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bella-rose29 · 5 months

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Happy New Year - Anthony Lockwood x fem!reader

Word count: 1.7k

Warnings: barely proof read (I vaguely looked over it once) and mentions of alcohol consumption

felt like writing this (it's totally not to sweeten you all up for when I post deck the halls part 5 tomorrow whaaat that would be ridiculous I would never do that... 👀)

Tag list (i think this is everyone but idk anything anymore): @anathemaloren, @augustisintheair, @avdiobliss, @briar-rose23, @curseofhecate, @dangelnleif, @el-de-phi, @ell0ra-br3kk3r, @informedimagining, @karensirkobabes, @light-23, @locknco, @mentallyillsodapop, @mischivana, @mitskiswift99, @mrsklockwood, @mrsyixingunicorn10, @no-morning-glories, @novelizt, @ran23sblog, @superpositvecloudshipper, @t2sh0, @taygrls, @tournesol77, @whenselenefallsinlove, @wordsarelife

"Right, we've got just over an hour before midnight and George has got the telly all set up for the fireworks display. Holly said she'd be here in about ten minutes and Kipps is coming with her, I'm not entirely sure where Lucy and Norrie are which I should probably be more concerned about, and I think that's everything. Is Flo coming do you know? Because I know George said she hadn't decided yet but-"

"Lockwood?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you sit down? You seem very stressed," Y/n said, smiling at him from behind her mug of tea while she sat in the kitchen, watching Lockwood pace around the table. It was definitely way past her normal bedtime, but Lockwood had seemed so excited about seeing the New Year in with them all that she couldn't exactly say no to him, especially not when he'd given her a small smile filled with hope that she would say yes to spending the evening with him.

That and they'd tested out the speakers earlier, and she would never have been able to sleep with the music as loud as it currently was.

"I am hosting, Y/n/n. I'm meant to be stressed; it's part of the job."

"Well," she started, getting out of her chair and wincing when her bones clicked. She picked up the mug that Lockwood had abandoned on the table and moved over to where he had stopped his pacing. "I think you're meant to drink your tea and have a biscuit. Then everything will be better, yeah?"

"Alright, if that's what the doctor orders," he smiled as he took the mug out of her hand, and she felt her heart stutter in her chest at the sight. She'd had a crush on Anthony Lockwood since she first met him a few years ago in a café, both him and his company and her Fittes team winding down after their jobs and grabbing a cup of tea before heading out into the cold again. Then she'd quit her job at Fittes because they stopped giving her work and she couldn't afford the rent, and she'd noticed an ad in the paper for agents to join the psychical agency Lockwood and Co, and she'd been met with the pretty boy from the café again. He'd welcomed her instantly, made her feel at home and gave her a place to live, and over the next couple of years her feelings only grew.

Now they were 18 years old, soon to be celebrating the New Year in 35 Portland Row together, and he was smiling at her like she was the sun.

"Don't tell George about the biscuits though, yeah?" he whispered, leaning in as though it were the sort of secret that could never be told. She nodded, snorting at his mock seriousness.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Good. Can't have you on your own, can we?"

"I wouldn't be alone, Lockwood. I'd have Lucy, and Holly, and George." She frowned a little, considering something. "Although maybe not George if he's killed you. I don't really want to be friends with murderers to be honest." Lockwood let out a laugh, and Y/n couldn't help but grin back at him when his joy was so infectious.

"No, I don't suppose that would be very good, would it?" He chuckled to himself for a moment or so, sipping his tea and munching on a biscuit. "I'm not much looking forward to being the only one not getting a kiss at midnight though."

It surprised her that he'd brought up the topic, since Lockwood had never really shown much interest in that sort of thing before. "Kipps'll probably be on his own too, although I'm not sure you'll be able to convince him to give you a smooch. I'm not kissing anyone either, if that helps."

"I think I'd rather kiss George's underwear than Kipps. You're not even going to kiss Lucy? I thought you two said you would," he asked, attempting to sound disinterested in the whole subject.

"Yeah, well now that she's got Norrie here they're gonna kiss instead, so I'm on my own. And I would also rather kiss George's pants than Kipps."

"Ah."

"Hmm." They drank the remainder of their tea in silence, the music from the speakers that George had set up streaming in despite being muffled through the closed kitchen door. "You know, I haven't even had my first kiss yet."

Lockwood looked at her, surprise all over his face. "What about that guy you went on a date with?"

"What? When did I go on a date?" And why did Lockwood sound... jealous?

"A few weeks ago. Oh, what was his name? Dave? Derek?"

"Daniel?"

"Yes! Daniel, that's the one. I knew it started with a 'd'."

"Dan's not... we're not dating, Lockwood. That wasn't a date," she said, feeling increasingly flustered.

"So he just bought you flowers and took you to dinner... as a friend?" Lockwood was definitely jealous, and Y/n had to bite back a laugh at the idea. Something was nagging at her in the back of her mind, telling her that it was strange for him to be jealous and wouldn't that mean something? but she wasn't paying much attention to it.

"Well I told him it wasn't a date. And we didn't kiss so I don't see how it's relevant."

"Right." A momentary pause. "But still, how come you haven't kissed anyone before?"

"It's not by choice. I've just never... had the opportunity I guess. You've probably kissed loads of people, what with how many of them you charm every day." Lockwood shrugged.

"Not really. There was one girl a few months ago, but she kissed me after pinning me against a taxi so that I physically couldn't get away from her, so I'm not entirely sure that counts."

"... What?"

"Yeah. After that job for Mrs. Hastings, her daughter followed us out and shoved me against the taxi. I have no idea how she was that strong but I feared for my life."

"You're ridiculous," she muttered as she looked at his face, no hint of anything other than utter seriousness displayed on his features.

"Ah, there you two are!" George said, pushing open the door and talking slightly louder than normal due to the blaring music. "I was wondering where you'd got to! Come on, the others are all here now, and they managed to convince Flo to come along somehow."

Y/n put down her empty tea mug and picked up her plastic cup that had had Lucy's punch in it (although what was in the punch itself she had no idea), and headed into the living room with Lockwood close behind to get comfy for the celebrations.

~~~

"Five minutes everyone!" Lucy shouted. She had since emerged from wherever it was that she'd been hiding (she and Norrie had appeared in giggles and with blushes on their faces, so Y/n felt sure in her assumption of what they'd been up to) and was now handing around a large bottle of some sort of cocktail that she'd mixed earlier.

Y/n and Lockwood were curled up next to each other on the sofa, somehow fitting the both of them on there without falling off. Lockwood was partially sat up, leaning his back against the armrest and holding Y/n close to him by wrapping an arm around her waist.

"You alright, love?" Lockwood murmured into her ear, and she nodded sleepily. Despite the loud music and alcohol Y/n was feeling worn out from the late hour, and Lockwood's hand stroking through her hair wasn't helping to keep her awake.

"I'm alright. Jus' tired."

"Not long now. Four minutes I think."

"I still don't have anyone to kiss," she said, a frown appearing on her face. The alcohol had made her tipsy, and she pushed herself up to look at Lockwood. "Neither do you. Oh!" she exclaimed, thinking up a brilliant idea that was helped by the drinks in her system. "We should jus' kiss each other, then all of our problems will be solved!"

"I'm not sure about all, love," Lockwood chuckled, and Y/n's frown reappeared.

"So you don't want to kiss me?"

"I didn't say that," he replied, voice growing quiet. "I mean, if you're happy to then... you know. If you don't mind then I don't... we can kiss. If you want."

"I want. I'm not going to lie I've wanted to kiss you for years now. You're so prettyyyy and kind and funny and lovely." She had no control over her words, all of them flying out before she could properly stop and think, and then she was registering them and slapping her hand over her mouth while her face turned red. Lockwood was just staring at her, his mouth slightly open and his face flushed from the alcohol he had drunk, and she buried her head in his chest.

"Why are you hiding, love? You're pretty too, so I don't know why you're not letting me look at you." He was still stroking his fingers through her hair, and when she brought her head back up to smile softly at him he pulled her closer (although she hadn't thought that was possible).

"You're drunk, Lockwood."

"I'm not-sober. There's a difference. Besides, you're not-sober too," he wagged a finger at her with a smile. "Wait, what does me being not-sober have to do with you being pretty?"

"'Cause you don't know what you're saying."

"I know exactly what I'm saying, love." It was almost too much, the fondness in his eyes, and if she wasn't so captivated she would have looked away. "I've wanted to kiss you for years too, I was just never brave enough."

"Ten seconds!" Lucy yelled, and Y/n wondered just how long she'd been staring into Lockwood's eyes for time to pass so quickly.

"Nine!" the others gathered in the room started chanting, not noticing Lockwood and Y/n cuddled up on the sofa. "Eight! Seven! Six!" Lockwood pushed a strand of hair back behind Y/n's ear, his hand lingering at the side of her face and cupping her cheek. "Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year, Lockwood," she whispered, brushing her nose against his.

"Happy New Year, Y/n/n," he whispered back, pressing his mouth to hers.

#lockwood and co #lockwood & co #anthony lockwood #anthony lockwood x reader #anthony lockwood x you #lockwood x reader

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thekillingvote · 9 months

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Tʜᴇ Kɪʟʟɪɴɢ Vᴏᴛᴇ

Thirty-five years ago, DC Comics opened a phone poll to kill Batman's child sidekick, Robin.

The poll was open to paying callers in the U.S. and Canada for a window of 35 hours, starting on 15 September 1988 at 9AM EST. There were two premium-rate phone numbers—one for Robin's survival, and one for Robin's death. Each paying caller could call multiple times. The results were decided by a margin of 72 votes out of a total 10,614 votes—the difference was just under 0.68%.

Now you decide.

KILL ROBIN

Jerry Smith of Covington, Kentucky claims to have sold his Mercedes-Benz to pay for votes to kill Robin

"Who Killed Cock(y) Robin? I Killed Cock(y) Robin" article by Glen Weldon (2008)

"1-800-DEAD-ROBIN" autobiographical comic by Tony Wolf (2015)

"We killed Jason Todd" feature by Matt Markman (2021)

SAVE ROBIN

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), a noted Bat-fan and scholar, denounced the episode as a "Roman gladiator-like readers vote."

"I loved him [...] I personally voted for him to live 100 times, and my mom flipped when she saw the phone bill," says magazine writer Savas Abadsidis.

MJG6 said: I was dead broke, working my way through college, but I voted. My first job was at a comic book store, making me an OG fan girl, I guess, and I encouraged people to vote to save him. [...] Because killing a teen, in a role kids are supposed to identify with, that was just sick.

Further Reading

"A Death in the Family, or: How DC Comics Let a Phone Vote Kill Robin" via r/HobbyDrama

"Living Dead Boy: Jason Todd vs. The Culture That Killed (and Resurrected) Him" on Women Write About Comics

"The Vote to Kill Robin" - trivia, misconceptions, opinions by comic-commentary

Some fan letter columns from Jason's later times as Robin

No Birds Allowed: Batman without Robin

"A lot like Robin if you close your eyes": Displacement of meaning in the Post-Modern Age by Mary Borsellino, an essay on dead Robins, sexism, and classism

🦞 The Tale of Larry the Lobster 🦞

Submitted arguments below:

Kill Robin

Anonymous propaganda IN FAVOR of killing the lobster the Robin!

I love Jason Todd. I love his post-crisis Robin days, I love his sense of justice and his adorable love of learning and his silly curly bangs! I say this to emphasize that I don't want him killed out of any dislike of the character.

I want him dead out of a love for storytelling that gets to stick to its guns and doesn't pull its punches. In context of the poll we readers have just seen Dick Grayson get kicked out of the role due to Bruce's fear of him getting hurt, then he turns around and gets a new Robin anyways because he misses him! I really like that Bruce is being messy and hypocritical! Let that have some real consequences please!

If there were no real consequences then Dick got shoved out of being Robin for what? Hairbrained overprotective worry? Why even change the way he graduated into being Nightwing so much then or heck why even kick him out in the first place?

One might argue that we haven't even given this Robin proper time to develop, that instead he might be taken in new and interesting directions as his own unique Robin shaping the mantle into a legacy rather than just something that was Dick's. I admit this is a very good point, and we are cutting off some possible interesting avenues. As I mentioned, I do like this character! But are we really going to get that?

If DC is already prepared to toss him out of this mortal coil and through the pearly gates after such a short while, do we really think we're going to get much more love and care applied to him?

I say let's roll the dice for something new! May the comics world and all these characters have to deal with the ramifications for many years to come!

Save Robin

robin’s death (and subsequent resurrection) is, frankly, an insult to robin fans of that era. to want to see this child get killed in a brutal manner for no apparent reason, to see jason essentially removed from the narrative so batman could go back to being gritty and depressed—this is awful to me. he hadn’t even been robin for very long!

but that’s not why he should’ve lived.

the resurrection of jason todd as the red hood was narratively interesting enough that it kept most fans of the original jason hooked, and it still does! he has become a prime example of a trauma survivor: his death changed him, and those who loved him have difficulty accepting that.

but there is no resolution to that story, nor was there a resolution to jason’s tenure as robin. dick chose to leave robin behind and take on a new mantle. tim, steph, both had robin taken away from them (and let’s forget about how tim is still robin, because that doesn’t matter right now). damian’s role as robin conflicts with his misconception of his role in the family. everyone else has had an ending, and jason’s death…well. after his resurrection, he has somehow remained stagnant and wildly inconsistent at the same time. this applies to under the red hood too.

at its core, utrh is a deeply classist retelling of jason’s life pre-death in the family. winick makes him a villain—albeit a sympathetic one—who fucks over or kills people that he would’ve thrown himself in front of to save as robin. in utrh, the implication is that jason had always been violent and angry (and morally compromised), and that he was destined to become worse.

it sometimes feels that jason’s transition into being the red hood (and all the characterization that comes with that) was a decision dc made for shock value. just from jason’s robin run, it’s difficult to imagine jason becoming the red hood. it doesn’t feel inevitable. it’s tragic.

ultimately, i believe that jason never should have died, and that his death was a stunt by dc for its shock value. jim starlin wanted jason dead because to him a child sidekick, in a medium that was originally made for children, was “sheer insanity”. he was fridged, plain and simple.

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saltygilmores · 9 months

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Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls, Season 2, Episode 21- Lorelai’s Graduation Day, Aka Lovesick Stepcousins In The Big City, Part 3

I'm cheering Rory on as she leaves school grounds, leaving these 35 year old classmates in the dust, and as she manages to pull it off under the eyes of two teachers or administrators. Yes yes yes! Well from here on out it's going to be pure Literati appreciation with only minimal anger and rage, you know, my usual shtick. That being said, when that happens I start to sound a little disjointed, like, this episode is so pure and precious and enjoyable that I really don't have much snarky commentary on it and I can just watch it. What am I without my snark powers?

Destiny awaits. In one of many examples of what I call "Gilmore Girls Poor"*, which is a term I coined myself for how AmyShermanPalladino views lower/middle class/urban/city life, Rory manages to end up in the Port Authority Bus Terminal in another dimension. The Alternate Dimension, 100% white, Spotlessly Clean, Nearly People-Free New York City Bus Terminal where she stared down a scary dude without being stabbed and she was offered a locker to store her book bag. (*More examples of GGP: In season 4, Jess is 19 years old, a high school dropout, and is living in a clean, rat and roach free, enormous New York City apartment with working utiltiies and large windows that in today's housing crisis people would murder him to get, he just needed a bed frame and to pick his shit up off the floor but we are supposed to believe its a crack den; Rory and Lorelai live in a beautiful home and eat take out and restaurant food every day on nothing more than an innkeeper's slary)

This was cute. Rory the little mouse getting ignored by city folk. I love it so much.

I think AmyShermanPalladino inserted this smoking guy to make it look like Rory was in a rough part of town. Someone finally gives our little mouse an abrupt answer on how to get to Washington Square Park where she can meet her stepcousin and her destiny.

The little smirk before he turns around! And then, and then...and then...the big grin when he sees her!

I am STARVING for stepcousins!!!!!! ..And the Emmy Award for the whitest words ever spoken on teleivison goes to Alexis Bledel, as Rory Gilmore in Gilmore Girls:

Baring his naked forearms like a saucy strumpet. Book sticking awkwardly out of his back pocket. He either finds the smallest books or has the roomiest ass pockets that he keeps pulling that off. How does he do that?

This is all so precious and pure I could die.

He is RAPT with attention listening to her silly stories. Show me where Dean or Logan ever paid this much attention to her telling one of these stories.

We know, Bubs. We know :(

Red alert! Red alert! Our first display of physical contact!

Jess says he eats from this hot dog cart every day. Let's unpack this: 1) Holy child neglect, Batman! I mean, Liz Danes. You can't even make your kid a peanut butter and jelly sandwich once in a while? This boy is feral. These are survival hot dogs. This may be all he can afford to eat on his own. 2) How are you still as skinny as a rail? 3) How's your blood pressure? 4) Where are you getting the money?

This sweet bubba unquestionably paid for Rory's lunch like a true gentleman.

I refuse to acknolwedge any sort of Behind the Scenes Hollywood mumbo jumbo like "Milo wasn't ACTUALLY eating the hot dog" or “umm, it’s a prop hot dog”. i am firmly committed to a scenario where everyone on the set for this episode was like "Milo our precious vegetarian baby boy we will get you a tofu hot dog to eat"

Ending this chapter with this adorable face.

#gilmore girls #gilmore girls season 2 #lorelais graduation day #rory gilmore #jess mariano #milo ventimiglia #denise rewatches gilmore girls #literati #step cousins #my heart is bursting #hot dog #feral child #why isn’t Jess in school #he ate a hot dog in the movie Armored #I saw him deep throat the thing #tofu dog or commitment to the part that he will ingest meat for a role

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legendsliveon · 25 days

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May 4th Legends Deals

Happy May 4th Legends fans! Here are some discounts on Legends merch I've found around the Internet. I'm sure this list isn't exhaustive, so please add on anything I may have missed!

Books & Comics Merch

Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor book cover shirt - available in Boys (S-XL) at Target for $18.99 and Mens (S-3XL) Target $22.99 (through May 4th) or BoxLunch $21.67 (25% off May 4th & 5th)

BoxLunch also has the cover of Dark Horse Comics' 2013 run of Star Wars available as a shirt in Unisex sizing (S-2XL) for $21.67 (25% off May 4th & 5th)

In odd but cool pieces, we have a shirt from BoxLunch (25% off May 4th & 5th) that features the Hungarian cover art for the novel Han Solo and the Lost Legacy by Brian Daley. The shirt comes in Unisex M-XL, for $21.67,

and a Jaxxon statue for $170 at Gentle Giant (regular $200) discounted May 4th - 8th

TeeTurtle has a shirt on final clearance for $10 that shows Kit Fisto and "a padawan." Logically I know this is probably supposed to be his padawan from TCW, but at least to me it reads more as Bant Eerin, his padawan in the Jedi Apprentice chapter books. The shirt is available in Women's XS-3XL and Men's S-3XL.

Rock Love has their entire Star Wars stock 20% off May 3rd-6th, including this Rancor Tooth necklace for $56 (regular $75) that is arguably Tenel Ka vibes.

Chronicle Books has 20% off all Star Wars books and novelty products from May 4 - 20. This includes:

Star Wars: 100 Collectible Comic Book Cover Postcards ($19.96) which covers covers from the 70s to 2023, so it is mixed canon. The description promises Mara Jade, and some of the covers shown are Legends. Common sense (hopefully) dictates that the majority of cards will be from the Legends era since that is ~35 years of publication vs. ~11 years.

They also publish the in-universe guidebooks The Jedi Path ($17.56), Book of the Sith ($17.56), Bounty Hunter's Code ($17.56), and the Imperial Handbook ($17.56). There is also a $64 box set of the four books. These books also straddle Legends and current canon as they were published in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively.

More items in the category of "we slapped a comic cover on this" that are 25% off May 4th & 5th at BoxLunch include:

The 1998 manga edition of ANH as a unisex sweatshirt (S-2XL) for $33.67,

Issue #7 of Marvel's 1997 run of Star Wars comics that is available in a variety of shirt styles,

and the Infinities ANH #1 cover as "framed wood wall art," whatever that means, for $18.67.

There are some Thrawn items that are stylistic enough there isn't a hard line in the differences between his Legends and current canon looks.

Funko is Buy 2 Get 1 Free through the 5th and they have Thrawn as a mini keychain ($5) and regular Pop ($12).

BoxLunch also has the regular size Thrawn Pop for $7.74 (40% off with code BLGIFTS). It will be 25% off ($9.67) May 4th-5th, and I don't know if that discount stacks, or if the 40% off will go away.

BoxLunch also has several Thrawn shirt designs that will be 25% off May 4th-5th.

The Triptych Grand Admiral Thrawn design comes in Unisex T-shirt (S, L-2XL) for $21.67, Women's T-shirt (S-2XL) for $21.67, long sleeve T-shirt unisex (S-2XL) for $24.67, unisex sweatshirt (S-2XL) for $33.67, and a Youth Hoodie (S-XL) for $33.67

Long Live the Empire comes as a Women's tank top (XS-2XL) for $22.40, Women's T-shirt (S-2XL) for $22.42, Unisex T-shirt (S-3XL) for $22.42-24.67, Youth T-shirt (XS-XL) for $15.67, Youth Girl's (XS-XL) for $15.67, Unisex sweatshirt (S-2XL) for $33.67, Women's sweatshirt (S-2XL) for $29.17, and a Unisex hoodie (S-2XL) for $41.17.

The red Thrawn design is available as a Unisex T-shirt (S-2XL) for $22.42, Big & Tall T-Shirt (LT-5XL) for $22.42-25.42, Long Sleeve T-shirt (S-2XL) for $24.67, Unisex sweatshirt (S-2XL) for $33.67, and a Unisex hoodie (S-2XL) for $41.17.

Gaming Merch

KOTOR Light/Dark Box $11.99 at GameStop (regular $36.99)

10" Revan statue $64 at GameStop (regular $80)

Funko is Buy 2 Get 1 Free through May 5th and they have Fixer for $15.

Heritage Games Pack $39.99 at GameStop (regular $59.99) They have many other Legends era games on sale too, check their website.

Revan's lightsaber is available from Fun.com for $269.99 with this extra 10% off coupon.

TV Merch

Ewoks fans, this is your time!!!

The black Ewoks shirt (left) featuring Kneesaa in the background is available from BoxLunch at 25% off from May 4th -5th in Women's S-2XL ($22.42), Girls XS-XL ($15.67), Unisex Youth (grey) XS-XL (15.67)

The green Ewoks squad shirt (center) is also at BoxLunch for 25% off from May 4th -5th, but it is only available in Girl's XS-XL ($15.67)

They also have a third Ewoks shirt (right) for 25% off from May 4th -5th, but it is only available in Unisex Youth sizes XS-XL ($15.67)

There's also this slightly disturbing Galactic Pals Ewok Plush (left) that's 20% off at Target through May 4th that doesn't say it's Kneesaa, but it sure looks like her. ($22.39)

Funko is Buy 2 Get 1 Free through the 5th and they have Holiday Special Chewbacca (right) for $15.

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maxwell-grant · 2 months

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After watching I Will Save The Universe For Food and the last Like A Dragon games, I had an idea.

What happens in a superhero universe when superheros and supervillains become obsolete, like knights and cowboys before them?

When society outgrowns their neccesity and the system which they are part stops working how will they adapt to a world that no longer need, wants or supports them?

Which will fight back and which will try to give them a place in this new world?

(If this question is too complicated, just respond in the context of the Marvel universe)

I think that depends on what you mean by "like knights and cowboys before them", because that can mean different things. The simplest answer for these is that you don't have a superhero universe anymore, if your universe is one where superheroes can just vanish into irrelevancy and become historical curio figures that definitely 100% won't need to come back to stop the Anti-Monitor from exploding a world or two, as they always do everytime they have a "but what if we didn't need superheroes anymore?" story in a superhero universe.

Closest example I can think of within the Big Two is, probably the stretch of time between the disbanding of the Justice Society in the 1950s, and however long it takes in the continuity for Superman and the Justice League to be a thing and inaugurate the age of heroes proper, where in-between you have all those less-known almost-superheroes and your Task Force X / Challengers of the Unknown / fringe guys guys running around until the superheroes become the center of the universe again. Alfred's espionage career goes here until it's time for the Waynes to be shot, that kind of thing. And of course, that's not an ending, that's backstory, that's a gap in between proceedings. The DCU didn't stop being a superhero universe during those years and it doesn't really stop being one when all capes are gone in the Kamandi future either, where the lack of dominant superheroes is supposed to be an outlier state.

(And to address the proverbial elephant here: Watchmen is a world where superheroes are depicted as socially detrimental and warped, and yes there's only one guy with outright superpowers, but this is still 100% a superhero world where superhero things have and have happened, where superheroes and masked crimefighters were and still are an incredibly useful thing for the powers that be even in spite of being specifically outlawed. The best thing for the people who live in Watchmen would be for them to live in a world where the superhero was truly no longer supported and allowed to fade into irrelevant fantasy, but they don't, they live in the 35 minutes murder squid massacre world)

If we're comparing superheroes to knights and cowboys in the sense of the archetype, the storytelling tradition they socially occupy, the superhero as a character figure the way knights and cowboys are, then if they go, they go the way those did, and become historical characters and costumed personas within the realm of fantasy. In fact, if this is a thing that can happen or always could happen and the story chugs along just fine, it's possible you didn't even really have a superhero universe in the first place, you just had a universe with superheroes in it.

Which is a thing that can happen, and happens quite a bit in universes that want to take a crack at superheroes but don't want the proceedings to revolve around them. Like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, or Redline with Lynchman and Johnny Boy, deranged pastiches of Batman and Robin who are very much real superheroes, fighting supervillains and outrunning cars while tanking gunfire and all, they're just not the thing the film revolves around nor are they even the weirdest thing in it, so they don't warp the universe and they're just one more freakish thing about it. The key word here is irrelevancy: Captain Universe is not the protagonist of LOEG, the universe of Redline and it's races do not revolve around Lynchman and Johnny Boy, the Crimson Chin doesn't show up to pull Timmy Turner out of trouble on most Fairly Odd Parents episodes, and etc. These guys are superheroes, they can even solve some big problems, but they are not needed, the universe spins just fine without them, which means they're not really much of superheroes to begin with. It's not for nothing you mostly see this play out with gag characters, or at least, characters whose superhero-ness makes them dissonant next to their surroundings (think Captain Falcon in Smash Bros).

Now, if we're talking about comparing superheroes to knights and cowboys in the real world practical sense of what they were and did, if we're talking about them as part of a system through which they operated and applying it to how superheroes operate, well, then we still have cowboys, and knights, and samurai and all that. Individuals or groups with enhanced weaponry or fighting skills who go around stopping crime and enacting vigilante justice with a mission to defend something / "society". It's just we generally call them cops or private military contractors now. Or mercenaries, if you wanna split hairs a bit and go with the "independent operator who sells his services and brutalizes people for money/political favors", which was what knights and cowboys did also, but they all work within and for the same system.

There's been a lot of commentary already on how the superheroes, as a western action genre, operates as an extension of cowboy stories, most visible when we get to the superhero-supervillain dynamic, the "eternal frontier of gangsters and super-scientific menaces who play the role that Indians take in frontier narratives" as I elaborated here. And it's easy to point out the similarities between cowboys and knights, who comparatively skew a little closer to the mercenary side of things than the "cops-and-robbers" paradigm, but historically tended to benefit from political privileges and whitewashed reputations as adventuring defenders and champions of the community in very similar ways. Works that explore superheroes as an institutional power, like The Ultimates or Worm, tend to touch on this, and how "lucky" these guys are that there's always a bigger villain or monster in the room to fight to justify the continued superhero project. The superheroes can have as many Civil Wars as they want provided there is a Norman Osborn at the end of the day to be the bigger bastard they can settle their differences by punching out.

A story about a society that "outgrowns their necessity and the system which they are part of stops working", a story that abolishes the need for superheroes entirely and doesn't provide them allowance anymore, is a story about a society that would have to, at minimum, either have cops and law enforcement so effective and powerful that there's no room for superheroes or any kind of alternative to even pretend to exist, in which case congratulations, you're writing Judge Dredd, or a society that has completely abolished a need for cops and law enforcement of any kind so thoroughly that superheroes are not needed or able to fill the vacuum either, which is a much taller order and it's the kind of stuff you find in speculative political fiction and utopian sci-fi. But, even that wouldn't even necessarily stop superheroes from being active figures.

Because for one, systems fail, in several ways by design, and superheroes tend to exist in the first place because of that, conceived and presented as a superior alternative to traditional law enforcement. And two, obviously the concept of independent policing exists, the concept of communal policing or unlawful vigilantism and so on, and it's typically the thing that gets brought up as a rebuttal whenever superheroes are criticized for being too much like cops, the fact that they don't answer to law enforcement or government and therefore cannot be exploitative or opressive or, god forbid, that dirty word that starts with f and ends with -ascist. But we already live in a world where vigilantes are not supposed to be needed, a world that doesn't support them, and still they exist. And we do have a name for unaccountable, community-based solutions to crime policing and what those look like, people got very angry at Alan Moore for bringing it up even.

Of course this is an extreme negative example (if no less of a foundational one because of it), there are many many different degrees and reasons and methods by which vigilantes operate, just as there's a difference to the degrees by which heroes associate with law enforcement, but that's part of the issue here. No matter how repugnant a precedent is set by the KKK and others, vigilantism is an extremely popular idea for many reasons and it accounts for so much of why knights and cowboys and superheroes become so popular.

Everyone has their own reasons as to why they would support or become vigilantes, everyone has things and causes they'd fight or kill or die or embrace violence for. So unless we're going the utopian sci-fi route again, there is no rendering vigilantism obsolete, and there is no rendering the superhero obsolete in a superhero universe, even if we completely strip away superpowers from the equation. Vigilantism is and will always be deeply popular no matter how wrong or horrible it is as a thing for people to embrace. There is no pretending otherwise in the aftermath of this

being the most globally beloved political development of the past 5 years at minimum.

Superhero universes trap themselves into the vicious cycle where superheroes are needed to stop super-menaces and even other superheroes, and they all justify each other's existences and they all recreate Cold War dynamics just by existing (and this is something that Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard are gonna be exploring in their upcoming mini The Power Fantasy, so be on the lookout for that), even if just those who become vigilantes to stop other vigilantes from going rampant. But if superheroes aren't on some level impossible to replace, whether it's because they are genuinely necessary or simply too enmeshed into the inner workings of society to be removed without issue or ending the story, then you don't really have a superhero universe.

The questions of what happens when they go, where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods and where is streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds, those I think tend to get explored a bit, but not too much, because generally speaking you write superhero universes to tell stories about superheroes, not to write about what happens to those universes when they're completely and utterly gone and never coming back.

Again, it is entirely possible to have fantastical universes with hero stories in them and not have superhero universes, superheroes are not synonymous with cowboys, knights, samurais, wuxia and other kinds of hero stories either. In fact, if you take a step back from America and away from European and Japanese works exploring said relationship with the US, the idea of a superhero, let alone a whole universe full of them where everything has to revolve around them, kinda shatters. Much as I may be trying to do just that, it is more than a fair bit ridiculous and self-defeating and even a little impossible to authentically put superheroes in the global south, although that is considerably less of an issue when thinking of supervillains. Those can and do crop up whenever and whatever.

And I'm ending on those because, the reason I'm not even really touching so much on the supervillain side of the question because supervillains don't actually need any kind of superhero context to exist, as I keep reiterating they predate superheroes by a significant margin and are far less defined and restricted in terms of how they exist and operate. By design, supervillains can and do exist in systems that don't allow for them and don't want them, it's kinda what they're supposed to be doing even, it's even kinda the main thing that separates a supervillain from a regular villain.

But you don't even need supervillains most of the time to be a superhero. The masked avenger pulp heroes tended to not have them, and the Golden Age superheroes took a while to get going there. You need supervillains only when you're strong and good and long-lived enough at it that you need, well,

#replies tag #superheroes #dc comics #worm #superhero comics #comic books

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ystrike1 · 1 year

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Single Not Ready to Mingle - By Chadol (6/10)

Erotic comedy is one of the most annoying types of comedy in the world. It is almost never funny, and it is almost always offensive. This is not some kind of well written, award winning exception. The art is good. The funny yandere(?) demon king does a massacre a couple times. Dildos.

Mr. Bu is a 35 year old turbo virgin who is absolutely desperate to confess. He's got one female friend, and of course he's madly in love with her. He's shy though. He was planning on confessing this weekend but...

He's a teacher. He confiscates a book from a student. It's a yaoi novel. Not just any novel. A balls to the walls insane yaoi novel rife with perversion and no genuine love. Just constant lust.

The protagonist was supposed to be a super feminine guy, but Mr. Bu wakes up in the novel! He expects hell. He thinks he's going to die or worse.

Demon Lord Argio isn't into slim pretty boys. He thinks Mr. Bu is hot as hell, and he immediately tries to get some. Misunderstanding. It looks like Mr. Bu is the hero! The hero who has snuck in to kill him! But Argio doesn't mind. He'll take a steamy night and he'll let Mr. Bu live in exchange. Mr. Bu loses it in a rage. He punches the demon, but that just turns him on. Yes. Only the Hero is strong enough to fight against him, and he's really into it. In the original story the skinny hero was kind of a disappointment, because he was weak willed and stuff. Mr. Bu is his ideal man.

He immediately falls in love, and there's a really sudden dark turn later.

Things almost happen, but then they hear a noise.

Priest guy to the rescue. A cute guy covered in gore carries Mr. Bu away. He explains the plot. The plot is very dumb. Mr. Bu has to collect some legendary...sacred shafts...if he wants to go home and kiss his new gf.

Magic guy is just an annoying pervert. He joins the crew, but he's only here because this is an Erotic Comedy. Feel free to ignore him and/or skip his scenes.

Priest guy gets really angry when Magic Guy does perverted things to the Hero.

It's a little boring.

Priest guy is very devoted to the Hero, and he's willing to break every rule to get a chance....he's not going to do anything. Mr. Bu keeps having thoughts about Argio. He's attracted to Argio. The other two are just annoying kids to him.

There is a VERY SUDDEN SHIFT IN TONE.

Mr. Bu is supposed to steal the Shafts from the other demon guys...but Argio is busy killing the other demon guys behind the scenes. Presumably because he wants the Hero to pay attention to him.

That's fun.

#yandere #male yandere #yandere male #yandere boy #recommendations #recs #rec #recommended #webtoon #isekai #yaoi

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selfproclaimedunicorn · 12 days

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Bfsjfjajri, this took forever because I get so, so distracted so easily. But here's that sweet, sweet lore @corporalicent

Daenys Targaryen is Rhaenyra's sister who's younger than her by a year. She is soft & feminine & girly & she very much revels in the trappings of being a girl as a sort of rebellion against their dad being disappointed in her not being that sweet, sweet son by Aemma he keeps pining for. It allows her a sense of freedom because it let's people just kind of beigningly ignore her due to "oh she does what she's supposed to." It's equal parts "I like this," & "I can manipulate people this way." Weaponized I'm Soft And Girly And Prone To Hysterical Irrational Emotions.

Her companion & bestie is Lyonel Strong’s youngest daughter, Cassana, & she also winds up starting a secret relationship with Tyland Lannister that culminates in a secret wedding. There's also the Targaryen Weirdness that comes from "I only have same gender siblings" she has to deal with for a bunch of her life & never really goes away even after the Targtower boys are born because, well, Daenys is 14 when Aegon is born. The pressure is off at that point, but her & Rhaenyra both still have to contend with "if one of us was a boy we'd be married, but we aren't so what are we?" Their arc together is going to be very heartfelt & I'm hyped for the feels of "what do I do without an older brother to marry like I'm supposed to?"/"I'm glad Rhaenyra is my sister so I can dream about hunky boys & kiss Tyland without feeling guilty"

Also, I don't get to talk about it a lot, but she is a dragon rider & I made her baby special for her. Her dragon is purple/blue/pink & named "Windscream." Very femme, very girly, this is what Daenys deserves: a dragon that compliments her eyes.

She & Tyland have boocoo kids. Like, 6 or 7? I keep debating one of them, but they have 5 girls & at least 1 boy at the end (Aemma, Jonquil, Genna, Alysanne, Vaella, & Tybolt for sure. MAYBE Gerion).

Also, also I am letting @murmel-malt borrow my girl Daenys as one of her OC Hedaera's kids. Because friendship is trading your OCs around like Barbie dolls

Aldreda Farwynd is my chaotic, bisexual, selkie coded, pirate queen, seal mommy & I adore her so. She's the last living child of Lord Alfric Farwynd of Lonely Light & she is stuck in a succession crisis of her own because of this. She had 20-something brothers that all died at various points in her life, with the one she's fully related to (Alfric has 5 wives) dying before she was even born. Her brothers in order (and with their death details) are as follows:

Euron: died at 35 on a raid

Ronas: died in the cradle before Aldreda was born

Barrian: died at 32 on a raid [same raid as Euron]

Theon: died at 28 from an oral infection that spread

Faren: sailed further west at age 22 & was never seen again, presumed dead

Edgard: sailed west with Faren at age 18, presumed dead

Coren: died at 22 while sailing home due to being caught in a bad storm

Orwen: died at 20 while sailing home, caught in the same storm as Coren

Randar: died at 17 while sailing home, caught in the same storm as Coren & Orwen

Winfirth: died of the shivers at age 3

Trystifer: died at 14 after drunkenly falling from the top of one of Lonely Light's towers

Sigeric: murdered at 15 during a physical altercation about bedding the prettiest girl at Lonely Light

Vernyn: sailed east to try & explore Valyria's ruins at 16

Ulfric: died of a burst belly/ruptured appendix at age 9

Alwin: died at 13 due to an infection from poorly treated wounds

Waeland: mortally wounded at age 12 during a spar with real weapons

Uther: drowned at age 8

Marlyn: slipped & cracked his head open at age 7

Hubert: died in the cradle

Rhys: murdered by poison at his 6th name day

Her dad & his 2 brothers are a whole Thing, but the tl;dr is that Alfric & his full brother are the sons of a Salt Wife, & their brother (the son of their dad's Rock Wife) thinks he is entitled to Lonely Light more than "his dumb, older half-brother with a mainland mom." This gets imparted onto his oldest son, Westley, who is the grossest & most insidious man in the Iron Islands. He manipulates & grooms Aldreda for close to 2 decades before revealing how awful he is by trying to take her claim. Their altercation drives her away from home, putting her in position to become Aegon II's Master Of Ships during The Dance: something Aldreda does in exchange for a royal decree that inheriting Lonely Light is hers by right (following the Andal succession laws Aegon’s claim banks on).

She's 5-ish years younger than Alicent, & their relationship is...it is something. Initially for Aldreda it's "why shouldn't I fuck this hot, obvious lesbian? Don't I deserve comfort?" & for Alicent it's her finally getting egged on to do something with her own desires. They proceed to become each other's character development girlfriends who have actual feelings for each other beyond "this is for me & my pleasure." I'm still debating endings & major events beyond emotional growth arcs, but I know that Aldreda 100% kills at least one person for Alicent’s safety, & that they trade jewelry as part of Aldreda’s weird, fucky Ironborn "we belong to each other" thing. The mutual ownership thing is very important to Aldreda (& the mutual part is part-and-parcel with her growth. It would have just be a "it's about me having you" thing without the growth).

Their relationship is very "we didn't 'fix' each other, we just made each other the better version of who our lived experiences turned us into." Because "fixing" each other would honestly be inauthentic & it would amount to covering Aldreda in way less blood, & that's not very Sexy Pirate of her to not be covered in blood

#oc: aldreda farwynd #oc: daenys targaryen

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i-spaced-sorry · 4 months

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Midwest Winter Freeze

I'm back with another story! The tempts here in the midwest are freezing (windchill is making it colder than Alaska), this story has been on my mind for a day or two now and just had to come out! So enjoy!

“Pat? The weather channel is saying that it’s supposed to be a windchill advisory for the next few days.” called out Mary Halstead.

“What?” yelled Pat while running from the bedroom to the living room.

Turning up the volume, they both listened,

“Temperatures are supposed to reach -9 by tomorrow morning, but with the windchill it will feel like -35. Experts say to try to limit time outside, bundle up if you have to go outside, and check on the elderly. I’m Rhonda Rhymes and your watching ABC Chicago 7, we will be right back after these messages”

Lowering the tv, Mary looked at Pat, “we should probably drip the faucets tonight if it's supposed to drop that low by tomorrow morning.” she stated while getting up.

“I’ll do the upstairs bathroom if you want to handle the kitchen and the bathroom down here” called Pat, while heading to the staircase.

After the faucets were dripping the two began getting the boys ready for bed. 5 year old Will already took a bath before dinner cause he was out in the snow playing with his friends from down the street. But 4yr old Jay was still in need of one.

“You left the water on” observed Jay while sitting in the tub with his rubber duck.

Looking up, Mary smiled, “it’s okay baby boy, we just don’t want the pipes to freeze”

“Okay” responded little Jay while dunking his rubber duck for the 5th time.

Later that night after the boys were put to sleep and well after Mr. and Mrs. Halstead went to sleep, Will woke up with a start. Sitting up he looked around the room and saw his brother passed out in his toddler bed clutching his stuffed dog. He also noticed he was thirsty. So he quickly but quietly clamored out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Closing the door, he flipped on the light and grabbed his plastic Land Before Times cup and filled it with water from the sink. Once it was sufficiently filled, he shut the faucet and chugged the cup of water.

Once returning to his bed he took one more look at his brother and fell back asleep.

“PAT!” shrieked Mary from downstairs. Both Will and Jay jumped awake at the noise, both sitting up and looking at each other in a ‘what is going on’ type of way.

“Will?” asked Jay while wiping his eyes.

Shrugging Will just said, “it’s okay, do you want to go get some breakfast?”

Nodding, Jay slipped out of bed and quickly turned around to grab his stuffed dog. Waiting for Will to also slip out of bed, the two boys quickly walked downstairs to the kitchen.

“This is going to be so expensive, I’m going to have to pick up extra shifts at the hospital to even pay for it.” the boys heard once when they walked in the room.

“Mama?” asked Will while cocking his head to the side, “what’s wrong?”

Turning from the kitchen sink, Mary smiled down at her boys, “nothings wrong, how did you boys sleep?” she asked while reaching out to pick up Jay.

“Good” confirmed the boys.

“Jay, did you touch the sink yesterday?” demanded Pat while walking over from the phone.

Shaking his head, Jay whimpered. “Pat, you're scaring him.” she tightened her grip and ran a hand down his back.

“What happened daddy?” asked Will while taking a seat at the kitchen table.

“Our pipes froze! That’s what happened! And your brother must have done it!” snapped Pat while also taking a seat at the table.

Will looked down at his hands before feeling his mom run her hands through his hair, “well that wasn’t good” lied Will.

“Wait!” exclaimed Jay while sitting up in his chair.

“What?” asked Will while taking a sip from his beer.

“You're telling me that it was you all this time?”

“What are you talking about?”

Hailey watched as her husband and brother in law bickered.

“Will, was it you who had turned off the faucet?” she asked finally.

“Listen, no one told me that we were dripping water to keep the pipes from freezing. I didn’t even grasp that that was even a thing we were supposed to do until I was 6 and the temperatures dropped again.”

“But you let me take the blame! For something you knew I didn’t do!” exclaimed Jay while shutting his eyes, forcing himself to take a big deep breath and clench his hands tightly to release his anger in a healthy way.

“You didn’t even get in that much trouble, you just weren’t allowed to be in any rooms unsupervised and if memory serves me right, you were still partially in pull ups at the time, so that wasn’t even a real issue half the time.”

Hailey just laughed,

“Okay Hailey Anne, if you think that’s so funny. Did you or your brothers ever freeze your family’s pipes?” asked Jay while taking a sip of his own drink.

“No, we were really careful about it because of my dad. I think maybe Eric did once when I was a baby but i’m not for certain, I just know that when I was of an age that I could grasp what was going on, he and Ryan pulled me aside and made it very clear that if mom and dad left the faucets dripping in the winter that I was to not mess with the sinks.”

“I’m sorry” replied Will.

Shrugging, Hailey smiled, “it’s okay! I will say when I was in college at UIC, one of my roommates was from somewhere like California or maybe it was Texas, I don’t remember but the point was she had never experienced a midwestern winter growing up and it was a year where the temps were worse than Alaska and snow was really heavy. I had started dripping our faucets in our apartment and our landlord sent a text out to us reminding us why we should do this and this girl had the audacity to ignore the text and to turn the faucets off. Let’s just say she was so lucky I stayed up late every night and would flip them back on before calling it a night.”

Laughing, the three looked at each other and raised their cans, “to midwest winters.” stated Will.

“To not having earthquakes” giggled Jay.

"to not having hurricanes" giggled Will.

“To not having alligators” giggled Hailey and the three of them clinked their cans together.

#jay halstead one shot #will halstead imagine #hailey upton imagine #halstead brothers imagine #the halstead brothers #jay halstead #hailey upton #will halstead

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zalrb · 12 days

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I MUST REALLY LOVE MY FOLLOWERS - BRIDGETON 3.01 review

1. "Dearest gentle reader, did you miss me?" Me:

2. I'm not doing this recap.

3. I maintain that Nicola should be Belle in the next live action we'll eventually do.

4. Idk man, Kathony just feel SO unnatural.

5. MINI MOUSE MAN NEXT TO BIGGER MOUSE MAN

6. Who will be the prize of the season? And it's Colin?

7. All of these women are gorgeous and all of these men are like basic white bread. I -

8. I'm upset because this is supposed to do something for me

and it's resolutely not.

9. Oh please. Francesca looks like every other woman there.

10. Prudence is probably the only character I somewhat like. I think. She's the terrible one, right?

11. I might like that family the most because they're the schemers. They're actually DOING QUASI-INTERESRTING THINGS.

12. Colin is a fuck boy without fuck boy good looks. Please stop it.

13. And I'm not saying he's ugly. I am saying he's plain.

14. This is my problem with Bridgerton. It SHOULD be fun. And it's punishing.

15. Where the fuck is Edwina? I DON'T CARE ABOUT KATE.

16. They should shock us all and have Edwina come back and just murder everyone like Carrie.

17. Leave her alone, Colin.

18. I know the point of this season is Polin but I already know she deserves better.

19. GIVE ME MORE OF THE BICKERING SISTERS. They're terrible. I'm interested.

20. "Well that's your fault for marrying men without title!" But Prudence's man is one of the, like, two most good looking of them all, so you know.

21. OOOOOOOH IS PENELOPE GONNA WEAR LAVENDER NOW? THE COLOUR OF LOOOOOOOOVE.

22. Considering that I barely pay attention to this show, did Penelope do like irreparable damage to Eloise and her family for this fallout to be as serious as it's meant to be?

23. That's a genuine question.

24. This Kanthony love scene is ... awkward.

25. Kanthony? Kathony? Whichever. Whatever.

26. And even when he goes down on her I'm like idk, Outlander would like a word.

Someone is BANGING ON THE DOOR and Jamie does not stop until Claire orgasms, so.

27. So Penelope is basically "draw me like one of your French girls, Jack" but with clothes.

28. The one thing Bridgerton had going for it was the music and I'm not hearing any classical renditions of pop songs. What is the POINT?

29. This ball looks like every other ball in this show.

30. Oh, there's the music. abcdefu is a good choice for her, I do have to say the music choices are at least better than TSITP. She SHOULD be talking to Colin as it plays though.

31. I'm not sure why I hate him, I just do.

32. If she enjoys embroidery let her enjoy embroidery, Eloise. Don't "not like OTHER girls" them please. Jesus.

33. "D-do you all like to read?" I get it, Pen.

34. TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. NOW. Isn't Francesca meant to have a chaperone? Isn't there a dance card or something? Aren't there RULES?

35. I'M ONLY 30 MINUTES IN?

36. Original Mouse Man, what are you doing? Aren't you a viscount with responsibilities?

37. "I expected conversation, I did not expect to be inspected--" then you weren't prepared at all for this. This is the ERA for that, should you not KNOW? WHAT?

38. Everything is muted and dramatic at the same time.

39. Oh, Kathony in another scene. Are they going to try and have sex?

40. Yes.

41. "I've already spent YEARS taking care of Edwina" I mean, did you?

42. "So why don't we put ourselves first for once?" I MEAN, DIDN'T YOU?

43. BRO, WHERE IS YOUR SISTER?

44. "We have our lives to be viscount and viscountess" man, pull a Downton Abbey and kill him.

45. "Think of the balls as..." You should've had this conversation BEFORE the ball.

46. "It pains me to see you upset." "Then perhaps you should not have come." Ha.

47. "and what I have learned is charmed can be taught" which is funny because Colin isn't charming no matter how much the show tries to convince me he is.

48. I suppose it's better than watching Theo James.

49. AND HE WILL FALL FOR HER DURING THE LESSONS.

50. The handshake is supposed to be a Moment and it's interesting because it's called attention to and yet also breezed by at the exact same time.

51. LOL what she wrote was SO TAME especially for a MAN in THIS society? "Is this new character the real him or is it a ploy for attention?" DAS IT??? Please be serious.

52. oooh drama, if he finds out who Lady Whistledown is, he'll destroy her life. It's just hard to think there are stakes when it's ... Colin.

DONE.

#review

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roppongi-division · 1 month

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ARB Birthday Special 2024: Kai Quinlan

~~ April 16th ~~

"Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again."

"...Hmm? No, you're not disturbing me. I was trying to come up with a theme for this song I was working on, but nothing's coming to mind, so I was taking a break. So, what's up?"

"...A present? For what? ...My birthday? ...Oh crap. That is today, isn't it? No wonder Mireya looked so frustrated with me this morning when she asked what today was. I knew it wasn't our anniversary, but..."

Voice Lines:

"35 years old, huh? ...Man, time just seems to fly by. It's been almost a decade since I officially moved here to Japan from the U.S. and became a Japanese citizen. ...It's also been 10 years since Mireya and I became husband and wife. ...Man, has it really been that long since all that? Time seems to move to fast or slow depending on the situation..."

"My fans on the radio show all wished me a 'happy birthday' and thanked me for my radio show. It was nice of them. I thanked them all for their wishes and for being members of the Wolfpac. Without them, Wolf of Shadows would be nothing."

"I got a call from my sister, Kairi. She wished me a 'happy birthday' and congratulations me and Mireya on 10 years. I was glad to catch up with her. She's doing well. ...And you're not gonna believe this, but... well, apparently, I'm going to be an uncle. ...Yup, my sister's pregnant! I'm really happy for her! She doesn't know if it's a boy or girl, but she's hoping for a girl. I'm really happy for her! I'll have to make some time to fly back home and see her when I can."

"I... I asked her how mom was doing, but... she didn't really say. Apparently, mom's cut off all contact with her. I guess she didn't approve of the news that her daughter was going to be a mom. *Sighs* I really worry about that woman. Can she never be happy for once..."

"Hey hun. ...Yes, I finally realized that today was my birthday. I'm sorry I forgot. ...Hey, would it have been worse if it was your birthday, or, Heaven forbid, our anniversary? ...Right. Shutting up now. ...Yes, yes, you're right. Thank you, babe. I really appreciate both it, and you. Thank you."

"So, what is this? ...An Orb Vinyl LP Flattener? ...Oh yeah, I was browsing this on the Internet one day. My vinyl discs were getting scratched up and they say this is supposed to repair them. Thank you very much, love. I really, really appreciate it. ...Thank you, love. I love you too."

"Hey, son. Thank you. ...Old? I'm pretty sure being in your mid 30s doesn't constitute as 'old', son. There are plenty of other people in Japan, far older than me. ...Like Jakurai, your doctor? He's one year older than me. ...Gee, thanks son. I'll be sure to remember that when your birthday rolls around in December."

"So what exactly did you give me for my birthday? Something 'old', I presume? ...LED Glasses? Oh yeah, I've seen some of the teen kids wearing these. They're supposed to light up at certain intervals, right? They look nice, but... don't they seem a little, I don't know, 'dramatic?' ...If you say so, son. Fine, I'll take and wear them. ...Yeah, thanks son."

Mireya Lines:

"Well, good morning, mi amor. I sincerely hope you recall what day it is today. ...Thank goodness. I know you get a little distracted sometimes, love, but that is no excuse to missing on important days. ...Love, if you were to forget either of those days, I'd make sure you spent the rest of this year and the next sleeping on the living room couch. *Sighs* It's moments like this that remind me of why I fell in love with you. I love you, mi amor."

"Anyway, here is your birthday gift. You mentioned that some of your old vinyl discs were getting dented and scratched, correct? Well, I saw this in the history pages on our computer and decided to purchase it. ...No problem, mi amor. I'm glad you like it. I love you, my gorgeous husband."

Zakari Lines:

"Hey pops! Happy birthday! So, how's it feel to be 'old' now? ...Of course it does! Everyone knows that reaching your mid 30s is a sign of oldness. ...Oh, Jakurai-sensei has always been old. He even acts like an old man half the time! Don't believe me? Just ask Kensaku-san over in Toyama! But don't worry, you still have him beat on cuteness! ...No problem, old man! Hahaha!"

"So, here's your birthday gift! ...They're LED glasses! I saw some of the club goers wearing these, and I thought they'd look good on you! You could wear them when you're up on stage DJing! ...'Dramatic?' Don't be ridiculous, pops! They're totally 'you'. Trust me. ...Glad you like them, pops! Happy birthday again!"

#hypmic #hypmic oc #hypnosis mic #hypnosis mic oc #hypnosis microphone #private party #roppongi division #kai quinlan #mireya quinlan #zakari hiroya #happy birthday kai 2024 #arb #alternative rap battle

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superhero--imagines · 2 years

Text

Part 1 Here! / Part 2 Here! / Part 3 Here! / Part 4 Here! / Part 5 Here! / Part 6 Here! / Part 7 Here! / Part 8 Here! / Part 9 Here! / Part 10 Here! / Part 11 Here! / Part 12 Here! / Part 13 Here! / Part 14 Here! / Part 15 Here! / Part 16 Here! / Part 17 Here! / Part 18 Here! / Part 19 Here!/

Part 20 Here!/ His POV Part 1! Here / His POV Part 2 Here! / Part 21 Here! / Part 22 Here! / Random Headcanons / Part 23 Here! / Part 24 Here! / Part 25 Here! Part 26 Here ! / Part 27 Here! / Part 28 Here!/ Part 29 Here! / Part 30 Here! / Part 31 Here! / Part 32 Here! / Part 33 Here! /

Part 34 Here! / Part 35 Here! / Part 36 Here! / Part 39 Here! / Part 40 Here! <This is Part 41! Finale>

* Your feet brush against the rim of your car as you jump out of the car, your wedding ring glittering on your finger.

* “We didn’t get enough mint.” You sigh, and Edward shrugs beside you

* “Do you think the cows would make do with parsley?” He laughs when you wrinkle your nose.

* You’ve built a decent life in Volterra, you have a large farm on the outskirts of the city, occasionally you travel to the castle to help with the work, but for the most part you’re just a figurehead - a symbol for the cause, it’s only been about a year since you and Edward got married, but life is good

* You’re making your way to the porch of your small villa when you see two figures on the porch

* “Alec, Jane what are you-“

* “We want to live with you.” Alec blurts out, and Jane smacks her own forehead, yanking on his arm

* “Do you remember what I said about Tact?” She hisses

* Though you suppose her complaint falls on deaf ears since your smile gives Alec all the reassurance he needs

* “Well there will have to be some ground rules,” you say, and Edward nods beside you. “You’re not allowed to directly drink from any of the animals.” Edward gives you a pointed look. “Oh, right, and you’re not allowed to drink from Edward either.”

* Jane wrinkles her nose “trust me I wouldn’t want to, he smells like spoiled milk.”

* “It’s all the gelato.” You nod, and Edward seems slightly hurt.

* “I would never hurt an animal, they’re such kind creatures.”

* “Well then welcome to the coven.”

* They adapt well, Edward teaches Alec how to cook

* “The onions have to be tender before you add in the minced garlic, otherwise it’ll burn.”

* And Jane helps you with opening your restaurant

* “It’s going to be like a speakeasy,” you say. “We’ll have human food out front, and blood in the back.”

* “A double operation.” She nods

* You spend your free time playing songs on the piano with Alec and Jane watching with wide eyes

* “Will you play that one again?”

* Alec is the first to become human.

* “I wonder if it might be fun, to go to school, or to fall in love,” his eyes flicker between you and Edward. “Just to live a normal life.”

* Edward poses as his older brother and enrolls him into the boys academy nearby,

* Jane isn’t ready yet

* “I can’t imagine being accepted by people after all I’ve done.”

* “That’s okay,” you tell her, hugging her to your side. “You can take your time.”

* The days fall around you the leaves of a tree, days filled with so much joy you don’t notice they’ve gone at all

* James and Victoria find you much later, with James wearing a grin.

* “I had a feeling you would be here.” He has a penchant for taking care of the animals, as well as helping Marcus in the castle

* You even see Rosalie and Emmett when they come by your restaurant to visit you

* “And look who we brought!” Rosalie holds up a baby so beautiful venom drips down your cheeks.

* “Can I hold them?” So small and fragile, you hold them for only a moment before giving her to Edward.

* “Alice and Jasper haven’t turned, Alice likes the otherworldly vibe.”

* “I’ve noticed.”

* “Carlisle turned but Esme hasn’t.”

* “Really?”

* “Yeah I figure if she doesn’t follow he’ll have to turn back to keep their marriage alive.” You laugh at that

* As the days go by more and more of your friends and family become human, first it was Irina, then Eleazer, then Carmen. Tanya and Kate still remain vampires but you have a feeling they’ll cross over soon

* “You know, you could turn now too. Maybe not for long, just a handful of months.” Edward says. “If you’re worried, I can turn back.” You shake your head

* “I’m waiting for Jane, I don’t want her to think she’s holding me back or to feel like she was abandoned.” He only nods

* You’re not sure if Jane will ever be comfortable enough to turn human again, but you’re willing to wait

* It’s what family does

* For a while she doesn’t show any disposition of it, not until you hear the bell from your door ring, and four arms wrapping around you, tackling you to the ground

* “Hey Bella, Hey Jessica, long time no see.”

* It’s strange seeing them again, both of them so comfortable in young adulthood

* Jessica is going to Washington State, and getting her Bachelors in business

* “So you’re going to be CEO in ten years is what I’m hearing.”

* “Pretty much.”

* “Well remember your friends when your rich and famous.”

* “Oh shut up.” You laughs smacking your arm

* “What about you Bella?”

* She holds out her hand, a jewel glistening on her ring finger

* “To Leah?”

* Bella shakes her head

* “It didn’t work out with us, I always got the feeling she was hiding something”

* Probably the shapeshifter bit

* “Actually it’s this guy who I go to school with, his name is Riley.”

* Like Riley Beers??!? The college student from Seattle?

* “You’d love him, I’ll bring him with me next time, how did you afford this place by the way?”

* The Volturi bestow you with a lot of gifts when you save them from an eternity of working in toxic conditions

* “Micro loans and a lot of selling everything of value” you laugh, you did end up selling all of the jewelry you got in the wedding for this place

* Jane watches you from behind the counter, a small smile on her face

* That night after Edward and Alec have gone to sleep you sit beside her on the couch

* “What should we watch?”

* She’s quit for a moment, before her mouth opens

* “I’m ready to turn.” She says and the remote clatters to the ground

* “What?”

* “I want to be human, you made such beautiful friends, even after all this time they still love you, I want that too.” She admits.

* You watch as the color returns to Jane’s face, the freckles begin to reappear, the pink under one of her face, and the deep blue of her eyes.

* You hug her when she’s back

* It takes a few months for you to get comfortable

* For James to reassure you that he’s comfortable in vampirism and more than happy to take care of Jane and Alec

* For Marcus to assure you that he’s not going anywhere

* “I’ve survived all these centuries, what’s a few more?”

* For Sulpicia to rest her hand in yours as you both stare at the portrait of Didyme

* “It’s only fair you reap the reward of the seeds you’ve planted.”

* For Edward to hold you hands in his your forehead pressed against his

* “No matter what you decide, I’ll always love you, and I’ll stay with you - in whatever form you need.”

* You hold the vial in both hands

* “Is they all there is?” You wonder

* Parting your lips and finally, finally becoming human

Epilogue

* You watch his face carefully leaning forward, smirking a bit to yourself as you see the bright red or the apple on the cover

* “So how is it?”

* He only scowls

* “How can one person get so much wrong?”

* You laugh

* “I thought that bit about you stalking her was funny though.” Edward’s scowl only deepens

* “What did they say again? That the plot was inspired by a dream?” You snort. You’re sure it very much did feel like a dream when you approached that woman at a hotel bar, a little tipsy mind you, and told her your entire life story

* You thought it would be funny, maybe they’d see you as some unhinged degenerate

* Instead now there’s a book about you

* Well sort of

* “Come on we’re going to miss our flight.” Edward says, chucking the book into the trash. His gold eyes glimmering from the airport window

* You only nod, your one red eye and one gold eye twinkling as you make your way to the terminal, you hand laced through his.

A/N: And that's the end, I hope you enjoyed it! If you loved the series and want it on your shelf there might be a few leftover copies in a month or so, and there's a digital copy available on my store.

And if you love the 'waking up in' concept, you should check out my waking up in PJO series!

Tag list: @moonlights27 @thebluetint @the100thtwilight @awesomebooklover17 @oneofthepotterheads @imdoingathingmom @yrawn @alyciaswhore @little-horror-show @wicked-watering-can @lazydreamers @ideas-for-you-to-adopt @moose-squirrel-asstiel @hotmessgoodness @jaimewho21 @what-am-i-doing10 @anotheryooniverse @emmettcullenisahimbo @my-super-musical-life @smolvampiregirl @it-was-all-a-beautiful-dream @mihikaahujaaa @reclusive-chicken-nugget t @monkeyluver4546 @gavemecookieandgotyoucookie @bwbatta @bubblyabs @thatwaspossesion @helzerat @parascape @katrodriguez99 @leilanixx @kiki-ren @winxanity-ii @dontletyourmemebedreams @hazeofeleven @whatafreakingloser @lightsupdoyouknowwhoyouare

#twilight #twilight x reader #waking up in twilight #Edward Cullen #edward cullen x y/n #edward cullen x reader #Edward Cullen imagines #twilight imagines

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misslavenderlady · 1 year

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The Boy is Mine 🤬

Michael/Female!OC

Summary: Michael has had enough of Sis stealing the attention of David, so they hash it out and get very aggressive. But while they certainly hate each other, they can at least show a little love~

This is a collab I did with @ghoulgeousimmaculate. It features her OC from Party The Pain Away, but takes place in an AU where Michael is still in the Lost Boys. This has references to her stuff, and takes place in the modern world, not 1987! We did equal work for this, so please like and reblog Ghoulie's version!

WARNINGS: Nsfw/18+ Readers Only, Dark Fic, Jealousy, Anger Issues, Physical Aggression, Rivalry, Insults, Verbal Abuse, Physical Violence, Fighting, Vampire Powers, Flirting, Vaginal Fingering, Pussy Spanking, Dom/Sub, Riding, Rough Sex, Vaginal Sex, Missionary, Choking, Risk of Sub Drop, Aftercare, Hurt/Comfort

Credit to @skeletonfumes for the vamp gif

August of 1987. That's when David came into Michael's life and completely changed everything. What was supposed to be a simple move to a beach town turned into a whirlwind of horrors and bloodshed as he learned that his friends were actually vicious vampires. His transformation into one of them happened in such a short amount of time.

35 years later, Michael was still stuck in the body of an eighteen-year-old. At first, he was furious with David for making him what he was now. A monster that roamed the streets only at night, constantly hearing whispers from strangers talking about how he wasn't one of them. He should hate this life. Sometimes he really did.

But as hard as he tried, he couldn't fight the connection he had with David. Decades ago he would have laughed at the idea of soulmates. Now he felt he would die if he ever left David's side. The sense of Stockholm Syndrome was strong, but he didn't care. He was David's and David was his.

That was until a certain girl from Baltimore came into their undead lives.

Sis. David’s wife and a constant thorn in his side. He and the boys met her at a concert about four years ago. They initially marked her as a meal, but fate had other plans. By sheer dumb luck, she escaped and left them with empty bellies for the evening. It was rare for a meal to slip through their fingers, so naturally, David and the boys became obsessed with hunting her down.

Thanks to Marko’s social media prowess, they were able to find the girl and invite her on a date. Michael came along for the ride for the food, but the evening ended with the ebony beauty cradled in David’s arms, blubbering about her demons.

David loved innocence and vulnerability. All the boys did, hence why that one moment of fragility drew David to her. Fast forward and now Michael had to share his soulmate with his wife and 2-year-old daughter—an eternity he did not expect when he made his first kill back in the 80s.

Michael's hotheadedness had followed him into his second life. While once upon a time his anger and frustration were put on David, that temper was now focused right on Sis. He could handle sharing David with all of the Lost Boys. He could handle David fucking any pretty young thing that came their way before going in for a bite.

He couldn't handle Sis.

There was a deep hatred for the girl. It boiled and simmered in his core, slowly growing with each passing year. In his eyes, she had stolen the love of his life. She turned David into her own personal hubby, and it broke his heart. Michael would always put on a happy face for David, but under the surface he was consumed by pure anger.

He would often glare behind her back, staring deeply as he tried to figure out what made her so special. Was it the cutesy voice? The long locs? The soft skin? The voluptuous body….

Okay, so there were other feelings for Sis in the mix, but Michael would never in a million years admit to it. She was the enemy in his eyes. He hated her. If he wasn't careful, all of that jealousy was going to get the better of him.

One night, Sis strolled into the room, gliding in that tantalizing way she always did. The so-called Queen had returned from a hunt—her full lips and chin smeared with blood. The gore on her skin and the stench of lust filled the room as she traveled. The brunet vampire couldn’t help but watch her hips sway as she walked, temporarily becoming mesmerized by her seductive gait.

He snapped himself out of the deadly trance after a few moments. He rose to exit the room, a coping mechanism he’d adapted to keep his sanity when the vixen wandered too close. Michael hadn’t made it to the door before he heard a sultry coo that caused rage to boil in his chest.

“Good evening, Daddy,” Sis purred as she boldly perched herself in David’s lap before kissing him on his nose. “Did you miss me?”

David absolutely adored hearing her call him that. For Michael, it was like nails on a chalkboard.

Michael wouldn't lie, he had his own set of daddy issues from his father's emotional neglect and lack of desire to take custody of his kids in the divorce. When he got more comfortable with his sexuality, Michael found himself calling David that name in bed quite a bit. It just fit the leader all too well.

So when he heard Sis call his beloved that, it made his blood boil. Seeing her sit on his lap like a spoiled little princess was making him fume hotter than the fires of hell.

It didn't help that David was completely focused on her. He smirked devilishly, taking out his handkerchief to wipe her stained face. The way he caressed his wife's cheek made Michael feel extra possessive. He should be the one getting touched by David. Not her. That little bitch.

Michael seethed, glaring at the spectacle in front of him. The sight of seeing her fawn over his mate drove him insane. He was sick of it, and tonight he was going to put her in her place once and for all.

He turned on his heel, strolling over as the little tramp giggled and ground her ass on David’s lap like an animal in heat. Michael boldly cleared his throat, standing in front of the couple with his chin up and chest out.

“Sis, may I speak to you for a moment?” Michael requested to the fledgling vampire, sporting a look on his face that said he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

The curvy woman giggled, waving Michael away as she nibbled at David’s neck. “I’m busy at the moment. Maybe later.”

Oh no. He wasn't going to be having any of that bullshit.

In that moment, Michael felt the fire burning hotter and brighter inside of him. If someone were to look close enough, they would probably see smoke coming out of his ears. He wasn't going to play second fiddle to some bimbo.

In a flash, he reached out and grabbed hold of her shirt. He yanked her off of their mate's lap, tugging her upward like she was a doll. She squealed in surprise at such an action, and David watched Michael with curiosity.

Long ago he had done something similar with David when he was looking for Star. Now Sis was the one that was going to feel his wrath.

"I don't think so, little girl," he growled. Michael was older, stronger and far more devoted than her. He was going to make that perfectly clear right now.

"Playtime with Daddy is over. My nest. Now."

Sis looked at Michael with doe eyes, her inner submissive momentarily triggered by the dominant action. But she quickly gathered herself and yanked her blouse from Michael’s grasp before standing on heeled feet. She smoothed her skirt, petulantly looking down her nose at the grumpy brunet.

“What’s got your knickers in a twist, lover boy?” Sis cooed as she eyed him from head to toe. “This better be important to interrupt the—ahem—massage David promised,” she giggled, shooting a mischievous glance to David before strutting past Michael towards the tunnels. Sis disappeared into the darkness, leaving only her scent trail behind.

Michael followed suit, leaving David to ponder the tension between his two most prized possessions. He had an inkling about what was going on. He’d keep an ear out because that’s what a good Alpha does, but he figured the two would quickly air their grievances and pound out their frustrations. He lit a cigarette, crossing his ankle over his knee as he nosily waited for what he knew would come.

Meanwhile, Sis sat crossed legged in a wingback chair in Michael’s nest. The large furnishing dwarfed her petite frame. With her striking good looks and elegance, she looked like the Queen she was.

But Michael wasn't going to be swayed by her beauty. He was just as much of a powerful vampire as the other Lost Boys. He was going to make it abundantly clear to her what was going to happen. No more nonsense.

"You think you're real fuckin' cute, don't you?" he asked, eyes narrowed and arms crossed.

"I dunno, I've been told I'm downright adorable quite a bit~"

Sis smirked back at him as she nestled into the chair more. It pissed Michael off seeing her so comfortable in his space. It was like she was trying to mark her territory or something.

"I don't like you. Ever since you showed up, you've been nothing but a pain. I only went along with the flirting because I wanted to hunt your ass and make you dinner. You really pissed me off when you seduced David all those years back."

That certainly caught her attention. Sis raised an eyebrow and sat up straighter. She was growing quite curious at such a bold confession.

"Oh is that right, Mikey~?"

"You're goddamn right it is!!" Michael snapped. "David was mine first! I fell in love with him before you were even born!"

The more he went on, the more Michael's temper worsened. His mother would be furious to see him talking to a lady like this. He was usually so respectful of women, but right now he was just thinking about how much Sis got on his nerves. His words grew harsher as he went on.

"You have no right to throw yourself at him like some slut! Just because you dress like one doesn't mean you can act like one too."

Sis laughed, letting out a deranged saccharine cackle before addressing Michael. “Looks like someone’s jealoouuss,” Sis sang in a crazed tune as she leaned forward in the chair, her mannerisms mimicking Marko’s melded with David’s. “How dare you speak to me that way. I’m your Queen.”

“You’re my pain in the ass.” Michael spat.

“Am I really?” Sis taunted as she stood to her full height, crossing the room to stand in front of Michael. “Because that tent in your pants tells me otherwise. Looks like you have a thing for me after all.”

Michael growled, towering over Sis to emphasize his displeasure. His power over her. “Watch your mouth, little girl.”

Sis laughed, smirking up at Michel with her baby doll face. “I will do no such thing. You wanted me, and now you’ve got me, so I’m going to tell you about yourself. Because I see you for what you are. You’re jealous. A jealous little Mama’s boy with Daddy issues. You lost your first Daddy in the divorce, and now you’re afraid you’ll lose this one. But the caveat is you already have. David is mine. And deep down inside, you know that, and it drives you crazy because you can’t see what he sees in me. Can’t see why I’m the keeper of his heart.”

“Damn right I can’t, you bitch. What makes you so fucking special?” He whispered with malice. “All those years. All those years I put in, and you come along and get a ring? His hand in marriage?”

“I can easily show you,” Sis enticed with glowing golden eyes, her hand slithering to stroke his manhood through his pants. “There are many reasons why David’s addicted,” she flirtatiously teased.

Michael hissed, flustered from the titillating sensation that her dainty hands caused. He felt his loins stir beneath her palm, and he was disgusted. The nerve! Michael stepped back, adjusting himself through his pants. He glared at Sis after, baring his fangs as she wheezily giggled at his expense.

“Flustered by little ol’ me?” She jabbed as she batted her eyelashes. “Such a shame for a big bad vampire to be afraid of a little fledgling. What a willowy spine you have. And if you’re wondering, that’s another reason why David chose me. Because I’m strong. Daddy wanted someone with a backbone.”

“That’s rich coming from the woman who withers like a flower in the rain when she’s in Marko’s presence.”

Sis scowled, hissing at Michael with rage. “Master may make me weak in the knees, but when I was human, I fought a better battle than you ever did. Now run along,” Sis dismissed as she waved him away again. “Star probably needs you to kiss her boo-boos. Daddy promised to massage me from the inside, and that’s where I’ll be until sunrise.”

Sis haughtily brushed past Michael, pettily knocking into him and throwing him off balance for a moment. She strolled towards the exit with a click of heels and a whole lot of attitude as she dismissed Michael for the chump she thought he was. Despite his advanced age, she saw him as beneath her. She was Queen. She was David’s wife and the mother of his child. Michael couldn’t compare.

Still, he wasn't going to let her go without a real fight.

"Oh no you don't, you little bitch!"

In a flash, Michael latched onto Sis' wrist, dragging her back into his room and throwing her up against the wall. He made quick work to box her in. His hands pinned her arms up to her sides and he stuck a knee in between her legs. Sis let out a squeak when the muscle brushed against the lining of her underwear.

"One, if you ever talk about Star like that again, I will break your neck like a goddamn toothpick," Michael hissed, fangs on full display. "Two, you must be really stupid if you think David likes you more than me."

Sis growled, feeling riled up and feisty from how Michael manhandled her. If it were any other Lost Boy, she'd cower in fear before submitting. Michael didn't hold any command over her, so she wasn't going to bend to his will.

"Release me, asshole!"

"No. You're gonna listen to me," Michael continued. He tightened his hold on Sis as he pressed his toned chest to hers.

"Unlike you, David wanted me since day one. He stared at me across the boardwalk like I was the most perfect thing he'd ever seen. You ever seen that Jim Morrison mural in the cave? He clearly prefers tall, strong types with brown curls. I'm his perfect mate. No amount of bargain bin dresses and stripper heels is gonna change that, girlie.

Michael leaned in, whispering into her ear. He wanted his words to be heard loud and clear.

"And that pisses you off, doesn't it?"

“What pisses me off is your lack of a fashion sense. The last time I checked, Valentino wasn’t bargain bin. It was high fashion. Let’s start there. A desert rat like you probably can’t even spell Valentino, let alone know what style is,” she sassed him. Sis was ready to verbally tear Michael a new one.

“And it’s not just about looks, Mikey. It’s about wit and intellect. Yes, David may enjoy a nice big hunk of stupid meat every once in a while, but you’re an intellectual bore otherwise. David may have wanted to take a bite out of me, but my mind kept him engaged. Keyword—engaged. Because once again, if you were the perfect mate, he wouldn’t have married me. He chased me across the country just to keep me by his side. And by his side is where I’ll stay because I sacrificed too much to be with him and the boys. So I don’t give a shit about how you feel about me. As far as I’m concerned, you can twirl on splintered wood.”

“You’re not that bright, princess, you didn’t know they were vampires for six months.”

“And you drank blood out of an unmarked bottle the first night you met because the boys peer pressured you. You’re not exactly an intellectual god yourself.”

Both of the vampires felt the familiar urge of a fight brewing. The urge to spill blood and wrestle one another until there was only one victorious winner. The more they battled with their words, the more they wanted to fight with fists.

"How about I show you how I've got plenty of brawn over your ditzy little brain~" Michael growled.

With the might of his vampire strength, he spun Sis around, throwing her off the wall and back towards the massive picture hanging from the wall above his bed. Billy Idol. Something that reminded him of David and a piece to honor the leader's own musical tastes. Sis crashed into the picture, cracking the glass as her back hit the rocks behind it.

Michael's eyes flashed a bloodshot gold and his fangs dripped with saliva. His claws were out and ready to scratch her up some more.

Sis was letting her own wild side out. She had fallen onto the floor below, small flecks of glass caught in her hair. It didn't frighten her and neither did Michael. If he wanted a fight for David, he got one.

"You're gonna get it now, pretty boy!"

Sis sat up. Her eyes blazed and danced with madness. Rage. Her manicured claws and fangs elongated as she rose from the floor to confront Michael. The brunet vampire had 35+ years on her in strength, but she had agility to her advantage. She tapped into her speed, crossing the room and punching Michael square in the nose. Appearing only as a blur when she did so. She sent him flying, the stunned vampire landing flat on his ass by the entrance of his nest.

“Let’s try that again, Mikey. Where I’m from if you wanted to survive, you had to have hands."

Michael stood up, licking the blood that dribbled from his nose before lunging at Sis. She met him midair, the two snarling and snapping at each other as they wrestled for dominance. Michael had Sis by the throat again, preparing to toss her across the room once more, but she swiped him across the face. Michael growled dropping his rival on her back, his bed breaking her fall.

He threw himself on top of her and they rolled around on the bed. Both refusing to stay down for the count. Sis growled lowly as she grabbed at Michael's shirt. Her nails dug into the fabric, tearing them to shred as she scratched down his back. He shivered from the sensation, reminded of how David had scratched him the first time they had a brawl.

He forced her hands off of his body, pinning them by the wrists above her head. With the other, he grabbed at her shirt too, tugging her upward and destroying the material. Both of them were exposed, as there was no fabric left to stay in place.

They both breathed heavily, chests heaving as they glared at each other with sinister, inhuman eyes.

"Homewrecker."

"Bastard."

"Cunt!"

"Jackass!!"

The two of them were practically spitting their insults in each other's faces. Their cheeks were flushed and with every moment, they were getting closer to one another.

"I hate you, Sis."

".....then why is your dick poking me~?"

Michael froze, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Sis was right. He was hard as a rock. He couldn’t deny it.

“I—um…”

“Oh, Mikey…” Sis cooed as her bare bosom heaved. “I think we’ve gotten to the root of our problem. Sexual frustration can be a bitch,” she teased as she trapped him between her shapely thighs, locking her ankles tight. “When was the last time David tickled your pickle?”

“It’s been a while because you’ve been a greedy little tramp.”

Sis giggled. “Awww…I’m sorry. Could you ever forgive me? How about I make it up to you?” She sultrily cooed as ground her pelvis against Michae’s manhood. “I have a feeling I can make you my best friend.”

Michael was utterly failing at finding the right words to say. He loathed how his body was betraying him. Sis was clearly proud of herself for making him act with such arousal. He wanted to tear her throat out for this, but he also couldn't deny that her grinding felt so good.

It took a while to get used to the polyamorous nature of the pack. Human expectations of monogamy had lingered for a while, but he grew comfortable with sharing the pleasure with the others. Sometimes it still hurt a bit to see Star bouncing on Paul's lap or David swapping spit with Dwayne or Marko. But at the end of the day, he was a vampire. And vampires needed to share their love.

Fighting back the attraction for Sis was the hardest adjustment. She really was a bombshell, even if she stole David's heart. The frustration certainly was there and he needed to get it all out.

Fine. He would have it her way.

"You are not my friend," Michael sneered.

Even with his cold words, he grabbed her hips and pulled them towards him in a heated fit. He ripped her skirt as if it were wet tissue, growling when he saw the curvy figure underneath the clothing.

"But if fucking is what it's gonna take to make you shut up, then so be it."

Michael spit on his fingers before diving his hand down into her panties. He was going to make her scream as loud as possible.

He slipped his fingers between her plump folds, seeking out the swollen little gem that was her clit. He traced his thumb over the bundle of nerves, sending a shiver down the Sis’ spin. Michael teased her, rubbing her in delectable circles only to pull back when she really started enjoying herself. The sadistic vampire within him wanted her to beg. To see her sniveling beneath him like she did with the other boys. Just to prove that he could.

So he toyed with her, flicking her nub and vibrating his hand. Sis wiggled and panted. The most adorable moans faling from her pouty lips. Michael didn’t want to admit it, but it was a tantilizing sound. One he could definitely get used to. He hated her voice—everything about her. But that moan she released when he was in control stirred something deep inside.

Michael kept up his devious ministrations, while Sis bucked her hips, desperate to find release when he pulled back. Her clit and her walls feeling horribly neglected.

“Say the magic word and I’ll let you cum, princess.”

“Fuck you.”

"Fine. Guess we're doing it the hard way."

Michael ceased his motions altogether. Before Sis even had a moment to whine about his hand moving away, he brought it right back down. With a firm, open palm, he slapped her pussy as hard as he could. The smacking sound echoed off the cave wall.

"Aahh!!! Fuck!!" she screeched, a pathetic whimper falling from her mouth.

"Thought you liked getting spanked, ya little whore~"

He slapped the sensitive, wet area again, hitting even harder. Sis was shaking like a leaf, the pain of the strike and the stimulation of her sensitive pussy blending together. She hated seeing Michael so smug, but his domination was only bringing out her submissive nature even more.

Michael's palm was getting bright red. His skin was glistening from her wetness. The mewls of pain and pleasure were only making him harder. It felt like his cock was going to tear the fabric of his pants.

"Say. It."

"FUCK. YOU."

Sis roared out as she fought back for control. She wiggled out of his grasp and grabbed at Michael's hand, stopping the spanking right away. Her inhuman strength clenched at him hard, threatening to break the bone.

Her speed aided her yet again, and she threw Michael off of her, pinning him down underneath her. She planted herself right on top of him and pushed her hands on his toned chest. Seeing that wild look in his baby blue eyes made her cunt ache more than the spanking.

"The queen is in control now, fucker," she hissed.

Sis tore the thick denim of Michael's jeans right down the middle, destroying his briefs in the process as well. His cock practically sprang to life when she did so, showing off each and every delicious inch of the massive size.

Sis licked her lips. “Not bad,” she purred as she eyed Michael’s impressive manhood. Sis loved to be filled and all of the boys were blessed with Dwayne being the KING. She was pleasantly surprised to see that little Michael wasn’t so little. “Maybe that’s reason why David keeps you around,” she cruelly jabbed. A little payback for Michael’s nasty quips.

The brunet growled and Sis giggled as she gripped his dick by the base. Her golden eyes shimmered with mania. Michael paled, laying still. He may not have had a formal education like Sis in her human life, but he was intelligent enough to not taunt her while she held his manhood in her palm.

“Smart boy,” she whispered as she hovered over his dick. “Smarter than I would have given you credit for.

Sis lowered herself down, moving teasingly slow to prolong Michael’s torture. Payback was a bitch. Michael hissed as he was enveloped in the plush, velvety warmth of her body. The engorged ridges of her walls making his toes curl. He wasn’t even fully inside her and he felt like he was going to explode. Now he kind of knew why David liked her.

Michael stared in awe as she engulfed him, her pussy devouring every inch of him. They both moaned as their pelvis’ met. Michael collapsed into the mattress and Sis threw her head back. Her eyes fluttered closed. Her long lashes kissing her chubby cheeks.

“Oooo, Michael,” Sis whispered with distorted vocals. “You feel so good—but I know I feel even better,” she taunted as she leaned forward, her lips curling into a sadistic smile.

FUCK. Michael gulped. She heard his thoughts. Sis heard him. He was horrified.

But he couldn’t dwell on it. He was ensnared by mindblowing pleasure. His eyes rolling into the back of his head. Sis gyrated in his lap, manipulating her spine in inhuman ways. She growled like an animal, using her agility to ride a Michael in a way he’d never experienced.

"Fucking hell….~" Michael sighed out. By some miracle, he was able to get ahold of himself and fight the urge to spill inside her prematurely. He had given away his dirty thoughts to her, but he'd be damned if he was going to let her humiliate him like that.

Michael was usually a very sweet lover. The first time he was with Star he made love to her, giving the most gentle touches while he took care of her. He was a pretty romantic guy, even if he was a little shy and awkward from time to time.

But he wasn't making love. He was fucking. Sis was nothing but a warm body for him to enjoy. That's what he was telling himself as he grabbed hold of her hips. His fingertips were pressed in enough to bruise the skin. He wouldn't dare let go of her body while he was inside of her.

"Yeah…dirty girl likes getting her guts re…rearranged…doesn't she?"

Michael took another shot at spanking her, his palm striking her rump while she rode his cock. The feminine sighs that poured from her mouth made his length twitch inside her.

"David fucked me in the same…fuck…same position for our f-first time….said we…fi-fit perfectly together. Said my name soooo sweetly~" he taunted the vampire queen.

But Sis didn’t miss a beat. She knew what Michael was doing. He was determined to hurt her. To so-called prove that David didn’t love her. But she knew the truth. David truly loved her. She could see it in his eyes when he caressed her cheek. When he slipped inside her. And when he held their child.

“Mmmm…” Sis moaned as she bucked her hips. “D-David told me that t-too…that we fit so p-perfectly…the n-night we made Eva.”

Michael snarled. That was one thing Sis did have over Michael. She gave David a daughter. An heir to the throne.

David was an excellent father. You wouldn’t think being a parent would even interest his mate. But when he saw how hands on David was when Sis was pregnant. How he fed her. Cradled her when she was sick and in pain. How he held her hand as she gave birth. The look of joy on his face when he held the squalling babe for the first time. How he thanked her before kissing her sweaty forehead.

Michael was already jealous of Sis, but when she gave birth that sealed his hatred for her. Seeing the three of them have their own little family—without him—was when he gave birth to his own offspring. Rage. He’d kept it bottled up this entire time. Leaving the pressure to become explosive. But he was ready to shake things up and remove the cap now. To finally erupt and let go.

Grabbing Sis by the throat, Michael quickly turned himself over, flipping Sis on her back. She squealed in surprise, her hands flying up to her throat to grab his wrists. She clawed at Michael’s pale flesh in an attempt to pry his hands from her petite neck, but she couldnt free herself. She had no choice but to lay under him while he pounded into her, the brunet now fucking her at a vengeful pace.

“You think you’re so special because you can create life? All vampires can create life, you bimbo. You just need a little blood and the right kid. If David wanted more children, I could give them to him easy. How the hell do you think the boys got Laddie?”

Sis hissed, but it turned into a wail when Michael reached down inside her. Stroking her deeply. The brunet vampire smirked when he saw her bite her lip. Her large eyes looking into his with wanton yearning. He had unlocked the sub within her again.

“That’s it. That’s the Sis I like,” Michael teased as he continued to ruthlessly use her body for its pleasures. “The quiet, docile one that’s afraid to go to the toy room.”

While Sis was slipping into her more submissive mindset, she wasn't as deep in as she would be for David or the other boys. There was still a spark of fight in her. It melted together with her need to please, and she did the only thing she could think to do.

Sis reached upward, hands placed on either side of Michael's face in order to pull him in for a kiss. Michael made a noise of surprise, but didn't get distracted enough to stop his thrusting. For a moment, she was tender, but soon her kisses became fierce. Hungry. Eager to make him shut up.

The two of them growled and moaned, serpentine tongues rolling over one another as their bodies moved. There was a silent agreement between them to let this moment happen. Hatred, anger and jealousy were shared, but they wouldn't leave one another unsatisfied.

"Who's your daddy now, bitch?" Michael teased with his mental connection to her.

"Not you, but I'll cream on your cock like you are~" Sis playfully responded.

The firey spark between them was getting hotter and hotter by the minute, their loathing for one another acting as fuel to the fire. It was pushing them both closer to the release they needed. They could both practically taste the pleasure that was coming.

The room was thick with the smell of sex. The lewd sounds of their lust reverberated around the room. Through the tunnels. When they reached climax, their little tryst wouldn’t be a secret. The whole pack would know of their affair. David would know.

But they didn’t care. All that mattered was this moment. The two of them and their bodies grinding against each other. Their lips crashing against each other. The pressure that built inside. And the bliss that came from it.

They were so close. Sis tightened around Michael, her walls squeezing around his thick shaft, his engorged veins massaging her in the sweetest way. Michael pumped into her with vigor, ferally fucking her like an animal. His fingers kneaded her flesh. Leaving mottled bruises on her smooth ebony skin from his immortal strength. His hands marked her as his for the night.

Meanwhile, Sis clawed his back. Leaving bloody slashes and welts down the pale flesh. Making him hers.

"Aaah!! Mi-Michael~!"

Sis hadn't planned to say his name. She wanted to keep it out of her mouth and just enjoy the pleasure as it was. But she couldn't stop it from flowing off her tongue. It sang out so beautifully as she finally came.

The clenching of her pussy and the overwhelming warmth was already too much for Michael to handle. Hearing the curvaceous beauty cry out his name was what triggered his own climax. She would definitely tease him for such a reaction later, but he didn't care at that moment.

"Fu-Fuck…fuck, Sis..~" he growled while spilling inside of her. Warm cum painted her deep within, officially marking her. Michael trembled terribly as the aftershock hit him.

Time slowed to a halt for the two of them. They were a sweaty, bloody, naked mess on top of Michael's bed. As they breathed heavily, the brunet boy slowly opened his eyes to get a better look at her. He could find another flaw to poke fun at while she laid out in her afterglow.

But any meanness was snuffed out when he realized that something was wrong. Sure, Sis was most certainly hit with the euphoria of her climax, but there was something in her eyes that told him she was at risk of a sub drop. They had been so harsh and cruel to one another, and now she was going to feel worse. He didn't even think before jumping into action.

"Hey hey…it's okay," he softly hushed her. "Stay right here. I'll go get something for you."

Michael carefully slipped out of Sis before rolling off the bed. He quickly shrugged on his robe and ran to the cave’s emergency stash of blood. He grabbed a sleek glass bottle filled with the blood of one of the many unfortunate souls that came to the cave to ‘party’.

He quickly trotted back to his nest and slipped into bed next to Sis. The fledgling vampire had rolled over onto her side and curled up into a ball. Michael had to act fast. He carefully placed his hand on her shoulder, coaxing her to sit up so he could tend to her. She obeyed, rolling over and upright as he desired. Michael uncapped the bottle and held it in front of her full lips for her to drink, providing support like a parent would their newborn baby.

Sis drank, greedily draining the bottle within minutes. Blood dribbled down her chin, and Michael grabbed a napkin, wiping her face just as David had moments ago. The irony, he mused.

Michael chuckled, and Sis flashed a weak smile, thanking him in a tiny voice. She moved to leave his bed. To gather the shreds of her clothing and return to her own nest, but before she could, Michael grabbed her wrist. Authoritatively, but with a hint of tenderness. He could see she wasn’t fully herself, and she needed just a little bit more T.L.C.

“Hey,” Michael gently whispered, “you’re in no condition to head back yet. Lay down for a moment. It’s okay.”

Sis hesitated, prepared to fight back, but she eventually acquiesced to his request. Laying back on her side. Her back faced him. Not out of rudeness, but out of awkwardness. And Michael understood that. But he still inched closer to her and wrapped his arms around her body. Spooning her from behind.

"You're surprisingly great at giving aftercare considering you said you hated me a few minutes ago," Sis softly muttered. Michael was actually relieved to hear the sass. That meant she was starting to get back to her normal self.

"I may be jealous, but I'm not a monster. I wasn't gonna let you go without care after something so intense."

Sis was grateful Michael was being kind. There was no way they'd be best buddies or fall in love after this, but it was still a kind gesture. Nestling into his arms as he gently held her solidified the temporary truce they had agreed to.

The two of them had a lot more in common than they realized. The human lives they lost were still fresh in their minds, as was the pain of losing their identities. David had put them both through their own personal hell, yet they still loved and adored him. They even both held onto human values like vulnerability and kindness. Even if they would constantly fight for the attention of their mate, they could at least see eye to eye on other things.

"You're a total attention whore…but at least you've got amazing pussy"

Sis snorted at the lewd compliment Michael gave her. It felt good to be able to laugh again. Her body shook with the soft giggling.

"And you fuck pretty damn good for an annoying little shit," she whispered back. Michael bit his lip but couldn't stop his own snickering. The good mood was just too contagious.

While the two of them relaxed together, Michael pulled her a little closer. They would go right back to their rivalry after tonight. She would be David's doting, hot wife and he would be David's handsome pet. The two vampires would forever long to be their Sire's one and only love, but for now, that didn't matter.

They were both part of the pack. No matter what you felt for everyone else, you took care of one another. That would never change.

Tag list: @britany1997 @6lostgirl6 @juss-soupp @finalgirlm @american-idiot-jpg @michael-after-hours @nerdy-spooks

#the lost boys #tlb #writing collab #female oc #dark fic #nsft #smut

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sh0rtins0mniac · 3 months

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Family members of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza speak to CNN's Jake Tapper.

In case the videos are geoblocked, you can watch them on twitter. Part 1 and part 2.

Here are their loved ones:

Omri Miran (46) from Kibbutz Nir Oz, husband to Lishay and father to Roni and Alma. Lishay has been advocating for his release.

Oded Lifshitz (83), a journalist and peace activist from Kibbutz Nir Oz who drove sick gazans to hospitals in Israel. His wife Yocheved (85) was released on October 23, 2023.

Eli Sharabi (53) from Kibbutz Be'eri. His wife Leanne and their two daughters Noya and Yahel were brutally murdered on October 7. His brother Yossi was also kidnapped and unfortunately, murdered in Gaza; his body hasn't been returned for burial.

Aviv Atzili (49) from Kibbutz Nir Oz was murdered on October 7 and his body hasn't been returned for burial. He's survived by his three children and his wife Liat, who was kidnapped on that same day and released in November.

Tal Shoham (38). He lived in the north, but was visiting family on Kibbutz Be'eri that day. He was kidnapped along with his wife, Adi Shoham, his daughter, Yahel, 3, and son, Naveh, 8, as well as his mother-in-law Shoshan Haran, his wife’s aunt Sharon Avigdori and her daughter Noam, 12. His family members were released in November, but sadly, he's still in Gaza.

Bibas family from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Yarden (34), Shiri (32) and the couple's sons Ariel (4) and Kfir (kidnapped at 9 months old, now 1 year old). Shiri's parents were murdered on October 7. While in Gaza, Yarden was forced to appear in propaganda videos. Shiri and the boys were supposed to be released in November, but Hamas refused to.

Dolev Yehud (35) from Kibbutz Nir Oz. His wife Sigal and children Raz (7), Yotam (6) and Ron (3) and Dor, the baby who was born while he was in captivity wait for his return. He's a volunteer medic at Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah. His sister Arbel and her boyfriend David Cunio were also taken hostage.

#israel #october 7 #hostages #bring them home now #jumblr #post

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sammysvanfeet · 2 years

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Secret Soulmate || Part One

Jake x Reader - Soulmate AU

Word Count: 2k+

WARNINGS: mentions of death/grieving a family member, fainting

A/N: Here's the first chapter of the new Jake series! Enjoy 💘

As a little girl, I had been told that finding your soulmate, your other half, was an experience nothing short of magical. I’d spent my entire life hoping and dreaming that there was someone out there for me. During my formative years, I had obsessed over who my person might be, what they could look like or where I would meet them. We were taught that our souls had been separated from our mate’s in our past incarnation and we were to spend this lifetime searching for them. The other half to our whole, the person that was destined to complete us. I’d spent twenty-something long years searching for mine and I hadn’t felt it, those sparks, until now. I think deep down, I knew it from the moment I saw him, he was undoubtedly the one.

The thick summer air was almost cloying, sweet and sticky like candy that even the gentle breeze from the coast did little to offer a reprieve from. I sat in the shade offered by the modest front porch, sticking my arm out into the direct sunlight, almost expecting that I’d recoil and burn like Nosferatu. I wiggled my fingers and made lazy shadow creatures with my outstretched hand, a childish distraction from the many things I should have been doing. The sound of an ice cream truck jingling in the distance brought me back to old times. I had lived in this cottage by the beach almost as long as I could remember. It seemed so big when I was just a tiny young thing, but it had aged just as I had. While it did not increase in size, it had become worn, cracks appeared where the foundation was previously unblemished. It didn’t hold the same wonder and promise that it had when I was a child, but I suppose that was a reflection of the way I was feeling today.

The unwelcome sound of my mother clearing her throat took me by surprise, causing me to jolt forward and drop the novel I had planned on reading out here. I was unsure just how long I had been sitting on this rocking chair completely lost in thought, but given her raised eyebrows, hands on hips and foot tapping with impatience… it had been entirely too long.

“Y/N, can you come in and help me set the table? This dinner has to be perfect.” She phrased this as a request, even though it was anything but. We tended to get along most days, but on an occasion like today she was inexplicably high strung, a type A perfectionist who wanted to make the very best impression, and all I wanted was to escape into one fantasy or another.

“I’m sorry, I was daydreaming.” I quickly apologized, picking up my book and following her into the house. She stood at the kitchen island where she had been stationed most of the day and resumed polishing her silverware at an impressively aggressive rate, surrounded by stacks of her finest china. I inhaled the smell of the roasting chicken, and eyed the various side dishes that were bubbling and warming on the stovetop.

“Mom, is all of this necessary?” I asked, incredulously, gesturing to the state of the kitchen.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that.” My mother chided, still buffing away at the cutlery. “You would think that you would be more excited to see your sister for the first time in two years.”

I felt briefly guilty at my lack of enthusiasm over our reunion. It’s not that I didn’t miss my sister, it’s just that I spent so much of my life living in her shadow. Polly was beautiful and popular in high school, whereas I was bookish and reserved. She had all the attention from boys and girls alike her entire life, whereas I was perpetually invisible. She got a scholarship for an esteemed university and graduated with honors, immediately scoring a job at a prestigious legal firm. The way she was going, she was set to make partner before she would even turn 35. And here I was, still in my hometown, running food and bussing tables to pay my share of rent to my mother. I had always paled in comparison to Polly and my mother knew it, too.

“Aren’t you excited to meet her soulmate?” My mother interrupted my train of thought, twisting the knife into me even further.

She had obsessed over and ingrained the idea of us finding our mates since we were old enough to walk. Sometimes, I doubted that there really was someone for everyone, but the way my parents had loved one another was proof enough that we all had our person out there somewhere. Watching her mourn his loss was almost more painful than the death itself, seeing her turn into a shell of a woman before my very eyes, at such a tender age, was something no child should ever have to go through. She had never recovered from the heartbreak. Perhaps it was a physical pain, an ache from their severed connection; or perhaps it was the fact that she now knew she would spend the rest of her days alone.

Of course, it was my sister who had found her soulmate first. She was only a year older than me, so you would think my time was coming, but I had never had any romantic prospects the way she had. Despite being a hopeless romantic at heart, I was starting to accept that maybe I was destined to end up going through this lifetime alone… just me and my novels. To make matters worse, I was still a virgin, even at my age. I had told myself that there was no point in exchanging my energy with someone through casual sex if it wasn’t the person I was supposed to spend my life with. I had even felt guilty the very few times I had kissed someone, their lips always felt cold and just wrong.

Excusing myself from the tortuous conversation and my internal spiraling, I dejectedly carried the ornate porcelain plates to our small dining room and began setting a place for four. My mother carried the now shimmering silverware and placed it delicately on stark white woven napkins, smoothing out the tablecloth and smiling at our handiwork. “Perfect, just perfect!” She exclaimed to herself. She wanted to make a good impression, she was nervous… I could tell by the way she fidgeted and fussed around the table.

The chiming of the doorbell rang as if on cue, echoing off of the scuffed hardwood floors. My heart raced, beads of sweat pricked at my palms. Suddenly I felt unprepared for this moment. How was I going to feign happiness for my sister when I was surely to be filled with unbridled jealousy?

“They’re here!” Mom squealed, clapping her hands excitedly. “What are you waiting for? Come greet them at the door with me.”

My mother grabbed my arm and practically dragged me to the foyer. She released me before she straightened out my skirt and brushed her hands off on her checkered apron, taking a steadying breath. After a few more suspenseful moments, she flipped the lock and swung the heavy wooden door open, frowning at the unfortunate creaking. Once she took in Polly’s presence, she immediately began to sob, taking her perfect daughter into a bone crushing hug.

“Moooom!” Polly whined, acting as if she wasn’t eating up the attention, rolling her eyes playfully at me over my mother’s shoulder. I smiled politely in return, unsure of how to act around her now.

Mom released her, wiping away some stray tears before asking the million dollar question, “So… where is he?”

I looked beyond the front porch to the yellow cab parked in front of our home. I couldn’t make out many details at first, but I could tell he had long, brunette hair pulled back into a ponytail, sinfully tight grey pants and a breezy linen shirt. On top of his head was almost a comically cheesy straw hat. He didn’t seem like Polly’s type but who was I to judge? After tipping the cab driver, her mate approached us leisurely, hands full of luggage, whistling without a care in the world. He had an air of confidence, even from afar. I couldn't see his eyes, they were concealed behind a pair of sunglasses, but the second his lips twitched up into a smirk, I felt all the air rush from lungs. I suddenly felt warm, almost feverish. I bought the back of my hand up to my head, checking my temperature. My mother eyed me curiously at the action, to which I faked a reassuring smile. As he got even closer, I began to feel dizzy, everything was way too bright and the light danced around my vision. An aching in my head made it feel ten times its size.

“What’s happening?” I whispered to myself.

All three of them turned to look at me. Polly’s mate removed his glasses and all I could do was gaze into his honey brown irises, noting the worry in them. They were so warm and strangely familiar, I just couldn’t tear my gaze from him. His eyes searched mine in return when his brow furrowed, but I couldn’t place the source of his concern. He opened his mouth to say something, anything… but his words would not come. My sister took this as her cue to introduce her new lover, but at the same time as she spoke, my knees buckled and I found myself collapsing, fading out of consciousness slowly.

The last words I remember hearing before I succumbed to the darkness were, “This is Jake.”

I wanted to resist the sudden pull into consciousness but something was forcing me to awaken. When my eyes had fluttered open completely, I allowed myself a moment to take in my surroundings. Above me was a golden sky peppered with the fluffiest white clouds I had ever seen. I surmised that it must be sunset by the way the sun's rays painted everything in an orange glow. I sat up slowly, taking count of my surroundings; I was alone on the bank of a white sand beach. The tide was low, just barely tickling the shore and there was a noticeable lack of sound. No laughter, no music… not even the cawing of seagulls.

“Where am I?” I asked aloud, my voice sounding strange and distorted to my own ears.

“Ahh, there she is.” A mysterious voice startled me. I turned to find Jake, my sister’s soulmate, sitting at my side despite the fact that I was very much alone mere moments before.

“Am I dead?” I asked, pinching myself, beginning to feel frightened by the circumstances I had found myself in.

He chuckled, shaking his head slightly, “Not dead. You’ve been out for a while, though. Your mom and sister are worried about you.”

“What happened? How are you even here?” I rubbed my temples, desperately trying to find a plausible explanation for this dreamlike state that I seemed to be in.

“Honestly, I don’t know.” He sighed, looking out at the shimmering ocean, “When I looked into your eyes, I felt like we had met before. My heart started racing and I felt an ache in my head, but when you collapsed I could no longer focus on the pain I was feeling, every nerve in my body was set alight but the impulse to catch you, to keep you safe, was much stronger than anything else I have felt in my entire life.”

I reached over to pat his hand, an innocent gesture of reassurance, but when we connected, flashes of past memories and lives long lived together flickered through my mind like the most magnificent film. In the span of seconds, I felt like I had experienced decades. I could tell Jake had seen it too, by the look of stupefaction on his face.

“It can’t be.” He whispered to himself. “I don’t understand.”

“Jake?” My shaky voice commanded his attention, “I think you’re my soulmate, not Polly’s.”

TAG LIST

@celestialfauna @streamsofstardust @doodle417 @gretavanfle3t @theweightofjake @turtleskane @morganic-goods @loofypoofy @jakeslovehandles @fleet-prodigy @age-of-nyahh @gvfrry @greta-flanveet @way-to-go-lad @trplshotofdopamine @emsgvf @jakeyboiiiiiii @greta-flanveet @jakekiszkasguitarpick @kdarling1 @thecoldwind @theweightofstardust @colorinthisblackandwhiteworld @brokenbellz @mintysammykiszka @lvnterninthenight @jakesgrapejuice

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