kafeste

[theheadlessgroom]

@beatingheart-bride

"Oh, I dunno," Randall ventured to say with a tiny smile, saying, "I, uh...I got a good feeling that, if you went back and picked it up again, it'd be like old hat to you...like no time had passed at all."

He couldn't explain why he felt that way, he just did-it was so funny, how certain he felt of these little things when it came to Emily; he hadn't known her all that long at all, and yet, he felt as if he'd known her all his life. It was a funny feeling, strange, but altogether not unpleasant. It was sort of pleasant, really, feeling this sort of connection with her-he still couldn't decide if they'd met before or not, but even without that confirmation one way or the other, he quite liked that connection anyhow.

"I, uh, I went to the ballet only once-it was a field trip when I was a kid," he continued, volunteering this memory with warm cheeks and a flustered, fluttering heart. "I don't think I really understood what the show was supposed to be about, but...I do remember the ballerinas being very beautiful. The leader of them, the, uh...prima ballerina, is that it? She was the most beautiful out of all of them, all dressed in pink with a great smile and golden blonde hair..."

He trailed off, realizing how closely this description skewed towards his hostess-he probably had that ballerina to blame for his eternal affection for blondes...

[mggpleasedontlookhere]

it should’ve been you

summary: you and spencer never got along since you joined the bau, mostly because you made a mistake that costed the life of one of his colleagues. 

word count: 3,761                                                                                     reading time aprox: 15 mins

masterlist

“Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to error that counts.” said Nikki Giovanni. Although the expression only extends to the limitation of ending someone else’s life because of a mistake. With the existing dichotomy of religious patrons adherent to celestial beings and men of psychology claiming that trauma and fault can enhance cognitive development, the question still stands whether the slight improvement in the human schema is worth the life of an individual. 

Why is the essential nature of living ‘to flourish in someone else’s misfortune’?

Is it so, once they’ve experienced this misfortune they can be placed in the shoes of the fortunate soul, with the inability to recall their previous position; causing another individual to fall into the paradigm?

This philosophy is circumstantial, spontaneous even, pertaining to life itself no matter what socioeconomic standing you hold or religious scripture that you accredit. Regrettably, this philosophy stripped the BAU of an agent and the team, of a colleague. 

At its core, it was my fault. I was the lucky son of a bitch that flourished in his misfortune. 

Despite most of the team seemingly differing this proclamation, it was my choices that led a man to be deprived of the life ahead of him. The only other individual who didn’t side with the rest of the team was Spencer Reid. 

Agent Ryler, Darrison Ryler is was a single man who lived in his eclectic condo with the accompaniment of his golden retriever, Sam. He served as a confident to the team, specifically to Spencer according to my observations of their relationships prior to the incident.  

He died an honorable and ardent man, even in the most grotesque situations his concern only derived from the conditions of his partners. For 10 years he’s served the BAU, only for a rookie as myself to completely decimate his entire life’s meaning by killing him in the field. 

-

“Ryler, you and Morgan flank the left side, we’ll file in after” Hotch ordered signaling to a door with corroded blue paint chipping off that was located at the end of the hallway we were posted at. 

The supposed unsub lived in Manhattan, NY and was responsible for the homicide of five women that resembled his late wife. The unsub had been categorized as a sexual sadist in the midst of a psychotic break, deriving from denial. 

The SWAT team lingered behind us, awaiting orders from the team leader. The atmosphere of the situation penetrated my nerves, causing a natural sense of uneasiness from my parasympathetic, fight or flight, nervous system. Moonlight infiltrated through the ragged curtains that hung above a window at the end of the hall, which seemed to be slightly ajar; letting crisp air into the corridor. 

I could already feel the little fibers of hair on the back on my neck stand, an obvious indication of my apprehension. Despite that signal, I was determined to follow through with the decision I’ve fought for. To elaborate, it was me who had convinced Hotch to let me journey into apprehending the unsub regardless of my inexperience of being physically out in the field with the team. 

-

I was naive and selfishly driven to expose myself to such an atmosphere I thought I was ready for. I pushed and pulled to expedite my training in order to fulfill my hero complex. Nevertheless, I never consider the possibility of killing a man to satisfy that. 

-

Morgan had completely obliterated the door as it was now swaying from it’s hinges. Ryler followed him from behind, gun pointed at his surroundings as he announced he was FBI. 

The rest of the team filed in, SWAT included. Reid had entered after me as we both surveyed the perimeter. Hotch nodded at us, pointing Reid one way and me the other. As I left to inspect other areas of the apartment of the unsub, the shuffling of feet emitted from the loud stomps of the SWAT members increased my heart rate. I convinced myself that it was normal since it was my first time being out in the field. I swept the area, checking the master bedroom and bathroom with a few members of the SWAT, until we heard commotion in the living room. 

We hurried to the scene not wasting a breath to calm myself. When I had arrived the men that were with me had dispersed to shooting positions as I stood behind a wall that was directly adjacent to the unsub.

I had taken the opportunity to peek out, gauging the altercation and to my misfortune, the unsub had Agent Ryler in a choke hold with dagger lined up to the major artery in his throat. The unsub began spewing heinous accusations such as “you took her away from me” or  “you killed her, not me, you killed her you fucking pigs”. He screamed and shook, rationality draining from him as fast as the saliva gushed out from his lips. 

Hotch took the opportunity to calm the unsub down, playing at the factor of remorse he showed in his previous victims. Hotch sheathed his gun back to it’s holster, promptly raising his hands up in surrender while coaxing the violent man into dropping the weapon. 

Although these were fruitless attempts, the unsub grew to be more erratic as Hotch approached him. With this I made my presence known to Hotch, shifting to a better position to engage the unsub from behind. The rest of the team stood gawking at the entire scene with anticipation gnawing at their fingertips, agitating to shoot if necessary. 

I drew my gun out, my hands becoming slightly shaky from the anxiety that heightened when the reality of the situation came to mind. 

I might kill a man today

The unsub maintained his gaze at Hotch and the army of guns that surrounded him. “Fuck you, you fucking pigs. You killed her! You. Killed. My, Kerrie. Now one of yours will die!” He threatened, pressing the blade harder on Ryler’s skin earning a repressed wince from him. The men from the SWAT team cocked their weapons causing Hotch to command them to ‘stand down’. I met Hotch’s gaze again, a distinctive look flashed in his eyes, the hesitation clear on his face as he motioned for me to inch closer to the unsub. 

“Please, we just want to-” Rossi spoke up lifting his palm up as a symbol of sympathy, but in reality beckoned me to close in on the individual. 

“Shut up! Shu-shut the fuck up!” The unsub screeched, wiping his forehead with the arm that held the blade as he blinked rapidly. “Thi-this ends today, I-i, this is for my Kerrie!”

With one swift motion the unsub raised the knife to slice Ryler’s throat, but in a moment of weakness, Ryler was able to apprehend the man, overpowering his grip as he flipped their positions. 

“Y/N! NOW!” 

My surroundings moved in slow motion, similar to the speed of the slideshows Garcia would show us as she presented cases. My vision blotted, feeling every sweat droplet begin to dampen the palms of my hands. I felt every crevice of my body writhe in dread and apprehension, feeling the sudden weight of the weapon I gripped in my hands. I took in a breath, setting my eyes on the unsub. Finally, I squeezed the trigger, acknowledging the life that would be taken away. 

A loud bang and a grunt surged through the air

I closed my eyes expecting the gun to retaliate it’s force, yet I felt nothing. I opened my eyes to gauge at the scene before me, realizing that my gun hadn’t fired. 

-

I took a life that day, however it wasn’t the life I was expecting to take. Morgan had taken the shot to eliminate the unsub, but only after the unsub was able to plunge the dagger into Ryler’s pericardial cavity, nicking the side of his aortic wall. 

He bleed out on the scene. DOA.

I later figured out that my gun had been on safety the entire time we were infiltrating the, now deceased, unsub’s apartment. I could still hear Spencer’s cries of protest and disbelief when he grasped the gravity of the situation. But most of all, I can distinctively remember the menacing look he wore in his eyes as he fixated at me. The genuine enmity and contempt that swam in his pupils spoke the message that his lips couldn’t convey, it was an expression that you didn’t need an eidetic memory to recall. 

After that incident, Spencer did nothing but express his vexation at the very existence of my being. He ‘mindlessly’ knocks case files off of my desk occasionally, talks over my presentation of theories, and has undermined the suggestions I would pose during investigations.

It’s been approximately 6 months since the loss of Ryler and the mourning period seems to have curtailed over the course of the year. The heavy somber  air that was consistent in the bullpen began to dissipate and the fellow agents painted a more positive light on the life of Ryler, reminiscing on his various accolades. Despite this plateau, Spencer’s resentment hadn’t shown any modifications.  

We were on a plane routed to New York City, another homicide had taken place and there was evidence of the case being serial. Hotch was on the phone with the chief of the NYPD gathering new information that had surfaced about the unsub. Morgan wore his headphones loosely with his eyes closed, bobbing his head to 90s music while Emily and Rossi played a game of chess. 

Spencer on the other hand, had his nose in a book, his eyebrows furrowed as his long fingers dragged along the pages, scanning them at light speed. His bottom lip had become entangled between his teeth, chewing the muscle in deliberation. 

I sat across the jet, complementary to where Spencer resided. I fixated on the copy of Jane Eyre that I brought with me, although my mind had decided to overflow with a multitude of transpiring thoughts. 

“Okay, thank you very much chief, we’ll be landing soon” Hotch bid adieu, closing his cellphone and tossing the device on the table with a heavy sigh. “They just found another body” He announced, earning sympathetic and discontented stares from the team. “Kate Walsh, 36 years old, had a husband that worked in a law firm with two children. She was found dead at a Manhattan apartment on the Upper East Side” Hotch noticed the glances of the onlookers before him, although he spared a glimpse at a special brunette who practically harbored his face in a book. “It’s the same location where Ryler’s case took place 6 months ago” Hotch informed. 

Nobody dared to inspect the reaction that had been elicited from Spencer. Although his fingers grew noticeably rigid, imprinting the cover of the novel with discernible markings. His chest heaved as he took in the information, yet his composure remained cold and impervious to the circumstances. 

Morgan looked to Reid in equivocation before reverting his attention to Hotch. “Do you think there could be a connection to the case we worked there?” He inquired, sneaking another glance at Reid in the process. But to no avail, Reid remained motionless. 

“Possibly” Hotch returned, reciprocating the perturbed looks Morgan had directed. “This unsub has the same MO, same victimology, but different signature compared to the case we worked before” He reached over for the case files flipping through the images of the victims and laid them down at the table where he sat at. 

Emily had approached the table, looking over the images. “If you look at the stab wounds on the abdomen of the victim, doesn’t it look familiar to you?” She pointed to the punctures evident on the victim. 

“They resemble the wounds the unsub inflicted on women on the case we had with-” Rossi spoke, pausing mid sentence. “-when we worked that Manhattan case” His voice faded out, dwindling in apprehension to make any mentions of Ryler. 

“Yeah- and if you look at the depth of the wounds, they indicate hesitation marks-” Emily expressed. 

“Our unsub is remorseful” I butted in. 

“That contradicts with the excessive and deliberate overkill this unsub displayed” Spencer muttered, catching the attention of his teammates, although his immersion in his literature didn’t falter. 

“W-well, yeah, I’ll go to the station to start a geogra-”

“Actually, I’ll build the geographic profile for the case to ensure that more people don’t get killed by human error” Spencer disputed, directing his astringent words towards me without losing focus. 

“I guess I’ll go talk to the family of the victim” I stuttered, ducking my head behind my chair to avoid the questionable stares I knew were headed my way. An unrelenting hold tugged on my heart strings, my conscience spiraling in revelations of self resentment. 

“Actually, Y/N, me and Morgan had already contacted the family and said that we were going visit them soo-” Emily corrected, motioning to her and Derek with lamentable eyes. “But, if you really want you can-” She interjected, the tone of her voice exponentially growing to be amiable and motherly. 

“I think it’s better that you and Morgan go, Emily, so we can get an accurate profile on the guy. Maybe this time we can catch him early enough without going in guns blazing, it decreases the statistics for weapon mismanagement” Spencer suggested, this time laying his book flat on the seat next to him, peering at Emily as he insinuated the proceedings of last year’s case. 

“Reid” Hotch warned, a menacing tight lipped expression planted on his features. In defiance of the team leader’s cautioning, Spencer continued to antagonize the situation, justifying his response in order to cover up his personal agenda. 

Hotch sighed diffusing the latter of the interaction by distributing the rest of the details of the case and certain tasks that needed to be done. “Y/N I’m going to need you to go to the Coroner’s office and find out if there’s any new information or if any reports from forensics came back yet” Hotch ordered. 

I nodded in agreement, not meeting his gaze while I fidgeted with my fingers. Unbeknownst to me, the team, excluding Reid, shared a similar expression as they interpreted the tense atmosphere that encompassed the room. 

I picked at my fingers, pulling at various strings of loose skin at the bed of my nails. I bounced my knee in uneasiness, my thoughts beginning to revolve around the case we faced 6 months ago. The same memory of Reid’s apathetic eyes that were fixated on me replayed in my mind, making the feelings of self doubt resurface at the base of my skin. Anger flooded freely throughout my system as if it was welcome and well deserved. I clenched my fists around my novel, doing so in the same way Reid did. 

“At least this time she’ll be looking at dead people instead of causing them” Spencer mumbled under his breath. Despite his certainty in himself to be reticent, it didn’t seem to catch his realization that his chastising comment was coherent enough for the entire team to hear, including myself. 

“Okay, I get it, alright. It was my fault, it was my mistake that killed Ryler but you can’t just sit there alienating me from any case we work on-” 

“No, Y/N you don’t get it. You don’t get to justify you murdering Ryler because you couldn’t do your job” Spencer lashed out.

“Reid-” Hotch attempted to disrupt his malicious annotations, but was promptly shut down by Reid. 

“No Hotch. You always emphasized how important it is to be vigilant in our job, yet you let her inject herself in the investigation knowing she was completely incompetent in the field” 

“Spencer, I’m war-” Hotch was interrupted again by me this time. 

“I WAS TRYING TO BE A GOOD AGENT. Can’t you understand that Spence, I-” 

“Don’t fucking call me Spence” Spencer retorted gritting his teeth, venom practically dripping from his lips as he articulated his words. At this time he stood up from his chair with his chest heaving and hair tousled from running his hands through it. “You don’t get to call me Spence, Ryler called me Spence and you took that away from me, so don’t think you have any authority calling me that”. 

He began his stride towards me, only to be obstructed by Morgan’s arm that held him in his position. 

“Look Spencer, I know I can’t take back what I did and yes, I made a stupid decision-” I spoke coolly, dictating every syllable with an understanding and remorseful tone in order to diffuse the taut ambiance. “But, I’m sorry and I want you to know that I regret everything that I did” I explained. 

Spencer broke Morgan’s restraint on him, shoving his arm away forcefully as he took a few determined steps towards me. 

“Tell that to Mary Anne Ryler, Amina Ryler, and Timothee Ryler” 

“Spencer-”

He moved in closer.

“I had to walk up to their house and tell them that their brother/son had died in the line of work” He explained, setting his hands on the table in front of me. “I had to tell them that he died an honorable death and that he died protecting people” He stared at me with the same deadly eyes at the day of the incident, no sense of remorse palpable on his expression. 

“But he did die an honorable ma-” 

“NO Y/N! I LIED TO THEM” He slammed a firm hand on the tabletop, making the surface rattle as I did when the booming sound met my ears. I crouched down in my seat, feeling my silhouette diminish in his large shadow. 

“Now Reid that’s enough” Hotch bellowed, although he was unsuccessful in alleviating Reid’s onslaught of defaming words. 

“I WANTED TO TELL THEM THAT YOU KILLED HIM BECAUSE YOU DID FUCKING KILL HIM”. Spit flew from the corners of his mouth landing on the leather covers of the airplane seat. “YOUR MISTAKE KILLED HIM”

“IT. WAS. A. MISTAKE. REID” I retorted, feeling my blood begin to boil as Spencer scolded me. I stood up to his level, slamming my hands down to reciprocate the malicious gesture he had displayed previously. “I ALREADY BLAME MYSELF ENOUGH JUST BACK OFF!”

By this time, the rest of the team had readied themselves to intercept if our back and forth became violent. They were the audience of constant bickering that occurred between the two agents for quite some time now, but nothing has ever amounted or elevated to the dispute in front of them. 

“YOU BLAME YOURSELF?!” Spencer began to laugh in a patronizing matter. “YOU BLAME YOUR FUCKING SELF. That’s a fucking joke, well newsflash Y/N, YOU SHOULD!” 

“That doesn’t give you an excuse Rei-” 

“WELL YOU KNOW WHATS AN EXCUSE?” He pulled my chin with the tips of his fingers. “You. You’re a sorry ass excuse for an FBI agent” He whispered disdainfully through gritted teeth, butting my face away with an incredulous expression on his face. His eyes had completely blackened, the hazel hue that resided in his irises dissipating as they were clouded in animosity. 

My impulsivity became too much to subdue as my rising blood pressure took over what little rationality I had. Without thinking, my palm autonomously met Spencer’s cheek with a violent hit, causing him to stumble backwards with his face in his hands. 

The rest of the team jumped into action, separating the both of us. Morgan and Hotch coming to Spencer’s side as Emily and Rossi came to my aid. I maintained my attention to Reid, him doing the same, as we stared at each other with malevolent gazes. I noticed the pockets of blood surface on his cheek, a portion of his curls masking the prominent dark red tint forming on his visage. 

Emily asked of my condition, Rossi reciprocating the same questioning. I assured them of my state and encouraged them to believe that I was fine.

But I wasn’t. 

I could feel every nerve in my system rattle and shake. I felt every pore on my body excrete sweat from the hysteria that I experienced. My head pounded and my body felt like it was being pulled in numerous directions. I took a few shallow breaths to convince myself of a normal composure, but my eyes told the truth of my state. 

Emily wrapped a comforting arm around my waist to steady myself and to regain a sense of stability. Rossi maneuvered back to his seat, taking a second glance at Reid whilst shaking his head in discountenance. 

Silence engulf the jet, the hum of the engine combined with the shifting of the seats was the only sound to be heard. Soft murmurs came from the other side of the room where Morgan and Hotch spoke to Reid in attempt to console him. 

It had been a few minutes after the confrontation, the petulant air of the scene plateauing to a more reasonable space for conversation. I battled with the idea of speaking up, but something needed to be said. 

“Look Reid” I began, penance laced with every word that I spoke. “It was my fault, I made a mistake that costed Ryler’s life and I’m sorry. It’s something that I can’t take back and my job will always revolve around the mistake I made” I continued. 

No response

I took this as encouragement to sustain an explanation. “But with the mistake I made, I know that this will make me a better agent and that I’ll be able to save more lives out there” I sighed, feeling Emily’s hand grasp mine. “I’m sorry Spencer for all the pain and hurt I’ve caused you, but please let me do my job- or at least give me the opportunity to do my job” 

No response again. 

“I know you won’t forgive me, but I hope in time that-” 

“It’s you” He finally spoke up, meeting the line of my gaze. Although his was unreadable, expressionless almost. 

“What?” I ceased my apology, furrowing my eyebrows at him in confusion. 

Chills ran up my spine as I looked into the windows of his eyes. It was like staring into the mind of a serial killer. Uneasiness climbed it’s way back into my skin as I gripped on Emily’s hand. 

“It should’ve been you who died that day Y/N” He spat, disgust and hostility radiating off of him. 

“It should’ve been you”

part 2

-

A/N:

yes there will be a part two, I’m just finishing up requests atm ❤️❤️

[okimargarvez]

ABYSS- the Supreme sacrifice - Chapter 1

Original title: Abisso- il supremo sacrificio.

Prompt: mother’s love, kidnapping, distress, tragedy.

Warnings: mention of Character’ Death and rape, O.C..

Genre: angst, drama, action, romantic, family, friendship.

Characters: Penelope Garcia, Luke Alvez, Derek Morgan, Savannah Hayes, O.C.

Pairing: Garvez, Morcia.

Note: multichapter.

Legend: 😘👓🔦🎈⚰.

Song mentioned: none.

Abyss- Masterlist

GARVEZ STORIES

Note: this is my real first Garvez (but even Morcia) fanfic. The song Slipped away by Avril Lavigne inspired me for the plot and the final. It’s a hard story, I talked about weighty topics, it’s not fluffy at all. If you think it’s better if I don’t post it here, please, tell me.

Chapter 1

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. (Honoré de Balzac)

1- The germ

Every fiber of her body vibrates to that tenuous thought, but the woman is expert in pushing it away.

-Someone is very thoughtful tonight.- a voice says behind her, that causes a slight jolt.

-Ha ha, very funny.- she turns to him and smiles. It still seems impossible to think that only a few months before (well, a year now) she couldn’t even look at him in the face, because the calienti Latin traits were replaced by equally fascinating features, but much more painful. Too many similarities, if one was busy to see them. Both were handsome men, for whom all women dizzy and immediately stopped doing what occupied them at the time of the apparition, regardless of the importance of it. Both had something exotic and tasty.

And both (but this she can’t know) are attracted to her, an attraction that must be understood in the absolute sense of the term: an interest that, for someone, can lead to a deeper bond.

Something very similar is passing into the mind of the special agent Luke Alvez as he examines every detail of the woman in front of him. Blonde hair, slightly wavy, glasses that cover those spheres that are a direct mirror of her soul.

Derek is what he can read, printed in indelible characters. Derek Morgan, still present as a shadow that oppresses him, hides him. And he feels exactly like the second wife told by Hitchcock in Rebecca, so crushed by the first that she can’t even afford her own name, nor own personality. It wasn’t the first time he had to replace someone, indeed. Since he was a child he had been used to constant change, to the impossibility of making real friends, knowing full well that it would not last. Yet this had allowed him to have an elastic character, had developed in him an innate ability to forge relationships with people, at first glance, without too many turns of words and this had returned very useful in his work. So he had drawn the best from an unfavorable circumstance, which very often created children, then boys and then adults, unable to forge ties, to the constant search for a fixed point, which at the time when they lost it went into crisis and could become (also) serial killers like those who had to chase.

All this explained perfectly his attitude when, a year ago, he had been easily received by the whole team, consisting of a mix of different members, a super smart young boy, a blonde and a brunette (both not bad) that knows what they’re doing in more senses, a veteran and writer, a man with a severe appearance (it still hurts to think of him, although he has hardly had time to become attached to the big boss) which was then added an old acquaintance, a brunette also  interesting… in short, a beautiful variety that seemed to work as a Swiss mechanism, each had own place and made available their qualities and skills for the success of the mission, everyone seemed aware of the value of each other… yet despite having just lost a gear, they hadn’t shown particular anxiety in welcoming a new member. Everybody but one, the one that had immediately been more apart (although later, soon enough, he would have discovered that it was not a typical attitude of the girl in question): a shapely blonde in all the right places, quite eccentric in the way of dressing and also to furnish her own den. The computer technician Penelope Garcia. When he showed up she had barely looked at him and he, slightly aware of his charm, was disappointed. Even the other blonde, JJ, who wears wedding ring and as he would have learned later was busy, didn’t miss the opportunity to give him a look not really friendly, even if Luke had appeared more like a kind of verification to admission. Penelope had shaken his hand with difficulty and then had run out; during the discussion of the cases she did everything (in a way too obvious) to avoid being near him and when she was sending information while they were outside, never called his number.

If she had seemed a shy girl, he might have thought the opposite of what had been ruminating for months, or rather that the tech had a crush to the new guy. But he was not so stupid and then he had seen her with the others, even if almost practically hidden and the attitude was quite different from what she had with him. She laughed, joked, always smiled, made fun of them by calling them with affectionate nicknames and others that probably only they knew. Even Hotch didn’t seem to be immune to the rite and was called “boss” with militaristic meaning. In addition, avoid him didn’t consist in keeping her eyes down when they crossed mistakenly in the corridor together, indeed, the few times that their eyes met, Penelope was never the one who lowered gaze first, but her expression suggested a kind of hate, what hate couldn’t be because this feeling takes time to bloom like love, rather we could talk about unjustified antipathy.

Or at least it remained until he had decided to ask the remaining members of the profiler section of the BAU. Unexpectedly, it was the last arrival, Emily, to put an end to his “sufferings”, explaining that she wasn’t angry with him, that he could also be the pope, the president of the United States or even David Bowie (he would have understood those things only later), in any case Penelope hated his role or rather the fact that he had taken that role, that place, or that which was until recently of Derek Morgan. From here she had begun to tell a series of memories, interspersed with anecdotes of others, who in the meantime had added since there were no cases to examine. Fortunately, Agent Garcia was home sick. From the various fragments, Luke had painstakingly made a global picture and finally understood everything. Agent Morgan had been “the hero” par excellence, especially for Penelope. He had climbed into an ambulance and risked blow up to save the lives of many people, including his colleagues; he was able to overcome a personal trauma not unimportant (but what kind they hadn’t absolutely wanted to tell him) and derive the strength to continue his work. But above all, he had always worried about his “baby girl” (epithet that first made him turn up his nose), he had tried to protect from the evils that they fought together. At this point it had seemed obvious to him asking how long they had been together and everyone had looked at him with shocked faces, before bursting out laughing. -Never.- JJ had finally answered, and then she had added more quietly -at least not officially.- he had thus come to know the epilogue of the idyll: Morgan had found a woman who had put an end to his being a playboy, a wife and he had settled down, creating a new life, then his wife had been kidnapped and he had decided that his family would no more be been put at risk by his job. End.

From that moment it was him who had stopped try to have a friendly relationship with Penelope, because now that he knew, he had absolutely no idea how to exploit the information in his possession. In other words, the thought that she had avoided him through no fault of his own, but because she was obsessed with the idea of ​​someone who was no longer, it was something too difficult to overcome. The Fate, however, was put in the middle and so, to make it short, they had found themselves in a situation where there was no way to avoid each other and in the end, after spending an hour exchanging secret and challenging looks, Luke had exploded and told her that he had never intended to replace her marvelous Derek Morgan, so he had headed for the exit, contravening Prentiss’s orders, which became after the death of Hotch the new chief of the unit, since Rossi had refused and JJ or Spencer didn’t seem suitable. Penelope had taken a little too many seconds to get out of the catalepsy she had fallen into, but then, just in time, she had managed to come back to life to stop him. And she had simply apologized for behaving so unjustly with him. She hadn’t cried, nor begged him. In a calm voice, she limited himself to explaining the situation to him (unaware that he already knew the plot) and then she had kept silent, probably waiting for him to let off steam, telling her who knows what. Instead, Luke gave her a quiet smile and gently touched her shoulder in a friendly gesture, and then said, -Let’s do what we came here to do.-

From that time there were no more real problems between them. Their relationship had grown to the point of turning in mutual trust, even though she always seemed distant when they met out of work context, as if she were afraid of going too far … without either of them really knowing where they wanted to go. Every now and then, Luke had the impression that Penelope didn’t see him but his predecessor because it was painting on her face a strange expression of joyous melancholy, where the sad component eventually prevailed. And he couldn’t help but wait for her to return to the real world.

As in this exact moment.

-Penelope… are you there ?- he doesn’t call her with any particular appellation, even if sometimes he would like to. He’s afraid of what might happen, although they’ve known each other for over a year, and she once told him she’d talked to Derek, about his life in Chicago, his baby, apparently as if she had overcome her “problem”. But the reality is very different, and Luke knows it.

-Sorry…. I was thinking of something that I dreamed the other night…- seeing a strange nuance in the expression of him, she hastens to specify -not of that kind, maniac!- and she lets away a laugh that only some time ago she would never have had the courage to do, as if Derek had taken away from her the right to be happy without him. -It’s a fairly recurring dream, but nothing classic, like falling to infinity… it’s about- and as soon as Luke catches her expression he understands that she’s about to tell him something important, so he becomes more careful and involuntarily even closer. -A sudden awakening, I’m anguished, I feel that there is something wrong, but without knowing what it’s, then a sudden idea illuminates me. Where are my parents? Inside of me I know the answer and yet pass a few but still very long minutes before I can remember that it’s useless to get excited and wait for them, because they are… dead, when I was eighteen… I told you that already, or not?- he, who was absorbed and completely absorbed by her evocative ability, emerges from the water and shakes his head. -Ah…- moment of embarrassment. -There often happens to me to have… this nightmare, the worst thing are those seconds when I haven’t yet realized the truth, because combined with the anxiety of expectation, there is indissolubly a damn and useless hope… sorry, sorry if I have harassed you with this story… you’ll be tired, you just came back from an intense case … – he is about to reply that she has been engaged in it, but then he lets it go.

-Don’t apologize. I’m interested.- he would say I’m interested in you, but for now he only allowed himself to look at her closely, but not too much. Foreshortening.

The acute shrill breaks the apparent quiet of the evening.

-Love, could you go?- what at first glance would seem a classic and quiet phrase, conceals hidden subtests, which only a trained ear can grasp. The man snorts and, knowing he isn’t seen, unleashes his frustration on the cards he was previously filling out, throwing them into the air, while aware that he’ll have to fix everything on his return. But the momentary euphoria in doing a wrong act repays the further future effort. When he reaches the object of the call, it’s visible only a warm smile on his face.

-Hello, little one, Daddy’s love, how are you?- that little creature so defenseless is also his merit, but is still hard to convincing himself. Another cry, this time female, destroys the atmosphere of mild tranquility that had been created. He snorts again, then tries to pretend nothing is happened, but it seems that tonight nothing wants to give him respite.

-Derek! It’s your phone, could you come and pick up the phone?- he goes quickly towards the voice, throwing a last glance at the bundle wrapped in blankets. He doesn’t even imagine that a ghost of the past (yet still so present, although he has tried in vain to deny it) is going to make it shake forcefully. He takes the device from his wife’s hands and responds in his classic way.

-Morgan.- there is a moment of silence before he hears someone speak from the other end of the line.

-Derek, I… I hope not to bother you…- he is about to interrupt her. Emily. It’s not like her call so late, without a reason… And he immediately realizes everything. Even before the woman can pronounce what he fears. -I… I would not ask you if it wasn’t really necessary. You should… be able to come here… to Quantico.-

-Why?- he finally manages to ask.

-Garcia… Penelope was kidnapped.-

Here, exactly what I feared. How did I know it was about her? It’s… it’s been months since I can’t think about how strange it’s not to see her every morning, don’t joke with her on the phone. It’s more than a year that someone doesn’t call me chocolate thunder. I would have needed her so much, few months ago, since… it’s too hard to think about it. She would have helped me, she would have been able to say the right words… He doesn’t need Prentiss to talk to remember everything suddenly. Penelope has been kidnapped. My baby girl is in danger, right now she could be… I can’t even say it in my head. I have to… I have to pack, pack a bag, I have to tell Savannah… Savannah. -I’ll get there as fast as I can.- and put down the phone. The brunette woman stops doing what she was doing and turns to him.

-Derek, where you are going?-

-Savannah, Emily called me… Garcia has been kidnapped and they need me to go to Quantico.- he tries to use a tone as quiet as possible, while the wheels of his brain go to a thousand per hour, thinking about  where it’s going to go.

-But you’re no longer part of the team, you’re not longer a federal. What do you have to do? - already feels the frustration make its way in the body of the woman he should most want.

-I still have some knowledge, I know some things that can help…- he sees anger rise to her eyes and finally explode.

-You don’t really know anything! You are no longer a profiler. Morgan, listen to me. If you go there I…- he has no more time to waste and certainly has no patience to gently convince his half of the need for his intervention. Or perhaps he simply doesn’t have the courage to say what he really feels, and he knows that she is aware, but he is convinced that until it’s pronounced aloud, that reality can’t be materialized.

-Do not say it.- he comes out more like a threat than the supplication he originally intended to express. -Savannah, I have to go.- a significant pause -I love you.- he lays a very quick kiss on her cheek. He feels a pain in his chest as he looks at her, but it’s not because he told a lie. Love is much more complicated than what one would like to believe. Much more stratified and complex.

________________________________

TAGS: @arses21434 @kathy5654 @martinab26 @reidskitty13 @jenf42 @gracieeelizabeth27 @silviajajaja @smalliemichelle99 @charchampagne14 @thinitta   @myhollyhanna23 @garvezz  @shyladystudentfan @cosmicmelaninflower @avengerquake123vanuusims  @inlovewithgarvaz @the-ellen-stuff

[ledenews]

Kat Lucas - One Step at a Time

If you’re inclined to believe in the concept of karma, then Kat Lucas’ karma train is long overdue at the station. And when it pulls in, it best be hauling a Powerball jackpot-sized chest of cold hard cash. There should be enough she can swim in it. It would only be fair. For the last five years, Lucas has been the winner of the “statistical anomaly sweepstakes” for medical issues, and certainly not in a good way. In a study cited by the American Heart Association, from 2009-2012, females aged 20-39 who suffered a stroke made up only 0.7 percent of the population. Lucas had two, on the same day, when she was 35. One minor, and one major. Then, less than a year later, just as she was nearing full recovery, two more happened. So, for those who are counting, that’s four before the age of 37. What eventually was determined as the cause of Lucas’ problems as a carotid web, a type of fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD). FMD occurs in only 0.3-3 percent of strokes in the cervico-encephalic arteries. So, a rarity, wrapped inside a rarity. How does one get so “lucky?” Fortunately for the former Kat Stewart, a multi-sport athlete at Bridgeport High School, she has the loving support of her husband and family, and a wicked sense of humor, both about her struggles and life in general. A former employee of Peterson Rehabilitation Hospital, Lucas has four degrees in various medical disciplines, ranging from associate to bachelor. She looks forward to the day she can return to the working world but is thankful for each day she can arise and push forward. For a time, she wasn’t sure if that was going to be a possibility. Fiercely independent, Lucas was faced with the possibility of having to rely on others for her care for the rest of her life. So, you can forgive her a little cathartic humor now and again when it comes to her situation and the world around her.

On good days, Lucas likes to get out with her friends and enjoy herself socially. She does her best to return to a sense of normalcy.

How old where you when you had your first stroke and where were you when it happened?

I was 35 years old when I had my first two. The first one happened in Dr. Blatt’s office. They rushed me over to the ER at OVMC and 20 minutes later, I had a massive stroke. Within a half hour, they were flying me by helicopter to Pittsburgh and Allegheny General Hospital.

Given your young age when it happened, what were your thoughts initially after the stroke and during rehab? How long did it take to relearn everything the first time and how difficult was that both mentally and physically?

I didn’t know what was going to happen. I had no movement on my left side. It was completely paralyzed. Ninety-five percent of the right side of my brain was affected. My speech was impaired. The neurologist that came into my room after reading my MRI said I'm lucky to be alive. I should have been dead. That being said, I knew I couldn't give up. I did not want to be put in a nursing home. I got admitted into ICU and I laid there for three days just concentrating on trying to get movement in my leg and arm. It took about 72 hours before I was able to walk again and it took about two months before I was able to lift my arm without any trouble. I had extensive outpatient therapy at Peterson Rehab Hospital. And then at home I would spend about 16 hours a day doing therapy exercises. Every day I told myself I was a day closer to getting back to normal.

The scan of Lucas' brain shows the amount of damage to the one hemisphere following her stroke.

Explain a bit about the condition and did they diagnose that after the first stroke. Was it tough on you mentally while getting back to some sense of normal?

I was diagnosed with a carotid web, but nothing was done about it and they left my strokes as reason unknown. It was beyond stressful both mentally and physically. In the worst way possible, you go from being independent to being dependent on someone else to do a lot for you, every day, all day long, and the frustration that comes in when you’re mentally stressed because you’re worried about if you’re being a burden to others because they have to pretty much help you with everything. What's exceptionally hard is the fact that I used to be so intelligent. I'm still smart, but I can no longer explain things the way I used to. I don't always comprehend things and a lot of people think I'm normal but I'm really not. I try to say, "Hey I'm not the person I used to be." I'm not making excuses. It's just is what it is.

How close getting back to full functionality were you when the next ones happened? How many total and how do you adjust your life knowing another is possible? Do anything different or choose to push on as usual despite the possibilities?

About eight months later and through a lot of blood, sweat and tears, I was almost back to normal by age 36. The morning of November 24, I woke up around 3:30 a.m. because I didn’t eat the night before. So, I had a Mountain Dew, a Reese’s Cup, and laid back down and went to sleep. Around 7:30 a.m., I got back up with my husband as he was leaving to go help a friend. I noticed a change in my speech, but really couldn’t figure it out and I just brushed it off. I laid back down but couldn’t stop thinking about why my speech sounded different. Then it hit me. I hurried up and picked up my phone and tried to smile in front of the camera, only to realize my left side of my face was not moving. I instantly started crying. They told me this was not going to happen again. I had a better chance of winning the lottery than having another stroke. I called my husband and told him what happened and then called an ambulance, which took me to Wheeling Medical Park. The ER doctor called my neurologists at Allegheny General Hospital and said to get me up there as soon as possible. I arrived at Allegheny General Hospital within about an hour and a half and my doctors met me in the ER room and he told me the carotid web in my right carotid artery was what caused all the strokes … the next day they were planning on doing the surgery. All of a sudden, my arm fell off the table and I didn’t feel right. I had another stroke.  I was rushed downstairs to a cat scan and by the time I got back to the room, they decided to take me back downstairs for a thrombectomy. I was awake through the whole procedure and it was very painful. They removed two large clots and I was taken to ICU. I’ve had to adjust my life because this last stroke affected me worse than the first three together. My brain lags worse than it ever did, and I have a lot of trouble remember things. I’m not bouncing back the way I did when the first massive one hit. I'm at my four-month mark right now and I'm so far from where I want to be. I was able to have the surgery on December 30th, 2019. This carotid web was removed. It's known as atypical fibromuscular dysplasia which is a rare disease. It was pretty much like a ligament was growing in my carotid artery but since removal I have had no symptoms that I've had over the last several years of which consists of hemiplegic migraine strokes which started to plague me back in 2014. So, right now, I'm just living life to the fullest and hoping I continue to stay symptom-free and stroke free. I have to be constantly monitored to make sure that the carotid web does not grow back.

Kat Lucas is pictured with her husband Tim, whom she credit with being her rock through this ordeal.

You were married in 2017. Does having a spouse and a closer support system make it any easier for you? What advice would you give people battling through similar or equally difficult situations?

I got married in 2017 to my husband Tim, who has been my rock through all of this. Having a great support system makes it a lot easier and bearable. The therapists from Peterson Rehabilitation Hospital, Case, Cierra, Emily, Ted, Kristen, and I see Nicole and Brooke at Wheeling. They have played a huge role in my recovery. My whole mentality through this whole ordeal has been that people go through way worse every day and my situation could be way worse still. I could be stuck in a bed somewhere. So, my advice for anyone going through a similar situation is to never give up fighting, as frustrating as it may be sometimes. Try not to let the depression kick in and try to keep a positive attitude. Read the full article

[martens-movie-reviews]

Released: November 4, 2016 Running Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

“Dr. Stephen Strange’s life changes after a car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he looks for healing, and hope, in a mysterious enclave. He quickly learns that the enclave is at the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying reality. Before long, Strange is forced to choose between his life of fortune and status or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence.”

Marvel Cinematic Universe – Source – Marvel Studios

You can find all of the reviews for the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the link here. At that link, you can also find the dates that the other reviews for the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be posted. My plan is to release one every single day, and because I’ve already reviewed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 here, and Spider – Man: Homecoming here, they will not be included in the two weeks leading up to Thor Ragnarok.

As such, I will now move onto the actual review of the film, and I hope you enjoy!

Doctor Strange Trailer – Source: Marvel Studios

Cast and Crew

This film was directed by Scott Derrickson, whose work has been in mostly horror centric films such as ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’ in 2005, ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ in 2008, and ‘Deliver Us from Evil’ in 2014. His work on this film was interesting as it wasn’t exactly horror, but it still contained some of the elements that he’s familiar with, and I wish that if he ends up directing the sequel, that they choose to go more into that style and genre.

Doctor Strange was written by Jon Spaihts, Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill. Spaihts’ previous work includes ‘The Darkest Hour’ in 2011, and ‘Prometheus’ in 2012 prior to writing this film. He has since worked on several shorts as well as ‘The Mummy’ earlier this year. Cargill has written ‘Sinister’ and ‘Sinister 2’ in 2012 and 2015 prior to this film. Derrickson’s work as a writer includes writing with Cargill on the ‘Sinister’ movies, ‘Devil’s Knot’ in 2013, as well as the film that he directed in 2014 mentioned above, ‘Deliver Us from Evil’.

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The cast featured Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benjamin Bratt, Scott Adkins, Topo Wresniwiro, Mark Anthony Brighton, Linda Louise Duan, Umit Ulgen, Chris Hemsworth and Stan Lee.

Review

The visuals in Doctor Strange are probably the best part about it, and that’s not a knock on the quality of the film, quite the opposite actually, that’s how good the visuals are. The many different realms that we are treated to and the very trippy experience that Stephen goes through is something that is rarely seen in blockbuster movies, and took the visual cues from when Ant-Man visited the Quantum Realm, and multiplied that tenfold. It was an amazing visual experience, and I have to say that I preferred the film when I saw it in regular IMAX. I saw this film about 3 or 4 times in theatres, not only to see which version I liked best, but also because I had a lot of fun and free time back then.

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This movie’s visuals are also influenced by the Christopher Nolan film ‘Inception’, and I feel like they did a magnificent job in bringing those visuals to the MCU. I had seen it in UltraAvx 3D, IMAX 3D, regular and regular IMAX. I’m someone who has to wear glasses, so when I have to put another pair on top of my own, it’s not fun. I also find, like many other people, that films in 3D are darkened with the glasses and you miss out on the bright vibrant colours that they spent so much time on. There’s also the fact that 3D films are a gimmick and gave theatre chains an excuse to raise ticket prices, and their time should be finished.

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One of the unfortunate parts about this movie’s use of magic, was that they didn’t show enough creativity with spells. The characters all decide that it’s a good idea to create little shields, whips, and swords made out of magic. There’s also the whole point where people just forget that their magical, and just fist fight each other, which granted might be something that the audiences can understand, but with a movie that is introducing magic into the MCU, show us some magic. Yes, they are able to teleport, and release their Astral Form from their bodies, however there’s no sense of magic in their fights other than glowing weapons and shields.

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There’s no sense of time in Doctor Strange, which is very ironic as they have the Time Stone in this film. There’s no timeline that is given to let the audience know when everything is happening. How long was Strange training in Kamar-Taj? How long did he try to fix his hands with modern medicine? When did Strange defeat Kaecilius? It’s a small criticism, but for a franchise that used to be very open with its timelines, this was the movie that started to confuse that a little.

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The ancient one played by Tilda Swinton, was something of a controversy when they decided to cast a female in a typically male role from the comics. They argued that the ancient one’s character is not defined by their gender, and it’s something that I can understand, I appreciated the little joke that they inputted when Strange thought the wise looking Asian man was the Ancient One who was in fact the one serving him tea. I knew almost right away that she was using power from Dark Dimension, as her face was hooded the entire time during the fight at the beginning of the film, which was a pretty big giveaway as they were in the Mirror Dimension, and the mark on her forehead would have been visible. I feel like they did a good job with the character overall, and while I really enjoyed her death scene, sharing that moment with Strange, I feel like they shouldn’t have killed off the Ancient One that quickly.

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The character of Mordo who was portrayed in the film by Chiwetel Ejiofor, followed a similar path that the MCU took with Loki. Starting out the film as a friend to the hero, and through jealousy and a difference of ideology, comes to resent the hero and what they stand for by the end of it. I am really excited to see where they will take the character, and I feel he could be the new ‘Loki’, however he’s not as charismatic of a character that Loki is.

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Rachel McAdams did a good job at playing the ‘love interest’ Christine Palmer, of the hero in a way similar to how they made the relationship between Stark and Potts, by having them being able to have intelligent conversation, and the character is able to be someone else other than the love interest. She’s an intelligent doctor in her own right, and Strange trusts her to be able to help him when he was injured. The fact that she wasn’t a damsel in distress, and was a strong, yet funny character whose world was flipped upside down out of nowhere. The broom cupboard scene is still something that makes me laugh when I think about it.

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Benedict Wong as Wong was an amazing choice for the character, as they didn’t even need to change his name. I know that was a bad ‘joke’, that’s why I’m not a comedian. I still find that he did a really good job at portraying the character, and found him to be quite funny in a similar vein as Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. He’s the straight man in the film, not laughing at anything that ‘funny man’ Stephen Strange says, until the absolute end. I hope that they continue that relationship between Strange and Wong, and I’m happy that they didn’t make him his butler or slave in this film, but rather an equal of sorts.

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They flipped the switch on the villain Kaecilius, making him the main bad guy who was trained by the Ancient One, rather than having Mordo be the villain in this film. He was played by Mads Mikkelsen, who did a good job, but was nowhere near the top of his game for this one. I can understand the reasoning to make Mordo a friend and give him an actual arc in the films, the useage of Kaecilius felt very wasted, and wasn’t a very ‘scary’ villain, his usage in the film amounted to outing the Ancient One as a user magic from the Dark Dimension, and to introduce the character of Dormammu, who will hopefully and eventually become the big bad that Strange will have to face off with once again.

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Stephen Strange was played amazingly by Benedict Cumberbatch in a role that is extremely similar to a lot of his other roles, but when you know where your wheelhouse is, you try to stay in it, as you excel in that. He plays sarcastic, brilliant and arrogant extremely well, and was able to bring that experience and grandeur to the character. I enjoyed his performance as much as I enjoy his performance as Sherlock Holmes. I’m biased in that I love pretty much everything that this actor has done in the last decade, but I still think that most can agree that he did a good job at capturing the essence of the character that the MCU is choosing to go with.

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The Time Stone being in the Eye of Agamotto is something that is very peculiar and interesting situation that they are presenting, as it leaves people wondering what will happen to that relic whenever the stone is taken out, as we all know will happen during the Avengers Infinity War movie or its sequel. I did absolutely love how they handled the Time Stone with the apple, and during the final battle. I think that it was clever, however it is incredibly overpowered, and I hope that it’s not abused in future films, and I hope to see the relic survive the potential loss of the stone.

The Cloak of Levitation was one of those strange things in the film that was hit or miss in the way it was handled. While I loved the fact that they gave the Cloak a personality and made it a character in the film, I feel like it made Strange seem dopey at times, and wiping away the fake tear was a bit much. I can’t wait to see what they make that cape do next.

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The origin story for this movie is very much like Iron Man, where a egotistical and brilliant man at the top of their field,  gets into an accident, and over time tries to become a better man. The fact that Stephen Strange caused his own accident is something that is very important as he ‘ruined’ his life all by himself. He was driving distracted, he’s the one whose ego led him to keep trying different methods of ‘saving’ his hands, and he’s the one whose attitude drove Christine Palmer away. It’s something that shows the arc and change in his character when he starts thinking about others, and is forced into this great fight for the planet.

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The ending of this film was really quite lame when it came to the actual battle, as I’ve already mentioned, I wasn’t impressed with their creativity of making magic swords and shields, which ended up in a fist fight. The good thing about the ending was the time loop that Strange created to trap Dormammu into ending his quest to devour Earth. It’s something that was heavily foreshadowed and easy to see coming, but the smugness that Cumberbatch is able to get across makes the scene. The character of Doctor Strange is willing to die over and over and over again to save the planet, and I find that is when we learn the true character of the new Stephen Strange.

Dormammu, I’ve come to bargain – Source: Marvel Studios

The mid credit sequence in Doctor Strange flows right into the Thor: Ragnarok film, with a scene that will most likely feature in the film itself, as the post credit scene of Ant-Man was a fragment of a scene from Captain America: Civil War. Stephen Strange, now welcoming ‘clients’ into his home greets Thor, who has brought Loki to Earth, Strange mentions that Loki is on his list of people he doesn’t want on his planet. He agrees to help locate Odin after he magically refilled Thor’s mug of beer, on the condition that they all leave Earth afterwards.

Mid Credit Scene Thor’s beer being refilled – Source: Marvel Studios

The post credit scene shows the fall of Mordo, where he starts hunting down sorcerers as they mess with nature, and that the bill comes due. It sets up the future of the Doctor Strange films, and hopefully a villain that will last a few films.

Mordo stealing the magic out of Pangborn – Source: Marvel Studios

Overall I feel like this movie is either beloved by those that saw it, or feel like it was a magical version of Iron Man. I am one of the people that enjoyed the film, while also realizing it’s flaws. The characters were entertaining, and while the story has been done to death by now, I still find that it was original in some of its executions. When I first saw this movie, my first reaction after coming out was that this film was a 9.5/10, and that excitement and love for the movie has simmered a bit, as I’ve had the chance to really look at it, and evaluate it for what it is. The ending of the film was lots of fun, while also setting up Doctor Strange as a serious threat to Thanos in the future while he has the Time Stone in the Eye of Agamotto. I can’t wait to see what he does in Thor: Ragnarok, and Avengers: Infinity War afterwards. I will give Doctor Strange a final score of 8.5/10.

What did you think of the film? Are you excited for Thor: Ragnarok? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading,

Alex Martens

Doctor Strange Review Released: November 4, 2016 Running Time: 1 hour 55 minutes "Dr. Stephen Strange's life changes after a car accident robs him of the use of his hands.

[ronblog17]

Do you know your YOLO cast? Let’s know them as we prepare for YOLO season 4.

Emily

Cyril

Araba

Drogba

Serwah

King George

Auntie Enyonam

Pusher

Production Team

  EMILY

Emily, born Queenstar Anaafi, is one of the leading characters on the YOLO TV Series. Queenstar’s role involves a young beautiful rich girl, well-raised by responsible and caring parents, turning her into a well-groomed adolescent.

‘If she’s out, she’s with either Cyril or at the Youth Corner, and her parents are very involved with her, so Emily in her own character is not a bad girl.’

In the YOLO TV series (Seasons 1 and 2), Emily is pursued by Cyril (considered next) and eventually falls for her first love, although in upcoming Season 3, their relationship turns to fall on hard rocks. In Season 2, Cyril takes a turn away from Emily and focuses on a beautiful student he tutors.

Things go south, and Cyril ends up head-on with highly-classified rhetorical questions from Emily. Series relationship aside, Emily relates how being a part of the cast for YOLO has helped her get in touch with her inner personality.

In her own words:

“I used to be a very shy, reserved person, but because of my involvement, my interaction with the people on set, I’ve been able to overcome this.”

Indeed, asked to play the role of the rich kid on the block comes with a lot of perks and requires getting up to speed to being what the writers and directors envision for the character. Emily plays her role well, and for many, concentrating on the show gets a little bit harder than usual sometimes, as Emily’s beauty and smartness keep swaying them.

Throughout the show, Emily is one of the few characters who set a good example and lead a good moral life, unlike Drogba and George (both discussed below).

Featuring alongside celebs makes her role relatively difficult as the standard she is required to meet is higher. Emily’s role can be seen as one not entirely complex to fit into. However, she’s mingling with great minds and actors/actresses, putting on edge to push the limits and excel.

  CYRIL

Cyril, born as Aaron Adatsi, remains the center of the YOLO TV series and happens to be one of the characters tossed about in many situations, from relationships to hanging out with friends.

Cyril, in YOLO, was raised by Auntie Enyonam (discussed below). Auntie Enyonam learned her lessons the hard way, after getting in a relationship with Pusher and ended up being pregnant.

Unfortunately, Cyril grows up in a divided family, with his biological dad being an auto-mechanic and mom, a boutique manageress.

If an occasional visit by Cyril’s dad was welcome, the whole twist between Enyonam and Pusher wouldn’t have been, as portrayed in the show, tense and unpredictable.

Cyril sets his eyes on this young, beautiful girl from a relatively wealthy family, namely, Emily. He strives to win Emily’s heart, going as far as succumbing to gravity and going on his knees to apologize to Emily for a bad move taken.

Cyril: “Personally, I think YOLO is full of morals. Basically, YOLO is adolescent reproductive health, and I think the target is the youth

Although his apology takes effect and starts curing Emily’s heart, the likely ‘placebo’ effect she feels for her first love wouldn’t last as Cyril can’t help it but entangles himself with a student of his.

As Richard Castle would put it, Cyril is ‘ruggedly handsome’, which makes him a worthwhile prey for many young ladies looking for a strong, smart and handsome guy with great brains to be by their side.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), this comes to the attention of Cyril’s girlfriend and first love, and things start going south with their relationship in Season 3.

“I mean we don’t have to rush, I believe on step at a time. We should seek the right advice, before we go into sexually related issues”

Cyril represents a young boy who’s to some extent, naive about how to handle himself about girls, and finds himself pulled here and there, sometimes getting confused.

He leans to his instincts too sometimes, however, such moves in many cases reflect his inexperience. On that note, his many friends try to so-called help him, but sometimes end up adding insults to injury.

Aaron strives to live an upright life and try as much as possible to do things right the first time. In the show, it gets a bit thin the lines between Cyril being a bad boy or a good one; hard to tell. But, he’s a good kid in the heart, just happens to find himself in the wrong hands sometimes, which drives him into tight slippery corners.

Does Cyril get derailed thanks to the boisterous, bad friends he makes?

  ARABA

One of the adorable characters in YOLO! Born as Evelyn Galle-Ansah, Araba is responsible for en-railing de-railing minds, such as Felicia.

Consider Araba as the wise young lady who knows the ins and outs of youth life and adolescence, and try to use her influence, knowledge, and experience in helping younger ones in making the right reproductive health-related choices.

Araba is smart, gentle, reasonable and knowledgeable, and probably knows all the conversation stoppers for guys like Drogba. She’s not self-centered and happily puts the needs of others before hers, especially her lady friends.

Although she has a boyfriend, she believes abstinence till marriage rocks, and her boyfriend shares a similar goal. Araba, in her neighborhood (same as Drogba’s’), is considered the hard-to-get type. You win her, you rule the neighborhood!

Unlike Emily who sometimes gets pressured by her peers into actions she wouldn’t have done on her own, Araba stands up for what she wants, and is confident and tends to know what she does. She’s decisive and you can find her when you need her most.

Pick up the phone, call Araba for an advice, and she’s more than ready to offer thought-provoking insights on the best possible move there is. Such insights saved Felicia from the bad ‘Since the 80’s’ guy!

Araba: “YOLO, to me means that every moment in our lives count. But that doesn’t mean you should misuse the moment and mess around”

Indeed, Araba makes every moment of her life count and tries to help others to do same.

  DROGBA

Obviously not the footballer Drogba, this YOLO Series cast, born John B. Peasah, is “naughty”. Drogba’s character portrayal is the personification of exactly what any youth in Ghana, and in the world for that matter shouldn’t become.

Drogba, a.k.a Bro Charles, according to his character in the series, remains one hard to deal with, engulfing himself in a cloud of mystery and betrayal.

His well-known moves relate to how he targets ladies and plans to ‘run’ as many unsuspecting ladies in his neighborhood as possible.

Bro Charles is careless, reckless, loveless and selfish. Drogba’s greatest victim happened to be the bread seller, Serwah. Consider Serwah as the exact opposite of Araba.

Irrespective of the fact that Bro Charles happened to contract an STI in his ladies-hunting-spree, he tends to fail most of the times keeping his manhood at where they belong. The message of reproductive health runs through the series, and unfortunately, Drogba became the first to realize and catch such a horrible infection.

If only that would have kept Bro Charles away from his old ways onto a new chapter, easter eggs from Season 3 indicates, Drogba goes on with his bad way of life, to the extent he’s seen teaching a new face in this season how to pronounce his name, ‘Bro Charles’

Bro Charles remains the only character throughout the show viewers can learn probably nothing positive from.

He’s a bad peer and cunningly lures his unsuspecting friends to yield to his wishes. In many cases, he gets himself in trouble.

Drogba is confident, articulate and smart, but making a mess of his life, hanging out in a dilapidated apartment somewhere in the neighborhood.

Bro Charles, at the end of Season 2, is confirmed to be a dad. Does Bro Charles turn around to become a responsible Dad in Season 3? Maybe, but likely not. Remember, he’s teaching how to pronounce “Bro Charles” to, yet another fresh lady.

Bro Charles: ‘Drogba is naughty … he’s just, eeh, bad, you know, and living his life and don’t care what people think about him. You know, if you fool he go preg you, that kind of thing.

John enjoys his character but considers himself reserved and shy. His role dictates him to be we find him to be, but that obviously in no way reflects his real life personality.

So the next time you meet Drogba, don’t panic, he’s neither there to run your girlfriend nor ‘clear’ you if you’re a lady.

  SERWAA

Serwaa, born as Makafui Dela, takes on the role as this naive, unsuspecting, poor and to an extent, considered by some as the ‘foolish’ girl.

Taking on the role of this sort, in a way can be intimidating. In fact, it was for Serwaa initially, as she relates. Although she got excited to join hands with celebs like Jackie and Majid in promoting the YOLO movement, she adds:

“But then, I was so disappointed that, me playing the role of Serwaa, the “Village Girl”, I’m like, why won’t I play a glamourous lady who’s gonna put on some makeup, wear Brazillian hair, you know, in that bodycon dress.

“But then, when I went deep into the script, I read the script, I was just like, this is so me, because casting my mind back, I used to sell bread for my mum in the village. I just said I could relate to Serwaa’s issues very well to help educate other ones who find themselves in Serwah’s situation.”

In reality, although Serwaa’s behavior might be a bit exaggerated in the show, many young ladies end up in a similar situation and stand the chance of learning a lot from her.

It is easy to sit behind the TV as a young girl and call Serwaa’s character as a fool, however, it is equally easy to find many young girls ending up as Serwaa.

How many bad boys has lured her into having sex with them? The last attempt got her in a bad state, health-wise, as she got drugged yet sent to go buy a condom only to be rescued by onlookers after she succumbed to whatever she was drugged with.

Serwaa’s standard of living, when plotted on a graph along with that of Emily, we’re probably looking at a vertical line joining the two points on a cartesian plane.

She’s the poor girl who came from the village to make a living in the big city by selling bread during the day. Unfortunately, she ends up as the escaped goat in the hands of young boys like Drogba, who twist and turn her as they wish, “abusing her innocence”, as Serwah puts it.

Serwaa is so naive she still believes Drogba loves him. The fact that the character considers Drogba to be a caring boy completes her missing in the show – play the role of a dumb girl.

The connection between Serwaa and the mother (Jemima Danso) also paints valuable lessons to be considered by parents of today. Makafui nails it nicely on the issue of parent-child relationship, indicating the importance of tightening up such a bond.

This goes a long way to allowing kids, the youth, and adolescents to open to the parents and share with them the problems they face daily in their neighborhood and or at school.

We see from YOLO how Serwaa’s mother goes all out on her daughter for making bad decisions. Parents sometimes become too strict (Enyonam, looking at you) on their wards so they end up finding it difficult to open up to them.

  KING GEORGE

A king indeed! King George, born Desmond Danso Sakyi, knows all in the YOLO series. George is the informant, the all-knowing and go-to for the latest info on issues within and around the neighborhood.

King George knows where who is at what time easily just as the back of his hand.

King George, in his own words, describes his role:

“[George] is a reckless guy, when I say reckless I mean he gets what he wants whenever he wants it. Basically, when it comes to information, he has it all. When it comes to protection, he’s top notch, he protects, he actually protects everything he likes.

George is considered ‘Bɔha bɔha’ which simple means in English as ‘Here and there’. It is an expression used to describe people who are not trustworthy and can’t be relied on.

‘Bɔha bɔha’ people end up as good gossipers and opening up to them is the worst you can ever do. King George will tell it as it is, however with more than enough additions to make what looks like a spark appears as a forest fire.

In Season 3, we notice how George tries to confuse Auntie Enyonam, and her reaction tells it all how deceptive George can be. You don’t want to take his word for what it is.

As simple rule of thumb with George is this, ‘If he tells you to look up, don’t just look down, even better, run away.’

King George hardly belongs to a camp and makes it his daily target to instigate troubles and bad outcomes for those he comes in contact with.

One example of his troubling instigation was his gossip about the plans Cyril had to travel, although none of that was true. He even had plans of travel, so he says, at a point in time. Did he? I doubt he even knows the road to the Passport Office, how much more the Embassy or Airport.

When asked if the role he plays reflects who he is in reality, Desmond tries to convince his audience, however, it is hard to believe him.

“At the end of the day, I’ve come to understand You Only Live Once, but live it well.”

That is a great sign of how he’s embraced his role so well it can be hard differentiating him from his role and his actual personality. He knows what and how it is like to be cunning and deceitful, he knows, however, I doubt in person, Desmond of that type.

Desmond even considers everyone to have elements of ‘George’ in them, people who hype whatever they think of or believes in but end up never doing it. You know any friend who’s like George?

King George is able to think on his feet and wit. As much as he’s a complex character to deal with, he tries to think straight and find his ways through issues.

    AUNTIE ENYONAM

Enyonam, the mother of Cyril, born Jackie Aygemang Appiah, is a carry-forward character from the previous TV show which led to YOLO, namely, Things we Do for Love.

Considering Jackie Appiah is Jackie Appiah and Enyonam is Jackie Appiah, there’s little talk to do here, as you probably know more about this Ghanaian Actress.

Read more about Jackie Appiah

A quick crash storyline tutorial for you about Things we Do for Love would be this:

Once upon a time, a young guy called Shaker (Majid) hunts down ladies, including Enyonam (Jackie Appiah), similar to the ‘chepeteeness’ of Drogba of YOLO. Shaker doesn’t get to ‘shake’ Enyonam eventually. But someone instead does.

Things we Do for Love was primarily about the youth and how they live their lives and go about things in school and at home, with their parents also coming in their way, trying to put them on track so they don’t go astray.

Pusher however is the cool, humble guy Enyonam falls in love with. Things, yeah, ‘things’ go south and Enyonam becomes pregnant with Pusher’s baby.

Fast-forward to YOLO, where Cyril is the ‘unplanned’ kid, and the reason behind the super repulsion force between Pusher and Enyonam.

Enyonam is the single-parent mum who’s gone through enough to raise his baby boy Cyril. She loves his son so well, and tries to be the ninja mum, keeping his boy, both safe as well as guiding him to not fall into bad company.

Auntie Enyonam is portrayed as the mum who may become overkill in her disciplinary tactics, although sometimes these tactics open new opportunities for his son and the brazen friends of his.

Heck, Enyonam sent Cyril to visit the grandmother’s village! Indeed, the move which had the intention of disciplining her son turned out to be a playground for Cyril and friends.

Enyonam is well-to-do and owns a high-class boutique in town, a place Drogba frequents as you are assured of many ‘goodness’ in the form of beautiful ladies. Her boutique is enough hunting grounds for Drogba.

Auntie Enyonam represents the typical Ghanaian mother today. Raising a young, smart and handsome boy like Cyril comes with many challenges, especially relating to reproductive health issues.

However, one yet-to-be-determined catch within the YOLO storyline is when and how Cyril’s father is accepted back into the life of Enyonam. As it stands at the time of writing (Season03 Episode02), the eyes of Pusher and Enyonam do not meet, and should they meet, well, you guessed right, Commotion!

Jackie Appiah remains one of the high-ranking cast of the YOLO series. Indeed, some years ago when Things we Do for Love aired, who knew Jackie would rise to become a star? So generous of her to have continued the role she started, although her cast in this series is negligible to her big screen appearances.

Kudos to Enyonam for continuing to be the Enyonam we all know!

  PUSHER

Adjetey Annang, known in the show YOLO as Pusher, is the father of Cyril and the one’s who’s career path doesn’t seem exciting as that of many.

Pusher grew up to become an auto mechanic. In his young days, his personality would today map onto both King George and a bit of Drogba. Pusher was not the smart guy (book-wise) you can think of but was smart in his own way, enough to win the heart of Enyonam.

Pusher regrets today for going unprotected in his youth which led to Cyril. He does not feel proud and continues to use his experience in educating his boy, Cyril. Considering what he missed and wished he had, Pusher even goes to the extent of providing Cyril with enough reproductive health brochures and magazines collected from the Youth Center.

The goal is to get Cyril informed, so as not to make the wrong decisions he made. Although he had a relatively little hand in raising up his boy, Pusher wants to come in touch regularly with his son and offer his assistance the little ways he can. Once, Pusher bought a ‘smartless’ phone for Cyril when he got to know his boy’s phone got stolen.

The move didn’t go well as planned, but was a proactive initiative from him, a clear sign whatever wrong he did, is willing to move forward and be a better man.

Pusher represents those who’s past tends to hunt them down, but keeps their chins up, gathering enough strength to move on.

Plus, his story tells the part of what parents can do to support their young ones. It obviously does not have to be money, but the fatherly presence as little as possible matters. At least, Cyril has a father figure to look up to, and enjoys being around the dad.

Can’t wait to see the Enyonam and Pusher reunion! Someboy lemme write that script!

  PRODUCTION TEAM

Ivan, the CEO of Farmhouse Production leads and directs the production of the YOLO Series.

He’s responsible for the YOLO series you’ve come to love and enjoy and tries to create a conducive environment for the team members to work within to bring out the best in them.

In Season 3 of YOLO, expect the characters in YOLO to speak directly to all of us on issues such as Malaria to Maternal Mortality, Safe Motherhood, Hand wash, Illegal Abortion, Drug Abuse and more.

  As the D.O.P ( Director of Photography ) and the Cameraman, Michael Eshunensures you watch a quality video produced professionally and properly shot.

Eshun discusses what the scene is with the director and proper staging is set for better shooting to support the requirements at hand.

A graduate of NAFTI, Michael brings in his experience, skills and knowledge in helping grow the YOLO Movement.

Stick around for an in-depth chat with Michael Eshun.

  Kofi Sefa Bonsu is the Sound Engineer on the YOLO production team and is the reason behind the sound clarity you enjoy when watching each episode.

As a sound engineer, he ensures sound is recorded properly on set. No matter how great the post-pro guys or ladies are, a great raw sound quality is essential.

Kofi makes that happen!

  At the Post Production department, let’s meet the Head, Tracy Decardi-Nelson who can’t help it but only bring out the best in the work done by the sound and lighting and camera guys.

Tracy is the main editor on the YOLO production team, assisted by Mr. Blake. After shooting, they dump all the ‘nonsense’ to the post-pro team, who then make sense of all the content, sorting, processing, editing, ‘cut cut’ here and there, and more.

The Post-pro team along with the Mac multimedia setup enjoys bringing out the best in each shooting in the form of episodes that end up entertaining us.

  Consider Bridget Nortey as the all-around production team member. As the Production Manager, Bridget handles work involved in the smooth running of the production, on and or offset.

Although her work doesn’t sound challenging, it happens to be one of the difficult aspects of production, getting all the moving parts going and gluing together the various parts of the team for successful production.

Kudos to Bridget for bringing us great episodes each time YOLO hits our airways.

  PRODUCTION in Pictures

Meet your YOLO Cast and Production Team Do you know your YOLO cast? Let's know them as we prepare for YOLO season 4.

[thevalicemultiverse]

Things You Need To Know About: Londerland Bloodlines

Tag: ~V: Londerland Bloodlines

Premise: What does one do when, after having been “strongly encouraged” to date the local upper-class girl, they’ve accidentally awakened a corpse bride-to-be, seen the Land of the Dead, saved the local upper class girl with the bride’s help after she was kidnapped by another potential date, set the bride on the path to finally moving on, and agreed to a break with the upper-class girl to give her time to recover? And one’s parents won’t shut up about it? Move to California, of course! Victor hoped Los Angeles would be a new beginning, but it nearly turned into a new ending when he was hit by a car three days in. But then, his own dark-haired, green-eyed angel entered his life – with sharp fangs and sweet blood he just can’t get enough of…

This AU is is a crossover between Corpse Bride, the Alice games, and the Old World of Darkness (and, quietly, Back To The Future). Specifically, it asks the question, "What if Alice ended up the Malkavian protagonist character of Vampire: The Masquerade -- Bloodlines, and Victor took the place of Heather Poe, the protagonist's potential ghoul?" In this more modernized (2004, to be precise) world, before the main action starts, Victor and Victoria are not arranged to be married -- instead, they're just being pushed toward each other by the very-enthusiastic Nell and the rather-more-reluctant Maudeline. Victor and Victoria, fortunately, actually like each other, and they're happy enough to go on dates and think about a future together.

They're less happy when, urged by Nell, Pastor Galswells shows up on one said date to extol the virtues of marriage. They're able to have a laugh about it -- but later, on a walk through the local woods, Victor finds himself wondering about a future with Victoria, and does a practice proposal with a plastic ring he got out of those "toy in a bubble" vending machines during the date, slipping it onto a convenient hand-shaped branch.

Convenient hand-shaped branch turns out to be an actual skeletal hand, and its owner -- a murdered bride named Emily -- promptly rises, believing Victor's proposal to be legitimate toward her. Victor tries to run, but Emily catches up and takes him to her home in the Land of the Dead. Victor, terrified, blurts out the whole thing was a joke -- and then, seeing the heartbroken look on Emily's face, clarifies that he didn't even know she was there. Emily's friend Bonejangles explains her history (killed by the man she intended to elope with for the money he told her to bring), and Victor, feeling awful, decides he has to do something for her in apology for getting her hopes up. Emily admits that it would be nice to just have a date Upstairs, if possible -- Victor explains about Victoria but says that if she's okay with it, he'd love to take her on a little moonlight picnic or something. Emily is cool with this plan, and after talking with Elder Gutknecht (the most powerfully magical dead person around), they go back to the Land of the Living so Victor can talk to Victoria.

But when Victor arrives at the Everglots, he finds the lord and lady in a tizzy and the police taking statements. Turns out Victoria has been kidnapped by the second date she had that day -- Maudeline pushed her to meet a "Lord Barkis" once she got home, and Victoria agreed just to get her off her back. Barkis promptly took her hostage and is demanding a ransom the rather-broke Everglots simply can't pay. Victor, horrified, brings this news back to Emily -- and Emily wonderingly admits that her old beau went by the name "Edward Barkis." Getting Elder Gutknecht's help in finding the missing Victoria, they discover that yep, it's the same guy, and that he fully intends to kill Victoria instead of releasing her once he gets his money. A furious Emily (backed up by Victor and a few of her dead friends) confronts him, and they manage to subdue him and get word to the police, sending him to prison and saving Victoria. Emily, feeling like the major anchor holding her to the living world has been released, decides to return Downstairs and have a farewell party or two before preparing to move on, and she and Victor fondly bid each other adieu.

Which is followed by Victoria admitting the whole kidnapping really shook her and she'd like a break from dating altogether. Victor is understanding, but his parents are less so -- and after the fiftieth complaint about how he let their best chance for social importance slip through his fingers, Victor snaps and decides he wants to put as much distance between them and him as possible. One ticket to Los Angeles, California later, he's ready to start a new life!

Three days in, he's hit by a car and rushed to a severely-understaffed clinic in Santa Monica. Victor, certain he's going to die, begs the first person he sees -- a mysterious green-eyed girl in a blue dress -- first for help, then for company as he passes. The girl instead cuts her wrist and makes him drink her blood. To Victor's intense surprise, he not only enjoys the experience, but when he wakes up later -- he's fine.

Fortunately, he's not left in the dark as to the reason for his mysterious cure for long -- a run-in with local bounty hunter Knox Harrington explains all: the mystery girl is Alice Liddell, she's a vampire (a Malkavian, to be specific), and her blood is what healed him, turning him into a ghoul. Victor promptly tracks down Alice, and the two end up living together in her downtown apartment while Alice runs errands for the longer-lived members of the local vampire population (being the newbie, and one who shouldn't have even been made to boot). Along the way, Victor reunites with Victoria, who also fled to California after her parents tried to push her into yet another unwanted relationship -- and with Emily during a raid on a family reunion of the Giovanni clan of vampires. The Giovanni specialize in necromancy, and Emily's spirit had been captured and restored to a kind of life as an advanced sort of zombie in one of their rituals -- along with Alice's murdered sister Lizzie. Both Victor and Alice are only too glad to welcome the pair into their home, and soon a sweet little quartet forms between Victor, Victoria, Emily, and Alice.

However, not all is well in the City of Angels -- Alice has made a lot of enemies in her time as a vampire, and as they start closing in, Victor and Emily are forced to flee L.A. for their own safety. Victoria and Lizzie follow shortly thereafter, having been narrowly rescued from abduction by the evil Sabbat vampires (Victoria, as you might imagine, is sour about being kidnapped TWICE in one year). The four end up settling in the little town of Hill Valley, waiting with bated breath to see if Alice will eventually join them.

She does, having very thoroughly told the L.A. vampires to fuck off. And so Victor settles into a very content future, with three women who love him dearly, an honorary older sister, and a steady supply of that amazing blood from Alice's veins.

This verse has two distinct time periods/locations threads can be set in:

Epic of the Ankaran Sarcophagus: Anything set during Victor's time in Los Angeles, post the car crash (aka the time period of Vampire: The Masquerade -- Bloodlines, which starts in October 2004 and probably runs through at least the end of the year). He's a little confused at how he keeps ending up in situations involving undead women, but he's happy playing a supporting role in Alice's various adventures. She saved his life, after all -- and he's come to like her quite a lot for her imagination and determination. Just, uh, don't ask him why he's twitchy sometimes. He's trying not to think about that addiction Alice refuses to feed.

Nice Place To Live: Anything post-V:TM-B, when Victor and company are living in Hill Valley (starting in 2005). Victor's happily settled back down into small-town life -- albeit the kind that includes being part of a romantic foursome with another ghoul, a zombie, and their vampire mistress. And with Alice having finally gone ahead and blood-bonded him, he's a lot more stable in his cravings. He's only too happy to chat with the neighbors now! (Though if you're visiting from L.A., expect to get some side-eye until he confirms you're not part of the Camarilla, anarchs, or Sabbat, come to ruin their day.)

Common NPCs:

Alice Liddell (throughout)

Victoria Everglot (throughout)

Emily Cartwell (throughout)

Lizzie Liddell (throughout)

Shipping: Another poly AU! It started out as just Valice, but the moment I decided Victoria was going to take the place of Samantha -- the NPC in Hollywood who recognizes the player character as a mortal friend -- and figured out a way to get Emily into the main story. . .well, things just fell into place. Victor’s feelings for Alice may be the strongest (thanks to her literally saving his life and being her ghoul, with all the benefits and drawbacks that entails), but he loves Victoria and Emily dearly too, and is all for romance with any of them.

NPC Ships: None

Important Facts:

NPC Alice’s backstory is similar to what she had in the games (Bumby stalked and raped her sister, burned down the house to cover his crimes, Alice escaped and was committed for ten years before entering his care and realizing the truth), only Bumby actively bribed someone in the forensics unit to keep from getting caught at the time and she didn’t suffer quite so badly in Rutledge (no leeches, for one thing). Her move to L.A. was prompted by shoving Bumby in front of the train -- while she was reasonably sure she’d get away with the murder, it still seemed prudent to put as much distance between her and England as possible.

NPC Alice’s sire was a seventh-generation Malkavian called Fish -- a narcissistic asshole who considered Alice’s attempts to leash her hallucinations and delusions a personal insult. He lured her to his apartment by pretending it was for lease -- Alice tried to fight him off when he first bit her, but he overpowered her. He seriously did not expect Lacroix to kill him for the deed. Alice does not hold his death against the Camarilla prince at all.

NPC Alice’s Malkavian madness is basically a permanently-on Londerland. As she’s used to handling these sorts of hallucinations by now, it’s possible anyone who didn’t know her clan might think her a Brujah until she starts having conversations with cats and rabbits that no one else can see. Following the rules of the video game, she has access to the Auspex, Obfuscate, and Dementation disciplines, along with general Blood Buff and Blood Heal. Alice finds inflicting more than hysterical laughter on people to generally be a little uncomfortable, but she loves Obfuscate.

NPC Lizzie became a ghost after her unfortunate demise, anchored to the mortal world by her fury at Bumby and her worry over her little sister. A Giovanni vampire heard about the poltergeist activity at the site of the old house, and managed to capture Lizzie and take her to the L.A. mansion, where she received a new physical body in a ritual to create a more durable kind of zombie. However, the ritual happened to leave her with her mind and free will, and when it became obvious she wasn’t going to play ball, she was locked in the cellar with Emily, the other failure of the day. The two became fast friends in their confinement, and made regular escape attempts -- up until Victor and Alice showed up and were able to rescue them. Lizzie wasn’t happy that her little sister was a vampire, but was thrilled to hear Bumby had died. She’s basically the honorary older sister of the entire group, and rather protective.

Actually, they’re all protective of each other, as is the norm. Victor in particular will take a baseball bat to anyone who threatens his girls (never mind that one of them is a vampire and probably better-suited for dealing with threats).

As a ghoul, Victor heals faster, is a bit stronger and quicker in general, and can amp up his strength, speed, and stamina even more using the vampire blood in his body (in game terms, I imagine him being able to use Blood Buff). He’s also addicted to vampire blood, and, being a Malkavian’s thrall, occasionally hears voices and has prophetic dreams. During Epic of the Ankaran Sarcophagus, he’s struggling with the fact that Alice, frightened of stripping him of all free will via the blood bond, is refusing to give him any more of hers. She occasionally lets him have elder blood from packs she picks up, figuring either those vampires are dead or at least unlikely to meet Victor, but he doesn’t find it as satisfying as hers. Talking to him about his status is likely to make him a bit twitchy. By Nice Place To Live, Alice has realized Victor knows what he’s getting into and wants it anyway, and has blood-bonded him on a weekly feeding schedule. He’ll happily rhapsodize about what a lucky ghoul he is in that time period.

NPC Victoria is also a ghoul bonded to Alice, at least by the time of Nice Place To Live -- she got hurt during the escape from the Sabbat, and Alice gave her some blood to heal her (with more of a warning this time). A combination of the Malkavian blood and being kidnapped twice in one year has made her somewhat paranoid of going anywhere outside alone, especially anywhere that might put her near strange men. Fortunately one of the others is pretty much always available to walk with her and calm her down should she panic.

While Back To The Future’s characters aren’t huge players in this verse, the quintet does know Doc Brown and his family -- largely because they’re renting Doc’s old garage apartment. (They’ve sub-divided it with screens and made a special sun cover for Alice’s bed.) So BTTF characters are more than welcome here!

Bloodlines characters are welcome too (obviously), but be forewarned -- Victor knows very few directly apart from Knox and Mercurio, his fellow ghouls; the rest he generally hears about through Alice. And, uh, Alice doesn’t like many of the L.A. vampires apart from Beckett and VV. There probably won’t be any overt hostilities unless the other person makes the first move, but expect lots of snark.

This verse is open to everyone!

[okimargarvez]

HURT - 8

Prompt: Luke’s dark thought, destiny, contrasted love. Warnings: sexual content, dark thoughts. Characters: Penelope Garcia, Luke Alvez, BAU team, others. Pairing: Garvez. Multichapter (22).

GARVEZ STORIES

Chapter 1-  Chapter 2-  Chapter 3    Chapter 4   Chapter 5   Chapter 6    Chapter 7

HURT- Chapter 8

 It's been a few weeks and there hasn’t been any kind of change between them. Neither positive nor negative. Neither of them confided the problem to another human being: Penelope discussed it with Sergio (Emily's cat) and Luke, although talked to Roxy, he didn’t open the matter with his therapist.

Gradually they began to prick, almost coming to the point of self-assurance that what had been there was all in their heads, not concrete, but the result of a fantasy too fervid and abstinence pushed to the extreme. The others didn’t, as usual, realize nothing. They were discussing the possibility that the team would add a new member, there were also Spencer and JJ. Rossi had been in Prentiss's office for at least two hours.

-You couldn’t find anything out, with all your super powers?- Luke asks, with an ironic teasing tone. Penelope isn’t far behind. She puffs, looks at him wrong, while the other two bystanders, hardly hide funny smiles.

-Oh, ha ha, newbie. It’s not like I haven’t tried. I checked with all the mes in other units, to see if any of their agent are transferring over. Nobody knows diddley-squat.- he can’t help but admire how the glasses perfectly match the necklace and the jacket (and other so little masculine thoughts cross his mind), even if  he would rip the latter fly away, as well as the dark red shirt, with a rhombus...

- Well, I feel like Emily's been poring over these resumes forever.- JJ exclaims, distracting him from such thoughts, flying towards him -...I mean, the brass has to approve a new agent soon, right?- she then asks, apparently not aware of anything.

- All I know is, whoever he or she is, they'd better be nice. That is the most important thing to me.- she pronounces the sentence, looking directly at Luke.

- To all of us.- Spencer says, not catching the little arrow behind a phrase typically "Garcia". Penelope sighs.

- So whoever this well-qualified mystery person is, I say once they join, we change our name from The Magnificent 7 to The Awesome 8. Huh? It's perfect.- her enthusiasm isn’t shared by anyone, not even by him, who would do anything to make her smile, to see again that face enlighten and know to be partly responsible.

A chorus of -I do not know...- and similar resounds in the area. The blonde doesn’t lose heart.

-I’m declaring a dictatorship. You guys don’t get a vote. Especially you, newbie.- again that adjective that sends blood to his head. He would also immediately show her who is the newbie. The problem is that the only way that comes to his mind is always the same. And in addition to undoubtedly causing damage, not solving the question, etc., it is not even feasible, because she will not fall more easily in his arms, as it could be before he had say that horrible sentence...

-Sorry guys, no news. But we have a case...- Prentiss's appearance on the balcony, silencing the question for the moment.

-What?- she asks, then a message arrives, she looks at her phone and nods -Oh yeah, we do. This isn’t sgood.- then she walks toward the meeting room. Quickly followed by others. Also reappears Tara, who asks for information from their communication expert. Penelope begins to distribute the folders to each, noting with great disappointment that Luke has sat right in the place next to her (damned!); at the same time, she begins to explain the details of the case. -Okay, last night in Iakima, Washington – she feels his eyes on her, it's not just her impression. Why the hell is he still staring at her? In such a clear way, in front of others? But fortunately, they are all bent over the sheets, they are following her explanation. -police received multiple 911 phone calls from the same neighborhood.- nothing, he doesn’t want to give up. Is he doing it on purpose, to see if he can confuse her? She will not give him this satisfaction. -They all reported a woman...- he, who took the remote control and played with it a little, is now forced to pass it on to her. Their fingers touch for a time longer than necessary for the transition. And this time in the eyes of JJ doesn’t escape any subtext. It is obvious that there must be something more, between these two, it is no longer detesting someone who has taken the place of her best friend. But if Penelope doesn’t want to talk to her, she can’t force her to do it-… pounding on the door, screaming for help. She was hysterical. They received five calls in less than five minutes.- the screen shows the flashing red dots in the sighting areas.

-Let me guess. Not one person opened their door to help her.- Rossi considers. Penelope nods.

-Sad commentary on our times.- Spencer adds -But understandable: a stranger at your door cold be a ruse to get into your home to rob you.- JJ raises her eyes to this sentence.

-Or worse.- and she exchanges an eloquent look with Tara.

-All of the caller described the woman as been in her mid-20s and scantily clad. One even called her a prostitute.- when she listens to him she feels bad, she wants to be able to leave the room, not having to see him anymore. Because continue to come to her mind fragments of their "relationships", especially those in which she was exactly felt that way: an object, a thing, an automaton, worse, a slave who had to satisfy all his wishes. And the most tragic thing is that she almost liked it! -Said that a hooded figure grabbed her off the street, was driving a dark-colored car.- while it is clear that he has already forgotten everything, he speaks of the case in a detached, serious, focused.

-So we have an abduction.- Dr. Lewis takes the floor for the first time.

-It appears so, but that not the only reason they called us.- and in fact the situation is much worse than they might have initially seemed.

-Right, because when the local police were looking for the missing woman- Penelope is careful not to turn her head in his direction -they uncovered the remains of two female victims on the bank of a nearby creek. -here are the pictures of the victims, with the body practically mummified. -One was skeletonized. And the other was in a burlap sack. She has been dead for three weeks.- she can’t help thinking that this poor woman was still alive when she was having a good time and she thought she had found... the man with whom to spend her life. It's too much? Was she a total fool, for having hoped for us so much? Probably. But keep the doubt, the dilemma in eternity, more or less as she had done with Morgan, never going beyond that boundary that so many times would have wanted to cross... where it had got her? It is better to have regrets for something that has been done, but has gone wrong, or have them for something that has never been accomplished and will never know how it could have gone? Rhetorical question.

-She also had barbed wire wrapped around the waist.- Tara notices.

-She being Debra McDermott, 27, from Moxee. Washington.- Penelope explains.

-Run away from home at 16, multiple arrests for prostitution... Given the witnesses statements for the current missing woman... I’d says our unsub is got a type.- JJ wonders. Then what she is feared happens. Luke turns to her, to ask a question. He does it because it's his job, they have to catch those who have done such horrible things to these poor creatures. But could he not at least avoid looking at her that way? -Any idea on the skeleton?- the only way she has to defend herself is to shake her head keeping her eyes tightly closed. Sealed.

-No, not yet.- fortunately Spencer, without knowing it, runs to her rescue.

-But her date of death is estimated to be 3 years ago.- considers in fact the little genius.

-Three years and now three weeks. What are the odds he remained dormant between victims?- Rossi asks.

- We should look into recent local prison releases that match that timeframe.- Prentiss addresses directly to Penelope.

-I'll search that now.- and while she says it, she's already starting to type on her computer.

- He could have been sublimating his urges by reliving the kills.- Tara proposes.

- Maybe he found a job- Luke continues through attempts -or a relationship that satisfied him...- but it is not accidental that in saying this last part of the sentence, he glances at her. It's all in your head. He doesn’t feel anything. He said it was just sex. He didn’t even choose you. Except that Tara wasn’t his type and the others were busy. Give it a reason, hell! A month will have passed in a while, and you still think about it! I have to stop talking to myself.

-If either went sour, that could have triggered his killing again.- Reid continues.

- The only thing we know for certain is we have two dead victims and a missing woman who's still out there. Wheels up in 20.- saying this the chief dissolves the meeting. Luke is still a few moments to look at the pictures in his dossier, then gets up and follows the others outside the room. Leaving her alone again, to fix things. More or less as he had done before.

 Let me be the first to welcome you.

How much hatred does he feel, to hear her say (in his head) this sentence again? And he could make fun of himself, not admitting that he noticed the way Penelope had staring the "new new guy", eyes that practically came out of her head, not even she hadn’t seen Morgan. But maybe that was it, he looked a little like him, now we don’t exaggerate, seen by a person without glasses who couldn’t see her hand in front of her face ... well, maybe the super special agent he soon replaced, and Stephen Walker would be could look similar. In any case, she had reserved a welcome that was very different from his. And when she shook her hand for the second time, to present herself officially, he hadn’t succeeded in holding back. He had complained to everyone about how she had treated him unjustly. And that he was tired of being called newbie. Now he wasn’t the new comer anymore. Did she couldn’t force herself to call him by his real name, as did the others?

But such a request would never have happened if they had found themselves. Because the others didn’t know what he had done to her. Otherwise neither JJ, nor certainly Spencer, would ever give him a rope. And Emily to protect her computer technician would surely be able to get him fired.

In the end it was closed with a proposal for an armistice, to celebrate in the usual O'Keef. But he had refused. He wouldn’t have been able to stare at her while other people, male beings, approached her to try to flirt with her, they took her hand, bring her to the dance floor, smiled at her and received smiles in return. They touched her and looked at her in ways that no one else besides him would ever allow himself to use.

He still feels that she is his, and in his utopia, she is as faithful as she is in this (almost) month of separation. But why would she do that? They had never even been officially together. They had only fucked. This what he had told her. Spectacular lie. At this moment, lying on his stomach on his bed, a hand immersed in Roxy's fur, aware that even this night he couldn’t sleep, he almost feels the lack of those ghosts that seem to have abandoned him. Even them.

[okimargarvez]

HURT- open wounds

Original title: Hurt.

Prompt: Luke’s dark thought, destiny, contrasted love.

Warnings: sexual content, dark thoughts.

Genre: angst, drama, romantic, smut, dark, mistery, frienship.

Characters: Penelope Garcia, Luke Alvez, BAU team, O.C.

Pairing: Garvez.

Note: multichapter.

Legend: 💏😘😈🔦🐶❗🎈👻.

Song mentioned: La tua vita intera, Tiziano Ferro.

Hurt- Masterlist

MY OTHER GARVEZ STORIES

Chapter 3-

I just I don't want to feel your Judgy McJudgerson looks on me as I daintily sip my Mai Tai.

 He continues to review her serious expression as she pronounces that sentence. The way she had raised and arched eyebrows. How her lips were curled. JJ and Emily hadn't only remained in the background: they were completely gone. There was only her. Her green dress and wacky. Her ample bosom, which seemed on the verge of exploding. Her voice seemed so childish while she strives to convince him of her ability to discern between good (maximum two drinks if the next day there was no work) and evil (drunken driving). Her attempt to stay away, avoid him, but then still question him.

How loud had caught him, the desire, once again?

But he couldn't in this case telling himself the fairytale, that he needed her, to keep his mind off, out of his mind the usual album of horrifying visions. Something slowly was changing (if it already hadn't happened).

And at that time, he wasn't victim of one of his crisis. It was just a natural necessity, physics. Or maybe something more complex, but still nuanced. And at the end of the day, however, the result was that he wanted her. He wanted to be with her, smell her hair, feel her warmth on him. Because he did feel good with her, exactly as (should be) when a mother cuddling her infant.

But the last night he had had the opportunity to enjoy this privilege, he had made a serious mistake. He had said a few words, but already were too many and too heavy. He had always thought, from the first time that his eyes had placed on her, she was very insightful, as well as sensitive, the latter term meant as a "person able to more carefully grasp the nuances of what looking ", in Enlightenment meaning of the XVII century, not only as someone who was brought to suffer and share the feelings of others. And she was both. So, she had definitely understood. And that had compromised the possibility that she would continue to heal him.

It wasn't just his impression. Since that night, the woman had done everything to avoid him, more or less openly. In the eyes of others, nothing had changed. Every now and then they had to talk, but there seemed to be a clear dividing line between what they did and were, when they were with other people, in the workplace, and their sporadic meetings face-to-face. As if they perform roles. But more in the first or in the second case? Or perhaps in both?

 Penelope observes the bottom of her glass, lost in abstruse reflections, up to estrangement from her condition and realize that she had made a double movie quotes: either Godard 2 or 3 choses que je sais d'elle, which Taxi Driver, particularly loved by Derek. But then she gets back in herself.

She can't stop thinking about him. Every night she is plagued by dreams that had never done before. And the worst is that she not only feels a physical need, purely erotic. In short, she wants not only to do sex with him. It wouldn't be such a serious problem. He has fully demonstrated the desire in that sense. But she's not that kind of woman. The mere fact of having been with a man with which she doesn't have a stable relationship, it makes her feel bad, dirty, wrong. Without wishing to judge those which are well in such situations. But she just isn't suitable for a similar lifestyle. She needs that behind there are true feeling. The pure sex, tired her. There may also be a porn star on the other side, but if there isn't something more, she can also avoid doing this type of recreational exercise.

And for fear of falling in love with him, she had decided (again) no longer see him, only at work. To resist the temptation. Although he no longer has made only one attempt to approach her in that sense. And of course, rather than be grateful to him, she hates him. What attracted her, in him?

Going beyond the physical beauty, how his amber skin is perfectly match the dark hair, slightly curly. At the deep voice, with some accent that betrays his Latin origins.

First of all, his eyes. Those dark bottomless abysses. There is no other way to better define them. They are an abyss that attracts, as well as the ravine or water or the road below, attract the suicide just before him get down. And the analogy that comes to her mind, isn't really random. In fact, there is a fear component, each time she looks out at those black holes. It's fear that brings with it the desire to push the boundaries, to discover what lies beyond. But there's always a price to pay.

In fact, the second point is his story, or rather the mystery that hovers around him. She knows very few things about him: that he was ranger, he had worked in the task force with the task of finding bad fugitives (a kind of bounty hunter, had called him Rossi). That he was been in very dangerous war zones. Stop. She, who was once far as to hack the computer of Kevin, her boyfriend, to find out if he really was intending to propose, had decided to avoid the opportunity provided by her job to find out more information about him. Even Morgan, she had been forced to investigate once about him, albeit for help him.

And he, who was practically a stranger, she had given him the privilege of showing exclusively through himself. And what had emerged was a depth greater than that which suggested by his pupils dilated while he is staring her (thanks dr. Lightman for teaching us that this is a clear sign of excitement, not only sexual).

In his life he must have seen his good number of strong images. But she, as a computer technician, was protected by a screen, had way to alienate. Instead he, he had seen those things in person, and not only seen: he had heard in the sense of noise (roar of exploding grenades, children crying, hysterical screams) but also smells (rotting, deterioration, fear). And he had probably also touched. It didn't need to be Reid, having his IQ to know that such situations brought to develop serious psychological problems.

But the fact was that the FBI agents were frequently subjected to checks, to verify their integrity (not just mental) and moral, to make sure they were still serving conscientiously their country. And let alone if someone was coming back from the center places of serious conflicts. So, he must have surely passed these tests.

In fact, he didn't seem crazy. But he was certainly not indifferent. And those few words he'd said, before fleeing, fleeing as if he were in front of his worst nightmare, had been enough to realize that she was right. Luke must have lived had traumatic experiences, which had made him the man she saw now (and this led her to wonder how him was before, and then overlook, because so much what mattered was the present). Precise, intuitive, an excellent agent, a fortuitous purchase for the BAU. Many of his perceptions led to identifying an unsub, or otherwise direct the team in the right direction. Loyal to duty and willing to let go on a few occasions. Rare and wonderful.

When they found themselves alone in the elevator, that time just minutes from sex, he had clearly done everything to provoke her. They had done that such of drama, in which she decided on the spot to use a formal tone, to determine distances. For her it was a sort of revenge against the fate that had delivered another fine piece of man instead of Derek. For him it was probably just a game, a pastime. Or so she thought then.

But he also made an important revelation, which until now she had deliberately decided to ignore.

Roxy. My girlfriend.

If he was engaged, where she lived? Why he had decided to betray her girlfriend with a colleague just met, that wasn't (the latter, i.e. her) not even the classic beauty of the film, in president's secretary style?

She hadn't found the answers. But this was one of the reasons why she was trying to show herself happy that he wasn't there at the bar with them this evening.

 Eventually he desists. He waivers. He greets with a kiss the silhouette asleep on his bed, and then takes the keys, turns it several times in the lock, make sure it's fully closed, and exits. He salts on his machine, set the browser looking for that place... what's his name? O'Keef.

And he gets there, soon enough.

He parks. What are he doing there? He had told all that he still has work to do. It was true. But he had finished hours ago. Then he had been to his house, gazing up at the blank screen of images, without understanding anything; a modern way to "staring at the ceiling."

At the same instant in which he arises thousand questions, opens the door of the room and makes his way. Nothing special, nothing particular. Every kind of person takes up more or less messy tables.

But to him it affects only one: hers. The one where is she. But he isn't going to talk to her. This didn't even cross to the hall of his brain. He wants to observe her. Spy on her. Enjoying her image without having to ask for any kind of explanation. Being a voyeur. Or the documentarian.

He identifies the perfect spot for his "shots". Where he can scrutinize her, but hardly she can see him. He makes his order without even realizing what he really bought. The eyes fixed in that direction. He first sees her chat with JJ and Emily, then one goes to the bathroom, while the other is reached by a handsome man. Probably the boyfriend of the brunette. They seem to argue for a moment; he wants to go dancing, but the woman didn't want to leave her friend alone. At the end Penelope manages to convince her and the two leave. If he wanted to get to her, this would be the perfect time.

But fortunately, it's not in his intentions, because someone is more rapid. A man, short, blond hair (the stereotype of the "Canadian boyfriend" that she wanted to make him believe that was her boyfriend), with a nice pair of blue eyes (he recognizes them despite the distance), a pair of dark blue glasses, dressed in casual way, is approaching. And from the language of her body, it's clear that she doesn't know him. But he smiles, makes clear sign if he can occupy the seat in front of her and she, after a moment, nods. They start to talk. He can't say how long goes ahead this... thing. Then the guy starts to get a little pushy, beginning touches her hand, in an almost casual gesture, but totally researched and thought. Luke tights the keys of his car until his hand bleeds, but he can remain indifferent to physical pain that he has caused alone.

And that type goes further, patting her shoulder for a split second. He would get up, have a chance to claim that thing gets his hands off her. Because she is his. This forced her to say, the last evening that they have seen each other closely. In part yes, to play, to create an atmosphere... but also because he wanted to, he wants this to be the reality. Because, again he repeats it as a kind of justification, she makes him feel good. She is helping him. And this is more than enough. He doesn’t look further. But that wretch it's threatening to ruin everything. And there is something worse than watching (helpless) another man touches her.

And it's hearing her laugh (he almost never had the opportunity to hear it, certainly not directed at him), the crystalline sound trickling from her mouth, which for now he has been able only (only!) to feel against his, to experience the feeling as her tongue moves in his skin, chasing away the ghosts. Her white teeth, just discovered, that peek at some time; he could polish them with his tongue, but this may be enough? No.

 Her head spinning a little, as she walks towards her car, and certainly not for alcohol. The glasses that she's granted herself, aren't sure enough to soak her in that oblivion that she so desired. Why, while she flirting with a man, not so bad, indeed, couldn't help but notice how different they were, he and Luke? Not just physically. The guy seemed superficial. It almost certainly was her opinion, due at the moment, after they had exchanged just a few words and then... no one seemed to be able to achieve emotional intensity that was there in every look of her colleague and pseudo lover.

She bends to insert the keys into the lock, congratulating herself for not having given the unknown her own number, when suddenly a hand grabs her wrist and forces her to turn around, resting on the car door. At that she thinks it's the blond, maybe out of the club has decided to show his true nature. She's certainly not prepared to discover that in reality it's the man who was been with her throughout the evening.

-Luke!- saying his name is no longer a taboo. It's a way to make him more real, concrete and not an abstract figure, the mysterious man who will bring her, riding a white horse. A man capable of capturing serial killer. A man capable of betraying.

He instead, doesn't pronounces hers. He has done it three times at most. At work he calls her Garcia, like everyone else. Once he apostrophe her as chica, but just to make fun of her Latinized last name, and the fact she not knows a word of Spanish (and say that years ago she had tried to learn it, just to flirt with Derek more creatively), until he discovered that she had been adopted and that her parents were dead. Then he was stunned, had been silent, surely regretting, but not apologizing.

-Did you have fun, there inside?- first he asks her. But although, read printed on a book, the phrase may seem threatening or ironic, nothing, neither his expression nor his tone betraying similar intentions. He's just extremely serious. He terrifies her. But she didn't answer. And he flies over, because that's not what he really cares. He gets nearer to her. Everything, apart from their mouths, it's in contact. -Now let's go home.- without specifying what he means by "home". -You are Joan of Arc and I the inquisition.-

Again, something inside her is broken, when she understands that she would surrender again. That neither the thought of becoming the woman she ever wanted to be, or the prospect that he is cheating on someone and that she is helping him in this, may be enough to curb her. Just as long as he is in the periods in which seems to ignore her, and they are nothing but two colleagues who pinch each other.

But as soon as he returns to make her the center of his attention, she become like wax, fully malleable clay in the hands of the sculptor.

She salts in the car. She drives. She is already regret. She has already passed this stage. So, from now on, she'll be able to enjoy anything happen.

TAGS: @theshamelessmanatee @itsdawnashlie @talesoffairies @janiedreams88 @kiki-krakatoa @yessenia993 @teyamarra @c00lhandsluke  @gcchic @arses21434 @orangesickle @entireoranges @jarmin @kathy5654 @martinab26 @thisonekid @thenibblets @perfectly-penelope @ambrosiaswhispers @maziikeen92 @lovelukealvez @reidskitty13 @jenf42 @gracieeelizabeth27 @silviajajaja @smalliemichelle99 @charchampagne14 @ichooseno  @ megs2219 @rkt3357 @franklintrixie @thinitta @chewwy123 @skisun @maba84 @saisnarry @myhollyhanna23 @thenorthernlytes

[ledenews]

Kat Lucas - One Step at a Time

If you’re inclined to believe in the concept of karma, then Kat Lucas’ karma train is long overdue at the station. And when it pulls in, it best be hauling a Powerball jackpot-sized chest of cold hard cash. There should be enough she can swim in it. It would only be fair. For the last five years, Lucas has been the winner of the “statistical anomaly sweepstakes” for medical issues, and certainly not in a good way. In a study cited by the American Heart Association, from 2009-2012, females aged 20-39 who suffered a stroke made up only 0.7 percent of the population. Lucas had two, on the same day, when she was 35. One minor, and one major. Then, less than a year later, just as she was nearing full recovery, two more happened. So, for those who are counting, that’s four before the age of 37. What eventually was determined as the cause of Lucas’ problems as a carotid web, a type of fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD). FMD occurs in only 0.3-3 percent of strokes in the cervico-encephalic arteries. So, a rarity, wrapped inside a rarity. How does one get so “lucky?” Fortunately for the former Kat Stewart, a multi-sport athlete at Bridgeport High School, she has the loving support of her husband and family, and a wicked sense of humor, both about her struggles and life in general. A former employee of Peterson Rehabilitation Hospital, Lucas has four degrees in various medical disciplines, ranging from associate to bachelor. She looks forward to the day she can return to the working world but is thankful for each day she can arise and push forward. For a time, she wasn’t sure if that was going to be a possibility. Fiercely independent, Lucas was faced with the possibility of having to rely on others for her care for the rest of her life. So, you can forgive her a little cathartic humor now and again when it comes to her situation and the world around her.

On good days, Lucas likes to get out with her friends and enjoy herself socially. She does her best to return to a sense of normalcy.

How old where you when you had your first stroke and where were you when it happened?

I was 35 years old when I had my first two. The first one happened in Dr. Blatt’s office. They rushed me over to the ER at OVMC and 20 minutes later, I had a massive stroke. Within a half hour, they were flying me by helicopter to Pittsburgh and Allegheny General Hospital.

Given your young age when it happened, what were your thoughts initially after the stroke and during rehab? How long did it take to relearn everything the first time and how difficult was that both mentally and physically?

I didn’t know what was going to happen. I had no movement on my left side. It was completely paralyzed. Ninety-five percent of the right side of my brain was affected. My speech was impaired. The neurologist that came into my room after reading my MRI said I'm lucky to be alive. I should have been dead. That being said, I knew I couldn't give up. I did not want to be put in a nursing home. I got admitted into ICU and I laid there for three days just concentrating on trying to get movement in my leg and arm. It took about 72 hours before I was able to walk again and it took about two months before I was able to lift my arm without any trouble. I had extensive outpatient therapy at Peterson Rehab Hospital. And then at home I would spend about 16 hours a day doing therapy exercises. Every day I told myself I was a day closer to getting back to normal.

The scan of Lucas' brain shows the amount of damage to the one hemisphere following her stroke.

Explain a bit about the condition and did they diagnose that after the first stroke. Was it tough on you mentally while getting back to some sense of normal?

I was diagnosed with a carotid web, but nothing was done about it and they left my strokes as reason unknown. It was beyond stressful both mentally and physically. In the worst way possible, you go from being independent to being dependent on someone else to do a lot for you, every day, all day long, and the frustration that comes in when you’re mentally stressed because you’re worried about if you’re being a burden to others because they have to pretty much help you with everything. What's exceptionally hard is the fact that I used to be so intelligent. I'm still smart, but I can no longer explain things the way I used to. I don't always comprehend things and a lot of people think I'm normal but I'm really not. I try to say, "Hey I'm not the person I used to be." I'm not making excuses. It's just is what it is.

How close getting back to full functionality were you when the next ones happened? How many total and how do you adjust your life knowing another is possible? Do anything different or choose to push on as usual despite the possibilities?

About eight months later and through a lot of blood, sweat and tears, I was almost back to normal by age 36. The morning of November 24, I woke up around 3:30 a.m. because I didn’t eat the night before. So, I had a Mountain Dew, a Reese’s Cup, and laid back down and went to sleep. Around 7:30 a.m., I got back up with my husband as he was leaving to go help a friend. I noticed a change in my speech, but really couldn’t figure it out and I just brushed it off. I laid back down but couldn’t stop thinking about why my speech sounded different. Then it hit me. I hurried up and picked up my phone and tried to smile in front of the camera, only to realize my left side of my face was not moving. I instantly started crying. They told me this was not going to happen again. I had a better chance of winning the lottery than having another stroke. I called my husband and told him what happened and then called an ambulance, which took me to Wheeling Medical Park. The ER doctor called my neurologists at Allegheny General Hospital and said to get me up there as soon as possible. I arrived at Allegheny General Hospital within about an hour and a half and my doctors met me in the ER room and he told me the carotid web in my right carotid artery was what caused all the strokes … the next day they were planning on doing the surgery. All of a sudden, my arm fell off the table and I didn’t feel right. I had another stroke.  I was rushed downstairs to a cat scan and by the time I got back to the room, they decided to take me back downstairs for a thrombectomy. I was awake through the whole procedure and it was very painful. They removed two large clots and I was taken to ICU. I’ve had to adjust my life because this last stroke affected me worse than the first three together. My brain lags worse than it ever did, and I have a lot of trouble remember things. I’m not bouncing back the way I did when the first massive one hit. I'm at my four-month mark right now and I'm so far from where I want to be. I was able to have the surgery on December 30th, 2019. This carotid web was removed. It's known as atypical fibromuscular dysplasia which is a rare disease. It was pretty much like a ligament was growing in my carotid artery but since removal I have had no symptoms that I've had over the last several years of which consists of hemiplegic migraine strokes which started to plague me back in 2014. So, right now, I'm just living life to the fullest and hoping I continue to stay symptom-free and stroke free. I have to be constantly monitored to make sure that the carotid web does not grow back.

Kat Lucas is pictured with her husband Tim, whom she credit with being her rock through this ordeal.

You were married in 2017. Does having a spouse and a closer support system make it any easier for you? What advice would you give people battling through similar or equally difficult situations?

I got married in 2017 to my husband Tim, who has been my rock through all of this. Having a great support system makes it a lot easier and bearable. The therapists from Peterson Rehabilitation Hospital, Case, Cierra, Emily, Ted, Kristen, and I see Nicole and Brooke at Wheeling. They have played a huge role in my recovery. My whole mentality through this whole ordeal has been that people go through way worse every day and my situation could be way worse still. I could be stuck in a bed somewhere. So, my advice for anyone going through a similar situation is to never give up fighting, as frustrating as it may be sometimes. Try not to let the depression kick in and try to keep a positive attitude. Read the full article