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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 5 years

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Anons wanted an explanation for the placements I had on my previous tier list, but upon going back and looking it over, I realized that I wanted to move a few characters around, so I ended up getting a new template and remaking it.

I wrote little bits about each character [yes, each one] below the cut, but be warned, it’s long.

“I love you so much that I would sell my soul to make sure you’re happy”

Lee Everett: Lee is a goddamn legend. He deserves to be at the very top. He’s one of the best protagonists I’ve ever played as in a game, his backstory is incredibly interesting, and his relationship with and dedication to protecting Clementine never felt forced and is one of the highlights of S1. Even now, having replayed S1 a million times, seeing him get bit and slowly become weaker and weaker as he refuses to give up on Clementine still breaks my salt encased heart. Watching him die in the end never fails to put that lump in my throat. I love him.

AJ: I love this kid. I was so worried that they wouldn’t do him justice when the game was announced and I saw the trailer, but I was floored by just how much I grew to love him. He feels like my kid, my responsibility and I want him to grow up strong and smart, but also human. His voice acting is terrific, and I think he’s one of the best child characters we’ve ever been given in video games. His relationship with Clementine rivals Lee and Clem’s relationship and that’s what I wanted. This kid earned his place at the top.

S4 Clementine: This Clementine is my absolute favorite. While I love all the Clementine’s across the four seasons, I feel like she truly hit her peak in S4. I fucking love her, I’m proud of who she grew up to be, and seeing her journey to this point only solidifies that she’s my favorite. She’s strong and stern, but she has her softer moments with AJ and Louis/Violet, and what else is there really to say? She’s Clementine.

Louis: ....Do I really need to explain this? I mean, c’mon. If you’ve been following me for a long time- shit, if you’ve only been following me for a few minutes, then y’all know how much I love Louis. I can say with 100% certainty that Louis is my favorite non-playable character across all four games. I’ve made numerous posts, answered over a hundred asks, written thousands of words about him. Everything about him from his character design, his personality, his traumas, his voice acting, his expressions, his relationship with Clementine and AJ and Violet and Marlon and everyone- He’s the best. I love him.

Rosie: Rosie is the bestest girl in the world. ‘nuff said.

“I fucking love everything about you.”

S1 Clementine: Alright, before y’all come at me with the whole “Why isn’t little baby Clem SS tier you monster??” let me explain: I adore S1 Clementine. She’s still in S tier, after all. However, after playing through these games several times over again, I realize that this really is just the beginning of Clementine’s character and her growth. She’s lovable, she’s cute, and I want to protect her, but she’s not... a compelling character? She doesn’t fully come into herself and develop a stronger personality until S2. Like I said, I still love her and I can’t deny the impact that she had on the characters and us players, but she’s not my favorite Clementine of the bunch.

S2 Clementine: I fucking love S2 Clementine. I’d actually say that she’s my 2nd favorite Clementine. I give S2 a lot of well-deserved shit, but she is the high point of it all. Something about her character is compelling to me, like how she’s stuck with a bunch of adults who underestimate her yet want her to do everything for them and she just... is so done with it hahaha. But her growth is what it really does it for me. We went from little baby Clementine who whimpered at a small cut on her finger to a Clementine who fucking sews her own arm up, covers herself in walker guts with barely a flinch, can shoot a gun with great accuracy and take down walkers like they ain’t shit, and can survive and make her own decisions. Also, her instant connection with AJ is great. Love it. Love her.

Javier Garcia: Yo, I love this beautiful man. This man is honestly the best part of ANF, and without him it would’ve been such a shitty game. I found his backstory as an ex-professional baseball player booted from the league for gambling a cool concept. He’s hilarious and charming, too. Honestly, he deserved a better game with better, y’know? The only reason he’s not SS tier is because of the writing and his nonsense with Kate when you don’t want to romance her. It makes it seem like he led her on and then was like “Wait nevermind lol” which is annoying, but other than that, he’s great. Love his relationships with most of the characters, and the ending he got was pretty good.

James: I don’t talk about him as much as I should because I find James fucking fascinating. If they ever made a DLC or a mini-game for twdg, I want it to be about James and his journey in finding and joining the whisperers, his relationship with Charlie, and how he escaped them. His views on walkers, his survival and killing skills, his past traumas haunting his every moment for fear that he’ll revert back to what he was, his extreme pacifism that ironically turns violent- just what a cool fucking character. And while he has his wild moments [cave scene, anyone? “Oh ouch!” hahahahahaa] he’s still one of my favorites.

Violet: Oh, Violet. She’s amazing. I love her so damn much. If there’s ever been a character that I see a lot of myself in, it’s her.... which is why I tend to be a little harsh with her sometimes, but I can’t deny that she’s one of the most well-written characters across the whole series. She’s not perfect [both she and Louis do have their tiny inconsistencies that I blame the writing for] but that’s a good thing. And while I don’t ship her and Clementine, I 100% get why a lot of people do. Their relationship is adorable and way more compelling than her previous relationship with Minerva.

“I love you <3″

Carley: My beautiful girlfriend... you were taken away far too soon. Carley’s one of my favorite characters from S1. I wish we could’ve had more time to explore a relationship between her and Lee, but what we did get is enjoyable. She’s a badass, and I will always love the moment she tells Lilly off for being a little bitch, even though it results in her death. Not a day goes by where I’m not salty about that one.

Molly: Molly’s a goddamn badass. She scales buildings like it’s nothing, she named her weapon Helga, and her backstory with Crawford and her sister is terrific. Also, she’s funny and I love her. That’s that.

Omid: This dude was literally a light in S1. He brought us some humor when we needed it [ “...You broke that dude’s face.” ] and his relationship with Christa was so sweet. Also, him and Lee bonding over being history nerds? Yes, please. It’s bullshit that he was killed off two seconds into S2 but hey... S2 had a lot of bullshit in it so... Justice for Omid 2k19.

Luke: *deeeeeeeep inhale* Big Brother Luke did not deserve that bullshit. Literally one of the best characters in S2 and y’all just.... did him dirty like that. And for what? To make room for Kenny and Jane? Bull. Shit. Luke was so damn good, and the only reason he’s not higher is because of what they did to him after ep3. He starts out so kind and supportive and seriously like a big brother character then SUDDENLY he’s stupid and “makes it” with Jane while walkers are trying to eat us and then he gets himself shot and then fucking dies and akjsjdlkjasdkjaslkjasdklerwedascasads-

S3 Clementine: ...So, here’s where y’all will probably get pissed. S3 Clementine is my least favorite of the bunch. Don’t get me wrong, I still love her and she is still in A tier, but... how do I explain it? She’s in her 13-year-old, emo/angsty phase and it’s hilarious when it shouldn’t be. There are moments where I do become emotional for her, like when David takes AJ away and Javi hugs her, or when Gabe dies and she’s saying goodbye, or when she gets her first period, y’know moments like that! BUT... then we have moments where Javi goes to talk to her and she’s all “HAVING PEOPLE IS GREAT AT FIRST BUT EVENTUALLY EVERYONE DIES” or when she straight up shoots that guy who gave her faulty bullets OR WHEN SHE’S LIKE “IMMA KILL ME A LINGARD” AND.......... it’s too much for me! I can’t take her seriously when she’s this angsty, even when I understand why she is the way she is. Again, to reiterate, I still love her but in ranking all four Clementines, she comes in last for me.... and I can already hear the shit that’s gonna be thrown my way haha

Conrad: The most underappreciated character in S3 and it’s nonsense. Don’t come for me, but this dude is my favorite npc in S3. I love Conrad, and I wish we got more of him. He does have his own little arch if you keep him alive through the end. His grief over Francine is heartbreaking and his downward spiral that leads him to act out and threaten Javi, Clem, and Gabe so that he can get his revenge is wonderful. And btw, he does apologize for pulling the gun on them and makes up for it in the future. And y’know what moves him up into A tier? The moment you let him kill Badger. One of the best kills of the game. I prefer it over beating the shit out of Badger myself.

Aasim: This boy is my son, and I’m sorry, but he’s really fucking cool. You’ve got this kid who was sent to Ericson for being a pyromaniac [according to Kent, it’s not actually mentioned in game] and grew into this guy who documents everything so that they’ll have a form of history to look back on and help not repeat mistakes. His banter with Louis is funny, and even though he gets fed up with Louis for not taking anything seriously, he still cares deeply about him given how he reacts when Louis loses his tongue. His crush on Ruby is adorable, too. I just love him, he’s great.

Marlon: Now, originally I put Marlon in a lower tier [the “I like your role in the story” type of tier] but upon reflection I actually find Marlon to be a compelling character. He’s high on the list because of how well he’s portrayed. Marlon has some of the best voice acting across all the games. There isn’t a single moment where I don’t believe what he’s saying, which says something. There are moments where Clementine will say something and I go, “Really? That’s the take they went with? Okay...” but not with Marlon. For only being in ep1, he played his part really fucking well. I won’t defend any of the shit he pulled because it’s awful, but I understand everything he did. He is a coward, a sheep hiding in a wolf’s coat, pretending that he’s got everything under control and putting all the pressure of a leader onto himself and it eventually breaks him. I know they killed him off to further the plot and show how ruthless AJ can be as a child growing up in the world, but I wish he survived past ep1 so that we could really get into the meat of his character. I’ll say it: I love him as fake-friend-to-full-on-antagonistic-character and his role within the story.

Mitch: I fucking love Mitch and the only reason he isn’t in SS tier is because of how goddamn dirty the writers did him. You give me this boy- this butterknife wielding, foul-mouthed, angry, hilarious, bomb-making boy and make me fall in love with him and THEN YOU KILL HIM OFF IN THE STUPIDEST WAY POSSIBLE. “Oh, lemme just run at the crazy lady with a knife and- OOF! It appears I’ve been throat stabbed bleh-” I’ve complained about this since ep2, but lemme say it again: Mitch had so much potential to be an amazing character but never got the chance to because we had to add to the death count and make us more afraid of Lilly even though it didn’t do shit because it was a reaction kill rather than one made out of malice.

Tenn: Tenn is such a tragic character for me. In my personal canon ending, he dies because he was “messing up again” and AJ shot him. This poor kid was so full of hope that the walkers would go away one day, he’s so genuine and never wants to hurt anyone, even if they’re trying to hurt him, and he’s so fucked up from seeing Minerva that he stops thinking and tries to go to her even as she’s being devoured right in front of him. Tenn is like this game’s Sarah, but done right. He deserved better, but he was a well-written character and I love him. His friendship with AJ was so sweet which makes it even more heartbreaking when he dies. Yet another terrific child character.

“I like you and/or your role within the story”

S1 Kenny: This dude is such a chaotic topic. I feel like 90% of the fandom has an incredibly strong opinion on him, and of that 90%, 45% of people absolutely love him and if you say anything negative you’ll get a boat to the head while the other 45% loathe him. Then you’ve got the 10% who don’t have such strong opinions, and that’s where I fall. I like Kenny, and I like S1 Kenny more than his S2 counterpart. He has a great arch throughout the season regardless if you’re his best pal or not. He has some funny lines, some emotional scenes. I’ll never forget the first time I played the scene where Kenny’s crying over Katjaa’s dead body while Duck is laying against the tree on the brink of death. And I definitely will never forget the part where he finds the boy in the attic. Overall, I like him and what he brought to S1.

Katjaa: She was really sweet and her death broke my heart. I don’t have too much to say about her, but I liked her a lot. She loved her family and met a tragic end.

Ben: Fucking Ben, man. This poor kid. Another character with wasted potential. I’ve mentioned this plenty of times before, but I wish we could get an alternative ending where Ben was the only one who survived and became Clementine’s new caretaker. There was so much room for growth. He just wanted to help out but kept screwing up and it’s just.... sad.

Christa: I’ll be honest, the first time I ever played S1, I didn’t like Christa. Something about her rubbed me the wrong way and I didn’t care about her as much as I did Omid. However, the more times I replayed it, the more I grew to love her. She’s strong but sweet, and you can’t deny how much she loves Omid. And while I wish we did get to know what happened to her in S2, I can live with it remaining unknown.

Chuck: As much as I like our guitar playing hobo friend who deserved so much more, I would probably put him a tier lower if it weren’t for the advice that he gives Lee on the train. Because of him, Lee stopped treating Clementine entirely like a little girl in need of protection and cut her hair, taught her to use a gun, and furthered their communication by building a plan together. Without Chuck and his wise hobo words, Lee might’ve fucked both of them over. Also, Chuck’s pretty badass with that shovel, he got a lot of chuckles out of me, but his death was off screen and disappointing.

Andy St John: Okay. Okay okay okay. Andy. He is so high here [and so much higher than his mom and brother] because to me, he’s the scariest of the St John’s. Why? Because he’s the most normal-appearing of the three. He acts and talks like any normal guy would. He’s someone that I could see myself running into in real life. He’s so good at hiding how fucked up he is from everyone, unlike his brother who you can just look at and go “hahahahaha no thanks” and his mother who’s character design is just awful. I find him to be the strongest of the three, the smartest and the most dangerous. And the final fight between him and Lee is amazing. I love how you can be so furious with him that you keep punching him even after the prompt goes away and then his face goes all purple and swollen. Easily the greatest antagonist in S1.

Eddie: This dude is the best character to come out of the 400 Days dlc. End of story.

Alvin: He gave me a juice box and that automatically puts him here. Real great guy but we didn’t get too into his character. Wish we could’ve, though.

Rebecca: She grew on me tbh. Didn’t like her in ep1 when she was being all pissy and all, but for the most part, she’s pretty good.

Mike: I will forever wish the writers went through with the concept of Mike being one of the guys who attacked Christa because then he could’ve had a better character backstory. Regardless, I still like him. He’s pretty funny.

Nick: Nick? Oh, you mean PURE WASTED POTENTIAL. I mean, they really did give us this super flawed but sympathetic and interesting character and kill him off-screen. They really did that. Honestly, S2 really pisses me off sometimes for the way they treated these characters. It all goes downhill once everyone escapes. Yeah, yeah, blah blah not everyone gets a meaningful death blah blah but y’know what? You can do better than that. I loved Nick and I was so excited to see what they’d do with him in the end but NOPE! Justice 4 Nick 2k19

Pete: What a good dude. He stuck by Clementine’s side even when everyone thought she was bit. Love him. Wish we saw more of him.

Sarah: Ha. Ha. PURE WASTED POTENTIAL 2.0. What else needs to be said? This girl had the foundation for a great character but again, NOPE! I really liked Sarah! I wanted to teach her to use a gun to protect herself! The loss of her father fucking broke her and it was hard to watch but I wanted more and just ahaklsdjlaskjdlkakjaskjsaadkljas ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh-

Ava: Yo. Ava’s a fucking gorgeous badass. Really liked her and how she was sweet on Clementine. Also, it’s interesting that she stuck by David’s side like that.

David: I have a lot of mixed feelings about David. On one hand, the complicated relationship between him and Javier is good, even if it’s a little bullshit at times. On the other hand, David’s an asshole. But he’s a great antagonistic character. I do love that about him. The shit with him and Kate was a little annoying, but only because they didn’t ever elaborate on anything. On what level was the marriage fucked? Was it straight-up abusive? What happened to David’s first wife? Why did Kate and David get married in the first place? I got questions! But, like Javier, I think David deserved a better game with better writing.

Jesus: This dude parkour kills walkers. Pretty fucking badass.

Tripp: I feel like I don’t like Tripp as much as some people. I like him fine, but I know a lot of folks gush about him. I think he’s a good dude, a little pushy with Eleanor, but he’s loyal and strong.

S2 Lilly: I fucking hate Lilly. I hate her so goddamn much. She pushes every wrong button with her bullshit “Where's our new recruits?? Lee would be so disappointed knowing he taught you all the wrong things! You’re one of my people now, Clementine” AND THE GODDAMN “Yes, Ma’am” SHIT. Nothing irks me more than every time someone from the delta acts like Lilly’s the baddest bitch and call her “Ma’am” I HATE IT AND I HATE HER. SHE KILLED MITCH. SHE KIDNAPPED MY CHILDREN. SHE DARES TO TRY AND HURT LOUIS LIKE HE’S NOTHING. AND I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT HER....... That being said, y’all are probably thinking “wtf if you hate her so much why isn’t she in F tier???” and that’s because no other antagonist in these games has ever gotten this strong of a reaction out of me. Lilly is a damn good antagonist. She’s not perfect, and there are definitely things I would change or add, but she does her job and makes me absolutely livid [yeah yeah I know ha ha ha ha] every time she’s on screen doing her bullshit. I hate her and that counts for something. She’s easily the best “villain” in the entire series.

Ruby: I love my funny little hot-headed medic. Ruby’s amazing and I love her.

Willy: This kid really grew on me. I thought he was weird and creepy at the beginning but I adore him now. His brotherly relationship with Mitch should’ve been explored more, and at times his voice acting is kind of jarring, but I still love him.

“You’re fine, I guess...”

Duck: He’s fine. I like Duck. I like the “what if” scenarios we’ve come up with surrounding his character, and his death always puts a lump in my throat, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to say I love him, y’know?

Doug: Again, he’s fine. He has some funny moments when you save him, and he’s got a cool little panda bear on his sweater but... yeah. He’s okay.

Mark: Oh hai Mark. He’s cool, and the reason he’s not lower is because the iconic moment of finding him in the hidden room with his legs chopped off choking out the words “Don’t... eat... dinner” forever haunts my nightmares.

Russell: I’m not a big fan of most of the playable 400 Days characters, but I think if I had to pick a favorite, it’s Russell. His backstory of being with the group that believed in the power of 7′s [I think it was 7 I dunno going off of memory here] was cool and his weird thing with Nate was fun and disturbing. He’s a pretty cool character.

Carlos: I’ve made posts about Carlos before and how I think he had a lot of potential, but looking strictly at his role in the game and I’m left underwhelmed. I did get a lot of shit for where I placed him in my previous tier because he was [and still is] above S2 Kenny but I’m not going to lie and say I like Kenny more than him because... I don’t. I just think Carlos should’ve been given more development.

Carver: A cool antagonist who was defeated waaaaaay too early in the game. They were doing a fantastic job at making me hate him with his treatment of Clementine, beating the shit out of Kenny, murdering Alvin and pulling all that shit with Rebecca, but killing him off so quickly didn’t make it feel as satisfying. Again, underwhelming.

Sam: This pup betrayed me and he ain’t no Rosie, but we played frisbee so he gets a C I guess

Gabe: Y’know, Gabe could’ve been so good. But every time I play through ANF, he ends up annoying me more than Ben. What does that tell you? He’s fine, but he could’ve been a lot better.

Mariana: I’m not so much “meh” on Mari because I think she’s sweet and likable! The problem is I don’t want to put her any higher because really? What did she do? She died horribly because Badger’s a piece of shit.

Abel: Meh this guy’s garbage. I only put him up a little higher because the scene with him in the basement is really good.

Brody: Brody is like the Mariana of S4 for me, just a bit better. I do like her. She had some development but her whole purpose was to die by Marlon’s hand and get the plot going. Would’ve loved to learn more about her, but I couldn’t give her anything higher than a C.

Minerva: Controversial opinion but........ I don’t like Minerva as much as a lot of people do. If I could be brutally honest, if I were ranking these characters solely on how I feel about them without looking at their roles in the games and character development, Minerva would be in E tier at the highest. However, I can’t deny how tragic and complex her character and backstory is. It’s similar to how I feel about Lilly, but different. I think she’s just so fucked up from the delta that she’s become a husk of who she was and it results in her constantly pissing me off with all her shit. Also, the bridge scene alone bumps her up. That shit was crazy in a good yet tragic way.

Omar: At one point, I forgot Omar existed until he got shot in the leg...... but he’s also God so y’know. I like him but I also had to make up my own little backstory for him so...

“Meh”

S1 Lilly: I don’t care about S1 Lilly in the slightest, she’s awful. They made her way more compelling in S4. And she killed my girlfriend which is bullshit on it’s own.

Jolene: If I could rewrite S1, I would’ve thrown out the Stranger and had Jolene be the kidnapper. As Danny said, “What a waste.”

Bonnie: She’s pretty disappointing, tbh. I didn’t like how the game help pushing her onto Clem and overall she’s pretty forgettable.

Vince: He’s okay, I guess. He killed a dude one time. And shot a guy’s foot off.

Wyatt: “Meh” hahaha Eddie was a cooler character than he was

Jane: I wish Jane had been the Molly of S2 and stayed gone after she left the first time. I like that she taught Clementine some useful survival tactics and that’s what puts her on this tier, but I think we all know how I feel about the whole Jane vs. Kenny thing by now so...

S2 Kenny: This Kenny actually moved up a tier because I fully took in everything he’s been through thus far and.... “Meh.” I don’t think he’s good for Clementine, I think she and AJ need a group like Wellington. I recognize that he’s a lot of people’s favorite, but like I said above in his S1 counterpart, I’m the 10% that doesn’t have that strong of an opinion on him. I’d much rather discuss other characters over him.

Sarita: Forgettable, really. Except for when you get the chance to cut her hand off. That fucking scream of hers is anything but forgettable, yeesh.

Walter: Again, mostly forgettable. His death was sad, and I do think he’s a good example of what happens when you’re too trusting in this world, but overall he doesn’t stand out to me.

Kate: I probably would’ve liked Kate more if her romance wasn’t so damn forced. She has some funny lines, but she’s also pretty selfish and fickle when it comes to a lot of things. And I will forever be annoyed at her inability to keep her mouth shut about her and Javi’s relationship [or lack of] in front of David.

“I don’t like you but you’re not the absolute worst, I guess...”

Danny St John and Brenda St John: I put these two together because they have the same issue: They’re fucking creepy. Where Andy was normal and deceiving, these two look like they want to cut my legs off and eat them. I think they’re much weaker in character than Andy was, even with Danny’s weird sexual fixation of his gun and Brenda talking about her husband.

Vernon: He’s not the absolute worst because I do feel a little sympathy for him losing his daughter, but everything else just makes me not like him.

Shel and Becca: Easily my two least favorite characters in 400 Days. I had no real interest in either of them.

Arvo: This guy. I didn’t put him in as the absolute worst because of all the unnecessary shit Kenny put him through. No wonder he wanted to get the hell outta there.

Clint: I literally couldn’t give a single shit about this dude or what happens to him.

Eleanor: I don’t like Eleanor. I found her annoying. Her one good quality is her want to help people, but that want didn’t do much to help Tripp now did it, Eleanor.

“The absolute worst”

Larry: Did you expect anything else? Fuck this guy.

Stranger: Worst final antagonist ever. You’re telling me I have to fight this Mister Roger’s tootsie pop? I’ll bet you $1 I can do it with one hand. Fuck this guy.

Troy: Fuck Troy. All he does is smack Clementine around and then get shot in the dick.

Joan: This lady is a laughably bad antagonist. The worst fucking “villian” jfc...

---

There ya have it. Do you agree, disagree? Maybe a character I found boring you really liked! Maybe you want to tell me why Kenny is the best/worst again! We can discuss it.

I’m always open to talking about these characters!

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cruddyborderlandstheories · 5 years

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Moze Trailer! im so late oh god

tl;dr: again, like the Zane trailer, not much we haven’t seen before. some very beautiful looks at Promethea/Eden-6 and some shots of Pandora, but nothing significant lore-wise. im about to start Amara’s in a hot second so i'm at least not behind when Fl4k’s is dropped tomorrow later today and im screaming over their voice. oh also, there’s a hint at Moze having some sort of relationship with 2 dudes as she’s keeping a polaroid of them in her cockpit. dunno if dads/brothers/squadmates but they’re definitely there. they look to be playfully pushing her helmet over her face. i could be wrong, it’s kinda small.

i really like Promethea’s ‘night’ sky. the asteroid belt is really gorgeous

“Darziran (sp?) Bay” is by the Meridian Seaport im assuming? unless this is an inaccurate video..? sorta using a familiar area to keep us engaged?

im having flashbacks to So Happy Together. probably not the greatest time to get that song stuck in my head considering 66.67% of these pilots are gonna die. it’s not repeating because a part of moze’s soul died that day.

i do find it interesting vladof is fighting Maliwan. Add Maliwan onto Tediore and Dahl and damn Vladof no wonder you need the Iron Bear mechs you’re basically fighting on every front

idk why im just digging this turret’s design

anyone know what’s up with these doubled lights shots? we saw a lot of them in So Happy Together. y’all think they’re supposed to mean something? We’re just seeing from the view of the turret here so... i can’t imagine it does. also, let’s add Atlas to the possible list of corporations Vladof is fighting.

some pictures on the inside of Moze’s mech

the one on the right is IB, the one on the left I think is Moze when she is younger getting her helmet squished on her head. Which means those 2 dudes are possibly her dads? brothers? im not sure.

okay yeah Vladof and Atlas are against each other as well

god DAMN Vladof is just on a warpath

so idk if it was Moze specifically who shot that turret, but the camera did seem mighty focused on that mech while she was narrating

and considering the reason the turret collapses the building is because it malfunctions after being shot...

... do you think Moze blames herself for her squad’s death at all? i know she says it was a death trap, but... they were easily wiping the floor with those Maliwan soldiers. the only reason they appeared to have any trouble at all was because they went to the Promethea school of running away from things (eyyy).

also anyone else notice Moze’s trailer (not including end credits) is significantly longer than the other VHs so far? Her’s is 2 min 8 seconds, Zane’s is 1 min 6 seconds and Amara’s is 1 min 29 seconds. i wonder if Fl4k’s will be longer... I know Moze is gearbox’s baby, so I’m not surprised, but damn i didn’t realize just how much more content she received. Her trailer is also the only one with new info relating to backstory tied to it.

sorry i know this is an emotional moment and all, but where did this pilot go? moze said the rest of her squad was wiped out, so logically we should see a body

man it’d be fucked up if they got out and tried to crawl away before it exploded only to succumb to their wounds.

moze climbs out of iron bear from the back. i guess its big round front probably isn’t great for getting a foothold. tho i have to wonder how she climbed around the big cover in her way

~bubbly gum~ i hope she has an emote to blow bubbles or smth. altho do we know if there will be character specific emotes? also her dog tags are clipping through her chest

the embodiment of the =/ emoji

“all my friends are dead”

i like this shot. like that one art piece beverii did of my neighbor totoro except it was ‘my action skill, iron bear’. here’s a link to the tweet because you need to see it if you haven’t already

a ratch? on my good pandora??

also a new area to add to my collection of pandora shots of satellite dishes

i wish i was kidding

soon.

don’t worry, though, i also have a sub folder for every area on pandora with giant skeletons

they can share.

anyway

iron bear *probably* doesn’t have an AI but it definitely is acting remotely. it’s interesting, i know it’s able to function as a turret for a few seconds after the duration runs out then run into enemies and detonate, but it’s still cool to see it knows to specifically apply fire to the fire pit and not, like, moze, who is 2 feet away.

if anything it’s a dumb ai 🤔

i expect that Moze’s reaction to the burgers on promethea being made out of ratch meat won’t be such a big deal, then? because Zane and Amara were both pretty skeeved by it.

her eyes are glowing in this shot lol

Moze is Siren confirmed

this is interesting to me

looks like one of the indoor CoV areas

here maybe??

i find it interesting Maliwan is on Pandora here as well, like, this isn’t the CoV attacking Moze for hanging out in this base, and this shows Maliwan isn’t just on pandora in the drug-trippin trailer (because that can be excused)

seriously, Maliwan joining the cult or displacing them as the big bad is becoming more likely every day. personally, i’d love to hear Katagawa beg for us to save him.

moze fuckin gets around. im surprised she went to pandora, left, and then, apparently, came back for bl3. i hope her fast travel data saved.

also also

what are yOUUUUU are you another broken-down ship?? i wanna explore this so bad- it’s glowing and i LOVE when things glow

moze is mirrored in this scene. someone on reddit pointed out it was probably because they didn’t want her shoulder pad clipping through the ground. probably didn’t have time to make her take it off lol

i fuckin love these dudes

saurians? fucking AMAZING i love them 100%

this just in, moze sleeps like the dead. she looks so fuckin tired lol

immediately rolls back over onto casings

outstanding move

also we’ve had errors in every character trailer so far. are we supposed to be taking note or are they unintentional? hmmmmm

this is so fucking cool looking. i love that the gas giant has its own little moon up there.

elpis still not looking exploding-y. good for her.

has moze even fought 1 single bandit in this entire trailer? hmmmmmmm...

they’re even taking over the bandit technicals! this is a... hostile... takeover... god damn it

a better look at that picture! idk this looks like a fairly younger moze to me, but it could just be the pic quality and it’s some other person. maybe they were part of her squad.

ok this is gonna sound really weird, but the teeth don’t look like they’re in the borderlands style and it’s freakin me out. is that intentional? to make it not look like she has huge gaps in her teeth? hmmmmm

this fucking transition lol

she smile

alright im gonna yeet this into the void and then go do Amara’s so I’m not behind when Fl4k’s drops tomorrow

#borderlands #bl3 #borderlands 3 #moze

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clown-bait · 5 years

Text

Monster Family (Monster Roommate AU) Ch2

Eyyy fandom welcome back I’m going to be posting two chapters tonight in celebration of the up coming trailer! Enjoy my weird spider sex!

I’m going to put some additional warnings on this one: Spiders, and Oviposition are at play here. If you dont like that turn back now.

Ch2 Mike Hanlon Nearly Quits

The Derry library was finally quiet and calm on a snowy lazy Sunday afternoon. The busy morning browsers had finally begun to dwindle as they stopped in to stock up on a new mystery series then ducked back out into the cold with their entertainment for the upcoming snow storm. Mike Hanlon the head librarian decided he could take it easy for the rest of today, no one was going to show up in this weather. The remainder of the day was going to be nice and relaxing…..it was until they showed up.

“No! I am not doing this today.” the librarian groaned as an unusually tall man took several long strides to the non-ficiton section. He knew who the devilishly handsome stranger was the second he came in, the give away being in the way his baggy eyes drifted different directions and how his large delicate hands whipped the frozen beads of what was probably….hopefully drool from his plump lips.

“You are not welcome here we have a deal!” Mike chased after the disguise after being completely ignored by IT. It began tracing its fingers on the spines of books uncaring that the lighthouse keeper of The Losers Club was about to throw the biggest hardcover he could find at it. The creature finally turned to his greatest enemy when Mike found the courage to yank on his pea coat and it snapped the biology book in its hands shut causing Mike to jump out of his skin. Robert Grey grinned that disturbing wall eyed grin of his. “Hiya Mikey!”

“Leave.” the librarian growled

“Without my books? That’s not good business don't cha think?” he said as he leaned down to Mike’s level.

“What could you possibly want to find in a book?”

The disguised clown frowned and his cool steel eyes began to spark with amber. “I’m here for research Sheep Boy, remember our deal now. No phone calls, no dead kiddos.”

“I hope you’ve been sticking to it monster.” Mike spat

“Unfortunately I have.” the creature snarled and stood back up to tower over his enemy. “The things I do for family.” he muttered under his breath. “Now! About my research,”

“What makes you think I’m going to help you?” the librarian crossed his arms over his chest.

“I have given you more time to solve your little riddle have I not? I also must note that I happen to be a card carrying member of this library and last I checked it is your job to serve me yes?” The clown grinned and pulled an ancient piece of paper from his coat the name “Pennywise” scribbled on the dotted line in red child-like writing.

“I’m starting to think you don’t actually need any help at all.” Mike glared at the beast he was sure now that Pennywise’s agenda was to just humiliate him further.

The clown’s threatening posture relaxed and he let out a laugh. “Oh Mikey! While I do greatly enjoy causing you embarrassment I am genuine in my request. There is knowledge I seek that I do not have the time to observe on my own.”

“Which is?”

“Reproduction.”

“Nope.” Mike turned on his heel to leave.

“I don’t need help with the part you are thinking of, I am very skilled at mating!” the creature called after him.

“NOPE!”

Mike tried to make it to his office. He really tried, but was stopped by an extremely pale pregnant girl blocking the front of the door. A cheshire grin grew on her lips and Mike could see the enormous buck tooth front fangs she hid in her mouth. “Hey there Hanlon! Came to do some reading.” she grinned and removed her hood revealing a poorly dyed wig underneath. Color drained from Mike’s face. The clown was bad but the clown and his mate? He might as well set the library on fire.

“Need to borrow some books on spiders and What to Expect When You're Expecting do a girl a favor and point me in the right direction?”

“For the last time I will not help either of you.” the librarian growled.

“Wait who else is here?!” Leech’s ears perked up from under her wig, her face lit up when she saw Robert from across the room.

“WUFFLES!” the vampire shouted and shoved past Mike who got several looks from the elderly volunteers for not silencing the new obnoxiously loud visitor.

“Peachy pie?!” Robert grinned wide and extended his arms. “You changed your hair!” he said excitedly as he scooped her up and spun her around.

“This is a library!” Mike tried to shout over them but clearly the monsters didn't care.

“How are you feeling my love, better?”

“Yeah they've calmed down in there. Came by to pick up some reading material.” Leech placed her hands on her bump running her fingers gently over her babies. Robert got on his knees purring and cooing at his young.

“Are you giving your mother trouble my little ones?”

“Of course they are, they take after you.”

Robert growled affectionately at her and rose back up tilting his mate’s chin upwards to press a quick kiss to her lips. “I like the new color.”

“Doing rose for Valentines Day.”

“Ah yes, the holiday you won't stop reminding me about.”

“Cause you'll probably forget it.”

“Will not!”

“This is a library!” Mike shouted louder.

“Yeah it is Mikey so be quiet and bring me a book on spider anatomy.” Leech waved the poor librarian away as she plucked a medical book off the shelf and tugged on her mate’s scarf to bring him with her to a table. The pair sat down on opposite ends grinning up at one another every now and then. After a moment of reprieve from their chatter Leech once again resumed talking loudly across the table “So Ruffles what cha’ reading?”

“I'm more curious about what you're reading darling. Spider anatomy?”

“I want to know what I’m dealing with in here.”

“How coincidental. So do I.” the disguised clown crossed his leg over the other and tapped the spine of his book on parenting. Mike slammed a book on their table labeled Spiders of the World interrupting the conversation. “I hope they're the kind that eat their parents after they're born.”

Robert stuck a long tongue out from behind a set of fangs as the librarian glared.

“Hey Bob you think I’ll lay eggs?” Leech interrupted the exchange and Mike tried to hold back the urge to throw up in his mouth as he evacuated the area.

“Most likely.” Robert cooly replied.

“I'm amazed that doesnt even phase you. How big?”

Robert shrugged and licked his finger obnoxiously to turn the page creating a spot of drool on the paper.

“Please don't damage the volumes!” Mike called out

“Please don't interrupt my reading librarian!” the eldritch snapped back making a defiant mocking face before soaking his finger with drool again. After another brief moment of quiet reading Leech flicked a pencil over at her mate’s head then waved sheepishly when he glared up at her.

“Hey! Tell me if this does anything for you.” she said as she began to rapidly tap the pads of her fingers on the books next to her. The disguised Pennywise paused his reading and glanced upward at the sound and Leech grinned making the tap again. A low curious chitter vibrated out of the creature’s throat as his eyes became a radioactive yellow. “Am I turning you on big guy?” Leech wiggled her eyebrows at him seductively. “Says here spiders drum on things to attract mates.” she tapped again louder and faster this time and Mike popped his head out from behind a shelf ready to throw them out, supernatural super beings be damned. With no warning the eldritch stood and floated up onto the table walking across it in a few short strides much to Mike Hanlon’s absolute horror. The creature hopped off with a thud nearly straddling his mate’s legs and leaned down over her as his arms trapped her shoulders to the chair.

“Faster.” he commanded. Leech blinked a few times then tapped on the book in her lap.

“FASTER.” fangs split out of the side of his face and a pair of spider limbs erupted from his back. Every person in the library merely glanced up as if all he had done was spill some water. Every person except a sweating mortified head librarian.

A dark blush of ichor formed on the nosferatu’s cheeks when she saw the hot and bothered beast practically panting above her. She began to tap again but was cut short when she found Penny’s lips crashing into her’s letting out a frantic clicking as he shoved his tongue into her mouth. Another set of arachnid limbs shot out of him to anchor him in place and the first set drummed furiously on the table as he kissed her.

“Breed with me.” he hissed out voice almost unrecognizable.

“I already did Ruffles.” Leech mumbled into his hot kisses. The creature growled and put his hands on her swollen stomach pressing his lips to her with more urgency as his tapping resumed nearly breaking the table.

“Again then...more...breed with me.” he was almost demanding it at this point. Leech couldn't help but twist a set of talons into her mate’s coat pulling him tighter to her. Before he could act Robert Grey found himself suddenly freezing and damp as Mike bravely wielded a fire extinguisher hosing him down once more when his radioactive red and yellow eyes snapped up at him.

“OUT! GET OUT! RIGHT NOW!” the librarian shouted preparing to spray again. The eldritch growled and hissed fangs extending through his gums. “I will do it again and you know I have more of these!” Mike warned them and Leech let out a loud “FUCK!” as she tried to wipe the chemicals off her jacket. Claws splintered into the chair behind her and Leech quickly snapped her fingers in her mate’s face to get his attention.

“HEY! Calm down Pen holy shit! You made a promise not to kill him remember?” The eldritch’s fangs receded back into its jaws “Come on grab your books you horny bastard it's not like we don't live together or anything.” The vampire stood up not wanting to be sprayed again and tried to calm her beloved horror shoving her book bag into his chest. “You can take me to the circus cart just don't flip out in public sheesh.”

An eldritch whine spilled out of the creature’s lips as he hoisted his mate to her feet. “Hey Hanlon I’m keeping the spider book if that's cool.” Leech grinned as her arms slipped around her monster’s slender waist.

“Its not.”

“Cool. Alright abracadabra!”

“Must you shout that every time I teleport us?”

“Let me have my fun and I’ll let you have your’s. Abracafuckingdabra.”

The creature hissed in annoyance but his massive hand still enveloped around hers cradling his mate to his body. His golden eyes flicked up as he clicked and churred at her his stare piercing into Mike with a look of mischief. Static fizzled in the air and the pair were gone along with several unchecked books. Mike sighed and began to wonder if supernatural security sensors were a thing.

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

They reappeared in a room that was not the circus cart and Leech found her eyes darting around the dark space. If it wasn't for her night vision she'd be completely blind in the tunnel yet she still found herself collecting sticky webbing on her jacket anyway.

“Pen where the hell are we?” she asked him who's shape had already shifted into a familiar clown.

“Nest!” he grinned down at her with pride. It was like she was in a tunnel of soft sticky webbing that reminded her of spinning cotton candy before it was wrapped around a cone. It smelled sweet and made the ground feel like a giant suspended hammock made of silk Leech pulled away from her clown to touch the walls noticing the web covered ground outside of the soft cocoon was a bit firmer. He had made a nursery for them.

“Do you like it?” her clown bounced excitedly in the soft silk bed.

“Is this what you do while I’m at work all day?” she turned to him and smiled “And here I was going to suggest you get a hobby” Leech ducked back into the funnel and flopped into the webbing that caressed her like an extremely soft bounce house. Her mate crashed beside her causing Leech to bounce up with his weight. The vampire couldn't help the chuckle that spilled from her lips and Pennywise grinned wide pushing on the webbing to bounce her more. “PENNY STOP!” she laughed and squirmed her way over to him till she was in his arms. “Its gonna need some pillows so I can lay upright.” she said leaning up “How did you make all this?”

“Do you really want to know darling?”

“It came from your ass didn't it”

“Spinnerettes”

“Which are located on your ass”

“I warned you.”

“Speaking of, weird request, but can you make me something to prop myself up with? Back is starting to hurt.”

“I brought you here to mate with you darling.”

“No shit sherlock, but I'd like to be comfortable during.”

Pennywise stood up and grumbled to himself letting his form grow and melt away with his back to her. The giant spider that stood in his place adjusted its legs as it stood delicately in its web tunnel then it arched its abdomen forward a pair of legs beginning to knit and shape what Leech assumed to be silk. She decided she wanted to watch and moved around to the front of the enormous arachnid who hissed and turned away.

“Oh come on Pen it's not like we haven't done weird shit in front of each other before, it's just knitting with your ass thread sheesh.”

The spider hissed and churred.

“Yeah yeah spinnerettes I got it. Come here let me see what you're doing” she tugged on the spider's leg who reluctantly let her turn IT. She could see the large ball of silk in its pedipalps as it worked and spun it like a white ball of cotton candy. Leech couldn't help but rest her head on the metatarsus she was holding onto gently stroking her hand up and down the arachnids limb kissing it softly. The great spider turned its head cocking it a bit to the side in its quick robotic way of moving. IT’s mate smiled up at it and kissed it again this time more deeply with soft tapping on its exoskeleton. “Have I ever told you how impressive you are underneath the paint?” Leech grinned into the hard skin of its leg. “I bet I could ride you.” IT stopped its weaving and looked down at her in silence. “I meant on your back perv.” Leech rolled her eyes and shoved ITs leg, the creature hissed in response. “Oh come on Pen what’s the point of dating a giant spider god if you don't get to ride around it every now and then especially when you're having its demon spawn. You owe me a ride.” IT made another annoyed sound before swiftly lifting its mate into the air with a hooked claw at the end of one of IT’s legs. Leech squirmed a bit in IT’s grasp until the large silk pillow was thrust into her arms. It was way bigger than she thought it'd be, in fact a large dog would be pretty comfortable using it as a bed. She was carefully set down much to her surprise at how gentle IT could be with her, deciding to settle in on her new giant cotton ball while she watched IT fuss with the web ceiling of their nest. After a long awkward silence Leech sighed and removed her bra from under her shirt flinging it at the giant creature. “Will you stop your fussing and come here already sheesh Pen. It looks fine.”

The giant spider looked down at its mate its mandibles clicking and fluttering. “How do I cuddle you in this form?”

The giant arachnid slowly moved over her and lowered itself almost mechanically until its head rested atop her swollen baby bump. Leech grinned and traced it's fangs and mandibles. The spider twitched violently until its top half became the clown who leaned into her touch. “Are you satisfied now?” he purred through hazy yellow eyes.

“I think so.” she mumbled pushing her hands into his hair as he made his way up her body. Penny continued his insectile churring and clicking against her neck and ear. When she didn't respond to his usual noises of arousal he pulled back hovering above her breathing in her emotions through her scent. Sensing she wasn't satisfied the clown cocked an eyebrow.

“Hmm?”

“Turn back.”

The clown blinked in surprise and Leech sat back up removing her shirt.

“The spider is the closest to your true form right? I want you as you really are.”

“Are you sure you know what you are asking darling?”

“Has it ever bothered me before?” she smiled pulling him to her and kissing him softly. “I want you Pen, I don't care what form you're in.”

Pennywise rumbled out a curious growl returning to her neck clicking and purring. He dragged his tongue along her flesh until soft lips became sharp fangs and mandibles. Leech opened her eyes in a daze and the spider scraped ITs fangs over her cheek. She expected the familiar feeling of teeth sinking into her flesh and her body flinched instinctively but what came instead was gentle pressure. IT was being incredibly careful with her being so big and deadly. She felt the smaller set of front limbs trace over her swollen belly carefully hooking onto her belt loops and begin to tug. IT’s mandibles fluttered against her face in ITs version of a kiss which Leech returned as best she could drumming her fingers on ITs carapace. She felt the entire creature shudder and groan the noise muffled thankfully by the silk cocoon they were in. IT hovered over her predatory and hungry beginning to grow impatient with her pants tugging with more force.

“Let me get it before you tear them off Pen-” Leech began reaching to remove her jeans she was cut off by a terrifyingly loud hiss causing her to gasp and pull away. The scent of fear flooded the creatures senses the noise IT made could almost be described as a moan. IT lunged forward at her a pair of legs pinned her arms above her head working silk to tie them together. IT churred with arousal as it brought IT’s fangs back in close front legs tapping furiously causing the whole chamber to shake. With a harsh yank her pants were torn from her body and Leech opened her mouth to protest but was cut off when IT hoisted her into the air. “Pennywise! What are you- HEY!” Leech shouted at her mate who was already far too gone in IT’s own fantasies at this point. She was cut off again when her spider was now upside down and spinning sticky silk to fasten her to the ceiling. Leech blinked then smiled nervously “Bondage? Looks like I'm not the only one who's put some thought into this huh Pen?” she smirked and waved her ass in her restraints. The spider below her moved back above her body angling IT’s self into a comfortable position. Leech continued her bratty chatter until something large and slimy slid to rest on her backside. “Th-thats new.” She stuttered with large eyes the giant arachnid let out a laugh like chitter bringing its fangs back near her neck while it's small front limbs poked and rubbed her swollen breasts. She felt her spider's longer legs rubbing her belly as it rocked its abdomen back and forth grinding its alien member against her ass cheeks. Huge slimy globs of drool spilled over her shoulders and against her cheek each time IT turned its head to affectionately click and churr in her ear. The small vampire returned IT’s affection as best she could kissing and running her tongue over its fangs and mandibles in soft kitten licks. IT was being incredibly gentle for what it was, IT had to be, everything about IT was for death not love. She felt her spider's grip on her tighten a bit and she let out a hiss when its slick member rubbed against her folds lubricating her as much as IT could before beginning to press at her entrance. Leech cried out as the thing between her legs began to fill her it wasn't a tentacle and it was much bigger than she thought it'd be. IT began to drum its front legs on the wall as it growled and churred pushing its thick appendage into her until she couldn't take any more of it. The spider at her back went still, letting her adjust to IT as its member stretched her inner walls. She felt a spill of hot liquid on her back and felt her monster cooing in her ear checking on IT’s mate and tenderly rubbing its brood within her. “I-Im okay Pen.” She panted and the creature above her gave her a test pump, Leech moaned loud in response.

She could hear her mate making an insectile laughing noise above her clearly very pleased with itself before thrusting into her again beginning a slow rhythm. “OH myyYYy my g-gOD PEnny!” Leech shuddered out as she tried her best to fuck him back. She didn't know what to expect when she thought of trying this but at this point fucking IT was definitely something she planned on trying again. The spider at her back hissed and purred making its “love growl” to her as the bumps and ridges of its slick organ rubbed at her insides, careful not to disturb the clutch of eggs already growing within her. She felt IT grip her body tighter and something leaked from her tit as it pressed harder at her breasts. Involuntary cries of pleasure escaped her lips as IT rocked itself in and out of her dripping cunt. Her mate picked up the pace, mouthing the back of her neck gently and scraping ITs fangs into her skin just enough to prick it. She could feel IT’s venom in her fresh wounds giving her not pain but unexpected pleasure. Her skin feeling sensitive and tingly to the massive arachnid's touch on her breasts and swollen belly which IT still stroked with reverence. She was able to come out of her high just enough to hear the sounds her lover was making above her roaring and gurgling out some dead language as it fucked her pussy with less carefulness than before. Her ears pricked up when she heard a familiar word escape its mandibles. “LeeEecHiiE.” IT tried to purr her name over and over as hot liquid venom filled drool dripping off the back of her neck and shoulders. “Yes Pen fuck take me!” She growled out encouragement to IT knowing how much it loved praise “Take your little slut, don't hold back Pen please!” she heard IT roar in pleasure at that humping into her like it was a race. Leech came with a shuddering cry her mate still fucking her and pulling another from her body shortly after. Leech's long vampiric tongue lolled out of her mouth as her body took more of her monster's rutting and she barely registered it when her restraints were suddenly cut. IT flipped her around to her back setting her on the pillow it had made for her earlier before going back to chasing it's own release. She could feel its mandibles at her throat scraping her skin with more potent aphrodisiac venom. The amount of overstimulation she was receiving was reaching an uncomfortable level and the vampire began to beg for the massive spider's cum. IT roared loud once again drumming its front legs so hard IT shook the entire sewer. Suddenly it bit down on her shoulder and leech felt a gush of liquid fill her abused pussy followed by something solid and squishy filling her hole to the point of bursting. She came a final time as her mate released inside her milking what she knew now to be its ovipositor with her slick walls. IT pulled out violently and finished on her body ping pong ball sized eggs and cum bathing her as she shuddered and spasmed.

The vampire could only lay there in the sticky mess as leftover eggs leaked from her stretched hole and onto the web hammock she lay in. Moving wasn't an option at the moment no matter how weird or gross the situation was. She knew something was coming from her nipples but looking required too much energy. Her spider's mandibles fluttered gently over her skin first at her belly cooing at her young assuring that they were alright then against her cheek until fang were replaced by a giant's soft red lips. Pennywise in his giant form, began to lick her clean his tongue covering half her body. She could feel his large thumb gently rubbing her forehead and his lips pressing against her body every now and then with massive kisses.

“Holy shit Pen.” Leech finally panted out and her whole body vibrated with his giggle.

“Are you alright little one?” He purred as he shrunk down.

“Am I still alive?”

“Very much so darling. You did so well for me.” He cooed as he settled beside her pressing his hand on her belly as he purred against her ear. Leech found the strength to turn and press her lips to his smiling into the kiss. “I fucking love you.” She giggled and bumped her head against his.

“And I you sweet thing.”

After a long quiet moment Leech finally decided to look down and assess herself and yelped when she saw her tits covered in red human blood. “OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK? WHY IS IT RED?!?!! THAT IS NOT MILK!” Pennywise seemed a bit startled by the sudden shouting and bolted up in surprise sniffing her and groaning at the false alarm.

“You are fine Peachy.”

“MY TITS ARE BLEEDING A COLOR THEY DON'T NORMALLY BLEED!”

“You need to feed our young somehow dear.”

“So I'm stockpiling blood instead of milk?!”

Penny growled and placed a hand over his growing young. “Everything is alright.”

“This whole pregnancy is terrifying I hope you know that.”

“I'm very aware.” The clown rolled his eyes and changed the subject tapping gently on her rounded stomach. “They will be vulnerable their first month this place will be soft and safe.”

“How do you know” leech turned to him finally calmed down. Pennywise grinned smugly at her and tapped his bulbous forehead.

“Instinct”

“Something I lack. Its gonna be hard for me to take care of them I'm not...the most maternal person. I hope you know that.” Leech sighed her hand joining her mate's over their babies.

“Peachy pie.” He purred and rubbed his cheekbone into her “We will learn together.” Leech laughed at the thought.

“I can't wait to see you of all people try to interact with a baby in a way that doesn't end in eating it.”

“I'm sure you will get endless amusement.” The clown rolled his eyes.

The vampire beamed and kissed her monster's cheek nuzzling him obnoxiously. “I sure will!”

Her clown sighed in annoyance and turned into her “Rest my love. I will bring you something to eat.”

“AB blood type please!” She grinned and kissed the creature on the nose.

Pennywise huffed but a small smile tugged at his lips and he returned her affection before standing and leaving their nursery. “Sleep well darling.” He purred before disappearing into the darkness.

SO YEAH I WENT THERE. Wake up fandom shits gotten weirder and more depraved. I hope you all enjoyed my weird spider egg bukkake. Love you freaks!

#pennywise #pennywise x oc #pennywise fanfiction #mike hanlon #it fanfiction #monster roommate au #welcome back everyone #spiderwise #lemon

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minaminokyoko · 5 years

Text

Avengers Endgame: A (Late, Incredibly Long) Spoilertastic Review

Well, it’s done.

I did it. We did it. We all watched the original lineup of Avengers’ stories come to its end.

So what did I think?

It was phenomenal. A worthy ending to a more than worthy series of films and stories.

There are just so many things to go over and so many points to hit that I have to warn you this review is likely going to be just as long as Endgame’s running time, so strap in.

Overall Grade: A-

Naturally, spoilers below.

I’m taking a note from a friend of mine and have decided that due to the film’s epic length and its history, the best way to tackle my reactions is first per character, and then I can evaluate things like plot and story and action. Just a heads’ up. So here we go.

Tony

Christ. I…wow, where do I even start?

There’s just so much to talk about with this movie and the arc that Tony Stark has been fulfilling since his first film. I almost don’t know how I can even put into words what I feel for this character. Tony came to us as this swaggering, arrogant diva, and yet the first Iron Man breaks him down to his core character. Tony Stark is a man with everything and nothing. He has the looks, the intelligence, and the resources to have everything a person could want, and yet he has no family and no deep connections with others aside from Rhodey and Pepper when it all starts. The core of the MCU was very cleverly built around the theme of Tony’s heart, and that’s perhaps why so many of us are devastated to know his fate. We all saw it coming. There was sadly no other way Tony’s story would pan out if we wanted to stick to his full arc. Tony could not rest until he knew the universe would be safe, and he made sure it would be before he left us. His legacy is incredible. It’s so…hell, to use a bad pun, heartwarming.

I guess the best thing to do in order for me to not just recap every amazing thing he’s done since Iron Man is to recap moments in Endgame for Tony that leapt out at me as exceptional:

-The intro with Tony playing paper football with Nebula. Stab me in the heart. That was so cute. It’s so very like Tony to try and keep her strong and keep her spirits up when they were literally staring death in the face. It was unexpectedly adorable, and even without us having seen the days they spent together, you could tell that Tony treated her in a mature-ish fashion and that’s why Nebula appeared to be affectionate, or at the very least, respectful towards him when she is usually very distant. You could tell they totally depended on each other and it was an important partnership. I was very, very touched when she scooped him up and put him in the seat when they were approaching their final day together. It’s such a powerful thing to see how far Tony has come, through the lens of Nebula showing such compassion for him even in such a short amount of time. I love how the Russos are so good at conveying thoughts and emotions and story without saying it outright. It’s an amazing skill in filmmaking.

-Tony’s arrival back to earth, and his confrontation with the Avengers. Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. My fucking feelings, y’all. Christ. I mean, the Russos already know how to gut-punch you and then kick you when you’re down, but Tony’s complete and utter break down still hurts like a mother. It’s just so raw and emotional, and it should be that way after a loss on this kind of scale. What really tipped me over into choking down frustrated tears was that Tony just looks at Cap desperately when he stumbles off that ship and says in this broken voice, “I lost the kid.” He can’t even bear to say Peter Parker’s name. The shame and loss and guilt is too much for him to say his little Spider Son’s name. Oh, fuck you, Russo brothers.

And then the team being in utter shambles over losing to Thanos, all of them just barely holding it together, and then Tony just shatters. He’s home and he’s with family, but he can’t get over this kind of failure. What really tears it is him going after Steve so viciously, and it’s so complex. He’s angry at himself, and he chooses to direct that anger at Cap because we all know Tony took it as a personal loss, as all of them did, that he couldn’t stop Thanos even though he literally gave it everything. He gave every last bit, every last drop, of effort, and he couldn’t stop Thanos. It just hurts. And the resentment that was already between Cap and Tony after Civil War is still clearly there, so the entire scene is just like being dragged naked over broken glass. RDJ and Evans’ acting here is some of the best of the entire series in this scene. It sets the stage and reminds us of the stakes amazingly well.

-Tony’s post Snap life, and his interactions with his family. All of us Tony stans called it that Tony would be a phenomenal father. He’s already shown us that he can be the right amount of strict and caring, and everything with Morgan is exactly what I dreamt it would be. I could rewatch the scenes with Tony and Morgan a thousand times. People can shit on Tony all they want and I will never listen to them, because it’s so apparent how much and how deeply he cares in scenes like this. Where he confronts Pepper after he figures out the time heist equation. Years ago, Tony may have lied to her or made a decision without consulting her, but Tony has grown as a person and he approaches his wife with one of the most important things he will ever do in his life and he asks for her opinion before he does anything. It’s such a good comparison to how he used to be. Tony’s heart is so huge in this whole sequence. It’s such a good representation of his internal battle between doing what is right for everyone and doing what is right for him.

-Tony and Cap’s reconciliation. Oh, my heart. I love how Tony approaches it in such a Tony sort of way, forgiving Cap and agreeing to move past their resentment for what happened in Civil War. I like that it was done in a brisk sort of way, and that a lot of the power in the scene comes from RDJ and Evans’ facial expressions. Really, these two act off of each other so well that part of why we’re all crying so hard about this movie is the horrible knowledge that we don’t get to see them act opposite each other in this context. I pray they stay friends in real life, and I would love to see them reunited on screen someday. It’s such a great relationship and it’s at the core of why this is such a great film series.

-The New York heist. Oh God. I can’t wait for them to tell us if the comment about Cap’s ass was in the script or if it was an improvised line by RDJ or Paul Rudd. It is by far one of the funniest things ever to happen in the MCU. Dear God, I was howling. The best part is that during the premiere we were all laughing so hard that I missed Cap’s initial reply, which was, “No one’s asking you to look, Tony.” Christ, I can’t deal. I know it’s straight up Stony pandering but I don’t give a fuck, it was hilarious. And it’s a very meta joke since Chris Evans’ gorgeous, flawless body is a meme thanks to his Dorito proportions (if you haven’t seen that yet, oh god, please look it up) and the fact that he has an absolutely phenomenal ass, especially for a white guy from Boston. Anyway, Tony and Scott’s whole interaction was perfect, and I loved how the scene went and how it led into the next one.

-The army base heist. Tony running into his father was such a good twist. I absolutely did not see that coming, but it was a really welcome conversation to give Tony closure. He’s felt so guilty for how he left things with them, and it was so touching to see him get a second chance at it, even if Howard was none the wiser. I really hadn’t expected anything like that, but it worked well with Tony’s arc and I thought it was very sweet.

-Tony’s reaction to seeing his baby boy, his little Spider Son, running up to him. My God. This was everything. I am a hardcore supporter of the Iron Dad and Spider Son dynamic, and this was the reunion I so sorely needed after the sick, demented, painful scene that was the final moments in Infinity War. Like the rest of you, the level of trauma that hit me when Peter Parker died is just…hell, infinite. The pain was just infinite. I both love and hate Tom Holland and RDJ for doing that shit to us. I did not know I could cry that hard about a fictional character, but I openly wept to the point of sobbing when Peter Parker died in IW, and to see him back in this scene was so wonderful. In my second viewing, the audience actually clapped when Peter swung through the portal, and that was quite sweet for me to experience. But back to the point: once again, I have to simply compliment RDJ’s acting. This is why we love him so much. It’s not even about the big, loud moments. His acting is so precise that the flurry of emotional expressions that Tony went through when his tiny son helped him up and started excitedly babbling to him about being dead, of all things, and then Tony just doesn’t even interrupt him, he just walks forward and pulls that little boy into his arms and holds him tightly in a hug and it’s just…wow. This is some spectacular acting on both their parts, and it heals a really wounded part of my heart, even though the next scene I talk about just breaks it all over again. Plus, at the time I wrote this review, the Spider-Man: Far From Home full trailer just dropped and (SPOILER ALERT) the opening scene is Peter Parker and Happy mourning Tony and I just feel like someone hammered a stake into my chest. This scene is so fantastic. It’s just another reminder of how damn much Tony Stark cares about the people around him and that he has an actual family now, and that’s why the next scene is possibly the saddest one of all.

-Tony’s death. Like Loki’s untimely demise, I knew this was coming from years and years of being a writer. Based on the track for his character arc and because RDJ announced this is his final official performance as the character, I knew Tony was going to die. There was no way around it. His determination to save everyone and correct the wrong done to the universe by Thanos would drive him past his limits and cause him to sacrifice it all. It’s just…man. I wish it had ended differently for him. Anyone who follows me on Tumblr knows that I tag all Iron Man posts with “we stan Tony Stark in this house” and that is how I feel. While Tony is not my favorite Avenger, I will stand up for him all day, err day. Tony Stark is the epitome of the human spirit, and in a different way than Cap, if you ask me. Tony is all of the dark and seedy parts, but also the defiance and the self-deprecation and the obsession and the power of the human spirit. He has so many vices and yet so many virtues. He cares to a fault. He blames himself to a fault. He has come so far after that brutal conversation in Avengers when Cap accuses him of not being the man to lay down on the razor wire and let the other guy crawl over you. He made the ultimate sacrifice play. As much as I reject the idea, we all knew it had to be him. It had to be. Because at the end of the day, Tony’s need to make his family safe was more precious to him than his own life. He gave up a future with his loved ones to make sure Thanos could never hurt them again. And all of it was capped off with a line that will probably haunt me forever, of Pepper’s soft, forgiving goodbye, “You can rest.”

-Tony’s farewell message to his family. Want to know something crazy? I cried so hard at the premiere. So hard. I was almost dry heaving with how hard I cried at Tony’s funeral. But then I had a week of time and I saw it again this past Sunday. I was choked up during his death but I didn’t shed actual tears this time until “I love you 3000.” Somehow, it didn’t hit me until the second time how they filmed Tony’s goodbye to us. They shot it in such a way that as he leans down to turn off the recording, he’s actually looking at us. Not directly into the camera, but so close to it that it finally hit me that this was RDJ’s goodbye and thank you to the fans. It was so touching and sincere that I finally broke down and actually cried again. What truly hurts is knowing that his loved ones have to be without him, and even though his sacrifice means everything, he is going to leave behind such a void. Even with his problems and his flaws, Tony was a damn good man and he was the right choice to begin this epic series. I can’t express how much I am going to miss him and how much I am going to miss RDJ in this shared universe. He’s so charismatic and wonderful and complex. It was not only a comeback for Tony Stark, but a comeback for a very troubled man, and it’s come full circle that Tony had a loving family just as RDJ has a loving family after his checkered past. To be honest, I’m likely going to do as I did for Loki and have a cutoff point in my brain for the MCU, where I don’t accept what happened because it’s too painful. I just pretend that nothing happened after that hug with Peter Parker and they all won the day and no one died. That’s just how it’s gotta be for me to survive a post Endgame world.

Thank you, Tony. You gave everything. I love you now and always.

Thor

-Thor executing Thanos. Standing. Fucking. Ovation. Right, so, I know that Thor probably should not have outright killed Thanos before they had more information, but at the same time, there was nothing more to get out of that son of a bitch and I clapped when Thor swung Stormbreaker and lopped that mo’fo’s head clean off, and I flipped off Thanos’ corpse with both fingers. Good boy. He told you he’d kill you, and he killed you, you sorry bastard. A+++

-Thor’s depression and weight gain. Alright. *rolls up sleeves* Time to make some enemies. I think Fat!Thor is a great idea, but the execution could have been done better. I recognize writing tricks when I see them, and Fat!Thor seems to be two ideas in one, and one of them is what is bothering the semi-reasonable part of the fandom. What I’ll do is explain my take on both parts of the overall idea.

(1) Thor’s depression at his failure (at the time) to reverse the Snap and save everyone is 100% accurate, in character, and is damn good writing. Thor has never actually full-on failed at anything in his life. The closest he has come is between being cast out in the first Thor movie for being irrational and cruel, and in Ragnarok where he had to let Surtur destroy Asgard in order to save his people. Even then, Thor lost battles, not the overall war. Therefore, Thor does not understand how to process failure. Yes, he also failed to save his mother, but at the same time, it’s not a failure on this level. He lost Frigga, Loki, the Warriors Three, and Heimdall, but this was literally trillions of lives that he feels were weighed on his shoulders, and his shoulders alone, even though as Rocket pointed out, losing the war was the fault of a LOT of people, not just Thor (and not Starlord either, you bunch of whiny hypocrites in the fandom, ugh). So becoming an alcoholic and giving up on his life as a hero is definitely how Thor would handle things. Think about it. He no longer has any guidance from his family, or his best friend, since they died. All he has is his Avengers family and Valkyrie. I’m sure the Avengers tried to talk him out of it to no avail, and that’s a really sad thing to know, that they couldn’t get him out of his depression spiral, so they let him wallow in it. As for Valkyrie, she’s still just barely recovered from her own trauma, and I am sure she probably tried to snap him out of it too, but he was too stubborn to listen. What I like about this point for his character is that Thor is right—he has always been expected to be “worthy” and to be the savior. Thor is the big gun on the team alongside the Hulk. He has always been the bravest, the noblest, and the most powerful person on the team, and he is expected as a king to win the day every time. But he lost. And he can’t reconcile it since he has always triumphed in the end. So it’s very understandable for him to lose control and just want to have nothing to do with the hero business, because if you fail once, you can fail again, and he couldn’t bear the thought of failing again, not after it cost him literally everything.

(2) Fat!Thor was an easy source of cheap laughs to keep the mood from getting too dark considering the subject matter handled in this movie. I am of two minds about this issue. On the one hand, I can see why certain people feel that this is fat shaming. It is. But the problem stems from the fact that the fat shaming is still a large part of American culture, and people have not broken the bad habit yet, and so it gets shifted into the easy laughs category. The easy laughs are for the Average Joe viewer. It’s for people who aren’t as conscious of how it sounds to mock him for his weight gain who are just used to “ha ha, fat person jokes.” Some fans felt uncomfortable that he was the butt of a few jokes because a lot of us who suffer from depression know that this is in fact a side effect. When you’re depressed, it’s easy to stress eat and overeat, and you lean heavily towards comfort foods that cause you to gain weight, and your depression makes you tired, so you also don’t exercise and that’s how you can end up overweight. On the other hand, while I agree with these folks about not liking the fat jokes, I also think it was necessary to show a character we all admire falling into the same pitfalls that we as mere Midgardians deal with on a daily basis. I don’t like the jokes, but I do like Fat!Thor’s inclusion in this story because people need to realize what depression does to a person. It shouldn’t have been handled this way, but from a strictly observer perspective, I understand why they went for the low hanging fruit. People needed to laugh since Endgame has very, very dark elements to it. I would have preferred they approach his weight gain in a more dignified fashion, but not every part of this movie was written for me and I sadly have to accept it. That’s my feelings on it.

-Thor’s encounter with Frigga on Asgard. I. FREAKING. LOVE. THIS. I did not see it coming, and I love it with every fiber of my being. This is such a heartwarming scene. I want to rewatch it a thousand times. I love Frigga immediately knowing what’s up (she’s not stupid and of course she noticed and it’s everything to me) and I love that she can clearly see how distraught her beautiful son has become. I love Thor having a panic attack, because that’s extremely realistic after he’s gone so long not having done any hero work, per se, and having to face his previous failed relationship with Jane, and with facing the day his mother died again. It’s really compelling writing. Frigga’s gentle reassurance is exactly what he needed, and it’s exactly what we needed to see him go through. He had to let go of the expectations piled upon him and accept himself for who he is, not who he needs to be as a warrior king and an Avenger. While I do wish they had gone on to show us a little more of who he considers himself to be instead of who he is supposed to be, I am really excited to hear Chris Hemsworth is one of the Avengers who has chosen to stay past the end of Phase Three. He’s young and funny and vibrant and I think Thor is his best role of his career anyhow (no offense meant, Hems, if you ever read this, you handsome golden retriever, you). I think exploring Thor’s personal goals and future will be very interesting.

-Thor’s reaction to Natasha’s death. This is a very small moment, but I actually like it a lot. I like that Thor’s optimism here is a form of denial. I like it because there are certain Avengers who despite the 11 year saga have not interacted with each other much, and Thor and Nat are probably my leading example. When it hit him that they couldn’t use the time stone to bring her back, the loss and devastation on his face almost made up for the fact that Thor and Nat have almost no lines with each other in the film series. I like it because it hurts and because it shows that she does matter to him, even though they don’t interact. It’s a nice detail to include since I was often a little sad I never got to see these two have dialogues. I personally have even written a bit of fanfiction about what their relationship could have been like, and I think it could have been sort of brother-sisterly. It’s a shame we won’t get to see it, but I like that it is given attention here at last.

-Thor wanting to undo the Snap. Yes. This is a very good character beat for him. Again, I agree it’s annoying he ends up getting another fat joke thrown at him (nice work, Rhodey, sheesh, it’s not like the poor guy was traumatized or anything), I like that Tony talks him down. I like that Tony doesn’t think he can’t do it, he’s worried that Thor is in so much pain that he shouldn’t try to make such a rash decision that could cost him his life. Tony seemed dismissive, but I think he was trying to protect his friend more than anything else. I think Tony also knew that it would be rough if Thor either died or became permanently crippled by undoing the Snap. Being able to fight is extremely important to Thor, even with his depression, because Thor is essentially a space Viking. It shows that Tony is aware that Thor’s not just bumbling around as a chubby drunk, but he’s legitimately in pain and he needs to take things slower.

-Thor giving Valkyrie the throne. First off, I need to sling salt at the freaking part of the Thorkyrie fandom that is somehow complaining about this scene. Are you kidding me? What movie did you watch? This is the ultimate freaking Thorkyrie scene, you bunch of whiny nincompoops! Thor literally gave Valkyrie the throne because she is so smart, powerful, and kind that he trusted her to take care of the people he loves with all his heart. The amount of trust and respect that is in this scene makes me want to just squeal for hours. I can’t handle how affectionate and reverent Thor is as he gives Valkyrie the throne. I love the long gaze they share. I love the handshake. I love that Val asks when she’ll see him again. I love that Thor has faith in her and how she will lead his people. Anyone bitching that this is an anti-Thorkyrie scene did not see the same movie we did, and you can all piss off. I love this scene to my core. I love seeing Valkyrie being assured to be a relevant part of Thor’s story and that it likely means Tessa Thompson is going to join us again for either Thor 4 or Guardians of the Galaxy 3. I am a giant freaking fan of her character and I can’t scream “SIGN ME THE FUCK UP” loud enough for her to be in future films with him, and with the MCU in general. I hope she signed a three movie deal or more. That would be amazing. But anyway, my point is, this scene is fantastic and I will be rewinding it a lot when this movie gets to DVD. Nothing makes me happier than Thor shooting heart-eyes at Val, and he was shooting them so hard in this scene that he even took his sunglasses off. God bless this scene.

-Asgardians of the Galaxy. I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THIS BUT I LOVE IT WITH MY ENTIRE FUCKING SOUL YOU GUYS. Everything about Thor hanging out with the Guardians makes me so incredibly happy. I can’t wait for shenanigans. I would assume the plot of the next one is finding Gamora and bringing her home and re-teaching her about her family and falling in love with Quill again, but who knows what wackiness awaits us? I can’t deal with Thor being a little shit to Quill. I could see his Hemsworth peeking through, and I am here for it. Half the reason we all love Thor as much as we do is that Taika was one of the first people to suggest letting Hems be more like himself, and Chris Hemsworth is basically a giant, hilarious puppy, and it really made Thor more fun and likable. Don’t get me wrong—I loved my noble prince, but he was still a big golden retriever even when he was more Shakespearean and all they truly did was dial it up to be a bigger part of his personality.

Really, I like what Thor went through in Endgame and how it connects with lots of elements in previous movies. While parts could have been done better, I thought it was fantastic and it shook things up in a way that should be quite intriguing for his future appearances. Of everyone, Thor is the character I am most excited to learn about continuing to be in the MCU.

Natasha

-Natasha taking a leadership role in the Post Snap years, and her conversation with Steve. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a die-hard Captasha shipper, but more than that, I think the friendship and love (platonic or otherwise) between Nat and Steve is by far one of the best relationships in the Avengers saga. I love how it began, how it developed, and where it is when we watch this scene of them together. I love how soft and gentle Steve is with her, and yet he teases her in this subtle way that’s almost like a verbal hug. Steve is just so compassionate and conscious of her emotional needs, the same as how she has been with him. I think this is such a precious relationship and it’s vital to both of them that they have someone to confide in when times are hard. It’s possibly even more beautiful because they aren’t canonically together as a couple; they’re just two friends who have bonded and been partners ever since The Winter Soldier, and they without a doubt love each other. (Side note: and I am not alone in this because Chris Evans even ships it, and that makes me so very pleased.) I gobble up all Captasha scenes, honestly, because it’s so well written and it’s come a long way from the first time they met in Avengers. But to get a little more in depth, Nat’s brief breakdown about Clint is really something else. Seeing her struggle with the idea that the man she loves (again, platonically) has become a monster, and struggling with the idea that she should move on but she can’t because she’s lost her family, is really damn hard to watch, but it’s necessary. It’s a really good reflection of the level of loss and trauma and pain our poor Avengers have had to deal with since the Snap. It’s an excellent scene.

-Nat going after Clint to bring him home once they figure out that the time heist is at least possible. Ow. This is another scene that is a big kick in the nuts. “Don’t. Don’t give me hope.” “I’m sorry I couldn’t give it to you sooner.” Bury me, this is such a good, quiet little scene for her. I really like their friendship and their bond. When Nat mentions family in the previous scene, this is what she’s talking about, and I love how Endgame might be the first film to openly acknowledge that the Avengers are family to each other. And what I like is that this series has earned that. Nothing makes me angrier than when people drop the F-bomb where it is NOT deserved. (*side eyes Suicide Squad and Deadpool 2*) The Avengers have fought and bled for each other, have supported each other, and have loved each other through hell and back, and they ARE a family. Bringing Clint home was a big deal to her, facing her fears of what he’s become, but seeing that he is still somewhat the man she knows and loves because he does return to the fold in the end.

-Natasha’s death. Hoo boy. Okay, so like Tony and Loki, I might just stick this in my Denial category. I was hit with a huge wave of “oh no, please no” when I found out Clint and Nat would be the ones going to retrieve the Soul Stone, because of course it had to be them. However, it was thematically the right choice for it to be Clint and Nat, since I personally think the only other combination it could have been was Steve and Tony or Steve and Nat in terms of “give up that which you love” that the Red Skull illuminated is the price for the stone. I think all the team members genuinely care for each other, but if I wanted to use the word love, yes, I’d say it comes down to members of the team who truly love one another, it’s Tony and Steve, Clint and Nat, and Nat and Steve. So I am in a very weird place about Nat’s death in this movie.

First off, I love how it was handled because it couldn’t have gone any other way. Of course both of them wanted to jump on this grenade for each other. Of course they both think they are the unworthy one who should die for the other person they love. Of course they fought over it.

Here's the thing, though: from a writing standpoint, it did need to be Natasha.

And before we go further, let’s address the elephant in the room fandom-wise: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, YOU MORONS, THIS IS NOT THE ‘STUFFED IN THE FRIDGE’ TROPE. God, I hate you sometimes, MCU fandom. I knew as soon as she sacrificed herself that all the fake feminists would run into the streets and climb onto their soapboxes and try to call the Fridge trope. Shut up. It’s not a Fridge.

For those not familiar with the trope, Stuffed in the Fridge is when a typically female character is unceremoniously killed off for usually one of two reasons (1) to cause a male character to angst (2) to further or advance a male agenda somehow.

Natasha’s sacrifice is neither of these things.

First off, it was her choice. Clint made it completely clear that he loves her and he did not want her to die for him. One of the primary problems with the Fridge trope is it robs the woman of her choice, and Nat is the one who decided that she would be the one to die for the Soul Stone. Calling this a Fridge is a blatant, insulting erasure of her motivation as a character.

Second off, Nat’s death is a sacrifice that wins a war. It’s not pointless, and it’s not just for angst, and it’s not just for a male character to get ahead in the story. She literally saves trillions of lives by trading her soul for the stone. Trillions. Yes, the team is devastated, but her death is not simply there to make you shed tears and nothing else. She saved them all. So don’t you dare try to pin this dumb trope on her, because it’s not accurate or correct.

Third off, this completes Natasha’s character arc. We’re introduced to the beginning of her arc in the iconic scene of The Avengers where she tricks Loki into revealing his scheme, but it turns out that while she does succeed, we find out what motivates her, and that Loki’s cruelty did affect her in the end. Clint was sent to kill her, but he shows compassion and instead recruits her. Clint gives her a second chance. And Nat, in sacrificing herself for the Soul Stone, gives Clint a second chance. It’s come full circle. One of my all-time favorite lines in this entire film series is hers, “I got red in my ledger; I’d like to wipe it out.” That. Is. A. Fucking. Great. Line. And this is the pay off and the completion of Nat’s character arc. She’s done horrible things and they have been chains on her soul and she felt that she needed to repay her debt in this way, and in a way that would save so many innocent lives. I will not have these people running around discounting that and acting like she is some victim. Natasha Romanov is not a fucking victim. Natasha Romanov died a hero. She is one of my favorite Avengers and I cried so hard at her loss, but I acknowledge that she did a brave, selfless thing for everyone she loved, and she will be remembered for that always.

Now. That being said…if you want to complain about a female character dying in a majority male story, yes, go right ahead. That is a legitimate complaint. It sucks that Nat died when most of the team is male. I will heartily concur with this criticism and offer no counterargument. It sucks. Period. I hate that she dies in the first act because I really love her fighting style and I wanted to see her kick more ass in the final battle because she’s amazing to watch. So yes, that’s a point I do take off from this movie.

In the end, I’m sort of straddling the fence for losing Nat, as I am with Tony, but I think a lot of people feel the same way. It is great writing, but the loss is so painful that I might not accept it totally.

Thank you for your bravery, Nat. Seriously, you’re one of my favorite female leads and you’ll be sorely missed. I can only hope the Black Widow movie helps me deal with the pain of losing you.

Steve

-Steve quietly taking all of Tony’s trauma-fueled ranting. This is so important. Chris Evans is so fantastic at acting in general, but all of his expressions as Tony lays into him are so underrated, man. He knows that Tony has reached a breaking point, and so he offers no vitriol in return. It’s a huge contrast to the scene in Civil War where the two of them argue. Steve is by no means a timid man. He recognizes that Tony is in such pain, as are all of them, and he just takes that rage because he knows it’s just how Tony chose to process everything because he can’t come to terms with it. We know he blames himself for being unable to stop Thanos, same as all of them do, and it’s such a testament to what a good man Steve is that he doesn’t fire back at Tony, and he is deeply concerned for him instead. Especially when Tony throws it back in his face that they’d lose together, and that’s what hurts the most during this scene. Tony was alone when he lost. Nebula was the only survivor, and she was a complete stranger to him until they repaired the Milano and tried to get back to civilization. I think Tony would still be angry and traumatized, but he’s always been able to look to his team members for ideas or comfort or just companionship in hard times. He nearly died, and that left a mark on him that ran so deep he just couldn’t stop spitting vitriol at possibly one of his closest friends, and it’s also important that they hadn’t spoken since the end of Civil War, so all of that anger and resentment is also tangled up inside them both. What a scene, man. What a scene.

-Steve mentoring people in the Post Snap years. This has a couple of really great things as a scene, honestly. First off, I love that even with Steve being heartbroken and refusing to move on, he still knows it is important to help others. Second off, I love that it’s almost implied that this is in honor of Sam Wilson, who did the same thing for soldiers who returned home from war struggling with PTSD. I really, really love Steve Rogers with all my heart for this scene. Even though he’s broken down and just as devastated as everyone else, he is still out there trying to help others. That is who he is at his core. Steve is the man who cannot stand by and let other people suffer. He won’t do it. It doesn’t matter what it costs him. He will defend and protect and nurture, always. By God, I love that about him.

-Steve’s quiet reconciliation with Tony. We discussed this above, but I love that Steve says so few words here and lets Tony do all the talking. There’s an almost silent “I’m sorry and I love you and I want you to be happy” in this scene together. Tony bringing back the shield just…my feelings…oh God, my feelings.

-Steve’s miniature speech before they head into the Quantum Realm. I love that even Rocket is impressed.

-Steve’s reaction to Nat’s death. Fuck. Me. Up. This hurt so badly. I can’t. I can’t with how Steve looks at Clint and Clint just looks back at him, and you can almost hear him telepathically saying, “Steve, we lost her.” Like I said before, Steve and Clint without a doubt love Natasha. Yes, Bruce does to some degree, but it’s not the same (sorry, y’all, I think BruceNat was trash and I will never accept it because it was forced and awkward and made no sense to me) as the deep vein of friendship and love she had with both men. It killed me when they were out on the dock and Steve was openly crying for her. We saw Steve crying in the trailer but we didn’t know this was the context. Oh, this hurts me. Steve loved her with all his heart. She was his best friend, same as Sam and Bucky were, and to lose her with no chance of ever getting her back is a terrible, terrible loss. Boy, this scene was rough to endure. I can only imagine how he must have felt having to let her go after he’s lost so many people he loved. Poor Steve.

-The entire New York heist. Oh God. I’m just in heaven over how Steve handled things, everything from the intentional recreation of the iconic elevator scene in The Winter Soldier to the insidious “Hail Hydra” (*makes strangulation hands in the direction of the Russo brothers because they KNOW most of the fandom hates Hydra Cap from the comics and so of course they put that in there just to screw with us*) to the smug smirk on Cap’s face as he walked away with scepter to Cap laying the beatdown on himself to Cap acknowledging his sweet, sweet, round, perfectly firm ass. (Seriously, Chris Evans, if you ever read this, marry me, we already met and hugged each other, we could make this work.) Yes. Special props to Cap vs. Cap’s interactions. It was just…everything.

-Steve wielding Mjolnir. Jesus. Fucking. Christ. So everyone’s already raved about this scene, but I don’t care, I have to rave about it too. Good gravy. Good God. This scene is everything. Honestly, it is easily one of the greatest things ever conceived not only by the MCU, but in action movies period. This can stand toe to toe with some of the best beatdowns in all of cinema. It’s just…where do you even start with how good this fucking scene is?! I mean, every second of it is just glorious. Whether it was the Russos or Evans or the script writers, whoever I need to thank, THANK YOU. Thank you for gift wrapping this total surprise. Every one of us was wounded that Cap didn’t easily lift Mjolnir in Age of Ultron, but at the same time, I loved the humor of that scene when Mjolnir did actually start to move and Thor totally panicked for a second. It was funny as hell. But for the Russos to fulfill our fantasy in a way that was not only a surprise, but just an absolute joy to watch, I can’t even express my fangirl tears. This scene is better than sex and chocolate and cocaine. It’s flawless. Everything about it is flawless, from Steve summoning the goddamn lightning to Thor’s gleeful “I KNEW IT!” I wish I could frame this scene on my wall in .gif form, and I apologize in advance to all my Tumblr followers, because the second this scene is giffed after the DVD release, I am going to reblog it three billion times. I will never stop reblogging it. This is the height of MCU perfection and it deserves to be known as such.

-Steve facing off with Thanos in his last stand, and actually holding his own. Dude. Steve Rogers is a human man, and he withstood Thanos. I just…I can’t with how awesome it is. He lost in the end, but he beat the shit out of Thanos for a good bit and I just have to give him all the props for that. He did the impossible and survived him. That’s amazing.

-Steve strapping on his broken shield and staring down Thanos and his army. This is peak Steve Rogers right here. “Yeah, you have thousands of soldiers. Yeah, you sheared my shield in half. Yeah, you beat me and my comrades. And I don’t give a single solitary fuck.” This is also an amazing echo to the moment in Infinity War where poor Wanda had to kill Vision, and Cap stood up to Thanos with his goddamn bare hands. Steve standing up after getting the shit kicked out of him is what he is all about. He doesn’t care that he is outnumbered. He doesn’t care that he is outgunned. He is Steve motherfucking Rogers and he is going to stand against evil period. This is top tier stuff, man.

-“Avengers Assemble.” Like everyone else, I jizzed in my pants. Full on. We all had a hunch that they would save it until the final Avengers film with the final appearances of the original team, and it was everything we dreamt it would be.

-Steve catching Stormbreaker as well and then trading it with Thor mid-battle. A tiny but hilariously awesome scene. I’m so glad they included it, and it was another little nod to Steve and Thor always having a small adorable friendship moment in each Avengers movie. Thanks for that, truly.

-Steve passing the mantle over to Sam Wilson. Holy shit. So a lot of us were relatively sure with Chris Evans confirming this as his last full appearance as Captain America that the mantle would go to either Bucky or Sam. My money was on Sam, simply for him still being new blood having entered at Phase 2 in the MCU, and because Sam is a lot more of a dynamic main lead that I think the MCU needs in the role. Anthony Mackie, as any hardcore MCU fans know, is a bundle of fun behind the scenes. He’s really hilarious and charismatic, and I think he’ll bring a lot to the role of the new Captain America. It’s such a touching scene as Steve hands him the shield. I really, really get choked up about how it was handled with such respect and trust and honest to God friendship. “How does it feel?” “Like it’s someone else’s.” “It isn’t.” Wow. What a beautiful scene. I’m a little misty as I type it out. And I do like that there was just this little nod from Bucky, who has been antagonistic to him pretty much all the time but here, he shows his support and it’s kind of just known that he will back Sam up no matter what. I cannot express how much I love this idea and its execution. It was perfect. (By the way, please look up the way Anthony Mackie found out about this before filming. It’s too cute.)

-Steve’s ending. Oh my God. Of possibly everyone on the team who I wanted to have a happy ending, I wanted Steve’s the hardest, even though I love Tony to death and beyond. Thank you, Russo brothers. Thank you for letting this man have his second chance at a life, and that he got to spend it with Peggy. I was already crying from the funeral, but the fact that they decided to end the saga with possibly the sweetest imagery in the MCU is just overwhelming. I loved their little slow dance. I love the tears of joy on Peggy’s cheeks. I love the softness in Steve’s expression as he dances with his lady love. I love the song choice. I love how he just looks down at her and she looks up at him and they kiss to close everything out and say goodbye to us all. What a scene. What an ending. I love it more than anything.

Thank you, Steve. Thank you for being our ray of light and sunshine and guidance all these years.

Nebula

I really did not expect to see an arc for Nebula, but I am delighted that we got it. This was very, very interesting considering what a sadistic murderess Nebula was in the previous films, so fueled by rage, and yet here we see that she is still powerful and effective and yet vulnerable. I enjoyed seeing her growth and getting some amount of closure with Thanos’ demise and saving Gamora as well as the rest of the universe.

Bruce

So here’s the thing: Bruce is probably my least favorite Avenger, next to Clint, but that’s not because anything is wrong with either character—I just find their personalities and abilities the least interesting. Therefore, I’ve heard complaints about Hulk not kicking ass in Infinity War and Endgame, and while they are valid points…I don’t care. I guess the thing is that Hulk has kicked ass in all his previous appearances, and I think it was nice of them to get back to the fact that Bruce is indeed a scientist and there is more to him than just crushing things. He is a very conscience driven character, and I was totally fine with him as a supporting member of the team, and of his brave decision to Un-Snap everyone back to life. I especially liked his sympathetic approach to bring Thor back home. “You helped me.” I fully admit that made my lip quiver, honestly, since Thor was obviously so traumatized and was in a lot of pain, and Bruce was gentle with him. That, to me, is just as important as all the bashing he could have done. Same with his impassioned plea with the Ancient One. Sorry that he didn’t kick ass in these last two movies, but honestly, I felt things were balanced and that it’s important to show he is more than the Hulk.

Clint

As mentioned above, Clint is my least favorite Avenger, but again, not because there is anything wrong with him or that he is written poorly—the others just outweigh him in what I like about them. I have to say opening the film with Clint losing his entire family with no knowledge of what was going on was almost as gut-stabbing as how Infinity War began and ended. It was somehow even more cruel since Clint would not have known what was going on until he called the Avengers. And yes, someone’s pointed out to me that it’s crazy he didn’t know about the war, but I have a headcanon that he just cut everyone off once he decided to retire, and he wouldn’t answer when they called so he wouldn’t be dragged into more shenanigans. I highly doubt the whole team just flat-out didn’t tell him what was going on. There’s a good chance Clint decided not to hear from the team again after Cap busted them out since he risked everything and almost got jailed for life after his decision.

All that being said, I did feel Clint’s loss very hard after Nat sacrificed herself. It was extremely well done on Jeremy Renner’s part and there was never a doubt that he loved her. Their bond has always been very cute and I never shipped them, so I wasn’t disappointed by the reveal of his secret family. I thought it was a nice touch and a surprising turn in the story. I’m glad he got to go home to his family in the end, and I especially liked the touching moment he shared with Wanda after Tony’s funeral.

Loki

Holy shit, y’all.

I did not expect this, and I love it more than anything in the world.

Right, so, I am sadly a fan of Loki’s ever since The Dark World, but at the very least, I am not a rabid fan of the character. He is an absolute fucking trashlord and I acknowledge it while still loving him anyway. I was positively giddy that they invited Tom Hiddleston back to shoot new scenes of Loki rather than simply using the old Avengers footage. And I definitely didn’t expect Tony, Cap, and Scott to screw up and Loki gets the Tesseract and vanishes. This is amazing. I can’t wait for the Loki mini-series on Disney Plus, and I assume this is what it’s going to be about. I’m really excited to see what kind of shit he gets himself into, and I loved the little bits we got of him mocking Cap even though they all just kicked his ass, and I loved him rolling his eyes in the background during the heist, and being the only one who knew something fishy was going on. Love, love, love it to pieces. Thank you for giving me more of my stupid trashlord, Endgame. You rock.

Scott

Oh, poor, poor Scott. Not only did he awaken to find his new family gone, but he lost five years of time with his daughter. Ouch. I really have to commend Paul Rudd for the reunion scene with his daughter. The shock and pain mixed in with the gratitude that she survived the Snap was so palpable. I’ve never really considered him much more than an easy going comedic actor, but he did a great job here. Kudos.

Gamora

I am really, really deeply hurt that this means our Gamora, the one we came to know and grow with, is truly gone. Like many fans, I had hoped she was somehow inside the Soul Stone and they could bust her out, but like Nat, it appears that we did truly lose her. I’m not okay. I feel so bad for Quill, who wooed her with so many great moments, and now he’s lost her again. He’ll have to try to make her fall in love with him again, and it hurts me because the sequence of events from the first two Guardians movies are how they fell in love, and it’ll be so much harder to make her understand what they meant to each other and what they had with one another as well as their little stitched together family. Damn it all. This might be one of the biggest underrated losses of all for me. Gamora is my favorite Guardian, period. I adore her, so I am both anticipating and dreading the third Guardians movie as a result.

Carol

Alright, I do have to admit one of my letdowns, even though it’s a total nitpick, is that the trailer gave us Thor and Carol, but the actual movie did not. Oh, why did you lift my hopes up this way?! I really wanted Thor and Carol to bond and have hilarious pissing contests about who is the strongest Avenger, and become battle buddies! However, this might be possible later since we know Hemsworth has agreed to at least one more film, if not more, so fingers crossed he and Carol share screentime. I adored that “I like this one” scene and Thor would play very well off of Carol if you ask me.

That being said, when Carol came back for the final fight…yassss bitch yassss fuck it up! When she came after Thanos, he was fuckin’ shook and I am here for it. I loved that failed headbutt. I want to frame that on a wall. Carol Danvers is not having any of your shit today, you purple Grape Ape punk ass bitch. She laid down the law, and it was glorious. 11/10 good shit of Carol whupping his ass and he had to suckerpunch her just to try to win.

And kudos for the utterly adorable interaction she had with my Spider Son, “H-Hi, I’m Peter Parker.” “Hey, Peter Parker. Got something for me?” *kisses fingertips* This could not have been cuter. Thank you so much, Carol.

Oh, and extra kudos for the Ladies of the MCU smackdown moment. My God. I loved every second of that assault. Please make that into a whole separate team someday and make a movie about it.

Wanda

Standing ovation for Wanda in every respect: her entrance, her powerful line (“I don’t even know who you are.” “You will.”), and the fact that she flat-out almost killed Thanos by her damn self. Wow, wow, wow, my girl. You brought the pain. I miss Vision too, honey, and I’m so sorry we can’t have him back. It’s so unfair that she’s lost her brother and her love within this story, but she still manages to keep going. Wanda is a testament to just how strong women truly are in spite of adversity.

Plot/Story

I know some fans didn’t want it to be as straight-forward as it appeared to be with them going back in time to grab the Stones and undo the Snap, but I was honestly fine with it. The story still managed to genuinely surprise me, especially with the development that the two Nebulas are what caused Thanos to find out what was going on. Holy shit, that was very creative and a great way to let her be a central character considering the trauma she has been through and overcome. I thought the pacing was excellent, and I will have to sit down and think it through but I don’t feel as if we had unnecessary scenes aside from the diner scene being a little longer than it needed to be. (You could have cut the photo op bit out and no one would miss it, for instance.) Like Infinity War, I felt that all the scenes had a use and showed us something, and the action was magnificent and creative. The Avengers pulling the entirety of the MCU together in the third act is some seriously iconic stuff that I really hope people will take into consideration as a legendary thing no one has ever really done before.

A friend of mine mentioned that you can neatly divide Endgame into three sections of story: build up, heist, and pay off. One of the best things about Endgame, to me, is the pay off. I love how many continuity nods we had and how many threads were tied off in a satisfying manner, from deeply emotional relationships to just sublime action sequences. We have so many films in this series that it’s hard to rank them, but I have to say I really would put Endgame in the top 10 for my preferences. It was a worthy ending to such an amazing set of films, and while I will miss the actors who won’t continue past Phase 3, I am incredibly grateful for their time and talents spent on this franchise. It is in its own category, honestly, with consistent quality in nearly every aspect it attempts. I think it was the perfect mix of solemn but affectionate goodbyes and bright, hopeful new beginnings. I am excited to see what is in store and what new ground we’re gonna break with the future stories.

So thanks for everything, Endgame. I’m glad to have had this era come to such a satisfying close.

See you in the funny papers.

Kyoko

#avengers #avengers endgame #endgame #spoilers #movie review #film review #the avengers #marvel #Marvel Cinematic Universe #mcu #spoiler alert #no really this is 14 pages long #i am so sorry but i had a lot of feelings okay #sorry not sorry

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sweetimagines · 6 years

Text

Keeper of my Soul

Part 1 | Part 2

Pairing: Sweet Pea x Jughead Jones

Description: Based on Sweet Pea - Amos Lee.

Warnings: Lovers' quarrel.

Word Count: 2652

A/N: I know song fics are supposed to be named after the song, but I can’t name a Sweet Pea fic Sweet Pea...

Shout out to my lovely wife @kaylaarann she’s my muse, my queen and my dialogue goddess. I’m changing my clumped writing style and it was HARD, so thank you, Kayla, for all the help <3 She also writes the most amazing AU Bughead fic so be sure to head over to Fanfiction.net and check her out!

Anon asked for more Sweethead, here it is :) next part will probably be smut :O

Tag: @southsidejuggie @serpent-squad (Let me know if you want to be tagged)

The school transfer is undeniably a great - if not, the best - thing to happen to the young Serpents, and other students of Southside High. However, for Sweet Pea personally, it comes with a little anxiety.

Walking the halls of Southside High hand-in-hand with his boyfriend is easy when half the school is either afraid of him or on his side. However, Riverdale High is new territory, with few allies and multitudes of enemies.

If that wasn’t enough to stress him out, Jughead’s ex-GIRLFRIED also goes there. That triggers all of SP’s insecurities, but he bottles it up and focuses on the good that will come of it.

Sweets wakes up to Jughead shuffling in the bed next to him. He snuggles closer, inhaling the musky scent of the previous night’s sin. He has never felt as at peace as he does when he’s laying down with his boyfriend. ‘Boyfriend’ The word still gives him butterflies.

SP knows better than to wake Juggie up. Instead, he simply places a soft kiss on the boy’s cheek before getting up - in only his dog tags and rings - to take a shower.

The warm water relaxes his muscles and clears his mind of the Serpent business he has to take care of in order to focus on school work.

Three loud knocks on the door cause him to end his shower quicker than he would have wished. He knows exactly who’s at the door.

Sweet Pea wraps a towel around his waist and answers the door, wincing at the strong sun light that streams into his dark trailer.

Toni was used to just walking into the trailer - since SP never remembers to lock the damn thing - but after walking in on Jug and him ‘showing their affection’ she started knocking.

“’Morning, Sunshine.” she teases, entering just as Juggie is heading over to the bathroom.

From the living room, SP hears the sound of water running, making him wish he had waited to take his shower.

“Good thing you’re already obligated to wear a turtle neck.” Toni breaks his naughty chain of thought, pointing at a spot on her own neck, eying his and gesturing to it with a nod.

SP grabs one of the many mirrors from the pink-haired girl’s makeup bag and checks his neck, a massive bruise sits right under his Serpents’ tattoo. A proud smirk pulls at his lips and a mischievous glint takes over his features. Toni chuckles, imagining the amount of fun they've been having.

“What can I say? We’re in lo…” He was going to say it but choked nervously on his words. Toni picks up on it but doesn't pressure him on the subject.

It’s not because he doesn't feel it, more that he’s scared Jug is not on the same page. In fact, this is the exact moment he realizes that he even feels it.

Pea excuses himself to put on some clothes and Topaz helps herself to some cereal while she brews fresh coffee.

Sweets hates the way the uniform looks on him. He’d much rather be in his flannel and jacket. Still, he doesn't blame Jug. Even if he IS the main reason the Serpents are being forced to conform to uniforms. He would much rather blame Reggie and kick his ass for it.

Pea slides his rings off and sets them on the bedside table. He keeps the chain with the dog tags safely tucked under his beige turtle neck.

Juggie steps out of the shower, hair dripping onto his chest, the water droplets running all the way down his abdomen to the edge of his towel. It makes Sweets want to ditch school and repeat the previous night over and over. However, he settles for a kiss before heading out of the bedroom once more.

Toni is waiting with hot cups of coffee and concealer in hand - since Principal Weatherbee insists on all tattoos being covered. She works her magic on his thumb, as she had done every morning of that week so far. He couldn't wait for the dust to blow over and for people to forget about the damn dress code.

SP sips the much-needed caffeine, waiting for Jug to get ready for school. He would also wear a uniform, since he convinced Weatherbee to have a Serpents club. Pea was still impressed by how he managed to do that.

When Jughead finally steps out, beanie-clad and with his own set of hickeys. SP thinks there must be something wrong with his own uniform, because Jug looks gorgeous in his. Pea certainly likes it better in a pile on the floor, though.

“I have to go get my Chem’ notebook, then I’ll go wake up Fangs. Meet you back here in 10?” Jug says, kissing his boyfriend goodbye. Toni bites her lip to keep from sighing at how adorable they look when they act like that.

“See you in ten.” Pea agrees. He doesn't even make an effort not to stare at his boyfriend’s butt when he walks out.

Topaz playfully slaps his arm. “I raised you better.” She jokes, finishing her coffee and sitting down on the couch to wait for the boys.

Fifteen minutes later, Jug shows up with a grumpy Fangs, whose mood lightens up after a grilled sandwich. Jug had four and SP finds his boyfriend’s appetite extremely cute, specifically since it boosts his ego on the mornings after the extreme ‘workouts’ they’ve been having.

A few other Serpents join them on the walk to Riverdale High. Riding their bikes there would just create another uncomfortable situation and there’s already enough mayhem around the Southside Serpents as it is.

Sweet’s hands intertwine with Jughead’s, earning a grin from the boy. He tries to squeeze in as much contact as he can, while he’s still able to do so.

The uniforms blow over. SP suspects it’s because the Principal finally came to his senses that the graffiti was not done by the Serpents. He is more than glad to get back to his usual color scheme: black and whatever other color Toni got for him on her latest trip to the thrift shop. Although relieved to never have to see those damn khaki’s anymore, they are still not allowed to wear their jackets, but that’s the least of his worries.

Jug is back writing for the school paper. To his - jealous - boyfriend’s gratitude, unlike before, he doesn't spend as much time at the Blue and Gold’s office. Instead, doing all his articles at home - sometimes on Sweets lap, while he does his homework.

That gets SP thinking he should also find an extracurricular activity. Now that he’s actually studying at a good school, he sees a decent shot at college.

However, even as he improves his grades, he knows his track record from Southside High is stained with low grades. The next logical thing that can help him get a scholarship is sports. Luckily, Sweets is rather skilled at basketball and tryouts are just around the corner.

The coach doesn't seem to care if anyone’s from the South or North, what matters to him is if you play a good game, and Sweets does.

That’s not his favorite part about making the team, though. Constantly outshining Reggie is. That always puts a smirk on SP’s face.

Not to mention the way his boyfriend stares at his crotch in those gym shorts, making Sweets have a hard time hiding his boners - but a great time when they’re back at the trailer.

They both agreed on keeping a low profile regarding their relationship, which leads to countless make-out sessions under the bleachers or inside closets. Jug knows all the good places from when he’d roam around school at night.

However, if Pea is completely honest with himself, the thrill of secrecy is losing the appeal quickly. All he wants is to walk up to his boyfriend’s locker, press him against it with heated kisses and have his arm around Juggie’s shoulders as they walk to their next class.

There is another factor, actually the biggest one, that doesn’t exactly help him be at peace with keeping their relationship under wraps, which is Betty hinting she wants to get back with Jug.

Sweet Pea takes a quick shower after basketball practice, ensuring he smells good before meeting Jug at the Blue and Gold office - like he’s done every time they stay late - so they can walk back to Sunnyside together.

Since there’s not many students still in school after the last period, they can let go of their self-control and just freely enjoy each other’s company.

Unlike the previous times, he hears chattering coming from the room. As SP approaches quietly, he recognizes the soft voice of Betty Cooper. It’s not exactly surprising that she’s there, since she’s the editor, but what’s coming out of her mouth glues Pea to the spot, just outside the door.

“I miss you, Juggie.” It’s almost a whisper, that makes Sweets inch closer, but instantly regret it as he gets a peek at the blonde slithering her palms behind his boyfriend’s neck and inching closer to him.

His heart feels like it’s going to beat out of his chest and he doesn't think he can bear to watch what’s about to happen.

Pea walks away silently, the sound of his heart shattering echoes in his ears. He’s wishing he had his Harley parked outside because more than anything he wants to get far away, as fast as possible.

Without even realizing, he starts running, with no specific destination in mind. But, obviously, in a moment like this, his mind unconsciously leads him to the Whyte Wyrm.

Jughead apprehensively walks into the Serpents’ bar and, after a quick look around, he breathes a sigh of relief when he spots Sweets playing on the Mortal Kombat arcade game. Now that he knows his boyfriend is safe, rage finds its way under his skin, angry that his boyfriend had made him worry and had stood him up.

“What the hell, Sweet Pea?” He drops his bag on the table, walking closer to the arcade game that SP just keeps on playing. “We were supposed to walk back together.”

Pea chuckles humorlessly, making Juggie even more confused. “Seemed like you found someone else to walk with.” Sweet pea spits with venom in his voice.

“Why are you getting mad? I was the one standing outside school for thirty minutes!” Jug retorts, taking off his beanie in frustration and throwing it on the table beside with his bag.

“Maybe if you weren't so busy making out with Betty, I would've stuck around.” Sweet Pea fires back, an eerily calm fury seeping from his tone – one they may have been lost on anyone else, but Jughead picked up on it. Jughead is taken aback by his boyfriend’s words. He didn't think SP had seen that, though it seems he did. Clearly, he just saw a part of it.

“I…” He’s cut off before being able to explain.

“I knew you were just having some fun with me…” Sweet pea scoffs. “Just until Betty would have you back.” Pea tries his best to not look affected, but his grip on the joystick tightens. “Did you want me to see it? Was that just a sick, sadistic way of breaking up with me?” Sweets says, looking at Jug for the first time since he walked into the Wyrm. Jughead can see immense pain in his gaze, a pain that pulls at something intangible in Jughead’s chest.

“Damn it, Sweet Pea. No!” Juggie inhales deeply before slowly huffing out the breath in attempt to calm his anger down. He wants to explain the situation from a caring place and with a clear head, not out of indignation.

“I pushed her away, told her I’m with someone.” Jughead speaks as softly as he possibly can, unable to hide the slight edge to his voice.

“Fuck…” Pea mutters under his breath and slams his fist onto the control panel, causing it to shake with his frustration.

“Why are you overreacting? I just told you, nothing happened.”, Jug questions, annoyed.

“Because, I’m… I’m in love with you!” Sweets shouts. His eyes widen slightly as he realizes what he’s just admitted. He can’t take the words back… and he doesn't really want to - he means them - that’s just not the way he wanted them to come out.

Now he’s frustrated both at Jughead and himself. Jughead’s expression was clear of any emotion, taken aback by Sweet Pea’s words. Sweet Pea has no idea what to do, feeling overwhelmed. He just needs to get out of there.

He pushes past Jughead and storms out of the bar, ashamed. Juggie is frozen in place, trying to process what has just happened.

That night feels colder than usual for SP. He had grown accustomed to Jug’s warmth right next to him and now his bed felt wrongfully empty.

He lies awake, replaying everything in his mind, torturing himself over every word spoken.

Jughead’s night is also restless, though not for the same reasons.

He didn't really have time to react to Sweets confession earlier, barely had time to take in what his boyfriend said.

Jug slips on a shirt Pea left at his dad’s trailer and lays awake on the couch. The aroma of him still strong, it fills his nostrils with a desperate longing.

He’s missing the feeling of his fingers tangled in Sweet Pea’s hair, the low grunt that escapes his boyfriend’s mouth every time he sucks on his bottom lip.

Jug knows he has to do something meaningful to show SP that he feels the same way, that HE is the one for him. He wastes no time in preparing his grand gesture.

Sweets considered skipping school but he’s not going to jeopardize his chances at college over an argument, even if he’s terribly ashamed of it. Though it may be Toni insisting that he HAS to go to school - to the point of annoyance - that really makes him leave the trailer.

He keeps his head down until he reaches his locker, in which Jughead is leaning against, reading a book. Toni gives Sweet Pea a knowing look and encourages him with a nod before heading to her locker.

Pea allows himself a second to enjoy the quiet before the storm - at least that’s what he’s expecting: for Jug to officially break up with him because they’re moving too fast.

“Hey…” Sweet can’t seem to form a coherent sentence. He wants to apologize and beg Juggie to give him another chance.

Jughead puts his book back in his bag and smiles shyly at his boyfriend. Pea looks more confused than ever.

“I think you’ll like my shirt.” Jughead says as he starts unbuttoning his sherpa jacket, revealing the shirt underneath.

‘The hotheaded giant is my boyfriend’ stamped on it. For a moment, Sweets can’t believe his eyes. A blatant expression of their relationship on Jughead’s chest for the whole world to see.

“I love you too, Sweet Pea.” His boyfriend’s words are the sweetest he’s ever heard.

SP cups Jug’s cheeks and clashes their lips in a heated kiss, pinning him against the metal locker doors.

He pays no attention to the whistles and stares they’re attracting. All he cares about is that they love each other.

“I love you, Jughead Jones. Sorry I’m such an idiot.” He pulls his boyfriend closer to him by the waist, resting his forehead on Juggie’s.

Jug closes the short distance between them with another kiss, this one soft and tender, conveying the full extent of his feelings. Jughead pulls back, lips brushing against Pea’s as he says, “Yes, but you’re MY idiot.”

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anavoliselenu · 7 years

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Creighton chapter 16

This.

This is what it’s all about. This feeling makes it all worth it. This feeling is part of the reason why I walked into a hotel room and married a perfect stranger only hours later. Because I can’t imagine never feeling like this again.

I let my head fall back and stare up at the blackness before the roadies start rushing around the stage and clearing my stuff out. I take a deep breath, and my mind instantly goes to the man waiting offstage.

I felt his eyes on me the entire time. Before tonight, I might have worried that Justin would spend the entire set watching and judging me, but his actions in the meet-and-greet room tilted everything off its axis. Not just the fact that he went after the drunk punk who decided he wanted a kiss, but Justin’s own kiss after that. I expected the caveman or the possessive asshole, but what I got was something altogether different.

He’s already changing, and I still haven’t figured out the first Justin I met. All day, he’s been nothing like I imagined he would be. He hasn’t once tried to make today about him or his business. He’s been, for the most part, at my side and supportively following me around.

Don’t expect it to last, Selena. Right now this relationship is a novelty to him. It’ll wear off soon enough.

He’s a thirty-three-year-old billionaire; how could he possibly be content to follow me around? He has an empire to run, and I don’t know how he can possibly run it from a tour bus. There’s no way he would have made it through the long haul before our Christmas break. Part of me wished this second leg of the tour was longer so I could let it test him.

And then the cynic in me—or maybe it’s the realist—also chimes in with much more pertinent and troubling questions.

What if he didn’t like the show? What if the best part of me isn’t good enough for him? Then what do I have to offer?

Self-doubt eats away the after-show high I’m riding, because what else do I have to offer? My pretty face and my apparently magic pussy? Is my only use in being seen—with my legs spread—and not heard?

The questions echo on repeat, kicking my heart rate up faster, until all I can hear is the rush of blood in my ears. At least that drowns out the sound of my mama’s voice telling me I’ll never be anything more than a girl from the trailer park, no matter how many stages I sing on.

A roadie accidentally clips me on the shoulder, and I stumble back into reality.

“Sorry!”

“It’s fine. I’m in the way.”

I regain my balance and walk toward the edge of the stage, trying to reinforce the crumbling walls of my confidence and self-respect.

Thousands of fans were screaming my name. Singing along. Begging for more. What is one man’s opinion compared to that? But he’s not just any man. He’s my husband.

Sweet baby Jesus. Why did I do this? I thought I could marry him and be unaffected, but already I’m letting the thought of his disapproval drive what little hard-won self-assurance I have into the ground.

With JC, I never had to worry about that. But I was the girl who chose to jump from a fake, mostly-gay boyfriend to a very real, very out-of-my-league husband.

I search the edge of the stage and see Justin leaning against a speaker. Every woman in the vicinity has her gaze riveted on him, and I don’t blame them. His arms are crossed, and his golden tan contrasts with the rolled-up cuffs of his white dress shirt. Dark hair is sprinkled across his defined muscles. Even in jeans, which I’m still shocked he owns, he manages to look every inch the ridiculously rich playboy.

His eyes drill into me as I dodge roadies, cords, speakers, and instruments, telling myself that I have no reason to feel inferior to this man, but that doesn’t mean I believe it. I’m still in the fake-it-’til-you-make-it stage of the process.

I desperately want to know what he thought of my performance. The question is bubbling up inside me. I will not ask. I have to grind my teeth to hold it in. In my world, that’s just inviting criticism. Despite my vow, the question comes tumbling out as soon as I’m standing before him.

My smile I wear for the cameras when I really want to run away is in place. “So, what did you think?”

He uncrosses his arms and pushes off the speaker. My heart hammers in my chest as he opens his mouth and then closes it again without speaking. He takes one step toward me, his frown in place.

I wrap my arms around my body, prepared to ward off a verbal blow.

“I watched you last night.”

Shock zings through me at his statement. “In San Antonio? I thought you were just waiting outside to drag me home by my runaway-wife hair.”

“No. I watched the whole damn thing, and you’re insane if you think you shouldn’t be headlining these shows.”

I think my heart stutters to a stop . . . and then restarts with heavy, tripping beats.

“What?” I whisper.

“You’re too good to be an opening act. I don’t know shit about the music industry, and I didn’t think I’d like country music, but I like your music. You’ve got this voice that grabs a man by the throat and won’t let go until the last note fades.”

Speechless, I swallow. Justin reaches out to wrap his hand around my upper arm and steady me.

I’m still recovering from his confession when he asks, “Where to now?”

“Um, backstage for a little bit, and then they’ll come get me for ‘That Girl.’”

His hand slides down my arm to lace his fingers with mine. I let him lead me out back into the hallway toward my dressing room. We hear chants and screaming from Boone’s room as we pass.

People try to talk to me, but I don’t hear them. I just follow Justin, staring at the white dress shirt stretching across his shoulders as his words play on repeat in my head.

“I like your music . . . You’ve got this voice that grabs a man by the throat and won’t let go until the last note fades . . .”

You’d think his compliments would banish the insecurity that’s settled inside me, but instead they unleash a way bigger problem.

I think I could fall for my husband.

“Don’t stop. Please. Don’t stop.” My throaty moan is porn-star worthy.

Justin’s growl vibrates against my clit, and the fingers of one hand grip my hip tighter.

Part of me hopes I’ll have bruises to prove he touched me there. I need some reminder that his amazing Grade-A, blue-ribbon-winning skills are real. Seriously. He deserves an honorary degree from some fancy-pants university for his talents in this area.

I buck my pelvis against his mouth, desperate to get more, and eager to find the edge so I can sail off into an orgasm. I earn a sharp slap to my thigh.

“Hold still, or I won’t let you come.”

“Oh God, please,” I moan.

He lifts his head away, his fingers still buried inside me, and I whimper at the loss of stimulation. “You’ll take what I give you, when I give it to you.”

“I’m already begging. What more do you want from me? Just let me come!”

My eyes flick open as a deep chuckle fills the expanse of my brand-new tour bus. Right now, I couldn’t care less how shiny, fancy, new, and overwhelming it is. I just want to come.

“Bossy thing. Guess it works out that I can’t get enough of this sweet little cunt of yours.”

I know I should climb up on a soapbox and tell him I don’t like that word. The c-word. But my brain has no control over the flood of wetness that hits my center when he says it.

He doesn’t miss it. The two fingers buried in my pussy curl forward, stroking my G-spot.

“Fuck, baby, you’re so wet.”

“Say it again.”

“You’re so—”

“No. What you said before.” I’m babbling now, and I don’t care. I just want more of his dirty words and his devastating tongue.

“That I can’t get enough of this sweet little cunt?”

My inner muscles clench, and he groans. I wish I had the coordination to reach down and stroke his cock, but I’m slumped back on the black leather sofa, and he’s down on his knees before me.

The thought that I’ve somehow brought this man to his knees is enough to shove me to the edge of orgasm.

“I’m going to come.”

Justin lifts his head again. “No, you’re not. Because I’m not done eating your pussy yet.”

“But—”

“You’ll wait until I give you permission.”

Justin lowers his mouth to my pussy and laps at the juices before flicking, nipping, and teasing my clit. I dig my nails into the new leather, not caring what marks I may leave, because suddenly I don’t want to disappoint him by coming before he allows me. The pleasure rises harder and faster, and my control begins to disintegrate.

I open my mouth to beg yet again, but Justin’s words come first, directly against my clit.

“Come for me. Now. Hard.”

I slam my eyes shut as the tension inside me bursts, surging within me and spreading out through every nerve ending. I lose complete control, bucking against him and burying my hands in his hair as I scream his name.

I ride the sensations, and his continued teasing, until I can’t handle any more. I tug his head up and melt into the couch. Holy. Shit. I’d say the man’s tongue should be bronzed, but that would be a waste.

I’m still lazily floating in the post-orgasmic haze, enjoying Justin’s hand smoothing up and down my inner thigh and the press of lips on my hipbone, when someone knocks on the door to the bus.

“Tell them to go away,” I whine.

At any other moment, I might care that I sound like a little brat, but right now, I really, really don’t. All I want is to savor this feeling for a few more minutes, and then give my own knees a workout while I return the favor.

Justin complies with my request, and his deep voice punctures the bus’s silence. “Go the fuck away!”

Points for style to Justin.

The knock comes again.

“Ugh. Really?”

I open my eyes and look toward the clock. Something about nine a.m. is nagging at my brain. We already hit a seven a.m. radio spot, and this little interlude was my reward for actually rolling out of bed on time. Well, that’s what I’m calling it anyway.

Justin rises, eyeing my body, which is naked from the waist down. “As much as I hate to say it, you need to put some more clothes on.”

I let out a grumbling groan that is the opposite of sexy. Luckily, Justin just smiles and adds, “I’ll get the door and distract whoever it is.”

As I peel myself off the couch and stumble toward the back bedroom of the bus, I have a sneaking suspicion that this is what teamwork feels like. And isn’t that what a marriage is supposed to be? Teamwork?

This one-week-old marriage of impulse is starting to feel more real every day, and I’m not certain how I feel about that. It was supposed to be simple. Uncomplicated. An easy way for me to dodge the JC-fake-fiancée situation and try to take some control over my own career—and indulge in a lot more orgasms like the one I just had. But it’s quickly morphing into something else entirely.

Do I want it to be something else? Am I really prepared to make this a real marriage? Is Justin?

I press my thumb and forefinger into my temples, which are starting to ache. I need time to sit and consider this change in our regularly scheduled program so I can decide how to react—but it’s not like I’ve got many spare minutes to sit and ponder while on tour. I can’t help but wonder if it’s just the fact that Justin is out of his element that’s causing things to change.

What happens after the tour? The ache in my head ratchets up to a throb. Great. Don’t have time for a headache.

Male voices come from the living area of the bus, and I hurriedly slip on a pair of yoga pants and glance in the mirror. My hair and my expression clearly communicate just been fucked—which isn’t really fair. Yes, I just had an orgasm, but things were just starting to get good when we were interrupted.

Heading back out to the living area of the bus, still bowled over by the granite countertops, leather couches, and dark cherrywood interior that is altogether fancier than any bus I’ve ever been on before, I remember why nine a.m. was nagging at me.

Because I have an appointment scheduled. With a songwriter. Except no one bothered to tell me it was Vale Garcia.

Fudge sticks.

I plaster on a congenial smile. “Look what the cat dragged in,” I drawl.

Vale’s grin is knowing, and I fight the urge to grit my teeth.

“Didn’t mean to interrupt,” he says.

Justin looks from Vale to me. “I take it you two have worked together before?”

Vale stares at me as he answers Justin. “Selena and I worked very closely together right after she won Country Dreams. Isn’t that right, Hols?”

He couldn’t be any more obvious than if he scrawled the words I did everything but bang your wife in fat black Sharpie on a yellow neon piece of poster board and waved it around over his head. Except to a casual observer, Vale’s smug smile probably did say I banged your wife—which isn’t true.

I respond with what I hope is ego-deflating nonchalance. “The last year has been such a whirlwind, I can barely remember what I was doing a few minutes ago.” I slide in closer to Justin and glance up at him. “Well, that’s not entirely true. Some things I remember very vividly.”

Smiling back at Vale, I wonder if my expression looks half as smug as I think it does. “I apologize; I’m being so rude. Vale, this is my husband, Justin Karas. Justin, this is Vale Garcia.”

Vale reaches out, and he and Justin shake hands, clearly taking each other’s measure.

“I guessed,” Vale says, dropping Justin’s hand after a moment. His eyes cut back to me. “Still surprised you decided to settle down with a one-night stand. Thought you were against those?”

Justin’s shoulders stiffen. “I’d watch what you say right about now, Mr. Garcia. You’re speaking about my wife.” His tone communicates barely leashed anger.

“I don’t mean anything by it. Just jealous, I guess. I’m big enough to admit that I wish I could’ve been the one to catch her.”

I clear my throat. “All right then. Moving on. Vale, while don’t you settle in, and I’ll grab my notes.”

The man might be an asshole who stomped out of my hotel room when I wouldn’t let him complete his slide into home base—only to find his way into another woman’s room only a few hours later—but he’s also a damn good songwriter.

Justin’s arm tenses under my palm, and I’m pretty clear on the fact that he doesn’t want Vale anywhere near me, especially not alone.

I drag Justin toward the bedroom with me. Well, drag is a bit of an overstatement. I’m under no illusions that he’s following my tugging grip for any reason other than he wants to.

Once I pull him into the room and shut the door, I blurt, “I didn’t sleep with him. It was a close thing, which I’m sure you picked up on, but what I told you before was true. It had been a long time for me before you. Anyway, I want you to know that there’s absolutely no reason to get weird about Vale.”

Justin’s eyes are practically burning holes in me. “This isn’t me getting weird, Selena. This is me getting fucking jealous.” He jams a hand into his thick brown hair. “And I don’t fucking like it. I hate knowing that he’s touched you.”

I’m silent, because I honestly have no idea how to respond. But then again, I’m also aware that Vale is waiting. He’s about to wait a little longer.

I grab a fistful of Justin’s T-shirt and yank him toward me. “Then kiss me. Mark me. Let him know that I’m absolutely and completely out of his reach because I belong to you.”

Where those words—hell, those thoughts—came from, I have no idea. I’ve rebelled against the very idea of being Justin’s possession since the day we said “I do,” but this is something totally different. This is something I’m desperate for. I’m not willing to put a label on it yet, and it’s nothing I’ve ever wanted in my life. At least, not that I would admit to before.

Justin studies me, and I’m not sure what he concludes, but he doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arm under my ass and haul me up against him. His mouth lands on mine with an almost crazed intensity. It’s all lips and teeth and tongue as we devour each other.

I throw one arm around his neck and scrape the nails of my other hand along the back of his neck and up into his hair. The kiss lasts only a minute—maybe two—but when he lowers me to the floor, my legs are shaking and my heart is hammering so hard, I feel like it could break a rib.

That just-been-fucked look? I don’t need to look in the mirror to know I’m now sporting it in spades. My panties are soaked, and there’s nothing I want more in this moment than to beg him to bend me over the bed and bang the hell out of me.

“You’re so goddamn beautiful.” He leans in. “And you’re mine. Don’t forget it, and don’t you let him fucking forget it.”

My nod is jerky, and Justin turns, yanks open the door, and stalks out of the room. I ease the door shut again with trembling fingers and quickly strip out of my yoga pants, change my underwear, and jam my legs into a pair of jeans.

I take a deep, relaxing breath, attempting to slow my heart rate back down to a level that doesn’t feel like it’s about to explode. When I exit the bedroom, notebook in hand, Justin is lingering at the front of the bus and Vale is settled into a chair, notebook propped up on the arm and his guitar in his lap.

Justin’s eyes snap to me, and my feet take me directly in front of him without any conscious thought on my part. He brushes my hair away from my face and cups my jaw. “I need to go take care of something. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

His explanation is vague and my curiosity is piqued. What could Justin possibly need to do in Dallas that would take a few hours? But I don’t question him.

I’m learning to trust, I tell myself. After all, isn’t that what he’s doing by leaving me alone with Vale?

“Okay. Want to plan to meet up at noon for lunch? I’ve got a radio thing from two to three, and then I’m free until I have to get ready for the meet and greet.”

“That works for me,” Justin says.

I close the distance between us and lean up on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. “One more for the road,” I whisper, feeling very wife-like.

I’m still absorbing that thought when he steps away and again brushes a lock of hair behind my ear, leaving my own taste on my lips. I like knowing I’ve marked him too.

“One will never be enough,” he replies before his lips skim across mine once more. He turns and heads for the door.

I’m still standing there like a love-struck fool when he steps off the bus.

I lower my guitar with the last chord of “Lost on Fifth Avenue” hanging in the air between Vale and me. He’s silent for long moments, and my heart rate kicks up, waiting for his opinion. I might think it’s awesome, but he’s the one with a couple of Grammys on his shelf, and all I have is instinct.

Finally, Vale speaks. “You’re going to kill it with that song. Absolutely kill it. You’ve come a hell of a long way since the last project we worked on, if all your stuff is like this now.”

My heart thuds even harder. “You think it’s . . . good?”

“Selena, this song is the shit. I’ve been doing this long enough to know what’s good and what’s really fucking good, and you’ve just written a chart-topper, girl. I take it you wrote this one recently.”

He raises an eyebrow. Given the lyrics, it’s clear that I wrote it after I met Justin in New York. The song is all about feeling small in the big city, and realizing that as long as you have at least one thing anchoring you, you can’t get too lost.

When I originally started writing it, the anchor I was talking about was my music . . . but listening to it now, I know that the anchor is not a thing, but a person. This man that I’m way too attached to.

I remember that Vale asked a question. “Yes, I wrote it recently. I’ve got two more, if you don’t think we need to rework this one.”

He shakes his head. “Nah, I don’t want to fuck with this one. Besides, if we start messing with it, then I’ll have to take credit for part of it, and this one is really all you, babe.”

His endearment hangs in the air, just like the earlier chords did.

“I probably shouldn’t call you that, huh? The billionaire will come rip my balls off and feed them to me.”

A chuckle slips from my lips. “He’s a little territorial.”

“With good reason. I’m just glad the man knows he’s got his hands on someone he needs to treasure. I didn’t get that before it was too late. You’re a special woman, Selena Wix, and whatever emotions he’s pulled from you, they’re going to shine bright in your songs. Have you played them for him?”

I blink a few times. “Played them for him? Um, no. No, I haven’t.”

I think about the next song I’m going to play for Vale, and my stomach rolls. I bare my soul in these lyrics, and to an average fan, it’s not a big thing. But to someone who actually knows me? I might have written the thing in my own blood because that’s my heart written right on the lined notebook paper. My hopes, but mostly my fears.

“You realize he’s going to hear them eventually, right? That’s kind of what you do.” Vale has his head tilted and he’s speaking slowly, like I’m an idiot.

“I know, but . . . I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

His eyebrows go up. “Didn’t expect the marriage to last long enough for the record to come out first?”

My glare is automatic, but the answer is probably written on my face anyway. I still, even now, have a hard time seeing how this is going to work, and long-term isn’t a concept I’ve let myself get comfortable with. My life has been so focused on just making it from one day to the next that I haven’t spent much time thinking about it.

“How about we move on to the next one? We’ve got,” I glance at the clock on the wall, “a couple more hours, so we should use them wisely. After all, I’ve got five more songs to deliver for this big-box exclusive.”

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