#me and Nolan in the background: do you see this shit?!?!?!?

[cautiously0ptimistic]

And what's left of me, a cavity? At least the space is mine.

[bronx-bomber87]

Hello amazing fandom :) Hope you are doing well. Hard to believe after this one we only have 8 left. Which makes this ep being somewhat a dud just a bit of a bummer IMO. We only have so many and they've been killing it this season. Truly making it count. The first 9 have been so good. The last 4 episodes just phenomenal. Week after week. It's easy to see where this one missed the mark.

I haven't minded low Chenford or even some crumbs if the entire ep is good like last week was. This one wasn't that unfortunately. Now 9 really good eps out of 10, being amazing so far isn't something to sneeze at. It's an outstanding achievement. S7 has been incredibly good. But this one definitely pales in comparison to the rest of the season.

As they say they can't all be home runs LOL Now there were parts of this episode I really liked. (Like the final Seth scene was primo) Those will be the parts I'm covering in this one. As a whole not their best. But I didn't not enjoy the full hour. Except the for Guitar guy but I'll get into that in my side notes. Off we go :)

7x10 Chaos Agent

Nolan bitching to Chenford about his song pretty humorous. Lucy not giving much sympathy is even funnier. Also loved her belting a little piece of the OG song. She's so cute I cannot. John has enough of her supportive shenanigans and takes off. lol

Lucy is left with Tim who was on her side till the serious bit. Giving her a sassy comment about not generalizing. I have zero doubt she gave him so much shit while they dated and he took some of it seriously. That's her 'experience' right there if you ask me ha. At least part of it. Love her face as she delivers that line. Smitty interrupts our crumb with his raccoon emergency lmao

Tim shoving Smitty's ass in the room I'm cackling. He doesn't have time for your shit sir LOL Lucy’s disappointed face when there is no raccoon is everything. She is so adorable. The animal lover in her wanting to see the little trash panda. Forever adore her being an animal lover no matter the animal. I am her and she is me haha

I love Lucy touching Tim's forearm when he says to neutralize the raccoon. There is no need to touch him so much Lucy.....Her hand all over that sexy forearm. Not once but twice. Also, them having opposing views on this, giving me 6x02 vibes with the bugs in her apartment, LOL. Miles is so cute in this scene too btw. He's really grown on me and his battle with this raccoon most of the ep was delightful.

Lucy was not jazzed with Seth showing up on his day off. I am never happy to see him either so I feel this. The irony that Seth is blown away by someone coming up with a crazy lie is wild. Pot meet habitually lying kettle. This kid is something else… Good lord... I knew the moment the doctor walked up and recognized Seth, it was the final nail in his lying liar coffin.

He is so terrible at said lying it’s painful. Lucy is on his ass from the moment he said ‘Used to be.’ So he used to have cancer…Kernel of truth with the lies. Just like all his others. I'll give it to him. He's nothing if not consistent with that. I have zero doubt, and so does Lucy; he used this to save his ass from being bounced from the program back in 7x05.

I was pretty damn certain but this officially confirmed it for me. Just look at Lucy as this convo goes down. Her stomach is turning over and over. This is not something to be ignored any longer. This doctor has accelerated his timeline out of the FTO and has no idea.

Lucy spots Luna and catches her. Cuts off Seth's incessant lying to do so. Dude knows he's a marked man when she departs. I adore Luna being a resource for Lucy on this. This has been such a good shift for her character to have. A useful one at that. Other thing I love is her telling Lucy she won't tell Wade unless she has to. You're a real one Luna.

Of course Seth switched to the shadiest doctor in the place. That sounds exactly right. When Luna was giving her background on this doctor, I thought, 'No doubt he’s paying this dude to make up shit for him'. She then confirms it at the end saying he's exactly the type of physician to be paid under table for that. Luna also putting to shame his BS answer about insurance. That little shit is dead in the water after this scene.

LOVE LOVE LOVE that she calls hubby right after. My heart. It's the little things fandom. Tim giving her the best answer she could receive. It's brilliant to draw his blood. He gets zero say in it and it'll finally nail him. I was wondering if anyone was actually monitoring his shit. Clearly not… But that sounds like health insurance tbh. Only looking for liabilities nothing else. Loving this plan though. No way for him to lie his way out of this one.

Probably wondering why I did a gif of this one eh? It's because of how Tim is with Smitty. How soft he is when he finds him. The concern in his voice when he asks if he's ok? Then after Smitty apologies the sweet tap on his knee to let him know it's ok. Be still my heart. I just loved this moment of softness from Tim with Smitty.

Our boy has grown so much it makes my heart ache in the best way. Not only is he kind but the tap to his knee is all the reassurance Smitty needs. Also just an antithesis to earlier when he shoved him into the office for the raccoon. Does my heart good to see it.

We get to the best part of the episode IMO. Seth's judgment day. Oooh boy I've been waiting for this! haha We all have. I mean holy hell look at Feral Tim staring down Ridley. Hot damn. Doesn't break once with his intense glare or sharp tone. 'Yes or no Officer Ridley.' *fans self*

Like to point out how important it was that Tim was there with her. What this means to Lucy. He was right next to Wade to be a United Front for her. Tim was with her to the very end on this. We know how hard this was going to be on Lucy. It was important her pillar was there. She does a good job keeping a stern face at first.

Especially when Seth looks at her. Drawing strength from the two men she needs most in this moment. They don't beat around the bush with him and it's much needed. This kid needs a reality check and fast. Wade and Tim don't mess around with him for one second while this unfolds.

Love how Wade and Tim tag team Seth about what is going to happen. It's a no you're gone. If it's a yes and no cancer. You're still gone. It's a lose lose situation for him and Ridley knows it. It's here we really start to see Seth come undone. From his body language to how he handles himself in this convo. With zero grace or accountability.

When he feels the tide rising against him he tries to pull the 'Woe is me card.' One that has served him well up until this point. Spewing he can be better. No honey you can't. You're on the 4th or 5th chance at this point bub. You're not getting better. You can't own your mistakes to save your life. Or be honest ever. His rant about his rights. You gave those up when you became a probational rookie my son.

When he starts to panic and turns to Lucy this is where we start to see her crack. The tears starting to form in her eyes. It's killing her because for awhile she wanted to believe him. Truly she did. Her natural instinct is to see the best in everyone. He took advantage of her kindness and exploited her empathy for his own gain. I wonder if she is going to second guess her instincts after him? I would even though there is zero reason for her to. I would be feeling pretty tore up and hurt. I imagine she will be too.

Melissa be killing me absolutely killing me when he says no to the draw. You can tell Lucy is wrecked about this. I can’t say I’ve been there in terms of a replica of Seth. But I did have a kid on my team I whole heartedly believed in. Trusted him. He exploited my kindness and empathy. It was quite the burn to my self esteem. He turned out to be a nightmare of Seth’s level.

Even when he was eventually terminated I felt the weight of it. Relief yes, but I carried it with me. Even though I had done everything right I could’ve with him. I still shouldered some of the responsibility. I know Lucy is feeling that. She is an empath and deeply caring one at that. This is going to stay with her for a little while I think.

Look at how Set avoids both Lucy and Tim and only comes at Wade. Knowing Tim would destroy him if he went after Lucy. I kinda wish he had but this kid knew not to poke that bear. He sure as hell didn’t have the balls to go after Tim that's for sure. So he focuses all his crazy rage on Wade, who handles it like the champ he is. Tears his defiant little ass down. Even with his last breath he couldn't own up to a single thing. Hiding behind a threatening lawsuit he will not win.

Tim takes over with some serious death glares about what happens next. If looks could kill you'd be one dead washed out rookie. Kinda wished we could've seen them send him off from the station but that's ok. I feel the aftermath of this will be in the next episode. Lucy's face at the very end is the final dagger to my heart. This is gonna rock her for awhile I can feel it.

I also have a feeling we are not done with him. Seems like the kind of little weasel that knows all the dirty back channels for a settlement. Don’t think we are quite done with him. I could be wrong though. I know Melissa did a nice shout out post for him that made it seem final. But I'll believe it when I see the final ep of this season lol

If we aren't would love for them to find out about his NWS lie with the road. If this was the end. I've wanted to say this all season but wanted to wait till his demise. Well done Patrick. Holy hell. What a starter character for him to break into tv with. You did such a good job. I truly hated your character's guts my good sir LOL Fantastic job.

Thank you as always to you amazing readers who like, comment ( chatty chat with me) and reblog these thoughts each week. You're incredible and I can't tell you the deep appreciation and love I feel from each one. Excited for next week. Our babies sharing a shop during the madness. Always happy to see that. Shall see you in 7x11 next week :)

Side notes -non Chenford

Ok I didn't super love the Rodger storyline. I'll be honest. It felt awkward and stilted. His SL felt like a sore thumb in a mighty intense episode. If he just had the cold open ok maybe. But to dedicate part of the ep to him?

I wasn't about it. His songs made me wicked uncomfortable in a second hand embarrassment way. I got massive Skip Tracer Randy vibes from it. No offense if you like STR he's just never sat right with me and the tone of the show lol Also Celina needs better taste in men she could do better than this turkey IMO. Ok rant over. haha

Loved them bringing Lisa back to help James the callbacks are great. Tying it in with when she got shot and how long the process is. Poor Nyla though this is so rough on her. Not just the recovery but their marital stuff they still have to work out on top of it. It’s a lot. Proud of her for not rushing to the station to help.

Will say every time Tim says ‘Juarez’ with that slight inflection always gets me a little hot and bothered. Mmmm.

Ok Zuzu made my skin crawl. How violating. Didn't like that one bit.

Poor Miles all episode he tried and Celina got him LOL I really enjoy his he is quite the cute puppy I never expected to love.

[witchygagirlwrites]

How Dare You-Part 2

Jay Halstead x Reader (nicknamed Deuce/ Surname Barlowe no first name used)

When you’re tasked with your team working with the army to take on cartels you show up to the base to meet the Squadron you’ll be working with. You don’t expect him to be there.

Warnings: mention of past infidelity, mention of violence, wee bit of just mental issues going on because of being faced with an ex you never wanted to face again

You were sitting in your office, trying to catch up on dozens of emails and a stack of paperwork high enough you could probably hide behind it if you put it down on the floor when Travis knocked. You welcomed the distraction so you pushed back from your desk and turned towards the door “Yeah Trav? What’s up?”

“Nolan is on line two for you” you sighed “Thanks” he nodded and walked out. You rotated your neck in a tight circle then picked up the phone “Agent Y/N Barlowe”  Nolan chuckled lightly “Don’t you mean Supervisory Special Agent Barlowe?” you laughed “Bite me Johnny. What is so important you decided to save me from all the emails and paperwork I’ve yet to catch up on?” he out right laughed then “I need your team’s help in Bolivia” “With what exactly?” “Drug Interdiction. I know you were already hot on numerous cartel targets before, this is your chance to line em up and knock em down”

“Who will we be working with?” you asked and he took a breath “You’ll be assigned an army squadron. They’ll answer to you. Just consider them extra boots on the ground, extra security too so nothing happens like before because there will be at least two explosives experts amongst them” you rolled your bottom lip between your teeth, “Ok, let me update my team. When do we need to meet them?” “The man leading the team will be here in two days” “Ok, I’ll be ready when his boots hit the dirt”

You ran a tight team, it had to be. You shared a place with two of them. The other four lived nearby. You worked together, traveled together. Your very lives depended on each other.  You stood with Travis, Marcel and Samantha just outside the base in Bolivia. Even with your credentials you still had to go through the security scans.

Nolan stood just on the other side of the gate, trying to hide his smirk when he could see how much your irritation was growing with every second. A soldier touched your lower back and you stiffened “If you want to keep your hand I suggest backing up Private” he nodded “Yes ma’am. I apologize”

Once the four of you were cleared they opened the gate and you walked through. Nolan held his hand out “Barlowe, looking pleasant as always” “Fuck off Nolan” you greeted before introducing your team. He nodded and waved for the four of you to follow him. “When can we meet the squad we’ll be working with? I don’t like going in blind John, you know this. I wanted background on all of them this morning” he nodded “I know and I apologize. They’re waiting to be called and I have their backgrounds as well”

Samantha rolled her eyes “Backgrounds at the same time as a face to face?” you cut her eyes at her “Army” Nolan shook his head “Says the woman who’s been tangled in with the army for how many years?” “Shut up Johnny” you laughed.

___________________

You followed him into the building and through the hallways. He stopped at one door and waved the four of you in. You stepped into his office and he handed you a stack of folders “This will be your team” you nodded to his desk “You mind?” he shook his head “Go ahead” 

The four of you went over each member of the team, patching Roxie in so she could verify everyone’s information as you went. They all seemed like solid choices but you realized when you got to the bottom of the stack you hadn’t clocked anyone qualified to lead the squad. “Where’s the background for their lead?” you asked and Nolan sighed “Shit, I’m sorry Deuce, it’s been a long day” that was a nickname he hadn’t used on you in a long while. 

He walked over to his filing cabinet and handed you another folder. The moment you opened it, you felt like you’d been slammed in the chest by a semi. The folder hit the floor and you shook your head “Nope, I’m not doing this” Nolan raised an eyebrow “What’s the issue? Your higher ups have already signed off on this. Barlowe the whitehouse knows about this”

Your team was staring at you like you’d grown a second head. There hadn’t been very many times they’d seen you this shaken. You glared at Nolan “I fucking hate you. You knew from my background with Gerwitz” he shrugged “I needed the best” you picked up the folder and handed it to Travis. He opened it and cursed “Son of a bitch” looking back at the rest of your team was a photo of Jay and his background from his first time in the army and his service record within CPD. Hell you hadn’t even known he’d resigned. 

You were pacing while Nolan went to retrieve Jay and his team. Travis stepped up beside you “You’re holding your stomach again” it was a low whisper, just between the two of you. You looked down and sure enough you had a hand curled around your lower stomach. “Shit, thanks Trav” he nodded “Just, don’t let this knock you down Deuce” 

“I’m not going to, he’s not worth it” you replied with a smile. Once you heard Nolan’s boots followed by what sounded like a herd of elephants in boots following him you nodded to your team and they all stepped up on either side of you. 

____________________

Nolan hadn’t told Jay much, just that the FBI team his squad would be reporting to was on base and wanting to meet. He nodded and fell in step with Nolan, his squad behind him. Nolan pushed open the door to the conference room and you looked up, eyes hardening when they landed on him. He breathed your name and every set of eyes in the room looked between the two of you like they were waiting to see what was about to happen.

“That’s Supervisory Special Agent Barlowe Soldier” you reprimanded and he raised an eyebrow as Nolan bit back a laugh and waved a hand giving you the floor. You stepped a little in front of the two men and one woman that was with you “As I just said I’m Supervisory Special Agent Y/N Barlowe. Barlowe works. You’ll hear my team refer to me as Deuce sometimes do not think that means you can, no offense but don't” 

You motioned to the man closest to you, he was around Jay’s height, same build too. The only difference was he was probably of Latin descent with light brown eyes and black hair “This is Agent Travis Bailey” you motioned to the other man, he was a little shorter than Travis but just as broad, light brown hair and bright green eyes. “Agent Marcel Everson” then motioned to the woman who was around your height and built with a braid that matched the one you normally wore in her shoulder length black hair as her dark brown eyes watched his every move  “Agent Samantha Peterson”

You took a step forward to be standing between your team and the squadron “We have a lot of skin in the game in bringing down these cartels. You’re assigned to us because we have further jurisdiction without risking a war. You’re the boots we need, the muscle and guns to help bring down the worst of the worst. If anyone has any issues with playing by our rules, there’s the door hit it now. If not, lets hit the ground running and get these mother fuckers looking over their shoulders for a change” 

Jay heard murmurs from around the squad. They were all positive. They were all ready to follow your lead. You nodded “Ok then, meet each other, play nice and then we’ll see about getting to work” 

You spoke to Travis and he nodded, eyes flickering to Jay. Didn’t take a genius to know he was the topic of discussion. 

He took a step towards you but like it was planned your entire team stepped between you and him. “Not today Halstead” Travis spoke first and he looked at you but you weren’t looking at him. He nodded “Ok” and backed off. Wasn’t like either of you were getting to go anywhere any time soon.

__________________

The moment Jay walked into the room you felt your fingertips go cold. You’d never wanted to face him again. Now here he stood, dressed in army fatigues and waiting for your damn orders. Travis stepped close to you “What’s the play?” “We do our damn jobs and do them well” he nodded, eyes flickering towards Jay “And what about him?”

“Please keep him away from me by any means necessary, at least for a few days” “I’ve got you. Get your feet under you, he won’t bother you. If he’s got questions he can come to me” “Thanks Travis” you whispered and he nodded “Of course boss” causing a small smile to slip onto your lips. 

Jay took a step towards you and within missing a beat all three members of your team stepped between you and him. “Not today Halstead” Travis told him and you averted your eyes but could feel his eyes on yours as he said “Ok”  This was going to be a long eight months, if it didn’t end up getting extended. 

Part 3

@alterna123

@leavemealoneplsandthx

[storiesofsvu]

happy thursday!

 Fuck me I missed the first couple of minutes, got too distracted cooking.. oop

Okay… would it not be SUPER random for the new lieu to just show up in the middle of the night in a crime scene? Ok, she doesn’t know, so maybe there is something weird going on. Still gonna miss kate though.

Howd they get that far into the crime scene and not know she was a prosector?

So brady’s already way more hands on than kate was, and part of me likes that and part of me doesn’t. cause I was always praising kate for being more of what an actual CO would be, trapped in the office with paperwork and bureaucracies rather than running through the field with their detectives. I do think I like brady so far but that could definitely change.  Not sure how the cops feel about that yet either LOL.

Ok well at least they gave us a reason Dixon left… would’ve been nice if we’d gotten that resolution on screen? Like give the actress a .5 second cameo??

Husband is ALWAYS the main suspect. Even if his alibi did check out (though Id still like a little twist…)

Ugh. Still hate price though.

“your girl’s got a bad attitude” bruh. Don’t come or sam, she’ll come for you worse.

Oh calm down Nolan, let your baby ada go a little feral. They all do it over on svu. Sam deserves it

God she’s so friggin pretty….

Shaw needs a bigger bullet proof vest that shit barely protects anything…

Okay so is sam like, going off to cry and not know how to deal with the rest of the case or is she about to go feral??

Well there’s still 20 mins left so maybe a twist is coming? (or at least more with sam which is what I want out of every ep lol)

Was that supposed to be an opening argument? Why was it happening at the end of the day? Im so confused, but hey whatever.

When are we gonna get a piece of Sam’s backstory that ISNT about her sister?

Okay, they EITHER need to show us some more mentor/mentee/sibling growth/relationship between sam & Nolan OR we need to get them both a side character to lean on in difficult moments. Cause rn it just seems weird and a little awkward. Like they work together every day but they never seem that *friendly* towards each other…

Welp. That ep was okay, it had potential to be better but I’ll let it slide lol. Mothership is never my favourite.

*

SVU time!

(man it is SO great to not have to sit through fucking Toronto anymore lol. Will miss OC though..)

Benson picking up the new girl? Oookay. Interesting, interesting, her dad’s a cop, nice background. Honestly I like her already MORE than I did based off just pictures.

Fins guns named after his ex wife or was that lazy writing?? OKAY GOOD! IT WAS A CALLBACK. Thank fuck cause im sick of shit getting forgotten about.

“why do I feel like the captain’s testing me?” said every rookie of the squad ever… like, youre new to the squad, of course she’s gonna keeping you on a leash/making sure you’re actually ready for svu.

I do lowkey like that we jumped into her time on the squad though, she’s already been there for 3 weeks rather than showing us when she originally met the squad, takes off some of the awkwardness/hostility that we usually see (hopefully lol)

Uuggggghhhh “campus security” COME ON. NO. we’ve learnt this already!  (plus I thought they were off campus? Could be wrong lol. I dunno what “off campus housing” technically means lol)

Who says shelly was the one to set it up??

“college is different these days” bruh… really??? Also there’s like 1000 reasons why she wouldn’t mention it, esp to cops lol.

“it possible teddy set up the camera” yeah bud, ive been saying this. Whoever was the first to move in was likely the person who did it.

Bruno looks great this season… just sayin

Okay so shelly really is the one who set up the camera??

Jfc that got out of control fucking fast

“UNY” gotta love how they have to shift specific things to fictional that are actually real things.

He downloaded the threesome and watched it at least six times before possibly heading over to murder them? Imma need a better timeline on all this. Okay, 1 am… the other dude came home at midnight to see the threesome starting. So… when were they killed? Cause this timeline aint timelining but I’ll let it slide due to lazy writing

Okay, I do really like the Silva is one of those true blood nyc-ers, especially being paired w Velasco that balances out really well for their jobs. The bit with the hammer was very old school svu, the whole “hey, that’s okay, we’ll bring you another one, a nicer one, even better I promise” would’ve only been made better if she’d turned to Velasco and said “give him a twenty for his time”. Lool.

Is there gonna be some last minute twist here…

Carisi looks fantastic in the blue suit

I cannot help but laugh on shows that aren’t R/NC rated when they have to show people having sex/doing things that they would obviously be naked for yet because it’s PG they’re all covered with a sheet. Like.. no one has a threesome like that LOL.

Carisi yells too much on the stand…

Glad that we got some nice benson/carisi bestie soft moments tonight. I miss those

Okay…so they’re trying out a new formula with introducing new cast members and I’m curious. Like, she’s already in the title card and has her own credit pic in the opening so she’s obvi here to stay for at least a season, but she was barely in the ep. We got little tidbits about her, got to see her interacting mainly with benson and Velasco, maybe I like that better than the way they normally throw someone new at us the same “day” they’re “meeting” the rest of the squad and going through that awkward rookie phase. It’s been almost a month now, she’s settled in at least a little bit, benson seems super friendly with her, she’s comfortable around benson, she’s cool with Velasco, not afraid to step on toes, but also doesn’t come across super cocky “I know more than you” kinda vibes when new characters pull something fancy out of their asses that no one else can think of kinda thing. I didn’t know how to feel about her from just promo pics cause she lowkey looks like a lost/kicked puppy in the stills but so far she’s giving good vibes.

Episode overall was okay. Not what I would’ve expected from a season premier, but I’ll take what I can get.

Feels weird to be done in 2 hours. Esp considering it’s only 8. I miss OC, mainly Bell. Also interesting that they’ve been filming just as long as the other two but they’re not going to air until next year?? I know streaming does shit differently than network but still. I’m stoked to see who gets the first “fuck” (it better be Ayanna but I’m sure it’s gonna be Elliot. Lol. Would absolutely die if it was Bernie though.)

Alright. Welp. That’s my tidbits on tonight.

Beth/Rita on next week’s OG and that’s both suuuuper fucking exciting and also makes me nervous at the same time. Here’s hoping it ends up well and I’d LOVE to see her and sam get some screen time together.

See ya then!

[moku-youbi]

Fallout is seriously almost everything I could ever dream of or hope for out of an adaptation to my all time favourite video game series, and the game that was my gateway to gaming. It captures the soul of the games in a way that is downright astonishing at times, to the point that I felt I was playing the game at many points. Even hating Maximus felt appropriate, given how I feel about the Brotherhood of the Steel (fuck those assholes fr, fr). Titus the absolute tool, I'm over here like:

The way he's freakin' out, I'm like oh shit, it's a Deathclaw. Nope, just a yao guai. And you're in POWER ARMOUR, douchebag. You don't deserve it, that much is true. A little sad we didn't see Mirelurks, but that gulper was a thing of real beauty. My new favourite monster, sorry Cazadors!

Like dear GOD the vaults were so beautifully done. If I could walk through that set I would *cry* it's so real and perfect--the furniture! the wallpaper! the appliances! the SPECIAL skills! (Lucy, girl, let's talk about your stats tho babe). Also just dying thinking of what the antis are gonna say about all the incest and laughing my ass off. They captured Vault-Tech in all it's bastard glory. The entire time I'm on the edge of my seat like omg, what's it gonna be, what's it gonna be??

And the wasteland? All the background characters and sets--chicken fucker! Barv! Dale! The water filter guy was pure fucking genius. RED ROCKET??? GORGEOUS. NEW VEGAS??? Are we gonna see HOUSE??? (though sadly without Rene Auberjonois to play him, legit heart-breaking). and DOGMEAT, MY LOVE!!!! She is the *best girl*

And don't even get me started on the food, I was about to start crying. Do you know how long I've wanted to try blamco mac n cheese or YumYum devilled eggs (my wife was like unrefrigerated eggs wtf and I'm like shut your mouth I KNOW they're delicious, I KNOW IT IN MY SOUL)? To drink a nuka cola? To try Fancy Lads Snack Cakes? And it was all there on the screen looking so real!

And the pip boys and computers!! OMG, every time someone used their pip boy, or when they pulled up the records, and the hacking scene? I was like LET ME DO THIS, I AM SO GOOD AT THIS MINIGAME PLS!!!!

Coop doing his thumbs up???

Beautiful. Magnificent. Absolute Perfection, except...

WHAT THE FUCK IS WITH THE COMPHET??? From a game that was way ahead of its time with queer characters and allowing you to romance either gender regardless of player gender, and even offering perks related to being queer, and where romance isn't the focus anyway--like sure, you can woo most of your companions, but that's really only if you want to, and definitely not the point. So why shoehorn this AWFUL romance subplot into something that was truly perfect without it?? It made me distinctly unhappy at several points because it was so shoehorned and unnatural. And like, them boning? Okay, casual sex is a thing in the fallout verse. But making it this love story that made NO SENSE and wasn't developed at all, and relied on the ridiculous boy and girl make eye contact, so obviously they fall in love trope is so fucking lame. Lucy has more chemistry with Coop. She had more chemistry with HER OWN COUSIN. Come *on*.

Let's talk, Nolan.

[isca-rambles]

5x22 Oh god I'm anxious already before I even press play. I know what happens in this episode for the most part, but good lord I'm still nervous. How people can watch tv shows/films without spoilers beforehand is beyond me. It never takes away my enjoyment, it just makes me slightly less likely to have a full blown anxiety attack during. Ah, brains. So fun when they work like shit. Okay...here we go. Pressing play. Now. Now. Oh god don't hurt my babies. I do love the fake D&D talk though. It's so cute when shows try to pretend they know what the fuck they're talking about. Hexes don't affect saving throws, ahem, only ability checks. Unless they're using a different edition, I guess. Or homebrew. Oh god no my babies. Do not go down that dark alley at 4am in the fog don't do it please for the love of god. AND DON'T SPLIT THE PARTY. Jesus. WHY. Oh god why. To quote Lucy (and break my heart again), why are you doing this?! Celina, my baby. Aaron, my baby. God I hate this episode but I also love it because it's such a good episode and it has such a terrifying vibe. But good god. Tim and Lucy turning up together. The only respite I'm getting from this episode is them being next to each other. And yes, that jacket is so his. God the 'one of our own is in peril' episodes are always so good and always so bad for my anxiety. The angst is delicious but it hurts so much. Boyd there in the background behind Nolan. Bastard. But also why did they drop the ball so much on this big bad in S6? The strike, I guess. But they had such a good build-up and arc and it just fizzles out. Weird they don't have Lucy working on the riddle, honestly. She did so well on the last one. Is Celina still not getting a hug from anyone? Give this woman a Lucy hug, she is in need! Oh god. Grey. Don't or I'll cry. Oh god Lucy and Tim. She doesn't need to ask for a hug this time, he knows. He doesn't ask her what she needs, he knows. She folds so easily into him and there's no hesitation this time, there's no distance, no longing or lingering and then separation. They just fold into each other. Her hand on his heart, his hand on her head. Cradling each other. God the callbacks are killing me. And no doubt what's going through her mind is how they never even got a chance for this with Jackson. Never got to get him to hospital, the doctors never got to try and save him. Aaron had Celina. Jackson was alone. I'M NOT OKAY. I do wonder why they didn't go after Tim and Lucy in her apartment. Maybe because it wasn't remote enough compared to Nolan and Harper, who have houses. Maybe because they knew there'd be two cops there, two guns, whereas Harper and Nolan's partners might be less well prepared for defense. Maybe Nolan's call got to them in time? I know they get their own ambush at the end with Luke, which is equal parts terrifying and badass to see our power couple hold their own. And also I don't want more trauma for Lucy in her own home. But that is a fic idea, I guess. What if they'd gone after Lucy and Tim, instead of Nolan or Harper? God, poor Harper and James. Jesus that must be the worst feeling in the world. Oh my god this episode is still so tense and I know everything that happens. Or another fic idea, Tim and Lucy acting as bait in her home? And I know there's been a good few, but I need more hotel fics of everyone hiding out there or going there at the end of 5x22. I need more comfort fics after the ambush, or in the build-up before it. Fic prompt idea, what if they didn't abort before that door was opened and the trap triggered? Obviously no MCD, just think of the Chenford angst of being caught in a bomb or trapped in that building. Lucy's little glances with Tim. Wopez baby, my heart. Tim's smile. Give this man a baby, please. Just to hold. Damn right Lucy's not going on her own. I know you can handle yourself, Lucy, but no way you're going on your own during this crisis. Also guys stop flirting as you're entering this hell building. I mean don't stop.

Oh god this scene gives me heart troubles every time. It's such a good scene, aside from the fact they're not shooting at their legs. But otherwise it's such a brilliant scene. Our power couple just being so badass, protecting each other. Tim saying he'll hold them off, which is certain death, and Lucy instantly giving him a look of 'screw that'. And the way Tim doesn't fight back. He knows she's right and he knows she won't leave him. How in sync they are during this whole fight but especially at the start. Lucy and that shield! Tim practically dragging her up the stairs and then pushing her. He has to keep her safe. He knows she's capable but he cannot lose her. And god how small Lucy looks when that attacker has his hands around her throat. How terrified she looks. Because she can't die here and she can't leave Tim on his own to face them all. How desperate Tim is to get to her. How he just grabs her entirely and pushes her ahead of him, supporting her and guarding her. And he of course forgets all of his cop instincts and rules because he has to keep her safe. There was a gorgeous fic I read and again, I can't remember by who, but saying she was his hands and he was her eyes. Tim looks so terrified when that door opens, because he knows he can't do anything to protect them. He hasn't got any ammo and he can't reach a weapon because he has her. And Lucy holding that gun up in desperation, trying to protect them both.

And Tim still doens't let go of her. He guides her in and onto the stairs. He can't let go of her because holding onto her, even just her vest, is reassuring him that she's still alive. I just adore the power couple protecting each other so much. It's not saying she's weak, we know she's more than capable. But that doesn't mean he won't do everything in his power to keep her safe. You protect the people you love, regardless of how well they can protect themselves.

I know it was too fast paced but god I would've killed to see them just have a moment together on the stairway. Reassuring each other they'd okay. Touching faces, hands. Forehead touches. Head kisses. Anything. We still have that contact between them, but no way Tim is not holding onto her for more than a second. She's not leaving his sight and he's not leaving hers, so they're both going after Moran. The little look between Lucy and Tim. I need so much more comfort fic set after this episode.

God this really is such a brilliantly done episode. The music, the shots. It's all done so well. It's just a shame it didn't really lead anywhere much in S6.

[platinum-iridium]

I’m the same about not really wanting old characters back. The franchise either squanders it, uses them to cheaply reveal some random trauma or does a full character if not actual assassination. Like as much as I miss Alex and want to see her and Liv gayly interact, I know it’ll be some bullshit. What they need to do is let SVU end with a high tension season where some OGs brutally die and switch up the current cast of L&O. I liked the new Lieutenant, but they need to bring back Van Buren instead of this white lady they’ve added. Also murder Nolan and Sam viciously & replace them with actors who are actually alive. Then make Baxter more insidious. I’ve only known him as Kerry Washington’s man but he’s got a dark energy in this show and they should capitalize on it. Make me not know WTF he’s going to say. Shake things up. Same with the partners Shaw is fine but the yt is a bore would love for him to be killed and replaced with an older white lesbian with a bad attitude lmao. I know the older seasons could be rough race/sex wise but I feel like they don’t gaf about writing nuance like anymore instead ur identity automatically slots you into a ‘side’ so to speak. An older female who isn’t Benson and isn’t trying to get on her good side would be refreshing. Curry had promise on SVU (hers and Benson’s first scene was so flirty they got me lol) but it seems they’ve pushed her and the other one back to make Benson front and center as usual which is a shame

ur soooo right. the franchise is on a downwards spiral but i'mma be on this ride til the wheels fall off

Since they decided to all in on the liv and elliot show again svu has been dragging for me. ofc i love olivia but it feel like the showrunners are invested in changing that. they need to bring back being a true ensemble cast cause if i have to watch olivia and elliott do that bullshit for another whole season with no one else to break it up it's gonna piss me off. like i never really loved rollins but her background mess was so fun lmfao like her coming in hungover off gambling nights? that was good shit. the only thing i need to see is olivia reconcile with barba. that's the only subplot i'm invested in. i enjoy elliott's mess too but how much can we watch the man struggle with ptsd and his own inability to express his emotions. like please it's been 25 years. i did like that brief moment where they had the new team members. i could do with or without velasco but i liked muncy and churlish. i do also like bruno. the introduction of curry irritated me from the jump because wdym she's a captain but she just admires olivia benson so much she'll basically take a demotion to work for her? i think i would've hated it less if she wasn't a black woman but it's no way a black woman worked her way up to captain in the damn nypd and then decided to do that. like wtf. (they did also get my ass with that restaurant (?) scene lmfaoo i was definitely sat up for that part. i feel like they're not gonna give her a bi awakening at this point but they need to turn that shit down then) i liked her though. i like bruno too. they need to get rid of that other lady though.

yeah current cast on law and order is not hitting at all for me. literally shaw is the only one i like. his new partner is boring. they could replace the ADAs with pretty lamps. baxter definitely had off vibes. i could see them doing something fun with that. i watched scandal after he appeared on law and order but i hated him in that. like i was trying to see what people think is so attractive but i think they're letting kerry's fineness give them rose colored glasses bc wtf. i can't get past the no eyebrows. and the writing is extra trash lmao. it gives like twitter hot takes sometimes. they need to be banned from socials.

[theroseses]

All of this. It was, in my view, completely unnecessary. If Brady Corbet truly wanted Hungarian accents that were that precise, he should've hired Hungarian actors. Corbet used to be so against this kind of shit (regarding CGI, obviously) yet this is okay? I wouldn't care if it was used for background work (I do remember how everyone thought CGI actors would replace the real thing. It didn't happen) but tweaking an actor's WORK is going into territory that I don't like to see cinema walking down.

Cinema has been cheapened to a point that people don't think of it as anything special - outside of certain directors like Nolan. He made millions just re-releasing his work on IMAX. Cinema was and is special to me and it's sad to watch the dismantling of it like this.

As you say, people spend years mastering directing, editing, cinematography, and acting. All of it is the result of true blood, sweat, and tears. And to just take all of that away for AI is horribly insulting.

Tarantino put it best recently: what even is a movie anymore? It's something onscreen for two weeks then shoved onto tv. There was a time when it took half a year before a film got to sky/pay per view. That's why we went back repeatedly to see great films.

IMAX is maybe the one thing that might keep traditional cinema alive, and I hope that means more might be built, so there's one IMAX cinema near me. They, at least, still have an event feel to it.

But where doest that leave indie films? I don't think I'll like the answer.

as someone who studied cinema, my opinion is that the issue with the ai usage in the brutalist isn’t the entire problem. it was used on an arguably small portion of the film to design the buildings and alter adrien brody’s hungarian accent.

however!

the main issue i have is that the ai usage sets a dangerous precedent for films in the future, right now ai is used to make a few tweaks here and there, but then one day it will be to adjust half the components, and then nearly the entire film, so where is the line drawn? in my belief, ai has no place in cinema as it blatant disregard to the true artists and the integrity of film. the ai usage in the brutalist and the awards it won placesa harmful criterion for films in the future.

furthermore, the adjustments didn’t need to be done with ai and could have been done with talent. cillian murphy learned dutch for a two minute scene on oppenheimer, but adrien brody gets to take the easy route and adjust his accent with ai? the whole film is surrounded on the idea of architecture and yet they used ai to generate the ideas for the buildings, do you think wes anderson used ai for his beautiful cinematography? ai usage in cinema is lazy and disrespectful to those who spent years mastering their craft, there is no way to debate against that.

(also not to mention adrien brody is problematic and strange as hell but that’s an essay for another day)

[anurst]

Girl Bradshaw

Summary: Bradley vs Jensen. Maybe Bradley finally comes to understand how much his actions hurt you.

Pairing(s): Jake Seresin x (fem)(bradshaw) reader

Warning(s): language, alcohol, angst, mentions of estranged family

A/n: I'm back! Thank you so much for waiting :) this chapter is a little short but the next ones will be longer :>

Part 8: Through his eyes

It was Bradley’s idea that your parents kept the 'i' in your name. Brady was too similar to his name. “There can only be one Brad Brad,” was his reasoning. So, your parents went with Braidy.

Bradley was always important in your life. As kids, he played the big brother role to the fullest he could. He’d read to you when you were younger, scared off kids that were picking on you, let you wear his extra jersey during his little league games. You were his world back then. His best friend. His baby sister.

So, how could he let everything get as bad as it was? Pete’s betrayal had hurt him, and in return he had hurt you when you made it clear that you still wanted Pete in your life after he pulled Bradley's paper.

“Bradley, just talk to her,” Pete sighed, his fingers pinching the bridge between his eyes. Bradley rolled his at the older man and huffed.

“She doesn’t want to! She said so herself! She wants to talk to everyone else except me,” he grumbled. His shoulders were tense and a hand ran through his hair. The sounds of people in the background laughing and drinking did little to make him feel better. It was like within this whole world, he was the only miserable person that existed.

It didn't make him feel any better knowing you were out on a date with Jake of all people. Seriously, you could have picked anyone else, but no. You were out eating dinner, probably having a good time, with Jake. Their relationship had definitely improved since the uranium mission, but sill. You were Bradley's sister and he wanted Jake nowhere near you. Bradley's known Jake long enough to know his ways with women.

The familiar sounds of laughter caught his attention as he and Pete turned around to see the rest of the ghost team walk into the Gunny. Sighing softly, Pete gave him a gentle pat on the back as he started making his way towards Nolan.

"Zack!" Jensen's loud, cheery voice caught Bradley's attention as he glared at the man. Your close relationship with the man brought him nothing but envy as he chugged the rest of his beer. He could feel the alcohol running through his body, and a small part of him told him to stay in his seat. The same part told him that if he were to do what he was thinking, then there was no way in hell your relationship would improve. Biting his lip, Bradley let a deep sigh before he was startled by Jensen's voice. "Hey. Bradley, right?"

'Shit.'

"Yeah. Uh–Kay, right?" Jensen nodded his head and stuck his hand out as Bradley took it. His eyes shifted towards Bradley's empty beer and gave him a stiff smile.

"Jensen's fine. We're not at work. You mind if I ask you a couple questions about your buddy, Jake?" Bradley could feel his chest tightened and nodded. Jensen sat next to him and took a quick sip of his drink. "Is he a good guy? I don't mean any disrespect. I'm just looking out for (y/n)."

Bradley's eyebrows furrowed at the use of your middle name. Hearing people call you anything besides the name he choose, filled him with bitterness. His tongue ran over his lips as his fists tightened. "Hangman's alright, I guess."

"You guess?" Jensen asked, leaning forward, his eyes starting to fill with worry.

Bradley shrugged at his words, "I mean, he's better than he used to be."

"Would you let him go out with (y/n)?"

"I trust him with my life."

"But, do you trust him with (y/n)?"

"Her fucking name is Braidy," Bradley scoffed. Jensen clicked his tongue and let out a breathy chuckle.

"Right. Look, I don't want any fucking problems, but if you want to be ass, then fine. I just wanted to know if Jake's a good guy because (y/n) doesn't need more baggage from you." Rising from his seat, Bradley towered over Jensen as he glared.

"The fuck does that mean?"

"You know exactly what it means," Jensen paused to rise to his feet as well. He only stood two inches taller than Bradley. "Where were you when she was on in the hospital? She was in a fucking coma for three weeks and you never showed. Not only that, but you're stationed 45 minutes away and never bothered to visit."

"Jensen! Enough!" Amy's voice cut in as she took a hold of Jensen's arm. His eyes never left Bradley and only scoffed as he felt Ethan place a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't make trouble for her," Ethan spoke from beside him and Jensen let out a huff. Letting Amy drag him away towards their table, Jensen could feel the weight of Bradley's glare.

Shifting his gaze from Jensen to Ethan, Bradley just sighed. Ethan bit his lip and sat down in Jensen's seat. Swallowing, Bradley lowered into his own seat and intertwined his fingers. "Jensen means well. He's just protective of (y/n)."

"Will everyone stop fucking calling her that? It's not her name. Braidy. That's her name."

"She doesn't want people calling her that because it reminds her of you." Bradley's eyes widened as he turned to look at Ethan. Sighing, Ethan's rested his cheek in the palm of his hand. "Braidy's the name she had when she was your sister."

"She still is my sister," Bradley seethed, his anger intensifying at Ethan's words.

"She doesn't see it that way. To her, you're the dickhead that hurt her. The guy who turned his back on her. You were her only family, and you chose to leave."

Silence followed as Bradley let Ethan's words sink in. It's not like it's the first time he's heard someone tell him that he turned his back on you. When he told Natasha everything, she threatened to rip his head off. But, hearing it from someone close to you, just felt different. To you, Bradley had done the unforgivable and turned his back on you. He had left you alone after the two of you lost all your parents. He finally understood your desire to not be called Braidy was because it simply remind you of the worst event that happened to you–him.

Braidy was a version of you that lost all of her family. Her parents dead, the man who was like her dad gone, and her brother accusing her of betrayal. Meanwhile, (y/n) was successful. She had found her family and was doing something she loved. She was living her best life in Oceanside.

"How do I fix it?" Ethan smiled and pat Bradley on the back.

"You've got to figure that out yourself, bud. Afterall, you said she's your sister. You know her in a way we don't."

Taglist: @potato-girl99981 @callsign-cacti @caitsymichelle13 @darhk-angel @madkill44 @cherrycola27 @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @clockworkballerina @krismdavis @phantomxoxo @piceous21 @laneyspaulding19 @multifandomfangirll @moron-says-what @rhirhikingston @startrekfangirl2233 @mightiestheroes @gizmodear @meritxellao @adaydreamaway

[teecupangel]

Hi, I don't know if you know call of duty : modern warfare 1 and 2 but this been brainrotting me cos just imagine Desmond ending up enlisted in the millitary by some weird chance (like an undercovered mission after surviving from the Temple) and gets promoted really quick and somehow got to be got selected to be in task force 141 (they're SAS) and Desmond is like how the fuck I got selected? And everyone is like newbies doesn't take down very muscular soldiers four times their size easily and can walk silently on their feet. I also see him like some hot twink in the millitary because of Ezio charisma from his bleeds or maybe in an intimidating mysterious character because of the scar. I hope I didn't annoy you with this and btw I love your assassin's creed Ao3 works and would reread Yew Branches series and The White Aster of Masyaf 🥰❤

Hi nonny!

(Thank you! I'm so happy that the Yew Branches series and the White Aster of Masyaf so good that you would reread them and I would never be annoyed. I love getting asks of any kind and asks that makes me write plot are so fun to do ^w^)

So... My father and I play the campaign modes of all the COD games I can get my hands on for cheap XD (I have a soft spot for Advanced Warfare because the controls reminds me of Titantall 2 which is my favorite fps... next to Metro Last Light)

Unfortunately, this means that I haven’t played the reboot MW yet as I’m still waiting for them to go really cheap. :(

The OG MW Trilogy is my favorite COD campaign story though and I’ve seen some scenes so I have a vague idea of the plot of the reboot.

Anyway, let’s talk about how we can make this COD:MW x AC crossover work!

Of course, it will be set in Modern Day but that includes having all those advanced securities and other techs. Not to mention that military-grade tech is usually years ahead of the tech available to the public so it would be very risky for Desmond to falsify his records even if this was a joint Assassin-Erudito mission. Not just because of the army itself but also because Abstergo has got to have an ally or a plant there somewhere.

There is also that little thing with Abstergo posting his photos everywhere and going “have you seen this man?” but we’ll get back to that later.

I did briefly consider the idea of making this about Desmond joining the US army instead of becoming a bartender (maybe even going by the name 'Johnson' hmmmm?) but that wouldn't work since all those medical checkups would have flagged him immediately.

However…

A lot of military personnel having missions on foreign soil usually have a translator with them. Not only that, these translators are usually locals and, depending on the urgency and priority of the mission, background checks of translators could be spotty at times.

Enter Desmond using the fake id of one Eddie Richtofen (who is voiced by Nolan North in COD).

Now, in this setup, the mission has to be somewhere his Bleeds could help. This means a mission that needs a translator fluent in Italian, Arabic, or French. He’ll join as a translator for a ‘run in the mill’ job being conducted by the US Army, specifically by the US Army Rangers, 1st Battalion, 75th Regiment, Hunter 2-1 with Sergeant Foley and Private Ramirez.

They’re a special task force but this was meant to be one of the easy ones. Just a search and retrieve operation. Unfortunately, intel is too barebone so they have Desmond act as their translator when they need to talk to locals. Desmond was just there to confirm if there have been local Templar activities in the area and tagged along to make it easier to do recon.

Shit goes straight to the fan almost immediately because Desmond realizes all the locals they’re talking to are red. He and Ramirez have a kind of budding friendship going on because Desmond feels a kindred spirit for the quiet Ramirez who keeps getting ordered to do shit so he talks to Ramirez about it. Not about the Eagle Vision itself but about how something is just off with these locals. Something’s not right and all Desmond has is his guts.

Ramirez believes him because Desmond hasn’t lied to them and he gets Foley and the rest to be cautious.

That saves them when they get ambushed and the locals turn out to be an extremist group.

Things turned into a fucking shitstorm when the target they were sent to retrieve turns out to be a POE that is now hooked into this metal chamber and is emitting off the chart energy reading.

They have to retreat without retrieving the target because the extremists got reinforcement and Ramirez and Desmond get caught in a blast that sends them flying. Just as five men are about to shoot them, all five men dropped to the ground.

Desmond tries to get up but stops because he’s pretty sure he just broke a rib (or three) and sees three men quickly getting to their position. One of them knelt just ahead of them, semiautomatic aimed in front of them while the other two knelt next to Desmond and Ramirez.

The man next to Desmond wearing a tactical vest over a short sleeved black shirt informed calmly into the small radio strapped to his vest, “Bravo 7-1 to Bravo 0-6. We found two of the Americans.”

“Good work, Soap. Bring them in.”

“Roger that.”

And that’s when Desmond blacks out.

.

.

When Desmond wakes up, he’s now on a military base and he and Ramirez get debriefed about what just happened.

Long story short, Task Force 141 received more information about the POE (codename ‘Soma’) and they believe it’s being transported to Makarov who is their main target.

They still have no idea what ‘Soma’ is meant to do but those energy readings they had retrieved from Ramirez had given them an idea that it could be used to power something.

Or, worse, be used to cause a country-ending explosion.

Whatever Soma is meant to do, they must find it and intercept it before it could get to Makarov.

Of course, because there were American casualties, this has now become a joint mission between the US Army and SAS.

Taskforce 141 will be leading the operations and Ramirez gets drafted to join them as part of the whole ‘joint mission’ thing. Desmond gets roped in because they saw how he managed to take out many of the extremists with freaking knife throws and how everyone had a hard time seeing him as he stealth his way to taking out the extremists.

Of course, Desmond’s whole situation as part of the mission is iffy even when they received orders to take him in from the higher ups but someone Captain Price trusts vouches for him.

Captain MacMillan who may or may not be an Assassin who knows Bill Miles or may just be an ally of the Assassins. All Desmond knows is that MacMillan vouched for him with a “He’s my friend’s estranged son. Good man, terrible father. Kid went world-hopping to get away from his bastard of a father when he was sixteen.”

Not only that, this whole joint mission was scrambled together in a hurry and it was not helped by the fact that they need to find and retrieve Soma before it reaches Makarov so the Assassins were able to cobble together Desmond’s cover story and they had helped from the higher-ups in the US to make it all legit.

So Desmond Miles is now a military kid with a retired father who have all his missions classified. He’s now using his real name because the Assassins weren’t exactly that smart and they were on a time crunch too.

His world-hopping turned to him joining a secret task force (which may or may not have been implied to be the CIA) and the whole ‘terrorist thing’ was a way to get him some ‘street-cred’ so he could go undercover and infiltrate a secret terrorist group.

“Wait, if you were undercover since 2012, why are you now pretending to be a translator?” Soap asked with a slight frown.

“Mission was done.” Desmond shrugged, “Got a new mission. My handlers told me this translator job would be a good way to ease me back into the field.”

“And now you’re part of a joint task force under stressful time pressure. Wow, mate. Your luck sucks.”

“Yeah… it’s like the world hates me.”

.

.

.

Unorganized Notes:

Soap, Ramirez, and Desmond are usually called the three stooges and they get roped into doing tasks together a lot during missions.

Desmond’s Haytham Bleed once slips and he starts speaking in his posh British accent when he gets into an argument with a member of Shadow Company, after that Gaz starts teasing him and calling him ‘milord’ much to his chagrin.

141 starts making bets on what is Desmond’s actual nationality. Haytham’s Bleed has Gaz firmly believe that Desmond is from old money (like all boys boarding school trust fund baby type) and is a British pretending to be an American. Soap thinks he’s European, probably Italian or French. Ghost didn’t want to join in but Soap is persistent so fuck it. He picks Middle Eastern because he once heard Desmond speak Arabic and Ghost just knows that accent is Syrian. (“How do you know his accent is Syrian?” “I just know.” “That’s not an answer, LT.”)

They meet up with Alejandro and Rudy later on because they believe Soma is traveling to Mexico and all of 141 loses it when they learn Desmond speaks Spanish (thanks to Ezio traveling to Spain for a bit)

Because of Desmond’s secretive past, his ability to turn anything into a weapon (even a freaking spoon), being a polygot, being very quick on his feet but staying quiet even when he’s holding a grenade launcher of all things, everyone is pretty sure he’s CIA.

Desmond’s unofficial nickname is ‘Spooks’ because they believe he’s CIA and he has a habit of making people jump whenever he’s suddenly next to them and they didn’t even hear him.

I don’t like how they made Shepherd into a typical corrupt military commander in the reboot so we’re sticking with OG Shepherd’s personality in this idea…………… this does mean that he has a more drastic plan for the future though

Speaking of Shepherd, Shepherd is an Assassin in this one. To be more precise, he’s the Bellec type of Assassin.

Captain Price has an idea of what the Assassins and Templars are but he’s not fully in the know. However, he does know Berg because he once had a mission with him back when Berg was part of the Finnish Special Forces (and Berg’s name was part of the shortlist for 141 members, he was removed when Price learned of his Abstergo affiliations)

Speaking of: Kate Laswell has been secretly looking into Abstergo but she’s been hitting brick walls and she’s sure it’s because someone in Abstergo is on to her. Since she’s CIA, she doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty and she’s been secretly colluding with Erudito to gain more intel on Abstergo. She doesn’t know about the Assassins yet but she’s sure that this little favor of helping Desmond be a CIA operative (with possible deniability of course) means that Desmond is part of Erudito and that Soma is connected to Abstergo.

Both Kate and Shepherd prepared different backstories for Desmond and both of them didn’t know about the other’s plans until Desmond was already noted to be a military kid turned CIA operative with missions filled with so many black lines it would have been easier to just leave full black papers on his files instead. That was… an awkward conversation to have.

Desmond is on his own because it's too risky to stay in contact with Shaun and Rebecca. However, Shaun and Rebecca leave messages that Desmond could only find if he uses his Eagle Vision in the army bases they're sure Desmond would stop by (thanks to Kate's intel). One of them leads to a box that has Desmond's hidden blade.

Captain Price may or may not have Eagle Vision. Desmond isn't sure yet.

[cs-and-bellarke]

CS FF: The Hilltop

Ao3, FF

Background:

 Killian Jones (26) comes to the states looking for a new start in StoryBrooke Main, he finds a hilltop to find peace in his messed up life.

Emma Swan (24) comes back home after moving to New York with her brother James and her Friends Robin and Regina, she goes back to the hilltop that she has always gone to when she meets the man she talked to when looking for her brother David. 

Killian’s P.O.V

Being new in a small town is a bit strange because everybody knows everybody except you and you don’t know anything about anything, when I moved to StoryBrook Main I did it to start fresh, to get away from my problems and maybe make new friends and everything. I live in a 1 bedroom apartment and I just moved here 2 weeks ago, I work as a police deputy and the shariff seems to be okay with me thank god.

I go into work and I see David on the phone and when he gets off the phone he has the biggest smile on his face that I have ever seen. “Should I ask what you are smiling about?” I asked him.

“My sister is coming back into town and she has some news for me but she will not tell me over the phone” he says.

“Wait a minute...you have a sister?”

“Yes and don’t get any ideas”

“Wasn’t planning to...how old is she?” 

“She’s 23, and she used to live here but she moved and now she is coming to visit, I would like you to meet her”

“You would?” I asked him unsure if he was being serious or not.

“Yeah why not” he asks.

Okay one finding out that my only friend here in StoryBrook has a sister and my boss is one thing but him wanting me to meet her is another, why does he want me to meet his sister...I don’t get it but I am not going to argue with him. 

*A week later*

I am doing paperwork and a beautiful blonde goddess walks into the station.

“Can I help you with something?” I asked her.

“Yes, is David Nolan here?” she asked.

“No he’s on his lunch break, want to leave him a message?”

“No I know where he is, thank you”

She leaves and I am just sitting there wondering who the fuck was that and how the hell can I talk to her.

Emma’s P.O.V

I go down to granny’s where my brother is having lunch, I came to see him a week early because I am moving back here and I needed to be here for when my stuff got here. When I went to see if he was at work and the man who asked if I needed help was hot as shit, like where the hell has he been all my life and how to I get one.

I sat in David's booth and it took him a minute to notice I was there but then “Emma what are you doing here, you’re not supposed to be here for another week?” he says.

“I know but I came early” I say to him.

“So what was it you wanted to tell me”

“I’ll tell you later, you have to get back to work”

“Fine but I am holding you to that”

He leaves and I go down to my hilltop that I have been going to since I was in high school, it’s so peaceful and it gives me time to just think. When I get there I see that it hasn’t changed, no one knows that I came here, not even David. All of the sudden I felt someone behind me and when I turned around it was the man from the station.

“Hey it’s you” I say to him.

“And it’s you,” he says.

“How do you know about this place?”

“I was hiking one day and found it, you?”

“I’ve been coming here since I was in high school”

“Oh so you’re from here?”

“Yeah, but I am just now moving back, I’m Emma by the way Emma Swan” I tell him.

“Killian Jones” he says with a smile. “It’s peaceful here” he says out of nowhere.

“It is, it gives me a chance to think...are you new in town?”

“Yeah, I move here about 2 weeks ago”

“How are you liking our little town”

“I like it but I only have one friend”

“Make it 2, I’ve gotta go but I’ll see ya around Jones” I say to him then I leave.

It is so hard not to stare at him but I tried my best not to, he seems so sweet and I know that he will be a good “friend”. 2 of my friends are moving here with me from New York and I am happy about it, they have been there for me when I have needed them most. Robin I have known since I was 5 and Regina I met in high school. 

I went to David’s and he wasn’t home yet so I got Granny’s to go and waited for David to return...when he got home he looked tired and I knew that he was. “So what did you want to tell me?” he asks.

“Well...you know how you’ve been wanting me to come back?” I asked him.

“Yeah”

“Well, me, Robin, and Regina are moving back to StoryBrook”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah” 

He smiles and hugs me, I am glad he is happy that I am moving here and I am glad that I am moving here.

Killian’s P.O.V *1 week later*

It’s been a week since Emma fully moved back to StoryBrook and I found out a couple days ago that she was David’s sister. I have met Emma on the hilltop every day since the first time and we sit and talk and I’m becoming a closer friend to her then I am with David and I know that she is his sister so have no chance with her without him going nuts. I would love to take her out and give her everything that she has ever wanted but I can’t not only because of David but because she has become my friend and I don’t want to ruin that even though part of me does.

Emma started her new job at the high school as an English teacher and I heard that she got Belle and Gold's son who runs the high school, Gold is mayor of StoryBrook and he does a good job for the most part so that's good I guess. I have learned a lot about Emma and I also know that her and David are not related because his mom adopted her when she was 6 because Ruth couldn’t have a daughter but she did have 2 boys, David and James and they don’t get along but I guess Emma was living with James in New York and David doesn’t know about it. She is closer with James then David but she came back because she missed her brother, yea she will miss James but she thought it was time for a change.

I haven’t really told her about my family because it’s complicated and I don’t want to drag her down that hle of a mess called my family, maybe one day I will tell her but not right now at least. Almost every day I see her at the hilltop and every time I see her my heart skips a beat because she is so sweet and so beautiful and I am very attracted to her. Nothing can happen though because one her brother would kill me and make it look like an accident and two because I don’t believe she finds any attraction towards me.

“Hey Swan” I say to her as I arrive at the hilltop.

“Hey Jones, what’s up?” she asks. Yeah she calls me Jones when I call her Swan.

“Nothin, just got off of work, how was work for ya” 

“It was okay, teaching high school students is fun but tiring but coming here makes my day a bit better”

When she said coming here made her day better it made my heart flutter, yeah I know she wasn’t talking about me but part of me wanted to think it was. “Yeah, kinda wish I grew up out here” I say to her.

“Where did you grow up?” she asks.

“Ireland, with my brother”

“You have a brother?”

“Yeah, we stopped talking last year, I am all I go I guess other then you and David of course”

“I’m sorry to hear that, sometimes family sucks...having your brothers hate each other growing up was hard. Don’t tell David this but James was always my favorite because he wasn’t overprotective like David was and is. James would let me do more things, when he was invited to a high school party he would let me go with him but when David found out hell broke loose”

“He was just trying to protect you,” I told her.

“I know but as a young teen I thought he was just being a jackass because I liked spending more time with James then him, but that wasn’t true” she says.

She’s opening up to me more than I am with her and when I told her a tiny bit about my brother I think she knew not to push so she didn’t, it’s hard to open up about my family but I think I am going to. God she is so beautiful and any man will be lucky to have her.

“Why don’t you talk about your family?” she asks.

“It’s complicated”

“Don’t pull that, I know complicated , trust me. I was adopted when I was 13 but my parents didn’t care enough for me to drop me off at a police station no they left me on the side of the highway like a piece of trash, so I know complicated...my life is complicated but you can trust me”

“Where do you want me to start?”

“The beginning”

“Well my mother died when she gave birth to me and I think my father blamed me for it my entire life, my father left when my brother Liam turned 16, I was 13.  We were homeless for about 2 years then he continued to raise me as I finished high school. When I was about 24 my brother found someone he really loved but when I wouldn’t come to work with him he got mad, but I didn’t care because I was almost done with the academy. When Liam got engaged, he changed and he was trying to control me, make me be like him...after his wedding our father came back and he forgave him, he forgave the man who left his sons to defend on their own when they were just children and Liam wanted me to forgive him too but when I wouldn’t he told me I was being childish and I should forgive the man who ‘gave us life’. He didn’t give us life our mother did, my father is just a coward and one thing I didn’t tell my brother was when we were younger my father would wait till Liam went to bed to tell me the reason my mother was dead was because I was born and then he would hit until I passed out. Liam would ask about the marks but I just told him I fell and we moved on. I love my brother but I can’t have someone in my life who can forgive the man who left us like we didn’t even matter, because to my father we didn’t matter, I can’t have someone in my life who thinks what my father did was okay and that can forgive him for what he has done” I explain to her.

She says nothing and just tackles me with a bear hug, I of course hug her back and bury my face in her hair. We hug for like 5 minutes and then she pulls away and I can see tears in her eyes, I wipe the tears off her face with my thumb and she smiles.

“How could you leave your children like that...I’m so sorry, what your father did was not right, but your brother doesn’t know everything your father did” she says.

“Yeah but he still forgives him for leaving us on the streets”

“I get it, I do but I wouldn’t know what to do without my brothers” 

“I don’t know what to do without him but I have to learn”

“Well you have me, so it’s a start” she says with a smile as she grabs my hand.

“Yeah it is, thank you” I say to her as I pull her into a hug.

Emma’s P.O.V

We sat there just looking at each other after he told me pretty much his whole childhood, god he has really beautiful eyes and right now all I want to do is kiss him. He pulled me into a hug and he smelled like the ocean and...home, we pulled apart and he rests his hand on my cheek and he moves his thumb back and forth across my cheek. 

We stare at each other and he has this look and I have no idea what it means but then he starts to lean in and I didn’t stop myself from leaning in either, then our lips met and when they did electricity went through my body. Thank god for the hilltop.

[marzipanilla]

RAGE ! heh. yah.

To just veer off bc I have been rewatching this channels stuff lately - Batman stuff ! (x)

On to the rambles.

Yeah it just felt like every single character came out of the woodwork JUST to say 'wink wink nudge nudge we KNEW you two crazy kids would figure it out eventually!' and ?? why ??? why ?? why did you feel the need for their EXES specifically to give them the go ahead, to even shove them towards it even?? I just ?? surely they have other shit to talk about? Not to mention Rex and Eve's we are traumatized teens bonding was way more interesting then their very shitty romance!

I hate the fucking while I was dying I was thinking of you line too. Yes Mark. When you are panicking and freaked out, clearly that is when your mind is most clear. please. dear god. amid the ethics courses you should have been taking, a few ones about psychology and trauma response would also be good, yes?

lol Hannibal. Yeah. I agree. I love Mads' interview where he like Hannibal is the happiest man I have ever portrayed : ) and its like. he's right tho. That man IS having the time of his life and his falling in love, he is having a GREAT time. beautiful show. need to rewatch it soon.

I was talking to someone else and they compared the whole Eve and her parents situation to 'I wont be gay in the house but you can't stop me from being gay outside' and like. ugh. it really is tho. WHY are you still there. WHY are you so determined to make THESE people your family. You know you were (unknowingly adopted) they AREN'T your only option anymore. You aren't 12. You had TT ! (supposedly) You have NEW friends now!! Stop going back to these people!!

The UTTERLY SILENT (I do like the choice but it is also funny that all that happens is literally without a voice) and completely undiscussed by the main 'moral' force of the show maybe villains have REASONS for what they do opening ??? yeah it was great but it also feels so 'lol look at whats going on in the background! no one will ever realize how complex these situations can be!!' anyway here's Oliver being fucking stupid.

Like yeah, I loved the GoG breakdown/breakup in ep 3, as like a we all need to discuss autonomy and accountability and the messed up world we live and people are both right and wrong- but any of the personal-ness to it is ABSENT bc again.. we have rarely seen these people do anything. Stop calling them your family Samson! NONE of you know each other !! Also him calling out Rudy for playing the odds and then acting like he's all fond of him is wild. Amanda being so thrilled this 19 year old girl is marrying her boss is insane. AND Immortal just invited his own ass back, that shit is hilarious. You know that fucker would make anyone asking to come back jump through hoops.

I have played a bit with the idea of danger blind Debbie and it just.. it makes enough sense to me. Her response to terrible shit happening just being like 'well this is annoying : /' while everyone else is freaking out. I feel like Nolan would have been like ??? squishy human not afraid ??? and Debbie's response like ?? you think you're special bc you can kill me?? literally anything could kill me ! Why should I be afraid of you just bc you're fast and strong? A slow person with an air filled needle could get me !! and Nolan just having to be like : / Okay. I guess I see your point.

Look I find the over all narrative and some of the characters fascinating enough that I WANT to engage with and talk about this media, but honestly, I am such a hater and I don't even try not to be xD Invincible is my BUT YOU COULD BE GOOD IF YOU WERE GOOD fandom fr. 'star wars would be great if it wasn't star wars' is a thing I've seen half-jokingly get thrown around and for me its 'Invincible could be good if they weren't adhering it to the comic' lol

TBH I started a 'Cecil basically becomes Mark's parental figure' story that would take place in my Liar Liar/Man Who Played Wolf AU, but I ended up disliking it so I never really went back to salvage it. Maybe I just need to refocus and honestly just make it about Cecil : /

Honestly given a number of the dumb things the GDA gets up to I wonder how good they are at strategizing lol Like.. I really hoped they would leave out the 'we knew Nolan was lying FROM THE START!' thing, bc.. okay... he's a viltrumite. You have only just recently barely found anything that could hurt them... but... like... 20 years on the planet... and not only did you find nothing you didn't WARN anyone ? like ? where's the contingencies ??? Also I will never get over them not giving that astronaut a medical check up, just so he could go puke up more aliens into his sink. Sometimes I also think they deliberately prevent heroes from getting access to education bc the moment one of those fuckers learns how to strategize then you're ACTUALLY fucked, bc they really do make some dumb decisions in battles. constantly.

Yapping bug ! time for the yappings !!

While I'm not too familiar with the DCU- your batfam meta posts are intiguing- so in transfering some of the broader strokes from them- I think you tackling a 'Mark isn't Nolan's biological son' fic would be fascinating. Sort of a step to the side of the 'what if Mark never got his powers' fic that sometimes pop up in the fandom

OOOOOO chewing on this currently, hm, the much a distinct flavor of exactly what you’re talking about, but the potential for more family drama depending on WHO knows. Does Mark know?? Is he waiting every day only to be crushed? Does he confused non-Debbie features with Nolan’s? I suppose I’m not the most enthusiastic about non-power AUs, but I think there’s something very fun to explore about Mark having to settle with, if he knows all his life, he will never have powers? I think the trajectory of his dreams will obviously shift, I can see him still having that distinct fatherly idolization, but perhaps embraces being useful to the GDA? Cecil’s number one intern—only intern—curtesy of nepotism, ha! There is something tickling me about Mark taking the Robin Route/Role for the Teen Team in terms of having no powers, just insane skills, BUT there’s something way more delicious about intern Mark when s1e01 happens and Mark tries snooping around to find out the truth about what happened to his Dad.

I wonder if, with Mark having a whole another father, if they’re more or less distant relationship, depending on WHEN Nolan entered Mark’s life? Like if Debbie met Nolan later for this, or just for fun, they dated once, separated (Mark being born during then), then they happened to stumble into each others lives again and Mark’s already been born, anywhere from tween to teenager so there’s a gap in how close they are. I feel like one important aspect of the whole Family Drama is how close they’re supposed to be, a functional, loving family turned upside down? So I wonder what more distance does. I wonder how Nolan copes when his family is entirely human and he can’t project onto Mark.

I love thinking about these, omg.

[doomedship]

In hindsight I would have much preferred them to have had Lucy off doing a UC stint from episodes 2-9, ignoring her grief over Jackson by throwing herself into becoming another person, even if it meant no Chenford scenes, because then she'd have had her own arc and would have grown as a character and been challenged, made her own choices and mistakes, had her own successes, and would've had to eventually face her grief, and she and Tim could have reunited after the hiatus. Now it's too late.

Yeah, this sounds much better to me, and I'm someone who never had any affection for the UC storyline.

I felt her obsession with going UC the first time was ooc but turns out it was nothing on what was about to happen to Lucy. She at least was shown to be a capable, independent police officer with her own plotlines and who wasn't a complete joke last season.

It's not technically too late - if they wanted to they could still probably salvage this with some deliberate writing.

Imagine a scene where Lucy's done something really stupid, really dangerous, all because she's trying to one up Tim:

Tim: [pulling her aside] What the hell was that? You keep this up and you're not going to make it to one year as a P2, Lucy.

Lucy: [defiant] Right, because you've never made a single mistake before? Do you remember my first month?

[long pause, tense stare]

Tim: What is going on with you lately? You've been acting like this job is a joke.

Lucy: You mean where's perfect, obedient Lucy? Maybe I got tired of being walked all over. Maybe that only gets you screwed.

Tim: [shaking his head like he doesn't recognise her] Okay. You need to start talking. Because this isn't you.

Lucy: [close to breaking point] Yeah, well I'm not surprised, because I don't know who the hell I am anymore.

[another long pause, Tim realises how serious things are, end scene and go to Nolan doing some bs with a chainsaw or whatever]

Then follow up later with another Chenford scene, this time out of uniform in a clearly off-duty, calm setting, Lucy's got tea, she's telling Tim about all the shit she's gone through like Jackson and her parents and feeling alone. We all finally see what everyone has been ignoring while Lucy's been in the background.

And boom! Suddenly unfocused, joking, ooc Lucy makes a little more sense. It's all a defence mechanism while she quietly unravels underneath.

Lol. I'm grasping at straws aren't I.

[hockeyboysimagines]

Say it to me softly

Chapter 2

Thank you so much for the response to the first part! You all are wonderful. Here’s part two, and don’t forget to let me know which story you’d like to see next! Enjoy!

Warnings: mentions of alcohol, mentions of death, some swearing.

By the time they returned to Kevin’s house he and the rest of the team had left and Nolan suspected that they had cleared out to give them some space. He was thankful. He loved his team, but he wanted her to himself for a while before he had to share her with his life in Philadelphia. When he had left after the draft, his closest friends stepped in to fill the void he had left but it wasn’t the same for her. He would do everything in his power to make sure she had him anytime she needed him now that they were together again.

Sawyer was going apartment hunting with him the following evening and although she had offered to stay in a hotel he insisted she spend her first night in Philly with him.

“ It’ll be like old times.” He said.

As kids they were constantly sneaking in and out of the house to hang out way past when they were supposed to be sleeping. They never got caught, but they suspected their parents knew.

“ So how does it feel?”

They were lying on Nolan’s bed, staring up at the fan the tv playing low in the background.

“Feels like I should have done this a long time ago. Winnipeg hasn’t felt the same since you left. And since Delaney.”

Nolan chewed on his lip.

“How are your parents handling you leaving?”

She shrugged “ my mom thinks it’s good for me, dad too especially since your here. But for obvious reasons they’re worried. But they have Kellan to help out with the farm. And I have to go back in a few weeks to get more of my stuff.”

“ How are things otherwise?”

“ Everyone still stares, still whispers. You know.” He nodded sighing “ I do. And that sucks.”

“I miss her.”

Nolan reached down between them and found her hand, wrapping it up in his.

“ I’m sure she’d be proud of you.”

She turned to him and smiled “ Thanks Nols.”

They stayed up talking for hours, catching up on everything they had missed over the course of time they’d been apart. Nolan spoke so easily with her, words flowing freely. She had fallen asleep, exhausted from traveling and Nolan stayed awake listening to the t.v and the sound of her breathing feeling more at peace than he had in a while. He heard the door open and Kevin come in. He eased out of bed, padding across the floor and exiting the room. Kevin was standing at the island going through his mail.

He smiled and gave him a nod “What’s up buddy? Where’s your girl?”

“She’s not my-she’s asleep.”

Kevin chuckled and opened the fridge pulling out a beer and held one up for Nolan but he shook his head.

“Your okay with her being here yeah?”

“Of course. If she needs anything just let me know.”

“Thanks but I think she’s okay. We’re going apartment hunting tomorrow.” He mumbled the last part and Kevin frowned.

“Don’t sound so excited Pat.”

“No it’s not that it’s just. It’s nice having her here is all.” Kevin chuckled, and crossed his arms as he leaned against the counter. Nolan had an expression on his face half annoyed half dreamy eyed, and Kevin suspected both of them had something to do with the girl asleep in his bed.

“When you got drafted is the first time you’ve ever been separated yeah?” He asked

Nolan nodded and sat down on a chair. “Yeah and it was really hard leaving. Probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

“How so?”

Nolan glanced behind him to make sure she hadn’t woken up and come looking for him before turning back to Kevin.

“Sawyer has a bunch of siblings. Her oldest sister Delaney was like 17 and we were 12. It was right after school ended like the first week of summer or something, and I went over to her house like I did every morning. A few hours later her mom calls mine and says that Delaney never came home and they found her car abandoned with all her stuff in it.”

“Holy shit. What happened?”

“They found her body a few days later. It was fucked up man.”

Nolan ran a hand tiredly over his face and then smiled slightly “ We spent that whole summer together her and I. I think that’s when we really became the closest. And we’ve been that way since. She kinda relied on me a lot I think for support, and it was nice being able to be there for her. When I left, I felt really guilty, like I was abandoning her.”

“Damn man that’s. That’s crazy. Did they ever catch who did it?”

Nolan shook his head “No not to this day even. For a long time they weren’t allowed to go anywhere unless it was school or they had some kind of supervision. Sawyer wasn’t allowed to bike to my house anymore, someone had to drive her. She basically became my third sister. My parents loved her, still do so it wasn’t a big deal.”

“And you guys never-“

“No.” Nolan cut him off glancing down at his hands. Kevin sat down leaned over the counter smiling slightly and fixed him with a look.

“What? Nothing has ever happened between us.”

“Just cuz it never happened doesn’t mean you didn’t want it to Pat.”

Nolan felt his cheeks burn and avoided looking at Kevin.

“Listen I get it. She’s beautiful and she’s your best friend. But I’ve never seen you look at another girl the way you look at her. You can lie to yourself buddy but you can’t lie to me.”

“I mean yeah she’s beautiful. I know that. But I don’t think she sees me that way. We’ve always just been friends.”

“Have you ever asked?”

“No.”

“Then how do you know?”

Nolan shrugged and quickly changed the subject and after a few moments of chatting he bid Kevin goodnight and made his way back to his room.

Nolan crawled into bed, careful not to wake her and settled in next to her. Her breath was soft and even. Nolan closed his eyes and smiled, feeling his body relax as sleep began to creep into his mind.

At some point during the early morning hours Nolan began to stir, and in his haze of sleep half awake he realized he wasn’t alone in bed. He then also realized how entangled they were and that his hand had crept up under the back of her hoodie and was resting on the smooth skin of her lower back. His cheeks burned as he eased his hand out from under her shirt praying that she didn’t wake up and got out of bed. He had early morning practice and still needed to shower. He found Kevin in the kitchen waiting for him, and left a note for Sawyer on the counter before leaving, his mind still stuck on the way her skin felt under his hand.

****

Nash was a horrible driver. She had texted Sawyer early and offered to come pick her up and Libby up for lunch. After they barely survived the drive and were seated at a table they chatted idly like they’d known eachother for years, before Nash acknowledged the elephant in the room.

“So you and Nolan?”

Sawyer shook her head “No never.” This was a question she had answered so many times over the course of her life, and one she was sure would be asked many more times. While Nolan had always been the love of her life, she had always feared that any romantic activity between them could cost her

“Really?”

“Really.”

“I said the same thing once upon a time you know.” Libby said peering over the top of her menu. “And look at us now!”

Nash nodded her head but before she spoke Libby cut her off “ Don’t even say anything bitch because your in the same boat.”

Nash laughed nervously and sipped her water.

“You and Travis-?”

“Are just friends.”

Libby rolled her eyes and mumbled “at least that’s what they tell people.”

“We are!”

Sawyer could see right through Nash. Her face was red, and she started fidgeting, glaring at Libby’s

“You know your not..” Libby said eyes still on the menu “ I think at this point we all know it.”

“ I think at this point your all imagining things.”

“Do you two bicker like this all the time?”

“Honestly. Yes.” They laughed and Libby changed the subject, as their food arrived and they began eating.

“Are you planning to come to the game tomorrow?”

Sawyer nodded and chewed before answering.

“Yes. I’ve not seen Nolan play yet, I’m excited.”

“Games are always fun. Plus you’ll get to meet the girls.”

They continued to chatter the afternoon away, laughing and talking. Sawyer had a warm fuzzy feeling knowing she had made two friends, and that maybe Philly could be a fresh start for her.

Sawyer didn’t see much of Nolan the next day or so, besides dinner after her lunch date with Libby and Nash. Between practice and reviewing game tape he was busy, but texting her constantly. They had found a cute apartment only three blocks from Kevins and in close walking distance, and even though she could see Nolan wasn’t happy about it she put money down on it on the spot. She had busied herself since then with finding furniture, and a car so she could get back and forth to her uncles horse farm where she would be working.

Nolan was excited to have her at his games again, her face always a welcome sight in the crowd, was something he had been missing here in Philadelphia. She seemed to be fitting in just fine with his team and the girls as he knew she would.

“Hey I’m- so there’s this thing.”

She sipped her water and swallowed pushing her glasses up her nose “Thing?”

“Yeah.” He rubbed the scar on his collarbone, a habit Sawyer knew meant he was nervous, before he spoke again.

“It’s like an event thing, it’s kind of important and I have to go so I was wondering if maybe you wanted to come?” He added the last part as a question, eyes finally meeting hers.

She nodded and smiled “ I mean. Sure. “

He breathed out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in and relaxed in his chair.

Dinner went on normally until he bid her goodnight and left, a victorious feeling in his chest and a bounce in his step as he walked down to his car.

The day of the game came and Sawyer found herself entering the Wells Fargo center for the first time. It certainly wasn’t like junior hockey, much louder and larger the crowd so thick, she almost walked right past Nash and Libby in the sea of black and orange. They lead her to the suite, bickering about something but Sawyer wasn’t paying attention. She was amped to see Nolan play, a sight she hadn’t seen for a while. She couldn’t remember a time when she wasn’t at Nolan’s games, either with his family or friends depending on where he was playing. She always knew he would make the NHL even when Nolan didn’t know it himself. Though they would usually sit in a box in the upper level, Claude had arranged for the wives who were coming to sit in the seat closer to the ice since it was Sawyers first game. The other girls were wonderful, welcoming her in.

“Claude says Nolan is like a different person since you showed up.” Ryanne said smiling warmly at her.

“Nolan is...Nolan is Nolan. He’s always been quiet and moody but it’s nice to know that he can come out of his shell. I’m just glad I can get him there.”

“You should have showed up ages ago!” Gina said laughing “ Shane said it’s so nice to see him this way. We all love Nolan, but he’s always so withdrawn.”

Just as she was about to answer her the lights dimmed and a voice came over the arena. She leaned forward as Carter came up the tunnel and out on to the ice, the rest of the team following behind. She spotted Nolan instantly, looking gigantic in his pads and skates, long wet hair sticking out from under his helmet, he turned immediately and found her smiling slightly before taking off across the ice for a few laps. She smiled back and leaned back in her seat, turning when she felt 4 pairs of eyes on her.

“What?”

“We’re just friends.” Nash said in a high pitched voice Libby giggling next to her.

“We are!” Sawyer tried to glare but a smile broke across her face and she shook her head. She watched as Nolan skated past a group of girls giggling and whispering and watched as a beautiful brunette made eye contact with him for a few moments. She frowned before quickly smoothing her expression. But Libby saw the exchange and pursed her lips before leaning over.

“Better get used to that. It’s an unfortunate part of loving an hockey player.”

Sawyer forced a smile but for the rest of the game had a little grey cloud over her head.

*****

The party at Kevin’s was in full swing as the team rode out their high from the win and alcohol that flowed through their veins. Sawyer felt relaxed and warm, partly from the beer partly from Nolan’s arm across her shoulders. Ivan was killing Carter in cards, and Nash had her legs across Travis’s lap as they watched Carter get beat over and over again.

Nolan looked down at her under his arm. She looked different yet exactly the same as he remembered her and the fact that she was here with him rather than hundreds of miles away in Winnipeg filled him with such a deep satisfaction he could have cried. Her head came to rest on his shoulder.

Travis was grinning like a cat who caught the canary at him, and he pointedly ignored his gaze, until he heard her voice in his ear.

“I had fun tonight. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on that all this time. I should have moved her ages ago.”

The party wore on, and wound down until Sawyer began yawning.

“Ready to go?” She nodded sleepily, and allowed him to pull her to her feet. She bid the others goodbye and followed Nolan out the door and into an Uber. When he walked her to her door she looked at him expectantly.

“ Are you not coming in?”

He nodded waving the Uber away and followed her in, arms stretched out in front of him. She was a little unstable and stumbled slightly with a small ‘oof’ Nolan catching her around the waist.

“Oh geez I- “

Nolan sucked in a deep breath as she grabbed on to his shoulders and looked up, her face less than 5 inches from his, body pressed against him. Her eyeliner was smudged in he corner and her cheeks were red and Nolan felt this strange sensation move through his chest and for a minute he thought he was going to kiss her.

For a second time that day he found himself with his hands all over his best friend, and wondered what the hell was going on inside his brain.

“Nolan?” Her voice was soft, eyes searching his face.

She let go of him and took a step back, breathing deep.

“Let’s get you to bed.” He mumbled after a moment of silence between them. She nodded and he followed her to her room heart hammering in his chest.

[storiesofsvu]

happy thursday!

Okay, I didn’t do last week cause I literally slept through mothership, half watched TO and was just too tired to do a “live” post so here’s what I remember/my thoughts.

-having amanda back was awesome and it was really nice to see her in the field again, but like NONE of that should have been allowed (with the exception of when liv said something about “find her paperwork, maybe it didn’t get filed and she’s still a cop after all” which is just LAZY writing’s way of getting around it). Amanda consulting on a case or helping in the squad room? Sure. But not out in the field taking charge, at crime scenes/etc any half competent defence attorney would have that all thrown out entirely.

-absolutely HATED how at the beginning of the ep carisi was all “I can get you a job as an investigator at the da’s office” like… amanda was a detective for over 10 years, she’s got a degree in forensic science, she does NOT need her husband to get her ANOTHER job, she can do that shit herself. I dunno why it irked me so much, but since leaving the show she’s just simplified into “carisi’s wife”/a mom, like, she’s been a mom for years already and was a perfectly competent cop.

-amanda being bored as a professor? Totally fine. Her wanting to go back to being a cop? Completely unbelievable. She LEFT the nypd after being shot because all she could think of was leaving her girls/carisi alone. So you really think she would come back now that she has ANOTHER kid, who is still a baby?? make it make sense. (yes, I would love to have amanda back in some capacity, she needs liv, liv needs her. even if she could just pop up once a month that’d be great) (and yes we need more female characters who are likeable and actually in every episode).

The domestic rollisi scenes were cute AF and I’m so glad to see them. I hope we get more of them. Also it didn’t even cross my mind so I know it wouldn’t have crossed the writers minds, but did we REALLY have to name the baby dominck jr jr and then call him *Nicky* when amanda had a very dramatic situationship with someone named NICK while her now husband was pining over her waiting in the wings?(again, I didn’t even notice this til I saw people complaining on twitter and now it just gives me a it of the ick lol)

Amanda also pushed it WAY too hard when she was UC, again, any attorney could have had that thrown out, ESP with any recordings prosecution would have to hand over. She wasn’t just letting him do what he wanted, she was practically seducing him. Bam. Case thrown out. Like yeah she obvi misses doing that kinda stuff but still… I DO love me some UC amanda, but there were some issues.

Okay I can’t remember what else really happened, so those are my thoughts on last week.

OC was okay.  

Well that’s fucking creepy…

Yeah bro… delivery man or not I’m not letting someone use my phone, worst that can happen? Murder. Less worse? He steals my phone. Both are non ideal.

Okay I had to run upstairs and missed the entire second block of the ep minus Nolan saying something about an old case so im v confused now.

Shaw really didn’t need to parkour over that mattress like that… if it was meant to look cool… it did not work, it looked lame.

The physical reaction I had to shaw throwing a chair should not be the immediate reaction a person has… but here we are…

Okay that ep was pretty good

Not watching Toronto. Well…the plan was to not watch it and now it’s kinda on in the background but im not really paying attention.

Okay, here we go svu. Fingers crossed for a good episode (tbh my hopes are not high lol)

I like the actress playing Sykes like she was incredible in the other ep she was in where she played a victim, but this role/characterization is not it. She’s too dry, she’s boring and I do not like her character at all.

Ugh, and of course we’ve got liv pushing this. Like… I *get* it to a point, she wants to watch out for the people around her who may be/are struggling, but like… y’all aren’t friends, and I’m pretty sure liv even said “I’m not really your boss” or something along those lines, and sykes said something about being put on a case (BECAUSE SHE IS A FUCKING FED NOT AN NYPD SVU DETECTIVE) so just fucking let her go. liv needs to deal with her own shit, maybe have another lunch with amanda and help her figure her shit out.

Fin speaking the fucking truth as per usual. Trying to tell liv she’s out of her lane and doing something she shouldn’t be doing.

This entire season has been focused on Liv hyper focusing and getting major obsessive over cases and fucking completely spiraling and looking like she’s insane and I honestly fucking hate that.

AND NOW SHE’S STRAIGHT UP LYING TO HER SQUAD?! BABYGIRL WHAT THE FUCK?

Velasco in purple, hellllooo.

I dunno if im gonna be able to handle Bruno and Velasco continually being partnered up. Imma have to write a threesome fic pretty soon… (wait.. I can do that for bingo!) (that being said, can these boys go back to wearing their badges on their belts, cause there’s something undeniably sexy about the way they have to flash them)

Okay hearing my last name on this show out of liv’s mouth felt REAL fucking weird. I don’t like it.

“not without a oujia board” LOL. Thanks Bruno

Oh good fucking god. Now Velasco and Bruno are teaming up on a perp… pls sirs. Yell at me. JFC. “open up.. say ah…” yeah.. im writing a fucking fic after this…

I understand they’re trying to solve a case/help but like, why can’t they just let these grieving families put the past behind them?? Like you’re dragging up trauma from 10 plus years ago..

Liv just answered the phone “Ed?” and I JOLTED cause my brain went “TUCKER?!!?” and then I remembered he dead.

Velasco is finally at the stage where he’s been around liv long enough that he can start to call her out, he’s witnessed the darker side of her a few weeks ago, he’s someone who normally sits quiet and observes and he can tell she’s fucking losing it. (like, not really, but also she lowkey is and needs to chill and go home and hangout with her son).

“good luck with your open cases. I hope they distract you from your own endless amounts of baggage”

WOW tonight really is all about calling out Liv and I am HERE for it.

Also please for the love of god can we stop name dropping William lewis. We lived through those eps, we don’t need it anymore unless liv is actually going to fully get closure (and PLEASE no visual flashbacks anymore…)

Sonny being in liv’s phone as “ADA Carisi” is wild.

Every single time they bring up genealogy tests on these shows it reminds me yet another reason to never do one lol.

Drink every time a family member/bestie is all “omg he would never, he’s a good man, he even goes to church!” meanwhile they’re guilty af

Oop. And he runnin.

It’d be real nice if we could go to court in an episode sometime soon… like…give carisi something to do that’s his *actual* job. In the old seasons ada’s got SUED for galivanting around the city with the cops meanwhile carisi just gets to go UC and do whatever he wants whenever he wants cause the writers/show runners don’t wanna do court scenes anymore??

You really think an episode centered around the case involving skykes missing sister would have actually been more centered AROUND sykes?? Like, I get that she was all “leave it alone” but it would’ve been a much better episode if they were working a current case/different svu case/cold case/WHATEVER and THEN found a dna link/connection and sykes could’ve been all “wait.. I know this pattern/souvenir/whatever” and slowly put it together that it could be the same person….

Meh episode.

Okay, onto OC, let’s see how this goes.

Ok, I know this is likely going to be important to the plot or whatever but I couldn’t care less about this fucking flash back lol.

Thank god ayanna’s back.

LOOOOLLLL not a single soul believed jet & bobby. That was perfect.

Okay, elliots back, so whenre we gonna find out what’s going on with eli??

How did I know that the people chasing joey were just gonna be Elliott and someone?

Ok, OC has lost me. Im not longer invested or even caring about this storyline lol

See y’all next week! (maybe?)

[cupiiid]

Hey bestie it’s Nik!! Congrats on 500 <33

Solely to spite you and use your own creation against you (/j) 🌼 with cox please :))

And also a ❄️ :))

Congrats again on 500!!! Have fun with cox <33 /lh

first of all, i want to say a big fuck you for this (/lh) i will tell mum. and second, i was deciding on whether or not to make this dramatic smut solely to piss you off but then decided to be nice (because, unlike you, i am a nice person) and write this. thank you and fuck you big time, nik <3

~~~

Hanging around Neil and Todd's dorm on a Saturday wasn't an unusual occurrence for the Dead Poets. Quite often they'd sit and smoke or study or talk together, almost always getting yelled at by Hager for being too loud.

This Saturday was no exception, Neil, Todd and Charlie were sat on Neil's bed. Neil and Todd were looking at poems for the meeting the next day as Charlie tried to bother them as much as he could. Pitts and Meeks were sat on the floor, still working on radio equipment which meant Cameron and Knox were left on Todd's bed. Knox writing a poem and Cameron brushing up on trig.

Cameron was vaguely aware of Charlie playing fuck, marry, kill in the background with everyone else, but he mostly blocked it out. Well, until he heard his name that is.

"Cam. Cammy bear. Richy." Cameron betrayed himself with a sigh, inadvertently letting Charlie know he'd heard him. "Okay so," He looked up to see the devilish grin on Charlie's face. "fuck, marry, kill..." He thought for a moment. "Nolan, Knox and.... me." He smirked.

Knowing he couldn't get out of this one, he just accepted his fate and said: "Fuck and marry Knox, and kill you and Nolan." The room burst out in laughter and Charlie broke out in a pout.

"Hey, that's not how you play!" Cameron only shrugged.

"Well, for the record," Knox spoke up from his right. Cameron turned beet red in embarassment. "I would totally fuck and marry you over Charlie any day, Cam." His face must have been as red as his hair by this point.

"Wait, Cam, are you blushing?" Neil spoke up from his corner with Todd where the two constantly whispered things to each other. He felt flush creep down his neck.

"I'm not blushing, Neil-"

"Holy shit you are!" Charlie pointed out, laughing. The truth was, Cameron had no romantic feelings for Knox but the mortifying ordeal of what he'd done was getting to him, especially when Knox moved to dramatically smack a kiss on his cheek while making kissing noises.

"Knox! Get off me you weirdo!" He tried to squirm away but Knox just kept coming as everyone lost their minds laughing.

"Cox!" Charlie suddenly exclaimed. "Cam plus Knox is Cox!" That only made everyone laugh harder.

He wished he could say the whole Cox ordeal ended that day, but unfortunately, some jokes never die. Every time Knox would get a new girlfriend, it turned into: 'Cam, just so you know, I may be dating her but my heart will always belong to you-' 'Fuck off-' Or when he eventually got together with Charlie: 'Cam, baby, please don't tell me I'm a side chick to that sexy Overstre-' 'You're still on that??' If they ever got married, he was sure it would be incorporated into their wedding somehow.

Cox will live forever and there's nothing Richard Cameron can do to stop it.

~~~

jesus christ.

anyways- since i know you, i feel confident in giving you a pretty good movie recommendation (s) bestie.

i think i've told you about this one before, but saved! is so good and it's just your type of humour. the outsiders because goddamn. it's gay and sad and has a banging score and also perks of being a wallflower. idk of you've seen it (you might've) but it's very good.