#So many questions if they've done the work to pull this off

[bellesdomain]

Thoughts on Female Greaseball

I just wanted to share my thoughts, my concerns about changing gender for Greaseball. Now we don't know the extent to which they're rewriting the show, and these concerns may well be addressed, we'll have to wait and see... but follow along with me here...

First off, to tell a story, you need conflict and resolution. You got to show the bad things, to then overcome the bad things. Greaseball is an antagonist in the show - he does bad things, we, the audience, don't support his decisions. Sure he's a lovable character but he's flawed.

Greaseball is the "Reigning Champion", he represents the present world (Electra represents the undefinable weirdness and possibilities of the future, Poppa is the cozy nostalgic past.) He's representing some of the bad things we want to learn to do better from through the course of the story.

"UNCOUPLED" is sung by Dinah at her lowest point. She's just been dumped and from what she tells us in that song, it suggests her partner has been borderline gaslighting her and emotionally abusive - she's blaming herself for her partner's choices. Her partner that she's singing about has been really shitty to her.

Now, with a masculine Greaseball, we all immediately recognise the Misogyny there, all familiar tropes of "he's left me for someone younger, prettier, thinner, less outspoken" fuelled by the toxic masculinity, objectifying women. This is showing the bad stuff that the characters overcome - this is the story arc. Masculine Greaseball is a recognisable trope, he's "Alpha Male" - all the privilege has led him to being able to take whatever he wants. But Feminine Greaseball, a queer woman as antagonist who's been abusing sweet Dinah, what trope does she fall into? Evil Lesbian.

This is a sung-through roller-skating musical about toy trains, there isn't room to tell complex character development for the average audience member - these characters rely on archetypes to be easily recognisable. There's so much room for the performers to add subtlety, context, subtext, sure, but the main picture is painted in broad strokes. And I'm not sure that replacing "Toxic Alpha Male" as a villain, with "Evil Lesbian", is actually progressive.

Maybe they've thought this through and already have solutions... maybe "Evil Lesbian" is the trope they want for one of their antagonists. It just feels to me that it would be more productive to be working with "this macho alpha male crap is a problem" than taking it out of the discussion.

[unsteddie]

Steve and Eddie are on again off again for years after the events of st4. It's never too serious, they have basically opposite schedules. Eddie tends bar and plays with his band, existing mostly at night. Steve gets a degree and moves onto being a school counselor, late nights are the bane of his existence. It's easier when they live together, but over the years they've moved in and out of the little place they share with Robin.

Eddie's moved cities a few times, tried living with the band, has been on and off tour. Steve moved back home when his parents divorced for about a year to help his mom out, moved in and usually quickly out with partners. He volunteered a few summers to live in low income rural areas and help with the schools summer programs.

They just never quite get the timing right to try anything other than casual. It's honestly tearing Steve apart, it's been the source of every break up he's had since meeting the man. Eddie however seems entirely unbothered.

Steve knows for a fact he's Eddie's favorite person. Even when Eddie is "seeing" someone else, Eddie's relationships are never serious, he still prefers to spend his time with Steve. He just doesn't get why Eddie doesn't want something real, but he doesn't push, doesn't wanna lose what he has

It's a full decade of this nonsense before the song Quit Playing Games With My Heart by The Backstreet Boys comes out. Steve doesn't really care much about the band, he likes boy band music well enough. It's fun and catchy and danceable. But he's picking Eddie up from the airport, back from a three month stint in LA recording and promoting with the band. And the air is tense as the lyrics spill out of the radio, and it makes Steve feel heavy.

The song ends but he's still pretty misty, it's only ten minutes back to the apartment. He can hold it back, and when they're home he'll just excuse himself and cry quietly on his bed. He's done it plenty of times before, this is no different, he's got this, he's good.

"Stevie?" Eddie asks softly, and his his voice sounds strained, like something's got him worked up too.

Steve can't respond, not with his voice, so he just sort of nods, doesn't look at Eddie, but can feel the weight of Eddie's stare.

"What is it about me that you don't wanna stick around for?" He asks quietly, but there's a solid quality to his tone, like this is a question he's resolved to ask many times, and finally got his nerve up.

Steve doesn't respond for a long time, as pieces slowly move into place. Eddie has always seemed so unaffected, even congratulating Steve when things got serious with someone else. But if he looked closely at Eddie's reactions now, in retrospect, with the way he asked his quiet question, it clicks.

Eddie never liked any of Steve's partners, always gave Steve an out of he needed it, was always a little petty about Steve's ex's after a breakup. The thought that maybe, for all these years, a decade now, they'd been wasting their time keep things casual was just...well it was fucking hilarious. Terrible and heartbreaking, sure. But it kick started ridiculous sounding giggles.

Giggles quickly snowballed into full hysterical laughter. He glanced at Eddie who looked hurt, which was absurd. Steve's laughter became unhinged, and he had to pull off the road. Eddie didn't look hurt anymore when he looked back, he looked furious, and he was wiping his cheeks. Steve hadn't seen tears, but the idea that Eddie was crying over him did nothing to quell the laughter.

The moment the car stopped Eddie threw the door open, and climbed out. Grabbing his duffle from the back seat. He managed to stomp a good distance away before Steve could get himself together enough to chase after him. He was still giggling when he caught up enough to grab the strap of Eddie's bag. He pulled it back hard enough to knock Eddie off balance, and had to reach out to steady him.

"Eddie please," he paused to laugh and catch his breath as Eddie struggled to pull out of his grip. "Please, baby, give me a minute."

Eddie froze at that. They didn't use pet names like that. Nothing so relationship-y. It was enough to make Eddie wait for him. Steve didn't let go though, terrified Eddie might run off without a proper explanation.

He didn't know how to explain it, the years of longing, the way he'd wanted to ask the same question so many times, how he ached for him. He certainly didn't know how to explain his reaction.

"I don't know why it made me laugh like that." He started once he had his breathing under control. "Some stupid pop song-" and he was laughing again because this was stupid. He threw his hands up in frustration, immediately grabbing onto Eddie again when his hands came back down.

"some stupid pop song had me on the brink of tears, because my stupid, broken heart-" more laughter, and Steve was getting really tired of this. "Aches for you, when you've, I guess-" laughter, "been feeling the same way. God Eddie how stupid are we?"

And with that the giggles were gone, his insides had gone suddenly still, and he felt the loss of the time they could have had.

"how long?" Eddie asked, quiet again, he was never this quite. When Steve looked at him now his face was hard to read, tears still brimming in his eyes, but the anger and hurt were gone.

"since the boat house probably, at least since the hospital, for sure. When you woke up and you were cuffed to the bed. The first thing you said was some joke about being flattered they thought you were that dangerous. I knew for sure then, but I think it started in the boat house." Steve flushed, his face hot and pink.

"God, no, that's ..we can't have been feeling the same way so long. Stevie, what have we been doing?" Tears were falling, both men crying on the side of the road, and Eddie was holding onto Steve now too.

"Didn't think you'd want me for real. Didn't think anyone-" Steve coughed around the lump in his throat. "Tried to move on, so many times. Never could, it always came back to you."

And Eddie was suddenly in his arms, weeping, getting tight words out between sobs. "Never. Anything. Compare. No one. Even close. Just you. My Stevie."

"Didn't catch all that sweetheart. You'll have to tell me the rest later." Steve whispered into his ear, and Eddie melted in his arms, nodding emphatically into Steve's shoulder.

The time they waisted sat heavy on Steve's shoulders, but he had Eddie now. Eventually they would joke about it, about pining after each other for a decade before getting thier shit together, but it was gonna hurt for a while still.

[2btheanswertothequestion]

(part 3 of November Paramedic; part 2 is here.)

When Gareth mentioned a plan to locate Eddie’s paramedic in shining armor, Eddie assumed it'd be him getting into various accidents all over Indianapolis. It's something the little shit would've found funny, okay! But, Gareth's plan is much less hazardous and slightly more logical: lurk around the university until they spot him. Like a pair of drug dealers trying to tempt the goody-two-shoes protagonist into addiction and sin on an 80s Saturday morning cartoon.

It's not the simplest task since they don't know when Steve might be there. Also, other responsibilities mean they can only spare so many hours loitering. So, thirteen days post-hatching plan and nineteen days post-meeting Steve (not that Eddie's been counting or anything), with nothing to show for their ethically questionable behavior, Eddie is ready to give up. Especially since both of them have a rare simultaneous day off. Usually, those are spent jamming, smoking, playing D&D… literally anything other than this.

"This is fucking stupid," he says, cigarette clenched between his teeth. "We're not gonna run into him."

"Sure we are," Gareth says. He drops his butt among the dozens they've chain-smoked and lights another without meeting Eddie's gaze. "We're getting closer. I can feel it."

"The only thing you're feeling is delusional. It's time to give up."

"Eddie, c'mon-"

"Nope." One last drag and Eddie stomps out his cig. "Fuck this; I'm out."

He stalks toward his van at the far end of the parking lot. Gareth curses before running after him.

"Dude!" he exclaims, jogging to keep up with Eddie's longer strides. "You can't just give up! What about what you said-"

"I was being stupid. What was I even imagining? We orchestrate another meeting and, what, I use my freakish wiles and seduce him? And then we'll live happily ever after…" Eddie shakes his head. "It doesn't work like that. He'd probably turn out to be a douche anyhow."

"No, listen!" Gareth seizes Eddie's arm and yanks him to a stop in the middle of the lot. "You always do this. Self-sabotage and cut things short, even when there's potential."

Eddie scoffs. "You know what else always happens? I end up liking them more than they like me. It's not fun."

"You don't know it'll be like that this time. You have to try."

"No."

Eddie takes a step back. He's done; he's out. Gareth reaches for his wrist to pull him back in. He jerks away, almost losing his footing and stumbling into the burgundy car behind him. Gareth's arms shoot out to help, but Eddie steadies himself before crashing. For a second, silence reigns as they assure everyone's on solid ground. Then Eddie opens his mouth to once and for all-

"Eddie? Gareth?"

Their heads snap to the side, eyes landing on… Max? Looking unusually dressy in high-waisted shorts and a fitted top under an oversized jacket, and her hair in a high ponytail. She's got her skateboard under her arm, a messenger bag with a textbook sticking out, and a confused furrow between her eyebrows.

"What are you doing here?" she asks.

Fuck. They can't tell her the truth – she'll never let him live it down. Fortunately, Gareth realizes this too, because he says:

"Uh, I go to school here? What are you doing here? The math building is way over there."

She rolls her eyes and leans on the burgundy car. It's a shiny BMW M5 – the limited anniversary edition. Jesus fucking Christ, Eddie almost dented that thing! It's worth more than his life. And Max is slouching against it like it's nothing. He could warn her not to scratch it, but she's unlikely to care; she's always been metal that way.

"Waiting for my friends," she says. "We have dinner on Tuesdays."

Eddie's ears ignite. Dinner? With friends? While wearing what's basically a date outfit?

"Ooohhh…" he says, sharing a grin with Gareth. "And do these friends include someone special?"

She shrugs, looking anywhere but at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"C'mon, Red! You're killing me! I need to know if he's good enough for you."

His fingers hover over her ponytail, as if to tug at it. She slaps his hand away.

"You're annoying."

He laughs. This terrible day just became infinitely better. He won't rest until he gets what he wants – or until she punches him, which'll probably come first. He's about to tell her so when a voice calls her name. Both turn to look, and…

It's a boy Max's age. He's beaming and waving, quickening his steps toward her. She smiles too, almost shyly, as she waves back. It's the perfect opportunity for teasing, if Eddie's day hadn't just become infinitely better.

His tongue is heavy, his skin is itching, his heart is bruising his ribs from the inside. Sweat is gathering in his pits and it's getting a little hard to breathe. Because walking half a pace behind the boy, carrying a huge duffel with such ease it might actually be stuffed with feathers, is… is…

"Yesssss!" Gareth hisses next to him. He may also be fist-pumping. Eddie isn't looking.

"Hey!" The boy stops in front of Max. "Sorry, practice ran late."

"It's okay," she says, cooler than ice, though her eyes are glittering. "I just got here."

She says something else, or maybe the boy does? It's all background noise, because Steve has caught up. Steve, in jeans and a polo that must've been tailored to his exact measurements because oooooooooohhhh boy. Steve, unshouldering the bag, muscles shifting and straining under his shirt with the movement. Steve, smiling, his golden eyes flying over Eddie.

"Hey! Eddie and Gareth, right?"

Eddie draws a sharp breath. He remembers!

"Y-Yeah!" he squeaks, hands fluttering to either wave or shake hands, ultimately doing neither. "Hi! You're here!"

"I am," Steve says, casual, as if inane conversations with former patients happen on the regular.

(It better not – Eddie doesn't do well in competitive settings.)

Max, keen eyes darting between them, asks, "You know each other?"

"Met at work," Steve says. "Or, I was working and he…"

"Ah." Max taps her temple. "That."

"How do you know them?" the boy asks her.

She points at Eddie. "Neighbor. And that's the guy who dumpster dives outside our apartment building."

Gareth flips her off. Eddie would laugh, but he's busy pretending he doesn't know what Steve looks like shirtless. It's hard (pun slowly growing more relevant) – his gaze keeps dropping to the polo's undone top button. Steve is just as gorgeous out of uniform, and now Eddie's thighs are tingling with want. He could stare at him forever…

Unfortunately, 'forever' is cut short by a woman arriving in a flurry. Wait, no. 'Flurry' implies some sort of graceful whimsy, while this person… she's a hurricane crashing into a house.

"Sorry I'm late! Nielsen wouldn't stop talking and got angry when people started leaving because it's an important lecture so this girl called him out for not keeping time because he goes on all these tangents and he said they're interesting tidbits and she said it's disrespecting our time and-" She pauses for breath. "You don't care, do you?"

Max, Steve, and the boy shake their heads.

"Right. Sorry." The woman turns to Eddie and Gareth. "Hi! I'm Robin. And you are?"

"My neighbor and his friend. Steve treated his concussion," Max rattles off, glaring at them. "You didn't answer my question: why are you here?"

Gareth frowns. "I told you," he says, pointing at the building. "School." He points at himself. "Student."

Max glares harder. "You don't have class on Tuesdays. And Eddie doesn't go here at all."

"I had stuff I needed to drop off."

"Is tagging along a crime? Jesus."

Max doesn't reply, though her glare remains.

Robin hums. "Okay, so this is super-enjoyable, I love just standing around, but I'm starving, so…" She looks at Steve, who nods.

"Yeah, we're going," he says, but neither moves. He glances at Eddie, which makes her glance at Eddie, and then they make a series of eyebrow-movements at each other, ending in a shared smile. Steve asks, "Have you guys eaten yet?"

Eddie shakes his head, pulse racing. Is this going where he thinks it is?

"D'you wanna come with? There's this diner we like…"

Holyshityesitis!

"Yeah!" Fuck, too eager. "I mean, uh, sure, sounds good."

"Cool." Grinning, Steve clicks a remote car key; the burgundy BMW beeps. What the fuck? How high is a paramedic's salary?! "Did you drive here?"

"I, uh…" Eddie falters. Shit, wasn't he supposed to? It's been three weeks and he feels fine – he thought he was in the green!

"Nope! I did!" Gareth says, 'proving' it by hauling his house keys from his pocket and jingling them.

Steve nods. "Should be safe for you to drive again, but the less strain you put on your brain, the better. Even a mild concussion isn't anything to sneeze at."

"Y-Yeah, I've been taking it easy. Basically done nothing. Until now."

Max snorts. Eddie is going to pour coffee through her mail slot.

They decide Eddie and Gareth will follow Steve's car to the diner, since Steve can't fit all of them (the real reason he asked if they drove here, duh). It's good because Eddie gets the chance to panic/gush/collect himself in the privacy of his van. It's bad because Gareth drives, lest their fib be revealed. Gareth spends the ten-minute journey gloating about driving Eddie's beloved girl, interspersed with 'I told you so!'s.

The diner is cozy, all wooden furniture and sepia photographs on the walls. A graying waitress who smells like tobacco directs them to a booth and takes their orders. An awkward silence then falls as they wait for someone to speak.

The boy clears his throat. "My name is Lucas, by the way. I don't think I said." After shaking his hand and introducing themselves, Lucas says to Eddie, "I think Max has mentioned you."

"Oh yeah? I've been dying for her to mention y- Ow!"

Eddie rubs where Max kicked his shin. Her glare is murderous. Lucas is blushing happily, though.

"So, what d'you guys do?" Robin asks.

Right. Time to small-talk like adults. Eddie gets his job as a mechanic out of the way, then gives the word to Gareth, who tells them he's a creative writing major. Robin turns out to be getting a masters in linguistics and Lucas studies biology.

"I don't actually know what I want to do, but biology feels broad enough to give me options, y'know? I can go to med school, or forensics, or, I don't know, paleontology?" he says. Max glows brighter with every word that comes out of his mouth. Cute.

This then segues into talking about their friends, who by the sound of it lead incredibly interesting lives.

"Dustin's at MIT, Mike's at Oxford, Will's in San Francisco…" Lucas says, counting on his fingers.

Max interjects, "El's in Africa building houses and teaching kids English."

"Erica is still at home, finishing high school and drowning in early acceptance letters to, like, every Ivy League there is," Steve says with a look of pure pride.

"Nancy and Jonathan – they're our age – are chasing scoops in Afghanistan… " Robin says.

"... and Argyle is also in California," Lucas finishes.

Eddie whistles. "And here we are, still in Indianapolis."

"Dude, I'm surprised I got this far," Steve says. "Wouldn't've managed without her."

He jerks a thumb in Robin's direction, who preens at the acknowledgment. Robin's cool, Eddie decides. Garrulous but fun and nice… and verrrrrrrrry close to Steve. The kind of close where they're always in each other's space. Where they wordlessly transfer food between their plates. Where Steve unceremoniously wipes a speck of ketchup off Robin's chin after she repeatedly fails to get it. They're comfortable, but not necessarily romantically affectionate. Like they're siblings rather than lovers.

(Dear God, if you are in heaven, let them be siblings.)

Conversation flows. They joke around, tell stories, swap opinions. Robin gets passionate about tonal shifts when stage shows are adapted to film, and Eddie tries not to stare at Steve's mouth as he eats. And then, once their plates are cleaned and they're waiting for dessert, Gareth leans his elbows on the table and fixes Steve with a purposeful look.

"I figured out where I've seen you before."

Eddie stiffens.

Steve blinks. "At campus, right?"

"Thought so, but no. I realized it's actually…" Gareth chuckles. "It's ridiculous, but uh, my mom had this calendar…"

Steve recoils, red flooding his face. Robin, Lucas, and Max shriek in delight, Robin grabbing Steve's arm and shaking it as he hides behind his hands.

"And my mom," Gareth says between bursts of laughter, "she's shameless, all right? She kept it in our kitchen. So during, what was it, November?"

"November," Steve confirms, muffled.

"For 30 days, if I wanted to check the date or make a notation… I saw you."

Tears stream down Robin's face, she's laughing so hard. She and Max have started chanting 'Slut! Slut! Slut!' at the still crimson Steve.

"You don't understand," Lucas says, gesturing for emphasis. "We've been waiting for someone to come up and say 'hey, weren't you…?' for years. Thank you so much!"

"Hey, thank my mom," Gareth says. Eddie's quite stunned he'd throw his own mother under the bus like that. She's a really nice person, too!

"Makes sense," Max says. "Moms love Steve."

"All parents do," Lucas says.

Cackling, Robin pinches Steve's cheek. "Gotta hide your mom and your dad around Steve!"

Steve bats her off, flushed but smiling. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. You got your wish, now shut it."

That only makes the three restart the chant to ridicule him for his harlotry. Steve's indignant squawk that 'it was for charity!' merely has everyone laugh more.

And Eddie? Well. As he sits beholding this man who works as a paramedic and drives a luxury car, who models for charity and allows his friends to mock him for it, who blushes and giggles when they lovingly call him a whore…

All Eddie can think is that he's in fucking trouble.

Afterward, it only makes sense for Eddie to drive Max home. Steve shakes his hand outside the diner, saying it was nice to see him again. Eddie, not knowing how to ask for Steve's contact info without seeming weird, agrees. He waits until the BMW drives off, then tells Gareth to get the fuck out of his seat. Gareth relocates to the backseat, whining since Max already called shotgun.

The initial minutes, they're quiet. Then Max turns to Gareth and says:

"When were you telling me Eddie is your mom?"

"Huh?"

"You said you knew about the calendar because of your mom. But that's not true."

The warmth drains from Eddie's face; his knuckles crack around the steering wheel. Gareth's expression is the epitome of 'oh shit' when he meets Eddie's gaze in the rear-view mirror.

"Yes, it is," Gareth says.

"It's not," Max says.

"It is!"

"It's not! The calendar was for 2021, and in November '21 you were a freshman and had already moved into the dorms! If your mom kept it in her kitchen, you wouldn't have seen it!"

She scowls at Gareth, mouth pinched and eyes flashing, daring him to contradict her.

Gareth swallows thickly. "It… wasn't for 2021."

"Yes, it was."

"How do you know?"

She puts her hands in her lap and lifts her chin, almost primly. Eddie gasps as the penny drops.

Gareth screams, "WHAT!"

"You have it?" Eddie cries. "Why do you have it?"

She scoffs. "You know why – you've seen his pecs."

"I don't- Okay, how're you so sure it's me?"

"Because you spent all of dinner looking like you wanted to crawl inside his mouth and live there." Her nose wrinkles. "At least I hope it was his mouth you want to crawl into-"

She's cut off by Gareth shouting "I can't hear you! Lalalalalalala-"

Eddie crumples in his seat. He's depleted of blood, air, life, everything. Behind, Gareth is grilling Max for information: are Steve and Robin together? Is Steve single? Is he queer?

Max replies: no, yes, and 'that's not for me to tell, moron'.

Gareth nods, satisfied. "That means he is. If he was straight, you'd say so." He slaps Eddie's arm. "You got a shot, man!"

"You… don't know that…" Eddie wheezes.

Max tuts, shaking her head. "You actually want to hit on my chauffeur."

"He prefers the term 'seduce'," Gareth says.

Eddie smacks his face into the steering wheel at the next red light.

------------------------------

Tag list: @rougenancy, @raisedbylibrarians, @yourebuckingkiddingme, @swimmingbirdrunningrock, @emma77645, @goodolefashionedloverboi, @eddielives1986, @stevesbipanic, @the-redthread, @fandemonium-takes-its-toll, @henderdads, @gay-little-bitch, @lordofthepointygerbils, @lenore1232, @imzadidragonfly, @zerokrox-blog, @eddiemunsonswife, @cherrycolas-things, @ediewentmissing, @princess-eddie, @atombombbibunny, @ajamlessbaby, @dogswithforks, @grimmfitzz, @cutiecusp, @cuips-not-cute, @manicallydepressedrobot, @messrs-weasley, @madaboutmunson, @mightbeasleep, @suikatto, @brassreign, @snapshotmaestro, @bea-sayan, @courtjestermunson, @csinnamon-fox, @steveisabicon, @spectrum-spectre, @spinmewriteround, @just-super-fucking-gay, @escapingthereality, @oneweirdcryptid, @deehellcat, @misticageri, @lovelyscot, @olivethenerd16, @linkydinky06, @rynnytintin, @anything-thats-rock-and-roll,

I won't be adding more to the tag list because there are already so many of you. Instead, I'll be tagging the four remaining parts (it'll definitely be seven in total, btw) as #steddie fic: november paramedic. Hopefully, they'll show up in the tags and you'll see them that way.

Thank you for reading 🖤

Part 4

[adventuringblind]

Medication Mishaps

Landoscar x Reader

Genre: Fluff and Crack

Summary: When a mix-up in meds leaves her without any, Lando and Oscar are there to her navigate without them.

Warnings:

Notes: for @norizznorris. Sorry I don't do male readers! Regardless, I hope this is what you wanted! :)

Side Note: This one made me laugh the entire time while writing it. My fiancé is unmedicated and very high on the ADHD spectrum. Every day is an adventure!

Masterlist // Request Form // My Website // buy me a Ko-Fi

Ah, the joys of being neurodivergent. When somehow the world is to much and simultaneously to little. When the nagging impulsive thoughts and continues need for caffeine aren't enough, then the interests that lay dormant for years come back swinging; upset they've been neglected for so long.

Medication helps. Which - of course it does - it's engineered brain chemicals in the form of a chalky pill designed to help someone function in a world where only one kind of brain is excepted. It's better than it was, the world has come further in recent years.

yet here she is, taking her last pill from the bottle. A little piece in her cries knowing she'll have to go pick up her new meds today. The pharmacy feels like to much and she'd rather lay in bed and give into the executive dysfunction. Then she remembers she's flying with Lando and Oscar to their race tomorrow.

With that thought in mind, she groans and hauls herself out of bed. The boys are doing factory work today and won't be back until later. Plenty of time to come home and waste away the hours in bed and pray her energy comes back.

~~~~~

She lied to herself earlier. Any optimism for the day has just disappeared.

"What do you mean you don't have my meds?"

"There was a mix-up with the orders, but we'll have them in a few days." The pharmacist gives her a sheepish smile.

She just sighs and turns on the balls of her feet. How she's going to tell her boys, she has no idea yet. The insecurity of them not wanting her around the paddock because of in burns in the back of her mind.

She still has today at least. Maybe she'll just ride it out and not tell them.

That plan fails miserably the second they walk into the flat. The sight of her visibly distressed on the couch alerts them that something is wrong.

The sit down on either side of her. The question trying to escape their mouths. She beats them to it. "There was a mix-up with my meds. I won't have them until after we get back."

"And we'll help you manage, yeah? You'd do the same for us."

"Lan... she has done the same for you, like, daily."

"Rude!"

~~~~~

Sometimes, she's convinced she lives on a different planet entirely. Like the brain and body she has are simply not meant to be here and there must have been a mistake with the storks.

Lando hands her a Redbull, courtesy of Max since he has to many. "I figured this might help?" Seeing as she nearly just threw hands with whoever was chewing unnecessarily loudly, caffeine might help.

She looks at Lando and Oscar, between the three of them, there are seven drinks. Only one of which is the Aussie's. "Oscar is being boring again."

the man in question huffs. "Water is good for you."

"But it's wretched to taste sometimes."

Lando nods at her in agreement. "See Oscar, boring."

"Nothing is ever boring with you two."

~~~~~

The beginning wasn't bad. Not like it is right now with her brain only wanting to do one specific things, she hasn't remember to eat since early this morning, and the tag on her shirt makes her want to pull her skin off.

Oscar looks at her curled up in his drivers room with a horrendous amount of care and sympathy. He slots in next to her and leans his head against the wall. "Hard day?"

"I need like - five pounds of dino nuggies and a nap."

"Anything I can do to help right now? We'll work on food when Lando is done."

She curls up in Oscar's lap like a cat. The lack of regulated sleep finally catching up to her. She's on the verge of sleep when Lando busts through the door yelling about something.

She throws a pillow at him in annoyance. "You owe me food."

Lando pauses. "That sounds brilliant."

Oscar shakes his head in defeat later that night as Lando gradually sneaks food off her plate and pretends they can't see him. If he's not caught then it didn't happen and Jon can't get mad at him.

~~~~~

She hasn't stopped talking with Lando for the last two hours. What exactly they've been going on about, she has no idea at this point. Their original conversation led to rabbit trails and other distractions that got in the way. The original story now long forgotten as they discuss the possibilities for new shoes.

Her phone dings, an automated message alerting her to her refilled meds. She shows Lando in excitement. The joys of functioning like a human again are nearly in her grasp.

Lando and Oscar both look at her in amusement. The latter has been using their conversation as an excuse to read. He sets his book down, a look she hasn't seen before crossing his features.

"Have you ever thought what it would be like if you didn't have to take meds?"

Lando shoots him a nasty glare. "Oi, she can't help-"

"Not what I meant." The Aussie crashes onto the bed with them, book now tucked away. "I just mean that having a different kind of brain shouldn't be such a difficult thing for the world to cope with. But the second someone is different-" He looks at Lando. "-Like they struggle with reading or processing information." Then he turns to her. "Or they struggle to with focusing and sensory things. They are ready to create some kind of fix to make those brains work like theirs." The genuine concern and sadness from him is almost heartbreaking.

"In a perfect world, yes. For now though, I think me and Lando can both settle for having someone who cares as much as you do."

"Just wish I could do more."

Lando hums and, quite literally, rolls over onto Oscar. "Just like our best is enough, so is yours."

"However, if the world could provide me with free drinks, I wouldn't be complaining."

Oscar chuckles and drags her closer despite Lando's weight on him. "I'll make a note of it for when I become ruler of the world."

"You never said you were planning that!"

"It's been my secret plan this whole time."

"... It's always the quiet ones."

[myspacebrat]

In honor of pride month; I am compiling fics of gay, bi & pan Eddie Munson

comment, or send an ask for yours or one of your favorites to be added

boys on film (series) - pornstar!steddie x virgin fem reader

by: @corrodedcorpses

summary: Eddie and Steve have been your best friends for years. Although they've never done or said anything to make you feel bad, you can't help but feel inadequate to them when it comes to sexual experience. After they star in their first Threesome together, some weird emotions arise.

Now in technicolor (series) - soulmate!steddie x fem reader

by: @thorfemmes

“Color! What a deep and mysterious language, the language of dreams"

The tutor (series)- queer!eddie munson x fem reader 18+

by: @brewsterispunkk

summary: reader has had a secret crush on Eddie Munson for months, only she has been too scared to tell him. When she’s forced to tutor him, she lets it slip that she feels like she’s missed out on the normal “high school experience.” Eddie aims to change that.

I’m in control (series) - pornstar!steddie x fem!reader 18+

by: @justmeinadaze

summary: You're just promoted to agent for the porn agency you work for. You worked really hard to get where you are and beg your boss to allow you to manage the 2 new up and coming pornstars they just signed.

seeing stars (series) - bi!eddie munson x fem!reader 18+

by: @boogiewrites

summary: A new girl with a mysterious air to her and a questionable past comes to Hawkins. After a chance encounter at a party, Eddie becomes a bit smitten with her. The problem is, she’s an unreadable brick wall when she’s sober. Despite her hesitation to letting men in her life, they become best friends. Will Eddie’s attentive persistence help him break down the walls she’s put up to protect herself from not getting hurt? Will Star learn she can be in love and be loved in return after her last relationship left her traumatized? Will her spiritual guidance help her see that Eddie really is the one for her? A story of strangers to best friends to lovers with a splash of witchiness and a lot of trauma healing.

The pull (short series) - steddie x succubus!fem reader 18+

by: @xxhellfiregirlxx

summary: You move to Hawkins after spending the last decade in New York City hoping to have a peaceful and quiet next few years flying under the radar only feeding when necessary and making everyone you spend a night with forget you. But when you arrive, you feel a pull from two men like you’ve never felt before. As soon as you feel it you know flying under the radar here wasn’t going to cut it, you had to find them.

Ready, steddie, go. (One shot) - steddie x fem reader 18+

By: @bettyfrommars

Trapped under ice (series) - hockey player!steddie x figure skater!fem reader 18+

by: @lofaewrites & @teddyseyeswinchester

summary: The one where the Ice Princess, The Wolf & The Monster celebrate in the only way they know how-by making it dirty.

Rockstar!eddieverse - bisexual rockstar!eddie munson x fem! reader

by: @enam3l

I want you both - steddie x reader 18+

by: @screammunson

summary: you can’t help yourself when you catch them, they can’t help themselves when they ask you to join

Heavy metal parking lot (one shot) - queer!eddie munson x fem reader 18+

by: me

summary: the last thing you ever expected was to hit it off with a cute guy at a Judas Priest concert, but stranger things have happened.

To be added…

I know I’m forgetting so many! :(

fics on ao3

Lessons in anatomy (series) - bisexual!eddie munson x fem reader x slowburn steddie x fem reader 18+

by: LilithsLullaby

summary: When you agree to help Eddie Munson in study hall, you don’t anticipate those lessons to go beyond using textbooks to some real life practice in anatomy.

If it's just till St. Patrick's Day (series) - gay!Eddie Munson x trans fem! Steve Harrington 18+

by: RedLegumes

summary: Eddie Munson is positive he's gay. Sure girls are nice to look at, smell good, look like they taste lovely and sweet. But that's not his thing. Never been his thing. He likes hard, blaring, rough and tumble. He likes guys. But when one of those guys reveals he wanted to transition… Eddie has to do some thinking. He likes guys, but he really likes Harrington.

I Promise That You Won't Wanna Get Off (one shot) - steddie 18+

by: Kwills91

summary: Robin drags Steve to a bachelorette party having no idea he's going to be just as entertained by the gorgeous stripper as everyone else. Possibly even more so.

To be added…

[iminlovewithwomen]

hiii I love your work💗

could I please request a henry danger x reader the reader could be rays daughter she is also indestructible and let's say they've been dating since season 3 . now it's like season 5 and they are talking about the future reader tries to talk to henry about college but henry avoids the conversation and they end up making out if you are comfortable with it you could write a smut or something

or

could you do like henry x reader in the same context as before but like when they post their v-cards to each other like it was their first timee

i'm honestly not sure how to go about this request but i'll definitely try, btw i've never done anything nsfw so pleaseeee be patient with me!!

The Future

Warnings: basically read the request lmfao

You were in the Man Cave with your boyfriend of 2 years, about to be 3. Both of you were gathered on the couch, talking about fighting villains.

"I can't believe the crime rate of criminals are going down." You said, looking at Henry. He nods but tilts his head a bit.

"Probably because we've put all of them into jail. The only ones that keep coming back are Dr. Minyak and The Toddler." He laughs, looking back at you.

"Hey, Hen? Can I talk to you about somethin'?" You asked him. The smile on his face was completely gone now.

"It's not bad, I promise! I just wanted to ask you about something." The corners of his mouth came back up in relief. He thought you were going to break up with him, which you would never do.

You and Henry had been dating for about 2 years now. To be honest, you were completely in love with him. Since you were Captain Man's daughter, you went on mission with them all the time. It helps that you're indestructible because you never get hurt, which relieves Henry.

Henry was scared about you at first when he got a job as Kid Danger, but you quickly told him you were indestructible since you were Ray's biological daughter.

Henry asked you what you wanted to talk about, and you tried to talk about something Henry had avoided for the past few months. You were honestly not sure why he wouldn't talk about it, but it needed to be talked about.

"Henry, I want to talk about the future. What are you going to do when we graduate? Are you going to go to college?" Henry quickly looked at everything in the room but you, which was hard for him since he loves staring at you.

"Actually, I've been getting these letters. From the school." He finally looked at you and fidgeted with his hands.

"Henry. What did those letters say?" You questioned. Your eyebrow raised in confusion.

"I'm not going to graduate. Being Kid Danger has taken up so much time in school I've had way too many absences and way too many missings assignments."

Your mouth was wide open at that point. You quickly shoved your bottom lip to meet your top lip when you saw tears watering in Henry's eyes.

"Oh, babe, don't cry. It's okay." You wrapped your arms around his neck and his head hit your chest. You felt arms touch your back and water on your shirt. You consoled him as he started full-on sobbing.

"Do you want me to cheer you up, baby? Is that what you want me to do?" He lifts his head to meet your eyes. He nodded and leaned back to see what you would do.

Your leg lifted over both of his legs, your body on his thighs. He blushed as he looked down. You lifted his head up with your finger and as soon as your eyes locked in, you roughly put your lips on his. He definitely wasn't expecting this.

You put your right hand on his left arm and your left arm on the nape of his neck. His hands met your lower back and he pulled you closer, desperate for more. Your hips slowly grinded down on his thighs, making him groan.

You pulled away, your lips red and swollen from the quick makeout session you had. You could hear the elevator coming down, so you quickly leaped off of his lap and the door opened.

"Yo, what's up?" Your father said as you and your boyfriend looked at eachother and smiled.

[hope-you-brought-kneepads-bitch]

I could teach you things

Summary: I love every mommy!wanda fic I see so I wanted to give it a proper go, so here she is,

Wanda takes a liking to the boys new babysitter and she intends to finally make you hers despite your many protests

Words: 2K

Warnings: 18+! minors DNI!, swearing, mentions of smut no actual smut, dark!wanda, manipulation and coercion kinda

A/N: this isn’t proofread because I did it in like 4 hours, but I hope it’s good :)

Wanda was quiet as she watched you move through the kitchen "are you okay Y/n?" She asked and you jumped away from the cabinet "sorry! I didn't see you there Miss Maximoff"

"It's okay honey I'm sorry I startled you, what are you looking for?" she moved closer to where you stood making you nervous, this woman always managed to make you nervous and you'd only known her a few months since you started working as her babysitter "I er I'm just looking for some snacks for the boys, they've finished their dinner"

Wanda hummed looking at your flushed expression and smiling "there's some chocolate in the cupboard next to you, how about you give the boys the chocolate and meet me in the front room" it wasn't a request and you knew it so you quickly nodded and took the boys their treats promising to return

When you came back to the front room Wanda was sat relaxed on the couch with 2 glasses of wine "oh Miss Maximoff I don't really drink..." you sheepishly sat down next to her and she just smiled "it's okay honey you don't have to drink it all at once, little sips make the wine taste so much better" passing the glass to you she let your fingers touch and you felt electric pulling back just as quick as she touched you.

"Do I make you nervous?" The question was so innocent and yet the smirk on Wanda's face told you she was anything other than innocent in asking her question

“N-no Miss Maximoff I just, I just think I need to be going, I think my mom will be wondering where I am" you took a nervous sip of your wine immediately making a face of distaste making the ginger laugh

“Oh love I'm sure your mom won't mind you staying out past your bedtime, you are a big girl aren't you?"

You laughed "of course, but she worries if I don't at least let her know where I am" you pulled your phone from your pocket but Wanda quickly took it from you "let me tell her sweetheart, what's your passcode?"

You've never told anyone your passcode, it's not like you have anything to hide but it just felt weird to give it to someone, especially someone so close to your mom but it was Wanda so

"It's 137823" you whispered and Wanda smiled "thank you princess" opening your phone she sent a text to your mom that she didn't let you see but you didn't question it when she put your phone on the table looking back at you "are you still dating Carol?" Her voice was sharp and it made you jump "no, no we broke up, she wanted to..." your voice trailed off and Wanda moved closer to you placing a hand on your knee

"Go on honey" she encouraged you and so you did "she wanted to have sex and I didn't, I just don't feel ready"

"Oh honey I'm sorry about that" she inched her hand a little up your leg rubbing small circles, fortunately for her you failed to notice "never feel pressured to do anything you're not ready for, but I do want to ask, have you ever done anything" she stopped for moment "sexual?"

You felt the blush cover your entire face and tried moving away from the woman but instead she gripped your thigh keeping you still, that's when you noticed how high her hand really was "shh its okay Y/n, women have these kinds of chats that's nothing wrong with it"

You nodded, Wanda wouldn't lie to you, would she? No of course not "well I tried touching myself but I felt odd so I stopped" Wanda's interest was piqued so she pressed on "did you feel tingly?

You shrugged "a little, then it got more intense and I thought I had to pee so I just stopped, I've never really tired again" Wanda listened intently and when you looked down she lifted your chin up smiling at you "don't be embarrassed malyshka you just need someone to teach you, it's all about communication"

What was she offering? You were sure she was offering something but you couldn't think of it "oh I guess so but what girl wants to spend their time teaching me things like a child"

Wanda kept a hold of your chin softly stroking you with her thumb "you need an older woman to teach you" she moved her face close to your own whispering in your ear "I could teach you" your eyes widened and you jumped away from her and off of the couch "Miss Maximoff I don't think that's appropriate! You felt bad for shouting but she what she was offering was definitely inappropriate, how was it not?

Wanda wasn't fazed, in fact she smirked "why do you think it's inappropriate honey?" You shook your head "are you serious?! You're like 12 years older than me!"

"Actually it's 10 years but I'll forgive since you seem to be a little upset" setting her wine glass down she stood and you instantly shrunk under he gaze "such a sweet little girl who needs someone to help her, let me"

"No, no Miss Maximoff this is wrong, I think I should go home now" you went to turn for the door but Wanda snatched your hand pulling you into her, you facing away and her face in your neck "are you sure?"

Her lips descended onto your neck in opened mouth kisses making you groan unintentionally which made her smile and lift from your neck "I know you have a mom but I think what you really need is a mommy"

Just as you tried pulling away from Wanda again the boys ran into the room but Wanda still refused to let you go "hey boys everything okay?" Tommy looked between you two "what are you doing?”

You looked at Wanda wondering what she’d do but she gave you a nose kiss looking back to her sons “boys, Y/n is going to be around a lot more from now on, isn’t that exciting?” Their faces lit up when Wanda said that ignoring the way you tried squirming away from their mother’s harsh grip

“That’s so cool! That means we can stay up late playing video games!” Billy and Tommy high fived running back out of the room clearly forgetting what they ran in for in the first place

Finally Wanda let you go and you nearly fell foreword but managed to keep yourself upright making her laugh “well the boys are very excited for you to stay around-“

“No! No this isn’t happening, I’m sorry Wanda I have to put my foot down and say I won’t be babysitting the boys anymore if you continue to be like this” your awkward assertiveness had Wanda raising her eyebrow and tilting her head to the side getting angry “oh really? I think you need to watch how you speak to me shlyukha”

You didn’t know many words that Wanda said but that word you knew since her ex husband used to call it her when he was still around “I’m not a whore Wanda”

“You’re right, to be a whore you need to be having sex, something your clueless little mind doesn’t know anything about” she spun around and picked up your phone from the table “oh look, your mom has text back”

Your throat closed up, forgetting that Wanda sent your mom a text, and after this whole situation you were scared of what it was “what did you say? Wanda smirked “I told her you wanted to stay with me and that I was your mommy now”

“You fucking didn’t!” A slap landed across your face shocking you and holding your soon to be bruised cheek

“Don’t you dare speak to me like that again or the next slap you get will be a lot harsher on a very different part of your body” her voice was hushed as not to scare the boys who she hoped didn’t hear your silly outburst before.

You nodded falling back against the wall and sliding down it keeping your eyes on the woman who’s face softened seeing you scared “oh malen'kiy I’m sorry but you forced my hand, when you misbehave mommy has to punish you”

You didn’t say anything, you just kept your eyes to the floor so you didn’t see Wanda stood above you and she was now stroking your hair get you refused to look up at her “are you okay?”

You shook your head no “why me?” Your voice was a whisper and Wanda knelt down to you “because I see you’ve just been begging for someone to take care of you, you spend day after day trying to please other people while they do nothing for you, the way Carol treated you only for her to break up with you because you wouldn’t fuck her”

You felt wet tears fall from your eyes knowing she was right, you were too much of a people pleaser, and you never got any appreciation back, Wanda carried on seeing your tears

“I want to be the one that pleases you, I want to spoil you with everything you deserve” she pulled your reluctant self into a hug “I want to be the one who touches your body first, I want it bruised by my fingers and I want your moans to be heard by me and me alone” your tears were heavier now but not with sadness you didn’t think, you did really want someone to look after you, but Wanda was going about it in a harsh and manipulative manner.

“You belong here with me, your mother doesn’t car-” your phone lit up again and it caught Wanda’s eye so she handed you your phone back, a little annoyed it interrupted her “read what she has to say” through teary eyes you read the screen

Y/n: Your daughter is mine now ;)

*Several missed calls from mom*

Mom: Y/n? Answer the phone please! I know you’re still at Wandas but please don’t let her do anything!

Mom: She’s off her meds I’m sure of it! Her husband left her for a reason!

The phone was snatched away from you and you realised you were reading aloud which Wanda didn’t like “your mother, along with everyone else in this damn neighbourhood, thinks my husband left because of me and my issues, well what actually happened was, he was fucking his secretary, but that didn’t make him leave no, what made he leave was when he found me fucking her over his desk showing her which maximoff she should’ve chosen”

She dragged you to your feet by your hair dragging you through the house into a room you hadn’t been in before, she closed the door and let you go, you rubbed where she had her grip on you and looked around the room realising this was Vision’s office and your eyes landed on the desk, empty from where he’d cleaned it out when he left

“Are you thinking about it princess? Thinking about me naked with a strap on nestled deep in another woman yanking her hair back so I could spit into her mouth and make her swallow it like the dirty whore she is, my fingers leaving dark purple bruises over her ass as she fu-“

“Enough!” You shouted, you’d had enough, you were sick of her going from one extreme to the other “why don’t you go and get her then?! Go and get that woman you fucked in this very room, I’m sure she’d want to be abused by you again!”

Wanda smiled, like she didn’t just hear you tell her to go and abuse someone “but then who would look after my little girl? You need to stay with me at all times from now on”

You just laughed at her “I don’t have to do any of the shit you say I’m going home right now” you barged past her out of the office and down the stairs finally leaving but was stopped by a soft voice “y/n?” It was Billy, you turned around smiling at the young boy hoping he didn’t see more tears welling up in your eyes “what’s up little man?”

“Aren’t you gonna stay and help us with our Lego set? Mom said you’d stay” He looked sad that you were gonna leave him and it broke your heart “no Billy no I’m staying of course I am…I” you sighed seeing Wanda saunter down the stairs giving you a neutral expression “there’s no ice cream in the house and we can’t build Lego sets without ice cream sandwiches can we?”

You heard Tommy run into the room hearing the word ice cream “we’re getting ice cream?! Hell yeah!”

“Tommy! No bad language” Wanda finally spoke scaring you more than her son who apologised immediately “sorry mom but ice cream is the best”

“Curb your excitement boys, Y/n and I will get the ice cream, I’ll get Agatha to come and watch you okay?” You had no time to say anything before Wanda dragged you out of the house and forced you into her car putting your seatbelt on so you couldn’t get out “I don’t want my princess escaping now do I?” You refused to look at her, if you were forced to stay with her you’d make it a living hell for her

“It’s okay my love I know you’ll be a good girl for me sooner or later, even if I have to break that fighting spirit of yours”.

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Outfoxed: Part Two

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2k

Summary: Derek has had enough and decides now is the time to work bringing you home. The team is working on two cases and stretching their agents thin but they'll do anything to bring you back into Spencer's arms.

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Season Five Masterlist

Author’s Note: I know I'm going to piss some people off with the way I wrote the trial and the gathering of evidence but remember, this is fiction and it's my story. I'm making it easy and convenient. I know this isn't how trials work.

I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them.

x

When Emily gets the message from JJ, she repeats it back to Hotch. They've already arrived at the prison and kept their heads down as they walked past the cells housing some of the most dangerous criminals.

"So, why wait a year to send Karl a note? Unless they were communicating the whole time?"

"That's the first thing we need to find out. Karl has a big ego. He's gonna want to answer a question with a question. The first thing he's gonna want to know is why I'm not wearing my wedding ring. Then, he's gonna want to describe to you in graphic detail every sexual act he committed with the families."

"To freak me out?"

"To pull you into his fantasy. More than anything, he's going to want to see the images of the children."

"We can't give him that."

"We have to give him something or we'll get nothing from him." Hotch and Emily walk into the interrogation room they've placed Karl in, and the criminal smirks when he sees them. "Hello, Karl."

"Agent Hotchner." His eyes flit over Emily. "I didn't know you were sending... they just told me two agents"

"Karl, this is Agent--"

"Emily Prentiss. I know all about you."

Hotch takes out files and only sets out certain evidence for him to look at while keeping most of it hidden.

"It appears you have a fan."

"Admirer. Not a fan. Big difference, right?"

"Is this the first time you've been contacted by your admirer?"

"I have many fans. Even on my own website. Don't you? You'd be astounded by some of the questions they ask. I make a log of all of them. Would you like to read some?"

"I would love to," Emily says.

"You'd love to? Here." He puts a file on the desk right by him. "Look."

Emily reaches over the table to grab it and Karl immediately leans in to smell her hair. Hotch snatches the file away and Emily backs off, but the damage has been done.

"Your admirer is taking wedding rings, just like you. Maybe not for the same reason."

"Like how you took all of mine. You took mine," Karl says to Hotch. "I see... you lost yours."

"Eight rings, four families. Or was it one ring for each family?"

"How'd you come to lose your ring?" Karl laughs before Hotch can answer. "Wait, don't tell me. A casualty of the job."

"My job is what put you here."

"True. Then, it's the children who suffer most. Wouldn't you agree?"

"You'd know more about that than me," Hotch glares.

"Which is why you came to me. I can help you with that, Agent Hotchner. I certainly can, but I'll need to see those photos. May I?"

"Can we talk for a second?" Emily asks Hotch before he has a chance to see those pictures.

"Is there a problem, Emily?"

"No," Hotch answers for her, the two of them leaving the room with the files in hand.

"We cannot show him these."

"These images will be his undoing and our way in."

"They're not just images."

"That's exactly what they are."

"We can't use Lucy like that."

"It's a tradeoff we have to make."

"You're saying we're going to use a dead twelve-year-old in a bathing suit as a bargaining chip? For what?"

"To him, it's not just a photograph. It's much, much more, and we need to know what."

"I've never done this before," she sighs.

"You don't have to now."

"Yes, I do."

"Alright. When I feel he's ready to talk, I'll leave the room. You get him talking. Whatever he does, whatever you feel, just stay on script. We need to know why he killed those families."

While half the team is working endlessly on the current case, Derek and Spencer head back to the BAU to work with Penelope on your case. Derek knocks once and enters her office. She is surprised to see them back when there is an active case, and Derek explains before she can question it.

"I need you to work your magic, baby girl. We're helping Y/N regardless of what Strauss says."

"Yes, I knew you'd come around," she grins. She wheels her chair over to the set of monitors on the side. She already has files saved dedicated to your case and she pulls up every single one of them. "I looked into her whereabouts during each of the murders, and I happened to come across two videos before Strauss shut everything down. I cross-referenced her face against any kind of video across the country. I haven't watched them but I did manage to save them before the shutdown."

She plays the first video which is a grainy CCTV footage of a hotel a few states away from Virginia. This was when the team was out on a case so they watch Hotch, Rossi, Emily, JJ, and Derek walk into the lobby of the hotel. You and Spencer walk in behind them holding hands. Spencer sighs silently at the fact that he hasn't held our hand in a long time. Two and a half months is a lifetime when it comes to you. The second video is a grainy CCTV video of you at the gas station. You paid cash but it clearly shows you walk inside the place to pay.

"That proves she was in that hotel and at that gas station at that time with us. How does it connect to the murders?" Derek asks.

"I looked at the only two autopsies for two of the victims. Juan Lopez and John Dimateo died on the night you checked into the hotel. Police were so blinded by the fact that there was all this evidence against her that they didn't want to look into this. They were dead a week before being found by police. You were on a case for the first few days of them being dead."

"It's like the police don't want to know the possibility that someone else did this. Why are they so stubborn? Why aren't they looking into this more?" Spencer asks.

"Great job, mama, but this only clears her for two of the seven murders. She needs to be cleared on all seven."

"Yeah, I'm working on it."

"Kid, go talk to your neighbors. There may be something someone saw or someone roaming the hallways near your apartment. PD wouldn't have done this because they're confident that the case is closed."

"Okay," Spencer nods and leaves her office.

"Baby, look for footage of everything related to those seven murders. There has to be someone who knows something. I'm going to go to the ME's office and see if there is a connection through the victims."

"Okay, got it."

Derek kisses the side of her head and leaves her office with his phone in his hands. He quickly texts Hotch an update on your case. Hotch sees the message and keeps it under wraps right now. He and Emily have a goal right now, and that's to get Karl talking. Both of them walk back inside the interrogation room and Karl stands up.

"You want to see, don't you?"

"Very much."

"We're going to show you." Hotch takes out the pictures of the crime scene photos. Karl looks at them with wide eyes. "This is the home of the Downey family. There were three children."

"How old?"

"Twelve, nine, and four. A girl and two boys."

"Where were they found?"

"Backyard."

"Buried... Interesting."

"Laura, the mother, and the two boys were killed in the house." He shows the picture of the master bedroom. "This is where the mother and the youngest son were killed. The other boy was shot in the bedroom closet."

"Where's the father?"

"Overseas. The killer knows this."

"He knows everything about this family, and he watches their every move to be sure he achieves what he needs." Karl chuckles. "You have no idea how he knows the father is gone or how he targets these families, and the how. That's the key. The how is why he was able to catch me."

"You watched the families for days."

"Weeks. I got to know them, but not your guy. He doesn't need weeks. If he did, he'd stay longer."

"Why?"

"So he can enjoy them. What I don't understand is why he didn't separate the children. That way you have more control. No room for error. Why he didn't put the boys in separate rooms and say, 'If you cry, I'll have to kill Mommy'? Tell me, how did the girl die?"

"She was drowned."

"Yet the others were shot. May I see her?"

Emily doesn't give him the chance and stakes the files away from him.

"What's so special about the girl?"

"To suffocate her. To feel the life leave her body means everything to the man who did this."

"To you, maybe, but not to this killer. Not in the same way."

"All I did was show them how weak fathers could be. That's all."

"Every child you killed you abused physically. For this man, there is no sexual gratification."

"At least I spared the fathers the grief of living."

Emily sighs, takes out her phone, and sends a quick text to Penelope who responds even faster. How is it going? We're working as quickly as we can. Penelope has not stopped looking into your case since Derek and Spencer left her office. She continues to use her database to get a match of your face on cameras around the time of the murders, and she looks for videos regarding the areas where the murders took place.

She comes across a video that's too dark to make anything out, but the person holding the camera moves underneath a street light. She can see down an alley where there are cars on either side of the street. She assumes a man steps out into the light but the person filming is too far away to see any notable features. The man (she assumes it's a man because of his height and build) drags a victim out of the car and begins stabbing him. The crime scene photos of Chase Williams compared to the place in the video are exact except one is with the sun out and the other with the moon out.

That makes you clear for three of the seven. She dials Derek and gets him on the second ring.

"Hey, I found a video of Chase Williams getting murdered by the unsub. I compared it to the crime scene where he was found. Y/N is much smaller than the person I saw. No defined features, I'm afraid."

"Good. Keep that in evidence."

"You got it." Derek hangs up the phone and turns to the ME who agrees to see him. She hasn't done all seven autopsies yet due to being backed up which is why only two were released to the public. "Sorry, Doc. You were saying?"

"Eric Price and Jeffrey Rideback have injuries far older than when they were found."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning they were dead long before they were found."

"We came to that same conclusion with the first two victims, the ones whose autopsies were released. Can you determine the date of death?"

"Based on the severe bruising around Eric's eyes and Jeffrey's neck, and the state of decomposition, I'd say they were dead two weeks before when they were found."

"When can you get the autopsies done?"

"By the afternoon."

"I'd like them faxed over to our technical analyst as soon as you get them done."

"Sure."

If these two men were dead two weeks before they were found, then that means you couldn't have done it. Two weeks before their discoveries, you were out of town with Spencer. He has receipts that show you were in another county and footage from the security cameras on the cabin you rented. Whoever killed these men must have been in a blind rage because he would have thought about all of this before doing it.

That makes you five of the seven murders. He needs to clear you on all seven for you to be released. He takes out his phone and calls Rossi to check in on the team.

"Hey, how's it going over there?"

"There's been another murder but we've got it handled over here. Focus on Y/N right now. We got this."

"Thank you."

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[heartfullofleeches]

i've missed the gallery, so here's a question. how would the gallery gang be with a nightguard/frequent visitor reader who's an aspiring artist? i've seen people talk about going to actual galleries for inspo or just sketching the paintings, and was wondering if the art pieces would be honored to be models or something. i dunno man this is my first ask im not sure how this stuff works lol

(I've done this as individual hcs - hope you don't mind!)

The Scavenger

"Draw, please..." "You want me to draw a candy wrapper?" "Draw."

If you want inspiration, Scavenger has got you covered. They'll pull out their finest stole goods for your seeing eyes alone - necklaces, vintage toys - and pretty much anything that catches their eye or isn't nailed to a wall. Most nights they just hold up a pocket mirror and tell you to draw what you see, because it's the best thing in the gallery. If you give them your sketches, don't be surprised if they just shove them in their mouth and return to their painting without another word. Something this precious must be kept on their person at all times.

The Painter

Gasp. A future master in their presence? Well, the only correct course of action is for two geniuses to put their heads together, and create gorgeous works of art together that will bring tears to the eyes of any manner of creature. If you are a painter like them, they create a palette for you out of their own flesh and blood. Hm, as perfect as their colors are - something feels missing. As, yes. Red. That other guard has lots, and is being selfish by hogging it all. Not to worry, dear - your muse is on the case! Sir, sir! Stop running - your sacrifice is needed for greatness!

The Lady in Red

How charming.... Will you sketch her something to put on the walls of her cabin while you are away? She'll let you go for the evening if you do. Leaving old sketches around when there are others on site will also secure their safety as she'll drop everything to have a piece of you. Draw a picture of her and she'll be the wailing ghost of the eve.

The Faceless Angel

Monitors your location and makes sure nothing disturbs you. If you ask them to sit down they will start to hum to fill the silence, stopping if you look their way. Even if you ask to sketch them, the angel is surprised when you show them the finished work. Ah, they've gone and ruined it with their tears. If they are allowed to be greedy, could you draw what you imagine their face to look like?

RoseBud

It's only logical a gallery would attract an artist. Rosebud points out the flowers that are in this season for you to warm up, and tells you to come when you're ready to draw the finishing piece. Their babes are extra yippy tonight, but they are just as excited as them and unable to contain it like their greater half. Give it directly to Rose or they will eat it, but unlike the Scavenger they feel bad and start to cry. Rosebud has some artistic skills of their own and will ask to draw you some nights

Soleil

You want to draw them? Oh, but their gears haven't been polished in ages - their casing could use a shine as well. Don't even get them started on their dials. Give them a few nights to spruce themselves up and they'll be the perfect model for you to sketch and adore

Anri

You draw? How cool! They'd love to draw with you, but they don't have the same talent as you. Would you still mind if they doodled a bit in your book anyway? Maybe when you get off work you can hit up a coffee shop and give them a few pointers.... Oh.

Julian

Outright steals your notebook and tells you to give up before you get ahead. Realizes he's doing the same as his parents and gets it back... with a few sketches thrown in the back. They're all of you in different parts of the gallery doing your job... Except for one. Why did he draw you sleeping? And why does he know the color of your bedsheets

The Director

How fun! The gallery is always open to new donations. He'd love if you drew him, or one of the many stories he has to tell. He has a perfect tale about a painter who got lost in the woods and tricked by a power beyond their understanding. Why won't you come up to his floor and let him watch you work your magic as he tells it to you? Kick back and relax. Stress is the last thing that should be on an creative's mind. Get comfortable...stay as long as you want.

[ouroboros-hideout]

Night City memories.

@barghestapologist came up with this cool little idea and tagged me for it. Thank you again! Really love it and went around town with my blorbo girl. And decided to write something to every pic in her point of view. Brace yourselves - it's long, like always.

Rules: Snap some shots! Places (or people) near and dear to your ocs across NC! Filters and photo frames are optional ofc, it’s all up to you!

And since it's a tag game I´d like to give other's the opportunity as well who might not have seen it yet, but no pressure as always and everyone can try if they want!

@blackrevell @sofia-in-nc @cybervesna @chevvy-yates @kdval

To get the obvious out of the way: Of course I like the workshop. Kurt has invested a lot of time, money and energy to build a modern workspace with plenty of facilities for decent weapon production. I'd always prefer my own place in Russia, that's not up for debate and if his people think they know more than me and boss me around, I'd be happy to throw a few punches, but on the whole, working here is a chance to get something really big off the ground and I enjoy being a part of it.

When I need some fresh air, as fresh as it can get in Dogtown, I like to spend a few minutes in the stands of the stadium, the less busy part of the black market. My favorite thing is watching Kurt's little tin soldiers trying to salvage anything of value from the aerozep their lord and master has shot out of the sky - he’s just pure chaos.

To put it bluntly: I hate his damn parties. I hate everyone he invites, I hate that he always persuades me to come along. But the first time I saw the “finished” casino I was impressed. It’s his little playground, I don’t judge him for it, if this is his way of conducting business. After all, it seems to work. And of course you have to offer the rich and famous something to attract them to Dogtown in the first place. From that point of view, he's done a good job here. I like to come around if there’s no one else there. I am a sucker for impressive views and I doubt you would get anything better than up here. And the bar is a big bonus.

The small balcony on the left is the best place in my opinion. I've often seen Kurt standing there too, smoking a cigarette and looking down on the city. Even though I know he's actually looking somewhere else. So far, I've always turned round and let him have his moment - I think he really needs that. And maybe some more time before he will open up to me about it.

The wannabe military camp at the entrance to the Sapphire is a good place to familiarise yourself with Kurt's people. Many of them, and this surprised me, actually have brains, and it's nice to chat to them and listen to some of their stories, throw a few punches in the little boxing ring they've set up (or take a few, yes, I have to admit) or finish off the evening with a beer at the dingy little bar. One evening, a newbie came up to me, looked at me with big dreamy eyes and asked me in a trembling voice what it was like to work so closely with THE Kurt Hansen. I really had to pull myself together not to lose my composure. His name was Pablo or something like that, I think. I still have to laugh at the fact that this buffoon has fans like he's a rock star or something.

The Longshore Stacks always gave me the impression that it was the most civilized place in Dogtown, if there is any. Sure, it's pretty much impossible not to bump into some junkie or otherwise mentally deranged person when walking the streets, but this is where I still feel like it's the most enjoyable place to be. A small community of people trying to live their lives in this surreal place. The ‘Tree of the Lost’ as the locals call it really moved me when I saw it for the first time. Of course, I have no idea who the people here or what their fates are. I just pick up conversations in passing whenever I go there. And I don't feel connected enough to the people there to ask serious questions. It's not my business, to put it bluntly. But I think it's a beautiful and at the same time heartbreaking idea. The bartender at ‘The Moth’ is pretty cool. I've had a few interesting conversations with her already.

There's this completely run down cinema in the center of Dogtown. Like everything else, I assumed that it must have been taken over by some gang or homeless people, so I never really paid much attention to it. Kurt asked me to meet him there one evening after work. As it turned out, the cinema was unoccupied. And the inside of it was actually still in good condition. Not gonna lie, it really could have been opened. But the clientele in this junkyard would probably have completely looted the place within a day or razed it to the ground if you didn't protect it with a few Barghest puppies. And unfortunately ‘pure entertainment’ isn't important enough for that, I don't blame Kurt for that opinion. But I'd like to punch him every time he has such exaggeratedly cheesy date ideas. Or rather, I'd like to slap myself because I think it's *sigh* cute how much effort he puts in. He actually invited me to the stupid cinema to watch a Tarantino with him, which he had specially organized. Reservoir Dogs from 1992. Of course he had no idea what it was about and just went for it because it had the word ‘Dog’ in it. 

Before I head into the workshop or afterwards I like to drive around in the badlands. To get a clear mind for the tasks ahead or to deflate myself from a long tiring day. In any case, at a time when the heat in this shitty state is halfway bearable. There’s a really nice view not far out off the city on Dogtown I like to head from time to time. I showed it Kurt already too, because that donkey can’t set a foot outside his little empire without me kickin’ his ass to do so.

I encountered a family of Nomads one day while exploring those dry dusty desserts around Night City. They are part of the Aldecaldos I at least heard of before. They were quite suspicious when I first got there. But after a quick exchange of words and telling them I used to ride with a clan too, they got quite curious and invited me for a stay. The friendliness they approached me with after just a short time really warmed my heart and brought back some fond memories. And we had so much to talk about. I really hope they will stay for a little longer in the city so I can head out again to meet with them.

On my way around the badlands, I one day came across this lake. I need to ask Kurt about it, because I really doubt it’s natural and probably some sort of Corpo-disaster. But it’s a really peaceful and silent place, though I’d never set foot into the water. Probably will get a shitton of diseases within seconds. There’s also a small cabin not far off the road. So it seems like someone else is enjoying the views and calmness of this place as well from time to time.

Kurt: You forgot about one place you like in Dogtown. 

Aon: Enlighten me. 

Kurt: Right by my side.

Aon: *sigh* Should have seen that coming. 

Aon: But you’re right. 

Kurt: Told ya’. 

[patchesofuniverse]

I found this in my drafts - I wrote it after I finished Leverage: Redemption S1 and then most of the original series. Posting it now with the caveat that I never got around to watching the rest of Leverage: Redemption so I do not know what happened from there.

----------

It still amazes me that people who've lived through

- Sherlock, where the creators outright deny that their two male leads could ever get together, while throwing out constant M/M fanservice.

- FIFTEEN seasons of Supernatural, where women can't survive for very long because they'd threaten the fan-preferred M/M pairings, and one of the actors for the pairing straight up denies that his character could even be gay, shot down questions about it, and finally just "didn't want to put him in a box" following an outcry near the very end of the series.

- She-who-shall-not-be-named, who never so much as hinted that any character might not be straight, but then declared one gay when the series was basically done.

- and however many more queerbaiting shows

can look at Leverage and think the creators are trying to pull one over on us.

- "That means I would be thinking about you and Parker, which I never do!" in the least convincing tone, after lamenting the suave thief Parker is out with that night.

- Watching them kiss and nodding

- "'til my dying day" and "but you never, never need anything" "Yeah, I did" looks over at Parker and Hardison for a moment before looking back "And thanks to you, I don’t have to search anymore."

- Confirmation from the creator that the OT3 is canon.

- "Even numbers only baby" and "Age of the geek, babe"

- The hints in the show (Hardison being aware of how Eliot wakes up, "we built vents in the house", etc) and then confirmation that the three of them live together.

- The necklaces

- Hardison talks to Eliot AND Parker before making the decision to step away from the team. Parker's scene is more dramatic, sure - but Hardison checks in with Eliot too, and Eliot confirms his support before Parker drags Hardison off for their chat.

They haven't given us a kiss or the exact words, sure. Polyamory still isn't widely accepted in the US - it's very possible that they can't give us a big flashy display on screen because of executive meddling, or just that they have to consider ratings.

But what they've given us is in line with the characters they've created. They also never make it into a joke, aside from Hardison's "We're together" bit in The 12 Steps Job (which was season one). They don't make flashy fanservice out of scenes with Hardison and Eliot together, or with the three of them.

The Leverage PTB haven't queerbaited us with the OT3. They queercoded them. And then confirmed that they intended the things we saw on screen.

Part of me wonders if the idea that the OT3 are queerbait is the fact that Eliot's relationship with Hardison and Parker is more subdued than their relationship with each other. I think there may be folks who want to see them as a perfect, exclusive triangle where they all share the exact same relationship style. But that's not how polyamorous relationships have to work - and indeed, it's not how most of them work. Parker and Eliot have always had a different kind of relationship than Parker and Hardison. It's not unreasonable to think that, even in a committed romantic threesome, the three sides of the triangle would represent different types of relationships.

[melishade]

How is Erwin doing in the 'New Age' Anthology? Also do you think Onyakopon have time to talk to Agent Fowler about his flying skills and how can he still fly without a proper pilot uniform just like he did during the original TFP series?

Main Story

Eren Jaeger

Negotiations

Catching Up

Good question! Let's focus on Erwin for a bit!

Erwin was learning how to use the remote for the TV in his, Levi, and Jean's shared quarantine space. He used his flesh arm, not the cybernetic arm, to mindlessly flip through the channels. There were many things that did weird him out with every new channel he saw. He saw strange, moving, drawings committing acts of violence that were supposed to be played up for laughs. He saw strange creatures waging war, committing acts of violence, and a group of humans banning together to defend the world. He saw historical lessons on the creation of a country. He saw reports on war, chaotic storms, diseases, political violence, despair, death, and-!

"Sir, can you please turn that off?" Jean croaked from his bed.

"Sorry." The channel fell onto some music being played before he pressed the red button at the top of the remote. The music stopped and the screen went dark. Erwin stood up and placed the remote on the table under the hanging T.V.

"Thank you," Jean said as Erwin walked over to him.

"How are you feeling?" Erwin asked.

"Tired but better," Jean answered, "The medicine they've been giving me helps with the pain."

"Good to hear," Erwin said.

"How's the Captain?" Jean asked.

Erwin pulled the current back a little to check on his sleeping form. "Still sleeping."

Jean sighed in defeat. "What about the others? What about the island?"

"The others are in quarantine," Erwin explained, "as are we. I can't say much for the island. I don't know who would be running it, especially with Historia here. The island could be in chaos now that majority of the military was taken out in that Colossal Titan attack."

Erwin couldn't help but think back to his friend, Nile, at that moment. He had a feeling that Nile was no doubt there in Shinganshina when Marley attacked, and that there was a high chance that he was killed during the action. God damn it, he didn't even ask about him in the Paths. He was so overwhelmed with the information given to him and his old comrades that he had forgotten to ask about him. Erwin still had the comfort that Nile is in a better place, but he wish he had an actual moment to say goodbye to one of his oldest acquaintances.

"Sir," Jean called out, causing Erwin to snap out of his thoughts.

"You don't have to call me sir," Erwin reassured.

"Feels awkward if I don't," Jean confessed causing Erwin to chuckle a little.

"My days of being a Commander are over," Erwin declared as he went back to sit down, "Erwin works just fine."

As he sat down in the chair, he couldn't help but contemplate that. He was done being a Commander or leading in an army. He had no real reason to work under Megatron anymore. The power of the titans was gone. The Survey Corps completed the mission it set out to do, and every single one of them was rewarded with a second chance at life.

But now what happens?

Humans were known to be fickle being. So long as humanity did exist, conflict would continue. The coup the Survey Corps did was very proof of that statement. Titans weren't even involved for majority of it, and the remnants of the wall were already turning on each other. There were survivors of the Rumbling, and they were no doubt going to seek revenge, even with the assistance of the U.S. government and Cybertron. He had no idea how the events of the Rumbling were going to be portrayed and whether or not Paradis would be left alone.

He just hoped something good came out of it, because he certainly didn't have the energy or resources to help forge that future forward.

Erwin raised his head when he heard the door open and Nurse Darby walked into the room with a mask covering her mouth and a large black pad in her hand.

"Hey, how's everybody doing?" June asked.

"Fine," Erwin replied.

"Better," Jean spoke to her.

June turned her attention over to Levi and walked over to his bedside to check his I.V., setting the black pad down on ground in the process. She saw that it was almost empty and replaced it with another with ease.

"What does that even do?" Erwin couldn't but ask.

"It gives him his essential nutrients directly into his bloodstream, since he can't eat at the moment," June explained, "Don't ask about the catheter."

"The what?" Erwin tilted his head in confusion.

"Yeah, it sucks," Jean agreed.

"How are you feeling, Jean?" June asked as she walked over to him.

"Better. Leg doesn't hurt as much," Jean answered.

"I know hospital life isn't the best, but once your quarantine is over, we'll start you on physical therapy," June reassured.

"Learning how to walk again is going to be fun," Jean sarcastically grumbled.

"There are many disabled vets who'd share the same sentiment," June said, "If you want, I can direct you to a support group."

"I think I'd rather see my friends first," Jean declared.

"Fair enough," June stated.

As June continued to ask Jean questions, Erwin couldn't help but turn his attention back to the remote. He walked over and grabbed it before turning the T.V. back on. Erwin decided to flip to another channel and saw a news report calculating a death toll within the nation and across the world. Erwin couldn't help but feel some form of terror. That number was so high. How many people were on this world in the first place? And how many more were going to die?

"Please turn that off," June requested, "I'm already doing a lot here. I don't need to hear about the pandemic death toll."

"Sorry," Erwin apologized as he turned the T.V. off. June's attention was then drawn to Erwin's cybernetic arm. Her gaze when upward to where the metal and flesh were supposed to meet.

"Can I take a look at your right arm?" June asked.

Erwin was confused at the request but complied and held his cybernetic arm out to her. Erwin was surprised when she ignored the actual mechanism and rolled up the short sleeve of his white shirt to see the stub of his flesh.

"Skin doesn't look inflamed," June remarked as she rotated his arm with her gloved hands, "No rashes either. Any pain?"

"No pain." Erwin shook his head.

"Really? No nerve pain or soreness of muscles?" she asked.

"No, just a little extra weight that I'm not used to," Erwin answered, I can tell the difference in weight between my flesh and metal arm."

"How long have you had this?" June asked.

"Over a month at this point," Erwin replied, "Why do you ask?"

"It's amazing," June marveled, "Sure, Earth has prosthetics, but none as intricate as this. We just started to have bionic arm that can flew fingers and legs that can bend, but none of them are actually connected to the nervous system like this. Coat some paint on this, and this looks like a human arm. Stuff like this can bring a medical revolution."

Erwin couldn't help but be concerned at the implications of her statement. "Are you going to force me to stay here to talk?"

"No." June shook her head, "It would be good to observe long term benefits and side effects of an arm like this. If there is a chance that the metal in the arm does poison you, it would be good to detect it early." June let Erwin go. "Besides, we'd probably just ask Wheeljack for the blueprints. He was the one who made it for you, right?"

Erwin nodded his head.

"If we get that, you should be fine," June reassured.

Erwin felt a little bit at ease, but his gaze fell to the dark T.V. screen. "Your world...is chaotic."

"Yeah, that's what happens when there's over seven billion people living on it," June sighed in defeat.

"How are you able to handle a world like that?" Erwin asked, "Our world is fractured with the Rumbling, and it will take time for it to heal. Your world seems to be thriving, but there's so many people-!"

"That it causes a mess," June cut him off, "Doesn't help now that a new planet got the attention of the U.S. government, and my son's going to have to get more involved."

Erwin raised an eyebrow at that. Her son..."Jack is your son."

"Yeah." June nodded, "He got roped into this mess with the Autobots years ago, and he decided to become an agent. I worry about him every single day, but he's says he's leading a fulfilled life."

"Your son was very brave," Erwin stated.

"Yeah, well I just want him to be safe," June explained, "I think what gets me going is the reassurance that he returns home or gives me a call at the end of the day. Helps me keep my sanity."

June's eyes blinked as she remembered the black pad. She walked over to it and picked it up before pressing against it. "Speaking of calls."

Erwin saw the black pad glowing white, followed by a noise. The noise stopped and the white screen changed into that of a massive wall filled with notes. Erwin had a sinking feeling he knew who this was, and his suspicions were confirmed when he saw someone scramble across the screen before hitting the ground in the process. They stood up, and Erwin couldn't help but smile at the sight of Hanji's disheveled hair.

"ERWIN!" Hanji cried with joy, "It's you and your bushy eyebrowed face!"

"You're okay, Hanji," Erwin sighed with relief as June handed him the pad for him to hold. The former commander held it with his flesh hand instead of the cybernetic one.

"Where's Levi and Jean?! How are they?!" Hanji demanded.

"Levi's still sleeping," Erwin explained, "But Jean's awake."

"Hey, Commander," Jean called out.

"Jean, you're alive!" Hanji cried out as Erwin adjusted the pad so Hanji could see his face, "There's so much I have to catch you up on!"

June couldn't help but smile at the sight of the three of them talking. She looked back at Levi's sleeping form, praying he would wake up soon before setting a charger on the table and leaving the room.

(In regards to the second half of your question with Onyankopon and Fowler, that's actually something that's super sweet. I'm certain I can't tackle it right now, but we'll see in the future. Also, final day for the Hundred Days OVA Poll is wrapping up soon. So please vote if you haven't!)

[seth-shitposts]

AU that's been in my brain every once in a while that I know I sure as hell won't be doing myself anytime soon, if I do it at all-

AU where the grand inquisitor and minister tua lived and switched allegiances.

No I don't have indepth details, but I have random thoughts (I lied there's more here than I thought there'd be)

(I'm most probably going to throw this over on to Ao3 as a concept fic)

---

Tua stays in hiding for nearly a year, moving from refugee camp to refugee camp. She has to pull her weight, help build community. Something about it gives her something to almost strive for, it's something more. She realizes she has a lot more skills than having just been a public face, once upon a time.

Something happens where she's not at the camp, but elsewhere. Possibly receiving information on where the next round of supplies will be coming from for the camp. She comes face to face with Kallus and feels the same terror she did back when she was fleeing the Empire. She knows Kallus recognizes her, maybe he's here to bring her back to the empire for the charge of treason. If she runs back to the settlement, she would only be putting those who've helped her in danger. Nearly a year ago, she wouldn't have thought twice about it. But now she's frozen, eyes locked with kallus. However, Kallus turns a blind eye to her, acting as though she weren't even there. As if she hadn't run off with valuable information of the empire to give to the rebels inexchange for her own life. As if she weren't someone he's obligated to capturing.

Something about it is rattling. She isn't sure if he's playing a game to get her to lead him back to the settlement or if he thinks she's part of a rebel cell. Either way, she stays away from the camp for a while. Going from place to place, again, but some how ending up in a pattern of following Kallus. Seeing... differences. This is not the same man who she worked alongside and ran from on Lothal. Similarities are there, but the differences...

Tua has never been bold. She knows that. She used to admire Kallus’s boldness. She envies it. The first true act of boldness she takes is approaching him when she sees him again, alone.

There's many questions she has, but the moment she steps up to him, stopping him from whatever it is he's doing, it all dissipates from her tongue.

"Are you trying to get yourself caught, Tua?" The agent's brow twitches, looking around to make sure there's no eyes on them.

"If..." Tua takes a shaky breath, reassuring herself, "if you intended on that, you would've done so weeks ago. That's been..." whatever these differences are, they've been grating against her. "Your loyalty. It isn't the same."

Kallus looks away from her, returning to organizing items in a create. Imperial equipment. "I don't know what you're talking about."

*Lies.* "don't give me that," Tua hisses. She may not be bold, she may be a coward, but she is not unobservant. "I may not know why, or what you're doing, but whatever it is, it isn't for the empire anymore."

"Tua, run back off to wherever it is you came from. We are strangers. You are a citizen I do not recognize."

"No."

Kallus looks at her in shock. He must be just as surprised about how different she is as she is about him. But her boldness is new. And probably temporary. So she has to push on before she loses her resolve.

"You're right. We are strangers. Because the man I worked alongside would have chased after a traitor without hesitation. The man I worked alongside was undoubtedly loyal to his empire. Unwavering. Bold. No minor task was below him. 'All leads must be pursued.' You said that more times than I could keep track of." Tua thought that her boldness would've started to disperse, but... it's the opposite. It's only built itself up and it's absolutely *electrifying*.

"The woman I worked alongside had never once been this bold." There's something almost... friendly about the comment.

"The man I worked alongside had never said something with so much warmth." Something has undoubtedly changed him. "Who are you?" She whispers, making sure only they can hear, "because it surely isn't Agent."

A tension in his shoulders slides off. "You're right. It's not agent anymore, but I can't tell you anything more."

Tua looks back down to the equipment. All of it valuable and unquestionably stolen. "You're graciously delivering food and water to a citizen that is going to distribute it to those who need it." She looks back up to him, wanting to help. "Just tell me where and I'll make sure it's delivered."

Kallus blinks at her. Then he huff a smile. The man she worked alongside never gave a single smile that wasn't arrogant. Something or someone rattled this man to his very core. "Yes, of course. I do charity work to promote morale in the name of the empire."

Kallus tells her a location and she asks him for another time and place. More she could do. He tells her that if she goes with the person she meets, she can do more there and that she isn't to mention him at all.

"Oh, and Maketh?"

She nearly drops the lid of the crate. Kallus catches the lid and secures it.

"The day you defected from the empire. I'm sorry for nearly killing you."

Tua shakes her head with a smile. "The man I worked alongside never apologized a day in his life." She straightens her posture and gives him a nod. "But to the one before me, the one what I never had this conversation with, I would say that those days of 'its not personal' are behind us. He could make it up to me by one day telling me the story of how he got here." Whatever he's doing is dangerous. Takes a courage that even now, Tua knows she could never even hope to possess. Truly envious, truly admirable.

Truly inspiring.

---

The Grand Inquisitior survived, relatively unscathed. He doesn't know how or why, but just as much fear rises in him as anger. The emperor had put his faith in him, graciously given him tools and knowledge. All things he was continously denied and held back from in the Jedi Order. And he's felt it lately; how the emperor has been slowly pulling back on those things. Losing faith in his abilities. Or has he been losing his usefulness? He can't even follow through to the end of his own fate. He failed in stopping a single Jedi and his padawan. And yet he still lives.

He still lives. He hadn't felt competent enough by the Jedi Order, but he still yearned to strive for that. At least until the events of Offee and Tano. That was when he lost faith in the Order. He out lived the order, he survived order 66. Despondent, he looked to Sideous who offered him what the Jedi Order had denied him time and time again. All he had to do was relinquish himself. He doesn't even remember his own name these days. He traded everything for the promise of knowledge. He had felt like someone had faith in him and his abilities. He made it much further as an inquisitor. Though he continuously lacked *something*. To fill the void, he always just pushed himself harder to be of use, to feel competent, to gain more knowledge.

But lately Sideous hadms been holding back. Limiting him. He thought maybe if he can simply just complete his mission, help ser through to the plans for Lothal, he would gain that back and the void would threaten to consume him.

But he failed. He failed, and yet he is still alive. And for that, there would be punishment.

All of this cumulates to him escaping before it is found out that he's alive. Going into hiding, he spends time scavenging ruins of sith and jedi, looking for artifacts, data, anything he can find. Most of which ends up just becoming a collection because he's no longer able to bend the force to his will and he can't open any of the jedi artifacts. It leaves him endlessly frustrated. He debates pursing Kanan and Ezra on his own. Bringing them to the emperor. Proving that he is of use.

He runs into similar problems as the artifacts, unable to track them. So where does he go? He finds the person he worked alongside to hunt these very people.

Agent Kallus.

He approaches the agent when he's alone, on a planet. The agent is perceptive, as always. He knows of the inquisitor's presence immediately. But just as the agent is aware of his presence, he is aware of a lack of intense, heavy anger that the agent formerly held. It's replaced by... something else. Something he hasn't been near or felt himself in a long time. So long that he doesn't know how to place it, what to call it.

"Grand Inquisitior? Shocking to see you. What do you need from me?"

"Straight to the point, how like you. What gives you the impression that I need you?

"Last I saw you, you were with Kanan Jarrus. He escaped and you were not heard from again. We both know what that failure means, and seeing as how you sought me out when I was alone and away from staff, I assume that you are in hiding and need my help." Kallus shuffles datapads around, before giving his attention to him. "Does that sound right?"

He laughs, "seeing as how you haven't made any move to arrest me, *I* assume you're interested in offering your help. Would I be correct in spectating that you have failed in capturing your rebels?"

Kallus gives him a calculated look. The inquisitor hates that he can't prod into what it could possibly be about. He's lost so much of his power. "You're looking to return to your pursuit."

Agitation rises in him. It feels as though Kallus is trying to dangle his goal outside his reach. "You are going to help me."

Kallus takes another moment to think on it, bringing further agitation to him. "What do you have to offer in return?" The agent seems to be choosing his words carefully. Kallus is planning something. Hiding something. "Helping you would only put myself in danger."

He narrows his eyes at the other. "You've never once cared about the dangers to yourself, just results. The result here would be you finally capturing your rebels."

"That's," it's barely there, but it *is* present; a pause, "no longer my directive. What do you have to offer me?"

There's another game here. Another angle. "You aren't one to leave things half finished, *Agent*."

Now *that* causes a flare in Kallus. A flare that is immediately shut down. He smirks, Kallus knows he's on to him.

"These rebels have bested you." He relaxes against the wall by him. Maybe he can get an upper hand.

"At least I didn't fail so spectacularly that I had to fake my death and go into hiding."

He sneers, growling at the other. "Alright then, Kallus. What is it that you desire? Help with your lasat? We could easily take him in a fight."

"Absolutely not." There's no hesitation. In fact, where he thought there would be interest and intrigment, there's apprehension and a whiff of fear. "Why do you wish to pursue a task you've already failed past redemption? We both know that it won't grant you solace or reinstatement."

He knows that Kallus is just trying to change his attention, he knows that's what he's doing, but knowing that doesn't stop him from halting.

"You're chasing after a ghost for what? The implausible chance that you'll be accepted back? What is it that you actually want?"

A year ago, he would've simply cut kallus down where he stands. But the faith that he had in the emperor, much like the faith he had in the order, has wavered. Even if he does bring them to the emperor, and he does dedicate himself once more to lothal, there's no guarantee that he'll be accepted back. That he'll be granted the privilege of knowledge. That he'll be allowed to keep breathing.

He reels himself back. Kallus has a purpose for trying to sway him. For avoiding the capture of these rebels.

"And what is it you want? What are you seeking?" He sneers.

"The answer to that depends on the answer you give me."

"I want access to knowledge. Knowledge denied to me by the order. Knowledge that was given to me by the emperor."

"That same knowledge that he stripped from you?"

All he can do in response is curl his lip at Kallus.

"The jedi order is a distant memory, and, to my understanding, chances of you returning to your previous position are slim to none."

"So what do you suggest? What do you want from me?"

"Are there other ways to aquire what you seek?"

He thought over this himself more times than he could count. "It isn't an easy path, and even if I take it, return to it, there's no guarantee I'll be accepted back. And the chances that I will run into the same blockades as before are certain." The very thought of... it's enough to make him laugh, bitterly.

"So these blockades," Kallus nods carefully, "they were in the way? Placed there by the order?"

"I am losing my patience."

Kallus seems to be doing the same, but he takes a deep breath. "Large obstacles don't appear out of nowhere. Without foundation. What was the foundation that supported them?"

He stares at Kallus for a long moment. "With that suggestion, my oath would be even more difficult."

"Anything worth working for always is. Are you willing to put forth that effort?"

"What is it you want. What is it you're working for?" He's asked this for the umpteenth time.

Kallus takes an apprehensive breath, one that's shaky in his lungs. Daring. Bold. "A change in your allegiances. In your short term goals. In exchange, I will offer help for your long term goal of knowledge. However I am able."

A year ago, he would've laughed. He would've turned him over to the emperor for his own gain.

Something, however, that Kallus has, is expressing so freely is filling a void that he tried to run from for so many years. Its a void that niether the emperor nor the jedi order could successfully fill. And he wants to know what it is. Needs to know what it is.

"Alright. Tell me what you want me whatever minuscule goals you wish for me to complete and I will see through to them." He goes to bow, but pauses when Kallus extends his hand. "What is..." he motion vaguely to the gesture, "all that?"

"A handshake. There will be mutual benefits in this deal."

The former inquisitor considers it. Kallus is approaching this as an equal. "Fine," he sighs, accepting the offer. "And do not worry, your treasonous secret will not leave from me."

Appreciation flows from the Not-Imperial. "Thank you, I'm aware that you don't much care for the empire and that none if this would matter one way or another to you." Kallus grips his hand tighter and holds his gaze firmly. "So know that if you do expose me, I won't hesitate to bring you down with me."

He laughs at that, something light for the first time in longer than he can keep track of. "I would say just keep me from becoming bored and you won't have to worry, but you've sparked too much interest for me to need to clarify."

Kallus rolls his eyes. "Also,"

"There's more you worry about?"

The look that falls over Kallus’s eyes is quite possibly the darkest he's seen on him. And the feeling that washes over him from the Not-Imperial is quite possibly the most delightful brush of corruption that he's experienced since the day Sideous gave him access to knowledge.

"You harm The Ghost Crew in any way, shape, or form, and I will make whatever the emperor could've done to you look like a joke. Force or not."

Oh, oh this is going to be fun. "I wouldn't dream of it." He smiles toothily.

---

[welcometololaland]

someone pointed out i didn't actually do my own WIP game, so here you go lol. thank you to everyone who participated!!! i love knowing what's on your tasty, tasty plates.

I'd like to encourage anyone who hasn't done this to please do it! This is an open tag from me, you can say lola pressured you ;)

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more). (There are also questions for artists/GIF creators below).

For Writers

1. WIP List:

(only my active WIPS):

Not Now But Soon aka 10 Things I Hate About You AU (Tarlos)

When in Rome aka Eurotrip (RWRB)

Call Me (By My Name) (co-write with @rmd-writes) (Tarlos)

Cause of Action aka Set It Up AU (TGM)

[Redacted] Christmas Fic (RWRB)

The Ring-In (Again) aka The Ring-In Sequel (Tarlos)

[Unnamed/Redacted AU] (co-write with @strandnreyes) (Tarlos)

Product Placement aka Sequel to TikTok Fic (Tarlos)

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest?

Hands down Eurotrip - I think it's about 45k right now.

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest?

Eurotrip. By my projection, 180k.

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why?

I love writing my co-writes. I just find them so, so fun to plot and jointly scream about.

But I also find writing The-Ring In 2.0 very easy because it's just so. damn. silly (see also [Redacted] Christmas Fic which I think might be the stupidest thing I've ever written).

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why?

Eurotrip because it's SO LONG and also I keep having self-doubt.

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

See above. I think because I keep worrying it's not good enough. I really wanted it to be so perfect and I think that perfectionism is haunting me. Plus, I keep getting discouraged that it's boring and everyone else is doing the same thing but better lol.

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why?

All of them because frankly I can't be trusted not to give a character six hands or put them in the shower with their clothes on.

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block?

Eurotrip, many times. Not Now But Soon. Cause of Action. Product Placement. All of them have been haunted.

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them?

Definitely The Ring-In 2.0. I have Richard "Dick" Reynolds, the childhood 'nemesis' of Carlos Reyes that turns up at an inopportune moment. Also, an unnamed OC which will basically be a play on Tad Mikowski from the Aspen episode of South Park (if anyone has seen it).

OH ALSO. REDACTED RWRB CHRISTMAS FIC HAS THE MOST RIDICULOUS OC OF ALL TIME. seriously. i cannot wait to write him.

10. Which WIP is the sexiest?

Well I've barely started The Ring-In 2.0 and they've already fucked in a spin cycle shower stall so...

I think Call Me (By My Name) will also be fyyyyyre since Rae is there with me.

11. Which WIP is the angstiest?

Not Now But Soon or Eurotrip. Neither are particularly angsty, but I don't write angst (well).

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)?

I think the [Redacted] co-write with Jen will be heartwarming and funny and Jen is amazing at characterisation so I have faith she will carry the team ;)

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?

Eurotrip (I HOPE). The Ring-In 2.0 could be really fucking funny if the scene setting is good. Also, [Redacted] RWRB Christmas fic if I can pull it off. 'Scene setting' but not as you know it ;)

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on?

Eurotrip, but it continues to evade me.

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why?

Eurotrip. Which is the whole damn problem with it.

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

Yes. I hate it because I can dream it but not write it (WHY?)

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't?

Eurotrip, because the characters are covering a lot of distance (literally). It involves more research than the others. Call Me (By My Name) for [redacted] REASONS.

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour?

Oh shit. All of them? Humour is my brand people!! I mean The Ring-In 2.0 will be straight up ridiculous, of course. I have cackled over the plotting for [redacted] with Jen and Call Me (By My Name). There are some truly stupid moments in Eurotrip. The whole of Product Placement is basically crack. The REDACTED RWRB CHRISTMAS FIC. GUYS. THIS FUCKING FIC. WILL BE THE STUPIDEST THING I'VE EVER WRITTEN (also it has nothing to do with Christmas don't look at me).

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process?

Not really, but I have to create some OCs for The Ring-In 2.0 and also bring back a bunch of existing OCs from the original, which makes the characterisation aspect a little more complex.

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs.

Redacted RWRB Christmas fic is basically being co-created by my sister who offered to jump into my Google docs. A family affair!

Thanks again to everyone for playing!

[lightofraye]

So... one of my followers stated their skillset and how long they've worked in it. They've been in the entertainment/creative industry for several decades. I asked if I could ask them some questions and they said I could, whenever I had any. The other day I did so. With their permission while keeping their anonymity, I'm sharing what was said.

I asked: "Would Hollywood care about the family man image THAT much? If I may ask and if you’re up to explaining." (Reason: Jensen's constant pushing of the 'family man' image and narrative we've seen and heard at cons.)

They replied with: "Short answer. No. Hollywood doesn’t give a crap whether an actor is married or divorced or single.

What they care about is a consistent image devoid of scandals.

Jensen is scared of his own shadow and has never been a risk taker. He sees himself as a family man-devoted husband and father—because that’s what he WANTS to be. It’s what he admired most about his dad, grandfathers, uncles etc.

The problem is he doesn’t really know how to pull that off genuinely and consistently. Because he married someone that he “checked most of the boxes” and they seemed to want the same thing. That’s why there are so many visible cracks because it’s a marriage built on two people that made a deal 15 years ago and have ultimately grown apart. But because of his upbringing and his desire to want to be SEEN as a family man — he will just go thru the motions to make things work.

If they divorced, Hollywood really could care less. It’ll be a small news blip. And hopefully he’d be smart (this time) to hire a brand strategist and publicist to help him navigate what to say and how to craft a positive divorced dad, co-parent image.

Right now his image could use something cos it’s devoid of consistency.

Hollywood is and will always be about money — can I make money off this actor/image. That’s it.

I said: That's what I thought. And yes, he’s not been consistent at all. I don’t think he even has a publicist and Gersh as his brand management has not done a good job.

They said: And if the actor is too unknown….but has talent…they’ll give him the shot/the exposure but won’t pay him crap.

If the actor is too risky bc of a bad image/reputation…they’ll pass unless he’s a proven “we make money off this guy/gal”.

If it’s someone vanilla and unbranded like Jensen…he’s in competition with 100s of other guys that look like him and may/may not have more talent. He’s getting ahead purely bc he has a (paid for) social following on IG of 11m. Some execs may think it’s worth hiring him over another.

But it’s why it’s taken him a few years to land anything of substance. I don’t count TB bc Kripke has a boner for him.

And why Amazon hired Eric Dane to be the true lead of the Countdown series bc Jensen isn’t a sure bet that people will tune in to watch for just him yet.

I said: Yeah… that’s the same as lol-jackles said. Pity there’s no way to send this to Jensen and go “Humble yourself, dude. And listen to the right experts.”

They said: He has a m360 and Gersh — top management and agents. I don’t think he listens to them.

Maybe it’s why Gersh sent their global brand strategist to observe him at the European cons.

I said: I'll bet they got an eyeful. I didn't think he was still with m360.

They said: Yes he is. They are his management team. Gersh is his agent. He’s been with both for 10+ years.

He hired Narrative PR (on advice from m360) to boost promotion for his TB role and TW. But seemed to only hire them for a 3 month blitz. Which is not how you work with a PR team like NarrativePR.

--

That's all I have for now. I wish there was a way to get this to Jensen. He has talent; we've seen it. He just... can't be consistent with anything he's done. If he wants this career, he needs to put in the work. He needs to be consistent. And maybe realize that the family man image isn't necessary and go pursue some genuine love and happiness.

[aggressivenesswhilecrying]

I think I know what's coming (and I just don't care.)

Summery:

Martyn lives an everyday life, he goes to work, he deals with his personal traumas away from the view of everyone else. And he likes to think he's rather smart.

Scott has a nice house he got after the death of someone in his family, he has a decent job, even if it is customer service. And he likes to think he's rather normal.

In which Scott tip toes the lines of mortality and his so supposed normalness, and martyn in his intelligence.

TW!! Kidnapping, violence, a party scene involving alcohol, and that sort of thing!!

Bata read but not edited!!

(This fic goes to @toomanyfandomsorkinafs!! <3 I thought I might follow this up with a nice note, as your Christmas gift, it's like I'm giving you a card!! Take a look at the bottom of the fic once done<333)

Now, martyn likes to say he's no idiot. When you come from a bad home. You don't tend to be one, even when you're disconnected from reality, you still keep your ears sharp, and mind running.

Waliing to the bookshop is a very normal thing now. He doesn't care to do the math, but he got this job early spring, and bow its late fall, the small drown building with the front covered in windows to display the books, welcoming him. He waves at the batista in the cafe just next door, cramped together on the street, side to side. The blue haired man, nodding to martyn, a large grin on his face, yet relaxed. He seems almost pleased. But martyn doesnt bother. Huffing a laugh, he pushes open the glass and dark oak doors. Rough concrete turning to soft, but itchy short carpet.

Working behind the counter, her shift almost over is cleo. Long wavy orange hair pulled back into a bun on the back of her head thats honestly seems lose enough to be almost falling apart. And Cleo is tense, she keeps on flexing her hands, but her face stays neutral. She must have gotten in another fight with etho over their sons. Bdubs and scar. She's only like this after a really tense argument. His brain can't help but supply. He doesn't really question why his eyes can't seem to focus, but he can notice cleos body language.

He takes the flat billed baseball cap off, hanging it up on the coat rack. Along with his too long trench coat he got from the thrift shop down the street, just a few days ago after work, just to fight off the cold for a little bit.witu snow on the horizon, he feels he might need to go back and get something a little warmer.

Cleo shuffles out from behind the small counter, nodding at martyn as she grabs hers own coat and more suitable for the weather, beanie. Pulling her hair out of the frankly awful, and stressful bun, she tugs the hat right on over, she doesn't bink when putting on on the beanie. Grumbling when it gets her bangs a bit in her eyes.

They don't need to say anything, they've know eachother long enough to know this isn't a day for words. Cleo most definitely had another custody argument. And she looks at martyn, how he seems to be far away, deep in his head, and his hands shake with tremors, and his jaw stays locked. They don't need words today, not when the sound if a too loud car makes martyn freeze in his place, half way to the counter.

Cleo walks out with a nod, the bell dinging behind her. And martyn wastes no idea digging into the new inventory. Boxes pilled in the back that they just haven't had room for yet, just calling his name. A simple task he doesn't have to tune in for. Perfect.

Martyn isn't sure how long he takes, but 3 out of God knows how many, boxes down, and the tremors are subsiding just a bit.

He isn't quite sure what set him off today. He had went to make breakfast, but he had to wash a few dishes first, and he couldn't find a fork, and since he was already doing a few, he decided to just do them all, but he couldn't find his gloves either, and when he did he already lost motivation, but he still did them, and next thing he knew, his podcast was too loud, and his hands hurt from holding dishes, his feet also hurt from standing, weird, he swore he hadn't been standing that long, and fuck, a plate broke. A plate fucking broke and can't find all the pieces, and he doesn't want to ruin his gloves and-

Well, he was shaking, and his breath was uneven, and his Brain felt clogged, and his lips were far too dry.

He decided on just eating a granola bar.

He doesn't know why the tremors stayed all the way till work, and hours later, bit, he can't do much about them, not really, he just has to deal with it, and no think about how his ears are ringing, and his legs are shaking too, oh fuck, his legs are shakin-

His thoughts were cut off when his legs decided to attempt to fall in, like martyn thought of them magic word. Barely catching himself on a bookshelf.. only for, well, everything tends to go wrong when your over stimulated, doesn't it?

Martyn composed with the bookshelf, and the books, and, he cant...he can't think straight, his mind and eyes too blurry, he's shaking too much.

"F-Fuck..." his voice trembled out the angry words, trembling like his hands, his breath, his legs.

It took martyn far longer, and far more trouble to get the books and bookshelf back up. He couldn't stop shaking. Afterwards, with his aching just, body. He thought it was best to sit behind the counter. Checking his watch it had only been and hour since he got in to work. He swore it should have been longer. But his mind lies about the time, and the clock doesn't.

Too far, or too little into the time, the ble haired man walks in, all confident, browsing the books. Scarf tight to keep the cold out, work uniform still on. And a thick, bushy coat. He sighs in relief at the warm and martyn can't help but find him beautiful.

Martyn loves the people that come into book stores sometimes, friendly tired moms, who try to be as nice as their young ones beg to leave. Elderly who call him sweetie, and promise to bring cookie next time, but always forget. Students just trying to get their school books just a little bit cheaper. People aimlessly looking for a gift for someone, even if they don't read a lot.

And if course, pretty, young people, looking for something to occupie their mind for a little bit.

The blue haired man falls under that category, with curled blue hair to one side, and blue eyes like ice. Lanky with a sort of elegance that almost feels dangerous. And his he/him pronoun pin, and gay man pride flag pin.

Everyday, but thrusdays, that he head into eirk, the man is at the cafe, and they wave, and once a week. Sometimes more, he comes in, buys a fantasy novel, or a queer romance novel, and leaves on his way. With small talk that makes martyn both nervous, and a little excited.

The man walks just as he foes everywhere week, seems almost drawn to the horror novels, but ingotes it, ignores it and goes to the romance. Martyn wonders a little, why he doesn't look at it. Why he doesn't buy one, why his handshakes over the covers, then Jenks back like he was burned. Martyn can't say he loves the horror they get, but he does enjoy it, every so often, he'll sir down with one of them, read ad long as he can, and let the idea someone could love him so much, they go insane, rot in his mind.

But, maybe the man has skeletons in the closet he isn't ready to show. Martyn can't Blane him, when he has some of his own. The soft music plays. And martyn can't help but chuckle as the man sways to it as he searches. Mouthing the words as he reads the back of a book. And martyn can see the edges of a scar from his neck but it doesn't matter, the man is walking up, a book in hand, and martyn is ready.

"Soooo, blondie, you haven't told me your name yet?" The tall man huffs happily, a grin playing at his lips, and like the rest of the day is gone, martyn huffs a laugh, holding his hand out of the book but the man just leans on the counter. Hunched over, elbow on the counter, head in his hand, tilted at martyn like that man would rather be no where else.

"Gimmie your book asshole..!!" Martyn huffs out, voice a laugh, eyebrows scrunching, and he's glad he pinned back his bangs today, he would hate for them to get in the way of the view when the man rolls his eyes.

"Nope!! Name first!!" He giggles while poping the p, to really add to it, tilting his head almost completely upside-down at martyn, clearly trying to get him to laugh, and martyn hates to admit he snorted at it, his face wrinkling. And the man's kinda stares, face going a bit red around the edges, but his grin only grows.

"I don't even know your name!!" Martyn huffs, crossing his arms, raising an eyebrow at the now pink in the face man. His flush only getting worse, and martyn knows the logical answer, probably just getting embarrassed, nothing big.

"I'll tell you my name, and give you the book, if you tell me yours first!!" The man tries to bargain, setting his head the right way once again. Curled hair falling just a enough to get in his eyes.

Martyn huffs, feeling his own face redden. Shaking his head, he can't believe how just...silly this all is!! He also can't believe his own tounge. "Martyn. Martyn littlewood." He sighs, unable to wipe away his own grin, as the man sits up, and passes him the book, smoothing down his outfit.

"Scott major, it's wonderful to formally know you martyn!!" He practically giggles out as the loud ding of martyn swiping the book rings out.

"Well, Scott major, your total is 24.67"

Martyn isn't ashamed to say it goes on like that for a while. A few more weeks go by, once a week, turns into twice a week, turns into buying a book twice a week, but coming to visit 2 other days. And before martyn knows it. He's spending his lunch at the cafe with Scott. He's even stopping for a coffee before work.

He has absolutely no clue what Scott is doing with all these books, but honestly, they're spending so much time, dilly dallying at their workplaces, martyn forgets to ask.

Martyns remembers it very very clearly, mostly becuase it had been one of the most nerve wrecking moments in his entire life. Martyn had been sorting the shelves when Scott came in, pearl working behind the counter, her hair pulled back, and in a rather simple winter outfit, a tan turtle neck, a pair of black high waisted jeans, and tan winter boots. Martyn won't deny, it looked good on her. But, well, Scott frozen in his place from the sight of pearl and martyn talking. He could see the man's hands twitch, and martyn felt an inkling of fear. Of worry.

But this is Scott. There's nothing to worry about, Scott that refused to let martyn pay for his coffee, Scott, who's shift got over 2 hours before martyns, and always made sure to stop in. Scott who he well, he trusted. And well, he hopes he can trust him for no conflict. In the times Scott had been coming, martyn was almost exclusively alone. Cleo had the morning shift, martyn had the day shift, and pearl had the evening shift. Early, 5am, cleo would open, work till 1pm, then martyn would come in, hed work till 8, and in their over night book store. Pearl would work from 8, to 3am. Little business but, you'd be surprised how many people go wandering late at night for a book. But all in all, this is almost everyday. Big B would work in a range of shifts, and he often worked martyns shift on Saturday.

But really, there normally wasn't enough of them, to work multiple at a time really. So, for Scott to see pearl, well, it was a bit of a surprise to say the least.

Martyn rose to his feet with a groan, his back poping from the hunched over position he was in on the floor. Hand on the bookshelf he was sitting infront of for just a moment to bend back and pop his back once more, before walking over to the counter, and waving Scott over.

Scott seemed almost hesitant, but, he smoothed out his shirt, and a look of almost anger, turned into one of calm, relaxed details. Walking over with a small grin he waved to martyn, seeming to be ignoring pearl.

"Scott, this is pearl, my coworker, she normally has the shift right after me" he gestured to pearl, a small grin on his face as he looked Scott in the eyes, blue eyes seeming to calm down at the sight of martyn paying attention to him.

"Pearl, this is Scott, my regular, and, well, a friend of mine, he works at that cafe" he chuckled, gesturing to Scott. But looking pearl in the eyes. He isn't quite sure why he brought up where Scott works, he is in his work clothes still, after all.

Scott wouldn't say he's a jealous person. Not really. But rage boiled in his chest, the Jaws of an ugly beast threatening to wrap around and crush any chance at a friendship him and pearl have. He isn't quite sure why it bothers him so much. Martyn can have friends outside of him. For fucks sake. Scott has friends outside of martyn!!

"It's nice to meet you pearl!!" He chuckled, looking pearl in the eyes and sticking out his hand. It almost seemed like dead movement martyn acknowledged. And martyn can't see the look in scotts eyes, but he can see the shiver up pearls spine, he can see how she almost looks uncomfortable around him. Shaking his hand almost hesitantly

"Pleasure to meet you..." she mumbled, looking him in his eyes, squinted as she tried to read something about him. Before nodding, relaxing, a grin coming to her mouth as she let go of his hand.

Martyn nodded to where he was sitting before, a delight grin on his face as he jabbed Scott in the arm.

"Come on, we, have some cds to sort" he giggled walking away as he heard the cafe worker gasp in offense, following after. He can see Scott come to stand next to him out of the corner of his eye, slowly sitting back down in his spot. The blue eyed man following suit.

"Since when did it become 'we'?!" He huffed, narrowing his eyes as he leaned forward, tilting his head at martyn, much like a puppy would before starting to play with you, and martyns cheeks couldn't help but redden at the thought.

"I'll have you know, I just got off work, I cane to hang out, and now you're having me be social, AND, do your job?!"He sat back, crossing his arms with a huff, turning his face away, a pout playing at his lips that only made martyns cheeks a brighter red.

And still, martyn, has absolutely no clue why he did it, it may have been an impulse, or he just felt it was right, or he just, really wanted to. But martyn leaned over, and kissed the man's cheek. "Will that make you help me out some?" He whispered, voice quiet, and almost trembling, as he stayed in scotts personal space. The blue haired man lighting up in a beautiful shade of red that had martyn leaning back and turning into a red faced, giggling idiot.

Scott just nodded limby, mouth slightly open in surprise, the corners of his mouth quirking up.

Scott doesn't know why he did it. He can't come up with a single reason why. This isn't the kind of thing he'd do. He had no clue why he was so ready to do it. He just...hell, he may havel been planning it. He doesn't know. He can't even been super sure he even regretted it.

It had happened by pure coincidence really. He got invited to a holiday party joel and his girlfriend lizzie were hosting and it really just, turns out that lizzie knew pearl. She knew pearl well. The shorter women followed around by pearl, casually talking the entire time. In his hands was a far too sweet cocktail he believes mumbo made, he couldn't be sure, but it coated his throat in syrup and left a sickeningly sweet taste in his mouth.

He saw pearl stand there awkwardly as lizzie got whisped away by some other people. All their voices too loud, all their cups mostly empty, and all smelling of the sickeningly sweet alcohol. So with far too much confidence and bad intentions. He moved across the too loud room, people shoving into him, almost making him spill his drink. His nose wrinkling at the strong smell of fireball one left behind.

He huffed in relief as he flopped down on the chair neck to pearl. On the couch just a few feet away, a man was snorring while sitting up, his girlfriend holding his sleeping hand as she talked with people who came and went, talking softly even if the room was roaring in sound. Scott nodded to them as they paid not an ounce of attention to him

"Well, would you look at that..!! Chivalry isn't dead..!!" He chuckled, and pearl snorted, finally looking over to him. A sad sort of grin on her face, as she sat down on the floor, back to the arm of the chair. Legs curling up to her chest, cup abandoned at her side.

Scott let her stay silent for a moment, clearly thinking something, or not having the words in her. Loud stupid pop music playing on some speakers. Pearl seeming to almost be breathing heavily, eyes still trained on lizzie.

“I heard they might be getting married…” Pearl whispers out. And Scott doesn't need to her to say who she's talking about her voice shaking lightly.

“I'm so sorry about that…if it makes you feel any better, I once dated a man for 2 years, only to find out he was married the entire time, had a family and all!!” He huffs, scowling slightly before sighing, a small laugh bubbling up in his throat. And pearl let's out a hiss in sympathy, and Scott just pats her shoulder. “What I'm saying is she isn't the only one like that out there. You'll find someone else who takes your breath away all over again” he says, voice soft as he moves to be leaning back.

Pearl flounders for words, leaning back against the chair, hair a tangled mess getting onto scotts lap. “I…I'm just…so tired of being so just…alone. All the time..” she whimpers, hands coming to wipe away the forming tears as she starts to bable “and she just…she made me feel like I wasn't alone, like I had somewhere, where someone wanted me, where she wanted me…and now she's off,possibly about to be engaged, like we didn't hang out at my place last week, watching Christmas movies and cuddling, and just…” she groans out. Curling back up into a ball, refusing to look anywhere else.

And Scott sees this as his chance really. Standing up slowly, he holds out a hand for her, a reassuring smile on his face, but his blood boils. He feels it popping and snapping in his chest. And he isn't quite sure why.

“Come on, I don't think we need to be here anymore.” He trials off, his grin only growing as she uses his hand to pull herself up, shaking slightly in the legs. But nodding all the same. Letting her eyes drift to the floor. Scott almost feels bad. Key word, almost. The ugly beast still snarls and shows its teeth, ready to bite down and shred her to bits.

He guides her through the rows of too loud music, and too many drunk people. He can hear cheers as mumbo does some kind of trick with the mixer. It isnt much of a surprise. Mumbo has been bartending for almost a decade at this point. He makes it a point in almost every conversation that he simply loves his job. But Scott can still hear him apologize, and say it's really nothing. That it's rather quite simple. No one believes him in the slightest. Not when Scott and pearl are half way to the door, and they can both see the metal cups flying through the air above the crowd. Too many people in the too fancy house.

Lizzy cam from a far too wealthy family Scott is starting to think. She says she had a comfortable childhood. But. That feels like a bit of a lie.

The door is soon approaching, and pearl leans on Scott as he guides her too it. Not interested in being here longer then he needs to be. Not with the plan starting to form in his mind as he practically shoves her out the door.

“Hey…do you want me to drive you home?” He chuckles, glaring at her from the corner of his eye. Already knowing the answer as she weakly nods. Brown hair that once was done up all nice now falling in his face. As she stares at the floor. Unsure of what's going to happen.

He makes his way to his car, making sure to not have parked too far away, back when he thought he was going to leave with a bad attitude and ready to just drive off. Opening the passenger door he does a joking bow, and pearl doesn't even try to give a smile at it. Sliding into the seat almost limply, and Scott can't help but smile. It almost feels far too easy. As he walks around, opening his door, and sliding into his own seat. Looking to the door to see the small pistol he keeps there as a just incase scenario. He does feel he'll need it as he starts up the car.

With the roar to life, he slowly turns on the music, turning it to an older station and watching as pearls noise wrinkles as the final count down starts to play. He turns on the heating to keep her warm in her too little clothing for the weather. “Sooooo, you're gonna have one he'll of a hangover at work tomorrow?” He asks with a chuckle, slowly buckling in. She does the same and shakes her head. “Don't got work for the next few days, holiday weekend and all. With new years being in a day. Heard martyn and bigB are still working tho.” She says, almost numbly as she looks out the window, something still so sad about her. And he doesn't know why, but her bringing up martyn makes the thing in his chest snarl.

He decides to let the car idle for a moment, not wanting to mess it up too bad. Even if he is about to kidnap pearl. And she's going to let him. He knows it. Deep in his chest. It feels far too easy, and yet to right. “That's good. That's good, well, not good for martyn or big B, but. I'm glad you have a few days off…” he kinda trails off, rubbing the soft steering wheel cover. The two falling into almost awkward silence. Pearl too busy I'm her own head of thoughts of lizzie, Scott too busy in his with thoughts of making sure pearl certainly gets a point.

“Hey, you wanna head over to mine? I have some ice cream and shit? Make you feel all better?”

“....what streaming services do you have?”

“....Netflix, Hulu, paramount, and Disney-”

“-Yeah, let's head over to yours.” She cuts him off before he can finish, looking up out of the car window, and Scott snickers. Putting his car into drive.

Come morning and sunlight streams through the curtains of his old family house. Bathing the place in light. Stretching his arms far above his head with a yawn, making sure to keep an eye on the sizzling bacon and the soon to be done pancakes. A sense of pride boiling in his chest.

one hand grips the handle of the skillet, the other holding the black plastic spatula. Gently edging the pancake onto the already made stack. A low hanging grin on scotts face as he turns off the burner. The room filled with soft music and savory smells as scott moves around. Picking up a plain pancake to eat as he puts two onto a different, metal plate. Still warm bacon following suit. He turns to the peanut butter, opening it up, and smearing it onto the two pancakes on the glass plate. Putting a little too much bacon on the plate. Chuckling softly to himself as he spins. Taking long strides back to the pantry to put up the peanut butter. Mind buzzing with things to say, things to do. He really didn't get to do too much last night, by the time he had gotten back, she has fallen asleep, and he got her tired to the chair? He was far more then beat, arms and legs just aching.

Quietly picking up the plates, he turns to the basement door. Flicking on the light switch, and nudging open the door, he starts his decent.

From morning light and savory smells of breakfast, to dim light bulbs, and the smell of went stone. Depending the stairs, he makes sure to close the door behind him, watching as it suddenly becomes much much darker, and his eyes have to adjust to the lighting of the stairs. The stone brick walls with moss and such creeping up them, welcome him like an old friend. Too bad he doesn't get along with friends from the past anymore.

He represses a shiver as he steps down each step, counting as he goes, making sure to keep his voice a light hum. And isn't that splendid!! He can hear pearls muffled screams and thrashing already!! She's awake!!

He sighs happily as he makes it to the 32nd stair. The very bottom, turning he sees just what he left. A metal dinning table. Pearls hair seeming to have gotten even more knotted!! He'll make sure to brush it tomorrow, if he let's her free like he's planning. Tears and pure anger, yet fear fill her eyes, and scarf gagging her has spit soaking through, and Scott tries not to wrinkle his nose, but he can't help it really.

Her arms tied behind her back, and then to the chair, just to be safe. And each ankle tied to the front two legs of the chair. She leans as forward as she can go without tipping, and with her glare, as she screams nonsense, Scott almost feels like she's growling at her really!!

He sets both of the plates down on the cold stone floor, praying nothing crawls into his food as he's a bit busy. Slow, steady movement as he walks behind her, lifting her hair up as he slowly unties the soft red scarf. As soon as it drops she's starts to scream.

“LET ME GO YOU CRAZY ASSHOLE!! LET ME GO. I SWEAR I WONT TELL ANYONE, JUST LET ME GO!!”

He voice is almost horse, and Scott can't help but roll his eyes and sigh. Walking back around, jerking his hand away as she tries to bite at him. Letting out an almost offended gasp as she pauses, huffing for breath. Hair still falling forward. “Gods!! And you're not even here for anything personal!! You would think we had some long lasting enemies thing with how you're acting!!” He says, voice rising as he scrunched his brow. Not much of a fan og pearl right now, with all her screaming, and drooling, and crying in total.

He huffs. Honestly, he didn't think kidnapping would be this messy. The women letting out what almost sounding like a snarl. And Scott Scoffed in return. practically storming off from her. Something still boiling in his blood he doesn't care to give her the plate right now. Hands sliding into his pockets, gripping the pocket Knife with all the strength he has left.

“I'm not a violent person pearl.” He snarls, voice dripping with rage, or is it blood lost as she spits, going far enough to land on his new slippers.

“Like hell you arent.” her voice as much of a snarl as his. And well, Scott doesn't think before he's plunging the knife into her shoulder.

He thinks it's easy to listen as pearl screamed. head throwing back at an odd angle as she thrashes.

Martyn didnt even flinsh when the bell to the shop rang loud. Pearl hadnt replied since friday night. Hope in his eyes as he looks up, only to see Scott in the doorway, a nervous sigh leaving his lips. With slow movements he looks around the shop, noticing not a soul in the place. He let's him sag forward at the fact its just him and scott. elbows on the counter as martyn slowly slides onto, a worry noise leaving him as his hand slide into his hair, pushing his hair back. And martyn swears he doesn't mean to grip his hair tight enought that he's pulling it. He really didn't mean to.

He can hear scotts step become hurried as he reaches martyn, martyn doesnt even look at Scott as he pulls his hands out of his hair. Gently taking the hand into his own, running his fingers over his knuckles with such gentleness martyn feels he has to look up. Tears starting to form in his eyes as he takes in a shakes inhale.

Scott looks worried, almost frustrated. Eyebrows scrunched, and frowning. His jaw far too tense. But just the look of worry made martyn cave.

“Gods, I'm, scott, I'm, I'm just so worried about her scott..!!” He croaks out, squeezing his eyes shut as he feels tears start to fall. Squeezing scotts hands like his life depends on it.

He isn't able to see the way scotts nose wrinkles. He doesn't know that Scott knows who he's talking about. He doesn't know the way the beast that Scott has gotten used to in his chest, is beyond man, leaving deep gashes that Scott can almost feel.

“Oh martyn…what happened, what, what's going on?” Scotts voice is an attempted softness, but jealousy is lacing each world to the point he stutters. Martyn can't hear it, as his voice catches and he let's our a low whimper.

“Pearl…shes…oh gods…no one has seen or heard from her in 3 days, and..they, they reported her missing this morning” scotts own breath catches on that. As he slowly removes his hand from one of martyns, martyn isn't sure where her takes it, untill the soft hands, calloused from coffee burns, is wiping away tears as they fall. Martyn breath catches. Slowly opening his eyes once more, tears catching on his lashes, and keeping his vision throughly blurry as he leans heavily into scotts hand. A shaking sob leaving him once more.

“Oh I'm so sorry martyn….I'm sure she'll be found soon..” I'll make sure of it goes unsaid. scotts voice was layer in a sweetness, he knew, sounded fake. But martyn didn't care. His breath hitched once again as his sobbing picked up.

The question is if she'll be alive is on the tip of his tounge, waiting to slither out, and bite at anyone it can. But as a sob shakes him, he knows he won't say it.

His empty hand grabs scotts by the wrist, nails digging in and causing crescents into the skin of scoots wrist. And Scott knows they'll bruise due to his low iron. But he doesn't care, he let's martyn hold him like his life depends on it.

With a gentle attempt at a smile that doesn't quite reach his lips, he tilts martyn head up by the chin, leaning in just a bit.

Martyn stares into his eyes with one's of sorrow. And Scott can taste, can feel, the hickuping breaths. Scott figures its alright to steal just a little bit more breath from martyn.

The kiss is light, it doesnt take more then a minute. But it leaves scotts head spinning, and it leaves martyn bringing the hand he's still holding to his chest. And curling into the one on his face. Leaning awkwardly over the counter.

“She'll be ok martyn, i promise.” And martyns heart skips, and he thinks he believes scott.

(HEYYYYY YOUVE REACHED THE END, LOOK AT THAT!!!!! kina. You're the friend I've had for the longest on here, and I really do love you/p you look simply amazing in everything you wear, and that time you show me how you pulled up your hair was, to put it simply, awesome<3 you've super fun to talk with, and I wish life would align just a little bit more for us to talk even more then we do now. You truly are a great friend, and I love you, and you're writing to death<333 I could probably go back and find when you first commented on that pist of mine, but do I really need to? It feels like it's been years knowing you already, when I know it's been a year at max. You're awesom3, and every conversation with you leaves me a smiling mess, just at the fact you enjoy talking to me of all people!! And that honey moon you proposed? I would simply love to go biking with you, in, Norway was it? Besides the point, maybe you could take me to the arcade too<3)

(ALSO, 5K FUCKING WORDS, LONGEST THING IVE EVER WROTE, JUST FOR YOU BABES<333)

(I'm not actually wake, this is a scheduled post, so I won't respond instantly<333)