Trouble with the werewolves?”

Jacob rolled his eyes.

“No,” Edward said. “Not precisely at least. Our truce with the werewolves is stronger than ever.”

A woman chuckled.

“Aren’t you going to invite us in?” Taras asked. And then he continued without waiting for an answer. “Where’s Carlisle?”

“Carlisle had to leave.”

There was a short silence.

“What’s going on, Edward?” Taras demanded.

“If you could give me the benefit of the doubt for just a few minutes,” he answered. “I have something difficult to explain, and I’ll need you to be open-minded until you understand.”

“Is Carlisle all right?” a female voice asked anxiously. Elena.

“None of us is all right, Elena,” Edward said, and then he patted something, maybe Elena’s shoulder. “But physically, Carlisle is fine.”

“Physically?” Taras asked sharply. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that my entire family is in very grave danger. But before I explain, I ask for your promise. Listen to everything I say before you react. I am begging you to hear me out.”

A longer silence greeted his request. Through the strained hush, Jacob and I stared wordlessly at each other. His russet lips paled.

“We’re listening,” Taras finally said. “We will hear it all before we judge.”

“Thank you, Taras,” Edward said fervently. “We wouldn’t involve you in this if we had any other choice.”

Edward moved. We heard four sets of footsteps walk through the doorway. Someone sniffed. “I knew those werewolves were involved,” Taras muttered.

“Yes, and they’re on our side. Again.”

The reminder silenced Taras.

“Where’s your Beau?” one of the other female voices asked. “How is he?”

“He’ll join us shortly. He’s well, thank you.” Edward hesitated, minutely. “He’s taken to immortality with amazing finesse.”

“Tell us about the danger, Edward,” Taras said quietly. “We’ll listen, and we’ll be on your side, where we belong.”

Edward took a deep breath. “I’d like you to witness for yourselves first. Listen—in the other room. What do you hear?”

It was quiet, and then there was movement.

“Just listen first, please,” Edward said.

“A werewolf, I assume. I can hear his heart,” Taras said.

“What else?” Edward asked.

There was a pause.

“What is that other beat?” Kate or Carmen asked. “It’s so slow…”

“Yes, and remember how distinct it is—how different. Now, what do you smell? Besides the werewolf.”

“Is there a human here?” Elena whispered.

“No,” Taras disagreed. “It’s not human… but… closer to human than the rest of the scents here. What is that, Edward? It’s… almost familiar. Like I’ve smelled it before.”

“You have, Taras. But what else can you discern from that scent?”

A pause.

“It’s more human than we are…” Taras said slowly, “but it isstill like us in some ways.”

“Now, please, Taras, pleaseremember to listen. Throw away your preconceived notions.”

“I promised you I would listen, Edward.”

“All right, then. Beau? Please come here.”

My legs felt strangely numb, but I knew that feeling was all in my head. I forced myself not to hold back, not to move sluggishly, as I got to my feet and walked the few short feet to the corner. The heat from Jacob’s body flamed close behind me as he shadowed my steps.

I took one step into the bigger room and then froze, unable to force myself farther forward. I took a deep breath.

I thought I’d prepared myself for their reaction. For accusations, for shouting, for the motionlessness of deep stress.

Taras staggered back a few steps as he looked me over, confusion overwhelming his expression. Kate narrowed her eyes. Elena moved slightly in front of Carmen, holding her arms out protectively.

“Congrats, you freaked out the vampires,” I heard Jacob tease under his breath.

Edward put his arm around me. “Now before you jump to conclusions—” he began.

“What’s going on here, Edward?” Taras exclaimed. “Are you trying to test the Volturi? Carlisle told us you needed to change him!”

“What’s… wrongwith him?” Kate’s narrowed eyes were focused like lasers on me.

“Edward this isn’t wise.” Elena sighed.

“Wait,” Edward said, his voice harder now. “Remember what you hear, what you smell. Now look at what you can see.”

“I see a human!” Taras snapped back.

“Taras,” Edward said sharply, “Listen to how slow his heartbeat is! Think about his scent! And look at him!”

“His heart…” Carmen whispered, peering around Elena’s shoulder.

“He’s not a full vampire, no,” Edward said, answering an unspoken thought and directing his attention toward Carmen’s more open expression. “But he’s half-vampire.”

The four vampires stared at him like he was speaking a language none of them knew.

“Hear me.” Edward’s voice shifted into a smooth velvet tone of persuasion. “Beau was very sick—he was dying. Carlisle didn’t not believe he would survive the transformation. When we finally did attempt to change him…” Edward paused, only for a briefest second, “Something happened. Beau awoke as you see him now. Half-vampire and half-human.”

Taras’s mouth was hanging open, he didn’t seem aware of it.

“Edward, I don’t understand.” Elena was shaking her head.

“You hear his heart, don’t you? It’s too slow for a human. His scent, it’s human and vampire.” Edward said as calmly as he could manage.

“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Elena said. Her shoulders were still stiff, her expression cold.

“Come now, Elena. Open your mind.”

It was Carmen who responded to Edward’s words. She stepped around Elena, ignoring her half-articulated protest, and walked carefully to stand right in front of me. She examined me carefully, taking in every detail.

“Your eyes have always been beautiful,” she said in a low, calm voice, “but now they almost glow with an inner light, don’t they?” And then, as if she could not help herself, she smiled.

“Thank you,” I breathed.

They all glanced at each other at the sound of my voice.

“May I?” Carmen held out a hand toward my face.

I nodded once.

She gently placed a hand on my cheek, her head tilted slightly to the side. “You are warm, but… too cold for a human.” She leaned in closer and sniffed. “Your heart beats, but I smell no blood in you—not blood I would desire, at least.”

“What?” Taras demanded, coming closer. “How?”

Elena approached now. Reaching out her hand, “Please?” she glanced down at my own hand, her expression still cold.

I put my hand in hers, she felt my skin, examined my face. “Ah,” she nodded. “How very strange. But I see now. You are not human, not strictly speaking.”

“How did this happen?” Kate asked, coming closer now.

“When I was dying,” I answered, “I needed a blood transfusion.”

“We had few options,” Edward continued, “So we took a chance on a theory.” His eyes darted over to Jacob.

“You used the werewolf’s blood?” Taras’s voice was shocked.

“Hey.” Jacob grumbled.

“Jacob and his people possess advanced healing, we hoped that this would help Beau—and it did. It made him stronger. But the werewolves’ blood is not compatible with our venom. The end result…” Edward tightened his arm around me.

“A half-vampire.” Elena whispered.

“Will the Volturi accept this?” Taras asked Elena.

“He is no longer a mortal,” Elena replied. “If anything, he would be better adept at hiding the secret of the immortals than any of us.”

“They’d be confused.” Kate added. “But they’d understand, I’m sure.”

“So what is this grave danger you warned us of?” Taras asked. “Surely, you’re concerned about how they will react. The Volturi would be cautious but why—”

“The Volturi have been told that Beau is still human, and they’ve been informed of our friendship with the werewolves.” Edward answered, darkly.

The four vampires looked panicked now.

“The Volturi will not honor a truce with werewolves, Edward.” Elena’s voice was grave. “Believe me, I know.”

“We had intended to send Beau alone to meet with the Volturi. His thoughts are protected from Aro and so Beau could hide the wolves’ involvement.”

“But who would do this to you?” Taras was angry now. “Why?”

“When Ivan saw Beau that day in the mountains,” Edward explained. “Beau hadn’t hunted for several weeks. He appears more human when he doesn’t hunt, and he had Jacob with him.”

Kate hissed, her eyes narrowing to slits. “Ivan did this? To you? To Carlisle? Ivan?”

“No,” Taras whispered. “Someone else…”

“Alice saw him go to them,” Edward said. I wondered if the others noticed the way he winced just slightly when he spoke Alice’s name.

“How could he do this thing?” Elena asked of no one.

“Imagine if you had seen Beau, looking even more human than he does now. Imagine if you knew the Volturi demanded he be changed.” Edward said.

“When Ivan saw me, I was telling Jacob how happy I was that everything worked out—that I could stay in Forks, still be around my human family and friends.”

Taras and Kate’s eyes widened slightly as understanding began to dawn on them. The memory of their mother who refused to let go of her human life bringing pain into their expressions.

“Jacob changed into his wolf form when he sensed Ivan and Ivan didn’t wait for our explanation.” Edward continued.

Taras’s eyes tightened. “No matter what he thought—what he might have felt… You are our family.”

“There’s nothing we can do about Ivan’s choice now. It’s too late. Alice gave us a month.”

Both Taras’s and Elena’s heads cocked to one side. Kate’s brow furrowed.

“So long?” Elena asked.

“They are all coming. That must take some preparation.”

Elena gasped. “The entire guard?”

“Not just the guard,” Edward said, his jaw straining tight. “Aro, Caius, Marcus. Even the wives.”

Shock glazed over all their eyes.

“Impossible,” Elena said blankly.

“I would have said the same two days ago,” Edward said.

Elena scowled, and when she spoke it was nearly a growl. “But that doesn’t make any sense. Why would they put themselves and the wives in danger?”

“It doesn’t make sense from that angle. Alice said there was more to this than just punishment for what they think we’ve done. She thought you could help us.”

“More than punishment? But what else is there?” Elena started pacing, stalking toward the door and back again as if she were alone, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the floor.

“Where are the others, Edward? Carlisle and Alice and the rest?” Taras asked.

Edward’s hesitation was almost unnoticeable. He answered only part of her question. “Looking for friends who might help us.”

Taras leaned toward him, holding his hands out in front of him. “Edward, no matter how many friends you gather, we can’t help youwin. We can only die with you. You must know that. Of course, perhaps the four of us deserve that after what Ivan has done now, after how we’ve failed you in the past—for his sake that time as well.”

Edward shook his head quickly. “We’re not asking you to fight and die with us, Taras. You know Carlisle would never ask for that.”

“Then what, Edward?”

“We’re just looking for witnesses. If we can make them pause, just for a moment. If they would let us explain…” He touched my cheek. “Prove that Beau has been changed, or at least that we did our best to change him. Explain that the wolves present no immediate danger to them. Champion the Volturi to show us some mercy.”

Taras nodded slowly. “Do you think they will listen?”

“I don’t know. If Ivan had only given us a chance to explain before going to the Volturi we may have been able to avoid this entirely.”

“Beau still would have had to convince the Volturi his change was… satisfactory.” Kate raised an eyebrow.

“Beau,” Elena said quietly, still pacing, “is a rare creature. Aro would not risk destroying anything so unique without pause.”

“We can witness to the quality of our family.” Carmen finally said in a decided tone. “We can add our voices to yours. The Volturi are strict, but they are not without mercy.”

“Without mercy…” Elena repeated, still distant.

“Yes, we can witness for you,” Taras said. “Certainly that much. We will consider what more we might do.”

“Taras,” Edward protested, hearing more in his thoughts than there was in his words, “we don’t expect you to fight with us.”

“If the Volturi won’t pause to listen to our witness, if they will not show mercy, we cannot simply stand by,” Taras insisted. “Of course, I should only speak for myself.”

Kate snorted. “Do you really doubt me so much, brother?”

Taras smiled widely at her. “It is a suicide mission, after all.”

Kate flashed a grin back and then shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m in.”

“I, too, will do what I can do protect you all,” Carmen agreed. “Do not be so troubled, Beau.” She leaned forward and kissed my cheek.

“Thank you, all of you.” I said quietly.

For a moment I thought that maybe what we were attempting might be possible. Maybe we would be shown mercy by our enemies.

And then I remembered that Alice had left us, and my hope vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

#Breaking Dawn #Breaking Dawn Revamped #Breaking Dawn Rewrite #Beau Swan #Beau Cullen #Edward Cullen #Jacob Black #Twilight #The Twilight Saga #Twilight Saga Revamped #Twilight Rewrite

[niall-is-my-dream]

You & Me - Part Nine

2300 words

Tokyo, Japan

Callie's POV

Being in Japan was something else. It was fascinating.

When you arrived at the airport, there were at least 1,000 people at the gate waiting for Niall. You'd never experienced it first hand like this. Sure you'd seen it, you'd watched the hysteria behind him and One Direction when you'd watched a load of you tube videos. Something you did as standard before agreeing to work with anyone.

They were all shouting his name, screaming and generally going crazy. It made you super proud of him. The fact that he was your boyfriend, and had been between your thighs just 12 hours ago sucking on your clit and drawing out an intense and mind blowing orgasm, made it even more exciting.

After 9 hours on a flight you should've been tired, but you had slept well and had a sudden burst of energy. After checking into your room, which thanks to Niall you probably wouldn't even sleep in, you made your way to the gym.

Syncing your wireless headphones to your phone, you set your running playlist and started up the treadmill. You were lucky on this tour, Niall had Mark Jarvis who did security and personal training for him. He encouraged everyone to work out, not only for fitness and well being but to help with stamina for a busy show day. Mark was a great guy, tough on everyone but you loved the fact that he helped you all out with your regime.

The sweat was beginning to drip from you at the 8km point. Slowing down your pace gradually before pausing the machine. Taking off your headphones and hooking them over your neck, you grabbed your water and downed almost half of it.x

You smiled when you heard Niall in the background somewhere behind you. When you turned around you saw him being filmed for a video diary. Everyone has been made aware that it was going to happen when you'd signed your contracts for the tour. You just weren't expecting to be in it.

He was introducing everyone to the camera and you knew he would eventually get to you. Wiping your sweat from your forehead, you knew there was no point trying to hide.

"And this is my guitar tech Callie, looking like a hot sweaty mess in her purple jazzy running leggings." Niall said as he approached you with a smirk on his face.

You rolled your eyes at his comment. Cheeky shit.

"Glad you like them Ni, got some for you for your birthday!" You replied sarcastically.

"You better have now that you've promised!" He answered as he walked away.

"So you've got a female guitar technician? There's great diversity in your crew." The interviewer said.

"Callie is brilliant at her job, keeps us all in line too. I've got some strong females on my team and we all support each other 100%."

Your heart swelled at his compliment. The things he did to you.

You'd spent the rest of the first day relaxing, Niall had loads of interviews to do over the next couple of days, with a scheduled day off on his birthday.

Ellie, Sienree and Tara had invited you with them to have a look around the area near the hotel. You stopped at a quirky little cafe for some food.

"This city is amazing." You said as you sat down.

"Did you not come when he was doing the slow hands promo?" Ellie asked.

"No, I had my brother's wedding so couldn't. I've heard the food here is amazing as well."

"The place we are going for Nialls birthday does the best food in the whole city." Tara said.

"Did you get Niall anything for his birthday, Tara?" Ellie asked.

"Yeah, brought him some hideously brightly coloured socks!" She laughed.

"How about you Callie?"

You hesitated before replying. Your gift was obviously really personal since he was not just your employer and friend now, but your boyfriend.

 "Um, I got him a leather strap for one of his guitars." You replied, not adding the detail that you'd had his NH logo embossed on it for him.

"That's a good idea, he will love that." Tara said.

When you got your purse out of your bag to pay your share of the bill, you checked your phone.

"Miss you Petal x"

There simple words from Niall and you had a smile on your lips and a blush on your cheeks.

"Miss you to. X"

Once you had paid, you all made your way back to the hotel discussing using the spa there. It was included in your stay and was beyond luxurious. It had a pool, Jacuzzi and steam room. Very decadent, with water falls throughout and a lush background of plants and flowers.

When you got to your room to collect your bikini you sent Niall a quick message telling him where you were headed and to text you later when he was back from the interviews.

When you arrived in the spa you stored away your clothes in the lockers and wrapped yourself up in the softest robe you'd ever worn in your life. Tara was trying to decide if she would get away with taking it home with her. Offering to buy her something similar for Christmas instead of stealing it, you made your way over to the loungers. 

This was definitely the most luxurious hotel you'd ever stayed at. Ellie and Sienree headed over to the Jacuzzi while you and Tara decided to sit for a bit. A hostess approached you soon after and asked if you were Miss Callie Brown.

"Um, yes I am."

"We have a champagne delivery for you." 

"We didn't order any." 

"This is from Mr Horan for you all, he says to enjoy your time in the spa, but be back to work tomorrow." She replied smiling.

Ellie and Sienree had left the Jacuzzi and started to make their way over to you when they saw the hostess arrive with the champagne. 

"What's this?" Ellie asked.

"Just Niall being his usual self!" Tara replied.

You relayed the message to them as the hostess poured the bubbly liquid into the flutes.

This wasn't the first time he had done something like this for his team. When slow hands had gone to number one and with heavy promo going on, he'd organised gifts for everyone for all their hard work and dedication. 

"How did he know we were coming?" Sienree asked.

You exchanged a quick glance with Tara before she told them that she had messaged him to ask him if he needed her for anything this afternoon. When he had replied no, she had told him your plans to use the spa.

Happy with Tara's answer and being saved from admitting that you had text Niall, Ellie made a toast to Niall, and you all clinked glasses.

"Honestly I could get use to this life." Tara declared. "Think I need to find me a sugar daddy."

The girls all laughed and launched into their worst dates they'd had the pleasure of going on. With the champagne drunk, you made your way into the Jacuzzi. It wasn't long before some pasty but handsome Irish men appeared, along with Preston born Louis. Niall wasn't with them so he was obviously still working. They all sauntered over, Jake coming out with a disgraceful pick up line which earned him a laugh from everyone. 

A few of you got out of the Jacuzzi, you included and made your way over to your stuff. Wrapping yourself in your toweling robe, you sat back on the lounge chair and began checking your phone. You had avoided IG since your chat with Tara about Saskia so you weren't tempted to see whether she had posted or not. Scrolling through your Facebook instead, you caught up with your friends news and a random picture your Mum had posted of your family dog Toby.

"That's a very serious face Cal." 

You looked up to find Niall standing in front of you, he wasn't wearing a robe, instead he had just navy blue swim shorts on. Your eyes wandered up his body and you realised you hadn't taken a breath. His workouts with Mark were really showing, his chest hair that you'd been desperate to run your hands through all day was on full display.

"Um.....my um.... Mum just posted a picture of our dog." You stuttered out.

He raised his eyebrows at you, a smirk across his lips when he realised he had got to you. 

"Really? What breed of dog?"

"Um... Golden retriever."

"You ok there Petal?" He asked that stupid smirk still on his face.

You tried to naturally cross your legs, but you very obviously squeezed your thighs together to ease the heat you were feeling there.

And he noticed.

The hostess came over at this point, asking if Niall or any of the others wanted any drinks. He ordered everyone some water, since you and the girls had already had champagne and you were all heading out for dinner soon.

"You coming for a dip?" He asked.

"Yes." You replied, standing up and taking off your robe. You could feel him watching you as you laid it on your lounge chair. When you turned back around the cheeky shit was licking his lips.

An hour later and you were naked in his shower, back flush against the cold tiles, Nialls head between your thighs. He had to support your weight as you came, his strong hands gripping your thighs so you wouldn't slip.

The sound of the water running didn't cover the sounds of your pants and breathless gasps as you tried to come down. You leaned your head back against the wall, eyes closed, heart beating fast.

"I'll never get tired of doing this." He said, as he stayed knelt in front of you, leaving kisses across your thighs.

"Good." You replied, a ridiculously girly giggle tumbling out of your lips. You were giddy, high as a kite and you weren't ready to come down just yet.

Scratching your nails through his hair, he let out a low guttural moan that echoed off the tiles. He looked up at you through his lashes, his eyes wandering up your body. When he stood up he brushed your hair away from your neck, before kissing you in that sweet spot behind your ear. Tilting your head to the side, he dove in deeper, nibbling at your neck and shoulders. His hands dug into your hips hard when you reached down and took hold of his cock firmly in your hand.

When you ran your thumb over the tip, he moaned against your skin, pulling back to look in your eyes. Tilting your hips forward you guided his length towards you, rubbing it between your folds and over your already sensitive clit. His hand moved up to your hair, a firm grip through your wet locks as he moved forward to kiss you hard. You could taste yourself on his tongue, and it surprised you to find that you liked it.

Mumbling moans against each others mouths, both of you were gasping, your chests heaving as your bodies reacted to one another.

"Do you want to?" He whispered against your lips.

You nodded your response, not able to even form words as you continued to rub him against your clit.

He slowly bent his knees and hitched your knee up and over his hip before sliding slowly inside you. Burying his face in your neck you could hear him whispering how good you felt, how much he wanted you. With your arms wrapped around his shoulder, you scratched along them and up across the nape of his neck and into his hair. You could feel your nipples rubbing against his chest hair, the sensitive nubs hardening at his touch. His thrusts were slow and precise, you could feel him everywhere, he was taking over your whole body.

Moving his hand from your hair, he grasped your other knee and lifted you off the floor. Turning his head towards yours, his assault on your neck ceased and instead he moved his lips across yours. He was deeper now, pressing into exactly the right place, desperately trying to pull another intense orgasm from you.

The shower was still running, the steam building in the confines of the cubicle. You would stay here forever if you could, just you and him in your own little world.

You were beginning to run out of breath though and you threw your head back against the wall, clenching around him as you came hard for the second time. His thrusts became sloppy, his grunts telling you he was getting closer to his own high. You dug your nails into his back as he continued to pound into you, fucking you harder and harder.

He let go of your legs and slid out of you, grasping his cock and pumping himself. Your feet landed on the floor of the shower safely, your back still against the wall, chest heaving. Thick white spurts came rippling across your stomach, Niall threw his head back as he wanked himself of the last of his release.

Watching him like this was definitely on par with watching him on stage, he had never looked better.

He let himself go and placed his hands on the wall, either side of your head. The spray of the shower was hitting the muscles across his back, bouncing across his shoulder blades, while he caught his breath and came back down.

"Cal, fuck you're incredible." He mumbled as he stood up straight. His hand cupped your face and when he kissed you, right in that exact moment you knew you were in trouble.

Part ten

https://niall-is-my-dream.tumblr.com/post/183134582438/you-me-part-ten

#Niall #Niall Horan #Niall fan fic #Niall fan fiction #Niall Horan fan fic #Niall Horan fan fiction #solo Niall #one direction #1dff #Niall fluff #Niall do it #Niall smut #Niall imagine #Emily writes #You & Me

[twh-news]

Miss Minutes voice actress Tara Strong says there's more to Loki's cartoon breakout character

One of the unexpected joys of Loki has been seeing the Time Variance Authority's animated mascot, Miss Minutes, popping in and out of the series with a heady dose of Southern charm. She lays out the purpose of the TVA in the premiere, but goes on to appear to Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in semi-sentient ways as the series moves forward.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe didn’t cast just anyone in the role, they went with a legend. If you throw a rock at IMDb, chances are you’ll hit something that Tara Strong has been in. She’s a DC veteran (Raven on Teen Titans, Harley Quinn in multiple projects, etc.), a Marvel veteran (the animated Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers Assemble, Marvel Rising, etc.), and has also appeared in Rick & Morty, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, The Powerpuff Girls, and Family Guy, to name just a few. Perhaps you caught her voicing Sunny in A Series of Unfortunate Events?

SYFY WIRE caught up with Strong before the Loki finale to discuss how her performance as Miss Minutes developed, how much Miss Minutes actually knows, and more.

At what point in the Loki process did you get involved?

The Loki series was completely finished filming by the time I came on board, which was great because I got to watch all the action unfold as I was doing it, as if I were really shooting with them. If I had to go first, it would be much more challenging. To play off Tom Hiddleston was so much fun.

Did they have any ideas on what direction they wanted you to take Miss Minutes, or was it more like, "She's Tara Strong, we're going to stay out of her way?"

When you have an audition for an animated character, they'll give you a drawing of the character, a character bio — something about their world. And the more information I get, the more I can feed that into developing a character. It is a very collaborative process generally by the callback stage. The director, the writer will put in some ideas, and then you come up with the perfect voice for this character. And that was not the case for Loki.

I didn't even know it was for Loki, I didn't know who Miss Minutes was. There wasn't a visual, it was kind of limited information. I just knew they wanted something like a Siri voice but more human. Then they said to play around with an accent, which I got to do. And then, when I started working with Kate [Herron], who has such incredible vision on every single part of this process, we collaborated and came up with this sort of Southern belle that can say horrible things with a smile on her face. And it's such an extraordinary, fun character. It's definitely unique. I've never seen or done anything quite like her.

In the premiere, she gives a whole spiel as to what's going on, or what we think is going on. We've now found out that most of that is not necessarily true. Is she aware of that and is faking it, or is she as clueless as everyone else?

I think that's a great question, and I think there's more to be revealed about how much she really knows, and obviously, you'll have to wait for the finale. But that's a great question because even in the audition, I was like, "Is she sentient? Is she this?" And along with the Marvel imagination of how it all works, a lot of that is still to be discovered. And looking at it, it's very easy to say, "Oh, maybe she's the ultimate being behind all this," or "Maybe she knows more about this," but it's really a play-as-you-go kind of thing. But she's certainly more knowledgeable than in the first episode, she seems to be a lot more sentient than in the first episode. In the first episode, you think it's just a video, and then of course she comes to life and hangs out on Tom's desk. So [there's] more to be revealed as she goes, for sure.

Because she's been such a hit with fans do you think there's a life for Miss Minutes outside of this series?

Of course, Miss Minutes definitely needs her own series! I am so excited to see all the fans cosplaying her at cons. There's already been some incredible art. I'm so grateful that the fans have fallen in love with her, and they did before the show even aired. There were a bunch of videos made with the trailer and people saying, "That's Tara Strong, that's Tara Strong." And you never know with an animated character that's part of such a huge franchise. Or even in something on camera, you don't know how the fans are going to respond. So I can't say how grateful I am that the fans love her and have warmed up to her. She's rapidly become one of my favorite characters I've ever done.

She would get along really well with Mr. D.N.A. from Jurassic Park.

Everybody talks about that online, and some artists, forgive me for not knowing [their names], did a really cute picture of the two of us together as a couple or something. People made that comparison pretty quickly.

If you had your choice for her to be involved in any of the many upcoming MCU projects, is there any particular one that you'd really love to be a part of?

That's a good question. I mean, anything in the MCU, it's such an honor to be a part of it. I've been in the animated world for so long, but to join this cinematic universe is just incredible. And I think she's the kind of character that could maybe now she's working for this person or that person, and she could change, and morph, and her whole character dynamic could go into a million different directions. I mean, sky's the limit for Miss Minutes, so it'd be fun to see her alongside other heroes, or villains, or whatever people perceive them to be.

In terms of your entire body of work, which is enormous at this point, you've already done several Marvel animated projects, and DC, you name it. This is probably an impossible question, but Miss Minutes aside, is there another character that stands out as being very special to you?

You know, there's so many. I always say that my favorite job I ever did was The Little Mermaid II, because I was such a big fan of the original and I used to run around impersonating her. So to get in the studio and sing with Jodi Benson, and then they drew my face and animated her onto this mermaid. So that was a very, very special time in my life. But I don't know what horseshoe I was born under, but to get to play Harley and Batgirl... Batgirl I worked alongside Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy. The Powerpuff Girls was so fun, The Fairly OddParents was so fun. And Raven, she's so important, she's just saved so many lives. When I meet kids at cons, they say, "Raven got me through my parents' divorce or depression," or, "I thought I was alone till I met her." I just feel very blessed to have been a conduit for these characters, to bring them to people. And I take that responsibility pretty seriously. I love meeting fans at cons and interacting with them on social. It's really beautiful.

#loki #loki series #miss minutes #tara strong #interview #article #syfy fire

[neganandblake]

I think I liked you better when you didn’t have a knife in your hand, Peaches... Chapter 173 - Nothing but the rain

When Blake finds herself sold out to the Saviours by her abusive fiancé, she realises that she’s certainly not on her own anymore and finds an unlikely friend in Negan. And Negan does NOT like men who beat their girlfriends, one tiny bit…

MASTERLIST

Chapter 173 - Nothing but the rain

[Negan and Blake catch up after so much time spent apart, but the pair find that stolen moments like these, in amongst everything, never last as long as they might want them to...]

Negan and Mia stayed for the entire afternoon, things feeling completely normal between the three of them as they enjoyed a hastily thrown together, very late lunch, after watching Mia blabber and play about on the mattress before them for what had felt like hours.

Blake was enamored with the little girl, so excited to seeing her growing and developing day by day.

Gone was the shy little thing she had once met, hiding in a vent in the wall. And now Mia was flourishing, with her own little personality, completely bossy at times and often far too intelligent and quick for her own good.

It was late afternoon by the time Blake and Negan stood in the small white kitchen, Blake washing up what dishes Mia had used for lunch, using a little of the water boiled over the fire.

Negan stood at her side, his back against the counter to her right, popping yet another wild strawberry, Blake had found growing in the bottom of the garden, into his mouth.

Having five minutes peace from Mia, who had crashed out on the couch next-door after her lunch, Negan had been updating Blake on life back at the Sanctuary in her absence.

"...an' Simon is bein' asshole as always.." said Negan matter-of factly, mid-chew. "Damn shit-prick is making a mockery of my entire fuckin' set up."

Blake glanced up at him now, remembering suddenly back to how Simon had spoken to her back in Mia's bedroom on the night he had found her with Tara.

But she knew just how Negan would react if he ever found out, and the last thing she wanted was for Negan to lose one of his more loyal lieutenants because of a fleeting moment of Blake feeling slightly offended.

Because surely Simon hadn't meant to shout at her like that?

Right?

And so Blake held her tongue, but Negan, as always, was quicker than she gave him credit for.

"What?" he asked giving a small frown, his dark eyes grazing over her face. "That asshole done somethin' to piss you off too, Peaches?"

But Blake shook her head, placing a soapy dish onto the drainer.

"No…" she murmured. "It's nothing. I was just going to say that maybe you're too uptight for your own good."

At her words Negan raised both his eyebrows bemusedly, biting down hard upon his lip and pushing his long, lean form from the counter and closing the gap between the two of them.

"That so?" he uttered, leaning in towards her now, as Blake turned too, his face hovering a mere breath away from hers.

Blake smiled, savoring his closeness.

She had missed the intimacy. That feeling that she had shared with very few people in her life, Negan being one of those select few who she had given her everything to.

She had missed him like crazy. Missed their conversation. Their playfulness. Missed having someone hold her at night when the nightmares threatened to take hold...the constant, reoccurring dreams of a baby crying somewhere, where Blake couldn't get to it.

Negan didn't kiss her now, but instead leant forwards, grazing his stubbly lips over her brow, his hand pulling her shoulders into his chest and holding her there close to him.

She heard him sigh heavily, enveloping her in the warmth of his strong arms. And Blake, in that moment knew, that this was where she wanted to be forever.

"I'm sorry for leaving…" she whispered now, her face buried in his collarbone, breathing him in.

To her he smelled like burning wood smoke and gasoline, heady and strong, but oh-so familiar to her now.

She remembered then back to that day, in that broken down truck on the side of the road where Blake had found herself cuddled up to Negan for warmth, that first time she had noticed his scent….noticed how warm he was….noticed how perfectly her body fitted into his.

She was indeed sorry for leaving.

Not sorry for being here, for getting out while she still had the strength to.

But sorry for having to be away from him. And Mia too.

For Blake had been in a dark place, and staying at the Sanctuary would have done nothing for her mental health. For her anxiety, or depression.

And the sorry fact of it all was, that Blake knew that if she had have stayed there, then she might not be here right now.

For in that abyss, that low point in her life, the blonde woman had been far from herself, her thoughts muddled and twisted. And for one single screwed up desperate moment she may have believed a gun with a single bullet, or a jump from a high window, to have been her only chance of freedom from it all.

But she was healing now. Getting better day by day.

And those thoughts weren't there any more, thankfully.

She felt Negan's words reverberate through his chest as he spoke now.

"I told you, you don' need to be apologisin', Sweetheart," he growled, his large hand sliding down her spine. "

Blake closed her eyes, giving a sad sort of frown for a moment before she pulled back a little to stare up into Negan's face.

The face of a man that so many others feared and loathed, and yet Blake knew a different side of, one of strength and compassion, and of love.

"I want to come home, Negan, I really do," she said, her eyes flickering down to the breath of space between them. "But I just need a few more days…"

Blake trailed off, glancing up at him again, oh-so desperately trying to tell him that this was not because she didn't love him, or didn't want to be back with him and Mia.

And maybe a few days ago, Negan wouldn't have understood, wouldn't have seen her reasons behind it. But now, it was as if he was seeing what she was seeing, that the fear, that the darkness, may come back again if those wounds did not have time to fully heal.

And she could see now that Negan understood that if that happened, he might lose her forever and never get her back.

A frown line lingered between the tall Saviour's dark eyebrows, but he didn't look angry, merely pulling her into him once more with a growled- "C'mere, Darlin'," resting his bearded chin on top of her head.

Blake closed her eyes.

"I love you," she said quietly, knowing that the sun would be setting soon and Negan would need to return to the Sanctuary with Mia, leaving Blake alone once more.

And she could only let out a sad smile as Negan hummed a "I fuckin' love you too, Peaches," in earnest return. "And I was deadly fuckin' serious about comin' back to see you. Every goddamn day if that's what you want."

The caramel blond woman blinked her eyes open.

"That's a lot of gas you'll be wasting on me..." she replied teasingly, as she eased herself back from him now. Staring up into his face and offering him a smile.

But Negan merely smirked, his tongue poking out from between his teeth for a moment, grinning back widely. "Well it's a good job I'm the one in charge of rationin' that shit, now aint it?" he mused, letting go of her with a sigh.

He leant back on his long legs marvelling at Blake for a long moment, long face cocked to the side, as Blake continued to smile back, rolling her eyes a little at Negan's cockiness.

She was just about to open her mouth to say something cutting in return, when there came a small, familiar-sounding wail from the living room, causing both adults to sigh internally.

"She probably needs her bed," said Blake, letting her eyes fall to the ground now as she folded her arms a little shyly over her chest, knowing what was coming now.

Blake would have asked them to stay of course, but knew that Mia would be safer away from here, back at the Sanctuary with its high walls and almost impenetrable gates. And by the knowing look of disappointment etched over his features, Negan knew that too, as he dropped his eyes, nodding back.

"Yeah," he huffed out, digging both hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

Blake had had such a wonderful afternoon, that she never wanted it to be over, but knew that another day would come soon. And even if it wasn't tomorrow, it was still something she could look forwards to in amongst the slow passing of time spent here, healing.

Blake took the lead now, tucking a stand of long hair behind her ear, not looking at Negan, and heading back into the living room to see Mia stirring on the couch.

The tiny girl was obviously tired and teasy, and very much in need to be back home in her own bed.

And Blake certainly couldn't deny the need for routine into the little baby's life.

Blake moved to the couch, bending down to pick Mia up, lifting the sleeping girl gently into her arms, as Mia with her thumb stuck into her mouth, rested her head on Blake's shoulder, her chubby fingers curling around a strand of the blonde's long hair.

Blake pressed a kiss to Mia's temples, moving over to the front door.

She didn't want to look at Negan now, hearing him make his way slowly over to her, his boots chinking as he went.

She desperately didn't want either of them to go, but both adults knew, that right now they had no choice.

The afternoon had been blissful and Blake would remember it forever.

But in the time her two visitors had been here, by the sound coming from outside, the rain had not relented even a little bit.

Blake pressed another kiss into Mia's hair as she turned, easing Mia carefully into Negan's strong arms, before she quickly turned away, giving a sniff, still avoiding the dark-haired Saviour's eye, and reaching for the door handle.

Blake tugged open the white painted door to the sound of the rain hammering down, and, stepping forwards, peered up into the darkening sky.

But Blake's eyes flickered sideways seeing Negan, at her side now, doing the same, also giving the bleak sky above them, a look of distaste.

"Holy fuckin' shit," he grumbled in a low voice. "Thought it mighta' eased off a bit…"

And with that, Blake turned to face him, her heart aching inside her chest as she took him in.

Negan was standing there now, Mia in his arms, his black leather jacket unzipped and tugged across them both, shielding Mia from the rain outside they were about to endure.

Not even a year ago, Blake would never had imagined that this man, this intimidating man spoken about in fearful whispers by many, would be standing here, looking every inch the handsome protective father he was.

Blake tilted her head to the side, long blonde locks tumbling down over her shoulder, as she took a step forwards, kissing Mia one last time and stroking back the hair from her sleeping face.

"You be good for your Daddy," she murmured quietly, her voice breaking slightly as the words escaped her lips.

And with that the blonde woman stepped back once more, tears pricking at her eye as she gazed up at Negan, her heart almost breaking in two.

Their eyes met for second, and yet again, so many unspoken things passed between the pair. So many things left unsaid, and despite them having almost the whole afternoon together, for Blake it was not enough.

But she knew it was time now, to let them go.

For this had been her choice...to stay here...to be alone. A decision she had to live with.

And so, chewing on the side of her lip, Blake's green eyes stared into Negan's chocolate ones...

"...I love you," she repeated again softly.

And Negan just gave a slow, sad looking blink, a gulp travelling up and then back down his bearded throat.

"I love you too, Peaches," he said parting his lips.

And Blake took that as her cue to take one last step into him once more, standing up on her tip toes and pressing her lips to his, her hand curving up around his neck and into his hair...

Their lips met tenderly, tasting each other one last time, before Blake finally, after what felt like a perfect eternity, broke away, keeping her eyes closed shut, tears sliding down her cheeks.

And what felt like eons later, by the time Blake had eventually managed to pluck up the courage to open them again…

...Negan and Mia were gone…

...leaving Blake alone…

...on an empty doorstep…

...with nothing but the rain.

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[nellie-elizabeth]

The Walking Dead: The Calm Before (9x15)

Oh, for fuck's sake.

Cons:

I'm going to start with some personal context here: when I watched this episode, my DVR recording for some reason cut it off early, at the cliffhanger moment when Alpha sits next to Lydia in the movie theatre. I wasn't paying much attention to how long the episode had been, so I thought that was the final moment of the episode. I was all geared up to write a quite favorable review - lots of tense moments, good character buildup, etc. etc. But then I realized there was still fifteen minutes to go, and now I have to deal with this bullshit.

The problem with The Walking Dead is they have this huge over-bloated cast of people, most of whom we don't really care about, and then periodically in order to make us understand how evil a villain is, some of these characters will get killed off. But there's always some problem with the way they pull off the deaths: either they are way too built up and foreshadowed, and every ounce of drama is wrung out of the moment (Glenn, Carl), or else it's a character we kind of care about, and they're given a bunch of attention and more character development suddenly, and it becomes obvious they're about to die (Jesus), or they're someone I barely know at all and I'm not sure why I'm supposed to be so devastated about it (several of the deaths in this episode).

Really, we should talk about the Big Three Deaths.

Enid. She falls into the "Jesus" category for me, in that we suddenly get all these moments with her being all cute with her boyfriend, and I instantly thought she was going to get killed off. Or he was. One of them, anyway. It's hard to care about this, because I don't really feel like I know Enid at all, especially post time-jump. She's just another random Hilltop community member at this point.

Tara. I'm too exhausted to repeat my tirade about this show killing off all its queer characters. At least there are still those two girls whose names I don't know yet. Or whatever. And at least there's still Aaron. The thing with a big ensemble cast like this is that it's not necessarily the end of the world if some queer characters die, as long as there are plenty of other ones on the show, and that kind-of-sort-of is what's going on here, so I won't repeat myself on explaining why it sucks to kill off queer characters. Instead, let's just talk about how stupid it is to kill off Tara specifically. Hilltop just lost Jesus, and now it's lost Tara, and it all feels so pointless. And I don't mean pointless in the way it's supposed to feel pointless. It feels narratively pointless. Tara has been around for a really long time, and she never really came into her own as a character. I've never disliked her, but I've never felt all that invested in her either. Maybe she was somewhat superfluous to the story that this show wants to be telling. But instead of constantly bringing in new characters and over-extending the cast, and then killing off people who have been around for years to make room for newbies, why not take the time to actually develop these characters? Why not make us care about Tara the way we care about Daryl or Carol or Michonne, so that if she dies, it means something?

Finally, Henry. I will admit, there are some aspects to Henry dying here that I'm going to put in the "pros" section too, because I genuinely did not see it coming, and there are some interesting possibilities coming off of this. But on the other hand... why now? Henry was an annoying brat when this season started, and I had just started to get a bit invested in him... and then he's dead. It would have meant a hell of a lot more if we'd had a whole additional season with him, if we'd seen him grow, if I came to care about him the way I once cared about Carl. This show has this problem of dragging some things out waaaayyyy too far, and then cutting other things off before they've had a chance to develop and mature. It's annoying. I'm always feeling robbed of the better show that we could have had if certain plot threads could be disposed of, and different characters could be given the limelight.

The frustrating thing about this dramatic mass-killing is that so many people had to make mistakes in order for it to happen. It was just so contrived that when various groups started splitting up, Carol, Michonne, and Daryl would be the three together, along with one of the new-ish characters whose name I still don't know. They're idiots to let themselves get surrounded by the Whisperers. After all these years, do they not have any tactical common sense? And also, not to put too fine a point on it, Alpha is an idiot for not killing Daryl, Michonne, and Carol when she had the chance. If she really wanted to punish the various communities for their defiance, that would have been the way to do it. These three characters are protected because they're the most popular characters on the show (they're certainly the only three that I personally care about at this point), not because it makes sense in-universe for them to be the ones to always survive.

Pros:

One of the reasons that I found the deaths to be so unsatisfying is that the rest of this episode was doing some really good work. I was completely drawn in, loving the suspense, enjoying the happiness of the Fair, dreading Alpha's retaliation... it was all great stuff, and even the setup for the deaths, seeing the heads on spikes, would have worked really well for me if it weren't for the buildup resulting in those specific characters' deaths.

The first thing that was awesome about this episode? The Fair. I resisted Carol being a part of the Kingdom for a long time because I didn't like how it separated her from the rest of the group, and I was skeptical of Ezekiel. He just seemed too goofy to me, even though I know that's sort of the whole point. But now? I understand their relationship, I understand the Kingdom, and I believe in it. That scene where the leaders of the various communities signed the Constitution was incredibly moving. I think it's important in a show like this for the characters to have something they're fighting for. Despite all of the loss and pain, they have to remain strong for something bigger than any one person. The Fair was a great symbol of that, and I like the fact that we lingered on it long enough to understand what's really at stake here.

This episode did a great job being genuinely scary, too. As predictable as some of the deaths were, in terms of the character set-up as I've described above, I'll admit I wasn't expecting the slaughter in this episode. I thought maybe it would wait until next week. Everyone thought that Hilltop would be the target of the Whisperer's wrath, and I'll admit that I got caught up in that assumption as well, even though the Kingdom made more sense in terms of the narrative. And when the groups went out to go defend Hilltop, I was scanning their numbers, wondering which among them were going to die, so it was a doubly effective twist that the victims were people supposedly safe at the Fair. When we first see Alpha in that dress, with the wig, just wandering among the people, it genuinely startled me and made me very nervous. That tension kept escalating throughout the whole rest of the episode. The whole scene in the movie theatre freaked me out. I kept waiting for a mass attack to happen, and when it didn't, the tension stayed with me as we saw Lydia and Alpha talking. Great pacing, great acting, great score, all in service of a very frightening atmosphere.

Lydia has really grown on me. Obviously there will be some people who are livid that so much was lost because of her, but I think we're seeing that these communities don't want to give up their values, no matter the cost. They've offered Lydia asylum, and even though the consequences of that decision were devastating, it was still the right thing to do, and I believe that Daryl, Michonne, and the others will continue to protect her, in honor of the people who lost their lives, especially Henry. Lydia has a great moment where she stands up to Alpha. It's important to remember the degree to which this poor girl has been brainwashed throughout her entire life. Escaping an abusive parent is no easy task, and I think we're going to see the trauma play out in interesting ways. Or at least I hope that's where this is going. Lydia could be a really cool and interesting character to explore more deeply.

Oh, Daryl. He was killing it in this episode. I loved the little nod he gave to Carol when Alpha led him away at gunpoint. It was him saying "it's okay" and "goodbye" and everything else all at once. We get two Carol and Daryl hugs, once when Daryl, Lydia, Henry, and Connie show up at the Kingdom, and once again when Daryl returns after his one-on-one with Alpha. He just loves Carol and Michonne both so much. When we see the heads on spikes moment, Daryl notices Henry first and runs to Carol, desperate to save her this pain. He holds her and tells her to just look at him. My heart broke for the both of them. I also liked the little detail of Daryl taking Lydia to the spikes (heads removed, of course), so that Lydia can say goodbye to Henry. Daryl has been isolating himself since losing Rick, but we can see how community-oriented he really is, how much he cares about the people around him and how much he wants to nurture them.

A few other little details that I enjoyed: I surprisingly didn't mind Rosita and Eugene's little moment, even if the whole plot scenario is still a little eye-roll worthy. I liked seeing Judith playing with other kids, enjoying the freedom and fun of the Fair, and I loved when she and Carol had their little moment. It's so sad to think of Carol not being a big part of Rick's daughter's life, but we see that Judith still remembers her, and I'm sure they'll be together again now. Ezekiel's opening speech at the Fair about Rick and Carl was really great, and helped to tie together the themes of this season. Connie and Daryl's goodbye, with Daryl asking Connie to watch the dog... I could see a real friendship developing between those two. Connie and her sister's conversation, hinting at some backstory stuff that I'd be interested to get back to. Luke being buddies with Enid's boyfriend, excited to play music at the Fair. I actually really like Luke and I hope we get to spend more time with him.

Finally, Siddiq's speech at the end. It's taken a whole season to unpack the reasons for Michonne's fear and isolation. It's taken all season to start getting some answers about the communities being estranged from each other, and we still don't have all the pieces of the puzzle. When I saw those heads on those spikes, one of my first reactions was to be worried that we'd backslide on all that character development. Michonne and Aaron would pull back and stay in Alexandria, Ezekiel's dreams of union and trade would collapse, and we'd be back to square one. It's possible that that's where we're going with all of this, but I actually doubt it. We can see how devastated everyone is, obviously, but hopefully this latest challenge will bring them even closer together, and when the Whisperers are gone, harmony can continue to grow.

So yeah. I liked so much of this episode. I liked the build-up and the atmosphere and several of the character beats. And yet here we are with another slaughter, a bunch of characters that were only just getting interesting, suddenly killed off so that we're clear on the fact that the Whisperers are bad guys. Yeesh. Annoying.

7.5/10

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