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davidcarner · 6 years

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Sarah vs The Unexpected Life, Ch 3, Lady Feelings

A/N: The first two chapters have been pretty Sarah centric. This chapter works best if its Chuck centric, at least for a little while. Apparently I’m funnier than I think according to some of you. More fluff, more Charah, more Chuck being a little scared to share his feelings and Sarah being so open it’s scary, and dag nab it, more fun. I present to you chapter 3, Lady Feelings

A/N 2: I need to straighten the record out on something that I left a little unclear. Hannah, Lou, Cole et al, might be in the story, but they will have no romantic relationships with Chuck or Sarah…EVAH in this. NEVA EVAH. On with the show.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Chuck, but I do own a black pair of Chucks

Chuck moved around his house, quickly, with purpose, but also full of song. He sang Good Morning, Good Day from She Loves Me to Clara, watching the close to one-year old smile at him. Last night had been a little rough with teething, but the bigger problem was that Sarah…his friend, with possibilities of more(?) was looking for Piranha. He needed to talk to her this morning. He wanted to talk to her this morning, but what would she say to him. He had the chance last night, at the fountain, to tell the truth, and he didn’t. She had told him every dirty secret about herself, and he didn’t. It wasn’t that he was trying to keep it a secret, it was just part of another life that he really didn’t admit existed anymore.

He had never stolen any real money, moving a penny from one account to another isn’t really stealing, but Casey, boy Casey would think it was. If they found out…they couldn’t, but somehow he had to tell Sarah. He loaded Clara in her carseat as he thought about his next move, and kind of went on autopilot as all parents do with little sleep as he drove to preschool. As he pulled in, he noticed Emma driving Molly this morning, not Sarah. Part of him was happy, part of him was not…not at all.

Chuck closed his eyes for a second. It was time for him to be serious. What did a beautiful, caring, smart, funny, former CIA agent with a heart of gold want with him? The answer was obvious, nothing. Absolutely nothing. He needed to tell Sarah the truth for the sake of Clara. She would find another way, because he had to keep Clara safe. But how does she keep Molly safe? That thought ate at his brain. A hand hit the window, and Chuck jumped, screamed, hit the horn, scaring Molly who was outside, made Clara cry, and all the other children around cry as well. All the parents were giving Chuck a dirty look. Molly had got over her fright, and was pointing and laughing at Chuck. Chuck wanted to be upset, but Molly refused to let him be with her laughter. He opened the car door, and made monster hands at her.

“If I didn’t have to get Clara, you would so get it,” he said in his best monster voice. Molly laughed at him.

“Molly,” Emma scolded. “You can’t scare him like that.”

“He was napping and I was waking him up so he wouldn’t be late,” Molly answered. Chuck looked at the little girl, who smiled back at him.

“Well, I am awake,” Chuck admitted. Emma laughed as the four headed in. “Is Sarah okay?”

“Yes, she told me to apologize and she’d call you later,” Emma said grinning. “She had a good time last night.” She paused as if deciding to tell him, and then made up her mind. “I think she wished you had stayed later.”

“Clara was teething,” Chuck explained.

“Oh, dear. Did you get any sleep?” Chuck moved his hand back and forth to say a little. “Do we need to cancel tonight?”

“I think I’ll be fine,” Chuck said. “The first night is usually the worst. Will Sarah be able to make it?”

“She should, although I don’t know. All I know is something about a virus called Jeffery.” Chuck stopped short.

“Are you sure it’s not Jeffster?” Emma snapped her fingers.

“That’s it!”

“Who’s going to work on it?” Chuck asked, remembering how this monster was created by Jeff and Lester who decided to take all viruses they could find and combine them together. It never should have worked, but it was Jeffster, so when something wasn’t supposed to work it did. Emma shrugged.

“I guess her regular IT guy, not that he appears to be that good,” she said, trying not to let the grin grow on her face. “I suppose fixing a computer would be a step down for a video game creator.” Chuck couldn’t help but grin at Emma.

“You have no shame, do you?”

“Nope, you two get along great, just like Molly and I thought you would.”

“When is Clara’s birthday?” Molly asked.

“It’s next Friday,” Chuck replied. “She’ll be one.”

“Good,” Molly said.

“Do you want to get her a present, Honey?” Emma asked. Molly looked perturbed at the question.

“Granny, she’s my sister, I have to throw her a birthday party,” she said as she reached up to carry Clara. Chuck looked at Emma, who shrugged. Molly begin to give Chuck the stinkeye. Chuck gave Clara to Molly, who gently carried her to the baby room. Mrs. Wood smiled at the beginnings of the blended family.

“I have no chance against her, do I?” Chuck asked.

“Sarah asked me the same thing this morning,” Emma said as she looked at Chuck. “She likes you, a lot, and I think she wants you to be her father.” Chuck looked at Emma and gulped.

}o{

Chuck sat in his office, the lights off, his eyes closed, listening to Here I go Again by Whitesnake on repeat. Morgan came down the hall, heard the music, prayed for the best, yet feared the worst, stuck his head in, and groaned.

“No, Chuck, no, no, no,” he said protesting.

“Buddy,” Chuck began.

“It’s not Clara’s birthday, it’s not Devon’s or Ellie’s. It’s not their anniversary, so what is it? What have I forgot that we need to get you through, because you CANNOT do this. You promised!”

“Buddy,” Chuck began again.

“I can hold down the fort, I can keep the games going, but, Chuck, you cannot sink and spiral like this!”

“Buddy, I met someone,” Chuck said softly. Morgan stood up straight. A smile came across his face.

“That’s great! No, really, Chuck, that’s fantastic! What’s her name?”

“Sarah Walker.”

“You know, that’s funny, the lady Alex works for name is Sarah Walker, and dude, no offense to your woman, do you know who she looks like?”

“Vicky Vale,” Chuck replied, knowing they were firmly on the Morgan train, next stop Insanityville.

“That’s right! How did you know?” Chuck looked at him from between his hands. Morgan’s eyes got wide. “DUDE! You are dating Vicky Vale.”

“Dating is strong,” Chuck began.

“No, this is good. This is really good!” Chuck had to get control of this, and soon.

“Buddy, do you really know what Casey does or used to do?”

“Oh, yeah. He used to work for the NSA, and killed a lot of people, but you can’t tell anyone.” Chuck looked at him, not for sure if he was impressed with his friend or certain he was crazy. “He told me in specific, graphic details of many of his kills. I didn’t kiss Alex for a week.”

“If Casey said he could hunt someone down, do you believe him?”

“Absolutely, whoever John Casey decides to find, is as good as found.” Chuck groaned and banged his head against the desk. “Who are they looking for, Chuck? I figured that part out, I’m getting better at this.”

“Piranha,” Chuck answered, his forehead slowly bouncing off the desk.

“Huh, funny, it sounded like you said Piranha,” Morgan said, looking a little concerned.

“I did.” Morgan was quiet for several seconds.

“Should I go empty out petty cash so you and Clara can run?”

“There’s only $38 in there.”

“I used it to get pizza the other day,” Morgan answered. “Why do they want Piranha?”

“They need a computer expert for their company.”

“I’ve got $47 in quarters at my apartment.”

“I can’t take Clara on the run for the rest of my life. Certainly not with just $85.”

“Maybe you should break up with her.”

“Would that really make a difference?”

“No.”

“Plus, she’s got this daughter, Molly. She’s great Morgan, I don’t want to hurt her, and I don’t want to hurt Sarah. Her heart…it’s so big and there’s so much love there. I think I’m the first guy she’s trusted in a long time, and I can’t hurt her. I can’t let her down.” Chuck gave a big bump to his head on the last one. “Plus, they’ve been infected by Jeffster.”

“They’re going to need a topical cream for that. Antibiotics aren’t enough.”

“The computer virus, Morgan.”

“Oh, that’s better. Who have they got working on it?”

“Their IT guy.”

“SKIP?” Chuck raised his head.

“From Buy More?” Morgan nodded. Chuck banged his head on the table one more time. “Chuck, your lady, she is in distress. You know what you have to do.” Chuck sighed. Morgan was right. Chuck stood up, Morgan got his coat, and slipped it on his arms without a word. As Chuck turned, Morgan grabbed his arms, and looked him right in the eye. “Remember, when everything’s down, remember.”

“Don’t Stop Believin’?” Morgan clapped his hands on Chuck’s arms.

“Go get her, Buddy.” Chuck took a deep breath and left the safety of Intersect Games. He found his way to Burton Industries, which was only a couple of blocks away. He parked his car, walked inside, and found Alex yelling at the computer.

“That only works with Morgan,” Chuck said to Alex. Alex looked up, saw Chuck, and ran around the desk to hug him.

“Tell me you’re here to fix our problems!”

“I thought you had a boyfriend, Alex,” Sarah’s voice came from the hallway. Alex smiled and saw her boss, and friend leaning against the doorframe, smiling at Chuck. “Chuck, miss me?” Chuck’s worries went away and he gave her his million watt smile.

“Yeah,” he said honestly. Oh, crap there goes my knees again! I’ve had guys give me these lines before, how did they never affect me? Maybe because he’s telling the truth? “But, as much as it is a joy to see you, I thought I might help you out.”

“How’s that?”

“I hear you’re using Skip as your IT guy.” Sarah nodded. Chuck sighed. “I can fix this in ten minutes.” Sarah stood up straight, smiling.

“You don’t have to impress me, Chuck. Skip says it will take hours.”

“I’m not trying to impress you, if I had I would have told you five minutes,” he said confidently. And, there goes my knees again, and my belly, this guy is going to be the death of me, and I haven’t even properly kissed him yet!

“Well, I guess there’s only one way to settle this,” Sarah said with a challenging look in her smile. “If you take 5 minutes or less, you win and you get to choose what the loser has to do, if it takes 5 minutes 1 second or more, I get to choose what the loser does.” Sarah stuck out her hand. Chuck nodded and shook. He started to remove his hand, when he realized he couldn’t. Sarah was staring at him, with the same challenging look. “Alex,” she said, still looking directly at him. “Would you mind baby-sitting Clara when Chuck loses so I can take him out on a date.”

“Sarah, if you wanted to ask me out, all you had to do is ask,” Chuck said. He thought he saw Sarah swallow.

“I’d be glad to, Sarah,” Alex said grinning.

“If I ask you out, you might do something silly like say no, this way, I know what I’m getting.”

“I don’t think you like to lose, Sarah.”

“Think?” she asked, and released his hand. Chuck, never releasing her gaze, cracked his knuckles, rolled his neck, and nodded toward her.

“Shall we?” he asked. Sarah led him, with Alex following close behind. Casey and Carina saw what was going on and followed them into the server room. Chuck saw Skip trying to stop the virus, but he was going about it all wrong. Skip looked up, saw Chuck, and jumped up out of the chair. “Thanks, Buddy.” Chuck sat down, and began to look over the code. Sarah came over with her phone and put it on stopwatch mode. She put 5 minutes on the clock.

“It’s not too late to back out,” she said, smirking. Chuck looked at her, and winked.

“You don’t want to know what you have to do when I win?”

“You can tell me if you want because there is no way it ever happens.” Chuck nodded. “3. 2. 1.” And with that, Chuck’s fingers started flying across the keyboard. Gone was the man who last night was down on himself, gone was the self-deprecating humor, gone was the man who had lost all his family. In front of her, with his fingers flying was the man who believed in himself, and heaven help her it was so sexy. Sarah swallowed, and had to look away. The timer clicked down and two minutes had passed. “Oh look, I’m gonna fix that patch in your security while I’m in here.” Skip tried to watch, but just couldn’t keep up. The time passed by, and Sarah had no idea how close he was.

“Forty-five seconds is all I’ll need,” he said. The time had 50 seconds on it. The time went down and Chuck appeared very confident. He snuck a glance at Sarah, and winked at her. She shook her head, smiling. She could get used to this Chuck. “Where are you,” he said, scouring for a batch of code.

“Ten seconds, Chuck,” she said, leaning right against his ear, her breath making him shiver.

“Found it,” he said, with four seconds to spare. He held his finger above the enter key and they both watched as the counter went to zero, and a -1 appeared on the screen. Chuck hit enter, looking her directly in the eye. Carina checked one of the nearby computers, it worked perfectly. “Guess you win, Sarah,” Chuck said. The look on Sarah’s face was indescribable.

“Why did you do that?” she asked softly.

“Because losing really didn’t sound like losing,” he said. “Six tonight?” he asked. She nodded. He got up, gave her a kiss on the cheek, nodded at Casey, gave Carina and Alex a quick hug, fist bumped Skip, and left.

“Why are we not using him for our computer guy, Walker?” Carina asked.

“I offered, and he’s not comfortable now that he has Clara,” Sarah answered, but part of her wondered.

“You and Molly are safe,” Carina countered.

“Walker’s a trained agent,” Casey replied. “If someone comes after Bartowski, there’s nothing he can do.”

“No one would ever know it was him,” Skip said. Everyone turned toward him, they sometimes forgot Skip worked there. “It’s almost like he’s a hacker, he’s so good.”

“So he’s safe,” Carina said. Sarah shook her head. Carina grinned. “You could always move in with him and give 24 hour protection.” Sarah gave her a level look, but a grin fought her face, and won.

“What do you me almost like he’s a hacker,” Casey said. Skip shrugged.

“Just sometimes, when no one is paying attention to what he is doing, he can do things I’ve never even heard of, but when he realizes someone is watching, he just real good.”

“Thanks, Skip, you can go,” Casey said.

“But, this is my area,” Skip replied. Casey stared at him.

“Take the day off.”

“But, Sarah is my boss not you.”

“Skip, take the day off,” Sarah said. She didn’t like where this was going. Skip left, and Sarah turned toward Casey. “Be very careful what you’re about to say.” Casey shook his head.

“He probably knows Piranha or someone like him, and I think I scared Chuck last night,” Casey said. Sarah nodded. “Look, a lot of those geeks,” Sarah gave him a glare. “Nerds?” She nodded. “Wow, she’s already whipped,” he muttered. Sarah glared again. Casey ignored it and went on. “Are good on a computer. I’m not saying he knows a big name hacker, but with me going off last night like I was, what if he does? Maybe he could do what we need, but he’s got to be scared half to death after my rant.” Carina felt his forehead to see if he had malaria or if he was delirious. Casey swatted at her hand.

“Sarah, you should probably talk to him,” Carina said. Sarah raised an eyebrow. “Oh get off it. You brought us in, changed us, heart-warmed us, and now we have lady feelings. Before I used to just be out for fun, but now I want something as well…maybe someone to give me lady feelings and lady feelings,” Carina said with a wink. Sarah’s mouth dropped, and John grunted and grinned at Carina. Carina turned toward him.

“Johnny you promised you’d never grunt at me that way again.”

“And you promised you’d destroy that photo.” Sarah stuck her fingers in her ears and closed her eyes.

“NAHNAHNAHNAHNAH,” she started chanting. “I need brain bleach! I need it now!” Carina came over and hugged her.

“Go get lunch and go talk to him.”

“Sarah, he was in a real bad place a while back,” John said quietly. “He might have been serious last night, that little girl may have saved his life.” Sarah nodded and walked off.

“I still need brain bleach,” she yelled as she walked out the door. Carina turned toward John, and he sighed.

“I think I messed up,” he said. Carina grinned at him.

“Who are you and what have you done with John Casey?” Carina asked. Casey grunted, but his heart wasn’t in it. “Casey, are you implying-”

“I’m not implying he’s Piranha, but he’s probably a hacker. Look at the way he clammed up and left last night.” Carina nodded.

“He was worried what would happen if we didn’t find a computer expert,” Carina said. “What do we do if he is Piranha?”

“I don’t think it matters if he is or isn’t. It’s obvious Bartowski is a good man that will do what has to be done for his family, and he all but volunteered last night. Whatever pranks he pulled in the past, are in the past, and we all deserve second chances,” Casey said. “He and Walker deserve happiness.”

“You know, we could make sure they figure this thing out,” Carina offered.

“You know my boyfriend is Chuck’s best friend, Dad,” Alex said from the doorway they never heard open. John nodded and looked at Carina, who grinned. “Let’s go have lunch and talk this out,” she said, heading down the hallway.

“You know, Johnny,” Carina said softly. “I still have those cuffs, and you always were good at giving me lady feelings.” Casey grunted.

}o{

Sarah had heard for years about this deli in town that was supposed to be one of the absolute best, so she told Alex where she was headed, and took off. She wanted to stretch her legs, so she walked down to the Buy More Plaza…or was it the Large Mart Plaza…she could never be sure. In the past few years an Orange Orange and Weinerlicious had gone out of business there. If Sarah hadn’t known better she’d have thought both would have been a CIA cover. She saw the sign she was looking for and entered. As she scanned the list of sandwiches, she noticed one that caught her eye and made her smile. It was after the lunch rush, and the store was nearly empty. A woman, about her age, short, and a brunette watched her. She looked up in the direction Sarah was looking and grinned.

“It’s one of our best sellers,” she said.

“The Chuck, huh? That’s an interesting name for a sandwich,” Sarah said.

“It’s named after an interesting guy,” the sandwich maker replied. “Chuck Bartowski is one interesting man.” Sarah raised an eyebrow.

“Tall, lanky, raising his niece-”

“His hair makes interesting animal shapes?” the sandwich maker cut in. “Hi,” she said extending her hand. “My name is Lou, let me make you a sandwich and you and I have a little talk.” Sarah raised an eyebrow and nodded.

“Sarah,” she replied. Sarah went and sat down, and Lou joined her a few minutes later.

“So you know, Alex and Morgan both called me today to tell me about you. We’re all Chuck’s friends. Alex called me to give me a heads-up after you said you were walking over here to have lunch today.”

“So is this where you sit me down and tell me if I hurt him, you’ll hurt me?”

“No, Alex assured me that’s not your style, what I have been voted to do though, is the person to tell you what you’re getting into. Chuck will eventually, but he has to mope, and doubt himself for a while before he can open up.” Sarah looked relieved.

“So he’s doubts himself that much around everybody?” Lou rolled her eyes, and Sarah laughed.

“Look, Jill did a number on him and then when his best friend was sleeping with her behind his back…well, things couldn’t get much worse, or so we thought,” Lou began. Sarah had a look on her face that said, “wellllll” “What?” Lou asked.

“The last guy I dated was Bryce Larkin, but that was over 5 years ago.” Lou’s mouth dropped.

“Really?”

“My job…”

“You’re former CIA,” she said. Sarah was not happy that she knew.

“Does everyone know?”

“Morgan does, so yes,” Lou replied, grinning. “Casey tried to scare him about Alex and told him he was NSA, so Morgan assumed you and Carina were as well.” Sarah dropped her head. “Don’t worry, Morgan doesn’t say anything out of his circle of trust…I don’t think.” Sarah shook her head and chuckled.

“Sometimes, back then, there was no one to trust, no one to understand what you went through.” Sarah looked away, it had made so much sense back then, now, it just seemed shallow, which she now realized that’s what it was.

“A port in the storm, as they say?” Lou asked. Sarah nodded.

“He’s the last guy I’ve even been on a date with, and that was five years ago,” Sarah said. Lou’s mouth dropped. “Seriously, raising a child and running a company; Time. Con. Suming.” Lou laughed. “Anyway.”

“Back to Chuck, I tried five years ago to date the guy, but he had no confidence. I name a sandwich after him, Sarah, and he still never asked me out. Sarah, if you want a relationship with his guy, you’re going to have to do a lot of the work. He’s broken, and then he was nearly whole, and then he lost his rock, Ellie. Sarah, I think he has survivor’s guilt. I’m no psychologist, but I think he believes he should have been the one to die.”

“Maybe he needs to see one,” Sarah offered. Lou snorted.

“We tried that, he refused to go back, said the doctor reminded him too much of the professor from Back to the Future,” Lou said, shaking her head. She looked at Sarah right in the eye.

“He needs a friend, someone who will love him for who he is, and see what’s inside,” she paused and grinned at her. “And, from what I’ve been told, you have passed most of the qualifications.” Sarah raised an eyebrow.

“Most?” Sarah asked. Lou smiled.

“Morgan hasn’t signed off on you yet,” she replied. “Morgan considers himself Chuck’s heterosexual life partner, and has final say.”

“He does, does he?” Sarah smiled. “Maybe I need to meet Morgan.” Lou smiled.

“I would love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation,” Lou said. She turned serious. “He thinks everyone has abandoned him, and is certain he will never have happiness. I want him to be happy, but you have to know this is going to take some time.” Sarah nodded.

“Think I’ll head over and see a couple of nerds,” Sarah said smiling. Lou smiled, reached out, and shook her hand.

“Good luck, Sarah,” I’m pulling for you.

A/N: 2 things, Lou always got crapped on, and I never thought it was right. Sorry if you need brain bleach. You all have been wonderful, don’t know how quick the next one will come.

#Sarah #Chuck #Charah #AU #Fanfic #Sarah vs The Unexpected Life #I miss them #Fluff #Not sorry

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ptersparkers · 4 years

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pogue v. kook

summary: after an unexpected event that leaves you in shambles, topper thorton, rafe cameron, and kelce prove to be unliekly friends.

warnings: typos, probably.

notes: i had this idea and posted it, to which i got some good feedback, and then @anonymous0writer entertained all of my ideas so i thought why not have her write some of it. i’ve also made an option to be removed from my taglist. it’s getting quite long and there will be no hard feelings if you want to be removed.

this is my gif. please credit if using.

You were not a Kook.

Not by blood, anyway. Kiara and Sarah had roped you in on the “Kook lifestyle” over the years with sleepovers and other shenanigans, and despite being the only one out of the trio who was a Pogue, it never felt like you were disparaged. Upon meeting them for the first time at fifteen when you moved to the Outer Banks, you knew that these girls would be the type of people you’d want to keep around for a while. Now that all of you were about to embark on the next chapter of your lives, it seemed like the perfect summer to relax before leaving for college.

You were aware, mostly because of JJ, the attitude Pogues held towards the residents on the other side of the island. Then came Sarah dating Topper, Rafe’s insistence on annoying the absolute hell out of all of you, and Kelce’s back and forth attitude when he was with his friends versus when he was alone. It was tiring and even you had to admit life would’ve been better if you were ignorant towards the “Kook vs. Pogue” debacle. You were a Pogue through and through.

When JJ asked you to be his girlfriend eight months ago, you felt like things were falling into place and your life was running how it should be. You two had been the first to break the sacred rule that John B. seemed to be the only one to reinforce and none of the other Pogues had any objections about your relationship as you two had been pining after one another for what seemed like an eternity.

But a month ago was when you felt a sudden change. It was unspoken, subtle, and hard to pinpoint. JJ became less available and wasn’t as forthcoming as he usually was. You could tell he became more reserved and it looked as if he had to force himself to sit next to you on the HMS Pogue or greet you with a kiss when you arrived at the Chateau. Your mind immediately went to his home life and you decided not to ask any questions, knowing JJ would much rather deal with it on his own and come to you if he needed anything.

However, seeing all of the Pogues laugh at the far left table on the outdoor patio at The Wreck had put the first seed of doubt in your mind. JJ was sitting next to Kiara while John B. and Sarah were in front of them, Pope on the end, laughing loudly that you were sure the other beachgoers were able to hear them from the other end. You had been walking aimlessly, wanting to breath the scent of salt air and walked the short path you usually took when you wanted to clear your mind when you stumbled upon the Pogues hanging out with one another, seemingly without inviting you. You tried not to think about it too much.

By this time, you noticed the sudden change in JJ’s mood and attitude. When you were around, he barely spoke and averted his gaze whenever you tried to reach out for him. His muscles would tense when you’d lean on his chest or grab his hand but you noticed he had no issue letting Pope jump on his back as a joke or hold his hand out for Kiara when she stepped off of the boat.

The hurt in your chest grew every time you’d put your hypothesis -- you being the only person he shied away from -- to the test, it left you with internal pain as you realized JJ was talking to you less. He didn’t come over as often as he used to nor did he volunteer to walk you home like he always did. JJ almost never kissed you in public, opting to kiss your cheek instead or give you a loose hug as a way of saying hello or goodbye. But when you sat the other Pogues interacting with JJ, it was business as usual. You thought about talking to the others about what you’d been noticing, but every time you saw them around JJ, it was a reminder that they were friends long before you moved onto the island three years prior.

You knew it wasn’t your place to talk to them about the issues you were having, and you knew you were most likely blowing this feeling out of proportion. You rationalized by telling yourself what you had been noticing was nothing but your mind playing tricks on you and it wasn’t like the Pogues were ignoring you in full. The lost touches JJ failed to make up, the eyes that dropped to the floor when you entered, the hushed tones when you spoke up felt like it happened more often as you started to overthink. It left you feeling hollow inside as if there was a vacuum of space that wasn’t able to be filled no matter how many times you tried to distract yourself.

The feeling of uneasiness in your stomach first began when you and the rest of the Pogues were lounging in the living room of the Chateau one evening. You were on the couch with JJ, you were on one side while he was on the other side when, usually, you’d be perched on his chest. Your stomach sank as JJ laughed, eyes lighting up in the way you loved, when Kiara started dancing, hips swaying to the soft beat of music pumping from her phone. As soon as your blonde haired boyfriend practically leaped up once the girl gestured for him to join her, you felt your body disconnect. Almost as if you were watching the whole scene play out from outside your body.

There you were, sitting on the couch, frozen and Kiara danced with your boyfriend when you struggled to get him to acknowledge you. You watched silently as Kiara moved her hips while JJ’s fingertips grazed the material of her shirt as he brought her closer, dancing along to the invisible steps Kiara set in place. It was like they’d been practicing for days, learning each other’s moves before they were even made. His body moved gracefully with hers, easy and free. You weren’t sure what hurt more, seeing JJ dance with Kiara the way he used to with you or your friends encouraging their antics and not questioning why they were so close.

Your throat closed up and it became hard to swallow as your heart gave a little ache. The feeling in your gut worsened when JJ moved naturally with Kiara because when he returned to you, he was stiff and tense under your desperate touch. His eyes wouldn’t light up with joy as they settled on you, if they did at all. However, they did as he spun Kiara around, her curls bouncing as his toothy grin emerged, lighting up the Chateau. The familiar smile did nothing to soothe your bad feeling.

No matter how much you yearned for your familiar JJ back and the ease of hanging out with the Pogues, you didn’t move. Your fingers didn’t twitch and your eyes didn’t water as you watched the Pogues slowly join the dancing pair, the four a picturesque scene painted before your eyes, and you hated it. You hated the way they’d been slipping through your fingers and easing you out of their life so easily. You hated knowing they were just fine as friends before you entered the picture and that they wouldn’t bat an eye if you left. As the increasingly negative thoughts jumbled in your head, rising to a symphony of noise, you only saw red. The tears burning the back of your eyes stung, but you refused to cry in front of them. But there was no way you were going to stay, feeling hopeless as you watched your boyfriend and friends slip away.

Pushing yourself up from the couch roughly, you stood, anger seizing your veins. “I’m leaving.” You stated, the words choppy and lined with barbed wire.

The Pogues stopped, halting in their easy movements as they watched you leave in a hurry, steps thudding against the wooden porch and then crunching against the gravel as you fled. John B. looked at JJ with a glance but the blond shrugged and watched the door after you left, not bothering to walk out to ask why you had left so abruptly.

Though that was the last time you set foot in the Chateau for the rest of the week, the sick feeling sitting dormant in your gut worsened. As much as you missed your friends -- when they wanted you around -- you refused to go back to the place you felt like you lost them.

But in a cruel twist of fate, you were forced to as you had forgotten your board at John B’s. You begrudgingly headed back with a sigh. As you walked down the worn path of John B.’s drive way, intending to just grab the surfboard and leave, you had the sickening feeling that the wave was about to break. The wave had been building all this time, and now, as you arrived at the door of the Chateau, the ripped screen door flapping softly in the breeze as your hand was poised to open it, you knew it was gonna crash.

With a sudden rush of bravery or stupidity, you pushed open the door of the Chateau, expecting the Pogues to be on the couch talking or eating. But they weren’t there. No one except the last two people you wanted to see.

JJ and Kiara. JJ with his hands on Kiara’s hips as she sat on his lap, tongue down his throat. Kissing. JJ and Kiara kissing.

You stood on the threshold of the doorway and dropped your metal keys on the wooden floor, causing Kiara and JJ to look at you abruptly. Her eyes widened as she jumped off of JJ’s lap and pushed him away, JJ doing the same as you tried to pick your keys up without looking at either of them. Your hair kept getting in the way as you tried to hold back your tears, not wanting them to see your reaction when you picked up your house keys and turned around.

“Wait!” JJ called out for you. You turned around for a brief moment and watched as he ran after you with Kiara in tow, standing awkwardly at the door frame with her hands crossed over her chest. She avoided your gaze as you looked back and forth between two people you thought were your friends.

“Are you serious?” you asked softly, your voice breaking in the process. JJ winced when he heard you speak.

“Y/N,” he breathed, but he couldn’t find an excuse in his brain that was worthy enough.

“With her?” you asked, finding it harder to fight back the tears.

“Hey,” JJ said, a little edge in his voice that told you all you needed to know. “That’s your best friend.”

“No, she’s not,” you said. “Neither of you are my friends.”

“Don’t walk away,” JJ pleaded as you turned around. He jumped forward to reach for your arm, pulling you back gently to ask for your forgiveness, but you knew he was only sorry because he got caught.

“We’re done, JJ,” you said, pointing between the both of you. You turned towards Kiara and motioned the same. “We are not friends.”

“Y/N,” Kiara said, her voice breaking the same as yours had done a mere moment ago when her guilt settled in. “I swear we didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“But it did happen,” you replied. “You were making out with my boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, and you feel guilty because I caught you doing it.”

“Don’t throw away our friendship,” JJ pleaded with erratic breaths. He could feel his chest compress as if someone had been throwing continuous punches without letting him take a breather. “We can fix this. We can fix us.”

“As far as I’m concerned,” you began, throat tight, but you had to get the words out, “you threw away our friendship the minute you decided to cheat on me.” You turned towards Kiara. “How could you do this?”

Kiara looked at you with glossy eyes and you recalled all the times you would’ve dropped everything to comfort her and dry her teary eyes, but now you couldn’t be bothered to give her a tissue. You scoffed and chose not to spare either one of them a glance as you turned away, your heart beating in your chest, running to the clearing above the beachside.

You sat on a patch of rock overlooking the ocean below you with your knees to your chest, water droplets splashing on your kneecaps from tears you were trying to hold back. The sound of the birds chirping above you and the water roaring below you weren’t enough to drown the negative thoughts swimming in your head and you were left with a bitter, empty feeling as you wished to be one of the beachgoers who enjoyed the sunny day.

“Mind if I sit?” a voice asked from behind you. You turned around after wiping your nose and underneath your eyes with the back of your hand and saw Topper Thorton standing, looking down at you with an expression you couldn’t read.

“If you’re here to make fun of me,” you said, trying to make it seem like you hadn’t been crying a few minutes prior to his arrival, “I’m not really in the mood.”

Topper shook his head and sat next to you, leaving adequate space between the both of you. When he realized you weren’t objecting or told him to go away, he mimicked your stance and pulled his knees to his chest as he looked at where your gaze was. Topper could hear your quiet breaths as you tried to calm yourself down and he tried not to look at the dark circles beneath your eyes. In truth, the boy hadn’t found any reason to find you annoying or hate you completely, but it wasn’t hard to put you into the group he never got along with. You tried to ignore his presence, finding that, for once, he was not being as annoying as he was when he was with Rafe and Kelce.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Topper asked awkwardly. You laughed ironically, wiped your eyes, and looked at him with an incredulous expression.

“Why do you care? I don’t want to be the subject of whatever you and your friends laugh about.”

Topper shook his head and he knew he had no reason to be mad at what you said. He knew how he and his friends were. There was no denying how brutal they could be as they teased your friends, that much Topper knew. But he couldn’t stop himself from following you when he saw you run past him hastily, disappearing into the bushes. Topper’s curiosity got the better of him and he couldn’t explain the heartbreak he felt in his chest for you when he saw your usually bright and chirpy demeanor crumble into a teary-eyes ball on the warm rock below him.

“I’m not gonna make fun of you,” he said softly, turning his head to look at you. You stared ahead and wiped your eyes once again, not knowing how to respond. “I know what you think of me and I know you have no reason to trust what I’m saying, but I just want to know if you’re okay.”

You stole a glance at Topper and saw he was looking at you already. His shoulders were relaxed and his attention seemed to be completely devoted to you, which was an odd thought to come across. You’d never spoken to Topper without Kelce or Rafe beside him, nor did you have any pleasant conversations with the boy who claimed to care for your wellbeing. Topper made no effort to comment on your unruly appearance, or the fact that your eyes continuously leaked with tears you desperately tried to hide, but part of you didn't care. He was the first person in a while to ask if you were doing okay.

“No,” you said, your voice breaking. Topper’s heart softened. “I, uh, I just walked in on JJ and Kiara kissing.” Topper’s eyes widened. He may not have enjoyed his time around the Pogues, but even he knew how infatuated the two of you were with each other.

“What?” he asked, surprised. You laughed in self pity and shook your head, wiping your eyes once more.

“I never thought he’d cheat on me,” you replied. “He always talked about wanting to tell the truth and being loyal to his friends but he couldn’t extend that decency to me.”

Topper knew this feeling all too well. While his relationship with Sarah might’ve sprouted because of their parents’ expectations, he grew to like the girl more and more as each day passed and he felt as if Sarah felt the same. It wasn’t until a year prior that he learned about her infidelity, with John B. no less, and he felt as if his world was coming to a complete stop. The girl he was infatuated with had no problem running into the arms of someone he didn’t get along with, and Topper was sure his distaste for Pogues increased because of that.

“I know how you feel,” he said quietly. He averted your gaze when you looked at him in favor of looking at the ocean. “When Sarah cheated on me with John B., I just came to terms that I probably loved her.”

“It sucks, doesn’t it?” you asked rhetorically. Topper let out a breath.

“It does,” he said. “Deep down I know it’s wrong, but John B’s the reason I don’t like Pogues anymore.”

“C’mon, Topper. Did you ever like Pogues?” you joked. Upon hearing your voice sound less accusatory and more playful, Topper allowed himself to laugh. “Do you know why it’s frustrating, to me at least, when Kooks mess with Pogues?”

“No, I don’t,” Topper said genuinely.

“It’s because people make fun of us for what we were born with,” you explained. “I didn’t ask to be born to a family that has to work to live. It’s hard to live comfortably knowing people who have a lot of money make fun of me because I don’t. It’s not anybody’s fault for what they were born into. It just hurts a little.”

The boy, naive in his own right, felt oddly at peace with your confession. Internally, he knew he was privileged and saw the way Rafe would boast about his expenses and privileges, and he knew neither him nor Kelce would be as vocal about it as Rafe was. Still, his friends encouraged the unruly behaviour towards the Pogues and he never second guessed it. But hearing your confession, especially when you were trying to make your voice steady and catch your breath from previously crying, made him think about all the times he’d wanted to tell Rafe to leave the Pogues alone.

“I’m sorry,” Topper apologized sincerely. “For whatever it’s worth.”

You smiled, the corners of your mouth curving into a small smile that didn’t go unnoticed by Topper. He bit his cheek, trying not to show how proud he was of himself for brightening your mood, even if it was by a short stretch. The both of you let a comfortable silence settle in, the sound of laughter below you while the sky remained bright and sunny.

“Hey,” Topper began, looking at you. You turn towards him and he sees that you aren’t crying anymore. “Do you want to, I don’t know, hang out sometime?”

“Topper, if this is your way of asking me out--”

“No!” he said abruptly, clearing his throat. “I just mean that, if you want a friend, I’m here for you.”

“Really?” you asked.

“Yeah,” he said softly. “I mean it. No games, nothing.”

“Thanks,” you said, moving your hair behind your ear. Topper pulled out his phone and asked you to put your phone number in his contacts, sending you a text message to make sure you had his number. You were aware of the risk you were taking, and how you might end up being the laughing stock of the Figure Eight residents, but at this moment, you didn’t care.

It’d been a little less than a week since you fled the Chateau and Topper had found you on the rock. And since then, you felt happier. No more friends pushing you out of their life or cheating boyfriends. While you would’ve never thought you’d be friends with Kooks, especially the likes of Rafe Cameron, you liked it. You had to say you almost liked them better. The boys were outrageous in the best way and after you got used to being with them, it felt so easy to slip into old habits of trusting people with your delicate feelings.

When Topper had initially introduced you to Kelce and Topper, Kelce was less reluctant to “initiate” you into their friend group compared to Rafe. The boy, ignorant in his own right, wasn’t afraid of hiding his distaste for you because you were a Pogue.

“Rafe, you never have anything important to say so I suggest you think before you speak or shut up altogether.”

Rafe shut his mouth when you spoke as you eyed him down. Kelce and Topper were laughing behind you as Rafe’s cheeks turned red with a blush, embarrassed to have been caught being called out. Begrudgingly, Rafe welcomed you onto his boat and spent the next four hours getting to know you and decided that he was wrong about the kind of person you were. With a little time and convincing, Rafe had promised to never mess with the Pogues or make fun of them for being one, and you found yourself considering Rafe as one of your best friends just as he considered you the same.

The sun was beating on your back, the water sliding down your skin cooling you off as you returned from a dip in Rafe’s pool. You hum, leaning back in your pool side chair, the cold glass of lemonade spiked with whatever alcohol Kelce got his hands on pressed against your cheek as you tried to battle the heat.

“You good there, Princess?” Rafe called out from across the pool as he emerged from the sliding glass doors with a newly opened beer in his hand.

“It’s too hot,” you complained.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Kelce said, laughing as he jumped into the pool.

“Show off,” you muttered at his near perfect dive.

“Okay, be honest,” Topper piped, looking at you while tipping his beer in your direction. “I’m pretty sure the Pogues think we all have a thing for you, so, if you had to fuck someone, who would it be?”

“Is that even a question? Rafe, in a heartbeat.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Rafe said, sliding his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose to wink at you,

“Please don’t fuck in front of me,” Topper said, sighing as he closed his eyes.

“Why would you say that?” you said coyly, enjoying his reaction. “We’d never.”

“She’s too smart for her own good,” Kelce said, joining the three of you by the pool chairs.

“Not to be too cheesy, or anything,” you began.

“Uh-oh,” said Rafe. “She’s about to get cheesy.”

“Shut up, idiot,” you muttered. “As I was saying.”

“As you were saying,” Kelce repeated. You gave him the finger.

“As I was saying,” you repeated, “I know all of you know what happened between me and the Pogues and I’m really happy that I found you guys as friends. I never feel pressured to do anything when I’m with you guys and I appreciate that you let me have a life outside of this friendship.”

“Pogues are bitches,” Rafe said. You gave him a look. “For what they did to you.”

“And you didn’t deserve to be cheated on,” Topper said. You pouted, putting your hands over your heart as you rested your head on his shoulder.

“Guys, I'm going to cry,” you teased, pretending to wipe tears from underneath your eyes.

The rest of the afternoon was spent by the pool before moving to Rafe’s living room to watch an endless amount of movies, forgetting that the world outside existed.

The beach wasn’t as busy as usual despite the warm weather. You and the three boys decided to head to the water after they agreed to learn how to surf upon your insistence and neither of them could deny your kind smile when your lips pouted and your eyes widened.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Kelce said, falling on his beach towel after trying his hand at surfing. You walked behind him, laughing as you watched his body lay limp on the towel. Rafe and Topper had given up not too long ago, opting to sit on the sand and dry, tanning in the sun while taking videos of Kelce trying to surf for the first time. Your skin felt cool from the ocean water and you motioned for Topper to hand you your water bottle. Rafe squinted as he watched you gulp from the spout, his sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

“How are you so fucking good at surfing?” he asked.

“Been doing it since I could swim,” you said with a shrug, tossing the water bottle in your tote bag.

“Damn,” Kelce muttered.

“Is that JJ?” Topper asked nonchalantly, looking in the distance. You turned to where his gaze was and tensed your jaw when you saw JJ, accompanied by your former friends, kicking a soccer ball not too far from where you and the Kooks sat.

“I don’t want to think about it or talk to them,” you said, groaning as you situated yourself on your beach towel. You brought your knees to your chest and put your sunglasses on, trying to make yourself seem smaller than you were.

“It’s okay,” Rafe said. “We can fight them if you want us to.”

“No,” you interjected, knowing Rafe was kidding, but you knew he’d do it if you asked. “You don’t need to do that. We’re all adults here.”

“Except Rafe,” said Kelce. You chuckled, your mind temporarily distracted from the Pogues.

You caught Kiara’s eye and turned around before she could say or do anything else, opting to keep yourself busy by straightening your beach towel. Topper and Kelce tried to distract themselves by talking to one another and Rafe, knowing how you felt about your former friends, glared at them from behind his sunglasses.

“Are you serious?” you heard JJ say from a distance. You looked up and saw him scoff as he dropped his beach towel on the floor and walked to you, seeing you surrounded by three of his least favorite people. “You’re hanging out with Kooks now?”

“What’s it to you?” Rafe asked nonchalantly with a hint of annoyance. JJ looked beside you, where Rafe was sitting, and scoffed.

“You let him speak for you now?”

“I don’t need to explain anything to you,” you replied calmly.

“So you decided to go ‘full kook’ and abandon your friends and, what, are you and Rafe fucking?”

You looked at him from where you sat and gave him an incredulous look, standing up from where you sat and faced him. You crossed your arms across your chest as you thought how ironic it was for him to be complaining about the company you kept when you caught him cheating on you not too long ago.

“You don’t get to ask me that when you cheated on me with Kiara,” you said aloud, gesturing at the other three Pogues walked tentatively towards the both of you, careful to keep their distance as you spoke.

“And you chose to be friends with them?” JJ asked.

“Listen,” you said. “All of you have been friends way longer than I’ve been friends with you and for the past few months, all of you have been acting like I’m not even there.”

“We didn’t--”

“You did, JJ,” you said, snapping your fingers in front of his face to acquire his attention. “You pulled away from me with no explanation and got annoyed every time I would ask if you were okay. You never bothered to call or text me anymore and ignored me whenever we were together, JJ.”

“So you’re ditching your friends for some Kooks?” John B. asked.

“I haven’t felt like I was one of your friends and every time I wanted to talk about it, all of you shut me out. I know you’ve all been hanging out without me and I’m pretty sure you guys knew JJ and Kiara were messing with each other too.”

“But we’re your friends,” Pope pleaded. He looked back and forth between you and the boys who were sitting next to you.

“Well now she’s found other friends,” Kelce spoke. “Maybe she’s allowed to have other friends.”

“Not with dipshits like you,” JJ spat.

“I’m allowed to have other friends,” you said. “With you guys, I felt like I couldn’t be friends with anyone else because all we did was hang out with each other. I never felt like I could do anything if it wasn’t with any of you.”

“Y/N,” Kiara began, “we didn’t--”

“You don’t get to talk to me and beg for my friendship,” you directed at Kiara. “You don’t get to tell me what a good friend is when you were fucking around with JJ behind my back. You kissed my boyfriend. It’s always about ‘family’ with all of you until you feel like something’s threatening that. All of you are so dependent on each other that you can’t accept when somebody wants to have a life of their own. None of you have been my friend for the past few months and, quite frankly, I’m done being treated like a rag doll.”

“And the Kooks are better?” JJ asked.

“They make me feel included,” you said. “I don’t feel like I have to choose. I can be my own person when I’m with them and none of them made me feel ashamed for wanting a life without them. So, yeah, the Kooks are better.”

Even the four teenagers standing in front of you had to admit they enjoyed how the three boys stopped messing with them like the previous summer and they hadn’t pieced it together until they saw you sitting with them at the beach.

“Neither of you,” you said, pointing between Kiara and JJ, “get to tell me how to feel. You made your beds, now lay in it.”

Hastily, you picked up your beach towel and paid no mind to the four pairs of eyes watching you leave. Topper, who noticed you neglected to pick up your bag, grabbed it for you as he beckoned for the other two boys to do the same. Neither Topper, Rafe, nor Kelce spared the Pogues another glance and, for once, it wasn’t because of their status; it was because they made you feel less than you were.

“You know we love you, right?” Topper asked, bumping your shoulder with his.

“I’m glad someone does,” you mumbled, rubbing your temple.

You left the beach without another word and sat in the passenger seat of Rafe’s car, not bothering to look at your former friends as you drove away. But you felt a newfound sense of peace as you sat in the passenger seat, watching as Rafe queued a playlist, Kelce giving you a gentle smile, and Topper patting your shoulder as a silence gesture of telling you he was proud of you. All would be okay.

***

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chuckaf · 3 years

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Chuck Fic Rec List: Updated

So my fic rec post was in my notifs again the other day, and I noticed a while back that the formatting on the post has gotten all messed up and it’s also had like three reblog additions to it anyway meaning there are three versions out there lol. so, I wanted to do another list of chuck fic recs! I’ll keep the other one up still, so I’m not gonna repeat every fic here, just some I really recommend. I’m also adding the fic summaries, which I didn’t on the old post, and some more of my own opinions so, buckle up for a long post!

Chuck Versus the Steampunk Chronicles | Steampunk.Chuckster

1896. A world powered by steam, where humans and machines coexist, and airships are the fashionable mode of transport. The US Empire's deepest and darkest secrets arrive at Chuck Bartowski's doorstep. Have they fallen into the wrong hands? Or will the inventor prove his mettle, even while he's forced to hide from the very people he's protecting? AU, ongoing chronicle, Charah.

A genuinely incredible AU story, with an entire crafted world and universe, so detailed it frequently blows my mind. There is heart and family and infuriatingly brilliant slow-burn, plus a buttload of danger and super fun historical/steampunk action. Oh how I LOVE it.

Chuck vs the Charade | somedeepmystery

When computer nerd Chuck Bartowski returns home to an empty apartment and a dead girlfriend he finds himself embroiled in a deadly game of espionage and deceit. Everyone around him is playing a part to get what they want and when he starts falling for the new woman in his life, he can't help but wonder if he can trust her or if she's the one he should fear the most.

An action and twist-filled AU based on the movie Charade, which is just such a brilliant fic concept I absolutely adored it from the start.

Two Sides of the Same Coin | dettiot

When you're a spy, there's all kinds of occupational hazards when you work with another spy. For Sarah Walker, though, one mission becomes a life-changing experience. Because working with Charles Carmichael leads to protecting Chuck Bartowski.

The first time I read this fic my mind was just blown to its genius. Such a brilliant interpretation of what the Intersect and its concepts set up in the show could be, and ooooof the Chuck/Sarah interactions, my HEART. Related to it, its companion piece:

A Flip of the Coin | dettiot

What made Charles Carmichael agree to become Chuck Bartowski? Well, to start, it wasn't as much of a change as you'd think. A companion to the early chapters of Two Sides of the Same Coin from Carmichael's perspective.

Chuck vs The Butterfly Effect | n7agentbartowski

Chuck Bartowski is a normal guy who just hit rock bottom. No girlfriend, no career and no super computer stuck inside his head. It isn't until Chuck meets a gorgeous stranger on the beach that he begins to think his life is about to change for the better. An AU Chuck fic without the Intersect. "Change one thing and it changes everything."

I said it on the OG post, but this story has one of my top 5 Chuck/Sarah fic meetings. So funny, so... very Chuck. The story is a little angsty overall, but a great read.

Chuck vs the Rogue Spy | Crumby

When a rogue spy from Chuck Bartowski's past shows up to help him during his first solo mission, Chuck hopes that he'll finally find out what happened to Sarah Walker. Post-S2 AU.

There’s a lot of Season 3 fix-it fics out there, which I don’t usually read bc I actually love season 3 lol, but this one’s a good one! A twisty deviation from canon, but still feels really true to character.

Chuck Versus the Nerds Rewrite | Steampunk.Chuckster and David Carner

What happens when two nerds talk endless hours about their favorite TV show? A new take on the show you know, but with the flair, twists, and turns you've come to expect from Steampunk . Chuckster and david . carner. Somewhat canon. Charah.

As the summary says, a different take on the show, which honestly makes a couple changes I would too, but also adds a bunch of fun twists and plots that make it totally new and fresh. Seeing Chuck and Sarah’s thoughts in the more canon sections is just delicious, too.

The Trapped Assassin | SarahsSupplyCloset

After a mission goes awry, the CIA's most lethal assassin is ordered to take vacation while her superiors figure out what to do with her. But when she meets a disarming tourist, their immediate connection only adds to her disillusionment with the agency and her career. Will he be enough for her to finally take the plunge and leave the only life she's ever known? Charah AU

A warning for the very justified M rating if you don’t like that sort of thing, but this is definitely a plot-heavy fic, too. A really neat Sarah-heavy AU, with a whole lotta Chuck/Sarah fancy French vacationy goodness.

Chuck vs the Second Chance | malamoo

AU from mid-season 2 and onwards. Chuck and Sarah part ways only to be reunited years later. COMPLETE.

Literal, crying-at-my-screen angst. Not even a super happy ending. But a brilliantly written, part-reflective/flashback fic, exploring what would’ve happened if Chuck and Sarah’s relationship really was an assignment all along-- and the aftermath. It’s heartbreaking. But if you want a little heartbreak, this is your fic.

Ready at Your Hand | dettiot

In the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a Catholic plot against the queen comes to the attention of spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham. To protect Elizabeth, he develops an unusual plan: hide the passing of intelligence between two agents by a false romance. When Lady Sarah Walker and Chuck Carmichael meet, though, their pretend flirtation becomes much more.

I love Chuck fic for the very reason that it’s inspired such adventurous and totally unique AUs. Here’s some Elizabethan fake-dating Chuck and Sarah! They have to be so Proper, it’s like that hand moment from Pride and Prejudice but Elizabethan and times a billion. The pining!!

Sarah Versus Getting Married | Steampunk.Chuckster

Sarah Walker is getting married. Canon. Charah.

I’d recommend all of SC’s fics if I had the room, and I’m already recommending a ton sksks but most of my fic recs are AUs, and this one isn’t! It’s canon, and covers some of in the gap in 4x24, with Sarah just before the wedding itself. Super sweet, heart-tugging, brilliant.

A Chuckmas Carol | Mikki13

A new twist to Dickens' beloved "A Christmas Carol". When Sarah begins to shut out the world around her, three spirits come to show her the error of her ways. Season 3 AU.

Another Season 3 AU, this one written pre-series so it definitely doesn’t fit to canon, but it’s still wonderfully rich in character depth and angst and it also made me cry. Plus, festive!

Chuck Versus Thin Ice | Steampunk.Chuckster

On the doorstep of the Olympics, top American curler Sarah Walker has lost her mixed doubles partner and her boyfriend in one fell swoop. Her coaches throw newbie Team U.S.A. curler Chuck Bartowski onto her team and thrust them into the Olympics, hanging America's curling hopes on two people who only have a short amount of time to learn to trust one another. Charah AU.

Do you like curling? Or the Winter Olympics? It doesn’t really matter because somehow this fic made me extremely invested in both of those things, as well as Chuck and Sarah and them being INSUFFERABLE. Catch me now knowing a ton about curling thanks to this fic.

Walker’s Eleven | Moonlight Pilot

Not the same plot as the movie. Sarah Walker never got out of the con game or became a spy, and now she's on her final con. What happens when true love and betrayal get added to the mix? Twists, turns, and Jeffster!

Con!Sarah always interests me, and this fic is full of her. Lotta con plot, lotta Chuck and Sarah.

The Detective and the Tech Guy | thecharleses

Sarah Walker is a Pinkerton detective. Chuck Bartowski is an electronics genius. They wouldn't have met except for a case of mistaken identity and murder. Will the detective and the tech guy solve the mystery, distracted by the riddle in their own hearts? An homage to The Thin Man film series. Formerly co-written by Steampunk . Chuckster and dettiot, now ONLY Steampunk . Chuckster.

Everyone in this fic is so damn cool. There are so many martinis. But also great heart and family and like, standing up for who you love, and later also Chuck with Baby Clara content which frankly the show robbed us of. Also, PI!Sarah!!!

Gravity | Poetic4U

AU. Sarah makes a decision that altered her life forever.

This is just a one-shot, which many of these stories are not, so a good one if you don’t fancy a big read! Just because it’s short, though, doesn’t mean it’s lacking; a really awesome what-if AU, and heavy on the Chuck and Sarah.

A Yuletie Tale | Steampunk.Chuckster

Sarah Walker was dumped the day before Christmas Eve, and her Plus One at her work’s annual Christmas Eve Soiree is now officially a Plus Zero. Her best friend Ellie Bartowski has a solution to her problem, and Sarah finds she isn’t quite as sure about it as Ellie is. AU Christmas Charah.

I’m particularly in love with this fic because, instead of beginning with a meet-cute, it involves Chuck and Sarah already two years into a friendship-- Sarah is Ellie’s best friend. And she’s been crushing harrrd on Ellie’s brother. Also Chuck is in a tux. It’s pretty.

Set, Spike, Dive! | Frea O’Scanlin

Chuck never expected to even make it to the Olympics. Everything is working against him: he's too tall for a diver, too inexperienced for a medal, too much of a wildcard to really make his mark. But an unexpected meeting at the airport, some intriguing new friends, and a whirlwind romance on the sand just might set up London 2012 as the time of Chuck Bartowski's life.

A London 2012 AU, because why not. This is just a fun Olympic-y ride!

OTP (One True Pairing) Prompts | David Carner

A series of Prompts I found online about different times and places in Chuck and Sarah's life. Mostly AU, mostly one-shots. I assume mostly fluff, but I might get deep. I doubt it, it's me. Charah...ALWAYS (It says complete, but if an idea strikes me...)

If you’re not so into long stories, this fic is perfect. Individual set-ups and stories, all Chuck and Sarah, and all super cute. You could dip in and out and just pick a scenario you enjoy.

Chuck vs The Frontier | ninjaVanish

AU: Chuck was enjoying a simple life as a 19th century watchmaker until an encounter with a beautiful Secret Service agent thrust him into a world of intrigue and adventure he never wanted. But then, with Agent Walker around, it can't be all bad, can it?

This fic gets props for being historically-set but still including the Intersect. Again, a historical AU, so the pining!! the need to be Proper!!! But besides all that, there’s a lot of action fun as well.

Chuck Versus The Crosswalk: Remastered | WvonB

Will a last minute mission help our two favorite characters finally get together? This is the remastered version of my first story.

The original version of this fic is on my first list; this is the updated version! It’s not a complete AU, instead a story that diverges from canon, so if you’re more into canon characters and setting than a new AU scenario, this is a great fic for that.

Little Girls, Paper Wreaths, and Choc Chip Cookies | DanaPAH

Very AU: Sarah Walker is a single mother whose Christmas spirit needs a boost after a tough divorce. She isn't quite ready to go looking for romance, but her little daughter's affection for their new neighbor may lure it right to her doorstep, anyway.

An incredibly sweet AU one-shot where Chuck and Sarah are new neighbours, and Sarah has a super cute little girl. So much sweetness and love and hope. I love this fic so much it literally led me to write my own neighbour-kid-AU, so, not to toot my own horn but I’ll link it here anyway.

May Your Walls Know Joy | halfachance

Looking for a fresh start after some tough times, Sarah and her three-year-old daughter move to LA. When they meet a sweet curly-haired nerd who lives next door, though, Sarah realizes they might just find more happiness than they'd ever imagined, if only her past doesn't catch up to her first. AU.

It’s what the summary says; if you wanna read, feel free!

Chuck vs the Sound of Music | quistie64

AU. Chuck, nerd extraordinaire, is a man with seven children and Sarah must protect them all from Fulcrum's evil designs. Warning: there will be singing.

I mean. Not much mystery as to the concept with that title and summary lol, but this is a super fun, soft ride with a lotta sweetness, and yes, singing.

Just Two People | David Carner

Meet Sarah Walker PhD, Psychologist, specializing in personality traits. Meet Chuck Bartowski, man who has left THE electronic company of 2020. When Burton Consultants tries to figure out what is wrong with the morale of Orion Industries, what happens when a guy named Chuck meets a woman named Sarah. I'll give you a hint, it's me writing.

David’s done something pretty special with this fic. It’s Chuck and Sarah centric, but very much an ensemble piece, too, with a lot of Team Bartowski and other familiar faces throughout.

Chuck Versus the Con Game | Steampunk.Chuckster

AU. Chuck and Sarah are partners in the con game. It's an existence wrought with danger and violence. Every day could be their last. Every mission could be the end of the line.

This is where I freak out SC and declare this fic the reason I ever got hooked on Chuck fic and then wrote Chuck fic, and the reason I still love it today but. that is true lol. Just so. so good. It’s also written with the chapters out of chronological order, which is super fun from a reading perspective. But con!Sarah AND con!Chuck?? Best. The kind of fic you will be thinking about for days (if not, y’know, years).

As you can tell by the repeats, I highly recommend just about anything by Steampunk.Chuckster, dettiot, or David Carner, but there are a TON of amazing Chuck fics and authors out there. I’ve never known a writing community so wildly creative-- there are so many unique AUs and canon explorations and story concepts that this show has manifested, and it’s all so much fun.

Most of the Chuck fic community is still over on FFN rather than AO3, so if any of these whet your appetite, feel free to have a browse there for more stories. I’m sure you’ll find something great. Personally, all the incredible writing there has also led me to write a buttload; I’m at halfachance on FFN, so if you see any of my stuff or wanna chat fic, feel free to message me there or here.

Happy reading, folks!

#chuck #fic rec #chuck fic #nbcchuck #praying if i edit this to add to it or i reblog it to add to it all the links stay and the line breaks don't disappear sksks #the old one still looks okay on desktop but it's messed up on the app and on mobile and it's just all generally messy #so i've been wanting to make this for aaages lol yay to finally doing something! woo!

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aelin-world-walker · 3 years

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Some headcanons I have post-ACOSF

(don’t ask where this comes from i’m just aching because i finished rereading acosf and thinking headcanons is my coping mechanism)

(i wrote “some” in the title but they are like a million????)

(like now this is a master list of headcanons i have...)

BE AWARE OF ACOSF SPOILERS!!!

*Probably I’ll edit it pretty often because headcanons come whenever they like.

*i’ll probably add feysand headcanons in the future but not now because there’re A LOT out here but know I have some like feysand beign parents is too cute to ignore.

*sorry if there are some spelling errors, English is not my first language.

The cabin headcanons

(yes the cabin has its own subtitle)

Cassian takes Nesta to the cabin after their mating bond ceremony and then happens chapter 55 but Nesta adapted. There’s no soup but a biscuit.

When Nyx is a little older he starts participating in the snowball fight. Rhys, Cassian and Az let him win.

In one of her visits, Feyre paints her sisters and Nyx’s eyes beside the IC ones, because they are now part of the Court of Dreams (this one made me cry a little honestly)

Whenever one of the IC’s couples wants to take a break they go to the cabin. Sometimes Az goes too to play chaperone. Spoiler: it doesn’t work (especially NOT with Nessian) (this one made me laugh)

Nesta likes the cabin’s vibes to read, so she goes often. Sometimes Cassian joins her but he bores to death so he wouldn’t let her read (if you get what i mean)

I can imagine the IC visiting it, long nights bonding in front of a fire and playing board games. Rhys, Nesta and Azriel are so competitive that stay awake til one of them wins. (actually Rhys and Azriel competitive spirit over board games is canon) (i just imagine Nesta playing the courtier to win) (then she loses and is cranky for a day). Meanwhile, Mor and Cassian drink themselves silly, and Feyre and Elain play with Nyx. Amren just purrs sitting in Varian’s lap. (Amren as the house cat)

The girls decide to do their own snowball fight honestly i don’t know why this is not canon yet. One year they decide to do girls vs. boys. The girls win and the boys don’t want to play against them again.

Nyx and his cousins learning to fly in a summer vacation there. (yeah because nessian’s children are happening in the future and they are in some of my headcanons sorry)

Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie go there sometimes (not so often because they prefer staying with the House please never forget they are all friends) and go hiking.

When Nyx and Nessian’s children are older and misbehave their parents send them to the cabin. Then whoever of them didn’t got to be grounded slips alcohol to the ones inside. (Actually i can see them doing this??? Rhys and Mor did the same. Also I can see Nyx and his cousins having a relationship similar to Rhys and Mor’s and Aelin and Aedion’s)

Inner Circle couples and the sauna. Not gonna say anything else, but just know it’s hella weird there’re no scenes in there...

The House of Wind headcanons

(big house deserved its own headcanons)

Nesta installs a dance studio in there and whenever she can she goes and dance for hours.

Nesta, Gwyn, Emerie and the House start a monthly sleep-over in the private library. The House always conjures the miniature pegasus without being asked.

Can we talk about the fact that in the future the House of Wind will have a nursery???? because i have to talk about it. don’t know if i’ll be able to do so without crying but just- nessian’s babies nation

When Nessian’s children are born the House would conjure anything just to please them and will protect them at all costs. The House as a babysitter and mother-hen.

The House starts talking to Cassian and recommends him smut books. He reads them and find them pretty interesting. He also recommends the House books but as they are of warfare the House finds them boring.

When Cassian and Nesta fight the House would be angry with Cassian for some days and would serve his food cold.

The House of Wind is Nyx’s favorite place in the city. Cassian and Nesta even give him a room when he is older. He loves it for the same reason Rhys did: flying. He also likes asking the House ridiculous things -the House loves his petitions-

Azriel keeps his room of course, but playing the chaperone is useless now (it always was)

Mor befriends the house and together they plan jokes to Cassian.

Feyre loves going to the House because it reminds her that her sister is happy and will never be alone.

Nessian headcanons

(of course there are nessian’s headcanons)

While sleeping, Cassian is very restless while Nesta sleeps in a ball, but they make it work. Also, Cassian takes all the blankets so Nesta ends up beside him and his wings.

The two of them loves sleeping in. Cassian would never admit it because he would never hear the end of it from the ic. (i know he said in acomaf that daylight is precious but now that he has found his mate he has change a liiitle his opinion about that. like now wake up beside his love is more precious than anything!!!!!)

I think it’s not fair we didn’t got a smut scene in the bathtub.

And in Windhaven.

Aaaaand in the cabin.

When Nesta has a nightmare, Cassian would hug her and comfort her while remind her it was a dream, and now she got out, and is loved and cherished by a lot of people.

Nesta loves that Cassian strokes her head, more when her hair is down. (i really like that nesta prefers updo hairstyles tho)

Nesta sitting on Cassian’s lap. That’s all I need for a next book. (i also need more domestic scenes between them like the one in Winter Solstice when Nesta hangs their coats) (also i need to read nessian from another pov i want to know how they look like from outside their pov)

Nessian dancing into the darkest hours, losing themselves into the music and their embrace. (i need a slow dancing fanfic thx)

Nesta is still a little uncomfortable to venture into Velaris so she asks Cassian to fly her over the city whenever she needs to go out and doesnt want to tangle in the multitude.

Cassian reading an Illyrian report while Nesta reads a romance book. Domestic mates part one hundred.

Nesta loves flying (WHY THIS IS NOT CANON SARAH) (like i would have been awesome to read nesta liking flying after that scene with rhys in acowar)

I love that is canon they like chocolate cake idk just wanted to say that.

Nesta headcanons

(my daughter deserves them)

Every Starfall, Nesta would take the stairs down and up just to remind herself the way up is long but by the end she would find happiness.

She is really protective over the House. She wouldn’t let anyone spill anything or mess around.

She starts taking dancing lessons again, even though she doesn’t need them. It’s her favorite part of the week. I can imagine Gwyn joining her. Emerie prefers watching them and smirk while drinking tea.

She visits her father’s tomb more than her sisters, and tells him every aspect of her life because she didn’t do it when he was alive.

She doesn’t like the Court of Nightmares, but the Winter Solstice ball in there is one of her favorites events of the year.

She goes back to being a courtier/emmisary for the Night Court and loves tormenting the people she has to deal with. (just imagine Nesta in Vallahan, they would sign the treaty in a second)

She continues working in the Library because she is still healing and the Library is such a big part of that. She continues fighting with Merrill too (gwyn is please of that)

Also she starts practicing with Amren to use her powers, even if there is not a lot to master (tho i think she is still very powerful but let’s wait for the next book to confirm this)

ALSO Nesta as a mother: she gives her children a lot of love because she remembers how it is to have a cold mother and doesn’t want to repeat the story.

Nessian’s children headcanon

(tho i imagine they have at least a daughter so she is gonna appear a lot in my hc sorry)

I can imagine them having an unexpected pregnancy idk why they would be very happy tho (like chaolene’s) (not so soon after acosf, they would enjoy some free-of-babies-years)

Now I want a fanfic about nessian finding out they are pregnant please writers do it

Tho I can imagine its during training.

Nessian’s baby would sleep between them. Cassian loves that and even though Nesta says the contrary, privately she loves it too.

Nesta teaching their daughter to dance, while Cassian teaches her to fly. Together, they teach her to fight. Their daughter wants to be a Valkyrie like her mom and aunts.

Also Nesta reading her daughter to bed and then getting asleep. Cassian would find the two of them sleeping and would cover them with a quilt.

Their daughter loves to hear the stories about Nessian’s Blood Rites, and would ask everyone about them.

Their daughter is their number 1 fan im crying in softness

She also wants to hear the stories of her uncles and aunts even though some are sad, because she knows they are happy and together now.

I can see Nessian wanting another baby tbh but let’s stop in one until Sarah shows us the contrary.

But just imagine Nessian’s children + Nyx playing hide-and-seek on the House of the Wind and the House helping them hide.

Nessian’s daugther loves hearing Gwyn sing, and is particularly obsessed with Emerie because she sees herself in Emerie (like they are both Illyrians i’m crying nessian’s daughter doesnt understand why her aunt can’t fly).

She has spring allergies too.

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everybodylovesrand · 3 years

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Rafe Judkins Q and A

Q: Who’s the most significant S1 character you invented for the show?

A: There’s no one fully invented. Anyone “new” is either a character pulled from somewhere in the series and changed or a composite of groups or types of characters personified in one individual. Other than STEVE. Obviously.

Q: How difficult was it to change or leave out characters from the books for screen adaptation

A: Sometimes very difficult, obviously. People who drive the story or shed light on our characters’ back stories or the world of the show always will be more likely to make an appearance. But some people are there in glimpses or subtle nods just for our enjoyment. Some extras were named as characters and given things / looks from the books, so keep your eyes peeled

Q: How many times did i give you blank stares when discussing possible changes?

A: This one is obviously from Sarah N. There were moments when a thrilled room full of writers would go “we’ve cracked it! It’s amazing! But can ‘insert book canon person/place/thing’ be ‘insert noncanon idea’ instead?” And Sarah’s resounding, withering stare would tell us to go back to the drawing board. RIP Perrin talking to a bear.

Q: In the books we always enter the story on the wind, will that be a convention we see a lot?

A: We’ve tackled the wind in the Pilot inr what I think at least, ha is an unexpected but rewarding way. Excited to see what you all think of it.

Q: Do you have to change character personalities for a screen adaption?

A: We try not to. Most of our job is about making sure that we create a story and scenes that can tell the audience about character motivations and WHY they’re doing something they’re doing when we can’t just drop into their head and say it like you can in a book. This often results in some of the biggest “changes”, but they’re ultimately put in to make sure that the character on screen is as emotionally true as possible

Q: Were there any changes in earlier drafts of scripts that were scrapped in final version?

Yes, tons. We are never afraid to try something and see if it works. But then that has to also go through Sarah and Me (I drive the writers as crazy as anyone with sticking to the books). It also A: then goes to Brandon Sanderson, Harriet McDougal, and Maria Simons, who’ve been huge helps in checking us and helping us go back to the drawing board on changes (or many times,

saying “that works” and giving us permission to release a tiny sigh of relief)

Q: Are there some major characters that appear in the first book that won’t appear in the first season?

A: Yes. And some of them are still slated to appear in later seasons (again, approaching the adaptation of the series, not just each book individually). A few of these characters I bet you already expect this for, and one, at least, I think will surprise you.

Q: Have there been any major locations or cities you’ve had to cut for budget/time/logistics?

A: This is perhaps the biggest source of changes for us. Even with the massive amount of money Amazon has kindly given us to bring this world to life, to go to as many unqiue cities/villages/locations as they do in the books is simply impossible. We have chosen to do a few places extremely well (both culturally and with production design) instead of doing dozens of places cheaply and badly. This results in many changes that have huge ripple effects (if you can’t go to Baerlon, do you still meet Min? Do you still encounter the Whitecloaks? Do you still have dreams of Ba’alzamon? Etc). I’m betting that most things that feel the most unnecessarily

changed to people from the books (even if they’re hugely separated from that specific location) will be borne out of a location specific change.

Q: Do you attempt to keep book dialogue? Or start from scratch?

A: Every writer receives a document when they begin their script put together by our book expert, Sarah, that breaks down every scene in the episode and gives specific dialogue and scene references from the books for it. Especially for scenes that aren’t from the books at all, we will find scenes from the books with the same characters together or talking about the same thing thematically. That said, predictably, almost all the dialogue in the show is not from the books so as to sound as natural as possible with our locations/actors/scenes as they’re played.

Q: How far through the series did you consider when making changes (in terms of repercussions)?

A: We have to consider it for the entire series. Which has led to many in room conversations/screaming matches where someone is like “The Yellow sister Healing someone in this scene CANNOT be Chesmal Emry. Are you kidding me? Do you know anything about Chesmal Emry. What did you just google a random Yellow sister name and pick one you liked? Fuck you and your yellow sister, it’s not going to be fucking Chesmal Emry, I guarantee you that.”

Q: Have you made changes that hurt you/Sarah to make, but were necessary for the screen?

A: The writers room floor is littered with my tears. Truly though, I don’t want people to be unprepared for how different the show is to the books. To do a proper adaptation, it has to be. As a thought exercise, just imagine we can only do four of the cities from EoTW. So from Emonds Field, Taren Ferry, Baerlon, Shadar Logoth, Whitebridge, Four Kings, Breen’s Spring, Caemlyn, Fal Dara, which do you choose? What are the knock-on effects for character and story from the ones you don’t go to? Which characters haven’t met each other now and how can you reconnect them? We have amazing writers and hugely helpful support in Brandon and Harriet to tackle these changes. But they’re not small. Gird your loins, my friends.

Q: What made you change Thom playing the lyre to a guitar?

A: Thom is a good example of changes made for the show. For one, I want characters to appear when we have the time to spend to properly introduce them and get enough scenes for them to attract a great actor for the role. You will never see scenes on this show where four random people appear, say two lines, and then disappear for seasons. It just won’t get you the caliber of actor you need and it doesn’t properly intro that character to the audience. So for Thom, we wanted to give him a proper introduction, and we also wanted him to have a strong masculine energy that made a counterpoint to Moiraine. We saw actors of all ages, races, and vibes to play Thom but when Alex Willaume’s tape came through we knew he was Thom and moved toward his vibe for the character which was younger and grittier than books Thom. The guitar looks much more fitting in his hands and with his voice than a lyre. When he stomps onto stage in the show, it’s a MOMENT, and that’s what we wanted for Thom. Never fear, multi colored cloak is still in existence, but different than you imagine. Isis (our costume designer) nailed it.

Q (from Twitter): How much of the monster / trolloc / fade / dragkhar design is being done practically, vs digital effects? Mostly makeup and prosthetics? And with that, how closely does the design match the text? (Totally smooth faces on fades, varieties of trollocs, etc.)

A: We have worked hard to use as many practical effects and pieces as possible for Trollocs/Fades, but don’t want to spoil all the secrets until you watch the BTS after ths1st Season Developing. Additional questions and answers will be added as they come up.

#Rafe Judkins #WOTonPrime #Q&A #Wheel of Time

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rafeswife · 3 years

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CHAPTER TWO

“Now get in!” Rafe frantically yelled.

I made my way in his car and we zoomed down to the beach. I figured that if we were headed towards the beach to get Sarah then there was a chance I would see if the Pogues were okay.

Rafe speeded his car swerving around the groups of running people and pulling in vigorously to a parking spot. Finally parking, he opens the car door and his eyes look back at me.

“Stay.”

Holy shit. That was unnecessary. He was being possessive, this man. He then closed his door leaving me in the jeep that smelt like his cologne. I waited for him to get out of sight and then snuck out of his car running to the beach. I had to see if my new friends were okay.

“yeah you know what this is Topper.”

I peaked around a corner being greeted with a unexpected sight. JJ held a gun to the back of Sarah Cameron’s boyfriends head. The Pogues stood around and people were running away. The blonde boy lifted his hands in fear letting go of John B who I assumed was previously the target of a petty “kook vs pogue” fight.

Rafe stood farther behind watching the scene unfold as well.

“Get your physco friend Kie!”

Sarah yelled out, I took a mental note of how she called her “Kie”. Only people who were friends with Kiera would use the nickname. I assumed their was a past. Topper slowly walked away from the scene as well as the others and sprinted along with Rafe. Who would soon discover I didn’t listen to his words from before. I was not about to be arrested at the first party I went to so I went as fast as I could back to Rafes car.

Out of breath and panting I slammed the car door shut and sat in the car. I was closer than the others to Rafes car. I began to think, these were the kind of people the pogues were? They waved around guns and stereotyped people because of their money. I thought I was finally getting ready to become one of them but, now I was not sure. It was true, I didn’t know what happened… There could have been a good explanation right? But a gun? a gun.

My thoughts were disturbed by the in rythmic sounds of car doors opening on all sides. I first looked to Rafe, who looked relieved to see me sitting in the passengers seat still. Then I turned around to Sarah and her boyfriend, along with another guy. Heavy breathing filled the car with no words.

“What happened..”

I spoke. I longed for them to tell me the full story but I knew it would be bias.

“Alexis. Oh my goodness, have you been with Rafe this whole time.”

Sarah blurted avoiding the question.

“Yeah we were just sitting on the car away from all the noise for a bit when we heard a gun shot.”

I secretly hoped they didn’t get the wrong idea. there was no doubt that Rafe was attractive and of course I wouldn’t be opposed to sleeping with him but, I was new and I didn’t want a unwanted reputation so soon. For that much at all.

“I’m Topper and this is Kelce”

The blonde introduced as he pointed to his friend over Sarah who sat in between the two. It was nice to put a name to a face.

“Alexis.”

I said back.

“It was those dirty pogues. One of them had a gun to Toppers head.”

Rafe exclaimed angrily as his fists gripped the steering wheel turning his knuckles white as he drove.

“What.”

I said in shock, pretending that I never stepped foot out of the car. My head turned towards Topper and he was looking down. I felt really bad, he looked traumatized. That would be terrifying, knowing that with one click of someone’s finger your life was going to end. One person. In this case JJ. Seeing them so distraught from the events made me angry. How could this happen.

“I’m really sorry guys. That is terrible is there anything I can do.”

I said remorsefully. I could feel the stare of Rafe in the corner of my eyes.

“You can come after party with us girl, help us forget.”

The one named Kelce talked. That was really sweet of him and I might just take the offer. I think I needed to forget what I saw as well.

“You know it!”

I said back smiling. We pulled into a giant house, which taking my best guess it was most definitely the Cameron’s. I was amazed. We pulled into the gates and parked near a group of cars. I stepped out and followed after Rafe. I had talked to him the most, so I felt the most comfortable where he was. Rafe was silent, he seemed the most furious over the whole thing. I understood, those were his friends staring into the barrel of a gun. We walked into the house and I was amazed. Shiny antiques everywhere and amazing color coordination. These types of thoughts were inherited from my mom of course.

We all sat down grabbing drinks and watching sports on the television. I guess no parents were here. The house was so big who even knew if they were or not. I sat beside Rafe and Kelce as we sipped on our drinks. Kelce talked to me about his family and how much beer he could drink. Rafe sat on the other side of me just observing the conversation. It was a bit strange, he didn’t engage, just listened. But based on everyone’s mannerisms this was normal. Kelces eyes looked down a couple times making me uncomfortable.

That was when I was dragged up by the arm and pulled away. I looked at my captor to see Rafe. I was confused and gave him a questioning look.

“Wait here.”

Once again telling me what to do. It was kind of hot. He frantically ran up the stairs and ran right back down in the matter of seconds. Tossing me a t-shirt he looked at me.

“He’s staring at your boobs.”

After the quick exchange he walked off. I smiled to myself a bit, he really just gave me his t shirt.

I decided to put the shirt with my phone on the counter instead of putting it on. I wanted to see what he would do as dumb as it sounded. Plus, Sarahs top looked good on me.

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cwseriesshowdown · 7 months

Text

Round 1 is done!

Time for Round 2!

Info under the cut

Link to original post

The following are OUT!

Ltr;ttb: Two Sentence Horror Stories, Containment, The Republic of Sarah, Hidden Palms, Life Unexpected, Star-Crossed, Emily Owens M.D., No Tomorrow

Now for Round 2…

Round 2 will be divided into two parts (Round 2A & Round 2B). Each will run for one week.

Here’s the full list of battles:

Round 2A

Gossip Girl vs Supergirl

Kung Fu vs The 4400

Jane the Virgin vs Supernatural

Veronica Mars vs Batwoman

Superman and Lois vs Cult

iZombie vs Beauty and the Beast

The 100 vs Backpackers

Dynasty vs Hart of Dixie

Round 2B

Smallville vs The Vampire Diaries

Roswell, New Mexico vs Riverdale

Nancy Drew vs Charmed

Legends of Tomorrow vs Gilmore Girls

Reign vs 7th Heaven

Walker: Independence vs Legacies

Reba vs One Tree Hill

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend vs All of Us

Put whatever propaganda you want in the comments/replies of the poll posts

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autolenaphilia · 3 years

Text

Mafia: City of Lost Heaven

The original Mafia from 2002 by Illusion Softworks is a weird and fascinating game. It is a third-person shooter somewhat in the vein of the GTA series.

It is set in the 1930s and is about a Mafia family, the Salieris in the fictional city of Lost Heaven. It focuses on the rise of player character Tommy Angelo in the Salieri organization. It is a standard gangster movie plotline, with the Godfather and director Martin Scorcese being referenced often. The character wants the money crime can give him and is successful as a mafioso, but he experiences conflict between the horrible things he must do and his conscience. This contradiction eventually destroys him and the story becomes a tragedy.

This cinematic gangster tragedy is an unusually ambitious story for an action video game at the time, and it isn’t entirely unsuccessful in those. Mainly it is because the 1930s gangster film atmosphere is so fully realized, more than the actual writing. The writing isn’t terrible, Tommy’s story is a coherent tragedy, but it does not quite reach the high level of its gangster movie inspirations.

And it has many of the problems of the genre, except even more so. The game depicts the mafia in quite glorifiying ways. The mafiosos in these guys wear nice suits and fedoras, drive nice cars and get to have cool gunfights with Tommy guns. And yet the story tries to have it the other way too, with the mafia depicted as ruthless violent people and crime leading to a tragic end. Tommy is himself frequently appalled at the things the family wants him to do and ultimately he ends up badly because of his mafioso life. The contradiction is obvious. It is the same trap the gangster films that inspired this game fall into. Gangster films want to show this cool escapist fantasy of gangsters because it is fun, yet both storytelling logic and any moral analysis demands crime leads to tragedy.

The story also has the problem of this opposition between “good” gangsters and “bad” gangsters that doesn’t make much sense. The plot driving the story for basically 4/5 of the game and especially the middle levels is this rivalry between the Salieri and Morello families that eventually becomes an outright war. And in order to have a more easily graspable “heroes and villains” situation, the narrative is clear that the Morellos are the worse mobster family. Don Morello kills people for bumping into his car and tortures people to death. He is presented as a vile and repellent villain from the first. It is the Morello mobsters which you kill for most of the game, and you kill a lot of them, and this somewhat over-the-top villainization is meant to justify that.

And Salieri doesn’t do these kinds of things, he doesn’t deal in drugs either and fights common thugs who mug and sexually assualt women. He is the “good” kind of gangster. Even his collecting of protection money is presented as actually providing some form of protection. It is an implausible idea to say the least, and the game is certainly aware of it. What drives the plot inthe last four levels of the game is that Don Salieri is becoming morally worse after his final victory over Morello, getting more greedy for money and power. Butthe game depicts him as committing ruthless murders even before that point. This inherent evil of the mafia is what drives the actual main storyline: the tragedy of Tommy.

This Salieri vs. Morello plot feels hollow, the game’s attempts to subvert it doesn’t work because it doesn’t feel credible to begin with. The over-the-top villainy of Morello and Salieri’s softer actionsfeel like sentimental nonsense from the very start. “This gangster is good, he protects people from common muggers OwO, but this gangster is bad, he tortures people >:(“. Salieri’s slide into further villainy after Morello’s defeat doesn’t feel credible either. For a subversion like that to work it must have some plausibility to start with, some emotional resonance with the audience, and it just doesn’t.

It makes the game feel like it buys into the glamorization of crime that is often present in the genre more than most actual gangster films do.

Speaking of that, I should mention the sexism of this game. Most gangster films certainly depict a male-dominated culture. In that, the genre reflects the real-life mafia, which is extremely male-dominated and misogynist, and it is arguable how much those films endorse that sexism as opposed to merely depicting it.

And I would argue Mafiafalls into endorsing it, at least in its storytelling. There are only tworeal female characters, and each only appears in one level each. Sarah is an especially outstanding example, for she becomesTommy’s wife. The level in which she appears Tommy rescues her from a sexual assault by some muggers and they have sex and fall in love. This is said to lead to their marriage, and I do literally mean “said” because we never see her again after that level. Tommy mentions her occasionally and his marriage to Sarah and their daughter is by his own admission his most important motivation.

And that is the purpose of women in the story of Mafia: to provide motivation for their husbands. Two other gangsters are similarly driven by their wifes and children to break with the Salieri family’s obligations, in explicit parallels to Tommy’s situation. And it is not just sexist writing, it is ineffective writing too. Tommy’s marriage is meant to be very important to him as a character, and it is problem in the actual story it is never shown. We never get to see Tommy’s and Sarah’s supposedly idyllic family life, only hear Tommy talk about how it is the most important thing for him, which weakens any emotional empathy we might feel with him.

The level with Sarah at least features a bunch of dialogue between Tommy and Sarah and it is nice I suppose, but it is not enough. Sarah is also depicted as a bit of a bimbo or at least extremely naive, as she doesn’t seem to be aware the Salieri’s are well a mafia family, which seems unrealistic considering how closely connected she is with them. (She grew up as the daughter of the bartender in the Salieri’s Bar and works there, a location in which they literally shoot rival gangsters in at one point).

The writer of Mafia, Daniel Vavra would many years later become a gamergater, probably the most prominent developer to sympathize with the movement. And while it is of course a disappointment, it is not entirely unexpected. He was by far not the worst misogynist in video games or anything,

but just looking at Mafia, it is not strange at all that Vavra as a game writer would feel threatened of the very idea of feminist analysis of video games.

I talked about the story far more than I wanted to when I started writing this, and it is actually not the most interesting thing about this game, it is actually the city of Lost Heaven itself, the attempts at realism in the gameplayand the cars.

The city of Lost Heaven is one of the more fully realized cities in video games, and it is clear a lot of effort and thought was put into its design. Even the map of the city which you use to navigate it showed a lot of effort. It has (printed)creases, stains and pen markings drawn on it just like a real map would. The original box(that I owned) came with an actual physical copy of the map, which was very fun to have,although bringing up the map in-game by pressing tab was certainly the more practical option.

It is perhaps not a huge world compared to modern open-world games, but it was huge for 2002 and it is varied in a semi-realistic way. Lost Heaven is divided into various distinct areas just like a real city would. There is an industrial area, a working class housing area (“Hoboken”), a detached housing area for the upper middle class on the outskirts (Oakwood), an area with mansions for the rich (Oak Hill), ethnic ghettos like Chinatown or Little Italy. The basic idea seems to have been is to recreate an American city from the period in miniature.

And the areas have been given a lot of effort to make them appear more tangible. The building models and textures are different of course, but you can also detect a difference in the pedestrians. People in working clothes walk around in the industrial area and the working class area of Hoboken, whereas you can primarily see the nice looking suits and dresses in the richer areas of of town. It clearly took great effort to program and it contributes greatly to the mood. Even the cars seem to vary slightly, with the older and cheaper cars more abundant in the poorer districts, but the difference I think is lesser compared to the pedestrians.

The care with which Lost Heaven was constructed creates this compelling atmosphere. It feels like you are driving around in a 1930s American city. The aesthetics and atmosphere make the gangster story work better than it otherwise would. Lost Heaven simply feels more real than most video game cities do. And this is despite the dated graphics.The textures might oftenbe very grainy, shop signs especially are a blurry mess, but even they were made with some effort.

Let’s talk about the cars too, because they encapsulate this game in both aesthetics and gameplay. The cars are all based on real cars of the period, even if the names are all changed to avoid any claims of trademark infringement. Fords are called “Bolts” and Chrysler Airflows are called “Ulver Airstream” for example. If you know anything about older cars, you can however easily recognize many of them them under the changed names. an early game car is unmistakeably a Ford model T for example. Also some cars are far more common than they should be, like the concept car Pierce Silver Arrow of which only five were built is a common rich man’s car in the game under the name “Silver Fletcher”.

The cars driven by the NPCs are used to show the passage of time in the game, which goes from 1930 to 1938. As the years go by in story, older cars get more uncommon (but don’t disappear entirely) and new models are introduced. Your access to cars in gameplay also improves as you progress in the story. You go from slow, fragile cars like the aforementioned T-ford to fast, powerful and sturdy cars. The effort put into the cars from the research to the NPC programming is another thing that helps create the compelling mood of Mafiaand the city of Lost Heaven.

The cars are a good example of how the game often prioritizes atmosphere and verisimilitude over fun and accessible gameplay. The driving in this game is not a side-thing like it would be in most action games and cars in this game handle fairly realistically for this type of game. It is still arcadey, but far less arcadey than you would expect from a non-driving simulator. And most importantly, cars are period accurate in that they are both slower and more clunky to handle than modern cars.

Damage to the car also has more consequences than you might expect. A crash might damage the engine causing the car to go slower, a bullet rupturing a tyre makes the car far more difficult to handle, a shot to the gas tank will cause the fuel to leak out(fuel is never really a problem in the primary story mode, but it is there as a game mechanic and can be relevant in the free ride mode). The early-game cars are more fragile and vulnerable to crashes and the like, but none (outside a special car in the game’s free ride mode which not available in the regular story) are immune to these problems.

So this game prioritizes realism over player enjoyment, practically the only obvious concession to the player is that you always have automatic gearchanges available, but you can also choose to change gears manually if you want to. It is frankly oftenfrustrating, even the best cars in this game can be difficult to handle.

Car chases in this game are brutally difficult because of this, and the game’s most infamous level is the fifth one where you have to compete in a car race, driving a fairly period-accurate racing car. It has perhaps the best speed and acceleration of all the car’s in this game, but handles terribly. It is perhaps the most difficult level in the game, and even the developers seem to have realized how unfair it is. You could cheat in the original box copy version of the game which I played as a kid and the GOG version has an easy mode for the race.

A lot of the game is actually about this car hierarchy mentioned before. Typically at the beginning of each level you are given a new car by the Salieri’s mechanic Ralphy, and it is usually better than the car he gave you last level (he also teaches you how to steal it, which isn’t that useful in the story mode, but gives you that ability in other game modes). At the end of most levels, you are also given the opportunity to do an optional side-mission for another mechanic, Lucas. If you succeed, Lucas teaches you how to steal a really capable car. Typically the car you can get from Lucas will be better than the ones Ralphy will give you for the next 2 levels at least.

So the clunky car mechanics both give period verisimilitude and a sense of progression throughout the game.

And it does certainly add to the atmosphere and sense of realism. Mafia’s cars feel more real than most video game cars, but they are also oftenfrustrating to use in gameplay.

But Mafia priortizing its verisimilitude over player enjoyment doesn’t stop there. In each level you are given an objective, typically somewhere else in the city than where you start (which is usually Salieri’s bar). And you have to drive from the starting point to where the actual level starts. After the level is over, you have to drive all the way back.

You can’t just speed your way through the city either, because Lost Heaven’s cops will notice you breaking the speed limit or running a red light and fine you. The fine doesn’t actually cost you anything in the story mode, but it takes up time and negates any time you won by speeding. You can run away but the cop cars will follow and try to arrest you (which is a game-over), and if you try to kill them they will shoot back. The police will usually radio in for back-up too, so you will have to evade or kill the cops (including the back-up) to escape, both of which are fairly difficult.

So the best idea is to keep to the speed limit of 40 mph and don’t run any red lights. You can toggle a speed limiter with the F5 button which caps your car’s speed at 40 miles. It adds to the realism the developers are going for, but in order to play the actual level you have to have this bit of tedium with the drive both before and after. It is basicallya commute except with a varying destination.

The developers was probably aware of the tedium on some level. During the first half of the second level you get to play Tommy during his pre-gangster life as a taxi driver. It is literally just driving from point A to B under a time limit, and the customer will get cranky if you crash the car, and getting a speeding ticket is game-over here of course. The customer dialogue is often rude and theydoesn’t even thank you for most of the time. It is super-tedious and clearly intended to get the player to understand why Tommy became a gangster, since this boring dead-end job is his alternative. The problem of course is that a lot of his life as a gangster consists of driving from point a to point b in a similar fashion.

The game’s obsession with verisimilitude also extends beyond the driving to the action. Without being entirely realistic, Tommy is on the flimsier side of shooter game protagonists and can’t take a lot of bullets before dying. It is like in Max Payne, where a point-blank shotgun blast can practically kill the player character in one hit. You can find healing in first aid boxes boxes, but they are rare. Reloading before your magazine is empty also means you lose any bullets left in the magazine.

And unlike Max Payne, there are no quicksaves or manual saves whatsoever. Saves are done automatically at certain checkpoints and you have to re-start at those if you die. This save system makes this game extremely difficult, since you have to sometimes practice entire segments in order to progress. It is a lot of having to memorize where an enemy mobster pops out so you can shoot him before he shoots you.

The combat is certainly well-made and sometimes quite fun. There are like the cars some weak weapons, but overall weapons feel powerful and the environments and set-pieces are often enjoyable. But the action like the rest of the game is frustratingly difficult.

And that is the game, pretty much. You have a tedious drive to have a big spectacular shoot-out that is frustratingly difficult and you have another drive back. Sometimes there is a car chase, but that’s it. There is a stealth level that tries to change up the formula where you break into a villa, but the game is not really built for stealth so it is frustrating and very much not fun. Then there is the side-missions from Lucas on your drive back, usually a timed fetch-quest of some kind. They do add variety and have some interesting story ideas but can be frustrating in their own right.

There is also the free ride game mode, where you get to explore Lost Heaven freely and do whatever you want, although there is not that much to do, except get into car chases/fire fights with cops or random gangsters you can aggro if you want. The oddest game mode is “free ride extreme”, where you get to do various bizarre quests to unlock equally bizarre cars. It is a weird mode, especially for this game, as you have this usually serious aiming-for-realism game letting its hair down and going for outright comedic surrealism.You get to chase down a super-fast npc named Speedy Gonzales, that sort of thing. The mission certainly have surreal imagination to their credit, even if they can be as frustrating as the rest of this game.

So is Mafia a good game? It is hard to say. A lot of my fond memories of this game comes from playing an already old by that point box copy as a teen when I didn’t have access toor had played many other games, so nostalgia plays into my fondness for this game.

Replaying it now, the game’s faults are more apparent. When it comes to story, the game certainly stood out back then, and the tragedy of Tommy Angelo the unwise still broadly works, but its re-telling of gangster movies has not aged that well. Gameplay-wise the game is difficult in a way that feels frustrating rather than fun, and there is a lot of tedious driving from point A to B. Some of the action set-pieces are exciting, but the high difficulty and limited save system essentially means replaying large chunks of them almost to the point of memorization.

There are many other games like the GTA series that have a similar mix of third-person action with driving which have more easily enjoyable gameplay. Mafia seems to care more about making its world believable than any kind of player enjoyment.

And it is probably its world, the city of Lost Heaven that still fascinates about this game. A lot of work and love went into Lost Heaven, and it shows. Lost Heaven is an atmospheric and memorable place. Mafia makes a lot of strange gameplay choices just to make Lost Heaven seem more real, choices that not many other games would have made for good reason, because thatlevel of realism is not that fun.

The result is that this is a game where you play a badass 1930s gangster not just during daring shootouts in mobster wars, but also during his slow drive to and from hisgangster work, and youhas to follow the traffic laws so he isn’t ticketed. It is 1930s Gangster simulator 2002, or an approximation there of.

Mafiaisn’t alwaysa fun game, there is a long stretchesof frustration and tedium here, but it is frequently interesting and a clear labour of love, atmospheric, weirdand fascinating.

#mafia 2002 #my reviews

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