#Ed in the uniform is gonna save me actually

[blakbonnet]

Completely forgot about her in all the mermaid madness I'm sorry babe

[obligitory-fma-blog]

I watched the second fma Netflix adaptation. Here’s the best of my notes:

They had the whole fma original soundtrack to use for this movie and tHEY DIDNT??

Purification arts of Xing?? Just call it Alcehestry like they do in the show?? (No I didn’t spell it right I was noting stuff as I went and didn’t look it up)

Okay the weird pause before Lan Fan pulled out the smoke bomb…

ITS AN ACTUAL BOMB?????

Lots of weird pauses and slow-mo’s to mimic anime fights but it reads weird as live action and I don’t like it

HUGHES THANK FUCK PLEASE MAKE THIS LESS WEIRD

Wtf never mind hi envy with your shit ass wig (I forgot they killed off Hughes in the first one 😭😭)

LAN FAN BODIED HIM LMAO

Ed really be like “you do you ig”

“Yeah people exploding today!” Is my favorite line so far. (English Captions with Japanese audio; this was the train hijacker guy from fma 03)

Ed’s expression when Mustang shows up is the most in character thing I will say that (after train stuff)

I will say they did better on characterization this time around I feel like they’re close to the actual characters

But it’s hard to get close to them since they aren’t, well, animated characters. Trying not to judge too harshly.

Not terrible so far actually

Okay nevermind about the cgi WHAT IS WITH XIAOMEI

“I mean, we’re just some decent human beings.” -Ed who wanted to leave Mei behind

GO OFF MEI YEAHHHH TELL HIM THE BITCH

Okay we’re gonna have a really awkward explosion-over-short moment that just will not work because it isn’t animated

GIRLIE ARE YOU HAVING A SEIZURE

Mei being a bitch back is warranted

They be running

“You’ll never catch me, tiny rice man!” -Mei (rice man?)

The dialogue being altered where Ed says he doesn’t have a god to pray to before scar kills him bothers me

I like Alphonse’s movements on the ground when he’s incapacitated, I think the cgi works well there

Hi Mustang good on you for saving your pseudo sons

Riza with the side eye lmao

The slowmo’s again like hello

ARMSTRONG HIIIII You look really fuckin weird tho But HIIIIII

Okay the flexing I can do without thanks it looks weird

Yes Breda why is he shirtless

The red eyes don’t look good either. (For scar)

N ow see why wouldn’t you put in a leitmotif for the brothers theme in this scene with Ed and Al and instead just put in sad piano that sounds vaguely similar to it

WHERES THE LINE ABOUT THEM BEING BROKEN BUT ALIVE WHY WOULD YOU CHANGE THAT

Riza being the best and putting her coat over Ed >>>>

Mustang go comfort your son’s PLEASE

Okay just ignore that I’m on the found family train

Girlie that looked like a bad PowerPoint presentation WHY WOULD YOU DO IT LIKE THAT?? (The part where the officer shot the ishvallen child)

Gluttony… hi… again…. Can’t wait for your cgi…. (It didn’t look as bad tbh)

Sorry but with the military uniform off and just the white collared shirt he looks LIKE A DAD LIKE CMON (Mustang)

“You’ve grown… at least I think.” -Hoenhiem, observational genius

“I think I like this scene better than canon a bit actually? Cause Ed gets to express his emotions more than just calling him a bastard

Okay Hoenhiem just ignore him??

Uh oh they have to walk back together

“Our hair matches :D” -Hoenhiem

Ed immediately takes his out of the ponytail

Im not gonna lie I chuckled at that

Also I love seeing Ed with his hair down we don’t get enough of that

“stop following me” -Ed

“we’re going to the same place? 😥” -Hoenhiem

Okay we’re talking about Xerxes instead of Ed and Al’s mom or…?

And the bitch is gone

YOURE GOING TO XERXES WITH AUTOMAIL YOU DUMBASS YOURE GONNA OVERHEAT

Ooooo love the look of Xerxes ruins

Awwww Winry’s parents :D we get more of them

They’re gonna die tho and I hate that :(

This is gonna be so hard wrenching actually-

GIRL IM GONNA CRY

5 minutes into Central and you’re already causing trouble, good job Ed

Al I feel like has the weakest characterization so far in this adaptation he’s just reacting to stuff rather than doing stuff as far as I’ve seen

Scar when Winry is having a breakdown🧍

Ruhroh Winry’s got a gun

Okay the slowmo makes more sense here

Ed saves the day :D

Also we finally see scars brother after getting no context on him

Good acting on Lan Fan’s part

Also why is this calling her Ran Fan? Is that a dub thing (they called Ling “Lin” but this was all in the captions so I’m confused)

“King Bradley is a Homonculus” very serious Ling “hUh.” -Ed

Any Mustang and Hughes content is good Mustang and Hughes content I don’t make the rules

Also it’s good they didn’t change the layout of Riza’s explanation montage for Ishval because it works really well in canon and translated pretty well to live action

Riza and Roy’s speeches near the end >>>

Oh great the bros are gonna try and catch scar alone this can only end well

Well they definitely didn’t catch him

WINRY HOW TF ARE YOU HERE??

MUSTANG WHY TF ARE YOU HERE???

Oh hi Riza :D

Mustang’s like “let ur gf speak to him if she wants like damn”

Ed’s like “bb girl if he says anything shitty I’ll fight for you”

WINRY GIRLBOSS LUV HER

“Hell no I don’t forgive you for shit, but I’m gonna patch you up anyway.” -Winry

Okay cool message, someone must endure pain if it means they can prevent further suffering and cycles of violence

Uh oh Gluttony escaped

He be runnin

YEAH ED AND AL SAVE UR DAD

YEAH SCAR SAVE WINRY

YEAHHHHHH

“Wait I won’t leave you behind” MUSTANG BEING A DAD AHEGWIWNWN

“Colonel your fight is elsewhere” SCREAMING

Oh hi envy

ED SAVINF LING

and they got eaten lmao

Yay we’re all trapped in Gluttony’s stomach :D

Envy is so cynical what a bitch lol

“Tf is a portal of truth 🧍” -Ling

Oh great we’re gonna get cgi envy this will go well right?

EW

Could be worse but

EW

Conclusion: it was okay. There were parts I genuinely liked. There are things that also bug me to no end. The soundtrack from the original series would’ve fit way better and a lot of times it sounded like an off brand marvel track. Acting and cgi was a lot better (at times.) An improvement on the first one, and a semi-worthwhile watch if you have nothing else to do and you like fma. Cannot and will never be a substitute for the original obviously. Seems like less of a cash grab and more of a genuine effort this time which I appreciate. Overall? 6.5/10

(Lemme know if y’all want my full notes version because it has way more of me screaming and being goofy)

[cottagecore-raccoon]

"We're both whim prone" - Stede Bonnet to Ed Teach, OFMD S2

Stede's "Whims"

Left his wife and family to become a pirate (commissioned a ship and hired a crew, so likely had to work toward his plan for at least a year)

Left Ed/the naval academy to return to his family (after having been abducted at gunpoint, told he destroys beautiful things (including blackbeard), and then watches a man die)

Had sex with Ed when they were meant to be taking it slow (had just been tortured along with the whole crew and reminded by Ned of his feeling that Ed has ruined by him)

Ed's Whims

To murder or not murder the crew of the revenge (he appears to go back and forth on this repeatedly in season one)

Send Stede to "doggy heaven"

"Wait actually I really like Stede, so maybe no murder"

Leave Stede/the crew of the Revenge to be with Calico Jack

No wait actually CJ is an asshole and I need to save my "friend" ("never left")

Goes to Naval Academy to save Stede's life (very sweet gesture, still feels like a split second decision)

Let's go to China! ("Start over, reset")

Depending on how you count, most of the whole "kraken" era could probably be counted as having multiple whims, but also that seems more akin to a complete mental breakdown to me (hence it not being on here)

Ed has finally given up on piracy? (Aka how many times can one man symbolically shed his uniform of a previous era that he wants to move on from? I count three?)

I'm gonna be a fisherman!

Okay actually that sucks, I am no longer a fisherman

Let's join Zheng Yi Sao's crew!

Time to run an Inn? (I realize this feels more like a whim due to the rushed nature of episode 8, but Ed and Stede literally never - to my knowledge - discuss this one screen)

Now @wanderingwoodpecker made a good point and said that Stede may have said that they both were whim prone to lighten the accusation/get Ed to admit it. But regardless, I felt the need to prove a point.

[writersmorgue]

Febuwhump Day 3 - muzzled

Read on ao3

word count: 913

TWs in the tags

note: me- i gotta pick someone other than hitoshi bc it's so expected at this point. also me- *writes this*

enjoy the fluffy whump while it lasts

╞╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╪╡

Hitoshi is tired of running. 

Granted, it's only been about an hour, but every time he slows he’s bombarded by the mental image of being found and dragged back to prison. And only being able to breathe through his nose isn’t doing wonders for his stamina either. 

He’d been thinking about escaping since the last foster family, but this one pushed him overboard. He’s sure they won’t bother to tell the adoption agency anyway, not that they’d care. Eleven was typically a little young to let slip, but for particularly troubled cases they’d always make exceptions. 

And this troubled case needs to get this stupid cage off of his face before he starves to death. 

But running first. 

Priorities, Hitoshi.

He rounds a corner, slowing down from his sprint when he hears a loud crash. 

“Listener! Back up!” Someone shouts at him. He turns toward the noise, hesitating just enough for whatever he was being warned about to actually happen. 

Something heavy smacks him in the chest, and the world goes dark. 

-

Hitoshi is tired of running. 

If he was told that joining the hero course in second year would entail this kind of physical activity, he might’ve considered sticking to gen ed. 

“THREE MORE LAPS GUYS C’MON! CIVILIANS AREN’T GONNA SAVE THEMSELVES!” Mic shouts from his fucking chair. 

“Well they could-” Kaminari spits from next to him.

“I don’t think running seven miles is gonna help,” Todoroki pants from his other side.

“Don’t you have like, cool son privileges? Can you ask him to stop?” Mina asks from in front of them where she’s trying to keep up with Kirishima and Sero. 

Shinsou rolls his eyes, “Maybe if I was Eri, but a sweaty lump of teenage hormones isn’t exactly puppy eyes material.”

“He listens to Aizawa, though,” Sero calls. 

“Yeah well, maybe it’s not foolproof logic. And anyway, we’re almost-”

“HITOSHI-”

He barely manages to not faceplant on the track like an idiot. 

“Wh- Aizawa?” He frowns at his dad, who is supposed to be in a meeting right now. 

“Hitoshi it happened, come on. MIC YOU TOO!”

“What do you mean it happened?! I don’t remember older me being all gross and sweaty?” He growls, leaving his bewildered friends behind to stomp after the man. 

Mic yells something about a free period and his classmates shout out some confused cheers as they all make their way out of the gym. 

Turns out older him must’ve just looked great in comparison to how Hitoshi felt at the time. 

As soon as he walks into the medbay he’s welcomed by the sight of a boney child with what looks to be a medieval torture device strapped to his face. 

The cage, Hitoshi’s foster brother called it. 

Really it was a particularly uncomfortable dog muzzle with some of the wires cut to make it impossible for the wearer to open their mouth without puncturing skin. It was effective at shutting him up, something foster parents were a big fan of. 

“Hey, uh, kid,” He frowns, looking up at Recovery Girl who is busy trying to pry the muzzle off. She looks to be having a bit of trouble. Hitoshi wishes he could help, but he never did figure out how to get it off himself. “You can sign.”

‘Are you me? Is it safe here?’

Ah, naturally he’d go for the youngest in the room.

“Yeah, we’re at UA. You know Eraserhead and Present Mic, right?” He asks, gesturing to the two respectively. 

He’s sure he figured that out already, but it doesn’t hurt to familiarize him some more. 

‘It’s them?’ Younger him asks incredulously, wide eyes darting between him and his dads. 

“Yeah. You’re not dreaming, you were hit by a quirk that sent you five years in the future.”

‘And we’re actually at UA?’ Little him assesses his training uniform, ‘In the hero course?’

Hitoshi chuckles, “Yeah, transferred this year. Don’t worry, you start in Gen Ed like we planned.”

‘But the fosters-’

Hitoshi shakes his head, “Kid, the day we ran away was the last day I ever saw them. You’re out. You’re gonna get a family who loves you like you deserve.”

The final click of Hitoshi’s muzzle breaking echoes through the room, but he’s still speechless when it finally comes off his face. 

His cheeks move slightly as he runs his tongue over his gums like he always did when the cage came off. 

“You’re serious?” His voice is small and gravelly as he warms up his vocal cords. 

“Absolutely, listener. After you re-appeared we took you straight home, the cats fell in love instantly,” Mic answers for him, giving the boy a watery smile. 

Aizawa steps up behind his husband a sets a hand on his shoulder, “You’re still with us. It’s not a temporary solution, Hitoshi. We’re your family.”

Hitoshi’s eyes burn. It’s a nice reminder for him, even now, that he’s loved. He can tell it means that and so much more to his younger self. 

Tears are streaming down his cheeks. His body is numb to the pain of Recovery Girl disinfecting his cuts as he takes in the information. 

No more foster family, no more abuse, no more cage. 

He has a real family now.

“We’re gonna be a hero, dude. Everything gets better.” Hitoshi smiles, watching fondly as Hizashi leans down to give little him a hug. 

His first hug, Hitoshi subconsciously acknowledges, and he gets to watch. 

He really is grateful.

[chidoroki]

Tokyo Revengers S3EP4

aka: comrade swap

Ah, so scoping out the traitors and punishing them is the special role Chifuyu was talking about with Mucho and fifth division.

Did the OP get some minor changes or am losing my mind? …Oh, nope! It definitely did! That shot of Tenjiku is new! Even that fade to black when Emma smiles.. oh no.

They show Koko and Inui joining different sides yet remove Koko, Mucho and Sanzu from that other group shot of Tenjiku for some reason even though they were shown there previously.

Damn, Emma really do be looking like her mom.

I was wondering if Izana went to a foster home from the letters last ep.. only reason I doubt it was because of that one bit in the ED where it looks like he’s in a cell of some sort. Unless he was just lying to young Emma about going to a foster home to make her feel better.. I dunno. It's probably a lie.

Shit, you had history with Izana too, Inui?

OH!! DUH, the damn white jacket he had from that one flashback last season! That was a Black Dragon uniform and I vaguely remember him asking Koko what happened to the gang once he was released from juvie.. now it’s all coming back to me.

Oohh boy, I kinda love Izana with that long hair style he’s got going on in that quick flashback a bit better though.

“I’m one of the founding members of Tenjiku.” And I honestly would’ve been so very surprised about that had the OP not spoiled it so heavily.

“Now that I think about it, he was the only captain who wasn’t a victim of Tenjiku’s surprise attack.” Okay, well, I’m slow in realizing that.. completely true.

Mucho’s loyal, I’ll give him that much.

It ain’t far how pretty Koko looks even when all beat up.

Damn, so Koko joins Tenjiku to spare Inui and Takemichi’s lives? All because Izana wants to use his spectacular ability of making money?

“Us members of S-62 Generation are now 18. We’re not going to mess around with kiddie stuff like biker gangs.” A whole lot of them look way older than 18, just saying.

Nice speech from Takemichi for standing up for Koko but I gotta feeling it all that courage ain’t gonna help.

Oh? Inui remembered Shinichiro? He knew him?

Hey if Takemichi can survive a brawl with Taiju, then he can last a couple hits from Mucho.. hopefully.

Pfft nevermind, dude literally woke up in the trash.

Aw, Inui actually tried helping our boy though. No wonder Koko gives in. He really didn’t wanna see those two get beat up. At least him being forced to join is better than him willingly offering his help to Tenjiku.

Now, I dunno too much about later arcs, but I'm a little certain that Koko stays on opposite sides of Inui, so now I'm wondering if that was done by choice or if the poor guy is always stuck making hard decisions against his will.

Inui’s little chuckle is precious.

“Please become the 11th leader of Black Dragon! Hanagki, save Koko. Please, save us.” Oohh wow, Inui’s even bowing to him and shedding tears. This poor boy needs a hug!

Oh, the hideout used to be Shinichiro’s bike shop.. that pieces some things together.

“Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Friends to laugh at dumb stuff you’d done together, even as adults.. I admired that king of gang.” This is becoming so wholesome.

“I’ll be captain of Tokyo Manji Gang’s first division and the 11th leader of Black Dragon.” Both?? At once?

Man.. here I was, all excited to finally see more of Sanzu and the dude just stood by the whole ep. Another time I suppose.

[isagrimorie]

Spyfall 2

Commentators: Jodie Whittaker, Sylvie Briggs (Ada Lovelace), Chris Chibnall

Much like the Doctor doesn't like being alone, Jodie also isn't keen on doing scenes alone.

Chibnall actually did consult with his brother in law, who is very knowledgeable in aviation, about landing planes without a cockpit. And it is possible to do so remotely, people will be surprised how a lot of modern planes are actually flown by a computer. I'm not surprised, my dad's a pilot and he told me a lot of modern aircraft are actually flown more by the computers than the pilots. It's a two edged sword tho because then the pilot becomes too over reliant on the autopilot, and that's when accidents happen.

The scene with Ada and Thirteen meeting in the Kasaavin dimension was actually Sylvie's (Ada Lovelace) final day. Her first day was waking up in 'Paris' with Thirteen.

Interesting comment about how the Doctor's rhythm and speech changed dictated by the period of time she's in. It's modern but enough to sound period.

The hall the Doctor and Ada are in is a school, the dining hall.

The Master and his Top Hat! Jodie and Sylvie are both admiring how Sacha commanded the room and how genuinely terrifying he was. 'He (Sacha) rehearses in a way physically you kinda know what he's gonna do but emotionally its different.'

Jodie: "We're the same height, well you can see it 'cause we are but what is really ace is bein' able to eyeball somebody, because very often when you have a standoff with someone there's usually one's looking up, one's looking down or whatever but to be absolutely--"

Sylvie: "Because that changes the power dynamic."

Jodie: "Yeah."

Chibnall: "I never clocked that."

[snip]

Chibnall: "But I wonder if that's what makes it feels so much like your Master, your antagonist, your nemesis. It's like... that's interesting about the eyeline."

Jodie: "Cause in the scene obviously with Lenny outside like this (does something we can't see) and I like doing that thing of scrunching up and kind of, y'know, I suppose the.. doing that thing that kids do headstrong where the body leans forward. But with this two its (growls)."

Chibnall was uncertain about writing the kneel scene, Jodie agrees and didn't like it, Sylvie mentions that it feels epic to her. Chibnall:"There's something about your perfromances that makes it feel epic. But it's just that two-hander."

In the kneel scene, when they were filming, to keep the secret of the Master's identity, Jodie called Sacha 'Myka' instead of Master.

Jodie: "I like my bowtie." Chibnall: "Are you angling for the return of the bowtie?"

Jodie: "Every set, I try to knick something." LOL.

I love how Jodie compliments Sylvie, and I agree she fits the era very well. And an instance where costume (corset especially), and the hair all tied back helps get into character.

Ada really had episodes of paralysis, and one of the jumping off points for Chibnall's story.

Sylvie and Jodie comment on how lovely it was to have scenes with three women and not about 'Hey three women! Let's talk about being women! It's (their gender) is absolutely irrelevant to it but it is really lovely to have just three women. The kind of craziness Doctor Who brings with Ada in period clothes, the Doctor in a tux, and Noor in her period appropriate clothes.

They go on to discuss the Master's SS uniform and how it makes them (Sacha included) shudder because of what the uniform represented. And it's more of a reflection of the Master because he just treats wearing the SS uniform as a dress up without accounting for the implications and history of it. An alien tourist playing dress-up. [ED: I think the optics of this is still problematic I think it's something we need to acknowledge..]

There really was a point where Jodie and Sylvie were under the floor boards with people walking above them, and they held each other's hands because that experience was awful. On page it was very cool, but in execution. (Ed: I love that scene the whole way where there's a tense standoff between Noor and the soldiers, and the Master. And the steeliness of Noor just staring them down even with the soldier strafing the floor.) Chibnall wants several films with Noor Inayat Khan.

OMG. There was a point in the shoot where the Doctor was supposed to speak in perfect French, and Jodie joked that she already didn't speak English very well, and so she practiced speaking her line just to get the accent perfect... only for it to be cut for time. I WANT DELETED SCENES NOW.

Scanning through the Spyfall 2 script there's no mention of the scene where the Doctor speaks in French which really just confirms my suspicion that the scripts are not the shooting scripts, or at least the copies the actors use.

So, Chibnall gave the production several possible locations hoping to bring the budget to manageable scale and then he started writing and he got to the scene where the Doctor and Master spoke and the Master asked where they'd meet and then the Doctor answered; "Where d'you think?"

And Chibnall goes: "Oh they've got to meet in the Eiffel Tower. Production is going to kill me!"

Also, by this it confirms to me that Chibnall, like all of the showrunners is a Doctor/Master shipper, which I should've known already because Jack and Captain John were very much Doctor/Master lite.

Jodie loves doing duologues and is hoping for more two handers in the future, and Chibnall is taking note of that. Two handers where the other person has more of the dialogue... LOL. I guess Jodie really loved The Timeless Children.

[ED: Ada and Noor were such good companions. I want a historical companion for Thirteen next please. Thirteen, Yaz, and a historical Companion!]

Sylvie is so fascinated with the Doctor and Master's relationship, about how complicated it is.

One of the advises RTD gave Chibnall is that 'you can save anything in a line.' LOL. Apparently some of the Master's trauma across 77 years involved tailoring.

Jodie comments on how exciting it is being involved in the costuming, between herself and Sacha, they get to build their Doctors and Master's look and shape them. Also Jodie really loves cropped pants.

Jodie and Sylvie love the power walk, the big iconic, backlit smoke walk. The Big Exposition speech.

The scene where the Master arrives in Kasaavin dimension, same day filming for Jodie, and Sylvie too.

Jodie loves all the engineering and carpentry work, and any practical work.

They did do a shoot where they moved forward to a scene where Noor died, but in the edit found a better ending in the one that was broadcasted, and IMO, that was the right choice. Chibnall wants it more that Doctor Who will inspire people to read up more on Noor Inayat Khan and same Ada.

Chibnall didn't want to rob Ada of her agency, that the Doctor helped her discover computers or suggest that she didn't come up with it, everything Ada did she came up with herself.

The scene where Thirteen is alone and contemplating what happened to Gallifrey, Jodie comments how this was one of the few times where she's just very still.

Chibnall: "This is second series Thirteen, the place you take a character once you've done the first act, done in the beginning of your Doctor's second act."

Jodie and Sacha made sure that they're there in person for the scene in the TARDIS because having a stand-in would change the energy and performance of the scene.

Chibnall: "That performance from Sacha, the layer he brings to the Master there, of emotional truth and pain is so fantastic. It's a gift for a writer, and opens up the Master as well. And opens up your Doctor, I think, the trauma's so personal."

Hang on. Chibnall: "Is that the first appearance of the jumper? [ snip] They've come in this second series, its the first jumper. Little tiny changes you and Ray figure out." Are they implying there were more Doctor wearing only her long sleeve jumper we didn't get to see???

Chibnall: "And you got your Doctor theme but also it's the first time you [speaking to Jodie], it's interesting, I deliberately kept them back in the first series so that when you say them here, it's like you're saying 'Gallifrey', 'Kasterborous', 'Master for the first time."

Jodie: But its good that it ends with a: [using the same steely, angry voice]: 'Questions?' Like: 'Back to business, c'mon.'

Chibnall: (watching Thirteen's face subtly change when Yaz asked if they can visit, and it changes from a broken void to a forced smile). "Ohhhh. Why won't you tell them?" (LOL a writer asking his character.)

[fluffykitty1999-blog]

Dog of the Military- Chapter 15

Chapter 15- Morning Courtmartial

And as usual... the ko-fi link, if you like the trash I, a human dumpster fire, product https://ko-fi.com/fluffykitty12

Roy Mustang showed up outside the dorms at 8:30am sharp. It was 8:37 when Edward came racing down the stairs, in his military blues with a large suit of armor clanking hurriedly behind him.

Ed fairly dove into the passenger seat, with Alphonse squeezing into the entirety of the backseat, and Ed turned to look at Mustang like he was possessed. "Drive!"

"Put your seat belt on." Roy said, giving him a look.

Ed frantically did so, and Roy was heading over to central command.

"Shit are we gonna be late? I couldn't find a hair tie that wasn't red I didn't know what the military regulations were so I transmuted it black." Ed's hair wasn't in its trademark braid- rather, it was in a high ponytail behind him. His uniform was a little rumpled, and his collar was a mess, but these were all things that could be fixed.

"Calm down. We're not going to be late, but we won't be able to stop and grab breakfast like I planned either, so you'll have to hold out til lunch." Roy remarked.

Ed nodded, seeming to calm down slightly at this.

"Are you doing okay?" Roy shot his youngest subordinate a look.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ed said, nodding. Though there wasn't too much belief behind the statement.

"I'm going to be so nervous, waiting upstairs in the office to hear what's going on." Al piped up from the back.

"Try not to worry too much, Alphonse- the team will be watching the proceedings, and they'll come upstairs periodically under the guise of a break to update you."

"Alright." Alphonse seemed to settle for the moment. Edward's leg kept bouncing nervously, and they pulled up outside central command at ten minutes to nine. They parted ways, with Alphonse heading upstairs and Roy and Ed heading towards the courtroom, deeper on the first floor of Central command.

The hallways were busy with people in all sorts of military blues- Ed's eyes widened as he saw everyone assembled. Roy placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, steering him into the men's room just outside the courtroom.

"Do you have to go?" he asked, giving the boy a once-over.

Ed shook his head. "No. Why are we in here, anyways?"

"Because you were getting overwhelmed and I need to touch up your uniform." Roy said calmly. He started with the boy's long military jacket, smoothing out the wrinkles and straightening the boy's rank pins. He moved up to Ed's collar next, folding it down properly, before looking at Ed's hair- he wet his hands in the sink and smoothed down Ed's trademark blond antenna, before nodding and standing up straight. "Much better. You look like quite the solider, Fullmetal."

"Yeah. Now if only I could feel like one. Brigadier General Basque Grand was out there." Ed muttered to himself, looking down at his boots.

"A lot of high profile people are here, Ed. This trial has ruffled some feathers, I'm not gonna lie. But how you carry yourself in there- how you think and behave- will affect how you're treated."

"They'll just look at me like a kid anyways."

"Stop it." Mustang hissed, using two fingers to tilt Edward's chin up so the boy was looking him in the eyes. "I know you're nervous, and you have a right to be, but self pity and doubt have no place here, Edward."

Roy reached down into Edward's pocked, putting out the boy's state alchemist watch and dangling it in front of him. "You are the Fullmetal Alchemist. I watched you put blood sweat and tears into earning this watch. You are a prodigy- you have seen atrocities and come back eager to live on anyways. You are a soldier under my command. I didn't give you this watch. You earned it. You could kick the asses of nearly everyone in that court room, save myself and a few others, without a problem. So you act like it- you look them in the eyes and you tell them everything. I need you to trust me, Edward- if you testify to the best of your abilities, he'll be found guilty. I promise."

Ed looked up at him- eyes that were swimming with uncertainty becoming hard with determination and purpose. The fire was burning bright again, and Ed pursed his lips and nodded. "Alright."

"Don't forget- you're the Fullmetal Alchemist, Hero of the People. Make them remember that."

"I will."

They both turned, exiting the restroom and striding into the courtroom, down the aisles and to their side of the benches. Their court appointed lawyer, Marissa Jennings, was a pretty woman in military blues with dark hair and brown eyes- she nodded to Mustang as they found their seats behind their table. Ed hadn't met the woman, but Roy had had countless meeting with her over the past two weeks to prepare, and he was very familiar with her.

On the other side of the courtroom, behind the small table sat Colonel Banks and Lieutenant Shaw, and the defendant's lawyer, an older, be speckled man in his sixties eith salt and pepper hair and a gray goatee.

Before both tables was the Judge's desk on an elevated platform, and to the left was the bleachers for the jury- a group of about twelve. Behind the tables where the prosecuting and defending parties sat, there was a small wooden railing and benches for spectators to watch.

Roy noted Basque Grand sitting behind Colonel Bank's side of the courtroom, as well as a smattering of unfamiliar soldiers. Banks had clearly brought his men as well.

But it was no match for Ed's side of the courtroom. Havoc, Breda, Falman, Furey, Hawkeye, Scheska, Hughes, Armstrong, and several of the receptionists that Ed would help by fixing broken vases and flower pots all sat at the ready. The proceedings were about to being.

The door to the courtroom flew open, and Roy nearly fell out of his chair. Scowling in the doorway, General Olivier Armstrong strode into the room,her sidearm and sword at her side, with Miles beside her, his sunglasses present as always.

She stalked into the room, and it nearly fell silent, before flopping to sit beside her brother, who sat in support of Edward, exhaling harshly through her nose.

"Olivier- so glad you could make it! You hardly ever respond to my letters." Armstrong had started to sparkle.

Olivier scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself. I came here because I was pissed, not because of that sappy letter. This whole torture fiasco happened at Goldenfield- the North is my territory, and when bullshit happens I like to see who's held accountable." She brushed her bangs from her face. Though Roy didn't miss the way she craned her neck to get a look at Edward.

Who knew- perhaps General Armstrong actually cared?

"All rise- the honorable judge Mason Freeman presiding." the baliff barked. The sound of chairs scraping as everyone in the room hurried to stand was the only sound.

The judge- a rather wise looking man in his sixties- strode to his desk with ease, before he was sitting down. "Good morning. At ease, everyone. Let it be noted on the record today the case of Flame vs Banks has begun."

Everyone sat down, and the judge nodded toward Ed's bench.

"We will begin with the charges brought against the accused. Colonel Roger Banks, you have been accused of the unlawful imprisonment and torture of a state alchemist, Major Edward Elric. How does the accused plead?"

"Not guilty, Sir."

The judge nodded. "Very well. We will hear your arguments shortly. For now, let us proceed with the incident reports received, beginning with the mission report from the Fullmetal Alchemist himself. Jennings?"

The woman representing Ed stood up, shuffling papers. "Of course, your honor. On the fifth of September, Major Edward Elric received orders to head north and conduct a covert mission for the Amestrian military. He returned on the morning of September ninth, as planned, but rather than being allowed to return to Central city and report to his commanding officer, the boy was detained, restrained, beaten, and abused. The medical records show Edward received six cigarette burns to the lower left abdomen, a broken rib, a 3 inch laceration on his left bicep requiring 17 stitches, 3 lacerations on his back, from a knife, one of which required an additional twelve stitches to close, a black eye, and severe contusions to the chest. His mistreatment lasted for a day and a half, at which point his superior arrived, discovered the Major's condition, and got the boy medical help. I will now read, verbatim, the mission reports submitted to the court by Edward Elric and Roy Mustang, followed by the Doctor's report regarding Ed's injuries."

The first hour of the court session was the lawyer reading Ed's mission report, then Mustangs, and continuing on with the doctor's report. Ed was rather relieved that he could just sit and listen. It was clear the woman representing them was more comfortable in a courtroom than he was.

"This concludes my report of evidence from the prosecution, your honor." the woman finished.

The judge nodded. "And does the defendant have any evidence which they wish to present?"

The elder lawyer stood. "Yes, Sir. I am presenting the reports of Colonel Roger Banks and Lieutenant Shaw, verbatim."

"The secret mission Edward Elric was sent on was of immense importance for national security. Following our rendezvous, Edward expressed his interest in returning to Central city as soon as possible. I agreed this was the best course of action, but as the boy's superior, righteously demanded that he give his report and findings to me before leaving. Fullmetal adamantly refused, and when repeatedly prompted, answered with blatant disrespect. Had it been a matter of lesser importance, I would've written the boy up and let him go. But due to the immensely sensitive information the boy had, I felt I could not let him leave without reporting to me. It wasn't in the best interests of the nation."

"Following his staunch refusal and obstinence, I disciplined the boy physically, and continued to do so. I am not a man without conscience, but I had to put the good of the nation over the good of one unruly boy. I was nearly to the point of extracting the information when the boy's commanding officer- who identified himself as the Flame Alchemist- trespassed in my office and intimidated my Lieutenant into taking him to see the boy."

"When I attempted to confront the man for his intrusion into my office and blatant disregard for my command, I was brutally assaulted, receiving first degree burns on my hand, and my life threatened if I refused to leave. By the time I felt it prudent to return, the Flame Alchemist and the Fullmetal Alchemist were gone."

Roy frowned at the report.

The lawyer paused, clearing his throat. "Now- onto the incident report of Lieutenant Margaret Shaw, dated October twentieth-"

Roy's hand touched the table the defense lawyer had her paper's spread out, and he shifted in his seat to sit forward a little.

"Objection!" The lawyer was cut off by their lawyer, and everyone looked over at him, even the judge.

"What is the nature of this objection, Jennings?"

"Mr. Elric was reported to have been scheduled to return from his mission on the ninth of October. His commanding officer retrieved him on the afternoon of the tenth of october. The fact that this report was filed so late is likely due to the fact that Lieutenant Shaw wouldn't have filed a report about the imprisonment and abuse of power at all, had it not been for her commanding officer receiving a summons for court martial a few days earlier and covering her tracks."

"This is all speculation, your honor." the elderly defense lawyer protested, moving his glasses further up his nose.

"Jennings, you may continue, but keep it short." the judge advised, looking interested.

"I'd like to know the date Colonel Banks filed his incident report." Jennings asked.

The defense lawyer shuffled his papers. "October nineteenth was the date Colonel Banks filed his report."

"Interesting. So this alleged abuse of power occurs from the ninth to tenth of October, Colonel Banks is assaulted so viciously by the Flame alchemist in the line of duty, and yet despite all of this, he waits nine days to file a report. And his subordinate, who also witnessed such abuse, files her report one day after. Despite the fact that officers are required to file reports of incidents within forty eight hours. It almost seems as though the defendants were scrambling and after receiving their court summons, sat down and put their story together to avoid any gaps and inconsistencies, and then submitted them a day apart."

"My report is my own, Ma'am. While it is true that Colonel Banks and I discussed the matter after receiving our summons, my report was filed directly to central- Colonel Banks never read it." Lieutenant Shaw spoke up.

"I can attest to this, as I notarized the document." the lawyer agreed.

"I see. Still, the timing is awfully convenient. That's all I have to say on the matter, your honor."

The judge nodded. "The defense may continue."

Lieutenant Shaw's report was read verbatim, as well. It didn't contain the blatant falsehoods Colonel Banks had- rather, Shaw had chosen to stick to facts.

"At approximately 9am Edward Elric returned to our fort and expressed a desire to go home after completing his mission. He proceeded to another room with Colonel Banks and I didn't see him afterwards. At approximately 10am, I received a call from the boy's commanding officer, inquiring if Edward had returned as planned. I confirmed that Edward Elric had indeed returned and that he intended to get a train out of central soon."

"In the afternoon, at approximately 1pm, Colonel Banks was stepping out for lunch. I still had not seen Major Elric and inquired if he'd purchased his train ticket home yet, as he seemed eager to do in the morning. Colonel Banks said the boy was resting upstairs before he left, tired from his mission. I noticed the Colonel carrying Elric's black coat and inquired why- he told me he was going to get it cleaned for the boy so he could travel home in comfort."

"At the end of the day, I still had not seen Edward. I stepped into the Colonel's office to say goodnight to my commanding officer, and found him sititng at his desk. On his desk, was Elric's coat, cut into scraps. I asked the Colonel if Edward had left yet. Colonel Banks confirmed my suspicions that Edward was still in the building, but said it was a matter of national security that he get the information from the boy. I was in no position to argue with my superior, so I quietly left. On a hunch, I went downstairs to the cells where unruly citizens are kept and found Major Elric hung from the wall by his wrists, dirty and in some degree of pain. He looked up at me and asked if I was there to burn him as well. I asked him how I could help- he asked me for water. I brought him a mug of it and gave it to him quickly before leaving for the night. I trusted my commanding officer to handle the issue."

"Colonel Banks instructed me to have all questions about the Fullmetal Alchemist's condition forwarded to him. I followed these orders, forwarding the phone inquiry of the Flame Alchemist to Colonel Banks early in the morning. That afternoon, however, when the Flame Alchemist arrived, he was quite agitated, and I thought it prudent to show him to Elric immediately to avoid further conflict. Colonel Banks went to speak to the man and returned with a burned hand a destroyed firearm. After I treated my commanding officer for his injuries, I took the suitcase Elric had left in our fort in the room he'd stayed in previously and dropped it off at the local inn on the hunch they were staying there."

Colonel Banks looked over at Margaret, a bit of disapproval behind his eyes, but not much of it.

"Your honor." Jennings, dark haired and bold as always, spoke up. "I would like to ask Lieutenant Shaw a few more questions."

"In due time, Jennings." the judge frowned, squinting at the courtroom clock. "It's nearly noon. I declare a half hour recess, and then we will reconvene for cross-examination of the involved parties. Adjourned." the judge slammed his gavel down, and the courtroom broke into a flurry of activity as everyone rose to grab lunch.

Team Mustang normally would've gathered in the cafeteria, but since Alphonse was stuck upstairs in the office, they elected to grab food and eat with him. Plus, seeing Ed was likely to ease his mind.

Ed grabbed a ham sandwich as they hurried upstairs.

"Nice job Chief!" Havoc clapped a hand on his shoulder as he sat on Mustang's couch and started to eat. "I don't think I've ever seen you sit still for that long before!"

Ed had to fight the blush creeping up his cheeks.

"How was it, brother? Are you alright?" Al asked.

Ed took a bite of his sandwich. "I'm fine. I didn't have to do much of anything, it was mostly lawyers reading reports and making statements."

"Still, you seem to be making quite the case. The lawyer representing you- Jennings- is on her game." Hawkeye spoke up.

"Yes, she certainly is." Roy conceded. Probably because he'd spent over six hours with her going over the particulars of the case this past week. But still, she was tenacious and on the ball, and Roy liked her.

The door to the office burst open, and Hughes came running in. "Ed! You did great out there! Were you nervous?"

"A little." Ed took another bite of his sandwich and chewed.

"Right." the light reflected off Hughes glasses, showing his seriousness, as he stepped forward. "Well, this afternoon they're going to do the cross examinations. So you'll have to go up on the witness stand and answer questions about your report. Everyone will be watching. So you're going to need to have nerves of steel and think on your feet. They'll do anything they can to make you slip up."

"R-right." Ed was looking nervous.

"I figured you'd be stressed, so I brought some pictures of my darling Elicia to help calm your nerves!" Roy was right back to his fawning father self, pulling out a rather large stack of photos. "Here she is in her footie pajamas, and here she is with her new teddy bear..."

Hawkeye exchanged glances with Roy. They let Hughes ramble on for a few more minutes before Hawkeye was shooing him out of the office.

"You should finish that sandwich up- we have to head back down soon." Roy nodded to Ed, looking at the clock.

"I'm done." Ed said simply, setting down the half-eaten sandwich and standing. Ed hardly ate anything- that meant he was nervous.

Roy placed a hand on his shoulder as they ducked out of the office and headed back towards the courtroom. No matter what was to come in cross examinations- he'd do his best to protect Ed.

[mementomarygold]

lmao so @willowcrowned and i were discussing how ed would absolutely drag al and roy on a field trip to truth purely to beat old man hawkeyes ass and i was like. eh i dont have plans today so...

Categorically, Alphonse supposed that he and Ed (mostly Ed) had sucker punched the ways of the known universe so many times that standing behind his brother in Truth’s domain for, and he quotes, “fun and bitch slapping” was really…. not… that impossible or implausible or any other word that started with ‘im’ and ended with ‘ible’ (because all of those words tended to apply to Ed at some point or another during the course of every day of their shared life). 

Al wasn’t with Ed the night that Colonel Hawkeye told him about her time in Ishval and how she came to join the military and Roy’s aspirations to become fuhrer, but he’d heard about it enough to form a pretty solid picture in his mind.

Riza, in a soft sweater with her hair down, seated at one side of her kitchen table with a mug of tea and Ed on the other side, probably disheveled and at least a little manic as he tended to be at the best of times.

Ed had told him that her father had tattooed his array on her back and that she’d asked Roy to burn it off of her after the war. Al had been duly horrified, as he supposed anyone with an ounce of compassion would have been, Ed was frothing at the mouth with anger, ready to dig up the man’s body with the sole purpose of yelling at his remains which Al had also been horrified by.

(“Not literally, Al. It’s an exaggeration. Geez.) 

Neither of them, it appeared, had realized the full scope of what it implied until they’d actually seen the scars. Sure, they’d known that some arrays were large, sprawling things that required the better part of a chalkboard to scrawl out fully. They just never imagined that someone’s parent would be cruel enough to ink something that complicated onto their child’s skin.

Ed, who hated needles, was especially incensed the moment he’d seen it. She’d never bared her back around them, before. She wasn’t self conscious of the scar, not in the way Ed tried to cover his automail ports and Roy kept his gloves on throughout the work day and around company. She was simply disinclined to answer the questions that always followed their reveal.

 A diplomatic excursion turned mini-vacation off the coast of Aerugo, six years after the Almost Apocalypse, was the first time they’d ever seen Riza in a dress without a back.

 It was a sundress in a stunning shade of cornflower blue that really brought out her eyes -- Al had stopped at a flower vendor on the side of the main street and acquired several simple, white flowers for her to tuck behind her ear -- and even then it wasn’t until they’d reached the beach itself and she deemed it too hot to keep her hair down any longer and (terrifyingly enough) pulled a soft looking scrunchie from the holster on her thigh to secure her hair into a bun much neater than the disgrace atop Ed’s head that they’d seen it.

Al had gasped, a nearly silent intake of breath that rattled around his lungs in a way that he hadn’t felt since those first few months directly after regaining his body. Ed’s reaction, fittingly, was more physical than his brother’s; his flesh fingers, loosely tangled with Roy’s in the relative anonymity that being out of Amestris and out of uniform granted them, tightened until the pressure exerted could very well have come from his automail.

Neither of them said anything, then. Riza already bared the burden of having the goddamn thing on her body she shouldn’t have to also shoulder other’s reactions. Al recovered first, plastering on a smile and shaking off the shudder that ran down his spine, ignoring the slight shake in his fingers as he grabbed hold of Riza’s wrist and dragged her off towards the water.

Ed followed them with his eyes until they reached the shoreline before turning to Roy, lips pressed together tightly and eyes shining with the kind of righteous fury he only ever seemed to feel on behalf of others. 

Roy remained silent, not waiting to risk being heard by any of the Hawk’s senses, but Ed had long learned to read every micro expression and twitch of the man’s eyebrows. 

He was seriously reconsidering that bit about digging up old man Hawkeye’s grave being an exaggeration. But it wouldn’t be satisfying enough to yell at his corpse; he deserved to hear every terrible thing Ed had to say to him.

Had Al been looking towards his brother at the time, he would have seen the glint in his eye and the slant of his smile and known immediately that some fuckery was a-goddamn-foot.

But he hadn’t been and now he was living with the consequences of leaving his brother unsupervised for more than several consecutive seconds.

Beside him, in the unrelenting white of the Place Beyond Gates, Roy seemed to be experiencing a similar sense of regret. 

Ed, because he was Ed, was in front of them both, flanked by the two people he trusted most in the world, waving the hand that wasn’t on his hip at the literal embodiment of god, completely unimpressed.

“I stopped my evil uncle from eating you!” Ed said, “You owe me. I don’t want to bring the guy back to life, I just want to scream at him a little.”

Truth, for the first time in his eternal life, had no idea what the fuck was happening or how to handle it. “You want me to let you talk to the soul of Berthold Hawkeye?”

“Fuck, is that really his name? Unfortunate. But yes. Consider it payment for saving your ass six years ago.”

“Saving my ass,” Truth repeated, completely monotone. Honestly, Al could sympathize. That was a common, valid reaction to Ed’s… everything.

 “And you don’t want to speak to your mother instead?” Truth asked, because Ed was correct and they were a bastard, “You almost lost everything to bring her back to life--”

“No.” Ed said firmly, with such finality that even Roy looked a little startled; but Al got it, “We’ve made our peace. Our bastard father is there with her and we’ll see her again soon enough; there will be more than enough time for us to talk then. I want to see old man Hawkeye and I want him to be just corporal enough for me to shove my metal foot so far up his ass that he’s gonna choke on my toes. Got it?”

“Yes,” Al said, finally, stepping forward and smiling in the way that promised something painful, slow, and oh-so-terribly unfortunate should the person in question not immediately do exactly what he wanted, “Got it?”

Behind both Elric’s, Roy grinned only a little meanly, clenching and unclenching his fists. He wondered idly if his alchemy would work in Truth’s realm? It would be awfully poetic if it did.

[procrastinatorimagines]

Officer Down

Fandom: One Chicago / Chicago PD

Character/s: Mouse x Reader

Warning/s: death, grief

Word Count: 2,580

Request:  Hi! Can I request Mouse (if you write for him if not Jay) with the song Officer Down by Hannah Ellis? Also I love your work!!

Summary: Mouse gets shot in the line of duty - sorry this isn’t great!

“Why am I even here again?” You laughed, leaning over from the back seat of the squad car Jay was driving, Hailey in the passengers seat flipping through a case file on a perp whose house they were sitting on.

“This guy has a whole host of mental health issues,” Jay explained, looking back at you in the mirror, “figured a mental health professional would be the best person to try and help us bring him back in safely.”

You shrugged, “fair enough, I just wish you’d waited to make sure this guy was even home before you made me sit in the back of your car for hours,” you replied, slumping back in your chair in boredom.

“Sorry about that, but Voight didn’t want any surprises,” Hailey apologises, sipping her coffee as she kept an eye on the house a few doors down from where you were positioned, your car unmarked for the stakeout.

You looked idly at your phone, smiling to yourself as you read the messages from your boyfriend, Mouse, from the morning. You’d had to leave early for this case, and you’d decided to leave him sleeping before he had to head to the district. It wasn’t an overly special message, but he’d told he was proud of you for how far you’d come as a consultant with the CPD, and that he’d show you how much he loved you when he saw you at home later.

The radio sparked the life then, causing you to jump as you all listen. “10.1 10.1 shots fired at the 21st district, that’s shots fired at police, we have a man down, repeat man down, need an ambo and all available bodies to our location we are still taking fire!” 

There was no hesitation as Jay peeled off down the road, Hailey radioing to say they were on the way. Shots fired in their house was personal, most of the unit was still there, including Mouse.

Red and blue lights cover 75 like a train Miles of cars, full of people with nothing to say The sun's out, you'd think that it's just another November day Oh and I can't help but be mad, knowing I'll leave and you're gonna stay

You looked at your phone again nervously, messaging Mouse to see if he was alright as Jay rushed to get to the district. It doesn’t take long for you to get there, along with half a dozen other vehicles, blocking the roads as 3 armed assailants try to escape on foot. They’re already being apprehended as the three of you rush in, very much aware of the ambulance and paramedics on the scene.

“Trudy!” Jay yells as they get closer, noticing the blood on her uniform as she stands outside, directing officers. She looks shaken as you call reach her.

“It’s not mine,” she says quickly before any of you could ask.

“What the hell happened?” Hailey asked, looking around at the chaos.

“It was so fast, they just walking in and opened fire before any of us could react, we have officers down and civilians and-” Trudy’s voice catches as she looks at you, like she hadn’t really noticed you arrive with Jay and Hailey until now. 

“And what?” Jay tries but her eyes are still on you, her eyes full of sorrow and sympathy. You could guess what that meant, but you didn’t want to, it wasn’t possible. “Trudy.” 

She’s about to respond when you get a phone call, pulling it out of your pocket quickly and answering it to find Maggie on the other end. “Hey Mags, this isn’t really a good time right now,” you tell her.

“Y/N, I’m sorry,” she says and you know. Between Trudy and her you know.

“No,” you say out loud, shaking your head in disbelief as Maggie continues.

“They just brought him in, I’m so sorry Y/N but you should get here-” You can’t here her after that, or the others, even as Trudy tells them that he’d been shot, Jays face falling in horror as Hailey looks between the two of you. Your heart was too busy shattering.

They called me on the cell phone Telling me there's an officer down And we prayed for a miracle, but you didn't come back around I've kissed you goodbye a thousand times But never like I'm doing right now Oh with twenty-one shots going up for the officer down

“We need to get to Med,” she says, probably the only one of you thinking clearly right now, not nearly as close to him as the two of you.

You all take their car, not being able to get out of the road block without it as she drives, tears blinding your eyes as you try and focus, your eyes ringing, mind filled with thoughts and fears. You should have listened to Maggie, maybe she could have told you more about his condition, but it didn’t matter now, what mattered was getting to Med.

The car door was opening before Hailey had even fully stopped, running into Med and practically falling into Will. “Hey, hey, Y/N, stop,” he grabs your shoulders to steady you as you look around the crowded ED - where was he?

“Where-?” You begin as Jay catches up to you, Hailey close behind.

“Surgery,” Will tells you, “April can take you up but you’ll have to wait.” You take a step back, trying to control your breathing as Will put’s his hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“Do you know anything?” He asks.

“Not much, they brought him in with GSW to the chest,” Will explains, your hand going to your mouth in shock. “He’s lost a lot of blood, but I don’t know the damage, I’m sorry.” He wasn’t just saying sorry for not knowing more, you realised as April came to lead you upstairs.

And so began the longest few hours of your life. You sat on those waiting room chairs as doctors and nurses went by, as well as officers coming and going, paying their respects and checking in on their own. But you and Jay remained where you were, Hailey bringing you guys coffee and updates from the district.

2 dead at the scene apparently, 12 injured, included Mouse and two more in critical condition. but as the hours drew on, those numbers in critical dwindled to just Mouse, the cries of families and collegues haunting you as you waited for news, checking those texts from the morning over and over as you did.

Voight arrived at some point, just as Doctor Marcel was emerging from the operating room. You jumped up then, meeting him half way as he approached.

“He’s stable,” Crockett told you, but he looked solemn as he continued, “but... he lost a lot of blood, and he coded, twice, while we were operating. We have him on a ventilator for now...”

“When is he going to wake up?” Jay asked, practically reading your minds as you wiped your eyes.

Crockett hesistated for a moment, and then said, “I don’t- I don’t know if he will.” You sobbed then, Jay putting his arm around your shoulder as Crockett let you to his room.

Seeing Mouse lying there like that was too much to bare, machines beeping and breathing for him, keeping him alive where he couldn’t on his own. It broke what was still remaining of your heart.

They called me on the cell phone Telling me there's an officer down And we prayed for a miracle, but you didn't come back around I've kissed you goodbye a thousand times But never like I'm doing right now Oh with twenty-one shots going up for the officer down

“Y/N-” Voight tried as you sunk into the chair next to his bed, carefully taking his hand, eyes not leaving him for a second. “Y/N-”

“He’s going to wake up, he has to,” you said to no one in particular, or maybe it was to yourself. Why hadn’t you woken him up this morning? Said goodbye? You couldn’t actually remember what you’d said to him the last time you’d seen him in person, what, last night? No, he’d got back late from a case and you’d already been sleeping. You sobbed in frustration, why couldn’t you remember?

Voight kneeled next to you. “He dived in front of a civilian,” he explained and you looked to him, finally tearing your eyes away from Mouse. Jay looked to the ground from where he stood, his eyes closed as he listen to Voight, trying to keep it together. “Saved a pregnant mother,” he told you as you gripped your boyfriend’s hand tighter, cursing him for being so reckless but knowing he never would have done anything else in that situation. 

“He’s going to wake up,” you repeated, unable to say anything else. Voight didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t say it out loud, what good would it have done?

Instead he squeezed your shoulder and stood up. “I’ll give you some time,” he said, giving Mouse another look before he left. You could tell he felt guilty, Mouse was his guy, and he was shot in his house, but you knew he couldn’t have done anything about it. Usually you’d be worried about what Voight might do to the men responsible for this kind of this, but right now you didn’t care if buried them. 

You knew you probably should, but the man you loved was lying before you, unable to even breath on his own...

Eventually Jay asked for a moment alone to say his goodbyes and you let him, even though you still held onto hope that he’d wake up, but his stats weren’t improving. If anything they were getting worse, but stranger things had happened, there was still a chance, you kept telling yourself, even as Jay walked out, wiping his tears as he kept walking down the hall. He couldn’t stand to be there a second longer, you knew that, and with a nod to Hailey she headed off after him to make sure he was okay. How could he be?

With a deep breath you went back in, knowing you should say something but fearing as soon as you did you’d have to admit that it was over. It wasn’t fair.

You sat with him for a long time after that, remembering all the good memories you had together, trying to prepare yourself for the end. You’d first met him at the district, he’d helped you unlock a missing patient’s phone and asked you out for a drink after that. He’d always been kind, considerate, he made you smile, laugh, everything was better when he was around. What would you do when he was gone?

“Wake up,” you begged, your voice barely a whisper, but it was all you could manage as you pleaded with him, “please, just wake up.” This shouldn’t have been happening, he should have been meeting you at home, you should have been together.

“It’s time,” someone said from the door, had it really been that long? You heard them, knew what they meant, knew, somewhere deep down, that they were right. You’d been in there a long time, and he wasn’t improving. 

You knew what he wanted, he’d made an advanced directive a long time ago, back when he was still in the army, and it was one he’d always stood by. Mouse didn’t want to stay alive like this, he’d never liked the idea of wasting away slowly in a bed. He’d want to be remembered how he lived, he’d gone out a hero, not hooked up to a machine. 

“No,” you still said, wanting just a little more time, but how much would ever be enough?

“Y/N-” It was Jay this time, he must have come back and sat outside, letting you have your space. He approached you as you stood up from your chair, taking your hand in his own as you reluctantly stepped away from Mouse.

Crockett looked like he’d rather be anywhere else as he stood by the monitor on the otherside of the bed.

After a moment, Jay nodded to Crockett, and as much as you wanted to, you didn’t object. Every part of you hurt, but it’s what he would have wanted, and if you could do one more thing for him you would respect that.

You knew it wouldn’t be right away, he’d still technically be alive for a while after the monitors went off, so you resolved to stay with him as long as you could, at least you could do that for him.

The beeping that followed Crockett unhooking the monitors would haunt you, you knew it would, but the silence that followed him switching them off was deafening. Crockett said his condolences and left again, promising to be back soon when it was over. 

Jay squeezed your hand before saying one last goodbye to his old friend, leaving quickly as tears fell from his face. 

You didn’t know how long he had so you curled up on the hospital bed with him, head lightly on his shoulder, hoping he’d know that he wasn’t alone. “I love you,” you whispered to him, feeling the tears falling down your face, “I love you.” 

I held ya tight when they told me it's time to let go And I know that somehow you knew that you weren't alone

His heart had stopped, you knew that, but you couldn’t tear yourself away from him, knowing that once you let got you’d never get to hold on again.

You were aware of Crockett entering the room and checking for a pulse, aware of him calling a time of death, aware of him trying to speak to you, but it all felt so distant. When were you going to wake up? Lying next to Mouse in bed? When was he going to wake up and tell you that you were having a bad dream?

But he never did.

Someone else entered then, Jay. “Y/N, come on,” he said softly to you.

“No, please, no,” you said as you felt Jay’s hands on your shoulder. Reluctantly, you let him help you off the bed, hand still in Mouse’s as you stood up. Jay kept a hand on your elbow and you were grateful, your legs threatening to give out.

Shakily, you gave him one last soft kiss, tasting the salt from your tears as you did. “Goodbye,” you breathed, unable to take your eyes off of him as you let Jay take you out into the hall, knowing it was the last time, the last goodbye.

You should have had more time, you thought, barely making it out into the hall before you collapsed into tears. Instead of trying to keep you up right, Jay fell down with you, the rest of the unit around you in the waiting room as you broke down into tears. Jay held you tightly, his own tears soaking your shoulder.

It was really over, he was really gone. What were you going to do now?

They called me and told me It's my officer down And I talked to you and begged you, but you didn't come back around I've kissed you goodbye a thousand times But never like I'm doing right now Oh with twenty-one shots going up I wish you had more time with us 'Cause thirty-three years ain't enough for the officer down

[transsexualhamlet]

*slams fists on table* CATASTROPHE ANIME

yeah this is just my long ranting hypothetical post about “omg what if there was an anime for catastrophe at 16″ because I’m like that @autpunk-godling feel free to add on because we just yell about this for hours on end

I have also now brought it up in the discord server just bc i wanna yell about it

This is the recording of all the shit we came up with screaming about it

-it could only possible like after the manga is finished and translated officially plus resurrection novels probably finished or close to but like,,, we can hope, we can dream, please-

-people coming to it and seeing the trailers and shit would probably see the school and the cherry blossoms and go “oh it’s ouran high school host club but like with swords” and then everyone fucking dies and the fans are like I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS???

-everyone new would know the spoilers for the end by like episode 2 bc manga fans wouldn’t be able to shut up cause someone would just like post a screencap of guren saying “i’m gonna save the world” with a pensive emoji under it some anime only would see it and by the end of the day everyone knows how it ends

-gureshin exposure and seeing it on screen like just imagine how fucking gay it’ll look like I swear this would become the new mikayuu like imagine,,, the beginning when he’s leaning over guren’s desk, the love hotel scene, love hotel 2 electric boogaloo, when they fight over who gets to top omg “become my subordinate” “no u” and every time shinya LOOKS at guren, the part where he comes back to guren’s house and goes “uwu you were looking at my phone”, the motorcycle scene, the *thinks about shinya while taking a bath* the entire part where guren goes demon and shinya saves him and holds him and i,,, and well the entire end

-guren’s va in the last episode would be DEAD lemme tell you the SCREAMING I WANT TO HEAR IT

-Hypothetically this would probably cover 2 seasons, the first season covering books 1-3 and 2nd season covering 4-7, and then like. No one’s gonna want to end it at *guren sticks sword in slot* so like uh resurrection’s gonna need to be a thing unless it gets cancelled which uh fuck i hope not

-more appreciation for characters, THERE WOULD BE PEOPLE ACTUALLY PAYING ATTENTION TO MITO, GOSHI, SHIGURE, AND SAYURI, guren antis would actually just shut up because they’d see him being a fucking softie, and uh well kureto stans would have something to answer for

-the MEME possibility just THINK of the MEMES

-i want to see the trailers,,, i want to see them,,, i want to-

-the levels of horniness compared to vampire reign omg like they’re the same age as yu squad and they like all wanna fuck like how will that translate to anime like

-the. the last episode i. omg it would be so intense I can’t it would be so epic there would be so much blood oh god

-this would cause more exposure for the manga too because 1. the old anime-onlys would come back, 2. everyone already in the manga fandom will be revived for any kind of content, 3. the fans who’ve dropped off will probably watch it, 4. new fans who liked WIT studio shit will be like :eyes emoji:, fans who looked at the trailer and went that sounds kinda gay will watch it, actual shonen fans and people who like high school anime and liked the vampire reign school arc would watch it, like it would have a pretty good base

-like bro there would be actual diversity in ships kjhghjkj like people would actually pay attention to the characters omg please i just want some content like yes of course gureshin but like also the other characters please CATASTROPHE CONTENT OMG I NEED IT C A T A S T R O P H E  C O N T E N T

-you know how the dub for the vampire reign anime is like 80 percent gayer than the sub with the “girlfriend or boyf-” “or a lover” etc uh how can they possibly make some of the shit in ca16 gayer but they WOULD like uh some of the stuff shinya already says in canon is like so fucking gay like the “you’ll never get a husband if you don’t let me clean your wound haha”, the misunderstanding in the love hotel, the “uwu people will think we’re a couple” on the motorcycle, all of that, there’s more, literally every time someone makes a joke about being in love with guren fucking-

-it would actually be good bc new anime tends to be Shit so yeah people would watch it I swear I think it would get even better ratings than vampire reign because it has a comprehensible plot and the ending and shit is already decided, I think different people would like it

-ok but like the problem is there’s a different beginning in the manga and the light novels of ca16. And like, the manga’s beginning would be a really bad thing to go with. In the light novel, the book starts right off with Guren going into first shibuya high school with sayuri and shigure, explaining the situation with the ichinoses and the hiragis. That’s a good beginning, it gives a good idea of what the story’s gonna be like, it doesn’t give away what’s going to happen. Whereas in the manga, they decided to shoot in before that a bullshit chapter that’s straight out of fucking tokyo babylon. I don’t even,,, it was really bad, and it doesn’t even seem to be canon. There’s no indication that’s anything but like crossover fanfic because the gist of that chapter was Guren, Sayuri, and Shigure like,,, exorcising a bitch which is like so not the vibe of this story. It makes no sense?? That’s not even what Guren did in middle school? What???? There’s also a bunch of really offputting shit in there, if you’ve ever seen it. That’s gonna get rid of so many potential fans. It’s a really bad idea. Also at the end it literally gives away the fact that Guren’s gonna end the world which is just. shit. it’s shit. Like everyone’s gonna know anyway just don’t give it away in canon!!! It was a bad idea in the manga and it would be a terrible decision to do in a potential anime.

-what would it even be rated omg like it’s. So much hornier than vampire reign so like I don’t even fucking know like, there is sex,,, with fucking m a h i r u, i don’t like that, and i mean other than that every other word out of someone’s mouth is wanna fuck like that’s fine in a light novel but on screen uh

-!!!!!! THE OP AND ED !!!!!!!!! the SHIT that would be FORESHADOWED in the ENDING i sWEAR TO GOD I JUST WANT TO S E E  I T like even if they just reused scapegoat and xu it would still be fucking amazing LIKE OK. KAGAMI FORESHADOWED CHAPTER 94 WITH THE ORIGINAL ED WHAT THE F U C K KIND OF FORESHADOWING WOULD GO ON WITH CA16

I just really really really want another song to vibe to ok and I want to see the images i want to see them fighting I want to see them in front of cherry blossoms uuuuuuuuuuu please like I want to see Mahiru like posing with two swords or some shit please omg please mahiru don’t turn into a demon you’re so sexy ahaha

like broooo I really just want to see it like anime ops are just so amazing and epic and the eds are all kinda sad and foreshadowy and UH FOR CATASTROPHE THAT’S LIKE A L O T LIKE THE IMAGES THAT PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE ARE JUST GONNA SEE AND GO “F U C K” like just imagine the ed having like. like guren’s sword in a slot in a white room or like a flash forward to the world after it’s ended

-we can see on screen, colored: NOYA, SAITO, (ferid with green hair???), I want to see all of them omg also maybe they can decide for sure what aoi’s eye color is

-THE ELEVATOR FIGHT WITH GUREN AND SAITO GHHHGHGHGHGH I JUST WANNA S E E IT

-we get to see them actually fight with magic and not like jumping off of buildings abilities and shit

-Guren going demon omg omg omg

-BABY YU BABY YU BABY YU BABY MIKA BABY MIKA BABY SHINOA BABY SHINOA

-I think the anime wouldn’t want to have it end with Guren sticking the sword in the slot so I think they’re probably pull a vampire reign episode 1 and after the sword thing just like,,, fast forward to a quick ambiguous shot of Guren at 24 standing in a broken world in his demon army uniform uuuh like OW I WANNA SEE IT I WANT TO SEE IT I WANT TO oH MY GOD THE CINEMATOGRAPHY-

-in conclusion *mails kagami 12 dollars* pwease mw kagami

[orange-waterfalls]

Reader w/wings hc's p.2: lesser- known egos/egos i just didn’t wanna put in the last one

ty @fancybootm for the request!

A/N: IT’S BEEN A WHOLE ASS MONTH SINCE I GOT THIS I AM SO FUCKING SORRY. school is suck. anyways. my brain convinced itself that I had to have the same amount of egos in this one as the last one so shit's long again. I had a bit of trouble but scrounged up enough of them. uhhh I don't... we don't really know a lot? about the personalities of these ones? so I just went with what I thought. for Heistiplier, I like to think Mark in AHWM and ADWM is a completely separate person from Actor. Like until we get to the Actor timeline he is a separate person altogether. Night Guard Mark is like mark from the fnaf musical because i can and fuck you. the egos are very random and from many lesser known videos so uh. you might not know all of them. I didn’t even know all of them at first. some of these fuckers annoy me to no end so I had to make them more likable for my own sanity cjfufydy. I only skimmed through after I wrote so it might suck lol. Uh rated T for cursing. Mentions of religion and mental health. Enjoy!

Y/N(reader) w/ wings headcanons p.2

Ed Edgar saw you as a profiting opportunity.

Bastard only uses you for commercials at first

Wings sell shit, don’t they? Kids are into wings these days?

One day you get pissed and just punch him

He respects you after that…

He’s very loud, of course, and your ears tend to be sensitive

He tries to quiet down when he sees you make a face

It’s difficult because that… that’s just his normal volume

He talks about his son sometimes. Not to you specifically

He gets sad… you still don’t completely understand what happened.

Sometimes it feels like he doesn’t either

You instinctively wrap your wings around him for Safety and Comfort

He is a MAN who DOES NOT CRY but goddammit, he was close 

He enjoys your company

The Silver Shepherd thought he was gonna rescue you

He’s a superhero, he HAS to save you, right?

Nah, you’re the one saving him more often than not

He tries not to be jealous, but goddamn

Your wings are just. So big. And pretty

He’ll complain to you about his girlfriend “cheating” on him

You know the bullshit he pulls, but you listen because why not

He appreciates that you at least pay a little bit of attention

He doesn’t do a whole lot of hero work, but he usually brings you along

Just for a bit of extra support

More often than not, you’re doing most of the work

You let him believe he did something, though

You boost his very low ego, and so you get along

Derek Derekson was a little bitch

Also saw you as a profiting opportunity

Yelled sometimes when you messed up

You took deep breaths and tried to stay calm the first few times

Then you snapped, calling him a variety of... words...

He stopped yelling at you, but not much else changed

You got along well with Eric, and he appreciated you for that

He does care about his only living son, at least a little

You two don’t… talk a lot

He’ll watch you from afar, occasionally

You constantly encourage him to TALK TO HIS CHILD and GO TO THERAPY

You still don’t like him, and he feels the same way

But he’s… trying

Randall Voorhees thought you were badass

He wasn’t as used to magic and weird shit as the others

You were absolutely awesome to him

He’d never seen an angel before!

Even though he didn’t really KNOW that you were an angel

He just assumed and refused to change his mind

Harder to hide you wings in crowded cities, like where he lives

You spend a lot of your time with him cooped up in his apartment

He felt bad, so he rents a mountain cabin up in Albany whenever you visit

You two ski and snowboard look me in the eyes and tell me the bitch isn’t a snowboarder

He’s a construction worker, so he’s usually busy

You visit him on his lunch break sometimes.

The other workers claim to see you, but he’ll always deny it

He buys a pizza whenever you visit and you eat it together

You two are so cute it’s sickening

Yandereplier claimed you as their new senpai

They saw you, you had wings, you were nice

And now you are Senpai

You aren’t sure why you get a weird feeling whenever they call you this

Luckily, you don’t have many friends, at least none that they could kill…

They showed you their weapon collection to impress you

You were scared and also impressed

They take you to a cherry blossom tree near their house

You talk and hang out and eat lunch

They don’t call you senpai anymore and they talk to you normally

And you no longer stare at the blood on their uniform

Night Guard Mark prayed you wouldn’t try to kill him

He might have PTSD from Freddy Fazbear’s

Those animatronics left a mark…

It took a little while for him to trust you not to harm him

When he did, HOO BOY is he a chatterbox

He has so many theories about the Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Chain

Dark’s told you not to talk about the actual lore. It might break his spirit

You get very worried sometimes

He looks like that one picture of Charlie Day. You know the one.

Sometimes he gets panic attacks

You wrap him in a cocoon of your limbs and wings to ground him

He likes you for that

You hang out, playing games and watching movies. No horror. Absolutely NONE

You can handle him, and he likes you

Dr. Plier was curious about you

He wondered how you felt about… everything

He asked if you were ok one day and you broke down

He felt guilty and bought you ice cream

He sees you as a sort of… psychological experiment

Like he asks you very strange and slightly personal questions

Ok, very personal, but he’s a therapist, what can you do

He eventually stopped the interrogation and talked to you normally

You get along fine, but it’s kind of the same situation as Dr. Iplier

Chef Iplier wasn’t really all that phased

You were surprised by this because… well… wings

But he just… treats you normal, for the most part.

Sometimes he’ll pet your wings, but only if you let him

He loves how soft your feathers are

He doesn’t make that his entire perception of you

It’s a nice change of pace

He tries to cook for you sometimes, but uh. It doesn’t go well

You’re still confused as to how someone can set a glass of water on fire

You mostly just order take out

You hang out like normal people

Which neither of you are, but you’re both fine with that

Paranormal Investigator Mark is obsessed with figuring you out

Nearly had a panic attack when he first saw you

He wanted to prove the supernatural exists, but he didn’t have a lot of evidence before

And then your mystical-ass came along

Like the Jims, he tried to get pictures, and they all ended up blurry

He threw a fit over it, and you felt kinda bad

You tried to take the picture yourself but it came out the same

He gave up after a while

He info dumps about paranormal stuff to you

It can last from 5 minutes to 5 hours

You do pay attention though, and that makes him happy

He takes you on investigations sometimes

You don’t do much except break shit with those giant wings of yours

He stopped taking you on investigations

Cooliplier is not sure what to think

You have wings! Great! There’s absolutely nothing he can do about that

Not the most normal, but not the weirdest either

He tends to put on a tough-guy persona around new people

You were a lil intimidated

Then you became friends and mans did a full 180 around you

Went from “Your daughter calls me daddy too” to “I’ll have her home by 9 sir”

His personality is sort of a mix of the two

Catch you both screaming the lyrics to Mr. Brightside at 12:00 am

Took you to a mosh pit once

You got kicked out cause of the wings

He felt bad, but you had fun

He teaches you how to dance and roller skate

You also go for rides on his motorcycle

Once you just started flying while he was driving and it was the most fun shit ever

You’re “buds”, as he often tells you

Goopiplier likes you a lot

They like having another not-completely-human creature to talk to

I mean, some of the others aren’t exactly human…

But they’re not the best conversationalists…

Then again, neither is goop.

They mention the Dark Gods ONCE and suddenly no one wants to talk to them…

But you do!! Yay!!!

You mostly just hang out, do whatever

Watch movies, play games, or just talk

They like to draw you

They’re not very good, but you keep them all anyways

Sometimes they do… rituals. While you’re around

You are… a little scared, but that’s okay!

You have sleepovers and act like teenagers

You mock the others and then giggle, getting louder as you go

They’re not that funny, but you had to be there

Elder Jeremiah is terrified of you

He nearly pissed his pants when he saw you

He thought he was finally going to have to pay for his sins

He started crying, and you panicked

Why the FUCK was this 20-something-year-old well-dressed man crying at you???

He dropped his bike and fell to his fucking knees and begged for forgiveness

You felt very uncomfortable with the whole situation

You told him to get up bc he was dirtying up his pants

He eventually stopped crying and you told him you were not an angel

Also not a demon, as you said when he asked

He avoids you, mostly, still thinking you’re gonna drag him down to hell

He stopped the uh. The stealing since you came around

He will hang around/with you sometimes to see if you “reveal your true form”

You haven’t yet, and never will, BUT WHEN YOU DO, HE’LL BE THERE

He does think you’re very nice, though

Preistiplier thinks you’re an angel sent to assist him

He is doing holy work, it only makes sense that He would send a helper

He was disappointed, to say the least

He then came to the conclusion that you lost your memory of being an angel

You couldn’t exactly dispute it, since you don’t remember

So, he takes you on hunts

You don’t do much except make a bunch of fucking NOISE with your WINGS

He’d hoped you’d smite the demons

Or at least scare them, but they know you’re not an angel

He still takes you on hunts because, he’d never admit it, but he… gets scared

You promised not to tell a soul

You confess your sins to him sometimes

They’re usually not what he considers sins, but he listens anyways

He thinks you are a good person, and he enjoys conversations with you

Heistiplier was just normal around you

Well… as normal as he can be

You’d enjoy his company a lot more if he didn’t have such a god complex

You still like him a lot

He likes you too

Even if you did refuse to rob a bank with him

He’s a very… exciting person

Though you don’t really want to be around him when he gets upset

The entire world literally seems to revolve around what he does

He’s a drama queen, and completely feral

It’s worrying at times

You two are normal friends

Playing video games, watching youtube, etc. etc.

You listen to his stories and wonder how he's not dead yet

But you can admit, he's really fucking funny

[the-geeky-truth]

Sex Education 3x03 to 3x05 - Things are getting complicated

3x03

Love Ola’s pride pin.

Wait, Ola and Jakob ALREADY moved in with Jean and Otis? Now that was quick.

The goat’s name is Goat?

Being from a country where school uniforms aren’t a thing, I only just realized how shitty that concept is for non-binary people.

For some reason, I found every bit of the scene with the new school hymn hilarious. The piano guy, Ola’s and Lily’s faces, elf language, Anwar knowing Latin ... brilliant.

Mrs. Haddon’s requirements about make-up and hair dye are stupid, but what’s even stupider is her comparing Maeve’s hair to the cookie monster, because the cookie monster is blue, not purple, and yes, I’m being petty about this.

Lily, listen to Ola!

Adam deserves an award for saving the most awkward conversation imaginable ... by letting Otis know about Ola’s perspective (again, I adore Ola’s and Adam’s friendship) and by having watched the Kardashians.

I might like Otis’s and Ruby’s relationship.

I think Isaac actually deserves a chance with Maeve.

And now I want to hug Ruby.

3x04

Lily looks neither happy nor like herself, which is unacceptable.

I have no words for the new sex ed. No positive ones, that is.

Maeve’s a queen, though.

They got another Umbrella Academy song! (”Stormy Weather”)

“Abracadabra!” Adam socializing is really something else and I love it.

Oh, shut up, Rahim.

Viv, what are you getting yourself into with Mrs. Haddon?! You’re smarter than that!

Maeve and Isaac are the sweetest 💕

Now I want Jakob to build me a tree house and give out wise words.

Say about the Untouchables what you will, but they have each other’s back when needed.

3x04

Is Viv gonna accidently send a text to Mrs. Haddon that is meant for her boyfriend?

Viv bonding with Ola and Lily is nice.

But Ola and Lily are drifting apart ...

And now that fight between Maeve and Aimee? No!

Otis IS really funny when he’s stressed.

Rahim’s poetry is killing me.

I love how supportive Cal and Jackson are of each other (Cal just letting Jackson be himself without putting any pressure or expectations on him, and Jackson having Cal’s back about the changing room situation and everything else that’s challenging for them) and I want the two of them to just be happy together - whether as friends or romantic partners, I don’t care.

I admit that scene with Maeve and Otis was pretty good, but I’m afraid I’m not as happy about it as the show wants me to be?

Ms. Sands is so cool.

[ichika27]

TWEWY 02

Already Day 4 and it’s just episode 2! I mean, I knew they were gonna rush it but this is really rushed. Is this just 12 episodes? They should’ve doubled it cause the story... but they’re trying to finish this up before the release of NTWEWY so...

I thought last week “I’ll make the next TWEWY anime post after each game weeks.” but I need to vent so here I am! Spoilers for the game below cause I can’t just not say anything.

To anime-only watchers, please play the game or watch someone’s gameplay of it! The story is way better told in the game.

Here’s the gang hanging out together. They do talk about some stuff about themselves with Neku telling them he likes it that no one can see him in the UG. Rushed but at least it’s here. Rhyme also mentions that she has no dreams for the future and Beat’s outburst afterwards hints at what Rhyme’s entry fee was. If it’s vaguely hinted in the game, this scene makes it a bit more explicit.

No Reaper Creeper. They didn’t adapt it probably to save time. Shiki used imprinting to help Ai and Mina talk to each other so the scene went by fast. Also, the surprise for Ai instead of 2 Tin Pin Slammer tickets are 2 tickets to a performance of 777′s band. It’s also a birthday gift (that Makoto is also aware of) unlike in the game where Mina gave her the tickets to help her get close to Makoto seeing as Ai has a crush on the guy.

The tickets are a little change but I guess this may also mean they’re not adapting Tin Pin Slammer in the anime. *cries* B-but Children’s card Tin Pin game is serious business!

Joshua loves playing that game, too... (I was hoping for an OVA version of “Another Day” after the series ends but who knows?)

Instead of helping Makoto make the Red Skull Pins popular, they gave the job to the Prince, Eiji, who gives them away at his little show. The mission this time is to make everyone look up at the Q building screen since they hear some guy tell Makoto to help him make everyone watch their video (instead of the commercial for the pins) to be displayed on there at the same time stated on the text message. Neku uses imprinting to make Eiji advertise it for them.

I guess this means Makoto gets less screentime and character development (even if he does have a little arc in the game). Him being the one whose job is to sell the pins and make them trendy is what gave him a confidence boost to change for the next weeks.

I didn’t notice this before... was it shown properly in episode 1? I was out of it for the most part due to excitement so I might have not noticed.

Anyways... 777 gave Shiki a freaking keypin that’s only to be used by Reapers and players obviously can’t have them. I get it though... the sidequests were cut off from the show to save time but giving them a keypin? It’s a big deal since 777 was erased after he gave them a keypin to help them in the final week.

This appears at the time the commercial should be on and some weird light destroys the other players. What was that?! That was more than just foreshadowing to what the Red Skull Pins are!

And Joshua stops it before it could make things worse and get to Neku and Shiki.

They also foreshadowed Joshua’s abilities! Are they trying to make the anime watchers catch on to who Josh actually is before even his week starts? I mean, I like that I’m sorta seeing Josh here but still!

Neku and Shiki having a little pep talk. It’s not as great as the game’s but at least it’s still here. Even if it’s rushed and stuff.

Eri is animated! The scene where Shiki hears about Eri’s thoughts on her is emotional with both girls crying and all unlike in the game which makes sense cause Shiki had just recently passed away. Some stuff to note:

-Eri is in a school uniform. They can afford this cause they don’t have to use the same sprite as what Shiki has in the game.

-Her uniform plus the fact that it’s a random character with her and not Mina means they probably go to a different school than Ai and Mina.

-This is where the reveal happens for Neku (and the audience) that all the players are dead instead of it being revealed by Higashizawa. I’m okay with this somewhat since it’s not really weird for Shiki to be the one to reveal it especially since they already gave her the roles of giving Neku the game explanations.

Also, we’re nearing the ending of Shiki’s week but Rhyme is still okay. I’m guessing they’re gonna have her and Beat attacked next episode instead of on Day 4 like in the game.

--

Oh yeah, since the planned OP for this was scrapped, they replaced it with something else. “Twister” is now the OP! I’m okay with that! Super ok! I’m sure there are other fans of the game who probably feel the same way since they were also hoping they use Twister as the OP. Glad they did this! I still feel the planned OP went to waste though.

“Calling” is officially the battle song. I wish they would also use “Someday”.

They also revealed the ED! The song is good (”Carpe Diem” by Asca) and the accompanying video is beautiful and it showed out main cast doing the same fighting poses they had in the game but with the anime’s art style (which is close to the game with only a little difference). They did some little foreshadowing again due to how they showed Joshua (seriously... did they want the anime-only watchers to suspect things this early? Week 2 hasn’t even started yet!).

I’m happy Ani-One is able to post the episodes on Youtube (which means I’m not watching this illegaly hehe) but the subtitles they have are off. They tried subbing the songs but they don’t seem to fit the actual meaning. Like there are parts of “Twister” and “Calling” that are in English (like, full sentences) but they “translated” those parts and the meaning is different. They also refer to Makoto as “Shin” in the subs which doesn’t make any sense. They misspelled Eri’s name as “Ari”. I hope they fix it.

I still enjoy the fight scenes and Neku using his psyches.

This would’ve been better with more episodes so they could focus on the story progression but I guess this’d have to do. I kinda realized this might be the case since the adaptation for “Devil Survivor 2″ with the same “7 days or it’s the end” plot but unlike DeSu2 which takes place for like, a week only (so 13 episodes wasn’t that bad) TWEWY’s entire story is worth an entire month. 12-13 episodes won’t cut it especially if they plan on adapting the “A New Day” scenario and since they’re trying to connect this series to NTWEWY, that’s probably what they’re gonna do. Oh boy...

Anyways, I guess this’ll be a weekly thing with me venting haha. I’d probably be fangirling when Joshua finally shows up on Week 2 though. I wonder if they’re gonna put JoshNeku ship tease in there like in the game? I’d be disappointed if they don’t since it’s Joshua’s thing lol plus DeSu2 did it for YamaHibi so I’m kinda... I now have standards hahaha.

Thanks for reading!

[splendidshinobi]

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 2003 LIVE REACT: EPISODES 21-25

almost halfway done lads how we feelin'

episode 21: the red glow

ah yes barry

"i'm alphonse elric!!!!!" yes u r baby!!!

who just popped over the wall

scar im assuming

"i kill therefore i am".....barry spouting descartes rn

it was scar haha

um

hi greed

thought i saw you earlier

WHY DID THEY DRAW HIS ARMS THAT LONG

ope he found the chimera crew...

jerry jewell's evil laugh gets me every time lmao he's so great

ed has deep philosophical talks bro

also ed is chaotic but his personal morals are unshakeable

who are these prison guards gonna release

oh hey kimblee

oh hey squad

ed take out ur pokeball

um wth is that

OH MY GOD TUCKER WHAT

EW

I THOUGHT IT WAS A GIANT YODA OR A SWAMP MONSTER

he looks FUCKKEDDDD

bro of all the things i was not expecting him

oof ishval flashbacks

young scar why is your hair brown

why is it white now

WHY IS HE NAKED

whos her

lust 1.0 im assuming

ew omg tucker is literally so fuckin nasty lookin idk

idk why but he's worse than rod reiss titan for me

wait a damn minute

wait a damn fucking minute

goddamnit

what is GOIN ON

i need tucker to stop whispering he sounds like fucking voldemort on the back of quirrells head

jesus

episode 22: created human

hughes' pajamas look like armin's futon from aot junior high

the bad place???? was that greed's prison gluttony was lookin at?

im still shook af over tucker and tbh its been like 24 hours since i watched episode 21

STOP WHISPERING TUCKER

driving me up a wall

my poor son looks so tired :(

those moral principles at it again

bradley.......

ewww the way tucker walks STOP

hi envy!!!!!

so all of those prisoner guys gonna get flattened by some alchemy

hey kimblee!!!

so did greed escape with the homies???? cause i feel like he would have made his presence known already....

i feel like im missing a lot because im a ding dong

musty prison kimblee is kinda...hot....physically speaking..oops..personality wise obviously there's MUCH to work on

so envy knows hohenheim

ED BABY

he won't do it

oh no alphonse

oh god memory implants

al's identity crisis CONTINUES

they wanna become humans??? huh....doesnt really make sense for their characters...(maybe envy but more on that at 11)

is ed gonna kill these guys for al

some1!!!!!! hold!!!!! me!!!! im so stressed

is he pretending to do it and he's got another plan up his sleeve!!!!????

honestly he's so depressed i cant even tell

those unshakable moral principles at work again i see

the red water can turn ed into a god???? wtf ed doesnt want to be a god he wants to punch god

oh theres the greed squad! i found them!!! is kimblee joining up with them

maria girly!!!!!!!

THE HOMUNCULI IN THEIR STUPID UNIFORMS I--

who's the lady. i need 2 know.

episode 23: fullmetal heart

alphonse is destroyed again

poor kid

"edward sir" brosh pls!!!

oh excuse me--- ***Bloch

The Ross Slap™

winry <3

pinako takes no prisoners

ed didnt you JUST tell brosh and ross they might be right that you needed to trust adults with more shit and now youre blowing off hughes

ed's DRAWINGS im-

hi sig hi izumi!!!

al is so sad over there in that corner

poor baby son

sometimes i feel like hughes and mustang are ed and al's divorced dads

the little arakawa avatar cows in the back im CRYING!!!!!!!

“bean”

snappy al

ooffffffff

omg hughes plz

elicia is precious though we love her

"dad's friend the bookworm" omg sheska

awwww gracia made edward a cake!!!!!!!

god catch me cryin in the club

CONGRATULATIONS

"whatever" al im crying he's so sad

AL MADE BROSH OR WHOEVER CARRY HIS DESTROYED ARMOR TO THE ROOF IM ACTUALLY YELLING

"you goof"

yes winry you are correct boy is a goof

sir you are being so dramatic

give that baby a hug

"so called brother"

so we all know that was a knife through the heart for ed

al just jumped off a FUCKING ROOF and ED TRIED TO FOLLOW

so im crying

i liked this better when they HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT AL'S FEARS AND MADE THE FUCK UP

episode 24: bonding memories

guess we're gonna play w my emotions again

sometimes like....one bit characters talk...like villager b ya know? and im like who are you i know that voice

so the nasty military has come to ruin some lives again

and barry for some reason

aww poor al

youre real you are!!!!!!

i just feel like people would know people that wear sunglasses in the rain would be ishvalan

but what do i know

obviously they dont have the white hair thing in this version

poor ed is so sad

these boys need a hug 

let me just *pulls out adoption papers*

well if scar doesnt have queen mei to adopt in 03, he’s got this little toothless boy

dont lie al you do care

ew i dont like her

the drama of this boy

so the nasty military has come to ruin some lives again part 2

apparently they are *mercenaries??? excuse me

i have some questions regarding this kid’s mom

well you know i can see why this kid feels this way about his mom

it does look like she ran off...

al and scar dream team up

HEY ED!!! HEY WINRY!!!

bout time

yall gonna have this talk now????

barry STOPPPPPP

brotherhood barry is the true king there i said it

damn scar you baddie

barry like....you already knew him

anyway

WHAT THE HELL

NO RICKKK!!!!!!

someone save this boy!!!!

oh good his mom “saved” him

ah damn thats pretty tragic

she didnt know they were right in front of her

ow

well my questions were answered

so she attacks with grape fanta. thats one way to do it

ed looks like such an angry gremlin right now this is a heartwarming moment sir please

why are ed and scar being so civil right now this is so weird

bye scar

we’ll see him again

see you later scar

episode 25: words of farewell

maes who let you buy that awful pink suit 

gracia please it better not have been you

mustang ew please

dont open the door lookin like that

what the hell are you doing in here 

so hughes WASNT in ishval here?

i think that takes a lot away from his character but anyway

bradley hangs around like a creep at every possible instant

why would bradley care about ishvalan refugees like hughes cmon

“unspeakable crimes” BRADLEY YOU LITERALLY CANNOT TALK

juliet douglas is this lady’s name

only took me 1000 episodes to figure that out

ED AND AL??? NOT DEALING WITH DANGEROUS THINGS??????? dont make me laugh assholes theyre lying thru their teeth

izumi time lets go

wow we’re still going to rush valley? wasnt really expecting that tbh

elicia i LOVE you!!!!!

ew kimblee “hi”

how did he lightning himself like that

if i were ishvalan i would not go to the south....yet ANOTHER war torn region of amestris but ok

okay

an amestrian desert biker gang rolled up to wreak havoc

HUGHES AHAHAHA 

tbh i wouldnt want to tell roy anything either stupid bitch

anyway

um why do i feel like its hughes’ death episode

he would not be shown tucking elicia in to bed otherwise 

please im not ready to be hurt again

oh no

yeah he just learned something about our girl juliet

ive been waiting for this information 

he’s gonna die before we learn anything helpful

yupppppp

hey lust figured you’d show up sooner or later

i too wish i could look that sexy pulling a kunai out of my forehead

SLOTH????????

did girly just say SLOTH

i- nothing about her seems particularly slothy but ok

u know what!!!!!!!!!!!!

ENVY HEYYY

DUMBASS ROY JUST HAAAAAD TO LEAVE

haha famous last words

oof it hurts every time

not the FUNERAL scene no!

time for me to go 

peace out homies im dead inside

yes my brigadier general 

NOT THE RAIN

COME ONNNNNN

hughes is sneezing six feet under

was ed supposed to be looking at hughes’ ghost

um....right

[therainroguefanfiction]

🏀 Professional; Lev Haiba (Sportember #014)

📑 Table of Contents | ⚾ Challenge Post

Genre: Angst, Slice of Life, Fluff, School

Word Count: 2,351

Pairing: Reader x Lev

World: Haikyuu!!

Prompt: Professional

Sport: Basketball & Volleyball

━━━━━━༻🎾_🏀_🏐༺━━━━━━

You chewed on your lip, unable to focus on the teacher’s words, your eyes trained on the dark sky outside. Thunder rumbled in the distance like a hungry animal, the wind blowing heavy enough to make the rain appear as if it were falling sideways. To you, it was a beautiful sight, as if mother nature was creating a piece of art in front of you, but even your typical enthusiasm was lost, outweighed by something deeper.

“Y/N-san!” Sakamoto-sensei smacked his hand on your desk at the exact moment that a streak of lighting split the sky, making you nearly jump out out of your chair. “This is the third time I’ve caught you not paying attention in class today. Detention this afternoon!”

You frowned at him as he headed back to the front of the room. Any other time, you would have been upset because it meant missing practice, but today, you just didn’t have the stomach to face your teammates. And so, their messages sat unread on your phone since you didn’t know what to say to them. You lowered your head, hands clenched around your uniform.

Kuroo glanced at you from across the room, cat-like eyes narrowed. He had picked up on your dampened spirits since first seeing you that morning and, since Lev refused to leave your side, he decided to approach you at school’s end before the future ace could reach you. With you being given detention, though, that would be a harder task. His eyes slid to the teacher, knowing that the man was already annoyed by your lack of attention.

‘Shouldn’t be too hard to get detention for myself, as well.’

Waiting for the older man to turn toward the board, Kuroo rested his head on the desktop, closing his eyes before smacking his hand loudly onto the wood in hopes that it would sound like his head had been the one to fall. The classroom fell silent, his cue to fake a loud, obnoxious snore.

Footsteps approached his desk, followed by the angry voice of the teacher. “Kuroo-san!”

Snore.

Sensei’s hand came down on the desk beside him, scaring the girl sitting there half to death. “Ku-roo-san! Wake up this instant!”

The third year slowly opened his eyes, faking a yawn as he stretched his long arms above his head. “Damn and I was having the best dream.”

“You can join Y/N-san in detention!”

“But, sensei, I have volleyball practice.” Kuroo’s eyes sparked with amusement as he glanced at you.

“Too bad!”

You clicked your tongue in response to his half-smirk, turning your gaze back to the window. You knew he had done that on purpose and you knew why, as well.

When the final bell rung, you and Kuroo remained seated as the rest of the class filed out in a hurry to get to their clubs or to get home. Sensei glared at the two of you before hiding half of his face with a thick, brown book, the very same one he had been trying to get through for a month now. The room was silent save for the ticking of the clock above the door.

Kuroo sneaked his phone under his desk, tapping away before sliding it into his pocket before the teacher could notice. A few moments passed by before the door slid open, revealing the volleyball team’s setter and Kuroo’s best friend. He shot his captain a glance before addressing the teacher in his usual monotone voice.

“Sensei, Yamasaki and Mikutani are fighting again near the library.”

Sakamoto lowered the book with a scowl. “I’m watching over detention. Go get one of the other teachers.”

“They’re currently in a meeting.”

With a frustrated sigh, he smacked the book shut and tossed it onto his desk before following the blonde from the room.

In the blink of an eye, Kuroo was sitting in the desk in front of you, sitting backward so that he could face you, his eyes narrowed as he observed your expression. You tried to ignore him, but his gaze was piercing through you, taking in every breath, twitch, and movement. You felt like a mouse about to be pounced on by a cat.

Finally, you sighed, lifting your eyes to meet his. “Can I help you with something, Kuroo?”

He hummed, lips twitching upward. “I’m waiting for you to tell me what’s going on.”

“Nothing is going on,” you brushed him off, returning to the schoolwork that was laid out across your desk, the pencil scratching across the paper. “Sensei will be back soon, you know. He’s already annoyed with us.”

“Guess you should explain fast then, huh?”

“Kuroo -”

“Or I can just tell Lev how weird you’re acting and let him handle -”

“No!” Your hand slammed onto the desk, a bead of nervous sweat trailing down your cheek. His eyes widened at the pleading look that you were sending him. “I’ll tell you, alright. Just… please don’t mention this to Lev.”

He frowned, letting his cheek rest against his palm. “So it does have something to do with him.”

A heavy sigh passed your lips as you fell back against the chair, eyes on the ceiling. “I… had a meeting with a recruiter yesterday.”

“A recruiter? You mean…?”

You nodded, fiddling with the ring upon your finger – a gift from Lev for your one month anniversary. ‘A promise,’ he had told you, but he never elaborated on what that promise was meant to be. “I was invited to join this new team that the NBA is trying to create. It’ll be the first co-ed national team.”

“That… that’s great!” He grinned as he stood up, large hands on your shoulders. “Congratulations, Y/N!”

“Yeah… thanks.” You tried to offer him a smile, but it ended up being more a grimace.

“Are you not happy about it?” He questioned with surprise, settling back down onto the chair. “I thought it was your dream to go pro?”

“It is my dream, but…”

His eyes flashed with recognition. “Lev…”

You nodded again. “Accepting this offer means going to the United States and leaving Lev behind, which I can’t do. If I accept, I’m going to break up with him.”

“Hey, now, let’s not be hasty.” He folded his arms on the back of the chair. “With today’s technology, long distance relationships are easier than ever!”

A sad smile came to your lips and you shook your head. “Long distance relationships rarely work out and they are unfair on both sides. I couldn’t possibly ask Lev to go through that and I can’t ask him to move to another country just for me, either. To give up his own dreams and desires so I can chase after my own… and I know he’d agree with it without a second thought, but he’d end up regretting it. I can’t do that.”

“You make it sound like you’re never coming back,” he commented, rubbing the back of his neck before frowning. “You’re not coming back, are you?”

“No.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I… I don’t know,” your voice shook, barely above a whisper, but the words hung thick in the air around you, as if taunting you.

━━━━━━༻🎾_🏀_🏐༺━━━━━━

It had been a week since the offer to go pro was extended to you and, in that time, you had avoided Lev wherever possible, using exams, basketball, and even the need to give your cat a bath as excuses for why you couldn’t spend time with him. You felt bad about this, heart cracking just a bit more with every crestfallen expression he made, though he tried his best to hide his disappointment.

To you, though, it was as clear as day within those beautiful emerald eyes.

The basketball team had all but forced you to spill the truth to them, even though you tried to avoid the conversation. They were happy for you and proud of you, giving you hugs and slaps on the back as they tried not to cry. Their precious captain, who had worked their ass off for years, was finally achieving their dream. How could they not be happy for you?

What they didn’t realize, however, was that you actually had two very different dreams, two desires. But life is not a fair place and you knew that you couldn’t have your cake and eat it, too. The deadline was quickly approaching, but you were no closer to choosing a path than you had been on day one. If anything, you felt more torn, but you knew you had to put on your grown up pants and make your choice.

“Y/N-senpai!”

Your shoulders tensed up at the familiar voice of your boyfriend, feeling his boney fingers gripping your shoulder to make you stop. You forced a teasing smile as you turned to him. “You’re going to be late for class again, Lev.”

“I don’t care,” he stated firmly, a series expression on his face. “I need to talk to you about something. It’s important.”

Your heart raced within your chest as his fingers slid to your wrist, tugging you down the hall and away from your class. You had never seen the first year so serious before, not even during his matches. Had something happened? Many different scenarios flew through your mind, each one worse than the last, but you shook your head to try and dispel them.

Lev brought you to an unused classroom on the third floor, closing the door behind him. For a moment, he just stood there facing the door. You had never seen him like this and it was starting to scare you. “Lev -”

He finally turned, his chin quivering as he bit hard on his lower lip, eyes filled with tears that he was struggling to keep at bay.

“Oh, darling,” you didn’t hesitate to pull him into your arms and he had to sink to his knees so he could wrap his arms around your waist, face buried in your chest. You shushed him softly, fingers combing through his silver locks. “Tell me what happened.”

“I’m sorry,” he sobbed, hands fisting around the back of your shirt. You could feel how wet the cloth was getting from his tears, but you didn’t mind.

“What for?” You wondered, using your free hand to run up and down his back, trying to sooth the tense muscles.

“I’m not good enou-enough for you,” he sniffled, making your heart crack.

Shaking your head, you pushed him back so you could see his face, your hands cupping his cheeks. “Why would you think that?”

“B-Because,” he rubbed at his eyes. “You’re avoiding me! A-And Kuroo-senpai said that I should try harder! D-Did I forget our anniversary? Did I say something stu-stupid? I didn’t mean it, I swear!”

You chuckled softly, brushing away the hair from his eyes. “I’m sorry for making you feel that way, darling. I’ve just been… stressed lately. You didn’t forget our anniversary or say anything stupid, at least not to me.”

His eyes brightened up as he looked at you with a hopeful expression. “You’re not breaking up with me?”

Your lips parted and you realized that this was your wake up call. Life was telling you it was time to make your choice, right here, right now. It would be so easy to tell him that you wanted to break up, now was the perfect chance to do so, but… “Lev, I…”

“Y/N-senpai…” he mumbled, his eyes filling with more tears as he waited for your answer. His heart was beating painfully within his chest.

Your thumb brushed across his cheek, pale skin slightly pink because of his crying. Even like this, he was so beautiful, like a god among men, and he made you feel a way no one else had. Your life had become so much brighter, filled with more laughs and happy moments than ever before. You smiled, pressing your lips to his forehead, then his left cheek, his right cheek, his nose, and finally, his lips, lingering just a bit longer than the others.

“I’m not breaking up with you, idiot. You’re stuck with me.”

“Forever?”

“Forever is a long time, you know.”

“I know!” He pouted.

You chuckled in response. “Forever.”

Lev’s face instantly brightened and he stood up, throwing himself at you as he giggled happily, spinning around with you in his arms. “I love you so much, Y/N!”

Your arms wrapped around his neck, lips pressing to his cheek. “I love you too, Lev.”

Maybe you would come to regret turning down the offer later on in life, but in that moment, you felt as if it was the right thing to do. It felt as if this path would make you happier than the other because Lev was by your side and he was more than enough for you.

“Oh, crap, I’m sorry!” He placed you back onto the ground, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “I didn’t mean any disrespect for using your name, senpai.”

“I don’t mind. Call me whatever you want.”

His head tilted to the side as your hand reached for his. “Are you sure?”

You laced your fingers through his before bringing the back of his hand to your lips. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

“Okay!” He chirped happily.

Maybe it was wrong not to tell him about the offer, but you felt like he would only feel guilty if he knew, so you swore Kuroo to secrecy which he agreed to reluctantly. When it came to your team, you told them that the offer had fallen through, and asked them not to mention it because you just wanted to forget, and they also agreed, not wanting to upset their captain.

Life moved on, but you never did come to regret your decision, and he never did come to find out that you had chosen him over your dream of being a professional basketball player. After all, creating a life with Lev was also one of your dreams and… that one ended up coming true.

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[destiel-love-forever]

Day 1: First Date

Combined two prompts from two anons for day one on 14 Days of Destiel Valentine’s!!  - "For the Valentines' prompts... First date?" && " This high class restaurant I’ve always wanted to eat at is doing a Valentines day dinner special that’s like half the price of a normal meal there and my ass is broke so will you pretend to be my date and come out to eat with me?" 

Read Below or on AO3: HERE

“So,” Dean begins as he leans on the checkout counter to look at Castiel. “Any Valentine’s Day plans this weekend?”

 As usual when his most frequent customer talks to him, Castiel ducks his head to hide his blush and tries his best not to sound flustered. “Ummm, no. Nothing special planned.”

 “Any regular plans?”

 “Nope.” Castiel laughs awkwardly, his hands shaking as he rings up Dean’s coffee and donut. It’s the same every night. 3 a.m., Dean in his police uniform, wrapping up another patrol shift, stopping at the gas station by his house – the one Castiel happens to work at – buying coffee and donuts. Castiel teases him relentlessly about the whole ‘cop with a coffee and donut’ cliché. It never fails to make Dean smile.

 Castiel really likes making Dean smile.  

 It’s been two years of Castiel working this shift and Dean working his, the two of them seeing each other at least three or four times a week. At first it was Castiel fumbling and stuttering as he tried to ring up the officer with the gorgeous smile and witty remarks, but thankfully Dean’s insistence on small talk has loosened Castiel up. 

 A bit. 

 As loose as you can be when you’re head over heels in love with a man ten times out of your league that likes to flirt with anyone that moves. 

 “Do you have any plans?” Castiel asks politely as he waits for Dean to fish out his money. 

 “I don’t.” Dean leans further over the counter and Castiel finally looks up at him. He realizes that Dean isn’t trying to get his money. In fact, he doesn’t seem at all concerned about his coffee and donut at the moment. His eyes are locked on Castiel. “You don’t work?”

 “Surprisingly I do not.”

 “Great. Neither do I.” Dean grins. “Listen, this is gonna sound crazy but I promise I’m not trying to be a creep and come onto you, okay?”

 Castiel laughs nervously, his heart in his throat. “O-okay.”

 “This high class restaurant I’ve always wanted to eat at is doing a Valentine’s Day dinner special that’s like half the price of a normal meal there and my ass is broke so will you pretend to be my date and come out to eat with me?” It all comes out in a rush and for the first time, Dean is the one blushing instead of Castiel. 

 Well, that’s not entirely accurate. Castiel is still blushing, but Dean is at least joining him now. 

 “H-how expensive are we talking?” Castiel asks, doing a mental calculation of his current bank account balance. 

 “Don’t worry about it. I’ll cover your half. I just can’t go alone. They’re only letting couples go.” Dean beams at him as if Castiel already agreed. “So, will you come with me?”

 Castiel doesn’t even have to consider it.

 “Yes.”

---- 

 Dean has never seen Castiel outside of his gas station attendant uniform. Don't get Dean wrong, the little blue vest and name tag are adorable, but Castiel cleans up well. He's gorgeous, standing outside the restaurant in dark jeans and a button up with the top two buttons undone. The blue of his shirt makes the blue of his eyes pop even though it's dark outside. 

 He's breathtaking.

 Dean has officially been launched from yeah that college kid is cute and I have a major crush on him to fuck, I might be in love with him...

 "Hey," Castiel says softly, looking slightly uncomfortable. Dean can't exactly blame him. He's been staring at the kid like an idiot. 

 Dean clears his throat and pastes on a smile. "Hey. You look great." 

 "Thanks. You too." Castiel tugs at his collar. "I, um… I don't own a tie. Do you think this'll be okay?" 

 "It'll be perfect. You ready?" 

 When Castiel nods, Dean takes his hand and starts to lead him into the restaurant. He's only holding Castiel's hand because of the whole couple ruse, of course.  

 At least, that’s his excuse if Castiel questions it.

 The host seats them at a small table in the back corner of the restaurant. The scene screams romance. From the twinkle lights strung along the ceiling and the live piano music to the rose petal covered table and the bouquet of flowers in a vase as the centerpiece. Once they've taken their seats and have been handed the special Valentine’s Day menu, the host leaves. 

 Castiel's first words are, "This place is gorgeous."

 Dean swallows the flirty, "You're gorgeous," and just agrees with Castiel instead. 

 "So why this place?” Castiel asks. “I mean, yeah it's nice and the food is probably amazing, but why'd you want to come here so bad?"

 "It's new. Small town like ours, you don't get that much. Especially like this. All we end up with are crappy diners or chain restaurants, but this chef used to work at a 4-star restaurant which is amazing. I've been wanting to eat here since it opened last summer." 

 Castiel leans forward and it's clear he's not faking interest. The fact makes Dean's stomach flip. "You must really like food then, hey?"

 "Absolutely. It was actually my dream to be a chef, but it doesn't pay the bills, at least not starting out." 

 "I get that. I can barely afford to live and go to school full-time, even with my financial aid. Hence the shitty gas station job."

 Dean straightens in concern. "You're going to school full-time? I figured you were only half or online or something."

 "Nope. I go to school during the day. It's not so bad this semester, actually. Last semester I had a practicum, so I had to do all my coursework for my classes but then on top of that do 15 hours in a classroom every week. It was brutal." Castiel laughs to himself. "I survived on coffee and hatred.' 

 "Coulda fooled me. You're always so happy."

 "You're the bright spot in it all." Castiel's smile falls. Panic makes his breath hitch in his chest, the shudder visible from where Dean is sitting. "I-"

 "So, you're an education major then?" Dean asks, saving Castiel from the embarrassment. Or maybe just saving himself from sharing his own embarrassing confession that Castiel is his bright spot too. 

 Castiel bounces back quickly, relief relaxing his shoulders and allowing his smile to return. "Yeah, elementary ed. I'd love to work with 2nd grade but anything under 4th will be fine. Once kids hit 4th grade they turn into little assholes." 

 This catches Dean by surprise, pulling a laugh from him. Castiel was always so shy and soft spoken at the gas station. Now that he's opening up, his personality is really getting a chance to shine. 

 Dean is on a very slippery slope here. 

 It only gets slipperier when Castiel says with enthusiasm, "You know, you should really try out for one of those shows. Like MasterChef! I'm sure you could get some sort of leave of absence from work. There's no way all of those people just quit their jobs, you know?"

 "I've actually thought about that…" Dean darts his eyes away, feeling the same as always when his dreams come up. "Michael told me not to waste the money flying out for the whole interview process or whatever, though. Said I'm housewife good, not actually good."

 "Umm, who the fuck is Michael?"

 Dean looks back at Castiel before answering. He startles when he sees the rage on the young man's face. "My ex."

 "Well fuck him. Seriously? It's not up to him. It's up to Gordon Ramsay - or whoever else tests your food. I don't know how the process works exactly but it's not up to him. And he sounds like an asshole anyway. If it's your dream then you need to do it, Dean! Isn't the chance worth it?" Castiel shakes his head in amazement before laughing once under his breath. "And I bet you're really fucking good, too. He sounds like an asshole that didn't deserve you. You should go on that show and kick some ass and then do a little shout out video with a huge I told you so." 

 Dean needs to blink a few times as he tries to process the mini-rant Castiel just spewed at him. As the words sink in, his lips spread into a wide smile that borders on painful. "You've never even tasted my food. How the hell are you so passionate about this?" 

 "Because I care about you." Castiel's eyes soften for half a second, something deeper passing between them. Then they light back up with humor. "And if I can't make an informed decision without eating your food, I guess you'll just have to cook for me some time." 

 "Yes. I suppose I will. But then you'll owe me a meal." 

 "Oooh, no. No, no, no. Trust me. You don't want that."

 Dean chuckles. "Can't cook?"

 "I held my own for a while. I made a mean hot pocket. And toast. I'm like an expert at getting the toast just the right amount of crunchy where it's not too soft and it's not burnt either." He makes a chef’s kiss with his fingers, the sound loud in the air between them. "Then, sadly, my toaster became out of commission. So, it's mostly just cereal and pb&js for me. Unless my microwave decides to work, which is extremely rare." 

 "What happened to your toaster?"

 Castiel looks up at him with both amusement and shame. "I may have gotten a piece of frozen waffle stuck in there and I can't figure out how to get it out, so every time I start to cook something it sets on fire…"

 "On fire?" Dean's eyebrows shoot up as he laughs. "Jesus. Yeah, okay. I'll be the one cooking then." 

 "Perfect." Castiel picks up his menu and waves it. "We should probably actually figure out what we're going to order hey?"

 Dean's immediate instinct is to say no. To ask Castiel if they can just spend the night talking. Who cares about the food?

 It's a terrifying thought.

 It's also exhilarating. 

 "I can get a bottle of wine for us to share," Dean offers. "Would you like red or white?"

 The blush that warms Castiel's face is so familiar, setting Dean at ease. "I'm actually not of age. Only 20."

 "Oh." Dean puts the wine menu down and laughs. "Well, then. Never mind."

 "You can get some though! It won't bother me."

 "I actually hate wine to be honest. Much more of a beer guy."

 "Yeah, I can handle maybe two wine coolers before I'm a mess anyway. Total lightweight." Castiel's chin snaps up and his eyes bulge. "Shit! I mean - not that I'd ever drink, because like that's illegal - and I'd - well-"

 Dean bursts out laughing. "Calm down, Cas. You think I never drank underage? Long as I'm not in uniform we don't have a problem." 

 "Okay. Good." Castiel takes a drink of his water, his hand shaking. It nearly spills when he tries to put the glass back down. "If it makes you feel any better, that's pretty much the sum of all illegal activity in my life. Unless you're counting the time I stole a chap stick because all my friends were stealing stuff, but since I felt so guilty about it that I went back 2 hours later and put it on the shelf again without ever opening it, I don't think it counts. So, I'm officially arrest free, officer." 

 Dean laughs. "Why does it not surprise me that you would do something like that?"

 "Nerdy… I know."

 "I was going to say adorable." Castiel flushes at his words, ducking his head. It's so goddamn endearing that Dean finds himself admitting something for the first time since it happened. "I was arrested once. When I was 15." 

 "Really?"

 "Yup. Sent to a boy’s home and everything." 

 Castiel looks confused. Dean expects him to ask how he could be a cop then, in which Dean would explain the whole juvenile records being sealed thing. Instead, he surprises Dean by asking, "What did you do?" 

 "I stole some bread and peanut butter. Or, well, I tried to." Dean shrugs like it's no big deal. 

 Castiel doesn't brush it off so easily. He reaches a hand out and places it on top of Dean's where it rests beside his water glass. Dean stares at their hands pressed together as Castiel says softly, "You must have been really hungry. I'm sorry." 

 "It's uh... it's-," Dean needs to stop and clear his throat, suddenly overwhelmed.

 "It's okay." Castiel squeezes his hand gently. Like a reassurance. Like a promise that he's there. Still there. Not going anywhere. "Is that why you love food so much? Because it was such a luxury growing up?" 

 Tears threaten Dean's eyes. Castiel isn't pitying Dean or looking down on him. There's no judgement.

 Castiel understands. 

 "Yes," Dean whispers in relief. "Yes."

 Before they can discuss things further, the waitress comes to take their order. Since neither of them have really managed to look at the menu, they’re both caught a bit in the headlights. Thankfully their choices are limited on the special menu for the night, making it easier to rush through picking things out. They stumble through an agreement on pan seared scallops for an appetizer before Dean orders a medium rare filet mignon with a side of three cheese risotto and Castiel requests the same. 

 Dean worries that things will be awkward now that the conversation was halted but it’s not. The moment the waitress is gone to place their orders, it picks right back up. 

 “Hmmm.” Castiel glances around the restaurant, the wheels in his mind clearly turning. “On a scale of one to our asses getting kicked out, what do you think the rules are in me taking out my phone at a fancy place like this?”

 “They’ll probably just think our date’s going bad and feel bad for us.”

 The little scoffing sound Castiel makes is endearing as he pulls out his phone.

 Castiel starts scrolling through his phone as Dean is left to just stare at him. He laughs awkwardly after a minute. “Ummm, are we having a bad date?”

 “What?” Castiel looks up at him in confusion before shaking his head adamantly. “Absolutely not. This date is the best I’ve ever had. Which is kind of pathetic… since, you know, it’s not real or whatever.”

 “Feels real,” Dean admits. 

 Castiel blushes. “It does, doesn’t it?”

 Unsure of what he should say, Dean redirects the conversation. “Well, if it’s not that, then what the hell are you doing on your phone?”

 Instead of directly answering, Castiel says, “MasterChef auditions for the next seasons starts in October. Locations are L.A, Boston, Atlanta, Houston, New York City, and Chicago.”

 Dean’s heart skips. “You’re looking into MasterChef auditions?”

 “Yes.” Castiel looks up from his phone. “Didn’t you mention a while ago that your brother goes to Stanford? You mentioned you were going to visit him - I swear I’m not a creep, you mentioned it when-”

 “It’s fine, Cas. Yes, he goes to Stanford.”

 “Well then, there you go. L.A. in October and you can stop by and visit your brother while you’re at it.” Castiel beams at him. “That gives us nine months of preparation.”

 Us.

 “O-okay.”

 “Okay. It’s a plan.”

 A plan. 

 Dean decides to go out on a limb, wanting to check to see if Castiel means what he thinks he means. “So, you’re going to help me?”

 “Help you? Psssh.” Castiel puts his phone away and winks. “I’m going to be your official taste tester.”

 “Oh, you think so?”

 “Yup.”

 “And what exactly do I get out of this situation?”

 “Other than my excellent taste testing skills?” Castiel’s smile freezes before dropping a notch or two. "My company?"

 The way he says it, like he's suddenly very unsure of himself, breaks Dean's heart. 

 He reaches over for Castiel's hand now that it's free again, pulling it towards him so their intertwined hands can rest in the center of the table. "I'd say that's more than enough."

 "Yeah?" 

 "Yes." Dean takes a deep breath to steady himself. "And Cas?"

 "Yeah?"

 "I was wondering if maybe you'd-" Dean pauses, looking away from that gorgeous face and bright blue eyes in case he's rejected. "I was wondering if maybe you'd consider going on a real date with me sometime? Like… ya know.. for real."

 The pause that follows is so long that Dean is sure Castiel is going to say no but when he takes a chance and looks at Castiel again, Castiel is grinning. He nods enthusiastically as their eyes meet. "I'd love that. Can we count this as our first date though? Because I am terrible when it comes to first dates and this is already going so well." 

 Dean laughs in relief. "Sure.”

 “Perfect.” Castiel pauses, raising an eyebrow at him. “You’re not just dating me for the discount on coffee and donuts, are you?”

 The question is clearly teasing but there’s the slightest undertone of panic beneath it, as if Castiel can’t understand why Dean would genuinely like him.

 That will be something Dean fixes. He doesn’t care how long it takes.

 “No, Cas. I don’t give a shit about the coffee and donuts.” He leans forward and looks Castiel directly in the eyes. “Considering it’s 3 a.m., do you really think I’m coming to the station for coffee and donuts anymore? I usually eat half the donut, wash it down with a sip of the coffee – which is decaf, in case you were wondering – and then crash into bed thinking about the cute boy at the gas station.”

 Castiel seems to puff up. “Really?”

 “Really.”

 “All this time?”

 “Mhhm.” Dean’s smile fades as he turns serious. “The first time I came to the station was after a homicide. A man killed his wife. I’d been to their house twice before because of neighbors calling in the domestic abuse but the woman… no matter what we tried, she never pressed charges against him. Always took him back. Walking into that house that night and seeing her – shit, seeing her on the floor like that. It… wrecked me. I couldn’t get myself to go home after that. Just kept driving around. When I saw the station, I decided to stop on a whim. But then there you were, humming along to the song on the overhead radio as you arranged the candy display, and I was hooked.”

 With a shake of his head, Castiel mutters, “That’s not true. That – you’re not serious.”

 “It was a Tuesday. Winter. One of those nights where the air is crisp but warm so every inhale is relieved, not pained. I had to go to the station to change out of my uniform and into civilian clothes because I had blood on my shirt and it became part of evidence. I was in jeans and a ratty old flannel. It was the worst night of my career to this day, and one of the worst nights of my life.” Dean closes his eyes, letting his smile grow as he pictures the scene before him. “It was a Taylor Swift song and you were into it. Like, humming under your breath, shaking your ass, bobbing your head, into it. You had no idea I was even there. It was so… happy. You were just radiating this joy even thought it was the middle of the night and I doubted you were enjoying the fact that you were awake and working at a gas station. There was just something so freeing about you. I only used the bathroom because you were distracted and I didn’t want to pull you out of it, but the next night I came back in my uniform right when my shift ended and bought my first ever coffee and donut from you. And you-”

 “Laughed and said, ‘a cop buying coffee and a donut?’ Is it your life mission to become a cliché?’” Castiel finishes, his voice taking on the same tone as it did two years ago. He smiles at Dean in wonder. “I was very proud of myself for that, by the way. I was so flustered because you were gorgeous, and I just knew I was going to say something stupid. When that came out instead, I was stoked.”

 “Don’t worry, I figured out pretty quick it was a fluke.”

 Castiel’s jaw drops. “Hey, now!”

 “I’m just speaking the truth! You’re a god damn mess. Always dropping shit and stuttering and blushing.” Dean takes Castiel’s hand in his and smiles fondly. “It’s okay, though. I love that.”

 After staring at Dean for a few seconds, Castiel shakes his head. “I can’t believe it. All this time…”

 “Yeah, Cas.” Dean pushes forward, leaning across the table so his lips ghost against Castiel’s. “All this time.”