#I love the dumbest shit they’d say in interviews

[liamfixthis]

Literally came here to laugh loudly about everyone being like “did anyone tell harry styles how to prepare for this press conference?” etc etc etc like … y’all he once said they owed their careers to electricity.

[fowlblue]

ask game! Picking some to ask was actually kinda hard cause they’re all legit good questions BUT (and if you don’t wanna answer all these that’s totally fine):

7 - age/ height/ weight for Tim

9 - scene that first made you love them for Spiro

13 - dumbest thing they’ve ever done for Valentine

25 - 3 things they’d take with them if dropped in the middle of nowhere for Butler

Oooo yesss okay-

7)

So I’m absolute shit at guessing actual weights/heights, etc. (+ I don’t really wanna calculate what the exact loss of one leg would be for total body weight), so I’m just gonna go with approximate descriptions if that’s alright!

I imagine Tim to, at the point of his recovery in TEC, be around 50 years old! I’m sure there’s an actual age to be found in the series somewhere, but that’s what I’ve got. Build-wise, it really depends on which point in the series one is looking at, but given that most of my content is in a nebulous ‘just past TLG’ period, that’s what I’ll go with.

Tim in my mind is of slightly-above-average height, but he appears tall due to being long in the waist + his habit of looming over people (most of the time unintentionally). Over time, however, his near-perfect posture has loosened a bit, which means people are more often able to look him in the eye.

In terms of weight, Tim is pretty slim and built like a runner. He was a bit ‘stronger’ looking in his youth, but after his time in captivity, he thinned a lot and has struggled with building muscle back on.

9)

I’d have to say the moment when he outsmarts Artemis at the vault. Not only was it a total surprise to me as a kid, but it hammered home that, unlike many AF villains to start, Spiro wasn’t going to allow himself to be outsmarted by Artemis simply by underestimating him. He made a bet with Arno about it- Spiro knew that Artemis would most likely make it to the vault, even if he didn’t know how, and that’s more credit than most of Artemis’s foes give him.

Also- this line from his introduction is just 10/10 description-wise. I think of it every time my bracelets clatter.

(Is is cheating to also list a part of a fic? Does that count as cheating? Ngl while I liked Spiro a lot initially, his journey to being one of my favorites was 100% the fault of @orangerosebush ‘s fic Kunegetikos- two scenes in particular: His flashback to being told mythology as a child/packing after his grandmother’s funeral, and his conversation with Artemis towards the end in which he admits that he wants to believe magic exists, not for profit, but because it might offer him a sense of purpose. It was a really nice look what his history might be and ultimately inspired me to start fleshing him out a bit as well!)

13)

Ohh, there’s a lot of stupid things Valentine does, but in terms of consequences? He rarely faces them. But he has absolutely, 100% shown up to at least one performance or interview completely wasted, lost his cool, made a spectacle of himself and promptly fallen off the stage, there is a video of it somewhere. Would he and his brand smooth things over quickly? Yes. Would he be reminded of if any time he happens to search himself on YouTube? Absolutely.

25)

The obvious answer is survival stuff cause c’mon, it’s Butler, but given that he would also not really need any of that stuff since he can clearly survive with just his own two hands and the clothes on his back, I would say-

- His gun. He cleans it when he’s stressed I’m 90% sure that thing is basically a fidget for him at this point.

- One trashy romance novel. Might as well have some form of entertainment if you’re roughing it out in the wild.

- Some form of communication with Artemis. Butler… he cannot seem to function well when he’s not sure that Artemis is okay or alive. At least give him a handheld radio.

[zhongscara]

scara. all 50. zhongli for anything that involves another character. bet you won't

dont doubt my delusions anon. everything under the cut :3

1. Canon I outright reject

none so far? i love this bastard poor meow meow...

2. A canon or headcanon hill I will die on

i hc he was modeled after makoto, whether on purpose or just instinctively by a mourning, desperate, ei.

3. Obscure headcanon

idk if this counts bc it's like. anti-common headcanon but i don't think he has doll joints all over i think it's just his wrists and ankles bc those are tricky to make... for hinge joints like elbows and knees ei was probably like lol this is easy

4. Favorite line

"the first one to betray me was a god. my creator... my mother." like oh wow. the pain in that line. the implications. the LAYERS. even after all that pain he hatred he still sees ei as his mother that betrayed her. he thinks of himself as an abandoned child.

5. Best personality trait

deep down (like deep down), he cares a lot about others, and now he's actually trying to show it awkwardly instead of just ignoring that and getting violent lol

6. Worst personality trait

WHERE DO I START......................... i think for worst i'd say definitely his god complex bc it carries over onto everything in his personality and makes him so frustrating to deal with lol

7. Age/height/weight headcanon

i mean hes like 500 years old... for modern aus i have him at like mid to late 20s, early 30s cursed with a baby face at most. hes like 165cm at most I LOVE SHORT SCARA!!! also idgaf abt his weight like that

8. Unpopular opinion about them

i don't think the sumeru interlude was about "redeeming" him. like yeah hoyo poor little meow meow'd him (which i agree with like awwww look at this crying kitty) but it's important to note that even with the opportunity to reject his pact actions he insists that they're a part of him and wants his painful memories and past back so he can feel whole. and after that he's still (rightfully) regarded with some suspicion by traveler/paimon unlike other characters (cough).

9. Scene that first made me love (or hate) the character

started playing on my friends acc during sumeru, so the first scene i saw of him was literally the divine will cutscene... and yeah i was hooked.

10. Best moment on screen (or in the book)

honestly? him begging for nahida to not take the gnosis was CRAZY like cmon cinema.

11. Faceclaim for the role

none really lol

12. Crack headcanon

i can't think of any lol all my hcs are serious even the crazy ones bc he's crazy

13. Dumbest thing they’ve ever done

egging on the traveler by dissing nahida like Girl (nongendered) have we learned nothing?! he deserved that smackdown with all that shit he was talking lmfao

14. Most heroic moment

i guess you could count him trying to erase himself bc he thought he could save the people of tatarasuna as "heroic" but its kind of a stretch LOL

15. Worst thing they’ve ever done

(waves hand) he's done so many crimes but probably his mass murdering

16. Deepest darkest secret they won’t even admit to themselves

he still wants ei to acknowledge him as her son and he craves her affection, even.

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them

songs: a lot but particularly mitski - cop car, chvrches - broken bones, mother mother - oh ana poetry: joan tierney's how to build a table and interview w/ the machine woman

18. What they’d go to see a therapist about

everything. if he decides he actually wants to go he has a whoooooole lot to discuss whew.

19. Vices/bad habits

i cant think of a specific one for canon bc (waves hand) Look At Him. but for modern aus he indulges in some cheap beer drinking for sure

20. Scars

he definitely has scars on his back from when he was hooked up to shouki no kami. being a puppet though, i don't think he has any smaller scars showing.

21. Drink of choice (not just alcoholic)

bitter tea (as in canon). if he's drinking alcohol he would drink nearly anything i feel...

22. Best physical feature

his sparkling eyes that make you think hes sweet and not full of anger. also his thighs.

23. If they were a scented candle, what would they smell like?

my first thought is something like the sea... the beach... idk why lol

24. Most annoying habit

kicking/elbowing in his sleep bc he sure puts power into them (zhongli wakes up with mysterious bruises a lot)

25. 3 things they’d want to take with them if they were dropped off in the middle of nowhere

he's that annoying guy who would say "a boat" or something like that

26. What they would do if stuck in an elevator with Zhongli

in canon: avoid him as much as possible and try not to reveal his connection to ei (kind of pointless bc hes literally made to look like her but dont tell him that)

in my delusions: 👏🏽 making 👏🏽 out 👏🏽 sloppy 👏🏽 style 👏🏽

27. Their guilty pleasure

fontaine detective novels in canon. in modern aus he enjoys watching trashy reality tv and making fun of the people/contestants

28. How they feel about Zhongli

in canon: hates him as much as he hates other gods, but i like to think he's slightly intimidated by him but will never admit it due to him being an ancient god that's even older than ei.

in my delusions: same as above but with added sexual tension. later on he just wants him sloppy style and this annoys him.

29. Eating habits

canon: he only eats for social purposes/when prompted since he doesn't really need it. he tries to finish as quickly as possible to avoid the social aspect of eating together lol

modern aus: he prefers to snack randomly throughout the day!

30. Sleeping habits

he usually sleeps all curled up. he also kicks in his sleep. (not me treating him like a cat)

31. If they had a tumblr what would it look like?

two options: aesthetic photo-only blog with a minimal dark theme and vague tags OR a troll/drama blog that always starts shit lmfao

32. Something guaranteed to make them smile/laugh

he'll always laugh at someone else's expense let's be honest like he's the guy that laughs when someone trips

33. Something guaranteed to make them cry

do NOT bring up ei!!!

34. How they react when they are feeling X emotion (sad, angry, excited, scared, etc.—can specify as many as you like)

every emotion he experiences is intense and i think he reacts to most of them by lashing out at others (usually violently) lol

35. Their idea of a perfect day

a day where no one bothers him and he gets to wander (heh) and just mind his business.

36. Their favorite season

none of them. JSHGJKHSDJKGHSDJKGHSDGJKSDHKJ

37. What they really think about themselves

(smacks him) this puppet body can hold SO much self-hate and god complex all together.

38. Favorite holiday

gonna be delusional and say new years because zhongli birthday and his birthday soon

39. Favorite game

in modern aus i just know he'd be a silent hill enthusiast. in canon universe i think he doesn't like teyvat games in general he just seems them as frivolous fluff.

40. Favorite book

i bet he enjoys some fontaine detective novels. he hates inazuma light novels though.

41. If they could have lunch with anyone in the world (living or dead, from any fictional universe or the real world), who would it be?

one last lunch with niwa so he can say goodbye properly :)

42. 3 comfort items

the small cloth doll he made

his vision

that's all honestly. delusional me says anything of zhonglis but yknow

43. 3 favorite foods and 3 they despise

answering these kinda questions for genshin characters is so funny bc they have official answers... but outside of that his 3 faves are dark chocolate (more bitter the better), takoyaki, and . for what he hates well... all sweet desserts LMFAO.

44. Their happiest memory

the first birthday he celebrated at tatarasuna :) i imagine katsuragi and niwa decided his birthday so it would coincide with new year celebrations, and for his "first" birthday in particular they all surprised him and he cried (in a good way).

45. Their favorite celebrity

none LOL

46. The person they most admire

i'd say nahida would be the closest? although it's more a begrudging respect.

47. Their dream job

he does not dream of labor. if he could fuck around doing nothing forever he would.

48. Scariest moment of their life

definitely the first time he was experimented on. like i can imagine "unlocking" his power was very painful and terrifying and like. yknow. being experimented on in general is scary.

49. Favorite toy as a child

i don't think he liked toys even as kabukimono JSHDGKJSHGKJ

50. A memory they’ve blocked out

again, the first time he was experimented on.

[artificialqueens]

as the stars align 8/? (branjie) - rujubees

A/N: hollywood enemies to lovers au; 3.3k - also on ao3

As the few weeks of movie promotion unfolded, Brooke and Vanessa still hadn’t restored their relationship to what it used to be, but on a professional level they were better than ever. In every interview they were bouncing off of each other, lighting up the camera, the fans and the press already pronouncing them a dynamic duo. A video of the two of them playing Co-stars for Cash had even made the top twitter moment a couple of days, a sight which had almost given Vanessa a heart attack when she saw it.

It was fun, but it made her miss their true friendship more than ever. Since the moment they shared over her coming out, there hadn’t been a single interaction between them that wasn’t on film, or on a stage, or witnessed by outsiders.

There was only the premiere left, and awards season should they be so lucky to be nominated, and after that they’d have no reason to see each other unless they actually got their shit together and made their friendship work. It was dumb as hell to let one night get in the way of how far they’d come.

So if Brooke wasn’t going to be the first to reach out then fuck it, Vanessa would do it herself. That hoe wasn’t about to get rid of her so easily. After a few minutes of internally debating with herself, she decided to call Brooke before she lost her nerve.

“Vanessa, oh my God, is everything okay?” Brooke greeted her worriedly, thankfully picking up after only two rings.

“Yes! Yes, everything’s fine, I’m just bored, my girls are out of town. Sorry to blindside you like that babe,” Vanessa replied, trying sound as cool and platonic as possible. The ‘babe’ probably didn’t help her case there, but she let it slip out anyway.

“Yeah, off-days are weird,” Brooke laughed.

“You wanna, uh, grab a coffee or something?”

Brooke confirmed that she was down, and Vanessa hurried to make herself as presentable as possible in the short time she had. She put her dark curls up into a messy bun, applied some light makeup and decided that her favourite oversized hoodie and some tights would do.

Half an hour later, she was sat in Starbucks opposite Brooke. It had been a while since she’d seen the other woman without the professionally applied makeup and her hair done, and she looked straight up adorable in her fluffy turtleneck and jeans.

“Damn, I needed this,” Brooke said, sipping on her black coffee.

“I know. Bitch, I slept like a baby last night, but I swear I’m still exhausted after this months crazy-ass schedule. I need a nap for like, a week.”

Brooke nodded agreeably.

“Same, but I’m so restless. It’s like I don’t even know what to do with my time off.” Vanessa knew the feeling — it was hard to escape the feeling that she should be doing something, especially right now with her career reaching new heights. Every day was supposed to be a hustle.

“Well you can always hit me up, girl,” Vanessa said offhandedly with a grin. Brooke swallowed and didn’t smile back — maybe she was also thinking about the last time they spent proper, one-on-one time together — and Vanessa felt her mouth going dry. No, this was bad, very bad, no one person should have this much of an effect on her. They needed to be better at being friends.

“So, why’s the premiere happening in London anyway? Were all the LA theatres booked or somethin’?” Vanessa inquired, wanting to quell the nervous energy, even though she already knew why.

“Well, we only get one premiere. And Katya’s insisting that we all deserve a vacation away from LA.”

“Vacation is a weird word to describe five days in the UK shivering my pussy off,” Vanessa huffed. In reality, she was kind of looking forward to the trip — she had never been to Europe before, and she could see herself spending part of December living out her Love, Actually daydream.

“Don’t lie, you’re excited,” Brooke smiled. “Besides, you’ll have me there to keep you warm,” she winked.

Vanessa flushed at Brooke’s comment, perplexed as to why she was still going there after blatantly rejecting the idea of anything sexual between them only weeks ago.

Brooke kept up her flirty nature for the rest of their meeting together, and Vanessa felt like she was balancing two alter egos — the cheerful facade she was putting on for her company (which was surely unconvincing), and her spiralling inner monologue that was just trying to work Brooke out.

The mystery and iciness had been part of what had drawn Vanessa to Brooke Lynn, but right now she really wished she was more of an open book.

—

“I’ve ruined everything, Nina,” Brooke flopped onto her bed with a sigh, unable to care about the piles of clothes beneath her that were now being squashed. “I’m the dumbest person alive.”

“Trust me, I know. We share five brain cells between us, and I possess four of them,” Nina quipped unsympathetically as she attempted to organise Brooke’s packing for London.

“I’m serious you bitch. I literally can’t stop fucking up. I told myself that I’d done enough and that it’ll be a miracle if she even wants to be friends with me anymore, but then she said the sweetest words on how I shouldn’t feel pressured to come out and I swear to God…” Brooke trailed off, not wanting to divulge how she’d flirted with Vanessa in the cafe to no results. She felt like she’d promised herself, everyone she knew and their mom to keep things strictly friendship between the two of them, knowing that was all Vanessa was after, and yet —

it was as if there were small roots of hope growing inside her that just wouldn’t die, no matter how much she refused to water them, no longer allowing her mind to entertain the fantasy.

“Is this the part where you admit that you’re not over her?” Nina asked with a smirk. Brooke groaned in defeat — it wasn’t like lying to Nina or herself had gotten her anywhere thus far.

“Fine. I love her, is that what you wanna hear?” It came out like word vomit, and Brooke felt tears prick her eyes.

“My, my. The Ice Queen is thawed,” Nina pronounced ceremoniously, her faux shock exaggerated. Of course Nina would treat this as a goddamn improv exercise.

“Fuck you, Nina. I love her, I’m literally in love with her, what the fuck. Help me!”

“Aww, you can’t stop saying it. It’s pretty cute honey,” Nina giggled, plopping herself down next to Brooke on the bed. She started to rub comforting circles on Brooke’s back as Brooke’s tears began to fall.

“I’ve made such a mess.”

“Go from the start, B. I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think. You were always a pessimist.”

Brooke took a deep breath.

“On Halloween, when you forced us to talk, it was just… awkward. So I told her we didn’t have to discuss what happened between us, we should just leave it at that, and she agreed it was for the best, and then she looked so sad and I knew she regretted it ever happening because Lord knows what we used to have isn’t ever coming back…” Brooke burst out, feeling like a rambling, sobbing disaster of a human being. “Press was fun and we had that moment after Tatianna’s interview, and then we got coffee together and I thought things were going back to normal. And maybe they were, at least until I started flirting with her and made everything tense all over again. She’ll probably never act like that with me again, even in a friendly way, because it carries so much more weight now and she won’t want to give me the wrong idea…”

Nina handed her mug of tea, and Brooke didn’t think she’d ever been told to shut up in a more tactful way.

“Brooke, love. Have you ever thought that maybe the reason Vanessa was so upset on Halloween was because you essentially rejected her and shut her down before you guys could even properly discuss what happened and how you both feel?”

Brooke shook her head, frowning. There was no way that Vanessa actually wanted to be with her.

“Well, I think you should consider it. And you know I wouldn’t want you getting your hopes up for no reason. But it makes sense, Brooke. She was hurt by what you said but she was trying. But then you started flirting with her again, and now she’s confused.”

Brooke felt pathetic as her eyes sprung more waterfalls, competing with Niagara over which could be the most impressive tourist attraction. Both possibilities were bad — she’d either hurt Vanessa by ruining their friendship, or hurt her by breaking her heart.

“I know you find it hard to believe. But you deserve to be loved, Brooke. Vanessa would be lucky to have you.”

“I have to talk to her. For real,” Brooke said as she buried her face in tissues.

“Yes. But first, you have to pack.”

—

Brooke was going to talk to Vanessa.

But it had to be the right time. She didn’t want to contact her before London and risk everything going haywire before the premiere, so she would wait.

The days leading up to the trip were torture, and the flight to London was also a slog. Vanessa had looked strangely lonely as they’d waited in LAX, surrounded by her manager Ra’jah and the rest of their party, and Brooke wondered whether she missed Silky and A’keria. She assumed they wouldn’t be in London until later, if they were coming to the premiere at all. Perhaps Vanessa even missed Matt.

She’d sat by herself on the flight, a couple of rows in front of Brooke. Brooke had wanted to go and sit with her so badly, but with Asia to her left and Michelle to her right — locking her in conversation — it was hard to get away. When she finally slipped off to check on Vanessa, her co-star had fallen asleep, looking more soft and peaceful than Brooke had ever seen her, and Nina gave her a pitying passing glance on Brooke’s way back to her seat.

When they arrived at Heathrow airport, they were exhausted, though some of the group were still in good spirits, excited and delirious and somehow still finding things to laugh about as they whizzed through customs at a speed that Brooke had become used to after all her years of fame.

Brooke was too tired to socialise. She ushered Nina into one of the hired cars that was there to pick them up, and she definitely didn’t pick that specific one because she’d seen Vanessa get in it with Ra’jah already. And she certainly didn’t let her eyes flitter between the scenery outside her window and Vanessa, who was even prettier than the London skylines; a picture perfect view herself.

As they neared the centre of the city, Christmas lights became more and more abundant, and Brooke felt soothed as she noticed the creases and frowns in Vanessa’s face melt away.

It scared Brooke how much Vanessa’s happiness could make or break her own.

When they got to the luxury hotel they were staying in, it was gone midnight. Brooke checked her phone for the first time since landing and noticed few-hour old text from Yvie saying that her and Scarlet had made it to London— most of the cast and crew would be flying in individually, but Nina and Ra’jah had decided to work with Michelle, Asia and Katya’s plans in order to get a hotel discount. Or because they clearly thought Brooke and Vanessa’s idea of a relaxing vacation was spending five days with each other and their former bosses. Brooke didn’t particularly care to think about the reasoning right now, she just wanted to go to bed. Even though it was only four pm or so in LA, their flight had been in the early hours of the morning and she’d been unable to sleep on the plane, so she’d lost count of the hours she’d gone without rest.

“We have a slight situation,” Asia said as she walked over to the group with a grimace, the receptionist in tow.

“This is so embarrassing, and I am so sorry for any inconvenience, but it appears we have only reserved six rooms for your party instead of seven, and the rest of the hotel is fully booked for the next two nights,” the attendant said, young and clearly nervous. Brooke wondered how often he had to endure the repercussions mistakes likely made by others. She knew that the most practical option would be for two of the ‘single’ people — her, Vanessa, Nina, Ra’jah and Asia — to double up for the two nights they wouldn’t all be able to have their own rooms.

“Of course, you will be compensated for this error, and I can recommend other hotels within a walking distance if you should prefer…”

“Y’all couldn’t pay me nothin’ to go outside again tonight,” Vanessa piped up.

It was cold as hell and the more minutes they spent discussing this, the more minutes Brooke wasn’t in her bed.

“I agree, I really just wanna go to sleep,” Brooke chimed in.

“So will you two be okay to share?” Nina asked her, sounding perkier already, and Brooke would’ve sworn it was a set up if Nina hadn’t been as surprised as she was to learn of the mix-up.

“Uh, sure, if it’s okay with Vanessa,” Brooke said awkwardly. “Or you and I could room together.”

“I’m an old lady, Brooke, think of my back,” Nina spewed possibly the biggest load of bullshit Brooke had ever heard. Brooke rolled her eyes, knowing Nina was having the time of her life with this.

“Looks like we’re having a sleepover,” Vanessa confirmed, Brooke smiling cautiously in response. The receptionist apologised profusely once again and began handing out their keys —

“Nina, what the hell,” Brooke said under her breath as she stood close to the other woman.

“This could be exactly what you need, Brooke. You know you need to talk things out, you said so yourself.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to trap her into a conversation in the middle of the night in a foreign country,” Brooke hissed.

“Let’s go, roomie,” Vanessa called. Brooke sighed, as she tried to rack her brain and pinpoint the exact moment her life became such a fucking cliché.

—

Vanessa could deal with sharing a room with Brooke. She wasn’t thrilled by the idea, but it was only for two nights, and who knew whether they’d even make it to bed tomorrow with all the partying that was bound to occur after the premiere.

They each filed into the elevator, and when half the group started wheeling their cases out a couple levels up, all Vanessa could think was of course they put Brooke and I on the highest floor. All that was left was for the two of them to get stuck in the lift, alone, and to not be rescued until hours later. Vanessa held her breath the entire ride up, only letting it out when the doors closed on the floor below theirs, and Asia and Nina were still hadn’t left them.

“Now, remember Nina and I are right around the corner, and I have the hearing of a bat. So no funny business, you two,” Asia grinned cheekily. Vanessa wanted the ground to swallow her.

Brooke gave Nina a goodnight hug, and then the two of them walked silently a few doors down to their room.

Vanessa fiddled with the key card, trying to get it to work, but it was stubborn and Vanessa was faltering under Brooke’s gaze.

“I hate these damn things,” she stressed. Brooke took it from her, accidentally brushing her fingers in the process, mumbling an apology. When the light went green and the lock clicked open on her first try, Vanessa rolled her eyes in the darkness.

The room was cute — fairly spacious and mostly white with mahogany and burnt orange accents, the decor matching the warmth of the festive lights which sparkled outside their window. Vanessa had been disappointed when they’d arrived in London to the bitter cold yet none of the snow, but the shimmering river view was even more special than any kind of winter wonderland she’d conjured up in her mind.

“Fancy bath we got in there,” Brooke stated a few minutes later as she stepped out of their en suite, probably just to break the ice.

She was in a matching tank top and shorts, and Vanessa forced her eyes to stay on her face as much as they wanted to drift over Brooke’s long legs and soft cleavage.

“You sayin’ I smell or are you offering?” Vanessa deadpanned. In her hazy state of mind, she decided two could play at the game Brooke had started.

Because that was all Vanessa was to Brooke. A game.

Brooke wanted to tease and flirt and play with her, but she didn’t want her.

“Ha, you wish,” Brooke replied coolly, her voice slightly stilted. Apparently the day’s travels and the night’s hotel shenanigans had left the both of them tense. “Just letting you know it’s there, if you’re interested —”

“Well, it should put that on it’s dating profile,” Vanessa joked, feeling victorious when Brooke chuckled softly in response. “But for real girl, I’m beat, so unless you wanna be dragging my drowned corpse out tomorrow morning…”

“And get the bed to myself tonight? I’ll take it,” Brooke smiled.

“Bitch. If this is the last time y’all see me alive, it’s on you,” Vanessa stuck out her tongue, heading into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

When she returned, Brooke had already closed the curtains and snuggled herself under the covers, her face lit up only by the light of her phone screen and the dull glow of Vanessa’s lamp.

“Hey,” Vanessa said quietly.

“She lives.”

The bed was big, much bigger than Vanessa’s double in her own apartment, and she climbed in the opposite side to Brooke, her heart physically aching at how content she felt lying beside her.

How right it felt, despite the last time they were in a hotel room together being under such different circumstances.

Even the roars and sirens of the bustling outdoor streets were unusually comforting.

“Vanessa?”

Brooke’s tone was questioning, and so faint Vanessa almost missed it.

“Yeah?” Vanessa whispered.

Brooke took so long to reply, Vanessa wasn’t sure whether she’d heard her either, or if she was even still awake.

“I…”

“Are you okay?” — worry was growing in Vanessa’s stomach and she wanted so badly to reach her hand across the distance between them.

“I just… I miss you. I’m sorry, I’m being dumb, I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Brooke spoke so sadly and Vanessa knew she was crying even without seeing her face.

She’d been rejected, flirted with and now missed by this woman all in the space of a few weeks and the rational part of her brain was telling her that Brooke was just tired, she was in an unfamiliar place away from home and she would break Vanessa’s heart even worse if she made promises tonight that she couldn’t keep tomorrow.

Still, her hand searched for Brooke’s anyway, intertwining their fingers as their bodies stayed separate, her other thumb feeling Brooke’s cheek out and wiping away her tears.

“Let’s not talk about this tonight, okay? But I swear we will. And you know I ain’t a liar,” Vanessa vowed. She felt Brooke nod into her hand.

“Goodnight, Vanessa,” Brooke sighed as Vanessa turned her back to her, but shuffled closer, letting Brooke’s arm drape over her body.

“Goodnight Brooke.”

[avengers-nextgen]

The Year Between VII

Traveling was always hard. One would finally settle in one place only to move on, and while it allowed avenues for exploring-it grew tiring. At first, Piper was more than happy with the arrangements. Nice plane, nice food, nice people, and of course the recognition wasn’t bad.

She was finally having her work acknowledged rather than doing school projects or keeping things locked up in the lab. The papers were more than happy to scoop up the information, but with the glory came the tiring work.

Meetings did little to hold her attention, and it was a good thing Gen was with her through it all because she actually remembered what the hell was going on. Half the time Piper just asked for the run down version from her friend and found it was much more entertaining.

During one particular meeting, Piper had busied herself with a rubic’s cube. She knew the formula, and she knew how to solve it, but it was hilarious watching everyone else try to focus. When she grew bored of that she began to play with the pens. It was moments like that, that reminded everyone how young Piper really was.

She was charismatic on stage for presentations, adept at press conferences, and charming during interviews. Still, there was something lacking. It’d have been much more of a success had she been able to celebrate it with her family.

Piper checked up on them from time to time, she called her parents every night, and she found Enzo’s emails funny enough to indulge in them. But away from the cameras or the media Piper was just tired. She lounged around in pajamas all day, didn’t bother doing much of anything really, and had way too many naps.

Currently, Piper was laying upside down on the couch with her legs propped up on the back and her hair sprawling into the floor.

“Channeling your inner bat,” Gen remarked as she tossed one of Piper’s shoes at their owner, “you left this one in the bathroom.”

“Oh darn, I always forget something after showering.” Piper sighed and regarded the shoe now resting next to her head. “Stupid shoe.”

“It’s just a lost sole.” The pun was horrible but it was enough to make Piper laugh.

“So, what’s the upcoming schedule?” Piper frowned. “How bad is it?”

“Actually, you’re in luck. I just got off the phone and as it turns out-they already have someone for the job.”

“How is that lucky?” Piper snorted. “I was replaced.”

“It’s lucky because you have two days to yourself before we fly out to Texas. So you can stop moping and live a little.” Gen plopped down onto the couch next to Piper and whacked her on the stomach. Groaning, Piper rolled onto the floor before sitting up. Her hair was a mess, her face was bright red, and her expression of betrayal looked ridiculous.

“I don’t mope,” Piper insisted. “I think.”

“If that’s what you want to call it. Point is, the vibrant Piper Stark has become a gloomy little couch potato and it sucks ass.” Gen held up her hands as if what she’d said wasn’t her own words. “You gotta get out of this funk.”

“There’s nothing too do. Literally, the rules were that I stayed in this hotel so I don’t get taken or kidnapped or robbed or some crazy shit.” Piper spluttered trying to blow a strand of hair out of her face. “I am not going to find fun like Cinderella did and clean this place.”

“You’re so dramatic it’s ridiculous.” Gen gave her friend a mocking look of pity. “You have a big brain. Use it. What can you do in this big old penthouse? I can think of exactly thirty two and a half ideas.”

Piper sighed and contemplated Gen’s words seriously for a moment. “Well, Alex and I would sometimes wear socks and do a dance party. Some of the others would join in. One time James fell on his face and got a bloody nose! It was the funniest thing I’d ever seen. One moment he was jamming out to Journey and the next he was crying.”

“You were a cynical child.”

“I was...still am actually.” Piper winked. “Shoes off.”

“On it already.” Gen promised as she kicked off her shoes.

“What music are we going with?” Piper asked walking over to the speaker system equipped with ‘The world’s best surround sound!’.

“Anything you want. I honestly don’t care-actually that’s not true-I hate country music. Don’t play that.” Piper nodded and flicked through the channels in search of a song she actually liked, and hadn’t heard a trillion times.

“Bingo.” Piper pumped her fist in excitement. “Nothing like that dramatic Celine Dione for Titanic. Dumbest movie I’ve ever seen. Get ready for the best acting of the century.” Piper’s eyes lit up with a mischievous look.

— — —

And that was what started it all. The two recreated the most iconic movie scenes of the century. From Piper laying on the coffee table yelling ‘I’ll never let go Jack!’ to Gen impersonating Robin Williams in Jumanji.

“This was the best idea I’ve ever had!” Piper wheezed as Gen held up a sock.

“I’m a free elf!”

“You’re welcome you elven turd!” Piper threw another sock at the girl.

“That’s not in the movie!” Gen scolded, playfully whacking Piper with a pillow.

After completing all of the Harry Potter cinematic moments worth caring about Piper concluded the mess with the classic: Footloose.

“Kevin Bacon is in everything,” Gen remarked.

“That’s because everyone loves bacon. So, you put bacon on everything and in everything.” Piper’s logic was extremely hard to argue with. She was certain Thalia would’ve agreed with her whether she knew Kevin Bacon was an actual person or not. “Bottom line...I’m tired.”

“Already?”

“What do you mean already? We’ve done at least twenty movies! I do not have the stamina of Orion or Alex or James or-to be honest-anyone really.” Piper admitted. She’d never really thought about it but she was the most out of shape in the group. “Holy shit I have to work out more.”

“You are one character Piper, that’s for sure.” Gen laughed, resting her hands on her hips and shaking her head.

“So I’ve been told.”

“But you really miss your family don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Piper nodded, “don’t you miss yours?”

“Eh,” Gen shrugged.

“What’s that mean?” People frowned, finally straightening from her bent over position.

“Nothing, just that my parents love their work more than me.” Gen shrugged. “Why else would I be all over the country?”

“Because they let you?”

“Nah, gives them the lab to themselves. For people who always wanted a science daughter they kind of regretted it. You’re pretty lucky with your dad and all.” Gen smiled happily. “He’s really cool. You guys share pretty much everything.”

“Well, yeah...he’s my dad. He’s supposed to-“ Piper didn’t finish what she was going to say. “Do they not even talk about normal stuff?”

“Nope.” Gen shook her head as if it were a normal thing for parents to do. “Just work stuff. They get bored when I talk about school. Or personal stuff...really just anything they don’t find interesting.”

“That sucks,” Piper breathed, “I’m sorry.”

“Eh, don’t be. My counselor’s taught me some stuff. She’s really cool. And that’s why I’m so chill all the time. No use in getting worked up over everything you know?” For someone who was Piper’s best friend, Piper was surprised she didn’t know this aspect of the other girl’s life. “This was fun though. Definitely going to do this again if you’re down for it.”

“Uh, yeah...” Piper nodded, “yeah I wouldn’t mind. It was fun.”

— — —

Then everything went completely off the rails. Piper woke up at three in the morning still tired, and completely panicking. She remembered everything that had happened and it hit her like a truck. “I am exactly like my father.”

One night stands seemed to run in the family as it turned out. Piper concluded that it was all probably Alex’s fault. She spent too much time with the squishy hearted girl and it had led to this. This feeling of sadness for a friend that turns into one hell of an evening.

The conversation the previous night hadn’t ended as briefly as either wanted. They’d spent some time talking about deep rooted childhood issues. Where one moment Gen was talking about her eighth birthday and the next they were kissing. Sure, it was foggy in Piper’s memory, but she coldly grassland why she hadn’t stopped. She could have. But she didn’t. Now, her clothes were in a chaotic halo on the floor and she was very aware of the chill in the air.

Shortly after recollecting the events, Piper’s first instinct was to yell and probably cry. Then she contemplated calling her parents. Her dad wasn’t an option, he would probably just congratulate her. That was not the needed response at the moment. Her mom would just freak out so that wasn’t an option either. Piper ended up calling the very person she was trying to despise: Alex.

“Piper? It’s like one in the morning here. What’s the issue. Please tell me you didn’t drink ten cups of coffee again?” Alex sounded half asleep and dead to the world.

“This is a bit worse than ten cups of coffee.”

“Okay, I’m listening now.” That seemed to wake Alex up.

Once the conversation was over Piper was too tired to even think. She decided the best course of action was just to go back to sleep, and sort it all out in the morning. That was almost a worse idea because Piper found out she didn’t quite mind what had happened, and frankly-she was fucking confused!

[nickireadstfc]

The Foxhole Court, Chapter 13 – The Rise Of Sassmaster McSavage

In which Riko gets FUCKING REKT.

Sounds good? Then it’s time for Nicki to read The Foxhole Court.

Did I say this was gonna go horribly, horribly wrong last time? Scratch that. This went awesome.

I mean, it also went horribly wrong and will probably have life-threatening consequences for all parties. But still.

Awesome.

I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning.

           Riko took the last few steps to Kevin’s couch alone and stood over him. He was smiling, but neither Kevin nor Neil was stupid enough to think he was happy. The only look in his eyes was murder.

I’ve not had a chance to say it much lately, and I’m glad Riko is providing me with opportunity: WHAT LEVEL OF E X T R A.

“The only look in his eyes was murder”, I’m sorry, did your buy your attitude at Hot Topic or did it come with your MCR badge set?

           Any animosity Neil felt toward Kevin for forcing him onto this show evaporated. He couldn’t be angry when Riko was here, not when Riko was to Kevin what Neil’s father was to him.

This line got to me, it really did. There’s something about how Neil is instantly ready to put any differences aside as soon as he notices someone else, especially someone he both dislikes and worships as much as Kevin, going through the same abuse and pain he went through. I just… *clenches fist*

Also, honestly, when will they stop being mirror images of each other. The parallels are killing me.

Kathy starts the interview and who would have fucking guessed it, I hate Riko right off the bat. Sly and sleek, he eases his way through her questions while managing to make every answer a silver knife that carves a big painful Fuck You in Kevin’s back.

Especially painful statements include, but are not limited to:

“No family is perfect” (YOU DON’T GET TO TALK ABOUT FAMILY SHITSTICK)

“We knew what was coming, that it was just a matter of time, that a lifetime’s worth of effort and sacrifice was about to pay off. Then Kevin broke his hand” (THEN YOU BROKE HIS HAND YOU SICK TWISTED ASSFACE)

“Isn’t it amazing how far he’s come this year?” “I’m not sure it is.” (IT DAMN WELL IS, GET FUCKED)

“I’m worried his wishful thinking and obsession will lead him to injure himself again. Can he recover a second time, emotionally or mentally?” (I’LL STICK YOUR WISHFUL THINKING AND OBSESSION RIGHT UP YOUR BLACK-FEATHERED UGLY ASS)

Thankfully, someone seems to be able to read my thoughts…

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for, it’s finally time for the rise of our golden boy, the myth, the legend, the man himself:

Sassmaster McSavage Neil Josten.

(Huge thanks to apprenticedmagician for the expression. <3)

           “I thought friends were supposed to cheer each other on,” he said before Kathy could answer Riko. “Believing in him now is the least you could do after completely abandoning him last winter.”

OH SHIT BOI.

Excuse me while I holler at literally everything Neil says in the next four pages.

           Riko finally looked at Neil. “Mine and Kevin’s relationship is unique, and I do not expect you to understand it. Do not impress on us your petty ideas of friendship.”

‘Unique’ my fucking ass, sure it’s unique when by ‘unique’ you mean abuse to the point of objectification and domestic violence, you absolute fuckturd.

           “Was unique,” Neil said and emphasized again, “Was. I’m pretty sure your relationship died when he couldn’t keep up with your team anymore.”

GET FUCKED.

           “You don’t think Kevin should be on the court again, so you’ll cut him off at the pass. You’ll destroy his chance of making a comeback and make him watch as your team succeeds yet again. You’re rubbing his face in everything he’s lost, and from where I’m sitting, it looks like you’re enjoying it.”

G E T   F U C K E D OH SHIT I CANNOT HANDLE THIS

           “I will ask you only once to tone down that animosity.”

           “I can’t,” Neil said. “I have a bit of an attitude problem.”

I am CRYING. A bit of an attitude problem, he says. A BIT OF AN ATTITUDE PROBLEM.

(Also, I know like ten of you who have that quote as your blog title, you cheeky lil trash cans. <3)

           “I don’t think Neil is far off in thinking you transferred because of Kevin.”

           “Kevin plays only a small role in our decision,” Riko said, “and not for the reasons this child claims.”

Tomodachi, you’re like three years older than him, maximum. Stop being so goddamn extra.

Riko continues to ooze some crap about how they can’t have Kevin play for the ravens again, but they’d love to have him back as a coach, and before I can even think up a witty reply my boy Neil pipes up again to call Sir Assface out on his bullshit.

           “You wouldn’t honestly have him go back, would you? (…) Stop being so selfish,” Neil said, and Kathy gaped at him.

Same, Kathy.

           “If Kevin’s dream has always been to be the best on the court, what right do you have to take it away from him? Why would you ask him to settle for less? The Foxes are giving him a chance to play whereas you would relegate him to the sidelines. He has no reason to transfer back. (…)

          Maintaining a top position is far easier than starting over from the gutters. Kevin is doing that right now. He’s facing entirely new schools and learing to play with his less dominant hand. When he masters it, and he will, he’ll be better than you could have ever made him.”

Can we talk about how Neil is literally DEFENDING Kevin, live on national television, RIGHT TO HIS ABUSER’S FACE, even though he’ll probably actually murder Neil for it, because THE FUCKER DARED TO INSULT KEVIN.

If anyone’s looking for me, I’ll be at the back of the room, breathing into a bag, softly whispering "holy shit” under my breath.

Are we done yet? Have we served enough Sass™ today?

BITCH, YOU THOUGHT.

           “I don’t think you’re telling Kevin to sit out because of his health. I think you know this season is going to be a disaster for your reputation. You and Kevin have always played in each other’s shadows. You’ve always been a pair. Now you have to face each other on the court as rivals for the first time, and people are finally going to know which one of you is better. They’re going to know how premature this was.” Neil gestured at his face, meaning Riko and Kevin’s tattoos. “I think you’re scared.”

FFFFUUUCKKKKK. Yes, hello 911, I’D like to report a fucking MURDER.

Not even Kathy can handle this level of savage, so she ends the interview here.

This is the point where I get up and jump around my room for a bit in order to calm down after this absolute trip.

Neil, I love you. That was the fucking dumbest thing you’ve done so far but it was also iconic on so many levels and you deserve all the awards.

Sadly, the party time is now over and it is time for shit to get real again:

           Riko caught Neil by his shoulders and threw him up against a wall. Neil went rigid as they stared each other down, trapped more by the death in Riko’s eyes than the fingers leaving bruises on his shoulders. Riko had the same stare his father did: He looked at Neil and saw only flesh that knew how to bleed.

Holy hell. That’s a line. And we quickly get what is meant by that, too:

           “He has potential.”

           “Potential.” Riko slammed Neil against the wall again and whirled on Kevin. Kevin stared back at him, white-faced and tense. “You said that goalkeeper had potential and then wrote him off as useless when I offered him to you. You’ll get bored of this one just as quickly. Believe me.”

Riko talks about Neil as if he’s not there, more so, as if he’s a thing, something to own and to offer to people, something you can play with and the discard like a broken toy. Just these few lines of dialogue speak volumes of how Kevin was treated at Edgar Allan – and was also expected to treat other people.

No wonder homeboy is a tiny, tiny bit fucked up now.

Thankfully, Neil realizes this as well and continues his noble quest to fuck up anyone who dares trigger abuse memories in Kevin:

           Neil watched Kevin wilt beneath the weight of his brother’s – no, owner’s – fury and kissed his survival instincts goodbye. He grabbed Riko’s shirt and hauled him back.

           “Leave him alone.”

Forreal, are you done picking fights with a murderous Japanese mafia gang member who wants your head yet??

Did someone say picking fights?

           “Riko,” Andrew said, spreading his arms as if he intended to hug Riko hello. “It’s been a while.”

Andrew has come to save the day!! It’s all my boys against Sir Bitchass Shitstick now, I approve. FUCK. HIM. UP.

           “We were just talking about you,” Riko said.

           “With your fists, it seems,” Andrew said. “Don’t touch my things, Riko. I don’t share.”

See, this is what I find interesting. I don’t really mind it when Andrew talks like that about Kevin and Neil, yet when Riko does it I want to rip his ugly ass head off. Maybe it’s because I know that in Andrew’s case, it’s possessiveness with good intentions, and in Riko’s case, it’s actual domestic abuse. Still. Don’t quite know what to make of it.

In other – and better – news: Wymack!

           “When I said Abby and I would look out for you, I didn’t mean you should pick a fight on national television,” Wymack said. “Should I have spelled out that beforehand?”

           “Probably” Neil said.

           (…)

           “I am going to drop you off at the dorm and spend the rest of the day drinking.”

What a sass queen, also #relatable, also I love Wymack so so so much kbye. #dicksoutforwymack #alchoholoutforwymack

They get back to campus and before this glorious chapter can end, it’s time for some quality Andreil time. Neil finds Andrew in his room where he apparently punched a hole in a window, no biggie.

           “You could have destroyed your hand with a stunt like that,” Neil said.

           “Andrew laughed. “Oh my, where would I be then?”

           “Off the team,” Neil said. “Where would Kevin be then?”

Ohh, snap. This has got to be after-effects from the talk show sass explosion still.

Andrew, however, is not in the mood for anything funny. His gears are set less to Fun Banter Time With The Boyfriend and much more to Dramatic And Sinister, This Is No Joke, Seriously I Punched A Fucking Window Out Of Anger For You Just Now:

           “[Riko]’ll look for a way to get back at you, and it won’t take him long to see how cold your trail is. (…) What will you do when he finds out? Run?”

           “You know I will.”

           “I know,” Andrew agreed. “I can see it. You’ve got that look in your eyes that says you know exactly where every exit to this dormitory is.”

Speaking from experience, my dude?

I know I like to talk about how much I like parallels between Kevin and Neil, but honestly, when flashes of similarities like this between Andrew and Neil pop up I’m just as happy.

However, Andrew seems to be the only one who’s clearly aware of the fact that we’ve just reached the first crucial point of no return in this series.

           “Don’t you understand? Running was only an option when no one was looking. (…) You should have left before you insulted Riko in front of all his adoring fans. Now you can’t go. Riko wants to know who defied him, and he’ll get his answers. You can’t outrun your past anymore.”

Bless this boy and his awareness of The Plot™. <33

And then, this happens:

            “Kevin wants to make you a star, so let him. Take what he is giving you and make it your shield. It’s hard to kill a man when everyone’s eyes are on him. Make them love you, make them hate you, I don’t care. Just make them look at you. You have one year to figure it out,” Andrew said, putting a finger in Neil’s face. “For one year, I’ll stand between you and the Moriyamas if you stand at Kevin’s side.”

This is it. I can tell, this is it, you guys. The fun exposition party’s over, now it’s time for the real plot. This is what’s happening now, this is the premise for the books to come, we’re doing this, and there is no going back.

Fucking fuck yes.

           “You gave your game to Kevin. Give your back to me.”

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES.

It’s getting LIT, fam, things are HAPPENING and shit is getting the eff REAL.

Bring on the last chapter.

[ragnarssons]

Am I the only one who believe that the 5 years time jump won't happen? Their calculations are always wrong. It doesn't fit the narrative. The show'd lose the momentum. Ik some fans are excited bc they think it's painful but it's not even good angst. That would ruin BC. It's not romantic and we wouldn't get an iconic reunion. 5 years is not the same as 3 months. I know it's a theory taken as canon because the script mentions something like that but analyzing the show I can't see that happening.

No you’re not the only one. I know that I’ve made a post about that already and a lot of people reblogged it because, yes, in my mind, it would change a lot of things. Let’s remind us that so far, the show’s timeline is no longer than a year. I mean, as I said, look at Arrow; yes, we’ve never had a “before island” season, but Oliver changed A LOT in five years, and it changed EVER SINGLE ONE of his relationships, he literally changed himself as a person. I know, we can still tell he’s been through some shit and all… but tell me that on The 100, the characters wouldn’t go through shit for FIVE WHOLE YEARS? Yeah, no, not happening. So there are plenty of materials allowing the writers to completely change the narrative of their show, and the relationships that much that they wouldn’t mean anything we know, anymore. And yes, in my mind, that includes Bellarke. I don’t care if, at the end of the journey, they find each other again or anything like that, I LOVE their relationship as it is today, and I don’t want it to change because out of nowhere, the writers would separate them for a wayyyyyy longer time that they’ve been together through these four seasons. And don’t get me started like “Clarke would at least, have the time to move on” la-di-da, she already did, with Niylah, when she sought confort with her. And honestly, let’s bring back the show to what it is, CL lasted for two weeks tops, you don’t need five years to go over that. Anywayyyy, so far in the narrative, nothing indicates that ANYTHING written on the scripts will happen, honestly. Why would they go to space? To escape the radiation? They already have a bunker and the rocket they have, has no fuel! To create Nightblood? Apparently Clarke is ALREADY a Nightblood, without them having to go to space, all they need is to duplicate the thing and that’s it. What else?? Because eight more people in a rocket would make THAT BIG of a difference compared to the 1200 spots in the bunker?? And don’t get me go again about the science of it all, five years will NEVER be enough to come back because the radiations levels dropped or something. That’s physically IMPOSSIBLE and I’d just roll my eyes so hard, honestly. Idk, maybe it seems like JRoth and the writers aren’t ready to accept the fact that once these characters go into their bunker, it’s FOREVER, for the rest of their lives, the rest of the show. They’d need a 200 years time-jump if they want to allow the characters to go outside again. So what? Will half of the characters be dead of old age without any background because of a dumb time jump we’d never see on screen? LOL. Honestly… I’ve seen people say that the scripts aren’t what’s happening in the finale, people who say they have sources and all. Up until now, I’m ready to believe them over these theories. For example, Marie in an interview, mentionned Octavia and the fact that she would find something else because going to space = prison, to her. And that was around the time the script was “leaked”: yet, the writers didn’t say shit, there was nothing about that, and so far in the show (and at least up till ep10) there is no mention of the characters going to space. Meaning that Marie would have “accidently” dropped a HUGE spoiler about the very end of the season, just like that? Umm allow me to be skeptical, actors are supposed to know best. And I mean, if they pull another solution, another rocket, another stack of fuel out of their asses in the last three episodes of the season, I’m gonna lose my mind over this dumbfest. I can’t believe they would do that… I hope they won’t. As I said, in my mind, they totally shitted on their narrative with the three months time jump between s2 and s3. Yes, at the time it seemed like a great idea, but on the follow-up on s3? There was nothing. No evolution of the characters, no evolution of the relationships, no exploration of any change, and even no real background to the Grounders/Sky People “peace treaty” they were about to sign. Just some “explanations” from JRoth on twitter, and shit on screen and that led to what it led us. People unable to understand the main male character because his scenes were cut off and it was NEVER explained how the Grounders were using the Sky People without allowing them to live on their own. It was NEVER explained how he felt about Clarke being out there, alone, vulnerable. I mean?? No joke, on this show, they’re mostly really bad at exploring characters and relationships; look at the “love stories” that last nothing more than a few weeks and the writers are like “it’s loooooove, it’s the love of X’s lifeeeee”… I mean, no offense to John Murphy, but how does he fall IN LOVE with a girl in three days? It’s Murphy ffs, and yet at comic con, so like… three episodes after Emori was introduced?- JRoth talked about Memori as the greatest love story of Murphy’s life. Wth. Don’t get me wrong, on s3 it was the same thing about Abby and Clarke, and obvis, about Bellamy and Octavia. Maybe they should allow their characters to catch a break between two seasons, before creating dumb time jumps, idk. Five years would definetely be the dumbest of them all… *sigh*

[canaryatlaw]

So today was all around pretty good. I have to start with last night though, because falling asleep pretty much turned into a trainwreck. I had slept in till noon so it wasn't too odd for me not to be super tired, but when it's going on 2:30 and I'm feeling very distinctly awake and I remember taking my melatonin, I'm wondering what the fuck is going on, and then it hits me- when I was setting up my pill box for the week I neglected to put the 1 Xanax I've been taking a day in the box, and we all know the apparent sedative powers Xanax can have on me. I realized this at exactly 2:30 am, so of course at that point I got up and took a Xanax. Unfortunately it did not take effect as soon as I hoped, and I wound up staying up some time after 4 o clock, meaning with my 7 o clock wake up time I got somewhere less than 3 hours of sleep, probably closer to 2 1/2. Yikes. But I swore I would get out of bed because I fucking have to, I can't afford to be a slacker for another day when it's only a four day week anyway, so when my alarm rang at 7 I dragged myself out of bed and thankfully for the most part I didn't feel too exhausted during the day, though I felt slightly sleepy during the afternoon, but that was probably due to my relatively boring task, but more on that later. So I get ready and get to work, my direct boss is out for the morning on a visit or something like it, and somewhere around 9:30 I remembered I had the phone interview scheduled for 10 am, but I had a sinking feeling they wouldn't be calling me. Nevertheless, I went through the interview packet and came up with a list of questions adapted to his situation being that he was being released from juvenile detention. As predicted, they didn't call, I gave them until 10:30 before calling them, and they claimed they never got our paperwork, even though I have the confirmation that the fax went through, they said it must've gotten lost somewhere along the way and I'd have to resend it, and they need 48 hours to schedule any phone interview. I asked if they could make it work for Thursday and they said to fax the request and they'd see if they could fit it in the schedule. *sigh* so I type up a new request and used my recently acquired faxing skills to send it to them, asking that they call me to actually schedule the time. The fax went through, but I didn't hear from them today. If I get to tomorrow afternoon without hearing from them I'll call again and bug them. Ugh, I was not pleased with this situation. So after that I run a few things around and call some caseworkers to get some info on cases and got to run through permanency hearing questions for the other one I'm doing on Thursday, so that was good. At that point I was out of work, so I announced this to all the attorneys on my calendar, and the one that sits across from me said she had some prison phone calls I could listen to. Oh goody! At least they're interesting sometimes. So she gives me the basic breakdown of the situation, basically they're calls between mom and her supposed boyfriend through mom's incarceration from October to January waiting to get bailed out. Boyfriend had testified in January that he dumped mom in August and she's just been following him around, but then of course we have a record of 100 calls between the two of them, so we just had to find the content to disprove his testimony. Well, as expected, they were very much together and very frequently exchanged I love yous and such. 90% of it was mom bitching that nobody has bailed her out yet (she had a $1500 bond) and just hounding this guy about it meanwhile literally nobody around her has a job or any money and get all their money from public assistance. But then she'd say shit like "(daughter) says there's no groceries at the house" and the guy would start listing food he spent money on, but then mom turned around and was like "that was money you could've been sending me." Like, wtf? And of course she was just constantly hounding him to send her money for any and everything. Then there was the half hour call between her and her daughter where they laughed and reminisced about the shoplifting incident that got mom arrested, and she's now facing 5 years in prison because this is her 8th fucking time getting arrested for it. And I kid you not, they were joking about it and having a great old time. Other highlights include when she told her boyfriend he couldn't come pick her up from jail "in case DCFS finds out" well, we ain't DCFS exactly, but believe me, we're gonna find out (and as far as court is concerned, you should be more scared of us than them). Then there was when she was like "my grandpa sells his pills on Mondays, he gets $400 for them and offered me $100 but I said I'd only take $50" and I'm just like ohhh boy. But yeah, it was full of little gems like that, and I was only like my 18th page green sheeting it, so there's definitely plenty there. I just don't fucking understand people when literally the entire time the call is like "this is being recorded and monitored" and then people still say the dumbest fucking things. Amazing. So that actually took up most of the rest of my afternoon, and time passed pretty quickly because of it. Sometime after 4 one of the other attorneys came in and asked if I could do some emergency motions for her and argue two on Friday, so I put the calls aside and started working on those, cuz we'd have to serve them on everybody by the end of the day tomorrow (of course it won't take me nearly that long to complete them). So I worked on those until about 4:50. I was planning on taking the 5:13 bus and not rushing for the 5:03 because I had no particular reason to, but then I checked my app and the 5:13 bus said it was "delayed" and of course I'm like aw hell no I ain't doing this shit again so I ran out of the office and just made it to the bus in time. Got home by 6:20 and had a little bit of time to relax and eat before going to PT at 7, which was nice. PT was good, we ended up doing more of the dry needling because some of my muscles are still super tight and my PT guy was like we should be making more progress at this point, so hopefully that will help. I got home around 8:24 and of course turned on the prison break finale, I hadn't realized they moved it back an hour so I was happy to find out I wasn't as far behind as I thought I'd be, and the episode did not disappoint. I know they said they could potentially do more seasons, but I almost want them to just leave it here because FINALLY everyone is just happy and any other problems are just gonna screw that up and I just want my bbys to be happy forever after everything they've been through. It was honestly such a great episode though, classic prison break, kept you in suspense until the very end and full of so many twists and turns you never knew what was gonna end up being part of the plan and what wasn't. I was sad that we lost Whip, but I knew they were gonna kill off someone we liked, and in all honestly he was probably the least painful one to go (I do not count T-Bag among those we liked) so as sad as it is better him than one of the others. And of course I'm just so happy for my Scofields to finally have happiness and to be able to live happy lives together and I really don't want anything to interrupt my (fictional) babes in their happily ever after and I don't care if that means not getting any more episodes, I'm honestly fine leaving it here for their sakes (I know, they're fictional, but still). So overall I was really quite pleased with it, probably the best season/series finale I've seen in quite a while. I'm so used to the rug being pulled out from under us at the last moment it was FINALLY so nice to just see them go happily ever after with no last minute devastating twist. So when I finished with that I switched over to the keepers, and watched the 7th, and what I did not realize was the final until I was done with it, episode. I kept meaning to look up how many episodes there were but I just figured it's a Netflix show so there's 13, so when the credits rolled and there was no next episode to start I was definitely surprised. I have to say though, episode 7 was a bombshell episode, probably the best in the series IMO. To me it was just so disturbing to hear just how much the Catholic Church shielded pedophile priests and enabled them to abuse more and more victims, and to this day their actions continue to be those that are simply to cover their own asses. I know of course not the entire church is bad, I'm quite the fan of the current pope actually, but I was really disgusted to see the church sending lawyers to argue against extending the statute of limitations for civil suits on child sex abuse, and for their arguments to consist of "well we have to pressure the victims to come forward before more people get victimized" which is such an incredibly awful statement I can't even understand how anyone would think that's an okay thing to say, to put the blame on the victim like that is appalling, and any idea that a shorter statute of limitations will result in victims coming forward sooner is pure fantasy. This was about nothing other than getting the church out of liability, and that's disgusting to me. Their continued denial of knowing about Father Maskell's abuse when there's clear evidence they did is just baffling to me, I can't possibly see what they have to gain by making these claims other than a sorry attempt to cover their asses that in all reality royally backfired on them. As for the whole murder situation, after seeing all of it, I definitely found Jean (Jane Doe) to be credible and I believe her account of being taken to see the body where it was later found and being told sister Cathy died because she was going to confront the priests about the abuse. As far as the players involved that actually could've carried it out, the Edgar guy seemed odd to me but I'm not sure he was definitely involved, the Bill guy however, especially given the recorded interview of his (unfortunately now deceased) nephew who describes being there while they buried the body was pretty dang convincing to me, especially given he has literally no motive whatsoever to make something like that up. I think it's very possible both men were involved, but we sadly don't really have enough evidence (at this point, anyway) to piece together what actually happened that night, and sadly many of the key players who would potentially be at fault are dead, so justice will never be served as far as they are concerned, which is very frustrating. I'm glad at least father Maskell had to watch numerous claims of abuse by him come to light before he died. And yeah, that was pretty much my night. I have a slight headache and I am very tired now, so I think I'm gonna take that as a sign that now is a good time to call it quits here and go to sleep. I've clearly ranted about my day enough. So goodnight dollfaces. Stay beautiful.